Letter Re: Recommendation for the Book “One Second After”

Hello Mr. Rawles; I’m a long time reader of your blog. I would like to recommend a new novel called, “One Second After” by William R. Forstchen. It deals with an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) event which occurs in the United States. The author apparently consulted with military experts, and it has an afterword by Captain Bill Sanders, U.S.N., and the Foreword is by Newt Gingrich. Though the book is lacking in survival details, it does realistically convey the frightening impact on American civilization. The need for obtaining food is prevalent, and it does show the benefits of having a good …


Letter Re: Lessons Learned by the Victim of a Home Burglary

Jim, I’m writing you today after our rural home/retreat was broken into while we were at work. I thought it would never happen to me, Oh, was I so very wrong. First things first, thank you for convincing me to purchase a safe and after reading the suggestion many times in you blog I eventually bolted it down. This is the only thing that saved me from losing the safe and all of its contents. The Sheriff told me of another burglary where the didn’t have his very large (“they can’t move it–its too heavy”) safe bolted down and they …


Economics and Investing:

Lisa forwarded us the link to the PDF of a new think tank report: Manning the barricades: Who’s at risk as deepening economic distress foments social unrest SurvivalMama sent a great Schumeresque snippet from Brad DeLong’s Grasping Reality With Both Hands blog: Q: What if markets never recover, the assets are not fundamentally undervalued, and even when held to maturity the government doesn’t make back its money? A: Then we have worse things to worry about than government losses on TARP-program money–for we are then in a world in which the only things that have value are bottled water, sewing …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Thanks to Cheryl (aka The Economatrix) for sending this: How To Grow Strawberries At Home To Start Your Victory Garden    o o o The current huge popularity of gardening books (like the Square Foot Gardening book–presently #23 on Amazon.com), is obviously much more than just a seasonal blip. People are clearly getting quite concerned about the economy. So it is just a display of good old-fashioned common sense for folks to revert to self-sufficiency mode. I’m glad to see this happen. Two other popular books that are riding this wave of popularity are: Gardening When It Counts by Steve …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 21 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The contest prizes include: First Prize: Two transferable Front Sight  “Gray” Four Day Training Course Certificates. This is an up to $4,000 value! Second Prize: A three day course certificate from OnPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. Third Prize: A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing Round 21 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for …


TEOTWAWKI Medicine and Minor Surgery–Part I: Ingrown Toenails, by Dr. K.

Introduction Onychocryptosis (ON-ee-ko-krip-TOE-sis), an ingrown toenail, is a very common problem that usually affects the big toe. This occurs when the corner of the toenail grows into the soft tissue on the side of the toe. This can cause pain, redness, inflammation, and even an infection. Signs of an infection are warmth and drainage of pus. Prevention and treatment of an ingrown toenail is relatively basic, and it is a valuable skill to have at TEOTWAWKI. Causes An ingrown toenail is caused when the nail curves down and grows into the skin at the nail border. The most common causes …


Letter Re: Jared Diamond Predicts the End of Cheap Oil and an 85% Global Population Decline

Mr. Rawles, I found this article informative. A quote: “Cheap, plentiful fossil fuels discovered in the last hundred years (or so) spurred a food bubble, which led to a population bubble. Cheap oil, in other words, created the temporary conditions necessary to support a runaway population explosion that is, without question, unsustainable without cheap energy.” Here is another quote: “complex civilizations are quite fragile, and short-terming thinking can easily doom a society or civilization to irreversible collapse.” The author believes that world population will be reduced to 1/7th of its current size in a post-oil economy. BTW, there are lots …


Economics and Investing:

Do you remember how back in 2007 I described commercial real estate as “the other shoe to drop..”? Matt B. sent this article on how it is indeed collapsing. “Elfin” spotted this: Fed Planning Inflationary Dollar Destroying 15-Fold Increase in US Monetary Base – and then things really go bad! G.G. alerted us to the new video and and audio clips of Peter Schiff speaking at the 2009 Austrian Scholar’s Conference: “Why the Meltdown Should Have Surprised No One”. G.G. notes: “This is very entertaining. Listen closely to last 15 or so minutes for Schiff’s description of what he sees …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Shades of The Magnificent Seven : Rural Mexican villages dig moats to repel gangsters    o o o JRH Enterprises is running another great sale on brand new AN/PVS-14 (Generation 3) night vision goggles. These are the genuine article!    o o o Alaskan volcano Mount Redoubt erupts. To my readers in Alaska and northern Canada: Got plenty of spare air filters for your vehicles? You may need them! (“Panic now, and beat the rush.”)    o o o The recent tragic death of several Oakland, California police officers illustrates that criminals don’t obey gun laws. (The shooter, Lovelle Mixon, …



Note from JWR:

I heard that the official release date for the new edition of my novel “Patriots” . has been moved up to March 25th. In fact, Amazon.com now claims to already have it in stock, and is selling it for just $10.17 per copy. But I’d like to reiterate a special request of SurvivalBlog readers: If you plan to buy any copies, please wait until the “Patriots” Book Bomb day – April 8th. By forestalling orders and having hundreds of them all placed on the same day, we hope to drive the novels’s Amazon.com sales rank into the Top Ten. Please …


Letter Re: A SurvivalBlog Reader at Front Sight

Dear Mr. Rawles: As I write this, I am returning from the four day Defensive Handgun course at Front Sight. I would like to share my thoughts on the whole thing with you and your readers, plus maybe share some advice that others may find of value. First off, if any of your readers are on the fence about signing up for the class, I strongly urge them to do so. When Front Sight says they will get you to a point where you can deliver two shots to the thoracic cavity from a concealed holster in 1.4 seconds, they …


Letter Re: Successfully Trolling Craig’s List

Mr. Rawles, At the risk of turning on my local competition to the positive aspects of the free section of Craig’s List, I thought I would mention a few of the things I’ve picked up in the past couple of weeks. These include: A new round oak dining table and four oak chairs Three boxes of canning jars with lids A commercial fishing net (40′ x 60′), to be used for keeping birds and other critters out of the garden 36 Concrete cinder blocks (approximate value $130) Remington electric chain saw (yes, it works!) 30+ wooden pallets (can be used …


Economics and Investing:

I spotted this linked at Drudge: White House Agenda on Track Despite Worsening Deficits. ($9.3 trillion in deficits projected!) Just as I warned, the Mother of All Bailouts (MOAB) is becoming uncontrollably self-perpetuating. (“If Industry X is deemed worthy, then why not Industries Y and Z?” Down and down we’ll go–down the road to ruin.) From reader HPD: GM, Chrysler May Need Additional Aid, Rattner Says MVR flagged this commentary from the National Post‘s Terence Corcoran: Is this the end of America? “N” mention a piece by Simit Patel, over at the Seeking Alpha blog: Fed Intervention, Market Response Confirm: …