Odds ‘n Sods:

The ‘Worst case’ bird flu pandemic may have been underestimated. And it is now known that H5N1 can attack other organs — not just the human respiratory tract.    o o o Yevgeny Primakov’s view of the Iranian situation.    o o o SurvivalBlog reader RBS mentioned this article about the prospect of an inflation-proof “forever” postage stamp. If these ever get issued, then I’m stocking up!    o o o By way of Gold-Eagle, Jason Hommel comments on both the rapid expansion of the silver ETF and the threat of Bolivian silver mine expropriation




Letter Re: Junk Silver Bags–No Need to Inspect and Count 10,000 Silver Dimes

Hello Jim, I am hoping that you can verify something for me about the [U.S. circulated} 90% silver [coin] bags. I just received my order of a $1,000 face [value] bag from The Tulving Company of California. I believe that I saw their name [mentioned] on SurvivalBlog a number of months ago. They have great customer service and the product came faster than they had promised. What I received from them came shipped in a plastic paint pail and inside was a flour sack, cloth bag, full of dimes and the weight printed on the UPS sticker showed 57 pounds. …


Letter Re: Recommendations on Compact .223 Rifles

Jim, I came across this .223 rifle made by Kel-Tec that folds down to 25″ and would fit into some backpacks. Let me know what you think. – G.C.P. JWR Replies: The Kel-Tec SU-16s are reportedly fairly reliable and accurate. It is nice that they use standard AR-15/M16 magazines, which have become ubiquitous in the U.S., the Philippines, and several other countries. However, I have heard that SU-16s have three significant detractors, the first two of which concern the stock: 1.) The stock is relatively fragile and hence not suited for vigorous field use. They might suffice for target shooting, …


Two Letters Re: Folding Fighting/Utility Knife Recommendations?

Mr. R.: I read SurvivalBlog regularly – great site – and have been a contributor. It’s worth every penny. I would strongly encourage folks to check out Smokey Mountain Knife Works. I’ve gotten both CRKT and Cold Steel items there at very deep discounts. They’ve had both Kasper and Steve Ryan folders and fixed blades on sale at less than half their sale pricing elsewhere, both CRKT produced versions of those gentlemens’ customs. The Ryan Plan B fixed and the Model 7 folders are knives to have. They’ve had both full-size and compact Pendleton Hunters from Cold-Steel – not just …


Odds ‘n Sods:

A web search turned up this old article by Grits Gresham about Idaho’s famous back country solitary “Buckskin Bill” (Sylvan Hart)    o o o The high bid is currently $110 in the SurvivalBlog Bandwidth Fund benefit Book Auction. Please e-mail your bids before May 30th. Thanks to Kurt and Angie Wilson of Survival Enterprises for sponsoring this fund raiser!    o o o A site that tracks the intrinsic (base metal) value of U.S. circulating coinage and circulated silver coinage.



Letter Re: Request for Advice on Backup Power for a Well Pump

Jim: Can you or one of the gang offer some advice? We live in a nicely secluded area, but are all electric. We have a well. Our well man says it is impractical and very costly to install a hand pump on our present well setup. What would be a practical procedure to utilize a small generator to power the water well when/if the power goes down for a week or so, for short term use. Do we need an electrician to hook things up, and exactly what? I realize, long-term, greater expense will be needed, and it is in …


Letter Re: Advice of Shotgun Shells and Shot Sizes

Dear Mr. Rawles: To amplify on some of your points is a recent reply to a reader letter, here is some data; Number 4 [bird] shot is .13 inch in diameter. Number 4 buckshot (BK) is .24 inch in diameter and weighs 20.5 grains. (one pound avoirdupois is equal to 7,000 grains, 437.5 grains is equivalent to one ounce.) OO BK is .33 inch in diameter and weighs 53 grains. We have several levels of power in buckshot loads. Lets look at 12 gauge 2-3/4 and 3 inch shells. 2-3/4 inch standard OO BK has 9 pellets at 1,325 feet …


Letter Re: A Company That Advertises on SurvivalBlog–and One That Ought To

Mr. Rawles: Concerning an advertiser on your site. I have done business with George over at The Pre-1899 Specialist and have had outstanding results. Without getting into specifics I bought from him and the Post Office managed to damage my order severely. I notified George and as always received a very swift and positive response. All was made right and I couldn’t be more satisfied. All was sent as advertised and in perfect (except for the gorillas at the USPS) working order. The prices were great too. I am looking forward to doing more business with George in the future. …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Mike R. recommended this site about Ancient Turf Homes    o o o The high bid is currently $98 in the SurvivalBlog Bandwidth Fund benefit Auction. Please e-mail your bids before May 30th. Thanks to Kurt and Angie Wilson of Survival Enterprises for sponsoring this fund raiser!    o o o I just added another 30+ U.S. Army manuals to my mail order catalog.    o o o The Bush administration has released its “National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Implementation Plan“



David in Israel Re: “Peak Oil” and North American Oil Reserves

James: I have a reply to SurvivalBlog reader John Z.’s comment on Untapped North American Oil Reserves What many non-geoligist/chemist oil commentators forget (likely are fighting a political and economic panic) when they feel safe in our huge North American reserves is the problem of either extraction or processing. Most of the light sweet crude (easy to extract transport and crack) has already been discovered I do not know of any new light sweets (of any size) in over 10 years. Heavy sour requires different less efficient chemistry in the refining process (much more sulfur) and the USA only has …


Letter Re: Vulnerability of Fish to Asian Avian Flu?

Hello Jim, We now know that cats and dogs can contract the [Asian] bird flu from ingesting contaminated/infected meat. What about fish in open ponds with infected ducks and geese contaminating the water? I have not heard anything about it, but wonder what might happen. Food for thought? – Mike in Michigan JWR Replies: Answering that goes far beyond my expertise. Perhaps some of our readers who are doctors (preferably with an epidemiology background) would care to comment.