Category: Odds ‘n Sods

Eric S. found this Reuters article: Prepare for big flu pandemic economic hit, UN says    o o o RBS sent this one: Dengue Fever Is A Potential Threat To US Public Health, Experts Say. If you haven’t already done so, be sure to read my advice on preparing for pandemics. In particular, see the details on oral rehydration solutions. Stock up, or be prepared to make your own.    o o o Hardly a news flash: As housing slumps, realtors quit    o o o Uncle Sam seems to have made a successful “end run” at implementing a National …

I stumbled into a great Do It Yourself (DIY) blog with some very practical projects: The DIY Blog.    o o o A reader in East Tennessee wanted to put out a heads-up to anyone looking for property. It’s 88 acres with a small house, both sides of the road, ridge to ridge, lots of water. The house is tactically situated and in a good position for solar exposure, good pasture and soil. The location is three roads off the beaten path, but about an hour from the Tri-Cities area. The reader doesn’t have any financial interest in the property, …

A bit of “I told you so” for my friend Fred, who claimed that he had “missed the boat” when gold got up past $550 per ounce. I have been begging him to diversify into some silver and gold, ever since gold was around $345 per ounce. Yesterday, (Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008), spot gold spiked briefly to $895 per ounce and spot silver shot up to $16.21 per ounce. There will surely be a lot a volatility–including some scary dips–but the long term trend is almost certainly up for all of the precious metals. Buy on the dips, folks.    …

“The Other Jim R.” sent us this: Goldman Sachs sees recession in 2008. Since this recession was triggered by a global credit collapse rather than just a typical market cycle swing, the recession could be deep and long. (There is even the outside chance of it worsening into a full blown depression.) The nascent recession will also doubtless make the post-Housing Bubble period much longer and deeper. Be ready.    o o o Thanks to WW for spotting this article: Shortwave infrared: Next-generation night vision    o o o Steve in Pennsylvania flagged this BBC story: South Asia Hit With …

From The Baltimore Sun: Higher food prices start to pinch consumers    o o o LHW suggested this British newspaper article on Plunge Protection.    o o o I just heard about a great site featuring do-it yourself field and survival gear–and much more: Funditor.com    o o o Hawaiian K. recommended this chart showing the long term “adjusted for inflation” price of gold.

Due to the recent huge storm in Northern California the Freeze Dry Guy‘s phone lines are down. (But they can still handle orders via e-mail.) Yesterday, Professor Jim McCanney likened the recent storm to a hurricane.    o o o RBS kindly sent us this (and the two subsequent): Russia raises grain export duties to 40%. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the US make a similar move, to stem the flood of grain out of the US, primarily to Asia.    o o o News from Australia: Mozzies in plague proportions    o o o China could be winner …

I finally got the chance to go see the movie “I Am Legend“. A friend who is not preparedness- minded went with me and he commented that he found the film terrifying only because it seemed plausible. He said that unlike “Resident Evil” which seemed like an unrealistic video game to him, “I Am Legend” was genuinely frightening. This leads me to believe that the film might encourage some erstwhile sheeple to get prepared. My friend did mention that if he was in Dr. Neville’s position he would have dynamited and bulldozed all of the buildings in a three block …

Our friend Chad suggested this from Bill Fleckenstein: Mortgage bailout just makes it worse.    o o o Hawaiian K. suggested an article about the precious metals market, from an Asian perspective.    o o o From a recent issue of The Daily Reckoning:    o o o E.S. sent us this one: Doctors order millions hit by violent stomach bug to stay at home

Eric S. sent this one: Deadbeat America: Late Payments Soar. It is not reassuring to see that late payment rates are spiking in relatively “good times” with an employment rate that is just starting to falter. Obviously American consumers have collectively gone deep into debt. In the next recession we will undoubtedly see unprecedented delinquency and default rates, followed soon after by a spike in personal bankruptcies. Oh, but wait a minute, US bankruptcy laws have become less lenient.    o o o And Eric also forwarded us this: Americans Sold Out to Foreign Firms at Record Rate    o …

Perennial contributor Eric S. sent us this: Saxo Bank’s ‘outrageous predictions’ are grim. (They are predicting a 25% drop in the S&P and as much as a 40% drop in China’s stock market.)    o o o Don’t miss the new SurvivalRealty.com listing in North Carolina with gravity-fed spring water.    o o o On a recent road trip over the holidays, we noticed that the graffiti blight in America’s urban areas seems to be getting worse. Living out in the hinterboonies as we do, the only significant graffiti that we see is the mobile sort that comes to us–painted …

Commander Zero recommended this web site: How to build a super top secret bunker under your house.    o o o Frequent contributor Rourke tells us that there is plenty of buzz about the upcoming disaster film “Cloverfield.” about “a monster the size of a skyscraper.” It was shot in a way to make it look like it is an amateur hand-held video, stylistically similar to “The Blair Witch Project”–but obviously with a much bigger budget! The debut for “Cloverfield” is set for January 18th.    o o o Frequent link contributor Eric S. sent us this: Sudan’s Central Bank …

From The Guardian in England: From the sub-prime to the ridiculous: how $100 billion vanished    o o o This one has been at my Links page for many moons, but is worth mentioning again: The Seismic Monitor    o o o Reader Bill N. mentioned that there is an instructional ice rescue video on the Discovery Channel-Canada’s web site. Bill N. notes: “To anyone who might be around lakes or rivers that are frozen over, you should check out this video on how to save yourself if you fall through the ice.”    o o o Eric S. flagged …

Gold edges up towards record highs on Pakistan unrest, low dollar      o o o SJC sent this piece from Jim Jubak: Don’t count on a ‘normal’ recession    o o o The humorous and informative Dr. Housing Bubble blog outgrew its Blogspot hosting site, so the editors got serious and bought their own domain and hosting: www.DoctorHousingBubble.com. Be sure to update your bookmarks.    o o o Speaking of Dr. Housing Bubble, don’t miss their recent article on California house prices: 10 Homes throughout the Golden Bubble State.

Reader Ben. L. tells us that the US Transportation Security Agency (TSA, a.k.a.”Thousands Standing Around”) has banned most lithium batteries from passenger plane checked luggage. This includes certain laptop and pro camera batteries, and those ubiquitous “123” batteries used in Surefire flashlights. The new rule reads in part: “Effective January 1, 2008, spare lithium batteries – extra batteries not installed on devices – will no longer be allowed in checked baggage. Spare lithium batteries may be packed in carry-on baggage and lithium batteries installed in a device may be packed in either checked or carry-on, as long as the battery …

Stephen in Iraq flagged this: Home Sales Plunge, Feed Recession Fears    o o o Reader Nick B. says that he has started experimenting with sprouting, starting with alfalfa. He is looking for tips on how to drain them when they are still in seed stage. He has been trying coffee filters, but the filters seem to clog quickly. I’ve always used paper towels, but perhaps there is a SurvivalBlog reader with a better idea. Any tips?    o o o Thanks to SJC for this: Gold rises after Bhutto death, platinum hits record    o o o And RBS …