Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest 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 JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is on real estate options. (See the Tangibles Investing section, near the end of this column.)

Precious Metals:

To start us off:  Will The Gold Price Hit $1,800 Again? – Morningstar

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Surviving on $3/oz has Lonmin in race against time. The same mining company has recently been hit by some labor strife.

Stock Markets:

GLOBAL MARKETS – Stock indexes dip on U.S. tax reform doubts; Bitcoin below $7000

Forex:

Forex Market Trends

Commodities:

Bloomberg reports: A year after the Vienna Agreement, OPEC has a new job. JWR’s Comment:  Oil may power the engine of global commerce, but it is credit that lubricates it.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day

“Circumstances short of probable cause for arrest may justify temporary detention for purposes of investigations. To justify an investigative stop, an officer must have specific articulable facts which, in light of his experience and personal knowledge, together with other inferences from those facts, would warrant the intrusion on the person stopped for further investigation. Thus, even in the absence of bad faith, detention based ‘on a mere hunch’ is illegal. There must be a reasonable suspicion by the officer that some activity out of the ordinary is occurring or had occurred, some suggestion to connect the detained person with the unusual activity, and some indication that the activity is related to crime. Where the events are as consistent with innocent activity as with criminal activity, a detention based on those events in unlawful.” [Emphasis added.] – Schwartz v. State No. 62416 (1982)

Preparedness Notes for Sunday – November 12, 2017

Today is the birthday of USMC Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph “Dan” Daly (born 1873, died April 27, 1937). He was one of only nineteen men (including seven Marines) to twice receive the Medal of Honor.

This is also the birthday of Corporal John Alan Coey (died 19 July 1975). He was the first American volunteer killed in Rhodesia.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

The following is another entry for Round 73 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. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value), and
  8. 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 transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  5. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value), and
  8. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

Hurricane Preparedness in the Sunshine State- Part 2 , by D.H.

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We are continuing to look at general preparations for a hurricane. Those of us in Florida are used to these, but many are not. In this article series, I’ve already covered the topics of the bug-out bag, sheltering in place, foods,water, and hygiene. Let’s move on, continuing with health, which is very important.

Health

Ensure you are in good health before the storm hits. My young daughter threw up at dinner two days before Hurricane Ivan hit in 2004. I made my wife take her to the doctor the next day; she was diagnosed with appendicitis and had an emergency appendectomy. If you’re not well, see a doctor. Emergency services will not be able to reach you for days after the storm passes because of debris and flooding, which clogs the roads.

Stock up on all your meds. This may sound like common sense, but many people run out of essential medications and have died because of it. The pharmacy may not open for days or even weeks.

I recommend every home have at least a basic first aid kit and the knowledge to properly use it. The Red Cross teaches basic first aid for a nominal fee. Many items, such as aspirin, bandages, anti-diarrhea meds, et cetera can be purchased at Wal-Mart or a local dollar store. Purchase these items as part of your normal preparation. Wash all clothes, sheets, towels, and dishes, and make everyone gets a shower before the storm hits. You will be sweating profusely over the next few days, and clean sheets smell good as you’re lying on them in the dark listening to the storm rip the shingles from your roof.

Continue reading“Hurricane Preparedness in the Sunshine State- Part 2 , by D.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 “HJL”.

Illegal Veggies

A Florida appeals court has upheld Miami Shores, Florida’s veggie garden ban. Last year, a state court ruled that the city had the right to ban vegetable gardens. They believe the vegetable plants are unsightly. Thus, with the single stroke of a pen, the courts have now said that the city is well within it’s rights to ban you from growing your own food while allowing your neighbors to build pools, park boats/jet skis and even put in lawn gnomes. But you can’t have zucchini. The Florida constitution protects people from arbitrary restrictions on their right to use their own property, but the courts so far have been poisoned. Thanks to D.S. for the link.

#LeavePublicSchools

Baltimore schools are some of the most problematic schools there are. An investigative series from a Fox affiliate has been profiling many of the issues including passing students who have never even shown up for a class. One of the latest escapades is that 13 public high schools from around Baltimore (out of a total of 39) had no kids that were proficient in math in 2017. Zero. Nada. Zilch. Not a single student! Reader K.B. notes that you would be hard pressed to find a single high school in all of Asia with the same poor performance.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” – 1 Corinthians 15:50-52 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday – November 11, 2017

November 11th is variously known as Armistice Day, Veteran’s Day, and Poppy Day. It is the birthday of General George S. Patton, Jr. (born 1885, died December 21, 1945). It is also the birthday of Hugh Everett (born 1930, died July 19, 1982), the American physicist who first proposed the many-worlds interpretation (MWI) of quantum physics, which he termed his “relative state” formulation. And November 11th also marks Rhodesia’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI), in 1965. Remember Rhodesia.

Continue reading“Preparedness Notes for Saturday – November 11, 2017”

Hurricane Preparedness in the Sunshine State- Part 1 , by D.H.

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We, down here in the “Sunshine State”, just recovered from Hurricane Irma. It was a massive storm that covered almost the entire state. Floridians are used to hurricanes. We expect them every year, and most of the locals don’t freak out when the local weathermen starts predicting mayhem from a storm over 1,000 miles away. Don’t get me wrong; we’re prepared year-round and watch storms closely, but as one of the fastest growing states we have lots of newcomers who aren’t experienced with this annual weather phenomenon.

Hurricane Season

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30th. Since most survival sites tend to focus on apocalyptic events, it’s so much easier to get the whole family on board with hurricane preparedness than the collapse of civilization. So let’s start preparing.

Pre-Storm

Watch your local weatherman. Hurricanes should not catch anyone by surprise. If the hurricane is a Category 2+, if you live in a low-lying area or if heavy persistent, flooding rain is predicted and you may have to evacuate.

Bug-Out Bag

Have a bug-out bag prepared with essential meds, toiletries, change of clothing, snacks, books for you, toys for the kids, and all your important documents (i.e. passports, mortgage statements, DD-214’s, et cetera). These documents can easily be destroyed in a hurricane. Heed these evacuation orders from your local authorities; you don’t want to be a statistic.

Continue reading“Hurricane Preparedness in the Sunshine State- Part 1 , by D.H.”

The Editors’ Preps for the Week

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To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. Steadily, we work on meeting our prepping goals. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities. They also often share their planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, property improvements, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

JWR

Dear SurvivalBlog Readers,
This week was fairly quiet and sedate at the Rawles Ranch.  Jim’s main duty was snow plowing with our trusty old pickup. There had been more than 20″ of snow in the preceding week, so there was plenty of snow to move. Since we are expecting  heavy  snowfall this winter, we’ve opted to  push the snow much farther back than usual.  We’ll need a place to put all of the snow that is expected in the weeks and months head.  Based on the long range forecast, we figure we’ll get at least 9 feet, this winter!

Meanwhile, Lily has been busy tending the winter plantings in the greenhouse. Her “greenhouse within a greenhouse” experiment has gone well.  Lily put thermometers in each hooped bed (covered with visqueen plastic) to measure air temperatures. She is regularly checking them–at least twice a day.  With a heavy layer of fairly fresh manure beneath the beds, the soil temperature is holding between 42 to 55 degrees. The air temperature inside the hoops has been 32 to 60 degrees and the temperature outside of the hooped beds has been as low as 27 degrees and as high as 90 during the past week all depending on if the sun is shining or not.  Germination remains yet to be seen with the seeds that were planted last week.  The seeds planted three weeks ago in the non-manured bed are germinating and growing, albeit very slowly.  I started out the week running the woodstove in the greenhouse, but with a couple of sunny days and moderating temperatures, outside temperatures now hovering around 32 degrees day and night, decided to let it go out.  This week we’re in the high 40’s during the day and low thirties at night, so there is no need to keep the stove going.
Continue reading“The Editors’ Preps for the Week”

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 “HJL”. Of major concern this week is the radioactive cloud that has been detected over much of Europe. This indicates some type of a nuclear accident, possibly in Russia. I can’t help but think of Chernobyl.

Space Debris

Reader G.P. sent in this article that maps out the danger zones that the runaway Tiangong-1 Chinese space station could smash into this coming year. While most European countries don’t have to worry, the danger zone covers a band around the earth that covers Africa, the Middle East, Australia, most of South America, most of the United States lower than New York and a whole lot of Ocean. It is hoped that the station will burn up in the atmosphere, the possibility of larger sections will survive and reach the surface. It should be noted that no human has been killed by space debris in the history of spaceflight.

Viral Meningitis Outbreak

Washoe county in Nevada has reported 47 cases of viral meningitis since July 15 of this year. Of the 47 cases, 43 required some from of hospitalization. Seventy-five percent of the cases were 17 years-old and under and 50% of them were school age children. Some basic hygiene preparations can help you avoid contracting this disease. Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands and avoid bounce houses and inflatable slides.  You should also avoid close contact with those who are sick, and disinfect frequently touched surfaces. When was the last time you cleaned that doorknob? You might also consider disinfectant wipes to wipe down that grocery cart at the supermarket.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Then king David answered and said, Call me Bath-sheba. And she came into the king’s presence, and stood before the king. And the king sware, and said, As the Lord liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress, even as I sware unto thee by the Lord God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; even so will I certainly do this day. Then Bath-sheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live for ever.” – 1 Kings 1:28-31 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday – November 10, 2017

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November 10th is remembered in the United States as the “birthday” of the U.S. Marine Corps. Coincidentally, the 10th is also the birthday of the late Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov, born in 1919, died December 23, 2013. He didn’t design a lot of different guns, but one of his few designs was the prototype for what turned out to be the world’s most widely produced assault rifles. Once an iconic symbol of international communism, the AK’s curved magazine profile has in more recent years become just a symbol of citizens being well-armed.

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Feminism, The Industrial Revolution and Natural Design: The Way Forward Requires Sacrifice, by The Recovering Feminist

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Now is not the time to neglect this topic of feminism. In fact, I sense a growing public awareness that feminism is experiencing an identity crisis. We are witnessing a time when the public is beginning to wake up and question the rational of incoherent narratives and faulty ideologies, like feminism and Marxism. This calls for implementing a somewhat offensive strategy to push forward in truth, gaining the initiative.

For those of you familiar with my previous posts, this one will be a bit different. It begins by laying out our current predicament, highlighting The Industrial Revolution and culture’s fact-value split. The article then explores the topic of sacrifice and the concepts of natural design and identity. I close with a few related resources. As always, your feedback is valuable to me.

Our Current Predicament

Nancy Pearcey, in her award winning book Total Truth, explains the historical reasons behind family disunity and the growing divide between men and women:

The Industrial Revolution caused both men’s and women’s work to contract and become more specialized; the work of both sexes lost range and variety, and became more intensely focused. Men lost their traditional integration into the life of the household and family…They lost the close contact they once enjoyed with their children throughout the day, and as a result experienced a sharp reduction in their function as parent and teacher in the home.

…the contraction of women’s sphere was more onerous because they were confined to the private sphere – which means they suffered from the general devaluation of the private sphere. The home was cut off from the “real” work of society, isolated from intellectual, economic, and political life…[1]

Continue reading“Feminism, The Industrial Revolution and Natural Design: The Way Forward Requires Sacrifice, by The Recovering Feminist”

Letter Re: Commuter’s Get Home Bag by M.M.

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HJL,

I wanted to add my thoughts. First, and foremost, I think speed is the key here. In the first minutes and hour(s) after some type of TEOTWAWKI event, whether CME, EMP or even earthquake or similar, human nature is such that people will be trying to get back to their own safety nets first. The time for bad guys to try to take all your swag doesn’t happen until after things get desperate.

Waiting

We’ve all experienced a local power outage – when things go dark, and the house gets quiet – do you or anyone you know immediately go grab your homies and start accosting people driving through the ‘hood? No. You don’t. You just wait for the power to come back on, while constantly checking your mobile phone to make sure your battery hasn’t died. That’s because you have no idea of the seriousness of the event. It takes hours or maybe days to understand that things aren’t getting better. Even when civil unrest occurs – what generally happens is – hoodlums (and their ilk) wait until nighttime to begin any hijinks – and most of them still wait for somebody else to start the ball rolling.

Just in Time

What this means is that if you can figure out how to get home in a few hours from T-0 (TEOTWAWKI minus zero), you stand an improved chance of getting there without negative social contact. For me, assembling my breakdown .22, gearing up in full 5.11 camo, and busting out that new machete I’ve been waiting to unleash on the zombies; is more likely just an invitation to any well-meaning LEO, Armed forces personnel or almost anybody who identifies as one of the good guys — to interrupt my journey with a litany of questions or worse.

Continue reading“Letter Re: Commuter’s Get Home Bag by M.M.”