JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: Sam Bankman Fried Was Found Guilty of All Seven Fraud Charges His List of Political Contributions Will Be Kept in a Very Safe Place, Right Alongside Jeffrey Epstein’s Client List  News Links: Sam Bankman-Fried Found Guilty On All Seven Charges In Criminal Trial. Sam Bankman-Fried was No. 2 top donor to Democrats, only behind Soros. SBF’s “dirty money”. SBF and His Inner Circle Allegedly Made More Than 300 Illegal Political Donations. The Mysterious Problem With Sam Bankman-Fried’s Political Donations. How former crypto king Sam Bankman-Fried and friends quietly donated to political groups …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him, Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — November 4, 2023

On November 4, 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen. — On November 4, 1924, American politician Nellie Tayloe Ross became the first woman to be elected governor of a U.S. state (Wyoming). — November 4th is the birthday of Medal of Honor recipient John Basilone. He was born in 1916 in Buffalo, New York. — On this day in 1979, student followers of the Ayatollah Khomeini sent shock waves across America when they stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran. The radical Islamic fundamentalists took 90 hostages. The students were enraged that the deposed …


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:

“And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. And he cried against the altar in the word of the Lord, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee. And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — November 3, 2023

Stephen F. Austin was born on November 3rd, 1793. He was the founder of the principal settlements of English-speaking people in Texas in the 1820s, when it was still part of Mexico. On November 3rd, 1978, Dominica achieved full independence, with Patrick Roland John as its first prime minister. On November 3, 1903, Walker Evans, the American photographer best known for his portrayal of America during the Great Depression, was born. — 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 photovoltaic power …


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, we look at the risk of war and the platinum market. (See the Precious Metals section.) Precious Metals: A “gut” platinum trade?  Earlier this week, I had a consulting client ask me what might happen to the precious metals market, in the event of a regional war in the Middle East, or World War Three. This …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — November 2, 2023

November 2, 1947:  American aviator and filmmaker Howard Hughes piloted the Spruce Goose, an eight-engine wooden flying boat intended to carry 750 passengers, on its only flight—one mile. — On November 2, 1917, British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour submitted a declaration of intent to establish a Jewish homeland known as the Balfour Declaration. While Arab hostilities and the outbreak of World War II delayed the desired outcome, the Nation of Israel was eventually re-established in 1948. — Today’s feature article is a guest piece by a SurvivalBlog reader. It is too short to be considered an entry for the …


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 illegal immigration. Bailing Out Of The Blue States Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site, there is this at the UK Daily Mail: How Americans have …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — November 1, 2023

100 years ago today, November 1st, 1923, was the birthday of science fiction writer Gordon R. Dickson (born 1923, died January 31, 2001). Many of his novels and short stories, such as Wolf and Iron have survivalist themes. The photo above was taken at a science fiction convention by John A. Johnson. — Today is birthday of Canadian test pilot Russell Bannock. He died in January, 2020, at age 100. — 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 photovoltaic power specialists …


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. — NOAA space weather scientists now predict a fairly fast-rising and intense solar maximum, to peak in 2025: Solar Cycle Progression Updated Prediction (Experimental). o  o  o Reader L.E. sent this snippet: “Wine Jelly: A very delicious and not overly sweet jelly can be made from wine. I use the cheapest Wild Vines …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — October 31, 2023

On October 31, 1941, after nearly 15 years of work, the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota was completed; the colossal sculpture features the heads of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. (Photo above, by Dean Franklin.) — As Christians, our family does not celebrate the pagan Halloween. Since October 31st is also Reformation Day, that is what we celebrate, here at the Rawles Ranch. — I just heard that Siege Belts has created a new coupon code: “SBLOG” for Survivalblog readers to get $20 off the price of any regularly …