Letter Re: Misinformation on Plate Tectonics

Dear Jim and Family,
Regarding the [recent Odds ‘n Sods] link to the article about the Aussie researcher [Australian Researcher warns about Mass Human Extinction from Global Environmental Collapse] As a geologist, I feel compelled to respond.

There are lots of critical events to worry about, but shifting the crust around like a greased orange peel is not one of them. Be worried about the collapse of the Cantarell oilfield in Mexico. Be worried about an attack on Ras Tanura loading station in the Persian Gulf. Be worried about Iran building nukes, and giving them to Al Qaeda and Hezbollah. Be worried about a hurricane taking down more oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico this summer. These are real and serious concerns. Best, – InyoKern

Odds ‘n Sods:

Economist Bill Fleckenstein’s commentary: A Fourth Turning Economic Winter is Coming

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Dwindling of Rare Metals Imperils Innovation

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You may recall that we recently mentioned DiBlasi folding motorbikes in SurvivalBlog. I just heard from Vic at SafeCastle that they have secured a dealership from the North American DiBlasi distributor–noteworthy because Safecastle is their first and only web-based dealership. Vic has listed the Di Blasi motorbike in his SafeCastle Royal Buyers Club. (Where members get 20% off, and free shipping.)

Note from JWR:

Today we present the first article for Round 11 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $2,000!) Second prize is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. I will again be sending out a few complimentary copies of my novel “Patriots” as “honorable mention” awards. Round 11 runs for two months, ending on the last day of July. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

The author of this article is a 13 year old girl. She says “I live on a small preparedness homestead I have had the pleasure to raise chickens, ducks, rabbits, ponies, horse, calves, guinea fowl, dogs, and pheasants I love to read and study all about the animals and how to live more efficiently. My ultimate dream is to live in the mountains off-grid.

Ponies for Survival, by Jen’s Hens

Horses will be quite handy in a survival situation to be pack animals, to ride, to do farm work, and many other things. But horses eat enormous amounts of food and generally are not surefooted.
So how are you going to have pack animals, riding animals, and farm workers? Well, ponies of course! Ponies are smaller than horses no taller then 14.2 hands high so they are easier to handle, they are more surefooted then horses, and eat a lot less than horses. (One hand equals four inches.)
Horses (Especially Draft horses) require high quality feed, but ponies can easily survive on poor quality feed if worst comes to worst, do to the rugged conditions they were developed in. Most ponies are very easy to train, unlike Mustangs who hardly ever lose their wildness. Many people think ponies are too small to do anything, but that is not true at all. Ponies are proportionately stronger than horses, and all the ponies I will suggest you to research to possibly buy are almost the size of a horse.
Most ponies don’t even need to be shod, and that will come in handy in a disaster. In our area it costs approximately $430 to keep one horse shod for one year, on top of very expensive feed bills makes one mighty big sum to invest on a horse.
Here are a few good pony breeds, and benefits for survival and enjoyment.

Avelignese:From Italy
Surefooted
Unflappable temperament
Perfect family riding pony
Up to 14.3 hands high (hh)
Good for novice riders
Used for farm work
Color is chestnut w/flaxen mane and tail

Connemara: From Ireland
Good stamina
Hard feet
Good for riding and driving
Excellent for wet climates
Very intelligent
Up to 14.2 hh
Colors are Gray, bay, and brown

Dales and Fells ponies From England
Can carry huge weights
It was used to carry lead oar out of mines
Good riding and harness ponies
Surefooted
Good in bad weather
Sensible temperament
Dales up to 14.2 hh Fells up to 14 hh
Colors are Black, Dark Brown, and Bay

Garrano From Portugal
Good for riding and driving
Quite temperament
Good for woody and steep areas
Surefooted
Strong
10 to 14 hh
Colors are Bay, Brown, or Chestnut

Haflinger: From Austria
Surefooted
Good farm workers
Good riding ponies
Nice temperament
Up to 14 hh
Color is chestnut w/flaxen mane and tail

Highland: From Scotland
Very hardy and sturdy
Surefooted
Good in bad weather
Will do almost anything
It was used on deer hunts to haul dead deer out of Scottish hills
It also was used to haul peat out of the bogs
Very calm temperament
Up to 14.2 hh
Good riding pony
Colors are dun, gray, bay, and black
Good in swampy conditions

Nigerian From Nigeria
Excellent in hot climates
Quite temperament
Sturdy
Good stamina
Good for riding, driving, and packing
14 to 14.2 hh

Any color Norwegian Fjord: From Norway
Good for mountain areas
Were used as Vikings war ponies
Tireless workers
Excellent Temperament
Good farm workers
Good riding ponies
If worst comes to worst they can survive by eating stuff other horses consider inedible
Surefooted
Very hard feet
Remember what you teach them very well
13 to 14hh
Color is Dun

Welsh Mountain:
Up to 12 hh
Welsh pony class B:
Up to 13.2 hh
Welsh pony class C:
Up to 13.2 hh
Welsh pony class D (or Welsh Cob):
No height limit

All Welsh Ponies:
> From Wales
Hardy and sturdy
Eat very little
Surefooted
Good riding ponies
All colors except Piedball and Skewball

Any of these ponies are excellent choices for survival. Please research which one of those pony breeds will be best for you. I wrote this article so you can choose which pony breeds to research for survival and enjoyment. I hope that if you get a pony you will enjoy raising it as much as I enjoy my Icelandic pony Trigger (I did not include Icelandic ponies in my article because they generally have a bad attitude). My sisters and I also own a 35 year old Welsh Mountain pony whose just a big pet named Sam, a feisty 7 year old American Shetland named Dusty, and a very large and friendly 8 year old Quarter Horse named Sassy.

Letter Re: Hurricane Preparedness, by MFA

Jim,
Well written article especially for a “newbie” to hurricanes in Florida. However, I must take exception to the one item that MFA ignored: a standby generator! Life after a storm in Florida without a generator can best be described in two words: “absolute misery.” Without going into details, a generator will mean the difference between an Absolutely Miserable Time and a manageable Difficult Time.
Personally we have a Honda 6500 [6.5 KW] electric start generator to use during the storm to provide power for lights, television Weather News and to keep the refrigerators and freezers running. After the storm, we change over to the 40 KW diesel generator that will power everything and then some.
Imagine the difference between working outside in 100 degree [Fahrenheit] heat and going into a house that is 110+ degrees inside with no running water.
Now working in the 100 degree heat and going into a house that is 68 degrees and has a nice shower with all the hot water you can use.
Like the old-time carnival barkers used to say, “you pay your money and you enjoy what you pay for”. Regards, – Roc O.

Letter Re: Firefighting Equipment for Rural Homes and Retreats, and Comments of Geothermal Heating

Hi Jim,
I thought it prudent to add a bit to Mr. Savage’s fire fighting equipment article. It touches two topics worth mentioning.
In the article, Mr. Savage recommends a fire truck, bladder, tank, etc… for firefighting. I have no problem with this unless it is winter. Trying to pump this much water on as “as need” basis in the event of a fire is obviously not going to work as well. Storing the water in a “non-potable” type container clearly marked, one could add the appropriate amount of RV antifreeze to the tank to keep from bursting your firefighting vessel, pipes, and valves.
Please don’t confuse this with vehicle antifreeze.
For those considering using the RV for bugging out or a second retreat, then it would be necessary to understand how to winterize and de-winterize your piping if you desire to keep things relatively intact.
This would also be an important segue into learning to winterize your home in case you decide to shut off heat to most rooms, but would like the ability to have pipes that are not broken/ frozen at a later date when outside temps are above freezing.
Since we are on the topic of water, another thing to mention in addition to the corn/ pellet, wood boiler type heat, I would like to add geothermal to what in my opinion is a worthless heat/cool source post-TEOTWAWKI. Most don’t know this, but in our climate, the electrical needs for the system can easily surpass 100 amps! Good luck powering that with your wind turbine. Sorry for the ramble, but wanted to bring up a few talking points. God Bless, – The Wanderer

JWR Replies: The power required to run a home geothermal heating system varies widely, depending on the water temperature and well depth. In some places like Klamath Falls, Oregon, where there is fairly hot water at shallow depth, a “closed loop” system connected to hydronic sub-floor pipes can use just a small circulating pump that draws relatively little current. BTW, Klamath Falls is one of the preferred retreat locales mentioned in my book Rawles on Retreats and Relocation. And, BTW, I once had the opportunity to buy a ranch near Wells, Nevada that had a large hot spring with gravity flow to the house. This could have provided geothermal heat with no pumping requirement. However, the Memsahib and I decided to pass on buying that property because we felt that it was too close to the I-80 corridor and hence not strategically viable.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Far from being grateful defenders of the system from which they have profited, the children of capitalism tend to turn against it. Thus it is that radicals and even revolutionaries almost always stem from the middle and upper classes rather than the working class or the poor, in whose name they presume to speak. And thus it is that what is called liberalism today is increasingly identified with the more, rather than the less, prosperous sectors of American society. – Norman Podhoretz, editor, Commentary, Harvard Business Review, 1981

Note from JWR:

Notes from JWR: We’ve finished the judging: The First Place winner for Round 10 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest is “Grandpappy” for his article “How to Harvest, Process, and Store Vegetable Seeds”, which was posted on May 11th. Congratulations! He is being awarded a valuable four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $2,000!) The Second Place award goes to Freeholder, for her article “Raising Goats for Self-Sufficiency”, which was posted on May 26th. She will receive a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. I am also presenting three autographed copies of my novel “Patriots” as “honorable mention” awards. These go to:
Mr. Yankee, for his article “Top Ten Suggestions for Stocking Up” (posted April 2nd.)
RSC, for his article “Prepping for Children and Teaching them Preparedness” (posted April 7th.)
Korey, for his article “Basics of Keeping a Small Flock of Goats for Survival Protein” (posted April 10th.)

Note to the contest winners: Please e-mail me and let me know your snail mail addresses for delivery of your prizes. Thanks!

Round 11 of the writing contest begins today! Get busy writing and us your article. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging. Since SurvivalBlog is “text only” for the convenience of readers that use mobile devices, please do not include illustrations with your article. (Although articles with URL links to images housed at your own web site for at least three years are acceptable.)

Letter Re: Batteries for Long Term Storage

Jim::
A note about future trade items. Large conventional lead-acid batteries. They are necessary for starting most vehicles, tractors, etc. They are necessary for off-grid solar electric systems, et cetera. The problem as I see it is – long term storage. Most batteries come filled – and degrade over time regardless if you use them or not. Some companies are willing to sell batteries dry – for long-term storage – but even that comes with a problem. Most batteries offered for sale as “dry” have actually been filled once, charged, and then drained – thus the common term of “dry charged.” These batteries still degrade over time – it’s slower but still happens. For long term battery storage, what is needed is a truly dry battery that has been assembled but never filled or charged. Very few companies sell them this way, but some do on special order.
JD from New York

JWR Replies: If stored “wet” typical automobile and deep cycle batteries will sulfate to the point where they won’t hold a charge after 8 or 9 years. You are correct that the way to avoid this is to store batteries “dry”–sans battery acid. Some of the larger battery distributors including Interstate Batteries will indeed provide truly “dry” batteries on special order. But you are right: that you need to be sure that you are getting batteries than have never been filled with electrolyte. And of course you will need to also procure some carboys of battery acid. Filling batteries has its own set of handling, safety, and storage concerns.

If you do things right, with enough cash you could potentially buy yourself a 30+ year supply of spare batteries for your vehicle(s) and for your alternative home power system. And yes, JD, you are also correct that they will be an awesome barter item.

Letter Re: Constructing a High Efficiency (Low Current Draw) Refrigerator

Hi Jim
There was an article on your blog a few weeks ago about converting a chest freezer into a low wattage refrigerator. I decided to make one of these as it is a great idea. I purchased a 7 cu ft freezer at Home Depot for $200 and then bought this device (the Johnson model) and that was all that I needed.

I first used it as a freezer and put a Kill A Watt [current monitor] on it. It averaged 1.13 KW per 24 hours. I then used the thermostat and used it as a refrigerator and tested it with the Kill A Watt and [found that it then] used .536 kw per 24 hours. The freezer is in the garage (average 80 degrees now) and as summer heats up, I’m sure the usage will increase. (I’m in Florida) but I’m sure it will still draw less current than a 100 w light bulb.

I do not have a photovoltaic (PV) system yet, but I am designing it so that it will power the fridge, as well as other basic electrical needs. Best Regards, – The Other Other Kurt

JWR Replies: Many thanks for sending those details! There are millions of diabetics whose lives might be saved with effective refrigeration of insulin during a natural disaster, localized power failure, or a widespread power grid failure (such as the U.S. blackout in August of 2003). I am surprised that the various charitable organizations involved in diabetes research and prophylaxis haven’t made this sort of information widely available. A small PV panel powered system is affordable for most diabetics in First World countries.
OBTW, your letter just won you a Blinding Flash of the Obvious (BFO) award. I will be sending you an autographed copy of one of my books.

Letter Re: Advice on Engine Oil for Motorcycles

Jim:
Regarding the letter on motorcycle engine oils, you are correct about most motorcycles using a wet clutch and the need for extra additives in the oil, but there are a couple of other issues of importance.
First off, cars use a separate oil supply for engine and gearbox, which allows the oil manufacturer to customize oils for each application. Motorcycle engines on the other hand usually use a common supply for both, which means that motorcycle oils need the additives in them for both engine and gearbox applications. The problem is that being in an engine destroys the additives needed for the gearbox, and vice versa, which is one of the reasons that motorcycle oils need changing so often.
The other issue is that motorcycles tend to be in a much higher state of tune than a similar sized car engine, and hence work their lubricants a lot harder. This shortens their life too, and means that you need higher performance lubricants in the first place.
When picking an oil you need to ask yourself two questions :
Is the oil supply for engine and gearbox separate?
Is there a dry clutch?
If you can answer yes to both questions then good car oils will do the job. If the answer to either is no, then you really need dedicated motorcycle oils.
The Harley brand oil mentioned in the original letter should have a section on the label telling you what particular standards it meets (as will any oil). Look for the text talking about American Petroleum Institute (API) standards or service classes.
The service class is a two letter code, the first being S for spark ignition (petrol / gasoline) or C for compression ignition (diesel), the second letter identifies the exact standard, with B being more modern than A. Given that engine performance has increased with time, a B standard oil could be said to be higher performance than an A standard oil (very, very roughly). Standards develop with time, and many are obsolete, but so long as the oil you use meets or exceeds the standard on the bottle / in the owners manual then you are should be OK (i.e if you need an oil to service class SF, then oil to class SG will do, but not the other way round).
Bear in mind the points above though, if you have a wet clutch / shared oil supply you must use a proper motorcycle oil as a car oil will not have the correct additives.
I’d also be as wary of using really cheap oils, even though they meet the required standard. They will be cheap because they use cheap ingredients, which won’t last as long in the engine. Oils degrade as you use the engine, and a good oil will degrade less then a cheap one will.
As to traditional versus synthetic, well synthetic oils work better, lasts longer in the engine and can have a wider temperature grade – 5W50 against 20W50 (for example). Given that most engine wear happens when it starts (before the oil gets moving) an oil that is 5 weight when cold will be lubricating the engine a lot earlier than one that is 20 weight, so the synthetic oil will help your engine to last longer too. The down side of course is that synthetic oils are much more expensive.
The higher performance the engine, the more important this will be. A Harley (which is low performance by motorcycle standards) would see less benefit than the latest Japanese or Italian racer. I hope that the preceding is informative, and thanks for all the effort that goes into the site. – Brian E.

Odds ‘n Sods:

I noticed that spot silver and gold have broken out of their narrow trading ranges. It is unusual for metals to make a big move like this at this time of year. (Summer has traditionally been a quiet time for the precious metals markets.) So this move might foreshadow a frantic market this coming Fall. As I often say: 1.) Silver will considerably out-perform gold in this bull market and 2.) Buy on the dips!

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The new Western Rifle Shooters organization is having their first rifle training event in Kooskia, Idaho on July 7-8.

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Will the violence in Sonora, Mexico spill over into Arizona?

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, – Nothing. Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end. And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough." – Luke 22:35-38 (KJV)