Day: November 10, 2010

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 31 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 $795, 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 Fiocchi 9mm Parabellum …


Being Prepared – How Hurricane Andrew Saved My Life, by Richard in Miami, Florida

I am by nature a positive person. On the other hand, I fully recognize that we live in a very dangerous world. Ignoring the reality will not make you safe – that would only be an illusion of safety. I sincerely believe that far too many of us live in a fantasy world shaped by what we see on television, and reinforced by our very limited exposure to the world outside our immediate communities. Also, many of us are so caught up in the daily rat race that we don’t stop to think about much else. To me, being prepared …


Letter Re: From Beginning Prepper, to Fully-Stocked Retreat: What to Buy, and When

James Wesley: Scott’s article was a good one but he neglected to mention that if you have 10,000 pounds of fuel (or most other chemicals) that all State Homeland Security Agencies require a Tier II filing to report this large quantity of material. This reporting form lets the state, local fire marshal and local emergency management coordinator know that you have that much fuel on your place. It’s nice if you have a fire (for instance) that the firefighters know where all the dangerous stuff is and usually someone on scene has a PDA with all this info on board, …


Letter Re: Retreating: A Minority Perspective

Hello Jim, Blessings to you and your family. Here are my comments regarding the article Retreating: A Minority Perspective, by Alex B. The Aryan Nations group has been forced out of North Idaho.  Not only did they lose the lawsuit that took away their “compound”.  The new owners allowed local fire department to train on site when the buildings were torched. Their leader, Richard Butler, died a few years later and the rest of the bugs left for parts unknown. This small group was good at making themselves look bigger by holding an annual camp-out at the compound and marching …


Economics and Investing:

Ay, Carumba!: California borrows $40 million a day to pay unemployment benefits. No doubt, higher payroll taxes will be coming soon for Californians. Obama returns fire after China slams Fed’s move. [JWR’s comment: The Obama Administration’s position on the Quantitative Easing monetization scheme is like a teenager claiming that he can pay his VISA Card balance with his MasterCard.] I guess you’ve all seen the recent jump in the spot price of silver. FWIW, I’ve been touting silver since February 2001, just before it bottomed. I’m standing by my prediction of $50+ silver. I’ll grant that I was early when …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader John E. mentioned a video of a stealthy-quiet solar powered battery powered log splitter, and from the same inventor: a Suzuki motorcycle converted to a diesel yanmar type engine.    o o o The Growing Threat of Food Insecurity in America    o o o Reader M.G. recommend two books: Nature’s Garden and The Forager’s Harvest, both by naturalist Sam Thayer. Here is M.G.’s description: These books provide amazing, in depth, first hand accounts of how to identify, harvest, and prepare different wild foods.  I have a dozen other wild food books, but these two are by far the best.  …