Here in The Unnamed Western State (TUWS), a BMW or a Lexus is not considered a status symbol, but a Caterpillar tractor is. In winters with heavy snowfall, nothing beats a Cat for plowing out roads. Anyone with a large Cat with a versatile blade is is considered the “go-to guy” after a major snow storm. If you own a Cat and your neighbors don’t, then after the first hard winter they will consider you indispensable.
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John T. flagged this from Fortune magazine: ‘It’s going to be much worse’ Famed investor Jim Rogers sees hard times ahead for the United States – and a big opportunity looming in China. His comments on the Federal Reserve being out of control are noteworthy. John also mentioned this from Fortune: Eight ways to recession-proof your job
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The Memsahib very quickly high-graded my Kaito KA-1102 compact shortwave radio for her own use. (She did so after she discovered that it has better reception of FM stations than any of our other radios.) We live in a remote region where daytime reception is pitiful, so we’ve come to appreciate the quality of these little radios. They are a lot of radio for very little money. So now I’ll be ordering another Kaito from Affordable Shortwaves for my own use. This recent experience adds credence to the old prepper’s adage: “Two is one, and one is none.”