Odds ‘n Sods:

More news and commentary, courtesy of our Economic Editor: Layoffs Spreading Across Corporate America — Fed Pushes Purchase of Assets To Bust Credit Logjam —AmEx Profits Fall, Cardholders Struggle — No Chinese Bailout for Pakistan, Next Stop: IMF — Kerkorian Dumps 2/3 of Ford Stock — Bush Says Economic Panic Is Easing — Markets Soar As LIBOR Starts To Fall — Bernanke Wants Second Stimulus Package — Iceland Agrees To $6 Billion Deal With IMF — France To Inject $6.5 Billion Into Top Six Banks — The view from a French think tank: Summer 2009: The US Gov’t Defaults On Its Debts — Pay-up Time For Lehman Swaps — Financial Crisis Is Shifting Power To Asia — Regional Banks Post Worse-Than-Expected Results; Dow Skids — Ron Paul: Gov’t Bailouts Herald A New Era Of Taxpayer Slavery — Central Banks Scramble To Buy Dollars    o o o Raymond recommend this…




Three Letters Re: Running Chainsaws on Ethanol & Home Alcohol Production Stills

…Thus there are different kinds of yeast depending on what you want–beer, wine, etc. I have heard of hybrid yeasts from New Zealand which can tolerate up to 25% alcohol (twice that of wine). After a few days to a week (the best way to tell something is done is by waiting for it to stop bubbling) the fermentation should be done. You can now start distilling. Still types and uses: I won’t go into some of the more complex issues of moonshining. They often use thumper kegs, worm boxes, and other things I won’t describe since I believe the reflux method to be superior. Pot stills – A pot still is a very very simple device. It has a pot, and a tube coming out of it which coils around maybe goes through ice water and then dumps into a jar. Controlling what comes out of this still is…




Economics and Investing:

The “Dead-Cat-Bounce”: That Dead Cat Is Truly Dead; And That Bounce Is Truly Over… “Nihilo Ex Nihilo” – GJM o o o Record 94 Million Americans Not In The Labor Force; Participation Rate Lowest Since 1977 – B.B. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Central Banks Can’t Save the Markets From a Crash. They Shouldn’t Even Try – The first section of this is pretty good, but after that it starts venturing off topic. Dow Dumps 600 Points From Last Friday’s Panic-Buying Ramp, Drops 10% Year-To-Date Chart Of The Day: Since 12/2007—— 1.5 Million More Waiters/Bartenders, 1.4 Million Fewer Mfg. Jobs…




Letter Re: If Life Gives You Tomatoes, Make Salsa!

…pulling weeds. • We want to get or make a small greenhouse to start seedlings in and to grow some plants all winter (spinach, kale, etc). Two winters ago I built a mini-greenhouse on a raised bed surrounded by hay bales and was growing lettuce and bok choy in February, with snow on the ground. • There’s a landscaping company here that collects food waste from a local market and composts it. Every spring they have a free compost giveaway, up to half a truckload allowed. I show up with a shovel and some buckets and load up, it’s good stuff! Last year I offered a donation and they refused. Some cities also give away free compost (I know Albuquerque and Las Cruces do) but I’ve never tried it. I’ve had some people tell me it’s full of cactus thorns and chunks of wood so I haven’t bothered with it….




Economics and Investing:

The Five Greatest Gold Robberies – D.B. Shocker: China Dumps $50 Billion in US Treasury Paper, Leaving Europe to Pick Up Slack – B.B. Items from The Economatrix: Ugly Scenario Epiphany & Forecast Formula Does The Trail Of Dead Bankers Lead Somewhere? Celente – It’s Raining Bankers To Protect The US Dominance Weak Home-Construction Data Darken Economic Outlook…




Pre- and Post-SHTF Vehicle Operations and Preparation, By C.C.K.

…ready. Have a solid plan, detailing how your convoy will communicate, along with a tiered plan of communication. For instance, it could be radios first, then cell phones, then horns/lights. Be sure to radio check periodically. This keeps comm up, while also waking up groggy drivers. Keep drivers off of comm! Also, keep your dash radio off, unless you’re using it for news/traffic/weather– no unnecessary distractions. Keep your weapons stored in a safe but accessible manner. You’re on the defensive side of the field, so you must be ready to act fast. Issues with Convoys and How to Address Them In my experience, the biggest issues are security and breakdowns. My prediction is that the main security threat post-SHTF will be ambushes from the front and roadblocks. In combat, the enemy simply wants to kill you, destroy your equipment, disrupt your supply lines, and so forth. I don’t predict this…




Economics and Investing:

Irish Finance Minister Dumps Stocks to Buy Gold o o o The Latest Flashing Red Light: Global Earnings Plunge Most Since Lehman o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Brace for Recession Next Year – I’d be bracing for a bit more than that, but that recession is starting to come up in the mainstream is what’s pertinent here. The Fed Keeps Getting More and More Pessimistic The Shrinking Middle Class, Mapped State by State Russia’s Putin Calls for Regional Currency Union…




Economics and Investing:

Greek crisis: Protesters demand end to austerity, with EU future in doubt – as it happened. – JBG o o o China Dumps Record $120 Billion In U.S. Treasurys In Two Months Via Belgium o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Bank of Greece Warns of ‘Uncontrollable Crisis” Without a Deal Greeks Stashing Bundles of Cash in Homes in Fear of ‘Grexit’… The Next Great European Financial Crisis Has Begun – Not certain a “deal” wont be reached to kick the can a little further, but a “grexit” or default is possible. Video: Gordon Long-Cashless Society Idea Will Accelerate in Next 6 Months – This is 30 minutes long but a good interview….




Letter: End of America

…our shores! In a recent article in Newsmax.com, Greeks Defy Europe with Overwhelming Referendum ‘No’, Greek voters overwhelmingly rejected EU creditors’ demands for increased austerity programs including even more budget cuts in retirement pensions. So the Greeks have flipped the EU the finger—with what results we will know fairly soon. If Greece leaves the EU, dumps the Euro, and returned to printing the drachma, I flatly predict raging hyperinflation will totally devastate the nation. We are in a situation even worse than Greece—they owe billions in their national debt—we owe TRILLIONS! Thank you, “Our Lord and Savior, Barack Hussein Obama”. He’s indeed a false “messiah” who the mainstream news media and many deluded souls still worship, God forgive us! Cities, and even states, are starting to feel the pinch of massive spending—retirement pensions in particular. What is to be done? Cut the pensions and preserve—at least for while—the financial integrity…




Economics and Investing:

This has, so far, pretty much run parallel to Rickards’s warnings and descriptions, the first round of the reality turning out, if anything, rather “a kinder, gentler” bullet than that described in ‘Currency Wars”… But it’s still plenty deadly. And it’s still only a first round; the numbers are in: China Dumps A Record $94 Billion In US Treasurys In One Month o o o 7 Characteristics of Debt-Free People – A.L. o o o When “Virtuous Debt” Turns Ferociously Vicious: The Mother Of All Corporate Margin Calls On Deck – A.L. o o o America’s Housing Market: This is the time to sell – R.M. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: The Elite Have Prepared For The Coming Collapse – Have You? Chart Of The Day: Homeownership Rate Plunges To 1967 Level…




Economics and Investing:

Reader Lee M. sent this: Europe readies the printing press: Europe’s central bank appears to have created a path to implementing Fed-like easy-money policies. If so, it is a huge game-changer for Europe, and the world, as inflation fears come to the fore. Rex in Tennessee mentioned a piece by John Barnett over at The American Thinker: ‘Mountain Pride’ versus the Welfare State How does a Gawker spell hypocrite? Gawker and Bain and the Caymans. Report: Middle class will take years to reverse losses of last decade Items from The Economatrix: Top Investor Warns of “Financial Armageddon” as Soros Dumps Bank Stocks, Buys Gold Gold and Silver Begin Launch on Schedule Goldman Sachs:  Dump Stocks Before “Fiscal Cliff” Hits US Silver Output Plunges Between January and May…




Pat Cascio’s Product Review: ARMSCOR/Rock Island Armory 10mm

…I had been longing for in a 1911 in 10mm. A trip to the gun shop the next day revealed that they had left for Portland, OR for a gun show and took “my” gun with them. A quick text to the guys, and they set the gun aside for me to buy on Monday morning. It was a long, long weekend, waiting for Monday to roll around. The Rock Island Armory Rock Ultra FA–10mm has a 5” button rifled, bull barrel, with no barrel bushing, that is fully supported. The 10mm round really needs this added support. There is also a full-length guide rod, which I can do without. It just makes disassembly all that much more complicated. The rear sight is adjustable for windage and elevation, and the front sight is a red fiber optic one that is easy to see. It really stands out. An ambidextrous safety…




Economics and Investing:

AEP: US inflation rears its ugly head as global cycle nears danger zone – G.G. o o o What Happens When Walmart Dumps You – RBS o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: US News US Tornadoes, Storms in February May Cost More than $1B (Bloomberg) Excerpt: “The U.S. suffered the most February tornadoes since 2008, with storms hitting the Plains, Midwest, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, the London-based insurance broker said Tuesday in a report. Heavy snow, ice and hail also caused wreckage across the country.” Our Dangerous Reality (US News & World Report) Excerpt: “In terms of potentially large-to-catastrophic events, there are five possible incidents that could meaningfully impact the economy, cause deep uncertainty for business and consumers and result in significant loss of life and property. The likelihood of these events happening is low, but, because the consequences are high, we need to be prepared to deal with…




Letter: AR-15 Improvements

Hugh, When the M16A2 was introduced, many of us felt it was not an improvement. The heavy match barrel made the rifle feel about the same weight loaded as the old M1 Garand. Additionally, it offered no real improvement in accuracy. I could argue that many shot worse, due to the additional weight. The need for a heavy barrel is non existent unless you are doing about 10 or so full auto mag dumps. The heavy barrel came to be when somebody, most likely the USMC, wanted to use a heavier grained bullet for further range and accuracy. Combat effectiveness was found to be reduced though. And now we have what we have in the M16A3, M16A4, and the M4 series. For most preppers I highly recommend a standard weight barrel, which most call a pencil weight. They are starting to make a comeback and for good reason. I went…




Letter Re: The $1,000 Kennedy Half Dollar Roll Search

James and Hugh, I stopped searching about eight years ago; I found that I used 1000 bucks eleven times. I found zero silver coins. (I’m not saying it’s all gone, just that I had bad luck.) My luck was bad enough that I decided that the only thing I was finding was a lower gas gauge on my little car while driving from my pickup bank to my dump bank. I did manage to get part of a walking liberty half book filled the year before. I’m just saying that the guys doing coin roll hunting for halves have a high probability of finding marked coins from other people’s dumps and not much more this late in the game. Everyone knows about halves now. Back nine years ago, I could and did walk into banks asking for rolled halves and walked out with complete rolls of 1964 halves for $10….