Economics and Investing:

Reader K.T. wrote me: You won’t believe the sweetheart deal that the Indymac boys were given by the FDIC. Reader JDD sent us this: Economist: China will soon revalue the yuan; Nation must slow economy down, deal with inflation threat, analyst says. Also from JDD come this alarming Zero Hedge article link: Move Over China: Beijing Sells Whopping $34.2 Billion Treasuries In December As Japan Becomes Largest Official Holder of US Debt Items from The Economatrix: Stocks Gain on Earnings, Deals, and Hope For Greece Foreigners Cut Treasury Stakes; Rates Could Rise Gasoline Price Hits New Low for 2010 Are …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Could this start a trend? Bill seeks to outlaw lengthy overnights at Minnesota rest areas. (Thanks to Chad S. for the link.)    o o o My book “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It: Tactics, Techniques, and Technologies for Uncertain Times” is featured in the March-April 2010 Books in Brief section of The Futurist magazine, under the headline: Alarmingly Practical Advice For Doomsday. You can look for it on pages 60 and 61 of the March-April issue.    o o o Reader G.S. in the State of Jefferson spotted this interesting thread, over at …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"An armed republic submits less easily to the rule of one of its citizens than a republic armed by foreign forces. Rome and Sparta were for many centuries well armed and free. The Swiss are well armed and enjoy great freedom. Among other evils caused by being disarmed, it renders you contemptible. It is not reasonable to suppose that one who is armed will obey willingly one who is unarmed; or that any unarmed man will remain safe among armed servants." – Niccolo Machiavelli, "The Prince" (1532)


Note from JWR:

Today we present Part 2 of an entry for Round 27 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. 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 HAZARiD Decontamination Kit from Safecastle.com. (A $350 value.), and D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Luger, 124gr. …


The Home Foundry, Metal Casting – Part 2, by Dan in Oklahoma

The Aluminum Melting Forge and Crucible For the forge I started with a small steel barrel that I found on the side of the road, its diameter is 18 inches. I cut it to a height of 2 feet, starting from the “floor” of the barrel. I also cut an 8″ ring from the barrel to be used later, as a lid. The forge barrel must be lined to hold and refract heat. Ideally you may find refractory cement in your area, but for me I was left with regular old concrete as my only choice. I used “Quikcrete”. One …


Letter Re: The Home Foundry, Metal Casting

Jim, I couldn’t agree with Dan more, sand casting takes some experimentation and tinkering. Once you get your sand and flasks working, it’s a snap, but you will mess up a lot of casts before you get everything tuned. His tip for using cat litter as bentonite clay is pure genius, but be prepared to test several brands before you hit on one that works for you. Clay cat litter can be made from almost any clay. Sodium Bentonite (or western bentonite) is often chosen for it’s absorbency, but any given brand of kitty litter may vary between lots. “Bentonite …


Letter Re: Miniature Survival Kits Inside Gun Stocks

Hello James, I’ve read your blog daily for several months now, and although I haven’t seen it mentioned, I’m sure this topic has been covered somewhere before. If not, then I hope what I discovered this week could be of use to some of your readers. I recently acquired a large lot of old shotguns and rifles, stored for many years, which needed a full breakdown and rigorous cleaning. When I removed the buttplates of these firearms, I noticed that almost all of them had a 5/8″ to 3/4″ hole running from the middle of the stock toward the receiver, …


Letter Re: A Shortage of Mantles for Aladdin Kerosene Lamps

Dear Jim, There is new info on the Aladdin Lox-on mantle shortage that was mentioned in SurvivalBlog. The new post on the Aladdin site is dated February 10, 2010. It indicates that there are still a number of issues to overcome before production can begin. According to Aladdin’s web site pre-production is possible at the end of February with production runs in March and deliveries in April. I hope they have solved their issues and can get this important component of their wonderful kerosene lamps back on the shelves. Thanks for getting this news to those who need to know. …


Economics and Investing:

Russ D. spotted this: China: the world’s next great economic crash; Like Dubai at the beginning of last year, China is now reaching the peak of a bubble. From Jonathan C.: Euro Area Headed for Breakup, SocGen’s Edwards Says Steven H. suggested this iStockAnalyst article: Forget Greece, The US Almost Had a Failed Treasury Auction Reader Sue C. forwarded this: Strong dollar hurts exports Survivalblog’s George Gordon notes that even Esquire magazine is trumpeting: “Inflation is coming, buy gold!” Items from The Economatrix: Economic Warnings from an Elderly Third Grader (The Mogambo Guru) The Day The Dollar Died (Part 17): …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Merry mentioned an interesting video on self defense techniques when riding a horse. JWR Adds: BTW, I can personally attest that it takes quite a while to gradually get a horse accustomed to the sound of gunfire (starting with just the sight and smell of guns, then the sound of .22 Shorts, …), but it is time well spent! The training results (as shown in the various CMSA videos) can be impressive.    o o o Desert T. pointed us to an article that ran in The Wall Street Journal: A Growing Obsession: Rare Seeds. (When The Wall Street Journal …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 27 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. 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 HAZARiD Decontamination Kit from Safecastle.com. (A $350 value.), and D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Luger, 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP ammo, …


The Home Foundry, Metal Casting – Part 1, by Dan in Oklahoma

I set out to learn how to sand cast aluminum and set up a metal working shop at my home more than two years ago. Let me start by saying that sand casting can not be learned overnight and although books are helpful, especially the David Gingery Book 1 “The Charcoal Foundry”, there is no substitute for hands on experience. You have to get out there and try, try, try. To get started in aluminum casting it is critical to first come up with the casting sand. This was really difficult where I live, the sand must be very fine …


Letter Re: Your Post-TEOTWAWKI Diaper Insurance

Sir: A quick note about cloth diapers: Many stores (Wal-Mart and its French-owned counterpart at least) have flannel sheets on sale right now with twin sets running between $6.24 and $10. Woolrich is one brand and they seem to be of decent quality. That is a lot of fabric for little money. I picked up a half dozen sets. They provide warm bedding, but large pieces of fabric, often in dark or natural colors could have many uses. I will set aside at least 2 sets of the chocolate brown ones to make more cloth diapers for the baby we …


Letter Re: Some Real Life Battery Data

Jim, I have been following with interest over the last several days this thread on batteries and feel I have some information to share. To begin with, the only solution to a long term lead-acid battery bank is to make your own cells. Lead has a perpetual shelf life and oxidizes very little over time if protected. Contrary to the confusion established by the battery manufacturer cartels, both plates begin as simply pure lead (Pb). It is only after the initial charge is applied that the positive plate changes chemically due to the sulfur ion action. While home made cells …