16 Tests to Spot Fake Silver Coins – DSV
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Deutsche Bank refuses clients’ demand for physical gold – E.S.
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This may be another canary of a forthcoming, major economic slowdown. Ford Announces “Sales Plateau” After 8% Decline, Missing Estimates; Diving Further Into the ISM “Anomaly” – P.S.
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How Millennials Could Bring The Oil Industry To Its Knees
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SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.
The Day The Lights Go Out And The Trucks Stop Running – P.S.
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‘Like it’s been nuked’: Millions of bees dead after South Carolina sprays for Zika mosquitoes – DSV
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Trump Calls for an Oath to America. You mean like the Pledge of Allegiance? – D.S.
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Video: Hijra – Islamic Migration – B.B.
“One who uses coercion is guilty of deliberate violence. Coercion is inhuman.” – Mahatma Gandhi
September is Kilted to Kick Cancer Month. It was a wise move, not picking January. (Brrrr!) September is also National Preparedness Month.
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Today, we present another entry for Round 66 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:
First Prize:
Second Prize:
Third Prize:
Round 66 ends on September 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.
There are numerous books available to assist people who have begun to prepare themselves for the coming catastrophe. Indeed, prepping has become an “industry” in some respects, as many have come to the realization that the government will not be able to step in and solve everyone’s problems in the face of a true national disaster. Just ask the folks in New Orleans who suffered through the comparatively short-term disaster of Hurricane Katrina. At the end of this article, I will provide a brief and rather incomplete bibliography of some of the publications that I have found most helpful.
What follows is a brief outline of things that pastors and congregations can do to help each other prepare for the likely coming disaster.
This is not the time to become a Lutheran “commune” in which all resources are pooled together and commonly used. Such an approach might work if all your members lived on a common plot of land, but to my knowledge no congregation does! Distance between members and distance from the church facilities normally dictates acting independently as families. However, for those who do not have the means to prepare, the community/family of the congregation need to assist while letting each family also take responsibility for themselves to the greatest extent possible.
Perhaps the last place anyone would want to be in the event of a catastrophic event such as those discussed above is in a large metropolitan area or anywhere near an Interstate Highway. Within 24 to 72 hours following an EMP, for example, most grocery stores will be completely stripped of their products and no more will be coming in. Within two weeks, most people will use up whatever food they normally have in the house and serious looting and scavenging will begin. Large urban areas already experience high crime rates, gang violence, and random shootings. Well armed, organized gangs already exist in the cities, and when disaster strikes they will be the ones most equipped to survive but at the expense of others.
By the end of two weeks, most law enforcement will be totally overwhelmed and unable to respond to calls for help, especially in the cities. Moreover, there will be no telephone service to make that call. For the same reasons, there will be no health services available for the victims of such crimes or for injuries incurred for any other reason. Virtually everyone will be on their own. The government will not be coming to your rescue.
Once the cities have been looted of goods, the Interstate Highways will become what many preparedness writers have described as “Highways of Death”. As gangs of looters range out of the cities, any home or community adjacent to any Interstate or other major Highway will become the next targets of choice. The longer such gangs exist, the more experienced and ruthless they will become. It would behoove any town adjacent to a large metropolitan area or near any major highway to take extraordinary measures to protect their community.
This is precisely why many preppers have gone to the extreme measure of relocating their families to more rural areas. Obviously, it’s not likely that entire congregations can do that, so they must become self-sustaining, self-defending, extended families within urban and rural areas to the greatest extent possible. Families may need to double up and combine resources for both subsistence and self-defense. This will be true for both rural and urban congregations. It might be well for families living in more exposed and vulnerable housing to make plans in advance with willing congregational families living in more isolated and less vulnerable housing to double up together when a crisis begins. Prepping supplies might well be pre-positioned at the retreat setting for those families willing and able to double up. Plans within urban and rural congregations need to be well thought out and executed in such fashion that when disaster strikes they are prepared to act as one to help one another through it. Special attention should be given to single parent families, widows, and others with special needs to arrange for alternative housing with other congregational members.
For more rural congregations and communities the possibilities are much improved. Rural areas are already filled with folks to see their communities as a kind of extended family to which loyalty and responsibility is owed. Such congregations and communities can work together much easier in the face of calamity to help each other out, defend their communities from outside looters, arrange for local law and order, and do what needs to be done to retain the fabric and character of civilization to the greatest extent possible.
For congregations in any location whose members live at distances from the church facilities that are simply too far to walk, plans will need to be made for the establishment of home churches in the parish. It is suggested that pastors work with heads of households to prepare themselves for conducting worship for their families for at least the first year of the crisis. This will require the pre-crisis congregation to offer training, materials, and guidance on the best way to accomplish this goal. If possible, the original called pastor of the local pre-crisis congregation could act as a “circuit rider” traveling from home church to home church, if this can be done safely and without risking the well-being of his own family.
Should the crisis exceed one year (which is very likely in the event of an EMP or any other societal collapse scenario), or if the pre-crisis congregational pastor does not survive or abandons his post, the possibility will exist that each home church may need to establish itself as its own congregation. Lutheran theology respecting the nature of the Church and the Office of the Pastor can serve as a great help in such extreme circumstances.
If separate small home churches need to be established, it would be helpful if pre-crisis pastors and congregations could identify and train those laymen in advance, who would then be called as pastors by the constituency they would serve if such measures are needed. Calling procedures in such circumstances should be prepared in advance by the pre-crisis pastor and congregation. It is strongly recommended that during the first year of the crisis (or until the pre-crisis pastor is no longer available) that home churches refrain from celebrating the Lord’s Supper until a properly called pastor may be installed.
It may be possible that some hybrid version of this arrangement might be worked out in which laymen provide readings from Scripture, sing hymns, and do a Bible study, and on a given schedule the called pastor could travel to each home church for a celebration of the Lord’s Supper. The original pre-crisis called pastor could serve as “bishop” exercising ecclesiastical supervision for the newly “minted” pastors and provide continuing education for them as circumstances permit.
Even the provision of the elements for the Lord’s Supper will require some attention. Sufficient supplies of wine will need to be acquired to last for perhaps three years, unless someone in the parish is talented in that regard and has his own vineyard. (Note: Dandelion, Elderberry, or Blackberry wine are not acceptable!) Unleavened bread can be made easily; styrofoam-like wafers are not required! Fortunately, properly stored wine only gets better with storage! (Note: Be sure to store wine in a cool place or it will spoil!)
a. the doctrine of the Church
b. the doctrine of the Office of the Ministry
c. the doctrine of the Lord’s Supper & Closed Communion
d. the doctrine of Holy Baptism
Pre-crisis pastors will need to impress upon all their people (but especially those who will serve as the leaders/pastors of each home church) that fellowship at the Lord’s Table requires agreement in every article of Christian doctrine and that, crisis or no crisis, the standard for admittance to the Lord’s Table must not be compromised. Fellowship at the Lord’s Table is Church fellowship. Unity at the altar includes doctrinal unity. It is simply adequate instruction and agreement that is required for fellowship. Friends and neighbors can be instructed and confirmed prior to participation at the Lord’s Table.
Without doubt there will be many unforeseen circumstances that this writer cannot anticipate, and thus part of a congregation’s preparation needs to be a forum for those topics as they come up. Ironically, this kind of preparation will benefit the congregation by helping them to understand themselves as a “family”, helping them to see and provide for the critical need for the Word and Sacraments, and helping them to understand the pastoral office and its critical part in the life of a congregation, whatever its size.
The Bride of Christ will weather whatever storm comes its way. She survived the persecution of Roman Emperors and the persecution as religious minorities in Muslim and other non-Christian societies; she will survive whatever rigors may come with a modern day societal collapse and whatever trials may accompany the events leading up to our Lord’s return. Ultimately, our hope is in Christ alone, in whose hand history rests and in whose hand our ultimate victory is assured.
“And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: and they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.”- Revelation 22:1-5 (ESV)
Bibliography
Non-Fiction Books/Publications Outlining the Possible Reality of the Coming Disaster:
1. Blackout Wars: State Initiatives to Achieve Preparedness Against An Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Catastrophe, Dr. Peter Vincent Pry, Task Force on National and Homeland Security, 2015.
4. Rickards, James; The Death of Money: The Coming Collapse of the International Monetary System, Portfolio/Penguin Group, 2014.
5. Rickards, James; Currency Wars: The Making of the Next Global Crisis, Portfolio/Penguin Group, 2012.
Non-Fiction Books/Publications Outlining Specific Ways to Prepare for the Coming Disaster:
1. Rawles, James Wesley, How To Survive the End of the World As We Know It, a Plume Book, Penguin Group, New York, NY, 2009.
2. Rawles, James Wesley, Tools for Survival: What You Need To Survive When You’re On Your Own, A Plume Book, 2015.
3. Pennington, Tess; The Prepper’s Blueprint: The Step-By-Step Guide to Help You Prepare For Any Disaster, First Ed., CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014.
4. Werner, David; Where There Is No Doctor: A Village Health Care Handbook, Hesperian Health Guides, Berkley, CA., 2011.
5. Dickson, Murray, Where There Is No Dentist, Hesperian Health Guides, Berkley, CA., 2012.
6. Alton, Joseph, The Survival Medicine Handbook, 2nd Edition, Doom and Bloom LLC, 2013.
7. Back To Basics, Ed. Abigail R. Gehring, Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., 2008.
8. Snuffy, Joe; Suburban Survival: Preparing for Socio-Economic Collapse, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013.
Fiction Books to Assist With Establishing a Mindset For Preparation:
1. Forstchen, William R., One Second After, Tom Doherty Associates Publisher, 2009.
2. Forstchen, William R., One Year After, A Forge Book, Tom Doherty Associates Publisher, 2015.
3. Gorham, Ray, 77 Days In September, Ray Gorham copyright, 2011.
4. Rawles, James Wesley, Patriots, Ulysses Press, Berkley, CA, 2009.
5. Crawford, David, Lights Out, Halffast Publishing, Texas, USA, 2010.
Hugh,
The last section of this article had me in stitches; the writer really knows his stuff. I could picture his ex-wife, the same as many people I know going through what he described. I myself am not as self sufficient as I should be, but I have a good start and understand the sacrifice and learning one must make to get there. Because I do know people who have made snarky remarks about my “life style” and because I do have many people that think because I now live on 14 acres, I can provide for all, I have decided that the next time I hear that infernal statement of “I’ll just go to your place when it hits the fan”, I will simply thank them profusely and give them a pre-prepared list of things that they must bring when they are on their way to my place, a list not unlike James Wesley, Rawles “How to Survive the End of the World As We Know It”, maybe not as long as the book but a lengthy list none the less. I have a friend who stated to me that if it did hit the fan and things got so bad that she and her boyfriend/living partner would prefer to die than go through it. I should get that in writing to show her when they try to come on over. Honestly folks, God has given us life. It is up to us to fight for it with whatever He has given us. For me, I know that I can not do it alone. God has always provided for me, and I also know people that I can partner up with. Together we can hopefully survive it. As they say, God helps those who help themselves, and what blesses one blesses all. Thank you for my daily read, CN
There isn’t any new news here, other than a growing recognition of the forthcoming pension crisis at many levels (city, county, state, federal). Pension disappointment: National solutions to a global problem (Note: requires membership to view link.) – P.S.
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Is Elon Musk Taking Advantage Of Solar City Investors? Elon Musk recently purchased $65 million of SolarCity debt, a decision that may disturb shareholders in SolarCity and Tesla, who see the investment as a warning sign.
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Hanjin Shipping goes down. Global Supply Chains Paralyzed After World’s 7th Largest Container Shipper Files Bankruptcy, Assets Frozen – P.S.
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Video: PEOPLE ARE EATING ZOO ANIMALS! Venezuela’s Crisis Explained
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Germans “Lose Faith In Banks”, Rush To Buy Safes – G.L.
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SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.
All the Ways Your Wi-Fi Router Can Spy on You – B.B.
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The Clinton Body Count Mounts – DSV
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Several readers sent in this link about the ATF changing the rules on nitrocellulose storage as a backdoor attempt to regulate firearms. The NRA-ILA had this update on the issue: ATF Delays Any Changes to Nitrocellulose Regulation
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An indicator of things to come: Ultra-violent gangs thrive in chaotic Venezuela despite crackdown – P.S.
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Reichstag Rubicon: Homeland eyes special declaration to take charge of elections – GJM
“The end of the law is, not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge freedom.” – John Locke
August 31st, 1992 is the day that Randy Weaver surrendered to the Federal Authorities, ending the 10 day siege on Ruby Ridge. This is the incident that preceded the Waco siege and is known for the unconstitutional rules of engagement and overzealous actions by the jack booted thugs of the federal authorities that resulted in the death of two innocent people– Sammy and Vicki Weaver, Randy’s son and wife. It is notable that Randy was acquitted of all charges, except missing a court date and violating bail conditions, on an ATF sting operation where it is suspected that Mr. Weaver did nothing wrong but that the ATF informant altered the shotguns sold to him by Weaver resulting in Weaver’s arrest. In addition, the missed court date was due to clerical errors on behalf of the court. All involved Federal agencies were publicly reprimanded, and the state of Idaho attempted to press charges against some individuals for their actions but were stymied due to federal interference.
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Today, we present another entry for Round 66 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:
First Prize:
Second Prize:
Third Prize:
Round 66 ends on September 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.
While all of this is frightening and should give us pause respecting the fragility of our civilization, what would such potential events mean for the Bride of Christ– the Church? While Scripture tells us that even the gates of hell cannot prevail against the Church of Christ Jesus, that does not mean that His Bride will not suffer in this world. The genocide we see of Christians and their culture in the Muslim world should prove the point. It should be remembered that we still live in the Church Militant, not the Church Triumphant.
What follows is, of course, speculative but should provide a basis for pondering what our Lord’s Church might look like and act like in such dire circumstances as those described above. More importantly, it might give some impetus for congregations to prepare their members for the potential coming catastrophe, whatever its form.
Some likely possibilities for the Church:
For starters, in the event of an EMP attack, there would be no means of either communication or transportation beyond that of walking or riding horseback, unless you have a very old car without an electronic ignition, and then you wouldn’t be able to obtain gasoline because the gas pumps would not be functioning. Second, since all electronic communications devices and services (TV, radio, Internet, and Postal Service) would fail, there would be no means by which church body institutions could communicate with their members. Every individual congregation that could still function would be completely on their own as no districts or national church institutions would be able to assist them. Ecclesiastical supervision by church bodies would cease to exist.
If congregants only have the ability to walk, traveling to worship services would become virtually impossible for most members and dangerous for all. Gone are the days when churches were located about five or six miles apart to enable their members to attend on horseback. Many church facilities will simply become impractical to maintain.
Both for the clergy and the laity, this would be a time of separating the proverbial wheat from the chaff. Those who are truly faithful will do all in their power to continue some form of congregational life, but others will abandon their calls or laymen their participation in the congregation. In some cases, the congregation will abandon the parish, leaving the pastor without a congregation to serve. In other cases where the clergy abandon their call, whatever form of congregation remains will need to understand that they need to call a pastor to serve as their shepherd, even if it is from the men of the congregation. Congregations need a rightly called pastor to be the Church. Surviving retired pastors in a community might become sought after resources.
Just as the German Lutheran settlers of Perry County, Missouri, in the 19th century founded a log cabin seminary, so too would the Bride of Christ in local areas need to find a way to train pastors for the feeding of God’s sheep by qualified men. Theological libraries would need to be established as best as possible, utilizing pastor’s libraries as a primary source for texts and pastors as the primary instructors. Rather than succumb to the temptation to take shortcuts in theological education, strict standards of preparation need to be kept for the sake of God’s people.
St. Paul writes in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Even in the event of a societal collapse, God will use the terrible things that happen to draw His people closer to His Word and Sacraments, thus giving spiritual strengthening and nourishment to His potential flock. Perhaps the first thing that a pastor and his congregation can do to prepare for the coming catastrophe is to understand that God is still God no matter the circumstances in which His people find themselves.
It should be obvious that a good under shepherd of Christ would help his congregation prepare for disaster, especially since it is clear that the current economic trajectory of this nation simply cannot be sustained much longer and the risk of a nuclear EMP attack grows with every news cycle. It is also true that our world has become immeasurably more dangerous with acts of terrorism driven by Satan’s Muslim followers occurring even in our own country and perhaps even in our own communities. Additionally, rogue international bad actors, like Iran and North Korea, have plainly told us of their intentions to destroy America and Christianity and have made it clear that they will do whatever they need to do to keep their word. We really ought to believe them!
What steps can be taken by local pastors and congregations to prepare for a possible societal collapse?
First, realize that among your own congregations are a few (perhaps many) of your members who are already “Preppers”. A Prepper is a person who has intentionally begun to lay aside food and supplies in order to help their family survive a possible societal collapse. For the most part, such folks are not “crazy” nor do they wear “tinfoil hats”. They are rational men and women who have simply chosen to see what’s headed their way and are taking actions for their families to survive it.
In a congregation, already existing Preppers are an invaluable resource for others who have decided that events are likely coming that require preparation. Preppers have been there and done that. Most Preppers want to live in a community in which most people are Preppers, because if they are not, then when the worst comes even fellow neighbors and church members can become deadly enemies as they seek to provide the necessities of life for their families. Hungry people will kill one another to keep themselves and their children fed.
In many ways, congregations of God’s people are the perfect Prepper communities! They already share the Christian faith, which enables them to see one another as true brothers and sisters in Christ. They already care about one another and want to help those in need. They are, or should be, a “family” unto themselves. Congregational Prepping will only help to deepen that God-given bond. As is always the case, the congregation’s pastor must take the lead.
Prepping can’t be the pastor’s primary goal in the congregation. The pastor’s call is to teach the Word of God in all its purity and to administer the Sacraments in accord with Christ’s institution. That always comes first! The pastor is the chief catechist of the congregation, and the chief thing he is to teach is the Christian faith. However, Christian life is also a topic on a pastor’s plate. It will require some courage on the pastor’s part to actually bridge the prepping topic of conversation. He has to risk being seen as something of a “nut-case” by those members who simply will not see the dangers that are at our door and are subject to something called “normalcy bias”.
Wikipedia defines normalcy bias as “…a mental state people enter when facing a disaster. It causes people to underestimate both the possibility of a disaster and its possible effects. This may result in situations where people fail to adequately prepare and, on a larger scale, the failure of governments to include the populace in its disaster preparations. The assumption that is made in the case of the normalcy bias is that since a disaster never has occurred, it never will occur. It can result in the inability of people to cope with a disaster once it occurs. People with a normalcy bias have difficulties reacting to something they have not experienced before. People also tend to interpret warnings in the most optimistic way possible, seizing on any ambiguities to infer a less serious situation.”
It seems fair to conclude that the United States federal government has a very bad case of normalcy bias, since it has chosen to ignore the clear warnings of its own EMP Commission and has done absolutely nothing to harden the public grid infrastructure of this nation, which the Commission estimated could be done for the relatively small amount of $20 billion dollars. At the same time, however, the U.S. military listened to the findings of the Congressional EMP reports and has taken some precautions to harden some of its electronic assets. Likewise, normalcy bias has prompted the continued downward spiral of our economy to be seen as a “new normal” and nothing to be concerned about. The erroneous conclusion by many in government is that continued deficit spending can continue indefinitely and that no day of reckoning need be contemplated.
As a pastor, you have likely proven that you are a Godly man of rational mind and of good heart. You’ve earned a hearing even on this subject. But if you are to have a congregation to serve, then the topic of societal collapse must become a secondary priority for you, even at some personal risk. The alternative is to watch your congregation literally kill each other off for food and then come after their prepping pastor’s family. Lutherans need to understand the true nature of original sin in order to adequately assess what can happen in such a national calamity, and Lutherans need to be taught again about the fundamental corporate nature of the Church. We are many parts but one body.
Pastor’s know how to approach their own congregations best. Perhaps you could approach your Board of Elders with this article and get their reaction to it as a first step. Another possibility would be to put this article in your church newsletter as a way of opening the conversation. You might consider using the topic of the Church Militant as a Bible study for your adult class and bring the subject up. While I have no idea if the coming possible and likely catastrophe is part of the events leading up to the Second Coming of our Lord, I also don’t know that they wouldn’t be. I do know that we are now 2,000 years closer to our Lord’s return than we used to be and that Scripture tells us that things will be very difficult at the end, especially for His Bride, the Church. Whatever you have to do, do it! There’s simply too much at stake.
Dear HJL,
Here is a tip for those who will use oxygen absorbers for storage but will not use the whole lot.
So you have your bulk grains and what not in mylar bags and buckets ready to close off. You bought a package of oxygen absorbers and you will not need all of them this time. What’s to be done? Quickly open the package and place the absorbers in zip lock bags, being careful to flush the oxygen out of each when you close it up. Put just what you need for each bucket in each zip lock. (Snack size bags work well for 2 or 3 1000 CC absorbers, which is what you will quite often need for a 5-gallon bucket.) Then use your handy dandy hot jaws (or your plain old clothes iron, if you’re low tech like me!) and close your spare oxygen absorber package still in its original packaging (again flushing out the oxygen as you seal it up), and you’re done ! If you do it right, the pink dot in the package won’t even change color at all. Then finally, at your leisure, open each zip lock and drop your absorbers in your mylar bag as you seal each one up. This way you can take your time to seal each bucket. It’s that simple. – J.L.
The Foxfire Book series (in 11 volumes, but the first five are the best)
When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability, and Surviving the Long Emergency by Matthew Stein (SurvivalBlog’s Backcountry Editor)
Some Will Not Die by Algis Budrys (Plague total wipe-out scenario. This book was another with an influence in my writing.)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (The later installments in the Indiana Jones movies aren’t nearly as good.)
Major Bank Official: Banks Are “Preparing for an Economic Nuclear Winter” – J.C.
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When Are People Going To Figure It Out? It doesn’t matter what the Fed does, says Peter Schiff.
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Norway Raids Sovereign Wealth Fund To Cover Government Expenses
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Germans “Lose Faith In Banks”, Rush To Buy Safes
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SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.
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From the desk of Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large: How Far Will a 12 Gauge Shotgun Kill?
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Best Practices for Dealing with Wounds in a Survival Situation – DSV
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A Green Beret’s Guide to Improvised Home Defense Strategies – DSV
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Yet another reason to avoid social media: Facebook recommended that this psychiatrist’s patients friend each other (The interesting thing is this site asks you to “like” them on Facebook as you read the article.)
