Month: October 2012

Economics and Investing:

Have you noticed that the spot price of platinum is now about $90 below the spot price of gold? This is a sign of major economic turmoil and is predictive of a very weak manufacturing sector in the year to come. This price inversion doesn’t happen very often, so when it does, take advantage of it, just as I did. I was recently able to pick up some 1/10th-ounce and 1/4-ounce slabbed U.S. Mint Liberty bullion platinum coins for just under the spot price of gold! But beware of fake Chinese platinum and gold coins that are now becoming commonplace! …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Tracey A. sent a link to an interesting piece on the new Winchester Segmented Slug.    o o o They keep getting smaller: Spy-Butterfly: Israel developing insect drone for indoor surveillance. (Thanks to F.G. for the link.)    o o o Reader F.J. pointed out this piece: Assessing Doomsday: How Cyber War Could Attack U.S. Infrastructure    o o o D.B. sent: Armed posse patrols timber land in sheriff’s place    o o o NDAA critic stranded in Hawaii after turning up on no-fly list. JWR’s Comment: Is this the America where I was born and raised?



Notes from JWR:

The Articles for Deletion (AfD) debate about my novels “Survivors” and “Founders” is still raging over at Wikipedia. If you have experience with Wikipedia, then feel free to chime in politely, if you have an opinion one way or the other. — Today we present another entry for Round 43 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) 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 …


Survival Uses For Stretch Wrap, by James M.

Not Saran Wrap, I’m talking about what is commonly referred to as pallet wrap. I thought there was no way possible that something as versatile and useful as stretch wrap could have been overlooked in the survival community, but after hours of searching it certainly looks that way. I’ve only found a few vague references to other possible uses for it. Today I hope to enlighten you and further prepare you for TEOTWAWKI. Firstly, it’s a lot of bang for your buck. You can pick up an 18 inch wide roll of stretch wrap that’s 1,500 feet long for less …


Letter Re: Iowa as a Retreat Locale

James Wesley: I just read something about why Iowa wasn’t considered as a retreat when TEOTWAWKI occurs. In your response you asked for feedback. I live in soutwestern Iowa. All along the western edge of Iowa in the Loess Hills region which extends from Missouri to Minnesots. This is a region that one could defend. Actually people in the Great Depression of the 1930s dug caves into the loess soil to live in. The soil is the best in the world and it is close to Omaha and Offutt Air Force base. We’re almost 200 miles north of Kansas city, …



Odds ‘n Sods:

Residents of North Dakota might find ths of interest: The GSA is auctioning off five Stanley Mickelsen Safeguard missile sites, with opening bids of $1. Go the GSA Auctions web page and enter “Stanley Mickelsen Safeguard Complex” in the search box. Fascinating.    o o o Health alert: Why you DON’T want ripped abs if you hope to survive the coming economic collapse    o o o B.B. sent: Desperation: Greece to Allow Sale of Expired Foods to Citizens.    o o o Tom B. in Oklahoma was the first of several readers to send an article about a new …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Some have asked whether our silver coins will disappear. The answer is very definitely no. Our present silver coins won’t disappear and they won’t even become rarities. We estimate that there are now 12 billion–I repeat, more than 12 billion silver dimes and quarters and half dollars that are now outstanding. We will make another billion before we halt production. And they will be used side-by-side with our new coins. Since the life of a silver coin is about 25 years, we expect our traditional silver coins to be with us in large numbers for a long, long time. If …


Notes from JWR:

2012 is the 60th anniversary of the founding of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (originally Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, LRL.) Lawrence Livermore is famous as the nation’s main nuclear weapons design center and is also home to a small American intelligence arm that tries to keep nukes out of the wrong hands. (Z Division.) I was born and raised in Livermore–the son of a scientist who worked at LLNL for three decades. My father, Donald Robert Rawles (1930-1985), operated and later managed the operation of several high energy particle accelerators. These included cyclotrons, linear accelerators, and a rotating target neutron source (RTNS-II.) …


A Thru-Hiker’s Thoughts on the Bug Out Bag, by Pete R. Pan

This year I thru-hiked the entire 2,184 miles of the Appalachian Trail. I started in Georgia on the 4th of April and finished in Maine after walking through 14 states, on September 17th. The 5 ½ months I spent on the trail taught me a lot about living out of a backpack and efficiently covering miles on foot. In this article I’ll explain how others can use this experience to create or refine their own G.O.O.D. bag. There are a few packs that fall under the umbrella term “Bug Out Bag” or “Get Out Of Dodge” bag. First off, there …


Letter Re: Fuel Stabilizers and Emerging Threats

Good Day, James, First – have greatly enjoyed your blog site and your novels. I particularly appreciate the fact that although the stories are fiction – they provide a wealth of preparedness information. As a principle in Power Research Inc. – a company with extensive international sales to the commercial marine and power generation industries – I have deeply investigated the world economy and our present financial system in an effort to protect my company, my family, and my employees. There is absolutely no question that the present system is unsustainable, and the ramifications of an economic collapse will be …


News From The American Redoubt:

Some interesting crime statistics: Of the 12,996 homicides in the United States in 2011, just 21 were in Idaho, 21 in Montana, and 8 in Wyoming. More populous Oregon and Washington had 78 and 151 homicides respectively, but the vast majority of those were west of the Cascade mountain range (outside of the American Redoubt.) For comparison: In 2011 there were 515 homicides in New York City, and in just the first nine months of 2012, there have already been 391 homicides in the City of Chicago. (They are expecting around 500 by the end of the year, a 25% …


Economics and Investing:

Why doesn’t this give me a warm, fuzzy feeling? Drone demand could be big boost to economy Stagflation Warning: When You Look At What Happened In The First Half Of The 1970s, The Similarity Between Then And Now Is Frightening Reader B.B. sent a link to this at the oft-quoted Zero Hedge: China Central Bank Refuses To Join Global Print Fest, Warns About Inflation Risks Items from The Economatrix: Alert: Highly Sophisticated Large-scale Cyberheist Targets Customer Funds At Major US Banks Marc Faber:  Market Setting Up For “Serious Setback” The Real Fiscal Cliff Is Much Bigger Than You Think, Warns …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader F.G. mentioned this interesting analysis, over at ARFCOM: Best Choices For Self-Defense Ammo    o o o An interesting piece by Dr. Bones: The Truth About Expiration Dates    o o o A great discussion thread was started over at the CalGuns forums: Crime Avoidance & Self-Defense Advice.    o o o Pantry Paratus is passing along a special promotion being run by Wondermill to their customers: For every Electric Wondermill sold, a customer will receive a free cookbook titled, “Chef Brad Comfort Foods.” And for every Wondermill Jr hand crank mill ($235 complete with stone and steel burrs) buyers …