Odds ‘n Sods:

A Blackwater Brigade for Darfour?    o o o U.K.’s Prime Minister Blair Calls for a Technological Revolution to Combat Climate Change    o o o SurvivalBlog readers in the Great Lakes region should consider getting training from Dave Schleicher of Eagle Personal Protection, in Michigan. Dave is an NRA Certified Firearms Instructor who shares his knowledge gained at a wide range of schools including Lethal Force Institute(LFI-I and LFI-II certified), Options for Personal Security (Handgun Skills and Tactics, Carbine, Surgical Speed Shooting), Universal Shooting Academy, Gunfighters, Ltd., Suarez International (Low Light Gunfighting, Close Range Gunfighting, Knifefighting) and E.A.G. Tactical (Combat …



Note from JWR:

Tomorrow we will announce the winner of Round 3 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest, and award a four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate. Thanks to the generosity of Front Sight’s Director, Naish Piazza, we will be running Round 4 of the contest, with the same valuable prize. (Worth as much as $2,000 if you were paying cash for a course.) The deadline for entries for Round 4 is May 31, 2006. Speaking of Front Sight, the 26 episode weekly reality TV series entitled, Front Sight Challenge will be aired soon on The Outdoor Channel. Check your satellite …


Letter from “Mr. Coffee” in Costa Rica Re: Finding a Stable Country for an Offshore Retreat

Hi Jim, I haven’t e-mailed you in a long while because I know you are really busy with your blog. I read your site every day and have implemented many of the ideas you and others have shared. Thanks. If any of your readers have specific questions about moving to Costa Rica I would be glad to answer them.  You can share my e-mail address: costaricakelly@yahoo.com. The info you shared in your March 30th blog post about Central America is accurate. I would stay away from the rest of Central America. Panama still has some nice areas up in the …


Odds ‘n Sods:

This story is amazing:  http://www.phishhook.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=550448  Of course this was criminal enterprise, but some of the same techniques could be used to conceal entrances for secret rooms and/or an underground retreat.    o o o Eric Fry of The Rude Awakening e-newsletter notes: “22-year highs in silver; 24-year highs in sugar; 25-year  highs in gold; 26-year highs in platinum; all-time highs in copper, crude oil and natural gas…Welcome to the commodity markets of 2005-06.”    o o o Fred the Valmet-meister says: “If you liked Frontier House on PBS a few years ago, you’ll like the new “Ranch House” miniseries (eight …




Finding a Stable Country for an Offshore Retreat

I’m often asked by SurvivalBlog readers and consulting clients about where to look for an offshore retreat. Today, I’ll discuss general selection criteria, and briefly discuss Central America. With a few exceptions, most of my consulting clients seem to agree on the following criteria: Political stability Economic stability Relatively self-sufficient agriculture Livable climate Allows expatriates to own land outright, or at least provided long term (60+ year) renewable leases Free enterprise and private banking Favorable tax situation Minimal gun laws Low crime rate Free of Malaria and at minimal risk for other insect-borne diseases Well established infrastructure (power, phone, water, …


Letter Re: Investing in Tangibles Through an IRA

Dear Jim: Per your suggestions, I have been doing a lot of research into the American Church Trust Precious-Metals IRA [offered through Swiss America]. However, I have several questions that I would like to ask. [JWR’s replies are in-line, in bold.] 1.) I noticed in a recent post of yours on this subject that you have your IRA backed by Gold American Eagles. Could you explain why you chose gold instead of silver? Because of the much higher “per ounce/per dollar” purchase premium on U.S. Mint Silver Eagles, I prefer U.S. Mint Gold Eagles, in this case.  (At the time …


Letter Re: Defending Your Home: An Outline of Security for Troubled Times, by K.A.D.

Jim, For those folks out there who are incorporating a door/window alarm system for their home as part of layered protection, it pays to personally check each window, door every six months to see if the connections still work. After having our home windows/doors/motion sensor-monitored alarm system for about six years built in new into our country home, we found recently that some of the window sensors didn’t work when the windows were opened. The monitoring company visited and said that as our home settled, some wires got pinched, some separated and it was not uncommon to have that happen. …


Odds ‘n Sods:

The wizened Dow Theory sage Richard Russell comments on the U.S. Dollar and the Housing Bubble:    o o o U.S. Marines in Iraq say: “Too Much Body Armor“:    o o o Here is an interesting blog that I just found today: Airborne Combat Engineer    o o o The Associated Press reports on Enormous Pro-Illegal Immigration Rallies in the U.S. Unfortunately, I think that congress is likely to cave in to the pressure and institute some form of amnesty. To the left wing of the Democrat party, the conservatively estimated 16 million illegal aliens in the country represent …



Note From JWR:

Today we welcome our newest advertiser: The Alert System.com. This is an automated system that sends out e-mails to subscriber mobile devices (such as cell phones and pagers) for less than a dime a day. It was started as a project to keep the inventor’s like minded friends informed of the latest important news, and to coordinate any bug out/in. Since then, at considerable expense this project has been scaled up to handle thousands of subscribers. Check it out. Starting in April, I will be quitting my day job, and blogging full time. To put bread on the table, I …


Letter Re: The Spanish Flu of 1918, by Tim P.

Regarding the very enjoyable letter about the Spanish Flu in1918, I can’t resist one comment. It is with incredible relentlessness that Big Pharma in their zest to sell vaccines keeps stating that we have 30,000 or 36,000 deaths per year from the flu. If you take the time to examine the actual CDC published data it is a bit different. I did a while back, and I seem to recall the 2003 and 2004 numbers being closer to 600 to 900 deaths per year from the flu. The deaths from pneumonia are close to 35,000 per year, so it appears …


Letter Re: Argentina’s Lessons for the U.S. Debt

  I read the first-hand accounts of Argentina’s decline from wealth and prosperity to near lawlessness that were linked to here a while back and they stuck with me. How could a prosperous nation with generally well-regarded policies sink so far so fast? Far more importantly, what caused it, could it happen in other places (i.e. here), and what indicators were missed? Luck would have it that I stumbled across the answers to two of those entirely serendipitously. The answer is actually rather simple: debt. The Argentinean economy was in good shape in the 1990s, it had good growth, good …