Letter Re: The Golden Hours

JWR,   I’ve been reading SurvivalBlog for about a year and participated in this year’s Ten Cent Challenge. Just thought I’d throw in a quick comment about the recent post, The Golden Hours by Brad H. A much better way of tranferring fuel by siphon is to spend a couple bucks on a “jiggler” type siphon which allows the user to start a siphon without the risk of getting fuel or other noxious liquid into their mouth. [JWR Adds: A siphoning slurp can mean a trip to the Emergency Room, or worse!] At my place of work, we use these to defuel our …


Economics and Investing:

John R. recommended this editorial: Ben Bernanke and The Confidence Men Aaron A. suggested this televison news item: Economy keeps parts out of auto body shops. (It includes yet another sob SAAB story.) C.D.V. sent this: China’s Wheat Basket Faces Its Worst Drought In 200 Years Items from The Economatrix: Job Openings Fall for Second Straight Month   Business Travel Bounces Back as Economy Improves   AP Analysis:  Foreclosures Raise US Economic Stress   Treasurys Fall After Weak Auction of Three-Year Notes   Silver to Soar in 2011, Says Investment Guru  



Odds ‘n Sods:

R.F.J. mentioned this over at the Makezine web site: How-To: Ultralight camp pot from Heineken “keg” can    o o o I heard from Ulysses Press that my novel “Patriots” is about to surpass 100,000 copies sold. (This is not counting the 30,000+ copies sold of the older Huntington House Publishers edition.) It is now in its seventh printing, and still ranked around #600 of the more than three million titles sold on Amazon.com. (That ranking is unsusual for a novel that has been out for more than two years.) Meanwhile, my nonfiction book “How to Survive the End of …



Notes from JWR:

We’ve reached the milestone of 2,000 days of SurvivalBlog posts, with nary a pause. There are also now 2,000 archived Quotes of the Day. My sincere thanks to the many readers that have e-mailed me their favorite quotes. (And please keep them coming!) I hope that you enjoy them. I suppose that once I’ve posted around 3,000, I ought to publish a book of quotations. — Today we present another entry 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 …


Prepare and Practice Often, or Pay The Price, by J. in the Great White North

I want to relate a story that happened to me this past week that I think will be instructive for many SurvivalBlog readers. My journey into prepping started about a year ago, when my eyes were opened after reading a contrarian economist’s books about the fragile state of our economy, and the impending implications that will inevitably result if our world continues to operate on tomorrow’s dollar and with a Nanny-state mentality. The very same day I finished his latest book, I went to my local bookstore to find similar titles that could augment what I’d already read.  This is …


Letter Re: Asthma Rescue Inhalers

Hi Jim and Lily, Thanks for all you do.  I am a registered nurse and have always tried to keep a fairly extensive medical kit along with my BOB in the car.  One of the things I keep is a OTC rescue inhaler, sold under the brand name “Primatene Mist”.  It is epinephrine (adrenalin), plain and simple.  No one in my family has asthma, but I keep it for emergencies, including an anaphylactic reaction to a bee sting etc.  I decided to get a new one the other day as mine was quite outdated.  Wal-Mart still has them.  There is …


Letter: When a Ten Cent Challenge is a Lifetime Subscription

Mr. Rawles: I will be 75 years old in July. The enclosed check for $200 should cover my [Ten Cent Challenge] 10 cents per day for almost 5-1/2 years [$200 divided by $36.50 = 5.479 years]. Thus, I ‘ve secured a lifetime membership to the age 80. If I do somehow live to age 80–unlikely due to my health condition–and the current Obama administration has not finalized the complete destruction of the United States and your SurvivalBlog still exists, then I will extend my lifetime membership. Regards, – Ralph T.


Economics and Investing:

Jeff in Virginia and Yishai both mentioned this: WikiLeaks cables: Saudi Arabia cannot pump enough oil to keep a lid on price. Count this as further evidence that Peak Oil is reality. Michael Pollaro writes in Forbes: America, poised for a hyperinflationary event? Air Force Dad sent us this: US Dollar Index: Momentum selling could be swift and steep. As Quantitative Easing (monetizing the National Debt) continues, look for plenty of downward momentum in the USDI. C.D.V. sent: 10 Ways Weather is Wreaking Havoc on the Global Economy Items from The Economatrix: 9% Unemployment Rate is a Statistical Lie   …


Odds ‘n Sods:

The new SurvivalUK.net blog site is growing rapidly. I recommend that preppers in the UK bookmark it and check it often. I’ve just added the site to the SurvivalBlog Links Page.    o o o In his new Vlog, Tom of CampingSurvival.com shows the new packaging for commercial MREs.    o o o There are some great new posts over at Granny Miller’s Blog. Her ewes are lambing early this year!    o o o Freeze Dry Guy has announced a special for February: Dehydrated Whole Eggs with a 25 year shelf life, packed six #10 cans per case. Yield: …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry 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 Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 250 round case of 12 Gauge Hornady TAP …


The Earthquake in Haiti: First-Hand Lessons From Disaster, by Dr. L.F.

I’m a neurosurgeon, and I had the opportunity to spend a couple weeks in Port Au Prince, Haiti last year, arriving just two weeks after the earthquake in February. This was a great opportunity to serve people in need, but I also benefited from seeing WTSHTF firsthand. I brought in a team of three doctors and two nurses , along with one former Marine turned pastor (for security). When a missionary flight company said: “We can get you in if you can be here day after tomorrow, but we can’t guarantee you a flight out,” a wiser person might have …


The Nitty Gritty on Nickels

As I’ve mentioned before in SurvivalBlog, U.S. Five cent pieces (“Nickels”) should be considered a long-term hedge on inflation. I recently had a gent e-mail me, asking how he could eventually “cash in” on his cache of Nickels. He asked: “Are we to melt them down, or sell them to a collector? How does one obtain their true 7.4 cents [base metal content] value?” My response: Don’t expect to cash in for several years. I anticipate that there won’t be a large scale speculative market in Nickels until their base metal value (“melt value”) exceeds twice their face value (“2X …