The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

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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. Today, we look at medical ethics, in pandemics.

Virus-Tracking Technology Puts Privacy at Risk

Reader DSV suggested this article over at WND: Virus-tracking technology putting privacy at risk

Incumbent Don Cheatham Endorses Alex Barron

Incumbent Republican State Senator Don Cheatham has just endorsed Alex Barron to fill his old seat. In an open letter, Don Cheatham wrote: “I am voting for Alex Barron, and I encourage all of those who have supported me in the past to support Alex Barron.”  Also, Don Cheatham provided the maximum financial support allowed by law for Alex Barron’s campaign to continue his work in the Idaho State Senate.

A Nova Scotia Mass Shooting

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Canada shooting: Gunman kills at least 16 in Nova Scotia.  JWR’s Comment: This tragedy will doubtless be used as an excuse for even more civilian disarmament laws, probably in the U.S. as well as in Canada.  Why in the U.S.? Because we are both English-speaking countries and both get preached to by the Nanny State BBC.

An Italian Perspective on Medical Ethics

Our Editor-At-Large Mike Williamson spotted this timely and thought-provoking essay on medical ethics and law, from Italy:  Giorgio Agamben: A Question. The translation is mediocre, but his message gets through.  Here is a key passage:

“We then accepted without too many problems, solely in the name of a risk that it was not possible to specify, limiting, to an extent that had never happened before in the history of the country, not even during the Second World War (the curfew during the war was limited to certain hours), our freedom of movement. We consequently accepted, solely in the name of a risk that it was not possible to specify, de facto suspending our relationships of friendship and love, because our proximity had become a possible source of contagion.”

Rich Americans Activate Pandemic Escape Plans

‘We needed to go’: Rich Americans activate pandemic escape plans.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The place we should have built up stockpiles was out in the country, like Timucuan County. Stockpiles weren’t going to be of much use in the cities because after ‘The Day’ there weren’t going to be any cities left. But where were the stockpiles? In the cities, of course. It was easier.” (Dan Gunn to Randy Bragg, in Chapter 7, of Alas, Babylon) by Pat Frank

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — April 22, 2020

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Today is the birthday of the late Charles Rankin Bond, Jr., who was born in Dallas on April 22, 1915. (Died, 2009.) He was one of the last of the AVG Flying Tiger pilots.

Today is the birthday of actor Eddie Albert (born Edward Albert Heimberger April 22, 1906.) He died May 26, 2005, at age 99.) For his actions in the battle of Tarawa, he was awarded the Bronze Star with “V” device.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 88 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any 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. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

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, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. 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).
  5. An assortment of products along with a one hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

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. 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.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $100 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!

Round 88 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

A Prepper’s Primer on Renewable Energy – Part 2, by Kevin R.

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

If you are preparing a retreat to be abundantly supplied when you bug out, but are not always using and replenishing wood, make sure that the wood is protected from rain and snow. Rotten wood does not provide as much energy. Also, make sure that you know where you can get more wood, should you start living in your retreat full time. Do you own your own timber? (Good thing to keep in mind when buying land.) How will you transport your logs to your home if you are in a crisis situation? It takes several medium sized trees to make a cord of wood. You need get into it before you will fully understand the investment of energy required for a season’s worth of wood.

To get wood into your fireplace, a tree needs to be felled, the length of tree needs to be sectioned into shorter lengths that will fit in your fireplace, and finally the wood is split longitudinally so that it is a diameter that burns well in your fireplace. Under normal conditions–that is to say, the society has not collapsed and you can obtain parts and fuel–a chainsaw is the ideal tool for felling and sectioning a tree. I currently use a Husqvarna 16” bar saw on trees that are typically 6” to 12” in diameter.

Each year I replace the spark plug and bar, and I typically purchase and use one or two new chains in order to process 6 to 7 cords of wood. Along the way, I sharpen the chains with a fine, cylindrical metal file. I keep telling myself that I’m going to get a Stihl 18” saw because it seems to work its way through the wood better and last longer, but the old Husqvarva keeps going well enough that it has been easy to put off that purchase. The macho in us all leans toward getting the largest, longest chainsaw available. However, when you are wielding a very unforgiving tool for hours on end, macho inclinations can be tempered. Be safe and thoughtful; get enough chainsaw, but not too much.

However, what about abnormal conditions; that is, conditions where you can’t buy parts or fuel. Under those conditions, I use a Collins axe or 30” bow saw to fell the tree, and the bow saw to section the tree. It is sometimes convenient to use a hand sledge to drive in a wedge into the tree to keep it from collapsing around your saw blade, regardless of what kind of saw you use. A bow saw and extra blades is a critical low-tech prep. These tools are very inexpensive, durable, easy to maintain, and long lasting. Good traits for when the grid is down.Continue reading“A Prepper’s Primer on Renewable Energy – Part 2, by Kevin R.”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

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Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. The focus is usually on emergency communications gear, bug out bag gear, books and movies–often with a tie-in to disaster preparedness, and links to “how to” self-sufficiency videos. There are also links to sources for both storage food and storage containers. You will also note an emphasis on history books and historical movies. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This week the focus is on Trijicon ACOG optics. (See the Gear & Grub section.)

Books:

I’ve previously mentioned this fascinating book by Jared Diamond: Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies

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Dave Canterbury’s guidebook is bound to become a classic: Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival

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Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It

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DIY Mobile Solar Power 2020: The Complete Guide To 12 Volt Mobile Solar Power For RVs, Boats, Vans, And Cars

Continue reading“JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“When you incline to have new clothes, look first well over the old ones, and see if you cannot shift with them another year, either by scouring, mending, or even patching if necessary. Remember, a patch on your coat, and money in your pocket, is better and more creditable, than a writ on your back, and no money to take it off.” – Benjamin Franklin

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — April 21, 2020

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April 21st is Aggie Muster Day, for all Texas A&M Corps of Cadets graduates. Aggie Muster celebrations/meetings are held as far away as Japan, Germany, and Afghanistan. I should mention that my grandfather (a U.S. Army Cavalry LTC) was an Aggie– something mentioned so often that everyone in my family felt like de facto Aggies, too. Other than the officers that matriculate though West Point, the four institutions that seem to have the greatest esprit de corps for graduates are Texas A&M, The Citadel, Norwich University, and VMI. I felt almost obliged to include an Aggie character in my novels Survivors and Founders, even though my connection to Texas A&M is two generations removed.

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A great new listing in British Columbia, over at #1 Son’s site: Kapoose Creek Hamlet.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 88 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any 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. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

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, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. 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).
  5. An assortment of products along with a one hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

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. 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.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $100 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!

Round 88 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

A Prepper’s Primer on Renewable Energy – Part 1, by Kevin R.

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Energy is a fundamental element in a prepper’s portfolio of resources and assets, along with food, water, medical, home, land, financial, and skills. However, some urban and suburban preppers who anticipate moving to a rural area when things get dicey often under-think their energy requirements. Organizing your retreat around dependence on hydrocarbon fuels means that you must store huge quantities of combustible fuels that will eventually run out during an extended societal collapse. But if you focus your energy use on renewable fuels, you will develop a system that will last indefinitely into the future, covering a wider variety of disasters, for a fraction of the cost.

Renewable energy sources can be replenished within your life time; as opposed to non-renewable sources–such as oil derivatives–that can be used up and not replenished. Common renewable energy sources include timber, solar, wind, geothermal, and hydro sources. This article helps the newly-ruralized prepper look at practical considerations for two very accessible renewable energy sources–wood and solar. Using these two renewable resources will give you a high degree of confidence that you will be ready for any situation, for any length of time.Continue reading“A Prepper’s Primer on Renewable Energy – Part 1, by Kevin R.”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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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 Alex Barron’s run for State Representative. (See the Idaho section.)

Idaho

The Idaho primary election is now less than a month away.  And the the general election will be in about 200 days. With the Mexican Beer Name Flu pandemic socialist distancing kerfluffle, the Idaho primary will be entirely via absentee ballots. If you haven’t yet registered to vote, then please do so, ASAP!  As most  SurvivalBlog readers have heard, I’ve endorsed Alex Barron for a State Senate seat, in western Kootenai County (District 3). He is a godly man and a truly conservative man who deserves your support. Since public speaking campaign events have been curtailed, this makes mailings to voters much more crucial. And of course those mailings are expensive. So please make a contribution to Alex Barron’s campaign. There is now a web page hosted by Redoubt News with his position on some key issues.

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ACLU Sues Idaho Over Law Banning Biological Males Who Identify as Transgender from Competing in Girls’ Sports

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Video: North Idaho Protest – Sandpoint Long Bridge. (April 17, 2020.)

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An Idaho farm is giving away 2 million potatoes because coronavirus has hurt demand

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From the Good Simple Living vlogging family: What Should We Build First On Our Off Grid Homestead?  (BTW, I recommend subscribing to their YouTube channel. Click on the “Bell” icon.)  They specifically asked for advice, so I do have two recommendations:  First: If you build living quarters in the back of your shop (making it a “Shouse”), then insulate it well, and frame it stoutly, to provide a building materials or hay storage deck, overhead. And be sure design it for the long term: What will be the uses of those rooms and the storage space above have after you eventually move in to your house? Wood shop? Storage room? Tack room? Frame for the requisite doors, accordingly. Remember: You can always frame for those eventually-needed doors now, and temporarily panel over them, with plywood. Then, after you move to the house, you can simply remove those panels and install utility doors. Second: The fenced garden area may look huge now, but it will quickly fill in, with various plantings. And you’ll need room to maneuver a tractor. So you should consider attaching your greenhouse to the outside of one end of your garden. Just build it with doors at each end, so that you can access it from both inside and outside of the garden. Unless you are going to be pasturing an ill-tempered bull, then there is no need to put the greenhouse inside of the garden fence. Oh, and since you’ll be off-grid, it is particularly important to build a greenhouse with a lot of non-electric solar roof vents. I’ve found those passive vents to be very trouble-free.

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

Preparedness Notes for Monday — April 20, 2020

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On April 20th, 2010, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, leased by BP, killed 11 workers and began spewing an estimated 200 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico for nearly three months, creating the worst known offshore oil spill.

April 20th is also the day that we remember the victims of the Columbine High School tragedy, where two students stormed into a suburban high school in Littleton, Colorado in 1999, at lunch time with guns and explosives, killing 13 and wounding dozens more in what was, at the time, the nation’s deadliest school shooting.

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Many SurvivalBlog  readers are now scheduled to return their regular commute-to-work life on May 1st–or soon after.  Keep in mind that the extra time required for commuting will gobble up precious time. So take full advantage of your extra time now, and write a feature article for Round 88 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. You’ll then be in the running to be chosen as one of the top three prize winners, who together will be awarded almost $10,000 worth of prizes.  Don’t let that time slip away! Carpe diem.

Budget Retreat Security, by Pat Cascio

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If you’ve been a reader of SurvivalBlog.com for any length of time, you’ve surely seen the term Operational Security and the acronym OPSEC. And just as often, you’ve seen the term retreat security. These two go hand-in-hand. Together, they can make your surroundings as safe and secure as possible. Sometimes, depending on your location, this might be simple. But other times, it takes a lot more work to make your surroundings as safe and secure as you possibly can. Every once in a while, I have to remind myself to maintain both OPSEC as well as retreat security.

More than half my life, I’ve been involved in either public or private law enforcement. One position I held for about a year was, private alarms. On the day shift, I installed both silent and not-too-silent arms, most were in businesses, but some were in private homes. On the night shift, I answered those alarms. Silent alarms were connected to a central station, at the business I worked at, and whenever an alarm was tripped, it notified the person at the central alarm station, and they would radio whomever was on duty, and we would respond to those alarms. Sad to say, at that time, I worked in the Chicago, Illinois area, and the Chicago Police Department were very slow to respond to silent alarms, if they responded at all. Many times, when the CPD arrived, they would “secure” the outside of the business, while I went in alone, to do a building search. Anyone in law enforcement will tell you that, it is nearly impossible to search a large building on your own – not good!

While working the day shift, installing alarms, it could get pretty boring. The biggest job was running the wires all over the building and at times, these installations could take a week or longer. Then we had to check each alarm, to make sure it was covering the area we needed it to check – trying not to leave any areas where there wasn’t coverage – this also took some time. On big jobs, there might be two of us doing the installation. Then, we had to check an adjust the sensitivity of each alarm – if they were too sensitive, they would “trip” the alarm for no reason, or even a mouse running through it. Other times, they weren’t sensitive enough.

We used a lot of infrared alarms and they sensed movement. The infrared alarms didn’t sound, they would turn-on a red or green light on the alarm itself. At times, I would attempt to see how stealthy those alarms were, and I’d try to walk through them…if you didn’t move fast, and held yourself against a wall, you could get through an alarm without setting it off. However, other alarms covering the area would more than likely pick-up your movement. Then we had alarms that picked-up body heat, There was no way getting through them without setting them off.Continue reading“Budget Retreat Security, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Daniel’s Hamburger and Bean Casserole

Reader Daniel kindly sent us his recipe for hamburger and bean casserole.

Ingredients
  • 1 can french cut green beans
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 small can of tomato Paste
  • 1 Lb. Ground Beef, Browned and Drained
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 2 cups of Basmati rice
Directions
  1. Cook the rice.
  2. Brown the beef and drain off any grease.
  3. When the rice is nearly done, preheat your oven to 350 F.
  4. Lay down ground beef as a thin layer, in an oven-proof casserole dish.
  5. Add a layer of cooked rice.
  6. Continue layering, alternating all of the beef and rice.
  7. Spread the can of cream of mushroom soup
  8. Sprinkle on the french cut green beans
  9. Finish with a layer of diced tomatoes mixed with tomato paste on top
  10. Cook in oven @350 F for about 45 minutes.

SERVING

Serve hot.

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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

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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 Really Big Helicopter Drop of Money.

Precious Metals:

Gold and silver prices down as risk appetite up late this week

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​Physical Gold and Silver to Continue to Soar on Massive Demand and Money Printing Everywhere

The Really Big Helicopter Drop of Money

It was Milton Friedman who famously coined the term “helicopter money” and Ben Bernanke was the first Federal Reserve Chairman to seriously consider using it. Well, figuratively, Uncle Sam has borrowed one of those really big heavy lift helicopters, from Russia. (Pictured.)  I found several of the following news items aggregated in the highly-recommended McAlvany Intelligence Advisor Daily G-2 e-letter.

The U.S. has thrown more than $6 trillion at the coronavirus crisis. That number could grow. JWR’s Comment:  A trillion here, and a trillion there, and pretty soon you’re talking about real money. (I’m of course amplifying Senator Everett Dirksen’s famous yet supposedly misattributed comment:  “A billion here, and a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking about real money.”)

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Florida woman trying to withdraw stimulus check finds $8.5M in her account

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Gavin Newsom announces coronavirus cash payments to illegal immigrants. JWR’s Comment:  Only a life-long Democrat would consider incentivizing illegals aliens to stay, just as unemployment is spiking at the highest level since the Great Depression.

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Zero Hedge: The $349 Billion Small Business Loan Program Is Now Out Of Money.

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Coronavirus Relief: Proposed Bill Would Give Americans $2,000 A Month During Pandemic

Economy & Finance:

JohnnyMac, at American Partisan: Our Economic Future – Q3 & Q4 2020

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5 million more people filed jobless claims last week, bringing total to almost 22 million in one month

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At Zero Hedge: Story Time 1929-1936

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At Wolf Street: How Will Covid-19 Lockdowns Hit the Housing Market? It Gets a Little Clearer

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And another from Wolf, with charts: Here’s Where Retail Sales Spiked and Collapsed in 11 Mind-Blowing Charts of Lockdown Land

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Overcapacity / Oversupply Everywhere: Massive Deflation Dead Ahead.  JWR’s Comment: Be prepared for deflation followed by mass inflation, as most of the central banks attempt to inflate their way out of this mess.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”