Free Republic

Advice or a Warning? You be the judge– American media mogul and creator and editor of the Drudge Report, Matt Drudge issued a dire warning this weekend. The influential conservative warned his Twitter followers “Have an exit plan…” Drudge has access to confidential information from numerous sources inside media and politics.STHF Plan reported, via Free Republic: His web site may consist of just a single page, but Matt Drudge is arguably the most influential media personality in the world. Garnering nearly one billion readers monthly, the Drudge Report is able to literally shift public sentiment, making it an essential read...

How does a jobless father of four keep his family warm and fed in Detroit during the harsh winter? By donating his plasma and collecting wood from the abundant amount abandoned homes around the bankrupt city.

When toxic chemicals spilled into the Elk River in Charleston, West Virginia a couple of weeks ago we got another glimpse into what the world might look like in the aftermath of a major, widespread disaster.

I’ll be honest: for years, I never considered the survivalist/prepper crowds as target audiences. I mean, we’re on totally different ideological wavelengths, right? I’m not into shooting things, and they likely think I’m a touchy-feely hippie who wouldn’t survive a week after SHTF. What could we possibly have in common? Quite a bit, it turns out – apparently, ideology ain’t everything. As we’ve started doing more DIY/upcycling/self-sufficiency content, we’ve seen a steady rise in readership from sites like The Homestead Survival and Knowledge Weighs Nothing. And, as you might expect, I’ve spent more time checking out these sites and those...

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)With NASA reporting a “potentially hazardous” asteroid nearly half-a-mile wide possibly heading toward earth, and some upstate New Yorkers claiming they experienced a loud boom and a bright light in the sky last night caused by a meteor, a doctors’ organization is offering some timely advice: Just as when the American populace first prepared for the possibility of a nuclear blast, a person’s best option for surviving a meteor strike is the same “duck and cover” created during the 1940s and ’50s when nuclear weaponry was still in its infancy. The warning comes from Physicians for Civil Defense, which issued...

On a tight food budget? Here are seven inexpensive and nutritious items you should consider adding to your grocery list.Trying to live on a food budget of about $4 per day can be quite a challenge. People quickly discover this when they take the Food Stamp Challenge and try to learn what it's like to be poor for a week. The challenge mirrors what someone can get through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the federal program that helps low-income people buy groceries. One in seven Americans receive the benefits, which were significantly reduced by Congress in November. To...

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)BOUNTIFUL -- It sits in the parking lot of the Emergency Essentials store in Bountiful, all but daring you not to stop and stare. The massive, bright yellow, corrugated metal section of pipeline is 10 feet across and thrice that length, with a few smaller sections of pipe sticking out at various angles. And just in case that's not enough of a draw for the terminally incurious, there's even a banner on the side -- at least there was until the last Bountiful windstorm -- that reads "Tour a 'Bomb Shelter' ... Atlas Survival Shelters." Bomb shelter? Trust us, you...

How are birds in your area dealing with the cold weather? Any sightings or interesting stories worth sharing here? There are reports of Arctic birds coming down into North America, including parts of the United States during this 'polar vortex'.. Any sightings? Some birds flee the cold areas for warmer climates, and some stay and endure it by hiding in sheltered areas such as hollow or thick trees in groups. If you have the means to set food out for birds, finding food is more of a problem for them during cold temperatures than enduring the temperature is.

I have read that ethanol alcohol—the kind of alcohol that makes us drunk—was the first synthesized product that humans made. Originally made from honey, fruits, berries, grains, and other plants left in the sun to ferment, alcohol and its first use documented as far back as 10,000 B.C. Historically, fermented beverages: Acted as a substitution for water Fixed nutritional deficiencies Served medicinal purposes Alcohol also had its place in religious ceremonies and even used as currency. Supposedly, vodka was an ingredient in early European gunpowder. And of course, people drank alcohol in order to become intoxicated. When shopping for liquor,...

Today I have an update for you on my hydroponics adventures. The system has been up and running all season (April 20 - November 1) so there is a lot of information to be shared. The system currently includes 12 beds - 4 outdoors and 8 in a greenhouse - for a total surface area of 56 sq.ft (~ 5.5 m2). An in-depth description of the system was published last year on Survivalblog. I made only 1 substantial change since then and that is in the way the polyethylene drain pipes are connected to the beds. The connections need to...

Video: Do you think you could survive if you were trapped in the wilderness? Survival expert Shane Hobel says planning ahead could potentially save your life. Nevada Rescue: How They Made It

Wealthy families across the country are shelling out millions to protect their loved ones from intruders, natural disasters or the apocalypse as home security goes increasingly sci-fi. Companies that provide concerned homeowners with futuristic gadgets - and a priceless peace of mind - have revealed the growing demand of costly bunkers, passageways, panic rooms and recognition software. Chris Pollack - president of Pollack+Partners, a design and construction adviser in Purchase, New York - told Forbes that, while security has always been important for the wealthiest clients, the spending on home security has noticeably grown in the past five years. And...

PEANUT ISLAND, Fla. — The dingy, cavernous steel fallout shelter hastily built on a man-made island off Florida's east coast is a stark reminder of the harsh realities President John F. Kennedy faced from the first days of his presidency at the height of the Cold War. As the Kennedy family vacationed minutes away at the Palm Beach compound known as the Winter White House, the shelter's main chamber sat ready at a moment's notice with 15 sets of bunk beds, a desk for the president and a conference table. The heavily protected hideaway, fully stocked with military K rations,...

No text just a link: Noah (Official Trailer)

From Just Surviving Life to a Life of Survival Preparedness, by Michael B. I was born into the percentage of Americans,who statistically don't make it to the American dream. I was Born 1980 in Modesto, California. The third child of a young mother and father hooked on Speed, KJ and any other number of drugs they could get their hands on. By 1983 we found ourselves 140 miles south in Visalia Ca. That year my father was shot point blank range in the lower abdominal area with a .22 Long Rifle hollow point. It was the neighbor in the next...

There have been many articles written about so-called "bug-out bags," "grab-and-go bags," etc. All I have read about are very good. My problem is, if I needed something, I would have to rummage through the bag to get whatever I needed. I think my survival vest would be a perfect companion to the bags. Everything you might need in a hurry would be right at your fingertips, plus you could wear the vest while hiking or hunting. When not in use, it can be kept in a vehicle for other emergencies. With the vest, you always have your hands free...

The barriers to urban farming don't end at zoning ordinances and neighborhood politics. Not everyone has rooftop access, and arable lots can be far and few between. City soil often contains chemicals and contaminants, like lead. Sometimes the air is just as dirty as the dirt. And like traditional farming, there are seasons to deal with. You simply can't grow tomatoes in an outdoor garden in the middle of winter. Those aren't reasons to stop outdoor urban farming, but they do make it difficult to scale the model up. But what if you didn't need dirt? Or much water? Or...

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)MONTEBELLO, Calif. - There's nothing new about predictions that the end of the world is upon us. But there's plenty new about how some people are preparing for it. What began as a pipe dream for Ron Hubbard has become big business...underground "We call this the backyard bunker," Hubbard said as he showed us one of his survival shelters. These days, the fear market is booming. "I can't build them fast enough right now," he said. "It's better to have a shelter 10 years early than five minutes late." But unlike those Cold War-era concrete bunkers with just the basics,...

So the zombies are at your door. Death is upon you, but the gun shop is just a block away. You make a run for it, and you make it to the most extensive armory for miles. Time to make a decision: Which guns do you grab? Contrary to popular belief, not every gun will do the job the same, so to help make up your mind on which guns will save your life, here are my eight best guns for the zombie apocalypse.

1 million dollar question is: „How is the collapse going to look like, and when is it gonna start?“ So there are numerous opinions, and also numerous ideas about how it is gonna look, when it is gonna start and whatever. And big truth is that „sheep“ people (non preppers, non survivalists) are not gonna see it coming and it is understandable, but also lot of real preppers are blind. Some of us are „too deep“ and „too blindly“ buried into the BOB, BOL, SHTF, WROL and other discussion and arguing about „what knife to have when SHTF” and God...