Year: 2013

Odds ‘n Sods:

What do USAF PJs carry in their trauma rucks?    o o o Montana definitely started something. Oral arguments for the MSSA v. Holder case are scheduled to be heard on March 4, 2013 in the Ninth Circuit Court    o o o The re-make of Red Dawn will be released in a DVD and Blu-Ray combo on March 5th. Just on the strength of pre-orders, it is already in Amazon’s Top 200 movies. (FWIW, I still prefer the original John Milius film.)     o o o Reader Matt L. sent this CalGuns thread: I Prototyped My Own Polymer Lower! …



Notes from JWR:

My congratulations to Mac Slavo, the editor of the excellent SHTFPlan blog. His site now has a higher web traffic ranking than SurvivalBlog’s. When I had checked for competitor stats last year, SurvivalBlog was ranked #1 and Mac’s blog was #2. But now we are in the #2 position, and SHTFPlan is ranked #1. OBTW, I should mention that some of our visitor traffic is now directed to our dotted quad address (95.143.193.148) and therefore the aggregate traffic is not reflected in the site rankings. Congrats also to The Survival Podcast, presently traffic ranked #3 among preparedness-oriented web sites. SurvivalBlog …


Surviving Snowmageddon, by Lugknut32

In January, 2012 Washington State went through what the locals called Snowmageddon. My family and I had just returned from being stationed in Germany for the preceding nine years. Some of our belongings were still packed up out in the garage. Mostly my “camping” things. Having just started at the new assignment, I had not yet taken the time to unpack everything. I had bought some heavy duty shelves for the garage (in anticipation of unpacking my gear). While in Germany, I was stationed in Bavaria (Schweinfurt and Graffenwoehr specifically). I had been raised in the Midwest, so I was …


Some Alaska Outdoor Survival Experiences, by M.C.R.

Preparedness is a mental state and  where I live it is extremely unforgiving if you are not ready. I travel the bush in the state of Alaska as a telecommunication technician which means I travel mostly in small commercial planes or in bush planes along with helicopters, boats and once in a while via snowmobiles (called “snow machines” here) to get to the native villages. This happened to me in the mid-1980s when Exxon was drilling in Arctic Ocean on a drilling rig called a Concrete Island Drilling Structure (C.I.D.S.). Exxon had chartered a helicopter company to fly supplies and personnel …


Letter Re: Emergency Bags for Your Vehicle

Dear James, I wish to make a comment about the article on preparing an emergency bag for your car. This is a prudent and good idea. I currently have one for each vehicle I own. The only problem with the article is the choice of food. I have a tendency to leave my emergency bag in my car. The problem arises in the summer when the outside temps start to rise. With the outdoor temp at 100 degrees F the car’s inside temperature is 120 to 130. The MRE entrees only have a shelf life of 30 days at 120 …


Auction Update: PVS-14 Gen 3+ Night Vision Scope to Benefit C.R.O.S.S. Ministries

CURRENT BID is $3,000 (Bid by Reader D.J.G.) Simply e-mail us your bids. I will post regular updates on the bidding. The final deadline will be Midnight EST on Monday, March 11, 2013. Thanks for your generous bids in support of C.R.O.S.S. Ministries. We are continuing a benefit auction of a brand new AN/PVS-14 Gen 3+ Night Vision Scope. All proceeds (100% of your bid) will be donated to C.R.O.S.S. Ministries. (A very worthy Christian ministry that is sharing the Gospel of Christ in South Sudan. Their outreach method is unique: They are teaching rural villagers tactical marksmanship, water purification, …


Economics and Investing:

A Recipe For Massive Hyperinflation or Bankruptcy: ProShares UltraShort 20+ Year Treasury, iShares Barclays 20+ Year Treasury Bond Michael Pollaro: Chairman Bernanke, Price Inflation is the Least of Your Problems Over at Lew Rockwell’s page, Peter Schiff predicts: US Debt Crisis Will Be Worse Than Europe’s Items from The Economatrix: Housing To Drive Growth (Finally!) American Consumers Upbeat In February Inflation Remained Subdued In January


Odds ‘n Sods:

Don’t mistake this tyranny for some sort of “moderation” or “compromise”: Deal on gun background checks hinges on tracking sales. Please contact your congressmen and senators to again remind them that intrastate private party sales of used guns are OUTSIDE of the scope of the Interstate Commerce Clause. No Federal nexus means no Federal jurisdiction!    o o o For those who prefer to store plain sea salt: Redmond Real Salt    o o o Lew Rockwell: Prozacked Nation    o o o Rather than backtracking, “Shotgun Joe” Biden is digging himself a deeper hole. Oh, and speaking of scatterguns, …



Notes from JWR:

Now feeling fully Sequestered and safe in the American Redoubt, your Editor notes that the sky has not fallen, as predicted by the pundits on MSNBC. In fact the $109 billion in “dreaded automatic budget cuts” are merely a decrease in the rate of budget increase. Federal spending will actually be going up by more than $14 billion. But I’m sure that BHO and company will misdirect as many departmental cuts as possible, to maximize the perceived stress. Much anguished hand-wringing, nay-saying and fear mongering, to follow in the weeks to come. They will no doubt brand it a “crisis.” …


Emergency Bags for Your Vehicle, by Z.T.

Most preppers probably have a pretty good handle on how to assemble a bug-out-bag (BOB). And, it’s probably so large and ungainly, that it gets stuck in the closet, just like mine. Let’s be honest, are you going to have it when you need it? I think we have covered the likelihood of being at home when “it” happens in plenty of detail in the past. We have seen that the chances of you being at home on your couch with your BOB beside you are slim. What about all the other situations? In other words, where to you spend …


Letter Re: Today is the Day Christianity Became Illegal in Canada

Mr. Rawles, I have, most of the time been proud to be a Canadian. We have our problems, much like other countries, but I’d always believed that our country was one of the best, most free in the world. It both infuriates me and causes me great sadness to write the latter in the past tense. Today I read an article from a news source I have followed for many years and trust implicitly, Lifesitenews. Essentially, the Supreme Court of Canada has killed freedom of speech and freedom of religion in one fell blow. If we can no longer as …


Economics and Investing:

Jim W. was the first of several readers to point me to this piece at Zero Hedge: Silver Demand Surges To Record For February. Jim W. correctly observed that the paper markets for precious metals are increasingly irrelevant. The true relevance in the grand scheme of things can be found in the fact that the supply of paper is limitless and he supply of silver is fixed. Don’t be frightened by short term swings in the market. Just be thankful for the dips–our opportunities to buy in in the midst of a long term bull market. Buy tangibles, not conceptuals. …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Cooking With Three Candle Flames    o o o The Spring Survival Medicine classes with SurvivalBlog’s Medical Editor Dr. Cynthia Koelker (of Armageddon Medicine) are now open for registration.  Learn to suture, cast, and much more. The available seats fill up early, so register soon.    o o o Safecastle now offers a discount price for quantity purchases of Waterbricks. Through a special arrangement with the manufacturer, these are shipped directly from the factory, to reduce shipping costs. Waterbricks are great for storing water, bulk grain, bulk legumes, or even bulk .22 LR ammo. 😉    o o o Reports of …