Year: 2023

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. — SurvivalBlog’s Editor-At-Large (and much-published sci-fi author) Michael Z. Williamson has just launched a new series of videos on YouTube, named after his side business, Sharp Pointy Things. The first video is: USAF Air Crew Survival Knife. Note that Mike still does some custom knife and sword making, but he has a  backlog …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Since the earliest colonial days, Americans have been busily manufacturing and repairing arms. In the colonies, the ability to defend one’s home and community, hunt, fight wars, and ultimately win American independence depended largely on the ability to produce arms. For the newly independent nation, arms production was critical to repel invasions and insurrections, and eventually, to western expansion. The skill was always valued and in demand, and many Americans made their own arms rather than depend on others. Americans continued producing their own arms in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, leading to some of the greatest technological breakthroughs in …


Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — June 13, 2023

On June 13, 1777, Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette landed in the fledgling United States. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 107 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: 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. 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), Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees …


Modern Civil Defense – Part 1, by 3AD Scout

What might a revived civil defense program look like in the United States?  What may trigger the Federal government to implement civil defense actions and what impacts might those actions or inactions have on you, your family or your preparedness group’s plans for survival? Where Civil Defense Ended To understand what the federal government might do in the future for civil defense we need to start by looking at the past.  In the 1950s through the 1970s American Civil Defense (CD) centered around “protecting” the population through fallout shelters.  A massive undertaking surveyed building across the United States to deem them worthy of …


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, more updates on the Greater Idaho movement.  (See the Region-Wide section.) Region-Wide Dr. Steve Turley outlines the implications of how Oregon’s “Portland majority” disenfranchises the state’s rural counties: Is Over Half of Oregon Really Joining Idaho? o  o  o Greater Idaho movement wins Wallowa County …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — June 12, 2023

On June 12, 1991, a series of major explosions began inside Mount Pinatubo, a volcano in western Luzon, Philippines—its first eruption in 600 years. — On June 12, 1987, during a visit to the divided German city of Berlin, President Ronald Reagan publicly challenged Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev to “tear down this wall.” — On June 12, 1981, the action-adventure film Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark—directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Harrison Ford—was released in theatres; a huge success, it spawned numerous sequels. The most recent sequel, scheduled for release in late June, is reportedly …


A Special Reminder About Our Writing Contest Rules

Well, it happened again! We’ve been threatened with a lawsuit. This time it was over photo licensing. The use of what appeared to be an unlicensed photo in a 2021 article submitted by a reader resulted in me getting an “unauthorized use” photo licensing bill from Germany for €963 ($1,038 US Dollars) with the threat of a $150,000 USD lawsuit if I failed to pony up the license fee. The photos were provided by the reader/author. Therefore, I need to post a reminder about our writing contest rules. The posted rules clearly state — including some huge bold type: To …


Recipe of the Week: Beef, Turkey, or Chicken Meatballs With Zucchini

The following recipe for Beef, Turkey, or Chicken Meatballs with Zuchinni is from SurvivalBlog reader B.P.. He says: “This recipe is my variation on one that was passed around a couple of years ago. It is one way our family uses part of our summer bounty of Zucchini.” Ingredients For the Meatballs: 2 pounds of your choice of ground beef, turkey, or chicken 1 tablespoon olive oil 3 cloves of garlic, minced 2 large eggs 3 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning Salt and ground black pepper, to taste 2 cups zucchini, finely grated and twice squeeze-drained 1 small red onion, grated …


The Crypto Crackdown Has Begun

Today, in place of my regular column of Economics and Investing news items, I’m concentrating on the nascent crackdown on private cryptocurrency holders. To start, please take a few minutes to read these two articles, and pay particular attention to their tone: Binance.US suspends USD deposits after regulators crackdown. and, SEC’s Gensler Likens Crypto to ‘Fraudsters, Scam Artists, Ponzi Schemes’ of 1920s.



Preparedness Notes for Sunday — June 11, 2023

On June 11, 1742, Empress Maria Theresa of Austria (pictured) decided to make peace with Prussian King Frederick II, ceding almost all of Silesia to him in the Treaty of Breslau, which marked the end of the First Silesian War. — John Wayne, the iconic American film actor, died on June 11th, 1979. While John Wayne is probably best known for his westerns like True Grit, The Shootist, and Fort Apache, we remember him best for his roles in The Alamo and The Green Berets, both of which reflected his patriotic, conservative leanings. — Today’s feature article is a guest …


Silver and the Popping of the Debt Bubble, by Hubert Moolman

We have now moved into an era of rising interest rates that is similar to a period that started in the early 1940s. At the start of this period, the Government Debt to GDP ratio was also around 120%, close to where it eventually topped/popped. Despite high relative debt levels and a rising interest rate environment, the US was in a good position due to the US dollar being the premier world currency as a result of the 1944 Bretton Woods agreement. Instead, the US is currently facing a similarly massive debt liability and a rising interest rates environment, while …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: Remember That “Slow Slide Scenario” That Survivalists Warned Us About, 30 Years Ago? Well, Now We Are Living Through It News Links: ‘Rapidly growing’ homeless encampments spring up near LA’s celebrity-filled Beverly Hills neighborhood – where the median home price is $3.5M. Oakland’s largest homeless encampment razed, 700 tons of trash hauled away. Proposed law to ban homeless camps within 1,000 feet of ‘sensitive areas’. Leaders struggle for solutions as safety remains top concern at San Vicente homeless encampment. And from the ultra-leftist CNN: A huge homeless camp will be cleared after …