Year: 2013

Economics and Investing:

20 States With the Most and Least Mortgage Debt (With the exception of Washington, the American Redoubt States are looking good.) Jim Rickards discusses his Currency Wars book and his expectation for endless monetization of the U.S. Dollar. Reader B.F. recommended a reputable and well-established supplier of gold and silver bullion: OnlyGold.com. Michael C. mentioned this about coupon clipping: Why Consumers May Be on a Crash Course Items from The Economatrix: If Masses Lose Confidence In The Currency… US Stocks Slide As Italy, Sequestration Hit Jobless, Cities Could Be First To Feel Budget Pain Is Rebound In Housing Creating Another …


Odds ‘n Sods:

I heard that Pantry Paratus is running a sale on Tattler reusable canning lids, for a limited time. The discount $1.25 per box and you get free box of gaskets when you get 10 or more boxes of a single size. The discount and bonus shows up at checkout. Stock up!    o o o Granny Miller recently posted a very useful piece: Treadle Sewing Machine Advice    o o o The folks at Ready Made Resources mentioned that they have some scarce AR parts back in stock, including some quite in-demand AR-15 stripped lower receivers for $189.95 (must ship …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 45 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 …


A Primer on Guns for Survival, by The Last New Jersey Conservative

Before his untimely demise, survivalist author Mel Tappan wrote his book Survival Guns some four decades ago, yet it still remains the authoritative source on the topic.  Mel also wrote columns for various magazines, expanding upon his previous writings and clarifying some concepts.  It is those columns and articles which formed the basis of not only this essay, but also leaving what is now an indelible impression upon my thought process for the same subject.  Mel Tappan had a rifle as his first acquisition and a shotgun as his third acquisition; I flip flopped it for this piece due to …


The Anniversary of Operation Gunnerside

The night of February 27/28 2013 is the 70th anniversary of the successful raid on the Nazi heavy water production facility near Rjukan, Norway, known in its final culminating phase as Operation Gunnerside. The precision strike on the only heavy water facility under the Third Reich’s control effectively set Hitler’s quest for an atomic bomb back a year, forcing Nazi scientists to ski a huge penalty loop in a race with the Allies, to borrow an appropriate biathlon analogy. A follow-on operation put the last nail in the lid of the coffin of the Germans’ heavy water production capability. The …


One Absurdity of Gun Registration: Criminals Are Exempt

The mass media is still all atwitter with talk of “closing the gun show loophole” and “universal background checks.” These phrases are tossed about without concern to their true intent: a de facto system of gun registration in these United States. I am dead set against any form of registration, since the history of the 20th Century showed countless times that registration leads to eventual confiscation. There is one other inherent problem with gun registration schemes that is often ignored: that is that it only applies to law-abiding citizens. By virtue of established case law and cemented with an 8-1 …


Letter Re: The Water Filter Quest

Dear Jim; I can contribute to the water filter research.  I have been a student of the subject for about 45 years depending on where I start counting.  I could tell a lot of great tales about things I have seen out in the world of water but most the people would question my truthfulness making these tales go better around the firepit.    Many people misunderstand Charcoal filters and their usefulness.  In practical terms, they are useful for water that is contaminated with pesticides, complex nasty chemicals, or maybe a tiny bit of Hydrocarbon (Oil, Gasoline) pollution.  If you can taste anything like that, start looking …


Economics and Investing:

US Dollar Collapse? Here Are 9 Ways It Could Happen Half of Detroit property owners don’t pay taxes. (Thanks to J.B.G. for the link.) Meanwhile, in Stockton, California: Some residents struggle to pay property taxes Items from The Economatrix: IMF:  World Economy Could End As We Know It … Christine Lagarde: “2013 Will Be Make Or Break” Waking Dreams End Unpleasantly US Already In Technical Default


Odds ‘n Sods:

Over at Instructables: 10 Minute Oil Lamp    o o o Five aircraft carriers simultaneously in one port! Photo caption: “The first time since WWII that five aircraft carriers were docked together. The nuclear powered USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), USS Enterprise (CVN 65), USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), and USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) are all in port at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, the world’s largest naval station.” Don’t they remember Pearl Harbor?    o o o Camouflage Your AR-15    o o o Texas, Mississippi seek to lure gun and …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 45 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 …


Dispelling Some Homeschooling Myths, by Lori R.

The Boston Tea Party was a terrorist act—or so it is characterized in the 6th grade curriculum widely used in my beloved state of Texas.  The Pledge of Allegiance—in Arabic?   The national anthem—well, some schools have banned it for being “too offensive…”   At least the flag is still there—oh, wait, that’s the Mexican flag…Speaking of flags, let’s design a flag—for a new Socialist country.  Why is patriotism under attack in America’s public school system? Better yet, why are kids under attack in America’s public school system?  Hugs are banned as a form of sexual harassment, yet condoms and STD screenings …


Auction Update: PVS-14 Gen 3+ Night Vision Scope to Benefit C.R.O.S.S. Ministries

CURRENT BID is $3,000 (Bid by Reader D.J.G.) Simply e-mail us your bids. I will post regular updates on the bidding. The final deadline will be Midnight EST on Monday, March 11, 2013. Thanks for your generous bids in support of C.R.O.S.S. Ministries. We are continuing a benefit auction of a brand new AN/PVS-14 Gen 3+ Night Vision Scope. All proceeds (100% of your bid) will be donated to C.R.O.S.S. Ministries. (A very worthy Christian ministry that is sharing the Gospel of Christ in South Sudan. Their outreach method is unique: They are teaching rural villagers tactical marksmanship, water purification, …


Letter Re: The Federal Reserve’s Inauspicious 100th Anniversary

Captain Rawles, The inflation calculator that you linked to is way off. If you punch in five cents it returns $1.16. [JWR Adds: This is because their calculator uses "official" CPI data, which is badly skewed.]   In 1913 it cost five cents for a loaf of bread. I would love to find a store that sells a loaf of bread for $1.16 today.   Being a master of Excel, I played around with this a few months ago. It turns out that a loaf of bread costs about $4.00. An increase from five cents to four dollars is an …