Year: 2012

Economics and Investing:

CME Declares Force Majeure at Manhattan Gold Depository. JWR’s Comment: This could have been–and eventually may be–much worse. When will people ever learn? There is no proper substitute for holding precious metals in your own possession. J.B.G. sent this news from England: People who eat doughnuts for breakfast should be charged for prescriptions, says Tory MP Stocks dead, bonds deader till 2022: Pimco US Power Grid Vulnerable to Just About Everything   Ten Reasons to be Wary of US Energy Independence Claims Gun Shoppers Joined Other Black Friday Shoppers In Record Numbers Items from The Economatrix: Morgan Stanley’s Doom Scenario:  …


Odds ‘n Sods:

James C. sent: How To Use Mason Jars With a Blender    o o o Miller: Crimes of gun-grabbing mayors    o o o Reader V.L. suggested this: How to Use a Flashlight in a Tactical Situation    o o o Kevin S. liked this piece by one of my heroes, Dr. Walter Williams, wherein he explains the myth of “price gouging”: Disaster Ignorance (But of course it is important to be charitable in the midst of disasters.



Notes from JWR:

Badger Peak has announced multiple Buy One, Give One (BOGO) product offerings to benefit Christian Reformed Outreach, South Sudan (C.R.O.S.S.). The BOGO product offerings are all of their Otis brand gun cleaning kits and all sizes of Gun Butter firearms lubricants. For each one that you buy, an identical one will be sent to distribute free of charge to villagers in South Sudan. I encourage other gear vendors to make similar BOGO matching offers. Particularly needed are earth tone or Multicam magazine pouches (AK and HK-G3), canteens with covers, hydration packs, first aid kits, wound dressings, tourniquets, rifle slings, and …


Christmas Gifts for the Young Prepper, by Karyn S.

Is everyone geared up for Christmas shopping? On the first day of Christmas my five children receive presents from their parents, grandparents, and friends and by the twelfth day of Christmas….well, the presents begin earning the label of junk, lying in the basement or being “played with” by the dog and chickens in the backyard. Every year I declare I will not buy anymore useless, plastic toys – and this year I mean it! Lest I sound too much like the Grinch, rest assured that I love giving the kids presents. I love thinking about just the right gift for …


Letter Re: Advice on Disaster Pet Euthanasia

Mr. Rawles, I am constantly impressed by the wealth of information that I am able to find on your web site and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and all involved for the work you do on this.  I was also wondering if you, or your readers, might be able to help me out with a certain, unsavory aspect of my preps.   Currently, our family is overseas in a country where we are required to maintain an evacuation plan and needed supplies at all time.  I am wholly on-board with this and have done this, …


Odds ‘n Sods:

SGT just posted this video: The Madness of a Lost Society 3. (It includes a few sound bites from JWR.) F.G. sent this by William Baldwin of Forbes: Do You Live In A “Death Spiral” State? Items from The Economatrix: Good-bye Petrodollar, Hello Agri-Dollar? Outline On Collapse End Game China Launching Gold-Backed Global Currency


Odds ‘n Sods:

“Sell your garment, and buy one”: Churches offer concealed weapons training. (Thanks to Stephen M. for the link.)    o o o Steve H. mentioned a portable high volume water filter, using a 12 VDC pump.    o o o Five Different Shelf Life Studies: Two on Canned Food and Three on Dry Food    o o o From loyal contributor R.B.S.: U.S. food banks raise alarm as drought dents government supplies    o o o R.B.S. also spotted this tutorial: Waxing Cheese for Storage



Notes from JWR:

Keep Shooting (one of our advertisers) had a phone system problem on Monday that was caused by an errant backhoe operator severing their phone lines. This inopportunely happened right in the middle of their Cyber Monday sale. So they’ve decided to briefly extend the special sale prices. Check out the deals, right away! — 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 …


Family-Scale Permaculture Gardening, by Tod P.

I started trying to grow my own food, on a small scale, about 10 years ago.  Only this year, did I really begin to see the possibility of growing most of what we need to feed our family.  I have learned to garden through a combination of books, experimentation and tips from others.  I would like to share some of my education and sources so that others can ramp up to self-sufficiency faster than the time it took me.  Permaculture.  Previous SurvivalBlog contributors have mentioned the term “permaculture”.  It is a general term that describes (mostly) self-sustaining production through diversity, …


Letter Re: Population Density, Traffic and Getting Out of Dodge

Mr. Rawles: During the recent Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I drove from my house, to my brother’s a mere 270 miles, a mere 4 to 4-1/2hrs drive. With accidents and construction, it took almost 8 hours. And it was in both directions, North and Southbound. I was perplexed at the mass confusion, weaving in and out, driving over medians to get to the access/frontage road to get ahead of others, only to find out that that road went off in another direction or dead ended.   Coming home on Sunday I saw 15 accidents in a 20 mile stretch, one accident …


Letter Re: Safe Carry of a Gas Can in a Car Trunk

James, Regarding the ability to store a fuel reserve onboard the vehicle;  Before your readers consider an expensive custom military fuel tank (which may not meet DOT standards), they many want to consider an option that is already approved by the DOT and is very affordable.   As a race car and off-road truck enthusiast I’ve participated in many events where cars/trucks must meet Department of Transportation (DOT) certification before the vehicle can compete.  A majority of the “modified” vehicles run gasoline and use aftermarket fuel tanks of various sizes.  Depending on the style of racing many of the tanks …


News From The American Redoubt:

Reader J.T. in Montana wrote to mention: “I went to my first ever Black Friday sale at Wal-Mart Thursday night, in Ponderay, Idaho. [Near Sandpoint.] The place was crowded and lines were long waiting for certain items. Everyone I saw excused each other as they moved through the crowds. We stood and passed the time discussing with those around us how good it is to live in such a great place and to be blessed enough to even be able to buy things we need or want. We never heard anyone raise their voice nor did we see anything but …


Economics and Investing:

Morgan Stanley’s Doom Scenario: Major Recession in 2013 Jim W. sent this: Iran Accepts Payment in Gold to Get Around Sanctions Marc Faber – Before The Collapse US Will Go To War. (Thanks to B.B. for the link.) R.B.S. sent: There Is Only One Thing That Can Save Japan Now: Inflation Items from The Economatrix: Unemployment Benefits, Payroll Tax Cut Really At Risk Of Going Over The Cliff Stock Market Set To Sell-Off This Week; Argentina Nearing Technical Default, Etc. Marc Faber:  Before The Collapse, The US Will Go To War This Move In Gold And Silver Will Shock People