Notes from JWR:

A reminder that there will be a Sustainable Preparedness Expo this Sunday in Spokane, Washington (September 30, 2012), from 10 AM to 6 PM. The keynote speaker will be Congressman Bartlett, Ph.D., talking about EMP. Bartlett is the only outspokenly survivalist member of congress and is a strong proponent of EMP preparedness. One of our advertisers (Pantry Paratus) will have a booth there as will one of our writing contest sponsors, Naturally Cozy. The latter will have a few autographed copies of my latest novel (“Founders”) available for sale. I included some very special bookmarks as well as some SurvivalBlog …




Severe Weather Vigilance, by Shawn J.

One recent evening I was listening to the local news as they reported on a Tornado outbreak, in one of the Eastern States. The tornado(s) had occurred at night and the news anchors were horrified that the people would not know that anything was happening until it was all over. Severe weather can occur almost everywhere on our planet. Within the last 10 years I have heard reports of Tornados inside of New York City, London, England, and in India. Tornados and Severe Thunderstorms can occur during the day but also at night. Tornadoes vary in size from yards wide …




Are You Sure That You Are Ready To Defend Yourself?, by Brett S.

You stocked supplies with plenty of beans, bullets, and Band-Aids.  You have backup plans to your backup plans and know your family can survive months without any contact from the outside world.  You are ready for just about any cataclysmic event, should one happen.  But are you really ready for the most important decision of your life and the life of your family members?  How far would you go to protect your life and the life of a family member?  Preparing for disaster doesn’t necessarily mean you prepare for armed combat, but practically, disasters create an environment where the aggressor …




Letter Re: The History of Societal Collapse and Implications for The American Redoubt

Mr. Rawles, I recently watched a speech given by Jared Diamond, author of the books Guns, Germs and Steel and Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, among others.  It was very interesting and prompted me to write this post (which I first posted over at Guerrillamerica.com.) I’m watching Jared Diamond speak about why societies collapse.   As you may know, Diamond wrote the book Guns, Germs, and Steel and Collapse, among others (and they’re all great).  Here are five factors that Jared says affect the collapse of societies.  I’ll take notes and relate these effects to the American Redoubt …




Economics and Investing:

Sue C. sent: Analysis: As worst euro fears fade, U.S. fiscal cliff looms J. McC. sent: Corn and soybean supplies at an eight year low. Jim Rogers on Quantitative Easing: “We’re All Going To Pay A Horrible Price For This.” (Thanks to Jim W. for the link.) Items from The Economatrix: Former ECB Chief Economist Says ECB is in a Panic, as Czech President Warns the End of Democracy is Imminent Euro Crisis Even Staggers Irish Pubs Consumers Cut Credit Card Use For Second Month




Odds ‘n Sods:

I must mention that there have been several bad reviews of my latest novel “Founders” posted at Amazon.com. Several of them seem to be from people who haven’t even read the book. If you have read the book, then I’d appreciate seeing your reviews. In “Founders”, in response to more than a dozen requests from readers, I expanded the story of Ken an Terry Layton’s cross-country trek with a lot more detail. (Their journey had been just briefly described, post facto, in my first novel “Patriots.”) But now a few folks are hammering me for being “repetitive”–even though I obviously …