Month: February 2019

Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest news 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 SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today’s focus is on Demographic Imperatives. Precious Metals: Gold Edges Down As Fed Minutes Offer Clues Into January’s Policy Reversal o o o Prepare Now For Global Financial Crisis – Jim Willie Interviews Mark O’Byrne   Economy & Finance: Bloomberg: U.S. Student Debt in ‘Serious Delinquency’ Tops $166 …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“When then, my Lords, are all the generous efforts of our ancestors, are all those glorious contentions, by which they meant to secure themselves, and to transmit to their posterity, a known law, a certain rule of living, reduced to this conclusion, that instead of the arbitrary power of a King, we must submit to the arbitrary power of a House of Commons? If this be true, what benefit do we derive from the exchange? Tyranny, my Lords, is detestable in every shape; but in none is it so formidable as where it is assumed and exercised by a number …


Preparedness Notes for Thursday — February 21, 2019

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February 21st is 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. Bader’s autobiography Reach for the Sky is a must for those studying aviation in World War II. …


Cutting Your Power Utility Cord, by Dennis Williams – Pt. 1.

A Short Primer on Making Your Own Electricity Most of us have thought of the dream: A secluded retreat nestled in the woods, off the beaten path, no mortgage, no utility bills, raising our own food, homeschooling our children, spending time with our family, etc. Then we pop back to reality, and try to plan out and prioritize how we make it happen. How do we get from where we are to where we want to be? Ten seconds of background on me: I have been playing with solar energy for 40 years. I am an Army combat veteran, and …


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 “JWR”.  Today, we focus on the new .308 PMAG drums. (See the last item in this column.) Kentucky Sheriff Warns Residents To ‘Load Guns’ Gregg sent us this: Kentucky Sheriff Warns Residents To ‘Load Guns’ Mapped: The Median Age of the Population A hat tip to H.L. for sending us this: Mapped: The Median Age of the Population on Every Continent Chinese Dam Disaster Hushed Up Also from H.L. came this note: “I thought …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“This is a nation of inconsistencies. The Puritans fleeing from oppression became oppressors. We fought England for our liberty and put chains on four million of blacks. We wiped out slavery and our tariff laws and national banks began a system of white wage slavery worse than the first. Wall Street owns the country. It is no longer a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, but a government of Wall Street, by Wall Street, and for Wall Street. The great common people of this country are slaves, and monopoly is the master. The West and …


Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — February 20, 2019

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. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 81 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System …


Age-Adjusted Prepping, by Wandering Will

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It is said that prepping is not a movement or a philosophy. It is a way of life, and a way of life must accommodate changes in life. Having squarely arrived into my “Golden Years,” I was reluctantly forced to take a fresh look at my prepping agenda. Not exactly a newbie to the game. I’m still eating Year 2000 Problem (Y2K) food, I have accumulated food, gear, and training over the years and have reached a somewhat reasonable level of comfort. However, we all know what happens when we start feeling confident. After a few recent practice drills and …


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 the documentary film Thud Pilots.   (See the Movies section.) Books: Phil Robertson’s latest book: The Theft of America’s Soul: Blowing the Lid Off the Lies That Are Destroying Our Country o  o  o Simply Keto: A Practical Approach to Health & Weight Loss, with 100+ Easy Low-Carb Recipes o  o  o Deer Hunting Secrets Exposed – Take The Best Buck Of Your Life   Movies: I recently watched a fascinating documentary about F-105 pilots in the …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news 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 SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today’s focus is on Silver Price Manipulation. Precious Metals (Silver Price Manipulation): Ted Butler: A New Silver Issue For The Justice Department. Here is a pointed quote from Ted: “As of the close of business on Jan 15, the 8 largest traders on the short side of COMEX …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — February 19, 2019

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Today is the birthday of Lee Marvin (1924–1987), starring actor in The Professionals and The Big Red One. — The first batch of 1,000 of the SurvivalBlog 2005-2018 Archive Waterproof 16 GB USB sticks sold out in just  five weeks. After a brief delay, the second batch of just 550 is now in hand, tested, and available for shipment. This may be our final batch of this year’s edition, so order yours, soon. Many folks place order for two or three of them at a time. — Ready Made Resources — one of our original advertisers — is running a …


Misadventures in Moving, by Tober

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Editor’s Introductory Note:  I generally avoid posting rants, but this one about a Budget rental truck was genuinely epic and tragi-comic.  If you don’t enjoy rants, then only read the first section. – JWR I think sharing this story will help me a bit, as this was quite an adventure that was mentally and physically exhausting. This article is long, so I decided to put the tips at the beginning. If you want to read the story of why I thought these tips were important, continue below. Here are my mental health tips for you if you’re planning on making …


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 tent makers and tent sellers in the American Redoubt. Some folks take the Apostle Paul literally–about being tent makers, that is… Because wall tents and especially their poles are bulky and expensive to ship, it is often best to order one in advance and then pick it up in person. The photo above is historical — it is …


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 “JWR”.  Today, we focus on the Yellow Vest Protests. My First Ever “At The Ranch” F2F Interview A few months back, I agreed to a podcast interview by Eugene Robinson of Ozy Confidential. Since I’ve known Eugene for 30 years and genuinely trust him, he was the first journalist that I’ve ever invited to conduct a face-to-face interview with me here at the Rawles Ranch. For OPSEC reasons, the interview is of course …