Fisher #SM4B Military Space Pen, by Thomas Christianson

The Fisher Space Pen is a writing tool that is well adapted to working under adverse conditions. It is designed to write in the cold, in the heat, over grease, in zero gravity, and even under water. This makes it an excellent choice for the outdoorsman, who may need to write under adverse field conditions.

The model that I tested, the #SM4B Military Space Pen, is available for $22 from www.spacepen.com. PR4 black medium refills are available for $6.75 each.

The Backstory

When I was 16 years old, back in the 1970s, I went to Washington DC to visit my Uncle and Aunt. My Uncle was an aide to a US Senator. I stayed with my Uncle and Aunt for a week or so, and rode in to Washington each day with my Uncle as he drove to work. As my Uncle went about the nation’s business, I went sightseeing. I visited the House and Senate chambers in the Capitol, had a tour of the White House, walked past the Supreme Court Building, visited sites like the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and Ford’s Theater, and toured FBI Headquarters. I had a less jaundiced view of the Federal government at the time, and was in awe of the seat of its operations.

While in Washington, I spent most of my time at the Smithsonian Institute. And most of my time at the Smithsonian was spent at the National Air and Space Museum. I was fascinated with historic aircraft and spacecraft. I wandered about wide-eyed and open-mouthed through the galleries, soaking in the collections and carefully reading all of the placards.

Finally, as a memento of my visit, I stopped by the gift shop and purchased a Fisher Space Pen. I was very proud to own the same kind of pen that an astronaut might have used on the moon.Continue reading“Fisher #SM4B Military Space Pen, by Thomas Christianson”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— 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.

Nuclear War Survival Skills Updated for 2022 Edition

The reference book Nuclear War Survival Skills has been updated and expanded in the 2022 Edition. It now highlights recent events in Ukraine and Russia.

Uganda Locks Down Two Districts in Ebola Outbreak

This was linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Uganda locks down two districts amid Ebola outbreak: President orders night curfew, bans personal travel and shuts markets, bars and churches as fears grow over spread of killer virus.  The article begins:

“Two districts in Uganda have entered an immediate 21-day lockdown which will include a nightly curfew, travel bans and the closure of places of worship in a bid to stem the spread of a new wave of Ebola.

President Yoweri Museveni said on Saturday he would impose an overnight curfew effective immediately in the Mubende and Kassanda districts in central Uganda.

Bars, markets and all places of worship will also be closed for 21 days as part of the measures.”

Apple Glasses Will Have Iris Scanning Feature

Reader D.S.V. sent this: Apple Glasses new headset will scan your iris to let you make payments – and could be released as early as next year.

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And, sir, when we think of eternity, and of the future consequences of all human conduct, what is there in this life that should make any man contradict the dictates of his conscience, the principles of justice, the laws of religion, and of God?” – William Wilberforce

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — October 19, 2022

October 19th is the birthday of three notables: investor Jim Rogers (pictured, born 1942), the late Alexander Zeisal “Zus” Bielski (born 1912), and James Howard Kunstler (born 1948).

According to the Infogalactic Wiki:

“James Beeland “Jim” Rogers, Jr. (born October 19, 1942) is an American businessman, investor and author. He is currently based in Singapore. Rogers is the Chairman of Rogers Holdings and Beeland Interests, Inc. He was the co-founder of the Quantum Fund and creator of the Rogers International Commodities Index (RICI).”

Kunstler is well known to SurvivalBlog readers as the author of the novel World Made by Hand and the nonfiction book The Long Emergency.

A fictionalized portrayal of Zus Bielski is seen in the movie Defiance. This movie was loosely based on the excellent book Defiance: The Bielski Partisans by Nechama Tec.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 103 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. 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.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 103 ends on November 30th, 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.

Long-Term Storage of Gasoline Fuels – Part 2, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)

Fuel Restoration Techniques

These suggestions are appropriate as means of ‘last resort’ in an attempt improve a degraded fuel. Another advantage of storing Avgas is that we can blend it with other gasolines to bring up the octane level and to dilute the degraded automotive gas. Dilution is the solution. The combination of non-ethanol unleaded premium and Avgas 101LL can restore the depleted octane level of the automotive gasoline (Mogas) that has lost its octane rating over a one-year or much longer period of time. This blend can bring it back closer to a level that our chainsaw manufacturer recommends as the minimum needed to operate the saw without damaging it. For modern Stihl brand chainsaws, this minimum octane rating is 91. Older generators that are 4-cycle engines are designed to be low compression motors that can operate well on degraded stored gasoline with a reduced octane level.

Very old automotive gas could be blended in small proportions with fresher gasolines, or Avgas to extend our fuel reserves. A word of caution: Do not mix too much of this old gasoline that smells like turpentine in with too little fresh gas, or attempt to use it even if runs the engine after the engine is started with a fresher fuel, as it might cause lacquer to build up on the compression rings and ruin the motor.

If we are desperately low on gasoline, yet there happens to be a few gallons of white gas (Coleman fuel) and we need to run a small generator to charge batteries or a chainsaw, we can blend in:

3 parts 96 octane Avgas (Aviation gasoline) with one part white gas,

or,

4 parts fresh automotive gasoline with with one part white gas.

Fresh Avgas has an octane rating of 96. White gas, 55. As a estimate only, we can ballpark the octane level of this blend of fuels by a simple calculation that roughly gauges the octane level of our fuel blend. Where 1 part Avgas is, then use the number 96. And for 1 part of white gas, use the number 55. To find the average and the resulting octane level of a blend: 96+96+96+55 divided by 4 = 85.75, the approximate octane rating.

And if there is 75% or higher in concentration alcohol available, we can further improve the octane level, by adding enough until the motor ceases to ping, or knock. Because 4-cycle small motors are generally lower compression motors, this blend might be satisfactory. If not, then add a bit more Avgas, fresh automotive gas, alcohol, or toluene.

Instead of white gas, if we only have degraded automotive gasoline to extend our dwindling supply, the same approach can be taken. Of course, the octane level of the old fuel would be unknown and we would have to just do the best we can, and mix in only one part for every three parts of Avgas, or less. If the motor pings or knocks, then we can add alcohol or toluene to further increase the octane level. In the event that we must run this blend in a motor “as is”, only run the motor for short periods and lower speeds, so that it does not become too hot, and create the conditions where there is risk of melting a hole in the piston.Continue reading“Long-Term Storage of Gasoline Fuels – Part 2, by Tunnel Rabbit”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly column is a collection of short snippets: 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. We are due to get our first snow, around October 23rd.  A bit earlier than usual. I trust that all our readers are ready for winter. Let it snow!

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Reader C.B. sent us this: How harsh will winter be? Six organizations issue forecasts.

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Imagine a 19-year-old from the Midwest starting a YouTube channel, and gathering more than 32,000 subscribers before he even posted his first video. Apparently, this video originated most of the interest: The AK Guy and The Kenosha Kid. (Thanks to Simon in England for the links.) And finally, his first video!

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Reader R.R. had this comment:

“Your idea of securing a stockpile of fasteners is one that I have focused on for the last two years. Most screw machines went to china where production costs were lower, so far have not seen a supply problem at stores though prices are up. Would like to add that everyone should have plenty of driver bits for their fasteners as you can use certain bits in a handheld screwdriver as well as in an impact driver. My personal favorite structural screw is a GRK that I used in deck building and never been disappointed with the performance, they make a variety of woodworking screws as well.”

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And on the same topic, Richard T. wrote:

“I might not be the first nor the only one to suggest that an excellent place to shop for fasteners is at the Habitat for Humanity Restores. Our local Restore is in a locality that has a good number of hardware manufacturers and suppliers that might be the ones that are donating generously as there are often brand new items. Various other building materials can also be found.”

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Avalanche Lily flagged this video from Chiropractic Dr. Eric Berg: Natural Remedy for Anaphylactic Shock.

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Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The American dream is about achieving happiness. When you become a firefighter, a police officer or a teacher or a nurse, you know you’re not going to become a billionaire. And what my parents achieved working as a bartender and a maid at a hotel after arriving here with nothing, no education, no money. The first words my dad learned in English were: ‘I’m looking for a job.’ You know what my parents achieved? They owned a home in a safe and stable neighborhood. They retired with dignity and they left all four of their children better off than themselves.” – Marco Rubio

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — October 18, 2022

October 18th, 1662 was the birthday of Matthew Henry (died 22 June 1714). He was a Presbyterian minister who lived primarily in Chester, England. Matthew Henry’s six-volume Exposition of the Old and New Testaments (commonly called Matthew Henry’s Commentary) is a must for the bookshelf of any serious Bible scholar.

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An update for those readers who are quitting PayPal: My GabPay account is now set up and working! The “@” address for that is “JamesWesleyRawles“, to send me Ten Cent Challenge funds (or other payments) via GabPay. Please note that GabPay is now our preferred payment method.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 103 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. 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.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 103 ends on November 30th, 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.

Long-Term Storage of Gasoline Fuels – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit

In this article, I will discuss Avgas, Mogas, White Gas, Fuel Restoration Tips, Fuel Storage, and some Cold Weather Tips.

Introduction

When it comes the various internal combustion engines, we must conserve and preserve fuels for as long as it is feasible. In the cold northern climates, keeping a chainsaw running is a serious concern. We can use ‘work around’ solutions, or methods, in other words, expediant techniques to improve and use old fuel stock, as our fuel supply will necessarily be limited in a partial or total collapse situation. We must necessarily reduce the demand and our expectations, and learn to do without the modern level of power and convenience we’ve become to expect. For the sake of brevity, I’ll limit the discussion to areas that are seldom discussed. This is not an exhaustive attempt.

Background

I have 20 years of experience on the logistics side of a major domestic disaster preparedness/emergency services operation. And, I have over 40 years of experience in the automotive business. I am also a survivalist who has ‘lived it’, for the last decade. I grew up without a father. Out of necessity, I changed my first flat tire at the age of 10, and started working on things mechanical and electrical. I received my driving license at the age of 14, and crashed my first car by age 15. Remember the movie American Graffiti? I lived that. The second car was a 1969 Ford Galaxy 500 with a 390ci big block, and the other was a 1956 Pontiac Chieftain. The Chieftain was essentially a Chevy Bel Aire. By age 16, I had to remove engine cylinder heads to recondition exhaust valves damaged by excessive heat erosion. Fortunately, I had a friend with a full shop set up for working on his dragster, and re-ground the valves there. I learn the hard way, but I’ve found I usually learn fast and best, when I learned the viking way — the “sink or swim” way. The water will be cold, but just jump right in, and get it done.

Given my experience with engines at a young age, I became aware of how and why unleaded fuel burned, and damaged countless thousands of exhaust valves in motors not designed to handle the higher temperatures that unleaded fuels produced. When unleaded ethanol fuel was introduced, there was once again, a great deal of damage done to older motors. I’m no expert, yet after much real-life experience, experience wrenching on vehicles, and repairing emission control systems for a living, and latter, managing hundreds of thousands of dollars spent annually on automotive maintenance, I’ve developed some understanding about fuels and fuel systems, fuel injection and carburetor based systems. It is important to choose the correct fuel for an application, lest the motor becomes damaged, or will not perform as needed.Continue reading“Long-Term Storage of Gasoline Fuels – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit”

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 filming of 1923 — a Yellowstone television series prequel. (See the Montana section.)

Idaho

Idaho, The Place to Go: The moveBuddha 2021-2022 Idaho Migration Report. The report notes that Idaho’s population growth is slowing.

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Nat wrote to mention this article about a judge’s “Thinking Errors” class sentence:  Robert Jones interview from inside the Ada County Jail.

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Reader C.B. spotted this:  Idaho man and US Army veteran killed while fighting in Ukraine, family says: ‘I know his soul has found peace’.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

Preparedness Notes for Monday — October 17, 2022

On this day in 1835, Texans approve a resolution to create the Texas Rangers– a corps of armed and mounted lawmen designed to “range and guard the frontier between the Brazos and Trinity Rivers”. After winning their revolutionary war with Mexico the following year, Texans decided to keep the Rangers, both to defend against Indian and Mexican raiders and to serve as the principal law enforcement authority along the sparsely populated Texan frontier.

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My #1 Son (Jonathan Rawles) was recently interviewed by Mike Adams, on Brighteon: Jonathan Rawles of SurvivalRealty.com interviewed by Mike Adams about off-grid retreats, bunkers, and bugout homes.  The 48-minute interview is quite detailed.

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Harvest Guard — one of our loyal advertisers has announced a sale running from October 14th to the 31st, 2022. The sale will be for the lids and gaskets only and the sale price will be reflected on their website prices, with no need for a coupon code. But you may also apply the coupon code Survivalblog, to amplify the sale price for an even deeper discount!

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Today’s feature piece is a review written by our Field Gear Editor Emeritus, Pat Cascio.

 

CRKT HZ6, by Pat Cascio

It’s always fun when I get to test a knife design by a real martial artist. Having spent 35 years in the martial arts myself, I’ve run across more than a few wannabe Black Belts who aren’t really a Black Belt at all. It’s easy enough to purchase a piece of paper that states you are an expert in some form of martial arts. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term “martial art” know that it means a person specializes in a “military art” of some sort. You can always find some martial arts school that teaches you how to win a trophy – and I don’t have a problem with that, if you want to walk down the street with your trophy. but ehen it comes to real fighting, you’ll have to go quite some distance to find a real fighting arts dojo with a truly competent teacher. My long-time friend, Master Tom Saviano, is the real deal – he trained under our mutual friend, Master John McSweeney – who has long since gone to the martial art dojo in the sky.

I knew McSweeney for quite a few years before his passing, and there wasn’t anything phony about him or his skills. We even co-hosted several firearms and hand-to-hand classes, and I can honestly say, John was the real deal, in every respect – he knew what he was talking about and teaching. Having said that, my own OC3 double edge fighting knife, produced by Columbia River Knife & Tool, came out too late for McSweeney to get one. However, Saviano has one of these knives hanging on the wall of his dojo and is always showing it to curious students. My OC3 was meant to be a fighting knife. But a lot of purchasers have written to me, and said it was a great all-around survival knife.

I’ve reviewed several knives by James Williams, and can honestly say that the man is a genius when it comes to designing fighting knives – fixed-blade and folders as well. He teaches armed and unarmed fighting skills all over the world – he’s the real deal. So, I was more than a little pleased with CRKT sent me his latest fighting knife to test. Many knife designs can function in a different category, however, the HZ6 is a pure fighting knife design, in my humble estimation.Continue reading“CRKT HZ6, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: JWR’s Cran-Bran Cold Cereal

The following super-simple dry recipe is for my current favorite home-mixed breakfast cereal. Yes, I know that Cranberry Bran cereal is also commercially made. But since I have some Scottish blood, I tend toward frugality. Hence, I buy the inexpensive generic store brand bran flakes from the “nearby” supermarket. That is a little over 50 miles away. We buy our cranberries and almonds in bulk from Azure Standard. Thus, they cost us only half as much as buying name-brand froed cranberries — such as Ocean Spray. I make this “Cran-Bran” cereal up in quantity, and keep it in our pantry in one-gallon glass jars.

Ingredients
  • 16 cups plain bran flakes
  • 1+ cup of high-moisture dried cranberries. (Use a larger proportion, if that suits your taste and your digestion)
  • 1/2 cup slivered or finely-chopped raw almonds (optional)

This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled, to stock up.

Depending on your preferences, raisins can of course be substituted, or used in equal amounts with cranberries.

Directions
  1. Mix together in wide-mouth one-gallon jars, pouring in the ingredients with a large canning funnel.  I prefer to lay down alternating layers of the ingredients until the jar is two-thirds full, and then shake the jar for 10 to 15 seconds.
  2. Then add more bran and a few cranberries to completely fill the jar, and cap it. Voila!
SERVING

Serve with cream or milk. The milk can be warmed first (or come straight from your dairy cow or dairy goat), if it is a chilly morning. There is no need to add a sweetener — although I have found that a dash of maple syrup doesn’t clash with the bran, cranberry, and almond flavors. And, of course, eat the cereal right away, before it gets soggy.

STORAGE

Even with high-moisture cranberries, this seems to store well for two months. But for any longer duration, I presume that it is best to store the ingredients separately.

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Do you have a favorite home-mixed cereal (hot or cold) recipe that would appeal to SurvivalBlog readers?

In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long-term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven and slow cooker recipes, and any that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

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. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at the sagging fortunes of Credit Suisse. (See the Derivatives section.)

Precious Metals:

It appears that the currently atypical gold-to-platinum ratio is starting to revert. When I last checked, gold was down to around $1,675.50 per Troy ounce and platinum was up to $919.20 per Troy ounce. So we can say goodbye to the aberrant ratio, which recently got close to 2:1. It might be safe to predict that the more historically average 1:2 ratio will return. That is where the ratio settled, during the last major economic recession. Do you care to do some ratio trading out of gold and into platinum, at your local coin shop?  If so, then do that fairly soon. – JWR

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The spot and futures price of silver was pushed down again, late last week. It was at $18.63 per Troy ounce, the last time I checked. This is another good juncture to buy, if you’ve been a dawdler.

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Arkadiusz Sieroń, over at Gold-Eagle: FOMC Minutes Don’t Offer Any Hope For Gold.

Economy & Finance:

Fed officials expect higher rates to stay in place, meeting minutes show.

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IMF Blog: Interest Rate Increases, Volatile Markets Signal Rising Financial Stability Risks.

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Germany heading towards stagflation in 2023.

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It is rumored that Intel corporation is planning to layoff up to 20 percent of some divisions on October 27th.

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Inflation Front and Center This Week as Markets Remain on Edge.

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At The Guardian (UK): Market Turmoil.

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A consulting client asked me to summarize my approach to investing. I told him that I emphasize tangibles over conceptuals. I believe that if you learn to discern the real value of things, then you’ll have a basic grasp of how to make money.  But if you learn to discern the true intentions of businessmen and politicians, then you will become a master of making a lot of money. – JWR

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”