Year: 2009


Letter Re: “Range, Range in the Home”

Sir, I would expect that most readers of SurvivalBlog either are good marksmen already, or desire to be better marksmen. I consider myself to belong to the latter group with skills that place me, at best, in the very modest middle of that category. As the prices of ammunition and reloading components increased during this past year my visits to the range became fewer and fewer while my skills languished accordingly. This is not good for someone who hopes to be better prepared to put meat on the table, or to defend oneself. Not long ago my younger brother was …


Letter Re: Root Cellar Alternatives

Hi Jim, Thank you so much for the wealth of information on your blog. It is encouraging to see so many people working towards self-sufficiency. I was recently introduced to a gardening concept called Square Foot Gardening. There are several advantages to the concept not the least of which are: much less area needed to grow a bounty of fresh veggies, no longer needing to till a large area that only grows plants in a few inch-wide rows, less watering, no weeds, and also no need for numerous gardening tools to tend your crops. A friend used this method last …


Letter Re: Covert Home Power for When The Grids Go Down

Hello, I just wanted to pass along a link to a company that sells new made in USA alternators for common vehicles, 190 up to 270 amps, and brackets and belts to run duals. the base model 190 amp puts out a 130 amps at idle ( factory puts out maybe 60 amps, on a full size truck) these things look built to last, and would run an inverter a lot better than stock, never mind worrying about burning out your electrical system. I will be getting one of these soon! As usual just an interested consumer, not affiliated with …


Economics and Investing:

Bailout nation continues: Schwarzenegger to seek federal bailout of California on threat of deep cuts. (Thanks to GG for the link.) Also from GG: Austria nationalises Hypo in ECB-backed rescue deal because of “systemic importance in the former Yugoslavia”. Items from The Economatrix: Fitch: Britain and France Risk Losing AAA Rating Thrifty Families Accused of Prolonging the Recession UK: Families Hit By Worst Wages Crash in 50 Years By way of Steve Quayle‘s web site: National Irish Bank Stops Handling Cash Lack of Bank Liquidity Threatens Commercial Real Estate Market States’ Jobless Funds Going “Absolutely Broke” Economic Data Dump For …


Odds ‘n Sods:

The Road hits the theaters. (Thanks to SurvivalBlog old timer Charley S. for the link.)    o o o Safety First: Frozen lake leads to tragedy for California family. People do love their pets, but human life must be preserved, above all!    o o o Reader F.G. mentioned this smokin’ deal: Complete MOLLE II pack, frame, straps, ruck, belt, and sleep bag carrier sets for under $50


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"A people may want a free government; but if, from insolence, or carelessness, or cowardice, or want of public spirit, they are unequal to the exertions necessary for preserving it; if they will not fight for it when it is directly attacked; if they can be deluded by the artifices used to cheat them out of it; if by momentary discouragement or temporary panic, or a fit of enthusiasm for an individual they can be induced to lay their liberties at the feet of even a great man, or trust him with powers which enable him to subvert their institutions; …


Notes from JWR:

The upgrade job is turning out to take longer than expected. SurvivalBlog, now with over 8,100 posts, has gotten too big for the old publishing system to handle. The archives are still mostly down, until we can work things out. WE hope to have everything up and running again soon. Merry Christmas! — I was recently interviewed by Cope Reynolds on The Shooting Bench Internet radio show. (Be sure to scroll through the extensive archives of their podcasts.) — Today we present another entry for Round 26 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. First Prize: A.) A course certificate from …


Prepping for Fishing in TEOTWAWKI, by W. in Atlanta

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Much has been written in these pages and elsewhere about prepping for food: maintaining protein and caloric intake. Fish are an excellent source of protein, and will continue to be so under most post-SHTF scenarios. How does a person go about preparing to catch them, and convert them to food? I write this as someone who has had the good luck to have fished over the last fifty plus years in every continent but Australia, and survived, and who has designed and built hundreds of rods in pursuit of every conceivable species of fish using a wide range of techniques. …


Letter Re: Preparedness with Very Limited Resources

Jim:I don’t think you’re a fool. It is important to put yourself in this type of situation and test yourself. I live in rural Northern Michigan, it gets cold up here. Last winter I did exactly what you’re talking about. I walked down to the river behind my house (about a ½ mile) and stayed two nights without any gear. The only thing I had other than my clothes was a lighter. You should always have a way to make fire on you. Ironically smokers are more likely to make it through survival situations, simply because they always carry a …



Economics and Investing:

Treasury removes cap for Fannie and Freddie. (Thanks to Jeff R. for the link.) GG sent this piece in The New York Post by fellow near future novelist Ralph Peters: 2010: The year of bankrupt governments. (And coincidentally, Ralph and I have the same literary agent, Robert Gottlieb.) Items from The Economatrix: Shoppers Give Stores Last-Minute Sales Surge Jobless Claims, Goods Orders Signal Modest Rebound Stocks End Shortened Session at New 2009 Highs Mortgage Rates Inch Above 5% Congress Raises Debt Ceiling to $12.4 Trillion Ford Sells Volvo to China Geithner: Job Growth Should Resume By Springtime Britain Joins Italy …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Thanks to C.B. for sending the link to Joel Skousen’s recently updated web page on Strategic Relocation.    o o o F.G. sent a link to this story: In classic NIMBY behavior, Senator Diane Feinstein nixes solar, wind farms in the California desert.    o o o D.A.S. sent an article from Brownell’s on rust preventatives.


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“God rest you merry Gentlemen, Let nothing you dismay; Remember Christ our Saviour, Was born on Christmas-day; To save our souls from Satan’s power, Which long time had gone astray: This brings Tydings of Comfort and Joy.” – from “Three New Carols for Christmas”, Wolverhampton, printed by J. Smart, circa 1760


Raising Meat Rabbits, by Pam N.

Planning for our extended family’s provision in the event of TEOTWAWKI turned out to require much more time and thoughtfulness than a few trips to the big box store. Although we had laid in a good volume of stored food supplies, we were concerned about sustainable sources of food possibly necessary for extended periods of time. During the planning stages, it became clear that the kind of protein we preferred (meat) was the most expensive to purchase and trickiest to preserve and store. After much research and thought we decided to begin raising rabbits. Our reasoning went along these lines: …