The Editors’ Quote of the Day:
“Resist this war on God, freedom of religion and freedom of speech.” – Dr. Benjamin Carson
“Resist this war on God, freedom of religion and freedom of speech.” – Dr. Benjamin Carson
On February 6, 1869, Harper’s Weekly published the first drawing of “Uncle Sam”. with chin whiskers. — February 6, 1959: Texas Instruments filed for a patent for their first integrated circuit (IC), invented by Jack Kilby. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 117 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 …
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, we look at the rise of diabetes. 537 Million+ Diabetes Cases, Worldwide International Diabetes Federation: Global Diabetes Cases Are Climbing. Here is a quote: “The regions with the …
“I don’t personally consider myself Dr. Doom. I call myself Dr. Realist, even though it’s less exciting and more boring than being called Dr. Doom. If you are consistently saying ‘the world is going to end,’ who is going to listen to you?” – Nouriel Roubini
On February 5, 1644, the first American livestock branding law was passed, by Connecticut. — February 5, 1953: Sweets rationing imposed in WWII ended in Britain. — Today is the birthday of Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim (5 February, 1840 – 24 November, 1916). He was an American–British inventor best known as the creator of the first automatic machine gun, the Maxim gun. Maxim held patents on numerous mechanical devices such as hair-curling irons, a mousetrap, and steam pumps. Maxim also claimed to have invented the lightbulb. He was the father of Hiram Percy Maxim, who founded the ARRL. — The …
Our 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. — A paper published by ScienceAdvances: Microplastics in the bloodstream can induce cerebral thrombosis by causing cell obstruction and lead to neurobehavioral abnormalities. JWR’s Comments: It was not until centuries later that one of the key contributing factors to the fall of the Roman Empire was identified as their extensive use of lead …
“What you want to watch are the lenders, not the borrowers. The borrowers will always be willing to take a great deal for themselves. It’s up to the lenders to show restraint, and when they lose it, watch out.” – Michael Burry
On February 4, 1555, reformer and Bible translator John Roger was the first Protestant martyr (of nearly 300) under the reign of Mary I, when he was burned at the stake at Smithfield, London. Queen Mary was also known as Mary Tudor, and derisively nicknamed “Bloody Mary” by many non-Catholics. She was the daughter of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. — On this day in 1789, George Washington became the first and only president to be unanimously elected by the Electoral College. This was repeated again on this same day in 1792. — February 4, 1924: Norway swept …
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 located in the American Redoubt region that are of interest to preppers and survivalists. Today, news of avalanche warnings in Idaho and Montana. Region-Wide It’s the mildest winter in 10 years, but will it stay that way? o o o Greater Idaho Movement: Another bill surfaces in Oregon Legislature. The article begins: “Will the Oregon Legislature gain ground this session …
“Is the economy going to collapse if we continue down this road? Yes. Should Americans be self-reliant? Yes. Absolutely. … I think loving our neighbors is being prepared to give them food. Loving our neighbors is being prepared to protect them.” – Former Washington Representative Matt Shea
On February 3rd, 1947, a North American record low temperature was set at -81°F (-63°C), at Snag in the Yukon Territory. Snag is a village located on a small, dry-weather sideroad off the Alaska Highway, 16 miles east of Beaver Creek, Canada. — We are happy to announce a new writing contest prize sponsor, starting this month with Round 117: 3Vgear.com. Take a look at their great line of more than 100 outdoor and preparedness products. — As predicted, the 2025 tariff war has begun. If you are planning to buy anything imported from Mexico, Canada, or China, then jump …
The following recipe for Rice Croquettes is from SurvivalBlog reader Mrs. Alaska. She writes: “These are fast, easy, and tasty way to use up leftover meat and vegetables. These croquettes can be deep-fried or pan-fried.” Ingredients 1 1/2 c cooked rice 1/2 c flour 1/3 cup shredded cheese 1 TBS melted butter or oil 2 eggs or 5 TBS powdered egg + 5 TBS water Directions Combine ingredients. The texture will between a dough and a batter. If too dry, add water or oil. If too wet, add more flour. Add in some combination of the following, in the proportions …
Today’s graphic is a map showing the percentage of military veterans, by state. The high percentage in Alaska surprised me. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) The thumbnail below is click-expandable. — Please send your graphics or graphics links to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Any graphics that you send must either be your own creation or uncopyrighted.
“The power vested in the American courts of justice of pronouncing a statute to be unconstitutional forms one of the most powerful barriers that have ever been devised against the tyranny of political assemblies.” – Alexis de Tocqueville, 1835
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed on February 2, 1848. It ended the Mexican–American War. Mexico lost 55 percent of its territory to the US, including California, Nevada, and Utah in exchange for $15 million. — February 2nd is the birthday of Ayn Rand (born Alisa Zinov’yevna Rosenbaum, in 1905). She died on March 6, 1982. She is of course remembered for her novel Atlas Shrugged, which is considered a Libertarian classic. While I sharply disagree with her views on religion (since she was an atheist), I admire both her skill as a writer and her ability to articulate …