Day: January 27, 2012

Note From JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 39 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) 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 C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a …


To Shoot or Not to Shoot?, by Mr. White

I have been a police officer for eleven years, with assignments in patrol, SWAT, undercover operations, and as a use of force and firearms instructor, I’m often asked by gun owners one question. The questions usually goes something like, “When can I legally shoot someone?” Or, “Can I shoot somebody if they do this?” Because I am prepping myself, I also talk with those who are preparing  for the collapse of society. They generally don’t ask those questions. With the possibility of no law enforcement or court system to worry about, they believe they can shoot anyone who, in anyway, …


Learning From Extreme Missionaries, by Chuck Holton

As an international war correspondent, my work takes me to more than a dozen far-flung war zones every year. In my travels, I am often reminded just how thin the veneer of civilization really is, and get to meet many families caught in crisis and see the different ways they manage to survive. A recent trip to Africa brought one of the most powerful examples, where I met a family of missionaries who have built their lives in one of the most harsh and inhospitable corners of the planet. While for most survivalists, prepping for “TEOTWAWKI” is a “what if” …


Letter Re: Profitable Homesteading: How to Thrive in a TEOTWAWKI World

Good Afternoon,  As someone who has tried playing the big stock market as mentioned in Profitable Homesteading: How to Thrive in a TEOTWAWKI World, by Dusty, I’d like to add the following caution.  Don’t quit your full time job if you want to try this option.  For the past year or more we in Central Texas have been in  exceptional drought conditions.  I have a small herd of Dexter cows.  Due to the lack of grass in my sixty plus acres of native pastures I have been forced to rely on 1000 lb bales of hay and local co-op 20% …


Two Letters Re: You Have to Shoot in TEOTWAWKI–Then What?

Mr. Rawles, During my train up for my deployment to Iraq, we were taught how to properly document evidence for prosecution of suspected insurgents. Formerly, this was known as Sensitive Site Exploitation (SSE), but was renamed to Tactical Site Exploitation (TSE) a few years ago. One of the biggest things drilled into us was they did not want any American soldiers in any of the pictures. There are probably a myriad of reasons for this, but it made sense. My suggestion with taking pictures to document anything would to not have any people in the pictures to begin with, if …


Letter Re: Some Thoughts on Burning Coal

James: It’s been interesting to see the buzz about coal lately. Certainly something worth looking in to. I’m not for or against it, but I do have a few comments: If you are into blacksmithing, a coal supply will serve multiple purposes. Not all coal is equal. High grade coal is less sulfurous than low grade coal, though I only notice that when I am working with open burning coals like over a forge. It may not be an issue in a stove. I don’t know but it might be worth washing low grade coal. It’s something I want to …


Economics and Investing:

J. McC. suggested a piece over at the Of Two Minds blog. From Kevin: $100 Bill: The Fed Has a $110 Billion Problem with New Benjamins Items from The Economatrix: Has Portugal’s Debt Default Clock Begun To Tick? New Normal on Wall Street: Smaller and Restrained Payroll Tax Cuts Raise Worries About Social Security’s Future Funding Japan Logs First Trade Deficit Since 1980 New Prediction — Economic Collapse:  First To Europe Then To U.S. And World 11 “Stunning Revelations” From a Confidential Economics Memo To Obama


Odds ‘n Sods:

Dan P. suggested an alarming white paper, published by the normally non-alarmist IEEE: A Perfect Storm of Planetary Proportion: The approach of the solar maximum is an urgent reminder that power grids everywhere are more vulnerable than ever to geomagnetic effects    o o o An editor at BoingBoing wrote a nice variation on the recent Reuter’s wire service article: Preppers: suburban survivalists.    o o o Check this out: 1LessonSelfDefense.com    o o o Seed for Security has announced a new bonus promotion that will enable gardeners to get a head start on their harvest. A Spring collection, which …