Economics and Investing:

Genius: FATCA has brought in just $13.5 billion in revenue on a cost of $1 trillion o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Investors ‘Go Bananas’ for Gold Bars as Global Stock Markets Tumble – Getting more serious by the day. Yellen on Negative Rates: ‘We Wouldn’t Take Those Off the Table’ – You bet your biscuits, negative rates are not off the table. However, they have painted themselves in a corner, without an “event” that provides the cover to say, “Well things were going great until XYZ event, which was totally unforeseen and unpredictable.” Items from Professor Preponomics: US …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Hooray! We’ve surpassed 80 million unique visits! Thanks for your loyal readership of SurvivalBlog. Please continue to spread the word via our Link to Us page, and we are now listed on Top Prepper Sites. Make sure you cast a vote there so that others will know where to get the most reliable and practical information. We appreciate your support! o o o From the desk of Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large: It is very important, if one must use Facebook or other social media, that one NOT put personal information such as phone number, address, or birthday on …



Notes for Thursday – February 11, 2016

February 11th is the birthday of the late Burt Blumert (born February 11, 1929 in New York City, died March 30, 2009). He once owned Camino Coin Company (as did Dr. Ron Paul). JWR was a Camino Coin Company customer, starting back in the late 1980s, and can remember Burt personally helping him dolly out his first purchase of 100-ounce Englehard bars. That was back when they cost just $580 each. Those were the days! o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 63 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this …


Letter Re: Constitutional Carry

Hugh, I noted the entry in SurvivalBlog.com today about Idaho seeking passage of a “Constitutional Carry” bill. Here in West Virginia, with great grassroots mail, email, and phone support, as well as attendance at the capitol in Charleston, a similar bill passed last year in both the House and Senate, only to be vetoed by the governor in the final week of the legislative session, leaving “no time” to override the veto. This year the measure got an earlier start, and hopefully we will get it passed and manage to override the promised veto in time for the end of …


Economics and Investing:

What does Wal-Mart owe the towns it leaves? 9 experts weigh in – There are a variety of opinions, but the bottom line really is that Walmart does not owe the community anything. Smaller businesses were driven under because the community chose to save a few bucks. It is the community itself that bears the responsibility. – RBS o o o CEO of shipping giant Maersk says economy is “worse than 2008” TRUNEWS with Rick Wiles – RBS o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: US News Fed’s Yellen Says Global Risks Could Pose US Growth Threats (Reuters) Excerpt: “But …


Odds ‘n Sods:

FBI surrounds last occupiers at Malheur Wildlife Refuge – RBS o o o SurvivalBlog reader JFJ sent in this article for deposit into your own SHTF reservoir of knowledge: Finding a winch anchor where there is none. o o o 3-in-1 ‘wearable shelter’ for Syrian refugees – While “invented” with the Syrian refugees in mind, this garment shows some promise as an item in a BOB. – G.P. o o o Patriots may be faced with being placed on a red, blue, or white list, but if you are a Muslim terrorist you can rest easy. Obama DHS scrubs records …



Notes for Wednesday – February 10, 2016

February 10th is the birthday of Zvi Zvika Greengold (born 1952), a Centurion tank commander who was one of Israel’s most notable heroes of the Yom Kippur War. He was awarded the Medal of Valor. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 63 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 …


Two Letters Re: Bug Out Boats

Hugh, I don’t know if this is the kind of information you like to pass along. A coworker was planning to live on a sailboat. My brother had lived on a sailboat for a year, so I asked him for suggestions. His advice to help prepare you for the experience: Buy a good shredder and set it up beside your basement entrance. On Friday, shred your paycheck on your way into the basement. Huddle in a cramped corner, preferably under a leaky pipe. Don’t come out until the end of the weekend. – S.R. o o o Hugh I have …


Economics and Investing:

Fed May Lack Legal Authority for Negative Rates: 2010 Memo – G.P. o o o Collapsing America: America’s Infrastructure Decaying Into 3rd World Status. o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: US News 2016’s Economy Begins with a Whimper (Mises) Excerpt: “During many Fed tightenings, the stock market and overall economy improved for years afterward because the Fed stimulus had actually brought a temporary form of economic recovery. But rarely, if ever, has the mood turned dark so fast after the Fed officially announced that the recovery is sound and the life support can be removed.” Puerto Rico Emergency Fiscal …


Readers’ Recommendations of the Week:

Three books recommended by SurvivalBlog reader T.A. The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus by Richard Preston Demon in the Freezer: A True Story by Richard Preston Triple Cross: How bin Laden’s Master Spy Penetrated the CIA, the Green Berets, and the FBI by Peter Lance o o o SurvivalBlog reader L.P. recommended “A Boy Ten Feet Tall” by W.H. Canaway. It’s a story about a young boy who loses his parents in an air raid in Suez and sets out on his own to find his aunt, who lives in Durban. He …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Rebellion in California Excerpt: “The dissidents from the northern counties who want to secede from the Golden State are “a bunch of Bible-thumpin’, gun-totin’, wild-eyed pistol-wavers.” And that’s how one of their supporters describes them. Welcome to the…” o o o Federal appeals court rules ‘assault rifles’ protected under 2nd Amendment JWR’s Comments: The court’s “in common use” argument is laughably specious. Submachine guns, short barreled rifles (SBRs), short-barreled shotguns (SBSes), sound suppressors, and even belt-fed machine guns would be “in common use” today if it were not for Congress enacting the unconstitutional National Firearms Act of 1934, which imposed …



Notes for Tuesday – February 09, 2016

February 9th is the birthday of Major George Charles Nonte Jr. (born 1926, died June 30, 1978). JWR had the privilege of attending ROTC Basic Camp at Fort Knox in the same company with his daughter, Yvette, in 1981. Some of the stories that she told about her father were amazing. He was quite a guy. Cadet Yvette Nonte went on to a career in Army Intelligence, retiring as a Colonel.