Year: 2012

Letter Re: Not All Kerosene Lamps Are Created Equal

Mr. Rawles; As a young researcher in the field of indoor and household air pollution, I felt compelled to respond briefly to the commentary on kerosene lamps in today’s “Odds ‘n Sods”. Additionally, having met two and worked with one of the authors of this paper, I feel that I may have a perspective on the article that is unique among your readers. While it may be true that a natural disaster contributes more to atmospheric carbon levels than emissions from kerosene lamps in the United States, it may not be true when considering kerosene lamps in other countries — …


Letter Re: SurvivalBlog and Building a Preparedness Mindset

Mr. Rawles, I’ve been reading your blog for a couple of years now and I really wanted to tell you how informative and practical I found the article written by Eli in the Southwest about hiding and finding things. Sometimes living in a bigger city can feel so overwhelming, especially when all you want to do is get out! His article made me feel like there was something I could do in my house today that would improve the security of my preps. It’s not our forever home but it’s where we have to be for now and reading that …


Economics and Investing:

Curtis R. sent this: Why $16 Trillion Only Hints at the True U.S. Debt Fiscal Cliff: Why The Government Is Gambling With Our Economy Reader B. B. sent this: Those Fleeing Obama’s America: Prepare to be taxed Also from B.B.: When Work Is Punished: The Tragedy Of America’s Welfare State (Don’t miss reading the comments, but be forewarned that there is some foul language.) Items from The Economatrix: Sales of US New Homes Fell 0.3% in October Unemployment Rates Fall In Most Large Cities Fed Survey:  US Economy Growing At Steady Pace


Odds ‘n Sods:

Freeze Dry Guy just started a two-week 25% off sale of Mountain House freeze dried foods in #10 cans. This sale offer includes free shipping to CONUS!    o o o J.B.G. sent this headline from England: ‘Which genius charged this man?’ Judge questions case against besieged homeowner who took a knife to protect himself from yobs    o o o Tom U. found us this video: Drill Your Own Water Well, Part 1    o o o Emergency Management.com recently posted an editorial entitled Doomsday Preppers are Socially Selfish. In response, David Nash of Shepherd School wrote a laudable …



Notes from JWR:

Today we present the final entry for Round 43 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. Any entries received henceforth will be posted in Round 44. 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 …


Sourdough Bread Baking, by Sarah in California

You may have a years worth of wheat (or more) stored, but will you be able to make it into bread and other baked goods after TEOTWAWKI?  Sourdough is the solution for preppers.  No need to worry about expiration dates on your commercial yeast packets, a properly cared for sourdough starter can last indefinitely, providing an unlimited source of yeast.  There are several known sourdough starters in the United States that are over 100 years old. Sourdough is a method of bread preparation that has been used for thousands of years.  It probably originated in Egypt around 1500 BC and was …


Letter Re: Bloomberg’s Gun-Grabbing Mayors–Not in The American Redoubt

James: You linked to an article on Thursday about Bloomberg’s gun grabbing mayors: the Mayors Against Illegal Guns. I noticed on their list of member mayors that a few states were without any mayoral representation (A badge of honor!) Missing from the list are: • Alaska • Idaho • Montana • Oklahoma • Wyoming Three of these are American Redoubt states. This is yet another reason to move to the Redoubt. Regards, – Adam G. JWR Replies: It is also noteworthy that many of the “former” members on the roster (shown in bold in this 2008 list) are now serving …


Economics and Investing:

Spain Now Faces a Systemic, Societal, and Sovereign Collapse Warren Buffet: Fed has no more bullets left to stimulate US economy Senator Blasts ‘Secret’ Fiscal Cliff Negotiations Items from The Economatrix: We Are About to Crush 15 Years of Resistance in Gold & Silver The Giant Currency Superstorm that is Coming to the Shores of America Feud At The Fed:  “Horrific Consequences” For Unlimited Easing


Odds ‘n Sods:

Joe K. recommended a piece in an Outdoor Life blog: Survival Skills: How To Make A Torch    o o o Rob L. pointed me to a video demonstration of a new sniper scope technology: TrackingPoint Demonstration.    o o o Regional update: Sudan, Iran, and Gaza    o o o November 30th is the Last Day of Safecastle’s Mountain House sale, with discounted prices on select canned favorites. Also, From November 26 to December 2, during Week 14 of our ongoing “Repel the Chaos” incentive program, Safecastle Buyers Club members who make any purchase of at least $600 in their …



Notes from JWR:

Today is the birthday of C.S. Lewis. He was born in 1898 and died November 22, 1963. He is known for his Christian apologetics writings as well as for the Chronicles of Narnia book series. — Today we present another entry for Round 43 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The queue is now full for this round, so any entries received will be posted in Round 44. 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 …


Constructing and Finding Hiding Places, By Eli in The Southwest

I am a law enforcement officer by trade. The area I work, as more and more areas often do nowadays, has an unfortunate problem with Meth. Most often, Meth is carried in 1.5”x1.5” plastic baggies that are usually folded up. As you can imagine, people get awfully desperate when trying to hide them.  As you can also imagine, a large portion of my time is spent trying to find them. If you imagine something about the size of a postage stamp or SD card that will give you a pretty good idea of the size we are dealing with. I …


Letter Re: The 19 Hour Emergency Room Survival Kit

This all fits in a one gallon Ziploc baggie (except for laptop and fleece)   19 hour Emergency Room and Hospital Survival Kit   ·       Stocking cap (to shut out light and things you don’t want to see) ·       Ear Plugs (to shut out things you don’t want to hear) ·       Zip-able fleece outer wear (Wear. To control Temperature) ·       Cell phone/Smart phone/I-pad/Laptop(Obvious reasons plus recreation/distraction for self and kid(s).  Typically something you already carry) ·       Way to charge cell phone etc. (It will see much use and you will be making many calls.  The phone will gobble up charge …


Two Letters Re: Advice on Disaster Pet Euthanasia

Hi Jim, A couple of things worth considering for painless pet euthanasia.  This is never a pleasant subject, but: 1. Carbon monoxide poisoning.  People die of this painlessly all the time.   Prepare a setup now to connect to your vehicle exhaust (or any other gas engine exhaust) to an enclosure sized to hold your pet. 2. A person can be made unconscious simply by pressing two fingers against the juggler veins in the neck without any feeling of strangling or otherwise. It’s like going to sleep (the brain is deprived of oxygen and you black out).  A prolonged application …