Columbia Trailstorm Hikers, by Pat Cascio

I’m very picky when it comes to footwear! I stopped purchasing cheap shoes at least 35-40-years ago, always remember, you get what you pay for. I don’t purchase footwear from any discount shoe stores, nor at any of the big box stores. I’ve found it much better to save up for better shoes and boots. I want to buy something that will last me a very long, and give me the support I need.

Unlike a lot of senior citizens, I have high arches, instead of fallen arches. So, I wear prescription insoles, instead of the insoles that come with footwear, or off-the-shelf insoles. My prescription insoles cost me in the neighborhood of $450.  Yep, that’s a lot of money, no matter how you look at it. However, these insoles were molded to fit my feet precisely. I’ve had these insoles for about 30 years now and they are about at the point, where I need to replace them. I almost did a couple years back. However, the deal I made with the foot doctor changed from the time of my first visit, until I was ready to be fitted with new insoles. And, let’s just say, the price when up – a lot! Don’t take anyone at their word. Get it in writing.

Many people totally neglect their feet, and just get the cheapest shoes they can find. This is a big mistake if you ask me. First of all, you aren’t getting what you think you’re getting, when you purchase cheap footwear. You probably spend at least 14-16 hours per day on your feet, so demand the best you can get – in the end, your feet will thank you – trust me. Our feet take a pounding every single day, so why not treat them to the best you can afford? Just think about how many thousands of pounds of pressure you apply to your feet every single day, each time you put your foot on the ground.

I usually go through a pair of shoes or boots every couple of years. It depends on what time of year it is, if I’m wearing boots, hikers, or athletic footwear. Most of the winter, I wear high-top hikers – waterproof, or I might wear a pair of mud boots – waterproof – if I’m out in the boonies. During the summer months, I wear some lightweight low-cut – waterproof – athletic shoes. It is important to note that almost all of my footwear is waterproof. Why? As a rule, we get a lot of rain in Western Oregon. This past year was very different, and we were behind on the rainfall – facing another severe drought with a lot of wild and forest fires.  Still, I put my lightweight hikers away – that are not waterproof – and I’m wearing something new from Columbia clothing.Continue reading“Columbia Trailstorm Hikers, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Survival Chili

The following recipe for Survival Chili is from SurvivalBlog reader John M. He says: “This has been a go-to recipe for years in [cook-off] competition and a family favorite.”

Ingredients
  • 2 lbs 90% lean hamburger which does not require draining…. or 80% and drain most of the liquid but not all
  • 2 cans (15 oz) tomato sauce
  • 1 can (15 oz) diced petite tomatoes
  • 3 cups of Bush’s chili beans in sauce — careful adding more will overload the rest of the ingredients
  • 1  can (4 oz) green chiles
  • 3 tablespoons of garlic, onion powder
  • 4 teaspoons of pepper and salt (or less, to taste)
  • 4 tablespoon of hot sauce
  • 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
  • 1/4 stick of butter
Directions
  1. Deep brown the hamburger in a cast-iron kettle or a large pot.
  2. Add butter, garlic, and onion powder, salt and pepper, and hot sauce.
  3. Next turn heat down to low, (never allow the chili to boil, this kills the ingredients )
  4. Add the rest of the ingredients and continue the low heat setting for a couple of hours.
CHEF’s NOTES

I sometimes cook it for 4 to 8 hours turning the heat off for an hour and then resume. Have used a large crockpot with setting on low and the lid offset to keep it from boiling. But I prefer to use cast iron kettle to control cooking. After the first meal, add a cooked box of elbow macaroni and serve as chili-Mac.

You may add more salt and pepper as needed but you will find even with the amount listed it’s not overbearing.

Nothing better on a cold day, or even on a summer outing.

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Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest 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 rising used car prices. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Reuters: Gold rises as inflation risks buoy safe-haven appeal.

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Bull Flags For The Miners.

Economy & Finance:

10 Things Media Won’t Tell You About the Dems’ Big Bill.

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At Zero Hedge: “It’s Dangerous” – Bill Gross Warns Investors Have Been Lulled Into “Dreamland” By Central Banks.

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H.L. spotted this: CVS to close approximately 900 stores over next three years.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Progressivism was imported from Europe and would result in a radical break from America’s heritage. In fact, it is best described as an elitist-driven counterrevolution to the American Revolution, in which the sovereignty of the individual, natural law, natural rights, and the civil society—built on a foundation of thousands of years of enlightened thinking and human experience—would be drastically altered and even abandoned for an ideological agenda broadly characterized as “historical progress.” Progressivism is the idea of the inevitability of historical progress and the perfectibility of man—and his self-realization—through the national community or collective. While its intellectual and political advocates clothe its core in populist terminology, and despite the existence of democratic institutions and cyclical voting, progressivism’s emphasis on material egalitarianism and societal engineering, and its insistence on concentrated, centralized administrative rule, lead inescapably to varying degrees of autocratic governance. Moreover, for progressives there are no absolute or permanent truths, only passing and distant historical events. Thus even values are said to be relative to time and circumstances; there is no eternal moral order—that is, what was true and good in 1776 and before is not necessarily true and good today. Consequently, the very purpose of America’s founding is debased. To better understand this ideology, its refutation of the American heritage, and its enormous effect on modern American life, it is necessary to become acquainted with some of the most influential progressive intellectuals who, together with others, set the nation on this lamentable course. Given their prolific writings, it is neither possible nor necessary to delve into every manner of their thoughts or the differences among them in their brand of progressivism. For our purposes, it is enough to expose essential aspects of their arguments.” – Mark R. Levin, Rediscovering Americanism: And the Tyranny of Progressivism

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — November 21, 2021

On November 21, 1916, Britannic, the sister ship to the Titanic, sinks in the Aegean Sea, killing 30 people. In the wake of the Titanic disaster, the White Star line had made significant modifications to the design of the ship, but on its way to pick up wounded soldiers near the Gulf of Athens, it was rocked by an explosion causing even more damage than that which had sunk the Titanic. Many of the dead were from some of the crew who attempted to launch lifeboats while the Captain tried to run the ship aground. The lifeboats were sucked up into the propellers, killing all of those on board. The cause of the explosion is still unknown, but many suspect that it hit a mine.

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Our George Patton’s Birthday sale is continuing, at Elk Creek Company.  Check out the reduced prices on all of our pre-1899 antique cartridge guns, percussion replicas, percussion conversion cylinders, bayonets, and knives. The sale ends on Saturday, December 11th, 2021.

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Today, a guest article, written by Arkadiusz Sieron, PhD. It was first posted by Sunshine Profits.

Inflation Risk: Milton Friedman Would Buy Gold Right Now, by Arkadiusz Sieroń

Editor’s Introductory Note:  This guest article, reposted with permission, was authored by economist Arkadiusz Sieron, PhD. It was first posted by Sunshine Profits.

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Powell maintains that inflation is transitory, but the monetary theory of inflation suggests otherwise. So, elevated inflation could stay with us!

Some economists downplay the risk stemming from elevated inflation, saying that comparisons to the 1970s style stagflation appear unfounded. They say that labor unions are weaker and economies are less dependent on energy than in the past, which makes inflationary risks less likely to materialize. Isabel Schnabel, Board Member of the European Central Bank, even compared the current inflationary spike to a sneeze, i.e., “the economy’s reaction to dust being kicked up in the wake of the pandemic and the ensuing recovery”. Are those analysts right?

Well, in a sense, they are. The economy is not in stagnation with little or no growth and a rising unemployment rate. On the contrary, the US labor market is continuously improving. It’s also true that both the bargaining power of workers and energy’s share in overall expenditure have diminished over the last fifty years.

However, general inflation is neither caused by wages nor energy prices. Higher wages simply mean lower profits, so although employees can consume more, employers can spend less. If wages are set above the potential market rates, then unemployment emerges – not inflation.Continue reading“Inflation Risk: Milton Friedman Would Buy Gold Right Now, by Arkadiusz Sieroń”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.

He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.

And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?

A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.

And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.

Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.

Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?

Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?

Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?

How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?

Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.

From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.

But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.” – Matthew 16 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — November 20, 2021

Today is the birthday of Ed W. “Too Tall” Freeman (November 20, 1927 – August 20, 2008). He was a United States Army helicopter pilot who received the United States military’s highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in the Battle of Ia Drang Valley during the Vietnam War. During the battle, he flew through gunfire numerous times, bringing supplies to a trapped American battalion and flying dozens of wounded soldiers to safety. Freeman was a wingman for Major Bruce Crandall who also received the Medal of Honor for the same missions.

On November 2, 1920, the radio station KDKA in Pittsburgh produced what is often cited as the world’s first commercial broadcast. However, it is noteworthy that an experimental station in San Jose, California was operated by Charles “Doc” Herrold, much earlier. Herrold started broadcasting daily from 1909 to 1917 — long before the advent of KDKA. He began playing record albums on the air in 1912. Herrold’s station was licensed as KQW (in 1921) and later KCBS. In the fall of 1916, after the De Forest Radio Telephone & Telegraph Company began operating an experimental radio station, 2XG, in New York City. They were the first broadcaster to operate commercially, airing advertisements.

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Like most Americans, I was relieved to hear that on Friday, Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty, on all charges. But I am quite troubled to see the incredibly biased mass media still referring to the men he shot as “victims.”  They were the aggressors. Kyle Rittenhouse was the victim.  Perhaps if he were of a different skin tone, or had a different political persuasion, the mass media would characterize the incident differently.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 97 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. 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,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  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. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.

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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. A transferable $150 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!

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More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 97 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.

Reflections In the Mirror, by Richard T.

Many years ago when my son came to the age of needing to shave he asked me to show him how. He is a grown man now and in no need of further instructions, and yet I am offering him an update on my original advice. I’m now 73 years old and have been learning that shaving is more than cutting whiskers. Shaving is one of those few moments in a man’s day when he can reflect on his thoughts as his face reflects in the mirror. For me, it has become a time of reflection of what my life looks like, inside and out. What has happened outside of me because of what was inside of me as well as the reverse:  Reliving regretful experiences and harvesting lessons from them, overhauling habits, seeking wisdom from acts of folly, and most of all developing self-acceptance and gratefulness. It isn’t easy to do in those few minutes in front of the mirror.

Let me start with this; gratefulness. Taking a shower, sitting down on the throne, shaving your face; these are those daily duties we just do and take for granted as well as the access to the facilities to do them. It struck me recently to read about the plight of a man who was denied such simple and basic everyday needs. What initially caught my attention was that he was referred to as an elderly man, but he was two years younger than me. I read the article; he had been held hostage in an American gulag for the “crime” of being at the nation’s Capitol on January 6th of 2021 in a constitutionally legitimate gathering in support of a political issue. This is his account:

“On January 6, 2021 I was arrested and taken first to this place I can only describe as a dungeon. But Websters definition does not do it justice. It says, “A dark cell for prisoners”. That is just a start. Its dark alright. With 2 people in a cell about 5×7 with a commode, no sink, no water, and no toilet paper. If you needed a drink you had to get the guards attention and at his pleasure, he would bring you a 6oz cup of water. If you needed to poop you had to call the guard and ask for toilet paper. The guard would take a roll of toilet paper and depending on the roll size, he would roll off maybe 5 or 6 loops and he would leave. If that wasn’t enough, you had to call him back for more”.

I’ve been able to do what this man has not been allowed to do every single day since he and others have been imprisoned nearly a year ago for absolutely no legitimate reason.Continue reading“Reflections In the Mirror, by Richard T.”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those –or excerpts thereof — in this column, in the Odds ‘n Sods Column, and in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

We took a three-hour drive to purchase several ewes and a disrelated ram. These are from a fairly rare breed, so we were excited to find a breeder so close by. (By Redoubt standards, a three-hour drive is “close by.”)

I’ve been fully engaged in the last week with writing, editing, shipping out Elk Creek Company orders. There have been a lot of orders, since we are running our biggest sake if the year, until December 11th.  For example, one gent ordered four knives and a Leatherman tool. There have also been a lot of projects around the Rawles Ranch. These included tacking-up burlap flaps to the fronts of our henhouse nest boxes, beefing up some fences to make them more bull-proof, re-hanging a tube gate, and rebuilding an old sheep corral, to make it once again sheep-tight. A lot of that work was done just after we’d received four inches of fresh snow. We also did some renovation of our old small livestock shed — since it has been several years since we’ve kept any goats or sheep in it. Most recently, it had been used to house our chickens.

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.

The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit.

Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour.

The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy.

The house of the wicked shall be overthrown: but the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish.

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness.

The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.

The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.

A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.

He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly: and a man of wicked devices is hated.

The simple inherit folly: but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

The evil bow before the good; and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends.

He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.

Do they not err that devise evil? but mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good.

In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.” – Proverbs 14: 7-23 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — November 19, 2021

On this day in 1863, U.S. President Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address, at the dedication service for the National Cemetery in Pennsylvania.

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Less than two weeks left!  Get your entries in for Round 97 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 97 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.

The Curse of The Cult of Kanban

In 2007, I began warning SurvivalBlog readers about global over-reliance on Just-In-Time (JIT) inventory management. This system — also called lean inventory management or kanban — was first developed by Toyota in Japan, in the 1950s. There, with largely internal chains of supply that were all clustered around the major cities on Japan’s largest island, Honshu, the kanban system worked with wonderful efficiency. Kanban soon branched out to the other three primary islands: Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku. Manufacturers were able to cut costs by keeping their parts inventory small, and placing frequent orders to their supplying wholesalers and component parts makers. Kanban became very popular in Japan in the 1960s.

The Japanese lean inventory way of doing business was so successful that it caught the attention of American and European efficiency experts. They soon adopted it, preferring to use the term Just-In-Time (JIT). The bean counters earned nice Christmas bonuses, and both CEOs and shareholders were happy with a fatter bottom line. By the late 1990s, in many industries JIT became the norm. Even in worldwide trade, kanban proved to be efficient, if allowances were made for the lag time created by transoceanic shipping. American companies also found lean inventory beneficial in states with outdated inventory taxes.

Seeing the success of JIT in industry, wholesalers and retailers emulated kanban practices. This widespread adoption was seen most dramatically in supermarkets. Most new stores that were built after the early 1990s omitted having a large rear storeroom for “overstock”. What you see on the shelves is all that they have available in the store. Increasingly, it is route drivers and jobbers from third party companies that actually stock supermarket shelves. This started first with bread shelves, but now entire swaths of store shelves are stocked by people who are not store employees. This shelf-stocking activity largely goes on between 2 AM and 6 AM every morning, so most customers are oblivious to this hum of activity.Continue reading“The Curse of The Cult of Kanban”

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 strengthening U.S. Dollar. (See the Forex & Cryptos section.)

Precious Metals:

Gold gains as inflation worries offset strong dollar.

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Gold Is Back in Vogue With Bulls Loving Faster Inflation Again. Here is an excerpt from the Yahoo article:

“While bullion is often bought as a way to protect wealth when consumer prices are climbing, this year’s inflation had weighed on the metal as investors bet that it would spur the Federal Reserve to scale back huge stimulus measures. But with the Fed determined to keep rates low while unemployment remains elevated, worries about out-of-control inflation are boosting gold’s allure.

That was clear on Wednesday, when gold jumped to break out of a 15-month downtrend after data showed U.S. consumer prices rose the fastest since 1990. On Thursday, spot prices rose as much as 0.9%, before paring some of the gain.

Inflation “is not transitory,” said Nicky Shiels, head of metals strategy at MKS (Switzerland) SA. “It’s injected some bullish momentum. That’s a change from the previous ‘thinking’ since the Fed’s taper threat is out of the way.”

Taxes:

Biden’s Vaping Tax Sparks Concerns People Will Go Back to Cigarettes.

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“Fair Share”? Here’s Every State’s Top Tax Rate Under Biden’s Massive Spending Bill.

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$283,927,000,000: Federal Tax Collections Set Record in October.Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”