Odds ‘n Sods:

The latest extended-length trailer for Roland Emmerich’s new 2012 movie looks more than a bit over the top. Yes, it is another popcorn-munching special effects-laden blockbuster. But that is not surprising, since Emmerich is the man that produced The Day After Tomorrow.    o o o Reader GG mentioned some recent commentary on “the big picture”, via the Dilbert syndicated cartoon strip.    o o o Also from GG: Tent revival; More families than ever are camping for vacation at state and national parks    o o o Jon in Iraq sent us an article datelined Madison, Wisconsin: Too many …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Thus the men of democratic times require to be free in order to procure more readily those physical enjoyments for which they are always longing. It sometimes happens, however, that the excessive taste they conceive for these same enjoyments makes them surrender to the first master who appears. The passion for worldly welfare then defeats itself and, without their perceiving it, throws the object of their desires to a greater distance. There is, indeed, a most dangerous passage in the history of a democratic people. When the taste for physical gratifications among them has grown more rapidly than their education …


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 23 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 foods, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. Second Prize: A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $350. Third Prize: A copy of …


Three Rules for Persuading the Sheeple, by Tall Sally

This article could also be titled: “How to Convince Friends and Family to Prepare for Economic Collapse.” One of the greatest problems for the prepper is getting family and friends on board without alienating them or terrifying them into inaction. With this article, I hope to use my experience to show you how to gently and persuasively warn friends and family about the coming economic crisis. I have used this approach with several people and found it to be successful. I am writing this article now because I believe that now is the time to approach your sheeple about prepping …


Economics and Investing:

Jasper M. sent word of the never-ending, ever-expanding Mother of All Bailouts (MOAB): Krugman: U.S. Headed for Jobless Recovery. “Nobel-Prize winning economist Paul Krugman said the nation is on course for a “prolonged jobless” economic recovery unless the Obama administration steps in with a second round of government stimulus money.” Redaer Karen H. kindly sent the following items: Weak US jobs data dashes quick recovery hopes G8 alone can’t solve world’s problems. (This changes the players) China wants diversified global monetary system Items from The Economatrix: Credit Report Warns of Russia’s Imploding Banks A Bank Run Teaches Amish About Risks …


Odds ‘n Sods:

KAF recommended an interesting map that illustrates the ratio of Federal land to private land in the U.S.. (Click on it for a larger view.) BTW, I predict that some extensive tracts of Federal lands will be sold in the next 20 years    o o o The episode lineup for Michael Bane’s new Best Defense: Survival television series has been posted over at the DownRangeTV Blog. It looks like there will be 10 great episodes!    o o o America is Vulnerable to an EMP Attack. But for the sake of balance, I should mention that the ARRL claims …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“ ‘Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, “How do we rob you?” In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.’ ” – Malachi 3:8-10


Notes from JWR:

To my readers in the US: Happy Fourth of July. Long may our flag wave over a land of liberty! Today we present another entry for Round 23 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 foods, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. Second Prize: A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s …


Preparedness Through Joining the National Guard, by Christopher D.

Several months ago, a man wrote an article for the SurvivalBlog detailing the ups and downs of being a prepper while serving on Active Duty. As a former Active Duty soldier I could appreciate what he was saying but more than anything else I found myself being thankful that I was now doing my prepping while serving in the National Guard. Many preppers join the local volunteer fire department or rescue squad in order to learn valuable skills for free that could help in an emergency. They also do it so that they can learn skills that will help pull …


Four Letters Re: Brumby Compressed Air-Powered Well Pumps

James, Your comments about the relative efficiency of compressing air with a windmill are spot on. Most of the energy would be lost. In the real world, air compressors are only about 10 to 15% efficient at best. This is because air heats when it’s compressed. In fact, since more energy is converted to heat than to mechanical energy, a compressor is actually better at heating and cooling a house as a heat pump than it is at compressing air. So unless you could figure out how to drive the Brumby well pump and utilize all the waste heat at …


Influenza Pandemic Update:

Reader L. Jean sent this: UK Government prediction: 40 deaths per day from swine flu. L. Jean’s comment: “[I really have no idea where the figures come from as sources aren’t quoted in the article, and it doesn’t seem to be causing any panic, in fact most people just don’t believe it, and are saying ‘it’s just fl’” and are refusing to take any precautions – which is bad news for the rest of us. I’m still waiting to find out if it’s a cytokine storm that kills or not – perhaps not if all deaths so far have been …


Economics and Investing:

From Mish Shedlock: Sweden Cuts Deposit Rate to NEGATIVE .25% Treasury’s Distressed Debt Plan Said to Begin With $20 Billion Morgan Stanley May Post Loss After Paying Back U.S. Bailout Funds China’s Zeng Urges More Oversight of Reserve-Currency Nations “DD” sent this: Dow off 223 as unemployment jumps; The dismal report on job losses startles traders. The S&P is now a loser on the year, and oil falls below $67.


Odds ‘n Sods:

US Judge Seeks to Ban Internet News Linking. (I guess that they’d better ban news broadcasters from mentioning news headlines, while they are at it…)    o o o Food Recall Alert: Dave C. forwarded a DoD bulletin warning that the current MRE Menus 1, 9, 21, and 22 contain a Dairy Shake Powder that is listed in a food recall. “Do not consume MRE and UGR-E Dairy Shake powder, Fortified with Calcium and Vitamin D”    o o o The result of sixty years of gun control in the U.K: The most violent country in Europe: Britain is also …