Year: 2009


H1N1 Influenza: A Cytokine Storm Conclusion, But Still More Questions Than Answers

The good news on H1N1 (commonly called Swine Flu) is that in current strains the death rate appears to be as low as 1 in 2,000 infections, at least in First World countries with modern hospital facilities. The bad news is that at least 60% of world’s population is expect to contract the bug, and that further mutations are probable. The Mutation Question Mutations to less virulent strains are the historic norm for viruses but there is the risk of one that is very deadly. (To explain: in the grand scheme of things, a mutation with high lethality is is …


Letter Re: Recent Experience with an N95 Protective Mask

Dear Mr. Rawles- I am writing to tell other Survival Blog readers about a recent experience I had with an N95 mask (with no exhalation port.) My husband and I just bought a 30 year old single wide trailer with 30 years worth of dust, mold, and cat hair. After day of being in the trailer I could feel my allergies start to grow worse by the minute. To clean up the dust, cat hair, and other allergens we went to the local hardware store and rented a Rug Doctor to shampoo the carpets. While shampooing the carpets (which was …


Letter Re: Water Storage and Filtration Preparedness Pays Off

Mr. Rawles; Well, it happened without warning. Loud knocking on the door, insistent, and then again. A man from the local water utility was there, telling us late in the morning that we had a broken underground pipe that is flooding the neighborhood, and he is now cutting off our water supply. We immediately called our plumber who arrived a couple of hours later with a crew to dig the big hole. The story, though, is how we felt with the water cut off: “Just fine, thank you.” Our preparations include: 1. Bottled water: 42 one-liter bottles, 75 half-liter bottles …


Influenza Pandemic Update:

Swine flu shots at school: Bracing for fall return (Thanks for John in Ohio for the link) A Sign of Things To Come? Argentine Banks Close to Help Stop Spread of the Swine Flu School-Age Children to Get Vaccinations First Swine Flu Deaths in UK Double as Country Now Has Third Highest Cases Britain’s first ‘healthy’ swine flu victim dies – the 15th fatality here in total Obese Exposed as Swine Flu Collides with Fat Epidemic “An unexpected characteristic has emerged among many swine flu victims who become severely ill: They are fat. … People infected with the bug who …


Economics and Investing:

I found this interview with the director of the president’s National Economic Council linked over at The Drudge Report: Lunch with the FT: Larry Summers. Reader Don W. suggested an excellent piece at Pajama’s TV by Bill Whittle: When Politicians Go Bad: From DC to New York & California The Government We Don’t Deserve Items from The Economatrix: SEC May Put California IOU’s Under Fraud Protection Rules May Trade Deficit Unexpectedly Drops With Assets Less Toxic, Banks Have Other Troubles Stocks Post Fourth Straight Week of Losses Banks Seen Ready to Join US Program that Revises Home-Equity Loan Terms Roubini: …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Hawaiian K. suggested this piece by Mas Ayoob, in Backwoods Home magazine: How to shoot a handgun accurately    o o o In the most recent Dr. Housing Bubble blog: Westside Los Angeles: The Ultimate Prime and Stagnant Real Estate Market.    o o o Reader Paul P. offered a link to a thought-provoking piece on self-sufficiency in Sharon Astyk’s blog: Eat What You Grow, Grow What You Eat?    o o o Greg. C. suggested this piece by Chaz Valenza: Three Rules for Living Through the Second Depression


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Of all the wonderful things government says, that’s always been just about my favorite [government spending creates jobs]. As opposed to if you get to keep the money. Because what you’ll do is go out and bury it in your yard, anything to prevent that money from creating jobs. They never stop saying it. They say it with a straight face and we in the press will write that down. We will say, ‘This is expected to create x number of jobs.’ On the other hand, we never say that the money we removed from another part of the economy …


A Primer for Silver Newbies, by H.R.F.

I have to admit that I’m a bit of a “silver bug.” I became enamored with the metal when I was 16 years old. That was the year that OPEC first jacked up the price of oil. Silver sold for only $3.14/oz. then (per Kitco.) A more accurate way of saying it is that one dollar equaled about one-third of an ounce of silver back then. Today one dollar will only buy about 1/13 of an ounce of silver (silver at $13/oz.) This implies that the dollar has lost about 75% of it’s purchasing power over the last 36 years, …


Letter Re: Practical Lessons Learned From Home Canning of Meat and Vegetables

JWR, Thusfar this year I’ve canned 140 pints of meat and veggies. And more to go. I believe ready to heat and eat meals will be very handy when the Schumer hits the oscillating rotator. We grew the potatoes, garlic, onions, sweet banana peppers, and carrots ourselves. We buy whatever meat is the loss leader at the grocery that week. I am storing pasta separately. When we open a pint we will add cooked egg noodles. If one cans the egg noodles they get very mushy. I’ve been canning for some years now and have some serious advice. I opine …


Economics and Investing:

Reader Steve H,. sent an interesting quote from BHO: “But while our markets are improving, and we appear to have averted global collapse, we know that too many people are still struggling. So we agree that full recovery is still a ways off; that it would be premature to begin winding down our stimulus plans; and that we must sustain our support for those plans to lay the foundation for a strong and lasting recovery. We also agreed that it’s equally important that we return to fiscal sustainability in the midterm after the recovery is completed.” [Emphasis added.] Steve’s comment: …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Readers Chuck and Garnet both sent this link: Potato famine disease striking home gardens in U.S.    o o o Safecastle Royal has added several new interesting products to their line, including a the new extra-large 8″-diameter Bury-‘Em caching tube, the K8 Nuke Safeguard Mini Alarm, and a 12-can variety of pack of Yoder’s canned meats.    o o o Chiming in on the recent discussion of transferring liquid propane between tanks, reader Chris M. mentioned: “Harbor Freight has an item with part #45989 for refilling propane bottles.”    o o o Richard Fleetwood (of SurvivalRing) has announced a new …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 23 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 foods, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. Second Prize: A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $350. Third Prize: A copy of …


Disaster Procedures: A Survival Field Guide, by A.V.

The Relevance of Procedures In a disaster situation many things previously fixed become variable. Communications, supplies, security and many other aspects of civilized society that we often take for granted may quickly become mired down by inefficient or massive use. Equipped as we are with a survival mindset, many still succumb to the environment of pandemonium that evolves: we forget our training, misuse our equipment, and the pace of events overwhelms us. On top of these considerations, many interested in disaster preparation may not have a family or group that is equally well-versed in the nuances of survival situations. Many …