Category: Emerging Threats

The Curse of The Cult of Kanban

In 2007, I began warning SurvivalBlog readers about global over-reliance on Just-In-Time (JIT) inventory management. This system — also called lean inventory management or kanban — was first developed by Toyota in Japan, in the 1950s. There, with largely internal chains of supply that were all clustered around the major cities on Japan’s largest island, Honshu, the kanban system worked with wonderful efficiency. Kanban soon branched out to the other three primary islands: Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku. Manufacturers were able to cut costs by keeping their parts inventory small, and placing frequent orders to their supplying wholesalers and component parts …


Food Shortages – The Hype and The Reality – Part 2, by SaraSue

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) In Part I, we discussed a bit about where the real food shortages are and some solutions. The primary advice was: buy in bulk if possible, buy single ingredient whole foods, identify alternative food sources, cook from scratch, grow your own, and avoid processed foods wherever possible. It’s pretty straightforward stuff, right? Then why is the “prepping community” “stacking it to the rafters” if there’s plenty of food? What’s going on underneath the surface? What’s not so obvious, generally? Why are people, seemingly, panicking about access to food? Conspiracy Theories Let’s get …


Food Shortages – The Hype and The Reality – Part 1, by SaraSue

If you watch YouTube videos, alternative media, and even mainstream media, there is a tremendous amount of hype about food shortages. A common phrase among Preppers is “stack it to the rafters”. I can imagine the amount of stress this puts on families who don’t have a lot of extra cash. I was there once, so I have deep compassion for those worried about food security, not to mention gasoline and heating cost concerns — the basics. I’ll give a few tips to address that in this article. But first, are there really food shortages in the United States of …


Here’s Why U.S. Supply Chain Problems Will Only Get Worse, by Brandon Smith

It is an economic rule which free-market philosophers like Adam Smith have tried to explain to governments and monopolists for centuries: Less liberty and more centralization equals less production and less overall wealth. Governments and central banks have sought to circumvent this rule by printing money from thin air, thinking that they can create wealth while at the same time suffocating public financial interactions and trade with authoritarianism. This, of course, only leads to inflation or stagflation, and thus wealth is never actually created, it is projected like a hologram in order to trick the masses into thinking that all is well – …


Covid Authoritarians Are The Cause Of America’s Problems, Not The Unvaccinated, by Brandon Smith

Editor’s Introductory Note:  Because I’m back on the road, I’m posting this article in place of my usual Odds ‘n Sods column. This article was authored by Brandon Smith, the Editor of Alt-Matket.us. It is re-posted with permission. I recommend bookmarking his site, and checking it often. – JWR — It’s an odd dynamic – One would think that if the covid vaccines were a generally benevolent program that actually “followed the science” then there would be no need to pile drive the public with an endless barrage of vax propaganda. After all, if science and morality are on the …


Potemkin Village on the Potomac

I’ll begin this essay with a bit of history, and then take a look at what I foresee in the near future of America. The “Potemkin Village” (Potyomkinskiye derevni) was an invention of Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin-Tavricheski to impress Empress Catherine The Second (“Catherine the Great”), while she was traveling through Crimea, in 1787. As the story goes, along the banks of the Dnieper River, Potemkin had workmen erect a fake village, peopled with paid actors. This village was designed to give Catherine with the illusion of economic vibrancy in the region under the prince’s rule, as she floated by. After her …


Our Trying Modern Times – Part 2, by Steve Vandiver

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) “Firearms stand next to the Constitution itself. They are the American people’s liberty teeth and keystone under independence… The very atmosphere of firearms everywhere restrains evil interference – they deserve a place of honor with all that is good.” (Often spuriously attributed to George Washington). Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership report that Tyrannical governments always disarm their victim citizens. Disarmament happened in Turkey, the Soviet Union, in the German Weimar Republic, in Communist China, in Uganda, in Cambodia and in too many other lands. Genocide so often followed disarmament during …


Our Trying Modern Times – Part 1, by Steve Vandiver

Editor’s Introductory Note: Reader Pam B. wrote to mention that the author has just recently been reported to have passed away. At l;east that is what I’m assuming, since his obituary matches several things he referenced in the article. If so, then we have lost a great patriot. Our condolences to his family. “You are blind like us. Your hurt no man designed, And no man claimed the conquest of your land. But gropers both through fields of thought confined We stumble and we do not understand. You only saw your future bigly planned, And we, the tapering paths of …


More than Half-Past 2021, by A.E.

I have a love-hate relationship with prepping. I love the planning and preparation, playing the game of “What if?” for probable problems in my/our future; the ready access to supplies without running errands to pick up ‘stuff’ on a regular basis. I hate the prospect that preps are necessary due to possible life or death problems. It means things are not stable and therefore dangerous to me and mine. So let’s look at some of our instability that could lead to problems. First of all, our government is being run, pretty much top to bottom, by political hacks who usually …


Post Facto Vaccine Countermeasures, by S.F. in Oregon

Editor’s Introductory Note:  The following is not medical advice. It is presented for informational purposes only. Consult your family doctor before undertaking any self-administered procedures. — While I don’t suggest anyone get a COVID vaccine, some people have told me that they feel they have no choice. One case in point, a mother with a special needs child who can’t afford to lose her job. Another, a man who has served 18 years in the military who doesn’t want to lose his retirement benefits. Finally, if it gets dystopian enough, hypothetically consider the plight of an anti-vax patriot traveling with …


A Look Ahead: Property Values in an Age of Inflation

Several SurvivalBlog readers have contacted me in recent weeks, asking me to gauge where we are in the housing market cycle, here in the United States. My replies to them have reiterated a few key points: 1.) House prices have risen between 15% and 30% in most markets in the past 12 months. This is not sustainable, unless Dollar inflation increases considerably. 2.) There is a wide diversity of regional real estate markets. Some are clearly “over-bought”, while others are likely to continue to rise. 3.) Interest rates will probably continue to remain low, but at some point, they must …


This is Not My Planned TEOTWAWKI , by S.F. in Oregon

I’ve planned and prepared for a panoply of disasters: Financial collapse?  Check.  EMP strike?  Check.  Mutant Biker Apocalypse?  Check.  Slow descent into Third World conditions?  Hmmm…  This is not the TEOTWAWKI I prepared for.  So, let’s regroup and reassess. As society collapses slowly in what can only be described as a slow-motion-controlled demolition of civilization, what are we witnessing? Labor shortages, at least for now.  Perhaps the end of unemployment benefits will reverse this, but if this is planned (The Great Reset), then it may continue.  How does this play out?  The other day a friend who does not make …


Get Out of the Cities – Part 2, by SaraSue

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) In Part 1, I discussed the primary reason for getting out of the big cities: It is just not safe. The main reasons I have been told that people hesitate on moving to a rural location is not knowing what to do for a living – getting a job. The money thing. Secondarily, the inconvenience of being far away from customary activities. Thirdly, fear of the unknown. There are many reasons why people can’t fathom moving away from the big city. Making money If you can’t “take your job with you”, for …


Get Out of the Cities – Part 1, by SaraSue

If you’re on the fence, then please get off of it and make your move. I realize how scary that sounds because I’ve done it. I realize how insane it sounds to walk away from a job with really good benefits and a retirement account. Again, because I did it. I did it for health reasons several years ago, but the current situation is no different – there is a need, a demand, a situation at hand (unconstitutional mandates?), that requires finding a spot far away from the madness and its influences. I was scared spitless at the time – …


Food: The Ultimate Weapon, by MacHam

Never before in the history of mankind has a generation of people been so distant from their food sources, both in geography and in knowledge of how they are created. Those who are intent on doing evil have used withholding food as a weapon of war for thousands of years. Unlike modern weapons of war that leave great environmental damage, starvation is a silent albeit slow killer. This leaves a populace malnourished and the people are hence easily led, unable to resist the commands of leaders. Depopulation follows, leaving all wealth and infrastructure in place. It truly is the perfect …