Letter Re: What Skills to Have

Hugh, Regarding S.K.’s question of What Skills to Have, As a Scout leader for the last 24 years, I can tell you that the current crop of Merit Badge Books and the Boy Scout Handbook are not worth the paper they are printed on. They are stuffed with “coping skills” for inter-city youth. There is much less reliance on “outdoor skills” that were in past editions. If you want good information from the Boy Scouts, go to your local second hand book store, FleaBay, or garage sales and look for handbooks from the middle 70’s and back. There is now …


Letter: My Current State of Readiness

Mr Rawles, I listened and read as much as I could of the good advice of blogs like this and other sources of inspiration. I got myself an older 4X4 diesel pickup– an ’86 6.9L. Just the other day the original alternator went, but the engine didn’t seem to care as long as it got started. When my car alternator died, I was off the road in minutes. I’m starting to see the value of these old rigs. I’m considering taking off the turbo to eliminate an oil leak and simplify the system, because the turbo increases heat and can …


Economics and Investing:

What Student Loans Are Really Used For: The Depressing Case Studies – G.G. Items from The Economatrix: Get Silver While You Can – They Are Going to Kill the Dollar Russian Dollar Dump Could Crash Financial System-John Williams The Top 12 Signs That The U.S. Economy Is Heading Toward Another Recession Russia Threatens To Abandon The U.S. Dollar And Start Dumping U.S. Debt


Odds ‘n Sods:

S.G. – Academic study: SPLC Hatewatch list biased, but you already knew that. o o o G.P. – Infections Linked to Chinese Seafood Markets in New York o o o Here is an infographic from Lifehacker that shows you how to delete yourself from the Internet. o o o Video: This looks like it exceeds the legal limit for fun… Shooting radio controlled planes with shotguns. o o o M.W. found this neat little rocket stove. We would be interested in the opinion of anyone that has used it. It’s not exactly a backpacking stove, but it looks heavy enough …



Notes from HJL:

Today we present another entry for Round 51 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: 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 certificate …


An Old Man’s Long Gun Addiction, by *O.T.D*

I am 74 years old and have always been a little bit of a prepper. I was not into firearms and especially not hand guns, which I had never owned. I had rifles and shotguns from my youth, but never used them much after I got married. I had barely purchased a box of ammo for each. I even give them all away to my son a number of years ago. Then in the middle of 2009, I felt that everything was starting to fall apart and I needed to balance out my preparations by getting some firearms for protection …


Letter Re: EMP

Hugh, While the routers and switches do require power (which will be spotty at best), they too will be fried by the EMP. Many of the modern ASICs are based on IBM proprietary copper chips and as a result really don’t get along well with any form of EMP. It’s bad enough that I’ve seen a floating ground stretched between two buildings fry Cisco, ACC / Wellfleet, and Extreme gear. The only purpose-built router that is tempest hardened is the very old TGS router by Cisco. This was an AGS that was built into a hardened shell. Wide scale deployment …


Letter: 401K Rollovers And Precious Metals Investment

Hello Hugh, First of all I am not an investment expert, so I have to read and call experts. I recently left a company and moved to North Carolina. I was going to cash out my 401K, but I was starting a one-man business so I waited. I formed my own company and got started. After a short while I looked at 401 cash out options. (I am only 45.) One great option that is available is called a solo 401K. First, you have to be a one-person shop. That is easy. Go to the courthouse and register a DBA …


Economics and Investing:

Bitcoin firm CEO found dead. There sure are a lot of “coincidence”. We are now up to eight since January 1. Items from The Economatrix: U.S. factory activity growth hits highest since May 2010: Markit Gas And Oil Prices Soar And Petrol Could Be Next: Ukraine Crisis Shocks World Markets Amid Fears Russia’s Energy Resources Will Be Hit By Trade Sanctions Russia And China Stand In Agreement On Ukraine – And That Is Very Bad News For The United States Personal Income Faces First Year-Over-Year Drop Since Recession Ended: As Incomes Collapse, Spending Via Consumer Credit Begins To Increase.


Odds ‘n Sods:

Whole House Heating From A Single Wood Burner Or Open Fire The old Connecticut farm house I grew up in, had coal furnace in basement, and grills in first floor ceilings under the bedrooms. Dad put in oil furnace, BUT he kept the coal furnace and bin full of coal. Just in case!!!! Kept the DUG well, though he had drilled well put in. He was a prepper before the word was invented. – H.L. o o o Canadian Gun Confiscation Begins. Again – J.W. o o o L.G. sent this link in: Understanding The Stress response: It Can Buy …



Notes From HJL:

The secession movement in the U.S. is still running strong, but just not how people thought it was going to run. There are several areas of the U.S. that feel they are not represented by their state legislators very well. It’s not so much a conservative versus liberal conflict as much as a rural versus urban battle. Gun control laws seem to be at the heart of the issue, but there is more. The New USA? Secession Movement Gains Steam – US – CBN News o o o Today we present another entry for Round 51 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction …


Prepping For The Kingdom: A Spiritual Perspective Of The Coming Collapse, by J.L.

Regardless of your eschatological views, you can be sure of one thing. When people unexpectedly fall on hard times, many an agnostic-in-practice suddenly become spiritual. It is known that the two places where prayers are most commonly offered are church pews and the back of a police cruiser. Humans return to their Creator in their time of need, as demonstrated time and time again in the Old Testament. Israel returned to obeying God after they encountered judgment for their disobedience and foolishness. Americans are no different. During the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, churches were flooded by individuals looking for …


Two Letters Re: Prepper Primer For Your Non-prepper Loved Ones, by T.S. – Part 4

I have to disagree with T.S.’ conclusion where Ham radios are concerned. The days of 40-pound or more base station radios is long gone. Even the backpack type radios from the Korean and Vietnam era that many preppers seem to be so fond of are large, bulky, and inefficient by today’s standards. There are many lightweight, portable solutions beyond that of the typical HT (handi-talkie). Take the Yaesu FT817ND, for example;it has multiple power options, is super lightweight, can easily fit into a cargo pocket and doubles as a general coverage/shorthand receiver. If someone is versed in Morse Code the …