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 declining value investments to avoid. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Global Silver Production May Decline More Than Analysts Forecasts. (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.)

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Gold Traders Bullish For 11th Straight Week

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If You Understand Gold – You Are Not A Goldbug (Egon von Greyerz)  Thanks to H.L. for the link.

 

Economy & Finance:

At Seeking Alpha: ‘Within Weeks’ Fannie/Freddie Recapitalization Plan Transcript Emerge

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Some analysis from France: Does the corporate debt mountain pose an avalanche risk?

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And another at Seeking Alpha: IMF cuts global growth outlook

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NYC Restaurants Slash Staff over $15 Minimum Wage

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – January 29, 2019

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Today is the birthday of journalist and inventor Thomas Paine (1737–1809.)

And speaking of Toms, today is also the birthday of actor Tom Selleck (born 1945), best known for playing the title role of Magnum, P.I. He is an avid shooter and quite pro-gun.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

The following is 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.

I Survived an Economic Collapse – Part 1, by Siempre Listo

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There is corruption at the highest levels of the government: The president, along with key officials in the government, financial institutions, corporations and the military, quietly move their money out of the stock market and banks and transfer their assets into gold and Swiss bank accounts. Once the members of the elite have safely parked their money away, the president suddenly announces a devaluation of nearly 50% of the currency.

The move stuns the stock market, which plunges to epic lows. There is a run on the banks as panicked depositors withdraw most, if not all of their money. The government steps in and takes over the banks. The devaluation hits the average citizen hard. Prices at the supermarket and gas stations almost immediately rise by 50%. Many businesses go bankrupt and shut down. Rents rise by 50%. Many people can’t afford the increase, get evicted, and are homeless. Many people go begging for food on the streets. Violent crime skyrockets. Vigilante groups form to protect neighborhoods from criminals.

It Happened in Mexico

A future scenario? No. All this actually happened, in 1982, but not in the United States. It happened in Mexico, where I was living at the time. Some commentators speculate about what might happen in a future economic collapse. We hear many different theories about how the banks might react, how the government might respond, and what panicked investors might do. Well, 36 years ago, I survived an economic collapse. Not a total collapse, but it was bad enough. Following is my story of what actually happened before, during and after an economic collapse, how I survived it, and lessons I learned from it.

I moved to Mexico in 1979, with the idea of supporting myself teaching English as a second language (ESL). This actually worked well for a while, as I worked not only for a university extension school, but also taught ESL lessons to several companies in private industry, including employees at factories, businesses and even the military sector.

Continue reading“I Survived an Economic Collapse – Part 1, by Siempre Listo”

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. The emphasis this week is on the proposed bill to split Washington into two states. (See the Eastern Washington section.)

Idaho

Idaho Wolf Control Board Seeks $200,000 to Kill Wolves

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There was a good description of Idaho’s firearms carry laws recently posted at Redoubt News: True Constitutional Carry Means No Permit Required

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This was an interesting press release, datelined Nampa, Idaho: Bumpstock ban defeated by replacement product

Montana

What fun! Skiers towed by galloping horses: Snöflinga winter festival brings skijoring to Butte

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Historic “Miss Montana” plane to fly again.

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I learned of this by way of Claire Wolfe‘s blog: UPS driver saves dog from drowning in icy pond: ‘She wasn’t going to make it‘

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International photographer captures shots of Cindy Crawford, Montana wildlife in Virginia City
Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

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”.

Bailing Out of New Jersey

This was an interesting read: People Are Leaving New Jersey In Insanely High Numbers. (Thanks to DSV for the link.)

A Ghostgunner Can Now Also Mill Polymer 80 Frames

Defense Distributed just announced that they’ve released the jigs and software for completing Polymer 80 Glock 19 clone pistol frames on a Ghostgunner compact CNC milling machine. This makes a Ghostgunner even more versatile. I expect that still more software and jigs will be added for completing other Polymer 80 variants in the months to come. And then later, who knows?  Perhaps a jig and software for SIG P320 80% trigger groups. That would be a dream come true.

Learn Hog Butchering in Georgia

On the first Saturday in February each year, the Old South Farm Museum in Woodland, Georgia puts on a live, old fashioned  “Hog Killin” and butchering demonstration that also includes classes on curing and smoking meat.  Vendors also cook traditional southern recipes that use pork and pork products, using only wood fires and cast iron cauldrons.

People from all over Georgia and surrounding states come to see this demonstration each year.  It’s an invaluable source of information that can be used to become more self-sufficient on a small farm or homestead. Here is a map, showing the event location. And here is a link to a video. (Editor’s Note on the video: “Viewer Discretion Advised.”)  Thanks to reader Tim J. for the information.

Private 58 Acre Deer Farm with Bunker in Kentucky

I just heard about this captivating new list at our SurvivalRealty.com spin-off web site: Private Deer Farm in Kentucky. Log home on 58 acres with barn and bunker.  Here is a quote:  “Location for Privacy! Handcrafted super insulated log home with 2 finished bedrooms, loft and roughed in 3rd bedroom with utilities for an additional bathroom. This farm boasts 58 + surveyed acres with nice concrete floored barn with roughed in apt. or office. High speed internet in house & barn. Bunker also has phone jack, electric & septic…”

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

Cold Steel Storm Cloud Folder, by Pat Cascio

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“One gorgeous folder” aptly describes the Cold Steel Storm Cloud. It is one tough, but lightweight folding knife. It is one that you might want to add to your collection.

When new knives come to my attention, and I think it is something our readers will really like, I request a sample. This folder from Cold Steel Knives, the Storm Cloud, really caught my eye when I first saw it. Only “bad” thing with many Cold Steel products is, supply seems to outstrip supply – and folks have to wait.

I put in a request for the Storm Cloud, as soon as I spied it on the Cold Steel web site, only to learn that it was out of stock. So, the months rolled by, and still no Storm Cloud from Cold Steel. Did my buddy, Lynn Thompson, forget about me and my request? Nah, not likely – he passed my request along to someone who was supposed to handle this sort of thing, and that person never sent me the sample. That person is no longer with Cold Steel for other reasons. As soon as I alerted Mr. Thompson to the fact that I hadn’t received the Storm Cloud, he looked into it, and let me know one was on the way.

Specifications

Let’s take a real close look at the Storm Cloud. First of all, it has a 3.5-inch blade made out of one of the hi-tech stainless steels called CPM20CV, and the blade’s thickness is 3mm – a bit thinner than some similar Cold Steel folders I’ve tested, but stay with me on this. The knife only weighs 3.6-oz – we are talking very light-weight, for a knife of this size. The handle is a little more than four and a half inches in length, and the handle scales are made out of G10, with a Carbon Fiber overlay. Wait? What did I just say? Yeah, you read that right – it is two hi-tech materials, laminated together. G10 is known to be almost bullet proof – and Carbon Fiber is also tough, but known for its beauty as well. No matter how hard I looked at these two materials, laminated into one, I could not see where they were joined together. Wow!

Continue reading“Cold Steel Storm Cloud Folder, by Pat Cascio”

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!

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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:”