Month: September 2009

Notes from JWR:

Today is “Book Bomb” Day for my new book, “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It: Tactics, Techniques, and Technologies for Uncertain Times”. My goal for the Book Bomb is a surge of orders is that will drive the book’s Amazon sales rank into the top 50, overall. (When I last checked, it was at #160.) Many thanks for waiting to order until today!! — My scheduled guest appearance on the Laura Ingraham talk radio show has been postponed to Monday, October 5th. Sorry about the late notice. — Today we present the final entry …


C&R FFL, Milsurp Firearms and Your Survival Battery, by The Alchemist

The C&R FFL, Milsurp Firearms, and Your Survival Battery, by The Alchemist The survival battery is a key issue for any prepper, as one of the biggest short-term concerns in a SHTF scenario is security. Stored supplies and learned skills are all for naught if you can’t protect the supplies from theft or survive to put those skills to use. While I would love for everyone to have a chance for a top of the line Main Battle Rifle (MBR), they do not run cheap, nor is the ammunition cheap these days. While modern rifles have undoubted advantages, there are …


Letter Re: Amateur Radio for the Rest of Us

Mr. Rawles, Thank you for including the recent article on amateur radio in SurvivalBlog. I have been an amateur radio operator for about 35 years and have been playing with radios for over 40 years. I am amazed with the depth of knowledge of the readers on your blog. In many of the topics covered, I know very little. I have one criticism of amateur radio operators concerning “emcon” or emergency communications. Many hams like to participate in the organized drills with their local Emergency Government officials. This is a big mistake in a SHTF scenario. Think of yourselves, your …



Economics and Investing:

Reader GG spotted this sobering piece: Corpse of a Thousand Houses. More foreclosures will soon be flooding the market, further depressing the housing market. This is the negative feedback loop (aka “death spiral”) that I’ve been warning about since late 2006. From El Jefe Jeff E.: US large-loan bank losses triple to $53 billion; Regulators say US lenders expected to lose $53 billion in 2009 on loans larger than $20M. Jeff’s comment: “53 Billion is a lot to lose, and they were ‘surprised’ by the losses….I wonder what else is lurking that will cause these banks more surprises.” Also from …


Odds ‘n Sods:

M. found a TED Talk about a very low tech wind generator built by a farmer in Malawi.    o o o The Other Jim R. mentioned this item in a Memphis newspaper: ATF tells Tennessee that a federal gun law trumps the state’s. JWR’s comment: The new laws in Tennessee and Montana are bound to see court challenges. In my estimation, the Feds are in for a first class spanking when this eventually hits the appeals court level. There is no way that the ATF’s bureaucratic proclamation will pass muster, in light of the Lopez decision. The language of …


#1 Son’s Quote of the Day:

“If you are serious about preparedness, then it is time to get out of your armchair and start training and preparing. It will take time. It will take some sweat. It will take money. But once you’ve prepared, you can sleep well, knowing that you’ve done your best to protect and provide for your family, regardless of what the future brings. Don’t get stuck in the rut of simply studying preparedness. Unless the shelves in your pantry and garage are filling with supplies, and unless you are growing muscles and calluses, you are not preparing.” – James Wesley, Rawles, “How …


Notes from JWR:

Tomorrow is “Book Bomb” Day! For maximum effect, please place your Amazon book order on Wednesday, September 30th. Many thanks! — Today we present another entry for Round 24 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) and C.)A HAZARiD …


Hypothermia Prevention and Treatment Part 1–Staying Warm, by Lumberjack

This two part series of articles is meant to address a basic physiological need that may be severely threatened both in a TEOTWAWKI situation and any time a lesser emergency takes us out of our bubble of comfort and preparedness. That issue is warmth: specifically how you stay warm and avoid hypothermia when your car slides off the road in a snow storm or you don’t get out of dodge fast enough and find yourself hoofing it overland with only what you can carry, through rain and wind. Part two deals with the possibility you or a loved one or …


Letter Re: Crystal Radios

Jim, Something I’ve often wondered about prepping, but have never seen addressed is the use of Crystal Radio sets for after TEOTWAWKI. Small, portable, and they don’t require any electric source. There are some high performance sets out there that get not only AM [broadcast band 560-1700 KHz], but also shortwave. I’d love to have some input from a knowledgeable individual as to the “best” unit from a prepping standpoint. The variety and cost spans the spectrum from under $10 at Radio Shack, to antique reproductions for over $500. Confusing to a novice, to say the least. But the technology …


Economics and Investing:

From veteran blog content contributor GG: A $4 billion Postal Service bailout Also from GG: Ten reasons for an imminent stock market crash Reader mark S. flagged this: Another housing slump coming? Analysts say 7 million soon-to-be foreclosed properties have yet to hit the market. Items from The Economatrix: Simmons (Mattress) Plans to File for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection Housing Crash to Resume on Seven Million Foreclosures The Long Slog: Out of Work, Out of Hope Volcker Unleashes Another Volley on the Wizards in Wall Street and D.C. Rare Earths are Vital and China Owns Them All US Issues $7 …


Odds ‘n Sods:

El Nino Shift Could Boost Hurricanes and Intensify Droughts    o o o EMB mentioned a useful solar energy calculator.    o o o FG mentioned: Sweden selling 27 year old canned rations to the public    o o o Garnet sent an interesting article on where Americans are, and are not moving: Americans Tame Their Wanderlust


#1 Son’s Quote of the Day:

“There is no substitute for mass. Mass stops bullets. Mass stops gamma radiation. Mass stops (or at least slows down) bad guys from entering a home and depriving its residents of life and property. Sandbags are cheap, so buy plenty of them. When planning your retreat house, think: medieval castle.” – James Wesley, Rawles, “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It: Tactics, Techniques, and Technologies for Uncertain Times”


Notes from JWR:

Just two days to “Book Bomb” day for my new book, “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It: Tactics, Techniques, and Technologies for Uncertain Times”. My goal for the day is to create a surge of orders to drive the book’s Amazon sales rank into the Top 100, overall. So please wait until September 30th to order. Thanks! — Today we present another entry for Round 24 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. …


Five Preparedness Lessons Learned, by Allen C.

I was speaking with a friend recently who mentioned he still has a generator in the box taking up space in his garage.  It has been there for ten years.  He did not know what to do during the Y2K panic so he spent money to make himself feel better.  I am not knocking the value of a good generator.  I have used mine for almost twenty years.  However, purchasing a generator he did not know how to use without at least buying some gasoline to go with it was a waste of money.  It has been said the humans …