Odds ‘n Sods:

Have you seen the “Tick Tick Boom” music video promo for the new season of “Jericho“? I thought that the snippet of the speech from a representative of the “Allied States of America” was reminiscent of the “Mr. Clarke” character from the “Provisional Government of the United States” in my novel “Patriots”. I am really looking forward to the new season, which will premiere on February 12th. (We don’t own a television here at the ranch, but CBS network shows can be watched online.) o o o Reader RBS sent us this: Cashiers vulnerable to flu from banknotes. o o …



Letter Re: Stock Market Turmoil – Time To Make an Exit

Jim – I’ve been reading SurvivalBlog for a little over a year now and I enjoy the commentary immensely. As a long-time investor and at the risk of a “pile-on” situation, I’ve got to echo the sentiments of yourself and your pundits recommending exiting the markets now and the foreseeable future. I have sold my entire portfolio in the last week or so into a down market, which I normally would never do, due to a number of significant factors – first and foremost being the fragility of the derivatives market, second being the cryptic, embedded and out-of-control debt market …


Letter Re: Anti-Vehicular Barriers for Retreat Security

Dear Jim, I have for some time been meaning to write about vehicular and other counter-mobility obstacles. The dramatic video that you posted yesterday has prompted me. Ever since reading “Patriots”, when the looters simply cut the lock on the front gate with a “universal key” (bolt cutters), it has been on my mind. Coming as I do from a combat engineer background, I couldn’t believe how they could have overlooked such as basic aspect of perimeter hardening. They could have very well lost that fight because some clown had the sense to bring a pair of bolt cutters along. …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Three bits of heavy duty economic Gloom und Doom: Jonas sent this: Dow Jones Industrial Average futures down nearly 500 points, Eric sent this: A 1,000 Point Drop On The Dow? , and Stephen in Iraq sent this: Shares Tumble in Asia and Europe. Our friend Randy commented in a recent e-mail:: “Things are not looking too rosy for Tuesday’s market opening bell in New York.”    o o o Thanks to E.S. for this: India battles to contain ‘very serious’ bird flu outbreak    o o o Jeff C. mentioned that www.RARESEEDS.com sells only heirloom (non-hybrid) varieties.    o …



Note from JWR:

If you find what you read at SurvivalBlog informative and entertaining, then please become a 10 Cent Challenge subscriber. Subscriptions are entirely voluntary but are an important part of how I earn a living. (And what keeps me from quitting the blog and going back to tech writing in the corporate world.).


Protecting Yourself From Coming Stock Market Declines

Last week, after Citigroup reported a net loss of nearly $10 billion for the quarter, the New York Stock Exchange had its biggest percentage drop for a January in 17 years. Between Monday and Friday, the DJIA dropped more than 670 points. The S&P and NASDAQ posted similar losses. This doesn’t look good. There is an old saying on Wall Street: “As goes January, so goes the rest of the year.” (And this has been borne out statistically.) My friend The Chartist Gnome is recommending that his clients get out of nearly all of their stocks–with just a few exceptions …


Letter Re: An Approaching Tsunami for Hedge Fund and Muni Bond Insurers

Dear Mr. Rawles, Would you buy stock in Allstate Insurance or Farmer’s Insurance if you knew a tsunami was going to hit the entire East Coast? If you had foreknowledge of such a catastrophe, you certainly wouldn’t put your money into insurance companies, because no insurance company could cover an event that huge. I believe that something analogous is what is now happening in the financial markets. Savvy investors are getting out of financial insurance companies that may be asked to cover huge losses projected to occur this year. These Wall Street companies insure pension funds, CDOs, hedge funds, and …


Letter Re: A Reader Comments on the Mossberg 590A Riot Shotgun

Jim; I recently purchased a Mossberg Model 590A [12 gauge] riot shotgun. They are a lot cheaper than the Remington tactical or other brands and I feel more reliable–also the opinion of many in the military Here are the specification differences from a standard Mossberg Model 500: – A steel receiver as opposed to aluminum alloy – Extra thick walled heavy barrel – Metal trigger guard versus polymer – Metal safety [button] versus polymer – Ghost ring sights – All matte finish – Has 8+1 versus 7+1 capacity The shotgun performed as expected–flawless, digest all ammo, good handling/target acquisition,and lots …


Odds ‘n Sods:

General Motors CEO says that oil has peaked. As I’ve said before, vehicles with a diversity of fuel sources is a good thing. If possible, retreats should have a variety of diesel, gasoline, E85, electric, and LP-powered vehicles, just to be ready for any eventuality. (A hat tip to Jason H. for sending the article link on the GM CEO‘s quote.) OBTW, I’m currently building up savings for a Bad Boy Buggy electric ATV to supplement our aging gas-powered utility ATV.    o o o Statistics from Memphis, Tennessee, show that concealed carry works: With more people carrying guns, self-defense …



Note from JWR:

The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction lot is now at $200. The auction is for a Brunton Solarport 4.4 watt photovoltaic panel (a $140 retail value), a Deluxe Outdoor Survival Tool Kit (a $70 retail value)–both kindly donated by Ready Made Resources–as well as seven other items: A copy of the latest edition of “The Encyclopedia of Country Living” by the late Carla Emery (a $32 retail value), an autographed copy of my novel “Patriots” (a $23 retail value), an autographed copy of my nonfiction book “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation” (a $25 retail value), a SurvivalBlog …


Letter Re: Anti-Vehicular Barriers for Retreat Defense

Jim, This video is rather impressive. The video description reads: “How many times have you wondered how strong those cement barriers are that you see in front of military base entrances? From time to time someone asks what the concrete barriers are in front of controlled and secure buildings. When they are told that the barriers will stop traffic, even trucks, from approaching the secure building, they usually get a look of disbelief. In the test, the following parameters were used: Truck weight = 65,000 pounds. Speed at impact = 50 m.p.h. Kinetic Energy = 5.5 Million foot-pounds. Stopping distance …


Three Letters Re: How to Win with Asymmetric Warfare, by Robert R.

Dear JWR, I would like to share some links and great references from a survival lecture and slide presentation given by one of the most important (yet non-acclaimed nearly enough) contributors to our US Strategic Warfare Development by John R. Boyd, Col. USA, deceased 1997. See this PDF of a slide presentation I had to chuckle when I read a follow up tactical criticism submitted in an article to SurvivalBlog and to the attempted re-writing and improving potential maneuverings for chapter scenario enhancements in excerpts from your revised “Patriots” novel. I so much enjoy this novel and consider it a …