Notes from JWR:

Typhoon Haiyan (aka “Yolanda”, a very large Category 5 cyclonic tropical storm) is bearing down on Samar, in the central Philippines. Please pray for the islanders. — Today we present another entry for Round 49 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $8,500+ worth of 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 …




Year One at the New Retreat, by Mrs. R.L.B.

Have you been thinking about leaving the crowded city and moving to a retreat? Perhaps you are weighing many factors, finances, age, leaving friends and family, and work.  But the most important factor you should weigh, is the answer to the question, “If the SHTF, can we survive here?”  If the answer is no, then take the leap and move!  We did!  We sold our San Diego house and finally landed in Washington state, on the west side of the Cascades.  We aimed for the Redoubt, but due to work constraints we could not make that work for us.  So, …




Letter Re: Is the M1A the Ideal Rifle Choice?

Jim, Is the M1A the best rifle to have sitting in your gun safe?  Ever since there have been rifles and humans, there has been discussions about what is the best rifle to have when you are thrust into a survival situation.  That situation might just be a government fallout, natural disaster, or the end of the world as we know it (TEOTWAWKI).  Either way, you need a rifle that will take you thru that situation and give you a fighting chance to survive.  So what attributes make a good rifle to rely on?  For starters there are many of …




Economics and Investing:

Federal Debt Jumped $409 Billion in October; $3,567 Per Household Greek Companies Unable To Pay Taxes Explode From 182,000 To Over Half A Million In One Month (thanks to H.L. for the link.) Reader Frank B. suggested a Time Monk Radio show where “Plane” leads the interview: The Plane Truth ~ Gas and Gold: Goodbye to the Petrodollar with Jim Willie. The latter half of the interview veers off into some conspiratorial speculation, but their conclusions on the death of the Dollar are quite sound. Items from The Economatrix: US Households Cannot Avoid Soft Default Consequences Of Deleveraging: While US …




Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader H.L. mentioned some great video instruction for newbies from Dave Canterbury: Shelter Basic Tarp Setups and an E Fire 2    o o o Google’s Secret Revealed: Barge To Offer High-End Showrooms, Party Deck. Note that with CONEX construction, it is feasible to make the enclosed portions of these structures EMP-proof.    o o o Abundance from a prepper’s garden: Green eggs & Ham sandwich – eat more sweet potato and malabar leaves    o o o Hiker stranded in Canadian wilderness reportedly ate dog to survive.    o o o I had received several enquiries from readers about the …