Economics and Investing:

Eric Sprott: Gold Running in Short Supply. (Thanks to Todd for the link.) Sharp Shepherd sent us this: More Than 90 Banks Miss TARP Payments Items from The Economatrix: Gold is an Armageddon Hedge Uncertainty Restores Glitter to an Old Refuge, Gold How All Of Us Pay for The Derivatives Market (Caution: There is a bad word in the title…..) It’s The Ratios, Stupid (Why the US Will Default on its Debt) Wholesale Prices Fall 0.3 Percent in May Home Construction Sinks, Building Permits Down The Snowball Scenario Sinks Sovereigns World Bank Says China’s Economy Slowing


Odds ‘n Sods:

EMB suggested this discussion forum thread: My Emergency Communication Box (Ham radio)    o o o Trent H. flagged this article in an Australian newspaper: Our own extinction is forecast, but he’s going by dead reckoning    o o o The folks at Directive 21 (one of our advertisers) wrote to tell me that the recently unavailable Stainless Steel Berkey Water Filter systems are now back in stock, and back orders are being processed and shipped.    o o o The National Geographic Explorer special ‘Electronic Armageddon’ is going to be replayed this Saturday, 6/19 at 7:00 PM and on …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“America faces a new culture war. This is not the culture war of the 1990s. It is not a fight over guns, gays or abortion. Those old battles have been eclipsed by a new struggle between two competing visions of the country’s future. In one, America will continue to be an exceptional nation organized around the principles of free enterprise–limited government, a reliance on entrepreneurship and rewards determined by market forces. In the other, America will move toward European-style statism grounded in expanding bureaucracies, a managed economy and large-scale income redistribution. These visions are not reconcilable. We must choose.” – …


Note from JWR:

Just three days left! The special sale price for the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course will be discontinued on June 21st. So order yours, soon! — Today we present another entry for Round 29 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 …


Loose Lips Sink Ships, by Margaret

The title of this piece is a motto used during WWII by which the population was being warned to be circumspect about what they discussed and with whom they discussed it. It seems to me that it may be timely for the motto to be recycled for use by the Preparation Community. I’ve read over and over in this excellent blog and in other articles “find someone or a group of people you can trust”. I think that instruction is much more difficult and more time consuming than stocking up on beans, Band-Aids and bullets. Although I live in Australia …


Product Review: Timbuk2 Backpacks

I can’t speak highly enough about Timbuk2 and their products. I received one asa gift in 2003. Since then, I’ve carried it all over the world including a war zone, on business, to conventions, while driving. I’ve stuffed it to the point where I needed a knee to apply enough pressure to close it. It’s been dragged, carried, tossed, shoved, buried under luggage and cargo, through airport security hundreds of times, and there’s not a loose seam or worn zipper anywhere. It seems to be as indestructible as textiles get. While this style is no longer available, it’s demonstrative of …


Letter Re: Motorcycles and Motorcycling Skills

Dear Jim, The roads are getting worse, gas prices are high, and the taxes keep going up. Something has to give. So far road maintenance seems to be one of the breaking points. I have witnessed roads evaporate. I have witnessed them get consumed in vegetation. I have traveled in the Sierras in places where the 4WD was getting stuck and knew an off road or dual sport motorcycle would cross these places easily. I can’t help but think while I’ve learned to shoot rifles and purify water and stitch wounds, shouldn’t I put at least as much effort into …


Economics and Investing:

And so, inexorably, the The Mother of All Bailouts (MOAB) grows: Obama Officially Begins Push For New Bailout of the States. (Thanks to G.G. for the link.) D.D. sent this: “Housing Still Sluggish”—Harvard study uses the “D” word to describe the real estate market From the ever-cheery Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: AXA fears ‘fatal flaw’ will destroy eurozone. (Thanks to G.G. for the link.) Y.K. suggested a recent audio podcast interview of Gerald Celente by Lew Rockwell. Brett G. flagged this: Volcker Warns: We Are Running Out Of Time Items from The Economatrix: EU Chief Warns “Democracy Could Disappear” in Greece, Spain …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Here is a link to the Milo Nordyke interview on CNN that I previously mentioned. Nordyke is a proponent of peaceful uses of nuclear bombs–including the possibility of using nukes to seal off deep sea oil leaks.    o o o J.M. in Michigan sent me a link to some videos about “off grid” projects. Go to Vimeo.com and in their search box enter: emas. This takes you to about 10 pages of videos on topics like High Pressure Hand Pumps, Rain Water Harvesting, Water Storage Cisterns, Ferro Cement Tanks for Water Storage, Using the Sun to Heat Homes, Latrines, …



Notes from JWR:

Just four days left! The special sale price for the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course will be discontinued on June 21st. So order yours, soon! — Today we present another entry for Round 29 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 …


Colloquium (CQ) Groups–Part Three–The Big Picture, by H.B. in North Central Idaho

The first part of this series described the foundation for success in starting a community preparedness group.  Part Two describes the lessons we have learned.  If you haven’t read these please do so now before proceeding. I hope the two previous articles have encouraged you to start your own CQ.  Let’s now assume you are at the same point we are.  Where do we go from here?  If we follow the rules we focus on excellence, but let’s do so in an organized manner. 1) Individual Preparedness (IP) 2) Family or Group Preparedness (F-GP) 3) Community Preparedness (CommP) 4) Regional …


Letter Re: The Disappearing Suburban Basement–Questions and Answers

Dear Jim: There has been such a great response to the article I wrote about using the basement in my home as a survival retreat, and I want to thank everybody for taking the time to read both parts—and to respond with some great questions. I wanted to take a moment and address a few of the questions, and perhaps give a little deeper insight into the arrangements, processes, and the solutions I have found to each of the various questions. First, and most importantly, I would like to stress that I’m not claiming this to be the ideal solution. …


Economics and Investing:

Evan D. suggested this: The Death of Las Vegas. Niall Ferguson: Debt Has Taken Down Empires Before, There Is No Reason Why It Won’t Happen Again. (Thanks to Eric J. for the link to the lecture. JWR Adds: Don’t miss his discussion of “The Metrics of Doom”, starting about 28 minutes into the video. Europe Troubles Are About to Start: Wilbur Ross (Thanks to Brian B. for the link.) Kevin A. sent this incredible article: State Wants to Borrow From Pension Fund, to Pay the Fund. The article begins: “Gov. David A. Patterson and legislative leaders have tentatively agreed to …


Odds ‘n Sods:

All that I’ve been hearing from SurvivalBlog readers thusfar about the National Geographic documentary Electronic Armageddon has been positive. It is about the effects of a High Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) on the US. Check your local listings for repeat showings! For further research on this topic, I highly recommend the EMPact America web pages.    o o o SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson mentioned this free NAS on-line book: Severe Space Weather Events—Understanding Societal and Economic Impacts: A Workshop Report    o o o RS.R. noted this: Green Gadgets: Nokia Unveils New Bike-Powered Phone Chargers