Day: January 1, 2010

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 26 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.) C.) A HAZARiD Decontamination Kit from Safecastle.com. (A $350 value.), and D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Luger, 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP ammo, …


Survival Banking and Economics, by the Survivalist Banker

Survival is more than just having supplies, it is possessing knowledge, and specifically knowledge about free market (Austrian) economics and banking. One of the fundamental reasons for past productive success in the United States is because there were less intrusive government regulations, a smaller court system, and the division of labor was less cumbersome. Individuals were able to gravitate to where there was a demand that wasn’t currently being met, and were able to meet it without Big Brother wanting to not just regulate the behavior, but also steal a piece of the action if it was successful. If TSHTF, …


Letter Re: Photovoltaic Pathway Lights for Emergency Lighting

Dear Jim: First, thank you for your informative site. I know you`ve helped me, and many others fill in the gaps in knowledge for preparation for times to come. I live just three miles from the San Andreas Fault , so even if the Schumer doesn`t hit the fan, “the big one” could come at any time. Thus I`ve been prepping for many years, but it was a wind storm that helped me think of this trick. The local utility power recently went down and the girls broke out some candles,while I grabbed a couple of battery powered lanterns. Candles …


Letter Re: A $20,000 Matching Donation to the Linda Rawles Memorial Fund

Jim, I am offering a challenge for your readers. I will match dollar for dollar all donations made by your readers to Anchor of Hope up to a total of $20,000. If they will respond, we can raise $40,000 for Anchor of Hope Charities. So that you know that I am serious about this, I am sending my donation of $20,000 to them today. – An Anonymous Donor JWR Replies: Thank you, Sir, very much for your tremendous generosity! The Anchor of Hope orphanage and school is a very worthy charity with hardly any overhead. I am hopeful that more …


Economics and Investing:

Even More MOAB Money: Bankers Get $4 Trillion Gift From Barney Frank The Economist: A turbulent year in the currency markets is coming. (A hat tip to frequent content contributor G.G.) Bill R. sent us this from The Wall Street Journal: Banks Risk Storms in Safe Havens From Reader F.G.: California gears up to charge “Use Tax” on items purchased out of state Items from The Economatrix: Stocks Edge Higher as Jobless Claims Fall Fannie, Freddie Proving Too Big to Shrink North Korea Bans Foreign Currencies in Market Clampdown $36 Charge for Not Using Your Credit Card Goldman Sachs Denies …


Odds ‘n Sods:

The mainstreaming of survivalism continues: Newsweek now seems to be saying that individual preparedness is a good idea. (Thanks to Mike F. and several other readers for sending the link.)    o o o Wendell in Tx. wrote mention a source for fish traps, Heinsohn.com. They run a country store in Texas.    o o o Ohio Jim mentioned that starting Friday, January 1st, you can’t drive an APV on your own property in Ohio unless it’s registered and licensed.


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The clocks stopped at one seventeen one morning. There was a long shear of bright light, then a series of low concussions. Within a year there were fires on the ridges and deranged chanting. By day the dead impaled on spikes along the road. I think it’s October but I can’t be sure. I haven’t kept a calendar for five years. Each day is more gray than the one before. Each night is darker – beyond darkness. The world gets colder week by week as the world slowly dies. No animals have survived. All the crops are long gone. Someday …