Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 27 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will include: 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 …




Shelter During Turbulent Times, by Alex C., Engineer

In every TEOTWAWKI circumstance shelter is of paramount concern.  It’s actually a concern every day of our lives, but we seldom think about it – we take the roof over our head almost as a given right in country.  Our houses or “castles” as some states call them are so sacred many states allow us to use deadly force – no questions asked – if someone illegally violates our home’s hallowed ground.  For a survivalist, “prepper” or even casually concerned citizen preparing for some sort of unknown future disaster, water, food, guns/ammo, fuel, backpacks, etc. are all high on the …




Letter Re: Finding “Just a Little Piece of Land”

Sir: Do you know of any good web sites that list where you can buy just an acre or so of land in the woods, where people wouldn’t expect you to actually live? I live right on the Florida/Georgia state line so there’s plenty of land around. However, parcels are typically sold in 50 acres or 100 acre chunks. Or [with a lot] they expect you to turn it into a house with a mailbox and all that. I just want some woods. My goal is to excavate for an underground storage shed, with small sleeping quarters. I’ll then gradually …




Economics and Investing:

George Gordon (“GG”) sent this news item: Largest-ever federal payroll to hit 2.15 million Also from GG comes this link to a Seeking Alpha piece: U.S. Economy: Don’t Worry, Prosperity Is Just Around the Corner Yet another from GG: Rising FHA default rate foreshadows a crush of foreclosures Reader JDD spotted this over at The Daily Beast: The Dollar’s Scary Decline Also from JDD: Obama’s Budget Has One Small, Missing Piece…. For $6.3 Trillion Dollars Items from The Economatrix: US January Auto Sales Rise Unemployment Rises in Most Metro Areas Roubini Sees “Very Dismal and Poor” US Growth Ahead Bernanke …




Odds ‘n Sods:

I thought that the map at this web page: Electoral College Reform was fascinating. (But of course any such plan would be grossly unconstitutional–so I consider it nothing more than an intellectual exercise.) And ponder this set of graphics at the same web site: 50 States and 50 Metros. If nothing else, these maps illustrate just how lightly populated some of my recommended retreat locales are. (Thanks to Hal H. for the links.)    o o o The folks at Survival Bound just did a major expansion to their free manual collection. It was 5 gigabytes, but now it is …