Month: March 2010

Survival Slingshots, by Brian W.

When one thinks of a slingshot, the image of the forked stick and rubber band hanging out of the back pocket of Dennis the Menace is usually what comes to mind. Often overlooked in the survival community, the slingshot can be a valuable addition to any survival kit or day pack. For all intents and purposes, the best tool for taking small game that a survivalist can have, in my opinion, is a .22 pistol. Until very recently, though, it was illegal to carry them into state parks. To those who are not up to date on local and state …


Letter Re: The Daylight Savings Time Home and Survival Checklist — Renew Your Preparedness Measures

Dear JWR, On March 14th at 2 a.m. it is the Daylight Saving Time change time in most of the US. So now is a very good time to check some things that you haven’t thought about in a while. I’m sure you heard the Public Service Announcements to change the batteries in your smoke alarm and to test them. That is certainly a good thing to do, but is that the only thing you should do this time of year? Grab a pen and paper and let’s look around your home. Batteries and Battery Powered Equipment Since you’re changing …


Economics and Investing:

Trent and J.D.D. were the first of several readers to send this: Faber and Mish: We’re Doomed and Washington Can’t Do Anything About It A.P. sent us some more gloomy news: World faces a day of financial reckoning Canadian dollar likely to trump US greenback: experts. More FDIC Follies: Four more banks bit the dust in the past couple of days. Items from The Economatrix: OPEC Raises 2010 Oil Demand Forecast US Sales Tax Rates Hit Record High US Dollar Gains as Rating Agencies Warn on Europe Toledo, Ohio Likely to Face “Fiscal Emergency” Robbing The Old to Pay the …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Paul D. recommended this article from The Guardian: How food and water are driving a 21st-century African land grab.    o o o From E.M.B.: Energizer Battery Charger Comes with a Software Backdoor. Yikes!    o o o There are now just three days left in the Ready Made Resources 25% off sale on Mountain House freeze dried foods in #10 cans. They are offering free shipping on even mixed case lots. These foods are delicious, compact, and have a 30 year shelf life. Order soon!    o o o Cheryl sent this news: Wyoming Governor Signs Sovereignty Resolution. This …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“As I looked at my two young sons, each with his gun, and considered how much the safety of the party depended on these little fellows, I felt grateful to you, dear husband, for having acquainted them in childhood with the use of firearms.” – Elisabeth Robinson, narrating in “The Swiss Family Robinson” by Johann David Wyss


Notes from JWR:

I will be a guest on Lan Lamphere’s Overnight A.M. talk radio show this evening, for two hours. If you have the time, please listen in. — Welcome aboard! Greetings to the thousands of new SurvivalBlog readers who found the blog after hearing my recent three-hour interview on Coast-to-Coast AM. For those that missed it, you can find an audio link to the interview here. It is also archived for free streaming download–but just for the next week–at KSFO’s web site. (You’ll need to select Thursday 10 to midnight and Friday from midnight to 1 a.m.) I recommend that folks …


It is All About the Means of Production, by Mark. B.

From the beginning of time, ownership and control of quality farm land and raw materials have been closely associated with wealth creation and prosperity. What can you grow or raise? What resources and commodities do you own and control? How much metal, stone, glass, and wood do you own? Do you have the means, knowledge, tools and skills to produce valuable items from this land and these raw materials? As America was settled, the pioneers knew very well the fundamentals of non-electric, independence away from the city and just how critical natural resources were to survival. If a parcel did …


Letter Re: Confronting Kleptocracy–Identifying the Looter Mentality

Dear Mr. Rawles, I would like to make a few comments on your post titled “Confronting Kleptocracy – Identifying the Looter Mentality”. Although my education and profession are in medicine, I have been long interested in social anthropology particularly as it applies to the average “citizen” confronted with a breakdown in modern society. As you are well aware, our society exists by means of a fragile web of precisely balanced interconnected dependencies. This web was not created overnight but has developed over several generations. At present we enjoy life at a time where the poorest people in our modern culture …


Economics and Investing:

Over at Zero Hedge, Tyler Durden asks: Is The Federal Reserve Insolvent? (He’s warning that monetization is the logical next step. So beware of inflation ahead!) Ben in Tennessee sent us this from The Market Oracle: The Coming Dark Ages. GG suggested this one: Bernanke’s Dilemma: Hyperinflation and the U.S. Dollar. Also from GG: Doug Casey on Surviving Financial Apocalypse Now Items from The Economatrix: Are Unemployment Benefits No Longer Temporary? Jobs Outlook May Be Too Optimistic Public Pension Funds are “Going to Vegas” National Debt to be Higher than White House Forecast, Says CBO Senate To Pass Jobless Aid, …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Marjory of BackyardFoodProduction.com is co-hosting a “Sustainable Living Meetup” in southeastern Idaho on Thursday March 18th. This is a chance for preppers to to meet, network, and share resources. (If you attend any event of this nature, of course all the usual OPSEC provisos apply. For example, I wouldn’t recommend mentioning your surname to strangers.) The meeting will be held at the Aurasoma Conference Center in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho, starting at 6:30 pm. Marjory says: “Bring a potluck item that you have grown, or just like to eat.” For further details, contact Marjory through her web site.    o …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"What our generation has forgotten is that the system of private property is the most important guarantee of freedom, not only for those who own property, but scarcely less for those who do not. It is only because the control of the means of production is divided among many people acting independently that nobody has complete power over us, that we as individuals can decide what to do with ourselves. If all it be nominally that of ‘society’ as a whole of that of a dictator, whoever exercises this control has complete power over us." – Friedrich A. Hayek


Notes from JWR:

I will be interviewed by George Noory tonight (March 11th) at 10 p.m. Pacific Time on the Coast-to-Coast AM show. The syndicated show is heard on more than 520 AM stations as well as XM/Sirius Channel 165. This interview will be about my book “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It: Tactics, Techniques, and Technologies for Uncertain Times”. The conversation is scheduled to be a two hours long, so we’ll be able to cover some preparedness topics in considerable detail. — I just noticed that we hit the milestone of 18 million unique visits. Thanks …


Home Childbirth from a Prepper’s Point of View, by Ranger Squirrel

I’ll discuss bringing someone into the world the old-fashioned way. I realize that as a man I may not be considered by some readers to be the most qualified person to write this post – but hear me out.  I have four kids, all four of which I’ve helped to deliver, the last two of which were done at home, three of which were assisted by midwives, and one of which was done without any assistance at all.  I’ve also had EMT training, including classes on emergency childbirth.  Nothing in this article, however, is medical advice.  If you need medical assistance, you …


Some Needful Things

I’m often asked by my consulting clients about my specific gear recommendations. I’ve noticed that I repeat mentioning a lot of these, so to save time in my subsequent consulting calls, I’m posting the following list (in no particular order): Gamma Seal Bucket Lids. We use these constantly with our bulk storage wheat. rice and beans. K & M Industries waterproof match cases. The best, made by a Mom & Pop business Gerber Omnivore LED Flashlights. These can use AAA, AA, or CR-123 batteries. Sadly, they’re made in Mainland China. Maxpedition gear bags. Incredibly tough and well-made. Dakota Alert infrared …


Letter Re: Sanitation–It Takes Picks and Shovels

Hi James, Since I returned from Haiti, I have given a lot of thought about the field sanitation problems that would occur when the Golden Horde after a disaster starts entering an area to set up camps. I live in a pretty remote area that would be attractive to people leaving larger communities. This area is one where hunting and winter snowmobiling is popular. What can be envisioned is people who can make it this far, who are familiar with the few water resources, and the limited game would probably wind up. There is also a national wildlife preserve nearby …