Month: November 2011

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“What [doth it] profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be [ye] warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what [doth it] profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew …


Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 37 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 …


Making Survival as Easy as P.I.E., by Reece in Missouri

When I finally grew up and opened my eyes to the chaos occurring across our country and the entire world, I knew I needed to prepare for the tough times ahead.  As I started my research, mainly online, I came across some startling observations. When I would type in “survival techniques” or “tips for survival” and such, the same results would appear. Article after article, blog after blog, site after site, and YouTube video after YouTube video of the same things showed up: Guns. What the best gun for survival, what guns do you need when TSHTF, and on and …


Maintaining Mental Health in the Face of Crisis: Dealing with Anxiety Disorders, by G.M., RN, MSN, CNL

Many of us have considered how we would provide for our family’s physical needs, including medical care, during a prolonged crisis.  Indeed, it would seem foolish to be unprepared for trauma related to accidents, violence, fire, etc., when professional medical care might not be available for weeks, months, or more.  What most of us don’t think about, however, is the toll a long term crisis could take on our mental health.  This may seem to be a low-priority concern, next to food, shelter and security, but depression and anxiety related to traumatic events can have lasting and highly detrimental effects, …


Letter Re: Adaptation to Cold Environments

James, Thank you for your excellent web site and the forethought that has gone into making it so successful. I wanted to make a brief comment on the “Adaptation to Cold Environments, by D.W.” piece which appeared 11/24/11.  One of the best ways to maintain internal body heat is by increasing specific foods in one’s daily diet.  During extreme cold conditions, there are few foods that improve thermoregulation better than fats — specifically, animal-based fats.  Fat is an easily digested, readily utilized metabolic heater that “stokes the furnace” to help maintain body temperatures during extreme cold conditions.  Although our culture …


Letter Re: Book Recommendation: “Holding Your Ground”

Mr. Rawles, I recently picked up a copy of your novel, “Survivors”. It was a great book and I flew through it in no time. When I was making the purchase on Amazon, I also saw as a recommended [nonfiction ] book titled Holding Your Ground: Preparing for Defense if it All Falls Apart. I bought a copy of that up at the same time. After reading “Survivors”, I read “Holding Your Ground”. I think readers that like your writings and site would also like “Holding Your Ground”. It presents helpful “how to” information on how to defend your home …


Three Letters Re: Need a Power Source? Got Water?

JWR: Regarding the recent article by CentOre, titled: Need a Power Source?  Got Water?: There is good info on the waterwheelplace.com web site for the do-it-yourselfer to calculate potential horsepower and watts from any given wheel configuration. Pa in Pennsylvania James; I won’t claim to be an expert on hydro power generation, but would advise against two non-durable materials mentioned: Instead of aluminum pipe for a shaft, get some steel pump shafting from an industrial metals supply or a well supply. Aluminum won’t hold up. Another is Teflon. While very slick, it will not last at all. I would suggest …


Economics and Investing:

Brother, can you spare $2.1 trillion? Eurozone needs a cash infusion “ten times bigger than TARP”. A hat tip to Yishai for the link. Fed Minutes: Bernanke Firmly in Control of FOMC, QE3 Coming A Silver Price Surge Coming? Sprott to Buy $1.5 Billion of Silver Bullion! Items from The Economatrix: Eurozone Unlikely To Survive Intact:  Reuters Poll Rich Fleeing Euro, Says Irish Advisor MF Global Looted Customer Accounts


Odds ‘n Sods:

F.J. found this at The Blaze: This Hobbit house is an honest-to-goodness man-sized home. Not only does it fit a family of four, but it cost just over $4,650 to build.    o o o The Prepper Website has begun incrementally posting a review/synopsis of my novel “Survivors”. (Warning: lots of plot spoilers.)    o o o Nic recommended this video primer by STRATFOR’s Fred Burton: How to Stay Safe in an Urban Environment.    o o o Kevin A. suggested an essay by John Silveira of Backwoods Home magazine: The threat of electromagnetic pulse    o o o And …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: [and to] Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. The LORD thy God in the midst of thee [is] mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. I will gather [them that are] sorrowful for the solemn assembly, [who] are of thee, [to whom] the reproach of it [was] a burden. Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her …


Notes from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 37 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 …


Need a Power Source? Got Water?, by CentOre

My family roots go back to Ohio’s Muskingham River area in the mid 1800s.  There are no raging cataracts or other major stream drops on the Muskingham.  At least, not in the first twenty miles upstream from McConnellsville.  Observing the river channel confirms this stretch at least, is subject to erratic, heavy flooding.  Despite this my pioneer ancestors still used the river to grind their grain, and provide power for several other industries. How did they do it?  They had no metal to make pilings out of.  Wood piling would have just washed away at each flood since most of …


Reasons for Rawhide, by Pat in Oregon

This time of year we have a lot of hides on hand – deer, elk, and even cow hides when we are butchering.  We’ve tanned them, traded them for gloves, given them away to others, but usually we just dispose of them.  Not anymore.  This last year we’ve been experimenting with using rawhide, and after a year, we are convinced having rawhide on-hand is one of the more valuable items for regular or emergency use.  It is quite easy to process, unlimited in its use, and readily available to most of us.  Hopefully some of our experiences get others thinking …


Letter Re: The Accidental Orchard – Persimmons and Mulberries

James Wesley: As trees go dormant, you can look for saplings to transplant and seed to germinate.  In the southern US, right now is the time to look for persimmon fruit to get seeds.  Persimmon grows on the edge of fields and as an understory tree. About the time of the first frost, the fruit loses it’s famous sour taste and becomes sweet like an apricot. At this point,the fruit is wrinkling and starting to look spoiled but it isn’t. Look for 1″ orange fruit hanging on bare branches in moist areas, roadsides, and power line easements. Animals eat the …


Letter Re: Rawhide and Brain Tanning

James, J.M.’s article on brain tanning mentions buildings and furniture held together with rawhide straps, and I thought I’d mention another such building. The roof of the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah is a particularly innovative design for its time, and because of the builders’ lack of available metals (the few metal fasteners in the roof were made from discarded ox shoes) most of the structure depends on wooden pegs to hold it together. The builders wrapped parts of the wooden trusses in green rawhide; as the rawhide shrank during drying, it formed tight, strong straps around the …