Year: 2010

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Mark P. sent this: Busy bees, but hives are besieged, diseased; Scientists struggle to find cause — and fix — for colony collapse disorder. One particularly troubling quote: “We are close to the margin” of a viable ratio of pollinators to crops, he said. “It’s amazing to me how close we are to that line.” 1/3 of US crops are increasingly at risk from this problem as they depend on honeybees for pollination.    o o o J.D. in Virginia found this item: Backyard Bunnies Are the New Urban Chickens    o o o Jason M. sent us a …



Notes from JWR:

For those who missed it, my recent lengthy radio interview with George Noory on Coast-to-Coast AM is now available on YouTube. — Today we present another entry for Round 27 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 …


Your Survival Readiness Level–A True Self Assessment, by Gina W.

By definition survival preparedness means attaining the state of having been made ready to outlive another person, thing, or event. Years pass by reminding us that life is short and meant to be enjoyed. People concentrate on material items but often overlook factors involved in determining the comfort level of a new living situation. A true self assessment now will determine whether life is barely survivable or comfortable. People forget how the mind body element affects lifestyle changes. It is important to assess your actions before a situation takes away your ability to feed the habits that control you. Reflect …


Letter Re: Tsunami Evacuation, Kauai Style

Howzit J.R., I’m a newbie groupie to your site, now on a daily basis. I’m going through the archives, year by year, and am compiling useful info for my situation. I’ve realized that at some point, due to the number of visitors to your site, [voluntary] membership dues may be necessary, just to support the technical requirements of having it. No problemo. I’ve never seen anything like the SurvivalBlog site, so my dues are in-bound. I’ve seen previous posts about the tsunami warning in Hawai‘i, but not from a local resident perspective. I’ll give you mine. I live on Kaua‘i, …


Two Letters Re: The Palm Stick for Self-Defense

James Wesley: On the palm stick topic — I might add that a mountaineering carabiner — the genuine load bearing kind, not the cheap copies — would also work [as a self defense adjunct]. I routinely carry one — and, when asked, say “Oh, I found that it makes carrying all those [full] plastic bags from the grocery store much easier. They don’t bite into my hand.” People see this as clever and never consider it has some alternative purpose [serving as a brass knuckle or palm stick type device]. And BTW, it also does make a great all purpose …


Economics and Investing:

Thanks to Tom W. for sending this link: Fiscal Crises Hit Closer to Home; States and localities face burgeoning deficits; next phase in debt-deflation? Ben M. suggested this New York Times link: Junk Bond Avalanche Looms for Credit Markets. Several folks sent this link: Rising food prices may start with seeds Items from The Economatrix: Not Durable? Gold, Silver and Oil: Buying the Essentials in Tough Markets Fed May Hint at How Long the Rates Will Stay Low What Credit Card Pay-offs? Consumers are Dumping Debt! IRS: Get Tax Relief if Lender Forgives Part of Home Debt Housing Construction Drops …


Odds ‘n Sods:

I have long been an advocate of folding bicycles as a Get Out of Dodge Option, especially for folks that regularly commute into an urban area. The Montague and SwissBike folding bicycles sold sold by SafeCastle are probably the best bet in the U.S. and Canada. But in the UK, the more expensive–and even more compact–Brompton brand might be a viable alternative.    o o o Larry M. suggested this essay by a commentator who has “connected the dots” regarding multi-generational TEOTWAWKI: How Many Shoes? by Tom Baugh. It will take traditional self-reliant skills, not just a pile of stuff …



Notes from JWR:

Check out the several new retreat property listings that have recently been added to our spin-off web site, SurvivalRealty.com — I owe an apology to Fernando “FerFAL” Aquirre, the editor of the Surviving in Argentina blog. In a recent radio interview, I made reference to some of his comments in the Minion Report Forums, that I had construed as anti-semitic. He e-mailed me yesterday to clarify that he is not an anti-semite, but rather that he is only opposed to Nationalist Zionism. He explained: “I don’t agree with Israel’s foreign policy, which was led until recently by violent Zionist extremists.” …


Letter Re: Northeastern Colorado as a Retreat Locale

Sir, Having lived in the northeastern corner of the state for the past 16 years (retired from the Air Force in 1994), I can give you some accurate information about the area for your readers who are considering moving to a retreat area. The northeast is a very sparsely populated part of the state. I live in Washington county which has an area of some two million plus acres but only has about 5,000 or so people living here. The area is mainly in farming and ranching, and the far eastern part of this corner of the state is located …


Letter Re: Some Notes on SCADA Software

James: I have been reading SurvivalBlog for some time and have read your novel “Patriots“ and now reading “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It”. Great job and love your work. I work as a SCADA programmer for water, waste water and power plants and was wondering if you had some background on this. I know you are somewhat hard on the system as an overall and it is well aimed. Most of the programs and programmer I am around take much care as possible to keep the Windows based computer as a window into …


Letter Re: Considerations for Building and Equipping the Underground Room You Need

Mr. Rawles, I hope most readers that are considering building underground shelters that are 16′ by 20′ with a 6″ cap or roof, hire the expertise of a registered structural engineer. The design of an underground structure that have a 6″ cap or ceiling as proposed by Jim O., with 1/2″ rebar is not to be considered heavily reinforced by any means, and would probably be not to any CRSI design standards, unless it is braced underneath with several columns. It does not really matter if a house sets on top or several feet of earth, when properly designed. I …


Economics and Investing:

Several readers mentioned this: Social Security to start cashing Uncle Sam’s IOUs. This does not bode well. The most telling statement is in the sixth paragraph. In summary, we’ll be borrowing from foreigners to pay our Social Security benefits. This article certainly makes it clear that Al Gore’s “Lock Box” rhetoric during a presidential campaign a few years back was absolute nonsense. Congress has been busily spending your Social Security “contributions”, for many years. Here is a quote from the article: “In all, the agency has about $2.5 trillion in bonds, all backed by the full faith and credit of …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Lawlessness after quake in Chile fishing village. The article begins: “Rene Orellana sleeps with a shotgun in his hands. ‘I have to,’ he says, motioning towards a shattered window frame covered with a tarpaulin.” (Thanks to Alex S. for the link.) We also read: Chile May Face More Blackouts After 80% Lose Power    o o o Some excellent “old knowledge” links to references like Late 19th Century/Early 20th Century formularies were recently posted over at the LATOC Forums. I recommend archiving some of these on CD-ROMs. (Thanks to Bob G. for sending the tip!)    o o o M24 …