Day: February 3, 2010

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 27 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, …


Finding Community, by Jim Fry

Here at the farm we had the first of a series of free and open classes on disaster preparedness on February 1st. One of the things I intend to talk about at the upcoming meetings are various options for joining a community. When discussing disaster preparations, the first thing to decide is what you think is most likely to happen. If you think the world is a friendly place where snow means skiing and flowers always bloom, then a disaster is the electricity going out for a couple days if a tree happens to fall. You’ll need a case of …


Preparing Your Church Congregation, by JSX in Virginia

My preparedness background started as a youth.  My father took us camping often and had an amazing gun collection; I’ve been able to teach my kids what he taught me – great memories both then and now!  In the 1970s, my mom and step-dad bought a little 2-acre farm in the middle of nowhere.  We kept a dozen or so chickens, had a few garden spots (that seemed to grow and multiply with each new season), homemade soap, homemade root beer (an acquired taste!) a “sewing room”, a small orchard, solar heating, our own 250-gallon fuel tank, and a year …


Letter Re: The Rocket Stove, Refined

Several times in items I’ve sent out or in live presentations I’ve mentioned the “Rocket Stove,” a simple stove concept worked on over the last 20 years or so at the Aprovecho Research Center in Cottage Grove, Oregon (and elsewhere) by Larry Winiarski and others. The goal in refining this stove was to create a wood or charcoal – burning stove that would use the absolute minimum amount of widely available fuel to boil a given amount of water, thus minimizing fuel use and waste, and also smoke that could contribute to health issues for those tending, or in proximity …


Economics and Investing:

I warned you, folks! Coin Composition Change Included in Obama’s 2011 Budget. Have you socked away your nickels yet? Do so before they start making them out of stainless steel! Gresham’s Law is still in force. (Thanks to CRD for the link.) Matt B. mentioned that the Geography of Recession interactive map has been updated. This is looking grim! The Other Jim R. forwarded us a link to this Zero Hedge piece: Brace Yourself for the Coming Gold Shortage GG sent this: White House to paint grim fiscal picture Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large) flagged this: Obama’s 2011 …


Odds ‘n Sods:

From Chad S.: Seed shortages could imperil home gardens. JWR Adds: Stock up on heirloom varieties before gardening season. I’m sure that our advertisers that sell non-hybrid seeds would appreciate your patronage.    o o o S.F. in Hawaii mentioned that John C. Campbell’s Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina has expanded its course catalog. Some of the traditional skills taught there such as metalworking, spinning, and weaving would be important in the event of a societal collapse.    o o o Inadequate sanitation leads to disease in Haiti, just as predicted: Chaos eases as Haiti food lines focus on …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“He who lets the world, or his own portion of it, choose his plan of life for him has no need of any other faculty than the ape like one of imitation. He who chooses his plan for himself employs all his faculties. He must use observation to see, reasoning and judgment to foresee, activity to gather materials for decision, discrimination to decide, and when he has decided, firmness and self-control to hold to his deliberate decision.” – John Stuart Mill, “On Liberty”