Day: January 19, 2013

Notes from JWR:

This is the birthday of the late Carla Emery (born 1939, died October 11, 2005.) She is well known in self-sufficiency circles as the author of The Encyclopedia of Country Living. (Which was just re-released in a new 40th Anniversary edition.) Carla is greatly missed by preparedness and self-sufficiency-minded families. — Today we present another entry for Round 44 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 …


Functions, Not Lists!, by Travis K.

This blog has endless resources for researching the needs and goals of a person preparing for an anticipated event.  Whether that event is unemployment, extended backpacking, or a SHTF scenario, you are likely to develop a “to-do list” for that event.   These lists might be compiled on loose paper, on a computer, or lodged in your brain.  Most of us make lists in one form or another since they are invaluable for organization.   While a “to-do list” is convenient for simple events such as going to the grocery store, they tend to be detrimental to a project such as “prepping”.  …


Letter Re: A Lifetime Gun and Magazine Purchases in Just a Few Months?

Brother Rawles, Thank you to you and Ulysses in Montana for the detailed article on .308 battle rifles.  The current political environment kicked me into high gear, buying one.  Ulysses information helped me out tremendously.  It will help me save time and money on getting familiar with a new caliber and rifle.  In the beginning hours of the Gun Grab I picked up an Armalite AR-10 lower receiver and mags. I’ve got a number of 5.56 AR’s but have been putting off getting my “dream” rifle for a couple of years.  Depending on what happens in Washington DC, I might trade it toward a FAL …


Economics and Investing:

Bernanke Playing with Fire-Laurence Kotlikoff Peter Schiff: Congress Can’t Fix The Post Office, How Will They The Fix Deficit? Reader H.L. sent: Hotel Mama: Bad Economy Has Young Europeans at Home Items from The Economatrix: Gold & Silver Set Up For Explosive 2013 Silver Will Soar 100s Of Dollars Higher Long-Term Unemployment Highest Since WWII


Odds ‘n Sods:

Easier Flashlight Mod Increases Run Time 3.6X    o o o Fascinating! How a Canadian history buff (may have) solved a Second World War ‘pigeon-code mystery. (Thanks to Karl H. for the link.)    o o o How to Make Batteries From Spare Change    o o o Gregg P. sent: Search of DNA Sequences Reveals Full Identities. In First World nations, law enforcement agencies are busily building huge libraries of blood and tissue samples (cheek swabs.) If eugenics ever regains popularity, or if “genetic profiling” for a family criminal tendency or psychological abnormality ever emerges, then this is very …