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. — Video: Abandoned Underground Bomb Shelter Sealed For 50 Years Under My Grandparent’s Garage! (You may want to skip forward to the 9:40 mark, for the actual opening.) JWR’s Comments: I saw and heard about a lot of similar shelters when I was growing up in Livermore, California. Many of them were around  …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — August 26, 2025

On August 26, 1346: The Battle of Crécy. Edward III‘s English longbows defeated Philip VI’s army south of Calais in northern France. At Crecy, cannons were used for the first time in battle. — August 26, 1946 was the official release date of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm.” — Today’s feature piece was too short to qualify as an entry for the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $960,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running the contest.  Round 120 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a …


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 located in the American Redoubt region that are of interest to preppers and survivalists. Today, updates on the Travis Decker manhunt.  (See the Central & Eastern Washington section.) Region-Wide Scorching heat and smoky skies grip the Inland Northwest before a mid-week cool down. o  o  o Wildfire Updates: Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. Idaho “Swatting” Call: False hostage report prompts major …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — August 25, 2025

On August 25th, 1609, astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei demonstrated his first telescope to Venetian lawmakers, including the Doge of Venice, Leonardo Donato. — August 25th,1898: 700 Greeks and 15 Englishmen were slaughtered by the Turks in Heraklion, Greece. — On August 25th, 2010: Panic caused by an escaped crocodile being smuggled aboard a domestic Filair flight led to the crash of a Czech Let L-410 Turbolet passenger aircraft near Bandundu Airport, Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing all but one of the 21 passengers and crew. — Monday Morning Monsoon Update: Map shows flash flooding warning issued for eight …


Recipe of the Week:

The following recipe for Frozen Banana Smoothies is from SurvivalBlog reader St. Funogas, who writes: “My most important summertime day-to-day survival food is frozen banana smoothies. When the temperature is 95 degrees and the humidity is 110%, it takes all the fun out of working outside. These banana smoothies twice a day are a big help. A Banana smoothie can be kept to its most basic form, which is how I enjoyed them for most of my life.” Basic Recipe: 2 frozen bananas broken into 4 pieces each 1 to 2 cups of milk Blend until thick You’ll have to …


SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic:  Map showing the percentage of adults who are homeowners, by U.S. state. (A Civic Science 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.



Preparedness Notes for Sunday — August 24, 2025

On August 24, 1847, Charlotte Brontë sent the manuscript of her novel “Jane Eyre” to the publisher Smith, Elder & Company in London under her pen name “Currer Bell” — August 24, 410: Rome was overrun by the Visigoths in an event that symbolized the fall of the Western Roman Empire. This is a moment in history that we would do well to remember. An empire that ruled the known world was corrupted from the inside to the point that they could not defend themselves from a much weaker enemy. This could conceivably be the beginning of the dark Middle Ages. …


My Concerns With Artificial Intelligence – Part 3, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.) AI WRITING While there are many brain developments, AI will be shortchanging our youngest single-digit aged youth on, they’ll also be robbed of learning many of the skills that are learned later in life as well. I’ve always enjoyed writing and creating things with pencil and paper since that poem I wrote about the Pilgrims in second grade that my teacher loved so much. It’s something I’ve continued to develop since then and even after all these years, I’m still learning. I don’t know what a dangling participle is and I can …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme generated by JWR. (Not an original concept, but with my own choice of photo, and layout): Meme Text: Did You Know That If You Hold A Squirrel Up To Your Ear… …You Can Hear What It Is Like To Be Attacked By A Squirrel? Video Link: Man Attacked By Squirrel 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. …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day: 

“And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — August 23, 2025

On August 23, 79, Mount Vesuvius began stirring on the feast day of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire, and went on to destroy Pompeii. (Note:  Some recent evidence suggests that the main eruption actually occurred after October 17, 79.) Above: Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum (c. 1821) by John Martin. — August 23rd is the anniversary of the declaration of the independent state of “Franklin” in Eastern Tennessee by the settlers there in 1784. Unfortunately, the Continental Congress rejected it, so the state of Franklin never became a reality. — In 1833, Britain abolished slavery in the colonies and …


My Concerns With Artificial Intelligence – Part 2, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 1.) TRYING AN AI APP After my wow experience with my daughter showing me how her drawing app works, she showed me the ropes and I started doing some pictures myself. Since I have the artistic ability of a quadriplegic starfish, it was a lot of fun to be able to create some photos, paintings, and cartoon characters. I’ve been working on illustrating the events of my life the year I was nine years old. While it’s done nothing to develop the artistic portion of my brain, it’s physiologically too late for that, it’s been amusing. And …