Mini Dairy Goats for a Sustainable Future, by Donna G.

Goats are one of the most versatile animals of all livestock. With hard times poised on the horizon, they’ll greatly improve your quality of life. They provide us with milk, meat, leather, weed/undergrowth clearing, environmentally friendly to the earth, non-toxic garden fertilizer, horse companionship, 4H or FFA projects and as pack animals to carry their own “Bug Out Bags”. My husband and I have been breeding and raising goats for over fifteen years. This article is presented as basic information for anyone thinking about adding these wonderful animals into their lives. What is a Mini? There are two recognized breeds …


Letter Re: Determining the Best Pistol Ammo to Store for Barter

With an economic depression looming just in front of the world and post-Peak Oil price shocks on it’s heals (according to Mat Simmons peak oil is history, it happened in May 2005, check his web site out) it would be good to have something for barter better then that green toilet paper we haul around for the same purpose. I think firearms ammunition would be an ideal selection. It is relatively compact, portable and usable. But what calibers to stock pile. Up until the commodity boom hit I was buying fired brass cases by the pound from a shooting range …


Letter Re: Finding Abandoned Properties, Post-TEOTWAWKI?

Dear Mr. Rawles, This letter is in reference to the reader who had the idea of squatting in abandoned homes. I would advise he seriously rethink that idea. If law has broken down enough that he could acquire someone else’s dwelling without raising any eyebrows then there is enough of a breakdown for the owners to show up and use lethal force whether warranted or not. In that type of TEOTWAWKI, we may see a return to the days of: Horse theft = shot or hung, accosting a lady in the street = shot or hung, Claim (Homestead) jumping = …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Signs of the (Los Angeles) Times: Adult children moving back home with parents. (A hat tip to Erik for the link.)    o o o Jim H. sent us a link to an interesting Business Spectator (of Australia) article about CDS-based CDO paper (so-called “synthetic CDOs”): A tsunami of hope or terror?    o o o The latest economic news and commentary from Cheryl: Stocks Plunge Anew, Led by Financials; Dow Down 873 in Two Days — Stocks Plunge To 5-Year Lows As Hopes Fade For Auto Bailout — Fears Over US Economy Weaken World Markets — Panicked Investors Send …



Note from JWR:

A special note of thanks to the anonymous pharmacist on the East Coast that has set up a very generous 10 Cent Challenge subscription via an automated weekly payment. These voluntary subscriptions are greatly appreciated, especially now that our hosting and bandwidth expenses exceed $450 per month. (Daily downloads from our site now regularly exceed 20 Gigabytes per day. Last month alone, we burned through a whopping 660GB!)


Letter Re: Is the US Residential Real Estate Market Nearing the Bottom?

Hello Mr. Rawles: Seeing that houses are pretty much dirt cheap right now, would it be a good decision to buy one? what would happen to our debts (including the mortgage) when/if the Amero comes? would they disappear like they claim the American debt will? I hear radio advertisements about the IRS giving you up to [a] $7,500 [interest-free loan] on your 2008 taxes if you buy a house in 2008. So, again, would it be a good idea? would the Dollar amount be converted into Ameros? Thanks in advance for your response. As always, congratulations on and thank you …


Letter Re: Comments on Two of the Three Bs: Bullets and Band-Aids

Greetings Jim, With [the] November 4th [US presidential and congressional election] behind us, many of us are wondering how to proceed with our preps. With regard to the bullets in the “Three B’s” consider this; your firearm will function with one magazine, most with even no magazine, but they all require ammunition. As a prep (as opposed to investment), I put forth that a good supply of ammunition is a higher priority than spare magazines, after purchasing the firearm, of course! In selecting a firearms battery, ammunition availability is a common selection criteria. You should own firearms that ammunition can …


Letter Re: Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as a Retreat Locale

Jim, I’ve been following the letters about living in Michigan;’s Upper Peninsula (UP) with interest. For those that aren’t familiar with Michigan geography, there are two peninsulas. For the most part, most consider Michigan the ‘mitten’ [landmass], and that’s all. The rest forget that there is still more to the state, and that’s okay with me! The UP is 1/3 the land mass of the state, with only 1% of the total population. There are more people in Detroit, than there are in all of the UP. another very nice statistic! Personally, I was born and raised in Detroit (please …


Letter Re: Perfect Practice Makes Perfect

Hi. The Chinese say that if proficiency is desired a skill must be repeated “10,000 times.” Well, if you don your concealment rig and practice weapon presentation and dry firing 30 times, every day, you will have done it over 10,000 times in just one year. Repetition builds muscle memory and with muscle memory comes speed. Speed is not a matter of quick reflexes. It comes from eliminating extraneous motion. It doesn’t matter how “fast” you practice. If done right, every time, even in slow motion, when needed in reality you will be amazed at the effortless speed that results. …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Michael G. sent this great link: The The King of Scrounge and His Castle    o o o Erik mentioned that US military personnel with proper identification can shop at Sam’s Club without a membership for two days in December. The company will also waive its 10 percent non-member service fee. The military open houses will be held Monday, Dec. 1 and Monday, Dec. 15 at 598 Sam’s Club locations in the U.S., during regular club hours. This is a good opportunity to stock up! BTW, if you need to know exactly what food products, hygiene items and sundries to …




The MOAB Keeps Growing, and Growing

Last Winter, when I first started writing about the Mother of All Bailouts (MOAB), I predicted that the cost of the bailout would grow inexorably. Sadly, I was all too right. In fact, the scope of the MOAB is now much larger than I had predicted, early in 2008. The latest tally thusfar is an almost incomprehensible $4.28 trillion US Dollars. But wait, it gets worse. In addition to bailing out bankers and insurance companies, more and more entities from outside the financial sector are lining up to the Federal trough. The TARP bailout set a dangerous precedent. There is …


Letter Re: Finding Abandoned Properties, Post-TEOTWAWKI?

Dear Mr. Rawles, I recently became a fan of your blog and wanted to commend you for your work in educating the masses. While I don’t have a retreat, I’m using a different strategy and hope for your input. I live in western Maryland. Historically we are fairly disaster-proof from natural disasters enjoy all four seasons. My plan is to prepare (as best we can here) and after a disaster, claim a better vacant property. Two other thoughts: I recently purchased David Blume’s book “Alcohol Can Be a Gas” and intend to fuel my own flex fuel vehicles and have …