Month: May 2009


Note from JWR:

The high bid in the SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction. is now at $1,010. This auction is for a large mixed lot, which includes: 1.) A Three-Color Desert Camo Interceptor OTV (Outer Tactical Vest) size XL only, and a spare Woodland camouflage outer shell, kindly donated by BulletProofME.com. These items have a combined retail value of $960! 2.) A vehicle detection system, which includes: one MURS Alert Probe Sensor (MAPS) with 50 foot probe cable and one MURS Alert Hand Held (M538-HT) transceiver. The MAPS unit’s probe can be covertly installed under the surface of a driveway or road to detect vehicular …


Snippets From the SurvivalBlog Archives: Communications and Monitoring Advice

Plunging into the world of two-way radio communications and monitoring can seem daunting for newbie preppers. It is a technical field that has more than its share of jargon and acronyms. I suggest that you team up with someone that is a licensed amateur “ham” operator, and have them walk you through the basics of the frequency bands, radio wave propagation, the various equipment, and the legalities. Yes, there are plenty of legalities. Stay legal! A ham who mentors new hams is called an “Elmer”. You can find an Elmer through your local ham radio cub. They are almost always …


Letter: Re: Long Term Health Care Needs in TEOTWAWKI

Good Morning, You may have addressed this previously, but I could use your help on this issue. Our six year old daughter has significant medical needs (none requiring electricity thankfully) requiring us to shelter in place. We live outside a major metro area and probably wouldn’t want to be on the roads anyway. Any comments for those of us who fit this bill? Thanks – Jeremy JWR Replies: Yes, this has been addressed. See this letter in the archives, from 2007. OBTW, be sure to follow the back-links there for the previous SurvivalBlog article on mid-size photovoltaic systems for medical …


Letter Re: The Tightwad Gazette Books

James, I have been using the three Tightwad Gazette books, by Amy Dacyczn, for a few years now. While not really aimed at a survivalist audience, it sure fits the bill as preparedness and frugality. Lots of little ideas that may be important when the supply of “stuff” is cut off. The three volumes are available bound together in an omnibus edition The Complete Tightwad Gazette . Regards, – Hunter D.in Alaska


Economics and Investing:

Warren M. wrote to mention that in their 2010 planning document, the US Mint is now considering a new, less expensive composition for the US Nickel. (The five-cent piece.) The Mint document states: “…the unit costs to manufacture the one-cent coin (penny) and 5-cent coin (nickel) are more than their face value for the third consecutive fiscal year. Changing the composition of all circulating coins to less expensive materials would ultimately result in significant taxpayer savings without compromising the utility of these coins. Accordingly, the United States Mint plans to work with the Department of the Treasury and the Congress …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader LRG mentioned an online Directory of Primitive Skills Gatherings and Knap-Ins    o o o After a delay, Camping Survival has sealed cases of full mil-spec MREs back in stock.    o o o DS alerted us to an interesting follow-up to the “Worst Case Scenario” piece. This has implications that go far beyond just economics!    o o o KAF sent a very useful link What is Hardtack and How is it Made?



Notes from JWR:

My Inner Nerd is itching to see the new Star Trek prequel movie, which is scheduled for release tonight (May 8th). But until my latest book manuscript is submitted to Penguin Books, I can’t go see it with a clear conscience. The May 11th manuscript deadline is looming! The new book will be non-fiction, titled How to Survive the End of the World As We Know It. This non-fiction book is scheduled for released in early October. — Today we present a brief but very practical entry for Round 22 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The contest prizes include: …


Health, Hygiene, Fitness and Medical Care in a Coming Collapse, by RangerDoc

Spiritual Fitness Let us start this discussion by confronting a stark fact of life: very few of us, living the life of North American citizens, are fit to survive for a generation in an austere, off the grid, world. First of all, few of us have the philosophical orientation to be survivors. I know in my bones that without God’s help, my family’s ability to survive in a prolonged state of austerity is worse than questionable. As an evangelical Christian, I understand that my own commitment to preparedness is a function of my ongoing submission to God’s will. It could …


Letter Re: Concerns About Toxicity in Water From Roof Catchment Rainwater

Mr. Rawles, I searched the forums to no avail on this topic. In the Pacific Northwest, a common roof setup is untreated wood shakes with copper ridge caps and flashing. The rain hits the copper which leaches chemicals onto the wood shakes to inhibit moss growth. On other sites I’m reading conflicting thoughts on whether this amount of copper renders the water unsuitable for rain catchment into a water barrel for vegetable garden irrigation or a cistern for human consumption. Some folks seem to think there is more danger from the concentrated nitrogen in the water (bird droppings, raccoon feces) …


Mexican Flu Update:

Heather sent a link to an article was featured in Seven Days (an ultra-liberal newspaper in Burlington, Vermont: The Pandemic Pantry; Stocking up on staples, just in case. Heather’s comment: “I think this article illustrates the fact that the preparedness mindset is starting to reach the mainstream. Maybe the sheeple are beginning to catch on? The article on the side talks about the LDS Church. While I have theological disagreements with the LDS I think their food storage program is outstanding.” KAF sent us this: Another Swine Bug Raises Scientists’ Concerns. KAF’s comment: “This is particularly disturbing. When Egypt began …


Economics and Investing:

Reader HPD pointed us to this commentary by Mish Shedlock: Preliminary Stress Test Results. What a sham! HPD also mentioned this: Futures Fall, BofA May Need $35 Billion in Capital. HP had these incisive comments: “Expect BofA (and Wells Fargo) stock to bounce after the initial decline. Geithner has taught the market that he will throw a lifeline to any large bank, no matter how insolvent. Thus is capital misallocated in a centrally planned economy.” He added in a later e-mail: “Outrageous! But did we really expect anything different? …Gee, I wonder why all the major servicers are sitting on …


Odds ‘n Sods:

A few SurvivalBlog readers have recently mentioned that they’ve got browser errors when trying to visit SurvivalBlog. Typically, they get this error Message: “Content encoding error – The page you are trying to view cannot be shown because it uses an invalid or unsupported form of compression.” This seems to be a browser glitch, rather than something wrong with our site. A quick and easy fix: Clear your browser’s cache.    o o o Several blog readers sent us this: Oklahoma legislators over-ride governor’s veto to pass sovereignty resolution.    o o o “FloridaGuy” flagged this: Poll: Support for an …