Year: 2011

Some Useful Government Training, by David N. From Tennessee

Just like everybody else, I am unique. In the disaster prepper field I am unique in that I am both a diehard personal prepper and a college trained emergency management professional.  I did not become one because of the other; my personal preparedness mindset comes from my parents, as well as my internal system of ethics and belief structure.  My career path grew out of my military and correction background.  However, even though they are separate, I find that my skills in one translate to the other even though the goals of the two are not always identical. I would …


Six Letters Re: A Prepper Goes to College

James:  The article “A Prepper Goes to College” by S. John aptly points out a problem in which is completely avoidable.  It is heartbreaking to know that so many people are setting themselves up for a life of lost opportunities by being saddled with educational debt.   This problem is the subject of the book Debt-Free U: How I Paid for an Outstanding College Education Without Loans, Scholarships, or Mooching off My Parents by Zac Bissonnette.  “Debt-Free U” points out the huge disparity in the cost/value relationships of the many college education options.  It provides strategies (solutions) for getting a good …


Economics and Investing:

J.B.G. was the first of several readers to mention this: Return of the Gold Standard as world order unravels Over at Fierce Finance: FATCA law is little known–but could be tricky Tina B. suggeted this by Ellen Brown: Why QE2 Failed: The Money All Went Offshore Gary North: On the Road to Government Default. (Thanks to John R. for the link.) Headline from England: Age of austerity to continue for decades, warns OBR Items from The Economatrix: UK:  Suicide Rates Rise as Debt and Cuts Take Their Toll 25 Reasons to Buy Gold and Dump Dollars Italy Contagion Fears Knock …


Odds ‘n Sods:

“Fast and Furious” Scandal Making Cops, Citizens Furious Fast. Just one correction: This was not a “renegade operation”. It was sanctioned at the highest levels of the BATFE and the Obama Administration.    o o o I just heard about a company that makes a very clever compact fishing pole: Montana Innovative Fishing Gear. These are American-made. (Yes, I checked: They are manufactured in Spokane, Washington.) They are ideal for backpacking, or even for your “maxi” size bug out bag. These poles can be used for bait casting, trolling, ice fishing, and even marginally well for fly fishing.    o …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king. And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint [them] for himself, for his chariots, and [to be] his horsemen; and [some] shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and [will set them] to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. And he will take …


Notes from JWR:

For the next 24 hours, Lulu.com is offering a further 20% off the already reduced price of the SurvivalBlog 5-Year Archive CD-ROM. To take 20% off the $14.96 price (bringing it down to just $11.96) use the discount code “BIG“. This sale ends at midnight tonight — Friday, July 15, 2011. Also note that production of the archive CD-ROM will end on August 1st, so order your copy today! (Lulu will soon no longer be producing any CD-ROMs. We are setting up production with a new vendor, but the CD-ROM probably won’t be available for ordering again until September or …


Raising Backyard Chickens, by Kevin T.

The following are some of my suggestions on backyard poultry flocks, based on my experience: Before you take possession of your birds consider where you will keep your flock. A backyard can work just fine, if your local zoning abides it. If you are going to let your birds roam outside their coop then you will need to fence your yard in to keep the birds in and four legged predators out. Fencing can be as simple and as aesthetically pleasing as you want. If you have an existing solid fence you are in luck. If you do not have …


Pat’s Product Review: German Sport Guns (GSG) .22s

A relative newcomer on the firearms scene is German Sport Guns (GSG) which, as the name implies, are guns made in Germany. GSG firearms are imported into the USA by American Tactical Imports (ATI) and they are causing quite a stir these days. Under review here are the GSG-5 and the GSG-1911 firearms. The GSG-5 is a “clone” of sorts, of the HK94 semiauto carbine (patterned on the Heckler & Koch MP-5 submachine gun) – except it’s semiauto only and it fires .22 Long Rifle (LR) cartridges. The GSG-1911, is a virtual “clone” of the legendary 1911 .45 ACP handgun, …


Letter Re: Planning for Multi-Family Cohabitation

Hi Jim, Just wanted to chime in here on the recent blog post about multi-family living. There are currently three families in our house: Five adults and and four children ranging in ages from 13 down to 6. (This includes two married couples and a single mom.) And how did all of this begin? Well the spark was friendship.  My wife and my friend’s wife were best friends and room mates. We spent all of our time at the girls apartment, going there after church, meeting there for evening outings, etc. I would get back to my apartment with just …


Letter Re: Observations From Fence Building

Dear Mr. Rawles: As a Texas rancher, I understand the difficulties associated with fence building and repair. Too much fence building in a short amount of time will run off a good ranch hand. Mudflap’s comments about proper clothing and hydration when fence building are right and should be given attention. We use twisted smooth wire (no barbs) for horse pens but to contain cattle, barbed wire is necessary. Good gloves are essential. Pigskin gloves are very barb resistant. You will be nicked by the barbed wire, so stay current with tetanus shots. Every vehicle on my ranch has a set of fencing pliers …


Economics and Investing:

Bernanke: Fed May Launch New Round of Stimulus. It seems that Helicopter Ben is addicted to “quantitative easing”–the Fed’s euphemism for monetizing Federal debt. If they can repeatedly get away with creating dollars out of thin air, then the end result is inevitable: the wholesale destruction of the U.S. Dollar as a currency unit. Reader John T. liked this piece by Jim Willie: The Silver Platter Opportunity Yohay over at FOREX Crunch posted this provocative article: Captain Ben Can Handle the Debt Ceiling D.S. sent this: Derivatives Rules to Help Swaps Market Grow $40.7 Trillion, Citigroup Says. The market for …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Here is something new for all you paracord hobbyists: BBK Paracord “Rip Cords”. It isn’t patented, so I suppose it a good candidate for reverse engineering.    o o o Just a slight tightening of the noose: Police: Internet providers must keep user logs.    o o o Dark Fireworks on the Sun. (Thanks to Frank Z. for the link.)    o o o Ready Made Resources has added the Goal Zero PV portable power systems to their product line.


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.” – Isaiah 41:10-11 (KJV)


Notes from JWR:

Warning! Today’s Economics and Investing news is guaranteed to exceed your recommended daily allowance of Gloom und Doom. — Today we present another entry for Round 35 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 …


A Prepper Goes to College, by S. John

In this article I intend to give the prepper some Christian perspective on what is valuable in an education. First, a couple of quotes: “Youth is wasted on the young.” – George Bernard Shaw “Education is wasted on the youth.” – Michelle Hanson Many people are considering college and advanced education this year, especially with the unemployment at record highs. They believe that having a college degree will help them get out of the economic slump they find themselves in. They imagine a high-paying job in a new field, and economic prosperity. Unfortunately, college is not what it used to …