Letter Re: A Different Kind of Silencer

James: The Problem Sleep Apnea has been a recent topic in the blog.  My wife and I both use one of “the machines”.  And although it is true many people just simply cannot get use to using them, others like us can no longer get a good nap or full night’s sleep without one. So, what do we do if some yahoo hits the pole in route to his (with your permission Mr. Rawles) “hid-e-hole in Idaho”. Our choices were to stay up all night waiting for the power to come back on or …. Nothing!  Sleeping without “the machine” …


Economics and Investing:

Reader B.D. sent this: Spain Will Have to Cede Most Control of Banks: WSJ Terry in Idaho recommended: The Libor Scandal: History’s Largest Market Fraud? Did someone say $800 trillion? The future of futures is uncertain: PFG Collapses Amid Fraud Allegations B.B. sent this over at Noisy Room: Nations will be Nations: ‘Euro Zone Fragmenting Faster than EU can Act’ 21% sales tax! Spain Deepens Austerity Under European Pressure. (Thanks to K.A.F. for the link.) Also from B.B.: Austerity, American Style: Scranton City Employees’ Wages Reduced to $7.25 per Hour – This Is Your Future America A clash of generations …


Odds ‘n Sods:

“Bear” over at the TMM Forums mentioned: “I just ran into this over at 4x4ham.com. It’s a short tutorial on how to use Google Earth to generate terrain profiles. In the context of ham radio, it can help you determine whether you can hit a repeater from a particular point or not. Also, if you are looking at a gulch property, you can determine where it can be seen from.”    o o o C.D.V. sent this news: Freight train derailment, explosion in Ohio prompts mile-wide evacuation. C.D.V.’s comment: “One good reason to always have Bug Out Bags ready.”    …



Notes from JWR:

We’ve nearly completed setting up our more robust server. Thanks for your patience. Please continue to use (and bookmark) “survivalblog.com” as your primary method to access the blog but make note of our NEW dotted quad address: 70.39.87.131 And, BTW, we are still in need of some mirror server space, both in the United States and offshore. — Today we present another entry for Round 41 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 …


A Little Planning and a Lot of Rehearsing, by Todd S. in Colorado

“A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.”- General George S. Patton. Every general would tell you that planning is necessary, but our perfectly laid plans never end up working the way we think in real life situations with a nearly infinite amount of variables.  As an Army officer, I found Patton’s quote to be very true.  Unless you have all the time in the world, you are not going to be able to create the perfect plan to cover every possible contingency.  But you can certainly prepare for the greatest threats.  In …


Two Letters Re: A Low Cost Source for Powerful Magnets

Hi Jim, Just a quick note about the magnets from microwave ovens letter: Inside the Microwave there is a large capacitor (looks like a metal can with two tabs on the top of the can) – before you poke around inside, make sure that you discharge this by touching a screwdriver (held by the insulating plastic handle) between the 2 tabs – this is like poking in the back of an old television, and the discharge from that cap will knock you for a lulu if it’s holding a residual charge (and it can… for a long time.) If it …


Economics and Investing:

Some effects of bad monetary policy: The war on baby boomers. (Thanks to C. Matt for the link.) V.T.P. sent this: France is selling bonds at a negative interest rate Roubini: My ‘Perfect Storm’ Scenario Ii Unfolding Now. (Kudos to C.D.V. for sending this link.) Items from The Economatrix: As Foreclosures Ramp Up, New Roadblocks Ahead There Will Never Be Enough Jobs in America Again Government Overpaid $14 Billion in Unemployment Benefits US Economy:  Things Could Get Much Worse


Odds ‘n Sods:

I will be the keynote speaker via teleconference at Charlotte PrepCon. This is an event for North Carolina and South Carolina preppers. The conference will be held on July 14, 2012 in Ft. Mill, S.C. (near Charlotte, N.C.) Phone: (800) 704-1862 for details.    o o o Our friend Tam recommended a post over at the Standing Outside Looking In blog about preparing for and coping with flood waters: A Hard Lesson; Survivor Ammunition Storage    o o o Pierre M. sent this news from Florida: Worst TB outbreak in 20 years kept secret. (It is noteworthy that the role …



Notes from JWR:

An appeal from your editor: We’ve recently had another denial of service hacker attack. My apologies for any inconvenience. To make SurvivalBlog more resilient to denial of service attacks or to governmental censorship orders, I am seeking some inexpensive offshore server space. The plan is to “push” data to several mirror sites each night. If you have some server space available, preferably in a country that isn’t buddy-buddy with the U.S. government, then please let me know. Each mirror server must be able to handle the following: 2GB of Storage Space SSH & FTP access 15 Mbps Data Link 5TB …


TEOTWAWKI Blacksmithing for Beginners, by Jodier

For many of you blacksmithing reminds you of your father or grandfather, it takes you back to the smell of the coal forge and the hum of the blower pumping oxygen into the nest of the forge. I’ve met many of people who are interested in blacksmithing, mainly for fun and to make Christmas gifts for their loved ones. Not many of these people actually obtain a forge and anvil and use it. Many of people have their grandfather’s anvil sitting unused in their shed or barn. My father has been blacksmithing for the majority of his life and has …


A Different Kind of Silencer, by K. in Illinois

The topic of obstructive sleep apnea and CPAP machines has been mentioned regularly in SurvivalBlog. These references were mostly related to how an alternate power supply could be used to keep CPAP machines functioning. In a TEOTWAWKI situation or lengthy grid down scenario persons suffering from sleep apnea, especially severe sleep apnea would worsen and probably die without an alternative power source or alternative type of treatment. As a dentist who is a member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine and treating snoring and sleep apnea for almost 15 years I thought I would give the members some …


Letter Re: The Role of Nickels in a Barter Economy

James Wesley: I understand saving gold and silver for preservation of wealth but I’m not sure of copper pennies or nickel five cent pieces. Gold and silver have been used for thousands of years as stored wealth but I’m not sure I could convince anyone to take pennies and nickels that are made with industrial metals. The copper value of the coin may be greater than the value marked on the coin but who is going to have a desire to gather up copper and nickel over silver or gold? Thanks for the great blog and the help. – Mark …


Letter Re: Effective Germ Fighters

JWR, In his recent SurvivalBlog article, Don H. incorrectly stated that alcohol will not kill MRSA or Staph.  I want to set the record straight on this, as working with bacteria is my career.  Any bacteria that does not form spores will be contact-killed by a 70% Isopropanol (or other alcohol) treatment.  This includes MRSA (and other staph bacteria, as MRSA is Methycillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus).  The only commonly encountered bacteria that will certainly not be killed with alcohol are Clostridium species (the source of botulism [C. botulinum] and gas gangrene [C. perfringens] and Mycobacterium species [M. tuberculosis].  C. difficile is another …