Trades for Surviving After the Collapse, by A.W.

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You have been preparing for the unknown– economic collapse, social unrest, nuclear war, or even just a downsize at work– for quite awhile now. Perhaps you are feeling confident in your ability to survive a catastrophic event by putting to use your survival know-how and stores of food. You even learned valuable gardening skills that will ensure your long-term survival. Now, imagine what life will be like after the collapse for which you have diligently prepared. You will be surviving, but will you be thriving? You will be eating, but will you be contributing to the rebuilding of your region by way of trade, commerce, and productivity? You will be alive and relatively well, but will you be cementing a positive future after a collapse?

    There is a divergence of opinion as to what the world will look like after a disaster or collapse. Some survival experts see the population reverting back to a 19th century agrarian-based existence with blacksmithing, cobblers, and tanners making the biggest economic comeback. Others look to the examples of more recent collapses in Russia and Zimbabwe to see that the affected societies did not descend into a near-medieval subsistence but rather adapted their personal trades and subsistence to the heightened government oppression. No one knows exactly the situation society will be facing after a collapse, because that will depend entirely upon the impetus for the collapse itself. A slow and gradual economic decline will present its fair share of hardships but will look nothing like the aftermath of an EMP or nuclear detonation. The focal point for your own preparations will guide your vision of the post-collapse world.

    In truth, the two seemingly disparate views can be reconciled if you have a mind geared toward adaptability and diversification. Many lucrative and useful trades can transcend the divide and be profitable to you in the aftermath of any collapse. You might find that you have a knack for one, or hopefully more, of the post-collapse trades in the following list:

  • Gunsmithing and Ammunition Production. Experts from both schools of thought agree that in any post-collapse emerging market, those who are equipped with the knowledge and tools to repair firearms and manufacture ammunition will be the most sought after for barter. This trade is also useful in light of the increasing restrictions put on firearms trade due to government control. This means the guns already out there are not likely to be replaced by purchase, rather people will be looking to repair theirs. You can begin learning these necessary skills by taking a class at your local community college. Classes on industrial design, machining, and woodworking are readily available and would be invaluable in getting you started on your new trade. There are also online resources available if you live prohibitively far from someone who can teach you the trade. The National Rifle Association can be contacted for a list of accredited programs for machining and tooling, if you are very serious about delving into gunsmithing.
  • Carpentry. As with gunsmithing, carpentry will be a valuable trade in any of the predicted post-collapse scenarios. While today’s society relies mainly on furniture and cabinetry from big-box home improvement or retail stores, such large-scale manufacturing may be non-existent in a fallen economy. Local carpenters will then be called upon to fill that void. The reliability of electricity in a post-collapse world may be suspect, so when learning carpentry it is wise to also learn to use traditional tools and techniques. Finding and purchasing the older tools, such as hand planers, a mitre box, a treadle lathe, and other traditional tools, would be worth your while, rather than relying solely on modern tools that may become obsolete, if only for awhile. There are a number of ways to learn the skill of carpentry. As was mentioned above with gunsmithing, you can take a community college’s series of classes or join a local carpentry guild. Members are usually very willing to take an aspiring woodworker under their wings for the small cost of yearly dues. Specialty woodworking shops offer classes, and many rent you hourly use of their tools for your projects and practice.
  • Household Product Manufacturing. In light of the necessity of the security and manufacturing skills noted above, it may seem a small thing to talk about home products such as soap, detergents, and hygiene. However, you should not discount their importance. In a post-collapse market, people will have to adjust to a different status quo with regards to their personal and home hygiene. Yet, the fact remains that we will still need to wash our homes, our clothes, and ourselves. Homemade soap making has seen a resurgence in popularity recently, mostly being sold in boutiques for upwards of six dollars per four ounce bar. Its value will most likely increase if we are hit with hyperinflation or a total collapse. Learning to make soap and other cleaners is not difficult. It is probably the easiest when compared with the other trades suggested, but it takes practice. You can learn easily now through books at your library, coupled with watching reliable videos available online. Consider deepening your skills by learning to make your own lye with rainwater and wood ash. Something else to think about if soaping is in your future is your long-term source of fats and oils, essential in soapmaking. Expand your production capabilities by storing the necessary items to make other necessities like toothpaste or salves.
  • Electronics Repair. As was mentioned before, the reliability of electricity after a collapse may be dubious, but people’s reliance on electronics will continue. Small radios, televisions, and even food dehydrators will continue to be used and will need repair eventually. If this is your chosen trade, consider widening your field of opportunity by obtaining and learning to use solar-powered chargers to recharge people’s batteries and other electronics. To learn to repair small electronics, you may follow a similar path to gunsmithing and carpentry. There are multiple ways to go about it, but it might be simplest to enroll in a local class. You will begin by learning the basics, what a resistor is, what a capacitor is, how to calculate wattage, and many other things. From there, consider the many reputable online courses available to build on that basic foundation. Take apart some of your obsolete electronics (old video game consoles, telephones, et cetera), and be careful to note the design and function of each component. Your own personal observations will be useful to you as you use this “self-taught” aspect in your trade approach.
  • Fruit, Vegetable, Seed Production. As a survivalist or prepper, you probably already know the dire importance of keeping a garden now and learning the skills necessary to be successful at growing food for you and your family. You probably have a stash of heirloom seeds, a garden plot outside, and the know-how to obtain a good yield from your labor and resources. Consider expanding your plot and resources so that in a post-collapse market you will be equipped to trade profitably with your fresh produce. Imagine the trading capability you will have with the folks who have stored dry goods or who have relied only on their hunting skills to put food on their tables. They will be needing fresh nutrients and fiber to keep them healthy and strong, and they will want to trade with you. Widen your own market by learning how to collect and store seeds from your produce so that you can sell and trade those precious commodities as well. Expand your possibilities. Even if you do not prefer eggplant, growing and trading those purple veggies with those who do will yield you more than if you had foregone storing those seeds. While gardening is a skill best learned through practice, your skills can be honed and augmented by attending classes given by your County Extension Office or by joining a gardening club. If this is your intended trading skill, consider well your means of transporting your produce to a market or trading post.

Aside from these are many other viable trades one could consider. When you are choosing, think carefully about what you think a post-collapse environment will look like. Though we all share a similar environment now, after a collapse your region and sub-region may look vastly different from someone else’s depending on several factors. Urban versus agrarian regions of the country, for example, will deal with a collapse differently. Areas of the country with populations used to growing or killing their own food will have less call for a produce stand but may have a higher demand for a gunsmith. The point is that each area is different, and you and your trade must be prepared for the specific results after society’s downturn.

First and foremost, take the time now to use your new knowledge in practical ways in your own home and life on a regular basis. Be constantly thinking about how you could adapt your trade to a post-collapse world. Many of the questions you may ask yourself regarding your trade can be applied to a trade in today’s economy: How prevalent is this trade? Is there enough of a market to support this trade? Are there many others out there who can provide this skill or would you have the corner on that particular market? Other questions you should examine would obviously be situation-specific and therefore a bit more difficult to answer: Can you obtain the tools you would need to perform this trade without electricity? In a fuel shortage, how could you maneuver to perform your skill or deliver your goods to others?

    Preparing for surviving the collapse is a necessity. There is no doubt whatsoever about this. Still, preparing for surviving after the collapse should be on everyone’s mind as well. Take the time, right now while resources and time are available, to learn a profitable, productive trade that will see you and your family through the hard times after the collapse.

Five Letters Re: The Circular File

Sir,

I have apparently been selected to participate in the U.S. Censes Health of America survey. The other day a representative showed up at my door. I had previously received a letter, which I filed in a certain circular file. I politely told the representative I did not wish to participate. She was very insistent. After she saw I would not budge, I was threatened with “hounding until I submitted.” I could not believe it. All I could say was “Yeah, well that’s what lawyers are for, huh.” Has any other reader been threatened with this? Is this part of Obama care or what? Thanks, Rick

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HJL,

I will confirm this writer’s point. 2010 census had invasive irrelevant questions, which I refused to answer. (I don’t recall if had the standard or in depth form). I “roundfiled” the form letter and subsequent followup. In due course, an Obama acolyte appeared with a clipboard in hand. I tallied the number of residents at my property and sent her down the road. I have heard nothing. 2010 census numbers do reflect my information, as my household is the only property within city limits that is also within County X. (The remainder of the city is in County Y.)

An accurate census is a Constitutional requirement and important to local government. The next one will be starting in approximately 2018. – R.S.

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Hugh,

I had this type of encounter in 2010 with the Census Bureau. I did not fill out the “provided” to me form mailed to my address. (I received about ten in total.) This spilled over into 2011, as I simply kept filing them away with the garbage pickup. My unpublished home phone answering machine soon filled up with messages, insisting that I had to provide this information by law. I returned no calls. The delete button is provided for a purpose. Census workers knocked on the door multiple times. I politely told them I was not interested in answering their questions, and I bode them upon their way.

A year and a half later, I received a call on my personal unpublished cell phone. It was a Census Bureau “Supervisor” to my surprise, who wanted to know my rationale of “not being cooperative”. I again politely explained that I was not interested in answering her questions. I got the complete spill about how I must provide this information by law, demographics, voting blocks, and per capita political representation of our local city/county/state area.

I answered ONE question of many– “How many people reside in your home?”. (They already know my SS number, I mean name?)

Haven’t heard from them since. – D.C.

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Hugh,

I noted, with amusement, your reaction to all the requests for info on property you owned 15 years ago. I own a farm in Ohio and got numerous requests and demands for data on my operation in years past. I submitted them all to the circular file. After a few years of this, I received a number of calls culminating with a threat of jail time. My response was that they should give me a few days notice before they hauled me away. I never heard from them again. Al in Ohio

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Sir,

We received many Census Bureau questionnaires and had several visits. The neighbors told me that the Census people had gone to them to ask for information about us, as well, and seemed particularly interested in our race and education. Finally, I answered the door. They asked many questions. I declined all of them, except how many people were in the home. They really pushed hard for an answer on ethnicity. I replied, “The government has convinced me that I should be color-blind, so why isn’t the government color-blind, too? Are you a racist?” With that the lady could no longer speak. She stormed off. Didn’t hear from them again. – M.R.

News From The American Redoubt:

North Idaho Heat (Eden Acres, LLC) offers a great many self-sufficient and off-grid items including Blaze King Wood Stoves (which do not need electricity), Morso (a really great non-electric pellet stove), and The WiseWay among others. If you’re near downtown Bonners Ferry, check it out in the Old Creamery Building beside the post office. www.northidahoblaze.com.

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Rhonda sent in this website to The Woodsman’s Shop, also located in Bonners Ferry. The primary focus is to stock quality items (mostly knives) rather than the barely functional import products.

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Is Montana the Next Big Data Hub?. – R.H.

JWR’s Comment: This article proves that some journalists are only good at parroting press releases.

The more important reasons why Montana will be a good place for data centers are not just cheap labor and connectivity with the Internet. They are: inexpensive and stable hydroelectric power and plentiful cooling water. Those are the two key ingredients for big data centers.

Washington, Idaho, and Montana are blessed with huge hydro power resources that give big commercial users (like the aluminum industry and data centers) access to rock solid power at less than 7 cents per kilowatt hour. Northwestern Montana has two very large hydroelectric dams (on the Clark Fork and Kootenai rivers), but they are small in comparison to the power output of Grand Coulee Dam. Together, they are tied into the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) grid. The logical place for data centers is in proximity to the very stable power source of Grand Coulee Dam–so Washington will continue to have an edge over even western Montana.

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Signs of our Times… Idaho ranch upgrades to bigger horses for bigger tourists

Economics and Investing:

This Will Trigger Massive Crisis & Panic All Over The World

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One in 10 Americans don’t carry paper money anymore – G.G.

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Items from The Economatrix:

Roubini: We’re At The Very Start Of A Credit Bubble

Long-Term Jobless Still More Than One-Third Of Unemployed

Geithner Says Efforts To End Too-Big-To-Fail Are ‘Misguided’ Efforts to deal with corruption are never misguided.

Congress May Raise Bar For A Bank To Qualify As ‘Systemically Important’ To $100 billion If it fails because of corruption and mismanagement, it should still fail. It’s obvious the really big guys who want to keep playing the same game; that’s why this idea is being floated.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Obama’s ATF is planning a nationwide gun registry. – B.B.

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A Primer to the Clothing the New England Patriots of 1775 Wore. Interesting read on types of clothing, uniforms, and social norms concerning civilian and military dress as well as grooming during the time of the Revolution. – T.P.

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Climate Change Debate: A Famous Scientist Becomes a Skeptic – A.D.

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Video: Travelling security: Defeat Dishonest Baggage Handlers. – A.D.

You will be amazed and completely disturbed by how easy it is to break into luggage and leave no trace. If you travel, this is useful information.

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Arizona town near Grand Canyon runs low on water

Notes for Monday – May 12, 2014:

A couple of noteworthy sales are going on right now:

Camping Survivalis offering a 7% discount. Note that this sale is on all items across the board, and they are already known for low-markup!

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Your chance to save 25-60% on Mountain House items at Ready Made Resources is ending soon, and they will mix and match cases. Make sure you visit their website to check it out.

Guest Article: Evil Exists, by L.A.

When I was young, it was a whisper you heard in the school hallways or some television news story that you overheard your parents talking about.

As children, we still played outside, rode our bicycles or skateboards all over town, and only came home right as the streetlights were coming on. There wasn’t really anything to be afraid of. Whatever evil there was back then, it at least stayed hidden in the shadows most of the time.

Not anymore.

Today’s world is something completely different. Evil is rampant and is increasingly seeking notoriety. More and more children are going missing, and more and more of them are found when it is too late. Pedophiles roam our neighborhoods. Our politicians lie more blatantly, and then they lie some more when they are caught. Childhood games have become acts of violence towards others. Even our police officers have begun to just kill first and ask questions later.

When does it all end?

Unfortunately, it doesn’t end until “The End”, but that doesn’t mean that you have to sit around helpless. When it all starts to hit the fan, there are ways that you can protect yourself and your family, and that is what I am here to share with you.

Everything I am about to tell you is for use in the event that everything has gone to hell. Whether it is a power grid failure, a new civil war, martial law, or zombie horde, these are ways to preserve your life and then defend it.

The first line of defense is your home, but there are a few items that you will need before you are truly prepared to defend it. You should have some of these already, but I’m going to list them, just in case:

  • Rifle(s), Shotgun(s), and Handgun(s),
  • Ammo for each caliber or gauge,
  • Knives in assorted styles and lengths,
  • Batteries in assorted sizes
  • Electric drill, charged
  • Screwdrivers,
  • Screws in assorted sizes, and
  • Plywood, at least 10 – 12 sheets of 4′ x 6′

Now these are just the basics for defense. This is not a “full on” prepper’s guide to survival. Of course, you will also need water, canned foods, and such, but if you are unable to defend your cache, then there is really no point of having it to begin with.

Now, back to the point. Nothing that happens is going to be immediate. No matter how big the catastrophe, there is always a build up to the chaos. This means that you will always have some time to get things ready. It may not be much time, but some is better than none. Just make sure to keep your eyes open and watch what is happening around you.

Now, when it first starts, it will be subtle. The news will most likely be reporting about looting and violence in controlled areas, such as the inner cities. This is your warning sign. In a true, statewide or nationwide catastrophe, these acts will only spread outward. It will start in the inner cities, then move into middle class and suburban areas, and so on.

In an ideal situation, you live in a rural area with a pretty decent line of sight. Unfortunately, most situations are not ideal, so we won’t pretend. Most likely you’re in the middle of surburbia– ten to fifteen miles away from any downtown or inner city areas. As soon as you hear the news reports, you should get to work right away.

Make sure that your weapons are loaded and ready to fire. Make sure that you have at least one firearm in each room that you will be in. This is to ensure that no matter where you are, you have a firearm within reach. Also, make sure that you are carrying a handgun on your person at all times, with at least two loaded magazines.

When it comes to fortification, always start with the weakest point of the home. This is usually a street-facing bedroom with large windows. This is the primary entry point of an intruder during a mob attack. This can be easily secured by mounting a sheet of plywood to the wall, on the inside of the window.

Before mounting the plywood, make sure to either cut, or drill, holes in different areas of the board. These will be used as “windows” or “aiming stations” for your weapons.

Use the electric drill and screws to mount the plywood. Find where the beams are and place your screws in those spots. This will secure the sheet of plywood firmly, and keep it from being easily pushed in. This is also why I recommend screws instead of nails. Repeat this step with all other windows in the house, at least the ones on the first floor.

You will want to secure the doors in much of the same manner. The one problem that comes to mind with this is that you need to have a way out. In my opinion, the front door should be the one left as the exit. Most homes have a steel core front door that cannot be easily kicked in. You may have to defend it a few times before people get the point.

Once you’ve secured the home, and as long as time is still in your favor, you will want to talk to your neighbors. It is important that you organize. There really is strength in numbers, and it provides more cover when it really counts.

If at all possible, it will prove favorable to organize a party of at least 30 people, all with weapons and fortified homes. As time passes, you may even be able to secure whole streets, adding to your own security.

To reach this goal, it is important to give people jobs to do. Not everyone can be “the leader”. However, everyone can perform a role that is vital to the welfare of the group. Assign titles, such as “watch captain”, or “section leader”, and provide job details and functions for each. Assign smaller groups to be hunting parties, and send them foraging for supplies and food. This makes everyone feel important, and it reduces the amount of decision making coming from one person. It is important to keep the group functioning like a well-oiled machine. Negativity leads to mutiny, and that, in turn, leads to needless casualties.

Now that you have fortified and organized, it is important that you learn to defend what is yours. If you live in a two-story home, this can be a little more efficient, as it is easier to fire from an inclined position. This, however, doesn’t mean that defending a one-story home is a hopeless cause.

The key to defense is mounting a fearful offense. You must not be afraid to open fire first. If you see a mob descending on your property, fire a few rounds into them. Most times, the mob will disperse. Remember, everyone wants to take things that do not belong to them, but few really want to die doing it. Use this to your advantage, and just in case the guilt kicks in, remember to think about what they would have done had you not initiated action.

Always strike from a distance, when possible, and reserve your shots for what you can actually hit. Think of every single round as if it were a piece of gold. Use them when necessary, but otherwise hoard them as treasure.

The most important thing to remember throughout this type of situation is that you really do have some control over the outcome. All is not hopeless or lost, and there are people depending on you.

Scot’s Product Review: Bench Space

Like a lot of shooters and preppers, I reload most of the ammunition I shoot. While I agree with those who say they can reload better ammunition than the factory makes, my main motivation is saving money so I can shoot more. I suspect that is true of most reloaders.

A problem I have is space. Reloading presses and equipment need to be solidly mounted to a workbench. They also need space around them to work in. I don’t have room for a bench dedicated to reloading. Mine has to share duties with Pinewood Derby cars for my son, broken appliances, cleaning guns, and so forth. The reloading tools get in the way most of the time. Like most reloaders, I’ve accumulated more than one press plus a number of other useful tools. Clearly, a means to save space is valuable.

I’ve found four strategies to do this. (I’m sure there are more, so please tell me about them!) Two are homemade and two are commercial. The first one I’ll cover is from Inline Fabrication and it’s one I’ve spent my own money on. It feels pricey when you look at it on a web page, but after talking to a friend, I took a chance. When I got it in hand, I did not feel cheated by the cost.

The unit I bought is their quick change systems. This allows you to secure reloading equipment to a plate that can then be easily attached or removed from your bench. They offer a selection of heights of risers to boot. When not using a press or other piece of gear, you can stow it out of the way. They make a bracket that allows you to hang them on the front of a bench or on a wall.

They have a number of other riser options that aren’t quick change, but they didn’t help solve my main problem– space. There are also a number of press accessories to hold bins or process brass more quickly, so the site is worth looking through. I hope to add a few items later.

I have an RCBS Rockchucker and have found that this system holds the press well enough to full length size .308 brass fired from a semi-auto rifle. It works well with the Dillon Square Deal B set up for .45 ACP as well as a Lee Loadmaster for .223.

I chose the Junior 6-inch riser, as it fit both my height and the height of my bench. They have other, higher options that might fit you better, so do some measuring and thinking. I also purchased their mounts for the Dillon Square Deal B and the Lee Loadmaster with one of their brackets to hold the tools not in use.

All of the parts I’ve gotten have been very well finished with a black powder coat. I haven’t had the gear for long, but the finish appears durable. Everything is well machined, and parts fit quite well. The hardware is excellent, and everything you need is included.

The customer service from Inline is great. Emails are answered promptly with good solutions provided. I had a question about fitting the bin that catches loaded rounds for the Lee Loadmaster and was helped by Inline.

Using this system has allowed me to add about 24 inches of space for other jobs on my bench. This makes it a lot easier to clean long guns as well as fixing errant appliances and polishing axles on our winning Pinewood Derby cars.

I used a cheaper alternative before I got the Inline stuff. I made up some 12×12 inch blocks using two layers of ¾ inch plywood leftover from building some shelves. I laid out the pattern needed by various loading tools and secured them to the blocks with hanger bolts– the ones that screw into wood on one end while the other end takes a nut. To my bench, I then bolted toggle clamps. These clamped my square blocks holding the presses, trimmers, and the like to the bench. The system worked pretty well for a number of years, but I never felt it was strong enough for sizing rifle brass with the Rockchucker. I left that bolted to the bench which meant it was always in the way. The toggle bolts also got in the way when I wanted to clear the bench for other duties.

Another commercial system I haven’t tried but looks very promising is Pat Marlin’s ROCKdock. The beauty of this system is that you can remove the tool and have an almost flush bench. I didn’t know about this one when I bought the Inline, and I’m not sure which I would have gotten if I had known about both. I like the extra height provided by the Inline riser, but I also like the flushness you get from Pat Marlin. A friend who uses it really likes it. Marlin’s website says there are plans to make adapters to work with the mounts of other companies, such as Dillon and Inline. There are a number of other interesting items on his page, so it is worth exploring. I hope to try some later for review.

The final one (or at least the final one I know of) is a homemade system that reminds me a bit of the Pat Marlins one. Basically, you mount your tools to blocks of wood and create an inset on your bench that the blocks slide into. What I really like about this system is that you can slide a blank into the position and have a completely flush bench top. If it would not have required completely rebuilding my bench, I think this is what I would have done. I like it a lot better than my old system of toggle clamps, and I like the price. I’m not sure about building it out of particle board, though. I would prefer plywood. Incidentally, Father Frog’s pages are well worth exploring for other material. He has a wealth of information on his site, including homemade gun cleaners and lubes.

At any rate, you can reload without giving up your entire workbench. If you know of other alternatives, please write us. I would like to share them with our readers. – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Scot Frank Eire

Recipe of the Week: Polenta with Eggs Over Easy, by M.I.

Polenta:

  • 1 c. cold water
  • 1 c. medium grind cornmeal
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 3 c water, boiling in saucepan
  • 2 TBS butter

In a small bowl, whisk the cornmeal and cold water together with salt. Add mixture into boiling water and simmer at least 5 minutes. Add butter.

Cook another 3- 5 minutes, adding a little water at a time if you want to keep a creamy consistency. If you prefer a drier texture, like mashed potatoes, add no extra water. Serves 4

Over Easy Eggs:

Preheat a skillet over medium heat with 2 TBS of olive oil for every 2 eggs. Crack the eggs into a small bowl and then pour them gently into the hot pan. (This makes it easier to keep the yolks whole.) Cook on medium heat until the whites are set. Turn over and cook another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Salt & pepper according to taste.

Serving

Make a pool or a pat of polenta on the plate. (Shredded parmesan cheese, green onion slices or a drizzle of olive oil are nice additions.) Top with cooked eggs.

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Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlogreaders? Please send it viae-mail. Thanks!

Letter: Another Option for Emergency Power

Hugh,

Having worked on a seasonal farm with large power demands and five back up generators, I have yet to see a pto generator that outputs modified sine wave power. Also the stator and rotor windings are all spread equally through out the machine, so even if one 120 volt leg is loaded a little more, the bearings carry the same load all the time. – Solar Guy

Hugh Replies: I would have to agree with this statement. I like my pto generator because it simply means one less gas/diesel engine that I have to maintain, and it produces a true sine wave. Most generators that have rotating hardware and rotate at 1800 or 3600 rpm will produce true sine waves. Where this breaks down is when the manufacture tries to save money by developing a generator that can run at various speeds for changing loads. These generally produce three phase AC (like your car alternator) at a variable frequency. This is then rectified to DC and electronically altered into modified sine wave or even square wave generators. That allows manufacturers to save money, bringing you a lower price, but you pay for it by not having true Sine wave.

In our case, we keep a small 2KW generator to power the normal things, like the refrigerator and lighting. When needed, the 15kw pto generator comes out, and we run everything that needs power at once– freezers, deep well irrigation pump, et cetera. This concept allows us to power the high usage items (usually for about 4 hours per day) and yet keep the wear and tear on the tractor to a minimum.

Letter: Revision Eyewear

Hugh,

I’ve been issued many pairs of Revision Sawfly eyewear in the Army. At first, I had no choice but to use them (and didn’t know there were other options out there either). My biggest problem with them is that the lenses didn’t protect me that well on the sides. I’ve had plenty of sand blow into my eyes. However, I’ve served with quite a few who’ve had no issues with the Revision Sawfly’s, and they appeared to fit well on the face.

I do like Revision’s Desert Locust goggles. They work pretty well, keeping dirt and sand out of the eyeballs. I also dig the Wiley X SG-1 in goggle mode.

There are a ton of options out there, from Wiley X, ESS, Oakley, Smith, and so on. Revision is a good brand, at a reasonable enough price to be standard issue in the Army. I have quite a few sets staged with my family’s kits in tough boxes. For what they do, they can definitely compete with the bigger (and more expensive) names. It’s definitely worth checking out which will fit you and work better for you.

Remember, keep at least one spare frame with you with any brand you get. (I had some Oakley M Frame 2’s break on me a few months ago when a helmet they were attached to rolled onto them from the top of a rucksack. Talk about freak occurrences). I tend to have a frame for clear and a frame for tinted to facilitate a quick change. – Z.R.

Economics and Investing:

My analysis of the true price of silver in today’s dollars – G.P.

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It’s Very Clear That The U.S. Economy Isn’t Growing

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Items from The Economatrix:

Fed Takes Step To Limit Size Of Biggest Banks Watch for bank mergers before any 100-billion-bar legislation takes place.

Job growth picking up, but data likely to show worker confidence still low

WSJ Survey: Economists See Growth Rebound

The Economics Of Marriage

This Is What’s Going To Happen When All Hell Breaks Loose

Odds ‘n Sods:

In the haste of the day, it’s always good to take a break and enjoy some fantastic scenery. This video of some stunt paragliding is absolutely amazing, both this beauty of the stunts and in the scenery. – J.S.

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The Real Gun Violence Issue. Most of it is gang-related. Most of the gangs are in our inner cities, and our President, along with the rest of the so-called “mainstream media”, simply refuse to address any of it. – J.W.

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Barack Obama and the Monsanto Betrayal – H.L.

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Japan Jails Man for 3D Printed Guns. This one guy was caught and arrested, and to this American reader, was strangely sanguine or even passive about it. The Internet is undermining all kinds of laws, in all kinds of places, in all kinds of unexpected ways. – G.G.

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Elderly cancer survivor tackled, charged with ‘resisting’ after he couldn’t hear commands. – H.L.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“…but then what?” “Then you’d milk cows, of course!” “But I don’t want to milk cows!”

“Neither do I…but if the cow has to be milked, someone has to do it! That’s what makes it a needed skill. Listen…” He turned to the rest of us now. “Too many of you sitting in this classroom have been separated from those very necessary skills for too many generations. It’s given you some very peculiar ideas…of your own importance. Let me relieve you of that foolishness right now…most of you have to depend on too many others for your survival, and that makes you vulnerable. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to learn a few of those basic skills, because as far as the society you live in is concerned, it’s the training that’s valuable, not the individual.” – David Gerrold, “A Matter For Men”