Day: September 19, 2012

Notes from JWR:

Arrrgh! Today, September 19th, be ye Talk Like a Pirate Day, me buckos! Sorry, but that’s all the Pirate Parley that you’ll get from me. But if you can’t get enough of it, you can automagically translate any of the past or present SurvivalBlog posts into Pirate Talk, using this web page. For example, here is our Retreat Areas Static Page, in Piratese. — Now just six days to release of my third novel, Founders: A Novel of the Coming Collapse. Please wait until its release date (September 25th)–which is also our planned Book Bomb day– to place your order. …


Make Your Own Retort Style Charcoal, by Dan in Alabama

I make charcoal to sell at the local farmers market. I’m a farmer and prepper. I use two steel drums, retort method, which produces high quality charcoal. Charcoal has many uses. It used for cooking and heat without flames, water filtration, making pyrotechnics and has some medicinal uses. This is hot, hard work but simple to do. With a little imagination all components can be changed or modified as long as age-old principles are followed. I prefer using red oak. It comes out naturally pitted so there is no need for enhancements for water filtration. Concept: Small pieces of quality hardwood …


The Kamajors of Sierra Leone: A Model for Survival, by CYA

Those that are concerned with TEOTWAWKI scenarios, as we are, can find great benefit in looking to history for meaningful lessons on what to expect and how to plan and prepare. In many of these circles we often here of and reference the heroic exploits of bands of citizen warriors throughout history. Rogers Rangers, the Minute Men of New England, The Green Mountain Boys of Vermont and other Revolutionary War militia, The guerilla fighting Comanche and Cheyenne warriors of North America,  and of course the various books, movies and television shows that constitute our survivalist-militia paradigm. I wish to add …


Letter Re: Amish Bent, Dent & Expired Stores

Dear JWR; When visiting relatives in Ohio Amish country, we always stop by two or three Amish “bent & dent” stores.  These stores purchase truckloads of goods that have just expired, are about to expire or are in some other way slightly flawed at very, very, very low prices, and sell them at very, very low prices.  Some examples:  Starbucks coffee in sealed, non-expired bags for $2.50 (used to be 75 cents, the owners have been raising the prices over time), normally $12.50 at the grocer.  Swiss Toblerone chocolate bars, normally $4 for 50 cents.  Feminine hygiene products at 20% of the …


Economics and Investing:

100 million credit card accounts are gone since 2008 – Credit card balances decline by 22 percent since their 2008 peak. R.C. sent this: Nevada man dies with $200 in bank, $7M in gold hidden inside home. I thought Nevada was the Silver State… But of course $7 million in silver would be too bulky. R.B.S. pointed me to a fairly well-balanced British documentary: The Great Euro Crash – 2012. (If you jump 25 minutes forward, you’ll see described the sneaky role that derivatives played in this debacle.) Items from The Economatrix: America Is Facing A Lost Generation:  Jim Rogers …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader C.B. suggested this product for anyone who considers their iPhone indispensable: AQUA TEK S for iPhone 4/4: A rugged case that provides extra battery life and water resistance.    o o o The Western Pit: Homestead Vehicle Lift (for underbody work)    o o o SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson has some commentary at his publisher’s web site about firearms realism, Hollywood, and “loopholes”: Getting Guns Right    o o o F.G. sent this from Nanny Looney State Britannia: Mentally ill to be allowed to become MPs, serve on juries and be company directors. JWR’s Comment: This …