Month: February 2018

Preparedness Notes for Thursday – February 22, 2018

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On this day in 1732, George Washington was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, the second son from the second marriage of a colonial plantation owner. An initially loyal British subject, Washington eventually led the Continental Army in the American Revolution and became known as the father of the United States. o o o It is with a sad heart that we learned of the passing of Evangelist Billy Graham yesterday. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Graham family today. o o o SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today features another entry for Round 75 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The …


Surviving in an Urban Environment- Part 3, by J.M.

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I am sharing experience and ideas about surviving in an urban environment in the event of short-term or major, long-term emergency situation. We just wrapped up the Get Home Bag, list of recommended contents, and explanations. Let’s look at skills. Skills For the Trek Home You’ll need to develop some skills necessary to survive a trek home under potentially difficult circumstances. These include: Physical Fitness Your physical fitness is fundamentally important. If your only regular exercise is from walking to and from the subway, you’re going to have a hard time walking 20 blocks to your apartment in any reasonable …


Letter: How to Use Precious Metals

Hugh, Assuming that my ability to travel after SHTF will be severely limited, how can I use or sell my precious metals? – J.A. HJL’s Response: Precious metals are really designed to carry your wealth through a crises and be used on the other side – especially if you have large chunks of PMs. Traditionally, PMs always have intrinsic value simply because people recognize the rarity of the metal and have always attached some value to it. However, during a crises in which the economy collapses, you can’t eat them. That’s why we always recommend filling out your preps with …


The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “HJL”. Economic crises is the focus of today’s edition. E-Books on Homesteading Patrice Lewis of the Rural Revolution blog has greatly expanded her Country Living Series of How-To e-books. There are now over 60 titles available in these low-cost e-books that cover unique aspects of rural living, livestock care, preparedness, simplicity, frugality and rural businesses. All the books are in PDF format and can be purchased individually or bundled together for more information …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday – February 21, 2018

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February 21st is also the birthday of Group Captain Douglas Bader (born 1910, died 5 September 1982). He was a Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter ace during the Second World War. He lost his legs in a pre-war flying accident, but that didn’t stop him from re-entering the RAF when war broke out. He was credited with 20 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared probable, and 11 enemy aircraft damaged. Bader was eventually shot down and became a POW in Germany. Since the Luftwaffe ran its own POW camps, he became a celebrity with his captors. The …


Surviving in an Urban Environment- Part 2, by J.M.

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I am sharing experience and ideas about surviving in an urban environment in the event of short-term or major, long-term emergency situation. We’re currently talking about getting home, whether from work or campus, since home is where our supplies are most likely stored. Get Home Bag On the subject of equipment and supplies, you’ve probably heard the term “Get Home Bag” (GHB). A lot of the discussion you can find regarding GHBs deals with handling a multi-day trek through the wilderness. Most of the time, the recommended content focuses on things like starting fires, building shelter, finding water, et cetera. …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is on Bitcoin taxes.

 

Precious Metals:

Mike Maloney’s Update On the Gold/Silver Ratio

 

Stocks:

At Reuters: Dow, S&P snap winning streak as Walmart weighs

 

Taxes (Bitcoin Taxes):

SurvivalBlog reader Janet X. sent us a scary little snippet from Martin W. Armstrong: Cryptocurrency Maybe Become a Tax Nightmare. JWR’s Comments: While there could indeed be accurate tax tracking of Bitcoin purchases (or sales) through exchanges, what about Bitcoin fractions that are gifts, trades, or personally mined?  Can you imagine what a tax audit would be like for someone who trades, gifts, or sells such BTC at a later date? Imagine this series of questions:  “What was the US Dollar value when you mined it?” “And what was the US Dollar value on the day that you received it?”  “And what was the US Dollar value on the day that you spent or traded it?” Yikes!

With Bitcoin prices all over map in a wild rollercoaster ride for the past three years, who is to say what this crypto’s relative Dollar value was at those precise “taxable event” days or hours?  This would be especially confusing for Bitcoin mining, which is often done very gradually. When is the taxable event Dollar-value benchmark for miners?

Consider that from 2014 to 2017 the Dollar value of a Bitcoin ranged from $4 to as high as $20,000. Then In January 2018 it was back down to $6,000. Now (as of February 20th, 2018) it is back up over $10,800. Those tax calculations might be almost impossible to make accurately!

 

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”


JWR’s Recommendations of the Week

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Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. This week the focus is on a course for military surplus waterproof Hardigg and Pelican cases  (See the Gear section.) Books: Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America’s Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan o o o Guerrilla Camping: Getting Off the Beaten Path Movies: I found a documentary on economics that is definitely worth watching. It is: End of the Road: How Money Became Worthless. (Available on DVD, also available free streaming to those with an Amazon Prime membership.)  SurvivalBlog readers will recognize …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – February 20, 2018

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This is the birthday of novelist and screenwriter Richard Matheson (1926–2013). He wrote many sci-fi television scripts. His novella I Am Legend later was adapted into three different movies over the course of five decades, and his story Bid Time Return became the charming movie Somewhere In Time. o o o We are still looking for more contest entries. Make sure you get your’s finished and sent in soon! o o o SurvivalBlog Writing Contest This has been another entry for Round 75 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First …


Surviving in an Urban Environment- Part 1, by J.M.

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Let’s talk about surviving in an urban environment. In my younger days, one of my first jobs was in a mid-sized city in the Midwest. Being young, I wanted to enjoy all of the virtues and vices that the city had to offer. So, I got an apartment that was close to the city center. I had camping gear, and I always made sure to have a decent stock of food, water and medical supplies. However, with the knowledge and experience I’ve picked up in the ensuing decades, I look back and realize how unprepared I really was to survive …


SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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Here is SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt. This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. We also mention companies of interest to preppers that are located in the region. The emphasis this week is on Rep. Matt Shea’s recent presentation on the proposed State of Liberty. (See the Eastern Washington section.) Region-Wide: Here is a good summary of demographics for the Inland Northwest region. o o o  11 Stunning Places To Visit In The Inland Northwest   Idaho Writing in Redoubt News, Rep. Christy Zito reports on some pending legislation: Idaho Stand-Your-Ground …


The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “HJL”. The Nuclear Football in Beijing I’m not completely familiar on how the infamous “nuclear football” works. For those more unfamiliar than I am, it is supposed to be a briefcase that has the nuclear launch codes. It goes where the president goes. President Trump’s recent visit to Beijing caused quite a dust-up when the president was allowed in the Great Hall of the People, but the person carrying the briefcase was not. …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police … yet in their hearts there is unspoken fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts: words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home — all the more powerful because forbidden — terrify them. A little mouse of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic.” – Winston S. Churchill, in: Blood, Toil, Tears & Sweat