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 the upcoming release of the A24 Productions near-future film Civil War.

Civil War — Coming Soon

The release date for the much anticipated (and dreaded) near-future film Civil War is now just eight days away: Friday, April 12, 2024.  JWR’s Comment: I suppose that would have been too obvious as predictive programming if they scheduled the release for one week later, on April 19th.

USPS Police Issue Warning on Mailed Check Theft

USPS Police Issue Warning on Mailing Checks: ‘No Guarantee It Won’t Be Stolen’. (Thanks to SirvivalBlog reader C.B. for the link.)

Feds Sought Data on Everyone Who Watched One Video

A further slide down the slippery slope to tyranny: A video from Attorney Steve Lehto: Feds Sought Data on Everyone Who Watched A Certain Video Last Year.Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — April 3, 2024

While adjusting a picture on the wall of his home in St. Joseph, Missouri, American outlaw Jesse James was shot and killed by Robert Ford (pictured) on April 3, 1882.

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Several readers wrote to mention this sad news: Last USS Arizona Sailor Who Survived Pearl Harbor Attack Passes Away at 102.

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This is the birthday of Washington Irving, an American author, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for short stories like Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, but he also wrote several biographies and served as the US Ambassador to Spain from 1842 to 1846.

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Today we present another entry for Round 112 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. But first, we are posting the results of the judging for Round 111.

Writing Contest Judging Results (Round 111)

We’ve completed the judging for Round 111 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.

First Prize goes to E.R., for his two-part article A Water System Adventure. It ran February 15-16, 2024, 2024.  (See Part 1 and Part 2.) 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 $2,000.
  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 $359 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  5. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize goes to Joseph R., for his two-part article Homebrewing Benefits for a Prepper. It ran February 22-23, 2024. (See Part 1 and Part 2.) 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. 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!  (Because Joseph R. is a minor, this prize will go to his parents.)

Third Prize goes to A.F., for his three-part article Practical Homestead Irrigation. It ran February 27-29, 2024. (See: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.) His prizes will include:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. 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.
  3. 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)
  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 11 articles:

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

More than $875,000 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 112 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.

Rethinking Food Storage – Part 2, by Anita Bailey

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

Although these genetic modifications are generally considered safe to consume, there is scant long-term research on the effects on human digestive function or other bodily processes. We just don’t know. People who consume them may be unwitting testers.

However, there are indications that some herbicides remain in grains, even those labeled as organic. One of these that is increasingly concerning, is glyphosate which has been linked to non-Hodgkins-lymphoma, and other inflammation-related diseases and disorders such as diabetes, gut disorders, and autism. This chemical is used to kill unwanted grasses and other weeds in crop fields and is the most widely used herbicide in the world. Residues of this herbicide have been found in kidney beans, lima beans, and peanuts; barley; dry beans such as chickpea, lupin, and fava; canola; field pea; flax; lentil; oat; soybean as well as wheat.

One type of corn is even advertised as “Roundup Ready”, that is, it has GMO gene strands inserted that allow it to grow despite spraying by this herbicide.Continue reading“Rethinking Food Storage – Part 2, by Anita Bailey”

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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From blog reader C.B: Marines Ditch 100-Year-Old Marksmanship Standards.

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The WEF agenda could be Banned from Louisiana.  Here is the key wording from the  bill:

“The World Health Organization, United Nations and the World Economic Forum shall have no jurisdiction or power within the state of Louisiana. No rule, regulation, fee, tax, policy or mandate of any kind of the World Health Organization, United Nations and the World Economic Forum shall be enforced or implemented by the state of Lousiana or any agency, department, board, commission, political subdivision, governmental entity of the state, parish, municipality, or any other political entity”.

JWR’s Comments:  That is commendable.  I pray that the legislation is signed by Lousiana’s Governor.  It should become model legislation for other states.  Please contact your State representatives, to suggest that!

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Another piece of Predictive Programming comes to fruition: Mass. State Police robot dog shot during Cape Cod standoff. JWR’s Comment:  Have you seen the terrifying robot dog episode of Black Mirror?  (Season 4, Episode 5: Metalhead.)

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Cattle-Tracking Provision That May Limit Beef Supply Passed In Omnibus Bill. From the article:

“The full text of the provision reads: “The agreement directs the Department to continue to provide the tag and related infrastructure needed to comply with the Federal Animal Disease Traceability rule, including no less than $15,000,000 for electronic identification (EID) tags and related infrastructure needed for stakeholders to comply with the proposed rule, ‘Use of Electronic Identification Eartags as

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — April 2, 2024

On April 2, 1968, Stanley Kubrick‘s 2001: A Space Odyssey had its world premiere in Washington, D.C.. The movie became a classic, setting the benchmark for sci-fi films. The film also gave one of the first cinematic warnings about artificial intelligence.

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On April 2, 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León landed on the coast of Florida.

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Today is the birthday of Sergei Ivanovich Mosin (April 2, 1849 – February 8, 1902. He was a Russian military officer, engineer, and a co-designer of the Mosin–Nagant rifle.

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This is the birthday of Émile François Zola, a novelist and essayist. He is most often remembered as the author of J’accuse (I Accuse!), his lengthy open letter to president Félix Faure, which accused the French government of anti-semitism.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 112 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 $2,000.
  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 $359 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  5. 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. 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 Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. 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.
  3. 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)
  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 $875,000 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 112 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.

Rethinking Food Storage – Part 1, by Anita Bailey

Most of us who read SurvivalBlog likely have some food – maybe a lot of food – stored up for the proverbial “rainy day” or other possible situations. Storing food has increased in public interest over the last few years. An internet search on “food storage” produces 1.6 billion hits at this writing, averaging about 1 search per minute all day and night. That’s a lot of interest. It’s not slowing down, either.

I’ve been storing up for well over five decades. When I started, I lived in a major city. Now I’m rural on a farm. I continue the process because having food set back has been a life-and-stress-saver multiple times over the years. My process of storage has changed significantly over time, too, as I explored and adapted to changes in my personal economy, the world situation, and my dietary preferences.

Now, food storage is changing again – for reasons that I never anticipated, and still can hardly believe is happening.Continue reading“Rethinking Food Storage – Part 1, by Anita Bailey”

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 of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, some extra coverage of wildlife issues in the American Redoubt, especially those elusive wolverines!

Region-Wide

Wolverines Are Super Rare In Wyoming, But Now Colorado Wants Them Too.

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Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Finding for the Gray Wolf in the Northern Rocky Mountains and the Western United States.

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Biden administration restores threatened species protections dropped by Trump.

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Interior Department Announces Nearly $12 Million to Protect and Restore Western Wildlife Habitats and Migration Corridors.

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Fish and Wildlife Service declines to give Northern Rockies wolves ESA protections.

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Two Colorado wolves wandering close to Wyoming border, where killing them is legal.

Idaho

Idaho plans to sue over federal wolverine protections.

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Ruling shortens Idaho’s wolf trapping season.

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Video commentary from Muskrat Outdoors: Idaho Fish & Game Responds to Wolf / Grizzly Bear Ruling.

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Idaho Fish and Game, RMEF expand critical wildlife winter range.

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Idaho county population growth cools with recent U.S. Census updates.

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Where refugees in Idaho are arriving from. JWR’s Comments:  This trickle of new residents is statistically insignificant in comparison to the torrent of political, tax, and gun law refugees coming in from Blue States. Studies have shown that on average the new arrivals are far more conservative than Idaho’s existing population!

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

Preparedness Notes for Monday — April 1, 2024

Created this day in 1999 by carving a vast region from Canada‘s Northwest Territories, the Canadian territory of Nunavut stretches across much of the Canadian Arctic and encompasses the traditional lands of the Inuit.

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On April 1, 1621, at the Plymouth settlement in present-day Massachusetts, the leaders of the Plymouth colonists, acting on behalf of King James I, make a defensive alliance with Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoags. The agreement, in which both parties promised to not “doe hurt” to one another, was the first treaty between a Native American tribe and a group of American colonists. According to the treaty, if a Wampanoag broke the peace, he would be sent to Plymouth for punishment; if a colonist broke the law, he would likewise be sent to the Wampanoags.

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April 1st is both April Fool’s Day and (unofficially) Molly Ivins Day. The latter refers to this key verse: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1 KJV)

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April 1st, 1886 was the birthday of Arthur W. Pink, who died 15 July 1952 and was an English Christian evangelist and excellent Reformed Biblical scholar. It was his meticulously referenced arguments in his book  The Sovereignty of God, that first convinced me of the truth of the doctrine of Election.

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

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We are now seeking entries for Round 112 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $875,000 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 112 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.

Christensen Arms MHR in 6.5 Creedmoor, by Thomas Christianson

The most exciting features of the Christensen Arms MHR (Modern Hunting Rifle) in 6.5 Creedmoor stem from its carbon-fiber-wrapped, stainless-steel barrel. This technology offers the accuracy of a bull barrel without the additional weight. It reduces flex and harmonics, has zero thermal expansion, is corrosion resistant and climate adaptable, dissipates heat from the liner three times faster than a bull barrel, and extends barrel life by 25%.

The modular and customizable stock, forearm, and grips are also made with carbon fiber via an environmentally friendly process that Christensen calls Flash Forged Technology (FFT). The result is a well-balanced rifle that shoulders well and is weather resistant. The stylish stock offers a multitude of possible sling attachment points and features an easily-adjustable length-of-pull and an integrated cheek-rest. The beefy forearm fits my support hand better than any other rifle I have ever fired and includes a picatinny rail for mounting a bi-pod or other accessories. The crisp trigger is outstanding. Recoil from the 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge is easily manageable.Continue reading“Christensen Arms MHR in 6.5 Creedmoor, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week: Lily’s Einkorn Flour Bread

The following recipe for Einkorn Flour Bread was developed by Avalanche Lily. It requires a cast iron fry pan with a lid or a Dutch oven with lid.

Ingredients
  • 1 cup Sourdough starter (semi-liquid)
  • 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 2 Tablespoons raw honey
  • 1 and half teaspoons of Sea salt
  • 4 and a half cups of Einkorn Flour
  • 1 and half cup warm water
Directions
  1. Mix up the dough. Let it rest fifteen minutes. It will be wet and sticky.
  2. On a lightly floured surface, fold dough about eight times with wet fingers.  Wet fingers help keep the dough from sticking to your fingers.
  3. Place back into clean lightly oiled bowl.
  4. Cover it with a damp cloth or Saran Wrap let rise 6-8 hours in a warm place.
  5. Take an empty cast iron fry pan or Dutch oven and put in your oven at 475 degrees F for 10 minutes.
  6. Take the pan out of the oven and carefully place a sheet of cooking parchment paper in the hot pan. Place the dough in the pan, on top of the parchment.
  7. Lightly flour it and score the dough.  Put it in your oven with the lid on the pan.
  8. Bake for twenty minutes.  Take the lid off and continue to bake the loaf for up to an additional fifteen minutes.
  9. Keep an eye on the loaf so that it doesn’t overbake.  (Note: I kept burning the bottom even after four tries.  It just may be my oven. It may be hotter than 475?  I am slowly dropping the temperature and the baking time.)
  10. Once baked, immediately take it out of the oven)
  11. Take the bread loaf out of the pan and let cool on a wire rack.

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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!