Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader James C. pointed me top a massive collection (14.1 Gigabytes!) of free preparedness and self-sufficiency documents, provided Pole Shift Survival Information.    o o o Dena K. sent this: Novo’s Insulin Pill Quest is Holy Grail for Diabetics    o o o Pre-Collapse Ramp Up:  Retailers Stock Up On Shutters, Organize Security Details Ahead Of Financial Meltdown And Social Unrest.    o o o Reader David P. mention that an early commander of SFOD-D (and later, all of SOCOM) General W.G. “Jerry” Boykin has an interesting web site.    o o o More of Mayor Bloomberg’s civilian disarmament scheming: …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” …


Note from JWR:

Today we present the first entry for Round 41 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 …


A House Purchasing Guide for Rookies

Taxes One of the questions I was asked that prompted creating this document, was that of a comparison of tax basis for home purchase decisions. Its very hard for me to appropriately answer, as the question of comparison is largely based on the entities in the county in question. I can tell you that differences in South Western and Central Wisconsin counties are negligible (although they can vary higher in larger municipalities and vacation destinations such as Madison and Lake Geneva.) For most rural properties, its quite comparable based on zoning and use. The question I believe was prompted in …


Letter Re: Our Fragile Society: Witnessing Disruption of a Major Metropolitan Transit System

Mr. Rawles, While traveling to work Tuesday night on the subway, the transit system got partially shut down due to a building fire next to some aboveground tracks. This caused problems and delays during the evening commute. It shows how vulnerable some systems can be to unexpected problems;   Tuesday afternoon started out normal enough but due to a fire would cause me some problems getting to work . I live on the North side of Chicago. I work part time at a downtown gourmet supermarket. I worked a afternoon-to-close shift Tuesday night that starts at 4 p.m.  Normally, I can get to work from …


Economics and Investing:

Friday (June 1st, 2012) was a banner day. Stocks plunged, but gold and silver rallied, hopefully signaling a change from May’s declines. With the credit market in turmoil, everyone is frantic for cash–among other things to meet CDS derivative margin calls. (I’ve been warning you about derivatives since 2006.) Hence the fire sale in stocks, metals, and even crude oil–both futures and spot markets. But the long term prospects for silver and gold look bullish. In the current era of “quantitative easing” monetization, the paper currencies are doomed to go down, and metals are the safe haven hedge. My favorite …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Jim W. suggested this Instructive video: Negligent Discharges: Holstering    o o o Delivery Kits for Home Birth May Increase Neonate Survival, Speaking of home birth, the same family that posts the Paratus Familia blog and makes the popular Naturally Cozy washable pads for women now makes an Emergency Birth Kit packaged an a 5 gallon plastic bucket. What a great concept!    o o o You Tax Dollars at Work: Dugout Dick’s central Idaho caves filled in by BLM. (A hat tip to R.B.S. for the link.)    o o o K.A.F. sent this news item: [Slightly] Radioactive bluefin …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid [them] out of the hand of the wicked. They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said, Ye [are] gods; and all of you [are] children of the most High. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.” – Psalm 82:3-8 (KJV)



SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Round 40 Prize Winners — and a New Prize Announcement

And the winner is… First Prize goes to Barefoot Yankee Gal for Kitchen Cupboard Medicine, which was posted on Tuesday, April 3, 2012. She will receive: 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 …


Founders Sample Chapter — In The Footsteps of Josephus

Author’s Notes: Founders is scheduled to be released in September, 2012. Please wait until the release date (“Book Bomb Day”) to order your copy. That same day, there will be simultaneous releases of the e-book and audio book editions. The cover art was created by Tony Mauro, Jr., who also created the cover for “Survivors.” The Founders cover depicts Ken and Terry Layton on their cross-country journey. Spoiler Alert: This chapter includes passages of the novel that you may not want to know about before reading the book from beginning to end. So skip reading this sample chapter if you …


Guest Article: The Best Free Medical References for Preppers, by Greg Ellifritz

It could evolve as systems are stressed after a natural disaster.  It could be caused by a terrorist attack.  It could even be the result of a societal or economic collapse.  Have you ever thought about what might happen if our current health care system (EMS, Doctors, Hospitals, and Pharmacies) ceased to function normally? What would you do if you couldn’t go to your doctor, all of the hospitals were shut down, all of the pharmacies closed, and no one answered the phone when you called 911?  You would be on your own.  You would have to take care of …


Economics and Investing:

The Start Of An Economic Collapse In Europe, But It Will Deeply Affect The Entire Globe C.D.V. sent this: Germany Has A Generous Proposal To The Broke PIIGS: “Cash For Gold” Also from C.D.V. : Cramer: Europe Has Become a Black Box More monetization ahead: Early Fed Move Will Boost Gold Spain faces ‘total emergency’ as fear grips markets Money flies out of Spain, regions pressured Items from The Economatrix: When The Derivatives Market Crashes (And It Will) US Taxpayers Will Be On The Hook Consumer Confidence in the Economy Plunged in May A No-Confidence Vote For Obamanomics May Jobs …


Odds ‘n Sods:

The book NOLS Wilderness Medicine is available free, for today only, from Amazon.com.    o o o I heard about a good article on bug-out RVs and camping trailers.    o o o Lee M. suggested: 51 Free Tools to Stay Informed and Invisible on the Internet    o o o Now approaching 100 active listings! There are some great retreat properties available at our spin-off site, SurvivalRealty.com. For example, one of the most recent ones is a 212-acre ranch property in Montana that would be ideal for a group or extended family retreat. In addition to the main house, …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“In the brief span of my lifetime, we have gone from a nation where kids could order a .22 [caliber rifle] in the mail (with their parents’ permission) and go to Sears and buy a kit for casting their own lead toy soldiers to a nation where they are protected from ‘dangerous clothing’ [with drawstrings] and would be expelled from school for drawing a picture of a toy soldier.” – Tamara, Editor of the View From The Porch blog