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« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Advice on an Underground Fuel Tank Installation and Use » Saturday May 17 2008Odds 'n Sods:Micah flagged this Fox Business video clip with some speculation about a possible war with Iran and a resultant spike in the price of crude oil. o o o o o o "Viking Eric" mentioned a company in England that creates houses out of CONEXes. o o o Mike the Blacksmith sent us this: Fed's Discount Window Loans to Banks Climb to Record Level « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Gun Buy-Up Programs as a Method for Firearms Battery Upgrades » Friday May 16 2008Odds 'n Sods:More Gloom und Doom from Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: The global slump of 2008-09 has begun as poison spreads. It sounds like he's been reading SurvivalBlog. Don't listen to the Wall Street pundits at CNBC who assure us that there will be a jolly "soft landing," o o o Thanks to Chester for sending this: US
foreclosure filings surge 65 percent in April. As I've mentioned before
in SurvivalBlog: Anyone that does not yet own a rural retreat should watch
the foreclosure listings carefully. There may some tremendous
bargains in the next few years that are right in your "ideal" retreat
locale region. Two foreclosure monitoring services that I recommend are RealtyTrac.com o o o o o o RBS found this one from The Washington Post: Growing Deficits Threaten Pensions--Accounting Tactics Conceal a Crisis For Public Workers « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Two Letters Re: Triage in Emergency Mass Critical Care (EMCC) Events » Thursday May 15 2008Odds 'n Sods:Thanks to Yishai for sending us this interesting article link: Five Modern Secret Room Dreams (and Nightmares): From Creative Hideouts to Dreadful Spaces o o o Samuel K. flagged this: Are Backyard Ethanol Brewers an Answer to High-Priced Gas? In the context of Schumeresque days, such systems would only make sense in a place like Hawaii, where it could expected that grid power might be available, and cane sugar is readily available. Used in CONUS, I predict that grid power or transport disruptions would quickly transform these systems into just quaint ornaments. And of course these systems make E100 (pure ethanol) . This is great for Brazil, where there are lots of E100-compatible cars and trucks on the road, but at least for now this is essentially worthless in the US, where there are virtually no E100 cars and trucks available. o o o o o o Lawrence T. suggested an interesting albeit lengthy blog article that discusses the combined impact of fuel costs and JIT inventory systems: J.I.I.T. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Two Letters Re: Triage in Emergency Mass Critical Care (EMCC) Events » Wednesday May 14 2008Odds 'n Sods:R.E. found a link to this
map of the population density of the US, Mexico, and Canada. Do you see
why I prefer the Western US for retreats? Too bad that Canada has
a frigid climate (inland) and such draconian gun laws. Otherwise, much of
western Canada would
be ideal.
See my free Recommended
Retreat Areas web page for more detail on my recommendations, and
my nonfiction book "Rawles
on Retreats and Relocation" for even greater detail, with some
very useful accompanying maps.) Eric sent us this: Hard-hit consumers turn to Amish--People save by buying 'scratch and dent' and reclaimed grocery items o o o Brent mentioned this article about Australian farmers sowing a record-breaking
number of hectares in wheat: Sowing,
Not Sewing. And speaking of wheat, Bob G. sent us this alarming article: o o o Kevin suggested this piece from Slate: Gauging the risk of an inadvertent nuclear war. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: The Legality and Ethics of Blocking Roads and Bridges After TEOTWAWKI » Tuesday May 13 2008Odds 'n Sods:22 dead in Missouri, Oklahoma, Georgia after new round of storms. This underscores the need for anyone living in tornado or hurricane country to construct an effective storm shelter. o o o Rob at MURS Radios mentioned that he will soon have a limited number of Kenwood TK-2100 MURS radios in stock. These are similar to the ones that he used to sell and at the same price. These come with a used radio (programmed for MURS frequencies), antenna, drop-in charger, and a new battery. The price is $69 each, plus shipping. Rob is taking pre-orders on a first come, first served basis. I highly recommend the MURS band, since it is far less crowded than the FRS/GMRS band, and the Kenwood radios also have superior range. This may be his last batch, so don't hesitate. o o o "I told you so" Department: House passes bill to make coin-making cheaper. Steel or zinc "nickels" now seem inevitable. Did you stock up on real nickel nickels, as a I suggested, back in November of 2007? It is still not too late to acquire some rolls of five cent pieces at face value. o o o SF in Hawaii sent us the link to a well-produced Flash animation web page that articulates the core of libertarian thinking. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Two Letters Re: Physical Preparation--How to Survive When Your Gear Doesn't, by T. Davies » Monday May 12 2008Odds 'n Sods:FerFAL--SurvivalBlog's correspondent in Argentina--reports in his personal blog on the effects from the volcanic eruption in adjoining Chile. o o o We found this linked at Steve Quayle's site: As usual, journalist Ambrose Evans-Pritchard pulls no punches: Global free market for food and energy faces biggest threat in decades o o o Bob at Ready Made Resources mentioned that they have just five cases each
of the following Mountain House freeze dried foods briefly back in
stock, available for immediate delivery: o o o From Dr. Gary North: Mapping the implosion of the real estate bubble « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: The SurvivalBlog 10 Cent Challenge » Sunday May 11 2008Odds 'n Sods:Jack B. forwarded this: Wheat disease threatens supplies. o o o Reader KBF found a mainstream media article that has good general advice and great links for food cost savings: Tips for taming rising grocery prices. o o o Frustrated owners try to unload their guzzlers. o o o Oil surpasses $125 per barrel ahead of US driving season. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: EcoBeam Construction for Ballistic Protection » Saturday May 10 2008Odds 'n Sods:Eric mentioned that Rock Port, Missouri is the first US city to be 100% [net meter] wind-powered. o o o Burma
death toll worse than Tsunami. We may never have an exact count, but
the previous estimate of 100,000 dead may have been a huge understatement.
And to make maters worse: o o o I found an insightful article by Devvy Kidd linked over at the Bull (Not Bull) blog site: Do You Have a Plan? o o o A reader in Iraq mentioned that US Marine Corps soldiers in fairly significant numbers are bending their field uniform regulations. They are wearing desert tan Nomex flight suits instead of their desert pattern utility uniforms. The reason? Worries about flash burns from IEDs. There have been some reports of their standard utility uniforms burning and causing some severe burns with complications. Since Nomex is highly flame resistant, it offers better protection from flash burns. The consensus seems to be: "I'd rather risk getting an Article 15 [non-judicial punishment for the uniform violation] than risk a long stay in the hospital." « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Advanced Medical Training and Facilities for Retreat Groups » Friday May 9 2008Odds 'n Sods:Reader D.K. mentioned this item that first appeared in the AMA's Morning Rounds e-newsletter: Hospitals in Cities Most at Risk of Terrorist Attack Do Not Have Capacity To Treat Injured, Report Finds o o o Eric mentioned that the US Federal Reserve has now resorted to desperation measures to pump liquidity in the midst of the global credit collapse: We read in The New York Times: Fed Takes Steps to Add Liquidity. The piece begins: "The Federal Reserve announced new steps on Friday to help ease tight global credit markets by increasing the size of its cash auctions to banks and allowing financial institutions to put up credit card debt, student loans and car loans as collateral for Fed loans." Yikes! o o o US diplomat: 100,000 may have died in Myanmar cyclone. The article begins: "Bodies floated in flood waters and survivors tried to reach dry ground on boats using blankets as sails, while the top U.S. diplomat in Myanmar said Wednesday that up to 100,000 people may have died in the devastating cyclone. Hungry crowds stormed the few shops that opened in the country's stricken Irrawaddy delta, sparking fist fights, according to Paul Risley, a spokesman for the U.N. World Food Program in neighboring Thailand..." We also read in The Globe and Mail: How the 'rice bowl of Asia' was emptied. We can expect even more severe shortages of rice, globally. o o o Joe S. suggested this piece over at the LATOC site: The U. S. Electric Grid: Will It Be Our Undoing? « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Poll Results: The SurvivalBlog Party Mix » Thursday May 8 2008Odds 'n Sods:Hard numbers: The economy is worse than you know o o o UBS reports first quarter net loss of $11 billion, cuts 5,500 jobs o o o Just as I had warned you, folks: Penny prices pinched by rising cost of metal. The article begins: "Further evidence that times are tough: It now costs more than a penny to make a penny. And the cost of a nickel is more than 71⁄2 cents. Surging prices for copper, zinc and nickel have some in Congress trying to bring back the steel-made pennies of World War II and maybe using steel for nickels, as well." (A hat tip to Paul in Kentucky for sending us the link.) A reminder: You still have a brief window of opportunity to salt away some rolls of nickels at face value. o o o Rumors of shortage prompt rush on rice in Anchorage area. This confirms my previous writings about the vulnerability of Alaska to shortages, because of its dependence on sea and air freight for necessities. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Advice on Finding a Retreat Operations and Security Manual » Wednesday May 7 2008Odds 'n Sods:Myanmar cyclone death toll 22,000+ dead or missing. Does your family have rated storm shelter? o o o Joe S. flagged this: Who Should Doctors Let Die in a Pandemic? o o o Reader "Bois d'Arc" sent us a link to an interesting Malthusian
web page written by Paul Chefurka, which seems to borrow heavily from other
sources: Peak
Oil, Carrying Capacity and Overshoot: o o o D.H.W. sent us a link to yet another mainstream press article on survivalism (this one from New Zealand) that mentions SurvivalBlog: Bags packed for doomsday « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: EcoBeam Construction for Ballistic Protection » Tuesday May 6 2008Odds 'n Sods:M. In Texas sent the link to a "must read" piece over at The Contrary Investor (for May, 2008): Slowly I Turned o o o o o o The Werewolf in Brazil found this for us, about a new disease outbreak: 24 Chinese children die of EV-71 virus; other countries affected o o o Samuel K. suggested this article: An Unlikely Way to Save a Species: Serve It for Dinner. Samuel's comment: "Some of these local breeds of livestock and crops mentioned in the article may have appeal to survivalists for growing their own food because the food is acclimated to particular climates." « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| From David in Israel: Peace Corps Remote Area Development Guide Available Online » Monday May 5 2008Odds 'n Sods:Naish Piazza of Front Sight has regretfully announced that because of increased merchandise costs as well as increased shipping and mailing costs he will soon be raising the price on his very generous "Get a Gun" training and gear package offer. Get your order in right away, to beat the price increase! Also, keep in mind that the offer will likely end soon, since it is being run at or near cost. o o o Inyokern sent this article link about survivalists the UK's Guardian newspaper: Natural born survivors. BTW, it mentions SurvivalBlog and cites the size our our weekly readership. o o o Several readers have written to ask me about the impact of the Federal Reserve's recent incremental cut in interest rates. In my opinion, this latest 0.25% cut (the seventh cut within as many months) will not make much of a difference. At this point, the economy is so out of whack, debt levels (public and private) are so high, and the credit market is so badly broken, that a deep, long recession--if not a depression--seems inevitable. America's situation is not unlike that of Japan in the early 1990s. There, a stock market bubble grew out of the Tokyo real estate bubble. First real estate collapsed, and then stocks. The Bank of Japan tried reducing interest rates all the way to zero, to no avail. Now, fifteen years later, their economy has still not fully recovered. Be prepared for decades of economic turmoil, folks! o o o Blake W. mentioned this unusual concept: Establishing gated communities peopled entirely with Ron Paul supporters. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Spotlight Falls on Silver's "Poor Fundamentals" by Jason Hommel » Sunday May 4 2008Odds 'n Sods:Fred The Valmet-meister relayed this bit of bad news: Berkshire Hathaway's quarterly net profits dropped 64 percent because of derivatives losses o o o Norman in England sent us this: India feels the heat as thousands riot over power cuts o o o o o o Gulf States may end the dollar peg. (Thanks to Samuel K. for the link.) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Two Letters Re: Cooking Aromas and Post-Collapse OPSEC » Saturday May 3 2008Odds 'n Sods:Reader EG mentioned this Science in Africa article: Make your own 220 Volt [AC] backup power supply Of course the same principles apply to readers in countries with 120 VAC utility power, by substituting a 120 VAC inverter and the appropriate prong pattern plugs and jacks. o o o o o o I just noticed that we surpassed te threshold of 3.3 million unique visits. Thank you so much for making SurvivalBlog such a resounding success! Please continue spreading a the word. Just adding a "Read SurvivalBlog.com--It May Save Your Life!" blurb to your e-mail footer would help tremendously in growing our readership. Many thanks! o o o Ronald D. suggested this think piece on the implications of Euro-denominated crude oil: Paper Tiger « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Two Letters Re: Homestead Fuel Storage and Rotation » Friday May 2 2008Odds 'n Sods:Reuters reports: Investors see recession, Wall Street depression o o o Shortages Threaten Farmers’ Key Tool: Fertilizer o o o Thank to RBS for sending this link: Americans unload prized belongings to make ends meet o o o Now the mainstream media is not just reporting on food storage, they're publishing "how to" tips! See this ABC News piece: Time to Stockpile Food? --A Guide to Preparing for Rising Food Costs or That Next Big Emergency. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Spare Parts Now Available for XD-45 Pistols » Thursday May 1 2008Odds 'n Sods:From Reader CSG: Energy crunch forces Juneau to conserve Jesse sent this: "Doomsday Clock" Moves Two Minutes Closer To Midnight o o o Mark in Michigan flagged this article about Nanny State meddling: Canada's C-51 Law May Outlaw 60% of Natural Health Products o o o « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Ammunition Reloading for Survival » Wednesday April 30 2008Odds 'n Sods:Lisa C. suggested this article: One Guy Who Has Seen It All Doesn't Like What He Sees Now about an elderly financial that fears the effects of the current credit collapse, but suggests buying stocks. I concur with the former, but not the latter. In my opinion the US stock market is heading for a fall. The recent Dow Jones rallies have been nothing but sucker rallies. And if you look at the volume of stock that insiders are selling, it is clear that a lot of the "smart money" is abandoning ship. (See, for example, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison's regular dumping of his own shares.) I predict that there may soon be a stock market collapse, most likely immediately after the Federal Reserve stops easing interest rates, and starts raising them. That will be the turning point. That will also likely be the day that those of you that took my advice and invested in gold and silver will become very happy campers. And also, BTW, the recent pull-back in the spot gold and silver prices are a great buying opportunity. I recently wrote that a gold price south of $875 would be a bargain, an I stand by that. o o o Eric sent us this piece on Peak Oil : Good-Bye, Cheap Oil. So Long, Suburbia? But, meanwhile, we read: Oil discovery rocks Brazil. I have my doubts about Peak Oil theory, but I recommend hedging your bets by buying photovoltaics, horses and tack. o o o Merry found us this: Buffett says recession may be worse than feared. Warren's wisdom: "This will not be short and shallow." o o o FerFAL (our correspondent in Argentina), has some suggestions on making a living during a "slow slide" economic situation, based on his experiences in Argentina. Check out the post at his blog titled "Making Money During the Crisis." « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Two Letters Re: Observations on a Tour of a Telephone Company Central Office » Tuesday April 29 2008Odds 'n Sods:Paul D sent us this article about the Ug99 wheat fungus: Stem
Rust Never Sleeps Analysts Predict: Gasoline May Soon Cost $10 Per Gallon in US o o o A traveling video-journalist meets Vern Switzer. There are some self-sufficiency lessons in this piece. o o o China steps up monitoring of deadly virus outbreak. (A hat tip to frequent contributor RBS.) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Ammunition Reloading for Survival » Monday April 28 2008Odds 'n Sods:Reader C.T.H. wrote to ask me if I thought that the Springfield Armory XD pistol offered in Front Sight's Front Sight's "Get a Gun" training and gear package offer was worth adding to a family gun collection. The answer is an enthusiastic yes, and I'm not the only one that is enthusiastic about these pistols. But I must add one proviso: Spare parts are currently hard to come by. Ironically, this is because of Springfield Armory's exceptional lifetime warranty program. (Because of the lifetime repair warranty, there is little impetus for gunsmiths in the US to do XD repairs.) So, yes, the pistols are excellent and very reliable, but they won't be the ideal choice for your primary defensive pistol until spare parts start to become more readily available. (I've heard that some parts will soon be imported from Croatia--which is where the pistols are made.) My recommendation: Go ahead and take the course using Front Sight's very generous package deal. Unless you are exceptionally recoil adverse, then specify getting the hard-hitting .45 ACP XD45 model. o o o Greg Grillot, writing in the Whiskey and Gunpowder e-newsletter (a free and recommended newsletter, BTW) notes that the aggregate consumer credit debt in t he US is now $2.48 trillion dollars, and of that credit card debt alone is at a record $915 billion. Grillot writes: "In just the last five years, household debt is up 24%. Nearly half of all American households spend more than they make each year. And 60% don't even have more than three months of savings stored up." I expect consumer credit defaults to rapidly escalate, as the nascent recession develops. Widespread corporate layoffs will mean that additional millions of Americans will not be able to make their mortgage payments, car payments, and even the minimum payments on their credit card bills. Any alternatives to delinquencies, defaults, and bankruptcy filings? Not many, because sharply lower house prices home equity lines of credit are becoming a thing of the past. The average American consumer is tapped out. o o o Reader Michael H. recommended this set of two CD-ROMs, containing more than 1,600 military, civil defense, and firearms manuals. o o o Kevin A. sent us a link to a Sharon Astyk article posted at the Silver Bear Cafe that discusses the world's accelerating food crisis. We Regret to Inform You... « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| The Value of Coupon Clipping in Stocking Up » Sunday April 27 2008Odds 'n Sods:Several readers sent me this: Unpaid utility bills soar as economy sags o o o Reader Al C. sent this: Economist: Housing slump may exceed [The Great] Depression o o o Inyokern found this article: The Peak Oil Crisis: The Case for 2008 o o o Reader "Redclay" forwarded us an excerpt from the latest bulletin from the US CMP (formerly--and more familiarly to some of us dinosaurs--called the DCM Program), which included this: "During the past 60 days we have experienced a ten-fold increase in orders for [Greek military surplus] HXP .30-06 ammunition. This activity has significantly reduced our inventory. To ensure that the current inventory last another few years, effective immediately we are establishing an individual maximum purchase limit of ten cases of .30-06 HXP." It sounds like folks are doing some serious stocking up. Note that there are eligibility requirements to buy guns, gun parts, and ammunition from the CMP, but they are not difficult--at least for preppers that don't mind having a slightly elevated public profile. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Ammunition Reloading for Survival, by NC Bluedog » Saturday April 26 2008Odds 'n Sods:Two readers e-mailed me to ask me if the recent drops in the prices of gold and silver were "disconcerting" or if I planned to change my predictions on the metals market. My answer: NO, I consider the recent price drops as evidence of market manipulation in what is otherwise a long term bull market for the metals. Look at this drop as a buying opportunity. I have warned SurvivalBlog readers numerous times that there would be some scary pullbacks in the market. Market manipulation by The Power That Be works in the short term, but it cannot change the fundamental fact the precious metals are sound money, whereas the fiat paper currencies are doomed to inflation. The metals will triumph in the long run, and inevitably the un-backed paper currencies will find their rightful place in the dustbin of history. o o o I spotted this linked at Drudge: Climate change 'may put world at war' The article begins: "Climate change could cause global conflicts as large as the two world wars but lasting for centuries unless the problem is controlled, a leading defence think tank has warned." o o o New home sales plunge to lowest level in 16-1/2 years, prices drop by largest amount in 38 years o o o Martin in England sent this, confirming a letter recently posted in SurvivalBlog: Rationing of rice hits Britain’s Chinese and curry restaurants « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Survival Real Estate Market Update » Friday April 25 2008Odds 'n Sods:Rising prices threaten millions with starvation, despite bumper crops o o o California foreclosure "surge": Up 327% from 2007 levels o o o o o o « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Will Peasant Farmers Fare Better than the Rich in TEOTWAWKI? » Thursday April 24 2008Odds 'n Sods:Reader Jeff B. flagged this in The Wall Street Journal: Green Acres II: When Neighbors Become Farmers. Jeff's comment: "I like how this guy took the idea of leased farm or grazing land and applied it to his neighborhood yards! The best part is that his neighbors are much more accepting of it then the trend toward 50-page home owner covenants would leave one to imagine" o o o o o o Hawaiian K. found this for us: Veteran survivalist/economist Howard J. Ruff cites Shadowstats data that points to an upcoming hyperinflationary depression. o o o I heard that Affordable Shortwaves is offering a free earbud/mic with each MURS Alert handheld sold ($74 each) and that they have the MURS Alert motion alert transmitter priced at just $99 each. This is a considerable savings from ordering them from the manufacturer, and you can also avoid the data mining that Dakota Alert does with each Internet order. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Free Downloadable Military Manuals and Uncopyrighted Books » Wednesday April 23 2008Odds 'n Sods:Bank of America Net Income Falls 77% on Writedowns. Something tells me that their acquisition of the mortgage lender Countrywide will not do good things for their balance sheet in the coming year. o o o UN chief warns world must urgently increase food production o o o Just as I predicted, lots of fallowed land in the CRP is again being tilled: Land Once Preserved Now Being Farmed o o o Don't miss reading this one, from The Market Oracle: Commercial Banks Heading for Huge Derivatives Losses- Credit Crisis Turning into Credit Armageddon « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Potatoes as a Survival Garden Crop » Tuesday April 22 2008Odds 'n Sods:Retailing
Chains Caught in a Wave of Bankruptcies. This is an inevitable result
of
the liquidity crisis, just as I had warned. Attacks in Middle East, Nigeria send oil to record $117.40 o o o Check out the inventory at CampingSurvival.com: camping gear, first aid supplies, tools, optics, knives, storage food, boots, colloidal silver, NBC protection, you name it. A couple of my favorite items are their emergency dental kit and their magnesium fire starter. o o o RBS flagged this blog piece: Foreclosures now outnumber home sales in California « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Potatoes as a Survival Garden Crop » Monday April 21 2008Odds 'n Sods: The mainstream media is finally catching on to the surging interest
in the Survivalist movement. See, for example, a recent CNN Europe article,
in which I'm dubbed " unofficial spokesman" for the survivalist movement: Survivalists
get ready for meltdown. OBTW, I was also quoted (albeit indirectly)
in a breezy Fortune magazine
article: The
appeal of gold--Survivalists and speculators see it as the ultimate safe haven,
but buying too much can also be a trap The folks at HAZARiD (one of our advertisers) recently revamped their web site and put up a video clip. Their fogging applicator can quickly apply the special HAZARiD disinfectant to virtually any surface. Unlike chlorine solutions, the HazardID solution is not corrosive. o o o This is probably old news to most SurvivalBlog readers, but in case you missed it: Nalgene to phase out hard-plastic bottles--Containers made with bisphenol A chemical linked to health risks o o o Rate of home foreclosures expected to get worse « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: The Potential Combat Effectiveness of Shotguns » Sunday April 20 2008Odds 'n Sods:Lehman's just announced that they are having a special "Lost and Found" warehouse clearance sale, with prices reduced as much as 60% on a few items. Please click on the banner link for Lehman's at the top of our Affiliates Page, so that SurvivalBlog will get our little piece of the action. Thanks! http://www.survivalblog.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt.cgi?__mode=view&_type=entry&blog_id=2#o o o From reader RBS: Expensive metals draw criminals to exhaust systems o o o Some commentary from Adrian Ash: 40 Years Of Inflation, 80 Years Of Dow/Gold o o o From The Daily Mail (by way of The Mental Militia Forums): The real Good Life: An entire village turns against supermarkets and grows its own food « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Three Letters Re: Preparedness Considerations for College Students » Saturday April 19 2008Odds 'n Sods:Across
Globe, Empty Bellies Bring Rising Anger (A hat tip to Neil for that link.) o o o Felix D. suggested reading an interview with Lee Clarke, the author of the book "Worst Cases." o o o A piece by Jay Taylor, posted over at Gold-Eagle: Economist Walter Williams Sees Hyperinflation As Early As 2010 « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Two Letters Re: Automated Parking Garages » Friday April 18 2008Odds 'n Sods:Subprime defaults put the FHA in the poorhouse. Look for further growth in the Mother of All Bailouts (MOAB). o o o Risk of Nuclear Attack on U.S. Rises o o o Mike in Illinois suggested these two articles from New Scientist: Why the demise of civilisation may be inevitable and Will a pandemic bring down civilisation? o o o The WRSA has a Basic Rifle Marksmanship Course scheduled for April 26-27 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. OBTW, the WRSA is kindly donating paid admissions to any WRSA shooting event for just the first two people that respond and pledge to become SurvivalBlog 10 Cent Challenge subscribers, or that pledge to renew their existing subscription for another year. These "SurvivalBlog scholarships" are valued at $150 each, or it can be used to drop the price of a group admission per the WRSA's "25% off your total, buddy system" pricing. Example: 1 SurvivalBlog scholarship + $75 more gets two people admitted, or 1 SurvivalBlog scholarship + $187.50 gets three admitted. E-mail the WRSA for details. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Two Letters Re: Getting from Point A to Point B » Thursday April 17 2008Odds 'n Sods:SJC flagged this article: Wholesale prices soared in March. On a related note: I'm sure that you've noticed the recent spike in oil to an all-time high. The current retail food prices are based on roughly $80 per barrel oil. Part of food prices includes tractor time, fertilizer (which are primarily petrochemical, these days) and shipping costs. When you factor in $114 oil, further jumps in food prices seem inevitable. I hope that you've already stocked up. Ditto for filling your fuel storage tanks. o o o James mention that this Wall Street Journal editorial is worth reading: Dollar Alarm o o o o o o Honey Bee Collapse Now Worse on West Coast « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: The Survivor Mindset » Wednesday April 16 2008Odds 'n Sods:Eric sent us this: The new underground currency o o o Time magazine reports: How Hunger Could Topple Regimes o o o Where are the contrapreneurs that "invested" in McMansions, using NINJA (No Income, No Job or Assets) loans? Some of them have gone through foreclosure and are now moving back home to live with their parents. o o o As other staples soar, potatoes break new ground « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Getting from Point A to Point B, by E.I.D. » Tuesday April 15 2008Odds 'n Sods:For several months I've been pointing to the Federal Reserve's data on bank reserves. The latest numbers are downright frightening. In particular, see the bottom of the "Non-borrowed Reserves" column. (Thanks to "Tanker" for alerting me to the latest update to the Fed data.) OBTW, don't miss this article: US banks Citigroup and Merrill Lynch reveal fresh $15bn loss o o o The latest addition to my blog roll is Target Rich Environment. I found this blog both humorous and insightful. o o o I noticed that the folks at Green Mountain Gear have expanded their product line to include more types of Katadyn water filters. Check them out. o o o From the International Herald Tribune: U.S. housing collapse spreads overseas « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Using Dry Chlorine for Water Treatment » Monday April 14 2008Odds 'n Sods:Frank in Arizona wrote to ask me how much longer Front Sight's "Get a Gun" training and gear package offer will still be available. From what I've heard, it won't be very long, since Front Sight is running this promotion at near their cost. Don't dawdle on this and miss out, folks! I can't think of a better purpose for your upcoming Federal tax "economic stimulus" check. Those checks (for up to $1,200 per married couple) will be mailed out starting in May, so you might want to employ your credit card, in advance! If Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer only knew what you were planning to do with that check! o o o Neil G. found this: Food Crisis Looms in Bangladesh. o o o Reader David A. mentioned a new personal digital radiation monitor. It is the Ludlum's Model 25. David notes: "The range for the Model 25 is .01mR/hr to 1999 R/hr, it is the size of a cell phone, making it perfect for anyone who wants to know when to evacuate or head to a shelter. There is a maximum allowed dose timer to 50R. The unit costs $495." o o o « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Advice on Home School Curriculum Resources » Sunday April 13 2008Odds 'n Sods:More fallout from the global liquidity crisis: GE
Plunges as Profit Misses
Estimates, Forecast Cut, and Airlines
Face New Cash Challenge, and G7
Economic Powers Endorse Plan to Try to Avert
Financial Crises. There will be far, far more fallout in the
months
to come, as the numerous industries and even national governments are starved
for
cash. Rick M. suggested an excellent article by attorney Ellen Brown: Credit Default Swaps: Derivative Disaster Du Jour. Her article keys in nicely with the background piece that I wrote more than two years ago: Derivatives--The Mystery Man Who'll Break the Global Bank at Monte Carlo. I stand by what I wrote back then. Here is a snippet from my article: "The risks, in absolute terms, are incalculable. Don't forget that directly or indirectly, central ("state") banks and national governments themselves are now inextricably tied to the derivatives trading universe. They are not just "dabbling in derivatives". Rather, they are in derivatives up to their necks. If and when the global derivatives bubble ever pops, it may topple not just trading companies like Goldman Sachs, or corporations like GM, Daimler-Chrysler, or RCA, but entire nations. I'm not kidding." o o o From The Jerusalem Post: UK Paper: Iran Building 6,000 Kilometer Range Missile. o o o A reader sent me some photos of an automated parking garage used by a car factory in Germany. I was curious about the photos, so I confirmed their authenticity at Snopes. I just hope that this design never gets used for public parking garages. They'd strand a lot of motorists in the event of a power failure. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Advice on the Most Versatile Bicycle for Schumeresque Scenarios » Saturday April 12 2008Odds 'n Sods:I recently got an e-mail from reader Terrence G., who claimed that the national debt figure was "meaningless" because the Federal Government could merely "create" money, at will. But I have a dose of reality: That debt is real, it is increasingly held by foreigners, and debts must be repaid. Worst of all, it is growing at an alarming rate (See: The National Debt Clock.) OBTW, after you are done reading the rest of today's blog, hit "reload" at that same site, and see how much debt our nation has accumulated in just those few minutes. Someday, our grandchildren will surely want to throttle us! o o o You will recall that I predicted sharply higher municipal bond rates in 2008. Here is a news story from Alabama about the first of what I predict will be a wave of muni bond crises across the US. (A hat tip to DV for sending us the link.) OBTW, just wait until foreign holders of US Treasuries smell blood in the water and demand similarly high rates. o o o Michael W. sent this article link: Survivalism Goes Mainstream As Middle Class And Wealthy Fear Breakdown Of Society o o o The Mother of All Bailouts (MOAB) grows larger: Senate passes housing relief bill « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Caustic Chlorine Troubles, and Using Dry Chlorine for Water Treatment » Friday April 11 2008Odds 'n Sods:I was glad to see that gold touched $940 per ounce yesterday morning. The fact that it did so, just one day after announcement of a 403 ton IMF gold sale was quite encouraging. At this point, I don't think the central banks will be able to stop the precious metals bull market without doing something drastic. The banksters will start to get nervous once gold passes $1,200 USD per ounce. And at $1,580 (which roughly equals €1,000 Euros per ounce), they will get truly desperate. At that point, both the Dollar and the Euro will be recognized as the toilet paper that they truly are. If gold gets that high, look for some desperate measures. These could include: more gold sales and leasing (the central banks hold nearly 40,000 tons!), increases in margin requirements on the COMEX, restrictions on taking physical delivery of futures contracts by all but industrial users, changes in tax laws that would tax gold while it is held (rather than just when it is sold), and perhaps even FDR-style restrictions on private ownership of gold bullion. There could be some sharp declines, but look at those dips as buying opportunities, since we are still in a primary bull market cycle, and it will likely continue for at least five more years. o o o RBS found us this: California real estate--nowhere near the bottom yet. o o o Celebrate April 19th with Appleseed! The Appleseed Project is celebrating the 233rd anniversary of “the shot heard round the world” by sponsoring 14 weekend marksmanship classes simultaneously, all across this great nation, from Florida to California o o o Despite their massive vote-rigging, Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF won only 97 seats in the House of Assembly, versus 110 for the opposition. "Former Communist" dictator Robert Mugabe is dragging his feet about leaving power. Hopefully the hyperinflation-ravaged country will be spared an inter-tribal civil war. (Mugabe and his supporters are from the majority Mashona tribe, while the opposition was organized by the minority Ndebele tribe, with a stronghold in Matabeleland.) The economy is a total shambles. Clearly, Comrade Mugabe and his henchmen are doomed to lose power. It is not "if", but "when." « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Implications of High Grain Prices for Livestock Owners -- Stock Up! » Thursday April 10 2008Odds 'n Sods:RBS flagged this: Food Prices Soar as Farmers Bail on Corn. o o o Horton suggested some good commentary by Aubie Baltin, posted over at Gold-Eagle: A Time for Reflection o o o Ready Made Resources now sellsan inexpensive and lightweight solar oven that works quite well. The stove with shipping (in the US) is just $44.95 o o o Bill from Ohio kindly sent us a plethora of recent news article links related to the world's now scant food supplies: Food riots in Haiti: BBC article and YouTube video. Rising prices around the world « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Sign of the Times--An Ambulance Service Shuts Down » Wednesday April 9 2008Odds 'n Sods:The magic credit tap is turned off: Citigroup, Wells Fargo May Loan Less After Downgrades Meanwhile, we read: Fed members worried about deep recession o o o A reader mentioned that Cme Brew is offering a special "stock up" price of $168 (plus shipping) for 50 pounds of current crop, gourmet Arabica coffee beans for home roasting. These beans will store for up to three years. They also have bulk teas in 1 kilo (2.2 lbs.) glass lined, heat sealed bags. Chun Mee, and Special Gunpowder "Temple of Heaven" green teas are $22 per kilo, plus shipping. Each kilo will make about 400-to-500 six ounce servings. Larger orders can qualify for deeper discounts. Tell Charlie at Cme Brew that you heard about it at SurvivalBlog. Phone: 1-800-567-6238 o o o Bill N. found a forum discussion string that has given him yet another reason to buy older vehicles. o o o The folks at ARF-com are all abuzz about possible US production of Steyr AUG-A3s in the near future. If I had to carry a .233, then the AUG would be my choice, mit Trijicon ACOG. (But of course, I'm a dyed-in-the-wool .308 fan. We mainly have L1A1s here at the Rawles Ranch.) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Retreat Livestock Guardians » Tuesday April 8 2008Odds 'n Sods:Remember how I predicted that the global credit crisis would spawn a wave of forced buy-outs, mergers, acquisitions, and liquidations? Here is news of another one: Washington Mutual close to $5 billion deal with TPG, others. Be prepared for more mergers, many of which will be cases of "strange bedfellows" involving credit unions, pension funds, and perhaps even cities (municipal bonds). Derivatives contract defaults will indeed force some very odd partnerships and salvage operations. If managers' only options are bankruptcy or buying out the counterparty to a derivative, then guess which they will choose? o o o Frequent contributor KAF found this story abut a high speed successor to the Internet: 'The Grid' Could Soon Make the Internet Obsolete. FWIW, I think that "The Grid" was a poor choice of names, since it will cause confusion vis-a-vis the power grid. I think that "The Matrix" would be a better moniker. o o o Craig suggested an article posted at The Folsom Telegraph: The Banking 'Crisis' ...It's a Big Club and You Ain't In It o o o « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Three Letters Re: Advanced Medical Care and Transport After TEOTWAWKI » Monday April 7 2008Odds 'n Sods:Our friend Michael Bane, a gun writer and video producer (of Down Range TV and "Shooting Gallery" on The Outdoor Channel) now has short review segments on Ruger's new polymer frame SR9 and LCP .380 pistols. The latter, weighing only 9.4 ounces looks like a cross between a Seecamp and a Kel-Tec. I'm not a fan of the pipsqueak .380 ACP (9mm Kurz) cartridge, but a gun that is close at hand at all times is vastly superior to grasping at air when trouble arrives. Concealed carry is, after all, a compromise. If I was expecting trouble, I'd be carrying a .308 battle rifle--not any any sort of handgun. Be sure to check out Michael's many blog articles and videos. o o o Frequent content contributor RBS found this archive of useful solar cooking articles. o o o Reader MGB suggested the "Trapped in Your Home" calculator page. After having read about modern tanning and leather preservative chemicals, I cannot concur with their mention of leather clothing and furniture as emergency food sources. o o o Some commentary from Jim Jubak: Market 'reforms' a gift to Wall Street. His mention of the lack of regulation on derivatives contracts is right on target. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Homemade Alcohol Stoves » Sunday April 6 2008Odds 'n Sods:Mark from Michigan sent us this: Homeland Security Blinks on Real ID Plan. o o o Fellow blogger Mickey Creekmore describes how he escaped from the rat race (warning--a bit of foul language): Breaking the Chains, Part 1, and Part 2. Mickey recently moved out to his own two acre mini-homestead and set up a used travel trailer with photovoltaics and LP, all for under $8,000. o o o Rice Jumps to Record on Speculation Demand Will Outpace Supply. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Advanced Medical Care and Transport After TEOTWAWKI » Saturday April 5 2008Odds 'n Sods:RBS recommended this article from Fortune: The great inflation cover-up o o o SurvivalBlog reader "CC" in Centennial, Colorado, asked for my recommendations for local preparedness gear dealers, since he doesn't like the "paper trail" created by mail orders. (This, I have noticed, is a common concern among SurvivalBlog readers, and I don't blame them.) One store that I can recommend for anyone in the greater Denver metropolitan area is The Ready Room, in Littleton, Colorado. Phone: is (303) 298-9911. Another "cash and carry" buying opportunity is the Tanner Gun Show, in Denver. o o o I've been warning you for months about a "blow up" in credit default derivatives. Well, here it comes! MBIA Loses AAA Insurer Rating From Fitch Over Capital o o o I was doing some web surfing and found a great collection of video clips on the demise of the US dollar.that highlights the observations of Congressman Ron Paul. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Weekly Survival Real Estate Market Update » Friday April 4 2008Odds 'n Sods:Food Stamp Users to Reach All Time High o o o Some commentary from Peter Schiff posted over at Gold-Eagle: Let the Housing Chips Fall o o o Given the source, this is not to be taken too seriously: Ted Turner predicts 'mass cannibalism' by 2040 o o o Some old news from NASA Possible asteroid impact in 2029? For some background, here is a primer on the Torino Scale. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Reloading for 7.5 Swiss » Thursday April 3 2008Odds 'n Sods:Hawaiian K mentioned a Gizmodo blog piece that has some interesting metrics on oil versus biofuel production. o o o Bill S. flagged this: A Grim Tradition, and a Long Struggle to End It. Bills' comment: "Another excellent reason to avoid border areas when selecting retreat locations." o o o Reader KAF found this piece that shows that the Mother of All Bailouts (MOAB) will undoubtedly grow, and grow, and grow: Senate Leaders Unveil Bipartisan Plan to Slow Home Foreclosures o o o Perennial Odds 'n Sods contributor RBS forwarded this: Some homes worth less than their pipes--Thieves now stealing valuable metals from foreclosed homes « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Some Offshore Retreat Considerations » Wednesday April 2 2008Odds 'n Sods:Reader "Suz" recommended United States Plastic Corp., in Lima, Ohio as a supplier for food grade HDPE storage buckets. Although they are a large-scale manufacturer, they are willing to take fairly small orders directly from the public. Suz said that it was a pleasure doing business with this "God-owned" company. o o o KAF mentioned this piece on rethinking and revisions in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). o o o o o o Thanks to Hawaiian K. for finding this: Analyst Predicts Corn Rationing in 2008 « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: A Special Antibiotics-By-Mail Offer for SurvivalBlog Readers » Tuesday April 1 2008Odds 'n Sods:Our recent mention of Backwoods Home magazine' prompted reader RJV to note: "Don't miss some of the gems from their [extensive] archives, such as this piece on do-it-yourself steam power." o o o Eric found this: Diesel thefts on the rise; demand increases for locking caps. Eric's Comment: "As someone with a rebuilt diesel BOV that includes 70+ gallons of on-board diesel fuel I too am thinking about putting locking fuel filler caps on my truck. I also came across an interesting installable anti-siphon device that might be of interest to some." JWR Adds: I generally discourage installing an anti-siphoning device, because you never know when you might need to siphon your our tank, post-SHTF. Also, locking fuel caps should only be installed on caps that are deep-set. If a thief can get a large pipe wrench on the cap, he most likely will, and thereby destroy the filler neck while prying off the locking cap. o o o Reader Chris P. mentioned that readers might be interested in a deal that Sportsman"s Guide has going on for brand new 400 meter coils of military surplus field telephone wire for $30. o o o Some folks in the mainstream media are finally seeing the big picture. From Fortune: Chaos on Wall Street--The big banks' fear of big losses is threatening to bring down the entire system, with dire consequences for all of us. (A hat tip to Jim H. for the link.) Meanwhile, we read at Bloomberg: Brace for $1 Trillion Writedown of `Yertle the Turtle' Debt. (Thanks to AB in Ohio, for finding that one.) California court to reconsider home-school ruling « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Advice on Long Term Ammunition Storage Techniques » Monday March 31 2008Odds 'n Sods:Stephanie in Arkansas mentioned that there are some plans for do-it-yourself gravity water filters posted over at the Alpha Rubicon site. JWR Adds: OBTW, while you are there, be sure to check out their many other references available for free download. It is a great site that has done yeoman service in preparedness circles. o o o From Al Jazeera television, of all places: Montana Has a Lot of Guns. o o o Dennis found us this commentary on long term Social Security obligations: Glenn Beck: The $53 trillion asteroid o o o Luis in Utah sent this: Gray wolf hunts planned after de-listing -- Idaho, Montana and Wyoming to manage estimated 1,500 animals in region « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| The Nationalization of Wall Street, by John Ing » Sunday March 30 2008Odds 'n Sods:Home Equity Loans as Next Round in Credit Crisis Don't miss one key point that was buried near the end of the article: "...many people added second loans after taking out first mortgages, so it is impossible to say for certain how many homeowners have multiple liens on their properties." Clearly, there are a lot of home buyers (I'll refrain from calling them home owners, since it is the bankers that still hold controlling interest) that are getting "upside down" in their mortgages. Without a doubt, much more jingle mail is coming, as property prices continue their downward spiral. o o o Just when we thought things couldn't get any worse in Zimbabwe, the currency inflation rate has jumped to an "incalculable" level. SurvivalBlog reader J.M. mentioned the mind-boggling figure of 200,000%, per annum. (not yet confirmed--the last "official" figure was 100,000%.) Even more incredibly, Comrade Mugabe is on the fast track to re-re-election. Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party cronies have improved on the once-heralded "one man, one vote." They have now apparently rigged "One party member, one hundred votes." Just think of it as another form of inflation. Voter fraud is practically an art form in Zimbabwe. OBTW, I should mention that Zimbabwe's printing press economy is not unique. See this slide show: World's Most Worthless Money. o o o Several readers wrote to mention that Backwoods Home magazine's upcoming issue (May/June) is a special expanded 116-page Preparedness issue. It can be ordered separately, if you don't already subscribe. Backwoods Home is one of our perennial favorite publications. o o o Karen flagged this: Census Bureau Estimates U.S. Population Continues Shift to South and West « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Advice on Purchasing Priorities For a Tight Budget » Saturday March 29 2008Odds 'n Sods:Fellow novelist Matt Bracken mentioned this article: Farms of fear, about murders in rural South Africa. It gives some useful glimpses, when considering security measures for retreats in the not-too-distant Schumeresque future. o o o Speaking of Harder Homes and Gardens, ponder this piece: Bulletproof public design in Los Angeles. (A hat tip to James K.) o o o Inyokern spotted this sobering piece: Into the Economic Abyss: How Deep Will It Go? Even the mainstream media is catching on... o o o Reader "EL" suggested using propane for a source of lighting. EL notes "The Amish in our area use it through out their buildings. Using three 30# and (2) 20# barbeque tanks with a accessory hose and fitting running a single mantle lantern from Wal-Mart, the set up (determined by testing hours of burn time from (1) 20# tank) is all that's needed to get five hours of light per night for one full year. The compact single mantle lantern puts out a little less than a 40 watt incandescent light bulb." « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Weekly Survival Real Estate Market Update » Friday March 28 2008Odds 'n Sods:Courtesy of Steve H., comes this article: Is your grocery bill going up? You're
not alone More and more bad economic news: Investment Firms Tap Fed for Billions. Meanwhile, we read: Corporate liquidity begins to dry up. Also, The Insider told me that KB Home (already in hot water for inflating home appraisals) just defaulted on a $850 million loan from Wells Fargo, and they've been given just 30 days to settle up, or face a foreclosure that could trigger collapse of the company. The global credit crisis is far from over, folks. The chances of a full scale economic depression are growing, daily. Get your logistics squared away, pronto! o o o California freefall: Home prices down 26% since last year. This is not anywhere near the bottom folks. I stand by my prediction of at least 60% price declines in the most overbought markets. o o o Do you own a Remington Model 700? If so, then reader CDR recommends the Remington 700 BDL Kwik Klip Magazine Conversion, available from Cabela's, Gun Parts Corp., and several other Internet vendors. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Lack of Large Animal Vets Even in Rural Areas--Be Prepared to Do It Yourself » Thursday March 27 2008Odds 'n Sods:It is important to keep track of solar flares, especially for those of us interested in amateur radio. (Sun spot activity dramatically affects radio propagation.) It is also a lot of fun to get a glimpse of auroral displays. One site that we have found useful is AuroraChasers.com. They offer a free e-mail alert service. o o o Michael Z. Williamson found a site with lots of useful | |