"The instrument by which [government] must act are either the authority of the laws or force. If the first be destroyed, the last must be substituted; and where this becomes the ordinary instrument of government there is an end to liberty!" – Alexander Hamilton (writing as "Tully", Essay No. 3, 1794)
An updated edition of the SurvivalBlog Archive CD-ROM, covering every blog post from 2005 to 2011 should be available for sale within two weeks. As a bonus, the CD-ROM will include PDF and MS-Word (.doc), and HTML copies of my book “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation”, which normally sells for $28, in hard copy. The archive CD-ROM will sell for $14.95. I will post another announcement when the CD-ROM has been fully tested and is ready for ordering. Thanks for your patience. — Today we present another product review by SurvivalBlog’s Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio
Today I’m reviewing the new Springfield Armory XDm 5.25 9mm Competition handgun. I carried a Springfield Armory XD .40 S&W handgun for close to two years, and I found the gun utterly reliable and very accurate. The only drawback was that it was an early-production XD, and the finish wasn’t very durable and tended to easily rust if you didn’t pay attention and kept the gun clean and with some kind of preservative on the metal parts. The XDs made today have a very durable “Melonite” finish on the metal parts, and it really holds up extremely well. The …
JWR, NOAA has updated their web site with an easier to read solar storm prediction description. I’m not sure when they changed this, but I’ve found it helpful. It breaks down into, ‘Geomagnetic, Solar Radiation, and Radio Blackout’ categories. Instead of just giving an X# or M#, they now have scale of 1-5 (minor through extreme), with a real world description of impact on communications and power systems. The descriptive scales are outlined in the “NOAA Scales Activity” For me, this is much clearer and easier than trying to figure out than some M# or X# impact. I thought that others …
Mr. Rawles, I have eight children, the oldest of whom is 15 years old, and the youngest, 6. I would love to do an at-home self defense course with all of them, but especially the teen girls. Do you have a recommendation for an internet course that isn’t cheesy or a scam? – A Happy Homemaking Prepper in California JWR Replies: You cannot learn how to fight someone by reading a book or watching a video. You need to physically practice, to develop muscle memory. I’d recommend a year of Tae Kwon Do to learn kicks and punches, followed by …
G.G. flagged this bit of confirmation my predictions: Urban Institute: Foreclosure backlog to ‘take decades to complete’ Mortgage Aid Programs Still Have Trouble Helping Homeowners In Distress Foreclosure Free Ride: Three Years, No Payments Items from The Economatrix: US Mint Says Has Enough Gold, Silver Eagles Coins A Look At Economic Developments Around The Globe Asian Stocks Advance On US Optimism Consumer Comfort In US Receded Last Week
Stephen M. sent this: A One-Horse Town Down to Two People o o o My “Taking the Gap” interview on Radio Free Redoubt is now available as an archived podcast. o o o The publicized drug shortages expand to old standbys like Tetracycline. (Thanks to Damon S. for the link.) o o o I heard about a company in Florida called Rainwater Warehouse that markets American-made rainwater harvesting equipment such as downspout diverters and rain barrels. o o o Vince W. wrote to note that Dave Canterbury has been doing a series of YouTube videos called …
"To preserve our independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt….I am for a government rigorously frugal and simple." – Thomas Jefferson
The stats are in, showing the tremendous growth of SurvivalBlog ‘s readership in the past six years: Unique visits in December, 2005: 42,482 Unique visits in December, 2006: 107,089 Unique visits in December, 2007: 218,931 Unique visits in December, 2008: 507,176 Unique visits in December, 2009: 837,727 Unique visits in December, 2010: 1,101,755 Unique visits in December, 2011: 1,336,959 We have had consistent growth of around 30% per year! While I expect our web stats to start to plateau, 37 million unique visits have been logged, and we have readers in 190 countries. The blog is also ranked in Alexa’s …
When TEOTWAWKI comes, there isn’t going to be a CVS or Walgreen’s pharmacy open and stocked for very long afterward. So, what to do when you get a nasty cut, burn or some other infection? First, as common sense tells us, wash it off with soap and water or use some stashed vodka to kill any possible germs or even the old time remedy of kerosene. The kerosene was also an old time remedy to keep fleas off your dogs, just pour a thin line of it down their backs like you do with modern flea drops. Just remember to …
Hello James: I stumbled across some excellent advice for foot care. The advice targeted diabetics. Diabetics need to be especially mindful of their feet are more susceptible to circulation difficulties. Foot problems can rapidly escalate. This advice is also very sound advice for after the Schumer hits the fan. It is likely that we will all be putting more miles of pounding on our feet. – Joe H.
I just read the SurvivalBlog writing contest article on keeping honeybees. It was an excellent primer for someone to read and get started working with honeybees. I have a few tidbits of information from my experience keeping bees. We have had bees at our home for three years now, and it’s been one of the most amazing things I have ever done. We got started with a local supplier, and stood up two full size langstroth hives, and then brought the two “nucs” home (driving with 30,000 bees in a minivan for an hour and a half is exhilarating to say the …
G.G. flagged this: John Williams: The US Has $100 Trillion in Debts & Obligations R.B.S. sent this one: Nation’s largest welfare state makes deep cuts. Over at Alt-Market: New Asian Union Means The Fall Of The Dollar Items from The Economatrix: Signs Of The Times: Metal Thieves Steal 26 Train Wheels Will Gold Deliver Another Glittering Year In 2012? Budget Collapse: Too Much Free Money The Case For Austerity
Bob. G. sent this: American civilization could be next to collapse o o o K.A.F. forwarded a link to a useful PDF: Tactical Combat Casualty Care Guidelines o o o Bryan. B. spotted this: Urban Fruit Trees and Food Security. [JWR Notes: Out here in the Hinterboonies, we wouldn’t be quite so open to “registering” our fruit trees. OBTW, our biggest concern for fruit thefts is black bears that have a bad habit of breaking limbs. Nothing that a .308 won’t cure, usually followed by congratulations on the nice rug. I suppose that the legalities for stopping two-legged …
“Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see,s and believe thee? what dost thou work? Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh …