Year: 2012

Odds ‘n Sods:

A reminder that just until January 15th, Safecastle is offering the maximum allowed 25% discount on all Mountain House can varieties. Order soon!    o o o Cash-sniffing police dogs? Tax inspectors hit target in Italian ski resort. (Thanks to SurvivalBlog’s G.G. for the link.)    o o o My old friend Bob G. sent this great YouTube link: How to Make a 60 lb PVC longbow for less than $10.    o o o I heard that Freeze Dry Guy‘s seven-day “Just In Case” food supply units are back in stock at $125 per case, with some great bonuses for …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“O death, where [is] thy sting? O grave, where [is] thy victory? The sting of death [is] sin; and the strength of sin [is] the law. But thanks [be] to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 15:55-58 (KJV)


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 39 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 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 …


Get and Use Your Ham Radio License, by Mrs. R.L.B.

Just because there is a sewing machine in my house doesn’t mean I think any of my family members can sit down and sew a dress.  The same goes with your ham radio.  If you are one of those folks who bought one for when the SHTF thinking you will be able to just set it up and use it, you might be unpleasantly surprised. Why not make sure you have a ham radio license and become proficient with your radio?  It’s probably a good idea to dust it off anyway and make sure it is still working.  Some have …


Letter Re: Combating the Darkness Within

Jim, Reading Paul’s “Combating the Darkness Within” article, I can see that he has a scientific mind, lacking faith in God, or maybe even belief! And this is one of the first things you need in the survival mind set, a true faith in God, and guidance from the Holy Spirit, and without this guidance, no matter how prepared your are materially, your chances of making the right decisions when the time comes are questionable at best, without God’s spirit guiding you. This is why you always store a little more than what you need for [charity for] your family, friends and …


Economics and Investing:

Diana W. sent this: Cost to Make Penny and Nickel Rises, Annual Loss Reaches $116.7 Million. [JWR’s Comment: Presently, the U.S. Treasury is in effect giving you some of your taxes back, by minting nickels at a loss. Stock up ASAP, before this window of opportunity closes! (Debased steel nickels are coming soon!)] Mike T. suggested this: Bill Gross Warns Of Financial Market Implosion And The End Of Economic Life As We Know It Bailout concerns mounting for Federal Housing Agency F.G. mentioned some interesting background: Cracking The Credit Card Code Items from The Economatrix: 10 Predictions for Work and …


Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson found a link to plans for a homemade poultry plucker.    o o o Simon Black: Six Certainties About The Coming Years    o o o A reminder that just until January 15th, Safecastle is offering the maximum allowed discount on all Mountain House can varieties: 25% off. Order soon!    o o o NDAA Follow-up: New law would strip Citizenship of native-born Americans.    o o o Census: Number of U.S. youth shrinks. [JWR’s Comment: The article doesn’t mention the all-too obvious fact: About 1.2 million abortions are performed in the U.S. annually.]



Notes from JWR:

Safecastle’s Freedom Awards Finalists are now posted on Safecastle’s blog site for public viewing and voting. By the way, one of the finalists is K.M., for his article “What is a Well-Stocked First Aid Kit?” (that appeared in SurvivalBlog.) Please post your vote at the Safecastle site for your favorite article or video, before January 20th. — My sincere thanks to the dozens of readers that have sent voluntary Ten Cent Challenge SurvivalBlog subscription payments, in response to my recent annual reminder.


Rolling Back Civilian Disarmament Laws in America

Firearms freedom is on the march across America. In recent years, there have been many legislative successes for American gun owners, and I’m pleased to report that some of the best have been in the American Redoubt states. Onerous gun laws that had placed too much arbitrary discretion hands of a few political appointees have been rolled back. Meanwhile, “Castle Doctrine” and “Stand Your Ground” laws have been enacted, and strong assertions of State Sovereignty have been enacted. This animated graphic from the Wiki world, showing the advance of non-discretionary (“Shall issue”) CCW permits, is guaranteed to make Chuck Schumer …


Mike Williamson on the Flash Mob Trend

SurvivalBlog readers should take the time to read through a fairly lengthy piece about flash mobs that was recently published in Wired magazine. I note several threats, including: Random “bombings” of activity. Organized criminal events. Organized social events that get out of hand. Police over-reaction. Civil rights over-reaction. It would be a good idea for all teenagers to be aware that even a legitimate, law-abiding gathering can be turned into a riot by a few troublemakers and a measured police response. If the crowd looks too large, or questionable, then leave early. If you have to ask if it’s safe …


Two Letters Re: Fire Protection 101

Dear Mr Rawles, In regard to the article by Firefighter Charles on fire protection, I imagine (and, indeed hope) that I won’t be the only person who suggests a qualifier to the advice on what to do with a fire in a cooking pan.  My understanding is that one should NEVER put water on a pan which holds oil or fat, because the resulting explosive burst of steam and fat will leave anyone attempting the exercise with extensive, serious burns. I realize that Firefighter Charles dealt with grease fires earlier in the same paragraph, but wondered if it might be …


Three Letters Re: Self-Defense Advice

Mr. Rawles,  Reading your blog on Thursday, I was interested in the Self-Defense Advice posts. I absolutely agree that unless you have mastered the basics and developed the muscle memory that comes with it, learning Self-Defense from a book or from a video or from an online program is difficult to near impossible. That said, if you have the muscle memory and skills that come from training for a number of years, and you have someone of equal or greater skill level to work with you, it might be possible to obtain information from a book or video, but it …


Economics and Investing:

Fallout in America from Europe’s debt bomb, as a hedge fund perishes: WJB Faced 25% Interest on Debt Ahead of Brokerage Shutdown AmEx (American Expat) sent us this: In Greece’s Sour Economy, Some Shops Are Thriving Cue the dramatic gloom and doom music: Hungarian Yields Soar, CDS Hits Record As Bill Auction Fails Greek Prime Minister warns of March default–Lucas Papademos says Greece may default on its debts in March unless unions accept further cuts to salaries. Items from The Economatrix: Against Euro And Yen, Dollar Defied Reality Peter Schiff:  Now’s A Perfect Time For A Gold Rally What’s In …


Odds ‘n Sods:

From Kevin S.: Three Simple Internet Privacy Tips (And 1 Super Secret Ninja Move)    o o o Will your defensive architecture stand up to a sledgehammer? Consider this: Possible One-Man ‘Wrecking Crew’ Responsible For Countless Destructive Robberies In Harlem    o o o Several readers sent this: Oklahoma Woman Shoots, Kills Intruder: 911 Operators Say It’s Okay to Shoot    o o o AmEx (American Expat) sent this: Drought Doomed Ancient City of Angkor    o o o R.C. flagged this news item: Moving trends: More people leave Northeast