Day: October 1, 2009

Notes from JWR:

My sincere thanks for making the Book Bomb Day a great success! When I last checked, my new book was ranked at #4 in Amazon.com’s overall book rankings. Only the new Dan Brown novel, the upcoming Sarah Palin book, and Glenn Beck’s book are ranked higher. How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It is also ranked #1 in the Survival Skills category, #1 in the Technology & Society category, #1 in the General & Reference category, and #2 in nonfiction books. Thanks again! At this rate, the publisher will soon have to order a second …


Writing Contest Winners – Round 24

We’ve completed the judging! The first prize winner for Round 24 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest is”Old Dog” , for his article “Grub and Gear–Lessons Learned from an Alaskan Trapper”. He will receive: 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 entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) The second prize winner is Brad T. for …


Letter Re: Putting the Fats Back Into Non-Fat Powdered Milk

Hello Mr. Rawles, Here is a link to Chow How that I thought some of your readers might wish to print out and add to their preparedness manuals. It tells you how to add the fats back to powdered milk (with oil) to make whole milk. It is important that toddlers have the fat for proper brain growth. It would also be a good idea for pregnant women to have the extra fats. Hope this link is helpful to some of your readers. Sincerely, ~ Garnet


Two Letters Re: Crystal Radios

JWR, While the concept and idea of a Crystal Radio for TEOTWAWKI (no battery or external power) sounds ideal, in practice the execution leaves much to be desired. Many ignore the fact that if a grid down situation occurs (or worse an EMP attack) that most radio stations in the affected area will be down and out for the count. In a best case scenario if the transmitting station’s components aren’t damaged, how long will their source of backup power stay up? Many modern stations rely on satellite feeds or long line telephone circuits for their program materials to be …


Economics and Investing:

A Year Later, TARP Inspector General Barofsky Sees a ‘Far More Dangerous’ Financial Situation Officials: Fed will need to boost rates quickly. (Thanks to El Jefe Jeff E. for the link.) Bob G. sent the link to this Wall Street Journal piece: Plenty More Bank Losses Expected Globally; Additional $1.5 Trillion in Write-Downs Forecast by End of 2010 Account overdrawn: FDIC Fund Goes Negative. Although the US Treasury is the guarantor of last resort, it now won’t take much to trigger bank runs. (A hat tip to K.T. for the link.) Items from The Economatrix: Hard Times Good for Your …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Damon flagged a good essay by Claire Wolfe, over at Backwoods Home: Circle of friends The importance of other people in our preparedness plans    o o o Andrew H. wrote to mention that the US Government Printing Office (GPO) finally has the Special Forces Medical Handbook back in stock.    o o o Eric S. noted this Popular Mechanics article; Highly Productive, Low-Stress Animals You Can Raise at Home    o o o Nanny State Britannia Update: Barmy Britain through the looking glass    o o o FG found this: Internet overtakes television to become biggest advertising sector in …


#1 Son’s Quote of the Day:

“Learn the crucial skills for self-sufficiency and self-defense. Once you’ve mastered them, share them with others. Future generations need to learn these skills. Raise your children to be God-fearing, practical, and thrifty. That will be a lasting legacy.” – James Wesley, Rawles, “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It: Tactics, Techniques, and Technologies for Uncertain Times”