The Editors’ Quote of the Day: 

“I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.

I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.

When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.

For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right.

Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.

O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them.

But the Lord shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.

And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.

The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.” – Psalm 9:1-10 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — September 29, 2023

The Twilight Zone Episode 3, Season 3 titled “The Shelter” originally aired on September 29, 1961 on CBS. It is one of the few Twilight Zone episodes to feature no supernatural or sci-fi elements.

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September 29th, 1881, was the birthday of Ludwig von Mises. (Born 1881, died October 10, 1973.)

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 108 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. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  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 firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  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 Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $840,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 108 ends on September 30th, 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.

—

But first, and update to an announcement.

Update: Opportunity for Retreat Group Membership in a Secure Kansas Bug Out Location

I currently have a consulting client who lives full-time with his family on a highly-productive farm in Kansas. He has asked me to use SurvivalBlog to add a family to his retreat group. Unlike the caretaker position that I posted earlier this year (which was a salaried position) posted earlier this year, this is not a paying job, but if you have the qualifications think of your response as the first step toward a potential space for you and your family in a lifeboat which in a collapse scenario could be very important.

Imagine if the collapse has occurred and instead of being stuck in the city, you traveled to a retreat and are welcomed by a Christian family. All you needed to do is travel to their farm/retreat and help with security and usual farm chores. It sounds like a fantasy, but it is true as there is a retreat owner and consulting client has asked me to search for a qualified like-minded family to help assist their family in the event their retreat needs to be activated. They live full time at their farm which has been a productive farm for over 150 years. The farm is in a safe geographic area with multiple sources of power, water including a stocked lake, and abundant trees for firewood in Kansas, which is a conservative state.

The farm produces enough food for hundreds of people and surrounding farms also produce grains, milk, meat, and eggs. The area is lightly populated, with more cattle than people. Wildlife including deer abound in the area.
Continue reading“Update: Opportunity for Retreat Group Membership in a Secure Kansas Bug Out Location”

A Nuclear Attack Quick Actions Checklist – Part 2, by Anon-6

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)

– To filter air:

  • Need to get fresh air into the shelter without pulling in fallout particles
  • In rack 1 is everything you need to set up an air filter system that pulls in filtered air
  • Checklist with step-by-step pictures is on the clipboard
  • Instructions are also written on the plywood board that will go in the opened movie room window slot (board already has 12” holes in it for the small yellow industrial fan to pull air into the movie room through one of the furnace filters) [Rack 1 contains a small commercial ventilation fan (Vevor 12” utility blower fan), three large house furnace filters that will be used to filter air pulled into the movie from outside, a fitted plywood board that will go into the movie room subterranean window, two rolls of duct tape, and several pre-cut thick pieces of foam to ensure a tight fit]
  • The fan will need to be powered on once every two hours for 5-10 minutes to change out the air [it will be powered by the Yeti 1250 battery “generator,” or by another power source discussed below]
  • When the fan is off flip the pre-cut and already-attached thick plastic sheet down onto the inner/exhaust side of fan – this will keep bad particles outside as much as possible (use the large black rubber bands already on the exhaust side of the fan to secure it)

Continue reading“A Nuclear Attack Quick Actions Checklist – Part 2, by Anon-6”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, news of the FBIs’s “lost” gold coins. (See the Precious Metals section.)

Precious Metals:

Stewart Thomson: A Blowoff For Rates & A Surge For Gold.

o  o  o

Several SurvivalBlog readers sent this: FBI sued after allegedly losing hundreds of thousands in rare coins during raid. An excerpt:

“The Institute for Justice filed two lawsuits Friday on behalf of clients who had property seized from their safety deposit boxes in a March 2021 FBI raid on U.S. Private Vaults, a Beverly Hills–based company. After prevailing in court, and the FBI agreeing to return their property, both Don Mellein and Jeni Pearsons discovered some of their property was missing and suspect the FBI’s haphazard raid or sticky fingers are to blame.”

Economy & Finance:

Yields and Dollar surge to fresh YTD highs into month/quarter-end – Newsquawk Market Wrap.

o  o  o

An editorial penned by Joe Penland, at Red State: How the U.S. Debt Is Draining Your Family’s Finances.

o  o  o

Reported on September 22nd: More US Banks Downgraded on Liquidity Fears.

o  o  o

At The New York Post: Biden’s food stamp expansion linked to 15% jump in grocery prices: study.

o  o  o

Sandwich chain Subway will be sold to Arby’s owner Roark Capital.

o  o  o

Target to close 9 stores across 4 states, citing retail crime.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — September 28, 2023

On September 28, 1781, the Siege of Yorktown began, eventually leading on October 19 to the British surrender by General Lord Cornwallis and the end of the American Revolution.

—

On September 28, 1542, explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo landed near what is now San Diego and became the first European to set foot on the west coast of what would become the United States.

—

On September 28, 1066, William The Conqueror invaded England, landing at Pevensey Bay, Sussex.

—

And on September 28, 2008, SpaceX successfully launched Falcon 1, becoming the first privately owned company to send a liquid-fueled rocket into orbit.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 108 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. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  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 firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  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 Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $840,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 108 ends on September 30th, 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.

 

A Nuclear Attack Quick Actions Checklist – Part 1, by Anon-6

I’ve been a prepper since 2012 and was born in the early 60s. I started prepping when Obama was reelected and realized we’re on our own to protect our families from the hazards of a dangerous world. One of my first purchases was a 1-ounce silver Eagle that stays in my pocket to this day as part of my EDC kit – a small metal cigar case that works nicely (maybe a future article on that). From there, research and then purchasing food, water storage, comms, medical supplies, guns, and getting trained.

Fast forward to late 2022 and early 2023. Based on the politics of today (and the Ukraine war) the most obvious way I see the US coming out of the divisive environment we find ourselves in is a major war (standard). I concluded there was a greatly elevated risk that a war will come and serve as a way to unify us against some problem/boogyman – worked before (the Civil war “to end slavery”, German and Japanese “defeating fascism” in WWII and to end the Depression, Iraq invasion of Kuwait, etc.)

Part of my research was to read – a lot. SurvivalBlog has helped enormously – many thanks to the smarter-than-me contributors for your ideas, motivation, and plans. One of the most thought provoking things I read was a book published in 1997 titled “The Fourth Turning.” You can search it where you buy your books (in cash – wink, wink). That book describes how our country goes through four 20 year cycles every 80-ish years and every major fourth cycle, or “fourth turning,” has ended in a war: the War for Independence, the Civil War, WWII, and now with the To-Be-Named-Later War. I can’t come up with a cool acronym for this so I’ll just think of it as the next war. The authors point out that each subsequent war was more deadly than the one before it. If the trend continues, and I think it probably will, we’re looking at an ugly mid- to late 2020s timeframe nuclear exchange for this Fourth Turning’s culmination.Continue reading“A Nuclear Attack Quick Actions Checklist – Part 1, by Anon-6”

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, we look at Gavin Newsom’s ongoing war on the Second Amendment.

Gov. Newsom Signs 20% Total ‘Sin Tax’ On Guns & Ammunition

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Wow, Gov Gavin Newsom Signs 20% Total ‘Sin Tax’ On Guns & Ammunition.  JWR’s Comment: How many “last straws” do California gun owners need, before they flee the state? Californians are now treading on a carpet of last straws.

Berkey Water Filters Sues the EPA

Press Release: Berkey Water Filters Sues the EPA. Here is a quote:

“Berkey’s filters have never caused any harm to anyone, and the EPA’s arbitrary—and arguably irrational—new interpretation of its regulations would have a huge impact, directly threatening not only the jobs of 500+ employees globally, lost sales for Berkey distributors and retailers around the world (some of which sell only Berkey products—effectively putting them out of business) and also the well-being of the American people, the very consumers who the EPA is supposed to protect. Moreover, it would have the same impact on other outdoor water filter manufacturers, potentially putting them out of business as well.”
Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — September 27, 2023

During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress, having fled Philadelphia, held a session in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, making the city the capital of the American colonies for just one day.

—

Today (not counting the change in dates due to the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar) is also the birthday of Samuel Adams. He was an American statesman, political philosopher, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 108 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. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  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 firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  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 Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $840,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 108 ends on September 30th, 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.

Grab-and-Go Rifle and Pistol Kits for Impromptu Visitors – Part 2, by S4H

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)

Provide for the Common Defense

We are not extremely wealthy, but over the last several years I have made sure to invest in tangibles including two AN/PVS-14 night vision sets and a few extra firearms with all the fixin’s. My wonderful wife has graciously and intentionally never asked me to quantify “extra firearms” and for that I am thankful! Some of my enhanced armory has come from SurvivalBlog affiliate Palmetto State Armory (PSA) and I frequently select my ‘build-a-bang-stick’ materials from that great company. Having “spare” firearms is a calculated and purposeful foundation of our survival supplies for myriad reasons. Ideally, any person I would allow inside the sanctum sanctorum would arrive with their own weapons and ammo suitable for self-protection and contributing to the greater good. However, if by some circumstance someone shows up at our homestead and they were unable to bring sufficient weaponry to be of any use on security, I have a few basic load-outs ready to loan.

Yes, I know that JWR professes a battle rifle of .30 caliber being the sensible choice, and a handgun of .45 caliber being a no-brainer. I have a few LR 308 platforms in the vault, and several .45 ACP handguns for those of us who can reliably shoot them. Generally, I agree with Mr. Rawles on the heavy-hitting calibers for proper defense, but I selected a set-up of matching 16” 5.56mm M4gery rifles and compact 9mm handguns for utility’s sake, commonality of magazines and ammunition, and cost. This concept follows the Rawlesian precepts of Redundancy, Versatility, and Flexibility as mentioned in his novel Patriots. Commonality and simplicity are core principles to a successful group/tribe functioning in any scenario. The big guns can be reserved for larger and more experienced shooters who are more likely to be effective with the heavy iron.

For the price of one premium .308 battle rifle, I can purchase and outfit two carbines and two pistols. Furthermore, anyone from my 14-year-old son to my 70-year-old mother-in-law can shoulder and effectively fire the AR-15 platform and also easily handle the compact Taurus G2c 9mm pistol. Having identical weapons available for everyone, including smaller-statured members of the tribe, is a combat multiplier. Continue reading“Grab-and-Go Rifle and Pistol Kits for Impromptu Visitors – Part 2, by S4H”

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.

—

Federal judge again strikes down California law banning high-capacity gun magazines. JWR’s Comments:  Sadly, this decision includes a one-week stay, so there probably won’t be a repeat of “Magazine Freedom Week”.  There will surely be an appeal filed by California, within a few days. This case has dragged on for nearly five years. And there may be a few more years of appeals–probably all the way up to the Supreme Court. But in the long term, the unconstitutional magazine bans will be overturned!

o  o  o

Conservative actor Kevin Sorbo recently tweeted this at X: “Just got kicked out of the library for moving the post-apocalyptic fiction to the current events section.”

o  o  o

Sen. Fetterman Presides Over Senate in Shorts After Dress Code Change. JWR’s Comment: This is just another bit of evidence that American society is slipping into Romanesque decadence. Just when I thought that Fetterman was the one willing to change…

o  o  o

Are you ready to move? Reader C.B. sent this video link: Beginners guide to safely load a Uhaul and tow a vehicle.

o  o  o

Thousands of California wells are at risk of drying up despite landmark water law.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Let us assume that, for whatever reason, you have decided to begin making reasonable and prudent arrangements so that if you choose to, or if circumstances make it necessary, you can live self-sufficiently, relying completely for your survival upon yourself, whatever inner strength you are in touch with, your natural environment and your skills. Your first consideration will probably be finding a safe place — a personal haven.

Obviously, the location you choose should afford an environment which is not hostile to life; the climate should provide a reasonably long growing season and not be excessively demanding on you physically. Look for an area with sparse population and determine that you will be far enough away from major metropolitan centers so that you will be less likely to be intruded upon if civil disorders should occur. Conspicuous farms in well-known food-producing areas should be avoided since they would be target areas for looters during a crisis, but make certain that your safe place has abundant water, plant and animal food, fuel, and raw materials for constructing shelter.

Depending upon how seriously you are concerned and how safe you want to be, you may want to build and stock hidden storage facilities for food and supplies, and, possibly, a dwelling, as soon as you can after you acquire the property.” – Mel Tappan, from his book Survival Guns

 

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — September 26, 2023

On September 26, 1962, the television series The Beverly Hillbillies debuted on CBS, becoming one of the most popular sitcoms of the 1960s.

—

On September 26, 1820, American frontiersman and hero Daniel Boone died in St. Charles, Missouri.

—
And, on September 26, 1580, after nearly three years at sea, English Admiral Francis Drake arrived in Plymouth Harbour, England, completing his circumnavigation of the world.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 108 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. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  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 firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  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 Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $840,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 108 ends on September 30th, 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.