Month: September 2010

Note from JWR:

Today we present the final entry for Round 30 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 …


Filling in the Gaps on Firefighting and Emergency Medicine, by Nate

I’ll be the first to admit this is my first visit to SurvivalBlog, and I only received copy of “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It” yesterday, but I finished reading it yesterday as well. I’ve always had what I like to call a “jack of all trades” mentality, as soon as I begin to feel competent in one skill, I have a strong urge to begin the learning process anew and expand my base of knowledge. I’ve been reading through the articles previously posted, and while extremely helpful and informative, I feel I have …


Letter Re: A Little Insight on Diesel Engines

JWR, I can’t wait to read the sequels to your novel. I’m writing on the topic of pre-electronic ignition diesel trucks — preferably a 1998 model year or older Dodge with the 5.9 Cummins engine. Having serviced and rebuilt several of these engines I am familiar with the design, and it is certainly my favorite. I won’t go into much detail on the 24-valve engine because they may not be of use in the event of an EMP, or a grid-down collapse where diagnostics cannot be performed. (For reference, there is the 12 valve- ’89-’98 5.9 Manual (non computer/electronic) Cummins …


Economics and Investing:

H.H. sent this: European Central Banks Halt Gold Sales Jeff E. was the first of several readers to send this: Banks Keep Failing, No End in Sight From G.G.: Banks Keep Failing, No End in Sight U.S. Economy “Close to a destructive tipping point” Glenn Hubbard Says. (Thanks to John G. for the link.) Merry recommended a Mike Maloney lecture video. Items from The Economatrix: Cold Hard Reality Hits Oregon Supply Squeeze of Physical Gold and Silver May Be Heating Up The Currency Crisis of 2010-2011 A Hazard of Buying Bond Funds Now A Red Alert Threat To The Regime …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Ten signs that the U.S. is Losing it Influence in the Western Hemisphere. (A hat tip to Paul W. for the link.)    o o o More Celebrities Than Ever Are Carrying Firearms. The blatant favoritism in permit issuance is a scandal that has never been fully exposed. New York City has had a long succession of Teflon-coated mayors. The gun permit scandal doesn’t stick where it should!    o o o Bird Flu Simmers. (Thanks to Ken J. for the link.)    o o o J.H. sent this article from the Guardian: Campaign to save Pavlovsk seed bank from …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Most people prefer to believe their leaders are just and fair even in the face of evidence to the contrary, because most people don’t want to admit they don’t have the courage to do anything about it. Most propaganda is not designed to fool the critical thinker but only to give moral cowards an excuse not to think at all.” – Michael Rivero


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 30 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 …


Letter Re: The Survival Mindset–Becoming Part of the Social Ecosystem

Hello James: In many ways, communities behave like biological organisms. They respond to foreign invaders like our bodies respond to the flu virus. They respond to “us” like our bodies respond to “us”. They may not actively nourish teeth, hair or fingernails, but they do not reject them either. One key aspect to creating community is to be visible before the balloon goes up. I run for exercise. I tend to wear the same kinds of outfit every time I run: a swim trunks and a brown tie-dyed shirt. My runs extend 8 miles out. Some Sundays I run home …


Letter Re: Aviation-Style Checklists for Survival, by Andy W.

In the 1940s, the accident rate among aircraft in the United States was horrendous, especially for small private aircraft. Many lives were lost and airplanes mangled due to often preventable causes. By the mid-1950s, the accident rates had dropped by 30-50%, depending on what numbers you look at. What happened to make such a dramatic change? The answer is the prevalent use of checklists for all phases of flight. Every aircraft today, from a tiny Cessna to a giant airliner, has checklist for every procedure from preflight inspection to securing the aircraft after parking. Checklists are important for a few …


Economics and Investing:

KAF pointed us to this: On the Secret Committee to Save the Euro, a Dangerous Divide Mike Williamson sent us this: Slideshow: The Most Taxed States in the U.S. G.G. suggested: Taleb Says Unawareness of Deficit Risk Has Him `Extremely Bearish’ on U.S. The latest from Dr. Housing Bubble: Palms Mar Vista correction. From $740,000 to $540,000 and still overpriced. The Westside of L.A. enters an accelerating correction. Items from The Economatrix: Why QE2 + QE Lite Mean that the Fed Will Purchase Almost $3 Trillion Treasurys and Set the Stage for the Monetary Endgame Banks Keep Failing, No End …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Dirk W. sent us this news story: The New Resource Wars: What if China Stops Exporting Rare Elements?    o o o The Heat Wave that Changed American History. (Thanks to “T-Moo” for the link.)    o o o Safecastle’s big sale ends tomorrow–Thursday, Sept. 30th. This is their last 25% off sale on Mountain House canned storage foods for 2010, with some free bonus items, depending on the size of your order. Safecastle also resumed stocking real canned butter, from Holland. Don’t miss out!    o o o EliteT sent this from CNN: Why is ‘food security’ sparking unrest? …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“War has taught me that each one of us contains every ingredient of the human recipe. By varying measure we are all cowards and brave men, thieves and honest men, selfish and selfless men, malingerers and champions, weasels and lions. The only question is how much of each attribute we allow- or force – to dominate our being.” – Eric L. Haney, Command Sergeant Major US Army, from his book “Inside Delta Force“


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 30 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 …


Dirty Medicine, Part 2, by J.V. in Tacoma, Washington

Welcome to the second installment of Dirty Medicine.  Today we are going to be discussing something that will be beneficial on a few different levels.  It can help you stop uncontrolled bleeding, prevent infection, and repair skin.  That’s right, we are going to talk about sutures, also called stitches, today. Starting off we are going to need to define what materials will be needed, both for practice and for real life situations.  The most obvious item needed is going to be some sort of suture material.  Suture materials come in various thread compositions as well as sizes.  Something like Chromic …


Letter Re: “Tomorrow When The War Began” Tops Australian Box Offices

James Wesley: The movie Tomorrow When The War Began–a Red Dawn-style movie produced and set in Australia–is currently #1 in their box office reports. The story is based on a series of books that has been recommended reading in many middle schools. Currently no one is lined up for distribution rights in America, but after the last few days I’m sure there is a new interest by the money hungry studios. And the series of books is available on Amazon. Regards, – Justin M.