Notes from JWR:

Today is the birthday of Robert D. Maxwell, another one of America’s few living recipients of the Medal of Honor. He was born October 26, 1920. — Today we present another entry for Round 43 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of …


Dutch Oven Cooking, by Louie in Ohio

When I think of Dutch Oven cooking I usually have visions of campfires and Scout Camp, of apple cobbler and savory stews. But as I further my preparations for TEOTWAWKI I realize that I want my Dutch ovens at my retreat. Any heavy pot with lid can be used and called a Dutch oven. But when I say Dutch oven I am referring to the three legged cast iron (or aluminum) covered pot that is normally used outdoors.  Much of the information I give you is basic and you may wish to explore these topics in depth. One of the …


Letter Re: Testing 20 Year Old Home-Canned Tomato Sauce

Jim: To follow up on a recent post: According to canning sources, it is the Vitamins A, C, B1, B2 that are the most susceptible to degradation over time with  33%- 50% losses immediately upon canning and additional losses of 5-20% per year (based on storage conditions).  Let us look at best (33% loss at canning and 5% per year ) and worst case (50% loss at canning and 20% per year) losses per year for five years. Percentage of Remaining Vitamins: Storage Period Best Case Worst Case Year One 62.7% 40% Year Two 59.5% 32% Year Three 56.6% 26% Year Four 53.7% 20% Year Five 51% …


Economics and Investing:

R.B.S. sent: Across Corn Belt, Farmland Prices Keep Soaring Brad in Texas spotted this: US may soon become world’s top oil producer The Next Stock Market Crash Will Be Bigger Than “Black Monday” PIMCO Recommends Hard Commodities To Weather Inflation Items from The Economatrix: IMF’s epic plan to conjure away debt and dethrone bankers We Have Been Warned – Part 2 The Demise of Cash World “Close” To Recession:  Stanley Fischer


Odds ‘n Sods:

Readers in Australia will likely find this company of interest: Outback Watertanks    o o o An interesting podcast: What Homeschoolers and Homemakers can learn from Preppers.    o o o Don’t miss out on the Ready Made Resources sale on Mountain House long term storage foods. They are offering 25% discounts and free shipping for Mountain House foods in #10 cans. The sale ends on November 5th.    o o o The PlayStation handset that fires mortars and the world’s deadliest catapult: Lethal ingenuity of outgunned Syrian rebels. (Thanks to F.G. for the link.)    o o o Matt …



Notes from JWR:

October 25th is remembered as the anniversary of the Charge of the Light Brigade, in 1854. This British cavalry charge against Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava was led by Lord Cardigan during the the Crimean War. — Today we present another entry for Round 43 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) …


Avoiding Bad Company, by Huey F.

I’ll begin with a Bible quote: “Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.” – 1 Corinthians 15:33 Perhaps starting off with a Scripture will turn away some people, yet there really isn’t a better way to begin. I don’t want to come across as such a Bible-thumping Christian that I make those of you who are not Christians turn away, but I also don’t want anyone to think I was disguising the Christian aspects of this article in an attempt to trick you into buying in to biblical principles. It is for this reason – transparency and blunt …


Letter Re: Testing 20 Year Old Home-Canned Tomato Sauce

James Wesley, Rawles: Sometime in the middle 1990s I put away four litre (quart) jars of tomato sauce. Now, at least 20 years later I opened, processed and consumed this tomato preserve. The storage was in a cool, dry, dark and undisturbed location. The product was cooked, skin-removed italian tomato. The canning process I had used was simple: cook, skin, fill, bottle, water bath, etc. The result was acceptable.  Although I had to cut away the ring with a can piercer to loosen (destroy) the ring on the jar – the cap (lid) was intact. There was no bulging or …


Economics and Investing:

Highest (and Lowest) State & Local Tax Burdens Bank of Canada Fires Shot Across Bow, Says “Withdrawal of Stimulus Will Likely be Required” Hot Off the Press: Fed to Print $470 Billion in 2013. Note the mention of increased demand for $100 bills, going overseas. Items from The Economatrix: Jim Sinclair:  Change In Spread Management By Bullion Banks Will Send Gold Prices $3,500-$12,400 Weimar:  Here’s What We Know About The Hyperinflation Horror That Haunts Europe Today Suddenly, Everyone on Wall Street is Taking the “Red Pill” of Economics Marc Faber:  Western World In “Colossal Mess” In 5-10 Years


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader AmEx (American Expatriate) sent: “Total identity theft” growing, authorities fear    o o o Dentist Dr. Tom Loomis has just one slot still open for his upcoming two-day Field Dentistry Class, in Sweetwater, Tennessee on Nov. 30, and Dec. 1, 2012. Enrollment is limited to just 12 students. The class costs $400 per person. To register, send $200 by check or money order to Tom Loomis DDS, P.O. Box 510, Sweetwater, TN 37874. Phone number: 423-371-1073, or e-mail: tandsloomis@bellsouth.net or tom.loomis@yahoo.com. The class will be held at the Magnuson Hotel in Sweetwater at Exit 60 off of Interstate 75. Rooms …



Notes from JWR:

Happy birthday to Ronald E. Rosser, one of America’s few living recipients of the Medal of Honor. He was born October 24, 1929. — Today we present another entry for Round 43 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze …


Attitude Adjustment, by Dena M.

As a single mother of two I know and live the word budget all to well. My income is limited and I have wasted a lot of time and money because I was too focused on getting ‘only the best.’ I quickly realized that the path I was on was getting me nowhere. I began to look at past purchases and realized that a lot of my purchases were unnecessary and quite frankly irresponsible. If I wanted to better guarantee the safety and sanity of myself and my young children, I needed to take a different path to self-sufficiency and …


Letter Re: Another Hidden In Plain Sight Storage Tip

Howdy, Great site, thanks for a wonderful resource. My tip of the day for hidden in plain sight storage, is a hollowed out heavy bag. I mean one of those ubiquitous kickboxing bags languishing in so many garages, covered with dust, and often stuffed into a corner and unused for years. These can be found used and cheap and have minimal resale value, thus a low likelihood of being taken in a burglary, especially as they are usually quite heavy. If there is no food or anything inside attractive to a dog or a bear, that is good of course, …