Category: Odds ‘n Sods

Reader “Trickdog” suggested this MSNBC article: The New Money Pit–It started with subprime mortgages. Now owners of McMansions are defaulting, and the effects of the housing bust are beginning to ripple through the economy.   o o o s I generally soft pedal any mention of our Affiliate advertisers, since I prefer to spotlight our paying advertisers. (The ones that you see over in the scrolling banners). But once in a while, an Affiliate puts on a sale that is so attractive that it bears special mention, like this one from TracFone: you can get a reconditioned Motorola phone and …

By way of SHTF Daily: Economist eyes home value dive: Others skeptical of 50 percent decline   o o o Any readers looking for knives or Leatherman tools should be sure to check out Knife Off. They have a big inventory–including brand names like Cold Steel and Kershaw–at very competitive prices. For localities where they are legal (and in compliance with Federal law), Knife Off also offers Smith and Wesson brand automatic knives (from their new “Extreme Ops” line) at the best prices I’ve ever seen. (Consult your state and local laws before ordering.)    o o o Jason in …

From The New York Times: Few Expect a Panacea in a Rate Cut by the Fed   o o o The folks at Guardians of Jericho are gearing up for the Jericho Convention (“Jerichon”) in Oakley, Kansas the weekend of September 14th to 16th. I’d like to be there but I have a commitment for some on-site consulting that weekend. If you attend, be sure to look for folks wearing SurvivalBlog T-Shirts. I’ve heard that there will be at least a half a dozen blog readers there, including frequent SurvivalBlog contributor Rourke.    o o o RBS mentioned this article …

AVS sent us this from Snopes.com, confirming an “urban legend” as factual: Tampons are indeed used as wound dressings in Iraq.   o o o Ed L. suggested this piece from Bill Fleckenstein at MSN Money Central: Central banks are stealing from the average citizen    o o o Subprime Crisis: Can It Happen In Britain, Too?

Another attack by Al Qaeda on the United States is “inevitable”, the head of the National Counter Terrorism Center says.   o o o One of the folks over at The Claire File Forums pointed out the Our Cool House web site, describing the construction of an earth-bermed a super-energy efficient house.    o o o Sid C. forwarded this link to a humorous video clip: Some survival retreats in Texas will not have a shortage of venison.

As mentioned in The Drudge Report, a pronouncement has come from the Jackson Hole, Wyoming, conclave: Fed Acts to Limit Credit Crisis Fallout. Meanwhile, we read: Bush Outlines Aid for Mortgage Holders. I don’t think anything that they do at this point will stop the debt bubble from bursting. This just the beginning of a huge financial debacle that will play out in the months and years to come. As I’ve said before, the macroeconomic implications are huge. I should also mention that I’m presently waiting for the other shoe to drop: commercial real estate. There were lots of foolish …

Chuck G. pointed out this article: USAGOLD’s Top 25 Quotes on the Credit Crisis of ‘O7   o o o Our friend Peter in Switzerland sent us the link to some field trials of the Beta CMAG (100 round double snail drum for M16, M4, and M249 SAW) in Iraq. This confirms my earlier observations when testing Betas here at the Rawles Ranch. My biggest complaint about the Beta mag is not jamming problems (which typically are minimal if it is kept clean and properly lubricated.) The biggest drawbacks are its weight and noise. When loaded, the drums have an …

From Money and Markets, (by way of SHTF Daily), Marty Weiss provides this sage analysis of the real estate market and the liquidity crisis: Final Warning!   o o o Stephen C. in Iraq mentioned this piece from The Economist: The agonies of agflation: “As oil prices stay high, wheat prices hit an all-time peak of over $7.50 a bushel for December delivery at the end of trading in Chicago on Thursday August 23rd.”   o o o I just heard about a blog dedicated to “Survival, Preparedness, News, and Resources” vis-a-vis the Asian Avian Flu: Bird Flu (H5N1) Daily

DAV mentioned this story that might portend a market change: Russian government takes over gold mining sector   o o o Some analysis from Steve Schifferes of BBC News: Financial crises: Lessons from history. I disagree that government intervention is the best solution. Inevitably “market intervention” ends up being a wealth transfer from one group of citizens to another, to the detriment of the former, and to the benefit of the latter. In the context of the current liquidity crisis, “intervention” will probably be in the form of loan guarantees which will put taxpayers on the hook for hundreds of …

“Dancing Barefoot” sent us this: H5N1 Asian Avian Flu Now in Germany: “Tests have found that birds at a poultry farm in southern Germany died of the H5N1 strain of bird flu, and some 160,000 birds were being slaughtered as a precaution, authorities said.”   o o o I heard from Vic at Safecastle that Mountain House freeze dried storage food prices are going up substantially on September 1st. OBTW, they still have some 7 Day Just in Case Kits of Mountain House foods (in handy pouches) on sale for just $100 postage paid. Get your Mountain House orders in …

From France24 (by way of SHTF Daily): Analysts mull contagion from US property market woes. We also read in ChannelNewsAsia: The German state of Saxony has decided to sell the Landesbank Sachsen (SachsenLB), which has been hard hit by the US sub-prime crisis   o o o DAV mentioned Michael J. Panzner’s Financial Armageddon blog. I was pleased to see that Michael is really digging ito the current liquidity crisis and astutely focusing on derivatives. (That will surely be “the other shoe to drop.” ) I was also delighted to see that he has a link to SurvivalBlog in his …

I often get questions from folks looking for survival retreat property about the state tax rates (income tax, property (real estate) tax, sales tax, and so forth.) Here is a useful Internet reference at www.BankRate.com. State and local tax rates should be thoroughly researched before you choose a retreat locale.   o o o American home foreclosures leap 93% in a year    o o o The Credit Crunch contagion spreads yet further. We read this from England: Over 8.5 Million will be denied credit as level of debt soars. Can you spell recession?

The Department of Homeland Security has decreed that propane gas is a “chemical of interest” and will soon require anyone with 7,500 pounds or more of the fuel to register with the agency.   o o o The latest boom: Foreclosures. (OBTW, one of the companies quoted in the article —Foreclosure.com–is one of our Affiliate Advertisers.)    o o o DAV recommended this market analysis and commentary from Jim Willie posted over at Kitco.com: Desperate Measures for USFED

I heard that the makers of Polar Pure water purifier had a visit from the DEA this week. They have plans to so highly regulate the distribution of iodine crystals that they will soon run the family owned and operated company out of business. (They make just one product.) The DEA said that they will expect retailers to get a photocopy of each buyer’s driver’s license, keep track of the quantities purchased, report “suspicious” purchases (with an as yet-to-be determined threshold) maintain the records for at least two years, and on and on. ll this because iodine has been deemed …

By way of SHTF Daily: Bernanke fears economy will hit a brick wall   o o o I just heard that Gun Parts Guy (one of our loyal advertisers) now offers metric FN-FAL parts kits (sans receivers) complete with US Section 922(r) compliance parts, in a wide variety of configurations. FAL parts kits are getting scarce in the U.S., so stock up. When you order, please mention that you saw the kits mentioned in SurvivalBlog.    o o o More from Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: Top Swiss banker attacks US lending standards as ‘unbelievable’ Jim’s Quote of the Day: “The most important …