Year: 2010

Fit to Survive, Part Two: All the Other Stuff

In Part One of this article (posted on May 16th) I tried to emphasize the importance of strength and what roles it played in survival.  I want to reiterate that strength is the cornerstone of all human physical ability.  The stronger you are the faster you can run, the further you can jump, and the harder you can hit.  However strength is not everything and being satisfied with only developing strength is like only focusing on purchasing guns for your SHTF scenario, it’s very one dimensional.  After a period of time, up to a year, it would be wise to …


Letter Re: The A.N.T.S Network– Institutionalized OPSEC Naivete

James Wesley: Do you want to see a serious breach of operational security (OPSEC)? Then go to the “ANTS Group” web site and click on their map. Zoom in on some of the names and addresses of folks with supplies just waiting to help others. I’m glad to see folks (“ants”) ants willing to help [others], but I’m sorry to see folks getting setting themselves up [as targets] for the [the depredations of the] not so trustworthy or “Golden Horde” (a.k.a. Grasshoppers)! Regards, – M.T. JWR Replies: Thanks for sending that illustration of how not to keep a low profile. …


Economics and Investing:

SurvivalBlog reader H. in Quebec asked me to summarize my view of the current economic situation, and asked what is coming next. In essence, the recession will likely turn into depression that may last for decades. What is ahead? This is what I wrote in early 2008: “The current financial instability is just the beginning. Before this is over, the debt crisis will start an avalanche that will bankrupt countless individual investors, institutional stockholders, hedge funds, stock trading companies, municipalities, banks, S&Ls, and insurance companies. Since the magic money tap will be turned off, both residential and commercial real estate …


Odds ‘n Sods:

“Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course    o o o Thanks to Kevin S. for a heads-up: Signs Point to Administration Plan to Lock Up 13 Million Acres of Federal Land    o o o Reader Lee C. spied this one: Wheat rust: ‘cereal killer’ in Kenya    o o o Bill in New York suggested: 15 Unusual Uses for Baking Soda



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 …


Studying TEOTWAWKI: Why the “Smartest Men in the Room” are Worried, by F.S.

The purpose of this article is to lay out the intellectual underpinnings of what I will call the neosurvivalist movement. The target audience is those individuals either beginning, or considering to start, preparations for broad societal emergencies. The intended result is to demonstrate that far from being a fringe or extremist movement, neosurvivalism is rational and has emerged as a natural result of broader social, cultural, and technological circumstances grounded in specific historical and contemporary thinking. This movement goes by many names, including survivalism, prepping, emergency preparedness, and so-called “offgrid” or “resilient communities.” Businesses and governments are likewise investing in …


Letter Re: Two-Legged Snow Mobility

Jim and All: As I got off the plane and headed out from the airport parking garage I realized that actually getting home could be a challenge. The blizzard of February 2007 which was coming to an end had dropped a significant amount of snow and the high winds had been producing white out conditions. A phone call to a friend who lived in my area quickly told me I might have to walk if I plan on getting home. Normally I would have just stayed at a friend or relatives home until the weather lifted and the roads had …


Letter Re: Sea Salt–An Indispensable Commodity for Uncertain Times

Dear Editor: Roxanne with RMR makes a good point about sea salt adding flavor to a TEOTWAWKI diet. As a physician I must caution everyone that the brief mention she makes about iodine being added to “regular salt” is not a minor issue. In my practice I have identified modern day patients who are actually iodine deficient, something most physicians, even most endocrinologists, think can’t happen. A very respected endocrinologist whom I trained under speaks about when he was a child and families in Utah becoming iodine deficient over the course of winter because of their diet. Iodine needs to …


Economics and Investing:

U.S. Inflation to Approach Zimbabwe Level, Faber Says. (Thanks to Brian B. for the link.) Reader Matt in in Tennessee notes that the animated national unemployment map (mentioned before in my blog) has recently been updated to include data from March, 2010. Matt’s comment: “The map grows darker and darker…like a cloud that hints of an impending storm.” Joe K. mentioned that someone is auctioning one million copper pennies on eBay. That’s 7,000 pounds of copper! G.G. sent us this: U.S. Mint’s May gold coin sales reach most since 1999 Courtesy of reader Becky P.: Greece Urged to Give Up …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Abram in Washington State mentioned a comparative nutritional analysis of canned, frozen and fresh fruits and vegetables conducted by the University of Illinois Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition.    o o o F.B.P. pointed out a US Department of Transportation map of truck traffic in the U.S. that can be added to your data set in choosing retreat locales.    o o o Reader RBS flagged this: West Poised for Worst Grasshopper Outbreak in 30 Years



Notes from JWR:

I am pleased to report that another valuable prize has been added to the assortment for the current round of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest: A complete M17 medical kit with a retail value of $179.95 has been added to the First Prize items, courtesy of JRH Enterprises, one of our most loyal advertisers. Be sure to visit their web site to check out their broad line of preparedness products at great prices. For example, they offer some hard-to-find NBC defense gear and night vision equipment. I thank them again for their long-term generous support of SurvivalBlog. They deserve your …


Lessons in Survival From Rural Afghanistan, by FrmrMarineGrunt

I’ve spent the better part of the last decade in service to our nation. First as a Marine in Iraq and the last three years in Afghanistan as a civilian “security” contractor. And I’ve spent more of the last three years in a very rural valley in north-eastern Afghanistan than at home. In the last year with the birth of our first child, and the destruction of the ideals our country was founded on I found myself thinking more and more about the state of affairs in the world today and began to prepare for TEOTWAWKI. Starting as many beginner …


Letter Re: COSTCO Stores as a Source for Storage Food and Survival Gear

Dear Jim, I’m in no way affiliated with COSTCO but have the store to be an outstanding source for survival gear. The other night I saw in the store, for example: Bottled water, rice, beans, canned foods, soup Waterproof (submersible) 25-liter backpack what would make a good Bug Out Bag Twin pack Motorola 35-mile (max/optimal conditions) FRS/GMRS radios with NOAA weather alerts: $50 — I bought a pair Twin pack LED tactical aluminum flashlights with strobe setting: $20 –I bought several Power Generators (two models) Really good prices on batteries of all types (from AAA to marine) Tarps, storage shelves, …