The RWVA is holding a Rifle Instructor’s Camp in Ramseur, North Carolina, February 18th to 25th. Take advantage of this high quality, very inexpensive training! o o o Jason in North Idaho mentioned this article: Little-known earthquake is remembered o o o From Congressman Ron Paul: The World’s Reserve Currency
"Permissiveness is the principle of treating children as if they were adults; and the tactic of making sure they never reach that stage." – Thomas Szasz
It registered 10 below zero Fahrenheit (-23.3 Celsius) yesterday morning at the Rawles Ranch–chilly enough that I resorted to wearing long underwear. The cold winter weather doesn’t bother us much. The great hunting and fishing here in the valley make up for the inconveniences of living in a true “four season” climate. The SurvivalBlog benefit auction ends tomorrow (midnight EST, on January 15th), so get your bid in soon! The high bid is now at $290. This auction is for a big batch of 16 survival/preparedness reference books, courtesy of the fine folks at Ready Made Resources. (They are one …
Dear Jim, I’m an avid SurvivalBlog reader and I want to thank you for your insights and the valuable information you provide on the Blog. I purchased the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course and have enjoyed reading and studying it. Lately, it occurred to me that, along with all of the necessary planning that accompanies retreat preparation, as well as the recently discussed benefits of physical fitness, proper fiscal fitness is also crucial in completing these vital preparations. Most of us have to work for an income in order to live in our modern society, at least while we …
Most everyone loves a good medical mystery. You know, we watch these shows like “House” and “ER” to see what the medical emergency is and to watch the drama unfold as they solve the crisis of the moment. Shows like “CSI” teach us a lot about the medical community and police work together to solve crimes. You’re going to probably see in the television season to come that the subject in this link is going to be played out in various popular drama shows. Understanding the reality behind it to me is as interesting as the drama plays and I …
From the New York Times: Rise in Ethanol Raises Concerns About Corn as a Food. The article begins: “Renewing concerns about whether there will be enough corn to support the demand for both fuel and food, a new study has found that ethanol plants could use as much as half of America’s corn crop next year.” o o o Any readers that live in Montana should be aware of an “anti-hoarding/anti-price gouging” bill that is currently in hearings at the state senate. Call your state senators! (A tip of the hat to Phil at the Random Nuclear Strikes blog …
"No people will tamely surrender their Liberties, nor can any be easily subdued, when knowledge is diffused and Virtue is preserved. On the Contrary, when People are universally ignorant, and debauched in their Manners, they will sink under their own weight without the Aid of foreign Invaders." – Samuel Adams (letter to James Warren, November 4, 1775)
There is still a lot of snow on the ground and more snowfall expected soon, but The Memsahib is already intently studying her seed catalogs! She is irrepressibly optimistic. It is just in her nature. I think that, bank balance willing, this will be the year that I build her a greenhouse so that she can dispense with using our small cold frames and windowsill sprouting and get a serious early start on the vegetable garden. Today we begin with a letter from David, our correspondent in Israel.
James The Olmert government would not do a nuclear strike of any kind even if we were at risk of being completely overrun. The weakness in response can be seen in the war in Lebanon where only minimal measures were used and only against safe targets after about 8 hours of leaflet warnings. Olmert simply will not upset his liberal European friends even when Washington orders him to act strongly. This is likely part of a wind up similar to what we saw before the Iraq invasion although I am doubtful that there will be an American ground occupation of …
Jim, I can definitely say that the XS Sights work as advertised. I’ve tried them on the Mini-14 and AR-15 carbines, and in both cases they enabled accurate 100 yard plinking at night and fast acquisition with full sights. With a peep-sight equipped rifle, the Tritium front is the most worthwhile upgrade. If you can see the sight through the opening, you’re going to hit what you’re pointing at. For around $100, this is a very worthwhile upgrade for any gun that gets used at night. – Arclight Jim, While reading earlier today OSOM’s posting re “Night Sights for …
“The Werewolf”, (our correspondent in Brazil) recommended a 49 cent downloadable Amazon short by Kim Stanley Robinson. It is titled :”Imagining Abrupt Climate Change: Terraforming Earth.” o o o Michael Z. Williamson reminded us that the Oak Ridge Laboratory treatise on what nuclear weapons actually do, and how to defend your family against their effects is available for free download from the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine. o o o “Simple Country Doctor” recommended this “moderately technical discussion of non-nuke EMP device” from Australia.
"There are no victims, only volunteers. You volunteer by looking uncertain and afraid. You volunteer by being, as grass-eaters invariably are, unprepared to confront the hazards of life." – The Late Col. Jeff Cooper
Sorry about the long delay, but I am now ready to start filling orders for autographed copies of the new expanded edition of my novel Patriots, through my mail order catalog. I would prefer payment via AlertPay or PayPal, since our “snail mail” gets forwarded to the ranch just once every two weeks. That could cause an up to three week delay in mailing your book order if you send payment via snail mail. I shipped ten cases of already autographed books to our fulfillment partner in Montana. (The folks that will be handling the actual book mailings.) Because of …
While I have only been a reader for a year or so, I have not noticed a lot of references to the advantages to livestock. Depending upon your retreat location, the extra logistics of livestock ownership will outweigh the costs. As fossil fuel availability becomes more limited, the conversion of non-protein nitrogen into energy will begin looking more attractive. Today I want to focus on the horse. Let’s look at the four major benefits of the equine: Transportation –A horse can move you from your residence to your retreat. You can (i) ride, (ii) drive a wagon or buggy, (iii) …
While portable radios are great for communications, I’ve had times in noisy environments where I couldn’t understand the message. Other weaknesses include the fact that they require batteries, their size, that as electronics they are susceptible to EMP, falls, and weather. Finally, they do not allow for directional finding of the other party. As such, I suggest also equipping every member of your team with a small Bosun’s whistle. These small multi-note whistles create a high pitch which can be heard above the din of a crowd. Being multi-note in capability, information can be sent (e.g. high-low for where are …