The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — November 11, 2023

At 5:00 a.m. on this day in 1918, the Allied powers and Germany signed an armistice document in the railway carriage of Ferdinand Foch, the commander of the Allied armies, and six hours later World War I came to an end. Ever since then, November 11th has been celebrated as Armistice Day — later called Veteran’s Day. — This is also the birthday of General George S. Patton, Jr..  (Born 1885, died December 21, 1945). — On November 11, 1880, Australian outlaw Ned Kelly, who was the most famous of the bushrangers (bandits of the Australian outback), was hanged in …


Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both 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 the Odds ‘n …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low. He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail. Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee.”  – Deuteronomy 28:43-45 (KJV) 


Preparedness Notes for Friday — November 10, 2023

On this day in 1871, according to his journal, explorer Henry Stanley greeted David Livingstone, the fellow explorer in search of the source of the Nile River, with the famous words “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” — November 10th is remembered in the United States as the “birthday” of the U.S. Marine Corps. — November 10th is also the birthday of the late Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov, born in 1919, died December 23, 2013. He didn’t design a lot of different guns, but one of his few designs was the prototype for what turned out to be the world’s most widely produced …


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 “Shrinkflation”. (See the Inflation/Deflation Watch: section.) Precious Metals: Metals on the Move: Silver breakout signals next run to $50. o  o  o Gold prices may need clear signal of Fed cuts to break $2000, industrial silver demand set to rise – Heraeus. Economy & Finance: SurvivalBlog reader K.B. sent this: Why Banks …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — November 9, 2023

On November 9th, 1799, the Coup of 18–19 Brumaire began in Paris, marking Napoleon‘s rise to power and the end of the French Revolution. — After several weeks of civil unrest, the East German government announced on November 9, 1989 that all GDR citizens could visit West Germany and West Berlin. Crowds of East Germans crossed and climbed onto the Wall, joined by West Germans on the other side in a celebratory atmosphere. — Harvest Guard Reusable Canning Lids has announced a 40% discount on all orders over $75, through the end of 2023.  This discount is only being offered …


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 a Euthanasia in Canada. Canadian Death Cult SurvivalBlog’s Tom Christianson suggested this City Journal article: Canadian Death Cult: America’s northern neighbor has euthanized tens of thousands …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — November 8, 2023

Ten years ago today, November 8th, 2013, the Philippines endured what many consider its worst natural disaster when the country was struck by Super Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful cyclones ever recorded to strike land. Pictured in the city of Tacloban, after the typhoon struck. — On November 8, 1656, English astronomer and mathematician Edmond Halley, the first to calculate the orbit of Halley’s Comet, was born in Greenwich, Kent, England. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 109 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The …


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. — A snippet from Mark B.: “I’ve mentioned before about Costco selliing Kirkland canned roast beef.  It is pre-cooked, so you could eat it right out of the can, if’n you wanted to.  Has some sodium phosphates. If you purchased it only for rainy days, (which seem more and more likely lately)  you …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — November 7, 2023

On November 7, 1940, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge connecting the Olympic Peninsula with Tacoma, Washington, broke up in a wind of about 42 miles (67 km) per hour.  The footage of the collapse became iconic. — November 7th is the anniversary of the death of actor Steve McQueen (born March 24, 1930, died November 7, 1980) — Mark Dice’s new nonfiction book The War on Conservatives was released today. Look for it at your favorite online bookseller. (Note: Given the leftist politics and the cutthroat business practices of Amazon.com, I prefer shopping through Books-A-Million.) — We are seeking entries for …


Transformative Tech: The AR, The Glock, and The Smartphone

In this brief essay, I’ll be discussing three relatively new technologies that have been nearly as transformative to modern society as Gutenberg’s 1448 invention of the movable type printing press. The AR The Armalite Rifle (AR) family of selective fire and semi-auto rifles, pistols, and shotguns have become ubiquitous in the early 21st Century. They have been produced for the U.S. civilian market since 1959. There are an estimated two million new ARs produced each year for private use by American families. There are now roughly 20 million in residential closets and gun safes. Many of those ARs have changed …