Year: 2009

Notes from JWR:

Wow! We recently set two new records: 31,898 unique visits in one day, and a whopping 46.2 Gigabytes of traffic. My sincere thanks for spreading the word about SurvivalBlog. Please continue to do so, by adding a link to your web site, blog, or e-mail footer. Thanks! — Today we present another entry for Round 25 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 …


Hard Love Preparedness Upbringing, by FBP

As a child, I was orphaned by age 10. I went from living in wealthy lifestyle with maids and yard handyman, with ponies and pet monkeys in Miami, Florida, to living in rural mid-West with my Grandparents. This was truly a culture shock. It has been with prepping that I have truly appreciated the time spent with my Grandparents. From them learned about gardening, canning, freezing, sewing, and mind expanding experiences from visiting relatives on the farm (acres and acres of corn, and livestock!) I remember Grandma’s bootstrapping on everything. She’d lived through the depression and WWII with its rationing. …


Letter Re: How to Make Your Own “Black Out” OPSEC Window Panels

Mr. Rawles, To counter the ridiculous prices of heavy duty lined upholstery fabric and pre-made retail offered curtain panels with “supposed” 99% light blocking out fabric liners, or the use of fabric remnants of odd sizes and black dye, this alternative suggestion beats the cost of other approaches hands down. They can be put up in a hurry with two staples or my preference is to apply them up with screws at both chord ends using para-cord through the holes, which will allow them to be cinched open and closed during daylight hours, if you chose to do so. I …


Letter Re: Getting Self-Sufficient in Wyoming

Dear Mr. Rawles, I was recently given your novel “Patriots” by a like-minded friend in Wyoming. I read it once for pleasure, then twice with a highlighter, notepad, and Google. It’s a wonderful resource, and I’m looking forward to the new book [“How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It”]. Reading “Patriots” left me proud to be an American, and revitalized something I felt I had been losing in the recent years. This is a wonderful country, and I have faith that there are still a bunch of decent God-fearing people who will stand up for …


Economics and Investing:

Thanks to reader GWC for this: U.K. Faced ‘Bank Runs, Riots’ as RBS and HBOS Neared Collapse GG spotted this key data point: Hours worked plummets to all time low Thanks to Damon for this news item: Venezuela inflation estimated at 26%, annually. (Prices were up 2.5% in September. But don’t worry. Comrade Hugo has a plan.) Mark G. found an interesting New York Times blog article: What Happened to Argentina? Items from The Economatrix: UN Calls For New Reserve Currency Australia Rate Hike Good Sign for World Economy National Retails Groups Forecasts Weak Holiday Season Weak Dollar, Strong Stock …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Jim F. mentioned this fascinating Wired article: Missile Silo Fixer-Upper Now Swanky Bachelor Pad    o o o A reminder that Safecastle’s final Mountain House sale for 2009, ends on October 11th. They are offering 25% off on all Mountain House canned long-term storage foods. Order soon!    o o o Feds sued to keep out of state’s gun affair; Complaint filed seeking affirmation of Montana Firearms Freedom Act. (Thanks to Clem in Wyoming, for the link.)    o o o Paint Horses for Sale: SurvivalBlog reader “Tota” wrote me: “Recently I lost my job. I have a herd …



Note from JWR:

Sorry about the delay, but here are the result’s of last month’s poll. Today, I’m starting a new poll: What are your favorite movies with survival themes? Please e-mail me a list of your top five picks. Thanks! I’ll post the results sometime early in November.


Poll Results: SurvivalBlog Reader’s Favorite Survivalist Fiction

Here are the results of our recent poll. Thety are listed in no particular order, but each book listed below received at least two votes. Those that are marked with an asterisk are suitable for teenagers. Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank* Lucifer’s Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle One Second After by William R. Forstchen (An EMP scenario.) Earth Abides by George Stewart* Dies the Fire series by S.M. Stirling The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shafer and Annie Barrows The Survivalist series (Most recommended just the first 10 books) by Jerry Ahern The …


Letter Re: Older Technology Radio Receivers

James Wesley, A Zenith Trans-Oceanic (T-O) is hard to beat, especially if you could snag a [rare] R-520 militarized version. This has a spare tube rack, uses no wax paper capacitors, is fungi proof, et cetera. The T-O definitely the world’s greatest portable radio (this side of the AN/GRR-6!) the G & H 500s and the 600 series as well as the R-520 all used the 1L6 converter tube which has become expensive and just about un-obtainable. You can clip a pin out of a 1R5 as a substitute but shortwave performance usually conks out around 7-8 MC. The earlier …


Economics and Investing:

GG was the first of more than a dozen readers to mention this article by Robert Fisk (an outspokenly leftist journal list, so take it with a grain of salt.): The demise of the dollar; In a graphic illustration of the new world order, Arab states have launched secret moves with China, Russia and France to stop using the US currency for oil trading. Given the import of the preceding (if it is true), is it any wonder that the USDI is tanking, and the future and spot prices of precious metals are going through the roof? You’ve had plenty …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader JM3 found a “kicked up” MRE cooking video.    o o o I heard that Ready Made Resources is having a sale on REC Solar SCM-220 220 watt photovoltaic panels. These panels, made in Norway, are excellent quality, and you can’t beat the price–especially when you consider the normal cost of shipping, which is free.    o o o Reader “OSOM” recommended some concealed carry wisdom from Massad Ayoob: 10 Commandments of Concealed Carry.    o o o Thanks to Tom W. for finding this item: Criminalizing Everyone



Note from JWR:

There is a new regulation that apparently I must address: per FTC File No. P034520, I state for the record: I accept cash-paid advertising. To the best of my knowledge, as of the date of this posting, none of my advertisers have solicited me or paid me to write any reviews or endorsements, nor have they provided me any free or reduced-price gear in exchange for any reviews or endorsements. Okay, with that done, I can press of with blogging here in the land that we once called free…


Is Prepping an Insurmountable Task?–The Beginner’s Primer, by Gary T.

Once you realize the importance of being prepared for coming hard times, you may ask yourself, “How can I possibly prepare for any scenario?  This is an insurmountable undertaking.”  The more you ponder this, the more the reality of this seems to be confirmed.  Let not your heart be troubled.  As with almost any endeavor, the road to success begins with the first step and continues one step at a time.  Consistent, prioritized, careful preparation over a period of time, preparation built around what your personal situation (budget, job, family, medical needs, etc.) will allow, can get you in a …