Day: September 2, 2011


Six Letters Re: Hurricane Irene Lessons Learned

Dear Mr. Rawles: We’ve been without power for 3-1/2 days and Internet even longer, so I’m late in writing, but I wanted to say that the grace of God and deep preps won the day, here as hurricane Irene blew through. When the power went out, we went to our generator, so we had water for ourselves and less prepared neighbors.  Those votive lights, the ones in the tall glass containers that often have saints’ picture on them were perfect for our windowless bathrooms, and they’re fairly cheap.  They burned safely almost the whole time and there’s still a day …


Six Letters Re: Experiences of a Novice Gardener

Dear Editor: J.B.’s article his was very interesting to read and it sounded a lot like what we went through 4 years ago when my wife and I started gardening.  Many people are still stuck in that “growing in the ground in rows” mentality.  If you do not have a large amount of land (an acre or more) then you should stick to container gardening.  Our second year of gardening we started with Earthboxes and we had a very successful harvest that year and every year thereafter.  The concept is very simple to where you can even manufacture your own …


Letter Re: My Home Energy Backup System

James, The advice given by J.M. from Oklahoma regarding computer UPS systems could be dangerous if followed as cavalierly he/she laid out for charging and using batteries! UPS systems come in several flavors as it relates to how the batteries are used and charged. Using the wrong type or capacity of battery in a UPS system can lead to overcharging either through length of charge or how much power is sent during the charge cycle. This can cause batteries to swell, leak and explode! J.M. is correct that UPS systems are often disposed of because the batteries have gone dead …


Economics and Investing:

K.A.F. sent this: Awful August, Get Set for September Over at Dr. Housing Bubble: Shadow Inventory Armageddon – Foreclosure timeline up to an average of 599 days with 798,000 mortgages having no payment made in over 1 year and no foreclosure process initiated. Shadow inventory grows to over 6,540,000 properties. Making privacy a crime: U.S. aims to track ‘untraceable’ prepaid cash cards. (Thanks to Steve M. for the link.) China’s sword of Damocles: “More Cow Bell!”. “More kowtow!” Forget Irene: The Drought in Texas Is the Catastrophe That Could Really Hurt. (Kudos to Chris M. for sending the link.) Items …


Odds ‘n Sods:

JRH Enterprises is running a Labor Day weekend sale on new 3rd Generation Pinnacle Autogated AN/PVS-14 night vision scopes for $2,695 for the standard model and their upgraded version with higher line pair specs now at just $2,995. I bought one of the latter from JRH several years ago, and I have been thrilled with its performance. Order yours, before the sale ends!    o o o Dan. M. sent this news article from Ohio: Cops Confiscate Lakewood Lady’s Arsenal; Motive Pending. JWR’s Comments: Since the guns were deemed “legal” we can conclude that the “Thompson sub-machine gun” was in …



Economics and Investing:

G.G. flagged this: Belarus Hyperinflation Update: Food Runs Out As Friendly Foreigners Take Advantage Of The “Favorable” Exchange Rate Arb John R. sent this: Analysis: As debt maturities loom, U.S. needs to extend Also from John: Fearing An Even Worse Inflationary Depression Ahead (Bob Chapman) Reader Hal C. sent this link: John Williams of ShadowStats interviewed by Goldseek. He is predicting hyperinflation. B.B. suggested: Maple Leaf sets silver record: 2010 bullion sales rise 74% from 2009 Items from The Economatrix: After Bumpy August, Economy Shows Signs of Growth Retailers Report Solid Gains For August Carmakers Report Surprisingly Strong August Sales …