Anyone who has experience running a small restaurant and looking to relocate to the American Redoubt should take a look at this business for sale in the Palouse Hills region college town of Moscow, Idaho.
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Wolf studies by UW and WSU reach different conclusions
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Over at the Forward Observer blog site, there is a link to an insightful podcast: Podcast Episode 033 – Malheur Aftermath & Lessons Learned
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Dozens of groups miss filing date for Montana’s Disclose Act
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Here is a fascinating three part podcast that has been put on YouTube: Verge of Collapse: Economy & Privacy: Ann Barnhardt
Israel’s Natural Gas Deposits Three Times Bigger than Estimated
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Items from Professor Preponomics:
US News
Displaced Worker Dishes Dirt on Disney’s H-1B Layoffs (Washington Examiner)
Watch: Fired Disney Worker Breaks Down Describing Humiliation of Training Foreign Guest Worker Replacement (Conservative Review)
New York Times Hits Donald Trump Over Guest Workers at MAR-A-LAGO (Breitbart)
International News
Global Finance Officials Promise to Shore Up Sagging Growth (AP via Drudge Report)
Venezuela’s Oil Market Participants are Considering the Implications of an Unprecedented Event (Business Insider)
China Seeks to Assure G20 Over Its Economy (BBC News)
Personal Economics and Household Finance
100+ Easy Ways to Save Money (Don’t Waste the Crumbs)
Excerpt: “It’s easy to have big, lofty goals. The hard part though, is finding ways to implement change in our daily lives to ACHIEVE the big goal.” This article contains lots of GREAT ideas with additional links to recipes and helpful tutorials!
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SurvivalBlog and its Editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.
Gadgets track wildlife, and enlighten humans
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A recent headline: At least 1,818 Clinton emails contain classified material. And of those, 50 were classified Secret or Top Secret (TS), and within the TS category 22 of the e-mails were “copy and paste” sections from Sensitive Compatmented Information (SCI) codeword material from Special Access Programs (SAPs)! As a former Special Security Officer (SSO) who was in charge of SCI document storage and SAP compartment program briefings and de-briefings, I am stunned to see that Hitlery Clinton still has not yet been charged. If she were one of my ASA intel troops and had done that, then she’d be behind bars. (But of course the members of the Clinton royal family are special. I really doubt that she will ever get her Perp Walk moment wearing the shiny bracelets, on camera.) – JWR
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A preview of Europe’s upcoming Border Fence Spring and City Plaza Summer: Hundreds of migrants have smashed their way though a fence on the Macedonia-Greece border.
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The California State Assembly is continuing to steamroller Second Amendment rights. According to California’s Firearms Policy Coalition, four more anti-gun bills are coming up for committee hearings today in the Assembly Public Safety Committee:
AB 1663: Will expand the “Assault Weapons” ban to include semi-automatic centerfire rifles capable of accepting
AB 1664: Will ban all semi-automatic rifles that are equipped with a bullet button or other mag-locking device.
AB 1673: Will expand the definition of “firearm” to include the “finished frame or receiver of the weapon, or the unfinished frame or receiver of a weapon that can be readily converted to the functional condition of a finished frame or receiver.” (Presumably that means all of the 80% complete paperweights on the market.)
AB 1674: Will make it a crime to attempt to purchase more than one firearm of any type within a 30-day period and delete the private party transaction exemption to the 30-day prohibition.
(Californians: You are urged to immediately contact your Assemblymen to oppose this legislation–both in committee and if it reaches the Assembly floor.)
“It is a popular delusion that the government wastes vast amounts of money through inefficiency and sloth. Enormous effort and elaborate planning are required to waste this much money.” – P.J. O’Rourke
Today is Leap Day, observed once every four years. Folks on this day often humorously claim that they are only one quarter of their apparent age.
This is the 48th birthday (or should I say the 12th birthday?) of Eugene Volokh, (born 1968), an outstanding law professor and blogger.
The recent re-emergence of precious metals in the public eye has been underscored by an unprecedented divergence in the spot prices of gold and platinum. Traditionally, platinum has sold at a premium above the price of gold. But in today’s topsy-turvy financial world, platinum now sells at a deep discount below gold. (This is in part because platinum is considered more of a industrial metal, whereas gold is both an industrial metal and a monetary metal.) As I’m drafting this, I see that gold is selling for around $1,200 per ounce, while platinum is just $915 per ounce. This disparity has led some to shout: “Forget gold, buy platinum!” This approach has merit, but I’d take it a step further, and say: “Forget gold and platinum, buy rhodium!” (Rhodium is more rare than platinum, yet is currently priced lower.)
As recently as seven years ago, rhodium was selling for $6,000 per Troy ounce. It is currently slumbering down around $670 per Troy ounce, and you can buy a serialized one Troy ounce Baird Mint Rhodium bar for around $850. (The minting premium for each bar is high because so few bars are produced, and because it is fairly difficult to mint, since it is brittle.) But $850 or even $900 is a bargain, in my estimation.
What on Earth is Rhodium?
LeftistAgendaPedia (my name for Wikipedia) tells us:
“Rhodium is a chemical element with symbol Rh and atomic number 45. It is a rare, silvery-white, hard, and chemically inert transition metal. It is a member of the platinum group. It has only one naturally occurring isotope, 103Rh. Naturally occurring rhodium is usually found as the free metal, alloyed with similar metals, and rarely as a chemical compound in minerals such as bowieite and rhodplumsite. It is one of the rarest and most valuable precious metals.
Rhodium is a noble metal, resistant to corrosion, found in platinum- or nickel ores together with the other members of the platinum group metals. It was discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston in one such ore, and named for the rose color of one of its chlorine compounds, produced after it reacted with the powerful acid mixture aqua regia.
The element’s major use (approximately 80% of world rhodium production) is as one of the catalysts in the three-way catalytic converters in automobiles. Because rhodium metal is inert against corrosion and most aggressive chemicals, and because of its rarity, rhodium is usually alloyed with platinum or palladium and applied in high-temperature and corrosion-resistive coatings. White gold is often plated with a thin rhodium layer to improve its appearance while sterling silver is often rhodium-plated for tarnish resistance.”
Okay, so this stuff is rare and valuable.
How Rare Is Rhodium?
But just how rare is it? In terms of its relative rarity (that is, as a percentage of the volume of the Earth’s crust, compared to the other precious metals, in descending order, ranging from more common to less common, we find:
So… This element is more scarce than Platinum and even Palladium. That’s nifty cool.
The other key consideration is that presently more than 90% of the Rhodium mined worldwide comes from mines in just two countries: Russia and South Africa. If geopolitical events conspire to limit the mining operations or the sales availability of Rhodium from either or worse both of those two countries, then the price of Rhodium could explode overnight. All that it would take is the outbreak of civil war in South Africa, or the outbreak of WWIII–or perhaps even just a regional war in the Middle East that involves Russia–and then kaboom! There goes the price of Rhodium, through the roof. Perhaps up to $4,000 per ounce. That would provide a nice profit.
An aside: One of the not-so-well publicized uses for Rhodium is as a plating in some high tech military weapons systems. So it is considered a strategic metal. So that could be a factor, in the event of another World War.
Who Should Buy It?
Rhodium is not for novice investors. I would recommend investing in some rhodium only if you are looking for a long term hedge, and only after you already have your family survival and self-sufficiency preparations squared away, and after you have socked away some small silver coins for barter. (Namely: Pre-1965 silver dimes and quarters.) Rhodium is much too exotic to be practicable for barter in the midst of a monetary crisis. Instead, think of it as time machine, a tool to preserve some of your wealth from one side of a crisis to the other. Obviously, the time to sell is during an economic revival, when there is a big demand for cars–because gas engine cars need catalytic converters. Again, Rhodium is a long term hedge only for those who already have solid positions in other precious metals.
Where Should You Buy It?
I suggest asking your local coin shop to order you one or more 1-ounce Baird Mint Rhodium bars. Then pay cash for it, and walk away with no paper trail. Or, if you don’t mind the paper trail, then you can send a bank money order of cashier’s check to one of the larger and most trustworthy precious metals dealers, such Kitco.com. Be advised that the smaller bars (1/2, 1/4, and 1/10th ounce) carry the highest premiums.
For the sake of authenticity, I would recommend buying only the .999 fine 1-Troy ounce bars that are minted and packaged by Baird Mint of London. Serialized bars are best, for resale. For most investors, even though the per-ounce premium is lower I do not recommend buying Rhodium in “sponge” (powder) form, because the resale process is generally restricted to only selling it to the same company from which you bought it.
Where Should You Store It?
As with all other precious metals, never take some dealer’s promise to “vault store” them for you. The only truly safe precious metals investments are the ones that are in your personal possession. (See the many archived SurvivalBlog articles on construction of hidden wall or door caches.)
One last bit of advice: Be sure to shop around. The market for Rhodium bars is incredibly thin, so prices vary widely. – JWR
Note: SurvivalBlog and it’s Editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.
I think I’ve been getting knife samples from Benchmade for articles about 23 years now, and I’ve toured their factory several times, though I haven’t been up there for a while. So, I’m over due for a visit to see how much they have expanded since my last visit. Les d’Asis, the owner at Benchmade, always seems to find the time to sit down and visit with me, and it has never, ever been a visit that was cut short. Les is “good people”; with no dress shirt and tie, and I’ve mentioned this before about him, he’s a real down to earth type of guy!
Over the years, I’ve seen quite a few PR and marketing people at Benchmade come and go. Some were real good; others were just so-so. There was even a PR/marketing firm or two that handled writers’ requests for samples. The newest guy at Benchmade is one of the absolute best I’ve dealt with– Derrick Lau. If a product is in-stock that I request, he gets it headed my way in short order. However, he dropped the ball on this request, and said he lost my request on his desk. I can certainly appreciate that; my desk is a mess, all of the time. When I reminded Lau that he still owed me a sample of the “Steep” fixed blade knife, he got right on it, and my sample went out the next day. Yes!
Believe it or not, it’s not easy working with some PR and marketing folks at various knife and firearms companies. Some seem to think that they are doing the writers a favor by sending samples for articles, while many other PR folks know the editorial value of getting samples into our hands for articles. Lau is one of the latter; he gets samples out if he has them, and if they aren’t in-stock, he gets them out as soon as they hit his desk! I hope Benchmade keeps him around a good long time.
I anxiously awaited the Benchmade “Steep” fixed blade hunting knife, and I use the term “hunting knife” loosely. A quick look at the Steep shows it has a 3.5-inch blade made out of CPMS30V, which is one of the best super-stainless steels on the market. It’s tough stuff, and it holds an edge a good long time, too. The blade is Rockwell at 58-60– not too hard and not too soft. The handle is made out of Santoprene, and you can have it in black or orange. My sample came with the black handle. I requested the drop point blade without the gut hook on it. The knife only weighs in at a mere 3.85 oz and comes in a very nicely made Kydex sheath. The knife is actually a bit smaller, overall, than I thought it would be. It is just perfect for everyday carry where legal to carry a fixed blade knife on your belt. It feels like a good ol’ pocket knife in my hand, and as stated, it’s not too big and not too small.
Needless to say, the Steep (named after a mountain range in Oregon) came shaving sharp right out of the box. Had it not been, I would have been disappointed in Benchmade. Then again, they have an outstanding quality control department. Each product is hand-checked before being boxed up and shipped out.
The Steep also has a soft, satin type finish on the blade, too. The top of the handle has some ridges sticking out of the Santoprene handle for a sure hold on the blade under harsh conditions, like rain, snow, or dressing out game you shot. There is also a nice lanyard hold on the butt of the knife for attaching a lanyard. Many people don’t take advantage of this feature on many knifes, but if you ever work over water, a lanyard comes in handy. You don’t want to drop your blade in the water.
I showed the Steep around to the guys (and girls) at the gun shop I haunt, and they all loved the way it felt in the hand. The comment I keep hearing was “it’s not too big, and not too small; it feels nice in my hand.” Some customers also handled the knife and said the same thing.
I put the Steep through my usual testing, which includes cutting poly rope– super tough stuff to cut, hemp rope, slicking newspaper, cutting cardboard boxes, and slicing through blackberry vines. Also, the wife used it around the kitchen and thought for sure this sample was for her. She used it for all manner of kitchen cutting chores. I’ve lost more than one knife (and gun) sample to her over the years. The trick is to steal it back when she isn’t looking.
I carried the Steep on several hikes out in the boonies where I live, and I never even knew I had the knife on my belt, because it’s so lightweight and small-ish! I can easily see this blade being a great knife to carry if you have to bug out or toss it in your Bug Out Bag, or you can easily wear it on your belt. While, it’s not a heavy duty survival knife, it will take care of most of your chores, and keep in mind that no single knife can accomplish all the chores you want it to do. There is always a compromise, no matter what kind of knife you pick.
In the past, I’ve had some folding knives, even locking folding knives, fold on my fingers when the locking mechanism failed on me; that’s not good. I can see the Steep replacing a folding knife. There are no worries about the blade folding on you; it’s a fixed blade knife. Quite honestly, I was very favorably impressed with the Steep for most everyday chores that you might require a knife for, whether a fixed blade or a folder.
Some years ago, I had a number or readers ask me to ask Benchmade if they would come out with a quality fixed blade knife for about a hundred bucks. Well, the full retail on the Steep is $115– just a bit over that hundred dollar mark but well worth the money. And, if you shop around on the ‘net, you’ll find a Steep for a hundred bucks or less. Keep in mind that this knife has a CPM S30V super-stainless steel blade that handle what you call upon it to do. You see, some of the knife (and gun) companies do listen to what the consumers want, and I was surprised that the blade from Benchmade came in at this price point with the quality steel it comes with.
So, if you’re in the market, for a new fixed blade knife from a major player in the cutlery industry and you don’t want one that is too big or too small but one that is just right, check out the Steep online or at your local dealer. It really is a lot of knife for the money!
– Senior Product Review Editor, Pat Cascio
A simple reach to touch and squeeze my hand, followed by a slight smile in the corners of what are usually distant eyes that at that moment were deeply focused on mine, brought me to tears. Last week, after my husband had prepared a sandwich lunch for his mother and me and I had fed her, done her hair, and given her a manicure, I prayed with her. I just gently touched her arm with one hand and went to our Heavenly Father with praises, intercession, and petitions in our Savior’s name. “Mom” is on hospice care and in the final stages of one of those horrific, neurodegenerative diseases. (You know, it’s one of those– dementia, Alzheimer’s, and such that takes the mind and the body slowly.) We haven’t heard any real words from her in almost a year, nor had even a laugh or smile or indication that she knows what is going on around her. She makes little movement and cannot walk or feed herself. So, the act of her lifting her hand to reach for mine and squeeze it was a big deal. Even her focus into my eyes was significant. At that moment, I had been praying and giving thanks for her son, Hugh, and all he does and for the joy that we have as wives and mothers of godly men. I can’t, of course, know what was going on in her mind, but I do believe that she was joining me in this prayer and letting me it when she reached for my hand and squeezed it. I think there was also more to it than just that. After she squeezed my hand and I realized I had her attention, I talked with her about her husband and how blessed she was to have his care and that they had just celebrated more than 50 years of marriage. With that, there was an immediate change in her appearance. A sadness came over her. I think I know what that was about I believe it was the disappointment that she could not celebrate her anniversary in the manner she would like. Knowing her and how she loved to bake cakes, decorate them, and gather family together for festive celebrations, I believe she was feeling some level of frustration over unrealized expectations. We have all known how this feels. There is nothing she can do to change her circumstances. It breaks my heart. I hate this disease and will continue to do everything I can to give her comfort and care through the remainder of her life.
We all make plans and have expectations. It’s part of what makes us women. We are always in thought and thinking. (I still struggle with the concept that men can actually think of “nothing”, but I trust them when they tell me it is true. I do not know that “nothingness”. My thoughts may be distant and somewhat meaningless or fantastic at a given point in time, but I’m thinking from the time I wake up until the time I go to sleep. I even have dreams that rival Ridley Scott movies.) Oh, I’m getting off subject here. Well, we are thinkers, planners, and we most certainly have expectations. However, most of us are not at all in Mom’s shoes. We have abilities and choices to make.
It’s almost spring, and we’ve made it through the holiday season and a time of the year where there is a noticeably disproportionate number of weddings and anniversaries celebrated, at least in my circle. I wonder if there are many of you, who have suffered some disappointment in your relationships or circumstances recently. Did you have expectations of a significant tax refund that would pay for romantic getaway that didn’t happen? Did you hope for a relationship to blossom that didn’t? Or did you hope that your husband would remember your anniversary this year, but he didn’t…again!?! Maybe with the economy the way that it is, you’ve decided that you need to be more practical and invest in items that will see you and your family through for the future instead of just some short-term luxury, but the lack of this item or event has left you feeling a little short-changed. Right now, with what’s going on in our world, we are all (man and woman) reasonably feeling short-changed. We have to deal with disappointment and sometimes those disappointments, when dwelled on, can lead to depression and bitterness. I have a suggestion for something better. Hang with me for a bit.
Let me ask you something. Who is responsible for your happiness? Think about that for a minute. When you got married, did you think that you were saying “I do” to a fairy tale relationship with Prince Charming, who would make your every dream come true and you’d never have any hardships, needs, disagreements, or disappointments? Some of us did think that, and we then had a rude awakening. What I’ve come to find is that there are no perfect human beings and life is full of wonder and blessings, but if I set expectations that are not realistic and out of my control then I am setting myself up for disappointment; I also realize that there is little that I can control. So, how do I find happiness, especially when there are many disappointments and others don’t fulfill my expectations?
There are several things, I do:
If you want to add a caramel flavor to your nut/chocolate/marshmallow combination, drizzle a little caramel sauce over the marshmallows, or add coconut, too. You can also put this on graham crackers and put in the 400 degree oven for a minute to begin melting the ingredients together a little (somewhat like a S’mores).
Caramel Sauce- To make your own caramel sauce, in a heavy sauce pan over medium heat, combine:
Heat over medium heat, stirring to the bottom of the pan almost continuously until it boils for 1 minute. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and boil for another minute, stirring continuously. Remove from heat and let cool for about ten minutes before using or pouring into storage container, as it is very hot.
Brown Sugar- To make your own fresh brown sugar, in a blender, mixer, or food processor, combine:
Mix the sugar and molasses until blended thoroughly. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Graham Crackers- To make your own graham crackers:
Mix thoroughly and chill the dough for at least four hours, until firm. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F; roll dough out to 1/8 inch thickness and cut into desired shapes (rectangles, circles, or shapes) and place onto greased cookie sheets 1/2 inch apart. Poke some holes in them with a fork. Bake 10-12 minutes in preheated oven until until begin to brown on edges. Cool on cooling racks and use. Store in airtight containers in freezer for long-lasting freshness.
Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review, by Steven Cochran of Gainesville Coins where we take a look at “the month that was” in precious metals. Each month, we cover the price action of gold and examine the “what” and “why” behind those numbers.
What Did Gold Do in February?
Gold had a very good February. Starting at $1,126 an ounce, it jumped as high as $1,261 an ounce. By February 11th, spot gold had closed over the $1,200 mark, and never looked back. Toward the end of the month, spot gold was parked above the $1,230 level
Factors Affecting Gold This Month
Much like last month, blood was running in the street on Wall Street, and pain continues in the Oil Patch.
OIL GLUT (Continuing)
Oil futures saw a stomach-churning ride in February. Desperate traders eagerly snapped up any rumor as evidence the nightmare was about to end, only to see their hopes (and oil prices) dashed. It became hard to tell what was pushing the stock markets around, either China’s slowdown, or oil falling even more. Analysts at Citibank also noticed this negative feedback loop between oil and stocks, warning “We Should All Fear Oilmageddon.”
NEGATIVE INTEREST RATES
Negative interest rates seem to be doing the exact opposite of what central bankers want. Top financial analysts are pointing to negative interest rate policy (NIRP) as a major cause of the global financial instability that we’ve seen this year. Banks that are being charged interest on deposits by central banks can’t pass that new cost on to consumers. They’d all yank their money, causing a bank run and failure, and put it in a bank that didn’t charge them for deposits. This means that bank profits, which were already squeezed from zero interest rates, are shrinking even more. This causes the opposite effect than what central banks wanted from NIRP: banks are lending LESS, not MORE.
This is a big reason that financial stocks have been such an anchor around Wall St.’s neck. Combine this with energy stocks tanking on plunging oil prices, and the reason stocks are down so much this year is obvious. Janet Yellen seems to be ignoring the real results of NIRP. She’s asked the big banks to run simulations of whethe or not they could survive negative interest rates in the US.
Super megabank Goldman Sachs is now wondering if the central banks have broken Capitalism itself with zero and negative interest rates.
The Bank of Japan’s imposition of negative rates DID increase consumer purchases in one area – home safes to store cash in.
WAR ON CASH
Since the central banks blame the failure of their policies on the fact that the public won’t do what they’re told, and they also want to be ready to bail out the Big Banks again, they have turned to waging war on cash. The first step in this war is to eliminate the $100 and €500 currency notes. Campaigning under the guise of “fighting terrorism” and “fighting crime,” they let slip the real reason: taking taxes directly out of your bank account. This war is also on tradesmen, and anyone who conducts business in cash. If there is no physical money, the government can see when you’re paid for handyman work, or buy something for “cash,” and levy taxes accordingly.
The Europeans aren’t waiting around to see if the EU central government demonetizes the €500 note. They’re piling into high denomination Swiss Franc banknotes. MarketWatch reported on the < href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/big-jump-in-use-of-swiss-1000-franc-bills-2016-02-22">huge jump in demand for 1000 franc notes from Switzerland. The same thing is happening in Japan, as people “pad their mattresses” with 10,000 yen notes.
Other avenues of storing wealth in physical form will be fine art and expensive wines for the wealthy, and precious metals for everyone.
DOLLAR LOSING SAFE HAVEN STATUS
The dollar was notably absent from any safe haven buying during the recent meltdown in stocks. The Japanese yen saw healthy demand, especially in Asia. Treasuries remained a “go to” safe haven asset, but more often than not, the dollar was ignored. The unraveling of expectations of a March interest rate hike by the Fed put notable pressure on the dollar. It had gained a good bit of ground as traders anticipated that the Fed would keep raising interest rates.
Another knock against the greenback is Iran’s refusal to take dollars for oil shipments.
On the Retail Front
You want to talk physical precious metals demand? Let’s talk physical precious metals demand. American Silver Eagle sales topped 4 million in February, to bring the two month total to 10 million coins. This is the best start of the year for Silver Eagles since 2013. Gold Eagle sales are up over 58% from last year, clocking in at 195,500 troy oz so far this year. Adding 51,000 24K Gold Buffalos, and US Mint gold sales were 246,500 troy oz for the first two months of 2016.
HUGE retail gold demand has caught the attention of the mainstream press, with Bloomberg proclaiming “Gold is Back in Fashion” after $15 trillion was wiped out in the global financial markets. Forbes says “Investors Are Flocking To Gold Like There’s No Tomorrow.” I’m kind of partial to the headline “Gold Bulls Feast” due to negative interest rates by central banks.
On the central bank side, we see Russia and China adding to reserves for yet another month, and Canada liquidating all gold reserves. So, we have China dumping US Treasuries and buying gold, and Canada selling gold and buying “financial assets that are easily tradable and that have deep markets of buyers and sellers.” (I know who I think is right!)
Also on the central bank front, the Hungarian Central Bank has been reaping the profits of currency wars, as the forint has become deeply devalued. But instead of sending the profits to the Treasury, it’s been buying luxury real estate and $15 million paintings with the money. The blowback has finally reached a point that the Prime Minister can’t protect his buddy at the central bank any longer, so they bought 112 9mm pistols and 200,000 rounds of ammo, to protect their vast real estate and fine art holdings from “terrorists.”
Market Buzz
Jim Rogers says that the whole global market is about to come tumbling down, and there’s nothing the central banks can do about. Of course, the little people will feel most of the pain, while the movers and shakers are insulated from the consequences of their actions.
Chief Investment Strategist at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch notes that there has been $12.3 TRILLION in global quantitative easing, and nothing to show for it but a world on the brink of recession.
Bill Gross, known as The Bond King, notes how the inability of zero interest rates and negative interest rates to have any positive impact exposes the impotence of Central Banks. Gross, who predicted the subprime mortgage crisis, said he has one question for the central bankers: “How’s that working for ya?”
Over at SRSrocco Report, they notice that the huge demand for silver has seen the amount of COMEX deliverable silver hit a historic low.
Looking Ahead
The Fed is itching for any excuse to raise rates next month. If they do, it will make the dollar even more noncompetitive, hurting US businesses. At press time, the Fed funds futures rate as tracked by CME Group’s FedWatch gives a March rate hike only a 6% chance. (It only gives a 28% chance of any rate hike at all in 2016.)
OPEC and Russia are likely to keep trying the central bankers’ trick of moving the market higher for oil with just words, but don’t look for anything to actually happen. The little guys in OPEC are the ones being crushed between the two petroleum giants, while we just enjoy $1.50 gas.
The stock markets don’t look like they will calm down anytime soon, with prices still artificially inflated by cheap Fed money and stock buybacks. Gold will naturally be the safe haven of choice for many people who haven’t given it a second thought for the last three years.
To close this month, we ask the question: “How low are crude prices?” Our look at “What a Barrel of Oil WON’T Buy You” may put it in perspective.
Here is a pot roast recipe from long-time SurvivalBlog reader J.M. To tone the spiciness down, simply reduce the amount of Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder.
Makes 6 to 7 servings
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Useful Recipe and Cooking Links:
We really enjoy a hot porridge breakfast topped with a little butter and honey, surrounded by whole milk. Our porridge is often a mix of grains we have on hand from the pantry and just about any variation of the mix works! For readers who want to try porridge for the first time or just like to cook with a recipe safety net, this version is delicious and nutritious! It’s called Grandma’s Grain Recipe from 101 Cookbooks – T.A.
Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? Please send it via e-mail.
Thanks!
Dear Editor:
SurvivalBlog’s spin-off site SurvivalRealty.com has just listed a unique retreat opportunity called Providence Belize. The Shepherdess and I a-l-m-o-s-t moved there ourselves last year, but God is clearly calling us to stay and stand where we are with the people He has led us to help.
That said, we visited Belize once, for one day on a cruise excursion. It’s just beautiful (a subtropical paradise if you’re a gardener like me and tired of the drought conditions around Spokane!). Belize is a former British Colony. (It was called British Honduras, before 1973), and English is their primary language. I’ve never met Jim Duncan personally, but have corresponded with him for almost a year about this and I believe that he’s a man of integrity and he has commitment to Jesus.
I have zero financial connection with Providence Belize, whatsoever. My only concern is to see Jim Duncan’s vision of a remnant community succeed, as well as helping those fellow preppers who are ready to pick up and move their families somewhere safer. With Providence Belize you don’t have to freelance it, and you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There are already American Christians there to help you adapt and navigate the local scene.
Many of us have realized that we need a survival community to face the coming storm. What better place than one specifically intended for Christian preppers? If God is leading you out of the United States then this could be the safe place you’ve been looking for.
Trust God. Be Prepared. We can do both! – ShepherdFarmerGeek
HJL,
Another point on electromagnetic pulse (EMP) and Faraday cages is even something simple can be protective. There are 30 Gallon galvanized steel trash cans with lids (made in the USA!) available at my local farm and ranch store for $22. This makes for affordable and easy storage, and you can wrap things in common aluminum foil. Or even something like a steel cabinet or vault, but generally try to avoid gaps or spaces. It doesn’t have to be zero signal, but reduce the field strength enough to prevent damage.
Vehicles have some protection for many years. In the early days of electronic ignition systems, truckers with CB linear amplifiers were causing police vehicles to stall. And driving near powerful radio towers also caused some glitches. The protection added since the early 1970s isn’t military grade, but realize if your vehicle doesn’t even hiccup when it is next to you or your neighbor’s Amateur Radio rig that is putting out a kilowatt of power, then it is likely to survive an EMP–at least where you aren’t close to ground zero. (And most of the American Redoubt isn’t likely to be a target of an EMP.) Also note that solar flares are usually detected early enough, so there will be time to
disconnect and shield most of your electronics.
You might want to find a metal shed large enough for your vehicles (and get some plating for the floor and see if your radio doesn’t receive anything inside anywhere), but it is still all a matter of how many bucks you have versus the size and likelihood of the bang you are trying to shield yourself from. – T.Z.
UK’s exit from EU would be a “shock” to global economy: G20
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Bob Shapiro: Oil and The Dollar
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Items from Professor Preponomics:
US News
Fleeing Firms Put Pressure on Congress and Candidates (Washington Examiner)
Bank of America is Preparing Big Layoffs in Investment Banking and Trading
(Business Insider)
JP Morgan: We’re Bracing for Energy Losses (CNBC)
Wells Fargo Girds for Oil & Gas Loan Losses (Morningstar)
International News
G20: Leaders Split on How to Kick-Start Global Growth (The Telegraph)
4,000 HSBC Staff Face the Axe (Daily Mail)
Royal Bank of Scotland Hits Eighth Straight Annual Loss (Yahoo News)
Personal Economics and Household Finance
IRS: Cyberattack Twice as Bad as Previously Known (Market Watch)
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SurvivalBlog and its Editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.
Some important reading: The Hidden Persuaders – How The Internet Flips Election & Alters Our Thoughts. This article helps explain why bloggers in general and Matt Drudge in particular are so despised by the mainstream media. Because Matt and his small staff have thousands of independent thinkers all over the world tipping them to news stories, they are outside of the control of the Google Thought Police Machine. Likewise, the column items that you recommend to us at SurvivalBlog–often from small town newspapers and from “boots on the ground” bloggers–have the same value in creating refreshingly independent journalism. – JWR
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Patrice Lewis, Editrix of the often-cited Rural Revolution blog posted a fantastic essay titled Social Justice Whiners: The Group We Love To Hate. (I can only wonder what would these whiners would say if I told them that I create my own fully-mobile “Very Safe Space”, whenever I pack a .45 ACP pistol?) By the way, far more than just a commentator on current events, Patrice Lewis also lives the life of preparedness, on her North Idaho ranch, and shares her lessons learned in her blog. See this recent example: Wood Cookstove Update.
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Frank B. sent this article link: ‘Super lice’ outbreak hits 25 states
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SurvivalBlog reader Jerry W. wrote to mention a new petition demanding that the United States Senate reject any judicial activist nominated by President Obama to fill the now-vacant seat of Justice Antonin Scalia. He wrote: “The President’s two prior successful nominees have proven to be judicial activists who have swayed the High Court’s rulings radically leftward on matters of extreme importance, with long-lasting effects. We cannot allow the Senate to confirm a third Supreme Court nomination of President Obama.” If you agree, then here is a link to the petition.
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J.L. suggested these two essays at From The Trenches World Report: IfYou Don’t Think Americans Have Lost Our Freedoms, READ THIS, and Demanding Constitutional Compliance.
“Is there really someone who, searching for a group of wise and sensitive persons to regulate him for his own good, would choose that group of people that constitute the membership of both houses of Congress?” – Robert Nozick
