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. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the rising price of gold. (See the Precious Metals section.) Precious Metals: Up, up, up: Spot gold jumped to $2007 USD per Troy ounce on Friday, and spot silver followed suit to $23.12 USD per Troy ounce. Seeing precious metals prices this strong in the face of an ostensibly “strong” U.S. Dollar …



Preparedness Notes for Sunday — October 29, 2023

On October 29, 1618, British adventurer and writer Sir Walter Raleigh was executed for treason. — October 29th is also the birthday of fighter pilot Vermont Garrison, an American who fought in three wars– WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. He was born in 1915 and died on February 14th, 1994, in Mountain Home, Idaho. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 109 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:   Meme Text: I Bet He’s Thinking About Other Women Why Can Some Guys Tell a 1/2-Inch Bolt from a 9/16ths, Just By Glancing At It? Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks! Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.  


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — October 28, 2023

On October 28, 1726, Anglo-Irish author Jonathan Swift anonymously published Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World (later called Gulliver’s Travels), a keystone of English literature that helped give birth to the novel form. Today is also concidentally the birthday of several gun designers: Wilhelm Bubits (born October 28, 1954) in Lutzmannsburg, is an Austrian handgun designer and creator of the Caracal Pistol and Steyr Mannlicher M and S model pistols. As a hobby shooter and former police officer, Wilhelm Bubits used his experience and ideas about handguns to advance modern pistol design. Bubits worked for the Glock firearms …


Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, 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 your e-mailed letters. We post many of those –or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Lord, remember David, and all his afflictions: How he sware unto the Lord, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob; Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed; I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids, Until I find out a place for the Lord, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob. Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the wood. We will go into his tabernacles: we will worship at his footstool. Arise, O Lord, into …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — October 27, 2023

On October 27, 1979, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, an island country lying within the Lesser Antilles in the eastern Caribbean Sea, achieved its independence. — October 27th, 1858 was the birthday of President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt. (He died January 6, 1919.) — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 109 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000. A Gunsite Academy Three Day …


How To Find a Trustworthy Doctor – Part 2, by C.A.J.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Rule #3: Find a doctor who practices moral not just ethical medicine. By ethical medicine, I mean what is socially acceptable from your community, insurance companies, and government. Moral medicine is based on a sense of righteousness and wrong. For example, if a doctor wants prenatal genetic testing to check for disorders in your unborn child, that usually is “code” for I want to kill your baby if it is a Down Syndrome person. Today, over 90% of Down Syndrome babies are “ethically” aborted in the United States. Or how about a …


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. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we examine the recent rise in the value of Bitcoin, in Dollar terms. (See the Forex & Cryptos section.) Precious Metals: Over at Gold-Eagle.com: What Happens to Gold When Bonds Are No Longer a Safe Haven? o  o  o A Kitco video: Preparing for the next recession with gold and silver. Economy & Finance: From …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded, because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes; and armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few. In war, too, the discretionary power of the Executive is extended; its influence in dealing out offices, honors, and emoluments is multiplied; and all the means of seducing the minds, are added to those of subduing the force, of the people. The same …


Preparedness Notes for Thursday — October 26, 2023

The sci-fi movie The Terminator was released in the United States on October 26, 1984. It was hugely successful. It made actor Arnold Schwarzenegger a star and established director James Cameron as a bankable filmmaker. This is the birthday of Henry Deringer (October 26, 1786 – February 28, 1868) was an American gunsmith. He is best known for inventing and giving his name to the very compact Deringer pistol. Edward Wilson Very (born October 26, 1847, died March 1, 1910) was an American naval officer who adopted and popularized a single-shot breech-loading flare pistol that fired flares that bears his …


The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, we look at tactical evasion tactics. How to Evade a Professional Military (Tracking, Countertracking) Reader C.B. suggested a new video from Garand Thumb: How to Evade A Professional …