Economics and Investing:

Reader D.S. suggested this: Is Capitalism Un-Christian? o o o The recent huge layoffs at Deutsche Bank (23,000 employees–about 1/4th of their workforce) got scarcely a ten second mention in the major American mainstream media news outlets. But be advised: This could be an early signal of a global credit crisis in the near future. They would not be laying off this heavily if they expected stability in the world credit markets. – JWR o o o Items from The Economics Team: How Our Family Saves $10,000 a Year The Four Horsemen of Middle Class Destruction


Odds ‘n Sods:

My #1 Son suggested this article: Six easy ways to tell if that viral story is a hoax – JWR o o o Mac flagged this: Syrian war spurs first withdrawal from ‘doomsday’ Arctic seed vault o o o Longtime content contributor B.B. sent this item: With Little Fanfare, FBI Ramps Up Biometrics Programs (Yet Again) o o o John Whitehead had some cogent commentary over at The Daily Bell:The Crisis of the Now: Distracted and Diverted from the Ever-Encroaching Police State o o o Reader Nick G. mentioned this humorous (but practical) sign that was seen posted at a …



Notes for Thursday – September 24, 2015

Notes for Thursday – September 24, 2015 On this day in 1493 AD, Christopher Columbus (Cristoforo Colombo) set sail with 17 ships on his second voyage to the Americas. Also on this date in 1775, Ethan Allen was captured by the British. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 60 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $10,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value), A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for …


Reality Checks for a Grid Down Scenario, By Blueleader

I sometimes hear misguided individuals who repeat the statement going around that if the grid goes down we will be thrown back to the days before electricity: The 1880s. The prevalent thought is that folks back then did fine so it wouldn’t be so bad for us to simply revert to that level of technology. Well, what if we examine your day in a post grid failure scenario? Here is a reality check for you to consider: Let us say you get up ‘the day after’ and you’re cold. Bummer. Well, in the 1880s if you got up and you …


Letter Re: Sources of Vitamin C in a Post-SHTF World, by Okie Ranch Wife

Sir: There are a couple of sources of Vitamin C that are not common knowledge. If you are an oldtimer like me you may remember the name Euell Gibbons, the spokesman for Grape Nuts cereal. His catchphrase was “Ever eat a pine tree? Many parts are edible.” He wasn’t kidding. The inner bark of a pine tree is a great source of Vitamin C, Thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin A and other beneficial properties like Protein and fat, yes fat one of the things everyone needs to survive. How to get it? Take a branch the size of your little finger (this …


Economics and Investing:

On the Peter Schiff podcast: Yellen Admits Rates Could Stay at Zero Forever. Schiff rightly concludes that interest rates must rise eventually, in response to a global currency crisis, with dire consequences in the bond and equities markets.. o o o The Daily Mail reports: Four out of five migrants are NOT from Syria: EU figures expose the ‘lie’ that the majority of refugees are fleeing war zone o o o The Silver Supply Crunch Continues o o o Some good analysis by Gary Christenson: Gold: The End and The Beginning Items from The Economics Team: How I Live Without …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Over at The Prepper Journal: Migrant Crisis Validates Golden Horde Theory Fears o o o T. sent this BBC news story: US driver shot from police helicopter o o o Some great reading over at Thoughts from Frank and Fern: A Collage of Comments o o o Mac L. Sent this from The Wall Street Journal: Russia Expands Military Presence in Syria, Satellite Photos Show. (Note: A WSJ subscription is required.) o o o K.T. sent this bit of bad news: X Products Can Cannon Ruled to be an NFA Item When Assembled



Notes for Wednesday – September 23, 2015

Our Managing Editor Hugh Latimer is presently on vacation, so I’ll be filling in with the mechanics of posting the blog each day for the next couple of weeks. So if the blog looks a bit ragged, or if I inadvertently post something twice, then blame me, not Hugh! – JWR o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 60 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $10,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value), A course …


The Surveillance State 2015- Part 2, by Kass Andrada

Police and government have also been using cell phone jammers in a number of places. The Federal government has discussed implementing in-car jammers in order to enforce anti-texting and hands-free laws,[1] in part, at the urging of articles in the Journal of the American Medical Association.[2] While the FCC insists that use of cell phone jammers is illegal[3] at least one commercial site offers cell phone jammers for use in prisons[4] and at least one corporation has been caught using cell jammers to prevent it’s employees from communicating while on the clock.[5] License plate readers have been deployed in fixed …


Letter: Using What Others Throw Away

Dear SurvivalBlog Editors and Readers,The last few days have shown me the wastefulness of others but have given me opportunities to gain from it. I now have apples, corn, and pork sausage that I didn’t plan on getting. Here is what happened: My own apple tree only produced seven apples, because the blossoms were destroyed during a storm. But a friend has a tree in her yard, but didn’t want the apples. She offered them to me. I picked ten five-gallon buckets full of apples. I am now canning applesauce and pie filling. My neighbors chopped silage, which leaves a …


JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

Books Fiction:Code of Conduct (The Scot Harvath Series) by Brad Thor (2015.) This novel was written by one of my favorite authors. It was also recommended by SurvivalBlog reader Ed C., who notes: “I would suggest this novel as a good “think about areal pandemic situation” story – with some thriller novel aspects. This author seems to have “the touch”. He also seems to try to be specific and authentic about government aspects, travel, weapons and other parts of writing a believable story.” Nonfiction: Lost Rights by James Bovard Movies Above And Beyond. The fascinating true story of the international …



Odds ‘n Sods:

75 years later, Norfolk’s FBI Office Still has Three Working Tommyguns. – A hat tip to “T.” for the link. o o o The New York Times reports: U.S. Soldiers Told to Ignore Afghan Allies’ Abuse of Boys. (“At night, we can hear them screaming…”) JWR’s Comment: If history can be any guide, the Pentagon will probably start with this “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy… o o o Safecastle has another Mountain House long term storage food sale in progress. Note that they have some scarce varieties back in stock. o o o Gregg sent us this: Marines test Google’s …