Month: August 2012

When Will It Happen? What Will It Be?, by Son Of Texas

There as many opinions and even more guesses than those who are guessing about what will cause the collapse of the world as we know it.  There may be unexpected triggers in nature or in society such as natural disasters of a sudden or a gradual nature, geopolitical events or developments, or environmental triggers that may be natural or man made.  With or without any of these events and processes about which there is an enormous volume of speculation, my previous skepticism about one in particular has been transformed to a personal certainty.   Economic Collapse – Really?   The …


Two Letters Re: Regional Accents and Considering Retreat Regions

Mr. Rawles, I enjoyed the article on choosing the ideal location for survival when considering regional dialects, and find myself in the exact opposite situation.  I was raised in Eastern Washington and take great pride in my home state, but have been stationed in South Eastern North Carolina for over three years.  I find the experience of another region benificial, but I honestly have the same reservations about the South East that the author found in the Inland Northwest.  I had the displeasure of hurricane Irene, disabiling tropical weather, and predictably unpredictable thunder storms that seem to be a weekly …


Economics and Investing:

Be sure to watch this lecture: Marc Faber On Keynesian Folly, The ‘Missing’ Inflation, And Bubble-Blowing. (Thanks to B.B. for the link.) Obama’s Budget to Add $4.4 Trillion to Debt in Next Four Years–On track to $20 trillion in debt in 2016. [JWR’s Comment: Keep in mind that those figures are predicated upon interest rates staying artificially low. Someday, our foreign creditors will demand a higher rate of return on U.S .Treasury paper. And when that happens, we’ll see a repeat of the current Greek Tragedy, here in the U.S. of A. That will be the death knell of the …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Curtis R. sent this: DIY Fire Starter Wafers. Note: For safety, always use a double boiler, when melting wax!    o o o Commentary from Brandon Smith: Syria And Iran Dominos Lead To World War    o o o G.G. flagged this: Stand Your Ground Gun Laws    o o o Reader P.N.G. wrote to mention, “It is not widely practical, but perhaps someone among your readers has a need for a tracked all-terrain vehicle only 42″ long.”    o o o Geoff S. mentioned the Lapka Radiation and EMF detectors available as add-ons for iPods and iPhones.



Notes from JWR:

The one month countdown! Release of Founders: A Novel of the Coming Collapse is scheduled for September 25, 2012–just one month from tomorrow. Please wait until the release date–which is also our planned Book Bomb day–to order your copy. Not only will you get yours at a better price (probably around $11), you will also help boost the book’s sales rank–hopefully into Amazon’s Top 20 titles. Thanks! — 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 …


Regional Accents and Considering Retreat Regions, by Mr. Falsch

In early-2009, I began researching the possibility of moving my family from Upstate, South Carolina, where I have lived my entire life, to one of the western American Redoubt states.  Knowing virtually nothing about the area, I solicited the help of Mr. Rawles and did as much online research as possible.  Finally, in October of 2009, I made my first of seven trips to the Redoubt area and I will share some of what I learned with you now. After flying to the region, landing in Salt Lake, Spokane, or Billings, I would rent an SUV and begin my journey based …


Letter Re: The Lowly, Forgotten Knee Pad

Hello Mr. Rawles, After perusing the contents listed in survival kits, Bug Out Bags (BOB), and Get Out Of Dodge bags (GOOD), it seems to me that they all have one common glaring omission. That omission is knee pads. It occurred to me recently while fixing a roadside flat that so many survival/TEOTWAWKI tasks require one to get “down and dirty”, i. e., working on one’s knees. Knee pads can remove a lot of the “pain and suffering” from tasks such as firestarting, fence building/mending, emergency roadside vehicle repair, chainsaw sharpening, and a whole host of other tasks. Not to …


Letter Re: Comments on Matt Bracken’s Night Fighting Primer

Hi James, I followed a link that you recently posted: Matt Bracken: Night Fighting 101. Matt Bracken wrote a fine article. He is correct that the deer hunter that proceeds to his hunting area in the dark has already approached quite a lot of what he suggests.   I would like to suggest this concerning chain link fences. Having assembled perhaps 800 feet of chain link fence, I learned how to break it in two and to reweave it together. If you have to separate a portion of chain link fence laying on the ground it is a snap. It …


Economics and Investing:

More monetization ahead! Federal Reserve leaning toward more stimulus Greece ready to start selling islands to pay down debts. (Thanks to B.B. for the link.)   Items from The Economatrix: Startling Evidence That Central Banks and Wall Street Insiders are Rapidly Preparing for Something Big Jim Rogers:  It’s Going To Get Really “Bad After The Elections”


Odds ‘n Sods:

Yet another reason to avoid social media: Circuit Court Orders Brandon Raub Released, Dismisses Case Against Marine Arrested, Detained in Veterans Admin. Psych Ward over Political Views, Song Lyrics Posted on Facebook    o o o Some interesting demographics can be seen in this article sent by Kevin S,: Marriage and Divorce: A 50 State Tour    o o o Reader H.L. sent this: Insight: Experts hope to shield cars from computer viruses    o o o I spotted this clever product in the Jeffers Vet Supply catalog: H2Go Bag    o o o S.S. in Mississippi sent this useful …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The mobs of great cities add just so much to the support of pure government, as sores do to the strength of the human body. It is the manners and spirit of a people which preserve a republic in vigour. A degeneracy in these is a canker which soon eats to the heart of its laws and constitution.” – Thomas Jefferson, 1781


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 …


Where are You in Your Preparedness? , by B.L. the Texican

I hope that what I have to say will help someone that is just getting started with their survival preparedness situation, SurvivalBlog has helped me in streamlining our preparations, and I believe in giving back some of what I have received.  I have read many different blogs and forums, and come away with the impression that most of the blogs are for the arm chair survivalist that do not try anything for themselves, but only go on what they have read or heard.  SurvivalBlog.com is one of the few that have individuals that seem to have tried what they say …


Three Letters Re: Adapting Preps as We Age

Hi Jim, You were spot on in your response to he article by “Retread”.   However, for anyone who does choose to use .22 LR for self defense, like the writer of the article, I would go with the Mexican Aguila brand ammo. Due to necessity, they’ve had to invent some man-killer .22 LR (It’s legal for people there to own .22 LR, but not anything else. Not that people down there don’t own AR’s and AK’s, anyway).   My favorite solution for this man is the Aguila 60-grain rd., marketed under the name “Sniper Sub-Sonic” (SSS).I think the only …