Month: February 2008

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

Dr. Peter Venkman: This city is headed for a disaster of Biblical proportions. Mayor: What do you mean, "Biblical"? Dr Ray Stantz: What he means is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor, real wrath-of-God type stuff. Dr. Peter Venkman: Exactly. Dr Ray Stantz: Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies. Rivers and seas boiling. Dr. Egon Spengler: Forty years of darkness. Earthquakes, volcanoes… Winston Zeddemore: The dead rising from the grave. Dr. Peter Venkman: Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together – mass hysteria! – Ghostbusters, 1984


Self-Sufficiency in Northern Nevada

Over at the Bison Survival Blog (formerly called the Bison Newsletter), editor Jim Dakin recently posted an interesting piece titled “Economics of Self-Sufficiency.” I recommend his blog, although it is with the caveat that there is a lot of foul language posted there, especially in some of the comments posted by readers. For several years, Jim Dakin has advocated the low cost retreating approach of buying an inexpensive piece of land (what he calls “junk land”), and living very frugally, with a large used travel trailer for shelter. Jim Dakin presently lives in Carson City, Nevada, in the rain shadow …


Letter Re: My Preparedness Plans Just Took an Unexpected Turn

Jim: I am home after spending several days in the local Children’s Hospital. In short, my toddler was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes after admittance to the ER and subsequent stay in the ICU and diabetes wing. This came as somewhat of a shock but not completely so due in part to a family history of the same. What it has done, however, is caused me to re-evaluate my preps entirely, particularly food and medical. 1) The foods that I have acquired must now be truly accounted for in the carb department. I had never given that any thought for …


Letter Re: AA Cells and Mobile Power

There was a discussion about batteries a few days back on SurvivalBlog. The writer advocated using AA NiMH cells almost exclusively, with adapters for devices requiring C and D cells. While I do agree that this is a good approach for some devices, there is certainly some merit to having full size 10 Amp Hour (10,000 MAH) batteries in high [current] draw or long term use devices. Not only is capacity significantly higher on larger cells, but the maximum safe current draw is higher too. Good NiMH C cells have 2-to-3 times the capacity of AA cells, and NiMH D …


Odds ‘n Sods:

I’ve mentioned bond insurers several times before in the blog. A recent Reuters article, (courtesy of RBS), shows that the mainstream media has finally caught on to some of the broader implications: New York Governor Spitzer warns: Bond insurer woes could become market “tsunami”    o o o HH sent us this: Putin threatens to add the Ukraine to nuclear target list if they join NATO.    o o o I spotted this story linked at Drudge: U.S. will down failed satellite. The article doesn’t do a good job of describing what is planned. If an interceptor hits the satellite …



Notes from JWR:

Congrats to Greg M., the high bidder in our most recent SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction. A new auction begins today. This auction is for three items: a 120 VAC/12 VDC BedFan Personal Cooling System (a $99 retail value), kindly donated by the manufacturer, a Thieves Oil Start Living Kit (a $161 retail value) donated by Ready Made Resources, and a copy of the latest edition of “The Encyclopedia of Country Living” by the late Carla Emery (a $32 retail value). The opening bid is just $50. The auction ends on March 15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments. Today’s …


Guest Editorial: The Great Bust of ’08, by Mike Whitney

On January 14, 2008 the FDIC web site began posting the rules for reimbursing depositors in the event of a bank failure. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is required to “determine the total insured amount for each depositor…..as of the day of the failure” and return their money as quickly as possible. The agency is “modernizing its current business processes and procedures for determining deposit insurance coverage in the event of a failure of one of the largest insured depository institutions.” The implication is clear. The FDIC has begun the “death watch” on the many banks which are currently …


Letter Re: Questions on Freezing Canned Foods

Jim, How cold can canned goods get? Near freezing, below freezing (say teens), way below freezing (negative numbers?) I’m also interested to know this for canned butter and canned cheese. Thanks! – Maxx JWR Replies: Freezing generally will not harm the contents of most canned foods, but doing so will put the integrity of the can’s seal at risk. (And, once breached, it then opens up a whole raft of further potential problems, that range from mild (discoloration and oxidation) to severe (botulin poisoning). Reactions to freezing depend on both the can’s construction and the contents of the can. If …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Eric–one of our most prolific content contributors–sent us this: Fed Chairman Bernanke Says Nation’s Business Prospects Have Deteriorated. Methinks we can expect at least one more panic-driven interest rate cut in the US. That will surely mean a weaker US dollar and stronger precious metals prices. Meanwhile, Canada looks likely to tag along. Plan accordingly. If the USD Index drops below 72, watch out!    o o o SF in Hawaii flagged this web link to a Swiss company that has prototyped electric ATVs, scooters, and even ultralight aircraft.    o o o Reader Bill N. suggested a FAS web …



Note from JWR:

The SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction ends at midnight eastern time tonight. (Friday, February 15th). The high bid is now at $300. The auction is for a Brunton Solarport 4.4 watt photovoltaic panel (a $140 retail value), a Deluxe Outdoor Survival Tool Kit (a $70 retail value)–both kindly donated by Ready Made Resources–as well as seven other items: A copy of the latest edition of “The Encyclopedia of Country Living” by the late Carla Emery (a $32 retail value), an autographed copy of my novel “Patriots” (a $23 retail value), an autographed copy of my nonfiction book “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation” …


Finding Your Dream Retreat: It is Time to Watch the Foreclosure Listings

I often get e-mails from readers, complaining that the retreat properties that they see listed are too expensive. Typically is something like: “I found a couple of good places, but they are beyond my reach.” Here is one possible solution: Buy on the other guy’s weakness. There are lots of foreclosures now on the market, and the foreclosure rate is expected to increase as the real estate bubble continues to deflate, and as the US economy slides into recession. (In my estimation, here is the equation for the next four years: Recession equals lay-offs, and layoffs equals missed house payments, …


Letter Re: Survival Lessons from the Book “The Long Walk”

Jim, One of your blog readers suggested the book “The Long Walk”. Five minutes Googling around will satisfy you that “The Long Walk” is pure fiction masquerading as fact. I like a good yarn, but only when such stories are clearly labeled “fiction.” Nobody but the British author who made up this tall tale has ever met or interviewed or known anything about the supposed Polish prisoners who he claims walked across the Gobi Desert and the Himalayas with virtually no gear. There are many great true survival stories, but unfortunately this is not one of them. – Matt Bracken …


Weekly Survival Real Estate Market Update

Buying Your Retreat During ‘The Melt’ Ah…for those of you who have never heard of the ‘melt’ or the ‘mud season’ in a cold climate you’ll be in for a big and most likely not very exciting surprise. This phenomenon usually lasts a few weeks to a month and during that time the entire area is just plain wet and muddy. Most roads other than the main highway have [commercial/logging/mining] load weight restrictions placed on them with heavy fines for violations. This is to keep the roads from buckling and sinking when the earth underneath them thaws and is sometimes …