Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Dying is easy; you have to work at living. Life is an athletic event. You have to really be in shape for it." – Jack La Lanne (quoted when he was 93 years old).

Note from JWR:

The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction mixed lot is now at $220. The auction is for a Brunton Solarport 4.4 watt photovoltaic panel (a $140 retail value), a Deluxe Outdoor Survival Tool Kit (a $70 retail value)–both kindly donated by Ready Made Resources–as well as seven other items: A copy of the latest edition of “The Encyclopedia of Country Living” by the late Carla Emery (a $32 retail value), an autographed copy of my novel “Patriots” (a $23 retail value), an autographed copy of my nonfiction book “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation” (a $25 retail value), a SurvivalBlog Key Logistics Tote Bag (a $17.50 retail value), and an autographed set of Michael Z. Williamson’s “Target: Terror” modern military fiction sniper trilogy, from Avon books: “The Scope of Justice“, “Targets of Opportunity“, and “Confirmed Kill“. This auction ends on February 15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

Letter Re: Question on Body Armor “Expiration” Dates

James,
I hope you or some of your readers can help me. I am looking at getting a bullet proof vest. The more I learn about it everyone says that they are really only good for about five years. Then you should replace your vest with a new one. That is fine if I were a police officer and used it everyday, but I am not and would only wear it during my training drills. My questions is, is the five year limit just a way for the companies to limit there liability and get you to buy a new vest every five years, or do they really go bad? I did order a test panel from BulletProofME.com and when I did some testing it seemed to stop everything it should have and then some. This panel was over 10 years old. The other problem is that this equipment is very expensive and I really do not need it unless something bad happens. My fear is that I invest a large sum of money now and in five short years the investment is no good and I have to replace it. I also realize that you cannot even test shoot it to see if it is still stopping bullets because that will weaken the vest. Please let me know your thoughts on this. How long do you keep your bullet proof vests, and how should they be cared for? Thanks, – Korey

JWR Replies: The five year figure that you heard cited was a very conservative manufacturer’s estimate, and was based on the assumption of daily wear in a harsh environment. Such estimates are published primarily for liability reasons. The much greater useful longevity of Kevlar vests has been well documented at BulletProofME.com and other body armor web sites. I recommend that all SurvivalBlog readers take the time to read through the extensive information on body armor vests and helmets that is available there, free of charge

Letter Re: Preparedness Advice for a Law School Student

Hello,
I am a law student in Oklahoma.The recent ice storm really opened my eyes. I lost power for a week in freezing temperatures (as did many thousands across Oklahoma) I had no fuel in my car (a Ford Focus) and no food. It really opened my eyes. I am currently heavily in debt and have little extra funds but would like to start getting prepared. I have a dog (a Welsh Corgi) and a cat.

My girlfriend thinks I have gone insane and does not like to talk about things like this. I live in a rented house in mid-town a mile from the University. I have made a few modest preparations (such as beginning to store tap water in two liter bottles with a few drops of bleach, and having about a weeks worth of food in my pantry.)

I own a .357 handgun with only a box of ammo. I am fairly proficient with it.

I am new to this survival concept due to growing up in a very large city in Texas. I have been browsing your site now for a few weeks and was wondering if you would be willing to offer any situation-specific advice for someone like me. Thank You Very Much, – A.M. in Oklahoma

JWR Replies: Here are my recommendations:
1.) Recognize that you can only “do what you can do” with the scant funds that you have available as a student. Make some modest preps like water and food storage, and a few more boxes of ammo for your revolver. The rest will likely have to wait until after you have graduated. The good news is that attorneys have above-average earnings, so you will soon make rapid progress on your preparations. Just hope and pray that the economy holds together long enough for that. You might want to consider real estate and tenant law as your initial legal specialty. That should be a busy field for the next decade, as the real estate bust continues.

2.) Network with like-minded friends and church members. Hopefully you can find an existing retreat group. Do a search in SurvivalBlog’s search window (at the top of the right hand bar) on the word “matchmaking”. Those articles will give you some good pointers on networking. At your stage in life, networking will provide you with the best chance of pulling through a worst case situation such as a societal collapse.

3.) Prioritize. Thankfully, living in a rented house means that you have more storage space available than the average college student. But make the best of it by prioritizing your purchases.

4.) Be blunt with your girlfriend. Tell her that today’s world is replete with substantial risks including terrorism, severe weather (including ice storms and tornados) and economic instability, so preparing is rational. If she can’t accept that there is are genuine risks these days, then you might consider courting another young lady that is more realistic and down to earth. Arnie (now the Governator) said it best: “Come with me if you want to live.”

5.) I realize that law school is very demanding of your time. However, once time allows get plenty of training on first aid, self defense, amateur radio, food storage, gardening, home canning, and so forth. (See the SurvivalBlog archives for specific recommendations.) With your limited time, it might be appropriate to first select training that would fill a specific need for your survival group.

6.) If you have trouble finding a position at a law firm immediately after graduation, then consider applying for a direct commission an an Army JAG officer. (Life as JAG lieutenant is not very glamorous–you since you will mainly be writing wills–but it is a guaranteed salary, even in an economic depression. In such times, that kind of job security is important for someone that has a lot of student loans.) IIRC, to qualify, you must be under 32 years old at the time of appointment–perhaps a bit older with a waiver.) One way to be almost assured getting an appointment by the Direct Commissioning Board is to have a sufficient number of Army “contact hours” before you complete your Juris Doctor graduate degree. So talk to your university’s Army ROTC department. With the approval of the Professor of Military Science (PMS), a graduate student can get a slot for the five week long ROTC Basic Camp (normally for undergrads). It is held each summer at Fort Knox, Kentucky. There is no contractual obligation for attending the camp, and you will get a lot of training that is quite applicable to individual preparedness. This includes NBC defense, marksmanship, first aid, communications, map reading, land navigation, and small unit tactics. Even if you never apply for a direct commission, you will find the training invaluable.Having that training will also make you more desirable to retreat groups that are looking for members.

Letter Re: Countrywide Turns Off the Home Equity Lines of Credit Tap

James,
I just received an email from my Countrywide Account Executive that they are suspending further draws against Home Equity lines [of credit]. They have reportedly started mailing suspension letters last week to 122,000 borrowers. Who knows how many more could get those based on the markets and Countrywide’s present situation. If you know someone who has [a home equity line of credit] and is going to need the funds, they might want to draw out the money right away and put it somewhere safe. A lot of people use home equity lines as emergency funds. – MB in Boise

JWR Replies: That is a useful data point. It is indicative that the nascent recession will be deep and lengthy. Sadly, it has been consumer credit that has kept the US economy afloat. I wouldn’t be surprised if other home mortgage lenders follow suit.

OBTW, as previously mentioned in the blog, I do not recommend taking on additional debt, except in exceptional circumstances such as a stay in a hospital. When the layoffs come, debt servicing will be at least problematic. It may even be catastrophic.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Florida Guy recommended this YouTube video: Gangs are gearing up for war against Americans–And bragging about it. Florida Guy’s comment: “If this shocking video doesn’t underscore your family’s need for serious tactical training, then nothing does. Caution: The video includes some foul “street” language.”

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John in Montana suggested a thread over at the Survival Monkey Forum: Some first hand experience – A brief story of Argentina. John’s comment: “In view of what is happening in our economy, the article has some good heads-up info. It is long but worth the read.”

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I noticed that there have been a number of interesting new posts over at the The Survivalist Groups “Meet-up” web page sponsored by SurvivalistBooks.com. These include some folks that are qualified to be retreat caretakers, as well as some folks looking to join extant group retreats, and even a few survivalist singles looking for a spouse.

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Another news link from Eric: ‘Doomsday’ seeds arrive in Norway

Letter Re: Advice on Potential Uses for a Disused Underground Cistern

Hello Jim,
Thank you for your blog, it is a great source of information.
My new house is a ranch with an unfinished poured foundation basement. Adjacent to the basement is a poured foundation cistern that lies underneath the attached garage. The cistern does collect a little bit of water via a drainage channel in the front of my garage that is at the end of my downward sloping driveway. This cistern is roughly 10’x12′ and at least 8′ deep. I do have access to the cistern via an drop-in entry in the garage floor. The cistern is obviously sealed off from the basement that it is attached to. My question is, what is the best use for this space? It holds anywhere from 0″-4″ of water at at any given time, and is not incredibly easily accessible, but I still feel like I should be utilizing it in some way. Do you have any suggestions on how to utilize this space? Thanks! – Mark H.

JWR Replies: My first thought is that unless you have gravity fed spring water piped to your house, then you ought to use the cistern for its originally-intended purpose. Keep it lightly chlorinated and full at all times. Even if you have an alternative energy system to power a well pump, the cistern will give you a good backup source of water in the event that you ever have problems with your pump or power system.

If you do have reliable gravity fed spring water piped to your house, then the cistern space provides some interesting possibilities for a hidden cache or a fallout shelter. Perhaps some readers would care to chime in. (As with all other letters and articles, if you care to comment, just e-mail me, and I will post selected letters anonymously.) In particular, ideas on camouflaging the entrance trap door would be appreciated.

Letter Re: Bivouac Bags

Hi.
As I read “Prepare or Die” I thought of one other item that could be very useful which is a Bivouac (“Bivy”) sack. I recently purchased one of these from Campmor for my Bug Out Bag (BOB). It takes the place of a tent. It is basically a waterproof, breathable sack which will entirely enshroud your sleeping bag. Mine was only about 1 pound and under $100. It takes up very little space when packed and according to the REI web site a bivy sack can add 10 degrees more warmth to the rating of your sleeping bag- an important thing in cold climates! These sacks also often come with a mosquito net for summer use. Thank you for your site. I have learned much since I found it last year. – Karen on Massachusetts

JWR Replies: In my experience, bivy bags gradually build up too much internal moisture when used on extended backpacking trips in cold weather. But they are fine for weekend outings. In foul wether there is no substitute for a four season tent with a rain fly–where you can keep your gear dry and have room for changing clothes. .

Letter Re: Lessons Learned from Finland’s Winter War

Dear Jim and Family,
I got notice through Amazon about an interesting novel: “The Winter War”, by William Durbin

This sounds like it would be a good choice for historical fiction, though its listed under the Children’s section. The Winter War (Taalvisota) in 1938-39 details the invasion of Finland by communist Russia. I’ve studied it extensively and its a depressing tale, though heroic, because the Finns eventually lost and the Russian incompetence spurred Hitler to invade Russia, thinking it would be an easy victory and give him access to oil. Hitler might have held on longer if he hadn’t tried to take the Russian oil by force. America and most of Europe supported the Finns in their battle to protect themselves from the overwhelming masses of the communist invaders.

The Winter War is a good example of guerilla fighting with bolt action sniper rifles, mostly captured weapons reworked into proper condition and accurized, fighting against thousands of tanks, aircraft and 4:1 odds. Skiing cross country through the forest, the Finns destroyed a million Russian troops with the help of their cold winter and isolating the troops from their supply lines. It was a nasty war and the Finns were eventually defeated but its still quite educational for mental preparation, tactics, use of available resources, and applying your advantages to the situation. Its amazing what people can do when they have to. Especially when the enemy is as incompetent as the Soviets were, sending their troops in with Summer weight uniforms and allowing their supply lines to be cut, having massacred their battle hardened generals for not being good party members. The communists did everything wrong in that war, and they paid a high price for it. That’s where the old joke about Soviet Minesweepers comes from, only its not a joke. They really did walk arm in arm singing great patriotic songs till their legs were blown off. Gruesome. Somehow I doubt that’s in this book. The real Taalvisota is a dark chapter of history and one every survivalist should know. Best, – InyoKern

JWR Replies: See the “Tolvajarvi” chapter of my novel “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse”.. It is an homage to the tenacity of those that fought in the Winter War.

Letter Re: “Forever” US Postage Stamps as an Inflation Hedge

Sir:
Something occurred to me while addressing an envelope today that I thought might be of value to your readers.

One small way to beat inflation is to purchase US First Class Liberty Bell “Forever” stamps that guarantees a mailed envelope in the USA forever. They may or may not be available at your post office so ask for them. I bought about $200 worth of stamps before the prices went up and plan to hold on to them for a while. I don’t know if these are still being sold but I think we may have yearly or bi-yearly increases in the coming years so keep an eye out for “Forever” stamps.

I have heard many references to US soldiers in WWII transporting their spoils home via unused sheets of postage stamps as they were not prohibited and they bought large denominations stamps from the US and foreign post offices that were later turned back into cash.

Also, find out if there is any stamp or coin collectors that have access to old sheet or reels of stamps. Apparently, whenever the price of stamps changes, businesses involved in mass marketing or sales find it cheaper to dump their stocks of stamps at a loss (claimed on their taxes I’m sure) than to recalibrate their machines to post two stamps (many machines cannot be adjusted). A local coin dealer sells me 41 cents worth of stamps for about 30 cents if I buy more than $100 worth at a time. He buys them for less than 40% of face value. If you don’t mind licking and adhering multiple stamps. It’s a small savings in your daily budget. – A. Taylor

Two Letters Re: Radon Poisoning

Jim,
After reading a few more snippets about Radon poisoning and checking a few sources via Internet. I hypothesize that this may be another hoax along the lines of “global warming”. There are more medical professionals saying lung cancer is [caused by] diet or smoking and general abuse of the body.

If Radon has been present and naturally occurring since God created the earth, then its being blamed for illness is similar to skid-marks being blamed for car-wrecks. Global warming is increasingly being proved a hoax by the most respected meteorologists and climatologist’s who say the minute temperature changes have come with increased solar output; which is now declining. Man is not so powerful as to be able to corrupt the globe as they would like to think. (Nuclear holocaust aside) I’m beginning to think the Radon scare is the same type of gag. Have you ever read the book called “The Report from Iron Mountain“? Make sure it’s the early version. Thankfully, God is Sovereign over even the minutiae of Creation. – KM

 

Mr Rawles,
The link to the radon article brought back memories of my college days and a chemistry seminar on the subject. The speakers research on the subject led him to the conclusion that the EPA was fighting a costly and meaningless battle. He went so far as to say that some radon exposure was better than none. If I recall correctly, him mentioned a trial where lab rats exposed to normal environmental levels of radon lived longer than rats exposed to none. He presented it like it was a mini chemotherapy treatment that killed off unhealthy cells in the rats. He wasn’t advocating seeking out radon exposure but he was trying to make the point that radon was less than harmless. I don’t have any references for all this but a quick search on the net yielded the following maps:

The first is Radon levels in the U.S.

The second is lung cancer deaths per 100,000 people

SurvivalBlog readers can take this for what it is worth but I don’t see the correlation between Radon and lung cancer and you won’t find me worrying about Radon levels when I select my retreat location. Personally I think either private industry is pushing Radon for profit reasons or the EPA is using it to secure greater bureaucratic control and funding. – Northwest Huey

Odds ‘n Sods:

Eric sent us this: US recession will dwarf dotcom crash

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KMA found this one: Peak Oil Coming Sooner Than Previously Expected

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Three readers mentioned this article on The Torch flashlight. At the rate this thing eats batteries, I have serious doubts about its practicality, especially when living in Grid Down times!

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More for fun than for preparedness: Geometric pumpkins and squash. Well, at least it is an excuse to grow some unusual heirloom squash varieties, and practice saving seeds.