Uncertainty has truly become the new normal. As the COVID crisis took hold in the US, the first order of business was to stop the spread. Various mitigation efforts ensued, and terms such as ‘social distancing’ became household words.

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The COVID crisis we are experiencing is unprecedented in modern times. Aside from the human toll, it has affected nearly every aspect of life as we know it.

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Hoarding is a concept that ordinarily draws little attention outside of some reality show on TV, but during uncertain times such as those we find ourselves in now, it has become a widespread issue of some concern. It all began with the disappearance of toilet paper and various household cleaning products from store shelves. Entire aisles were devoid of certain commodities. Panic buying suddenly threw the normal supply and demand models to the wind, as retailers and customers found themselves struggling at both ends of the equation.

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Prepping is a concept that has grown popular in recent years, even making it to mainstream television with shows like “Doomsday Preppers”, “Survivorman” and others. These illustrate the various preparations people undertake for a myriad of potentially cataclysmic scenarios, ranging from economic collapse to natural disasters to pandemics or terrorist events. While some of these narratives might seem unduly apocalyptic, such as alien invasions or asteroid impacts, recent world events have placed a far more sobering light on such endeavors.

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Everyone owns and uses tools of some type at some point. It may just be the basic screwdriver and pliers in the kitchen drawer, or highly specialized tool sets of a professional in their given trade. The cost of such tools can range from fairly inexpensive to many hundreds of dollars. Some may be readily available while other unique tools may be more difficult to find.

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Thursday, March 19th marks the official start of spring in 2020. Typically this correlates with the vernal equinox, which is the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator. While this may be what meteorologists and calendars tell you, whether or not it will actually feel like spring in Minnesota on this date is yet to be seen. But one thing is certain – winter is on its way out.

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When we think of the great outdoors, we may picture hiking, camping, boating, hunting or other pursuit we are passionate about. We consider ourselves versed in the supplies that are appropriate for whatever activity we enjoy outdoors. But the worst case scenario is not often considered. After all, you’re well prepared for your camping trip – tent, cooler, sleeping bags, food and refreshments, check. What could possibly go wrong?

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Of all the new audio video entertainment technologies that have become commonplace in the recent years, none have progressed as far and as quickly as video displays. With the advent of High Definition displays in 1998, the format has evolved and grown more capable ever since. We look back on TVs that could extrapolate twice the resolution of a standard DVD as nearly ancient history. Transitioning from 640x480 lines of resolution to 1280x720 and 1080x1920 seemed amazing in its day, but now screens with 4096 x 2160 (4K) and 7680 × 4320 (8K) resolutions are becoming the standard. Content is never far behind, and in some cases is actually the driving force behind the emergence of these standards.

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Looking at the past year, we continue to see appreciation of precious metals across the board. Within the past 12 months, gold went from a low of $1270 per ounce to $1574 per ounce currently. Silver experienced its lowest price of the past year at $14.34 per ounce to its highest of $19.57 per ounce. Platinum soared from around $785 per ounce in January of 2019 to around $1015 per ounce in January of 2020.

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With SHOT Show 2020 just around the corner, there are many exciting new firearms to look forward to. This is the nation’s largest event in the shooting, hunting and outdoor industry, and is expected to showcase the finest new products from virtually every manufacturer on the market.

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