Odds ‘n Sods:

J.K. in Colorado mentioned: Another Family Lost In The Woods.    o o o Time to Stock Up on Lightbulbs. (Thanks to B.B. for the link.)    o o o G.G. flagged this: Guns Better Investment Than Gold?    o o o News from The American Redoubt: Historic Eastern Oregon hotel going to auction. (A hat tip to loyal content contributor R.B.S. for the link. His comments: “Union is cattle and natural resource area.  Yes, it would not be an easy go but if you don’t bring a Hollywood mentality with you to this part of the world, and are …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"The disciplined warrior, made irrelevant by by mechanized war, disdained and abandoned by the high-tech culture, is fading in American men. The fading of the warrior contributes to the collapse of society. A man who cannot defend his own space cannot defend women and children. The poisoned warriors called drug lords prey primarily for recruits on kingless, warriorless boys." – Robert Bly in Iron John, 1990


Pat’s Product Review: No-Name AR-15s

Over the past several months, I have been asked by many SurvivalBlog readers which AR-style rifle is the best. And, many readers mistakenly believe that some civilian brands of ARs are 100% “mil-spec.” When I explain to them that their civilian ARs, no matter who made them, are NOT mil-spec, and the facts to reinforce my argument, I don’t hear back from them.   So, let me explain why civilian ARs are not 100% mil-spec. Some AR makers mistakenly (intentionally?) advertise their ARs as being mil-spec, when in fact, they are only partially made up of mil-spec parts. Even Colt, who makes …


Letter Re: Lessons From Latvian Bank Runs

James, I recently read an article at Zero Hedge about a bank run in Latvia.  The run was apparently brought on by accusations of embezzlement, document forgery, accounting fraud, and abuse of authority by two shareholders.  (Honestly, this is not about the US Congress emptying the Social Security Trust Fund, or Congressional insider trading)  The information on the bank’s web site refers specifically to Jon Corzine and MF Global!  “Kinda like Jon Corzine, if not by the actual authorities, then by everybody else. And just like in the US where the lack of confidence in the system following the MF filing, so …


Letter: Type 1 Diabetes–There Has to Be a Way to Prepare

Mr. Rawles, I’m writing this because there has to be a better way to prepare for everyone that feels the responsibility to do so without leaving type 1 diabetics behind.  I’m hoping you or someone reading this may have answers or can help in the search.  I had been prepping for a year or so in small but steady ways.  We had covered a lot of ground, everything from food storage to medicine, woodstove, small solar, guns, gardens, you name it and we continued to punch away at our personal list.  Then it happened, my son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.  It’s …


Economics and Investing:

J.B.G. suggested this: Pictures From A Latvian Bank Run As MF Global Commingling Comes To Town Also from J.B.G.: Deutsche Bank: If Merkel Doesn’t Budge, ‘Our Investment Advice Is To Dig A Hole In The Ground And Hide’ Clive Maund: Gold To Profit From Economic Uncertainty From Wired: The Rise and Fall of Bitcoin Items from The Economatrix: Coming–Big Austerity Cuts 17 Quotes About The Coming Global Financial Collapse That Will Make Your Hair Stand Up Death of a Currency as Eurogeddon Approaches Update On US Banks And The Euro Area–Things Are Looking Grim


Odds ‘n Sods:

Steve M. sent a news article with this comment: “One more reason to live full-time at your retreat”: Neighbors helping neighbors—to break into vacant houses    o o o Scientists create man-made flu virus that could potentially wipe out millions if it ever escapes research lab. (A hat tip to F.J. for the link.)    o o o Jonathan B. sent this from northern California and southwestern Oregon: State of Jefferson Rises again!    o o o EPA targets families that generate heat off the grid using traditional wood-burning stoves. (Thanks to Steve M. for the link.)    o o …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The first thing I did when I turned twenty-one was go out and buy a handgun. The reason I did that was because it made perfect sense to be armed and seemed totally foolish not to be. By the mid-1970s, I became aware of the fact that there was a growing survivalist movement – everything from food to firearms to retreat property – and that people saw themselves as somehow being able to survive a nuclear war or whatever else might lie in store, if somehow they could prepare. I always believed, as does [my fictional protagonist] John Rourke, that …


Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 37 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) 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 B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and …


Sleeping With the Friendlies, by Heidi C.

In comes TEOTWAWKI. You grab your B.O.B. pack and lay feet to a packed truck and trailer toward a predetermined secret house in the boonies. After a long day of inventory, greetings, and ears peeled to the radio, you amp down from that first frightening night of your uncertain future. You lay exhausted, in 1 of 3 bed sheet curtain bedrooms, and suddenly find yourself all and sundry, plummeted into a collage of personalities and lifestyles you thought you were familiar with – but are you? In what once was your quiet home, your new place is full of distractions. …


Prepping While Unemployed, by Paul H.

I am writing this because I have talked to so many people who believe that there is little they can do to prepare because they have no job.  There is a difference between having a job and working and although I have not had a real job now for over three years, I continue to work six days a week.  I had already been unemployed for almost a year by the time I started reading your books.  Having moved to this small city for a job in finance, I paid cash for an old mobile home in a trailer park …


Letter Re: BPA in Steel Canned Food Linings

Cpt. Rawles, A recent article was cause for concern and may be of interest to many of your readers: Soaring BPA Levels Found in People Who Eat Canned Foods.  I personally will be minimizing canned goods from the store and focusing on glass and dehydration for my own stockpile.  I have been told a very small list of companies have began to ship in BPA free cans, but I am not aware of who is on that list yet. They claim the same thin plastic lining is used for almost all canned foods and leaches BPA, if true this is …


Letter Re: Rawhide and Brain Tanning

Mr. Rawles, Regarding the use of rawhide, I would recommend the short film “Lige: Portrait of a Rawhide Braider” (1985), that can be found at Folkstreams.net. The film is just under half an hour in length and is fascinating for both the people portrayed and the information it contains about the traditional working of rawhide in “the region known as the Sagebrush Corner of northeastern California and northwestern Nevada”. The site contains many additional short films (free and licensed for individual viewing) that would interest readers of your blog – rural and traditional crafts, music, lifestyles are examined. Fascinating shorts …


Letter Re: Guns for a Tight Budget Minimalist Survivalist

James Wesley, I thought some of your other readers might like this. It is a conversion kit that turns your Ruger 10/22 into a takedown rifle. It is also is available in a short-barreled rifle (SBR) configuration. [This requires a $200 Federal Transfer Tax, for U.S. residents.] Either of these configurations could easily fit in a gym bag or backpack. – Adam P.


Economics and Investing:

SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large, Michael Z. Williamson sent this: Goldman Sachs predicts that U.S. will be world’s largest producer of oil in 2017 J. in Kabul sent this: Here You Go: It’s Over (by Karl Denninger.) Here is a brief quote: “Oh sure, there will be rallies and there will be selloffs. But there is no longer a market, there is no longer a thing to trade, and there is no longer a reason to believe that superior analysis will lead to profit or even safety.” Warning: Coinage debasement ahead! Steve Rothman says it costs more to make a penny …