Day: August 7, 2012

Notes from JWR:

Happy 79th birthday, Jerry Pournelle! He was born August 7, 1933. He, along with Larry Niven authored the survivalist classic Lucifer’s Hammer. Pournelle is generally recognized as the man who invented blogging. — Today is the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal. — Today we present another entry for Round 42 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 …


Save Yourself, One Week at a Time, by Kelsie A.

Most of the citizenry in the United States has seen at least one of the movie theater box office hits “Armageddon,” “Deep Impact,” or “The Day After Tomorrow.”  Those are just movies, but the human brain not in touch with reality doesn’t entertain the thought of these scenarios actually happening in this day and age.  But one day, one or several of the things displayed in those movies will. Experts say that so many apocalyptic events we preppers expect have a very low chance of happening; but nothing is a 100% certain, anything could happen at any moment.  Experts set …


Two Letters Re: Simplify Now, Before TEOTWAWKI

JWR: I try to find a good compromise between comfort and simplicity, and have come to the conclusion that preparedness is like dressing for cold weather; it is most efficient to do so in layers.  Working from a level of maximizing comfort at one end of the scale to maximizing simplicity at the other end, I can gauge my response to conditions as they are encountered.  Beginning with a robust supply and security source at my primary residence, I have layers of response that I can work down through as the conditions dictate.  If I have to bug out, I …


News From The American Redoubt:

More of that beautiful north-central Idaho scenery: The “Lead Dog” – Elk River Trike Fly-in ’12.    o o o Troy H. mentioned this infographic: Mexican Drug Cartels Have Infiltrated All of These US Cities. (JWR Observes: The artist’s arrows to the middle-of-nowhere in The American Redoubt appear to be more fanciful than they are data-driven. The reality is that there is not a lot of “cartel influence” inside National Forests and out in the middle of vast tracts of BLM land. (As depicted in the map.) And note that all but one of the dots shown inside the Redoubt …


Economics and Investing:

Bob G. sent this: Economist Richard Duncan: Civilization May Not Survive ‘Death Spiral’ Illinois to Spend More on Pensions Than on Education. (Thanks to B.B. for the link.) Items from The Economatrix: Economic Data Underscores Weakening Activity Consumer Comfort In US Falls On Concern Over Growth Postal Service On The Verge Of Default Job Gains Topping Forecasts Ease US Slowdown Concerns Service Industries In US Expanded At A Faster Pace In July


Odds ‘n Sods:

F.J. sent: Make a DIY Grill out of a Tin Can    o o o H.L. recommended this piece at Real Science: Joe Bastardi Shows Parallels to the 1950s, And Tells Us What to Expect Looking Forward    o o o The moment 65-year-old woman thwarts robbery on jewelry store after opening fire on five armed men    o o o James C. suggested this: Building and maintaining supply caches    o o o Cheryl sent this: Bug Out Boot Camp