Dr. Bob on Snakebites in TEOTWAWKI

This article was requested by a reader from SurvivalBlog and therefore is published here before it even appears on my own web site next week.  In reviewing the snake-related material in the history, no review of snakebites was found.  There was some reference to people that have been bitten by rattlers, and the July 2006 run in that the fine editor of this blog had with a 3-footer, but no review of risk and advise for treatment.  We will change all that in one swoop here, and the review will be as thorough as my capabilities allow, but hopefully will also generate …


Letter Re: Natural Gas “Drip” Condensate

Hello James, To follow up on the recent letter about running gasoline engines on “drip”: I have never used drip gas, but an old friend of mine who lived and worked in Texas told me it was often necessary to remove the sulfur from drip gas. I would suspect your nose would tell you if sulfur was present [in high concentration] by the rotten egg smell of hydrogen sulfide. The trick used back then was to let the drip gas sit in a container full of copper wool.  Obviously copper wire will work, but over a longer time period, as …


Five Letters Re: Living Through the Real Estate Crash and Bankruptcy

Mr. Rawles, After reading the article entitled “Living Through the Real Estate Crash and Bankruptcy” by Brad C., I was absolutely livid. I am not an economics major but I firmly believe that our country is in the shape that it is due in large part to people like Brad C. who leveraged everything that they could to live “the American dream” and then screwed all of his creditors by simply deciding that he was not going to pay. Even going so far as to max out his credit cards knowing he was not going to be paying the bill …


Recipe of the Week:

Recipe of the Week D.T.C. in Maryland’s Favorites Hot Milk Cake: 2-eggs 1/2 c. milk 1 Tbsp. butter 3/4 c. Sugar 1c Flour 1 tsp – Baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 Tbsp. vanilla Pre-heat oven to 325 deg. 1) Put milk and butter in saucepan on low heat. Melt butter into milk. Do not let milk boil, but it should “steam”. 2) Mix eggs and vanilla together until “airy” then add, slowly, the sugar to the egg/vanilla mix until dissolved. 3) In a separate bowl, add the remaining dry ingredients and blend well. 4) Slowly add the dry ingredients …


Economics and Investing:

Greece “Officially Defaults” March 23, Banks Close. Gold Prices: Central Bank Gold-Buying Increases By 500% Tim R. sent this: No Euro, No Cry: Swedish krona versus cash chaos Items from The Economatrix: Oil At 5-Week High At $102 Barrel Gold Fire Sale International Currencies Increasingly Rejected In The Face Of Inflation Many Of You Will Not Believe Some Of The Things Americans Are Doing To Survive


Odds ‘n Sods:

F.J. pointed me to the latest over at Instructables: Build Your Own Electric Motorcycle.    o o o Two months without food: Swedish man survives for months in snowed-in car. (Thanks to Wally for the link.)    o o o Oh, but here in the States we have our own self-selecting candidates for snowy suicide: Couple survives three days stuck in snow on Girl Scout cookies, peanuts. Here is a key quote, that sounds all too familiar: “Searchers say it was difficult to find the couple because they were searching in the wrong area. The couple did not tell friends …



Note From JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 39 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, 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 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 …


Living Through the Real Estate Crash and Bankruptcy, by Brad C.

My experience with a tax audit, real estate crash, rental house woes, foreclosures, layoff and bankruptcy:   In a nutshell, we went from a 4,000 square foot home, worth more than $1 million, a vacation home, new RV, Mercedes convertible, Jeep, $50,000 SUV, 20 rental properties, a property management company and a great full time job…   To living in a modest rental house in the middle of nowhere. Beginnings I am a computer guy, have been since 1991. I bounced around a few companies gaining positions and knowledge.  Eventually I rode the dot com wave as a security and infrastructure consultant. …


Letter Re: Planning for Shingles in TEOTWAWKI

Dear Mr. Rawles: Although the personal account of shingles yesterday served to communicate the degree of discomfort and event disability the disease can inflict, the writer was in error when he communicated that the vaccine for chicken pox (varicella) will provide immunity against shingles also. To the contrary, it appears that vaccination against chickenpox actually increases the rate of shingles in a population by about 40%. When one contracts chickenpox, the virus remains in a dormant form in spinal nerve roots; when an immunological weakness permits, it may reemerge as a shingles outbreak. (This is very similar to what happens …


Letter Re: .22 Handguns and Other Options For Self Defense

James: R.F.D. is spot on with the write-up, on .22 LR and to take this a step further,  everyone should do their own “field tests”. Most people (My estimation) can not or will not spend enough range time to be proactive in having the hands on experience to get not only the right weapon but equally important the right caliber for them and/also the first hand knowledge of what they can do to both living tissue or objects.  I have over my learning period of 50 plus years and hundreds of thousands of rounds shot, understood that I wanted several calibers and types of …


Economics and Investing:

John Stossel: We are on the road to bankruptcy As The World Revolving Door Turns: Former Obama official’s revolving door leads to hedge-fund defense project Reader Tracy A. suggested this commentary from Mish Shedlock: Obama Wants Cheaper Pennies and Nickels; Why Not Do Away With Both [JWR’s Comment: My solution would be to 1.) Balance the Federal budget and 2.) Revalue the U.S. Dollar, knocking off two zeros, and 3.) Begin minting real silver coinage again. But sadly, that probably won’t happen in my lifetime.] How Could Silver Short Sellers Cover Their Positions? (Thanks to Diana for the link.) Tyler …


Odds ‘n Sods:

M.E.W. sent us this: Police ‘Tank’ Purchase Riles New Hampshire Town    o o o Reader Steven S. wrote to mention that there is a new link to the free PDF of John Pugsley’s now classic book, The Alpha Strategy. And while you are at, put a copy of Nuclear War Survival Skills on the same thumb drive. (Thanks to Rocco for the latter link.)    o o o Sheriff Paul Babeu: Fast and Furious scandal is far from over    o o o The streets of Syria are starting to look… Libyan.    o o o KAF sent a …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore …


Note From JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 39 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, 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 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 …