Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 24 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.) and C.) A HAZARiD Decontamination Kit from Safecastle.com. (A $345 value.) Second Prize: A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing …


Camouflage: The Art of the “Liar”, by T.W.P.

Human Perception – from an artist’s point of view. Have you ever sat down and watched a movie? Sure you have. But did you ever stop to realize that everything you were watching was a lie? Most likely not, even though you do understand that intellectually. Most movies cash in on the concept of “suspension of disbelief” which means “you know that what you are watching is not real or true, but you are willing to pretend, accept that it is real or true, for sake of entertainment.” It is an implied contract between you, and the makers of that …


Letter Re: Preparedness for Living on a Chesapeake Bay Island

Mr. Rawles, I am just now (pretty late in the game, I know) becoming aware of the impending collapse and have begun reading your blog regularly (it is the first thing I read in the mornings now). I realize now that I must prepare as much as I can and have a question about my current location. I live on an isolated (no bridges, ferry and airplane transport only) Island in the Chesapeake Bay. It is somewhat densely populated for its size, but everyone knows each other and most residents hunt and fish and have their own boats. Many residents …


Economics and Investing:

From perennial content contributor GG: Germany braces for second wave of credit crunch Neal flagged this: The Week in Charts, Buckle the Heck Up! Greg C. sent us this: Woman’s House Mistakenly Auctioned by Bank Karen H. kindly sent several items: U.K. Has Record July Deficit as Recession Curbs Taxes U.S. Initial Jobless Claims Rose by 15,000 to 576,000 FDIC May Add to Special Fees as Mounting Failures Drain Reserves Swiss to reveal UBS accounts to settle U.S. tax battle “Switzerland has agreed to reveal the names of about 4,450 wealthy American clients of UBS AG to U.S. authorities in …


Odds ‘n Sods:

U.S. Army mulls adopting a new camouflage pattern for uniforms. (Thanks to Ron G. for the link.) I think that this would be a good switch, since the current ACU pattern is a horrible compromise with insufficient contrast It look like a solid color, from past 60 yards. It reminds me of the old joke about the camel being “a horse, designed by committee.”    o o o Matt in Tennessee reminded me about a Steve’s Pages, a very useful web site with almost all the US and Canadian military manuals and many other usefual references on many subjects.    …



Letter Re: The Usefulness of the AK-47 as a Survival Rifle

Dear SurvivalBlog Readers: The immediate impression of most shooters, upon hearing “Kalashnikov”, will involve the words cheap and reliable. Non-shooters will often maintain a huge negative connotation to the AK-47 and its variants, though they may not recognize the maker’s name. I will not delve into the rifle’s history today, but instead intend to highlight a weapons platform and illustrate the finer points in favor and against its use. The AK-47 is a legendary weapon, known for its ability to fire under incredibly challenging circumstances. While some rifles may require regular and frequent care to keep them running properly, it …


Letter Re: Fireproof Document Boxes, Mold, and Rust

Dear Editor: The suggestions of where to hide money prompted me to write about my experiences with storing cash. I keep on hand a few hundred dollars in small denominations in the event of an interruption of cash supply . I keep the cash in a small home fire/water proof lockbox from Sentry (just large enough on the interior dimension to fit an 8.5x 11 sheet of paper, and about 2 inches deep) along with other papers I want to protect from fire. The small size obviously offers no theft protection so to secure it, as well as up the …



Odds ‘n Sods:

Jim in Southern California flagged this: Heirloom Tomatoes, The Hand Me Down of Foods. Jim also sent this companion piece: Attack of the Heirloom Tomatoes.    o o o Beware of agent provocateurs: Attorney: FBI trained New Jersey blogger to incite others. (BTW, this in part explains why I ignored the urging of dozens of SurvivalBlog readers to post a link to Hal Turner’s much-publicized but bogus “New Amero Notes have already been printed” story. Something about that just didn’t smell right. In fact, if you do a search, you’ll see that I’ve only mentioned Turner once in my blog, …



The Open Carry Debate Catches Mainstream Attention

For anyone that might have found my warnings about feral dogs (such as in my “Pulling Through” screenplay) somehow alarmist, see this article: Sheriff: Georgia couple likely killed in dog attack. Too bad that you need a license to carry a firearm openly in Georgia. Parenthetically, we have the occasional grizzly bear that passes through, here at the ranch, but at least we are regularly armed, so we have a fighting chance. IMHO. the open carry ban in Georgia is a racist anachronism that should be abolished. And speaking of open carry, our compadre Tamara mentioned this: Man carries assault …


What Divides You from The Sheeple? Plenty!

Nearly every week, I get at least one frantic e-mail from a new SurvivalBlog reader, stating that they feel woefully under-prepared. The gist of these e-mails is: “I’m behind the power curve! How can I possibly get prepared in time?” Fear not! Just by reading SurvivalBlog and taking some small, gradual steps at preparedness, you are miles ahead of your sheeple neighbors. And even with just modest preparedness measures, you have already substantially increased your chances of surviving most scenarios. As I see it, here are your advantages: Awareness Most people are clueless. They have a naive Pollyanna outlook. But …


Letter Re: Burros for TEOTWAWKI Transport

Dear Mr. Rawles, I have a question that I have not found addressed on SurvivalBlog. I am a small-statured woman (5’5″, 130 lbs.) living in the desert southwest. I have a retreat that I am currently stocking, and am beginning to think about livestock (aside from chickens and goats, which are a given). While most of my peers keep and ride horses, I’m considering burros instead. My reasoning is that they are already adapted to an arid environment, can forage more easily, are hardier than horses, and are less expensive. They can also be used for packing or pulling equipment. …