The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. Today, for openers, we take a look at some Bunkers of the Swiss National Redoubt (Schweizer Reduit.) The Lovely Swiss Villas That Could Destroy An Army A video from The Tim Traveller: The Lovely …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — June 2, 2021

On June 2, 1774, Parliament renewed the Quartering Act, allowing British military to stay in private homes if necessary, completing the Coercive Acts. The Quartering Act, in conjunction with the Massachusetts Government Act, the Administration of Justice Act, and the Boston Port Act, were known as the Coercive Acts. These Acts were Parliament’s way of asserting their control over the colonists after the Boston Tea Party and were one of the main motivations for the 3rd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. — Please don’t forget to post a comment at the Federal Register’s website about the ATF’s proposed rule change …


Nice Guys Go To The Gulag

Watching recent events has confirmed that America truly is in peril. It is now clear that the Democrats intend to pursue California-style political domination, nationwide. In California, the Democrats hold super-majorities in both the State Assembly and the State Senate. They also hold the governorship, in the person of Gavin Newsom–who is part of a wicked multi-generational four-family intermarried political dynasty that has dominated the state for 60+ years.  So now, California’s Democrats hold The Whole Enchilada. They are getting their full socialist agenda enacted, with no meaningful opposition. They are driving a Democrat steamroller over Sacramento. But clearly, the …


May 2021 in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran

Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review, where we take a look at “the month that was” in precious metals. Each month, we cover gold’s performance, and the factors that affected gold prices. What Did Gold Do in May? Gold started the month with a morning run at $1,800, being brought up short at $1,799.20 an ounce before settling lower. At the same time, silver briefly tagged the $27 mark. Things trended higher for the remainder of the month. Gold made sustained breaks above the $1,800 mark on the 6th, the $1,850 mark on the 17th, and the $1,875 …


SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly column is a collection of short snippets: practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. We may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters. First up, reader H.L. sent us this: Forgotten First Shots of the Revolutionary War, ‘The Watchman’ Thwarts General Gage’s Gun Grab. o  o  o ‘Nothing looks good’ preparing for summer wildfire season. o  o  o David in Australia wrote: “G’day, In the post it mentions keeping various dowel on hand. A dowel jig/maker can be made pretty cheap at the …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — June 1, 2021

On June 1st, 1942, seven months after the extermination of prisoners began, the Warsaw underground newspaper, The Liberty Brigade, made the first public announcement of the gassing of tens of thousands of Jews at Chelmno, a Nazi-operated death camp in Poland. The story came from a young man, Emanuel Ringelblum, who had escaped the Chelmno death camp after being forced to bury bodies that were thrown out of the gas vans. The West then knew the horrific truth about the slaughter of Jews. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present the first entry for Round 95 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction …


Writing Contest Winners Announced

We’ve completed the judging for Round 94 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. That round ran from April 1st to May 31st, 2021. The prize winners are: First Prize: First Prize is awarded to K.B., MD, for Medical Emergency Sheets., which was posted in four parts from April 14 to 17, 2021. (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.) She will receive the following prizes: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This …


SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, we focus on Montana’s Constitutional Carry law. (See the Montana section.) Idaho Idaho couple charged with murder in deaths of two children. o  o  o While the governor is away, Idaho lieutenant gov. bans mask mandates. o  o  o Last year’s wildfire season was historic …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — May 31, 2021

May 31, 1930 was the birthday of actor/director/producer Clint Eastwood. One hundred years ago today, on May 31, 1921, the Tulsa Race Riot destroyed a 35-square block section of the city nicknamed “Black Wall Street.” At least 75 people were killed — mostly black. Some were shot and some died in structure fires. The initial shootout that precipitated the chaos took the lives of 10 whites and two blacks. The riots that followed were more lopsided in the other direction. There were even firebombings and shootings from the cockpits of private planes. The incident left a stain on the history …


CRKT Bona Fide, by Pat Cascio

As a rule, I report the suggested retail price of the products I test, usually near the end of the review. However, this time, I’m reporting it first. This is the new CRKT Bona Fide folder, and it has a retail price of $125 – and as savvy shoppers know, if they shop the ‘net they can usually find CRKT products for a lot less than their suggested retail price. The Bona Fide, is another design from world-famous knife designer/maker, Ken Onion, who makes his home in Hawaii. It has been a lot of years, since I spoke with Ken …


Recipe of the Week: Bear’s Everything Casserole

The following recipe “Everything” Casserole comes to us from frequent recipe contributor “Bear.” Here is her introduction: I like this recipe because it can be assembled ahead of time, can be eaten for any meal of the day, and because it is so customizable. Use any kind of bread and cheese and veggies and herbs that you like! For example, the recipe originally called for cheddar cheese, but I like it even better with a mixture of mozzarella and smoked provolone. Add more or less of each ingredient to suit your own taste. Include the meat, or don’t; it’s good …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at Joe Biden’s “Sugar High” Economy. (See the Economy & Finance section.) Precious Metals: World’s Biggest Platinum Miner Makes Another Bold Call on Prices. o  o  o Golds gains over $100 this month. Economy & Finance: At Zero Hedge: Biden Unveils $6 Trillion Budget That Will Raise Federal Spending To Highest …