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 Federal Reserve’s current repo market intervention. (See the Economy & Finance  section.)

Economy & Finance:

The Federal Reserve’s new repo market intervention–the so-called “Not QE”–now has them consistently  buying $60 billion in Treasury bills every month. This is essentially a desperation move to prevent short term interest rates from rising. But inevitably this is like trying to stop a rising tide. It is a futile effort. The rising rates are symptomatic of a much larger problem: Sovereign debt that is so enormous that it can never be re-paid. The Fed’s “Not QE” shenanigans cannot go on forever. At some point interest rates will rise, and there will be either be sovereign debt defaults (unlikely) or there will be mass inflation. Be prepared or the latter, folks. It is wise to diversify into compact liquid tangibles. Think: Silver. Gold. Guns. Lots of guns. Old guns. New guns. Guns without paperwork.

o  o  o

New Google Checking Accounts Threaten to Shake Up Banking Industry

o  o  o

Farm bankruptcies increase nationwide, report says

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At Wolf Street: Negative Interest Rates Bite: Bundesbank Warns of Risks to Financial Stability, Moody’s Downgrades Outlook for German Banks

o  o  o

Japan considers issuing 50-year bonds to support yields

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“The wealth of another region excites their greed; and if it is weak, their lust for power as well. Nothing from the rising to the setting of the sun is enough for them. Among all others only they are compelled to attack the poor as well as the rich. Plunder, rape, and murder they falsely call empire; and where they make a desert, they call it peace.” – Tacitus

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — November 24, 2019

November 24th marks the day that John Knox died, in 1572. (He was born in 1514.) AtheistAgendaPedia says: “Born near Haddington Scotland. He was influenced by George Wishart, who was burned for heresy in 1546, and the following year Knox became the spokesman for the Reformation in Scotland. After imprisonment and exile in England and the European continent, in 1559 he returned to Scotland, where he supervised the preparation of the constitution and liturgy of the Reformed Church.”

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 85 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3,000 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 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 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.
  3. 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,
  4. A $300 purchase credit for any of the products from EMPShield.com
  5. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  6. 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).
  7. 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. Good2GoCo.com is providing a $400 purchase credit at regular prices for the prize winner’s choice of either Wise Foods or Augason long term storage foods, in stackable buckets.
  2. 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)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 85 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.

Prepper Lessons from Noah’s Ark, by C.H.

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Before I begin this article, I should clarify that I believe that Noah’s flood is a historical fact, not an allegorical myth. It actually happened; a flood that covered the whole earth and destroyed all humanity and all animals on the earth, with the exception of one man, his family, and those animals with him. As I see it, if one can’t believe the Bible about the flood, one can’t believe it about the resurrection either. Noah is included in the ‘cloud of witnesses’ in Hebrews 11:7. These witnesses are to encourage us to ‘lay aside every encumberance and the sin which so easily entangles us, etc.’ (Hebrews 12:1). Hardly the place for a fictional character and story. And I also note that Christ Himself spoke of the flood as an actual historical event (Matthew 24:38-39). So if you share with me the belief that flood did indeed happen, then please read on.

I must also note that much of what we ‘know’ as a culture about Noah’s ark comes from children’s books and songs (“The Loooord, told Noah, to build him an arky-arky”). Noah is usually portrayed as an elderly man with white hair and beard (rather chubby) in a bathrobe, happily enjoying a sail with a bunch of happy animals on deck. The story of Noah always seems to find it’s way into children’s Bible books, while stories about Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19) or the Levite’s concubine (Judges 19) are avoided for being too ‘dark’ for a children’s book. This puzzles me. Apart from the fall and the crucifixion, there has not been a darker day in human history than the day the flood began.

This was not a rainstorm, or even a hurricane. The ‘fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened’ (Genesis 7:11). Enough water was released to cover the tallest mountains on earth. Cataclysm. All of humanity was destroyed. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that just a few people were lost because the earth was so young and people hadn’t multiplied. There were nine generations between Adam and Noah. And if a typical married woman today, living say 75 years, would be pregnant 10-20 times (without birth control), how many children could a woman living 900 years bear? By my reckoning, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of lives were lost. And Noah did NOT resemble a chubby Santa Claus. Given that he lived 900 years and was 600 years old when the flood came (we don’t what age he began building the ark), in appearance he would resemble a modern day 50 year old the day he entered the ark. And if he built, by hand, a ship the size of the ark, Noah was NOT chubby. Think: chiseled, scarred, and hard as nails.Continue reading“Prepper Lessons from Noah’s Ark, by C.H.”

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 the Global Warming cult.

The Global Warming Cult

Linked over at the great Whatfinger.com news aggregation site there’s this at The American Spectator: Global Warming’s Apocalyptic Path. The article begins:

 “Global warming has been characterized by its critics (and occasionally by followers like Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono) as a religious movement. While this is correct, it is a religious movement of a special kind, that is, an apocalyptic movement. And although it is widely known that apocalyptic movements foretell an end of days, demand huge sacrifices by followers, and demonize dissent, what is less known is that these movements follow predictable patterns. The general “laws” that an apocalyptic movement follows over time explain both its short-term strength and, fortunately, its longer-term vulnerability.”

Religious Institutions Now Must Hire Pro-Abortion and LGBT Employees

D.S.V. sent this: New York Requires Religious Schools, Churches, Hospitals To Hire Pro-Abortion, Pro-LGBT Employees.

Man Charged for Removing GPS Tracker on His Car

H.L. sent us this from The Free Thought Project site:  Cops Put GPS Tracker on Man’s Car, Charge Him With Theft for Removing It.

The article’s introduction reads:

“What would you do if you found a creepy device attached to your car that looked like something used to track you? Would you simply leave it there and go on about your business? Or, would you remove it? Well, a man in Indiana chose the latter and removed it. It turned out to be a GPS tracker and because it was placed their by police, this man is now being charged with theft. He’s now fought his case all the way to the state Supreme Court.

Since 2012, it has been unlawful for police departments to attach GPS tracking devices to vehicles without first obtaining a warrant, thanks to a ruling by the US Supreme Court. Despite outlawing warrantless applications of GPS trackers, TFTP has reported on several cases in which this still happens. However, this is not one of them. The Warrick County Sheriff’s Office legally obtained a warrant and placed a GPS tracker on Derek Heuring’s car in July of 2018.

The Warrick County Sheriff’s Office suspected Heuring of being drug dealer, so they began tracking his every move. But after a week, Heuring discovered the GPS device and removed it.”Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“The raid on Deutsche Bank in Germany back in September over the money laundering probe of Danske Bank, which is the biggest lender in Denmark, contributed to the sudden collapse in confidence. The governments are desperate for money and they are hunting it on a global scale. Deutsche Bank served as a correspondent bank to Danske’s Estonia branch. That is where the latest money laundering is alleged to have occurred. The banker there in the Estonia branch of Danske, Aivar Rehe, was found dead by police there in Estonia. He had been previously questioned by prosecutors and was considered to be the key witness in the money laundering probe. As always, just like Jeffrey Epstein his death was declared to be a suicide. This is standard whenever they need to cover something up. Boris Berezovsky suddenly commits suicide being very remorseful for making billions I suppose. Anyone who could expose things others do not want always seems to commit suicide.

The crisis in liquidity is that American bankers will not lend to Europe. Because of the European Banking Crisis, banks just do not trust banks. Nobody knows who will be standing after a failure at Deutsche Bank. The Fed has had to step in to be the neutral lender not because of a crisis in the USA, but because of the collapse in confidence in Europe’s banking system as a whole. Stay alert – this is just getting started.”  – Martin W. Armstrong

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — November 23, 2019

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On November 23rd, 1980, a 7.2-magnitude quake struck southern Italy killing more than 3,000 people. The casualty toll was probably so high because the tremor struck during Sunday night mass, as many residents sat in churches that crumbled in the quake. The quake was centered in Eboli, south of Naples. In nearby Balvano, children were preparing to receive their first communion at the 1,000-year-old Conza Della Comapgna church. The church was demolished and killed dozens of people, including 26 children.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 85 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3,000 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 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 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.
  3. 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,
  4. A $300 purchase credit for any of the products from EMPShield.com
  5. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  6. 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).
  7. 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. Good2GoCo.com is providing a $400 purchase credit at regular prices for the prize winner’s choice of either Wise Foods or Augason long term storage foods, in stackable buckets.
  2. 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)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 85 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.

Getting Out of Dodge – Part 3, by Doc

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(Continued from Part 2.  This concludes the article series.)

Getting back to the construction details:  I welded up a steel frame and built hinges using 1” bolts and pipe and 3/8” steel plate for the roof of the patio on the East end of the building. I used metal roof material supported by 6”x2” heavy tubing and 2” angle and a lot of rebar and a 3/8’ steel plate for the hydraulic cylinder to lift against. I bought a 5” diameter hydraulic cylinder 48” long and welded a trunion to steel plates on both ends. With the cylinder attached to the plate on the roof, I slid it out until it was snug against the concrete patio floor and drilled anchors in the concrete. There is also steel in the floor. I bought a hydraulic pump designed for a garage lift with a reservoir that was smaller than the capacity of the hydraulic cylinder. So I had to drill a hole in the bottom of the reservoir, weld in a fitting, and connect a hose to the other end of the cylinder so it would suck the hydraulic fluid into the cylinder and increase the system capacity. We poured 5,000 psi concrete on the roof. First I built two legs of 2” conduit that hinge down to support the roof and keep it level so the concrete wouldn’t run off. Now I feel safer if I want to sit under it for a while. It is 20 years old and the hydraulic hoses are still good.

The house has two bedrooms, a large library, a large kitchen-living room, a large walk in closet ,several other closets, a wine cellar, a generator room, a laundry room, a storage room, a full bath and a half bath, and a wood burning fireplace. That is most of the detail on the home. It is a very well protected nuclear fallout shelter and an energy efficient place to live. For many years I’ve had a low property tax bill and a phone bill, and I didn’t have to pay storage on the RV when I was out of the country. The shop above it has a 14 x 20, a 9×10, and an entry door on the west end and a half bath. It is well insulated with a 220 volt AC in the wall for emergency use if I have to rebuild something in the summer. The solar heat keeps it above freezing with the heat sink under the floor.Continue reading“Getting Out of Dodge – Part 3, by Doc”

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. 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. Note that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

I only did one prepping project at the ranch this week:  Building extensions for a couple of raised beds in our greenhouse with Lily.  This raised them 6 inches, allowing them to be covered with salvaged window panes. (We’ll probably get that glass from the Habitat For Humanity salvaged building materials store.) This should provide a better “greenhouse within a greenhouse” effect than we achieved last winter. Thankfully, rough cut red cedar is very inexpensive in our region, so I generally keep a pile of it stacked in random lengths and widths, for various projects around the ranch. In this case, that lumber pile saved me a trip to town. To paraphrase: “Two is one, One is none. But a stack really comes in handy.”

So that I’ll be ready to launch my Internet-based business in 2020, I’ve been busy buying antique guns, some ammunition, and a few accessories.  I’m also doing the preliminary work of searching for a gun-friendly credit card processor, buying a domain name, and creating a web site. This has consumed a lot of my available time. Creating the new business — Elk Creek Company — is already a large undertaking.  Just finding quality pre-1899 cartridge guns that meet my standards is time-consuming and difficult. This is because less than 1% of the guns in circulation are Federally antique. In fact, most of the advertised “antique” guns on the market are better described as simply “old”, but not true pre-1899 antiques. So searching through online auction listings is often frustrating, and again, time consuming. In essence, I’m looking for a few needles in a haystack. There have been some busy days when I’ve scarcely had time to keep the wood box full, and conduct our regular weekday family Bible studies.

This weekend, I’m attending a gun show in Lewiston, Idaho. I’ll be lucky if I return to the ranch with two or three nice antiques for the Elk Creek Company inventory. Oh, by the way, if any of you readers have any antiques that you’d be willing to sell or trade, then please e-mail me. Note that with some models, I’m willing to buy restored, re-lined, or sporterized guns.Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Whether ancient Rome or the Soviet Union, collapse begins when productive citizens silently withdraw allegiance and decouple where they can. Further rot is expected and doesn’t disappoint. Freed from account, the regime collapses from its unsupported weight. In this sense, classic collapse is a secondary effect.” – Ol’ Remus, in his Yer Ol’ Woodpile Report blog

Preparedness Notes for Friday — November 22, 2019

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Today is remembered as the birthday of the late Eugene M. Stoner. (Born 1922, died April 24, 1997.) He was the designer of the AR-7, AR-10, AR-15, AR-180, the Stoner 63, and several other firearms. (The AR-10 was the basis of the AR-15 which in turn spawned the very widely used M16 and all of its variants including the M4 Carbine.)  It has been estimated that as many as 16 million rifles from the AR-15 family are owned by civilians in the United States, and military production M16 variants worldwide exceeds 8 million rifles.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 85 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3,000 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 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 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.
  3. 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,
  4. A $300 purchase credit for any of the products from EMPShield.com
  5. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  6. 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).
  7. 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. Good2GoCo.com is providing a $400 purchase credit at regular prices for the prize winner’s choice of either Wise Foods or Augason long term storage foods, in stackable buckets.
  2. 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)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 85 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.

Getting Out of Dodge – Part 2, by Doc

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(Continued from Part 1)

Two slanted walls were poured on the East end. They were 22′ wide at the building and 14′ wide at the East end and went from 8′ to nothing at the end. This was for a roof for the patio and security when I was traveling. Then I had the messy job of coating the outside with tar to seal it. Next a layer of 2″ closed cell styrofoam was installed on the outside walls. Then part of the ditch was back filled to hold the foam in place. The temperature was hot and I was soaked with sweat by 9:30 and the steel deck was so hot it burned my feet. So I started the generator in the RV, turned on the AC, and went to bed. About dark I hooked up a quartz light and worked all night. I extended the metal decking to be even with the offset for the fireplace and installed 1” threaded rod to support the hinges for the patio roof. We poured the 12” concrete slab.

Then forms were set up around the outside and around the stairway opening to pour a three foot wall. We poured it with no problems. The next project was to install 12″ half blocks for solar heat ducts and connect the 6″ PVC air ducts to a plenum where the solar heat panels would be on the wall of the steel building above. Looking back at the half blocks, I would use welded steel culvert if I was to do this again. The limestone dust was a real mess for a couple of years. I also stacked blocks above the center walls in several places to provide support for the garage floor.

Next I had 10 loads of 3/4″ limestone hauled in for a heat sink. The truck drivers were nervous and afraid it would collapse, but they didn’t know how thick it was and all the rebar in it. Then I spent several days shoveling limestone and drinking beer. Da*n it was hot!! I laid out 2″ styrofoam on the rock and then the rebar for the garage floor. It was windy, but the rebar held the foam in place. I propped up the rebar with bricks and poured the floor about 7″ thick. I had previously ordered a 40′ x 60′ steel building and put the anchor bolts for the steel columns in the concrete. Used a piece of ½” plywood and drilled the holes to fit the steel columns and used two nuts to hold the bolts in place and left space under them to reach in with a small trowel and finish the concrete.Continue reading“Getting Out of Dodge – Part 2, by Doc”

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 secondary market prices of Rawles XL Voyager knives. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

The US Economy: All Roads Lead To Gold

o  o  o

Horwitz: Gold may have found a bottom

Economy & Finance:

Reader Mark J. sent a link to this piece by Chris Martenson: The Federal Reserve Is Directly Monetizing US Debt. Mark’s Comment:  “The Fed bought more than $4 billion of this CUSIP.  If these T-bills were out in the “open market” they weren’t there for long. At most, less than a day before the Fed scooped them up. Does it really matter if a big bank sits ever-so-briefly between the Fed and the Treasury debt it buys?”

o  o  o

At Zero Hedge: Q4 GDP Crashes: US Economy Growing at Slowest Pace in Four Years

o  o  o

California gig economy law to strip truck drivers of highest-paying industry jobs

o  o  o

At Wolf Street: US Freight Shipments Skid Below 2014 Level, Hit by the Slowdown in Industrial, Manufacturing & Construction

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“There was an open ‘debate’ about MMT or Modern Monetary Theory. Brilliant young man economist Sam Rines took the difficult position of being pro-MMT for the sake of debate. He thinks it would be a disaster but is truly afraid we will actually pursue such a policy. There was the usual pushback, which I’ve written about more than once, but I have to admit that I was struck by the private conversations after the debate. Many smart, well-informed thinkers were almost resigned to seeing MMT actually attempted in the next decade.

Mauldin take away: If we attempt MMT it will end the US dollar’s reserve currency status, produce out-of-control inflation that will essentially destroy the Boomer generation’s ability to retire with anything like most envision today. I can’t say it any stronger. If I really see MMT coming I will reposition my portfolio to heavily weight gold, real estate, and a few biotech companies. I simply can’t imagine a more dire economic scenario.

Honestly, though, I don’t think we will go there. Are there politicians that would like to do it? Absolutely, and they have less economic understanding than God gave a goose. Even economists with whom I strongly disagree on many topics think MMT is not something to be trifled with.” – John Mauldin

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — November 21, 2019

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 life boats while the Captain tried to run the ship aground. The life boats were sucked up into the propellers, killing all of those on board. The cause of the explosion is still unknown, but many suspect it hit a mine.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 85 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3,000 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 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 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.
  3. 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,
  4. A $300 purchase credit for any of the products from EMPShield.com
  5. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  6. 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).
  7. 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. Good2GoCo.com is providing a $400 purchase credit at regular prices for the prize winner’s choice of either Wise Foods or Augason long term storage foods, in stackable buckets.
  2. 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)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 85 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.