Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — September 29, 2020

September 29th, 1881, was the birthday of Ludwig von Mises. (Born 1881, died October 10, 1973.) — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 90 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value), A …




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 the release of Todd Engel.   (See the Idaho section.) Idaho First and foremost, there is this update, over at Redoubt News: Exclusive: Welcome Home Todd Engel! (The photo of Todd Engel and Rep. Heather Scott at the top of this column is courtesy …







Preparedness Notes for Monday — September 28, 2020

Flash Traffic: Azerbaijan announces military mobilization, declares state of war.  Not to make light of this grave situation, but when I was attending the Military Intelligence school (MIOBC) at Fort Huachuca, we used to make jokes about Armenia and its army.  One of our favorites:  “What is the Armenian national anthem?”  Cher sings it. (And then we’d all sing the chorus.) Here is some news footage. — Here is a new listing over  SurvivalRealty: Off-Grid Country Home Bordering State Land in Northern Arizona. — We have resumed taking orders for Elk Creek Company. My #1 Daughter is already busy padding and …




Recipe of the Week: Brisket With Onion Sauce

The following recipe for Brisket With Onion Sauce is from The New Butterick Cook Book, by Flora Rose, co-head of the School of Home Economics at Cornell University. It was published in 1924. A professional scan of that 724-page out-of-copyright book will be one of the many bonus items included in the next edition of the waterproof SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick. This special 15th Anniversary Edition USB stick should be available for sale in the third week of January, 2021. The 14th Edition sold out quickly, so place a reminder in your calendar, if you want one. Ingredients 3 pounds …




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 prospects for a digital Euro currency and a new Digital Dollar.. Precious Metals: The past week has been a rollercoaster ride for silver, gold, and platinum. On Monday, September 21st, the price of silver broke down 9%. It got as low $22.55 on September 25th. But this morning it …




The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“That the house of every one is to him as his Castle and Fortress as well for defence against injury and violence, as for his repose; and although the life of man is precious and favoured in law; so that although a man kill another in his defence, or kill one per infortuntun’ (by misfortune), without any intent, yet it is felony, and in such case he shall forfeit his goods and chattels, for the great regard which the law hath of a mans life; But if theeves come to a mans house to rob him, or murder, and the …




Preparedness Notes for Sunday — September 27, 2020

This is the birthday of Samuel Adams (not counting the change in dates due to the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar). He was an American statesman, political philosopher, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 90 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their …




Geopolitics: How Maps Help Us Understand History, Predict the Future – Pt. 2, by Brian Miller

(Continued from Part 1.  This concludes the article.) — Geopolitics, Social Darwinism, State Survival, and “Lebensraum” These histories serve as a simplified starting point for understanding geopolitics, and the types of influences that are embedded in the concept. With state sovereignty came the dominant understanding that a state’s purpose was that of survival. Said differently, states were seen to always be in competition with different states. In the late 19th century, Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection was being applied by scholars to the study of societies (Social Darwinism). German geographer, Friedrich Ratzel, applied Darwin’s natural selection theory to state …







The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; “I know thy works: behold, I …







Geopolitics: How Maps Help Us Understand History, Predict the Future – Pt. 1, by Brian Miller

Editor’s Introductory Note: The following guest article was first posted by Ammo.com. It is re-posted with permission. It appealed to me because–like the author–I adhere to the Geographic Detriminist school of history. – JWR — “It is not often that nations learn from the past, even rarer that they draw the correct conclusions from it.” – Henry Kissinger American students are notoriously bad at geography, and have been for some time. In 2002, for instance – the year after the 9/11 attacks – only 17% of American students could find Afghanistan on a map. In 2016, less than one third …




Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year. Note that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments. Let’s keep busy …