Editors’ Prepping Progress

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! …




Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest 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 JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is on condition grading antiques. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)   Commodities: $90 Oil Is A Very Real Possibility o o o Cobalt demand still there, says BMI’s Rawles. (Clarification Note from JWR: Although he is probably a distant relative, I don”t know Caspar Rawles. We’ve never met …







The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The store customer, who comes home with a package under his arm has learned nothing, except that a ten dollar bill is a source of power in the market place. The man or woman who has converted material into needed products via tools and skills has matured in the process.” – Helen Nearing, The Good Life (Helen and Scott Nearing’s Sixty Years of Self-Sufficient Living)  




Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest 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 JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is on collectible antique hand tools. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)   Precious Metals: First up, this article recommended by a blog reader in Alaska: Silver Threads among the Gold: What the Tea Leaves Seem to Be Telling Us o o o Gold looking for a break …




JWR’s Recommendations of the Week

Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. This week the focus is on Tool Storage (See the Gear section.)   Books: The Russia Hoax: The Illicit Scheme to Clear Hillary Clinton and Frame Donald Trump o  o  o Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival o  o  o Liars, Leakers, and Liberals: The Case Against the Anti-Trump Conspiracy   Movies: The Mechanic. (The original, with Charles Bronson. I much prefer it to the recent remake.) Available on DVD, but also available for free streaming to Amazon Prime …







Some Implications of the NRA’s Recommended Full Auto Amnesty

Introductory Note: The following is not intended to be legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney in your own state.  This essay is simply conjecture on possible outcomes of a change in U.S. Treasury Department policy, in response to a recent suggestion by the National Rifle Association (NRA). Your perspective might be substantially different, your situation might not match what I’m suggesting, and “your mileage may vary.” Do not do anything illegal. The window of opportunity that I will describe does not yet exist. So this essay is just some conjectural food for thought. The recent national kerfluffle over so-called “bumpfire” …




SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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 startup companies in the American Redoubt.   Idaho Idaho’s startup hub? Turns out it’s Coeur d’Alene o o o 10 Best Tech Startups in Boise o o o Reader Jon C. sent us this: Dozens of goats overtake Boise neighborhood, possibly plotting world domination   Montana Montana Startups to Watch 2018: High-tech and Manufacturing o o o …







Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest 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 JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is on the effects of higher interest rates on stock markets. (See the Stocks section and the Economy and Finance section.)   Precious Metals: August’s Gold Market Looks ‘Ready For The Up Cycle’ – Sprott Money o o o VIDEO — Michael DiRienzo of the Silver Institute …




The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“I’m pretty busy these days with ‘normal’ stuff, but there’s always that little voice in the back of the head that says ‘Hey…stay frosty, man. Today could be The Day.’ It’s really easy to get lax when there’s electricity, hot water, and a fridge full of food at hand. All of that can change like that (:::snaps fingers:::) But, still, it’s hard to stay focused sometimes. I’ve been cleaning up the ‘extra’ guns and getting them ready for the Deep Sleep. Basically it’s a very detailed cleaning, a generous amount of lubrication, and seal it up in a Pelican case …




Editors’ Prepping Progress

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! …




Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest 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 JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is on the effect of higher interest rates on stock markets. (See the Stocks section.)   Precious Metals: Fed Does Nothing To Help Gold o o o Video interview of chartist Gary Wagner: Gold To See “Fireworks” From Trade War   Stocks: Stock Market Outlook: Choppiness Ahead? …




The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“We’ve forgotten much. How to struggle, how to rise to dizzy heights and sink to unparalleled depths. We no longer aspire to anything. Even the finer shades of despair are lost to us. We’ve ceased to be runners. We plod from structure to conveyance to employment and back again. We live within the boundaries that science has determined for us. The measuring stick is short and sweet. The full gamut of life is a brief, shadowy continuum that runs from gray to more gray. The rainbow is bleached. We hardly know how to doubt anymore.” – Richard Matheson, in “The …