Day: March 8, 2008

Note from JWR:

The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction lot is now at $110. The auction is for a combined lot of five 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), the book “Healing Oils of the Bible“ by David Stewart, Phd. (a $19 retail value) the book “When Technology Fails“, by Matthew Stein (a $29 retail value)–all donated by Ready Made Resources, and a copy of the latest edition of “The Encyclopedia of Country Living” by the late Carla …


Characteristics of a General Purpose Survival Flashlight by W. in Washington

Let there be light. We take it for granted these days, but in the woods on a dark night, during a power outage, or–most importantly–in a long-term survival situation, you’ll quickly learn just how important light is, and how important it is to choose your illumination tools wisely. My purpose here is not to recommend specific lights. There are web sites that can better help you make that decision. I’ll include a few links at the end to get you started. What I want to do is offer my opinions about what I think makes for a good survival light. …


Letter Re: The AR-10 as a Primary Rifle for a Retreat?

Dear Jim: I have read time and again about .308 rifles on SurvivalBlog, and how you often steer people towards the HK and FN brands. What do you think about the Armalite AR-10 I have two, and like them very much, and have extensive spare parts and magazines. BTW, you won’t hurt my feelings if you do not like them, I just wonder why you [don’t often] mention them. Sincerely, Mark in Albuquerque, New Mexico JWR Replies: I have a personal preference for L1A1s, FALs, and HK91s, but I hardly rule out functionally equivalent rifles such as M1As and AR-10s. …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Patrick sent us a link to a promising new steam engine design. (I mentioned it once before in the blog, but their web site has recently been expanded, so it is worth another look.)    o o o Steve sent this: Citi Falls on Worries About Cash Levels. Steve’s comment: “The largest banks are in trouble and main stream media is reporting it.” Meanwhile, we read: Wall Street to Citigroup: Come clean    o o o Two more links from Eric, with more cheery news from abroad: International experts foresee collapse of U.S. economy and, Already we have riots, hoarding, …