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. Most of these items are from JWR’s “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective. Today, we look at a power fixed-rate billing scheme. (See the Commodities section.) Precious Metals: Silver supply deficit reaches record high, could fuel price growth – Silver Institute report. o  o  o At Gold-Eagle.com: Investors flock to gold, silver bullion to protect wealth in Q1. Economy & Finance: Conference Board: Probability of US Recession Remains Elevated. …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“We held in New York that Congress cannot compel the States to enact or enforce a federal regulatory program. Today we hold that Congress cannot circumvent that prohibition by conscripting the State’s officers directly. The Federal Government may neither issue directives requiring the States to address particular problems, nor command the State’s officers or those of their political subdivisions, to administer or enforce a federal regulatory program. It matters not whether policy making is involved, and no case-by-case weighing of the burdens or benefits is necessary; such commands are fundamentally incompatible with our constitutional system of dual sovereignty.” and, “The …


Preparedness Notes for Thursday — April 20, 2023

On April 20th, 2010, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, leased by BP, killed 11 workers and began spewing an estimated 200 million gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico for nearly three months, creating the worst known offshore oil spill. April 20th is also the day that we remember the victims of the Columbine High School tragedy, where two students stormed into a suburban high school in Littleton, Colorado in 1999, at lunchtime with guns and explosives, killing 13 and wounding dozens more in what was, at the time, the nation’s deadliest school shooting. — SurvivalBlog …


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 some interesting maps for those who are preparedness-minded. Map: National Risk Index for Natural Hazards The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) publishes a National Risk …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — April 19, 2023

April 19th is the original Patriot Day which marks the multiple anniversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord, known as “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World”. This first battle, leading to our nation’s independence, was the then-dictator’s (United Kingdom King George III’s) failed attempt at “gun control”– an act being carried out in too many parts of our USA right now. This first gun control of the colonies was a failure, because of the will and determination of a small part of the population (about 3% actually fought for our independence actively, with many others supporting) to stand up …


SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters. — The Great American Gun Divide. JWR’s Comments: Pundits often speak of the cultural divide between “Red States” versus “Blue States”.  But the contrast between Gun-Toting States versus Gun-Hating States is even more pronounced. There are not many other issues that have precipitated such wholesale political migration. Needless to say, if you live …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — April 18, 2023

Paul Revere, a renowned silversmith, is better remembered as a folk hero of the American Revolution who this night in 1775 made a dramatic ride on horseback to warn Boston-area residents of an imminent attack by British troops. — We are still seeking entries for Round 106 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 106 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing …


Deluded American Fiat-Fooled Yellen-Era Serfs

I recently coined the acronym DAFFYS, to describe the majority of Americans. DAFFYS stands for Deluded American Fiat-Fooled Yellen-era Serfs. Most Americans are under the foolish delusion that they have “money” in their bank accounts. But it is not true money (gold or silver “dollars” as defined in the Coinage Acts of 1792 and 1834). Instead, much like the folding paper currency, those accounting entry digits represent “Federal Reserve Notes” (FRNs), with no intrinsic value. FRNs are issued “at will” (by fiat) by the Federal Reserve cartel. They are created out of thin air, through the process of fractional reserve …


SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, we focus on the Montana Legislature’s Vote To Ban TikTok. (See the Montana section.) Idaho Reader Dave B.  sent us the link to this biased left-wing Dutch television news report from 2022: AMERICAN REDOUBT: Ultra Conservatives Taking Over Idaho.  Take note that Nieuwsuur is co-produced …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — April 17, 2023

On April 17, 1982, the Canada Act, also known as the Constitution Act, took effect. The Canada Act established certain individual rights, preserving parliamentary supremacy, and making Canada a wholly independent, fully sovereign state.  Sadly, since then, individual liberty in Canada has been deeply degraded by the growth of the bureaucratic, Ottawa-centric, and increasingly socialistic Nanny State. — Today’s feature article was penned by SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.


Recipe of the Week:  Super Simple Peanut Butter Cookies

The following recipe for Super Simple Peanut Butter Cookies is from reader Cathy D.  She notes: “The egg helps hold the dough together. Don’t skip it, or you’ll have crumbly mess.” This recipe makes one dozen cookies. Ingredients 1 cup peanut butter. Typical commercial peanut butter brands (like Skippy or Jif) work better than the “natural/organic” brands. 1 cup of white sugar. 1 egg Directions Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Mix peanut butter, white sugar, and egg in a medium bowl until smooth. Roll mixture into 1-inch dough balls and place 1.5 inches …


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. Most of these items are from JWR’s “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the baby bull in precious metals. Precious Metals: Silver has been steadily climbing, in recent weeks. Despite some profit-taking on Friday (April 14), spot silver closed at $25.61 per Troy ounce!  It now costs $26,900+ to buy a $1,000 face value bag of pre-1965 US. “junk” silver from a reliable “low mark-up” …