Year: 2009

Note from JWR:

My brief interview with G. Gordon Liddy on Wednesday went well, and it is now available as an archived podcast. Please skip past the vulgarity of his brief opening humor segment. — Today we present another entry for Round 26 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, …


Preparedness Considerations for Surviving in Florida, by The Rucker

Most of the books and preparedness literature available seem to assume that our post-TEOTWAWKI lives will be in a place where we can expect cold winters and the four traditional seasons.  I understand the attraction of relocating to a mountain retreat in a lightly populated northern or western state, but like many others my current preparedness plan is for in-place survival.  I just so happen to live in tropical Florida.  I believe that many of these same considerations apply for those living in southern Louisiana, Alabama, and Texas. There are both challenges and advantages to choosing a tropical location like …


Letter Re: Sources for Prescription Medications?

James, I love your blog, I read it daily. Good article on the field craft of tourniquet applications. I do have one question to add–where can I get medical supplies for treating trauma? I love the fact that we have the blood clotting bandages available to the civilian–long live the free market. In the Army, I was a Combat Life Saver and I may be out of practice, but when truly required of me I am certain that I can start an IV to keep someone from going into shock. I have tried to find lactated ringers on the Internet, …


Letter Re: We Have Some Hard Decisions Ahead

Dear SurvivalBloggers: The economy has taken a dramatic turn for the worse for many Americans. Hundreds of pages could be written to describe how it happened and who did it. While many individuals and households have had the financial resources and good fortune which will allow them to weather economic uncertainty, many will simply not be able to maintain their standard of living. Many two income households are now one income households and that income may have decreased due to companies cutting back on work hours. This situation has been occurring for many Americans for many many months, forcing people …


Influenza Pandemic Update:

Ukraine: 445 Dead From Unknown Flu Since Beginning of Epidemic. 1.94 Million Sick, 445 Deaths, 116,982 Hospitalized, 94,000 Released (this means almost 23,000 are still hospitalized); Last 24 hours just under 44,000 have been infected. Swine Flu Hits North Korea Border Area China Death Toll From Swine Flu Triples in Two Weeks World Sees Dramatic Surge in Swine Flu Deaths Swine Flu Vaccine Patented Six Months Before First Cases Appeared WHO Probing Reports of Mutating Swine Flu Virus Some Little Known Facts About the Swine Flu CDC: Swine Flu is Widespread in Only 25 States Midwives Who Refuse to Give …


Economics and Investing:

Chad S. was the first of several readers to mention: Feared “super spike” in rice prices Reader T.H. pointed us to this troubling piece: Sovereign Debt Defaults Likely Over Next Several Years, Says Rogoff From Brett: G.: Experts: Greece Going Bankrupt Could Doom Euro Items from The Economatrix: Stocks Climb as Investors Shrug Off Debt Concerns $700 Billion Bailout Extended Until October Crude Oil Falls to 2-Month Low Financial Markets Tumble After Fitch Downgrades Greece’s Credit Rating Ex-Fed Chief Volcker’s “Telling” Remarks On Derivatives Soros Warns Against Rebuilding Same “Humpty Dumpty” Financial System Few CEO’s Plan to Hire In Next …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Solar Storms Ahead? (Thanks to Donald G. for the link.)    o o o Rob at MURS-Radio.com (one of our loyal advertisers) wrote to let us know that he is running a special offer just for SurvivalBlog readers, until December 17th. By using the code SB5OFF at checkout customers will receive 5% off their total order (before shipping). There is no minimum order and the code can be used multiple times. Any order placed on or before December 17th will be shipped to arrived before Christmas.    o o o A cousin mentioned this collection of links over at Mouseguns.com: …



Notes from JWR:

I’m scheduled to be a guest on the G. Gordon Liddy Show for a half hour, this morning. — Today we present another entry for Round 26 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.) C.) A HAZARiD Decontamination Kit …


Feeding Your Family Well During Hard — and Harder — Times, by Lin H.

We can all agree that at the very least hard times are here, for way too many of ourselves, our friends, our family members, our acquaintances. And most of us here agree that harder times are a’coming. And I’ll add  another basic human agreement: we all need to nourish our bodies with food, preferably good-tasting and health-sustaining food. I’d like to address and share my thoughts on this basic human requirement. I am not an expert in food nutrition or preparation. I have no college degrees in these areas: my credentials are only a little common sense and 30 years …


Economics and Investing:

Items from The Economatrix: Shockwave From Dubai Default About to Hit Markets The Great RBS Exodus: 1,000 Bankers Quit Over Pay Disagreement Dollar Rises Most Since 1999 Versus Ye as Fed Bets Increase “The” Bank Job Pockets of Rot John Galt: The Day The Dollar Died, Part 7 — Security For Liberty for All (Scroll down for Part 6, and earlier) Gold Rally is Not A Bubble, Mania Stage Ahead of Us


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader J.K. sent this one to file under “Emerging Threats”: Two burglaries today used vehicles to smash into buildings. J.K.’s comment: “This serves as evidence that vehicles can/will be used as modified ‘entry tools’”.    o o o My old friend Peter K. (now living in Germany) mentioned this web page that helps explain the current shortage of loaded ammunition and reloading components: Why Can’t I Find Sierra Bullets?    o o o For those of us that take buying American-made products seriously (or at least Not Buying Mainland Chinese), Ron B. suggested this site: MadeInUSA.org



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 26 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.) C.) A HAZARiD Decontamination Kit from Safecastle.com. (A $350 value.), and D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Luger, 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP ammo, …


Tourniquets in Combat Medical Planning, by Robert U.

As an instructor of multiple combat medical courses, I have had the privilege of instructing many courageous and dedicated young corpsmen and medics in Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC), Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) and Combat Lifesaver (CLS), as well as other courses.  Out of all of the information I have taught, I am amazed at the feedback I receive from many of these students returning from the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas of the world. Tourniquet use is documented as far back as Roman times; examples have been found composed of bronze and leather.  The first practical …