Letter Re: Become Your Own Herbal Doctor

Jim: I enjoyed the Become Your Own Herbal Doctor article very much as herbal medicine is my current interest and latest preparation.  Because I did not learn this type of information from my grandmothers or mother, I have opted to take a class to speed up the learning curve.  The author is correct; the home remedies our families knew just a hundred years ago have already been lost to most of us.  Taking this class has been a fun and educational process.  We have learned so many herbs and their uses; we’ve even crafted our first (sprain/strain) salve.  There is …


Economics and Investing:

Reader B.B. suggested: Paul Craig Roberts: Triple Bubble Implosion Coming I Moved my Money Out of the Stock Market-Laurence Kotlikoff F.G. suggested: NPR’s ‘This American Life’ spotlights Hale County, where 1 in 4 are on disability. Steve Saville: The Fed Continues To Pump Aggressively Items from The Economatrix: Americans Still Doubtful About Stock Market, Economy Bernanke Fails To Answer Concerns About A Cyprus-Style Seizure Of American Bank Deposits The Fed Has Already Imposed A “Cyprus Tax” On US Savers Fitch Puts UK On Review For Downgrade


Odds ‘n Sods:

Ready for the apocalypse! One American family shows what it takes to prepare for the end of civilisation as we know it. I certainly hope that they used assumed names, but somehow I doubt it. Think OPSEC, folks!    o o o Reader James K. suggested this: Tell-all cars put your driving business out in the open    o o o Time to switch cable TV companies! “’Consistent with long-standing NBC policies, Comcast Spotlight has decided it will not accept new advertising for firearms or weapons moving forward,’ said Chris Ellis, a spokesman for Comcast’s advertising sales division, Comcast Spotlight.” …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“What remains are games of musical chairs, Ponzi schemes, frauds, swindles, stonewalls, ruses, ploys, scams, dodges, bluffs, subterfuges, QE martingales, interventions, rehypothecations, pretenses and other modes of evading or disguising reality. The reality is that there is not enough real wealth to go around, certainly not enough to cover the giant web of obligations that masquerades as ‘money.’” – James Howard Kunstler in an essay titled The Cyprus Fiasco Is A Metaphor For The Entire Global Financial System


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 45 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 …


Thoughts on Dogs at Survival Retreats, by D.K., DVM

Should you shelter-in-place or move to a retreat?  Lots of pros and cons about this, and most of it depends upon strength in numbers.  Obviously, the more remote and inaccessible your castle is, the harder it will be for intruders to discover or invade.  But I’m 65, and I don’t own any remote property.  My house sits on a very defendable cul-de-sac, essentially surrounded on three sides by water – my “moat.”  I could pull stakes and move to a national park or wildlife preserve, but it would be a simple campsite with tent and no walls, and I would …


Letter Re: Storage Foods at COSTCO Stores

James – I am on Long Island in New York. Recently I ran into a great deal at my two local Costco stores for 72 hour [storage food] buckets.  This was advertised as a combination food, cooking (fire) and water (filter) kit. At Christmas these buckets were $79.99 each–a bit pricey. However when I was there on Tuesday, the [local store’s] price had dropped to $9.98 a bucket! So I cleaned them out. These buckets are still on their web site for $79.99 apiece. I just wanted to pass this on to you so your readers could get in on …


News From The American Redoubt:

My favorite gunsmith for rebluing guns is Mel Doyle’s in Plummer, Idaho. They have very reasonable rates, and they do fantastic work. They can also handle more than just bluing and Parkerizing. For example they’ve done a few Saiga shotguns conversions for our family and cured Avalanche Lily‘s Galil rifle of a wicked “Curse of the AK” trigger slap. Mel and his staff run their bluing tanks almost every workday. If you aren’t local to the area, you can simply mail them a rifle or shotgun, and they will reblue it and mail it back to you. (Handguns or handgun …


Economics and Investing:

Cyprus Salvaged After EU Deal Shuts Bank to Get $13 Billion. (A 40% higher haircut for large depositors! The Russians are fuming.) Rick Rule: Gold Fear Trade, Silver Greed Trade, Platinum Math Trade NY Times: Younger Generations Lag Parents in Wealth-Building Silver Prices Before the Monetary Collapse Michael Pollaro: Cyprus, Anything But Unique and Why to Worry Items from The Economatrix: Federal Reserve Sees Slow Recovery For Years To Come Veteran Unemployment Dropped To 9.9% In 2012, Though Still Higher Than Non-Vets FedEx Raises Red Flags About Global Economy


Odds ‘n Sods:

The Seven States Running Out of Water. JWR’s Comment: But consider that watching year-to-year drought conditions give you only the micro view, while monitoring long term the depth of aquifers (water tables) gives you the macro view. (Looking at longer time frame provides better long term planning.) Be sure to study aquifer depletion before choosing a retreat locale!    o o o Sacred mystery: Blockbuster ratings for ‘The Bible’ confound Hollywood. JWR’s Comment: What “mystery”? People just like to watch uplifting and wholesome things.    o o o A bit of humor: As every real prepper knows: Le papier ne …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"To see why stock prices and hiring are not correlated, imagine yourself as the owner of a pizza shop. The economy has been bad, and people are buying less pizza, so you fire two of your cooks and reduce the number of pies you prepare. Suddenly, your cousin Ben wins the lottery and decides to give you $10,000 for a piece of your business. Now that you have another 10 grand in the bank, and your business is worth a bit more, are you suddenly going to hire back the two cooks to make more pies that nobody will buy? …



Home Power Systems: Energy Efficiency and Conservation, by L.K.O.

(Note: This article is part of a series of feature articles about alternative / sustainable / renewable energy solutions for self-sufficiency. Previous related articles in SurvivalBlog that complement this one are “Home Inverter Comparison: Off Grid and Grid Tied” and Home Power Systems: Micro Hydro. Upcoming article topics in this Home Power Systems series will include: Photovoltaics, Batteries, Wind generators, Solar Water Distillers, Solar Ovens, and Solar Water Heating.) Overview of Energy Efficiency and Conservation : The First Step in a viable Home Power System The most recent article in this series, Home Power Systems: Micro Hydro, in a way …


The Right to Open Carry Guns: Use It or Lose It

The American concealed carry movement can now be chalked up as a bona fide victory. CCW permits are now available in 48+ states. (To be safe I’d say around 46 or 47 states, depending on several factors. For example, permit issuance policies are not always uniformly non-discretionary in every county within a state.) The logical successors to the concealed carry movement are the Constitutional Carry Movement (aka permitless concealed carry) and the Open Carry Movement. In my opinion, both of these are worthy endeavors. I’ve said the following before, but it bears repeating: Whenever someone must buy a license or …


Americans Against Illegal Mayors: Demand A Plan

Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns political pressure group is hard at work. Working with several paid lobbyist, advertising, and public relations firms, they are about to launch a $12 million television ad campaign, pressing for “comprehensive background checks”. Banning private party sales of used guns (forcing all gun sales to go through licensed dealers) will lay the groundwork for a nationwide system of gun registration. But Bloomberg’s Buddies have some public relations problems… The latest news is that another member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns has been arrested. This time it was Mayor Craig Lowe of Gainesville, Florida, …