Year: 2011

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 34 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 …


A Guide to Chemical Warfare Preparations, by Bryan R.

All survivalists, indeed all citizens everywhere, should give proper thought and consideration to the threat posed by Nuclear, Biological, Chemical (NBC) and Radiological agents, particularly chemical agents as they are the most likely to be encountered in dozens of possible situations. It is a fact of life that chemicals are everywhere, be they in surplus military storage depots, the local chemical plant down the road, the chemical laden train moving through the county, the semi hauling a tank filled with chemicals, or the nefarious terrorist who has finally realized that all he needed to make some very nasty blood agents …


Letter Re: Listening in to the Joplin Tornado — and Other Disasters

Jim — Thanks for all that you do and the many able contributors to your site.  This evening, Sunday, 05/22/2011, I am listening to the “live audio feed” of the Jasper County and Joplin, Missouri, law enforcement scanner traffic.  As I am listening, the various agencies are dealing with the aftermath of a deadly tornado that hit Joplin.  As a former police officer I have been through this sort of event. However, listening to their radio traffic is eye-opening, even for me.  I am getting a new perspective on many of the nuances of dealing with a catastrophe of this …


Two Letters Re: Bugging Out Via Boat

Dear Jim, I disagree with [SurvivalBlog Editor at Large] Mike Williamson’s opinion on boats as a bugging out survival alternative. With proper planning, thought and equipment selection; as well as the appropriate “ships stores”, and with all the knowledge necessary to any other solution to the problem, the right boat will allow you to avoid many of the perceived problems associated with a complete breakdown of society. It’s no easier or harder than any other subject, just different and less common. Just look at the volumes of material on your site, the problem is never solved and there is never …


Economics and Investing:

Matt R. sent this: Greece default fears rise as reprofiling talk flounders Deputies confiscate 250 pounds of copper during exchange Bank of America to give away houses. (Thanks to KAF for the link.) Kirk Elliot puts the unemployment rate in proper perspective. Items from The Economatrix: Greece on Verge of Defaulting What Destroyed Rome Was Its Unfunded Government Employee Pensions US Stocks Plunge On European Debt Worries What Happens When Greece Defaults BoE Chief Warns Of More Tough Times


Odds ‘n Sods:

Paulette suggested this: Beginner Basics: Fitting a Backpack    o o o More Nanny Statism: USDA fines family four million dollars for selling bunny rabbits. Thanks to Dann for the link.    o o o Some pointed humor, over at the Paratus Familia blog: Patient Zero    o o o Loyal content contributor F.G. flagged this: Armed With Stone-Tipped Arrows, Hunters Stalk Their Inner Cave Men


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Men are qualified for civil liberty in exact proportion to their disposition to put moral chains upon their own appetites. … Society cannot exist unless a controlling power upon will and appetite be placed somewhere, and the less of it there is within, the more there must be without. It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things, that men of intemperate minds cannot be free. Their passions forge their fetters." – Edmund Burke



Pat’s Product Reviews: Kershaw Zero Tolerance 0300 Knife

I like big knives, folders or fixed blade models. I’ve found over the years that, you can accomplish more tasks with a big knife, than you can with a smaller knife. Of course, that’s not to say that, small knives don’t have their place – they do! My personal preference is for bigger knives, and one reason I like bigger knives is that they are usually built stronger.   I was on-board when Kershaw Knives started their new ZT Division. The ZT stands for “Zero Tolerance”. And, I’ve toured the Kershaw plant several times, to know that, Kershaw has a …


Letter From Mike Williamson Re: Bugging Out Via Boat

Dear Jim, My in laws had a 46-foot Dolphin Catamaran for a while.  This is in current dollars a near $1 million state of the art boat, with sails, diesel engines, GPS, auto-pilot, radios, staterooms, the works. I’ve got moderate experience in several types of boats, from pocket fishing types to speed boats and small sport sailboats. They were constantly having to replace “canvas” (usually nylon, fiberglass or Kevlar on boats these days), lines, electronics and do engine work.  Nearly every letter from aboard was about the latest round of maintenance, the need for safety lines while at sea (including …


Letter Re: Diabetic Preparedness – Storing Insulin in a Grid Down World

Sir: All this debate on the best DIY refrigeration method [for insulin] omitted a key question: What is the real shelf life for insulin, if you keep it properly refrigerated? Thanks, – J.E.C. JWR Replies: Definitive data is available in this diabetes journal article: How Long Should Insulin Be Used Once a Vial Is Started?. The article notes the following from a pharmaceutical manufacturer for refrigerated, unopened bottles: “Lantus was found to meet stability criteria for at least 24 months when stored between 36 and 46°F (2 and 8°C) (Aventis, data on file). Accelerated stability testing at 77°F (25°C) revealed …


Letter Re: Minerals, Nutrients and Essential Oils for Survival

Jim: Regarding this statement in a recent article [by M.G.M.] : “To test your body’s need for iodine, you place a drop on your wrist or foot, if it absorbs within four hours, your body is in need of iodine. (You will want to slowly build up [with an incrementally larger area of skin covered], over months so as not to disrupt your thyroid), if the mark stays close to eight hours, then you are sufficient in iodine. Your body will soak it up if you need it.” This is an old wives’ tale. The visibility of iodine on the skin …


Economics and Investing:

Boosters suggested a 2009 documentary that is now available free on YouTube: Why Gold & Silver?. This is a great video that features commentary from experts like Mike Maloney, Robert Kiyosaki, Congressman Ron Paul, David Morgan, Jason Hommel, James Turk, Bill Murphy, and even the irascible Mogambo Guru (Richard Daughty). BTW, this is a great video link to send to your relatives who scoff at hedging into precious metals and other tangibles. David D. liked this piece by Paul Krugman: Making Things in America Our friend Kevin S, sent this from Lew Rockwell’s site: Libertarianism versus Statism Also from Kevin …


Odds ‘n Sods:

My sincere thanks to the several SurvivalBlog readers who have made 10 Cent Challenge voluntary subscription payments.    o o o Larry C. was the first of several readers to recommend this one-hour documentary: College Conspiracy.    o o o I recently received a review copy of the Tactical Point Shooting video. This is a classic from 1992 (back in the VHS tape days) that has just been been re-mastered onto DVD. This fascinating video features SurvivalBlog’s own Pat Cascio, the late John McSweeney, and Sheriff Jim Wilson. The DVD also has some commentary from the late (and legendary) Colonel …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Economic and political prosperity are not the final measures of human progress. The Rome of Trajan was immeasurably more splendid than the Rome of the Scipios; yet the progress had been downwards nevertheless. If the object of our existence on this planet is the development of character, the culminating point in any nation’s history is that at which it produces its noblest and bravest men.” – James Anthony Froude, The English in the West Indies