Year: 2007

Press Awareness Increases on the Nascent Real Estate Market Collapse and Credit Implosion

In the past few days, I’ve had readers forward me links to several very disturbing articles on the declining real estate market and what appears to be the opening stages of a full blown global credit implosion. First, I read this: Mutually Assured Mayhem: Wall Street is on edge, scrambling to buck up Bear Stearns and avert a domino-effect debacle. Then came this very telling piece: Bear Stearns Meets Possums in Georgia as Foreclosures Increase. The key quote in the article: “No lender wants to own real estate, but at the same time you can’t just unload these properties because …


Letter Re: How and Why to Get Physically Fit

Jim: Hello again from a very wet England. I’ve been reading with interest the articles on physical fitness and would just like to add my two penny-worth. Cross country skiing is generally considered to be about the best form of aerobic exercise, inasmuch as it works pretty well all the muscles. The Nordic company do a ski machine that retails new around $700.00, but second hand they sell [on eBay)] for peanuts. Here is an example of one currently on that well known auction site. GBP 15.00 is about $30.00 – a very small price to pay for the ultimate …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Surprise, surprise: Retail Food Prices Jump Five Percent in 2nd Quarter We also read Consumers paying higher food prices as corn prices soar , and Biofuel demands keeps agricultural prices high, OECD-FAO report    o o o Some strange summer weather in London, England.    o o o Our friend Tom at CometGold.com recommended this article: Cioffi’s Hero-to-Villain Hedge Funds Masked Bear Peril in CDOs. Tom’s comment: ” ‘Move along, nothing to see here…’ (Insert footage of Detective Frank Drummond from Police Squad! standing in front of an exploding fireworks factory).”




Two Letters Re: Recommendations on Glock Spares and Upgrades

James, When I was a police officer I carried a [Model] 1911. In 1992 I was hired to instruct, among other things, firearms for associate degree police science students. In that year we bought 13 Glock M-17s. It is my estimation that those first Glocks in inventory have put 90-to-110 thousand rounds downrange in the associate degree and the police academy. We have broken five trigger springs and have had three front sights fly off. There have been one extractor break on the 17s, however, three broke on the M22 (.40 S&W). Having five Glocks in inventory here at the …


Letter Re: Some Results From the CDC’s Asian Avian Flu Preparedness/Education Budget

Hi Jim, I’m a regular reader and 10 Cent Challenge contributor. I just wanted to pass on a little info that struck me as very unusual. I live in Louisiana, too close to New Orleans unfortunately. In my mailbox on Saturday, I received a 32 page publication from the Louisiana Dept of Health & Hospitals. It is titled “How You Can Be Prepared for a Flu Pandemic” Individual & Family Handbook. What do they know that we don’t? The state spent $663,594.40 publishing 1,658,986 copies of this Handbook under a grant support from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). This …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Remember that there is now just one week remaining for the $500 Interceptor Body Armor (IBA) vest special from BulletProofME.com. July 12th is the deadline. Anyone who has shopped for body armor knows what a great deal $500 is for a new Interceptor vest. Don’t miss out on this deal. OBTW, I recently received another recommendation for the company: ” I thought you would like some more feedback on your new advertiser, BulletProofME.com. After extensive searching for a vest supplier last year I bought one from BulletProofME.com. Because I had never purchased a vest before I had a lot of …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“All of the government’s monetary, economic and political power, as well as its extensive propaganda machinery, will be enlisted in a constant battle to drive down the price of gold – but in the absence of any fundamental change in the nation’s monetary, fiscal, and economic direction, simply regard any major retreat in the price of gold as an unexpected buying opportunity.” – Irwin A. Schiff


Notes from JWR:

Happy Independence Day! I pray that God will continue to grant us liberty in our land, for generations to come. Please continue to spread the word about SurvivalBlog. It is in your own best interest to do so. Why? Every friend, neighbor, and relative that gets motivated to prepare constitutes one less individual that will come begging on your doorstep, come TEOTWAWKI+1. I would greatly appreciate it if you added a SurvivalBlog graphic link to your web site and/or e-mail footer. Our goal is to double the SurvivalBlog readership by the end of 2007. Many thanks! Today we present another …


Are You Preparing Without Physical Fitness? How and Why to Get Physically Fit, by Flhspete

Introduction The more physically fit one is overall, the better your odds are you will survive WTSHTF. Or, maybe you don’t believe that survival preparations should include physical fitness. U.S. military forces emphasize solid fitness in part because the higher the fitness level, the more an individual can maintain acceptable performance levels while under stress. Police SWAT units emphasize high levels of fitness for the same reasons. Organized units like these are highly effective also because they conduct rehearsals of established SOPs until it is ingrained to the point that they are able to perform under any conditions. They are …


Odds ‘n Sods:

From ABC News (by way of Matt Drudge): Secret Document: U.S. Fear that a Terror “Spectacular’ is Planned for this Summer    o o o Adam in Ohio sent us a link to an animated cartoon on YouTube, about Post-Peak Oil Preparedness. Adam’s comment: “It’s too close to reality for most of us.”   o o o Commentary from securities market analyst Tony Jackson: Myth that could undermine credit derivatives.    o o o I just heard that JRH Enterprises (one of our most loyal advertisers) has on sale a couple of scarce original PVS-14 Gen-3 night vision units, normally …



Note from JWR:

The high bid is still at $190 in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction for a batch of 10 brand new original Imperial Defence SA-80 (AR-15) steel 30 round rifle magazines. The auction ends on July 15th. I’ve recently had two different readers ask me about recommended spare parts and upgrades for Glock pistols. Since I’m an “old dinosaur” Model 1911 .45 shooter, I don’t feel qualified to comment on Glocks. So I forwarded their questions to Teddy Jacobsen, a master pistolsmith in Texas, who kindly shares his wisdom. (Over the years, he has worked on more than 15,000 pistols and revolvers.) …


Recommendations on Glock Spares and Upgrades, by Teddy Jacobsen

I can easily explain how I look at things for a Glock. Basically I see no reason to install these aftermarket parts as a general rule. I am always looking for heat treated guide rods, but most you see are not [properly heat treated]. Check the Brownells book and only Wolff states the[ir product’s Rockwell] hardness. Using a soft rod with a Rockwell hardness of 23 on the “C” scale is not good enough. it must be 50. Wolff makes hardened steel guide rods with a Rockwell hardness of 50 but you must use his music wire spring, this is …