Category: Odds ‘n Sods

Reader “Hawaiian K.” mentioned this article on a sub-prime mortgage woes in Britain. K’s comment: “We have a tendency to think of the sub-prime meltdown as being an American phenomenon when it’s happening in Great Britain too.”   o o o It’s not even vaguely related to survival or preparedness, but I found this news story weird, wacky, and wonderful: Oregon man takes lawn chair up to 13,000 feet, travels 193 miles    o o o Sounds like something out of one of those survivalist novels: Desperate times in Zimbabwe – A country at the end of its tether. You …

More than 50,000 turkeys on a farm west of Mount Jackson, Virginia tested positive for Avian Flu antibodies. It is a less virulent strain than H5N1, but still cause for concern.   o o o By way of SHTF Daily: US mortgage problem fears spark sell-off. Mark my words: A credit collapse could trigger a major recession or perhaps a depression. This is your last chance to sell off any rental or “spec” properties. Get out now, before it is too late. Ditto for stocks. The chain reaction has most likely begun. The real estate collapse is the precursor of …

Nuclear alert by ex-head of MI5: The article begins: “More than 100 suspects are awaiting trial in British courts for terrorist offences – a figure unprecedented in modern criminal history – Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller, the former spy chief, has revealed. Dame Eliza: ‘They may attempt a chemical, biological, radiological or even nuclear attack’ Britain is a centre of intense plotting and faces a terrorist threat of ‘unprecedented scale, ambition and ruthlessness’. In a stark warning for the future, Dame Eliza added: ‘It remains a very real possibility that they may, sometime, somewhere attempt a chemical biological, radiological or even nuclear …

More on the unfolding derivatives debacle: The $300 Trillion Time Bomb   o o o Mark sent us this news article link: Mass Zimbabwe arrests over prices. Mark’s comment: “Note that today [in Zimbabwe] a single banana cost more than a four bedroom house did in 2000.”    o o o David V. recommended this history article from Alaska that has a some applicability to retreat provisioning: Black River Trapper: Fred Thomas    o o o From Gold-Eagle.com, Gary Dorsch, Editor of Global Money Trends (by way of SHTF Daily): Global Exodus From The US Dollar In Motion. The article …

Remember that there are now just three days remaining for the $500 Interceptor Body Armor (IBA) vest special from BulletProofME.com. July 12th is the deadline. Anyone who has shopped for body armor knows what a great deal $500 is for a new Interceptor vest. Don’t miss out on this deal.   o o o Reader Andy L. mentioned an article about the ultimate in privacy for retreats: Your own island in the Bahamas.    o o o MP noticed this editorial in a Seattle, Washington newspaper: Disaster’s coming: Get ready. MP’s comment: “Sure, 10 days is still a bit weak …

I recommend market watcher John’s Mauldin’s astute observations on the derivatives implosion and the tremendous downside risk in sub-prime Collateralized Debt Obligation (CDO) trading, titled “Where is the Real Risk in the Subprime Debacle?” It can be found in this PDF. (BTW, I highly recommend subscribing to John’s free weekly E-letter.) Meanwhile, Bloomberg has more news on troubled derivatives: United Capital’s Devaney Halts Hedge Fund Withdrawals   o o o Commodities market signs of the times: Keg Thefts Rise with Metals Prices, and Power line theft leaves South Africa in dark    o o o From a recent Daily Reckoning …

Novelist Michael Z. Williamson sent us a link to a PDF on Combat Loads in Afghanistan. Mike’s comments: “It shows march, approach and combat loads of troops in Afghanistan, for reference for building bug out bags. Obviously, a civilian bag will be lighter on batteries and ammo, and heavier on food, water and shelter. But this is a handy reference for comparison.”   o o o A pointed history lesson from the Von Mises Institute: Inflation and the French Revolution–The Story of a Monetary Catastrophe    o o o From The Chicago Tribune: Layoff fears part of ‘new normal’ — …

Surprise, surprise: Retail Food Prices Jump Five Percent in 2nd Quarter We also read Consumers paying higher food prices as corn prices soar , and Biofuel demands keeps agricultural prices high, OECD-FAO report    o o o Some strange summer weather in London, England.    o o o Our friend Tom at CometGold.com recommended this article: Cioffi’s Hero-to-Villain Hedge Funds Masked Bear Peril in CDOs. Tom’s comment: ” ‘Move along, nothing to see here…’ (Insert footage of Detective Frank Drummond from Police Squad! standing in front of an exploding fireworks factory).”

Remember that there is now just one week remaining for the $500 Interceptor Body Armor (IBA) vest special from BulletProofME.com. July 12th is the deadline. Anyone who has shopped for body armor knows what a great deal $500 is for a new Interceptor vest. Don’t miss out on this deal. OBTW, I recently received another recommendation for the company: ” I thought you would like some more feedback on your new advertiser, BulletProofME.com. After extensive searching for a vest supplier last year I bought one from BulletProofME.com. Because I had never purchased a vest before I had a lot of …

From ABC News (by way of Matt Drudge): Secret Document: U.S. Fear that a Terror “Spectacular’ is Planned for this Summer    o o o Adam in Ohio sent us a link to an animated cartoon on YouTube, about Post-Peak Oil Preparedness. Adam’s comment: “It’s too close to reality for most of us.”   o o o Commentary from securities market analyst Tony Jackson: Myth that could undermine credit derivatives.    o o o I just heard that JRH Enterprises (one of our most loyal advertisers) has on sale a couple of scarce original PVS-14 Gen-3 night vision units, normally …

“T” recommended this article on “Chameleon” weapons, over at Noah’s DefenseTech blog.OBTW, the comments that follow the article include some interesting links.   o o o RBS sent us this unusual survival story: Man survives after nearly being sucked out of plane    o o o Rob at Green Mountain Gear mentioned that he currently has a special on HK91/G3 Alloy magazines in new, unissued condition. Rob notes: “Some of them might have slight handling marks from moving around the world over the years. The first 20rnd magazines I pulled look simply awesome! Hit them with a little degreaser and …

The book currently at the top of my reading stack is: “Bulletproof: A History of Armored Cars and the Colorful Characters Who Ran Them, Rode Them, and Sometimes Robbed Them”, by James L. Dunbar and Robert Grant Kingwell. A fascinating book to read, but a bit expensive to buy for a personal collection, and not likely to be used as a reference. So try to get a copy through your local library, as I did. (Here in the hinterboonies my family takes full advantage of the inter-library loan system.)   o o o Rourke sent us a link to a …

One of my heroes is is economist John Mauldin. He publishes a free e-newsletter that I consider a “must read” for anyone that closely follows investing and economics issues. In his most recent “E-Letter”, John commented on the Bear Stearns sub-prime debacle (That I’ve also discussed.) Here is a quote:”The Center for Responsible Lending estimates that 2.2 million borrowers who got subprime loans since 1998 either have lost or will lose their homes through foreclosure over the next few years. This includes one of every five borrowers who got subprime loans in 2005-06, a default rate unmatched in the history …

An article published in The Lancet confirms that taking the herbal remedy echinacea can reduce the risk of catching a common cold by 58%   o o o By way of Matt Drudge come this news story from Florida: How do you prepare for “a bolt from the blue”? (Florida is the nation’s lightning strike capital.)   o o o Remember that there are now less than two weeks remaining for the $500 Interceptor Body Armor (IBA) vest special from BulletProofME.com. July 12th is the deadline. Anyone who has shopped for body armor knows what a great deal $500 is …

I got a note from the Western Rifle Shooters Association today. They’ve offered a free scholarship to the first 10 SurvivalBlog readers who send an e-mail to westernshooters@gmail.com with the word “SurvivalBlog” in the subject line, for their upcoming Kooskia, Idaho shoot/clinic on July 7-8. All they ask is that if you say you are going to be there, be there. (Don’t take a place and then not show.)   o o o Reader Tim. L. mentioned that Dr. Hans F. Sennholz (whom I quoted yesterday) passed on to the great reward on June 23rd. He was a great Austrian …