« Home Security--The "Lock Bumping" Threat |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Note from JWR:
For
the entire month of February, I'm having a special "support
our troops" sale on copies of the new expanded 33 chapter
edition my novel "Patriots".
If you place an order directly with me, and
you have us mail it to an APO or FPO address,
then the price is just $12 per copy, plus $3 postage. (That is $10.99
off of the cover
price--right near my wholesale cost.)
OBTW, speaking of supporting our troops, be sure to visit the AnySoldier.com web
site, and "do your bit." Some young enlisted troops
that are deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan get
no mail from home,
so anything that you can send them--even just a postcard--is
appreciated.
I now offer a couple of additional
payment options for book orders: both AlertPay and GearPay.
(I prefer these because
they don't share PayPal's anti-gun political agenda.) In
my experience, AlertPay has a frustratingly labyrinthine account
set-up procedure, but GearPay seems much quicker and easier to set
up.
Our AlertPay address is: rawles@usa.net
Our GearPay address is: rawles@usa.net
Our PayPal address is: rawles@earthlink.net
« Letter Re: More Evidence of Peak Oil Decline--Preparing for Much Higher Gasoline Prices |Main| Note from JWR: »
Home Security--The "Lock Bumping" Threat
There is currently a lot of buzz on the Internet about the
emerging threat of "lock bumping." This is an old technique
used by burglars that can defeat up to 80% of typical
household dead-bolt locks. It is catching on with a whole new generation
of
burglars
in the U.S., Canada, and in Europe. (Using an easily obtained specially
cut generic "bump" key
and a small mallet.) This
video clip from Holland (with English subtitles) shows the technique.
And here
is another video, from here in the States. My advice
is to upgrade the locks on your exterior doors with top quality
locks
made
by Medeco or Schlage
Primus. These have special cylinders that are engaged
by "double cut" or "side-milled" keys. These
bump-resistant and pick-resistant locksets cost about $150 each.
Regardless of
the locks that you use, it is essential that you never let your
keys out of your personal possession, since a large number of burglaries
are accomplished by means of illicitly copied keys.
Never give a
parking valet your entire ring of keys. Never lend your house key
to a tradesman. (You should always be there personally to supervise
work in your home, regardless.) If you hire a maid, a cleaning service,
or a nanny that must have a house key, then do a thorough
background check on that individual. And if you have the slightest
suspicion that your key
might
have been compromised, then have your door locks re-keyed immediately.
OBTW, the bump technique can also defeat most padlocks. But fear
not--ultra high security padlocks with double cut keys
are also available. (For
example, the $180+ Sargent & Greenleaf
#833 or the not quite so expensive Medeco
"C" and "E" series padlocks.) I should
also mention that the real bargain on
the
market is
the U.S.
Army
surplus
arms room padlock (made by Sargent & Greenleaf), often available
via eBay, from Coleman's Surplus, that typically sell for around
$60.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Home Security--The "Lock Bumping" Threat »
Letter Re: More Evidence of Peak Oil Decline--Preparing for Much Higher Gasoline Prices
Dear Jim and Family,
Bad news from the largest oil field in Mexico. The Canterell field,
formerly reported to decline at 2% last August, 6% in October, and
11% in December has been rated at 25% today. Oil production has dropped
from 1.99 million barrels per day to 1.5 million barrels per day.
This is a very bad thing. Most of that oil goes to the USA via NAFTA treaties. There are no fields to replace it, and since Mexico has 51%
leftist leanings, no oil company will risk investing there (Pemex was
formed from seized foreign oil investments, most of which were from
the USA). Losing half a million barrels of non-Middle Eastern supply
makes us more susceptible to interruptions from hostile nations like
Iran and Venezuela, and unstable nations like Nigeria.
This also has secondary effects. Most of the money in Mexico comes
from oil wealth. Without the oil, Mexico, the nation with one of the
highest birth rates in the world, will be needing to find other sources
of income for their 1 million young men turning 18 each year. Without
the oil wealth to pay for social services, the collapse there will
either cause them to come to the USA seeking jobs (just as the USA
is entering a recession due to energy costs and the collapse of the
housing bubble), or further fuel revolution in Mexico. Mexico is already
unstable since the race for president and ruling party was hotly contended
and claims of voting fraud rang very loudly, particularly in the South
where leftists openly battle with the Federales.
Let's assume that any internal issues in Mexico stay there, and that
conditions in the USA don't cause a higher number of illegal immigrant
labor. Even without that, losing 1/2 million barrels per day in 6 months,
and possibly another half million by July of this year is going to
hurt the USA quite a bit. That's an Iraq worth of oil. If things get
more messed up in Mexico, the oil may stop flowing temporarily, thus
removing 1.5 million barrels per day from the market and driving the
price up until demand for those barrels is removed. This generally
means the third world is bid off the market. It also means that you
may see $6/gal gasoline, maybe later this year. Who knows? It's too
uncertain to invest in crude oil futures.
The thing about predicting gasoline prices is we know the price will
rise, but we don't know when, or if $6 will be just a few days before
it races past that number for a higher price. Supply and demand rule,
and if you paid the same price per volume for gasoline that you do
for beer, you'd be looking at around $32/gal. And beer won't push you
two dozen miles surrounded by 3,000 pounds of steel, rubber, and plastic.
Gasoline is more useful, so will inevitably cost a lot more, eventually
to cost what its actually worth for the work it can do. This will leave
a lot of cars empty of fuel, sitting in your driveway rusting forlornly
with only 30 more payments. My advice is to start offloading your
excess vehicles sooner rather than later, and if it comes to a choice
of going into debt for a hybrid and someday tossing the guzzler for
scrap metal: the math says the guzzler is a better deal. The price
of fuel will rise faster than the hybrids can accommodate and debt
for a vehicle will make less and less sense when unemployment follows
energy
scarcity and transportation problems. If you must maintain your personal
travel freedom, there's always motorcycles, which get 60 mpg. If you
insist on your car and can live with the loss of freedom, you can carpool
which effectively doubles or quadruples your fuel efficiency (if you
carry three passengers). It's not very macho and it's painful to your
freedom, but it's better to have a job than not. And some mobility
is better
than none. We're all going to have to get used to much more limited
mobility in the next few years.
And I shudder in anticipation of "travel papers" and other
documents limiting travel in the name of fuel efficiency, homeland
security, or whatever other excuse they choose. Sincerely, - InyoKern
.
JWR Replies: Reading through the SurvivalBlog Retreat
Owner Profiles, you will notice that nearly every one of them has
a
"economy runabout" car listed. I think that is a wise approach.
Also, don't overlook mountain bicycles with panniers
and/or light
cargo trailers, the new generation
utility
trike-bikes with cargo platforms and/or cargo trailers, and of
course horses.
These alternatives may not be speedy or convenient, but they
require no gasoline.
« Jim's Quote of the Day |Main| Letter Re: More Evidence of Peak Oil Decline--Preparing for Much Higher Gasoline Prices »
Odds 'n Sods:
Unintended
consequences: Rise in ethanol demand creates a tortilla
crisis.
o
o o
S.H. mention an interesting list
of 63 field/barracks items posted at Bouhammer's Afghanistan "List
of gear for A-stan." S.H. notes: "This may be of interest
to those reviewing their G.O.O.D. or
Bug-Out bags. It is very enlightening on what our troops use/need in
a modern desert war environment."
o o o
There are just 16 days left in the big "Container
load sale" at Survival Enterprises. Looking at their
running inventories posted on the web page, I can see that several items
have sold out. Don't dawdle on this one, folks! All of the storage
food
items are "first come - first served." As
previously mentioned, their prices are less than half of
retail.
« Note from JWR: |Main| Odds 'n Sods: »
Jim's Quote of the Day
"You can kid yourself and say I'm only going along because
they have all the guns, but day by day, year by year, your integrity
erodes. Finally, you become like the tyrants: just one more liar." -
Franklin Sanders
« Letter Re: Urban Freeway Traffic Gridlock in a Disaster |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day »
Note from JWR:
I'm planning on assembling a "Best
of the Blog" hardcopy book in the next few weeks. The prospect
of doing this manually is not appealing. Do any of you folks
know of an existing "slurp" or "blog to book" software
tool that
is compatible with Movable Type that will allow me
to automagically build RTF or MS-Word files from my blog posts? (My
searches thusfar have been unsuccessful.) Thanks!
« Letter Re: Veterinary Antibiotics |Main| Note from JWR: »
Letter Re: Urban Freeway Traffic Gridlock in a Disaster
Jim-
Reading your excerpt from "Patriots" (I
do have my own copy of the prior edition) reminded me of an episode
in and around Seattle
a few winters ago. Just before the afternoon commute, a rainstorm passed
through and with the cold weather, created a black ice condition on
the Interstate-5 freeway. Several fender benders clogged up the freeway
in both directions and it took some time for tow trucks to make their
way through
the tie-up. Eventually they had to give up because people, sitting
in their cars with heaters, wipers and radios on and engines idling,
didn't realize the alternator output at idle wasn't
sufficient to keep up with the power drain.
The upshot was that in very short order, the freeway was clogged with
stalled, dead cars abandoned by their passengers. It took days to clear
out the mess.
Imagine if no one came to clear them out. So, among other episodes
in "Patriots", the one you presented on Monday resonates
with me! - Bob B.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Urban Freeway Traffic Gridlock in a Disaster »
Letter Re: Veterinary Antibiotics
Jim:
All this talk on Tetracyclines and their dangers. Show me the research!
I have only been able to find one case study of one person who became
nephrotoxic on
TTC's/Doxy. Speculation is interesting, but research is really important
in this circumstance. Thanks, - Russ
JWR Replies: This issue is clearly one that is still
not fully settled in medical circles. Part of the problem seems to
be that there are so many causes of renal failure, and a precise
cause is sometimes
difficult to pinpoint. There seems to be different "camps" of opinion
regarding tetracycline (and
similar
antibiotics
in the "-mycin"
and
"-cycline" families) and nephrotoxicity. (Called
Fanconi's syndrome, often coincident with "acute fatty
liver".) For example, I
found the following in a
web page on Akamin (Minocycline): "Tetracyclines
may
aggravate
pre-existing
renal failure.
Nephrotoxicity has also occurred in association with "acute
fatty liver" related to the use of
tetracycline in high doses. Degraded
tetracycline may result in renal tubular damage
and a "Fanconi-like" syndrome." (Emphasis added.)
Wardoc
provided a link to a
fairly concise article on Fanconi's syndrome that specifically
talks about antibiotics that are past their expirys. The article
includes this: "Environmental assaults that cause Fanconi's
syndrome include exposure to heavy metals (like cadmium, lead, mercury,
platinum, uranium),
certain drugs (like outdated tetracycline and gentamicin),
other substances (like Lysol, paraquat, toluene, the amino acid lysine
taken as a nutritional
supplement), and kidney transplantation." (Emphasis added.)
I also found this in a
web page on Doxitab--a brand of Doxycycline: "The use of
out-of-date or deteriorated tetracyclines has been associated with
the
development of a reversible Fanconi-type syndrome characterised by
polyuria and polydipsia with
nausea, glycosuria, aminoaciduria, hypophosphataemia, hypokalaemia,
and hyperuricaemia with acidosis, and proteinuria." (Emphasis
added.)
Speaking as a layman that is seeing two schools of thought--or perhaps
views on two distinct diagnoses--within the medical community on
this issue, to
be absolutely safe, I recommend that you avoid both over-dosing and out-of-date
or otherwise deteriorated antibiotics. (For example, beyond
their expiration dates or that are heat-degraded or photo-degraded.)
As a
prepper that
anticipates the possibility of infrastructure breakdown and widespread
power failures, the last thing that I want is to see anyone become
dependent on scheduled kidney dialysis because they "saved some money" on
antibiotics!
« Jim's Quote of the Day |Main| Letter Re: Veterinary Antibiotics »
Odds 'n Sods:
Michael
Z. Williamson sent us a link to an
article on how "gun control" laws are working in the UK.
The following is a quote from the article: "A widow who lives alone in
a Wiltshire farmhouse has taken to sleeping with a Smith & Wesson
Saturday Night Special under her pillow. It belonged to her husband and
is more than capable of stopping an
intruder, of which she has had three in the last two years.
When she goes shopping in Swindon, she slips a can of Mace into her
handbag in case of assault. "Bought it at the ironmongers in Bergerac," she
says. "Much more effective than an ASBO."
A senior civil servant, now retired and living in a remote house near
Losthwithiel in Cornwall, believes in the efficacy of a small-calibre
.22 pistol. It was easy to buy without a licence or proof of identity
in rural France, where they are used to kill vermin. The .22 is also
an assassin's weapon - once the round has entered the cranium, it will
ricochet about as it looks for an exit."
(Mike calls "bull" on that last part)
o o o
Frequent content contributor Hawaiian K. sent us this one: Vehicle
that runs on road and rail has trial trip in Shizuoka
o o o
John The Bowhunter sent us a link to a newspaper story from California: Home
Losses Loom.This hardly comes as a surprise to us. This
is the "ARM-twisting"
that I predicted, many months ago.
« Note from JWR: |Main| Odds 'n Sods: »
Jim's Quote of the Day
"'It has never happened!' cannot be construed
to mean, 'It can never happen!'– might as well
say, 'Because I have never broken my leg, my leg is unbreakable,'
or 'Because
I’ve never died, I am immortal.' One thinks first of
some great plague of insects – locusts or grasshoppers – when
the species suddenly increases out of all proportion, and then just
as dramatically sinks to a tiny fraction of what it has recently
been. The higher animals also fluctuate.
During most of the nineteenth century the African buffalo was a common
creature on the veldt. It was a powerful beast with few natural enemies,
and if its census could have been taken by decades, it would have
proved to be increasing steadily. Then toward the century’s
end it reached its climax, and was suddenly struck by a plaque of
rinderpest. Afterwards the buffalo was almost a curiosity, extinct
in many parts of its range. In the last fifty years it has again
slowly built up its numbers.
As for man, there is little reason to think that he can, in the long
run, escape the fate of other creatures, and if there is a biological
law of flux and reflux, his situation is now a highly perilous one.
During ten thousand years his numbers have been on the upgrade in
spite of wars, pestilence, and famines. This increase in population
has become more and more rapid. Biologically, man has for too long
a time been rolling an uninterrupted run of sevens." - George R.
Stewart, Earth Abides
« Book Excerpt: "Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse" |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day »
Note from JWR:
Living here in the hinterboonies,
our daytime radio reception is pitiful, but our nighttime reception
is fantastic. (The Rawles
Ranch is in an isolated "electromagnetic quiet zone.")
To make up for the lack of daytime reception (since we get less than
a half dozen daytime AM stations and no FM stations),
I have turned to Internet radio for entertainment during the day, and
shortwave
radio listening at night. I am particularly fond of a listener-sponsored
Internet streaming audio service called Folk
Alley. Great stuff, albeit with a perceptible liberal slant. At
least they don't shy away from playing gospel bluegrass music in their
mix.
« 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| Book Excerpt: "Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse" »
Letter Re: The Next Pandemic: Starvation in a Land of Plenty
Sir:
Seeing the discussion regarding the gentleman who loaned a flashlight
and leaf blower to his ungrateful neighbors, I'd thought I'd share
my method of loaning out items. First off, never loan
out primary tools. I have three sets [that I've designated - mine [primary],
for friends, and a lower quality set for
loaning. If you've never borrowed from me before and I don't know your "borrowing
character", then you get the cheap set of greasy, grimy tools
or the flashlight with weak batteries. If you return them in the state
that you borrowed them, you get to borrow them again sometime. If the
tools come back cleaned and oiled and new batteries in the flashlight,
your "borrowing character" had been elevated to trusted borrower
and you may soon be ready for the set of tools reserved for friends.
(Hint: When you borrow tools, always bring them back in a better state
than when you took them.) If you do not return them, you will be reminded
over and over of this fact and hopefully you will shamefully remember
to return them. If you don't ever gain some character or have no shame,
then stay outta my yard!
Also, people forget a couple of simple words: please and thank you.
I don't
have to loan you my tools. If you ask nicely, I may
just think a bit more nicely of you. These words don't cost anything
to use yet they
reap huge benefits if used sincerely. - Matt B.
« Jim's Quote of the Day |Main| Letter Re: The Next Pandemic: Starvation in a Land of Plenty »
Odds 'n Sods:
Steve P. flagged this "must read" article by Doug Hornig: Climate
Change Revisited
o o o
From BlogIdaho: Why
Cops Shoot Guys with Knives (Warning: Some graphic photos, not
for the squeamish!) BTW, shallow slashing wounds to the torso of
the type shown are not often fatal. It is either wounds to the neck
or deep
penetrating wounds to the abdomen (typically angled upward, from
just under the ribcage) followed immediately by lateral motion of
the
blade
tip that are
the real
killing wounds.
(The latter is what one of my Army training NCOs referred to as "massive
surgery without benefit of anesthetic.") Unfortunately these are the techniques
that
career
criminals often teach each other
in prison. A knife can be an effective weapon in the hands of someone
that knows what they are doing. Beware. Do not let an opponent
get close enough to employ these techniques.
o o o
Brenda at Mountain Brook
Foods mentioned that they are having a huge
liquidation sale, with 25-50% off selected items, and 40% off
year supply packages from now
until Feb 19th. This sale might be of particular interest to
SurvivalBlog readers in Northern California. (Mountain Brook Foods is
located in
Tracy, California. This could be a great opportunity to pick up your
order
in person to save on shipping.)
o o o
From a 'zine web site devoted to electric and hybrid
vehicles:
Roscoe
Bartlett: Man on a Mission
« Letter Re: Junk Shop Survival Tools |Main| Odds 'n Sods: »
Jim's Quote of the Day
"Men think in herds, go mad in herds, but recover their senses,
one by one." - Charles Mackay
« Two Letters Re: The Next Pandemic: Starvation in a Land of Plenty |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day »
Letter Re: Junk Shop Survival Tools
James,
I read Nuclear War Survival Skills [by Cresson Kearney) several years
back and have read and re-read the book on a regular basis. In fact,
along
with
your
novel "Patriots" (acquired
5 months back) I have loaned out and gifted copies of each to family.
All were 'struck'.
After realizing the need for expedient and planned shelter, but lacking
the real buying power that I desired, I set about securing many of
the hand tools that I had previously overlooked, i.e. tools that were
essential according to Cresson: Picks, Shovels, etc.
Lowes and other stores didn't stock old world quality digging/hand
tools to suit me. My late Dad had 'quality' picks on the family farm.
Those belong
to the farm. Since I live south of Kentucky and north of Alabama, I
regularly hit every 'junk' shop around the state. With less than a
10 dollar
outlay, I purchased several 8 lb. maul heads and three pick heads.
Two of the pick heads were standard size; however one of them was 1/3
the
size. The [thickness of ] steel in the picks seems over-built compared
to 'new' production types. I purchased duplicate hand turned hickory
handles. These are easily
found
in this part of the country at flea markets. I would urge many of the
readers to recognize the real world need for these old world tools.
One never knows when 'ground hog day' may arrive. - Matt
« Letter Re: The Last of the $49 MURS Radios |Main| Letter Re: Junk Shop Survival Tools »
Two Letters Re: The Next Pandemic: Starvation in a Land of Plenty
Mr. Rawles:
Your "The Next Pandemic" article and he responses to it that you posted
really got me thinking. If it all hits the fan, how can I possibly
hand
out
charity
to refugees
without
them just taking it all, by force? Once a bunch of people are in your
house, or even in your front yard, they have the advantage. I really
want
to
be generous and charitable, since it is my duty as a Christian.
(I have more than 2 tons of wheat, rice. and other stuff stored,
for example.) But
I don't
want
to
get cleaned
out and
then
have nothing
for my own family. How do I solve this dilemma? Should I hide half
of my storage food somewhere in a "cache"? Should I just leave what
I earmark for charity in big white plastic buckets marked "Take
just one" by the
side
of
the
road a
couple of miles from my house? Thanks, Brother!
- L.T.Y.
in not-so-rural Minnesota
Dear Jim,
I found Bob in Georgia's letter re: The Next Pandemic both educational
and unsettling. It confirms, in many ways, fears I harbor about a
post-SHTF environment, and leaves a number of unanswered questions in my mind.
I have read and often thought your admonition to dispense charity,
but in the event can't honestly say what I would do. I believe we who "have" are
compelled morally and Biblically to voluntarily share with those less
fortunate than we, who "have not." I do not, however, believe
any government, anywhere has any right to force us to share through
coercion and state-mandated giveaways, which is wealth distribution
and communism.
That said, what should I do if/when TSHTF?
I wish I knew the answer. I am close to some neighbors and would feel
no compunctions about sharing
with them and helping them to the greatest extent possible. I wouldn't
think twice. Others remain largely unknown to me and are question marks.
Still others have impaired moral compasses (or none to speak of,) whom
I would avoid sharing with altogether, as I am convinced it would only
invite a violent attack (repeat visits by our local P.D. to their homes
give me that feeling). My family's safety trumps charity in my way
of thinking.
Bob in Georgia's letter speaks volumes for the declining moral fiber
of our lost society and its values (or the lack thereof), and should
serve
as a strong reminder to the Patriot to exercise great caution not only
in sharing, but in even discussing your preps. Keep up the good work,
Jim. Yours in Jesus Christ our Lord, - Scott in California
JWR Replies: In my novel "Patriots" I
describe a couple of methods for dispensing charity "at arm's
length."
One of
them is through a
local church. The other would be reserved for absolute worst case situation,
where you would literally keep refugees off at a distance, at
gun point,
while you dole out food as charity. That might not sound very Christian,
but it might come down to that, in a situation where law and order
has completely broken down.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Two Letters Re: The Next Pandemic: Starvation in a Land of Plenty »
Letter Re: The Last of the $49 MURS Radios
Hi Jim,
Just an FYI, the remaining stock of these units [the Kenwood handheld
2 Watt MURS transceivers] is dwindling fast. I expect the $49 special
to be available for only one to two more months. I have not yet found a suitable replacement product that can
be sold for less than $100 and are MURS certified.
On another note, I want to pass along that the customers that have
been referred from your site have been excellent folks. Its been a
pleasure to deal with them and they have all prompt in their payments
and very reasonable to deal with. If you ever need a reference to give
a new advertiser, feel free to let me know. Thanks! - Rob at $49 MURS
Radios
« Jim's Quote of the Day |Main| Letter Re: The Last of the $49 MURS Radios »
Odds 'n Sods:
"OSOM" sent this From Doug Casey's newsletter: a
very readable article on the French Revolution's hyperinflation and
the corruption and misery
it
bred. OSOM's comment: "History doesn't repeat exactly - but it
sure looks like it's rhyming."
o o o
There are just 19 days left in the big "Container
load sale" at Survival Enterprises. All of the storage
food items are "first
come - first served." The prices are less than
half of retail. Survival Enterprises can take all major
credit cards, PayPal, cash, gold and silver coins, but no
checks or money orders. All orders must be phoned in for
mail order, or by appointment to come in and pick up your order in
person. (Survival Enterprises is located in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho.) For
special requests, you can call Kurt of Survival Enterprises at (800)
753-1981 or locally at (208) 704-3935 as late as 8 p.m. Pacific
time (5 p.m. Eastern time), or e-mail him at: kwATse1.us
(Change the "AT" to an @symbol)
o o o
Joseph in Missouri sent a link to a
free online book called "Possum Living" that he says
not many people have seen. Joseph describes it: "It is out of print,
and fairly rare. It is about living with very little income, and being very self sufficient.
The author was an 18 year old girl, living the life she writes about."
« Note from JWR: |Main| Odds 'n Sods: »
Jim's Quote of the Day
"Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but he whose
heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue
his principles unto death." - Thomas Paine
« A Minimalist 50 Mile Hike in the Smoky Mountains, by Albert J. |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day »
Note from JWR:
The first piece presented today is another
article submitted for Round 8 of the SurvivalBlog
non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction
article will win a valuable four day "gray" transferable Front
Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $1,600.) Second prize is
a copy of my "Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated by
Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. I will again be sending
out a few complimentary copies of my novel "Patriots" as "honorable
mention" awards. If you want a chance to win the contest,
start writing and e-mail us your
article. Round 8 will end on January 31st. Remember that the articles
that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will have
an advantage in the judging.
« Two Letters Re: Veterinary Antibiotics |Main| Note from JWR: »
A Minimalist 50 Mile Hike in the Smoky Mountains, by Albert J.
It was the summer of 1980. I’d read Robert Ringer and John Pugsley
books on surviving coming economic collapses. Both taught how you should
prepare yourself for such events. In another year I would finish graduate
school and start living the 9 to 5 dream. Ha! So this summer it was
time to do a little survival training and think on these things. I
decided to hike part of the Appalachian Trail through the Great Smoky
Mountains. Being a minimalist anyway and having read much of H. David
Thoreau and about a Greek philosopher, Diogenes, I wanted to carry
as little as possible on my hike and adventure into the wild.
Thoreau said: "When it is time to die, let us not discover that we never lived.” and “Most
men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the
song still
in them.”
Diogenes wanted to live simply, thinking too many “things” gets in
the way of happiness and causes stress and worry. He got rid of most of his possessions
except a cup to drink from. One day he saw an old woman drinking water from a
stream with her hands. So Diogenes threw away his cup.
I truly believed that living simply brings some of the happiest times too, and
not acquiring a new car and a bigger house than the Jones’s have, can bring
this about. Not wanting to go the grave, discovering I’d never lived, I
hit the trail with an 18 pound Wilderness Bug Out Bag (BOB). (It is nice to always
have one of these in your car or truck)
Included were my Swiss Army Knife and a fixed blade knife. (Today I would opt
to include a Tom Brown
Jr. Tracker and the Leatherman Wave)
Other items included a 4 pound sleeping bag, water purification tablets, a tarp
(to replace a heavy tent), one change of clothes, multivitamins, 1 roll of toilet
paper, toothbrush, a few First Aid items, 50 pound fishing line, a two quart
wine
flask
for
water, 4 butane lighters (good to share or for trade), some 7 grain cereal (nutrition
rich food is vital), peanut butter, raisins, beef jerky (extra beef jerky to
share with new friends along the way, which I did), pemmican, a few packs of
freeze dried food and an extra pair of running shoes…and a tin Diogenes
cup.
Hiking 12 miles the first day, at a speed of 4 mph, there was a lot more
day
left than what I’d anticipated. Seemed there were only two things to do
in the day... eat and hike...ok, three. Find water. It is always good to have
your own source of good water. The eating took 30 minutes at the most, including
preparation. Water was plentiful, crossing streams or hiking nearby them.
I'd done about 20 fasts in my life. And the biggest thing I'd learned, was that
a person can go for many days without food. I'd gone 20 days
on only juice and 5 days on water only. So I'd found one doesn't have to panic,
in thinking they'll
die if they go without food. Most of the hunger leaves after 3 or 4
days and you're left with only an empty feeling in your stomach...slightly different
than
being hungry. But you can do without food. In a survival situation,
this is very important. It depends on how active you are. At times you will feel
weak, but
at times you will feel like you've got extra lightness and energy. But the knowledge that you can make it and go without food, gives you confidence. The more you
practice it, (going without food) the more confident you get. It gives the body
a rest from digestion, cleans the body out and you’ll live longer too.
Water of course is another matter. You need water. That's why water and shelter
are your two major concerns and sometimes fire. I drank about 6-8 quarts a day.
A time or two, I wished I’d had a firearm. There were bears around and
who knows what other unforeseen critters out to do harm. “Better
to have
it and not need it than to need it and not have it.” My personal
choice
would be a .44 Magnum revolver, with special as well as magnum loads. It’s
great for home defense as well as more serious circumstances. If I had to live
and defend myself from special situations and long distance threats, it would
include a .308 M1A or
30-06 [M1
Garand], with lots of ammo.
In the morning I discovered why they called them the Smoky Mountains. The fog
enveloped the mountains. The second day I paced myself better, hiking at three
mph
and enjoying more of the scenery. And having plenty of time to ponder, realized
that
one should enjoy the scenery in life. So what if I fell off
a cliff or got eaten
by a bear. I’d gone out living and enjoying life, not being in constant
worry every day about possessions, politicians, other nee'r-do-wells, nor all
the bad news on CNN. Being prepared, good friends/companionship, living simply
and
enjoying the moment. All this made life good and brought happiness.
I finished the 50 mile hike in five days, and gained a lifetime of appreciation
and wisdom from it. A several day hike or campout is an absolute priceless way
to learn about simple living, preparation and survival. - Albert J.
JWR Adds: Going "ultralight" when backpacking is
perhaps viable in warm summer weather and at low elevation, but it is a foolhardy
risk at any other time of the
year . Even
in summer, hypothermia is a risk if you get soaked by a downpour. Always bring
a poncho and at least a small lightweight tent. Also, note that Giardia is
endemic in streams and ponds throughout North America, so it is essential to
carry a top quality water filter (such as a Katadyn
pocket filter) or a chemical
water treatment such as Polar
Pure. Both of these options are compact and lightweight. And both, BTW,
are available from Ready
Made Resources.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| A Minimalist 50 Mile Hike in the Smoky Mountains, by Albert J. »
Two Letters Re: Veterinary Antibiotics
James:
Re: the assertion: “Two weeks after the expiration date, these agents
can and frequently do become nephrotoxic” No, they always
are nephrotoxic – it is dose related.
The above statement is just plain wrong. Mis-dosing causes renal failure – which
is an equally valid concern for do it yourselfers using vet abs – but
not the d**n expiry date – I
thought we had put the tetracycline debate to rest – in the 80’s
it composition was unstable – it broke down 6-12 months post-expiry date
and became potentially toxic from the degradation products of the binder. Since
late-1980s, The new binder has meant less problem. Although vet abs remain
potentially dangerous for many reasons – but not due to degradation
within two weeks of the expiry dates. - A Doctor in New Zealand
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Two Letters Re: Veterinary Antibiotics »
Odds 'n Sods:
Aaron in Florida noted: "The
Official Department of the Army Publications and Forms web site has
a tremendous number of manuals and information in PDF format." I should
also add that anyone associated with the Army (Active, Reserve, Guard,
retired, army
civilian
employees, and even defense contractors) can get an Army
Knowledge Online (AKO) account, which will give you access to even
more manuals.
o o o
UN Report on Climate Change "Will Shock the World"
o o o
Airman JB and Joe from Tennessee both forwarded this one: Doctors
fear TB strain could cause a global pandemic if it is not controlled
« Notes from JWR: |Main| Odds 'n Sods: »
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"The last duty of a central banker is to tell the public
the truth." - Alan Blinder, Vice Chairman of the Federal Reserve,
on the PBS Nightly Business Report, 1994
« Gardens for the Future, by JLM |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Notes from JWR:
Since SurvivalBlog is updated daily,
please consider making it your web browser's "home" (start-up)
page. Thanks!
The first article today is another articles submitted for Round 8
of the SurvivalBlog
non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction
article will win a valuable four day "gray" transferable Front
Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $1,600.) Second prize is
a copy of my "Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated by
Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. I will again be sending
out a few complimentary first edition copies (Huntington House edition)
of my novel "Patriots" as "honorable
mention" awards. If you want a chance to win the contest,
start writing and e-mail us your
article. Round 8 will end on January 31st. Remember that the articles
that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will have
an advantage in the judging.
« Letter Re: Rail Cars |Main| Notes from JWR: »
Gardens for the Future, by JLM
There are many reasons to make open pollinated ["heirloom variety"]
seeds an integral part of your gardening experience and food storage.
If
seeds
are
collected
from F1 hybrids, the plants grown from those seeds will generally not
have the characteristics that you desired in the parent plant. Open
pollinated seeds allow the gardener the option of saving seed and growing
the plants you like, year after year. In the April 1991 issue of National
Geographic, in an article titled, “World Food Supply at Risk”,
the authors point out past failures of agriculture being based on only
a few varieties. Such disasters include the 1970 corn blight that destroyed
much of the US crop and the potato famine that killed over 1 million
in Ireland. Such disasters are not new. The article also states that
there is evidence that a blight destroyed much of the maize crop around
900 AD and probably caused the collapse of the Mayan civilization.
I would recommend a trip to the library since the article is a good,
sobering and interesting read, as is the October 1998 National Geographic
on population and feeding the planet. Several organizations, such
as The Seed Savers Exchange, have been established for education and
as sources for open-pollinated seed. I find it a bit of a chuckle that
many people put such an emphasis of a year’s supply of food,
but do not store usable seed, canning supplies and the like. What if,
for hypothetical example, a flu pandemic in the US occurred and the
duration was more than a few months? What if there was a new disease
outbreak in our food crops, for example a new fungus attacked our wheat
supply in a wet year? The trouble with genetically identical (hybrid)
crops is that they would all be at risk. That is the primary risk one
runs with most of your caloric food base being dependent on one or
two grain or starch crops.
The US used to be ready for such a crisis, but not anymore.
From
WorldNetDaily
From Jeff Rense
When one thinks of the recent ‘mad cow’ concerns here in
the United States, one realizes that even today, agricultural disasters
can still happen as is illustrated by this
short article from the Seeds
Trust web
site.
The current trend of some large agricultural conglomerates is to develop
hybrid/biotech seeds that will not germinate when collected seed is
replanted, or have the plant ‘self-destruct’. This technology
now has several patents. For a look at the ‘terminator gene’ being
developed for use in several crops, such as cotton, see the
article from University of Indiana on the Terminator Gene.
It is easy for me to see both sides here. If the company spends millions
of dollars to develop a new, higher yielding strain; they will want
to protect that research at least until the money is recovered with
some as profit. The trouble is illustrated by that oil rapeseed farmer
in Canada (Percy Schmeiser) whose fields were planted with his own
stuff and then his fields were contaminated with the genetically modified
rapeseed. Even though he never planted the stuff, he found himself
in court. The company (Monsanto) sued him (successfully!) when their
gene was found in his crops, Even though he grew his own seed and his
was contaminated. Shows a break down of common sense in the judiciary,
which is no big surprise. The other problem is that by having terminator
seeds, it allows direct corporate control of farmers by a corporation
or government. In other words, they control what you can grow to insure ‘customer
loyalty’.
For more on Percy Schmeiser see:
Percyschmeiser.com/
Sierraclub.ca
Currently only a handful of companies control most of the US seed and
nursery market.
A recent Countryside
and Small Stock Journal article titled “Do
you know where your seeds come from? You may be surprised…. The
Gardening Game”. The article highlights this consolidation [of
seed vendors] in the US market place.
Sources of open pollinated/heirloom seeds:
http://www.seedstrust.com/
http://www.seedsavers.org/
http://www.seedsave.org/
http://www.rareseeds.com/
http://www.victoryseeds.com/
http://www.bountifulgardens.org/
http://www.abundantlifeseed.org/
http://www.nicholsgardennursery.com/
JWR Adds: A wide assortment of heirloom seeds
are also available from The
Ark Institute
Unique/heirloom plants and nursery stock:
http://www.treesofantiquity.com/
http://www.onegreenworld.com
http://www.raintreenursery.com
An Internet search for heirloom seed or open-pollinated seed will turn
up many more sources.
Basic "how to" instructions for saving seeds:
http://www.seedsavers.org/
http://www.seedsave.org/
Several books on saving seeds, including:
Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners
by Suzanne Ashworth
Seed Sowing and Saving: Step-By-Step Techniques for Collecting and
Growing More Than 100 Vegetables, Flowers, and Herbs (Storey's Gardening
Skills Illustrated) -- by Carole B. Turner
Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties: The Gardener's & Farmer's Guide
to Plant Breeding & Seed Saving -- by Carol Deppe
Saving Seeds: The Gardener's Guide to Growing and Storing Vegetable
and Flower Seeds -- by Marc Rogers, et al
Books on gardening and edible landscape design:
“
How to Grow Vegetables and Fruits by the Organic Method”, Rodale
Press, out of print, but easy to find at used bookstores or e-bay.
How to Grow More Vegetables: And Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and
Other Crops Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can
Imagine by John Jeavons (Paperback - Mar 2002)
Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew
Introduction to Permaculture by Bill Mollison and Slay Reney-Mia
Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture by Toby Hemenway
and John Todd
Greenhouse Gardener's Companion: Growing Food and Flowers in Your Greenhouse
or Sunspace by Shane Smith and Marjorie C. Leggitt
Designing And Maintaining Your Edible Landscape Naturally by Rosalind
Creasy (Foreword), et al.
http://www.foodforeveryone.org/
http://www.gardensimply.com/
http://www.carryongardening.org.uk/
http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/perma.html
http://www.permacultureactivist.net/
http://www.foodnotlawns.com/
http://www.cwo.com/~bart/perm_links.htm
http://www.sherrysgreenhouse.com/
Also refer to the extension service of your state university.
The some articles on plant disease threats:
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20050924/food.asp
Dangerous Wheat Disease Jumps Red Sea.
http://www.grain.org/seedling/?id=108
VOA News
Then you add into the fray the mess politics can make of crops and
farm policies. Worst case:
From The Christian Science Monitor
From
The Daily Telegraph
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Gardens for the Future, by JLM »
Letter Re: Rail Cars
Mr. Rawles,
The letter recently posted on your blog about using the rails for
bugging out was quite interesting, and your strong admonitions about
safety were well founded. There are considerations the author did
not include
and additional safety items that need to be mentioned as well. I conducted
security operations for railroads in the late 70s and also have written
about railroad history so I have experience "out on the line."
First, the rails do not necessarily take you to places that you need/want
to go. Rail lines, especially here in the west, are located in out-of-the-way
places. Road access to the rails in many locations is nonexistent meaning
that someone bugging-out could find himself stranded where there is
literally nothing and no practical way to get anywhere else. If you
roll your
vehicle descending or climbing the roadbed, there will be no help available;
your best hope is that crews will eventually find your remains.
Navigating the roadbed. Rails do not sit flat on the ground, they sit
atop a carefully constructed roadbed of rock ballast that promotes
drainage. This ballast effectively raises the rail four to five feet
above the surrounding ground and is quite steeply graded. Driving off
of the rail will mean pitching your vehicle at an uncomfortable, potentially
dangerous, angle to start down the roadbed. Once off the roadbed, there
is not always a vehicle road parallel to the rail road. So if you way
is blocked by a stalled train, you may not be able to get around it.
Stopping your Hy-Rail. Steel wheels rolling on steel rails do not stop
as fast as rubber tires on pavement. Discovering the end of a train
just around a curve may not afford the driver sufficient time to stop.
Hitting the end of a train with a vehicle is catastrophic. (One of
my employees did just that in the late 1970s and it cost me a fortune).
Also,
trains are incredibly quiet, surprisingly so. The driver could easily
find a train running at him just around the next curve and never hear
it until he is 100 yards from it.
Wandering the rails. Rail lines invariably head for major cities; that
is where the goods they carry need to go. Rail lines, generally,
do not go through the best parts of towns. If someone bugging-out
has to traverse a city to get to his or her retreat, they will be exposing
themselves
to unnecessary risks in those parts of town.
If it sounds like I do not think using the rails for a travel route
is a good idea, you would be correct. I have spent considerable time
driving on the rails and have encountered these problems first hand.
The rails are not a hospitable place for vehicles with or without Hy-Rail
equipment. - Bruce C.
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Rail Cars »
Odds 'n Sods:
Hawaiian K. flagged this one: U.S.
Navy Test Infrared Voice
Communications System
o o o
Reader Bob. B. suggested to taking a look at: The
Provident Living (LDS) Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness web
page. He suggested; "Especially look at the 'Dry Pack
Handouts' label
in the right-hand list. Great recipes for basic foods."
o o o
There are just 21 days left in the big "Container
load sale" at Survival Enterprises. Some
items like dehydrated margarine powder and dehydrated cabbage have
already sold out, so don't hesitate to get your order in. Do
it soon, before
many
other
items
sell out! All of the items in this sale are "first come
- first served." Again, the
prices are less
than half of retail.
Survival Enterprises can take all major credit cards, PayPal, cash,
gold and
silver coins,
but no checks or money orders. All orders must be
phoned in for mail order, or by appointment to come in and pick up
your order in person. (Survival Enterprises is located in Coeur d'
Alene, Idaho.) For special requests, you can call
Kurt of Survival Enterprises at (800) 753-1981 or locally at (208)
704-3935 as late as 8 p.m. Pacific time (5 p.m. Eastern time),
or e-mail him at: kwATse1.us (Change the "AT" to an @symbol)
« Note from JWR: |Main| Odds 'n Sods: »
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"During the 1980s we were told (by the media) that if a
nuclear war broke out, we'd all be dead anyway. The reality is now
hitting a few (like me, LOL) that yes some people will die, but most
will be alive and suffering if they are not prepared. I will not let
my children suffer because I had my head in the sand, so I'm doing
what I can to get ready for whatever comes.” - Tarran (A lady
who is a member of the Yahoo discussion group "survivalretreat",
quoted with
Tarran's permission, courtesy of Rourke)
« Letter Re: Advice on Storing Ammunition in Stripper Clips |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Note from JWR:
I recently made some minor edits to
my non-fiction book Rawles
on Retreats and Relocation, and formally released it as the First
Edition, through CafePress. I suppose that this change will make
the first 100 copies that were sold (the ones marked "Limited
Pre-Publication Edition") a bit of a collector's item. The cover
price of the new edition is just $28. This book is a "print
on demand" item, being sold only through Cafe Press.
« Two Letters Re: Survival Biscuits |Main| Note from JWR: »
Letter Re: Advice on Storing Ammunition in Stripper Clips
Shalom Jim:
I have a quick question for you that is probably not the most profound
one you've ever heard. Recently I purchased some 7.62mm NATO Ball from
Southern Ohio Gun,
and it came in a metal box loaded on stripper clips with five cartridges per
clip. Do you recommend keeping the cartridges on
the
clips or would you remove them and pack them loosely in the metal box? Also,
what is the reasoning behind your answer? Thanks, - Dr. Sidney Zweibel,
Columbia P&S
JWR Replies: Unless the stripper clips are rusty (which
could induce sympathetic corrosion on the cartridge brass),
then
I recommend leaving
the cartridges
on the stripper clips. Here is my reasoning:
1.) Wear and tear during transport (e.g. dented cartridges) is essentially the
same
whether
ammo is off or on strippers. (And in fact it is even less for ammo
on
stripper
clips
that
are packed
in
cloth bandoleers.)
2.) The ammo will be quicker to load into magazines when needed.
3.) There is no conclusive evidence that stripper clip springs weaken with time.
4.) With the exception of 8 round en bloc M1
Garand clips, in some localities ammo in stripper or en bloc clips does not legally
contribute
to
the
definition of a "loaded weapon" in a motor vehicle. (In my personal experience gained when I previously lived in California, many law enforcement officers mistakenly deem a loaded clip or magazine carried in the same vehicle with an unloaded
gun as the same as a "loaded gun". Yes, this is a misinterpretation of the California Penal Code, but I know of two individuals that had to hire attorneys to extricate themselves from this bogus charge. (What
a Mickey
Mouse state!)
So, all in all, in my opinion it is best to store cartridges on
the stripper clips.
« Letter Re: Veterinary Antibiotics |Main| Letter Re: Advice on Storing Ammunition in Stripper Clips »
Two Letters Re: Survival Biscuits
Mr. Rawles:
Regarding SF in Hawaii's letter about hardtack biscuits
posted on January 21st, I
have made more than a few of these recently, both for survival purposes,
as well
as
just
for
getting
used
to them.
If
you
make them
to specification
they come out hard, like thick crackers. Be sure to cut them to size
before
you put them in the oven, as even after the 1-hour of cooking
they will be too hard to cut effectively.
The best way I've found to eat them is take a bullion cube, dissolve
it in water. Next add the hard tack, then a chunk of salt beef/jerky(or
similar) that has been cut up. Throw in about half a sauteed onion
and you've got some good eating stew. (A friend of mine also added
canned peas and corn)
You can also use Spam instead of salt beef/jerky.
If your hard tack needs are more immediate, cook it at 350 degrees
F for about 45 minutes. It will come out with a thick bread which if
you
add
a little bit of baking soda instead of salt will taste more like
a thick
sourdough.
It's quite good and I often use it to make sandwiches when going
for a hike. For a treat, you can also butter it right out of the
oven.
Sir:
Has anyone ever looked at Scottish
shortbread for survival food?
Basically butter, flour, salt, and sugar. Tastes good and high in
fat. I had some in a plastic Baggie for well over a month. Looked
at it and
ate it. No problem. - EhB
JWR Replies: Shortbread could be an option, but
I'd worry about the storage life of shortbread--particularly in warm
weather--given
its
high butter
content.
(The butterfat could go rancid.) In contrast, hard tack has long been
proven to store very well.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Two Letters Re: Survival Biscuits »
Letter Re: Veterinary Antibiotics
Jim:
As an emergency room physician in rural East Tennessee and SW Virginia,
I've seen a number of "casualties" from human use of animal
antibiotics. First, the binders used in vet meds are not tested, usually,
for lack
of general reactivity in humans; if your genetic haplotypes are extremely
different from cows and pigs, you might have an allergic reaction to
the binder, not the antibiotic; I've seen this happen three times,
once to bovine antibiotics, and twice to pig meds. Solution: test a
small amount of the agent (e.g. 1/8th of a tab) and if no reaction
in 24 hours, maybe you'll be okay (this is not advice and I don't recommend
vet meds for humans or even half humans).
Second: the expirations on vet meds are not as closely monitored as
with humans. Usually, an agent can be okay for six months past the
stated expiration (and, you sometimes can't trust the stated expiry
on vet
meds); after that, no effect. Worse problem, with tetracyclic antibiotics
(tetracyclines themselves, doxycycline and similar), the expiration
is critical. Two weeks after the expiration date, these agents can
and frequently do become nephrotoxic.
I've seen two patients, now on dialysis,
from
kidney damage from old tetracycline. So, beware. Best
bet is get to know an MD who
will prescribe 1-2 courses of commonly used or broad
spectrum antibiotics for each member of your family, ask the pharmacy
about expiration dates on the source bottles (he may refuse to tell
you, if so, forget it), and then rotate every year. good luck and beware.
Things are never as easy as they seem. - Wardoctor (a Desert Storm vet)
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Veterinary Antibiotics »
Odds 'n Sods:
"Dancing Barefoot" mentioned this news story: Cod
enzyme kills H5N1 virus
o o o
U.S. Urges 'Fivefold Expansion' in Alberta Oilsands Production
o o o
Novelist Michael
Z. Williamson mentioned this book: Apocalypse
Chow: How to Eat Well When the Power Goes Out
« Note from JWR: |Main| Odds 'n Sods: »
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that
danger may come.
When in a state of security he does not forget the possibility of ruin.
When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder may come.
Thus his person is not endangered, and his States and all their clans
are preserved."
- Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC)
« Two Letters Re: The Next Pandemic: Starvation in a Land of Plenty |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Note from JWR:
Wow! We've surpassed 42 million
hits and one million unique visits since
SurvivalBlog was launched in August of 2005! We now have
readers in more
than 75 countries. Thanks for making SurvivalBlog such a huge
success. Please keep spreading the word. One of the best ways that
you can do this is to paste a
SurvivalBlog link logo or link text in your e-mail footer. Many
thanks!
Congratulations to our 1,000,000th visitor! (He
e-mailed us a screen capture of the visit counter, to prove it.) His
prize is two books: an autographed copy of my novel "Patriots" and
an autographed copy of my non-fiction book Rawles
on Retreats and Relocation.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Note from JWR: »
Two Letters Re: The Next Pandemic: Starvation in a Land of Plenty
Hi Jim:
Perusing the "blog" the other evening, and, in response to
your post of how certain members of our society react when normalcy
is interrupted. I would like to relate an experience I had during
an extended power outage, with my house being the only house within
a two block area having power. As I am the end house on the cul-de-sac,
my assumption is I am fed from the next subdivision. None-the-less,
quite an eye opening experience.
One Friday afternoon, after some pretty heavy storms, the power goes
out. When one of the neighbors sees that I still have power, he walks
over and asks if he can run an extension cord across the street so
he can use his electric blower to blow the debris off his driveway!
I mention how dangerous that is , since he lives diagonally across
a fairly heavily traveled feeder road, and offer to let him use my
gas blower. He says he will bring it back in 20 minutes. But 20 minutes
later, I see him and his wife drive away in one of their Corvettes.
(Did I mention that they both have brand new Corvettes?) No blower
noise in the
meanwhile, and no blower returned to me.
As night falls, and power is still not restored to the rest of the
neighborhood: I am in the garage, with the door open and another of
my neighbors saunters over, wondering how I have power, and if he
can watch the game on the television which is currently on PBS.
I try to explain that the cable [television system] is out, and all
I
have are several local channels,
including PBS, but I don't think he understands. He is really irritated
that his power is out, and that he is missing the game. His anger is
not directed at me, just directed at the situation in general! So,
we are sitting around, having a few beers, provided by yours truly,
of course, another neighbor saunters over. He too is wondering how
I have power and the rest of the folks don't ....again, I try to explain
power generation and distribution.....so, after a while, the last neighbor
to arrive says his wife, soon to arrive , will know where the candles
are, but he needs a flashlight to see to get over to his house. I kindly
offer one of my spares , with the admonishment that I would like to
have it back the next day. Did I mention this neighbor has garage filled
with a fully restored Chevelle, worth about $20K and two new motorcycles?
Drives a Caddy SUV,
yet he doesn't own a simple flashlight?
Two days later: The blower: I finally see the Corvette neighbor roll
in, after being gone for two days. I drive across the street , park
behind the Corvette, and knock on the door and wait. They finally come
downstairs, and hand me the blower. No explanation, no thanks. I am
a wee bit irritated, and give them both a lecture on being prepared.
During the course of the lecture, they mention all the firewood that
I have stacked in the back, and that they "kiddingly" mention
they know where to get firewood if things get tough. I reply, "Don't
come looking to me for help, I have a family to take care of and you
folks are on your own!" Should have seen the looks on their faces.
Because they knew I meant it.
A week later: The flashlight: I finally see my neighbor on the following
Friday...he is outside washing one of his bikes. I saunter over and
ask "Where is my flashlight"..He replies: "Oh yeah",
and brings it out. Again, no thanks offered. I ask
whether he found his or has acquired another...he replies, "No".
I then proceed to give him the same lecture about about the three day
food and water,
and emergency supplies that our government recommends as a bare minimum.
I think that it went in one ear and out the other. Of course, when
I mentioned that "if the S. really HTF",
he was on his own, and don't come looking over my way for help",
he looked slightly shocked, again, because he knew I meant it.
The moral of the story: These two neighbors have already shown me what
they are made of. Am I prepared to say no to them
if the "S. really
HTF" Katrina style? Most assuredly. They are nothing more than
parasites.Both sets of neighbors have nice houses , good jobs, probably
1/4 million dollars in assets in their homes and vehicles alone.....and
neither of them seem to own a flashlight. And , unfortunately, I have
a feeling
that the rest of the neighborhood are exactly like them, unprepared
for even the most minor cessation of services.
Disaster aside, your main threat will be the people that surround
you. - Bob in Georgia
James:
The following dates back to pre-Y2K,
but I still find it applicable to far too many people [that live] around
me:
"The Pollyanna Mantra"
I have always relied upon the complex interdependencies of society
They have never failed me in the past.
They will, therefore, never fail me in the future.
I do not need to prepare for any problems.
* Meat comes to me in shrink-wrapped packages.
* Vegetables have no dirt on them. They are always crisp and shiny.
* Fish is a food product that has no bones.
* Bread is neatly sliced and packaged. It Builds Strong Bodies Twelve
Ways.
* Potatoes are long, rectangular cubes that have salt sprinkled on
them. I drive my car past a window to obtain them.
* Light is provided to me 24 hours a day by glass bulbs. It is never
dark.
* Power for my appliances lives in the wall. I plug into it whenever
I want to.
* I have books. They are used for filling the empty space on my shelves.
* Entertainment comes to me in a large box. It has many channels.
* Sometimes I see wars in far away places on the box. Wars do not affect
me personally. Wars are entertainment. Wars are not waged near where
I live.
* Heat comes to me as I turn up a thermostat.
* Cool air comes to me as I turn down a thermostat.
* Clothing comes to me pre-sewn, in my size.
* When the county fair comes, I go to see the horses, cows, pigs and
sheep. I do not know where they live after the county fair goes away.
* Factories are far away places. They make things for me. I buy them.
* I get to other places in marvelous vehicles that come to me in showrooms.
I do not know how to build them, or to fix them.
* My children are educated by people smarter than me. I have forgotten
all I learned in school.
* Peace is maintained in my neighborhood by good men in blue uniforms.
They have guns. I do not. If I press 3 buttons on my phone, they will
come and help me.
* Medical assistance can also be obtained instantly, ..via the same
three buttons.
* My s**t does not stink. It goes down a porcelain hole. It goes away.
* If anything goes wrong, I will look in the Yellow Pages and call
someone to fix it.
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Two Letters Re: The Next Pandemic: Starvation in a Land of Plenty »
Odds 'n Sods:
Chris forwarded this one: Scientists
Report Breakthrough in Battle Against Deadly 'Superbug'
o o o
More about Federal Reserve chairman's Benanke's warnings on demographic shifts: Calm
before the storm' in federal deficit
o o o
Novelist Michael
Z. Williamson sent us a
story about a very resourceful nine year old runaway.Mike's comment:
"The boy's problems aside, he's very determined, smart, and a sure
survivor."
« Notes from JWR: |Main| Odds 'n Sods: »
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"The immigration 'problem' in America today is not a question
of numbers, but of our failure effectively to welcome those who do
come by educating them in American principles, and evoking their real
commitment of heart to the unique American way of life that represents
a hope for the destiny of the world. We have largely abandoned the
process
of educating newcomers in the special principles of the American
way of life. This failure, of course, is the natural result of the
even deeper problem of our own retreat from these principles -- for
how can we demand of newcomers what we scarcely acknowledge in ourselves?
Our own schools have retreated from our commitment to that special
understanding of principle, of human dignity, of human justice and
of free enterprise that constitute our unique identity and represent
a universal appeal for the world." - Alan Keyes
« Land Navigation – More Than Just a Walk in the Woods, by GlobalScout |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Notes from JWR:
Today we welcome our newest advertiser, Get
Ready Industries. Please visit their web site and check out their
very broad line of survival gear, which includes: three
day kits, food storage packages, first aid/minor surgery kits,
hand
crank
and solar radios/flashlights, first responder kits, wheat grinders,
cast iron cookware, stoves, books and DVDs, NBC protection gear,
night vision gear, and much more. You name it, they've got it!
Please also visit
our other paid advertisers in the
scrolling
right
hand
bar,
and check
out
their products and services. One of the best ways that you can
support SurvivalBlog is to patronize our advertisers. Please mention
that
you are a SurvivalBlog reader when you do so. Thanks!
The first article today is another articles submitted for Round
8 of the SurvivalBlog
non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction
article will win a valuable four day "gray" transferable Front
Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $1,600.) Second prize is
a copy of my "Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated by
Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. I will again be sending
out a few complimentary first edition copies (Huntington House edition)
of my novel "Patriots" as "honorable
mention" awards. If you want a chance to win the contest,
start writing and e-mail us your
article. Round 8 will end on January 31st. Remember that the articles
that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will have
an advantage in the judging.
« Two Letters Re: How to Reply to "When the SHTF, I'm Going Over to Your House", by Rolf in the Northwest |Main| Notes from JWR: »
Land Navigation – More Than Just a Walk in the Woods, by GlobalScout
While sheltering in place has many advantages during an End-of-Civilization-Schumer-Dispersal
scenario, there may be good reasons to travel on foot cross country. (In "Patriots" for
example, squads and patrols traveled afoot for security, reconnaissance, communication,
ambush and assault missions.) The following tips are offered
for your consideration should you have to resort to “Shank’s Mare” for
transportation.
Land Navigation can be divided into “tactical” or “peacetime” methods.
While even in peacetime there are times that it is better to travel undetected,
in a tactical scenario, being caught might be fatal. You’ll have to judge
the situation yourself, but when in doubt, use the most cautious approach practical.
I’ll begin with normal situations where tactical concerns are secondary.
Have a compass and whistle with you any time you are in unfamiliar territory
or away from civilization. It is easy to become disoriented (especially at night,
in dense vegetation or during periods of bad weather) and a quick look at a compass
can often set you straight. If you do become lost or disoriented, stay put, if
possible, and blow your whistle or use other comms (radio, cell phone, mirror,
personal
locator beacon, etc…) until you are found/regrouped.
Learn how to use a map and compass. It is fairly simple to learn, and can be
fun too. I’ve made a game out of small-scale compass courses to teach the
concepts used in navigating with a map and compass. There are various techniques,
just find those you can remember easily and that are practical to use. Army
Field
Manual FM 3-25.26 Map Reading and Land Navigation is a good place to start,
or
there are many good civilian books on the subject. The Green Beret’s
Compass
Course, by Don Paul, Path Finder Publications 2004, is an interesting approach
to the subject and a fairly quick read. The Internet also has some great resources
on Map and Compass use. Here are a few sites to get you started:
Navigation
With Map and Compass , Using
the compass in interaction with a map , and Finding Your Way with Map
and Compass (USGS)
Don’t forget to count your paces and/or use timing to estimate the
distance traveled. This can keep you from overshooting your objective, and
wasting time
and energy to find your way back. In many cases, you can plan a “hold off” technique
to purposely aim slightly right or left of your objective if there is an identifiable
feature (ridge, river, road, etc…) that could lead you back to your end
point. Once you hit that feature, you can turn in the direction of your objective
and follow the feature until you reach your objective (e.g. when you get to the
stream, turn left, and follow the stream uphill to camp). A GPS receiver is great
help too, and potentially very accurate, but map and compass skills should
always
be there to supplement those battery-operated gizmos.
In a tactical, hostile environment, you would use similar navigation techniques
as mentioned about travel in a non-hostile environment, but there are a few other
considerations:
Evasion. If there’s a chance of running into goblins in the woods, navigation
becomes more complicated. Moving undetected can be a challenge but can be done.
Motion attracts an enemy’s eye more than camouflage can conceal you from
him. For example, most deer and squirrels you probably see in the woods are noticed
because of a twitch of the ear or a flick of the tail that alerts you to their
presence. They are naturally hard to see, but the slightest movement can give
them away. Move slowly, stop and look. Patience is a virtue that can save your
skin.
Noise can also compromise your location. Be aware of noise and disturbing foliage
and animals (birds or deer/elk). Masking your sounds by traveling in damp or
windy weather may help.
When crossing “lines of communication” such as rivers or roads, cross
at areas with limited visibility such as bends or shaded areas. Don’t follow
trails or “lines of communication” or leave tracks on or near them.
Avoid open areas where you can be seen from far away. This will reduce your chance
of being seen, but will slow you down considerably! Instead of trail hiking at
1.5 to 3 mph, you might be lucky to go a quarter mile an hour in some terrain
if you have to do it quietly and without being seen. Off road travel will also
require much more effort and most likely be noisier. Plan for this.
Also consider what time of day you will be starting and stopping your movement.
To avoid being seen by Night Vision Devices (NVDs),
dawn and dusk can provide a light condition that is too dark to be easily seen
with the naked eye, yet
too light for NVDs to work well. Air
Force Pamphlet 64-5 Aircrew Survival is
a great resource that gives an overview of evading capture while traveling in
a hostile environment.
Conceal your direction of travel in case you are captured (no sense in showing
the bad guys where you were going). This includes not writing down headings or
making markings on a map, and if you are using a military-type lensatic compass
that locks the compass dial when it is closed, turn the compass off course before
locking the dial so that your last heading is not revealed. To mark a map temporarily,
use sticks, pine needles or string to show lines of position or course direction.
This overview is just a brief and limited summary of things to consider if you
need to travel to survive. I hope it has provided food for thought and grounds
for further research (FFTAGFFR). I also hope that I've included some tips that
can
keep
you
safe.
Be
Prepared,
- GlobalScout
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Land Navigation – More Than Just a Walk in the Woods, by GlobalScout »
Two Letters Re: How to Reply to "When the SHTF, I'm Going Over to Your House", by Rolf in the Northwest
Jim:
[In reply to Matt's comments on Rolf's original letter:] There
are a lot of examples to illustrate why each person needs their own
disaster
preps,
and the "insurance" example
("why
should your fire
insurance pay for my house burning down, or vice-versa?") is a
good one.
Another is the "personalization" aspect: "Sorry, I'm
a single guy; I doubt I'd stock your wife's brand of feminine protection." But
people tend to think of "disaster preparations" as special
or different in some way, because they are not "normal accidents," and
most people have a very hard time thinking outside a fairly narrow
range of "normal events."
Because an "emergency" is outside the "normal" range
of events, people will tend to react to thoughts about disasters emotionally,
not
intellectually, because that is what people do when dealing with things
that
they
have not trained for (which is why you keep hearing "practice, practice,
practice!"). By definition, people reacting emotionally are not acting rationally
or thoughtfully, even when they by chance do something right.
If someone starts acting in any way belligerent, and says they are coming over
in spite of your saying or implying that they may not be welcome, it might not
be the best thing you can do to say something that they might interpret as a
threat.
Saying you also stock up on ammo has several problems: it scares them by being
a veiled threat to their lives or security, which will make them even more irrational
and reactionary; it puts
you
into that "loon with guns" category; it turns them off to being
prepared themselves for a lot of reasons, including "we don't want to be
like that
survivalist nut that threatened us!"; lastly, it's telling them that if
they ever do come over, they need to gang up and be sneaky about it (giving them
a
tactical advantage). You normally want to avoid give a potentially shooting-war
enemy any kind of info on how to best take you out. Obviously there might be
situations
where it would "shut them up," but it may
not get them on the path to independence; it may just make them think they are
helpless,
and vote for more government programs (and we know how great those are....)
A better approach might be to ask "well, what if when you come over you
are
the fifth in a line of families who also came over, and they don't want to share,
or there isn't any left? Or, what if I move away for a new job and
the
disaster hits the following week? Then what?" You are putting the threat
of them starving, or freezing, or whatever into a neutral frame of reference,
where
you are not the threat, the situation or some unnamed third party is. It is imperative
to keep it neutral, so they can think rationally rather than emotionally or defensively,
and they don't think of you as the
enemy, but think of the disaster situation as the enemy. Stress that independence
is the goal, and anything that makes them dependant on you hurts both if something
bad happens to you.
If they say or imply that they would be willing and able to take your preparation
supplies by force (saying "I've got guns, you have food. By
the end of the day I'll have both" for example), that's a whole different
turn
of
events. They have just declared to the world that they are a sociopath, a looter
in waiting, with means and motive to attack you in a disaster situation. If you
have stocked up on ammo (of course you have, right?), don't make it a pissing
match about who has more or better stuff; a simple "there
are likely easier targets you might want to try to take ammo from
than my neighborhood, unless you are really good at detecting booby-traps and
dodging lead bumble-bees from multiple directions" puts it terms that they
will likely understand. It's vague enough to not get you into trouble, but implies
a lot of things they might take to heart, even if you don't currently
have any booby-trap plans, and you are the only one in the cul-de-sac with a
gun and thorough disaster plans. Then immediately leave or kick them out; don't
hang around for them to gather more info about you. Always keep it civil, polite,
and neutral. There is no benefit in making enemies; winning
friends, expanding your mutual-assistance and mutual-defense circles
are
the goal, and you cannot do that making threats (direct or veiled), scaring people,
insulting people, or making them angry or confused. Once they are onboard with
the idea, then you can get into details. - Rolf
Jim:
I call this the uninvited or self-inviting neighbor/friend problem. "When
the SHTF, I'm coming to your house" seems harmless and innocuous,
but at the same time, the person who says this is probably testing
the waters with you, just to see what your reply is. If you just let
it go, he and his family probably will show up, empty handed,
at your door one day. I suggest a playful come-back like: “Well,
actually I sell tickets for that, $500 a head in advance, renewable
each year,
same price, or $10,000 per personal at the door, cash only, no-refunds
if the World does not end”. This puts the ball
playfully back in his court, half jokingly, but makes the cost issue
involved clear.
I would like to expand a little on this topic, as to the morality of
this highly uncomfortable issue, as I think every survivalist must
consider it before TSHTF. Since, the early 1960s in the US, the unprepared
neighbor knocking on your bomb shelter door, when nuclear war looks
imminent, is a common, and even favorite question for college philosophy
and ethics students. Your answer of course depends on several facts,
and also the standards you use, or the philosophy/religion you chose
(the rules you apply) to find the answer. In real life this can be
a delicate and dangerous situation. Television shows such as The
Twilight Zone and even The Simpsons have addressed it,
in both cases it being a false alarm, and people are left feeling pretty
bad
as to how
they behaved.
Keep the false alarm issue (facing your neighbor later after your turned
him away), and what can happen in the heat of the moment in mind. Be
diplomatic. In decided how you are going to handle this, I would like
to offer a few thoughts and standards to consider:
Utilitarianism - is usually the simplest and easiest one to start with,
the greatest good for the greatest people, simple concept. This is
the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few,
however, if by helping the many, you risk the lives of the few, any
everyone, you have to step back and re-adjust your thinking don't you.
Often then people then put in the additional rules, help the many if it doesn't kill anyone, or risk killing anyone, or adversely affect
the few, etc. Thus this philosophy goes is often added on to with these
caveats, and it's really up to your and your beliefs as to where you
drawer certain lines and exceptions.
Triage – this a painfully pragmatic concept
in healthcare treatment, which basically says you treat the most critically
injured first, unless they are unlikely to survive. This commonly accepted philosophy tells
healthcare professionals, that in situations of crisis, with limited
resources, you are in going to have to ignore the people you probably
can’t save, and focus on those you can, only, in order starting
with the worst off.
The Law - Legally speaking, in the USA at least,
you do not owe a duty to your help you “fellow man”. If
you walk by a guy having a heart attack and ignore him, you have broken
no actual law. Are you
a jerk for not doing something? Most would probably say yes, especially
if you are trained or have a cell phone, but this doesn't make you
a criminal. (BTW, some medical training, including EMT in some states does obligate
you). However, you are legally responsible for your minor children,
so legally their health and welfare can be a legal basis for your decision
making. This is often called “Best interests of the children” and
it almost always trumps everything else in Court. Look at politicians,
it's always "for the children" (even when the teachers go
on strike, right?)
The Charity Issue (religiously based or just moral
) – my suggestion
here is that 10% is a nice percentage for charity, and is historically
supported. So - if you think you must or should provide
charity, I suggest you set aside 10% of your supplies and call that
Charity.
Otherwise, you get on a slippery slope to not having the 90% that is
yours after all. Remember that there is also another option
to charity: wages.
If they are already outside, they might work for food -
and do some basic stuff, chores, scouting, etc. to earn food.
Remember that option.
Rational discussions with people, especially friends and family who
show up after – remember, if days after people knocking on your
door the are in bad shape, hungry and thirsty, overtired, sick, suffering,
- they are not in a state for a rational discussion of fairness at
that point. You might consider giving them a meal, and some basic stuff,
maybe get some sleep, and once they have themselves together, you can
have a conversation about this.
Not a time for socialism - Here is a fear of mine
when it comes to really nice people who are survivalists – they
let in a regular used car salesman type neighbor and his family, and
the
family on the
other side. Pretty soon the fast talking neighbor decides that they
should form a “democracy” to determine who is in charge
in your retreat, and how the food and supplies are split – “fairly”.
This is the type that would probably cut a secret deal with the other
neighbor too. Never lose sight of the fact that it is your stuff. Your
stuff is not up for re-distribution. Remember
the new golden
rule.
Those
who have the gold make the rules.
Not very Christian? Well , I disagree,
you can, and I think should, give charitably, but that most
certainly does not mean surrendering to others and becoming an indigent
in short time
yourself, and more so, putting your family in that situation.
Finally, let us also admit here that letting people you our retreat/home/bunker
can be dangerous. We all must sleep, and are vulnerable when we do.
The very last thing you want to do is wake up to someone holding your
gun on you. Consider security, be charitable, but guarded, especially
as to whom you grant your trust. - Rourke
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Two Letters Re: How to Reply to "When the SHTF, I'm Going Over to Your House", by Rolf in the Northwest »
Odds 'n Sods:
Despite the fact that the price of crude oil has wandered down to
around $50 USD per barrel, the
spot price of silver is now back up solidly above $12.80 per ounce.
This is further evidence that supports my assertion that the
price of oil and the prices of precious metals are becoming de-linked.
ˆ I expect this price divergence to continue to grow in coming years.
o o o
Commander
Zero mentioned that there is another
long haul microwave "bunker" and tower site currently for
sale in Montana.
This one is in open country, near Miles City. (OBTW, my retreat
locale
preference
in Montana is for the western
portion of the state--upwind of
the missile fields.
o o o
Blazer Jeremy sent us a link about a
recent ASAT test by China.
« Note from JWR: |Main| Odds 'n Sods: »
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"Which part of no doesn't Congress understand? The First
Amendment says: 'Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom
of speech ... or the right of the people to peaceably assemble.' I
don't see any exceptions there, do you?" - Mark Tapscott
« U.S. Currency Inflation--Is It Time to Knock a Zero Off the Dollar? |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Note from JWR:
There are now just nine days left
for you to enter an article in Round 8 of
the SurvivalBlog
non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction
article will win a valuable four day "gray" transferable Front
Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $1,600.) Second prize is
a copy of my "Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated by
Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. I will again be sending
out a few complimentary first edition copies (Huntington House edition)
of my novel "Patriots" as "honorable
mention" awards. If you want a chance to win the contest,
start writing and e-mail us your
article. Round 8 will end on January 31st. Remember that the articles
that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will have
an advantage in the judging.
« Letter Re: Rail Cars and Run-Flat Tires |Main| Note from JWR: »
U.S. Currency Inflation--Is It Time to Knock a Zero Off the Dollar?
There have been many recent press reports about the base
metal value of some small denomination U.S. coins now
exceeding their face value. (For example 1.66 cents for a pre-1983
copper penny,
and 6.65 cents for a U.S. nickel 5 cent piece. The latter may eventually
have to be replaced with an aluminum token.) Fearing that they might
disappear from circulation, the U.S. Treasury
Department recently issued an edict banning the exportation or melting
of pennies and nickels. This is a stopgap measure that ignores a much
bigger
issue: The U.S. currency has suffered from more than 70 years of fairly
consistent currency inflation. We have been slowly robbed of
our savings, through this inflation. In effect, inflation
is a hidden form of taxation. When I was a kid, a candy bar cost a
dime,
a gallon
of
gas was 28 cents,
and
a
trip
to
the
movies
cost
$2 or $2.50, including popcorn and a soda pop.
But nowadays, a candy bar costs 80 cents,
a gallon of gas is $2.20, and a trip to the movies is more
of a $10 o $12 proposition. .Rather than going to the extreme measure
of eliminating pennies from circulation or issuing aluminum "nickels"
, wouldn't it make more sense, and be more intellectually honest,
to simply knock a zero off of our currency? This
was done
several
times
in the last century by countries like Brazil
(three zeros, twice within four years), Turkey
(six zeros),
and Israel
(three zeros). It was also done just last year in
Zimbabwe
(three zeros), but given the continued rate
of inflation, who knows the fate of the Zimbabwean dollar?
Here is
how it could work here in the U.S.: As of midnight on some pre-arranged
night--preferably December
31st--the
banks would
re-value
all accounts,
dividing by
ten. Hypothetically, say
that Mr. Smith has $852 in his checking account, $3,180 in his savings
account, and $78,500 in his Individual Retirement Account (IRA). The
next morning
his
accounts would be adjusted to $85.20, $318, and $7,850, respectively.
At the
same time, everyone's wages would be divided by ten. Meanwhile everyone
would be given one month to trade in their old paper currency, in exchange
for a new issue, at a 10 for 1 ratio. (The old coinage would not be
changed, resulting in a 10-for-1 windfall for every child with a piggy
bank.) The end result: A penny would really mean
something again. A candy bar would be back to around
8 cents, and gas would be back to 22 cents. This might sound like a
lot of trouble
to accomplish, but I can see that it would have several advantages:
First, it would re-kindle the concept of savings, which seems
to have been lost in recent years. Second, it would highlight the real
value of both base metals precious metals. Third, it might subconsciously
add to the prestige of the Dollar, since it would probably take four
or five Euros to buy a U.S. Dollar. Fourth, It should also be a cue
for folks to consider investing in inflation-proof tangibles like
precious metals. Fifth, and most importantly, it would
increase public awareness of the twin evils of inflation and fractional
reserve banking. Then,
hopefully,
Congress
would
feel
obliged to
stop its deficit spending and to do something meaningful to control
inflation.
The foregoing is not a serious proposition. Rather, it is more of
an object lesson. I realize that the chances of the politicians in
Washington,
D.C. having the will to do something honest and forthright like this
are probably nil. We've
sent a bunch of spineless worms to Washington. By their inaction,
they demonstrate that they are satisfied with the status quo--even
if that means the robbery of the
American
citizenry,
in slow motion. Chances are, in 30 or 40 years my grandchildren will
probably pay $8 for a candy bar. And
then perhaps there will be talk of lopping off two zeros from
the once almighty U.S. dollar.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| U.S. Currency Inflation--Is It Time to Knock a Zero Off the Dollar? »
Letter Re: Rail Cars and Run-Flat Tires
Hello James,
I was doing some thinking over the past discussions of those that will have
to travel a great distance given a major event to get to their retreat. I
understand that this is a less than "safe" idea, but under the
scenario of an EMP attack,
may be a viable option. Since main [automobile traffic] arteries will be
clogged, if you have the foresight to plan your Bugout
Vehicle (BOV) as an EMP resistant 4x4 Truck or Van, why not modify the
undercarriage to accept train rail gear, or better yet, search for an old retired
Hy-Rail truck? This is obviously given extreme circumstances and proof that
nothing is operational on the tracks.
I would surmise that trains will be one of the first up and running vehicles
as they offer the most cargo capacity with the least number of vehicles after
an EMP event. So, think, look, know.
I would assume that one would stumble upon trains that were inoperable along
your journey to your retreat making a nice immoveable road block. Lift the
running gear, exit the tracks, drive around the deadlined train, and then
back onto the tracks.
In a major event, there will obviously be many threats along the way. Given
that, I think the numbers will be far less along the train tracks than on the
freeways and major thoroughfares. Unless you live in Nebraska, I think most
tracks wander in many different directions so it will not be clear to the average
Joe without a map, which tracks to take. Not to mention that without a GPS and
6'x6' signs, most citizens are lost.
With a map in hand, one could bypass major cities or potential problem areas
and head cross country, or take a different set of tracks. I am not a train
techie, but I think two pairs of manual or hydraulic cylinders, cut out some
of the floor boards of the vehicle, and some offset to the inside rims, some
sort of homemade track traveler could be had. If the time permits, why not
rig up a trailer in the same manner? To clarify, I am not suggesting that the
rims of the vehicle become the running gear. My suggestion to offset the rubber
tires to the inside is because the centerline of track to track is likely narrower
than the centerline of wheel to wheel on your BOV. By setting the wheels to
the inside, you could apply ample down pressure on your everyday tires onto
the track thus becoming the friction needed to become your drive train.
As a side note I was watching the Military channel a few weeks back and safe
and secure vehicles were being highlighted. One manufacturer guaranteed
30 miles on totally flat tires. His device was a two piece doughnut
shaped piece that was slipped onto the rim after half of the rubber tire was
pressed into place. It almost mirrored a set of drum brake halves except much
much larger. Reach in, bolt the halves together, and finish installing the
other half of the tire and fill with air. Aside from Loc-Tite [adhesive] and
balancing, I can’t think of any drawbacks to such an idea. Width disperses
weight. Less weight per square inch and the longevity of the rubber tire is
greatly increased. Much more so than the 1/4” wide steel flange of most
rims which act as razors to the rubber when a flat happens. [An extra] 30 miles
could be the difference between safety and danger. - The Wanderer
JWR Replies: I
describe rail car mobility in my "Pulling
Through" screenplay. (Which, BTW, is available for free
download.) If you opt for this capability, exercise extreme
caution and discretion. Get to know the technology,
legalities, and customs very well. The best way to do this is to
join a "rail
motorcar" club. I cannot overemphasize safety in
any such endeavor. What you suggest should only be done in extremis on
any tracks other than those that you are 100% certain are entirely
abandoned. You need to be absolutely certain that the rails that
you intend
to use
are
not
in use. Failure
to
do so
could
be
tragic!
A do-it-yourself modification of an existing vehicle for
rail use is complicated to do right. You are better off
buying either a professionally
modified Hy-Rail pickup or a small
100% rail-dedicated
motorcar (commonly called a "speeder"),
such as the Fairmont speeder that I described in my screenplay.
If you get a speeder, be sure to get one that has self-lift/self-turntable
capability,
as shown in this video. Most railroad companies phased out their
little speeders in the 1980s
and 1990s
and switched
to
Hy-Rail
pickup
trucks,
for
greater
versatility.
A few might still come up for sale at railroad company surplus auctions,
but the prime time for that was more than a decade ago. Prices on
the
secondary
market
for speeders is still relatively low, but climbing. Sadly, the days
of a $500 speeder" are long gone. Used
Hy-Rail pickups that
are
complete with their rail running gear don't
come
up for auction
as often as you'd think. This is because the Hy-Rail gear is often
switched
to
a new
prime
mover
once
a railroad pickup nears
the end of its service life.
One inexpensive option that shouldn't be overlooked is converting
a mountain bike or a light motorcycle (120cc, or smaller) to ride
on rails, by means of fore and aft guide wheels, an "outrigger" wheel
(or wheels) to
ride on the other rail,
and a means of locking
the handlebars from pivoting. For stability and safety, about 60% of
the weight should be on the outrigger wheel. (Hence, with most designs
you will always be leaning slightly in the direction of the outrigger.
One way of achieving this balance is to position most of your cargo
weight
on
the
outrigger
side, or even on a cargo rack above the outrigger wheel itself.
One alternative is to link two bicycles side-by side with brackets,
each
riding a
rail.
(A side-by-side
tandem
arrangement.)
Because
railroad
grades are mild, it is remarkably easy
to
ride a bike on rails.
The
engineering
and mechanical skills required
for
rail converting
a bike
is simple
compared to converting a motor vehicle. But
again, all of the aforementioned safety provisos apply.
Regarding "run-flat" tires.
These are available on BMW 3-series cars, as well as the Toyota Sienna.
Many tire manufacturers now produce them for after-market installation
for a variety of cars and light trucks. These include: Bridgestone
RFT (Run Flat Tire), Dunlop DSST (Dunlop Self-Supporting Technology),
Firestone RFT (Run Flat Tire), Goodyear EMT (Extended Mobility Technology),
Michelin ZP (Zero Pressure), Pirelli RFT (Run Flat Technology), and
Yokohama. These are all "self-supporting" designs,
meaning that they are supported by special sidewall designs rather
than a rim-mounted support insert. (The latter would be preferable.
More on this, later.) I have an acquaintance that has some.made
by Bridgestone, and he said that with normal inflation they have
the "feel" of regular tires. I suspect that run flat tires
will become commonplace in the next few years, since car manufacturers
would surely prefer to save on the space and weight of carrying a spare
tire.
I have a bit of personal experience with military run
flat tires. Back when I was lured back to the Dirty Big City to take
a technical writing job in the late 1990s, I owned an amphibious British
Ferret Mark 4 up-armored scout car, which was my intended BOV.
(Sadly, I
sold it-- along with its Valkyrie
Arms M1919A4 "turret accessory"--just before we moved
back to the hinterboonies.) The Ferret had its original British army
issue run flat tires with massive rim-mounted hard rubber inserts.
This design is preferable to the typical commercial "self supporting" tire
designs. The only brand of commercial run flat tires that I know of
that has a military style hard rubber insert (an "Auxiliary Supported" design)
is the Michelin
PAX System. This requires installation of both special tires and
wheels. I consider this design superior to the more commonplace "self-supporting" run
flat tire designs. For maximum mobility in a "ballistically challenged" environment,
the best of all possible worlds would probably be a vehicle with a central
tire inflation system (CTIS)--such as that used on the military HMMWV and
its commercial
Hummer H1 counterpart--used in conjunction
with a Michelin PAX-type auxiliary supported tire system.
OBTW, I once skipped checking tire inflation and drove my Ferret on
city streets for nearly 20 miles without realizing that one of the
tires was flat and I had been riding on the inner hard rubber support.
I didn't realize my mistake until I was doing my "after operation" checks.
(Given the five ton vehicle's noise, boat-like handling, and top speed
of 50 MPH, it would have been hard to have noticed the difference.)
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Rail Cars and Run-Flat Tires »
Odds 'n Sods:
Fed
Chief Bernanke warns: Fiscal action needed as America's citizenry
ages
o o o
Here
is a handy "locator page" for finding an LDS "storage center" (cannery)
in your area. The LDS church graciously makes their cannery facilities
available to non-Mormons.
o o o
House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi Creates Global Warming Committee. Gee, Nancy,
could you send some of your hot air up here? (We just had a whole week
of overnight lows around 10 below zero.)
o o o
I just heard that Northern
Tool & Equipment
(one
of our Affiliate
advertisers) is offering Free Shipping on UPS Ground
Orders over $150. This short term promotion
ends on Monday, February 5th. You will need to enter keycode
96304 to receive free shipping on your UPS Ground
order.
« Notes from JWR: |Main| Odds 'n Sods: »
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"In one century we went from teaching Latin and Greek in high
school to offering remedial English in college." - Joseph Sobran
« Letter Re: How to Reply to "When the SHTF, I'm Going Over to Your House", by Rolf in the Northwest |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Notes from JWR:
I just noticed that SurvivalBlog
is rapidly approaching the milestone of one million unique
visits! To highlight this event, I'm
offering a special prize to the one-millionth visitor. If
you are fortunate enough to be the visitor that witnesses the SurvivalBlog
unique visits counter (at the top of the right hand bar) roll
over to
exactly 1,000,000 visits then take a screen capture of the
page and e-mail it to me. Your
prize will be two books: an autographed copy of my novel "Patriots" and an
autogrpahed copy of my non-fiction book Rawles
on Retreats and Relocation.
It warmed up to 30 degrees
yesterday, so The Memsahib did some more ice skating down on the
slough. (A shallow side channel at the north end of our property, that
leads
into The Unnamed River (TUR.))
She is becoming quite the skater. In fact, she can skate better backwards that
I can forward! The Memsahib looked very fetching in her hand spun,
hand-dyed, hand knit sweater. Ooooh! Very Sonja
Henne. Sometimes she makes it hard for me to concentrate on my
work. We've been married nearly 20 years but we are still madly in
love.
« Letter Re: Survival Biscuits |Main| Notes from JWR: »
Letter Re: How to Reply to "When the SHTF, I'm Going Over to Your House", by Rolf in the Northwest
Jim,
I liked Rolf's idea for a reply to the "I'm coming to your house" comments.
I like to say: "If you got in a car wreck, you wouldn't
expect my car insurance to cover it would you? No, of course
not, that's what you have your own car insurance for. If your
house burned down, you wouldn't expect my house insurance
to cover it would you? No, of course not, that's what you have your
own house insurance for. So, how would it be any different in a disaster.
Do you think my disaster insurance should cover you in the event of
a disaster? No, of course not, that's what you have your own disaster
insurance for." If they answer with some kind
of belligerent remark about coming over anyway, you can always casually
mention that you also stock up on large quantities of ammunition. That
usually seems to make them think again about what they just said.
- Matt, U.P. of Michigan
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: How to Reply to "When the SHTF, I'm Going Over to Your House", by Rolf in the Northwest »
Letter Re: Survival Biscuits
The history of biscuits started off in Rome around the 3rd Century
BC. The word biscuit comes from the Latin bis coctum which
means "twice-baked". Back then, a biscuit was a thin unleavened
wafer, quite hard, and with a very low water content - hence the name "twice-baked".
The advantage of the low water content was that the biscuit would have
a long shelf-life, because it wouldn't get moldy. Adding eggs or meat
to the biscuit mix increases protein content but it will not last as
long. Mixing a complementary proteins (grains with dairy, grains with
beans and beans with seeds) will provide a more complete protein and
have a longer shelf life. When properly made, they travel well and
are satisfying and nutrient dense. - SF in Hawaii
JWR Replies: "Hard
tack" biscuits, "ship's biscuits", or "pilot
bread" have long been a staple for trappers, explorers, sled
team mushers, seamen, and mining prospectors. They are a compact
food with decent shelf life, and easy to digest. Modern plastic zip
lock bag packaging can keep them dry and fresh--eliminating the "soggy,
moldy biscuits" problem cited by 19th Century explorers. I like
your idea of mixing in beans to form a more complete protein. Pound
for pound, there are few foods--aside for some freeze dried marvels--that
can compare with a combination of hardtack, jerky, peanut butter,
honey, and dried fruit. Just be sure that your digestive system can
cope with this diet before trying to subsist on it for more than
a couple of days. You might need to add some natural roughage such
as bran flakes, or perhaps even a commercial bulk laxative such as
Metamucil. Compact backpacking foods make the best foods to store
in your "Get
Out of Dodge (G.O.O.D.) backpack. Here
is a link to a traditional hardtack recipe, but with modern cooking.
- SF in Hawaii
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Survival Biscuits »
Odds 'n Sods:
Hawaiian K. suggested a link to the article titled: "No
Way Out: A 50% Dollar Devaluation", by Robert McHugh, Ph.D.
o o o
The big "Container
load sale" at Survival Enterprises that I mentioned last
week is now in high gear. It is all selling fast and strictly "first
come - first served." The
prices are less than half of retail. Survival Enterprises
can take all major credit cards, PayPal, cash, gold and silver coins,
but no
checks or money orders. Survival Enterprises has a web
page with a running inventory list with prices. (As they sell
out an item, they keep visible track what is left.) All orders must
be phoned in for mail order, or by appointment to come in and pick
up your order in person. (Survival Enterprises is located
in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho. This is a a great opportunity for SurvivalBlog
readers
in
the Inland Northwest to get their storage food with no shipping charges!.)
For special requests, you can call Kurt of Survival Enterprises at
(800)
753-1981
or locally
at
(208)
704-3935 as
late as 8 p.m. Pacific time (5 p.m. Eastern time), or e-mail
him at: kwATse1.us (Change the "AT" to an @symbol)
o o o
Glenn Reynolds managed to get this published in the op-ed page
of the liberally-biased New York Times: A
Rifle in Every Pot
« Note from JWR: |Main| Odds 'n Sods: »
Jim's Quote of the Day:
On The Great Plague of London: "And now, after all the breaches
on the churches, the ejection of the ministers, and impenitency under
all, wars, and plague, and danger of famine began all at once on us.
War with the Hollanders, which yet continueth; and the driest winter,
and spring, and summer that ever man alive knew, or our forefathers
mention of late ages; so that the grounds were burnt like the highways
where the cattle should have fed! The meadow grounds, where I lived,
bare but four loads of hay, which before bare forty. The plague hath
seized on the most famous and most excellent city of Christendom; and,
at this time, eight thousand and near three hundred die of all diseases
in a week. It hath scattered and consumed the inhabitants, multitudes
being dead and fled. The calamities and cries of the diseased and impoverished
are not to be conceived by those that are absent from them! Every man
is a terror to his neighbour and himself; for God, for our sins, is
a terror to us all. Oh! how is London, the place which God hath honoured
with his gospel above all the places of the earth, laid low in horrors,
and wasted almost to desolation, by the wrath of God, whom England
hath contemned; and a God-hating generation are consumed in their sins,
and the righteous are also taken away, as from greater evil yet to
come.
'The number that died in London, besides all the rest of the land, was about
a hundred thousand, reckoning the Quakers, and others that were never put in
the bills of morality, with those that were in the bills. The richer sort removing
out of the city, the greatest blow fell on the poor. At the first, so few of
the most religious sort were taken away, that, according to the mode of too
many such, they began to be puffed up, and boast of the great difference which
God did make; but quickly after, they all fell alike. Yet not many pious ministers
were taken away: I remember but three, who were all of my own acquaintance.
'It is scarce possible for people, that live in a time of health and security,
to apprehend the dreadfulness of that pestilence! How fearful people were,
thirty or forty, if not a hundred miles from London, of anything that they
bought from any mercer's or draper's shop! or of any goods that were brought
to them! or of any person that came to their houses! How they would shut their
doors against their friends! and, if a man passes over the fields, how one
would avoid another, as we did in the time of wares; and how every man was
a terror to another! Oh, how sinfully unthankful are we for our quiet societies,
habitations, and health!'
Many of the ejected ministers seized the opportunity of preaching in the neglected
or deserted pulpits, and in the public places of resort, to the terror-stricken
inhabitants of London; and blessed results followed. 'Those heard them one
day often, that were sick the next, and quickly died. The face of death did
so awaken both the preachers and the hearers, that preachers exceeded themselves
in lively, fervent preaching, and the people crowded constantly to hear them;
and all was done with such great seriousness, as that, through the blessing
of God, abundance were converted from their carelessness, inpenitency, and
youthful lusts and vanities; and religion took that hold on the people's hearts,
as could never afterward be loosed." - Richard Baxter, from Richard
Baxter, The Pastor's Pastor (Baxter was a Reformed pastor in the 17th
century, and both a prolific and influential writer.)
« Letter Re: The Derivatives Bubble |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Note from JWR:
We now offer a couple of additional
payment options for book orders and for 10
Cent Challenge subscriptions: both AlertPay and GearPay.
(We prefer AlertPay or GearPay because
they don't share PayPal's anti-gun political agenda.) In
my experience, AlertPay has a frustratingly labyrinthine account set-up
procedure, but GearPay seems much quicker and easier to set up.
Our AlertPay address is: rawles@usa.net
Our GearPay address is: rawles@usa.net
Our PayPal address is: rawles@earthlink.net
« Letter Re: Veterinary Antibiotics |Main| Note from JWR: »
Letter Re: The Derivatives Bubble
I wanted to say thanks so much for the excellent derivatives article.
["Derivatives--The
Mystery Man Who'll Break the Global Bank at Monte Carlo."]
I speculate in this market and wholly share your opinion about what
exists, the ignorance of the implications, and the clear and present
danger to the lifestyle of everyone on the planet. Keep up the good
work with the blog and with excellent articles such as this. Respectfully,
- CMC
« Letter Re: Rootkit Protection for Your Computer |Main| Letter Re: The Derivatives Bubble »
Letter Re: Veterinary Antibiotics
James:
Jim H in Co, recently speculated on the dearth of veterinary [antibiotic] supplies. Here
is where I get mine and have been happy with them for some time. - Tip,
in Lost Wages Nevada
« Letter Re: Yet Another Article Touting "Mobility" for Survival |Main| Letter Re: Veterinary Antibiotics »
Letter Re: Rootkit Protection for Your Computer
Jim,
Here
is some info on what is presently a freeware application which I can quite-honestly
classify as in the "Save Your Bacon" category. (it sure saved my
rump, on at least one very significant occasion.) It does its' job, it is small,
and it is freeware. My conscience would bother me no end if I kept
this gem to myself; perhaps you and/or the blog might benefit from this goody.
- Ben L.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Rootkit Protection for Your Computer »
Letter Re: Yet Another Article Touting "Mobility" for Survival
Jim:
Thank you for response on the mobile survival fantasy. I think it is dangerous
for the average Joe to believe that he can be a mountain man. Sure, some
can, in some climates and locations with lots of training. Even then it's
dangerous and unpredictable. A twisted ankle can be the end of you. Remember
too, those mountain survival stories were from the days when the wildlife
in this country was at much higher levels. For most of us it means being
cold, wet, tired, hungry and thirsty in the woods and being targets on the
streets. ("Nice pack man, what 'cha got in there? Hey, your wife/daughter
sure looks purty...")
Other pet peeves of mine are the twin television fantasies regarding water
and guns. First thing you notice on TV 'survival scenes' is the lack of packed
water. The heroes mount up with their guns and attitude, but... no water? Yup,
it's heavy to pack and takes up space. Nope, there are no water fountains in
the woods. The communal fountains that people could drink out of are mostly
gone from cities. True, most cities were founded by the water for transportation,
but that means you need either a water distiller/desalinator for the oceans
or a really good filter for the rivers. Drinking the water from a river in
a major city might work months after a TEOTWAWKI when
upstream factories shut down and stop using the river as a toilet, but for
now it's really nasty.
Just imagine walking through a city with the stores closed/burned/looted and
the the water pressure gone. I grew up in NYC and
the only place I can think of to get water in that scenario would be the reservoir
in Harlem. A dangerous place in the best of times. Also, with a pack, you'll
sweat more. I can get by on very little water in my office, but on a trail
with a pack in the noon day sun I get dehydrated real fast.
Television peeve #2 is the one shot kill (and one punch knock out). Just shoot
the bad guy once and he's down? Unless it is a central nervous system hit (spinal
cord or brain) he's not down. Even a heart shot gives him enough time, say
6 seconds, to stab you or shoot back if he's angry or drugged enough. How far
can a man run in 6 seconds? Will he close the gap? It's not whether the bad
guy dies from the wounds you inflict on him, it's whether you kill him in such
a way as to deny him the ability to return the favor.
FWIW, here is a compilation of my top 15 survival fantasies and misconceptions:
1. You can fit everything you need for extended survival in a backpack
2. A single shot not hitting the brain or spinal cord less or than .40/.44/.45
caliber will stop an attacker before he can kill you
3. I don't need to bring that much water
4. The government is here to help
5. I'm in good enough shape right now to hike 20 miles with a 70 pound pack
6. Everything I have stored still works, hasn't expired, I know how to use
it and I know where it is
7. I can buy what I need at the first sign of impending crisis
8. My kids can keep up with me on an extended hike
9. Farming/livestock/hunting/fishing/trapping are easy to learn from a book,
I don't need practical experience
10. God will help me. I'll be in the right place at the right time if I am
a good person
11. I can argue/discuss/bargain with a bad guy(s). I don't have to shoot them.
12. If I shoot them, I can wound them, I don't have to kill.
13. By virtue of
my obvious survival knowledge, foresight and preparedness, my family/friends/neighbors
will agree that I am the best suited to lead our
newly formed fledgling survival group and will listen and carry out my suggestions.
14. Life in TEOTWAWKI will
be fun. Since there will be no more taxes/bills/mortgage to pay and I don't
have to show up for work it will be hard but rewarding.
Add that to the satisfaction of being able to say "I told you so" and
given my preparations, I'll be better off then than I am now.
15. My stash of silver pre-1965 coins will let me live like a king
Survival fantasies. We
all have them, and we all need to lose them. - SF in Hawaii
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Yet Another Article Touting "Mobility" for Survival »
Odds 'n Sods:
Former CIA energy analyst Tom Whipple reports: The
Peak Oil Crisis: Congressional Hearings
- Round #2
o o o
Cathy
Buckle reports from Zimbabwe: Police crackdown on illegal small scale
miners leads to deaths. Just more of the same government heavy-handedness
in troubled Zimbabwe. The once quite productive and prosperous nation
is now chronically racked by hyperinflation. Speaking of inflation,
be sure to scroll down to Cathy's January 6th post, which includes
this: "Before Christmas a loaf of bread was 295 dollars, now
it is 850 dollars - the bakers say its still not enough to cover
their costs and more rises are imminent..."
o o o
A tip of the hat to John the Bowhunter for sending this news article
on the
"cytokine storm" effect:: 1918
flu killed by turning the body against itself
« Note from JWR: |Main| Odds 'n Sods: »
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"Next to the right of liberty, the right of property is the most
important individual right guaranteed by the Constitution and the one
which,
united with that of personal liberty, has contributed more to the growth
of civilization than any other institution established by the human
race." - William Howard Taft
« The Next Pandemic: Starvation in a Land of Plenty |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Note from JWR:
Today's installment of SurvivalBlog
will
exceed your recommended daily dose of Gloom und Doom (GUD).
« Letter Re: Advice on Silver Coins and Silver Certificates |Main| Note from JWR: »
The Next Pandemic: Starvation in a Land of Plenty
At the dawn of the 21st century, we are living in an amazing time
of prosperity. Our health care is excellent, our
grocery store
shelves burgeon
with
a huge assortment of fresh foods, and our telecommunications
systems are lightning fast. We have relatively cheap transportation,
and our
cities are
linked by
an elaborate and fairly well-maintained system of roads, rails, canals,
seaports, and airports. For the first time in human history, the majority of
the world's population will soon live in cities rather than in the
countryside. But the downside to all this abundance is
over-complexity, over-specialization, and lengthy supply
chains.
In the First
World, less than 2%
of the population is engaged in agriculture or fishing. Ponder that
for a moment: Just 2% are feeding the other 98%. The food on our tables
often comes from hundreds if not thousands of miles away. Our heating
and lighting is provided by power sources typically hundreds of miles
away. For many people even their tap water travels hundreds of miles.
Our
factories produce sophisticated cars and electronics that have subcomponents
that are sourced on three continents. It is as if we are all
cogs in an enormous
invisible
machine, each playing our
part
to
make
sure
that the average Americans
comes
home from
work
each day
to find: his refrigerator well-stocked with food, his lights
reliably come
on, his telephone works, his tap gushes pure water, his toilet flushes,
his paycheck is automatically deposited to his bank, his garbage is
collected, his house is a comfortable 70 degrees, his TV
entertainment up and
running
24/7,
and
his DSL
connection. We've built our fellow Americans a very big machine that
up until now has worked remarkably
well, with just a few glitches. But that may not always be the case.
As Napoleon found the hard way, long chains of supply and communication
are fragile and vulnerable. Someday the big machine
may grind to a halt. Let me describe one set of circumstances that
could cause that to happen:
Imagine an influenza pandemic, spread by causal contact, that is so
virulent that it kills more than half of the people that are infected.
And imagine the
advance
of the
disease so rapid that it makes its way around the globe in less than
a week. (Isn't modern jet air travel grand?) Consider that we have
global news media that is so rabid for "hot" news that they
can't resist showing pictures
of
men in respirators, rubber gloves, and Tyvek coveralls wheeling
gurneys
out of
houses, laden with body bags. They report
countless stories like: "Suzie
Smith brought the flu bug home from school. Everyone in her family
died." and, "Mr.
Jones brought the flu home from work. Everyone in his family
died." Over
and over. Repeated so many times that the majority of citizens decides
"I'm not going to go to work tomorrow, or the day after,
or in fact until after 'things get better.'" But by not going
to work, some important cogs will be missing from the Big Machine.
Orders won't
get processed
at the Wal-Mart distribution center. The 18 Wheel trucks won't make
deliveries to groceries stores. Gas stations will run out of fuel.
Policemen and firemen won't show up at work. Telephone
technicians will call in sick. Power lines will get knocked down in
wind storms, and there will be nobody to repair them. Crops will rot
in the fields because there will be nobody to pick them, or
transport
them,
or magically
bake them into Pop-Tarts, or stock them on your supermarket shelf.
The Big Machine will be broken.
Does this sound scary? Sure it does, and it should. The implications
are huge. But it gets worse: The average suburbanite only has about
a week's worth of food in their pantry. What will they do when it is
gone, and there is no reasonably immediate prospect of re-supply?
Supermarket shelves will be stripped bare. Faced with the alternative
of staying
home and
starving
or going
out
to meet
Mr.
Influenza,
millions
of growling stomachs will force Joe American to go and "forage." The
first likely targets will be restaurants, stores, and food distribution
warehouses. Not a few "foragers" will soon transition to
full scale looting, taking the little that their neighbors have left.
Next, they'll move on to farms that are in close proximity to cities.
A few looters will form
gangs that will be highly mobile and well-armed, ranging deeper and
deeper into farmlands, running their vehicles on siphoned or stolen-at-gunpoint
gasoline. Eventually their luck will run out and they will all die
of the flu,
or of instantaneous
lead poisoning. But before the looters are all dead they will do a
tremendous amount of damage. Be ready to confront them. Your life,
and the lives of your loved ones will count on it. You'll need to be
able
to put a lot of lead down range--at least enough to convince Mr. Looter
that he needs to go find some other farm
or ranch to loot.
In recent months, the press has shifted its attention, ignoring the
continuing threat of Asian Avian Flu mutating into a strain that can
be easily
transmitted
between
humans.
If and when that mutation occurs--and the epidemiologists tell us that
it is more a question of "when" rather than "if"--then
things could turn very, very ugly all over the globe. Be prepared.
To start getting ready, you should first read the background article
on pandemic preparation that I wrote last year, titled "Protecting
Your Family From an Influenza Pandemic."
Next, think through all of the implications of disruption of key portions
of our modern technological infrastructure. Plan accordingly. You need
to be able to provide water, food, heating, and lighting for your family.
Ditto for law enforcement, since odds are that a pandemic will be YOYO
("You're on your own!") time. Get your beans, bullets, and
band-aids squared away, pronto. Most importantly, be prepared
to hunker down in "self quarantine" for three or four months,
with no
outside contact. That
will take a lot of logistics, as well as plenty of cash on hand
to pay your bills in the absence of a continuing income stream.
One closing thought: There are only about 15 large food storage dealers
in the country, and even fewer firms that sell non-hybrid ("heirloom")
gardening seed. How long
do you think
that their inventories will last, once there is news
that
there is an easily transmissible human-to-human flu strain of flu,
anywhere on the planet? Prices are currently low and inventories are
plentiful. It is better to be a year too early than a day too
late. Please consider patronizing one of more of
our advertisers. We have half a dozen of them that sell long term
storage food and heirloom garden seed. They deserve
your business.
« Letter Re: Streamlight Incandescent/LED Combo Flashlight |Main| The Next Pandemic: Starvation in a Land of Plenty »
Letter Re: Advice on Silver Coins and Silver Certificates
Dear Jim:
I am new to survival preparedness but I am learning by reading SurvivalBlog
every day
and your book Patriots.
I do have a question about junk silver. My dad always collected coins when
I was a kid and he always told me about saving the ones
from before 1965 as they were silver and I have a small stash from those years.
But
what about the [Eisenhower] "silver dollars" from the 1970's? I
always got those as gifts when I was a kid and I have a small stash of those
too.
Do these "silver
dollars" have any real silver in them? Are they worth keeping with my "junk
silver" stash? What about the new Liberty "Silver Dollars" that
the banks sell each year? Do they contain real silver? Are they worth the $17
per coin the that bank charges for these? And finally, I have some old "Silver
Certificate" Dollar bills - any thoughts as to if those will have any
worth in a SHTF scenario? Thanks for your help.
- L.C.A. in N.Y.
JWR Replies: Take a look at the rims of those Eisenhower"silver" dollars.
If they have a copper color streak, then they have no significant
silver contents. (Like the post-1964 quarters, they are a silver-flashed
copper-nickel token.)
There were a few Eisenhower dollars minted in 90%
silver as "mint proofs", struck especially for the collector
market. These special silver proof coins will not show any copper on
the rim.
Nearly
al of those
will
still
be in
special
U.S. Mint holders, but it is conceivable that a few were removed from
their holders and are floating around loose. It is worth your time
to examine them. But the ones that are clad tokens only have marginal
collector's value
The "Liberty Dollars" and other one ounce silver rounds
and bars--typically .999 fine (99.9%) silver--have been struck in large
numbers by private mints
over
the
years. Like the U.S. Mint American Eagle silver rounds, they are indeed
pure silver. Silver one ounce rounds and bars are first
sold at a huge premium over the spot price of silver. (At least 50%),
but on the secondary market, they sell at just "spot"--the
day's current price of silver. I prefer pre-1965 U.S. coinage for barter--since
they are more immediately recognized as genuine by the citizenry. But
if you ever have the chance to buy some one ounce "rounds" right
at or just over the
current
spot price of silver, then that would be worth purchasing.
Sadly, U.S. Silver Certificates
have had no redeemability for silver since 1964. (Yet another
broken promise from Uncle Sugar. They are marked "In Silver, Payable
to Bearer on Demand",
but what they should have had printed is: "In Silver,
Payable to Bearer on Demand, until we renege on our promise,
then it's tough Schumer for you.")
If a silver certificate $1 note is in minty condition,
and depending on its issue series, it could be worth several dollars
to a currency collector. (To currency collectors, condition is
everything.
They want notes that look brand new, with no signs of wear, folding,
or discoloration.) Unless you intend to be a collector in the long
term you are probably
better off trading those notes to a coin shop for some circulated
"junk" silver dimes or quarters that you could use for
barter. Who knows, if you are lucky they might even
give you $1 worth (in face value) of well-worn 90% silver coinage
for each of those notes.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Advice on Silver Coins and Silver Certificates »
Letter Re: Streamlight Incandescent/LED Combo Flashlight
Dear Jim,
I just picked up a Streamlight
Twin Task 3C from Flashlight
Outlet. They were
set up at the Indy
1500 Gun and Knife Show near
my tables, and are great people to deal with.
This light is solidly machined from aluminum, small enough for use,
large enough to make a handy baton, and gets 1 hour at 57 lumens of
xenon bulb, 100 hours at 21 lumens of LED, and has a laser pointer.
I didn't really need the laser pointer, but it was $1 cheaper with
it than the version without. It takes 3 common C cells. I plan to get
Other good Streamlight products are: This
product for forensics
use (detecting blood/protein stains has some dark but practical uses)
and this
one which can detect
radiator coolant or HVAC gas leaks.
Another thing to consider with flashlights is that a small one, such
as a standard Mini MagLite, is about the same size as a kubotan. When
traveling or in restrictive locations such as schools where better
weapons are not allowed, and as backup, this offers light and a way
to apply force to nerve points. My kids are carrying them to school. -
Michael
Z. Williamson
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Streamlight Incandescent/LED Combo Flashlight »
Odds 'n Sods:
Reader Ben L. mentioned this one: Bird
flu reports spreading in Asia. Ben's comment: "Scary stuff.
The S.E. Asians appear (!) to be holding their end in check, but
the
way these things tend to get out of control, I'd have to say November
2008/February 2009 would be the time to watch out for. Yes,
time to stock up on animal-protein goodies from your advertisers
such as
Freeze Dry Guy and PrepareTV.com. (My my; their Gourmet Supreme Pack
looks
to be delicious.)"
o o o
Hurricane-force winds and rain lashed northern Europe on Thursday
o o o
I heard from Kurt at Survival
Enterprises: "When the driver showed
up on Wednesday, we discovered that it was a 53' container [of canned
storage foods], not a 40' one as we had expected. And it contained more
than 14,000 cans,
not the 11,000 that we had originally estimated. I had my wife doing
a running inventory, while my son, myself, and five of our friends
spent from
10 a.m.
to 4 p.m.
unloading thousands of
cases of food in the 15 degree weather. Holy cow! That's a lot of
food!"
Stock up, folks. Prices won't get any better than
what Kurt is offering. These cans are all top quality, nitrogen packed,
and most were
canned within the last year. These are expected to all sell out within
the next four weeks, so don't hesitate.
« Notes from JWR: |Main| Odds 'n Sods: »
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when
we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of
the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are
not to be violated but with his wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country
when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep for
ever." - Thomas
Jefferson
« Letter Re: Observations on the Recent Oklahoma Ice Storm |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Notes from JWR:
The high bid in the SurvivalBlog
benefit auction for a
pair of MURS band handheld transceivers, with extended range flex
antennas is now at $150. These radios were
kindly donated by Rob at $49
MURS Radios. Check out his products. What Rob sells are a
lot of radio for the money. I've heard nothing but rave reviews
from the SurvivalBlog readers that have bought these. As previously mentioned
in the blog, Kenwood 2 watt MURS handhelds have far better range than
FRS radios, they require no
license,
and
can
be
custom programmed
for, MURS, 2 Meter Band frequencies and/or weather warning (WX, receive
only) channels, and they are also compatible with alert message frequencies
for Dakota Alert intrusion detection systems. (A license is required
if using 2 Meter Band frequencies.) I strongly endorse these hand-helds!
If you don't already own a pair, look
into
getting
some.
Our first letter today is from "Alphie Omega", a frequent
blog content contributor. While many of his neighbors were woefully
under-prepared,
Alphie pulled
through the recent ice storm relatively unscathed. This is a testament
to practicing what one preaches. He was well prepared well, and with
considerable redundancy. Emulate him, folks! It doesn't
take a millionaire's budget. With proper planning, you too can be ready
for severe weather conditions or other emergencies. You'll even have
surplus available to
dispense in charity.
« Letter Re: Veterinary Antibiotics and Medical Freezers |Main| Notes from JWR: »
Letter Re: Observations on the Recent Oklahoma Ice Storm
Jim:
Well, I just got back online. I had to go up to the roof and thaw the
wireless [Internet] antenna with a heat gun. It seems the ice grounds
out the antenna. It was an easy fix with my heat gun for heat shrink
tubing. More precipitation is on the way but colder. It will
probably just be snow. We never
lost power but
were ready anyway. I have friends with no power and they
have been without power for days and no idea when it will
be back on. The further
out you live, the less chance of getting back on line. Power is also
out at the feed mill so feed stores are short on feed and they say
that they no idea when more will com. We bought extra and can always
supplement with
more hay or alfalfa. We could butcher the pigs early or sell some
cattle if needed but all of our preparation this Fall is paying off. Think ahead!
Wall-Mart is out of propane cylinders and no extra tanks around.
We have plenty
of tanks and are set to fill from the bulk tank here as needed. You
always need an alternative means to do everything. Redundancy is
the word
for survival. I have some friends with no heat. They report
46 degrees in the house. Standard fireplaces put out very little
heat. [JWR Adds: Yes, in fact they have been documented
to put more heat up the chimney than into a room!] We have electric
heat, woodstove,
and propane heat. Redundancy means you will always be warm. We lost
some branches and the storm knocked down my 160 Meter loop antenna
but it works almost as
well
on the ground. (Thanks to the design and the antenna tuners we can
just re-tune and are up and running.) Repair should take about 2
to 3 hours since the antenna is set to go up and down at each pole
for
maintenance. Hint: the design was well thought out and therefore
easy to fix. Think ahead. Of course we have 4 or 5 ways to receive
and
transmit, plus the mobile radio. Again, redundancy. Our
[photovoltaic] solar panels were covered with ice but still function,
and we have more
in the barn
to use that are thawed. We continue to look for weak spots and all
I came up with is the need for more batteries and more power. We
have tow or three ways to do everything so if one system is down
we just go to the next. Sure makes you feel good that instead
of driving new
vehicles we [instead] have heat, power, water, and food and backups
for each. No worries about heat is a big relief. One of
my friends has
a generator, but no heat. Although he knows the items he needs
to provide heat, there is nothing available. It is all sold
out. Guess that is why
I take
those
old propane heaters and put them in storage. Backup for the backup.
We are looking forward to the snow--better than ice. We have wood
to pick up today at the lumber mil. (We get the slabs from the mill,
load
on
the trailer banded together and take them home. We cut it [for fuel]
as we need it. More in the woods [hereon my property] but I will
leave it for more backup. Keep
preparing. Do one thing each day and it will all add up. Anyone got
a good milk cow? We need a new one, since even livestock gets worn
out and old. God Bless,
- Alphie Omega
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Observations on the Recent Oklahoma Ice Storm »
Letter Re: Veterinary Antibiotics and Medical Freezers
Jim:
A lot of folks, myself included, have been buying fish/aquarium grade
antibiotics for a while now. Recently my favorite source dried up.
I called them to ask why they no longer had the products and they stated
that it is becoming difficult to carry them because the FDA is scrutinizing
the industry. What was told to me was that the capsules were still
available, in packs of 12. I did find other sources, but some publicly
searchable web pages can no longer be found via Google - hidden pages
that I couldn't navigate to through the web sites search engine - I
had to know the page URL. I think this source is going
to dry up at some point, once the AMA/FDA/DEA turn their attention
to people using
these sources as alternatives to 'regular medicine' they will get banned
somehow.
But I do have a medical grade freezer, thanks to information
gleaned from SurvivalBlog - I found a refurbished one for $70 at
an auction. It had been rejected because the housing had some dents
in
it. I'm stocking up. Again). I wouldn't take my 'the sky is falling'
e-mail as gospel, but it might be worth a look into by someone with
more time on their hands than me. - Jim H. in Colorado
« Jim's Quote of the Day |Main| Letter Re: Veterinary Antibiotics and Medical Freezers »
Odds 'n Sods:
Chuck sent us this link: Peak
Oil Update - January 2007: Production Forecasts and EIA Oil Production
Numbers
o o o
I noticed at the RWVA Blog that
there are a whole bunch of Appleseed
shoots and clinics already scheduled for this year, all
over the country. (Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida,
Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Montana, Nevada, New York, North Carolina,
Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming.)
More locations may be announced later. Check the schedule for a shoot
near you.
o o o
The big "Container
load sale" at Survival Enterprises that
I mentioned last week is now underway. They
bought a shipping container of canned nitrogen packed long term
storage foods from an east coast cannery that is going out of
business.
Survival
Enterprises just received more than 11,000 cans of
storage food, (a full to the gunnels 40
foot shipping container load) These include everything from
beef, ham, chicken, and bacon TVP to
green beans to corn starch,. The majority is in the large #10 cans,
but there are thousands of #3 and #2.5 cans as well. (The smaller
cans make more sense when planning meals for
one, two or three people.) These cases of long term storage food
are being sold only to SurvivalBlog readers at
special prices for the next 30 days. All sales are in full
case lots only (no breaking cases) and they are all "first
come - first served." The prices are less than
half of retail. Survival Enterprises can take all major credit
cards, PayPal, cash, gold and
silver coins,
but no
checks or money orders. Survival Enterprises now has a web
page that has the running inventory list with prices.
(As
they
sell out an item, they keep visible track what is left.) All orders
must be phoned in, or by appointment to come in and pick up your
order in person. (Survival Enterprises is located in Coeur
d' Alene, Idaho.) For special requests, you can call Kurt
of Survival Enterprises at (800) 753-1981 or locally at (208) 704-3935
as late as 8 p.m. Pacific time
(5 p.m. Eastern time), or e-mail him at: kwATse1.us (Change
the "AT" to
an @symbol) OBTW, Kurt reminded me that he is also blowing out
his remaining inventory of Mountain House freeze dried storage foods
in conjunction with this sale, at 25% off.
« Note from JWR: |Main| Odds 'n Sods: »
Jim's Quote of the Day
"[A]n act that is inherently evil does not become moral
simply because there's a majority consensus." - Dr. Walter E. Williams
« Letter Re: Advice for a New College Grad on How Best to Prepare? |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day »
Note from JWR:
For the many folks that have been
asking about how to get an autographed copy of my novel Patriots:
The quickest and easiest method for those here in the States is
to simply PayPal me $22, directed to my primary PayPal account: rawles@earthlink.net.
Be sure to mention your mailing address where you'd like the book(s)
sent. For all other ordering methods and pricing on larger quantities,
see my mail
order catalog. If you prefer to pay by credit card, I also sell
some autographed
copies through Amazon Shops. And BTW, un-autographed copies of
the the novel are now available through Amazon.com, Borders.com, BN.com
(Barnes
and
Noble), Powells.com,
and a
variety of Internet booksellers in the UK. But, needless to say,
you aren't likely to find copy in your local; "bricks and mortar" bookstore.
« How to Reply to "When the SHTF, I'm Going Over to Your House", by Rolf in the Northwest |Main| Note from JWR: »
Letter Re: Advice for a New College Grad on How Best to Prepare?
Hi Jim,
I've been reading Survival Blog for a few months now, and I enjoy it.
I really like how there is such a wide variety of topics to read
about. I recently graduated from college with a four-year degree
in computer science, and I am currently living with my parents until
I get a full-time job. My question for you is this: What is a good
way to start out in gaining survival/preparedness skills for someone
in my situation? I've been doing some basic things such as reading
a lot and learning some gardening skills. It does seem that to accomplish
a lot of things discussed in your blog I will need to have some money,
move out of my parents house, and buy a house and/or land. I plan
on doing this, but it may be a few years before I have money to purchase
some of those large items. Would you have any advice on how a beginner
like me can start out? Since there is such a large variety of topics
to research, what areas would you suggest I begin with? - M.F., Twin Cities area, Minnesota
JWR Replies: Given your circumstances, the best way to get
better prepared is to network with like-minded people. Either
join an existing preparedness group, or form your own group. One good way to
make
contacts
for
this is through
the
"hidden" (unlinked) web
page sponsored by survivalistbooks.com. For your own security, if you
find a prospective group or a new group member, I recommend having some long
conversations by telephone before you ever meet face to face or reveal
your address! Proceed with prayer, background checking, and extreme caution.
« Letter Re: 10 Cent Challenge Subscription Renewal Reminders? |Main| Letter Re: Advice for a New College Grad on How Best to Prepare? »
How to Reply to "When the SHTF, I'm Going Over to Your House", by Rolf in the Northwest
How many times in the course of a conversation at a meeting, party, event,
or whatever, has the subject of emergency preparedness come up, and you make
a comment about the having done something (anything) about it in some way,
and
someone says "the next time [something bad] happens, I'm coming over
to your place!" How do you reply? You can't invite everybody in need,
you don't want to invite parasites, you don't want to piss off friends and
co-workers, and you may not be able to tell if they are joking or serious.
However viscerally satisfying a "I got mine, you socialists are yer on
yer own, and I'll shoot you parasites on sight in an emergency" may be
in the short run, I think it is generally counter-productive on a number of
levels.
I've struggled with how to reply to this comment over the years (at least since
the early 1990s), because there are so many variables in each situation (how
recently there has been an "event," how close of friends you
are with the person making the comment, what sort of mix there is present of
good friends-acquaintances-strangers, the tone of how it was said, how much
you
know about the background of each one, what the relative wealth and social
standing of all parties present are, location, etc.), and many times there
are far to many unknowns to give a really good, tailored answer, that will
get more people to become preparedness oriented and independent-minded (which
is what we really want, right?).
But after reading a very long thread on the topic recently, talking it over
with my other half, and in light of this specific comment being directed at
me several times in the last month (I am in the Puget Sound area, so the windstorm
hit where I'm at pretty good - lots of trees and branches down around here,
and I had fun making lots of chain-saw-dust), I think I may have come up with
a pretty good "all purpose opening response." Look directly at them,
and then quietly and matter-of-factly say: "A long time ago, I
made the conscious choice to not be dependant on other people, and I was willing
to
forgo some of the luxuries of life in order
to accumulate the stuff and the skills to prepare me to take care of myself
and my immediate family for any likely emergency that may occur in the region
where I live. I would be happy to help you figure out how you can do the same
thing most efficiently."
There are four very important things about this phrasing: you are saying some
things very clearly, some things are obviously implied, a lot is left completely
unsaid, and you are not being in any way threatening, arrogant, condescending,
judgmental, or patronizing. You are offering them help on how to help themselves
now, and you are not saying you will shoot them on sight in the future (you
are helpful and non-threatening), and you are not saying you will give them
a handout and implying that there are limits to what you are able to do (but
don't expect free-bee's). You have stated a basic
philosophy with a fairly limited and hard-to-argue-against scope, you have
not given away to much information about what or how much you have, you are
alluding to a simple method for others to do the same; you are opening a conversation
that puts the ball in their court on how to respond, at which time you'll have
a much better idea about what to say, or not say, from there. You are serious
but neutral; if you can get them to seriously consider and
pursue emergency preparedness, you have expanded your "mutual-defense
circle," if they don't and the need arises, you can
turn them away with a much clearer conscious. You haven't given them any more
reasons to hate you, target you, fear you, or depend on you (which is a good
defensive
move). All you need to do is ask some pointed questions, like "this
area gets snowstorms regularly, why not have chains for your car and just keep
them in the trunk all winter?" or "$45 a month for cable
TV? That'd put up a lot of extra food in a year." Make observations like "yes,
a generator is nice, but not everyone needs one, not everyone can afford a
good one, and not everyone has a place for one; you just have to be ready to
work
without power," or "supplies aren't everything; what if the
disaster you are preparing for causes your well-supplied house to burn down
and it takes everything with it? Attitude and skills are just as important."
If they say "what sort of luxuries did you give up?" some possible
follow-ups might be: "I don't have a new, big screen TV, I have an old
19-inch beast; but I do have a generator."
"I don't have a Rolex or a Hummer, but I am debt-free except for my house
mortgage."
The first one might not be the best example to use if they were bragging about
their spiffy new 55" HD 1080p wonder-vision unit [HDTV], just after freezing
their butts off in an ice storm, but you get the idea. Get across the idea
that it is all about making appropriate choices now, using as neutral a tone
and wording as possible. Don't say "of course only an idiot would
drive a Lexus when he doesn't have a month's supply of food in snow-storm country" when
talking to someone you know has a Lexus parked out front and no food in the
fridge. If you have no idea what sort of 'stuff" they have, focus on skills,
e.g., "I don't spend money on yoga classes, I take self-defense and home-repair
classes." Keep it neutral, informative in
a general way, and neither promise anything or sound judgmental for the opening
few minutes (even if this requires biting your tongue, hard, for a bit), until
they have done a fair bit of talking and you have a much better feel for the
lay of the land, whereupon you can teach, share, run, or whatever as needed.
Think through a couple of paths that the conversation could take, and how you
would respond in a way that would appeal most to the sort of person who would
go down that path. A socialist who is used to depending on the state might
say "are you saying you wouldn't feed me if I showed up on your door-step
after a major earthquake if you had any extra food?" Saying "of
course not" will just piss them off and may make you a target, with them
calling you a "greedy hoarder." Saying "I would have a hard
time justifying taking food out of my children's mouth tomorrow to feed a casual
acquaintance today, especially if we did not know when services were going
to be restored and supplies replaced" puts a whole different appearance
on it.
Information is your friend; don't start by telling them what you have, what
you have planned, how stupid they are for not being equally well prepared,
etc. Find out a bit about their mind-set, skill-set, resources, and then go
from
there in the best direction. Best of luck with your next "conversion" into
the mindset of independence and preparedness!
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| How to Reply to "When the SHTF, I'm Going Over to Your House", by Rolf in the Northwest »
Letter Re: 10 Cent Challenge Subscription Renewal Reminders?
Jim,
I just had to scan through tons of e-mails to see when I last contributed
[to the10
Cent Challenge]. I just wanted to stay current because I sincerely
appreciate the information you convey. It would be very helpful if
you would just
send out a little reminder as my year anniversary approaches so I can
stay up to date. Once again, thanks for your wonderful blog! - Andy
JWR Replies: Thank you for your continued support.
It is very much appreciated. But as much as I value it, I
don't e-mail our 10
Cent Challenge subscribers, bugging/begging them to renew. Our
subscriptions are entirely voluntary. If you realize that
it has been more than a
year
since you
sent in your last annual subscription
payment and you think that what you get out of reading SurvivalBlog is
still worth 10 cents a day to you, then please just send another
subscription payment via AlertPay, PayPal, check, cash, or money order.
I don't do
any arm
twisting to get a voluntary payment from anyone. In my estimation,
sending a "subscription renewal" e-mail is contrary to the
spirit of a truly voluntary support network. Please just mark your calendar
to remind yourself about your
renewal next year. Thank you so very much!
« Jim's Quote of the Day |Main| Letter Re: 10 Cent Challenge Subscription Renewal Reminders? »
Odds 'n Sods:
An
Iran-Venezuela Axis?
o o o
Reader Jason M. sent us this one: The perils of solo winter camping: Camper
rescued after weeks in the wild
o o o
President Bush Going For Broke With Iraq Troop Surge
o o o
Snopes.com confirms: The
rumored available refund on the Federal telephone tax (for2006 tax
filings) is real.
« Notes From JWR: |Main| Odds 'n Sods: »
Jim's Quote of the Day
"I became so frustrated with visiting inner-city schools [in
the U.S.] that I just stopped going. The sense that you need to learn
just isn't there. If you ask the kids what they want or need, they
will say an iPod or some sneakers. In South Africa, they don't ask
for money or toys. They ask for uniforms so they can go to school." -
Oprah Winfrey
« Letter Re: How I Convinced My Wife to Prepare |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day »
Notes From JWR:
Congratulations to Chris in the
Carolinas, the high bidder in the most recent SurvivalBlog
benefit auction, that ended last night. He won a batch
of 16 survival/preparedness reference books, most of them courtesy
of the fine folks at Ready
Made Resources. (They are one of our first and most loyal advertisers.
Be sure to visit their site and check out their huge inventory of preparedness-related
products.) Today we are starting
another auction, which runs until February 15th. This one is for a
pair of MURS band handheld transceivers, with extended range flex antennas--at
least a $150 retail value.The high bidder will receive: "One pair
of Kenwood TK2100 VHF 2 channel, 2 watt portable radios in excellent
condition, with
installed optional six
inch "range
extender" antennas, tested batteries, spring loaded belt clips,
and drop in chargers. Currently programmed for MURS frequencies but
can custom programmed for the auction winner." These radios are
being donated by
Rob
at $49
MURS
Radios.
Many Thanks, Rob!
« Letter Re: New York Military Bunker on eBay |Main| Notes From JWR: »
Letter Re: How I Convinced My Wife to Prepare
Dear Jim,
I am a very recent reader of your blog, and just finished your novel ["Patriots"]
(which I thought was fantastic). I plan on taking the 10
Cent Challenge just
as soon
as I set up a PayPal account. Anyway I thought you might be interested in how
I was able to convince my wife that our family needs to be more prepared in case "something
happens." My wife thinks that I am a little nuts because I believe that
society is extremely fragile and will collapse with just a little prodding. She
has always put off my desire to spend the family money on preparedness items.
This has recently changed: We took a short vacation to New Orleans, and while
there went on a post-Katrina tour. The devastation was frightening. Even now
there are neighborhoods where cars are rolled over in the middle of the streets
and abandoned houses go on for miles. Even more powerful than that was the stories
told by the guide. Months without power, no drinkable water available for weeks,
and the rampant looting that went on throughout the city. It was one thing to
watch it detached on TV and another to view it up close and be able to talk to
people who lived through it.
My wife has done a complete attitude shift. We started discussing preparedness
from a "natural disaster" standpoint and are making plans to purchase
items to see our family through in case the worst happens. She has also asked
me to buy more ammo and guns, and we are looking to make our house livable without
city electricity or water. Our biggest drawback is the fact that we live in California
and can't leave for about ten years. My boys from a first marriage are still
in school here, and I can't abandon them. I would ideally like to buy land in
a more rural location in a more "friendly" state, but will consider
it a "win" just to have my wife more interested in preparedness than
she has ever been in the past!
As an aside, I have been in California law enforcement (we are no longer "peace
keepers") for thirteen years, and would be happy to answer any California law
questions
that come
up. I will tell you that most officers I talk with these days believe, just like
most citizens, that it is the government's job to take care of us and individuals
have little responsibility for their lives.
Keep up the good work and keep your powder dry! - Kevin M.
« Letter Re: SHOT Show Report From Mr. B. |Main| Letter Re: How I Convinced My Wife to Prepare »
Letter Re: New York Military Bunker on eBay
Hi Jim,
I can't say I see many bunkers for sale on eBay. I personally don't
consider New York state ideal for a retreat location, but it is interesting
to see this
property available nonetheless. I'd be a little concerned
about potential HAZMAT issues.
BTW - I'm really enjoy reading Rawles
on Retreats and Relocation. I'm
in between "permanent" dwellings at the moment and it helps
to have such a resource when considering my options. Kind Regards,
- M. Artixerxes
« Letter Re: Dog Food Alternatives and Dog Food Safety Warnings |Main| Letter Re: New York Military Bunker on eBay »
Letter Re: SHOT Show Report From Mr. B.
The following are my brief impressions of things that I got to see
at the recent SHOT
Show. There was lot of interest in the prototype .308
Bullpup from Kel-Tec, which takes standard metric FAL magazines.
It is planned to be produced in various barrel lengths, and should
be reasonably priced.It was interesting, with its forward axial cartridge
ejection, just above the barrel.
I don't recall pricing but $2K would be my best recall/guess. Mr. Kellegren
[the "Kel" in Kel-Tec] personally showed me the patent pending ejector.
It ejects the casing on the same forward stroke of the bolt that chambers the
next round!
The new domestic
AUG clone got a lot of attention, and they told me they took
2,000 orders at the show. (Model STG 556)
LRB Arms, famed
for their top-regarded M1A forged receivers, was showing a version
[the "M25"] with integrated scope mounting points. Those
kludgy scope mounts may be a thing of the past. Military users had
been welding the mounts to the receivers
to keep them from shaking loose! Wait list for up to a year.
"Assault weapons" are here to stay! One industry insider commented
that with everybody and his dog (including Smith and Wesson - what would Clinton
think now?!) Selling these black rifles, its tough to see the industry standing
for a ban on these profitable items.
And speaking of Smith, its announcement of its friendly acquisition of Thompson
Center Arms has optimists speculating that the marriage will be a good one,
with TC's esteemed barrel making skills enhancing S&W accuracy. Could this,
along with modern machining and MIM (metal injection molding) bring Smith back
to
the true glory days?
FN's
PS90 (the futuristic one with a plastic stock that looks like
is was made from giant elbow macaroni) is selling well to civilians
(who can afford the
special 5.7 x 28 ammo) in new variants that provide a [optics
mounting] rail instead of the terrible 1X scope.
Lever gun shooters who have slept through the last year will be pleased to
learn of Hornady's
soft-pointed "Leverevolution" ammo, which provides modern ballistic
performance from venerable cartridges. .30-30 is a true deer-getter, and other
cartridges reach effectively much farther than before
Savage introduced
a varmint rifle in several popular chamberings. The remarkable trigger,
an H-S Precision stock and a solid action promise custom rifle performance
for about $1,000. One model displayed had the Savage Accutrigger
with a 6 ounce pull that was a pleasing rarity for a production rifle.
That's all from Orlando. OBTW, the word is that the biggest gun industry show
will be returning to Las Vegas for the next decade or so.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: SHOT Show Report From Mr. B. »
Letter Re: Dog Food Alternatives and Dog Food Safety Warnings
Jim,
Regarding Ginger B feeding her dog baked potatoes: Always be certain that potatoes
are cut into small pieces before feeding them to dogs. Many of them (large
dogs
in particular) will simply swallow a baked potato whole, leading to awful problems
and potentially, death. Another food that most folks are unaware of any danger
from is onion, which is lethal to dogs and cats. Be careful not to feed them
table scraps that have onion mixed in with them, not even in flavoring agents.
The result of onion toxicity is anemia, which is difficult for the lay-person
to diagnose (it can creep up slowly over weeks of time).
There are other foods one needs to be aware of too. Most people know about chocolate
[toxicity for dogs] but coffee beans, grapes/raisins and macadamia nuts are also
considered
to
be
on the "do not feed" list. For those of the "waste not, want not" school
of thought, look very carefully at any table scraps you might be feeding your
pets to keep them healthy and happy. Regards, - Hawaiian K.
« Jim's Quote of The Day: |Main| Letter Re: Dog Food Alternatives and Dog Food Safety Warnings »
Odds 'n Sods:
Les Christie, editor of the British
Columbia Housing Blog, penned
this prescient article for CNNMoney.com: Housing
market pain not revealed by statistics
o o o
Rourke
suggested that I highlight this
product from Canada, which is one of the best door security peepholes
on the market
o o o
Bob B. mentioned this article from The Financial Times Online (by
way of Matt Drudge): Euro
displaces the U.S. Dollar in bond markets
o o o
Nuclear Blast on TV's '24' Causes Fallout for Fox
« Notes From JWR: |Main| Odds 'n Sods: »
Jim's Quote of The Day:
"The real freedom of any individual can always be measured by
the amount of responsibility which he must assume for his own welfare
and security." - Robert Welch
« Letter Re: Yet Another Article Touting "Mobility" for Survival |Main| Jim's Quote of The Day: »
Notes From JWR:
Now
that the holidays are over, we are enjoying the quiet season here at
the Rawles
Ranch. Other than church activities, 4H
club meetings, and homeschooling group meetings, there is not a
lot that induces us to go into town. This winter we can laugh at the
weather. When it is snowing heavily, we just stay home and
stoke the woodstove with a couple of extra chunks of red fir. We home
school our kids, so there are no worries about school bus schedules.
And we are very well provisioned, so we certainly don't have to go
into town for groceries! We thank God for his tremendous providence. Hallelujah,
Jehovah Jireh!
I'm pleased to announce that with the cost advantage of quantity
production, I've just reduced the price of my non-fiction book "Rawles
on Retreats and Relocation" to $28.
« Letter Re: Survival Retreat Potential of Northwest Florida |Main| Notes From JWR: »
Letter Re: Yet Another Article Touting "Mobility" for Survival
Dear Jim:
See this piece on Survival Preparedness as: "The
Ultimate "Contrarian" Investment
for 2007 -- Be Prepared" The author knows a lot about economics
(excellent web site), but one can certainly critique his "Batman
in the Boondocks" or "mobile
refugee" survival strategy. Regards, - OSOM
JWR Replies: I'm dismayed to see such strategies
proposed again and again, usually by folks who have never actually
attempted to fill--much less actually shoulder--their "everything
that I'll need"
backpack.
It is incredibly naive to think that anyone can "head
for the hills"
with just what you can carry, and survive for an extended period. Note
that his overly simplistic "carry heirloom seeds and blue poly
tarp"
approach does not take into account anything about tools needed to
cultivate what he'll
grow,
containers
he'll
need
to store
what he grows or gathers, and tools/pots/pans that he'll need to
process/grind and cook what he hunts, gathers, or grows. Nor does
it address basics like cages
for small livestock,
or fencing to protect gardens. How can you expect to carry all
that on
your back? Unless someone is incredibly fortunate, the odds are that
any "mobile" retreating
approach will very quickly reduce them to the category of "refugee" at
best, or to room temperature, at worst. The history of the previous
century --particularly its two world wars and
its countless
civil wars--taught us that life is, as Hobbes put it, "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short" for
refugees. The last thing that you want to be is a refugee.
By definition, going mobile means foregoing the "deep larder" advantage
of a fixed retreat. It would be foolish to give that up. Ditto for
the often touted "RV land-mobile retreating" approach. As
I've stated before: In a full scale WTSHTF situation, mobility
for the sake of mobility in essence only gives you the opportunity
to wander into ambush after ambush. I go into further
detail about the fallacies of mobile retreating strategies (backpack,
vehicular,
and sailboat) in in my book "Rawles
on Retreats and Relocation." In the same book I also describe
some commonsense
fixed
location retreat alternatives
All of the preceding is not to say that you shouldn't own a Get Out
of Dodge ("GOOD") backpack. You should have
one, especially if you don't live year round at your intended
retreat. (The pack is only intended for a very short period, to
get you to your retreat, in the event that for whatever
reason a vehicle is not available.) You
should dread ever having to use
that pack when
forced to abandon your well-stocked retreat and taking off on foot
to fend
for yourself.
« Two Letters Re: The Novel "Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse" |Main| Letter Re: Yet Another Article Touting "Mobility" for Survival »
Letter Re: Survival Retreat Potential of Northwest Florida
Mr. Rawles:
I live in south Florida. I would like to know your opinion on having
a retreat in northwest Florida, Dixie County to be exact, known as
the "least
populated county in Florida". I can't afford to move out of the
state right now and I am concerned about driving through major cities
if I had to leave in an emergency from down here.
I would like to be able to do it on one tank of gas which would put
me about 5 or 6 hours away from where I am now. I already have a small
piece of property up there now with a mobile home on it to use as a
base of operation when I buy a larger piece of property and begin my
preparations. Traveling two or three days to get to a retreat concerns
me.
All of my other preparations are in order: food storage, security,
some medical info and books, seeds, and silver/gold, etc. Where I live
now
is not
a defendable place. I have about 8-10 family and friends that will
join me. I would like your opinion on this: Is it worth the risk to
travel to a farther location like Georgia or North Carolina, where
I do have
family in the mountains (or even Missouri where land is cheap); or
just to prepare up in the Northwest part of Florida. There is a lot
of deer, rivers, fishing, and the well water is good.
By the way, I have read [the earlier edition of] your "Patriots" novel
and I just got the new [expanded] edition. Thank you for your time
and effort into these books.
I
am
looking
forward to purchasing the other book about retreats. May God bless
you for the wealth of information and knowledge that you share with
us
and our families. - Patriot Bob
JWR Replies: As previously stated, I encourage moving
to selected low population density portions of the western U.S.
to increase your chances of survival in the event of a major societal
whammy. (See
my Recommend
Retreat Areas static web page for some pertinent data and recommendations,
as well as my
recently published book Rawles
on Retreats and Relocation for greater detail, including maps.)
If you must live in Florida, then the northwest portion of
the state is about as good as it gets. It is still in the nation's
hurricane
belt, but at
least
the
population density is relatively low. If you can live at your retreat
in northwest Florida year round, then my advice is to stay put. (Since
you have well water, buy a hand pump from Lehmans.com (assuming
that it is a shallow well), or better yet, buy a few photovoltaic (PV)
panels and
a DC well pump. The folks at Ready
Made Resources give advice on sizing a designing
a PV
power
system,
free of charge.
If for family or business reasons you must
continue live in South
Florida,
then I
would recommend that you consider selling your retreat property in
northwest Florida and instead buying a retreat in northern Georgia,
South Carolina, or perhaps eastern Tennessee. If you can afford to,
you might
consider
keeping
your place in northwest Florida as a "refueling stopover" and
as a lightly-stocked alternate retreat locale. It is wise to always
have
a Plan B and a Plan C!
« 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
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Two Letters Re: The Novel "Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse" »
Odds 'n Sods:
The
RWVA is holding a Rifle Instructor's Camp in Ramseur, North Carolina,
February 18th to 25th. Take advantage of this high quality, very
inexpensive training!
o o o
Jason in North Idaho mentioned this article: Little-known
earthquake is remembered
o o o
From Congressman Ron Paul: The
World's Reserve Currency
« Notes From JWR: |Main| Odds 'n Sods: »
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"Permissiveness is the principle of treating children as
if they were adults; and the tactic of making sure they never reach
that stage." - Thomas Szasz
« Letter Re: Fiscal Fitness |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Notes From JWR:
It registered 10 below zero Fahrenheit
(-23.3
Celsius) yesterday
morning at the Rawles
Ranch--chilly enough that I resorted to wearing
long
underwear. The cold winter weather doesn't bother us much. The great
hunting and fishing here in the valley make up for the inconveniences
of living
in a true "four
season" climate.
The SurvivalBlog
benefit auction ends tomorrow (midnight EST, on January
15th), so get your bid in soon! The
high bid is now at $290. This
auction is for a big batch of
16 survival/preparedness reference books, courtesy of the fine
folks at Ready
Made Resources. (They are one of our first and most loyal advertisers.
Be sure to visit their site and check out their huge inventory of preparedness-related
products. BTW, they have additional copies of each of the titles listed
below, as well as more than a hundred other titles.)
« Letter Re: An Interesting Television Show on the Pandemic Threat |Main| Notes From JWR: »
Letter Re: Fiscal Fitness
Dear Jim,
I'm an avid SurvivalBlog reader and I want to thank you for your insights and
the valuable information you provide on the Blog. I purchased the "Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course and have enjoyed reading and studying
it. Lately, it occurred to me that, along with all of the necessary planning
that
accompanies retreat preparation, as well as the recently discussed benefits of
physical fitness, proper fiscal fitness is also crucial
in completing these vital preparations. Most of us have to work for an income
in
order to live in our modern society, at least while we prepare for more difficult
times. At the same time, we have many "money intensive" demands on
that
same income - raising children, mortgages, utility bills, paying for educations,
and a biggie for many, consumer debt with its attendant costs. These demands
likely
leave little available money for hobbies or for large scale disaster preparedness.
I have found a very reasonable set of principles that have helped me, together
with my wife and our children, to get on the path to systematically walk out
of
debt. I'm referring to the financial principles set forth by Dave
Ramsey. He has a national radio show that is also broadcast on XM. Perhaps
best of all for newcomers, he archives the most recent two weeks of his radio
show on
his web site. Folks new to this program can listen in on the advice he has given
to many callers and decide for themselves if they can understand and accept the
principles he teaches. Those principles include spending less than you make and
using your income as your greatest wealth-building tool. Obviously, most who
call
in to his radio show are already living beyond their means, so he discusses principles
with them to get them walking
out
of debt. You may have several readers who have become financially hamstrung and
could use a simple, straight-forward plan to help them back to financial solvency.
The bottom line is that the path to financial peace involves taking responsibility
for your past fiscal mistakes, taking a good honest look at what comes in and
where it goes, and making a plan (the dreaded budget). Who of us would attempt
to prepare a retreat that would shelter us and our loved ones from disaster without
a plan? It's no different with finances. Many of us are experiencing a SHTF scenario
right now - the weekly money fight with the spouse! It's well-documented that
money fights and money problems are major marriage killers. Well, let me tell
you, I had a good marriage before I started this plan. Our marriage is so much
better now that my wife and I are working together and are in agreement on where
the money goes. Yes, I even have "blow
money" for my "Preparation hobby" even while we're
climbing out of debt - we just put it in the budget!
I won't ramble on much longer. I just know what a difference this has made in
my life. I've probably changed my family's future by living these principles
and teaching them to my children. I didn't need to become Donald Trump. I just
needed
to get a fiscal plan in place so that later we would have the money available
for Preparation, rather than sending it to a myriad of creditors. Dave Ramsey's
program has helped me in my preparations for the future. Dave's not selling any
funds, stocks, or mystery programs to beat
the Market or buy real estate with no money down. He's just packaged up time-honored
principles that have helped us, and many friends, achieve financial peace as
well
as greater love and harmony in our marriage and family. In my estimation, when
we speak and write about disaster preparedness, we're really talking about peace
and security through the hardest times. It's pretty tough to do that without
including financial peace in the discussion. - Rob in NC
JWR Replies: I agree that getting out of debt should
be a priority. In the long term (decades), further inflation in the
U.S. seems inevitable. The good news is that continuing inflation means
paying off debts with progressively "cheaper"
dollars, but the bad news is that our buying power is being eroded.
This is particularly painful for fixed income pensioners. In the short
term, however, there is the lingering risk of a deflationary depression--much
like
the Great
Depression
of
the
1930s. If that happens, anyone with any significant
debt will be fortunate not to end up homeless by the end of that deflationary
cycle.
Once folks have extricated themselves from
the debt hole, I recommend an investment portfolio that is heavy
on precious metals--primarily bullion rather than numismatic. See the
Swiss
America web site for some "hard money" investing alternatives.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Fiscal Fitness »
Letter Re: An Interesting Television Show on the Pandemic Threat
Most everyone loves a good medical mystery. You know, we watch these
shows like "House" and "ER" to see what the medical
emergency is and to watch the drama unfold as they solve the crisis
of the moment. Shows like "CSI" teach us a lot about the
medical community and police work together to solve crimes. You're
going to probably see in the television season to come that the subject
in this link is going to be played out in various popular drama shows.
Understanding the reality behind it to me is as interesting as the
drama plays and
I think you'll enjoy getting the behind the scenes
scoop on it.
I've been following this avian influenza virus for a
while. Here
is a link to a television show that was done by medical
scientists (Director of the CDC, US Secretary of Health, leading medical
scientists, etc.) to help explain what this is and why it's being labeled
as "the single most lethal thing our society could face in the
year 2007." Politicians and governments around the globe are quietly
infusing millions of dollars into preparations and training in pandemic
preparedness measures.
If you have the time, please watch it. It's really interesting, on
multiple levels, not as a hype that "the world is coming to an
end" but rather to be involved in medical matters to educate yourself
and be self aware of the situation that is going on with this particular
issue. It's aim is to educate them on the issue so that folks will
understand what this situation is, exactly. I hope
you enjoy learning about it. - April
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: An Interesting Television Show on the Pandemic Threat »
Odds 'n Sods:
From the New York Times: Rise
in Ethanol Raises Concerns About Corn as a Food. The article begins: "Renewing
concerns about whether there will be enough corn to support the demand for both
fuel and food, a new study has found that ethanol plants could use as much as
half of America's corn crop next year."
o o o
Any readers that live in Montana should be aware of an "anti-hoarding/anti-price
gouging" bill that is currently in hearings at the state senate.
Call your state senators! (A tip of the hat to Phil at the Random
Nuclear Strikes blog for publicizing this Nanny State do-gooder meddling.)
o o o
SF in Hawaii sent us a link for "a
place (not necessarily the least expensive) to buy Bosun whistles".You
might also check the prices at Boaters
World
.
(One of our Affiliate
advertisers.) OBTW, they also sell other emergency signaling
equipment (including air horns and smoke/flare pyrotechnics) that might
be useful ashore, for a survival retreat.
« Notes From JWR: |Main| Odds 'n Sods: »
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"No people will tamely surrender their Liberties, nor can
any be easily subdued, when knowledge is diffused and Virtue is preserved.
On the Contrary, when People are universally ignorant, and debauched
in their Manners, they will sink under their own weight without the
Aid of foreign Invaders." - Samuel Adams (letter to James Warren,
November 4, 1775)
« Two Letters Re: Israeli Nuclear Saber Rattling |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Notes From JWR:
There is still
a lot of snow on the ground and more snowfall expected soon, but The Memsahib
is
already intently studying her seed catalogs! She is irrepressibly optimistic.
It is just in her nature. I think that, bank balance willing,
this will be the year that I build her a greenhouse so that she can
dispense with using our small cold frames and windowsill sprouting
and get a serious early start on the vegetable garden.
Today we begin with a letter from
David, our correspondent in Israel.
« Two Letters Re: Night Sights for Pistols |Main| Notes From JWR: »
Two Letters Re: Israeli Nuclear Saber Rattling
James
The Olmert government would not do a nuclear strike of any kind even
if we were at risk of being completely overrun. The weakness in response
can be seen in the
war in Lebanon where only minimal measures were used and only against
safe targets after about 8 hours of leaflet warnings. Olmert simply
will not upset his liberal European friends even when Washington orders
him to act strongly. This is likely part of a wind up similar to what
we saw before the
Iraq invasion although I am doubtful that there will be an American
ground occupation of Iran. My IAF air-force friends have seen
no unusual activity. This
is likely to be used by the US and Britain to explain their urgent
need to hit Iran even if they are out out of missile range. Look how
many
amphibious strike and carrier battle groups have gathered in the gulf.
The surge in Iraq looks to me to be a cover for an Iran hit. Didn't
I promise you an interesting year? - David in Israel
Mr. Rawles,
I was also startled at the article in The Times
of London,
linked to by The Drudge Report. However, the article sounded familiar
to me. I Googled "Times of London, Israel nuclear strike on
Iran" and found two earlier articles in the Times of London
about the same subject:
March 13, 2005
and
December 11, 2005
There are many other articles about the same topic. The repetition
by The Times of London indicates that they cry “wolf” way
too much.
Maybe this is just part of Israel's propaganda war to get someone else
to do something about Iran. Certainly something must be done about
Iran, but the threat of an imminent nuclear attack by Israel shouldn't
be used to stampede the rest of the world into taking unwise action.
Regards, - GunLaw.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Two Letters Re: Israeli Nuclear Saber Rattling »
Two Letters Re: Night Sights for Pistols
Jim,
I can definitely say that the XS
Sights work as advertised. I've tried
them on the Mini-14 and AR-15 carbines, and in both cases they enabled
accurate 100 yard plinking at night and fast acquisition with full
sights. With a peep-sight equipped rifle, the Tritium front is the
most worthwhile upgrade. If you can see the sight through the opening,
you're going
to hit what you're pointing at. For around $100, this is a very worthwhile
upgrade for any gun that gets used at night. - Arclight
Jim,
While reading earlier today OSOM's posting re "Night Sights
for Pistols", I remembered an advert in a recent issue of Shotgun
News, which showed two products (named "Diamond
XT"; and " Diamond
SAS;
from a company that calls itself "Nikko-Stirling
Optics." The visual, located on the "XT" page, appears
to be just what the proverbial doctor ordered, for such CQ
and CQ/T (courtesy of IOR - Valdada and Leupold) situations which may
pop
up. Better than the long in use 3-dot system? Would seem so to me.
- Ben L.
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Two Letters Re: Night Sights for Pistols »
Odds 'n Sods:
"The Werewolf", (our correspondent in Brazil) recommended a 49 cent
downloadable Amazon
short by Kim Stanley Robinson. It is titled :"Imagining Abrupt Climate
Change: Terraforming Earth."
o o o
Michael Z. Williamson reminded
us that the Oak Ridge Laboratory treatise on what nuclear weapons actually
do, and how to defend your family against their effects is available
for
free download
from the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine.
o o o
"Simple Country Doctor" recommended this
"moderately technical discussion of non-nuke EMP device"
from Australia.
« Notes From JWR: |Main| Odds 'n Sods: »
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"There
are no victims, only volunteers. You volunteer by looking uncertain
and afraid. You volunteer by being, as grass-eaters invariably are,
unprepared to confront the hazards of life." - The Late Col.
Jeff Cooper
« Horse Power, The Real McCoy, by S.N. |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Notes From JWR:
Sorry about the long delay, but I
am now ready to start filling orders for
autographed copies of the new expanded edition of my novel Patriots,
through my mail
order
catalog.
I would prefer payment via AlertPay or PayPal, since our "snail mail"
gets forwarded to the ranch just once every two weeks.
That could cause an up to three week delay in mailing your
book order if you send payment via snail mail. I shipped ten
cases of
already autographed books to our fulfillment partner in Montana. (The
folks that will be handling the actual book mailings.) Because of
this, I won't be able to offer any
special personalized inscriptions--just books that have a generic inscription.
(Just my signature.) OBTW, if you'd like to pay via credit card, I
also plan to sell some autographed copies through Amazon Shops.
The following is another article for Round 8 of the SurvivalBlog
non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction
article will win a valuable four day "gray" transferable Front
Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $1,600.) Second prize
is a copy of my "Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated
by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. If there are a lot
of great entries this round of the contest, I will again be sending
out a few complimentary first edition copies (Huntington House edition)
of my novel "Patriots" as "honorable
mention" awards. If you want a chance to win the contest,
start writing and e-mail us your
article. Round 8 will end on January 31st. Remember that the articles
that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will
have an advantage in the judging.
« Letter Re: Bosun's Whistle for Communications |Main| Notes From JWR: »
Horse Power, The Real McCoy, by S.N.
While I have only been a reader for a year or so, I have not noticed
a lot of references to the advantages to livestock. Depending upon
your retreat location, the extra logistics of livestock ownership
will outweigh the costs. As fossil fuel availability becomes more
limited, the conversion of non-protein nitrogen into energy will
begin looking more attractive. Today I want to focus on the
horse. Let’s look at the four major benefits of the
equine:
Transportation –A horse can move you from your residence to your
retreat. You can (i) ride, (ii) drive a wagon or buggy, (iii) walk
and use the horse as a pack animal (iv) or any combination of the three.
While I would recommend that your bug out prior to WTSHTF,
should you need to ride your steed as you bug-out transportation, you
will be
passing those vehicles stuck in gridlock on the highways. A horse with
a rider walks at 3 mph, trots at 8 mph, cantors at 12 mph and can gallop
@ 30+ mph (Quarter Horses have been clocked at over 50 mph for short
distances). A draft horse pulling a load might make 3-5 mph over bad
roads. Compare that to a human walking @ 3 mph. In a bug-out scenario
riders could possibly cover the 300 miles to their retreat in as little
as 6 days. Variables include terrain, horse condition, and “watch-outs” in
route. (Watch out, we want to ride around that particular situation
as opposed to through). Also, in certain emergency situations, that
galloping @ 30 mph, could come in handy. In a different bug-out scenario,
a family
of four, with one pack horse can significantly increase it’s
bug-out supplies. As a general rule, you can load a pack horse up to
20% of its weight including the pack saddle. Dead weight for a pack
horse is harder to carry than a rider as the rider helps balance the
load. The average quarter horse weights 1,100-1,200 pounds. Draft horses
reach the 1,800 pound range or more. That can be a lot of extra supplies.
Let me stress again, I do not recommend that anyone use a horse as
their primary mode of transportation from their residence to their
retreat. The preferred method is in the trailer behind the truck. (For
those of us who do not yet live at their retreat.)
Beyond bug-out transportation, the horse makes excellence retreat transportation.
Checking on neighbors, checking on fencing for your other livestock
(more on this topic for another post), providing enhanced communication
and distribution through networks ("Pony Express"). These are just
a few ideas. I am sure that your readers can add to the list.
Work – We talk a lot about raising our own crops. It is a great
idea, but how large of an area could you garden if you had to turn
the soil by hand. Your garden size will depend upon your location,
soil type, rainfall, growing season and number of mouths to feed. Lets
assume that you need an acre of garden to feed your family (probable
a bit on the large side, but work with me here). How big is an acre?
There are 43,560 square feet in an acre. Still no perspective? A football
field, including end-zones is 360 feet by 160 feet, or about 1.3 acres.
Are you ready to turn that much soil by hand? A well conditioned draft
team, using a single bottom plow can plow between 1.5 to 2 acres per
day (That would be 10 hours, not your 9 to 5). Add a disc and a planter
and you are well on your way to feeding your family.
And please, remember to think outside of the box. Work may include
other jobs for animal engines. For example, horses have been used in
horse mills, horse wheels and on treadmills for numerous types of jobs,
including pumping water and grinding grain. Horses are still used today
for some low-impact logging operations. Now I do not expect everybody
to go out and build a mill on the back forty, but don’t limit
the thought of using your horsepower to just the field.
Barter – This one is easy. There are three basic barter opportunities:
Transportation, Work and Breeding. Just as there are material objects
to be bartered, what services could you provide that provide value
to others. What would it be worth to you to have someone prepare your
garden soil for planting? What if a member of someone outside your
retreat needs to be transported to a Doctor for medical attention?
What would the offspring of a good draft horse bring under extreme
conditions? The possibilities are endless.
Food – This one is the hard one. Under the direst circumstances,
horsemeat is protein and in a do-or-die situation they can be eaten.
Mind you that if you elect this option you are greatly reducing the
opportunity to maximize the other benefits that I have listed, but
I would rather eat than be eaten. I heard that it tastes like chicken.
Other benefits that are worth mentioning;
Horses are great alarm systems. Not an alarm like a dog, but more silent.
Horses go through life knowing that they are prey. As a result they
have a keen sense of their surroundings, much more so than humans.
If you suspect danger (or even if you do not), watch your horse, odds
are he will see it, smell it or hear it before you. Horses also have
excellent night vision and they raise their own replacements.
Okay, so we have decided that horse ownership may be a good thing for
your retreat, what next?
Space requirements - As you are adding to your “Things
To Do” list, remember that if you have horses, you will need
to have feed. If they are working horses, they will even need more
feed.
Just
as with the garden, the amount of pasture acreage required per horse
varies, but as a rule of thumb, 2 acres of pastureland is generally
needed for a mature horse. The pasture should be divided into 2-4 separate
pastures (paddocks). This will allow the flexibility to rotate horses
among pastures to allow for pasture recovery. It would be wise to pick
up a good book on Management
Intensive Grazing.
Temperate climates may be able to refuel their horses on pastures year
around. Those in the more inclement regions of the country may need
to put up some hay. Feed requirements are generally 1-2 pounds of hay
per hundred weight. Do the math, 1,500 pound horse, 30 pounds per day,
5 months out of pasture due to weather (in my area), that equates to
a little over two tons of hay per horse (and that is without a reserve
[for seasonal variations]). In addition to the garden and the pasture
you'd better set aside an additional
1-2 acres per horse for growing hay. While you are checking out that
antique horse drawn equipment at the next auction don’t forget
the sickle
mower and the hay
loader.
Also remember that just as you are storing food for yourself, starting
a little stockpile today for your horse(s) would be prudent. A couple
of extra big round bales is cheap insurance. Remember to rotate.
Additional space requirements include a stable and/or turnout shelter.
Some people use box stalls for their horses, some use a turnout shelter.
I prefer the shelter.
Skills Needed – Some basic animal husbandry skills. Between a
good book and a little hands-on experience, you can get the basics
covered. If you live in the city and expect to travel to your retreat,
leasing a horse from a local stable can provide great value and learning
experience without a long-term commitment. Surf the web for some horse
related activities. Attend a local Field
Day or Horse Pull. Consider
signing up for a driving or riding clinic in your area.
Equipment Needed – Depending upon your expected horse’s
function, you’ll need to look at halters,
saddles, harnesses, farm equipment, farrier tools and the skills to
use and repair these
items.
And lets not forget the equine. What type? Paint, Quarter, Draft. Don’t
limit yourself to just looking at horses. Mules
and donkeys can offer
some distinct advantages over horses.
Everybody has their own preferences. The important point is to just
pick one and get started. There are fewer and fewer people that have
experience in some of these skill sets. It is important that someone
at your retreat starts to develop some of these skills. Let 'er buck.
Respectfully submitted, - S.N.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Horse Power, The Real McCoy, by S.N. »
Letter Re: Bosun's Whistle for Communications
While portable radios are great for communications, I've had times
in noisy environments where I couldn't understand the message. Other
weaknesses include the fact that they require batteries, their size,
that as electronics they are susceptible to EMP,
falls, and weather. Finally, they do not allow for directional finding
of the other party.
As such, I suggest also equipping every member of your team with
a small Bosun's whistle. These small multi-note whistles create a
high pitch which can be heard above the din of a crowd. Being multi-note
in capability, information can be sent (e.g. high-low for where are
you/I'm over here, high-high-high for emergency etc). They are
small enough to fit it your pocket, are indestructible and have some
direction finding ability to them.
My family has a 'family whistle' we've used for four generations
for finding each-other without having to shout but while my kids can
hear
me whistle
to them, they can't respond at their age. They can however operate
a Bosun's whistle.
I can think of several scenarios where such whistles could be of use.
Can you imagine being separated from your wife and kids in a crowded
FEMA camp?
Some children remained separated from parents for months
after entering the Superdome following Hurricane Katrina. While I have
no intention of taking my family into one of those death traps or anywhere
else that the "we're from the government and we're
here to help" folks suggest, Schumer happens. If you and your
family find yourselves caught in the wrong place at the wrong time
and somehow separated, a kid turns a wrong corner in an airport, or
you just want to call them in from the yard for dinner and don't want
to scream, get a Bosun's whistle. - SF in Hawaii
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Bosun's Whistle for Communications »
Odds 'n Sods:
Bush Targets Iran in Speech, Implies Military Action
o o o
I've just been notified by Survival
Enterprises that the big blow-out 'truckload
sale" that I had mentioned previously is now definitely a "go."
They bought a container load of nitrogen
packed long term storage foods from a U.S. cannery that is going out of business.
Survival Enterprises has well over 11,000 cans of
storage food coming, (a full to
the gunnels 40 foot shipping container load) and it'll
be arriving sometime next week.
These will be everything from beef, ham, chicken, and bacon TVP to
green beans to corn starch, to who knows what. The majority will be
in the
large #10 cans, but there's thousands of #3 and #2.5 cans as well.
(The smaller cans make more sense when planning meals for one, two
or three people.) These cases of long term storage food will be sold only to
SurvivalBlog readers at special prices for the next 30 days. This bounty
will be sold in full case
lots only (no
breaking cases)
and they are all "first come - first served." The
prices that will be offered are so low that they afraid that dealers
might
buy
some of this truckload
to re-sell. Survival Enterprises can take all major credit
cards, PayPal, cash, gold and silver coins,
but no
checks or money orders. Survival Enterprises will have a link
that has the running inventory list in a day or so, with prices (as
they sell out an item,
they'll keep visible track what is
left.) All orders must be called in, or by appointment to come
in and pick up your order in person. (Survival Enterprises is located
in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho.) For special requests, you can call Kurt
of Survival
Enterprises
at (208) 704-3935 or e-mail him at kwATse1.us (Change the "AT" to
an @symbol) OBTW, Kurt tells me that he will also be blowing out his
remaining inventory of Mountain House freeze dried storage foods in
conjunction
with this sale, at 25% off.
o o o
John the Bowhunter mentioned: the "Future
Weapons documentary is
set for January 15, on the Discovery cable channel: "Search
and destroy: Weapons that always find their target." January 15
at 9 p.m. EST/PST (Check your local cable listing for the time in your
area.) "Discover
weapons that will always find their target, including the AS50 sniper
rifle, the Vulcan mine destroyer, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense
(THAAD) Weapon System, and the Super Hornet bomber."
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Odds 'n Sods: »
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"A
poison in a small dose is a medicine, and a medicine in a large dose
is a poison." - Alfred Swaine Taylor, a 19th Century toxicologist
« Notes From JWR: |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"There
are no victims, only volunteers. You volunteer by looking uncertain
and afraid. You volunteer by being, as grass-eaters invariably are,
unprepared to confront the hazards of life." - The Late Col.
Jeff Cooper
« Ten Things That Will Get You Killed While Bugging In, by Paul C. |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Notes From JWR:
We got a rare wildlife viewing treat
today, as we were driving back to the Rawles
Ranch from town. Just a quarter
mile
from our south property line, there was a herd of at least 18
Rocky
Mountain Bighorn Sheep standing in the county road. We counted
three rams among them. They were so intent with licking salt off of
the road that
we had to slowly drive within 20 feet before the last of of
the ewes moved
off of the
road. This is the closest that our kids had ever been to Bighorns.
The following is another article for Round 8 of the SurvivalBlog
non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction
article will win a valuable four day "gray" transferable Front
Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $1,600.) Second prize
is a copy of my "Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated
by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. If there are a lot
of great entries this round of the contest, I will again be sending
out a few complimentary copies of my novel "Patriots" as "honorable
mention" awards. If you want a chance to win the contest,
start writing and e-mail us your
article. Round 8 will end on January 31st. Remember that the articles
that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will
have an advantage in the judging.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Notes From JWR: »
Ten Things That Will Get You Killed While Bugging In, by Paul C.
"Bugging in" is the term used for staying at home while
waiting for an event to pass you by. [As opposed to "bugging out"--fleeing
to a lightly populated region.] Even the largest civil events of the
last one hundred years haven’t set society off here in the
United States of its normal course for more than two weeks. Double
that
for a month
and you’ll survive, or out survive, any event likely to hit.
After whatever event that has set society on its end has struck the
99 out of one hundred people that haven’t prepared for survival
are going to be out looking for supplies. Those people will have some
sort of firearm likely and as hunger, dehydration, and panic set in
they will become more and more willing to use violence as a means to
secure what they want from you. I recommend keeping the lowest possible
profile possible as stealth is one of the best weapons available.
1. Starvation.
You need to have enough food on your shelves for at least a month.
Stock up on military MREs, canned soups, and canned meats. Foods
that do not require cooking are a bonus as they can be quickly eaten
without generating a fire and the issues that go along with it. Having
the food in one or two central locations close to the center of your
house with heavy canvas bags ready will make moving your food stash
easier if a bug in situation turns into a bug out situation. Rotate
your stocks into your normal meals or donate them to shelters as they
approach expiration date. MREs can last ten years or longer
stored indoors and kept cool. Beware of rodents and insects; check
your emergency pantry often for their infestation.
2. Dehydration.
In some locations around the United States there is almost a constant
supply of rain or running water. Under some conditions rain can become
contaminated but normally within a week any chemical, biological, or
nuclear pollution will have fallen out of the sky. Ground water supplies
can become infected for much longer. Wells and pumps should have their
outputs filtered. Have a method of gathering rain water if for use
only in sanitation. I recommend having enough cases of bottled water
for a month. Rationing food is much easier when there is extra
water. Water is much cheaper to keep in quantities, a case of 24 liters
of water should provide three days of drinking water and costs about
$4. Like your food stores these should be rotated into your normal
drinking water. Realize that some food containers will rot out fairly
quickly – use clean soda bottles rather then milk containers
if you’re storing water on the cheap.
3. Exposure to Extreme Weather.
The weather is something that continues even when we’re having
problems. Imagine your home without the normal supply of electrical
and natural gas energy during the worse spell of weather a typical
winter can throw at you. Without a source of energy your home will
do little more than supply shelter from the wind and rain or snow.
Propane heaters can provide clean burning heat but like any source
of combustion they require a supply of fresh air less they burn up
all the oxygen in the room. Do not burn charcoal indoors as it not
only burns up the oxygen it gives off deadly carbon monoxide. Have
plenty of warm clothing available for use indoors and out. Synthetic
materials that retain some warming ability even when wet are important.
Keep your feet, hands, head and neck warm as they are where most heat
is lost from. Mittens are far better at keeping hands warm then gloves.
A tiny hole can allow the use of the trigger finger.
4. Sanitation.
Without flushing water toilets will not function. Even low flow toilets
require a bit more than a gallon to flush. If the event is going to
be a normal short "week or so" civil outage you can manually load the
toilet tank with a bucket of water. Liquid waste can be gathered during
the day and poured discretely at night into a location distant from
any natural source of water you might be gathering. Solid waste can
be put into plastic bags which can be sealed and placed into trash
cans.
5. Light.
If the source of electricity has been cut off using a flashlight or
lantern will draw people like bugs to a street light. People have a
natural fear of the dark and there’s nothing like being the only
source of light for blocks to draw an unwelcome crowd. If you do use
lights after dark use them as little as possible. Red filters will
help keep the use of light discrete. Draw your shades or blinds like
normal and then nail blankets, cardboard, or better yet, pre-prepared
plywood over the insides. This effort will keep in heat, hold down
the noise, block light, and add some protection against looters or
attackers.
6. Smoke.
Smoke can be seen for a great distance as can the smell of it or cooking
food. Sit outside one summer evening with a light breeze and you’ll
smell cooking going on from a hundred yards away. Burning trash can
raise a great deal of smoke and doesn’t make sense initially
unless your neighbors are also doing it. If you have to burn trash
gather several days worth together and burn it in a trash can with
ventilation holes in the bottom. This will help the fire burn hotter
and emit less smoke. Extinguish the fire after use rather then letting
it linger. Cigarette smoke can also be smelled from a great distance
away.
7. Noise.
It is amazing how far normal conversation or household noise can travel
at night in a silent city. Those who have been hunting in the early
hours know how far sound travels, you can hear a noisy hunting party
clear across a lake when the wind is gentle and the weather cool. During
the day sound doesn’t travel as far due to the effect of the
sun warming the ground. Gunfire can be heard for miles. The use of
a sound suppressor on a firearm would be ideal in a survival situation.
Use only enough gun to get the job done, gathering a bunny from the
field requires a .22 Long Rifle round, not a .223 [Remington.]
Running an electrical generator can create lots of noise, putting the
generator in a garage
[with proper exhaust venting]
will help some. Limit their use as much as possible as things get worse.
Try to use [photovoltaic] solar power as much as possible.
8. Activity.
If you’re trying to remain hidden in plain sight motion will
certainly give you away. Chores that require you to leave the house
should be done only after dark. Wear dark clothing or better camouflage
that matches your environment. Resting during the day and patrolling
or gathering after dark maintains the lowest profile. If you do have
to move about during the day stay off of trails, streets, and ridge
lines where you’re likely to be seen first. The use of passive
night vision goggles can help greatly when moving around after dark.
If the
ground is covered with freshly fallen snow limit your upsetting of
the blanket until more is falling or the winds pick up to cover your
tracks back to your place.
9. Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Weapons.
Whether they are released intentionally or accidentally they can kill
you just as dead, just as fast. Nuclear weapons kill by blast and radiation.
Dirt is your friend with both forms of energy. Ideally being shielded
by massive quantities of dirt is the best protection. Living on the
far side of a mountain or having a basement shelter where you can keep
below the initial blast of radiation. Fallout is radioactive matter
in the dust and debris that follows a blast. Most fallout settles within
hours, within days it is almost completely gone. Weather can help with
rainfall and high winds. The longer you can stay sheltered the lower
your chance of getting radiation sickness is. Filtering the air within
your shelter can be done with gas masks. You should become familiar
with the fit and feel of a mask prior to needing one. Protecting against
some chemical agents is similar to nuclear fallout. Those
chemicals
that
are
dust like can be filtered with ease, gas-like agents will dissipate
with
time and wind. Oily chemicals can spread with contact with contaminated
surfaces. Wearing disposable chemical resistant coveralls, gloves,
and over-boots can keep contaminates outside when coming back indoors.
Biological agents are greatly affected by the weather and can be rendered
harmless by sun, rain, cold, and heat. Avoiding them is a matter of
keeping buttoned up for a few days or possibly weeks.
10. Communications
It is only natural to desire to communicate with outside loved ones.
This will normally require the use of a amateur “ham” radio,
CB, or FRS radio. Realize that the ability to track the source of communications
isn’t that difficult. Amateur radio clubs do “fox hunts” to
practice finding hidden transmitters. If you do use radio communications
keep them short and cryptic if the event becomes really serious and
to the point where people are getting desperate. One time pads can
be used – both parties have a look-up table to decode prearranged
phrases. These are changed each patrol. Have a wideband scanner receiver
so that you can listen for the authorities or even on other [survival]
group's communications. - Paul C.
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Ten Things That Will Get You Killed While Bugging In, by Paul C. »
Odds 'n Sods:
From Thomas Horn, writing in WorldNetDaily: The
good news about imminent disaster
o o o
Four different SurvivalBlog readers sent us the link to this news
story: Proposal
to send drones over Idaho raises hackles
o o o
The Daily Mail reports: Dead
birds rain down on towns half a world apart
« Note From JWR: |Main| Odds 'n Sods: »
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"So what's the difference between republican and democratic
forms of government? John Adams captured the essence of the difference
when he said, 'You have rights antecedent to all earthly governments;
rights that cannot be repealed or restrained by human laws; rights
derived from the Great Legislator of the Universe.' Nothing in our
Constitution
suggests that government is a grantor of rights. Instead, government
is a protector of rights." - Dr. Walter Williams
« Letter Re: Tritium Night Sights for Rifles |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Note From JWR:
The high bid is still at $260 in the
current SurvivalBlog benefit auction, This one is for a big batch of
16 survival/preparedness reference books, courtesy of the fine
folks at Ready
Made Resources. (They are one of our first and most loyal advertisers.
Be sure to visit their site and check out their huge inventory of
preparedness-related products. BTW, they have additional copies of
each of the titles listed below, as well as more than a hundred other
titles.) The auction ends on January 15th, so get your bid in soon.
« Letter Re: Advice on Retreat Locales--Former Microwave Sites? |Main| Note From JWR: »
Letter Re: Tritium Night Sights for Rifles
Mr Rawles:
Given that it is illegal anywhere that I know to hunt at night, and extremely
inadvisable to hunt in low-light conditions - what in the heck are they making
night sights for that fit hunting guns? It does seem okay to make them to
fit on a rail - as backup, but for a typical battle-outfitted rifle with
an ACOG or
EOTech you can't use those sights, they would be obstructed by the base.
And if you're going to put backup iron/night sights on a hunting
rifle - would the money be better spent on a scope with an illuminated reticle?
I may be barking up the wrong tree, but could someone correct my logic if
I'm wrong in believing that XO has produced a product that is nearly illegal
to use, with a limited market? - Jim H. in Colorado
JWR Replies: "Self defense" is a legitimate
use to cite as justification for installing night sights. Also, in
most states, hunting some species of predators and varmints--most
notable
raccoons
is
done
almost exclusively
at night, and allowable under fish and game regulations.(See you
state's "hound hunting" regulations.) I haven't heard of
these sights being illegal in any state, but pleas correct me if
I'm wrong. I highly recommend getting tritium sights on all of your
battle rifles,
as
a backup
to a tritium
lit scope, such as an ACOG. Ditto for you hunting rifles if you can
afford to do so.
« Two Letters Re: Sno-Seal for Boots and Gaiters |Main| Letter Re: Tritium Night Sights for Rifles »
Letter Re: Advice on Retreat Locales--Former Microwave Sites?
Jim:
I finally got a gallery
for pictures to the microwave relay bunker that I mentioned near
Whitehall, Montana. . Most of them are self-explanatory
but there may be some captioning later.
Note that even the outhouse was galvanized and grounded.
Mil-Spec!
I culled through the photos and left mostly the ones that I thought
showed the most interesting features - the high ceilings, thick
walls, armored shutters,grounding wires, blueprints, commanding
view, and
of course the tower itself. I also checked my notes and saw that
the internal area was approximately 1600'...or about 40'x40'.
For those
wondering how such a place was found, someone emailed me a link
to an auction on eBay. Turns out that once in a while these things
and
similarly useful facilities turn up there. Throw some interesting
terms into the eBay's search function, limit your results to
the real estate
section and you may be surprised. The asking price, by the way,
was $90,000...a very, very optimistic amount in my opinion for
what was
being offered. If it had water on it, it might have been worth
it but since it didn't. OBTW, there are sometimes underground
bunkers offered
on eBay. They are out there if you know where to look.
Underground bunker on eBay. They are out there if you know where
to look. - Commander
Zero
« Letter Re: Pirate Radio Stations as a Post-TEOTWAWKI News Source? |Main| Letter Re: Advice on Retreat Locales--Former Microwave Sites? »
Two Letters Re: Sno-Seal for Boots and Gaiters
Mr. Rawles,
In response to the recent article on Sno-Seal. I have owned several
pair of the upper end work boots ( Nicks mostly now, used to wear
Whites and even Danners ). I tend to use them a lot through a normal
work week and go through a pair about every year and a half (not
due to poor workmanship..just rugged work conditions ). Therefore
I treat my boots with a lot of love since they cost $350+. I had
a gentlemen at a boot store recommend to never use sno-seal, as he
claimed it clogs the pores in the leather making it harder to condition
the leather. My boot regime is simply this, Pre-warm the boots, apply
Obernaufs or Nicks boot wax. Chuck her in the oven on low until
it soaks in. Then I use a toilet bowl ring (a cheap source of beeswax)
that has been softened and smear it on good. Later in reapplying
I tend to reapply the obernaufs as a conditioner and then re-wax.
I once had a pair that I just waxed and dried the leather enough
to crack it. Also a neat trick I picked up from the folks at Nick's
boots is when you have a new pair of boots and are breaking them
in: Carry a spritz bottle of 1/2 rubbing alcohol and 1/2 water. Any
tight spots or rub points spray some on that spot, rub it in and
walk around. It instantly relaxes the leather. Also people in wooded
areas should look into calked (spiked) boots. Better any day of the
week than Vibram soles, except on rocks and wet snow. Peace and Grace
to
you from God our Father, - Eric B. in the Northwest
Jim:
I melt Sno-Seal into the seams and hard to get spots by using a hairdryer,
with good results. - Desert T
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Two Letters Re: Sno-Seal for Boots and Gaiters »
Letter Re: Pirate Radio Stations as a Post-TEOTWAWKI News Source?
Jim,
Alternative news during a crisis could potentially come
from unusual sources. There is thriving shortwave "pirate radio"
activity in the 6.925-6.955 MHz range even during "normal" times.
During weekends and especially on holidays, you can hear many pirate
radio broadcasts during the late afternoons and evening. Alternative
and sometime simply odd programming abound here. If a crisis occurs,
this may be a good source of information as there are quite a few
pirate broadcasters located all across the US. (In the UK, the pirates
tend to broadcast around 6.200-6.400 MHz.) Some pirates broadcast
in upper side band (USB) mode, while others broadcast in AM mode.
There is
even one that even sends out photos via slow scan television (SSTV)!
More information can be obtained from the Free
Radio Network's message board and on BlackCat
Systems Pirate Radio Central
Owners of shortwave receivers should check out this part of the spectrum
to see what they can hear. - 6xddx6
« Note From JWR: |Main| Letter Re: Pirate Radio Stations as a Post-TEOTWAWKI News Source? »
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"When a true genius appears in the world you may know him
by this sign: that all the dunces are in confederacy against him." -
Jonathan Swift
« Letter Re: Is the Threat of a Yellowstone Supervolcano Significant? |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Note From JWR:
Even though there are more than 12,000
people that read SurvivalBlog every week, just handful of you chime
in
with your letters or suggested Odds n' Sods tidbits, via e-mail. I
suspect that most of you choose to "lurk" because contacting
a fairly controversial blog directly would
be a
security
risk. That isn't "tin foil hat" paranoia. Rather, that is
just a prudent precaution in our modern age. One great way to contact
us is through
an Anonymous
Remailer. We'd love to hear from some of you
Secret Squirrels. Drop us a line--anonymously.
« Letter Re: Advice on Underground Retreat Construction |Main| Note From JWR: »
Letter Re: Is the Threat of a Yellowstone Supervolcano Significant?
Hello, Jim!
I have been following your blog and every time the subject
comes up on retreats in the [U.S.] Northwest, I have the same
question. What about the volcano threat from Yellowstone National
Park? Would
you
please comment on this. Thanks, - GCP
JWR Replies: Part of what you are
reading in the mainstream media may be sensationalist hype, but there
is definitely
a long term risk. (An eruption sometime in
the next 10,000 years.) The imponderable question is: Is there as significant
risk in the short term? Clearly, none
of the "experts" really know for certain. Yes, there are
signs of increased volcanic activity at Yellowstone, but that could be
a short term fluctuation. And yes, Yellowstone blew
up at least once before--several
thousand years ago--and when
it did, it
blanketed
much of the eastern two-thirds of the North American continent under
volcanic ash that was several
meters deep,
even as far as the east coast. The worst hit area was a swath that extended
from Yellowstone through the Great Lakes, to New England, following the
prevailing winds. Meanwhile, areas that were upwind (west of Yellowstone)
were relatively unscathed.
Even though it was a couple of
orders of magnitudes smaller, the eruption of Mount St. Helens more
than two decades ago is a good data point. In essence, the lesson learned from
St. Helens
is: Upwind
good, and downwind bad. If you are concerned
about Yellowstone erupting anytime in the next couple of generations,
then avoid living
in the
downwind path.
Land
anywhere at least 100 miles west of Yellowstone should be relatively
safe. My personal risk assessment places a new Yellowstone caldera as a very,
very low risk within my lifetime, but if it
were to happen it would be truly catastrophic. (A classic "low
probability, high risk scenario--much like a major asteroid strike or the "sudden
pole shift" that alarmists on the Coast to Coast AM radio
show talk about.) But, even still, we live west of the Rockies. Yellowstone
is
just one less risk that we have to worry about.
« Letter Re: New Production of Steyr AUG Bullpup Rifles in the U.S.? |Main| Letter Re: Is the Threat of a Yellowstone Supervolcano Significant? »
Letter Re: Advice on Underground Retreat Construction
James:
I agree with you Jim; your own home is not a first time DIY project,
but. I would also refer Buddy to the $50
and Up Underground House Book. I have the book, and
the author's DVD/Video set. The book covers the construction method
pretty well, and the DVD/Video,
while not studio quality, is clear, has lots of models to illustrate
his points. If I was going to build an underground home myself, this
is the route I would take. Also, even though I have a significant
amount of experience with construction, I would still spend at least
a few
weeks in an intern program, before undertaking such a project. Sincerely,
- Fanderal
« Letter Re: Easy to Carry Fixed Blade Knives |Main| Letter Re: Advice on Underground Retreat Construction »
Letter Re: New Production of Steyr AUG Bullpup Rifles in the U.S.?
Jim,
I'd first heard of this
product somewhat less than a year ago.
Well, if the U.S. production ever starts up (rumor indicated that,
because Steyr
had supposedly sold some 'things' to Iran,
that our President had decided the AUG would
not be produced in this country), it'll be a long time coming. Also,
all those AUGs
on Gunbroker.com selling
for $4,000-$7,000 will take a steep nosedive; persistent rumor
is saying the U.S.-made MSRP is
expected to be around $1,300. (Even "under $2,000" will
be a bargain). :-) Ben
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: New Production of Steyr AUG Bullpup Rifles in the U.S.? »
Letter Re: Easy to Carry Fixed Blade Knives
Mr. R.:
I read OSOM's letter on fixed versus folder knives and I agree. I'd
encourage folks to go take a look at the HideAway
Knives. These are semi-custom made: You measure the circumference
around your index and ring finger combined, and the knife is finished
to that
dimension.
The resulting
knife is
a two-finger custom loop with a 2-inch (or longer) blade attached.
They are incredibly fast into action, razor-sharp, and you
can open the hand up and continue to operate lights, doors, keys, magazines,
etc without losing
the knife. It stays in place, out of the way and instantly available
again when you close the hand. It is a great design. The carry systems
for it are just as innovative. It can be rigged anywhere on the person
or outfit
They are more expensive than the Ka-Bar TDI, but definitely worth a
look. One comment posted at the HAK site accurately describes the user
as a "human velociraptor." The knife comes with a standard
Kydex sheath, and a Band-Aid for the inevitable cut one incurs before
appreciating just how keen the edge and point are. - Murray
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Easy to Carry Fixed Blade Knives »
Odds 'n Sods:
Economist Gary
North commented in a recent e-newsletter about
"inflation fighter" Alan Greenspan's legacy: "Using
the inflation calculator, located on the
home page of the
Bureau of Labor Statistics, we find that in 1997, an
item that had cost $1,000 in 1987 [when Greenspan took office] cost
$1,412 -- a 40% increase in prices."
o o o
Tessy e-mailed us to mention: "One of the greatest and most valuable
treasures in my survival library is the book written by the cadre of
the United
States
Rescue and Special
Operations Group based in Kansas City: "Six Ways in,
Twelve Ways Out." Their web site was a great resource for
survival information. but for the last six months, the site has been
down for
some reason.
I checked by clicking on my Favorites link tonight and wow! The
USRSOG site is back up and looks great. Lots
of great info even if you don't buy the book about building shelters
and other neat stuff. Look for the manual link on the right."
o o o
Rourke (moderator
of the Jericho
Discussion Group) pointed us to this thread: The
Day After versus Jericho.
« Note From JWR: |Main| Odds 'n Sods: »
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"Does history warrant the conclusion that religion is necessary
to morality -- that a natural ethic is too weak to withstand the savagery
that lurks under civilization and emerges in our dreams, crimes and
wars? There is no significant example in history, before our time,
of a society successfully maintaining moral life without the aid of
religion." - Will and Ariel Durant
« Letter Re: Easy to Carry Fixed Blade Knives |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Note From JWR:
I've received more than 10 e-mails
from SurvivalBlog readers in the past 24 hours about the news story
that ran in The
Times of London headlined:
"Revealed:
Israel plans nuclear strike on Iran." (It was featured in The
Drudge Report.) I'm checking on the veracity of the article, but
it seems incredible to me.
« Letter Re: Recommended Versatile Dog Breeds for Retreat Security |Main| Note From JWR: »
Letter Re: Easy to Carry Fixed Blade Knives
Dear Jim:
Following up on the discussion a few months back on the folders vs.
fixed blade knives for defense: To recap - folders are easier to carry
and legal in more places, but fixed blades easier and faster and safer
to get in to action. Ever
tried opening a folder while wrestling or being hit? I've taken a class
where you do a low intensity simulation with blunt training knives,
and, put it this way, opening a folder under attack is not something
I ever want to bet my life - or my fingers on!
If you live in a state that does not prohibit fixed blades, there is
now a much easier to carry fixed blade, introduced by Ka-Bar - their
TDI Law Enforcement:
The handle comes off the blade at an angle so it is much easier to
carry and conceal - see the photos. A big improvement over straight
knife concealability. I like the ergonomics as well - very hard for
your hand to slip onto the blade.
To check on your state's edged weapons laws, see this
site. Regards, - OSOM
« Letter Re: Pre-1899 Mauser Rifles |Main| Letter Re: Easy to Carry Fixed Blade Knives »
Letter Re: Recommended Versatile Dog Breeds for Retreat Security
Mr. Rawles:
I have owned many types of dogs over the years, from coonhounds when
I lived in Idaho, to a horrible little dachshund we currently
have, but who may be the best watchdog I've ever owned. Were it not
for his addiction to killing chickens and rabbits (which we also raise),
he might make a great retreat dog! My current choice is the Komondor.
Extremely independent, but in the right hands an absolutely devoted
and fearless defender of livestock, home, barn, children. My big male
is the constant companion of my daughters as they roam our property,
putting himself between them and any threat, real or perceived. Never
vicious or prone to attack, but very willing to stand off a stranger
until he has been thoroughly investigated and cleared by me as being
okay. These are not dogs for everyone; but with proper handling they
are great dogs even with children. They do not share the Great Pyrenees
penchant for roaming, and have a well-developed sense of property and
territory. Their drawback as well as part of their uniqueness is their
unusual corded coat, which we shear here in Texas due to the heat and
the fact that nearly everything here has burrs or thorns. Even though
it is a large breed, their dietary requirements are surprisingly
small.
Such giant breeds often have slow metabolisms and don't need as much
food as you'd think. My big male gets about 4 cups of high protein
food a day. And being of rather peasant, Hungarian ancestry, he is
happy with the occasional baked potato to supplement his regular diet.
He also will consume goat feed if he thinks I am not watching, but
seems to suffer no ill effects from it.
So I'll end here, but thanks for your hard work, and we look forward
to reading more and learning more. Best wishes to you and your family,
- Ginger B
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Recommended Versatile Dog Breeds for Retreat Security »
Letter Re: Pre-1899 Mauser Rifles
Dear Jim,
I noticed that The
Pre-1899 Specialist has some Chilean Mausers in stock.
I have one of these that I acquired some time back, in the original
7 x 57 Mauser chambering.
These are a very smooth, reliable, strong bolt action rifle, accurate
and easy to handle. They're a reasonably modern style. In either 7mm
or 7.62mm they are definitely a good addition to a preparedness arsenal.
They will take most North American or European large game, and in extremis
will accurately defeat human threats at several hundred yards. You
can also get a
more modern drop-in stock for the 1895 Mauser. Regards, Michael
Z. Williamson
« Letter Re: Oilfield Production Decline Rates are Worse than Expected |Main| Letter Re: Pre-1899 Mauser Rifles »
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"Chaotic action is preferable to orderly inaction." - Will Rogers
« Letter Re: Night Sights for Pistols |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Letter Re: Oilfield Production Decline Rates are Worse than Expected
Dear Jim and Family,
I wish I could say Happy New Year, but i just learned some terrible
news in the oil business. The big fields where most of the USA and
world get their oil are declining
at much faster rates than expected,
and the companies are willing to admit to high numbers.
In summary: Burgan field in Kuwait dropping at 11% per year.
Ghawar field in Saudi Arabia (biggest in the world) dropping at 8%,
which is 5.5% higher than expected.
Cantarell field in Mexico (source of most US oil) is dropping at 14%
rather than the 6% they thought was a worst case scenario back in September.
That's an 8% increase in decline in only 3 months. That's very bad.
Cantarell could collapse and abruptly stop producing oil. It almost
certainly will later this year.
Venezuela is declining at an unknown rate.
Nigeria is suffering a civil war which reduces its oil production. "Youths?" Call
them rebels; its more honest.
And to make matters worse, there's some kind of infighting going on
in Saudi Arabia. If this rises to the point of even interrupting production
in the oil terminals controlled by Saudi Arabia, a conservative 16%
of world oil production will suddenly be shut off. This would immediately
result in a bidding war for oil tanker deliveries and drive the price
of a barrel past $100, probably a lot more, like $170 or so. Maybe
higher in the panic buying stage. Gasoline can be expected to pass
$8 per gallon and probably go higher. The entire 3rd world, except
oil producers themselves, won't have gasoline or diesel anymore. Expect
severe collapse
and famine to begin almost immediately.
And the really bad news? Even without a collapse in Saudi Arabia, the
decline in production from those big fields will cause this to happen
over the duration of 2007. It may be a more "slow motion" collapse
than a fast one, but the price of oil will rise to destroy consumption,
which will hurt the poorest nations most, those least able to afford
modern conveniences. Full expect civil wars to break out there over
this collapse. I am sad about this prospect. My medication comes from
New Jersey. I really hope they keep shipping it through the coming
troubles. Sincerely, - InyoKern
« Letter Re: Can I Burn Off Road Diesel Fuel in a Modern Diesel Engine? |Main| Letter Re: Oilfield Production Decline Rates are Worse than Expected »
Letter Re: Night Sights for Pistols
Dear Jim:
After doing some night shooting courses with no night sights on my long gun
- ( bad idea :-( ) I found XS
Sights for long gun tritium retrofits. Fortunately, I was also introduced
to their pistol sights for faster day and night sight shooting
- 24/7 Express Sights.
You really need to see the photo to appreciate the design, but basically it
make the rear notch a very shallow V with a tritium "I" bar in the
low center. The front sight is tritium surrounded by a big white
dot - so you get the tritium at night, but also a big white
dot for faster day and low light shooting (when [the glow
of] tritium is not as noticeable). Typical pistol combat distances of 1 to
15 yards you just put the dot on and shoot. Over 15 yards you focus on the
top of the dot for a more precise aiming point, and to avoid shooting slightly
high.
Having done some Force on Force courses, I realized how valuable making a "flash" sight
picture even quicker could be, so I got a set of the Big Dots to test. (Standard
size is a compromise - not worth it, go for the Big Dot.)
Bottom line they are significantly faster for combat shooting. These are not
precision target sights, but my IDPA accuracy stayed the same in practice and
competition. The big improvement was that sight alignment came I'd say roughly
20% faster. Finally won my division in the area match after putting on the
XS Express Sights!
I'm taking off my 3-dot tritium sights and retrofitting all my carry pistols
with the Big Dot. Regards, - OSOM
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Night Sights for Pistols »
Letter Re: Can I Burn Off Road Diesel Fuel in a Modern Diesel Engine?
Jim
I have experience with both off and on road diesels mechanical and electronic
control. Normally off road fuel is ok to run in all mechanically
fuel injected engines from a performance standpoint. (But legality is another matter.) However, both Stanidyne and Delphi produce an
electromechanical pump for some on road applications that use an
electric
eye to read timing.
These types of fuel systems cannot be run on dyed fuel. I repeat cannot
be run on off road fuel.
Second and of primary importance is fuel quality all electronic fuel
injection systems are very sensitive to fuel contamination and electromagnetic
pulse (EMP). a near miss by lightning could put one out of action for
good. Power transfer stations or "transformer farms" can
also produce a local EMP[-like waveform] if they are taken off-line
suddenly. As far as long term survival use or even in a short term SHTF situation,
[traditional mechanical [diesel] engines [without microprocessors]
are your best be. Unfortunately this limits you to pre 1989-on road
engines
and pre-2004
off road/marine
engines
but
if you are good with a wrench most can be rebuilt to like new and run
almost forever with proper care and maintenance. I would also recommend
filter upgrades to all diesel engines to keep them running. I have
a lot of experience with RACOR products. Look them
up on the web. I would be willing to help out with any questions you
may have on the care and feeding of the diesel engine. "Aim small
miss small",
- Mike the Mechanic
JWR Replies: Many thanks for making that correction!
I will revise my original post with the information that you provided
on the Stanidyne and Delphi fuel pumps with optical sensors
« Note From JWR: |Main| Letter Re: Can I Burn Off Road Diesel Fuel in a Modern Diesel Engine? »
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"There are three points of doctrine the belief of which
forms the foundation of all morality. The first is the existence of
God; the second is the immortality of the human soul; and the third
is a future state of rewards and punishments. Suppose it possible for
a man to disbelieve either of these three articles of faith and that
man will have no conscience, he will have no other law than that of
the tiger or the shark. The laws of man may bind him in chains or may
put him to death, but they never can make him wise, virtuous, or happy." -
John Quincy Adams
« Letter Re: Advice on Underground Retreat Construction |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Note From JWR:
The
high bid is still at $260 in the
current SurvivalBlog benefit auction, This one is for a big batch of
16 survival/preparedness reference books, courtesy of the fine
folks at Ready
Made Resources. (They are one of our first and most loyal advertisers.
Be sure to visit their site and check out their huge inventory of preparedness-related
products. BTW, they have additional copies of each of the titles listed
below, as well as more than a hundred other titles.) The auction ends
on January 15th, so get your bid in soon!
« Letter Re: Sno-Seal for Boots and Gaiters |Main| Note From JWR: »
Letter Re: Advice on Underground Retreat Construction
Sir:
I have 40+ acres,
all wooded. I want to build a shelter. There are plenty of hills
that I
can dig
in
to,
build
the
shelter and
then
cover
it up. but I don't know a thing about building a shelter. I need
to know everything. From making it water tight to air venting. Where
can
I go. I do not want to buy a shelter. I want to build it my self.
Thank you, - Buddy
JWR Replies: Building an underground house, a retreat,
or just a simple below ground cache that doesn't become an underground
cistern is not a simple task. In general,
I do
not recommend underground construction for first time do-it-yourself
home builders. The nation's experts on underground residential construction
is the
firm
Davis
Caves.
They
been at it for nearly 30 years and they really have underground construction
down to a science. To be done right, even in a dry climate, an underground
house needs to be situated in a well-drained area. An
unconnected
("freed standing") small hill with southern exposure
is ideal. Simply
digging into an existing hill without creating a drainage
system is
an invitation
to disaster, especially if you live where there is any significant
precipitation. A proper underground house needs to have an extensive drainage
system and excellent water barriers. If you are on a very tight
budget and you definitely want to do it yourself, then I'd recommend
that you look for an unpaid
or low wage summer internship with a company like Davis Caves.
Working with experts for a few weeks will teach you what you need
to know to build
an underground house that will be dry and tight and that will last
for generations.
« Letter Re: Advice on Small-Scale Grain Growing, Harvesting, and Processing |Main| Letter Re: Advice on Underground Retreat Construction »
Letter Re: Sno-Seal for Boots and Gaiters
Mr R.:
I finished reading "Patriots" and
have begun passing it off to others with the admonition to buy it,
link
to SurvivalBlog, and pay attention.
There
are hard-info gems throughout. I can certainly tell that you were in
communication in your other life. Info noted. Your passage [in Patriots]
on the "book
code" is superior to the [Vernam] one-time
pad generation, sans a book.
If security is rigorously maintained, a book code is "break-proof."
We got hit twice on successive weekends with big snowfalls. We went
out slogging in the storms and got a chance to check just how waterproof
the gear really is.
After treating boots and other gear with silicone sprays, I went back
to Sno-Seal
for all of our boots ( and would do so for leather
gaiters too.) Their recommended application method is actually not
the best,
if I may humbly disagree. Order cans, place one in a saucepan surrounded
by water and gently heat on the stovetop. Then carefully
apply with a small 1/2" brush and work it in by hand as you paint
it into seams and the entire surface - no better way to feel the process.
Split/suede
leathers are of course more absorbent - and will darken - so be aware
of that cosmetic aspect. I take special care with the tongues and their
seams. Finish by letting them bask in the sun for an afternoon.
I shoveled snow off our flat roof yesterday and was working in snow-melt
for a few hours - feet dry !
Between that product and SealSkinz
[waterproof socks], the feet can be reasonably secured. In a devolved
world, that could mean the difference
between
life and
death
Regards for the New Year - MurrDoc. P.S.: I'll be sending in my 10
Cent Challenge contribution again
this year, gladly.
JWR Replies: Thanks for the positive feedback on
my novel "Patriots".
I'm glad that you find it useful. On the topic of Sno-Seal: I also
use
it on my boots. It is a great product. OBTW, back in 1980, when I attended
the U.S. Army's Northern Warfare School at Fort Greeley, Alaska,
they were still using
Neat's
Foot Oil on their mountain climbing boots. To treat the boots,
they warmed up a 30 gallon drum of Neat's Foot
Oil and the members of our entire training class rapidly "passed
in review" and dunked the exterior of the boots, doing our best
to avoid getting any inside the
boots. This was boot waterproofing in the "expeditious, crude,
but effective" mode. I have heard that the Army has since switched
to some sort of silicone spray. I wouldn't be surprised if they
had some large spray rig to treat large numbers of pairs of boots in
rapid
succession. (The U.S. Army always seem to tend toward expeditious en
masse operations for everything from inductee physical examinations
to policing litter at a kasserne.) Like you, I prefer Sno-Seal
over Silicone sprays. Just be careful not to get any on the
upper portions of cloth boot laces. (The portion that you tie.)
« Letter Re: Alternatives for Water Pumping, Sans Grid Power |Main| Letter Re: Sno-Seal for Boots and Gaiters »
Letter Re: Advice on Small-Scale Grain Growing, Harvesting, and Processing
Dear Editor:
In an earlier posting you recommended the book "Small Scale Grain Raising" [by
Gene Logsdon], but [I found] that it was out of print. However, I found an
Australian library that will provide a
free downloadable copy. It only took a few minutes on a high speed connection,
but you get the book in a PDF file. - Roger H. in Virginia
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Advice on Small-Scale Grain Growing, Harvesting, and Processing »
Letter Re: Alternatives for Water Pumping, Sans Grid Power
JWR:
T
his is the first time that I have put forth any
input to your blog. I love the site, and it's a daily read! I heard
on the radio news that the cattle ranchers in Colorado and Kansas
are
panicking because they have no power, and thus they cannot pump water
to water their cattle. I had just finished reading this
article, when I heard that on the radio. I think the cattle ranchers
would have been very happy to have this information as would any of
the survival-minded among us that may have to pump water for home,
livestock, or both. - P.G. in Utah
« The Insidious Nature of Inflation--The Debasement of the U.S. Dollar Continues |Main| Letter Re: Alternatives for Water Pumping, Sans Grid Power »
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"...[W]e live in a great and free country only because
our forefathers were willing to wage war rather than accept the peace
that spells destruction." - Theodore Roosevelt
« Two Letters Re: Advice on Retreat Locales--Former Microwave Sites? |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
The Insidious Nature of Inflation--The Debasement of the U.S. Dollar Continues
I recently helped some elderly cousins move from their two story
home of many years into a smaller one story apartment in a retirement
community. (They are having
"mobility" problems.) Part of this move involved cleaning
out a storage space that hadn't been touched in more than 40 years.
The accumulation
of household goods--mainly books--was not unusual or noteworthy. However,
what was indeed notable
was that many of the boxes had newspapers used as padding in the top.
Pulling out
these
papers, which were mostly from 1958 was a real eye-opener for
our kids. Here are some examples of the advertisement prices that our
kids were reading aloud, with much laughter:
Beauty Salon: Ladies stylized haircut $1; Revlon manicure 75 cents;
Shampoo and Set $1
Flooring store: Rubber tiles 12 cents each, Inlaid linoleum tile 5-1/2
cents, Vinyl tile 7-1/2 cents
Grocery Store: Leg of Lamb 65 cents/lb., Breast of Lamb 15 cents/lb.,
Picnic hams 29 cents/lb., Johnnie Walker Scotch $6.38/fifth, Hills
Bros. Coffee 49 cents per lb.
Another grocery store: Ice cream 69 cents/half gallon, fresh peaches,
5 pounds for 49 cents; choice tomatoes 2 pounds for 29 cents; Ghirardelli
chocolate 53 cents/lb.
Car Dealerships: Current model year Cadillac Convertible $4,395, 1957
Chevy (one year old) $2,195, 1950 Buick Sedan "Real Nice" $165, 1954
Ford Victoria V-8 $875
Classified Ads: 1951 Studebaker V-8 Coupe, new paint $245, 1951 Chevy
sedan $145, Olds 1950 "Rocket 88" $140, German Shepard Pups, $25 to $35,
Clerk -Typist "Ages 21 to 35" $295 per week, Colt Service .45
Auto [Model 1911] "good cond., with holster" $12.
The prices in these ads illustrate the slow but relentless debasement
of our currency. Before 1965, our coinage was 90% silver, and paper
money
was still
redeemable in silver. Granted, wages were proportionately smaller,
but
any savings held in
dollars get relentlessly eaten away by inflation, year after year.
It is no wonder that the savings rate in the U.S. recently went below
zero.
(Americans presently spend $1.06 for each dollar that they earn, piling
up debt instead of savings.) The inflation of the money supply is gradual
enough that it insidiously goes without
raising public alarm. Because
inflation is so relentless, I recommend investing in tangibles--things
like productive farm land, gold, silver, guns, and common caliber ammunition.
The dollar
will
surely continue to go down and down in value, but for the most
part tangibles will hold their value.
Writing recently in The
Daily Reckoning (a free e-mail newsletter) editor Bill Bonner (also
the co-author of the book "Empire
of Debt") summed
up the current situation nicely: "We simplify for the benefit
of readers with tight schedules
or short
attention spans: The United States puts out dollars - trillions of
them. U.S. consumers use the dollars to overspend, by buying products
from overseas, approximately $1.06 worth of buying for every dollar
actually earned. Foreign governments want the spending to continue.
Instead of sending the dollars back
where they came from by buying American goods, they issue local currencies
to buy them and put them in their central bank vaults. All this extra
money is then magnified...2...3...10 times...as it is lent, re-lent
and used as reserves for various financial instruments.
Meanwhile a whole new industry has risen up to help with the lending,
mortgaging, gambling that goes along with this explosion of money.
Derivatives now equal seven times world GDP and are growing five times
as fast.
The new 'liquidity' is floating up financial assets all over
the world.
Traditionally, more money in the system caused consumer price inflation
- which was seen as a threat to the well being of the rich as well
as the masses. Central bankers knew they had to get it under control
or they would be swamped by it. But this new liquidity is different.
People
love it. The lumps never get a chance to use it to buy toilet paper.
Instead, it sloshes around the hedge funds, banks, financial houses
and rich financiers'...in a 'wave of liquidity' upon which so many
super-wealthy are now riding. In 1980, the ratio of financial assets
to GDP stood at about 1.5 to 1. Now, it is about 4 to 1. Yes, dear
reader, upon this ocean of liquidity rides a great Titanic of asset
price inflation. It is why Picasso, Klimt and Pollack paintings sell
for such absurd prices. It is why houses in Aspen, Greenwich and Kensington
have reached such breathtaking prices. It is why Chinese stocks have
doubled in the last year. And it is why the Dow is at an all-time high...and
why Manhattan real estate is selling for such high prices that even
the rats are having to pack up and move to New Jersey."
The debt merry-go-round that Bill Bonner described cannot go on forever.
When the average consumer runs out of credit, when the U.S. Treasury
itself is no longer considered credit worthy, and when the U.S. dollar
itself is recognized for what it really is (nicely printed toilet paper),
then things will get
ugly. "The Piper must be paid." In this case the Pipers are
foreign
lending
institutions. If you stop making the payments on your car, the banks
send a repo man to tow your car away. And when entire nations go into
default, it usually signals cataclysmic events. Be prepared.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| The Insidious Nature of Inflation--The Debasement of the U.S. Dollar Continues »
Two Letters Re: Advice on Retreat Locales--Former Microwave Sites?
Dear Jim and Family,
This is in response to the article about microwave sites for survival
shelters. As it happens, I spent half my summer just South of Whitehall,
a couple years before I met you in [deleted for OPSEC]. I was finishing
my geology degree and the geology of the area is very interesting.
This is the
new free mapping program through Wikipedia. It allows for
annotations and contains good quality aerial photos of the terrain
using Geographical Information Systems (GIS).
The region described around Whitehall is curious and deceptive. For
one thing, there's an active gold mine north of the interstate, where
much of the town's population works (or worked, I'm not sure if its
still open.) One of the forks of the Missouri river flows through the
area and its geologically complex. If a person were to consider land
there, they shouldn't settle for 1.3 acres when they can still buy
land by the full section [one square mile] for a reasonable price.
Pasture land is worth the most, land that held trees but has been cleared
is
worth
the least.
Hilly/mountainous or rocky land is also worth little so sells cheaply.
Or did 10 years ago, anyway. Whitehall is on the wrong side of a mountain
pass from the nearest city, Butte. Its further, around 60 miles to
Bozeman which has the highest crime rate in the state due to the high
numbers of Los Angelinos. They have drugs and gangs there, from what
the locals told me.
Whitehall is a very close knit community. They are
predominantly religious, and their main battle is with losing their
kids to the city, the second most
war is being fought with alcoholism and unemployment. Everybody in
the region knows everybody else. They're all good rifle shots and visibility,
when it isn't overcast and raining, is something around 80 miles. In
that country, artillery would make you king, not a mere 50 BMG.
That said if you're an outsider you may find yourself in a world of
hurt.
It would be really important to practice the same religion, to suffer
the same hardships and attend the same schools as the locals. Its the
kind of place where being there 20 years still makes you "the
new guy". If you are from California and intend to emigrate to
Montana, reconsider. They don't like Californians there. You could
say they're in agreement on the issue. Californians are bad, no matter
how good you may be. That's why I don't live there.
As with all poor communities with failing employment, everybody has
2-3 jobs besides their main one. With the collapse of the US dollar,
if there's still gold in Whitehall it will continue to be mined and
some of that money will filter into the local economy.
The local king there is the inventor of the circular irrigation systems,
the source of those circles of green on the aerial photo. I've never
met him and don't know his politics. He cares enough to stay in his
home, which means something. Its cattle country and they grow a lot
of hay and alfalfa but it also rains in summer, which means crops like
wheat and barley are often ruined. They also get a lot of frost, even
in summer mornings, so don't expect veggies to survive without using
greenhouses. Most of the population have large metal quonset huts for
their barns, and some people live in them. They're all over the landscape.
As for wildlife I saw Elk, Grizzly, eagles, and wolves there, as well
as many coyotes and rattlesnakes. Horseback riding is popular and 4WD is
mandatory for most roads there, as pavement is optional. Its worth
visiting the place to get your own take on it, just don't think you
understand them simply because you visited once. There's a lot of hurt
in the region. Sincerely, - InyoKern
Jim,
After reading your blog a few days ago, regarding surplus microwave
tower sites, I was a little suspicious that it sounded too good to
be true. I did a Google search and discovered any information about
it was at least six years old. One of the primary sources was a company
called American Tower. This morning, I called the Western states
rep to ask if this policy of selling surplus towers was still ongoing,
and she replied (1) she hasn't been involved in this surplus tower
sales in the past and (2) she was amazed that besides my call, she
had received at one email regarding the same issue. (I suspect a
fellow blog-reader is pursuing the same trail.) She did say they
do sell
surplus sites, and if I wanted to make an offer on one, that would
be fine. I explained to her I was trying to find out what sites might
be available for sale. She suggested I send her an email with my
specific question, and she would get the information to me. So apparently
they are still available (I suspect maybe for more money than $20K),
and I will continue following this trail and share whatever information
I can. - Chet
JWR Replies: Anyone that is now looking to buy
one of these sites is indeed about five years too late, at least
for
the
American
Tower Company auctions. However, many
of
these
sites may now be available
on the secondary market, assuming that some of them were bought by
speculators that never did anything with them. In my opinion, if you
can find one
that has water, it would be a bargain at twice the
typical "+/- $20K" price from back in 2001. I wouldn't
be surprised to find that most of them were bought up by cellular
phone companies. In many instances, all that these companies were looking
for was a site with good line-of-sight, and they probably didn't use
much of the original
infrastructure--perhaps not even the original tower. In that case you
be able to buy the land and structures and "lease back" or perpetually
"grant back" the
cellular
site
rights
to the cellular carrier. And for those that were bought by private
parties, you can
always
track
down
the
current
owners
by
way of the
County Recorder's
Office.
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Two Letters Re: Advice on Retreat Locales--Former Microwave Sites? »
Odds 'n Sods:
Kara S. told us about this story: Thieves
Steal $200K In Copper In Broad Daylight
o o o
Our friend novelist Michael
Z. Williamson mentioned this book that might prove useful in
extremis: Unmentionable
Cuisine by Calvin W. Schwabe
o o o
For our readers in the UK that are wondering about the vaguely survivalist Jericho television
series produced in the U.S., Simon in England mentioned: "Jericho is
starting the the UK cable / satellite channel Hallmark at 20.00 on
Friday 12
January 2007."
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Odds 'n Sods: »
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"I believe that reaching into one's own pockets to help one's
follow man is praiseworthy and laudable. Reaching into someone
else's pocket to help fellow man, I think is despicable." - Dr.
Walter E. Williams, guest hosting the Rush Limbaugh radio show, Dec.
29, 2006
« Letter Re: How Should I Store My Extra Garden Seed? |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Odds 'n Sods:
Simon in England notes that do-it-yourself and garden
centers there are presently selling off their 'Christmas candles'
at closeout prices. He said that he got ten of the large pillar type
candles for just £0.49
(around $1 USD) each that otherwise would have been £3.00 (around
$6 USD) each. The nice thing about these
candles is that most of them are formulated with extra stearic acid,
for longer
burning.
o o o
From Yahoo News: 6
of 75 cities get top disaster rating. Jason says: "Yet another
reason to 'get out of Dodge"
o o o
Front Sight director
Naish Piazza sent this reminder: "Find Your Local VERSUS (VS) network
channel, so you can watch Front Sight
Challenge
starting Fridays at 5:30PM PST and Sundays at 2:00PM PST. (The air
time for Front Sight Challenge is based on Eastern Standard Time of
5:30pm on Fridays and 2:00pm on Sundays, and must be adjusted for your
time zone. Example: Here on the West Coast, Front Sight Challenge will
air at2:30pm Friday and 11:00am on Sunday.) Go to the VERSUS
web site and enter your zip code
to locate your local VS Network channel so you won't miss a single
episode of Front Sight Challenge."
« Letter Re: Recommended Versatile Dog Breeds for Retreat Security |Main| Odds 'n Sods: »
Letter Re: How Should I Store My Extra Garden Seed?
Dear Editors:
What is the best way to store my extra garden seed? I want to make it last
several years, but still germinate properly. Also, what are the best kind
of seeds for survival gardening? Thanks, - Liz, near Toledo
The Memsahib Replies: Your seed stocks should be
all non-hybrid ("heirloom") varieties, so
that the seed that you save from each harvest will breed true and continue
to produce, year after year. (Hybrid varieties won't!) Heirloom seed
is available from The
Ark Institute, the Seed
Savers Exchange, and Ready
Made Resources. Long term storage of gardening seed is best done
by drying and freezing. Ideally, gardening seeds should be "dried
down" with an equal weight of silica
gel desiccant and stored in sealed Mason-type jars, labeled with
both the seed variety and the date of pack. (A Sharpie pen works well.)
These jars should be stored in your chest freezer. Remember
that seeds are living things, so resist the urge to vacuum pack them!
« Letter Re: Night Sights for Pistols |Main| Letter Re: How Should I Store My Extra Garden Seed? »
Letter Re: Recommended Versatile Dog Breeds for Retreat Security
There is a very good breed of dogs that I haven't seen
mentioned (and I did read through all the archives when I first found
the SurvivalBlog):
the English Shepherd (and their close cousin with no registration papers,
the farm collie or farm shepherd). They are in the same family of dogs
as the Collie, Border Collie, Australian Shepherd, and Sheltie, but
with some advantages over all those breeds. Descended from the dogs
brought to the United States by Scots escaping the Highland Clearances
in the 1700s, the English Shepherd is a medium-sized dog of all work.
They herd, hunt, and protect the family and the family livestock. Calmer
than most Border Collies, quieter than Shelties, and with an easier-care
coat than the Collie (some breeders call it a 'teflon coat'), they
are ideal for small diversified farms, especially farms with livestock
of all kinds and children. If you go to the American
Working Farmcollie Association yahoo group and read through the
archives, you will find stories about dogs who have saved small children
from drowning or when they wandered out of
the yard; dogs who have flattened themselves over newborn lambs in
freezing rain to try to save their lives; dogs who have put the livestock
back in the fence after they got out while the owners were away from
home; dogs who put the neighbor's strays back in his fence without
direction; dogs who run predators off the farm; dogs who run trespassers
off the farm (in at least one case it was someone the dog knew, who
was coming in from the back side of the farm while hunting -- if he'd
been coming up the driveway, she would have been fine with it); dogs
who have saved their owners from injury or death by rams, bulls, or
horses -- I could go on. The stories about these dogs are nearly endless
-- they are the real-life "Lassies."
Feeding them isn't much of a problem as long as there is goat milk
and the offal from butchering, plus whatever rodents and pests they
can catch. (Mine eat mostly dry dog food with goat milk over it, plus
whatever offal I can give them, as we don't have all that many animals
to butcher each year.) Especially if you have livestock, an English
Shepherd or two will more than repay the cost of their keep. For more
information, look at this Farm
Collies breed site. - Freeholder
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Recommended Versatile Dog Breeds for Retreat Security »
Letter Re: Night Sights for Pistols
Hi Jim,
I just wanted to tell you about the TRUGLO “TFO” (Tritium
Fiber Optic) night sights that I recently got from Top
Gun Supply and installed on my Glock 17.
These things are amazing! The design combines the best of the Fiber
Optic insert’s ability to gather ambient light during the day
with the benefit of tritium night sights. Outside during the day, the
sights look like three single LED lamp flashlights are switched on.
At night they look like regular night sights.
I have Meprolight brand
and OEM Glock
night sights on two of my other Glocks (a G26 and a G19). However,
I have always felt that the “three
green” night
sight arrangement was less than optimal. I felt as though that color
combination slowed me down significantly from quickly acquiring a good
sight picture in the dark. It always felt like a version of The Shell
Game. I had to think through: “Which one is the Front Sight?” and “Where
is it?”.
So, in my quest to find the perfect night sight, I ordered the TRUGLO “TFO” sights
in the Green Front/Yellow Rear combination. Unfortunately, this combination
is not widely available. However, I found them at Top Gun Supply. He
has them for Glocks, SIGs, H&K USP, and Springfield XD. After a
trip to the range to see if I had made a good choice, my reaction was “Oh!
Wow!"
I am very pleased with the sights in this color combination and the
Fiber Optic’s daytime brilliance. In fact, I am now considering
retrofitting all my Glocks to the “TFO” night sight with
the Green Front/Yellow Rear color combination. I should mention that
the pictures at the TRUGLO web site do not do justice to the TFO
night sight. Regards, - D.S.
« Note From JWR: |Main| Letter Re: Night Sights for Pistols »
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"Democracy is the most vile form of government ... democracies have
ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention, have ever been found
incompatible with personal security or the rights of property, and
have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent
in their deaths." - James Madison
« Knowledge and Skills are the Keys to Survival--Start With Gardening, by Bill K. |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Note From JWR:
The following is another article for
Round 8 of the SurvivalBlog
non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction
article will win a valuable four day "gray" transferable Front
Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $1,600.) Second prize is
a copy of my "Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated by
Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. If there are a lot of
great entries this round of the contest, I will again be sending out
a few complimentary copies of my novel "Patriots" as "honorable
mention" awards. If you want a chance to win the contest,
start writing and e-mail us your
article. Round 8 will end on January 31st. Remember that the articles
that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will have
an advantage in the judging.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Note From JWR: »
Knowledge and Skills are the Keys to Survival--Start With Gardening, by Bill K.
The truth of the matter is that most of us with the survival mindset
are not rich enough to own all the radios, bunkers, and other fancy
stuff
we read about. Sure we drool about having the forty acre "gulch" all
ready to go when the SHTF,
but it’s just not in the reality of
the regular working family, just a fantasy.
I’d like to suggest a great survival tool for the rest of us.
The very best and the cheapest and the least hyped survival tool is
parked right between your ears and can be put to use for your family
by education and the little used common sense. Shine up and sharpen
up this tool and you can make good progress without much in the way
of financial resources.
Let’s use vegetable food as an example;
All the stored seed, fancy heirloom varieties in the world will not feed your
people if you’re not educated and experienced in gardening in your area.
The spot of your refuge may have a very different microclimate than where you
live now.
Use that brain; you must absolutely get “Hands on” experience growing
that food in sufficient quality/quantity to do the job now, not later. Later
is too late. I promise you that growing beans or tomatoes at sea level here in
Olympia, Washington. Is very different than at 3,000 feet of elevation in intermountain
Idaho.
Own hardcopy books on this subject stored at the retreat, the Internet will be
down and memory may not serve.
Now to the "must know/must have" list for garden food:
Seed; only varieties that your family will eat, that fit your microclimate, degree
days, and total growing season. Find out what these terms mean. Opt for
open
pollinated ["heirloom'], stay away from exotics and hybrids. Learn
how
to
save
seed.
Prep; new garden soil will rarely produce well without changing its chemistry,
adding organic matter, or adding structure. Gardens need a lot of water. Figure
how to gravity feed irrigate unless you can store a lot of fuel for the generator.
All this must be done ahead of time before the real need arises. Put back extra
Dolomite. Find and store manures and other organic materials. Store extra garden
tools.
Start; Many "bug out" areas have climate challenges for gardeners; consider cold
frames and other season extenders. Get these in place ahead of time, plastic
row covers,
fiberglass panels and the like may be hard to find later.
You must get in tune with your local growing season and this takes practice.
What would happen to your family if your garden frosted out and you had planted
all the seed you had stored? Always hold some seed back. Some areas frost every
month
so get educated and prepare a defense.
Store; Once you’ve grown it, defended the crop from rabbits, deer, etc.
you’re not done yet. Eat all you can yes, process the rest. Family food
consumption lists are available or you can estimate what each person will eat
per week then add it all up. Add some more for charity or refugees. This represents
a lot of quart jars, rings, lids, and other supplies for just a small family
for a year. What if the situation lasts longer?
Consider dehydration for some foodstuffs, pickling or salting for others and
of course all this needs practice before need too. The root cellar seems to be
a forgotten art but works well as does leaving root crops in the ground to be
dug when needed. They must be covered to protect against freezing and rot.
Perennials need a mention here also. Berries, rhubarb, sunchokes, and fruit/nut
trees can be planted and will just be waiting for you. Plant more than you can
use as folk that have been eating groats for the last two months will make amazing
trades for fresh fruit.
Food growing augments the bulk grains and beans you own and makes for a better
all around diet than all those freeze dried packages in the closet the last 10
years. As with any food program just make sure what you grow and store is what
your family will eat.
If all this seems like too much work, it is; what is the plan “B”?
P.S.: We live on the west side of Washington State and just experienced a huge
storm,
[which resulted in]
more than a week without power for many people in the region. Attitudes went
downhill
fast.
Any
major
disruption would be much worse, so this is a real wake up call. - Bill K.
« Quote of the Day |Main| Knowledge and Skills are the Keys to Survival--Start With Gardening, by Bill K. »
Odds 'n Sods:
B.H. in Spokane mentioned that VCI paper
desiccant rifle barrel protective tubes are now available commercially, under
the brand name "Barrel
Guard.". (Any of you that ever bought a M1
Garand from the CMP--or
from its DCM predecessor--will
remember these, which are inserted in a rifle's bore.) Barrel Guards are ideal
to use as an adjunct to (but not a substitute for) Rust
Inhibitive Grease (RIG) and silica
gel desiccant packets for long term firearms storage or caching.
o o o
A demographic milestone: City
dwellers are poised to take over the world. This
adds more credence to my assertion that our modern word--with tremendouse infrastructural
and technological complexity, long chains of supply, power grid dependency,
and a small percentage of farmers and fishermen feeding the world--will
make the next global economic depression far
different than the Great Depression
of the 1930s. The next time round, the metropolitan regions may very well
tip over into Mad Max-ish TEOTWAWKI.
Here is a brief snippet from the article: "London, some 200 years ago,
became the first city since ancient Rome to reach a million inhabitants:
now, there
are more than 200 such cities. About 20 of these are"megacities" exceeding
10 million, and one, Tokyo, has become a "metacity", with more
than 20 million."
o o o
I just heard that Kurt Wilson of Survival
Enterprises bought an entire 40 foot cargo container load of nitrogen
packed long term storage foods from a cannery that is going out of business.
(More than 5,000 cans!) These foods were nearly all packaged in the last
18 months, and will be sold in full case lots only. The prices should
be fantastic. They will be available for ordering within two weeks. For any
of you that live in the greater Spokane/Coeur d' Alene area, these case lots
will also be available for pickup at their storefront location. (Please identify
yourself as a SurvivalBlog reader when you make your purchase.)
« Note From JWR: |Main| Odds 'n Sods: »
Quote of the Day
"We had strayed a great distance from our Founding Fathers'
vision of America. They regarded the central government's responsibility
as that of providing national security, protecting our democratic freedoms,
and limiting the government's intrusion in our lives -- in sum, the
protection of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They never
envisioned vast agencies in Washington telling our farmers what to
plant, our teachers what to teach, our industries what to build. The
Constitution they wrote established sovereign states, not mere administrative
districts for the federal government. They believed in keeping government
as close as possible to the people." - Ronald Wilson Reagan
« Letter Re: Advice on Retreat Locales--Former Microwave Sites? |Main| Quote of the Day »
Note From JWR:
The first letter presented today is
from the enigmatic"Commander
Zero." Both he and his bride-to-be are preparedness minded,
expert shooters, amateur radio enthusiasts, and dedicated bloggers.
« Letter Re: Advice on Small-Scale Grain Growing, Harvesting, and Processing |Main| Note From JWR: »
Letter Re: Advice on Retreat Locales--Former Microwave Sites?
James:
Here is some info from someone who actually did go to look at one of
these things with a preparedness mindset. The one that we looked at
was near Whitehall, Montana. If you have a copy of Google
Earth you
can view it at (46.081522°,-112.115643° ...
and be sure to change the 3-D angle of view so you can see the terrific
commanding
view the place has.) The building itself had 8" thick concrete
walls. Over these walls was 4" of foam insulation and then a layer
of stucco. There were no windows but there were vents covered with
steel louvers. Set off about two feet from the vents was a wall as
high as the building. I'm guessing this was to break up blast waves
before they hit the vents. All metal in the building (frames, jams,
etc, etc.)
were hot galvanized and grounded. The original blueprints were mounted
on the wall, explaining many of the requirements for the building (which
I recall had been built about 1960s and upgraded in the 1970s.)
The electrical panels were enormous. There were several of them and
they
were all as tall as me. The building had originally come with a buried
3000 gallon diesel tank but that had been removed for environmental
reasons prior to sale. The hole, however, was still there. The interior
ceilings were 14' high and although I cant recall the exact square
footage it was certainly as much as the average house. There was a
75' tower next to the building with a platform that probably measured
25'x25' at the top. Since the building was on a hill 500' above the
road, the tower added to the unbelievable view. We were about 15 miles
down a road from the interstate and we could see the entire length
of that road all the way to the interchange. A person with a good range
finder, spotter, and a .50 BMG rifle
would easily have owned anything within a two mile circle.
Access to the building was through a pair
of steel double doors and 'airlock'. The frames and doors were thick
steel and I eyed them from the point of view of someone wanting to
get in. Nothing short of power tools was going to get in. Bullet resistance
of the building would have been about as good as you can get. The facility
was on an 'island' of land about 1.3 acres large and surrounded by
a huge ranch and some National Forest. The people who were selling
it were making progress in making the site more livable. They had poured
a new floor inside, painted, add room dividers and nice lighting. They
also installed a kitchen and bathroom but hadn't yet finished the hookups
for septic.
Drawbacks: the place was designed as a remote, unmanned facility. There
was an outhouse and absolutely no water. A cistern
may have been an option for some people but unless there's water on
site I felt we'd
have to give it a pass. Too bad. The place did give me a newfound respect
for all-concrete construction though. There was also no provision for
heating/cooling although the incredible thermal mass of the place would
have made either task fairly easy.
Last I saw the place was being used as a data transmission point for
local wireless internet providers due to its commanding view. "K."
and I took a zillion pictures of every detail of the place. As soon
as I can get her to tell me which gallery she buried them in,
I'd be happy to provide hem so you can see what one
of these places looks like up close. - Commander Zero
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Advice on Retreat Locales--Former Microwave Sites? »
Letter Re: Advice on Small-Scale Grain Growing, Harvesting, and Processing
Sir:
Friday's letter on grains was very good. I have acquired myriad of
19th century farm tools at what are called Threshermen's
Shows in
Wisconsin. These are shows for Hit and Miss [stationary] engines, Steam
engines and the tools
from late 19th Century to early 20th Century Farming. There is usually
a flea market as well. I have picked up a scythe in reasonable condition
for
$20.00. I had to spend about an hour carefully sharpening it, but I
got it sharp enough to cut my thumb pretty well. After a visit to my
first aid station I took it over to mt neighbors barley field and cut
about a 4 foot by 100 foot swath in 20 minutes. It is back-breaking,
hard work.
I would look for those shows in your home area, stay away from antique
stores. I have also found that buying from Lehmans.com. for
a new tool is sometimes wiser than buying an antique. I bought an antique
jar and
paddle type butter churn for $50. It quickly fell apart under a load.
The new Amish-made one from Lehman's works great. - Carl R.
JWR Replies: Thanks for mentioning antique tractor
and stationary engine enthusiast meetings. In the western U.S., these
are often held
in conjunction
with annual county fairs. The folks that attend these meets
are primarily
interested in engine-powered equipment. If they have something in their
collections that cannot be
powered by their engines, (such hand mills, presses, and agricultural
implements) they will often sell them to someone that promises
to put them to good use for
quite reasonable prices. From my conversations with these gents, they
rightfully
have deep disdain for people that buy a piece of old equipment simply
to use as a decorator item. If you make it clear to them that you
are a hobbyist that plans to regularly use a piece of equipment for
its originally intended purpose, their eyes will light up. If nothing
else, they they gladly share
their knowledge with you.
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Advice on Small-Scale Grain Growing, Harvesting, and Processing »
Odds 'n Sods:
Eric Fry, co-editor of the free e-mail newsletter The
Rude Awakening comments: "The [U.S.] dollar fell
sharply in 2006 against every major world currency and against
most major global commodities. In short, it lost a lot of value
against almost everything. A rebound, therefore, should be in order.
But fleeting short-term strength would not compensate for
the greenback’s inexorable long-term weakness."
o o o
Colorado and Kansas Digging Out From Blizzard
o o o
Simon in England e-mailed me to mention that the new 33-chapter expanded
edition of my novel "Patriots" is
now available through a
variety of Internet booksellers in the UK for between £13 GBP and £16
GBP.
« Note From JWR: |Main| Odds 'n Sods: »
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"Isn't our choice really not one of left or right, but
of up or down? Down through the welfare state to statism, to more and
more government largesse accompanied always by more government authority,
less individual liberty, and ultimately, totalitarianism, always advanced
as for our own good. The alternative is the dream conceived by our
Founding Fathers, up to the ultimate in individual freedom consistent
with an orderly society. We don't celebrate dependence day on the Fourth
of July. We celebrate Independence Day." - Ronald Reagan (1984)
