Economics and Investing:

Bank of America to face $7 billion claim by AIG H.L. sent: Feds Charge Eight in $45 Million Cyber Crime Scheme. The article begins: “In one of the biggest ever bank heists, a global cyber crime ring stole $45 million from two Middle Eastern banks by hacking into their credit card processing firms and withdrawing money from ATMs in 27 countries…” The U.S. has Spent $8 Trillion Protecting the Straits of Hormuz No “Peak Natural Gas” Anytime Soon Jim W. sent a microcosm for the national mindset of borrowing money to pay for past promises as if there will be …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Mike Williamson (our Editor at Large) sent a link to some analysis of the 3D Printed Gun controversy, by Joe Huffman: Faceless bureaucrats, not blue helmeted elk. And as for the files themselves? They can’t stop the signal. For every web site that the DHS takes down, I’m confident that five or more will pop up, to take its place. Clearly, the djinn has left the bottle, and there is no putting him back. For anyone who would like to support their upcoming legal battle, the Bitcoin address for DEFCAD is: 1Gb5GNxrVGMT8e9uoJ8CmamrdVz9o8fAEa A side note: Do they teach toothpaste tube …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Better [is] the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: [and] the patient in spirit [is] better than the proud in spirit. Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools. Say not thou, What is [the cause] that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this. Wisdom [is] good with an inheritance: and [by it there is] profit to them that see the sun. For wisdom [is] a defence, [and] money [is] a defence: but the excellency of knowledge [is, that] wisdom giveth …


Notes from JWR:

May 10th is the birthday of the late Col. Jeff Cooper (born 1920, died September 25, 2006.) Cooper was as close to the Patron Saint of practical shooting as a man could be. This is also the birthday of the late Janis Pinups (born 1925, died 15 June 2007) He was one of the last of the Forest Brothers anti-communist resistance fighters. He came out of hiding after five decades to obtain a Latvian passport in 1994, after the collapse of eastern European communism. (He was never issued any communist government identity papers and by necessity lived as a nonexistent …


Selecting a Prepper’s Firearms, by Frog

Introductory note: This guide is mainly aimed at the American prepper. Without a doubt, firearms are one of the most important preps we have to make; without a way to defend them, none of the other supplies we amass are truly accounted for. So, when the beginning prepper sets out on the road to self-sufficiency and preparedness, we want to maximize our dollars; buy once, cry once. Perhaps you’re not a ‘gun guy,’ like some of us, or perhaps you’re only used to hunting, or sport shooting. Which guns should be considered, and why? Hopefully, this will help. Gun number …


Letter Re: Motorcycles as Bugout Vehicles

Hi James, After seeing and living through the nightmarish traffic jams and rerouting during the Colorado wildfire last summer, I started thinking about the wisdom and utility of having a motorcycle in SHTF scenarios.   There are pros and cons to it that I can think of, but I’d like other’s opinions.  An off-the-top of my head list:   Pros: 1)  Bypass traffic jams and stalled/out of commission cars. 2)  Saddle-bags can carry a lot more than than a human 3)  Much faster than on-foot bugout. 4)  Handles off-road with suitable tires 5)  Fewer people could drive it compared to a …


Letter Re: Be Prepared to Fortify

Jim: A few comments on Mountain Man Virgil’s letter titled “Be Prepared to Fortify.” I would like to offer a few alternatives to his plan to “hide security measures in your garage until you need them.” I am assuming that he is referring to items such as barbed wire and sand bags. There are many things one can do which offer very good security and still blend in with the neighborhood. Large decorative rocks, strategically placed or large treated logs as garden or flower beds can offer excellent cover and concealment. Large livestock water tanks of metal or heavy plastic …


Economics and Investing:

Reader B.B. sent: 10,962,532: U.S. Disability Beneficiaries Exceed Population of Greece Record Number of Americans (Including Hamid Karzai’s Brother) Renounce Their Citizenship Frequent content contributor Jim W. sent: Bix Weir – You Can’t Trust The Paper Price Of Silver and Time is Running Out To Get Physical Items from The Economatrix: Robert Shiller:  Home Prices To Remain Stagnant For The Next Ten Years Gary Shilling:  The Disconnect Between Weak Economies And Strong Markets Won’t Continue No Bank Deposits Will Be Spared Confiscation


Odds ‘n Sods:

Paul B. suggested this at Nature Bats Last: The irreconcilable acceptance of near-term extinction    o o o F.G. liked this: Snell: Waking the dragon — How Feinstein fiddled while America burned    o o o The Nanny State run amok: European Commission to criminalize nearly all seeds and plants not registered with government    o o o Some near future conjecture by Bill Buppert: The Fourth Strike of the Match (at Zero Gov.)    o o o US Government Takes Control of 3D Printed Gun Makers Files/Website



Notes from JWR:

Camping Survival’s Mountain House Sale begins today, and will run for just one week. They are offering Mountain House nitrogen-packed cans at 25% off and their pouches and long term storage HDPE buckets at 15% off. — Today we present another entry for Round 46 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 …


Surviving TEOTWAWKI in Hawaii, by M. in Honolulu

Hawaii is in a special situation in a potential emergency.  The island chain has seven inhabited islands (of eight major islands) that support a total state population of 1,392,313, a land area of 6,422 square miles, with an overall average density of 217 persons per square mile (11th highest in the U.S., just above Virginia, Ohio and Indiana).  Most of the population (70% or 976,372) is concentrated on Oahu with an area of 597 square miles, an average density of 1,635 per square mile.  The urban core of Honolulu has an estimated population of 340,000 (ranked 55th by population, just …


Letter Re: Sewing, Mending and Altering Your Clothing After the Ball Drops

Dear James, As a former professional seamstress, I have a comment on using woolen materials for quilts.  They can successfully be washed, provided that the woolen material was previously washed before making a quilt of it, whether the wool is used as the top layer, or as the batting. The wool should be washed in hot water, and then dried on high heat in the dryer.  It will shrink, which has the double advantage of:  1. making it much warmer; and 2. washed wool becomes somewhat felted, which makes it much sturdier and less prone to wear and pulling of …


Economics and Investing:

Reader R.B.S. sent some more coin debasement news: Stivers proposes using steel for all U.S. coins – not just pennies and nickels. The compromise that the Congresscritters reach might be just dropping the penny and switching the nickel to stainless steel. The days of nickel made of copper and nickel are numbered, so stock up! Jim W. liked this: Gold – You Better Hold It Also from Jim: How Your Purchasing Power Was And Is Destroyed. “The fraud you’re being sold is exactly identical to going into a bakery and ordering a sheet cake.  The baker asks you how many pieces …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) found a link to a great video, profiling an old school, multigenerational machine shop: Central Texas Tool Co.    o o o A long-standing joke is that a lot of dead people cast votes in the eastern seaboard states. Not to be outdone, deceased anti-gun mayors sign petitions from the grave, again and again. In more recent news: Another one of the Bloomberg Crime Fighters goes to the Big House, for corruption: Hamilton, New Jersey Mayor John Bencivengo. And another, Former Brownsville Mayor Pat Ahumada, has just been charged with operating an illegal …