Odds ‘n Sods:

Chris P. spotted an item of interest to ATV owners: Polaris introducing flat-proof “airless” tires.    o o o Do You Count As an Extremist ‘Patriot’? A Closer Look at the SPLC Report. Readers are warned that the SPLC specializes in besmirching almost anyone who is right of center. They often attempt to make anyone who does not follow their collectivist agenda looking like a neo-Nazi or KKK member. This is a form of gray propaganda. Their key weapon is guilt by association. They even attempt to cast guilt by non-association. That is what they recently did with me.    …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed [are] they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed [are] the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed [are] the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed [are] the …


Notes from JWR:

March 9th is the birthday of Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first man to ever travel in space. (He was born 9 March 1934. He died 27 March 1968 in the crash of a MiG-15-UTI fighter.) — Today we present another entry for Round 45 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 …


Fire: Your Partner in Survival, by Pledger

Eons ago when people lived in caves, one of their most important tools was fire.  Its ability to keep them warm, cook food, provide light, and scare away predators was of the utmost importance.  Some kind of a societal upheaval may not necessarily mean returning to a stone age existence, but when the systems that keep our everyday life humming along go down, fire will once again have a huge impact on our ability to survive. This fact was brought home to my wife and me two winters ago, when a February blizzard knocked out the power to several counties.  …


Letter Re: A Prepper’s Holiday

As hinted by C.E.B’s article, Pesach (Passover) and Sukkot (Festival of Booths) are Jewish holidays — two of the three major festivals — in the Jewish calendar. That calendar is a Lunar/Solar calendar that does not correspond with the Gregorian calendar, which is why which holiday dates vary each year in the Gregorian calendar. Watching and marking the phases of the moon is not all there is to the Jewish calendar. Before the calendar’s calculations were settled by Hillel II in the fourth century the first sliver of the new moon was reported to the Sanhedrin. Based on the report …


Auction Update: PVS-14 Gen 3+ Night Vision Scope to Benefit C.R.O.S.S. Ministries

CURRENT BID is $3,600 (Bid by Reader D.J.G.) Simply e-mail us your bids. I will post regular updates on the bidding. The final deadline will be Midnight EST on Monday, March 11, 2013. Thanks for your generous bids in support of C.R.O.S.S. Ministries. We are continuing a benefit auction of a brand new AN/PVS-14 Gen 3+ Night Vision Scope. All proceeds (100% of your bid) will be donated to C.R.O.S.S. Ministries. (A very worthy Christian ministry that is sharing the Gospel of Christ in South Sudan. Their outreach method is unique: They are teaching rural villagers tactical marksmanship, water purification, …


Economics and Investing:

The Ten Worst States for Taxes (Nine Are Blue States) And it is no great surprise that none of them are American Redoubt States. Time To Buy Silver Coins? Items from The Economatrix: Spending Cuts:  It’s About To Get Weird Bernanke:  Spending Cuts Add “Significant” Burden To Recovery For The Middle Class, Expenses Grow Faster Than Paychecks


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader John J. liked this piece that ran last November over at The Art of Manliness: How to Bug-In: What You Need to Know to Survive a Grid-Down Disaster    o o o This series of videos shows that it is no longer fun to live within 60 miles of the Mexican border.    o o o Will states go where Congress hasn’t on gun laws?    o o o Synching the US Power Grid to Protect Against Blackouts. I have always suspected that the planned inter-tie between the Eastern and Western power grids had an ulterior motive. Methinks this …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of [his] government and peace [there shall be] no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” – Isaiah 9:6-7 (KJV)


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 45 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 Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 …


OPSEC and the Dangers of People You Thought Were Like-Minded, by R.S.O. in Arizona

Operational Security (OPSEC) has been around since the first Stone Age battles were fought. In an effort to provide the element of surprise and in order to keep what one had only those that need to know where told. I have always considered my friends and/or people I associate with and of what I considered similar moral fortitude worthy of my trust when it came to discussion of prepping. However I have recently discovered that not everyone is of the same mindset. First a little back ground on me. I moved out at 18 and went on to higher education …


Letter Re: Sodium Chloride IV Bag Expiry Dates

JWR: I know you are not a medical doctor, but I had a question about Sodium Chloride .9% IV bags.  They have an Expiration date on them.  Is this information valid.  It is sterile water and salt so could something like that go bad?  Is it because the plastic might leech something out over time?   We just had a lovely “stick” class with my group where we each learned how to put in an IV on each other.  We determined who was good at it, and who should never, ever approach people with a needle.     Each person was out …


Two Letters Re: Surviving Snowmageddon

Dear JWR: You don’t always need a snow plow to to free up the streets in a snow-bound neighborhood. I found a video that shows a U.S. military surplus M35 2-1/2 Ton (“Deuce and a Half”) truck being used to pack down snow. – Solar Guy   Mr. Rawles, We in dry Central Texas are having the opposite problem from your “Snowmageddon” contributors: Dry wind-blizzards. On Monday, February 25th we had dry, sunny weather combined with high winds all day and night. I stepped outside after lunch to check the mail. Uhh-Ohh. The brush pile fire we had burned almost …


Update on The New Israeli E-Lander (Tavor) Steel AR Magazines

Back on January 13, 2013 I mentioned the availability of steel AR-15/M16-compatible Tavor magazines, made in Israel, being sold by a company in the U.S. called The Mako Group. These were priced at $18.70 each. I personally ordered more than 100 of them on January 11th. My order just arrived on March 7th. I was very pleased with the fit and finish of the magazines. Mine came with white followers. Their finish was glossy black and quite slick feeling. They have gave reinforced magazine retainer tabs. The E-Lander company maintains stringent military specifications and they have ISO certified and NQA …


Auction Update: PVS-14 Gen 3+ Night Vision Scope to Benefit C.R.O.S.S. Ministries

CURRENT BID is $3,600 (Bid by Reader D.J.G.) Simply e-mail us your bids. I will post regular updates on the bidding. The final deadline will be Midnight EST on Monday, March 11, 2013. Thanks for your generous bids in support of C.R.O.S.S. Ministries. We are continuing a benefit auction of a brand new AN/PVS-14 Gen 3+ Night Vision Scope. All proceeds (100% of your bid) will be donated to C.R.O.S.S. Ministries. (A very worthy Christian ministry that is sharing the Gospel of Christ in South Sudan. Their outreach method is unique: They are teaching rural villagers tactical marksmanship, water purification, …