David in Israel Re: Tzedaka (Charity) and the Tehillim (Psalms)

Tzedaka The highest level of tzedaka (charity–the same word root for righteousness) is where you never find out who receives and the receiver never finds out who has given. In the holy Temple there was a large box where people would drop off money and the poor would withdraw it was impossible to tell the donors form the receivers. In modern Jewish religious communities a Gamel Chesed (carrier of kindness) will deliver food packages on a regular basis as a family in hard times needs, these families will likely find envelopes of cash appear in coat pockets or under doors …


David in Israel Replies to Recent Posts

On Expedient Shelter/Greenhouses:  You are right the human waste was to be baked and re-cultured before being introduced into the system guess most of us don’t have a small reactor to provide the unlimited heat/radiation as a Mars  expedition would have. I think there are enough collective brains amongst SurvivalBlog readers to design a concept pop-up settlement for vehicular bugout or being forced from your primary retreat. On Mobile Ham Gear: The ADSP2 is a good unit (only DSP unit I have used please suggest better) if you can find them at a radio shop, on sale they go as …


Letter Re: Expedient Field Telephones and Lightweight HF Transceivers

Mr. Rawles, I have been reading your blog for a few weeks now and I noticed that many references are made using the surplus TA-1 telephone. A household telephone can be used for a point-to point two-way communications by using 4 wire cable, a 9 volt battery (better 12 volts) a 300 ohm resistor, two momentary switches and two signal devices such as a piezzo device or buzzer. A 9 volt battery will furnish telephone comm. for several miles but have never used one over two miles. I am also a Amateur Radio Operator, (57 years) and if you must …


Two Letters Re: M14 Clones

You gotta love a well put together MIA. Too bad that Springfield Armory doesn’t seem to be up to the task. The M1A, my favorite battle rifle, but is probably the worst as far as scoping goes. Scopes of conventional eye relief have to mount very high for the ocular to clear the rear sight assembly, this makes for funky stock welds and other problems. As well the side position on the receiver of the scope mount generally has the ocular too far back and close to the eye, causing grief when shooting from all positions even when cantilevered rings …


Letter Re: On Brass Recycling

Hello James, I thought this information might be useful for the blog readers: Metal Recyclers (in the Pacific Northwest) are paying $0.97 per pound for “yellow brass” (used cartridge brass with or without a fired primer). I reload some of my own ammunition, but I had been saving non-reloadable cartridge cases, .22 brass etc. for recycle, and I took in over 100 pounds and I was able to get nearly a dollar per pound. Handy extra cash for those who have extra un-needed brass. The cash from the sale can go towards other preparedness items. Note: To give the readers …


Odds ‘n Sods:

We recently heard that there are several RWVA Appleseed Shoots scheduled for early 2006: in North Carolina February 25/26; in Kentucky March 25/26; and in Indiana is the last part of April. (They are still working out the date for the latter)  The cost is $45 for one day; $70 for the weekend. Shooters age 20 and under shoot free. Pre-registration is most appreciated. See: http://www.rwva.org for details. And for those of you in the Pacific Northwest, don’t miss the annual dynamite shoot (“The Boomershoot”) in north-central Idaho. It is scheduled for April 30, 2006. It will be preceded by …



Note from JWR:

We just surpassed four million page hits!   Many thanks for helping SurvivalBlog be such as success.  Keep spreading the word. If you could include SurvivalBlog’s URL in your e-mail (“sig”) footer, it would be greatly appreciated.  Perhaps something like this:        https://survivalblog.com — Bookmark it. It May Save Your Life!


Letter Re: Canned Butter Versus Butter Powder

Hello James, The Blog just keeps getting better and better. Kudos! I’m in the “luxury” stage of my pantry building and recently calculated the cost/benefit of storing butter. I figure butter would not only provide a psychological boost during bleak times, but would make a great barter item as well. I looked at three different methods: 1, Canned Butter Powder – Storage life of 6 to 8 years. Requires reconstituting. Cost per pound of table ready product – $8.45 2. Canned Butter – Storage life of 3 to 5 years. Requires no reconstitution. Cost per pound of table ready product …


Letter Re: Hidden Safes

I thought you readers might be interested in this. Here is a news report that details the hidden safes. The third video is the important one about the safes.  See: http://www.wreg.com/Global/story.asp?S=4159822 Here is the home page for the company that put the safes in the cars:  http://www.hiddensafes.com/index.htm I was impressed. – Cube


Two Letters from D.B. Re: M1A Rifles, Modifications and Scout/SOCOM Variants

JWR: A couple of tidbits regarding the king of the battle rifles: M14 magazines are now just $10 each at Midway – they have secured a lot of Taiwan mags – these are made on USGI machinery that we sold to the Taiwanese. Yes, I feel stupid for having bought my supply @ $35 each!  [JWR’s Comment: If they are blued, then they are Taiwanese. If they are gray phosphated (Parkerized), then odds are 90% that they are mainland Chinese.] The “chopping” of the barrel from regular length to scout length is a very complicated operation requiring the re-milling of …


Letter Re: Recommended Silver Bullion Dealer

Mr Rawles, I just wanted to send you a note suggesting another dealer from whom to buy $1,000 face value bags of [pre-1965] junk silver. I am not affiliated with him in any way, just a happy customer. The dealer is Hannes Tulving, [in southern California.] His web site is: http://www.tulving.com. In my experience he deals in primarily in bullion, and very little in numismatic products. I’m a very happy customer and have referred several people to him over the years. – E.L.


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Guns and ballistics have fascinated me since boyhood, and I hope this elemental pleasure will endure, for it has offered me a great deal of pleasure as well as kinship with others that only ballistics and a cozy campfire could possibly create. Such cartridges as the .270 Winchester, .300 H&H Magnum, .30-06, and even some for the big-bore British favorites are as interesting to me as though magic were contained in these combinations of figures….What has been the result? I have reached up to the gun rack and taken down the .30-30 carbine by some process of natural selection, not …


From David in Israel on Expedient Shelter/Greenhouses

James: I was looking over some of my old Mars proposals and wanted you to give a spin off to try in your colder area. This is an idea that popped into my head during my 105 minute bus ride as I thought about how most survivalists have no idea how to feed themselves or where they will live once they bug out. The idea is a double wall UV-transparent greenhouse with spacers between to make for good airspace insulation. Hydroponic tubing of a larger diameter would be connected to a curtained off outhouse toilet (and a runoff gutter rain …


Letter Re: How to Bake Over Boiling Water

Here is how to bake bread over boiling water:  Get wide mouth pint mason jars, or empty cans all the same height, and grease them with shortening. ( Oil will make a more gummy texture but is fine to use also.) Many cans have little ridges in the center and make it much harder to get the final breads out. Set the jars in a pan and fill with water to 2/3 of the jar height. Jam in enough empty jars if necessary so they don’t tip. Or stones, anything. They must fit snugly and not fall over. Bring water …