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. — Gun Ownership by State (2023 Statistics). JWR’s Comments:  It is not surprising to see so many of the American Redoubt states at the top of this list.  If the counties in eastern Oregon and eastern Washington were considered separate states, then they would surely rank nearly as high. o  o  o SurvivalBlog’s …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day: 

“The most terrifying force of death comes from the hands of Men who wanted to be left Alone. They try, so very hard, to mind their own business and provide for themselves and those they love. They resist every impulse to fight back, knowing the forced and permanent change of life that will come from it. They know, that the moment they fight back, their lives as they have lived them, are over. The moment the Men who wanted to be left alone are forced to fight back, it is a form of suicide. They are literally killing off who …


Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — November 21, 2023

On this day in 1620, 41 male passengers on the Mayflower, prior to landing at Plymouth, Massachusetts, signed the Mayflower Compact, by which they agreed to abide by the laws of the new government they would establish. — On November 21, 1916, Britannic, the sister ship to the Titanic, sank in the Aegean Sea, killing 30 people. In the wake of the Titanic disaster, the White Star line had made significant modifications to the design of the ship, but on its way to pick up wounded soldiers near the Gulf of Athens, it was rocked by an explosion causing even …


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, we focus on Idaho’s Anti-Litter Campaign. (See the Idaho section.) Region-Wide A British journalist interviewed me, for this fairly-well balanced and fairly lengthy article over at UnHerd: Inside The American Redoubt. o  o  o We generally pay very little attention to sports in SurvivalBlog, but …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The prosecutors have all the power. Not even the judge has discretion, because lawmakers have mostly taken that liberality away in the name of cracking down on crime. This happened all through the 1980s and 1990s, and the prosecutorial dictatorship has entrenched itself to become the norm since 2001. For the last ten years, the police state has had free rein.” – Lew Rockwell, as quoted in “The Police State Abolishes the Trial”, (30 September 2011), by L.H. Rockwell, Mises Daily


Preparedness Notes for Monday — November 20, 2023

On November 20, 1917, for the first time, tanks were used effectively in warfare, by the British at the Battle of Cambrai. — We’ve now reached the milepost of 38,000 archived feature articles, columns, and quotes in our archives. SurvivalBlog has been posted with daily fresh content since 2005.  The archives are searchable and freely available. I invite any new SurvivalBlog readers to delve into the archives, to find subjects of interest. If you have just found SurivalBlog, then begin with our Quick-Start Guide for Preparedness Newbies. — Because one of our writing contest sponsors is shifting their business to …


Recipe of the Week: Salted Caramel Pear Butter 

The following recipe for a home-canned Salted Caramel Pear Butter is from SurvivalBlog reader Connie S.  It can be home-canned. Ingredients 4 lbs. Pears, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped 1/3 cup apple cider 2 Tbsp. bottled lemon juice 2-1/2 cups dark brown sugar: Be sure to use the dark variety. 2 tsp. Sea salt or kosher salt Directions Mix one tablespoon citric acid with warm water. Peel and core pears, keep them in the citric acid mixture. This will keep the pears from turning brown while you work. When all pears are peeled they can be stored in the citric …


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 rising credit card balances and default rates. (See the Economy & Finance section.) Precious Metals: At Gold-Eagle.com: Gold: The Chickens Come Home to Roost. o  o  o Mike Gleason, at Gold-Eagle.com: Fed Continues Tough Talk; Silver & Platinum Look Most Undervalued. Economy & Finance: Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Commentator Game …



Preparedness Notes for Sunday — November 19, 2023

Today is the anniversary of the Kyle Rittenhouse “Not Guilty” Verdicts, in 2021. On this day in 1863, U.S. President Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address, at the dedication service for the National Cemetery in Pennsylvania. And on November 19, 1703, The man in the iron mask, a political prisoner famous in French history and legend, died in the Bastille. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 109 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. …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: Joe Biden’s Secret Identity Has Been Revealed! The Man Behind The Microphone’s Real Name is John Gill News Links: Joe Biden Flubs NATO Speech in Teleprompter Fail. Joe Biden fumbles his way through Hanoi press conference. Joe Biden’s worst gaffes of all time. Two Minutes of Joe Biden Wandering Around Looking Lost. Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks! Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — November 18, 2023

In 1952, Lieutenant Royce Williams was serving with VF-781 aboard the USS Oriskany as part of Task Force 77. From Wikipedia: “On 18 November 1952, on his second mission of the day, while on combat air patrol near Hoeryong, North Korea, his group of four pilots spotted seven MiG-15s overhead. The other three pilots had to return to the carrier and the MiGs began to fire on Williams, putting him into a one-man dogfight with seven MiG-15s that lasted 35 minutes. It is believed to be the longest dogfight in U.S. Navy history. Commanders on his carrier ordered him away, …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — November 17, 2023

On November 17, 1989, massive antigovernment demonstrations in Czechoslovakia were set off by police brutality at a demonstration commemorating the 50th anniversary of the suppression of a student demonstration in German-occupied Prague, and, under the leadership of Václav Havel, they continued until the communist government resigned. This became known as The Velvet Revolution. — On this day in 1777, the Articles of Confederation were submitted to the states for ratification. They differed from the Constitution in that they emphasized the primacy of the states. — After 10 years of construction, the Suez Canal opened in Egypt on November 17, 1869. …