Preparedness Notes for Sunday — September 5, 2021

On September 5, 1774, fed up with the meddling of the crown and being mostly independant-minded, our nation’s founding fathers met together in the First Continental Congress, in Philadelphia, laying the foundation of what would become the world’s greatest nation. — I just heard that L. Neil Smith passed away on August 27th, at age 75, in Fort Collins, Colorado. He was the author of the libertarian novels Pallas and The Probability Broach. He was a great author who will be missed. Lester Neil Smith III was born May 12, 1946. His biography page on Infogalactic notes: “L. Neil Smith …



The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know. For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain. But now when Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you: Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — September 4, 2021

September 4, 1862 is the fateful day that General Robert E. Lee invaded the North with 50,000 troops. Historians will banter back and forth about the real reasons for the civil war, but we will probably never fully understand. It is my personal belief that General Lee was gambling on a quick offensive because the South did not have the resources for a prolonged war. Whatever the case was, President Abraham Lincoln trampled the Constitution and created the foundation for the “Big Brother” government we have today. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 96 of …


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.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those –or excerpts thereof — in this column, in …



Preparedness Notes for Friday — September 3, 2021

English general and statesman Oliver Cromwell died on September 3, 1658. On September 3, 1752, Great Britain and its colonies, including the future United States of America officially adopted the Gregorian calendar, and it immediately became September the 14th. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 96 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: 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 …


Hurricane Ida: An After Action Report, by A.R.

I’d like to provide the readers of SurvivalBlog with an After Action Report (AAR) on Hurricane Ida: We live about an hour north of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We are in a rural county, and we live at a decently high elevation. Hurricane Ida blew through here on Monday morning. It knocked our power out Sunday night, which was no surprise. We lose power all the time. I feel like a lot of these reports come from people who missed something in their preps or else couldn’t prep for some part of what was coming. My report, by comparison, is going …


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 rising price of now import-banned Russian AK ammunition. (See the Tangibles Investing section.) Precious Metals: COMEX Silver Bought Back By Refiners For First Time In History. o  o  o The War on Cash Is Here, Gold Will Be the Only Road to Freedom Says Renowned Columnist. Economy & …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — September 2, 2021

September 2, 1969 is the day that the first automatic teller machine (ATM) made its first public debut, dispensing cash to customers at Chemical Bank in Rockville Center, New York. While being as indispensable to most people as cell phones and e-mail, they have introduced a whole new set of issues. Consumers are faced with scams, skimmers, and robbers, and even fake ATMs have been discovered. — A Reminder: The Paratus Holiday for preppers is observed on the Third Friday in September. This year, that falls on September 17th. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round …


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, more about pandemics. Explosive Growth in Homeschooling Over at Just The News: Homeschooled children increased from 13K in 1973 to 5M in 2020, report finds Video:  A Guerilla Grazer My wife Lily echoed …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“There’s one thing you can say for totalitarianism: the coolest people will all be Outlaws. They’ll import and export goods without government controls. They’ll provide free-market services. They’ll operate free communication networks. They’ll make unregulated products and sell them in unregulated ways. They’ll barter, use cash, use gold or silver, develop and use new forms of cryptocurrencies. It’ll be just like Libertopia. Except, you know, with the ever-present threat of death or long, harsh imprisonment. But that’s what Outlaws are about. Since totalitarianism is the direction we’re going, hey we might as well enjoy a few silver linings.”  – Claire …


Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — September 1, 2021

September is Kilted to Kick Cancer Month. September is also National Preparedness Month. — There is just one week left to comment on the ATF’s proposed “pistol stabilizing braces” rule. If codified, this rule might make as many as one million American gun owners into unwitting felons. Please post your well-reasoned and polite comment, soon! The deadline is midnight on September 8, 2021. — I have put Elk Creek Company on another ordering hiatus, for the month of September, 2021. I’m now traveling, and gathering more inventory. I plan to reactivate our shopping cart system on September 29th. (Mark your …


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. To begin, reader H.L. sent this: With the lights off, food spoiling, gas pumps out of order, New Orleans faces an extended power failure. JWR’s Comment:  It is an interesting coincidence that Hurricane Ida made landfall 16 years to the day that Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans. o  o  o Readers J&M wrote: “My son is nearing the end of …