Odds ‘n Sods:

The book currently at the top of my reading stack is: “Bulletproof: A History of Armored Cars and the Colorful Characters Who Ran Them, Rode Them, and Sometimes Robbed Them”, by James L. Dunbar and Robert Grant Kingwell. A fascinating book to read, but a bit expensive to buy for a personal collection, and not likely to be used as a reference. So try to get a copy through your local library, as I did. (Here in the hinterboonies my family takes full advantage of the inter-library loan system.)   o o o Rourke sent us a link to a …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another article for Round 11 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. I will again be sending out a few complimentary copies of my novel “Patriots” as honorable mention awards. Round 11 runs for two months, ending on the last day of July. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival …


Guns for the Small Statured Shooter, by Steve in Iraq

When we are planning our choice of arms for TEOTWAWKI, most men will choose those arms that they think will best suit their spouse or significant other (SO), usually without consulting them first. Let me tell you, it will cause you nothing but problems if you follow that path! The best course of action is to let the SO pick their own equipment; if this isn’t feasible for whatever reason, then downsizing the gun will be required. Remember, we are planning for a situation that will not allow us to return to the local gun emporium on a whim! Also, …


Letter Re: Resurgence of Movies and Television Shows with Survival Themes

JWR, [Regarding the recent mention in SurvivalBlog about the resurgence of movies and television shows with survivalist themes,] I am a more than a bit of a movie buff, and I recently discovered that one of my favorite movies has been re-made. The sci-fi classic novel “I Am Legend” by Richard Matheson finally gets the big budget and big star treatment it deserves in this third adaptation. Due for release in US theaters on December 14, 2007, the movie “I Am Legend” stars Will Smith. This post-apocalyptic thriller may be best remembered by SurvivalBlog readers from it’s earlier incarnations. Namely, …


Letter Re: Five Years to Just 50% of the Current U.S. Oil Supply

Dear Jim and Family, I have bad news. An analyst with an oil background did a study on the oil producing nations and found they would stop exporting 50% of their oil in around 5 years, averaging decline of 10%/year to total world oil exports. The USA is 60% dependent on imported oil, and is currently growing 7% of our needs via ethanol (corn). As we’re in the process of losing Mexico at 15% per year and will see them encounter some social breakdown in 11-17 months time due to loss of exports and tax revenue for their social services, …


Odds ‘n Sods:

One of my heroes is is economist John Mauldin. He publishes a free e-newsletter that I consider a “must read” for anyone that closely follows investing and economics issues. In his most recent “E-Letter”, John commented on the Bear Stearns sub-prime debacle (That I’ve also discussed.) Here is a quote:”The Center for Responsible Lending estimates that 2.2 million borrowers who got subprime loans since 1998 either have lost or will lose their homes through foreclosure over the next few years. This includes one of every five borrowers who got subprime loans in 2005-06, a default rate unmatched in the history …


Jim’s Quote of the Day

"The international monetary order is more precarious by far today than it was in 1929. Then, gold was international money, incorruptible, unmanageable, and unchangeable. Today, the U.S. dollar serves as the international medium of exchange, managed by Washington politicians and Federal Reserve officials, manipulated from day to day, and serving political goals and ambitions. This difference alone sounds the alarm to all perceptive observers." – The Late Dr. Hans F. Sennholz


Note from JWR:

Today we present another article for Round 11 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. I will again be sending out a few complimentary copies of my novel “Patriots” as “honorable mention” awards. Round 11 runs for two months, ending on the last day of July. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival …


Identifying the IED Threat by Steve in Iraq

The Improvised Explosive Device, or IED, is the predominant killer of US troops in Iraq today. Since the initial invasion in 2003, they have become increasingly sophisticated and deadly. If a terrorist organization ever decided to use them to any great extent in the US, the effects would be devastating. We are going to look at the fixed IED as opposed to a Vehicle Borne IED (VBIED,) simply for space and to better cover each subject individually. First off, there is one rule that will enhance your survivability tremendously: Never set a pattern! If you are able to, have at …


Letter Re: Why Gold and Silver Investing? Will They Have Utility for Barter?

Hello Rawles Family, First off let me say thanks for all the work y’all have put into sharing the knowledge you have. It has opened many eyes and caused may to be saved in the event something really does happen, I’m sure. I have recently started preparing for several types of emergencies and one of them is the collapse of the American dollar. I have seen several times that you suggest pre-1965 [silver] coins, and gold coins. They are a good item to have in this situations but I continually find myself asking “Why?”. My position on this is, people …


Odds ‘n Sods:

An article published in The Lancet confirms that taking the herbal remedy echinacea can reduce the risk of catching a common cold by 58%   o o o By way of Matt Drudge come this news story from Florida: How do you prepare for “a bolt from the blue”? (Florida is the nation’s lightning strike capital.)   o o o Remember that there are now less than two weeks remaining for the $500 Interceptor Body Armor (IBA) vest special from BulletProofME.com. July 12th is the deadline. Anyone who has shopped for body armor knows what a great deal $500 is …



Note from JWR:

Because so many readers of SurvivalBlog are interested in establishing survival retreats, I’m continuing the process of setting up a new SurvivalBlog “sibling” web site that will feature survival retreat real estate listings. These will be both For Sale By Owner (FSBO) and from licensed real estate agents, worldwide. If you have a retreat property for sale, or know of someone that does, here is the deal: To get the new survival real estate web site off to a fast start with a lot property ads, I am offering two free months of advertisements for the first 25 property sellers …


Letter Re: Chainsaws and Long Term Gasoline Storage

Sir: I get great satisfaction cutting firewood and “stockpiling” fuel for winter, and I always put Sta-Bil in my gas if I know I will not finish the gas can. But I know if my Stihl chainsaw won’t start it is the gas(premixed with 2 stroke oil) If my knuckles are bloody from trying to start it, I dump the gas, pull it a few times to get the fuel out of the line, refill with fresh gas and it will fire-up on the second pull. My saw doesn’t like gasoline that has lost the volatile gases. Post-TEOTWAWKI I will …