Merco suggested the Build it Solar web site–that has lots of of alternative energy projects that you can build yourself, from beginner to advanced. o o o This comes as no surprise: Broke homeowners linked to arsons o o o U.S. slump spreading around the globe, IMF warns o o o Eric suggested this Newsday article: U.S. loses its status as an economic world power
"Bushido is all very well in its way, but it is no match for a .30-06." – The Late Col. Jeff Cooper
Because of some power outages and power spikes at our ISP, we’ve been having some serious problems accessing the Internet for the past couple of days. So rather than keeping you waiting for your daily dose of SurvivalBlog, I am planning to post a couple of days worth of posts in advance, whenever our connection sporadically comes up. So don’t be alarmed if in the next few days you see a future date on any posts. We have finished the judging… The winner of Round 14 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. is J. Britely, for his lengthy article “Prepare …
I have been a “prepper” since 1975. In those 32+ years, I have met all sorts of “prepared” people. Some of them have been casual acquaintances. Some I’ve corresponded with but have never met face to face. Some have been fellow church members. Some have been consulting clients. A few of these have been close and trusted friends. But only a subset of all of them have pursued what I consider well-balanced preparedness. I don’t intend the following to be a castigation of anyone in particular. I’m merely trying to illustrate that many of us could benefit from better balance. …
Nine readers all suggested the same article: Barton Biggs’s Tips for Rich: Expect War, Study Blitz, Mind Markets. The article begins: “Insure yourself against war and disaster by buying a remote farm or ranch and stocking it with “seed, fertilizer, canned food, wine, medicine, clothes, etc.” The “etc.” must mean guns, because Biggs is also quoted as stating: “A few rounds [fired] over the approaching brigands’ heads would probably be a compelling persuader that there are easier farms to pillage,” he writes in his new book, “Wealth, War and Wisdom.” Note that this is coming from a well-known fairly mainstream …
“The hardest part about gaining any new idea is sweeping out the false idea occupying that niche. As long as that niche is occupied, evidence and proof and logical demonstration get nowhere. But once the niche is emptied of the wrong idea that has been filling it — once you can honestly say, “I don’t know”, then it becomes possible to get at the truth.” – Robert A. Heinlein, The Cat Who Walks Through Walls (1985)
The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction lot is now at $220. The auction is for a Brunton Solarport 4.4 watt photovoltaic panel (a $140 retail value), a Deluxe Outdoor Survival Tool Kit (a $70 retail value)–both kindly donated by Ready Made Resources–as well as seven other items: A copy of the latest edition of “The Encyclopedia of Country Living” by the late Carla Emery (a $32 retail value), an autographed copy of my novel “Patriots” (a $23 retail value), an autographed copy of my nonfiction book “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation” (a $25 retail value), a SurvivalBlog …
James: Great blog! I also bought the latest edition of your novel “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse”. My older edition is in storage somewhere, (see below) and I really like the updated material, it almost seems like a new book. I don’t know if you have ever discussed survivalism from the perspective of families that need to move often. For those of us in the military who move every few years with weight limits the supply situation becomes more complicated. For most of us, idea of a fixed homestead is a dream for post retirement. The biggest problem I have …
Sir; It seems there has been little on the subject of garbage and what to do with it after TEOTWAWKI. I would suggest that anyone who has put any sort of effort into preparing for the end should come up with a plan for their trash, and soon. Whether you plan to bug in, bug out to a prepared location or already live in your location away from the Golden Horde and their anticipated escape routes, a plan should be in place before it is needed. The best example of how many communities will look (and in a very short …
Dear Jim, In his recent article “Prepare or Die”, J. Britely wrote: “For home defense ammo, I use bird shot. This will not penetrate and stop a criminal as fast as buck shot but is also less likely to go through a wall and hurt an innocent person.” This is one of those myths that won’t die. Any ammo that will kill will go through a wall. There is no magic ammo that stops people and doesn’t penetrate walls. Birdshot will not reliably stop a person. It’s “bird” shot. If you don’t know what your backstop is, don’t shoot. There …
Dear Jim, Great Site, Jim! I wanted to warn some folks that may have ordered or intend to order the Kelly Kettle (mentioned in the article “Prepare or Die”, by J. Britely .) After receiving my kettle I rinsed it out with water and soap. I then tested the kettle to make sure it worked, and most importantly, learned how to use it before the situation required its use. I started with paper burning, then put small sticks from the yard in the chimney and that baby really boiled water fast. However, after using it twice and rinsing it out, …
James, Thanks for SurvivalBlog. They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but this old dog learned the following new tricks from the SurvivalBlog articles and letters. 1. I got fired up after reading the “commo comments” and finally got my Ham radio license. 2. I bought a number of galvanized trash cans and that’s where I now store shelled corn, etc. (Hint! Don’t buy the made-in-China-from-tinfoil cans. [Instead,] get the good ones which are made right here at home.) 3. As a coffee drinker, I now stockpile green coffee beans, which I vacuum pack and store in …
Matt in Texas sent us a link to a great piece about the sheer size and complications of the global derivatives bubble. o o o From Cordi (by way of Mark From Michigan) came a link to some plans for a homemade solar oven. o o o Michael G. suggested this article over at John Galt’s Blog: Whip Up Inflation Now. o o o Eric sent us this: Fed Cuts Rates Boldly; Wall Street Wary. Eric’s comment: “The Fed cuts interest rates by another 1/2 point: and the Dow closes down! The Dow can’t even rally to …
"The [Colt Model] 1911 pistol remains the service pistol of choice in the eyes of those who understand the problem. Back when we audited the FBI academy in 1947, I was told that I ought not to use my pistol in their training program because it was not fair. Maybe the first thing one should demand of his sidearm is that it be unfair." – The Late Col. Jeff Cooper, Guns & Ammo magazine, January 2002
Today we present a very lengthy and profusely linked article for Round 14 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. It summarizes a lot of what has been posted in SurvivalBlog in the past two years very succinctly, and includes references to a variety of other useful sites. This is a good article to send to family and friends that are less well-prepared. (You can e-mail them this permalink.) Disclaimer: The author has his own survivalist web site (www.PrepareOrDie.com), where he earns affiliate commissions on sales of the books linked to Amazon.com. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win …