Day: October 12, 2012

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 43 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) 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 C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any …


What’s in Your Pantry?, by Cathy H.

I wish I could remember the exact moment I became a “prepper”, although I would much rather use the term “aware”.  I’m sure everyone has that “A-ha” moment that sets them on the path to enlightenment, and that brings me to the subject of the day.  I would like to re-introduce canned food to all of those food snobs out there, because I once was one. Yes, it’s true – for me it was always “freshly caught”, “freshly killed”, “never frozen”, “minimally processed” and most especially “organic”. As a child of the 1950s I was the unwilling guinea pig of …


Letter Re: How I Built My Own Rocket Stoves

James, I recently fabricated my first two rocket stoves using $25 in parts per stove, and gave one to my local volunteer fire department fundraising auction.  It takes just over an hour to make one and it works great.  The fuel/vent stand is key for ensuring air flows under the fuel for maximum combustion.  The pot grill is key for ensuring maximum heat transfer to your cooking pot without choking the fire.   It was pretty nice the other morning making scrambled eggs without having to use propane, electricity, or the fire pit.  The rocket stove is one of the …


Economics and Investing:

Greece Hits 25% Unemployment, Germany on Brink of Recession, France And Italy Could Face Another Credit Downgrade, Social Breakdown Is Taking Place Inside Europe… AmEx (American Expat) sent: IMF Sees ‘Alarmingly High’ Risk of Deeper Global Slump Reader Pat S. recommended: Radical Simplicity, or Life after the Great Disruption Those pesky derivatives again: Cynicism aside, why the NY AG’s MBS suit vs JPMorgan matters Items from The Economatrix: 16 Critical Economic Issues That Obama And Romney Avoided During The Debate India’s Stock Exchange “Closes” After State Bank “Flash-Crash” Food Is The New Oil And Land The New Gold Gasoline Prices …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Joe K. liked this Rodale piece: 12 Low-Tech Tools You’ll Always Use    o o o Reader Jeremy I. sent us an item to file under Emerging Threats: Infamous mountain man burglar caught on video, still roams free. (Do not leave supplies cached in unattended wilderness cabins and expect them to be immune from burglary. It is important to build undetectable wall or floor caches for your valuable weapons, ammunition, optics, and electronics.)    o o o The Knob Creek machinegun shoot and plein air gun show will be held again this coming weekend. One of these years–when my writing …