Assembling a Survival Library, by Jim E.

I know that I would be preaching to the choir telling SurvivalBlog readers to have a well-stocked survival library but I just can’t help my self.  I’ve read most of the archives and I must admit I was unable to find exactly what I was thinking about in terms of building and maintaining a survival library.  Everyone that is even a casual reader of this blog knows that knowledge is far superior to having a lot of neat toys and gizmos. The truth is, knowledge is king when it comes to survival, and knowledge can only be obtained in basically …


Letter Re: Evidence that Physical Silver is in Short Supply

James,   An interesting trend to make note of: Here in the Great White North, ScotiaBank (one of our Big Five banks) sells physical bullion through it’s investing arm: ScotiaMocatta.   I simply walk to the main branch in my municipality, make an order at the bullion desk, pay cash, and walk out with a number of 1 ounce silver bars (or whatever precious metal suits your tastes. I find gold too cumbersome at $1,420 per ounce to be useful for trade/barter WTSHTF…)   As of last week, the 100 ounce silver bars were no longer available either online, or …


Two Letters Re: Building a Dryer Lint Stove

Sir: I have made something similar and would agree it is and easy and cheep way to make a reliable stove.  In my instance I have used Altoid cans and I personally like the size and having the lid attached.  I like that there is no “where did I put that lid” problems. – Jason H. Hi Jim and readers, Brian C. mentioned his stove. I was  fascinated with the dryer lint stove idea,  I do it a little different, many many years ago, and a long long time ago, I learned a similar way of making a stove, but we …


Economics and Investing:

David C. suggested a good interview with John Williams of ShadowStats, wherein he outlines the case for hyperinflationary depression in 6-to-9 months.  Regulators close banks in Michigan, Pennsylvania. The number just goes up and up…151 banks thusfar in 2010. (Thanks to Kelly D. for the link.) Glenn Beck Warns of Food Riots, Martial Law & Gun Confiscations. (Thanks to H.W. for the link.) Items from The Economatrix: Gold, Silver, Copper Hit Record Highs On Weakening Dollar It’s Not IF The Euro Collapses, But WHEN Zero Permanent Jobs Were Created By The Stimulus Global Bond Route Deepens On US Fiscal Worries


Odds ‘n Sods:

Newsweek asks: Are We Running Out of Antibiotics?    o o o Reader F.J. suggested: How to Make a Secret Book Safe    o o o Camping Survival has added several interesting new products to their line.    o o o Reader F.G. sent this: “An acclaimed outdoorsman who wrote movingly about testing himself against nature is presumed dead after a crocodile snatched him from his kayak while he led an American expedition from the source of the White Nile into the heart of Congo.” K.T.’s wry comment: “Sadly, his ‘test against nature’, failed. He and his friends also failed …



Notes from JWR:

The Rawles Gets Your Ready Family Preparedness Course is only rarely offered at a discounted price. While supplies last, the publisher is running a special sale. Don’t miss out on the chance to get a copy for yourself, or to give one as a Christmas gift before it goes out of print. — Today we present another two entries for Round 32 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will 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 …


Building a Dryer Lint and Wax Stove, by Brian C.

This easy to make tool has been in my inventory for 30-plus years. It has come in handy while camping as a scout, serving in the Marine Corps and even on the ground in the Gulf Coast as a First Responder after Hurricane Katrina and during Hurricane Rita. Once assembled it is primarily a stove, but a bit of its contents can be cut away and used as a fire starter, and–if the area is properly ventilated–a heating device. That’s right, a single, self contained, water proof unit consisting of just three materials of which many of us have and …


Letter Re: The Shelf Reliance Food Storage Planning Tool

James, I wanted to share some info on food prep. I’m sure you know about Shelf Reliance but I wanted to mention them to you and their great resources. I am trying to start prepping food and found their site a few months back. Yesterday, I went to their site to try and figure out how much of what I will need and what it will cost. They have some good tools and packages in there for general prep and emergencies. They also have some decent medical supplies and kits too. Under the “TOOLS” tab, you can use the THRIVE …


SurvivalBlog’s IP Address — A Modest Insurance Policy

We post SurvivalBlog’s IP address (also referred to as a “dotted quad” or IPv4 address) as a sort of insurance policy. Recent events have proven that a government agency or a malicious hacker can fairly easily seize or hijack a domain name. This has already happened to at least 75 U.S. web sites without due process of law. Their DNS records were changed, essentially erasing them from the “phone books of the Internet.” To insure against this, we are distributing our IPv4 address. This can be pasted or typed into a web browser window in place of “survivalblog.com” What you …


Letter Re: Protection From Falls

Mr. Rawles, I have often thought about the dire situation a fall may bring in a sans medical treatment facility scenario. In the western novel Jubal Sackett, by Louis L’Amour, Jubal finds himself in the wilderness with a broken leg and cursing himself for not being more careful. Though the article references falls from structures, I thought the ability to tie a Swiss seat may help an individual in either an urban or wilderness environment. ITS Tactical puts out a great knot tying series on YouTube, and the Swiss seat may be a quicker and cheaper alternative to purchasing a …


Two Letters Re: OPSEC Issue: Geotagging on Pictures from Smart Phones

Hello Mr. Rawles, I just got a link to a New York Times article about geotagging through Michael Yon’s web site, but with the New York Times date of August 11 2010, you may have seen this already. Regards, Albert U. Jim: I have been using the Exif JPEG header manipulation tool for several years.  A batch file can be written to remove EXIF data from all images in a folder.  I have my wife do this before she uploads her photos to Facebook. Regards, Lee H.


Economics and Investing:

Rahn: Folding the Fed. (Thanks to John for the link.) B.B. recommend this piece: How Far Will The Gold Correction Go? C.D.V. and Roy G. both suggested a piece by Alfred W McCoy: Taking Down America (How America will collapse by 2025) Fed’s QE Ponzi Scheme begins to Backfire Items from The Economatrix: Euro Collapse “Possible” Amid Deepening Divisions Over Bail-out   Still Asleep To The New Economic Reality   UK:  Overdraft Charges Soar to 19%   Gold Likely To Hit $1,600 in 2011 – Credit Suisse  


Odds ‘n Sods:

David in Israel mentioned: Ask the Rabbi: The right to self-defense    o o o Chris M. recommended an article about recognizing psychopaths in our communities.    o o o Another accidental invasive pest import: Stink bug numbers ‘explode’ along East Coast. It will be catastrophic if these get out to the fruit orchards of the west coast.    o o o Michael Panzner reports on Obamaville homeless camps: ‘It’s Ugly Out There’


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“I began to sense faintly that secrecy is the keystone of all tyranny. Not force, but secrecy … censorship. When any government, or any church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, this you may not read, this you must not see, this you are forbidden to know, the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter how holy the motives.” – Robert A. Heinlein