Year: 2006

Odds ‘n Sods:

Today is the U.S. National Day of Prayer.    o o o There have already been some bids in the auction that just started yesterday for last remaining autographed copy of my novel “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse” from the inventory at Survival Enterprises. The proceeds of the auction will benefit the SurvivalBlog bandwidth fund. The high bid is currently $50. Please e-mail your bids before May 30th. Thanks to Kurt and Angie Wilson of Survival Enterprises for sponsoring this fund raiser!    o o o The silver market remains very volatile. Yesterday, there was a huge $1.20 per ounce …



Note From JWR

Note From JWR: During the month of May, we are auctioning the last remaining new autographed copy of my novel “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse” from the inventory at Survival Enterprises. The proceeds of the auction will benefit the SurvivalBlog bandwidth fund. The names of the bidders (including the winning bidder) will be kept anonymous. The opening is bid is just $5. Please e-mail your bids, in $1 increments. The current bidding will be mentioned in our “Odd’s ‘n Sods” entries. Our special thanks to Kurt and Angie Wilson of Survival Enterprises for sponsoring this contest. BTW, be sure to …


Two Letters Re: Folding Fighting/Utility Knife Recommendations?

Sir, I cannot speak higher praise than for the Benchmade line of folding knives, specifically those with the Axis Lock mechanism. $100 may seem steep to some for a folding pocket knife, but its one of two tools I use every single day, and potentially might have to trust my life to some day. The only folding blade I’ve found with a lock I trust that much is the axis. The two specific models I favor are the Ares and the AFCK. I have done things with these knives one should probably never attempt with a folder, but they continue …


Letter Re: Untapped North American Oil Reserves are Providential

Jim: Regarding US dependence on oil, and all of our concerns about it, I have done a little research on it.  My conclusion is that the liberals inadvertently saved us some reserves by blocking the removal of oil in some of our largest reserves; the US also has 77 percent of the world’s oil shale reserve.  This along with the reserves in Canada (the second largest oil reserve in the world) should put the US in good field position for years to come. See:   http://www.news10.net/storyfull2.aspx?storyid=17270 http://www.news10.net/video/player2.aspx?aid=27196 http://home.earthlink.net/~oilandyou/ http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0872964.html If there is a collapse it won’t be based on the lack of this natural resource.  I …


Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog reader R.V. mentioned that Hollywood’s anxiety piece on the Asian Avian Flu will air on May 9th. Any guesses on its impact on food storage vendors? Hmmmm… If you’ve been procrastinating, then you’d better get your orders in soon.    o o o I just noticed that a gent with whom I’ve corresponded for several years (and also a SurvivalBlog reader) currently has a few nifty items for sale on eBay.    o o o There is an interesting thread on the FAL Files about heavy duty 20 liter gas cans made by Briggs and Stratton, and stabilizing gas …



Note From JWR:

We just returned from a weekend trip down to Salt Lake City, where I had a couple or tables at the Crossroads of the West gun show. Meanwhile, the Memsahib and our kids availed themselves of the outstanding LDS Family History Library, just west of Temple Square. It was great pleasure meeting so many SurvivalBlog readers face to face at the gun show. Thanks for your kind words of encouragement for the blog’s success. One thing that struck me was that 2/3s of the people who said that they had read my novel “Patriots”also said that they hadn’t yet heard …


Letter Re: Advice of Shotgun Shells and Shot Sizes

Dear Mr. Rawles, I look forward to reading your blog every day. One of the nice things about a shotgun is the wide variety of ammo available for them, but that does bring up a question: what type of shells should one stock up on? I currently keep about an even mix of 00 buckshot (primarily for defense) and #8-bird-shot (for practice, pest control & small-game hunting). I also have a small quantity of slugs, but not many; I figure that a situation that would best be served with a slug would be even better served with a rifle. Do …


Letter from “RBS” Re: Supporting SurvivalBlog and Developing a Second Stream of Income

For those of you that have come to find SurvivalBlog.Com a daily read and would also find the Internet just not as fun a place without it, might I suggest an easy way to generate the requested donation of $36 per year (or just 10 cents a day) to keep it going strong. Sell something on eBay or other commerce site (there are plenty!) [and take $36.50 of the proceeds] and send it to JWR. It’s an easy and effective way of killing several “birds” with one stone. First, you will be supporting your favorite web site. Second, the money …



Note From JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 4 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best contest entry will win a four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate. The deadline for entries for Round 4 is May 31, 2006.


Thoughts On Disaster Survival, by Mel in Texas

I live in Texas so this is on my mind. But could be relative to anything… Thoughts On Disaster Survival 1. Have a bug-out kit ready at all times. 2. Renew supplies in your bug-out kit on a regular basis. 3. Plan on needing a LOT more supplies than you think. 4. In a real emergency, forget about last-minute purchases. 5. Make sure your vehicle will carry your essential supplies. 6. A big bug-out vehicle can be a handicap. 7. Make sure you have a bug-out place handy. 8. Provide entertainment for younger children. 9. Pack essentials first, then luxuries. …


Letter Re: Angst and Stocking Up

Hello Jim, There has been a lot of chatter recently about a gut feeling that “Something Wicked This Way Comes.” I share that uneasy feeling and note that many of my business associates and I have begun to prepare for hard times. For myself, I’ve accelerated a bit on topping off my retreat supplies. Some recent additions include 500 pounds of Buffalo meat (at a cost of $2.09 a pound for yearling grain fed Buffalo heifer, cut, double wrapped and frozen.) I’ve had one of my M1A type rifles rebuilt to competition standards, added a case of 12 gauge 00 …


Two Letters Re: Ponds, Aquiculture, and Pond Predators

Hey James,   I have been pondering (pun intended) bioponics (AKA aquaponics) for a couple of years now.  A seminal site, http://www.townsqr.com/snsaqua/index.html, describes bioponics as “A simple and innovative system of food production combining aquaculture and hydroponic growing techniques without expensive equipment” or the use of mineral nutrient salts.   Here’s how it works.  Water from the fish tank is pumped to grow beds.  In addition to crops, the grow beds contain naturally produced bacteria.  The bacteria breaks down the fish waste thus cleaning the water.  The plants feed on the nitrogen produced by the bacteria.  Finally, the water is …