Month: November 2009

Two Letters Re: Experience with a Shallow Well Hand Pump

Two Letters Re: Experience with a Shallow Well Hand Pump Mr. Editor: Jim W. in Indiana did a wonderful thing, he became utility independent for his water. Not to be critical but constructive, I didn’t see where he made any mention of drilling a small (1/8”) hole in his drop pipe down into the casing about five feet down, to allow for water to drain out of the top section of the pipe to avoid the water from freezing within it. One would think that Indiana might experience some below freezing temperatures. Without drilling the relief hole, one could experience …


Letter Re: Archiving How-To Videos From YouTube

Dear Jim, I would like to commend you on your new book, “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It”. It has a plethora of great information and a welcome addition to my preparedness library. As far as Internet information available for preppers, YouTube has an abundance of information ranging from food storage, weaponry, survival skills and many other topics. The videos are very useful. I would like to let everyone know that there is a simple program that they can use to download and convert YouTube videos for reference and/or storage. The YouTube Downloader enables …


Economics and Investing:

SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson sent this: Number of Utah jobs created by federal stimulus ‘inflated’ GG was the first of several readers to mention a recent piece by economist Nouriel Roubini: Mother of all carry trades faces an inevitable bust Damon S. sent us this bit of gloomage: Small-Business Bankruptcy Filings Up 44% Year-over-year, Equifax Data Shows Items from The Economatrix: US Inflation to Appear Next in Food and Agriculture. Here is a quote from the article: “While most mainstream economists such as Nouriel Roubini are warning of deflationary threats to the U.S. economy, it is our …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader B.B. sent this: U.S. sees shortage of ammunition. I’m glad that I bought most of mine in the early 1990s. Back then, military surplus 7.62mm NATO ball was just $5 per box, if you shopped around.    o o o Damon mentioned this article in Backwoods Home magazine: Consider the 20-gauge shotgun, by Massad Ayoob    o o o KT flagged this: Russian sniper rifles take aim at American market



Note from JWR:

I just got word from James Talmage Stevens, the author of the book Making the Best of Basics – Family Preparedness Handbook (just greatly expanded and revised, for the 11th Edition), that he is extending the special sale price on the book, just for SurvivalBlog readers. If you wait another day, the price will go up by $5, so order your copy before midnight, tonight. (Tuesday.)


Reader Poll Results: Your Favorite Movies with Survival Themes

The following are the results of our recent poll of SurvivalBlog readers about favorite movies with survival and preparedness themes. Each one listed below got at least three votes: Aliens Apocalypto   Braveheart  Cast Away Defiance This movie was based on the book Defiance: The Bielski Partisans by Nechama Tec The Edge (Available through Netflix, as a DVD and “Play it Now” streaming.) The Flight of the Phoenix (The original version, made in 1965, starring Jimmy Stewart. The recent remake stinks.) The Great Escape  I Am Legend Jeremiah Johnson  The Matrix Series (The Matrix/ The Matrix Reloaded/ The Matrix Revolutions) …


Letter Re: Some Ground Truth–The “Us” and the “Them” in a Societal Collapse

Mr. Rawles, I am a retired Army warrant officer working for the Army teaching Electronic Warfare and Signal Intelligence. I only started reading your blog last week. It’s addictive, but slightly disturbing. Having worked for the Army for 27 years in a number of different failed countries I may have a unique perspective on survival that I would like to share with your readers. I believe most of the “survivalist community” is vastly underestimating the impact that other humans are going to have on their plans. Hunkering down and waiting for everyone to die off is a simplistic plan and …


Letter Re: Retreat Commo and Monitoring Suggestions from a Ham Operator

Mr. Rawles, I would like to hopefully answer some questions on retreat communications.  I have been a ham radio operator since I was 11 and am the third generation of hams in my family.  I was recently asked by multiple people to help them come up with a list of equipment that they could buy to have decent communications in there planning.  These people are not hams and don’t know much about radios.  After giving it some thought I have come up with a list of things that can be purchased on today’s market that should cover basic communications needs.  …


Letter Re: Some Advise of Starting Wood and Charcoal Fires

Hello Mr. Rawles; Recently I have seen lists recommending the storage of charcoal lighter fluid. I would like to suggest the use of a charcoal starter chimney. You will not need to use and store the lighter fluid and worry about running out of it. With the chimney all you need to store is a supply of newspaper. It takes just a sheet or two of newspaper wadded up to start the charcoal and in short order your charcoal will be ready to use. You can find the chimneys on eBay or go to the Internet and find instructions for …


Economics and Investing:

HPD sent us this piece by Mish Shedlock: A Remarkable Comparison: Affordable Student Loans vs. Affordable Housing Mr. Smith recommended this BBC audio clip: Fed Advisor Warns of the Next Financial Crisis: Mass Inflation Chad S. flagged this: Geithner Says Commercial Real Estate Woes Won’t Spark Crisis GG sent this: CIT Board Approves Chapter 11 Filing; Government Infusion of $2.3 Billion at Risk Items from The Economatrix: The Next Currency to Crash: The Japanese Yen Think Tank: Graduate Unemployment to Soar China Warns of World Slump if Stimulus Withdrawn Stiglitz Says US Recession “Nowhere Near” End After GDP Jump US …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Jeff B. sent us this: The one man army: How a Cambridge-educated botanist fought a three-year war against 4,000 Japanese troops. Here is a link to a book about Chapman: Jungle Soldier: The True Story of Freddy Spencer Chapman.    o o o Tom B. mentioned this: DEQ issues well-water warnings    o o o Rick W. sent this news item from Utah: Mock disaster ‘eye-opening’ for Centerville responders


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“How rare is gold? If you could gather together all the gold mined in recorded history, melt it down, and pour it into one giant cube, it would measure only about eighteen yards across! That’s all the gold owned by every government on earth, plus all the gold in private hands, all the gold in rings, necklaces, chains, and gold art. That’s all the gold used in tooth fillings, in electronics, in coins and bars. It’s everything that exists above ground now, or since man learned to extract the metal from the earth. All of it can fit into one …


Note from JWR:

I just heard that the unabridged audiobook of my novel “Patriots” read by award-winning narrator Dick Hill is scheduled for release in late December. It will be available on CD from Brilliance Audiobooks, and it can already be pre-ordered.


The Flash to Bang Count: Observations on the October Indonesian Asteroid Airburst

A few days ago, The Telegraph reported: “An asteroid that exploded in the Earth’s atmosphere with the energy of three Hiroshima bombs this month has reignited fears about our planet’s defenses against space impacts. On 8 October, the rock crashed into the atmosphere above South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The asteroid was around 20 meters across and hit the Earth’s atmosphere at 45,000 mph. The blast was heard by monitoring stations 10,000 miles away, according to a report by scientists at the University of Western Ontario. Scientists are concerned that it was not spotted by any telescopes, and that had it been …