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 National Digital Currencies.

Precious Metals (National Digital Currencies):

To start, there is this at Barron’s: Is gold on the verge of breaking out?

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Anyone serious about precious metals investing should consider the impact of the upcoming advent of national digital currencies. Some reports suggest that it will either be Israel or Norway to be the first to announce going cashless. The new digital currencies will probably use blockchain variants. I predict that once the first national announcement is made with a firm transition date, then it will immediately cause gold, silver, and to a lesser extent platinum to jump in price. The cryptocurrencies will also greatly benefit.

It all comes down to the huge amount of cash presently circulating in the gray and black markets.  The national digital currencies will create 100% transparency for taxing and law enforcement agencies to exploit. Those desiring to remain private/opaque in their transactions will surely seek alternatives. And it won’t just be criminals who’ll want privacy. Even Regular Joes will desire privacy. Once the first nation braves an announcement, then country after country will announce going digital. As each domino falls, there will be another wave of buying in precious metals, cryptos, and various tangible investments.  (The more liquid and fungible, the better.) Be ready, folks. If you wait until after the national digital currencies replacing printed cash are announced, then you will be buying your metals at a premium. Panic now, and beat the rush.

Forex:

Forex Trends: Will USD Fall to New Lows in 2018?

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The last time I checked the US Dollar Index (USDI), it was at 88.585.  So it appears that I was corerct in my prediction of a Trump Weak Dollar policy.  I expect it to continue. Plan (and hedge!), accordingly.

Commodities:

Reuters had this exclusive: U.S. small refiners make surge of biofuel waiver requests – sources

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The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“The first man who, having enclosed a piece of ground, bethought himself of saying This is mine, and found people simple enough to believe him, was the real founder of civil society.  From how many crimes, wars and murders, from how many horrors and misfortunes might not anyone have saved mankind, by pulling up the stakes, or filling up the ditch, and crying to his fellows, “Beware of listening to this impostor; you are undone if you once forget that the fruits of the earth belong to us all, and the earth itself to nobody.”  – Jean Jacques Rousseau, A Discourse on the Origin of Inequality

Preparedness Notes for Thursday – January 25, 2018

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On January 25th, 1995, the world was minutes from nuclear annihilation. Russia’s early-warning defense radar detected an unexpected missile launch near Norway and calculated that they only had minutes before impact on Moscow. Russian President Boris Yeltsin, the defense minister, and the chief of staff were informed of the missile launch and the nuclear command systems were switched to combat mode and the nuclear suitcases were activated for the first time in the history of the Soviet-made system.

Five minutes after launch Russian command determined that the missile’s impact point would be outside Russia’s borders and three minutes after that the determination was made that the missile launch was most likely not part of a surprise nuclear strike by Western nuclear submarines (only minutes before a counter-launch decision had to be reached). Later, it was revealed that the missile was carrying scientific instruments and Norway had notified 35 countries, including Russia, of the exact details of the launch, nine days before. The Russian Defense Ministry had neglected to inform the on-duty personnel at the early-warning center of the launch.

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Clarity of Mind and Survival- Part 2, by The Recovering Feminist

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This is the second part of an article that focuses on the reality of forgiveness in a person’s survival mindset. It is not approached from a psychological perspective but recognizes that having a clear and sharp mind is critical not only for making good survival decisions but for making good decisions in general. In part one, we covered how forgiveness is essential to survival, vengeance v. mercy, and the sexual assault epidemic, including the harm of the “me too” trend. Let’s continue on.

Confront Evil

Some of the worst acts of betrayal happen to those in positions of vulnerability who feel helpless under the influence and power of evil men. We must be willing to listen carefully to the hurts of others and not be afraid to speak truth to both the victim and the offender. I am aware of a particular woman who was sexually assaulted by two medical professionals, one was a female and one was a male. The “licensed professionals” abused their power, using intimidation to hurt their patient. What happened to “first do no harm” in medicine?4 I cite this example simply to highlight the importance of confronting such abuse and bringing it out into the light. It takes courage to expose evil, but it is vital that people of conscience lead this fight and stand up to injustice.

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Letter: Media Suppression- Another Voice Banned For Truth

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Hi Hugh,

It appears we have reached another point in saying what you believe is true. Helping others deal with crisis, will now lead to your ideas being suppressed from those that would benefit.

The author, Matt Bracken, has been banned from Facebook for 30 days and his Twitter feed has not been updated since the 17th of January. He had regularly been posting links and articles several times each day. In recent days, prior to his online disappearance, Matt had been very vocal about online censorship.

Matt’s online presence has been consistent about the dangers of about Muslim Immigration.

He also appeared on the same broadcast of the Hagmann Report with JWR. His first is novel, Enemies, Foreign and Domestic , predicted a Lone Gunman false flag operation which preceded the Vegas Massacre. His “Civil War 2 cube” and its accompanying article “When the Music Stops”, should be required reading for those interested in what America will look like after the days and weeks after a Grid-down scenario.

Perhaps Matt Bracken will return, however his archived material is still available, for now. – M.S.

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”. A real life Mad Max scenario is occurring right on the United States’ Southern border.

Politics

The FISA memo has been leaked, though it is heavily redacted. Still it’s quite interesting and a good peek at how the process works. It is also worth mentioning that Senators Feinstein and Schumer are working to get Twitter and Facebook to censor the memo. Though I feel that this is a dog and pony show. President Trump has the ability to declassify the entire FISA application, if he so chooses. Thanks to H.L. for the link.

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It is difficult to enjoy a good cigar or pipe now with all the restrictions on tobacco, especially in states like California where nearly everything that is sold carries a label that it can cause cancer. Now coffee is next in line. There is a court case pending that may result in every cup of coffee sold carrying the “may cause cancer” warning. If only the Senators and Representatives of this state were required to wear that label on their foreheads. Perhaps a “Here’s your sign” label instead?

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The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.” – Gen. Colin Powell

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday – January 24, 2018

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January 24 is the birthday of Tamara K., the editor of the View From The Porch blog. This is also the birthday of René Barjavel (born 1911, died November 24, 1985). This prescient French science fiction author wrote several books with survivalist themes, including Ravage, which was titled Ashes, Ashes in its English translation.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features another entry for Round 74 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. 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 74 ends on January 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.

Clarity of Mind and Survival- Part 1, by The Recovering Feminist

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Survival and a Clear Mind

Survival necessitates recognition of both outer and inner realities, both material and immaterial truth. We tend to think externally about survival. For instance, we think of addressing food storage, first-aid, efficiency, self defense, physical preparations, et cetera, but we fail to realize that all of these decisions are influenced first by a clear and sharp mind. We all have an inner life. Whether we acknowledge it or not, the inner life affects every decision we make. Harboring bitterness over past scorn or wallowing in the life experience of betrayal influences a person’s clarity of mind. Likewise, the mind of an offender consumed with guilt and refusing to yield to the mercy of forgiveness is equally affected.

A clear conscience and a sharp mind produce the best decisions. When pressures mount and survival is at stake, these two (clear conscience and sharp thinking) are crucial. A good way to assess your own conscience is to evaluate the health of your closest relationships– spouse, children, co-workers, neighbors, et cetera. Where do you stand with those who are closest to you?

Continue reading“Clarity of Mind and Survival- Part 1, by The Recovering Feminist”

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 Hyperinflation in Venezuela. (See the Economy and Finance section.)

Precious Metals:

First off, over at Zero Hedge: Gold ETF Holdings Surge To 4-Year Highs Ahead Of Lunar New Year

Forex:

Just as I have been warning you for several years in this column: It’ll be another weak year for the US dollar, Goldman Sachs predicts. It is wise to hedge into foreign currencies. For stability over the next several years, the Swiss Franc is still my favorite.

Commodities:

Alcoa Headwinds Vs. Constellium Tailwinds

 

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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 the Tipton Ultimate Gun Vise. (See the Gear section.)

Books:

Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition [6 volume – Set]

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I’ve mentioned this book once before, but it deserves another strong recommendation: The Total Money Makeover: Classic Edition: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness (Dave Ramsey). I feel very strongly attuned to Ramsey’s guidance. To be ready for an economic depression, every family should be as close to debt free, as possible.

Movies:

Giorgio Moroder Presents Metropolis: Special Edition

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Rashomon (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

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Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – January 23, 2018

January 23rd is the birthday of John Moses Browning, born 1855. He was the brilliant designer of dozens of guns, including the M1911 pistol, Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), and the venerable M2 .50 Caliber Machinegun. The latter is still in service in at least 95 countries, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it is still in service in 2075 or even 2100.

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Life Before SHTF Was a Problem But It’s Getting Worse, by Old Bobbert

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Okay, the title about life getting worse says it all. We need newer methods, procedures, styles, and formulas– stuff about problem solving. We need new ways to look at finding workable solutions to new people problems, new situations, new limitations, new responsibilities, and new rules of survival. And we, all of us, especially need new ways to maintain our sanity in the insane world of post-SHTF, and we need it in advance and in full measure.

New Needs

Yes, it is possible that you already have all these new needs in your fully stocked and tagged kitchen pantry. But I don’t. Sure, I can wing or sling some pretty hefty prepper stuff, “Bravo Sierra”, as may be needed in polite conversation with anxious newbie preppers, but that is not gonna get the job done in the future, not even for Old Bobbert himself.

Questions

I’m sure that you know about questions. They are carried inside those sentences that start with words such as “who, why, how, where, when, or what”. They are those troublesome words that actually require serious work and corrective thinking and are often tightly, and usually painfully, connected to “please” and “thank you”.

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SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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 Blue Wolf, Inc. (See the Idaho section.)

Region-Wide

The American Redoubt States rank well, as usual: How Indebted is Your State?  Note that of the 50 States, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho all are placed at the right (low debt) end of their Per Capita list.  Of the Redoubt States, only Washington was at the wrong end of the list. This is because Washington’s legislators in Olympia apparently have Delusions of Adequacy. They spend money like their counterparts in the Taxachusetts legislature!

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Radio Free Redoubt: Episode 18-01 American Redoubt Local Issues. John Jacob Schmidt analyzes the recent spike in internal US migration to Idaho.


Idaho (Blue Wolf)

I heard about a company down in Garden City, Idaho that has a very interesting line of products. Blue Wolf, Inc. makes dimmable LED lighting that is compatible with night vision equipment. Although most of their market is in aviation (for cockpit lighting), there is a growing niche for adding this lighting to ground vehicles. The U.S. Border Patrol is one of the biggest customers.  Here at the Rawles Ranch, I’m planning to use this type of lighting in a semi-permanent LP/OP.  By using NVG-compatible lighting, you can preserve your natural night vision and help keep your position from being spotted and compromised.

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Michael Snyder (a fellow blogger and now a congressional candidate from Idaho) recently appeared on InfoWars.  Please help support his campaign!

 

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