Month: March 2013

Letter Re: Sodium Chloride IV Bag Expiry Dates

JWR: I know you are not a medical doctor, but I had a question about Sodium Chloride .9% IV bags.  They have an Expiration date on them.  Is this information valid.  It is sterile water and salt so could something like that go bad?  Is it because the plastic might leech something out over time?   We just had a lovely “stick” class with my group where we each learned how to put in an IV on each other.  We determined who was good at it, and who should never, ever approach people with a needle.     Each person was out …


Two Letters Re: Surviving Snowmageddon

Dear JWR: You don’t always need a snow plow to to free up the streets in a snow-bound neighborhood. I found a video that shows a U.S. military surplus M35 2-1/2 Ton (“Deuce and a Half”) truck being used to pack down snow. – Solar Guy   Mr. Rawles, We in dry Central Texas are having the opposite problem from your “Snowmageddon” contributors: Dry wind-blizzards. On Monday, February 25th we had dry, sunny weather combined with high winds all day and night. I stepped outside after lunch to check the mail. Uhh-Ohh. The brush pile fire we had burned almost …


Update on The New Israeli E-Lander (Tavor) Steel AR Magazines

Back on January 13, 2013 I mentioned the availability of steel AR-15/M16-compatible Tavor magazines, made in Israel, being sold by a company in the U.S. called The Mako Group. These were priced at $18.70 each. I personally ordered more than 100 of them on January 11th. My order just arrived on March 7th. I was very pleased with the fit and finish of the magazines. Mine came with white followers. Their finish was glossy black and quite slick feeling. They have gave reinforced magazine retainer tabs. The E-Lander company maintains stringent military specifications and they have ISO certified and NQA …


Auction Update: PVS-14 Gen 3+ Night Vision Scope to Benefit C.R.O.S.S. Ministries

CURRENT BID is $3,600 (Bid by Reader D.J.G.) Simply e-mail us your bids. I will post regular updates on the bidding. The final deadline will be Midnight EST on Monday, March 11, 2013. Thanks for your generous bids in support of C.R.O.S.S. Ministries. We are continuing a benefit auction of a brand new AN/PVS-14 Gen 3+ Night Vision Scope. All proceeds (100% of your bid) will be donated to C.R.O.S.S. Ministries. (A very worthy Christian ministry that is sharing the Gospel of Christ in South Sudan. Their outreach method is unique: They are teaching rural villagers tactical marksmanship, water purification, …


Economics and Investing:

Debt based delusion: Fed spending far outstripping revenues, balance of trade, and business inventories decline. Analyst: Bitcoin Took A Key Step Towards Going Mainstream, And That’s Why It’s Been Going Crazy The Last Two Day . Wow!: I just checked at CoinMill and the BTC to USD ratio was at 40.91 to one! (Almost $41 to buy one BitCoin.) Gold Core reports: Russia, Korea And Central Banks Accumulate Gold On Dip Below $1,600/oz Items from The Economatrix: Service Industries In US Grow At Fastest Pace In A Year JPMorgan:  The Consumer Spending Slowdown Is Here Billionaires Dumping US Stocks, Economist …


Odds ‘n Sods:

K. mentioned a great piece over at the Backwoods Home web site: Low-cost raised beds. [JWR Adds: That design will work for a couple of seasons. But in the long run it has “more work” written all over it. Here in the Inland Northwest, the preferred material for building raised beds is usually 2″ thick cedar planks. Most of the small cedar mill operations have a “seconds” pile where they sell random-length boards that don’t meet marketable standards, for various reasons. (Wane, checking, punky spots, et cetera.) This lumber sells for just a small fraction of the cost of the …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“This morning, I’m pleased to join the President, the Vice President, and countless Americans in calling on Congress to enact legislation addressing gun violence – including measures to require universal background checks, impose tough penalties on gun traffickers, protect law enforcement officers by addressing armor-piercing ammunition, ban high-capacity magazines and military-style assault weapons, and eliminate misguided restrictions that require federal agents to allow the importation of dangerous weapons simply because of their age.” – Attorney General Eric Holder


Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 45 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course. (A $1,195 value.) 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 …


A Prepper’s Holiday by C.E.B.

A preface: This article is not about the perfect excursion to relieve your tensions regarding coming doom and gloom. If you need a vacation from your constant worry, then you have become slave to it. Slaves don’t get to take holiday in Babylon! I wanted to share with friends and family some holidays that I feel were instituted specifically with the prepper in mind. Many of us are well aware of the practical advantages of observing the sabbath. For those of faith it becomes obvious through practice. Those who are not religious but still enjoy a day of rest will …


Establishing a Community of Like-Minded People, by P.S. in Virginia

Whenever you read fiction stories about surviving TEOTWAWKI, reading articles here on SurvivalBlog or any other similar site. One of the things that keeps coming up is its best to form a group of “Like Minded People”. Here is what I have put into motion and my future plans on how I hope to accomplish it. Any feedback is always welcome. My situation is my age being in my mid-50s and having a disability. It would be wonderful to find some like minded people in their early 20s or 30s who have the strength and ability to do what I …


Letter Re: A Newbie’s Perspective on Raising Chickens

To follow up on chicken coop design article “A Newbie’s Perspective on Raising Chickens“, please consider:  My first coop had chicken wire all the way down to the ground.  The possums would get one on each side at night, bounce the chickens from side to side (chickens are stupid at night) and then they would grab one through the wire and extrude them through the wire eating as they went.  Within a month they were all gone.  The whole thing was very disturbing. My new coop has plywood sides with hardware cloth (1/2″ squares) on the upper part.  As in the …


Auction Update: PVS-14 Gen 3+ Night Vision Scope to Benefit C.R.O.S.S. Ministries

CURRENT BID is $3,100 (Bid by Reader M.V.) Simply e-mail us your bids. I will post regular updates on the bidding. The final deadline will be Midnight EST on Monday, March 11, 2013. Thanks for your generous bids in support of C.R.O.S.S. Ministries. We are continuing a benefit auction of a brand new AN/PVS-14 Gen 3+ Night Vision Scope. All proceeds (100% of your bid) will be donated to C.R.O.S.S. Ministries. (A very worthy Christian ministry that is sharing the Gospel of Christ in South Sudan. Their outreach method is unique: They are teaching rural villagers tactical marksmanship, water purification, …


Economics and Investing:

Just as I predicted: E-mail tells feds to make sequester as painful as promised G.G. suggested: The Pentagon’s Metals Gap Keep Your (Milk) Powder Dry!: Milk Powder Surges Most in 2 1/2 Years on New Zealand Drought. (Thanks to Eric G. in New Hampshire for the link.) Items from The Economatrix: US Economic Growth Basically Flat Construction Spending Falls In January Factory Expansion Spurs Growth As Budget Cuts Loom


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader J.McC. sent us two links for an enlightening study in contrasts: These they release here in the States But these they seek to formally deport to their home country. This confirms something about the BHO Administration’s Agenda.    o o o Pierre M. sent: Chinese Cyberspies Attacked Natural Gas Pipeline Operators For Six Months Straight    o o o JRH Enterprises will be hosting another Survival Medicine class in Orlando, Florida on April 7, 2013. This is Part 1 in an ongoing series of medical training events. The class will be taught by a vascular surgeon and an Army …