Economics and Investing:

Reader B.H. recommended this primer, published by a precious metals dealer: Buying silver, buying silver bullion for survival purposes. JWR Adds: I concur with nearly all of what they recommended on “survival”/barter coins. However, I do see the utility of buying some 1/2-ounce silver bullion coins. I also recommend buying some of the new pre-scored “Stagecoach” one-ounce silver bars a and rounds that can easily be chiseled into 1/4-ounce “bits”, minted by Northwest Territorial Mint. Also, readers outside of the U.S. should concentrate on buying whichever bullion coins are the most recognizable and trusted in your respective countries. In Australia, for example, that might mean buying silver Kookaburras.

GG sent this: Lone voice warns of debt threat to Fed. (Yishai also alerted us to the same Financial Times piece linked over at the Instapundit blog.)

Also from GG, comes this piece by Jim Jubak: Eight Reasons for Investors to Worry

Items from The Economatrix:

Entitlements Threaten to Crush US Under Debt

Federal Reserve Begins Withdrawal of $2.2 Trillion from US Economy

US Government Paying Banks Thousands to Foreclose on Americans

Mortgage Rates Poised to Jump as Fed Cuts Funds

Silver Price Trends Show Signs of a Bottom

No Sharing Allowed (The Day The Dollar Died Series–Chapter XIX)

Kiss That V-shaped Recovery Good-bye; The US “Worse Than Greece” Says Economist

Stocks Rise on Upbeat Earnings, Economic Reports

Data on Industry Output, Home Building Boost Hopes

Health Insurer Humana Plans to Cut 2,500 Positions