Month: May 2008

Odds ‘n Sods:

More Gloom und Doom from Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: The global slump of 2008-09 has begun as poison spreads. It sounds like he’s been reading SurvivalBlog. Don’t listen to the Wall Street pundits at CNBC who assure us that there will be a jolly “soft landing,”    o o o Thanks to Chester for sending this: US foreclosure filings surge 65 percent in April. As I’ve mentioned before in SurvivalBlog: Anyone that does not yet own a rural retreat should watch the foreclosure listings carefully. There may some tremendous bargains in the next few years that are right in your “ideal” retreat …



Note from JWR:

The SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction ends tonight (May 15th) at midnight eastern time. The high bid is now at $350. This auction is for four items: A FoodSaver GameSaver Turbo Plus heavy duty food vacuum packaging system (a retail value of $297) kindly donated by Ready Made Resources an autographed copy of : “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation”, an autographed copy of “SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog”, and a copy of “The Encyclopedia of Country Living”, by the late Carla Emery. The four items have a combined retail value of around $395. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments …


Letter Re: Household Food Costs Escalating in England

Jim, It is not just USA that may is seeing food and fuel prices increase, here on the other side of the pond in the UK we are see the same. Problem here is that out government are trying to persuade us that inflation is low. Due to keep moving the goal posts and accounting methods. There is now a worldwide crisis over supplies of key crops such as corn, wheat and rice that has triggered food riots in some countries. In the UK it has brought the biggest rises in bills in a generation. A family which spent £100 …


Two Letters Re: Triage in Emergency Mass Critical Care (EMCC) Events

Jim: Two minor notes:regarding the letter from DS in Wisconsin: Pulse Oximeters are cheaper now than ever. Some drug companies give them away as promo’s. You can find them online starting well under $100, some nearer to $50. These are battery operated self-contained finger clamp units, but I’ve seen nurses at more than one hospital using them to take vitals. Secondly, while it is possible to ventilate a patient by hand for long term, it is not very practical. You’d need a staff of dedicated people that are willing to perform a laborious and painful task for hours on end, …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Thanks to Yishai for sending us this interesting article link: Five Modern Secret Room Dreams (and Nightmares): From Creative Hideouts to Dreadful Spaces    o o o Samuel K. flagged this: Are Backyard Ethanol Brewers an Answer to High-Priced Gas? In the context of Schumeresque days, such systems would only make sense in a place like Hawaii, where it could expected that grid power might be available, and cane sugar is readily available. Used in CONUS, I predict that grid power or transport disruptions would quickly transform these systems into just quaint ornaments. And of course these systems make E100 …



Note from JWR:

The SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction ends tomorrow night at midnight, eastern time. The high bid is now at $350. This auction is for four items: A FoodSaver GameSaver Turbo Plus heavy duty food vacuum packaging system (a retail value of $297) kindly donated by Ready Made Resources an autographed copy of : “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation”, an autographed copy of “SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog”, and a copy of “The Encyclopedia of Country Living”, by the late Carla Emery. The four items have a combined retail value of around $395. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.


Range Test and Product Review: Rock River Arms LAR-8 .308 Mid-Length A4 Carbine, by Michael Z. Williamson

After many delays for many reasons, I finally have my hands on a LAR-8, which is Rock River Arms’ entry into the AR-10 clone market. This model is the LAR-8 16″ carbine, flattop, MSRP $1,100. The rifle arrived in a sturdy bright blue case, compartmented to fit a disassembled rifle of each length, with one magazine, manual, everything wrapped in plastic. This is a heavy rifle compared to an AR15, at 8.1 lbs (for a carbine, remember), but is quite reasonable for a .308. From the rear: The buttstock is a standard 6 position, and aftermarket stocks will fit, likewise …


Two Letters Re: Triage in Emergency Mass Critical Care (EMCC) Events

Dear Jim, This letter is in response to NC Bluedog’s very informative article that appeared today. Here in rural Wisconsin, we have the same problems as he noted–shortage of high-technology life-saving devices. This is due to the overall situation that our medical care industry is dollar-driven. He have a small hospital, and two more within a 15 minute dash via ambulance. Each hospital has at least a four-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with a ventilator per bed, and at least two extra ventilators that can be used outside of their ICUs. Beyond that, there are none available. Extra units would …


Odds ‘n Sods:

R.E. found a link to this map of the population density of the US, Mexico, and Canada. Do you see why I prefer the Western US for retreats? Too bad that Canada has a frigid climate (inland) and such draconian gun laws. Otherwise, much of western Canada would be ideal. See my free Recommended Retreat Areas web page for more detail on my recommendations, and my nonfiction book “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation” for even greater detail, with some very useful accompanying maps.)    o o o Eric sent us this: Hard-hit consumers turn to Amish–People save by buying ‘scratch …



Notes from JWR:

The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction is now at $325. This auction is for four items: A FoodSaver GameSaver Turbo Plus heavy duty food vacuum packaging system (a retail value of $297) kindly donated by Ready Made Resources an autographed copy of : “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation”, an autographed copy of “SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog”, and a copy of “The Encyclopedia of Country Living”, by the late Carla Emery. The four items have a combined retail value of around $395. The auction ends in two days–on May15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 …


Technology After TEOTWAWKI, by JLG in Texas

“A wise man has great power, and a man of knowledge increases strength; for waging war you need guidance, and for victory many advisers.” (Proverbs 24:5-6) Most survivalist planning focuses on physical needs—food, shelter, clothing, first aid, self defense. While the physical essentials rightly belong at the top of the list, there’s almost always some empty space left in the locker/bunker/trailer/back-of-the-truck for…something. What to put in there? Human beings are social animals, and we need each other; God has woven this into our genetic code. A “Lone Ranger” survivalist might have an edge in the short-term, but a group of …


Letter Re: The Legality and Ethics of Blocking Roads and Bridges After TEOTWAWKI

Sir: I live in an area of the south that is fairly rural. People her still plant gardens, can, hunt, raise livestock and I believe could if need be survive longer than most in a crisis time. Don’t get me wrong I am stocking and preparing for a long term survival and defense possibility. My question is this: The 40 acres I live on is situated on a ridge in this area surrounded by deep flowing rivers,streams and creeks. These water ways separate the area I live and a metropolitan area 80 miles in one direction and another 60 miles. …