Notes from JWR:

August 14th is remembered annually as Victory Over Japan Day. V-J Day in 1945 was indeed a day to celebrate. Although communism would soon again bring war clouds over East Asia,V-J Day brought a sigh of relief to millions. Few could have predicted that in just a decade Japan would re-emerge as an economic powerhouse, only to be eventually eclipsed by a post-communist China. On August 14th, President Harry Truman announced: “This is the day we have been waiting for since Pearl Harbor. This is the day when Fascism finally dies, as we always knew it would.” — Today we …


Emergency Preparedness: 101, by Jennie From the Flats

Wakeup Call  It was 2 o’clock in the morning when our two year old toddler woke me with a terrifying scream. She was just across the hallway, but I was disoriented for a moment and couldn’t figure out why I was blind.  As I realized the power was out, I looked for the battery-powered lantern I keep beside the bed only to find it missing.  The three year old had probably been playing with it again.  I felt my way around the house and hoped the lantern would still have power.  It clicked on and what a blessed sight that …


Letter Re: The Value of a Magnifying Glass

JWR, I have been a reader, and sometimes commentator, of your blog for some years. I have read all kinds of ideas on what should be carried for all kinds of bad things happening scenarios. One thing I have rarely seen mentioned is the simplest and cheapest fire starter around: a magnifying glass. No moving parts. No fancy training. Hardly any space required. Less that $10 in any drugstore as a “reading glass.” I have one that is 4” diameter by ½” thick one that I have carried, unprotected, in my coat pocket for over 30 years. It has a …


Economics and Investing:

Monty Pelerin: Tyranny Rules Nearly $1 Trillion in pension liabilities! The Post Office Is Broke: It’s Time To End Washington’s Postal Monopoly. (Thanks to Brian L. for the link.) The Rise Of The Bear: 18 Signs That Russia Is Rapidly Catching Up To The United States Items from The Economatrix: A Quadrillion Yen And Counting – The Japanese Debt Bomb Could Set Off Global Panic At Any Moment The accelerating race to a student debt implosion: Federal student loans rose by $266 billion since 2011. 85 percent of consumer debt growth since 2011 because of student debt. Dr. Doom Warns …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader J.H. sent an fascinating video that illustrates why so-called dry washes can be so dangerous: Amazing Flash Flood / Debris Flow Southern Utah. J.H.’s comments: “The amazing thing is that the heaviest rain fell 40 miles away from the film site and the peak rain came six hours before the wave passed through. Local weather conditions give no clue as to what is about to happen. Swimming in the trash laden water is an absolute non-starter. Pity the camper who has one of these walls of wet wood squash him while he is wrapped in a sleeping bag, zipped …



Notes from JWR:

August 13th is the birthday of my old friend who was the basis for the “Jeff Trasel” character in my novel “Patriots.” — Camping Survival has started a Wise Foods and Berkey water filter bundle sale. Check it out! — 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 for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. …


A Family Bike Camping Experience Sheds Light on Bug Out Treks, by J.E. in St. Paul

My experience this past weekend camping with two of my friends and all of our children reminded me of the difficulties that one would have in a TEOTWAWKI situation.  To begin with I have two friends that I have known since jr high or longer.  We have, since that time spent lots of time together camping, hiking, biking, canoeing and any of a number of other outdoor adventures.  We have climbed over 12,000 foot passes while backpacking and ridden our bikes for hundreds of miles, camping along the way.  When we began having children we decided that we would do …


Letter Re: How to Convert an Ammo Can into a Faraday Cage

Sir: I have some of the larger military surplus ammo cans and would like to build my own Faraday cages to store my spare electronics [to protect them from EMP or a severe solar storm]. Do you have any sources to guide me? OBTW, I just finished reading your novel “Patriots”. That was a great read and I could not put it down. Regards,- J.L. (Former NYPD Officer) JWR Replies: What you plan to do is is pretty simple, since the can and lid are already great Faraday shields. The only issue is the gap where they join. That joint needs to …


News From The American Redoubt:

Uh-oh! Some New Yorkers have caught wind of the Redoubt, and might swarm in and Damage Our Calm. See: Your Own Private Idaho. Even worse, there are some nice photos, as the New Yorkers say, “to go with.” Quick! Give all those Easterners a zap from The Flashy Thing. (Well, at least those ones who aren’t conservative, law-abiding, gun owners.)    o o o Census Bureau: Oregon’s largest counties grow while rural areas empty. (Eastern Oregon still has plenty of elbow room, but with its weak economy, it is best to be self-employed before moving there.)    o o o …


Economics and Investing:

IRS Needs AR-15s for “Standoff Capabilities”? (Ay, ay, ay…) Bill Fleckenstein: Too-easy money makes market too risky; The liquidity-fueled rally of the past 9 months is easy to like. But recent history tells us higher prices based on easy money carry extreme dangers, so a violent drop could lie ahead. Items from The Economatrix: If Housing Is Booming – Why Do We Need Another Fix? Bank of England 0.5% Interest Rates for 7% Unemployment, to Result in 7% Inflation, Ongoing Savings Theft Peter Schiff On The Half-Full Economy


Odds ‘n Sods:

F.G. sent: Marines and Army deploy new helmet designed to stop Rifle Rounds    o o o H.L. recommended this article and video: Build a $300 underground greenhouse for year-round gardening    o o o Bob P. wrote to reiterate one of SurvivalBlog’s long-standing recommendations: “Zippo Lighters are American-made. They are manufactured by the Zippo Manufacturing Co. in Bradford, Pennsylvania. Even though I don’t smoke I always kept a Zippo lighter handy since I was in the Army in the 1960s.  I keep one in my BOB and one in my ready pack in my pickup.  Zippos will burn just …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“We believe in high quality of content, design and production of books, thereby, we approach highly academically established authors, as well up coming up writers to encourage their research and writing skills. Our books are printed in latest printed machines. In addition, our aim is costumer satisfaction, prompt delivery of our products to domestic market as well over the globe. Our organisation, professionally committed and devoted team of editors, proof reader to look after and ensure each detail before sending for printing.” – From the web site of Global Vision Publishing House of Daryaganj, Delhi, India. (Copied and pasted with …


Notes from JWR:

I was sad to hear that Eydie Gormé passed away on August 10th. Though her talent was often wasted on ballads with sappy lyrics, she had an amazing voice. Now she is singing with the angels. — Two readers wrote to ask me about an e-mail that they had received from one of my publishers. This was a legitimate e-mail, and it had my blessing. The e-mail offered a free mini-report about water storage, which is available to everyone. (You don’t have to be a subscriber to Sarah Stafford’s site or be a buyer of the Rawles Gets You Ready …