Year: 2011

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Rick B. wrote to mention: “The most important factor in determining when to plant a certain type of vegetable in your garden is the ‘Last Freeze Date’ in the spring, and the ‘First Freeze Date’ in the fall for your area. See the state-by-state charts of these dates, with city specific data, collected over a 30 year period by the National Climatic Data Center.”    o o o F.G. flagged this: Why Middle-Class Americans Are Turning to Dumpster Diving    o o o K.A.F. mentioned: Extended Interview with Fast and Furious Whistleblower    o o o Did you cancel …



Note from JWR:

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 …


Small Scale Alternative Energy in Suburbia, by David J.

The range of topics in prepping pretty much covers the spectrum of life, and all aspects tend to be connected, however, this article is mostly limited to my strategies to power my grid dependant, difficult to defend, suburban home when the grid is down, all the while on a limited budget.  No new, earth shattering, break through here, just a plan that uses lots of basics. My circumstances probably reflect a sizable demographic of the folks who are attempting to prepare for hard times in the suburbs.  A middle class male, married with 4 kids, living in a stick house, …


Start-up Techniques for Investing in Silver and Gold, by D. V.

Investing in silver and gold is a hedge against potential inflation and monetary devaluation; it is a way to keep high concentrations of wealth portable and off-grid and it can be fun and profitable.   Gold and silver has been a way to grow and preserve wealth since wealth has been defined.   The downside is that silver and gold are expensive and becoming more so, there is a typically a specialized group that you must deal with to see return value and it is not at all edible. I have been a coin collector on and off throughout my life.  As …


Two Letters Re: Everyday Carry Items

Dear Mr. Rawles, I was very glad to see J.C.R.’s article on Everyday Carry Items and wholeheartedly agree with him that Everyday Carry (EDC) is of critical importance when preparing for events that happen at speeds that do not allow time to fetch go-bags or other equipment. While he makes excellent suggestions on items to carry and notes the importance of keeping these items compact and lightweight for ease and consistency of carry, there are some additional notes that I thought your readers may find helpful. Firstly, rather than limiting the EDC of whistles to women’s handbags, I recommend that …


Economics and Investing:

Ryan S. sent: IMF downgrades outlook for US and Europe economies J.W.M. spotted this: Florida credit processor to give away AK-47s Paul K. mentioned a recent BBC piece: Anarchy in the USA – could it happen here? Over at The Daily Bell: Advisers Emphasize Calm as Global Depression Gathers More nationalization down in Hugo Land: Venezuela forces miners to sell gold to government Items from The Economatrix: Stocks Plunge After Fed Announces Stimulus Steps $2,000 Gold Now in Sight Big-name Brands Cut Size Not Price Gold Will Soar on Imminent US Bailout of Europe China Pulls The Rug Out From …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Jeremiah S. and Ed. B. both sent me the link to this article from Wyoming, New York: Old bomb shelter, supplies harken back to Cold War days    o o o Andre D. sent this: The Secret Lives of Solar Flares    o o o In a four-day period that included Labor Day weekend, there were 67 people shot in the streets of New York City. Not content with the manifold lack of success of some of the most restrictive gun laws in the country, Mayor Michael Bloomberg called for the enactment of more gun control laws! He was quoted: …



Notes from JWR:

I just heard that Jan Lebaron of Healthy Harvest died suddenly yesterday, due to an undisclosed illness. Please keep her family in your prayers. To help the family with upcoming funeral expenses, purchases from their web store would be greatly appreciated. (It is a small, family-owned company.) — 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 …


You Are At Your Retreat — What Now?, by D.H.

Many of us have plans to get our family and friends to a retreat once the Schumer hits the fan (SHTF). Many of us have written down plans that tell us what things to grab before we leave (so we don’t forget something important), but how many of you have written down plans for what to do once you’re there, at your retreat? Why write them down? Well, because even though you may know everything you’re going to do once there, maybe the others don’t. For some unforeseen reason, you may not even make it there. Will your family know …


Basic Rifle Marksmanship–Is It That Basic?

To be the best at something we must start out at the basics.  But in marksmanship, what are the basics?  The basics don’t start when we put the magazine in our rifle.  The basics start well before we fire the first shot.  We don’t want our first marksmanship test to be when we absolutely have to fire a shot in defense or necessity.  Marksmanship is something that many don’t come by naturally.  It must be worked on.  For those who it comes naturally to, practice makes perfect and some things need to be discovered in practice before they are discovered …


Review of Self-Reliance Expo, Denver, Colorado by L.K.O.

I recently spent a day at at the Denver Self-Reliance Expo. It was held September 16-17, 2011. The expo showcased a variety of friendly and enthusiastic survival, self-reliance and preparedness vendors and presenters. Several of the companies there are loyal SurvivalBlog advertisers. It was great meeting many of them in person for the first time. Just one example was meeting Dave Duffy of Backwoods Home Magazine. I had been reading his columns for many years, so it was about time! In the arena of weapons and security, vendors included 5280 Armory, Hilltop Safes, Smart Product Technology (underground security pods), On Sight …


Economics and Investing:

I noticed over at The Daily Bell: EU – Britain Wants Out? Rolling Sovereign Debt Defaults and Euro Break-Up Ahead? Veteran content contributor K.A.F. sent this: J.C. Penney to Close Stores, Exit Catalog Business Items from The Economatrix: Stocks Rally On Hopes For Fed Stimulus Measures August Home Building Fell 5%, Slide Continues Oil Rising on Expectations of Fed Stimulus Eight Arrested as Third Day of Wall Street “Rage” Protests Clog NYC Sidewalks


Odds ‘n Sods:

K.T. mentioned a piece over in the new Survival and Prosperity blog about Nanny State Massachusetts: Boston Businesses May Soon Need A License To Sell Knives    o o o Drew W. spotted this: How to Survive a Gunshot Wound    o o o Nathan A. suggested this: Life After An EMP Attack: No Power, No Food, No Transportation, No Banking And No Internet    o o o Nichole R. mentioned this: Infographic: How Big a Backyard Would You Need to Live Off the Land?    o o o Secret recordings raise new questions in ATF ‘Gunwalker’ operation