Day: November 11, 2013

Notes from JWR:

In recognition of Veteran’s Day, I must mention this article: World War II’s surviving Doolittle Raiders make final toast. — My book “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It” is now available in a Romanian translation (“Ghid De Supravietuire“) from Editura Paralela 45 in Bucharest. I was pleased to hear that it was translated by Ioan Es. Pop. (Mr. Pop is a famous poet, translator, and academic in Romania.) So now the book is now available in seven editions: American English, British English, German, Spanish, French, Bulgarian, and Romanian. Translations to several other languages are …


T.M.’s Book Review: The Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson

This is actually three books telling one story that is pertinent to preppers. An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943 © 2002  ISBN: 0-8050-6288-2    681 pages The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944 © 2007  ISBN: 0-8050-6289-0    791 pages The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945 © 2013  ISBN: 978-0-8050-6290-8    877 pages All three volumes have excellent maps, indexes, bibliography, and a flawed endnote system. All three volumes are published by Henry Holt and Co. in New York City, NY All three volumes are available at your favorite bookseller …


Pat’s Product Review: Eberlestock F4M Terminator Backpack

When I was young – quite young – I had a serious thirst for adventure, and I was always undertaking something dangerous – many called it “stupid” or “foolhardy” as I recall. I was very independent (still am) and many also used the term “hard-headed” to describe me and some of my exploits. It’s okay, I believe everyone should follow their heart and their dreams, when possible. Which leads me to my youngest daughter, who just got out of the US Army – where she served as a Combat Medic. Now, those who know me, especially from the past, know …


Letter Re: Why Is Utah Not in the American Redoubt?

Dear Mr. R.: Why don’t you include Utah in your American Redoubt states? I’m asking because we’re right next door [to the Redoubt region] and Utah seems so much like the Redoubt states in so many ways. Just curious. – L.W.J. JWR Replies: Although Utah’s crime rate, taxes, and insurance rates are low and family food storage is quite popular there, the state has several distinct drawbacks. They include: Utah is is not an open carry state. A government-issued permit is required to carry a fully-loaded gun openly. I find that abhorrent. Utah is a predominantly desert state. In the …


Letter Re: Refurbishing Dead Gasoline

JWR, The shelf life of gasoline is one of the lurking problems with the prepper community. With this short article I will show you a simple process to take that lifeless gas and make it usable again. One of the issues with very old (several years) gas is the formation of deposits and gum via oxidation. Ethanol doesn’t help either, except to line the pockets of the Ethanol Lobby. Another issue is water absorption over time. Gasoline is not one cut of hydrocarbons, but a mixture of light and heavy fuels. Over time the lighter elements [“fractions”] evaporate, leaving a …


Letter Re: Remembering Dear Aunt Flow

Dear SurvivalBloggers, I have used folded up cloths as pads for years for my monthlies.  As long as you use a cotton cloth at least as big as a bandanna, bleed-through of a pad is surprisingly not that likely.    Have several, that way you always have a dry one and they can hand wash and hang dry in shifts.  There is no reason why they can’t be as sanitary as the commercial ones.   To wash one, soak it in soapy water.  Once it’s soaked a bit (like 10 minutes), rinse it and wash it again with soap until …


Recipe of the Week:

Old Kimber Girl’s Pear Honey 12 pears (14 if they are small) 4 large apples 2 large oranges 3 pounds of sugar Peel apples and pears. Remove core and seeds.  Grate orange rind and set aside. Peel orange-remove excess pith, remove seeds. Grind pears, apples and orange. Add sugar and cook 20 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add orange rind. Cook until thick. Process a you would any other jam. Yield:  Approximately nine ½-pint jars Useful Recipe and Cooking Links: Pear Recipes Spiced Apple and Pear Pie Recipe Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? …



Odds ‘n Sods:

Bad news from the Philippines: “Super typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) destroyed about 70 to 80 percent of the area in its path as it tore through Leyte province on Friday…”    o o o James C. mentioned that an important piece to print out for your reference binder was recently re-posted over at Preparedness Advice Blog: Chemical Names, A List Showing the Older Names vs the Modern Names. [JWR’s Comment: Credit for compiling most of this list (nearly verbatim) should be given to Kurt Saxon. He was the first one I know of to have published an earlier edition …