Author Bio: James C. Jones is the president of Live Free USA, a not-for-profit organization devoted to advocating and supporting emergency preparedness and family self-reliance. Live Free USA publishes the American Survivor newsletter, conducts seminars and supports chapters. They can be contacted at www.AmericanSurvivor.Org, LFINOW@AOL.COM or at Live Free USA, Box 3295, Munster, IN 46321
The Martian The Ultimate Survival Fiction Book review by James C. Jones After a while I get tired of the standard survival fiction stories with the ex-military, armed to the teeth superhero fighting of the mythical rogue military units, and roving biker gangs while traveling to their big retreat in the northwest mountains. Fun reading, […]
100 Deadly Skills by Clint Emerson Book review by James C. Jones Most of the skills are not actually “deadly”, but they are mostly illegal under normal circumstances. Clint Emerson is a retired Navy Seal and he shares some very nasty techniques in “100 Deadly Skills“. Yes, there are only a few that are actually […]
Surviving Survival By Laurence Gonzales A book review by: James C. Jones Laurence Gonzales’s book Deep Survival (reviewed in an earlier edition) is probably the best book ever written on survival psychology. The subtitle “Who Lives, Who Dies and Why” should tell you that you need to read that book. I used it as a […]
Picking Locks as a Survival Skill By James C. Jones EMT/CHCM Certainly we all regard lock picking as a rather nefarious activity used by criminals and spies, but under true, live-or-die survival situations including this skill and the necessary devices in your survival kit may be worth consideration. In a large-scale disaster there will be […]
Camp Independence Endures! Camp Independence 2015 was conducted at Tippecanoe River State Park near Winamac Indiana on May 16th 2015. This event has been held for over 47-years, making it America’s oldest survival and preparedness meetup. After the closing of the facilities that Live Free USA has used for the past 47-years there was some […]
The police chief of a large Midwestern town is awakened at 2:40 AM by the local 911 dispatcher. She reports that a caller from a home in town stated that she and her children were being held hostage by her ex-husband who had a gun and was threatening to kill them all. The dispatcher […]
PREPAREDNESS EXPOS Preparedness Expos large and small help to build the growing preparedness and self-reliance movement. You Live Free organization is actively participating and supporting these real-deal events where the “New Americans” can gather, network and organize for the challenges of our times. These events go beyond just prepping. They are active, outreaching and making […]
At a recent preparedness expo I observed a demonstration of an “in home” freeze drying machine. Up until now, freeze-drying has been the one food preservation option not available to most preppers. We can dehydrate, smoke, pickle, cure and can, but we have to pay a high price for freeze-dried foods. Freeze-dried survival foods are […]
The number and variety of Emergency Preparedness Expositions and Conferences has exploded in recent years. While there are scores of such events that are well known and advertised, there are hundreds of smaller local and regional events that are not so well known. The popularity of these events has increased and decreased depending on current […]
Survival Smoke There are times in an emergency where being very visible is good and other times when being invisible is a must. In both cases smoke bombs can be a real lifesaver. A few small colored (red, yellow) smoke bombs carried in your field (e.g. hunting, hiking, fishing, etc.) survival kit can bring help […]
By James C. Jones, EMT/CHCM I have been openly advocating and teaching survival preparedness for over four decades. I have been on national television, radio and publications. All of my employers, neighbors and associates know that I am a survivalist. I have never experienced a single incident of intrusion, offense, or conflict resulting from […]
On a recent winter camp outing we had the opportunity to test three different types of “rocket stoves” under winter cold and wet conditions. Rocket stoves offer big advantages over campfires and traditional camping stoves in many ways. While some of these stoves are a bit more bulky and heavy than the compact camping stoves […]
By James C. Jones, EMT/CHCM I have reviewed a lot of different rocket stoves recently, including the BioLite ™ and the Kelly Kettle ™ The principle for all of these is that by creating a draft up a central stack you can achieve a great deal of heat with just a few hands full of […]
We hear a lot about the handguns and the rifles that are recommended for home defense and survival, but the shotgun is often overlooked. The shotgun, may in fact be the best and most versatile survival weapon of all. While, it’s not easy to conceal and its hard to deploy in tight spaces, so it’s […]
American Blackout National Geographic Special Reviewed I very seldom watch any survival related programs. While they are occasional informative their scenarios and actions tend to range from the peculiar to the ridiculous. American Blackout a two-hour National Geographic Special promised to be the exception so I watched it. The scenario of a ten-day, nation-wide blackout […]
Written By: Jim Jones, EMT/CHCM The very definition of ‘survival” is someone starting a fire without matches. What survival class goes without a fire starting class? So to suggest that a fire is not always an essential survival need is near heresy. But all the other mammals do survive without the benefit of fire. Even […]
There are times in an emergency where being very visible is good and other times when being invisible are a must. In both cases smoke bombs can be a real lifesaver. A few small colored (red, yellow) smoke bombs carried in your field (e.g. hunting, hiking, fishing, etc.) survival kit can bring help to you […]
Surviving in an urban or suburban environment requires some tools that are not required or are less critical in the rural regions or wilderness . There are a lot more blind corners, dark enclosed spaces, and solid obstacles in towns than in the open forests. We will not be discussing universal survival needs such as […]
Written By: James C. Jones EMT/CHCM Each of the “principles” discussed here have been covered in more detail in past issues of the American Survivor and/or in my lectures over the past 20-plus years. The purpose of this article is to bring them together as they need to be practiced and adapted to ongoing and […]
Written By: James C. Jones I have always considered the machete to be a jungle survival tool. They are generally seen being used to hack trails through tropical rain forests and jungles. Most North American forests are more open and have plenty of trails and game trails for passage. I was recently scouting a site […]
By Jim Jones, EMT/CHCM While I seldom cancel any kind of “survival” training program because of weather, cold rain is an exception. Winter and late fall operations when the temperatures are well below freezing can offer the perfect opportunity to test equipment and skills with a minimum of risk, Snow can be managed and used […]
By Jim Jones One of my mantras is “ It’s not what you have, It’s what you have with you” Consider a “Coat Pocket Survival Kit” There are all kinds of “survival kits” There are big tote bin kits for the home emergency, survival backpacks for when you need to head for the hills, survival […]
We spend about one-third of our lives in bed so there is a thirty-percent chance that the life or death emergency will strike while we are in bed. In that moment everything will depend on what you can reach right now. Think about it. You wake up in the dark and the house is shaking […]
Those of use who have proudly carried the title of “survivalist” from the 1960s have experienced a lot of misrepresentation and even hostility through the years. Many are still beset with a certain level of paranoia about going public or even discussing preparedness with friends and neighbors. This fear is unwarranted if you are a […]
In my various articles and classes where I talk about what you should have in your pockets, I often include tissues, dust respirators and/or Band-Aids. The tissues can be used as emergency respirators or wound covers. Somehow, I neglected to include large handkerchiefs or bandanas in my recommendations. My bad! Bandanas were a must have […]
TEACHING SURVIVAL SKILLS TO YOUR CHILDREN
Article Courtesy: ReadyMan.com You’re never too savage to take some time to teach your kids survival skills. Or any skills, for that matter. Sometimes, the greatest lessons we learn in life pop up completely unexpectedly. As parents, we should be sure to capitalize on every opportunity to impart some of our knowledge onto our children… […]
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The Gun Buyback Conspiracy
Bounty Hunters Are After Your Guns Actually, I don’t believe in “conspiracies” because the world and life is just too complex and unpredictable for any complex “plan” to workout as the conspirators intended. I do believe in things working out in intended or unintended ways that look like conspiracies. The case in point here is […]