Month: April 2012

Lighting Alternatives, by Rick C.

Looking at today’s troubling times I cannot help but wonder about how to best prepare for them. I am new to this arena and in the last ten years. Yes its taken me that long, I have come to realize that being prepared is not being some Nut Case, but the very real, important, job of every family to ensure survival. Its too bad most of us are not even aware, or willing to acknowledge what is happening. Only in the last two years have I started to react to this and start preparing my family. I regret my “Head …


Letter Re: Praise For Zanotti Armor Modular Gun Vaults

James, First of all thank you for running SurvivalBlog as it is has been a valuable source of information. Years ago, you mentioned Zanotti Armor as a high quality gun safe company, I’m glad you did, as I am now a very happy customer! I ordered the ZA-3 6-foot–the largest safe available from the company–and it fits my needs perfectly. It only took two of us to move all the [modular] pieces to the basement and assemble the walls. It required two extra pair of hands to assemble the top and door. I ordered the safe in June and received …


Economics and Investing:

Reader R.B.S. suggested this article: Cashless: The Coming War on Tax-Evasion and Decentralized Money Euro zone unemployment reaches near 15-year high Government bond funds losing their allure Items from The Economatrix: Gold Pushes Higher With Oil, Stocks On Data Manufacturing Up, Construction Spending Falls Unemployment May Be Down, But So Are Wages And Benefits


Odds ‘n Sods:

Ttabs has posted another one of his great ultralight flying videos. This one was filmed in Eastern Washington. (You may recall his video dedicated to flying over some of the locales in my novel “Patriots”.)    o o o David N. recommended this at Shepherd School: Aggressive Shooting Stance    o o o Gregg sent this charming news: U.S. trial program would spy on Internet users to prevent animal abuse. Just wait until home livestock slaughtering and butchering is outlawed. Then that will be redefined as “abuse.”    o o o JWR Observes: It now appears that The Dear Leader, …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"If all the bank loans were paid, no one could have a bank deposit, and there would not be a dollar of coin or currency in circulation. This is a staggering thought. We are completely dependent on the commercial banks. Someone has to borrow every dollar we have in circulation, cash, or credit. If the banks create ample synthetic money we are prosperous; if not, we starve. We are absolutely without a permanent money system. When one gets a complete grasp of the picture, the tragic absurdity of our hopeless situation is almost incredible — but there it is." – …


Notes from JWR:

Do you have any favorite quotes that relate to preparedness, traditional skills, self-sufficiency, economics, self-defense, or individual liberty? If so, then please e-mail your properly-attributed quotes to us and they will likely be featured as SurvivalBlog Quotes of the Day. (We’ve now archived more than 2,300 quotes.) Thanks! — Today we present another entry for Round 40 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 …


Kitchen Cupboard Medicine, by Barefoot Yankee Gal

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Open your kitchen cupboard and what do you see?  Salt, pepper, ginger, dill, alum, meat tenderizer, honey, molasses, baking soda; and the list can go on.  Viewed as flavor enhancers and condiments these are tasty additions to any meal.  But there is a hidden world of medicinal benefit in many of those little tins and shaker-topped jars. When you reach for the alum to eliminate a canker sore, or swallow a teaspoonful of honey to soothe a sore throat, or make a moist plaster of meat tenderizer to take the sting out of a bee-bite, you are practicing “Kitchen Cupboard …


Letter Re: Evacuating Quickly to Escape Wildfires

JWR: As a former California Department of Forestry (C.D.F. which is now Cal-Fire) wild land firefighter I would like to give some professional advice to persons living in wildfire prone urban interface locations.  The 100 foot clearance required is really a necessity in defending your retreat.  If infrastructure is still up, when told to evacuate, GET OUT ! From a roadway, I once had to listen to the screams of a woman who burned to death because she refused to evacuate her home.  It is a haunting memory. Have an advance plan for safety zones and escape routes.  A safety zone …


Economics and Investing:

The gasoline shortage in England is not getting much better: The great Easter get nowhere: RAC warns that petrol panic buying risks millions of drivers not being able to fill their tanks for holiday break Marc Faber: ‘Massive Wealth Destruction’ Is About to Hit Investors (A hat tip to Michael W. for the link.) Diana V. suggested this: Nine Gold Myths Everyone Needs to Understand to Survive this Global Economic Crisis Over at MyBudget360: The creeping cost of consumer inflation brought to you by a lower US dollar The impending urban water crisis. (Thanks to R.C. for the link.) Several …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Check out this new Internet vendor: GettingPrepped.com. They sell Wise Foods, Gamma Seal Lids, Berkey Water Filters, and more. I’m proud to say that my #2 Son (of Whiteout Productions) designed their web page and expertly set up their web shopping cart system.    o o o The latest news from Holland (pardon the garbled auto-translation): No more licenses for ‘assault rifles’. (Thanks to Bram for the link.)    o o o R.C. mentioned: Iraq Equipment Might go to Mexican Border.    o o o Evan sent us the link to an upcoming auction. Evan’s comment: “That should last for …



Note from JWR:

If you are one of our “weekdays-only ” blog readers, then you might have missed the announcement of the 27 writing contest prize winners, that I posted on Sunday. — Today we present a book review that was guest-written by K.C., the proprietor of Kit Carson Enterprises, in Vermont.


K.C.’s Book Review: Survival Mom

Survival Mom: How to Prepare Your Family for Everyday Disasters and Worst-Case Scenarios by Lisa Bedford.  New York: Harper Collins, March, 2012. 310 pages. Frustrating hours of planning, organizing and packing epitomize the average harried mother’s week prior to departing on the annual frenzied “fun” family summer vacation!”  If these simple family activities create the havoc we have all experienced, what challenges face the same average mom while sorting through mountains of available information on family preparedness? Our nation reels from news reports of hurricanes, earthquakes, skyrocketing unemployment and increasing violence in the Middle East.  Where does this overwhelmed mother, …


Pat’s Product Review: Kershaw and Zero Tolerance Knives

I don’t recall when I first started carrying a pocket knife, but I’m pretty sure it was back in the 3rd or 4th grade. And, yes, back in those days, a kid could carry a pocket knife to school – and the police weren’t called, nor were you suspended. Almost everyone carried a pocket knife back then – my how the times have changed. These days, most schools have a zero tolerance for any sort of “weapon” on school grounds – heck, some kids have been suspended or expelled from school for simply drawing a picture of a knife or a gun. …


Letter Re: Prospects for the Eastern U.S. in a Societal Collapse

Mr. Rawles, Can you provide more detailed information on what you believe will happen East of the Mississippi River in and around major population centers in the event of a collapse.  You briefly addressed this when you were interviewed by Michael Ruppert in his Collapsenet podcast program last year.  Most of the population simply can’t relocate to the Western mountain states much less realistically get out of debt.  As I believe it was stated on your web site some years ago it will be a “Come as you are collapse” and that is what we all will get.  I’m perhaps …