Working From Home: A Forced Sabbatical, by D. Glen

I work for a Fortune 100 company in the Midwest and work in the area of Research and Development (R&D). Late during the week of March 8th, we began to hear rumors that our facility and other staff locations throughout North America would be closing soon due to the CV-19 outbreak that was beginning to spread across the country. During the afternoon of Friday, March 13, the rumor was confirmed in that my supervisor stopped by to inform us that our facility was closing immediately and would remain so for three weeks until April 6th. Per the rumor, the closure …




Consider Horde Mentality in Your Planning – Part 2, by Ani

(Contined from Part 1. This concludes the article.) If it were spring or summer, I would also expect many refugees to head to what they perceive of as a good place to pitch a tent and set up “camp” such as farm fields, your “back forty”, the woods behind your house, any stretch of land that appears “unoccupied” etc. I know for sure that many urban/suburban people don’t view rural land as being “owned” in the same way they do their apartments or front lawn/back yard. They also see this as being way more than anyone needs. So why not …




The Gun-Buying Frenzy: Holding The Line

A special note from SurvivalBlog Editor JWR: As most of you know, my web-based antique gun business is called Elk Creek Company. Despite the current frantic “run on guns” at gun stores, nationwide And despite galloping prices at both gun shops and on-line auctions And despite NICS system interruptions And despite unconstitutional gun store closures in many cities… I’m still very much in business and I’m defying any unconstitutional gun restrictions by local petty tyrants. I am stating bluntly: Your non-legislated fiat decrees create no jurisdiction over what I sell here.  And as far as I’m concerned, when I make …




Consider Horde Mentality in Your Planning – Part 1, by Ani

As a prepper for many years, I’ve put some consideration into trying to understand the mentality of the “hordes” who might be forced to leave their cities and heavily populated suburbs, in the event of a major disaster. I think that while we may not know how things are going to unfold or what sort of disaster might provoke people into leaving and essentially becoming refugees, we can consider some of the more likely to occur scenarios. Doing this will let us examine how well-situated we are in our own homes, the risks that we might be most susceptible to, …




Safety Versus Security, by Michael Z. Williamson

I have a few brief observations: Your typical citizen is a pushover who’s all-in on living in a police state to be “safe.” Example 1: A while back, I had an Australian woman perusing the wares in my booth. She looked at a reproduction rapier. “Very nice. But we wouldn’t be allowed to own something like that. Keeps us safe, though.”* “Oh, are random rapier duels in the street something you worried about in Sydney?” You could almost see her neurons engage. *Swords are not, in fact, banned in Aus. But that she assumed they were proves my point again. …




COVID-19: My View From The Powerhouse

I thought I’d give some insight on the COVID-19 impact from my perspective in the hydroelectric power industry.  As a journeyman hydro electrician, I’ll provide a “boots on the ground” tradesman’s point of view.  I’ll do my best to give a short- and medium-term interpretation of this event’s impacts insofar as keeping the lights on.  While not as prevalent throughout the entire country, hydroelectric projects (dams) are the major supplier of electricity for the bulk of those already in the Redoubt and BC.  While all the windmills along the Columbia produce more political “warm and fuzzies” than actual power, dams …




Letter: Some Wuhan Coronavirus Observations

Everyone will have a different perspective on this.  Here are some ramblings: Things are rapidly downshifting in greater Seattle.  In less than seven days.  There are strong parallels with the 2011 B-movie Contagion. Numerous employers are telling much of their workforce to work from home through the end of March (I expect that to continue beyond March…). Amazon, Microsoft, Puget Sound Energy (utility), Russell Investments.  Those are four big ones that I am aware of as of now. The Northshore School District just closed through the end of March, and will attempt to begin Remote Learning on Monday, March 9.  …




The GSM and the NWO, by H.M.

Editor’s Introductory Note:  At SurvivalBlog we do our best to present a variety of opinions. The following  article is highly opinionated. Some might say that it borders on a “rant.” If that bothers you, then simply skip reading it. Please keep your comments civil. — I have been a prepper for more than thirty years, without really knowing why. I knew that something was coming and have since then come to the realization that a group of very powerful people want to end life as we’ve known it and return the world to the feudal system of the Middle Ages. …




Letter: Elderberry and Wuhan

Dear SurvivalBloggers: Just a quick note concerning Elderberry syrup and the Wuhan coronavirus (now named “COVID-19”) that I didn’t want to get lost in the extensive comments about the virus at https://survivalblog.com/post-exposure-prevention-pep-protocol-jj-mi/ and https://survivalblog.com/letter-wuhan-virus-shepherdfarmergeek/ : Normally, with flu, elderberry syrup is a positive and helps fight the virus.https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190423133644.htm“Sambucol Elderberry Extract and its formulations activate the healthy immune system by increasing inflammatory cytokine production.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11399518 However, “…elderberry also enhances cytokine response, which may not be so good when one of the complications of pandemic influenza is cytokine storm.” https://vancouversun.com/news/staff-blogs/high-dose-vitamin-d-and-elderberry-syrup-for-flu-treatment And here we have that immune dysfunction also showing up with COVID-19 …




Letter: Acclimate to Wearing N95 Masks!

Dear Prepper Friends and Family, As someone who sleeps with a CPAP machine running every night I’ve grown accustomed to the strangeness of having a mask on my face. Even more so, when I exhale the mask fills with hot breath and it feels as if I’m suffocating. When I inhale, however, I get clean, fresh air and it’s all okay. But I had to train myself to not struggle with it. We’re all going to run into this situation with N-95 filter masks if and when the time comes to wear them whenever we go out in public, to …




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 the burgeoning growth of Idaho’s population. Thankfully, there is still plenty of elbow room! (See the Idaho section.) Region-Wide I was humbled to see that this got considerable international press coverage: Homesteaders, catastrophists run for the hills to flee US uncertainty o …




Letter: Thoughts From a Richmond 2A Rally Attendee

As we all now know, the 2A rally in Richmond, Virginia on January 20, 2020 to protest the tyrannical gun laws proposed and/or passed by Governor Ralph Northam and his Democrat cronies, proved uneventful. This not only shows that gun owners are some of the most peaceful and law-abiding people in the country, but also that the hysteria drummed up in the weeks preceding the event was just that, hysteria. In fact, if I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard “Civil War 2”, “It’s a trap”, “buffalo jump”, “false flag”, “Boogaloo”, or dozens of other terms designed to …




A Clash of Cultures, by B.H.

I have been following SurvivalBlog for several years now after reading the first book in the Patriots novel series. From those books, other post apocalyptic novels, and this blog we have generally followed the advice and warnings. The situations causing huge retrogrades in our society have been put into several categories: EMP. This is generally referenced as a weaponized attack using a detonation of a nuclear device to electronically fry just about all our systems of communication, Internet, banking, defense, power grids and anything electronic to include anything with computers or microprocessors. Most refer to this event as a return …




2020: A Year of Perfect Hindsight

As we begin the year 2020, I’d like to reflect on what I’ve seen and experienced, since I was born in 1960. In my novel Patriots, a couple of my characters used the now-cliched phrase: “Hindsight is 20/20.” But I must say that in many ways that it truly is. With the benefit of some hindsight, I have formulated a few observations for 2020 — a year of 20/20 hindsight: Technology When I was growing up, computers were enormous lumbering beasts that were primarily batch-programmed with Hollerith punched cards. I had the advantage of attending Livermore High School, where those …




Why Trade Deficits Matter, by Lyn Alden

Editor’s Introductory Note: This article is a guest post that I selected from a contrarian economist and investment advisor. It first appeared at the Lyn Alden Investment Strategy web site. — Due to the ongoing trade dispute between the United States and China, as well as between certain other nations, the concept of a trade deficit is now front and center in financial media. This article takes a look at why trade deficits (eventually) matter, and how they can factor into an investment strategy. Key Terms Defined Trade Deficit Simple Example Modern Trade Deficit Explanation Why I’m Cautious About the …