Book Review: Alas, Babylon, by G.P.

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In 1957, the Soviets orbited the first Sputnik, bringing a new dimension to the Cold War; and a British engineer and author living in Australia published a popular novel that brought up a new fascination and dread about the nuclear threat. The author was Nevil Shute Norway, writing under his first two names, and the novel was On The Beach. The book was absolutely grim, describing the destruction of the world by nuclear war.

Shute’s Novel – Nuclear Exchange and Extinction of Human Race

A conflict between Albania and Italy (nothing ages faster than world politics) leads to a general nuclear exchange between the great powers. The Northern Hemisphere is poisoned by radiation, with no one left alive. The cloud of radiation is working its way southward through the tropical convergence zones to spread across the Southern Hemisphere and complete the extinction of the human race.

The novel is centered in Melbourne, with the population awaiting its inevitable demise. People act out, singly or in groups, in different ways. The Australian government provides suicide doses to all who want them, as an escape from the grim fate of radiation poisoning. An American submarine conducts a patrol of the American west coast to track down a mysterious radio signal. Does life indeed persist? It proves to be a broken window tapping against a radio key in the wind. The hydroelectric grid has outlasted its builders. In the end, all die, mostly by their own hands.

Continue reading“Book Review: Alas, Babylon, by G.P.”

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 the Argentine Peso. (See the Forex section.)

Precious Metals:

Gold Is Now 85 Times More Expensive Than Silver

o o o

Goldnomics Podcast: Silver Guru – David Morgan – Silver and Gold Will Protect in the Coming Currency Collapse

 

Forex:

Argentina Peso Plunges After Central Bank Head Unexpectedly Resigns. JWR’s Comment: You may recall that a couple of weeks ago, I recommended shorting the Argentine Peso.  I expect things to get worse for the Peso, before they get better.

o o o

Turkey’s lira slightly firmer, investors weigh up prospects of better U.S. ties

 

 

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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 Tool Organization. (See the Gear section.)  But, first a much more pressing concern:

 

Communications Gear  — Import Banned!:

Back in August, I warned SurvivalBlog readers about an upcoming FCC rules change.  Well, the ban did indeed arrive, on Monday. As of September 24th, 2018, the FCC banned the importation of some quite capable dual band models of inexpensive Baofeng ham radio handie-talkies:

     FCC Enforcement Advisory No. 2018-03

Because of this new FCC “enforcement advisory” ban, I predict that fewer and fewer these particular hand-held ham radios will clear Customs. Then, Amazon and eBay listings for them will soon disappear, probably in just a few weeks. The window of opportunity is closing quickly, folks!  Note that no license is required to buy these radios.

I strongly recommend that SurvivalBlog readers stock up on these dual band radios, NOW, while there are still some available at a reasonable price! Grab a five-pack, or perhaps two five-packs, so that you will have some extras available to trade at a later date.  Remember:  “Buy low, and sell high.”  As I’ve described in detail in the blog before: Bans almost always lead to higher prices!

 

 

Books:

U.S. Taxes For Worldly Americans: The Traveling Expat’s Guide to Living, Working, and Staying Tax Compliant Abroad

o  o  o

The World’s Best Tax Havens: How to Cut Your Taxes to Zero & Safeguard Your Financial Freedom

o  o  o

Becoming an Expat Ecuador: 2nd Edition (Volume 6)

o  o  o

Philippines Expat Advisor: Move to the Philippines Faster & Cheaper

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Fundamental Rights are those rights that we can derive from a universal non-conflicting criteria that allows all men to exercise their maximum free will without infringing on others rights, equally claimed, nor forcing others to serve their needs. These non conflicting rights are inviolable, and superior to all forms of human government, and therefore not subject to political confirmation. This is a radically new concept to those schooled to believe that the highest form of justice comes by democratic means. It becomes clear, under the concept of “inviolable rights” that fundamental rights should never be subject to ratification, even in a constitution, though they should be recognized and referred to by it. To do so would subordinate one’s fundamental rights to the will of a majority–those who will vote for such fundamental rights, or worse yet, to deny them legal status by voting against them. ” – Joel Skousen, author of: Strategic Relocation: North American Guide to Safe Places

Should We Brace for Severe Winters Ahead?

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You may have missed a few brief mentions of an emerging threat in the mainstream news: The face of the sun has gone mostly blank in the past few years, with an extremely low number of sunspots. There have only been sunspots visible on the the sun for 133 days in the past year. The last three solar cycles have become progressively weaker. There is now a legitimate concern that because there have been several very weak solar cycles in succession, that we could tip over into another Grand Solar Minimum (GSM).

This potentially developing GSM could be something similar to the Maunder Minimum that lasted from 1645 to 1715. (Or even longer, depending the climatologist you consult.) In northern Europe, the Maunder Minimum was famous for decades of brutal winters in the deepest part of what is commonly called The Little Ice Age. This climate aberration caused huge crop failures that may have triggered or exacerbated the Anglo-Spanish War, the Second Northern War, the Austro-Turkish War, the War of Devolution, the Franco-Dutch War, two Russo-Turkish Wars, the Great Turkish War, the Nine Years War, and countless smaller civil wars and pillaging. Notably, the River Thames in England froze quite deeply, in 1677. (As shown in today’s illustration.) It was also during the Maunder Minimum that the Vikings abandoned all of their settlements in Greenland.

According to climate historian Dagomar DeGroot, the Maunder minimum had profound sociological, economic, and political effects. He wrote:  “As growing seasons shortened, food shortages spread, economies unraveled, and rebellions and revolutions were quick to follow. Cooling was not always the primary cause for contemporary disasters, but it often played an important role in exacerbating them.”

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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  “Not in My Backyard” (NIMBY) neighbors.  (See the Region-Wide and Montana sections.)

 

Region-Wide

Newport smelter hearing draws skeptical crowd. (Both North Idaho and Eastern Washington residents seem alarmed.)

o o o

Radio Free Redoubt did a special show about the The Inland Northwest Preparedness Expo.

Idaho

A recent editorial: Have doubts that wolves are ravaging Idaho? Come see for yourselves

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Boise mass stabbing suspect reaches out to officials from jail —again, prosecutors say

o o o

PHOTO: Idaho Boys Go to Great Lengths to Protect U.S. Flag

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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”.

Constitution Day

Reid Henrichs outlines some important things to remember about the Constitution on his September 17th vlog. On the 231st anniversary of the U.S. Constitution he reviewed the reasons the Constitution was put in place in the first place. It is not a document that gives the government power, but instead it limits what the government can do. This is a good review of why we have the constitution, but sadly, it is also a reminder of how far astray we have allowed the government to stray. thanks to reader T.J. for the link.

Flu Scare

As we move into what is traditionally called the flu season, reader H.L. sent in this link with an interesting take on the actions of the CDC and the media when it comes to flu vaccines. The vaccines are notorious in the ineffectiveness, yet the drum beat about getting your flu shot beats louder than ever. Only about 45% of the population actually gets one and every year we hear that that the vaccine isn’t really working, but you need to get one anyways. It’s tough for the average person to get through the marketing hype. This article presents some statistics that suggest you may not need one at all.

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CRKT M16-04KS Folder, by Pat Cascio

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The M-16 line of knives has been in the CRKT lineup longer than most other knife designs, and this is for good reason. They are great knives, with that certain tactical look about them. Today, we look at one of the newest in this stable of folders– the CRKT M16-04KS.

CRKT Folders

I still remember sitting in the Columbia River Knife & Tool (CRKT) offices during one of my visits to their operation in the USA and spying some new folding knives that weren’t meant for public viewing. I was sitting on the desk of Rod Bremer, the (now) sole owner of CRKT. I think I caught Bremer by surprise with my keen eye and started to ask him about those new folders. Immediately I saw some potential in those folders for a few changes. I suggested that they offer these folders in different handle colors– red for fire/rescue personnel, OD green for military, blue for law enforcement, and also other colors. While it took two years for those changes to come about, they did. As I’ve learned, nothing moves fast in the cutlery industry. As a disclaimer, CRKT produces my own OC3 fixed blade fighting knife design. It took two years for this design to reach the market place. Did I mention that nothing moves fast in the cutlery industry? Yeah, I thought I did.

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Recipe of the Week: Mac and Cheese, by B.I.

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This is one of the kids favorites (Including the big kids over 40)

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups rotelle pasta
  • 4 tbs butter
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1 tsp mustard
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 3 tsp Tabasco sauce
  • 1 cup smooth melting shredded cheese (We like pepper jack)
  • 1 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/3 cup croutons
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground pepper

Continue reading“Recipe of the Week: Mac and Cheese, by B.I.”

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 the long term prospects for Bitcoin. (See the Cryptos section.)

Precious Metals:

Bullish Or Bearish: Gold’s Next Trend Is Up To The Fed

o o o

Gold Speculators Added To Their Bets, Now Bearish For Six Straight Weeks

 

Stocks:

Dow hits another all-time high on mixed day for US stocks

o o o

Should Amazon Split in Two?

 

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“For more than six hundred years—that is, since the Magna Carta in 1215—there has been no clearer principle of English or American constitutional law, than that, in criminal cases, it is not only the right and duty of juries to judge, what are the facts, what is the law, and what was the moral intent of the accused; but that it is also their right, and their primary and paramount duty, to judge the justice of the law, and to hold all laws invalid, that are, in their opinion, unjust, oppressive, and all persons guiltless in violating, or resisting the execution of, such laws.” – Lysander Spooner, An Essay on the Trial by Jury (1852)