Two Letters Re: A Warning on Kelly Kettles

Jim: I finally heard from manufacturer. They wrote: “Firstly, my sincerest apologies for the delay in coming back to you – I was traveling a lot over the past week so apologies again. All of our kettles are manufactured by skilled tradesmen. During the spinning process a small amount of grease is applied to one side of the aluminum sheet to make spinning easier – particularly when attaching the spout for pouring. This greasy side should be the outside of the kettle and this is subsequently wiped clean. I have seen two occasions within the past two years where this …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Commercial real estate lending close to a standstill. (Another link courtesy of RBS.)    o o o Thanks to Eric B. for sending this link: FBI Investigates Subprime    o o o Hawaiian K. suggested an article on homemade vegetable oil lamps.    o o o Yishai found an article with some tips on urban gardening.



Notes from JWR:

Because of some power outages and power spikes at our ISP, we’ve been having some serious problems accessing the Internet for the past couple of days. So rather than keeping you waiting for your daily dose of SurvivalBlog, I am posting a couple of days worth of posts in advance, whenever our connection sporadically comes up. So don’t be alarmed if in the next few days you see a future date on any posts. Today we present the first article for Round 15 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable …


AA Cells and Mobile Power, by Brandon in Utah

The size AA battery is the ubiquitous form of mobile power that is presently available. There is a large amount of off the shelf devices that use AA cells. They are available everywhere at low cost. They are cost effective and very safe for lighting. The breadth and depth of equipment available in a portable format is unparalleled by any other type of battery. I will cover the known factors on how to care for and use this resource to help end users get the most out of their equipment. To start, some general information that covers all types of …


Letter Re: Frozen Livestock Water Tank Woes

Hi Jim, I wanted to ask the vast readership for their help with winter water needs for livestock when we don’t have the luxury of electric tank heaters. I had done some research in the past and the only way I found to keep a livestock tank from freezing up with arctic winds was a wood fired Chofu, (Japanese), tank heater. The capacity much too small to handle the trick. We have just survived another arctic blast with buckets and stock tanks freezing over immediately. The thought of relocating the livestock to open water does not seem viable unless it …


Letter Re: Birdshot Ineffective as a Home Defense Load

Dear Jim, Over the years I’ve probably given away five cases of your novel to friends and family, and I think the updated version is outstanding! Thank you so much for all that you’ve done to promote personal responsibility. Regarding the post on your home page about birdshot versus buckshot, I couldn’t agree more! I’m an instructor with [name of major firearms training school deleted for OPSEC] and this myth of birdshot being the best home defense round is a constant battle with many of our new shotgun students. As you already know, birdshot, when fired within 5′ of drywall …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Merco suggested the Build it Solar web site–that has lots of of alternative energy projects that you can build yourself, from beginner to advanced.   o o o This comes as no surprise: Broke homeowners linked to arsons    o o o U.S. slump spreading around the globe, IMF warns    o o o Eric suggested this Newsday article: U.S. loses its status as an economic world power



Notes from JWR:

Because of some power outages and power spikes at our ISP, we’ve been having some serious problems accessing the Internet for the past couple of days. So rather than keeping you waiting for your daily dose of SurvivalBlog, I am planning to post a couple of days worth of posts in advance, whenever our connection sporadically comes up. So don’t be alarmed if in the next few days you see a future date on any posts. We have finished the judging… The winner of Round 14 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. is J. Britely, for his lengthy article “Prepare …


Making Well-Balanced Preparations for Uncertain Times

I have been a “prepper” since 1975. In those 32+ years, I have met all sorts of “prepared” people. Some of them have been casual acquaintances. Some I’ve corresponded with but have never met face to face. Some have been fellow church members. Some have been consulting clients. A few of these have been close and trusted friends. But only a subset of all of them have pursued what I consider well-balanced preparedness. I don’t intend the following to be a castigation of anyone in particular. I’m merely trying to illustrate that many of us could benefit from better balance. …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Nine readers all suggested the same article: Barton Biggs’s Tips for Rich: Expect War, Study Blitz, Mind Markets. The article begins: “Insure yourself against war and disaster by buying a remote farm or ranch and stocking it with “seed, fertilizer, canned food, wine, medicine, clothes, etc.” The “etc.” must mean guns, because Biggs is also quoted as stating: “A few rounds [fired] over the approaching brigands’ heads would probably be a compelling persuader that there are easier farms to pillage,” he writes in his new book, “Wealth, War and Wisdom.” Note that this is coming from a well-known fairly mainstream …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The hardest part about gaining any new idea is sweeping out the false idea occupying that niche. As long as that niche is occupied, evidence and proof and logical demonstration get nowhere. But once the niche is emptied of the wrong idea that has been filling it — once you can honestly say, “I don’t know”, then it becomes possible to get at the truth.” – Robert A. Heinlein, The Cat Who Walks Through Walls (1985)


Note from JWR:

The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction lot is now at $220. The auction is for a Brunton Solarport 4.4 watt photovoltaic panel (a $140 retail value), a Deluxe Outdoor Survival Tool Kit (a $70 retail value)–both kindly donated by Ready Made Resources–as well as seven other items: A copy of the latest edition of “The Encyclopedia of Country Living” by the late Carla Emery (a $32 retail value), an autographed copy of my novel “Patriots” (a $23 retail value), an autographed copy of my nonfiction book “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation” (a $25 retail value), a SurvivalBlog …


Letter Re: Preparedness for Active Duty Military Personnel

James: Great blog! I also bought the latest edition of your novel “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse”. My older edition is in storage somewhere, (see below) and I really like the updated material, it almost seems like a new book. I don’t know if you have ever discussed survivalism from the perspective of families that need to move often. For those of us in the military who move every few years with weight limits the supply situation becomes more complicated. For most of us, idea of a fixed homestead is a dream for post retirement. The biggest problem I have …