Month: February 2009

Letter Re: Lost Tribe Bypassed by History: Ragtag Band of Khmer Families

James; This is an old story but still interesting: Lost tribe bypassed by history. My [Cambodian] wife, who is in her thirties, still has some of these jungle/farming skills. Her younger brothers and sisters who have lived in Phnom Penh do not. Most young people only know about Karaoke and mobile phones. Many of the under 15’s think the Khmer Rouge is something their parents made up. See: Lost tribe leaves the jungle for brave new world of mobiles. Help runs out for the lost tribe of Cambodia Slide show: Lost tribe I don’t think most people want to copy …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Be advised that the 25% off special on Mountain House and Alpine Aire freeze-dried foods in #10 cans at Ready Made Resources is just a short term sale. This sale ends on February 14th, so be sure to get your order in soon! Ready Made Resource was the very first advertiser to support SurvivalBlog, and they have loyally been with us continuously since our first week of publishing, in 2005. They deserve your business.    o o o Bryce pointed out that Newsweek recently had an interesting article on survival in emergency situations titled: What it Takes to Survive.    …



Notes from JWR:

I was saddened to hear that “Barefoot” Bob Hardison passed way on Saturday. He was a Korean War veteran, a patriot, an outspoken A.A. member, and an influential figure in the preparedness movement. Over the years, many SurvivalBlog readers have referred to the Barefoot’s World web site. I just heard that Bob’s site will be maintained by our friend Michael H., as a lasting legacy and tribute to Bob’s amazing collection of lore, Constitutional history, and practical skills. — We’ve completed the judging for Round 20 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. . And the winner is: George S. for …


The Community Retreat, by Kathy Harrison

Establishing a retreat seems to be the dream of many survivalists but realistically, evacuating to a retreat is not a proposition that is readily available to very many. There are generally problems with finances as well as family commitments to contend with. Many folks, like me, have spent years in establishing perennial food plants, compost piles, garden plots, building small businesses and, most importantly, forging important community ties that would not be easily broken. Therefore, we would be well advised to explore how to approach ways to turn our own residences into retreat communities. The location of the community is …


Letter Re: Mobs of Young Beggars on the Streets of Baghdad

Jim I definitely look forward to reading your blog every morning as I begin my day here in Baghdad. I wanted to share some perspective on what I see on a daily basis as an American GI patrolling the streets of Baghdad on the topic of begging. I think your readers might eventually come face to face with this type of behavior and it might not be pleasant for them if not dealt with correctly. When my team stops at a project site or we conduct patrols throughout the various neighborhoods of Baghdad, we are besieged by Iraqi children asking …


Letter Re: The Weekly Bank Failure Hit Parade

Greetings! Three more down, and waaaay too many more to go, most likely. SurvivalBlog readers and everybody else ought to keep looking at The Weiss Research ratings regularly – – just to keep tabs on their own bank, investments, insurance companies, etc. I’ve gone from checking once a month, to once a week, to a couple times a week now -all in the span of a year! – Bob M. JWR Replies: The situation in the banking world has become so fluid that the ratings from Marty Weiss, et al may not be timely enough to be of great value. …


Odds ‘n Sods:

B.R.H. sent an item from The Guardian that I suspect was inspired by the remake of the series “Survivors”, (which the BBC aired last Fall): Life after the apocalypse. The article begins: “What if the doomsayers are right … what if society, as we know it, really is about to collapse? Do you have what it takes to make it in a world without electricity and running water? Tanya Gold offers an essential survival guide.” There is a fairly lengthy accompanying video clip of the reporter getting trained. B.R.H. commented: “A member of the ‘Golden Horde’ gets a taste of …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“It was good to be back in the wilderness again, where everything seems as peace. I was alone — just me and the animals. It was a great feeling — free once more to plan and do as I pleased. Beyond was all around me. My dream was a dream no longer. I suppose I was here because this was something I had to do — not just dream about it but do it. I suppose too I was here to test myself — not that I had never done it before but this time it was to be a …