Month: January 2012

Two Letters Re: Fire Protection 101

Dear Mr Rawles, In regard to the article by Firefighter Charles on fire protection, I imagine (and, indeed hope) that I won’t be the only person who suggests a qualifier to the advice on what to do with a fire in a cooking pan.  My understanding is that one should NEVER put water on a pan which holds oil or fat, because the resulting explosive burst of steam and fat will leave anyone attempting the exercise with extensive, serious burns. I realize that Firefighter Charles dealt with grease fires earlier in the same paragraph, but wondered if it might be …


Three Letters Re: Self-Defense Advice

Mr. Rawles,  Reading your blog on Thursday, I was interested in the Self-Defense Advice posts. I absolutely agree that unless you have mastered the basics and developed the muscle memory that comes with it, learning Self-Defense from a book or from a video or from an online program is difficult to near impossible. That said, if you have the muscle memory and skills that come from training for a number of years, and you have someone of equal or greater skill level to work with you, it might be possible to obtain information from a book or video, but it …


Economics and Investing:

Fallout in America from Europe’s debt bomb, as a hedge fund perishes: WJB Faced 25% Interest on Debt Ahead of Brokerage Shutdown AmEx (American Expat) sent us this: In Greece’s Sour Economy, Some Shops Are Thriving Cue the dramatic gloom and doom music: Hungarian Yields Soar, CDS Hits Record As Bill Auction Fails Greek Prime Minister warns of March default–Lucas Papademos says Greece may default on its debts in March unless unions accept further cuts to salaries. Items from The Economatrix: Against Euro And Yen, Dollar Defied Reality Peter Schiff:  Now’s A Perfect Time For A Gold Rally What’s In …


Odds ‘n Sods:

From Kevin S.: Three Simple Internet Privacy Tips (And 1 Super Secret Ninja Move)    o o o Will your defensive architecture stand up to a sledgehammer? Consider this: Possible One-Man ‘Wrecking Crew’ Responsible For Countless Destructive Robberies In Harlem    o o o Several readers sent this: Oklahoma Woman Shoots, Kills Intruder: 911 Operators Say It’s Okay to Shoot    o o o AmEx (American Expat) sent this: Drought Doomed Ancient City of Angkor    o o o R.C. flagged this news item: Moving trends: More people leave Northeast


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The likelihood America will become more and more like Detroit is growing – rapidly. Politicians now control the banking sector, most of the manufacturing sector (including autos), and a large amount of media. They are threatening to take over health care and the production of electricity via cap-and-trade rules and subsidies promoting solar power. These are major threats to the wealth and well-being of America. America is under siege by corrupt socialists.” – Porter Stansberry


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry 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 $275 …


Combating The Darkness Within, by Paul B.

I am a new arrival to the survival community.  Until recently I was just another mindless suburbanite going about my daily routine blissfully ignorant of the world around me.  It was only by chance that a series of events happened in my life that opened my eyes to needs of survival preparation.  I won’t say that I was completely clueless about survival, but rather it simply wasn’t real to me.  Yes, I knew that tough times are just over the horizon but I simply believed that I would make it through somehow.  Ironically, it was the housing crisis that completely …


Letter Re: Converting a 1973-1991 Suburban to Cummins Diesel

James, Thought your readers may be interested in the articles on Converting a 1973-1991 Suburban to Cummins diesel engine. The staff at Diesel Power magazine is publishing a set of articles during the course of this year on the details of converting an Older suburban into what they call the ‘Doomsday Diesel Suburban’. The first article linked) covers swapping out the existing powerplant and converting to a Cummins diesel. Regards, – Allen C.


Four Letters Re: Self-Defense Advice

Sir: I noted that some letters responding to the subject of unarmed combat (self-defense advice) referred to Tae Kwon Do as a form of self defense. I have been involved in the martial arts for over 40 years and my opinion is that most modern martial arts are sport forms and not suited to real world self defense. Even mixed martial arts (MMA) forms while formidable, concentrate on fighting in the ring (or octagon) and not on the street. My current pick for self defense instruction would be Krav Maga – Israeli hand to hand combat. It has the following …


Economics and Investing:

Greeks must avert economic collapse, euro exit: leader R.B.S. sent this: GAO 2011 Annual Report Reveals: The United States is Still Broke! Patrick S. suggested this: Signs Point to Retreat in Consumer Spending.   Items from The Economatrix: US Job Market Ends Year In Better Shape Crisis Conditions Grip Eurozone US Factory Growth Shows Jobs Might Be Picking Up Oil Begins 2012 With A Bang, Prices Up 4%


Odds ‘n Sods:

I heard from my Editor at Penguin Books that my best-selling nonfiction book "How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It" is now available at Sam’s Club warehouse stores, and it will also soon be available in Costco stores! Both offer a price that is competitive with Amazon’s, so here is your chance to buy a few copies for gifts, without having to wait or shipping, or to pay for shipping.    o o o I recently watched the re-make of the western movie True Grit. Overall, it was a fine film that was more than …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry 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 $275 …


Fire Protection 101, by Firefighter Charles

Fire protection is very important for the home.  Keeping protection around your home from fire is a very important practice.  Too many homes a year are destroyed to fires.  Too many people die each year from fire related deaths (Note: Most people die from smoke inhalation not the heat of the fire).  You should learn ways on how to prevent fires and learn method on how to fight fires.  Preventing fire will lessen your chance of a fire but learning how to fight a fire will lessen the damage to your home and keep your family alive.       Understanding The …


Letter Re: Unprepared Sheeple in the Wilderness

Good Morning Mr. Rawles!  I had to share this link with you: Maryland Hiker Uses iPhone App For New Year’s Eve Rescue. In brief: a man out hiking on New Year’s Eve Day got lost in the wilderness.  He used his cell phone to call rescuers, and then used his “flashlight” app on the cell phone to shine a light so that the rescuers could be lowered down to him on the trail and lead him out.   My sons, who are both experienced scouters and back country hikers who teach wilderness survival watched this news story in disbelief  last …