Note from JWR:

Today we present another article for Round 14 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $2,000!) Second prize is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 14 ends on January 31st, so e-mail us your entry soon! Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.


Sources for Free Survival and Preparedness Information on the Internet, by K.L. in Alaska

Recent comments in SurvivalBlog provided excellent advice on using the public library. You can gain lots of knowledge with no expense, then purchase only those books you want to keep on hand for personal reference. Also, many colleges and universities loan to local residents, so you can use them too, even if you aren’t a student. If your local libraries participate, a great resource is Worldcat. It lets you search for books from home, then go check them out, or get them through interlibrary loan. What will happen to the Internet when the SHTF? There’s no guarantee it will survive. …


The Precious Metals Bull Charges Onward

Instability in Pakistan, $100 per barrel crude oil, declining US manufacturing, and shaky Asian markets have all worked together to push the US dollar down, and precious metals upward. You may have noticed that the intra-day spot price of gold set an all time high on Wednesday, spiking briefly to $861 per ounce. Meanwhile, spot silver spiked to $15.27 per ounce. Although there may be some profit-taking in the next few weeks, I stand by my assertion that the precious metals are in a primary bull market that will carry on for several more years. Amid all this good news …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Commander Zero recommended this web site: How to build a super top secret bunker under your house.    o o o Frequent contributor Rourke tells us that there is plenty of buzz about the upcoming disaster film “Cloverfield.” about “a monster the size of a skyscraper.” It was shot in a way to make it look like it is an amateur hand-held video, stylistically similar to “The Blair Witch Project”–but obviously with a much bigger budget! The debut for “Cloverfield” is set for January 18th.    o o o Frequent link contributor Eric S. sent us this: Sudan’s Central Bank …



Give Me That Old-Time Survivalism

Call me old-fashioned or whatever you’d like, but I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed by the plethora of gadgets that are now being sold under the banner of “preparedness”. The latest one mentioned by a reader was this: The Tactical Mirror Sight. Oh yes, and don’t forget the combination vertical foregrip and laser. And while you are at it, get yourself a M-203 look-alike 37mm flare launcher! It isn’t just tacti-cool, it is practically a fashion accessory! Who buys all this stuff? I’m sure that some of the more strident Armchair Commandos over at AR15.com just can’t wait to unlimber their …


Three Letters Re: Advice on Blade Sharpening

Jim: I wholeheartedly concur with your recommendation of DMT sharpeners. A bit of advice in selection: get a “Blue” sharpener (medium grit) for knives, “Black” (coarse) for shovels, hoes, and really heavy sharpening jobs. Reserve the “red” (fine) for woodworking tools. A coarser sharpener puts a more aggressive edge on a blade, which will generally last longer and cut easier than a super fine edge. If it’s really bad, secure the blade in a vise and use a new single cut mill bastard file to start. The Blue DMT [diamond stone] will put a shaving edge on a knife, you …


Odds ‘n Sods:

From The Guardian in England: From the sub-prime to the ridiculous: how $100 billion vanished    o o o This one has been at my Links page for many moons, but is worth mentioning again: The Seismic Monitor    o o o Reader Bill N. mentioned that there is an instructional ice rescue video on the Discovery Channel-Canada’s web site. Bill N. notes: “To anyone who might be around lakes or rivers that are frozen over, you should check out this video on how to save yourself if you fall through the ice.”    o o o Eric S. flagged …



Note from JWR:

Happy New Year! (And to the many new SurvivalBlog readers in Finland: Onnellista uutta vuotta!) I pray that in Aught Eight you and yours are safe, healthy, right with God, and prepared for all eventualities. Because SurvivalBlog 10 Cent Challenge subscriptions are entirely voluntary, I do not send out reminder e-mails when they lapse. I just post an annual reminder in the blog each January. This is it, your one and only reminder. (I hate to pester anyone, especially for something that is voluntary.) When you make a subscription donation, please mark your calendar, so that you will know when …


Two Letters Re: Sources for Gasoline and Diesel Fuel in a Grid-Down Collapse

Hi Jim, I work for a general, solving problems in the Middle East. Fixing vehicles is easy, its fixing the people that’s hard… I love your stuff on SurvivalBlog and thought I’d add: There are plenty of submersible type improvised fuel pumps will fit down into a 3″ pipe. Background is that GM and most other manufacturers’ in-tank fuel pumps are part of a tank ‘module’ which includes the fuel gauge sending unit, pressure feed, return feed, and evaporative emissions sensor. The pump is designed to run when submersed in fuel. I’ll get some part numbers if you would like …


Letter Re: Advice on Blade Sharpening

Shalom Jim, I purchased some utility knives and a bayonet recently and it got me to thinking about what and how are the best ways to sharpen a dull edge. Do you have any suggestions or techniques that you are using? Seems like the best method would be without the use of power tools. I appreciate your help, once again. Todah Rabbah (Thank you), B’Shem Yahshua HaMoshiach (In the Name of Messiah Yahshua) – Dr. Sidney Zweibel JWR Replies: I may be a dinosaur, but I use traditional Arkansas stones for most of my knives. I do have a few …


Letter Re: Sprouting Techniques

Dear James I saw the posts about sprouting and would like to suggest Sprout People: The have loads of information on sprouting and have good prices for many types of sprouting seed and sprouters. I have the Sproutmaster, the Bioset and the Hemp Bag. I find the Bioset to be the easiest (water twice a day) and larger than the Sproutmaster, which also works quite well. I also find that if you want to have sprouts every day, you really need to have two sprouters. Sprouts are nutritious, tasty and easy to grow. They are the perfect survival food. All …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Gold edges up towards record highs on Pakistan unrest, low dollar      o o o SJC sent this piece from Jim Jubak: Don’t count on a ‘normal’ recession    o o o The humorous and informative Dr. Housing Bubble blog outgrew its Blogspot hosting site, so the editors got serious and bought their own domain and hosting: www.DoctorHousingBubble.com. Be sure to update your bookmarks.    o o o Speaking of Dr. Housing Bubble, don’t miss their recent article on California house prices: 10 Homes throughout the Golden Bubble State.