Letter Re: Sport Shooting for Preppers

James, Another thought on going beyond training day in and day out on firearm proficiency. Besides joining a club, hunting is a great way to practice firearms proficiency. There is the obvious aspect of practical shooting, especially when chasing small game and birds but even large game hunting is illustrative. Most people (including myself with five years active duty experience and the associated firearms training) rarely ever shoot at a live moving target. Shooting at a walking elk at 200 yards is a whole lot different than punching holes in paper. I thought I was good and what can be …


Economics and Investing:

Sue C. sent us this: Jim Rogers: US Looks Headed for Recession, Stock Crash in 2013 Also from Sue, this Reuters article: Britain in recession, intensifying government woes Jon in Montana spotted this: Detroit Mayor Bing’s proposed budget slashes government services by 50%. Jon asks: “Is this a sign of things to come, across the country?    John Grgurich: Spain is Struggling with its Debt, and You Should be Worried Items from The Economatrix: New IMF Figures Show at Current Rate Central Banks Will Buy Almost 700 Tonnes of Gold this Year Gas Prices Seen Headed Lower at Pump State …


Odds ‘n Sods:

M.E.S. wrote to mention that he likes the many do-it-yourself ideas at the Penny Wise – Homemade and Handy web page.    o o o Lynn G. sent this news article from England: Carpenter Builds Incredible Egg-shaped Treehouse Hidden From View on Crown Land    o o o R.W. sent something of interest to homeschoolers: University of Minnesota Launches Review Project For Open Textbooks    o o o Richard H. liked this at LifeHacker: DIY Gravity Water Filter.    o o o This has been mentioned once before in SurvivalBlog, but bears repeating: Making a 45-day emergency candle out of …



Note from JWR:

Today we present two 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 …


What to Do With It, After It Hits the Fan, by Elizabeth J.

In Arizona a disgruntled city employee, upset with budget cuts made in 2011, manually shut down numerous valves to a large city plant. His goal was to build up enough methane gas to blow up a quarter city block.  Luckily, two hours after shutting off the valves he surrendered with no damage to the plant, and citizens were not affected by the protest.  What if there had been damage to the plant? It is time to think about these things.  After the poo hits the fan, it keeps coming! So now the question is, what are we going to with …


Letter Re: Low-Cost Knives for Long-Term Survival

James, To follow up on M.B.’s article: I use the 12″ Tramontina machete all the time.  Using a hacksaw to make it more pointed, I dropped the point 7/16″ and put a 1 3/4″ long false edge on top with a 1/8″ wide bevel, and this shortened the blade to about 11 3/8.” It was easy to get the top edge perfectly straight with a file. This drop point makes it an effective stabber without weakening the blade.   The cutting edge was sharpened with a double cut bastard file, then a single cut smooth file to put a 1/8″ bevel …


Economics and Investing:

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: Europe faces Japan syndrome as credit demand implodes C.D.V. liked this Wall Street Journal piece: The Great California Exodus The young and the jobless – Half of bachelor’s degree-holders under the age of 25 are unemployed or underemployed, in the US. Social Security short fall highlights deeper reality of economy. Pierre M. sent this: De Borchgrave: Geneva gnome’s global dread Items from The Economatrix: Russia and Mexico Both Buy Nearly $1 Billion in Gold in March 22 Red Flags that Indicate that Very Serious Doom is Coming For Global Financial Markets What Happens When All the Money Vanishes …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Bob G. suggested three great how-to articles, over at Homestead Revival: Homemade Liquid Handsoap, Homemade Dishwasher Soap, and Homemade Laundry Soap.    o o o SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson recommended a Woods Wise video showing a fire bow drill, using all natural materials.    o o o In case you missed this: A Perfect Solar Superstorm: The 1859 Carrington Event. (Thanks to J. McC. for the reminder.)    o o o Kana suggested Roy Underhill’s television show The Woodwright. He has done 28 seasons of entertaining traditional woodworking, including tool making. These episodes will soon be released …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their Houses, and Farms, are to be pillaged and destroyed, and they consigned to a State of Wretchedness from which no human efforts will probably deliver them. The fate of unborn Millions will now depend, under God, on the Courage and Conduct of this army-Our cruel and unrelenting Enemy leaves us no choice but a brave resistance, or the most abject submission; that is all we can expect. …


Note from JWR:

Today we present two 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 …


Low-Cost Knives for Long-Term Survival, by M.B.

The purchase of good-quality knives for long-term use can be a huge challenge for preppers. Buying a knife is a lot like hiring a lawyer: when you ask how much a good one will cost, the answer you get is often, “How much would you like to spend?” A good knife for general usage often starts at $80 to $100, and prices can quickly escalate into the hundreds of dollars. Knife aficionados on the online forums often speak of spending several hundred dollars for the “perfect” survival/tactical/combat knife from a famous custom maker. To collectors and to some users, this …


Letter Re: A New Malware Threat

SurvivalBlog readers: If you have a fairly recently manufactured computer, there is no reason to expose your computer to malware at all. Most computers are powerful enough to host a “virtual machine” (MM) – that is, a session that is completely isolated from the hosting computer and that does not make any permanent changes to your system without your express command. VMs can be modified, saved and discarded as you wish. If you are browsing the web using a VM and suspect that you have encountered a virus or malware, simply discard that session and start a new one. There …


Economics and Investing:

Jim Sinclair: The Implications of China Paying in Gold. (Thanks to K.T. for the link.) G.G. flagged this one: In apparent first, a public pension plan files for bankruptcy. Bram S. spotted this: Doug Casey on Taxes and Freedom Over at Dr. Housing Bubble: The crashing US housing metro areas – Atlanta home values crash by 17 percent in last year and Las Vegas continues to move lower. Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco continue to make post-bubble lows. Items from The Economatrix: Social Security Fund to Run Out in 2035, Trustees Say In an Apparent First, a Public Pension …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Lee M. sent an interesting article and video: Time Lapse Views of Earth from Space. Lee suggests: “Take a look at the night scenes of Earth. it will give you an idea of where the major population centers are located.”    o o o One final reminder that this weekend I will be a guest speaker (via teleconference) at the Get Prepared Expo, that is being held in Springfield, Missouri on April 28 & 29, 2012. The expo is being organized by USAPrepares.com, at the Ozarks Empire Fairgrounds. My teleseminar will begin at noon, Central time.    o o o …