Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 38 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, 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 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 …


Emergency Preparedness for the Frugal Beginner, by Paratrooper John

The incredibly large volume of information available regarding emergency preparedness and survival is both wonderful and terrible at the same time.  There’s enough information to keep an enthusiast occupied for years and enough information to keep beginners away for the rest of their lives. It can be a very daunting task for a new or inexperienced person to try and decide where and how to begin.  Should a beginner attend survival training, have a year’s supply of food, have their home hooked up with backup generators, move to the country, live off the grid and have stockpiles of firearms with …


Letter Re: Some Comments on Safe Room Design

Mr. Rawles, I read with interest the blog today and then clicked over to the link suggested by Brittany K.: Deconstructing a Safe Room (infographic)” I appreciate all the information your site gives. I wish the writers of the Allstate Blog had consulted your site and listed it in their sources. One glaring item in their graphic is that the door opens outward. If debris falls in front of the door a person may not be able to open it. [As has been mentioned several times in SurvivalBlog, inward-opening shelter doors are the norm,] Another point worthy of mention: In their …


Economics and Investing:

I warned you that this was coming, folks: Legislation Seeks Steel Cents and Nickels. Stock up on nickels, before the composition changes and you have to start sorting coins! IMF warns that world risks sliding into a 1930s-style slump. (Thanks to C.W. for the link.) G.G. flagged this: China trims holdings of US Treasury debt. Karl G. sent this headline: Texas Drought Takes Cow Numbers Down By 600,000. Items from The Economatrix: For Europe, the Only Way Out is to Break Up The Coming Collapse Might Be Your Final Chance to Legally Buy Physical Gold this Decade Existing Home Sales …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Mrs. R. forwarded this: Todmorden. A town growing all its own vegetables…    o o o F.G. recommended a useful video on compensating for uphill and downhill shooting.    o o o Brett J. sent a link to this lengthy article: A Plague of Pigs in Texas    o o o Thad N. suggested a piece in the the excellent Random Nuclear Strikes blog: I weep for you, Scotland. (Four years in prison for possession of a knife?)    o o o Reader Rick D. spotted this video: The Deadwood Stove. (An improvement on the Grover Rocket Stove.)


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of …


Notes from JWR:

We are pleased to welcome our newest advertiser, Portable Solar Power. They have some great, innovative products. Most of these utilize solar cells made in Germany and assembled into modular panels here in the U.S. — Today we present another entry for Round 38 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, 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 …


Getting Prepared For a Disaster on a Tight Budget, by L.G.W.

In a perfect world, if something went wrong, my family and I would get in our off-road vehicle and travel to my fully stocked large retreat cabin, that sits on a thousand acres of farm land, complete with it’s own water source, (a spring fed creek and stocked lake), its own vegetable garden,  surrounded by plentiful game and its own moat. Our six-bedroom cabin, with it’s own array of photovoltaic (PV) panels, charge controller, and battery system, along with our solar hot water system, and fireplace, and it’s stocked pantry with several years worth of food and ammunition- would be …


Letter Re: Sucking Chest Wounds and Exsanguination

Hi Mr Rawles, I would like to make a comment on the letter by Walker In The Woods: Sucking Chest Wounds and Exsanguination. Air is sucked through the wound during exhalation and then is trapped, causing pressure. This pressure slowly builds and will eventually cause the pressure to be applied to the heart. This pressure will eventually cause hypoxia and cardiac arrest as the lungs cannot draw in enough oxygen to keep the body going or the heart will be pressed to the point that it cannot function. The physiology is that the resistance to air ingress is much less …


Economics and Investing:

J.B.G. suggested this: China’s epic hangover begins. Also from J.B.G.: Eurozone crisis poses military risk, warns defence chief General Sir David Richards And yet another: Cancer patients have operations cancelled after thieves steal copper cable from hospital Items from The Economatrix: Top US General Fears Euro Unrest Real Unemployment at 11% France Fears Credit Rating Cut Despite Bid to Ease Eurozone Crisis Long-term Jobless Eye Bleak Future as Benefits End Bank Run in Latvia


Odds ‘n Sods:

One of the latest posts from our friends at Alt-Market.com: The Poor Man’s Guide To Survival Gear    o o o B.B. sent this: Egregious Department of Labor Rules Yank Youths Out of Agriculture.    o o o “Set phasers to stun.” SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson notes that another bit of science fiction has become fact: A wireless taser, using laser-ionized air.    o o o K.A.F. sent this fascinating piece: Study finds how child abuse changes the brain.    o o o E.M.B. sent me the link to this interview: Joe Rogan on the Return of …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 38 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, 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 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 …


Nine Years of Off-Grid Living, by C.P.

People have often asked me over the last nine years, “Haven’t you had to give up living a ‘normal’ life?”  My response has evolved into, “Define normal?”. My off grid experience started in 1998 when my wife and I purchased out homestead property which was 1.5 miles from the closest power line.  We had previously purchased a propane generator (10 KW) and had planned on using it as a backup generator for times when the power went out, (which is frequent in the area we purchased our property) but we never imagined the costs of having power run to our property …