The Survivalist’s Coffee Cup, by Matt M.

In the novel “Patriots”, one of the characters scrounges a packet of Sanka from an MRE and complains that the coffee has run out. In the Civil War, Southerners used chicory as a substitute, which (to say the least) is an acquired taste. These unfortunate uses of ersatz coffees can be avoided, if the prudent survivalist plans ahead and learns the relevant skills now. Beans Coffee is harvested from the fruit of the coffee tree, and the fruit discarded. Its inner green seed is the bean itself, which is then roasted, ground, and sold in your local market. This is …


Letter Re: Livestock for the Self-Sufficient Retreat

Mr. Rawles; My husband has gotten me into reading SurvivalBlog and I have been trying to keep current and read some of the posts. I have some points I would like to add. I had a subscription to a publication called The Animal Finders Guide and it has listings for exotic and heirloom animals. Along with this it has some very good articles on the care and management of animals I think most of your readers would benefit from, especially if they are leaning towards yaks, camels or even less known breeds of standard livestock. On the breeds for horses …


Letter Re: A “Christmas Challenge” from a SurvivalBlog Reader

Hello SurvivalBlog Readers, In reflecting on the past year I can honestly say that I have enjoyed reading the SurvivalBlog every day. While I do not always agree with everything said, this blog will make one seriously think about all their survival preparations. It is my opinion that if the readers of this blog prepare to the best of our individual ability we will be among those who, after the SHTF event, and those events that follow the initial event, we will be among those who will return our nation to its Constitutional greatness in the society of nations. I …


Odds ‘n Sods:

A new medical study suggests a link between the use of cholesterol-lowering “statin” drugs, like Zocor (simvastatin) and Lipitor (atorvastatin) and higher risk of brain hemorrhage in patients who have had a recent stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA–commonly called a “mini-stroke” or “warning stroke.”) But the researchers opine that the benefits of the statin drugs outweigh their risks. Bah! In my opinion, the statin drugs are grossly over-prescribed, most often to allow people to continue to eat greaseburgers. Granted, there are some people that are genetically predisposed to high cholesterol, but the solution to high cholesterol for the vast …



Note from JWR:

The SurvivalBlog benefit auction ends tomorrow, Saturday December 15th. The high bid is now at $275. This auction is for six items: 1.) a Katadyn Pocket water filter, (with a $200 retail value) 2.) a Watersafe field water test kit ( a $27 retail value), both donated by Ready Made Resources, 3.) A copy of the latest edition of “The Encyclopedia of Country Living” by the late Carla Emery (a $32 retail value) 4.) an autographed copy of my novel “Patriots” (a $23 retail value), 5.) an autographed copy of my nonfiction book “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation” (a $25 …


Letter Re: Communications in Times of Crisis

James, Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer! Nor am I a communications specialist. Nor am I an electrical engineer. All of the values cited in the following letter are estimates, and anyone is invited to refute or embellish, or add corrected information to these meanderings. I am by no means an expert on the subject, but, I do have some background in amateur radio and have been involved in communications since I built my first “comm” system at the age of 14 for myself and my buddies, and throughout the years, including time spent in the US Army Signal Corps …


Weekly Survival Real Estate Market Update

This week, after a personal experience with a house fire in a rental property I own, I want to cover how to secure your retreat from fire when your not living on site. Although the fire department was on scene and had the fire out within 10 minutes of the 911 call (the property was inside city limits) you can expect a 15 to 30 minute response time to your unoccupied retreat (in good weather), and that is if you have an automatic notification system or if a passerby sees the smoke and flames, and pray the fire is not …


Odds ‘n Sods:

From Richard Daughty–aka The Mogambo Guru–posted by The Asia Times: Weak dollar induces a dream world    o o o Several months ago, when discussing the residential real estate market bubble, I wrote about “waiting for the other shoe to drop.” Here is an article (suggested by reader D.V.), that echoes my sentiments: Will the Commercial Real Estate Market Fall? Of course it will    o o o Rob at Affordable Shortwaves sent us this reminder: If any SurvivalBlog readers are looking for delivery of a Kaito KA1102 AM/FM/Shortwave radio by Christmas, then they should place their orders by Saturday, …



Note from JWR:

Tomorrow is the much anticipated US release date for the quasi-survivalist movie “I Am Legend“, based on the novel of the same name by Richard Matheson. I am curious to see how loyal the movie is to the novel. After having read an early draft of the screenplay (by Mark Protosevich) and having seen the extended version of the promotional trailer, I suspect that it will be a blend of the novel and elements from “The Omega Man” (the 1971 film adaptation starring Charlton Heston.)


Letter Re: Preparedness on a Very Tight Budget

Mr. Rawles, I have recently begun reading your blog and I am intrigued by the ideas behind survivalism. As a Mormon who grew up in an area with frequent inclement weather, I have maintained an interest over the years and made, at least, some preparations. I presently have a well-equipped Bug-Out-Bag (FYI – Mormons generally refer to these as “72-hour kits”) for both my wife and I, an easily portable lock box containing all vital documents and an external hard drive with all digital documents, plenty of bottled water on hand, and sufficient food in our home for one month. …


Letter Re: Preparedness for Less Than a Worst Case, From an Eastern Urbanite’s Perspective

Jim: In response to “Preparedness for Less Than a Worst Case, From an Eastern Urbanite’s Perspective” your response D.C. for improving his family’s preps is reasonable but I think that your advice can be expanded. So I offer the following to my fellow New Yorkers and to other urbanites. D.C. is right that 99% of the inconveniences we encounter will be of short duration. Preparing for these will put us far ahead of the unprepared. Preparing for a week long event will benefit you no matter how long the event lasts–be that an hour or a month! In the same …


Letter Re: The Importance of “Weak Side” Firearms Practice

Jim and SurvivalBlog Readers, If you are already reasonably accomplished with your defensive firearms and you have the time and money, then it can be most educational to take a firearm course (e.g. Front Sight) and shoot the entire course with your weak hand. Two or Four days of solid enforced practice with the off hand will do wonders for your ability to wrap your brain around the other side of your body. Plus, when it comes time to do the ‘weak hand’ drills, you really surprise the instructors 😉 – SCD


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader RBS mentioned the Plants For A Future Database    o o o Derivative Trades Jump 27% to Record $681 Trillion. I’ve warned you about the derivatives bubble. Someday in the near future it is likely to implode and cause an unprecedented economic catastrophe.    o o o Still more sub-prime fallout: Bank of America Closing Beleaguered Institutional Cash Fund That Has Withered From $34 Billion to $12 Billion    o o o Tim and RBS both sent us this: Virus Starts Like a Cold But Can Turn Into a Killer