Day: August 10, 2012

Note from JWR:

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 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 any …


Stockpiling and Replenishing, by CPT Blackfox

As a U.S. Army Battalion Logistics Officer, it became very evident to me that at some point my stockpile of parts, petroleum products, uniforms, etc. would eventually run out, and I needed a way to replenish those stockpiles during steady-state operations.  A total collapse situation would unfold in much the same way as a deployment of a military unit would in regard to an interrupted supply chain.  Initially, you have no logistics network and you need to rely entirely upon your stockpiles brought with you or kept in your secure location.  I learned this the hard way at the National …


Letter Re: When Will TSHTF? One Population Modeler Says 2020

Dear Mr. Rawles, Most of your readership is likely convinced that the coming decades (or years or months) will yield considerable social instability. The hard question is always what form it will take and when it is likely to happen. I found an article about ecological models that seem to describe past historical patterns with some degree of accuracy. From these models, their author is predicting another spike of instability around 2020.  From the article: “To Peter Turchin, who studies population dynamics at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, the appearance of three peaks of political instability at roughly 50-year …


Economics and Investing:

France’s new Socialist President François Hollande is calling for a 75% income tax! Indigestion for ‘les Riches’ in a Plan for Higher Taxes. If this is enacted, expect to see a wave of emigration. Items from The Economatrix: Has The Perfect Moment To Kill The Dollar Arrived? The US Economy Lost 1.2 Million Jobs In July Oil Drops From Two-Month High in New York as Demand Slides


Odds ‘n Sods:

Appropriate Firearms for the Beginner in troubled times.    o o o Yishai was the first of several readers to mention this: Pedal-powered washer could make a big difference in developing nations    o o o Reader Tom K. recommended the recently-released Second Edition of Nick Taleb’s book The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable. This new edition includes a new section: “On Robustness and Fragility”, that ties in nicely with many articles and letters that have been posted to SurvivalBlog.    o o o Rescuing Injured Soldiers With An Ingenious Backpack System. (Thanks to H.A. for the …