Day: September 8, 2008

Note from JWR:

The U.S. economy is showing clear signs of disintegration, as the global credit collapse continues to take its toll. The once bountiful Lake of Liquidity has dried up to now resemble the Owens Valley. Corporations are screaming for cash, banks are failing, the real estate market is in freefall, and hedge funds are desperately clinging to the edge of the abyss. The proposed “solution”–The Mother of All Bailouts (MOAB)– keeps growing, with no end in sight. It is actually part of the problem rather than the solution. If you haven’t done so already, prepare yourself for a long term layoff, …


Letter Re: The Approach of Tropical Storm Hanna Was a Wake-Up Call

Sir, I used to think of myself as “Mr. Preparedness.” I read the blogs and often went shopping for preparedness supplies. Then tropical storm Hanna came to the Carolina coast and I realized just how ill prepared I really was. I didn’t even have my medicines in order. Also, I had no reserve of cash in small bills ready to go. Nothing was packed. It took some time to get all my things together. Had this been a real emergency, I would have been in trouble. Sir, you mentioned in a previous blog the importance of having that bag already …


Letter Re: Firearms Battery Recommendations

Mr. Rawles, Thanks for all of the informative posts at SurvivalBlog. Based on your recommendations, I’ve put together the following list of firearms (all I currently own is a 38 year old .22 rifle): Springfield XD .45 ACP ($568) — for concealed carry, self defense Mossberg Model 500 Special Purpose Mariner 12 gauge Shotgun 9 Shot ($423) — for home defense, hunting Remington Model 700 Varmint Tactical Rifle .308 Winchester, 22 in with Muzzle Brake, Bolt Action ($643) — for hunting, possible tactical/precision use in TEOTWAWKI scenarios Rock River Arms LAR-8 .308 Caliber Standard A2/A4 Rifle ($1,170) — for tactical …


Letter Re: Welding Oxygen Versus Medical Oxygen

Jim, In one of the letters about acquiring oxygen, the following statement was made by a SurvivalBlog reader: “Aviation, medical and welder’s oxygen are all pure, dry and inexpensive. There is a deadly difference between oxygen made for use by a machine and oxygen made for use by people. Compressors, like any other machine, must be lubricated. Air compressors used in a dive shop [or a medical supply company] will use a natural oil, like peanut oil. Compressors used to inflate a car tire, or produce air and oxygen for welding and manufacturing processes, generally use a light machine oil. …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Just as I predicted a more than a year ago, and again more explicitly in October of 2007, the hedge fund failure rate is about ready to turn into an avalanche, in agonizing quarterly installments: Hedge funds ready to blow as positions liquidated. (A hat tip to Mike McD. for for finding that link.)    o o o For all of you that have been waiting, after many months of shortages, Mountain House has finally resumed selling their freeze dried foods in #10 (one gallon) vacuum-packed cans on the civilian market. My advice: Get them while you can. When the …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“[John Connor is] ‘the leader of the resistance, fighting artificially intelligent machines determined to annihilate the human race’ Did he strike you that way? Leader of a scrappy band of rebels? Luke Skywalker type?” – Richard T. Jones as FBI Agent James Ellison in the pilot episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. (Script by Josh Friedman)