Letter Re: Basic Mechanics Skill and Knowing Vehicular Limitations

Dear JWR, Instead of a breaker bar, which while good to have is large and hard to store, I’ve found extendable lug nut wrenches to be the ideal compromise.  Easily twice as strong as the much thinner wrenches that come with the vehicle. The only caveat is that I’d recommend a long/deep wall socket that’s the precise size of your lugs to ensure you don’t damage and/or jam or lug nuts inside your socket… I’ve tried both the Torin (sold at Wal-Mart stores) and the Grizzly (sold by Amazon.com) with satisfactory success.  Both are over 20″ extended, and even slightly …


Economics and Investing:

The Dreaded D Word: Treasury taking final steps to avoid default Blackstone Investor Sees ‘Epic’ Credit Bubble Frequent contributor H.L. sent this: ‘It’s not life, it’s survival’: Crisis-hit Portuguese forced to live in communes Silk Road site and DPR’s Bitcoins seized. (Thanks to J.B.G. for the link.) Items from The Economatrix: Peter Schiff Was Right Part Deux: The “Taper” Edition Markets Are Crumbling All Around The World As Government Shutdown Gets Close This Will Create A Horrific Collapse That Will Shock The World


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader RBS mentioned a site with some great data on vacuum tubes: TubeBooks.org    o o o Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) spotted this: Mind Blown: Remote Control Sturmgewehr 44 In Syria    o o o What’s so special about John Moses Browning?    o o o Lee M. spotted this: Fifty Free Farmstead eBooks    o o o My novel Expatriates is now available for Nook e-reader owners.    o o o H.L. sent: Meanwhile in Sudan: Fuel riots, a hiring spree of ex-Soviet air mercenaries and preparations for war



Notes from JWR:

Both Amazon.com and BN.com have opened up their Expatriates pages for reviews. Once you’ve read the book, I would greatly appreciate reading your reviews there. One that was posted today by “JocelynP” appears to be from a troll. I’d appreciate seeing some more balanced and unbiased reviews. Thanks! — Today we present another entry for Round 48 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The 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 …


Home Chicken Flock Management by B.D. in Tennessee

Chickens are one of the most important yet overlooked purchases in the preparedness world. Chickens are relatively low maintenance, a joy to watch, and they offer a significant return on investment for the backyard homestead and small farm. Because they will eat anything from table scraps to fish heads, they are also very economical pre-collapse. On average, most chicks cost around three dollars each purchased from local co-ops and feed stores. They can also be bought online for reasonable prices (shipping costs are high, however, due to Postal Service regulations) and delivered to your local post office. Chickens of a …


Economics and Investing:

Reader Paul B. sent a link to a “must read” article on Quantitative Easing and the velocity of money, wherein economics professor Laurence Kotlikoff of Boston University asks: Is Hyperinflation Just Around the Corner? Karl Denninger Goes Galt on His Tax Footprint: It’s Called Evolution, Gentlemen (Tickerforum Changes) A.M.B. sent: Government shutdown: Get up to speed in 20 questions Items from The Economatrix: The Job Situation Looks A Little Worse Here’s Why Unemployment Is Still At Unacceptable Levels US Is Broke, Can’t Afford To Raise The Debt Ceiling Says Schiff


Odds ‘n Sods:

One of the Ryans over at TSLRF gave Expatriates a solid positive review. I’ve also recently had a lot of podcast and talk radio interviews, and I have dozens more scheduled, because of the Expatriates book release. One that was particularly interesting was archived by Chris Martenson of Peak Prosperity. Another was with Rick Austin (Secrets of a Survivalist.) For the latter, click on the “September 29, 2013” show.    o o o There is a Self Reliance Expo scheduled in Denver, Colorado on October 4th and 5th. I won’t be there, but our Central Rockies Regional Editor (“L.K.O.”) plans …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"The Second Amendment is a doomsday provision, one designed for those exceptionally rare circumstances where all other rights have failed—where the government refuses to stand for reelection and silences those who protest; where courts have lost the courage to oppose, or can find no one to enforce their decrees. However improbable these contingencies may seem today, facing them unprepared is a mistake a free people get to make only once." – Ninth Circuit Judge Alex Kozinski


Expatriates Book Bomb Day Results

My latest novel, Expatriates, had its scheduled release today, (October 1, 2013.) Despite the book spine printing SNAFU, the book has been selling quite well. Here is a summary of how the hardback has tracked: September 22: #2,858 overall September 25: #2,335 overall September 27: #2,057 overall September 28: #1,339 overall September 30: #725 overall October 1, @ 6:30 AM, Pacific Time: #164 overall October 1, @ 8:30 AM, Pacific Time: #129 overall October 1, @ 9:30 AM, Pacific Time: #52 overall (and #6 in Political Thrillers) October 1, @ 3:00 PM, Pacific Time: #31 overall (and #3 in Political …


Book Bomb Day for Expatriates!

October 1st is Book Bomb Day for my latest novel, Expatriates: A Novel of the Coming Global Collapse. The book is available from most major bookstores. It can also be ordered from Amazon.com, BN.com, and many other online sellers. There are also Kindle book and audio book editions now available. By now, I suppose that everyone has heard about the printing error at E.P. Dutton that resulted in 50,000 copies of the First Edition, First Printing of Expatriates having the hardcover spines (underneath the dust jacket) printed: “John Wesley, Rawles.” The news media will undoubtedly be reporting this glitch. (I’ve …


A Note From My Publisher

Dear Readers, It has come to our attention that there is an error on the case material of New York Times bestselling author, James Wesley, Rawles’s, latest novel, EXPATRIATES: A Novel of the Coming Global Collapse (October 1, 2013).  The author’s name is misprinted on the spine of the book.  The dust jacket is correct, as is the About the Author page on both the jacket and in the book. We have issued a rush reprint, though approximately half of our first printing has already been distributed to retailers. If you wish to receive a replacement copy from the second …


Writing Contest Prize Winners

We’ve completed the judging for Round 48 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest, which ended yesterday. First prize goes to Tennessean for his lengthy and detailed article Protection from Radioactive Fallout, posted on September 12, 2013. He will receive: 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 military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze …


New Prize for Writing Contest Round 49

Mayflower Trading Company has kindly donated several prizes to add to the Third Prize package, for Round 49 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest, et sequitur. These are: A Nesco / American Harvest Gardenmaster Dehydrator with an extra set of trays, and the book The Dehydrator Bible. These prizes have a combined value of $210. This brings the combined value of the top three prizes to more than $6,000! Round 49 begins today and will end on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical …


Life on the Edge: The Importance of Blade Maintenance, by Dr. DAC

INTRODUCTION Most of us use a cutting edge every single day, be it a chef’s knife, pocket knife, or scissors.  We typically suffer with overly dull cutting surfaces, and that is OK for cutting a zucchini after the daily nine-to-five routine.  However, when faced with a long-term survival situation, the importance of cutting edges will skyrocket, quickly shifting this humdrum facet of daily life to center stage.  Knowing how to restore and maintain blades and edges will take on new importance, as sharp tools will be necessary for survival, and sharpening will be a marketable and barterable skill. Besides knives …