Month: May 2010

Letter Re: Advice on a Multipurpose Rifle

JWR, I am a 50-something urban homesteader, selling my house to move to a rural area. I currently own a handgun (S&W 459 9mm) and a shotgun (Mossberg 12 gauge pump) and am researching what kind of rifle would be good for my new urban homestead. I am a good shot, not pro and not wild, just get within the target lines. I have hunted in the past with a 30-06 but feel with my age and all this would be too much for me now. Not to mention that I am a petite female at only 5’1″ tall and …


Economics and Investing:

CMBS Delinquencies Hit Fresh Record, Now at $51 Billion, 268% Increase. (Thanks to G.G. for the link.) Also from G.G.: Still No Credit Where It’s Due (Commercial and industrial loans have contracted 19% in the past 12 months. Consumer credit is down 6% in the year to February, when it stood at the same level as June 2007.) RBS sent us this: Idle rail cars generate cash for Boise Also from RBS comes this article in Der Spiegel: The Mother of All Bubbles Could Push Euro Zone into Bankruptcy. Thanks to Steve S. for forwarding this: China May ‘Crash’ in …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Newsweek magazine quoted me about the complex interdependencies of technological societies in an article about the implications of the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Finland. But sorry, you have to read Polish. (It was Newsweek‘s Polish edition. (I was quoted on the third page of the online edition.) Well, at least they mentioned the title of my book “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It”. 😉    o o o Reader RBS sent this: A swap of seeds in Boise on Saturday will tap into a practice with roots in the dawn of agriculture    o …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“As the dollar breaks down, you’ll also likely see disruptions in supply chains, including shipments of food to grocery stores. People should consider maintaining stockpiles of basic goods needed for living, much as they would for a natural disaster. I sit on the Hayward fault in California. I have a supply of goods and basic necessities in case something terrible happens—natural or man-made—that will carry me for a couple of months. It may take that long for a barter system to evolve, which I think is what you’re going to end up with; at least until a new currency system …


Note from JWR:

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 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 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com. (A $275 value.), and D.) A 500 round case …


Survival Rations and Food Security, by J.I.R.

I think we can all agree that a deep larder is good insurance for bad times. There is some variation on how we approach this topic, but we probably all have a lot in common. I would like to present my approach to food storage to give your readers (perhaps) a new perspective. Some of them may have inadequate plans for feeding their families. First, I have to admit that I am probably not as well prepared as a lot of readers and that my preparations could easily be improved if I were less lazy or worried more. I don’t …


Letter Re: Using Pipe Infrastructure to Your Advantage

Beneath many of our very feet are hundreds of miles of underground piping which utilized correctly can provide valuable resource in the event of a TEOTWAWKI situation. Storm drainage pipe siphons rain water from urban areas into surrounding streams and rivers. Accessed through manholes and curb gutters water runs off the street into basins and concrete piping. (Concrete piping varies in size, however most urban areas use diameters 36” and upward.) In the event of a G.O.O.D. situation slipping into some form of drainage would at least allow stealth movement for a decent distance (remember water always flows toward the …


Letter Re: An Australian Comments on the U.S. Constitution

Sir: As a foreign reader of this blog (Australian) I keep a very close eye on the U.S. politics. I find myself envious of a country that has a Bill Of Rights such as yours. I carry great admiration for those that defend it, but at the same time it depresses me that so many Americans take it for granted. In Australia, Federal authority is so pervasive that the only thing the our states provide is an excuse to employ another tier of overpaid under-worked public servants. Yet regardless of how tight a government’s stranglehold on their populace may be …


Letter Re: Thoughts on Practical Self-Sufficiency

Hello Jim: For supper tonight we are having a meal made with ingredients that I gathered from our place, with the exception of the meat which was purchased. I put a smoked ham hock in the crock pot over night. I also soaked some leather breeches (dried green beans) and some horticultural beans over night. These were added to the crock pot this morning along with a couple of hands full of ramps that I had dug yesterday and a couple of hands full of dandelion greens that Abigail had picked last week. Lastly some red potatoes from our garden …


Economics and Investing:

Nic suggested a piece over at Seeking Alpha: Richard Russell’s in Cash and Gold: ‘No Time to Be Cute’ Courtesy of Matt R. comes this article link: Warren Buffett Worries About High Risks of ‘Significant Inflation’ Around Globe Brett G. sent this indicator of a bond market crash in the near future: Dow-Jones: I Told You So 14 Months Ago Items from The Economatrix: Japan Public Debt of 200% of GDP Makes Crisis Inevitable Where Has All That Lost Wealth Gone? Bernanke Admits Printing $1.3 Trillion Out of Thin Air Europe’s Web of Debt What Will They Tax Next? Stocks …


Odds ‘n Sods:

EMB mentioned this amazingly useful, and aptly-named web site: Radio Reference.    o o o Since early 2007, I have warned SurvivalBlog readers about the perils of “kanban” inventory control. Here is a bit of confirmation: Volcano Throws Off Ash, Just-in-Time Efforts. (Thanks to Chad S. for the link.)    o o o Lee C. flagged this: Fat Americans are a national security threat, warn generals    o o o RBS sent this: Copper thieves blamed for dangerous power surge. A comment from RBS: “Here is what could be considered another classic example of the fragility of our Inverted Technological …



Note from JWR:

Today we present an article written by one of our long-time foreign correspondents, David in Israel. David was born and raised in the United States. Even before emigrating to Israel, he had a diverse background in forestry, firefighting, mountaineering, emergency medicine, and commercial Kosher food inspection. One of his life-long hobbies has been amateur radio. He is currently a Torah student.


AO-7: The Reanimated Survivalist Communications Satellite, by David in Israel

One problem that most preppers fail to take seriously is communications. To most First Worlders communications are something that comes out of the wall like water or electricity, so why should the magic ever end? While not as high a priority as an inexpensive firearm for security, food, water, cooking fuel, non-motorized transport, or shelter, in a safe area communications with those you care about keeps you from going on unneeded health and welfare checks especially during dangerous times. Typically I would suggest a 100 watt+ multi-band HF radio for vehicle or base use and a QRP 40meter set and/or …


Two Letters Re: Middle Tennessee Flooding has Lessons About Preparedness

Dear Mr. Rawles, We live in southern Middle Tennessee, about an hour south of Nashville, and we are watching the news coverage of this weekend’s record-breaking flooding in the Nashville area. It is confirming our conviction not to live in a metropolitan area as we see how people are affected by this natural disaster. All three interstates going through Nashville–I-65, I-24, and I-40–have been shut down for long periods of time yesterday and today. The cars and trucks stuck on I-40 as I write this stretch for over five miles, and the drivers have no way of backing up, turning …