Economics and Investing:

Those pesky derivatives again: The Next Shoe To Drop: European Insurance Companies – Assicurazioni Generali CDS Explodes. (Thanks to J.B.G. for the link.) Another from J.B.G.: US Ready to Back Bigger EU Stability Fund: Official. John R. sent these two items: EU Outlines Bond Restructuring Plan  Also from John: EU rescue costs start to threaten Germany itself. “The escalating debt crisis on the eurozone periphery is starting to contaminate the creditworthiness of Germany and the core states of monetary union.” Mounting calls for ‘nuclear response’ to save monetary union. (Thanks to J.B.G. for the link.) Dr. Housing Bubble reports: The …


Odds ‘n Sods:

This news story from U.S.A. Today sounds like something out of a novel I once read wrote: More families, friends move in together. They even refer to it as “doubling up.” A hat tip to Jeff S. for sending us the link.    o o o I recently placed a small order with L.L. Bean Company. When it arrived, I was disgusted to see that they are now selling some clothes that are made in mainland China. My advice is that if you place an order with them only do so by phone, and insist that they omit any items …



Note from JWR:

We’ve completed the judging for Round 31 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. And the winners are… First Prize goes to T.K. for his article: Bugout Base Camp: My Solar School Bus, which was posted on Nov. 15, 2010. He will receive: 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 between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A …


Letter Re: Apartment Fire Lessons Learned

JWR: I am sleeping soundly when I hear a car horn then another long horn for a full minute which seems like an eternity at 4 A.M. the apartment behind mine are 70 yards from my back porch. Then I hear a slamming of metal sound and then another like a bat hitting a car. Then I kind of fall back to sleep only to hear police knocking on doors yelling police and it sounds like they are down stairs and then all this knocking. I open my eyes and there is a fireball outside my window and my dog …


Letter Re: DIY Food Storage Packing

Sir: I am an avid reader of your blog. This particular article touched a chord and I’d like to suggest one place for a great many staples this person will need to store. I am a Mormon.  The LDS bishop’s storehouse is available to me – however, this same resource is also available to non-members.  I have regularly taken my close non-Mormon friends to the local storehouse in the Sacramento, California region.  The prices I think are on-par with Sam’s Club and they have things that Sam’s Club simply won’t carry. (Wheat is one of those).  Here is a link …


Letter Re: An Adequate Bug Out Vehicle (BOV)

Hello JWR, I have a comment for the recent article by Ed in Kentucky. He listed several good points that include: debris passage, water passage, off-road ability, range, and tow capacity. I’ve seen some great pictures of School buses, Trash trucks, work vans built up to be livable and what I call “sleeper” vehicles. Imagine an ambulance in the exact same scenario. Instead of using the more common Ford E-150, and then build it up (with shelves, extra fuel tanks, interior stuff, etc.), get an Ambulance and build it down. Run through Ed’s list again – scroll down now and …


Letter Re: Limitations of Square Foot Gardening

James; I like Square Foot Gardening. It’s a great way to get started for newbies, with its recipe approach. I think it’s great for busy individuals. But it has several severe TEOTWAWKI limitations; the author assumes access to building materials for raised beds, hard-to-find vermiculite and peat moss shipped from thousands of miles away. I live in a large (one million plus people) city and had to call all over town for vermiculite, and then I had to buy it in small bags. I can’t imagine the difficulties of obtaining this limited material in a grid-down situation. And forget about …


Letter Re: A Strange Assortment of Weapons in Rio

Dear Editor: In a 28 November post in Survival Blog, you observed: “Rio de Janeiro shaken by fresh gang violence. There were 15 deaths in one day. Notice that one of the photographs shows a policeman carrying a scoped FN-FAL. Things must be serious. Please pray for the city’s residents.” As a journalist I encountered a wide variety of weapons in use by the Rio de Janeiro Policia, including Imbel FALs, Ruger Mini-14s, various M16/M4 family weapons, Kalashnikovs and many examples of handguns. If the equipment–including tracked and wheeled armoured vehicles–tactics and appearance of the policia appears to be that of …


Economics and Investing:

John R. sent this: Currency Crisis! So What Happens if the Dollar and the Euro Both Collapse? [JWR Notes: I predict that both will collapse, but that the Euro will tank first. This will mean a brief upswing in the value of the U.S. Dollar. As I’ve noted before, that brief interim will likely provide a window of opportunity to buy precious metals.] Number of the Week: 492 Days From Default to Foreclosure. (Thanks to John R. for the the link.) Another from John R.: Starve the Beast: Just Bull, not Good Economics. World at a Boil with War and …


Odds ‘n Sods:

The 25 Most Dangerous Cities In America. Note how population density creates an inverse relationship with my Recommended Retreat Areas. These are the proverbial “Opposite ends of the spectrum.”    o o o RFJ mentioned that Murphy’s Laws of TEOTWAWKI from the Survival Cache gear site got re-posted to Lew Rockwell’s site.    o o o The Rawles Gets Your Ready Family Preparedness Course is only rarely offered at a discounted price. Until Monday December 13th, the publisher is running a special sale. Don’t miss out on the chance to get a copy for yourself, or to give one as …



Notes from JWR:

Today I’m posting the first column written by my new bride, Avalanche Lily. — I’m also presenting the final two entries for Round 31 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 …


The Truth About Your Local Grocery Store, By Jay M.

I’ve been reading your Blog for a little over a year now and find it very interesting.  Not long ago there was an entry about trying to convince your family about the need to get prepared.  I to have the same issue when trying to get others on board.  They always seem to give me the “RCA dog look” — like I’ve lost my mind. However, I do have the advantage of some work experience that helps.  I’ve worked for a major grocer / big box retailer for the last 25 years.   In that time things have changed an unbelievable …


The .357 Magnum: An All-Around Survival Cartridge

As an avid reader of SurvivalBlog I know that most preppers like the .45 ACP round as their standard. That’s a great choice and an excellent round. It has a long and solid history as a combat round. It falls short in the arena of woods carry and most don’t consider it a hunting round. This report is not to compare the .45 to the .357 Magnum as it is an overdone conversation. Instead, I would like to outline the facts about the .357 Magnum and discuss some of the misconceptions as well as the viability of this classic as …