Economics & Investing For Preppers

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 Swiss Franc parity with the US Dollar. (See the Forex section.)

Precious Metals:

Gold & Silver Looking To Rally As The World Moves From “Inflation Expectations” To Plain Old “Inflation”

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Standard Chartered: Floor For Gold Price To Keep Rising

 

Forex (Swiss Franc Parity):

The trading value of the Swiss Franc (CHF) is bouncing right around parity with the US Dollar (USD). Although there may be continuing Dollar strength through this spring and summer, the long term outlook is still dour for the Dollar.  Trump (and the Fed Banking Cartel) will likely continue to pursue their Weak Dollar Policy. Trump wants to see “Huuuuge” improvement in the U.S. balance of trade. So this is a good time to swap USD for some CHF.

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Currency Strength and Weakness

 

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday – May 10, 2018

May 10th is the birthday of the late Col. Jeff Cooper (born 1920, died September 25, 2006).

May 10th is also the birthday of the late Janis Pinups (born 1925, died 15 June 2007). He was one of the last of the Forest Brothers anti-communist resistance fighters. He came out of hiding, after five decades, to obtain a Latvian passport in 1994, after the collapse of eastern European communism. (He was never issued any communist government identity papers and by necessity lived as a nonexistent ghost during the entire Soviet occupation of Latvia.)

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2005-2017 USB Archive Update

We have discovered a bug in the software that managed the orders for the archive. Apparently, a certain percentage of orders that were successfully paid through PayPal were marked as “canceled”. The software somehow missed the message from PayPal that the order had been paid and it timed out waiting for the payment. We are in the process of manually reviewing all orders that were marked as canceled and matching any corresponding payment that may be attributed to it. We do have another order of USB Archives arriving on Monday, the 14th, but the plan is to fulfill all orders caught by this bug before releasing any of them for sale. If you paid for your order through PayPal and have not yet received it, you are probably one of these orders.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features another entry for Round 76 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 76 ends on May 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.

Bring Your Own Bandaids- Part 3, by A.&J. R.

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We are focusing on the supplies we will need in order to address the medical issues we are most likely to experience, whether we get to a “Bring Your Own Bandaids” clinic or we have to treat matters on our own. Our lists and discussion goes way beyond the first aid kit, and at the end of each section, we also note essential oils that may be helpful. We’ve already covered some pre-existing conditions and common injuries in Part 1. Let’s continue forward in our six-part article.

Skin

In this section we will take a look at some common skin conditions and injuries and how to treat them.

Hives

Hives are treated quite effectively with the usual anti-histamines like Benadryl, Claritin, and Zyrtec. But they can also be managed with Zantac, Tagamet, and Pepcid. Corticosteroids can be used, if you have them on hand, but these are potentially life-saving medications that should probably be saved for more critical purposes. Essential oils to consider include German chamomile, yarrow, tagetes.

Abscesses

Abscesses are managed by lancing and draining and then keeping the affected area clean and covered. Essential oils to consider include lavender, tea tree, and chamomile.

Cellulitis

Cellulitis, an infection of the soft tissue below the skin surface, will be a different matter. Any break in the skin, whether from cuts or scrapes, bites, cracks that developed from dry skin, et cetera, will allow the bacteria that are normally on the skin to go below and cause infection. Sometimes cellulitis will resolve on its own, but usually antibiotics are needed. This can be a life-threatening infection and should be evaluated by a licensed medical practitioner. Antibiotics generally prescribed for cellulitis (and other) skin infections include augmentin, cephalexin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and doxycycline. Essential oils to consider include lavender, tea tree, and helichrysum.

Continue reading“Bring Your Own Bandaids- Part 3, by A.&J. 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 “HJL”. Users are gain finding out that digital security is not easy – it turns out that the Signal app isn’t so secure after all.

Signal App Isn’t so Secure

Signal App promoted itself as a secure messaging app because it would self delete delivered messages, making it easy for you to maintain security in the case of mishandled (of confiscated) devices. According to this article sent in by P.L, it’s not that easy though. It would appear that even though the app deletes the messages, the notifications that MacOS gives the owner of the device keeps a database of these messages. You may not be able to access the original message, but the database of notifications can be scanned and the information recovered. This flaw appears to live on the macOS version only at this time.

South Africa Emulates Zimbabwe

There is much inaccurate and deliberately misleading news out their with regards to South Africa’s move to the left and it’s new racist policies. Reader S.M. sent in this article that does much to correct those news reports. South Africa is clearly going to emulate Zimbabwe with it’s racial land expropriation without compensation. The combined majority of the EFF (Economic Freedom Fighters) and the ANC (African National Congress) exceeds the required two thirds of the South African parliament with will enable them to change the constitution which still nominally protects property rights in Section 25.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“The aim of public education is not to spread enlightenment at all; it is simply to reduce as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed and train a standardized citizenry, to put down dissent and originality. That is its aim in the United States, whatever the pretensions of politicians, pedagogues and other such mountebanks, and that is its aim everywhere else.” – H.L. Mencken

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday – May 09, 2018

On May 9th, 1945, Herman Goering– commander in chief of the Luftwaffe, president of the Reichstag, head of the Gestapo, prime minister of Prussia, and Hitler’s designated successor– was taken prisoner by the U.S. Seventh Army in Bavaria. Goering, who was addicted to painkillers due to a wound, was instrumental in creating concentration camps for political enemies. It was Goering who ordered the purging of German Jews from the economy following the Kristallnacht program in 1938, initiating an “Aryanization” policy that confiscated Jewish property and businesses. Tried and convicted at the Nuremberg trials, he was sentenced to hanging, but before he could be executed he committed suicide by swallowing a cyanide tablet he had hidden from his guards.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features another entry for Round 76 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 76 ends on May 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.

Bring Your Own Bandaids- Part 2, by A.&J. R.

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Let’s now focus on the supplies we will require to be able to address the medical issues we are most likely to experience. This goes way beyond the first aid kit. At the end of each section, we’ll also note essential oils that may be helpful.

Essential Oils

The specific usage of essential oils, the amounts, carrier oils, and contraindications are beyond the scope of this article. The essential oils are included here so that you can see what you may wish to acquire to treat conditions you and your family are more likely to experience. Just as you’ll want medical references to guide you in any care you administer in a collapse situation, you’ll want to have an essential oils reference to guide you in their use. Remember, we are not licensed medical providers; we just want to be prepared with necessary supplies for caring for our families.

Pre-Existing Conditions

First, we’ll begin with some pre-existing conditions, the problems we already know that we have, and which quite a number of people feel will be a death sentence at TEOTWAWKI.

Continue reading“Bring Your Own Bandaids- Part 2, by A.&J. R.”

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 U.S. Dollar Inflation.

Precious Metals:

$1,280 — Here We Come

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At Seeking Alpha: Are The Precious Metals Percolating For A Big Move?

 

Cryptos:

Australia to Expand Regulatory Domain Over Cryptocurrency Traders

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Bitcoin warning: US taxman to crackdown on cryptocurrency loophole

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Buffett bashes bitcoin as nonproductive, thriving on mystique

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

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 The Holodomor genocide in The Ukraine.

Books (The Holodomor):

Red Famine: Stalin’s War on Ukraine

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I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer

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Idaho Off the Beaten Path®: A Guide To Unique Places (Off the Beaten Path Series)

 

Movies (The Holodomor):

Bitter Harvest.   A drama about the Holodomor–the Soviet genocide by starvation in the Ukraine that took the lives of more than seven million people. On DVD, but also available for free download for Amazon Prime members.

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Escape From New York (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo in Blu-ray Packaging) Also available for free download for Amazon Prime members.  The film is and over-the-top romp and the tactics shown are pure Hollywood, so please consider this “for entertainment only.”

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1984. Available on DVD. Also available for free download for Amazon Prime members.

Continue reading“JWR’s Recommendations of the Week”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – May 08, 2018

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May 8th is the birthday of missionary and U.S. military intelligence officer John Birch. (Born, 1918, died August 25, 1945.) He is considered by many to be the first American casualty of the Cold War.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features another entry for Round 76 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 76 ends on May 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.

Bring Your Own Bandaids- Part 1, by A.&J. R.

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Disclaimer: The following is for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should always consult your physician for any questions regarding your health or that of a family member. The authors are merely discussing items you may wish to have on hand to care for a family or group, for when a licensed healthcare provider is available but supplies are hard or impossible to come by.

We write from the perspective of patients (a Type 1 diabetic with hypothyroidism and his wife who has had her spleen, gall bladder, most of her pancreas, and half a pinkie removed) and parents of numerous children with their own experiences (gastroparesis, abdominal wall injury, duodenal ulcers, kidney stones, lots of stitches, chronic constipation, migraines, tendinosis, failure to thrive, corneal abrasion and ulcer, excruciating menstrual cramps—are we leaving anything out?); basically, the stuff of everyday life.

We have absolutely no financial interest in any of the companies mentioned; they are merely sources where we’ve been able to purchase (sometimes difficult-to-find) supplies.

The Bring Your Own Band-Aids Clinic

Most SurvivalBlog readers have prepared and continue to prepare for their families’ well-being in the coming crises. We cover our bases with the four G’s—God, guns, grub, and gold, or the five B’s—beans, bullets, Bible, bullion, Band-Aids. But how many Band-Aids should you have? What kind? This article is for those who are planning to stockpile medical supplies for themselves and others, and for those who aren’t.

Continue reading“Bring Your Own Bandaids- Part 1, by A.&J. R.”

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 capitol city of Helena, Montana.

Idaho

The crucial upcoming Idaho primary election is in the headlines. The Idaho primary will be held on Tuesday, May 15th. Among other issues, the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness Area designation is coming up for a vote.  The folks at Redoubt News have published their candidate recommendations. My only point of disagreement is in their choice of the Republican candidate for Idaho’s District 1 congressional seat. (Meanwhile MIke Simpson is running unopposed in District 2.) Redoubt News picked Ross Fulcher. I prefer Michael Snyder, who is a Redoubter, a prepper, outspokenly Christian, pro-gun, pro-life, liberty-minded, and favors small government. Please vote!  The Oregon primary will also be held on May 15th. (See the Oregon section.) The Montana primary will be held on June 5th.The Washington primary will be held on August 7th. And the Wyoming primary will be held on August 21st.

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Idaho school can’t find small bit of weapons-grade plutonium

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10 wolves killed in northern Idaho to boost elk numbers

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Idaho has Top 10 fastest-growing U.S. cities from north to south
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”. If you thought the aluminum foil knife was incredible, wait till you see the one featured today. It’s downright delicious!

The Greatest Murder Machine in History

Who holds this title? Some would say Stalin, others would claim Mao. Some would even say the U.S. because of abortion. The numbers are difficult to ascertain because so much murder goes on in secret or is covered up and sometimes even forgotten. However, one particular murderer stands out even with fuzzy numbers – Islam. When you consider all the slaves who died along with the deliberate genocide brought on by this “religion of peace”, you end up arriving at a number in excess of 200 million. Islam doesn’t move as fast as some other infamous murdering regimes, but it plods steadily onward. Lately, it has even obtained protected status by the liberal/progressive left. Thanks to reader A.D. for the link.

Hypocrites

Reader W.W. sent in this article on the hypocrites that make up the majority of Hollywood actors. In this case, anti-gun Alyssa Milano held an anti-NRA protest in downtown Dallas during the NRA convention – surrounded by armed guards. When one passersby noted that the guards were armed, he was illegally ejected from the public park by the guards. While the confrontation was not violent, the threat of violence from the guards was quite pronounced. The whole incident was filmed by someone with a cellphone. Milano later claimed not to have known that her guards were armed. I’ll file that excuse under “not likely”.

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