Odds ‘n Sods:

Some Treehuggers concede that we may be right, after all, even if we do use Excessive and Gratuitous Acronym Diversions (EGADs).    o o o From our Economic Editor, starting with the most disturbing news: Bloomberg Analyst Marc Faber: $700 Billion Bailout Could Balloon To $5 Trillion — WaMu Is Gone, But Trouble Spots Remain (The banks to watch: Wachovia, Comerica, Marshall & Ilsley) — Wachovia, Citi In Merger Talks — Stocks Rebound On Renewed Bailout Hopes — The US Banking Collapse Was A Controlled Demolition Let’s Play Wall Street Bailout (Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio rants well) — They Want …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them." – Ecclesiastes 9:11-12 (KJV)


Two Letters Re: Advice for City Folks on a Budget?

Dear Mr. Rawles, I am writing to ask for your advice and for your charity, and also because I think this subject may be of interest to many of your readers. I discovered your web site a week ago and have found it to be both very informative and also very alarming! It was major wake-up call for me. In my opinion, I am not at all prepared for the upheavals that are already underway and that lie ahead of us. I would very much like to change that situation, but it all (considered as a whole) seems so overwhelming. …


Letter Re: Questions on Short Term Survival in an Urban Office Building

Dear Mr. Rawles, First off, I just want to say that I really appreciate what you’re doing with your blog site. I’ve learned so many useful things and feel that I am beginning to have a basic understanding of how to prepare for and live in and a survival situation. Second, I’d like to give you a quick bit of background about myself so you can hopefully help me with my dilemma/question… I am a young adult working on the 9th floor of a large building in Manhattan [on Long Island, New York City, New York]. I do not own …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Cheryl, our Economic Editor, sent us these: Congress Restarts Troubled Bailout Talks — Stocks Mostly Decline As Investors Remain Tense Over Bailout — WaMu Becomes Biggest Bank To Fail In US History — Wachovia In Huge Mortgage Mess — UK Banks May Get $180bn From US Bailout — Wachovia Shares Begin Dive After WaMu Death — JPMorgan Buys WaMu For A Mere $1.9 Billion (“To put the size of WaMu in context, its assets are equal to about two-thirds of the combined book value assets of all 747 failed thrifts that were sold off by the Resolution Trust Corp. – …



Note from JWR:

Based on the tone of many recent e-mails, I can see that the anxiety level of SurvivalBlog readers has definitely gone up a notch. With headlines like these, it is no wonder. Again, the present circumstances do not dictate doing anything drastic. Wait, watch, and above all be ready. This would be a good time to top off your storage food and fuel reserves. Don’t quit your day job!


From The Memsahib: Saving Your Life and Saving Your Relationships–Don’t Drive Your Loved Ones Away

We received the following sad letter from an anonymous SurvivalBlog reader that illustrates how women can be driven away by men that are insensitive to the emotional differences between men and women. Hello Jim, I especially enjoyed The Memsahib’s article directed towards single people needing to get out there and volunteer / network, and the article regarding balancing prepping with continuing to enjoy life. I think it’s a good idea to pay especially close attention to the articles she writes as I find that I’ve not had balance over the last few years as I’ve become more aware of the …


Letter Re: Advice for an Unprepared Greenhorn

Hello Mr. Rawles! I love your blog, and visit at least weekly, more often daily. The current economic situation is sickening. I mean, actually making my stomach hurt, as I am not prepared. I just recently was hit on the head with the motivation to get prepared. The only problem with that is that I don’t even know where to start. Food? Weapons and Ammunition? Medical supplies? I am the patriarch of a family of 4. My wife and I, and our two children, both 10 and under. What I could use your advice on is just what I mentioned …


Letter Re: Making Alternatives to Commercial Chemical Light Sticks

Hi Jim, I just read your novel “Patriots” and studied the Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, and both are excellent. [In them,] you talk about chem lights (otherwise known as glow sticks) for in your car for changing tires, handy around campsites, and what not. The shelf life on these, as you mentioned, is very short (couple of months in a car [in a hot climate]) and they are not cheap (or maybe just I am cheap). I found this video on making an LED version of them that is reusable. Seems to me like a good idea for …


Letter Re: A Girl Scout Troop Leader Wants to Get Her Girls Prepared

James: The Boy Scouts of America have an Emergency Preparedness merit badge that hits a lot of good points. There is a lot of redundancy on the web concerning this merit badge, but it does broach some basic concepts aimed at a youth’s perspective. Sincerely, – Bill in Austin, Texas


Odds ‘n Sods:

Several readers sent us this article, suggesting a correlation with my recent Pre-Crash Checklist: China banks told to halt lending to US banks    o o o Cheryl found this for us: Shipping Container Homes    o o o Rod McG. sent us this: In Israel, Kibbutz Life Makes a Surprising Comeback    o o o Dan and Becky flagged this: confirmation that the growth of the Mother of All Bailouts is not slowing: House clears $25 billion for car makers    o o o Some news and commentary gleanings from our Economic Editor: WaMu’s Hopes For Capital Drying Up …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"During the hyperinflation in post WWI Germany, what used to be a comfortable nest egg was suddenly the value of a postage stamp. If one held just a portion of their savings in precious metals, the crisis was greatly softened. Gold will never be worth nothing, even if the exact price fluctuates. There is a famous photograph, however, of a German woman during this time period burning piles of tightly bound banknotes to keep warm." – Congressman Ron Paul


Letter Re: What Are the Economic Collapse Indicators to Watch For?

Jim, Some of us may be stuck within the city limits until ‘the last possible moment’ before an event such as WTSHTF. Can you suggest a day-to-day procedure or strategy to now follow for monitoring specific and reliable news outlets or information sources in determining when our G.O.O.D. action plan should be initiated? . Obviously, many people such as myself, have all the ‘other’ recommended Rawles preparations in place but are still at a disadvantage from those that were able to set up their retreat ahead of time and to have evacuated from a city. It’s the best that I …


Letter Re: Yoder’s Canned Bacon and Canned Meats?

Mr. Rawles; Thanks for the time and effort you put into SurvivalBlog.com. It is a truly valuable and unique resource. Working on my lists of supplies and equipment, I’m wondering about Yoder’s canned bacon and other canned meats, beef, chicken, turkey, pork, sausage, etc. They advertise [an up to] 10 year shelf life (depending on storage conditions of course) and the price isn’t unreasonable. Too heavy for much mobility but for home base they appear to me to be an attractive way to store some meat products without refrigeration. Any info or thoughts on this? Thanks, – Gatekeeper JWR Replies: …