Note from JWR:

The new Ulysses Press edition of my novel “Patriots” .will be released in early April. Amazon will be selling it for just $10.14. I’d like to make a special request of SurvivalBlog readers: If you plan to buy any copies, please wait until our planned “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 mark your calendar for April 8th. Many thanks!


Selecting Retreat Properties–Pros and Cons of Buying Remote and Off Grid

I recently had a consulting client that hired me to do a search on his behalf for a rural retreat property in southwestern Oregon. In the early stages of the search, he asked about the pros and cons of buying undeveloped “off grid” properties that do not have utility power poles nearby. This summarizes my reply: From the standpoint of setting up a rural, self-sufficient retreat, an off-grid parcel is actually advantageous, for two reasons: 1.) They are generally more remote and away from natural “lines of drift” and hence are far less likely to be in the path of …


Letter Re: Pack a Property Tax Receipt in Your G.O.O.D. Kit, to Get Through Checkpoints

Dear Mr. Rawles: It might prove worthwhile to put a copy of your latest property tax bill receipt as (proof of ownership of your retreat property) in your “Get Out of Dodge” (G.O.O.D.) ready kit. For example the county in which your retreat property is located might form road blocks to keep out the Golden Horde. If you are late getting out of town how is someone manning a rural roadblock, such as a deputy, to know that you are a tax paying member of the community and not just part of the Golden Horde? For that matter how are …


Six Letters Re: Some Thoughts on the Survival Vehicle

Jim – Read the article [by OddShot] about the BOV and wanted to add a ranching note. Some of us ranchers have pickups with a trailer hitch mounted in the front as well as the back. This makes pulling trailers out of awkward situations easier without having to turn the truck around. Added to a substantial front bumper, it makes front ramming an interesting proposition, as that hitch – with a draw-bar but no ball – would do some serious damage. Kind of like the bronze prow on a Greek warship. Just an idea. – Geoff in ND JWR Replies: …


Economics and Investing:

Jon sent this sobering news story: 45 percent of world’s wealth destroyed: Blackstone CEO. “Between 40 and 45 percent of the world’s wealth has been destroyed in little less than a year and a half,” Schwarzman told an audience at the Japan Society. ‘This is absolutely unprecedented in our lifetime’” J.W.P. mentioned this video interview of Dimitri Orlov. J.W.P.’s comment: “I continue to be amazed at how people actually believe that the current U.S. government will “find a way to get us out of this mess.” It can’t, and it won’t. We’ve seen how recent and current this administrations have …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Utah, Hawaii, Wyoming top ‘happiness’ poll (a hat tip to Michael H. for the link.)    o o o The folks that operate CampingSurvival,com also host an amazing collection of first-hand survival narratives. I found that the one from Hurricane Rita provided a useful glimpse into human nature, en extremis.    o o o OSOM mentioned a very good podcast on home defense at LewRockwell.com.    o o o Thanks to GG for sending this: Seed companies have a bumper crop of customers


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“No one was psychologically prepared for hard times when they hit, because, according to the tenets of positive thinking, even to think of trouble is to bring it on. Americans did not start out as deluded optimists. The original ethos, at least of white Protestant settlers and their descendants, was a grim Calvinism that offered wealth only through hard work and savings, and even then made no promises at all. You might work hard and still fail; you certainly wouldn’t get anywhere by adjusting your attitude or dreamily ‘visualizing’ success.” – Barbara Ehrenreich


Note from JWR:

I’ve just completely revamped The SurvivalBlog Bookshelf page. By shopping using the provided links, with any title that is sold by Amazon.com you’ll help support SurvivalBlog, with sales commissions. OBTW, please do not order the new edition of my novel “Patriots” until April 8th–the planned “Book Bomb” day. This event is designed to boost the book’s Amazon sales rank. Thanks!


Some Thoughts on the Survival Vehicle, by OddShot

I recently had the opportunity to read JWR’s novel “Patriots” . As a former professional automobile mechanic with 25+ years of experience and having a similar history building, restoring and racing British sports cars (MGBs), I became intrigued with a certain aspect of his book: the preparation of a “survival vehicle.” This is intended to be a vehicle rugged enough, durable enough, and simple enough to be an important part of anyone’s survival program. My first consideration was to define this vehicle. Next, I set out to list a number of modifications to this vehicle that would increase it’s simplicity, …


Letter Re: Advice on Silver or Gold Jewelry for Barter?

Hello Jim, Been learning a lot from Survival Blog, thanks for the great work. I’m just wondering if sterling silver and 14 karat [gold] jewelry (plain [rings or chains], or gemstones would make good bartering items? Have been thinking of selling them and using the money for preparedness, etc but wondered about this. Thanks very much for all the useful information. – Mrs. H. JWR Replies: Although at first blush keeping jewelry on hand might seem practical, in actuality its drawbacks outweigh its benefits. Perhaps metals, but gemstones are a definite no. Gemstones–either diamonds or colored stones–will not be trusted …


Economics and Investing:

Jasper found this item from the McClatchy News Service for us: Regulatory reports show 5 biggest banks face huge losses. Here is a key quote: Citibank, Bank of America, HSBC Bank USA, Wells Fargo Bank and J.P. Morgan Chase reported that their “current” net loss risks from derivatives — insurance-like bets tied to a loan or other underlying asset — surged to $587 billion as of Dec. 31. Buried in end-of-the-year regulatory reports that McClatchy has reviewed, the figures reflect a jump of 49 percent in just 90 days. Hmmmm… “Derivatives.” Where have I heard that word before? DD sent …


Odds ‘n Sods:

I just noticed that Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand has jumped to #62 in the Amazon sales rankings. (Out of four million+ titles.) Not bad for a 52-year-old novel! Meanwhile, Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times by Steve Solomon has advanced to #316. Those statistics tell me a lot more than anything we are hearing from the cheering section at CNBC.    o o o Garret D. flagged this piece from Time: Another By-Product of the Recession: Ex-Convicts    o o o The folks from CampingSurvival.com (one of our loyal advertisers) just launched a completely re-vamped web …



Two Letters Re: Storing Food Without Refrigeration

James Wesley; Cruising World magazine’s January 2009 Issue has a valuable article on food storage without refrigeration. It includes downloadable charts in PDF format. I would recommend that anyone not certain of the long-term power grid operation might want to take a look at these charts which list the specific food (everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to canned goods), the best way to store without refrigeration, the expected shelf life of the food, and informative notes. The article, by Beth A. Leonard, is titled: “Cruising without the Fridge: Stowage charts for provisions to help you have fresh food for …