“And did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts? Hot ashes for trees? Hot air for a cool breeze? Cold comfort for change? And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?” – Roger Waters, lyrics to Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” (1975)
There are just four days left in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction. The high bid is now at $370. This auction is for two cases (12 cans) of Mountain House freeze dried foods in #10 cans donated by Ready Made Resources, valued at $260, a course certificate for a four-day Bushcraft & Survival Course valued at $550, 25 pounds of green (un-roasted) Colombian Supremo coffee courtesy of www.cmebrew.com valued at $88.75, and a set of 1,600 U.S. Military Manuals, Government Manuals, and Civil Defense Manuals, Firearm Manuals on two CD-ROM disks, valued at $20. Please e-mail us your bids soon, …
Several SurvivalBlog readers recently sent me a link to an article that ran in Britain’s The Independent newspaper: Britain declares war on food waste. So it seems that The Powers That Be have figured out a way to ration food under a novel pretense–the wastefulness of bulk packaging. (I guess they’ve never heard of freezers, dehydrators, and vacuum packing machines. We hardly waste a morsel, here at the ranch. The subtle subtext to this new “war on waste” article ties in to the Fabian Socialist mindset that is so pervasive in England. (And sadly, here in America, as well.) They …
Hi Jim, A while back on the blog you had a letter from a reader regarding the price increases that are coming down the pike (pun intended) for tuna. I was in a Wal-Mart the other day, and it looks like those increases are coming sooner rather than later. Two weeks ago, I purchased a bunch of Wal-Mart house brand tuna packed in oil, 6 ounce cans, for $0.53 per can. Yesterday, I was in Wal-Mart again, and the same product is now $0.74 per can. That is a price increase of 39% in a fortnight! I’m happy to say …
We have, just in the past six months, transitioned from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market in northwestern Montana. Much of this is due to the impact of stricter bank mortgage lending requirements. Many [previously commonplace ] investors and types of loans are now nowhere to be seen. I heard just this week that the lenders are requiring the appraisers to go back only two months (instead of six months) for comparatives. This is nearly impossible with the sales spiraling downward. This is quite a reversal from just two years ago, when we didn’t have comps because the prices …
Charles V. recommended this editorial by Craig R. Smith, the CEO of Swiss America: In the eye of an economic storm o o o Readers Jerry S., OSOM, Korey, Nick, and Rob A. all sent us this: The Fannie and Freddie doomsday scenario–It’s time to wonder what would happen if Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac failed. Here is a telling quote: “‘If Fannie or Freddie failed, it would be far worse than the fall of [investment bank] Bear Stearns,’ says Sean Egan, head of credit ratings firm Egan Jones. ‘It could throw the economy into depression or something close …
“We are thus in the position of having to borrow from Europe to defend Europe, of having to borrow from China and Japan to defend Chinese and Japanese access to [Persian] Gulf oil, and of having to borrow from Arab emirs, sultans and monarchs to make Iraq safe for democracy. We borrow from the nations we defend so that we may continue to defend them. To question this is an unpardonable heresy called ‘isolationism’.” – Patrick J. Buchanan
Special thanks to Bruce C., a US Air Force officer that kindly volunteered some if his spare time to re-edit the SurvivalBlog Glossary. He helped flesh out a number of entries, and made some corrections, particularly for some radio and aviation terms. Gracias!
Dear Jim: I enjoy and appreciate your site. I am concerned about the gentlemen [TRK, who stated in a recently-posted e-mail that he is] amassing tons of copper pennies. I understand his desire to hedge against inflation, but it seems risky to do so with a $60,000 investment in copper pennies. I didn’t want to see your readers get wiped out by following his bad advice. Let’s remember, you can’t fill your belly with pennies, nor can you bandage your wounds with them. While pennies are certainly tangible, preparedness is all about useful tangibles. Beans, bullets, Band-Aids. Preparedness is first …
I imagine you are going to get a lot of e-mails stating the chart [posted on an Internet Forum] that you cited is inaccurate. At least in the case of the all-factory Bushmaster, I own I can say there were at least a couple of missing “X”‘s [in the chart]. Likewise, I question who exactly was the metallurgist who placed a “1” in the barrel steel column. Also, Bushmaster has a lifetime warranty. It’s right on their web site and I can assure you they honor it. When I had a parts breakage issue after thousands of rounds put through …
Readers Josh W. and John M. both sent us this article link: Black Box Warning for Antibiotic o o o Eric found this: As food costs soar, it’s back to basics for meal planners. Eric’s comment: “What a wonderful chance for folks to start learning about eating their food storage foods and saving money! I think about my friends who have hundreds of pounds of red winter wheat put up and no idea what to do with it – they have no [grain] mill and don’t eat whole wheat bread or whole wheat anything. As someone who has been …
"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on… or by imbeciles who really mean it." – Mark Twain
Please mention SurvivalBlog whenever you phone into a talk radio show or podcast where the discussion touches on preparedness. Thanks!
Hi Jim, Several years ago I was hunting black bear in the boonies of Canada. As I came out of the bush I could see a native cutting fire wood. As I walked towards him I watched him at work and he did something completely out of my experience. He had what I thought was a hay hook which he proceeded to snap into a cut piece of birch. He then turned towards his pickup and carried the piece of firewood stuck onto the end of the hook. He got to the pickup, swung the piece of firewood onto the …
Jim:Regarding your recent interview on Fox Business about the significance of 2012: When I was a teenager, it was the Mayan 2012 [calendar] event that got me interested in preparedness. I ran with a bit of an impromptu Boy Scout like crowd (we weren’t Boy Scouts but our parents encouraged us to hunt, fish and camp). It was fun imaginary scenario when we were kids. I grew out of my Mayan 2012 phase. As an adult, I am preparing for a solar 2012 event. Essentially, a couple of years ago, I came across some research by a guy who was …