Month: November 2006

Odds ‘n Sods:

At the library today, the kids were immersed in Brian Jacques books. The Memsahib was checking out books on fly fishing and travel. Meanwhile, I picked up the book: “Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed” by Jared Diamond. The Memsahib commented with a bit of sarcasm: “Oh, so I see that you found some of your usual light and cheery bedside reading.”    o o o Venezuelan president Chavez distributes free energy efficient light bulbs and promises a “energy revolution” including distributed small power generation for emergencies.    o o o U.S. police department radio “10 Codes” being …



Letter Re: Preparedness and Charity

Dear Mr Rawles, As Thanksgiving and Christmas approach, churches and charities are conducting food drives. Besides being a chance for us to act in a charitable manner to the less fortunate, it is also a terrific opportunity to cycle out some of our food stockpiles. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been donating excess wet-pack canned good (with 2007 expiration dates), and replacing them with new, 2008/2009 expiring items. From my way of looking at things, it is a win-win for the recipients and us — the donors; the hungry are fed, and the shelf life of our food …


Two Letters Re: Another Perspective on Selecting Barter Goods

Mr. Rawles: I’m glad to see I’m not the only one that thinks having skills in different areas is a great barter tool. I worked for years as a mechanic, in my thirties I changed careers and went into construction as a General Contractor. After about 10 years in construction. I semi-retired and when to school to become a professional farrier. I spent seven years shoeing horses and working metal in a forge. That lead me into custom knife making. My wife & I have been selling handmade and factory knives for the last several years. I have always kept …



Odds ‘n Sods:

Roger sent an article as a reminder to all readers of SurvivalBlog that being prepared is not just for TEOTWAWKI: Vancouverites boil water for 5th day as rain continues    o o o It looks like the spot prices of silver and gold have recovered solidly from their slump, just as I predicted. I still expect higher prices by the end of this year, and sharply higher prices in another year    o o o Wanted: Man to land on killer asteroid and gently nudge it from path to Earth    o o o U.S. housing construction plunges in October. …



Note From JWR:

We had three nice days of weather in succession here at the Rawles Ranch, giving us a chance to get into town in comfort. The nearest large grocery store is more than 50 miles away. We saw several large flocks of wild turkeys while en route. Even though I try my best to show restraint, I usually end up with two or three times the canned goods that I had planned to buy. (I can’t resist sale prices on staple items, and the “squirrel” in me always wants “a little bit more” to keep on hand for winter.) Invariably the …


Letter Re: Prowlers and Lighting

Jim: What do you and your readers suggest for someone living in a rural area who needs a good strong light for prowlers? I live on top of a mountain in a cove surrounded by three sides by hills. On occasion, we have trespassers at night riding the ATV trails along the hills who are out to steal tools, gas, etc. There have been more than a few occasions when I’ve walked out to my car late at night to get something and realized there were people in the trees. One night I turned my rather anemic Surefire 6P [flashlight] …


Letter Re: MURS Radios, Dakota Alerts, and PIR Sensors

Jim, I for one I’m very happy that your novel “Patriots” back in print. For a long time I gave this book away to friends who I thought might like it, and to some whom I wanted to “feel out” as to whether they thought preparedness was a good idea. I had to stop this of course when your book went out of print, and the cost went skyward. Now I can stock up again. Also I wanted to thank you for turning me on to MURS Radios. I just made an order with Rob, and will be making another …


Letter Re: Herbal Medications and Remedies

Dear Jim: I read ‘The Gray Nineties‘ [an early draft edition of the novel “Patriots”] back when it was shareware, and did some gun accessory business with you back then. [In the early to mid-1990s.] I finally got around to perusing SurvivalBlog. One of the old posts includes a plea for ‘hard data’ on effectiveness of herbal medicines. My wife used to work for a ‘neutriceuticals’ company, doing literature reviews, and as an M.D. I have some exposure to the literature as well (though not as much as I should — I keep wasting time reading things that might have …


Odds ‘n Sods:

In my latest issue of Disaster Recovery Journal (DRJ) magazine, I noticed that the the magazine, in conjunction with researchers at Pepperdine University conducted a survey of disaster recovery professionals (mainly computer types) about pandemic preparedness. 49% of the respondents said that they had “not determined the potential impact on business related domestic and international travel of a pandemic.” and 42% said that they had “not yet started to identify essential employees and other critical inputs.” The statistics from several DRJ surveys, including the Pepperdine survey are available online. OBTW, although subscriptions are free, I don’t recommend subscribing to Disaster …



Letter Re: Clothes Washing Without Grid Power

Shalom Jim: Recently my wife and I have started looking to replace our old [clothes] washer and dryer machines with something more energy-efficient. Since we plan on converting to solar photovoltaic panels in the future what do you suggest we do now? 1.) Lehman’s sells an AC +/ DC operated washer. Is this (DC) feature conducive to solar technology? 2.) What are you and your family doing for your clothes washing needs? B’Shem Yahshua HaMoshiach (In the Name of Yahsua the Messiah) – Dr. Sidney Zweibel   JWR Replies: 1.) With a PV power system, using a DC motor clothes …


Letter Re: Emergency Shelter Air Filtration

Hey Jim, Just a couple of articles [over at the Alpha Rubicon site] that you might find interesting: Safe Room Fan and, HEPA Filter Regards, – S.C. JWR Replies: For any SurvivalBlog that might have overlooked it at my Links page, I highly recommend the wide variety of practical free references available at the Alpha Rubicon web site.