Jim Rawles Interview: Surviving the Collapse

Author James Wesley, Rawles, of www.survivalblog.com fame, is probably the world's foremost authority on crisis preparedness. Jim and I go way back. I have been a key sponsor of his blog for as long as it's been online. Our common intelligence background many years ago too brought us together (along with the late survivalist Ron Hood) in our strong belief in the need to help get America prepared for what is in our future.

Jim has been doing a lot of great interviews out there lately. Here is the latest ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj5fVJ6d6zQ&t=29m39s

Economist Williams: U.S. Dollar Selloff Risk is High

Economist John Williams of Shadowstats talks about a potential run-up in prices for precious metals and updates his hyperinflation watch.  He says there is no recovery in the economy and inflation is picking up steam. Read more here.

Safecastle Now Ships Internationally!

Effective today, Safecastle is taking international orders for most everything we sell!

We've had requests from all over the world almost every day for many years. Well, we're finally able to get you what you need ...
www.safecastle.com

Prepare and fortify!

Huge Sale: Lindon Farms Emergency Food - Now 15% Off!

These excellent Lindon Farms buckets are bargain priced at Safecastle to begin with, and now for the next three weeks only (thru 3/7/12), we are offering a coupon code you can use to knock an ADDITIONAL 15% off your member or non-member price!!

Log-in to our store, add your selected Lindon Farms™ food package to your cart, enter this coupon code into the coupon field:

LF15

Click the "apply" button, and presto! Be amazed at what a great price this brings you. And of course it ships FREE. Note that the larger the food package is, the better the deal.

Lindon Farms™ is the new way to do food storage. With the finest quality ingredients blended in the most delicious recipes on the market, all the work is done for you – you just add water and serve! Each 360-serving emergency food storage container has 19 different just-add-water gourmet meals that are perfect for long-term storage, for regular meals, or to throw in your backpack.

The time period packages we sell are based on full 2000 calories/day. This food can be your stand-alone food storage solution at a really great price. Highest quality, most affordable food storage on the market today

• Delicious just-add-water meals
• Each meal in 5-10 serving pouches
• Easy to open zip-seal metalite™ pouches
• Oxygen absorber in every pouch
• Easily Transportable
• 8 gallon weather proof buckets
• Shelf Life - Up to 20 years - if stored in a dry, cool environment
• No High Fructose Corn-Syrup
• No added MSG

Each meal is conveniently packaged in a 5-10 serving, zipseal, metalized pouch with an oxygen absorber to ensure an oxygen free environment. This allows you to enjoy a shelf-life of up to 20 years when stored properly in a cool, dry place.

Shop here: http://www.safecastle.com/lindon-farms.aspx

"Act of Valor" - Unprecedented Motion Picture Releasing February 24

Movie based on actual events, starring active-duty Navy Seals, using real weapons and weapon systems ...



The official "Act of Valor" site.

How to Prepare for Economic Chaos, in 7 Stages

Preparedness is about being ready--being ahead of the curve for disaster. It seems quite likely an economic Armageddon is imminent. The actual trigger could be one of many potential ignition sources … a default, collapse, and revolution in Greece; the collapse and dissolution of the European Euro; eruption of a hot war in the Middle East; hyperinflation loosed upon America (probably inevitable), and so on.

As mere pawns in the great game, we wield little capacity to impact events beyond our immediate personal radius. But what we CAN do, we MUST do in short order if you feel an obligation to protecting and providing for your loved ones in a future systemic and social calamity.

How to do that?

Assume the worst, within reason. Consider that many of the day-to-day services you take for granted will be interrupted for an unknown length of time. Water, fuel, electricity, food, health care, transportation, police and fire response, and employment are all perceived as American entitlements—but so also they are all susceptible to macro collapse. Withholding any one of those from a community would be disastrous--imagine all of them suddenly disappearing.

You and your loved ones, as well as most in your community, may suddenly be living day to day, hand to mouth. Those who have anticipated such a possibility beforehand and made prudent investments to cushion the blow will be far ahead of the rest. Many of the basic preparations for economic disaster in fact can apply also to a personal economic setback, which we all know is not a long-shot these days, so it is common sense to take some simple steps to mitigate your risk:

1.       Have cash and precious metals on hand—and not just in the bank. Pretty obvious, I think.

2.       Build up your cache of emergency storage food—the kind that you know how to prepare and enjoy eating.

3.       Store as much drinking water as you can and rotate it every six months to keep it fresh. Have on hand a good water filter and purification tablets, as well as the means to boil water over a fire.

4.       In any truly chaotic scenario, self-defense is a must. Gun ownership in America is a right. Know how to use your weapons and practice with them before you need to count on them.

5.       In that self-defense vein, look at how you can fortify your home. How would you make it look uninviting from the outside. How can you make the structure as robust and defensible as you can?

6.       Acquire a back-up power source. Options are many today, to fit any budget. Solar, wind, gas, diesel, propane. You may not be able to afford a back-up power supply to run your home or even your refrigerator, but at the very least aim to be able to charge a laptop, phone, batteries for radios, flashlights, etc.

7.       First aid supplies and prescription medicines—stockpile what you and your family will need. Many physicians today are OK with getting you additional prescription medicine—particularly if you are planning on extended travel (wink).

Once you start thinking in these terms, you can continue adding to this plan of action, but the key is to get the basics squared away first. Adjust according to your personal situation, your neighborhood (certainly get to know as many of your neighbors now as possible), your climate, your budget, and your comfort level.

Should the worst actually come to pass, the initial critical advantage you and yours will have is the ability to stay put—hunkered down in relative safety. On the other hand, those who continue to hold to the dissolving American "birthright" of unending entitlements will be the ones having to go out in desperation to fight for the basics in the concrete and asphalt jungle.

Safecastle LLC is a leading crisis preparedness provider. Emergency storage food such as Mountain House freeze dried foods, Safecastle steel-plate shelters and saferooms, and other unique survival gear solutions are available at www.safecastle.com

Earn $25 Gift Certificates for Your Original Survival-Related Qs&As, if Chosen for Our New Online Game

We are gearing up to launch a new survival game online that we will be tying into our Safecastle buyers club. We can't say too much about it yet, but will be spilling more of the beans in the next few weeks.

In the meantime, we are offering $25 Safecastle Gift Certificates for every ORIGINAL multiple-choice survival scenario submitted by Feb. 24, that we select for use in our game. We are looking for a brief description of a dire situation, along with 4 or 5 multiple choices that folks might make in reaction to the situation. There might be more than one "right" response, but some will be better than others according to our point system.

With each submission, we ask for a brief description of a perilous situation. Propose a challenging decision and several (4 or 5) choices to choose from. We also ask for the author's viewpoint and explanation as to why they believe some choices might be better than others.

Creativity and originality are prized. Moral choices, as well as scientific, physical, and other mixes of dilemmas are welcome ... and so too is a touch of humor, if it fits. Scenarios may be taken from current events, future events, or historical events. Bottom line--we are looking at helping our game players gauge their ability to survive in tough situations.

We reserve the right to edit any Qs&As to suit our game. All submissions become the sole property of Safecastle LLC. Safecastle is released from all financial renumeration or any other subsequent obligations, and the company is free to use selected submissions in any way we choose.
Each Q&A submitter, by sending in a Q&A set, attests to the fact that they are the originator of the scenario and are alone authorized to offer the Q&As to Safecastle for consideration to be used in the upcoming game. Safecastle agrees to provide a $25 gift certificate to the author for each set of Qs&As selected for use in the game.

Author/submitters may specify that they would like to be credited (by name) in conjunction with their work if it is used in the game. If there is no such request attached to the submission, and it is chosen for inclusion in the game, it will be used without public credit by name. (The gift certificate will still be issued and awarded to the submitter.)

Email me your suggested scenarios here: vrantala@safecastle.net

Economist Williams: "This is End of the World Stuff"

Economist John Williams, CEO of ShadowStats.com, in an eye-opening interview: "This is a no-win situation ... I guarantee you, the US government is bankrupt ... Have a back-up of at least several months of supplies ... Buying canned food is a better investment than buying a treasury bill."

Stunning Video Representation of the Thousands of Major Quakes in 2011

The explosion of quakes in and around Japan in March is outrageous.

Hot New Product: "Stove in a Can"

I am sold on this:



Get it here.

My Favorite Superbowl Commercial

The return of Ferris Bueller was cool, but you can't argue with the end of the world approach to sell trucks ...

"The Last Day"

A timely, well-produced video from Israel:

Premier 7.5-month Storage Food Package on Sale at $1800; Plus We Welcome Back Some Old Favorites

We just put together our latest version of the good old USS FoodBundle. This one we call the Comfort-Essentials Edition and it is good to sustain a survivor for 7-1/2 months (at 2000 calories a day).

This may be the very best value package we've ever offered, based on the discounted price, variety range, and premier quality of foods in this 18-case bundle. It is an outstanding mix of foods and beverages that provide the full range of sustence that will not only keep you alive, but content and satisfied as well.

Our sale price is less than $1800! Plus this package qualifies for our Members Mountain House Buyer Rewards program ($150 gift certificate back in the program's current installment). Sale price and rewards offer subject to change in the near future.

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Some other "new-again" listings at Safecastle: Yoders bacon (our all-time most popular product), Organic Green Coffee Beans in cans (the only way to effectively store coffee long-term), and a new favorite, our unique Mega-Protein Meat & Dairy Pack.

Safecastle Now Matches Mountain House Sale Pricing from Other Dealers

Safecastle can now match Mountain House prices at any time. So, bottom line for you--you find any dealer running a MH sale and we will give you that price, PLUS you will of course also get your free shipping AND any Mountain House Member Rewards in effect. (Right now--that is $75 gift certificates for every three MH can cases!!)

Here are our Mountain House cans listings. If you find a sale price out there that you want us to match on a purchase, just email me with a link to that sale and I will get you a coupon code to use in our store for that purchase.

Background detail:  Most of our customers are familiar with the way Mountain House regulates its dealers with regard to sale pricing and practices. However, I'll explain for those who are not aware ...

Mountain House dealer regulations for the last several years have required that dealers sell MH cans at full list price except during limited approved sale periods. MH cans are also precluded from being discounted for our buyers club members due to those manufacturer restrictions--they must be sold at the same price for members and non-members. (MH cans are the only exception in our store to the members' standard 20% discount minimum.) That's why we offer the significant member incentive gift certificates for MH cans.

Now, our ability to match prices allow us to give the best prices out there all the time AND give our loyal customers the incentive packages they have come to count on as they build up their preparedness enterprise.

__________________

Additional FYI ... a brand new program is in the works that will provide our buyers club members with cumulative purchase rewards this year (retroactive to the first of the year), applicable to all purchases at Safecastle in 2012.

Last year, we had the Cache-Back program. This year will be quite different and a lot more fun and rewarding. It's taking a while to get it all put together--we've had to hire a software engineer to get it done, but when it's ready, it should be awesome (and it may even go viral).

So again--stay safe.

2011 Safecastle Freedom Award Winners!

Thank you to all of you who put together an article or video regarding crisis preparedness in 2011 for our Freedom Awards contest. The collective effort and overall results are encouraging. We are hopeful that more and more will become publicly proactive and vocal about issues that are important to all of us in this arena.

Clearly, the time is now for preparedness. We are seeing strong growth in this field, as well as a good deal of passion revolving around readiness, self-sufficiency, and freedom. Remember--each one of us is a torch-bearer. Carry the flame high.

The Champions

Without further ado ...

Video Category:

1st prize: "Survival and Prepping - The Basics" by Falcon15, Survivalmonkey.com - Katadyn Pocket

2nd prize: "PSK Survival Exercise" by ia woodsman, Survivalistboards.com - Excalibur 9-Tray Dehydrator

Article Category:

1st prize: "What is a Well-Stocked First Aid Kit" by K.M., Survivalblog.com - Katadyn Pocket

2nd prize: "Preparedness for Young People" by Maria S, Rural-Revolution.com - Excalibur 9-Tray Dehydrator

Each of the finalists as submitted to us from the participating blogs and websites will receive an engaved Freedom Award trophy, recognizing their achievement. Congratulations to all!

Testimonial for Safecastle: "a ministry to those trying to prepare"

I certainly appreciate all the feedback we receive from our customers. It helps to know what we are doing right and where we can improve.

I don't normally post or promote the raves we sometimes receive from our thoughtful buyers club members, but in this case, this comment is so heart-felt and on-target with what I've always felt is our mission:

From M. Brooks, Jan. 20, 2012:

I am in the military and first heard of Safecastle about 3 years ago while stationed overseas.  If memory serves me correctly I found it at Survival Blog. At that time I placed some orders and had them sent to my mother’s home back in the States.  Upon returning to the U.S., I saw the Safecastle advertisement again and the membership offer. 

I was quite skeptical to be honest because I figured the “lifetime membership” offer was too good to be true and if I paid the nominal amount for the membership, when I got ready to use it Safecastle would not be around. 

I decided to take a leap of faith and join what I hoped would not be a fly by night enterprise.  Soon I began to order products and am absolutely amazed!!!! 

The service is incredible; each time I have contacted Mr. Vic, I get an immediate response. He has always been kind and considerate and very professional and stands behind his word. Safecastle is a LEGITIMATE company. The membership perks are phenomenal. Because we are at such a critical juncture in our world, preparedness has become big business and there are a lot of folks in it just for the money and provide substandard products and services. 

I believe Safecastle is really a ministry to those trying to prepare.  I am still in the military and Safecastle continues to help me prepare for the uncertainties of the future. I am not paid by Safecastle nor have I been asked for this testimonial. I just want to reach any who are skeptics and don’t believe Safecastle’s claims. It is truly a first rate outfit, selling quality products at a reasonable price, owned and operated by a man who has a servant’s heart.

John Williams: No Way Out–Hyperinflation by 2014 The warning signs are getting worse | James J Puplava CFP | FINANCIAL SENSE

John Williams: No Way Out–Hyperinflation by 2014 The warning signs are getting worse James J Puplava CFP FINANCIAL SENSE

John Williams from Shadow Government Statistics sees no way to avoid hyperinflation, as some of the warning signs are getting worse: rising real inflation rates, massive Fed monetization, foreign nations dumping dollars, and the US losing its triple A credit rating.

"Your Wages Will Be Cut in Half"

Must read from Video Rebel's Blog: "Translating Zero Hedge: Your Wages Will Be Cut In Half"

Excerpt:  "... after the 2012 elections the Russians, the Chinese, Iran, Venezuela plus their clients states and a few other nations can and will force a devaluation of the dollar by refusing to accept Federal Reserve Notes in international trade. If Americans balk, China just has to dump a hundred billion dollars and buy commodities driving the price of food out of the reach of WalMart shoppers. Of course I realize the Chinese will just be doing what the bankers want them to do.

"An international conference will be held at which the dollar will be devalued by about 40% as predicted by Bernanke. This will complete that 50% pay cut I have been predicting.

"The Chinese will have dumped most of their dollars before the conference so that their economy will not be harmed by a dollar devaluation. If Americans can’t afford to buy Chinese products, China will just sell them to people whose currencies were revalued upwards.

"I would suggest you buy storable food, silver coins (not collectibles) and household items that will just increase in cost."

Experts Advise What to Freak Out About in 2012

The World Economic Forum's Global Risks 2012 report is out. There's plenty to set your hair on fire about. Check the interactive report here.

Some of the biggest concerns:  Chronic fiscal imbalances, water supply crises, severe income disparity, and food shortage crises.

To get the drift in one overall chart, feast your fearful eyes below. (If you are prone to laying awake at night worrying about things, you might want to skip this one.)

World Economic Forum: "Global Risks 2012," an initiative of the Risk Response Network

Why Mountain House Food is the Best Choice for Long-term Storage