Economics and Investing:

Necultchurny! The haircut news from Cyprus just got worse: “This morning Sky [News] reported that the levy on balances over €100,000 had now increased to 60%…” This now qualifies as full scale bank robbery. Ricky L. sent a link with some disturbing news: Fake 90% Silver U.S. Coins. Silver dollars are most often faked, but even smaller dominations should now be scrutinized. Bill Whittle: Canaries in Coal Mines You Will NEVER Look At MONEY The Same AGAIN. Items from The Economatrix: No Matter Outcome, Cyprus Crisis Is Blow To Business (And To Bank Customer Confidence Worldwide) International Monetary Fund (IMF) …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Joe K. suggested: Emergency Preparedness & Outdoor Adventure Planning Checklist o o o Americans Are Migrating To More Free Republican States. It is noteworthy that the study (see summary here) would have ranked Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana higher, except that “freedom” as they define it includes so-called “same sex marriage” and the freedom to use marijuana. This skewed their results. o o o F.G. suggested this vintage video that explains vacuum tube technology: AT&T Archives: Bottle of Magic o o o Ten Reasons Why Senators Should Vote Against the Gun Control Bribe-o-thon o o o Reader D.D. sen this link …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the [same] night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake [it], and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also [he took] the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink [it], in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, …


Notes from JWR:

You’ve probably already seen this: 40+ Officers & ATF Agents Raid Home of Youtube Gun Personality FPSRussia. So the “explosives experts” at the BATFE are ignorant about Tannerite exploding targets? Take a look at the FPS Russia videos with explosions. All that I’ve ever seen are explosions producing sandy-brown smoke, which is indicative of a Tannerite binary low explosive, (ammonium nitrate and aluminum powder-based), and/or orange flames from gasoline, both of which are perfectly legal under Federal law, and ditto in most of the 50 States. That includes the state of Georgia, where Myers lives. There was also an implication …


Preparedness for Short Term Regional Disasters, by K.H.H.

I know this blog is primarily aimed at folks preparing for a long-term crisis, but I have a unique perspective on living without electricity after a regional disaster that I thought some might find informative. I live in the hills of northwestern New Jersey, and I have lived through three sustained (my definition: 4 or more days each) power outages caused by extreme weather events during the last two years. These power outages were caused, respectively, by Hurricane Irene, 19 inches of wet, heavy snow in October before the trees had lost their leaves, and Hurricane Sandy. I have learned …


Letter Re: Things to Understand When Interacting With Police

James, In my opinion 99.9% of preppers are law-abiding citizens who fear God and want nothing more than to be left alone to live their lives in peace and prosperity. Having said that I take extreme exception to the recent article entitled, “Things to Understand When Interacting With Police”, by G.S. from Florida. G.S. is a defense attorney who used to be a prosecuting attorney. Let me introduce myself as much as I can. I am a prepper and a police detective in a Western state and have arrested many criminals over the years. I have been in many jury …


Economics and Investing:

Say Goodbye to the Purchasing Power of the Dollar — Mr. Bernanke goes to Crazytown Reader L.C.A. sent a link to some alarming charts on food an oil prices. Following the global credit collapse of 2008, inflation has returned with a vengeance. Peter Schiff explains how a US depression can cause a global ‘death spiral’ Too big to fail or ignore: How the US went from over 13,000 banks in 1987 to 6,000 today. $7.4 trillion in deposits backed by $32 billion dollars. (It is high time that we pull our money out of this high stakes casino. Build up …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Dear Respected Comrade, Supreme Leader, Great Successor, First Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the Chairman of the Central Military Commission, First Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea, the Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army, Kim-Il Sung Jr., Jr. seems to have gone full-on Col. Jack D. Ripper “Sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids ” bonkers. There has been news of North Korea targeting Guam, Anchorage, and perhaps even Oahu or Seattle with their handful of low-yield nukes–which are probably not yet compatible with their missiles. (And their missiles most likely still …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take [any] person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand. So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.”  Ezekiel 33:6-7 (KJV)


Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries 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 …


A Fruit and Nut Tree Primer by Jujubee

I am seeing fruit and nut trees for sale now in the Southeast where I live so I wanted to share some thoughts on how I approach tree cultivation. I usually try to plant trees earlier in the winter in order for the roots to get a good start but retail outlets know that people start getting restless towards the end of winter and want to get their gardens and orchards going and they are only too happy to accommodate them. I am an arborist by trade and I’ve provided some guidelines I follow in raising trees. It is not …


Become Your Own Central Banker, by L.B.G.

 As I compose this essay the news of the proposed “taxation” of the depositors of the banks in Cypress via a confiscation of up to 9.9% of the balance from all savings accounts (and then the decision to not take that step) is rocking the financial world. The government of Cypress expressed the need for this measure in order to meet their obligation to the European Union. They called it a “tax on deposits” and “giving depositors a haircut”. I think a better term would be “stealing depositors’ money”.  So go to Plan B….seizing funds in pension accounts and turning …


Letter Re: Why Colorado is Running Out of Water

Hi Folks, I’m a transplant to my now-home state of Colorado.  When I came here where I’m living now was about the edge of suburban development.  Denver has a law that restricted it from growing called the Poundstone Amendment (wherein cities couldn’t annex without a vote of approval of land owners.)   My wife is a fifth generation native, her ancestors settled and farmed northeast of Denver for a few decades.  Winter wheat was a big crop, Rocky Ford produced perhaps the best melons I’ve eaten and in the summer it was nearly impossible to drive around without tripping over a …


Letter Re: Thoughts on Dogs at Survival Retreats

Hello Jim, You have had a couple of good articles about having dogs for retreat/home protection recently. I couldn’t agree more that dogs are a wonderful resource in many ways. I have two German Shepherds who keep my farm and home safe from humans and predators.  There are a couple points I would like to add. First of all, not all dogs will fight to protect their pack. I had a German Shepherd several years ago who would try to hide behind me if there was danger. He was a complete coward, in spite of his attack training. When picking …


Economics and Investing:

The recent experience in Cyprus set a dangerous precedent. With similar debt levels in Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece, Slovenia, and Spain, the European Banksters are likely to stage more heists. I suspect that there will be bank runs and some draconian withdrawal limits will be imposed. And FWIW, I’m not the only one predicting this. Oh, and I should also mention the Debt to GDP levels are even worse in the U.S. and Japan than they are in Europe’s southern tier. The bank runs could quickly spread from Europe. Be ready for them. Keep plenty of cash at home, and …