Odds ‘n Sods:

Stephanie in Arkansas mentioned that there are some plans for do-it-yourself gravity water filters posted over at the Alpha Rubicon site. JWR Adds: OBTW, while you are there, be sure to check out their many other references available for free download. It is a great site that has done yeoman service in preparedness circles.    o o o From Al Jazeera television, of all places: Montana Has a Lot of Guns.    o o o Dennis found us this commentary on long term Social Security obligations: Glenn Beck: The $53 trillion asteroid    o o o Luis in Utah sent …




The Nationalization of Wall Street, by John Ing

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke once said: “By increasing the number of U.S. dollars in circulation, or even by credibly threatening to do so, the U.S. government can also reduce the value of a dollar in terms of goods and services, which is equivalent to raising the prices in dollars of those goods and services. We conclude that, under a paper money system, a determined government can always generate higher spending and hence positive inflation.” The Fed slashed short-term interest rates six times in six months to 2.25 per cent from 5.25 per cent despite the U.S. Department of Labor …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Home Equity Loans as Next Round in Credit Crisis Don’t miss one key point that was buried near the end of the article: “…many people added second loans after taking out first mortgages, so it is impossible to say for certain how many homeowners have multiple liens on their properties.” Clearly, there are a lot of home buyers (I’ll refrain from calling them home owners, since it is the bankers that still hold controlling interest) that are getting “upside down” in their mortgages. Without a doubt, much more jingle mail is coming, as property prices continue their downward spiral.    …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Although we give lip service to the notion of freedom, we know that government is no longer the servant of the people but, at last, become the people’s master. We have stood by like timid sheep while the wolf killed – first the weak, then the strays, then those on the outer edges of the flock, until at last the entire flock belonged to the wolf.” – Gerry Spence, From Freedom to Slavery


Notes from JWR:

Wow! Three million unique visits! Thank you everyone, for making SurvivalBlog a tremendous success. Please continue to spread the word to family, friends, and co-workers. Today we present another article for Round 15 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $2,000!) Second prize is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 15 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries for Round …


Family Learning for Preparedness, by T.D.

My husband and I are like minded, (he realized way before I did), and he and I didn’t meet until I was in my mid-thirties. I was considered weird, called a tomboy and later, a gear head. Don’t get me wrong, I cook, sew, knit and crochet. I had many interests though and wanted to learn. What I have seen lately and in some people we met that are like minded, is the lack of initiative on the part of some spouses. I have seen some women and men that will ridicule their spouses or will just roll their eyes …


Letter Re: Advice on Purchasing Priorities For a Tight Budget

Mr. Rawles, Hello again! Hope you and your family are doing well. I have had some questions on my mind lately, and was curious if you would mind helping me. (I know you must be tremendously busy with our “strong” economy!). My wife and I are both college students in Santa Cruz, California, and we have a very limited amount of storage space and limited income. Are there any tricks or pieces of advice you have for individuals like ourselves? I recently spent my tax refund on some firearms (which were from a federal firearms dealer :-[ ) and now …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Fellow novelist Matt Bracken mentioned this article: Farms of fear, about murders in rural South Africa. It gives some useful glimpses, when considering security measures for retreats in the not-too-distant Schumeresque future.    o o o Speaking of Harder Homes and Gardens, ponder this piece: Bulletproof public design in Los Angeles. (A hat tip to James K.)    o o o Inyokern spotted this sobering piece: Into the Economic Abyss: How Deep Will It Go? Even the mainstream media is catching on…    o o o Reader “EL” suggested using propane for a source of lighting. EL notes “The Amish …




Post-Doomsday: Dress Incognito, Play Down Your Preps, by Ranger Man

Rawles, at SurvivalBlog, had a good post earlier this month that included reader-submitted comments on survival lessons from the homeless. Check the link to read the advice, which mostly contains thoughts on street survival as the homeless see it, how to score a free shower, etc. Let’s flip this line of thinking around and brainstorm on how staying dirty could be a SHTF survival technique. If (when) the world is your enemy, deception is your ally. I think this is particularly pertinent to urban dwellers, but it could be valuable for everyone. WTSHTF – dress like a bum. Post-doomsday: George: …


Letter Re: Advice on Constructing a Secure Underground Shelter

Sir: I have read your web site and thanks for posting it. I am presently purchasing seven acres in Wyoming with an existing log home. We are going to build a new home on the same property and would like to invest in a good attached underground bunker. Can you please tell me where I can find decent plans and specs for a bunker to sustain five adults and three children? I would like to branch it off of our new basement. I would really appreciate it. God Bless, Mel JWR Replies: I would recommend Safecastle. They have lots of …


Weekly Survival Real Estate Market Update

We have some great news for you folks that have been wondering where all the approved retreats disappeared to, on the Idaho page of SurvivalRealty.com. (This is SurvivalBlog’s sister site that JWR put together specifically to help SurvivalBlog readers to find their own survival retreats.) More than 15 Idaho listings have now been posted! You can view them here. In order to comply with guidelines set forth by the Idaho Real Estate Commission, although the listings are available on any public MLS approved site, the subsequent retreat evaluations, analysis and photos are only allowed to be disseminated to actual customers …