“Future prosperity will not be based or sustained…by building big financial sectors. It is an economy based on real resources: On energy, ocean, natural resources, as well as the capabilities of people.” – Icelandic President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, addressing Alaskan statesmen, February 13, 2012
Today we present another two entries for Round 39 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 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a …
Home food preservation is an important part of my food storage program. I decided that if it can be sold in a can in the store, then I should be able to put it up myself, in jars. I buy dry goods such as rice, pasta, potato flakes and dry beans and use a canner to store them in large #10 cans, as well as vacuum sealing with the “FoodSaver” jar lid port. I’ve also hit a few sales after the holidays to buy a supply of candy to vacuum seal in jars for a time when a little comfort …
I am writing this to encourage you to do with gardening and food preparation what we are encouraged to do with all of our prepping, practice, practice practice, your life depends on knowing that your plan will work! I don’t know if this will even qualify as a survival article but if nothing else maybe it will help some, like me, who need that little kick in the pants to start practicing our survival plans. Maybe some of our mistakes, outlined in this article, will help you avoid them and experience a more successful first year of gardening than we …
JWR: A key to survival will be having a handy way to start seedlings any time of the year, or perhaps to even have a micro-greenhouse for Winter vegetables. A cold frame is great for this and you can make one for yourself very easily My wife and I have been starting a lot of seeds recently and I thought I would pass on a simple homemade cold frame idea I had. This cold frame requires no tools and only about an hour to assemble. If you buy the materials, you can purchase everything for about $100. I started …
James, I am trying to facilitate my move to the American Redoubt area and am planning some income sources. I make knives, holsters, and pouches for other accessories but I am looking to expand what I can offer to help support my family when we move. My question is for you as well as anyone else you know in that area. I am an avid reloader and was wondering what the ammo options are like in the American Redoubt region. I’m curious about local places that offer a decent selection at a good price. From a few years of experience …
K.P. sent this infographic article: All The World’s Gold Peak Everything — Why Everything Costs More. (Thanks to Michael W. for the link.) Diana sent us this: Warren Buffett Trashes Gold, But What About Silver? Items from The Economatrix: Greek Death Spiral Accelerates Trade Deficit Widens To $48.8 Billion In December S&P Lowers Ratings On 34 Italian Banks Gold Drops As Greece Delay Lifts Dollar
M.P. mentioned that the last free version of Ham Radio Deluxe, used for communicating with various digital modes, is available here. o o o California’s mobile hospitals are losing funding and time. (Thanks to Sean B. for sending the link.) o o o Security Slackers Risk Internet Blackout on March 8. o o o Joe M. sent this one: Daylong traffic jam on Interstate 10 leads to motorist horror stories. [JWR’s Comment: If just fixing some potholes caused this, then what will the major freeways look like when the Schumer hits the fan?] o o o …
“Freedom is not a place to visit, or a thing to be achieved. Freedom is a commitment, a way of life that will endure only as long as men love it for themselves and their children, more than their weariness, or their fear, or vain comforts.” – Michael Case
I’m not a fan of “mouse calibers” for self-defense! However, I’m a firm believer in having some sort of back-up piece to my main gun. I still remember when I saw my first North American Arms (NAA) Mini .22 LR revolver. I want to say it was in the mid 1970s, and I was at my favorite gun shop in a southwestern suburb of Chicago. I was good friends with the fellow who worked there, and he always wore a baseball cap. He took his baseball cap off, and revealed he was carrying, in a pocket, sewn into the brim …
IBS and TEOTWAWKI Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), is a difficult and tricky topic to cover. First, let’s get some of the politics out of the way and then some pretty interesting facts about IBS to start with, then we will move on to some helpful management tips. The actual definition of Irritable Bowel Syndrome is this: a gastrointestinal syndrome characterized by chronic abdominal pain and altered bowel habits in the absence of any organic cause. Obviously, if there is no way to actually test for a disease, then there is a wide interpretation of who has it and why they …
Dear SurvivalBloggers: There are a number of ways to encrypt or read encrypted email. This one is about the easiest to get installed and running on your Macintosh computer, that I’ve run across. It uses the native Apple Mail program, and adds a OpenPGP Encryption and Signature option. All you have to do is install the program from the dmg file, and enter a password. There’s a GUI key interface for importing existing keys into it. Of course not all emails need encryption, but that OPSEC sensitive email you need to send to loved ones or group members is a …
Jim: I would like to begin this story by telling you why I felt it was needed. I was reading the blog and saw the post from R.H. “When the lights went out in the southwest” and how they had a very hard time getting in contact with his nephew. And also a recent post on CME and nuclear power plant failures and grid down type situations. And it got me thinking about how little some people know about how the traditional communications grid in this country works. To qualify my position on this subject I will tell you …
Ken E.’s Chicken and Stuffing Ingredients: 1/2 lb of Chicken or 2 Chicken Breasts. 1 can of Cream of Mushroom soup. 1 box of instant stuffing. 3 sticks of celery. 1 cup of water. In a crock pot, or Dutch oven place the raw chicken and chopped celery and can of cream of mushroom soup set on low heat. cook for 3 hours or until chicken is just past pink. In a separate container add the stuffing mix and 1 cup of water and mix well. Add the stuffing to the chicken and soup mixture. Serve. This …
John Williams of Shadow Stats says: “This is end of the world type stuff”. He recommends stocking up on barter items. A bunch of links, all courtesy of Kevin S.: Presenting The (Only) Four Outcomes To The Global Public Debt Crisis On The Failure Of Inflation Targeting, The Hubris Of Central Planning, The “Lost Pilot” Effect, And Economist Idiocy A National Debt Of $14 Trillion? Try $211 Trillion US Closes 2011 With Record $15.22 Trillion In Debt, Officially At 100.3% Debt/GDP, $14 Billion From Breaching Debt Ceiling Items from The Economatrix: Why Is Global Shipping Slowing Down So Dramatically? The …