Letter Re: Some Low Power DC Lighting Solutions

Hi Jim, I’ve been chasing some practical technologies that have proved useful to me. I hope that you find them useful as well.   As you know, power usage in an off-grid environment is a purse to be tightly controlled. After all, when you make your own, you cautiously guard it’s use.   I‘ve been using LED strings from Inirgee.com for the past number of years at the off grid ranch and have been well pleased.    I’ve used the warm white and the cool white and learned I like warm white inside and cool white outside.   Recently I …


Three Letters Re: Small Scale Alternative Energy in Suburbia

Mr. Rawles: In a recent SurvivalBlog post, Alan W. wrote: “It has a 400w inverter with a modified sine wave output. During Hurricane Irene the only thing that I could get it to power was a standard lamp with an incandescent light bulb! It wouldn’t run tools or electronics.” I believe he is drawing the wrong conclusion from this experience. Instead of blaming the (admittedly inferior) “modified sine wave” inverter, he should have blamed himself for not testing his equipment before the emergency struck. I own a number of inexpensive inverters with “modified sine wave” ranging from 175 watt to …


Economics and Investing:

Pierre M. sent this: Bank of America is Becoming a “Counterparty Risk” Like Bear and Lehman Over at Fierce Finance: Banks downgraded, but is too-big-to-fail really over? G.G. sent a link to a noteworthy news article dated September 19th that I had missed: Israel Has Dumped 46 Percent of Its U.S. Treasury Bills; Russia 95 Percent Also from G.G.: Virginia regulators closed another bank, bringing the nationwide tally of bank failures to 72 for the year. Items from The Economatrix: Oil Falls Below $80 On Demand Concerns Global Leaders Struggle to Calm Recession Fears Signs of China Slowdown Add to …


Odds ‘n Sods:

John R. spotted this: Hay The Latest Target For Thieves As Prices Skyrocket    o o o P.L. recommended an informative firearms article by Grant Cunningham: Lubrication 101    o o o Allie in Montana mentioned an amazing truly “minimalist” Kydex holster: The Zacchaeus Concealment Holster, made by Dale Fricke Holsters. It is particularly useful for those that like “Mexican Carry”, but that don’t want a gun to slip too deep down their pants. (That can be embarrassing, not to mention unsafe!) Having the triggerguard fully enclosed is particularly important for pistols that lack a thumb safety lever (and with …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Between the hand wringing over Greece and the Eurozone, the Palestinian-related hair-pulling at the UN, the stock market cra**ing the bed, and NASA running around yelling that the sky is falling, the only way you can tell the front page of CNN.com from SurvivalBlog right now is by the graphics and color schemes.” – Tamara, at the View From The Porch blog


Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 36 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) 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 B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and …


Environmental Emergencies, by K.G. EMT-P

One of the most often overlooked and underestimated issues regarding first aid are environmental related injuries.  In the event that ambulance services and advanced medical personnel are unavailable, there are measures that a person can take to alleviate symptoms, prevent organ damage, and possibly save a life.  From my own personal experience as a paramedic, I have found that these emergencies are usually unexpected even in people who are in relatively good medical condition. Environmental injuries are problems we don’t usually encounter on a regular basis in our daily lives.  While our bodies can usually compensate for extreme environment exposure, …


Beans, Bullets, Band-Aids and Bibles: Faith When the World Falls Apart, by Pastor Terry

As preppers we have all heard of the Three B’s those would be beans, bullets and Band-Aids. An alliteration for food, protection/sufficiency and medical supplies. We should know their importance and for the most part practice it as part of our lifestyle. In our home we utilize a fourth B, the Bible. Let me explain why we feel the Bible is just that important. I am a bi-vocational pastor serving in the Blue Ridge of the Appalachian Mountains. In case you don’t understand the meaning of bi-vocational I support my wife and I with a full time job while I …


Three Letters Re: Basic Rifle Marksmanship–Is It That Basic?

James: That was a great article on marksmanship and very relevant for me as this last weekend I participated in an Appleseed shoot.  The instructors are volunteers who did a great job (and refused any monetary tips).  It is a great organization!  They covered many of the topics you mentioned in this article.  For the first time in my life I feel like I finally have the fundamentals necessary to be a skilled shooter. I’ve grown up plinking with BB guns and .22 rimfires all my life and have always been a decent shot.  Assuming 95% of your readers will …


Letter Re: Small Scale Alternative Energy in Suburbia

Sir: I had purchased two Schumacher brand Portable Power packs-essentially a [gel cell] battery with [just] an inverter without the extra buzzers and bells from a company that makes quality battery chargers.  It has a 400w inverter with a modified sine wave output.  During Hurricane Irene the only thing that I could get it to power was a standard lamp with an incandescent light bulb!  It wouldn’t run tools or electronics.  After some Internet research, I found that most units used the modified sine wave because it is a less expensive design.  Unfortunately, it may or may not supply power to the unit that …


Letter Re: Is There Utility in Melting Silver for Ingots?

Mr Rawles:s Silver alloys cannot be refined by just melting and skimming the dross from the top–no precious metal alloy can.  Silver alloys usually contain copper as a hardener, some of the new sterling used in jewelry is alloyed with other metals to keep it from tarnishing.  Simply melting silver will not cause the copper to rise to the top and oxidize. Separating silver from copper requires nitric acid and should not be attempted at home.  I’m not sure how some of the other alloys are refined.  Furthermore a home chemist will never get scrap silver refined to .9999 or …


Economics and Investing:

FOREX Crunch recently noted: Everything is going against French banks: a senior figure said that there are “signs of an institutional bank run” in France that may be followed by retail accounts,  BNP Paribas is seeking for an investment in Qatar and a senior French EU official admits that the the government may need to help the banks. John R. kindly sent this piece: Is the US Monetary System on the Verge of Collapse? (David Galland of Casey Research) John T. pointed me to an article that illustrates that the IRS is getting desperate for revenue. “DaddyO” suggested an interesting look at …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) sent this: So much for “Secret” Data Centers.    o o o Jonathan B. sent this sad news from Nanny State Britannia: A gamekeeper fined and gun permits revoked – risks losing his livelihood…why?  Because he fell asleep while cleaning his guns!    o o o F.J. mentioned that Lew Rockwell re-posted a useful article from the 2009 archives of The Art Of Manliness: How to Build Sturdy Basement Shelves    o o o More about prescription drug shortages, from a Florida television reporter: Local doctors prepared for drug shortage    o o …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 36 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) 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 B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) …