"The only foundation for…a republic is to be laid in Religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments." – Benjamin Rush Essays, Literary, Moral and Philosophical 1798
I’m pleased to announce that author Mat Stein has accepted the volunteer position of SurvivalBlog’s Back Country Editor. Mat is a design engineer, green builder, and author of two best-selling books: When Disaster Strikes: A Comprehensive Guide for Emergency Planning and Crisis Survival and When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability, and Surviving the Long Emergency. Stein is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he majored in Mechanical Engineering. Stein has been a guest on dozens of radio and television programs. He is an active mountain climber, serves as a guide and instructor for blind …
Aquaponic Gardening, by D.P. This submission is about gardening (tips on what to grow and why) and how and why I am switching from outdoor to indoor gardening. I have been gardening since age 3 – much to the chagrin of my parents who, once they realized what was going on, quickly gave me my own 10 square feet with some lettuce and radish seeds and told me to tend to that in the future. I did get to take care of their garden as I grew older though. I also have had gardens on various soil types as my …
H.L. suggested this essay by Peter Schiff: We Have A Phony Recovery That Has Sown The Seeds Of Its Own Destruction Also from H.L.: Chevron’s Largest California Refinery “Immediate-Extreme-Health-Hazard” Fire Emergency K.A.F. flagged this: Emails: Geithner, Treasury drove cutoff of non-union Delphi workers’ pensions Items from The Economatrix: 11 Signs That Time Is Quickly Running Out For The Global Financial System Collapse Of Financial System Will Come In August, Maybe September US Manufacturing Unexpectedly Shrinks For Second Month
Reader Sue C. sent us this: Solar superstorm could kill millions, cost trillions o o o The folks at Camping Survival are now offering SurvivalBlog readers a 5% discount on LifeStraw Portable Water Filters. o o o Over at novelist James Grady’s web site, an odd case of Life Imitates Art: “The nonfiction book Comrade J: The Untold Secrets of Russia’s Master Spy in America After the End of the Cold War by former Washington Post reporter Pete Earley reports that Three Days of the Condor — the 1975 Robert Redford movie based on my Six Days of …
"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root." – Henry David Thoreau
Happy 79th birthday, Jerry Pournelle! He was born August 7, 1933. He, along with Larry Niven authored the survivalist classic Lucifer’s Hammer. Pournelle is generally recognized as the man who invented blogging. — Today is the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal. — 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 …
Most of the citizenry in the United States has seen at least one of the movie theater box office hits “Armageddon,” “Deep Impact,” or “The Day After Tomorrow.” Those are just movies, but the human brain not in touch with reality doesn’t entertain the thought of these scenarios actually happening in this day and age. But one day, one or several of the things displayed in those movies will. Experts say that so many apocalyptic events we preppers expect have a very low chance of happening; but nothing is a 100% certain, anything could happen at any moment. Experts set …
JWR: I try to find a good compromise between comfort and simplicity, and have come to the conclusion that preparedness is like dressing for cold weather; it is most efficient to do so in layers. Working from a level of maximizing comfort at one end of the scale to maximizing simplicity at the other end, I can gauge my response to conditions as they are encountered. Beginning with a robust supply and security source at my primary residence, I have layers of response that I can work down through as the conditions dictate. If I have to bug out, I …
More of that beautiful north-central Idaho scenery: The “Lead Dog” – Elk River Trike Fly-in ’12. o o o Troy H. mentioned this infographic: Mexican Drug Cartels Have Infiltrated All of These US Cities. (JWR Observes: The artist’s arrows to the middle-of-nowhere in The American Redoubt appear to be more fanciful than they are data-driven. The reality is that there is not a lot of “cartel influence” inside National Forests and out in the middle of vast tracts of BLM land. (As depicted in the map.) And note that all but one of the dots shown inside the Redoubt …
Bob G. sent this: Economist Richard Duncan: Civilization May Not Survive ‘Death Spiral’ Illinois to Spend More on Pensions Than on Education. (Thanks to B.B. for the link.) Items from The Economatrix: Economic Data Underscores Weakening Activity Consumer Comfort In US Falls On Concern Over Growth Postal Service On The Verge Of Default Job Gains Topping Forecasts Ease US Slowdown Concerns Service Industries In US Expanded At A Faster Pace In July
F.J. sent: Make a DIY Grill out of a Tin Can o o o H.L. recommended this piece at Real Science: Joe Bastardi Shows Parallels to the 1950s, And Tells Us What to Expect Looking Forward o o o The moment 65-year-old woman thwarts robbery on jewelry store after opening fire on five armed men o o o James C. suggested this: Building and maintaining supply caches o o o Cheryl sent this: Bug Out Boot Camp
"The importance of information is directly proportional to its improbability." – Jerry Pournelle
My goodness gracious! Our SurvivalRealty.com spin-off just got some unsolicited publicity on a National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate: One Housing Sector That’s Booming: Survival Realty — Do you have a favorite attributed quote related to preparedness? Just e-mail it to us at it will likely be featured as a SurvivalBlog Quote of the Day. (Note that we’ve already posted more than 2,500 quotes, so please use the Search box first to see if the quote has already been featured.)
Several months back, I did an article on the Deep Conceal Shoulder Holster. It’s a design meant for “deep” concealment – worn under a shirt, instead of over it, like a regular shoulder holster is worn. The Deep Conceal shoulder holster was (and is) a good idea. My concern at the time was, that it would be a little difficult to get to your handgun, buried under your everyday shirt. Deep Conceal has solved that problem, with the Concealed Carry Clothing shirt. Right off the bat, I’ll tell you that, this is a high-quality dress shirt, not some cheap …