Category: Odds ‘n Sods

John B. pointed us to an interesting article in Slate on the effects of inflation in Argentina: Coins more valuable than bills. This ties in with my advice starting in 2007 on buying up rolls of US nickels . This is just one of several tangibles strategies to get prepared for the incipient mass inflation in the United States.    o o o New ID Scanners at Borders Raise Privacy Alarm. These RFID scanners can be overcome by an expensive commercially-made wallet, or by something a simple as a few wraps of aluminum foil. Speaking of privacy, nearly a dozen …

Reader “Photo Man” sent us this: Mob runs riot as Zimbabwe runs out of water.    o o o Courtesy of Eric comes this link: The American Crisis and the Case for an Inflationary Depression    o o o Rich Fleetwood at SurvivalRing mentioned that he has just finished creating a brand new DVD book library. It has 4 DVDs containing over 4,000 Third World appropriate technology books and articles, and a multi disk package of Alex Weir’s 44 CD library (which he asks as many folks as possible to both mirror, and offer, to readers all over the world). …

One of our neighbors–and where we live, the term “neighbor” means anyone in a 10 mile radius–mentioned that she recently obtained 20 dozen Mason-type canning jars offered gratis on Freecycle. The boxes of canning jars almost entirely filled up the back of her SUV. In my experience, Freecycle and Craig’s List should be watched diligently by preparedness-minded families. The tighter your budget, the more crucial these resources are! And, BTW, if you benefit from Freecycle, be sure to return the favor, by offering the things that you no longer need.    o o o Bob G. mentioned an informative piece …

Derek C. sent us the link to the full text of the recently mentioned nuclear and biological terrorism threat report, in PDF.    o o o Mike Williamson mentioned Survival Straps. Mike’s comment: “I came across these in another forum. Someone skilled at braiding could make their own, or can support an American small business by buying one of these. We each have a bracelet made in this fashion, that are stylish and useful. Parachute cord is always a useful thing to have on hand.” JWR Adds: Paracord can also be unbraided into individual nylon threads, with even more uses …

Reader Vanya O. wrote to ask: “When do you expect that the MOAB will end?”. I expect the MOAB to drag on for several more years–and possibly a full decade–reaching absurd proportions. States, counties, and cities, and pension funds may eventually be bailed out by Uncle Sugar. That last stage of the MOAB may very well culminate with a direct bailout of individual subprime mortgage holders. Yes, it will be your tax dollars at work: Paying off the mortgages held by your NINJA neighbor, who for the past few years has been living in a house that he could never …

I was pleasantly surprised with the first two episodes of the new BBC television series “Survivors”, that debuted last month. It is a remake of the British series from the 1970s, produced by Terry Nation. Aside for some anti-gun stereotypes (the only characters shown acquiring guns are “Tom Price”–a convicted murderer, and “Dexter”–a drunken sociopath), the story thusfar seems fairly plausible. The acting, cinemaphotography, production value, and music all seemed above average for a television series. I got a BBC review copy, but I’ve heard that the series will be available at a site called Mininova. (But I don’t think …

I found this linked over at TMM Forums: Biodiesel home-brewers on the rise, with many skirting regulations    o o o If you’ve ever wondered why the precious market is so volatile, this piece by Jason Hommel makes it quite clear: The Tiny Size of the Gold Market. It doesn’t take much to move such a thin market.    o o o I’ve often mentioned the utility of owning Foodsaver vacuum packing unit. We have one here at the Rawles Ranch that we’ve used regularly for 15 years. The only drawback has been their high retail price. But for a …

Glenn in Arizona mentioned that Bill Ray of The Register, draws some good practical conclusions after watching the remake of the British television series Survivors.    o o o The Chartist Gnome mentioned that he expects a breakdown in the current strength of the USD Index in the next few months. He wrote in a recent e-mail: “The [US] Dollar strength we saw was based on the relative weakness of the Euro, not any inherent strength in the Dollar. (Because here [in Europe] funds managers use more leverage than [is] used in the States, the [banking] crisis has hit Europe …

Reader James M. sent us this safety note: If making a smoker conversion to a discarded refrigerator (as described in a recent posted link), “make sure to use only chrome-plated racks. The-zinc plated racks will react with the acids in the food and toxify the food being smoked.”    o o o I found this at Fleet Street Daily: Introducing Gideon Gono, a Proven Deflation Fighter (“Zimbabwe’s inflation estimated at 89.7 sextillion percent”.) And now, from Cheryl, our volunteer Economic Editor: Black Friday Shoppers Out in Force, But Cautious — Wal-Mart Employee Dies as Shoppers Stampede (A Wal-Mart employee died …

Tim in Baltimore found a great web site that shows how easy it is to make a variety of cheeses, as well as your buttermilk and yogurt.    o o o Experts call for global network to prevent asteroid disasters    o o o From the Economatrix comes some post-Thanksgiving reading to digest: For Stores, the Holiday Season May Already be Over — China’s Banks to Pump Billions into Economy — Torrent of Gloomy News Gives US Little to be Thankful For — Europe Needs Big Bailout to Put Economy Back on Track — UK Car Industry Chiefs Beg Gov’t …

A brief update on magazine prices that I’ve observed in gun shops and at recent gun shows: M16 (AR-15) magazines have jumped from around $17 in October to close to $40 each. The hot seller in that category, BTW, seems to be MagPul PMAGs. The once cheap and plentiful US M1 Carbine 15 round magazines were under $3 each in the early 1990s. After the 1994-2004 Federal ban expired, they were around $8. But in just the past two weeks they’ve catapulted to $25. The so-called “SWAT” factory original 20 round SIG P226 magazines went from $36 to $60. “Glockamole” …

Montana real estate agent Viola Moss sent us an interesting snippet from The Christian Science Monitor, that illustrates that while most residential real estate is going down in value, some agricultural rural real estate is going up: “Farmland is hot property these days. Nationwide, it is up nearly 9 percent from a year ago. Iowa farmland has increased in value 18 percent. South Dakota’s value has risen 21 percent. The rise reflects rising profits from agriculture. The use of corn to create ethanol has driven up the price of corn and beef cattle that feed on corn. The U.S. Department …

Sean M. spotted a New York Times article on the recent theft of solar panels. Sean’s comment: “With the economy the way it is, crime will increase.” JWR Adds: If your retreat is unoccupied for long stretches of time then your photovoltaic (PV) panels should be dismounted and either locked up securely or hidden in a secret room or cache. If your panels are roof mounted, then I should mention a clever option that was revealed to me by one of my consulting clients in Arizona: camouflaging PV panels underneath well-aged black plastic pipe solar hot water panels. The latter …

Inyokern flagged this: Pandemic Planning Reveals 30-Day Power Plant Coal Supply    o o o I recently updated our Affiliate Advertisers page. Please shop with our our paid advertisers first. (See the scrolling ads in the right hand bar of the main blog page.) But if they don’t have what you are looking for, then please shop with our affiliate advertisers here in the U.S. as well as in Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and the UK. (When you shop with our affiliate advertisers, SurvivalBlog will receive a small commission on each purchase.)    o o o Mike …

Chris S. sent us this frightening glimpse of how a post-TEOTWAWKI society might operate: Somali towns run on pirates’ treasure. It sounds like they are in need of a Barbary solution.    o o o Matt mentioned that South Carolina has enacted (over their Governor’s veto) a 2nd Amendment Recognition Act that creates a two day ‘sales tax free’ holiday on firearms following Thanksgiving 2008. I hope that this catches on in other states    o o o Alaskaman flagged this: There is No Secret Sauce: The Truth About ‘Deflation’    o o o David B. pointed out that three …