Five Letters Re: Car-Mageddon: Getting Home in a Disaster

Dear JWR: By way of background, I’m a middle aged woman in reasonable shape.  I go jogging, do pushups and take karate.  I have never been in the military.   Around a month ago I tried ruck marching with my 25 or 30 lb bug out bag (BOB), to see how well I could handle it.  I wore wool Army socks and a pair of boots that I thought were reasonably broken in, and walked laps around a park as fast as I could walk.  The ruck was a civilian backpacker’s external frame pack with a belt.  I carried some …


Economics and Investing:

Derivatives Bubble: The Number One Threat That Our Financial System Is Facing Only 40% Of Federal Student Loan Borrowers Are Currently Making A Payment Items from The Economatrix: Pandemic of Pension Woes Plaguing The Nation 40 Percent Of US Workers Make Less Than What A Full-Time Minimum Wage Worker Made in 1968 Failure to launch into household formation: Record 36 percent of young Americans (18 to 31) living at home with parents. Where is household formation coming from?


Odds ‘n Sods:

Yet another data point, for selecting a retreat locale: How Many Illegal Immigrants Live in Your State?    o o o Reader Craig J. sent this: Popular gun range target blamed for forest fires, called potential bomb source. The “forest fires” claim is a red herring. Chainsaws and off-road motorcycles start dozens of fires on USFS and BLM land each year, yet nobody has suggested banning them. Our congresscritters tend toward free floating anxiety followed by spastic fits of legislation. So all that I can say is: stock up on Tannerite! (If there is an explosive target ban, then there …



Notes from JWR:

Happy birthday to Jerry Pournelle (born 1933.) He, along with Larry Niven authored the survivalist classic Lucifer’s Hammer. He was also a contributing editor to Mel Tappan‘s P.S. Letter. Jerry is also noteworthy for writing a blog long before they were even called blogs. — 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 …


Car-Mageddon: Getting Home in a Disaster, by Becky M.

I live in southern California, which means at any moment one of many earthquake faults could decide to slip, a fire could break out, the economy could finally bottom out, an EMP cleverly directed toward Hollywood would finally fix the bad movie plight, or…you get the point.  We all have to live with the annoying little feeling that at any moment TEOTWAWKI could begin.  Lots of preppers will spend thousands of dollars to adequately prepare their house or bugout location, which is awesome.  Some plan to hunker down and ride out the problem in the comfort of their own home, …


Letter Re: Coping with Obstructive Sleep Apnea When There is No Grid Power

Mr. Rawles – I have been living with a CPAP for many years now, and am one of the persons for whom it has worked very well. I also know how bad things can be after not having my CPAP for three days when an airline lost it. After three days I was almost totally non-functional and was ready to lay out the $2,000 out of my own pocket to get a replacement machine. Fortunately my machine was found by the airline. More recently I had 3 nights in 2 months where power outages deprived me of the use of …


Economics and Investing:

Special Note: For any SurvivalBlog readers with pending orders (already paid, but order not received) with Mulligan Mint (a former advertiser : Please e-mail me and let me know: Your name, your order number, the number of ounces ordered, your e-mail address, and the date that you placed your order. I will then do my best to get them to ship you order. (Mulligan Mint claims that they are presently shipping orders.) Matt H. sent this: U.S. gasoline consumption takes a nosedive. G.G. suggested: Pandemic of pension woes is plaguing the nation Items from The Economatrix: Paul Craig Roberts:  Hiding …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Todd M. suggested reading this troubling MIT Technology Review article on SCADA systems vulnerability: Hacking Industrial Systems Turns Out to Be Easy: New research from Black Hat shows it’s possible to trick water and energy infrastructure to cause physical damage—and securing these systems remains painfully slow. Meanwhile, G.G. suggested that we read: Chinese Hacking Team Caught Taking Over Decoy Water Plant. Oh, and coincidentally, my friend Bob G. just called and recommended this novel, based on a credible terrorist scenario: Gridlock.    o o o Some folks have put together a combined Calendar of Prepper, Survivalist and Self-Reliance Shows. I …



Notes from JWR:

Mike Williamson’s latest book Tour of Duty: Stories and Provocations was just released! (Mike is SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large.) — 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. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of …


Coping with Obstructive Sleep Apnea When There is No Grid Power, by Chris X.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a breathing disorder which is caused by the narrowing or total occlusion of the airway while sleeping.  The study of sleep using electroencephalogram electrodes, chest and abdominal effort belts, breathing sensors, and blood oxygenation sensors is called polysomnography.  The advent of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines in the 1980s started the home treatment revolution of OSA.  Studies have shown that untreated OSA can cause high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, depression, excessive daytime somnolence, fatigue, occupational accidents, and motor vehicle accidents.  More recent studies have shown that OSA is linked to adult-onset diabetes, fibromyalgia …


Letter Re: Animal Food Sources in TEOTWAWKI, by Michael H.

JWR, That was an excellent article By Michael H. about chickens. (Animal Food Sources in TEOTWAWKI.”) One thing to consider is that raccoons can reach though chicken wire and dismember the chickens. Small weasels can easily get through chicken wire. It’s better to use 1/4 or 1/2 inch (at the largest) metal hardware cloth for chicken coops and runs.


News From The American Redoubt:

America’s conservative heartland–a lot of it is in the Redoubt and Plains states. This map, courtesy of Nick Gillespie of the Hit & Run blog at Reason.com shows just how conservative the American Redoubt congressional districts are, compared to much of the rest of the nation. (The Republican-held congressional districts are shown in red.)    o o o The Free State Wyoming forum was “suspended” about six weeks ago, and the members were unable to contact Boston T. Party or discover any reason for the suspension. So they decided to go ahead and establish another forum, called “Wyoming Mavericks” that …


Economics and Investing:

G.G. sent: The lame jobs report, in eight charts. News from Spain: Bank bailout fund admits losses have reached 36 billion euros Consulates and the Vatican in chaos as HSBC tells them to find another bank Items from The Economatrix: Full circle: Joblessness at 2008 level Record Jobs For Old Workers; For Others – Not So Much Ten Times More Waiter and Bartender Than Manufacturing Jobs Added in 2013 US Factory Orders Miss (Again); Biggest 4-Month Drop in a Year