Economics and Investing:

S.C. flagged this: Policy Options Dwindle as Economic Fears Grow. S.C’s comment: “Wow, even the New York Times gets it!” Chris P. sent this New York Times article: Housing Fades as a Means to Build Wealth. G.G. sent this: S&P Says US Should Act to Protect AAA-Rating. G.G. flagged Part 2 of Gonzalo Lira’s excellent essay: Hyperinflation, Part II: What It Will Look Like My hero, Dr. Walter Williams comments: Avoiding the Looming Disaster of Social Security (Thanks to Don W. for the link.) Sue C. sent this: Economy slows to 1.6 percent as trade gap widens Items from The …


Inflation Watch:

Deflation Delusion Continues as Economies Trend Towards High Inflation Reader Bret F. notes that in August, his local structural steel prices increased as follows: 1” x 1” x 1/8” angle iron from 42 cents per foot to 47 cents per foot, 4” x .237 wall steel pipe increased from $5.26 per foot to $6.26 per foot. A 20% rate hike for Health Insurance in California? Yikes!


Odds ‘n Sods:

Susan C. in Texas sent a link to a web site that has all sorts of mixes you can make yourself to save money. Susan notes: “Many of these mixes are healthier than store bought ones. OBTW, I find that these recipes call for too much salt.”    o o o The big sale at Ready Made Resources on Mountain House freeze-dried foods began last night, and runs for just one week. Don’t miss out!    o o o Reader N.I.M. sent this: H1N1: A Bullet, Dodged. Meanwhile, we read: XDR-pH1N1 Raises Pandemic Concerns    o o o Richard H. …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 30 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 between $500 and $600, 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 500 round case of …


Lessons from Eastern Siberia, by S.P.

Lessons from Eastern Siberia, by S.P. When I was 18, I spent six weeks in the Sakha Republic (or Yakutia) of Siberia. It is roughly three times the size of Alaska yet has a population of less than 1 million. With the Arctic Circle bordering the north of the Sakha Republic and the Lena River winding its way through it is a largely rural population of self sufficient farmers, fishermen, and reindeer herders. My time there was spent living in a soviet era apartment in either Yakutsk (its capital) or Moxogolloch (a small port town along the Lena River) or …


Letter Re: Observations on Hardened Architecture and Life in German Village

Hello James, I recently stayed with a friend in a little German village northeast of Frankfurt . My friend is restoring his family’s 350+ year old Tudor-style home. I was amazed at the ballistic mass involved. The old walls are 6-8” (15-20cm) thick timber and clay/loam brick, covered in plaster/cement. As part of the restoration, they are adding an additional 6” (15cm) of timber reinforcement on the inside and filling it with 6” of lighter loam bricks for insulation. This results in a total thickness of at least 12” (30 cm) of solid wood and brick. Compare that to our …


Economics and Investing:

A reader asked me clarify what was meant by “exiting the market.” It’s important to know the difference between exiting the stock market and taking distributions from their tax-deferred retirement accounts (IRAs, 401(k) accounts, and so forth.) It is possible in most cases to exit the stock market without taking distributions from those accounts. They can simply change (“re-allocate”) the investments inside those accounts. For example, an employee might re-allocate her 401(k) at work from a stock mutual fund into a money market fund. This is not a taxable event, as long as the money remains in the 401(k) plan. …


Inflation Watch:

The National Inflation Association recently posted this article: Decoupling Now, Currency Crisis Soon Reader J.D.G. notes: “The County Landfill had a punch card system that equated to $3.83 per load for household trash. If you went every week, it would cost you approximately $200 a year. The County did away with the punch cards at the end of the fiscal year with about six months notice. All the folks who bought extra punch cards to “lock in” the price rightfully howled. The new fee is $7.00 per load, an 82% increase. Going every week will now cost you $364 per …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Brian H. suggested a Scientific American interactive web page: “How Much is Left?”    o o o I’ve previously mentioned the JBM Ballistic calculators in the blog. But now there is a new Backup Ballistic Calculator –a circular slide rule–created by Todd Hodnett of Accuracy 1st. These will soon be available from LaRue Tactical. They are taking pre-orders now, and expect to starting shipping them in mid-September.    o o o Reader Travis B. recommended the blog Laptop and Rifle. Travis gave quick summary of the blog’s content: A guy that used to work for Google (a smart guy) buys …



Notes from JWR:

Today is the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s landfall. So it is probably apropos for us all to re-read this first-hand account and commentary: Thoughts On Disaster Survival. OBTW, August, 2010 also marks the fifth anniversary of SurvivalBlog. Thanks for making it the most popular blog on family preparedness! Please continue to spread the word. — Today we present another entry for Round 30 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 …


Home Design Choices for the Prepper, by S.L.S.

When purchasing or building a home, there are no shortages of choices that must be made. From type of home and features needed to financial matters, literally hundreds of choices must be made. Though some decisions may not have a direct impact on your prepping (the color of the countertop will not matter in a SHTF scenario) many will have a direct impact on the sustainability of your home, your financial well being and thus, your ability to prep. This article’s purpose to introduce the new homeowner-to-be some of these choices and to give you some background on each so …


Letter Re: EMP Attack and Solar Storms: A Guide

Sir: Mr. Hayden presented an outstanding, almost-verbatim review of the commission reports. After having read in the last few months both of the reports, I sought to find as much corroboration of them as I could find. My motive for doing further research was pretty elementary and is simply stated: “This is a government commission, right? Since when have I believed the contents of a government commission?” (I am a former and long-time employee, now retired, of a technology-heavy government agency, and so I am naturally skeptical when I read any government report.) That research has led me into some …


Economics and Investing:

Frequent content contributor Jeff B. sent this: US Said Preparing New Laws to Seize Americans’ Retirement Accounts. As I’ve written before: Governments at all levels will be desperate for revenue, throughout this currently unfolding depression. Expect them to find new and creative ways to pry into your wallet. Stock markets face a ‘bloodbath’, warns SocGen strategist Albert Edwards. (Thanks to Jon M. for sending that link.) Reader S.M. sent: What the Double Dip Recession Will Look Like This was inevitable: ‘Jingle Mail’: Developers Are Giving Up On Properties. (A hat tip to David W. for the link.) The BHO Administration’s …