Day: October 11, 2009

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 25 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 $350 value.) Second Prize: A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing …


Heating With Wood, by SGT B.

I don’t know that you would call my father a prepper. He was more just in love with the idea of economic independence and living in the woods. When I was nine (after the woods behind us were clear cut for an apartment complex), we sold our house in the suburbs, bought ten acres far enough out that he figured the developers would never find us, and built a home in the woods. We heated this house with wood, and as any of you who grew up with a wood stove can already guess, that meant I spent a good …


Letter Re: How to Make Your Own “Black Out” OPSEC Window Panels

James, Another good product for light shades is Reflectix Insulation. Basically Reflectix is bubble wrap with aluminum foil bonded to one or both sides. I have used it to make thermal drapes for my home, and know that it blocks all visible light. You can buy it at most Home Improvement centers. It commonly comes in 25′ rolls that are 16″, 24″, or 48″ in width. Last winter I bought a 4’x25′ roll and had enough to do my entire house. (9 windows of various sizes) the cost was about $40. Manufacturers claim that reflects up to 97% of all …


Letter Re: Where to Store Food When There is No Simple Answer

Mr. Editor: Like Margy, I also found myself building an ‘above ground cellar’ for temperature stable storage of food and other goods. Working with a detached three-car garage that had just a two-car door, I converted the extra ‘bay’ to a bonus room. With standard framing and insulation I noticed that that room remained noticeably more even in temperature throughout the day. I also have warm summers, 100F and occasionally more. Winters rarely drop below freezing for more than a day or two. I did some research once on passive temperature control and learned that water has a high specific …


Economics and Investing:

The Other Chris sent the link to a New York Times piece: Foreclosures Mark Pace of Enduring U.S. Housing Crisis. Here are some key quotes: “Every 13 seconds in America, there is another foreclosure filing. That’s the rhythm of a crisis that threatens to choke off hopes for a recovery in the U.S. housing market as it destroys hundreds of billions of dollars in property values a year.” “Michael Barr, the Treasury Department’s assistant secretary for financial institutions, said more than 6 million families could face foreclosure over the next three years.” “The Centre for Responsible Lending says foreclosures are …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Why does society loathe well-prepared individuals? See: Soldier suspended from school. My, things have changed since I was in high school 1970s. In that era, many of my classmates carries a Buck Folding Hunter pocketknife in a leather belt pouch, and nobody said “boo” about it. (Thanks to LSC for the news link.)    o o o Could Food Shortages Bring Down Civilization?    o o o Don’t forget that Safecastle’s final Mountain House sale for 2009, ends today (October 11th). They are offering 25% off on all Mountain House canned long-term storage foods Don’t miss out on the sale …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"The thing they forget is that liberty and freedom and democracy are so very precious that you do not fight to win them once and stop. You do not do that. Liberty and freedom and democracy are prizes awarded only to those peoples who fight to win them and then keep fighting eternally to hold them!" – Sergeant Alvin York