Odds ‘n Sods:

Jamie W. was the first of several readers to mention this, from Nanny State Massachusetts: City: Give Us Your Guns, Get A Free Flu Shot – And A Wegman’s Gift Card. You have to love this logic: Sara Schastok, president and CEO of the Evanston Community Foundation says, “Of course, no one is under the illusion that people who intend harm as a way of life are necessarily going to turn in their guns.” JWR’s Comment: Perhaps the gun grabbers’ real intent would be more obvious if they also included the phrase: “Also get a free bowl of pottage!”.    …



Note from JWR:

Sales have been brisk for the First Revised Edition of Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse which was released in hardback on November 26th. This is the first time that the book has ever been printed with a cloth binding. I’ve updated the book slightly to remove some temporal incongruities that had built up in the course of previous editions. I’ve also added a new introduction. As with the later paperback editions, it includes a glossary and index.


Pat’s Product Review: PakLite 9V LED Flashlight

Living out in the boonies, we often have the power go out, especially in the winter months, when trees fall over power lines. More often than not, when the power goes out, it is usually at night, and on a weekend, and it takes repair crews hours, and at times, even days, to get the power restored. When the lights go out in the country, its dark – real dark! I have flashlights in every room of our home, and I can usually just reach for a light when the power goes off, so I’m good to go, in order …


T.M.’s Book Review: No Easy Day

No Easy Day: The Autobiography of a Navy SEAL by Mark Owen ©2012 by Mark Owen, Published by Penguin Group, New York, New York ISBN: 9789-0-525-95372-2 Available at your favorite bookseller Note: “Mark Owen” is a pen name used to protect the real identity of the author. [He was recently “outed” in a widely publicized incident by Fox News.] This well-publicized book is the story of one man’s wish to be a US Navy SEAL since childhood, how he realized his dream, and the reasons he left the service to return to civilian life in Alaska. Wrapped up in this …


Letter Re: Sourdough Bread Baking

James, 35 years ago I knew a very old Sourdough mountain man who lived very high up in the Colorado Rockies.  He once told me you could leaven bread with the yeast that grows on aspen tree bark.  Rubbing your hands on the bark of the aspen tree will remove a bunch of white powder that he claimed was very close to bread yeast.  I never heard of this before and have never tried it.  If any of your readers know about this or would be willing to try it, this would be a very good survival skill to know.  …


Recipe of the Week:

Pumpkin Soup, by Mama in Texas Pumpkin Soup Serves 6 (Adapted from a recipe in the classic “More With Less” cookbook) Melt in a large heavy kettle:                 2 T. Butter Add:                 ¼ cup chopped green pepper                 1 small onion, finely chopped Saute until veggies are soft, but not brown. Blend in:                 2 T. flour                 1 t. salt Add:                 2 cups chicken broth                 2 cups pumpkin puree (1 15-oz. can)                 2 cups milk                 1/8 t. thyme                 ¼ t. nutmeg                 1 t. chopped parsley   Cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. …


Economics and Investing:

The folks at Agora Financial are currently hawking a report (that only comes “free” with a paid subscription to their newsletter) via an online slide show presentation that remarkably parallels all of the major points in my truly free 2009 article on Nickels. It is downright agonizing listening to this presentation wherein the narrator talks around the real topic (which is nickels) for nearly half an hour. By the way, the “hedge fund manager Kyle B.” that is mentioned is of course Kyle Bass, who acquired $1 million worth of nickels in 2010. I have a lot of respect for …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Here is an article that quotes your editor: Secession Theology Runs Deep in American Religious, Political History    o o o Fast and Furious fallout: Jeff Knox provides an update on the Reese family’s travail.    o o o Reader F.J. liked this Life Hacker piece: Use 2-Liter Soda Bottles Instead of Sandbags for Winter Driving. JWR Adds a Proviso: Make sure that you stow those bottles low and behind a seat. Otherwise they will become head-smashing projectiles if you ever get in a wreck.    o o o Gregory R. suggested this Weather Channel video of the post-Hurricane Sandy …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 43 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, 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 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any …


Preparedness for College Students, by An Oregonian

I was raised in a family with a survivalist mentality. We were the family prepared for Y2K. I learned to shoot at age six. We lived on a farm and had the knowledge and ability to grow all our own food. I was taught self-reliance and how to think as a "prepper". Basically, my parents did the best they could to impress on me that the stability and safety we experience in the United States is precious and very possibly temporary. But even with all this training, my first year living away from my family I was caught unprepared. In …


Letter Re: Sourdough Bread Baking

Dear Mr. Rawles, Another advantage of sourdough bread is that it is lower on the glycemic index than most other breads and is better for diabetics and people with blood sugar problems. As a diabetic myself, it’s about the only kind of bread I eat and would be very useful in a survival situation in which I would be forced to to regulate my sugar levels with diet. – Burke in Ormond Beach, Florida


Economics and Investing:

Reader G.B. from Texas sent: Congress looks at doing away with the $1 bill [and new coin compositions]. Meanwhile, we read about more congressional action. New coin compositions are coming soon! The window of opportunity to stock up on real nickels will soon close. If you haven’t yet stocked up, then do so NOW! Grain prices to surge in early 2013, then retreat Items from The Economatrix: Jim Willie:  Immutable Golden Laws, Central Bank Extremes, Gold Standard Recall Consumer spending In US Grows Less Than Forecast Sandy Slows Retail Spending, Factory Output, And Home Sales In Late October And Early …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Bill W. pointed me to some surprising poll numbers, over at Zero Hedge: Ready For The Apocalypse? I amazed to read that 8% of respondents said that that they’ve built a fallout shelter of safe room. (Perhaps some of that was just “I have a basement, so that counts”- wishful thinking    o o o Dave Canterbury shows how to make your Wrist Rocket shoot arrows. (Thanks to Curtis R. for the link.)    o o o B.B. sent us word of some hard times down in San Berdoo: City Attorney Tells San Bernardino Residents To ‘Lock Their Doors,’ …