Day: September 28, 2011

Notes from JWR:

We’ve just added several new items to the SurvivalBlog Amazon Store, including Dakota Alert passive intrusion detection systems, a Grundig Yachtboy shortwave radio, and some more optics including light amplification (Starlight) and thermal night vision gear. For anyone not familiar with our store, here is how it works: If you click on one of our Amazon links and then either search or “click through” to order ANY product from Amazon.com (not just the ones listed in our catalog), then we will earn a modest sales commission. Please shop with our our paid advertisers first. (See the ads in the right …


Building a Fire in a Post-Collapse World, by Entropy

Recently (based on a suggestion by a SurvivalBlog reader) I began a Meetup Group for Emergency Preparedness.  One of the Meetup events that I’m soon to host is entitled “To Build a Fire”.  Hosting this Meetup which I originally conceived as simply a fire building class has forced me to think logically about tactical fire building in a WTSHTF scenario where you are forced to build a fire for survival purposes.  I’ve synthesized these ideas into this article. By “tactical” what I mean is “low observability” because technically no true definition of tactical perfectly fits this discussion.  However people should …


Survival Philosophy 101: The Caveman Survival Index, by Andrew M.

I still remember the first day in my Philosophy of Religion class back in the good ol’ college days.  My professor started the class with the question, “what is philosophy?”  Of course, being the smart-aleck that I still am today, I eagerly raised my hand and responded, “Philosophy is where you think really hard about something, and when you’re done, you know less than when you started.” I got a few laughs (and some angry looks from the philosophy majors), but I was only half joking.  There is some truth to that statement.   What it really means is that, until …


Letter Re: Avoiding Vitamin Deficiency Illnesses in Societal Collapse

Dear James Wesley, In regard to intake of Vitamin C, many people overlook sweet and hot peppers [as natural sources]. Red sweet peppers have the highest amount of C that is found in vegetable versus citrus fruit. Red peppers have more than green peppers. It seems that freeze drying or dehydrating does not substantially degrade the level of C in the vegetables.  Other good sources in vegetables are broccoli, Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, dark leafy greens and cabbage and sauerkraut. The last two vegetables were very important to Northern European people who had no easy access to citrus fruits. I’m talking …


Economics and Investing:

Chris D. recommended this piece over at Don’t Tread on Me: 12 Reasons Not To Fear September’s Gold And Silver Price Smackdown. JWR’s Comment: In this piece, Scott Wolf notes that the COMEX governors just raised margin requirements on gold, silver and copper again. They can keep manipulating the rules in the futures market, but they cannot stop the demand side of the physical market. In the long run that is what will prevail–even if the futures market is destroyed by outrageous margin requirements–a la Silver Rule 7.) G.G. flagged this: Fed Vice Chair: Economy worse than you think. Also …


Odds ‘n Sods:

K.A.F. sent this: U.S. Government Used Taxpayer Funds to Buy, Sell Weapons During ‘Fast and Furious,’ Documents Show    o o o Safecastle has updated their Freedom Awards contest blog post.    o o o Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) sent this: Police disciplined for throwing football with boy. Mikes’s comment: “Yeah, God help us if cops actually interact positively with citizens…”    o o o A video by an Idaho congressman has been getting a lot of play: The Agenda – Grinding America Down.    o o o There was an interesting post over at Radio Free …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"The fearful danger of the present time is that above the cry for authority, we forget that man stands alone before the ultimate authority, and that anyone who lays violent hands on man here, is infringing eternal laws, and taking upon himself superhuman authority, which will eventually crush him." – Dietrich Bonhoeffer