Day: March 9, 2014

Notes from HJL:

March 9th is the birthday of Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first man to ever travel in space. (Born 9 March 1934, died 27 March 1968 in the crash of a MiG-15-UTI fighter.) o o o 3 Ways to Make Your Portfolio Inflation-Proof JWR’s tangible investing strategy: Want to know an asset class that’s almost a surefire winner for the next five years? It’s razor blades. See the full article. Also: Guns, Ammo And Other Great Ways To Fight Inflation. – Frost o o o Today we present another entry for Round 51 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ …


How To Prepare Yourself For Cold Weather, by Prepared in Maine

I’ve been hearing a lot from friends and family in southern latitudes who are dealing with the cold. My lifetime of experience, living and working outdoors in northern Maine, has taught me that cold weather gear need not be expensive or complicated. Living in a cold climate does require some thought and preparation, but with a bit of both you can equip yourself and your beloved ones for cold weather so that you can not only survive but work and be comfortable. I don’t represent or have any interest in any of the companies listed. I cite brand names only …


Letter Re: Animal-Grade Grains and Bugs

Hello Hugh. With regard to your comment about animal-grade grains and bugs, I had the same problem several years ago and I have found a very effective solution. In fact, before I found a solution the weevils were so bad that when I was near the bags of grain I could hear them rattling around in there and they quickly spread everywhere. I store many bags of corn, chicken scratch, and barley without so much as a single bug now. The solution is diatomaceous earth. Bugs hate it. In fact weevils and moths simply cannot live with it. Fleas and …


Letter Re: Transmission, Prevention, and Treatment of the Flu Virus

Hugh, Transmission, Prevention, and Treatment of the Flu Virus was an excellent article by JJE. Research has suggested that a Vitamin D deficiency *may* make people more susceptible to respiratory illness. “…Ultraviolet radiation (either from artificial sources or from sunlight) reduces the incidence of viral respiratory infections, as does cod liver oil (which contains vitamin D)…” With regard to Vitamin D supplementation: “…it may be prudent to maintain wintertime 25(OH)D at concentrations achieved in nature by summertime sun exposure (50 ng/ml)…the dosage will depend upon age, latitude, season, skin type, body weight, sun exposure, and pre-existing 25(OH)D levels… Administration of …


Two Letters Re: Why Your Family Will NOT Survive the Economic Collapse

Hugh, I don’t comment ever. I have been following Jim’s site for over three years now. It’s the first thing I view most mornings. I yelled to my wife, “Honey you won’t believe what’s posted,” and I read the post to her. We both agreed with A.Y. to turn off the boob tube! I turned it off in the 80’s. I was sick of the garbage on it. I would love to see more posts concerning this topic. – M.S. o o o Hugh, Why Your Family Will NOT Survive the Economic Collapse, by A.Y. is the best article I’ve …


Economics and Investing:

This map only has data from 1999 and 2009 but is surprising nonetheless: The Geography of Government Benefits. It’s very easy to compare 1999 to 2009 and see just how much government assistance has grown. – Skyrat Items from The Economatrix: Three-Month Low In U.S. Jobless Claims Offers Hope For Labor Market US Applications For Jobless Aid Reach 3-Month Low Stock and housing gains put US net worth at record What Costco Is Saying About The Economy


Odds ‘n Sods:

In an update on the article related to asthma medication, A New Twist on a Live-Saving Medicine ,from SurvivalBlog’s Medical Editor, posted January, 2013, Dr. Koelker submitted the following: “As of February 26, 2014 the FDA advisory panel has recommended against the release of a replacement for Primatene Mist. Though the majority of panel members considered the medication effective, they expressed concern about safety issues, including inaccuracy of dosing, clogging of the device, side-effects, and the risks of self-diagnosis and self-medication. The FDA is not bound by the panel’s recommendations, but generally does follow the advice of the advisory committee. …