Month: August 2010


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 30 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will include: 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 assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 500 round case of …


Livestock Breeding and Plant Propagation, by Mike O.

Propagation is a great and cheap method of producing offspring in both plants and animals.  Propagation is usually thought of in the context of plant, so let’s briefly cover animals first.  I read recently with sadness about readers on survivalblog having problems with their rabbits being good mothers.  This is the first characteristic I look for in a new breed of livestock.  Modern breeds of cattle and poultry, in particular have been specialized for particular traits and mothering ability has taken a back seat.  This is one reason I prefer heritage breeds listed through the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.  These …


Letter Re: What Do Sonic Booms Do to a 911 System?

JWR, On Tuesday, President Obama made a hop into Seattle. A 30 mile “no fly zone” was established. A small float plane owner did not read the daily Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) and flew into the zone by visual flight rules (VFR). This caused the Secret Service to have NORAD scramble two F-15s from the local [Air National Guard] air interceptor group based at Portland International Airport. Naturally, they requested and got clearance to go supersonic. This resulted in at least two sonic booms being generated. What happened next was, well, interesting: A Newspaper Account A Seattle Television News Story …


Economics and Investing:

Yikes! $1.342 trillion budget deficit for 2010. (Our thanks to Rourke for the link.) B.B. suggested this article over at Zero Hedge: The Dallas Fed Reminds That The Economy Is Doing Much Worse Than In The Administration’s Worst Nightmare US Says Bankruptcies Reach Nearly Five-Year High. (A hat tip to KAF for the link.) M.L. recommended: When Will Financial Armageddon Begin? Norman A. spotted this: Marc Faber – “Don’t touch US bonds” Also from Norman: Tensions Rise in Greece Ex-Bank of England Official: Dumping Bush Tax Cuts May Bring Depression Items from The Economatrix: Unemployment Spreads Like a Plague Accountability …


Inflation Watch:

Reader Tyson R. notes: While shopping with my wife, I picked up a bag of corn chips for the girls and didn’t notice a big difference in price, $3.99. That has always been the price as long as I can remember. The bag was the same color, about the same size as before and assumed it was the typical 16 ounce bag, to my dismay when I looked at the content weight it was only 10 ounces. Inflation doesn’t always come in the price tag but in the shrinking of the volume you get. Calculating the inflation on corn chips …


Odds ‘n Sods:

N.C. liked this article: Are you ready for a world without antibiotics? Here is a key quote: “Doctors and scientists have not been complacent, but the paper by Professor Tim Walsh and colleagues takes the anxiety to a new level. Last September, Walsh published details of a gene he had discovered, called NDM 1, which passes easily between types of bacteria called enterobacteriaceae such as E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae and makes them resistant to almost all of the powerful, last-line group of antibiotics called carbapenems. Yesterday’s paper revealed that NDM 1 is widespread in India and has arrived here …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“There comes a time in the life of every human when he or she must decide to risk ‘his life, his fortune, and his sacred honor’ on an outcome dubious. Those who fail the challenge are merely overgrown children and can never be anything else.” – The fictional character Jill Boardman, accepting the challenge to oversee the safety of the Man from Mars, in the novel Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert A. Heinlein


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 30 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will include: 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 assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 500 round case of …


From Socialist to Survivalist, by an Ex-Canadian

I still have my Canadian citizenship even though I have been married to an American for 15 years and have two “halfer” children, all of whom I drag up north every summer to visit family. As a Canadian I spent most of my life expecting the Government to take care of my essentials (and non-essentials) if I were ever in need or want. After an accident on Government land I had all my outrageous medical needs completely covered. (One aside for those in favor of socialized medicine – real medical emergencies can be expensive and therefore a burden on the …


Letter Re: Using Your Library as a Resource

Hello Mr. Rawles! First off, I wanted to thank you so much for all the information you provide! It has changed my life! The second thing I wanted to mention was about using your libraries as a resource. I just completed courses to become a library director. In these courses we were strongly encouraged to "weed" out all books and materials that had older publication dates than 2000. We were told not to worry about not having any of the "classics" on hand because patrons could always use the inter-library loan system to borrow them from somewhere else. Recently, I …


Economics and Investing:

KAF sent us this: Barney Frank: Abolish Fannie and Freddie California Governor Schwarzenegger Orders Furloughs After Top Court Rules. (Thanks to B.B. for the link.) Items from The Economatrix: The Horrific Derivatives Bubble that Could Destroy Entire World Financial System The Bond Market Is Signaling Trouble Ahead Oil Falls on Report of Rise in US Supplies US Economy Nears Point of No Return The Only Investment Worth Having


Inflation Watch:

Today I’m launching a new blog column, titled Inflation Watch. It is intended to expose the myth that “there’s no inflation” at present here in the United States and in other First World countries. I’m not sure if this column will become a permanent fixture at SurvivalBlog, but given the recent massive government overspending and monetization, I suspect that I’ll have plenty of material for Inflation Watch.. If you have any present-day personal accounts, or if you spot any news items that show significant inflation, then please e-mail the links to me. These can include details on the shrinking sizes …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Odds ‘n Sods: M.T. and S.M. both sent this: Appleseed Teaching History with Guns.    o o o K.A.F. flagged this item: Egg Recall 2010    o o o M.S. mentioned a mail order source for aluminum powder and iron oxide (thermite components). Of course, check your state and local laws before ordering. Thermite could come in handy someday, for your emergency welding needs. (For a description of some potential uses, see my novel: “Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse“ )


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Near civil war between town and country was a pervasive feature of this break-down in social order. Large mobs of half-starved and vindictive townsmen descended on villages to seize food from farmers accused of hoarding. The diary of one young woman described the scene at her cousin’s farm: ‘In the cart I saw three slaughtered pigs. The cowshed was drenched in blood. One cow had been slaughtered where it stood and the meat torn from its bones. The monsters had slit the udder of the finest milch cow, so that she had to be put out of her misery immediately. …