Experience in an Ice Storm, by C.V.Z.

During the winter of 2007 Western Kansas and Eastern Colorado had a major winter event in the form of a blizzard and a wide ranging ice storm. Saturday morning came and no weather, by that afternoon, Eastern Colorado and Western, Kansas was in a full blizzard and ice storm. Within hours the ice was over 3 inches thick on power lines and was popping power poles in every direction. Then the wind picked up and we went black and quiet. The storm took down cell towers, radio towers, internet towers, emergency communication towers. The small rural communities were shut down. …


Two Letters Re: A Bank Run Reality Check

Dear Mr. Rawles, While the quantity of FRN currency and coins on hand at a bank branch certainly makes or breaks one’s ability to withdraw one’s funds in a “run” situation, the overriding factor of which most depositors are completely unaware is that only checking accounts are “demand” accounts, meaning that you have a legal and immediate right to all of your money when you demand it. If you read the account disclosure fine print for your certificate of deposit (CD) or savings account, you will find that the bank is under no obligation to return your money when you …


Letter Re: Storing Spare Vehicle CPUs for EMP Preparedness

Mr. Rawles,   I recently have been going through the PCM/ECM/ECU vehicle engine/transmission control module nightmare. And it is a nightmare. Dealers typically won’t warrantee or allow return/refund on the vehicle computers unless they perform the diagnostics first. That’s a couple hundred bucks right there, before you get to buying the computer – which in my case for a 10 year old truck was $480, before sales tax. Then you have the labor to install it. Oh, and only the dealer can program it.   So I started snooping around on Google.  Using the search terms “remanufactured PCM” and “remanufactured …


Letter Re: Forever Preps – Preparations You Can Buy Once, and Have Forever

JWR, Thanks and God Bless for your wonderful blog. You do mankind a great good every day your site is up and passing information to the masses. Please keep it coming. I find it a rare and surprising occurrence when my real world work experience and professional knowledge actually prove some use to the on-going threads found at SurvivalBlog. Since I’m a career Maitre’ de in fine dining restaurants, it really isn’t surprising; I seriously doubt anyone will be worried about wine vintages or the proper service of escargot after TSHTF. However I was pleasantly surprised after I read Andrew …


SurvivalBlog Receives the Stylish Blogger Award

I was tickled to see that SurvivalBlog was named as a recipient of a Stylish Blogger award by Judy of the Consent of the Governed blog. This is a great exercise in fun and mutual back-scratching. Of course, as with any of these blog awards, there are rules. The “rules” that come along with this award designation are (1) I must divulge seven things about myself, and then (2) pay the Stylish Blogger Award forward to fifteen other blogs. So here are seven things about me… 1.) I’m so secretive about the location of the Rawles Ranch that many of …


Economics and Investing:

A new age of uncertainty: Why Arab turmoil could mean an orgy of bloodletting and rocketing oil prices rather than a Utopian world order. (A hat tip to J.B.G. for the link.) K.A.F.send us a story about “voting with their feet”: Irish Remedy for Hard Times: Leaving U.S. crop boom not enough to rebuild thin supplies. (Thanks to Nick F. for the link.) Natural Gas: A Cure for America’s Crazy Oil Addiction Items from The Economatrix: Regulators Close Small Illinois Bank; Makes 23 in 2011   State and Local Budget Cuts are Slowing US Economy   Oil Prices Spike to …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Old snipers never die. They just get better equipment.    o o o Reader Joe V. notes: Info World (via Ask Woody) revealed that solid state flash drives are nearly impossible to erase.  Joe’s comment: “I guess that means ‘hammer time.’”    o o o Mark H. mentioned the Time Travel Cheat Sheet. (That information would of course also be useful for a total TEOTWAWKI.)    o o o Luke in Pennsylvania sent a link to the U.S. Army’s Preventative Maintenance magazine searchable database. Luke says: “It’s usefulness in supplying relevant information depends upon your choice of search terms. For example with …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death. He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey. For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the Lord: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, …


Note from JWR:

I’m scheduled for a one hour interview with call-in questions from listeners tomorrow (Sunday, February 27th) with Michael Ruppert’s Lifeboat Hour radio show at 9 p.m. eastern time. Please feel free to call in to the show if you have any preparedness questions that would be of interest to the majority of listeners. If you miss hearing the show, it will be available post facto as a downloadable podcast.


Update: Kindle SurvivalBlog 2005-2010 Archives

The SurvivalBlog.com Archives 2005-2010 for Kindle has just been updated to be more user friendly. New features include: Table of Contents 700+ broken links fixed Search Function (Tested thusfar on a Kindle 3 running v3.1 — not guaranteed to work with earlier Kindles) Note: Those of you who have already purchased the Blog Archives ebook, send an e-mail to: kdp-support@amazon.com with this info: “KDP Team, Please update this ebook on my account. [insert the e-mail address of your Amazon account here] ASIN: B004OL2XQ0” If the Search Function still doesn’t work after you’ve updated to the new version then try the …


Nearly-Expired Storage Foods: Take Them to the Food Bank, Not the Dump

As your storage foods–both wet-pack and dry-pack–near their expiry dates, I recommend that you consistently donate them to a food bank. This approach has several advantages: 1.) You will be charitably helping the less fortunate. 2.) Food will not be going to waste. 3.) Your own larder will be stocked with fresher, more nutritionally- complete foods. 4.) You can take a tax deduction for your donation. (Be sure to get a signed receipt.) If you are concerned about OPSEC when making donations, then drive 40+ miles to a food bank in a neighboring county. Keep in mind that most food …


Letter Re: Dairy Goats 101

Dear Editor: I read your article on dairy goats, and would like to share some of our experience with dairy goats.  The article paints a two gallon a day picture, but it does not tell the whole story, and anyone reading it, I feel, should know there are drawbacks.  We had two goats for over a year and a half, and it was great, with five kids, and three of them under the age of four, we went through the full gallon a day that the two goats provided us.  it was a good experience, and the milk was fantastic, …


Economics and Investing:

Reader F.G. sent the link to this entertaining video clip: Investing Ferraris Versus Gold. FDIC: 884 ‘Problem’ Banks Remain Even as Profits Grow. (Thanks to G.G. for the link.) Reader Michael P. sent this from David Chapman: The End of the US Dollar? Analysis: Oil prices could be game-changer for world economy Paul Farrell: Market Crash 2011: It will hit by Christmas. (Thanks to Pat S. for the link.) Items from The Economatrix: If all else fails, bribe them: Saudi ruler offers $36 billion to stave off uprising amid warning oil price could double Why I’m Buying Silver at $30 …


Odds ‘n Sods:

The latest trend: “Mob Robbery” of convenience stores.    o o o US Government. Software Creates ‘Fake People’ on Social Networks to Promote Propaganda    o o o A reader in Heidelberg, Germany wrote to ask me about where to get outdoor survival training and where he could meet fellow preppers. I recommended doing a web search for local “adventure sport” clubs, like this one near Mannheim, Germany. There, folks will surely get some good hands-on training, and very likely meet other people that are preparing for “Das Ende der Welt, wie wir sie kennen.”    o o o I …