CDO PIK: Satisfaction Guaranteed or Double Your Trash Back

When I attended the U.S. Army Northern Warfare School back in 1980, I was amused to see that all of the trash dumpsters at Fort Greeley, Alaska were stenciled with “Satisfaction Guaranteed or Double Your Trash Back”. I was reminded of this slogan the other day when I was doing some reading about the unfolding derivatives fiasco. I’ll get back to the quip about trash near the end of this blog entry. Let me start with some background: Just like in the traditional bond world, with Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDOs) it is always the holder of the highest rated (“senior”) …


Letter Re: Supporting SurvivalBlog

Mr Rawles: I was shocked to see that only 1% of readers have gotten a [voluntary] 10 Cent Challenge subscription. I signed up after the second week that I began reading.your blog. There is no other site on the Internet that has the same amount of in-depth info on preparedness. Nothing even comes close. I am blown away by how much knowledge is piled up in your archives. I could spend two or three hours a day searching through news sites, financial advisory websites, backpacking websites, EMT websites, gun websites, food storage websites, and so forth, and still not glean …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Remember that there are now just three days remaining for the $500 Interceptor Body Armor (IBA) vest special from BulletProofME.com. July 12th is the deadline. Anyone who has shopped for body armor knows what a great deal $500 is for a new Interceptor vest. Don’t miss out on this deal.   o o o Reader Andy L. mentioned an article about the ultimate in privacy for retreats: Your own island in the Bahamas.    o o o MP noticed this editorial in a Seattle, Washington newspaper: Disaster’s coming: Get ready. MP’s comment: “Sure, 10 days is still a bit weak …



Letter Re: Asian Avian Flu is Still a Major Threat

Jim, I am a regular reader with 40+ yrs of prepping and a 10 Cent Challenge subscriber. My current career is as a Hospital Staff Respiratory Therapist. We recently had a seminar on the coming Avian Flu Pandemic that scared the heck out of me. The timeline for human to human vector is 3 to 5 years, if it follows the current rate of mutation. It will probably come out of Thailand, and with air travel, will quickly spread around the world, with entry to the US through the major international airports. With luck and area quarantines, they may be …


Letter Re: How and Why to Get Physically Fit

JR- With regard to the article on getting into physical conditioning and buying used exercise equipment, here is a general rule for readers to remember. They are like room heaters, air conditioners, pools, and lawn mowers etc. They are very seasonal. I have friends who work at thrift stores, and I can assure you the time to buy any exercise equipment is during the warmer months like right now [in the northern hemisphere]! The Ski Machine you refer to that costs almost $1,000 for the higher end models can be had for song during the summer months. Sometimes pennies on …


Odds ‘n Sods:

I recommend market watcher John’s Mauldin’s astute observations on the derivatives implosion and the tremendous downside risk in sub-prime Collateralized Debt Obligation (CDO) trading, titled “Where is the Real Risk in the Subprime Debacle?” It can be found in this PDF. (BTW, I highly recommend subscribing to John’s free weekly E-letter.) Meanwhile, Bloomberg has more news on troubled derivatives: United Capital’s Devaney Halts Hedge Fund Withdrawals   o o o Commodities market signs of the times: Keg Thefts Rise with Metals Prices, and Power line theft leaves South Africa in dark    o o o From a recent Daily Reckoning …



Note from JWR:

If you find what you read in SurvivalBlog useful, then please become a 10 Cent Challenge subscriber. These subscriptions are entirely voluntary. Presently, only 1% of readers who visit at least once a week are subscribing. Our goal is 5%. For details on how to subscribe–including an anonymous method for those of you that keep a very low profile–see the 10 Cent Challenge Web Page. BTW, for those of you that have already subscribed, please don’t forget to mark your calendar for your annual renewal. We don’t send out e-mails to pester anyone about renewing. Unless someone opts for a …


Letter Re: Advice on Pistol Caliber Carbines

Jim and Family: I just found out that I can get a 16″ rifle here in Hawaii. I was considering an Uzi but am uncertain about the differences between model A and B. Also, the stamped metal doesn’t excite me, but I think having such a gun fills an important role in my armory. For travel out of the stronghold, it takes the place between carrying a .223 or .308 rifle suitable for home defense and reaching out and touching someone and walking about with a handgun. For travel when the world is in quasi-collapse and I want more rounds …


Ethical Preparedness for WTSHTF, by SF in Hawaii

What (if anything) are you willing to kill for post-SHTF? To consider this question, first let’s start with a quote on justifiable homicide from Wikipedia: Under early Athenian law, it was considered justifiable homicide to kill an adulterer caught in the act or a burglar caught in the act at night… in eighteenth century English law , it was considered a justifiable homicide if a husband killed a man “ravishing” or raping his wife (Blackstone, Wm. at p. 391), but modern law treats this as only a circumstance that will mitigate murder to a conviction for manslaughter . In other …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Novelist Michael Z. Williamson sent us a link to a PDF on Combat Loads in Afghanistan. Mike’s comments: “It shows march, approach and combat loads of troops in Afghanistan, for reference for building bug out bags. Obviously, a civilian bag will be lighter on batteries and ammo, and heavier on food, water and shelter. But this is a handy reference for comparison.”   o o o A pointed history lesson from the Von Mises Institute: Inflation and the French Revolution–The Story of a Monetary Catastrophe    o o o From The Chicago Tribune: Layoff fears part of ‘new normal’ — …



Notes from JWR:

The high bid is now at $210 in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction for a batch of 10 brand new original Imperial Defence SA-80 (AR-15) steel 30 round rifle magazines. The auction ends on July 15th. Today we present another article for Round 11 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $2,000!) Second prize is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. I will again be sending out a …