Day: December 6, 2011

Note from JWR:

I ‘m pleased to announce that we’ve added yet another prize to the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest, starting with the recently-started round: A FloJak F-50 hand well pump (a $349 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. This new prize brings the combined value of the writing contest packages to around $5,000 per round. (The total varies, depending on the number of Honorable Mention prizes awarded.) Many thanks to FloJak.com and to their parent company Stone County Ironworks for their generous support of SurvivalBlog!


Taking The Gap–Your Move to The American Redoubt

I will soon be interviewed by John Jacob Schmidt on Radio Free Redoubt. The theme of this podcast hour will be “Taking The Gap”. My goal is to exhort listeners to re-prioritize their finances and set a goal–with a date attached–to make the move to the American Redoubt. (This region includes Eastern Oregon, Eastern Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.) I urge preparedness-minded Christians and Jews of all races and from all walks of life to make the move, soon. I sincerely believe that the American Redoubt the will be the safest and most free place to live in North Americas in …


Letter Re: Advice on 5.7 x 28 Uppers for AR-15s

Mr. Rawles: I would be interested in your comments on the AR-57 conversion for AR-15s and its potential use after SHTF. – Mike K. JWR Replies: Mostly for purposes of experimentation, I bought both rifle and pistol AR uppers in the 5.7×28 caliber. (I own just one “Pistol ” marked AR lower, sans buttstock), and also have a 10″  5.56 barrel for it.) En toto, I have put nearly a thousand rounds through my two 5.7 uppers. I found that the pistol upper in 5.7 functions well, but the rifle upper in 5.7 jams frequently for some reason that has …


Letter Re: Budget Prepping in the Suburbs

JWR: Kevin’s article on budget prepping touched me to the core. We all began the journey, at the begriming, with all the problems/challenges of those young or older and the common denominator of the demands of family/job/time/location and the most important limiting factor: fiscal resources.   Please bear with me while I lay the groundwork for this subject, throughout my prepping learning curve of about 55 years which started when I was about five years old,  began with my parents trying to spoon feed me information as a young child, with their own prepping experience, which they never thought of themselves as being …


Economics and Investing:

Abracadabra! Bankrupt Cities are Suddenly Un-Bankrupt! (Or Not) Jim Rogers: “You Should Own Silver” G.G. sent this: Italy PM unveils sweeping austerity package. Buried down in the article’s fine print: Cash transactions of more than €1,000 are banned. Items from The Economatrix: Eurozone Debt Crisis Worsens As Financial World Holds Breath Over Pending Financial Apocalypse Secret Fed Loans Gave Banks $13 Billion Undisclosed To Congress Audit Of The Federal Reserve Reveals $16 Trillion In Bailouts Web of Debt – How Banks And The Federal Reserve Are Bankrupting The Planet


Odds ‘n Sods:

Tina R. sent a link to a recent Dilbert cartoon that has a some biting commentary, presumably about the ongoing OWS protests.    o o o As Christmas is approaching, please don’t neglect worthy charities, such as AnySoldier.com. Please send our deployed troops your prayers, good wishes and tangible support. UnderArmor brand synthetic T-Shirts (made in both Army and USMC regulation colors) are a sure bet.  If a soldier receives too many, then the excess will be the ultimate barter item, in summer months.    o o o California demographic shift: More people leaving than moving in.    o o …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“A lot of people think that what is going on is a bailout for the  eurozone.  It’s not; it’s a bailout for the banks on both sides of the  Atlantic. It’s not a coincidence . . . last night Standard & Poor’s downgraded credit ratings for about 20 major banks, including  banks like Bank of America [and] Morgan Stanley.” – Peter Schiff