Day: September 7, 2010

Notes from JWR:

There have been several new properties listed at our spin-off site, SurvivalRealty.com A couple of these are earth-sheltered homes. If it has been a while since you’ve visited Survival Realty, be sure to check out the new listings! — Today we present another entry for Round 30 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will include: 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, …


Dirty Medicine, by J.V. in Tacoma, Washington

Everyone of the survival mindset has thought many times over about what tactical items they may need, whether it is in a BoB, in a patrol configuration, or in a secure retreat location.  However with my various talks with numerous survivalists, not too many have given any sort of extensive thought to how to perform some basic medical procedures.  Sure everyone knows that a minor surgical kit might be beneficial or that some Lactated Ringers intravenous solutions would help out.  However many individuals do not actually know how to use these items, at least from my experience. Starting off one …


Letter Re: Survival Tips From a Sarajevo Siege Survivor

Jim: The following is one of those anonymously penned items that keeps getting passed around the Internet. It dates back to the Siege of Sarajevo in the ethnic civil war in the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s: Experiencing horrible things that can happen in a war – death of parents and friends, hunger and malnutrition, endless freezing, fear, sniper attacks. To prepare… 1. Stockpiling helps, but you never know how long trouble will last, so locate near renewable food sources. 2. Living near a well with a manual pump is like being in Eden. 3. After awhile, even gold …


Economics and Investing:

Some prescient predictions from Matthias Chang: Warning Global Fiat Currency Financial System Collapse By Early 2011 Tony B. sent this piece from PBS: The true cost of the bank bailout Mendo Mary was the first of several readers to mention this: Five Doomsday Scenarios for the U.S. Economy Fortune asks: Should US government debt be rated junk? (Thanks to American Expatriate (AmEx) for the link.) Jon R. suggested this news item: Use of rare earth metals outstripping supply Items from The Economatrix: Low Interest Rates Squeezing Pension Funds Obama Economic Advisor: Turnaround Insufficient Warning Global Fiat Currency Financial System Collapse …


Inflation Watch:

“Inflation fighting”, Hugo? Venezuela introduces Cuba-like food card. This is like something out of Kim Jong-Il‘s playbook. Reader Phil. J. wrote ask: “The news people say that we are in a deflation. What proof do you have that inflation is coming?” First, don’t confuse commodity deflation and currency inflation. In the short term, both can happen simultaneously. This chart from the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank shows that there will be plenty of consumer inflation in the near future. The Federal Reserve more than doubled the money supply in less than two years. Eventually, this rapid expansion is sure to …


Odds ‘n Sods:

B.B. sent a link to this outstanding country music video on YouTube: Never Gonna Stand For This by Teachenor Clark. (BTW, the opening clip castigating “Tea-bagging rednecks” is uber-liberal actress Janeane Garofalo.)    o o o Magistrate Recommends Dismissing States’ Gun Suit. I can foresee this issue going to the Supreme Court. Given the precedent set by the U.S. v. Lopez decision, the States should prevail. In essence, if a gun (or receiver) is manufactured and sold within in a state, then there is no Federal nexus. (It is intrastate rather than interstate commerce.) Ditto for used guns being sold …