Month: December 2008

Notes from JWR:

My sincere thanks to a “Secret Squirrel” reader that has very charitably sent cash every week for the past couple of months, with notes indicating that the money was for The Memsahib’s medical bills. You are too kind! My plan is to “pay it forward”, once my wife is well, and we have recovered financially. God Bless you! Today we present another entry for Round 20 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The contest prizes include: First Prize: The writer of the best contributed article will be awarded two transferable Front Sight  “Gray” Four Day Training Course Certificates. This is …


The Practice Load-Up, by Papa Papa

For most of us who don’t live at a retreat [year-round] our plan is to G.O.O.D. When the time comes we plan to load up our bug-out vehicles and head to our own “Shibes Meadow” as the family in the movie Panic in Year Zero did. At least that’s the plan. But how well have you considered this plan? In other words, have you done a practice “load-up”? Some of the characters in Mr. Rawles’ novel, “Patriots“, had to implement their bug-out plans and pack their vehicles for the trip to the Gray’s retreat. In that packing process they discovered …


Letter Re: Advice on an Inexpensive Solar Battery Charger?

Hi Mr. Rawles: In your comments to the family living in Trinidad & Tobago, you wrote: “As your budget allows, buy a small solar charger for your AA and AAA NiMH batteries.” Do you have personal experience with any of these solar chargers? Can you recommend any? Many thanks, – Larry T. JWR Replies: Depending on your budget, solutions can run from “micro”, to “mini”, to “maxi.” These inexpensive solar chargers sold by Ready Made Resources (one of our long-time advertisers) work fine as a “micro” solution., but be advised that they are not waterproof. I recommend setting these up …


Letter Re: SurvivalBlog is a Money Saver

Mr Rawles: For some time I was a lurker, reading SurvivalBlog on a more or less regular basis. Eventually I decided I needed to pay for what I was getting. I became a Ten Cent Challenge subscriber. Yesterday, you saved me more than the cost of my subscription with just one tip: I ordered a Foodsaver V2830 and paid just $59.99, postage paid. These originally sold for $169.99. I had wanted one for a long time and put off purchasing it because of the expense. Many thanks! And to the rest of the lurkers out there, it’s time to pay …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Vanya O. wrote to ask: “When do you expect that the MOAB will end?”. I expect the MOAB to drag on for several more years–and possibly a full decade–reaching absurd proportions. States, counties, and cities, and pension funds may eventually be bailed out by Uncle Sugar. That last stage of the MOAB may very well culminate with a direct bailout of individual subprime mortgage holders. Yes, it will be your tax dollars at work: Paying off the mortgages held by your NINJA neighbor, who for the past few years has been living in a house that he could never …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"So here we are in a country with more wheat and corn and more money in the bank than any other nation, more cotton, more everything in the world – there’s not a product that you can name that we haven’t got more of than any other country had on the face of the earth – and yet we’ve got people starving. We’ll hold the distinction of being the only nation in the history of the world that ever went to the poorhouse in an automobile." – Will Rogers, in a live radio broadcast, October 18, 1931


Note from JWR:

For today’s blog, I had originally posted a lengthy entry on herbal medicine for Round 20 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. But I removed it just two hours after posting when I was alerted by two readers that the article’s author had included some extensive plagiarism. Plagiarized articles cannot be accepted!


Letter Re: Flash Hiders for Bolt Action Rifles

Mr. Rawles, In your novel [“Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse”], you mentioned having bolt action rifles fitted with flash-hiders., to kinda “tacticalize” a civilian rifle. What type of flash hider do you recommend, these days? My gunsmith (locally) says that he can thread the muzzles on my two bolt guns to 1/2 x28 threads. But all of the flash hiders with that thread that I’ve seen advertised are for 5.56/.22 bullets. Solutions? Thanks Much, – Marty in Rhode Island JWR Replies: Previously, I used drilled out Vortex flash-hiders, to provide .308 bullet clearance. But I now recommend the Hurricane flash-hider, …


Odds ‘n Sods:

I was pleasantly surprised with the first two episodes of the new BBC television series “Survivors”, that debuted last month. It is a remake of the British series from the 1970s, produced by Terry Nation. Aside for some anti-gun stereotypes (the only characters shown acquiring guns are “Tom Price”–a convicted murderer, and “Dexter”–a drunken sociopath), the story thusfar seems fairly plausible. The acting, cinemaphotography, production value, and music all seemed above average for a television series. I got a BBC review copy, but I’ve heard that the series will be available at a site called Mininova. (But I don’t think …



Notes from JWR:

We’ve completed the judging for the latest round of our nonfiction writing contest. The judging was difficult, because we had so many great entries. The first place winner is Carolyn W., for her lengthy article Gardening and Seed Saving. She wins first prize: two transferable Front Sight  “Gray” Four Day Training Course Certificates. This is an up to $4,000 value. Second prize goes to “Hermeneutics” for her article Intellectually Self-Reliant Children: From Homeschooling to College. She will receive a three day course certificate from OnPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. Third …


Overseas Retreat Owner Profile: Mr. and Mrs. Zephyr in Trinidad and Tobago

PRESENT HOME: A rental three bedroom roomy apartment in suburbs. One hour from capital city of 30,000 on a relatively large Caribbean island, with nearer smaller towns. Ten minute drive to large mall, and ‘Big Box’ mart. Ages: 44 and 28 SOs: Two children, 12 year old and 2 year old. ANNUAL INCOME:varies from $9,000 to $13,000. PROFESSION: Photographer/Entrepreneur and Seamstress/Homemaker INVESTMENTS: Various modest financial tools including stocks, CDs, savings, mutual funds, annuity, and Silver Eagles. VEHICLES: Nissan station wagon (2000), 18-speed mountain bike FIREARMS BATTERY: No firearms, due to excessively restrictive, outdated, draconian, colonial laws. Also, most government policy …


Letter Re: Another Perspective on Vehicles for Prepared Families

Hi, We’ve read your blog pretty faithfully for some time now and found it extremely good in all regards. While I’m actually writing regarding vehicles, I’d like to share for just a moment how preparedness saved our behinds recently. This year we have had a string of minor events that collectively should have put us in the poor house. Broken bones, loss of a tenant and friend to a heart issue, surgery, car accident that totaled the vehicle – right in the middle of the other mentioned things – and a few other items too. Had we not maintained a …


Odds ‘n Sods:

I found this linked over at TMM Forums: Biodiesel home-brewers on the rise, with many skirting regulations    o o o If you’ve ever wondered why the precious market is so volatile, this piece by Jason Hommel makes it quite clear: The Tiny Size of the Gold Market. It doesn’t take much to move such a thin market.    o o o I’ve often mentioned the utility of owning Foodsaver vacuum packing unit. We have one here at the Rawles Ranch that we’ve used regularly for 15 years. The only drawback has been their high retail price. But for a …