Economics and Investing:

Ray T. sent this: US long-term interest rates hit high. We haven’t seen anything yet! To attract bond buyers in the future, I predict that Banana Republic level rates may be coming. I found this linked over at TSLRF: Bernanke Freaks Out About Obama’s Spending and Debt Plans. Don’t miss the accompanying Tech Ticker video commentary on the risk of debt monetization leading to hyperinflation. Items from The Economatrix: GOP Rep. Kirk Warns: China Is Investing Away From Dollar…Buying Gold And Oil Fed Lost $5.3 Billion on AIG, Bear Stearns in 1Q No More Federal Money Planned for GM, Chrysler …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Florida Guy mentioned an insightful essay that expands on Anthropologist Jack Weatherford’s book, Savages And Civilization: Who Will Survive?    o o o Crusher recommended a site with sets of plans and descriptions for a home-made ethanol still.    o o o FJ sent: Poor Man’s Guide to Rain Barrels    o o o A Nanny State update from Sodom By The Sea: San Francisco Makes it Illegal Not to Recycle



Letter Re: Breeding Guinea Pigs as a Protein Source?

Mr. Rawles, My husband and I are having a preparedness debate that we were hoping you could shed some light on. While he’s more of a conventional preparer (food, supplies, guns) I prefer to think of “things” that would help us survive if we were to ever run out of, or lose the conventional supplies. This distinct difference in preparation brings me to my story. Several months ago I was watching a special on, I believe National Geographic, where the camera crew followed an actor on his journey through the country of Peru. On his trip he went into the …


Letter Re: It Matters Not Whether We Face Inflation or Deflation–You Need to Protect Yourself

JWR, That was an excellent post by Gentleman Jim! His view of insurance is right on and should be reinforced. I’ve come to realize that the best way to conceptualize prepping is in terms of insurance. As Jim stated, just like every family needs home insurance, auto insurance, medical insurance, etc., you must also have survival insurance. In fact, this should be the most important insurance you carry. If you have a family, you owe it to your spouse and your children to ensure that they will be safe no matter what life throws at you. There are several good …



Economics and Investing:

U.S. dollar ‘seriously overvalued’ From SurvivalBlog reader GG: The next great crisis: America’s debt. At this rate, your share of the load will be $155,000 in a decade. How chronic deficits are putting the country on a path to fiscal collapse. Another from GG (also sent by KAF): Get Ready for Inflation and Higher Interest Rates. The unprecedented expansion of the money supply could make the ’70s look benign Fam sent us this: Treasury Secretary’s Secret Talking Points Reveal That Banks Were Forced to Surrender Ownership Stakes to Government From DD: Foreclosures hit the upscale market Items from The Economatrix: …


Odds ‘n Sods:

More about the proposed ban on one-hand opening pocket knives. The U.S. Government is Trying to Take Away Your Pocket Knives! Also see this summary comes from WorldNetDaily. The only thing worse than Nanny State meddling in your city, county, or state is the same nonsense promulgated at the Federal level. At least with state-level laws, you have the opportunity to “vote with your feet”. After a thousand small abuses, who will go so far as to emigrate? A special note: If this new law “interpretation” is enacted, crossing state lines with one of these knives will be considered a …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“I have long had a tendency to tie marksmanship to morality. The essence of good marksmanship is self-control, and self-control is the essence of good citizenship. It is too easy to say that a good shot is automatically a good man, but it would be equally incorrect to ignore the connection.” – Jeff Cooper, Cooper’s Commentaries Volume 9, No. 4 22/73


Note from JWR:

Several SurvivalBlog readers have written to mention that they’d like to help with The Memsahib‘s medical expenses. That was very kind, but by God’s wonderful providence, we are in no need of contributed funds to pay for her health care costs. (I recently signed a contract with Simon & Schuster to write two novels as sequels to “Patriots“). We covet only your prayers.


Letter Re: Advice For Older Preppers With Limited Mobility

Hi James, Thanks for your many years of great work. While I was enjoying and learning so much from your books and the web site, I was also growing older and have physically “lost the edge”. More accurately, I reaped the unintended consequences of 55 years of smoking and now have a tough situation Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). This is [best described in layman’s terms as] a combination of bronchitis and emphysema. I have not smoked for three years and my breathing is now stable at 51% of normal. This ailment is not unusual in the senior community, and …


Letter Re: Growing Food on a City Lot

JWR: While we all dream that perfect place in the country it is important to emphasize how much that can be accomplished on a small city lot. My home sits on about 6,000 square feet of land, a small suburban house in a cookie-cutter neighborhood . The house and garage and drive way take up about half of the lot . Of what’s left, I’m slowly converting the ornamental landscape to organic food production. My current garden consists of 48 tomato plants (4 varieties) 2 beds of sweet corn, 2 rows of cucumbers staggered 2 month s apart for continuous …


Two Letters Re: It Matters Not Whether We Face Inflation or Deflation–You Need to Protect Yourself

Mr. Rawles, Just a quick comment on Gentleman Jim’s excellent letter. He wrote:” [U.S. Silver Eagles] are obviously more valuable than the pre-1965 junk silver coins, and thus you can get a great store of value into fewer coins. … Plus, they get very heavy very fast.” Silver is silver is silver. You shouldn’t be too concerned with what particular impression or markings are on the coin, or where it was minted, or what year, etc etc. All those things have their place, but when it comes to investing in silver and gold for the type of wealth storage and …


Mexican Flu Update:

Ask The Doc: How Exactly Can Flu Kill A Healthy Person? Models Projections for Flu Miss Mark by Wide Margin (Thanks to Steve G. for the link.) Egypt Quarantines 234 In University Dorm Over Swine Flu China Has 8 More Cases Second Person Dies From Swine Flu In Chile Swine Flu in Australia’s Defense Forces Second Washington Victim Dies of Swine Flu Latest Swine Flu Stats