Note from JWR:

Today we present another article for Round 16 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win two valuable four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificates. (Worth up to $4,000!) Second prize is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 16 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.


The ABCs of WTSHTF, by Mark B.

The ABCs of When the Schumer Hits the Fan (WTSHTF.) aren’t what you have prepared, acquired or stowed but even more basic in the preparation processes that we sometimes take for granted. The A is the ability to learn, to adapt and to try. No matter how many classes we take or how much we have stored away there is the potential that we might have missed something or prepared for one scenario and ended up with another. We may be in the middle of TEOTWAWKI and not be fully ready but guess what, we aren’t scheduling it. Ability is …


Letter Re: Caustic Chlorine Troubles, and Using Dry Chlorine for Water Treatment

Dear Jim: As you know, ordinary chlorine bleach is an item with a multitude of potential uses in survival situations. In addition to its common use in the laundry to brighten our whites, it can also purify drinking water and serve as a general disinfectant to sanitize food preparation areas and control the spread of disease causing bacteria. Liquid chlorine bleach, however, is inconvenient to store. Only about 5.25% – 7.5% of each eight pound gallon is active sodium (or calcium) hypochlorite; the rest is just water. Yet because of the potency of its active ingredient, and the flimsiness of …


Odds ‘n Sods:

I was glad to see that gold touched $940 per ounce yesterday morning. The fact that it did so, just one day after announcement of a 403 ton IMF gold sale was quite encouraging. At this point, I don’t think the central banks will be able to stop the precious metals bull market without doing something drastic. The banksters will start to get nervous once gold passes $1,200 USD per ounce. And at $1,580 (which roughly equals €1,000 Euros per ounce), they will get truly desperate. At that point, both the Dollar and the Euro will be recognized as the …



Note from JWR:

After more than two years without a change, we recently increased our advertising rates by an average of 20%. The good news is that our readership has more than quadrupled in the past two years, so our advertisers are still gettng a real bargain. (Especially when you consider that some other blogs with readership of the same scale charge up to $1,500 for banner ad!) When shopping for preparedness gear, please patronize our paid advertisers first. If they don’t have what you need, then check out our Affiliate advertisers, such as Nitro-Pak, Lehman’s, and Northern Tool . With any of …


Time For Retreat Logistics Stage Two–The Soft Items

If you are a regular SurvivalBlog reader, the odds are that you already have the majority of your key logistics squared away, like food storage, tools, guns, communications gear. So now it is time to stock up on “soft” and perishable items. These include over the counter medications, vitamins, chemical light sticks, matches, paper products, cleansers, spices, liquid fuels, and so forth. You need to exercise caution when stockpiling soft items, for several reasons: 1.) Shelf Life and Deterioration. Some items like pharmaceuticals, batteries, and chemical light sticks are best stored in a refrigerator. Keep in mind that items like …


Letter Re: Don’t Delay Dental Work and Elective Surgery!

Mr. Rawles and Fellow SurvivalBlog Readers- I am recovering today from having oral surgery yesterday. It was not a tooth that was in pain but one that could give me trouble at any inopportune time. As a family we have been getting all our dental, vision including extra glasses and contacts, and other various health concerns taken care of now. After everything hits the fan or even during this coming economic crisis, getting good medical care may be a challenge. I wouldn’t want to imagine having the dental work I had done yesterday performed as a “do it yourself” job. …


Letter Re: Implications of High Grain Prices for Livestock Owners — Stock Up!

Dear JWR, The prices for wheat and soy and orchard grass crop seed have risen 40% in our region this spring. And that is the farm supply co-op pricing. The N and Phos. fertilizer is pretty well matching this increase. Lime is only 20% higher than last fall. Most of the larger crop farmers (200 acres or more) in our eastern central area (which 5 years ago used to be primarily tobacco fields) are now counting on a moderate to large profit in return because these edible cash crops are being currently negotiated and purchased in bulk to be shipped …


Odds ‘n Sods:

RBS flagged this: Food Prices Soar as Farmers Bail on Corn.    o o o Horton suggested some good commentary by Aubie Baltin, posted over at Gold-Eagle: A Time for Reflection    o o o Ready Made Resources now sellsan inexpensive and lightweight solar oven that works quite well. The stove with shipping (in the US) is just $44.95    o o o Bill from Ohio kindly sent us a plethora of recent news article links related to the world’s now scant food supplies: Food riots in Haiti: BBC article and YouTube video. Rising prices around the world Rice price …



Notes from JWR:

Naish Piazza very graciously just sent me a double-helping of Front Sight course certificates. So the writer of the best non-fiction article for SurvivalBlog’s non-fiction writing contest will now win two of the valuable four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificates. (So this top prize is now worth up to $4,000!) Second prize is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 16 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival will …


Working Dogs and Horses in Bug Out and Retreat Planning, by TD

I have adopted many animals over the years and come to realize that sometimes you do get great things for free, other times you get hurt. How do you pick the right animals for you and your family? Do you get an animal just to suit one purpose or do you get a mutt that will hopefully fit the bill? How do you choose the right one? Dogs For dogs, first talk to someone who has the breed of dog you are most interested in and find out about inherent defects and temperament problems. If you have kids or grandkids …


Letter Re: Cashing Out of a Retirement Fund and Buying a Retreat Without a Tax Bite?

Mr, Rawles, Greeting from Kentucky. I read your page very often, and have been doing so even more so lately. I read the articles, and your concerns of what is going on, and what you think will happen in the future of this great country. I try to look around and see my daily routine with family, church, work and normal everyday activities and say “no, no this can’t be happening.” Just look around! Everybody is so oblivious, everything continues as it always has, I don’t see the worry on anybody’s faces, much less in their actions. So I keep …