Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Benjamin H. wanted to remind folks that there are two types of deflation, and to that end he sent us a link to a great piece over ar iTulip: Debt Deflation versus Goods Price Deflation.    o o o Pete in New Hampshire sent this news that will be of interest to diabetics: Lifescan is giving away their new One Touch Ultra Slim [blood glucose] meters. Pete writes: ” People can always use a back up meter, and free ones are even better. Of course they will need acquire the test strips to go along with it.ia    o …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Americans who are in the bottom 10th of income distribution live better today than kings lived in 1800. They have better health care, cheaper entertainment, cheaper books, longer life expectancy, air conditioning, central heating, and much more. This has come as a result of the private property system, the future-orientation of a broad mass of savers, and the willingness of entrepreneurs to invest their time and money to meet the wants of consumers in the future.” – Dr. Gary North


Letter Re: The Sad State of Private Firearms Ownership in Australia

Jim: I’m a SurvivalBlog reader in Australia. I want to describe the current situation for Australian gun owners, but first a bit of background information is needed to compare then and now: I grew up in Australia in the 1960s. My parents came here in the 1950s from a war torn Europe to have a better life here in a climate away from the cold and starving masses in Europe after the war, the so called “gun culture” in Australia was very free then, you could go on public transport with a 22 rifle tucked under your arm after a …


Letter Re: Looking at Preparedness as a Challenge

Jim: My mainstream friends feel sorry for me. According to them, I live in a world of fear rather than hope. What they don’t understand is that I enjoy the preparedness lifestyle. While they are out shopping for shoes and designer jackets, I’m buying fruit and nut trees and learning how to graft and manage an orchard. While they are at home watching millionaire athletes compete on television, I’m doing 100 reps up and down my stairs with kettle weights building my stamina. While they are watching a movie, I’m learning how to fix my car, weld, set up a …



Odds ‘n Sods:

Just when we thought the economic headlines couldn’t get much worse, Mark P. for spotting this: Downturn accelerates as it circles the globe: Economies worse off than analysts predicted just weeks ago. And Paul A. sent this grim deflationary prediction from Mish Shedlock: Extreme Leverage In Reverse Portends Global Systemic Crash. Whether the incipient crash is deflationary, or inflationary, or a whipsaw of sharp deflation followed by sharp inflation (which is my personal prediction), you should get you beans, bullets, and Band-Aids together and stand ready!    o o o Mike W. sent us this “must read” piece from NASA …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.” – Lamentations 3:22-26 (King James Version)


Note from JWR:

The current high bid in the SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction is at $810. This auction is for a large mixed lot, which includes:: 1.) A “be ready to barter” box of 36 full-capacity gun magazines, from my personal collection in JASBORR. This box includes: 12 – Used original Bundeswehr contract HK91 (G3) steel 20 round magazines, 6 – Used original Austrian FN-FAL steel 20 round magazines, with cartridge counter holes, 10 – Used AR-15/M16 USGI (all Colt made!) alloy 20 round magazines, 6 – Excellent condition original Glock Model 19 9mm 15 round pistol magazines (early type, with “U” notch), and …


Letter Re: Way Points for G.O.O.D. Routes?

James, I finally have my bugout location found and purchased. Plan to start building a small home there later this year. Cabin first, house will wait till I see how the economy runs. On the east coast, as I have family here and really don’t want to leave this area. I am outside a small town, on a dirt road off a local rural highway. I have near nine acres of woods and one acre of pasture (garden and orchard) space. One acre of the land is separated from the rest by a four foot wide surface creek. It has …


Letter Re: Do-It-Yourself FIFO Canned Food Storage Bins–Made From Cardboard

Sir; I thought that your readers would be interested in this link to a blog where this woman’s grandfather engineered plans to make canned food storage bins out of cardboard! She says they are going on 13 years of use. She has the free PDF of plans for them on her site .I’m having my husband make me a few of these! Thanks for all that you do! – A. in Texas


Two Letters Re: How to Approach Shooting

Mister Rawles, My husband and I have two editions of “Patriots“, both heavily highlighted. I shudder to think that your books sounds all too prophetic about now. I’ve seen you reference The Appleseed Program [of rifle matches and clinics] on your web site, but I can’t determine if you have ever been to one of our events. If you haven’t, it is truly worth the time, since we are about more than just marksmanship. That is just the hook to get people to come. We teach the history of the beginning of the Revolutionary War and the mindset of the …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Here is a round-up of grim economic tidings from England: Scotty found this one from The Times of London (online edition): World Agenda: riots in Iceland, Latvia and Bulgaria are a sign of things to come. And Jack B. found this: Britain on the brink of an economic depression, say experts. And still more bad news from the UK, by way of reader G.G.: Confident tone as UK bond sale nears. (They admit that the risk of a government bond auction failing–where the amount of money raised falls short of its target–has increased.) And Luddite Jean sent this: Gordon Brown …



Note from JWR:

I posted “E.”‘s letter on “Gray Man” survival strategies without comment, because I knew that he’d be sure to get and earful without me having to chime in.) Just as I anticipated, his letter elicited many strongly-worded letters of disagreement. For the sake of brevity, I have posted just a sampling:


Four Letters Re: The Gray Man in the Coming Storm

Jim: “E’s” Gray Man concept is cowardly, standing idly by as evil men corrupt this fine country. The Citizen, on the other hand, works to preserve and protect the liberties that we now enjoy, in opposition to men and women who wish to do those liberties harm. The Citizen knows the power of government is kept in check only by the citizenry-at-large. He (or She) is not afraid to oppose totalitarian policies, because he knows to remain silent will surely result loss of his rights. He understands the Constitution and respects the ideals of the fore-fathers. He knows they didn’t …