Odds ‘n Sods:

A reader alerted me that the manufacturer of Gamma Seal Lids (those nifty screw top lids that fit on standard 3 to 7 gallon food storage buckets) are now available directly from the manufacturer at very reasonable prices if bought in quantity.  See: http://www.gammaseals.com.

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In a recent phone conversation, the gent who was the basis for the “Roger Dunlap” character in my novel Patriots mentioned: “In inflation-adjusted dollars, gold’s $850+ per ounce peak back in 1979 would be the equivalent of about $1,550 per ounce today.”  Despite the price increases since 2001, gold is still dirt cheap. He recommends taking advantage of the still low price and stocking up before it zooms up past $500 per ounce.  And silver, he said, is “an even better buy.  Gold may double or triple in the next two years. But silver is likely go way up–five or ten times its current price!”  Both he and I strongly recommend: Buy silver! To make it a real survival asset, buy physical silver–not mining stocks–and take personal possession. Keep it at home, well hidden.  (Get creative and construct yourself a hidden wall cache.) Silver in a vault under the Paradeplatz in Zurich will do you no good when you need it to barter for groceries.  Ditto for silver or gold in a safe deposit box at your local bank. In the event of a monetary crisis you can count on bank “holidays.” And, if and when the banks do re-open, you can expect a government busybody with a clipboard to be standing there when you access your deposit box.

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See www.freebuck.com  for an inflation calculator that will help you appreciate inflation’s long term effects.

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Dr. Geri Guidetti of The Ark Institute recommends the book Country Wisdom & Know-How: A Practical Guide to Living off the Land (By the editors of Storey Publishing’s Country Wisdom Bulletins.)  A copy of this book should be on your bookshelf, right next to your copy of  Carla Emery’s Encyclopedia of Country Living.  See:  http://www.arkinstitute.com/bookstore.htm