Month: June 2008

Odds ‘n Sods:

Chris T. recommended this Time magazine article by Amanda Ripley: How to Survive A Disaster    o o o BulletProofME.com (one our loyal advertisers with a great reputation) has just started a one-month special sale on Interceptor Body Armor and Kevlar helmets. The sale price is just for SurvivalBlog readers: $500 for a mil-spec Interceptor vest in Woodland Camouflage or 3-Color Desert Camouflage. (That is below wholesale – only possible because of a military contact overrun in these colors. So te special sale price only applies to those colors. (They do offer a 15% discount on other colors.) They are …



Notes from JWR:

I got the following note from a reporter named Alison, at one of the big “Three Letter Acronym” television networks: “I”m a reporter a looking to do a story about how some people are becoming “survivalists” as our energy prices skyrocket. I am looking to profile someone, or a family, in the New York region, preferably in the New York Metro area, including the tri-state region. If they wish to remain anonymous, we can also call them different names and not give away where they live.” If any SurvivalBlog readers are interested, send me an e-mail, and I will forward …


A Citizen’s Band (CB) Radio Installation Primer, by C.G.

Citizen Band (CB) radio requires no FCC license to operate so it is a good choice for local communication. If cell phones fail to work for whatever reason, it may be the best method for remote communication since its range is better than FRS and GMRS. When I installed my first CB in a vehicle, I was happy just to get it in and be able to transmit to my buddy who lived the next block over. I’ve matured since then and my tolerance for white noise is less than what it used to be. I’ve learned over the years …


Letter Re: An Inexpensive Source for Bulk Silica Gel Desiccant

Hi, James There is always a need for desiccants for various uses, be it food storage, caching, or other projects. Most who need such things already have a favorite supplier, but I’ll make another recommendation for the sake of saving a few bucks. Any local grocer, pet supply dealer or Big Box store carries silica-gel cat litter in amounts from 3 to 30 pounds: Tidy Cats Crystals is one such product, though there are many. A rounded tablespoon place in a square of mesh fabric purchased in a craft/hobby department (where it can be bought by the yard–think about the …


Letter Re: Can I Burn Home Heating Oil or Kerosene in a Diesel Engine?

Hello Jim, This is in response to the gentleman’s question about using kerosene in diesel engines. Yes, it can be done. I had two 55 gallon drums of kerosene that were reaching the end of their storage life. I also have an old Mercedes diesel car and ran the kerosene with some added lubrication in the vehicle and it worked very well. You are correct that kerosene doesn’t have the same lubrication values of diesel but that is solved by simply adding vegetable oil or biodiesel to to the fuel. I used a 10-to-1 ratio as recommended by another poster …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Kirk flagged this Business Week piece: Bad Omens for Banks?–News from KeyCorp suggests U.S. banks’ loan losses may worsen. Is the credit crisis hitting a second, even scarier phase? The global credit crisis is worsening. Take steps to protect yourself.    o o o Thanks to Dave S. for sending this: US rail network facing congestion ‘calamity’    o o o My recent mention of health concerns about synthetic sweeteners (such as Nutrasweet and Splenda) prompted readers Chris D., Kim, and EMW to all remind me to mention the herbal sweetener, Stevia rebaudiana. It is a safe, natural sweetener derived …



Note from JWR:

The judging was difficult because we had so many great entries. But after much deliberation we decided that the first place winner of Round 16 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest is KLK for her article “How To Prepare for Radiation Emergencies”. She has won two valuable four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificates. (Worth up to $4,000!) Second place goes to B.H. for his article “Safe Food Handling”. He will receive a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing Three Honorable Mention prizes go to NC Bluedog for …


Letter Re: An Importer’s Insights on the Canned Tuna Market

Hi James I am in the import food business and one of the products that I sell is canned tuna. I know that a lot of survivalists have canned tuna in their larder and thought I might be able to provide some useful information. There are four species of tuna that are sold in cans; skipjack, tongol, yellowfin and albacore. Skipjack is the cheapest and Albacore the most expensive. I have been selling tuna for about 20 years and over the last two years, have seen the raw material prices double. Normally, prices go up and then back down, as …


Letter Re: Physical Gold Versus Electronic Gold

Mr Rawles, The letter from the gent who recommends investing in synthetic gold startled me. Prior to the Great Depression my family was very wealthy. My great-great grandfather, was an assemblyman from New York State who [had] moved to the backwoods of Pennsylvania and built what was at one time the largest tannery on the east coast. The family also owned a large hotel, at least two other tanneries, a general store and a gristmill. When his son took over the reins of the family wealth he invested the bulk of it in silver stock. When the stock market crashed …


Letter Re: A Combustion Temperature Reference

Hello James: I came across these ignition temperatures in a reference book and thought they might be of use to others,. This may be useful for whatever folks may be doing with flammable materials or fuels at their retreat or at home. All ignition temperatures noted are in Fahrenheit: Cut Newspaper 446 degrees Cut filter paper 450 degrees Straw and sawdust 450 to 500 degrees Gasoline 536 to 800 degrees depending on octane rating Kerosene 480 degrees Natural Gas 1,000 to 1,200 degrees Propane 871 degrees Butane 806 degrees Paints and Lacquers (the flammable part isn’t the pigment, although the …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Bill from Ohio sent this: Hunger Prompting Desperate Acts    o o o Reader David D. mentioned this article by Ellen Brown: The Secret Bailout of JP Morgan. One is naturally led to ask: Cui bono?    o o o Elisha R. mentioned a handy state of Texas PDF on rainwater catchment    o o o CDR sent us this link: China quake survivors scavenge amid the ruins–They search for scrap metal to sell so they can buy food for their families


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“JP Morgan has assets of $1.6 trillion and equity of $126 billion. They seem reasonably well-capitalized at 7.6%. We just hope that there’s no problems in their almost $92 trillion derivative exposure that is more than 50 times their assets and, more importantly, greater than 700 times their equity. We hope them to be well-matched, but if they are even the tiniest bit wrong, their equity could be wiped out as their equity represents just 0.13% of their gross derivative exposure.” – Steven Romick, writing in Agora Financial’s Rude Awakening e-newsletter, May, 2008