Day: May 3, 2010

Letter Re: Removing Orthodontia Braces, Post-TEOTWAWKI

JWR: Thanks for your site, and all that you and your family does for the thousands of loyal readers! Before I approach my child’s orthodontist I thought I would throw it out to you, because I know there are others thinking the same thing. How can I safely remove my child’s braces [in the event of a societal collapse where access to an orthodontist might be impossible.] Thanks again, – Eric W. JWR Replies: That question goes beyond my expertise. Perhaps an orthodontist in the SurvivalBlog readership could comment. Thanks!


Letter Re: The EMP Threat and Electronic Gun Vault Locks

James: In looking at your blog on survival it revealed to me a major problem with safes with digital combo locks. If there is an EMP, those locks would most likely be fried and one could not get to guns, funds, et cetera! Do you know of a process or method of guarding against this? Is there some shielding that can be put around the combo unit that will protect the electronics? Thanks. – R.C. JWR Replies: This blog topic seems to pop up just as regularly as dandelions. I’ve mentioned the following several times in SurvivalBlog, but it is …


Letter Re: Constructing a Permanent Underground Cache

James Wesley: I appreciate your survival ideas over the years. Here, in the Caribbean, we use cisterns for water recovery quite a bit. I’ve had occasion to make a cache lately from one of the smaller plastic cisterns, such as this one. The tanks that come here (Cayman Islands) are black and configured somewhat differently, but same basic idea. They employ a screw-top opening, which can be weatherproofed against all but profound water pressure. I set mine — a 750 gallon tank — in the sandy loam and made sure that the bottom third was all clean fill, especially under …


Six Letters Re: Gardening Lessons Learned

James, I just read [Chet’s article in] the blog on urban and suburban gardening. I wanted to suggest something because I’ve been seeing people want to be more self sufficient by growing their own gardens. I don’t want to come off as a salesman for these two products made by the same person. I’m not someone that sells these items. But to give credit where credit is due, I’m impressed with buying both of these items. I picked up a DVD from Linda Runyon about a year ago, and bought her “Wild Cards” card set for identifying wild plants. The …


Economics and Investing:

Note the fait accompli tone of this NPR article that of course inevitably leads to the conclusion that there will be either massive tax increases, or mass inflation in the near future: The Federal Debt: How To Lose A Trillion Dollars. (Thanks to Gedan for the link.) Frequent content contributor Chad S. flagged this important article over at Zero Hedge: Treasury Redeems A Gargantuan $643 Billion in Treasuries in April. Want a good belly laugh? If so, then read this item from Chad S.: Corporations ride a consumer spending spree to better earnings as recovery gains steam. Here is Chad’s …


Odds ‘n Sods:

By special request from a SurvivalBlog reader, the folks at Shelf Reliance have kindly extended the 10% discount on their Food Rotation Systems. Use coupon code: SBM10. (The special discount price is not shown at their web site.) This offer now ends June 4, 2010, so order soon.    o o o Yet another local disaster shows the fragility of civility: Crews race to fix break in Boston’s water supply after major main breaks. Here is a quote: “There also were economic and social concerns: Restaurants in suburban Lexington shut down Saturday night, unable to wash dishes or serve customers …