Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make 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 this column, in the Odds ‘n Sods Column, and in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

I had a quite unproductive week, working around the ranch, because of an injury. I had an accident while working on insulating our workshop. I blame this on fatigue and lack of attention. I was doing this work while exhausted following a long morning of cutting firewood. Whilst cutting a piece of 2-inch thick blue styrofoam board along a steel straightedge with a box cutter, my left hand slipped and I cut the tips off of two of my fingers — just the tips of my fingers, forward of the fingernails. This left flat, disc-shaped wounds. The larger one of these was 3/8ths of an inch in diameter.  This was not a serious injury, but painful. (And not likely one to be repeated. Experiences like this teach me to slow down and concentrate on my work.)

So my hand mobility will be limited for the next couple of weeks. Since I’m now limited to just minor chores, I will be concentrating on writing and editing for a while. The firewood project and the shop project will have to wait…

Now, over to Lily.Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.

Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us.

Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?

Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure.

Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves. 

Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.

Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.

The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.

She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.

Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?

The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.

Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine;

And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.

It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.

Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.

So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.

Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.” – Psalm 80 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — August 26, 2022

August 26, 1946 was the official release date of George Orwell’s pointedly satirical novel “Animal Farm.”

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August 26, 526, is the official anniversary of the invention of toilet paper by the Chinese. We celebrate this, though not because of its convenience. In fact, it has many shortcomings, some of which are described in the articles and letters of SurvivalBlog. Our celebration of it is primarily because we now have an official metric of just how hardcore of a prepper you are as well as a metric for just how economically unstable your country is.

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Today’s feature article is an update to a piece from the early days of the SurvivalBlog archives.

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We are still in need of articles for Round 102 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 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.

The Ghillie Suit: The Ultimate in Camouflage (Updated)

Note:  This is an update to an article that I wrote for SurvivalBlog, back in September of 2005.  I found that many of the included links had expired, so I have updated them. I’ve also added some important details.

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Back in the 18th century, game wardens in Scotland were engaged in an occasionally deadly game of cat and mouse with poachers. These wardens–called “ghillies” in the local parlance of the day were experts in field craft. To catch a poacher was difficult, so the ghillies would cut tree or bush limbs and cover themselves with them as camouflage while laying in wait. This was laborious but worked well. Then a warden whose name is lost in history came up with a clever idea: A camouflage body suit that was made of shredded rags in dull earth-tone and foliage-toned colors. From any distance, the man wearing it resembled a bush, and could not be easily recognized. Thus was born the Ghillie Suit.

The first use of ghillie suits by military organizations recorded by historians was during WWI, when Scottish ghillies serving with Lord Lovat’s Scouts brought their camouflage suits with them for the fighting in the fields of France. The ghillies in the Lovat Scouts shared their expertise in stalking, long-range shooting, and camouflage, which spread to other British Commonwealth armies.

The modern ghillie suit, re-popularized in the late 20th century in the British and U.S. armies is now standard wear for sniper teams in most western armies. These modern ghillie suits use the same concept, providing four key attributes: they look like plant foliage, they occupy three dimensions (unlike camouflage printed cloth), they break up a soldier’s distinctive silhouette, and they muffle noise. There are two common designs:

  • A full ghillie suit, which is usually made by sewing ghillie garnish (typically strips/bundles of dyed burlap, jute, and/or hemp) to a set of green mechanic’s overalls or to a BDU shirt and trousers
  • A ghillie cape, which is draped over the head and shoulders like a poncho.

I prefer the latter, especially in warm climates. Both designs are almost always used in conjunction with a camouflage face veil and a boonie-type hat with similar ghillie material garnish.  Weapons can also be lightly festooned with ghillie garnish. Just be careful not to block your view of optics and/or impede operating a weapon’s action or impede changing magazines.  So most of the garnish should go on the barrel and on the sides and bottom of the buttstock. Use it very sparingly, elsewhere.Continue reading“The Ghillie Suit: The Ultimate in Camouflage (Updated)”

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. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at the spike in natural gas prices. (See the Commodities section.)

Precious Metals:

The Most Inflation-Resistant Money the World Has Ever Known.

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Arkadiusz Sieroń: 2022 Doesn’t Have to Be Like 1980 for Gold.

Economy & Finance:

Half of US companies preparing to cut jobs, survey shows.

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Home sales fell nearly 6% in July as housing market slides into a recession.

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A 10-minute Video: China’s Economic Crisis Is About To Get Much Worse — Housing Collapse Explained

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The “Big Short” Michael Burry Liquidates Entire Portfolio, Holds Just One Stock At End Of Q2.

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Reader C.B. sent us this news from the UK: Massive strike expected to fray already fragile supply chain.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — August 25, 2022

August 25th is the 84th birthday of novelist Frederick Forsyth (born 1938 – pictured above.) Forsyth was the author of The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Fourth Protocol, The Dogs of War, The Devil’s Alternative, and many others.

This birthday is shared by humorist Bret Harte (born 1836), and the late American humorist Patrick F. McManus (born 1933). McManus was born and raised in Sandpoint, Idaho, so his books could be classified as American Redoubt humor.

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Today we present a guest article by Brandon Smith, that first appeared at his Alt-Market.us site.

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We are still seeking entries for Round 102 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 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.

Should Red States Block Federal Agencies From Operating With Impunity?, by Brandon Smith

The concept of “sanctuary cities” has long been implemented within predominantly leftist states in America. It’s not anything new. Any operations by DHS and ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) within blue states to arrest and deport illegal immigrants are often met with aggressive resistance by Democrat-run city governments.

Keep in mind that foreign individuals have no right under the constitution to reside in the US without first gaining citizenship. Leftists say they don’t care and are happy to welcome millions of illegals into the country with open arms in direct violation of laws protecting our borders as well as the stability of our economy and society. They do this not because they are naively humanitarian; rather, they see it as a means to import a massive voting block that will give leftists whatever they want because they believe they will get citizenship in exchange.

If they didn’t want millions of illegal votes, then Democrats would not be constantly attempting to block voter ID laws.

Obviously, the political left is openly hostile to federal agencies when those agencies happen to obstruct their agenda. Though it’s rare these days for blue states and the feds to be at odds, it does happen. ICE and other agencies might try to find ways around sanctuary status, but there is never any question of “treason” or “insurrection.” Blue state politicians don’t get raided or arrested as national enemies.Continue reading“Should Red States Block Federal Agencies From Operating With Impunity?, by Brandon Smith”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— 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. Today, we look at the rising risk of extreme solar flares.

NASA Says Huge Solar Eruptions Ahead

Fox News: Huge solar eruptions will likely cause problems on Earth, NASA says. (Thanks to reader D.S.V. for the link.)  The article begins:

“The sun has been very active lately, which could cause a few problems for us here on Earth, according to NASA.

The space agency said the solar cycle is not yet at its peak and has already surpassed expectations.

At 7:09 p.m. last Sunday, satellites detected an explosion on the sun and a “long-lasting eruption of a C9.3-class solar flare,” according to professional astronomer and science writer Tony Phillips‘s website Spaceweather.com, which monitors solar activity.

‘The intensity is probably an underestimate because it was partially eclipsed by the edge of the Sun. Nasa’s Solar Dynamics Observatory saw hot debris flying away from the blast site,’ the site reported on Monday. ‘Earth is not in the line of fire. The explosion is significant because it may herald an active region set to emerge over the sun’s northeastern limb later this week. A new sunspot group could bring an end to weeks of relative quiet.'”

U.S. Companies Bringing Home Record Number of Overseas Jobs

Reader C.B. found this, in The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Companies on Pace to Bring Home Record Number of Overseas Jobs.

Families Flee Blue Cities as Crime Ravages Even the Suburbs

At Trending Politics: Families Flee Blue Cities as Crime Ravages Even the Suburbs.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“God will not hold us responsible to understand the mysteries of election, predestination, and the divine sovereignty. The best and safest way to deal with these truths is to raise our eyes to God and in deepest reverence say, O LORD, thou knowest.”  – A.W. Tozer, in The Pursuit of God

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — August 24, 2022

On August 24th, 410, Rome was overrun by the Visigoths in an event that symbolized the fall of the Western Roman Empire. This is a moment in history that we would do well to remember. An empire that ruled the known world was corrupted from the inside to the point that they could not defend themselves from a much weaker enemy.

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We are seeking entries for Round 102 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. If you’ve been working on an article, please finish it, and send it in. Round 102 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.

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Today’s feature article was written by SurvivalBlog’s Senior Editor, JWR.

 

A Retreat Locale Selection Criteria Update

When I launched SurvivalBlog in 2005, I summarized my criteria for selecting retreat locales in a series of articles. Soon after, I evaluated 19 western states, for their retreat potential. I later put that data in a SurvivalBlog static page: Recommended Retreat Areas. This article serves as a 2022 update to that page.

Some Things Don’t Change

A lot has changed in the intervening 17 years, but some ground truths and some key trends haven’t changed at all:

  • The tendencies of governments haven’t changed. They’ve only grown a bit bolder and their tools for surveillance of the citizenry have become more refined and pervasive. For example, the advent of Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs) has changed how policing is conducted, and has severely limited anonymous travel. Also consider: The ubiquitous Ring Doorbell cameras are being networked for law enforcement use, in some cities.
  • Urbanization is continuing.  With every passing year, the bedrock agrarian culture of America is being eroded. Less than 2% of Americans make their livelihood by farming, ranching, or fishing, and feed the other 98%. America’s cities now constitute a political bloc that now dominates popular culture, academia, and governments at the state and Federal levels.
  • The web of technological interdependency is growing. Increasingly, industry, transport, and commerce are locked into high technology.  The power grids used to be the linchpin of society.  But now, there are multiple linchpins that are interdependent and co-equal.  Supermarket shelves don’t get stocked without power, fleets of trucks, and even the Internet, for automated inventory control. As robotics and eventually drone delivery and fully automated trucking come to the fore, the level of interdependence will surely increase.
  • We are still being lied to.  Propaganda in the mass media has become the norm. The leftists’ grip on the mass media has become more blatant in recent years.
  • Human nature is changeless. We are born sinners and live in a sinful, fallen world. Some of us are repentant, but the majority are not. One key factor that has changed is the acceptance and normalization of sin. Roughly 30 years ago, the mass media began to urge people to tolerate sin. Today, they are denigrating anyone who does not accept sin. And I fear that in the near future, there will be demands to fully embrace sin. The legislation to make that happen will surely follow. For example, “Misgendering” is already a crime in some countries. I used to chuckle when I heard syndicated talk radio host Michael Savage refer to San Francisco as “Sodom By The Sea”.  But now, I can see that the popular culture of the entire nation is now emulating San Francisco’s intentional licentiousness. Woke politics, the transgender crowd’s antics, cross-sex bathrooms/locker rooms, and systematic grooming of America’s schoolchildren are all on the rise.
  • Global threats are not going away.  The threats posed by droughts, famines, mass migration, war, and pandemics will be with us, most likely for centuries to come.

Now, to get back to the specifics retreat locales…

My core advice on where to live hasn’t changed much, over the years. I still emphasize the need to move to lightly-populated farming and/or ranching regions that are well-removed from major population centers. However, in my blog writings and in my conversations with my consulting clients, I’m now placing a greater emphasis on some of my long-standing criteria, and I’ve added a few new ones.Continue reading“A Retreat Locale Selection Criteria Update”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly column is a collection of short snippets: 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, there is this Fox News article about a Bear Home Invasion, forwarded to us by reader C.B.: Colorado man shoots bear inside his home with his .40-caliber pistol. JWR’s Comment: Note that he emptied his pistol magazine — most likely 15 rounds — before the bear stopped. The Bidenistas tell us that we should be limited to 10-round magazines. I suggest that people should have magazines of whatever capacity is required for them to reach their comfort level.  For some, that might be a 33-round magazine.

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At DefenseOne: US Military ‘Furiously’ Rewriting Nuclear Deterrence to Address Russia and China, STRATCOM Chief Says.

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A video that describes modern search engine truncation, manipulation, and user steering: Disturbing Proof They’re Quietly Deleting the Internet… JWR’s Comments: I’m coining a postulate that I consider nigh-on universal: In 21st Century western societies, if something isn’t about revenue, then it is about control.

I found that even StartPage (my heretofore favorite search engine, for the sake of privacy) truncates search results. As a test, I entered: “James Rawles Interview”, and saw that the results were limited to just 12 pages. I assume that this is because they are running one of the major search engines in the background. I tried several others, with similar truncation. Then I tried the Ecosia search engine.  Its results on that same test search seemed to go on for about 70 pages, until they started looping back to just two web articles. I’m curious to know if there are any other search engines available that have the same depth of search results, or better yet, with unlimited search results. If you know of one, then please chime in, via e-mail.

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Reader M.J. wrote:

“I recently harvested my corn crop.  My big mistake was in not staggering the crop, so it all had to be harvested at once. I gave some away to relatives, ate some, and blanched the rest.  Now I’m cutting the kernels off the corn and letting them dry in the sun.  Thank goodness for working from home part of the week; I can get more done. I’m looking forward to grinding my own cornmeal for the first time.

I’m pulling up the corn stalks a few at a time, chopping them up, and putting them in my compost bin.
No more major gardening projects for now. I’m studying Data+ so that I can get a better job — better as in something I like more, and better as in pays more so that I can keep up with inflation. As Commander Zero likes to say, we’re far more likely to need $50 bills than .50 ammunition.
I’m also getting involved, as time permits, in local politics.  Better leadership might make TEOTWAWKI less likely.  Sadly, EMP and the out-of-control Federal Reserve aren’t getting as much attention as they should.  On the plus side, our candidates are focusing on crime and homelessness. Good luck to all!”

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Reader D.S.V. sent this: How to Freeze Cucumbers–The Ultimate Guide | Whole New Mom

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Bobby sent us this video clip: Deadliest Warriors In The World: Royal Tongan Marines Battle Cry – Sipi Tau (Kailao). It is noteworthy that 98% of Tongans are Christians. The video ends with them reciting the Lord’s Prayer, in their native language.Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“He was, however, speaking to a representative of government, the police. And it is to government that one goes ‘for a redress of grievances,’ to use an almost forgotten phrase of the First Amendment. But it is said that the purpose was ‘to cause inconvenience and annoyance.’ Since when have we Americans been expected to bow submissively to authority and speak with awe and reverence to those who represent us? The constitutional theory is that we the people are the sovereigns, the state and federal officials only our agents. We who have the final word can speak softly or angrily. We can seek to challenge and annoy, as we need not stay docile and quiet. The situation might have indicated that Colten’s techniques were illsuited to the mission he was on, that diplomacy would have been more effective. But at the constitutional level speech need not be a sedative; it can be disruptive.” – Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, in Colten v. Kentucky, 407 U.S. 104 (1972)

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — August 23, 2022

I just heard of the passing of Dr. Peter Vincent Pry.  He did yeoman service, chairing The EMP Commission and EMP Task Force, urging legislators to get the United States hardened against EMP and X-Class solar flares. When he interviewed me, I was impressed by his great acumen and depth of knowledge on EMP topics. He will be greatly missed. Our condolences to his family. The following is from his U.S. House staff biography:

“Dr. Peter Vincent Pry is Chief of Staff of the newly re-established Congressional
Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Commission, and Executive Director of the Task Force on
National and Homeland Security, a Congressional Advisory Board dedicated to achieving
protection of the United States from electromagnetic pulse (EMP), Cyber Warfare, mass
destruction terrorism and other threats to civilian critical infrastructures, on an
accelerated basis. Dr. Pry also is Director of the United States Nuclear Strategy Forum,
an advisory board to Congress on policies to counter Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Foreign governments, including the United Kingdom, Israel, Canada, and Kazakhstan
consult with Dr. Pry on EMP, Cyber, and other strategic threats.

Dr. Pry served on the staffs of the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of
the United States (2008-2009); the Commission on the New Strategic Posture of the
United States (2006-2008); and the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States
from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack (2001-2008).”

My hope is that his warnings will be heeded by congress, NASA, commercial space project developers, and military planners.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 102 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 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,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime low-cost training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  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 LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 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.