Economics and Investing:

More Evidence That The Middle Class In America Is Dying o o o JWR has been warning about this for years: $1.5 Quadrillion Derivatives Bomb And The Great Financial Disaster Sent in by RBS o o o Items from the Economics Team: 10 Signs You’re Not as Rich as You Could Be (Huffington Post) Dear Dave & Teaching Teens to Budget (Dave Ramsey) 18 Tips for Extreme Penny Pinching (Life Hack) Saudi Arabia Broke In 5 Years? (Zero Hedge) \




Odds ‘n Sods:

The nightmare continues: Is Ebola Emerging Once Again in Sierra Leone? (Reuters) Sent in by T.A. o o o Hmm, ever get the feeling that someone knows something you don’t? Job listing in Idaho: Ebola Coordinator. Sent in by GJM o o o When Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for merely showing up, I thought the world had lost its collective mind. How could it possibly sink any lower in the scale of honor? I had to ask!Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe awarded ‘China’s Nobel peace prize’ Sent in by T.P. (For those who don’t remember, Mugabe was/is known for …







Notes for Thursday – October 22, 2015

Seed for Security, LLC is having a sale on their Colossal Security Pack, offering 15% off. There is a total of seven pounds of vegetable, grain and herb seeds, all open pollinated and non GMO. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 61 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value), A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course …




What We Lack In Training Can Be An Advantage- Part 2, by R.W.

Unfortunately, when we talk about FM and defense, we are probably going to wind up taking it up a notch to talk about guns and, of course, which guns are best for a WROL situation. Tons of articles abound about this topic, but suffice it to say I believe it is our duty to have a weapon or weapons and be people who are trained and proficient at using them effectively. Though the adage says “He who runs away will live to play another day,” that may not always be an option; if confrontation can be avoided and if use …




Letter: Sassafras FDA info incorrect

HJL, The information from G.G. that referenced Sloan Kettering’s info on FDA banning Sassafras, is incorrect . In fact, Sassafras is used in food and can be purchased as a tea online from Pappy’s in Ohio. The food safe version is Safrole free; it is the oil that is carcinogenic. – Annie in Amish country Sassafras Still brewed the old fashion way from sassafras root bark (Sassafras albidum). Pappy’s Sassafras Tea is also very healthy for you as it is Safrole Free, Caffeine Free, Sugar Free, contains 0 Carbohydrates and Less than 1 Calorie per serving! From Pubchem: PubChem CID: …




Economics and Investing:

Sent in by T.P. Bank’s severance deal requires IT workers to be “on call” for two years Then, of course, the question becomes “how do you enforce the terms of the deal?” o o o SurvivalBlog reader B.B. sent in this article showing a comparison of age/savings/expectations: Confusion, Delusions & Illusions o o o Items from the Economics Team: 52 Ways to Save $100 Per Year (Money Saving Mom) Hint: Scroll Down and You’ll Discover Links for the Weekly Installment Articles Governor of the Bank of Italy Investigated for Fraud and Corruption (Business Insider) Writing is on the Wall for …




Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog reader T.P. sent in an excellent article on The Men Who Won The Battle Of King’s Mountain (Captains Journal) The article is well worth the read and asks the question “Do such men exist today?” Thought provoking. o o o Reader K wonders about the motto “To Protect and Serve” when it is found that the NYPD is using mobile X rays on unknown targets. (The Atlantic) o o o A concealed handgun license is no longer needed in Maine (USA Carry)- Sent in by D.S. o o o The Rutherford Institute has an article showing that if you …







Notes for Wednesday – October 21, 2015

Safecastle is currently having a Future Essentials sale with up to 38% off dozens of long-term canned varieties, from Strawberry Banana Smoothie Mix and Costa Rican Green Coffee Beans to LuRPs and Pilot Bread Crackers. The sale runs one week only. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 61 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value), …




What We Lack In Training Can Be An Advantage- Part 1, by R.W.

As the title states, when it comes to having military, practical, or tactical training, many of us may feel at a loss when realizing we have not had any military, LE, or tactical training. For a fair amount of the population this is true. We are basically “every man” average Joes, who may or may not have done some thinking and purchasing as well as planning for home self-defense. Maybe you are fortunate enough to have some formal training in weapons and self defense, but even so I want us to begin thinking both in an out-of-the-box way about how …




Letter Re: On the Golden Horde

Good day, Mr Rawles. It’s been a while since I’ve written to you or submitted anything, almost half a decade, in fact. How time flies. At any rate, having approached prepping from many angles for near a decade now, I wanted to share an opinion about the much-discussed Golden Horde. People seem infatuated with the idea of predicting what the uninitiated will do when a civilization-ending calamity occurs. “People will stay put,” says one. “People will flood out of the city,” says another. Bitter arguments ensue, neither recognizing that the very fact that they’re arguing indicates that they’re both right …




Economics and Investing:

Items from The Economics Team: In Latest Humiliation For Illinois, Fitch Downgrades State’s Credit Rating To BBB+ (Zerohedge) Tennessee County Closes Schools, a Casualty of the Cost of Obamacare (The Tennessean) People want to spend money, even money they don’t have… (My budget 360) Robert Shiller is Shilling for Socialism (Mises Institute) Saudi Arabia Delays Contractor Payments to Preserve Cash (Zero Hedge) Can Charter Schools and Suburbanites Reverse Chicago’s Economic Woes? (George Will via LenConnect) o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Death of a Patriot at the Hands of Corrupt Government – Irwin Schiff WalMart Suppliers Brace For The …







Odds ‘n Sods:

It’s All Greek To Me! I just noticed that there is a Greek edition of my Penguin book How To SurvIve The End Of The World As We Know It in print. That seems quite apropos, since the Greek economy is now cratering, and most of the citizenry has resorted to bartering to meet most of their basic needs. See: Odigos epiviosis gia to telos tou kosmou opos ton xeroume. (Folks can put that on the shelf alongside their Bulgarian edition: Kak da otseleem sled kraya na sveta takav, kakavto go poznavame … and Korean – JWR o o o …