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. …



Notes from HJL:

Today we present another entry for Round 51 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course (a $1,195 value), 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, Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value), A $300 gift certificate …


SHTF Lessons From Venezuela, by CSR

I am an avid reader and have not attempted to contribute to this fine blog because I personally had little to offer from the perspective of knowledge or skills that many more knowledgeable individuals have already contributed. However, as I have been closely monitoring the current events in Venezuela I realized that this is an area where I have knowledge and skills that many others don’t. Also, there is a great deal about these events that,in my opinion, correlate to the United States’ political and economic directions and possible outcomes. The people of Venezuela are learning lessons the hard way. …


Letter: Google Replacement

Hugh, I have switched from Google to Startpage.com as my search engine to gain some privacy on the web. Is there anyone providing an email service that would get me away from the eyes of gmail? I am sure most of your readers would appreciate the same information if you know of any resources. Hugh Replies: Currently, one of the best places you can start with is https://prism-break.org. They list services and programs that are open-sourced and free from spying eyes. They will also tell you the weaknesses of any as they become known. It didn’t take them long at …


Four Letters Re: Rocket Stove

MW, I don’t have any experience with the “Zoom Versa” rocket stove, but I currently own a “Stovetec” single door rocket stove. I believe the Zoom is built to look like the Stovetec but don’t know this for sure. (I don’t have any financial interest in Stovetec, but do love the thing.) I’ve used ours only in the backyard with the grand kids. We’ve found it to be very effective using small, otherwise “junk” sized pieces of wood to cook almost anything. I have used small pots, stock pots, woks, and other skillets on ours. ANY rocket type stove does …


Economics and Investing:

California housing leaving the middle class behind in the dust: Prime real estate markets close to previous peaks while areas inhabited by working class families fall further behind. Ukraine crisis: In Moscow, panic sets in as rouble plummets and foreign exchanges run out of dollars. – JBG Items from The Economatrix: The Death Of Retail: What Do RadioShack And J.C. Penney Say About The Future Consumer Economy? Low Wage Retail Work To Take A Hit. S&P 500 Closes At Record High On Job Data Beat Here Are 5 Clues To The Health Of US Job Market


Odds ‘n Sods:

Fortress Defense (a SurvivalBlog advertiser) has added several new classes to their calendar. These include: Tactical Medical, Church Safety, Defensive Handgun, and Urban Rifle (with John Farnam.) Most of these are in Chicagoland, but one upcoming class is in Indiana. o o o Military’s top general offers grim outlook on nation’s defense o o o Connecticut Carry defies lawmakers, to ‘either enforce or repeal’ gun ban o o o Ukraine: Three Views– John Mauldin o o o Couple Who Found $10 Million Treasure on Their Property Could Face Arrest for… – RBS o o o Why You Truly Never Leave …



Notes From HJL:

In the Odds ‘n Sods column today, there is a link about the general bias of the SPLC. To add to that, one of our readers informed us: “I thought I should draw your attention to an article that contains a reference to ‘Patriots, A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse,’ where it is described as a ‘radical survivalist book’ being marketed by a neo-Nazi activist April Gaede, who apparently receives commissions from Amazon for any sales that are linked to her website.” – W.B. JWR Responds: The irony of this, of course, is that the “radical survivalist book” …


Taking The Leap Into Prepping, by J.B.

While some of us currently have enough to survive for months and the necessities to survive for much longer, this article will be for the beginner. There are so many different ways to start prepping. My family started by setting financial goals. Getting excited about prepping is really easy, but so is deciding that it won’t work for you. I have seen this before with friends who I have spoken with about what I do. They get really excited and go home and rally the troops. Then they realize that they have no funds to do so. While most Americans …