Fallout From the Newest Wikileaks Releases

I strive to avoid sounding alarmist, but with what's taking place on the Korean peninsula combined with the huge potential diplomatic repercussions of the latest Wikileaks material it's hard not to feel a sense of the world being on the verge of something catastrophic.  The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand that ultimately led into World War I is the closest historical parallel I can think of.  And that's very concerning...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1333879/WikiLeaks-Prince-Andrew-caught-scandal-US-contempt-world-revealed.html

Korean War 2.0?

Human history has always been filled with conflict.  Conflict should be a major concern to all survivalist/prepper-types.
And now it looks like we may be seeing another one begin...:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101123/wl_afp/nkoreaskoreamilitarynuclearweapons_20101123092327
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2010/11/23/0200000000AEN20101123013200315.HTML
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11818005
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20101123-708359.html

Scary.

The "Redneck Assault Rifle"

The blog I'm linking to below is a great blog in general, but I especially liked this article and related YouTube video regarding lever actions as suitable defensive firearms.  The Winchester .357 Magnum carbine the author discusses (and shares pictures of) seems like a nice setup and I can definitely vouch for how easy to handle these little boomsticks are.   I'm somewhat partial to the Marlins myself, but would certainly not say "no" to the Winchesters or Rossi versions of the pistol-caliber carbines either. 

Read the article here: http://www.bugoutsurvival.com/2010/10/winchester-trapper-in-357-magnum.html

The YouTube video is here:



In addition, here is another YouTube video specifically discussing "Lever Guns for Survival Purposes":

Bulk Ammo Contest

Jack over at TheSurvivalPodcast.com (the gracious guy who helped the Chipper get his start in podcasting) has a new sponsor called BulkAmmo.com.  They seem to be supportive of the Survival/Preparedness community, which is nice to see, and are holding a contest to win some free ammunition.  From what I can tell, the rules are you can either post about them in any blog-type online presence you may have or follow them on Facebook/Twitter to be entered into the contest.  There are some good companies I've encountered to order ammo through but it's nice to see one that is specifically supportive of the Survival/Preparedness mindset so check them out if you're looking to order some ammo online in the near future.  It's probably also worth your while to enter the contest through either of their options (posting about them on your blog or following them through social media) if you get a chance. 

Here's the link to the juicy, tasty ammo I would want if I were to win: http://www.bulkammo.com/rifle/bulk-.223-ammo   There are other options too, including 9mm, 40 S&W and 45 ACP.  Here is the link to the contest rules: http://www.bulkammo.com/tsp-ammo-promotion

Twilight Zone-"The Shelter"

The special weekend podcast I did last weekend about Old Time Radio shows relating (in one way or another) to survivalism/preparedness got me thinking about some other media that dealt with similar topics.

One example is the Twilight Zone episode I've mentioned in the past called "The Shelter".  If you've never seen it, check it out here and let me know what you think:

Ruh, roh Scooby...

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6AA4AU20101116?type=smallBusinessNews

This could be very bad for both banking and real estate market.  Something to keep an eye on for certain. 

'Climate Change' could result in colder weather

Here's an interesting article.  I find it a touch annoying that it goes out of its way to say "these findings do not conflict with Global Warming theory", but if there is some truth to this regardless of the reason (changes in solar activity, etc.) the takeaway for the survivalist/prepper is get ready for some cold weather:

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE6AF1I1.htm

The Wonders of Wind Power

In today's episode I talked about building systems to harness the wind.  Here are a few graphics to for you take a peek at that explain the basics (as always, whatever system you may choose to build will be geared towards your own set of parameters and needs):

 

A good map to look at when considering a wind power system:

Secret Walmart Survey Shows Inflation Already Here

It's interesting to try to track trends by piecing together bits of information provided by the media.  When one does so, you do get the impression that inflation is starting to unfold.  As an anecdotal example, my wife and I are comparing portion sizes and prices between our trips to the grocery store. 

Definitely worth keeping an eye one...

http://www.cnbc.com/id/40135092

Strange Days... What's Going On in the Sky?

First we had this (news helicopter films apparent missile launch 35 miles west of LA):

And then today there is this (another news helicopter films apparent fireball over NYC):

In both instances the "experts" say they're just airplane contrails.  And maybe they're right. 
But something seems a little fishy....  Especially the first one when for the first two days the authorities claimed they didn't know what it was but that it certainly didn't represent a threat. 
Hmmmm.....
Any thoughts?

Concerns About Food Insecurity In America

One of the major issues on the horizon is the concern about the price of foodstuffs. It's worth becoming informed on the subject, especially as we start to see prices on basic groceries begin to increase. 
Here is a good article on the subject:

http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/food-insecurity-in-america/19703458/

The Tsunami-Proof House

Well, this is cool.  I've tried a number of times to think up a way to construct something with safety features designed to withstand a tsunami.  This seems like a noble effort:
http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/06/stories/2008020656270400.htm

Great Survival Visual

This is a fantastic representation of some of the things a person needs to have on hand in just about any type of survival situation.  Making a print-out of something like this and giving it to your friends and family might be a lot easier than getting them to pick up a book or listen to a podcast on survival/preparedness topics.

Survival Fish Hooks

Here is a graphic of some of the "survival fish hooks" I discussed making on today's episode.  Sometimes it's much easier to understand something if you can see a visual representation:

You'll notice there are a few methods to make fish hooks, some of which I mentioned and some I did not (like the interesting safety pin approach). 

Looks Like I'm Not the Only One Concerned About the Fed's Latest Moves

This article from the Financial Times goes more in depth about the recent Fed decision than I ever could.  Read it.  Then stock up a little more on the things you need.  And do a little research on life in the Weimer Republic during the '20s.  (I hope I'm just joking about that last part...)

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/981ca8f4-e83e-11df-8995-00144feab49a.html