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, we look at germination experiments using seeds from the Svalbard global seed vault. Hydroxychloroquine Versus Remdesivir Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Hydroxychloroquine vs. Remdesivir: History’s most deadly con. The CDN article …







Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — August 5, 2020

August 5th is the sad anniversary of the Mann Gulch Fire in Montana that took the lives of 13 firefighters (including 12 smokejumpers and one former smokejumper), in 1949. The intense, fast-moving forest fire took place in what later became the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness. The events of that fire were chronicled in the book Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean and immortalized in the haunting lyrics of the ballad Cold Missouri Waters by James Keelaghan. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 90 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this …




August 5th, 2020: Our 15th Blogiversary!

Today, August 5th, 2020, is the 15th anniversary of the launch of SurvivalBlog. Since August of 2005 we’ve accomplished the following: Posted 33,200+ articles, letters, and columns. In 15 years, we’ve hardly missed a day of posting. All of the blog’s archives are fully searchable and available free of charge–just as they’ve always been. Posted more than 5,470 Quotes Of The Day and 1,580 Bible verses. Cumulatively awarded more than $1.1 million worth of writing contest prizes. (Our sincere thanks to the many generous prize donors. These loyal blog supporters deserve your patronage.) We’ve inspired thousands –and possibly tens of …




JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. The focus is usually on emergency communications gear, bug out bag gear, books, and movies–often with a tie-in to disaster preparedness, and links to “how-to” self-sufficiency videos. There are also links to sources for both storage food and storage containers. You will also note an emphasis on history books and historical movies. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This week the focus is on a sermon by Pastor Chuck Baldwin on Kalispell, Montana. (See the Sermons section.) Books: Sean Hannity’s …




The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“How divinely full of glory and pleasure shall that hour be when all the millions of mankind that have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God shall meet together and stand around Him, with every tongue and every heart full of joy and praise! How astonishing will be the glory and the joy of that day when all the saints shall join together in one common song of gratitude and love, and of everlasting thankfulness to this Redeemer! With that unknown delight, and inexpressible satisfaction, shall all that are saved from the ruins of sin and hell …




Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — August 4, 2020

On August 4th, 1944, 15-year-old Jewish diarist Anne Frank and her family were captured by the Nazi Gestapo. The Franks had taken shelter in a small space in a sealed-off area of an Amsterdam warehouse along with another Jewish family and a single Jewish man. They were aided by Christian friends who brought them food and supplies. Her diary survived the war, overlooked by the Gestapo, but Anne and nearly all of the others perished in the Nazi death camps. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 90 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes …




Tactical Technology for TEOTWAWKI – Part 1, by J.M.

[Editor’s Introductory Note:  This lengthy and detailed article will be serialized into six parts.] I’ll admit it: I’m a techno-geek. Ever since I programmed my first computer in BASIC using punched paper tape many (many) years ago I’ve been fascinated by computers and electronics, and I’m always finding ways to leverage technology to improve various aspects of my life. I use RFID chips on many of my preps so I can locate them quickly, I’ve created an extensive database of all of my preps that includes type, quantity, location, storage bin, expiration/rotation date and lots more, and I’ve created 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 a couple of more grizzly bear attacks.   (See the Montana and Wyoming sections.) Idaho My #1 Son sent this, from Redoubt News: Lawsuit Filed Against Mask Mandate o  o  o City of Nezperce declares state of emergency over Ammon Bundy’s planned …







Preparedness Notes for Monday — August 3, 2020

On August 3rd, 1914, Germany and France both declared war on each other, formally beginning of the First World War. — August 3rd, 1846 is the day that the Donner party found a note warning the emigrants that their expected route through the mountains ahead was nearly impassable. Hastings, an unscrupulous trail guide had created his own “short cut” route and wasn’t even at the planned meeting place at Fort Bridger, but had left word for the party to continue on. Hastings had claimed easy passage through the rugged Wasatch Mountains, but had left a note attached to a forked …




Recipe of the Week: Mrs. Alaska’s Greens Pesto Sauce

The following recipe for pestos from gardened and foraged greens was contributed by “Mrs. Alaska”. Chef’s Introductory Notes: Although basil pesto is perhaps the best known commercial pesto, this delicious topping for cheese, pasta, fish, chicken or meat can be made with any combination of greens. The crunchy element can be any nuts or edible seeds (like sunflower or pumpkin), and the emulsifying oil can be varied, too. Herbs and spices (like garlic) can be added or omitted. Pesto Experimentation This summer, I have made eight different pestos with: Foraged Greens: Chickweed (bright and grassy tasting) Lamb’s Quarter (mild) Sorrel …




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 The Ammunition Drought of 2020. Gun store shelves were very well-stocked in February. But they now look barren. (See the Tangibles Investing section.) Precious Metals: Mike Gleason: “Government Sachs” Is Worried About the Federal Reserve Note o  o  o Neils Christensen: We are watching history unfold. Here is a …




The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The so-called paradox of freedom is the argument that freedom in the sense of absence of any constraining control must lead to very great restraint, since it makes the bully free to enslave the meek. The idea is, in a slightly different form, and with very different tendency, clearly expressed in Plato. Less well known is the paradox of tolerance: Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will …




Preparedness Notes for Sunday — August 2, 2020

August 2nd was the birthday of Peter O’Toole (1932–2013). When his name is mentioned, Lawrence of Arabia immediately comes to mind.  But one of my favorites was his 1971 film titled Murphy’s War. That has some very memorable seaplane flying scenes. — 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 …