Odds ‘n Sods:

Reach out and touch someone: U.S. military snipers are changing warfare. (A hat tip to James K. for sending the link.)    o o o G.G. flagged this tale of a Polar Pure’s “precursor chemical” woes: “Collateral damage.” How the DEA defines your business, your freedom, and your life.    o o o From Kevin S.: Researchers discover cell phone hackers can track your location without your knowledge    o o o Also from Kevin: Private Drone Wars    o o o Another ultralight flying video from TTabs: Dry Falls Washington – Trike Flying. His description of the terrain: Only …



Note From JWR:

Today we present another entry 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 any …


Assessing Risk and Analyzing Hazards for Any Scenario, by Kyrottimus

As a former United States Air Force Readiness Troop (formerly known as “Disaster Preparedness” and, I think, now known as “Emergency Management”), AFSC 3E9X1, part of the Disaster Response Force within Civil Engineering Squadron’s “Prime BEEF” (Base Emergency Engineer Force), and having trained heavily with RED HORSE, I was exposed to quite the gamut of “Full-Spectrum Threat Response Plans”. I could go on ad nauseam about the myriad of tasks and responsibilities affiliated with this career field, but I wont. Specifically, this is about the process of performing a Risk Assessment and Hazard Analysis. I’m sure as many experts in …


Letter Re: Sunspot 11476 Update

Hi James, At about 12:30 UTC this morning Sunspot 11476 flared at the M4.7 level thereafter remaining at an elevated emission state. As of just a few minutes ago it re-flared, peaking to M1.8. Last night’s read at Solen.info gave the area as 1100 SM and noted significant complexity at at least two points within the spot. This morning’s HMIB from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) platform has in the leading spot a section in which very high positive and negative magnetic gradients are immediately adjacent to each other with strong intermixing occurring. This is almost always a sign that …


Letter Re: A Source for Camouflage Material

Mr. Rawles, While searching around the Internet for camouflage, I came across this web site for Milsim (Airsoft) gamers that has a lot of fairly inexpensive new clothing and tactical items and is searchable by camo pattern.  They have an inexpensive version of Multicam I’m looking at, as well as a number of items in your oft-mentioned British DPM pattern.  I haven’t ordered from them yet, so can’t speak to their service or quality.   Thanks, – Brian  in Colorado


Economics and Investing:

A.K.H. sent this: Testimony cites savings from using steel: House holds hearing on future of coin production. JWR Urges: Get your nickels, soon! Michele Bachmann claims Swiss citizenship. It is always nice to have a Plan B. Mayo downgrades JPMorgan Items from The Economatrix: Baby Boomers:  “A Gray Wave,” Now Permanently Jobless Gas Prices Falling:  Next Stop $3 A Gallon? Oil Falls For 5th Day, Down 2%


Odds ‘n Sods:

Please continue to pray for the fledgling nation of South Sudan. They are now confronted with brewing civil unrest at home, and war with their parent nation, Sudan.    o o o Andrew in England sent this bit of Nanny State Nuttery News: US Self-Defence Expert Barred From Britain. (Nanny says: We mustn’t hit back, children.)    o o o How Do Gardener has posted a complete Planting Guide for Tomatoes that includes state-specific varieties, planting dates, days to harvest, nutrition facts, fertilizing, watering, insect and disease control information.    o o o Reader Tim J. sent this one: Safety …



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 …


Sheep: The Original Homesteading Livestock, by S.C.

It is my opinion that survival in a long-term, system-down situation will require a lot more than stored food and water. Survival may boil down to being able to produce food in a sustainable manner with little more than natural resources. Many people seem focused on “bug out” plans, food storage and gardening, with seemingly little thought to the long-term survivability of their plan. While gardens will provide sources of nutrition which are very necessary, the higher calorie and protein needs cannot be satisfied by gardening alone.   Eggs, milk and meat are good sources of protein with caloric benefits …


Letter Re: Water Distillation Safety

James, Thanks for posting regarding the Pure Water Revolution stills. I’d like to mention a concern regarding the purity of the ‘pure water’ mentioned in the video, and an idea for operational cost of the unit. Volatile organic compounds such as: formaldehyde, d-Limonene, toluene, acetone, ethyl alcohol, 2-propanol hexanal, propane, butane, methyl chloride, etc.  All have a boiling point lower than or equal to water.  Therefore some of these compounds will end-up in the ‘pure water’ with the setup as shown in the video. Many of the aforementioned compounds can be removed by not collecting water from the still until …


Letter Re: Fruit Crop Losses in the Great Lakes Region

Mr. Rawles, There has been a substantial loss of several fruit crops in Michigan due to unseasonable weather (warm weather caused budding followed by freezing temperatures that killed the fruit blossoms) as reported by AccuWeather.   Michigan is third in apple production and produces a fifth of this country’s sweet cherries and three quarters of its tart cherries, and prices are expected to increase. SurvivalBlog readers should take advantage of sales and supplies as they find them and can or “put by” accordingly. – Home’s Cool Mom


Two Letters Re: Beans, Bullets, Band-Aids, and Birthdays

Jim: I have to say, the recent Beans, Bullets, Band-Aids, and Birthdays article hit exactly how I view prepping for morale, especially for children (which can in turn improve the morale of adults). When I was 10 my dad lost his job and for four years he toiled at any hard labor job he could find, including roofing all the hail damaged house in the area. We went from having dessert every other dinner to barely eating and forget new clothes, we barely had money for the thrift store bargains. Luckily, there were three of us girls, so all the …


Letter Re: Some Thoughts on Cartridge Handloading

Mr. Rawles, Kent C.’s article about handloading is a very informative piece.  However, I’d like to provide a little supplemental information.  First off is the matter of cost.  Kent makes the point, with good mathematical support, that reloading doesn’t really save much money when reloading common calibers (your primary guns are in common caliber, aren’t they?), but there are a couple elements he did not mention.  I have a friend who, in conjunction with a couple other guys, put in a large freight order of reloading components for several different common calibers.  We’re talking five-digit bullet counts here, with equal …