Month: April 2006

Kate “Short Fuse” Incontrera of The Daily Reckoning on The Next Great Depression

We asked you this week, dear reader: What will the next Great Depression bring? How will Americans survive in our day-to-day lives? The responses to this not-so-hypothetical query continue to clog up our inbox, which doesn’t surprise us. What does surprise us, however, is how united our readers are on this subject. Not one message lamented on how strong our economy is right now, and how we are fools for even bringing up the possibility of another Great Depression. Each e-mail portrayed how real this idea is to Americans – that something this bad could be right around the corner. …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Spot silver is down to around $12.00 on profit taking. If you haven’t already diversified into precious metals, then I recommend that you buy on these dips. The long term trend is definitely upward. (See the six month and one year charts at Kitco.)    o o o “My Night with The Minutemen” by Bryanna Bevens    o o o Hurricane Katrina, first hand evacuation experiences    o o o Gary Duncan of the Times of London on Avoiding an Economic Earthquake    o o o The Kiplinger Letter has made the following energy price forecasts: Crude oil early July …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Chinese President Hu Jintao didn’t mince words: China’s currency will stay where it is. For the second time in less than a year Asia’s No. 2 economy outmaneuvered the world’s biggest on the yuan. Last July, China announced a negligible 2.1 percent increase in its currency’s value versus the dollar. This week Hu, on his first official U.S. visit, didn’t budge amid Bush’s concerns an undervalued yuan is costing the U.S. jobs.” – William Pesek, in a recent editorial for Bloomberg.com


Note from JWR:

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Letter Re: New Routes for the Next Houston Hurricane Evacuation

Jim, Between work and studies, I came across an article in my local newspaper about new evacuation routes for the Houston area during hurricane season. I stayed out of the last one, but came real close to riding my bike to College Station, our evac[uation] rendezvous point. I don’t think the police would have taken kindly to someone riding down the highway on a Schwinn with a Remington 870 on his back. Anyway, the article got me thinking about the gridlock people suffered and the ensuing confusion that lasted for a couple of days. If I didn’t see anything on …


Two Letters Re: Dealing with Illegal Immigration in the U.S.

Mr. Rawles: This is in response to Michael Z Williamson’s arguments concerning the ongoing illegal alien problem. I have heard his arguments for the past 20 years..they are repeated over and over on talk radio (in my consideration a waste of time–most people simply regurgitate what the government suggests via the talk radio host, usually a buffoon more interested in his 6 or 7 figure salary than solving problems). We as a nation have an obligation and a duty to retain our borders, culture and language. We owe it to those that came before us and to those that will …


Odds ‘n Sods:

The switch from MTBE to ethanol for gasoline oxygenation has caused a Gas Shortage on U.S. East Coast    o o o A Titan 1 Missile Base in Eastern Washington is Being Auctioned on eBay. Wow! 57 acres, 120,000 square feet of underground space, and hundreds of million of dollars worth of concrete. It has been bid up to $476,000 and there are still two weeks until the end of the auction. I spoke briefly with the seller about the property. He said that the nice thing about this one is that the water table is down at the 400 …



Letter Re: Questions on The Paratus Farms Development–Water Versus Defensible Terrain

Jim, Is there a stream at all [on the Paratus Farms Property]? Seems like a plateau would not have any streams or open water. [One passage deleted, for OPSEC.] By the way, thanks for the insight on silver. Based on your tip, I bought junk silver when it was at $7.80. It’s hard to believe it’s already over $13. Cheers, – Rookie JWR Replies: The Paratus Farms project is still stalled because of finances, so your question is largely rhetorical at this point. But it does raise an important issue for retreat site selection: Water versus defensible terrain. Yes, The …


Two Letters Re: Cell Phone E-911 Tracking

I’m an engineer working on E911 systems and I’d like to correct this whole post. I’ve included some references so all your readers can peer review. > #1 The chip does not function unless you either… Incorrect. The requirements typically state for Public Safety and in support of local laws, the mobile station (cell phone) has to handle all network requests for location. > #2 Its not real GPS. There are two separate systems that can be hybridized together. First is the network based system described above that works great in urban areas with lots of compatible cell towers. It …


Odds ‘n Sods:

From Fortune magazine: Ready for $262 Per Barrel Oil?    o o o A new Biodiesel Reactor Technology was announced by Oregon State University researchers. For some technical details, see this PDF.    o o o Some interesting commentary on the Refuge Blog: “Mistaken Entitledness is a Core Global Issue”    o o o U.S. Agriculture Secretary Johanns releases national animal ID implementation plan. For details, see the USDA’s official plan (a PDF.) Be careful not to be fooled by their claims of “extensive dialogue with producers and industry organizations across the country.” The NAIS is being advocated by the …



Letter Re: Cell Phone E-911 Tracking

Dear Jim, Someone wrote about E911 phones and GPS tracking. I worked in that industry, with that specific issue and I can provide some facts. #1 The chip does not function unless you either Dial 911 or turn it to Location On, which shows a circle with a plus sign through it and two end parentheses to its right. It is common to see the circle-plus sign without the parentheses. Check your manual to verify this. It will list this under “icons” or E911. Phones come with them preset to “911 only”, not “on”. Phones from Nextel/Sprint or using location …


Letter Re: A Mumps Outbreak in the U.S. Midwest

Dear Jim: All the talk about Bird Flu, and we are noticing we have a Mumps outbreak going on: “The mumps outbreak is being called the nation’s worst in 20 years. As of Thursday, Iowa had 975 cases of probable, confirmed and suspected cases, said Dr. Patricia Quinlisk, the state epidemiologist.” In addition, see the CDC’s backgrounder on Mumps. Regards, – Rourke


Letter Re: Dealing with Illegal Immigration in the U.S.

Jim, I must respectfully disagree with your suggestions for dealing with illegal immigration. You stated: 1.) A stout fence and plenty of sensors, regardless of the cost, to make the southern border less porous. I believe this would be an utter waste of time and money. Here’s what I anticipate from that: Tunnels under, which already exist for the drug trade. I also heard of a case where near 1000 Mexicans just swarmed a border crossing on foot. Perhaps 1 in 10 was rounded up. Attacking the fence will become a sport–coyotes and dogs will be goaded across minefields, or …