SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This 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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Reader Michael R. sent this technology tip:

“Here is the ‘Radioactivity Counter’ app on an old Tab A tablet just now, without and with a sample radioactive rock. Clunky and very slow but similar results to the GBC800 Geiger counter that I received from Amazon, yesterday. But the sample should be near the tape over the rear camera.

After practicing with it and a sample you should be able to become aware of moderate amounts of radioactivity. It was made for cameras 5 or 8 years ago so maybe try an old phone, no lo se.

Background count was very close to the GBC800, 15 to 22 or so. Search for ‘Radioactivity Counter’ app on Google Play. It works and the Android [version of the] app is free. Use 4 or 5 layers of heavy opaque tape over the camera.”

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SurvivalBlog staffer Tom Christianson suggested this article: Defying Administrative Tyranny — Neil Gorsuch chronicles the human toll of overregulation.

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Missing Hiker Found Alive After Surviving 50 Days in Canadian Wilderness.

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Michael Z. Williamson (our Editor-At-Large), suggested this ballistics test video: .45 ACP vs 45 LC vs 410 Slug: Not Even Close?  Mike’s Comments: “The slug had better penetration than I expected, but horrible accuracy. The .45 LC accuracy was reduced due to the freebore in the Judge. I disagree with his choice of .410 for damage. While the wound channel is slightly larger, the .45 ACP was much more consistent and reliable with better penetration.”

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“There are exceptions, but I contend that generally contemporary praise choruses can best be described by four facets: Their dearth of sound Biblical doctrine, an over-emphasis on emotionalism, mantra-like repetitiveness, and a surplus of personal pronouns.  Modern praise choruses have as much to do with traditional hymns as hip-hop music has to do with classical music.” – James Wesley, Rawles

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — December 3, 2024

December 3, 1736: Astronomer Anders Celsius took measurements that confirmed Isaac Newton’s theory that Earth was a slight ellipsoid, rather than the previously accepted perfect sphere.

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On December 3, 1944, the Greek Civil War broke out in a newly-liberated Greece, between communists and royalists.

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Today is “Giving Tuesday”.  Please consider some of the worthy charities linked at our Charity page.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present the first entry for Round 116 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. 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.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $935,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. 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. Round 116 ends on January 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.

Improvised Casualty Retrieval and Transport – Part 1, by R.D.J.

If I’ve seen one… then I’ve seen one. That is all that means. But did I learn anything from it?

CASEVAC

Casualty Evacuation: what we need to know and do, when we need to move the immobile ill or badly injured with our own resources?

Disclaimer One

The following article relates entirely to retrieving and moving casualties both ill or injured, when the situation is such that no one is gonna come and help you anytime soon: not within The Golden Hour, nor even within The Tarnished Day. (1) ‘Cause at the time of writing, 99.5% of serious injuries and illness in CONUS (2) are more quickly accessible by rotary, fixed-wing or wheeled transport (or any combination the than you and me with Shanks’s Pony. (3). But that may not last.

Disclaimer Two

Following on from the above, please don’t practice this at home on homo sapiens – or large pets for that matter. You could I suppose take the Heinlein view and practice on false prophets and tax collectors, but you’ll be doing that entirely at your own risk.

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And a necessary caveat before we get really going: at the beginning of a Grid Down (GD) event or however you wish to call it, it is very likely that most of us learning to do this ‘for real’ will not be particularly fit, and very likely that most of the people we may need to try and move, will be particularly fat. Risky all-around.

If you’re in CONUS, as of 2021, nearly three-quarters of the adult population was overweight or obese; Obesity in particular has increased rapidly, doubling between 1990 and 2021 in both men (19% to 42%) and women (23% to 46%). (4) Researchers found the highest levels of obesity are in the South, and that trend is expected to continue into the future. Two-thirds of men in West Virginia and Kentucky and two-thirds of women across 12 states are expected to be obese by 2050. Especially high rates of obesity are predicted for Mississippi, West Virginia, Arkansas, and Illinois.Continue reading“Improvised Casualty Retrieval and Transport – Part 1, by R.D.J.”

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 of RCMP agents surveilling  Montana gun shows. (See the Montana section.)

Idaho

Idaho’s vet shortage remains problematic.

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Another interesting backcountry Tundra Tire flying video. This one is down in the Owyhee country: Secret Backcountry Oasis in Idaho at the 45 Ranch.

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White-tailed deer engage in fierce battles as rut comes to an end.

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Over a million lights illuminate Coeur d’Alene streets in dazzling holiday display.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

Preparedness Notes for Monday — December 2, 2024

On December 2, 1805, Napoleon defeated the Russians and Austrians at Austerlitz.  The painting is a romanticized rendition by French artist François Gérard, circa 1810.

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December 2, 1927: The first Model A Ford sold, for $385.  In paper currency, that would be the equivalent of $6,984.52 in inflated 2024 U.S. Dollars.  But in terms of U.S. gold coins that were still circulating in 1927? $385 divided by $20.67 per ounce = 18.63 ounces of gold. The 2024 value of gold of $2,640 x 18.63 = $49,183.20.

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Our Big Sale Ends at Midnight! We’ve been running a Black Friday sale at Elk Creek Company. All of our pre-1899 shotguns and all of our percussion revolvers are greatly reduced in price. Most of the shotguns have fluid steel barrels and hence are safe to shoot modern high-pressure shotshells. Today, December 2, 2024, is the last day of the sale. The sale prices end at Midnight, Pacific time, tonight.

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Several  SurvivalBlog advertisers are running Cyber Monday sales.  Take a look at their websites, for some bargains.

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Today’s feature article is a review written by SurvivalBlog Filed Gear Editor Tom Christianson.

Sagan Life AquaBrick Spigot, by Thomas Christianson

Sometimes small things can have a big impact. A little salt and pepper can really enhance the flavor of a boiled egg. The tiny cruise control can make driving a large vehicle much more pleasant. And a relatively tiny rudder can guide the mightiest ship across the trackless deep.

The Sagan Life AquaBrick Spigot is a small object that greatly enhances the ease of use of the Sagan Life AquaBrick Water Storage Container. Without the spigot, it can be somewhat awkward to pour water from the AquaBrick into a smaller container like a water bottle. With the spigot, the task becomes a breeze.Continue reading“Sagan Life AquaBrick Spigot, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week: Leftover Turkey Casserole

The following recipe for Leftover Turkey Casserole is from SurvivalBlog reader Angie T..  She says:  “This mostly uses Thanksgiving dinner leftovers, but I always keep Mozzarella cheese on hand.”

Ingredients
  • Turkey
  • Mashed potatoes
  • Turkey gravy
  • Stuffing
  • Cooked Rice
  • Carrots
  • Peas
  • Green beans
  • Cranberry sauce (Whole berry or jellied type)
  • Mozzarella Cheese (can substitute cheddar)
  • Garlic powder (if desired)
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste
Directions

Just layer the available ingredients together as a casserole.  Make some stuffing the top layer, so that it gets slightly crispy. Bake it briefly, at 300 F — just a bit more then re-heating.

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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!

SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic:  A map showing the largest Christian group in every U.S. state. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.)

The thumbnail below is click-expandable.

 

 

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Please send your graphic ideas to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Any graphics that you send must either be your own creation or uncopyrighted.

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“There is no provision by a bill of rights to guard against the dangerous encroachments of power in too many instances to be named: but I cannot pass over in silence the insecurity in which we are left with regard to warrants unsupported by evidence — the daring experiment of granting writs of assistance in a former arbitrary administration is not yet forgotten in the Massachusetts; nor can we be so ungrateful to the memory of the patriots who counteracted their operation, as so soon after their manly exertions to save us from such a detestable instrument of arbitrary power, to subject ourselves to the insolence of any petty revenue officer to enter our houses, search, insult, and seize at pleasure. We are told by a gentleman of too much virtue and real probity to suspect he has a design to deceive —” that the whole constitution is a declaration of rights,”— but mankind must think for themselves, and to many very judicious and discerning characters, the whole constitution with very few exceptions appears a perversion of the rights of particular states, and of private citizens. But the gentleman goes on to tell us, “that the primary object is the general government, and that the rights of individuals are only incidentally mentioned, and that there was a clear impropriety in being very particular about them.” But, asking pardon for dissenting from such respectable authority, who has been led into several mistakes, more from his prediliction in favour of certain modes of government, than from a want of understanding or veracity. The rights of individuals ought to be the primary object of all government, and cannot be too securely guarded by the most explicit declarations in their favor. This has been the opinion of the Hampdens, the Pyms, and many other illustrious names, that have stood forth in defence of English liberties; and even the Italian master in politicks, the subtle and renouned Machiavel acknowledges, that no republic ever yet stood on a stable foundation without satisfying the common people.” – Mercy Otis Warren, 1788

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — December 1, 2024

December 1, 1903: Release of “The Great Train Robbery” the first Western film, starring Justus D. Barnes and G. M. Anderson.

 

December 1, 1966: The radio time signal WWV was moved from Greenbelt, Maryland to Boulder, Colorado.

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Today is also the birthday of gun designer Charles Cashman Kelsey, Jr. of DEVEL fame. He was born December 1,1935. He was murdered in Texas under mysterious circumstances in April, 2003.

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This is also the birthday of novelist Rex Stout (1886–1975). Rex Stout was the brother of Ruth Stout, the gardener who wrote about no till, year-round mulching, organic gardening in her book Gardening Without Work: For the Aging, the Busy, and the Indolent.

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Just One Day Left! We are running a Black Friday sale at Elk Creek Company. Until December 2, 2024, all of our shotguns and all of our percussion revolvers are greatly reduced. Take a look!

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Today we present a short guest article from a familiar name. It is not an entry for Round 116 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.

But first, the results of the judging for Round 115:

Writing Contest Judging Results (Round 115)

We’ve completed the judging for Round 115 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The judging for this round was very difficult since there were five very informative Hurricane Helene after-action reports and several excellent technical articles.

First Prize goes to Soyez Ferme, for Hurricane Milton After Action Review. See: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.  It was posted on October 23-24-25, 2024.

His prizes will include:

  1. 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.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize goes to A.F. for: Lessons From Hurricane Helene. See: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4. It was posted November 12-to-15, 2024

His prizes will include:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize goes to St. Funogas for Just-In-Time Food Storage. See: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5. It was posted from October 29 to November 2, 2024.

His prizes will include:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

Honorable Menton Prizes (transferable $100 FRN purchase credits toward the purchase of any antique or percussion replica gun from Elk Creek Company) go to the authors of the following 13 articles:

Note:  I will need USPS and UPS addresses from the Top Three prize winners. Thanks! – JWR

More than $925,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 116 is underway and ends on January 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.

An Important Time For Giving, by SaraSue

If anyone has funds to spare, I want to remind SurvivalBlog readers that the communities in Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee are still suffering the devastation from Hurricane Helene.  Since our government failed these people, We The People have responded en masse to take care of them.  There are people still living in tents as the snow starts to fall.  Many many people have donated trailers, Buddy heaters, blankets, clothing, and food to help keep these families intact.

You may ask why those people are still living in those devastated areas.  Many have no other place, or the funds, to go somewhere else; many feel that if they leave their property, the government will come in and take it; if they ask for help, CPS will swoop in and take their children.  It is a very dire situation.  Many local organizations and churches are in the thick of it.  So many people have donated [tangible supplies] that they have run out of warehouse space. So now they are asking for only monetary donations so they can meet the very specific needs of each family and their children.  Thank you and may the Lord bless you and yours through this season.

This gentleman has kept us all updated on his YouTube channel: Deep River Farm.Continue reading“An Important Time For Giving, by SaraSue”

November, 2024 in Precious Metals, by Everett Millman

Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review, where we take a look at “the month that was” in precious metals. Each month, we cover gold’s performance and silver’s performance and examine the factors that affected the metal prices.

WHAT DID GOLD AND SILVER DO IN NOVEMBER?

The inevitable finally happened: gold and silver had a down month.

Both metals traded slightly lower on November 1st, with silver dipping to $32.40 per troy ounce and gold holding above $2,730/oz. The following week began with modest gains until the wheels fell off on Wednesday, Nov. 6th: gold lost 3% to fall to $2,660/oz and silver shed $1.46 (-4.5%) to $31.16/oz. Despite rebounding on Thursday, Nov. 7th, those gains were swiftly erased the next day. The week spanning from Nov. 11th to Nov. 15th saw the precious metals post losses during five consecutive trading sessions.

Silver and gold managed to stage another rally the following week (Nov. 18th–Nov. 22nd), which lifted silver to $31.24/oz and gold to $2,709/oz. It was actually the best week for gold percentage-wise since October 2023. Yet on Monday, Nov. 25th both metals took another plunge. Gold slumped 3.3% lower to $2,626/oz—its worst single-day session in four years—while silver lost $1 to $30.29/oz.

Silver ended on a positive note, rising to $30.59/oz on the final trading day of the month to cut its losses to about 6% in November. Gold closed at $2,659/oz, roughly 3% lower on the month.Continue reading“November, 2024 in Precious Metals, by Everett Millman”