Day: October 7, 2008

Note from JWR:

Today we present another Retreat Owner Profile, which will be added to Profiles static page. BTW, we still have room for several more international profiles (outside the US). I am saving the last few slots in the US profiles section for people that have very unusual home/retreats. (Perhaps someone that lives in an underground house, or someone that lives aboard a houseboat or a blue water yacht.) If you decide to e-mail us your Profile, please closely follow the same format used in the the others. For your privacy, be sure change enough details so that your neighbors won’t recognize …


Retreat Owner Profile–Mr. & Mrs. Tico in Costa Rica

Present home : Farm in Northern Costa Rica Ages : 54 & 57 Two sons 30 & 32, who are living in North Carolina. Income $50,000 USD/year secure (many diverse overseas investments) and a tourism business currently at $120,000 or so per year ( I own a botanical garden) . Additional income from fruit groves and tilapia ponds $15,000/year. Profession : Gunsmith, nursery grower, waterscaper, fish farmer . Vehicles : Two 1970s Toyota Land Cruiser BJ40’s with 2.4 diesel engines, kept in top-notch condition and a 2 cycle Ez-Go golf cart set up [with tires and suspension] for all terrain. …


Letter Re: Buying Just One Gun?

Mr. Rawles: I’m a survivalist newbie. I’m thinking about purchasing a gun. I don’t know anything about guns, but I have had a negative opinion about them for a long time. But [now] I’m thinking I might need to get one. What would you recommend for a total novice who would prefer to not have to own more than one? JWR Replies: Owning one gun is like owning one carpenter’s tool, and expecting it to handle all of your construction and repair needs. What single tool would you choose? A hammer, a pair of pliers, a saw, or a screwdriver? …


Letter Re: Becoming a Food Warrior

James: I appreciate your web site. It suits me right to the ground. I’d like to be an occasional contributor. Congratulations on your fastidious maintenance of this meaningful site. Just like farming isn’t it. Guerrilla food shopping (part one) I’m no conventional warrior, I couldn’t force myself to take a life, but I am a survivalist. Not to put too fine a point on this: I am a food warrior. As I write this, one of our battles is escalating food prices, isn’t it? What can we do as individuals to protect ourselves? Plenty! We aren’t hostages you know. Not …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Matthew R. found a link to a great video that has brief interviews with some cave dwellers in Idaho.    o o o The newspaper headlines are sounding like something out of my novel. Randy F. sent us this: Panic engulfs global stock markets. And then Cheryl (our Economic Editor) sent us this mountain of news and commentary: Investors Expect Market Volatility As Global Credit Woes Persist — Analysis: More Banks To Fail Next Year Despite Bailout — Euro Crisis Deepens: Officials Vow To Save Banks — Euro Unity Collapses: Every Country For Itself — $700 Billion Printing Of Bailout …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Keynes explicitly classified the two components in the money supply as ‘industrial circulation’ versus ‘financial circulation.’ The distinction is important; it is like the difference between a woman and a female impersonator. They may be alike in almost every respect, except the essential ones.” – Bill Bonner