Year: 2007

Odds ‘n Sods:

When banking is in crisis, no one wants to be parted from their cash    o o o RBS sent us this: Banks Gone Wild by Paul Krugman of The New York Times. And for even more financial gloom and doom, see: “A Generalized Meltdown of Financial Institutions” But wait, there’s more, courtesy of reader SJC: Investors fear new turmoil    o o o Both Markus and Carl suggested a link to an article on the 100 things that disappeared in Sarajevo during the war. Carl’s comment: “It is a great list for beginning preps and a gut check for …




The Upright Spike in Technology Dependence–Changing “Grid-Down” from an Inconvenience to TEOTWAWKI

If someone were to construct a chart showing human dependence on technology, it would portray an essentially a flat line from Biblical Times to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. From there, there the line would curve upward slightly until the 1890s, when the line would tilt up to perhaps a 10 degree slope. The curve would further steepen in the 1950s (with the advent of computers). The line would then turn into an almost upright spike, starting in the 1990s. In this new era, with each passing year, our dependence of electronic technologies grows greater and greater. Some technologies, …


Letter Re: Advice in Investing in a Belt-Fed Semi-Auto 7.62mm NATO

Mr. Rawles: I am interested in diversifying out of the dollar and was thinking of buying a belt-fed semi auto [as a “tangible” investment.] (I already have the rest of my gear, guns, and food storage well squared away.) Since 7.62 [mm NATO military surplus ammunition] is less expensive than [commercially loaded] .308 [Winchester], can you recommend a belt fed 7.62 semiautomatic? Any that you would avoid? Thanks! – S. JWR Replies: I would recommend buying a semiauto-only Browning Model 1919A4, since they have legendary “bomb proof” robustness, great versatility in mounting, and broad chambering convertability. I recommend that you …


Odds ‘n Sods:

From those Enlightened Social Engineers that run San Francisco: Should fireplace fires be banned? Well, there goes your last hope of self-sufficiency. (Not that “Babylon By The Bay” would be very survivable WTSHTF, anyway.)    o o o Trading in derivatives slows to a trickle    o o o RBS spotted this one: Dallas-Fort Worth food pantries facing shortage    o o o A fascinating video clip from a 2002 TED conference: Stephen Petranek: 10 ways the world could end



Letter Re: Updated Nuclear Targets in the United States

Jim, In support of some research on retreat locations, I wanted to learn more about the locations in the CONUS of our strategic nuclear weapons. Guesswork at best, but the older FEMA maps are certainly obsolete, or wrong. A link from late 2006 describes the probable locations and density of the current nuclear arsenal. It is thought that the sites in California, South Dakota, and Virginia have been eliminated, and that the ballistic missile submarine base in Bangor, Washington has been expanded significantly. The next link describes the stockpile (and its reduction) and illustrates the probable nature of the projected …


Six Letters Re: New-Found Respect for .223 as a Potential Man Stopper

Jim- I couldn’t help but respond to the blast of letters re: “.223 as Man Stopper”, as most of my time in the employ of our Uncle Sam was engaged in the testing and evaluation of small arms, OPFOR and NATO. (As a matter of full disclosure, I did not offer any opinions or make decisions regarding their respective performances; rather, I merely conducted the tests and recorded the results. Therefore my opinions were/are not colored by the political intrigues of small arms procurement procedures). The trap we, as survivalists/retreaters fall into when looking at our weaponry is to look …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Courtesy of CS in Wisconsin comes a couple of articles about former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan “Mr. Magoo” Greenspan: from Bloomburg.com: Greenspan Says U.S. House Prices Keep Falling After `Shocker’ and Greenspan Has No `Regrets’ as Housing Slump Deepens. CS’s comment: “If I set up the housing bubble don’t blame me now, I’m writing down my memoirs!”    o o o RBS suggested this article over at 321Gold.com by Bill Bonner: Subprime–The Ultimate Financial Accident    o o o The 33% off sale for the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course ends in just five days. (November 30th.) Place your …



Notes from JWR:

The 33% off sale for the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course ends in just six days (on November 30th), so place your order soon! Today we present another article for Round 13 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. Round 13 ends on November 30th. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival …


Preparedness While on Business Travel–What to Pack, by LP

If you’re like me, there are times when you have to leave almost all your preparedness stuff behind as you journey by air to strange, far-off places on behalf of your employer. No access to your well-stocked SUV. You are alone, and home is hundreds if not thousands of miles away. But disaster will not be consulting your personal travel itinerary before it strikes. How best should you prepare? Let’s first discuss the objective, as it determines the approach. For most of us, we leave family, friends, and a (more-or-less) well-stocked homestead behind. This means Your primary objective is to …


Letter Re: Light, Noise, and Smoke Discipline for Retreat Security

Sir: Ianto Evans has a book called “Rocket Mass Heaters”. He is a Welsh inventor, who was hired by the government of Guatemala to develop a less polluting wood stove for cooking. It also had to be more efficient. Basic physics tells you that exhaust heat is wasted energy. The smoke out of his stoves are cool enough to put your hand in front of, and they don’t emit visible smoke. They use much less wood as well and can be made for under $100. EndTimesReport.com has interesting articles on the importance of kerosene heaters, as a way to avoid …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Florida Guy found us this one: The great depression of 2008 – the mother of all depressions    o o o Frequent contributor RBS flagged this article from Time magazine: After the Oil Crisis, a Food Crisis?    o o o The US Dollar dropped below the crucial 1.10 Swiss Franc level. There is an old saying, “Its a just a stumble and short trip from the limousine to the gutter.”    o o o John the Bowhunter recommended some commentary from Michigan’s Attorney General Mike Cox, writing in The Wall Street Journal: Second-Amendment Showdown