Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those –or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

I had to make a trip to Spokane this past week. It was one of those catch-all combination trips, including picking up my #2 Son at the airport, and visiting the Army Surplus store. The latter draws me like a magnet, since it is one of the last of the old-fashioned surplus stores in the region

I also stopped by NorLift, a company that sells Rivetier shelving, because I needed a few components to finish building the last two sets of shelves for our workshop. It will feel good to finally see those go up.

On the way home from Spokane, my #2 Son and I did some shopping at US Tactical Supply, in Post Falls, Idaho. They are a full mil-spec manufacturer that mainly does government contracts and mailorder sales. But they also have their tidy, modern Post Falls store with an amazing assortment of web gear, ghillie suits, optics, first aid equipment, military caliber ammunition, helmets, body armor plates, and plate carriers. Most of their ammo inventory was made by RUAG, a Swiss-headquartered defense contracting conglomerate with factories in Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, Hungary, Austria, and the United States (in Tampa, Florida).  This was my first visit to their store. I will definitely be back there for some more shopping, soon!

Now, Lily’s report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:

Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.

We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.

For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:

That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:

That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:

And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.

The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.

They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law;

And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them.

Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.

In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.

He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.

He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.

And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.

Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?

Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?

Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;

Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:

Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,

And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven.

Man did eat angels’ food: he sent them meat to the full.

He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.

He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:

And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.

So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire;

They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths,

The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.

For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.

Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.

When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God.

And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.” – Psalm 78:1-35 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — February 10, 2023

On February 10, 1939, the classic western film Stagecoach premiered. It starred John Wayne, and was directed by John Ford.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 105 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 course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. 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).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  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. 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)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. 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 $775,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 105 ends on March 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.

My Swedish Death Cleaning Experience – Part 1, by St. Funogas

“Swedish Death Cleaning” is an unusual moniker for an interesting process. The purpose of a Swedish death cleaning is to rid ourselves of unnecessary possessions so those we leave behind won’t have to when it’s our turn to do the ashes-to-ashes thing. It’s more commonly used by those wishing to declutter in a big way whether to downsize in general, move to a smaller residence, or just to simplify their lives.

A Swedish death cleaning can benefit many people but it’s definitely not for everyone. Those in the minimalist camp can become even more so. Those on the other end of the spectrum who enjoy lots of “stuff” can ignore the idea altogether. Those somewhere in the middle may benefit by getting rid of some of the unnecessary things in our lives, beginning with those 10,000 plastic shopping bags overflowing from the broom closet.

I enjoyed a comment made by a SurvivalBlog reader a few months back on the subject of simplifying our lives but regret to say I cannot find it to provide a link. About that same time, I read a related article, The Last Temptation of Things. This article is a bit more extreme and if you read nothing else from it, the comments are very entertaining. I hadn’t realized this topic could be so polarizing.

I’ll share some of my experiences from the two times I did a Swedish death cleaning, once in my house five or six years ago and the most recent one in my workshop. Being such an emotional and polarizing topic, I have no suggestions for anyone. The main impetus for writing this article is the many comments on SurvivalBlog over the past few years from those preppers who live in tight quarters not having enough room to store many preps. Perhaps a Swedish death cleaning could help them create more space for at least the most basic necessities.

And for my friend with three rented storage units, perhaps he could save himself some rental fees.

What I’ve Learned From Auctions

I enjoy going to estate auctions for many reasons, not the least of which is for the great bargains. I generally have a “shopping list” with me hoping to find certain items I need for the homestead. There are two basic kinds of auctions: an older couple is downsizing and moving to another house, generally smaller and nearer to relatives, and those auctions when an older person has passed away and their children are selling a lifetime’s collection of things found in most households.

Many times at auctions I look over all the items and think to myself, “Wow, these people had a lot of stuff!” I often think on those occasions how much you can tell about the person’s life by their possessions: things they loved and enjoyed, collections of one kind or another, their taste in furniture, artwork on the walls, even their kitchen wares. I consider myself a minimalist so the sheer volume of all their possessions is often incredible to me.Continue reading“My Swedish Death Cleaning Experience – Part 1, by St. Funogas”

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. Most of these items are from JWR’s “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective. Today, we look at Lebanon’s ongoing banking crisis. (See the Economy & Finance section.)

Precious Metals:

Wyoming Senate Votes to Hold, Invest, and Receive Tax Payments in Gold and Silver.
o  o  o

Central Bank Gold Reserves Chart Second-Highest Increase Since 1950 In 2022.

Economy & Finance:

Reader Joe M. sent this: Lebanese banks close doors to customers to protest ruling.  Here is a  pericope:

“Lebanon’s battered commercial banks on Tuesday closed their doors to customers in protest of a recent court ruling that forced one of the country’s largest banks to pay out two of its depositors their trapped savings in cash.

The Association of Banks in Lebanon, which lobbies for the banks, released a statement calling the action an “open-ended strike” and criticized the court ruling, claiming it was detrimental to all depositors, because the banks cannot afford to pay out everyone else’s savings in full.

The demise of the banks is part of Lebanon’s economic meltdown and unprecedented financial crisis that erupted in 2019 following years of corruption and mismanagement by the country’s rulers. Over three quarters of Lebanon’s population of 6 million has been plunged into poverty, and the Lebanese pound lost about 97% of its value against the dollar.

In an effort to avoid folding amid the crisis, the banks imposed informal capital controls, restricting cash withdrawals from accounts. Also, people with accounts in dollars are allowed only to withdraw small sums in Lebanese pounds, at an exchange rate far lower than that of the black market or the exchange rate used for buying and selling most goods.

This prompted some overseas depositors, locked out of their savings, to launch lawsuits to pressure banks to release their savings in full. In Lebanon, others opted to break into banks and forcefully take their own money, which led the banks to go on strike in September 2022 and close down amid security fears.”

Joe’s Comments:

“This article highlights the serious risks of trusting fractional reserve lending banks. The banks will not / can not give the depositors their money. People weren’t pleased. Although it’s in Lebanon, it can (will?) happen anywhere. Indeed, you can hear the echoes of some of the article’s comments in our current inept government’s doings.”

o  o  o

Apple suffers 1st quarterly sales decline in nearly four years.

o  o  o

Over at Zero Hedge: US Consumers Hit A Brick Wall: December Credit Growth Craters As Interest Rates Soar.

o  o  o

Biden to Quadruple Buyback Tax. A quote:

“Democrats imposed a 1% stock buyback tax on January 1. Now, just 37 days later, President Biden wants to quadruple the tax, the burden of which hits every American with a 401k, IRA, or union pension.”

o  o  o

Reader C.B. sent us this: US tech giant Dell to cut 5% of its global workforce.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The 4th Amendment and the personal rights it secures have a long history. At the very core stands the right of a man to retreat into his own home and there be free from unreasonable governmental intrusion.” – Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — February 9, 2023

February 9th is the birthday of Major George Charles Nonte Jr. (Born 1926, died June 30, 1978.) He was quite the pistolero.

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We are now sold out of the 2005-2022 SurvivalBlog Archive USB sticks. Note that if you have purchased through the automated ordering system and stated that you would pay by check, we have your stick(s) reserved, waiting on your check or money order. For all others, the ordering window is closed. We hope to see your order next January for the 2005-2023 edition of the SurvivalBlog Archive. Thanks!

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We are seeking entries for Round 105 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $775,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 105 ends on March 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.

Some Stark Realities of the 2020s are Pushing Us Off-Grid

There are a number of societal changes that have accelerated our plans to fully go off the grid. The day may soon come when we decide to lock our gate at the county road, and hunker down. Our only regular contact would then be with our contiguous neighbors. For many years, I thought that the only circumstance that might necessitate such a move would be a societal collapse. But now, I have many other concerns.

The most prominent motivators for taking on the mode of self-isolation include:

  • Currency inflation
  • The surveillance state
  • Increasing regulation
  • Forced vaccination schemes
  • Supply chain disruption
  • New waves of influenza strains
  • Central Bank Digital Currencies

I will address each of these issues, in turn.

Currency inflation

Inflation has nagged most national currencies for centuries. But inflation accelerated in the 1960s, as the last vestiges of specie-backing were eliminated. Most countries dropped their gold coinage by the 1930s, and most silver coins were dropped from circulation by the late 1960s. Now, all that exists is true fiat currency: paper backed by nothing but more paper. Even so-called “safe haven” currencies are unbacked. As I’ve written before, all national currencies are essentially leperous.  The Dollar just happens to be the lucky leper with the most remaining fingers.

The only practical ways to insulate ourselves from the effects of inflation are to produce our own food and fuel, and to barter, locally.  We already have some photvoltaic panels here at the Rawles Ranch, and we will soon be adding more. It will be nice to someday have no power bill!

We’ve been cutting all of our own firewood, for more than 15 years. Recently, we installed a wood cook stove, to supplement our wood heating stove. The new stove will eliminate the need for one of our biggest fuel hogs: our combination propane/electric kitchen range. We will still leave that stove installed, but we plan to use the wood-fired cookstove for most months of each year. July and August might be a problem for a wood cookstove, since we won’t want a roasting-hot kitchen!

Gardening most of the vegetables that we need is another practical way to insulate ourselves from the ravages of inflation. It is time-consuming, but we consider it a labor of love. Even if inflation were to run up into double digits or triple digits, we will still have gardens that are large enough to feed our family. Knowing that gives us a great sense of assurance. Tropical fruits and spices may become a thing of the past for our table, but we won’t starve.

Continue reading“Some Stark Realities of the 2020s are Pushing Us Off-Grid”

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 some threats posed by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Thieves Drive Through Mall In Stolen Car, Rob Electronics Store

Shades of The Blues Brothers: Watch: Thieves Drive Through Mall In Stolen Black Audi After Robbing Electronics Store.

U.S. Preparing for Confrontation With Russia in the Arctic

H.L. sent this, from Newsweek: U.S. Preparing for Direct Confrontation With Russia in the Arctic.

11,000 NYC Police Surveillance Cars With 360-Degree Cameras

11,000 Police Surveillance Cars With 360-Degree Cameras and “Perimeter Alerts” To Patrol NYC. A quote from the article:

“The department is in the process of redesigning its fleet of patrol vehicles, which will now have 360-degree cameras installed in them for constant monitoring of the streets.”
Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“As a boy, the very words ‘Liberty Bell’ and ‘Independence Hall’ fired my imagination and made a profound and lasting impression on my mind. Throughout my struggle to secure national freedom for China, I have continuously dreamed of the day when she would assume the full stature of an independent, democratic nation.” – Chiang Kai-shek

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — February 8, 2023

On February 8th, 1963 the Kennedy administration issued an order prohibiting travel to Cuba and banned financial transactions and commerce with Cuba, by U.S. citizens.  Remnants of that order remain in place today, 60 years later.  Evidence of the U.S. commerce embargo can be seen in the large number of sturdy 1950s American cars that have been kept running, in Cuba.

February 8th, 1828 was the birthday of Jules Verne, the French writer who wrote From the Earth to the Moon. He is considered the father of science fiction.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 105 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 course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. 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).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  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. 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)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $775,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 105 ends on March 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.

 

Winter Foraging, by Mrs. Alaska

Climbing the learning curve from “erstwhile city slicker” in Texas to remote rural life in Alaska, my acclimation has been immeasurably aided by several courses in botany, which have enhanced both gardening and foraging for food, home remedies, and construction materials.  Currently, I am enrolled in a fascinating on-line course in Applied Ethnobotany. It is offered by the University of Alaska-Fairbanks.

As the name suggests, this field studies human use of plants – for food, fuel, textiles, shelter, medicine, and anything else.  I am learning how indigenous peoples and settlers utilized the resources all around them, that other people, like me, surely overlook. Interested readers will see below a list of resources they may be able to utilize for their own regions.

Globules of spruce resin below, bark above

At the very beginning of this course, our professor instructed us to harvest some local plants for several projects.  Really?  In February?  In Alaska?  What could I find this time of year?  Well, duh, trees.  I live in a forest!  But besides use as firewood, construction, and spring birch sap, I did not know much. So one day, my husband and I pulled on our snowshoes and dragged a little plastic sled through the woods for a scavenger hunt. How fun!  In half an hour, we gathered two species of pendulous (hair) lichen with the evocative colloquial names of “witch’s hair” and “bear hair,” chopped some chaga and “punk” conks off old birch trees, peeled off some loose birch bark,  gathered a handful of frozen spruce resin globules, and cut a wrist-thick swath of sweet grass sticking up through shallow snow beneath the shelter of a large spruce tree.Continue reading“Winter Foraging, by Mrs. Alaska”

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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Where is the western bumblebee? The super-pollinator declined 57% in 2 decades, study said.

o  o  o

I just heard about a new, inexpensive piece of courseware called the Family Prep Plan that was published by an old friend of mine. He is a Christian and a former Marine Corps officer. Like me, he believes in the Biblical role of husbands — to lead, protect, and provide for our families. He had numerous friends ask him for advice on preparedness, so he compiled much of his research into a website. Please check it out: ReadyHusband.com. Not surprisingly, his Prep Plan page includes multiple links to SurvivalBlog articles and to our loyal advertisers. – JWR

o  o  o

3AD Scout wrote:

“I found this “collection” of publications at the USDA website.  It is titled the “Organic Collection” because the documents are from the 1940s and earlier before all the compound chemicals started to be used.  The index is not very good, so going page to page looking at the various titles is well worth the time.  Although most of the publications pertain to livestock or crops there are many other subjects that homesteaders/preppers will find useful such as tanning, construction, etc..  I’m only about a 1/3 the way through but that it well worth sharing this “old school” knowledge.”

o  o  o

Ray K. sent this snippet:

“Way back when I lived in south Alabama, I learned that fire ants could be killed by sprinkling grits around the mound.  Apparently the ants like the feed, and it swells inside them [and kills them] when they drink water.  It not only worked, but it’s safe for the livestock and the environment.”

o  o  o

Countering China: ‘A big deal’: US, Philippines tighten military ties. (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.)

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Swing voters are more appropriately known as the ‘idiot voters’ because they have no set of philosophical principles. By the age of fourteen, you’re either a Conservative or a Liberal if you have an IQ above a toaster.” – Ann Coulter

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — February 7, 2023

February 7th, 1867 was the birthday of Laura Ingalls Wilder (died February 10, 1957). SurvivalBlog highly recommends the Laura Ingalls Wilder books as well as her biography.

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Just a couple of the 1,100+ folks who’ve bought 2005-2022 SurvivalBlog archive USB sticks wrote to mention that they thought that they weren’t working. Apparently, on some devices — such as older slow PCs or Mac iPads — it can take several minutes for the “SB” icon to appear, after you plug in the stick. This year’s archive stick has 18.3 GB of data, with more than 92,000 files for your device to index. So, please be patient. Give it plenty of time to load, especially if you own a MacOS device.

Oh, and I should mention that we are now down to less than 50 USB sticks on hand. We started with 1,700 sticks, just a few weeks ago. Order yours soon, before they sell out.  – JWR

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Today we present a guest article by Brandon Smith, the American Redoubt-based editor of the Alt-Market.us blog.  I highly recommended both his free blog and his The Wild Bunch Dispatch subscription e-newsletter. –  JWR

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We are seeking entries for the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. Round 105 ends on March 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.