Notes for Saturday – December 31, 2016

December 31st is the birthday of Dr. Cynthia Koelker, SurvivalBlog’s Medical Editor. It is also the birthday of Frederick Selous (born 1851, died 4 January 1917). o o o Mountain House is hiking most prices on their 30-year freeze-dried foods January 1 (as much as 10%). Safecastle is offering MH Sale discounts of as much as 48% through Dec. 31 (midnight Eastern time). Prices may never be this low again, so don’t miss this opportunity. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 68 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $15,000 worth of prizes for this …




Keeping Your Head, And Preventing Others From Losing Theirs, by G.F.

In a critical situation, would you rather make war or make peace? I think the idea of cooperating to live through a crisis is much better than a “kill or be killed” scenario. The main reason why we need to think on this topic is that if the unthinkable happens, we can more easily restore our society from scratch. Like the Founding Fathers, we will have a foundation to build on. A pile of dead people is not a good way to start. Peace of mind is the key to happiness, and to have peace of mind you need resources. …




Letter Re: Secession

Thanks for the article. I enjoyed it, but I have a couple of questions: the Supreme Court rulings seem to pertain only to states wanting to leave an “indestructable Union” composed of “indestructable States”, but does that still leave open the possibility of one of the “indestructable States” wanting to separate and become another state and still be part of the United States? You mention Baja Arizona, and certainly there is discussion about a State of Jefferson. There’s also the intent/desire for Silicone Valley to split off and become their own state. I’m sure upstate NY would like to divorce …




Economics and Investing:

Outlook 2017: What To Expect From Oil, Gold, USD And FX o o o Foreign Exchange Outlook (Scotiabank) o o o Investment Outlook 2017 (Credit Suisse) o o o Here’s where contrarian investors plan to make their money in 2017 o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.




Odds ‘n Sods:

Spinners, Weavers, and Sheep Ranchers take note: The Annual Black Sheep Gathering is scheduled for June 23-25, 2017 at the Lane County Fairgrounds in Eugene, Oregon. o o o The Northwest Preparedness Expo is calendared for May 6, 2017, in Prosser, Washington o o o A Storm is Coming: Preppers Must Stay Vigilant in 2017 o o o Signs of the times: Germany Considers Fining Facebook $522,000 Per Fake News Item o o o Star Parker: Obama Abandons Israel