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, we look at investing in discontinued Seiko Alpinist watches. (See the Tangibles Investing section at the end of this column.)

Precious Metals:

The “Means That Matter” Point To Correction – Bloomberg Intelligence

o  o  o

The vast gold hoards held by Germany’s population

Economy & Finance:

CNBC: The Fed Is Considering Another Version of ‘Quantitative Easing’.  Here is a quote:

“Federal Reserve officials are considering a new program that would allow banks to exchange Treasurys for reserves, a move aimed at ensuring liquidity during difficult times that also would help the central bank decrease the size of its nearly $4 trillion balance sheet.

The so-called standing repo facility is in its early discussion phases. Respected St. Louis Fed economists David Andolfatto and Jane Ihrig have authored two papers on the plan, which they say would ease the regulatory burden for banks that feel pressured into holding ultra-safe assets.

In some quarters, the idea is viewed as a natural extension of current Fed policy. Others, though, think it in essence could be a repackaged form of quantitative easing and thus yet another iteration of the Fed’s decade long tinkering in financial markets.”

o  o  o

JPMorgan: We Are Fast Approaching The Point Where Banks Run Out Of Liquidity

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Are Australian And American Property Markets To Crash Like Ireland?

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Former congressman Ron Paul: (Government) Spending is TheftContinue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“The Internet has brought us both good and bad.  Like the Guttenberg press so many years ago, a revolution in widely accessible information has ushered in an era of unparalleled appetite for knowledge.  Because of the non-concrete nature of this information’s platform, people lose sight of the fact that solid wisdom and experience is not free, nor is it easily gained from surfing the web.  Information is a-plenty nowadays, but wisdom and real experience is preciously scarce.  My degree, all of my travels and the lessons I learned to make me the healthcare professional that I am cost me.  It cost me lots of money, lots of time, lots of pain, heartache, disappointment, and long hard days and sleepless nights.  With Reid [Heinrichs], amp that up ten-fold.

People nowadays feel entitled to the labors of others. Instead of feeling grateful for the life experience given away, many display contempt.  The astonishing thing is that people now feel baselessly superior to the person on the other end of the screen without recognizing their own limitations.  Welcome to the new era of no experts, ‘free’ information.  Beware of the Internet expert behind the comment section.  When the lights go out, he won’t be able to help you.  The tried-and-true experienced individual will.” – Patriot Nurse, from a blog post titled: The Death of Expertise In the New Era of Free Info, describing her own experiences and those of her husband, Reid Heinrichs (of Valor Ridge.)

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — May 2, 2019

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On May 2, 1945, the Soviet Union announced the fall of Berlin and the Allies announced the surrender of Nazi troops in Italy and parts of Austria.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 82  of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 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 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. 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 82 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Displacement Planning – Part 3, by J.M.

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

Regardless of how you plan on loading equipment and supplies, it is critical that you document a loading plan. This should define what gets loaded in what order and where it’s loaded. How detailed this needs to be depends on your requirements – if you’re planning on walking from your location to a well-stocked bug-out compound, keeping a simple bug-out bag packed will probably meet your needs,  since you won’t need to pack much to get going.

However, if any significant amount of packing or loading will be required prior to displacing, you should design and document a load plan. This is a document that defines what needs to get loaded, in what order, and where it goes. The document should be fairly specific in terms of what gets loaded – don’t just list ‘important papers, guns, medical supplies, etc.’ – list where a specific item/box/bin is located on your property along with a description (e.g. ‘Gray plastic bin labelled ‘Freeze-Dried Food #3’ located on the shelf #6 next to washer’).

Label Consistently

Having a consistent system for numbering and labeling everything will significantly simplify this process. Print multiple copies of the loading plan to hand to everyone and assign them specific items to retrieve – it helps if you group them by location. You should assign one person as a ‘load master’ to check off each item on the load plan as it’s brought to the loading location. The second part of the load plan should illustrate how the items should be packed in the cart/vehicle/trailer so that you don’t have to spend a lot of time moving stuff around to figure out how to fit it all in (have you ever had to pack an over-stuffed car with tons of kid’s toys for a family vacation?).

In order for this to work you will obviously have had to go through a packing exercise beforehand to figure out how to best fit everything. This is an area that will benefit from consistently using standard-sized bins for storing all of your preps. You can even practice your loading using empty bins if they’re all going to be the same size, although you’ll still need to make sure you distribute the weight appropriately.Continue reading“Displacement Planning – Part 3, by J.M.”

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, we focus on some sound Analog Radio Operations Advice.

Trump Pulls Out of SALW Treaty

Trump announces US withdrawal from UN arms trade treaty. The Fox News piece includes a video of DJT’s speech about this at the NRA annual convention.

Army Orders 6.8mm Rifles

Reader G.P. sent this link to a Zero Hedge article: Army Orders 100,000 Next-Generation Rifles Amid Threats Of War.  Here is a quote:

“Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Mark A. Milley on April 10 announced the Army would order 100,000 units, mainly purchased for infantry units which engage in close-quarters combat.

U.S. Army Contracting Command (ACC) officials said the new weapons would include the Next Generation Squad Weapon-Rifle (NGSW-R) and the Next Generation Squad Weapon-Automatic Rifle (NGSW-AR).

The NGSW-R is expected to replace the M16 rifle and M4 carbine. The NGSW-AR is also expected to replace the M249 light machine gun in the Automatic Rifleman Role in the Close Combat Force.

The new rifles chamber a 6.8mm cartridge, known as the XM1186. The round has greater range, increased accuracy at longer distances, and better armor penetration capability than 5.56x45mm and 7.62x39mm ammunition. The 6.8mm round is expected to be the most advanced ammunition on the modern battlefield for the next 25 years.”

JWR’s Comment:  I did some digging: According to the contract documents, the XM1186 cartridge will be developed by the contractor(s), using 6.8mm projectiles provided by the government. This seems to leave the door open for either caseless cartridges or a telescoped cartridge design–where the projectiles is fully enclosed in a metallic case. (Perhaps something reminiscent of the Nagant revolver cartridge.) Hopefully this won’t turn into another SPIW boondoggle.

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

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — May 1, 2019

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May 1st is the birthday of the late Joel Rosenberg, a Canadian-born novelist and gun rights advocate (born 1954, died June 2, 2011). He is not to be confused with Joel C. Rosenberg (born 1967), who is another great novelist and the author of The Last Jihad series.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 82  of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 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 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. 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 82 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Displacement Planning – Part 2, by J.M.

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(Continued from Part 1.)

Depending on the circumstances you may be able to utilize GPS for navigation along your planned route. To do so will probably requires that you have the appropriate maps and app(s) downloaded locally on your device (don’t rely on an Internet connection being available) and that your device be charged for the duration of the displacement. If you plan on using GPS you should also include some sort of external battery pack for each person so they can recharge their device. Due to the relatively delicate nature of electronics (including GPS satellites), I strongly recommend that if you plan on using GPS you also should still have paper maps and compasses as a backup, along with the skills to use them.

Supplies

The next area of displacement planning involves what you will bring with you in terms of supplies and equipment. Most people in the preparedness community tend to espouse the ‘beans, bullets and bandaids’ approach to prioritizing what to pack, but for the purpose of displacing I recommend adding a few things to that list. Here is what I recommend considering for your displacement load-out, in order of priority:Continue reading“Displacement Planning – Part 2, by J.M.”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

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Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. This week the focus is on the very affordable Mora Sheath Knife. (See the Gear and Grub section.)

Books:

The latest from conservative commentator Mark Levin: Unfreedom of the Press

o  o  o

Warbird Factory: North American Aviation in World War II

o  o  o

The Longevity Paradox: How to Die Young at a Ripe Old Age (The Plant Paradox)

Movies & Television:

To Have and Have Not. (The classic, with Bogey and Bacall.)

o  o  o

The quality of this Blu-Ray is superb: Band of Brothers (BD)

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

Economics & Investing For Preppers

3

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’ll focus on Family Budgets.

Precious Metals:

Put Gold In Your Bag, Man, But Let Silver Sag, Says Sachs

o  o  o

GDP Numbers Show Gold Is Learning To Live Without U.S. Dollar: George Gero

Economy & Finance:

At Zero Hedge: $220,000 For Every Man, Woman And Child – America Is Now 72 Trillion Dollars In Debt

o  o  o

And at Wolf Street: China, Other Emerging Asia Sink World Trade

o  o  o

Finders keepers? Michigan police say no way after $30K spills on road

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — April 30, 2019

1

Today is the birthday of sci-fi novelist Larry Niven (born April 30, 1938). Along with Jerry Pournelle, he co-authored the survivalist classic Lucifer’s Hammer.

April 30th is also the birthday of Ed Yourdon, who was born in 1944.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 82  of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 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 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. 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 82 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Displacement Planning – Part 1, by J.M.

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(The first of the three-part series.)

One of the primary tenets of the preparedness community is that we want to be prepared for any eventuality. We stockpile supplies, develop skills and make changes to our homes and lifestyles to help increase the chances that we can survive any scenario that we might encounter, be it natural or man-made. In regards to displacing in the event of a major SHTF situation, some people plan on taking the ‘forting up’ approach and fortifying their current location, while others favor the ‘bug out’ approach and plan on relocating to a more secure location. Regardless of your preferred approach, at some point during or after an event, you may be required to relocate people and supplies to another location, and if you haven’t planned for it you’re potentially leaving yourself wide open for failure.

Some people will assume that since they live in a well-protected or isolated location they don’t have to worry about displacing during or after a SHTF scenario. The reality is that even if you’re safe initially, there are a lot of things that could occur that could force you to displace later. Wild fires, hurricanes, large armed groups, volcanoes, rising flood waters and other events could force you to displace from your secure location. And as Ben Franklin said: ‘By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail’. Note: there are some folks who state that they’ll die defending their property and not ever consider leaving for any reason. If that’s your preferred approach then this article probably isn’t for you.

For some real life examples of why displacement planning is critical, consider the images you’ve seen in the media of people preparing to evacuate ahead of an incoming hurricane or, as we’ve seen more recently in the US, a fast-moving wildfire. People are stuffing everything they find into their cars with little time to consider if they’ve packed the most critical items, and in interviews after the event are talking about how they lost important papers, valuable jewelry, family heirlooms, etc. Some simple displacement planning could have greatly improved their situation.

Continue reading“Displacement Planning – Part 1, by J.M.”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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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 are making special mention of the restoration of a C-47 (DC-3) dubbed “Miss Montana”. (See the Montana section.)

Region-Wide

Dismal Columbia River salmon forecast may trigger emergency fishing restrictions. A quote:

“Fishery managers in Washington and Oregon are concerned the spring and summer chinook salmons runs on the Columbia River are going to be one of the lowest on record.

And the state agencies are calling for a meeting next week to consider emergency restrictions on commercial and recreational fishing along parts of the river.

By Friday morning, 189 adult salmon had crossed over Bonneville Dam. That’s less than 8 percent of the 10-year average of 2,392 fish for the same date.

By Thursday, just four salmon adults had passed over McNary Dam, compared to a 10-year average of 106 fish for that date.

An emergency rule was issued extending the spring chinook fishery below Bonneville Dam downstream to Warrior Rock for two days, April 13 and 14.

Spring chinook bank fishing upstream of Bonneville Dam, which opened April 1, is set to close May 5.”

Idaho

I just heard that both Lordship Church and Redoubt Surplus & Tactical have relocated to Bonners Ferry, Idaho.  The church is pastored by Warren Campbell. He also runs the surplus business. Both were formerly located in Dalton Gardens. They are now sharing space in the former Papé Machinery building, in Bonners Ferry. The store is closed on Sundays and Mondays. The address is: 6606 Highway 95, Bonners Ferry, Idaho 83805. Phone: (208) 772-4007

o o o

Here is an inexpensive new listing at my #1 Son’s SurvivalRealty.com spin-off: 20 Remote Acres in Priest River, Idaho, with Shop.

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

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

13

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 focus on covert body armor.

Going Gray Man, Step By Step

This is well worth reading: How to be a Gray Man Step by Step.

Mike Williamson on Covert Body Armor

Our Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson sent along this link: Wonder Hoodie: The Bulletproof Hoodie That Can Stop a .44 Magnum. Mike’s Comments: “These are worth considering. Also, the standard US military issue armor groin protector is the perfect size for a child’s school backpack, and rated to stop all standard pistol threats. These can be acquired inexpensively.  For adults, a Level 3+ plate plus a groin or deltoid soft armor backing (to meet full Level IV standard) will fit in most laptop compartments of a backpack. It is also legal to fly with body armor–even in the passenger compartment–though you should take a printout of the relevant TSA rules just in case, and arrive a bit early in case you are denied and need to mail it.”

NASA Warns of Solar Storms

Reader G.P. sent us this: NASA warns spectacular ‘beauty and the beast’ aurora could wreak havoc on Earth.

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