Year: 2008

Four Letters Re: A Honeybee CCD Disaster Soon?–Bee Prepared!

James, Here is a link to a somewhat less pessimistic article on CCD, the current state of affairs with bees, and a likely possible cause. I agree that the consequences of a loss of Apis mellifera would be a severe blow, but I think the reality is not (yet?) quite so dire as a recently linked article predicted. Best Regards, – MP   Jim; Your comments miss the fact that solitary bees, such as the Orchard Mason bee, are roughly 10 times more effective [per capita] as pollinators than honeybees, and are plentiful in most locales. Bumblebees ain’t bad at …


Letter Re: Some Information on LDS Canneries

Jim– The LDS Bishop Storehouse/Cannery list of foods available shows a storage life of 30 years for most properly packaged foods. The Cannery Food Commodities sheet includes this statement: “For longer-term storage, avoid teaching people to ‘store what you eat and eat what you store’.” Think about it: in money terms, you don’t want to dip into the principle. The same is true for emergency food storage. Here’s some sample prices as of December 22, 2007: Hard red wheat $4.75 for a 25# bag (you’ll transfer the wheat to a food-grade bucket; for how-to, check SurvivalBlog archives) Hard white wheat …


Odds ‘n Sods:

US Home Prices Fell in 2007 for First Time in Decades    o o o Eric sent us this piece that squares nicely with my comments yesterday: Central Bankers Confront A New Inflation Calculus    o o o Richard G. sent a link to this recent front page Wall Street Journal article: In a World Short Of Oil, Provisions Must Be Made. Richard’s comment: “While the major media is starting to admit to peak oil, I was somewhat surprised that the WSJ would run this piece about stockpiling food, starting relocalization networks, storing gasoline and propane, buying and storing physical …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou pass through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” – Isaiah 43:1-2


Note from JWR:

The five day arctic cold spell that dominated most of the intermountain west has come to an end. Our kids enjoyed the sunny skies and sledding, even though the daytime highs were around 15 degrees (Fahrenheit), and the nighttime lows were around -10 F. Our horse Money Pit looked woeful, with rings of frost around the eyes and a frosty chin each morning. The clear weather also provided some beautiful pinkish Alpenglühen on the peaks of The Unnamed Range of Mountains each evening, and some awe-inspiring golden glow at sunrise each morning–once with the full moon setting in the west …


Davos Delegates Deeply Denigrate the Dissipated Dollar

The once Almighty US Dollar got its comeuppance this week at the annual Davos, Switzerland conclave. After too many years of maxing out her credit card at Macy’s, the weak sister of the currency world was strongly chided by her siblings. The Federal Reserve’s unprecedented one-day 75 basis point cut in interest rates was seen as exactly what it was: a desperation measure. Jean-Claude Trichet, the head of the European Central Bank (ECB) said that there is little chance of a European interest rate cut, to match the Fed’s rate cut Soon after, Steve Forbes went so far as to …


Two Letters Re: Retreat Group Recruiting and Organization

James, Some tips when looking for like-minded suitable people for a survivalist group: At work look for people who carry a pocket knife–a real pocket knife not a tiny little Swiss Army knife– in these politically correct times it’s one of the first thing that sticks out in an office environment When sharing a ride to lunch you may notice some people always have some hiking/camping gear always in their cars. Having a spare pair of shoes such as hiking boots at work. Observe if anyone goes for a walk at lunch or any other indication that they are staying …


Letter Re: “Life After People” Documentary Series

Jim, You noted that several SurvivalBlog readers had mentioned the “Life After People” documentary series, in advance of its first airing. I just saw it. What a waste of time. This show provided nothing of any use to anyone. It seems as if it was an excuse to give the computer graphics specialists something to do while the screen writers are on strike. I believe this show was primarily a vehicle to promote the idea that humans are destroying the planet. It kept stating how better off the planet, animal life, the oceans and their wildlife were now that man …


Odds ‘n Sods:

I got the chance to watch the first three episodes of “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”. I found the show was worth watching. There are no great earth-shattering revelations about preparedness, but it sure beats the mindless drivel usually found on network television. For those of us without televisions, full episodes are available at the Fox network web site.    o o o In a recent e-mail, Naish Piazza of Front Sight sent a link to key web site to bookmark: Family WatchDog.The site provides Google maps showing where registered sex offenders live in proximity to your home.    o …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“It has never been clear to me why increased magazine capacity in a defensive pistol is particularly choice. The bigger the magazine the bigger the gun, and the bigger the gun the harder it is to get hold of for people with small hands. And what, pray, does one need all those rounds for? How many lethal antagonists do you think you are going to be able to handle? Once when Bruce Nelson was asked by a suspect if the thirteen-round magazine in the P35 [Browning Hi-Power] was not a big advantage, Bruce’s answer was, “Well, yes, if you plan …


Letter Re: Does Future Inflation Justify a Higher Level of Indebtedness?

Sir, In reading the recent economic commentary on your blog site I have to wonder – if one is convinced that we’re to see a significant increase in inflation, then why get out of debt? Take a mortgage for instance: with decent credit it is now possible to refinance (or purchase) and get a fixed rate mortgage under 5% and rates will likely go lower before we’re done. With tax breaks and even normal inflation this is essentially free money. In an inflationary environment (which I don’t argue we’re in) it would make sense to keep this debt and instead …


Letter Re: How Much Ammunition to Store?

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Mr. Rawles: My wife and I enjoy your web site immensely. I do have one question for you. I know we are targeting how much food/water supply we need for long-term survive but how much ammo do you think the average family should strive to purchase/store? Thanks, – David K. JWR Replies: It is important to maintain balance in your preparations. Food storage, first aid supplies, and heirloom seed storage should be priorities. But after those have been taken acre of, it makes sense to stock up on ammunition. As long as you store your ammo in sealed military surplus …


Weekly Survival Real Estate Market Update

Winter Home Inspections Although winter time retreat shopping can afford many positives like reduced prices and motivated sellers, there can also be a few downsides as well. While purchasing your retreat during the winter, especially when there is a considerable amount of snow on the ground, extra care must be taken during your inspection period. Many surprises may await you when the spring thaw arrives. Among them may be hidden trash and slash piles that will have to burned or removed, road grading and repair work, downed frost free spigots, fencing repairs, vegetation removal and major grounds keeping issues that …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Loyal content contributor RBS sent us this “must bookmark” link: The Librums’s PDF Collection. It is veritable gold mine of mostly out-of-print books on practical skills.They are primarily late 19th Century, but there are also a few modern titles like the “US Army Special Forces Medical Handbook”, “Where There is No Dentist”, and “Where There is No Doctor.” They have lots of free gardening books, formularies, recipe books, and so forth. The usual provisos on 19th Century book reprints apply: Most notably, safety standards in those days were not quite the same as today’s, so be careful around harmful or …