Day: August 5, 2011

Notes from JWR:

Today, August 5th, is the Sixth Anniversary of the launch of SurvivalBlog. I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading it, and that it has helped you to gain useful knowledge and inspired you to get prepared. Thanks for making the blog such a huge success. In the past six years we’ve built huge archives of useful articles and letters, and they are still all available free of charge. We now get more than one million unique visits per month, making SurvivalBlog far and away the Internet’s most popular preparedness blog. Please continue to spread the word. Thank you! — Today we …


Lessons from the Road, by R.W.

Statistically, driving is one of the most dangerous activities in most of our lives.  Limited supplies, new or dramatically changed surroundings, minimal physical protection and exposure to observation make moving by vehicle the most dangerous phase of many survival plans.     There has been a great deal of focus on the best ‘Bug out Vehicle’ and proper vehicle gear to use in a survival situation.  Often overlooked are techniques and skills, many of which are completely different than the driving skills we use in our daily driving, necessary for a vehicular bug-out.  Whether you are driving a 5 ton military …


Letter Re: Inexpensive Building and Gardening Techniques

Sir:   In many states, it is illegal to transport fish from public waters to private waters [or vice versa].  You might be okay going from private waters to private waters.  The concern is that you might introduce disease from one area to another and thus contaminate another area.  He should probably look into stocking his pond from a legal supplier. – Alan W.


Three Letters Re: America’s Sovereign Debt Credit Rating and Interest Rate Imponderables

Mr. Rawles, Thanks for the blog and your books.  I have given several copies of “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It” away as gifts. I consider it a network fishing lure of sorts, to find like-minded people. To the point: Another set of dominoes to fall, if the US credit rating is reduced from AAA many pensions will not be able to hold US Treasury bonds, as their bylaws or rules state that they must hold AAA paper.  Unless they find a loophole or change their rules it will be a cascade spiral down. …


Economics and Investing:

Thursday’s headlines were full of deep drama economic news, including a market crash in Italy that looked like La fine del mondo come lo conosciamomeowner. Concurrently, the recent drop in silver has widened the silver-to-gold ratio 42.4-to-1. (Meaning: The cost of one ounce of gold currently equals just over 42 ounces of silver.) So this a great time to go to your local coin shop and perform a ratio trade: Ask them to swap your 1-ounce gold coins into bullion silver coins. (For readers in the U.S., pre-1965 mint date 90% silver Quarters are recommended.) Even though you’ll have to …


Odds ‘n Sods:

F.G. sent this: Cooped Up: Chickens Come Home to Roost for Urbanites With a Yen for Hen    o o o Nissan eyes powering your house from your car. (Thanks to Anthony S. for the link.)    o o o Camping Survival just got another shipment of Wise Foods, packed in food grade pails.  They created a 10% off coupon on these, just for SurvivalBlog readers:  “wise10“. These pails are in stock and ready to ship within two business days.    o o o James C. suggested this video on do it yourself evaporative refrigeration: Zeer Pot Fridge. Cool your …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"…A really efficient totalitarian state would be one in which the all-powerful executive of political bosses and their army of managers control a population of slaves who do not have to be coerced, because they love their servitude…" – Aldous Huxley in the Foreword to the 33rd printing of Brave New World in 1966 (originally published in 1939)