Category: Contest

My Many Fast Failures – Part 1, by M.P.

I just learned the hard way the truth about not counting your chickens before they are hatched. This is but one of the many failures I have experienced over the past several years as I have been trying to climb the learning curve of several different self-sufficiency skills. I wanted to share my experiences with the other readers of SurvivalBlog in hopes—not so much that you can learn from my mistakes though if that happens, wonderful!—but as much as anything to encourage you to start now making your own mistakes and learning from them if you haven’t already. “Fail fast” …


Money, Finances and Preparedness, by Mr. Zipph

As an executive with a multi-billion financial institution, I am a financial insider (boo, hiss). I also believe in preparedness. I believe that I have some insights into the money side of preparedness that you might want to consider. I will not delve too deeply into the fragile nature of the global financial system, but I will share my biggest concerns without going into detail: • The fractional reserve banking system allows your bank to create money out of thin air • The central banks of the world are creating unprecedented amounts of money out of thin air • Fiat …


The Blind Squirrel Report, by The Novice

It is said that even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then. I have some nutty discoveries to pass along. These discoveries do not merit 1,500 words individually. Collectively, they may deserve some attention. I have compiled them into a single article for your edification and entertainment. Fire Starting Cadillac Mink Oil Mink oil is a byproduct of the fur industry, obtained by rendering the insulating fatty layer found under the skin of minks. It is more resistant to rancidity than most other animal and vegetable oils. It is used as a skin moisturizer and in other …


Live Not by Lies – Part 2, by Born Free

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Please forgive me for quoting Solzhenitsyn extensively. But I have not found more clarity anywhere, which really means I haven’t done enough research to seek out other dissidents in history. This man did nothing more, as a Russian soldier, than correspond with a friend who happened to be a soldier for “the other side”. That was it. That was his great sin that landed him in a prison camp! His private correspondence (think e-mail, text, Internet posts) was nothing more than criticism of how “the state” was handling things – and the …


Live Not by Lies – Part 1, by Born Free

In the past few years, we have all witnessed Internet censorship, up to and including the censorship of the President of the United States. My initial reaction was, “Who cares? We don’t need the media in order to live our lives! Turn it all off. Ignore them!” Then, the stories started trickling out, mostly on alternative media platforms and via individual blogger websites. It wasn’t just the popular media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, WordPress, Reddit, etc.), the mainstream media organizations (CNN, MSNBC, FOX, ABC, NBC, CBS, etc.), major payment processors (PayPal, for one), e-mail providers (Mailchimp, for one), web hosting …


Hands-On Healing – Part 4, by Dr. Derek King, DC

(Continued from Part 3. This concludes the article.) For those of you who have made it this far, I would love to give you two more Bonuses: the first is considered the “bible” of energy medicine. I first read it back in 1989 and it was way ahead of its time, the book is called Vibrational Medicine by Dr. Richard Gerber, MD. It covers the science of everything…crystals, meridians, homeopathy, lasers, holograms, prayer, and quantum physics (in a non New-Agey way). It was updated in 2000 and I’m sure that a lot more could be added considering today’s technology, but …


Hands-On Healing – Part 3, by Dr. Derek King, DC

(Continued from Part 2.) So, back to memories…if something happened a second ago, it’s a memory. Gone, over. And it can be good, bad or neutral; yet it was recorded into the mind and it will be stored permanently on your brain’s hard drive tonight when you sleep (healing takes place mostly at night while you are sleeping). So if it was a bad experience, you will want to “neutralize it” and make peace with what happened and how you reacted before you sleep that night. Have someone cup your head while you go through the following “Forgiveness Steps” quietly …


Hands-On Healing – Part 2, by Dr. Derek King, DC

(Continued from Part 1.) Alright, you’ve made it this far so I am going to give you your first simple gold nugget to help facilitate healing in another human being: Right hand on Top, Left hand Underneath. “What does that mean, Doc?” I am so glad you asked. The human hands have polarity. They are not neutral. They can be used as magnets to influence the energy field of others. The energetic aura surrounds our being and extends beyond our physical bodies. Trust me, there have been lots of scientific research studies to document, film, and prove this (it’s not …


Hands-On Healing – Part 1, by Dr. Derek King, DC

In this four-part article, I will describe some gentle hands-on healing and mental/emotional trauma-release techniques that you can use on your loved ones. When the SHTF, the most important issues, long-term, will be: How do you handle your stress? As a practicing Holistic Chiropractor in private practice for the past 32 years, I have learned many techniques and methods; a few of which can be utilized by you. No, you cannot call yourself a chiropractor and no, you cannot be adjusting vertebrae without a license…so let’s not even go there. However, do you know what the original meaning of the …


Clocks And Glocks Need Oil, by A.J.S.

This brief article is about the lubrication requirements of some everyday mechanical objects including clocks, sewing machines, and guns. It is surprising how little oil is needed but it has to be in the right places. A clock is a good example. Your mechanical watch or clock may run just fine for years without maintenance. But one day it will stop running before the next wind-up time and you will probably realize it needs oiling. This happened with one of my old pocket watches. It was made in 1899 and is an outstanding example of advanced watch production of the …


Gear Review: LogOX Forester Package, by The Novice

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a cant hook is: “A hinged metal hook at the end of a long handle, used for gripping and rolling logs.” One refinement of the cant hook is the timberjack, which attaches a stand to a cant hook, enabling the user to turn and elevate smaller logs, thus allowing the user to cut those logs without the saw coming in contact with the ground. I own a 48-inch Ironton Wooden Handle Timberjack. It is an extremely useful tool. It allows me to roll larger logs and elevate smaller logs that I would otherwise have …


Lessons Learned From Going Rural – Part 2, by Animal House

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) The Septic Tank The age and condition of the septic system is important to know. The older the septic the stronger the chance of having trouble; which is something you don’t ever want to experience. The size of the septic depends on how many bathrooms, the number of people living in the home and how new the kitchen is; meaning is there a dishwasher, garbage disposal, automatic ice makers, etc. If you don’t know when the septic was last serviced, go by these fabled words: when in doubt, pump it out! It …


Lessons Learned From Going Rural – Part 1, by Animal House

When conservatives won the 2016 election many people breathed a sign of relief and decided America was safe for a few years. They decided to keep their city jobs, they slowed down their emergency preparations, and pushed back that decision to move to the country. As the unrest increases in cities, I know many families who have brought the country move back to the front burner and are actively putting together their wish lists for a homestead property. I’ve been through this, so I thought I’d share some of the things that are important in purchasing a rural property. Analyze …


The Tao of Cordage – Part 2 , by J.M.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Paracord As I’ve mentioned several times, 550 paracord is the granddaddy of prepper cordage. Virtually every survival-related blog, forum, book and other information source has recommendations to include 550 paracord in your preps. 550 paracord was originally developed to use as lines on parachutes, so it’s strong and stretches a lot (up to 30%) to absorb the shock of the parachute deploying. From a survival perspective, it’s a kernmantle style, so you can extract the internal strands and use those for fishing line, sewing thread, etc. and still use the external sheath …


The Tao of Cordage – Part 1 , by J.M.

If you ask anyone involved in preparedness ‘what are five things I should always include in my kit?’, the one item that is guaranteed to appear near the top in every list is ‘cordage’, or more specifically, parachute cord {“paracord”). The idea of including cordage as part of your survival preps and everyday carry kits makes a lot of sense, as it has dozens of uses in survival situations, including: Making a shelter Making a splint Make a sling Fishing line Restraining someone Making traps Attaching gear Making repairs Raising and lowering things Grip wrapping Climbing Bundling Pulling/towing These are …