September in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran of Gainesville Coins

Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review, by Steven Cochran of Gainseville Coins where we take a look at “the month that was” in precious metals. Each month, we cover the price action of gold and examine the “what” and “why” behind those numbers. What Did Gold Do in September? Gold was pulled out of a 2-month low by the non-farm payrolls report that was substantially under predictions. Prices were slowly worn down as the month went on, until the Federal Reserve FOMC meeting on the 22nd. When the Fed did not raise interest rates, gold jumped $20 an …




How To Find Food in Your Own Backyard, by Z.M.

If it ever really comes down to it, you can easily find food in your backyard. I remember reading a survival book when I was younger that mentioned how absolutely ludicrous it is to die of starvation in the wild. The book mentioned the sheer number of times that starved lost hikers’ bodies are found lying in a patch of edible plant life. After reading that, I agreed with the author and set out to educate myself on the edible plants I walk by every day. The end result is that I can now take a hike through the woods …


Letter Re: Moving to Alaska

Good Afternoon Hugh, This is a response to the Letter regarding Alaska as a Survival Location. I am sure you are getting piles of letters from people in Alaska who claim many things. We have owned our property in Alaska for eight years. Here are some pointers for being successful in Alaska, which people down in the States don’t seem to understand. Location – Most people think that the only places to relocate to Alaska are in the “mainland” part. We live in Southeast Alaska, which is a rainforest. Water is plentiful here. Getting here is not difficult and the …


Recipe of the Week: Chicken Sesame, by R.C.

Ingredients: 1 frying chicken, cut up ¼ cup flour 3 tbs sesame seeds ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper ¼ cup salad oil 1 small onion, chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped ½ cup dry white wine 1 chicken bouillon cube, crumbled ½ tsp tarragon ¼ cup water ¼ cup cornstarch 1 cup dairy sour cream Directions: Coat chicken with mixture of flour, sesame seeds, salt, and pepper. In a large skillet, brown chicken in oil, then place in a slow cooking pot. Add onion, celery, wine, bouillon cube, and tarragon, then cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 …


Letter Re: Moving to Alaska

Hi Hugh, Regarding the person’s letter on the October 1, 2016 blog; one small correction if I may? I just drove up and back to/from Alaska in Aug-Sept, 2016; and the Alaska Hwy in Canada (mile 0 is Dawson Creek, BC, Canada) and the highway is paved and well maintained the entire way. The Canadians do an excellent job of putting up flagging to let drivers be forewarned of bumps and road damage which is minor. Gasoline ranged from $1.07-$1.39/liter (3.72 liters/gallon). Years ago I drove it in winter too, twice; and both the Canadians and Americans keep it well …


Live Your Survival and Gain Sufficiency-Part 2, by E.M.

Mental Health Physical health for the mind is equally as important as exercising it. Like our body, if we have an unhealthy mind there will not be much exercise. We must make sure that we are not taking with great excess or frequency those things that alter and damage our mind and cause us to lose focus. There are also foods we can eat daily and place in our preparedness food shelter which will aid the biological make up of our physical mind. This topic is a book in and of itself, and there is a very large selection of …


Letter Re: Alaska As A Survival Location

Hugh, Regarding relocating to Alaska, I would like to add a few points: Getting in and out of Alaska – If you have a stockpile of ammunition, you will not be able to just take it with you to Alaska. You can bring a small amount in checked baggage if you fly in. Otherwise, you will have to resupply when you get there. Fortunately, that is not a difficult thing to do, but you will have to settle for whatever is on the shelves at the stores at the price they are asking, or what they will order for you. …


Live Your Survival and Gain Sufficiency-Part 1, by E.M.

Self-sufficiency – noun: the state of not requiring any aid, support, or interaction, for survival; it is therefore a type of personal or collective independence. Survival – [s?r?v?v?l] – noun: the state or fact of continuing to live or exist, typically in spite of an accident, ordeal, or difficult circumstances.[1] In our day-to-day world, there are varied degrees of survival required of us. This is true simply because there are wide-ranging degrees of threat that we face. And in today’s economic death spiral of Keynesian Economics[2], politically corrupt leadership, and a war torn world, many are already beginning to experience …


Letter Re: Differences Between Combustible Gases

James, Hugh, Before someone gets hurt or blows themselves up, here are some more details on the gases in question. Natural gas is produced primarily from high pressure gas deposits deep within the earth, and to a lesser extent as a byproduct of oil production. Natural gas is what is provided to most homes that are connected to a gas main, served by a gas company. Natural gas is primarily Methane gas, with a formula of CH4, or one Carbon atom with four Hydrogen atoms. Methane has the disadvantage that it cannot be liquefied by compression. Natural gas must either …


The Art and Practice of OPSEC, by T.H.

What is it? We often hear the term OPSEC, also know as Operations Security (not Operational Security), but few people actually know what it really means. When asked they often say, “It means not talking about what you are doing.” Or, they may say, “It means staying gray.” This is an extremely simplistic view of the program and fails to incorporate the nuances and methodology of the process. The concept is nothing new. In the fifth century BCE, Sun Tzu wrote, “If I am able to determine the enemy’s dispositions while at the same time I conceal my own, then …


Letter: Use Even More Caution Putting Personal Information Out There

HJL, A study by the RAND Corporation, published in the Journal of Cybersecurity, looked at the frequency and cost of IT security failures in U.S. businesses and found that the cost of a break-in is much lower than thought, typically around $200,000 per case. With top-shelf security systems costing a lot more than that, not beefing up security looks in some ways like a smart business decision. “I’ve spent my life in security and everyone expects firms to invest more and more,” the report’s author Sasha Romanosky told The Reg. “But maybe firms are making rational investments and we shouldn’t …


Prepping Mindset: The New Normal, by D.V.

I am a one year oral cancer survivor. I survived a 13 hour operation that included removing my lower right jaw and replacing it with the tip of my shoulder blade. My operation is called a lateral neck dissection, and it sounds nicer than it felt! The lining of my cheek received a living tissue transplant from the same shoulder area. I had a tracheotomy and couldn’t speak. During the “cut, burn, and poison” treatment, I was connected to a feeding tube for four months. Months of treatment and physical therapy have helped me survive, but I am still discovering …


Two Letters Re: Differences Between Combustible Gases

HJL, I read the article on combustible gases. You have to be very careful with the cheap conversion kits to propane for generators; almost every one of the cheap ones do not have a device to cut off the propane if the engine stops. Like loss of spark or low oil, it will keep pouring propane into the Gen set. I have been a mechanic since 1967, and these cheap kits are very dangerous. I have seen several cause explosions. – B.L. o o o Sir, I just finished reading the post about different kinds of gas and saw some …