Letter Re: Upgrading Your House Window and Door Security

James, In response to this posting, while something is better than nothing, I am not a fan of putting up anything on windows or better screws or latches for doors or a covering for windows unless it really adds to equation and the cost is reasonable for the return on expenditure.   As an example, a neighbor added a steel frame with mesh, its costs was about $6,000, it is very pretty with double sided keyed deadbolt and heavy latch/striker plate.  Their security factor went way up, sadly the burglars decided to enter from the side yard and wrapped a concrete block into …


Economics and Investing:

The Lumberman recommended this piece by veteran market analyst Bob Chapman: Financial Vehicles of Mass Destruction Over at Fierce Finance: Criminal charges not likely in MF Global scandal. Corzine, Abelow, Roseman, Stockman, et al have escaped criminal indictments, but I suspect that they will be in court fighting civil lawsuits for the next four or five years. <Sarcasm on:> Perhaps Federal prosecutors can indict the MF Global’s janitor. After all, he was seen carrying out those trash bags full of paper shreddings. <Sarcasm off> What Caused Silver’s Take-Down?   Derivatives: Exchange Traded Derivatives Trading Volumes Increase 11% in 2011 Items …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Brad D. forwarded this link: Asteroid Threat in 2040? Scientists Watch 2011 AG5    o o o Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) mentioned this list of DHS terrorism watch list keywords. Mike notes: “Handy for ‘copy and paste.’ I try to include them often.”    o o o Some good practical info: 12/24 Volt Briefcase Solar Charger from Harbor Freight and separate Charge Controller    o o o John E. sent this: U.S. announces diplomatic breakthrough with North Korea. (They’ll give up their nuke program in exchange for food.)    o o o Maine Cruiser spotted this item: …



Note From JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 39 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 dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a …


Upgrading Your House Window and Door Security, by Happy Hal

My darling wife read the article on Lexan and asked me to contribute the following. My professional specialty lies in the area of windows and doors. How to Prepare Doors Replace the short screws (3/4″) in the door lock plates with longer ones minimum 3″ but 4″ would be better. The 3″ are # 8 but the 4″ are #10 almost twice as strong. There are two each on the strike plate of the depress plunger and two for the deadbolt. These screws enter the studs making a considerably stronger safety connection than short screws that only penetrate the light …


Exercise for the Disabled, by CentOre

First, my credentials, such as they are:  I have an AS in Farm Management which included Animal Anatomy & Physiology; a BS in Business Management; an MS in Human Resource Management which included considerable work with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  In addition to these I spent nearly fifty years as an American Red Cross Instructor.  Some of you might remember back in the dark ages of First Aid, there was a job of ‘Red Cross – Highway First Aid Unit’.  For those areas of our Nation that did not yet have ambulance coverage.  Well, I constituted a Red …


Three Letters Re: The Defensive Pistol

In regard to the recent SurvivalBlog article The Defensive Pistol, by W.R.B.: In the aspect of training, he states that you should not to seek out local trainers   Well, as of last December the NRA broke the 80,000 mark of certified instructors, and while the majority teach the basic rifle, pistol and or shotgun courses, there are a number of them that teach more advanced courses.   NRA offers Personal Protection courses (read that as defensive handgun) for both in the home, and outside the home.   A limited number will soon be offering a new course titled Defensive …


Economics and Investing:

Society’s Five Stages of Economic Collapse (Originally posted at the SHTFPlan blog. Greece Is D-O-N-E, $70 Silver In 90 Days. [JWR’s Comment: But we should expect a brief dip in metals, if there is a banking crisis caused by the Greek “credit event” (read: default). In a credit crisis, many assets–even precious metals–will be liquidated to cover margin calls. Look at that as a short term buying opportunity.] Those pesky derivatives, again: Greek Default Payouts May Bring Some Costly Surprises Items from The Economatrix: Massive Resignations Have Started 2.0 Gerald Celente Speaks Of Civil Unrest S&P Downgrades Greece To Selective …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Bill N. mentioned that The Discovery Channel has a new show titled Doomsday Bunkers, that premieres on March 7th.    o o o Geoff S. sent this: Arctic doomsday vault grows a few seeds bigger    o o o Fighting drugs and border violence at Arizona’s Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument: What about the ranger’s M14 rifle, Yogi? (Thanks to Tim J. for the link.)    o o o Reader Prepper At Large (PAL) mentioned that the HTTrack Website Copier is available to archive uncopyrighted web page content (including out-of-copyright and freeware online books) for offline viewing.    o o …



Notes from JWR:

Ready Made Resources’ sale on Mountain House canned freeze dried foods begins today (Thursday, March 1, 2012). They are offering 25% off and free shipping on case lots. The sale ends on March 14th, so order soon. Unlike most Mountain House dealers, Ready Made Resources actually keeps a substantial stock on hand at their Tennessee warehouse, and they are even willing to re-pack to create variety cases upon request, if you are placing a small order. — Today we present another two entries for Round 39 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: …


Securing Your Data and Online Communications, by A.F.S.

If you are a frequent visitor to SurvivalBlog then I do not need to explain why the subject matter may be of importance. There are several previous posts that cover somewhat related information that I will reference and expand upon. First, the disclaimers: I am not a data security expert. I could not blind you with science nor expertly baffle you with Bravo Sierra. However, I have been directly involved in the Internet related software business for almost 20 years. I have spent many hours a day for almost two decades using the internet and watching it evolve. During that …


The Defensive Pistol, by W.R.B.

Introduction: My purpose in writing this piece is to further ones knowledge on the subject of the defensive pistol as a survival tool.  To say there is one best gun or best caliber would be ignorant of the facts. To quote Ignatius Piazza of Front Sight: “Any gun will do, if you will do.”  There is more to it than just the gun. I will focus on what I have learned during the course of my life as to what the role of the defensive pistol is or would be in a SHTF situation, what types of weapons and calibers …


Letter Re: Are You Ready for City Sewer Backups?

Mr. Rawles, Some fellow bloggers and I  discuss  prepping ideas on a discussion forum. One subject that came up (pardon the pun) was sewer problems. I am in a small town that has a sewer system. We got rid of the septic tanks and pits back in the 1980s. I was young at the time and remember being a curious kid watching the houses being plumbed into the street sewer mains, and some houses had a special valve  (called a back-flow prevention valve, or check valve) installed into the system and others didn’t. I asked the workers why, and they …