Year: 2011

Letter Re: IP Address Finding Software

Dear Mr. Rawles: Gibson Research Corporation offers a free [PC] utility called ID Serve that will quickly tell the user the IP address of any web site, as well as some other info.  It can also look up the domain name using the IP address.  This is useful to help SurvivalBlog readers find the numerical IP for their favorite web sites in case of domain name mischief at the hands of government or private hackers.  IP Serve can be downloaded here free of charge. (As a bonus, it is tiny–just 26 kbytes–and fast. It is not “bloatware”). – Sincerely, D.V.B.


Economics and Investing:

B.B. suggested this: Chart of the Day: Silver Coin Mania. Clearly, more folks are now distrusting the U.S. Dollar and hedging into tangible silver. We’ve Become a Nation of Takers, Not Makers–More Americans work for the government than in manufacturing, farming, fishing, forestry, mining and utilities combined. D.I.W. suggested this over at the Secular Trends blog: Current Real Unemployment is 16% Foreign Banks Tapped Fed’s Secret Lifeline Most at Crisis Peak. Is this supposed to give me a warm, fuzzy feeling? Items from The Economatrix: Massive Capital Wave Approaches Gold MyBudget360:  Federal Reserve Silently Grows Balance Sheet to Approximately $2.75 …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Pastor Chuck Baldwin posted his reaction to my “American Redoubt” proposal.    o o o Some humor posted over at Survival Mom: You Might Be a Survivalist If…    o o o Tamara over at the View From The Porch blog had a link to this important Glock safety tip: The importance of a good holster. That is one of the reasons that I’m a big believer in stiff Kydex holsters!    o o o U.S. admits that Mexican cartels get military weaponry from Central America


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion. Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me. Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou [art] my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. For thou [art] my hope, O Lord GOD: [thou art] my trust from my youth.” – Psalm 71:1-5 (KJV)


SurvivalBlog Writing Contest — Announcing the Round 33 Winners

We’ve completed the judging for Round 33 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest! First prize goes to K.M. for What is a Well-Stocked First Aid Kit?, which was posted on March 15, 2011. K.M. will receive: 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 Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from …


Beginner Prepping for Students by Mat R.

I’m a college student living in the western U.S.  I have been interested in prepping ever since I got my Emergency Preparedness Merit Badge in Boy Scouts when I was about 12.  My parents thought it’d be a phase, but it has always been a way of life for me ever since.  I have had a lot of fun even with it, and it’s not as hard as it can seem, especially for those who are still in school.  I’d like to share a few things that I have picked up over the years that can help any who are …


Letter Re: Traces of Radioactive Iodine in the Milk Supply

Sir: It would appear that very low levels of radioiodine (I-131) have been detected in Western US milk, as could be expected. Presently, the contamination from Fukushima is taking over a week to cross the Pacific, and that time, combined with dilution effects, reduces the contamination from the Fukushima disaster to point far below the level of concern. At the present time. It also appears that the fukushima fallout plume is not rising high enough at present to become entrained in the jet stream However, reports from Fukushima, and analysis of the data available, indicates that a containment breach may …


Letter Re: Getting The Family On Board

Dear Mr. Rawles,   First, I want to thank you for the work you do and the time and effort I know it takes to provide all of us the wealth of resources and information you do.  I have been steadily preparing for bad times only for the past two years.  Prior to that, my family and I were all about the “Good Times” – Working for the weekend, staying tuned into the television shows, enjoying the “American” way of life.  I became involved in stock market trading a few years ago and took several classes with a gentleman who …


Letter Re: More About Storing Nickels

Hi James, Just following up on my last letter about stacking nickels in the “Standing Shotgun Shell” configuration.  I’ve continued experimenting and have a few tips I’d like to add that might come in handy. Luckily, I’ve been able to order quantities of nickel boxes from my local bank [at face value] and have been making a studied process of stacking them, trying to improve with each box.  BTW, a cardboard box of nickels such as delivered by Brinks weighs 22 pounds.  I have figured out that by sliding the thumb in and pushing in towards the empty cardboard box, …


Economics and Investing:

M.E.W. flagged this: Gross Echoes Buffett Saying Treasuries Have ‘Little Value’ on Debt, Dollar Greg C. spotted this: Ripples in Japanese supply chain will be felt here. Greg’s comment: “This will end up being a major case study in the weaknesses of “Just in Time” (JIT) delivery.  It won’t be just car parts that will be affected as you will see when you read the article.” More economic suicide news from Zimbabwe: Implats, Aquarius fall on Zimbabwe indigenisation news. Items from The Economatrix: Gold, Silver Now Legal Tender in Utah. (But is is too bad that Utah also recently caved-in, …


Inflation Watch:

Pierre M. was the first of several readers to send this: Wal-Mart CEO Bill Simon expects inflation. Reader Joe P. noted: “I can’t think of any private or government entity in a better position to recognize inflation than Wal-Mart.” Reader Mark F. reports: “I went to our location Tractor Supply Store this week to buy some T-posts to put up some more fencing for my livestock and I got a surprise. Last May I paid $3.69 for 6 foot posts. Those same posts are now $4.79 apiece.” Food Commodities Surge Seen Swamping Consumers with Inflation. (Thanks to Bryan E. for …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Clever! W.S. sent a link to a video of a gent that built a solar cooker. W.S. describes it: “He put some chrome decal material on a satellite dish on which he had fabbed a little arm at the focal point of the light reflection, to hold a pot. Interesting idea for a last resort redundancy in the event that your first choice for a cooking method is unavailable.”    o o o Conservatives Now Outnumber Liberals in Deep-Blue States. (Thanks to Marilyn R. for the link.)    o o o Reader Jared B. sent a link with some more …



Notes from JWR:

Notes from JWR: Until midnight on March 31st, Lulu.com is offering a 20% off sale, for any product. That includes the 2005-2010 SurvivalBlog Archive CD-ROM! So if you’ve been “thinking about it”, here is your chance to save $3.99. Order now! To get the 20% discount, enter coupon code “SPLISH305“, during checkout. — Today we present the final two entries for Round 33 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 …


Traditional Womanly Arts for Austere Times by Sue of Suburbia

Sometimes I ponder what it means to be a woman in our society of hyper-consumption.  If you watch television or read today’s women’s magazines, you are led to believe that the activities most preferred by a woman are shopping, poisoning her nails, getting her hair yanked around in a salon, zapping packaged foods in the microwave, and ingesting a concoction of prescription drugs to stay sane through it all. I tried some of these things in the past.  Each time, I was left with an utterly unfulfilled feeling and thinking, “There has to be more to being a woman than …