Economics and Investing:

I just noticed that the spot price of platinum has dipped to just $940 per ounce. Meanwhile, spot gold close at $1,089.40. Whenever you can buy platinum for less than gold, then it is a good time to hedge into some physical platinum! For the sake of recognizability in barter, my favorite platinum coins to buy are the 1/2-ounce and 1/4-ounce U.S. Liberty coins, from the U.S. Mint. It is best to buy them in PCGS or NGC slabs. – JWR o o o Obamacare – The Gift That Keeps On Taking Sent in by J.Q. o o o Items …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Bill Would Force Gun Dealers to Sell Smart Guns JWR”s Comment: This has the same pungent barnyard odor of Obamacare FORCING people to buy health insurance. And in this case, since there are only a couple of brands of “smart guns” on the market, this is also in effect an unconstitutional Bill of Attainder. o o o So, you think you’re a manly man, do you? Try this on for size: The Sioux Guide to Mental and Physical Toughness Sent in by W.A. o o o SurvivalBlog reader G.G. sent in this link about The White House is prepping for …



Notes for Friday – November 06, 2015

November 6, 2014 is the 70th anniversary of the day that B-24 Liberator co-pilot Al Millspaugh was shot down over Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, in 1944. James Wesley, Rawles got to know Al at some John Birch Society chapter meetings back in the late 1970s. Hearing his stories was fascinating. JWR’s novel, Liberators, is in part dedicated to Al Millspaugh. He is still alive and kicking and is quite a guy. o o o Ready Made Resources is still offering 15 pre-1965 silver dimes with every $100 purchased in Mountain House Foods. Junk silver continues to promise to be one of the …


Letter: Love Thy Neighbor…Trust No One.

Hugh, First let me say that I am a Christian and have followed JWR for many years and appreciate his Christian values when dealing with survival/WROL/collapse scenarios. Today, my faith was tested and I felt compelled to share my experience with you and your readers. My back story: Five years ago in 2010, I moved to eastern Tennessee to work. I lived in employer provided housing, but purchased a remote property along the Cumberland Plateau for camping, exercise, and hunting. Being of the prepper mindset, I built a small cabin, cleared some of the wooded property and began to assemble …


Economics and Investing:

I think am going to be sick. For God’s Sake Bill STOP! Sent in by JFJ. o o o Shippers warn of overcapacity, cancel scheduled voyages The Juggernaut is slowing down. I’ve been following Mish’s blog for a couple of years now. He’s generally been accurate with his observations and predictions, and I think he is correct about a big slowdown (and recession?) coming soon. – P.S. o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: Is the American Market Rigged? (Christian Science Monitor) An Unpleasant Surprise on Health Insurance Rates Courtesy of Obamacare… (NY Times) Commentary: …although not unexpected! How Beijing …


Odds ‘n Sods:

This news story from St. Louis somehow reminds me of the Tax Man character from the Popeye movie. o o o Could Mount St Helens be about to erupt? Massive magma chamber found below the volcano may reveal clues about future explosions “Geologists still consider Mount St. Helens to be of high risk of erupting” got preps? Sent in by G.P. o o o Russia flexing its muscles in the absence of the leader of the free world: Russia Test-fires Series Of Nuclear Missiles During Strategic Drills Those bomb shelters are starting to look appealing again. o o o Hmm, …



Notes for Thursday – November 05, 2015

I’ve heard from several folks who have mentioned that they’ve accidentally nicked themselves when handling their Cold Steel Rawles Voyager XL knives. So I must repeat this caution statement: These knives come from the factory extremely sharp. If you are accustomed to handling standard kitchen or pocket knives, then you might not expect a knife to be quite so razor sharp! Handle them with great care. Also note that since this is a limited edition knife, they will likely sell out by the end of 2015. Once they are gone, they are gone, so order yours before the holiday ordering …


Letter Re: Digital Communications Capabilities for Prepared Families, by Prairie Dweller

I would like to add a small bit of information to the fine work Prairie Dweller provided about digital modes in Amateur Radio. One of the things that has kept me from exploring digital modes has been the requirement for a laptop or desktop system, generally running Windows. Firstly, I don’t do Windows. Secondly, two is one, one is none. How will you repair your laptop after TSHTF? How many laptops can you inventory? Do you have large enough Faraday cages? Given the above, I would like to suggest creating your digital mode hardware setup, using a Raspberry Pi B+ …


Economics and Investing:

SurvivalBlog reader D.S. sent in this link about crossing the borders with precious metals. It’s not just cash anymore that arouses suspicion. Crossing Borders with Gold and Silver Coins – a Glimpse of Things to Come o o o The disinformation campaign in full swing about the U.S. economy. The economy is on an unsustainable debt path. The Most Devious Liars In The Room. Sent in by J.Q. o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: National Security Lines Blurred via Business Relationships Between China and U.S. Tech Giants: IBM, Cisco Systems and Microsoft (New York Times) Glencore Watch: The Search …


Odds ‘n Sods:

We have come full circle: GLOBAL COOLING: Decade long ice age predicted as sun ‘hibernates’ Those who were around in the 70s will understand. Sent in by KFF. o o o From GJM: Good, solid, short article about rail; it’s not Erwin Rommel, but there’s nothing stupid in all of it. The author’s point about graffiti highlights something about which I should have reflected but haven’t: wherever one observes it, a probably-young person of no particularly high fitness level or seriousness of intent, utilizing quantities of energy associated with mere whim, has successfully traversed: thus, hard men with seriousness of …



Notes for Wednesday – November 04, 2015

November 4th is the birthday of Medal of Honor recipient John Basilone. He was born in 1916 in Buffalo, New York. o o o SurvivalBlog is introducing a new advertiser to our readership today and would like to welcome Heirloom Organics, a company specializing in Non-Hybrid and Non-GMO seeds. You can find their ad in the ad stack to the right on desktop computers (or at the bottom on mobile devices). o o o SurvivalBlog would also like to remind our readers that while we work hard at keeping advertisers that offer high quality products and treat our readers right, …


Letter Re: Question About the Transfer of a Pre-1899 Antique Gun

Dear Mr. Rawles, Thank you for your work on the excellent antique gun FAQ page. I have a question regarding a recent purchase. I recently acquired an all matching 1897 dated (barrel and receiver tang, both dated 1897) Tula M1891 Mosin Nagant, Finnish capture marked, from my local Cabelas. I would estimate it at 85%+ condition, and it was Finnish Arsenal re-blued and has no importer markings, shiny sharp rifling and not counter bored. The Finns re-worked the Russian stock into the two piece grooved configuration. The gun was clearly marked “97r” under a T, which makes it an antique …