Note from JWR:

You will notice that I’ve updated the SurvivalBlog Glossary as well as the Retreat Owners Profiles page. I have added a new profile for “Mr. & Mrs. Victor.” If you’ve never read the Profiles, please take the time to do so. They are very insightful!  OBTW, I would greatly appreciate reading additional profiles from any SurvivalBlog readers that live overseas, or any of you that live in a severe climate or in unusual circumstances and/or who have retreats/homes with unusual architecture (straw bale, earthbag, Earthship, adobe, underground, et cetera.)  As usual, in addition to editing for spelling and grammar, I …




From the Memsahib: A Flock of Miniature Goats?

The looming spectre of Asian Avian Flu really has me bummed, because I am a big fan of free range poultry. Free range poultry are able to forage for much of their own food from Spring through Fall. Another big advantage is that chickens come in single family serving size. Meaning my family can eat a whole chicken for dinner and there are not a lot of leftovers to worry about. Chickens are a great way of storing family serving sized protein “on the hoof” as it were. But, free range is out of the question for me now. See …




Letter Re: Iraqi Artillery, The ARNG/USAR Talent Pool, and a Useful Intelligence

Sir: I read your added notes to the discredited letter from the returning Marine’s father and I can add one more detail. The Iraqis did have 155mm artillery in inventory and we found several South African 155 rounds in country. The South Africans had a very well developed arms industry and they made some of the best artillery and rounds available. They have some advanced 155 rounds that have a greater lethality due to the pre-formed fragments included in their design and some of these have been used/recovered in Iraq. One of the strengths of the Army National Guard (ARNG) …