Ultimate Survival Skill, by L.C.

You’ve got your bug out kit, know your route, have the map, GPS, song-line, idea about who, what, where, when, and how; you even have the shiny where-with-all to bury stashes, practice an escape plan, share it with family, and then sleep better at night. “Be prepared” is the motto, and you have all the supplies, but can you succeed when the unpredictable, yet inevitable true survival situation confronts you? That question stalks your mind from the shadows in their many forms. Making a primitive fire from scratch takes practice, but can you make that fire when you’ve only had …


Letter: Response to Xstat Dressing

Hugh, I am a former 0000-8404 (Field Corpsman), and I saw the link to the XStat Dressing on Survivalblog. I followed the link and read about it. It has a radiopaque marker in it so that it will appear on X-ray to ensure it is fully removed prior to wound closure. While this would be a force multiplier in the battle on blood loss in ‘normal’ times, I wouldn’t recommend this to someone in times when you may not have access to modern medicine. When you have an open wound (puncture, penetration, et cetera) it is very difficult to identify …


Letter: Social Media

Hugh, When social media is discussed on this site, opsec always seems to take front seat. Entering details of your life and a network of your contacts into a database you don’t own is certainly cause for pause. I don’t have a social media account because I find them obnoxious. However, the letter regarding using social media for intel was spot on and, though Hugh stated that this was just one useful instance, I believe the writer of the letter indicated several, none of which could be effectively reproduced with the level of ham radio activity we have going on. …


Clash in Ukraine:

Video – protestors fire stones from home-made catapult – 51 secs. o o o Video – More Ukrainian Sniper and Street Combat Footage videos with Live Feed o o o Video – Live Fire: Ukraine Military Deploys Snipers Against Protesters o o o Article – Truce Broken – At least 50 Dead As Ukraine Protests Re-Ignite – Live Feed


Odds ‘n Sods:

Sent in by MGB: http://remineralize.org/ Read the rock dust primer. Also read the article on biochar and rockdust. In the article they talk about mixing compost, biochar and rock dust. FYI I was able to find a source for rock dust, not from dolomite, but just rocks from the ground. Elam Sand and Gravel in West Bloomfield. All others I called had rock dust from dolomite (limestone). o o o The FCC is sounding a lot like Joseph Goebbels to me – JBG o o o Venezuela is also suffering much the same as Ukraine. Andreina Nash has produced a …



Notes from HJL:

SurvivalBlog Archive DVD Now Available The SurvivalBlog Archive DVD is now available for ordering! This new edition includes all of the blog articles and letters from 2005 to 2013. It also includes the book Rawles on Retreats and Relocation in digital format, as well as JWR’s expanded selection of 37 public domain firearms manuals and U.S. military manuals in PDF format. (This is a considerable expansion of the bonus material from last year’s edition.) The files on this DVD are fully keyword searchable and are provided in both HTML and PDF. Effectively, it emulates SurvivalBlog offline, on your PC. It …


Aquaponics – Guarding the Plant Growth Medium, by J.F.

Introduction The funny thing about growing fish in your backyard (Aquaponics) is everyone thinks about the fish and the right water– temperature, pH, chemical balance, replacement, and so forth– for the fish. No one thinks about the plants and asks questions, such as: * What is the right environment for the plant root system? * What should one do about moving the plant growth medium and pulling up dead plants? * Should water be added to the plant growth medium or should it be added to the fishtank when water needs to be replaced? This lesson addresses both how to …


Three Letters Re: Trading Posts of the New Frontier

Dear HJL, There are a few things that I do not understand in the article, written by TCG. First of all, his background in the food distribution business certainly qualifies him to write the fine article noted above, and I am certainly not critiquing the article. One of the things that confuses me, however, is in the first paragraph regarding the layout of a store. Any given building contains 100% of the available space and whether it is divided 25/75% or 75/25%, it contains the same amount of product. The variable is not the amount that is stored in the …


Economics and Investing:

The Five Greatest Gold Robberies – D.B. Shocker: China Dumps $50 Billion in US Treasury Paper, Leaving Europe to Pick Up Slack – B.B. Items from The Economatrix: Ugly Scenario Epiphany & Forecast Formula Does The Trail Of Dead Bankers Lead Somewhere? Celente – It’s Raining Bankers To Protect The US Dominance Weak Home-Construction Data Darken Economic Outlook


Odds ‘n Sods:

The protests in Kiev Ukraine escalated from throwing bricks to firearms. This is turning into a civil war. We now have an idea of what it may look like if it starts here (links to videos sent in by L.C.): Ukraine: Flaming Molotovs flung at police with slingshot Ukraine: Clashes continue despite truce Ukraine: Police firing live ammo in Kiev clashes Kiev drone footage: Aerial view of burning Maidan amid Ukranian riots From bricks to bullets: Police footage shows Kiev rioters going ballistic o o o Drone war’s troubling contours: American lives are not more sacred than foreigners’. White House …



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 …


Family Prepping Made Fun For Kids

Recently, I became a prepper– a term that is still considered taboo to the general public. It often times draws ridicule and judgment from most people, including friends and family. Television has exacerbated this by airing shows on prepping that make its participants look like backwards hillbilly idiots that are getting ready for a zombie apocalypse. Now before anybody gets all up in arms about the use of the term “hillbilly,” I am one. That means I am allowed to say it. (Chuckle) In all seriousness though, because of this awkwardness, a person can have some serious difficulty in helping …


Letter Re: Keeping Warm in an LP/OP

HJL, Belated welcome, sir. I just got finished reading the post and most recent replies regarding heating in an OP/LP, after a fairly lengthy absence. I find I feel the need to remind all and sundry, including my fellow veterans, of the fact that by its very nature and definition, an OP suffers one major distinction from all the other forms of positions spoken of. That is this: An Observation and Listening Post is an outside-the-wire position. It’s not a “defensive line” or “fortified perimeter” fighting position. That means a proper OP is not fortified or improved, as described. Ever. …