Letter: LDS Canneries

Others have mentioned Azure Standard as a source for bulk grains, as well as a variety of other goods, and I second their favorable endorsements. Those living in or near agricultural areas may find they can connect with grain farmers in their area and purchase grains in very large quantities directly. These purchasers may need to provide their own containers, but it’s common to have to repackage bulk grains from other sources for long term storage anyway. Local growers may also have “feed grade” grains, so called because they have some amount of weed seed and other material in them …


Economics and Investing:

Here’s What It Looks Like When Your Country’s Economy Collapses– JBG 4th Financial Services Executive Found Dead; “From Self-Inflicted Nail-Gun Wounds” – RBS S.R. sent in this linkComing Currency Collapse & Bullion Banks Rush To Increase Registered Gold Inventories. Some of the sources quoted are questionable, but the trends are disturbing nonetheless. Items from The Economatrix: Richard Russell – Collapse To Be Brutal As US Lies To Its People 28 Signs That The Middle Class Is Heading Toward Extinction More Men in Prime Working Ages Don’t Have Jobs– video


Odds ‘n Sods:

Ready Made Resources is starting their first 25-42% off Mountain House Food Sale today. They are also offering prepaid shipping and will be giving away a case of Mountain House Pouched Yogurts on orders where more than 10 cases are sold. (A $300 value.) o o o For a limited time, Seed for Security has promised that they will automatically include a Spring Security Collection ($14.99 value) with every $75 purchase. o o o We have been following this next piece for several months now. Ex-federal official raises concerns over terror attack on power grid. Apparently, they still can’t make …



Notes from HJL:

Today we present another entry for Round 51 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course (a $1,195 value), 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, Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value), A $300 gift certificate …


Ants, Grasshoppers and Other Things That Bug You, by CEH II

“Be prepared,” as the motto goes, means to learn from the past while living in the present, and at the same time preparing for the future. It should also be understood in the active present tense of the word “be”– being. Being prepared means to be in a continual state of being and getting prepared. What for? For what comes next– usually the unknown, at the wrong time, and at a high cost. Do something now to prepare for the future so you’ll be ready to reap the harvest of future opportunities. Remember, someone once said, “Planning is simply about …


Letter Re: When Preps Become Poison, by S.B.

HJL, S.B. talks about the high levels of sodium in freeze dried commercial meals. As a hobby backpacker and working in the outdoor industry for some time, I know why. It is because they are designed for high activity situations, where you exceed your normal calorie consumption and have expended large amounts of sweat. Just like those working out will take some sort of beverage, like Gatorade, to replenish salts and other minerals, freeze dried meals are designed to do the same for backpackers. They will be good for those who are required to do heavy manual labor; they are …



Economics and Investing:

Pullback in Stock Prices Makes These Dividend Payers Attractive Again – EWS Why January Auto Sales Point to Bleak Future for U.S. Economy – C.S. Items from The Economatrix: 40 Members of Congress resigning; Forex traders resigning; banker deaths; Wells Fargo Director resigning… there’s a shake up in the foreign exchange… Factbox: Members of U.S. Congress who are leaving office Exclusive: Deutsche Bank fires Argentine trader in wake of FX probe: source Citi, Goldman FX Heads Leaving In \ Wells Fargo director resigns for health reasons Deutsche Bank suspends currency trader A Rash of Deaths and a Missing Reporter – …


Odds ‘n Sods:

More reports from the storm last week in the South East: Police: Man stole cars left during Atlanta storm – K. o o o M.W. sent this in: backup handcuff key The site also includes this statement “I would advise taking great caution in how you intellectually approach an item like the TIHK. The argument that an inanimate object is bad because bad people can use it to do bad things sounds very familiar. That is not the logic of liberty.”– Good Advice. o o o A Self Reliance Expo will be held in Mesquite, Texas, at the Mesquite Convention …



Notes from HJL:

Today we present another entry for Round 51 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course (a $1,195 value), 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, Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value), A $300 gift certificate …


Composting to Maintain Sanitary Conditions and Nurture Crops, by G.M.

One of the many important problems confronting people in a SHTF situation is maintaining adequate sanitation. Clean water, soap, personal hygene, toileting, and kitchen waste will all need to be addressed. I am going to describe some of the things we do on our 1/4 acre suburban homestead to control waste and feed the plants we use for food. It seems to me that having an established system in place to deal with waste before SHTF is better that trying to cobble something together when all kinds of urgent needs have to be addressed in an emergency. A good composting …


Guest Article: Why Prepping Leads to Peace of Mind, by S.L.

I got a clue about prepping on Feb 9, 1971, when I was rolled out of bed at 6am by the Northridge-Sylmar earthquake. Shortly following that unique event, the National Guard came through the neighborhood announcing immediate, mandatory evacuation because the Van Norman earthen dams were expected to collapse and send a 30-foot wall of water into the Sepulveda detention basin through our suburban neighborhood. I was 13 years old; my siblings were 10 and 9. This was a pre-cell phone, pre-ATM era. We camped out at a public park with thousands of others for 24 hours before we could …