Category: Odds ‘n Sods

Reader Steve H. alerted us that a scan of a brochure from the Kelsey-Hayes Company, Detroit, Michigan for their pre-fabricated fallout shelters, circa 1963 is available for free download at Flicker.com, This set includes scans from a Life magazine feature called “Fallout Shelters” from a September 1961 issue.   o o o Karen B. mentioned a couple of interesting low-budget do-it-yourself (DIY) projects featured at LifeHacker.com: Build a solar water heater for under $5 and Get free air conditioning with a DIY heat exchanger    o o o Why is America falling apart? Ask Ayn Rand

DAV flagged this piece of commentary from Edward Chancellor at The Washington Post: Look Out. This Crunch Is Serious. Meanwhile, writing in the Sovereign Society A-Letter, Kathlyn Von Rohr commented: “The sub-prime crisis that was “likely to be contained” according to Federal Reserve Chief Ben Bernanke back in March – brought more havoc to Wall Street this week. Now that “financial market conditions have deteriorated,” the Fed has changed its tune, as they chopped the discount rate yesterday.” In my estimation this will get a whole lot worse before it gets better. The current crunch has essentially shut downthe major …

John and Abigail Adams suggested this training video on the use of the Israeli field dressing.   o o o RBS thought that readers might enjoy reading this report from Afghanistan: ‘I could feel the breeze as the bullets went by’    o o o Reader Nick M. alerted us to the fact that the Popular Mechanics August “Survive Anything” cover story (previously mentioned in SurvivalBlog) is now available on their Web site to read for free download. Nick’s comments: “The series of articles discusses how technology has made humanity more comfortable, but how our reliance on it has also …

Our friend Nick recommended this article by Douglas MacKinnon at Townhall.com: The Two Things To Know Before Your City is Nuked By Terrorists   o o o My thanks to “J”, who gave a prominent plug for SurvivalBlog over at The Rumor Mill News Reading Room.    o o o Alphie sent us this one: NYPD Warns Of Homegrown Terror Threat

Daniel C. mentioned that a PDF of the book The Alpha Strategy by John Pugsley is now available for free download. (This is the key book that I mentioned in the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course.) I highly recommend Pugsley’s book, which is considered a classic in preparedness circles. It was one of my main influences when I first formulated my investment strategy, back in my late teens. I owe Pugsley the credit for the many useful tangibles that are stacked on the shelves down in Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR). Many of those items were …

Joe P. sent us a link to this news story (by way of The Drudge Report): Prices for key foods are rising sharply. Speaking of food price increases, I heard from the folks that run Best Prices Storable Foods (aka The Internet Grocer) that they will make significant price increases on the 23rd of August. If you have been thinking about ordering, place your order by August 21st to get the current pricing. It is noteworthy that storage food price hikes typically don’t occur until the end of each calendar year. This year, however, the wholesale foodstuffs costs and shipping …

Felix D. mentioned an interesting piece over at The Discerning Texan blog: The Coming Age of Urban Terror   o o o Our colleague Bill Bonner, co-editor of The Daily Reckoning notes that “Bank Owned” is the latest real estate brochure newspeak to describe foreclosed houses.    o o o Frequent contributor Michael Z. Williamson notes that there is a nifty new development that may revolutionize lubricants in the near future: Boric acid nanoparticles.

Aside from some overtly political Quote of the Day blog entries, I do my best to downplay political issues in SurvivalBlog. This is primarily because the blog has an international readership. (After all, what interest would someone in France or Indonesia have in American politics, any more than I would have an interest in theirs?) But I do make an exception for the border control issue. Clearly, lax border security could be the modus operandi for terrorists, possibly with weapons of mass destruction. So that makes this political issue also a survival issue! If you are concerned about border security, …

Courtesy of SHTF Daily: Israeli website causes panic in NY. I’ve warned SurvivalBlog readers before: The DEBKA files material is predominantly gray propaganda that originates from the Russian Federalnaya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti (FSB).   o o o Reader J.D. recommended this vendor for knives: The Outlaw Knife Shop. I haven’t done business with them yet, but they seem to have a great inventory!    o o o I’ve been told that there are just a couple sets left for the outstanding Medical Corps “Medical Response in Hostile Environments” field medicine course. It will be held on August 24-25-26 at the Ohio …

Russell suggested this article on The Nightmare German Inflation (circa 1922-1924) You will note some strong similarities to the hyperinflation in present-day Zimbabwe, as described by Cathy Buckle. And, BTW, if the Federal Reserve over-reacts to the current credit crunch, they could crash the US dollar, too.   o o o Dave S. recommended a web page at the C. Crane radio web site, on preparedness.    o o o Frequent contributor Ben L. sent this: Fifty percent of U.K. drivers cannot read a map. If you find your family’s map reading skills lacking then spend a few weekends orienteering. …

Ken M. sent us this: The US Banking/Derivatives Contagion Spreads Still Further: BNP Paribas (France’s Biggest Bank0 Freezes Funds as Loan Losses Roil Markets   o o o Christopher D. recommended a site with simple instructions on rain barrels.   o o o Hawaiian K. flagged this useful article: Top 100 Items to Disappear First in a National Emergency    o o o Adam M. sent us the link for this photographer’s tour of a civil nuclear fallout shelter, beneath Lucerne, Switzerland. I wish that the U.S. had a real civil defense system (like Switzerland’s), instead of just printing pamphlets …

Tom at CometGold.com sent us the link to this “must see” video clip: Charlie Rose interviewed two journalists about debt securities, the sub-prime debacle, and the emerging liquidity crisis. New York Times scribe Floyd Norris described the recent wave of margin calls on debt securities as “the functional equivalent of a run on the bank.” Katherine Burton of Bloomberg News admitted that the credit crunch will “go on for a long time.” In related news, don’t miss this news story from Reuters: Central banks move to calm panicky money markets. This isn’t just a traditional credit squeeze, folks. This is …

By way of SHTF Daily: Minneapolis bridge disaster draws attention to neglect of U.S. infrastructure   o o o David D. recommended this article on some medicinal uses of honey    o o o Hawaiian K. sent us this: The Incapacitating Flashlight–An LED flashlight makes culprits vomit. If police start to use these, I can predict lawsuits from epileptics.    o o o Thanks to SHTF Daily for posting this piece from Bloomberg: U.K.’s Subprime Crisis May Be Worse Than U.S.’s

HikerLT, DAV, and Mark B. all forwarded this gem (by way of the Drudge Report) from The Daily Telegraph: China threatens ‘nuclear option’ of dollar sales. Mark’s comment: “This is why trade deficits are a strategic and political liability! The American people have virtually put their economic future and well being in the hands of the Chi-coms!”   o o o Chris S. sent us a news story link that illustrates the signs of the times: Lead stolen from church roofs to ship to China   o o o I have updated my Links page with a new section on …

SurvivalBlog reader Chuck accurately notes that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is in a predicament. At this juncture the Fed can neither raise nor lower interest rates without powerful macro level repercussions. Chuck mentioned that Mad Money host Jim Cramer made a passionate plea to Ben Bernanke to consider cutting interest rates that would in turn help the market and the people who are losing their jobs on Wall Street. More liquidity via lower interest rates might mean a brief respite for the battered US residential real estate market as well as the equities markets. But if Mr. Bernanke lowers …