“For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. Thou [art] my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” – Psalm 32: 6-8 (KJV)
Today we present another two entries for Round 33 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 round case of 12 Gauge Hornady …
Let’s be honest. Thinking about the end of the world is kind of fun. If it weren’t, there wouldn’t be so many post-apocalyptic novels, movies and television shows. Preparing for a relatively slow-moving Armageddon like a civil war or pandemic demands a lot of shopping which is an enjoyable pastime. However, as the grieving citizens of Christchurch, New Zealand attest, the most likely threats are also the most sudden, the least glamorous, and not fun at all. TEOTWAWKI may or may not happen in our lifetimes, but almost everyone has to deal with a natural disaster at one time or …
There are two extremes that you should avoid: 1. The Clueless Yuppie – The Yuppie typically has one jar of olives and half a case of Diet Pepsi in his refrigerator on average,e at all times. He has no Cash/Silver/Gold in the house, relies entirely on credit/debit cards, eats out all the time, and does not know how to cook. He would face instant starvation in normal times if he could not rely on restaurants or if the power went out and he could not use his cards. If he has a medical condition that requires prescription medications, he refills …
Mr. Rawles, I’ve been reading your blog for quite some time now and have gleaned tons of useful information to prepare my family for many different situations. I live in hurricane country, so while the likely hood of a total collapse of our economy might be small, the possibility of another Hurricane Katrina event or worse is not. With the weather starting warm (here in the southeast anyway), I started thinking about shooting skills. I had grown up with rifles and shotguns, so in the past I have been focused more on pistol skills. This spring I took to the …
Charley S. pointed me to an opinion piece in The New York Times on the silver market by William D. Cohan: A Conspiracy With a Silver Lining. We are witnessing a market that is so hot, and that has taken so many mainstream market pundits by surprise that they finally realize that it is time to mention alternative media sources like Silverseek, 321Gold and Seeking Alpha. I’ve been quoting and linking to these site since 2005. All that I can say to the mainstream media is: “Well, better late than never!” Here’s a thought to ponder: How many times does …
Some additional BATFE Gunwalker scandal details: More on the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. I’m glad to hear that CBS News is following up on this with another segment. (Thanks to “Word” for the link.) o o o Reader W.P.R. noted that on Wednesday, Wyoming became the fourth state to recognize the right to concealed carry without a permit. (They joined Vermont, Alaska, and Arizona.) I expect that Colorado, Idaho, Montana, South Carolina, and Utah will soon follow suit. Please contact your state legislators, and encourage them to introduce or co-sponsor similar legislation.) o o o …
“But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called [thee] by thy name; thou [art] mine. When thou passest through the waters, I [will be] with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I [am] the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt [for] thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.” – Isaiah …
Today (Friday, March 4th, 2011) is Book Bomb Day for the new book Surviving Off Off-Grid: Decolonizing the Industrial Mind. It was written by Michael Bunker, a Plain (Amish-associated) man that lives at a Christian Agrarian community in Texas. I haven’t yet read the book, but according to the reviews, he has a wealth of knowledge about living without electricity. (I heard about the book release event at the last minute, which places me at a disadvantage.) One reviewer described the author: “Michael Bunker is a colourful character. He’s like John Wayne, John Calvin, Grizzly Adams and Thomas Cromwell rolled …
As I have started my basic food stash, I have noticed that many plans do not have any options for vegetarians or vegans. I have been vegetarian for over 23 years, and while, in a true long-term emergency I would have to eat meat, it would require me to start slow, as to not make myself ill. It’s pretty difficult to go from eating no animal products to eating meat overnight. My body would need time to get used to it and develop the enzymes I have lost over the years to digest the meat protein well. With this in …
As a reformed Christian and novice “prepper”, I am so glad to have found your blog and all the informative material that it contains. With your help, I am becoming prepared for the hard times that I believe are imminent. I am a general surgeon practicing in the southeast. Your writings have caused me to think a lot about the logistical vulnerabilities that exist in our health care system and how drastically surgery would change if/when Schumer hits the fan. The Coming Instrument Shortages Many instruments and most of the supplies that we use for routine operations are disposable. …
Dear Mr. Rawles – Regarding the recent post on “Forever Preps”…. “Forever Prep #3: “Dry” Bleach This has often been covered by various sources on SurvivalBlog, but so-called “dry” bleach (pure Calcium Hypochlorite) lasts forever. If you go a little crazy and buy two 25 pound boxes of it from a big box store, you can make a solution that can purify about 4 million gallons of water! And, by the way, this Forever Prep is also very cheap (about $45-$50 for 25 pounds) and takes almost no storage space. You must store dry bleach extremely securely if you have …
Jim, The contributed article titled “Some Observations From a Texas Winter Storm” made no mention of tire chains. Vehicles with v-bar tire chains can drive on ice, snow or mud when others cannot move. With Kind Regards, – Vlad S.
State Worker Retirements Soar Across the Country Gonzalo Lira: The Dollar, and The Next Ten Days. “The next ten days will be key: Will the dollar spike up? Become the safe haven of everyone fleeing from the world’s troubles? Or will the dollar nosedive, the first big step down in its death spiral?” James Turk – The Dollar Collapse Will Shock the World G.G. suggested this piece by Michael Pento: It’s Taps For the Still Weakening Dollar Items from The Economatrix: February Retail Sales Rise In Most Categories Oil Jumps Above $102 Bernanke Sees 200,000 Hit to Jobs …
C.D.V. sent us a link to an interesting “heat” chart: Feeling the Heat: Global Inflation Britons face soaring food prices as supermarkets boost margins and blame inflation, analysts warn. File Under “Humor Department”: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Tuesday the U.S. central bank is ready to respond as necessary to a surge in global commodity prices caused in part by unrest in the Middle East, though he said inflation expectations remain low.