When the Antidepressants Run Out, by Dr. S.V.

Worldwide, Prozac is the most prescribed antidepressant.  It is also prescribed for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and co-morbid anxiety. By inhibiting serotonin re-uptake, more serotonin is available at the synapse, which is anti-depressant.  There are many SSRIs prescribed for depression: Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil,  Celexa, Lexapro, etc.  There are antidepressant medications which target serotonin and other neurotransmitters, such as norepinephrine (Effexor), but they lie outside the scope of this article. When raw ingredient availability is interrupted these medications will become abruptly unavailable.  There are recent examples of this phenomenon in the United States:  in 2003 tetanus toxoid became very scarce for some …


Can You Take to the Sky?, by Greg G.

Airplanes Aircraft are expensive, fragile, very dependent on the weather and, unfortunately, on other people such as Air Traffic Control and airport operators. Airports can be blocked, aircraft can be seized and it only takes a pea shooter to put them out of commission.  Given all that, they are still by far the best devices to quickly put hundreds of miles between you and a problem. If you wanted an airplane as a survival tool, you would be looking at something simple that relies on the least possible support and can operate outside of airports: a bush plane. A bush plane is …


Letter Re: Observations on Tropical Storm Isaac

“Fool me once, Fool me twice.” Yes, you would think after Hurricane Katrina that people would have learned their lesson about staying in low lying areas. However, resilient as most people are,  the one thing that many always do, no matter what is stay. Then being caught in an  impossible situation rely on the government for help. I am a hurricane veteran. At 59, and having lived 20 miles west of New Orleans all of my life, I have survived Betsy in ’65 right up and through Isaac. For Hurricane Besty, I was only a child but I remember the broken …


Economics and Investing:

Peter Schiff says Ron Paul was ignored and that an economic collapse is inevitable, regardless of who wins the presidential election. By way of our friend Remus at The Woodpile Report, a link to an eye-opening piece on the velocity of money by Mark McHugh: Shhhh…It’s Even Worse Than The Great Depression. (Warning: Includes some foul language.) H.L. sent: More Bad News Imminent: August US Auto Production Set To Plunge By Most In 16 Months I’m sure that many of you noticed that gold and silver ended the week with bang. Items from The Economatrix: Debt Crisis:  Italian Cash-For-Gold Shops …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Over at Backwoods Home: Animal disease traceability, by Patrice Lewis    o o o Don in Oregon sent this: Remote Alaska to stockpile food, just in case. The state plans two food stockpiles in or near Fairbanks and Anchorage, two cities that also have military bases. Construction on the two storage facilities will begin this fall, and the first food deliveries are targeted for December. The goal is to have enough food to feed 40,000 people for up to a week, including three days of ready-to-eat meals and four days of bulk food that can be prepared and cooked for …



Notes from JWR:

All eyes are on Louisiana, where they’ve been deluged by as much as 25″ inches of rain and half the populace is without grid power. Isaac lacked the punch of Katrina, but it it has still been devastating. Even though the storm missed New Orleans, some residents are looting, I suppose just out of nostalgia for 2005. Please pray for the folks in the path of Isaac, and open your doors to the folks who wisely bugged out. — Today we present another entry for Round 42 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First …


A Guide to Load Carrying Equipment, by Tony X.

It can be a daunting task this day and time selecting what to carry and how best to carry it. With the vast selection of government issue and commercial load carrying equipment available today. In this article I will be addressing the items of common U.S. military issue. I’m constantly fielding questions from friends and coworkers about what system, manufacturer, and color/pattern is best. Well there is no easy answer so I will try to clear away some of the fog for everyone. I will be drawing on over 20 years of experience as a man whose wore many hats …


Letter Re: Getting Real About Unarmed Combat

James: R.G. wrote a great article! I really appreciate his emphasis on the fact that when you fight hand to hand you will most probably be injured – he who is injured the least “wins”, but in reality you both lose. It needs repeating over and over, that the best strategy is to avoid potential confrontations – don’t be in the situations or places where confrontations are likely to occur.  As that is not always possible or predictable, second best is to disengage or run away (and keep an exit route on your situational awareness radar).  As that is not …



Odds ‘n Sods:

Upon hearing that I live in bear county, new acquaintances and distant relatives often ask me: “Do you carry pepper spray?” My answer: No, I carry lead spray. The fact is that .45 ACP beats .10 Capsicum.    o o o A reminder that another Sustainable Preparedness Expo will be held on September 30, 2012 in Spokane, Washington.    o o o H.L. sent this potential preview of the disintegration of America’s cities: Gangs of Aleppo: The Arab Spring succumbs to post-state violence    o o o I noticed that CampingSurvival.com has added Future Essentials Long Grain White Rice to …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 42 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 …


Getting Real About Unarmed Combat, by R.G.

Before I get to my take on unarmed combat, I want to make a few points: First, if you are totally unarmed at any time before it hits the fan, and especially after, you are not taking survival, or life seriously; and you are probably already screwed because your enemies will not be unarmed. Second, the last I checked this isn’t “the middle weight champion of the world blog”, it is “SurvivalBlog” which should be a real clue as to what you look for in an unarmed combat skill set. Third, I readily admit I have never killed a person …


Letter Re: 1,000 Bottles of Water on the Roof

JWR, I’m a big fan of the site. You have very smart contributors. I learn a lot. What I’d like to add to the “1,000 Bottles of Water on the Roof, by James C.” post is a simple suggestion:. If you are concerned about water purification, storage, etc. and you’ve fiddled with the thought of brewing your own beer, I would humbly suggest that there are many ways that this hobby can kill two birds with one stone.   If you are set up to brew your own beer you will also have the following advantages:   1.       You can …