Year: 2010

Odds ‘n Sods:

“Hobo Matt” sent us this: Time, Water Running Out for America’s Biggest Aquifer    o o o By way of Tamara over at View From the Porch comes this link: Not Your Typical CCW Class. (JWR’s comment: That makes sense to me!)    o o o Eric S. flagged this piece from The Albuquerque Journal that illustrates how folks can survive in an austere environment: On a Dusty Mesa, No Water or Electricity, but Boundless Space. But of course, without gasoline for vehicles to haul cistern water, they’d be in for some deep drama.



Letter Re: You May Not Need to Buy New 12 Volt Batteries

Jim: The 12 volt DC lead-acid batteries employed in most readers’ vehicles, power storage systems and backup supply systems are expensive, have finite life spans and are a critical link in the timely operation of equipment required to respond to short term and long term grid-down situations. Aged batteries become unreliable, but are difficult to keep in a state of readiness and when deemed “spent” their replacement puts a drain on already limited financial resources. Most people have battery chargers and the know-how to use them in an effort to keep older – or infrequently used – batteries in a …


Letter Re: Some Useful Online Resources

Howdy, I love the blog. I am preparing for regional disasters associated with living in Los Angeles and I thought your readers might like these two links. The first one is Global Security.org where among other things, they have free e-copies of [nearly] all of the current Army Field Manuals. The second one is a bit out of context but I think is quite informative given the nature of this community, it comes from DisasterSafety.org which as it happens is a building contractor web site that certifies builders to build and/or retrofit buildings to withstand natural disasters and such. They …


Seven Letters Re: Choosing the Appropriate Handgun for You and Yours

Introductory Note From JWR: Lest this devolve into an endless “Ford Versus Chevy” type debate, after today’s posts, I don’t plan to post anything further on this particular thread. Hi, Jim, You’ve been getting lots of info about the “caliber wars” (again) and being the die-hard “don’t care what caliber you got” aficionado I am, I thought you and your readers may find some interest in this article: The “Center Mass” Myth and Ending a Gunfight. Maybe it’s the definitive report on the handgun “caliber wars and which does what to whom”. Thanks for a great site, Jim. I appreciate …


Economics and Investing:

Brett came a link to this “must read” piece by Robert Wiedemer: A Coming Avalanche of Inflation Also from Brett: Davidowitz: This Market Is a Sucker’s Rally. A video of some truth that they let slip into CNBC: Stay Clear of Western Markets and Currencies. Global investing analyst Martin Hennecke warns: “Sovereign debt crisis in the western countries is really getting underway…” and “The blow-up of sovereign debt is the final step of the financial crisis.” Hennecke is also bullish on commodities and warns of a global financial meltdown with high interest rates and high inflation. (Our thanks to George …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Judy T. sent these links: Oil rig explodes off Louisiana coast and Transocean Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion shows new risks    o o o Thanks to L.J. in England for spotting this: Rabbit meat is enjoying a renaissance in the UK.    o o o Reader “MadMarkie” sent a note that might be of interest if you have an Outdoor World store nearby. Outdoor World currently has the Marlin Model 795 semi-auto .22 cal. rifle on sale for $99.94 after a mail-in rebate. Normal retail is $149.99, on sale for $124.94 and comes with a mail-in rebate coupon for …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“I say that the Second Amendment doesn’t allow for exceptions – or else it would have read that the right ‘to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, unless Congress chooses otherwise.’ And because there are no exceptions, I disagree with my fellow panelists who say the existing gun laws should be enforced. Those laws are unconstitutional [and] wrong – because they put you at a disadvantage to armed criminals, to whom the laws are no inconvenience.” – Harry Browne, at a meeting with the NRA’s Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre and other panelists at a gun rights rally …


Notes from JWR:

I noticed that there are now 530+ web sites that have links to SurvivalBlog. My goal is to have at least 1,000 “incoming” links. That would really help SurvivalBlog show up more prominently in search engines like Bing and Google. Couldya, wouldya, please? It just takes a couple of minutes to add a text or graphic link. I even have some nifty graphics and pre-fabbed HTML code available, to make it easy for you. Many thanks! — Today we present another entry for Round 28 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will include: First Prize: …


Map Reading and Land Navigation for G.O.O.D. Planning, by SSG Q.

Having the equipment and skill necessary to travel cross-country can prove to be very beneficial in a number of survival scenarios.  A key component to cross country travel is map reading and orienteering.  The equipment that you will need for this is a map, a lensatic compass, and a US Military Square 5×5 protractor. The first item of equipment that we will cover is maps.  Different maps serve varied purposes.  A map used for navigating cross country will look very different from the maps that you are familiar with for use with travel on highways and paved roads.  For cross …


Letter Re: A Cautionary Tale of the Consequences of the Lean Supply Chain

Dear Mr. Rawles, I have been reading your blog for about a year (sincere thanks for a great job) and have introduced a few dozen folks to its collected wisdom. I pass along this article, from The Telegraph in the United Kingdom, that speaks to the mounting impact/consequences of the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano. For a long time I have had concerns about the practice that manufacturing businesses have adopted for managing their supplies and inventory – namely the employment of Lean Supply Chain (LSC) manufacturing techniques. While companies (nations) reduce expense for maintaining inventory, in the short run, …


Letter Re: A New Survivalist Singles Web Site

Mr. Rawles, I noted with interest (and joined) a new web site for singles “SurvivalistSingles.com“. As a Christian, prepper, mom and grandmother, I find most date sites decidedly unappealing. Perhaps this new site would be of interest to some of your single readers, even if only to network and gain new friends. It is new, and for now, free. You’ll find that SurvivalBlog is mentioned in the questionnaire, as well! Thanks for all you and your readers do to share, enlighten, and teach. – Ruger9mmgal, a Michigan SurvivalBlog reader P.S.: I am not in any way affiliated with the site …



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 HAZARiD Decontamination Kit from Safecastle.com. (A $350 value.), and D.) A 500 round case of …


A Practical, Full Spectrum Suburban Survival Plan, by JIR

Survival planning can be overwhelming and a lot of the advice you get is not practical or compatible with our lifestyles. A lot of us choose, or are forced to live in the crowded East Coast far too close to cities to survive TEOTWAWKI. I dare say, a lot of SurvivalBlog readers live in suburbs just outside medium to large population centers. Many of us have jobs that don’t migrate to small towns and would face a substantial loss of income if we moved away from our livelihoods. Some of us like our current lives and feel that hunkering down …