“There is the moral of all human tales; ‘Tis but the same rehearsal of the past. First freedom and then Glory – when that fails, Wealth, vice, corruption – barbarism at last.” – George Gordon (Lord Byron), “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage“, Canto IV
I’m sure that most of you noticed that gold and silver took deep dips on Thursday and Friday. (Spot silver declined nearly 20%–almost $9 per ounce!) Then an odd thing happened last weekend: I attended a gun show deep in the American Redoubt. I was happy to see that there were four coin dealers that had rented tables there. I had brought some cash with me, hoping to buy some more silver. I also brought a few fractional gold coins to swap for silver, or perhaps even platinum. (Since spot platinum is presently priced below gold!) But my more realistic …
Okay, I admit it, I’m a Prepper. The first time I read the Boy Scout Motto “Be Prepared”, I was hooked. “Be prepared for what?” someone once asked Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, “Why, for any old thing.” said Baden-Powell. My real awakening with the Boy Scout Handbook was my first introduction to fire. Learning to make a basic campfire, a cook fire, bonfire and camp-fire television were the first tastes of what would prepare me for the future. I camped, earned merit badges and worked my way to First Class and Patrol leader all the while putting an end …
OB? Not bad if you need one. CB? Good times on the road. PB? Quite tasty–with or without J. BB? Good training gun for kids to start with. TB? No thanks. Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The disease is poorly understood in the US due to rare infections until the last 20 years or so, TB went nuts here and peaked in 1992. New York City was in some areas more than three times the national average for infections per 100,000 population. There were many reasons listed for this spike, but the two biggest were immigration and AIDS. …
James, I’m looking for info on the range (radius) of direct electromagnetic pulse (EMP) effects from a nuclear detonation. If you could point me in the right direction, I’d be most appreciative. Sincerely, – Todd H. JWR Replies: I have discussed this before in SurvivalBlog, such as in my reply to this letter posted in 2009.
Hi Jim, I’ve been chasing some practical technologies that have proved useful to me. I hope that you find them useful as well. As you know, power usage in an off-grid environment is a purse to be tightly controlled. After all, when you make your own, you cautiously guard it’s use. I‘ve been using LED strings from Inirgee.com for the past number of years at the off grid ranch and have been well pleased. I’ve used the warm white and the cool white and learned I like warm white inside and cool white outside. Recently I …
Mr. Rawles: In a recent SurvivalBlog post, Alan W. wrote: “It has a 400w inverter with a modified sine wave output. During Hurricane Irene the only thing that I could get it to power was a standard lamp with an incandescent light bulb! It wouldn’t run tools or electronics.” I believe he is drawing the wrong conclusion from this experience. Instead of blaming the (admittedly inferior) “modified sine wave” inverter, he should have blamed himself for not testing his equipment before the emergency struck. I own a number of inexpensive inverters with “modified sine wave” ranging from 175 watt to …
Pierre M. sent this: Bank of America is Becoming a “Counterparty Risk” Like Bear and Lehman Over at Fierce Finance: Banks downgraded, but is too-big-to-fail really over? G.G. sent a link to a noteworthy news article dated September 19th that I had missed: Israel Has Dumped 46 Percent of Its U.S. Treasury Bills; Russia 95 Percent Also from G.G.: Virginia regulators closed another bank, bringing the nationwide tally of bank failures to 72 for the year. Items from The Economatrix: Oil Falls Below $80 On Demand Concerns Global Leaders Struggle to Calm Recession Fears Signs of China Slowdown Add to …
John R. spotted this: Hay The Latest Target For Thieves As Prices Skyrocket o o o P.L. recommended an informative firearms article by Grant Cunningham: Lubrication 101 o o o Allie in Montana mentioned an amazing truly “minimalist” Kydex holster: The Zacchaeus Concealment Holster, made by Dale Fricke Holsters. It is particularly useful for those that like “Mexican Carry”, but that don’t want a gun to slip too deep down their pants. (That can be embarrassing, not to mention unsafe!) Having the triggerguard fully enclosed is particularly important for pistols that lack a thumb safety lever (and with …
“Between the hand wringing over Greece and the Eurozone, the Palestinian-related hair-pulling at the UN, the stock market cra**ing the bed, and NASA running around yelling that the sky is falling, the only way you can tell the front page of CNN.com from SurvivalBlog right now is by the graphics and color schemes.” – Tamara, at the View From The Porch blog
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 …
One of the most often overlooked and underestimated issues regarding first aid are environmental related injuries. In the event that ambulance services and advanced medical personnel are unavailable, there are measures that a person can take to alleviate symptoms, prevent organ damage, and possibly save a life. From my own personal experience as a paramedic, I have found that these emergencies are usually unexpected even in people who are in relatively good medical condition. Environmental injuries are problems we don’t usually encounter on a regular basis in our daily lives. While our bodies can usually compensate for extreme environment exposure, …
As preppers we have all heard of the Three B’s those would be beans, bullets and Band-Aids. An alliteration for food, protection/sufficiency and medical supplies. We should know their importance and for the most part practice it as part of our lifestyle. In our home we utilize a fourth B, the Bible. Let me explain why we feel the Bible is just that important. I am a bi-vocational pastor serving in the Blue Ridge of the Appalachian Mountains. In case you don’t understand the meaning of bi-vocational I support my wife and I with a full time job while I …
James: That was a great article on marksmanship and very relevant for me as this last weekend I participated in an Appleseed shoot. The instructors are volunteers who did a great job (and refused any monetary tips). It is a great organization! They covered many of the topics you mentioned in this article. For the first time in my life I feel like I finally have the fundamentals necessary to be a skilled shooter. I’ve grown up plinking with BB guns and .22 rimfires all my life and have always been a decent shot. Assuming 95% of your readers will …
Sir: I had purchased two Schumacher brand Portable Power packs-essentially a [gel cell] battery with [just] an inverter without the extra buzzers and bells from a company that makes quality battery chargers. It has a 400w inverter with a modified sine wave output. During Hurricane Irene the only thing that I could get it to power was a standard lamp with an incandescent light bulb! It wouldn’t run tools or electronics. After some Internet research, I found that most units used the modified sine wave because it is a less expensive design. Unfortunately, it may or may not supply power to the unit that …