Economics and Investing:

Power to the Pinko People (and to their wall outlets): Demonstration In Detroit Demands End to Utility Shutoffs. R.G. forwarded a sobering economic forecast from the CBO: The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2011 to 2021. (As my friend the late Chuck Brumley was fond of saying: “If your outgo exceeds your income, then your upkeep will be your downfall.”) Coburn: Government ‘Stole’ From Social Security. (A hat tip to R.P.B. for the link.) Items from The Economatrix: Michigan Bill Would Impose “Financial Martial Law”  Investor Portfolio Preparation For Hyperinflation, Assets For Protection And Profits   Silver Bullion Coin …


Odds ‘n Sods:

I was saddened to hear from Granny Miller that Derry Brownfield passed away. I had been a guest on Derry’s radio show a couple of times. He impressed me as both a very patriotic and very personable guy. He was also very knowledgeable. Derry probably forgot more about livestock and agriculture than I’ll ever know. He will be missed!    o o o The folks at Hardened Structures wrote to mention a new EMP Engineering web site.  They provide professional analysis, design engineering, fabrication, manufacturing, installation and construction.  This includes HEMP Resistant Electrical Generators and HEMP Resistant Enclosures of all …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Therefore thus saith the LORD, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, [and] thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them. And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I [am] with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD. And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and …


Reloading On the Run, by David L.

Your house might be secured. In your basement or workshop you have your reloading outfit, your press, your scale and all of your dies. You can load thousands of rounds in a couple of days if you choose. So what if you have to leave your home in case of the proverbial excrement hitting the rotating circulating blades? How will you pack up your reloading outfit? How much ammunition can you possibly carry if the need arose? Ammunition runs out, especially if you can’t get to the store to replenish that supply and you are away from home.   In …


Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 33 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 Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 250 round case of 12 Gauge Hornady …


Using Lye Safely in Soap Making, by LadyDoc

Soap is arguably one of the greatest inventions, ever.  Most people do not need to be convinced of the advantages of soap, especially in terms of preventing infections.  Using soap for personal and property cleaning when medical care and antibiotics are not readily available will be a vital part of avoiding contagious diseases.  Elegant in its simplicity, soap is made from two ingredients, lye and fat, through a chemical process called saponification.  This process cannot occur without both ingredients in the proper proportion.  Making soap for household use post-TEOTWAWKI raises some challenges, two in particular that I believe warrant the …


Keeping Your Newborn Safe and Content – A First Time Mom’s Primer, by Jenna S.

Like most first time mothers, I am fortunate to say that I had the luxury of prenatal care and the vast availability and surplus of supplies after my son was born.  We were able to take our time transitioning from disposable diapers to cloth diapers and when my breast milk did not come in as quickly as he would have liked, we had the availability of formula.  Imagine the compounding stress a first time mother would experience with limited prenatal care, no mentors with breastfeeding knowledge and nowhere for miles around with supplies to care for a newborn.  Most people …


Letter Re: Nuclear Incidents in Japan – The Truth and the Rumors

Hello James, It is with a heavy heart that I watch the nuclear incident unfold in Japan. I am watching my nightmare come true, and I pray for the safety of the people in Japan. As you know, my article that was published in your blog last September was primarily written to alert the public about the possible EMP effects on nuclear power plants. While the initiating event may have been different, the results of the loss of all AC power at the site results in virtually identical consequences. Events are playing out very similarly to those that I had …


Letter Re: A Busy LDS Cannery–People are Sounding Anxious

James, In addition to all the other hats I wear I also am the cannery coordinator for my local LDS congregation. Last night was our canning night — though I am usually the only LDS member to show up and the rest are non-member friends of a similar mind set as we have. Last night was a madhouse at the cannery. Panic has already set in amongst those who are following all the news around the world (and not just fixated on the reactors in Japan). My group is normally around a dozen people. There were three other groups of …


Letter Re: A Warning on Underground Cache Containers

Jim, Here’s my story. I built a heavy duty cache tube consisting of a 6 inch diameter white PVC pipe, about 4 feet long with end cap on one end, screw top on the other. Cost about $100 to make. I’d already found a hidden spot near a tree grove in my county park (public land) about a 100 feet off a hiking/bike/day use trail, and about 200 feet from the county road. I wanted both well hidden and easy access. Early summer everything was in full bloom so plenty of natural cover for my stealth operation. Before sunrise, I …


Economics and Investing:

Several readers mentioned this piece by Chris Martenson, over at Zero Hedge: Alert: Nuclear (And Economic) Meltdown In Progress. These are Martenson’s strongest- ever admonitions to get seriously prepared. James Turk: Gold $8,000 Per Ounce and Hyperinflation a Sure Thing. Business Insider: It’s Not Your Imagination: The Number Of Disasters Just Keeps Rising Items from The Economatrix: As Treasury Cash Drops to Just $14.2 Billion, And No Bond Auctions Until Next Week, is America About to Run Out of Cash?   US Debt and Deficits Ensure Violent Dollar Sell-Off Ahead   The Gathering Political and Economic Storm   Tsunami May …


Odds ‘n Sods:

R.P.B. sent this: Forecast for Plume’s Path is a Function of Wind and Weather. Keep in mind that not much radioactive dust is likely to make it all the way from Japan to U.S. and of that, most of it will be carrying lighter isotopes with short half-lives. If you have dosimeter and ratemeter pens, then go ahead and zero them, and start making a chart. (A dosimeter that reads milliroentgens or milligrays would be the most useful, for now.) If nothing else, this will be useful experience for any future event where there is a substantially greater risk. Also, …



Letter Re: Do-It Yourself HEPA Air Filtration for NBC Shelters

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Friends, In the wake of the Japanese nuclear plant melt-down situation, I called a safe room manufacturer for a hand cranked air filter.  It was over $2,000.  Too much.  I did learn that you need both particulate (HEPA) and gas (carbon) filters.   I have jury-rigged an NBC air filtration system.  Here it is: Go to a hydroponics store or find one online.  Yes, the one’s that people go to in order to grow marijuana. You will need an inline fan.  I used a  continentalfan.com AXC150B-C fan.  It is a little more expensive but German engineering costs more.  (Quieter too). You …


Notes from JWR:

The 2005-2010 Archive CD-ROM is Ready! The five-year compendium archive of SurvivalBlog articles and letters on CD-ROM (in both HTML and PDF) is now available! The CD-ROM, optimized for laptops, is now orderable through Lulu.com, for $19.95. Even if the Internet goes down, you will still have all of SurvivalBlog’s archives at your fingertips, and all fully searchable. And if you are online while using the CD-ROM, the links to external web sites are fully functional. These archives are immense. (If you were to print out the entire PDF, it would take 5,504 sheets of paper!) Order yours, today! — …