Month: August 2012

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



Notes from JWR:

My goodness gracious! Our SurvivalRealty.com spin-off just got some unsolicited publicity on a National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate: One Housing Sector That’s Booming: Survival Realty — Do you have a favorite attributed quote related to preparedness? Just e-mail it to us at it will likely be featured as a SurvivalBlog Quote of the Day. (Note that we’ve already posted more than 2,500 quotes, so please use the Search box first to see if the quote has already been featured.)


Pat’s Product Review: Concealed Carry Clothing

Several months back, I did an article on the Deep Conceal Shoulder Holster. It’s a design meant for “deep” concealment – worn under a shirt, instead of over it, like a regular shoulder holster is worn. The Deep Conceal shoulder holster was (and is) a good idea. My concern at the time was, that it would be a little difficult to get to your handgun, buried under your everyday shirt.   Deep Conceal has solved that problem, with the Concealed Carry Clothing shirt. Right off the bat, I’ll tell you that, this is a high-quality dress shirt, not some cheap …


Springfield Armory XDs Pistol Update, by Pat Cascio

Since my review article on the new Springfield Armory XDs was posted I’ve heard from no less than a dozen SurvivalBlog readers, who were having “problems” with their XDs .45s – most of the problems were related to light firing pin strikes. I’ve also had two SurvivalBlog readers live nearby come to me for this problem, and I was able to get the problem “fixed.”   Here’s what you’re looking at with the XDs: First of all, we have a sub-compact .45 ACP pistol. It is very small and light-weight – only 21.5 ounces empty. And, it has a polymer …


Mahaffey’s Review: Tomorrow, When the War Began

Tomorrow, When the War Began (by John Marsden) ISBN 0-419-82910-0 This young adult (“YA’) novel of adventure, romance and survival is a modern classic. The setting is in rural Australia, with lush and descriptive backdrops. The vision Marsden paints of Australia is wondrous and pictorial. A group of unsupervised teens set off on a high adventure camping expedition, alone for a week in the wilderness. (Yes, my eyebrows rose on that one, too.) Upon returning from the holiday they find their homes empty, pets and livestock dying or dead and communications down. Most of the town has been captured and …


Letter Re: The Survival Garden

Dear Mr. Rawles, I’ve been an organic farmer in Ontario Canada for 12 years, and thought Chris S made some excellent points regarding underestimating the amount of fresh food required to sustain life.  I’ve ‘done the math’ myself, and found that a subsistence garden consisting of potatoes, corn, winter squash and beans would require a minimum of 5,000 square feet per person to provide 2,000 calories per day over the course of a year.   These crops were chosen with consideration for yield, nutrition, and storability. Another consideration is repeatability i.e. the ability to replant from your own stores.   Assuming you wanted 25% …


Recipe of the Week:

Jaime’s Black Bean, Corn, and Turkey Soup   1 lb ground turkey 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 medium onion, diced 1 tbsp chili powder 1 tsp cumin 3 cups chicken broth 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed 1 can sweet corn, drained 1 cup salsa   Saute turkey and onion in vegetable oil until brown.  Then add the spices and cook for 2 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  Enjoy with your favorite corn bread!   Our favorite corn bread recipe is as follows:   1 box Jiffy Yellow …


Economics and Investing:

Reader H.L. recommended this over at The Daily Crux: Top Manager Grantham: Get Ready for a Global Food Crisis The other side of persistently high unemployment – Underemployment rate shoots up to 15 percent but is actually more problematic because of the civilian employment-population ratio. G.G. flagged this: Cash-for-gold shops boom as Italians sell off their bling Items from The Economatrix: Get Used To The “New Norm” of 6-7% US Jobless Rate Peter Schiff:  Priced For Collapse IMF:  US Plunge From Fiscal Cliff Would Hit Global Economy Hard Oil Surges Most in a Month as US Adds Jobs, Services


Odds ‘n Sods:

I am often asked for predictions on the timeframe for a societal collapse. If I claimed to know the year, then I’d be guessing. And if I claimed to know the precise date then I’d be a good candidate for the psych ward. But if I claimed that it can’t happen in the few decades, then I’d have my head in the sand and would be doing everyone a great disservice.    o o o Does this sound reminiscent of India? Aging power grid on overload as U.S. demands more electricity. And in related news, G.G. flagged this: Outage in …



Notes from JWR:

Today we present another entry 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 any …