Preparedness Notes for Monday — November 25, 2019

November 25th was the birthday of economist and comedian Ben Stein. His unscripted monologue on economics from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is one of the most memorable scenes in American cinema. By the way, Stein spends part of each year at his second home in Sandpoint, Idaho, so he is an honorary Redoubter. I’ve heard that he plans to retire here. — Today, another review by our own Pat Cascio.  




Buck Knives 841 Sprint Pro Folder, by Pat Cascio

Buck Knives is one of America’s oldest knife companies, and with good reason. Buck senses the pulse of the knife buying public, and they have produced some of the most rock-solid knife designs over the years, that are still in production. A knife executive of a major knife company once told me that, a “good” knife design has a three year shelf-life. That means that after about three years, that design no longer holds an interest to the knife buying public. But take a look at many of the Buck designs – like their classic Model 110 that have been …




Recipe of the Week: Terry’s Pumpkin Pie

Reader Terry kindly sent us this recipe of home-made pumpkin pie. Ingredients A 9-inch diameter (or larger) pumpkin Enough pastry dough for a single-crust pie (9 inch diameter) 2 large eggs 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1 cup milk Whipped cream (optional) Directions Thorough wash exterior of pumpkin, and rinse. Cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard the seeds and “strings”. Place in a large microwave-safe dish with the cut side facing down. Add water, 1 inch deep. Cover and cook in …




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. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at The Federal Reserve’s current repo market intervention. (See the Economy & Finance  section.) Economy & Finance: The Federal Reserve’s new repo market intervention–the so-called “Not QE”–now has them consistently  buying $60 billion in Treasury bills every month. This is essentially a desperation move to prevent short term interest rates …




The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The wealth of another region excites their greed; and if it is weak, their lust for power as well. Nothing from the rising to the setting of the sun is enough for them. Among all others only they are compelled to attack the poor as well as the rich. Plunder, rape, and murder they falsely call empire; and where they make a desert, they call it peace.” – Tacitus