Day: July 18, 2010

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 29 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), D.) A 500 round case of …


Waking Up and Getting Prepared, by Matthew G.

I live a very average suburban life similar to many people across the country. Commute to work, office job, suburban home with wife and kids. It’s easy to forget how fragile this lifestyle is and how little it takes to remove all the things you come to depend on. Recently I had an afternoon that showed me just how easy these conveniences can go away and the difference a little preparedness can make. After picking up my daughter from day care I drove home to find myself locked out of the house. We were having new keys made and I …


Letter Re: Low Cost Firearms Training

I am a new prepper.  Luckily I live on a five-acre piece of land on the outskirts of a small town.  I have an irrigation well, and have been looking at deep well hand pumps as a way to get water under TEOTWAWKI.  Any advice that someone could give me on that would be much appreciated.  At approximately $1,500, the hand pump would be a major purchase. I have been using the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, the free LDS Preparedness Manual, and SurvivalBlog as my main guides so far.  As I read SurvivalBlog, I wonder what I could …


Four Letters Re: The Off-Grid Dream

James: The guys over at TSLRF just mentioned: ” There is a free service on Off-grid.net called LandBuddy that connects you with people who are looking to live off grid, people who are currently living off grid and people who want to help others live off grid.” That sounds useful, for J.S.L.’s situation. Here is a link to the full post. – Hector R.   J.S.L., I’m here in your home of Pennsylvania, and wish you well. Although I wish I had some Arizona property as well, I do not. I have some property away from my home location that …


Economics and Investing:

KAF sent us this article: World at Risk of Folding in on Itself: Deputy Doom Regulators on Friday shut down three banks in Florida, two in South Carolina and one in Michigan, bringing to 96 the number of U.S. banks to fail this year Damon recommended this primer: What is the U.S. Dollar Index? From frequent content contributor RBS: Canada ponders pulling the plug on the penny. Oh, and speaking of which… Man tries to pay tax with 200,000 pennies Signs of the times: $20 Million Spent On Stimulus Signs? Items from The Economatrix: Higher Education Funds Buys Gold Over …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Gun Sales Expected to “Shoot Up”    o o o Things are looking Gibbonesque these days: Roads to Ruin: Towns Rip Up the Pavement Asphalt Is Replaced By Cheaper Gravel; ‘Back to Stone Age’    o o o K. in Montana recommended a recent essay by Patrice Lewis: Gun Control Takes Two Hands.    o o o It’s not the pirate flag but that Evil Tea-Party Gadsen Flag that was the issue, dontcha know: U.S. Authorities Shut Down WordPress Host With 73,000 Blog. One solution to this sort of jackboot stomping is Osiris.


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed [are] the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done …