Letter Re: Steel Cables as Road Obstacles for Rural Retreats

Hello,   I bought and read your book (“How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It”) and have read several sections of your blog, but I’m having a lot of trouble finding an item you mentioned several times – “defensive road cables”. I have Googled this exact term and all I get is your article quoted over and over. Can you please send me a link or two or three where I can buy these or other info that will help me find them. Thanks.   – M.B.V.  JWR Replies: To block vehicle traffic from roads, …


Letter Re: Coffee in a Post-Collapse Society

Dear Mr. Rawles,   I would like to add one more consideration to the post-collapse coffee junkie.  My fellow caffeine addicts may be under the misperception that their fix has to come from Java, Columbia or China.  Not strictly true.  Although it is not “coffee” per se, there is a native plant which can provide a caffeine jolt, hold off that dreaded withdrawal headache for you or be used to treat asthma attacks.  Ilex vomitoria var pendula, a.k.a. “Weeping Holly“, is the only native caffeine producing plant, and grows very well anywhere other hollies grow.  The preparation is a little …


Economics and Investing:

Reader J.B.G. suggested this article: World Bank: Food prices have entered the ‘danger zone’ C.D.V. sent this: Chris Martenson: Insolvent and Going Deeper By way of the Fierce Finance e-newsletter, I found this: Is Goldman Sachs Too Big to Fail? T.L.B. liked this one: What The Silver Vigilantes Understand That You Probably Don’t (Arithmetic, Human Nature and other Stuff) From my friend Bob G.: 20 Signs That A Horrific Global Food Crisis Is Coming Items from The Economatrix: US Burning Economic Candle at Both Ends Feds’ Exit Doors Close:  Inflationary Spiral Ahead Keeping Capital In A Depression Commodities Plummet On …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Disaster in the Deep South: Death toll from severe storms rises to 17    o o o C.A. in Oregon mentioned: Price of Tomatoes Has a Lot to Do With These Thefts    o o o F.J. suggested this, over at Lifehacker: Download Emergency Medicine Manuals for Free    o o o Sun’s Storm Season Finally Heating Up. (Thanks to Steve S. for the link.)



Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 34 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 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo , …


Caving Caveats, by S.B.

I’m an amateur caver, all the caves I know of I found through a local college caving course which I’ve taken a few times. We learned from our instructor, a former Marine, with lots of experience, that most cavers are very zealous when it comes to locations of caving sites. Largely because graffiti pop-culture day-hiking tourists are so devastating to pristine cave environments, serious spelunkers will not share that information beyond their associations. I would not expect to find that kind of information resource online. Serious cavers simply won’t breach their own operational security (OPSEC) to do that. IF anyone were …


Chickens: Easy and Fun Food for Your Family’s Survival, by Southern Miss

Raising chickens is a wise investment in your survival, especially if you are now living on your rural retreat. We live in the deep southern United States, so it would be much different the farther north you live. I can only speak out of my own experience, so you will have to take what I say, combine it with all the other things you have read, heard and experienced on the subject, and modify it for where you live. Housing You need to have plenty of room for the chickens to live. If your chickens free range every day, less …


Letter Re: The MGI Hydra Multi-Caliber Rifle

Mr. Rawles-   I continue to enjoy your blog.   I read with interest Pat Cascio’s review of the MGI Hydra rifle.  I can think of a one very good scenario where such a system is very valuable:  In a political environment where licensing restricts the number of guns that one can own.  The Witness brand semi-auto handguns are popular in Europe for this very reason.  One receiver can support several different caliber conversions.  Unfortunately, those same places usually take a dim view of private ownership of AR-15 style weapons platforms, so other restrictions may prevent ownership in any case. …


Letter Re: Coffee in a Post-Collapse Society

Jim, I’d like to put my two cents in the coffee discussion. I work with a major coffee roaster and I know we and probably no other roaster in the country packages stale coffee. When beans are roasted they can be exposed to oxygen for a long time with out going stale. However, when the beans are ground they do have to be packaged quickly or they will go stale. If our ground coffee is not packed within 28 hours it is sent to the compost center. The comment about the coffee being packed stale because other wise the bags …


Economics and Investing:

I’m sure that most SurvivalBlog readers watch precious metals prices closely. Friday on the COMEX was amazing: Spot gold at $1,486.40 per ounce and spot silver at $43.05 per ounce! At this point, it is best to wait for a big retracement before buying any more. Big banks are government-backed: Fed’s Hoenig Reader G.P. suggested this Daily Mail article: $5 gas by summer? Prices near $4 a gallon as frugal Americans cut back at the pump (and some even start stockpiling food) Goldman Sachs Calls the Top in Oil and Metals: Clients Advised to Close Positions. JWR’s Comment: Given the …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Americans Saving Money By Purchasing Old Military Equipment. (A tip of the hat to Sue C. for the link.)    o o o Timothy R. flagged this: New Bill is Direct Threat to Ham Radio    o o o Frequent content contributor Pierre M. sent this: Yellowstone Supervolcano Bigger Than Thought. Be sure to follow the infographic link.    o o o Safecastle is conducting a non-fiction video and article writing contest that will last from March until the end of 2011. SurvivalBlog writing contest winners are automatically included in the judging. Safecastle is giving away more than $12,000 worth …



Notes from JWR:

April 15th is traditionally Tax Day here in the U.S., although this year it falls on Monday the 18th, just so that everyone can can both celebrate Emancipation Day and have a fun-filled weekend of self-flagellation assessment. The good news is that April 15th is also opening day for the new Atlas Shrugged movie. — Today we present another entry for Round 34 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 …


Prepping for Apartment Dwellers, by Anthony S.

Preparing for an uncertain future when living in an apartment or a condominium (“condo”) can be a struggle.  When the Lord has not chosen to give you land to work with, you work with what he has given you, knowing first and foremost that he is your first retreat, and no matter what happens, “All things work together for the Glory of the Lord…”.  There are many limiting factors when you do not have the smallest amount of land.  And if you are reading this, you probably agree that our future has many uncertainties from economic, to natural, to spiritual.  I would like to share a bit …