“Let me tell you why you’re here. You’re here because you know something. What you know you can’t explain, but you feel it. You’ve felt it your entire life, that there’s something wrong with the world. You don’t know what it is, but it’s there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad. It is this feeling that has brought you to me.” – Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus, The Matrix, 1999. (Screenplay by Larry and Andy Wachowski.)
My sincere thanks to the dozens of SurvivalBlog readers that have donated more than $9,000 to the Linda Rawles Memorial Fund, that benefits The Anchor Institute Orphanage and School, in rural Zambia. With just a bit more, they’ll be able to buy a modest photovoltaic power system. Thanks again for supporting this very worthy charity, in my late wife’s name. Your donations are fully tax deductible.
Jim – First, may I join many, many others in extending my condolences for your recent loss along with my gratitude for your work with SurvivalBlog. I have struggled with the thought of writing this or not for some time. I have finally decided that the potential positives outweigh the negatives. This past year I bought some property outside of Republic, Washington, population about 900. The town is located about 170 miles Northwest of Spokane, Washington.. Republic is the county seat of Ferry County, the least populated county in Washington State and is classified as a “frontier” environment. Republic sits …
JWR, I’ve mentioned before a gizmo called a Generlink which allows a lot of flexibility when using a generator for backup power. This device is installed behind your power meter and, depending on the capacity of your generator, allows you to power any circuit in your home via the selective use of the circuit breakers. It’s especially useful in that nothing has to be re-wired in the house to safely use your generator. It does require some planning for installation in that your power company will have to agree to it’s use and will probably want to install it, mine …
My dad kicked me out when I was 19 so I lived in my car for a year on the streets and got pretty good at it. I’m now married in my mid-40s and have ran several successful businesses and doing well for myself. But, I’m still a cheapie at heart. I absolutely hate paying for motels. When I travel I spend lots of money on food and entertainment, but I hate paying nightly for a bed to sleep on. About 10 years ago I bought nondescript 1994 mini-van Plymouth Voyager and converted it into what I call the Stealth …
Barry Ritholtz sets the record straight, (by way of a link at The Automatic Earth blog): Existing Home Sales FALL in September 2009. FG sent this: Detroit house auction flops for urban wasteland Jim Rogers Interview: Long Sugar, But Getting Short Bonds (Thanks to GG for the link.) Items from The Economatrix: Derivatives Bill Amended to Let Big Banks Keep Some Contracts Secret Unemployment Getting Much Worse in 43 States The Gathering Storm in Commercial Real Estate How Uncle Sam is Killing Your Savings Jim Willie: Attack By Central Bank Lilliputians Obama Wants Banks to Lend More to Small Businesses …
Chester suggested this YouTube instructional video: AR15 / M4 Magazine Pouches o o o You gotta love Missouri: Anvil Shooting! And here is a lot more of the same, using electric detonators. o o o Jay mentioned the trailer for the new post-Peak Oil documentary film, titled “Collapse.” Has this guy been reading SurvivalBlog?
"Inflation has now been institutionalized at a fairly constant 5% per year. This has been scientifically determined to be the optimum level for generating the most revenue without causing public alarm. A 5% devaluation applies, not only to the money earned this year, but to all that is left over from previous years. At the end of the first year, a dollar is worth 95 cents. At the end of the second year, the 95 cents is reduced again by 5%, leaving its worth at 90 cents, and so on. By the time a person has worked 20 years, the …
Jim, I’ve recently read several of your books and found them both interesting and educational. I would like to offer some personal insights based on my experiences from living in a small rural town one of the larger Caribbean islands. Most of my notes are cheap solutions used by people in developing nations all over the world. There may be better ways, but these work and cost next to nothing. Water: There is something especially disturbing about opening the faucet and hearing a sucking air sound. Not being able to shower, flush, or wash dishes is the worst. One or …
Dear Mr Rawles, I’ve just finished reading your latest book [“How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It: Tactics, Techniques, and Technologies for Uncertain Times”], and let me begin by thanking you for writing it. I have just one small quibble in Chapter 9, Communications and Monitoring. This is something we both missed, and it didn’t occur to me until after reading this chapter. While I agree with you that looters are unlikely to have the inclination, hardware, and talent to do direction finding (DF) on a retreat’s radio transmissions, the reverse is not necessarily true. …
Hi James, First let me thank you for your wonderful blog, which I read every day. This is just a reminder that fall is typically Open Enrollment at many large and small companies for next year’s benefits elections. My company’s three week window to sign up for 2010 benefits opened yesterday. This is the time when a person can choose to participate in a [“before tax”] Flexible Spending Plan. While some people are justifiably nervous putting money away in a, “use it or lose it,” program, the I.R.S. made the decision a lot easier a few years ago when it …
Obama declares swine flu a national emergency US Swine Flu Deaths Surpass 1,000 Pandemic flu can infect cells deep in the lungs, says new research Mandatory Vax for NY Healthcare Workers Cancelled UK: 25% of Critical Flu Cases are Under 16 UK Swine Flu Cases Almost Double in a Week Swine Flu Docs Unnerved at Patients Rapid Decline UK: Half of Swine Flu Deaths Under Age of 45
Reader B.B. sent us the link to this “must hear” audio clip: Peter Schiff issues a Red Alert: “Get out of the US dollar”. Schiff warns: “This is what the Weimar Republic did, and we are going to have the same result.” Flavio liked this video clip of an an interview with Steve Forbes and Thomas E. Woods: Is Capitalism the Cause or the Solution to the Financial Crisis? This 28-minute video is well worth watching. GG suggested a piece by Carnegie Mellon University professor Allan Meltzer in the Wall Street Journal: The United States is headed toward a new …
Jim. H. suggested this piece over at Lew Rockwell’s site by Terrence Gillespie: Ammo for Barter – Ammo vs. Money o o o Reader GG alerted me to this: The raid that rocked the Met: Why gun and drugs op on 6,717 safety deposit boxes could cost taxpayer a fortune. GG opines: “This is evidence of why we should not store our valuables in safe deposit box.” o o o Steve sent this video: Fearless Gas Station Clerk Grabs Shotgun From Robber. He was lucky! Never bring just muscles to a gun fight!
“Cynic is a word created by optimists to criticize realists.” – Gregory Benford, In the Ocean of Night, 1972