Three Letters Re: Surviving A Home Invasion Robbery

Good Day James Wesley, I’ve been learning from your site for years and today became a Ten Cent Challenge subscriber.. Thank You! I too was struck how easily a standard residential entry doors can be opened either by lock “bumping” and even more easily with a stout “kick”. When I retired last June, one of my first projects suggested by my darling wife was to replace all entry doors to our 1959 brick veneer ranch style house with attached garage. We wanted at minimum insulated, solid core, steel doors but also spent quite quite a bit of time looking/considering the …


Economics and Investing:

Chris G. sent us this troubling news article: House Democrats ‘Deem’ Faux $1.1 Trillion Budget ‘as Passed’ Recession cut into employment for half of working adults, study says. (Thanks to frequent content contributor B.B. for the link.) Items from The Economatrix: BofE Rate Setter Fears New UK Recession Nearly 1 in 3 First-Quarter Home Sales a Foreclosure Sold at Steep Discount Central Banks Warn of New Crisis if Exit Left Too Late China Slowdown Fears Hit Global Markets It’s Everyone for Themselves After Toronto Failure Europe’s Recovery Falters Double-Dip Recession Warning Signs are Everywhere! Batten Down the Hatches! Payrolls Drop …


Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson found this item: Only a Government Bureaucrat…    o o o The folks at ModernSurvivalOnline.com now have more than 7 gigabytes of articles and manuals available for free download. Check it out. (But as usual for such sites, beware of any documents with unresolved copyright issues.)    o o o M.T,. sent this: U.S. is Unprepared for New Generation of Terror Bombs, Experts Say


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"In every government there necessarily exists a power from which there is no appeal, and which, for that reason, may be formed absolute and uncontrollable. The person or assembly in whom this power resides is called the sovereign or supreme power of the state. With us, the sovereignty of the Union is in the people." – Charles Pinckney, 1788


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 29 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. This one is too short to qualify for consideration in the judging, but had enough merit to justify posting. (I encourage writers to include greater depth of detail and references.) 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 …


Sustainable Chicken Farming, by Sheila C.

I have been raising chickens for eggs during the past several years, and I would like to share some of the secrets I have learned for long term food production. I like free range eggs, but have found that chickens pose certain conflicts with other necessities that can be quite frustrating. And reproducing chickens can be quite a trick these days. Chickens are a very good source of sustainable food from eggs and meat and also have side benefits, but it’s good to know some of the tricks. I hope this article can help preppers get ready and give a …


Letter Re: A Brief Review of the Movie “Right at Your Door”

James Wesley: I watched the [R-rated] 2006 movie Right at Your Door on a cable movie channel this weekend. [It is also available as a “Watch Instantly” streaming video from Netflix.] The scenario was that there were multiple dirty bombs in Los Angeles– initially thought to be chemical, later revealed to be viral agents. [The film follows the protagonists’s reactions to] real-time self-defense (duct tape and plastic), the chaos of getting to the “retreat” of one’s home, reveals some poor thinking and planning and its consequences, and shows the deadly nature of likely governmental “help” for some victims in such …


Letter Re: The Stamp of Idiocy

James: Here in Michigan Food Stamps are paid electronically to each person’s account. The recipients are then issued a card to pay for their purchases. The card has a picture of the Mackinac Bridge on the front so they are referred to as “Bridge Cards.” The Mogambo Guru’s Stamp of Idiocy article states that over 40 million people receive Food Stamps. This is scary to think about. But a few of my observations makes one wonder how many people actually deserve the benefits. When I picked my daughter up from school last month both my wife and I were appalled …


Three Letters Re: Surviving A Home Invasion Robbery

James: First thank you for your site; helping others and spreading the word of Jesus Christ. A few years ago I came across a company called Armor Concepts and their product Door Jamb Armor. After watching video on their site, I decided to purchase three sets for every entry door to my home. I’m 100% positive that no one will kick in my door – in fact, one of their videos shows how hard it is to bust the door in even with a police battering ram. I’ll admit it’s not the most decorative, but I can almost guarantee very …


Economics and Investing:

KAF sent us this: National debt soars to highest level since WWII Thanks to RBS for spotting this: Oregon city turns off streetlights to save money Courtesy of reader John R.: Corruption Suspected in Airlift of Billions in Cash From Kabul. (Gee, do you think it might be suspicious?) I was doing some web wandering, and I found a fascinating history piece on AIG, and its parent company, AIC. Items from The Economatrix: Europe’s Banks Still on Life Support Roubini Says Greece Needs Orderly Debt Restructuring to Avoid “Inevitable Default” Britain “Might Not Cope with Another Bank Emergency” You Don’t …


Odds ‘n Sods:

James C. sent this: Army begins shipping improved 5.56mm cartridge.    o o o Some interesting insights on wilderness living can be gained from this–especially the article’s last few lines: Cambodian ‘jungle woman’ flees back to wild Cambodia’s “jungle woman”, who spent 18 years living in a dense forest, has fled back to the wild after struggling to adapt to society.    o o o Chris M. sent this: Terrafugia Transition ‘flying car’ gets go-ahead from US air authorities. Simply amazing. Like a lot a lot of “dual use” devices, I suspect that it isn’t particularly good at either one, …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 29 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 …


Surviving A Home Invasion Robbery, by Susan G.

On August 2nd, 1997 I had the hardest choice in my life to make, that was to survive.  Masked men wearing camouflage and carrying guns kicked my front door in at 12:40 am.  I was sitting about five feet from the front door waiting for my son to arrive home for the evening.  I heard my doorknob jiggle.  I thought it was my son trying to get his key in the door.  I made it within two feet of the door and stopped because I had not heard him set his car alarm.  With one kick from a 299 pound …


Letter Re: The Winter Salad

Mr. Rawles: In his book The Winter Harvest Handbook: Year Round Vegetable Production Using Deep Organic Techniques and Unheated Greenhouses, Eliot Coleman has written about his lifelong experience and experimentation with year round commercial farming in snowy Maine. His methods entail no extra heating or lighting, and all produce is grown outdoors during the Maine winter. Specifications include planting schedules. I have not yet tried Coleman’s winter gardening techniques, but I plan to. His research and experience have convinced me to give it a go this coming winter. My small plastic greenhouse, homemade [planting] boxes, and floating cover are ready …