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 …



Advice on Caching Containers

I recently had a consulting client ask me about sources for waterproof containers that she could use for caching guns, ammo, food, camping gear, and so forth. I generally prefer military surplus ammo cans and shipping containers for two reasons: They are made to rigorous military specifications (“mil-spec”), and They are relatively inexpensive, compared to their civilian counterparts. For ammunition caches, I generally prefer military surplus (“mil-surp”) 20mm ammo cans. The larger 30mm cans hold even more, but they are so heavy when full that they are a pain to transport any distance. If you opt for the 30mm size, …


Notes for Thursday – October 09, 2014

Sorry that today’s posts went up later than usual. Hugh is traveling. On October 9th, 1934, King Alexander I of Yugoslavia was assassinated. And on October 9th, 1967, Che Guevara was executed by the Bolivian army on orders from Bolivian President René Barrientos. (After being tracked down by Feliz Rodriguez.) – JWR o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 55 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,000+ worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course (a $1,195 value), A course …


Politics and Prepping, by G.G.

“The deliberations of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 were held in strict secrecy. Consequently, anxious citizens gathered outside Independence Hall when the proceedings ended in order to learn what had been produced behind closed doors. The answer was provided immediately. A “Mrs. Powell of Philadelphia asked Benjamin Franklin, ‘Well, Doctor, what have we got, a Republic or a Monarchy?’ With no hesitation whatsoever, Franklin responded, ‘A Republic, if you can keep it.’” Before you ignore this post, let me assure you that it is not my intention to tell you who to vote for or how you should be involved …


Letter Re: Daily Food Requirements

Hugh, I have been reading through SurvivalBlog. I am looking for information concerning food needed per adult, per month. I can’t seem to find the information within the first five or six pages. Any idea of a site that I can find this information. Please let me know. Thanks, – R.D. HJL Replies: There really is no hard and fast rule, as it depends on who you are feeding and what type of food you are storing. Obviously, a 19 year old young man will consume considerably more food than a 12 year old girl or even a 40 year …


Economics and Investing:

Russian Shale Boom Unlikely As Sanctions Force Another Company Out o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: The Shrinking Deficit Myth: US Debt Jumps by $1.1 Trillion in Fiscal 2014 Video: Jim Rickards: Obama Ending Alliance with Saudi Arabia and Killing the Petrodollar Job Openings Near 14-Year High as Actual Hiring Plunges Homebuilders Offer Freebies as Booming U.S. Markets Cool