Category: Odds ‘n Sods

Brian H. sent us a link to this article about NBC shelters in Germany: Bunkers in vogue in as cold war fears rise   o o o There is an interesting thread of discussion over at The Claire Files Forums about precious metals investing. OBTW, this thread was started on April 23rd, when spot gold was at $687 per ounce. Gold is presently around $656. So I think that it would now be a good time to buy. (As I often say: “in a bull market, buy on the dips.”) My prediction for gold is somewhere north of $2,000 per …

As if things couldn’t get any worse in Zimbabwe, the latest estimate is that the annual currency inflation rate could reach 24,136% by December. This quote from the article reminds me of accounts of the hyperinflation in Weimar Germany: “This weekend bread prices rose again, to Zim$20,000 per loaf. At the beginning of the week, one loaf was selling for around $9,500.” The exchange rate to the US Dollar is now approaching Zim$65,000 to USD$1. I’ve said it before (and hopefully I won’t have to say it again): Comrade Mugabe and his band of fools must go!   o o …

Chuck alerted us to this piece of commentary from Eugene Linden, published by Business Week: From Peak Oil To Dark Age?   o o o S.F. in Hawaii mentioned that he found a Wikipedia page on Olduvai Theory, which ties in to Peak Oil.    o o o I heard from SurvivalBlog reader “BVance” that the James Wesley Rawles Wikipedia article has been flagged for lack of notability–mainly because it lacks references. The gent that wrote the original wiki entry is currently deployed in Afghanistan and tells me that he has just sporadic Internet access and hence doesn’t have the …

Four readers all sent me this same link: World oil supplies are set to run out faster than expected, warn scientists   o o o Reader RBS recommended this book excerpt article: The Ethic of the Peddler Class, by Frank Chodorov    o o o “Alfie Omega”, KonTiki, and Hawaiian K. all sent the link to this recent article at the Jeff Rense web site: Lowest Food Supplies In 50-100 Years    o o o Losing it All: Home Foreclosures Reach Record Levels

Because so many readers of SurvivalBlog are interested in establishing survival retreats, I’m in the process of setting up a new SurvivalBlog”sibling” web site that will feature survival retreat real estate listings. These will be both For Sale By Owner (FSBO) and from licensed real estate agents, worldwide. If you have a retreat property for sale, or know of someone that does, here is the deal: To get my new survival real estate web site off to a fast start with a lot property ads, I am offering free two month advertisements for the first 25 sellers that respond. Just …

FBI Director Robert S. Mueller says that it is only a matter of time and economics before terrorists will be able to purchase nuclear weapons.   o o o May home foreclosures up 19 percent: RealtyTrac    o o o Frequent contributor Michael Z. Williamson sent us this food for thought: A map with US states renamed for countries with similar GDP.

UN envoy Terje Roed-Larsen warns that middle east ‘may see full-scale war’   o o o #1 Son has uploaded a list of the members of the House Natural Resources National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands subcommittee, and their office phone numbers and addresses. Please write to them and ask them to table HR 1975, the “Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act”.    o o o Denver, Colorado is considering taxing heavy electricity and gas consumers to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions.

From Chris Hedges: What if our mercenaries turn on us?   o o o Matt Playne e-mailed me to mention PeakOilChat.com, a non-profit site dedicated to real time, web based IRC (Internet Relay Chat) discussion on the impact of the peak in world oil production, consequences, economics, depletion scenarios, permaculture, survival, self sufficiency and more. It is not a forum.    o o o India developing an e-bomb

James in Pennsylvania found a link to the Tearfund International Learning Zone (TILZ) that has some interesting publications. His comment: ” Take a look at the technology section of Footsteps 21. Lots of practical information.:   o o o The PC crowd finds survivalists too “negative”    o o o Half of China on flood alert as rainstorms plague millions

JLM sent us the link to this Washington Post article: Switching To Biofuels Could Cost Lots of Green   o o o MWR flagged this article: Drought now covering more than one-third of the continental USA.    o o o CountryTek e-mailed us with a reference to a piece about a method discovered by MIT researchers for the wireless transmission of electrical power via materials resonance. His comment: “So far, they’ve been able to power a 60 watt bulb from about seven feet away. This non-technical article doesn’t talk about transmission efficiency, but the implications are huge.”

As noted at NewsMax.com: Al-Qaeda’s American Recruit Releases Something Entirely New   o o o The “Where’s he Fence?” anti-illegal immigrant amnesty campaign picks up speed. Meanwhile, the immigration bill (including an amnesty provision) is stalled in the Senate. Could they be feeling the heat and seeing the light?    o o o A Canadian Member of Front Sight Purchases 100 Lifetime Memberships for Deserving US Marines

“Yabba-dabba-do!” Hawaiian K. forwarded us a link about some transportation improvisation in Prague. (The intact bark makes me think that this was a prank rather than an economy measure.)   o o o Simon in England sent us this gem from the British press: a serving soldier (Private Christopher Trussler) has been charged with the illegal possession and sale of ammunition in late May. The private’s arrest followed “a three-month investigation.” His arrest followed an operation into the sale of 9mm ammunition in the Chichester area of West Sussex. The Metropolitan Police said the move followed a “proactive intelligence-led investigation …

There is an interesting thread of discussion on caching in progress over at The Claire Files.   o o o The recent mention of the Kill-a-Watt power meter prompted reader RBS to send us a link to a discount supplier on the Internet.    o o o Peter Schiff comments on the economy, at Gold-Eagle.

President Bush Defends Missile Defense Shield   o o o DHS Wants Cell Phones to Detect Chemical, Radioactive Material    o o o Global Warming: They call this a consensus?

Kurt mentioned a video with a very good practical demonstration of a Faraday cage suit.   o o o Reader M.P. found a web site for a company that makes a potable water storage bladder insert that fits in most bathtubs.    o o o Rob at Green Mountain Gear reports that deliveries are continuing on the SurvivalBlog Group Buy for M16 30 round magazines. Because of delays by the manufacturer, they still haven’t received all of the thousands of magazines that were ordered. But rest assured that they are being shipped as soon Green Mountain Gear receives each batch, …