Day: November 11, 2011

Note from JWR:

Notes from JWRs Today marks Armistice Day/Veteran’s Day/Poppy Day/Remembrance Day, observed in many western nations. If you meet a veteran, thank him for his service. — Today we present another entry for Round 37 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round 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 $795, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready …


Burning Coal in a Cookstove, by S.G. in New Hampshire

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While remodeling our kitchen several years ago we purchased an antique coal/wood kitchen stove.  This stove was a replacement for a wood-only cook stove that had seen better days. With the economy crumbling and living in New Hampshire where winters can be long and harsh we thought it would be a good idea to have an alternative to our all-electric kitchen.  Power outages are relatively common here as well. Several years ago we lost our power for 8 days due to an ice storm. We have lived in our current home for 33 years. It is a log home several …


Letter Re: Lists of Practical Skills

JWR – I cannot thank you enough for all you do. Thanks to your “List of Lists” and articles I am well on my way…. above the 80% so to speak.  As everyone is, I am limited by finances. So while I pursue the items I need I also wanted to pursue skills. That is the most important anyway. So I was searching the site for a list of practical skills. Skills many times can be practiced without money or with existing gear.  Is there a list of skills on the site? And if not, then what articles would you …


Letter Re: Nationwide EAS Test Failure

Mr Rawles: I had to send along the link to the news article about the failure of the nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) with the observation that I would have bet this wasn’t going to work.   I say that as a retired Air Force avionics technician whose job was maintaining and flying as a crew member on the EC-135A, C, G, H, and L model Airborne Command Post Aircraft.  As well as in an advisory capacity for five years when the job was passed over to the Navy E6B in 1998.  Even on our best days with everyone doing …


Economics and Investing:

Josh flagged this: 100% Chance of Crisis, Worse Than 2008: Jim Rogers M.C. highlighted this headline: The Fall of the Eurozone? Merkel Calls for “New Europe” C.D.V. alerted us to this: Alabama County Votes for Biggest Muni Bankruptcy on Record ($3.14 billion!) M.E.W. sent this piece by “Recovering Venture Capitalist” Bill Freeza: Will Western Civilization Rediscover The Moral Foundations Of Sound Money? Items from The Economatrix: These Five Charts Clearly Show Just How Major — And Depressing — The Current Unemployment Situation Really Is Employers Post Most Job Openings in Three Years Retirement Crisis Closes in On Baby Boomers Progress …


Odds ‘n Sods:

I was recently chided by a fellow blogger, for encouraging people to relocate to a lightly-populated region in the western United States. He mischaracterized my retreat locale recommendations by referring to me as “…some novelist living in Idaho who has completely discounted every state east of the Mississippi as unfit for survival.”  For the record, I have never called the eastern states “unfit for survival”, but I have concluded that one’s statistical chances of surviving a grid-down collapse will be better in regions where the population density is low. I did not include any eastern states in my rankings of …