Letter Re: A Non-Warrior Surviving Traumatic Times

Hi, Thank you for sharing all of your info, but I have to be honest, I am so overwhelmed with it all that if or when this happens I would rather be dead.  Who would want to live like  this and what would be the reason to live?  I wouldn’t have the heart to shoot someone  to protect my food and I am a sharpshooter. I just wanted your opinion.   Best Regards, – Deborah C. JWR Replies: The underlying theme to my writings is to be part of an integrated team.  That team might be just a few families …


Three Letter Re: Cartridge Reloading Dollars and Cents

James, Having just read the letters regarding reloading economics, I noticed the following caveats and had two important points about them:   1.  “do not shoot lead bullets in a Glock” because of the polygonal rifling.  Polygonal rifling essentially creates rifling engagement angles that are less than 90 degrees, therefore whatever bullet material you use seals the bore better (because it’s easier to deform lead/copper into a rifling groove that has a more obtuse (open) angle) than a sharp 90 degree angle.    A standard cartridge fired out of a conventionally rifled barrel will travel faster out of a polygonal rifled …


Recipe of the Week:

Martha in Indiana’s Whole Wheat Bread   3 cups warm water 1 1/2 tablespoons dry yeast 1 tablespoon honey Dissolve the honey and yeast in the water in a large crockery bowl. Pray for 5 minutes while the yeast “activates”, becoming foamy. Stir in 3 c. W.W. Flour, stir for 5 minutes to develop gluten. Add 1/3 c. Honey, 4 teaspoons salt, 1/2 c. Applesauce and stir for another 5 minutes. Add flour (6-7 cups) till a stiff dough is formed. Turn out on floured board and knead until elastic and smooth.  A good test to see if it is kneaded enough is to …


Economics and Investing:

Ruh Roh: Europe’s Invisible Bank Run Accelerates. (Thanks to B.B. for the link.) J.D.D. sent this: Nightmare foretold if Greece heads for euro exit The lingering legacy of the shadow inventory – homeownership rate will bottom in 2014. Goldman Sachs predicts homeownership bottom. AmEx (American Expat) spotted this: Gold & Silver Decline: George Soros Nearly Quadrupled Gold Stake in Q1 James K. sent this: Economist Nouriel Roubini predicts trouble ahead for economy Mr. Singh sent this link: John Embry interviewed by James Turk again (on the 18th May 2012) Embry notes: “If you are negative on gold, then you must …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Kevin S. suggested this piece : Be Resilient, Part I: How to Measure Resilience    o o o Steve H. sent this: New FBI Surveillance Backdoors? Six Key Points    o o o North Korea ‘executes three people found guilty of cannibalism’. One man… “reportedly resorted to cannibalism after supplies to the city dwindled in the wake of the government’s disastrous efforts to reform the currency triggered rampant inflation and worsened already critical food shortages.”    o o o Ol’ Remus of The Woodpile Report recommended this piece: How Government Wrecked the Gas Can    o o o Finding a …



Note From JWR:

Today we present three more entries for Round 40 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 …


Fitness by the Acronyms, by Jeff in Texas

Let me start with this statement: You should be in good cardio condition to survive the acronyms, and I can help you get there. Like the guy that sells Men’s clothing say’s … “I guarantee it!” Why is it important? Because life ain’t a video game! Anyone that visits this site more than once, I would hope, has enough knowledge to know you won’t be playing this game sitting on the couch. And while it would be nice to think of all our fellow men as “good people” … we know when the going gets tough: the un-prepared and desperate …


Teach Your Children Well, by Vicki W.

My daughter was recently in an Earth Science class where a discussion took place.   The other students didn’t know that the dandelion with the yellow flower and the dandelion with the white seeds were one and the same.  And this is from students who have taken numerous public school science classes and will soon be out in the adult world.  As I told this to a close friend, she made the observation that this will be the level and skills of people we will be dealing with should TEOTWAWKI happen.  My heart hurts that children aren’t taught to think and how …


Cartridge Reloading Dollars and Cents, by R.S.O. in Arizona

While we are all preparing for something most of us are not financially secure there for we must stretch our Dollars as long as we have them as a form of currency.  Here in falls the concept of reloading your own ammunition.  Because face it we need to practice and we need to store for when the supply runs out.  Let’s start by doing a little math, Ammo 9mm Luger Winchester USA 115 Grain FMJ 1190 fps 100 Round Box $21.11 x 10 = $211.10 bought online.  Now let’s order the individual component parts online and see how much we …


Letter Re: Childbirth at Home, by J.C.

Dear Editor: There are a few errors in J.C.’s article posted 5/19/12. I am a registered nurse that has delivered many babies in hospital and in home and other emergency locations. My comments are in bold type. J.C. wrote:   Make sure to never pull on the baby’s head. Do apply gentle downward traction while someone pushes firmly down superior to mother’s pubic bone. This counter pressure is usually only done if there is a problem delivering the shoulders not as a routine intervention. Once the baby delivers the top shoulder, then release all pressure by everyone and tell mom …


Economics and Investing:

JPMorgan’s losses grow Massive Inflation Coming, Warns Donald Trump. (Thanks to Pierre M. for the link.) Ned M. suggested this: Geithner Comes Clean: “I Don’t Understand It” I found a link at The Drudge Report to this: $12,984–Increase in Debt Per Household Since First 2011 Bipartisan Spending Deal Items from The Economatrix: The $1.024 Billion Bank Run Why A Greek Exit From The Euro Would Mean The End Of The Eurozone Over 55 and Jobless, Americans Face Tough Hunt


Odds ‘n Sods:

Drugmakers weigh emergency supply plan for Greece    o o o Patrice Lewis of the excellent Rural Revolution blog posted her account of the recent Preparedness Expo in Colorado.    o o o Those gadgety folks at Uncrate posted this: Bug Out Bag: Everything that you need to survive and thrive in the Apocalypse, all stuffed conveniently into one pack. (Thanks to Greg P. for the link.)    o o o Tara McKelvey of The Wall Street Journal asks: Could We Trust an Army of Killer Robots?    o o o Pinellas residents flock to ‘Chickens 101’ to learn about …



Note From JWR:

Today we present two more entries for Round 40 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. Both of them are about childbirth. (There was a third, “Childbirth at Home, by J.C.”, but it was removed post facto because of a prior copyright.) 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 …