Month: August 2009

Economics and Investing:

Several readers sent this: About half of U.S. mortgages seen underwater by 2011 This was linked over at the Total Investor blog: China Warns Developed Nations of Inflation, Currency Threats Straycat sent this one: Hunger Hits Detroit Items from The Economatrix: Cash for Clunkers Gets $2 Billion Refill Job Losses Slow to 247,000; Jobless Rate Dips AIG Reports 2Q Profits, First Since 2007s Oil Rises Over $72 as Job Loss Slows Fannie Mae Loses $15 Billion, Seeks $10.7 Billion in Aid After 2Q Loss The Mother of All Bailouts (MOAB) will not stop growing for at least a decade! Mish …


Odds ‘n Sods:

What varmint is killing your chickens? Ellen F. suggested this informative predation web site.    o o o Slate conducts a thought experiment: The End of America 2009: How it will happen.    o o o In case you missed it when it aired in June, the US ABC television network’s “what if” documentary Earth 2100 has been posted to YouTube. Although it has plenty of Al Gore-style guilt-ridden “we ruined the environment” hand-wringing, it is still worth watching.    o o o Some rules of civilization (outside of a handful of cruel exceptions like the Ik tribesmen) are almost …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“How quiet, calm, and solemn, not at all like when I was running,” thought Prince Andrei, “not at like when we were running, shouting, and fighting; not at all like when the Frenchman and the artillerist, with angry and frightened faces, were pulling at the swab – it’s quite different the way the clouds creep across this lofty, infinite sky. How is it I haven’t seen this lofty sky before? And how happy I am that I’ve finally come to know it. Yes! everything is empty, everything is a deception, except this infinite sky. There is nothing, nothing except that. …


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 24 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) and C.) A HAZARiD Decontamination Kit from Safecastle.com. (A $345 value) Second Prize: A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing …


Preparedness on a Very Tight Budget, by Shane M.

I see it several times a week: What gun should I get? How much ammo should I have? How big should my garden be? Should I get gold or silver? And on and on it goes, week after week. More and more people are becoming “aware,” and are seeking the advice of those of us who have “been there, done that.” There is so much great information out there to answer the plethora of those types of questions. Invariably, someone eventually asks, “how do I afford that?” There are other variations of this question as well, but it all boils …


Two Letters Re: Advice on Storing Precious Metals–Are Safe Deposit Boxes Safe?

Hello Jim, I think the problem with the links readers sent you about how and where to hide precious metals, cash, etc., miss the most important point–it’s not the hiding place itself, but how inaccessible or well-concealed the hiding place is. Given enough time, anyone who knows what kind of faux storage containers to look for (e.g., a can of soup) will naturally check there first. Unless items are stashed away in your bug-out location, burglars will typically want to get in and out of a house as quickly as possible.My recommendation would be to not only install a floor …


Economics and Investing:

Yikes! CBS Advertising Net Income Plunges 96% (Thanks to frequent content contributor F.G. for the link.) Tom G. mentioned this piece by Karl Denninger: Blatant Monetization Uncovered: Federal Reserve bought back half of the seven-year issue this week. I ‘ve warned you that monetization (and inflation) are coming. This is just the begriming! Reader Karl in PDX asks: Do you remember in the 1990 [gangster] film Goodfellas, by Martin Scorsese, when one of the robbery team goes out and buys a pink Cadillac for his wife with the proceeds? Robert DeNiro’s character has to step in. “Now, what did I …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Steve W. and Brian M. both mentioned that there will be an EMP risks and risk mitigation conference in Niagara Falls, New York in September: EMPactAmerica. For a conference of this nature, registration is reasonably priced. The “early registration rate” deadline is August 8th. As with other public events where preppers congregate, if you attend, then wear or carry SurvivalBlog or Bennington Flag meet-up gear. You never know who you might bump into!    o o o Patton sent this: 34 Million Americans on Food Stamps    o o o From GG: More ask to carry concealed weapons; Political, economic …



Hard Times at Here–Are You Ready?

The hard economic times that I–and many others–warned you about are now here. We are clearly now in the opening stages of a full-scale depression that will last a decade or longer. This news article (sent to me by SurvivalBlog reader Eric C.) .about an unemployed couple in Indiana is a microcosm of what we will be witnessing for the next decade. Take a few minutes to read it. Our pampered society is in for a rude wakening. Now, at the risk of sounding unkind and judgmental, the term “white trash” comes to mind. Note that this man in Indiana …


Letter Re: Advice on Storing Precious Metals–Are Safe Deposit Boxes Safe?

Good Morning. I have been diversifying my investments, with a strong emphasis on gold and pre-1965 [silver] coins. Currently, the coins are stored in a bank safe deposit box. Can you tell me, in the event of a “bank holiday” will safe deposit boxes be available? In other words, I understand that they won’t allow me to withdraw cash from my account (my understanding of the term, bank holiday). But, would the bank allow customers access to the safe deposit boxes to withdraw whatever might be stored in the vault? Thanks for all you do. Keep up the good work. …



Economics and Investing:

Susan Z. recommended this piece by Bob Chapman: And All the Kings’ Horses and All the King’s Men… GG mentioned Mish Shedlock’s latest piece: Weekly Unemployment Claims Portend Disaster Also from GG: Federal tax revenues plummeting. I can foresee the reinstitution of pre-Kennedy-era marginal tax rates (more than 50%) in the next few years. This is just one more good reason to invest in tangibles. They’ll heavily tax interest income, but you don’t pay taxes on tangibles until you sell them. Several items from frequent content contributor Karen H.: Cathay Pacific to Park Six Passenger Planes After 27% Sales Slump …


Odds ‘n Sods:

10 Things You Need to Know to Live on the Streets    o o o From Cheryl: Russian Subs Patrolling Off East Coast    o o o Outcry Causes Obama Administration To Change Language on Cash for Clunkers Website    o o o Hawaiian K. mentioned a piece by Jack Spirko, posted over at LRC: Modern Survivalism Tenet Number Five; Food stored is an exceptional investment. You simply can’t lose by storing additional food that you use on a regular basis


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Naturally the advance planning that we did on this thing belongs on the credit side of the ledger. So also does the venture into night flying, although in the final analysis the only real effect it had on this operation was to hold us in the area for one more night. Had we found the U-505 at night, there would have been no possibility of capture—that boarding idea was improbable enough in broad daylight, it was impossible at night. This whole operation is an example of the fact that a military commander controls events only up to a certain point. …