Category: Odds ‘n Sods

Reader C.T.H. wrote to ask me if I thought that the Springfield Armory XD pistol offered in Front Sight’s Front Sight’s “Get a Gun” training and gear package offer was worth adding to a family gun collection. The answer is an enthusiastic yes, and I’m not the only one that is enthusiastic about these pistols. But I must add one proviso: Spare parts are currently hard to come by. Ironically, this is because of Springfield Armory’s exceptional lifetime warranty program. (Because of the lifetime repair warranty, there is little impetus for gunsmiths in the US to do XD repairs.) So, …

Several readers sent me this: Unpaid utility bills soar as economy sags    o o o Reader Al C. sent this: Economist: Housing slump may exceed [The Great] Depression    o o o Inyokern found this article: The Peak Oil Crisis: The Case for 2008    o o o Reader “Redclay” forwarded us an excerpt from the latest bulletin from the US CMP (formerly–and more familiarly to some of us dinosaurs–called the DCM Program), which included this: “During the past 60 days we have experienced a ten-fold increase in orders for [Greek military surplus] HXP .30-06 ammunition. This activity has …

Two readers e-mailed me to ask me if the recent drops in the prices of gold and silver were “disconcerting” or if I planned to change my predictions on the metals market. My answer: NO, I consider the recent price drops as evidence of market manipulation in what is otherwise a long term bull market for the metals. Look at this drop as a buying opportunity. I have warned SurvivalBlog readers numerous times that there would be some scary pullbacks in the market. Market manipulation by The Power That Be works in the short term, but it cannot change the …

Rising prices threaten millions with starvation, despite bumper crops    o o o California foreclosure “surge”: Up 327% from 2007 levels    o o o RBS sent us this: As Food Prices Soar, Some Shortages Appear–Some Stores Even Rationing Staples Such As Rice; Grocers Blame Corn Diverted For Ethanol    o o o I just heard that JRH Enterprises has acquired two brand new AN/PVS-14 US Army-issue night vision units with new Gen 3 image intensifier tubes, and they have them priced at just $3,495. (They are normally $4,000.)

Reader Jeff B. flagged this in The Wall Street Journal: Green Acres II: When Neighbors Become Farmers. Jeff’s comment: “I like how this guy took the idea of leased farm or grazing land and applied it to his neighborhood yards! The best part is that his neighbors are much more accepting of it then the trend toward 50-page home owner covenants would leave one to imagine”    o o o Eric Roseman of The Sovereign Society uses the term “inverse stagflation” for the current market that simultaneously has both inflation and deflation. (A term coined by Renee Haugerud, back in …

Bank of America Net Income Falls 77% on Writedowns. Something tells me that their acquisition of the mortgage lender Countrywide will not do good things for their balance sheet in the coming year.    o o o UN chief warns world must urgently increase food production    o o o Just as I predicted, lots of fallowed land in the CRP is again being tilled: Land Once Preserved Now Being Farmed    o o o Don’t miss reading this one, from The Market Oracle: Commercial Banks Heading for Huge Derivatives Losses- Credit Crisis Turning into Credit Armageddon

Retailing Chains Caught in a Wave of Bankruptcies. This is an inevitable result of the liquidity crisis, just as I had warned.    o o o Attacks in Middle East, Nigeria send oil to record $117.40    o o o Check out the inventory at CampingSurvival.com: camping gear, first aid supplies, tools, optics, knives, storage food, boots, colloidal silver, NBC protection, you name it. A couple of my favorite items are their emergency dental kit and their magnesium fire starter.    o o o RBS flagged this blog piece: Foreclosures now outnumber home sales in California

The mainstream media is finally catching on to the surging interest in the Survivalist movement. See, for example, a recent CNN Europe article, in which I’m dubbed ” unofficial spokesman” for the survivalist movement: Survivalists get ready for meltdown. OBTW, I was also quoted (albeit indirectly) in a breezy Fortune magazine article: The appeal of gold–Survivalists and speculators see it as the ultimate safe haven, but buying too much can also be a trap    o o o The folks at HAZARiD (one of our advertisers) recently revamped their web site and put up a video clip. Their fogging applicator …

Lehman’s just announced that they are having a special “Lost and Found” warehouse clearance sale, with prices reduced as much as 60% on a few items. Please click on the banner link for Lehman’s at the top of our Affiliates Page, so that SurvivalBlog will get our little piece of the action. Thanks! https://survivalblog.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt.cgi?__mode=view&_type=entry&blog_id=2#    o o o From reader RBS: Expensive metals draw criminals to exhaust systems    o o o Some commentary from Adrian Ash: 40 Years Of Inflation, 80 Years Of Dow/Gold    o o o From The Daily Mail (by way of The Mental Militia Forums): …

Across Globe, Empty Bellies Bring Rising Anger (A hat tip to Neil for that link.)    o o o Citigroup posts loss, plans to eliminate 9,000 jobs: Citi records $14 billion in 1Q write-downs; Wall Street relieved it’s not worse    o o o Felix D. suggested reading an interview with Lee Clarke, the author of the book “Worst Cases.”    o o o A piece by Jay Taylor, posted over at Gold-Eagle: Economist Walter Williams Sees Hyperinflation As Early As 2010

Subprime defaults put the FHA in the poorhouse. Look for further growth in the Mother of All Bailouts (MOAB).    o o o Risk of Nuclear Attack on U.S. Rises    o o o Mike in Illinois suggested these two articles from New Scientist: Why the demise of civilisation may be inevitable and Will a pandemic bring down civilisation?    o o o The WRSA has a Basic Rifle Marksmanship Course scheduled for April 26-27 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. OBTW, the WRSA is kindly donating paid admissions to any WRSA shooting event for just the first two people that respond …

SJC flagged this article: Wholesale prices soared in March. On a related note: I’m sure that you’ve noticed the recent spike in oil to an all-time high. The current retail food prices are based on roughly $80 per barrel oil. Part of food prices includes tractor time, fertilizer (which are primarily petrochemical, these days) and shipping costs. When you factor in $114 oil, further jumps in food prices seem inevitable. I hope that you’ve already stocked up. Ditto for filling your fuel storage tanks.    o o o James mention that this Wall Street Journal editorial is worth reading: Dollar …

Eric sent us this: The new underground currency    o o o Time magazine reports: How Hunger Could Topple Regimes    o o o Where are the contrapreneurs that “invested” in McMansions, using NINJA (No Income, No Job or Assets) loans? Some of them have gone through foreclosure and are now moving back home to live with their parents.    o o o As other staples soar, potatoes break new ground

For several months I’ve been pointing to the Federal Reserve’s data on bank reserves. The latest numbers are downright frightening. In particular, see the bottom of the “Non-borrowed Reserves” column. (Thanks to “Tanker” for alerting me to the latest update to the Fed data.) OBTW, don’t miss this article: US banks Citigroup and Merrill Lynch reveal fresh $15bn loss    o o o The latest addition to my blog roll is Target Rich Environment. I found this blog both humorous and insightful.    o o o I noticed that the folks at Green Mountain Gear have expanded their product line …

Frank in Arizona wrote to ask me how much longer Front Sight’s “Get a Gun” training and gear package offer will still be available. From what I’ve heard, it won’t be very long, since Front Sight is running this promotion at near their cost. Don’t dawdle on this and miss out, folks! I can’t think of a better purpose for your upcoming Federal tax “economic stimulus” check. Those checks (for up to $1,200 per married couple) will be mailed out starting in May, so you might want to employ your credit card, in advance! If Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer …