Day: April 6, 2012

Notes from JWR:

Our SurvivalRealty.com spin-off site now has more than 90 listings. In fact, there have been a lot of new listings added in just the past three weeks that are captivating and unique retreat properties. Please take the time to check them out. Also note that my #1 Son has created an advertising sidebar, with 200 pixel width ads. This quite inexpensive ad space is available immediately. (Meanwhile, the advertising space waiting list at our main SurvivalBlog page is now stretching out well beyond two years.) — Today we present two more entries for Round 40 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing …


Small Unit Tactics in a Post Collapse Environment, by Gunfighter

The time may come when all order and civility have broken down into chaos and unrestrained evil. You were a wise prepper and worked through your list of lists, acquiring all of the necessary knowledge and tools for survival. All of your bases are covered. Your survival retreat is intact and manned by your entire survival group. Each individual is most likely capable of firing a weapon and you probably have a survival retreat defense plan in the event a band of raiders, or some other group of people who wish you harm, decides they want to take what isn’t …


Musings of a Newbie Prepper, by Tyson D.

After being raised on my grandfather’s farm, spending time in the military and being a first responder for the last 15 years, it is strange to find myself being a Newbie in the daunting task of creating an emergency preparedness cache for my family.  I now find myself living in a suburban/rural area of a major metropolitan city and a long way from where I grew up and started learning about some of the skills needed to survive.  I’ve always considered myself to be a prepared, self-sufficient individual.  I’ve hunted small and large game, I’ve backpacked in the backcountry for …


Behind the Green Door of the NSA’s Bluffdale, Utah Enigma

There has been lot of buzz in the press in recent weeks about the NSA’s new “data center” being constructed near Bluffdale, Utah. The selection of Bluffdale, Utah for the site is curious. I suspect that this is more than a data center. Because LDS church doctrine has a strong emphasis on overseas missions, a lot of their young men come home with foreign language skills. And since many LDS church members have squeaky-clean backgrounds, they can usually get through the hurdles of a TS/SSBI clearance without much trouble. Consequently, a lot of Mormons end up with Top Secret clearances …


Economics and Investing:

Several readers sent this: Next Great Depression? MIT researchers predict ‘global economic collapse’ by 2030. Of course, many SurvivalBloggers would consider the timeframe of their prediction overly optimistic. SurvivalBlog reader G.T. Mace, a gold dealer, sent me some details on a new gram units gold bullion product from KB Edelmetall Gmbh of Switzerland and Germany that is packaged in tamper-proof plastic, in the form factor a credit card: Karatbars. Be advised that I haven’t researched their mark-up percentage (and you definitely should, before buying), but the concept is captivating. BTW, with 31.1035 grams per Troy Ounce you can simply divide …


Odds ‘n Sods:

OSOM mentioned that he saw a recommendation from Richard Maybury for a PowerPoint presentation on Fire Extinguishers.    o o o Owners of ARES Shrike belt-fed AR-15s will likely want some of these 200 round belt pouches. By the way, my #1 Son (who runs SurvivalRealty.com) helped to design the subdued Shrike patch and also designed the Kit Carson Enterprises web page. The company is run by a widow who lives in Vermont. The Shrike pouches are just her first product–others will follow.    o o o Cameron sent this evidence of creeping Nannystatism: Yes, the New York City Department …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"In the United States neither paper currency nor deposits have value as commodities.  Intrinsically, a dollar bill is just a piece of paper, deposits merely book entries.  Coins do have some intrinsic value as metal, but generally far less than their face value.  What, then, makes these instruments – checks, paper money, and coins – acceptable at face value in payment of all debts and for other monetary uses?  Mainly, it is the confidence people have that they will be able to exchange such money for other financial assets and for real goods and services whenever they choose to do …