Year: 2012

Economics and Investing:

The $5 Trillion Man: Debt Has Increased Under Obama by $5,027,761,476,484 eBay Announces New Changes for Coins Listed in Auction. The two changes, in essence, that follow up on their earlier banning of “replica” coins: 1.) Starting May 30th, Sheldon Scale numbers (1 to MS70) can only be mentioned if the coins are PCGS or NGC graded and encapsulated (“slabbed.”). 2.) Any coins valued at $2,500+ must be PCGS or NGC slabbed. (JWR’s comment: Gee, do the coin grading firms make a slab big enough to hold a one kilo gold coin? And what about a 10 kilo silver coin? …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Prepper At Large suggested a free medical Expert System developed by the CD3WD Project, a free but high quality collection of practical How-To Technical Development Information. They bill their mission as: “Helping the Third World to help itself.” The site hosts 4,000 document titles filling a whopping 13 gigabytes.  All are free downloads.    o o o Earth as you’ve never seen it before: The best pictures of our planet taken from the orbiting Space Station. A couple of these photos underscore my comments on the high population density of Europe. (Thanks to R.B.S. for the link.)    o o …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 40 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 or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any …


Understanding Five Types of Electrical Losses in Alternative Power Systems, by Roger A.

“Line Loss” is often mentioned when discussing alternative energy systems, but that is just one of several significant losses. This article will describe five distinct types of losses. In an alternative energy system that incorporates a battery or battery bank, the first electrical loss is within the batteries themselves as they discharge, this is called the Puekert exponent. This loss increases with the aging of the batteries. Look at it this way: If you had a 500 gallon tank of water and you used 200 gallon a day you would have to replace 200 gallons every day or 400 gallons …


Letter Re: Defending Static Positions in a Survival Setting

Good day, Mister Rawles. Thank you, as always, for the good work you do. Regarding J.G.’s article homestead defence, it occurred to me that stand-off situations would become a likely possibility. Reasonably, a group of attackers will launch an assault on your homestead and either succeed or fail to kill/capture you. If they succeed the point is moot, but if they fail, what then? Unless their force is clustered or small you’re unlikely to kill them all. Odds are strong that after half their force (or maybe less) gets ventilated the rest will attempt to retreat. What will they do …


Letter Re: Rules of Engagement and Escalation of Force for the Armed Citizen

Recently Fox News published an article about a Hew Hampshire man being arrested on reckless endangerment for discharging a firearm into the ground as a warning shot to stop a burglar. Reading that article got me thinking about what rules of engagement and escalation of force would look like for civilians. As a former infantry officer and combat veteran of the U.S. Army, I am familiar with the Army’s rules of engagement (ROE) and the use of escalation of force (EOF). Soldiers have a clearly defined set of rules of engagement and escalation of force for different scenarios from peace-time …


Economics and Investing:

After an unexpectedly long delay, here it comes: Stivers’ steel-coin bill gets hearing in House. (2012 may be your last chance to stack up your rolls of nickels with relative ease, at face value.) Reader “AmEx” sent this: Taxmageddon coming? Answer could cost Americans $500 billion The latest in the ever-growing world of derivatives: Could the Next Investment Craze Be Hedging Marriages? Kevin S. sent this: It’s Starting To Look Like This Notorious Book On The End Of Growth Was Right Several readers sent this: 16 Reasons To Move Away From California Items from The Economatrix: More US Cities Set …


Odds ‘n Sods:

After a long interval, Ol’ Remus of The Woodpile Report again addresses the fine art of stacking woodpiles.    o o o Scientists Say Spread of Schmallenberg Virus Is ‘Warning To Europe’. (Thanks to Gregg P. for the link.)    o o o Chris M. sent this amazing tale of long-term caching: Twenty Spitfire aircraft buried in Burma during war to be returned to UK.    o o o I just heard that Levon Helm passed away. He was a man who will be missed. By coincidence, just a couple of days ago I heard a cover of the song …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou [it] for thy name’s sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee. O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man [that] turneth aside to tarry for a night? Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied, as a mighty man [that] cannot save? yet thou, O LORD, [art] in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not.” – Jeremiah 14:7-9 (KJV)


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 40 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 or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any …


Defending Static Positions in a Survival Setting, by J.G.

You’re a prepper.  You have stores of food and water, supplies, commo gear, and everything you could conceivably need in order to survive the Apocalypse.  Unfortunately, that also means that you’re a target.  Eventually everyone in the neighborhood will figure out that you and yours are maintaining your weight while everyone else in society is starving, and your neighbors will cease to behave in a neighborly way.  To say “Oh well, I guess I should have prepared” is not the human way.  They will attempt to take your provisions by force.  This is one of the primary reasons that I …


Letter Re: Firearms Laws in England

Mr. Rawles: A few years ago, my wife and I left our Texas ranch for a three month long hunting safari that took us from Africa to Scotland. We traveled with three rifles, a double in a large African caliber, a .458 Lott bolt, and .300 Winchester Magnum bolt light rifle. As we would transit Schiphol in the Netherlands both ways, I had to apply for two transit permits for the firearms and ammunition as well as for firearm permits in both Tanzania (a former British colony) and in Scotland. Even though I was a setting judge at the time, …


Economics and Investing:

G.G. flagged this “must read” piece: Taxes Prompt More Americans to Renounce Citizenship Also from G.G.:Gold bars now Italy’s fastest growing export: Italy’s exports rose last month, but only after they were boosted by a rush of gold ingots being shifted to Switzerland. Jim Willie: Golden Eye of Hurricane Tim Geithner Spills The Beans, U.S. Debt Crisis Looms   Globalization, Inflation & Taxes: 3 Key Factors That Will Destroy The Middle Class Items from The Economatrix: Zero Hedge reports: Central Banks Favour Gold as IMF Warns of “Collapse of Euro” and “Full Blown Panic in Financial Markets” Insiders Tell Jim …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Shamus H. sent this: The Power Pot. I wonder if they’ve been able to overcome the problem of TEG junctions burning out. (That has always been their weakness.)    o o o Ann Barnhardt’s speech at Liberty First. Warning: Her speech includes a bit of foul language.    o o o George S. sent a link to a fascinating video of the world’s ocean currents.    o o o F.J. sent this: Alexandria Chicken Coop and Run    o o o For those who like the British DPM camouflage pattern (which is great for most North American woodlands), SurvivalBlog reader …