Letter Re: McAfee Report Highlights the Vulnerability of SCADA Systems

Hello, McAfee recently sponsored and published a report on global cybersecurity gives some startling statistics on the preparedness of critical infrastructure in various countries to attack. It is available for free download, as a PDF. Here is a brief excerpt on security for Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Industrial Control Systems (ICS) , which run our infrastructure: Executives generally reported very high levels of connection of SCADA systems to IP networks or the Internet, despite widespread acknowledgment about the risks involved. Seventy-six percent of respondents with SCADA/ICS responsibilities said their networks were “connected to an IP network or …


Economics and Investing:

Brian B. kindly sent this link: Financial Reform Is a Disaster For Banks, Consumers: Bove. Did you notice how the key topic of derivatives trading wasn’t even mentioned per se in this article? California on ‘Verge of System Failure’. (Thanks to Brett G. for the link.) Items from The Economatrix: Global Systemic Crisis/Second Half of 2010: The Global System’s Four Single Points of Failure The Euro’s Inevitable Failure Will Be Horrendous for All of Us Spain Could Test the Euro to its Limits Finding Gold in the Mainstream Fresh Economic Worries Trigger Fresh Rush into Gold Three Reasons You Should …


Odds ‘n Sods:

There has been an e-mail widely circulating, with pictures of a Zeta drug cartel camp that was found near Higueras, Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. They uncovered quite the little arms cache–enough guns to make even my old friend “Dan Fong” envious. These photos were recently posted to a web page. It is noteworthy that the Zetas are just one of the many Mexican drug cartels. By the look of it, the majority of the weapons came straight from the Mexican Army. No doubt some very large stacks of cash changed hands with some Generals. And to answer one criticism: no Nancy …



Notes from JWR:

Here’s a gift for the prepper that has everything: A dedicated digital device “Playaway” of my latest book. (I had no idea that such a product even existed. It looks like a pair of ear buds are included. Wonders will never cease!) — 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 …


A Checklist for Beginning Gardeners by AK in Texas

You’re sure there aren’t any bugs in the garden.  The plants, the few that grew, don’t look like there’s an infestation or fungal problem.  There’s no odd spots or discolorations.  And yet, the radishes and carrots, with their deceptively lovely tops, haven’t produced anything more than pencil-thin roots underground.  The tomatoes produced one or two extremely delicious globes of fruit so that’s encouraging, but they never got to the height you expected or produced the amount you thought they would.  And forget about the lettuce.  It didn’t even show.  In fact, the only thing that seems to be doing well …


Letter Re: Walking –An Ideal Form of Exercise

Jim, I am a nurse anesthetist currently working in Georgia. In the short time of about a year, I have been involved with preparing for a possibly very ugly future. I wanted to state that your web site has been extremely helpful. Your contributors on the blog site have given me many directions in which to prepare and think, as well as yourself. Last summer, I was in a Borders bookstore with my wife and was passing a table in which your novel; “Patriots” was presented. It caught my eye, and I bought it. It was a real page turner …


Economics and Investing:

The soaring prices of gold and silver have been making lots of headlines, recently. All that I can say is that I told you so. I still recommend buying silver, on the dips! A preview for other States? Nearly Bankrupt Illinois Forced to Pay Through The Nose to Borrow Money. Gold’s Rise is “a Sign of Anxiety,” Not Inflation, ECRI’s Achuthan Says. “This next decade is going to be much more volatile…” Items from The Economatrix: Economy May Never Recover from Banking Crisis, Warns OBR 14 Reasons Why The US Government Will Never Have a Balanced Budget Again Russia to …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Jeff E. spotted this article from Florida: Brazen home-invasion robberies stir Jupiter Farms residents to action    o o o RBS suggested this New York Post article: $7-a-gallon gas?    o o o Reader David W. wrote to mention that last week all of Intuit’s online services went down for several days. This sent much of the company’s critical accounting system, payroll and credit card business into cloudy limbo. Intuit’s President sent out this apology. David comments: “This was reportedly caused by a power failure that cascaded. But no one is talking about where or how a massively redundant distributed, …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

Conan The Objectivist: “Nay, to outwit your enemies, to see them fall at your feet — to purchase their horses and goods at low, low prices, hear the lamentation of their women and to deliver a six-hour speech, exposing the shortcomings of their philosophy and worldview and establishing a sane and logical framework in its place. That is best.” – Conan The Objectivist, Blogger Roberta X.


Note from JWR:

Last day! The special sale on the "Rawles Gets You Ready" preparedness course ends tonight (June 21st) at midnight, Pacific time. — Oh, and speaking of sales, keep in mind that the Mountain House sale, offered by Ready Made Resources ends on June 30th. Ordering any multiple of six can cases (even if mixed cases) gets you 25% off and free shipping. Partial cases are also 25% off, but $17 is charged for shipping.


Just the FAQs, Ma’am

I get regularly deluged with more than 200 e-mails per day, and that’s not counting spam e-mails. I regret that I simply don’t have the time to respond to all of your e-mails. To save time, here are some answers to some frequently-asked questions (FAQs): 1.) “Can you recommend a retreat group in my region?” See my static web page titled: Finding Like-Minded People in Your Area 2.) “Why do you have a comma in the middle of your name?” I use the comma to make a distinction between my Christian name, and my family name. My Christian name (James …


Letter Re: Self-Sufficiency E-Books Available at Project Gutenberg

Here are some fascinating country-living related books from Project Gutenberg. Some may be a little dated, given recent technological developments though… Livestock feeder’s manual The Making of a Country Parish A Woman’s Wartime Journal (circa U.S. Civil War) Home pork-making Dry-Farming Electricity for the Farm Everyday foods in wartime (WWI) On Horsemanship (Xenophon!) Regards, – Jonathan W.


Letter Re: Lessons From The L.A. Lakers Basketball Victory Riot

Hi Jim, I know that several readers have mentioned that they decided to hunker down in the city in their homes rather than bug out if the SHTF. A recent article and video shows what mobs will do when they are happy. Imagine what they will do if they are, hungry, thirsty, and without power for heating or cooling. Fire seems to always be a common denominator in such situations. The last place I would want to be is in or under my house when someone sets it on fire or it catches fire from a nearby house. The bad …


Letter Re: OPSEC and Pattern Analysis

Dear SurvivalBloggers: The concept of operational security (OPSEC) is simple. You conduct yourself in a way that doesn’t give anyone the impression that you’re doing anything out of the ordinary. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? It’s not. Everything you do and say is an indication of the things that are going on in your life. Most importantly, people tend to operate in predictable patterns. It’s called a rut. When you get into one, you define who and what you are. If someone has an interest in you, all they have to do is watch and establish that pattern. If you make …