Year: 2011

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry 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 E.) …


Odds And Ends That You Won’t Want To Be Without, by Sonny Jim

I believe in having all the “big” things, to prepare for the possible breakdown of civil society.   I have a large home outside of a small mid-west town, and expect 12 people to arrive to hunker down, if things do fall apart.  I need to be able to feed and supply of them, perhaps for years. So I have 1,200 gallons of Kerosene.  This is intended for heating the home for 3 winters, and I have 3 Kerosene heaters to do the job.  The Kerosene is stored in in 3 large 330 gallon plastic totes, half buried in my back …


Two Letters Re: Skip Watching The Movie “Contagion”

  Dear Mr. Rawles, I too went and saw “Contagion” with my wife.  It has been interesting to read the various posts about this film, but again I have a different take.  The photography was good, the cast excellent, the script okay, the pro-government and big pharma propaganda was outstanding!  What we came away with was the understanding that the CDC can solve anything (except AIDS of course) and the big pharma can then come to rescue at any time. Yes the movie did a good job portraying would probably happen during this type of event in terms of clearing …


Economics and Investing:

Some serious gloom and doom from mainstream economic commentator Jim Jubak: Get ready for the next crash Reader John R. sent several interesting items: We’re All Greece – And On Fire – Karl Denninger Europe Facts, Not Fiction: Usage Of ECB Deposit Facility Goes Parabolic, Sov CDS Wider Across The Board – Tyler Durden   The Last Haven Standing (Peter Schiff) Items from The Economatrix: Here We Go Again:  US to Breach “Transitory” Debt Ceiling on Monday Gerald Celente Predicts “Winter of Discontent” Here’s Why Greece Leaving the EU Could Cause Another Depression Economy:  World Entering “Dangerous New Phase” Waking …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Blackouts ahead? Texas’ power provider closing units over EPA rule. A tip of the hat to Marilyn R. for the link.)    o o o F.J. pointed me to this: Tiny Houses and Indoor Air Quality Part 1    o o o Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) sent this : Wichita Police Score New Guns.    o o o Double-Murder Charges Dismissed Under Florida ‘Stand Your Ground’ Self-Defense Law. (Thanks to Steven in Texas for the link.)


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

 “Our whole monetary system borrows prosperity from the future so that we can spend it today. When we do a bailout, we’re borrowing more prosperity out of the future just to prop up these zombie companies and zombie banks, and what that does is that all that prosperity is owed back just like our entire currency supply of the planet is all owed back plus interest. That means our prosperity is owed back plus interest.” – Mike Maloney


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry 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 E.) …


Lessons in OPSEC: Hurricane Irene Versus Hurricane Isabel, by Gonzo

In 2003 I lived in what can only be described as “The Hood” when Hurricane Isabel arrived. Today I find myself in a middle class neighborhood for Irene. The difference between the two and how my neighbors are handling these semi-SHTF scenarios gives a very instructive view of operational security (OPSEC) and its effects.  These two hurricanes came ashore about the same place and the same strength, but its two different worlds I have seen the aftermaths effects on. During Isabel I lived in one of the worst sections of Virginia Beach, the sort of place that other people who …


Two Letters Re: Skip Watching The Movie “Contagion”

Mr. Rawles, I’d like to offer a different review of “Contagion” from the one posted by Matt H. First off, I don’t believe it would be wise to look for serious survival information in any [Hollywood] movie. We are talking about Hollyweird after all. Nevertheless there were parts of the film that examined what would happen in such a widespread crisis. One character alone witnessed a home invasion, looted businesses, sealed state borders and a local food riot. Another character, a health care professional, was kidnapped and held for a ransom of vaccine. A woman was trampled by stampeding people …


Letter Re: Bed Bunker Gun Vaults

Jim, The Bed Bunker gun vaults that you just reviewed can exceed the structural capabilities of most standard wood frame houses. By the time you combine the weights of a king or queen size safe, two adults, the mattress, the bed frame, the linens, and the contents of the safe, you could very quickly exceed one ton of weight or ~60 pounds per square foot for a queen bed (add another 10 to 14 pounds per square foot for the structure of the building). Most wood frame construction is designed for 40 pounds per square foot and allows for 25 …


Economics and Investing:

Three article links courtesy of loyal content contributor K.A.F.: German minister raises ‘orderly default’ for Greece Greek default jitters hammer French banks, euro Greek tax, customs workers and taxis on strike Rhonda T. flagged this: The Fed’s options are futile without Congress C.D.V. sent this: S&P Could Fall 20%, 2-Year Treasury Hit 0%: Analyst Items from The Economatrix: John Galt:  The September Calendar of Potential Doom and Disaster by Date and Event Commodities Look Set to Rocket Higher Analysis:  Pension Funds in New Crisis as Deficit Hole Grows Regulators Close Small Florida Bank; 2011 Total is 71 World Biggest Economies …


Odds ‘n Sods:

The excellent five-minute ultralight flight “Patriots” locales video that I mentioned debuted last week has already had more than 3,600 views. It is available free, via YouTube. As I mentioned before, this gent’s well-edited footage really captures the look and feel of some of the key locales in my novel. And in it you can see how pretty the Palouse Hills region is at harvest time. It is a High Definition (HD) video, so be sure to watch it at “full screen” size. Dan Fong lives!    o o o A reader in Gallup, New Mexico wrote to ask what …



Jim’s Product Review: Bed Bunker Gun Vaults

One of my consulting clients recently bought several Bed Bunker gun vaults and I had the chance to examine them. This product is an unusual horizontal home gun vault design that replaces your bed’s box springs. These vaults have two major advantages: 1.) They don’t take up any more floor space than your current furniture, and 2.) They will probably be overlooked by most burglars that are in a hurry. (And statistics show that most burglars are in a hurry. Typically, they are in a house for less than five minutes. The bad guys can’t attack a safe if they …


Letter Re: Job Opportunities in Northwestern Montana

For those looking to relocate to the American Redoubt, I just got word of some job opportunities at a family-owned and operated woodstove company in Troy, Montana: Are you looking for a way out of city life but can’t find a well paying job in a remote area? Montana based Obadiah’s Woodstoves has openings for secretary, bookkeeper, web site design, SEO maintenance and possibly inside sales. We are also looking for a future manager to oversee operations. If your looking to live and work near beautiful Glacier National Park in Northwestern Montana, for a honest rapidly growing company focused on …