Note from JWR:

Today we present the last two entries for Round 41 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. All other accepted entries that are still in the queue will roll over into Round 42. (As usual, we got a torrent of entries in the last few days of the month.) 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 of their military surplus gear, E.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value), and F.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo.

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training. Together, these have a retail value of $589. B.) A FloJak FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and E.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206, C.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, D.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and E.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 41 ends on July 31st and the queue is full, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry for Round 42. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Maintaining Posture as a Hard Target, by A.K.

As a former Sergeant of Marines, terrorism awareness was second nature.  It was not until I transitioned to civilian life that I realized the average guy doesn’t have a clue what a “Hard Target” is.   A Hard Target is a target that presents the lowest probability of being destroyed or overtaken.  I am breaking it down to three basic sections: 1. You’re self, 2. you’re vehicle and 3. you’re Home.  To start you need to rethink your wardrobe.  You should purchase clothing that helps you blend in. This means no wild colors or clothes that sport expensive name brands or oversized logos. If you were going to steal a purse and two women walked by one with a $600 Coach brand and the other with a $25 one from Wal-Mart what would you choose. The same  applies to how you dress.  The second thing to consider is the colors and material. Earth tones are  best. They blend in with nature and don’t stand out on the street. If you choose to carry a handgun you should consider concealment when picking out clothing. Thinner shirts and lighter colors more easily display the outline of a firearm as well as tighter and smaller articles. You have to dress to conceal. This may mean going up a size in trousers and blouse.  If you are wearing shorts, flip flops and a tank top where are you going to hide your firearm?  Also everyone else that sees you knows that you most likely are not armed.

Predators prey on the weak and sick. Lions attack the slowest and oldest Zebras in the herd not the strong and fast ones. The same is true for the two legged variety or predator.                    

  
Next thing to think about is your vehicle. It should always be topped off with gas. I fill my truck up at a half tank so I always have at least that much gas. The type of vehicle should be taken into consideration as well. Driving a $50,000 foreign luxury car is not a good posture. It only shows off  to the criminal that you have money and at the very least a nice car to steal. A good American 4 door or Truck a few years old and well maintained will do just fine. They are common cars and blend well. Lightly tinted windows are good to keep gear out of sight as long as they are not so dark as to imply that there is something inside that you don’t want anyone to see. The interior should be clean with nothing in sight regardless of value. All GPS receivers, cell phones, chargers and electronics should be taken down and stowed out of sight every time you leave the vehicle. No bags of any kind should be visible. You want to give the impression of nothing being in the vehicle. All BOBs should be stowed in the trunk. Tool boxes that lock and are secured to the bed work well for Pickups. Even small change in a cup holder should be removed as I have heard from friends vehicles that their vehicles were burglarized over such trifling items.

Once you have your vehicle squared away you can move on to routine. You want to be as random as possible in your daily routine. This means not leaving at the same time every morning, taking different routes to and from work, not stopping at the same place  for coffee, gas etc. The more variables you create the harder you will be to track and the more difficult it will be to figure out your work/ school schedule. This will make it hard for anyone to determine when you will be out of the house or where and when you work.   While on the road, watch for any suspicious vehicles that may be following you.  When in doubt pull over and let them pass or make a U-turn. This will make it next to impossible for anything aside from a revolving tail to continue to follow. (A revolving tail is a police surveillance technique where multiple vehicles take turns following a vehicle while maintain radio contact to make the tail harder to spot.) Always be aware of your surroundings. If something feels shady or suspect it probably  is. A good tool is a pen and paper within reach in your car. Take down the make, model and plates or any suspicious vehicles you encounter. This will help you to determine if the vehicle is the same you saw the other day that was suspicious and help the police in an investigation should anything happen. Take note of any vehicles parked in your neighborhood that seem out of place and write down the plated, make color and description of the vehicle. This is to include contractor vehicles that may be doing repairs on your neighbors homes. Many contractors have drug habits and use their work to find easy targets to make easy money. They usually work while you are away at work and can very easily determining your routine. If they watch you leave every day at 0630 and return at 1700 they know the window they have to break into your property.

While at home there are several things you can do to become a hard target. First your house should never look as if no one is home. A simple light on a timer can do the trick. You should shred anything that goes in the trash with your name on it. This includes receipts and bills and even mail addressed to you. You would be surprised the information someone can gather from you just by going through your trash. All Doors in the house should have a locking mechanism that is only accessible from the inside and any door with a window or any glass should have a dead bolt with a key that can be removed and locked from the inside. A “Beware or Dog” is also a good deterrent even if you don’t have a dog. Remember the idea behind becoming a hard target is to make yourself and your property as undesirable to the criminal as possible. This will in turn lessen, not eliminate the risk of becoming a victim.

Sliding doors can be rendered next to impossible to open with a simple wooden dowel or 2×4. The same is true for regular doors that have a wall behind them. Placing a 2×4 between the door and wall will render the door inoperable even while unlocked. This is good for doors that are rarely used like back or porch doors. I place NRA stickers on key doors and windows around the house. Small enough that they are only visible from close up. Some may argue that this presents a risk as firearms are next to jewelry on the list for items commonly stolen during burglaries. I disagree with that assessment because I keep all my firearms locked in a 1,000 pound fire proof gun safe that is bolted to the floor and would require a torch or cutting tools to open with out the key or code. All jewelry in my home is stored in a safe.

Finally I want to touch on security while in the home. Don’t assume that just because you are home you are not at risk for theft. Recent years have seen rise in home invasions. I keep my carry gun on me even when doing chores around the house or mowing the lawn or walking the property. Get to know your neighbors and their routines. Talk to them about neighborhood security and inform them when you will be out of town. Offer to look after their property when they are away and help them become hard targets as well. Over all be alert, be proactive and be safe. Remember complacency kills. God Bless and Semper Fidelis.

Cold Weather Travel and Survival, by Sven J.

If you live in the American Redoubt or any of the Northern US, you deal with a lot of cold winter weather. But all of those folk living in warmer places, you need to take heed too, because cold weather can touch you too in a survival situation. In January 2010, Florida experienced temperatures in the mid-30 degrees Fahrenheit (F) range, cold enough to kill the unprepared individual.
 
I grew up in Alaska, and spent my childhood and teen years exploring the woods and the mountains, often far from any trails. Winter is actually the optimum time for travel in places where there are no roads and trails because Alaska’s dreaded thickets of Sitka Alder and Devil’s Club are safely buried under many feet of snow and the streams and rivers are frozen. More importantly, large loads can be sledged behind snow machines (snow mobiles for you lower 48ers), dogs, or humans. The first general store in my hometown was actually brought up the frozen river over 75 miles from the ocean this way back in the early 20th century.
 
For the purposes of this discussion, I am going to define cold weather conditions as temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. I am going to exclude another very dangerous condition that is common to the Pacific Northwest- the wet cold when there is liquid water just above 32 Fahrenheit (F).
 
You may scoff at cold temperatures, even sub zero temperatures. After all, you can go work all day outside in the winter when it is -10 F and still be fine right? You haven’t experienced cold weather until you have went out and lived in it for a few weeks at a time. It takes on completely new dimensions when you don’t have a ready supply of clean, dry clothes and warm shelter to go back to at the end of the day.
 
For the newly initiated: No cotton in the cold weather ever! As cotton becomes moist from your sweat, it will begin to take heat away from your body, resulting in hypothermia. Layering is the key to dressing for the cold. You always want to minimize the amount of sweat you produce by optimizing your layers. As you become more active, take layers off. As you slow down, put layers on. Aim for a perfect fit for your layers, but if this is not possible, get clothes that are looser rather than tighter. The air between the layers will help insulate you.
 
In our active state, we can resist the cold well. That’s why you can go outside and work in the cold weather and be none the worse, even wearing light clothes. But as soon as the activity stops, our metabolism drops, and we are at risk of hypothermia. When you are walking, carrying a load or working in cold weather, your clothing can actually be pretty light. On my cold weather running workouts when temperatures were at -15 F, I would typically wear wool socks, poly propylene top and bottom underwear, fleece pants and jacket, balaclava, and thick gloves.
 
You will be able to turn up some of the items you need at REI or your local outdoors store. But beware: some mountaineering/skiing type clothing is not made with the durability necessary for work or moving through thick brush. Gear made of materials such as thick nylon and wool will be heavier, but you can ill afford to rip your clothes during a survival situation. Duluth Trading Company, Canada Goose, Woolrich, and military surplus all offer the durable, warm clothes you will need. Also, I love my Carhartt gear, but leave it at home for the winter trek. As far as I know, all of their clothes are made to be worn for the day and dried out at night, an option that will not be available to you on multi day trips.
 
Start with your base layers. I recommend Under Armor brand boxers. One pair per day if possible, just like Mom told you. Thick, high quality wool socks are a must. It might hurt to shell out $20 for a pair of socks, but it is worth it. One pair of socks per day, and always one clean dry pair to wear into the sleeping bag at night. Wear top and bottom long underwear. I have had the best luck with polypropylene long under wear as they keep you very warm even when damp. Generic brands are readily available.
 
Now we move up into insulating layers. I have a wool union suit that is excellent, but military surplus thick polypropylene “Extreme Cold Weather System” underwear work as well. If I need additional layers, I prefer my light but very warm alpaca sweater. Wool and fleece sweater/jackets are excellent as well. Remember that as you move up in layers, you will need larger sizes to fit over your other layers.
 
For outer layers, I wear wool pants and a wind breaker. I have nylon overalls for working. For times when you are inactive, you need a heavy down parka with a hood. Don’t skimp on the parka! Your parka is probably the single most important clothing item discussed here. For temperatures less than -20 F, you may need down pants as well. I recommend using suspenders or bib overalls as much as possible. When working and traveling it can be irritating to have too many layers going on at your waist.
 
Footwear should be bought slightly large so that you can wear two pairs of wool socks if needed. I wear thin Smartwool liner socks, thick wool socks and Baffin brand boots. A quality pair of gaiters is an excellent investment, the only brand I have found that works well is Outdoor Research. Whatever brand of boots you get, removable liners are a must so that you can wear them into the sleeping bag if necessary. Your boots will collect a lot of moisture and can freeze solid at night. To rest your tired dogs at night, get a pair of down camp booties to wear around camp.
 
If your hands are uncovered, they can become numb in less than a minute. Recently, I discovered that by wearing wool “hobo” gloves without finger tips, I could take off my bulky overmitts to do delicate work for a few minutes without making my hands too cold. The military issues over mittens with a trigger finger for operating a firearm, but I have not tried these. If you need more dexterity for longer periods, I recommend a pair of high quality technical mountaineering gloves.
 
The arctic sun’s glare can cause snow blindness after a few days of travel, so you will need tinted goggles. These will also be necessary to protect your eyes from blowing snow in storms.
 
Head wear is of critical importance because up to 80% of the body’s heat can escape through the head. The balaclava is one of the most versatile, useful clothing items for cold weather survival. It can be used as a hat, scarf, or to protect the whole head. Have at least one with you. Additionally, have a hat, either a wool watch cap or an earflap hat.
 
If possible, select a campsite near the top of a hill. The cold air sinks into the valleys, so it can be 5-10 degrees warmer on hilltops. Make sure that you are sheltered from any wind. If no shelter is a available you may have to construct a wall or other shelter to block the wind. I’m not going to go into the many styles and techniques for building snow shelters, but I can personally attest to how wonderful a snow cave can be. They warm up quickly to a relative balmy 32 F regardless of outside temperatures.
 
If you bring a tent, ensure that it will be able to withstand any winds you expect. A tent is not always necessary and I have spent many beautiful nights under the stars and northern lights.
 
Everyone’s body reacts differently to sleeping in cold weather. Some sleep with relative ease, but others sleep “cold” and may want warmer sleeping bags. You basically have two choices for sleeping bag materials, down and synthetic. Synthetic is usually cheaper, lighter, and more compactable but it can lose its insulating value in just a few years as it becomes compacted down. I’m not discounting synthetic sleeping bags… they can be excellent for fast light travel, but don’t count on one lasting forever. Down sleeping bags are heavier, but they will last longer and I believe they are more trustworthy. I am a “cold” sleeper, so I generally add 20 degrees to whatever the bag is advertised as (So -20 F rated bag becomes a 0 F bag). You won’t necessarily freeze to death if your bag is not warm enough, but you will spend a miserable night with little or no sleep, which could be very dangerous after two nights of sleep deprivation. Make sure your mummy bag fits almost perfectly. The more dead space you have, the less efficient your heat retention. Maximize the bags warmth by keeping the drawstrings around your face tight. Always ensure that your breath vents out of the bag to prevent a build up of moisture.
 
Insulation from the ground is at least as important as insulation from the air, as lying on a cold surface will conduct large amounts of heat from your body. In the winter I use two thick foam pads for sleeping. I advise against air inflated pads because they are vulnerable to leaks that render them useless. Also, foam pads can be used as splints, makeshift sleds, etc. I have used spruce boughs in place of sleeping pads and it wasn’t the most comfortable but it worked.
 
Wear several layers into the sack if necessary; especially dry socks to prevent trench foot. You may even want to bring a watch cap to be worn only in the sleeping bag. Items that need to be dried can be brought into the sleeping bag, but they will rob you of some heat. At night I like to fill my Nalgene water bottles with hot water and bring them into the bag. You may also need to bring battery operated devices to bed with you to preserve charge. This ensures you have some water in the morning and also keeps your feet warm.
 
As I learned the hard way a few years ago, compressed gas does not work in extreme cold conditions. Use a stove that is manually pressurized like the Mountain Safety Research Whisperlite. I have used this rugged, self cleaning, reliable stove when I climbed Mount McKinley (Denali) and other Alaska Range trips and it has never let me down. I recommend one stove per person as you will need to melt large quantities of snow for water. Be very careful to not get stove fuel on your skin during extreme cold. Because its freezing point is much lower than water, it could cause instant frostbite. When melting snow, make sure you start with a small amount of liquid water at the bottom; otherwise the bottom of your pan will burn rather than melting the snow.
 
As with any type of camping, a fire can be a welcome addition to your camp. Starting a fire in below zero temperatures will challenge your patience and skills. See Jack London’s short story “To Build a Fire.”
 
The farther north you are, the shorter your winter days, so try to have camp broken by first light. Fill your water bottles for the day with warm water and wrap them in whatever insulation you have in your baggage so that they don’t freeze.
 
For snow travel, you will most likely need skis or snow shoes. Walking through deep, powdery snow without them will quickly exhaust you. You may feel like a crusty Sourdough when you wear your old fashioned ash and rawhide snow shoes, but I recommend modern, rigid plastic snowshoes with crampons for effective travel on hills. A sled is another tool that can make your winter travel easier. Although expensive purpose built can be had, I use a reinforced kiddie plastic toboggan. On level terrain, your sled can be your best friend, allowing you pull more than you can carry on your back. If you are going up steep hills, I recommend you keep most of the load on your back.

Keep in mind that your firearm may not function properly in sub-zero temperatures. Strip all oil from your gun in cold weather, or risk having the action locked shut. Keep in mind that firing a gun in extreme cold weather causes the weapon’s temperature to rise rapidly, which could affect the temper of the steel. Usually this won’t be a problem if you are just taking a few shots at some game, but if you are in a sustained gun battle with a pistol or an assault rifle, you risk severe damage to your firearm. One solution to this is to hold your weapons inside your layers to keep them warm. Of course, this presents the problem of having a giant chunk of cold metal robbing you of your heat.
 
Moisture is going to be enemy number one in the extreme cold. Moisture from your body will wick its way through your layers and freeze on your outer layers. Your eyebrows and beard will be covered with frost. You must constantly work to keep this frost off your clothes. Brush it off regularly. Adjust your layers so that you do not break a sweat. Sweat build up can wreak havoc in cold weather. This highlights the importance of conditioning for survival. Carrying a 70 pound pack while pulling a 45 pound sled without sweating takes a lot of exercise. Keep in mind that your nose will run in the cold air. Bring plenty of Vaseline to keep your face from becoming chapped.
 
As with any activity, hydration is key. The dry air will quickly rob your body of moisture. Drink lots of water, especially hot drinks to keep warm. I have known people who deliberately dehydrated themselves during storms so that they wouldn’t have to leave the tent to urinate. This is foolish and dangerous. Consume plenty of food high in fat content during extreme cold. Anything with lots of butter is good. Under no circumstance consume alcohol in extreme cold. This enlarges your blood vessels and increases heat loss. Keep yourself clean to the best of your abilities. Baby wipes work well for sanitation and bird baths. I’m not going to discuss the cold related illnesses and injuries and their treatments because others have written excellent articles that cover these subjects. Suffice to say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
 
Cold weather survival, as with anything survival, is about discipline, discipline, discipline. Keep your guard up against the Wendigo, and with a little experience, you will not only survive the cold, you will thrive in it. And when the mercury rises from -40 F to 35 F, you will be looking for your Bermuda shorts and flip flops.

Letter Re: Swiss Fallout Shelter Specifications

Dear Mr Rawles:
A follow-up to my last letter: Spiez is where the Swiss have their federal testing lab for Civil Defense.  The lab has an english version of its website.  At this link  your readers may acess the list of tested and aprooved components ( for CD shelters) and in a seperate document, the list of aprooval holders.  Interested readers can then with a search engine find the companies who make components of interest one of which is Lunor. This company also has an English version of their web site.  Readers can from there select blast doors, NBC filters,  valves etc.  Spiez is also the home of the Swiss level 4 confinement lab, ( of which a few pictures can also  be found  on the lab website).
 
Beste grussen und danke ein andere mal. – Jason L.

News From The American Redoubt:

I heard that a new and quite conservative prepper-friendly Baptist church has been planted up in Bozeman, Montana. Calvary Baptist Church, an independent fundamental Baptist church, will be pastored by Philip Brown. According to his newsletter, Brown felt strongly convicted to relocate his family to Montana. He mentioned that some quite providential things fell into place, to make it all happen. See their video introduction.

  o o os

Reader Joe W. sent this interactive map: Multiple Shootings in the United States. Notice a big hole in this map? There have been almost no multiple shootings in the heavily-armed American Redoubt. (Plus the Dakotas.) Conventional Statist Wisdom says: More Guns, More Crime, but the reality is: More Guns, Less Crime.

   o o o

The AARP ranks Spokane, Washington as the #1 town to live in, for affordability.

   o o o

A Department of Transportation (DOT) map of average daily truck traffic shows that there is far less traffic in the Redoubt.

   o o o

Mark A. mentioned: “SmartMoney.com has been reviewing about one state per week as places to retire. They finally got to Idaho last week. Here also are Montana, Wyoming, Oregon and Washington.”

Odds ‘n Sods:

G.G. flagged this: The world’s first 3D-printed gun. (This technology proves the futility of any further statist dreams of effective “gun control.” The djinn has escaped the bottle.)

   o o o

Sticking to their guns: Marines place $22.5M order for the Colt .45 M1911.

   o o o

One to add to your toolbox: Sugru is a new air-curing rubber that can be formed by hand. It bonds to most materials and turns into a strong, flexible silicone rubber overnight.

   o o o

370 million without power in India. (Thanks to Mitch K. for the link.)

Notes from JWR:

For a new hardback edition, I’ve been asked by Ulysses Press to create a new Revised Edition of my novel Patriots. This new edition should be published in October, 2012. Eventually there will be three hard copy formats: a hardback book, a trade paperback, and a mass market paperback. This new edition is the opportunity for me to correct some anachronistic errors that have developed over the 21 year life of the novel. (I wrote the first draft in the winter of 1990-1991.) For example, I’ve changed Doug Carlton’s father from a Vietnam veteran to a Desert Storm veteran. And I’ve upgraded Todd Gray’s PC to a terabyte hard drive and a DSL modem. (References to dial-up modems now seem very dated.) By the way, if you’ve noticed factual errors, temporal glitches, typos, or other editorial lapses in the current paperback edition of Patriots, then please send me a list via e-mail. Thanks!

—

Today we remember the birthday of author Reginald Bretnor. He was born Alfred Reginald Kahn on July 30, 1911, in Vladivostok. He died on July 22, 1992 in Medford, Oregon. In addition to writing many witty science fiction novels and short stories in his characteristic style, he also penned nonfiction articles for Mel Tappan’s P.S. Letter.

C.J.’s Book Review: Long Term Survival in the Coming Dark Age, by James Ballou

I had long been interested in buying Mr. Ballou’s book Long-Term Survival In The Coming Dark Age: Preparing to Live after Society Crumbles. He has several compelling titles out there about survival skills. I selected  this one because the cover caught my eye: a Foreword by Ragnar Benson. For those who don’t know this author, he has written many excellent books on the subject of Survival and Preparedness. He is considered one of the originals along with Mel Tappan, and Kurt Saxon who were among the main Survivalist writers  in the 1970s.  Benson also often disagrees with his contemporaries, making him even more interesting to read. The political and economic situation in the present day reminds me of that  time when the word Survivalist was first invented.  Benson, to me, is my favorite author on this subject. He combines a unique writing style with real world experience in Survival and Preparedness.  I often re-read Mr. Benson’s work for entertainment and review of essential skills and philosophy. I figured anyone of his caliber who would put his name on a recent book was worth buying.

Ballou starts out with the usual “Why Prepare?” argument citing possibilities of what could happen if society collapses. Unless the book is for beginners or entry level readers, a chapter like this  should be omitted. Most Preparedness-Minded folks don’t need to be convinced. If they do need to be convinced there are plenty of publications out there for free. Personally I just go to work in the Emergency Room and observe modern American society in all it’s glory.

Mr. Ballou lists the need for the usual: Wood Stoves, Tools, Water Purification Filters etc. Again, an entry-level discussion would be good  for the completely clueless, but not for more advanced Preparedness people.  He lists many survival items,  but the problem is he always qualifies with “Could be useful” or “Could Possibly” or “Might Be”. Unlike Benson, he indicates little or no real-world experience with the supplies he writes about. Often they are just basic common sense. Do people really need to read that a bathtub could be filled with water for emergency use? That’s FEMA stuff, not Dark Ages stuff. Still,  the illustrations are a fun reminder of some tools and equipment to have. You may just want to take a picture of your own stock-up items for later reference. Or keep and read  those free tool catalogs. If you want pictures, don’t buy this book.   

The chapter on underground caches is interesting, but there is nothing new here either. Advise such as making sure no one sees what you are doing, cover your tracks, etc. also goes without being said (or written). One interesting note on the subject of burial of survival items p. 27:
Survival author Ragnar Benson has written about using a post auger for boring deeper holes. Keep in mind, however that a full size . . . auger will be more difficult to conceal if you travel on foot to your cache site and you might draw unwanted attention to your activities . . .

That’ is quite a thing to say: contradict a survival expert with more than four decades of real-world experience-who endorsed your own book! Especially since  Benson’s own book on Caching is a great, informative read. Did Mr. Ballou consider a post-hole is faster to dig, or disturbs the ground less thus offsetting other disadvantages? What about breaking down the digger into component parts to be re-assembled at the dig site? A post hole digger handle looks a lot like a hiking staff. Mr. Ballou does not discuss advantages, disadvantages or alternatives to this, other than he does not think  it’s a good idea. Before I would go toe-to-toe with an writer and survivalist like Ragnar Benson, I would make sure I had some solid points to make other than what seems to be vague speculation.
He also said to be sure to carry some water with you when you go digging. Thank you Mr. Ballou for the sage survival advise.

Chapter 3 was worth the price of the book. The Survival Workshop. I could tell that this is the area where Mr. Ballou has experience and expertise. The basic metalworking, riveting and shop set-up ideas are well presented, with less “could-be” or “might be useful” and more “normally very effective”. I like to read “is” instead of “might” when it comes to life-or-death analysis of what I may have to do in a societal collapse. I am not a hobbyist.  I really like the idea of making a thread cutting die from a file, or a vise from 2 x 4s.  Now those examples are  something that could be potentially used in the Dark Ages! This chapter, like quality survival books, really got me thinking. He has a book dedicated to this subject I want to buy.

Chapter 4 is also very good, a  review and reminder of the countless things that are thrown away of potential use in a later time when they may not be able to be manufactured on a large scale. Still, it’s not survival in the Dark Ages, it’s things one can do now, while there are dumpsters to dive. I scavenge in cities I visit. I find this  fun and sometimes of financial benefit. I share the writer’s inclination to look for wheel weights and other small items in parking lots. This is a skill common in Third World countries.  All preparedness-minded people should at least think about routine scavenging. Forget about the image of the homeless degenerate culling for food in a back-alley garbage can like an animal. Be discreet. Dress with durable clothing.  I have found climbing rope, drills, hardware, electrical supplies new-in-box among other things too numerous to detail here. I do it while jogging while carrying a cloth shopping bag. I even sometimes wear a silk mask if the dumpster is under surveillance. One has to keep warm,  right? Good points are made by Ballou, but this could have been a separate article or included in another book. It’s not post-dark-ages survival guidelines.

The rest of the book covers the subjects of fire making, cordage and what trade goods to store. Again, this is very basic information. The Bushcraft skills would be better reviewed by reading  Ray Mears. Ragnar Benson also covers trade goods in his writings including the specific need for spare tool handles. No one can argue against the possibility that,  in a Dark Age, things like matches and other high tech manufactured items be scarce or unavailable.  Ballou directed the reader to more complete, already published works, rather than attempt to re-introduce the entire subject in a few pages. If he has direct experience, maybe just discuss his first-hand problems with bushcraft techniques and his own personal solutions, if any.  This is what another important bushcraft writer John McPherson does.

Mr. Ballou has written a pretty good introduction to the world of preparedness with two strong idea-based chapters on survival metalworking and improvisation from found objects. Other than metalworking ideas, it has little to do with post-dark age survival.  It’s a basic primer  about getting ready. Again, other than metalworking his first-hand experience is not apparent to me in this book. If he does indeed have some experience in survival, then tell me.  I would buy the book for the chapters on metalworking and scavenger hunting.  Otherwise,  read the books by the man who wrote the forward: Ragnar Benson. Writers from the early Survivalist Movement are also what I consider essential and even fun to read. If you want to learn more about bushcraft then read Ray Mears and watch his videos. John McPherson is also an excellent bushcraft writer on the subject along with Bradford Angier who started in the 1960s and  earlier. These folks have done it.  Don’t forget that basic books about survival  have been written about in great detail before, sometimes more than 40 years ago.  However, nothing is a substitute for personal skill-building. That means put the books away and start doing it yourself.

L.W.’s Book Review: World Radio TV Handbook

The World Radio TV Handbook (“WRTH”) is a large annual handbook that contains a comprehensive directory of radio and television broadcasting stations worldwide. It also includes articles, technical reviews and commentaries about many aspects of shortwave listening, DX (long distance) chasing, and selection of suitable radio receivers.

Revised and published annually, the reader is assured that the information contained therein is fresh and accurate. (I did my review based on the 2011 edition.) Anyone who has listened to a shortwave radio will know that it is often difficult to determine the identity of the station as it is being heard. Moreover, many stations operate concurrently on the same frequency. The vagaries of HF propagation normally insure that the targeted audience receives the signal beamed toward them, but many times the signal from a station may be heard where not normally expected. Enter the World Radio TV Handbook (WRTH), which will give the identity of all stations operating on a specific frequency, the times of the transmission, the language being spoken, and an indication of the scheduled content. Not only does this allow the listener to more accurately determine what he is hearing, but the times and audience targeting will enable the listener to schedule and record it unattended.

The information in this book is gathered year-round by the publisher, as well as being directly provided by the broadcasters themselves. Shortwave listeners (SWLs) also contribute station reports, which are of particular value in listing and monitoring clandestine and very small local stations. The listings include virtually all commercial broadcasters, their frequencies ranging from long wave (below 535 KHz), medium wave (535 to 1705 KHz), shortwave (1.8 – 30 MHz), FM (76 to 108 MHz) and terrestrial television.

WRTH has five sections; Editorial, Contributors, Reviews, Features, and Information. The Editorial section consists of a general overview of commercial broadcasting, anticipated changes and so on; a review of the state of the broadcasting industry in general. The Contributors section names those individuals who have been instrumental in providing fresh reception information, especially the rare and hard to find stations. It is notable that the contributors are global, indicating a healthy interest in broadcast listening worldwide. The Review section has reviews of current shortwave-capable receivers in all price ranges, from a few dollars to many thousands. These reviews are concise and very useful for the targeted audience, the hobbyist shortwave listener, but are less technical than reviews in more focused publications, like the amateur radio publication QST. However, the lack of detailed technical measurements seldom make any real difference to the typical shortwave or medium wave listener. A wide selection of articles populate the Features section, ranging from classic radio receivers to digital reception to a preview of anticipated propagation for the coming year.

The majority of the content of WRTH is in the Information section, which contains all the frequency listings. This section is further broken down into several categories, each designed to be helpful as the listener scans the bands. The listings serve both types of listener; schedulers and cruisers. A scheduler will locate the country and language of choice, pick the most appropriate frequency for the current level of propagation, then tune to that frequency at the appointed time and hopefully hear or record the selected broadcast. A cruiser typically finds a band where propagation and reception is good, then tunes about until finding a station of interest. By determining the language and content of the program, the listener can then use the listings to find the most likely candidate(s) for the station being heard. This can be confirmed by hearing the station ID on the hour.

The listings themselves are broken down several ways, each given its own place in the book. National radio listings consists of stations whose broadcasts are targeted within the station’s home country boundaries. These are your typical local MW broadcast stations, but also include FM and ground-based TV stations. International radio listings contain stations that specifically target and beam toward other regions of the world. Typically these are very high powered shortwave transmitters, operating on multiple frequencies, many times with identical broadcast content. These stations generally provide cultural content, music, and a healthy dose of propaganda. Most of these high-power stations are government owned and operated, which will define the program content. Frequency listings contain frequencies and the stations to be found on them, in increasing order of frequency. This list is most useful when hearing a station that you want to ID quickly. By looking at the entry you can get the station power, country of origin and call sign with location. If you are a cruiser you will find this to be the place most useful to you.

Terrestrial television is covered thoroughly in the USA as well as abroad. Due to the nature of UHF propagation, foreign TV stations will seldom, if ever, be detected outside of the station’s immediate locale. The movement toward digital television has also limited the usefulness of these listings as digital transmissions are ineffective beyond line of sight. The TV listings are interesting but will be of very limited usefulness to the prepper.

The final part of the book is the Reference section, which gives miscellaneous related information for using the guide. Examples are Main Country Index,Geographical Area Codes, Abbreviations and Symbols, and so forth. These entries are helpful in understanding and getting the full information from the foregoing frequency and station sections of the book. Of particular interest is the Standard Time and Frequency listings, which give the frequencies, times and locations of these stations. Time and frequency stations are handy for calibrating your receiver tuning, and getting an accurate time setting when other methods are unavailable, and checking propagation from a specific area of the world.

WRTH covers all licensed and many clandestine radio and TV frequencies worldwide. For its intended purpose and audience it fulfills expectations very well. It is complex on first viewing but with a modest effort anyone can learn to use this handbook quickly. The listings will never be 100 percent accurate because of continual changes in transmitter frequencies, locations, power levels and the inevitable political issues prevalent in some countries. Some readers may have trouble initially understanding the acronyms and technical abbreviations. There is a bit of a learning curve to a beginning user. However, the Features and Reviews section includes a page on how to use the listings as well as a detailed set of world maps which help orient the reader to the locations of the listed stations. The Reference section also covers abbreviations used throughout the book.

This handbook is of great usefulness to shortwave listeners, radio hobbyists, preppers and anyone interested in the variety and geographical locations of transmitters throughout the world. I have used this book as an aid in my radio monitoring for over thirty years. The accuracy of the publication is such that I usually keep my copy for two years before getting a new one. However, if you want to have the absolute latest printed compendium of frequencies, then purchasing a copy annually is your best choice.

Editors:
Sean Gilbert, George Jacobs, Bengt Ericson. Dave Kenny, Mauno Ritola, Bernd Trutenau, and Torgeir Woxen

Copyright Date 2010

Published by Nicholas Hardyman – WRTH Publications Ltd.

ISBN 978-0-9555481-3-0

Amazon.com is now selling the 2012 edition of the World Radio TV Handbook

 

Letter Re: Maintain The Tool: Weight Control and Preparedness

James Wesley:
The article by N.H. about weight loss was pretty accurate. The only problem is the recommendations. That is, following the US dietary guidelines. I don;t recommend that.

To make a long story short, study up on the “paleo” way of eating and exercise. Six years ago I cured my growing blood sugar problem and lost 30 lbs in 4 months. I’ve maintained that ever since then.

I fear that a lot of “preppers” are fat and out of shape because they eat what they store, that is, they consume lots of wheat and vegetable oils because they store well. For anyone that wants to stay healthy now and after the SHTF, you are better off eliminating these items. And while you’re at it, ditch sugar as well.

Store coconut oil (non-hydrogenated) and coconut milk and ghee for healthy fats, as well as canned salmon and sardines for Omega 3s and protein.
I’ve not had wheat and vegetable oils for six+ years and have outdone members of our military in their mid 20’s during 5 km races. Not bad for 52 years old! – Dave, RN

Recipe of the Week:

Marie’s Zucchini Ratatouille

2 TBS olive oil
1 large zucchini squash, sliced in half lengthwise and then into semicircles
1 medium onion, sliced
2 TBS minced garlic (fresh or reconstituted dried flakes)

Heat oil at 400 degrees in an electric skillet and add squash, onion and garlic. Saute for about 15 minutes until zucchini slices start to brown.

Add:

1 TBS chopped herbs: basil, rosemary, oregano, thyme are best.
Add 2 Roma tomatoes, cut in wedges and saute an additional 5 minutes until tomatoes are soft

Chef’s Notes:

We served it over leftover tuna/rice casserole (not at all French!) and it was really good.  Could also accompany grilled chicken or fish. Quite popular this time of year in the south of France, but they use eggplant instead of zucchini. 

Useful Recipe and Cooking Links:

Ratatouille at RecipeTips.com

Ratatouille in the Catalan style

Currently Available as Free Kindle e-Books:

Cavelady Cooking: 50 Fun Recipes for Paleo, Low-Carb and Gluten-Free Diets

25 Artisan Style Bread Recipes : Bake Beautiful Sweet and Savory Loaves at Home Without A Bread Machine

Simple Emergency Food Storage

Economics and Investing:

J.N. suggested this over at Zero Hedge: $10 Trillion M2 Is Now In The Rearview Mirror. So the aggregate money supply has been expanded from $4 trillion to $10 trillion in less than 12 years. So it is no wonder gasoline and milk are both over $3 per gallon.

Martin Armstrong: Why Property Taxes Will Soar, Why the Risk of Civil Unrest is Rising Exponentially and Why We Will See The Rise of a Third Political Party

Items from The Economatrix:

Earnings Show Recession May Be “Fast Approaching”

Growth In U.S. Slows As Consumers Restrain Spending

First Year of U.S. Economic Recovery Weaker than Estimated. [JWR Adds: This is being reported because the so-called “recovery” was just a brief blip created by massive monetization. Otherwise, we are still in a full scale depression that will span a decade or more.]

US Consumer Sentiment Gauge Falls to Lowest this Year

Odds ‘n Sods:

Pierre M. sent this: Rise in Weather Extremes Threatens Infrastructure. Here is a key quote: “Some utilities are re-examining long-held views on the economics of protecting against the weather. Pepco, the utility serving the area around Washington, has repeatedly studied the idea of burying more power lines, and the company and its regulators have always decided that the cost outweighed the benefit. But the company has had five storms in the last two and a half years for which recovery took at least five days, and after the derecho last month, the consensus has changed. Both the District of Columbia and Montgomery County, Md., have held hearings to discuss the option — though in the District alone, the cost would be $1.1 billion to $5.8 billion, depending on how many of the power lines were put underground.”

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To show their appreciation for the patronage of SurvivalBlog readers, CampingSurvival.com will include a free gift (around $5 to $10 value) with each order if you put the word “survivalblog” in the comment section of their order.

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Obama takes on gun violence in New Orleans speech. I guess President BHO missed reading Title 10 of the US Code, Section 311. Weapons like AK-47s do belong on our streets, in the hands of our unorganized citizen militia. That is the law of the land.

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Belle Ringer of the Salvation and Survival blog has posted an early book review of my novel “Founders.” OBTW, she mentions “reserve your copy”, but please wait until the Book Bomb Day–September 25th–to order, to give the book the maximum impact in Amazon.com’s book rankings. Thanks.

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The Aurora Shooting You Didn’t Hear About In The Media. Oh, and speaking of gun politics, expect to see plenty of hand wringing and grandstanding in the fait accompli “debate” over the UN’s “Small Arms and Light Weapons” Treaty. In the draft, only nations have the right to possess firearms, and the citizenry is granted limited privileges, of course with full registration, et cetera. (Read PDF of the full draft treaty text, here.) Please contact your Senators and insist that they do not ratify the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) scheme.

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Oh so predictably: Mailorder Ammo Sales Limits and Magazine Ban bills introduced in congressd. (A nod to J. McC. for the link.)