"[T]he value of doing something does not lie in the ease or difficulty, the probability or improbability of its achievement, but in the vision, the plan, the determination and the perseverance, the effort and the struggle which go into the project. Life is enriched by aspiration and effort, rather than by acquisition and accumulation.- Helen and Scott Nearing, Living the Good Life
We woke up this morning to yet another power failure. It was the third one in just a week. These are just something that you have to get used to, when living out in the hinterboonies. I look at each outage as a small shake-down exercise, in anticipation of an eventual long term grid-down whammy. Today we present yet another article for Round 7 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $1,600.) Second prize is a copy of my …
Bullet casting is likely one of the oldest activities regarding firearms. From the time humans graduated from using shaped rocks, casting was the method of choice for just about every projectile. While there are other methods that allow for more complex designs (swaging, see corbins.com) casting is still the best simple method for turning a lump of otherwise useless lead into a projectile that will put food on your table and protect your family. Safety It is important to note that casting is a dangerous process. Casting will expose you to toxic metals at high temperature. Safety is paramount. I …
Thunar pointed us to this news story: The Plunge Protection Team is back in action. o o o Rourke mentioned an interesting site on current threats, over at his Jericho Discussion Group. You’ve heard of the “30,000 foot view”? How about a global “at a glance” view of world events? o o o Tom W. spotted this opinion piece from the Online Journal: Bush’s Chernobyl Economy; Hard Times are on the Way, by Mike Whitney
"I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." – James Madison, to the Virginia ratifying Convention, June 16, 1788.
Thanks for making SurvivalBlog such a huge success. Keep spreading the word! Please remember that SurvivalBlog is supported primarily by our advertisers. (See our right hand scrolling “ad bar.”) Take the time to visit each of the advertiser web sites and check out their products. If and when you do make a purchase, please patronize our paid advertisers first. (We also have a lot of affiliate advertisers, but those ads result in just a few sporadic and small “piece of the action” commissions.) And needless to say, please mention SurvivalBlog when you contact any of our advertisers. Thanks.
JWR, As for the persistent stream of articles related to barter goods: After reading the various articles on barter goods, I am still confused as to why one would keep goods for barter. Supposedly you are at a rural retreat, stocked with everything you could need during your lifetime (guns, ammo, band aids, reading material, and toilet paper) and are surrounded by a horde of people who are ill-equipped to cope. But now we have interjected the need to trade, and buy things, I suppose it would be great to have a store in this situation, but what’s the point …
Jim, The comments in today’s SurvivalBlog concerning my ‘Enlightened Survivalism’ article that was posted on the Energy Bulletin that ‘this more likely qualifies as preaching to the choir’ is exactly why the article was not sent to yourself for posting on SurvivalBlog. I tried ‘preaching to the choir’ as you put it with my post to you ‘Considerations for Longer Term Survival’ that you posted on Wednesday, December 21, 2005. It would seem that many have still not really got to grips with its contents particularly: ‘What about food when the “Year’s Food Supply” is gone? What about your water …
Tom at www.CometGold.com mentioned that www.birdflubook.com has the entire text of the book on H5N1 by Dr. Greger, available for free download. o o o White House Statement: Iran, Hezbollah Form ‘Terror Nexus’ o o o Jason in North Idaho sent us this link: An M1A rifle goes ka-boom! Jason notes: “Since many of us shoot .308, I thought I’d forward this interesting story. Quite alarming!–the follow up analysis is very informative as well. A lesson to us all to maintain our weapons.” JWR Adds: From the photos, it looks more like an obstructed bore to me. Perhaps …
"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty." – John F. Kennedy
When you write your obligatory Christmas card insert “brag letter” this year, please mention that you’ve been reading SurvivalBlog. And if you send an electronic version, it would be greatly appreciated if you’d include a SurvivalBlog link logo or link text. Every bit of publicity helps. (Our goal is to double the SurvivalBlog readership in the coming year.) Thanks!
Mr. Rawles, I saw a mention on your site of the Dakota Alert system, and since I’ve been using one for about a year, I thought I’d sent you a few comments. First, I had tried a previous Dakota Alert system, several years ago, and found it unreliable, then tried several others and also found them either too short ranged or unreliable. I have a 1500′ driveway, about one half of which is blocked by a hill and trees. I ran across the MURS system sold by a company in Canada, and didn’t even know until I got it that …
James: Yesterday my wife went over to our new house that we’re moving into. It has a gate and about 100 yards of driveway. She told me that while she was there a van full of strangers drove up through the gate and right up to the house. Several people then came out uninvited. It turns out that they were Jehovah’s Witnesses. Now, I’ve got nothing against them but you don’t drive up into another persons property unannounced, especially in numbers. I thought, if they we Mutant Zombie Bikers that’s not a lot of time to get inside. I looked …
As noted in the Gulching/Self-Sufficiency Forum at The Claire Files: All 180 VITA publications available free download! Be sure to bookmark this one! o o o The final RWVA shoot scheduled for 2006 will be held in Grant’s Pass, Oregon, on Dec. 9-10. o o o Doug S. mentioned this article on Asian Avian Flu: Federal workers abroad urged to store 12 weeks of food and water
"The will to survive is not as important as the will to prevail . . . the answer to criminal aggression is retaliation." – The Late Col. Jeff Cooper, 1993.