Fred The Valmet-meister relayed this bit of bad news: Berkshire Hathaway’s quarterly net profits dropped 64 percent because of derivatives losses
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Norman in England sent us this: India feels the heat as thousands riot over power cuts
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Ron D. flagged this article: What happens when oil is no longer priced in US Dollars
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Gulf States may end the dollar peg. (Thanks to Samuel K. for the link.)
"History is a vast early warning system." – Norman Cousins
I heard from SurvivalBlog reader Lawrence W. that the “James Wesley Rawles” Wikipedia biography has been exhumed from the graveyard of political incorrectness and is once again being debated. If you are an experienced Wikipedia editor (read: you’ve had a Wikipedia account for at least a year), and you’d like to comment on the deletion of the article one way or the other, then please chime in, politely. If you are not an experienced wiki editor, then please refrain from commenting, or it will do more harm than good.
Mr. Rawles,
Did you ever have one of those awakenings where the paradigm you have been living under suddenly shifts and you see things you never saw before (or have learned to filter out as you “matured”)? I am personally experiencing one of those times in my life and I have you to thank for it. Let me bore you a little with my background before I explain how your novel, “Patriots” brought me out of my Rip Van Winkle existence and into the glaring light of my current situation.
I caught the “survival bug” early on as a result of my participation in [Boy] Scouting and later through Army ROTC (I can relate very well to the ROTC Basic Camp experience of the character in your book, having humped up and down Agony and Misery at Fort Knox in 1983 myself). I started some halfhearted preps but then life happened. A marriage, a career as a paramedic, then as a Physician Assistant and now a consultant. I have four kids, a mortgage, and life in the ‘burbs. That has a way of lulling you into the kind passivity that makes the shadow of the valley of death seem ominously close.
Recent events in our economy, our government and the looming elections with nary a trustworthy candidate have left me restless and seeking. As a result of this I stumbled across your book and read it with great interest. My wife is reading it now and has come to the same conclusion I had – we are not ready for what is coming.
Which brings me to the point of my e-mail: My wife and I need to connect with like-minded individuals in our area – we need to join a group. However, finding a group is proving to be difficult at best. We have skills to offer, we are rapidly building up our preps and we are studying all we can – but we realize now the need to align ourselves with others who can help us learn and grow and work together if/when the Schumer hits the fan.
Do you have any suggestions for us on how we might locate/contact groups in our area (North Texas) who may be looking for members? Thank you for any assistance you can give – and thank you for your book and blog. – Matt W.
JWR Replies: I get one or two e-mails like yours every day. They all ask, in essence: “How do I find like-minded people that I can team up with, in my area?” I usually offer two suggestions:
1.) Wear a SurvivalBlog logo T-shirt or hat around town, or on trips to the shooting range and gun shows. They make a great conversation starter. I have had several readers write to tell me that they found some great friends this way.
2.) Place a free ad at the The Survivalist Groups [“Meet-up”] web page–(a free service courtesy of the folks at SurvivalistBooks.com. If you use this service, then please give SurvivalistBooks.com some business!)
Needless to say, use discretion when using these services. As prepared individuals, you have more to lose than most folks. For your safety and security, it is better to go through a long series of correspondence and to do some background and reference checking before revealing your locale and details, or meeting face to face. Proceed with prayer!
James:
On the subject of limiting cooking aromas, there is a cooking technique that has been catching on lately in this country. Sous Vide cooking, which means “Under Water”, started in France by using food placed in vacuum sealed bags and then placing them in hot water (160-to-185 degrees Fahrenheit) for a long period of time. Here’s a link describing the method: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sous-vide
Many recipes can be found on sites such as the one offered by Food Network, or type “Sous Vide Recipes” in the search engine of your preference.
This method is used in large food operations, such as the casino company that I currently work for. We provide food in this manner for five large resorts out of one kitchen. I have used this method, in a much smaller scale, on my excursions into un-named wilderness areas with much success.
The important thing to remember after pulling the food from the hot water: if you will not be eating the food immediately it is absolutely imperative to cool the bags of cooked food as quickly as possible to prohibit bacteria growth. This is easily accomplished by using an ice bath. Your vacuum packed, cooked food will keep for weeks this way and even longer if frozen after cooling.
I hope this helps. – Desert T (An “old school” trained chef)
Mr. Rawles;
Some cooking smells can be avoided by covered pit cooking in clay pots. Take hot coals from your fire and layer them in a hole about 12 to 18 inches deep, take your food and season, wrap in foil or place in a covered clay pot. Of course use a large thermometer to gauge temperature to cook to [the proper] food specifications. Regards, – TD
Reader EG mentioned this Science in Africa article: Make your own 220 Volt [AC] backup power supply Of course the same principles apply to readers in countries with 120 VAC utility power, by substituting a 120 VAC inverter and the appropriate prong pattern plugs and jacks.
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Ian and John M. both mentioned this Wired article: Survival Gear That’s Just Crazy Enough to Work
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I just noticed that we surpassed te threshold of 3.3 million unique visits. Thank you so much for making SurvivalBlog such a resounding success! Please continue spreading a the word. Just adding a “Read SurvivalBlog.com–It May Save Your Life!” blurb to your e-mail footer would help tremendously in growing our readership. Many thanks!
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Ronald D. suggested this think piece on the implications of Euro-denominated crude oil: Paper Tiger
"If we run into such debts, as that we must be taxed in our meat and in our drink, in our necessaries and our comforts, in our labors and our amusements, for our callings and our creeds, as the people of England are, our people, like them, must come to labor sixteen hours in the twenty-four, give the earnings of fifteen of these to the government for their debts and daily expenses; and the sixteenth being insufficient to afford us bread, we must live, as they now do, on oatmeal and potatoes; have no time to think, no means of calling the mismanagers to account; but be glad to obtain subsistence by hiring ourselves to rivet their chains on the necks of our fellow-sufferers." – Thomas Jefferson
Do you have ay favorite quotes that relate to survival or preparedness? Please e-mail them to me for possible selection as a SurvivalBlog Quote of the Day. Thanks!
Dear Mr. Rawles,
As I was divesting of the useless flotsam one sees as a hindrance to true preparedness, I was inspired to list my trinkets on eBay. (Now, for all those who have a hatred for eBay [because of their anti-gun policies] , this is a separate issue.) I also have a PayPal account. That is another stumbling block to some. But for those of us who are still making the transition to becoming prepared citizens (from their former place in the herd of sheeple), this may be a very viable opportunity. Please hear me out!
So, you sell your trash on EBay and get a [positive] PayPal “cash balance”. Fees notwithstanding, this “cash balance” spends like “cyber cash” with vendors who accept PayPal, if “cash” is such a thing in cyber space, but again, that is not my point here. It is a means to an end. Nothing more.
And we should all agree that there is no point in using credit to stock up. So my solution is turn trash into cash and then cash into stash!
Fir example Honeyville Grain accepts PayPal and sells brown rice, wheat, flour, and the food grade buckets and Oxygen absorbers to store it all–nearly anything you could want. And here is the kicker: they charge a flat fee of $ 4.95, regardless of the size of your order!
I know it is not as simple as a trip down to your local COSTCO, but we have seen how that works lately. The prices may not be dirt cheap, but for a person who is home bound, in a difficult geographical area (high rise dweller), or at a distance to supplies, you can sell useless white elephant trash on eBay, print postage right off your computer, the mailman comes and gets it, you earn a “cash balance” in your PayPal account, you order your food, and it comes to your door. “Easy peasy.”
I do hope that the ambivalence some feel toward eBay and Paypal will not stand in the way of your sharing what may well be a very useful tool for someone who needs creative solutions for preparedness in this fast changing situation. Most kindly, and Semper Fidelis – Laura C. in Virginia
P.S.: My friend the former Marine calls me “Caroline Ingalls, Olivia Walton, and Sarah Conner all rolled into one!”
JWR Replies: Keep in mind that Honeyville’s prices (pr pound) tend to be higher, since they “build in” the shipping costs to their prices. Also note that several SurvivalBlog advertisers accept payment via PayPal for non-gun related merchandise.
Dear Jim:
In one of the latest posts you mentioned Idaho County, Idaho in regards to population density. What are your thoughts about buying on [Indian Tribal] reservation land? This applying in generally to any reservations, but also in particular to those in Idaho. I know folks in the area and they do not speak favorably [of buying land inside of reservation boundaries] as the Native Americans are free to cross their land, hunt on it, etc where the people who own the land cannot do anything about it.
Thanks a lot, Mike D.
JWR Replies: I describe Idaho retreat locales as well as tribal reservation boundary lines (and related issues, such as hunting, fishing, casinos, and the additional law enforcement jurisdictional layer) in detail, in my book “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation.”
Also, take a look at this SurvivalBlog post that I made in June of 2006.
Sir,
Do you know a place to get a cheap yet reliable FAL rifle? I am looking for one on a budget preferably under $400 or so. I would greatly appreciate help and i like your blog. Thanks, — Derek
JWR Replies: Unfortunately, because the supply of parts sets has dried up, the price of US Code Section 922(r)-compliant FAL clones is starting to rise. The heyday of FAL clone building was a couple of years ago, when parts sets were cheap and plentiful. The prices then bottomed at about $500. Those days are gone!
Here is some background on pricing: US-made FAL receivers sell for $300 to $450. (That is just for a stripped receiver with sem-auto ejector block.) FAL Parts kits are starting to get scarce (because of the recent Federal ban on parts sets that include barrels), so those kits sell for $220 to $450, depending on maker and condition. (The days of $95 parts kits are long gone.) A set of 922(r) compliance US-made “HTS” (hammer, trigger, and sear) parts is $55. Assembly and headspacing by a gunsmith is $75+. And with refinishing included, assembly is more often $185+. The very lowest price that I have seen FAL clones sell for is about $600 (used, at a gun show), and $800+ is more typical. (Add at least $100 for an “inch pattern” (L1A1) variant.) Some of the nicer DSA-made FAL clones now sell for $2,400. For more details, see the FALFiles.com forums. There, in particular see the Marketplace Forum and their Gunsmithing & Build-It-Yourself Forum. For additional background information, also see my FAQ on FAL and L1A1 rifles.
With the decline of the dollar versus the Euro, I only expect FAL prices to rise. In the upcoming recession, you might stumble into a bargain, as cash-strapped owners sell guns in order to pay their bills. But don’t count on that. Buy a FAL clone soon! I anticipate they will be at least $1,000 within a year.
Mr. Rawles:
I checked the archives as well as your advertisers for the NATO-style metal ratchet clamp style fuel cans that NC Bluedog recommends, no luck. Do you know of any sources for this product. The Scepter brand jerry can that Ready Made Resources sells are great, but owning 20 of those cans becomes cost prohibitive. Keep up the great work. – PN
JWR Replies: Try searching on “German Army Gas Can”, since most of the NATO specification gas cans are German (Bundeswehr) military surplus. OBTW, beware of the French Army surplus cans that use a different type filler neck. The necks for those are scarce!
I anticipate that a larger supply of the new US military fuel can (MFC) design (a.k.a. Scepter) cans will hit the civilian market in the next year or two–either as contract over-runs, or possibly as military surplus. If and when that happens, prices should drop.
For more details on specifications (with photos) see the excellent fuel can article posted at Survival Monkey.
Major Surplus or Cheaper Than Dirt might still have some of the NATO (German) cans in stock.
James,
NC Bluedog just posted about the storage of gasoline. I’ve got a tested method for long term storage of 93 octane gasoline:
I’ve found that BP-Amoco 93 octane (“clear”) with 4 oz Sta-Bil in 5 gallons stores for 8 plus years with no degradation. I’ve opened gas stored since 1998 and it was as clear as new, smelled great. The key is to use NATO type 5 gallon steel Jerry cans with good seals (mine are from Sportsman’s Guide and Cheaper Than Dirt). I’ve also found replacement can seals from Army Surplus Warehouse in Montana.
Never store gasoline for longer than a few months in plastic cans – those cans are oxygen permeable. Even without stabilizer I’ve found the Amoco clear stores much longer than other brands. I’d recommend not storing ethanol blends; here in Pennsylvania, BP-Amoco still does not blend alcohol in their fuels. Fill the cans to the bottom of the filler opening to limit air space. The can sides actually pull in over time as I believe the gas absorbs the oxygen in the remaining air space. This type of gas storage is do-able for homeowners with small outside sheds,–those who cannot reasonably have underground tanks. And a few cans of gas could make all the difference getting to your retreat.
I’ve found that the best way to pour gas from a can into a car fuel tank is to use a narrow 5/8 inch neck (for the unleaded nozzle opening), 17″ long, 5 inch wide mouth funnel. Mine is made by Blitz in black plastic and available from Wal-Mart I have always had leak problems with the clamp-on steel nozzles. It takes a little patience (don’t pour too fast), but you can get the whole can into the tank. The NATO can mouth fits fully into the funnel mouth, so you can tip it way up to get the last of the gas out of the can. The funnel dries quickly, too. – BFE
Reuters reports: Investors see recession, Wall Street depression
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Shortages Threaten Farmers’ Key Tool: Fertilizer
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Thank to RBS for sending this link: Americans unload prized belongings to make ends meet
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Now the mainstream media is not just reporting on food storage, they’re publishing “how to” tips! See this ABC News piece: Time to Stockpile Food? –A Guide to Preparing for Rising Food Costs or That Next Big Emergency.
“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after The sweetness of low pricing is forgotten!” – Leon M. Cautillo
Today we present another article for Round 16 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win two valuable four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificates. (Worth up to $4,000!) Second prize is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 16 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.