Year: 2016

Letter: Long-Term Gas Storage

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Hi Hugh and Jim. I am trying to figure out what to do regarding safe long-term gas storage. There are some that recommend treating gasoline with Pri G and sticking it in a HDPE plastic drum filled to the top. Others suggest that if you treat the gas every year with Pri G it will last “forever”, even ethanol gas. There seem to be a few common sense caveats, like cooler is better, temperature swings are bad, and you need to keep the tank full, et cetera to give themselves an out. I find this hard to believe. I have …


Economics and Investing:

The Curious Case Of The 550 Million Missing Barrels Of Crude Oil o o o Commercial property bubble gets out of control: Commercial real estate is now up 102 percent from the lows reached in 2009. o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: US News Demand Agencies Go to the Chopping Block (Government Waste Fraud and Abuse) This is an excellent opinion piece written by columnist Cal Thomas. Excerpt: “We live in troubled times. The institutions we once trusted no longer seem reliable.” Feds Paid $709,000 to Academic Who Studies How Glaciers are Sexist (Daily Caller) “Merging feminist postcolonial science …


Odds ‘n Sods:

More reasons to get your kids out of publically-funded schools, even higher education schools: For the second time in 15 years – UC-Berkeley Law School Dean Takes Leave Of Absence After Being Sued For Sexual Harassment o o o Several readers sent in the links to this article: FBI Now Spying on HS Students, to ID and Weed-Out “Extremists & Anarchists” for Pre-Crimes o o o Despite the Democratic narrative over the Supreme Court vacancy, Republicans have no constitutional duty to vote on Supreme Court nominees – Sent in by P.M. o o o Police Confiscate Guns from Concealed Permit …



Notes for Friday – March 11, 2016

Today is the birthday of author Douglas Adams (born in 1952). He is the author of Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Also on this day, the Great Blizzard of ’88 struck the northeastern United States (1888). o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 63 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value), A Gunsite Academy Three Day …


The Survival Battery- Part 1, by B.F.

I recently “rediscovered” the late Mel Tappan’s book Survival Guns. I remember reading his articles in Guns and Ammo and Soldier of Fortune back in the ’60s and ’70s, and I had a copy of Survival Guns when I was stationed in Germany as a small arms repairman in the mid ’70s. I left that copy in the unit’s common library when I PCS’d back to the world and had not thought about it until lately when I found a reprint available on Amazon. A lot of writers have shared their thoughts about what should constitute a survival battery. JWR, …


Letter: Rocket Stoves and Tiny Pressure Cookers

Dear Mr. Rawles and Mr. Latimer, I read with interest your recent article on rocket stoves and slow cooking. I would like to note that while rocket stoves do use less fuel, a person can also burn less fuel and save time with a pressure cooker. Many people are totally unaware that there are very small 1.5 liter pressure cookers for sale that use very little fuel to cook a delicious and healthy meal. If you are going to go to the trouble of using an efficient stove, it pays to use efficient cooking vessels. I recently made two YouTube …


Economics and Investing:

Chinese Exports Plunge 25.4 Percent Compared To Last Year o o o Deflation Is Coming To The Auto Industry As Used Car Prices Drop, Off-Lease Deluge Looms – Sent in by RBS o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: US News Former BP CEO Expects More US Bankruptcies (Fox Business) International News Italy Isn’t Greece — It’s Worse (Business Insider) Excerpt: “…banks will be allowed to cleanse their balance sheets by packaging the NPLs and selling them to investors, along with enticing government guarantees for the least risky portions of the debt. The catch? The securities must be priced at …


Odds ‘n Sods:

As we listen to the mainstream media’s portrayal of the Feds actions, we hear how the BLM was threatened by an unruly mob, taking aim with sniper rifles and obviously out of control. Of course, there are always two sides to every coin. Reader H.L. sent in this thought-provoking article on the issue. From Showdown to Show Trial: The Bunkerville Crackdown is Just Beginning o o o Circulating virulently on social media: Gen. Boykin: First Transgender Man Enters My Daughter’s Bathroom Won’t Have to Worry About Surgery o o o An excellent 20 minute video (or a pictorial essay, your …



Notes for Thursday – March 10, 2016

On March 10, 1893, New Mexico State University canceled its first graduation ceremony because its only graduand, Sam Steele, was robbed and killed the night before. On March 10, 1910, China officially ended slavery. But unofficially, China now has one of the world’s largest slave populations. These are mostly political prisoners, working in prison factories. Sadly, there is no way of reliably knowing whether or not most of the “Made In China” merchandise that you buy might originate from these prisons. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 63 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly …


Are We Prepared?, by Michael G.

We heard a medical doctor issue a warning before the dawn of the new century that we needed to get prepared. All of the engineers interviewed in IEEE Magazine at the time said we were in trouble. I did not want to face my family at the dinner table regretting there was no food because I did not heed qualified warnings. I had to act. We considered what we might need and went out and purchased what we could afford by priority. We prepared as though we were preparing for war and assumed we would have to make it on …


Letter Re: Rocket Stoves

Hi Jim and Hugh, I have appreciated the rocket stove articles. If one has the funds and is less mechanically inclined or adept at welding, I have purchased a Stove Tek rocket stove and am very pleased with it. They have upgraded it some from the one I bought. I think probably from your website a few years ago someone suggested that a Saratoga Jack ‘slow cooker’ would work well with the rocket stove, and wouldn’t you know it does. There is an interior removable stainless pot that fits nicely on the rocket stove. I boiled water using leaves and …


Economics and Investing:

Death Of Paper Gold Picks Up Speed Big Time Today o o o President Obama Calls Surprise Meeting With Financial Stability Oversight Council. Sent in by P.R.M. o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: US News Thanks, Bush and Obama: 1 in 7 Americans Were on Food Stamps in 2015 (Mises) Excerpt: “Forty-five million Americans were on food stamps — also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — at some point in 2015.” The Hurdles to Getting US Workers Off the Sidelines (Wall Street Journal) Note: The Wall Street Journal may require sign-on, registration, and/or an active subscription …


Odds ‘n Sods:

I’m pretty sure that no one seriously doubts that we are living in the “End Times” about now, but SurvivalBlog reader MtH sent in this article on Fox News: Beheadings, imprisonment made 2015 worst year for Christian persecution, report finds o o o Reader D.S. sent in this short article suggesting why our modern churches are struggling so much: Churches Under a Curse. o o o A SurvivalBlog reader sent in the information for the Honey Badger Wheel. It’s an interesting concept on packing heavy loads (kind of like a stripped down wheelbarrow but easier to use on rough terrain …