Year: 2009

Odds ‘n Sods:

Safecastle has announced a 25% Off Mountain House storage food sale that will be running from May 23 to June 5th. As a bonus, you’ll also get a free copy of the novel One Second After by William R. Forstchen if you purchase four or more cases of Mountain House foods    o o o Struggling Families Look at Adoption    o o o Peak Phosphorous? GG sent us a link to a summary of a new Scientific American article: Phosphorus: A Looming Crisis. (The full text of the article is not yet available on-line.)    o o o Brian …



Notes from JWR:

Please keep The Memsahib (and her doctors) in your prayers. Her health is still quite precarious. — Today we present another entry for Round 22 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. Because I recently dropped Front Sight as an advertiser, the list of contest prizes for this round has been revised: First Prize: 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. Second Prize: A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books …


Biological Threat Assessment and Containment, by Anon.T

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When either you or your group is confronted with a biological threat [such as a pandemic or biological warfare], you must determine the following before making decisions either for yourself or for your group. 1) What is the threat? 2) What is the incubation period prior to showing symptoms? 3) How contagious is the threat? 4) By what means is the threat contagious? 5) What is the morbidity rate? 6) What is the mortality rate? Once you have determined these things, you can make sound decisions that can get you and your group through a trying time. Quarantine: In the …


Letter Re: Any Widespread Flu Will Overwhelm America’s Emergency Medical Services

Dear Mr. Rawles, As an avid SurvivalBlog reader since ’05, I’ve got to say, the quality of your blog continues to go up and up. Just when I think I can’t possibly absorb anything more, new posts appear that make me think, plan, and act. Upon your blog’s advice, I have begun taking an EMT class at a local college to expand my medical knowledge base. What the Paramedic teacher said today in class gave me the chills. We were discussing all manner of diseases and then he touched on H1N1, the Swine Flu and its possible affects upon the …



Economics and Investing:

The Economy’s Search for a “New Normal” (Thanks to Richard S. for the link.) Currie sent us this: Europe in deepest recession since War… “…The declaration was made as it emerged that Europe’s biggest economy has now suffered a worse “lost decade” than Japan and is deeper in recession than any other major economy.” Also from Currie: Japan – Major banking groups report massive losses Items from The Economatrix: From the French think tank: When The World Steps Out Of A 60-Year-Old Referential Framework As Detroit Crumbles, China Emerges as the Auto Epicenter Don’t Count On China to Rescue the …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Mark A. sent a link to a LDS Preparedness Manual in PDF. This is a 222-page manual about food storage and some other topics.   o o o Farming and Hunting magazines among very few to increase advertising revenue. (Thanks to GG for the link.)    o o o The folks at the Ancient Pathways outdoor survival school mentioned that they have expanded the survival gear section of their web site and are now offering two new instructional DVDs.



Into the Maelstrom, and a Refuge on the Far Side

For the past few weeks I’ve let the news headlines speak for themselves, but I now feel convicted to comment on the deteriorating economic conditions. The global economy in general, and the economies of the English-speaking nations in particular are in deep, deep trouble. A massive credit bubble has popped, and all efforts to re-inflate it have failed. National congresses and parliaments, are throwing trillions at the problem, but they have done no good. The policy wonks in government, and their cronies at the central banks are essentially clueless. Their uniform reaction to each failed “stimulus” policy seems to be: …


Letter Re: Diverters and Pre-Filters for Roof Rainwater Catchment

Mr. Rawles, Regarding the filter design suggested by “Dim Tim”: Consider replacing the modified stockpot with a sink. A deep stainless utility sink would be ideal, would require little alteration, and could be set up outdoors at the downspout to drain directly to a retention barrel or bladder. In a SHTF scenario, an existing indoor sink could be modified by removing the trap underneath the sink. Collected water can then be poured into the sink, filter through, and drain underneath (a food grade plastic five gallon bucket fits quite nicely.) Regards, – Tamara S.


Three Letters Re: Stocking Up on Prescription Medicines

Jim- I want to publicly commend “SH from Georgia” on his excellent and concise article on stocking prescription drugs for a TEOTWAWKI scenario. I agree with just about every point that he has made. Adding metronidazole to the list is a great addition, and his comment about having medications on hand so that a physician might use them to your benefit is a point that I was contemplating, as well. Of course, the list of “med-prep” logistics that one could store is lengthy, and will be limited by 1. budget; 2. knowledge base, and 3. storage ability. SH’s list is …



Economics and Investing:

Readers “Bigbird” and Trapper Mike both sent this: Brazil and China eye plan to axe dollar John Hussman warns: Inflation Ahead! The Destructive Implications of the Bailout – Understanding Equilibrium (Thanks to GG for the link) Frequent content contributor GG sent us this: Tax Revenues Tanking. Yikes! Look at the tax receipts for April of ’08 versus April of ’09. I suspect that the panic reaction in Congress will be raise the marginal tax rates. Thanks to DS for sending this: Stocks waver after surprise drop in housing data (This leads me to ask: Why are journalists so surprised that …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader RTK recommended a New York Times Op-Ed piece: All Disasters Are Local    o o o Here is a link to a brief YouTube segment on how to seal foods in Mylar bags, using a Foodsaver    o o o Big-Box Stores Comparisons    o o o Disaster risk increasing, says UN    o o o From Trapper Mike: GPS system ‘close to breakdown’; Network of satellites could begin to fail as early as 2010