Day: April 24, 2009

Notes from JWR:

Thanks to everyone that ordered copies of my novel “Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse” on “Book Bomb” Day. You placed so many orders that you totally wiped the copies that Amazon.com had on hand by 6 a.m. on April 8th. Amazon currently has 13,000 copies on order from the publisher, 10,000 of which should get to them sometime early next week. So most of you should have your books by late next week, and an unfortunate few of you possibly as late as June 26th, depending on when you placed your order. Again, thanks for your …


Letter Re: Save Money, Get Prepared, and Eat Healthier with Intermediate Term Food Storage

Jim, Thanks for posting Travis A.’s letter regarding food storage. He makes some good points but I’d like to chime in with some thoughts of my own. I see an emergency food storage program as having two conflicting goals: The first is to allow you to eat “normally” after a disaster, because “different” food will just add to the stress of the situation. The second is to provide basic food that will merely keep you alive but will store long-term. I believe a hybrid storage plan that meets both goals is best, at least for my lifestyle. To meet the …


Letter Re: America Stone Knife Sharpeners

Dear Mr. Rawles, I am an everyday reader of your blog and greatly appreciate the information posted there. That said, I’d like to thank you for your recommendation of the America Stone. I do a lot of wood hand carving, most of which is small and intricate work. I have a few wonderful and reliable knives, but I’ve usually been disappointed with most sharpeners. Either they are too rough on the blades or are a pain to use. The America Stone is the most wonderful tool I’ve used since I can’t remember when. It puts an excellent edge on a …


Letter Re: Learning the Details of Self-Sufficiency

Jim, None of us here can know the hour when 1 Thessalonians 4:16 -17, will come to be. There are Prophesies that seem to indicate that that time approaches. But we don’t know. We are not Prophets ourselves. We can just know to be ready. But until that time comes, there are also many other possibilities for which to prepare. We are in the early stages of a world-wide economic meltdown. As that grows worse, it can lead to all sorts of interesting events. Unemployment will likely lead to increased crime and even food riots. That can lead to the …


Economics and Investing:

This headline appeared yesterday: Stress Test Data to be Released May 4th. Since the pre-release rumors have been bad, Monday, May 4th could be a key event. Be ready for turmoil in the weeks following this announcement. Have plenty of cash on hand, since it will be difficult to predict what the sheeple will do on or after May 4th–when presumably the majority of US banks will be declared insolvent. From DD: March existing home sales fall by three percent. “The results were ‘a little disappointing’ given that homes are more affordable than they’ve been in years and mortgage rates …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Mat found a great Swiss Army Knife Forum, devoted to collecting and modifying the Großvater of all survival tools. The Swiss Army Knife (Schweizer Offiziersmesser) is a must for each teenager and adult family member. Unlike a Leatherman tool, they are light enough for daily pocket carry. The forum has some interesting information on outdoor survival projects such as tin can stoves.    o o o Commander Zero has some interesting commentary on the current shortage of ammunition, magazines, and primers: 1994 Versus Now. JWR’s comment: Commander Zero’s observations are spot on. It may be years before manufacturers catch up …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

Here we live in a country that has a fabulous constitution and all these guarantees, a contract between the citizens and the government – nobody knows what’s in it. It’s one of the best kept secrets. And so, if you don’t know what your rights are, how can you stand up for them? And furthermore, if you don’t know what is in that document, how can you care if someone is shredding it?” – Frank Zappa (1940 – 1993), as quoted by Spin Magazine, July 1991