Category: Odds ‘n Sods

It is nice to see the prices of both silver and gold bouncing back. I holding by my prediction that after the current summer doldrums the precious metals will see a strong rally this Fall. For those of you that took my advice and sold your spec or vacation house at the top of the market and invested the proceeds in silver: hang on! By late 2007, the dollar will go down versus many foreign currencies, silver will go up substantially, and house prices will go down substantially, especially in the most overheated markets. Those simultaneous moves will be a …

Mark Steyn in Australia comments on global demographics: It’s breeding obvious, mate.    o o o Regarding the recent question on Ethanol blends long term storage–here is part of the answer. SurvivalBlog reader Shawnee contacted the makers of PRI-G gas stabilizer to ask about how it works with ethanol blends. This was their reply: “Our initial experience with ethanol blended gasoline has been very positive. PRI-G not only provides enhanced stability to the blend, but protects on lubricating value as well.”    o o o The USDA has not replied to the query about small farmers and NAIS submitted by …

Reader “Desert T” notes: “I came across this item at the Smith & Wesson web site while researching something else. Rather steep price, but I found the marketing strategy interesting.” JWR Adds: Just the ticket for traipsing around Alaska.    o o o I recently heard about an interesting vendor called Civil Defense Supplies. They stock and eclectic line of storage food, first aid gear, commo gear, night vision gear, 72 Hour Kits, and so forth. I should mention, however, that I have not yet done business with them.    o o o Reader Sid near Niagara Falls spotted a …

When I was doing some recent research for a consulting client, I found this interesting land development in the White Mountains of Nevada. The land is being sold near Dyer, Nevada, not too far from Bishop, California. (But safely across the state line, in the tax haven of Nevada.) The unusual thing about this property is that some of the parcels have frontage on a year-round creek. That is a real rarity in Nevada. They are asking $100,000 for a 10 acre chunk with creek frontage. The gent that I talked with (Mike Levin) said that they plan to sell …

Ain’t we high tech? I just heard that Mobitech Reader software (works with Bluetooth compatible laptops, Blackberries, PDAs, and even some cell phones) can now display RSS feeds. So you can read SurvivalBlog on the go. (Yes, we have had our own RSS feed for several months.) OBTW, I am looking into putting some of my writings out as Mobitech/MobiPocket e-books, but I have some reservations about security that will have to be resolved first.    o o o Darrel Holland mentioned that he still has just a couple of seats open for his next long range shooting school, September …

Petromax Lanterns: This gent on The FALFiles is selling the genuine article–originally from German Bundeswehr surplus.    o o o SurvivalBlog reader J.E. mentioned: “I ran across this link via a productivity site: Free e-textbooks for a myriad of subjects, at http://www.textbookrevolution.org/ Very useful, with of course the standard disclaimer about not depending on electronic documents being accessible in a ‘situation’.” #1 Son adds: Our readers that have home-schooled kids may find this useful as well.    o o o Jim K. forwarded this link to a site with some interesting photos of improvised up-armored civilian “contractor” vehicles in Iraq. …

“No sheep in the house!” In recent weeks we have been pasturing our small flock of Jacob sheep inside the fenced acre right near our house, to work the grass down. (The goal has been to minimize wiildfire danger.) While here at the house, the sheep have been getting into a little mischief. Yesterday our ram developed a taste for the leaves on our grape vines. So I’ll have to put up a small protective fence. They’ve also decided that our front porch is the safest place to sleep. So every morning we get to sweep the “Rasinets” off the …

I recently heard the following sad tale from a reader: “My retreat property in Oregon burned to the ground last year. I had a friend call and tell me he saw [footage of] my chimney on Fox News. Fortunately, I didn’t have much [stored] in the house, and my four forty-foot (CONEX) storage trailers came throughout without a scratch, praise God. Regarding our planned rebuilding, we anticipate purchasing a manufactured house, which has concrete board siding and a fiberglass composition tile roof, which is fairly fireproof, but not able to stop anything with any velocity. We anticipate going underground for …

The White House warns: a weak strain of Asian Avian Flu may already be in the U.S.    o o o SurvivalBlog reader MP dropped me a line and mentioned that Orson Scott Card, the author of the military sci-fi classic “Ender’s Game,” has posted the first five chapters for his newest book, “Empire.” From the description on Card’s web page: “The American Empire has grown too fast, and the fault lines at home are stressed to the breaking point. The war of words between Right and Left has collapsed into a shooting war, though most people just want to …

SurvivalBlog reader Alfie Omega mentioned this news story: Global Food Supply Near the Breaking Point. The story begins: “The world is now eating more food than farmers grow, pushing global grain stocks to their lowest level in 30 years. Rising population, water shortages, climate change, and the growing costs of fossil fuel-based fertilizers point to a calamitous shortfall in the world’s grain supplies in the near future, according to Canada’s National Farmers Union (NFU).”    o o o Four interesting pieces of economic analysis/commentary have recently been posted at Gold-Eagle.com: The Calm Before the Storm, by Aubie Baltin, Money and …

SurvivalBlog reader S.H. pointed us to a web site that describes an interesting house with an extensive 45 foot deep fallout shelter, currently for sale in Blaine, Washington.    o o o Cathy Buckle in Zimbabwe reports on the ongoing currency exchange. (Due to the hyperinflation, they are issuing new bills, sans three zeroes.) This one is a must read!    o o o The Whiskey and Gunpowder e-newsletter mentions: “Lenders see a 10-20% tumble in home prices Yes, you heard right: A 10-20% loss nationwide, according to a poll of American mortgage lenders. And much bigger losses in the …

It is nice to see that SurvivalBlog is gaining ever wider readership. The latest hit map shows readers in North Africa, of all places.    o o o I recently mentioned canes and walking sticks for self defense. This product looks very well made.    o o o A reminder that the special Cast Iron Cookware and Soap Combo Pack Offer from PromisedLand Products (Mentioned on July 20th) ends on August 15th. To place your order, send a $300 Postal Money Order with the notation “SurvivalBlog Combo Pack” to: Promised Land Products 382 Adams Lane Dillon, Montana 59725 Phone: (406) …

SurvivalBlog reader “Alfie Omega” spotted this article: New, Simple, Make-It-Yourself Water Filter Promises Clean Water for Millions It begins: “A handful of clay, yesterday’s coffee grounds and some cow manure are the simple ingredients that could bring clean drinking water to developing countries around the globe…”    o o o “Smart Pigs” Don’t Lie: The BP Prudhoe Bay pipeline closure may last for months. Stand by for higher gasoline and home heating oil prices.    o o o Panicky refugees at a shelter in Northern Israel.  

The 2010 U.S. census will record GPS coordinates of every household’s front porch. Charming.    o o o Reader JB in Nashville mentioned that another mirror site has been established for the e-book of Mel Tappan’s Tappan on Survival. It is such a great read, I recommend that you also buy a hard copy. New or used copies can often be found through Abebooks.com, BooksAMillion.com, or eBay.com    o o o Reader JCS suggested this site on battery technology on battery technology. He noted, “For a long term survival scenario I’m starting to think that Ni-Cd would be better than Ni-MH …

SurvivalBlog reader JCS suggested the Lindsay Books site. It has something for everyone from Aircraft Welding to Hide Tanning. They have lots of books that belong on the survivalist reference bookshelf.    o o o Blog reader S.H. mentioned that our friend Noah over at the DefenseTech blog ran an article about a dune buggie/powered parafoil combo, for the ultimate in high mobility.   o o o From the Washington Post: DOE Report Identifies Areas of U.S. Power Grid Congestion Here is a brief excerpt from the story: “This study identifies the most critical areas of congestion,” said Kevin Kolevar, …