Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 37 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) 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 B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, C.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and D.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 37 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Experience Building a Missouri Masonry Stove, by Tiasabaki

Thanks for the blog. I have been been one of those avid readers that does not provide very much input, but I have some useful “how-to” information on heating your house in the temperate climate.  I live in Iowa at the current time.   A lot of this is hard to even put into words, because this style of heating is unique, and even more unique as I built the heaters my self.  I recommend anyone trying to do these, to do additional homework before attempting any of this.  I also studied “The Book of Masonry Stoves: Rediscovering an Old Way of Warming” by David Lyle, and “Living Homes: Stone Masonry, Log, and Strawbale Construction ” by Thomas J. Elpel.  What I built was the “Missouri Masonry” stove which was and is a free booklet PDF from the Missouri DNR web site called the “Missouri Masonry pdf”. After I called Roger at the DNR, he said the booklet was made almost 20 years ago and he was not to worried what I did with my information I got from them.  At the time they had worked with the Missouri Department of natural resources and the US Department of energy to come up with the guide. Also I should note there is a company called Temp Cast.  If you want to buy them pre made, and some Russian Masonry heaters on You tube that are really neat.  I am a cable television technician by trade, but I took on all the brick laying skills myself, and by all means I’m no expert.  Any mistakes that I made were entirely mine, and yet the bread oven masonry stove that I built has been working  for years.   

Why would you want a masonry heater versus a wood stove or ordinary furnace?  I think the ultimate advantage I enjoy is that I don’t have to wake up at 2 a.m. to feed the wood stove.  Also, once I have fired the stove on around four loads of wood, I have to do nothing, for around three days in my not so well insulated house.  I do believe if my house was insulated correctly, that I would last for four to five days with doing absolutely nothing.  Yes wood is a pain to chase, and dangerous to fall but it feels better and is radiant, and has been cheaper than normal sources of heat.  The Masonry heater is more efficient in the use of the wood as it burns the creosote more cleanly.  The ash tends to be more fine and whiter.  The Whole of the heater is placed in the middle of your living quarters and acts like a big battery for heating anything within range of the heater.  A lot of people are going out and installing, outdoor wood stove furnaces , which throws a lot of smoke on their neighbors, and is less efficient because the heat is wasted around the heater and up the chimney.  With my masonry’s you can’t hardly tell I’m firing because after the initial start up smoke, there is very little smoke afterwards. It even feels good to cuddle the Masonry when sick or when your hands are almost frostbitten.  Kids can touch all parts of the stove except the metal parts, and not be burned.  The heat does not really blow since the heat is radiant, you could almost open all the windows, but the warm air escapes, but heat remains. 

First I made the Missouri Masonry with a Bread Oven,  I had moved into a brick building, with a thick concrete floor.  I got my Firebrick from some old clay tile kilns nearby.  Also to my advantage was that there was some arch brick which is important for temperature gains in the initial combustion.  I used a refactory cement called flue set on the fire brick core.  On the outside layer I used Menard’s cement for the base and Menard’s masonry mix for the ornamental brick. I built the chimney from Menard’s double layer stove pipe.  The Glass Door I bought from a wood stove dealer, a blacksmith made the adapter for the door to swing on.  The little clean out doors are all from Menard’s.   I built a homemade damper into the brick right under the chimney pipe with a metal plate. 

Okay, the second Missouri masonry is without a Bread Oven but has extra Flues to grab extra heat.  This time I used new Fire Brick  and parts similar to the bread oven. The square footage for each room with a masonry heater is 486 sq feet,  I think these spaces come out about perfect for the heaters, down to 30 below ;  could place a inside temperature around 62 degrees requiring more firing to keep heat up.

I feel that a lot of people, could benefit from my videos on you tube. I do have still photos as well. Since the design is a free download I hope to encourage masonry heaters instead of most other options. I am sure I made some mistakes, but I improved each time. I now know that I would not use aggregate brick and mix for fill, instead on the second one I cut all my bricks to fill in the arch gaps to make it sturdier and more square.  Also my clean out doors did not come out perfectly flat.  I also did not care if I had the bricks clean, and shiny as I just wanted heat not good looks.  Using a Miter saw with a diamond blade to cut bricks and a rubber mallet became invaluable.    
Here is a video on my bread oven.
And here is a video on my later masonry stove project, sans the bread oven.

Letter Re: Secondhand Store Bargains, by Rucksack Rob

As most of the readers of SurvivalBlog know, preparing for disasters can be a lifelong commitment and can be most costly, even when buying used or on-sale items.  However, after 30 years of prepping, I find that I do 40-50% of my shopping at secondhand stores, such as Salvation Army, Goodwill, St. Vincent de Paul, and American Cancer Society, to name a few.
If you visit regularly and keep your eyes open, not only will you find a treasure trove of preparedness items, but the employees will get to know you and your products and put them aside and hold them for you before they get put out on the shelf.
 
Here is a list of just a few of the items that I’ve picked up:
 
PUR Scout water purifier – MSRP $80 / used $1 (actually new, never used)
Hudson Bay wool blanket, queen size – MSRP $250 / used $20 
Big Berkey water filter (with 4 elements) – MSRP $250 / used $29 (new/never used)
Big Berkey water filter (with 4 elements) – MSRP $250 / used $5 (new / never used. This was found just 2 weeks after finding the first one at another store across town)
BDUs – $5 a piece [for pants or shirts]
Carhart brand overalls (later found to have an original Leatherman tool in one pocket) – MSRP $75 / used $9
Levis Blue Jeans, Dockers, and Khakis – $4 to $5 a piece (for work clothes)
Fleece (in earth tone colors) – $2.99 (again, work/hunting/tactical clothes)
North Face Gore-Tex parka – $15
REI brand down sleeping bag – MSRP $175+- / used $10 (US made, circa 1985)
Presto 23 quart Pressure canner – $5 (I just replaced the gasket, tested it and it works great!)
Food Dehydrator (unknown brand) – $10 (almost new & works great!)
WWII steel canteens & canteen cups with covers –  I’ve bought at least 10 of each and the most that I paid was $10 (These were 1940s dated. At gun shows these sell for $25 or more.)
ThermaRest self inflating sleeping pads – MSRP $60+- / used $5
Kelty youth frame backpack (in OD green) – $10 (this came with one of the thermarest pads)
Canning Jars – 10 cents to 50 cents each.
Candles – 20 cents to 50 cents each
Crutches – $7 (probably used once)
Bedside commode – $10 (looks new, took it home & sanitized it, put it with the first aid supplies.
Medical supplies – Unopened packages of gauze & bandages, by the box
Sewing supplies
…and many more
 
This is just a short list of some of the treasures that I’ve found. so be consistent and keep your eyes open, you never know what you’ll come across…good luck!

Letter Re: Guns for a Tight Budget Minimalist Survivalist

JWR:
Regarding to the recent post by John concerning tight budget armaments I have a few suggestions. Over the past year I have acquired a small collection of Hi-Point weapons and I absolutely love them! They are american made, reliable and oh-so economical.

Mother’s day before last I was looking for a unique gift for my wife (who also happens to be the mother of our five children!). I began thinking handgun. But, with the five kids and an aspiring 40 acre farm/retreat, budgets are almost always tight. Add to this the fact that my wife is a new shooter and I was not certain she would take to it, I didn’t want to drop a big load of cash on a fancy piece that stood a 50/50 chance of becoming a paper weight. So, after a bit of research I settled on the C9. What a neat little gun! She loved it! Unfortunately, so did I. To avoid being an Indian Giver I was forced to buy a second one for myself, which has become my everyday concealed carry piece.

Both guns have shown near flawless performance. In fact we have had only a couple of mis-feeds, all with Bitterroot Valley Ammunition Company (BVAC) hollow points made from once fired brass. All other ammo has been perfect, and the more we shoot them, the smoother they get. As a side note, they love any and all +P rounds. I should note that in general I really like BVAC’s ammo, but have relegated the reloads to practice, and keep something new and nasty in a +P self defense load in the “Serious” magazines.

The best part: Brand-New retail on these bad boys is less than $170, so you can get pistol, holster and a couple of spare mags for about Two Bills.

Next up in the Hi-Point product line is the TS9 carbine. I can’t say anything bad about this one either. It is light, handy, surprisingly accurate, and has not had a single problem with any kind of ammo. I added a stock mounted magazine holder (carries two spare 10 round mags, one on either side of the stock) and other than that left it as is. This little carbine is a great home defense weapon, an excellent trunk gun, and light enough to carry forever. With good +P hollow points it is more than able to bring down mid-size game (think feral hogs and black tail deer) at open sight ranges. As an added bonus the carbine magazines also work in the C9 pistols, which is a big cost saver when stocking up, and handy in a tight spot! Brand-New the TS9 carbine runs just a shade over three hundred, and if you haunt the pawn shops you can find them in the two hundred range. If you don’t mind the “Planet of The Apes” look, the original version can be found even less expensively.

Last on my list of super bargains is the Maverick 88 12 gauge pump action shotgun. These are built by an offshoot of Mossberg, and with the exception of the placement of the safety they are near identical to the 500 series pump guns. Mine has an 18.5 inch barrel, and a 5+1 tube. Stocks are black synthetic, and it came with a full stock and a pistol grip (“cruiser style”). The pistol grip went in the parts bin after the first box of shells, the “cool factor” was not enough to offset the “Oh god, I think my thumb is broken” factor. I have been very pleased with the gun so far and have fired everything from 2 3/4 field loads to magnum turkey loads, as well as all manner of slugs and buck shot through it. On sale at a little gun shop in North Carolina I picked it up new for $249. It is a tasty little “Zombie Gun” at a price that most budgets can absorb. If I were in a TEOTWAWKI situation and could have only one firearm, I’d take this one. The versatility of the 12 gauge is unbeatable- small game, large game, hominids of questionable intent, or the walking dead are all susceptible to one load or another!

I have been very pleased with the Maverick as it came out of the box, but if you want to trick it up and rail it out, it will accept most of the multitude of accessories made for its cousin the Mossberg 500.

These are my top three suggestions for the budget minded or financially-challenged prepper. With a bit of huntin’ and peckin’, you should be able to pick up all three for less than $800 (about half the cost of a single top shelf M4gery). Compounding the savings, this combo leaves you with one caliber and one gauge of ammo to stock, and only one type of spare magazine to buy (although I recommend a small number of the original 8 rounders for the C9, they fit flush to the grip). This arsenal would also be light enough to add to a “Camper-Hiker-Survival-Bugout-Kit.”

Letter Re: Urban Evacuation–When The Plan is No Plan At All

Good Morning,
I was reading the post regarding Baltimore evac signs which kicked off a thought. The author states that the signs end at the city limits and the goal is to just get people out of the city. It appears to me that there are all sorts or articles as of late regarding zombies, even television shows about viral masses of folks wandering around the country. Is the presence of these articles and shows part of a larger PSYOP program?

A television show recently aired showing the bombing of an American city,with the goal of kill off the infected. As the story line progressed there were occasions where one or two of these “zombies” were wandering the rural countryside and groups in neighbor hoods (sub-divisions). The future will not have zombies of course, but there will be people wandering the countryside looking for food, shelter. Their primal instincts will take over and what was once a college-educated banker will become a parasite. These people will not know how to take care of themselves and will take from those who have prepared. Worse yet is that it won’t be just one or two people. It will be hundreds, even thousands.

The economy in such dire straights, jobs being moved off shore, corruption running rampant in D.C. The appearance is that those who are supposed to be in charge are losing control or even worse have already lost control. Only the appearance…What is happening behind the scenes is better orchestrated.

I have so many thoughts bouncing around that I need to take the time to process it all to be more coherent. I am in the middle of reading John Locke’s Two Treatises on Government and that book sends me into some wild thought patterns. So much is happening, but what is interesting is that none of it is new. All of this has gone down before. Anyway, I have read both of your books. Very interesting and potentially useful knowledge hidden in plain site. Regards, – Ron in Vermont

Economics and Investing:

Banks in Italy Find an Unusual Liquidity Lifeline

G.G. sent us this: Right Now Officials in Brussels are Threatening to Cross a Line that Will Set Off Panic

Also from G.G.: Central bank gold buying at 40-year high.

Reader N.L. mentioned: Canada’s “new” $100 note–It’s made of plastic!

Items from The Economatrix:

The Crisis Eats Its Way Into The Core

JPMorgan Joins Goldman Keeping Italy Derivatives Risk In Dark

US Economy Growing At Fastest Pace Of The Year. (Isn’t it amazing what several trillion dollars created out of thin air can do in the short term?)

Gross Says Europe is Top Risk to the US Economy

Odds ‘n Sods:

This was posted at Alt-Market.com: A Message To The SPLC From A Montana “Extremist”. It bears special mention that the SPLC‘s slam piece was their oh-so typical blathering, with a mix of fact, innuendo, and myth. They cleverly mixed in mentions of racists and radicals alongside references to level-headed folks, including myself. When they slandered me, they didn’t just use the time-proven “guilt by association” technique. They took it a step further and employed guilt by lack of association. They also slandered Pastor Chuck Baldwin, up in Montana as well as Stewart Rhodes, the head of The Oath Keepers. I’ve made it abundantly clear many times that I’m an anti-racist, yet the SPLC slandered my name by listing me with contiguity to the Aryan Nations and neo-Nazis. Obviously, they either missed reading my Precepts page, or they conveniently ignored it. Once again, I state forthrightly: I am an anti-racist and pro-Israel. I find it ironic that I’m hated by both the SPLC and by racists.

   o o o

F.G. mentioned a source for lots of free old radio, tube radio and engineering text books.

   o o o

Also from F.G.: Feds fail to get conviction on homemade zip gun, settle for ammo charge

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Insight: In Iowa, farmland boom means end of an era for many. (Thanks to Michael W. for the link.)

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G.G. sent this from Nanny State California: Kids Play With Toy Gun, Parents Lectured by Local Cops

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Statesmen, my dear Sir, may plan and speculate for Liberty, but it is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles upon which Freedom can securely stand. The only foundation of a free Constitution is pure Virtue, and if this cannot be inspired into our People in a greater Measure than they have it now, They may change their Rulers and the forms of Government, but they will not obtain a lasting Liberty. They will only exchange Tyrants and Tyrannies." – John Adams, Letter to Zabdiel Adams, as quoted in Letters of Delegates to Congress: Volume 4 May 16, 1776 – August 15, 1776, (21 June, 1776, page 279 )

Top Five Medical Priorities for Survival, by Dr. Bob

I’d like to describe the top five survival priorities, from a medical standpoint.  If you order any survival products, you should do it with some conviction after setting up your top five priorities.  If you order a survival package from us here at survivinghealthy without paying attention to priority #1, you are doing it wrong!  There are not a lot of sites that will discourage you from purchasing from them, but this is not one of those!  Please, prioritize your purchases for survival based on need.  Let’s review the top five medical list.
 
#1:  Water.  You will live 5-7 days without water, but function effectively for only about 48 to 72 hours without it.  Water has to be your first thought when it comes to survival.  Water is not simple though either, there may not be a tap to just turn on and drink safely after TSHTF.  Optimal water is your own natural spring…but how many of us have that available?  Not many.  Next, well water.  But, you have to have set up a hand-powered way to get at it and as water tables get polluted with poor sanitation, that well water may not be safe to drink anymore.  There are testing kits available, but so many and at such a huge cost difference it is beyond my capacity to advise you in this area.  Next, rainwater.  That is my plan for our family, and we have the setup done.  Lastly, is natural open sources like lakes, rivers, ponds.  After TEOTWAWKI, all these water sources could be contaminated from surrounding runoff or poor neighbor sanitation.  Best policy is going to be:  the cleanest source possible, heating to boil, then filter.  You do not have to boil water for 10 minutes, and it actually doesn’t have to truly boil, but has to get close.  There are lots of different filters available, and of course most people are familiar with Big Berkey filters, but we got ours from AquaRain.  We can’t tell you if it is any better, but it certainly is comparable, and is made here in the USA, in Missouri.  It came quickly, was well packaged and seems to function just fine.  Sure, there is probably a firestorm of comments coming about which is better and why, but basically buy one and make sure the capacity will meet the needs of your group.  Plan on two gallons per person per day (drinking, cooking, tooth brushing)  and check the output of your filter, making sure it exceeds that limit.  Do not make the mistake of using unfiltered water for you tooth brushing and then end up sick, it only takes a couple ounces a day.
 
#2:  Food.  Food is essential for survival, but is far less important than water for short-term survival.  It takes months to years to starve to death, and days to weeks before you function sub-optimally due to lack of calories.  Being hungry does not kill you, but it does make you very grumpy and after a few days your thinking does get messed up from lack of fats in the bloodstream.  The human body is an amazing thing, and can live for long periods of time without food, especially if there is adequate water intake.  In fact, when faced with a lack of food, an increase in your water consumption is always a good idea.  Not only does it fill up your stomach and help with hunger, but proper hydration helps the body process remaining stored sugars, fats, and proteins for survival.  A balanced diet will be history for 99% of folk WTSHTF, but for a good prepper there can be proper nutrition for years if approached correctly.  Do that now.  Depending on your geographic area, there will be different needs and capabilities for food.  Gardening in the Northland is limited, and storage in the Southland is hampered by humidity and heat.  There is no one perfect plan out there, talk to your trusted sources and make your plan for your group or family.
 
#3:  Safety.  If you have food and water, you are in danger after 3 days post grid.  There are two major safety concerns, “pre” and “post”.  Pre-crash, keep your profile low and make sure that you don’t make it well-known that you are “one of those nuts”.  As soon as the crash starts, those that know you are one of those nuts who is \suddenly deemed to have “been right all along” will be at your door, often without flowers.  So, pre-crash safety involves quiet and calm, make your plans and talk only to those you trust, preferably those you plan to actually feed.  Post-crash safety is all about digging in and firepower.  The less you need to go out, the less exposure to health dangers such as disease, damaged infrastructure, weather threats and unfriendly humans.  A word about firepower:   You need to have it, know how to use it, and have plenty to load in it.  There are thousands of recommendations for safety and weapons, way beyond my scope and medically unimportant.  But, safety is medically important, so make sure you can protect yourself and yours from others that may mean you harm.  It will get progressively worse as the days turn to weeks and the weeks turn to months.  There will be unpleasant situations and you need to be ready to defend your homestead.
 
#4:   Shelter.    Shelter seems like it would fall under prevention, and certainly shelter seems like an obvious preparedness issue, but it comes after items 1-through-3 on the list.  If you have water, food, safety, and then some prevention covered; you are already likely to be at the shelter you plan to stay in.  Let’s just say for the sake of argument, that you need to get to your shelter/bugout location.  You need to have 1-through-3 covered to make it.  Without any grid, there is unlikely to be power or fuel, and your trip may take much longer and be much harder than you planned for.  The other issue that makes shelter its own topic is the issue of longevity.  Do you have some plan for heating in the cold and cooler in the heat?  If you live north of the Mason-Dixon Line times will be hard in the winter without a grid unless you have planned ahead.  Turn off your power during the next cold snap for about 3 days and see what the temperature gets to in the house (make sure it doesn’t freeze as that is really bad for your house!).  Even if it doesn’t get to freezing, walking around in a 45 degree house is not fun after a day and you may find that you need a lot more cold weather supplies.  South of the Mason-Dixon Line, your summers may be brutal if there is no cooling plan and you have never tested your shelter in the summer to see just how hot it gets, you may be unpleasantly surprised.
 
#5:   Prevention.  Lots of folks may criticize this list and its order, but prevention is important only after surviving a few days.  Your teeth will not crumble and your strength will not suddenly fail the day after TEOTWAWKI.  Prevention covers a wide variety of topics and is therefore lower on the list.  Prevention of medical problems starts with a good first aid kit.  Prevention of dental problems with good preventive care now and continued tooth brushing and flossing then.   Prevention of likely medical problems such as starvation and dehydration by planning for #1 and #2.  Prevention of death by planning for #3 and #4. 

Now that you are hydrated, fed, alive, and you have a cover over your head; you can make sure your first aid kit is up to par and your teeth will make it.  Many of my prior topics discuss prevention for fitness planning, vitamins, OTC meds, among other topics.  Please make sure your checklist is done numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4 before you start to focus on #5.  Included in this group would be medication planning and prevention.  Make sure you have your chronic meds, and antibiotics for infections that will come up over the next weeks, months, and maybe years.  Remember my ad campaign slogan:  “Water…check, food…check, ammo…check, strep…now what?”  Prevention as a topic can go on and on, but do your best and again only after the first four checklist items.  In all seriousness:  do not buy an antibiotic kit without preparing for the other survival checklist items first.  Do not buy a gun before getting a good water filter.  Don’t get ammo before food.  You get the idea.  Prep smart, or don’t prep at all.  Stay strong people, – Dr. Bob

JWR Adds: Dr. Bob is is one of the few consulting physicians in the U.S. who dispenses antibiotics for disaster preparedness as part of his normal scope of practice. His web site is: SurvivingHealthy.com.

Mike Williamson’s Product Review: Triple Eight Professional SurvivIt Tool

SurvivalBlog readers may recall that I’ve previously tested the Triple Eight Professional SOL Knife.  The 888 SurvivIt Tool is more versatile, and a bit more robust. The blade is AUS8 steel, and the handle is epoxy-painted steel.  It’s assembled with machine screws and good quality pivot and fittings, so maintenance and repair is easy, though I don’t expect it will need much.

The edge was not quite as sharp as I like, and I had some trouble cutting leather thong with the hook.  The serrated section, however, as short as it is, zips through heavy nylon, leather and plastic easily.

The handle is tiny, but comfortable enough even in my largish hands, and is well-designed.  I tested it in a hammer grip to chisel, in a standard grip to shave and whittle, and in a side grip for both drawing cuts and scraping. 

The edge geometry is excellent, and I was able to jab the blade well into various woods, both in the woodpile and on treated lumber in the shop.  It sliced into wood corners easily, sawed twigs, and scraped tape, bark and leather.

The mechanism is strong and sound and remains in place while the knife is held.  Keep in mind that there is no guard.  This is a compact tool, and its diminutive size means there are some compromises necessary.  Once you have a good grip, it remains easily in hand and is safe to use.  Just don’t get careless.

In addition to the belt clip, there’s a convenient thong hole for either neck carry, or just for a retention cord.

The suggested retail price is $34.95, but is usually available for less at most retailers.- SurvivalBlog Editor At Large, Michael Z. Williamson

Editor’s Disclaimer (per FTC File No. P034520): SurvivalBlog accepts accept cash-paid advertising. To the best of my knowledge, as of the date of this posting, none of my advertisers that sell the products mentioned in this article have solicited me or paid me to write any reviews or endorsements, nor have they provided me any free or reduced-price gear in exchange for any reviews or endorsements. I am not a stock holder in any company. Mike Williamson was furnished one 888 SurvivIt Tool for test and evaluation, which he intends to keep for his personal use. He has received no compensation or inducements from Triple Eight.

Letter Re: Barnhardt Capital Management Has “Gone Galt” – MF Global Claims It’s First Major Victim

James:
We need more business leaders like Ann Barnhardt! As reported over at Zero Hedge, Ann Barnhardt, President of Barnhardt Capital Management (a cattle and grain hedge brokerage) writes an excellent letter to her clients explaining why she is shutting down her business and exiting the markets altogether. She cites the recent bankruptcy of MF Global as the last straw, and predicts the imminent downfall of brokerage firms and commodities dealers in the derivatives market.

This was mentioned on Rush Limbaugh’s show as her “Going Galt” speech, in reference to Ayn Rand’s character John Galt in Atlas Shrugged.

See: “BCM Has Ceased Operations Part 1 and Part 2”. (Linked at Zero Hedge.)

Some highlights from Ann Barnhardt’s letter:

“The reason for my decision to pull the plug was excruciatingly simple: I could no longer tell my clients that their monies and positions were safe in the futures and options markets – because they are not.

The futures and options markets are no longer viable. It is my recommendation that ALL customers withdraw from all of the markets as soon as possible so that they have the best chance of protecting themselves and their equity.

In short, the problem is a SYSTEMIC problem, not merely isolated to one firm.

Finally, I will not, under any circumstance, consider reforming and re-opening Barnhardt Capital Management, or any other iteration of a brokerage business, until Barack Obama has been removed from office AND the government of the United States has been sufficiently reformed and repopulated so as to engender my total and complete confidence in the government, its adherence to and enforcement of the rule of law, and in its competent and just regulatory oversight of any commodities markets that may reform. So long as the government remains criminal, it would serve no purpose whatsoever to attempt to rebuild the futures industry or my firm, because in a lawless environment, the same thievery and fraud would simply happen again, and the criminals would go unpunished, sheltered by the criminal oligarchy.“

Letter Re: Urban Evacuation–When The Plan is No Plan At All

Dear Jim:
I am writing in response to the recent posting entitled: Urban Evacuation–When The Plan is No Plan At All.

Several years ago when driving North out of Baltimore City, I noticed some blue and white signs which said:  “Emergency Evacuation Route”  They had a big blue arrow pointing North and nothing else.  The next time we were in the City I began looking for the signs.  I found them and began following them all the way.  They ran for miles out of the heart of the City and then just stopped … somewhere near the City line.  But, the one thing I notice for sure is that they were pointing directly toward my area.

So, I’ve looked up Baltimore’s Emergency Plan.

Here it is:  “Where do the evacuation signs posted in the City lead? The evacuation signs will lead you out of the city – They do not lead to bomb shelters.”  The web site is now almost 10 years old.  The link to Maryland Office of Domestic Preparedness is not working.  As far as I am able to tell, the “plan” is to send Baltimore’s residents out into the surrounding counties … and nothing else.  Now, there were approximately 621,000 people in Baltimore City for the 2010 Census.  There are only two counties that surround Baltimore City – Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County.  The Chesapeake Bay is to the east.

So, Baltimore City is planning to send a large portion of those gentle, refined city folk to my quiet neighborhood.  The funny thing is that people from this area are for the most part unaware of the signs – after all, for the most part, we avoid going into the City.  Should a significant disaster occur that warranted City evacuation, we in the suburbs would definitely be in trouble.  I was worried about two extra places at the table for Thanksgiving dinner.  Just where am I going to put that approximate 150,000 uninvited guests? – Grace

Economics and Investing:

Fed Now Largest Owner of U.S. Government Debt—Surpassing China. (Of $15 Trillion worth of debt, now 11% of that much, or $1.67 trillion.)

Ann H. sent this: States that Will Suffer the Most in the Event of a EU Collapse. (Yet again, The American Redoubt is looking better and better! )

Why Kyle Bass Hoards Nickels. (Thanks to K.M. for the link.)

Items from The Economatrix:

Jumbo Mortgages May Be Next in Line to Default

I Dumped My Bank

The Assault On Financial Privacy Goes Parabolic

European debt crisis drives gold rush

Odds ‘n Sods:

Kevin P. sent an article about another arrest for an already disgraced member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG) “crime fighting” pressure group. Since so many mayors from Michael Bloomberg’s group are either under indictment or have already been convicted on a plethora of felony and lesser charges, I propose that we form our own lobbying group. Since Mayor Bloomberg has proposed such cockamamie legislation, I think that we should call our new group Citizens Against Criminal Anti-freedom Mayors And Mayors In Exile (CACAMAMIE).

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Reader George S. notes: ” You know those $10 keychain cameras? They can be combined with a radio-controlled model aircraft to offer some interesting possibilities. Check out the videos embedded at this site devoted to the components and construction of such units, and their operation: The REAL (#11) HD Key Cam Thread.”

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Somalia Piracy Spurs Private Navy to Start Within Five Months. (Thanks to Kevin S. for the link.)

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S.D. mentioned that there are now more than a dozen free Morse code training apps available for the Android phone, iPhone, and iPod Touch. Just do a web search…

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 37 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) 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 B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, C.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and D.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 37 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.