The Power of Three, by Jerry S.

Since we have all been reminded of the principle the “two is one and one is none”, it brings me to the conclusion that being prepared is really about “having a backup for your backup”.  So if “two is one”, then “three must be two”.  That has led me on a quest to discover at a minimum, three different ways to approach the problems we’ll face in a disaster situation.  If you are new to prepping or just want a different perspective of looking at things, maybe this will help.  To get us started, the first thing you should be …




Pat’s Product Reviews: Cold Steel Knives

I’ve carried a pocket knife of some type, ever since I was about six years old. Growing-up in Chicago, meant you were either going to take care of yourself, or become a meal for the next predator on the mean streets. There was a time, when I was a kid, that it seemed like everyone carried a pocket knife. I can remember going to elementary school, and most of the guys I went to school with carried pocket knives – in school! The police weren’t called, and you weren’t expelled from school, for carrying a “weapon.” It was just part of …




Letter Re: Internet Resources on Preparedness and Self-Sufficiency

James: To follow up on the recent Letter Re: Internet Resources on Preparedness and Self-Sufficiency, I’d like to recommend some more great resource web sites with free, no-copyright files that would be of interest to those who are studying preparedness and self-sufficiency: CD3WD Colossal collection of freebies. Journey to Forever Lots of articles and e-books. S.S.R.S.I. Tons free stuff. Soil and Health Library Some rare, free e-books. P.F.A.F. Nice database of useful plants. The database itself can be downloaded for a small donation. Practical Action Many great free articles with innovative solutions. Appropedia Endless articles. Fun to browse. F.A.S.T. Has some good resources, though not as many as …




Pat’s Product Review: Don’t Buy Junk!

When I started writing for SurvivalBlog, I told readers that I wouldn’t review junk. I don’t want to waste my time, or yours, reviewing junk. When you buy junk, you have to buy it again and again. When you buy quality, you are buying the best. Jim Rawles asked me to write about some junk – to help readers avoid it.   I’m like everyone else, I like a good deal, especially on guns and knives. I also like a good deal on military and survival gear, and like everyone else, I occasionally fall for something that is too good …




Survivors (Patriots Sequel) Book Bomb Day — October 4th

A reader wrote to mention that my upcoming novel “Survivors: A Novel of the Coming Collapse”  is already available for pre-order on Amazon.com. Please wait to order until the planned Book Bomb Day, October 4th, 2011. Please mark your calendars. By concentrating most of the initial orders on that day, we are hoping to drive the novel’s sales ranks up into the Top Ten, and thereby generate extra publicity. (That approach worked well with “Patriots”.) Many Thanks!




Letter Re: Internet Resources on Preparedness and Self-Sufficiency

Sir: Let me start with, my #1 resource for information has been the Internet for over 15 years.  I learn just about everything from this seemingly endless source of ‘how to guides’, to history and nature.  I can literally download thousands of ‘text based’ with the 1,000 gigabyte external memory devices I own.  It is also easier to lug around than just a few hundred books.  My point is, I am not knowledgeable on ‘survival’ and ‘growing foods’.  When the Schumer hits the fan, I doubt I’ll have the Internet as an extremely valuable resource of information to help me …




Pat’s Product Review: The Saiga 12 Shotgun

Awesome! That’s the best word I can come up with, to describe the Saiga 12, 12 gauge shotgun. Most people believe that only full-auto assault rifles, machine guns or submachine guns can offer-up “fire-power.” Well, I’m here to tell you that the Saiga 12 shotgun, can hold its own against many full auto guns – at least, given the limited range of a shotgun. Right now, the Saiga 12, is one of the hottest selling firearms across the country. There are several reasons for this, first of all is that, this is one fantastic shotgun for self-defense. Secondly, the BATFE, …




Red Dawn Goes Korean: Digitally-Manipulated Political Correctness

They call it the “dream factory”. Hollywood, they say, is where any dream can be made to appear to come true. Apparently that is still the case: The Los Angeles Times just reported that MGM has magically transformed the villains in the soon-to-be-released remake of the legendary John Milius film Red Dawn from Chinese to North Korean. The change in bad guys was accomplished by creating a new opening sequence summarizing the back story, by re-editing two scenes and by using digital technology to transform many Chinese symbols to Korean. All this cost only about $1 million in additional post-production …




Pat’s Product Review: Benchmade Auto Stryker 9101

Right off the bat, I’ll tell you, I like tanto point knives, for some strange reason. Maybe its because of that secondary cutting edge, or maybe its just the cool-factor. What we have here for review is the new and improved Benchmade Stryker automatic folder, Model 9101. For those of you in free states, where you can legally own an automatic knife, this one is worth looking at. If you live in a state that won’t allow an automatic knife, then Benchmade has several manual opening folders in the Stryker line-up as well.   The new Auto Stryker incorporates a …




Avalanche Lily’s Bedside Book Pile

Here are the current top-most items on my perpetual bedside pile: I recently watched a series of DVDs produced by The West Ladies. These amazing ladies have a great wealth of practical knowledge. They really know what works for self-sufficiency. I watched Homestead Blessings: The Art of Gardening and Homestead Blessings: The Art of Herbs. I have another titled Homestead Blessings: The Art of Canningthat I still need to watch. (There are many others in their DVD series.) From the outset, I was impressed by the years of collected knowledge and wisdom that these DVDs impart. I was also impressed …




Pat’s Product Review: Ruger SR40 Pistol

The handgun under review in this article is, the Ruger SR 40. The SR40 is the bigger brother to the 9mm Parabellum Ruger SR9. I jumped on the SR9 when it came out, as did many other gun writers. However, the new SR9 wasn’t without some birthing pains. The trigger pull was very gritty, and there were some reports of the SR9 firing if dropped. Ruger is quick to acknowledge when there is a problem, and they quickly sent out a recall for the first run of SR9s. Most owners got their guns back within a couple weeks – with …




Avalanche Lily’s Bedside Book Pile

Here are the current top-most items on my perpetual bedside pile: I just started to read “The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes – and Why“, by Amanda Ripley. Stephen Flynn described the book as follows: “Reading The Unthinkable will be life-changing. We live in an age of anxiety that has too many of us rocked back on our heels. Once you’ve feasted on the rich insights and wisdom of this remarkable book, you’ll be standing tall again. While our politicians and media have been keen to exploit and fan our worst fears, Amanda Ripley makes clear that individually and …




How to Inexpensively Build Your Library of Information, by Sky Watcher

We all understand from reading SurvivalBlog that having information and learning how to survive and thrive are going to be the keys to survival post-TEOTWAWKI.  You need to start gathering that library now. There is an extensive list of suggested books and materials to obtain posted on the blog.  Purchasing those at even discount prices from Amazon.com or other discount book sellers can still run into quite a bit of money.  Our local public library support group, Friends of the Library, have a twice a year discount book sale that my husband and I attend.  It fills the entire basement …




Avalanche Lily’s Bedside Book Pile

Here are the current top-most items on my perpetual bedside pile: I got sidetracked from my planned queue of review books to read the autobiography Fingerprints of God by O.A. Fish. One of our readers sent it to me, thinking that I might enjoy it. O.A. reminds me that yes, God can ask us to do projects that would be impossible to do with just our own knowledge, wisdom and expertise. But through our daily petitioning and dependence upon Him, He will perform miracles. He will bring the people into our lives through divine appointment who are willing and able …




Avalanche Lily’s Bedside Book Pile

I heard that Mark Harrison (the husband of Erin Harrison, who produced the excellent Homesteading for Beginners DVD series) was just involved in a freak accident that nearly cost him his life. While attaching some siding on a building under construction at their farm, a co-worker slipped and accidentally put an industrial staple into the back of Mark’s head, stapling his hat to his head. The prongs of the staple penetrated one inch into his skull. One brain surgery later, it looks like Mark has a good chance of making a complete recovery. Please keep Mark and his family in …