Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“[[To the chief Musician, [A Psalm] of David.]] In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee [as] a bird to your mountain? For, lo, the wicked bend [their] bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart. If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? The LORD [is] in his holy temple, the LORD’S throne [is] in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his …


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 33 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 Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 250 round case of 12 Gauge Hornady TAP …


Some Experiences with Hazmat Cleanup, by Pat O.

I spent three years working through college as part of several emergency response teams dealing with hazardous materials (Hazmat) containment and cleanup.  There are simple lessons that can help prepare for various emergencies and materials that might be encountered.  This is not a do-it-yourself type of endeavor nor is it safe unless you are properly trained, equipped and monitored.  Safety is most important and your responsibility: Never put yourself or others in danger when a substance or environment is unknown or dangerous.  Take basic precautions and obtain all information about any potentially dangerous materials you may encounter or store as …


Two Letters Re: Basic Climbing Gear for Preppers

James: After reading the article about climbing gear I thought I would add in a few notes.  Being a member of a technical rope team for Search and Rescue in an area of southwestern Colorado, I have all the gear mentioned by T.F. This type of gear has so many uses other than just climbing and rappelling.  I take basic gear (harness, rope, carabiners, webbing, prusiks, and pulleys) on every hunting trip.  It has so many uses from hauling game out of hard to get areas, river crossings, making a rope bridge, amongst other things.  I also use it every …


Letter Re: Advice on Classic Books for Homeschooling

Dear James,     Could you post a list of Books and Educational Material we should own or obtain to teach ourselves and our children and grandchildren on our real American History and real World History. I’d like to have and educational series from Kindergarten on up, to have on hand to give our next generation, for a well-rounded education.  Thank you, Paula S. JWR Replies: The folks that produce The Robinson Curriculum recommend a long list of “classic” books.  Many of these are available free online (in PDF or Kindle reader format). There are many novels as well as nonfiction …


Letter Re: Some Woodstove Experience

Sir: For the true self-sufficient survivalist the Tulikivi soapstone heater (with bake oven) [from Finland] is the supreme method of heating and cooking in a home.   We replaced a dangerous old fireplace with a Tulikivi four years ago and admit they are very expensive, but worth every dollar.  A two hour fire heats our wel- insulated 1,200 square foot home via one two hour fire per day. On very cold days…15F and below. We burn two shorter fires in the morning and evening of one and a half hours each. The wood savings over a conventional wood stove is approximately 50% and the even radiant heat …


Economics and Investing:

21 Signs Of Impending Doom For The 2011 Economy Roy M. sent this: Hoarding Nickels, Collecting stamps? Is this the best investment for America’s working poor? Economist warns of double dip recession if oil hits $140 (Thansk to C.D.V. for the link.) Gasoline cost to jump $700 for average household. January trade deficit jumps to $46.3 billion Items from The Economatrix: People Aren’t Buying Economic Lies Told By The Government   Is Buffett Ignorant?  Gold on its Way to $6,000?   Spiking Oil, Plunging Economy Spiking Oil, Plunging Economy   Underwater Mortgages Rise As Home Prices Fall  



Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Tom M. suggested a great two-hour educational video produced by UCSF: Injuries in the Wilderness.    o o o Kevin R. sent us this: The secret world of doomsday shelters Blast from the past: Underground home bunkers once again have a small but growing following as a refuge from a host of perceived threats. And most people who have them would prefer that you didn’t know. Kevin notes: “Notice the demographics mentioned on page two, describing who is building these and that most are in the Washington, D.C. area?.  Do our bureaucrats know and anticipate something they aren’t sharing …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The US is the world’s most indebted nation and is trying to bail itself out by printing money, thus monetizing the debt. The world knows it and many are concerned because of their large holdings of US securities. The printing of money would force up interest rates (long bond rates are already rising), thus putting more strain on the US and global economies. A debt downgrade of US debt could follow, and the looming debt battle in Congress could see a US debt default in the worst case. Any or all of these events could lead to chaotic conditions in …


Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 33 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 Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 250 round case of 12 Gauge Hornady …


Basic Climbing Gear for Preppers, by T.F.

As preppers I think we all have the same mindset. If we did not, we would not be returning to SurvivalBlog on a daily basis, or stockpiling all the things we do. I am four months new to the blog and have always been a prepper at heart. With the blog, several things have been brought to my attention that I was lacking in my prepping. As these issues surface, I take immediate action either to correct them right away, or they make my very short “To Do” list. With that, I bring to your attention the need of some …


Why Living Prepared Pays Off, by Brad in California

We live on the western slope of the Sierras about half way between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe. We recently experienced the worst snow storm in the last thirty years, with snow depths in excess of 36″, massive, wide spread power outages, and closed roads. We had virtually no inconvenience because we have literally have lived being prepared for decades. Our home is small, about 1,000+ square feet and we have an adjoining cabin of 525 sq/ft., which serves as my office. A few years ago I added an additional 12″ of insulation in the ceilings of both units, double glazed …


Letter Re: Bathing in a World Without Electricity

Good Morning; My wife and I were once again looking at our list of to-do’s in our quest to prepare. I was looking at the list and noticed she wanted to find a wash tub that we could bathe in. Fortunately we live about one hundred feet from a year round creek and water will not be a issue. I started looking around  the house and my eyes fell on the woodstove and the 2.5 gallon water tank on the side. Now that water gets very warm obviously and I thought ok well that solves the hot water problem. Well, …


Two Letters Re: Pomona Universal Pectin

Sir: I asked my cousin to respond to the Pomona Universal Pectin article. She is the  production manager and head nutritionist at a commercial jam manufacture. Here is what she had to say: “Pomona Universal Pectin is a low methoxyl pectin.  This means that it will gel without the presence of sugar if a salt (monocalcium phosphate) is added at the critical time.  If the salt is added at the wrong time, the resulting products have an “applesauce” type consistency.  The biggest problem with this type of pectin is that it is inconsistent across different fruit and different degrees of ripeness …