Odds ‘n Sods:

H.L. suggested: Drinking Water and Garden Irrigation During Drought or Crisis    o o o An interesting discussion: Security Risks of Embedded Systems    o o o I recently mentioned off-center feed (OCF) ham transceiver dipole antennas. A reader then suggested this one as a more durable and lower-cost alternative.    o o o “Cool, by accident.” Three-wheel $6,800 car gears for 2015 US launch. (Thanks to George S. for the link.)    o o o Seed For Security has announced a new bonus that will be mailed with each Super Survival Pack that you order: A Practice Kit of …



Notes from JWR:

I’ve already received more than a dozen resumes in response to my mention of the Managing Editor position. Thanks! I will be starting the preliminary interviews and reference checking later this week. — Today we present another entry for Round 50 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $9,700+ worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course. (A $1,195 value.) B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for …


You Have To Start Somewhere, by Jason F.

As a blessed and married father of five, you continuously do what you can to make sure that all will go well on a daily basis.  Things like the car running, the roof not leaking, the kids having shoes on their feet, clothes on their back and family having food in their bellies.  Just recently I have been thinking more about the possibilities of a tragedy striking and the “what if” scenarios that could be involved.  You can call me crazy, concerned, or even paranoid but whatever the case may be, I want to be prepared. I’ve never considered myself …


Letter Re: Charleston West Virginia’s Drinking Water Crisis

Mr. Rawles, I noticed your reference to the water situation in the Charleston, West Virginia (Kanawha Valley) area. As of Saturday when I’m writing this, the water is suitable for flushing toilets and fire fighting but that is all. The town I live in (St. Albans) has their own independent supply, but most of the surrounding area is fed from the centralized West Virginia American Water Plant in Charleston. One plant serves a very large geographic area. I know when I first finished mechanical engineering school I could only find a job working for a small civil engineering company. We …


News From The American Redoubt:

American Redoubt Darknet (ARD) an Introduction    o o o B.B. sent: EPA Changes The Borders Of Wyoming; Governor Appeals Decision. Here is another article about the situation, from the Casper Star Tribune: EPA: Riverton part of the Wind River Indian Reservation    o o o Not just Mag-Pul… Another Colorado company votes with their feet: Maverick Ammunition Coming To Laramie    o o o Idaho Cabin survives massive wildfire, then its assessed value goes up – Everyone else’s burned and their value went down…    o o o An interesting (albeit overly simplistic) infographic: The United States Of Shame …


Economics and Investing:

David Stockman – “2014 Is The Year Of The End Game” Yahoo News reports: More well-known U.S. retailers victims of cyber attacks – sources Items from The Economatrix: U.S. jobless claims fall to five-week low As traffic slumps and teen-oriented stores struggle, retailers suffer worst holiday season since 2009 Extending unemployment ‘killing economy’


Odds ‘n Sods:

I was doing some web wandering, and discovered a great collection of WX links: Weather monitoring links — Satellite and RADAR for USA and world    o o o The latest Economist/YouGov poll shows that 39 percent of American households own guns, which represents a five percent increase over the number of gun owning households in 2012.    o o o James W. sent us this: Florida moves ahead with bill legalizing ‘warning shots’    o o o By way of Tam’s blog, I found this at The Shekel – Coins, Law and Commentary: Range Trip With The Tavor    o …



Note from JWR:

Dr. Cynthia Koelker (our volunteer Medical Editor) has announced a “Survival Medicine Double-Header” with back-to-back Survival Medicine 101 and 201 courses, running from January 27 to February 1, 2014 in St. Marys, Georgia (near Jacksonville, Florida.) There, you will learn basic and advanced techniques for suturing, splinting, casting, office procedures, major trauma, and much more.  You can see details at ArmageddonMedicine.net.


A Global Search: Seeking a SurvivalBlog Managing Editor

I am planning to hire a contracted Managing Editor for SurvivalBlog, sometime in the next two months. While I plan to continue on as Editor, I need some assistance with day-to-day editorial work. This position could be your ticket to living in the Boonies. The locale for the new Managing Editor position will be “virtual”, meaning that our new hire can live and work anywhere on the planet where there is a stable high speed Internet connection. The pay for this 30 hour per-week contracted position will be up to $40,000 per year, depending on the candidate’s experience. Hiring preference …


BHO’s Africa Policy: Confusion and Duplicity Reign

After many years of a “diplomacy and aid dollars only” approach in Africa, the U.S. government has begun active military intervention, north of the equator. Quite disturbingly, while outwardly appearing to be engaged a campaign against Al Qaeda and its allies, these interventions have effectively supported Muslims (particularly the radical Muslim Brotherhood) while abandoning Christians. Witness: Libya, Egypt, and Uganda (against Kony’s LRA.) You’ve all seen the headlines: In 2011, U.S. air power was used in Libya, to back largely Muslim rebels. In late 2013, BHO slashed long-standing military aid to Egypt, indirectly aiding that nation’s Muslim rebels. Hillary Clinton’s …


Pat’s Product Review: Maxxeon 330 Pocket Floodlights

I still recall the days when most folks owned and used some type of D-cell flashlights, that held 2 of the big D sized batteries. And, while they were better than walking around in the dark, they didn’t throw a very bright light, nor was the light bright white – at best, they were yellow in color. And, to be sure, those old flashlight – that are still sold today – really used up the battery power in short order. I remember working as a cop, and using the Mag-Lite “police” flashlight, and the model I used (and I still own …


Pat’s Product Review: Signal Armor

These days, many people are concerned about their privacy, and I admit to being somewhat concerned myself. I recently took down my Facebook page – after it was hacked three times this year. So, if anyone sees a Facebook page with my name on it – it’s not my Facebook page – someone hacked my original page, and made one false Facebook page that looks similar to the real one, and the second one doesn’t even come close to being like my original. Additionally, I found that it was too time-consuming keeping up with everyone’s newest Facebook page posts. Also, …


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

Dear JWR, The mere fact that folks such as Carl X. and C. are discussing, researching, and indeed, well informed on the subject of 80% lower receiver completion gives me hope! I can’t begin to express just how pleasing it is that good people are informing themselves on the subject. Anyway, I’d like to clarify a couple of things, if I may? As C. notes, an inexperienced builder will likely spend at least two hours milling and shaping the fire control pocket. However, a slip of the Dremel does not necessarily mean the blank’s doom. One must remember that the …