Notes for Friday – December 18, 2015

December 18th is the birthday of Charles Wesley (18 December 1707 – 29 March 1788). He wrote more that 1,700 hymns. Today is also the birthday of Jørgen Haagen Schmith (born December 18, 1910, died October 15, 1944). He was better known under the codename Citron and was a famous Danish resistance fighter in occupied Denmark. His biographical sketch at Wikipedia describes his death, after he was tracked down by the Nazis: “German soldiers arrived at the house to arrest or kill Schmith. He fought for hours against an overwhelming force of enemy troops killing 11 and wounded scores of …




Water Works- Part 1, by JSP

Many years ago I became friends with an older gentleman who was a retired farmer. It seemed to me that there wasn’t anything he couldn’t fix or build, whether small engines, regular engines, diesel engines, electrical, electronics, welding, and so on. Not having been raised around people like this gentleman, he was a good role model for me, especially when it came to problem solving. He and his wife had retired, sold their farm, and moved to the “city” of 30,000 people. One day he told me that they were selling their home in the city to move to a …




Letter Re: How To Title Retreat Property, An Overlooked Item in Your Planning, by John in the Ozarks

HJL John in the O is right on. It is important to make it hard to track you down. He talks about insurance in a figurative sense. My day job is independent insurance agent. In the literal sense it is important in insurance for names to match. Not named? Then there’s no coverage. Find an agent that preps, confide in that agent, and get the coverage right. No one ever comes to me looking for one of my clients, particularly lawyers. Even if the insurance company is not paying attention to details, handling a check with the wrong name on …




Economics and Investing:

Something Strange Is Taking Place In The Middle Of The Atlantic Ocean – Sent in by J.C. o o o Baltic Dry Crashes To New Record Low As China “Demand Is Collapsing” – Sent in by G.G. o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: U.S. News Fed Betting It Will Avoid Central Bank Errors of the Past (CNS News) Commentary: The Fed’s 1937 error, Japan’s lost decades, Europe’s dubious hikes… A stroll down a less than pleasant version of memory lane. Time will unfold the story about whether or not the current quarter point rate hike was the right Federal …




Odds ‘n Sods:

There are some pretty frightening satellite images in this link sent in by RBS. Batten down the hatches! Bering Sea monster storm hits Alaska as wind gusts reach 122 MPH and waves 40ft in the Aleutian Islands. o o o SurvivalBlog reader B.B. sent in this link: Russia and China’s “Enhanced Human Operations” Terrify the Pentagon. o o o Just tourism or something else? Sheriff’s office confirms tip about possibly suspicious questions regarding Bagnell Dam. o o o Electromagnetic Harvester charges battery (in a day) from “thin air” While this isn’t a new concept, I do wonder how long before …