Month: September 2007


Note from JWR:

I recently had the opportunity to do some on-site consulting with a client that owns an elaborate retreat in Eastern Oregon. I really like the region, since it is wonderfully remote. The upper elevations have copious timber and wild game, and fairly plentiful water. Half of the fun of my Oregon trips is poking around county history museums and graveyards. I’m distantly related to David Lawson Shirk, one of eastern Oregon’s early cattlemen. (See the book “The Cattle Drives of David Shirk.”) Shirk was involved in a much-publicized range war with cattle baron Pete French (of the famous “P” Ranch), …


Letter Re: Running Chainsaws on Ethanol & Home Alcohol Production Stills

Hello, [As a follow-up to the letter about running gasoline engines on alcohol:] In case you don’t know it, most gasoline engines will also run on kerosene. No jet changes, all you have to do it adjust timing. Many small engines like generators and such made by Kohler and Briggs and Stratton have an adjustable timing ring. Many have markings for [setting] use to for gasoline or kerosene. It works well. Now to tell you the truth, I never tried it in a car engine. Though generally what works in small engines should work in a car, and yes, you …


Letter Re: Information Security Considerations When Selling a House with “Special Features”

Mr. Rawles- I truly enjoy and appreciate your site and hope to soon be able to express that with a [10 Cent Challenge] commitment. Perhaps one solution to the marketing of property with “special features” would be a multi-layered approach to advertising and responding. First present the property with a limited description such as general location and non-specific amenities using descriptions such as “special”, “hardened”, if appropriate and perhaps a philosophy statement and pricing that would lend a sense for the property without risking over-exposure. Interested parties could pursue a phone interview or email exchange to determine actual depth of …


Odds ‘n Sods:

US Dollar Trades Near Record Low Against Euro Before Durable Goods. When I checked last, the US Dollar Index was down to 78.56. Some analysts suggest 75 or perhaps even 72 as the next support level.   o o o Dr. Gary North asks: Has the Fed Lost Control Over Money?    o o o From The Boston Herald, by way of SHTF Daily: Despite Fed cuts, mortgage rates rise    o o o Stephen in Iraq sent us this: Subprime Panic Freezes $40 Billion of Canadian Commercial Paper


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"The real trouble with this world of ours is not that it is an unreasonable world, nor even that it is a reasonable one. The commonest kind of trouble is that it is nearly reasonable, but not quite. Life is not an illogicality; yet it is a trap for logicians. It looks just a little more mathematical and regular than it is; its exactitude is obvious, but its inexactitude is hidden; its wildness lies in wait." – G. K. Chesterton


Note from JWR:

I’m planning to have a table at the Great Falls, Montana Gun Show this coming weekend. (September 28-29-30, 2007). It is a very long drive for me, so I hope that it is worth the expense. (High gasoline prices have curtailed my travel schedule considerably.) I will be bringing lots of books and some full capacity magazines. For a list of most of what I’ll have with me, see: my catalog page. The show is at The Four Seasons Arena. To spot my table: Look for a blue table drape and a stack of copies of my novel “Patriots”, as …


Letter Re: Information Security Considerations When Selling a House with “Special Features”

James May I give an anecdote about being very careful about the hidden value/risk of shelters and other preparations when selling a property. In Portland, Oregon a person I know purchased a property which after closing was revealed to have a medium sized manhole entry type fallout shelter in the back yard. This person was quite annoyed to have what he considered a dangerous hole and had it filled in by a cement pumper and the doors and frame broken away and sodded over, after documenting the total costs he filed a lawsuit against the seller for reducing his property …


Letter Re: Peace of Mind Through Systematic Preparedness

Dear James and SurvivalBlog Family: Thank you for this tremendously vital preparedness forum. It has been the direct impetus for me to seriously prepare to survive various natural disasters that could assail the New England area, but more importantly, to be prepared for the inevitable TEOTWAWKI situation, which I expect, we will face within a decade, as soon as the oft-predicted Winter Solstice of 2012–Which still leaves us plenty of time to prepare, if we only make that crucial decision to begin (or to enhance) our preparations and remain steadfast in our intentions to survive whatever may come our way. …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Tim P., “C3”, and AAP all mentioned this article about a former Titan missile base for sale, near Moses Lake, Washington.    o o o For the “In Case You’ve Been Wondering Department”: The List of Foreign Governments that Hold US Debt. As Senator Everett Dirksen put it so aptly many years ago: “A billion here, and a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talkin’ about real money!”    o o o An emerging threat in the long term: China Build’s World’s Largest Navy. OBTW, the current news about the scrap iron and steel shortage–since China is buying everything in …



Note from JWR:

An unusually dry summer has created a hay shortage in much of the western US that is bordering on “severe.” In our area, just plain grass hay is fetching $250 per ton in the field. I’ve noticed that the local classified ad paper is chock full of ads for inexpensive horses. We are blessed to have some good pastures here at the Rawles Ranch, but we still need to supplement for winter feed–for when we have snow on the ground. With hay prices like these, our beloved saddle horse Money Pit is starting to live up to his name.


Two Letters Re: Lantern Battery Disassembly

Jim: On Saturday 22 September 2007, you posted a web link from T.A. in Indiana for a video on how to take apart a lantern battery and get 32 AA batteries out of it. I tried that with a heavy duty Ray-O-Vac and it had four cells approximately the diameter of C cell batteries but longer. Before people stock up on 6-volt lantern batteries thinking they will break down for AA batteries, they need to disassemble the brand they intend to buy to see how it is put together. The battery in the video appeared to be a bargain brand …


Letter Re: Information Security Considerations When Selling a House with “Special Features”

James, Thank you for the SurvivalReality.com web site. I check the listings regularly, hoping for my own retreat purchase in the future. The Bunker Home Retreat caught my eye since I’ve been to Pueblo Colorado many times. The bunker sounds very well designed and built. But the aerial views show exactly where the home is located, including street names. I don’t see how anyone can consider the bunker as secret, or “stealth” any more. Also, the seller includes a picture of the hidden entrance plainly open in broad daylight right in the middle of his front yard. I can only …


Letter Re: Advice on Short Term Shelter from Inflation

Mr. Rawles: After reading your recent comments regarding the possibility of extreme inflation in the US, I began asking myself how well prepared I am to handle such a situation. The answer was not pretty. You see I am only 24 years old and my wife and I are saving for a house, so most of our funds are tied up in some sort of bank. I fear that if inflation hits, all that cash in the bank will be worthless, and all my saving will be for naught. Do you have any suggestions on how a person like me …