Letter Re: Advice on Storage Foods Not Requiring Cooking

Dear James, My wife and I work long hours and hardly ever cook. We would like to store food but don’t want to rely on anything that has to be cooked. Any suggestions? Thank you, – M.P., Fort Lauderdale, Florida JWR Replies: Although their per ounce/per calorie cost is higher, there are a couple of approaches that I can suggest for your situation: retort packaged cooked entrees (including U.S. military”Meal Ready to Eat (MRE) entrees, and freeze dried Mountain House entrees. Neither require cooking. The retort packaged entrees are “heat and eat.”, while the freeze dried entrees are “just add …


Letter Re: Swords and Bows for that Dreaded Multigenerational Scenario

Dear Jim, I agree there are crossbow-type weapons that are very powerful. However, 1,200 lbs draw weight is not a typical crossbow. That is a later period steel-proded piece, and were typically used with a pavise (portable shield), two assistants and infantry in support. A good many were dolly mounted. Payne-Gallwey’s book was written in 1886, when it was still believed that a longbow was at most 70 lbs of draw, and that the stories from the Hundred Years War were exaggerated. We have since found archaeological evidence that supports the longbow. (Not to mention all the dead crossbowmen at …


Letter Re: The Developing Oil and Gold Price Divergence

Jim, This is just my opinion, based on years of observation (rather than facts and figures) but I think I know where most of this is coming from. Politics. The oil companies are thriving under Bush/GOP rule and so they’re playing their part like they so often do, rolling back the source of so much anger and irritation (gas prices) and giving the false sense that things are “getting better”. I fully expect them to rise again, quickly, right after the election. Bush and company will restart their massive theatrical performance of real and implied violence against oil producing nations …


Odds ‘n Sods

In response to the recent posts about off-road capable campers, Doc at www.bigsecrets.cc mentioned some very well made utility trailers, ATV trailers, and camper trailers–all in the same unit. He highly recommends them.    o o o Economist Dr. Gary North comments on the debt burden for the next generation. Sobering stuff.    o o o Once again, BATFE agents have re-interpreted both their agency’s standing rules and Federal law, as it suits their fancy. This time a field agent decided that a rifle parts kit, less a receiver, constitutes a “firearm.”


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"It is in the nature of government to grow like fungus. The framers of the Constitution set out bottles of bleach and sponges, and left general indications of where the general populace could get more if they wanted. These days, most people are arguing whether they want black mildew or pretty shrooms." – Xander Opal


Notes From JWR:

The bidding is now up to $125 in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction for a fully tested and recently professionally calibrated U.S. government surplus Civil Defense CD V-717 fallout survey meter with remote sensing capability. The meter was donated by Ready Made Resources (one of our first and most loyal advertisers). This auction ends on October 15th. Please submit your bid via e-mail. Tonight will be the first airing of the new CBS television series “Jericho.” I hope that this show is long on practical skills and short on sentimentality, but I suspect that the reverse will be true. Regardless, I …


Letter Re: New Jericho TV Series

Dear Jim: CBS will air its new drama Jericho tonight, where a small Kansas town is suddenly faced with a nuclear explosion in the distance. As Larry from Kansas in Yahoo groups points out, there is in fact nowhere in Kansas where one can stand on a roof top and see mountains in the distance. While it will no doubt be entertaining to see what other liberties Hollywood takes, I do hold out great hope of this new take on nuclear war as a continuing drama, and that for the first time, many folks will suddenly realize: “Hey, I might …


Letter Re: Winter Fuel Blends and Fuel Storage Life

Jim, If [liquid fuel] prices continue to plummet then a good thing to do is stock up on winter fuels when prices bottom out. Didn’t you say winter/cold weather fuels have an advantage over warm weather production? – Jason in North Idaho JWR Replies: Yes, gasoline formulations do vary seasonally here in the United States. Here is a good reference on the subject, although I think that it overstates the risk of vapor lock running winter blend gas in the summer. The most notable difference is that winter blends are oxygenated in some regions of the country (typically with a …


Letter Re: Investment Recommendation: Palladium

Dear Jim, My recommendation for an investment metal is palladium. The first thing we need to look at in relation to this is rhodium. As can be seen in the Kitco charts, rhodium’s value has gone to insane levels, due to a combination of supply troubles–Russia and South Africa are the primary sources, and neither is tremendously stable–and demand issues. As China and India develop, all the commodities will be more in demand, and India has made great strides in the last few years as is noted from this Indian American blogger. So the industrial metals in limited supply will …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Jim K. sent this one: A bright kid put together his own flamethrower. Jim K. says “…and it seems to work like a charm.” My comment: If this could be done safely, it would be just the ticket for weed control. But where are the safety precautions? Where is the obligatory head-to-toe silver fire suit with hood and face mask? Where are his buddies standing by with fire extinguishers? Do not attempt this at home!    o o o Steve Quayle on Ammo Shortages and Price Increases    o o o Reader “Desert T” mentioned that there was an …



From David in Israel: The 2006 Hezbollah Rocket War– A Lesson Learned

James Sorry for the lag time, I have been very busy with Torah study and family time using up all the hours in a week. We are three days from Rosh Hashanna as I write this, the day the whole world is judged for the year (this Saturday). This past year has been tough on Israel but reinforces the reason I have chosen to live here. Our defeat on the military side is largely due to an incompetent army chief of staff and Kadima party cabinet appointments who were recognized even at the election to be incompetent in security issues …


The Moral Obligation of Survivalists, by Inyokern

The recent anti-survivalist post mentioned in SurvivalBlog dismissing survivalists is destructive. He’s entitled to his opinion. Everybody’s got one. I think that those who are brave enough and ethically strong enough to be survivalists have an obligation to their culture, people, and species to survive. It’s a thankless job, and too many survivalists go crazy from the sacrifices they make. Being a survivalist and being sane is tough because it requires many personal sacrifices. You have to balance work and home life, learning skills for independence, and skip buying fancy toys in favor of equipping yourself for a worst case …


Letter Re: Swords and Bows for that Dreaded Multigenerational Scenario

Jim: In ‘The Wanderers’ reference to keeping an example of an arrow, What he is talking about is when replacing a knock, it has to be properly indexed, so the fletching has the least possible effect on the arrow as it is launched. Obviously, you need spares, and some good glue, normally called cement in this context. The best is the kind that looks like a brown crayon, but it is hard, and you heat it with a small flame (match) and soften it . Have to be careful not to burn it, too. Then work quickly, as it sticks …


Odds ‘n Sods:

My old friend Fred the Valmet-meister mentioned that the price of uranium ore has gone up from $7 a pound to $52 in just five years. Not a bad return.    o o o Reader Jim K. sent a fun link, showing a katana slicing a 9mm round in two!    o o o The source on this story is dubious at best, but it is nonetheless worrisome. (Six different readers forwarded me the same link.) Of course most SurvivalBlog readers are well prepared. But if you don’t yet have fallout detection and protection for your family squared away, it …