Month: April 2010

Note from JWR:

I just heard from my editor at the Plume Division of Penguin Books that another publisher has purchased the rights to produce a Bulgarian language edition of my non-fiction book “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It”. As Alice said: “It just gets curiouser and curiouser. “ — Today we present another entry for Round 28 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 …


Thoughts on the Bug Out Bag, by Tugboat

When I think on the “Bug out Bag” I am not thinking of a basic survival kit. The survival kit is designed to be small, portable, and with you whenever you venture out into the woods. The bug out bag is a larger version of the same but designed for a totally different scenario. When you know you are going to be on your own for an undetermined amount of time. First off it will be larger than a survival kit; usually a small backpack or duffle will suffice to carry all you will need for an extended stay away …


Implications of the U.S. National Debt — The Upright Spike

It is noteworthy that the Federal Debt chart has again turned sharply upward, to nearly an upright spike, rising to 90%+ of GDP. This level of Federal indebtedness had only one precedent: the massive spending that was needed to finance World War II. The current massive over-spending on the Mother of All Bailouts (MOAB) can’t go on indefinitely. At some point, the piper must be paid. In the long term, gross overspending will have some major implications for U.S. Treasury paper, and inevitably for the U.S. Dollar as a currency unit. I should mention that in 1945 (the peak of …


Letter Re: Lessons from The Irish Potato Famine

James Wesley: I’ve been researching family history in Ireland during the 1845 famine and found this interesting online book that describes the food riots, workhouses, rampant death and illness, and other aspects of life during an intense social upheaval. It may be enlightening: The Famine in Dungarvan: The Poor Law, Famine and Aftermath in Dungarvan Union Thanks, – Chris M.


Letter Re: Sustainable Rural Cabins

Jim; In the article, “Sustainable Rural Cabins”, under the headline, “Designing the Outer Periphery”, the author wrote, “Evergreen windbreaks should be planted to block winter winds”. That works fine if the evergreens, (or other trees), you plant and the way you group them is consistent with the way the same trees occur naturally in the area. For example, if white pines grow naturally in the woods around where you are establishing your homestead, then you can plant more white pines and they won’t be noticed. But if you plant, for example, blue spruce where none normally occur, you can see …


Economics and Investing:

Kevin S. recommended this from the Global Guerillas Journal: What Makes a Home Valuable? CBO chief says debt ‘unsustainable’. (Out thanks to reader S.M. for the link.) GG and Chad S. both flagged this: Gold hits record high for British investors; The price of gold has risen to an all-time high in sterling and euro terms. Also from GG comes this video clip: Meredith Whitney: Housing Will Fall Again S.M. sent this: Is the World’s Second Biggest Economy On the Ropes? Items from The Economatrix: Stocks Trade Mixed After Alcoa Results Fall Short February Trade Deficit Increases to $39.7 Billion …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Lee C. sent this: In California, Louder Calls to Prepare for Quakes    o o o Reader RBS mentioned a 2008 news story that was recently highlighted in The Survival Spot Blog. This illustrates how even fairly large communities can “disappear”, with terrain masking and some rudimentary camouflage: Lost middle-class tribe’s ‘secret’ eco-village in Wales spotted in aerial photograph taken by plane.    o o o The WRSA says: 19 April 2010: Bring Your Sidearms and Longarms To The Banks of the Potomac    o o o From Brian B.: Cap and Trade: A License Required for Your Home.



Notes from JWR:

I just heard that Jerry Pournelle’s next Chaos Manor Reviews column includes a brief review of my latest non-fiction book “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It”. Most SurvivalBlog readers will of course recognize Jerry Pournelle as a co-author of the now-classic survivalist novel Lucifer’s Hammer, a columnist for Survive magazine, and a key contributor to Mel Tappan‘s P.S. Letter. So I daresay that Pournelle’s review means more to me than all of the other extant book reviews, combined! — Today we present another entry for Round 28 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The …


HK Roller Locked Clones, by John Parker, Jr.

I came up with the idea for this treatise several weeks ago, but never made it to the point of putting it into print until the recent article on the Saiga family of weapons urged me to move forward.  As most readers of the Blog and all owners of “Boston’s Gun Bible” know, the Main Battle Rifle (MBR) is the ideal foundation for the citizen’s defense of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  Boston’s does a great job of enumerating the pros and cons of the various rifles, and based on his evaluations, my associates and I chose to …


Letter Re: The S-250 Vehicle Shelter

James Wesley: Just a short note on the S-250 information. The original writer made an error in assuming all of these are shielded. There are several manufacturers of the S-250 and models differ in not just shielded or non-shielded, but also the level of shielding. NSA shelters (not generally available) have the highest level. Here is a link to one of the manufacturers. My point is that a buyer should investigate the National Stock Number (NSN) of the unit they are interested in and contact the manufacturer to confirm that a specific level of EMP/EMI shielding is installed, if any. …


Economics and Investing:

Ben in Tenn. sent this item from Zero Hedge that shows that the MOAB is going global: IMF Bailout For Greece To Come At SDR Rate Plus 300 bps Plus 50 bps Service Charge, Greece Says “Thank You US Taxpayers”. Here is a quote: “The IMF, realizing it had a catastrophe on its hands, has caved in and according to Reuters will provide US taxpayer money to Greece at vastly below market rates.” Reader “F1F” recommended this from The Washington Post: Debt Burden Weighs on Developed Nations Items from The Economatrix: Greece Debt Fears Hit Fever Pitch Consumer Credit: OUCH! …


Odds ‘n Sods:

R.R.S. sent us this YouTube video link: Army Pro Shooting Tips: How to Speed Reload a Shotgun. Those AMU shooter techniques are fast, but note that they both looked down continuously, while reloading. (Watch it twice, and count how many seconds they take their eyes away from scanning for opponents.) I do not recommend that much loss of situational awareness! Instead, learn to both reload by Braille, and the “shoot one, load one” drill. These may be a bit slower, but I think that you’ll live longer. The “by touch” reloading method is a practiced skill that will serve you …



Letter Re: 550 Cord–The Use of Arts and Crafts for Survival and Practical Tasks

Mr. Rawles and SurvivalBlog Readers, I am a newly dedicated reader and have had an interest in your contests since day one. I have a few skills I’ve learned in life (hunting, fishing, marksmanship, tracking and writing) but the newest one is macramé. This is the art of weaving knots to make beautiful and often decorative pieces and is just a craft some folks use to entertain themselves. I’ve combined both of these and applied one more purpose for the art: rope-making, belt-making and strap-making. All three of these have occupied my time overseas for almost a year now. I’ve …