The Time It Takes, by SwampFox

I work as a truck driver. That means I spend a lot of long, boring hours driving from state to state. I have a regular route, covering the same roads each day. On good days, not much happens that is new or exciting, and to pay attention to my job I need a bit of entertainment in the background. So I listen to a lot of audiobooks. A handful of these have been survivalist fiction or preparedness-oriented. I have discovered that many authors and readers may possess some unrealistic ideas about what a prepared life looks like, or what life might be like in a world without rule-of-law or without basic services.

In many of these fictional writings, the protagonists are described as everyday suburban people: City job, decent house, a couple of kids, and the American Dream. When the crisis comes, they go home and figure things out. Maybe they have some food on hand and a couple of firearms, and with a few trips to the local hardware store they manage to scrape by. The neighborhood comes together and plants subsistence gardens and develops a mutual defense plan. But real life is just not like that!  It takes logistics, planning, budgeting, organizing…Continue reading“The Time It Takes, by SwampFox”

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 continuing automotive microchip shortage. (See the Commodities section.)

Precious Metals:

Silver continues to be the biggest beneficiary as US focus on green energy transition – Bank of America.

o  o  o

Mike Gleason, at Gold-Eagle.com: Fed Expects No Recession as Inflation Negates Actual Economic Growth.

Economy & Finance:

New York, California lost more tax income than every other state as people fled liberal enclaves.

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Bank failure: Kansas Heartland Tri-State Bank closed by FDIC. JWR’s Comment: The takeover of this bank, with $139 million in total assets hardly registered a blip on the news radar for the mainstream media outlets.

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A FoxBusiness piece linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Ford set to lose $4.5 billion on electric vehicles this year, despite increased revenue.

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Some projections from Visual Capitalist: The Fastest Growing and Declining Industries in the U.S. (2021-2031P). JWR’s Comment:  If there is a regional war or a World War that disrupts trade, these projections would of course be “overcome by events” (OBE).

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Mega Millions Jackpot Hits $1 Billion—Here’s How Much The Winner Would Take Home After Taxes.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Book Review: The Area Intelligence Handbook

There are just a few times in the past decade that I’ve opened a book and felt an immediate connection with its author. That is what happened when I began reading The Area Intelligence Handbook, by Mike Shelby.

I suppose that a better title for the book would be: The Area Intelligence Handbook For Survivalists, because that is how the book is geared. This 249-page trade paperback is not just a generic manual on Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield (IPB) for folks in the Military Intelligence (MI) arena. Rather, it is truly tailored for preparedness-minded private citizens, in anticipation of a severe situation such as an economic collapse, societal collapse, martial law, civil war, or even an invasion. In Shelby’s estimation, America is already in a Low-Intensity Conflict (LIC). The Area Intelligence Handbook postulates a continuing escalation of that conflict.  Most importantly, the book describes how you can conduct a detailed Area Intelligence study of your own region, to prepare for a wide range of possible threats and outcomes.Continue reading“Book Review: The Area Intelligence Handbook”

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, word of a new Covid virus variant.

Scientists Discover The ‘Most Mutated Covid Variant Ever’

Business Today of India reports: Scientists discover the ‘most mutated Covid variant ever’ lurking in a patient in Indonesia —featuring 113 mutations, more than double the number found in Omicron. Here is an excerpt:

“This variant is said to have 113 distinct mutations, compared to the lethal Omicron variant, which had roughly 50.

This highly mutated variant has sparked concerns among the scientific community due to its potential impact on immunity and vaccine efficacy. The spike protein, which is responsible for helping the virus attach to and enter human cells, is the target of many Covid-19 vaccines.”

Global Livestock Distribution, Density

H.L. sent this, from Visual Capitalist: Mapped: Global Livestock Distribution and Density.

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — August 2, 2023

On August 2nd, 1876, Wild Bill Hickok—a frontiersman, marksman, gambler, and legend of the American West—was murdered in the city of Deadwood, in what is now South Dakota.

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August 2nd was the birthday of Peter O’Toole (1932–2013). When his name is mentioned, Lawrence of Arabia immediately comes to mind.

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I just learned that Harvest Guard — one of our advertisers and a sponsor of our writing contest — has reduced their prices as much as 30% on many of their most popular products. As always, shipping in the United States is free. For large, group bulk orders, please contact info@canninglids.com for additional discounts or other questions. Coupons are not needed and cannot be used with the current prices.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 108 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. 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 $2000.
  2. 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),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $840,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 108 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

PV Power Challenges and Solutions, by Tractorguy

This article should be subtitled:

“And, the importance of regular visits to your Bug-Out Location (BOL).”

Back in August of 2020, I wrote about the solar photovoltaic (PV) power system at my Bug-Out Location (BOL). I believe it was General Electric that used to put on all their professional product literature, “Our policy is one of constant improvement.” That’s great advice for all of us! In the last three years, I have made some refinements and corrected some significant shortcomings in it.

My BOL is deep in the woods, a quarter-mile off the road, and is surrounded by trees. That’s great for OPSEC and natural air conditioning, but it is very challenging for harvesting solar power. Fortunately, there is a cleared corral area about fifty feet North of the house where my solar panels are located. As I detailed back in 2020, I have the main bank of solar panels facing South, with an additional panel facing East and West to catch the first sunlight in the morning, and the last sunlight in the evening. Relying on solar power off-grid requires that you maximize not only your peak output, but also your hours of “harvesting”, as any significant loads you are going to power overnight, such as refrigeration, will be totally dependent on the energy stored in your battery bank, unless you have a power source other than solar, such as a windmill or water turbine to supplant the solar.Continue reading“PV Power Challenges and Solutions, by Tractorguy”

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.

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America’s polarized political tribes are moving away from each other. Just look at a bluer Colorado and a redder Idaho.

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Ontario Knife Company has been sold. It has been reported that 56 employees will be losing their jobs. It is not clear what the new owner, Blue Ridge Knives of Virginia, plans to do with the product line. It has not yet been announced where or when production might resume.

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Family Who Died Trying to Live ‘Off the Grid’ Told Loved Ones About Their Plan: ‘We Tried to Stop Them’. JWR’s Comments: True survivalism is far-removed from starry-eyed, unrealistic romanticism and LARPing. Practical self-sufficiency takes real skills, hands-on experience, proper tools, and a very deep larder.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“I write about things that are important for us as Americans. I’m concerned about al-Qaeda sneaking across the border with the illegal immigrants that are using the coyotes to get across the border. And that’s not a Democrat or Republican issue, that’s a national security issue.” – Brad Thor

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — August 1, 2023

August 1st is remembered as the election day in 1946 that sparked the Battle of Athens, Tennessee, when returning World War II veterans took up arms to oust a corrupt local government that was rigging an election.

On August 1, 1941 the first U.S. military Jeep rolled off the assembly line.

On August 1, 1958 the US First-Class postage was increased to 4 cents. (It had been 3 cents for 26 years.) In case you missed the news, the most recent rate increase went into effect on July 9, 2023. The new rate sheet includes an increase in the cost of a First-Class Mail stamp (the “Forever” stamp) — jumping from 63 cents to 66 cents.

Today is the anniversary of the general uprising against the German occupation, in Warsaw, in 1944. Like the Warsaw Jewish Ghetto uprising in April of 1943, it was doomed to failure. The uprising was eventually crushed, with massive civilian casualties. There was no support provided by the Allies. The advancing Soviet Red Army–just a few miles to the east–merely waited and watched. It was in their best interest to stand by and witness the remnants of the Polish Army deplete themselves against the German Wehrmacht.

August 1st is celebrated as Swiss Independence Day, in recognition of the signing of the Federal Charter of 1291, which united Switzerland’s first three cantons. As of 2023, Switzerland has been free and independent for 732 years. Having a well-armed populace has assured that.

And today is also the birthday of Lt. Colonel William B. Travis. He was born in 1809 and died March 6, 1836, at The Alamo.

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Today’s feature article was too short to be considered as an entry for the judging in Round 108 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.

But up first is the judging for the most recent round of the writing contest.

Writing Contest Prize Winners Announced — Round 107

We’ve completed the judging for Round 107 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. Round 107 ended on July 31st, 2023. The contest is run in rounds that each last two months. The prize-winning writers for Round 107 are:

First Prize

First Prize goes to PrepperDoc, for: Assembling a Stealth Prepper Group, posted on July 18th and 19th, 2023. See: Part 1, and Part 2. He will receive the following prizes.

  1. 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 $2000.
  2. 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),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
Second Prize

Second Prize goes to Tunnel Rabbit, for: Low Power Communications Station in a Bucket, posted July 25-28, 2023. See: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5. He will receive the following prizes:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!
Third Prize

Third Prize goes to OhioGalt, for Building a Simple Faraday Cage, posted on July  16, 2023. He will receive the following prizes:

  1. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.
Honorable Mention

Each Honorable Mention Prize winner has been awarded a transferable and accruable $100 FRN purchase credit toward the purchase of any antique or percussion replica gun from Elk Creek Company.

Honorable Mention Prizes go to the writers of these 16 articles:

More than $840,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Round 108 is already underway and ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

July, 2023 in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran

Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review, where we take a look at “the month that was” in precious metals. Each month, we cover gold’s performance and the factors that affected gold prices.

What Did Gold Do in July?

We expected continued central bank policies of putting the inflation fight above the job market and preventing inflation would have put gold on the back foot, making traditionally weak summer gold demand worse. That isn’t exactly what happened.

August gold futures started July at $1,929 an ounce, with spot prices starting at $1,919. Prices peaked on the 18th, with August futures settling at $1,980, and spot prices closing at $1,977. The most active gold contract on the COMEX shifted to the December futures on Friday, July 28th, closing at $1,999.90. It ended the month at $2,009.20.

Gold saw highly volatile price movements this month, moving suddenly by $20 up or down on unexpected economic news.Continue reading“July, 2023 in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran”

Using Pop Culture to Teach Survival and Civics, by M.J.

This short article does not teach any particular skills, tactics, or procedures. My only objective here is to offer some suggestions for using pop culture to get children or teenagers to start thinking about survival and to learn about civics. While most pop culture ranges from fluff to downright destructive, there are some gems we can pull out of the trash heap. Some of the examples here are irreverent and some have bad language; that’s the point. Books and sober lectures aren’t always the best way to get people’s attention. Note that I am labeling anything with vulgarity or profane language as NSFW — meaning “not safe for work”.

Let’s start with Amish Paradise. This classic has been floating around the Internet since the late 1990s. Let your children watch the whole thing and laugh their heads off. Then start asking them questions to make them think: What would their lives be like with “no phone, no lights, no motorcar, not a single luxury?” How would they get around? How far could they go via walking or cycling? How would they communicate? Then introduce the concept of electromagnetic pulse (EMP) to show how the United States might be reduced to living the “Amish Paradise” life. Would they be able to pay for anything online, or get any information online? Is it time to start learning bartering and other survival skills? Will cash or precious metals suddenly become much more useful? Is it time to stock up on paper books (not e-readers), which will not be vulnerable to EMP?Continue reading“Using Pop Culture to Teach Survival and Civics, by M.J.”