Year: 2007

Odds ‘n Sods:

Pending Home Sales Index Hits Record Low   o o o From Newsweek‘s Daniel Gross: There’s No Inflation (If You Ignore Facts)    o o o Green Mountain Gear has found a limited supply of some more original German HK91/G3 alloy magazines. This new batch is in new-in-the-wrapper condition. These are in the original factory wrappers, with factory labels and anti-corrosion paper strips on the followers. (Just as they left the factory in the 1960s.) They don’t come any better than this.    o o o DV and David L. both suggested this article: Dollar’s double blow from Vietnam and Qatar



Note from JWR:

After my recent gun show trip to Montana, I have added a few new items to my catalog page, including a scarce special order takedown Winchester Model 1894 .30-30 short rifle that was made in 1896, and a scarce special order 5″ barrel S&W Safety Hammerless (“Lemon Squeezer”) Third Model .38 S&W revolver that was made around 1891. For residents of most of the United States, both of these antique guns can be shipped directly to your doorstep, with no FFL paperwork!


Letter Re: Why Physical Gold Versus Gold Stocks?

Mr. Editor: Why on earth do you place such a strong emphasis on gold “in hand” as opposed to gold [mining] stocks? From what I’ve read, gold may soon double or triple [in price], but gold mining stocks like Barrick and Newmont are set to go up 5x to 7x. I think that you’ll be missing the boat as this bull market in [precious] metals continues. I feel sorry for you, pal. – Pete in Tampa JWR Replies: I recommend buying (and personally holding) physical gold rather than gold stocks for three reasons: safety, safety, and safety: The first “safety” …


Letter Re: Advice on Finding a Preparedness-Minded Spouse

Dear JWR, I am a middle-aged female, single and have no children. I recently relocated to an area that I believe to be “safer” than where I had been living previously. I had hoped to meet others who were awake to the realities of life once I settled here, but much to my disappointment and amazement the natives seem to be “clueless.” So I find myself in a very difficult if not dangerous situation. I may likely find myself alone when the SHTF. I have searched endlessly for a message board or the like in which I could communicate with …


Letter Re: Underground Storm/Fallout/Vault Shelters

Mr. Rawles: Utah Shelter Systems sells pre-fab shelters built inside culvert pipe. At $38,000 for a 10×25 pipe based shelter, it’s not cheap but it is a complete solution including two entrance/exit ways with blast doors, ventilation, bunks, shelving, lighting, and so on. The bunks, flooring system, and other furnishings all seem designed to maximize storage space. – BR JWR Replies: There are a number of approaches for hard shelters that work well. Buried galvanized culvert pipe shelters are just one of them. Other folks say that they like underground poly or steel tanks, while others insist on reinforced concrete. …


Letter Re: Digitized Data for Your Bug-Out Bag

James: JN is absolutely right about TrueCrypt, it’s an excellent tool. Be aware, however, that you can be compelled to disclose your encryption keys in the UK legally, and you can always be compelled to do so via extra-legal means. If you have any data that you truly wish to keep secret, a good start is to use a second TrueCrypt volume containing important data inside the primary volume which contains data that is less crucial. Regards, – PH


Odds ‘n Sods:

The Chartist Gnome chided me in a recent e-mail, after I had mentioned that after having dropped decisively through the 80 level: “Some analysts suggest 75 or perhaps even 72 as the next support level for the US Dollar Index.” He said that I was being overly optimistic. By his calculations, “the next logical support level for the USD Index is 72 and then if that fails to hold, we can expect a step off the cliff with no support until 42.” Lest you think that this is some wild-eyed exaggeration, Jordan Roy-Byrne (editor of The Trendsman) came up with …



Note from JWR:

If reading SurvivalBlog has substantially added to your survival knowledge and family preparedness, then please consider becoming a 10 Cent Challenge subscriber. Less than 2% of regular SurvivalBlog readers have done so, with the other 98% assuming that “someone else will do it.” Please be that someone else. Subscriptions are 100% voluntary, and greatly appreciated. Thanks!


U.S. Foreclosure Numbers are Up–Some Retreat Property Possibilities?

There has been a lot of news in recent weeks about real estate foreclosures in the US. Foreclosure.com (one of SurvivalBlog’s Affiliate advertisers) just published the following US residential real estate foreclosure statistics: National Highlights: * Foreclosure activity increased 36 percent from July * Foreclosure activity increased 115 percent from August 2006 * REO (“Real Estate Owned”)s increased 59% month over month, the biggest increase of any of the three foreclosure categories (Default, Auction, REO) State and Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) Highlights: * Nevada, California and Florida posted the top three state foreclosure rates * The states with the most …


Letter Re: Digitized Data for Your Bug-Out Bag

Sir: Regarding the SD card idea, I have been doing something similar but with a few improvements: 1. Instead of a camera flash card, get a USB keychain drive [also known as “thumb” drive or “jump” drive]. These are cheap, available in at least 4GB [capacity] and are darn near impossible to break. The USB models can be read by nearly any PC or Mac. For encryption, I recommend using True Crypt. This program is free and has been well-tested in the computer security community, as its code and design are open source. One nice thing about this program, is …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Frequent contributor RBS sent this article link: Credit derivative volumes rise 32 percent to $45.5 trillion. I’ve warned SurvivalBlog readers about the threat of a derivatives implosion before, but for the sake of new readers, I’ll mention it again: Derivatives–The Mystery Man Who’ll Break the Global Bank at Monte Carlo    o o o The bidding is now at $500 in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction, for a scarce pre-1899 antique Finnish M39 Mosin Nagant rifle from my personal collection. This rifle was rebarreled by Valmet during WWII, and is in excellent condition. It comes with a replica bayonet, original sling, …



Notes from JWR:

The bidding is still at $460 in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction, for a scarce pre-1899 antique Finnish M39 Mosin Nagant rifle from my personal collection. This rifle was rebarreled by Valmet during WWII, and is in excellent condition. It comes with a brand new replica bayonet, original sling, and original muzzle cap. Since the receiver for this rifle was made in 1898, it can be mailed directly to the winning bidder’s doorstep, with no FFL paperwork! The auction ends on October 15th.. Just e-mail us your bid. The recent query about burying CONEXes sparked a large flurry of replies. You …