Month: January 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 …


Low Maintenance Gardening, by Northern Girl

I have been an avid gardener for many years, and most if what I have learned of has been through trial and error. Luckily, most of my errors have been corrected and when those errors did occur, it wasn’t a matter of eat or starve. I now know what plants will grow in Zone 3, and have learned that just because a seed company claims certain things will grow, it doesn’t always mean that they will. Learning from your mistakes now, can save you valuable time and energy when it counts. For example, I will never again try to grow …


Prepping, in Its Infancy, by E.B. in Florida

I was trying to come up with way to write down all of things that I have been going through lately as a concerned husband, son, uncle, and brother.  A little background on me: I am turning 36 tomorrow.  When I was 24 I joined the U.S. Army.  I was fooling around in college (still) without a good source of income.  My three year relationship was coming to an abrupt end as my girlfriend was graduating college and moving into the next phase of her life (kudos to her making the tough decision to do what was best for her, …


Letter Re: Made in America? — Maybe

Dear Mr. Rawles, My letter today was prompted by an email I received recently about UPC codes and country of origin.  It stated that one can determine the country of manufacturing origin by looking at the first three digits of the Bar code.  More specifically, it stated that bar codes beginning with the digits 690 through 695 are from China while those with 471 are from Taiwan.  Products with codes from 00 to 13 are from the U.S. and Canada.  This seemed like a handy way to tell which products came from where.  You could buy a product with some …


Letter Re: To Shoot or Not to Shoot?

Mr. Rawles, I’m a regular SurvivalBlog reader.  I have your books and own the archive (Kindle edition).  Every once in a while I come across a post so genuinely correct I must comment on it.  Mr. White is absolutely correct.   Often times people will spout such utter nonsense on this subject it would be funny if it weren’t so dangerous.  And because so many aren’t well versed in this area, they buy it hook, line and sinker.     I can tell you from my own experiences; Mr. White’s advice is spot on.  I know this information to be factually correct.  …


Economics and Investing:

The Massive Debt Bomb: $7,600,000,000,000 Dollars Of Debt Must Be Rolled Over In 2012 G.G. sent this: John Williams – Accelerating Great Collapse & Hyperinflation Several readers sent this from Business Insider: 2011 GDP: 1.7% Kevin K, sent the link to this interesting piece by Jim Willie: Tail Events, Isolation, New Normal Items from The Economatrix: Fitch Goes On A Rampage, Cuts Spain, Italy, Belgium, Cyprus, And Slovenia Merkel Casts Doubts On Saving Greece From Meltdown Aging Japan Faces “Chronic” Trade Deficit After Fukushima IMF Slashes Global Growth Forecasts Soros:  There Will Be Riots In The Streets Of America Davos:  …


Odds ‘n Sods:

A good man is hard to find: Can You Spot The Sniper?    o o o Recently at Glenn Beck’s site: How to prepare: What should you put in a go bag?    o o o Lee M. sent a link to a piece about a medical app for smartphones. That article has a link to a blogsite with this downloadable app along with other medical apps for your smartphone.    o o o To repeat a previous post: I was recently interviewed by Doug Belkin, a reporter with The Wall Street Journal for an article that he is writing …



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 …


Learning From Our Elders in Prepping for TEOTWAWKI, by the Measure Man

Let me begin with a brief history and a few insights into my journey towards being prepared for The End of the World as We Know It (TEOTWAWKI.) I was born and raised, until the age of 7, in one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States (the greater Los Angeles area). At which point my parents came to the realization that city life was no way to raise a family. So, they moved my sister and I to the Central San Joaquin Valley and began my education in rural life. At age 18 I joined the military …


Survival Insights of an American Genius, by Wayne M. Thomas

Many people remember the book Walden as the story of a hermit living in a hut who survived on twigs and berries in the Concord, Massachusetts woods. Its author, Henry David Thoreau, was no hermit, but a survivalist and philosopher who personified the best of American values of self-reliance, simplicity, love of the land, individualism and defense of personal liberty against governmental overreaching. He lived simply on Walden Pond from 1845-1847 without a GPS, iPod, iPhone, laptop or wi-fi.. Long before we developed a dependence on electronic devices, Thoreau defined some first principles for personal autonomy and survival. We find …


Economics and Investing:

AmEx (American Expat) suggested an essay from Forbes in which the author makes some good points about going back to the gold standard: Gingrich, The Gold Standard, And The Florida Primary The great deleveraging event – household debt has fallen 4 percent since recession hit. Household debt has fallen dramatically from the peak when household debt aligned itself with annual GDP. G.G. flagged this: Tax Evaders Renounce U.S. Citizenship Baltic Dry Plunges 42% More Than Seasonal Norm To Start The Year. Items from The Economatrix: Greek Bond Talks Break Down, But Markets Shrug It Off Why Isn’t Illinois a Bigger …


Odds ‘n Sods:

I heard that there is another Self Reliance Expo scheduled for February 10-11 in Dallas, Texas. The keynote speaker Mike Adams of Natural News.    o o o Bob G. flagged this video by Wayne Allyn Root: Home Schooling To Harvard.    o o o Reader Alan W. mentioned an improvement to the classic USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. “For the first time, the map is available as an interactive GIS-based map, for which a broadband Internet connection is recommended, and as static images for those with slower Internet access.”    o o os Cheryl (aka The Economatrix) sent this: …