Recipe of the Week: Avalanche Lily’s Dairy-Free Potato Cream Soup

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Introductory Notes:

This is a favorite recipe for winter-time. I often pick out a basic recipe and then adapt it to what I want and like.  I am not an exact science person when it comes to cooking and definitive measurements of anything. So I will do my best when giving you approximate measurements for the ingredients I use.  Please feel free to adapt all of my recipes to your own taste.

I have included a concluding note about food intolerances, as optional reading.

 

Ingredients

3 quarts of Beef Bone Broth (Prepared in advance, see below.)

8 medium potatoes, chopped

3 stalks of celery, chopped

3 large carrots, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 heaping Tablespoon of ground garlic

1 Can (13-Ounce) of Coconut Milk (I use Native Forest brand)

Himalayan salt, to taste

Pepper, only if desired

 

Continue reading“Recipe of the Week: Avalanche Lily’s Dairy-Free Potato Cream Soup”

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. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today’s focus is on Antique Barometers. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Wow!  On Friday morning, spot gold spiked to near $1,300 USD per Troy ounce:  Gold Solidly Up, At Session High, As USDX Hits Daily Low. Gold closed at $1302.60 on Friday.  All eyes will be on spot gold, on Monday morning.

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Palladium Is Now The Most Valuable Precious Metal

 

Global Economy:

Big Exporters are Losing It: US Manufacturing Gains. Germany, Japan, China not so Lucky

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Next, at Wolf Street: Record Defaults by Chinese Companies: Fake “Cash” & Fake Accounting

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As Investors Flee Australia’s Housing Bust, Sales of New Houses Plunge to Record Low.  JWR’s Comment: Many markets in the English-speaking world tend to move in harmony. Consider yourself warned.

 

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Something must be done, and that speedily, to bridge the widening chasm between the Executive and the Congress. Our experience with President Wilson has demonstrated this. As a self-centered autocrat, confident of himself and suspicious of others, hostile to advice or discussion, he became the absolute master of the Congress while his party was in the majority. The Congress, instead of being a co-ordinate branch, was really in session only to accept, adopt and put into laws the imperious will of the president. When, however, the majority changed, there being no confidence between the executive and the legislative branch of the government, the necessary procedure was almost paralyzed. The president was unyielding and the Congress insisted upon the recognition of its constitutional rights. Even if the president is, as McKinley was, in close and frequent touch with the Senate and the House of Representatives, the relation is temporary and unequal, and not what it out to be, automatic. Happily we have started a budget system; but the Cabinet should have seats on the floor of the Houses, and authority to answer questions and participate in debates.” – Senator Chauncey Mitchell Depew (April 23, 1834 – April 5, 1928), My Memories of Eighty Years

Preparedness Notes for Sunday – January 27, 2019

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Today is the birthday of singer-songwriter Kate Wolf (born 1942, died December 10, 1986.)  Her untimely death at age 44 of leukemia cut short an amazing career and deprived America of a great songwriting talent.

This is also the birthday of the late Helen Chenoweth (born, 1938, died October 2, 2006). She was a controversial Republican congresswoman from Orofino, Idaho.

January 27th is also commemorated at International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 80 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  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 Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  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 gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  4. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  5. 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).
  6. 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. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 80 ends on January 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.

Retreat Down Time, by K. R.

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Dreary Days

There will be days, depending on where you live, where you will experience days of rain, snow, or other weather phenomena that will relegate you and your family to being inside the house. You could spend this retreat down time time mending clothes, sharpening tools, canning, or planning for when the weather allows you back outside. If you have children, this indoor time could elevate the stresses they may be feeling due to the dramatic changes in their lives. Life without electricity, without a cellphone signal, and without an Internet connection. This will be especially hard for children learning to live a tech-free life. What are your plans for these dreary days?

Mini-Library

Often overlooked survival items are the things that allow us to enjoy down time with the family. Everyone needs a break now and then. If yours is a family of readers, a nice library can be accumulated for very little money. Garage sales usually have a wide variety of books for all age groups. While you are there to buy blankets, clothing, and tools, pick up a few books to read. You can also get them cheap at Amazon and at many online discount book sites. Here are some quick online sources:

Note:  Always look below the main listed book price on Amazon for other sellers offering used copies at discount prices.

Amazon Prime ships for free and many discounters offers prices low enough to acquire several books for minimal cost. Personally, I will also always have a Bible nearby. If you will be able to power a Kindle or your laptop, you can download e-books inexpensively or for free. Just holding a Kindle might be the methadone type of treatment your kids need as they wake up to their new post-cell-phone world.

Continue reading“Retreat Down Time, by K. R.”

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”. Today, there is an emphasis on anti-gun legislation at the state level. Whilst fighting gun legislation at the federal level, don’t  lose track of the attacks at the state level!  The following is just a sampling. Mikey Bloomberg has unleashed his war chest. Keep a close eye on legislation in your own state, and write your legislators –both State and Federal–frequently!

Illinois: State Gun Dealer Licensing

Reader DSV suggested this: Illinois Governor Pritzker Signs Gun Dealer Licensing Bill.  This is a horrible legislation that will drive most of the few remaining Mom and Pop dealers out of business. I recommend that freedom-loving folks living in the Land of Lincoln make plans to bail out of that state, soon!Oregon

More Proposed Gun Laws in Oregon

Here is a summary of what is happening Oregon: Gun control bills up for debate in Oregon’s 2019 legislative session. Not content with New Jersey’s precedent of tightening the screws down from 15 rounds to 10 rounds, in Oregon, the Democrats are demanding a magazine limit of 5 rounds!

o  o  o

Here is a full list of the pending bills, at the Oregon Firearms Federation (OFF) web site: 2019 Firearms Legislation. By the way, I strongly encourage all SurvivalBlog readers who live in Oregon to join the OFF.  

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.
When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.
And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren.
And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.
But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.
And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.
And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.
Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.
And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me:
Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.
And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,
After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.
Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.
Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:
But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.” – Acts 15:1-21 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday – January 26, 2019

January 26th, 1945 is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by the Soviet Army. Established in 1941, Auschwitz was composed of a group of three large camps and 40 smaller camps used for slave labor, unethical medical experiments, and monstrous killing grounds where prisoners were gassed and cremated. As the Soviets headed for Auschwitz, the German Gestapo began a murder spree and began destroying the facility in an attempt to hide the evidence of their crimes. When the Soviets arrived, they encountered 648 corpses and more than 7,000 starving camp survivors along with storehouses filled with hundreds of thousands of dresses, suits, and shoes that the Germans did not have time to burn.

Guest Post: Will Globalists Sacrifice the Dollar to Get Their ‘New World Order’?, by Brandon Smith

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Editor’s Introductory Note: The following article original appeared at the excellent Alt-Market blog, and is re-posted with permission. Brandon Smith’s economic and geopolitical analysis is usually spot on. I recommend bookmarking his site and checking it often. – JWR

—

Trade is a fundamental element of human survival. No one person can produce every single product or service necessary for a comfortable life, no matter how Spartan their attitude. Unless your goal is to desperately scratch an existence from your local terrain with no chance of progress in the future, you are going to need a network of other producers. For most of the history of human civilization, production was the basis for economy. All other elements were secondary.

At some point, as trade grows and thrives, a society is going to start looking for a store of value; something that represents the man-hours and effort and ingenuity a person put into their day. Something that is universally accepted within barter networks, something highly prized, that is tangible, that can be held in our hands and is impossible to replicate artificially. Enter precious metals.

Thus, the concept of “money” was born, and for the most part it functioned quite well for thousands of years. Unfortunately, there are people in our world that see economy as a tool for control rather than a vital process that should be left alone to develop naturally.

The idea of “fiat money”, money which has no tangibility and that can be created on a whim by a central source or authority, is rather new in the grand scheme of things. It is a bastardization of the original and much more stable money system that existed before that was anchored in hard commodities. While it claims to offer a more “liquid” store of value, the truth is that it is no store of value at all.

Purveyors of fiat, central banks and globalists, use ever increasing debt as a means to feed fiat, not to mention the hidden tax of price inflation. When central bankers get a hold of money, it is no longer a representation of work or value, but a system of enslavement that crushes our ability to produce effectively and to receive fair returns for our labor.

There are many people today in the liberty movement that understand this dynamic, but even in alternative economic circles there are some that do not understand the full picture when it comes to central banks and fiat mechanisms. There is a false notion that paper currencies are the life blood of the establishment and that they will seek to protect these currencies at all costs. This might have been true 20 years ago or more, but it is not true today. Things change.

The king of this delusion is the US dollar. As the world reserve currency it is thought by some to be “untouchable”, a pillar of the globalist structure that will be defended for many decades to come. The reality, however, is that the dollar is nothing more than another con game on paper to the globalists; a farce that they are happy to sacrifice in order to further their goals of complete centralization of world trade and therefore the complete centralization of control over human survival.

That is to say, the dollar is a stepping stone for them, nothing more.

The real goal of the globalists is an economic system in which they can monitor every transaction no matter how small; a system in which there is eventually only one currency, a currency that can be tracked, granted or taken away at a moment’s notice. Imagine a world in which your “store of value” is subject to constant scrutiny by a bureaucratic monstrosity, and there is no way to hide from them by using private trade as a backstop. Imagine a world in which you cannot hold your money in your hand, and access to your money can be denied with the push of a button if you step out of line. This is what the globalists really desire.

Continue reading“Guest Post: Will Globalists Sacrifice the Dollar to Get Their ‘New World Order’?, by Brandon Smith”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

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To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. Steadily, we work on meeting our prepping goals. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities. They also often share their planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, property improvements, 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 the Comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

JWR

It was a pleasant week at the Rawles Ranch. Between a few snow showers, we had the opportunity to do some hiking and cross country skiing. Late in the week I took a break from writing and did some snow plowing. I even had time to do some snow shoveling, reorganize the garage, and carry a few things down to Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR). Sorry, but no photos of JASBORR–a.k.a. The Fleidermaus Grotte–are available, for OPSEC reasons.

This past week we received another batch of forwarded Snail Mail. There were several envelopes with subscription donations for the Ten Cent Challenge. It was also gratifying to see that more than 500 of the 2005-2018 SurvivalBlog Archive waterproof USB sticks were sold in just the first week of sales. I was told that the first increment of those orders were packaged and mailed out on Friday. By the way, I should mention that the family that is handling order fulfillment for us again this year operates as a home-based business. I think it is great that we can partner with folks who live the same lifestyle. Just like us, they do not want to be tied up in the corporate rat race.

To both the Ten Cent Challenge subscribers and to those who ordered USB sticks, my sincere thanks!

Avalanche Lily Reports:

Dear Readers,
This week we did our regular winter home schooling, chores, skiing, hiking and writing. In addition, I watched a whole slew of videos by a young woman with the trail name Dixie. She hiked the three major hiking trails of the United States during the past four years: The Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and Continental Divide Trail. Her web site is called Homemade Wanderlust. In her videos she talks about her gear, food, water, itineraries, and experiences of these hikes.  Her photography and advice is excellent, very professional, very authentic, and down to earth.

During my high school and college years I did do some backpacking trips.  I’ve wanted to do them again, but during the past 8 years I have been helping Jim develop our homestead, gardening, harvesting and preserving our produce in the spring and summer, and schooling in the fall and winter. So I haven’t made the time to do anything more than day hikes. I milked cows for the middle six years of the first 8 years of marriage. I’m currently not milking. I’ll explain that in my column next week.

Dixie’s videos inspired me to want to do winter cross country skiing camping and summer backpacking this coming spring and summer.

Watching her videos prompted me to reassess and compare her ultralight style with my survivalist style backpack/Bugout Backpack.  They are definitely two different animals but with some overlap. Perhaps I’ll write an article comparing their differences and similarities.

I went through all of my backpacking gear: sleeping bag, pack, tent, clothes, cooking utensils, boots, food, water filters, and so forth.  I compared that with her gear list, where I live, and what scenarios I would be facing.  I made some changes and a list of a few items that I need to acquire and have ordered them.  Then I began to test my gear out starting with sleeping outside in the winter. I’m first going to work out what is best for me and then continue coaching and finish outfitting the girls. They have much of what they need, but need a few more items. I’ll then wrap it up with Jim.  He did some backpacking in the Sierras as a Boy Scout and as a young man. Currently, he has to work hard on the blog and books these days and doesn’t have much free time.

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

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”.

The Rumble of C-46 and C-47 Engines

Fans of old radial engine WWII-vintage transport planes will want to subscribe to this, from Canada: Plane Savers.

You may remember this as the same “air cargo and passengers” airline featured in the popular Ice Pilots television show.

JWR is Accepting Bitcoin

I’m in need of some Bitcoin for an upcoming purchase. Therefore, for at least the next few days, I’m willing to accept Bitcoin for most of the items that I have listed in The SurvivalBlog Classifieds. This is a limited-time offer, and subject to negotiation for a mutually agreed BTC exchange rate. If any of the items that I have listed in the SurvivalBlog Classifieds interest you, then e-mail me to hold that item for you, and for details on making payment to my Bitcoin receiving address. That by the way is: 3GVcXveQGB6V9Py7WKjHN5ZC9KiiavHdgw

Lowered Standards for Special Forces

Reader “DPS Officer” spotted this article: Green Berets Targeted After Anonymous Email Exposed Lowered Standards. JWR’s Comment: Lowering our military readiness for the sake of Political Correctness is nothing short of national suicidal.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.
In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.
Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.
They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.” – Psalm 18:1-18 (KJV)

Escape and Evasion in Standardized Testing, by Autistic Prepper

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A Little Background

The very word “test” is enough to make us cringe. Spelling tests, math tests—every school day brought another test. And then there were the “achievement tests”, which were supposed to find out how much we’d learned that year.

The Tests that Really Mattered in Our Lives

From high school, many of us went on to college. Here tests were crucial as we labored through the ACT, SAT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, et cetera. Our scores helped determine whether we would get into the college and profession we wanted.

Okay, So I’m a Rebel

I tried hard on all the standardized tests I had to take, but before the actual ACT began I had an interesting experience. We were given a page that wasn’t part of the test; the questions had to do with my parents’ occupation, income, and education level. None of this information, in my opinion, was relevant to my scholastic abilities. I knew what they were after; they wanted to connect my test grade to other life factors. At 17 I was already an accomplished rebel, so I lied on every personal family question.

Note to other rebels: I also don’t believe present-day schools have a right to know parental occupation, educational level, or income. But it’s your decision about whether to provide that information to an institution that will put it into a computer and send it all over the world.

I have also rebelled against giving the expected liberal answer if I believed it was incorrect. When I took the national teacher exam, one of the first questions asked whether intelligence was determined primarily by genetics or upbringing. I marked “genetics” even though I knew it would be counted wrong. Liberals insist environment is the determining factor for intelligence. It has to be, or people might figure out that all the tax money being poured into preschool programs is a complete waste. Follow the money.

I was proven right years later by the Minnesota Twin Study, which studied identical twins who were separated at birth. The study found a strong correlation between genetics and intelligence. But when did liberals ever listen to facts?

Escape and Evasion in Testing

Today I’m not concerned with the tests mentioned above. I want to discuss a much more sinister and invasive form of testing: tests that claim they can determine your personality or determine if you have psychological problems. They’re used by lazy psychologists who don’t know how to do real analysis and, more and more frequently, by corporations and law enforcement. They are also ignorant about true mental assessment.

The psychology/testing industry has convinced corporations that they should know as much as possible about the minds of those they hire in order to eliminate applicants who might be dishonest, have emotional problems, or whose personality may be considered a poor fit with the job. Presumably law enforcement believes it can pick up criminal characteristics.

It’s a Business

The testing companies have been very successful in promoting their products; it’s currently a $2-to-$4 Billion Dollar per year industry. That gives them several billion good reasons to convince buyers that their product is effective. Like I said, Follow the money.

Any Rebels Here?

With the rising use of these tests, you may be asked or required to take one of these tests as a condition of employment. My opinion of these tests is negative for two reasons. First, I don’t believe they produce accurate conclusions; second, I don’t believe anyone has the right to probe your mind without your free consent.

My Purpose—Teaching Test and Evasion

I want to explain some methods of taking these tests yet evading them. It’s not hard at all.

The “Forced” Test

There are three basic formats for personality tests. The first is called a “forced” test because the taker is forced to make a choice between one of two answers. Usually this is “yes” or “no”. For instance, a test may say:

Yes No
I admire my father. O O
My mother is my friend. O O
Most days are I’m happy. O O
Bad dreams often bother me. O O

These tests try to prevent fake answers by asking the same question, with different wording, repeatedly. They assume that there are two possibilities about your test taking: (1) you’re carefully reading and trying to choose the answer that will please them, or (2) you’re being honest about your feelings. The test also claims it can determine which strategy you are using.

The simplest way to avoid giving psychologically revealing answers on such tests is to make an arbitrary, simple rule for how each question will be answered. For example, you might decide that questions with an even number of words will be marked “yes”, and those with an odd number of words will be marked “no”. This means you do admire your father (four words) but your mother isn’t your friend. This will prevent any chance of your true beliefs being reflected in your answers.

The Strategies Are Endless

The number of words is only the beginning. You might also try looking at the fourth letter in the sentence. If it’s a vowel, mark “yes”. If it’s a consonant, mark “no”. Or use the fifth letter. Or the last letter. You could even use different strategies for different parts of the test.

Likert-type Scale

The second commonly used test format employs a Likert-type scale in which you indicate your level of agreement or disagreement with a statement. These present a sliding Likert scale such as this:

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree
o  ———— o  ————— o —————— o —————- o

…and they will ask you to respond to statements such as:

  • I am assertive when I know I’m right.
  • Challenges don’t scare me.
  • I get along well with my wife.
  • I genuinely like most people.
  • Shy people don’t get ahead.

This test form is more difficult because you must have five strategies for choosing a random answer. Some possibilities include:

  • For every question which begins with a vowel and has an odd number of words, mark “strongly agree”.
  • For any question which begins with a vowel and has an even number of words, mark “strongly disagree”.
  • For any question with a contraction, mark “agree”.
  • For any sentence which begins with a consonant and has an odd number of words, mark “neutral”.
  • For any sentence which begins with a vowel and has an even number of words, mark “disagree”.
The Result of Using These Strategies

If you follow a system such as this, your answers will have no relation to your true feelings. Try to make your system as simple and easy to remember as possible. The Lickert scale questions are harder to plot than simple “yes-no”, but much more fun.

Projective Tests

A Blot is a Blot is a Blot

The third kind of personality test is called a projective test. There is no real answer, but your personality, conflicts, and emotional stability are supposed to be revealed by how you see something which is really nothing.

The best example of such a test is the Rorschach. This test consists of—literally—random ink blots which someone made. The blots don’t resemble anything; what you imagine them to resemble is supposed to reveal your emotional state.

Remember Armageddon?

Needless to say, I don’t believe the test reveals anything. One of my favorite movie scenes is from the movie Armageddon where the unlikely astronauts are being tested physically and mentally. One of them, seeing the assorted blots, responds to them something like, “Woman with large breasts. Woman with small breasts. Woman with medium breasts.” That’s a great example of how useful this test is.

Your best strategy, if faced with a compulsory Rorschach, is to be very, very creative. The test comes with an interpretive book which lists many common answers and what they supposedly signify. Forget ordinary; go creative.

“This is a Chinese woman who’s been abandoned by her lover and is about to jump off the top of a large Buddha statue. She’ll be reborn as a snail.”

or,

“This is a triceratops mama defending her nest of eggs from little mammals that, in 70 million years, will turn into us.”

or,

“This is a raincoat hanging off the Eiffel Tower on a windy day.”

If you have a crazy bone hiding in yourself somewhere, use it.

Tests That Are Relevant

The tests I’ve described are completely different from tests designed to actually determine your competency to do a job.

For instance, I worked as a secretary in college and every job required a typing test. This makes perfect sense; the ability to type was crucial to doing the job well. Side Note: My fastest time, on a Selectric II, was 119 wpm. Yes, I got hired.

Today, secretaries need far more knowledge; they need to know all about spreadsheets, word processing, faxing, etc. Companies are completely justified in testing for these competencies.

If You Do Choose to Evade a Personality Test…

Forced answer and Likert tests are usually scored by machines. Your answers are then evaluated by the machine to produce a personality type. A psychologist looks at the results, says “Hum” with great gravity, and declares what kind of personality you have.

If you use the methods I’ve described to evade the test, I have no idea what your test results may be. More than likely the examiner will also be confused because there probably will not have a discernible pattern. Even if the machine can find a pattern, if you’ve used these strategies it will be a false pattern which tells nothing about your true personality. This may or may not affect your chances of employment. It’s a decision you have to make.

Real Psychiatry vs. an Industry

Please don’t take this article as a condemnation of the very real science of the human mind. I have great respect for the medical specialty of psychiatry; I’ve seen psychiatrists, as needed, for many years. None of them used the tests I’ve described. They have all been intelligent, kind, and incredibly perceptive. Their ability to see things about me, and help me see them as well (after hours and hours of discussion), has given me great insight into myself and has helped me find peace with my own differences.

I also know many of you tough guys wouldn’t touch a psychiatrist with a ten-foot bump stock. You believe getting psychiatric help indicates weakness, or that you haven’t got enough inner strength to prevail over whatever is distressing you. Or you may believe, as my dear Hubby does, that a psychiatrist can take one look at you and know everything about you. I mentioned this belief to a psychiatrist once and she laughed, “If only!”

Think of it this way: if something goes wrong with your heart, you’d go to a cardiologist. A misbehaving appendix will send you to a surgeon. A broken leg will call for an orthopedist.

The mind can also do things we don’t understand or that make us uncomfortable. If you believe you have an emotional problem, visit a professional—a psychiatrist who has been through medical school, internship, residency, and also has years of experience helping every problem a human mind can have.

Even yours.

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. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today’s focus is on the pinprick of the real estate bubble.

Precious Metals:

Tickets Please For The Gold Roller Coaster

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Arkadiusz Sieroń: A Weakening Global Expansion Amid Growing Risks. Will Gold Price Benefit?

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JWR was recently a guest on the Kennedy Financial podcast.  The other guest for that show was author Jerry Robinson of the great FollowTheMoney.com web site.  The show was mainly about disaster prepping, but we started discussing precious metals near the end of the hour.

Economy & Finance:

Over at The Silver Libertaion Blog: Fitch Threatens to Downgrade the US Credit Rating?

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Peter suggested this article: A better way to anticipate downturns. Peter’s comments: “The article is from 2010 but is still an interesting read. Skim toward the end, if needed. Note the author does make reference to the Yield Curve as being one early indicator of trouble ahead.”

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China to pass US in retail sales this year: forecast

 

The Debt Bomb:

Reader H.L. liked this piece at IWB: U.S. Government Debt Bomb Much Higher Than Americans Realize.

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Visualizing The Snowball Of Global Government Debt. Thanks to G.P. for the link.

 

Real Estate Bubble:

SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson sent us this link from a news piece that ran back in June: Families earning $117,000 now qualify as “low income” in California’s Bay Area. Mike’s Comments:  “Choose where you live, wisely.”  He also described the S.F. Bay Area tersely: “This area also offers low survivability during an economic crisis.”

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We have already seen the pinprick of the real estate bubble. Some evidence: Q4 Mortgage Lending At Big Three Banks Plunges 20-30% Y/Y. (Thanks to H.L. for the link.)

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US home sales plummeted 6.4 percent in December. JWR’s Comments: When we see seasonally-adjusted figures like this, then we know that the game of Musical Chairs is about to end. Plan accordingly. As I mentioned a couple of months ago: I recommend that my readers sell off any investment property as well as any vacation property that doesn’t double as a retreat. It is best to sell at or near the top and then buy back into the market, in the depths of the coming market bottom.

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At Wolf Street: As Investors Flee Australia’s Housing Bust, Sales of New Houses Plunge to Record Low

 

Cryptos:

G.P. spotted this: Russia Is Considering a Shift to Bitcoin to Limit the Impact of U.S. Sanctions, Report Says

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You Can Now Buy Bitcoin at Some Grocery Stores in the US. This is a venture by Coinme and Coinstar.  The article notes: “Though Coinstar kiosks are primarily known for converting coins into cash, Amazon gift cards or other equivalent balances, Thursday’s press release noted that at present, ‘[U.S.] coins cannot be used for bitcoin transactions.’ The kiosks will only accept U.S. dollar bills, with a $2,500 limit.”

 

Provisos:

SurvivalBlog and its Editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for our detailed disclaimers.

News Tips:

Please send your economics and investing news tips to JWR. (Either via e-mail of via our Contact form.) These are often especially relevant, because they come from folks who particularly watch individual markets. And due to their diligence and focus, we benefit from fresh “on target” investing news. We often get the scoop on economic and investing news that is probably ignored (or reported late) by mainstream American news outlets. Thanks!