Economics and Investing:

B.N. suggest an essay by Charles Hugh Smith: Is America’s Social Contract Broken? EXography: 19 U.S. cities have proportionately bigger workforces than bankrupted Detroit. (Thanks to Mark A. for the link.) G.G. flagged this from Jim Sinclair: Comex Must Change Its Delivery Mechanism Soon Items from The Economatrix: Sales of Existing US Homes Unexpectedly Decreases Pump Prices Jump 12 Cents, AAA Sees Further Rise The Tip of the Iceberg Of The Coming Retirement Crisis That Will Shake America to the Core


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Chris M. recommended this fascinating essay by Victor Davis Hanson: Same old warfare?    o o o “If in doubt, throw it out!” Home Canning Hobby Leads to Near-Fatal Medical Emergency. (Thanks to B.L.W. for the link.)    o o o Decisions, decisions for New York City Democrats. Gosh, who do you vote for in the upcoming primary election? The “Serial Texter” Pervert for Mayor? Or the “formerly” radical Lesbian? (In 1990, in what is now dubbed “youthful exuberance”, Quinn represented the Housing Justice Campaign at one of the annual Socialist Scholars conferences hosted by the Democratic Socialists of …



Notes from JWR:

Jerry Ahern passed away one year ago, today: July 24th, 2012. He is missed. — Today we present another entry for Round 47 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The 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.) B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted …


Some Overlooked Risks, by Havoc Pondering Prepper

I’d like to discuss some planning concerns for when the world really starts to unravel that you might have overlooked: Quite a few authors write about situations which probably only constitute a partial collapse of society as we know it. Such situations include those where there still exists some semblance of trade or even transportation of some goods. Perhaps some vestige of government is even functioning. What if a disaster happens and we are left with even less than that. At the risk of being criticized for being too much of a pessimist, I would suggest that a thoughtful prepper …


Letter Re: Pre-TEOTWAWKI Survival is All in The Numbers

Dear James: It occurred to me while training kids on water safety, that some of the most basic elements of surviving everyday life are perhaps neglected by many of us while focusing on worst case scenarios.  We can be so wrapped up in getting through TEOTWAWKI that we neglect first surviving to TEOTWAWKI. It doesn’t do any good to be fully prepped for TEOTWAWKI if you, or a loved one, dies in the meantime from one of the statistically most likely causes of death – namely disease and accidents. By the numbers, if you are younger an auto accident may …


Letter Re: Black Berkey Water Filter Problems

Hello Mr. Rawles: I expect you have already heard about this problem, but the black Berkey water filters have an alarmingly high failure rate (in my personal experience, for what it’s worth, 4 out of 4).  The silicone caulk that attaches the black ceramic-like filter itself to it’s plastic base fails, and water runs right through the failure spot, without being passed through the filter material.  People could be unknowingly drinking unfiltered water, as I was.  I read online that adding red food coloring is one way to test the integrity of the filter unit, I do not know if …


Letter Re: Risky to Live Near a Small Town Airport?

Dear JWR, I find your blog and its associated advertisers very useful.  In considering buying some land and a small cabin in northern Wisconsin as a back up retreat in case of societal collapse and my question involves its location.  The site can be converted to an off-the-grid living situation easily enough.  It is near the local town so associating with others for mutual assistance is a very good possibility. But it is also near the local rural airport and I’m wondering if in your opinion this increases the possibility of interference by others and by how much?  Perhaps you …


Letter Re: The Quest for Safety: Is Jackson County, Florida America’s Ideal Retreat Locale?

Jim, I recently noticed your recent comparison of Jackson County, Florida, with Lewis, County, Idaho, and the follow-ups posts. I hope I can add some additional information since I attended high school in the county and have many relatives living there. Just as a point of reference my mid-1970s High school graduating class had less than 60 people and only five of them attended and graduated college. I know of only one of those people who still lives there. Youth tend to move away if they can. As poster Kathi indicated, the county is rather closed to outsiders. The only …



Odds ‘n Sods:

An interesting novel has just been released that includes some outdoor survival and tactics tidbits: Marine One Down! (It is available in paperback and quite inexpensively for Kindle and Nook readers.)    o o o The folks at KnifeUp have created an updated reference web page on state knife possession and carry laws for the US. This data was researched in 2013, so it is current. But of course it is wise to check your state’s legal web page. Their web site also has some useful product reviews.    o o o In the midst of America’s acute ammo shortage, …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 47 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The 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.) B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 …


Deep Winter Prepping, by Ronald in Alberta

I live on a small ranch in Northern Alberta, Canada. I’m approximately a half hour drive to the nearest small town, and the winters here can be tremendous. I’ve always taken a slightly different approach to preps than most of my American counter parts, because most energy, food, shelter, water and defense advice floating around the Internet is not cold weather viable. In this short paper I will attempt to relay to you, the reader, the importance of being ready for winter in all aspects of survival. This is a short collection of some thoughts and experiences I’ve had living …


Letter Re: Stealth Wood Cutting and Splitting with Electric Tools

James, I wanted offer some praise to J.J.S. and is thorough submission titled Heating with Wood 101. I’m following his lead and wanted to offer your readers some additional ideas on wood processing with some stealth after TSHTF. Running a 50cc chainsaw and a 34-ton log splitter is all fine and dandy when there’s no one around meaning to do you any harm but its completely inappropriate in a TEOTWAWKI situation. If you are lucky enough to have a renewable energy source its advisable to switch to electrical tools because they are so quiet. Either of the big box stores …