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 Ultra-Rare Cars. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

We’ll start with this from Clive Maund: Gold Market Update – COTs, Sentiment Super Bullish As Fed Set To Reverse Course…

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A new video, over at Kitco: Gold Vs. Housing: Which Is More Affordable?

 

Stocks:

Robert Shiller: What should investors do when the stock market is soaring?

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Moving on to some useful data from ABG Analytics: Oversold and Overbought Large-Cap Stocks: Weekly Update

 

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The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“This drill is an old chestnut among some shooters but I hadn’t heard it before. Goes like this. Get yer gear and yer sighted-in serious gun, go to the range, set yer target, get in position, aim and fire one shot. You’re done. Don’t touch that dial, nudging zero is a whole different exercise. This is a ‘know thyself’ thing. Mark yer target and go home.

Do this over time, every weekend or every other day, or what ev-ver, no matter the weather: rain and misty, cold and windy, or warm and still. Whether yer rested or groggy. The idea is, a follow up shot may matter, or not, but the first shot will always matter. And you won’t get to pick the weather.” – Ol’ Remus in Yer Ol’ Woodpile Report

Preparedness Notes for Sunday – August 26, 2018

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August 26, 526, is the official anniversary of the invention of toilet paper by the Chinese. We celebrate this, though not because of its convenience. In fact, it has many shortcomings, some which are described within the articles and letters of SurvivalBlog. Our celebration of it is primarily because we now have an official metric of just how hard core of a prepper you are as well as a metric for just how economically unstable your country is.

Gunsmith Training: Pistolsmithing- Week Three, by R2

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This week, I continued in the AGI gunsmithing course, focusing on pistolsmithing. I’m really enjoying the course, though it is considerably different that what I had expected.

Call From Gene Kelley

Interestingly enough, I received a call from Gene Kelley, the president of AGI, to talk about the past articles and where I was going with the article series. Gene is a really nice guy, though obviously a driven person. The conversation only lasted a few minutes, but it’s worth noting that I did not receive pressure from him to say nice things about the course.

One thing that he did ask me to clarify was that AGI positions itself to compete against the brick and mortar schools rather than other online schools. While I have no experience with other online schools, I have had some dealings with brick and mortar schools, and I would tend to agree with his assessment that his course competes very effectively with them. At this point, I would have to admit that the intellectual knowledge passed on through the primary instructor– Bob Dunlap– is far superior to any other gunsmith (or gunsmithing school instructor) that I have had an opportunity to converse with.

The only real drawback is that you don’t have someone who hands you the next gun to work on. You’re going to have to do the legwork yourself to gain access to lots of firearms. But let’s face it; if you want to be a self-employed person, you’re gonna have to do this kind of legwork anyways.

Methods Used To Teach

I’m beginning to grasp the methods that are being used to teach too. Much of the functionality is common between firearms, and you really do need to follow the course DVDs in the order presented, as instructors build upon and continue to refer to previous videos. When Bob is profiling a new firearm, he often does not repeat instructions that he has previously given but rather tells you what video you need review in order to get that concept. I like that approach, as you have access to those videos and time is not wasted repeating things that you may not need. If you do need a refresher, you can always go grab that specific video. Now, we’ll move on to the course…

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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”. Whatever happened to good old R-E-S-P-E-C-T?

In the Name of Safety

Reader H.L. sent in this article on the 40 Million vehicle recall currently taking place. At issue are the “defective” airbags made by Takata. As the airbags age, they may malfunction. While Takata deserves the oblivion that they received for manufacturing sub-par equipment, the real issue is your rights as a consumer. As our government moves more into the nanny state mentality, you are now faced with a dilemma. You are forced to spend more money when you buy a car to have these mandated safety features installed. But did you know that you can’t disable the possibly defective airbag. Yep, that’s right. It’s illegal. It will take up to 10 years to replace all of these airbags, but you still have to own it.

The Next Venezuela

The next sovereign state to self destruct is well on its way. As South Africa continues to press its new found power and continue its racist onslaught with the support of most main stream media outlets, there is a new problem developing. The mining charter that companies have to operate under is quickly becoming untenable for a company that wants to stay profitable. The latest rendition mandates that shareholding must be 30% black (apportioned in a very specific manner).

Before any distributions are made to shareholders, the company must pay 1% of its annual turnover to this 30%. In addition, 70% of procurement of mining goods and 80% of services must be made from black empowered entities. (It matters not how incompetent of expensive the protected companies are.) There are also employment qualifications based on race. A once profitable business is quickly sliding into disaster. Thanks to H.L. for the link.

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The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” – 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday – August 25, 2018

August 25th is a birthday shared by novelist Frederick Forsyth (born 1938) and late American humorist Patrick F. McManus (born 1933, died April 11, 2018.)  Forsyth was the author of The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Fourth Protocol, The Dogs of War, The Devil’s Alternative, and many others. McManus was born and raised in Sandpoint, Idaho, so his books could be classified as American Redoubt humor. His passing was sad news. He is greatly missed. – JWR

Tips On Buying Used Handguns, by Pat Cascio

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I am no longer teaching NRA firearms classes, though I did that for more than 25 years, mostly giving classes for folks wanting to get their concealed handgun permit. During all those years teaching handgun classes, I had quite a few students ask me about buying used handguns.

What To Look For When Buying Used Handguns

They wanted to know what to look for. More often than not, I’d accompany them to the local gun shop and help them in selecting a used handgun and talk with them about what to look for in a good used handgun.

I’m a sucker for a good deal on a used handgun. I don’t have the funds to buy new firearms all the time, so when I see a used handgun that catches my eye I give it a very close inspection, most of the time.

Overall Condition, Rust or Patina, Pitted Metal

One of the first things I look at is the overall condition of the gun. If it has pitted metal, I know it hasn’t been properly cared for. I can live with a little surface rust or patina, but deep pits in the metal, well, that’s a “no-go” for me.

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Editors’ Prepping Progress

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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:

Harvest, harvest, harvest!  We’ve just passed the peak of gardening season. For the past week, we’ve been very busy harvesting most of our “above ground” garden crops. (The root crops will wait until the first frost.) Most notably, we picked, blanched and froze broccoli and green beans. We also fought the wasps for the last of the red raspberries. The extra zucchini squash has now been chopped and frozen.

This week I constructed an additional 220-foot long pasture cross fence, and gate. This cross fence is designed to help optimize our rotational grazing.

The firewood splitting and stacking is now complete. But I still need to tarp the “overflow” wood piles that don’t fit in the woodsheds. And of course for safety the slash burning will have to wait until after the fall rains begin.  But all in all, we feel nearly ready for winter.

May you all have a very blessed and productive week.

Many Blessings to All, – Jim Rawles and Avalanche Lily, Rawles

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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”. There is a new threat from a parasitic disease that is spreading across America.

Matt Bracken

Matt Bracken has posted a video that details the government civil war that is going on right now in the United States. It’s pretty certain that if Trump had not won the election, there would be no Mueller investigation, Manafort conviction or any of this other political nonsense. These men may have committed crimes, but without the impetus of the deep state and the governmental gangsters doubling down, their efforts to take president Trump down would not exist. Matt also gives some ideas on how to fight social media censorship. Matt clearly outlines the need for the GOP to retain control of congress this fall to keep the deep state in check. This is a must watch for all patriots.

Clever AR Product

I recently received a sample of a new product from Ellis Guard LLC, in Colorado. They make a clever but simple molded rubber cover for detached AR-15/M4 uppers. These are ideal for anyone who owns more than one upper for their AR. They are also great if you own just one, but plan to carry an AR disassembled. With these covers, the bolt carrier is retained, everything is held together, dust and grime is kept out, and lubricants are held in. Thus, you can easily and cleanly carry a disassembled AR or an extra upper in your backpack, in a bugout bag, or a vehicle kit. – JWR

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Preparedness Notes for Friday – August 24, 2018

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On August 24th, 410, Rome was overrun by the Visigoths in an event that symbolized the fall of the Western Roman Empire. This is a moment in history that we would do well to remember. An empire that ruled the known world was corrupted from the inside to the point that they could not defend themselves from a much weaker enemy. This could conceivably be the beginning of the dark middle ages.

Guest Post: Wasp Control that Works, by Patrice Lewis

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A few days ago I put up a post about the horrifically bad wasp year we’re having. Outdoor activities had to be suspended except before dawn or after dark because of how many stinging insects were swarming the area.

We’re not alone — everyone we know is experiencing similar issues. Recently Don was in a hardware store, and he noticed they had shelves and shelves of wasp traps for people desperate to control them.

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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 future collector cars–that is, current production models that are likely to become collectible. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

 

Precious Metals:

Video: Gold Speculators Are Least Bullish In Years

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Over at Kitco: First Digital Gold, Now Silver To Be Added To Blockchain Platform

 

Stocks:

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) just set a record for the longest bull market in its history.  Just short of 10 years with no reversals of more than 20%.  The MSNBC Cheering Section will tell you “it is a great time to buy”, but pleas e be objective, folks. There are now a lot of stocks that are overbought. P/E ratios haven’t been this out of whack since just before the 2008 debacle. And similar P/E ratios were seen just before the 2000 crash. So this is probably a good time to do some profit taking and diversify your holdings.

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Speaking of P/E ratios, let’s discuss a company that doesn’t have one. It has never turned a profit. When I last checked, Tesla Motors (TSLA)–which trades on the NASDAQ–was down again, to $321.23 per share.  It is hard to believe that Wallet Investor’s long range forecast presently shows the stock at $589.53 in five years.  I’m not much on stock predictions, but my gut is telling me that it will be priced under $50 a share, by then. I can foresee that much more lean small companies will steal most of their market share. And a lot of Tesla’s high valuation and hype was built on government subsidies.  Time will tell…

 

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The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“All the people constitute the militia – according to the Founding Fathers. Therefore every able-bodied man has a duty under the Constitution to become part of the ‘well-regulated’ militia, specifically to understand and perform well with the individual weapon currently issued to the regular establishment …. Thus one who has not qualified himself with the M16 may not be considered to be a responsible citizen.” – Col. Jeff Cooper