Notes from JWR:

We’ve reached the milestone of 2,000 days of SurvivalBlog posts, with nary a pause. There are also now 2,000 archived Quotes of the Day. My sincere thanks to the many readers that have e-mailed me their favorite quotes. (And please keep them coming!) I hope that you enjoy them. I suppose that once I’ve posted around 3,000, I ought to publish a book of quotations. — 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 …


Prepare and Practice Often, or Pay The Price, by J. in the Great White North

I want to relate a story that happened to me this past week that I think will be instructive for many SurvivalBlog readers. My journey into prepping started about a year ago, when my eyes were opened after reading a contrarian economist’s books about the fragile state of our economy, and the impending implications that will inevitably result if our world continues to operate on tomorrow’s dollar and with a Nanny-state mentality. The very same day I finished his latest book, I went to my local bookstore to find similar titles that could augment what I’d already read.  This is …


Letter Re: Asthma Rescue Inhalers

Hi Jim and Lily, Thanks for all you do.  I am a registered nurse and have always tried to keep a fairly extensive medical kit along with my BOB in the car.  One of the things I keep is a OTC rescue inhaler, sold under the brand name “Primatene Mist”.  It is epinephrine (adrenalin), plain and simple.  No one in my family has asthma, but I keep it for emergencies, including an anaphylactic reaction to a bee sting etc.  I decided to get a new one the other day as mine was quite outdated.  Wal-Mart still has them.  There is …


Letter: When a Ten Cent Challenge is a Lifetime Subscription

Mr. Rawles: I will be 75 years old in July. The enclosed check for $200 should cover my [Ten Cent Challenge] 10 cents per day for almost 5-1/2 years [$200 divided by $36.50 = 5.479 years]. Thus, I ‘ve secured a lifetime membership to the age 80. If I do somehow live to age 80–unlikely due to my health condition–and the current Obama administration has not finalized the complete destruction of the United States and your SurvivalBlog still exists, then I will extend my lifetime membership. Regards, – Ralph T.


Economics and Investing:

Jeff in Virginia and Yishai both mentioned this: WikiLeaks cables: Saudi Arabia cannot pump enough oil to keep a lid on price. Count this as further evidence that Peak Oil is reality. Michael Pollaro writes in Forbes: America, poised for a hyperinflationary event? Air Force Dad sent us this: US Dollar Index: Momentum selling could be swift and steep. As Quantitative Easing (monetizing the National Debt) continues, look for plenty of downward momentum in the USDI. C.D.V. sent: 10 Ways Weather is Wreaking Havoc on the Global Economy Items from The Economatrix: 9% Unemployment Rate is a Statistical Lie   …


Odds ‘n Sods:

The new SurvivalUK.net blog site is growing rapidly. I recommend that preppers in the UK bookmark it and check it often. I’ve just added the site to the SurvivalBlog Links Page.    o o o In his new Vlog, Tom of CampingSurvival.com shows the new packaging for commercial MREs.    o o o There are some great new posts over at Granny Miller’s Blog. Her ewes are lambing early this year!    o o o Freeze Dry Guy has announced a special for February: Dehydrated Whole Eggs with a 25 year shelf life, packed six #10 cans per case. Yield: …



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 Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 250 round case of 12 Gauge Hornady TAP …


The Earthquake in Haiti: First-Hand Lessons From Disaster, by Dr. L.F.

I’m a neurosurgeon, and I had the opportunity to spend a couple weeks in Port Au Prince, Haiti last year, arriving just two weeks after the earthquake in February. This was a great opportunity to serve people in need, but I also benefited from seeing WTSHTF firsthand. I brought in a team of three doctors and two nurses , along with one former Marine turned pastor (for security). When a missionary flight company said: “We can get you in if you can be here day after tomorrow, but we can’t guarantee you a flight out,” a wiser person might have …


The Nitty Gritty on Nickels

As I’ve mentioned before in SurvivalBlog, U.S. Five cent pieces (“Nickels”) should be considered a long-term hedge on inflation. I recently had a gent e-mail me, asking how he could eventually “cash in” on his cache of Nickels. He asked: “Are we to melt them down, or sell them to a collector? How does one obtain their true 7.4 cents [base metal content] value?” My response: Don’t expect to cash in for several years. I anticipate that there won’t be a large scale speculative market in Nickels until their base metal value (“melt value”) exceeds twice their face value (“2X …


Letter Re: The Ethics and Methodology of Sniping after TEOTWAWKI

James; I am glad that something has posted such a thoughtful essay on the merits of and moral questions involved in sniping after a collapse. I am not a sniper, but I regularly compete in High Power shooting events and have learned a lot. The first thing I learned is my .308 is marginal at 1,000 yards.To get there I use very expensive Berger bullets and my groups are twice as big as the guys using 6mm or 6.5mm bullets. At a 1,000 yards some of the favorite cartridges are .243, .308, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5×287, .287, .260 Remington, 6.5 Lapua, …


Economics and Investing:

The Daily Bell ran this interview: Richard Maybury on the Collapse of the Anglo-American Empire and What It Means for You Eric K. sent this: China Raises Rates to Counter Accelerating Inflation. Eric’s comments: “Three things of note in the article: 1.) They mention a report due next week that will show a 5.3% increase in January for consumer prices. 2.) They are starting a campaign to crackdown on speculation and hoarding. 3.) The Chinese inflation is largely driven by rising food costs. Their formula for calculating their inflation is different to the one used to calculate ours. For one, …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader J.B.G. sent this: 18 Cities Whose Suburbs Are Rapidly Turning Into Slums    o o o Frequent content contributor C.D.V. sent this: We Are Witnessing the Collapse of the Middle East. “If Egypt should fall, it will mark the beginning of the end for what little remaining stability there is in the Middle East.” Can you imagine an enormous Lebanon-like Zone of Chaos, all the way from the Sudan to Tajikistan and from Morocco to Pakistan? I can. It seems that the $55 Billion+ that that we’ve “invested” in stability in Egypt since 1974 sure didn’t buy much, did …



Notes from JWR:

Today, February 8, 2011, marks the 10th anniversary of when I fairly accurately called the bottom of the silver market. That was when silver was $4.55 an ounce and I stated that it might bottom at around $4.25 per ounce before the inevitable rally. The actually bottom was at $4.18 per ounce. Since then, silver has been in a confirmed bull market cycle, increasing in price by more than 610%. (When I last checked, spot silver was at $29.35 per ounce.) For those that took my advice, congratulations. And for those who have been dragging their feet, don’t worry: The …