Month: December 2013

Preparedness and Divorce, by Dan in Montana

“We” had been prepping since Y2K, reading, watching, canning, storing, organizing, teaching and moving to the North West Montana mountains. A Monday morning knock at the door three months ago changed everything.  At the door was a court appointed clerk serving me divorce papers. The crash I felt was not the economy or a gale force wind blowing down my house.  My entire world had just collapsed around me. For me the TEOTWAWKI just occurred. It took hours to orientate myself, stop my head from spinning, re-read the court papers and try to accept what had happened. My wife of …


Five Letters Re: Storing Whiskey For Barter

Howdy Captain, Reading the other remarks about storing whiskey for barter made me chuckle, I’ve got a different take on this subject. We’re a dry household, always have been, just no need for that stuff. Life is pretty amazing when you’re sober, why miss a minute of it under the influence of anything. But, I’ve kept two bottles of Jack Daniels stored very prominently in our pantry for many years, and they’re located in a place that makes them impossible to overlook. We live in out in the sticks, and the idea is that if anyone breaks into the house …


Economics and Investing:

Reader Bob C. notes “…an interesting divergence between risk money (hedge funds), smart money (institutions) and dumb money (retail investors)”: Institutions Have Been Dumping Billions Of Dollars Of Stocks All Year, But Now The Selling Is Really Accelerating. (At the same time that some middle class suckers are borrowing money to buy over-valued stocks, the smart money is heading for the hills!) It Will Implode: “We Will See The Demise of the Dollar” Items from The Economatrix: ‘Underground’ Economy Signals Soft Growth US Car Sales Jump In November Expect Devastating Global Economic Changes In 2014


Odds ‘n Sods:

“The Brit” sent the latest from Nanny State Britannia: Cycling Furiously: Concessions over civil liberties may be needed to create happy relations between cyclists, motorists and pedestrians. Here is a quote …”While I have always opposed mandatory cycle registration and licensing, I think the time is right to require a radio frequency ID chip to be fitted in all bikes used on on city streets so that Highway Code offenders could be identified automatically or by suitably equipped police officers. The scheme could be tied in with mandatory insurance and training. And, yes, an element of road taxation. In time, …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 50 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $9,400+ worth of 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.) …


Improvising PPE by Louie in Ohio

This article is mainly about improvising Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). I have been employed for over 36 years by an international coatings company. I have held several positions in different areas of our plant, including production, maintenance, and raw materials. I also have 35+ years in the field of Industrial Emergency Response. The last few years I have been an instructor for our Emergency Response Team (ERT). Some of the topics we deal with are firefighting, Haz-mat, Medical response, and rescue. Participating with the Team has been both educational and enjoyable as we develop a closeness and brotherhood (and recently …


Letter Re: The Clueless Hordes

The first snow of the season fell a few weeks ago at my location. It wasn’t much, about 2 inches of heavy wet snow in the course of half a day and another inch expected to fall in the evening. Toward the end of the afternoon my sister dropped by for a visit and shortly before she arrived she noticed a couple of kids leaning on their bicycles at the side of the road. She stopped to see if everything was okay and mentioned to them they could stop by at our place it they needed help. A little later …


Economics and Investing:

Icelanders Overthrow Government and Rewrite Constitution After Banking Fraud – No Word From US Media Which Currency Is Up Over 9000% This Year and Sells for Almost as Much as an Ounce of Gold? JWR’s Comments: I’ve been recommending the use of Bitcoin since May of 2011. $100 put into Bitcoin at that time would now be worth thousands. Of course Bitcoin is virtual, so it should not be confused with genuine money (like gold or silver), which has inherent practical value. But at least there is a finite limit for the world supply of Bitcoin, which is more than …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Don’t try this at home: How to jumpstart a car’s battery with AK47s. (Thanks to Mike Williamson for the link.)    o o o Reader S.O.L. spotted this warning of a potential power grid collapse in The Los Angeles Times: Power struggle: Green energy versus a grid that’s not ready    o o o Gwok’s Gulch? Mysterious China-themed ‘city’ proposed in New York’s Catskills. (Thanks to Pierre for the link.)    o o o The Tehama County Board of Supervisors voted 4 to 1 to place the Declaration and Petition to withdraw from the State of California on the June …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"An Avidity to punish is always dangerous to liberty. It leads men to stretch, to misinterpret, and to misapply even the best of laws. He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he a establishes a precedent that will reach to himself." – Thomas Paine (1795)



A Conversation with a TEOTWAWKI Survivor, by Rachel M.

It’s not every day I get the chance to visit with a TEOTWAWKI survivor – but when I do, I listen up. That opportunity presented itself yesterday, when I was privileged to interview Paul. An individual of small frame yet sizeable strength of mind and determination, Paul experienced the end of the world he knew and lived to help create a new one. Not only did he survive the collapse, but he proved to be a key leader and connector in his community as it struggled through the extended period of political upheaval, economic failure, widespread violence, and nefarious pillaging. …


Two Letters Re: Storing Whiskey For Barter

Mr. Rawles, The letter from Tom R. raised the question of stockpiling alcohol for trade.  While I have no moral opposition to alcohol consumption, and even keep a stock of wine and spirits for my own use, there are some practical drawbacks to stocking alcohol for barter.   First, unless a person has unlimited funds and storage space, it seems foolhardy to stock quantities of items which will not be used or consumed (precious metals excepted) in the normal course of daily post-SHTF activities.   A more rational course of action would be to stock quantities that would be used within the …


Economics and Investing:

The Twenty First Century Abolitionist Project: Slavery and Taxation by Bill Buppert John Mauldin: The Same People Who Brought Us The Great Financial Crisis Have Created A Dangerous New Paradigm: The Arsonists Are Running The Fire Brigade Puerto Rico, with at least $70 billion in debt, confronts a rising economic misery Items from The Economatrix: Wow – The Holiday Shopping Season Is Off To A Horrible Start The Average American Is Broke And Buying Things They Cannot Afford With Debt Again. Debt Based Consumer Financing Again Filling The Gap Of A Shrinking Middle Class. 15 Signs That We Are Near …