March 2011
204 posts
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Health officials track measles exposure at four... →
(Reuters) - Health officials said on Monday they have launched a cross-country measles watch for anyone who might have been exposed to a contagious airline passenger who traveled through four major U.S. airports.
The 27-year-old New Mexico woman, who was not immunized against measles, arrived from Europe and was in airports in Virginia, Maryland, Colorado and New Mexico from February 20...
February 2011
212 posts
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Excellent Survivalist Resource - CD3WD Archives... →
Dave Drager - The world economy has collapsed. There is no internet or Wikipedia. How do you rebuild society?
CD3WD is a site built by programmer Alex Weir that’s meant to help spur the improvement of the infrastructure of third world nations by giving them first-world technology and knowledge for free.
Everything from agriculture to technology is addressed in its roughly 4 DVDs...
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Food prices could reach 2008 level: USDA | Reuters →
U.S. consumers could see food costs spiking to levels seen during the food crisis of 2008 as higher commodity and energy prices force companies to raise prices on products lining grocery store shelves, the Agriculture Department said on Thursday.
Food prices are forecast to rise a sharp 3.5 percent this year — nearly double the overall inflation rate. The lion’s share of the...
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Rising Oil Prices Pose the Latest Threat To U.S.... →
The outlook is cheery. lol
If the recent rise in oil prices sticks, it will most likely slow a growth rate that is already too sluggish to produce many jobs in this country. Some economists are predicting that oil prices, just above $97 a barrel on Thursday, could be sustained well above $100 a barrel, a benchmark.
Even if energy costs don’t rise higher, lingering uncertainty over the ...
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Wisconsin troopers seek AWOL senators →
The Senate convened Thursday just long enough to take a roll call, which allows for the sergeant-at-arms staff to go to missing lawmakers’ homes with police.
Troopers went to multiple homes but left after finding no one, Sergeant-at-Arms Ted Blazel said.
Wisconsin law does not allow police to arrest the lawmakers, but Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said he hoped...
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Deaths of baby dolphins worry scientists - CNN.com →
Baby bottlenose dolphins are washing up dead in record numbers on the shores of Alabama and Mississippi, alarming scientists and a federal agency charged with monitoring the health of the Gulf of Mexico.
Moby Solangi, the executive director of the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS) in Gulfport, Mississippi, said Thursday he’s never seen such high death numbers.
...
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Rolling Stone: Army manipulated visiting US... →
Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, is ordering an investigation into a scathing Rolling Stone magazine report that says the Army ordered soldiers trained in “psychological operations” to manipulate visiting lawmakers to secure more troops and funding for the war, the military said Thursday.
A lieutenant colonel told the magazine that a military team at ...
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“NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — The Providence Public School Department sent layoff...”
– Providence teachers receive layoff notices in budget crunch - Feb. 23, 2011
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"OMG the end is nigh, here come the marauders!" -...
I read a LOT of Survival blogs, lurk and participate on a variety of prepper/survivalist forums, and conduct daily environmental scans of a wide range of political, economic, and financial websites.
The tenor and trends in comments on the site often depends on the authors perspectives and point of view with like-minded folk being drawn to the content that best fits their own worldview....
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Iraq War Facts and Statistics →
mohandasgandhi:
About $900 billion of US taxpayers’ funds has been spent or approved for spending through November 2010. $9 billion of this money is lost or unaccounted for, as per ABC News.
Congressional Research Service puts the cost of deploying one U.S. soldier for one year in Iraq as $390,000
As of Nov 30, 2010, there were a total 47,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. All other Nations have...
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The Rich Spend while the Poor Starve - Luxury... →
I listen to Marketplace every day on my drive home. I head this story tonight and was struck by what seemed an obvious point, although it was not highlighted so much in the story.
Luxury spending is booming while discount stores report losses. The lower and middle classes aren’t spending money while the rich buy Gucci.
This seems to me to show that while the poor suffer the rich continue...
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Extreme temperature swings fuel fears for wheat |... →
When so much depends on the whims of Mother Nature, I think we’ll continue to see swings in the commodities markets. Not that I’m an expert or anything. #armchaireconomist
WICHITA, Kan. — This week’s warm spell has raised fears the winter wheat crop in Kansas will break its dormancy and start to come up early, only to be struck by another severe freeze. After temperatures fell...
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CTV News | Libyan unrest helps trigger drop in... →
Who do you believe? Some reports say it’s getting better, and others say there is still much to fear. Risk aversion is driving the change in investing from commodities to oil it seems. However, all of the hopes being hung on good growing weather leave me little solace. With the weather we’ve seen in the past few years, and in 2010 in particular, I’d predict more adverse weather...
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Heard on the Street: A Wheat Warning from China -... →
This story definitely contradicts the Bloomberg premise that wheat is going back down.
Global food prices hardly need another reason to rise. But talk that China may have to increase wheat imports again this year due to poor harvests has added to market jitters, with wheat prices this month around 2½-year highs. Like so many other commodity markets, those for grains may have to get used to a...
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Commodities fluctuate amid Middle East Crisis -... →
Wheat fell for a third day in its biggest collapse since 2008 and rice fell as traders speculated that riots in North Africa and the Middle East will curb demand from regions buying 32 percent of global shipments.
Wheat, rice, corn and soybeans fell by the most allowed by the Chicago Board of Trade yesterday as violence escalated in Libya. Leaders were already toppled this year in Tunisia and...
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Planet could be 'unrecognizable' by 2050, experts... →
WASHINGTON (AFP) – A growing, more affluent population competing for ever scarcer resources could make for an “unrecognizable” world by 2050, researchers warned at a major US science conference Sunday.
The United Nations has predicted the global population will reach seven billion this year, and climb to nine billion by 2050, “with almost all of the growth occurring in...
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THE IMAGINARY MANDATE - ginandtacos.com →
The most casual participant in the political process knows exactly what they will get when they vote for and elect Tea Party types and the more extreme right Republicans in general. No, he never came out and said “Hey, I’m gonna ream you public employees so hard you won’t walk right for years!” on the campaign trail.
He might even have said a lot of sweet sounding things...
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Christchurch quake: What you need to do when a... →
* Expect aftershocks. Each time one is felt, drop, cover, and hold on. * Check yourself first for injuries and get first aid if necessary before helping injured or trapped persons. * Assess your home or workplace for damage. If the building appears unsafe get everyone out. Use the stairs, not an elevator and when outside, watch out for fallen power lines or broken gas lines. Stay out of...
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California Disaster scenario highlighted - San... →
One more reason you couldn’t Pay me to move to the west coast.
YUCAIPA - Although most Californians picture a devastating earthquake when they think of a natural disaster, massive flooding is just as much of a danger, according to a recent scientific presentation.
A presentation on the ARkStorm scenario, a disaster simulation, was given Friday at the Yucaipa Community Center.
Lucy...
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Mean Street: Pray For a U.S. Bond Crisis - Deal... →
Here’s one guy wishing for the default on the national debt to just go ahead and happen. Let the Shit Hit the Fan he says. :) Not likely to happen this way, but if it ever did it would be ugly.
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Why Treasury Bonds Aren't the Safe Investment You... →
Some staggering numbers in this report.
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Brazil may be heading for a subprime crisis -... →
Please respect FT.com’s ts&cs and copyright policy which allow you to: share links; copy content for personal use; & redistribute limited extracts. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights or use this link to reference the article - http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/eca47380-3dc4-11e0-ae2a-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1EexsWAZl For consumers specifically, the ramifications are...
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Opposing viewpoint on China using debt to... →
Reuters is out with a big story on some new WikiLeaks cables that purport to show how China flexed its muscle to influence US policy during the crisis.
The subtext is this: If you thought the Chinese had us over a barrel, you’re right, they do!
We’re not so sure.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/truth-about-wikileaks-china-cables-2011-2#ixzz1Eew2H0Jl
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Yuan reform pace remains 'unchanged' -... →
Since the global financial crisis, major economies including China and Russia have called for less dependence on the US dollar in international trade and investment, and accelerated steps to promote their own currencies on a global basis.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy came up with an ambitious agenda to reform the de facto US dollar-dominated global monetary regime and wanted to put the...
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Two Perspectives on a Trade War with China
Proponent
Is it time for a trade war with China?
A trade war could result in impacts on our lifestyle very nearly as profound as restrictions on the oil flowing from the Middle East.
From the cheap products we buy at Wal-Mart to the municipal bonds that Chinese investors purchase, we are deeply intertwined with their economy.
Opposition to a more aggressive trade stance would also be...
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AFP: WikiLeak Cables show China used debt holdings... →
WASHINGTON — Leaked diplomatic cables vividly show China’s willingness to translate its massive holdings of US debt into political influence on issues ranging from Taiwan’s sovereignty to Washington’s financial policy.
China’s clout — gleaned from its nearly $900 billion stack of US debt — has been widely commented on in the United States, but sensitive...
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South Korea plans on building grain reserve -... →
South Korea is looking to build a strategic grain reserve and is planning to buy cargoes of corn and other staples, joining similar efforts by other Asian nations worried about high food prices and social unrest.
The reserve would be for grains other than rice, such as wheat and corn, and total about 12 percent of annual consumption.
Spiraling food prices, which have leapt to two-year...
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Rise of fuel, commodity prices mean double hit for... →
For now, Ingham said, the increases in inflation shouldn’t be enough to cause a severe drop in economic activity. However, if inflation rises to more than 3 percent there will be a detectable decrease in the economy, he explained.
“An inflation spike that is a short-term phenomenon is not terribly damaging to the economy,” he said. “If it stays that way, then, yes...
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Christchurch earthquake: 'Dead bodies lying... →
Simply horrible. My heart goes out to them. Reading this article is like watching one of the disaster movies; so many horrible things happening and everyone in shock. There’s much more that I didn’t include here. Read the full story.
Residents are reporting bodies lying in the streets of Christchurch following this afternoon’s magnitude 6.3 earthquake.
Police said...
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World Bank: Food Is Getting Really Expensive -... →
The prices of cotton, wheat and most other commodities are on the rise according to the World Bank. Combine that with New York rents and massive unemployment and you have a “perfect storm,” says Joel Berg of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger. One Inwood resident said, “I will stop buying products when they get too expensive. It’s getting too expensive to live in...
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Record U.S. Cattle, Hog Prices Seen on Shrinking... →
Feb. 21 (Bloomberg) — U.S. livestock prices may reach records in the next two quarters as farmers reduce herds while China imports the most pork since at least 1992 and the largest amount of beef in three years, according to Societe Generale.
World food prices rose 28 percent in the past year, reaching a record in January, according to the United Nations.
Wholesale pork, up 29 percent...
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Nations May Expand Food Stockpiles, Subsidies,... →
Wheat climbed to $9.1675 a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade on Feb. 14, the highest price since August 2008, and has surged 71 percent the past year. That compares with a 95 percent gain for corn and a 44 percent jump in soybeans. Sugar prices have doubled since the end of May. There is no U.S. grain trade today due to a public holiday.
Global wheat harvests may trail demand for a second...
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Farmers Fail to Meet Demand as Corn Stockpiles... →
It continues to worsen. 2011 is going to be an interesting year to say the least.
Feb. 22 (Bloomberg) — The smallest corn inventories in 37 years are a sign farmers around the globe are failing to produce enough grain to meet rising consumption, even as planting expands and food prices surge.
Growers from Canada to Russia boosted annual output of wheat, rice and feed grain by 16 percent...
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N.Z. quake causes massive damage, many deaths in... →
Here’s a great ticker update page about the quake in NZ. When it comes to prepping, this is a great example of what to prepare for and what the results would be like.
Updated at 9 p.m. ET: All flights have been grounded in New Zealand while officials assess the national air-traffic control system in Christchurch, the New Zealand Press Association reports. Planes are landing, however.
...
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Painful price: Muskegon job-hunter takes New... →
This story captures the essence of what it’s like trying to survive for the average American today. THIS is modern urban survivalism.
Folks without healthcare, in need, striving to do the best they can, and coming up against walls at every turn.
They aren’t leeching off of the system - the system of so-called “entitlements” is there to provide a safety net for people...
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Here's and Oldie but a Goodie from the Katrina... →
Across New Orleans, active-duty soldiers, National Guard members and local law enforcement agencies from across the country continued door-to-door searches by patrol car, Humvee, helicopter and boat, urging remaining residents to leave.
Maj. Gen. James Ron Mason of the Kansas National Guard, who commands about 25,000 Guard troops in and around New Orleans, said his forces had rescued 687...
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Coffee prices hit 14-year high on commodities... →
Coffee futures have doubled in the last year, closing at $2.46 per pound on Thursday. That’s the highest price since May 1997, when coffee was trading at $3.20 per pound.
“It is sad but true that higher coffee prices will be passed off to the consumer,” said Hector Galvan, a senior trader at RJO Futures. “Some imagine this just as inflation, but it is a combination of...
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Restaurants see produce prices soar amid freeze | ... →
Dozens of Southern California restaurants are facing double-digit increases in wholesale prices of lettuce and tomatoes because supplies are so tight. At least one fast-food chain – Wendy’s – has been telling customers that they’ll only serve tomatoes on request.
“We are now serving tomatoes on our hamburgers and chicken sandwiches, upon request only,” Wendy’s...
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China Appears to Have Committed "Unprecedented"... →
sources have told Canada’s leading news network, CBC, that the attacks were traced to servers in China [report]. They add that the attack took at least two major government departmental sites offline and gained highly confidential classified information off government servers.
The attacks may be largely financially motivated. While it is tempting to think that China’s cyber-assault...
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Tea Party Crashes: The Most UnPatriotic Act →
This is an excerpt from an article by Susan Lindauer, a US Intelligence Asset who gave advance warning to the government about the 9/11 attack and was arrested under the Patriot Act and detained in a military prison for a year for her troubles.
The American people are not nearly as frightened as they should be. Many Americans expect the Patriot Act to limit its surveillance to overseas...
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'Solar Katrina' Could Blindside Us - Aug 18 - 2010 →
(NEWSER) – America is woefully underprepared for a looming natural disaster with the potential to be much worse than Hurricane Katrina, warns disaster expert Lawrence E. Joseph. Scientists believe a solar storm of a size not seen since 1921 is likely to hit the earth after solar activity picks up in 2012, sending out an electromagnetic pulse that could fry transformers and put electricity grids...
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The Canadian Press: French ag minister says food... →
France’s Agriculture Minister Bruno Le Maire warns that food riots are inevitable if developed nations don’t find long-term solutions to spiraling world commodity prices.
Le Maire, visiting for talks before a gathering of G20 agriculture ministers in Paris in June, said Thursday that costs are soaring because barely enough food is being produced for the world’s people.
Le...
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Food Riots Threaten Latin America on Surging... →
The world faces a “real risk” of a food crisis as agriculture-commodity prices climb, increasing the likelihood of riots in developing countries, French Agricultural Minister Bruno Le Maire said earlier this month. Rising prices have pushed 44 million more people into “extreme” poverty indeveloping countries since June, the World Bank estimates.
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China Says Drought Won’t Affect Global Food Prices... →
Hmmm, I’ll have to see this to believe it. I lack trust in my own government, I have none at all for China.
China has “abundant” grain reserves to meet demand and the current drought won’t affect international food prices, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ma Zhaoxu told reporters in Beijing today.
“The recent drought may have some impact on the winter wheat production,” Ma said. “But...
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Global Food Price Spike Adding to Civil Unrest,... →
A record high price in many food staples is pushing millions into poverty and contributing to unrest in countries like Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen, World Bank President Robert Zoellick said this week.
In January, global food prices hit their highest point in the 20 years since the United Nations first started tracking the cost of food. The spike in prices has pushed about 44 million...
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Prepare first for small scale, local emergencies... →
I had to wait to get into work recently because of a gas leak that stopped traffic in several places. What would YOU do if an explosion this big popped off around you?
This is a perfect example of a local emergency or disaster that might require a short term relocation or bug-out.
Make sure you get plans in place for small scale local emergencies before you even start worrying about the high...
