« Letter Re: Do-It-Yourself Meat Canning |Main

Saturday May 17 2008

Note from JWR:

The high bid in the SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction. is now at $600. This big auction is for any of you that are gun enthusiasts. It includes 17 items: A four day "gray" transferable Front Sight course certificate, which was kindly donated by Naish Piazza of Front Sight (worth up to $2,000), a $200 gift certificate from Choate Machine and Tool Company (the makers of excellent fiberglass stocks, folding stocks, and shotgun magazine extensions), $450+ worth of full capacity magazines from my personal collection including five scarce original Ruger-made 20 round Mini-14 magazines, and an autographed copy of the book "Boston's Gun Bible." The total value of this 17 item auction lot is $2,700! Note: Because this auction includes full capacity magazines, no bids will be accepted from outside of the US or from a resident of any state with magazine restrictions. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

« How To Prepare for Radiation Emergencies, by KLK |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Friday May 16 2008

Notes from JWR:

Congrats to Mark L., the high bidder in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction that ended last night.

Today we begin a new SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction. This big auction is for any of you that are gun enthusiasts. It includes 17 items: A four day "gray" transferable Front Sight course certificate, which was kindly donated by Naish Piazza of Front Sight (worth up to $2,000), a $200 gift certificate from Choate Machine and Tool Company (the makers of excellent fiberglass stocks, folding stocks, and shotgun magazine extensions), $450+ worth of full capacity magazines from my personal collection including five scarce original Ruger-made 20 round Mini-14 magazines, and an autographed copy of the book "Boston's Gun Bible." The total value of this 17 item auction lot is $2,700! Note: Because this auction includes full capacity magazines, no bids will be accepted from outside of the US or from a resident of any state with magazine restrictions. The opening bid is just $100. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

The following is another article for Round 16 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win two valuable four day "gray" transferable Front Sight course certificates. (Worth up to $4,000!) Second prize is a copy of my "Rawles Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 16 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries. Remember that articles that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

« Letter Re: Household Food Costs Escalating in England |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Thursday May 15 2008

Note from JWR:

The SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction ends tonight (May 15th) at midnight eastern time. The high bid is now at $350. This auction is for four items: A FoodSaver GameSaver Turbo Plus heavy duty food vacuum packaging system (a retail value of $297) kindly donated by Ready Made Resources an autographed copy of : "Rawles on Retreats and Relocation", an autographed copy of "SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog", and a copy of "The Encyclopedia of Country Living", by the late Carla Emery. The four items have a combined retail value of around $395. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments before midnight eastern time.

« Range Test and Product Review: Rock River Arms LAR-8 .308 Mid-Length A4 Carbine, by Michael Z. Williamson |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Wednesday May 14 2008

Note from JWR:

The SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction ends tomorrow night at midnight, eastern time. The high bid is now at $350. This auction is for four items: A FoodSaver GameSaver Turbo Plus heavy duty food vacuum packaging system (a retail value of $297) kindly donated by Ready Made Resources an autographed copy of : "Rawles on Retreats and Relocation", an autographed copy of "SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog", and a copy of "The Encyclopedia of Country Living", by the late Carla Emery. The four items have a combined retail value of around $395. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

« Technology After TEOTWAWKI, by JLG in Texas |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Tuesday May 13 2008

Notes from JWR:

The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction is now at $325. This auction is for four items: A FoodSaver GameSaver Turbo Plus heavy duty food vacuum packaging system (a retail value of $297) kindly donated by Ready Made Resources an autographed copy of : "Rawles on Retreats and Relocation", an autographed copy of "SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog", and a copy of "The Encyclopedia of Country Living", by the late Carla Emery. The four items have a combined retail value of around $395. The auction ends in two days--on May15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

Today we present another article for Round 16 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win two valuable four day "gray" transferable Front Sight course certificates. (Worth up to $4,000!) Second prize is a copy of my "Rawles Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 16 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries. Remember that articles that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

« Letter Re: Nomex Flight Suits for Ground Troops in Iraq |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Monday May 12 2008

Notes from JWR:

I'm scheduled to be interviewed on Steve Quayle's "Q Flles" Internet/shortwave radio show today at 4 p.m., Pacific time (7 p.m. Eastern time.)

The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction is now at $325. This auction is for four items: A FoodSaver GameSaver Turbo Plus heavy duty food vacuum packaging system (a retail value of $297) kindly donated by Ready Made Resources an autographed copy of : "Rawles on Retreats and Relocation", an autographed copy of "SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog", and a copy of "The Encyclopedia of Country Living", by the late Carla Emery. The four items have a combined retail value of around $395. The auction ends in three days--on May15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

« Physical Preparation--How to Survive When Your Gear Doesn't, by T. Davies |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Sunday May 11 2008

Note from JWR:

Today we present another article for Round 16 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win two valuable four day "gray" transferable Front Sight course certificates. (Worth up to $4,000!) Second prize is a copy of my "Rawles Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 16 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries. Remember that articles that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

« Book Review: "Surviving A Disaster", by Tony Nester |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Friday May 9 2008

Note from JWR:

The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction is now at $270. This auction is for four items: A FoodSaver GameSaver Turbo Plus heavy duty food vacuum packaging system (a retail value of $297) kindly donated by Ready Made Resources an autographed copy of : "Rawles on Retreats and Relocation", an autographed copy of "SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog", and a copy of "The Encyclopedia of Country Living", by the late Carla Emery. The four items have a combined retail value of around $395. The auction ends in six days--on May15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

« Where Was Moses When the Lights Went Out? by Chuck Fenwick, Medical Corps |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Wednesday May 7 2008

Note from JWR:

The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction is now at $230. This auction is for four items: A FoodSaver GameSaver Turbo Plus heavy duty food vacuum packaging system (a retail value of $297) kindly donated by Ready Made Resources an autographed copy of : "Rawles on Retreats and Relocation", an autographed copy of "SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog", and a copy of "The Encyclopedia of Country Living", by the late Carla Emery. The four items have a combined retail value of around $395. The auction ends on May15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

« Retreat Security Planning and Analysis, by Tobin |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Tuesday May 6 2008

Note from JWR:

Today we present another article for Round 16 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win two valuable four day "gray" transferable Front Sight course certificates. (Worth up to $4,000!) Second prize is a copy of my "Rawles Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 16 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries. Remember that articles that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

« Spotlight Falls on Silver's "Poor Fundamentals" by Jason Hommel |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Sunday May 4 2008

Note from JWR:

Today, with permission, we feature an insightful guest editorial from silver mining stock specialist Jason Hommel:

« Letter Re: Networking With Like-Minded Individuals |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Saturday May 3 2008

Note from JWR:

I heard from SurvivalBlog reader Lawrence W. that the "James Wesley Rawles" Wikipedia biography has been exhumed from the graveyard of political incorrectness and is once again being debated. If you are an experienced Wikipedia editor (read: you've had a Wikipedia account for at least a year), and you'd like to comment on the deletion of the article one way or the other, then please chime in, politely. If you are not an experienced wiki editor, then please refrain from commenting, or it will do more harm than good.

« Letter Re: Turning Your Trinkets Into Storage Food |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Friday May 2 2008

Note from JWR:

Do you have ay favorite quotes that relate to survival or preparedness? Please e-mail them to me for possible selection as a SurvivalBlog Quote of the Day. Thanks!

« Homestead Fuel Storage and Rotation, by NC Bluedog |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Thursday May 1 2008

Note from JWR:

Today we present another article for Round 16 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win two valuable four day "gray" transferable Front Sight course certificates. (Worth up to $4,000!) Second prize is a copy of my "Rawles Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 16 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries. Remember that articles that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

« Letter Re: Retreat Locales in the Eastern United States |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Wednesday April 30 2008

Note from JWR:

I was recently interviewed by Sarah Hodd of ABC (the American one, this time), as background for a piece that "Nightline" plans to soon produce about survivalism. She asked me to post the following:

Do you store large quantities of of food or gas? Do you have a safe room or NBC shelter in your dwelling? Have you taken steps to prepare against a long term power outage, or an oil shortage? Do you live off grid? ABC News is looking for current members of the Survivalist movement to discuss the dropping value of the dollar, rising food shortages, and Peak Oil theories. Participants must be willing to go on camera to discuss their participation in the modern Survivalist movement. If you are interested, please send an e-mail with a brief description of your survivalist preparations to: Sarah.J.Hodd@abc.com.

« Letter Re: Spare Parts Now Available for XD-45 Pistols |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Tuesday April 29 2008

Note from JWR:

Reader Jeff T. kindly did some digging and found the text link to my recent ABC (Australia) interview: Global food crisis sparks US survivalist resurgence. And here is the audio link.

« Letter Re: What Determines if a Storage Bucket is Food Grade? |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Monday April 28 2008

Notes from JWR:

A couple of readers have told me that they heard my recent interview on Australian ABC Radio about the global grain shortage. The reporter described me as "a secretive survivalist, speaking from an undisclosed location." OBTW, I was also interviewed last week by the BBC, but I don't know if that one has aired yet.

The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction is now at $230. This auction is for four items: A FoodSaver GameSaver Turbo Plus heavy duty food vacuum packaging system (a retail value of $297) kindly donated by Ready Made Resources an autographed copy of : "Rawles on Retreats and Relocation", an autographed copy of "SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog", and a copy of "The Encyclopedia of Country Living", by the late Carla Emery. The four items have a combined retail value of around $395. The auction ends on May15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

« Ammunition Reloading for Survival, by NC Bluedog |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Saturday April 26 2008

Notes from JWR:

FOX News has now posted the video clip of the rollicking tag team interview that they did with me and Brett Arends, yesterday. Look for the video titled: "Load Up the Pantry?"

Today we present another article for Round 16 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win two valuable four day "gray" transferable Front Sight course certificates. (Worth up to $4,000!) Second prize is a copy of my "Rawles Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 16 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries. Remember that articles that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

« Letter Re: Fuel Rationing as a Deciding Factor in Activating a Remote Retreat |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Friday April 25 2008

Note From JWR:

I'll be interviewed tonight on Fox News (their "Business Happy Hour") at 5:15 PM eastern time, along with Brett Arends of The Wall Street Journal. Brent wrote the Load Up the Pantry piece that I recently mentioned in the blog.) The subject will be: food shortages and stocking up.

« Fostering the Survival Instinct in Babies and Young Children, by Andrea J. |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Wednesday April 23 2008

Notes from JWR:

I just got off the phone with Charles Feldman, a reporter with radio station KNX in Los Angeles. At the end of my interview, he asked me to poll the SurvivalBlog readership: If you live in the greater Los Angeles area, and have experienced any food rationing or empty shelves at a "big box" store or at a supermarket in the past few weeks, please give him a call. (He is trying to gauge how widespread the rationing is.) You can phone him at (323) 900-2070. If you call on Wednesday, please call between 9 am and 5 pm, PST. Please start your call by mentioning that it is regarding rationing. If you leave a message, please mention the city where the store is located. Thanks!

The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction is now at $230. This auction is for four items: A FoodSaver GameSaver Turbo Plus heavy duty food vacuum packaging system (a retail value of $297) kindly donated by Ready Made Resources, an autographed copy of : "Rawles on Retreats and Relocation", an autographed copy of "SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog.", and a copy of "The Encyclopedia of Country Living", by the late Carla Emery. The four items have a combined retail value of around $395. The auction ends on May15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

« A Warning on Buying Full Capacity Magazines in "Kit Form" |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Tuesday April 22 2008

Notes from JWR:

A link to an article in the New York Sun is getting forwarded like wildfire on preparedness web sites and blogs, and was both linked at The Drudge Report and mentioned by talk radio host Glenn Beck: Food Rationing Confronts Breadbasket of the World. It is notable that the article specifically talks about shortages at the "big box" warehouse stores like COSTCO and Sam's Club. Those are where I recommended stocking up, in my "Rawles Gets You Ready" preparedness course. Even with these current shortages, the course explains how a family can economically stock up 90% of what they need for a year of food storage in just a couple of trips to a warehouse store.

The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction is now at $210. This auction is for four items: A FoodSaver GameSaver Turbo Plus heavy duty food vacuum packaging system (a retail value of $297) kindly donated by Ready Made Resources an autographed copy of : "Rawles on Retreats and Relocation", an autographed copy of "SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog.", and a copy of "The Encyclopedia of Country Living", by the late Carla Emery. The four items have a combined retail value of around $395. The auction ends on May15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

Please continue to spread the word about SurvivalBlog. Links in your e-mail footer and/or at your web page or blog page would be greatly appreciated!

« Letter Re: Hiding Things in Plain Sight |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Monday April 21 2008

Note from JWR:

The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction is now at $160. This auction is for four items: A FoodSaver GameSaver Turbo Plus heavy duty food vacuum packaging system (a retail value of $297) kindly donated by Ready Made Resources an autographed copy of : "Rawles on Retreats and Relocation", an autographed copy of "SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog.", and a copy of "The Encyclopedia of Country Living", by the late Carla Emery. The four items have a combined retail value of around $395. The auction ends on May15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

« Letter Re: Advice on Emergency Dentistry |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Sunday April 20 2008

Notes from JWR:

We are happy to welcome our newest advertiser, Seed for Security. They provide heirloom variety (open pollinated/non-hybrid) gardening seeds.

I am amazed at how political Wikipedia has become. I heard from a reader that the recent attempted deletion of the James Wesley Rawles article at Wikipedia was stopped, by consensus. But now, the neutrality of the article has been called into question. If you are an experienced Wikipedia editor, then please post your opinion about the article's neutrality, one way or the other. Thanks!

« Raising Rabbits for Meat , by Pete C. |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Saturday April 19 2008

Notes from JWR:

In honor of Patriots Day (April 19th), I'm kicking in something extra to Front Sight's "Get a Gun" training and gear package offer: Anyone that enrolls between now and Sunday evening will also receive their choice of autographed copies of any of my three books: "Rawles on Retreats and Relocation", "SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog." or my novel "Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse". Just forward me your Front Sight order confirmation, along with your snail mail address, and I'll send you a complimentary autographed book.

Today we present another article for Round 16 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win two valuable four day "gray" transferable Front Sight course certificates. (Worth up to $4,000!) Second prize is a copy of my "Rawles Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 16 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries. Remember that articles that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

« Preparedness Considerations for College Students, by Sam |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Friday April 18 2008

Notes from JWR:

The following was forwarded by SurvivalBlog reader:

"I pledge, in honor of the late Charlton Heston, that if I receive any funds from the US Government's economic stimulus rebate program that I will spend the money on guns and ammo." (Pass it on.) The only thing that I'd add to that is firearms training.

Today we present another article for Round 16 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win two valuable four day "gray" transferable Front Sight course certificates. (Worth up to $4,000!) Second prize is a copy of my "Rawles Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 16 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries. Remember that articles that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

« Safe Food Handling, by B.H. in Western Washington |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Thursday April 17 2008

Notes from JWR:

Today we present another article for Round 16 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win two valuable four day "gray" transferable Front Sight course certificates. (Worth up to $4,000!) Second prize is a copy of my "Rawles Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 16 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries. Remember that articles that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

You may remember B.H. as one of the first winners of the SurvivalBlog writing contest, in late 2005.

« The Precepts of My Survivalist Philosophy |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Wednesday April 16 2008

Note from JWR:

Congrats to Mark T., the high bidder in the auction that ended yesterday. Today we are starting a new auction. This auction is for four items: A FoodSaver GameSaver Turbo Plus heavy duty food vacuum packaging system (a retail value of $297) kindly donated by Ready Made Resources, an autographed copy of "Rawles on Retreats and Relocation", an autographed copy of "SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog.", and a copy of "The Encyclopedia of Country Living", by the late Carla Emery. The four items have a combined retail value of around $395. The auction ends on May15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

« Getting from Point A to Point B, by E.I.D. |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Tuesday April 15 2008

Notes from JWR:

The current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction ends at midnight (eastern time) tonight. The high bid for the lot is now at $300. This auction is for four items: a MURS Alert Base station, a MURS Alert Hand-held transceiver, an earbud, and a Kaito KA-1102 AM/FM/Shortwave. These radios were kindly donated by the owner of Affordable Shortwaves and MURS Radios. If you aren't familiar with the Dakota Alert infrared perimeter security system, take a few minute to look at the Dakota Alert web site. These alarms are very reliable and versatile. I often recommend them to my consulting clients--especially those that plan to have lightly-manned retreats. You can easily set up multiple detector/transmitter sensors to provide 360 degree perimeter security for a large area. Instead of just a generic alarm, they will let you know which sensor was tripped, via a computer-generated voice message to a radio that you can carry on your belt. (Such as "Alert, Zone Two.") The same radio can be used for point-to-point voice communications, on the little-used MURS band. The three radios have a retail value of $210, plus shipping. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

Today we present another article for Round 16 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win two valuable four day "gray" transferable Front Sight course certificates. (Worth up to $4,000!) Second prize is a copy of my "Rawles Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 16 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries. Remember that articles that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

« Letter Re: The Importance of Acquiring and Learning to Use Traditional Tools |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Monday April 14 2008

Notes from JWR:

A SurvivalBlog reader in Iraq e-mailed me to mention that the Wikipedia page "James Wesley Rawles" has been proposed for deletion. If you have experience with Wikipedia and have an opinion one way or the other, then please post your comments. (Needless to say, I can't comment there personally, or it would be a conflict of interest.) If you do post, please be civil!

The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction (which tomorrow night) is now at $260. This auction is for four items: a MURS Alert Base station, a MURS Alert Hand-held transceiver, an earbud, and a Kaito KA-1102 AM/FM/Shortwave. These radios were kindly donated by the owner of Affordable Shortwaves and MURS Radios. If you aren't familiar with the Dakota Alert infrared perimeter security system, take a few minute to look at the Dakota Alert web site. These alarms are very reliable and versatile. I often recommend them to my consulting clients--especially those that plan to have lightly-manned retreats. You can easily set up multiple detector/transmitter sensors to provide 360 degree perimeter security for a large area. Instead of just a generic alarm, they will let you know which sensor was tripped, via a computer-generated voice message to a radio that you can carry on your belt. (Such as "Alert, Zone Two.") The same radio can be used for point-to-point voice communications, on the little-used MURS band. The three radios have a retail value of $210, plus shipping. The auction ends at midnight tomorrow (April 15th). Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

« Letter Re: Scottish Highland: The Ideal Choice for Survival Beef Cattle |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Sunday April 13 2008

Notes from JWR:

Today, after church, I plan to do some target shooting with my kids. I guess I'm just a conservative dinosaur, "clinging to guns and religion."

Be sure to take a look at the many new listings at SurvivalRealty.com, particularly in Idaho and North Carolina.

« Your Vehicle and TEOTWAWKI, by TD |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Saturday April 12 2008

Notes from JWR:

We are pleased to welcome APack--our newest advertiser. They make excellent MRE-equivalent civilian storage foods.

Today we present another article for Round 16 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win two valuable four day "gray" transferable Front Sight course certificates. (Worth up to $4,000!) Second prize is a copy of my "Rawles Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 16 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries. Remember that articles that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

« The ABCs of WTSHTF, by Mark B. |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Friday April 11 2008

Note from JWR:

Today we present another article for Round 16 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win two valuable four day "gray" transferable Front Sight course certificates. (Worth up to $4,000!) Second prize is a copy of my "Rawles Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 16 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries. Remember that articles that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

« Time For Retreat Logistics Stage Two--The Soft Items |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Thursday April 10 2008

Note from JWR:

After more than two years without a change, we recently increased our advertising rates by an average of 20%. The good news is that our readership has more than quadrupled in the past two years, so our advertisers are still gettng a real bargain. (Especially when you consider that some other blogs with readership of the same scale charge up to $1,500 for banner ad!)

When shopping for preparedness gear, please patronize our paid advertisers first. If they don't have what you need, then check out our Affiliate advertisers, such as Nitro-Pak, Lehman's, and Northern Tool . With any of our advertisers, please mention where you saw their ad. Thanks!

« Working Dogs and Horses in Bug Out and Retreat Planning, by TD |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Wednesday April 9 2008

Notes from JWR:

Naish Piazza very graciously just sent me a double-helping of Front Sight course certificates. So the writer of the best non-fiction article for SurvivalBlog's non-fiction writing contest will now win two of the valuable four day "gray" transferable Front Sight course certificates. (So this top prize is now worth up to $4,000!) Second prize is a copy of my "Rawles Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 16 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries. Remember that articles that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

Here is the latest writing contest entry:

« Letter Re: Horse Breeding Now, and in the Future |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Tuesday April 8 2008

Notes from JWR:

I dislike the way that the New York Times often posts articles as a teaser for only the first 24 hours of publication, and then requires a registered "free" subscription. (Grumble, grumble.) If the NYT site link stops working, then here is a site that has re-posted Sunday's "Duck and Cover: It’s the New Survivalism" article, although it is sans the original links.

« Letter Re: Some Garden Plot Surprises Revealed Beneath Receding Snow |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Monday April 7 2008

Notes from JWR:

Thanks for all the many positive comments about the New York Times article (Sunday, April 6, 2008), titled "Duck and Cover: It's the New Survivalism", where I was quoted. The article has helped generate lots of extra first-time visits to SurvivalBlog. (An amazing 12,003 unique visits on Sunday, which is usually our slowest day of the week!) To all you newbies that want a quick start: Read the "About" page, and then read my first few weeks of posts from 2005, starting at the bottom of the page and working your way up.

The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction lot is now at $230. This auction is for four items: a MURS Alert Base station, a MURS Alert Hand-held transceiver, an earbud, and a Kaito KA-1102 AM/FM/Shortwave. These radios were kindly donated by the owner of Affordable Shortwaves and MURS Radios. If you aren't familiar with the Dakota Alert infrared perimeter security system, take a few minute to look at the Dakota Alert web site. These alarms are very reliable and versatile. I often recommend them to my consulting clients--especially those that plan to have lightly-manned retreats. You can easily set up multiple detector/transmitter sensors to provide 360 degree perimeter security for a large area. Instead of just a generic alarm, they will let you know which sensor was tripped, via a computer-generated voice message to a radio that you can carry on your belt. (Such as "Alert, Zone Two.") The same radio can be used for point-to-point voice communications, on the little-used MURS band. The three radios have a retail value of $210, plus shipping. The auction ends on April 15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

« Retreat Livestock Guardians, by TD |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Sunday April 6 2008

Notes from JWR:

I'm quoted in today's issue of the New York Times (Sunday, April 6, 2008), in an article titled "Duck and Cover: It's the New Survivalism". The article is buried back in the Fashion and Style section. My quotes are on the second page of the online edition. The article itself is well-balanced, but readers just glancing at the title and accompanying photos will no doubt subconciously marginalize survivalists as some sort of paranoid whackos.

Today we present another article for Round 16 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day "gray" transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $2,000!) Second prize is a copy of my "Rawles Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 16 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries. Remember that articles that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

« Camping Trips as Training for WTSHTF, by DPM |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Saturday April 5 2008

Note from JWR:

Today we present another article for Round 16 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day "gray" transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $2,000!) Second prize is a copy of my "Rawles Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 16 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries. Remember that articles that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

« Economic Climate Change: The Long Winter May Begin This Summer |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Friday April 4 2008

Note from JWR:

My sincere thanks to Mike in Michigan, who sent an unprecedented $150 contribution for our 10 Cent Challenge subscription program. That was very generous of you! My thanks to all of our subscribers. I greatly appreciate your support, folks. Subscriptions are entirely voluntary, and gratefully accepted.

« The Hedges Get Trimmed |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Thursday April 3 2008

Note from JWR:

You might have noticed that we've added a second advertisement for Front Sight in our scrolling ads. This ad is for their new "Get a Gun" training and gear package offer. See details on this incredibly generous offer, below.

« The Homemade Alcohol Stove and The Wonder Box, by LeAnne |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Wednesday April 2 2008

Note from JWR:

Today we present the first article for Round 16 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day "gray" transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $2,000!) Second prize is a copy of my "Rawles Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 16 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries. Remember that articles that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

« Letter Re: Learn How to "Roll Your Own" Ammo |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Tuesday April 1 2008

Notes from JWR:

I've never been much of a trickster, so please don't analyze today's posts, looking for April Fools Day tricks. There are none.

We have finished the judging... The winner of Round 15 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. is Paul C., for his article "My Seven Favorite North American Edible Wild Plants". He gets the top prize--a four day "gray" transferable Front Sight course certificate. These certificates are worth up to $2,000! Our thanks to Front Sight's director, Naish Piazza, for generously donating the course certificate. Check out the Front Sight web site and take advantage of their great training opportunities. My advice is to sign up for courses that start before May 15th, to beat the summer heat!

Second prize goes to Nina for her article: "Sanitation During a Grid Down Collapse". Her prize is is a copy of my "Rawles Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing.

I'm also sending out two honorable mention prizes to W. in Washington for his article "Characteristics of a General Purpose Survival Flashlight", and to Brandon in Utah for his article "AA Cells and Mobile Power". Both of them will get their choice of autographed copies of my books: "Rawles on Retreats and Relocation", or "SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog."

Note to all the prize winners: Send me an e-mail to let me know your snail mail addresses, and your prizes will be mailed to you shortly. Thanks ladies gents, and congratulations!
Today we start Round 16 of the contest. Send your non-fiction articles via e-mail for a chance to win some great prizes! The first prize will again be a four day "gray" transferable Front Sight course certificate!

« News from Wall Street and Capitol Hill--The Mother Of All Bailouts Begins to Grow |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Monday March 31 2008

Note from JWR:

If you find any SurvivalBlog articles or letters that you think would be of interest to your friends or relatives, just click on "Permalink" beneath any blog entry. Then you can copy and paste the URL from the displayed Permalinked page, and e-mail it. Many thanks!

« The Nationalization of Wall Street, by John Ing |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Sunday March 30 2008

Note from JWR:

Today we present a guest editorial, courtesy of veteran market analyst John Ing:

« Family Learning for Preparedness, by T.D. |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Saturday March 29 2008

Notes from JWR:

Wow! Three million unique visits! Thank you everyone, for making SurvivalBlog a tremendous success. Please continue to spread the word to family, friends, and co-workers.

Today we present another article for Round 15 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day "gray" transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $2,000!) Second prize is a copy of my "Rawles Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 15 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries for Round 16. Remember that articles that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

« Post-Doomsday: Dress Incognito, Play Down Your Preps, by Ranger Man |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Friday March 28 2008

Note from JWR:

Our first post today is a cross-post (with permission) from Ranger Man's SHTFBlog:

« Letter Re: Biodiesel, Retreat Vehicle Fuel Flexibility, and Power Generation |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Thursday March 27 2008

Note from JWR:

The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction lot is now at $230. This auction is for four items: a MURS Alert Base station, a MURS Alert Hand-held transceiver, an earbud, and a Kaito KA-1102 AM/FM/Shortwave. These radios were kindly donated by the owner of Affordable Shortwaves and MURS Radios. If you aren't familiar with the Dakota Alert infrared perimeter security system, take a few minute to look at the Dakota Alert web site. These alarms are very reliable and versatile. I often recommend them to my consulting clients--especially those that plan to have lightly-manned retreats. You can easily set up multiple detector/transmitter sensors to provide 360 degree perimeter security for a large area. Instead of just a generic alarm, they will let you know which sensor was tripped, via a computer-generated voice message to a radio that you can carry on your belt. (Such as "Alert, Zone Two.") The same radio can be used for point-to-point voice communications, on the little-used MURS band. The three radios have a retail value of $210. The auction ends on April 15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

« My Seven Favorite North American Edible Wild Plants, by Paul C. |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Tuesday March 25 2008

Note from JWR:

Today we present another article for Round 15 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day "gray" transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $2,000!) Second prize is a copy of my "Rawles Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 15 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries. Remember that articles that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

« Two Letters Re: Using Natural Caves on Private Property |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Monday March 24 2008

Note from JWR:

One way that you can help increase the readership of SurvivalBlog is by e-mailing the Permalinks of blog articles and letters that you think would be of interest to your friends and relatives. Just click on "Permalink" beneath any blog entry. Then you can copy and paste the URL from the displayed Permalinked page into an e-mail. Many thanks!

« Some Offshore Retreat Considerations, by P. Traveler |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Sunday March 23 2008

Notes from JWR:

Today, our family celebrates the resurrection of our savior, Jesus, The Christ. I pray that you recognize him as your savior, too.

Our first article was written by an old friend, who is an American ex-pat presently living somewhere in east Asia.

« Letter Re: Use of Force in Retreat Security--Planning for Rules of Engagement and Levels of Force |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Saturday March 22 2008

Note from JWR:

It is great to see that SurvivalBlog is rapidly approaching the three million unique visits mark, after only 2-1/2 years. Our readership growth has been phenomenal. Thanks for continuing to spread the word about SurvivalBlog! Links to SurvivalBlog in your personal web page and/or in your e-mail footer would be greatly appreciated.

« Letter Re: Using Natural Caves on Private Property |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Friday March 21 2008

Note from JWR:

The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction lot is now at $210. This auction is for four items: a MURS Alert Base station, a MURS Alert Hand-held transceiver, an earbud, and a Kaito KA-1102 AM/FM/Shortwave. These radios were kindly donated by the owner of Affordable Shortwaves and MURS Radios. The three radios have a retail value of $210, plus shipping. The auction ends on April 15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

« Guest Editorial: Honey, I Vaporized My Customers, by John Mauldin |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Wednesday March 19 2008

Note from JWR:

Our first post today is a guest editorial from economist John Mauldin, with permission from the author. John is the editor of the weekly Outside the Box e-newsletter. I highly recommend it. Subscriptions are free!

« America's Mountain of Debt: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Monday March 17 2008

Note from JWR:

The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction lot is now at $210. This auction is for four items: a MURS Alert Base station, a MURS Alert Hand-held transceiver, an earbud, and a Kaito KA-1102 AM/FM/Shortwave. These radios were kindly donated by the owner of Affordable Shortwaves and MURS Radios. If you aren't familiar with the Dakota Alert infrared perimeter security system, take a few minute to look at the Dakota Alert web site. These alarms are very reliable and versatile. I often recommend them to my consulting clients--especially those that plan to have lightly-manned retreats. You can easily set up multiple detector/transmitter sensors to provide 360 degree perimeter security for a large area. Instead of just a generic alarm, they will let you know which sensor was tripped, via a computer-generated voice message to a radio that you can carry on your belt. (Such as "Alert, Zone Two.") The same radio can be used for point-to-point voice communications, on the little-used MURS band. The three radios have a retail value of $210. The auction ends on April 15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

« The Ides of March--The Dreaded Margin Calls Have Begun at Banks and Hedge Funds |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Sunday March 16 2008

Note from JWR:

Congrats to Stephen H., the high bidder in our recent SurvivalBlog benefit auction. Today we are starting a new auction. This one is for three radios: MURS Alert Base station, a MURS Alert Hand-held transceiver, and a Kaito KA-1102 AM/FM/Shortwave. These radios were kindly donated by the owner of Affordable Shortwaves and MURS Radios. If you aren't familiar with the Dakota Alert infrared perimeter security system, take a few minute to look at the Dakota Alert web site. These alarms are very reliable and versatile. I often recommend them to my consulting clients--especially those that plan to have lightly-manned retreats. You can easily set up multiple detector/transmitter sensors to provide 360 degree perimeter security for a large area. Instead of just a generic alarm, they will let you know which sensor was tripped, via a computer-generated voice message to a radio that you can carry on your belt. (Such as "Alert, Zone Two.") The same radio can be used for point-to-point voice communications, on the little-used MURS band. The three radios have a retail value of $210. The opening bid for the combined lot of three radios is just $50. The auction ends on April 15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

« Credit Collapse: The Depression Countdown Begins |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Saturday March 15 2008

Note from JWR:

The current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction ends at midnight tonight (Saturday, March 15th), eastern time. The high bid is now at $220. The auction is for a combined lot of five items: a 120 VAC/12 VDC BedFan Personal Cooling System (a $99 retail value), kindly donated by the manufacturer, a Thieves Oil Start Living Kit (a $161 retail value), the book "Healing Oils of the Bible" by David Stewart, Phd. (a $19 retail value) the book "When Technology Fails", by Matthew Stein (a $29 retail value)--all donated by Ready Made Resources, and a copy of the latest edition of "The Encyclopedia of Country Living" by the late Carla Emery (a $32 retail value). The auction ends on March 15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

« The Four Gs Update: Have You Got God?, Groceries?, Guns?, Gold? |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Friday March 14 2008

Note from JWR:

The current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction ends tomorrow (Saturday, March 15th) at midnight. The high bid is now at $210. The auction is for a combined lot of five items: a 120 VAC/12 VDC BedFan Personal Cooling System (a $99 retail value), kindly donated by the manufacturer, a Thieves Oil Start Living Kit (a $161 retail value), the book "Healing Oils of the Bible" by David Stewart, Phd. (a $19 retail value) the book "When Technology Fails", by Matthew Stein (a $29 retail value)--all donated by Ready Made Resources, and a copy of the latest edition of "The Encyclopedia of Country Living" by the late Carla Emery (a $32 retail value). The auction ends on March 15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

« Letter Re: Alternative News Sources When The Grid Goes Down |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Thursday March 13 2008

Notes from JWR:

The current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction ends in just two days. The high bid is now at $200. The auction is for a combined lot of five items: a 120 VAC/12 VDC BedFan Personal Cooling System (a $99 retail value), kindly donated by the manufacturer, a Thieves Oil Start Living Kit (a $161 retail value), the book "Healing Oils of the Bible" by David Stewart, Phd. (a $19 retail value) the book "When Technology Fails", by Matthew Stein (a $29 retail value)--all donated by Ready Made Resources, and a copy of the latest edition of "The Encyclopedia of Country Living" by the late Carla Emery (a $32 retail value). The auction ends on March 15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

Our first post today is from David in Israel, one of SurvivalBlog's volunteer international correspondents. He is an American ex-pat with a diverse background in forestry, firefighting, emergency medicine, and commercial kosher food inspection. One of his life-long hobbies has been amateur radio. David is now a Torah scholar, living in Israel with his wife and family.

« Letter Re: Sizing a Retreat AC Power Generator |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Monday March 10 2008

Note from JWR:

Whenever you call a talk radio show or join a Podcast discussing any topics related to survival or preparedness, please mention SurvivalBlog. Our goal is to double our readership again in 2008. Thanks!

« Characteristics of a General Purpose Survival Flashlight by W. in Washington |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Saturday March 8 2008

Note from JWR:

The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction lot is now at $110. The auction is for a combined lot of five items: a 120 VAC/12 VDC BedFan Personal Cooling System (a $99 retail value), kindly donated by the manufacturer, a Thieves Oil Start Living Kit (a $161 retail value), the book "Healing Oils of the Bible" by David Stewart, Phd. (a $19 retail value) the book "When Technology Fails", by Matthew Stein (a $29 retail value)--all donated by Ready Made Resources, and a copy of the latest edition of "The Encyclopedia of Country Living" by the late Carla Emery (a $32 retail value). The auction ends on March 15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

« Letter Re: Credit Unions Versus Banks for Safety? |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Friday March 7 2008

Note from JWR:

You may have noticed some all-time highs were just reached in the commodities markets. Spot gold briefly reached $991 per ounce yesterday morning (intraday). It settled substantially by the closing bell, but the bull market in commodities is far from over. Meanwhile, crude oil futures spiked to nearly $106 per barrel. And the futures market for wheat was recently bid up to an unprecedented $25 per bushel. When I last checked, the US Dollar Index had sagged down to an alarming 72.66! Spot silver, while not at an all-time high (because of the extraordinary highs set during the Hunt Brothers-inspired silver boom of the late 1970s), touched $21.10 per ounce yesterday morning. I have been urging my readers to buy silver since February of 2001, when spot silver was $4.55 per ounce. Pardon me for saying this, but I told you so.

« The Elephant in the Room, by Norman Church |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Thursday March 6 2008

Notes from JWR:

The folks at Ready Made Resources have kindly added two books to the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction. They are: "Healing Oils of the Bible" by David Stewart, Phd., and "When Technology Fails", by Matthew Stein. These will be added to the existing lot of auction items: a 120 VAC/12 VDC BedFan Personal Cooling System (a $99 retail value), kindly donated by the manufacturer, a Thieves Oil Start Living Kit (a $161 retail value) donated by Ready Made Resources, and a copy of the latest edition of "The Encyclopedia of Country Living" by the late Carla Emery (a $32 retail value). The auction ends on March 15th. The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction lot is now at $80. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

Today we present another article for Round 15 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day "gray" transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $2,000!) Second prize is a copy of my "Rawles Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 15 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries. Remember that articles that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

« The Fleecing of the Sheeple--America Discovers "What That Thing Will Bring" |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Tuesday March 4 2008

Note from JWR:

If there is an article in SurvivalBlog that would interest any of your friends or relatives, just click on "Permalink" beneath the blog entry. You can copy and paste that URL into an e-mail. Thanks for spreading the word about SurvivalBlog!

« Unconventional Bug-Out Transportation Methods, by A. Taylor |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Monday March 3 2008

Notes from JWR:

If you value what you read in SurvivalBlog, then please become a 10 Cent Challenge subscriber. I am confident that SurvivalBlog has kept you from making some costly mistakes in your preparations. I am also confident that SurvivalBlog has pointed you toward some investments that have been profitable for you. (When I started the blog in September of 2005, silver was $6.90 per ounce, gold was $445 per ounce, wheat was $3.30 per bushel, and military surplus .308 ball ammo was just $220 per thousand cartridges!)

Less than 2% of readers subscribe, so you can count yourself amongst those few that contribute 10 cents a day. Subscriptions are entirely voluntary, but gratefully accepted.

Today we present another article for Round 15 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day "gray" transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $2,000!) Second prize is a copy of my "Rawles Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 15 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries. Remember that articles that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

« Arm Thyself, by William Buppert |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Sunday March 2 2008

Note from JWR:

Today we present a guest article, by loyal SurvivalBlog reader William Buppert. It was originally posted at LewRockwell.com, and it is re-posted with the author's permission. Thanks, Bill!

« Letter Re: Being Prepared for an Avian Influenza Outbreak |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »

Saturday March 1 2008

Notes from JWR:

Today we welcome our newest advertiser, Uncle Howard's. They are a builder that specializes in barns, shops, combination house/shops and combination house/RV garages. Their designs maximize storage space, which is important for those that are preparedness-minded and have a lot of logistics to store. Their construction costs are very low. Be sure to visit their web site.

Special thanks to reader "RK" who very kindly sent his 10 Cent Challenge subscription payment in the form of a 1/10th-ounce American Eagle gold coin. That was very kind of you! Speaking of gold, I noticed that the spot price of gold briefly touched $975 per ounce before settling to $973.60 on Friday. Concurrently, the US Dollar Index sagged below 73.70. (When I last checked, it took $1.51 to buy one Euro!) Also on Friday, the DJIA lost 315 points (2.51%). The "Leap Day" Dow sell-off was in reaction to AIG's huge 6.56% one day loss, blamed on, of course, subprime mortgages. CitiGroup lost 5.19% the same day. Be ready for more turbulence and downward pressure in these markets. If the Dow drops below 11,508 (its low point, in the past year), or if the USD Index drops below 72, there could be what my friend The Chartist Gnome calls "seemingly instantaneous negative implications." Minimize your dollar exposure, folks!

I'm presently catching up on my backlog of correspondence. The following are some recent letters and e-mails: