“There’s no such thing as life without bloodshed. I think the notion that the species can be improved in some way, that everyone could live in harmony, is a really dangerous idea. Those who are afflicted with this notion are the first ones to give up their souls, their freedom. Your desire that it be that way will enslave you and make your life vacuous.” – Cormac McCarthy (author of the disaster novel The Road )
Today we present another entry for Round 23 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 foods, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. Second Prize: A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $350. Third Prize: A copy of …
One core tenet of the Survival and Preparation (S&P) culture that is often misunderstood, misapplied and has a high probability of failing, and that is “the bug-out”. I am prompted to write this after reading so many S&P-related books, blogs and forums where individuals are indicating that their primary plan, and the focus of their preparations, is bugging-out. The common discussion topics of bug-out vehicles (BOV), bug-out bags (BOB), bug-out land, etc, and the overall S&P lexicon confirm the importance placed on the bug-out concept. Although well organized and executed, a 1,600 mile bug-out is portrayed by some of “The …
Mr. Rawles, At one time or another I have driven every mile of the trip as you described in your reply. Like you, I have encountered those who [are unfamiliar with the driving distances in the western US]. I’ve even met folks that cannot discern the difference in scale on a road atlas from switching the pages between Montana and Massachusetts. I see this regularly with Army inspectors who call me and say that they want to fly into Billings, inspect Army Reserve units in Billings, Butte, Helena, Great Falls, Missoula & Kalispell all in two days and then fly …
James, Grandpappy isn’t comparing apples to oranges correctly. His reloaded ammo pricing is for premium self defense bullets, which cost $150 or so per thousand. Most people are going to reload cast lead, which would cost $50 or 60 per thousand for a .40 S&W for example. If you price new premium self defense ammo, like Doubletap, it is going for around $700 a case. If you purchased new brass (why?) Hornady or Speer premium SD bullets, you would still be able to build your own (which we supposedly should not due to legal concerns) SD ammo for half the …
Two More NYC Swine Flu Deaths Germany Warns of Swine Flu Mutation Pandemic May Be as Severe as 1968 Hong Kong Flu
GG spotted this article: The Real Crisis Is Food: Beginning of the Bull for Agriculture Udo sent this: U.S. Home Prices Drop [Another] 6.8 Percent in April as Foreclosures Rise. JWR’s Comment: We are nowhere near the bottom! I don’t expect that for another four to seven years. With the exception of retreat properties, it is best to stay on the sidelines and rent, while you are waiting for the market to bottom. Then you can buy for perhaps 25 cents on the dollar. Reader HPD liked this piece by Mish Shedlock: US Approves IMF Gold Sales; What Does It …
Cheryl flagged this: North Korea’s Strong New Threat o o o Reader Kevin A. suggested this piece over at LewRockwell.com: Survival Training: Be Armed, Store Food, Use Real Money, Secede o o o Kevin also noted that his regional newspaper, had a “how to” feature on building rainwater catchment barrels. Kevin’s comment: “While it focused more on the possible conservation aspects of using such a device, it’s becoming more and more evident that many preparedness tactics are entering the mainstream.”
"How do we know when irrational exuberance has unduly escalated asset values?" – Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, December 5, 1996
Today’s first item is an article that was kindly contributed by Grandpappy–a past winner of SurvivalBlog’s ongoing nonfiction writing contest.
There are some significant cost differences between reloading shotgun shells and reloading pistol and rifle ammunition. The following cost summaries illustrate these differences (all cost data collected in June 2009): Pistol Ammunition Summary: $0.270 = Total Cost of one New Factory-Loaded 40 S&W 165 Grain Pistol Cartridge. $0.206 = Total Material Cost to Reload one Used 40 S&W 165 Grain Pistol Cartridge. $0.064 = Cost Savings of Reloading one Used 40 S&W 165 Grain Pistol Cartridge. Rifle Ammunition Summary: $0.800 = Total Cost of one New Factory-Loaded 308 Caliber 165 Grain Rifle Cartridge. $0.480 = Total Material Cost to Reload …
Mr. Rawles: I am planning a trip to the Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming area the first week of October. Is there any area to avoid at all costs? Is there any area to “must see”? We will only have 6.5 days on the ground so must make every minute count. Your knowledge and help is greatly appreciated. Thanks, – Mr. Falsch JWR Replies: Wow! Covering three states in six days? That will really be pushing it. Given that incredibly tight time constraint, I’d recommend this itinerary: Fly in to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and rent a four wheel drive SUV. But …
Next Question in Swine Flu: Who Gets Vaccinated? Swine Flu Epidemic Escalating in Middle East Fatal Swine Flu Cluster In Buffalo, NY “The above comments describe two students of magnet schools in Buffalo, NY that are a mile apart. Both students were on life support yesterday, and the middle school student (15) died after life support was withdrawn. The elementary school student (9F) remains on life support. The clustering of two critically ill students raises concerns about the emergence of a more lethal strain of Pandemic H1N1. … The 2009 Pandemic is tracking with the 1918 Pandemic, which produce mild …
From The Daily Bell: David Morgan explains why silver remains the ‘people’s metal’ and why it may be a better investment than gold Karen H. sent this: Numbers on Welfare See Sharp Increase DD sent a piece about British ex-pats: Global downturn dashes retirees’ dreams SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson sent a link to this lengthy piece: Still Researching Corruption at The Treasury Items from The Economatrix: US Says Bonds Seized In Italy Are “Clearly Fake” Bearer Bonds Saga: Resolution? Employers Are Undermining The Economic Stimulus Plan “Reports are starting to appear suggesting that laid-off or underemployed Americans, …
Trent H. forwarded us this: Government Land-Grab Moved Forward o o o SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michaelll Z. Wiiamson sent this: FTC plans to monitor blogs for claims, payments. Gee, you don’t suppose that TPTB are starting to see the new Internet media as a threat, do you? Oh, and for the sake of full disclosure. I do make money from advertising. So do most magazines and newspapers. I also have an Amazon store, so when you follow one of my links and order anything thee, I get a little piece of the action. But that hardly makes me …