Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 35 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round 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 Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo , and …




Bug In, or Bug Out?, by H.C.

I am a double transplant recipient who is 50 years old and in fairly good health but with restrictions as to what I am physically able to do.  My household consist of myself, my wife, and our 8 year old son. I also have a grown daughter that lives three hours drive to the west but she is not a major factor in emergency plans. I don’t say this to be heartless or imply I love my daughter less but,  from my standpoint, she is now on the periphery of my planning as is any other family member who is …




Letter Re: Extreme Coupon Prepping

Jim, I’d like to share my recent experience with grocery discounts using the controversial discount cards that stores issue. First of all, I’ve never filled out a customer-information form for any such card, and since I pay cash nobody knows who I am. So since my name is not connected with the discount cards, I gladly use them to take advantage of every possible discount. There are three Kroger stores in my area, and one day recently I was on the canned vegetable aisle and noticed a tag that said that a certain brand of diced tomatoes was priced at …




Letter Re: Beyond Outdoor Survival

James,     As someone who has taken multiple week-long backpacking trips in the Rocky Mountains, I noticed a couple of things in this article that I would like to address.  The first is the author’s advice on mountain shelters.  First of all, if you do decide to pick a cave for shelter please be aware that mountain lions are plentiful in the mountains and one may have already decided to make that cave its home.  I have literally walked within feet of a mountain line that was laying in its den in the middle of the day, a very unnerving …




Economics and Investing:

I predicted seeing ads once the base metal value of nickels hit two times their face value (“2X face”), but not this soon: BoxOfNickels.com. I’m confident that you can expect to see more such nickel entrepreneurs in the near future–especially once the base metal value exceeds 1.5 times face value. (7.5 cents for a nickel.) Speaking of changing valuations (in this case, deflation), have you seen the chart showing the change Bitcoin values in the past three months? It now takes more than $15 USD to buy one BTC and in a brief spike the rate got up past $30. …




Odds ‘n Sods:

Washington residents warned of ‘bloodthirsty’ dog pack    o o o Reader K.A.F. mentioned Quizlet, a web site with free downloadable flash cards and a study games. Great for homeschoolers!    o o o These had me laughing…    o o o Courtesy of Kevin S.: Deadly Fungus Strikes Joplin Tornado Survivors, Volunteers    o o o I heard that Camping Survival just received a large new supply of Yoder’s canned meats, including some canned bacon. They also have canned cheese and butter available. Camping Survival is presently offering a 5% off sale on every order, with coupon code “june2011promo“.  …




Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed [are] they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into …