Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Edmond H. notes: “An item I like is the Pak-Lite flashlight. It is perfect for the pocket, pack, purse, or in the car or truck. It is essentially a 9Volt battery with two LEDs and a switch mounted on top. A strap was included on mine. I purchased one for each for every member of the family. It often takes the place of my Surefire which is overkill for many simple chores. It has a dim and a bright light setting. If the battery ever goes dead, just pop on a new one. Their web site says [each battery …



Note from JWR:

Today we present two entries for Round 31 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 for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost between $500 and $600, 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 500 round case of …


My Lessons Learned From a Recent Tactical Shotgun Class, by Greg C.

I recently took part in a Tactical Shotgun class with the US Training Center and learned a great deal. I am obviously not an operator and have not engaged dozens of insurgents, but I feel the training I received was logical and correct. I’ll skip all of the obvious safety and protection comments which were part of the training and very well covered. I’ll also not discuss the media hatchet job performed on their earlier incarnation “Blackwater”. Here are my lessons learned from the three day class: Tactical does not mean cool looking, adorned with a plethora of accessories or …


Training Sources for TEOTWAWKI, by Christopher E.

The reality of the situation is that tactical combat, survival and self defense training is not something that can be mastered in a week or a month.  Training needs to be consistent to the point where the drills become as a reaction that you don’t even have to think about it…. The point is that terrorists and threats to you have been in serious training for a long period of time while many of us still see the concept of learning the inner workings of firearms as being premature. Private survival training in the present day has often been seen …


Five Letters Re: ARs as Survival Combat Weapons

Sir: I just read Dan in Missouri’s article “ARs as Survival Combat Weapons, by Dan in Missouri”/ I learned you need to take an AR-M4 and do all sorts of upgrades, buy a $250 chamber reamer, and about $400 worth of backup parts, and you evidently cant pull one out of the box and depend on it – what a sad commentary on the design being inherently flawed and constantly in search of an upgrade. With the AK, one can fire assorted qualities of ammo, neglect cleaning or maintenance for thousands and thousands of rounds, and generally ignore the weapon, …


Economics and Investing:

Peter Schiff: Bernanke’s QE 2 Will Sink Just Like the Titanic 30 Reasons Why People Should Be Getting Really Nervous About The State of the U.S. Economy. Your Savings Will Be Funding ForeclosureGate Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: The Fed’s impending blunder Items from The Economatrix: AP Survey: Painfully Slow Economic Gains Into 2011 A Visual Representation Of The Wall Street-Main Street Disconnect Fed to Avoid “Shock And Awe” Stimulus


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader E.H. wrote mention: “I recently got into a lot of chiggers. I had many chigger bites all the way up to my waist and some above, with a bad concentration in the crotch area. I put a light dusting of Gold Bond Medicated Powder all over the affected areas. I don’t know what I expected, but within 30 minutes, all itching was gone and 2 or 3 days later after renewing the powder at each shower the bumps were also gone. I’m amazed.”    o o o Some Schumer Coming? As Reid Falters, Schumer Subtly Stands in the Wings. …



Note from JWR:

Today we present two entries for Round 31 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 for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost between $500 and $600, 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 500 round case of …


Growing and Storing Your Own Food, by F.E.S.

Growing and Storing Your Own Food, by F.E.S. Let me begin by saying I am a 64 year old male who grew up in the era of duck and cover. Every school child back then was aware of the threat of falling A bombs form the sky with the Russian hammer and sickle painted on their nose. Many people were prepared for a nuclear exchange with fall out rates and blast distance from ground zero calculated. Food reserves were stocked in the pantry or in a shelter and each family member knew exactly what to do in an emergency. To …


Survival and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, by J.S.I.

Back in the 1940s, Abraham Maslow, a psychologist, asked himself the question “Just what is it that people really need…….?”  After considerable research he came up with an analysis called Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.  It is usually graphically represented as a triangle consisting of five layers, each corresponding to a category of needs, the lowest layer being the most basic and the topmost – the apex – being the most rarified. The layers, in order from bottom to top are as follows: Physiological (breathing, food, water, sleep, sex, homeostasis, excretion) Safety (security of body, of employment, of resources, of morality, …


Letter Re: A Lifetime of Prepping Without Knowing It

Mr Rawles, I recently read “Patriots” and wanted to let you know how this book got me to thinking about how to be prepared for a potential social collapse. I thought through all of the steps that needed to be taken and realized that I’ve been prepping since I was born. I was born and raised in the suburbs of Kansas City, but my family history was one of extreme self sufficiency. My mom who lived through the last great depression taught me how to can, garden, make things stretch as far as possible and be able to survive without …


Letter Re: Christmas Ideas for the Prepper

Every year I seem to be caught in the same dilemma. What to get the kids for Christmas. Being the divorced father of three kids presents many challenges. First I am always upstaged, which does not matter to me, I am not trying to buy my kids affection. Second, today’s kids get almost whatever they want, if they have a job to save for that Ipod touch or new Blackberry then all the power to them. This year however I am taking a different approach. I have a 20-year-old daughter living in the big city. An 18-year-old daughter living with …


Economics and Investing:

At The Daily Bell: The US $200-Trillion Debt Which Cannot Be Named. “Boston University economist Laurence Kotlikoff says U.S. government debt is not $13.5-trillion (U.S.), which is 60 percent of current gross domestic product, as global investors and American taxpayers think, but rather 14-fold higher: $200-trillion – 840 per cent of current GDP. ‘Let’s get real,’ Prof. Kotlikoff says. ‘The U.S. is bankrupt.’” Dollar Printing Feeding China Inflation Pimco likens US to ‘Ponzi’ scheme KAF sent this: HSBC Accused of Silver Manipulation Trigger Points, Black Swans, And Other Unpleasant Realities. (Thanks to K.T. for the link.) Gerald W. sent this: …