The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, some more troubling implications of AI and digital ID. Pictured above is the Dallas, Texas Fusion Center.

The Digital Gulag of America: AI and Digital ID

Despite its violent intro sequence, blog reader M.W. suggested this insightful video from Dirty Civilian: The Digital Gulag of America | AI, Digital ID, and Social Credit Scores.

California’s Proposed “Leno Law”

I found this linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Why Jay Leno Needs A Law In His Name. One detail from the article:

“Current law exempts from smog testing only cars made before 1976. A proposal in the Legislature would change that. Senate Bill 712 would, starting Jan. 1, 2027, “fully exempt from the smog check requirements” any car that was “manufactured prior to the 1981 model year.”

Beginning on Jan. 1, 2028, SB 712 “would expand this exemption by one model year, every year, for 5 years.” It “would be known, and may be cited as, Leno’s Law.”

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — April 15, 2026

On April 15th, 1621, Hugo Grotius arrived in France after escaping prison in a book chest. Grotius is renowned primarily for his work in philosophy, political theory, and law. This work laid the groundwork for an international law rooted in Grotius’ understanding of natural law, stemming from his Protestantism. His books with the most significant impact were De jure belli ac pacis (On the Law of War and Peace) and Mare Liberum (The Free Seas).

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April 15th, 1912, is the anniversary of the sinking of the “unsinkable” Titanic. 1,517 people lost their lives on the ship’s maiden voyage.

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Oh, it is Tax Day again, here in the U.S.. Joy, joy.  (For those of you in Rio Linda, that is sarcasm.) – JWR

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Today is Roy Clark‘s birthday. He was born on April 15, 1933.

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Today, April 15, 2026, is the 23rd Blogiversary of my buddy Commander Zero’s Notes From The Bunker blog. Congratulations!

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Today’s feature article is a guest post from a long-time SurvivalBlog reader. Because it is partly self-promotional, it is not part of the writing contest judging.

We need entries for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $984,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 124 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Preparing Future Generations for an Uncertain Future – Part Four, by Single Farmer

(Continued from Part 3.)

Health considerations

There is a saying which encapsulates a large percentage of the preparation: “If you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything.” Health is much more critical for a young woman versus a young man. I have known of individuals whose fathers died before they were born as the female’s time contribution to pregnancy is on average 65,000 times greater than the man’s contribution. In nature, male bees (drones) do not live that long after successfully mating with the queen as the insemination act if successful is the male’s swan song. Even if they are not successful, a drone will often by thrown out of the hive during the winter to conserve scarce resources as their utility is negative meaning the queen is bred for her lifetime with the one nuptial flight and their contribution is no longer needed.

Being a wife and eventually mother for a young woman is a very strenuous job! It is a full-time job requiring enormous stamina, intelligence, and robust health. A mother who is sickly could be more likely produce sickly children or may not even be able to have children. There are things that a young woman could do to potentially improve her health since we all live in the 21st Century. This article is a Gedankenexperiment (thought experiment), so none of this medical advice.
Continue reading“Preparing Future Generations for an Uncertain Future – Part Four, by Single Farmer”

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.

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At Clark Howard’s site: Food Expiration Dates: What You Need To Know.  The included charts are quite useful. Here is an excerpt:

“Here are the most common terms you’ll see:

  • Best If Used By/Before: Peak flavor or quality, not a safety deadline
  • Use By: Last date for best quality (safety only applies to infant formula)
  • Sell By: Guidance for retailers, not consumers
  • Freeze By: Suggests when to freeze for best quality

Bottom line: These dates usually tell you when food is at its best, not when it becomes unsafe.”

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Our Editor-At-Large Mike Williamson liked this video: The Real Reason Modern Lumber Is So Bad (Here’s The Solution.)  Mike’s comments:  “An excellent video on how lumber is cut, useful for people cutting their own. Good information on knots and grain.”

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SurvivalBlog staffer Tom Christianson suggested this item: What are the world’s deadliest animals, and can we protect ourselves against them?

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What Should I Do Before, During, and After an Earthquake?

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Deputy shot and killed while serving eviction notice.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — April 14, 2026

On April 14, 1849, Hungary declared itself independent of Austria, with Lajos (Louis) Kossuth as its leader.

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On this day in 1865, just after the effective end of the American Civil War, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth while attending a production at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and died the next morning.

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April 14, 1881: The famed Four Dead in Five Seconds gunfight in El Paso, Texas.

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Today’s feature article is a guest post from a long-time SurvivalBlog reader. Because it is partly self-promotional, it is not part of the writing contest judging.

We need entries for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $984,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 124 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Preparing Future Generations for an Uncertain Future – Part 3, by Single Farmer

(Continued from Part 2.)

Give Up the Fantasy

A daughter may need to move, bend, compromise, and pivot. Those are all signs of maturity and embracing reality. A successful farmer looks at changing conditions across soil health, larger economic forces, and continues to refine their decisions onwhat crops are planted, and when.

Young women and their families need to give up on fantasies and embrace reality. Fantasies are very dangerous delusions that often leading to negative long term consequences. When preppers think their food supply is adequate, but it would not feed a 19th Century waif for a fortnight, it is just as dangerous as families thinking that appropriate spouses will just appear exactly as they are envisioned. Many times God sends people what they need, not what they want.Continue reading“Preparing Future Generations for an Uncertain Future – Part 3, by Single Farmer”

SurvivalBlog’s American Redoubt Media of the Week

This weekly column features media 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. Today’s feature photo: The Blitzen River Wilderness Study Area (WSA) is located 60 miles south of Burns (less than 1 mile south of Frenchglen), in Harney County, Oregon. Frenchglen is named after Pete French, with whom my Shirk family cousins had a well-publicized range war. The northwestern edge of the WSA is adjacent to Oregon State Highway 205. (A public domain photo, courtesy of the BLM.)  The thumbnail image below is click-expandable. – JWR

Redoubt News Links

Send Your Media Links

Please send your links to media from the American Redoubt region to JWR. Any photos that are posted or re-posted must be uncopyrighted. You can do so either via e-mail or via our Contact form.

Preparedness Notes for Monday — April 13, 2026

On April 13, 1012: A ransom of 48,000 pounds was paid to a large band of Vikings, led by Danish warlord Thorkell the Tall, for the liberation of Canterbury, after a raid on the city and the capture of Alphege [Aelfheah] Archbishop of Canterbury

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April 13, 1743, was the birthday of Thomas Jefferson.

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And on April 13, 1933: First flight over Mount Everest, by Lord Clydesdale.

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We’ve just started a two-week-long sale on all of our pre-1899 antique shotguns at Elk Creek Company.  There are some deep discounts. This sale will end on Monday, April 27th, 2026. Please note that some of these guns have been re-sleeved and re-proofed for modern shotshells!

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Today’s feature article is a guest post from a long-time SurvivalBlog reader. Because it is partly self-promotional, it is not part of the writing contest judging.

We need entries for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $984,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 124 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Preparing Future Generations for an Uncertain Future – Part 2, by Single Farmer

(Continued from Part 1.)

Preparations for Daughters

The number one thing that a parent can do for their daughter who wants her to have a great life is to prepare her for marriage. The preparations necessary for a young woman for success in life are extremely different than the preparations for a son or grandson. The easiest way for a young woman to be successful in life is to enter into an excellent marriage. The number one problem is that most parents and grandparents are doing a poor job at preparing daughters and granddaughters for this role because they think it is just going to happen naturally or is to something where planning is not effective. I know how to grow crops and harvests do not randomly happen: they require preparation. If a young woman wants to enjoy an excellent marriage, it takes years of pre-planning. It does not happen overnight!

Historically, fathers would try to get their daughters married because an unmarried woman’s prospects were not usually good. Most young unmarried women without the benefit of a family resources in the form of an inheritance or dowry had a few very negative dead-end choices such as in domestic service. A lot of popular books during this time covered these various themes of marital success and how to achieve it. Unmarried women’s prospects on average are still not that good with a lower than average net worth with never married women often having up to one third less than single never-married men.Continue reading“Preparing Future Generations for an Uncertain Future – Part 2, by Single Farmer”

Recipe of the Week: 

The following recipe for Sweet Moroccan Lamb Stew is from SurvivalBlog reader Cartol in Delaware. It makes 4 to 6 servings.

Ingredients
  • 3 pounds lamb shoulder on the bone, trimmed of excess fat
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 large onions (about 2 pounds), grated or finely chopped
  • 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (divided use)
  • 1/2 cup sugar (divided use)
  • 2 pinches of saffron threads, lightly toasted and finely crumbled or powdered in a mortar with a little salt
  • Salt (to taste)
  • Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup golden raisins
Directions
  1. Place the lamb in an enameled cast-iron casserole, Dutch oven or earthenware casserole with a cover along with the olive oil, onions, garlic, ginger, 1/4 teaspoon of the cinnamon, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, the saffron, salt, pepper and water.
  2. Toss so all the pieces of meat are coated, then bring to a boil on a burner over medium-high heat, using a heat diffuser if using an earthenware casserole or tagine. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover and simmer until the meat is tender, about 2 hours. Remove the meat from the sauce and set aside.
  3. Increase the heat to medium-low, add the raisins to the casserole and continue cooking until the sauce is thick, about 45 minutes.
  4. Tilt the casserole and spoon out fat. Remove the sauce from the casserole to a measuring cup or small bowl.
  5. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
  6. Return the meat to the casserole and arrange on the bottom. Cover with the sauce and sprinkle with the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.
  7. Place in the oven until the lamb is falling off the bone and very tender, about 1 hour.
SERVING

Serve this hot.

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Do you have a well-tested recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long-term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven recipes, slow cooker recipes, and any recipes that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!