Category: Contest

Fully Practicing Your Preps, by A.C.

In our world of unpredictable emergencies, from natural disasters to personal crises, a common saying always holds true; “You don’t rise to the occasion, you revert to the level of your training.” This isn’t just my cynical view of human nature; it’s a powerful call to action, especially to us self-described preppers. It emphasizes that true readiness isn’t about spontaneous heroism or “hoping for the best”.  Instead, it’s actually about the deliberate, often unglamorous work of turning preparation into an ingrained, automatic response. When the “stuff” hits the fan,  our carefully laid plans are only as good as our ability …


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 …


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 …


My Concerns With Artificial Intelligence – Part 1, by St. Funogas

I appreciated JWR’s comments in his August 19th article on artificial intelligence. I’ve also had a lot of thoughts on AI recently, which I’d like to share. JWR’s informative article addressed many of the societal changes and threats we’ll experience just as sure as the grass is green. At this point, my concerns are mostly on a personal level of how things will affect my grandchildren, and to a lesser extent, how they’ll affect my children and siblings. WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE? When people ask me to define what artificial intelligence is, I give them my country-bumpkin definition: Human intelligence …


An Everyday Pellet Gun, by Lodge Pole

Where I grew up, we called them pellet guns, not pellet rifles or air rifles. I am by no means a pellet gun expert. Nearly all of my experience is with a single-shot, break-action pellet gun. The knowledge and advice I offer in this article is solely based on my experience and familiarity of single-shot, break-action pellet guns. Depending on your age, physical build and desired purpose of use, pellet gun actions vary, though in application, the concept remains the same. There is an option for everyone. About twenty years ago, I was camping with a friend who had a …


Soft Cheeses Made Without Rennet, by M.J.E.

There are nearly endless kinds of cheeses. Among the variables that result in so much diversity are the mammal that the milk is from (most commonly cattle, sheep, goats, reindeer, yaks, and water buffaloes), what these animals were eating at the time they were milked, and how the milk is processed. Some people swear by raw milk rather than pasteurized, but raw milk may contain harmful organisms, and organisms that might adversely affect the cheese-making process. On the other hand, raw milk has a slightly different battery of enzymes that can affect the final cheese. Ultra-pasteurized milk, while shelf-stable, does …


My Grandfather’s Wisdom: Ernest E. Rawles

JWR’s Introductory Note: This is an expanded edition of a piece that I posted in SurvivalBlog in November, 2005. I have added more excerpts to bring it from 730 words to 2,300 words, to provide better context on his times, surroundings, and circumstances. — My paternal grandfather, Ernest Everett Rawles (1897-1985), was a largely self-educated man. Coming from a pioneer family (his father and grandfather came out west by covered wagon in 1857), he had a profoundly practical outlook on life. Ernest grew up on a 6,000-acre sheep ranch near Boonville, in the Anderson Valley of Mendocino County, California. Part …


Scrabble and Prepping – Part 3, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.) Our prepping will be easier, and we’ll be more comfortable if the S ever hits the F, if we use all the resources available to us. When stocking up on necessities, we’ll refer to books, articles, YouTubes, and prepping and self-reliance groups. Visiting places like Jamestown, Old Plymouth Colony, and Sturbridge Village, or attending festivals where things are done as they were in pre-technology days, can be fun activities and educational, as well. They not only teach us things and open our minds to the possibilities, but can also inspire some to …


Scrabble and Prepping – Part 2, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 1.) SCRABBLE IS A MATH GAME Just as Scrabble involves math, have we applied enough math to our prepping? Do we know how long a bar of soap lasts or how many calories we need per year per person in our group? Are we just guessing or have we actually marked a tube of toothpaste with a Sharpie when we begin using it and note the date when it’s finished? Have we at least looked it up somewhere to get a rough idea on how long it will last? Do we know how long it takes for …


Scrabble and Prepping – Part 1, by St. Funogas

A few years back I was at an auction where a prepper had passed away. He had everything under the sun and appeared to be well stocked in the food department as well as many other areas. While looking over everything before the auction started, I noticed a Scrabble board game. I thought to myself, “Now here’s a guy who was really prepared for TEOTWAWKI.” It wasn’t the cheapie set with the board that folds in half and no bag to draw your tiles from. It was one of the deluxe editions with a swivel base which allows each player …


Writing Contest Prize Winners Announced — Round 119

We’ve announced the winners of Round 119 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. Note to the top three prize winners: Please contact me and let me know your UPS and USPS address(es), for your prizes. Thanks. – JWR The top three prize winners will each receive some great prize packages. The winners for Round 119 are… First Prize Winner: First Prize goes to A.F. for Preps Starter Kits for Reluctant Families. See: Part 1 and Part 2. It was posted July 8-9, 2025. He will receive as prizes: A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for …


Herbal Medicine Basics, by Watchman H.A.

To start off, I will give a little bit of information about myself. I am in my early twenties and currently studying at a ministerial college/ seminary near a larger U.S. city. I am located in a small rural community, that is a little too close to Washington, DC for my comfort, but I am not able to relocate at this time. I have been a long-term SurvivalBlog reader, but this is the first time that I have been able to write an article for the blog. I am by no means an expert, but I do know how to …


Memoirs of a Disaster Survivor – Part 2, by AppComms

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Remember power sources. In 1993, I did not have a generator. Batteries and their accessibility were my power source. As mentioned earlier, batteries for radios, light sources, and even appliances are a necessity. Not to mention an emotional boost for your family and friends. Rotate batteries. You need fresh batteries in your supplies, and of all the necessary sizes. Friends, don’t forget to look out for your neighbors. They may be better prepared than you are, or not, but a friendly knock on the door and a simple question about their needs …


Memoirs of a Disaster Survivor – Part 1, by AppComms

I am a prepper who has survived three natural disasters. That doesn’t mean I am special by any means. I feel my experience is nothing more than a testimony of God’s Amazing Grace. As a retired Pastor and soon-to-be retired employee of North Carolina’s Prison system, I write to you as a southern Appalachian hillbilly with some prepping experience that may benefit you. This article is a firsthand account of my personal survival experience with three natural disasters that have affected me during my lifetime. To begin with, you should be familiar with the region where I live. I was …


Avoiding Mass Vehicular Homicide, by R.D.J.

“…The act of intentionally or unintentionally causing multiple deaths through the use of a vehicle. This can occur in various ways, including deliberate attacks, reckless driving, or accidents caused by negligence or impaired driving…” In this article we are not talking about accidental vehicular casualties, and Lord knows there are far too many of them in everyday life. No, we are talking about the deaths and injuries that result from someone deliberately driving a vehicle, statistically usually a car but occasionally a much more deadly and difficult-to-stop truck, into pedestrians either on either side of the street or occasionally in …