Three Letters Re: Marksmanship Training

Sir: For the past 12 years I have served in the US Army as an Infantryman. Two deployments to Iraq and one in Afghanistan have taught me valuable lessons that I will never forget. The biggest one being the importance of marksmanship. There is not a firearm in the word that will make up for lack of practice or being a lousy shot. Some considerations… While at the range do you only fire from the standing position? In a gunfight the name of the game is finding cover and concealment and returning accurate fire. Standing is almost never the best …


Two Letters Re: The “After Armageddon” Documentary

Jim, I wanted to give a shout out to Michael Bane and the others with common sense who helped with the “After Armageddon” docudrama. I was pleasantly surprised when my wife wanted to watch the History Channel for once. The scales fell from her eyes while she was watching, how fragile our lives and standard of living can be. Right after she started asking “Is that why….” (you fill in the blanks) I was elated! Now she understands my favorite saying, “hope for the best & prepare for the worst.” That used to make her roll her eyes. She always …


Economics and Investing:

Is the American Economy Destined to Fail? Government Bonds — the New Junk? Items from The Economatrix: Dubai World Tries to Keep Banks at Bay with Six-Month Standstill on its Debts Horizon Bank of Bellingham, Washington First Bank Failure of 2010 Four Economic Scenarios You Better Hope Won’t Materialize For Every One Job There are Six Jobless Applicants Financial Markets and Economic Crisis Outlook 2010, When Hope Turns to Fear Dr. Gary North: Deflationists Predicting Price Deflation are Not Economists, They are Journalists What Happens When the Fed Stops Quantitative Easing Howard Ruff Preparing for Rough Times By Hedging Against …


Odds ‘n Sods:

From Discovery.com: Laminated Linen Protected Alexander the Great    o o o Mike M. flagged this US Geological Survey PDF: Consequences of an Earthquake in the New Madrid Seismic Zone    o o o Lynch mob beats to death a looter and drags his body through the streets as Haiti descends into anarchy. A tip of the hat to GG for the link.



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 26 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. 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 HAZARiD Decontamination Kit from Safecastle.com. (A $350 value.), and D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Luger, 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP ammo, …


The Importance of Calories in a Survival Situation, By Keith W.

In this modern world the term “calorie” is almost a bad word. They are things to be limited, controlled and shunned whenever possible. We use terms like “empty” and “wasted” in regards to the consumption of calories. Obesity, the result of the over-consumption of calories, is one of the biggest dangers that we face as Americans. If and when TEOTWAWKI occurs, our thinking needs to change immediately. The average man doing minimal amounts of work needs about 2500 calories per day to maintain weight and full functionality. Doing moderate physical labor or survival activities can easily increase that number to …


Letter Re: Dental Preparedness

Jim, In "Dental Preparedness, by Pat" the author mentions "using 400mg of Ibuprofen taken with 800mg of Tylenol at the same time, every 4-6 hours." That could result in taking 4,800mg of Tylenol in a day. Online resources state the maximum safe dose is 4,000mg per day, or liver failure could result. [JWR Adds: Thanks for pointing that out! Clearly, at that dosage, that course of treatment must either end or the dosage be reduced after just18 hours.] – SunDog


Two Letters Re: An Interesting 19th Century Formulary Book

JWR, First off, love your site! It’s level headed and full of wonderful information. It’s now part of my required reading in the mornings along with the news and email. Google Books has Dr. Chase’s Third, Last and Complete Receipt Book, it’s free, it’s PDF format and downloadable. Keep up the good work! – Herman N. James, I’ve been reading the blog for about a year now, I think this may be my first email to you. In searching for Dr. Chase’s Third, Last and Complete Receipt Book, I stumbled across this web site from MSU of downloadable cookbooks and …


Economics and Investing:

California debt rating cut as cash crunch looms. (Thanks to GG for the link.) World Health Organization Eyeing Global Tax on Banking and Internet Activity Items from The Economatrix: UK: Consumer Confidence Takes a Dive US Jobless Rates to Stay High Until 2012 Barons of Wall Street to Face US Crisis Panel Consumers Are Squeezed as Inflation Outpaces Wages Obama Mortgage Relief Program Fails to Deliver


Odds ‘n Sods:

Trent H. sent a link to Pack and Saddle Shop’s horse packing tips.    o o o Troy H. sent these links, about an energy-independent farming own in Germany. He comments, “These folks already generate their own heat and electricity (enough in fact to sell surplus wattage back the grid!), and seem well positioned for long-term independence. A ‘covenant community’ or ‘retreat township’ model might benefit from these sorts of systems.” There are two articles, an overview, and a detailed photo essay, with more technical details.    o o o From the British Medical Journal: Surgeon performs self-apendectomy in Antarctica. …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 26 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. 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 HAZARiD Decontamination Kit from Safecastle.com. (A $350 value.), and D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Luger, 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP ammo, …


Two Letter Re: Some Observations on Fortifications Versus Camouflaged Retreats

James: Just a quick observation about the wisdom of sheltering in a missile base or some other Cold War-era fortification. While Chris is correct that history demonstrates that fortifications can and will be breached by enemy forces with the resources and determination to maintain a well-conceived siege, I question whether after TEOTWAWKI the marauders most likely to be challenging such a retreat will have the resources to see a siege through to a successful conclusion. Presumably, the scarcity of resources is precisely what would make a fortress such an inviting target. Unlike the armies that successfully overran ancient fortifications, there …


Letter Re: Advice on Convincing a Spouse to Prepare

Mr. Rawles, I am not sure if you can help me, however I was not sure who else I might be able to turn to for advice. I have always been a “prepared” type person, that stems from growing up relatively poor and living/working on a cattle ranch in southern Arizona, for a good portion of my life. We had to be prepared, living so far away from town! My wife and I were married almost three years ago, and currently live in southern Idaho. Being quite a few years my junior, eleven to be exact, she grew up with …