Month: October 2013

Economics and Investing:

Happy 100th Anniversary, Federal Income Tax. [JWR’s Comment: Both the Federal Reserve banking cartel and the Federal income tax are at the One Century mark. Just imagine what America could have been like, without them!] Texas eliminates sales tax on precious metals coins Treasury warns default could be worse than Great Recession. Items from The Economatrix: World Bank Whistleblower Karen Hudes Reveals How The Global Elite Rule The World The Connection Between Government Shutdown & Customer Deposit Grabs Dollar Pressured By U.S. Politics, Global Stocks Flatline


Odds ‘n Sods:

I heard about a great maker of Kydex holsters and other gear in Dallas, Oregon: Survival Sheath Systems.    o o o For AR owners who have a yen for gadgets: Deployable Compact Armorers Tool    o o o Pierre M. sent: Desperate MSM Moves to Kill Off Article Comments    o o o Buried deep in a Stars and Stripes article about new grooming and tattoo standards for soldiers, was mention that the U.S. Army intends to adopt a Multicam variant for their standard issue utility uniform.    o o o James C. suggested: 17 Great Ways to Utilize …



Notes from JWR:

Today is the birthday of the late Charlton Heston (born in 1923 as John Charles Carter,) a well-known American actor and past president of the NRA. He died April 5, 2008. — 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.) …


Loading Your Own Ammunition, by Ken in Montana

With the current shortage of ammunition and the consequent high prices, it makes more sense now than ever before to learn how to reload your own fired brass casings.  I even suspect that in the future, this may well be the only way for the ordinary citizen to obtain ammunition. It’s not at all difficult, it only requires a little understanding of the process, and the ability to follow directions. This will become very important later, as each caliber requires its own set of powders, charges, primers, and bullets. No one can learn them all, there are millions of potential …


Letter Re: Prepping and a Terminal Cancer Diagnosis

JWR, We’ve been preppers since the late 1970s when we were living in a New Jersey seaside apartment and our long term food was stored under furniture in a 400 square foot apartment.  After that a job relocation to a more rural area enabled us to buy a 35 acre fixer-upper farm where we lived for 16 years and learned how to garden, raise livestock, heat with wood, and become generally self-sufficient.  Then we bought our second rundown farm in upstate New York (we were suckers for fixing up dilapidated farmhouses) and started up a commercial sheep operation on 360 …


Economics and Investing:

Market anxiety: Stocks tank, CDS derivatives spike… Reader H.W. sent: Here’s How Much The Obamacare Penalty Tax Will Cost You… Mike Adams: Continued shutdown, paralyzed politicians reveal just how close the U.S. government is to total collapse We are also warned: McAfee: Exchanges Will Become Target Of Hackers And Identity Thieves The World Over US shutdown worries world media Items from The Economatrix: Government Shutdown: The Next Step In The Collapse Of The Dollar? Detroit Defaults On More Than $600 Million Of ‘Unsecured’ GO Bonds Postal Service Defaults On $5.6 Billion Payment


Odds ‘n Sods:

An early winter? Winter Storm Atlas Forecast: Snow to Impact Montana, Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Western Nebraska ?    o o o Reader “MM1” suggested this well-reasoned piece by Ross Gilmore: Living Off The Land: Delusions and Misconceptions About Hunting and Gathering    o o o H.L. was the first of several readers to send this: Fencing coach uses sword to foil robbery    o o o Dr. Koelker, SurvivalBlog’s Medical Editor is offering some more Survival Medicine classes with suturing, casting, minor surgery, office labs, radiation threats, and much more. The dates are: October 18-20 and November 15-17, 2013. …



Notes from JWR:

Thanks for making the Book Bomb Day for my novel Expatriates a great success. The book peaked at #22 overall on Amazon, yesterday morning. There has been a delay in the release of the Kindle version of the novel in the UK, But it is available in the US, Canada, Ireland, and continental Europe. And while the downloadable version of the audiobook is not yet available, the MP3 CD-ROM can now be ordered. (The audio book was wonderfully narrated by Eric G. Dove.) Thanks for your patience, folks. — I was saddened to hear of the death of Tom Clancy, …


Thoughts on Preparedness, by Mom in the Colorado Rockies

Thoughts on Preparedness, by Mom in the Colorado Rockies Most of us have it down to a science on what we are going to do every morning. Wake up, grumble at the alarm clock, stagger in for coffee, etc. You know what time you need to leave to get to work on time, and maybe squeeze in a drive thru run for coffee or a breakfast biscuit. Muddle through the work day and pray for it to hurry by so you can fight traffic and get home in time for dinner, baths for the kids and vegetate in front of …


Letter Re: Basic Mechanics Skill and Knowing Vehicular Limitations

Dear JWR, Instead of a breaker bar, which while good to have is large and hard to store, I’ve found extendable lug nut wrenches to be the ideal compromise.  Easily twice as strong as the much thinner wrenches that come with the vehicle. The only caveat is that I’d recommend a long/deep wall socket that’s the precise size of your lugs to ensure you don’t damage and/or jam or lug nuts inside your socket… I’ve tried both the Torin (sold at Wal-Mart stores) and the Grizzly (sold by Amazon.com) with satisfactory success.  Both are over 20″ extended, and even slightly …


Economics and Investing:

The Dreaded D Word: Treasury taking final steps to avoid default Blackstone Investor Sees ‘Epic’ Credit Bubble Frequent contributor H.L. sent this: ‘It’s not life, it’s survival’: Crisis-hit Portuguese forced to live in communes Silk Road site and DPR’s Bitcoins seized. (Thanks to J.B.G. for the link.) Items from The Economatrix: Peter Schiff Was Right Part Deux: The “Taper” Edition Markets Are Crumbling All Around The World As Government Shutdown Gets Close This Will Create A Horrific Collapse That Will Shock The World


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader RBS mentioned a site with some great data on vacuum tubes: TubeBooks.org    o o o Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) spotted this: Mind Blown: Remote Control Sturmgewehr 44 In Syria    o o o What’s so special about John Moses Browning?    o o o Lee M. spotted this: Fifty Free Farmstead eBooks    o o o My novel Expatriates is now available for Nook e-reader owners.    o o o H.L. sent: Meanwhile in Sudan: Fuel riots, a hiring spree of ex-Soviet air mercenaries and preparations for war