Year: 2014

Notes for Saturday – July 12, 2014

Ready Made Resources has just increased the discount on Mountain House’s favorite entrees from 32 to 40%. o o o Scot Frank Erie, SurvivalBlog’s Field Gear Editor also weighed in on the discussion about Basementless Storage with this comment: “Since I have the issue of lack of storage in air conditioned space and in a hot and humid climate, I have followed this closely on the Blog. I wanted to suggest a couple of comments. The Zeer type pot requires dry air to function. It probably won’t work in the Southeast. I remember being excited to read about them and …


Why You Need a Net in Your BOB, by JRV

Much of today’s survival discussion focuses on storing freeze-dried and canned foods and hunting game with guns. For the long term we can grow gardens, resume agricultural food production, and keep domesticated animals, just like our ancestors did in the 1800’s. However, what can we do for short-term food, without the stores, garden harvest, and chicken coops? One positive scenario is we can learn how to be good foragers and hunter-gatherers. An advantage of hunter-gatherer hunting techniques for today’s survivalist is that they are quiet. Trapping a rabbit in a snare or a net trap doesn’t give away your position …


Letter Re: So You Think Starting a Garden Will Be Easy After TEOTWAWKI

Dear Editor, I just wanted to add some thoughts regarding your recent article on starting a garden now. I grew up in the Midwest, and our family had one and sometimes two gardens. We grew a variety of vegetables, and we canned and froze whatever we didn’t eat. After I moved away and eventually moved into a city, I got out of the habit of having a garden. My travels took me from Iowa to Minnesota, back again, and eventually to Texas. This year my wife and I decided to grow a small garden. We have a home in the …


Economics and Investing:

The Only Prescription for a Real Economic Recovery o o o Janet Yellen Is Out Of Touch With Reality, Inflation Is NOT Just Noise o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Video: Chris Martenson-People Will Be Wiped Out In Coming Crash Bulgaria Tries To Contain Bank Run Japan Economics Minister Warns Of Premature QE Exit, Sees Room For More Easing Winning Currency War Fails to Deliver Spoils for Japan Business- It Took That Long To Figure This Out?


Odds ‘n Sods:

Three months, and counting, to release of Atlas Shrugged, Part 3! o o o More Concealed Carriers = Less Violent Crime, Study Shows. – H.L. o o o Another reason why homeschooling is so important. Without even realizing it, the author has made a strong case for homeschooling. Our public schools are not designed to help your child get the most from their education; they are designed from the ground up to ensure conformity. Why so many kids can’t sit still in school today. – P.M. o o o Border Patrol Warns MS-13 Using Nogales Processing Center as Recruitment Hub. …



Notes for Friday – July 11, 2014

Today we present another entry for Round 53 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ 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 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, Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value), A $300 gift …


Preparing to Prevent and Treat Parasitic Infections, by G.L.

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(Disclaimer: non-medical, non-expert author) I spent nearly eight months in Mexico as a graduate student. One weekend a group of us took a trip to Guanajuato to visit the historic city, enjoy some good food, and see the silver mines and natural mummies. I was not exactly a veteran international traveler, but I was not a rookie either, having traveled several times to my wife’s home country of Venezuela, including trips to areas well outside of the larger cities. I was aware of the hazards of international travel, from petty crime to yellow fever to unsanitary water and food. I …


Letter: Reality Check

The following is my view of a major event in a large metropolitan area. Those that are fortunate enough to reside in a rural area will obviously have it much better. We all have read about bugging out and sheltering in place. The reality may not be our choice. Depending on the situation, you may not be able to leave the area. If the situation is a looming storm or hurricane, you may and probably will have warning and probably can evacuate if you don’t wait until it’s too late. If the event gives no warning, only a very small …


Economics and Investing:

The Fossil Fuel Industry May Not Help the Planet, But It Employs Millions – J.S. o o o Fed Sows The Seeds For The NEXT Financial Crisis o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Fed Independence Questioned as More Conservatives Ramp Up Pressure Breakfast Takes A Bigger Bite Out Of Your Wallet Portugal Concerns Compound Global Stock Selloff


Odds ‘n Sods:

For any readers considering relocation inside the U.S., this web page has two maps that show state restrictions on full auto guns and suppressors (commonly but erroneously called “silencers”). Washington is the only state in the American Redoubt region with a restriction. One simple way around that is to get a Class 3 Dealer’s license, and then you can purchase and shoot any machine gun that you want, as “inventory”. o o o It’s Never Taken Longer To Fill A Job Opening In America. – H.L. o o o Well, you knew it was coming: Two Robberies at Target Since …



Notes for Thursday – July 10, 2014

July 10th is the birthday of British novelist John Wyndham. (His full name was John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris, but Harris shortened that to just John Wyndham for his pen name.) He was born in 1903 and died March 11, 1969. Harris was a good friend of fellow novelist Samuel Youd (1922 – 2012), who wrote under several pen names, including John Christopher. Both men were famous for writing what are often called cosy catastrophies. Several of Wyndham’s novels and short stories have been adapted to film, with varying degrees of success. One of the best of these was …


Sending Your Child from a Fully Stocked/Prepared Home to College for the First Time, by Mom

We have been successful with preparing our “bug-in” home and continue to learn and make mistakes along the way! Our daughter is in her second year of college, and I wanted to share our experience with preparing and sending off your first born into the college world. We were fortunate that she was able to take her car with her during her first year. This not only provided an obvious way to get home but also a mini-storage facility for supplies. If your son or daughter is not permitted to park on campus, the college can typically direct you to …


Two Letters Re: Storage Without a Basement

Hugh, I saw your entry and reply regarding the difficulty of maintaining preps and self in hot areas without electricity. You referred to Backwoods Home magazine, but you may want to just refer folks to “Zeer Pots” or “Pot in Pot” coolers: I’ve used them and they work pretty well, especially when you stack the deck, as in the second article above. I don’t know if anyone has tried to scale them up to locker/container size, but I’d be interested in reading about it if you put out the word and got a reply. – T.J. o o o Good …