Year: 2011

Economics and Investing:

Reader Fred Z. sent this: No Accounting for Benefits: Our taxes barely cover our social-welfare programs; everything else is on credit. KAF suggested this piece over at Zero Hedge: CME Margin Hike Is 4th AND 5th – Charting The Parabolic Rise In CME Silver Margin Hikes How the Fed triggered the Arab Spring uprisings in two easy graphs. (SurvivalBlog’s Poet Laureate G.G. sent the link.) Troy H. recommended a recent newsletter, wherein Jeremy Grantham gets downright Malthusian. Items from The Economatrix: China Said May Buy $1 Trillion in Gold US Service Sector Expanded at Much Slower Pace Economic Stress Drops …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Mike E. wrote to mention: “I recommend the show on TLC called Extreme Couponing. I have watched shows where a lady bought $640 worth of groceries and with her coupons it ended up costing $6.43. Currently I’m watching one that he had $870 in purchases and the buyer got it all free. This individual has a whole basement full of stuff, but he gives it all to charity. It is worth watching to encourage you on ways that you can  stock up on supplies for pennies on the dollar. The only problem I see is when you walk out …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 34 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round 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 Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo , and …


There is No Magic Wand, by Grace H.

Some of the very earliest memories I have of wanting to be a good prepper come from stories about my Scottish grandmother.  They lived in Sunderland, England, during both World Wars, had eight living children, were poor as church mice, and fed anyone who was in need because of the bombing raids.  Apparently, her theory was to add more water to the soup pot and another cup of barley.  My Dad told me that she said that the sign of a good housewife is a well-stocked pantry, ready for all emergencies.   As a child I read First Aid manuals …


Letter Re: Grow Your Own Sourdough Starter

Hello, Sourdough is indeed not only a solution to not having yeast to make bread, it is superior. I would like to offer some help to get started in this quickly. For me the learning curve was steep, but now I can easily make sourdough from scratch, with no mail order starter. Obviously if there comes a time when you can not mail order starter, such a skill could serve you well. First, the idea that yeasts are floating around in the air, and form the foundation for fermenting sourdough is an old wives tale. Natural yeasts and probiotics occur …


Economics and Investing:

I found this article linked at The Drudge Report: Food Prices Rise to Near-Record as Inflation Accelerates John R. recommended a piece by Martin A. Armstrong: The Next Wave B.B. sent this: Mexican Central Bank Quietly Buys 100 Tons of Gold Jim Rogers: Oil Price Will Keep Rising; Silver to Fall Debt-Ceiling Brinksmanship: Treasury Will Hit Legal Limit When It Borrows $13.86 Billion More Items from The Economatrix: Any Chance of Gold Confiscation? Precious Metals vs. The USD 10 States Where Pensions are Running Out of Money US Dollar Crash Warned May Be Underway Fresh US Dollar Slide Rekindles Pre-Crisis …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Readers in Canada will find this of interest: Pulling The Trigger on C-68. (Thanks to Richard S. for the tip.)    o o o I just bought another scope from EuroOptic.com. Twice now, they’ve really impressed me with their customer service. They sell a wide range of scopes and some long range rifles. I recommend them.    o o o F.G. spotted a piece by one of my favorite libertarian commentators, Vin Suprynowicz: An alien in my own land.    o o o W.W. sent a link to a video that I missed when it was first released: Obama Birth …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 34 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round 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 Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo , …


How to Winnow, De-Hull, and Clean Your Own Home-Grown Grains, by Notutopia

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I thought I’d share some of the options available on de-hulling grain, for others, who are embarking on raising their own plot or field of grains and then plan to long term store their harvests. This information is also relevant to processing many varieties of grains, seeds and hulled legumes. Processing Overview There are several separate steps to the processing of grains to get them ready for storage, if, they are to be utilized for human consumption and not just for replanting as field seed. These steps include:  Harvesting or cutting the grain stalks, upright stacking the cut stalks and …


The Unrealistic Mentality of the Modern Survivalist, by Bryan R.

I am guilty of falling into the “Wolverines!” mindset from time-to-time, that being the image of going toe-to-toe with the insidious foreign invasion force and setting up ambushes to destroy the evil occupiers or perhaps having to confront droves of hostiles, be they urban gang-bangers, local looters, or some other such group of less than savory individuals. The modern survivalist seems to be rather obsessed with the idea of a total collapse of all centralized authority to the point where society is little better than Somalia, although historical precedent doesn’t give much credibility to this theory. The idea of a …


Economics and Investing:

Here it comes, just as I predicted: Silver Investors Dump Futures as Comex Boosts Speculator Trading Costs 84%. But even if the COMEX governors kill the futures market, they won’t be able to destroy the physical silver market. The demand for physical silver is just too great. Expect lots of volatility with some huge price swings, in coming months. But in the long run, as the Western economies go into stagflation, physical silver will rightly be seen as a safe haven, gaining against the rapidly-inflating fiat currencies. (Or rather, I should say the currencies will be losing value, whilst silver …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Kevin B. sent this: Where to Live to Avoid a Natural Disaster. It also serves as another bit of confirmation for the American Redoubt plan.    o o o The Oathkeepers movement addresses individual and family preparedness: Operation Sleeping Giant. (A hat tip to DDM for the link.)    o o o Anxiety rises along the flood-swollen Mississippi    o o o Reader B.B. sent this from a Montana newspaper: Tester says U.S. agriculture policy, genetically modified crops hurt family farms    o o o J.L. suggested this: Blown away. The righteous volunteer spirit comes, in time of calamity.