Month: March 2007

Odds ‘n Sods:

Frequent blog content contributor Ben L. mentioned this article that confirms that the origin of H5N1 Asian Avian Flu was in southern China. Ben’s comment: “As if we didn’t already know. Hello, again, 1918.”    o o o Ben L. also recommends a site with some of the collected essays of Ed Harris (of “Ed’s Red” bore cleaner fame.) Ben’s comment: on Ed’s essays: “[they] bustle with subsonic rifle loads, “minimalist” (my wording) firearms usage, bore-cleaning, sighting, old-time gun writers (Jack O’Connor, Townsend Whelen, etc.), and the like. Quite the relief from “Keeping up with the Jones’s”, re buying the …




Honey–Storage Life, Crystallization, Storage Quantities, and Medicinal Uses

The recent letters and posts on honeybee Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) have prompted several readers to send comments and questions about storing and using honey, which are summarized below. For some of my answers, I relied heavily on the 3 Bees Honey (of Canada) FAQ page, the Golden Blossom Honey FAQ, a Mayo Clinic web page on Infant Botulin poisoning, BeeSource.com, and the Sugars and Honey FAQ, courtesy of Vickilynn Haycraft’s RealFoodLiving.com. Q.: What is the big deal about honey? Can’t I just store cane sugar, instead? Is honey really more healthy? A. Honey is much more healthy and nutritious …


Letter Re: The “Third Way” Approach–A Forward Base En Route to a Remote Survival Retreat

James Wesley: With respect to “Marc in NJ”‘s comments posted on 3/6/07 – He recommends that if one is a bachelor, then getting an apartment/condo near work (in the city) to use as a forward base, then have a truck to haul things. If you’re going to do that, why not go with a motor home/RV and rent a spot at a mobile home park ? No need to pack, just be on your way. Might not work in really big cities where such places are hard to find, or you may have to do some interesting negotiations with a …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Dr. Ralph mentioned this technology, that could forestall Peak Oil’s perils: Oil Innovations Pump New Life Into Old Wells   o o o We are happy to welcome uControl Home Security to our roster of Affiliate Advertisers. Check them out. This isn’t your daddy’s burglar alarm system. The uControl method offers great redundancy and resiliency through multiple communication paths.    o o o Net worth of U.S. households skyrockets. The article ends ominously: “One risk facing the economy is that the housing slump will take an unexpected turn for the worse, a development that likely would cause consumers to clamp …



Note from JWR:

We had some fun here at the Rawles Ranch yesterday. Now that the snow is off, we are enjoying decent canoeing weather. (There is not a lot else to do during the early part of The Mud Season–at least not until the morels start to sprout.) We went down to The Unnamed River (TUR), which traverses the back end of our property. We ran a 120-foot length of army surplus 7/16″ “green line” (rappelling rope) across the river via canoe, to use as a one-rope bridge. (BTW, 120-foot coils of brand new green line are available from Survival Logistics, one …


Letter Re: Which Band is Best for an Unlicensed Handheld Transceiver?

Mr. Rawles: We would like to purchase a weather band radio, plus several walkie-talkies. We want radios that don’t need a license, for use around our house and around town, as well as for up at our cabin in the U.P. [Upper Peninsula] of Michigan, which we are stocking for a retreat. (My husband is a part-time building contractor. Last summer, we made a fairly narrow windowless utility room in the cabin “vanish” by removing its door and molding and sheetrocking it. The only entrance to the room is now via a secret door at the end of a paneled …


Letter Re: Counter-Sniper Rifle Advice

Shalom, Jim: I am interested in purchasing a rifle for sniper and other long-range purposes. I was looking at a Savage Model 12 chambered in .308, with the varmint, long-range barrel. I have several questions for you if you don’t mind: 1.) Can a rifle chambered in .308 also shoot 7.62 NATO rounds? 2.) What make and model of rifle do you recommend for this type of shooting? 3.) Do you currently have a weapon that you would use for sniper purposes, if necessary? Or is a long-range, sniper rifle even a necessity for a retreat scenario? Thanx for your …


Odds ‘n Sods:

While it is surely no substitute for writing letters to your congresscritters, there is now a “No to H.R. 1022” (semi-auto and magazine ban) petition, with the goal of one million virtual “signers.”    o o o Michael Z. Williamson and Tim. L. both mentioned this news story: Blues Traveler Frontman John Popper Gets Popped. Mr. Popper has pretty good taste in guns and gear. In the photograph, notice the pair of Steyr Scout rifles, the stainless Mini-14 and the PVS-7 night vision goggles. Mike’s comment: “Preparedness is no good if you get busted for speeding and drug possession.”    …



Note from JWR:

The high bid is still at $330 in the current SurvivalBlog benefit auction for a brand new Schecter “Warthog” Electric Guitar. This is an awesome guitar that is decorated in a military aviation theme, from Schecter’s Tempest series. It has a $729 retail value. The auction ends March 15th. Just e-mail me your bid. Thanks!


Letter Re: Honeybee Colony Collapse Disorder Continues to Spread

Jim, We opened up our hives this week. This Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) has hit us. I’ve ever seen anything like this. We have been told that in the late 1950s and early 1960s there was “Absconding” going on. Just a rough look thusfar leads me to believe that we have 80% losses [of our hive population.]. We are still looking at hives, trying to figure next step. As of today, we are no longer “migratory” beekeepers. We’re gonna need bees here [in North-Central Idaho] just to pollinate the local berry, apple and plum crops. The big orchards in Washington …


Letter Re: Restoring Older Shortwave Receivers

James: A note on the Zenith Trans-Oceanic [tube-type general coverage receiver]s: I’ve been collecting these and refurbishing them on bad weather days. I replace all the paper and electrolytic capacitors, check the tubes, clean them up, and tune up the coil tower with an old tube RF signal generator. The paper capacitors are very prone to failure. Then I construct a replacement battery pack using ten 9 V batteries and 5 “D” cells. I plan to make a 12 VDC charger for these that I can run off my PV panels. So far I’ve done nine of these. I am …