Economics and Investing:

Mac Slavo gets is all right in this piece posted in the SHTFPlan blog: Wealth Preservation, Investing, and Prepping in 2010. (Thanks to G.S. in the State of Jefferson for the link.) Damon sent this: U.S. Economy Grows 5.7 Percent in Fourth Quarter of 2009. JWR Adds: They’re calling it a “recovery”? That is laughable. I call it nothing more that the effect of many hundreds of billions of dollars in short term stimulus. Keep in mind that this will effectively be paid for with money borrowed from my children’s generation. The current presidential administration has spent more than $3.5 …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader “P.S.” sent this article from an Arizona newspaper: City won’t let homeowners live with solar power    o o o SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large, Michael Z. Williamson, mentioned an interesting privacy-related article over at Tech Republic: GoogleSharing: A way to prevent tracking by Google    o o o F.R. sent us this link: How to Survive a Fall Through Ice    o o o Chris S. sent a link to a video that illustrates why you should not buy a cheap light-gauge gun vault. As I’ve often said: There is no substitute for mass. Buy a proper vault with …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 26 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, …


Barriers – Berries – and Bounty All Hidden in Plain Sight, by The Prudent Gardener

It seems a part of preparing for extremely hard times is acquiring knowledge and honing skills to maximize resources. SurvivalBlog has been tremendously helpful in developing exhaustive lists of needs, supplies, strategies and defenses. In addition, provision is made for faith, charity and quality of life to improve a healthy mental state. As a landscape contractor for 32 years, I am now seeing more potential for self-reliance that most property owners could develop with some planning and a better awareness of the resources they may already possess. This form of preparation could substantially improve our situation both short and long …


Product Review: The Quest for a Truly Practical Rifle Sling, by CT in Texas

Over the last four years I’ve bought at least eight rifle slings. From the over the shoulder slings (which do not keep the weapon anywhere near ready) to complicated tactical slings. A year or two ago I ordered the “end all be all” of Tactical slings at the recommendation of a sales associate, then got it home and have had a hard time working that thing. It was complicated and I could not get it to work as described. Frankly, in a SHTF situation, I probably would have hog-tied myself with it, leaving myself bound, gagged and defenseless in the …


Economics and Investing:

Reader Johnny G. recommended an article by PIMCO’s Bill Gross titled: The Ring of Fire. Johnny’s comment: “It is interesting to see how and where SurvivalBlog precepts and the predictions of well connected, mainstream bond investors’ converge.” Some folks in England are catching on to what privately owning gold means: How to live without banks. (Thanks to Karl P. for the link.) George Gordon (“GG”) sent us this: The Fed’s Anti-Inflation Exit Strategy Will Fail; Sooner or later the pressure to lend out excess bank reserves will be unstoppable. Items from The Economatrix: Our Financial Rulers are on Another Planet …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Our Editor At Large (Michael Z. Williamson) wrote to mention that there have been several new “underground homes” added to the 20th Century Castles (aka MissileBases.com) web site. JWR Notes: These are far beyond my budget, but interesting, nonetheless.    o o o I was pleased to see that the Atlas Trekker blog is now getting frequent updates. They’ve had some great posts on vehicular gear.    o o o Some folks seem that think that pump action shotguns are obsolete. I beg to differ. Courtesy of Michael Bane, here is a video of a reloading technique for advanced shooters …



JWR’s Comments on the “After Armageddon” Docudrama

The History Channel recently aired a docudrama that was interspersed with interviews of subject matter experts, titled After Armageddon. The show was previously mentioned here in SurvivalBlog, but I just recently got the chance to watch all of it. It portrayed a fictional family making some horrible mistakes, in the midst of a major pandemic. I assume that these mistakes were written into the script to increase the quotient for drama. (At least I hope so!) They certainly illustrated the peril of attempting to hunker down in a city with insufficient supplies. They should have “bugged out” weeks sooner! I …


Letter Re: Gear and Book Recommendations

Mr. Rawles: I am a daily visitor to your site. Thank you for all that you do. Here are some products or vendors that offer exceptional value. Ragnar’s Ragweed Forge. Sells the Frost Mora, Swedish carbon steel knives. Plastic handled models about $10.00, including plastic belt sheath. K & M Industries, Inc. Heirloom quality, waterproof match cases. Machined from solid brass or aluminum, for about $20.00. Douk Douk pocket knives. Primitive little folding knives takes razor’s edge. Imported from France and overpriced everywhere on the Net. Any seller willing to take a reasonable mark-up could sell these knives by the …


Letter Re: Beekeeping and Fur Trapping at Your Retreat

Jim, I enjoyed the article by Chris on bee keeping and fur trapping. Ever since setting my first muskrat trap in 1974, I have been an avid trapper, not missing a year since, regardless of fur market prices. The knowledge one gains with respect to any furbearer that is pursued becomes very intimate if pursued successfully with passion year after year. Its not enough to just understand the general behavior of the furbearer. To successfully trap furbearers, one must know exactly where the animal will step. Close doesn’t always count in this sport. I once read where if one wants …


Two Letters Re: A Simple Off-the-Shelf Solar Power System and Off-Grid Power Tools

James- Thanks for the interesting article on the Ryobi 12v solar setup. Just wanted to chip in some advice on Ryobi batteries: Of the name brand cordless tools, Ryobi seems to have the worst NiCd battery quality. When used carefully, they will work well for a couple of years. If pressed hard, they will die a much earlier death. I have found that some packs will have a bad cell, dramatically shortening the entire pack’s life after only a few months. I’ve experienced this with 9.6v, 14v, and 18v Ryobi setups. Even the healthier packs, when pushed hard, particularly with …


Influenza Pandemic Update:

Spike In Severe H1N1 in Memphis, Tennessee Children “…the traditional flu season is beginning, which will likely lead to emergence of a new swine H1N1 strain.” H1N1 Fatality Rate in Memphis Children Raises Concern “The flu season in the US traditionally peaks in February or March, so the increases seen in Memphis may represent the start of a dramatic rise in severe and fatal cases. Seasonal H1N1 and H3N2 have virtually disappeared in much of the northern hemisphere including the United States, so pandemic H1N1 variants will likely emerge in the next few weeks.” H1N1 School Closings in Donetsk, Ukraine …


Economics and Investing:

Banking crisis, currency fears. (Thanks to G, for the link.) Items from The Economatrix: 24 States Unemployment in the Red, 9 More Within 6 Months Is the Dow About to Dive 1,000 Points? Pakistan Collapse Could Trigger Global Depression and WWIII Walmart to Cut 11,200 Sam’s Club Jobs Bob Chapman: Are We in an Economic Depression? IRA & 401K Theft Plotted by US Government Doug Casey: Stock Market Set to Crash Home Prices Stabilize Further, But More Drops May Be in Store First-time Jobless Claims Drop Less Than Expected