Month: September 2013

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 48 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course. (A $1,195 value.) 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 …


How to Deal with Dead Bodies in a Survival Situation, by Tim K.

During a break-down of society you may happen upon a dead body. In a without-rule-of-law situation such would not be unusual. This article will give you a rough outline of what to look for when you examine a dead body. The dead body may be near your camp and you may need to get rid of it pronto. There are several reasons why you might need to closely scrutinize a corpse and document what you see. You may need to protect yourself from the outbreak of disease. You may need to protect yourself from later accusations of murder once the …


Letter Re: Prioritized Prepping

Hi JWR, In response to Sunshine’s research into gas masks online, I’ve purchased from Approved Gas Masks.com before. They sell many different brands of masks, canisters and other NBC products. The canisters I’ve bought use the standard NATO threads, are sealed and dated. They’re going to set you back a little more than the mil surplus but they’re current production from reputable companies. Hope this helps. – S.M. from Pennsylvania


Economics and Investing:

Stocks are about to plunge, Wells Fargo warns Marc Faber Warns “The Endgame Is A Total Collapse – But From A Higher Diving Board Now” Michael Snyder: The Greatest Debt Crisis The World Has Ever Seen Is Coming Items from The Economatrix: Pension Disaster Looms Over The Horizon: In 1980, 60 Percent Of Americans Participated In A Pension Program. Today It Is Less Than 10 Percent And The Amount Saved For Retirement Is Startling. The Percentage Of Americans That Consider Themselves To Be “Lower Class” Is At An All-Time High Jobless Claims Fall To 7-Year Low, But …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader R.B.S. sent: Poison-resistant sewer rats discovered in four Swedish cities    o o o Lou F. suggested this piece: Is Buckshot Lethal at 50 Yards?    o o o Rebel-on-Rebel Violence Seizes Syria. (Thanks to Pierre M. for the link.)    o o o Hunger grips Acapulco: Mexico storms strand thousands of tourists, with no reprieve in sight. (A tip of the hat to Luke D.)


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.” – Numbers 14:17-18 (KJV)


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 48 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course. (A $1,195 value.) 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 …


Nomads of the Second Great Depression, by A.J. in Texas

For 45 years I was all about the Great American Dream.  A 100 mile per day [round-trip] commute to a six figure pressure cooker job supported an upper middle class lifestyle.  All that changed in 2001 when I was squeezed out of that job during a company transition to second generation children.   Overnight, the new CEO and COO determined I was too traditional and old school for the vision they had for the company going forward even though I had served their father profitably for a decade.   In quick succession I lost the house, the cars and a wife of …


Two Letters Re: Prioritized Prepping

Jim: I couldn’t agree more with the article written by T.Z. regarding prioritized prepping. Many of us lack the needed organization and discipline to distribute our prepping budget evenly between the different survival categories and instead succumb to impulse buys – more ammo, more guns, more dried food, more camping gear. While stocking up on non-perishable supplies that will always have some use may seem like a good idea, what good are 50,000 rounds of ammo if your only water filter just broke, or you ran out of oil for your two-stroke chain saw? My way of managing these impulse …


Economics and Investing:

G.G. flagged this: The typical American family makes less than it did in 1989 10 worst economies in the world. (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.) Median Household Income Has Fallen For Five Years In A Row Items from The Economatrix: Prepare For Tough Times If Your Job Has Anything To Do With Real Estate Or Mortgages United States Sets Another Food Stamp Record: Households On Food Stamps At New Peak And More Americans Live In Poverty Compared To The Entire Population Of Spain A Measurement Of Our Impoverishment


Odds ‘n Sods:

Rick B. recommended: Crop Rotation in the Home Garden    o o o I knew that Bobcats were versatile little tractors, but I had no idea that they were this agile. (Thanks to Chester for the link.)    o o o Three Important Lessons from a Canadian Border Crossing    o o o Update on the big September Mountain House sales: The folks at Safecastle report: ” 27% of the Mountain House canned varieties are now backordered.   Mountain House foods now on backorder till October: Pilot Crackers, New Orleans Rice with Shrimp, Mexican Style Rice & Chicken, Uncooked Eggs, …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 48 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course. (A $1,195 value.) 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 …


My View on Self Defense for Women, by Sheri W.

I wish that all women had some self-defense training.  But, most don’t, even among preppers.  Worse yet, most women I know are too embarrassed to learn anything about fighting.  They don’t know where to learn or maybe don’t want to appear foolish.  And the misinformation out there about how a woman should defend herself is often worse than useless – it’s actually harmful.  Most men teach what works for men and often, those techniques don’t work very well for women.  This article is intended for those women who have little or no experience with self-defense.  I won’t kid you, reading …


Two Letters Re: Preserving a Digital Library

James, I work for a large, three-letter computer manufacturer with a penchant for Blue. Joe Ax’s comments about the problems with maintaining a digital library are right on the money. When I worked in our Storage Division (hard disks, tapes, etc.), this issue came up during a talk on medical systems’ storage needs. There is a requirement for medical records to be maintained 100 years, and yet no computer data storage system has been designed to do this. So what is the ‘solution’?  It seems that doctor’s offices are cajoled/required/encouraged to upgrade their office systems on average of about every …