Preparedness Notes for Monday — July 14, 2025

July 14 1962:  The borehole for the 7.2-mile long Mont Blanc tunnel between France and Italy was finished.  The tunnel was opened to traffic in July, 1965. Pictured is the French side of the tunnel. — July 14, 1850: The first public demonstration of ice made via refrigeration was made by Florida physician John Gorrie. — July 14, 1864: Gold was discovered in Helena, Montana. — A silver bull breakout! Spot silver jumped 3.67% in one day, to close at $38.67 per Troy ounce on Friday. (July 11, 2025.) It was up again this morning (after Asian trading) to $38.90 …




Stihl MS261C Chainsaw, by Thomas Christianson

With a magnesium-alloy crankcase, captive bar-nuts, a decompression valve, and a host of other premium features, the Stihl MS261 is its various forms represents a well-designed and well-constructed professional chainsaw. But it is the light weight and the outstanding power-to-weight-ratio of the saw that secures its place as one of the most popular chainsaws in the world. With a manufacturer-suggested retail price of $709.99 at the time of this writing for the C-M version with a 16 inch bar, the saw represents a great value for high-volume wood cutting. If you only cut a few cord or less of firewood …




Recipe of the Week: Applesauce-Glazed Barbequed Chicken

The following recipe for Applesauce-Glazed Barbequed Chicken is from SurvivalBlog reader V.F.. Ingredients 4 boneless and skinless chicken breast halves (weighing about 6 ounces each) 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (or less, to suit your taste) 1 tablespoon olive oil 2/3 cup of applesauce 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2/3 cup barbecue sauce 1 teaspoon chili powder (or less, to suit your taste) Directions Sprinkle the chicken breast pieces with pepper. In a large oiled skillet, brown chicken on both sides. In a small bowl, combine and thoroughly mix the other ingredients. Pour the mixture over the top and sides of …




SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic: Economic Activity in the US. This map shows the nation’s gross economic activity, split in half. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) JWR’s Comments: This map is an oversimplification. The locations of major corporate headquarters skew the map. Here are just two examples: There are McDonald’s franchises all over the country generating revenue, but the McDonald’s headquarters is in Chicago, Illinois. General Mills is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It markets packaged farm products (predominantly grains) grown in rural areas of more than a dozen states. The thumbnail below is click-expandable.       — Please send your graphics or graphics links …