Year: 2011

Odds ‘n Sods:

Dirk W. spotted this: At Vacant Homes, Foraging for Fruit    o o o Reader Bob J. sent this: Did Wal-Mart stop people from giving CPR to man? Bob’s comment: “This news story reminded me so much of an incident from Michael Z. Williamson’s excellent book “The Weapon.”    o o o The End is Nigh: Let’s All Move to Barter Village! “Located in a tiny castle (yes, castle) in northeast Arkansas, Barter Village is an “experimental educational project” where people who’ve been particularly hurt by the down economy can go to learn survival skills such as organic farming, sewing …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater …


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.) …


Partially Safeguard Your Well Pump Against EMP and Solar Flares, by R.L.

Those of us who at all remain connected to the main power grid run the very real risk of having no water following an electrical crisis event, whether man made or natural. That back up generator you intend to switch over to after a power failure will not fire up your well if the pump and/or the pump control box is already fried.   Unless you have not only food, but several thousand gallons of water in a buried cistern (with a hand pump) all the storage supplies in the world will count for naught within only a few days …


Letter Re: Book Recommendation The Worst Hard Time

Yo Jim, We live in Roger Mills County, Oklahoma next to the Texas Panhandle. This summer when the weather reports from Oklahoma City were pointing out temperatures in the 105 to 112 range in areas north and south of us ours here were considerably higher. We have a large face thermometer in the back yard on a post inside a wooden open faced box facing away from the sun and not in a shaded area. Yesterday it read 114. Today it is reading 113 at 3 pm. Many days it has read 120 pegged to its maximum. I personally have …


Letter Re: If You Cannot Evacuate

Dear Editor: Re: If You Cannot Evacuate, by B.A.F. Regarding this bit of mis-information… “If someone trying to get into your home is high on Methamphetamines or PCP, he won’t even feel a 9mm and a .40 Smith will only enrage him. The bare minimum I would have is a .38 +P or a .357 Magnum. Jacketed Hollow Points are the order of the day here! A .357 SIG in my opinion is also inadequate in these circumstances. Bottom line: Buy either a .357 Magnum for anyone or a .45 ACP such as a 1911 type semi-auto.” I understand that the …


Economics and Investing:

James C. chimed in with this: Obama Agriculture Secretary: Food Stamps Create Jobs. JWR’s Comment: Oh, yes, and graffiti creates spray paint and spray paint creates teenage angst, and… Items from The Economatrix: Thinking The Unthinkable:  Sell US Treasuries Moody’s Lowers Economic Growth Outlook Former Obama Whitehouse Economist: Unemployment Won’t Drop Below 8% Before End of 2012 US Economy Has Young Americans Downsizing Their Dreams


Odds ‘n Sods:

K.A.F. suggested this blog post: SHTF Rifle    o o o Drew flagged this: How to Get the Most out of your Mil-Dot Reticle    o o o Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) sent this: Defcon Lockpickers Open Card-And-Code Government Locks In Seconds. And speaking of hacking, The Other Steve C. sent this: Five things you probably didn’t know could be hacked.    o o o I recently posted a link to an American Defense Enterprises (ADE) video, by way of Tam’s blog. That video was so roundly criticized for its buffoonery, posing, and insanely unsafe gun handling …



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.) …


Do-It-Yourself Water Filtration, by Robert B.

Introduction: I’ve maintained a salt water reef tank for more than 10 years. The following is a improvised method that I used to process water to the point where it was acceptable for use with coral and salt water fish [before it is salinated] . Coral and salt water fish are very sensitive to toxic chemicals, nitrates, nitrites, phosphates, and ammonia in some cases just  .02-20 PPM would be deadly to salt water animals, so filtration quality was key.  Improvised Water Filter Water Filtration and Storage On the run filtration Building a Water Filter Collection and Storage On the run filtration …


A Note of Thanks From Pat Cascio

I would like to say thanks to all the SurvivalBlog readers, who took the time to drop me an e-mail to thank me for my articles and efforts, writing for SurvivalBlog. I personally responded to every one of you who wrote. I’m sorry my responses couldn’t have been longer, but I received more than 100 e-mails from SurvivalBloggers, and it took me quite a while to catch-up to them all. I sincerely appreciated hearing from each and every one of you. I’ve learned that SurvivalBlog readers are usually a very intelligent bunch of folks, not your average run-of-the-mill, gun store …


Letter Re: Ireland Shipwreck Illustrates Some Preparedness Principles

Letter Re: Ireland Shipwreck Illustrates Some Preparedness Principles JWR: This news article: American crew members tell the story of their rescue off West Cork coast illustrates some preparedness principles. There are a lot of lessons in this story: (1) What will you be wearing [or “everyday carrying”] you when you’re tossed into a survival situation? (2) Experienced sailors caught short. Preparedness mindset? [Preparedness oversights] could be fatal. (3) In a group willing to help, but can’t be seen. Flare pens [should be] in an always-worn survival vest. (4) Rescued by Gooferment forces standing by. Who pays for that, and all the other, rescues? …


Letter Re: Prepping for Missionaries and Other Long Term Foreign Workers

Dear Mr. Rawles, I have been following the thread on “Prepping for Missionaries and Other Long Term Foreign Workers.”  My business partner and I have more than one hundred mission trips between us and have been first responders to several of the latest disasters including the Tsunami in Banda Aceh, Hurricane Dean in Jamaica, and the Earthquake in Haiti. Several of the writers and especially P.J.H. has been spot on in their information.  Problems in the mission field or for the foreign worker have a direct correlation to the lack of understanding for the culture of the country where they …


Economics and Investing:

RJK sent this: End Game Approaching in Europe: No Way Out But Debt Restructuring Back to the Future: Gold, JPY, DAX, Paulson – CRASH? Report: Crop losses in Texas top $5 billion. (Thanks to Michael W. for the link.) How to Dig Yourself Out of Credit Card Debt Thanks to Chris S. for spotting this: President Hugo Chavez announced Wednesday he is nationalizing Venezuela’s gold mining industry and intends to bring home $11 billion in gold reserves currently held in U.S. and European banks. Items from The Economatrix: A Big Bounce, Ounce By Ounce, and Gold Takes Off Core Wholesale …