Year: 2014

Notes for Saturday – December 20, 2014

I just heard that Jerry Pournelle suffered a minor stroke on Monday, December 16th. Please keep him in your prayers. – JWR o o o Safecastle has just announced their last sale of the year. This week Mountain House is on sale with discounts of 25-40%. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 56 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,000+ 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), A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate …


Surviving with Type 2 Diabetes, by B.H.

There have been numerous discussions in the survivalist and SHTF communities about diabetes, and while Type 1 has been discussed at length, Type 2, which is much more prevalent and equally life-threatening, usually gets little more than a mention and possibly a conclusionary statement that it can be handled/managed with diet and exercise. But what exactly does that mean? There’s no discussion on what such a diet-based treatment would entail in a SHTF situation. It’s not a simple disease to handle. Type 2 diabetes, if untreated or improperly treated, can lead to loss of life and/or limb, just as in …


Letter: Wells and Pumps

I’m curious as to if any other readers have had difficulty getting good information on hand pumps? I am not technical by any definition of the word, but here is my situation: I just purchased a homestead in the country with well water. The pump runs by electricity. I have spoken with several well drillers in the area, explaining that I want a hand pump for grid down. The stock answer is “get a generator”. I live in southeastern NC. I understand there can be problems with trying to connect a hand pump to an already existing electrically-powered well. I …


Economics and Investing:

Northern Star Bank, Mankato, MN, Becomes 18th Bank Failure of 2014. – G.G. o o o Fewer US-Born Americans Have Jobs Now Than In 2007. – G.G. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: David Stockman: The Fracturing Energy Bubble Is the New Housing Crash There Is Hope In Understanding That A Great Economic Collapse Is Coming WH Hails Economic Gains But Poll Finds Few Concur


Odds ‘n Sods:

Snaring Varmints. – J.M. o o o Making 9 Million Jobless “Vanish”: How The Government Manipulates Unemployment Statistics. – P.M. o o o Muzzleloader Explodes Like Grenade, Takes Off Shooter’s Fingers . – RBS o o o Sixth Circuit: Mental Health Gun Ban Is Unconstitutional. – H.L. o o o SurvivalBlog reader P.M. sent in this link for old Singer sewing machine manuals. o o o SurvivalBlog reader M.D. requested prayer from our readers as they are dealing with spiritual warfare. Please keep them in mind in your intercessory prayer.



Notes for Friday – December 19, 2014

Book Bomb Day is December 30, 2014: Tools for Survival: What You Need to Survive When You’re on Your Own Now available for pre-ordering at Amazon.com, but I’d prefer that you wait for December 30th to order: Tools for Survival: What You Need to Survive When You’re on Your Own. This book is a guide to the selection, use, and care of tools. It will also be available as an e-book and audiobook. -JWR o o o December 19th is the birthday of physicist Albert A. Michelson (born 1852, died May 9, 1931), who was the first American to be …


What Haven’t I Thought Of For Nuclear Survival?, by D.K.

It’s easy to prepare for a specific disaster and then forget about it. Whether it’s an economic collapse, power grid failure, or nuclear attack, gathering supplies just isn’t enough. There are a spiderweb of choices to be made after each event, and this article will focus on options you may not have thought of yet, if a nuclear strike were to happen. Aside from knowing the foundations to nuclear survival, there are other important topics, such as owning protective suits, location decisions, and community goals. As with most survival situations, nuclear survival is a system of Q/A– questions and action. …


Letter Re: Prepper Armor

Hugh, Just a few thoughts on the article about body armor. “The idea that you’re going to be wearing full-on body armor 24/7 during an SHTF situation is fantasy land.” That’s me, as accurately as I can remember, on a Facebook prepper group page. Yes, I’m one of those guys who doesn’t think body armor should be a high priority item. Certainly it shouldn’t be one before you have more basic preps squared away. Why is that? Well, having spent a decent portion of my life wearing the stuff, I know just how inconvenient it is. So, here are some …


Economics and Investing:

U.S. Declares (Currency) War On Russia o o o Swiss Central Bank to Introduce Negative Interest Rates – G.G. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Price of Gold in Russian Rubles – Just thought I would share this chart… Notice how fast things happen when they really make a move. Wouldn’t suspect it to be any different. A Full-Blown Economic Crisis Has Erupted In Russia Minimum Wage, Maximum Unemployment – This is for South Africa, but the economic principle is universal.


Odds ‘n Sods:

The mass media was quick to report that the Islamic hostage-taker in Australia was a licensed gun owner. However, there was one small problem with that convenient narrative: It wasn’t true. (Thanks to Tam at the View From The Porch blog for the link.) o o o How to make a shoe : Headley, Jno. P. – P.M. o o o More shots fired at BPA transmission lines Note that this is WEST of The American Redoubt, on the west side of the Cascade mountain range. – P.S. o o o German researchers discover a flaw that could let anyone …



Notes for Thursday – December 18, 2014

December 18th is the birthday of Charles Wesley (18 December 1707 – 29 March 1788). He wrote more that 1,700 hymns. Today is also the birthday of Jørgen Haagen Schmith (born December 18, 1910, died October 15, 1944). He was better known under the codename Citron and was a famous Danish resistance fighter in occupied Denmark. His biographical sketch at Wikipedia describes his death, after he was tracked down by the Nazis: “German soldiers arrived at the house to arrest or kill Schmith. He fought for hours against an overwhelming force of enemy troops killing 11 and wounded scores of …


The Case For Being A Prepper, by Quilliam Franklin

My goal in writing this article is to explain my thoughts and reasoning behind my choice to become a Prepper. I believe that being more prepared is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your family. However, sometimes Preppers can be seen as strange, eccentric, or even crazy. My hope is that as you read my thoughts in this essay you will get ideas that can help you have good heartfelt conversations with your loved ones. Ultimately, I hope you will realize what I did; preparing for the uncertainties in this world is anything but crazy. …


Letter Re: Prepper Armor

Dear Hugh, The recent article, “Prepper Armor,” by J.J. was good but needs clarification. It seems a lot of faith is put in the statement that Level III armor “stops 5.56mm,” but this needs to be explained further. We have two basic 5.56 x 45mm rounds– the 62 grain SS109/M855 and the 55 grain M193. The former travels at 2,970fps when fired from a M4 16 inch barrel, while the latter is 3,200 fps at the muzzle. Most body armor retailers distinguish the “stopping power” of their product between these two rounds by categorically stating the SS109/M855 WILL be stopped. …