Year: 2012

Prepping for Newbies, by M.G.D.

If you’re just now catching on to the need to prep, it’s not too late, but to be done effectively, it will cost you some money up front. There are plenty of suggestions and web sites galore for the budget-challenged to prep ranging from buying a little extra each week—see the LDS shopping list for newlyweds—to hunting, fishing and foraging on state land. At the other extreme are those who can afford survivalist-consultants to build and stock extensive underground bunkers, which require the employ of a staff including farmers and Blackwater-type security. But, since no one else is, I’m going …



Economics and Investing:

Reader P.D. sent: US Nears Fiscal Disaster: ‘Washington Doing Nothing’ Kurt sent this: No Currencies Will Survive What Lies Ahead, But That’s OK Mac Slavo: Warning Signs: FedEx to Slash Thousands of Jobs Citing “Weak Global Economic Conditions” Items from The Economatrix: Confidence Among Small US Businesses Cooled in September Price of Gold Could Reach $2,400/oz. By Next Summer Is Housing Recovering Like People Think It Is? Greece’s Debt Nightmare Just Got Worse


Odds ‘n Sods:

Jon C. suggested this article: Five Great Reasons to Grow Vegetables Vertically    o o o M.K.P. sent an article from Chile about the many pitfalls of building… The Microhydro Plant. This clever fellow even wound his own transformers! And BTW, he also has nice taste in old tube radios.    o o o Gregg mentioned: The next human pandemic    o o o B.B. sent: Massive Manure Pile Delivered to Ohio Democratic Offices. For better effect, take a lesson from our English cousins. The misexcremants should have fired up a power manure spreader just inside the front door, and …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and [that] hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. [For the Son of man is] as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, …


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 43 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 …


Fruit Trees: The Long Term Garden Companion, by Christopher G.

With the cost of groceries going up peppers know that being self-sufficient and creating their own garden is critical, but are you really looking at plants for the long term? Heirloom variety plants like tomatoes are essential to keep around, but if a day comes that you can no longer buy those seeds it is going to be a real pain to try and sort the seeds out from your food source. Taking a closer look at adding fruiting trees to your property and where they can fit into your landscape will make a huge difference in what your land …


Letter Re: Lindsay Technical Books Quitting Business

I’ve just received the last catalog from Lindsay Technical Books. I said the last catalog, not the latest one, the last one. The publishing owner has announced his coming retirement beginning the day after February 28, 2013. So the company is going the way of Loompanics. This is a shame. For those of you who don’t know, this is a book company which published books on how to make and build stuff, some from scratch. Mostly focusing on metalworking, blacksmithing, some woodworking, basic electrical stuff. Even some stuff on how to make booze. – Jim B. JWR Replies: I am …


Economics and Investing:

Peter Schiff: Riding Into the Sunset or a Brick Wall? Goldman Sachs President: We’re In A Unique Period of History Where ALL Major Economies Are In Deep Trouble “Legalized Plunder of the American People” – G. Edward Griffin Items from The Economatrix: Fed’s Fisher Says US “Drowning In Unemployment” High Cost Of Energy Leading Economy Into Recession Will The Chinese Remnibi Replace The US Dollar As The Primary Reserve Currency Of The World? Reality:  More People Requested Emergency Food Assistance Than Found Jobs


Odds ‘n Sods:

Recommended by F.J.: HomemadeTools.net    o o o An interesting documentary: We The Tiny House People: Small Homes, Tiny Flats. JWR’s comment: Simplicity is laudable, but tiny houses leave no room for long term food storage. 🙁 How about Plan B: A tiny house with minimal living space to heat but adjacent to it build a big un-heated barn/shop/root cellar building?    o o o The reach of the Internet is amazing. Even obscure acronyms that I created just for SurvivalBlog can now be found far and wide.    o o os Beware the signs of the times, even in …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 43 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 …


What’s in Your Pantry?, by Cathy H.

I wish I could remember the exact moment I became a “prepper”, although I would much rather use the term “aware”.  I’m sure everyone has that “A-ha” moment that sets them on the path to enlightenment, and that brings me to the subject of the day.  I would like to re-introduce canned food to all of those food snobs out there, because I once was one. Yes, it’s true – for me it was always “freshly caught”, “freshly killed”, “never frozen”, “minimally processed” and most especially “organic”. As a child of the 1950s I was the unwilling guinea pig of …


Letter Re: How I Built My Own Rocket Stoves

James, I recently fabricated my first two rocket stoves using $25 in parts per stove, and gave one to my local volunteer fire department fundraising auction.  It takes just over an hour to make one and it works great.  The fuel/vent stand is key for ensuring air flows under the fuel for maximum combustion.  The pot grill is key for ensuring maximum heat transfer to your cooking pot without choking the fire.   It was pretty nice the other morning making scrambled eggs without having to use propane, electricity, or the fire pit.  The rocket stove is one of the …


Economics and Investing:

Greece Hits 25% Unemployment, Germany on Brink of Recession, France And Italy Could Face Another Credit Downgrade, Social Breakdown Is Taking Place Inside Europe… AmEx (American Expat) sent: IMF Sees ‘Alarmingly High’ Risk of Deeper Global Slump Reader Pat S. recommended: Radical Simplicity, or Life after the Great Disruption Those pesky derivatives again: Cynicism aside, why the NY AG’s MBS suit vs JPMorgan matters Items from The Economatrix: 16 Critical Economic Issues That Obama And Romney Avoided During The Debate India’s Stock Exchange “Closes” After State Bank “Flash-Crash” Food Is The New Oil And Land The New Gold Gasoline Prices …