Notes from JWR:

If you have had the chance to read “Survivors: A Novel of the Coming Collapse”, I would greatly appreciate you posting a review on the Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble web sites. Just a brief paragraph or two would be great, thanks! — Today we present another entry 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, …


Learning To Prepare, The Hard Way, by Barbara L.

I cannot even remember a time when I wasn’t a “prepper”.  Although until a few years ago, I had no idea of what I was preparing for.  Before the dawn of my awakening, I had serious urges to learn how not to kill plants and flowers. I wanted to grow my own food eventually, so I started with a trip to the local Big Box store, and bought some bare root fruit trees. Now in my mind, they are already dead, so if I could resurrect them, and keep them going, I was on my way. If they didn’t survive …


Letter Re: The Occupy Protests as an Illustration of Refugee Camp Living

JWR,   I found this article interesting: Protesters Coming Down With the “Zuccotti Lung”. Park conditions put demonstrators at risk for variety of sicknesses, officials say. The weather and conditions at the “Occupy” protests are likely a microcosm of a post-Crunch refugee camp, along with the attendant diseases and problems associated with lots of people living close together in raw weather.   I think this should give pause to those who believe they can simply pack up and head out into the local woodlot and survive a Crunch-type event. You may leave home healthy, but inevitable contact with other folks will …


Letter Re: Internet Privacy Practices For Preppers

Dear James, I have accounts on Gmail, Yahoo mail, Facebook and LinkedIn. Like many people, I have found it convenient to stay logged in to my online accounts with my personal computer. While on LinkedIn a few weeks ago, I was “recommended” a business associate who I had not been in contact with for nearly 10 years. This alarmed me. How did LinkedIn make this association? So, I looked back through my Yahoo mail and found that I had corresponded with this business associate in 2001, via Yahoo mail. Several weeks later, I was recommended a “friend” on Facebook who …


Letter Re: Electric Garage Doors as a Point of Entry for Burglars and Home Invaders

James, To follow up on a couple of recent letters about Electric Garage Doors as a Point of Entry for Burglars and Home Invaders: Keep in mind that pulling the [emergency] disconnect rope on a garage door just leaves it in a position where it can be rolled up by hand.   The motor for our garage door is not hardwired, but plugs into a standard receptacle box in the ceiling.  I keep a power strip plugged into that ceiling outlet, and the garage door opener plugs into the power strip. The power strip  dangles about seven feet off the …


Pickup Bed Liner Coatings for Full Body Paint on Bug Out Vehicles

Jim, I’ve seen a few trucks near my home in in Idaho sporting full body paint jobs using a Rhinoliner type application. I didn’t get any pictures but here is a link to a photo os a Jeep in Arizona with this job done to it. Seems like a good, durable long term solution for scratches and weather damage. Regards, – Jason M. JWR Replies: I agree that it is a durable finish and it also is quite flat, which makes it less reflective. Two potential drawbacks that I can see are: 1.) Until this type of “paint” job become …


Economics and Investing:

Europe could be in worst hour since WW2: Merkel. (Thanks to K.A.F. for the link.) Over at American Thinker: US building firewall to protect against European debt contagion Dollar Teetering on the Abyss William Weytjens: Platinum: The “Cheapest” Precious Metal AmEx suggested this at The Daily Beast: Europe’s Disaster is Headed Our Way Items from The Economatrix: The Banks That Swallowed Europe, Western Civilization Based on Debt Eurozone Sketches Out Stability Plan as Fears Linger Over Greece and Italy Why the Dollar and Euro Collapse are Guaranteed Gerald Celente on Alex Jones Show


Odds ‘n Sods:

R.B.S. sent this: Swapping chicken pox-infected lollipops illegal.    o o o K. & D. recommended this: New urine powered fuel cell in Britain power to the people?    o o o Keeley was the first of several readers to mention this: Copper sword stolen from statue at Lincoln’s Tomb    o o o Nolan sent this article from Canada: Couple retires in Rimbey home built from 30 steel shipping containers    o o o Reader Bill N.was researching windmills and found a maker in Texas that has a short description of how the older generation water-pumping windmills worked. Bill …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"All officers of the law are creatures of it and a creature cannot become bigger than a creator, and whenever an officer undertakes to set himself up as superior to the law or superior to the citizens, whose servant he is, his usefulness as an officer ceases." – Code of Conduct, Texas Rangers, circa 1875, as displayed at the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame, Waco, Texas


Note from JWR:

By coincidence, both Ready Made Resources and Safecastle just started their last 25% off Mountain House sales of the year. Both companies offer free shipping, a wide selection and competitive pricing, so you might want to place your order with the closest company, just for the sake of shipping efficiency. (Ready Made Resources is in Tennessee and Safecastle is in Minnesota. I suppose anyone west of the Rockies should just toss a coin!) Note that because of the large volume of orders expected and the upcoming Christmas shipping rush, please allow up to thirty days for delivery. Both companies are …


Pat’s Product Review: U.S. Tactical Supply

For much of my adult life, I’ve lived in rural areas – and I prefer it that way. Even now, I live halfway between two small towns in Oregon, and I don’t especially enjoy going to town for much of anything. I prefer to do a lot of mail-order shopping for many things I need or want. Over the years, I’ve been disappointed in many mail-order companies, their products and their customer service. I’ve done a lot of mail-order shopping from one particular company for the past 15-years or so, and that company is CDNN Sports and they have excellent …


Letter Re: Proof of Staple Food Price Inflation

Captain Rawles, First, continued thanks for your blog; I regularly read a number of web sites and in my opinion Survivalblog.com is ground zero for preparedness and socio/political/economic intelligence information. Second, I thought I’d pass on some additional proof (as if it wasn’t already obvious) of significant inflation in food prices.   We shop at the local Mormon (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) cannery near Denver for wheat, pasta, nonfat dried milk and other bulk items. For those who didn’t know, the Mormon canneries are open to non-members (at least for now) and the prices for bulk …


Letter Re: Staple Foods Storage By The Numbers

James: I love seeing articles that talk about the nutritional balance in diet.  Paul B.’s “Staple Foods Storage By The Numbers” is a good start, but I want to jump on and point out a few more details.  Daily caloric intake recommendations depend heavily on activity.  Yes, the recommendation is 2,000 calories for an adult male with moderate activity (note – *not* exercise!), and 3,000 us reasonable in a survival situation given the need for hunting, planting, building infrastructures and defenses as well as defending.  However, if your plan is simply to hunker down and depend on your stocked resources, …


Letter Re: Guns and Combatting Home Invasion Robbers

Hello Captain, Greetings from one of your neighbors in the American Redoubt. I couldn’t help but be bemused when I read the article about the elderly couple being beaten and robbed of their gun collection. Not because they got hurt or robbed of course. But because of a couple other points:   She yelled for her husband to "Call 911!" I guess that goes to show that wisdom doesn’t always come with age. Were that scenario to happen at my home, my wife wouldn’t answer the door. And I can’t remember the last time I answered the door without my …


Two Letters Re: Electric Garage Doors as a Point of Entry for Burglars and Home Invaders

Jim – I read with interest Dave in Oregon’s letter. This happened to a friend and co-worker: He had parked his pickup truck on the street, locked. Thieves broke into his truck, accessed the garage via the opener he had above the visor in the truck. Thankfully, this was in the morning when all were home, and the thieves were scared off by family members, but not before they stole his truck. I would also add that many electric openers have a rope attached as a release if the power fails. However with a larger overhead door, say a standard …