Odds ‘n Sods:

L.J. in England sent this: Curse of the caterpillars: Residents trapped indoors as insect invasion brings asthma and allergies. Excerpt: “There’s something blowing on the breeze in West Street. And it’s not pleasant. Residents are keeping their windows and doors tightly closed, and gardens are no-go areas. Some householders even need to don full-body protective clothing – complete with breathing masks – to venture outside.It’s all because the road is under siege from an invasion of caterpillars little more than an inch long. But what the brown tail moth caterpillar lacks in size, it makes up for in its covering …



Notes from JWR:

There is some interesting commentary by David Von Drehle in the recent Time magazine article titled Gold Fated. BTW, the article briefly quotes yours truly. — Today we present another entry for Round 28 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will 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 between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 …


Four Great Preparedness Myths, by Dan B.

I subscribe to the RSS feeds of a number of blogs about survival, including Rawles’ (top of the line!), and I subscribe to numerous firearms-related blogs and message boards. I also periodically meet people who are interested in survival issues in my non-electronic life. All preppers are trying to prepare for a particular situation, and their preparations reflect their beliefs about what that situation will be like. Unfortunately, many of those beliefs are false, and those false beliefs seem to be brought about by four myths, which I thought I would describe. The strange thing about these myths is that …


Three Letters Re: Some Tips and Tricks on Raising Meat Rabbits

Christine W. wrote a very nice article about raising rabbits for meat. As a rabbit raiser myself, I’d like to add a few suggestions: I have never had problems using straw in nest boxes, but prefer to use hay, or better yet, long dry grass. The does like to arrange their nests, and they get a good snack as well. You can add more bedding material if a doe gets piggy and eats all the bedding. I used to raise fryers commercially, and rigged up a great way to stack cages but eliminate the expensive trays that are time consuming …


Economics and Investing:

The latest Friday Follies–Four More US Banks Bite the Dust: Midwest Bank & Trust Company, Elmwood Park, Illinois; Southwest Community Bank, Springfield, Missouri; New Liberty Bank, Plymouth, Michigan; Satilla Community Bank, St. Marys, Georgia. Banks seized a record 92,000 homes last month. (Thank to Brian B. for the link.) Axel Merk explains what is behind the gold and global credit market shakeup: Europe’s Bazooka Clive Maund has some interesting observations on the gold and silver markets. Reader “T556” liked this commentary by Dave DeGraw: High Frequency Financial Terrorism, Wall Street Bankster’s Maintain Death Grip on United States Items from The …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“I believe that the physical gold rush we have seen in Europe is proof that the bailout was an epic failure. Of course propaganda will be used all over the place from the emotionally captured mainstream media to the stock market, which as I have said for over a year now is largely used as a political weapon because the uneducated masses actually believe the stock market going up means things are getting better. All we have to do is look at the stellar performance of the Zimbabwean stock market during the hyperinflation to know this is complete nonsense.” – …


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 28 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will 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 between $500 and $600, 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.), and D.) A 500 round case …


Self-Storage Spaces as Caches, by Ryan in British Columbia

Many self-storage caching ideas have been put forward by readers of SurvivalBlog. Generally, most people in the preparedness community do not approve of using a self-storage unit as a cache, but I think it has some great advantages. As with anything, you must properly plan and weigh your options. There are many considerations you must make, but if you find a self-storage place under the right conditions, it can be very helpful.  A main concern is that it should be walking distance from your home. Also make sure the place has rodent and insect control. Some pros and cons are …


Letter Re: Spring Location Web Page

JWR: I came upon the Find A Spring web site the other day, thought it might be interesting. Water being one of the most important assets in a great time of need, just maybe it is closer and better than your tap. Look up the closest natural spring to your location at Find A Spring. Bring all your water carrying gear and try it out to see how it tastes. Some of these springs mention sulphur or other tastes. You might find that it is the best water you have ever tried, best of all it is natural and typically …


Letter Re: Lessons from the Anasazi Societal Collapse

Dear James: I recently stumbled across a book with surprising relevance to survivalists: David E. Stuart’s Anasazi America. Stuart is a professor of anthropology at the University of New Mexico, and Anasazi America is an overview of seventeen centuries of New Mexico prehistory, focusing on the Anasazi, builders of the Chacoan civilization, and their descendants, the Pueblo. At their peak in the eleventh century, the Chaco Anasazi were an extremely successful society, larger than any European state of the time, having built extensive road and trade networks and huge “great houses” that were used as food distribution and ritual centres. …


Economics and Investing:

Jonathan C. sent us this: Don’t Tell Zimbabwe: Argentina Belongs to 25% Inflation Club. G.G. recommended this: Central banks are losing credibility. Also from G.G.: Report: 11.2 Million U.S. Properties with Negative Equity in First Quarter. World Health Organization Moving Ahead on Billions in Internet and Other Taxes Items from The Economatrix: US Plans Law to Prevent Banks from Betting Against Clients SEC Eyes “Circuit Breakers” to Stop Repeat of Dow Plunge The Big Short: How Wall Street Destroyed Main Street Trade Deficit Increases to $40.4 Billion in March Was The Euro Saved By a Call From Barack Obama?  


Odds ‘n Sods:

Several readers mentioned this: 20 Things You Will Need to Survive When the Economy Collapses and the Next Great Depression Begins. The writer is a bit naive, but seems to be well-intentioned.    o o o Details emerge about the new Supreme Court nominee: Clinton staff: “We are taking the law and bending it as far as we can to capture a whole new class of guns.” Kagan wrote the Clinton ban on gun imports.    o o o Ian sent us a news story link that illustrates how paper currency privacy (and ease of transport) is slipping away: Organised …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 28 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will 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 between $500 and $600, 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.), and D.) A 500 round case …