Letter Re: Traces of Radioactive Iodine in the Milk Supply

Sir: It would appear that very low levels of radioiodine (I-131) have been detected in Western US milk, as could be expected. Presently, the contamination from Fukushima is taking over a week to cross the Pacific, and that time, combined with dilution effects, reduces the contamination from the Fukushima disaster to point far below the level of concern. At the present time. It also appears that the fukushima fallout plume is not rising high enough at present to become entrained in the jet stream However, reports from Fukushima, and analysis of the data available, indicates that a containment breach may …


Letter Re: Getting The Family On Board

Dear Mr. Rawles,   First, I want to thank you for the work you do and the time and effort I know it takes to provide all of us the wealth of resources and information you do.  I have been steadily preparing for bad times only for the past two years.  Prior to that, my family and I were all about the “Good Times” – Working for the weekend, staying tuned into the television shows, enjoying the “American” way of life.  I became involved in stock market trading a few years ago and took several classes with a gentleman who …


Letter Re: More About Storing Nickels

Hi James, Just following up on my last letter about stacking nickels in the “Standing Shotgun Shell” configuration.  I’ve continued experimenting and have a few tips I’d like to add that might come in handy. Luckily, I’ve been able to order quantities of nickel boxes from my local bank [at face value] and have been making a studied process of stacking them, trying to improve with each box.  BTW, a cardboard box of nickels such as delivered by Brinks weighs 22 pounds.  I have figured out that by sliding the thumb in and pushing in towards the empty cardboard box, …


Economics and Investing:

M.E.W. flagged this: Gross Echoes Buffett Saying Treasuries Have ‘Little Value’ on Debt, Dollar Greg C. spotted this: Ripples in Japanese supply chain will be felt here. Greg’s comment: “This will end up being a major case study in the weaknesses of “Just in Time” (JIT) delivery.  It won’t be just car parts that will be affected as you will see when you read the article.” More economic suicide news from Zimbabwe: Implats, Aquarius fall on Zimbabwe indigenisation news. Items from The Economatrix: Gold, Silver Now Legal Tender in Utah. (But is is too bad that Utah also recently caved-in, …


Inflation Watch:

Pierre M. was the first of several readers to send this: Wal-Mart CEO Bill Simon expects inflation. Reader Joe P. noted: “I can’t think of any private or government entity in a better position to recognize inflation than Wal-Mart.” Reader Mark F. reports: “I went to our location Tractor Supply Store this week to buy some T-posts to put up some more fencing for my livestock and I got a surprise. Last May I paid $3.69 for 6 foot posts. Those same posts are now $4.79 apiece.” Food Commodities Surge Seen Swamping Consumers with Inflation. (Thanks to Bryan E. for …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Clever! W.S. sent a link to a video of a gent that built a solar cooker. W.S. describes it: “He put some chrome decal material on a satellite dish on which he had fabbed a little arm at the focal point of the light reflection, to hold a pot. Interesting idea for a last resort redundancy in the event that your first choice for a cooking method is unavailable.”    o o o Conservatives Now Outnumber Liberals in Deep-Blue States. (Thanks to Marilyn R. for the link.)    o o o Reader Jared B. sent a link with some more …



Notes from JWR:

Notes from JWR: Until midnight on March 31st, Lulu.com is offering a 20% off sale, for any product. That includes the 2005-2010 SurvivalBlog Archive CD-ROM! So if you’ve been “thinking about it”, here is your chance to save $3.99. Order now! To get the 20% discount, enter coupon code “SPLISH305“, during checkout. — Today we present the final 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 …


Traditional Womanly Arts for Austere Times by Sue of Suburbia

Sometimes I ponder what it means to be a woman in our society of hyper-consumption.  If you watch television or read today’s women’s magazines, you are led to believe that the activities most preferred by a woman are shopping, poisoning her nails, getting her hair yanked around in a salon, zapping packaged foods in the microwave, and ingesting a concoction of prescription drugs to stay sane through it all. I tried some of these things in the past.  Each time, I was left with an utterly unfulfilled feeling and thinking, “There has to be more to being a woman than …


Fully Ready But Not Fully Prepared, by Expat D. in Japan

Where We Were In Kogoshima, in the southern part of Japan, residents know that when the active Sakurajima volcano finally erupts with its full force, they will most likely be killed. Some of them even know that it will be the quaking and the toxic pyroclastic flows that kill them rather than flowing lava. Similarly, living just 15 miles from the heart of Tokyo, we have always been aware that Tokyo is past due for a major earthquake. When it hits, it will cause suffering on a scale that will make Kobe and Mexico City seem as if they got …


Letter Re: Free Homeschooling Curricula

Mr. Rawles, There were several letters recently concerning homeschooling.  I homeschool my four children ages 3-12.  I wanted to mention two web sites that offer free downloadable products on either a weekly or daily basis. CurrClick.com offers a free product every Monday.  You simply download the curricula from their site. The majority of offerings would be most appropriate for the elementary crowd.  We did a wonderful semester long study of rocks and geology a few years ago from material I downloaded from Currclick. HomeschoolFreebieOfTheDay.com offers a free product every wee day (Monday- Friday).  They offer a wide range of homeschooling …


Letter Re: Seven Common TEOTWAWKI Misconceptions

Jim, The recent article by Brian T. regarding common TEOWAWKI misconceptions is largely true as relates to the bad boy bikers, drug addicts and such. He is particularly correct as relates to BOBs. Where will they go, and can they carry it? What will they do when and if they get there? He’s accurate with regard to traffic jams and all that surrounds that subject. What he has failed to address, however, is the broader definition of who the “golden hoards” actually are. They are actually your friends, family and unprepared next door neighbors and theirs, and theirs, and theirs. …


Economics and Investing:

Latched on to the Federal teat: A First in American History: 2011 Federal Aid Set to Overwhelm State General Funds. This is the master stroke of Federal statism. If the 50 states get more than half of their revenue from the Federal government, there is no way that they can forcefully insist on 10 Amendment rights. The U.S. Mint has set April 4th as the deadline for public comment on new metallic compositions for U.S. coins. Clearly, the days are numbered for U.S. 5 cent pieces (“Nickels”) that are 25% nickel and 75% copper. Stock up! Pierre M. mentioned this …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Deep Shallow Schumer Schemes: Schumer coordinates Democrat budget attack on GOP    o o o Nanny State Europa: EU to Ban Gas-Powered Cars in Cities by 2050. (Thanks to F.G. for the link.)    o o o Steve S. sent a link to this fun video: John Moses Browning Model 1911 — 100th Anniversary    o o o Yet another reason to relocate to the boonies, from this blog post: Farmstand Canceled Due to… the City of Oakland. A $2,500 conditional use permit, just to grow a big garden?    o o o Sam K. found a fascinating pair of …