Category: Contest

The Fleecing of History – Part 3, by Lazer

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(Continued from Part 2.) The Birth of Communism And here ladies and gentlemen is where the greatest revelation lies…the birth of the infamous Communist Manifesto. When Karl Marx viewed the world, he started as a socialist – but realized that socialism takes too long to accomplish its goal. If one could have the “leaders” make all the decisions, no-one would have to really worry about anything! Life would be easy! Only time is the great hand that slaps humans in the face to wake them up after implementing Communism. Communism after all, is based on subject obedience and brainwashing, plain …


The Fleecing of History – Part 2, by Lazer

(Continued from Part 1.) The Colonization Era: 300 – 1750 AD After the collapse of the Roman Empire, nation-states began to rise in their own power. I will not dive into all of them, as there is a lot of “rinse and repeat” styles of conquest, subjugation, and corruption. In this era, the name of the game was a continuation of the Roman Empire’s philosophy “see the world, fleece it dry”. However, the main leash that was used to control the masses became religion. It was during the 6th and 7th centuries that civilizations of people were now exposed to …


The Fleecing of History – Part 1, by Lazer

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For those of you who follow The Book, we are all described as sheep, called to follow our shepherd in life and beyond. For those that are wondering “what is he talking about?”, I’m refer to the Bible…the most reviewed and historically fact-checked book of all time. I am writing this because I feel bound to. You see, my children are asking some good hard questions, and I am betting that a lot of others are asking you as well. We best have accurate answers to relate to our children if we do not want them growing up to be …


Garden Bed Weed Management, by Southern Trapper

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Working a 9-to-5 job, I don’t have time to pull weeds every day so I sure won’t be able to do so during TEOTWAWKI when time and operational security are scarce. So, I have spent a lot of time experimenting with techniques to reduce weed growth and improve soil conditions that require minimal inputs and labor. Here I present three methods of preparing new garden beds and maintaining existing beds that require only hand tools. These techniques are particularly suitable for individuals who want to turn existing sod into high-intensity gardening as happened in March of 2020 when many suburban …


Forest Foraging: The Noble Oak, by Prepared Pamela

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Nearly 500 species of oak trees populate five continents. In Greek mythology they were a symbol of Zeus, the “God of Thunder.” The botanical name Quercus means “beautiful tree.” The acorn or nut usually contains a single seed enclosed in a tough leathery shell and borne in a cup-shaped capsule. Acorns are 1 to 6 centimeters long and 0.8 to 4 centimeters wide. They take between 6 and 24 months to mature depending on the species. Acorns were used as an important source of nutrition for thousands of years. They have been a treasured perennial plant fiercely protected by indigenous …


Starting Seeds Indoors: Tips and Trials, by CAL

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Last year I began to get much more serious about starting my plants from seed. As my garden has grown in size each year, I saw the wisdom in starting my own seeds. Never mind the increased pressure to make sure we have a sustainable food source during these turbulent times. I reasoned that starting my own seeds would give me a jump on the growing season. I could control for erratic early season weather and I would save a great deal of money as the price of seedlings as the nursery has been doubling in price. I have been …


A SSB CB Thrift Store Score!, by Tunnel Rabbit

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My advice is to keep checking the thrift stores. I went to town to sell eggs, and turned some of the egg money into a single-sideband (SSB) Citizen’s Band (CB) radio ($5), and 100 feet of new 75-ohm coaxial cable ($2.50). I can now get on the air for only for only $8.50! If I land one more of these, then I will consider modifying my Kenwood 830S 10-meter rig to 11 meter. I would then have a 100-watt rig with SSB capability to talk to my mobile SSB CBs. Having SSB mode CB would give me yet another redundant …


Gear Review: Permanent Metal Match, by The Novice

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The ability to start a fire is foundational for survival. For quite a while now, my primary fire-starting method has been a ferrocerium rod igniting cotton balls dabbed with petroleum jelly. My secondary method has been waterproof matches. I have been searching for a durable and reliable tool/process to be my tertiary fire-starting method. I wrote a little about this search in an article published on SurvivalBlog on January 10, 2021. This article is an update about the next stage in that search process. For Christmas this year, my wife gave me a permanent metal match. These are also known …


TEOTWAWKI Clothes-Washing System, by St. Funogas

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One thing we take for granted in this day and age is the ability to throw our clothes into a machine, forget about ‘em for an hour, then come back have them all nice and clean. When I was born, my military family was so poor my mother washed diapers for two babies in the bathtub. Not only was it hard on her knees but also on her petite hands as she wrung out all those diapers before hanging them on the line. The day my dad made third class he borrowed a crow (third-class insignia) and wore it home. …


Writing Contest Winners Announced: Round 92

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We’ve completed the judging for Round 92 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prize-winning authors are: First Prize: First Prize is awarded to Steve A. for: Simple Heat Treating for a High Carbon Steel Knife Blade — posted in two parts on January 19th and 20th, 2021.  Links:  (Part 1)  (Part 2) He will receive: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day …


Knowledge is Power: The Value of an Area Study – Part 2, by Viking4

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(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Human Terrain This section of the area study deals with the people who live in your Area of Operations (AO) and Area of Interest (AI). Data for this section can be a little harder to find depending on where you live. For my first area study I was able to search voter rolls to determine party affiliations. For my current area those records do not exist, though I was able to find more detailed political party details relevant to the AO. Data to determine and document the human terrain include: • Names …


Knowledge is Power: The Value of an Area Study – Part 1, by Viking4

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Preface I’d like to give a huge thank you to both Sam Culper at Forward Observer and our own esteemed James Wesley, Rawles. While I was fortunate enough to serve in S-2 shop of an armor battalion during my Army career, without the guidance from these two outstanding gentlemen, I never would have been able to conduct let alone complete these area studies. Intelligence and analysis are must-haves in preparation for what is coming. Please continue to show us the way! What is an Area Study and Why Would You Need One? An area study is an element of preparedness …


Gear Review: Coast FL19 Headlamp, by The Novice

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Headlamps were first developed primarily for mining. Most other occupations could depend on natural light for at least part of each day, but deep pit mining was always carried out far from the friendly light of the sun. For millennia, miners had carried a source of artificial light like a torch, candle or lamp into the mines. They would fasten their light-source somehow to the wall of the shaft and set to work. About 1850 or so, someone in Scotland got the brilliant idea of attaching a small oil wick lamp above the brim of a cap, and the headlamp …


Garden Lessons – Part 2, by Greenthumb in the West

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(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Grapes are a relatively fast maturing plant as far as fruit production (compared to trees) but even for them the vines that bear fruit grow off of last year’s vines. Unless you are already growing or purchase “primacane” variety berries, most of them are the same way. Asparagus and rhubarb need to be established a year or two before they can be harvested. You have time to deal with that year of start up time now, so take advantage of it. Established fruit trees and plants can produce excessive amounts of fruit. …


Garden Lessons – Part 1, by Greenthumb in the West

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There is an old saying: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today.” We had this proverb in mind when we bought our retreat property five years ago, and started work on the garden and orchard immediately, even before we started on the house. The past five years have been a steep learning curve of lessons in taking raw land to (semi!)-productive land. We have had the blessing of not needing to rely on our garden for sustenance during this time. I wanted to pass on what we’ve learned and purchased …