Jim’s Quote of the Day:
“I bought it [silver] very early, [and] I sold it very early. Other than that, it was perfect.” – Warren Buffet, May 6, 2006
“I bought it [silver] very early, [and] I sold it very early. Other than that, it was perfect.” – Warren Buffet, May 6, 2006
Yowza! We just surpassed the 400,000 unique visits mark. That is a fantastic number. I had only expected 100,000 unique in the first year, and now we’ve logged four times that in just the first 10 months! Thanks for making SurvivalBlog such a rapid success. Please keep spreading the word. A brief e-mail to your friends, and/or adding a linked SurvivalBlog banner on your website would be greatly appreciated!
JR: Can you recommend a place, business, web site, that offers the equivalent of Match.com, eHarmony.com, etc for preparedness minded folks? There used to be a place called patriotmatchmaker, but no more. Any suggestions? If you cannot find such a place, you might want to consider starting one as a income producing web site. Why not? You have the perfect target audience to do so. Thanks, – Boosters JWR Replies: Because our society is so litigious, I’m not inclined toward setting up such as service. I formerly directed folks to the Survivalist Contacts page at www.SurvivalistBooks.com, but that page doesn’t …
Mr. Rawles: The other day you mentioned some pretty outlandish predictions for gold and silver from the “gold bugs.” Just what are they saying, and how credible are their claims? I’d also like to hear your own estimation of gold’s potential. Thank You, – Mrs. F. JWR Replies: Some of the claims are indeed outlandish — like Roland Watson, who predicted $10,000 per ounce gold. (See below.) But it isn’t just die-hard gold bugs that are predicting significantly higher precious metals prices by the end of this decade. There are quite a few Wall Street wonks that are talking about …
I just noticed that Gun Parts Guy is advertising a new batch of U.S.-made metric FAL barrel assemblies. With the BATFE‘s recent suspension on the importation of complete semi-auto rifle parts kits with (barrels being the parts that they want stopped), this could be a genuine “don’t miss” opportunity. If you own a FAL (or clone thereof), buy a spare, and perhaps even a “spare spare.” o o o The Titan Missile base in eastern Washington that I mentioned a few weeks back has been re-listed on eBay. This time the starting bid is $750,000! Too bad that eBay …
“Long term prices of houses simply cannot rise above people’s means to pay for them. That is a simple economic fact. Here is another simple economic fact: Family incomes are falling. The negative savings rate and rising foreclosures are more proof of stress in the system.” – Mike “Mish” Shedlock, Mish’s Global Economic Trend Analysis, April 2006, as quoted at SafeHaven.com
Greetings Jim, I read Redclay’s letter on his questioning using electronics with generators. Ham (Amateur Radio) operators have been using various electronic devices for years powered by generators. The use of power sensitive devices such as a computer on a generator is fine if you take some precautions. First off the generator is what I called a “spiky” power source. So to smooth out the power supplied to the electronics one wants to use a good spike/surge protector between the generator and electronic devices. Do not skimp on cost and quality here. In my opinion it is preferable to use …
The Daily Reckoning’s Justice Litle comments on the world after the dollar collapses o o o It just occurred to me that the recent jump in fuel prices will hurt the mining sector, cutting into their profitability. Just as gold and silver are going into a bull cycle, the cost of production for the miners is going up. Thus, gold and and silver mining stocks will not show quite the magnitude of gains that they otherwise would have. This is just another reason to invest in physical metals rather than in precious metals stocks or mutual funds. o …
“So, we can say that, yes, the Dow has been in a bull market since October 2002 in dollar terms, but it has been in a bear market in gold terms. This is an important point to understand. In case we should experience continuous monetary inflation, which could lift, over time, all asset prices such as stocks, real estate, and commodities, some asset classes will increase more in value than others. This means that some asset classes while rising in value could deflate against other asset classes, such as happened with the Dow against gold since year 2000. – Marc …
Hi James, In reviewing the post by “Redclay” I think he brings a point that many people struggle with. Especially those of us who are just starting to prepare, but can easily get overwhelmed financially and mentally with all there is to do to be prepared. I have read SurvivalBlog since the beginning and don’t recall any truly affordable options for powering a 220 volt AC well pump. Below are some ideas that I have. See what you think. A brief journey back through time would shed some valuable lessons for all of us. The western settlers on up through …
Mr. Rawles, Some of your readers may have the BayGen Freeplay [hand crank clock drive] AM/FM/SW radio that they are saving for that “rainy day”, or may be new to the emergency preparedness mindset and looking for a similar wind up radio. I purchased my Bay Gen about six years ago for around $100 and used it about that many (100) hours. A few weeks ago the mechanism that regulates the internal generator speed started to deteriorate, then went completely out. I contacted the manufacturer/distributor and they referred me to Dixie Sales Co., the US distributor. I was informed by …
Jim, I regret the withdrawal of my advertising but I can no longer do it because the housing bubble has burst and this is not a good time to buy any real estate. I would urge your readers to consider renting and investing heavily in precious metals, including FMJ. I am calling the ball and making plans to leave the country possibly in the next 6-to-12 months. The dollar is in a fatal spiral and all dollar-denominated assets are in a freefall. There is no stepping away from the financial ruin the politicians and a willing sheeple have visited …
SurvivalBlog reader R.B.S. told us about a great new site that covers Second Amendment issues: Firearms News. They also host a very useful directory of links to firearms-related web site links. o o o A reader told me that he saw SurvivalBlog mentioned in the description for a current eBay auction of a CRKT tanto point folding knife. o o o The New Euro-denominated Oil Bourse: Iran signs its own death warrant. o o o NoNAIS.org has a very good article about NAIS implementation: Mafia Style “Voluntary”
"For the resolute and determined there is time and opportunity." – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Get your entries in soon for Round 4 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best contest entry will win a four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate. The deadline for entries for Round 4 is May 31, 2006.