Odds ‘n Sods:

Safecastle‘s semi-annual 25% Off Mountain House storage food sale ends on June 5th. Members will get a free copy of the novel One Second After by William R. Forstchen if they purchase four or more cases of Mountain House foods.   o o o Cheryl and Brett both sent this: Study: Global Recession Making World More Violent, Unstable    o o o More news from Cousin Kim’s Proletarian Paradise of Paranoia: North Korea Nuke Progress Sign Of “Dark Future”, and North Korea Preparing to Fire ICBM    o o o Reader “OSOM” mentioned that Gary North has just launched a free …



Two Letters Re: Protection from EMP Effects for Photovoltaic Panels and Communication Gear

Jim, I’m not very certain Solar Panels or photovoltaic (PV) Modules if you prefer) are up to surviving electromagnetic pulse (EMP). Solar Panel manufacture is akin to basically creating large scale photosensitive semiconductors and few manufacturers will quote even static electricity resistance, much less EMP resistance. Additionally, most PV modules have bypass diodes to protect cells. Some designs put these diodes in the junction boxes, while others incorporate them more integrally in the PV assembly. Obviously the controllers are at great risk, but the modules themselves are not free from risk. About the only references to PV and EMP you …


Letter Re: Anesthesia for Traumatic Times

Jim – I’ve been reading your blog for a while now. Just thought I’d weigh in briefly on the anesthesia issue. For background, I am a general pediatrician with experience in emergency pediatrics. Also, I am a fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine. Three quick points: 1. Under the vast majority of circumstances it is possible to work on mild to moderate traumatic injuries in children without anything more than local anesthesia. Papuses work great and should be considered as part of an advanced medical kit that is intended to treat children. If a papuse is too expensive or …


Economics and Investing:

In what must be one of the the most monumentally bad investments in history, the American taxpayers are now the majority owners of General Motors (GM), which presently has a market capitalization of around $480 million. The cost? We bought our 70% stake in GM for a paltry $50 billion. When I last checked, shares of GM were selling at 64 cents each, and GM (now nicknamed “Government Motors”) has filed for bankruptcy protection. I suppose that they’ll tell us that we can “make up for it, on volume.” Not wanting to miss out on a piece of the action …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Lorraine sent us a link to an informative video clip on how to use a Food Saver to vacuum pack mason type jars. The creative part is in the second half of the video. Don’t miss it.    o o o The Risk of Coastal “Pop-up” Hurricanes . (Thanks to Roy D. for the link.)    o o o Seth sent us a link to an interesting PDF: Freedom Rankings of 50 States


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Once again, recall the story of banks hiding explosive risks in their portfolios. It is not a good idea to trust corporations with matters such as rare events because the performance of these executives is not observable on a short-term basis, and they will game the system by showing good performance so they can get their yearly bonus. The Achilles’ heel of capitalism is that if you make corporations compete, it is sometimes the one that is most exposed to the negative Black Swan that will appear to be the most fit for survival." – Nassim Nicholas Taleb: The Black …


Notes from JWR:

It was tough to judge the 24 excellent entries in the most recent round of the SurvivalBlog Non-Fiction Writing Contest. The grand prize winner is: Mike U., for his article “Unconventional Wisdom for CCW Permit Holders”, which was posted on May 19th. He will receive a three day course certificate from OnPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for his choice of three-day civilian courses. He will also receive two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried foods, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. 2nd Prize goes to RangerDoc, for “Health, Hygiene, Fitness and Medical Care in a Coming Collapse”, posted on May 8th. …


Letter Re: Many Weeds are Actually Edible Wild Plants

Dear Mr. Rawles, I read your blog every day and enjoy all of the helpful information that you and your readers post on a daily basis. I just wanted to pass along this information on edible weeds that can be found in ones backyard or about anywhere where plants can be grown. To most people weeds are just that, weeds that need to be destroyed to keep the yard or their property looking nice. But some weeds can also be eaten if a person knows how to identify them and cook them properly. In the event of a worst case …


Three Letters Re: Anesthesia for Traumatic Times, by Scott N., EMT

Dear JWR: As a practicing anesthesiologist, I felt it necessary to respond to Scott N.’s article about TEOTWAWKI anesthesia. First, let me complement Scott N. for the well written article as well as bringing up the issue in the first place. Although it may be interpreted as self serving, I also have to strongly agree with JWR’s admonishment that this is not something to “try at home”. In a sense, we in the anesthesia field have somewhat become victims of our own success. It wasn’t that long ago that the risk of anesthesia (not the risk of the surgery) was …


Two Letters Re: DIY Baking Powder Solves a Shelf Life Dilemma

Mr. Rawles, Regarding the letter “DIY Baking Powder Solves a Shelf Life Dilemma”, Baking soda can be used alone with any acid, whether powdered — like what’s added to baking powder — or liquids like buttermilk (the fermented kind, not the leftover liquids from sweet butter), yogurt, kefir, sour cream, lemon or lime juice, vinegar. Since baking powder is made with baking soda, I didn’t understand why some people claim they don’t like the [alkaline] baking soda taste. But then I found this on the Ellen’s Kitchen site: “The problem with baking soda is that it releases the gas all …



Economics and Investing:

Reader DEK sent this: Zoellick Warns Stimulus ‘Sugar High’ Won’t Stem Unemployment Long known as a propaganda outlet, Pravda occasionally gets a few things right: American capitalism gone with a whimper.(This piece was mentioned by more than a dozen SurvivalBlog readers.) Items from The Economatrix: GDP Drops For Second Consecutive Quarter Troubled Bank Loans Hit Record High BofA Lead Director Resigns; More Pressure on CEO Jefferson County, Alabama, Out of Money in Two Weeks After Tax Repealed Financial Markets And Economic Crash, The Next Leg Down Will Be Worse “Make no mistake – we are selling off our future and …


Odds ‘n Sods:

The recent AP wire service article on survivalism certainly has grown some long legs. To date, it has been featured on CBS, ABC, MSNBC, Breitbart, Yahoo News, the Drudge Report, NPR, the Huffington Post, newspapers in more than 40 states, at least a dozen television news web sites, and even overseas in The Jerusalem Post.    o o o NOAA Issues New Solar Cycle Prediction. (Thanks to Paul B. for the link.)    o o o From reader R.M.: Ideas For Self Sufficient Living During Financially Turbulent Times    o o o Jim W., a missionary, recommended a visit to …