Year: 2013

Protection from Radioactive Fallout by Tennessean

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Part One About me: I’m a retired Ph.D. biochemist who has worked with beta emitters in the laboratory.  I’ve no financial interest in any of the firms or products mentioned below. This post is dedicated to the late Cresson Kearny and his wonderful hard work in preparing the most essential book Nuclear War Survival Skills available at www.beprepared.com and other sources.   Dr. Stephen Hawking was once told by his publisher that for every equation he placed in his book the readership would drop by half.  Dear reader the author will harass you with only three equations.  The late great thermodynamicist  …


Letter Re: Pre-1899 Antique Gun Clarifications

Hi James, I was just looking at your FAQ article about antique firearms. Apparently, there has been some controversy over the dates of manufacture of some Winchester firearms. The discovery of so called Polishing Room Records have dates of “manufacture” which apparently disagree with the previously established “Madis” dates of manufacture. I was just wondering what your take is on this subject. Also, I’ve been trying to find out if there is any logical reason for selecting December 31, 1898 as the Antique firearms cutoff date. Did someone just arbitrarily pick this date? I know that there were cartridge ammunition …


Economics and Investing:

TANSTAAFL, Butter and Silver A new digital ecology is evolving, and humans are being left behind Items from The Economatrix: The Number Of Private Sector Jobs Fell By 278,000 Last Month But The Economy Is Getting Better? Jobs Figure:  Worse Than The Headline Number COMEX Default Risk As Gold Inventories Plummet 36%


Odds ‘n Sods:

G.G. sent: In Mexico, self-defense groups battle a cartel. [JWR’s Comment: I wonder if the photographer realized that the “meanacing”-looking scoped AR in the foreground was a .22 rimfire? Take a close look at the magazine.]    o o o Number of People Who Showed Up For “Million Muslim March” . . . 21. (Perhaps they heard that there would be 2 million bikers coming into town.)    o o o Carol J. mentioned: Fabric coating thwarts detection by night-vision devices. “The coating combines a squid protein, reflectin, plus graphene.”    o o o Over at Frank and Fern’s blog: …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“… the president was on the televisor last night urging us to memorialize those who were murdered on this day twelve years ago by flying air strikes in support of the faction that murdered them. Whatever else may be said, that took an amazing level of chutzpah, to call on a nation to go to war in support of terrorists the night before going to lay a wreath at a ceremony commemorating their victims.” – Tamara, Editor of the View From The Porch blog


Notes from JWR:

Today is the 12th anniversary of 9/11. I find it incredibly ironic that the BHO regime is now planning to support our sworn enemy, Al Qaeda. We truly are living in the age of deception and betrayal. — Today we present another entry for Round 48 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 …


Footgear Considerations, by Dagney T.

If you or your readers are contemplating carrying a rucksack [or backpack] of any type for any distance there are three items this old soldier heartily recommends: 1. Compression type Smart Wool Socks 2. Two Toms brand Sport Shield Liquid Roll On. 3. Insoles: Green Super Feet I am still ruck’in these days (an old LC-1 pack frame with 40lbs of weight plates zip tied to it [I am certain I am quite a sight if anyone is up at 04:30 AM]), so I believe I know what I am talking about. Six to ten miles per day. I wish …


Letter Re: Concerns About Idaho

Mr. Rawles, I am leaving Alaska and actively looking for a new home in the American Redoubt. The State of Idaho is (was?) at the top of my list but several recent articles in SurvivalBlog have cause for concern. (The recent item about he Boise gun show cancellation, for example.)   I understand that ‘nothing is perfect’ but can you reassure your readers that Idaho is not being infiltrated by the loony leftists?   Thank You and best regards, – Tom in Alaska JWR Replies: The news item about Boise was posted because it was unusual, and definitely not the norm for …


Economics and Investing:

Tam linked to this interesting piece: The 1970s Cold War Era Home built 26 Feet Underground G.G. flagged this: Consumer agency threatens independence of bankruptcy office Also from G.G.: Is Trenton going the way of Detroit? Poverty in New Jersey reaches 52-year high, new report shows Items from The Economatrix: Real Unemployment Rate Rises To 11.4%, Difference Between Reported And Real Data Rises To Record Record 90.5 Million Out Of Labor Force As Half A Million Drop Out In One Month; Labor Force Participation Rate Plunges To 1978 Levels Guggenheim On The US Jobs Growth “Mirage”


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader J. McC. sent: Small California City Welcome Doomsday Bunkers    o o o For those who are concerned about the privacy of your search engine history, I heard about a company that prides itself on keeping no stinking histories: ixquick.com. So, hoping that their promise is legitimate, I have that set as my browser’s home page, so that I don’t forget to use it. OBTW, friend Dave reminds me: “There is an IXQuick add-on for the Firefox search bar.” It is time to divorce ourselves from Google, folks!    o o o The feds pay for 60 percent of …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 48 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 $300 …


The Family SHTF Operations Manual, by Col. H.

SurvivalBlog provides a wealth of prep-related information. Many here cut and paste critical essays to store as Word documents for safekeeping and later access when crisis times call for it. I suggest going one step further. Build a structured notebook of your family’s prep information, with each topic index tabbed for easy access and available for all family-tribe members to consult when the need arrives. Let this notebook become your family’s SHTF collapse response manual, your SOP for surviving a collapse. People panic and make fatal errors under crisis when they do not have enough information and do not know …


Letter Re: Wool Carding Questions

Jim, I love your blog. Thank you so much for running it in these challenging times. God bless you and your family. It read top to bottom daily. My family and I are now raising meat rabbits since early April: one California buck and 5 does, New Zealand, Rex and SilverFox. We now have 39 kits and the first litter is weaned and growing at an amazing pace. My wife only bought into this idea after I committed to be the butcher and the final product looked like chicken. Deal. Only the parents have names. The kits are all very …


News From The American Redoubt:

My friend Terry H. mentioned that all of the scheduled Boise guns shows have been cancelled, because of an arbitrary new policy mandated by the Ada County Board of Supervisors. They are requiring the local club (Eedahow Long Rifles–that organizes the show) to buy a $5 million liability insurance policy for the shows. That would mean a $40,000 per year insurance premium on a show that generates a net revenue of only $16,000 per year!    o o o Kay G. sent: Idaho wants to manage federal lands, but funding a question. In related news: Wyoming wants other states to …