Odds ‘n Sods:

American Fork [, Utah] Man Is Food Storage Fanatic

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Rod M. sent us a link to this tongue-in-cheek piece from Australia on the resurgence of survivalism: Where is The Safest Place on Earth? BTW, the article includes mention of our spin-off web site, SurvivalRealty.com

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Several readers sent this: Mormons prepared for hard times. While I’ll never see eye-to-eye with the LDS church doctrinally, I highly commend them for their food storage policy and their extensive cannery and bishop’s warehouse infrastructures.

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Another huge batch of economic news and commentary from Cheryl: One Third of US Banks May Fail or Merge In 2009Fed Grants Request to Make GMAC a Bank Holding Company32,000 UK Realtors Jobs Wiped OutEconomy on Knife-Edge as Japan Faces Deflation FearsRetailers Foresee Dire 2009British GDP Drops Faster than 1940sGas Prices Drift to 58-Month LowJoel Skousen: 2008 in ReviewFinancial Markets and Economic Potpourri December 26, 2008Insolvent Financial System Signals Higher GoldFamilies Turning to Insurance Fraud to Beat Credit CrunchEconomists Who Called it Right & Predictions for 2009Crackdown on Bailed-Out Banks (But will the legislation go retroactive?) — Housing Has its Worst Monthly Price Drop in 20 Years