“You might just as well. . . read the Bible to buffaloes as to those fellows who follow [slavery]; but they have a supreme respect for the logic that is embodied in Sharp’s rifle.” – Rev. Henry Ward Beecher (after whom, Sharps repeating rifles were nicknamed “Beecher’s Bibles”)
Today we present an entry for Round 25 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. You may recognize the author’s pen name, as he has recently contributed several informative letters on vacuum tube generation radios to SurvivalBlog 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.) …
In September, 2008, Hurricane Ike–a Category 4 hurricane–pounded the Gulf Coast of the southern US. Some coastal communities like Crystal Beach no longer really exist. Inland, life was severely disrupted. For those of us on the South Coast hurricanes are a frequent reality. We were quite well prepared, but used the disruptions and dislocations as a test and opportunity to tune up our preparations. 1. Be ready to help others and to accept help We didn’t need much during Ike, but the power went out before a neighbor finished boarding up his house. My 1 KW inverter, hooked up to …
Jim- Your recent link to an item in the Preparedness Forum (100 things that go first…) led me to other parts of the forum where I found a link to Lamar Alexander’s Solar Homesteading e-book. Besides the videos/pictures etc. an e-book is offered for $5. What a bargain! It is full of useful practical ideas, for example: a barrel-in-a-barrel digester that he uses to fuel his gasoline generator which he had converted to run on natural gas; how to dig a “driven-point” well; a solar dishwasher. And on and on. Your readers will want to get this e-book! BTW, I …
Dear Jim, Several years ago my wife and I were resident managers of a self-storage facility. Here are some useful facts: Check them out first with the Better Business Bureau. The company we worked for, sad to say, was and still is rated very poorly for failing to respond to customer complaints. They operated on a model of “Get every penny they have.” The rent was reasonable, and we were on site as “Security” with the usual corporate garbage that we never have anything resembling a weapon in the office or on duty. The problem came with late fees. As …
Florida Plan Advises Hospitals to Bar Some Patients in Event of Severe Flu Pandemic USDA Confirms a US Pig has H1N1 Swine Flu H1N1 in Swine Raises Concern FDA Approves Seasonal Flu Vaccine (Fluarix) for Children Officials See a Shortage in Vaccine for Swine Flu Why CDC says this year’s flu season is “very sobering”
Charles Hugh’ Smith’s assessment: Why We’ll See Stimulus 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 (and so on), until The Great Implosion Reader Aaron C. suggested: 20 reasons America has lost its soul and collapse is inevitable Experts warn of ‘deluge’ of insolvencies to come in the UK K.T. sent this video link: The Goldman Sachs Profitability Magic Trick. After some travel, Peter Schiff is back to videoblogging. Items from The Economatrix: 40% of Working-Age Californians Jobless Treasuries Show No Lost Appetite as Dollar Declines Hollywood Film Output Likely to Fall By One-Third Fannie, Freddie Common Shares Worthless, Says KBW Einhorn Bets on …
Damon spotted and interesting web article on Everlasting Yeast. o o o Reader JDT suggested the SOG Fusion Spirit Knife/Spear Head as a tool to have on hand for worst-case, long-term situations. o o o Matt R. mentioned a new computer game called “I am Alive” that will be released next year. o o o Ready Made Resources has added to their catalog some new premium albacore and salmon products with a minimum seven year shelf life.
“Once the shooting starts, a plan is just a guess in a party dress.” – Michael Yon
Mr. Rawles, I have a small follow up question/suggestion to your response regarding commercial storage spaces. In my area, I have a solid 4-to-6 hour drive in good conditions to get to my safety location from my greater metropolitan area home. After having to do this drive last year with the chaos of an incoming Hurricane, I decided to take advantage of your “Doug Carlton” suggestion from your novel “Patriots”. I decided to rent a small storage unit (5’x5′) at what I considered the half way point between my city and my objective location. I pay $20 per month to …
Sir; I have a question that I think would be of interest to a lot of your Blog readers: “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It“. I really enjoyed the book. It helped coalesce all of the concepts I learned in “Patriots”, [the now out-of-print] SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog Volume 1, and “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation”. One of your central precepts is that one should move to a “lightly populated rural area.” Okay. With some work, I can find and buy a suitable piece of property and/or house. But you repeatedly point …
James Wesley, We have heated our current home with a wood stove and a pellet stove for ten years now. I disagree with one aspect of the recent article on your web site. Our wood stove in the basement is set up to burn coal as well as wood. Where we live in Colorado there are a large number of dead trees — from pine beetles — that we can and do burn for free. However, with pine wood even the best stove will not hold the coals overnight. Hence the ability to use coal is a godsend. When the …
Reader Steven H. wrote to mention: VP Biden puts on his Captain Obvious cape and declares “This is a depression”. Of course, Joe Biden has developed quite a track record for the inability to keep his mouth shut–most notably when he revealed the “secret” nuclear blast bunker beneath the VP’s Residence. Ralph N. suggested this piece over at Volokh about how the FedGov conceals some of its debt: Treasury Inc.: The Shadow National Debt. (It is hidden under a TARP, dontcha know…) Commentary from analyst Niall Ferguson: The Dollar Is Dying a Slow Death. From the Housing Storm blog: Strategic …
F.G. sent us this: In trying times, hunters go after deer to put food on the table o o o Reader Scott C. reminded me of a preparedness list that has been circulating for several years that deserves a link: The 100 Things That Run Out First in an Emergency. o o o W..W. sent us a link to a news story on the long tradition of privately-owned firearms in Switzerland.
"The modern mind dislikes gold because it blurts out unpleasant truths." – Joseph Schumpeter