Economics and Investing:

From Vanity Fair, on Iceland’s financial rise and fall: Wall Street on the Tundra (HT: Sharon) Flagler County, Florida, had the state’s highest jobless rate: 16.8 percent (HT: F.G.) Items from The Economatrix: Federal Salaries Targeted As Private Sector Pay Stagnates Skies Darken For Bernanke Nomination Luxury Retailers Look To State Christmas Comeback What People Are Splurging On Tech Stocks Pull Market Out Of 3-Day Slide 7 US Banks Seized, 2009 Total Now 140 66% Americans Not Confident Their Children’s Lives Will Be Better Greenspan: Threat To U.S. Fiscal Stability Larger Than Ever


Odds ‘n Sods:

There is just one day left for the BulletProofME.com body armor sale, with 20% to 30% off helmets, and Interceptor Tactical Vests as low as $590.    o o o On the Lifehacker Blog: Use a Crock Pot to Make Homemade Candles    o o o Tricia R. recommended the book “Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things” from Reader’s Digest.



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, …


Seven Basic Steps, by Jared O.

I first became fascinated with the art of preparedness in my youth during the days and months leading up to Y2K. The thought societal meltdown and global collapse seemed almost too much to bear, hard to wrap my head around. I was 17years old, just starting my life — now faced with a potential situation that I had little training or experience to deal with. But my parents had instilled in me a valuable lesson early in childhood; fear is derived from the unknown and the lack of preparedness. With knowledge, preparation, a “never quit” attitude and maybe a little …


Letter Re: Velveeta Cheese and Twinkies for Food Storage?

I’m about halfway into your book and love it so far! I’m curious about what store-bought food has the longest shelf life. I am LDS, and you know we believe in food storage, but I’m not too excited about living off of hard winter wheat forever. Can you give some suggestions of store-bought food that will last the longest. For example, I’ve heard that Velveeta cheese lasts forever, as well as Twinkies. I’m really just looking to have some variety in the food storage. Also, is there a better place to get MREs? I have a cousin in the army …


Note From #1 Son: Firefox Browser Content Encoding Error

In the past few months, more than a dozen readers have reported a glitch in viewing SurvivalBlog with the Firefox web browser. Firefox is otherwise an excellent web browser and my recommendation as the best browser available. If you receive a “Content Encoding Error”, while trying to access SurvivalBlog, then there is a problem with Firefox’s cache on your PC–not a problem with our web site. This cache is the local archive that it maintained to speed up loading commonly visited web sites. Occasionally, this archive can be corrupted by your browser, producing a “Content Encoding Error.” The easiest solution …



Economics and Investing:

John S. in Virginia suggested a Forbes article on China’s Economic Bubble. Items from The Economatrix: Buyers Spurn Gold for Silver Greece Credit Rating Rated Junk Levels UK: Confidence Falls on Fears of “Double-Dip” Recession How Much Imaginary Gold Has Been Sold? 2010 Food Crisis for Dummies Full Circle of Government Debt Default


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Joe G. sent a link to a story on a house that is so “green”, it produces surplus electricity.    o o o Ed C. sent us this link to at start-up company in Polson, Montana. Gearpods is offering containerized survival gear, mostly in Nalgene style water containers, from day pack kits to shelter systems.    o o o Reader Johnny G. sent this link: S.F. bank’s startling interest: 79 percent. And SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson sent a link to a similar story, from Fox News.    o o o John F. suggested this story on …



Note from JWR:

Here in the northern hemisphere, we are about to have our Winter Solstice – the shortest day of the year. For some of us, that means that it is time to start planning our Spring gardens! (The seed catalogs will start to arrive soon. They are reliable as our January snow and Spring rain.)


Two Letters Re: Vehicle Recommendations?

Mr. Jim, You perfectly encapsulated a modification I just did to the kit I carry in my vehicle. While I knew better, it still took reading “One Second After” to set me thinking: How do I get home if the car dies? Your reference: “My personal circumstances are unusual, since I live at my retreat year-round. So the gear that I keep in my vehicle is more of a “Get Me Back Home Kit” rather than a “Get Out of Dodge Kit” is perfect. I have carried a pretty decent vehicle breakdown kit for some time, but I did so …


Three Letters Re: Covert Home Power for When The Grids Go Down

Sir: I am not an electrician, and I set as system like this up at my house three years ago. It kept our food cold, and the house tolerably warm for three days when the power was out. But I endorse a couple of important differences. First, letting your car run at idle will run down your battery. The alternator doesn’t reach full output at low RPMs, so you need to kick up the throttle a little bit. How much will depend on your car. I watch the volt-meter built into the inverter, and set the engine at about 1,500 …


Economics and Investing:

Reader M.S. spotted this editorial by James Quinn: Brave New World 2010. This editorial by Frank Seuss was linked over at The Daily Bell: The Life-Long Challenge of Differentiating Between Truth, Paradigms, Truisms and Plain Lies RLG sent this video clip: Ryedale Coin Penny Sorter. Keep in mind how much profit from how many hundreds of thousands of pennies it would take to recoup the cost of buying a sorting machine. To my mind, this is a hobby business strictly for retirees with strong backs! Bill from Ohio sent this: Six Banks shut down Friday – 140 total this year …