Month: February 2010

The Cessna 172 Bug Out Plan, by Captain Zoobie

My Situation I currently live at the outskirts of a larger metropolitan area. In the event of TEOTWAWKI, I want a way to quickly get out of Dodge. I have a retreat a few hundred miles away from where I live which I know my family can, and almost certainly get to in the event it is necessary. I have my BOB for both my car and my home and while I could try to drive to my survival retreat, I recognize that survival is about adaptability and relying on my skills. I hold a pilot’s license with multiple ratings …


Economics and Investing:

CMBS Loan Liquidations Hit Record $585M in December. (A hat tip to Flavio for the linkio.) Jeff P. suggested this Business Insider piece by Michael Snyder: 20 Reasons Why The U.S. Economy Is Dying And Is Simply Not Going To Recover And from Jeff B., news of further debasement of US coinage: Obama’s Proposed 2011 Budget Allows Coin Composition Changes. Do you have your stash of nickels yet? Items from The Economatrix: US Mortgage Sector Braced for End of Fed Help Initial Jobless Claims Rise Unexpectedly; Stock Futures Down, Dollar Up Portugal Warned Near Political Crisis Over Debt EU Meets …


Odds ‘n Sods:

More than a dozen SurvivalBlog readers sent us a television news piece about King, North Carolina (in the Winston-Salem region) banning the purchase of guns, or carrying guns outside one’s home, during the recent heavy snowstorm. Here is a quote: “‘Other restrictions included a ban on the sale or purchase of any type of firearm, ammunition, explosive or any possession of such items off a person’s own premises.” [Emphasis added.] Needless to say, this will have some major political repercussions, once all the snow gets shoveled. A police chief will likely have to find new employment, after making such a …



Notes from JWR:

The 25% off sale at SafeCastle on all Mountain House foods in #10 cans is in progress. They are offering free shipping to the 48 continental states! The sale ends on February 13th, so order soon! — Today we present another entry for Round 27 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 …


Some Real World Battery Life Data, by Cactus Jim

Battery technology has come a long way in the last 10 years since Y2K. Back in the late 1990s, I stocked various types and brands of batteries for long term storage or use. Batteries ranged from store purchased alkaline, rechargeable alkalines, NiCd, generic deep cycle marine batteries, gel-cell sealed lead acid, lithium and even the ubiquitous flooded lead acid Trojan T-105 floor scrubber batteries. I wrote dates on all the batteries and rechargeable batteries had logs kept of use and maintenance. In most cases enough batteries were purchased to allow for a reasonable statistical sampling, thus providing a real level …


Letter Re: Stockpiling Nickels was Easier than I Had Thought

Mr. Rawles, I took your advice of socking away nickels to heart. I wanted to start off with an ammo can for each member of my family. I figured why not go to the local bank where my wife has banked since 1993? I went in, filled out the withdrawal slip for $178 (one ammo can) and requested the payout in nickels. The teller then said that if I withdrew $200 instead he can give me two boxes that came from the Fed. They gave me the nickels but told me that they really only give rolled coins to their …


Economics and Investing:

Reader Dan D. recommended this piece by Simon Johnson: Europe Risks Another Global Depression Commentary from Bill Pesek: Biggest Bubble in History Is Growing Every Day. He’s anticipating big time currency inflation in east Asia. (Thanks to Auby for the link.) Mike H. recommend this essay by Doug McIntosh, posted over at Steve Quayle’s site: When the Gimmicks Fail Items from The Economatrix: Shell Downplays Prospect of Quick Recovery in Oil Demand Despite Profits Rebound The Bernanke Reappointment: Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid Planned Layoffs Rise for First Time Since July Economic Report The Devaluation and Fight for Survival of …


Odds ‘n Sods:

The original NAIS plan may be dead! Jeff B. sent us this link: USDA starting over on national animal ID system    o o o F.R. suggested this resource that is great for homeschoolers: The Basic English Grammar ebook.    o o o FG sent us an item for the “Bring Enough Gun” Department: Giant, 25 foot Crocodile has eaten 200 men in 20 years (This sounds like something out of a tabloid, but it is a BBC news piece.)



Note from JWR:

To my readers on the East Coast that are presently digging out from 15+ inches of fresh snow: I trust that you were stocked up on food and had alternative sources of heat and light, with plenty of stored fuel. Most of you, I suspect, were so well squared-away that you were able to help out your neighbors. Congratulations on a successful dress rehearsal. — Today we present another entry for Round 27 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 …


Where Have All the Dutch Ovens Gone?, by Curtis M.

A recent post on SurvivalBlog was about baking bread and it talked about building an oven to bake bread to give out for charity. As I read the article I was wondering why there are not many articles on Dutch ovens on the blog. Anything that can be baked in a regular oven can be baked in a Dutch oven or cooked on a stove top for that matter. The way a Dutch oven works is 2/3 of the coals are on the top and 1/3 goes on the bottom. The lid has a lip that holds coals on top. …


Three Letters Re: Lessons Learned From an Ice Storm

Dear Editor: With regards to the battery powered carbon monoxide (CO) detector, I just want to second that. When my family went through the Nov. 2007 ice storm that took out the power to half of Oklahoma, we were running off our generator for two days. The first night I put it outside, but close to the house to help shelter it from winds. Our CO detector went off in the middle of the night. We ended up having the fire department come out and check things. It was determined that the CO came in through either the dryer vent, …


Economics and Investing:

SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson flagged this:mentioned this at Market Ticker: Derivative Fraud? Where Are OUR Cops? GG flagged this: What Every American Should Know About the National Debt Also from GG: Evercore CEO Altman: Obama’s Deficit Will Cause An International Currency Crisis In The Next Two Years Tim R. was the first of several readers to send this: It is Now Mathematically Impossible to Pay Off the U.S. National Debt Items from The Economatrix: Mortgage Rates Edge Up Slightly Moody’s Warns US of Credit Rating Fears Sovereign Debt Fears Rattle Investors Greek Debt Woes Spread to Portugal, …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Steve K. sent us this link: Snowpocalypse 2010: Everybody Panic!    o o o Mark O. sent us an article that has both libertarian and OPSEC ramifications. Is That A Castle You’re Hiding Behind That Haystack? Perhaps Mr. Fidler should have moved to one of the many states in the western US where no building permits are required, and there is no mandatory building code. (except inside city limits, by some local ordinances).    o o o A reader recommended getting a copy of the Pocket Ref, by Thomas J. Glover. One reviewer described it as: “… part encyclopedia, part …