Day: August 10, 2011

Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 36 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 Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and …


A Folding Kayak as a Survival Vehicle, by Jann B.

The vehicle I am about to describe does not often come immediately to mind when one thinks of a survival vehicle to be of use during troubled times but bear with me.  The vehicle I have in mind requires no fuel, and no mechanical upkeep. Additionally it offers significant stealth mode and is totally silent. If one is in or near an urban setting such as the San Francisco Bay area or Manhattan or Seattle then this survival vehicle will grant one the power to disappear from the crazed urban crowd scene almost immediately.  No, I’m not talking about some …


Gold Medal Marksmanship, by 10x Shooter

This article is intended to assist our fellow preppers with marksmanship. I have realized that with all the new interest in the prepper movement we have those that have never handled a firearm among us!  I will start at the very basic level to help form a good foundation to build upon. For some this will be too basic or boring, however, they may see something of use. Some of this will also be story telling. I want the reader to get the “feel” for shooting, not just the science. If you are new to firearms or less than an …


Letter Re: Making Your Own Fuel Briquettes Making Fuel From Waste

Hi Jim; I stumbled across the idea of fuel briquetting while on an appropriate technology web site and have found the idea is very popular in the developing world, particularly in areas where wood for fuel is scarce. Most of us are familiar with the formed charcoal briquettes used in barbecues, and you can use charcoal in this type of press, but practically anything burnable can be used to create briquettes: straw, grass clippings, rice hulls, paper, sawdust, leaves, animal dung… use your imagination! The end result will look different depending on your source material, but all will get the …


Letter Re: Converting a Standard American Home Into a Hardened Retreat

Mr. Rawles, I read CentOre’s article with great interest and believe he and his group are well on the way to success.  I have a possible solution to what he listed as his greatest issue: “A more realistic problem in our area involves the numerous one ton, four wheel drive, jacked up trucks.  Our goal for them remains to slow or delay their progress within reasonable shooting distances. “ May I recommend a classic defense that has been in use against infantry and cavalry for centuries and motorized vehicles more recently called the abatis.  I think this fits in perfectly …


Economics and Investing:

The global markets are in such flux that the spot price of gold has risen above the spot price of platinum. These are indeed unusual times! A headline that we saw coming: Fed forced to consider fresh stimulus. (Only in the mind of Ben Bernanke is “more spending” the solution to a crisis created by overspending .) Steve K. suggested a video that is well worth watching: Jim Sinclair interviewed by James Turk. (Jim Sinclair is usually quite terse in his writings, so it is great to hear him speak at greater length.) Can you spell “Plunge Protection Team”? Stocks …


Odds ‘n Sods:

London riots: breakdown of Monday night’s violence. (Two observations from JWR: 1.) A lot of these “youths” appear to be in their 20s and 30s, and, 2.) If the rioting is this severe on such a slight pretense, then what will things be like in the midst of economic collapse, later in the decade?) It is high time to take the gap!    o o o You can’t blame these Turkish shop owners in London’s Dalston for arming themselves. Video: London Riots: Shop-owners defend their businesses in east London. (Riotguns would of course be better, but this is England.) And …