Hawaiian K. suggested this piece by Mas Ayoob, in Backwoods Home magazine: How to shoot a handgun accurately
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In the most recent Dr. Housing Bubble blog: Westside Los Angeles: The Ultimate Prime and Stagnant Real Estate Market.
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Reader Paul P. offered a link to a thought-provoking piece on self-sufficiency in Sharon Astyk’s blog: Eat What You Grow, Grow What You Eat?
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Greg. C. suggested this piece by Chaz Valenza: Three Rules for Living Through the Second Depression
“Of all the wonderful things government says, that’s always been just about my favorite [government spending creates jobs]. As opposed to if you get to keep the money. Because what you’ll do is go out and bury it in your yard, anything to prevent that money from creating jobs. They never stop saying it. They say it with a straight face and we in the press will write that down. We will say, ‘This is expected to create x number of jobs.’ On the other hand, we never say that the money we removed from another part of the economy will kill some jobs.” – Dave Barry
I have to admit that I’m a bit of a “silver bug.” I became enamored with the metal when I was 16 years old. That was the year that OPEC first jacked up the price of oil. Silver sold for only $3.14/oz. then (per Kitco.) A more accurate way of saying it is that one dollar equaled about one-third of an ounce of silver back then.
Today one dollar will only buy about 1/13 of an ounce of silver (silver at $13/oz.) This implies that the dollar has lost about 75% of it’s purchasing power over the last 36 years, or that it will buy only about one-fourth as much of anything.
Silver has been used as a common, and trusted, medium of exchange (money) for thousands of years. The Greeks coined the silver drachma (about the size of a dime); the Romans coined the silver denarius; and the Americans coined the silver dime, for the first time in 1794 and for the following 170 years, off and on. From 1873 until 1964 the amount of silver in a dime stayed the same. Then suddenly, in 1965, it went to zero.
In 1964 a single shiny new silver dime would buy a 12-ounce bottle of Coke from a vending machine. Three dimes would buy a gallon of gasoline, or a pound of bacon.
In 2009 the same (not quite as shiny) 1964 silver dime will still buy a 12-ounce bottle of Coke from a vending machine, and three 1964 dimes will still buy a gallon of gasoline (with a little change to spare!) Of course you’ll have to sell it first for those nasty Federal Reserve Notes.
The official price of silver is posted on the Kitco web site. Lately the official price of silver has been low compared to what silver has been selling for on eBay. The eBay prices are typically about 20% higher than the official Kitco “bid” price. The eBay prices are the real, market-driven, prices people are willing to pay. For reference the “melt” value of a silver coin is the amount that its silver content is worth based on the official price of silver.
With that said, these are the typical values (in Federal Reserve Notes) of common US “junk” silver coins as of July, 2009:
Pre-1965 dime $0 .94 “melt” or about $1.13 on eBay
Roll of pre-1965 dimes $ 47.00 “melt” or about $ 56.40 on eBay
Pre-1965 quarter $2.35 “melt” or about $2.82 on eBay
Roll of pre-1965 quarters $ 94.00 “melt” or about $ 112.80 on eBay
Pre-1965 half dollar $4.70 “melt” or about $5.64 on eBay
Roll of pre-1965 half dollars $ 94.00 “melt” or about $ 112.80 on eBay
Pre-1936 silver dollar $10.05 “melt” or about $13 – $14 each on eBay
These prices assume that the coins are non-collectible common dates. In the case of silver dollars there is always a $3 – $4 premium over “melt” because of the numismatic value of the coins. This is for noticeably worn silver dollars. Nicer silver dollars command considerably higher prices.
If the price of silver falls to $ 12/ounce then simply multiply the prices listed by 12 and divide the result by 13. If the price of silver rises to $ 14/ounce then multiply the prices by 14 and divide the result by 13.
I recommend that every serious survival-minded person accumulate and keep a minimum of $ 100 (face value) of pre-1965 silver on hand. Next to bullets, food, and gasoline this is going to be the most important commodity one can accumulate.
JWR Adds: Here is some additional useful data for calculating the bullion value of circulated US silver coins:
90% silver bags ($1,000 face value in 1964 or earlier dimes, quarters and half-dollars) contain approximately 715 ounces of silver
40% silver half-dollar bags ($1,000 face value in 1965 to 1970 mint date half-dollars) contain approximately 296 ounces of silver
JWR,
Thusfar this year I’ve canned 140 pints of meat and veggies. And more to go. I believe ready to heat and eat meals will be very handy when the Schumer hits the oscillating rotator. We grew the potatoes, garlic, onions, sweet banana peppers, and carrots ourselves. We buy whatever meat is the loss leader at the grocery that week. I am storing pasta separately. When we open a pint we will add cooked egg noodles. If one cans the egg noodles they get very mushy. I’ve been canning for some years now and have some serious advice. I opine that there are two human activities that require exquisite attention to detail: reloading ammo and canning food.
Data and equipment you will need: Ball Blue Book of Preserving
Now you need to ascertain how deep the stockpot needs to be filled to maximize the number of pints you are canning at a time. Remember that there should be 1 inch head space above the food when canning. So fill up the stockpot with the maximum number of pints you are able to put into your pressure canner with water that comes just up to one inch below the rim of the pint jar. Then measure in inches the depth of this water and put this info on a note on your stove. For my case, I do 17 pints at a time, and the stockpot needs to have the food 4.8 inches deep.
Now for the procedure:
First, read slowly and carefully the part of the Ball Blue Book on the overall procedure. My suggestions below are excerpts from the detailed procedure in the Ball Blue Book.
1. First put the pint jars, the jar funnel, the soup ladle, and a 6 cup Pyrex volume measuring device into the dishwasher. Place the jars onto the bottom rack. Add any other items to be dishwashed. Turn on the “heated dry” option. It takes me about 2.5 hours to get all the meat and veggies ready. If you wait about an hour to start the dishwasher then about the time the cycle is complete you will be ready to use the hot jars.
2. if the meat is about half frozen, half thawed, it is easier to cut and trim. First put ¼ inch olive oil in the stockpot (veggie oils provide essential nutrients). Then add chopped onion, chopped pepper (if you so desire), and finely chopped garlic. Do not heat yet. I cut the meat into small pieces, about a half inch in diameter. Add the meat to the stockpot. Now turn the heat on. At this point I add Mrs. Dash spice mix. Saute rather slowly as you prep the veggies.
3. Begin with the most difficult veggie to clean: carrots. I take the carrots from the ground and cut off 90% of the top leaves and stems, removing only the larger clumps of dirt. Place in 1 gallon ziploc plastic bags. They will store better in the refrigerator this way. Take them out of the refrigerator, put in a bucket in one side of your double sink. Add more than enough water to cover the carrots. Now using a very stiff vegetable brush, brush the carrots with a motion perpendicular to the length of the carrot. This will effectively clean most of the carrots, with the bits of dirt acting as an abrasive. Cut the top and root tip off, place in a pan filled with water. After all the carrots are in the pan, wash them several times. Then dice and wash again. Do not add to the stockpot, rather add to a chilled pan on your kitchen top.
4. Dice the remaining vegetables. Consider adding store-bought celery. If you’ve snap green beans, fresh corn, whatever, add them to the chilled pot.
5. when you believe you’ve enough diced veggies, place all of them into the heated stockpot, turn up the heat, add enough liquid (chicken stock is great) and chopped veggies to fill the stockpot to the measured depth. You want at least ¼ to 1/3 of the volume to be liquid. At this time begin heating the water in the pressure canner and the lids to be used should go into a small pot and heated to almost boiling on a low heat setting. Hopefully just as the mix in the stockpot comes to a boil the lids will be at the boiling point and the water in the pressure canner should also be boiling.
6. Place the jar funnel and the soup ladle into the 6 cup volume measuring device placed close to your stockpot. Place them back in this device between filling the pints. I fill the pints two at a time. I take two pints from the heated dishwasher and fill with the mix in the stockpot using the funnel and ladle just washed in the dishwasher. I often add a bay leaf and a couple of peppercorns to each jar before filling with the just-boiling mix. Make sure to leave 1 inch head space. All the veggies in each pint should be covered in water. Then I wipe the rims and outer threads with a damp paper towel, retrieve two lids from the boiling water with the magnetic wand, place the lids on the wiped jars, add the screw band and hand tighten about as hard as I am able. Then place the pints in the pressure canner.
7. When the pressure canner is filled with pints, carefully put on the lid and tighten down the screws, taking care that the space between the top of the canner and the lid is reasonably uniform. Then place the weight on the protruding orifice so that the 15 psi stamp is at the bottom. Then turn up the heat on the canner. Watch the pressure dial carefully. As it approaches 15 psi slowly reduce the heat so that it remains just below 15 psi. At this pressure a very small amount of noise will be made by the weight on the protruding orifice and a very little steam will escape. A pressure of 14 psi will suffice up to 8,000 foot altitude. At my altitude I need 11 psi, but go to between 14 and 15 as an added margin of safety. It is totally critical that the canner remain at the desired pressure for the entire time given by the Ball Blue Book. If one reduces the heat too fast, one may drop the pressure below the desired point.
8. After the Ball Blue Book time has elapsed, turn off the heat. Leave the canner alone. Do not mess with it in any way just yet. Note the time at which the pressure gauge has dropped to zero. Wait 1-to-2 hours after this time before opening the canner. If you do not wait this long, after you open the canner you may see steam and/or liquid escaping from the pints. This will generally result in failure to seal. Open the canner very carefully, holding the lid between the canner and your face. With a pair of canning jar tongs remove the pints and place onto a clean towel on your kitchen counter. Leave 2” air space between the pints. Now go make yourself some tea or coffee, go get into your rocking chair and rest. Do handle the jars in any way until the next day. Then I run hot water over the band, and using a flat rubber gripping device, remove the band from the jar and rinse the jar in hot water. Store the pints in the darkest coolest place you have that will not freeze. Write the year the pint was canned on the lid. Regards, – Holly
Reader Steve H,. sent an interesting quote from BHO: “But while our markets are improving, and we appear to have averted global collapse, we know that too many people are still struggling. So we agree that full recovery is still a ways off; that it would be premature to begin winding down our stimulus plans; and that we must sustain our support for those plans to lay the foundation for a strong and lasting recovery. We also agreed that it’s equally important that we return to fiscal sustainability in the midterm after the recovery is completed.” [Emphasis added.] Steve’s comment: “I found that statement interesting, especially given that so many folks thought economic doomers and survivalists were way off base saying collapse was possible (I guess there is the outlying question of “what do you mean by collapse?”). While I hope things don’t collapse, I get a “famous last words” feeling reading it.” JWR Adds: And the reason that the collapse was averted was only because of a massive injection of liquidity, and a delay of implementation of strict accounting procedures. They are doing their best to re-inflate the debt bubble. The latest charade seems to be to create another bubble in derivatives trading of carbon credits. How long can they expect to keep this game going?
DD spotted this: More trouble ahead for housing
A piece from Market Watch, sent by regular content contributor GG: Latest Schultz Shock: a ‘bank holiday’
Allison K. sent this: Michigan could hit 20% jobless rate
From RVC: China criticises dollar
Items from The Economatrix:
Small Investors are Hoarding Gold
Congress Warned Again About “Meddling” in the Fed’s Affairs
Shiny Days Ahead for Silver (The Mogambo Guru)
Readers Chuck and Garnet both sent this link: Potato famine disease striking home gardens in U.S.
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Safecastle Royal has added several new interesting products to their line, including a the new extra-large 8″-diameter Bury-‘Em caching tube, the K8 Nuke Safeguard Mini Alarm, and a 12-can variety of pack of Yoder’s canned meats.
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Chiming in on the recent discussion of transferring liquid propane between tanks, reader Chris M. mentioned: “Harbor Freight has an item with part #45989 for refilling propane bottles.”
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Richard Fleetwood (of SurvivalRing) has announced a new “Preparedness Primer” CD set. This set includes 10 CD-ROMs with hundreds of digitized books.
“My soul finds rest in God alone; for my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress; I will never be shaken.” – Psalm 62:1-2
Today we present another entry for Round 23 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.
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 foods, courtesy of Ready Made Resources.
Second Prize: 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 $350.
Third Prize: A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing.
Round 23 ends on July 31st, 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.
The Relevance of Procedures
In a disaster situation many things previously fixed become variable. Communications, supplies, security and many other aspects of civilized society that we often take for granted may quickly become mired down by inefficient or massive use. Equipped as we are with a survival mindset, many still succumb to the environment of pandemonium that evolves: we forget our training, misuse our equipment, and the pace of events overwhelms us. On top of these considerations, many interested in disaster preparation may not have a family or group that is equally well-versed in the nuances of survival situations.
Many organizations address these shortcomings through the use of Procedures. Corporations use Procedures to ensure that any new employee has the ability to step into a task with the ability to perform the necessary work. The military has developed and adapted Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for use in situations where soldiers require guidance or where logic alone may not lead to the performance of the appropriate actions. Procedures and SOP are ways to coordinate actions and ensure consistency and unity of direction. They are tools of continuity.
Bringing the Problem to Light
To understand the utility of procedures I present a hypothetical situation:
A local disaster or emergency has occurred. It is a Tuesday morning in the coldest month of December. In reaction to the disaster or emergency cell phone circuits are full, power is spotty or out altogether, major traffic arteries are congested or stopped, and law enforcement is stretched beyond capacity. You are at work 10 miles north of your home, your spouse is at work 10 miles south of your home. Do you know what to do to get home? Does your spouse know what to do? Does either know precisely what the other is doing at any point in time?
In this (albeit simplistic) example a lack of clear procedure leads very quickly to losing control of an already volatile situation. It is this lack of organization that causes panic and wasted effort, which ultimately endanger your personal and family security. Had this hypothetical couple developed procedures such as a communication plan they could have coordinated activities and exchanged information. If one of the pair was injured while traveling home a set medical plan could help mitigate the injury or inform the other where the injured is located. A logistical procedure may have exposed a weakness in supplies such as food or potable water that could be devastating during a protracted crisis.
If there is value in the security that organization provides then the need for procedural doctrine and tactics logically follows.
Procedure Categories
Procedures can take many forms to fit many different types of situations. Purely technical activities may include a step-by-step set of directions, dependant procedures may closely emulate flow charts, and dynamic procedures might simply be a list of suggested activities or responses. Procedures for realistic situations or activities will generally be a mixture of the three.
Procedure Category Examples:
· Technical: Changing a tire, purifying water, preventative maintenance checks on vehicles.
· Dependant: Collecting rain water, planting/seeding crops, getting additional medical assistance.
· Dynamic: Negotiating or bartering, giving charity, allowing access to secured areas.
Procedures also resemble manuals, how-to, and tip sheets. The primary difference is that procedures also provide a context and logically reasoned purpose for the activities. Think of them as a road map: knowledge of individual parts may be the map, but the procedure provides the route.
Procedures Borne of Necessity
Emergency procedures are driven by the most likely situations you may encounter. A useful practice in developing procedures is to identify your needs during an emergency and then to extrapolate from those needs the activities and responses which would allow you to maintain an acceptable level of security and organization. Then break those needs down to their most basic procedural elements and begin to clearly document each one. What should develop is a personalized manual for disaster response and survival, which only needs occasional updates as situations specifically cited in the documentation change.
Some common themes for specific portions of a disaster procedure include the following:
· Communications: This procedure set defines the types, frequencies, and content of communications in a disaster situation. It contains contingencies in case of a the breakdown of certain communication system types (cell phones, Internet, land lines), the frequency of communication attempts (when attempting to use cell phones you may attempt to call every two minutes for 20 minutes), and the content of messages sent (messages include the name, time, location, to and from destination, ETA / ETD, all or part of which might be coded).
· Medical: This procedure set may contain any number of items, such as treatment of common injuries or illnesses, nearby medical resources, transportation to advanced care as well as decision standards used to determine the level of care needed.
· Transportation: This procedure set includes transportation asset availability and use standards, as well as maintenance and associated items and requirements. It may include things like routes to common or expected locations, communications plans and times, checkpoints, and logistics along the route.
Maintaining Inventory
Lists or inventories of relevant items are an excellent thing to include with your procedures. For instance, your medical procedure set might rely upon knowing the approximate amount of items available, such as the number of splints, bandages, tourniquets, and medication. Perhaps your procedures trigger a re-supply when you have a certain amount of medication. You may opt to keep a master inventory with categories that allow you to discern with ease where items are expected to be used or needed. Keep an electronic copy of these procedures and inventories, but make sure to print out updates on a regular basis.
The Procedure Manual
Format of the procedure manual is also important. Use page sizes that make the booklet easy to carry, such as half of a standard piece of paper. At the end of each major portion include a few blank or lined pages for notes. Laminate the booklet and keep a stash of fine-point Sharpies and alcohol pens. Leave a larger edge on one side of the laminated pages, punch or cut holes in this then use rings to secure the pages together. If done properly this booklet will last through the elements long enough to remain useful in any emergency, as well as be modular enough to remove or replace sections as needed or updated. As with anything upon which you may have to rely, maintain operational security and keep informed.
Dear Mr. Rawles,
Pat C.’s recent post regarding the acquisition of prescription drugs in quantity includes many good thoughts. As a pharmacist of more years than I like to admit, I feel compelled to add to a few of Pat’s points.
Pat mentions FDA restrictions on quantities of several types of medications, including some “powerful antibiotics, pain drugs, and highly abused drugs”. I’m unaware of FDA restrictions on dispense quantities of any drugs, except regarding a very small number of drugs with unusually high-risk of adverse reactions. These few drugs would rarely come into play in stocking for calamities. The point that I believe Pat is driving at involves the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) restrictions on “Controlled Substances”, which, as a matter of definition include drugs with addictive potential, such as the opiate analgesics (pain relievers), many anti-anxiety agents (Valium, Xanax, etc.), and the amphetamines and related substances used for treatment of ADHD. The Federal list of these agents can be found at the DEA web site, for those who have time on their hands and are not easily bored. Many states have added a few agents to their very own 10th Amendment (my attempt at humor) replication of the Federal list, so check with your local pharmacist about specifics. You don’t want to come off looking like a drug seeker! The methods suggested by Pat will attract a lot of attention if you innocently try to apply them to, say…. Tylenol #3 (acetaminophen with codeine – a Controlled Substance under Federal regs).
Also, Pat’s statement, “some generics don’t work as well as branded drugs” may breed confusion. Though there will be endless opinion-driven debates over this topic, the science, the FDA, and the overwhelming medical opinion at this point is that generic drugs rated as “therapeutically equivalent” to the innovator (brand name) product, can be used interchangeably without harm. Again, if you want specifics, you can Google (or, as I prefer, Scroogle) “FDA Orange Book”, where you will find all of the products that are “AB rated”, and thus approved (at least by the FDA) for interchange. Or, again, ask your pharmacist. Practically all commonly-available generic products are now listed as equivalent.
Okay…so I’m biased (I’m a pharmacist), but you may come off better asking your pharmacist about which tablets you can cut, than to ask your doctor. I think that I can safely say (without offending my friends that are medical doctors) that we pharmacists have a lot more time to study such things than most doctors!
Just my 2 cents worth! As always, thanks for all you do to help us live fuller live! – SH in GA
Dear Mr. Rawles:
Regarding yesterday’s article “How to Build a Deeper Supply of Prescription Medications”, I would like to suggest an alternative source for low cost prescriptions. When I was without medical insurance, I purchased prescription medications from AllDayChemist.com. This company is located in India. My experience was very good. My prescription cost $12/pill in the US, and $4/pill from India. The quality was fine, the service was great. They charged a flat fee of $25 to ship the package by air. Once I was comfortable with the quality and service, I started ordering larger quantities to amortize the shipping cost.
Best Regards, “+P+”
Hi Jim,
Just a note on how I got around this. I take a medication for GERD (a symptom of which is painful heartburn). I take one pill a day and my medical insurance will cover 100 pills at a time, and won’t let me get any refills before the 100 days is almost up. Around here, all pharmacy computers are linked to insurance companies, so there’s no way anyone could do what Pat C suggests in her article, unless it was ordinary OTC drugs. Anyway, I only pay $2 for prescription drugs, and a lot more otherwise, so I was heavily motivated to figure something out. So what I did was I told my doctor that 1 pill/day isn’t always enough, depending on what I’m eating, and asked if she could raise it to two pills per day? (Sometimes this is true anyway). She did, and now every time I go I get twice as many pills. As long as I remember to go get refills every 100 days, I’ll be able to build up a nice supply. This doesn’t work for a lot of drugs, as dosage is critical in some things, but it worked in this case. GERD is one of those things where you just keep upping the dosage until it goes away (to a point, and I’m well below that point).
BTW, I cautiously asked my doctor about prescriptions for other types of medications, such as antibiotics, just to have on hand in a medical kit. In a word, she said “no“. – RL in Ontario
James,
I can tell you as a retail pharmacist for a chain store that we do have linked data bases from state to state, but it is only within the chain itself.
A couple of thing you might want to considered when getting your physician to write that six month prescription is to have him write for a total quantity of ______# of tablets (fill in the blank with the total number of tablets you will need for that six months of medication). This will avoid problems with pharmacists who are limited by state law to dispensing only what the doctor writes for. In other words if your Dr, writes for 30 tablets they can only fill for that 30.
As far as tablet splitting, some good points were brought up. I’d just like to make sure every one understands that if a tablet is not scored do not try to split it. Pharmaceutical sales people have told me that manufacturers do not guarantee an “even mix” in unscored tablets.
Also don’t forget to take advantage of any special transfer offers (such as $25.00 gift cards) that are being offered for transferring prescriptions between companies and the $4 prescriptions being offered by Wal-Mart, Krogers and Rite Aid. Many companies will also match these prices if you ask. (But you must ask.) – D. S. in Georgia
Mr. Rawles;
Many insurance companies allow you to purchase a 90-Day supply of prescriptions by mail at a cost that is normally much less then three individual 1-Month prescriptions. We have been participating in this program for years and have saved several thousands of dollars. – CaBuckeye
Jim,
Among the books listed by the recent "favorite books" survey respondents was the US Army Special Forces Medical Handbook (ST31-91B). This book is obsolete and has been supplanted by the Special Operations Forces Medical Handbook.
The best summaries as to why the one is obsolete I’ve found are:
“That manual is a relic of sentimental and historical interest only, advocating treatments that, if used by today’s medics, would result in disciplinary measures,” wrote Dr. Warner Anderson, a U.S. Army Colonel (ret.) and former associate dean of the Special Warfare Medical Group.
“The manual you reference is of great historical importance in illustrating the advances made in SOF medicine in the past 25 years. But it no more reflects current SOF practice than a 25 year-old Merck Manual reflects current Family Practice. In 2007, it is merely a curiosity.”
“Readers who use some of the tips and remedies could potentially cause harm to themselves or their patients.”
JWR Adds: The new manual is a massive 680 pages. Here is the table of contents:
PART 1: OPERATIONAL ISSUES
PART 2: CLINICAL PROCESS
PART 3: GENERAL SYMPTOMS
PART 4: ORGAN SYSTEMS
Cardiac/Circulatory
Blood
Respiratory
Endocrine
Neurologic
Skin
Gastrointestinal
Genitourinary
PART 5: SPECIALTY AREAS
Podiatry
Dentistry
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Zoonotic Diseases Chart
Infectious Diseases
Preventive Medicine
Veterinary Medicine
Nutritional Deficiencies
Toxicology
Mental Health
Anesthesia
PART 6: OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS
Dive Medicine
Aerospace Medicine
High Altitude Illnesses
Cold Illnesses and Injuries
Heat-Related Illnesses
Chemical
Biological
Radiation
PART 7: TRAUMA
Trauma Assessment
Human and Animal Bites
Shock
Burns, Blast, Lightning, & Electrical Injuries
Non-Lethal Weapons Injuries
PART 8: PROCEDURES
Basic Medical Skills
Lab Procedures
APPENDICES
Thanks, – Frankie
JWR Replies: Thanks for mentioning the new manual! I have updated both the survey results post and the
SurvivalBlog Bookshelf
page, accordingly. OBTW, I have had difficulty finding an original copy of the new manual at a reasonable price. The copies that are presently listed on Amazon are "secondary market", at grossly inflated prices. But the good news is that the GPO also publishes a paperback edition
for $59. I would prefer the military 9.7" x 6.4" edition that is three-hole punched (and hence will lay flat when open–making it a better "working" reference), but the GPO paperback edition should suffice. There are also electronic editions available for PDAs and Windows for $73, and for Palm PDAs for $60. The SpecialForces
JHB up in Montana sent this: Banks must brace for credit card pile-up
HPD spotted this: Mish’s Global Economic Trend Analysis: Food-Stamps Reach $33.8 Million in April, 5th Consecutive Monthly Record
Times must be really bad: Engineering Unemployment Soared in 2Q to 8.6%
Reader HH sent us these three items:
Economist: FDIC gearing up for bank closures
Sales of Silver, Gold Coins Surge
Inflation: Expectations and Effects
Items from The Economatrix:
Economist Declares Train Wreck “Morgan Stanley expert convinced out-of-control budget deficits to drag economy under”
Dallas Fed: Inflation Harder to Predict
Ron Paul’s Bipartisan Attack on The Fed
Shipping Losses Flashes Early Warning Signal Again “The container industry is looking at a $20-billion black hole of losses”
Doubts About Economy Leave Stocks Flat
Pickens Scraps Wind Farm “Too difficult in getting credit for Texas Panhandle project in sour economy”
Compromise Could Follow Firestorm Over Banking Rules
Banks “Courtesy” Loans At Soaring Rates Irk Consumers The cost of overdraft protection.
G-8: Medvedev Shows Off Sample Coin of New “World Currency”
Ben M. sent this: Did an Ancient Volcano Freeze Earth?
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Concern over Ebola virus in pigs; Ebola can cause deadly disease in some forms. A form of Ebola virus has been detected in pigs for the first time, raising concerns it could mutate and pose a new risk to humans. (Thanks to Andrew H. for the link.)From
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Cheryl flagged this: Frail Kim Jung-Il May Have Only Months To Live; Youngest Son May Not Be Successor Due To China’s Disagreement
“Welcome to a depression. Not such a bad thing, really. Just a period of adjustment…a time for fixing, re-organizing, downsizing, and mending. There’s a time to every purpose under heaven. This is the time to take stock and shape up.
But wait again. It doesn’t feel like a depression. Where are the soup lines? Where are the Okies packing up and moving to California? Where are Ziegfield Girls, the Civilian Conservation Corps and Eleanor Roosevelt? How come this depression’s not in black and white?
Well…because this is a 21st century depression. This depression is in living color…and it comes to a world that is much richer than the world of the 1930s. Besides, it is just 1930…not 1932. Give it time.” – Bill Bonner, The Daily Reckoning
Today we present another entry for Round 23 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.
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 foods, courtesy of Ready Made Resources.
Second Prize: 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 $350.
Third Prize: A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing.
Round 23 ends on July 31st, 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.
