Odds ‘n Sods:

Daisy Luther warns: Eight Alarming Warning Signs That Indicate War With Russia Could Be Imminent o o o John Whitehead at The Rutherford Institute:  The Imperial President’s Toolbox of Terror: A Dictatorship Waiting to Happen o o o Five Awesome Car Life Hacks




Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“I heard my country calling, away across the sea. Across the waste of waters, she calls and calls to me. Her sword is girded at her side, her helmet on her head, And around her feet are lying the dying and the dead; I hear the noise of battle, the thunder of her guns; I haste to thee, my mother, a son among thy sons. I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above,




Notes for Sunday – October 16, 2016

Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Leipzig (in 1813). This was largest battle in European warfare prior to WWI. In this battle, Napoleon’s forces were defeated by the combined forces of Prussia, Austria, and Russia. This is also the anniversary of abolitionist John Brown’s raid against the federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), in an attempt to start an armed slave revolt and destroy the institution of slavery. Although the raid failed, it inflamed sectional tensions and raised the stakes for the 1860 presidential election. Brown’s raid helped make any further accommodation between North and …




A Life Submerged: The Gray Man Existence, by A. Smith

This article explores concealment and the Gray Man mindset and lifestyle in The End of the World as We Know It (TEOTWAWKI) and survival in contemporary society. The tactics, techniques, and procedures I’ll describe are taken from a military point of view.  It is not intended as an end all. It is merely a perspective on some experiences of deployments in 30 years of service to many backwater countries.  Hopefully my shared experiences will help better understand and prepare you in case something really goes wrong with our economy, natural or man-made disaster, etc. 




Letter Re: Hurricane Matthew–Some Lessons Learned

JWR & HJL: That was another great article [on Hurricane Matthew]! A suggested alternative that I have adopted is buying a turbo diesel automobile and truck.  The benefits are simple and yet many people still have not discovered the option. Here are a few:My VW tdi as an example gets about 43 miles per gallon, so with a 15 gallon fuel tank it achieves about 600 miles plus on a  tank, and by adding three NATO style 5 gal metal cans (15 gallons total) in the trunk I have a 1,200 hundred mile cruising range. That is hard to beat. …




Economics and Investing:

We were already tipped off long ago about gold in a world of negative interest rates.  Now consider Ray Dalio’s Long-Term Debt Cycle Charts (over at Barry Ritholtz’s The Big Picture.) o o o From Mr. Econocobas: Deutsche Bank Considers Thousands More Job Cuts: Source – Keep watching this. I fully believe that they don’t want this to happen and will do everything they can to help paper it over. But if Deutsche goes down then  it will make Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers seem like just a walk in the park.  It is noteworthy that Deutsche has some of …




Odds ‘n Sods:

One of my phone consulting clients recently asked about a recommendation for a low power (QRP) high frequency (HF) AM and FM single-sideband (SSB) capable transceiver.  I suggested one of the most popular ones. It is the Yaesu FT-817ND.  It runs on 12 volts DC and is VERY compact!  (They are even used for backpacking, as seen in this video.) They are ideal for voice, CW/Morse, and digital work, and cover the Amateur 160 through 10 Meter bands, 50 MHz, 144-148 MHz (the 2 Meter band), 430-450 MHz, as well as the Alaska Emergency Channel at 5167.5 kHz.  When sending …




Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” – Matthew 24:21-24 (KJV)







Guest Article: More About Oral Rehydration Solutions, by ShepherdFarmerGeek

Editor’s Introductory Proviso: I’m not a doctor, and I don’t give medical advice. Mentions of any medicine or medical treatment is for informational purposes only and are in no way endorsed or accredited by SurvivalBlog.com, or its principals. SurvivalBlog.com is not responsible for the use or misuse of any product advertised or mentioned on the SurvivalBlog site. – JWR I read through the recent SurvivalBlog link about Baking Soda:  Why Baking Soda Can Be Essential for Rescuing Earthquake Survivors.  In earthquake rescue situations it’s given via IV to prevent kidney failure from muscle damage. Which got me thinking about treating …




Letter: Advice on How Hedge with Foreign Currencies

Mr. Rawles, You recently mentioned that you had bought some Swiss Francs, as a hedge. Back 15 years ago, I knew that the Yuan–the Communist Chinese Currency–was being held at about 1/4 (or less) of it’s real value.  I wanted to trade some US currency  into it, but couldn’t figure out ho, short of flying there and filling up a suitcase. I think many of your readers would like to know how to do currency trading. Today, I’d like to buy some British Pounds as I think the UK exiting the EU [the recent “Brexit”] will only make England’s currency …




Economics and Investing:

Charles Hugh Smith:  Please Assume Crash Positions o o o Cash is piling up faster than Warren Buffett can invest it.  Most of the mainstream media analysts seem to see Buffet’s growing cash position as crafty planning for some major acquisitions.  But I suspect that he has actually become risk averse and is putting cash on the sidelines in anticipation of a major market correction. This correction would most likely be triggered by another global credit crisis that will dwarf the 2008 crisis. I predict that when Buffett again buys stocks substantially, it will be at or near the bottom. …




Odds ‘n Sods:

Crime Statistics: Motor vehicle theft (most recent) by state.  (Take note of the correlation of the bottom-ranked states with the American Redoubt states and the adjoining western Plains states.) o o o The makers of the famous (and now copied) BedBunker gun vault have expanded their product line to include a variety of automotive gun vaults including center console vaults, under seat vaults, and most recently car trunk vaults.  Be sure to check out their web site. – JWR o o o I spotted this at Off The Grid News: The Five Best Places In America To ‘Bug Out’ When …




Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead. For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.”  – Deuteronomy 14: 1-2 (KJV)




Notes for Friday – October 14, 2016

The following article is interesting reading. Because I go by the precept that tangibles beat conceptuals, my general preference is still for precious metal coins (both bullion and numismatic), but I can also see the utility of hedging one’s portfolio a bit into Bitcoin. – JWR o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 67 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 …