Preparedness Notes for Friday — April 5, 2024

April 5th, 1588 was the birthday of English philosopher and political theorist Thomas Hobbes, best known for his publications on individual security and the social contract. Today is also the birthday of Baron Arisaka Nariakira (April 5, 1852 – January 12, 1915) was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army. The inventor of the Arisaka Rifle, he is regarded as one of the leading arms designers in Japanese history, alongside Kijiro Nambu. On this day in 1614, Pocahontas married John Rolfe which ensured peace between the Jamestown settlers and the Powhatan Indians for several year — I see that …


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. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, another look at the effects of inflation. (See the Inflation/Deflation Watch section.) Precious Metals: The precious metals rally is continuing. As of Friday, April 5th, 2024 (AM): Gold: $2,340.30, up $37.50 for the day.  (Another all-time high.) Silver: $27.60, up $0.24 for the day. Published on Wednesday: Gold Prices Have Surged 23.3% in the Last …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — April 4, 2024

On April 4, 1841, after serving for only one month, William Henry Harrison became the first U.S. president to die in office; he was succeeded by Vice President John Tyler. — Today is the 99th birthday of famed Navy fighter pilot Royce Williams. — On April 4, 1960, the biblical epic Ben-Hur became the first film to win 11 Academy Awards; it notably received Oscars for best picture, director (William Wyler), and lead actor (Charlton Heston). — On the 4th of April 1291, the siege of Acre started. It opposed a 220,000 men strong Mamluk Muslim army to 15.000 knights …


The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is 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. In today’s column, we look at the upcoming release of the A24 Productions near-future film Civil War. Civil War — Coming Soon The release date for the much anticipated (and dreaded) …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — April 3, 2024

While adjusting a picture on the wall of his home in St. Joseph, Missouri, American outlaw Jesse James was shot and killed by Robert Ford (pictured) on April 3, 1882. — Several readers wrote to mention this sad news: Last USS Arizona Sailor Who Survived Pearl Harbor Attack Passes Away at 102. — This is the birthday of Washington Irving, an American author, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for short stories like Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, but he also wrote several biographies and served as the US …


Writing Contest Judging Results (Round 111)

We’ve completed the judging for Round 111 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. First Prize goes to E.R., for his two-part article A Water System Adventure. It ran February 15-16, 2024, 2024.  (See Part 1 and Part 2.) His prizes will include: 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 $2,000. 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 Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 …


SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters. — From blog reader C.B: Marines Ditch 100-Year-Old Marksmanship Standards. o  o  o The WEF agenda could be Banned from Louisiana.  Here is the key wording from the  bill: “The World Health Organization, United Nations and the World Economic Forum shall have no jurisdiction or power within the state of Louisiana. No rule, …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — April 2, 2024

On April 2, 1968, Stanley Kubrick‘s 2001: A Space Odyssey had its world premiere in Washington, D.C.. The movie became a classic, setting the benchmark for sci-fi films. The film also gave one of the first cinematic warnings about artificial intelligence. — On April 2, 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León landed on the coast of Florida. — Today is the birthday of Sergei Ivanovich Mosin (April 2, 1849 – February 8, 1902. He was a Russian military officer, engineer, and a co-designer of the Mosin–Nagant rifle. — This is the birthday of Émile François Zola, a novelist and …


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, some extra coverage of wildlife issues in the American Redoubt, especially those elusive wolverines! Region-Wide Wolverines Are Super Rare In Wyoming, But Now Colorado Wants Them Too. o  o  o Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Finding for the Gray Wolf in the Northern Rocky …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — April 1, 2024

Created this day in 1999 by carving a vast region from Canada‘s Northwest Territories, the Canadian territory of Nunavut stretches across much of the Canadian Arctic and encompasses the traditional lands of the Inuit. — On April 1, 1621, at the Plymouth settlement in present-day Massachusetts, the leaders of the Plymouth colonists, acting on behalf of King James I, make a defensive alliance with Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoags. The agreement, in which both parties promised to not “doe hurt” to one another, was the first treaty between a Native American tribe and a group of American colonists. According to …


Recipe of the Week: Lily’s Einkorn Flour Bread

The following recipe for Einkorn Flour Bread was developed by Avalanche Lily. It requires a cast iron fry pan with a lid or a Dutch oven with lid. Ingredients 1 cup Sourdough starter (semi-liquid) 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil 2 Tablespoons raw honey 1 and half teaspoons of Sea salt 4 and a half cups of Einkorn Flour 1 and half cup warm water Directions Mix up the dough. Let it rest fifteen minutes. It will be wet and sticky. On a lightly floured surface, fold dough about eight times with wet fingers.  Wet fingers help keep the dough from sticking …