The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

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, hopes of a proper interpretation of the Hughes Amendment. Re-Opening the Federal Machinegun Registry? Reader D.S.V.  flagged this good news: States Working on Gamechanging Plans to Give Civilians …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — March 4, 2026

On March 4, 1774: The first sighting of the Orion nebula by William Herschel. — March 4, 1908: A fire at Lakeview Elementary School in Collinwood, Ohio, killed 172 students and two teachers: a boiler room blaze trapped many victims in the building, prompting changes in school design and procedures nationwide. — Today’s feature article is by SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson. — We still need reader-written articles for Round 123 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $981,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 123 ends on March 31st, so …


Rejuvenating and Old PC with Linux Mint Xfce – Part 2, by Thomas Christianson

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) LinuxLite Attempt One Since I was more satisfied with the Linux apps that I was running under Chrome OS Flex than with the native Chrome apps, I decided to experiment with another Linux OS. I went to www.linuxliteos.com and attempted to downloaded LinuxLite 7.4 . That was easier said than done. That site was so choked with ads and deceptive links leading to other software that it was virtually impossible to find a link leading to the correct download. After more than 30 minutes of searching, I finally gave up and decided …


SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

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. — In the Leftie/Greenie Washington Post: Good night, stars. We are on the cusp of turning darkness into day. o  o  o Reader H.L. mentioned that she found some cogent analysis on the Iran War, over at the Gold and Geopolitics substack. JWR’s Comments:  Obviously, the global oil market and the precious metals …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — March 3, 2026

On March 3, 1863: Congress authorized a US mint at Carson City, Nevada, with its coins identified by the mint mark ‘CC’. — And on March 3, 1791, the first US internal revenue act was enacted, taxing distilled spirits and carriages. — We are pleased to welcome our newest advertiser: Heaven’s Harvest.  This Georgia-based company offers a full line of long-term storage foods  (freeze-dried and dehydrated) as well as heirloom (non-hybrid, open-pollinated) seeds. Use the coupon code “SURVIVALBLOG” at checkout for a 10% discount on any order!  They offer free shipping for any  $99+ order sent to the U.S..  About …


SurvivalBlog’s American Redoubt Media of the Week

This weekly column features media 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. Pictured is a train trestle near Winchester, Idaho, at the edge of the Camas Prairie, Idaho.  (Photo by JWR.) News and Links of Interest: Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and partners battle invasive grass on Camas Prairie. Big Sky, Montana was ranked Expedia’s #1 travel destination for 2026. Video: The $Billion Rewilding Agenda Nobody Wants to Admit. Video: We Regretted Selling It…So We Bought It Back — 1980s House with Everything …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — March 2, 2026

On March 2, 1793, Alexandre de Beauharnais, the first husband of Joséphine de Beauharnais, was arrested during the Reign of Terror. He was later executed. — And on March 2, 1799, Congress standardizes US weights and measures. — Please pray for peace in the Middle East, and the replacement of Iran’s Islamic theocratic regime with a reasonable, limited government. After 47 years of tyranny, the Iranian people deserve better! — Today’s feature piece is by Field Gear Editor Ton Christianson.


Recipe of the Week: 

The following recipe for Braised Spring Vegetables is from SurvivalBlog reader Ellen H.  She says:\ “This is my variation on a recipe that I found posted online a decade ago. I now make this in springtime, every year. Ingredients 4 scallions or 1 spring onion, trimmed and thinly sliced 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 3 tablespoons of olive oil 3 tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth, or water 8 ounces asparagus, woody ends trimmed off. Cut the stalks into 1-½ inch pieces 1 cup shelled fresh fava beans (from about 1 pound pods), peeled, or sugar snap peas, trimmed and halved crosswise …


SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic: Percent of Population without Health Insurance, by County (U.S.). (Graphic courtesy of Reddit and ZipCrawl.) The thumbnail below is click-expandable.     From the ZipCrawl website: NOTE: Gray indicates insufficient data or a suppressed estimate. Explore the geographic distribution of uninsured Americans across every county in the United States. This map traces the consequences of Medicaid expansion decisions, immigration patterns, and labor market structures – revealing how a single state policy choice created dramatic coverage disparities at state borders, and how the Texas-Mexico corridor has become the uninsured capital of the developed world. JWR Adds:  Illegal immigration is …



Preparedness Notes for Sunday — March 1, 2026

March 1, 1872: Yellowstone became the world’s first national park. — Today is the birthday of actor and former WW2 commando David Niven. His full name was James David Graham Niven. (1910-1983.) — Today is also the birthday of the late singer, songwriter, and cowboy poet Allen Wayne Damron. Damron was quite the Texan, through and through. (Born 1939, died August 13, 2005, in Terlingua, Texas.) — All eyes are on the Middle East. The Iranian ex-pat news service Tousi TV seems to have the most complete coverage. But note that they have a strong bias toward Shah-in-Exile Pahlavi. — …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week: 

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: Finally, Some Epstein Co-Conspirator Arrest Warrants But Pam Bondi is Baffled Why There Have Been No Arrests News Links: 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, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.