Month: August 2013

Letter Re: Donkeys and Mules

In response to Crazy As A Fox’s recommendation of donkeys as a potential multi-purpose survival animal, I would argue that everything positive aspect of donkeys noted can also be said of mules (the product of a male donkey and female horse).  They have the additional benefit of being less stubborn, faster, and more intelligent than donkeys. Working at a Christian dude ranch in Colorado, I had the opportunity to ride mules on a daily basis and can vouch for their amiability as well as their refusal to put their rider or themselves in danger which makes them particularly suited for …


Economics and Investing:

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: Just set fire to Japan’s quadrillion debt Bitcoins can be used as money…and fall under the jurisdiction of securities laws, judge rules Currency Markets: The Next Crisis Has Begun Items from The Economatrix: Retail Sales: Don’t Look to July for Guidance on December Visualizing The Collapse In US Job Security During The Best Period Of Economic Growth In U.S. History There Was No Income Tax And No Federal Reserve


Odds ‘n Sods:

Another Secure Email Service, Silent Circle, Is Shutting Down    o o o Reader J. McC. sent: Scientists Disclose Plans To Make Superflu In Labs    o o o I missed this article when it ran back in June: 1 in 12 on Bloomberg’s gun victims list are crime suspects killed by police or armed citizens acting in self-defense. Oh, and and speaking of Mayor Mikey, another one of Bloomberg’s gun-grabbing mayors is under suspicion: Stockton Mayor is under Peeping Tom investigation as city goes through bankruptcy. And, meanwhile, we read more about the sexcapades of San Diego’s mayor, “Filthy …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with [their] eyes, and hear with [their] ears, and understand with …


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 48 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course. (A $1,195 value.) 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 …


Prepping for Our New Reality, by D.&M.

[Editor’s Introductory Note: I sometimes receive quite lengthy articles that are mix of great practical information and extended political narratives. In such cases I sometimes opt to edit out the particularly ranty sections. Where I have done so, you will see: “[Some deleted, for brevity]“. My apologies, but to make an article of this length readable, editorial discretion is a must. Furthermore, I have to recognize that all politics are local. Since SurvivalBlog is a publication with an international readership, I feel obliged to chop out political discourses that would be of little or no interest to my readers in …


Economics and Investing:

Reader Joe G. sent this: China faces its worst economic crisis: water Massive jump in people who renounced US citizenship last quarter Items from The Economatrix: Eminent Domain and Underwater Mortgages: Solving the Municipal Fiscal Crisis Why the U.S. Economy Deserves a “B-” Grade Three Reasons the Walmart Empire Is Collapsing


Odds ‘n Sods:

Some pointed commentary from Claire Wolfe: America’s UberGovernment. And the rest of us.    o o o Here is something new: The Ron Paul Channel    o o o The Pseudo-Republican: Chris Christie Signs 10 Gun Bills Into Law. The article states: “One of the new laws will disqualify any person on the federal terrorist watch list from obtaining firearms identification cards or permits to purchase handguns.” Later, the article notes: “Civil liberties advocates have criticized the watch list for its secrecy. The list is not public, nor can one petition to have his name removed from it. There were …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city. And the city shall be accursed, [even] it, and all that [are] therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that [are] with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. And ye, in any wise keep [yourselves] from the accursed thing, lest ye make [yourselves] accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a …


Notes from JWR:

Today is the birthday of James Paris Lee (born 1831, died February 24, 1904.) He was a Scottish-Canadian and later American inventor and arms designer, best known for inventing the bolt action that led to the Lee-Metford and Lee-Enfield series of rifles. — Today we present another entry for Round 48 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course. (A $1,195 value.) B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of …


Am I Crazy?, by Crazy As A Fox

I am a Vice President o a very successful company in the western side of the Midwest.  I am in my early 60s, and after 30 plus years with the company – I will retire in next year or so with no debt, a good retirement plan, stable lifestyle – no worries, right?  So, why do some of those around me think I’m crazy (even me sometimes)?  Here’s my story.   I grew up a farm boy working the family farm with my grandma and grandpa, old school Swede – German homesteaders – milking cows, slopping hogs, baling hay, walking beans, driving tractors, gathering eggs, and yes, shoveling S#%*.  Small rural …


Letter Re: Privatizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?

Sir, It occurs to me that the sudden desire to “privatize” Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae is simply a way to deploy the wet ink dollars out of the Fed and big banks without overwhelming the money supply. We all know what would happen if those dollars entered the mainstream market place. This just seems to me to be yet another ploy to stall the inevitable, but I haven’t seen anyone else talking about that. Am I missing something? – Big Jon JWR Replies: You are essentially correct. The majority of the U.S. Dollars that have been magically created by …


Letter Re: In-House Storage Lockers or Cabinets?

Captain Rawles, I have a question about military wall lockers. I have searched high and low trying to locate some military wall lockers for gear storage but have been unable to find any as you mentioned in your novel “Patriots”. I was just wondering if you had any ideas where I might be able to find some. Thanks for any help you can give me in this area or any alternatives you can suggest.  Thanks, – Tony from Texas  JWR Replies: Any large steel lockers or cabinets with solid backs and tight-fitting doors will do.  The crucial thing for storing your …


Economics and Investing:

Why we can kiss the US economy goodbye (Wayne Allyn Root) Our friend Tam (over at the great View From The Porch blog) wittily refers to this movie as “Occupy L5”: ‘Elysium’ director Neill Blomkamp, star Matt Damon deny movie has political agenda No Great Surprise Department: U.S. Congress wins relief on Obamacare health plan subsidies. (Congress almost always exempts themselves from their socialist schemes.) Items from The Economatrix: Chain Reaction of Breakdowns in Progress–Dr. Jim Willie Gold Markets Get Strange – Is Economic Danger Near? Job Market Faces New Problem, Hitting One Unlucky Group Really Hard


Odds ‘n Sods:

“How could anyone possibly need more than a 10 round magazine?” Well, for instance: Alaska man kills charging bear with assault rifle    o o o Scarcity inspires creative “reinvention” and “technological disobedience”: Cuba’s DIY Inventions from 30 Years of Isolation. (Thanks to M.R. in Kansas for the link.)    o o o Sun Will Flip Its Magnetic Field Soon. (We are at solar maximum, but it is a relatively weak maximum, for this 11-year cycle But the big Carrington-size flares can happen, regardless.)    o o o H7N9 bird flu in likely China spread between people, researchers find. (Of …