Day: March 5, 2006

Note From JWR:

Note from JWR: We were hoping to provide searchable archives and RSS feeds. However, because of difficulties in getting our revised blog template (created in Blogger) to display properly in some versions of Internet Explorer, we have temporarily switched back to the old blog format (using Dreamweaver.)   Firefox and Netscape worked fine, but the glitches in I.E. thusfar elude us.  Once we get the bugs worked out, we will switch back to Blogger or perhaps another piece of blogging software. Today we feature another entry in Round 3 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best …


Making a Living in a Rural Environment, by JD

  If there were one factor that prevents people from living at their retreat more than any other, I would guess it to be employment. This isn’t surprising, as the very qualities that make a particular locale ideal for a retreat — rural, small population, away from major cities — also make it far less likely to find employment there. What little employment is available is often snapped up by locals who have been around far longer than any Johnny-come-lately carpetbaggers (and rightly so!) When my family moved to our tiny town from our fairly large city, I knew from …


Letter Re: Why “Invest” In Gold or Silver?

Jim: I came across some links that may help “clarify” why Gold/Silver for some readers. Keep up the good work! http://www.bambooweb.com/articles/h/y/Hyperinflation.html http://www.kitco.com/ind/Wiegand/feb142006.html http://www.gold-eagle.com/editorials_03/waltzek091003.html http://inflationdata.com/Inflation/Inflation_Rate/ConfederateInflation.asp


Letter Re: Alternative to Creosote for Preserving Wood?

Hello Mr. Rawles, Had a question that you might be able to answer. Looking to do some preserving of wood that will be stuck in the ground. I used to work for a telephone pole repair company. We used a very plastic Creosote and Tar paper ( keeps dirt from soaking up the creosote ). I have been trying to figure out a way to create an alternative to creosote. The best I can think of is used motor oil and soap ( gas and soap being napalm ) this seemed logical to me. Wondered if you had any thought. …


The Recent “Opening” of the 6 Meter Band

Jim: The first two weeks of February were spectacular for us hams working the 6 meter band. From my home in Northern California, I worked all western states using only 10 watts on an Icom IC-560.  No power amplifier was needed. One QSO [two way conversation] that I did lasted for 30 minutes to a gentleman right outside of  Tombstone Arizona on 52.525 Mhz FM [mode]. What was so unusual about this, is that is was not in SSB mode. The QSO was nearly as good as a local 2 meter simplex contact. The gentleman was using an Alinco FM-only …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"I used to visit and revisit it a dozen times a day, and stand in deep contemplation over my vegetable progeny with a love that nobody could share or conceive of who had never taken part in the process of creation. It was one of the most bewitching sights in the world to observe a hill of beans thrusting aside the soil, or a rose of early peas just peeping forth sufficiently to trace a line of delicate green." – Nathaniel Hawthorne, Mosses from and Old Manse