Securing Your Data and Online Communications, by A.F.S.

If you are a frequent visitor to SurvivalBlog then I do not need to explain why the subject matter may be of importance. There are several previous posts that cover somewhat related information that I will reference and expand upon. First, the disclaimers: I am not a data security expert. I could not blind you with science nor expertly baffle you with Bravo Sierra. However, I have been directly involved in the Internet related software business for almost 20 years. I have spent many hours a day for almost two decades using the internet and watching it evolve. During that …


The Defensive Pistol, by W.R.B.

Introduction: My purpose in writing this piece is to further ones knowledge on the subject of the defensive pistol as a survival tool.  To say there is one best gun or best caliber would be ignorant of the facts. To quote Ignatius Piazza of Front Sight: “Any gun will do, if you will do.”  There is more to it than just the gun. I will focus on what I have learned during the course of my life as to what the role of the defensive pistol is or would be in a SHTF situation, what types of weapons and calibers …


Letter Re: Are You Ready for City Sewer Backups?

Mr. Rawles, Some fellow bloggers and I  discuss  prepping ideas on a discussion forum. One subject that came up (pardon the pun) was sewer problems. I am in a small town that has a sewer system. We got rid of the septic tanks and pits back in the 1980s. I was young at the time and remember being a curious kid watching the houses being plumbed into the street sewer mains, and some houses had a special valve  (called a back-flow prevention valve, or check valve) installed into the system and others didn’t. I asked the workers why, and they …


Economics and Investing:

The latest spike: St. Louis Fed Adjusted Monetary Base (BASE). With massive monetization still underway, the key question is :at what point will come the transition from deflation to mass inflation? I suspect fairly soon… ‘Plan for an economic 9/11’: Analysts warn Americans to buy guns and gold, predicting market crash and street riots within a year Home prices fell in December in most US cities. Survey: Prices fell in 18 of 20 US cities in final months of 2011, prices back to 2002. (Thanks to C.D.V. for the link.) R.C. sent this: S&P declares Greek ‘selective default’ after bailout …


Odds ‘n Sods:

R.C. sent this: The home guard: Police suggest 30 thorny bushes homeowners could plant to discourage ‘lazy’ garden thieves    o o o Bummer: Wyoming narrowly defeats measure to prepare for apocalypse. (Thanks to Rex for the link.)    o o o DIY 1911 Carbine, M1 Carbine Grenade Launcher, Commie Insurgents    o o o Randy in Maine wrote to mention that his local Home Depot store is now selling Gamma Seal bucket lids (in black only) for $6.47 each. Please note that all Gamma Seal lids are certified food grade, but that many of the orange HDPE plastic five …



Note From JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 39 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 …


My Vacation in War Torn Yugoslavia, by C.N.

My family is from the former Yugoslavia and it had been a family tradition to go back and visit the homeland of my grandparents. Unfortunately for me, by the time I could go, my father had passed and I found only one cousin willing to do it again. As luck would have it, it was the summer of 2000 and I thought the war had been long over. It was only recently I discovered that the horror continued right up until just before my arrival there.   After a short stopover in Frankfurt, we boarded a smaller plane to Zagreb. The …


Ebola for Beginners, by Jeff R.

CentOre’s February 7, 2012 article “Signs of the Times: What are the SHTF Tipping Points?” briefly touched on one point that I would like to expand on: Ebola and Marburg viruses.  I am not a physician–I’m not even in the medical field, but I have had the occasion to learn a little more about these viral hemorrhagic fevers (or VHFs) from a research project while pursuing my Bachelor’s degree in Emergency Management. The information available on this subject is constantly changing and involves advanced knowledge in a number of scientific disciplines, so what I can provide is just sort of …


Economics and Investing:

James K. was the first of several readers to send this piece in the usually Pollyannaish McNewspaper: Three doomsaying experts who foresee economic devastation ahead G.G. suggested this: Extreme couponers push some retailers to tweak the rules. Reader C.D.V. sent these four article links: Credit Card Debt Nears Toxic Levels George Osborne: UK has run out of money More bad news: U.S. water bills to triple. (Yet another good reason to move out to the country and build where you can use spring or PV-pumped well water.) Cue the dark, foreboding Beethoven music: Iran Moves Further to End Petrodollar, Announces …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Michael W. mentioned: Eight Home Remedies that Actually Work    o o o A surprisingly good article, coming from Canada’s notoriously leftward-leading Toronto Star (a.k.a. Toronto Red Star or Toronto Krasnaya Zvezda, by its detractors.): Why Costco is preparing for the end of the world. (Among others, the article quotes JWR.)    o o o K.A.F. flagged this: Mystery virus kills thousands of lambs    o o o Urban farming in Detroit gets the documentary it deserves. (Thanks to Matt L. for the link.)    o o o Martin sent us this: The World War Three Files.



Note From JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 39 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 …


Alternative Power in a TEOTWAWKI World, by Scott H.

I am currently working in the Alternative Energy industry after retiring from a 21-year career with the military.  As part of my Vocational rehabilitation, the military allowed me to choose my future career.  As a long time reader of SurvivalBlog and a Bible-believing Christian, I saw the importance of prepping.  This includes living off grid. Alternative energy seems to be emerging as a buyer beware market.  You can see many manufacturers prey on fear claiming that their systems can run your fridge, furnace, freezer and well pump during any grid down event. This is simply an impossibility, a typical house …


Letter Re: Handy Photovolatic Calculators

Jim, I’m a retired U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer who has taken restoration carpentry as my second career.  I’ve been following you for a couple years now and very much appreciate what you’re doing. To those ends, I received a link to this article from Fine Homebuilding and thought it might be interesting and perhaps useful to fellow preppers.  Of particular interest to me was the interactive maps from NREL.  One can point their mouse to a particular point on the U.S. map (or to pre-selected points on the global map) and then load the location data into NREL’s PVWatts …