Economics and Investing:

Life imitates art, right down to the terminology: ‘Doubling Up’ in Recession-Strained Quarters. (Thanks to Shawn M. for the link.) Bailed Out Banks on Brink of Bankruptcy — Again John R. sent these two items by Dave Cohen: Borrow Like There’s No Tomorrow  and The Debt Countdown Begins     Rosenberg: Housing Double-Dip Straight Ahead Items from The Economatrix: After Holiday Spree, Doubts About Economy Linger   Two Charts Which Tell The Whole Story   Open Interest In Silver Continues To Rise / Troubles In Major US Cities   Silver Is The Biggest Sleeper Of All   $500 Silver And …


Odds ‘n Sods:

As we near the 100th anniversary of the U.S. Army’s adoption of the Colt Model 1911 pistol, we should remember: The U.S. M1911 & The Medal of Honor. OBTW, the article begins with mention of my grandfather Ernest E. Rawles‘s friend, Frank Luke. They were mountain climbing buddies in Arizona, circa 1916. But FWIW, several accounts mention Luke being armed with a revolver rather than a .45 automatic.    o o o Matthew B. suggested a winter storm article that illustrates a great reason to be as prepared as possible and not rely on “the system” to take care of …



Two Letters Re: The Legalities of Preparedness

Jim:  Like Ed S. I purchased several rolls of new razor wire to string up in case of a sudden rash of nearby home invasions.  I bought it on eBay along with some used razor wire gloves (they have steel in the palms and digits) to enable speedy deployment without losing a lot of blood.  At the farm supply store I bought a couple boxes of hog rings and some hog ring pliers, as well as some small steel conduit straps and a box of screws for mounting the deployed razor wire.  (Two or more parallel coils can be joined …


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 32 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will include: First Prize: A.) 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, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 250 round case of 12 Gauge Hornady …


Spreading the Word–Working Toward a Community Food Reserve, by Rex C.

“No man is an island…” – John Donne Readers of SurvivalBlog.com tend to have an independent streak, and our attitudes toward preparedness and degrees of readiness vary accordingly. Some of us have unplugged from the grid and are completely self-reliant, many have dreams of doing so at some point, while some of us are a little behind the curve and playing catch-up. Others are new to the field and are making what preparations they can in their current circumstances. Whatever our individual temperament, most of us are members of a community–a church, a neighborhood, an extended family–and we need to …


Letter Re: The Legalities of Preparedness

James,   I have been looking at various posting all across the spectrum of prepping and I haven’t seen anyone mention being legal in their preparations. Here’s what brought this to mind. I recently purchased six rolls of brand new, never used razor wire. I’m not sure how many SurvivalBlog readers have military/police/corrections backgrounds. If you have fooled with the stuff, you know to be careful. If you haven’t, I’d suggest looking for something easier.  I strung a single strand around my backyard on three sides, just below the level of the four foot tall chain link that surrounds my property. …


Economics and Investing:

And Now, Here’s The First 11 State Pension Funds That Will Run Out Of Money. (Thanks to B.B. for the link.) Reader Jonathan C. pointed us to this: Outraged Yet? What if Fed Buys Munis? (I suspect that the MOAB will end only at the point of national bankruptcy and collapse of the U.S. Dollar.) Items from The Economatrix: Stocks Flat as Wall Street Shrugs Off China Rate Move   Oil Holds at $91 Per Barrel   East Coast Blizzard Chills End of US Holiday Shopping Season   Second Crisis Feared if Interest Rates Kept Low   US Changes How …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Leah mentioned a new Yahoo list says that foraging is a top 10 food prediction for the upcoming year.  They even have a link to a Philadelphia Food Harvest Map which has locations for many private properties.     o o o SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson pointed us to a site that describes some PVC “Spud Gun” projects that might have some utility WTSHTF.    o o o C.D.V. pointed us to the web site of a gent who made a bet that he could eat well on $1 a day. He’d only learned about couponing five months …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 32 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will include: First Prize: A.) 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, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 250 round case of 12 Gauge Hornady …


Coupon Warrior Part 2, by GRITS (Girl Raised in the South)

I’ve learned a few tricks since writing the first part of this article on stocking up on food items and other good stuff with the help of coupons combined with sale prices. Here are some tricks that I’d like to share with you: First, a word about ethics:  The web sites will limit the number of coupons you can print. Photocopying coupons is considered coupon fraud. Each printed coupon has its own codes, and duplicates are not legal to tender. They are counterfeit. It is fair game to clip several coupons for the same item, or to use more than …


Avalanche Lily’s Bedside Book Pile

Here are the current top-most items on my perpetual bedside pile: Grass Beyond the Mountains by Richmond P. Hobson, Jr. This is the true story of the pioneering cattlemen that settled the wilderness interior of British Columbia in the 1930s. (This is the region that lies inland from Bella Coola). It is an amazing tale of gumption and perseverance. There is lot in this book about self-sufficiency that will appeal to preppers, as well as being an exciting tale of adventure. I’ve seen that there are a couple of sequels that Jim has promised to tack on to our next …


Economics and Investing:

Senator Coburn: Control Government Spending or Face ‘Apocalyptic Pain’ Quantitative Easing 2 as Projected and Announced After 62 Years, a First for Harlequin: A Personal Finance Book, The Frugalista Files. “Written by former Miami Herald personal finance blogger Natalie McNeal, is a diary a 34-year old attempt to pay off her credit card debt — ‘without giving up the fabulous life.’” Items from The Economatrix: Ted Butler:  A Show Stopper “Commodity Super Cycle” Ripples Into China   Naked Emperor and the Conspiracy of Silence


Odds ‘n Sods:

T. sent a picture worth a thousand words: DIY snow tires for your bike.    o o o More dim bulbs: California banning 100-watt incandescent light bulbs. (Thanks to Yishai for the link.)    o o o Some weather-related news from Russia: Traditional troika back on track    o o o Weather news in the US: Storm in Eastern U.S. Wreaks Havoc on Travel. And, Blizzard moves from US to Canada, sowing chaos. Thankfully, most SurvivalBlog readers were well-prepared.