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Letter Re: Book Recommendation: "Possum Living"
Dear James Wesley,
In October 1978, with a seventh-grade education, 19-year-old Dolly Freed published a book called Possum Living: How to Live Well Without a Job and with (Almost) No Money
, about the five years she and her father lived off the land on a half-acre lot outside of Philadelphia. The two of them lived in a renovated gas station bought "free and clear" in foreclosure for $6,100; they raised rabbits for slaughter in their basement and obtained the rest of their food by growing it in their garden and fishing in local creeks; neither chose to hold a job (jobs were scarce in any case), and instead avoided the kind of gracious one-upmanship that seemed to make so many Americans miserable. "We have and get the good things in life so easily it seems silly to go to some boring, meaningless, frustrating job to get the money to buy them," she wrote, "yet almost everyone does. 'Earning their way in life,' they call it. 'Slavery,' I call it."
Following her success as an author, Dolly Freed grew up to be a NASA aerospace engineer. That is, after acing the SATs with an education gleaned from the public library and putting herself through college. She’s also been an environmental educator, business owner, and college professor. She now lives in Texas with her husband and two children.
Tin House Books will reissue the book in January, 2010, and it includes new reflections, insights, and life lessons from an older and wiser Dolly Freed, whose knowledge of how to live like a possum has given her financial security and the confidence to try new ventures. You can see Dolly Freed in a documentary made by Nancy Schreiber in 1980. Wishing You All The Best, - Nanci M.
JWR Replies:I encourage readers to take 28 minute to watch this documentary! You'll find that there is quite a bit of the SurvivalBlog mindset there!]
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Letter Re: Living in the Time After TEOTWAWKI
Dear Mr. Rawles
I read with interest the letter you posted this morning (September 10, 2009) from Bear in California with regard to the skills and services that will probably be required in a post-SHTF scenario. It was all good stuff, and it caused my eyes to drift towards a set of books that have been on my bookshelf for over 30 years. Although, somewhat dog-eared since they only came out in soft cover, they are still highly valuable to me. I am referring, of course, to the Foxfire series that came out in 1969.
While you are probably aware of this series, many of your blog readers may not be. The Foxfire Book series ([edited] by Brooks Eliot Wiggenton, 1969, Southern Highlands Literary Fund, Inc.) represents, in essence, "the body of knowledge" of the "people of the mountains". (Specifically, The Appalachians). They are the result of a student project at the Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School in Georgia to capture and publish the "almost tribal" knowledge held by the "people of the mountains". There are several volumes to the series (I have five, but there may be more), and a small sampling of the topics covered include:
hog dressing
log cabin building
mountain crafts and foods
planting by the signs
snake lore
hunting tales
faith healing
home remedies
moonshining and still making
making a foot powered lathe
bee keeping
building a lumber kiln
water systems
building a smokehouse
spring wild plant foods
preserving fruits and vegetables
soap making
weather reading
cheese making
spinning and weaving
midwifing
burial customs
making tar
corn shuckin's
wagon making
bird traps, deadfalls, and rabbitboxes
animal care
banjos and dulcimers
hide tanning
summer and fall wild plant foods
butter churns
ginseng
fiddle making
springhouses
horse trading
sassafras tea
berry buckets
gardening
iron making
blacksmithing
gun making (flintlock rifles and much more)
bear hunting
....."other affairs of plain living".
Many topics are covered in quite a bit of detail with instructions and drawings/schematics included. It is clear to me that these people have forgotten more than we city folks ever knew about living off of (and, to some extent, in harmony with the land). These books are very much a part of my family's survival kit. I hope that this information is useful to your other readers. Thanks! - Surefooted in Colorado
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Letter Re: Old Boy Scout and Girl Scout Handbooks are Available Online
Mr. Rawles,
I loved seeing the recent mention of the older Boy Scout Handbook on your site. I know I have been writing you back and forth for ten years or so now and I can’ t ever remember mentioning my Boy Scout history and the materials I have collected from the various Boy Scout books over the years.
First off I am an Eagle as are both my brothers, as is my father and all of his brothers, and as was my grandfather and all of his brothers who were young enough to participate in scouting (his older brothers were 18 before scouting came to the U.S.) My oldest is about to become an Eagle Scout and my second son is well on his way (one merit badge and a project to go …)
I have on my bookshelf and ready to toss into my kit when/if we have to leave the house a 34th printing of the “Handbook for Boys” printed circa 1940 which was my father’s book, a reprint of the 1911 printing of the same (the one my grandfather would have used), a 1981 version (mine), and 1998 version (my sons version which I used when I was Scoutmaster). I also have the matching Fieldbooks for the same years. And a very large collection of the various merit badge books. Most of these you can pick up for next to nothing at a garage sale these days but they are packed with vital information that really is not covered in other places – the only primitive survival book that I have found that comes close to the Boy Scout materials (especially the older ones) is the Larry Dean Olsen book.
For example in the older Boy Scout manuals there are instructions (which I have both practiced and taught) for: making tents from canvas tarps, rations prior to widespread adoption of freeze dried/canned foods, recipes and cooking methods for the same over an open fire, tracking, signaling, and on and on and on. I have enjoyed teaching the boys over the years about things such as sloosh and mountain man bread, how to cook meat directly ON a fire, etc. Probably the best time we have had was canteen cup weekend – you got a canteen, a canteen cup, a spork, and had to pack your own rations to last the weekend and be cooked and eaten in the canteen cup. (The canteen cup can be easily substituted by a tin can or similar scrounged container.)
For those of you who don’t know slosh is a cornbread made of corn meal, egg, lard (or leftover bacon drippings), and just a wee bit of water and cooked either on a stick or if you are lucky in a fry pan. Mountain man bread is similar but you use wheat flour. Or if you are cheating (or showing boys how to do it for the first time) you use canned biscuit dough . . . Both sloosh and mountain man bread can be made with ingredients that store for a long time when you are on the trail without any special preparations. Flour, real bacon (smoked and dried not the stuff sold in the stores as “bacon” today), and lard last a long time. As a side note the pioneers would pack eggs in lard or grease (not Vaseline) to store them for a trip. My family tells tales of a large water barrel that was filled with eggs and had cooling bacon grease and lard poured over them lasting from when the wagons left Independence until they got into Utah.
Needless to say my scouts quickly learned how to quickly boil water in a canteen cup with a small fire, and eat dried oatmeal for breakfast, trail foods like gorp and jerky and pemmican for lunch, and then to use bits of jerky or pemmican to flavor stews and soups for dinner. We used the edible plants guide to forage for wild plants during the day as we walked and then added those to the stews/soups for dinner. The boys who packed lots of food quickly would fall behind and would quickly get tired of the bland sameness of top ramen noodles.
And between the bacon grease/lard mixture and bee’s wax you have a good way to keep leather conditioned and waterproof on the trail. In fact I just picked up a child’s saddle for my daughter for $20 and reworked the leather using bee’s wax – and now she has a beautiful saddle in nice cordovan color that will last her for years and years. The parts that needed to stay flexible such as the skirts were worked with lard/bacon grease at first (leave the leather in a warm place so they can slowly melt into the leather) and then a top layer of bee’s wax.
Probably my favorite example of the importance of the basic skills that the scout books contain though deals with my uncle. He had just finished up medical school and residency and had come home to Idaho when he witnessed a car accident. Without thinking he ran over and performed life saving first aid on the woman who was injured. And then afterwards realized that what he had done was not learned in medical school or his residency but rather was the end result of his Boy Scout first aid training many years before.
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Letter Re: Old Boy Scout and Girl Scout Handbooks are Available Online
Sir,
For those who don't have an "old" copy of the Boy Scout Handbook, the 1911 edition is available from Project Gutenberg in a variety of electronic formats.
Also, they have the Girl Scout Handbook, 1920 edition.
There is some overlap with the Boy Scouts handbook, but also much that is unique, especially in regard to care of the home, growing a garden, storing food, outdoor and indoor cooking, and a good section on first aid and home health care. Regards, - Andrew H.
JWR Replies: For any families with teenagers, or pre-teens, I recommend getting hard copies of these books:
(BTW, most adults also find these books fascinating reading, and useful references.)
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Letter Re: The Quasi-Reality Television Show "The Colony"
James,
Last night was the first episode of a survival reality show on The Discovery Channel, 'The Colony', It is a 10-week experiment illustrating how 10 people cope with life after a biological wipe-out. They started with the first six participants being sleep deprived for 30 hours, then "raiding" a department store for whatever they can find before engaging in an eight mile walk through the Los Angeles River [--now a concrete aqueduct, which is dry most of each year--] to find an abandoned factory marked "Sanctuary".
The show did illustrate how most of us who are unprepared will fail to secure needed materials, delegate responsibilities, and chose a defensible location. But the first episode did show how a bit of cleverness can go a long way at times.
I suggest all of those that can watch the show, do so. It may show us what not to do as well as give food for thought so far as our own survival plans. - Eric
JWR Replies: While the show probably has some redeeming value, I have a few concerns from the very outset. (But keep in mind that thusfar I've only seen some brief previews and clips):
1.) The show depicts a small number of people surviving in a relatively resource-rich environment, in a simulation of the aftermath of a devastating pandemic. This is something akin to the movie I
Am Legend (a remake of the now very dated 1971 movie The
Omega Man
), or both incarnations of the BBC Survivors television series. While such a scenario might have a high quotient for drama, it is not a very likely disaster situation that we will face. In fact, the greatest likelihood will be just the opposite: a large number of people surviving in a resource-poor environment. It is the latter that typifies natural disasters. Is it realistic to think that in a grid-down disaster, that everyone will have the opportunity to cart home 18 photovoltaic panels? No way!
2.) The series puts a subtle stamp of approval on looting. They just give it more acceptable names, like "scavenging" and "foraging". This might be acceptable in a very low-likelihood mega-pandemic --something approaching an extinction level event. But is it is not acceptable in the far, far more likely situation where the majority of the population is intact, and title to deeded property is likewise intact. For the show's producers to depict the former, when the latter will actually be the case in 98%+ of real-world scenarios is collective brainwashing.
3.) The series will show a group of people in an essentially tactical situation, where their lives are frequently threatened by hostile outsiders. I will be surprised to see the key military principal of Unity of Command encouraged. As is typical for "reality" shows (such as Survivor), it is assumed that the members of the audience will develop "favorite" characters, because of similarities in background or temperament. Hence, the producers employ the artifices of equality of their initial tangible property, democracy, and communistically-shared property. They seem to have votes on everything. But in the real world, when disaster strikes and desperate people are seeking to to eat you, it is hardly the time to dawdle, debate, and take numerous votes on immediate courses of action. Rather, the odds are that in a real-world disaster situation that people will take refuge at either a private home, or in a public shelter. In a private home, it will probably be the land-owner that will call the shots, while at a public shelter, it will probably be a sworn law enforcement officer--most likely a sheriff--that will coordinate manning a defense.
4.) The show only depicts a 10 week time period. Hence the participants will be able to survive entirely off the largesse of the old world. But if the scenario were more realistic, they'd be part of a much larger population that would rapidly deplete the available food supplies. So it is likely that activities like gardening would begin with the first available growing season. (Of course, in southern California, the growing "season" is practically year-round. There, it is water availability that would be the key issue. In a grid-down collapse, sans electrically-pumped water, the region would rapidly revert to desert.)
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Letter Re: The Latest Special Operations Forces Medical Handbook
Jim,
Among the books listed by the recent "favorite books" survey respondents was the US Army Special Forces Medical Handbook (ST31-91B). This book is obsolete and has been supplanted by the Special Operations Forces Medical Handbook.
The best summaries as to why the one is obsolete I've found are:
“That manual is a relic of sentimental and historical interest only, advocating treatments that, if used by today’s medics, would result in disciplinary measures,” wrote Dr. Warner Anderson, a U.S. Army Colonel (ret.) and former associate dean of the Special Warfare Medical Group.
“The manual you reference is of great historical importance in illustrating the advances made in SOF medicine in the past 25 years. But it no more reflects current SOF practice than a 25 year-old Merck Manual reflects current Family Practice. In 2007, it is merely a curiosity.”
“Readers who use some of the tips and remedies could potentially cause harm to themselves or their patients.”
JWR Adds: The new manual is a massive 680 pages. Here is the table of contents:
PART 1: OPERATIONAL ISSUES
PART 2: CLINICAL PROCESS
PART 3: GENERAL SYMPTOMS
PART 4: ORGAN SYSTEMS
Cardiac/Circulatory
Blood
Respiratory
Endocrine
Neurologic
Skin
Gastrointestinal
Genitourinary
PART 5: SPECIALTY AREAS
Podiatry
Dentistry
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Zoonotic Diseases Chart
Infectious Diseases
Preventive Medicine
Veterinary Medicine
Nutritional Deficiencies
Toxicology
Mental Health
Anesthesia
PART 6: OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS
Dive Medicine
Aerospace Medicine
High Altitude Illnesses
Cold Illnesses and Injuries
Heat-Related Illnesses
Chemical
Biological
Radiation
PART 7: TRAUMA
Trauma Assessment
Human and Animal Bites
Shock
Burns, Blast, Lightning, & Electrical Injuries
Non-Lethal Weapons Injuries
PART 8: PROCEDURES
Basic Medical Skills
Lab Procedures
APPENDICES
Thanks, - Frankie
JWR Replies: Thanks for mentioning the new manual! I have updated both the survey results post and the
SurvivalBlog Bookshelf
page, accordingly. OBTW, I have had difficulty finding an original copy of the new manual at a reasonable price. The copies that are presently listed on Amazon are "secondary market", at grossly inflated prices. But the good news is that the GPO also publishes a paperback edition
for $59. I would prefer the military 9.7" x 6.4" edition that is three-hole punched (and hence will lay flat when open--making it a better "working" reference), but the GPO paperback edition should suffice. There are also electronic editions available for PDAs and Windows for $73, and for Palm PDAs for $60. The Special Forces.com online store sells a smaller 7.5" x 4.75" format edition (a bit harder to read), but they do sell it in combination with a CD-ROM.
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Survey Results: Your Favorite Books on Preparedness, Self-Sufficiency, and Practical Skills
In descending order of frequency, the 78 readers that responded to my latest survey recommended the following non-fiction books on preparedness, self-sufficiency, and practical skills:
The
Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery (Far and away the most often-mentioned book. This book is an absolute "must" for every well-prepared family!)
The Foxfire Book
series (in 11 volumes, but IMHO, the first five are the best)
Holy Bible
Where
There Is No Dentist
by Murray Dickson
"Rawles
on Retreats and Relocation"
Making
the Best of Basics: Family Preparedness Handbook
by James Talmage
Stevens
The
"Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course
Crisis Preparedness Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Home Storage and Physical Survival
by Jack A. Spigarelli
Gardening
When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times by Steve Solomon
Tappan
on Survival
by
Mel Tappan
Boston's
Gun Bible
by
Boston T. Party
Seed
to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners
by Suzanne Ashworth
Survival
Guns
by
Mel Tappan
Boy
Scouts Handbook: The First Edition, 1911 (Most readers recommend getting pre-1970 editions.)
All
New Square Foot Gardening
by
Mel Bartholomew
When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability, and Surviving the Long Emergency
by Matthew Stein
Back
to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills, Third Edition
by
Abigail R. Gehring
Preparedness Now!: An Emergency Survival Guide (Expanded and Revised Edition)
by Aton Edwards
Putting
Food By
by Janet Greene
First
Aid (American Red Cross Handbook) Responding To Emergencies
Making
the Best of Basics: Family Preparedness Handbook by James Talmage
Stevens
Nuclear War Survival
Skills by Cresson H. Kearney (Available for free download.)
Cookin'
with Home Storage
by
Vicki Tate
SAS
Survival Handbook
by
John "Lofty" Wiseman
Root
Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables
by
Mike Bubel
Outdoor Survival Skills
by Larry Dean Olsen
Stocking Up: The Third Edition of America's Classic Preserving Guide
by Carol Hupping
The
American Boy's Handybook of Camp Lore and Woodcraft
Emergency
Food Storage & Survival Handbook by Peggy Layton
98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive
by Cody Lundin
Seed
to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners by Suzanne Ashworth
Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life by Neil Strauss
Five Acres and Independence: A Handbook for Small Farm Management
by Maurice G. Kains
Essential Bushcraft
by Ray Mears
The
Survivor book series by Kurt Saxon. Many are out of print in
hard copy, but they are all available on DVD. Here, I must issue a caveat
lector ("reader
beware"): Mr. Saxon has some very controversial views that I do not
agree with. Among other things he is a eugenicist.
How to Stay Alive in the Woods by Bradford Angier
The New Organic Grower by Eliot Coleman
Tom Brown Jr.'s series of books, especially:
Tom Brown's Field Guide to Wilderness Survival
Tom Brown's Field Guide to Nature Observation and Tracking
Tom Brown's Guide to Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants (Field Guide)
Total
Resistance
by
H. von Dach
Ditch Medicine: Advanced Field Procedures For Emergencies
by Hugh Coffee
Living Well on Practically Nothing
by Ed Romney
The Secure Home
by Joel Skousen
Outdoor Survival Skills
by Larry Dean Olsen
When All Hell Breaks Loose: Stuff You Need To Survive When Disaster Strikes
by Cody Lundin
The Last Hundred Yards: The NCO's Contribution to Warfare
by John Poole.
Camping & Wilderness Survival: The Ultimate Outdoors Book by Paul Tawrell
Engineer Field Data (US Army FM 5-34) --Available online free of charge, with registration, but I recommend getting a hard copy. preferably with the heavy-duty plastic binding.
Great Livin' in Grubby Times
by Don Paul
Just in Case
by Kathy Harrison
Nuclear War Survival
Skills by Cresson H. Kearney (Available for free download.)
How to Survive Anything, Anywhere: A Handbook of Survival Skills for Every Scenario and Environment
by Chris McNab
Storey's Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance
by John & Martha Storey
Adventure Medical Kits A Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness & Travel Medicine
by Eric A. Weiss, M.D.
Rodale's Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening: The Indispensable Green Resource for Every Gardener
Special Operations Forces Medical Handbook (superceded the very out-of-date ST 31-91B)
Wilderness Medicine, 5th Edition
by Paul S. Auerbach
Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long
by Elliot Coleman
Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills, Third Edition
by Abigail R. Gehring
Government
By Emergency
by
Dr. Gary North
The Weed Cookbook: Naturally Nutritious - Yours Free for the Taking!
by Adrienne Crowhurst
The Modern Survival Retreat
by Ragnar Benson
Last of the Mountain Men
by Harold Peterson
Primitive Wilderness Living & Survival Skills: Naked into the Wilderness
by John McPherson
LDS Preparedness Manual, edited by Christopher M. Parrett
The
Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging
Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century
by James H. Kunstler
Principles of Personal Defense - Revised Edition
by Jeff Cooper.
Survival Poaching
by Ragnar Benson
The Winter Harvest Handbook: Year Round Vegetable Production Using Deep Organic Techniques and Unheated Greenhouses
by Eliot Coleman
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Reader Survey: What Are Your Favorite Preparedness and Self-Sufficiency Books?
I am seeking input from SurvivalBlog readers: What are your favorite non-fiction books that relate to Preparedness, Self-Sufficiency, and Practical Skills? Just e-mail me a list of your top five book titles, with the authors' names. Oh, and if any of them are obscure or likely out of print, then please include the publisher's name, city, and year of publication. I plan to post the results of the survey in the blog, in roughly 10 days. Thanks!
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Letter Re: "Patriots" Book Sighting in Downtown Chicago
Just an update on your book from here behind enemy lines in Chicago.
I ride the "EL" [elevated railway] to work each day and on Monday
saw a man reading your novel "Patriots"
.
I asked where he purchased it, expecting the answer
to
be Amazon,
and was stunned when he said that he picked it up at Borders on State Street
in downtown Chicago. I wandered over to the store at lunchtime and, lo and
behold,
there were two copies in the the new "Mystery and Thrillers" section
right next to Ian Rankin's latest book. There were plenty of copies of Rankin's
book but only two of yours remaining. I asked the clerk if there were any
more copies available and she said that they had five that morning. Only two
left. Wow! Unfortunately, they were asking $14.95 for the book. I have a new Kindle
Reader
(I
love this thing) so I'm planning on buying the Kindle
version of "Patriots" this time.
I bought my first copy of "Patriots" about four or five
years ago (I got an autographed copy to boot) from a used book dealer on Amazon
and
have
purchased
that latest two editions. I can't wait for your [two planned] sequels. You've
developed into a terrific writer. I once read a review that described "Patriots" as
a "how-to manual disguised as a thriller."
My thoughts are with your wife and yourself during her difficult health situation
and I hope that all things work out well for your family. Semper Paratus -
Bill L.
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Letter Re: The Tightwad Gazette Books
James,
I have been using the three Tightwad Gazette books, by Amy Dacyczn,
for a few years now. While not really aimed at a survivalist audience, it sure
fits
the bill as preparedness and frugality. Lots of little ideas that may be
important when the supply of "stuff" is cut off. The three volumes
are available bound together in an omnibus edition The
Complete Tightwad Gazette
. Regards, - Hunter
D.in Alaska
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Bicycles in War, a Book Review by by Michael Z. Williamson
I just finished reading the book "Bicycles
in War" by Martin Caidin and Jay Barbree. Caidin, of course, is
a phenomenal writer, and does a great job of presenting the material.
There's not a lot of technical how to, though there are some useful pictures,
and
comments about how the Viet Cong, for example,
reinforced their bicycles to carry up to 500 pounds of cargo while pushing
them.
During WWI, entire regiments moved more quickly than marching troops, and quite
a few clandestine operations in both World Wars used bicycles, including some
by the British Commandos and the SS, behind enemy lines.
Summarizing from the book's conclusion, the bicycle's efficiency can be explained
as allowing a man to move up to fours times as fast or far than
on foot, while carrying two to four times as much gear, for less calories
expended--1/5th to 1/2, depending on load. A bicycle can go most places a walking
man can, and can of course readily use roads as well. - Michael
Z. Williamson
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Letter Re: Recommendation for the Book "One Second After"
Hello Mr. Rawles;
I'm a long time reader of your blog. I would like to recommend a new novel
called, "One
Second After" by William R. Forstchen. It deals with an
electromagnetic pulse (EMP)
event which occurs in the United States. The author apparently consulted with
military experts, and it has an afterword by Captain
Bill Sanders,
U.S.N.,
and the Foreword is by Newt Gingrich.
Though the book is lacking in survival
details, it does realistically convey the frightening impact on American civilization.
The need for obtaining food is prevalent, and it does show the benefits of
having a good food storage system. There are some weaknesses, for instance,
I've wondered
how they seemed to have an endless supply of gasoline, and how the military
ultimately brings back civilization, much like "Alas Babylon".
The author does a good job with characterization, and the plot moves along
quickly. I would
say
it would be a good addition to a "survivalist" home library.
I'm looking forward to the next release of "Patriots" ,
it'll go on my shelf with my other two copies [of the earlier edition]. (I
always keep a loaner
copy).
- Harry
in
the
Adirondack
Mountains
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Reviewer's Copies of New "Patriots" Edition Available This Month! (Seeking Mailing Addresses)
Review copies of the new edition of my novel "Patriots" available
sometime in March. If you publish book reviews, or know of someone that has
a large readership/audience and that is likely to write a favorable review,
please e-mail me
their current snail
mail addresses.
Be advised that there will probably be only about 120 review copies available,
so I will have to be very selective about who they go to. My publicist will
of course be sending copies to the New York Times Book Review and
the other major reviewers. But the list that I am developing is for conservative niche
publications, bloggers, and broadcasters. Please don't take it personally
if you don't get a copy. The priority will be dispassionately
based on the greatest potential media exposure.
My list of the highest priority reviewers for publicity at first glance are:
(Note: I already have
addresses for any listings marked in bold. I need snail
mail addresses for the rest. Thanks!
| Jerry Ahern |
Sean Hannity |
Bill O'Reilly |
Charles Hugh Smith |
| Dale Amon |
Danny Hansen (SWAT Mag.) |
Michael Panzner |
Joe Soyer (Alphecca) |
| Massad Ayoob |
Hugh Hewitt |
Dr. Ignatius Piazza |
Ryan |
| Michael Bane |
Joe Huffman |
Jerry Pournelle |
S.M. Stirling |
| Glenn Beck |
Dean Ing |
John Pugsley |
John Stossel |
Barton Biggs
|
Laura Ingraham |
Steve Quayle |
Les Stroud |
| Jim Bohannon |
Jeff Jarvis |
Michael Reagan |
Gabe Suarez |
| Bill Bonner |
David Kopel |
Dr. Arthur B. Robinson |
Mark Steyn |
| Neal Boortz |
Larry Kudlow |
John Ross |
Andrew Sullivan |
| Dr. Bruce Clayton |
Rush Limbaugh |
Kenneth Royce |
George Ure |
| Ann Coulter |
G. Gordon Liddy |
Glenn Reynolds |
Oleg Volk |
| Clayton Cramer |
James Lileks |
Howard J. Ruff |
Eugene Volokh |
| James Dakin |
Christian Lowe (DefenseTech) |
Richard Russell (Dow Theory Ltr.) |
Michael Z. Williamson |
| Dave (of Captain Dave's) |
Michelle Malkin |
Matt Savinar |
Claire Wolfe |
| David at Random Nuclear Strikes |
Chris Matthews |
Kurt Saxon |
Xavier (of Xavier's Thoughts) |
| Vox Day |
Richard Maybury |
Peter Schiff |
| Lou Dobbs |
Don McAlvany |
Tim Schmidt (USCCA) |
Commander Zero |
| Larry Elder |
Declan McCullagh |
Walter Shapiro |
Tamara _ _ _ _ (of the BBB Blog) |
| Joseph Farah |
Michael Medved |
Mish Shedlock |
|
| Frugal Squirrel's |
Melanie Morgan |
Laurence Simon |
|
| Seth Godin |
Dr. Gary North |
Joel Skousen |
|
| Jeff Goldstein |
Ted Nugent |
Mark Skousen |
|
Have I overlooked anyone that is likely to provide significant publicity for
the new book? If so, please let me know their e-mail and snail mail addresses,
via e-mail.
Many thanks!
The publicist from Ulysses
Press will mail out the complimentary review copies as soon as they are available.
Be advised that the
"Patriots" cover illustrations here are available under license
for publication
or posting with book reviews, Wiki pages, or in book catalogs,
The tentative release date is April 8, 2009, which will also be our Book
Bomb Day. Many thanks for your help on making the new edition. God willing,
it will wake up some sheeple, and encourage some substantive preparedness!
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Letter Re: Buying Kindle Reader for Accessing Survival References?
Mr. Rawles;
Given that even the smallest of windmills driving an automobile
alternator can keep a 12 volt DC battery charged, and from that you can run
a myriad of small
devices, what is your opinion of Amazon's Kindle [mobile book reading screen]
for keeping all the documents you might need, like the entire archives of SurvivalBlog?
Amazon
is now offering "Version
2" [of Kindle] , which seems easier to load with personal documents. Is
it worth it
as a backup library, or is it too fragile? - Sandy W.
JWR Replies: Buying a shiny new Kindle for that purpose is
like "putting
all your eggs in one basket". I
would much rather put all my archived preparedness reference documents on multiple copies
on CD-ROMs and then buy two or three used laptop computers with cosmetic
defects.
(The ongoing corporate
layoffs in the US will surely mean that the market will soon be flooded with
high quality used laptops for under $200 each, and I wouldn't be surprised to
see
some offered
for under $100 each.) Store those laptops in 40mm ammo
cans to help protect then from EMP.
Redundancy is the key. One of my mottos is: "Two is one,
and
one
is
none."
Here at the Rawles
Ranch we recently obtained a Brunton
Solarport 4.4 (4.4 Watt) compact photovoltaic (PV) panel for testing.
These produce .29 amps (at 15 volts) in full sunlight, which is enough to charge
flashlight
batteries or a cellular phone, but not enough to power a laptop. (But up to
three Brunton PowerPorts can
be "daisy chained" together (in parallel) to provide additional
current.) I consider the Brunton PowerPort a "micro" mobile solar
power solution. A more practical "mini" at-home or RV power
solution is to buy a 10 watt PV
panel
(such as those sold by Northern
Tool & Equipment
or
comparable panel such as the and a portable automobile "jump
pack" gel cell battery, (available at any local auto parts store, or from
a variety of Internet vendors). By placing the PV panel inside a southern-facing
window (indoors or inside a vehicle,
to protect
it
from the
elements) you can
trickle
charge
a jump
pack and easily get one hour of laptop use per day.
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Letter Re: Recommendation for Mara Helland
James-
I have started using Mara Helland [one of SurvivalBlog's advertisers] as my
CPA after finding her on your site. She is very helpful, very friendly, and
very
reasonable.
There
is also
a
major
benefit
to using her service as she understands the SurvivalBlog mindset and goals.
Thanks for your help, - D.C.
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Letter Re: Getting the Right Training and Preparing Methodically
Dear Mr. Rawles,
I wanted to thank you for what you are doing and your work. I think that the
reality is that you are saving a lot of people's lives in addition to helping
people to continue to be "in" the world but less and less "of" the
world. I have been able, in turn, to pass along to other people a lot of
things that I have learned from you and your readers, and I hope help them
to focus and remain calm in their preparations. (I have also pointed them
all to your web site).
Now three things that I have done/learned that I would pass along to your
readers:
1) I did get some guns and ammunition recently following the information I
learned from your web site and novel. Then I found a man that would teach me
basic marksmanship - again as your advice suggested, learn the tools you could
be relying on. After just one day of proper training I was shooting better
than 90% of the yahoos at the range that had far better gear than I have. It
cost
me a little money But I am better equipped, more confident, and have a foundation
to build upon - add each day I am at the range I am better and better. So I
would tell your readers that if they just "think" they know what
they are doing, then spend a little money and really learn what
you are doing.
2) I bought and read "Patriots". It was a good read, but sobering.
At the same time, it helped me frame better the "problem" I am trying
to solve. And while I hope it never gets that bad, it sure allowed me to get
some perspective
and begin to work things out in a way that fits my scenario. My advice would
be for others to get your book and read it.
3) I purchased the "Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course. When
I first started this process a few months ago, I was very overwhelmed. I noticed
your course and its price and I thought - "Too much." However, after
reading the blog for a month or so and after reading your your book, I felt
you could be trusted and that your course was not "hokey." I have
been very, very pleased. It is practical, well organized, and adaptable. There
is
a saying "How
do you eat an elephant? - One bite at a time." And your course helped
me to get things aligned so that I could eat things "One bite at a time."
I have been working on a one year preparedness program since the week after
Christmas. I am probably 75% of the way toward where I want to be. The remaining
25% is probably one-half just finishing purchasing and storing some things
and
one-half
understanding
if my retreat location can handle some of my "plans" and if not,
[then determining] what is Plan B.
My family and I would not be nearly so far along without your help. I wish
we had started this process long, long ago, but c'est la vie. We are
on our way now!
May God bless you and your family, Kind Regards, - Jay
« Economics and Investing: |Main| Letter Re: Gold and Silver Coins as an Investment »
Two Letters Re: Denominating in Time Versus Dollars
Sir:
I bought a cross cut saw on eBay and was wondering how one might sharpen
and care for it. I was directed to a USDA Forest Service web site that has
a
30 page downloadable document all about cross-cut saws, their use and care. And
it is free! Supposedly it is one of the best resources around on this particular
topic.
Kind Regards, - Jay
Jim,
The note from SF in Hawaii about the cost of barley versus the work to produce
it made me think of one of my favorite tales from Laura
Ingalls-Wilder's book, "Farmer
Boy", about the boyhood experiences of her husband Almanzo. In this
scene, Almanzo has been double-dared to ask his father for a nickel to buy
lemonade.
When he asks, his father gives him a lesson in the value of money that I have
tried hard to instill in my children:
Father looked at him a long time. Then he took out his wallet and opened
it, and slowly he took out a round, big silver half-dollar. He asked: "Almanzo,
do you know what this is?"
"Half a dollar," Almanzo answered.
"Yes. But do you know what half a dollar is?"
Almanzo didn't know it was anything but half a dollar.
"It's work, son," Father said. "That's what money is; it's hard
work. You know how to raise potatoes, Almanzo?"
"Yes," Almanzo said.
"Say you have a seed potato in the spring, what do you do with it?"
"You cut it up," Almanzo said.
"Go on, son."
"Then you harrow - first you manure the field, and plow it. Then you harrow,
and mark the ground. And plant the potatoes, and plow them, and hoe them.
You plow and hoe them twice."
"That's right son, and then?"
"Then you dig them and put them down cellar."
"Yes. Then you pick them over all winter; you throw out all the little
ones and the rotten ones. Come spring, you load them up and haul them here
to Malone,
and you sell them. And if you get a good price, son, how much do you show
for all that work? How much do you get for half a bushel of potatoes?"
"Half a dollar," Almanzo said.
"Yes," said Father. "That's what's in this half-dollar, Almanzo.
The work that raised half a bushel of potatoes is in it."
Almanzo looked at the round piece of money that Father held up. It looked small,
compared with all that work.
"You can have it, Almanzo," Father said. Almanzo could hardly believe
his ears. Father gave him the heavy half-dollar.
"It's yours," said Father. "You could buy a suckling pig with
it, if you want to. You could raise it and it would raise a litter of pigs, worth
four, five dollars apiece. Or you can trade that half-dollar for lemonade,
and drink it up. You do as you want, it's your money."
Regards, - Jason R.
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Letter Re: A Handy Book for Boys
I've only recently become a SurvivalBlog reader, but I thought I'd share some
info about a book I've had sitting on my shelf for quite some time. I'd never
really put any thought into its usefulness until lately.
It's called The American Boy's Handybook. I first caught sight of it several
years ago, way back in Elementary School, when I was just a little cuss, not
the full sized cuss I've grown up to be.
Like the title says, the book itself is geared toward the younger generation,
ages 8 - 18+. But there is a wealth of information that even the oldest of
us kids can make use of.
Originally published in 1890, the book is packed, cover to cover, with projects
and activities that require no electricity, no high tech spare parts, and perhaps
most important, no advanced tools. Nowhere, in the entire book, will you find
a single request for a band saw, circular saw, arc welder, hammer drill, or
power tool of any sort. I would say that 75% of all the projects inside can
be built with a hand saw, hatchet, hammer, and some simple elbow grease.
All four seasons are covered, with different projects (both FUN and FUNctional)
appropriate for each. Without my copy to reference (it's currently on loan)
I can't give a complete rundown of all its contents. Some subjects include,
but are far from limited to:
- Spear Fishing
- Small Boat Construction
- Dead Drop Traps
- Build a Kite from scratch
- Make and Use a Bow and Arrow
- Basic Taxidermy
From hunting and trapping, to games and toys to keep the younger members of
your family occupied, this book has something for everyone. Kids too little
to be out checking the snares with Mom or Dad? Why not have them put together
a Shadow Puppet Show for after dinner entertaining? Fresh snow on the ground?
Teach them how to build their very own Snow Fortress. Bullets in short supply?
(I hope not, but you never know.) Fashion a spear thrower or bola for taking
down small game. Always wanted your own fishing boat, but couldn't justify
(or afford) the expense of a special purpose boat? Build your own flat bottom
watercraft.
These are just a few of the things I can remember off hand. IMHO, this is one
of those books that should be on everyone's shelf. Even if The Schumer doesn't
Hit The Fan, you can still keep the kids off the couch, learning to do for
themselves, like people used to, before we all got our McLobotomies.
Thanks for All You Do, - C.M., Maine
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Letter Re: Recommendation for the Movie "Defiance"
Hello Mr Rawles,
Just a quick comment on the
new movie that's out called "Defiance".
It is rated
R since it has killing and some cursing but is based on a true story about
three Jewish brothers [named Bielski] who lived in Byelorussia at the start
of WWII when the Germans [and their Quisling allies] began to round up and
murder entire villages and communities of Jews.
They decided to live in the woods that they knew so well and escape and resist
the Germans...They met others who had escaped to the woods to hide and began
to pool their talents and pick off soldiers and arm themselves and live off
the land and ended up living in the woods on the run for over two years and
ended up over 1,200 strong. Their will to survive and methods of survival
against well armed troops was incredible. They started out with a revolver
and four cartridges
and began to accumulate different types of weapons to fight back. Some scenes
show them trying to defend themselves with old bolt actions against machine
guns till eventually they began to use all [the small arms] that the Germans
had available, as well. The movie excelled in contrasting the different mindsets
that were
common among the people of the day that caused many to sit idly by and be
rounded
up or shot on sight and many to be able to run and hide and fight. I think
many SurvivalBlog readers would want to see this movie and would marvel at
what humans are capable of--both positively and negatively. Thanks, - Ross
« Letter Re: The Real Threat is Deflation |Main| Preparing for Another Battle Rifle Ban, by Michael Z. Williamson »
Letter Re: Survival Gardening: Growing Food During a Second Great Depression
Hi Jim,
Regarding the recent article on Survival Gardening, another useful reference
is [the book] Gardening When it Counts; Growing Food in Hard Times,
by Steve Solomon, 2005, New Society Publishers.
This wonderful book is very practical and comprehensive. It contains ratings
regarding how difficult particular vegetables are to grow. Root systems, seed
quality and selection, homemade organic fertilizer, tool selection and care,
composting, irrigation, and pests and diseases are among the many topics covered.
The author has decades of experience in growing his own nutritious food, and
it shows. Reading this book can help one to avoid many gardening mistakes.
It is highly recommended. - Richard B.
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Letter Re: Victorian Era Farm Skills in the UK
James,
Thanks for your continued efforts in continuing to bring the right thinking to
a troubled world.
I have one heads up and one question that you might be able to help with.
1. Heads up : For UK-based readers (and those who have access to UK IP address)
you might like to point out to them a series currently running on BBC 2 : Victorian
Farm
To quote from the BBC site:
"Historical observational documentary series
following a team who live the life of Victorian farmers for a year. Wearing
period clothes and using only the
materials that would have been available in 1885, historian Ruth Goodman
and archaeologists Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn are going back in time to
relive
the day-to-day life of the Victorian farmer.
Working for a full calendar year, Ruth, Alex and Peter are rediscovering
a lost world of skills, crafts and knowledge assisted by an ever-dwindling
band
of experts
who keep Victorian rural practices alive."
Think the U- version of the Pioneer House series that showed in the
US a couple of years back. The first episode focused on ploughing and sowing
with
draft
animals, threshing, replastering the farmhouse , making cider and the trials
of cooking
on a coal fired range. The series is available via iPlayer on that site.
This series is useful inspiration to go out and trial grid-down skills. I believe the
farm, in Shropshire,
can also be visited.
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Letter Re: Preparedness Wisdom from The Foxfire Book Series
Dear Jim,
I just got my new (old) set of The Foxfire Books. I sat down and began to cruise
through the pages of the first one. What a wealth of information!
Then it happened. I turned over page 370 and there was a picture of Hillard
Green. He is almost 80, (the book was published in 1972) and here is what it
says, unbelievable:
Excerpt from the facing page: "The last time we visited him, he was busy peeling
tomatoes he had just gathered and scalded. He waved us in, put a fresh plug
of tobacco in his cheek, and
went on with his work chuckling as we got our camera ready.
'People'll look at those pictures,' he laughed, "and say, 'What
is that crazy old man a'doin'? You tell'em I'm puttin up 'maters for th' winter,
that's what. People might laugh at such stuff as this, but I'll tell y', I'm
not about t'let'em rot. And when you've got old, you're not a'goin't lay down
and die just because you're old. Feller's got t'have somethin' t'do. Well,
this is one of th'things I do, and I'm proud I can. Let'em laugh. I'll be eatin'
good this winter and laughin' back.'
The peeling process over, he next sliced and cored them, put them on to cook,
and began to heat the canning jars.
'Everyone ought t'learn how to do such as this. One a'these days, times
might get back hard again, and then what will they do? Nobody not knowin' how
t'do
nothin'. Might have t'live off th'land again, one day. We never had nothin'
fer th'winter only what we put up. What we put up was what we had. Goin't be
a lot of hungry people someday." - Northern Art
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Letter Re: New "Defiance" Resistance Warfare Movie
Hi;
I have learned a great deal from your site and recommend it to my customers (I
sell preparedness books).
There is a movie being released on January 16th called Defiance. You
can go to the movie web site to get a several minute long previews.
This is a movie on the Polish Partisans, or resistance forces that fought against
the Nazis in World War II. My dentist escaped from communist Poland and told
me that her grandfather was a Partisan leader. I have done was research I could
to learn about her grandfather and the resistance forces. Basically, as this
movie will "teach", they moved great numbers of Jews into the forests
and built underground houses, shops, entire villages. They conducted guerrilla
warfare against the Germans while protecting the young and old from capture.
I have meant to contact you about this basic idea as a tie in to this scenario
in your book. If people were to prepare positions in advance, build more permanent
structures equipped with a small wood stove, well, septic, supplies, the odds
of survival would drastically increase. But we can learn from what has already
been done. And they did this with minimal weapons, and those, when available,
were a few pistols and bolt action rifles. Compare this to what we have available
and already in our hands today. Keep up the good work. - Don in Ohio
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"Little House" Books--A Great Homeschooling and Preparedness Mindset Resource
Sir,
I just found a bunch of excellent books, some of which are found on the
classics lists for obvious reasons. The
Internet dealer Walnut Grove was the only place
I could find online that had the entire Laura Ingalls Wilder "Little
House on the Prairie" nine-book
series in hard cover. They also have the box set in paperback for a reasonable
price.
I also received an insert with one of my purchases from them for another book
listed there titled "The
Prairie Girls' Guide to Life" that includes
"49 pioneer projects for the modern girl." This should be a really good book
for
young girls
to learn skills needed all to soon. Only $15 USD.
The Walnut Grove web site is not very good for going back and forth so here
is the homepage. Click on "SHOPPING Cart" in order to enter their
online store.
If anyone is interested in purchasing books or other items from them for
Christmas, I can tell you that I placed an order only three days ago, and it
arrived today in a Priority
Mail box. Regards, - Dan S.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Sabotage and Counter-Sabotage, by A. Farm Graduate »
Letter Re: 2,000+ Antique Books on Farming Available on-Line
Good morning,
While shopping for an antique agriculture book, I found this
web site at Cornell University. It is a link to 2,047 antique agriculture
books online from Cornell University. Since I farm organically I like to read
how the farmers did it 100+ years ago
before cheap oil and John Deere tractors. I thought your readers might be interested.
- Adam in Ohio
JWR Replies: I must add this proviso: Keep
in mind that 19th Century safety standards were considerably more relaxed
than
today's, so old formularies and "farm knowledge" books often do
not include any safety warnings. Use common sense around chemicals, flammables,
unwarded gears and cutting blades, heavy objects, and so forth. Stay
safe.
« Two Letters Re: Plastic Food Grade Buckets and Other Storage Food Issues |Main| Notes from JWR: »
On Livestock and Self Sufficiency by TAS
Most of the readers of Survival Blog agree on at least the distinct possibility,
if not the absolute certainty, of a collapse. This may come in a variety of
forms - flu pandemic, economic depression, or an EMP attack are likely scenarios.
Regardless of the form, the result will be very similar and our concerns are
as well: How do we protect ourselves and our families and provide a living?
While stocking up on beans, bullets, and band-aids is the initial response,
further preparation encourages us to find a defensible, as well as productive
retreat. But then what? So you have your retreat (or not), you’ve stocked
up on seeds and a food mill, and “the event” actually comes. Are
you prepared to provide for yourself when the food runs out or if society never
returns to “normal”?
My family and I got a crash course in self-sufficient farming when my husband
left the Air Force to fulfill my life-long dream (and eventually his, as well)
of returning to the farming lifestyle of my youth. We made the highly idealistic
decision to get out, not get a job, and learn how to make it. I might add,
the farm of my youth was not a self-sufficient farm, so we had a pretty steep
learning curve. And there is a lot to learn. When you have an established farm
and have gained experience, pneumonia sweeping through your cattle herd would
be a problem, but not insurmountable. Butchering chickens will no longer be
an intimidating production. Reserves or other income will make poor beef prices
a disappointment, rather than enough to drive you out of the business. It is
vitally important you learn the skills necessary to provide for your family
now, not when your survival depends on it.
The first thing you need to do is stop saving all your seeds, and plant them!
(Keep enough in reserve in the likely case you are not able to harvest all
your own seeds from your first gardens.) Even if you are in the city or suburbs,
convert much of your manicured lawn to a garden. Without a lawn, there is still
the option of container gardening and community gardens. There is a lot to
learn about gardening, and even the most experienced gardeners are learning
new things and still having unexplained crop failures. Square-Foot Gardening,
by Mel Bartholomew is an excellent resource. Master Gardeners at your local
County Extension Office, as well as free publications offered there, will give
specific recommendations for your area. The most important thing, in my experience,
is to get out there and weed and water, and harvest when the time comes. We
are all busy, but consider it therapeutic, or part of your homeschooling curriculum,
or family quality time.
So now you have your harvest, and no one can eat as much zucchini as your garden
was kind enough to provide you. Even if you haven’t been able to grow
your own, buy bulk produce and practice putting it up yourself. Save up, and
invest in the equipment you need to preserve your harvest. It could be a freezer,
which although not viable for long term if the grid goes down, is great for
now. We have zucchini bread in January. Lehman’s is a great resource
for food preservation equipment, but Wal-mart has all your basic canning materials,
as well. Canning was very intimidating for me, but in the long run, it is not
as difficult as I believed. Get a book, read it, but then do it. Head knowledge
is never the same as actually gaining the skill by doing it. A pressure canner
is next on our list, in order to preserve meat and vegetables safely, in case
we lose our freezer.
Next, of course, is livestock and larger-scale farming. Many may feel this
is not an option because of your location. The
Memsahib has already written
in great detail about keeping rabbits, both in town and in the country. Bees
are a great option for in town, and in many locations, chickens are legal,
also.
Both bees
and
chickens
will be helpful in your gardening endeavors. Chickens are great for eating
garden pests; just make sure your plants are mature enough to withstand their
scratching, and fence them out when your tomatoes and zucchini are mature if
you want to get any!
As for location, is it really necessary to live in town? For some, it may certainly
be. For others, you may need to consider it. Jim is an advocate for moving
to your retreat, so I won’t belabor the point. If you’re there,
you should be taking advantage of it. While there may be little time for full-scale
farming, you must do a little on the side to learn the skills before your life
depends on it. And if you don’t have a retreat, consider other options.
Is a local farmer or rancher willing to lease you a few acres to put some animals
on or grow some wheat? We have chosen to rent a small place with less than
10 acres to hone our skills on. The house leaves a lot to be desired, and we
could be living in a nicer place in town, but this was the trade-off we made.
Once you have found your few acres, work it as efficiently as you can. We enjoy
the books Country Life by Paul Heiney (unfortunately out of print; try your
library) and Guide to Self-Sufficient Living by John Seymour for getting the
most out of your acreage. Country Life is more of a motivator/idea provoker,
whereas Seymour’s book is more “how-to”. And, of course,
a must-have is Carla Emery’s Encyclopedia of Country Living, which is
extremely detailed on the many subjects it covers. You Can Farm by Joel Salatin,
while less self-sufficiency, is a fantastic book about farming, and getting
the most out of your land, while putting the most into it. There are many examples
where we are putting this into practice. What follows are what we have chosen,
but the opportunities are diverse to becoming more self-sufficient. Research
and choose what works according to your preferences and situation.
An easy choice was chickens. They provide eggs, meat, and several other services
to improve our situation. Although there are different thoughts on this, we
are still free-ranging our chickens until avian flu becomes more of a localized
threat. They get plenty of protein from insects, the eggs are more nutritious
due to the chicken’s high chlorophyll intake, they manage the horse and
pig manure in the pastures by scratching through it, and all of this saves
on feed costs for us. In addition, they keep down insects in the garden. In
spring, we will hatch our own eggs. We could easily buy chicks, but believe
hatching our own eggs is a skill to learn now, before we need to do so.
Our sow grazes out with our horses. Her grazing saving us feed costs, and if
pigs are allowed to root, they don’t need minerals. It is not cost-efficient
for us to keep a boar for only one sow, so we have learned how to artificially
inseminate. In TEOTWAWKI, that will likely not be an option, but we pray by
that time we will have enough land to keep a boar, as well as more sows. Not
only are we gaining experience raising hogs, but are able to provide ourselves
and extended family pork which is vegetarian-fed and antibiotic-free which
we would otherwise be unable to afford. Also in the spring, we will turn part
of our horse pasture (not that great, anyway) into a corn patch so we can at
least supplement our pig and chicken feed. I have spent the last week digging
up my last garden, and mixing all the great manure our animals have been kind
enough to provide into it.
For a small acreage, hand tools are sufficient, although hard work. Although
we have not expanded yet into growing our own grain, we stock up on tools as
we can find them and afford them, and practice with them. We also have a team
of Belgian Cross yearlings (from the mares we owned during our farming experiment),
although I would recommend anyone new to horse farming buy an experienced team
and get training. Doc Hammill
in Deer Lodge, Montana provides
numerous clinics as well as videos, and is very reputable. My husband will
attend training next year to help start our colts right. Lynn R. Miller, also
the editor of Small Farmer’s Journal, has several books which are great
resources. Right now, the colts are hay burners, but we enjoy them. Since our
goal is to have a large enough acreage to necessitate horses, we will keep
them. Unlike tractors, you have to feed horses even when they are not working,
but they can help make their own feed. And unlike tractors, they can make more
of themselves when they wear out. They are also future transportation, if needed.
Next on our list will be to acquire a dairy animal. We have postponed this
because of the time commitment involved and the requirement of daily milking.
But we feel this is an important addition (especially considering the price
of milk and the amount we go through!). Beyond teaching us the skills needed
for keeping a dairy animal and providing artificial hormone-free milk, this
will allow us the opportunity to learn to make butter and eventually, cheese.
In addition, a milk cow’s calf will provide us with beef and extra milk
will augment pig and chicken feed. Dairy goats are a better option for many
people and deserve serious consideration.
I am not going to mislead you - this is a lot of work and money, too (although
providing your own food saves money in the long run). My husband works a full-time
job, while I homeschool our young, growing family, and we do a lot of things
ourselves in the interest of saving money (cloth diapers, clotheslines, wood
heat). That doesn’t give much time for self-sufficient farming, but we
feel truly worth the current sacrifice. The argument I am making here is that
there are a lot of skills that many used to know, that now nearly no one knows,
and they are not that easy to learn! It has been a humbling experience for
both my husband and I (a born perfectionist), who were successful in our careers,
school, etc., to find we couldn’t do much of a practical nature! I prefer
to learn now, rather than when my family’s survival depends on it. And
we have a resource that many people in our society overlook - children. Children
require a lot of love and care, but they do not require nonstop playtime. Our
children are learning skills and do chores as their age and ability allow.
I pray they will be much more skilled than we are. They are a force multiplier,
particularly if you find something in which they are interested. Mom and Dad
can’t be an expert in everything. For example, my #1 daughter wants to
learn to spin yarn. So our plan is for her to become the resident sheep expert
as well as the expert in yarn production.
Although it may be difficult to learn and find the time for, the ability to
provide for yourself provides incredible rewards. If we should need to return
to a less technologically “advanced” society, many people will
not have the knowledge, skills, and determination to do so. A few forward-thinkers
will. Which do you want to be?
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Food Items in Non-Food Grade Buckets? »
Two Letters Re: Getting Your Loved Ones on Board with Preparedness
Dear Mr. Rawles,
I am new to your blog (a real treasure chest!) and happened to read your post
concerning the Pollys in
our lives. I have also spent many of my days what seems like shouting out
of the bottom of a barrel to raise people's awareness of the potential issues
that surround us.
I did note that you mentioned [the television series] Jericho as a
means of raising people's awareness concerning survival, etc. Our family has
been able to share our DVDs
almost like a lending library all summer and had many, many friends and even
acquaintances not only like the series (even though
I agree wholeheartedly that the information is skewed ...who looks at a mushroom
cloud to see another day or drink iodine???), but they have consequently started
thinking about what they might do personally in the event of a disaster. My
biggest hope has been to make the younger generation of people who have never
seen any hardship nor thought such thing to be possible, aware of and contemplate
the possibility at least once in their lives.
As of October 21, CBS has made Season
1 of Jericho available
online on YouTube.
There is no registration necessary to view the entire first season. It is a
great (and free) way to plunge through the episodes with a minimum of distraction.
A number of people have been keeping track over the past couple of weeks on
the Jericho message board on NBC universal and the views on the youtube
episodes are now averaging 50-60,000 a day and rising for the pilot episode,
and 15,000-17,000 a day for the first 14 episodes (each!). Something has started
making people become more aware. The final episodes of Season 1 are much lower
in views but that, most likely has to do with the view-counters for those
episodes being out of whack. Anyway, I thought you might like to be able to
get the word out to people that they needn't even spend any money to buy Jericho,
they can simply watch the first season online, or on TV (see the next paragraph)
for a short time.
Also, as of November 30th, the network channel The
CW [a broadcast television
network in the US] started re-playing Jericho on Sunday evenings prior
to their big movie. It is finally being broadcast at a time when normal human
beings and families can watch it at 7 pm EST (6 pm MST),
and on a non-cable channel. UHD [Universal High Definition] TV has
been re-broadcasting Jericho for
a while and will continue through December. There were only 1.3 million viewers
for the pilot episode last week but the CW only advertised it for one week
prior to it's start. For those who are interested, they could probably catch
up the Pilot episode online on YouTube and then continue with the rest of the
series as a family on Sunday evenings. I have truly seen nothing better for
entire families to get them engaged in the preparedness discussion.
While I sound like a bit of an apologist for Jericho it comes from
the heart of watching people's awareness blossom into being able to acknowledge
that perhaps they best do something...just in case. One of the new young couples
who watched the whole series in 16.5 hours straight (as only young people can
do! ) looked at me and said, you know, maybe we better think about buying some
food and having some things on hand...just in case. That totally made my day.
When is the last time I have seen a young couple even contemplate such thinking.
:) Thanks for your amazing and informative blog - TPL
Howdy James,
Reading your SurvivalBlog post on your recommendations of some television shows
with survival mindset themes, here's a few more...
Fiction:
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Season
1 is now out on DVD (available at Netflix)
Current season full episodes available at Fox.com
Jeremiah
[A post-apocalyptic science fiction series that] ran two seasons [as a Showtime
series]. No real "end" to
it. An, interesting show, though.
Seasons 1 & 2 available on DVD (available at Netflix)
Netflix has it available to watch online as well as on DVD.
Non-fiction:
Hoods Woods (Ron
Hood)
I rented his intro DVD from Netflix, and I'm looking forward to getting his
25 DVD set, which is on sale until Christmas.
Survivorman (Les
Stroud)
Seasons 1 & 2 of Survivorman out on DVD (available from Netflix)
Les Stroud also made a documentary for Canadian television a while back called "Off
the Grid with Les Stroud " [that is available on YouTube]. A
pretty good show, about Stroud and his family moving from the suburbs to 150
acres
in the
Canadian
wilderness
with
solar and wind
power, etc. Off the Grid is available from the Survivorman web site.
Ray Mears
Ray Mears has done several shows for British television, and has consulted
on several more, notably, the popular "Long Way Down" motorcycle
trek by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. Here are the shows I've heard of,
seems
there's
another new one called Walkabout, but I haven't seen it...
Extreme Survival
Bushcraft
Wild Food
The shows are available on DVD from the web site.
I hope these are helpful, enjoyable, entertaining, educational, and motivational
to some folks! Thanks, - Rick in New Hampshire
« Letter Re: Some Disaster Preparedness Information for Asthmatics |Main| Note from JWR: »
Getting Your Loved Ones on Board with Preparedness
Roughly 10% of the e-mails that I receive from SurvivalBlog readers
come from people that mention they have a relative that refuses to get
prepared.
This
is usually
because
they refuse to believe
that anything could ever go wrong beyond a localized and short-term natural
disaster. ("Order and commerce will certainly be restored within
a week!") This is what I call the Pollyanna
syndrome. How someone could
have witnessed the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina so well-documented on television,
yet still maintain a "Polly" attitude astounds me.
Convincing Pollys to to get prepared can be frustrating, especially when they
stop listening to logic and descend into sheer stubbornness. But I have found
a couple of approaches that have proven successful at convince loved ones to
get prepared:
First, if they are Christians or Jews, try to convince them of the Biblical
responsibility to provide for their families. The verses that I cite at my
Prayer static page are quite clear on this subject.
Second, hand them a book. Most people will not take the time to read a survival
manual, but they are often willing to read a novel. In addition to humbly recommending
my own novel ("Patriots:
Surviving the Coming Collapse"), I recommend all of the following:
Lucifer's Hammer, by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank (Classic nuke scenario)
Pulling Through by Dean Ing (a more modern nuke scenario + a mini
nuke survival manual) Not to be confused with my screenplay that
has the same title.
Some Will Not Die by Algis Budrys (Plague total wipe out scenario)
No Blade of Grass by John Christopher (Massive crop disease/social
breakdown scenario, from the British perspective.)
Vandenberg by Oliver Lange (Invasion scenario) later republished under
the
title “Defiance”.
The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
Last of the Breed by Louis L’amour
And for those that refuse to even take the time to read a novel, there is
always "Plan
B"--movies and television series. For my movie recommendations, scroll
down near the bottom of the SurvivalBlog
Bookshelf page. For television, in the US, I recommend the
short-lived series
"Jericho",
which is now available on DVD. The show portrays some horribly bad Hollywoodesque
tactics
and
is
not particularly
instructive
of specific self-sufficiency techniques,
but
overall
it
is
still worth
watching, just for the sake of "atmosphere" and instilling a survival
mindset.
In
the
UK, the new BBC
television series "Survivors", debuted last month. It is
a remake of the British series of the same name from the 1970s, that was produced
by Terry Nation. I've seen only the first two episodes, but the story thusfar
seems
fairly plausible. UK
residents can watch full episodes online but outside of the UK the
only thing available at the BBC web site are short clips. The
series will be available on DVD in UK format in January, but I'm not certain
if there are plans to make it available in the North America DVD format. Beware
that the "Bit Torrent" streams of this show that are now being circulated
at sites like Mininova.com are not licensed
copies.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Michigan's Upper Peninsula as a Retreat Locale »
Letter Re: Comments on "Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse"
Dear Sir:
Recently I acquired a copy of your novel "Patriots:
Surviving the Coming Collapse".
I have read a few works of survivalist fiction in my time, your book is one
of the few that I could honestly say I would be happy to read again and again.
There aren't many books I could say that about
A little background here, I'm a former Royal Marine originally from England
and now I live in Northern Ireland. There isn't much of a survivalist
movement here
in the UK so I consider myself to be in a minority! I also write survival
manuals in my spare time (which I don't have much of lately) and I follow
the word of
the bible regarding preparing for the unforeseen. Far too often I have watched
the news of some disaster and seen people stood with their hands out begging
for help and expecting it from the government. Last year there was widespread
flooding in the South of England, and I recall seeing several people on the
news complaining that they had no clean drinking water. If I had been
in this situation,
I have about 200 gallons of potable water in store, and then I also have
something like a years supply of purifying tablets, and a number of filters.
When those
run out, its the old fashioned way, boiling.
I grew up in an ethnically diverse community, and went to school with Asian,
Oriental and Afro-Caribbean kids, so its quite refreshing to see you have added
a blend of races in the characters. All too often, survivalists are labeled
'Racist', 'Anti-semitic', or 'White Supremacist'. Your character 'Kevin Lendel'
reminded me somewhat of the character Paul Rubenstein in 'The Survivalist'
series of novels, [by Jerry Ahern] which were in fact the first survivalist
fiction I ever read.
I found the information in the book to be quite useful and it has taken me
in new directions with regard to my supplies and techniques. Some of the
gear your
characters store is however pretty hard to come by in the UK. When reading
of the guys using ALICE packs,
this brought back memories of the ALICE pack I used
to have a few years ago, and I spent most of the next few days on eBay trying
to find a large one in a usable condition. Now I've found one, I just need
to get the cash together to buy it. Best wishes, - Steve
« Don't Confuse the COMEX Spot Prices with Retail Reality--Bullion Coin Supplies are Tight! |Main| Preparing for Survival Retreat Perimeter Defense, by O.F. »
Letter Re: Cemeteries as G.O.O.D. Overnight Bivouacs?
Mr. Rawles,
I completed reading your novel "Patriots", I just finished
reading "Rawles
On Retreats and Relocation", I'm about to read the "SurvivalBlog:
The Best of the Blog" book and I'm going to order the "Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course. I do
have a couple of questions:
When one would be
Bugging Out, or in route to a retreat, I was thinking about having a cemetery
to rest in, they are generally isolated, either on the edge of town or even
in the countryside. There is plenty of good cover there like hiding behind
headstones and maybe taking shelter in a mausoleum. There again, I am not
saying looting or vandalizing them just using their cover for a short time,
overnight thing. I have obtained a map of some of the surrounding area where
I live, been to a dozen or so cemeteries. Most have good cover, shade and some
are close to creeks. It was my thought that even if one was on foot providing
that he has done his homework could travel from cemetery to cemetery using
something there for shelter. Which leads me to my second question: If I was
not comfortable
having a drop off point (storage unit) along the way to the retreat, would
it be advisable, with the consent of the "group" maybe to ""bury"" something
along the way, at an older cemetery or maybe even go as far as buying a grave
plot or mausoleum to store G.O.O.D.
packs or supplies in? I have searched the Blog and found nothing pertaining
to cemetery
rest stops and was wondering
your take, maybe myself of other readers could take this advise to heart. Always
Preparing, - G.D.
JWR Replies: That idea has some merit. Until you mentioned
it, I hadn't thought about buying a mausoleum space. I suppose that Sarah
Connor would be proud of your ingenuity!
There are, however, some significant drawbacks to your idea of an overnight
stay, especially if you plan to be there at all during daylight:
1.) Most cemeteries are private property and hence are considered "roust vagrants
by SOP" zones for local law enforcement, when they patrol. Even cemeteries
that are on public property are usually protected from
interlopers by numerous ordinances.
2.) Sextons keep a closer eye on graveyards than most people realize. They
watch for anything that is out of place.
3.) Rows of headstones only provide limited cover. Because they are laid out
in rows, they afford little or no cover from flanking attackers. This, BTW,
might be what happened to the World War I aviator Frank Luke, who
was an acquaintance of my grandfather, Ernest Rawles.When
Luke was shot
down during
WWI, he attempted to defend himself with a pistol, against a squad
of German soldiers that were armed with rifles. According to some conflicting
reports, he died in a graveyard near Murvaux,
France.
This sad incident, BTW, also illustrates two important precepts of
gunfighting: 1.) Superior skills can be
overcome
by superior
numbers,
and
2.) A handgun is just a backup weapon--merely a tool that you can hopefully
use to "fight your way back to your rifle." There is a famous old saying,
that was
later popularized by the movie The Untouchables: "Never bring a
knife to a gunfight." My corollary is: "Never bring a pistol
to a rifle fight." Coincidentally,
Luke's five final aerial victories and his death on the ground
the same day will be well-documented in a book that will soon be released "The
Stand: The Final Flight of Lt. Frank Luke, Jr.".) Even though
90 years have gone by, the conflicting
stories about Luke's death are still
being debated.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Advice for City Folks on a Budget? »
Letter Re: Questions on Short Term Survival in an Urban Office Building
JWR,
To follow up on Flora in New York City's "Questions on Short Term Survival
in an Urban Office Building", here is a link to Aton Edward's highly recommended
book Preparedness
Now! which also contains a link to the April 2008 New
York Times article that allowed me (thankfully) to find Survivalblog.com for
the first time.
Additionally, here
is a video interview with Mr. Edwards recorded in New York City and
addressing exactly the kind of equipment/tools and awareness/preparedness issues
that an office-bound urbanite like Flora needs to survive.
Since April, I ordered and read "Patriots", the Rawles Get's
You Ready course, and "Rawles
On Retreats and Relocation". Thank you for your informative, easy-to-navigate,
and comprehensive blog! This weekend I finally finished reading every page
and every day's worth of SurvivalBlog archive posts from the last three+ years
(it took more than six weeks and I now have a big "To Do" list).
- Lee
in Hurricane Alley
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Investing in Foreign Currency CDs »
Letter Re: Advice for an Unprepared Greenhorn
Jim,
I'd like to add one piece of advice to the
"Greenhorn" reader who hasn't gotten started, but knows he must.
After getting the basics you listed, he should start on a food preparedness
action plan to feed his family
in a crisis. The blueprint for all that is in the great preparedness course
you created. I know it's not cheap, but the mistakes it helps you avoid will
more than offset the cost, even for someone on a tight budget. And for that
reader who wrote in to share his story, it's free. Just send me his address,
Jim, and we'll immediately send him a complete Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course with our compliments. Best,
- Jake Stafford, Arbogast
Publishing
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| A Girl Scout Troop Leader Wants to Get Her Girls Prepared »
Letter Re: A Suggested Reading List
James:
Thank you for all of the work that you put into your web site. I have been
reading your site and preparing for the last couple of years. I thought you
might be interested in the Bibliography to my [retreat] group’s operations
guide.
Fiction
Adams, John Joseph. Wastelands. San Francisco : Night Shade Books, 2008.
Alten, Steve. The Shell Game. Springville , Utah : Sweetwater Books, 2007.
Brin, David. The Postman. New York : Bantam Books, 1985.
Budrys, Algis. Some Will Not Die. New York : Dell Publishing Co., Inc., 1961.
Card, Orson Scott. The Folk of the Fringe. New York : Tom Doherty Associates,
Inc., 1989.
Carlson, Jeff. Plague War. New York : The Penguin Group, 2008.
Frank, Pat. Alas, Babylon . New York : Harper Perennial, 1959.
Heinlein, Robert A. Farmer in the Sky. New York : Ballantine Books, 1950.
________. Time Enough For Love. New York : The Berkley Publishing Group, 1973.
________. Tunnel In The Sky. New York : Ballantine Books, 1955.
Ing, Dean. Pulling Through. New York : Charter Communications, Inc., 1983.
Kunstler, James Howard. World Made By Hand. New York : Atlantic Monthly Press,
2008.
McDevitt, Jack. Eternity Road. New York : Harper Collins Publishers, 1997.
Niven, Larry and Jerry Pournelle. Lucifer’s Hammer. New York : The Random
House Publishing Group, 1977.
Party, Boston T. Molon Labé! Ignacio , Colorado : Javelin Press, 2004.
Rawles, James Wesley. Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse. The Clearwater
Press, 2006.
Sheffield, Charles. Aftermath. New York : Bantam Books, 1998.
Stewart, George R. Earth Abides. New York : Del Rey Books, 1949.
Stirling , S.M. Dies The Fire. New York : New American Library, 2004.
________. The Protector’s War. New York : New American Library, 2005.
________. A Meeting at Corvallis . New York : New American Library, 2006.
Nonfiction
Food Storage
Layton, Peggy. Emergency Food Storage & Survival Handbook. New York : Three
Rivers Press, 2002.
Stafford , Jake and Jim Rawles. Rawles Gets You Ready: The Ultimate Emergency
Preparedness Course. Genoa , NV : Arbogast
Publishing, LLC, 2006.
General
Boy Scouts of America , Fieldbook, 4th Edition. Irving , TX : Boy Scouts of
America , 2004.
Clayton, Bruce D. Life After Terrorism. Boulder , CO : Paladin Press, 2002.
Deyo, Holly Drennan. Dare to Prepare, 2nd Edition. Pueblo West, Colorado :
Deyo Enterprises LLC, 2004
Diamond, Jared. Collapse, How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. New York
: Penguin Books, 2005.
________. Guns, Germs, and Steel. New York : W.W. Norton & Company, 1997.
Emery, Carla. The Encyclopedia of Country Living, 9th Edition. Seattle : Sasquatch
Books, 2003.
Kelly, Kate. Living Safe in an Unsafe World. New York : New American Library,
2000.
Kunstler, James Howard. The Geography of Nowhere. New York : Simon & Schuster,
1994.
________. The Long Emergency. New York : Atlantic Monthly Press, 2005.
McGlashan, Charles F. History of the Donner Party. Barnes & Noble Publishing,
Inc., 2004.
Party, Boston T. Boston on Surviving Y2K and Other Lovely Disasters. Ignacio
, CO : Javelin Press, 1998.
Rawles, James Wesley. Rawles on Retreats and Relocations. The Clearwater Press,
2007.
________. SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog Volume 1. Clearwater Press, 2007.
Ruff, Howard J. How To Prosper During The Coming Bad Years In The 21st Century.
New York : The Penguin Group, 2008.
Starke, Linda. State of the World 2004. New York : W.W. Norton & Company,
2004.
United States Air Force. Search and Rescue Survival Training. New York : Barnes & Noble
Publishing, Inc., 2003.
United States Army , US Army Survival Manual. New York : Dorset Press, 2001.
United States Marine Corps. Guidebook For Marines, 14th Revised Edition. Quantico
, VA : The Marine Corps Association, 1982.
Global Warming
Gore, Al. An Inconvenient Truth. New York : Rodale, 2006.
Knauer, Kelly. Global Warming. New York : Time Books, 2007.
Lynas, Mark. Six Degrees, Our Future on a Hotter Planet. London : Harper Perennial,
2007.
JWR Adds: For a contrapuntal viewpoint, see: Meltdown:
The Predictable Distortion of Global Warming by Scientists, Politicians, and
the
Media, by Patrick J. Michaels
Mechanical
Bealer, Alex W. The Art of Blacksmithing. Edison , NJ : Castle Books, 1995.
Burbank , Nelson L. et al. House Construction Details, 7th Edition. New York
: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1986.
Davis , Thomas Bieber and Carl A. Nelson Sr. Audel Mechanical Trades Pocket
Manual, 4th Edition. Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2004.
Finch, Richard. Welder’s Handbook, revised edition. New York : The Berkley
Publishing Group, 1997.
Hauser, Walter. Introduction to the Principles of Mechanics. Reading , MA :
Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc., 1965.
Graf, Rudolf F. The Modern Power Supply and Battery Charger Circuit. New York
: TAB Books, 1992.
Harper, Gavin D.J. Solar Energy Projects for the Evil Genius. New York : McGraw-Hill
Companies, Inc., 2007.
Hornung, William J. Builders Vest Pocket Reference Book. New York : Prentice
Hall Press, 1955.
Macauly, David. The Way Things Work. Boston : Houghton Mifflin Company, 1988.
Oberg, Erik et al. 27th Edition Machinery’s Handbook. New York : Industrial
Press, Inc., 2004.
Parmley, Robert O., P.E. Field Engineer’s Manual. New York : McGraw-Hill
Book Company, 1981.
Peters, Rick. Plumbing Basics. New York : Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.,
2000.
Proulx, Danny. The Pocket Hole Drilling Jig Project Book. Cincinnati , OH :
Popular Woodworking Books, 2004.
Richter, H.P. et al. Wiring Simplified. Minneapolis : Park Publishing, Inc.,
2002.
Schwarz, Max. Basic Engineering For Builders. Carlsbad , CA : Craftsman Book
Company, 1993.
United States Navy. Basic Machines and How They Work. New York : Dover Publications,
Inc., 1971.
Wing, Charlie. How Your House Works. Kingston , MA : Reed Construction Data,
Inc., 2007.
Medical
Burns, A. August et al. Where Women Have No Doctor. Berkeley , CA : Hesperian,
1997.
Carline, Jan D., Ph.D. et al. Mountaineering First Aid, 4th Edition. Seattle
, WA : The Mountaineers, 1996.
Dickson, Murray. Where There Is No Dentist. Berkeley , CA : Hesperian, 1983.
Forgey, William W., M.D. Wilderness Medicine, 5th Edition. Guilford , CT :
The Globe Pequot Press, 2000.
Nato Handbook. Emergency War Surgery. El Dorado , AR : Desert Publications,
1988.
Werner, David et al. Where There Is No Doctor, revised edition. Berkeley ,
CA : Hesperian, 1992.
Peak Oil
Simmons, Matthew R. Twilight in the Desert. Hoboken , NJ : John Wiley & Sons,
Inc., 2005.
Tertzakian, Peter. A Thousand Barrels A Second. New York : McGraw-Hill, 2006.
Weapons and Combat
Ayoob, Massad. The Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery 6th Edition. Iola
, WI : F + W Publications, 2007.
Clausewitz, Carl Von. On War. London : Penguin Books, 1968.
Cooper, Jeff. Principles of Personal Defense. Boulder , CO : Paladin Press,
2006.
________. To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth. Boulder , CO : Paladin
Press, 1998.
Party, Boston T. Boston’s Gun Bible. Ignacio , CO : Javelin Press, 2002.
Perkins, John et al. Attack Proof. Champaign , IL : Human Kinetics, 2000.
Plaster, Maj. John L., USAR (Ret.). The Ultimate Sniper. Boulder , CO : Paladin
Press, 2006.
United States Marine Corps. Essential Subjects. Arlington , VA : Marine Corps
Institute, 1986.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: The Cost of Things to Come »
Letter Re: The Backwoods Home Magazine Anthologies
Jim,
I recently purchased Backwoods Home's "The
Affordable Whole Shebang" offer
which includes printed
anthologies of Backwoods Home starting from year one to the present (13
years) as well as 11 CD-ROMs packed full of information: recipes, alternative
energy,
firearms info, preparedness guide, etc. The CD-ROMs include a partial electronic
anthology of the magazine (years 7-14) for easy portability.
I was very impressed by the sheer volume of reading material for only $257!
I am a voracious reader and it will take quite a while for me to consume
it all. I highly recommend this fantastic offer and feel
that not only is it
entertaining to read, it is very informative as well. This is an important
addition to the preparedness library. I'm not associated with the magazine--just
a satisfied reader. - Rob M.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Marginal Cartridges Without Proper Placement Fail to Stop an Aggressor »
Letter Re: Novel Recommendation--"Solar Flare" by Larry Burkett
Mr. Rawles,
I have read your novel Patriots and passed it along to several people that
I know. Most of them now own their own copy as well and it has been a big
boost in helping them see the need for making preparations for the times
ahead.
It is with great interest that I have read the recent discussions about solar
flares on the blog. The novel that first piqued my interest in survival and
preparedness was the book Solar
Flare by Strategic Air Command veteran and former NASA employee
Larry Burkett. The
premise of the novel is an eruption of solar flares that destroys much of the
technology in the modern world, and how people begin to
cope and adapt. Certainly not as comprehensive as your novel but it is an interesting
read nonetheless. Before his death in 2003, Mr. Burkett was also a well known
Christian financial advisor and wrote other books such as What Ever Happened
to the American Dream?, The Coming Economic Earthquake, and Your
Finances in Changing Times.
Thanks again for your work on the blog, and God Bless! - Bryan
S.
JWR Replies: The majority of opinion is that the
likelihood of a truly massive solar flare event (i.e. a huge coronal mass ejection
(CME)
with an accompanying X-ray flare burst) is extremely low. Ian O'Neill,
one of the chief
debunkers of solar
flares and similar threats posts at the
Universe Today web site. I generally agree with him, but I don't completely
rule out the chance of a massive flare that could have EMP-like
effects. Just like the often over-emphasized "magnetic
pole shift." and
sudden-onset climate change threats, I
personally place the CME threat way over at the far end of the threat matrix.
It is the corner of the chart that I label "Extremely low likelihood in
our
lifetimes,
but devastating if it were to occur." My viewpoint on preparedness
for a massive CME event is this: As long as we are preparing for nuclear fallout
and EMP as
every family should, then we are also preparing for solar flare shielding--since those
preparations are nearly identical.
« Letter Re: Potassium Iodide Versus Potassium Iodate for Post-Nuke Thyroid Gland Protection |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Letter Re: An Army Officer's Observations
Mr Rawles,
I found your web site a few months ago and have been pouring through it ever
since. This past week, I finished reading the SurvivalBlog archives through
the end of 2007. Just six months of archives left :) I also just finished
reading your excellent novel, "Patriots"
As a fundamentalist Christian who was homeschooled, I truly appreciate your
willingness to unabashedly share your faith and your conservative family values
through your web site and writings.
I am also a West Point graduate who became an Armor officer in 2000, so I really
enjoy and relate to your anecdotes and descriptions (and military jargon & acronyms)
of your personal Military Intelligence experience, as well as the fictional experiences of "Doug
Carlton". Your descriptions of M1A1 tanks, Fort Knox, Advanced Camp (Camp
Buckner for me), et cetera. are all spot on. Your description of tankers, down
to the details about being chronically horrible on security, was exactly correct.
I well remember getting a CS [tear gas] canister thrown into our perimeter at [National
Training Center] NTC by the [Observer Controller] OC because we were all asleep.
We received a briefing
on the vulnerabilities of Abrams tanks at the Armor Captain's Career Course
and,
in
light of that,
I found your discussion of the matter in "Patriots" very
interesting. As a note of interest, since the Iraq War, the training in the
Armor CCC seems
to place renewed importance on urban warfare and especially on combined operations
with Infantry. In fact, I believe Armor and Infantry CCCs have combined now
to form a single "Maneuver Captain's Career Course".
After my platoon leader time, I worked in the Fort Knox Garrison S3 shop as
a planner for two years at Fort Knox's Emergency Operations Center, working
on
their
contingency
operations plans for everything from earthquakes to terrorists attacks. I took
advantage of my time there in taking a lot of FEMA online
courses, getting my amateur radio license, and taking a lot of civilian and
military training
in [Search and Rescue] SAR. That being the case, I absolutely loved the Fort
Knox aspects of the plot
in "Patriots" and
wish to heck that I had your book during my time there to pass around to the
other guys. My time there was also the point in my life when I realized that
a lot can go wrong in this world and I'd better have a plan
to prepare for it.
Wanting some change, I later became a Civil Affairs officer with deployments
to Iraq and West Africa. Civil Affairs just became it's own branch in 2006
as the Army recognizes that "civilians on the battlefield" play an
enormous role in low intensity conflicts like Iraq. The civilian dimension,
both as potential OPFOR and BLUFOR, is being studied and analyzed in depth
in today's Army, as it should be. However, it is terrifying to contemplate
a "Patriots" type of scenario where that scrutiny, analysis, and
subsequent operations would be turned towards our own populace. Double ditto
for all things related to the new branch of Psychological Operations
After reading survivalblog, I've been re-examining my military experiences,
especially my time in Iraq and West Africa from the survivalist viewpoint.
I don't want to make this e-mail into a book, so I'll only mention a few things
for now: In many of the Medical Civic Action Programs (MEDCAP) that we conducted
in Africa, one of the hugely popular items was adaptive eyewear. Essentially,
they are adjustable glasses where the user can modify the power of each lens
to his or her needs. It works through fluid-filled lenses. You can checkout
their web site at http://www.adaptive-eyecare.com/index.htm . I'm not affiliated
with them, by the way, but I have handed out a lot of these things. They look
like the Army BCGs,
so they aren't pretty but they are effective. I went to a village last year
where they told me their number one medical need was eye
care. Actually, it appeared as though a large percent of the elderly people
had cataracts which we couldn't fix obviously, but the adjustable glasses were
a hot item for many others. I thought about it when I read some of the previous
posts about eye care and about barter items. How many people would have lost
or broken their glasses after a few years of TEOTWAWKI?
Or their prescription changes? Glasses might be a popular barter item, but
who wants to stock every
prescription imaginable? These glasses can be adjusted from +6 to -6 Diopters.
The only catch is... I think this company mostly sells their glasses in bulk
to NGO-type organizations for use in third
world countries, so I have no idea if they are available to the normal person
here in these united States. However,
now that you know they're out there, you might keep a watch out for something
like it. This is an example of something that is probably not currently marketable
in a developed country because of lack of need. However, that could quickly
change if TSHTF.
I think I heard that the glasses were about $10 or $12 each, but they were
trying to bring the costs down. Also, I'm no eye doctor, but
I surmised that one of the reasons for the surprisingly high number of cataract
and eye problems in these places is that they go through their whole life living
outdoors without sunglasses or eye protection. Granted, we were in or near
the Sahara Desert, where conditions are unusually harsh, but the lesson I took
away is that sunglasses and eye protection are essential, especially if spending
a lot of time in harsh-sun environments or anywhere there isn't an eye doctor.
On another note of interest, probably the number one ailment by far we saw
were bowel problems, probably related to unsanitary conditions and unpurified
water. There were also always a sizable number of people who had dental problems
who were hugely grateful when our dentist pulled their problem teeth. As you've
mentioned before, having a dental kit and knowing how to pull teeth doesn't
sound too exciting now but if the time came when you needed it, you sure would
be thankful that you could. Our dentist made it look so easy, pulling people's
teeth while they sat on an Army cot or the back of a pickup, that I asked him
to pull my wisdom teeth. He wouldn't do it, though, saying that there's a big
difference in pulling out a malnourished person's tooth and pulling out a McDonald's
fed American's teeth. Plus, he didn't want the liability in case of complications.
My wisdom teeth weren't a problem for me, but I went ahead and got them pulled
when I got back from the deployment. I figured it was better to get that
out of the way now rather than wait until TEOTWAWKI when I'd be sitting on
the back of a pickup while some goon is putting a pair of pliers in my mouth.
One huge "mistake" that we made was our method of handing out some
giveaways during our MEDCAPs. Be careful of your how you hand out charity!
We gave out bolts of cloth (the cloth had pro-American prints on them) to the
women of one village and within a few hours, we had near-riot conditions. Several
people were injured and nearly suffocated and/or trampled, the local police
grew, shall we say, heavy-handed, and we shut down all operations. Your advice
of giving out charity from a distance and using an intermediary like the church
is exactly correct. Another lesson is that bolts of cloth are another really
popular item for people who have to make their own clothes.
Thank you for all
you do. My 10
Cent Challenge contribution will be forthcoming. God bless you
and
your
family. Respectfully, - The Kansan
« Letter Re: As It Was in the Days of Noah |Main| Note from JWR: »
Book Review: "Surviving A Disaster", by Tony Nester
We were sent a review copy of "Surviving
A Disaster -
Evacuation Strategies And Emergency Kits for Staying
Alive". This
slim paperback (just 57 pages) is a basic overview and
introduction to Getting Out Of Dodge (G.O.O.D.)
It was written by Tony
Nester, a wilderness survival teacher in Arizona. Nester has also written
the books "Practical
Survival" and "Desert
Survival".
The book covers Bug Out Bags (BOBs),
basic first aid kits, home evacuation gear, water, food, and so forth. It is
mainly written about preparedness for
evacuation
in
the case of a short-term
natural or man-made disaster, not TEOTWAWKI.
However, it does cover 'minor' disasters fairly well.
Positives:
- It is a basic look at preparedness, that your sheeple brother-in-law
and co-workers could understand.
- Also, the author speaks about preparedness very rationally, not sounding
like a paranoid whacko.
- He includes extensive lists of everything you might need to pack
in your BOB.
- He presents ideas on how to organize your gear. (Particularly, having
a layered system. For example, if the road is impassable, you
will be ready to leave the car and go on foot.)
Negatives:
- The book is aimed at new and non-survivalists. It doesn't go into extreme
detail.
- There isn't much here that is really new ideas.
- If you are already well prepared, you probably won't need it.
If you've been prepared for a decade or more,
then you probably don't need this book. However, if you are new to preparedness,
or have friends and relatives that are unprepared, this might be a good
starter. It does not have that intimidating 'survivalist'
look, and starts with the basics.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Advanced Medical Training and Facilities for Retreat Groups »
Poll Results: The SurvivalBlog Party Mix
We've tallied the 75+ reader responses to our recent poll on your favorite
music with a survival or preparedness theme. Based on the responses, I can
see that
a large number of our readers are rock-'n-roll fans. The Top 10 tunes
mentioned were
(in
descending
order of popularity):
1.) "Silent Running",
by Mike and The Mechanics
2.) "Its
The End Of The World As We Know It", by R.E.M.
3.) "A
Country Boy Can Survive" by Hank Williams, Jr.
4.) "Eve
of Destruction" by Barry McGuire (Buffalo
Springfield 's rendition of the same song was also mentioned.)
5.) "Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult
6.) "Riding the Storm Out" by REO Speedwagon
7.) "Bad
Moon Rising" by Credence Clearwater Revival
8.) "Lawyers, Guns and
Money" by Warren Zevon
9.) "The
Man Comes Around" by Johnny Cash
10.) "We
Won't Get Fooled Again" by The Who
Other songs not in the top 10, but still mentioned by more than one reader
included:
"I Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty, "Thank God for the Renegades" by
Steve Vaus, "Everybody Knows" by Leonard
Cohen
(a
cover by The Duhks was also mentioned), "Going by the Book", by
Johnny Cash, "Political Science" by Randy Newman, "Copperhead
Road"
by Steve Earl, "March
of Cambreadth" by Heather McDonald, and "You Do Your Thing" by
Montgomery
Gentry.
Just to cheer you
up
after
all this Gloom und Doom, listen to this song that was mentioned by three SurvivalBlog
readers: "Are
the Good Times Really Over for Good?", by
Merle Haggard.
« Letter Re: An Overlooked Aspect of Preparedness--Crutches and Canes |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Reader Poll: The SurvivalBlog Party Mix
On a recent looong drive into town to top off our supplies, the Memsahib
suggested this: The SurvivalBlog Party Mix.
Our favorite "preparedness" music. What
are your favorite survival-theme songs? (Just e-mail us
your list.) Here are the top three
songs on the Rawles family's play list.
"The Man Comes Around" by Johnny Cash
"A Country
Boy Can Survive" by Hank Williams, Jr.
"Bad
Moon Rising" by Credence Clearwater Revival
How about you? Please e-mail us your two
or three favorites. Thanks.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: The Food Shortages Are Real--Will There Be Panic Buying Soon? »
Letter Re: Free Downloadable Military Manuals and Uncopyrighted Books
Greetings Rawles family!
I am a member of a forum online that I think has a real gem for your readers.
Gary, the administrator over at Post
Apocalyptic Media (which focuses on
post-apocalyptic science fiction, but has some preppers as well) has put
together a great project.
He edited [US military field manuals] (FMs),
and other non-copyrighted books taking out information that would
not be useful to non-Army personnel (nothing
tactical or important, strictly Army procedural things). He then put them together
in books with titles like "Survival", "Survival:
Health" which includes FM 4-25.11 First Aid, Emergency War Surgery, FM
8-284 Treatment of Biological Warfare Agent Casualties, "Survival: Arms", "Survival:
Rebuilding", as well as titles like [the 19th Century formulary] "The
Household Cyclopedia" (also
titled "MacKenzie's 10,000 Recipes") and others to come. All
are available to download for free, and are also available [in hard
copy] at no cost beyond [the actual cost of] supplies. [They are being sold
at zero
profit.]
The printed ones come with useful and sharp looking camouflage covers that
Gary
designed. Here
are the links [to the forum threads which in turn have links to the PDFs and
the Lulu.com ordering pages]:
Military
Manuals
19th
Century Texts
Regards, - Rightcoast
JWR Replies: Thanks for mentioning that. Be advised that
registration is required to access the Post
Apocalyptic Media forum, but to register, all that they ask for is a name
and e-mail address.
« Letter Re: Advice on Long Term Ammunition Storage Techniques |Main| News from Wall Street and Capitol Hill--The Mother Of All Bailouts Begins to Grow »
Lessons From Fiction--A Critique of "I Am Legend", by Michael Z. Williamson
I finally had a chance to see [the 2007 movie] "I Am Legend",
and analyzed it as a writer, and from a technical perspective.
I've seen a lot of discussion over his [use of a] M4 [Carbine
as his primary weapon]. I have to say for that type of fighting, I'd prefer
a shotgun. However,
a shotgun
doesn't
reload
fast
enough.
He might
be better off with a good .308 self-loading carbine, if he can find adequate
soft-point ammo. In New York City, that's unlikely. National Guard armories
would only have ball ammo, and likely wouldn't have anything other than standard
duty weapons. Add in that he was likely at least familiarized with the M4 as
a military surgeon and officer, I think the M4 was about the best practical
choice under the circumstances, though inadequate. Lesson: Obviously,
for those preparing for any of various disasters, this is a reminder to plan
ahead.
Much is made of his OPSEC, including bleaching his footsteps to kill scents.
What isn't discussed is how he hides the scent of fuel for his generators,
or the exhaust smell. Also, this is supposed to be three years after the disaster
struck. How does he hide his tracks in winter, with snow? This would likely
necessitate long stays inside. Lesson: Obviously, that would
mean more preparations. You may have to bunker down due to weather or other
events.
The steel shutters and reinforcements on the building don't extend above the
ground floor. This is an obvious failure point. His armory also should not
have been in one closet, but in multiple locations, possibly the central stairwell,
on each floor. Lesson: A point source failure of any resource--food, weapons,
water, medicine, fuel--can kill you. Diversify your preparations.
One of the character's critical intel flaws is failing to note that: he and
the "Dark seekers" have overlapping territories, and their search
methods are as precise and professional as his. We see him searching a building
that has already been stripped of food, but there is no extraneous damage or
vandalism. This was a key item that his enemy were not mindless and irrational,
but rather very organized and intelligent. There are other events that indicate
this, and he missed them, too. Obviously, he was emotionally reluctant to consider
human attributes remaining in people so sick and damaged. Never underestimate
your opponent, and always remember that from his point of view, he is correct
and you are in the wrong. It may not be possible to understand his point of
view, but the attempt must be made.
There are several signs that his own rationality is slipping. Obviously, talking
to mannequins and creating scenes with them is a coping mechanism. However,
herding deer with a sports car and attempting to take potshots might be a thrill,
but a dangerous one. Likewise, when he loses Sam, his dog, his vengeful actions
almost get him killed for no gain. His character did a great many things to
maintain himself--a regular schedule, replaying old news and movies, interaction
with his dog, but ultimately, we are a social creature and cannot operate alone.
This is also driven home when he is trapped. Consider that other disasters
or accidents are possible, too--broken limbs, car failures. Lesson:Plan to
be part of a team, with organization and training. Do this before disaster
strikes.
Besides the deer, we see lions, presumably escaped from a zoo. We don't see
any transformed wildlife, but knowing dogs and rats did, it's reasonable to
assume others did. This is a massive potential threat. The metabolic issues
in this scenario might have meant transformed predators are not viable long
term, due to massive food demands, but in the short term, one could create
a tremendous amount of damage, or infect an entire herd of deer. In addition,
while there are lots of supplies he can loot in the short term, apart from
a small garden patch, there is little space for food or material production.
Lesson: A city is a consumer, not a producer, of base resources. It is not
the place for a long-term base in such a scenario.
Conversely, the character did well by operating from a central location, keeping
records and charts, performing regular patrols and intel sweeps, operating
in a scientific fashion, attempting to contact others, holding to a regular
schedule, acquiring resources, keeping fit, and demonstrating generally good
fire discipline and caution. Lesson: Even the best, most prepared individual
can make mistakes. Constantly review your scenarios and preparations, and have
someone else do so, too. - Michael
Z. Williamson
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Wait and Buy Farm Ground Near the Bottom of the Market »
Letter Re: Recommendation for the Novel "Full Faith and Credit"
Mr. Rawles,
As I watch the meltdown of the Carlyle Fund, of Bear Stearns, and of the credit
and derivative markets in general, I am constantly surprised at the the parallels
of what I watch happening (via CNBC) with what happens in the novel, "Full
Faith and Credit: A Novel About Financial Collapse", by James R. Cook.
[In his novel] huge hedge funds fail, and because they have huge counter-party
exposure, the government has no choice but to bail them out. The government
pumps money
into the markets, causing commensurate inflation. And, as we are seeing in
reality, the public gradually recognizes that precious metals are the only
safe store of value and purchasing power.
In Cook's novel, the calamity is initiated by rapid slide in the stock market.
In our reality, it is the credit and derivative markets are failing, catalyzed
by the failing real estate markets that are causing the recent problems. The
book does not take the scenario into such a complete grid-down environment
as in your book, and foreign currencies and precious metals are the antidote
in "Full Faith and Credit" where bullets and beans are the means
of survival in your novel "Patriots:
Surviving the Coming Collapse" I've
read both books, and taken from each in preparing myself and my family for
the future.
In this mess we are in, may the innocents (John Q. Public) be blessed and
protected, and may the greedy, amoral thieves of Wall Street that have profited
so handsomely
from these financial shenanigans pay for their moral hubris -- very publicly.
- Tango in Utah
« Selecting a Rifle for a Budget-Constrained Prepper |Main| Note from JWR: »
Letter Re: Recommendation for the Movie "Right at Your Door"
Jim,
If you haven’t had the chance, I highly recommend the Lionsgate movie
titled ‘Right
at Your Door’. Without giving anything away, it is about a large scale
terrorist attack on Los Angeles . It’s not a traditional disaster movie
that tries to cover all the angles, dazzle with special effects and thrill
with drama; instead it tells the story of one couple from the suburbs that
most should easily relate to.
In no time at all, you see the vulnerability of the average person, and the
break down of systems we take for granted, how it all leaves us practically
helpless and lost. Chris Gorak, the director, does a good job of pulling you
emotionally into the situation and demonstrating our susceptibility. Even the
least prepared of us should take heed and learn. For the more practical and
prepared, it will confirm our choice to be so.
Jim, from a 10
Cent Challenge subscriber I must give thanks for what I regard as the
single best site on the web, bar none. Keep it up and spread the word. - Dfz
from Louisiana.
« Letter Re SurvivalBlog Logo Hats as Networking Tools |Main| Shortages Can Induce Deep Drama, and Making Do-It-Yourself Fire Logs, by Heghduq »
Letter Re: Survival Lessons from the Book "The Long Walk"
Dear Jim,
The book "The
Long Walk" by Slavomir Rawicz is the best book on the
human spirit over the elements (both natural and man made) that I've ever read.
The author and his group escaped from a Siberian Gulag in 1942, crossed the
Gobi Desert and the Himalayas, and walked all the way to India. Over 4,000-miles!
This was all without the aid of $10,000 worth of gear from the REI catalog,
or for that matter,
shoes.
It's a perfect combination of some of our standard topics! Government tyranny,
survival, hope, ingenuity, teamwork. It was absolutely inspiring! - Frank S.
« Letter Re: "Forever" US Postage Stamps as an Inflation Hedge |Main| Letter Re: Bivouac Bags »
Letter Re: Lessons Learned from Finland's Winter War
Dear Jim and Family,
I got notice through Amazon about an interesting novel: "The Winter
War", by William Durbin
This sounds like it would be a good choice for historical fiction, though its
listed under the Children's section. The Winter War (Taalvisota) in 1938-39
details the invasion of Finland by communist Russia. I've studied it extensively
and its a depressing tale, though heroic, because the Finns eventually lost
and the Russian incompetence spurred Hitler to invade Russia, thinking it would
be an easy victory and give him access to oil. Hitler might have held on longer
if he hadn't tried to take the Russian oil by force. America and most of Europe
supported the Finns in their battle to protect themselves from the overwhelming
masses of the communist invaders.
The Winter War is a good example of guerilla fighting with bolt action sniper
rifles, mostly captured weapons reworked into proper condition and accurized,
fighting against thousands of tanks, aircraft and 4:1 odds. Skiing cross country
through the forest, the Finns destroyed a million Russian troops with the help
of their cold winter and isolating the troops from their supply lines. It was
a nasty war and the Finns were eventually defeated but its still quite educational
for mental preparation, tactics, use of available resources, and applying your
advantages to the situation. Its amazing what people can do when they have
to. Especially when the enemy is as incompetent as the Soviets were, sending
their troops in with Summer weight uniforms and allowing their supply lines
to be cut, having massacred their battle hardened generals for not being good
party members. The communists did everything wrong in that war, and they paid
a high price for it. That's where the old joke about Soviet Minesweepers comes
from, only its not a joke. They really did walk arm in arm
singing great patriotic songs till their legs were blown off. Gruesome. Somehow
I doubt that's in this
book. The real Taalvisota is a dark chapter of history and one every survivalist
should know. Best, - InyoKern
JWR Replies: See the "Tolvajarvi" chapter of my novel "Patriots:
Surviving the Coming Collapse".. It is an homage to the tenacity
of those that fought in the Winter
War.
« Two Letters Re: Home Defense Tactics for the Disabled and the Infirmed |Main| Note from JWR: »
Book Review: Michael Z. Williamson's "Better to Beg Forgiveness"
I just finished reading my review copy of Michael
Z. Williamson's latest science fiction novel "Better to Beg
Forgiveness". This fast-paced novel is set a couple of centuries
in the future and follows the adventures of a band of mercenaries sent to
guard a national president on a war-torn backwater colony planet. The story
has some obvious analogies to the current use of "contractors" in
Iraq. And it is obvious that in creating the fictional "Ripple Creek" off-world
mercenary company, Williamson drew heavily on the real-life experiences of
a few Blackwater types in researching this story. This adds an unmistakable
air of realism to a fictional tale, making it quite fun to read.
I must admit that my reading of the book was sporadic--not because of any
fault of the novel but rather because of the interruptions of elk and deer
hunting season, and then holiday travel. But the recent heavy snowfall here
at the ranch curtailed most of my outdoor chores and got me into into one of
those cozy-by-the-woodstove book reading moods, so I was finally able to finish
it.
"Better to Beg Forgiveness" is a well-told tale. It has
plenty of the elements that Williamson fans love: action, great technical detail,
believable characters, accurate tactics, vivid imagery of distant worlds, and
some compellingly deep drama. Mike Williamson is prior military service, and
his experience definitely shows. Unlike most of the schlock military science
fiction genre novels that crowd the market, Mike's books are technically and
tactically correct. That is a real rarity!
Without spoiling the plot, I can safely say that the story has plenty of interesting
turns. Williamson is well-versed at weaving technical details into a story
without bogging it down. (As a fellow novelist, I can assure you this is very
difficult.) He is also a master at blending, action, drama, and character conflicts.
In this particular story, he describes inter-agency, and inter-governmental
conflicts exceptionally well, without making the story drag. Again, this adds
texture and realism to the tale. In all, I thought that the storyline was plausible,
the characters were believable, and the action was compelling. This is a book
that is well worth reading. Just one proviso: because of some adult situations
and copious battlefield violence this book is definitely not for children!
I got my review copy early, but I've noticed that "Better to Beg
Forgiveness" is now
available from Amazon.com.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Preparedness While on Business Travel--What to Pack »
Letter Re: Reactions to Preparedness Course
Hello Jim,
I have been reading SurvivalBlog for a year or more, and have thought about
buying the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course. When I
saw it go on sale for 33% off, I thought more seriously about it, but still
procrastinated. This morning I saw that the sale had been extended until December
3, that really got me thinking, but I still hesitated. I sat down to lunch
a little while ago and was interrupted by a Jehovah’s Witness that handed
me a pamphlet telling me to prepare for the End Of The World As We Know It.
That did it. I just sent in my order for the course. I can
take a hint! Thanks, - M.A.B., Burlington, Texas
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Security for Unattended Retreats »
Letter Re: Reactions to Preparedness Course
Jim:
What a coincidence. I'm quite certain, that the amazing e-mail
that you received from HH happens to be from my very good friend and
colleague. HH is a good man that care's for his family and friends. He cares
so much,
that
he often risks the ridicule and accusations as he mentioned, to try and help
inform and consequently protect his loved ones with the gift of information.
People are waking up, and I am one of those people. I was the guy that listened
to the wisdom HH was resonating, much of that information came from the "Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course.
I remember talking with him one night in the parking lot as we were leaving
work. We were having a good conversation about preparing for potential hardships
that our country may soon be facing. I noticed a backpack in his vehicle's
trunk, as well as some shoes and what looked like a change in clothing. It
made me chuckle at first as I didn't understand what it was for, but I had
noticed it there on several occasions before. I thought perhaps it was his "emergency" pack
in the event of a melt down with his wife... hehehe.
He explained to me that it was part of preparedness plan. I was curious but,
admittedly, I thought he might be just a little paranoid or crazy.
A transformation has happened as my eyes have opened to what's occurring around
us. I became curious about the pack and the reason for it.
HH led me to SurvivalBlog.com and to the "Rawles Gets You Ready" course.
I borrowed it over the Thanksgiving holiday. After perusing the materials,
I certainly felt like I had another thing the be thankful for this year.
I purchased the course for myself last night and took advantage of the great
offer. I really owe this enlightenment to my great friend HH, I'm truly grateful
to have such a selfless friend with so much knowledge.
I pray that I will never need to utilize this information, but that won't stop
me from absorbing it and getting prepared. Considering the increasingly complex
world we live in, with all of the unrest over wars, economic failure, volatile
weather patterns, and increasing pressure on our natural resources, one cannot
afford to ignore the signs. I felt that at the very least, I needed to start
preparing for the possible troubles we've brought upon ourselves.
Thanks for providing this great wisdom for those of us that want to be ready
for the challenges of our current times. - Todd H.
« Weekly Survival Real Estate Market Update |Main| Letter Re: Security for Unattended Retreats »
Letter Re: Reactions to Preparedness Course
Jim:
Your "Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course is an amazing tome of information
and I refer to it quite often. I'm thankful to have found it and I'm
grateful that there are folks out there, like you and Jim, who are willing to devote serious amounts of
time and effort sharing (well, okay, selling for a reasonable price)
their knowledge. Hats off to you!
Its weird, I've shown the course to several people and several ridiculed me
for having spent such a sum of money on 220 pages of information relating to
some guy's shopping spree at a big box store. They simply failed to understand
the importance of the information contained. Their reactions
were what I'd expected but, surprisingly, three of the seven or eight folks
I showed the course to found it to be as interesting and important as I did,
and one of them is planning on buying the course this week. People are waking
up.
I don't want to ramble on for too long, but suffice it to say that an incredibly
tiny amount of people truly understand the predicament our country is in and
the precarious nature of how food and goods are made available to them.
I've tried to explain the situation in simple, straightforward terms and backed
my word by countless sources of reliable information, only to be met with either
apathy or accusations of fear-mongering. I pray I never have to rely on my
preparations, but even a Boy Scout knows better than to rely on hope alone.
And I certainly didn't hear my family complaining as they gobbled up my fresh
whole-wheat dinner rolls at Thanksgiving, made from grain that I had milled
the night before.
A hundred bucks for this course? You could double that price and I'd have still
made the purchase. I'm going to buy another copy on Friday, as a Christmas
gift to a friend. I hope I can slip my order in before the deadline ends. Thanks.
Keep fighting the good fight. - H.H.H.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Advice on Buying AR-10 Rifles »
Letter Re: Preparedness Course Applicability for Australia?
Hello Mr. Rawles,
I was looking to take advantage of your "1/3-off" offer on your "Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course, but before
I spend that kind of money, I was wondering if you could tell me how suitable
you course is for non-US conditions, specifically,
Australian conditions? How "Americanized" is it, and how difficult
would it be to "translate" it into Australian?
I really enjoy your blog, and have found your tips and those of your contributors
very helpful. Kind Regards, - Richard C.
JWR Replies: The course and accompanying audio CD are largely
geared toward American and Canadian readers, but if you have comparable "warehouse" type
stores with large container/case lots of packaged foods available, then it should
be 95% useful
to you. Oh BTW, one oversight: I don't list the shelf life of Vegemite.
The 33% off sale for the course ends tomorrow, so be
sure to place your order soon. Best Regards from us
here the snowy north to you in the sunny south
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Two Letters Re: Storage Foods for Vegetarians? »
Letter Re: Garage and Yard Sales as a Retreat Logistics Source
Hi Mr. Rawles,
I've been able to pick up a lot of gear at garage and yard sales. Most importantly,
I've found many practical books at yard sales and junk stores that sell books
for $1 or even just 25 cents each. I was able
to pick up a home medical adviser from the 1920s for 25 cents. I
have also bought numerous books on small scale farming, canning, food storage,
and living off the grid from the 1920s for a dollar each. Much of the information
would be relevant to a post-TEOTWAWKI,
as it was written for farmers or rural residents that didn't have access
to electricity and largely lived
off the land.
I have a few books about working on houses from the post-WWII years since it
is before plastics, which has inherent benefits in a survival situation since
they will
be hard to find at Home Depot. They also have information on how to make repairs
that today the answer would be buy a new one, or use a hard to find/expensive
par. (Impossible in a survival situation.)
These are the books that I have found most helpful:
The Home Handyman's Guide edited by Hubbard Cobb copyright 1949
Readers Digest Back to Basics Copyright 1981 (most important by far with general
info on everything)
2004 Emergency Response Guidebook (there is a new version every year, its given
free to public safety organizations)
The Weather Wise Gardner by Calvin Simmons Copyright 1983 ISBN 0-87857-428-X
The New American Garden Book Copyright 1954 edited by Dorothy Sara
The People's Common Sense Medical Adviser by RV Pierce copyright 1895 [JWR
Adds: Keep in mind that some of the home medical remedies described
in books of this vintage (such as "take a spoonful of kerosene...") are not safe
or recommended! OBTW, a similar encyclopedia titled "The Household
Cyclopedia", circa 1881, is now
available online for free download.
Thanks to reader "TinCan" for sending SurvivalBlog that link.]
Various USDA agricultural yearbooks from pre-1935, these are also great because
a fair deal of them is geared towards the farms that existed as family farms
and were quite self sufficient.
Also, on another note, for people that live
in suburbia it is important to block visibility from neighbors or the street
when storing cached gear. For example, I was driving through
my neighborhood today and there was a small horse trailer (in neighborhood
where livestock is prohibited by the homeowners association) inside a garage.
That sort of thing draws attention and others will start rumors "Why does
he have a horse trailer inside his garage? What are they trying to
hide?" When TSHTF neighbors
will start talking more and maybe something may come up. I hope these books
and the
advice helps someone. Regards, -Sam
« Letter Re: A Source for Free Coffee Grounds for Composting |Main| Three Letters Re: Storage Foods for Vegetarians? »
Letter Re: Will "Jericho" be Affected by the Current Screenwriter's Strike?
Hi Mr. Rawles,
Do you know if the Hollywood writers strike will effect the filming of
the CBS television series Jericho?
If the [spilt season] filming has been completed, I guess that maybe the strike
could be the
best thing for Jericho since it would be an all-new show in a lineup
of [other shows that are] repeats. Regards, - Sam
JWR Replies: I haven't heard per se, but it is probably
safe to assume that most of the Jericho scripts are written by Writer's
Guild of America (WGA)
members. I heard from Rourke--the moderator of the Jericho
Discussion Group--that the seven episodes for 2008 are completed, so the writers
strike should have no effect, at least for this season.
I agree that their mid-season starting date
for the new episodes
could give
it
a competitive
edge.
Coincidentally, another show that is slated to start at mid-season is "Terminator:
The Sarah Connor
Chronicles".
So perhaps both of these quasi-survivalist shows will benefit from the disruption
in
the
regular television season.
According to published reports, "Terminator:
The Sarah Connor
Chronicles" will premiere at 8 p.m. on January 14, 2008. It will be
run
on
Monday nights.
"Jericho" will return to CBS in January, on a yet to be-announced
premiere date. It is as yet uncertain if it will retain its 9 p.m. Friday slot
in the new split season.
It bears mentioning that the previous writer's strike had a significant effect
on the television
industry. It was because of that strike that "reality" shows got their
real start. (Since they are are only loosely scripted.) If the current strike
goes
on for
more than just a few months I can foresee further changes in the industry.
One such change might be the advent of direct viewer participation discussion
and
"adventure"
television shows,
via cell phone text messaging and the Internet. These would be analogous to
on-line chat rooms and on-line role-playing games. Both
would give viewers that are not yet web savvy a glimpse of what is going on in
cyberspace.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Comments on FAL Rifle Gas Regulation »
Letter Re: Two Book Recommendations
Mr. Rawles,
I have just finished "Hard Times" by Studs Terkel, an oral
history of the Great Depression, and recommend it to SurvivalBlog readers.
It is a
fascinating chronicle, a series of narratives from people who lived through
it from all walks of life, and it really communicates a sense of what desperate
times can be like. Most Americans have forgotten this and little is taught
in schools. For example, there are several narratives that dealt with a farmers
uprising in Northwestern Iowa. Apparently a local judge was too quick to bang
the foreclosure gavel and a mob had his head in a noose before being talked
down. The book also gives some rather harrowing accounts of what a financial
collapse is really like and how it affects folks.
I am also in the
process of reading "My
Side of the Mountain" [by
Jean Craighead George] to my seven year old son. I'd forgotten how wonderful this
book is, chronicling the efforts
of a 12 year
old boy to
live off the land in upstate New York. It provides a lot of information about
edible plants and ways to get by in the wild, and has really captured my son's
imagination. One interesting thing I had not recalled: the protagonist is able
to derive salt by boiling hickory chips. Are you familiar with this method?
I might give it a try, living in a region with few natural sources. Thanks,
and keep up the good work. - Charlottesvillain
.
JWR Replies: That lore on hickory chips may or may not be
well-founded. At first glance, I would think that the natural concentration
of salt in hickory wood or bark would be so low that it would take a huge volume
of
hickory
to
boil down just a small quantity of salt--hence highly labor intensive. I have
read that hickory is used in preserving some hams. Perhaps what
the book's author
referred to
was lore about a method that had been used to recover salt, after
salt-curing hams. That seems quite plausible. If any readers can either
amplify or refute the foregoing, please let me know via e-mail,
and I will gladly post it. (I highly value the vast breadth and depth of knowledge
that
is collectively held by SurvivalBlog's readers!)
« Letter Re: Honey Prices Escalating, Just as Predicted |Main| Letter Re: Alcohol Stoves »
Letter Re: Useful LifeHacker Articles
Mr. Rawles:
There are so many great and not-so-great ideas on the LifeHacker site including
this one I found showing you how
to use C cell batteries in place of a D cell compartment
in an emergency situation:
There are some other interesting things on this site like creating make-shift
air conditioning systems using cold well water (others have made emergency
air conditioners using beverage coolers, fans and copper coils): DIY
Heat Exchanger and Make
Your Own Air Conditioner.
There is this one showing you how
someone made hand washing more efficient while filling the tank of his toilet.
[JWR
Adds: I would recommend skipping this one. The implementation shown
uses plywood which cannot be kept sanitary. It also might result in a smelly
toilet tank if you use an non-chlorinated water source such as well water or
spring water.]
And here's one with a video demonstrating how
one can cheaply acquire 8 - 1.5v button cell batteries from 1 - A23 12v battery:
Well, there's enough on this LifeHacker site to keep you busy for some time.
Enjoy!, - Tanker
« Letter Re: Honey Prices Escalating, Just as Predicted |Main| Two Letters Re: Advice on Construction a Hiding Place for Precious Metals in a Home »
Letter Re: The "Sneaky Uses" Books
Sir:
Let me start with a thank you for such an awesome resource! I've finally
sent my 10
Cent Challenge [voluntary subscription payment.] I didn't feel right
e-mailing you with this until I got
it out. Since finding your site (from the link at] Captain
Dave's Survival Center), I've been devouring
the info here, as well as "Patriots" (read
twice, and I'm starting it for the third time) and the "Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course. I've
also just finished reading "The
Alpha Strategy"--that you
recommended in both the blog and in the preparedness course. Tremendously eye
opening stuff. You've radically changed my view on things like firearms
ownership, preparedness, and charity. I can't express with words how much my world view
has changed since finding this. Again, thank you.
Anyway, down to business: I'm a computer guy by trade, and while perusing ThinkGeek.com I
found two books titled:"Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things" (ISBN:
0740738593) and "Sneakier
Uses for Everyday Things" (ISBN: 0740754963). While most of the
info contained within is of marginal use, I found "making plastic (and
glue) from milk (using vinegar)", and "making a metal detector from
a calculator (using a radio)". There are other things like adjusting a
FM radio
to get airline [aviation band] frequencies, and powering a LED with
coins, cotton, and salt
water. They are fun for the tinkering types, but also give glimpses into how
some
other
things
work. There are also sections on emergency survival. Not much new [in those
sections], but good info nonetheless.
Thanks for coordinating all this, and keep up the good work! - Nick in Wisconsin
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Running a Laptop from a Jump Pack in a Short Term Emergency »
Letter Re: Positive Feedback on the "Rawles Gets You Ready" Preparedness Course
Mr. Rawles:
I just wanted tell let you know how much I have enjoyed your "Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course. It was
very informative and is going to really help my family get prepared for whatever
may be in our future. I recently purchased the "SurvivalBlog:
The Best of the Blog - Volume 1" and the Rawles
on Retreats and Relocation book also and those were equally
wonderful. The amount of information in your course was outstanding
and has really jump started our family's preparedness program. The covering
of "A
years supply of everything" angle was a unique approach and personally
something I've wanted to accomplish for several years now. With this course
I see that
it
is very attainable and also not as difficult as one might expect. My wife
has been supportive of my new found hobby and her interest only grew as a result
of reading your excellent publications with
me. Thanks
and God Bless, - J.D. in PRK
« Letter Re: Expedient Footware |Main| Letter Re: Question on LEDs and EMP »
Letter Re: Keeping Firearms Functioning in Extreme Cold Temperatures
Hi Jim,
I'm in the middle of reading Roy
E. Appleman's book "East
of Chosin".
It is an account of the tragic fate of the 31st Regimental Combat team
during the Korean conflict.
Several references talk about the soldiers weapons (especially M1
Carbines) locking up due to the extreme (-20 Fahrenheit or greater)
cold. It mentioned how the Chinese weapons worked because they had
little or no oil in them. I imagined those weapons had a short operational
life without lubrication, but they worked when needed.
What would you recommend to keep firearms functional in extreme cold?
A dry/powdered lubricant? Sincerely, - Ron S. in Upstate New York
JWR Replies: Thanks for mentioning this topic! It
is particularly important fro SurvivalBlog readers, since firearms
will surely be carried and used outdoors more frequently, post-TEOTWAWKI.
The only sure method to keep firearms actions from binding in sub-zero
weather
is to
completely
de-lubricate
the moving parts,
using a spray can of carburetor cleaner solvent such as Gummout or Berryman's
B12 Chem Tool. (Wear rubber gloves!)
and then re-lubricate, using a dry film lubricant such
as Dri-Slide or similar molybdenum disulfide powder. Even when using
these dry
lubes, there is the chance that moisture from rain or condensation
can get in a gun's action and freeze it to the point of binding. Therefore,
it is important to frequently test your guns' actions by cycling them,
whenever
the
temperature drops below freezing
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Top Ten Suggestions for Stocking Up, by Mr. Yankee »
Letter Re: A Source for Unusual Technical Books
Mr. Rawles,
Charles R. mentioned the book "Caveman Chemistry" by Kevin M Dunn.
It is available from the Lindsay Publications "Technical Book" catalog.
The catalog is filled with how-to books of every kind - many reprints of long
out of print books. I can recommend the fine folks at Lindsay Publications as
I have several of their books and have several more on my "to order" list.
I've been satisfied with every one. Check them out on line at www.lindsaybks.com
and order a catalog. Other than being a happy customer I am not affiliated with
Lindsay Publications.
While on the subject of books, Joel Skousen has
several outstanding books on relocation, survival, building a secure home, etc.
They are expensive but well
worth the price.
I greatly enjoyed "Patriots" and
have loaned out my copy to over a dozen others, many of whom have purchased their
own copy. I am in the process
of saving up for a copy of the "Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course as well as the "Best
of the Blog". Thanks for a great Blog. - T.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Pros and Cons of Springfield Armory XD Pistols »
Letter Re: The Psychology of Denial in the Information Age
Jim:
Good morning. I don't know that I have seen any discussion on your
blog on the psychology of denial--why folks aren't more prepared.
I acknowledge that it may not be the most vital topic, and that you
are doing your part to get the word out, but I correspond to you on
this topic in sheer frustration.
Let me be more specific. I have friends and family members who make
serious money in their chosen professions, many of whom are in the
finance sector. Yet, when I raise the barest reference to preparation
and our fragile infrastructure, it's like I just started speaking in
five-thousand year old Greek. They have ample resources to buy peace
of mind with supplies and equipment that's a fraction of their annual
income, but they don't. The world will go on merrily. They'll never
be a TEOTWAWKI. Somehow, in their mind it's good financial sense to
spend thousands on all manner of insurance (life, car, health, business),
but dare suggest that they put away even two weeks worth of food and
water, and I'm labeled as "out there." Amazingly, this culture
of denial persists even after Hurricane Katrina. They watched
on their televisions as the Golden Horde preyed upon itself and just
died as government
failed to come charging to the rescue. During that sad event, I commented
to my youngest brother on the horrible tragedy. I said: "see
little brother, not months, but only a few days and you've got Planet
of the Apes, baby." BTW - this not a slur
on my part to the good folks of New Orleans. This quote was taken from
Powers
Booth
playing
a bomber
captain in a 1990 made-for-television
TEOTWAWKI movie titled "By Dawn's Early Light." (I recommend
it), and he was referring to life on the ground when their plane ditched
after
the collapse. Perhaps seeing
the devastation of Hurricane Katrina on TV made it illusory, the cold
reality unfolding "live and in color" simply blended into
the numbing TV mythos of movie magic. Either way, to this day, I am
still trying to roll the Rock of Gibraltar uphill when it comes to
convincing those I care about to cover their assets. I would be grateful
for any advice on other methods to penetrate this shield of denial
or even references to articles discussing the phenomenon so that I
can send it to these guys.
Thank you, and stay well. - Bill H.
JWR Replies: In my experience, the best way to penetrate
the shell of denial is to hand someone a useful pro-preparedness third
party reference. For some reason, anything that is published in hard
copy
seems to carry
intrinsic
authority, or at least hold the cachet of "a published reference."
As general survival and preparedness references, I recommend Life
after Doomsday by Bruce Clayton, and Tappan on Survival by
Mel Tappan. My own books Rawles
on Retreats and Relocation and
SurvivalBlog:
The Best of the Blog might also be useful. On
food storage and survival cookery, I highly recommend Making the
Best of Basics by
James Talmage Stevens (available from www.mountainbrookfoods.com),
and The
Encyclopedia of Country Living by the late Carla Emery.
My Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course is another useful
reference that primarily deals with food storage. On firearms and self
defense, I recommend Boston's
Gun Bible by
Boston T. Party and Survival
Guns by Mel Tappan.
Don't overlook the usefulness
of survivalist fiction. Quite often,
people
won't take the time to read a non-fiction book,
but they
will sit down and read a novel. For this, I recommend novels
like Lucifer's
Hammer
by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, Wolf and Iron by Gordon
Dickson, No Blade of Grass by John Christopher, and Some
Will Not Die by
Algis Budrys. And again at the risk of sounding like shameless self-promotion,
I also recommend my own novel, Patriots:
Surviving the Coming Collapse. For those that don't have
the patience to read a book, you can at least send
them a link or the URL for SurvivalBlog. Be patient and persistent.
Your friends and relatives that presently seem have their heads thrust
firmly
in
the
sand may come up to see some daylight if you expose them to enough
pro-preparedness
references.
« Letter Re: The Next Pandemic: Starvation in a Land of Plenty |Main| Note from JWR: »
Book Excerpt: "Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse"
In response to a request to Matthew from Indiana, who wanted to know
what my novel was like before ordering it, the following is an excerpt
from the first chapter of the expanded (33 chapter) edition of my novel
"Patriots":
On the last day of October, the Grays found that their phone was still
working, but only for local calls. When they tried making long-distance
calls, they got an “All circuits are busy now” recording,
at all hours of the day or night. The next day, there was message advising
that “All circuits will be restored
shortly.” Two days later, there was no dial tone.
By early November, there was almost continuous rioting and looting
in every major city in the U.S. Due to the financial panic and rioting,
the November election was “postponed” to January, but it
never took place. Rioting grew so commonplace that riot locations were
read off in a list—much
like traffic reports—by news broadcasters. The police could not
even begin to handle the
situation. The National Guard was called out in most States, but less
than half of the Guardsmen reported for duty. With law and order breaking
down, most of them were too busy protecting their own families to respond
to the call-up. An emergency call up of the Army Reserve three days
later had an even smaller response. All over America, entire inner-city
areas burned to the ground, block
after block. No one and nothing could stop it. On the few occasions
that the National Guard was able to respond to the riots, there were
some massacres that made Kent State seem insignificant.
Many factories in proximity to the riots closed “temporarily” in
concern for the safety of their workers, but never reopened. Most others
carried on with their normal operation for several more days, only
to be idled due to lack of transport. Shipping goods in the United
States in most cases meant one thing: 18 wheel
diesel trucks traveling on the interstate highway system. The trucks
stopped rolling for several reasons. First was a fuel shortage. Then
came the flood of refugees from the cities that jammed the highways.
Then people that ran out of gas disrupted traffic. As cars ran out
of gas, they blocked many critical junctions, bridges and overpasses.
Some highway corridors in urban areas turned into gridlocked
parking lots. Traffic came to a stop, motionless cars began to run
out of
gas, and the forward movement of traffic was never resumed. In some
places, cars were able to back up and turn around. In most others,
people were not so lucky. There, the traffic was so densely packed
that drivers were forced to just get out of their cars and walk away.
Every major city in the United States was soon gripped in a continual
orgy of robbery, murder, looting, rape, and arson. Older inner city
areas were among the hardest hit. Unfortunately, the design of the
interstate freeway system put most freeways in close proximity to inner
city areas.
The men who
had planned the interstate highway system in the 1940s and 1950s could
not be blamed. At that time,
downtown areas were still flourishing. They were the heart of industry,
population, commerce, and wealth. Thus, it was only logical that the
highways should be routed as close to them as possible, and preferably
through them. These planners could not then have predicted that in
50 years the term “inner city” would
become synonymous with poverty, squalor, welfare, drugs, disease, and
rampant crime.
America’s once proud and efficient railroad system, long the
victim of government ineptitude, was unable to make any appreciable
difference in the transportation crisis. Most of the factories that
had been built in the past 30 years had been positioned near highways,
not railroad tracks. Also, like the highways, most rail lines passed
through urbanized areas, placing trains at the same risk as trucks.
Gangs of looters found that it did not take large obstructions to cause
train derailments. Within a few hours of each derailment they stripped
the
trains of anything of value.
A few factories managed to stay in operation until early November.
Most had already closed, however, due to failing markets, failing transportation,
failing communications, or the failing dollar. In some instances, workers
were paid through barter, rather than cash. They were paid with the
company’s product.
Chevron Oil paid its workers in gasoline. Winchester-Olin paid its
workers in ammunition.
The last straw was the power grid. When the current stopped flowing,
the few factories and businesses still in operation closed their doors.
Virtually every industry in America was dependent on electric power.
The power outages forced even the oil refineries to shut down. Up
until then, the refineries had been operating around the clock trying
to meet the increased demand for liquid fuels.
Ironically, even though refineries processed fuel containing billions
of BTUs of energy, most of them did not have the ability to produce
enough electric power to supply all of their own needs. Like so many
other industries, oil refiners had made the mistaken assumption that
they
could always depend on the grid. They needed a stable supply of electricity
from the power for their computers and operate the solenoids for their
valves.
The power outages caused a few dramatic
effects. At a Kaiser Aluminum plant near Spokane, Washington, the power
went out during the middle of a production shift. With the plant’s
electric heating elements inactive, the molten aluminum running through
the hot process end of the plant began to cool. Workers scrambled to
clear as much of the system as possible, but the metal hardened in
many places, effectively ruining the factory. If the plant were ever
to be re-opened, the hardened aluminum would have to be removed with
cutting torches or jackhammers. Electricity also proved to be the undoing
of prisons all over America. For a while, officials maintained order
in the prisons. Then the fuel for the backup generators ran out. Prison
officials had never anticipated a power outage
that would last more than two weeks. Without power, security cameras
did not function, lights did not operate, and electrically operated
doors jammed. As the power went out, prison riots soon followed.
Prison officials hastened to secure their institutions. Under “lock
down” conditions, most inmates were confined to their cells,
with only a few let out to cook and deliver meals in the cell blocks.
At many prisons the guard forces could not gain control of the prison
population, and there were mass escapes. At several others, guards
realized that the overall situation was not going to improve, and
they took the initiative to do something about it. They walked from
cell to cell, shooting convicts. Scores of other prisoners died at
the hands of fellow convicts. Many more died in their cells due to
other causes; mainly dehydration, starvation, and smoke inhalation.
Despite the best efforts of prison officials, 80 percent of the country’s
more than 1,500,000 state and federal prisoners escaped. A small fraction
of the escaped prisoners were shot on sight by civilians. Those that
survived quickly shed their prison garb and found their way into the
vicious wolf packs that soon roamed the countryside...
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Survival Retreat Potential of Northwest Florida »
Two Letters Re: The Novel "Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse"
Jim,
I recently received the updated version of "Patriots" a
couple days ago. At first I was just going to read the new chapters, but after
seeing that you gave it
an overall update, I decided to just read the whole thing. So far I have been
very impressed. (The two new chapters alone were worth the price of the book.)
Not to mention the way everything else was updated. Way to go! You have done
a very good
job with this new edition, and I have already ordered a few more copies to have
on hand as gifts.
I have also just received the "Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course, and Rawles
on Retreats and Relocation. Both look very good at
first
glance, and I’m
looking
forward to delving into them soon. BTW, I’m also looking forward to the
release
of the "Best
of the Blog" book. - Gung Ho
Mr. Rawles:
I read your book in two breathtaking and exciting days,
it was impossible to put down. It was as if you took my worst nightmares,
and word for
word put them into a novel. I had been talking politics with a friend,
as is normal for me, when he asked me just what I thought was going
to happen in the future of our country. My friend had heard of your
book, and when he realized that the vision of my future and your book
were one in the same, he told me to go out and pick it up. I couldn't
find it at any of my local book stores, so I ordered it on Amazon.
Like I said, two days later... I'm sitting here in awe. Being from
New Jersey, most people I talk with are totally clueless to the situation,
and just refer to me as a "paranoid nut", an "extremist" or
an "idiot". Especially if they ever catch wind of the cache
I have in my trunk for a "rainy day" as you put it. I just
want to say "Thank you!" for such an incredible job
of being able to see into the future, and doing your best to help warn
people of it in the best way you can. May G-D bless you, - BDB
« Letter Re: Total Tax Burdens of States as a Determining Factor in Relocation |Main| Note From JWR: »
Letter Re: Robert A. Heinlein Didn't Just Talk and Write About Preparedness
Dear Jim,
I'm not sure if you have covered Robert A. Heinlein's shelter that featured
in his novel, "Farnham's Freehold." This
site describes the house that Heinlein built in Colorado Springs before NORAD moved
into the area
And here's an
archived link of the shelter underneath, which included both air bottles
and ventilation, escape routes, and antenna mounts.- Michael
Z. Williamson
« Letter Re: Communications for Disasters--Are Scanners Useful? |Main| Note From JWR: »
Book Reviews: Last Light and Night Light, by Terri Blackstock
James:
I am writing to recommend two novels that may be interest to your readers. Written
by Terri Blackstock, I would like to recommend a series of two novels: Last
Light and Night Light. These are novels that are written in a series,
and while they can be read one at a time, are better read in sequence. As survival
junkies,
we are always in search of decent fiction centered around survival motifs - a
rare genre of writing. Terri does a pretty good job of producing some entertaining
and page-turning yarns. I will admit for those of us that are truly hard core,
you may find yourself reverting to thoughts of primordial survival logistics
as you read these novels (e.g., " well, why didn't they do this, or why
didn't they do that....), but written for the lay person, they have a high entertainment
quotient., Also, they are really written as religious novels, more so than as
a study in the art of survival pre se. As many of us are faith-based, this style
of writing should not detract, but instead actually add to the enjoyment of the
experience. From an editorial perspective, Terri's writing style is fairly basic
( no long. protracted descriptions of the scene, or massive amounts of internal
dialogue of the characters), which at first was a little difficult to get used
to, but ultimately provided for a brisk read. As with any survival-related work,
there are lessons to be learned here. As a born again Christian, I appreciated
the underlying message in each work. Terri's imagination is well preserved as
she describes the trials and tribulations of the average upper middle-class family
that is caught up in the unexpected circumstances of TEOTWAWKI caused
by a mysterious
EMP that
renders all transistor and chip based mechanical devices inoperable. And, I must
admit, that the origin of this EMP is a source that most of your
Blog readers have not considered - and is absolutely insidious in its destructive
capability. I would rate her at a solid "B" in entertainment value,
and a must read for those of us that enjoy the celebration of our Savior in apocalyptic-based
fiction. Zondervan Press, ISBN - 10:
0-310-25768-9 (book 1).and ISBN - 13: 978-0-310-25768-4 (book 2). Regards, -
REM
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Letter Re: Positive Feedback on "Patriots"
Mr. Rawles,
Last night I finished reading your novel "Patriots."
My Son bought the book last month and loaned it to me to read. I just wanted
to say, what a fantastic book and story. The last chapter
said it all! Best Regards, - M.E.D. in Ohio
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Letter Re: Pat Buchanan's Book State of Emergency
Jim,
I am about halfway thru the new book by Pat Buchanan --'State of
Emergency'-- and its scaring the hell out of me. I've followed the
Illegal Alien story for yrs, ever since I landed back in California
in 1989 after my hitch in the U.S. Air Force and I thought I had a
handle on it. The statistics and figures that Pat puts forth are daunting--and
quite depressing. This nation is facing the largest problem in its
history with this invasion--I'm not downplaying any of the threats
we face with the radical Islamists--that is yet one more frightening
scenario--but
I truly believe that the U.S. is under siege--I suggest all Americans
load up on all essentials as I do not trust the government to resolve
the Invasion problem. I would even predict that the government will
soon close the door on civilians purchasing many of the things we consider
necessary i.e. Guns, cheap surplus ammo from overseas and survival
type gear. It would appear the government will not want us to deal
with the invasion the old fashion way--and they are not going to either.
I have lost ALL faith in our leadership, regardless of party. We are
truly at a fork in the road and it appears we are following the road
taken by the long deceased Roman Empire. Its hard to contest the facts
that Pat has laid out, though some will try. Its is clear as well the
southwest is gone. Its just a matter of a few decades
(maybe sooner) before this part of the country is no longer under the
control of the
U.S. government. Again, load up on all gear..and relocate
out of the southwest, you don't want to be caught behind enemy lines.
Thanks, - Jason (in North Idaho)
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Letter Re: "Jericho" TV Series Airing This Fall
James,
I was surprised to see that CBS will be airing a drama this
fall called Jericho. Here is what the show is about: "Things
are quiet and peaceful in small-town Jericho, Kansas, but when a
baffling explosion occurs in the distance, Jericho's residents
are
plunged into social, psychological and physical chaos. No one knows
what to think, and fear of the unknown takes over the town, especially
because its isolation cuts it off from outside help. When nearly
everything they know seems gone, will the residents of Jericho band
together to
face their unfamiliar and mysterious new world?"
Here
is the link to the site at CBS and there is a preview of the
show there as well. It will be interesting to see how a mainstream
media outlet is going to portray a SHTF situation.
- Desert T
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Letter Re: Positive Feedback on Safecastle
Hello Jim!
I hope things are great for you and your family. I just thought
that I would take the time to provide you with another bit of positive support
regarding one of your sponsors. Vic at Safecastle, LLC is a great person. In
May, I made a large purchase from him. At the time of ordering, I received
an excellent discount for being a survivalblog reader. In addition, Vic also
took the time to answer each of my emails very quickly and provided me with
an expected date of delivery. Sure enough, it turned out that Vic was "dead
on!" The probable date of shipment turned out to be exactly right. I received
the cases delivered right into my garage. It is with much admiration that I
write this to notify others in the survivalblog community to order your Mountain
House cases from Vic. He's a great guy!
Also, thanks for making it possible for all of us to purchase your "Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course.
I have gone ahead and purchased mine and hope that others will do so. All "Ten
Cent Challenge" supporters
like myself are encouraged to do this as another way of saying "thanks,
Jim" for
the helpful information that you provide to us all. While at it, hopefully
more people will continue to support the blog by at least putting up the money
asked for in your 10 Cent Challenge. Take care and thanks a lot for everything
that you have done for the masses through your blog. - David M.
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Book Review: The Hunt for Confederate Gold by Thomas Moore
I recently read the novel "The
Hunt for Confederate Gold" by Thomas Moore. (Published by Fusilier
Books, ISBN 0976998203) It may sound cliched, but I couldn't put
it down! I am not surprised that it has a perfect five star rating on Amazon.com.
Without giving too much away, I can tell you that it is three intertwined
storylines wrapped
into one. (One of which takes place in the closing days of the Confederate
States of America.) This is Moore's first novel. It is a thoroughly captivating,
thought-provoking novel. I found it both entertaining and educational.
Much like in my novel
"Patriots:
Surviving the Coming Collapse", the author weaves a lot of
useful factual information into a fictional storyline. Moore includes lots
of Civil War history facts as well the historical context of Reconstruction
and the whole American experience, recent abuses by Federal government agencies,
the fiat paper
money fraud, and an analysis of current U.S. policies in the Middle East.
The story and characters
are believable. Many of the characters--both heroes and villains--are
obviously drawn on some real life individuals but subtly changed to avoid any
legal
unpleasantness. My only technical nit-pick is that one of the characters
refers to "five millions" worth of gold and silver (circa 1865)
fitting into two large wooden chests that could be carried by a few men.
Even if it
were all gold, and assuming that most of it were $20 gold pieces,
then $5 million would weigh nearly 18,000 pounds and occupy about 150 cubic
feet.
Since the hoard was described as a mixture of gold and silver, the weight
and bulk would of course be even greater. But that is just a minor quibble.
In fairness, perhaps the character was referring to "five millions" worth
of
inflated Confederate currency...
One refreshingly nice thing to mention about this novel is that that it was
obviously written by a true southern gentleman. It includes
a minimum of harsh language, profanity, or other offensive content. Unlike
the racy novel Unintended
Consequences by John Ross (a similar adventure/think piece),
I could in good conscience hand
this novel
to my
teenage
sons.
As a
novelist myself, I can attest that Moore's smooth writing style is difficult
to achieve. His gift for writing is a rarity, particularly among "first
novelists."
In fact, I wish I had some of Mr. Moore's finesse! I highly recommend
this novel. It
is from a small publisher, so odds are that you won't find a copy at your local
book store. Your best bet is finding a copy through Amazon.com.
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Letter Re: Availability of Additional "Where There is No..." Series Books
Dear Mr. Rawles,
I know you are a big fan of the book Where There is no Doctor. (English
International Edition by D. Werner ISBN 0-333-51651-6 Published by
MacMillan), and Where There is No Dentist (by M. Dickson ISBN 9-780942-364057.)
Published by Hesperian, but did you know that there are three more
books in the same series that I believe would be helpful if TEOTWAWKI happens?
These are:
Where There is No Psychiatrist by V. Patel ISBN 1901242757 Published
by the Royal College of Psychiatrists - Survivalists are unlikely to need psychological
help
for mental illness from the stress but a lot of the sheeple will.
Where Women Have No Doctor by A. Burns, R. Lovich, J. Maxwell & K.
Shapiro. ISBN 0-333-64933-8 Published by MacMillan - this is a health guide
for women
and girls to help them identify common medical problems and treatments. Covers
sexual and mental health, diseases, pregnancy and childbirth, nutrition, disabilities
and injuries. Uses clear simple language and hundreds of drawings.
Where There is No Vet by B. Forse ISBN 0333588991 Published by MacMillan
- this should be of some help in looking after the goats et cetera.
I should say I have not yet got my copy of these three books yet. I know these
book are publish by different publishers but they are all publish for TALC
(http://www.talcuk.org)
which is a UK charity set up to help health care in developing countries particularly
Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. This link is
a good source for information but may not be the best place to buy from as
it is in England. I hope I have been some help and I hope that no one ever
needs
to use these books. Yours Sincerely, - Simon.
