Year: 2010


Notes from JWR:

Our latest batch of mail forwarding arrived at the ranch today, with a big stack of envelopes containing Ten Cent Challenge voluntary subscription checks. Thank you very much, folks! One gent also included a $100 Trillion Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe note, for my collection of “wallpaper” currencies. That made my day. Today we present another entry for Round 26 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. 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 …


Preparing Your Organization for Disasters, by N.C.L.

Where will you be when the earthquake happens? The tornado? The riot? The terrorist strike? The (fill in the blank). If you work or go to school, you spend about 40 hours every week in a non-home environment. Probably more if you count commute time, shopping, recreation, library time, extra-curricular activity time, and so forth. Even if you are a serious prepper, that means about 25% or more of your time each week is spent in environments away from your primary support systems. That also means that there is about 1 chance in four that a disaster will happen while …


Letter Re: “Patriots” Has Changed My Understanding

Mr. Rawles, I just finished your novel “Patriots” a few days ago and I was compelled to send you a note. Your writing has changed my whole view of the “survivalist/ militia” culture and beliefs. You have truly opened my eyes and provided some answers to many questions I have had for years now. First you opened my eyes to how fragile our world truly is. The parallels to what is happening today in our society will certainly force me to take personal action for my family and close friends. I will be having both my son and daughter, as …


Letter Re: The Disaster Field Bakery

Jim: I am not sure bread is a food that is best prepared after a TEOTWAWKI situation. I consider it a luxury item. In a survival situation it all boils down to decisions. I am not saying charity should not happen but we need to get the biggest bang for our supplies. Bannock, cornbread, biscuits and tortillas take less effort and energy to produce and travel better than bread. We also need to consider OPSEC, since baking bread has to have a bigger signature than the baking of other breads. – Curtis


Economics and Investing:

Top U.K. Economist Dumas: Euro Will Collapse. (Thanks to GG for the link.) Also from GG comes some grim news from Forbes: The Global Debt Bomb: “If 2008 was the year of the subprime meltdown, 2010 will be the year entire nations start going broke.” Trent flagged this: Why Americans should care about the debt crisis in Greece Items from The Economatrix: Identifying Sure Signs of the Final Economic Plunge Banks Pull Another $1 Billion from Small Business Lending One Million Americans Give Up on Job Searches Chevron to Shrink Refining Business Ship Engine Maker Warstila to Lay Off 1,500 …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Bill S. mentioned this article from a Dallas newspaper: Stockpiling food, water in case of emergency is smart, not paranoid    o o o Nanci wrote to tell me that Dolly Freed, the author of the recently re-released book Possum Living: How to Live Well Without a Job and with (Almost) No Money, has launched her own blog, also called Possum Living.    o o o Sri sent me a link to an interesting older article at Bill St. Clair’s site by Mike Vanderboegh that predates my launch of SurvivalBlog in 2005: What Good Can a Handgun Do Against an …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“In the Middle Ages, the average human life expectancy did not reach into the teen years, not only because of the extremely high perinatal mortality that heavily skewed the data, but also because Europeans (and much of the world during this time) lived in an unhealthy milieu of filth, poor hygiene, and nearly non-existent sanitation. Superstition and ignorance, along with pestilential diseases and vermin infestation, were rampant. Epidemic and endemic diseases such as the bubonic plague, typhus, variola (smallpox), and the White Death of tuberculosis (consumption) took a heavy toll on the population, both young and old.” – Miguel A. …


A Brief Critique of the Movie “The Road”

Introductory Note: I recently wrote this critique for British newspaper. For the benefit of my readers in the US, I’m posting it to my blog. – JWR The recently released movie The Road, based on the same-titled novel by award-winning writer Cormac McCarthy illustrated some classic blunders in bushcraft and tactical movement. Doubtless, many of these gaffes were intentional–I suspect for the sake of drama, or to provide enough light for the night scenes. Here is a short list: 1.) Following main arterial roads.  In a post-collapse environment, major roads will become linear ambush zones.  To avoid trouble, “The Man” …


Letter Re: Marksmanship Training

Sir: My name is Kent, I’m an 11 year veteran of the Active Army and National Guard, and I’m currently serving my third overseas tour, in Iraq. I have been in the Infantry for the entire time in the military, and I’ve taken it upon myself to seek outside training where available. I have been reading your blog off and on for the past year. One of the things that firearms proponents and enthusiast fail to mention a lot of is alternate shooting positions. Something I learned in Sniper school (even though I did not pass the course) is that …


Eight Letters Re: Earthquake Aftermath in Haiti

Dear Jim, Thank you for the blog. It has helped my family and I to be more prepared than we had ever imagined. I found this Fox News article and thought you might be interested. There are a few things here that have been discussed at length in SurvivalBlog and in your books, but it is good to look at them [actually coming to pass] in real world situations. These include: 1) The police chief can get less than half of his force out. That is probably because they are trying to fend for themselves. 2) They are asking “what …


Three Letters Re: The Disaster Field Bakery

James, In reference to the article on SurvivalBlog.com – The Disaster Field Bakery, by JIR, here is a free downloadable PDF copy of the Manual for Army Bakers from 1917 from Google. It contains over a hundred pages of old fashioned “how to” baking wisdom in a reliable military format. It’s contains detailed instruction on bread baking, including yeast and yeast recipes, and bread ingredients and recipes. The manual also includes a description of the equipment used by a field bakery company. This would be a good manual for a church, charity, or large group who have wheat stored and …


Economics and Investing:

Flavio sent us this: Foreclosures Up 14% in December. Flavio’s comment: “I can tell you as a real estate broker for the past seven years that things are getting worse, not better. I began to notice years ago that the media is usually about 4 – 6 months behind in reporting what myself and associates are experiencing in the now. So judging by the how quiet the phones have become, and how quiet they remain the last couple months, I would say the ‘second leg down’ has already begun. It is no longer a matter of if anymore. I give …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Luddite Jean recommended the Aquagear water filter, available in the U.K. She commented “I have used these, and have drunk some very dodgy-looking creek water with no ill-effects after being filtered through this bottle. Best of all, it’s instantaneous. It’s not meant for large-scale water purification, but as a back up, and for G.O.O.D. situations, it will save carrying potable water. I have one per family member at the moment, and will be buying extra the next time I see them at show prices.”    o o o Also from Luddite Jean comes this from The Daily Mail, Wife went …