Year: 2009

Letter Re: My First Attempt at Forming a Retreat Group

Jim; I prayed, reflected and then invited several families to work with me to form a group. Here are my results: – I formed an agenda, created a ‘private’ [password-protected] web site where I posted articles (in PDF files), created links to web sites like SurvivalBlog, and set a date to gather at my home – I found near universal interest as folks are scared about the economy and direction our country has taken – People eagerly attended meetings (every two weeks), opined, and felt very good about gathering – Three months into gathering I printed up some rules and …



Odds ‘n Sods:

Bullion sales hit record in rush to safety    o o o Rory sent us a link to a video clip of a home invasion robbery foiled by an armed and vigilant Tucson homeowner. Given the 1-to-4 defender to attacker ratio, the homeowner did a creditable job.    o o o Our thanks to Florida Guy and Scotty who both sent this: Gun dealers experiencing shortages of ammo    o o o Some news and commentary, courtesy of The Economatrix: Marc Faber: US Will Default on Debt or Enter Hyperinflation — California Begins Employee Furloughs, Closing Offices — Record 19 …



Note from JWR:

An update on the big 25% off special on Mountain House and Alpine Aire freeze-dried foods in #10 cans, offered by Ready Made Resources: To do better than any competing offer, they are offering free shipping on case lots, and are including some free bonus items with each order. This is in accord with their long-standing “we will not be undersold” sales policy. This sale ends in just four days (on February 14th), so be sure to get your order in soon!


Letter Re: Gun Laws in Sweden

Hello, Mr Rawles! Thank you for a great and very useful blog. Thanks for your time and effort that makes for a good, bulky read every morning. On more then one occasion I´ve had to hurry to work because of the lengthy articles. It seems like you´re receiving letters about gun ownership from around the globe so I thought I´d share Sweden´s gun situation with you. Sweden has quite liberal gun laws for those who are determined, compared to many other European countries. Compared to the US it´s a hassle, of course, but no problem if you are focused. Sweden …


Letter Re: Diesel Motorcycles Coming to America?

Sir: Take a look at the E.V.A. Track Turbo Diesel Adventure Tourer Motorcycle. Here is a description from Motorcycle Daily: “The Dutch company E.V.A., builder of small diesel engines as well as an interesting two-wheel-drive system for motorcycles, intends to bring such a bike to market in Europe, and perhaps even the U.S.A. this year. It’s called the Track, and it may be just the bike to have for the apocalypse.” Here is a link to the E.V.A. company’s web site. 73s, – Steve


Letter Re: The Ozarks as a Retreat Locale

Mr. Rawles; The Ozark Mountains and the Ouachita Mountains are part of a very old series of mountains that runs from the Mississippi drainage to the Red River. This formation has been worn down to its present height by erosion and was more recently split by the Arkansas river. In addition to the generous growing season and precipitation you mentioned, many parts of this area have recoverable natural gas deposits and in is common for farms along the Arkansas river to have gas well heads. In addition to a monthly payment, many of these farms also enjoy free natural gas …


Odds ‘n Sods:

The recent fires in Australia with large loss of life and property underscore the need to have defensible space around buildings. There is one factor in the Australian bush fires is not common knowledge in the US: In extremely hot weather, some tree species found in Australia–such as eucalyptus–exude volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are extremely flammable. When the conditions are just right, this can cause a firestorm effect.    o o o Chris E. flagged this: Rep. Kanjorski: $550 Billion Disappeared in “Electronic Run on the Banks.” A key quote: “[if the Federal reserve had not acted] by two …



Note from JWR:

The current high bid in the SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction is at $1,510. This auction ends on Sunday, February 15th. This auction is for a large mixed lot, which includes:: 1.) A “be ready to barter” box of 36 full-capacity gun magazines, from my personal collection in JASBORR. This box includes: 12 – Used original Bundeswehr contract HK91 (G3) steel 20 round magazines, 6 – Used original Austrian FN-FAL steel 20 round magazines, with cartridge counter holes, 10 – Used AR-15/M16 USGI (all Colt made!) alloy 20 round magazines, 6 – Excellent condition original Glock Model 19 9mm 15 round pistol …


Letter Re: What Does the Drop in the Baltic Dry Index Really Mean?

Dear Jim: I just read a TEOTWAWKI warning article [at Rense.com] stating that since the Baltic Dry Index (BDI) was down 95%, [and that therefore] all shop shelves would be empty in short order. The writer said that the BDI referred to the number of ships in transit. I thought it only referred to the price charged for the transport of those ships and that while the cost was indeed 95% lower, there were still a lot of ships in transport. Can you clarify? – SF in Hawaii JWR Replies: I see plenty of scare pieces like that, mostly written …


Two Letters Re: Alaska as a Retreat Locale

Jim, For starters I would like to say that Jim you are dead-on with your Delta Junction recommendation. I live near Delta. And it is some of the finest farm land in the world. everything grows amazing here. Some of the information in the previous letters is wrong and I would like to clarify them . The growing season may be a little shorter in days of light, but in total hours of light it is much longer than other places. It gets light here in May and gets dark at night again in late August. Some vegetables will grow …


Letter Re: Some Online Resources on Determining Prescription Drug Shelf Lives

James, I worked for 20 years as an analytical chemist and was responsible for running experiments to determine the expiration dates of our medicines. We were always conservative when setting limits. There are many factors that affect the stability of medications. The most easily controlled by the end user is temperature. As a general rule for biological compounds near human temperatures the rate of decomposition approximately doubles with each 18° F rise in temperature and is roughly halved with each 18° F fall in temperature. So if the shelf life of a medicine is six months at 90° F and …


Letter Re: Canned Food Storage Rack Alternatives

1

Hello Mr. Rawles, There’s a better product than the Cansolidator [that Michael Z. Williamson reviewed], but very few people know about it. It’s made by a local company in Idaho Falls, Idaho. I use to live near there, and visited their store several times. The store is Pharaoh’s Storehouse. The reasons that the Pharaoh’s Storehouse products are better than Cansolidators: Made of metal, not plastic! No wasted airspace between the cans, like Cansolidator, so you can store a lot more food in a very small space. Made in America [JWR Adds: But FYI, so is the Cansolidator] Their wall units …