Month: August 2009

Odds ‘n Sods:

“A. Marine” suggested this educational video on making thermite. (The usual chemistry experiment and welding safety disclaimers apply. Beware that the use of fine brille materials or packing them in a confined space could resulting in an explosion.) See my novel “Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse” for greater detail as well as some, potential welding project applicability.    o o o From reader DD: Ways to lower water usage.    o o o Tamara (of the invariably witty View From the Porch blog), linked to a news story from “Out in the west Texas town of …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not, they are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.” – Lamentations 3: 21-26


Notes from JWR:

Your prayers would be appreciated, as The Memsahib‘s strength is now failing rapidly. Today we present another entry for Round 24 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) and C.) A HAZARiD Decontamination Kit from Safecastle.com. (A $345 value.) …


Construction Without Electricity, by Curtis M.

I watched the second episode of the [reality television show] The Colony, [that is currently airing on The Discovery Channel]. I found one part of it especially idiotic. They had a bank of automobile batteries for electrical power [to power an AC inverter.]s They did not have a way to charge the batteries yet, and they were still using a circular saw and a Sawzall to construct different things, among them was using a Sawzall to cut tread out of tires for shoes. They were building some thing out of plywood and they were cutting the plywood with the circular …



Economics and Investing:

S.T. spotted this: IMF puts total cost of crisis at £7.1 trillion [Thusfar!] This Forbes piece came from SC: Fed Faces Its Zimbabwe Moment Regular content contributor DD sent us these two articles: Sales dropping for retailers The US-China Ponzi scheme; By unwittingly tying together their fortunes as they pursued their own interests, the two nations have put themselves on an economic path of mutually assured destruction. Items from The Economatrix: Foreclosures Rise 7% in July from June A Pessimist’s Prediction: Hyperinflation A prediction from the ever-cheery Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: Fiscal Ruin of the Western World Beckons Stupidity Without Borders (The …


Odds ‘n Sods:

From Cheryl: Ignore “Best Before” Dates On Food. (BTW, there is a detailed table with food shelf lives, distinguishing various packaging, in the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course.)    o o o KAF spotted this: Scots Guards Sniper Kills Taliban Leader with Longest Shot (Something tells me that he wasn’t using a 5.56mm)    o o o The recent mention in the blog about storing coal reminded me to mention that AntiqueStoves.com (one of our advertisers) sells both wood burning and coal burning cookstoves.    o o o Eric S. mentioned this Popular Mechanics article: Seven Really Nasty Diseases …



Letter Re: Grid Beam Construction

Hi Jim, Memsahib, “Gridbeam” is a building system that’s been getting some attention recently among do-it-yourselfers. I’ve seen references to it on Kevin Kelly’s Cool Tools and the Makezine web site. Gridbeam is described as a sort of “Erector Set system for adults”. It’s simply a length of squared wood, aluminum or steel with precisely drilled holes [at regular intervals] along its length. Holes are drilled in both directions so that they intersect in the beam’s middle. Sections are simply cut to desired length and pieced together. Additional pieces can be designed and added on to connect pieces at different …


Letter Re: Accumulating $1 Coins as Protection from an Eventual Currency Exchange?

Hello Jim, I have recently read your article on nickels. It was very interesting! I have been thinking about the $1.00 coins as a weapon against currency revaluation, here is my theory. If they revalue the U.S. dollar–say they take a 0 zero off. (You take a $10 dollar bill to the bank, and they’ll give you one hot off the press $1.00 bill.) If the Feds do not recall the coins, their face value is still $1.00. Am I missing the big picture? Need Help – Kevin in Las Vegas JWR Replies: In terms of their compactness per dollar …


Letter Re: Storage Underground or in Humid Climates

Hi; [In response to the comment on varnish steel food cans,] I have some experience with long term storage and especially underground storage. Since there aren’t any books that I could ever find on this subject, trial and error is how you learn (or maybe you get lucky and the subject is covered on SurvivalBlog!). Metal cans eventually will rust and especially if in an underground shelter or root cellar. Moisture is always in the air, no matter how well your structure is built. This may not be true if you have the means to have something professionally designed and …


Influenza Pandemic Update:

Argentina Confirms 337 Swine Flu Deaths 15-year-old Brazilian Girl Taking Tamiflu Dies on Flight from US WHO Reports Swine Flu Now Resistant to Anti-Viral Drug Relenza WHO: Swine Flu Spreads to Most Remote Parts of the World [JWR Adds: Madagascar?] WHO: Younger People 12-17 at Greater Risk to Catch Swine Flu New Influenza Drug Successful in Trials Swine Flu’s Worst Case Scenario: Paranoia or Preparedness? Eight US Cities Line Up for Swine Flu Vaccine Test


Economics and Investing:

Flagged by KAF: US government to loan Petrobras $10 billion. Note the comments in the article about increasing costs of exploration , and strong competition with China for new oil fields. Also from KAF: Wish you weren’t here: The devastating effects of the new colonialists. Cousin Al sent this: Soaring deficit may defy forecasts. (A quadrupling budget deficit? Yikes!) This Jay Taylor “Turning Hard Times Into Good Times” pod cast was linked from the Total Investor news aggregation site: Will Silver Outperform Gold? Items from The Economatrix: China’s Wen: “The financial crisis is continuing to deepen and spread.” Coming Soon: …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Witt sent this piece by Victor Riesco: Cash for Clunkers, a Highway to H*ll. Witt’s comment: “It’s sad to see the American people being bribed by their own government, and with their own money no less, and spending their savings and burdening themselves with yet more unproductive debt.”    o o o Jerry E. sent this: Peak Oil Latest–Yikes!    o o o From FG: Teen called 911 from shower during home invasion. Note the mention that teh goblins had an AK and body armor. The threat spirals are spinning up, folks!