Survival & Self-Defense

Water, fire, shelter, navigation and the lawful defense of yourself and your family. Skills you carry, taught safety-first, for men and women.

The BRO Survival & Preparedness GuideThe printable family manual: a kit and go-bag builder, water and food calculators, the core skills and a family emergency plan.Get ready, calmly

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The Flour Sack Dress and the Neighbors Who Fed Each Other

Our grandparents didn't get through the 1930s on grit alone. They had a system: the garden, the sewing box and the family next door.

GuideFoodWes Dunbar30 Sept 20266 min

Run a chili cook-off the guy with the most friends can't rig

Blind cups, a real score sheet, one breaker you'll definitely trip, and a trophy people will actually fight over next year.

Ask BRO

Build me a 30-day training plan around two sessions a week

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GuideGarden & YardWes Dunbar5 Oct 20267 min

Peppers Want Warm Feet, So Plant Them Later Than You Think

Most pepper plants fail before they're two weeks in the ground. The fix costs about ten dollars and a little patience.

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History6 min read

Proving up took five years and two neighbors willing to swear

The Homestead Act's paperwork was easy. Staying alive on the claim was the hard part, and at the end your neighbors had to vouch for you.

Poll

How often do you see your closest friends?

GuideCivicsJosh Halloran26 Sept 20267 min

Your First Amendment Gets Tested at a Folding Table

Speech, religion and assembly rarely get defended at the Supreme Court. They get defended at the three-minute podium, the permit office and the zoning board.

GuideGarden & YardWes Dunbar5 Oct 20267 min

Plant Paste Tomatoes If You Actually Want Sauce

Most homemade sauce fails in March, when you buy the wrong seeds. Pick the right variety and the timing, and one August afternoon fills your freezer.

Dude.com — 16 advisers who listen, talk and pray with you

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StoryHistoryDean Shaw3 Oct 20266 min

From the Plow to the Combine, One Broken Bottleneck at a Time

For most of history a farm was only as big as one family could harvest. How a blacksmith, a Virginian, and a few stubborn tinkerers changed that.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

GuideLifeCal Brennan26 Sept 20266 min

Everyone around you already knows your blind spot

You can't see how you come across. The people who share your kitchen and your office can, and they'll tell you if you ask the right way.

GuideGarden & YardWes Dunbar5 Oct 20266 min

Plant by Your Frost Date, Not Your Zone

Your zone tells you what survives winter. Your frost date tells you when to plant. Most first-year gardeners mix them up and lose a flat of tomatoes.

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Build me a revision plan that I will actually stick to

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StoryHistoryMarcus Vale3 Oct 20267 min

Baseball's Birth Story Was Made Up, and the Real One Is Better

A commission handed America a tidy origin myth in 1907. The true history has clerks, prisoners, a paid shortstop and a man who refused to swing back.

Shirts.com — Design it with AI. Wear it this week.

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GuideTravelDean Shaw26 Sept 20266 min

The expensive part of a fly-in trip is the question you didn't ask

Private hunting lodges, fly-in camps and working ranches are worth every dollar, as long as you ask the right questions before the deposit.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

GuideGarden & YardWes Dunbar5 Oct 20266 min

Your Soil Needs a Test and Compost, Not Another Bag of Fertilizer

Most yellow leaves aren't hungry plants. They're a soil problem nobody tested for. A cheap lab test and an inch of compost fix more than any bag will.