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 Venezuela economic trainwreck, (See the Economy & Finance section.)

Precious Metals:

Gold And Silver Can’t Withstand US Dollar Strength

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Gold, Silver Posting Good Gains, At Daily Highs

 

Cryptos:

Next, over at CoinDesk: Dead Cat Bounce? Bitcoin Charts Show This Rally Could Be Different

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Banking Ban Reversal? India to Finalize Cryptocurrency Regulations in July

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

Let martial note in triumph float
And liberty extend its mighty hand
A flag appears ‘mid thunderous cheers,
The banner of the Western land.
The emblem of the brave and true
Its folds protect no tyrant crew;
The red and white and starry blue
Is freedom’s shield and hope.
Other nations may deem their flags the best
And cheer them with fervid elation
But the flag of the North and South and West
Is the flag of flags, the flag of Freedom’s nation.

Hurrah for the flag of the free!
May it wave as our standard forever,
The gem of the land and the sea,
The banner of the right.
Let despots remember the day
When our fathers with mighty endeavor
Proclaimed as they marched to the fray
That by their might and by their right
It waves forever.

Let eagle shriek from lofty peak
The never-ending watchword of our land;
Let summer breeze waft through the trees
The echo of the chorus grand.
Sing out for liberty and light,
Sing out for freedom and the right.
Sing out for Union and its might,
O patriotic sons.
Other nations may deem their flags the best
And cheer them with fervid elation,
But the flag of the North and South and West
Is the flag of flags, the flag of Freedom’s nation.

Hurrah for the flag of the free.
May it wave as our standard forever
The gem of the land and the sea,
The banner of the right.
Let despots remember the day
When our fathers with might endeavor
Proclaimed as they marched to the fray,
That by their might and by their right
It waves forever.
– Lyrics to Stars and Stripes Forever  (Words and Music by John Philip Sousa.)

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – July 03, 2018

On July 3, 1890, the Idaho Territory became the 43rd state in the Union.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

This has been another entry for Round 77 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 Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

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, and
  6. 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).

Round 77 ends on July 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.

Are You Preparing for SHTF or TEOTWAWKI- Part 1, by 3AD Scout

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There is SHTF, and then there is TEOTWAWKI. There is a difference.

SHTF

To me, SHTF means an incident that although it’s a disaster isn’t something that will collapse society as we know it. That is not to say that in a SHTF incident there won’t be looting or other behaviors outside societal norms, but for the most part order and daily life will be restored to some level in the foreseeable future. Hurricane Katrina is an example of a SHTF scenario.

TEOTWAWKI

TEOTWAWKI on the other hand is when societal norms are gone, with no recovery of vital infrastructure systems in the foreseeable future and the incident impacts large parts of the earth’s inhabitants. The keeping of societal norms will be challenged and in some areas will degrade quickly. Unlike a SHTF scenario, no one locally or from the state, federal, and even international community is coming to help.

What You Are Preparing For

It is important to determine what you are preparing for. Is it when SHTF, TEOTWAWKI, or both?

Preparing for both SHTF and TEOTWAWKI have some similarities. However, they also have vast differences.

Continue reading“Are You Preparing for SHTF or TEOTWAWKI- Part 1, by 3AD Scout”

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 custom knifemakers in The American Redoubt.

Region-Wide

A reader wrote to mention a fascinating interview, published back in February: The New West: Assessing the political map in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.

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A raft of new businesses have announced openings in the inland northwest.

 

Idaho

I recently heard about Elijah Williams of Fire Creek Forge, in Troy, Idaho. He makes some great custom fixed-blade knives, at quite reasonable prices.

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C. Thomas Knives, of Hayden, Idaho is famous for blades that are re-forged primarily from large circular commercial woodsaw blades. His etched and Damascus blades are gorgeous.

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A television news profile of Bill Burke: Idaho knife maker a master of his craft

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Tindall Knives are handmade in Idaho, by Forrest Tindall.

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The third annual Inland Northwest Preparedness Expo will be held September 22nd and 23rd at the Bonner County Fairgrounds in Sandpoint, Idaho.

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 “HJL”. There is a new tick in town. These ticks have been imported from Asia and are a serious problem.

Civil War

Reid Henrichs is fired up in this video sent in by reader T.J..  Over the last couple of weeks, the progressive left has called for action that is felonious in intent against law abiding citizens and servants of the government. The range of crimes requested by this group of elitists ranges from stalking and harassing to thinly veiled threats of bombings. As the left wakes up to the concept that they are losing control of the narrative, they have driven the entire Democratic party to the far left and given us a prime example of why a discussion on gun-control just can’t happen. These are the same people that want to disarm you, yet they call for violence against you and are not pursued for their threats. As Henrichs says in response to the call for dialog on gun control: “Not just no, but h*** no!”

Fake News

As the protests this weekend in Portland turned violent, the news repeated their old tricks yet again. The conservative demonstrators who were peacefully protesting were attacked by Antifa agitators. Despite the fact that the violence only occured after Antifa physically assaulted the peaceful protesters, the mainstream news media relabeled the participants in the violence. The Patriot Prayer group suddenly became “Right-Wing” and the Antifa members were relabeled as “Protesters”. It’s through this simple use of words that the liberals control the narrative on things like this.

As a side note, one video that has surfaced is the one-punch knock out of an Antifa radical as he attempts to physically assault one of the original protesters. He is cleanly knocked out and his buddies have to carry him off. Thanks to T.J. and DSV for the links.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“There is only so much land and water on the surface of the earth. Man, despite his marvelous accomplishments, will never be able to increase the diameter of the planet. The old days of virgin continents will be gone. The inhabitable planet, from ice-cap to ice-cap, will be inhabited. And in the matter of food-getting, as in everything else, man is only finite. Undreamed efficiencies in food-getting may be achieved, but, soon or late, man will find himself fact to face with Malthus’ grim law. Not only will population catch up with subsistence, but it will press against subsistence, and the pressure will be pitiless and savage. Somewhere in the future is a date when man will face, consciously, the bitter fact that there is not food enough for all of him to eat.” – Jack London. The Human Drift

Charter Arms, Undercover .38 Spl, by Pat Cascio

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Sometimes, the nostalgia bug bites me, big time, and I can’t resist a gun at my local gun shop. Under review in this article is the Charter Arms www.charterfirearms.com Undercover .38 Spl revolver, the older model.

An “Old Time” Revolver

They guys at my local gun shop are all quite a bit younger than me. So, whenever they get in an “old time” revolver they are sure to draw it to my attention and put it in my hands. I’ve been a habitual gun trader all my life, for the simple fact that I can’t afford all the firearms I want. When I was much younger, I was always after the newest and coolest handguns I could find. I’ve had more than a few of those moments, when I regretted doing a trade right after I did it, too.

Undercover, I Carried Charter Arms Snubby Revolver

One of the first undercover ops I ever did, as a private investigator, was in a steel plant. An employee had been killed by a load of steel beams being “accidentally” released from an overhead crane right on top of him. So, I was hired to go in and check things out. The insurance company couldn’t duplicate the “accident” nor could the local police gather enough evidence against anyone in the plant to prove this was done on purpose.

Long story short, all the employees, to a man, on the swing shift were always high on drugs, always. I was constantly keeping a watchful eye on the overhead crane in the plant, for fear of a load of steel beams falling on me. It turned out that this one employee wanted nothing to do with drugs, and the others feared he would turn on them, so he was murdered. I turned my report over to my employer, and several employees were arrested. One was charged with murder with the others charged as accessories to murder.

Continue reading“Charter Arms, Undercover .38 Spl, by Pat Cascio”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

7

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 precious and base metals.

Precious and Base Metals:

Reader D.S.V. suggested this piece by Clint Siegner: A Bargain Hunter’s Delight

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It Costs Seven Cents to Make a Nickel, So the U.S. Mint Had a Computer Simulate Cheaper Coins

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Reuters: Base metals hit multi-month lows on trade war fears

Cryptos:

Bitcoin bloodbath nears dot-com levels as many tokens go to zero.

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Below $0.50: XRP Prices Fall to New 2018 Lows

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

4

“As for man, there is little reason to think that he can in the long run escape the fate of other creatures, and if there is a biological law of flux and reflux, his situation is now a highly perilous one. During ten thousand years his numbers have been on the upgrade in spite of wars, pestilences, and famines. This increase in population has become more and more rapid. Biologically, man has for too long a time been rolling an uninterrupted run of sevens.” – George R. Stewart, Earth Abides

Preparedness Notes for Sunday – July 01, 2018

July 1st, 1863 is the anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War Battle of Gettysburg.

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James Wesley, Rawles just announced that he has some personally signed hardback copies of the last novel in the Patriots series, titled “Liberators”. For this round of the SurvivalBlog writing contest, the writer of any entry who wins Honorable Mention will also receive one of these autographed novels. (In addition to a $30 Amazon gift card.) Now is a great time to get your project written up and submitted to us!

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

This has been another entry for Round 77 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 Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

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, and
  6. 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).

Round 77 ends on July 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.

Traveling to Your Safe Haven During a WROL Event Addendum, by E.P.

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I wanted to respond to a number of comments and a few misconceptions regarding my article, “Traveling to Your Safe Haven During a WROL Event.” There are several things that I want to address.

Meaning of “Without Rule of Law”

First, let me address the meaning of “Without Rule of Law” (WROL). I thought the common usage of these words alone provided a straightforward definition. To me it means a situation where a legitimate government no longer exists such that the rule of law (statutes, rules, and regulations) cannot be enforced and disputes cannot be fairly adjudicated. In short, there is no law to break or enforce, and no reasonable enforcement potential through the courts. You are on your own. To the extent someone or some group attempts to control your actions, they have no legal, moral, or ethical justification for doing so. The only justification they may offer is pure force. It’s a case of “might makes right”.

Expressed Premise That All Comments Addressed To A WROL Event

My article began with the expressed premise that all comments were addressed to a WROL event. As such, to the extent anyone suggested that I was inciting illegal activity, by definition that is impossible. To those that adhere to that position I would recommend rereading the first few paragraphs of part 1, where this premise is clearly spelled out for this very reason. I don’t mind arguing over positions. But, I think it’s essential to agree on the basic facts. My comments only applied to a WROL event, and that is an undisputed fact.

Requirement for Extensive Training

Others have commented that many of the recommendations required extensive training. In my prior group, this was indeed the case. In fact, because we lost a few core members along the way, we were unable to maintain a core group of individuals with the necessary experience and dedication to undertake such processes. This is one reason I left the group and began a reevaluation of my preparation needs and capabilities.

Continue reading“Traveling to Your Safe Haven During a WROL Event Addendum, by E.P.”

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”. The TSA is at it again. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, this utterly useless agency has found yet another way to annoy travelers.

Plastic Knife

My favorite crazy knife maker, kiwami japan has released yet another knife manufacturing video. This one is made from a plastic coke bottle. This one was quite a bit easier to make than some of his previous knives, but still rates right about in the middle for sharpness. I do wish he would include how many hours it took him to make the knife in his description though. His sharpening methods are always manual and produce very uniform and beautiful results.

As a bonus, he has started to include little tips and easy gadgets to make certain tasks easier. The one included in this video is how to modify a cardboard parchment paper dispenser to dispense the paper and at the same time get rid of the “curl” that drives everyone crazy.

TSA

First it was your laptops and phones, then it was your liquids and your shoes. Now, the TSA wants your snacks. Despite not being part of the agency’s standard procedures, a recommendation issued by the agency last year is gaining steam. Many screening check points now require you to remove your snacks from your carry on luggage and place them in a separate bin. It should be noted that despite treating every passenger as a criminal, the TSA has a horrible track record for the exact task they are supposed to carry out. Study after study shows how easily contraband makes it past the screeners, Yet in their entire existence, not one terrorist plot has been foiled by their actions. This may actually be the one agency that is less desirable than the BATF. Thanks to DSV for the link.

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