Odds ‘n Sods:

My #1 Son suggested this bit of practical knowledge over at The Art of Manliness: How to recognize when someone is drowning.    o o o S.D. suggested a great article on trash can EMP shielding. JWR’s Comment: Note that the typically-available mild steel wool has a tendency to rust, and that might induce rust on the contents of the can. So I’d recommend that you substitute stainless steel wool. This is particularly important if you live in a humid climate.    o o o Reader Luke D. sent an items that is hardly a news flash to SurvivalBlog readers: …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, [so] walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” – Colossians 2:6-9 (KJV)


Notes from JWR:

Camping Survival’s 25% off sale on Mountain House foods will run until tomorrow, July 7th. Meanwhile, Freeze Dry Guy has been given permission to extend their 25% Off Special on All Mountain House #10 Cans through July 10, 2013. — Today we present another entry for Round 47 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. …


On Safe Cooking, by Mrs. Icebear

Disclaimer: Please use common sense in applying anything you read here! In the (European) country where I live in we have a lot of cooking shows on television, and I never cease to be both shocked and amazed at seeing (some – thank God not all) professional chefs taste their exquisite creation with a spoon  and then put that spoon straight back into the pot. So, if anyone feels offended by my stating the obvious below, please don´t take it personally. For preppers/ survivalists/ people who want to be self sufficient there are of course a host of reasons to …


Economics and Investing:

Once again, the American Redoubt States rank well: Pro and Anti Constitution States. (A hat tip to CDV for the link.) Why The U.S. Economy Is Facing An Inflationary Time Bomb Has the US lost control on debt market growth? Items from The Economatrix: Consumer Sentiment In US Declines Less Than Forecast US Manufacturing Resumes Expansion US Economy Looks Weaker As GDP Data Is Revised First-Time Jobless Claims Rise


Odds ‘n Sods:

The latest on concealed carry in The Land of Lincoln Obama. (Thanks to “S.” for the link.) And Mark sent: Illinois Gov. Quinn triggers backlash after changing concealed-carry bill.    o o o Reader Stephen S. wrote to mention that he got the following confirmation on the use of deep chamber flute barrels from the management at PTR: “All of our rifles have run the same chamber as the G.I. [variant] rifles since the G.I. rifles were brought to market.  This means that regardless of model, all of our current rifles will shoot the same ammo.”    o o o …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“[[A Psalm of David.]] I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing. I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; [it] shall not cleave to me. A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked [person]. Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a …


Notes from JWR:

The wicked DDOS (“Ping”) hacker attack on SurvivalBlog is still in progress. Thanks for your patience while we get the site back up and running on one of our backup servers. — Camping Survival’s 25% off sale on Mountain House foods will run until July 7th. Meanwhile, Freeze Dry Guy has been given permission to extend their 25% Off Special on All Mountain House #10 Cans through July 10, 2013. — Today we present a guest post by the well-known video blogger Wranglerstar. His fascinating blog chronicles his many projects at his full-time retreat in the Pacific Northwest, in the …


Economics and Investing:

Life in free fall: Horrific Retail Sales In Greece Illinois ends fiscal year $6.1 billion in red The latest from Pepperdine University law professor Paul Caron’s blog: Hedge Fund Billionaire Who Gave $9.6 Million to Obama in 2012 Skirts Tax Law to Pay 15% Tax Rate A Rise In Interest Rates Could Disrupt The Derivatives Market Items from The Economatrix: Fed’s Stein Hints at September Taper Consumer Numbers Send Confusing Signal Business Activity In US Cools More Than Forecast


Odds ‘n Sods:

For those following Orange Jeep Dad: He just got his grandfather’s 1949 Ford 8N tractor running!    o o o The Montrose a Prepper recently had some interesting observations of the threat that feral dogs will pose, come TEOTWAWKI, in a piece that was cross-posted at Lew Rockwell’s site.    o o o Please ask your congresscritters to support this bill that would at least partially secure America’s power infrastructure: H.R. 2417: Secure High-voltage Infrastructure for Electricity from Lethal Damage Act    o o o And speaking of our technological infrastructure, see: EMP Attack and Solar Storms, Part II: Cascading …



Notes from JWR:

A wicked DDOS (“Ping”) hacker attack on SurvivalBlog began just before midnight, GMT, on July 3rd. This was obviously timed for maximum effect, since the hackers assumed that the Sys-Admins at our server site would be on vacation. Thanks for your patience while we get the site back up and running on one of our backup servers. — Happy Fourth of July, America! Please pray that our liberty is restored. Plan, purchase, train, and set the course of your actions to make that happen! — The U.S. Merchant Marine sustained the highest per capita losses of any service group in …


Survival Is Not Fun, by Wild EMT

Bug-Out! A friend and I recently discussed some of the possible physical difficulties that might be associated with a rapid exfiltration from a devastated area during a major grid-down scenario.  We thought it would be interesting to explore the personal effects of increased stress, combined with decreased caloric intake, which might be encountered while “bugging-out.”  We wanted to move away from academic knowledge to personal experience, so we created a seven day bug-out “challenge” for ourselves.   Background note: my survivalist friend was a U.S. Marine who served in Vietnam and then spent his career working on computers.  I’m a 46-year-old …


Letter Re: Corn: Our Best Ally Against Starvation

We have begun our corn harvest. We just finished canning the corn from 2 rows of hybrid sweet corn. We planted two rows 100 feet long. We made approximately 400 ears of corn. From this we ate all we wanted and canned 39 quarts and 12 pints whole kernel. We don’t can any cream style, because it doesn’t do well. Many times the corn has a musty taste. We put it in jars rather than the freezer to protect it from a grid down scenario. We gave 20 ears to a local widow, and 48 ears to a local gentleman …


Economics and Investing:

Brian C. sent: The Eight Least Expensive States to Live in the U.S. Argentina Legitimizes Black-Market Currency With New Dollar-Backed CDs. (Thanks to H.L. for the link.) Preppers Beware : Our “Hoarding” Can Be Deemed Illegal Items from The Economatrix: Consumer Spending, Jobs Data Point To Lukewarm Growth Meredith Whitney:  Did The Fed Just Torpedo The Muni Bond Market? New Data On Incomes, Spending, Jobless Claims; IPO Problems