Economics & Investing For Preppers

8

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, we look at investing in vintage Airstream trailers. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

The recent breakout in the spot gold and silver prices show that they have not lost their “safe haven” status in the investing world.   When times get tough and when war drums sound, people all around the world shift to precious metals.  Gold recently crossed the $1,400 line, for the first time since 2013. This may mark the beginning of another bull market. One other observation: Seasonally, this is quite unexpected–since typically the precious metals prices go into Summer Doldrums.

o  o  o

$1,400 Gold Will Breathe New Life Into Miners – Randy Smallwood

Economy & Finance:

At Zero Hedge: Global Negative Yielding Debt Hits Record $12.3 Trillion

o  o  o

California Pension Fund Faces Crisis After Shunning Guns, Tobacco

o  o  o

At Wolf Street: Who Bought the Nearly $1 Trillion of New US Government Debt over the Past 12 Months?

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — June 27, 2019

1

Special Announcement:  We’ve just put our small remaining supply of waterproof SurvivalBlog Archive USB sticks on sale, at just $19.95 each.  This is just until we exhaust the existing batch. This is your chance to order some extras, for gifts. Order yours soon–before they are all sold out!

—

June 27th is the birthday of economist Dr. Ravi Batra. (Born 1943.)

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 83  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 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. 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. 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 83 ends on July 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.

Post-TEOTWAWKI: Groups and Retreats, Pt. 1, by E.M.

24

There are many articles on the internet concerning the benefits of forming a group of like-minded individuals who could support each other when times get “spicy” for months or even years, either in their own neighborhood or at a remote retreat.  These groups are sometimes referred to as mutual assistance groups. These articles are based on the premise that choosing a “lone wolf” approach after TEOTWAWKI is unsustainable in the long run, and that even expecting a single family to live and thrive on a remote mountaintop after a societal meltdown is unrealistic and ripe for tragedy in the long term. An important reason for the latter view is that a single family cannot maintain proper 24/7 security while tending to all of its daily needs over time.

A problem with many of these articles is that much of the discussion about forming survival groups all too often involves pie-in-the-sky fantasies and unrealistic platitudes.

Nevertheless, the consensus in most of these articles about surviving a long term apocalyptic event, to borrow a phrase from a certain political figure, is “It takes a village.” (For the purposes of this discussion, I am assuming that most SurvivalBlog readers’ first choice for the location of the “village” is not going to be a FEMA camp.)

While there is a host of useful information about survival groups and forming retreats for them in these articles, it is clear after serious scrutiny that the “devil is in the details.”
Continue reading“Post-TEOTWAWKI: Groups and Retreats, Pt. 1, by E.M.”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

41

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, we take another look at tiny houses.

Tiny House Trend Continues

This was included in the McAlvany Intelligence Advisor‘s Daily G2: Tiny houses entice budget-conscious Americans. Here is a snippet:

“Welcome to the world of tiny homes, most of them less than 400 square feet (less than 40 square meters), which savvy buyers are snapping up for their minimalist appeal and much smaller carbon footprints.

The tiny homes revolution, which includes those on foundations and those on wheels, began a few decades ago, but the financial crisis of 2008 and the coming-of-age of millennials gave it a new impetus.

The proliferation of home improvement shows on networks like HGTV fueled the trend, inspiring customers ready to personalize their own small living spaces.

Cost is one of the driving factors — a tiny home of just over 200 square feet with a customized interior can go for about $50,000 — a massive savings over a McMansion in the suburbs.”

50 Secret Hiding Places

50 Secret Hiding Places Thieves Will Never Look.

Charles Carrol Society Finds Details on Idaho RINO Group

This is worth reading: CCS discovers who is behind Idaho Compromising Conservatives.

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

The Unraveling: A Book Review, by S.A.

10

Spoilers Alert: I don’t believe this review gives the story away, but if you don’t like any details in advance, then you might not want to read this.

The Unraveling, Book 1 of the Bound to Survive Series
by Charley Hogwood
324 pages
Kindle $5.99

First, who names their baby Tempest? Even in this day and age of last names being used as first names (for example, Smith, Parker, Jackson, Davis for little girls or little boys) and the revival of old-timey girl names (Donna, Ruth, Hazel, Myrtle), “Tempest” seems over the top, unless maybe you are a Shakespeare scholar.

A small group of the woke in Florida forms and comes together just at the outset of a pandemic that arises out of the failed state of Venezuela. Their success just shows us that maybe God does love fools, and this time, just maybe the newly aware will fare as well or better as those who have been accumulating skills and tools for years. Of course, everyone needs lots of guns and proven ability and experience with shooting, and this group has it.

Prepper acronyms and pieces of equipment are explained early on for those readers who are brand new to prepping: Mylar, TEOTWAWKI, SHTF, etc. I believe that is the target audience for this book, but old hands at prepping can enjoy it, too. The characters are likable.Continue reading“The Unraveling: A Book Review, by S.A.”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

8

Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. This week the focus is on the Gear Cloud Defensive OWL weapons light.  (See the Gear & Grub section.)

Books:

The Prepared Family Guide to Uncommon Diseases

o  o  o

Every Man a Hero: A Memoir of D-Day, the First Wave at Omaha Beach, and a World at War

o  o  o

The Little Ice Age: How Climate Made History 1300-1850, by Brian Fagan

o  o  o

The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West

o  o  o

One Giant Leap: The Impossible Mission That Flew Us to the Moon

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

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — June 25, 2019

5

On June 25th, 1876, Native American forces led by Chiefs Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull defeated the U.S. Army troops of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer in a bloody battle near southern Montana’s Little Bighorn River. The Battle of Little Bighorn–also called Custer’s Last Stand –marked the most decisive Native American victory and the worst U.S. Army defeat in the long Plains Indian War. While complicated, the generally accepted reason for the battle is that the discovery of gold in South Dakota’s Black Hills in 1875 led to the U.S. government disregarding previous treaty agreements. The gruesome fate of Custer and his men outraged many white Americans and confirmed their image of the Indians as wild and bloodthirsty. Meanwhile, the U.S. government increased its efforts to subdue the tribes. Within five years, almost all of the Sioux and Cheyenne would be confined to reservations.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 83  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 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. 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. 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 83 ends on July 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.

Preparing for Everyday Life, by D.W.

8

This article doesn’t address When The Schumer Hits The Fan (WTSHTF). No, this is just about preparing for everyday life, and everyday hazards to your property.

Life will always be a higher level of importance than property. However, in this article we will be discussing property and how to mitigate its loss. When we think of being prepared, we think about the worst things imaginable happening, EMP blackout, Nuclear war and civil unrest are just a few. But more likely than not, our individual lives can be affected more frequently by smaller-scale incidents that can have a huge impact on us. A fire, flood, tornado or even a residential burglary. The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) reported 1.3 million fires in 2017. And according to the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics of 2015, 11.2 households out of 1,000 will be a victim of a property crime. Add to these, the unpredictable number of tornadoes and flooding or even earthquakes that can occur from year to year in the United States. Being prepared for these is just as important as preparing for any other critical incident. These types of events can happen to anyone, whether you still live in an urban environment or have established a retreat further out from your neighbors.

When thinking about preparedness, one might fall into the trap of tunnel vision. Tunnel vision is explained as being so focused on a result or goal that we lose focus on everything else around it. I have developed the mentality of being an All-hazards preparer rather than focusing on just one incident. Much of the time, the cross-over from one to another only adds a couple of steps, but being mindful to look at what can occur everyday to you or your neighbors is just as important as navigating the larger picture.

Continue reading“Preparing for Everyday Life, by D.W.”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

4

Here is SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt. This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. We also mention companies of interest to preppers that are located in the region. Today, we focus on Kitfox STOL aircraft. (See the Idaho section.)

Idaho

Raúl Labrador announces candidacy for GOP chairman

o o o

Kitfox STOL Video (with tundra tires, of course): HOT SPRING HOP WITH THE KITFOX!! Flight VLOG (Part 1).  “Silvija and I flew the Kitfox to the Idaho Sawtooths and landed at a few hot springs around the Idaho Sawtooth mountain range. Near Stanley, Idaho, Salmon, Idaho, Barney Hot Springs, Gold Bug Hot Springs  and Craters of the Moon. Almost ground looped the Kitfox. Landed on dirt roads, had a strong crosswind landing and takeoff at Challis, Idaho airport.”

JWR’s Comment:  You gotta love those “casual” dirt road landings in very rural parts of southern Idaho. Given the terrain, there are not many opportunities for that in central and north Idaho, at least with fixed-wing aircraft. But the rotary pilots definitely land in some interesting places.

o o o

Judge orders Sawtooth Valley water diversions examined

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

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

21

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, we look at the recent South American Blackout.

U.S. Put Malware In Russia’s Electrical Grid

G.P. sent this: U.S. Reportedly Planted Offensive Malware In Russia’s Electrical Grid. A quote:

“The New York Times reports that the Cyber Command has been able to infiltrate the electric grid of Russia and plant offensive malware. It’s unclear just how deep it has been able to infiltrate the grid and what this malware is capable of doing. However, it’s evident that this is meant to serve as a weapon should the situation between the United States and Russia reach a point where its use may seem warranted.”

Insider Blows Whistle at Google on 2020 Election Meddling

Reader S.H. sent this bombshell: Insider Blows Whistle & Exec Reveals Google Plan to Prevent “Trump situation” in 2020 on Hidden Cam

Huge South American Blackout

Courtesty of reader Tim J., here is a report from BBC: Argentina and Uruguay reel after massive power outage. This outage left 44 million people in the dark.  The grid failure was not attributed to malware, but rather to a physical problem with a grid inter-tie. Here is a pericope:

“Power has been restored to much of Argentina and Uruguay after a massive electrical failure left tens of millions of people in the dark.

Argentine President Mauricio Macri has promised a full investigation.

Argentine media said the power cut occurred shortly after 07:00 (10:00GMT) on Sunday, causing trains to be halted and failures with traffic signalling.

The blackout was prompted by a failure in an electrical grid that serves both Argentina and Uruguay.

The outage occurred as people in Argentina were preparing to go to the polls for local elections, delaying voting in several regional provinces.

Parts of Paraguay and Chile were also affected, a state energy company said.”

Oregon Senator: “Come Heavily Armed”:

Reader H.L. sent this at Zero Hedge: “Come Heavily Armed”: Oregon Senator Threatens Violence As Governor Hunts Down Lawmakers.

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