The Fed’s Monetization Madness: A Word of Warning

I’m sure that most of you remember back in the first week of August when CNBC market analyst Jim Cramer was screaming hysterically: “Open the discount window!” Well, it seems that Bernanke and Company have done exactly what he asked. As of the past week, commercial banks are now taking $2.7 billion in loans per day from the Federal Reserve discount window. With just this lending from the discount window, the increase in the U.S. money supply has jumped to an annualized rate of more than 50%! I’ve said this before: The biggest red flag imaginable for pending economic catastrophe …


Letter Re: Build-it-Yourself Reflux Alcohol Still Plans Available Online

Mr. Rawles I’ve found the discussion of alcohol power and stills very interesting. Building a still has been something on my list of things to do, but I never seem to get around to making it happen. Here’s a link to [a PDF of] the [still building] plans I’d like to follow. The plans are concise, relatively simple and, best of all, free. I think the web site says you can build one of these for about $65, less if you have access to an inexpensive stainless steel milk can.- Tim R.



Weekly Survival Real Estate Market Update

The window is opening, but only for a short time. Consider the life expectancy of King and the Peasant, in times of great peril. Does it really matter who you are, financially? Sure, but not if you’re on the Titanic. You see, there are those out there both rich and poor that take their preparedness seriously, whether they research skills and topics till dawn’s early light or proactively practice with their supplies and equipment, but it will be all for not, because they are sailing on the Titanic. The only difference is the cost of their cabin! But either way …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Joe. P. picked up (via The Drudge Report) an interesting article about the ongoing oil drama that predicts crude oil at perhaps $100 per barrel    o o o Stephen in Iraq flagged this one: Morgan Stanley Profit Drops After Losses on LBO Loan    o o o After seeing my recent reference in the blog about the implications of the declining dollar, reader S.K. e-mailed me to mention that CDNN Sports recently received a large shipment of both Kahles scopes and binoculars, which are made in the Swarovski plant. Luckily, the pricing was set before the recent dollar exchange …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Once a nation parts with the control of its currency and credit, it matters not who makes the nations laws. Usury, once in control, will wreck any nation. Until the control of the issue of currency and credit is restored to government and recognized as its most sacred responsibility, all talk of the sovereignty of parliament and of democracy is idle and futile.” – William Lyon Mackenzie King (1874-1950) Prime Minister of Canada, 1935


Note from JWR:

If you are currently doing your web browsing through a typical web browser without a cookie/history blocker then you are leaving behind a trail of “cookie crumbs” that might come back to haunt you decades from now. I strongly recommend that all SurvivalBlog readers do their web browsing through Anonymizer.


Two Letters Re: Bank Runs — Implications for Prepared Families

Jim, Re the bank runs in the UK and warning about similar actions in the US: I don’t deal much with banks so I have a rather silly question to ask about this situation. If there is a run on a particular US bank that I happen to have accounts/cash in, what actually happens at the bank? Do they close the bank up completely? Can you still access your safe deposit box or is everything shut down? The reason I ask is that if I moved physical cash from my “electronic accounts” to a safe deposit box, will I have …


Letter Re: Counting the Potential EMP Attack Casualties

Jim, I don’t understand why the discussion on your blog regarding EMP assumes only ground based and aircraft altitude detonations. It seems to me an equally likely attempt will be a ballistic missile detonation at maximum altitude, such as with a Scud or Chinese one, launched from a freighter off the east or west coast of the US. Al Qaeda is known to own a fleet of freighters which are not well tracked (stolen in hijacks or even purchased outright). Iran, North Korea, Syria, and [Dr. A.Q.] Khan’s rogue network are all working hard to develop a nuclear capability and …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Thanks to RBS for sending this: U.S. Home Foreclosures Soar in August, Up 36 Percent From July, and Prepare for prolonged turmoil, says US Treasury Secretary. A comment from RBS: “Once again, we have to go aboard to get any [substantive] economic news.”    o o o Chuck, Joe, and Nathaniel all forwarded us this one: Fears of dollar collapse as Saudis take fright. The article begins: “Saudi Arabia has refused to cut interest rates in lockstep with the US Federal Reserve for the first time, signaling that the oil-rich Gulf kingdom is preparing to break the dollar currency peg …



Note from JWR:

The bidding is now up to $450 in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction, for a scarce pre-1899 antique Finnish M39 Mosin Nagant rifle from my personal collection. This rifle was rebarreled by Valmet during WWII, and is in excellent condition. It comes with a replica bayonet, original sling, and original muzzle cap. Since the receiver for this rifle was made in 1898, it can be mailed directly to the winning bidder’s doorstep, with no FFL paperwork! The auction ends on October 15th.. Just e-mail us your bid.


Three Letters Re: Running Chainsaws on Ethanol & Home Alcohol Production Stills

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Jim: You can buy a couple of standard jets for the particular carburetor you are working on, then measure the opening in your current carb and add the 38% to the hole size and drill the jet out with the proper size drill. Be sure to go 38% larger in cross-section, not in diameter. – Michael Z. Williamson   Jim, In regards to the article about converting small engines to ethanol, there are a few things to be aware of as far as “being prepared” goes. BATFE regulations: Regardless of what you are making with a still, whether it be …


Letter Re: Counting the Potential EMP Attack Casualties

Jim, I am a big fan of your writings but I did have to try to correct a misconception I saw [posited by a reader] on SurvivalBlog. I am an ex-fighter pilot and am well-versed on EMP effects as it did affect my mission at the time. I am now a pilot for one of the major airlines and have been one for about 18 years now. Not all airliners will fall out of the sky as is popularly thought from an EMP. Many airliners still actually fly by cables like the DC 9 and its versions such as the …