Month: February 2013

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“They’re not going to tell you [that a collapse is coming]. You’re going to have to see it for yourself. [During the Tequila crisis], the Mexican government affirmed they would not default, that they would not devalue, almost daily. The day after they said “we won’t devalue,” they devalued by 60%. The government’s never going to tell you that it’s going to happen. “Greece’s Yunker said recently, ‘When it becomes serious—you have to lie’. These guys are never going to tell you the truth, because they can’t tell you the truth. Their job is to promote confidence, not to tell …


Notes from JWR:

Today is the birthday of the late Burt Blumert (born February 11, 1929 in New York City, died March 30, 2009.) He once owned Camino Coin Company. (Coincidentally, so did former congressman Dr. Ron Paul from 1984 to 1996.) I was a Camino customer before the turn of the century. I can remember Burt personally helping me dolly out my first purchase of 100-ounce Engelhard bars. That was back when they cost just $580 each. Those were the days. (The same bars now sell for more than $3,200 each.) — Today’s first feature article is by our Back Country Editor, …


Why Your Doctor Won’t Help You Prepare–And What You Can Do About It, by Cynthia J. Koelker, MD

This past week I had a pharmacy call me about a multi-year prescription I had written for a fellow prepper.  The pharmacy would not fill the prescription, and didn’t even know if was legal.  At first they told the patient I would have to write a note regarding the purpose of so much medication, and that the drug might not even be good beyond a year.  On further consideration, they informed him that he would have to get a new prescription written for a smaller amount.  It seemed they did not even want to keep the written prescription in their …


Winter Survival Tips, by Mat Stein

Note: This article is adapted from my book When Disaster Strikes: A Comprehensive Guide for Emergency Planning and Crisis Survival Tips for Surviving Outside in Extreme Weather and Subfreezing Temperatures Every year people get lost in the backcountry near where I live in the High Sierras, and end up spending one or more unplanned nights outside in the snow and extreme cold. Some of those folks live to tell the tale, and some of them don’t. Hopefully you will never need to spend unexpectedly long hours outside in extreme weather, but in case you do, here are a few tips: …


Pat’s Product Review: Blackhawk’s Gideon Knife

I believe I first started writing about knives for Knives Illustrated magazine back around 1994. Since that time, I’ve probably had the opportunity to test literally thousands of knives, both fixed blade. folders, and out-the-front knives. Most knives I’ve tested are really pretty good blades. If something is junk, I just won’t waste my time writing about it because folks don’t want to read about junk! Once in a while, something new catches my eye, and I sit up and take notice, when it comes to knives. Blackhawk Products caught my eye with their Gideon drop point fixed blade knife. …


Plan B: Key Phrases to Memorize for Citizens’ Reservation of Rights

I’ve posted numerous articles and links in SurvivalBlog that emphasize the importance of remaining silent whenever you are contacted by law enforcement officers. I strongly recommend that before reading the rest of this post, you take the time watch this lecture: Don’t Talk To The Police, and take it to heart. I’ve heard from several readers who say that that they’ve been pulled over by police officers on “fishing expeditions”. The officers refused to let the motorists go, even though it was obvious that no crime had been committed. These readers did everything right. They presented their identification and proof …


Letter Re: Advice on Joining the Canadian Army

Hello James,   Over the last number of months I have really enjoyed reading articles on your survivalblog.  I like to thank you for all the good and commonsense information.   What are your thoughts on joining the army?  I have a 16 year old son who has his mind set on joining the Canadian armed forces. I like the fact that he is willing to serve his country, but as a Christian is it wise to expose yourself willingly to crude and foul language and other foul behavior. I spoke to a Canadian veteran and told me that you are as a Christian on an ”island” on …


Letter Re: U.S. Army Recipes Available Free Online

Jim, I have been building a library of preparedness-related documents to store on a DVD data disc. In my search for cooking recipes, I found this web site: U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps School: Food Service Publications & Links The page contains a link to a ZIP archive of recipes use by the Army — about 100 MB of indexed recipes of all types. A direct link to the ZIP file is here. Watch ‘Yer Top Knot and Keep Your Powder Dry, – The Wyoming Geezer


Letter Re: Report on the Dulles Gun Show

This afternoon I went to the 3 day gun show (Friday 3-8 and all day Sat, Sun) which began on Friday at 3PM.  Being retired it was easy for me to go but clearly a very large number of people left work early to get ahead of the Saturday morning crowds. So we all got the Friday afternoon crowd instead! Parking in a disabled slot, a gentleman in security noted that I was a 100 percent disabled Veteran and allowed me to walk straight in rather than wait in either of the two lines which went at least 500 meters …


Recipe of the Week:

Cynthia C.’s Carrot Cake Here is a very good and easy from-the-pantry recipe for Carrot Cake made with canned carrots. 2 Cups flour 1 Cup sugar 1 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp nutmeg 1 tsp ground allspice 2 tsp ground ginger 1 egg (or 1 heaping tsp soy flour with 1 tsp of water) 1 cup raisins 1 can sliced carrots- NOT drained 1 snack cup of pineapple bits -optional (drain but retain juice in case batter is dry) 1/4 cup chopped walnuts nuts- optional 1/2 Cup oil Put the carrots in a …


Economics and Investing:

Top Marginal Tax Rate Now Exceeds 50% in California, New York, and Hawaii Venezuela Sharply Devalues Its Currency Jim W. sent this: Days After Freezing Prices, Argentina Bans All Advertising By way of Professor Paul Caron’s TaxProf blog: Tax Hikes Backfire, Greece’s Revenues Plummet Items from The Economatrix: $5 Gas Hits California US Postal Service Ends Saturday Delivery In August To Save Itself Are Junk Bonds Warning Stocks Are About To Fall?


Odds ‘n Sods:

Are you researching potential retreat locales, and want to know if a building code exists, or if building permits are required? (In many counties in western states, no permits are required, outside of city limits.) Here is a great resource. Oh, and speaking of retreat locales, check out the newly-expanded listings at our Survival Realty spin-off site.    o o o For those looking for HK91-compatible magazines, I found a company that actually has a pile of them in captivity: G3Magazines.com    o o o More bad civil rights news: DHS Watchdog OKs ‘Suspicionless’ Seizure of Electronic Devices Along Border …



Notes from JWR:

For my readers in the northeast: I hope that you were ready for the big winter storm, which is dumping record snowfall. Please help your neighbors who didn’t plan ahead. — February 10th is the birthday of Zvi “Zvika” Greengold (born 1952), a Centurion tank commander who was one of Israel’s most notable heroes of the Yom Kippur War. He was awarded Israel’s highest decoration, the Medal of Valor. — Today we present another entry for Round 45 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good …


A Prepper’s Guide to EMP, by Chris C.

Those of us who frequent this web site, the prepper community, prepare for a host of potential crises that may befall our nation.  Some are more likely than others, but most share a common background when it comes to being prepared for them.  The event of an EMP strike, however, requires some very specific knowledge and safeguards.  This is a serious enough issue that a study was commissioned by congress several years ago, which found that the threat was real and that we were woefully unprepared. This essay will provide a brief description of the event itself with some supporting …