Inflation Watch:

Prescott sent us: Inflation Jumps in Europe News from England: Eco-bulb cost to treble: Makers cash in as the ban on old-style bulbs kicks in World food prices at fresh high, says UN Forecasters’ prediction for oil prices in 2011: Up, up, up As food costs rise, retailers keep prices stable by shrinking package sizes, quantities




Odds ‘n Sods:

Yishai mentioned this article: More than two million children are homeschooled in the United States.    o o o Dan G. notes: “People in Europe may want to keep a eye on Iceland’s volcano Katla which seems to be lit more and more like a Christmas tree every day”    o o o Reader Steven W. mentioned a high-quality homesteading magazine based in Oregon. Steven noted: “I talked with the editor and she asked me to send you a link to her magazine and blog site. While she may be a bit of an Oregon flower child, her magazine information …







Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 32 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 $795, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 250 round case of 12 Gauge Hornady …




Letter Re: Taking the Plunge and Buying a Rural Retreat

James,   I may be a little late to the party, but I have spent a considerable time lately worrying about what to do if this economy of ours crashes.  I started thinking about what I would do if TSHTF. I had no answer. I have read about lot of peoples concern over solar flares, and 2012 scenarios, and while they may happen, I am more convinced of the coming collapse of the dollar and the global economy. I think this is much more of a probability and certainly less speculative that the other fears—at least at the moment. So, …




Letter Re: Some Practical Experience With Concertina Wire

CPT Rawles: I just wish to add that not only does concertina wire (C-wire) work well at stopping civilian vehicles such as cars and trucks, it also works on military vehicles such as the tracked Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle. During a rotation through the Combat Maneuver Training Center in Hohenfels, Germany in 1992, my Bradley ran through a line of deployed C-wire and was brought to a complete halt within 50 meters. Not only was the wire totally entangled through our tracks, but as we were moving and dragging it that 50 meters, it caught on to and subsequently dragged …




Letter Re: Establishing Private Radio Communications Using Consumer Grade Equipment

Jim: One thing I see omitted over and over again is about the FRS and GMRS radio “privacy codes”. A lot of people mistakenly think this is a “scrambled” communications form.Not True.It is just what the title says it is: a Privacy Code setting. It means that you cannot hear anyone not set to your code setting (36 possible settings on the standard set) or talk to them. However, your conversations CAN be listened to by anyone on that particular channel. To clarify, let’s say you are on channel 6 and your privacy code is set at 31. Anyone on …




Economics and Investing:

This article in Barron’s hardly comes as a news flash to SurvivalBlog readers: Barron’s: US Will See Run on Treasurys, Hyperinflation John R. suggested these two related articles: Pressure builds on Spain’s banks; Are credit markets predicting a bank run in Spain?, and 2011: Year of the bank run? R.D.F. sent this news of Nonsensical Nanny State Nosiness from California: Police issue warning about buying and selling gold. They must be referring to some local anti-fenced goods law. R.D.F.’s comment: “This is the latest example of Big Brother trying to outlaw and control those who refute paper money and worthless coin currency.” …




Odds ‘n Sods:

K.T. mentioned: Biospharms – Sustainable Agriculture Mini Farming    o o o Cheryl (aka “the Economatrix”) sent: Food Emergency:  Millions of Americans Are Heading To Food Banks For First Time    o o o Natural disasters ‘killed 295,000 in 2010’    o o o Bob G. sent this: Everything Is Falling Apart: 20 Facts That You Will Not Want To Read If You Still Want To Feel Good About America’s Decaying Infrastructure    o o o Timeline of a Bee Massacre: EPA Still Allowing Hive-Killing Pesticide. (Thanks to Jeff B. for the link.)







Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 32 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 $795, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 250 round case of 12 Gauge Hornady …




Establishing Private Radio Communications Using Consumer Grade Equipment, by R.E.G.

Sometimes it is ideal for your radio transmissions to be overheard by outside parties but sometimes it is highly undesirable. Radio by its very nature is an open medium. Interception equipment such as radio scanners are commonly available and easy to use. With such a device an unwanted listener could easily intercept your communications. How do we guard against such security vulnerabilities? Digitally encrypted public safety grade radio equipment is certainly an option albeit a very expensive one. Fortunately consumer grade equipment is commonly available that is capable of providing a high degree of privacy against unwanted interception. It is …




Letter Re: Firsthand Experience in Doubling Up

Mr. Rawles, In your novel “Patriots” and in many articles of SurvivalBlog, people discuss what to do when TEOTWAWKI comes. The one thing common in most of the situations is doubling up at a retreat. My wife and I have some experience in this and I want to pass some information on to help people prepare for the situation they may be facing.       My wife and I moved in with her parents about 13 months ago due to financial hardships. We were living in Arizona and struggling to make ends meet. I was working a job that covered …




Letter Re: Extreme Couponing

James Wesley: Extreme couponing is an absolutely incredible way to save on your groceries. But like many things it should not be the only way you save. In fact, the “Frugal Zealot” Amy Dacyczyn was able to feed a family of eight on $200/month (in 1996 prices) and she hardly ever used coupons. “Frequently, massive couponers boast about the difference between the pre-coupon price and the final total. They circle the “you saved” number on their receipts. “You’re circling the wrong number,” Amy said.What you need to compare is the difference between all possible alternatives and your final total. Other alternatives …




Letter Re: The Ten Cent Challenge

Dear JWR,   You have a great blog site. I must inform you that you may not receive a lot of the dimes sent the way that you described. I work for the USPS as a Maintenance Mechanic, Postal Equipment. In short, I work on the automated equipment that processes the incoming letter mail. I have seen the machines tear up large number of letters. The dimes will get vacuumed up during the course of preventive maintenance. Also, new machines heading our way will incorporate a metal detector before the letter is processed through the machine. I would hate to …