Category: Odds ‘n Sods

One of our readers that works as a locksmith and welder in Denver, Colorado reports: “I thought you might want to know, that a year ago I would open houses for foreclosure investors, and that market was only about 5% to 10% of my business. Now it is 70% to 90% of my business.”    o o o Reader D.C. recommended an article that has some implication for any readers that own an unattended retreat: Keeping Track From Afar. My personal preference is for a service called uControl Home Security. (They are one of our former advertisers.)    o o …

There is some good commentary from John Ing, posted over at Gold-Eagle; Gold: Lies, Lies And More Lies    o o o The cable television Sci-Fi channel will air the “Jericho” pilot episode and then the entire first season, starting tonight. (Monday, Feb. 9, 2008.) The second season of the show will be aired on CBS on Tuesday evenings, starting tomorrow night.    o o o RBS suggested this piece of old time lore on preserving eggs without refrigeration.    o o o Check out the series of free outdoor survival videos at this British web site: A-Z of Bushcraft.

After a near-death experience, the post-nuke television drama series “Jericho” returns to CBS on Tuesday (February 12, 2008). It is noteworthy that “Jericho” was resurrected from cancellation by popular demand from loyal fans, who inundated CBS officials with shipments of 40,000 pounds of peanuts. As previously mentioned in SurvivalBlog, I have hopes that both “Jericho”, and “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (on the Fox network) will in some small way help get people to “think outside the box” about the fragility of our modern society and motivate them to prepare for more inimical times. OBTW, for anyone that wants to …

Eric mentioned this piece posted over at Stan Deyo’s site: Thirsty? Dirty? Sorry.    o o o CJA suggested this photo essay: One Week’s Worth of Food–Around the World    o o o Reader David V. sent us the link to a “must read” piece over at Michael Panzner’s Financial Armageddon blog: Still at the Forefront.    o o o A half dozen readers sent us this link: ‘Euros Accepted’ signs pop up in New York City

Here in The Unnamed Western State (TUWS), a BMW or a Lexus is not considered a status symbol, but a Caterpillar tractor is. In winters with heavy snowfall, nothing beats a Cat for plowing out roads. Anyone with a large Cat with a versatile blade is is considered the “go-to guy” after a major snow storm. If you own a Cat and your neighbors don’t, then after the first hard winter they will consider you indispensable.    o o o John T. flagged this from Fortune magazine: ‘It’s going to be much worse’ Famed investor Jim Rogers sees hard times …

We were recently somewhat “snowed in” and ran low on feed for our flock of assorted fowl. So the ever-resourceful Memsahib simply broke out one of our oldest 35 pound buckets of hard red winter wheat from the JASBORR. She soaked the wheat in water for 12 hours, and voila! Soft, plump wheat berries. She is also sprouting some wheat, which is even more nutritious. She mentioned that her maternal great-grandmother, at the turn of last century used sprouted wheat for chicken feed. This kept her hens laying eggs throughout the winter. Before the days of electrically-lighted hen houses, winter …

Yesterday, one of our kids was reading aloud from a “Hunting Safely in Grizzly Country” pamphlet that we picked up when buying some topographic maps at the local USFS ranger station. It was published by the “Interagency Bear Committee” and the Wyoming Fish and Game Department. Most of the advice was good, but some of it must have been written by tree huggers. They opined: “Shooting a bear when it is charging is not recommended. The bear almost always lives long enough to maul the hunter severely.” Excuse me, but what am I supposed to stop a bear with? Harsh …

Florida Guy recommended this YouTube video: Gangs are gearing up for war against Americans–And bragging about it. Florida Guy’s comment: “If this shocking video doesn’t underscore your family’s need for serious tactical training, then nothing does. Caution: The video includes some foul “street” language.”    o o o John in Montana suggested a thread over at the Survival Monkey Forum: Some first hand experience – A brief story of Argentina. John’s comment: “In view of what is happening in our economy, the article has some good heads-up info. It is long but worth the read.”    o o o I …

Eric sent us this: US recession will dwarf dotcom crash    o o o KMA found this one: Peak Oil Coming Sooner Than Previously Expected    o o o Three readers mentioned this article on The Torch flashlight. At the rate this thing eats batteries, I have serious doubts about its practicality, especially when living in Grid Down times!    o o o More for fun than for preparedness: Geometric pumpkins and squash. Well, at least it is an excuse to grow some unusual heirloom squash varieties, and practice saving seeds.

Commercial real estate lending close to a standstill. (Another link courtesy of RBS.)    o o o Thanks to Eric B. for sending this link: FBI Investigates Subprime    o o o Hawaiian K. suggested an article on homemade vegetable oil lamps.    o o o Yishai found an article with some tips on urban gardening.

Merco suggested the Build it Solar web site–that has lots of of alternative energy projects that you can build yourself, from beginner to advanced.   o o o This comes as no surprise: Broke homeowners linked to arsons    o o o U.S. slump spreading around the globe, IMF warns    o o o Eric suggested this Newsday article: U.S. loses its status as an economic world power

Nine readers all suggested the same article: Barton Biggs’s Tips for Rich: Expect War, Study Blitz, Mind Markets. The article begins: “Insure yourself against war and disaster by buying a remote farm or ranch and stocking it with “seed, fertilizer, canned food, wine, medicine, clothes, etc.” The “etc.” must mean guns, because Biggs is also quoted as stating: “A few rounds [fired] over the approaching brigands’ heads would probably be a compelling persuader that there are easier farms to pillage,” he writes in his new book, “Wealth, War and Wisdom.” Note that this is coming from a well-known fairly mainstream …

Matt in Texas sent us a link to a great piece about the sheer size and complications of the global derivatives bubble.    o o o From Cordi (by way of Mark From Michigan) came a link to some plans for a homemade solar oven.    o o o Michael G. suggested this article over at John Galt’s Blog: Whip Up Inflation Now.    o o o Eric sent us this: Fed Cuts Rates Boldly; Wall Street Wary. Eric’s comment: “The Fed cuts interest rates by another 1/2 point: and the Dow closes down! The Dow can’t even rally to …

B.L. sent us this one: Radon Gas Causes 100 Times More Deaths than Carbon Monoxide Poisoning    o o o Some thought-provoking analysis from Peter Schiff: Another One Bites The Dust    o o o Eric found this one: Swiss still braced for nuclear war. Eric noted that there are now calls by the Social Democrat party to drop the shelter-building requirement. (These are the same socialist do-gooders that did away with the war reserve ammunition that had previously been kept in Swiss homes, in sealed cans.)    o o o WW flagged this unusually revealling news tory link: Shell …

I found this “must read” piece by economist Jim Willie, posted over at Gold-Eagle: Gold & Math On A Napkin    o o o Eric mentioned a great article on the looming derivatives and hedge fund implosion in The Boston Globe: The black box economy. One tidbit from the article: “Despite the anxiety, nobody is stockpiling canned goods just yet.” Oh, yeah? Speak for yourself. Meanwhile, we also read: Crisis Grips European Hedge Funds. This is just the beginning folks. I’ve warned you before about hedge funds suspending redemptions, and hedge fund collapses. If you have any money in hedge …