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 expected La Niña weather pattern.

La Niña: Severe Weather and Rip Tides Ahead

Over at Newsweek: Warnings issued for nearly entire US West Coast. An excerpt:

“The widespread weather alerts come a few days in advance of an atmospheric river that’s expected to hit the Pacific Northwest later this week. The current conditions are not caused by the atmospheric river, NWS meteorologist Timothy Daldrup told Newsweek, but both weather events are resulting from strong, westerly flow. The marine impacts are due to steady winds, which cause waves to build and travel across the ocean, prompting coastline alerts.“

Trump Warns: Social Security, Medicare are at Risk

Social Security, Medicare are “going to be gone,” Donald Trump warns. (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.)

Glock Discontinues Dozens of Pistol Models

Reader Pat A sent this: Glock Discontinues Dozens of Pistol Models Amid “Switch” Controversy and Market Shift. JWR’s Comments:  This will be a very costly retooling for Glock. But, because the U.S. is Glock’s biggest market, and California tends to drive legislative trends, it seems unavoidable.  It might be worthwhile to stack a few “Pre-X” Glock Model 17 pistols in the back of your vault, as an investment.  For the greatest versatility and greatest compatibility with clone parts, I recommend that any such investment Glocks be Gen 3 models.  (Most of the clone parts interchange with Gen 3 pistol parts.)

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

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — October 22, 2025

On October 22, 1836, Sam Houston was inaugurated as the first elected President of the Republic of Texas.

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On October 22, 1934, infamous criminal Charles (“Pretty Boy”) Floyd was fatally shot in a field near East Liverpool, Ohio, by FBI agents.

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On October 22, 1797, André-Jacques Garnerin, an inspector in the French army who encouraged the use of balloons for military purposes, made a balloon ascent in order to give his first exhibition of parachuting, when he jumped from a height of about 3,200 feet (1,000 meters).

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And today is the birthday of painter and book illustrator N.C. Wyeth (1882–1945).

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 121 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. 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),
  2. 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),
  3. 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.
  4. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 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 TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. Preparedness author Jennifer Rader is offering a $200 purchase credit for any of her eight published food storage and medical preparedness books, including the Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café series, the Armageddon Pharmacy series, and the Medicine Surrounds Us series.
  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 gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  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 $970,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 121 ends on November 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. 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.

Loaves, Fishes, Tree Bark, Seeds, and Knowledge – Part 3, by The Chemical Engineer

(Continued from Part 2.)

2.3 – Finding Edible Cambium Locally And Harvesting It

If we live in an area with a sufficient number of trees, the next step would be to find out which ones have edible cambium. To accomplish this I recommend two sources. First, you would need to buy the National Audubon Society’s book titled Trees of North America or something equivalent. Here are two free sources that just have tree maps: Tree Map Link 1 and Tree Map Link 2. I am referring to the 2021 edition of Trees of North America in my following statements. This book has great maps that show which trees populate particular areas in North America. Each page has information on one tree. It also has great photos and descriptions to help identify the trees.

The second source is the Plants for a Future (PFAF) website. This is a free site that has great information on which trees and plants have edible portions and the sources for this information. Here is how I used these two sources together. In the Trees of North America book I went from page to page and found trees on the maps that are common in a 50-100 mile radius from where I live. Then I would take the scientific tree name and type it into the PFAF website search bar. Then I checked if it has an edible cambium layer and any other edible parts. For example, pine nuts from most pine trees. I wrote what I found in my Trees of North America book for trees with and without edible parts. If it was not listed as edible I mark it as poisonous to be safe. I added my notes to both the tree page and in the index for easy reference. I also saved the PFAF page as a PDF and printed it to have a hard copy.Continue reading“Loaves, Fishes, Tree Bark, Seeds, and Knowledge – Part 3, by The Chemical Engineer”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

Our weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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Europe, Ukraine prepare 12-point proposal to end Russia’s war.

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Taliban and Pakistan agree to ceasefire after days of deadly clashes.

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Where Does the Israel-Hamas Cease-Fire Stand? Amid Accusations of Violations, Here’s What to Know.

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“AppComms” — one of our recent writing contest prize winners — wrote:

“Jennifer Rader’s books have been delivered, and they are amazing. The information provided is well-thought-out and delivered in a very understandable way. I highly recommend these to my prepping neighbors and associates. Thank you, Jennifer, and to James Rawles for hosting the writing contest.”

o  o  o

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“If we allow responsible management of our forests and end the nonsense litigation from radical environmental groups, we can get our timber mills up and running, reduce the risk of wildfires, and ensure healthier forests and cleaner air.” – Matt Rosendale

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — October 21, 2025

On October 21, 1520, Explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his fleet reached Cape Virgenes after transiting the Strait of Magellan between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, thus becoming the first Europeans to sail into the Pacific.

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October 21, 1803: English scientist John Dalton read his paper “On the Absorption of Gases by Water and Other Liquids” to the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society. This was the first outline of his landmark atomic theory.

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And on October 21, 1915: The first transatlantic radiotelephone message was transmitted from Arlington, Virginia, to Paris.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 121 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. 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),
  2. 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),
  3. 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.
  4. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 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 TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. Preparedness author Jennifer Rader is offering a $200 purchase credit for any of her eight published food storage and medical preparedness books, including the Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café series, the Armageddon Pharmacy series, and the Medicine Surrounds Us series.
  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 gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  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 $970,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 121 ends on November 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. 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.

Loaves, Fishes, Tree Bark, Seeds, and Knowledge – Part 2, by The Chemical Engineer

(Continued from Part 1,)

Fifth, I believe that people are the most valuable creation on the planet for religious and practical reasons. The more people we have, the more knowledge they generate and can apply. I believe the growth of knowledge, personal freedom, and rule of law are the significant causes of mankind rising out of historical poverty. Great books like The Ultimate Resource 2, by Julian Simon, and Superabundance, by Gale Pooley and Marian L. Tupy, hammer home the fact that increased populations have increased prosperity. This is very counter to conventional wisdom because Malthusian thinking has warped much of our culture, including prepper culture.

An example of this is how we often talk about how much things cost in the past versus today. A candy bar was a nickel but today it costs a dollar. A better way to compare this is to look at how much time we have to spend to earn that candy bar. When the candy bar was five cents the hour wage was thirty five cents an hour allowing our ancestors to buy 7 candy bars for an hour of their time. Today, the average hourly wage is about thirty one dollars an hour so for the same hour of time we can have 31 candy bars. Our time gets us more than past generations and our time is freer to spend as we wish. This is the increasing prosperity I am talking about. I recommend reading or listening to the books above to understand more about this line of thought and to combat some very anti-human assumptions in our culture.Continue reading“Loaves, Fishes, Tree Bark, Seeds, and Knowledge – Part 2, by The Chemical Engineer”

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, discussion of possible Northern Lights viewing and descriptions of some designated Dark Sky Reserves.

Idaho

These Are the Most Overlooked Places in the U.S. to See the Northern Lights, According to a New Analysis. Not surprisingly, North Idaho tops the list.

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Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve.

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Some of the best (and most accessible) night sky viewing on public land in southern Idaho: Craters Of The Moon National Monument.

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Idaho Chevy Dealership Offers Free Gun and Flag With Every Sale. (A hat tip to D.S.V. for the link.)

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How to not lose your gun rights in Idaho.

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Idaho Governor Brad Little announces ‘Operation No Return’.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Man’s constitution is so peculiar that his health is purely a negative matter. No sooner is the rage of hunger appeased than it becomes difficult to comprehend the meaning of starvation. It is only when you suffer that you really understand.” – Jules Verne

Preparedness Notes for Monday — October 20, 2025

On October 20, 1600, the Battle of Sekigahara established the Tokugawa clan as Japan’s rulers (Shoguns.)

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October 20, 1634: King of England Charles I levied the “Ship Money” tax on all English and Welsh counties.

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October 20, 1906: Dr Lee DeForest demonstrated his electrical vacuum tube. (Soon commonly called a radio tube.)

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Today is the birthday of the late Tom Petty. (Born October 20, 1950, died October 2, 2017). He was a great singer-songwriter and a passable actor.

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Today is also the birthday of shootist Ed McGivern (born 1874, died December 12, 1957.) He was born in Nebraska, but was a long-time resident of Butte, Montana. His book Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting is fascinating reading.

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And October 20th is also the birthday of actor Viggo Mortensen (born 1958.) He lives somewhere in the American Redoubt. On his ranch is his horse-for-life “TJ”–one of the five paint horses used in the filming of the movie Hidalgo. Most SurvivalBlog readers probably know him best for his starring role in The Road.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 121 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. 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),
  2. 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),
  3. 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.
  4. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 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 TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. Preparedness author Jennifer Rader is offering a $200 purchase credit for any of her eight published food storage and medical preparedness books, including the Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café series, the Armageddon Pharmacy series, and the Medicine Surrounds Us series.
  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 gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  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.

—

More than $970,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 121 ends on November 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. 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.

Loaves, Fishes, Tree Bark, Seeds, and Knowledge – Part 1, by The Chemical Engineer

JWR’s Introductory Note:  At just over 20,000 words, this is perhaps the longest single-topic contributed article ever serialized in SurvivalBlog. I consider it an important piece to ponder.  Please read all eight parts before sending your comments. I will post most of them in the Snippets column on October 29th.

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I want to start with a brief but sincere thank you to all the article writers I have learned from here at SurvivalBlog.com. Your efforts have made a difference for me and many others. I hope my contribution can have a similar benefit to others. Thank you.

Let me also begin with a warning. Some parts of this article will sound like heresy or foolishness to conventional preparedness wisdom. I am willing to risk being considered a fool if this article can help someone who read it, to someday save lives. This audience of the prepared and preparing are in the best position to have an oversized impact for good if they have the right knowledge to apply at the right time.

In the preparedness literature, much has been written about how every serious emergency will naturally bring out more of the worst in humanity when people become desperate or they feel that there are no consequences. We would be unwise to ignore the historical facts that support this assumption and not prepare for it. However, I will challenge how we should respond to the retreat of humanity during an emergency. I don’t accept that our approach to dealing with the unprepared around us needs to be 99% guns and bunkers and 1% butter diplomacy as the best way to protect ourselves and our families during a long-term societal collapse. I believe the moral and highest reward approach would be to wisely swing for the fences and aim for a ratio closer to 50% guns and bunkers and 50% butter diplomacy, so our ability to help others around us is just as strong as our ability to protect ourselves. I believe the following thought applies here, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men and women to do nothing.” If we prepare to only defend against evil and suffering during an emergency then that is likely the world we will live in.Continue reading“Loaves, Fishes, Tree Bark, Seeds, and Knowledge – Part 1, by The Chemical Engineer”

Recipe of the Week: 

The following simple recipe for Chicken and Egg Sandwiches is from The New Butterick Cook Book, copyright 1924, now in the public domain. That is one of the many bonus books included in the 2005-2025 20th Anniversary edition of the waterproof SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick that will be available in February of 2026.

Ingredients
  • 1 cup cold cooked chicken
  • Yolks of two hard-cooked eggs
  • 1 teaspoon rich stock
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon melted butter or butter substitute
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Bread slices
Directions
  1. Pound the chicken to a paste.
  2. Add the mashed yolks of hard-cooked eggs, the stock, Iemon juice, melted butter (or butter substitute), salt, and pepper.
  3. Mix well.
SERVING

Spread the mixture onto sliced bread, for sandwiches.

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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:  Map of Tree Canopy Cover in the United States. (Graphic courtesy of the USDA.)

For the full dataset with useful variant raster maps, see: https://data.fs.usda.gov/geodata/rastergateway/treemap/index.php

The thumbnail below is click-expandable.

 

 

 

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Please send your graphics or graphics links 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:

“Both free speech rights and property rights belong legally to individuals, but their real function is social, to benefit vast numbers of people who do not themselves exercise these rights.” – Thomas Sowell