Year: 2012

Note From JWR:

Today we present two more entries for Round 40 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 …


An Introductory How To Guide to Wild Herbal Medicine, by P. Farms Mike

DISCLAIMER:  I am not a medical professional.  All advice given in this article should be discussed with your doctor before attempting to use them.  Please be cautious that all plants that you use have been properly identified before using them medically. After a societal collapse, no matter the cause, store bought medicine will disappear.  If you are like my wife and I you have stored up medicines along with your food, water, and all the rest.  However, if the collapse will be long term then sooner or later you are going to run out of medicine.  About a year ago, …


Cycling Into TEOTWAWKI, by MineT

Cycling has many facets that could attract people preparing for the time when the comforts we have been so accustom to are no longer available. Pick your scenario for the drastic change in our future and a bicycle might be able to handle some of the chores that a computer controlled fossil fuel vehicle may no longer be capable of. If the family car is incapacitated, how will you get from point A to point B? But one can’t expect to just shell out some money on a human powered urban assault vehicle, and one day just pick it up …


Three Letters Re: Commercial Storage Space Thievery

Hi Jim, To follow up on the recent letter on Commercial Storage Space Thievery, I had a very similar experience with my storage locker.  I have a locker from Public Storage in Saratoga, California and had the very same thing happen.  I checked out my unit one night and another lock was on the unit.  I had the Sheriff come by and they did the usual.  The problem I am having presently is the insurance company hasn’t really done much and its been three months [since I discovered the theft.]  I had all the receipts from Amazon.com and Costco.com so …


Letter Re: Deep Concealment Holsters

Dear Field Gear Editor: I respectfully disagree with the use of the  Deep Concealed Carry Holster for most people who carry concealed firearms.  Gun fights happen in seconds and taking the time to rip open a shirt and cross draw may not be fast enough to survive.  However, anyone carrying a concealed  firearm should be well versed  in the concept of situational awareness and be prepared well in advanced that the use of a weapon may be needed.  Another problem with a cross draw in a highly stressful situation is the heightened possibility of muzzle flashing  someone other that the …


Economics and Investing:

The latest coinage debasement news, this time from The Philippines: Coin hoarding soon a crime? JWR’s Comment: With orchestrated currency inflation there comes the inevitable day when seigniorage costs advance to unacceptable levels, and the metallic value of any given coin greatly exceeds its face value. Rather than doing the honest thing–knocking a few zeroes off their paper currency–governments often resort to bans on coin melting and coin exportation. Anti-hoarding laws are much less common in First World countries as there are typically no limitations on the amount of a currency that someone holds in an ostensibly “sound” currency regime. …


Odds ‘n Sods:

A reminder that a Self Reliance Expo will be held in Colorado Springs, Colorado on May 18th and 19th. There should be a half dozen SurvivalBlog advertisers with booths there.    o o o AmEx sent this: Science Journal Could Give Recipe For Deadly Avian Flu Virus    o o o Kevin S. sent a link to an interesting fringe Libertarian “Second Realm” manifesto. (“Crypto-Anarchy, Tradecraft, TAZ and Counterculture.”) Coincidentally, Kevin also sent this piece from The Von Mises Institute: The Philosophy of Ownership    o o o Grace mentioned this over at Mac Slavo’s SHTFPlan blog: Emergency Preparedness: How …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"This world is an uncertain realm filled with danger. Honor undermined by the pursuit of power. Freedom sacrificed when the weak are oppressed by the strong. But there are those who oppose these powerful forces; who dedicate their life to truth, honor, and freedom. These men are known as Musketeers". – Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers, serialized March to July, 1844.


Note From JWR:

Today we present two more entries for Round 40 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 …


Alternate Food Storage: A Week in a Bucket, by ChemEngineer

Food Storage has been talked and written at length, but equally important are the logistics of Food Usage when it comes time to break out that food and begin using it. To store the food that way that it will be used, I’ll put “A Week in a Bucket”. It takes some meal-planning and some smaller packages to be able to store “A Week in a Bucket”; but when it comes time to use these pre-planned, balanced diets, opening one bucket at a time is much preferred to opening a bucket of beans, a bucket of rice, a bucket of …


A Rural Community Retreat, by Scott L.

Location is the most important thing to consider when developing a plan for long-term habitation in a TEOTWAWKI setting. Of primary concern are Community, Safety, Water, Food, Sustainability, and Natural Resources. It is absolutely imperative to find a locale with a well or fresh water spring. You will need fertile ground that is within distance of easy irrigation. The safest places will be those that are away from major highways and population centers; however, these small rural communities are typically suspicious of outsiders. You will need certain natural resources available as well to guarantee you are not reliant on trading …


NBC’s Upcoming “Revolution” Television Series

Several readers have written me to mention the trailer for the upcoming NBC (US television network) post grid-collapse TEOTWAWKI series: Revolution. (“After 15 years of darkness, an unlikely group sets out to save the world.”) The four-minute trailer was interesting. Watching it felt like a count the memes and homages contest. Predictably, “militias” are made out to be the bad guys. There are far too many reminders of both S.M. Stirling’s Dies the Fire sci-fi novel series and the movie The Postman in the trailer for me to think that NBC’s screen writers hadn’t been influenced by them. The editors …


Three Letters Re: Battery-Powered House Interior Lighting

Sir: I enjoy your blog and support you in a small way with the 10 Cent Challenge.  After reading your response to the Battery-Powered House Interior Lighting letter, I want to add some information that I learned at a FAA seminar that I attended.  The FAA is now endorsing blue or green lighting in the cockpit of all aircraft (general aviation and commercial).  The green and/or blue takes less energy output for the eyes to see details.  Also, red lighting can be seen from further away than blue/green (red is used to designate towers and tall buildings at night, where …


Letter Re: An Arrow Re-Fletching Project

Dear JWR: The writer about traditional projectile weapons seems to have missed the most used feather for fletching arrows.  The best ever used that I am aware of is the turkey feather. They are known to stop 12Ga. birdshot pretty successfully.  That is why turkey loads are more powerful, and contain larger shot sizes. Lesser pellets flatten out and fall off the bird. Good fletching.  The American Indians then used a fiber (perhaps of hemp?)  to wind them to the shaft of the arrow, after splitting and shaping, of course. Not sure if there was any other kind of adhesive …


Economics and Investing:

Several readers sent this: Merkel tells Greece to back cuts or face euro exit Here is a sobering quote: “What will prevail are armed gangs with Kalashnikovs and which one has the greatest number of Kalashnikovs will count … we will end up in civil war.” G.G. sent this: 49% of Americans saving zilch for retirement Also from G.G.: 50-State Small Business Tax Friendliness Survey Michael H. spotted this: California facing higher $16 billion shortfall. Items from The Economatrix: Stocks Close Down 1% on Bank, Europe Worries Gold Drops to 4.5-month Low as Euro Sinks Oil Falls as Greece, China …