Letter Re: Gauging Interest in Dakota Alert MURS Radios

Hi Jim,
I am looking to gauge interest from your readers for the Dakota Alert MURS Base and Handheld radios. If there is enough interest in a
special group purchase, I can offer the M538-BS MURS base station for $69 (plus shipping) and the M538-HT MURS hand held for $74 (plus shipping). Interested readers can e-mail me if they would like to be part of this group buy. (see the MURS Radio web site.) Thanks! – Rob at Affordable Shortwaves

Odds ‘n Sods:

Wired News is reporting that an Illinois startup is claiming they can make ethanol from most any organic material for around $1 per gallon. Coskata, backed by General Motors and several other investors, uses a process that is bacteria based instead of some of the other available methods. The bacteria processes organic material that is fed into the reactor and secretes ethanol as a waste product. A hat tip to Eric for sending us this link.

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Pete found us this one: Gold production halted amid South African energy crisis

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Ten-finger Fingerprint Scan To Enter U.S.A.

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Cody Lundin has a new 512-page survival manual out, titled “When All H*ll Breaks Loose: Stuff You Need to Know When Disaster Strikes”. He’s an interesting character and the book is very useful. Safecastle is giving away the book (normally $19.95 ) to new paid members in their crisis preparedness Buyers Club. (“Safecastle Royal”.) Those who are already members can either purchase the book at 20% off or get it free with a qualifying $150 purchase in the Safecastle online store.

Four Letters Re: A Honeybee CCD Disaster Soon?–Bee Prepared!

James,
Here is a link to a somewhat less pessimistic article on CCD, the current state of affairs with bees, and a likely possible cause. I agree that the consequences of a loss of Apis mellifera would be a severe blow, but I think the reality is not (yet?) quite so dire as a recently linked article predicted.
Best Regards, – MP

 

Jim;
Your comments miss the fact that solitary bees, such as the Orchard Mason bee, are roughly 10 times more effective [per capita] as pollinators than honeybees, and are plentiful in most locales. Bumblebees ain’t bad at it, either. I’ve relied on these species for years, in an environment where there are very few wild honeybees.
Of course, this doesn’t change the fact that commercial agriculture would be largely wiped out without honeybees, but at least it should save you and me from having to dress up in bee costumes and go flitting from flower to flower. – Charley S.

 

Sir:
I have just recently found your site and I am starting to read you regularly. I find that I agree with 99.99% of what you have to say so far. I have seen our own small bee hive wiped out in the last few years, and we decided to buy and work with Mason Bees. There is no honey production but they (the mason bees) are pollinating little machines. It might be something for your readers to look into – fyreman

Jim,
You wrote: “Food storage. Increase the depth of your family’s food storage program. Heretofore, I had recommended a two year supply. I am now recommending a four year supply.”

Now that you are recommending four years of storage, would you please be more specific in what you recommend? Are you referring to a freeze dried, wheats, beans and rice, dehydrated, etc. type storage approach? I’m assuming a long term approach is the only way to go when trying to store for four years. Thanks, – Russ in Georgia

JWR Replies: For long term storage foods, I generally recommend storing bulk wheat, rice, and beans in 5 or 6 gallon food grade buckets with oxygen absorbing packets.

Given the likelihood of honey shortages for the foreseeable future, I also recommend getting a 10 year supply of honey. Because powdered milk tends to go rancid, I recommend that you buy commercially-packed nonfat dry milk in #10 (one gallon) nitrogen-packed steel cans. (Available from Ready Made Resources) Oils and fats are best stored in the form of canned butter (available from Best Prices Storable Foods) and frozen olive oil. (The plastic bottles work fine, but don’t try to freeze glass bottles of oil!)

For details on both short term and long term food storage, I recommend Alan T. Hagan’s Food Storage FAQ, as well as my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course.

In addition to long term storage food, you might also want some conveniently packaged “Get Out of Dodge” type foods, such as retort-packaged MREs. For information on MRE storage, see the MRE Information Page.

Letter Re: Some Information on LDS Canneries

Jim–
The LDS Bishop Storehouse/Cannery list of foods available shows a storage life of 30 years for most properly packaged foods. The Cannery Food Commodities sheet includes this statement: “For longer-term storage, avoid teaching people to ‘store what you eat and eat what you store’.”
Think about it: in money terms, you don’t want to dip into the principle. The same is true for emergency food storage.

Here’s some sample prices as of December 22, 2007:
Hard red wheat $4.75 for a 25# bag (you’ll transfer the wheat to a food-grade bucket; for how-to, check SurvivalBlog archives)
Hard white wheat $6.25 for a 25# bag (ditto) (by the way, four 25# bags will fit into three 5 gallon buckets)
Black beans $4.72 for a #10 can (already treated and sealed)
Regular oats $2.00 for a #10 can (ditto)
If you buy 6 #10 cans (can be mixed), they’ll provide a box, plus two plastic lids for the cans.
There are more than 16 items on the list besides the above (including powdered milk, rice, sugar, apple slices, carrots, macaroni,onions, potato flakes, spaghetti, cocoa). Not all on the list have a shelf life of 30 years, but all are available treated in sealed cans.
Of course you should purchase small quantities from your local grocery store and try out cooked wheat berries, rolled oats, white beans, etc on your family to see if they will tolerate the stuff. Maybe even add it to your regular meals here and there so a sudden transition won’t add to the stress caused by a disaster (as taught in the “Rawles Gets You Ready” course).

Folks who aren’t members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can buy these dry-pack food from the LDS Cannery, which is associated with the Bishop Storehouse. Be sure you ask for the Cannery because only Mormons are served from the Storehouse part of the Storehouse/Cannery complex.
Folks who aren’t members of the LDS Church can also volunteer to work in the Cannery and buy part of the wet-pack products they help can.

One great feature of volunteering (usually in 2 or 4 hour-shifts) and then buying is that you will know the food you can (chili, for example) is absolutely fresh. And you will also know the food is prepared and canned hygienically. Those who train and guide the volunteers make sure you are comfortable with the tasks you’ll be doing. It’s actually not only very educational, but also a lot of fun. Check to see what age limit there is on the teens you may want to bring with you.

When you call, ask what is being canned and when (the food to be canned depends on availability–think fruit in the fall, for example). Then find out what day/time slots are open that will fit your schedule. You can choose to volunteer one time only, or you can volunteer now and then, or you can set yourself up with an ongoing schedule if you wish. But you do need to pre-schedule. The staff will be very helpful.
It may be possible to can your own foods if you have enough to make it worthwhile. In that case, of course, you will pay for the cans and lids.
If you want to dry-pack your own food at home, current prices are $0.58 for a #10 can and $0.13 for a lid. A case to hold 6 #10 cans is $0.57.
Oxygen absorber packets are $.09 each.

You can find if a storehouse is near you by checking your phonebook White pages under The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints–look for the Bishop’s Storehouse listing; it will usually be right at or near the top of the LDS listings. If you don’t find a listing, call any of the listed Bishops; they all know where the nearest one is located. Even if a storehouse/cannery is some distance away, it may be worth the trip if you are buying in quantity.

Prior to Y2K, the LDS Canneries were mobbed with non-LDS, so limits were imposed. In the event of another like situation, limits would no doubt be imposed again. So, now would be a good time to get acquainted with what’s available and do a shopping run.
Don’t worry about being invited to hear about the LDS Church. Nobody will even try to hand you a pamphlet.

The form you will complete for your purchase will ask for your “ward” and “stake”; just write-in “non-member”.
I hope this will be helpful. – Bob B.

Odds ‘n Sods:

US Home Prices Fell in 2007 for First Time in Decades

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Eric sent us this piece that squares nicely with my comments yesterday: Central Bankers Confront A New Inflation Calculus

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Richard G. sent a link to this recent front page Wall Street Journal article: In a World Short Of Oil, Provisions Must Be Made. Richard’s comment: “While the major media is starting to admit to peak oil, I was somewhat surprised that the WSJ would run this piece about stockpiling food, starting relocalization networks, storing gasoline and propane, buying and storing physical gold, growing gardens, using bikes and horses for transportation, and even relocating . They also have a three minute video interviewing Mr. Wissner on the WSJ.com web site.”

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou pass through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” – Isaiah 43:1-2

Note from JWR:

The five day arctic cold spell that dominated most of the intermountain west has come to an end. Our kids enjoyed the sunny skies and sledding, even though the daytime highs were around 15 degrees (Fahrenheit), and the nighttime lows were around -10 F. Our horse Money Pit looked woeful, with rings of frost around the eyes and a frosty chin each morning. The clear weather also provided some beautiful pinkish Alpenglühen on the peaks of The Unnamed Range of Mountains each evening, and some awe-inspiring golden glow at sunrise each morning–once with the full moon setting in the west right over a auric snowy peak.

The clear weather allowed us to make our semi-annual sojourn to COSTCO, where we did our best imitation of shoppers from the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course. Seeing our big industrial flat cart heaped up with sacks of rice and cases of canned goods, a fellow shopper asked: “Do you have a restaurant?” I replied, “No, we have teenagers.”.

Now we are back to overcast, snow showers, and highs in the 30s, which is more typical for this time of year.

Davos Delegates Deeply Denigrate the Dissipated Dollar

The once Almighty US Dollar got its comeuppance this week at the annual Davos, Switzerland conclave. After too many years of maxing out her credit card at Macy’s, the weak sister of the currency world was strongly chided by her siblings. The Federal Reserve’s unprecedented one-day 75 basis point cut in interest rates was seen as exactly what it was: a desperation measure. Jean-Claude Trichet, the head of the European Central Bank (ECB) said that there is little chance of a European interest rate cut, to match the Fed’s rate cut Soon after, Steve Forbes went so far as to call the US Dollar policy ‘Zimbabwe Economics’. Not surprisingly, the US Dollar Index is still bouncing along the gutter of the high street at around 75.90 (it now takes more than $1.46 to buy a Euro), and the spot price of gold spiked to over $921 per ounce in London and New York trading before settling to around $910.

What does the castigation of the US Dollar at Davos mean to the average American? In the short term, very little. But in the long term, look for a much weaker dollar in foreign exchange. This means that imported goods are going to get a lot more expensive. If you have been forestalling buying any big ticket imported items, buy them soon. That $250 British Berkefeld water that you’ve wanted may cost $400 or more, next year. (That is, if you really need something for preparedness, and you can pay cash.) Obviously recession is right around the corner. That means lower stock prices, big layoffs, a cascade of economic troubles overseas, declining house prices, more mortgage foreclosures, big bailout programs, and so on.

In my estimation, sometime in the next two years the economic and currencies pendulums will reach a collective turning point. Foreigners will simply stop buying US Treasuries–at least at the currently-offered rates of return In order to finance the Federal debt, the Treasury department will have to offer higher rates of return. Then they will be inextricably stuck. Higher interest rates will tank the economy. But then it may get worse: Like the Banana Republic treasury that it has truly become, the US Treasury will get into the spiral of offering higher and higher rates of return to lure overseas investors. Interest rates will start to accelerate, as they did in the late 1970s. Smelling blood in the water (pardon the mixed metaphor) the foreign investors will play the cycle for all that it is worth, pushing Treasury rates up past 20% annual interest.

What does the Federal Reserve’s recent big interest rate cut tell us? It is now apparent that Ben Bernanke and his deck chair rearranging committee are subservient to Wall Street. Rather than accepting the natural outcome of a normal market cycle , they are furiously trying to pump liquidity in hopes of propping up stock prices. They cannot afford to let mutual funds and pension funds collapse. (Nor does the Republican party want to lose their soon-to-be-retiring Baby Boomer political base, in the process.) In the process the Fed is destroying the value of the dollar and making the inevitable economic dislocation of the forestalled recession even worse.

SurvivalBlog readers are hereby advised to batten down the hatches. Be ready to lose your job. (See my previous advice about starting a home-based business that you can fall back on, if need be.) Be ready to relocate on short notice. Be ready for a recession that will go on for so long and get so bad that it will be called The Second Great Depression. Be ready for substantially higher crime rates. Be ready for mass inflation. (As I’ve stated before, given his predisposition, Ben Bernanke will try to inflate his way out of this mess. He will monetize the debt.) Be ready for drastic measures by the government, including “soak the rich” tax schemes–that will actually target the middle class. Be ready to help out your idiot brother (the one with the matching pair of Jet Skis and the 72″ plasma television), who will appear on your doorstep, pleading that he can’t pay his mortgage or his credit card bills. Be ready to feed your family out of your own garden and food storage. Be ready for your employer to get suddenly bought out by a European conglomerate. Be ready for $6 per gallon gasoline and milk prices. Be ready for any stock-heavy 401(k) and pension funds to be “wiped out” overnight. Be ready, folks!

Two Letters Re: Retreat Group Recruiting and Organization

James,
Some tips when looking for like-minded suitable people for a survivalist group:

At work look for people who carry a pocket knife–a real pocket knife not a tiny little Swiss Army knife– in these politically correct times it’s one of the first thing that sticks out in an office environment
When sharing a ride to lunch you may notice some people always have some hiking/camping gear always in their cars. Having a spare pair of shoes such as hiking boots at work.
Observe if anyone goes for a walk at lunch or any other indication that they are staying fit/prepared.
Pay attention to what people say if someone mentions politics, someone may be very obviously trying very hard to hold back when someone spews utter nonsense.
See if anyone ever mentions hiking, camping, or hunting during conversation.
Most of us spend a significant amount of time in the office. By finding a coworker you will have an added advantage if you need to bug out from work. Even 2 people traveling together to a common destination and following a well rehearsed procedure will increase your chances of survival and getting out of immediate danger area in the
first few hours.
Try joining a college or local marksmanship/gun club.
Join a hiking/camping club or group.
There will be quite an overlap between these groups and those are individuals that may be a good starting point.
People in either of the groups are already showing some interest in some of the skills, have at least some of the necessary gear and training required.
Pay attention to Boy Scouts stickers on cars, NRA stickers, political affiliation stickers.
Someone who was previously in the Boy Scouts or emergency preparedness organization such as Civil Air Patrol or local Department of Emergency Management often has the proper values, training and willingness to continue training .

Your local neighbors should not be overlooked. You are living in close proximity and can often tell when someone brings back lots of #10 cans from COSTCO or is dragging big green boxes of bulk ammo from Cabela’s or trying to quickly toss in several rifle cases in the trunk without alarming neighbors.
You are also in a pretty good position to observe how often or if your neighbors go camping, if they seem to have a spare rugged SUV always loaded up for the next camping trip etc.
Seeing what kind of signs pop up on the neighbor’s lawn during the voting season can also be very telling.

Always use your brain and really pay attention, you may be surprised by what you’ll notice about people you haven’t given a second thought of before.
Good groups aren’t recruited in my experience, they just from from several people/several couples who end up going hiking, camping, shooting together and have similar political and moral beliefs. Talk of survival retreats sort of comes up on its own without being forced. – Steven

 

Mr. Rawles:
After our last Ron Paul Meetup, I was circulating and greeting folks. Out of “the corner of my ear” I heard the words, “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse.” I spun around and there were two women talking about your novel and our present economic condition.
As a shameless plug for my candidate, the Ron Paul Meetups in readers’ areas might be a way to network with some like-minded folks.
Godspeed, – Brian in Wisconsin

Letter Re: “Life After People” Documentary Series

Jim,
You noted that several SurvivalBlog readers had mentioned the “Life After People” documentary series, in advance of its first airing. I just saw it. What a waste of time. This show provided nothing of any use to anyone. It seems as if it was an excuse to give the computer graphics specialists something to do while the screen writers are on strike. I believe this show was primarily a vehicle to promote the idea that humans are destroying the planet. It kept stating how better off the planet, animal life, the oceans and their wildlife were now that man was gone. Most of the ‘experts’ seemed gleeful at the prospect. A strong argument for mother earth and for population reduction, though on an extreme scale. Another big ‘What if’ movie. They kept showing how things like buildings, bridges, cars, film, CDs et cetera deteriorate when man is not their to keep things up. Useless information considering their would be no reason to worry if we’re all dead! – Jason in North Idaho

Odds ‘n Sods:

I got the chance to watch the first three episodes of “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”. I found the show was worth watching. There are no great earth-shattering revelations about preparedness, but it sure beats the mindless drivel usually found on network television. For those of us without televisions, full episodes are available at the Fox network web site.

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In a recent e-mail, Naish Piazza of Front Sight sent a link to key web site to bookmark: Family WatchDog.The site provides Google maps showing where registered sex offenders live in proximity to your home.

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A reader forwarded this sobering page that details one man’s experience with his negligent discharge from a .45 ACP pistol. Ouch! Keep the four laws of firearms safety in mind whenever you handle guns.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“It has never been clear to me why increased magazine capacity in a defensive pistol is particularly choice. The bigger the magazine the bigger the gun, and the bigger the gun the harder it is to get hold of for people with small hands. And what, pray, does one need all those rounds for? How many lethal antagonists do you think you are going to be able to handle? Once when Bruce Nelson was asked by a suspect if the thirteen-round magazine in the P35 [Browning Hi-Power] was not a big advantage, Bruce’s answer was, “Well, yes, if you plan to miss a lot.” The highest score I know of at this time achieved by one man against a group of armed adversaries was recorded in (of all places) the Ivory Coast! There, some years ago, a graduate student of mine laid out five goblins, with four dead and one totaled for the hospital. Of course there is the episode of Alvin York and his eight, but there is some dispute about that tale. (If you read it over very carefully you will see what I mean.) Be that as it may, I see no real need for a double column magazine. It is all the rage, of course, and like dual air bags, it is a popular current sales gimmick.” – The Late Col. Jeff Cooper

Letter Re: Does Future Inflation Justify a Higher Level of Indebtedness?

Sir,
In reading the recent economic commentary on your blog site I have to wonder – if one is convinced that we’re to see a significant increase in inflation, then why get out of debt? Take a mortgage for instance: with decent credit it is now possible to refinance (or purchase) and get a fixed rate mortgage under 5% and rates will likely go lower before we’re done. With tax breaks and even normal inflation this is essentially free money. In an inflationary environment (which I don’t argue we’re in) it would make sense to keep this debt and instead use your cash to purchase things that will increase or at least hold their value. You’ll later be able to pay that mortgage down with cheaper dollars or not at all if TEOTWAWKI actually occurs. Obviously nobody should be carrying credit card debt and getting out of variable rate mortgages would be a good idea but debt in and of itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Obviously I don’t know what direction the markets will go, nobody does (or at least they aren’t telling). But I do feel quite safe sitting on cash and nibbling on stocks as they come down in price. One always must consider the horrible possibility that the world as we know it will not end.) Regards, – Steve G.

JWR Replies: I cannot in good conscience recommend that anyone go into debt, stay in debt, or go deeper in debt if they can avoid it. The nascent economic recession will bring with it some huge layoffs–all the way from multinational corporations down to your local “Mom and Pop” stores. In an age of layoffs, debt will not be your friend. Even if you have debts that are being serviced with increasingly cheaper dollars you will still need an income to pay your debts! If you lose your job, you could then lose your car, and then your house. Keep in mind that although mass inflation at the consumer level seems very likely, it is not a certainty. Albeit much less likely, we could see price and wage deflation–something like the situation in the 1930s. In such deflationary times, all forms of debt would be absolutely dreaded.

Letter Re: How Much Ammunition to Store?

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Mr. Rawles:
My wife and I enjoy your web site immensely. I do have one question for you. I know we are targeting how much food/water supply we need for long-term survive but how much ammo do you think the average family should strive to purchase/store? Thanks, – David K.

JWR Replies:
It is important to maintain balance in your preparations. Food storage, first aid supplies, and heirloom seed storage should be priorities. But after those have been taken acre of, it makes sense to stock up on ammunition. As long as you store your ammo in sealed military surplus cans, there is no risk in over-estimating your needs, since ammunition has a 50+ year storage life if protected from oil vapors and humidity. Consider any extra ammo the ideal barter item. The late Col. Jeff Cooper rightly called it “ballistic wampum.”

For your barter inventory, I recommend that you stick to the most common calibers: For rifles: .22 Long Rifle, .223, .308, .30-06 (and in the British Commonwealth, .303 British.) For handguns: 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP. For shotguns, 12 gauge and 20 gauge. As I’ve previously mentioned, you might also buy a small quantity of the “regional favorite” deer cartridge for your area, as well as your local police or sheriff’s department standard calibers. (Ask at you local gun shop.)

I consider the following figures minimums:
2,000 per battle rifle
500 per hunting rifle
800 per primary handgun
2,000 per .22 rimfire
500 per riotgun

If you can afford it, three times those figures would meet the “comfort level” of most survivalists. In an age of inflation, consider that supply better than money in the bank.

Ammo prices have recently been galloping, so do some comparison pricing before you buy. Bring photocopies and “print screen” print-outs with you when you shop, as bargaining tools. Typically, the larger gun shows each have several large ammunition vendors.

Some Internet ammunition vendors that I recommend are: AIM Surplus, Cheaper Than Dirt, Dan’s Ammo, J&G Sales, Midway, AmmoMan.com, Natchez Shooter Supply, and The Sportsman’s Guide. Both to save money and to maximize your privacy–since umpteen heavy crates being unloaded from the back of a UPS truck is pretty obvious–I recommend that you be willing to drive a distance take delivery in person from a regional vendor. Ammo is best bought by the 3/4 ton pickup load! Also, keep in mind that by buying in large quantities all at once from a big vendor, you will typically get ammo for each caliber all from the same lots, which will result in more consistent accuracy.