Month: June 2012

Emergency Response Preparedness Pre- and Post-TEOTWAWKI, by D.C.M. in Colorado

I recently witnessed an accident that gave me great insight into what it means to be prepared for an emergency situation and what it will mean post-TEOTWAWKI, when you cannot dial 9-1-1.  It was important for me to evaluate the situation afterwards and to share the lessons I learned with others.  I have numbered the main lessons that can be learned from my situation and I hope you will find a thing or two that might be helpful to you in the future.   I was driving from Denver to Vail after work on a Friday this past May.  Less …


Making Assumptions, by Mudflap

Prepping is full of assumptions.  We prepare because we assume that something could go wrong in our lives and that it is our own responsibility to take steps to assure that we come out smelling like roses.  Others don’t prepare because they assume that nothing could go wrong in their lives and that someone else will take care of them.  We buy long term storage food because we assume that there will be a food shortage in the future.  Others barely have enough food in the pantry because they assume the pizza place will always be able to deliver and …


Letter Re: Linking Up With Local Ham Radio Operators

James, I’m in the process of gearing up my ham radio capabilities, as well as trying to coordinate with my neighbors.  I was listening to today’s podcast from survivalpodcast.com and they mentioned a web site called radioreference.com as a method of identifying what radio frequencies your local government entities operate on.  While I was on that site, I was excited to find an amateur radio search link where you can do a search of ham licensees, by ZIP code. I looked up my zip code and was amazed at the number of ham operators listed there.  By registering on the …


Letter Re: Home Computer Security Tips

Hi James, I heard your recent radio interview with Alex Jones. It it you mentioned Darknets [such as Tor] and IP addresses. I happen to use the following tools for security. Perhaps they will be of use to SurvivalBlog readers: To make it easy to find IP addresses, I use ShowIP. This is a little tool add-on to Firefox and works a treat, makes saving favorite web site numeric addresses a breeze. Private VPN tunneling:  Normally this is difficult to say the least, by TunnelBlick is great, easy to use, and I use RiseUp for both secure anonymous e-mail and …


Economics and Investing:

Reader Rhonda T. sent this: Greek citizens: ‘Family is all that is holding us together. But it can’t last, people are getting tired’ B.B. recommended this over at Zero Hedge: Guest Post: Abandoning Ship – The Eurozone Is Failing At An Accelerating Rate Also from B.B. and link to a video: Jonathan Roth of Cambridge House Live Interviews Peter Schiff at the World Resource Investment Conference in Vancouver How You’re Getting Fooled By Inflation Items from The Economatrix: Hyperinflation, Deflation, and Currency Wars Italian PM Warns: We Have A Week To Save The Eurozone Social Security In America:  Writing Off …


Odds ‘n Sods:

M.E.W. spotted this: India Confronts ‘Untreatable’ Tuberculosis    o o o Here is a video that sums up my reply to all those who claim that my children are “deprived of social interaction” by being homeschooled. Is this the crucial “socialization” that they are lacking? If so, then I’m glad that they are missing out.    o o o After a long delay while the manufacturer’s supplies were tight, Camping Survival finally has some WaterBOB bathtub water containment systems back in stock.    o o o Kevin S. spotted this: Brace for the Apocalypse! Surviving the Worst in an Inland …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 41 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 $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for …


TEOTWAWKI is Now — Prepping Drama Queen Style, by Laura H.

As a theater teacher and director I am primed for drama.  I hunger for it.  But what to do while waiting for the aliens to land, the dollar to collapse, the bombs to start flying, or Yellowstone to have its say?  I have always told my actors, don’t rehearse it, do it.  After all, preparation is important, but performing is better.  Act as if you have an audience now and do it the way you will perform it.   I am new to this “prepping” phenomenon.  It can be an overwhelming, and for some of my friends, an inexplicable thing.  So …


Weapons-Based Martial Arts for Survival, by Bladefighter

In survival situations, men use tools to get an edge over their opponents. If a man has a pistol, you want a rifle; if a man has a knife, you want a pistol and so on and so forth. Firearms are not very useful without training and the same can be said about bladed weapons such as knives and swords. Eventually guns do run out of bullets or malfunction and you might find yourself in survival situations with only a knife or a machete. Things that can go wrong in survival scenarios seem to go wrong. You may be separated …


Letter Re: Another Way to Protect Your Retreat, by E. E.

Hello, E.E.’s primary problem was not the insurance. It’s the design flaw and negligence that allows the small glitch to evolve to the full-scale catastrophe. Every trouble that can occur occurs. Every trouble that cannot occur occurs too. Firstly, the furnaces may fail – it’s quite normal. I have no idea about their model but I believe they should have and so have some security automation that stopped them due to some problem (electricity?), or the fuel supply failed. The first task to design should be “The stopped furnaces should not self-destruct”. How should it be done? I see at …


Economics and Investing:

A reader in Wyoming wrote to ask about topping off the gas, diesel and propane tanks at his ranch. My advice: Wait until late September. I expect unleaded gasoline to be at or below $3.00per gallon by then. QE3, by any other name: Fed Extends Twist, Signals Concerns Commentary by Michael Casey: Let’s be frank, the Euro’s days are numbered. (Thanks to Joseph G. for the link.) Karl Denninger: It Didn’t Work (Again) The downgrades keep coming: 15 Major Investment Banks See Ratings Cut by Moody’s. (A hat tip to Diana V. for the link.) Items from The Economatrix: US …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) sent a link to a useful “Thumb Saver” device for M1 Garand owners.    o o o Also from Mike: 5.56 vs .223 – What You Know May Be Wrong    o o o Yet another expo: Doomsday-Learn-Prepare-Survive Convention and Expo at the Cal-Neva Hotel and Casino, near Reno, Nevada, June 28-30, 2012. (Thanks to Robert S. for the heads-up.)    o o o AmEx sent this: Deadly Bird Flu May Be Five Steps From Pandemic Potential    o o o Don’t Drink The Water: Study Warns Drinking From Garden Hose


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“But where shall wisdom be found? and where [is] the place of understanding? Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living. The depth saith, It [is] not in me: and the sea saith, [It is] not with me. It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed [for] the price thereof. It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire. The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it [shall not be for] jewels of fine gold. No mention …


Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 41 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 $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for …