Letter Re: Recommendation on Older Honda CT-90 and CT-110 Trail Motorcycles

Jim,
I am an old prepper but new to blogging. Current economic and political events have awakened my smouldering interest in prepping. I was saving telephone books back in the in the 70’s for toilet paper and for bulletproofing. I had read some stuff by Howard J. Ruff and moved to the country dadada. He was a little early on his predictions but he was pushing gold, guns, and stocking up. I have long since sold my gold and bought silver, sold my little chicken farm and moved back to the city. The traffic got to be too bad to commute 25 miles in stop and go traffic.. The reason that I now have silver is because I would hate to give up a Krugerrand for a sack of potatoes.

The reason for my letter to you is to let your readers know about a wonderful piece of fuel-efficient transportation for now and after TSHTF: the Honda Trail 90 or Trail 110 trail bikes. These were available in the states from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s and were basically unchanged. One advantage of this bike over a 4-wheel ATVs is [that in most locales] they are street legal. They are still available new from New Zealand. They are still used by mail carriers in New Zealand and Australia. (That ought to speak volumes for their reliability). These bikes are often found on eBay from $3,500 for a like-new condition used one on down to $1,000 or less. Parts are readily available from Internet sources. Look these bikes up on Wikipedia or ct90-110.com. I had one back in the day and am now currently restoring an 1984 CT110. It has a big luggage rack, auxiliary gas tank and a neat lever to double the gear reduction that will enable you to climb a telephone pole. The older ones had an altitude compensating carburetor with a switch to push when over a certain altitude. I suppose you could re-jet the carb if you live in a high altitude on the newer models. Regards, – Funky

Three Letters Re: Best Military Manuals with Field Fortification Designs?

Dear James,
In response to the person who asked about military manuals, most (at least US Army) are available online for free, from the following sources:

GlobalSecurity.org

The site has lots of military and world sitrep information updated constantly.

The Federation of American Scientists has tons of military hardware systems information. The pictures are useful for recognizing and there is data on each system’s performance, purpose and use.

Also, the US Army maintains the General Dennis J. Reimer Training and Doctrine Digital Library at Fort Eustis, Virginia. It used to be mostly open access, but I believe it’s changed to a more restrictive system. It’s worth a look. FM 5-103 Survivability is great reading, very informative. One of my favorites! – R. in NH <><

Hi JWR,
The link which an earlier reader posted to Steve’s Pages has an excellent copy of FM 3-105 Survivability. This copy has high resolution graphics which are readable, unlike many versions online.

The PDF of the Joint Forward Operations Base Force Protection Handbook and has more modern (Operation Enduring Freedom) knowledge on force protection. Kind Regards, – Craig

Dear Jim,
SurvivalBlog readers can find fairly new versions of all the field manuals you mentioned – FM 7-8, FM 5-15, and especially, FM 5-103 – online at Scribd.com. It is free to register there and you can download these manuals in either text or PDF formats.

The March 2007 version of FM 7-8, Infantry Platoon and Squad, is also numbered as FM 3-21.8. I just downloaded it all 602 pages of it as a PDF. If you only have dial-up, you may want to look for a printed copy as it is a 54 MB file. Thanks for all you do. – John in Waynesville, North Carolina

Letter Re: Buying a House in Australia?

Dear James:
To follow up on a previous post, as information for US citizens looking to relocate to Australia, I offer a few very general suggestions.

Although Australia is a large continent, most of the population is located on the eastern sea-board mostly because of the arid interior. House prices have not fallen dramatically during the GFC and houses in capital cities are dearer than those in regional centres. But even in capital cities, there can be great differences in house prices in the different suburbs. I suggest that in the first instance that anyone relocating, rents for a period of time until they find their feet, a job, a location and a lifestyle with which they feel comfortable.

For a general overview of housing in Australia I suggest browsing through Realestate.com.au or Domain.com.au. Both of those sites will give plenty of information on houses/units/land for sale and houses/units for rent. – Margaret G.

Economics and Investing:

Carla alerted us to this article: Recent World Events Indicate Impending Market Chaos, by Giordano Bruno.

F.G. and Matt C. were the first of several readers that flagged this apropos piece in The Wall Street Journal: Green Acres Is the Place to Be; The Recession Is Inspiring More Young Families and Singles to Head Back to the Country

Thanks to GG for finding this: S&P says European companies face $1.5 trillion funding shortfall next year

Items from The Economatrix:

Geithner Slams Wall Street Bonuses, Says All Big Banks Could Have Failed

A Deeper Look Behind The Jobless Numbers. Despite the upbeat report, long-term unemployment worsens

US Congress Set to Strip Power Away from Federal Reserve Chief

North Koreans Burn Bills in Anger Over Currency Reform

UK Bank Bailout Hits Staggering L850 Billion

New Japanese Stimulus Package Likely Worth Over Y7 Trillion

Japan Airlines Rating Cut By S&P After Loan Defaults

Aetna Forcing 600,000+ to Lose Coverage In Effort to Raise Profits

Stocks Push Higher Even as Dollar Rises

Oil Below $75 As Opec Ministers Flag Steady Output

US Economy Entering Sluggish Recovery

Odds ‘n Sods:

Jen suggested this article, which has some Get Out of Dodge Vehicle implications: I live in a van down by Duke University; How do I afford grad school without going into debt? A ’94 Econoline, bulk food and creative civil disobedience

   o o o

Safecastle (one of our most loyal advertisers) is offering a 2-for-1 special on long term storage dehydrated diced potatoes.

   o o o

F.G. flagged this one: Minnesota man arrested for trespassing on his own land

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Erik Prince, head of US security firm Blackwater, ‘was CIA operative’ (Thanks to Damon for the link)

Letter Re: Free Local EMS Training

Jim,
I would like to let your readers know that there is an opportunity for them to get free medical training in there community, I have just done this and am working on going further. I joined a volunteer fire department (VFD). No, not everyone has to fight fires, in our department only 10% do. In my area we have a mandatory three hours per month that we have to be at the station and [respond to] any calls that come up. So out of this we all get free EMT training and they actually pay us to go do this, there are also different types of training that we can also take but for me this is the best we can go all the way to EMT paramedic. Try that in college, [paying for your own tuition]. In addition to the training you will meet some of the nicest people ever, so check it out it might be a good way for you to get some great training. And sometimes you even get to drive a big red fire truck. Best Regards, – ElectroMech

Letter Re: Buying a House in Australia?

Dear Mr Rawles,
I pray that God may continue pouring His comfort, love and strength upon you and your family in these difficult times.

My wife and I will finally settle down in Melbourne, Australia in 2010 after years of relocating internationally due to my work – we finally obtained the Australian resident permit! As a result of all the traveling, we have also had to leave all our savings in banks for all these years.

We prefer living in a region to know it well before purchasing property, so we will probably purchase a house sometime in 2010-2011. As many (including yourself) have convinced me of rising gold prices and crashing fiat values in the coming years, it makes a lot of sense to buy Australian gold bullion/stamped bars using our savings, and converting them to cash just before purchasing property.

What is your opinion on this? The worst-case scenario I can see is a minor loss in profitability whereby interests from the bank would have yielded more ‘profit’. As I am risk-averse, there are few ‘investment’ opportunities for me outside of term deposits. Thanks for your advice. Blessings, – David C.

JWR Replies: I cannot comment on the particulars of the housing market in Oz, but it is apparent that the real estate market is far from the recovery stage in the US and presumably in the rest of the English-speaking nations. Here in the States, I suspect that it will be 6 to 12 years before the residential real estate market recovers. But things might be considerably different, Down Under. With that said, if you find a truly retreat-worthy property (say, with a shallow well, defendable acreage with plenty of room for gardens, and that has an exposure advantageous for photovoltaics) and you an buy it below current market prices, then you might consider it. Just keep in mind that prices are likely to continue to drop, and it may be a long time before that investment that will appreciate in value. if you do decide ito park your money in tangibles–and you probably should do just that if you are indeed risk averse–then Australian Mint Kookaburra one ounce gold coins are a good choice. Just be sure to buy ion a “dip” day.

Letter Re: Best Military Manuals with Field Fortification Designs?

Jim –
There is an absolute plethora of military manuals out there. I’m looking for a Listening Post/Observation Post (LP/OP) diagram such as you use in your novel “Patriots”. What manuals would you consider your “must read and own” manuals that would answer this question and others I that haven’t arrived yet? I’m a 10 Cent Challenge subscriber and enjoy your web site and books. Thank you and God Best You, – Brent I. in Louisiana

JWR Replies: The basics describing and illustrating one-man and two-man fighting positions (suitable for LP/OPs) with overhead cover can be found in FM 7-8, Infantry Platoon and Squad. (An older edition is available online, sans illustrations.) But for greater detail, including some on larger and more elaborate positions, see FM 5-15, Field Fortifications. A very old edition, circa 1944, is available online.) One other excellent–but hard-to-find–manual is FM 5-103, Survivability. I recommend looking for used hard copies of these either at gun shows or from online booksellers.

Letter Re: The Pen is Mightier than the Sword

Many people preparing for the inevitable SHTF situation overlook the simple day to day needs of the children. It is easy to forget, especially being pre-occupied with food, water, ammunition and the like. I remember when I was in the army in the late 1980s, we were on a project in Honduras. We would make frequent health and welfare flights into the mountain villages to provide medical assistance and rendering aide were possible. One thing that amazed me was the educational system in the third world. Basically, if the child did not have a pencil and note book, they could not attend school to learn. I remember contacting my dad back in the states, having him buy a couple of thousand pencils and note books and send them to me in country. I became a pretty popular guy with the natives after that. Now as I look around at all my preparations for keeping my family alive, I realize what I have neglected. My wife and I have two extremely beautiful and smart children, ages 2 and 4, not that I am biased. When thinking of their needs, I need to also consider the progressive development in a post-SHTF society. Because we will after all have to be the teacher not only the protector. Here is the list I have come up with, and it is by no means complete.

1. Crayons- lots of them

2. Coloring books

3. K-12 text books

4. Books- children’s-teen-and adult, science, history, science fiction, a good mix, considering the library will be your living space and you will be replacing the television

5. Pencils- lots of them

6. Lots of note pads and books

7. A couple of solar calculators

8. Pens (and see items 8 and 9 below, for when ballpoint pens are gone)

9. Bottles of India Ink

10. Quill pens (for the ink)

11. Chalk board and chalk

12. A couple of educational science kits

13. And depending on how long you think things might last, learn to make paper, ink etc.

All the above is relatively inexpensive, but a mandatory investment as far as I am concerned. Hope this helps someone in their preparations. Sincerely, – Craig B. in South Korea

Letter Re: The Fabric of Our Lives

Mr. Rawles,
I am prompted to send along some information that I am hoping will be useful to your readers looking for instruction in spinning and weaving. The Handweaver’s Guild of America has an online list of local guilds as well as a list of Member Artists/Leaders, both of which are rich resources. There are some 454 guild, listed by state. Contacting a nearby guild is a great way to learn about local class opportunities in spinning and weaving. Most of these guilds also have member newsletters that will often list used equipment for sale by members at significant discounts over the “new” purchase price. I encourage your readers who are interested to contact a local guild – we are always happy to have new members and to point them toward good instruction. One of our newest members is a retired military officer. He has turned into quite a talented spinner in the past few months!

My sincere condolences on the loss of your wife. – Nan M.

Influenza Pandemic Update:

Andre in the EU sent this from Radio Nederland: H1N1 Pandemic Continues.

Maryland Reports First Drug Resistant H1N1 Cases

Mutated Swine Flu In Baltimore, Maryland. The drug-resistant type…

442 Dead In Ukraine, Nearly Two Million Infected

Tamiflu Resistance in Spain and US Georgia

H1N1 Tamiflu-Resistance Crosses Tipping Point

Transmission of Fit Tamiflu Resistant H1N1 in Maryland

CDC: Swine Flu Continues to Decline in US. Worried about second wave after the first of the year.

Influenza Pandemic Update:

Andre in the EU sent this from Radio Nederland: H1N1 Pandemic Continues.

Maryland Reports First Drug Resistant H1N1 Cases

Mutated Swine Flu In Baltimore, Maryland. The drug-resistant type…

442 Dead In Ukraine, Nearly Two Million Infected

Tamiflu Resistance in Spain and US Georgia

H1N1 Tamiflu-Resistance Crosses Tipping Point

Transmission of Fit Tamiflu Resistant H1N1 in Maryland

CDC: Swine Flu Continues to Decline in US. Worried about second wave after the first of the year.

Economics and Investing:

Reader HPD mentioned this article: 24 States Borrow Money To Pay Unemployment Benefits. HPD’s comment: “Don’t worry. The Fed sees signs of recovery… Besides, Barney Frank and Nancy Pelosi are on the scene to fix it. “

Another missive from Dr. Housing Bubble: Wall Street and Housing Neurosis: The Real Cost of California Homeownership. Extreme Foreclosures, Option ARMs, Renting Utility Costs, and Breaking the Financially Twisted Psychology.

Noah C. spotted this: Heh, I Thought Dubai Was a Non-Event. Here is a quote: “Refusal to stand-still means there’s an immediate default, which means the [credit default swaps] go boom”

Items from The Economatrix:

Chinese Official Slams Western Banks Over Derivatives

Gold Will Reach Mind-Boggling Levels

High US Jobless Rates Could be New Normal

Japan’s Recovery Stumbles

China Wary of Gold “Bubble” Danger After Doubling its Reserve. [JWR’s comment: At least it beats leaving their assets in the stinkin’ US Dollars!]

Recent World Events Indicate Impending Market Chaos. “All those who value truth, liberty, and an honorable society, should be ready not only to save themselves, but to save each other, and to save their country. The time for readiness grows short.”

Taxpayers in 29 States Hit With Higher Taxes

This is Progress? Jobs Data Optimism Obscures Harsh Reality