Year: 2019

Downturns and Financial Crises – Sequence, by Gary Christenson

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Editor’s Note:  This concise bullet point market and economic summary article first appeared at The Deviant Investor and is re-posted with permission. Pay attention folks. This echoes my own writings on the economy. Another global economic crisis could be approaching. — Bond Market Turned Down & Interest Rates Up – Check! Two-Year yield bottomed September 2011 Five-Year yield bottomed July 2012 Ten-Year yield bottomed July 2016 The 30+ year bond bull market is done. Housing Market Turned Down – Check! Mortgage rates bottomed in July 2016. Mortgage applications have fallen hard. London, Vancouver B.C. and Australian prices are down. New …


Editors’ Prepping Progress

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To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. Steadily, we work on meeting our prepping goals. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities. They also often share their planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, property improvements, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready! …


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 winter warfare training.  The photo for this column is a historical shot of Italian army alpine troops on skis. Some tactics and techniques are time-proven. SurvivalBlog Archive USB Sticks Back in Stock They’re back in stock! 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 …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — February 22, 2019

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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. — 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 …


Cutting Your Power Utility Cord, by Dennis Williams – Pt. 2

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Step 4: Equipment Inverters When setting up your off-grid power system, don’t buy the cheapest inverter that you can find on Amazon! There are several excellent inverter manufacturers out there. I have some that I love, some of them are okay, and some I will not install. Keep in mind, as a professional installer, my reputation is at stake on every project I put in. There are some cheap ones that may perform well, I can’t go there. Some of the “good stuff” out there can power your retreat, automatically start and stop the generator based on battery status, and …


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 …