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. — SurvivalBlog’s Editor-at-Large Michael Z. Williamson sent us this first-hand evidence of audio keyword snooping by social media, via a persistently listening smartphone: “I recently drove to Atlanta for a memorial service on aSaturday morning. On the way, I had a phone call with my ex and mentioned a real estate firm, Noble …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — May 13, 2025

On May 13, 1916, the Lafayette Escadrille, an American aviation unit under French command comprised of volunteers to fight for France, saw its first combat at the Battle of Verdun. — May 13th is also the birthday of firearms engineer Theodor Koch (born 1905, died 1976.) Koch, along with Edmund Heckler and Alex Seidel salvaged tooling from the bombed-out Mauser factory at Oberndorf, and with it founded Heckler und Koch. — We are pleased to welcome our newest text advertiser, the Stakeholder Prepping Podcast. Fascinating stuff with some expert advice. Listen in! – JWR — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we …


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, news about a bison goring incident at Yellowstone.  (See the Wyoming section.) Idaho Idaho Army National Guard’s 116th to transition from armored to mobile combat team. o  o  o Young man arrested with Meridian Police officer’s knee on his neck is found guilty.  JWR’s Comment:  …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — May 12, 2025

On May 12, 1215, English barons served an ultimatum on King John.  This eventually led to the creation and signing of the Magna Carta. (Pictured.) — On May 12, 1921 a lengthy solar storm began, dubbed The Great Geomagnetic Storm of May 1921. — And on May 12, 1926, the Airship Norge became the first vessel to fly over North Pole, led by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and piloted by the craft’s Italian designer Umberto Nobile. — The Sale Ends Tonight! The special 10-day sale on all the Elk Creek Company percussion gun inventory ends tonight at Midnight, Eastern Time. …


Recipe of the Week:  Zesty Corn-From-The-Cob

The following recipe for Zesty Corn-From-The-Cob is from SurvivalBlog reader F.C.. Ingredients Sweet Cob Corn, Boiled Olive Oil Lime Juice Red Onion or Walla Walla Sweet Onion, Chopped Cilantro, Chopped Hot Sauce (Optional) Black Pepper, Ground Optional) Directions Just cut the kernels off of boiled sweet corn, then toss them with a light coat of olive oil, lime juice, some chopped cilantro, some chopped Red or Walla Walla Sweet onion, and optionally add a dash of hot sauce and/or a light sprinkle of black pepper. Make all of the ingredient proportions suit your taste. SERVING Serve it hot or cold. …




Preparedness Notes for Sunday — May 11, 2025

On May 11, 1310, Fifty-four members of the Knights Templar were burned at the stake in France after being declared heretics. — May 11, 1752:  The first US fire insurance policy was issued, in Philadelphia. — Just One Day Left! The special 10-day sale on all the Elk Creek Company percussion gun inventory ends tomorrow night. Most of these are revolvers for which cartridge conversion cylinders are readily available. This includes a group of five minty Ruger Old Army revolvers that I’ve not yet photographed. Many of those are “Pre-Warning” vintage.  We also have special pricing on all of our …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week: 

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: Dr. Stephen Hawking’s Visit to Epstein’s Island Has Prompted The Creation Of A New Legal Term: Nerdacious Moral Derpitude Some Related Links: What Unsealed Jeffrey Epstein Documents Say About Stephen Hawking. Legal Defintion of Moral Turpitude. Pam Bondi dismisses claim Epstein info is missing and defends delays in releasing files Pam Bondi Changes Her Tune After Covert Recording. 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 …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — May 10, 2025

On May 10, 1765, per the British Longitude Act, clockmaker John Harrison was awarded  £10,000 for the invention of a practical naval longitude clock.  Latitude calculations had been made for hundreds of years with sextants, but the Longitude Problem was finally solved only by Harrison’s invention of a precision clock that could keep accurate time for many months. This ushered in the era of relatively precise modern maritime navigation. — May 10th is the birthday of the late Col. Jeff Cooper (born 1920, died September 25, 2006). — May 10th is also the birthday of the late Janis Pinups (born …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment. How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet? For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — May 9, 2025

On May 9, 1904, the steam locomotive City of Truro (pictured) became the first steam engine to exceed 100 mph. From the InfoGalactic Wiki:  “…a British 4-4-0 steam locomotive built in 1903 for the Great Western Railway (GWR) at Swindon Works to a design by George Jackson Churchward. City of Truro was timed at 8.8 seconds between two quarter-mile posts whilst hauling the “Ocean Mails” special from Plymouth to London Paddington on 9 May 1904. This timing was recorded from the train by Charles Rous-Marten, who wrote for The Railway Magazine and other journals. If exact, this time would correspond …