Note From JWR:

Today is the First Anniversary of SurvivalBlog! Thanks for making the blog such a great success.Wow! We’ve had 566,000+ unique visits in just the first year. Special Announcement: To celebrate the First Anniversary of SurvivalBlog, Jake Stafford is putting the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course on sale for just the next seven days. The course is on sale at a very special price. If sending payment via snail mail, be sure to have your order postmarked no later than August 11th to get the special blog anniversary sale price.


Letter Re: Real Estate Crash Followed by a Hyperinflationary Recession?

Mr. Rawles, Again, for your very useful posts, thank you. I have a question if you have the time. It was in regards to your real estate post: “My advice to home owners is pay it off and my advice to prospective home buyers is wait for the crash and pay for it with cash.” This is my current plan: I’ve sold my home and am renting now. But do you believe (in the hyper-inflation scenario) that there will be a lull to allow for your statement above? Will there be a time in between when recession/depression and when hyper-inflation …


Letter Re: Constructing Roadblocks for Retreats?

Hi Jim: Will your book “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation” contain any information on blocking roadways/driveways etc? One of the retreats I plan to use (disaster dependant) has a single roadway access that would easily be block with a landslide. Do you have any suggestions on the best ways to cause landslips to block roads? Regards, – Jeremy in New Zealand JWR Replies: That was not an issue that I had intended to discuss in my upcoming book, but perhaps I should. Unless you are facing an absolute-worst-case-mutant-zombie-bikers-are-painting-themselves-and-eating-your-neighbors situation, then I don’t recommend anything so drastic as blocking a road …


Odds ‘n Sods:

I just got the latest issue of Disaster Recovery Journal in the mail–their special Avian Flu issue. It seems that the Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity community has caught on to some of the bigger issues related to a pandemic–at least things like absenteeism, telecommuting, and crisis communication. For their spin on a possible flu pandemic as well as some useful links to the CDC and other sites, see: http://www.drj.com/special/avian    o o o Richard Celata (of KT Ordnance and Promised Land Products) recommended this vendor site: http://www.shooterready.com/    o o o Iran warns of $200 per barrel crude oil if U.S. …



Note From JWR:

Tomorrow will be the First Anniversary of SurvivalBlog! Thanks for making the blog such a great success. Please continue to spread the word. Jake Stafford tells me that he will be making a special announcement tomorrow, regarding the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course. Stay tuned.


Three Letters Re: M1911 Pistol Modifications

James: First, the 1911 was designed to make you take it out of your firing grip to release the slide – this way it won’t accidentally be released. Second, a la the Clint Smith school of gun fighting, if you are using the slide release you are wrong anyway. He teaches that you take your support hand, reach over the top of the pistol and pinch the slide between your four fingers and the bottom of the palm of your hand, then “tear the slide off” by jerking the slide back until it is pulled from your grasp. This way …


Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog reader Rourke mentioned in a recent e-mail: “It’s coming” as some Aussie’s say. China is taking concrete steps here, to pardon the pun. We know they won’t try anything until after the 2008 Olympics. We also know they want Taiwan; and the fear is that the day comes when the person in charge of China thinks he can take it.”    o o o The real Federal budget deficit is measured in trillions of dollars.    


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“But war, in a good cause, is not the greatest evil which a nation can suffer. War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things: the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse. When a people are used as mere human instruments for firing cannon or thrusting bayonets, in the service and for the selfish purposes of a master, such war degrades a people. A war to protect other human beings against tyrannical injustice – a war to give victory to their own ideas of right and good, …



Letter Re: Solar Panel Shortage — Caused By Oil Price Shock

Hi Jim. Just a quick one on [photovoltaic] solar panels. My brother and I had to put an order in for three 80 Watt Sharp brand panels that are usually just sitting on the shelf here at a major distributor. A container full arrives in two weeks but it’s already sold out! We have to wait a month. I did a little investigation with Google and found that the shortage is worldwide, is due to people, mostly Europeans, gearing up due to energy/oil cost. Silicon [photovoltaic panel] demand is beginning to outstrip supply and the foundries are running at maximum …


Letter Re: Six Versus Eight Plies for SUV and Light Truck Tires

Hello, I’ve been enjoying reading your blog for several weeks now and wanted to add a bit on truck tire ratings from the perspective of somebody who used to own a small tire shop in truck country (rural Alaska). The whole thing with rating a tire by the number of plies dates back to the days of bias ply tires when the tires actually were load rated according to the number of plies. That system has been obsolete for years with the advent of radial tires, which are not constructed the same way to achieve the same strength. The letter …


Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog reader R.H. recommended this site with product reviews on flashlights–both traditional and LED type.    o o o It is nice to see that gold have silver are bouncing back from their summer doldrums, with gold at over $650 per ounce and silver at around $12.10. I believe that this coming fall and winter may show some impressive gains in precious metals prices.    o o o Front Sight is currently running its own writing contest. The prize is a Front Sight lifetime membership! For any of you that who would like to put your thoughts about Front Sight, …