Year: 2006


Note From JWR:

The winner of Round 7 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest is SF in Hawaii, for his article “Wheat Sprouts and Wheatgrass as Survival Foods” which was posted on November 6, 2006. The second prize goes to “Warhawke”, for his article “Selecting Barter Goods” which was posted on October 30, 2006. Congratulations to both of you. Because there were so many great entries in this round, I decided to award some free books as “Runners Up” prizes. These go to: Making Traditional Cordage in North America, by Ron (posted November 16, 2006) Bullet Casting: A (Relatively) Simple Introduction, by AVL …


Letter Re: Solar Charged Walkway Lights –An Option for Battery Charging

Jim: The discussion about cannibalizing tiny solar walkway lights prompted me to once again remind everyone about one of my favorite tools. Northern Tool & Equipment sells a 5-watt folding solar panel that folds down to the size of a paperback book for only $35. They come with a nice wiring kit that also allows multiple panels to be piggybacked for more power. They’re tough and well-made, with the small panels fit into a ballistic nylon type of carrier to make it fold. One of these lives in each of our Bug Out Bags (BOBs), along with a small battery …


Two Letters Re: EMP Shielding for Electronics

Jim: Maybe I missed something during the acquisition of several undergrad degrees, including one in physics (actually, I probably missed several things)… but how exactly does a Faraday cage have any effect on uncharged particle emissions (neutrons) as suggested by the author of the article that you recently provided a link to? And since when did Einstein claim discovery of an element (Uranium) that was discovered in the 1700’s? His cages might work (hard to actually test anything vs. EMP without doing rather large scale experiments), but that sort of nonsense kinda damages his overall credibility. – Simple Country Doc …


Odds ‘n Sods:

The modern blunderbuss. Is this the ultimate in intimidating a burglar?    o o o Details about the about planned microchipped “E-Passports”. A hat tip to Redmist for sending this link, (Via Claire Wolfe’s site.) And BTW, here is how folks have already cracked the new system.    o o o Gokuryu sent this, from CNN.com: We Were Warned: Tomorrow’s Oil Crisis Gokuryu says “This segment explains how the former CIA director and other experts say we are on the brink of an energy crisis.”



Note From JWR:

The recent early snow cover and unseasonably cold weather at the Rawles Ranch has changed the habits of the local deer. Now they are visiting our feeder to browse on some grass/alfalfa mix hay, even at mid-day. It looks like this may be a hard winter. Hopefully we won’t lose too many young deer, elk, and moose. The eating habits of the Rawles clan have changed too. There is definitely more interest in Chili con Bambi, Clam Chowder, and Hot Cocoa.


Letter Re: Some Useful Ham Radio, DXing, and CB Radio Web Sites

Hi Jim. While reviewing accessories for the MURS radios, I perused my way onto this Ham radio site that is loaded with links to other sites and/or articles on antenna building for literally all of the radio spectrum.Of particular interest is this site for converting an old outdoor television antenna into a 2 meter (144-148 MHz) Yagi (beam) antenna for very little money: Since many of the readers of SurvivalBlog are interested in communications I feel these other sites would be helpful as well, here are some other useful sites regarding ham and CB radio repairs Radiomods.co.nz Roger Bird Antennas …


Signs of Potential Currency Hyperinflation, by Lee Rogers

Defeat the Coin Act of 2006, by Lee Rogers at The Funny Money Report. Here is an excerpt: “Over this past summer a bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives called the Currency Overhaul for an Industrious Nation. This bill is also referred to as the Coin Act of 2006 or House Resolution 5818. Introduced by Representative Jim Kolbe from Arizona the bill was referred to the Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology this past August. The purpose of the bill according to the text of the bill itself is to modernize the legal …


Letter Re: Communications and Monitoring for Disasters–Are Scanners Useful?

Hi Jim, Last week you discussed your preference for communication modalities for use in disasters and their order of importance. Obvious by omission were two modes that I thought might have distinct utility: a radio scanner (to monitor weather, traffic accidents and attendant backups, police and fire activity, etc.) and a transceiver with frequencies in the amateur bands (160, 80, 40, 20, 10 and 6 meters and the centimeter bands). Will you please provide your thoughts on the utility of these devices and whether or not you think they are worth the trouble (expense and licensing)? Thanks for your input. …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Tom W. at CometGold.com sent this one, from Canada.com: “Hedge Funds Overleveraged, Sprott warns”    o o o Reader CM writes: “A fascinating look at how Mr. Bernanke is radically increasing the money supply, and lying about it..The link is to a DailyKos diary but don’t let that deter you – the charts and information that it contains are worth the look.”    o o o Northern Tool & Equipment (one of our affiliate advertisers) is offering sitewide Free Gift Cards with purchases over $100. This limited time promotion started Monday, November 27th and goes through Monday, December 4th. You …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"[W]hen you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing- when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors- when you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don’t protect you against them, but protect them against you- when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice- you may know that your society is doomed." – Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 1957


Notes From JWR:

The cold spell here in the vicinity of the Rawles Ranch is continuing. Last night’s low was -11 degrees Fahrenheit. (Or, as they call it here in The Un-named Western State: “Shirtsleeves Weather.”) My sincere thanks to the less than 1/2 of 1% of SurvivalBlog readers that have signed up for 10 Cent Challenge subscriptions. You 63 people know who you are. Subscriptions are entirely voluntary, and gratefully accepted.


Letter Re: Tactical Vests as Wearable Mini Bug Out Bags

Hi Jim, I found another vest that some of your readers might be interested in if they like to “load up” like I do, but without having to use a medium ruck sized back pack. It’s made by Eagle Industries out of St. Louis and it’s called the Eagle Hunter’s Vest (product code HV-CH). It’s one-size-fits-all and its carrying capacity can be increased by adding a “butt pack” type pack also sold by Eagle that straps to the upper back of the vest. I have used a number of their products over the years while deployed [overseas] with the Army …


Three Letters Re: Build Your Fallout Shelter From Barter Goods, by Mr. Yankee

Hi Jim. Just felt the need to re-emphasize the point you made with regard to Mr. Yankee’s ideas about an improvised fallout shelter. First, I applaud his view that one should not count on being able to pull together an adequate expedient shelter when the need arises. As simple in theory as it seems, in practice, few would end up with a shelter they would want to rely on to save the lives of their loved ones. Second, as far as the point you made, Jim, it is indeed very important to over-engineer any sort of structure that will be …