Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The view which defines liberty as the mere ‘absence of restraint’ may be well-meaning, but this is the best one can say about it. It is a definition which permits, and even encourages, the substance of liberty to leak away. It undermines the sanctity of the person and property, it ignores the moral order, and it undermines the system of contracts. The truly free man is not a captive of his impulses; he controls his own actions so as not to impair the equal rights of others to their persons and their property; he is constrained by moral considerations; and he is meticulous about his contractual obligations. Such a pattern of conduct is not accurately described by the simple label, ‘unrestrained’.” – Edmund A. Opitz, Essays on Liberty 10:423

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 31 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will 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 between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Parabellum (Luger ) with 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP projectiles, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $249 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) 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 $400, B.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and C.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

Round 31 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.

Cross-Training for TEOTWAWKI Preparedness, by Beau F.

I’ve been preparing for a number of years now and found a great way to prepare others in your group as well. I realized a long time ago that I could not survive alone. Now that I have a family, and close like minded friends, I realize that I don’t have to. A couple of years ago I really started stockpiling my “tactical” gear. I would buy a lot of ammo, good mags, the right tactical clothing, and so on. I started reading up on certain things that would be helpful in a TEOTWAWKI situation and would start to practice some of what I studied. I just recently came to the realization that knowledge is great, but what happens if you are the only one with the knowledge and/or training in a certain area? What happens if you’ve failed to teach anyone else your skills and you became seriously injured or killed? The rest of the group is left with what they know and what you’ve left them with.

I realized that teaching others what you know and have practiced is essential for survival. I don’t want to lay there bleeding out while trying to explain to my wife how to fix me. I don’t want to have to try and figure out how to properly grow fruits and vegetables with only seeds in my hand and no training on what to do with them. After reading “Patriots“, my friends and family members have held several meeting to touch basis with each other, talk about current affairs, plan a few things, and do a lot of talking.
We started discussing the skills each of us possessed and didn’t posses, and quickly realized we each had a lot to learn. We realized that we need to start teaching each other the skills each of us posses that the others do not.

To start off, you need to assign each individual or family group a set of skills to teach the rest of the group. A few things need to be taken into consideration before assigning tasks. First, consider what people already know or have training in. For example, I work at a hospital as a nurse; it would make most sense to assign medical tasks to me. One individual is an infantry Sergeant, and has been to Iraq twice. He’s been assigned to teach the rest of the group infantry tactics and how to shoot, move, and communicate. Second, decide whether or not this individual is going to purchase and stock most of the supplies and gear needed to perform their specific tasks. You may want to have each person pitch in some money so this individual can order what the group needs and doesn’t have to pay for it all himself. My group of friends decided they wanted to have their own medical supplies, so I provided them with a detailed list of what I thought would be important and practical to have. These are discussions you need to have early on to make absolutely sure everyone is stocked correctly. You don’t want 20 people with silverware and dishes, and no one with food (you see this on camping and backing trips quite frequently).

Once you’ve identified who is going to specialize in what, it’s time to teach your group. Leave it up to each individual to plan their course, but be clear about how long they should teach and demonstrate for, and there should always be a lot of hands on. The learning process can be ongoing and doesn’t have to take place during one training session. However, be sure that you’re getting good training each time and it isn’t just a reason to hang out and talk again. You will be glad you actually learned these skills when it comes time to use them.

Making reference cards, laminating them, and handing them out to each member, is a great way to pass on knowledge. I made some quick reference cards, about 3×5, and put simple things to remember on them. Such things as the fundamentals of CPR, antibiotic dosages, and how to dress certain wounds were included. The cards are water proof and can easily fit in a pocket or bug out bag. Along with training, these cards will act as refreshers or quick references when needed. I know this sounds like common sense, but don’t burn things on to a CD/DVD. You’re probably thinking why would I do that? I had a friend put a lot of good information onto a DVD. Its great when there is still electricity and you still have access to a computer. You get the point!

Training the person next to you to do your job, and you to do theirs, is key to surviving and thriving. You can never count on any one person to always be around to perform a certain task. Although it is ok to be the expert in certain areas, your teammates need to be proficient, at the least, in the skills you’ve mastered. Continue to have refresher type courses with hands on exercises. This will help keep everyone up to speed with essential skills and will help refresh your memory as well. The ultimate goal is to posses a set of critical skills that are preformed by using “muscle memory”. Muscle memory is the term often used when referring to being able to react correctly without thinking. Practicing gardening so much that it becomes muscle memory isn’t as important as tactical skills and medical performance. The idea is too basically be proficient and confident in critical skill areas that will keep you and your teammates alive. Plus, learning new skills can only help in your everyday life, especially when it comes to basic first aid, mechanical issues, or performing carpentry around the house.

KEY SKILLS TO CONSIDER LEARNING AND TEACHING:

  • Advanced first aid and CPR (military medical FMs are a great resource)
  • Shooting skills at various ranges and environments ( Use battle rifles, long rifles, pistols, and shotguns or whatever you plan on stockpiling for protection)
  • Along with shooting, practice reacting to certain threats (ambushes, long range sniper fire, close quarters shooting, etc.) Be aware of each other and the expectations of each person in your group.
  • Auto mechanics (both small and large engine repair)
  • Gardening on a large scale
  • Meat and other food processing along with field dressing certain types of game animals.
  • Basic carpentry skills
  • Self defense
  • Communications

These are just some of the basic, but important, skills I think everyone should know. You could certainly add as much as you think necessary. Your group may feel that practicing foot patrols and reacting to certain types of threats is a little overkill, that’s completely fine. The idea is to think about what types of situations you might be in, plan for them, and practice the skills you think you need in order to survive and protect yourself.

Now, I would like to talk a little bit about what I said earlier. I said that I had been stockpiling tactical gear over the last few years as well. It’s always a great idea to have weapons, ammo, and the gear to haul it around with, but are you going to be the only one with it in your family? Some situations may arise causing you to bug out with your family only, or at least for a while until you can meet up with others. If you are the only one with the “tactical gear” you may find yourself in a tuff situation. Let’s assume you are married with one child. You will be solely responsible for their entire well being and safety. It will be hard to constantly keep a 360-degree surveillance of the areas you are in. It will also be difficult to shoot and move your family efficiently when you are the only one who is able to shoot back. You can only stay up for so long when it comes to pulling night security of the area you are staying in. You most definitely need someone else to share this duty with while each of you rotates sleeping schedules.

At the very least, your spouse, or significant other, needs to have the correct gear and be trained on how to use it correctly. I started buying all the nice tactical gear and training with it quite frequently. I thought “man if something ever happens I will be set up to shoot, move and communicate. I have all the best gear and it will be able to take a beating in the field. It looks pretty cool to”. My wife asked me what each piece of gear was for every time it would arrive in the mail. I started showing her how to use each piece of equipment, and found myself giving her basic lessons on what to do in certain situations. She later asked me if we could get her some gear as well. We did just that, and I couldn’t believe I had never thought to prepare her as well. Now, we both know how to use the gear we have, know the expectations of each other in a real world situation, and I feel confident that we, as a team, could come out on top of most bad situations. All of this goes back to, once again, training the person next to you to do your job, as well as you to do theirs.

There are so many levels of training any one or more person can do. I’m not trying to turn every so called group into a highly trained militant organization. I just want everyone to realize some of the things we could be faced with in the future and be able to prepare for them before they happen. Each of you will be able assess the needs and abilities of yourself, spouse, and other like minded individuals you associate with. I hope that this article will give you some insight on how to prepare a little better and possibly open your mind to a few things you may not have thought about before. Good luck and God bless!

Letter Re: Self Sufficiency Christmas Gifts on a Budget

Dear Mr. Rawles,
My mom gave me a copy of your novel “Patriots” a couple years ago for Christmas. I am married but because college debt and being unemployed for seven months before finding my next job my wife and I do not have much money, (BTW, after reading your book my wife and I saved every penny we could and are now debt free) I have been trying to stash away survival gear, beans, bullets and band-aids, and I have been looking for affordable survival books. In my search for inexpensive books I found out that I could download books using books.Google.com for free as long as the copyright is out of date. [JWR Adds: The general rule in the U.S. is that books printed before 1923 are considered out of copyright. This law won’t change until 2019, when the copyright threshold will then roll forward one year, each year.] This led me to search for practical books of everyday life that were written in the 1800s. One of the best so far has been by Henry Stephens on farming. He wrote a three-volume book called “The Book of The Farm.” I was able to download the first two volumes but I am unable to find the third volume. Even so there’s over 1,000 pages of useful farming information everything from building plans for barns and houses to drainage ditches to caring for livestock. [JWR Adds: Keep in mind that the safety standards of a century ago were far more lax than today’s, so all the usual safety provisos on poisons, fire, crushing, un-warded sharp blades, noxious fumes, carcinogens, et cetera all apply!]

I have decided to print and bind over 30 books written from 1779 to 1908 and give them as gifts to my family. This helps because even though a couple of my family members have a survival mindset not all of them do. The topics of books I have chosen are blacksmithing, tanning, textiles, farming, medical, building, toolmaking, fishing, children’s games, biographies and history books. The best part of these books is that they are written before everything was powered by electricity. If we expect a TEOTWAWKI situation that puts us back into the 1840s technology, which is what I am prepping for, these books will become invaluable. I hope this helps others who like me can’t afford much but still want to prepare and learn. Keep your powder dry, Richard C.

Economics and Investing:

Harold Bradley warns: Far More Derivative Exposure Today Than Two Years Ago. He talks about “terrifying” risks.

More about derivatives, and some immediate, huge, repercussions: Tavakoli: Biggest Fraud in the History of the Capital Markets

California budget means lean times for the state – 5 reasons why the California economy will lag for years to come. High paying jobs gone, shadow inventory, state taxes, and re-writing history.

Have you noticed that the melt value of a lowly Nickel (U.S. Five Cent piece) is now worth more than 120% of face value? It is not too late to stock up, while they are still readily available in circulation at face value.

From The Daily Bell: Doug Casey on the Violence of the Storm, the Destruction of the Middle Class and the Coming Gold Standard

G.G. forwarded this: Three Horrifying Facts About the US Debt “Situation”

Items from The Economatrix:

Chaos Forces US Banks to Halt Repossessions. The buzzword for the foreseeable future will be: Foreclosuregate

“Imbalances” Threaten New Global Meltdown

A Sloppy-Foreclosure Plague Will Destroy America

Wal-Mart Ends Profit Sharing With Employees

US Loses Another 95,000 Jobs in September

IMF: Real Estate Slump Could Last Eight Years

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: Gold is the Final Refuge Against Universal Currency Debasement

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Audrey H. sent this item: FDA Scrutinizing Farm Antibiotics

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Some detractors have called me a “yuppie survivalist”, even though I’m middle-age and very rural, and just a skilled worker rather than a professional. Well, here is a member of ill-famed Madoff clan that is the genuine article–a “young urban professional”: An Optimistic Seller of Disaster Plans.

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Choctaw Bob sent a link to “a handy item for those restricted from carrying more conventional weapons.”

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost." – Arthur Ashe, American Tennis Player

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 31 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will 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 between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Parabellum (Luger ) with 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP projectiles, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $249 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) 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 $400, B.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and C.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

Round 31 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.

Get Me Home Gear for Commuters, by Jeff J.

Lately, I have been preparing my work location and my commuting routes for the unthinkable “If the SHTF.” I figure that unless I am at home sleeping or on my weekend off of work, there is a great chance that I may be at work and or commuting when the Schumer goes down. This being said, I believe those of us who work away from home should be prepared for a possible workplace G.O.O.D. scenario or trying to get home to our families to G.O.O.D. with them.

I have a bit of a head start or advantage over many of the other commuting working types. I am a detective in a local city police department. This being said, I am able to carry firearms where others may not. I also understand that many others may not have such an easy time preparing or taking their firearms with them to work, depending on your state and local laws.

I would urge you to research ways that you may be able to carry a firearm legally during your commute. Besides, if the SHTF, you will need it and those laws may no longer apply. (Please don’t be the idiot though that decides to use a firearm when he has a tough ride home and someone cuts him off. If that’s you, then don’t carry, you are already too dangerous).

A second advantage I have is being a swing shift detective. This allows me travel to and from work going the opposite direction of the rush hour traffic. This also may aide in my possible hike during night time hours (more on this later).

One thing I have done is carefully choosing my commuting vehicle. I drive my 4×4 Toyota Tacoma to work. Being a V6 it has reasonable gas mileage and still allows me the necessary off road capability if I become stranded in grid lock traffic trying to get home to my family as the world goes crazy. It may not be the most fuel efficient vehicle, such as a small sedan or hybrid, but it is definitely more solid and built for getting me out of trouble.

My truck is also under construction as my bug out vehicle (BOV).  I am slowly turning it into a self sufficient expedition rig. This may not be necessary for a commuting vehicle but with a limited income it needs to serve many different purposes.

Inside my truck I always carry a “Get Home Bag.” Similar to a BOB, but this bag is used for exactly what is says, getting me home to my family. Many of the contents in this bag are similar, if not equal, to a regular BOB. There are some items added that make this bag more sufficient for urban survival. I have noticed that this bag is even lighter and smaller than my regular BOB and contains less since my target is home and not the unknown flight from the city and suburbs or the Golden Horde. I always have this bag inside my truck and it is only taken out to refresh items or add to the kit. I got the idea for my bag from Youtube.

Another important point concerning my vehicle. I try to keep it in the best running condition I can. Sometimes money is tight and I have to push the oil change back a week, but I do my best. It would sure suck to worry about mechanical problems while I am stressed out trying to get home to family while society is falling apart.

I am required to park my vehicle in a designated city parking garage in downtown. I have not completely decided if this is a good or bad thing. I have some ideas that this garage may benefit me but also worry it may hinder me. The parking garage is three blocks from my office building.

This parking garage is made of large interlocking cement pieces. It is kinda built like a large 3D puzzle. The ramps for the garage run up and down through the center of the building, kind of like a twisting staircase. The main floors have parking spots that surround the ramps. In addition to these parking spots, there is additional parking on the ramps themselves. I have decided to park my vehicle along the ramp where there is more cement surface between my vehicle and the outside. Parking on the ramp may also help me get out quicker if there is any structural damage to the building. Parking there may also keep my vehicle safer from looters or those rioting in the streets.

One reason I believe the garage may hinder my flight from the city is the building may be damaged or destroyed by natural disaster (earthquakes or similar) and the possibility of my vehicle being damaged inside. If the structure of the building is damaged, I may not be able to extricate my vehicle from the garage.

Inside the building I work at, I have my own desk in a cubicle. I have taken the time to make sure that even there I am as prepared as I can be. I still need to add things to my work space but already have a plan of action.

When I was in the Marine Corps, I received an award. This award was a Ka-Bar knife boxed in a frame. I keep this award at my desk for more than just show. It the SHTF, the first thing I am doing is opening that box and putting the knife on my belt. It is as if it is hidden in plain sight at my desk.

I also keep a drawer with snacks and small food items. Sometimes I forget my lunch or just need a quick snack. It would not be too hard for me to grab these snacks and place them into my backpack before I abandon my desk and head for home.

We also keep a small refrigerator in the sergeant’s office where we stock bottles of cold water. When we need water, we pay on the honor system in the can and take what we need. There are almost always several cases of extra water under the desk to keep the fridge stocked. If I needed to, I could fill my backpack with as many water bottles as I could carry. One thing I plan on adding to my desk are several military MREs.

We also have a kitchenette on our floor of the building. Inside are two refrigerators and other food supplies and condiments. Many employees will bring their lunches for the week and leave them in the fridge. In all the time I have been here the refrigerators have never been empty (just watch for bad/old food). If I were to get stuck in the building or needed extra food, I would have a fairly decent supply for several days. I am sure those of you who work in the seas of cubicles have similar kitchenettes as well.

Currently, I do not have this at my desk but I have pondered keeping an extra BOB at my desk underneath and out of sight along with a pair of boots.

If I needed to, I could also scavenge the desks of those who are not at work for any items or gear that may be left there. I don’t advocate stealing in any way but, if things go down and you are in need, they may save your life. If you do this be prepared to return the items or replace them.

Many office type employees carry briefcases and shoulder bags. They are great for what they were designed for and many are just for looks or show, part of the daily ensemble. Well they aren’t for me. I carry a moderate looking nylon backpack. It is nothing special and is actually designed to carry my laptop if needed. I get some weird looks and even a few comments about “heading to school” or “going on a hike.” But for me it is another piece of  gear.

My backpack doesn’t look like a military style BOB, therefore hides its real purpose. It looks more like a students day pack. Aside from carrying my daily work gear, I also carry an EDC kit housed in an Otter Box. Attached to the box is a paracord lanyard to provide necessary cordage if needed. Inside the box I carry a small supply of personal first aid, coins, foldable N95 mask, zip ties, powder sports drink, mini lighter, safety pins, light stick, super glue, a pen, marker, can opener, and several other items. This box stays inside my pack and always travels with me to and from work. I also carry a small flash drive that has copies of my important personal documents (guarded by a password of course). Also kept in the back pack are my asthma meds/inhaler, several flashlights, folding knife, and a multi-tool.

If I were to need to get home from work and my vehicle was not working or could not be extricated from the garage, I would consolidate my EDC and other items from the office into my “Get Home Bag” and head for home on foot. I keep a pair of boots in the truck as I know a long hike in business style shoes would really suck.

At work I have been provided with a city vehicle. This is parked in the garage next to the spot where I park my vehicle. After leaving the vehicle, I drive the city vehicle to the office building. Inside my city vehicle are several items for emergency purposes. Some of the items that I could take are, road flares, fire extinguisher, Hazmat kit with bunny suite and gas mask, and my raid vest.

My raid vest is marked with my name, department patches, and police identifiers. These may cause more of a problem than good if I were wearing this in public during a mass exodus or other societal dilemma. When the vest was made the outer carrier was sewn with Velcro so that the patches could be removed quickly. Aside from the obvious ballistic abilities, the vest also carries my spare pistol magazines, a taser, handcuffs, and a hidden holster for my alternate carry.

I also carry another piece of gear that is important for my personal safety and for use at work. I carry a personal Remington 870P police shotgun. This shotgun is the standard shotgun issued to department personnel. Mine is personally owned and carried with department permission. As with any good police style/defense style shotgun, it is outfitted with the necessary gear and ammunition.

Since the shotgun is mine, I carry it to and from work with me in my vehicle. When I am at work, I transition it to my city vehicle to be used while at work. What a great piece of BOB gear, a 12 gauge shotgun. I can sling it and hike home knowing I have a great detractor with me. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen people give up after just seeing a shotgun arrive on a crime scene. Even better when the shotgun is loaded and that distinct sound being “racked” is heard. As an old partner of mine used to say, “It’s a crowd pleaser.”

Because of traffic issues, I have two separate routes I take to and from work. My route to work is longer, 30 miles, while my route home is significantly shorter at 23 miles. This occurs because the shorter route is generally backed up with traffic on my way to work. Coming home in the early morning is cake because there are generally few cars on the road.

Because of the two routes, I have had to plan several alternate routes back to my house in case I need to return to the safety of my family. I urge everyone to try taking different routes to work to see how they work for you. Having these auxiliary routes may save your life and keep you and your vehicle from being gridlocked somewhere.

I would also mention that additional auxiliary routes may be needed for your trip home. Just because you are taking the same routes coming to work does not mean they will work in the opposite direction. You may just find a better and quicker way to commute to work. There are a lot of farm and fields in my area. If you are driving a 4×4, you may have access to areas that can get you home faster than taking public roadways. Know the unpaved roads or jeep trails in your area.

If your vehicle is inoperable or stuck in traffic, and you must get out of town, you may find yourself having to head out on foot. I work swing shift and, therefore, would probably be heading for home during the evening and night time hours. I would suggest if you were found in this situation to try and wait until night time to hike. You may not be able to see as well at night but there tends to be fewer people out. Hopefully, if we were under a TEOTWAWKI scenario, the others trying to head home on foot would settle down at night.

I would urge you to travel with someone else, if possible. Find out which of your co-workers live near you and make plans with them to travel together. There is always safety in numbers. I have a squad mate who lives in the general area as I do. She lives about 5 miles away from me. The two of us could drive or hike together to get to our homes. Don’t just choose anyone who lives near you. Get to know them and make sure you can count on them to watch your back. Make sure they have the same goals in getting home and staying together as team. It may be hard to find them but look for someone who has similar or equal tactical perspective or at least like minded.

Lastly, make a plan and stick to it. If you have a predetermined plan and know what you are going to do you, will know what to do when you need to head out. Try running scenarios through your head or role play. When your mind has already thought about these things and the ways to survive, you will find it is easier to do them. I have always been taught to know what I am going to do before I have to do it, almost like muscle memory. Do your best to be prepared and keep you and your families safe. God bless.

JWR Replies: For further discussion of Bug Out Bags and Bug In Bags, see the recently-posted piece by Claire Wolfe in Backwoods Home magazine.

Letter Re: El Cheapo Prepping 101

Hello Jim,

Just a quick comment about the scavenging for used brass at ranges in “El Cheapo Prepping 101”. In addition to the practical reloading concerns you mention, it’s also important that the prospective “brass forager” knows both the written rules and de facto behavioral norms at the range/club they shoot at. For example, I belong to a club that collects (via clean-up efforts of its members) spent brass from the ranges and the club directors sell it for additional funds used to benefit the club. Taking any brass out of the collection bins is a rule violation that can result in expulsion from the club. While there’s no written rule about taking brass from the ground, the de facto behavioral norm is that it’s okay to collect your own fired brass and a little extra within reason but, in general, uncollected brass is for the club’s resale and scooping it up wholesale and pocketing it is frowned upon. Even though you’re not violating the written rule, you’re violating the behavioral norm of the club and that could have various consequences that wipes out the “profit” of the brass by costing you membership, friendship, et cetera. Regards, – XV

Economics and Investing:

Several readers sent this: Prospects for US Economy Either “Fairly Bad”or “Very Bad” Warns Goldman, Sachs

Siggy sent this: Silent Crash: Dow Continues Slide vs. Gold

So much for the “buy and hold” strategy: Another prediction that California metro area price peaks won’t return until 2025

I’m adding this blog to my blog roll: Free Market Economics In A Story

US Is ‘Practically Owned’ by China: Analyst

Items from The Economatrix:

IMF Sees Higher Deflation Risk; Fed Mulls More Aid

IMF Sees Global Economy Gaining, US Growth Slowing

Midnight Grocery Runs Capture Economic Desperation

Jobs Crisis Extends to Unemployed, Lawmakers

BofA Halts US Foreclosures for Review

Gerald Celente On GoldSeek Radio Oct. 1st

Inflation Watch:

Market Ticker notes Uh, Wee Problem Here On Grains…

Fed Officials Mull Inflation as a Fix

Breakfast Prices are on the Rise

Mr. Benson confirms the suspicion that the CPI is a manipulation of numbers. (Thanks to Ty for the link.)

An Inflationary Cocktail in the Making

Deflation? Both Fedex and UPS are raising their rates.

Several readers sent me this: This is Starting to Get Very Real: Agricultural Commodity Prices Have Exploded and Now the Price of Food is Beginning to Rise.

Japan faces food pressure from China

Coffee Prices – percolating up!

Odds ‘n Sods:

Cause of Mysterious Bee Die-Off Found? (Thanks to KAF for the link.)

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You gotta love Texas: Bank Allows Armed Customers.

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“FJohn” sent a recommendation for the collapsible Sven-Saw. These are compact enough for your bug out bag.

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Vermont, a long-time bastion of the Second Amendment, has expanded First Amendment rights by allowing residents to get custom license plates with Bible verses. (The plaintiff had specified JN36TN plates (a reference to the oft-quoted verse John 3:16), but was denied them by the Vermont DMV. He finally prevailed on appeal, in a lawsuit that began in 2005.

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 31 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will 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 between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Parabellum (Luger ) with 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP projectiles, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $249 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) 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 $400, B.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and C.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

Round 31 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.