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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First up: Dollar stores getting crushed sends ominous signal about US economy: Consumers are ‘tapped out,’ expert warns.

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Over at The Burning Platform: UN ‘Pact for the Future’: Digital IDs, Vaccine Passports, Massive Censorship.

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Reader F.J. sent this article link: Hawaii man trapped in 15ft remote forest ravine after bridge collapsed reveals ingenious way he survived.

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Grace, Goats, and a Dairy Cow: How 2 Self-Taught Farmers Turned Rejected Land Into Their Dream Homestead. (A hat tip to reader H.L. for the article suggestion.)

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Microbes Found in Earth’s Upper Troposphere Suggest Potential for Long-Distance Pathogen Travel.  The article opening lines:

“Recent research sampling the upper troposphere has uncovered a diverse array of microbial species, including some human pathogens, raising concerns about the global transport of potentially harmful organisms. While many of the microbes were found to be dead, having succumbed to the cold temperatures, increased radiation, and lack of nutrients, others proved surprisingly resilient. These hardy microorganisms, capable of surviving harsh conditions, may travel great distances through high-altitude winds.”

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“I am now a fundamentalist American; give me time and I will tell you why individualism, laissez-faire and the slightly restrained anarchy of capitalism offer the best opportunities for the development of the human spirit.” – Rose Wilder Lane

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — September 17, 2024

Today, September 17th, we celebrate Constitution Day in these United States.  It was on September 17, 1787 that the US Constitution was signed by the delegates at the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention.

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September 17, 1156: Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa issued the ‘Privilegium Minus’ decree, which elevated Austria to a duchy.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 114 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. 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:

  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 $900,000 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 114 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 Rifle is Not Enough – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit

In this six-part article, I’ll be covering a few of the areas concerning the AR-15 that are often overlooked and do not receive enough attention. This is an attempt to bring some considerations to the attention of new shooters before it is too late to correct an oversight. While this article is decidedly AR-15 rifle-centric, there will be other rifle platforms and alternative ammunition types mentioned. Please be advised that I am not a trained professional and I have no formal weapons training or formal education of any kind and have never been in the military. I speak only as a self-taught citizen defender and I’m not qualified to have a professional opinion on these matters.

I believe that the ordinary citizen can and should strive to bear arms in an effective manner and that we can do this on our own if we have the will to do so. We are the stock that has provided our Armed Forces with the talent and means it once possessed. Apathy killed this country. If there is a will, then there is a way, and the audience is now the Praetorian Guard of the American way.

What I’m describing will require hard work and dedication, yet what are our lives, faith, and liberty worth? I am hopefully providing information that might serve the Christian faith, our grandsons, and the future of this country. As I see it, it shall be primarily the old and the young that would be willing to die to retain a remnant and portion of the land that what once was, and what could be, if we are not indeed entering the End Times.Continue reading“A Rifle is Not Enough – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit”

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, some more details on the loss of American Redoubt resident Paul Harrell. (See the Central & Eastern Oregon section.)

Idaho

Change of Venue granted for Bryan Kohberger murder trial. JWR’s Comment:  They’ll be moving the trial somewhere down around Boise, I presume. That is a 5.5-hour drive from Moscow, in good weather.  Or they could go as far as Idaho Falls. That is 565 miles from Moscow — a 9.5-hour drive.

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‘Incredibly disappointed’: Goncalves family accuses judge of favoritism over moving U of I murders trial.

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Non-profit group Crossroad Park buys Chad Daybell property.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“We can do things for ourselves or we can pay others to do them for us. These are the two systems that support us; we might call them the self-reliance system and the organisation system. All societies support themselves by a mixture of the two systems, but the proportions vary.

Total self-sufficiency is as unbalanced and ultimately stultifying as total organisation. The pioneers show us what can be done, and it is for every one of us to decide what should be done, that is to say, what we should do to restore some kind of balance to our existence.

To grow or make some things by myself, for myself: what fun, what exhilaration, what liberation from any feelings of utter dependence! What an education of the real person! To be in touch with actual processes of creation.” – E.F. Schumacher

Preparedness Notes for Monday — September 16, 2024

On September 16, 1920, the Wall Street Bombing occurred at 12:01 PM when a horse-drawn wagon exploded on Wall Street, New York, killing 38 people and injuring 143 others. The bombing was almost certainly the work of radical anarchist leftists, though none were ever charged. Until the Oklahoma City federal building bombing on April 19, 1995, the Wall Street Bombing of 1920 was the worst act of terrorism on American soil.

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On September 16, 1940, Democrat President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Selective Training & Service Act. This was the first-ever peacetime draft in the United States.

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American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is one of the long-time prize sponsors of our writing contest. They’ve just announced a new course on DVD (or online) that should be of great interest to SurvivalBlog readers: Survival Gunsmithing. This course has more than 10 hours of instruction. It will be priced at $397. But for just until next week, it is being sold at 50% off.

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

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We are seeking entries for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $900,000 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 114 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.

Homemade Aftershave, by Thomas Christianson

I will be the first to admit that aftershave does not rank high on any list of survival necessities. In fact, if used in the wrong way, products like aftershave may actually produce threats to one’s chances of survival. SurvivalBlog reader David L. shared some insights along this line in the September 13, 2023 Snippets column in SurvivalBlog:

Like many well-prepared preppers, I have gotten past location, food, guns, ammo, etc, etc, to stocking toilet paper, paper towels, and things such as shampoo and deodorants. The last two can be literally DANGEROUS TO YOUR HEALTH! Yeah, right, you say! Bear with me…You have survived the bomb(s), fallout, EMP, CME, et cetera and are venturing into town for a little recon with your hair combed and nails trimmed, freshly bathed or showered and doused with your favorite Brut deodorant spray. You arrive at town on your freshly washed and waxed UTV and immediately notice that many of your friends and neighbors look ill, dirty, slovenly, under-nourished, and more importantly, are staring at you in your sartorial splendor. Did you forget to pin a sign to your shirt stating “LOOK AT ME AND THINK OF ALL THE STUFF I HAVE AT HOME THAT YOU DON’T”! Guess who will be having lots of visitors for supper (with bad attitudes AND MORE!!!!). MORAL OF THE STORY – think: Situational Awareness.

So the purpose of this article is not to promote the production of aftershave per se. Instead it is to promote the idea of learning how things are made in general, and how you can make many of the things that you regularly use in particular. This will both make you more self-reliant in a crisis situation, provide you with useful skills which may enable you to better assist others, and save money in the present which you can then utilize in ways that will provide better long-term benefit. This knowledge and the products thereof can also contribute to a sense of stability and a positive mental attitude that can greatly enhance the odds of survival in a difficult situation.Continue reading“Homemade Aftershave, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week: Four-Cheese Fried Sandwich

The following recipe for a four-cheese fried (grilled) sandwich is from reader Michael E., in England.

Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp ricotta cheese
  • 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
  • 50g mozzarella cheese
  • 2 thick slices of white bread
  • 25g gorgonzola cheese
  • 1 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp butter
Directions
  1. Prepping: Mix the ricotta with the grated parmesan and mozzarella. Take 2 thick slices of white bread and spread the cheese mixture over one of them. Top with the gorgonzola, broken into pieces, then close the sandwich with another slice of bread.
  2. Sandwich Frying: Spread the outsides of the sandwich, top and bottom, with the mayonnaise. Fry the sandwich in the butter for 3-4 minutes on each side, whilst often pressing the sandwich down gently with the flat of your spatula as it cooks  – that will ensure that it melts evenly inside and stays together.

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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!

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Libertarianism is rejected by the modern left – which preaches individualism but practices collectivism. Capitalism is rejected by the modern right-which preaches enterprise but practices protectionism.” – Karl Hess

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — September 15, 2024

The Battle of Sekigahara on September 15, 1600, marked the rise of the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan.

On September 15, 1928, Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin while studying influenza.

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On September 15h, 1950, United Nations troops landed at Inch’ŏn, South Korea, crippling a North Korean invasion during the Korean War.

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On this day in 1944, the U.S. 1st Marine Division landed on the island of Peleliu, one of the Palau Islands in the Pacific, as part of a larger operation to provide support for Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who was preparing to invade the Philippines. Within one week of the invasion, the Marines lost 4,000 men. By the time it was all over, that number would surpass 9,000. The Japanese lost more than 13,000 men. Flamethrowers and bombs finally subdued the island for the Americans, but it all proved pointless. MacArthur invaded the Philippines without need of Army or Marine protection from either Peleliu or Morotai.

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Today’s feature article was too short for consideration in the judging for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.  So it is running as a guest post.

More than $900,000 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 114 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.

Chelation After a Nuclear Event, by S.F.

Editor’s Introductory Note: For those who are not familiar, there is this general background, from the Infogalactic Wiki:

Chelation therapy is a medical procedure that involves the administration of chelating agents to remove heavy metals from the body. Chelation therapy has a long history of use in clinical toxicology[1] and remains in use for some very specific medical treatments, although it is administered under very careful medical supervision due to various inherent risks.[2]

Chelation therapy must be administered with care as it has a number of possible side effects, including death.[3] In response to increasing use of chelation therapy as alternative medicine and in circumstances in which the therapy should not be used in conventional medicine, various health organizations have confirmed that medical evidence does not support the effectiveness of chelation therapy for any purpose other than the treatment of heavy metal poisoning.

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First, I’m not an NBC specialist, but I do know a good deal about chelation.  In the current political environment, the risk of a nuclear incident is increasing by the day. This can be from nuclear detonations or the targeting of nuclear power plants.  As such, here are some thoughts.Continue reading“Chelation After a Nuclear Event, by S.F.”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week: 

The latest meme created by JWR:

Design and Text by James W. Rawles — www.SurvivalBlog.com  — Copyright  2024

Meme Text:

Kamala’s Own

Classic Word Salad Dressing

News/Commentary Link:

The Woke Plot To Destroy Our Economy.

Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks!

Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.

 

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:

But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.

For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” – James 1:1-12 (KJV)