Year: 2013

Letter Re: Stocking Heirloom Seeds, In Quantity

Hi Capt. Rawles, With spring gardening underway, I want to share something with your readers. If you are buying some heirloom seed packets, with the idea of being prepared, I want to warn you that most of these “packets” do not contain enough quantity to be a food source.  Most of the packets I have purchased contain only enough seed to get what I call a “start”. For example, some of the Golden Bantam Sweet Corn I purchased had only 8 ounces in a pack. I planted 2 packs to get two rows 150 feet long. This would provide several meals for …


Economics and Investing:

Big Dang Bubble, The Next Generation: New York Stock Exchange Margin Debt Hits A New Record, Surpasses 2007 Figures Ambrose-Evans Pritchard: No saviour in sight as world credit cycle rolls over. (Thanks to J.B.G. for the link.) Matt The Teacher sent: Why is Progressive Insurance Lying About their Spy Devices? Basel III: How The Bank For International Settlements Is Going To Help Bring Down The Global Economy Items from The Economatrix: Impending Financial Collapse–The Grand Finale:  Here Is What’s About To Happen To You Jim Willie:  Coming To A Climax With Gold At $7,000/Oz. US May Auto Sales Seen Shaking …


Odds ‘n Sods:

West Coast Police State Logic: California Senate approves seven gun control bills. They just keep coming: Background checks on ammo buyers, a ban on any semi-auto that can accept a detachable magazine, and an outright ban on 11+ round magazines? These yo-yos are channeling Josef Stalin. Oh, and meanwhile, here is some East Coast Police State Logic: New Jersey: Court Upholds Man Arrested For Visible Gun Case In Car. “Plain view” doctrine is well-established, but what if possession of the item in plain view is considered a right in one state, but a crime in another? So now, in Neu …



Notes from JWR:

Today is the birthday of George R. Stewart, a novelist, university professor and toponymist. He was born in 1895 and died August 22, 1980. In the preparedness community, he is best remembered as the author of the classic post-pandemic novel Earth Abides. — Safecastle’s semi-annual sale on Mountain House long term storage foods begins tomorrow (Saturday, June 1, 2013.) Today we present the final entry for Round 46 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.) …


Off Grid Cooking Solutions, Part 3, by V.W.

I have really come to enjoy researching and testing off grid cooking ideas and possibilities.  Last year I had purchased a few products that I felt were going to be the back bone of my preparedness efforts. Over this past winter, I began thinking that it was necessary to actually try out the ideas and suggestions from videos I had seen and articles I had read.  I ordered a few products to round out my supplies, and I became so enthusiastic with all the possibilities that I wrote “Off Grid Cooking Solutions, Part 1” and “Off Grid Cooking Solutions, Part …


Three Letters Re: Studying Guerilla Warfare Tactics

Dear Captain Rawles, I would like to thank Al H. for his letter on the importance of studying Guerrilla Warfare tactics and also for his mention of one of my book, Contact!: A Tactical Manual for Post Collapse Survival There were two purposes in writing ‘Contact’: firstly, to pass on tactical self-defense information to aid the survival of law abiding prepper folks in a post-SHTF situation. The second was to give information on how to tactically fight a resistance campaign, although at the time I left some of the reasons for the tactics a little unsaid. Its all in there, …


Economics and Investing:

The inevitable Liberty Reserve case fallout: World’s Largest Bitcoin Exchange Announces That Anyone Depositing Currency Will Need To Be Verified. ( A hat tip to Jim W. for the link.) R.B.S. sent: Nine Worst Recession Ghost Towns in America. The bottom line is food: We Are Now One Year Away From Global Riots, Complex Systems Theorists Say. (Thanks to Bob G. for the link.) Andre D. sent: German Finance Minister Schaeuble Warns of Revolution Items from The Economatrix: There Is Now A 100% Chance Of A Market Collapse Basel III:  How The Bank For International Settlements Is Going To Help …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader J.W.B. sent this article: Two Letters Addressed To Mayor Bloomberg Found To Contain Ricin. JWR’s Comment: When politicians strenuously attempt to ban guns, a few disgruntled folks will try to ban politicians. When they do, they won’t necessarily use only guns to do so. Human bodies are fragile and there are many ways of bringing about their demise, such as: bombs, poisons, light aircraft, UAVs, VBIEDs, incendiaries, neurotoxins, hallucinogens and dissociatives, chemical weapons, radioisotopes, small arms, electrocution, drowning, archery, oxygen-displacing inert gasses (and other forms of asphyxia and atelectasis), rockets, blunt instruments, various medical procedure “accidents”, cellular-level dehydration agents, …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 46 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 …


TEOTWAWKI in a Two Bedroom Apartment at the Edge of Town, by Melanie C.

Making it through a worst case scenario in a two bedroom apartment is not my idea of a good chance of survival.  I read about others who are relocating to the American Redoubt or who have acquired sizeable land out away from town.  Those who have bunkers or cellars lined with shelves of log-term storage foods and an arsenal of weapons and ammo to protect it all; who have chickens and goats and a place to plant those seeds that come in the long-term storage can.  Then I look at myself and think, “Can’t do that, can’t afford that, maybe …


Letter Re: Studying Guerilla Warfare Tactics

Dear Mr. Rawles, So few understand insurgency and its intricacies that if the SHTF there would be no leaders in the towns and cities to teach the people who would become the auxiliary, the underground, and the guerilla units what they need to know to be successful that we would have an “epic fail” from the very start.  Insurgency is more than picking up a weapon and shooting, in fact that is a small part of insurgency.   Most people can’t even define insurgency, and that includes the so called experts in survival.  The fault doesn’t lie with the people, …


Economics and Investing:

Reader Bob J. sent: Step Inside The Connecticut Gun Factory That Is Leaving The State In Protest. The article includes a nice collection of photos. And you have to love a battle rifle where the magazines only cost as little as $1.50 each. This does not bode well for Bitcoin: Prosecutors crack down on virtual money firm Robert G. sent: The Fiat End Game: Preparing For A Way Forward Further evidence “spot” metals prices have become irrelevant: US Mint Resumes Selling One-Tenth Ounce Gold Coins… At A 40% Premium To Spot. Thanks to Jim W. for the link. Items from …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader JBR sent: Automated License Plate Recognition technology is advancing at a gallop. JWR’s Comment: For potentially dark days ahead, it is prudent to think through countermeasures such as mud splotches that obscure a couple of license plate digits, or of course out-of state registration. (Just one more reason to set up a family trust.)    o o o Readers may have noticed that my FAQ articles are living documents but they are only sporadically updated. Most recently, I updated the European Ammo Box Translations FAQ with a detail that was kindly sent to me by reader Christoper B., who …