Skills for the Coming Collapse by Jackie S.

I think we all, at one time or another, need to do a serious self-assessment to determine exactly where we stand in regards to the future and what it will mean to us on a life sustaining basis.  Most people reading this have already done this, to a degree.  After all, you are prepping bacon, beans and bullets, and it is an admirable and necessary pursuit that you are engaged in.  But, what about when (not if) the SHTF?  Sure, you have food, shelter, and the means to protect it, but what about when things settle down and life begins …


Letter Re: Storing Ammunition

JWR, I’ve been reloading for almost 30 years and have tried many solutions for boxing up all the ammo including bulk in zip lock bags as well as just filling ammo cans and of course hard plastic boxes. If it’s made, I’ve tried it and nothing really worked well nor are they very compact. Until now. I have stumbled on RepackBox.com and found their cardstock boxes great. So far I’ve loaded 5.56, 7.62×39, 9mm and .45 ACP.  What I like is their boxes are made so the quantity will fit most standard magazines…i.e., the 5.56 box holds 30 rounds as …


Letter Re: Off-Grid Electronics

James, EBook readers and many other small electronic devices can be charged/powered by AA batteries using external power packs like these, available at Amazon and from other Internet sellers. [JWR Adds: And of course there are a plethora of photovoltaic AA battery chargers available. Well-prepared families should have the ability to charge size AA, CR-123, and 9-volt NiMH batteries without grid power. Those batteries will all prove crucial for operating short-range communications, night vision, smoke detectors, intrusion detection, and other gear.] Also, the DIYBookscanner web site has some resources for book scanning using inexpensive digital cameras and free software. Regards, …


Economics and Investing:

War on Poverty 50 years on, victory nowhere in sight. Snyder: “There Is Intense Competition For Virtually All Kinds Of Jobs” Congresswoman Urges Welfare Name Change: “Transitional Living Fund”. [JWR’s Comment: As I see it, so long as charity is coerced and bureaucratized, the “transition” she describes is from my wallet to someone else’s wallet, without my consent. State-sponsored Robin Hoodism cannot to be found in the Constitution. It is a modern socialist construct, and little more than organized theft. Charity should be entirely voluntary and a function of church, not state.] Items from The Economatrix: Forecast 2014: Economic Trends …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Michael Z. Williamson, (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) suggested this piece: Risk of supervolcano eruption big enough to ‘affect the world’ far greater than thought, scientists say   o o o Cause for concern: Future Health Care In America: The Abyss Of Gun Rights. (Thanks to B.B. for the link.)    o o o Reader M.V.R. suggested a good essay by Libertarian author L. Neil Smith, over at the JPFO site: ‘‘Pot And Kettle Projection’’    o o o Fatal case of H5N1 bird flu in Canada. (Thankfully it has not mutated into an easily-transmissible form.)    o o o I …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth …


Notes from JWR:

The recent chemical spill in West Virginia is cause for concern, and should prompt prayer. A SurvivalBlog reader reports that there has been some store looting in Charleston, so state troopers have been posted at the doors of some stores. And as usual, grocery stores have sold out of bottled water. Here is a quote: buying one of the last jugs of water at a Walmart store. Tina May, a Charleston resident, even considered heading out of town for the weekend. ‘I’m not sure how long I can last without a shower. This is unbearable,’ she said.” — January 11th …


Cybersecurity: A Systemvault Primer, by D.P.

Welcome to all the brave souls that didn’t scream and/or quickly scroll on when reading the title. I know a fair percentage of SurvivalBlog readers are concerned about OPSEC, but what about your electronic OPSEC? Is it as good as it should be? As good as it could be? I promise you won’t have to read the entire submission but you should take a look at the first few paragraphs to determine if its something you need to address. If you do, you can always try to find some trusted help in securing your systems. During the second half of …


Two Letters Re: Building Your Own No-FFL AR From an 80% Complete Receiver

Dear JWR, Regarding the recent article by “Nomad”: I strongly urge all AR-15 owners to get an 80% complete lower receiver, even if you do not finish it now.  [Under American jurisprudence,] if gun confiscation comes, the only thing that must be turned in is the stripped lower receiver.  The BATFE recognizes that the stripped lower receiver constitutes the firearm as it contains the serial number.  The rest IS NOT a “firearm”, by their own regulations.  With the non-registered (as per regulations, again) lower receiver, you can build a fully functioning AR-15 that is not on their books. – Carl …


Economics and Investing:

Six Reasons Why the Government Is Destroying the Dollar Big COMEX Gold Withdrawals & New Record Low Dealer Inventory K.F. flagged this: $10 Billion Bitcoin Goes Live On Overstock! Items from The Economatrix: 15 Disappearing Middle-Class Jobs Dr. Paul Craig Roberts-U.S. Markets Rigged by its Own Authorities–It Blows the Mind Deep Freeze Puts $5 Billion Chill On Economy


Odds ‘n Sods:

Terry H. was the first to send: How to open a can with your bare hands. Oh, and if the can is short, then see this video.    o o o Our friend Tam at the great View From The Porch blog mentioned that Colt has added a handy serial number lookup service to their web site.    o o o R.B.S. sent: Like to Travel???? The Places You’re Most Likely to Get Kidnapped    o o o Long-time content contributor KAF suggested this article in JAMA: Comparing Diabetes Medications: Where Do We Set the Bar?    o o o …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite. The LORD lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground. Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God: …


Notes from JWR:

Please pray for the folks who are stranded by vehicles with dead batteries or frozen fuel lines, or without water, or cleaning up after burst pipes. All of these have happened with the recent severe cold spell in much of the United States. Hopefully folks have learned from this, and they will become better prepared. — Camping Survival has announced a “Free Shipping Friday”, with free shipping on orders over $150. This promotion is only running today (Friday 01/10/2014, from 12:01 a.m. through 11:59 p.m.) Some heavy items with minimal markup are excluded. (See their web site for details.) No …


Off-Grid Electronics, by D. Smith

When I am looking for electronics for my cabin that is so far back in the woods it is cost-prohibitive to get grid power, I look for certain things: Low energy use, flexibility of use,and a long service life. I don’t have a lot of extra room in my cabin but I love to read, so I have an e-book reader. Several years ago, I bought a book scanner and scanned in most of my books to make them e-books. Some people say this is a legal gray area but I have no moral qualms about format shifting an item …


Letter Re: How To Use Your IRA /401k to Fund a Survival Retreat Property

Dear SurvivalBloggers, How do you use your IRA /401k to fund survival property or fund a startup business in the area you want to exit to? I have been running into many of my clients here in the north east, way outside the American Redoubt, that want to take greater control over their 401k or IRA’s that have accumulated over a period of time. Being a reader of this web site for a number of years, I felt that I could explain to your readers thru a simple monograph of what an individual or group of individuals could accomplish with …