Year: 2009

Economics and Investing:

Tom B. and “Word” both sent us this: Tax refugees staging escape from New York. Tom B. described as “voting with their feet.” Julius suggested an amazing Summary of US Foreclosure Activity. Wow! One in every 23 homes in Nevada is in foreclosure! An interesting piece over at Housing Storm: Contradictions and Symptoms of the Great Depression Items from The Economatrix: GM Seen Posting Sales Again Stocks Turn Lower as New Home Sales Fall New Home Sales Fall a Surprising 3.6% Treasury, GMAC in Talks for Third Round of Aid Durable Goods Orders Rise 1% in September (Whoopee! Release the …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Beth T. flagged this news item: Explorer Ernest Shackleton’s whiskey stash has been discovered in Antarctica, over 100 years after his failed expedition to the South Pole.    o o o Kimberly suggested an article that Kellene Bishop wrote on her blog site, titled: Why I Worry About You. Kimberly’s comment: “It would be a great article for your readers to send to friends who are sitting on the fence or are completely unaware of, or the extent of, current challenges facing this country and her people. It is a ‘heart to heart’ message.”    o o o “Word” …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Some people think the Federal Reserve Banks are U.S. government institutions. They are not … they are private credit monopolies which prey upon the people of the U.S. for the benefit of themselves and their foreign and domestic swindlers, and rich and predatory money lenders. The sack of the United States by the Fed is the greatest crime in history. Every effort has been made by the Fed to conceal its powers, but the truth is the Fed has usurped the government. It controls everything here and it controls all our foreign relations. It makes and breaks governments at will." …


Letter Re: Comments of Storing Coffee and Grinding Whole Wheat Flour

Mr. Rawles, In your new book [“How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It“], which I ordered on “Book Bomb day” you mention that coffee is hard to store, and suggest using the vacuum-packed bricks. I have found that the key to stocking up on coffee for the long term is to buy green coffee beans that have not been roasted yet. They have the potential to keep for up to two years in just a burlap bag, or much longer if actually packed like you would wheat berries. Roasting can be an art in itself, …


Letter Re: Why No Retreat Recommendations for the Northeastern US?

Hi, I’m curious as to why you have not included the Northeast in your list of Retreat Areas–like Vermont, New Hampshire & Maine, very good candidates. Especially the northern areas of these states. Regards, – Wayne B. JWR Replies: You might have missed this subsection in my Recommended Retreat Areas page: Look West of the Missouri River As evidenced by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, population density is perhaps the most crucial factor to consider when selecting a safe haven. The big cities on the Gulf Coast became hell holes, whereas the small towns got by fairly well. I know that …


Letter Re: A Canadian’s Refreshing Travel Through the Western United States

JWR, My son (17 years old) and I, along with my dad and sister who live in Washington State just completed a 4,700 mile road trip on motorcycles, traveling down through British Columbia. We met up with my relatives in Washington, then continued down into Oregon, cutting down to Northeastern California, over into Nevada, down into Utah then to the Four Corners and back up to Idaho cutting across to Western Washington and saying good bye to them before we continued back home. My point is, we saw a lot of empty land, met a lot of good people, saw …


Two Letters Re: Protein Powders as Emergency Survival Foods

Mr. Rawles- D. in Dubai has made an excellent point in regards to protein powders/meal replacement drinks. You are correct in that the ‘Ensure” and other medical-oriented drinks are a bit more balanced; however they tend to be lower in protein per ounce than the ‘sports’ type of drinks. That said, The bulk purchase of a powder that is palatable to you and your family is an excellent means to balance out your bulk food stores, such as pastas, rice, etc. There also tends to be excellent vitamin and mineral contents in their drinks as well. A caveat: go to …


Letter Re: Open Enrollment for Many Medical Savings Plans

Dear Mr. Rawles, Greetings! I saw a blog letter mentioning FSA (Flexible Spending Accounts)-one medical plan that helps the average person. Basically, one’s employer (private, public, etc.) has some amount taken out before taxes and this money is put into a plan with a pre-set amount that must be used by the end of the plan year. Okay, what many people do not know is that IRS laws allow the following: Once the plan is started, the full year’s funds are present, even if you have not had that total amount saved up yet. Example: I set the plan to …


Economics and Investing:

Treasury Sales Loom, but Demand Is There. $123 Billion Worth in One Week! Not to worry, they can always make it look like they all sold to non-puppet buyers. (Thanks to loyal content contributor GG for the link.) Brad C. found this Business Week article interesting: The U.S. Metros Least Touched by Recession. Brad’s comment: Note that none of the cities in the top ten are on the East or West Coast, and that they are all in “Fly Over” country. Once again, free states lead the way. JWR Adds: Also note the correlation with my Recommended Retreat Areas page. …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Amy, of the excellent Humble Musings blog mentioned this article: Cash for Clubbers; Congress’s fabulous golf cart stimulus. It is about the new $5,300 Federal tax credit available for any street legal electric vehicle. Well, in many western states ATVs are considered street legal! So… Can I get this tax credit for an all-electric ATV, such as an Eco E ATV, a Bad Boy Buggy, or a ATV-modified golf cart? That would fit in nicely with the planned expansion of our home photovoltaic power system. And it would be a great way to go hunting in a much, much quieter–if …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 25 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 $350 value.) Second Prize: A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing …


Precious Metals in Context: Prudence, Moderation and Balance, by Gentleman Jim from Colorado

As I read the occasional letters and articles on SurvivalBlog about storing/using precious metals (PMs) during a TEOTWAWKI of whatever sort, I must conclude that every single writer is absolutely correct–and yet also mostly wrong. You might ask: How can everyone be right and wrong, simultaneously? It’s because most preppers seem to anticipate and plan fairly narrowly for the use of PMs. IMHO, if you’re taking such a narrow lane down the preparation highway, you’re not thinking big enough. Any situation following a currency collapse will be complicated by varying degrees of social disorder, economic breakdown, extreme paranoia among the …


Letter Re: Protein Powders as Emergency Survival Foods

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Mr. Rawles, I’ve been following your site for some time and thoroughly enjoy it. The information provided here is outstanding. I’m writing to make a suggestion for a short term and possibly long term survival food. A quick premise. I’ve been working out and lifting weights off and on for the last three to four years. I lifted weights when I was much younger and I needed to incorporate them to get back into shape. Now that I’m a little older and wiser I’ve been using the internet to find out more about fitness and physical development. I’m by no …


Influenza Pandemic Update:

Europe swine flu spreads, ‘millions’ infected in U.S. CBS Reveals Swine Flu Cases Seriously Overestimated Increase in flu is called dramatic “Massachusetts has seen a jump in flu activity this week that has led one Central Massachusetts high school to close and that appears to signify the arrival of the second wave of swine flu.” Health officials scramble to counter H1N1 myths. WHO: nearly 5,000 swine flu deaths worldwide. Synopsis of H1N1 Activity between Oct. 11-17 (Week 41) CDC 2009 H1N1 International Situation Update Germans Unhappy With Alternative Swine Flu Vaccine for Politicians, Military