by FerFAL
One common mistake among people that are into survival and disaster preparedness is associating military operation procedures, the mental attitude, the gear involved and the tactics applies to tasks in the civil world during hard times.
It is easy to find lots of examples, cases where people clearly don’t understand the difference as well as they should.
Read More:
http://www.themodernsurvivalist.com/?p=700
Monday, June 13, 2011
How To Build A Blackout Kit
By Aaron Frankel
If a blackout or emergency arises in the middle of the night, will you be prepared? Outages that leave you in the dark can be extremely disruptive and dangerous. Aside from outfitting your home with a generator, one of the best things you can do to mitigate issues that arise during a blackout is to put together a Blackout Kit.
What Is A Blackout Survival Kit
A Blackout Kit loosely defined is a collection of items to help you through an emergency situation in the home. They are commonly referred to as Blackout Kits because you are most likely to need one, well, in a blackout.
What Blackout Kits allow you to do is keep a small cache of helpful items in a strategic location that can be quickly and easily gotten to. What kind of items go in a Blackout Kit? Items like flashlights, emergency tools, anything that would be useful in the event of an emergency.
Blackout Kits should be stored in easily accessible places and everyone that resides in your house should be made aware of their placement and contents. Keeping them low makes them accessible in fires and to children old enough to use the contents.
Add a Hatchet or small Pry Bar. Either of these tools will aid you in creating an escape should you become trapped.
Blackout Kits, aren’t just for power outages. They can save you a lot of grief and avert emergencies. With a limited number of supplies you can handle a lot of situations. Whichever items you choose to flesh out your kit with, please consider them carefully. Your well-being could very well depend on any one of the contents.
http://www.intherabbithole.com/blackout-kit-how-to-build/
If a blackout or emergency arises in the middle of the night, will you be prepared? Outages that leave you in the dark can be extremely disruptive and dangerous. Aside from outfitting your home with a generator, one of the best things you can do to mitigate issues that arise during a blackout is to put together a Blackout Kit.
What Is A Blackout Survival Kit
A Blackout Kit loosely defined is a collection of items to help you through an emergency situation in the home. They are commonly referred to as Blackout Kits because you are most likely to need one, well, in a blackout.
What Blackout Kits allow you to do is keep a small cache of helpful items in a strategic location that can be quickly and easily gotten to. What kind of items go in a Blackout Kit? Items like flashlights, emergency tools, anything that would be useful in the event of an emergency.
Blackout Kits should be stored in easily accessible places and everyone that resides in your house should be made aware of their placement and contents. Keeping them low makes them accessible in fires and to children old enough to use the contents.
Add a Hatchet or small Pry Bar. Either of these tools will aid you in creating an escape should you become trapped.
Blackout Kits, aren’t just for power outages. They can save you a lot of grief and avert emergencies. With a limited number of supplies you can handle a lot of situations. Whichever items you choose to flesh out your kit with, please consider them carefully. Your well-being could very well depend on any one of the contents.
http://www.intherabbithole.com/blackout-kit-how-to-build/
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Did gas prices cause the bad news on jobs?
By STEPHEN F. HAYES
After struggling to come up with an explanation that doesn't admit a policy failure, the White House seems to have settled on an answer to questions about what led to the grim unemployment numbers last week: Gas prices. The president said the other day that the latest jobs numbers are a "blip" caused by "headwinds" facing the U.S. economy—the "most prominent" of those headwinds comes from "gas prices." It's an argument that certainly fits with the administration's political case against oil companies. Is it true?
One problem: After four consecutive months of increases, gas prices went down in May. (See here.) In January, the average self-serve price rose from a little over $3.00 per gallon to $3.15. In February, it rose from $3.15 to $3.55. In March, it spiked from $3.55 to almost $3.80. In April prices went from $3.80 to nearly $3.95. In May, however, gas prices declined—from about $3.95 to $3.77. So if rising gas prices were truly the cause of additional unemployment, we would have seen these problems show up earlier this year. We didn't. In each of the four preceding months, the economy added near or above 200,000 jobs—despite gas prices rising quickly. And then in May, when gas prices fell, the economy added just 54,000 jobs. So the best month of the year on gas prices (at least in terms of trends) was the worst month of the year for jobs.
So the president's explanation doesn't work.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/what-gas_573985.html
After struggling to come up with an explanation that doesn't admit a policy failure, the White House seems to have settled on an answer to questions about what led to the grim unemployment numbers last week: Gas prices. The president said the other day that the latest jobs numbers are a "blip" caused by "headwinds" facing the U.S. economy—the "most prominent" of those headwinds comes from "gas prices." It's an argument that certainly fits with the administration's political case against oil companies. Is it true?
One problem: After four consecutive months of increases, gas prices went down in May. (See here.) In January, the average self-serve price rose from a little over $3.00 per gallon to $3.15. In February, it rose from $3.15 to $3.55. In March, it spiked from $3.55 to almost $3.80. In April prices went from $3.80 to nearly $3.95. In May, however, gas prices declined—from about $3.95 to $3.77. So if rising gas prices were truly the cause of additional unemployment, we would have seen these problems show up earlier this year. We didn't. In each of the four preceding months, the economy added near or above 200,000 jobs—despite gas prices rising quickly. And then in May, when gas prices fell, the economy added just 54,000 jobs. So the best month of the year on gas prices (at least in terms of trends) was the worst month of the year for jobs.
So the president's explanation doesn't work.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/what-gas_573985.html
Economic Collapse: Explaining it to Kids (and yourself)
by FerFAL @ TheModernSurvivalist.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzULODchXNw&feature=player_embedded#at=223
http://www.themodernsurvivalist.com/?p=1358
"Remember when they tell you that you need to stock away 6 or 12 months of food, that it is not because zombies are coming or aliens destroying the world, and you are hunkered down in your bunker. It is because you will be 6 or 12 months without a job."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzULODchXNw&feature=player_embedded#at=223
http://www.themodernsurvivalist.com/?p=1358
Big Bang Theory
by Zee (From a group discussion)
Most of this article sounds like tin-foil hat stuff. But the following assertions are concerning, especially in light of the pronouncement this week that Iran is about 2 month away from successfully weaponizing their nuclear program:
I agree that we are vulnerable to [smuggled in] nukes, but has nothing to do with a shortage of that gas. We simply can’t yet scan all the crap coming into the country.
http://www.thedailybell.com/2422/Upcoming-US-Nuclear-Event.html
Most of this article sounds like tin-foil hat stuff. But the following assertions are concerning, especially in light of the pronouncement this week that Iran is about 2 month away from successfully weaponizing their nuclear program:
1.) Recently, The New York Times reported that the United States is running out of a rare gas that is used to detect smuggled nuclear materials.
2.) The report outlined the fact that the United States is no longer able to track nukes within the US.
I agree that we are vulnerable to [smuggled in] nukes, but has nothing to do with a shortage of that gas. We simply can’t yet scan all the crap coming into the country.
http://www.thedailybell.com/2422/Upcoming-US-Nuclear-Event.html
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Gold Off Slightly Ahead Of Bernanke Speech
By Jerry A. DiColo
NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Gold futures were down slightly Tuesday, as investors pause ahead of a speech expected later in the day by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.
Gold held below the key $1,550 a troy ounce level, and trading is expected to remain subdued before Bernanke's speech at the International Monetary Conference at 3:45 p.m., EDT, in Atlanta.
Statements from the Fed chairman are taking on renewed importance after a string of weak economic data last week raised fears about a slowdown in the U.S. recovery. The central bank's latest stimulus program, known as quantitative easing two, or QE2, is set to wind down this month, and investors are concerned about how the economy will fare without the Fed's help.
The slowdown is leading to calls for a third round of stimulus, but few economists expect the Fed to take that action.
"The economy, without question, is hitting a really big soft patch," said Matt Zeman, head of trading at Kingsview Financial. "A lot of commodities are just waiting to get their next cue, and they'll be waiting on Bernanke's comments later today. ... If (central bankers) continue to pump more money, it's going to be gold positive and dollar negative."
Gold, a hedge against economic uncertainty, has drifted higher in recent days amid demand for a safe harbor.
Investor confidence suffered a massive blow last week, as poor economic data from the U.S. culminated in a weaker-than-expected jobs report Friday. The surprise slowdown in employment has led to questions about the future of the U.S. economic recovery.
Gold reached new all-time highs in early May, and have again climbed toward record levels. Europe's churning sovereign-debt troubles have renewed concerns about holding paper currencies like the euro or the dollar as investors remain concerned about financial stability in the region.
Silver rose 1.2% to $37.230 a troy ounce.
Nymex palladium for September delivery, the most actively traded contract, rose $9.70, or 1.2%, to $808.40 a troy ounce.
Platinum for July delivery, the most actively traded contract, gained 0.4% to $1,827.90 a troy ounce.
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110607-707087.html
NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Gold futures were down slightly Tuesday, as investors pause ahead of a speech expected later in the day by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.
Gold held below the key $1,550 a troy ounce level, and trading is expected to remain subdued before Bernanke's speech at the International Monetary Conference at 3:45 p.m., EDT, in Atlanta.
Statements from the Fed chairman are taking on renewed importance after a string of weak economic data last week raised fears about a slowdown in the U.S. recovery. The central bank's latest stimulus program, known as quantitative easing two, or QE2, is set to wind down this month, and investors are concerned about how the economy will fare without the Fed's help.
The slowdown is leading to calls for a third round of stimulus, but few economists expect the Fed to take that action.
"The economy, without question, is hitting a really big soft patch," said Matt Zeman, head of trading at Kingsview Financial. "A lot of commodities are just waiting to get their next cue, and they'll be waiting on Bernanke's comments later today. ... If (central bankers) continue to pump more money, it's going to be gold positive and dollar negative."
Gold, a hedge against economic uncertainty, has drifted higher in recent days amid demand for a safe harbor.
Investor confidence suffered a massive blow last week, as poor economic data from the U.S. culminated in a weaker-than-expected jobs report Friday. The surprise slowdown in employment has led to questions about the future of the U.S. economic recovery.
Gold reached new all-time highs in early May, and have again climbed toward record levels. Europe's churning sovereign-debt troubles have renewed concerns about holding paper currencies like the euro or the dollar as investors remain concerned about financial stability in the region.
Silver rose 1.2% to $37.230 a troy ounce.
Nymex palladium for September delivery, the most actively traded contract, rose $9.70, or 1.2%, to $808.40 a troy ounce.
Platinum for July delivery, the most actively traded contract, gained 0.4% to $1,827.90 a troy ounce.
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110607-707087.html
Home Invasion: Country vs. City after the Economic Collapse
by FerFAL @ TheModernSurvivalist.com
This is one of those recurrent topics and I receive email asking about this very often.
Where will I fare better? What’s the safest place to be in as everything goes down?
Those of you that have been reading my blog for a while know where I stand. I don’t think an isolated homestead or farm is the best place to be in, and it certainly isn’t when crime becomes a real problem all across the country.
This is one of those recurrent topics and I receive email asking about this very often.
Where will I fare better? What’s the safest place to be in as everything goes down?
Those of you that have been reading my blog for a while know where I stand. I don’t think an isolated homestead or farm is the best place to be in, and it certainly isn’t when crime becomes a real problem all across the country.
Unemployment’s about to cause “civil unrest”
by Ed Morrissey
The Daily Caller provides a four-minute video from today’s Don Imus Show, in which Democratic political strategist James Carville warns that extended unemployment will have a destabilizing effect on American politics.
Will there be riots in the streets? Doubtful, not unless we see a total collapse of the economy. But without a doubt, high and chronic unemployment has caused civil dissatisfaction.
http://hotair.com/archives/2011/06/06/carville-unemployments-about-to-cause-civil-unrest/
The Daily Caller provides a four-minute video from today’s Don Imus Show, in which Democratic political strategist James Carville warns that extended unemployment will have a destabilizing effect on American politics.
"you know, if it continues, we’re going to start to see civil unrest in this country. I hate to say that, but I think it’s [eminently] possible."
Will there be riots in the streets? Doubtful, not unless we see a total collapse of the economy. But without a doubt, high and chronic unemployment has caused civil dissatisfaction.
http://hotair.com/archives/2011/06/06/carville-unemployments-about-to-cause-civil-unrest/
Friday, June 3, 2011
QE3 Has Already Started
by madhedgefundtrader
Most analysts have missed the fact that QE3 has already started in earnest. Of course, it would have been easy to miss. Ben Bernanke has not made any grand pronouncements. He hasn’t done some public thinking out loud, as he did among friends at Jackson Hole, Wyoming last August. It is not even called “QE3”. Think of it as a “stealth QE3”. But make no mistake. A new variety of quantitative easing has already begun in a big way.
The new QE3 is the “RISK OFF” trade. QE2 ended up pouring $600 billion into stocks, commodities, oil, gold, and silver. Since April 29, the prospect of slowing economic growth has prompted this hot money to take flight and bail from these assets classes. Think of it as the same $600 billion stampeding into risky markets, doing a 180, and then stampeding right back out again.
Where is all this money going? Into the Treasury bond market
The beauty of this plan is that it has no government fingerprints on it. They are getting private investors to do the heavy lifting for them. That will make them immune from attacks from anti-interventionists, like the Tea Party, and anti-Federal Reservists, like Ron Paul. Bernanke can just sit back and let natural market forces do his handiwork for him.
Keep in mind that the next Recession will be far worse than the last one. None of the problems of the 2008-2009 debacle, like too big to fail, the real estate collapse, and the burgeoning bad debts on bank balance sheets, have really been solved. The can has merely been kicked forward. The only difference will be that there will be no TARP and no bail outs next time. The chips will fall where they want.
http://www.zerohedge.com/article/qe3-has-already-started?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+zerohedge%2Ffeed+%28zero+hedge+-+on+a+long+enough+timeline%2C+the+survival+rate+for+everyone+drops+to+zero%29
Most analysts have missed the fact that QE3 has already started in earnest. Of course, it would have been easy to miss. Ben Bernanke has not made any grand pronouncements. He hasn’t done some public thinking out loud, as he did among friends at Jackson Hole, Wyoming last August. It is not even called “QE3”. Think of it as a “stealth QE3”. But make no mistake. A new variety of quantitative easing has already begun in a big way.
The new QE3 is the “RISK OFF” trade. QE2 ended up pouring $600 billion into stocks, commodities, oil, gold, and silver. Since April 29, the prospect of slowing economic growth has prompted this hot money to take flight and bail from these assets classes. Think of it as the same $600 billion stampeding into risky markets, doing a 180, and then stampeding right back out again.
Where is all this money going? Into the Treasury bond market
The beauty of this plan is that it has no government fingerprints on it. They are getting private investors to do the heavy lifting for them. That will make them immune from attacks from anti-interventionists, like the Tea Party, and anti-Federal Reservists, like Ron Paul. Bernanke can just sit back and let natural market forces do his handiwork for him.
Keep in mind that the next Recession will be far worse than the last one. None of the problems of the 2008-2009 debacle, like too big to fail, the real estate collapse, and the burgeoning bad debts on bank balance sheets, have really been solved. The can has merely been kicked forward. The only difference will be that there will be no TARP and no bail outs next time. The chips will fall where they want.
http://www.zerohedge.com/article/qe3-has-already-started?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+zerohedge%2Ffeed+%28zero+hedge+-+on+a+long+enough+timeline%2C+the+survival+rate+for+everyone+drops+to+zero%29
Friday, May 27, 2011
Housing Prices Will Lead to Double Dip Recession: 3 Short Plays
Alas, the double dip recession has arrived. It seems that everyone and their mother in financial media predicted this moment. It goes without saying that this was a long time coming. However, I am certain that I will be among the first to give a glimpse to what exactly the bottom may look like (whenever it arrives) and the new reality that maybe the U.S. home market.
http://seekingalpha.com/article/269375-housing-prices-will-lead-to-double-dip-recession-3-short-plays
http://seekingalpha.com/article/269375-housing-prices-will-lead-to-double-dip-recession-3-short-plays
Housing crash is getting worse: report
By Brett Arends
New data just out from Zillow, the real-estate information company, show house prices are falling at their fastest rate since the Lehman collapse.
Average home prices are down 8% from a year ago, 3% over the quarter, and are falling at about 1% every month, according to Zillow.
And the percentage of homeowners in negative-equity positions — with a home worth less than its mortgage — has rocketed to 28%, a new crisis high.
Zillow now predicts prices will fall about 8% this year and says it no longer expects the market to bottom before 2012.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/housing-crash-is-getting-worse-2011-05-09
New data just out from Zillow, the real-estate information company, show house prices are falling at their fastest rate since the Lehman collapse.
Average home prices are down 8% from a year ago, 3% over the quarter, and are falling at about 1% every month, according to Zillow.
And the percentage of homeowners in negative-equity positions — with a home worth less than its mortgage — has rocketed to 28%, a new crisis high.
Zillow now predicts prices will fall about 8% this year and says it no longer expects the market to bottom before 2012.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/housing-crash-is-getting-worse-2011-05-09
Presidential candidate Ron Paul Warned us of Coming Social and Political Chaos
Back in Febuary 2010, Ron Paul warned the pople of what is now near ubiquitous knowledge. The enevitable collapse of the US currency and the resulting social and political chaos is coming soon.
As melodramatic as this sounds, this isn't just media hype. This has already happened in Weimar Germany, Argentina and Zimbabwe. Their currencies became entirely worthless, and they experienced an “end of the world as we know it” in their nations. The ongoing "Arab Spring" & all the unrest in the mid east was brought about by inflation (one Farmer fed up with food prices started it all). And We'll probably see something similar in Greece and other euro-zone nations soon. Do you really think that the USA won't be far behind?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPQs6ri7Dt0
As melodramatic as this sounds, this isn't just media hype. This has already happened in Weimar Germany, Argentina and Zimbabwe. Their currencies became entirely worthless, and they experienced an “end of the world as we know it” in their nations. The ongoing "Arab Spring" & all the unrest in the mid east was brought about by inflation (one Farmer fed up with food prices started it all). And We'll probably see something similar in Greece and other euro-zone nations soon. Do you really think that the USA won't be far behind?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPQs6ri7Dt0
The End Of The World As We Know It
TEOTW Is Foolishness – TEOTWAWKI Will Happen Soon
by Russell D. Longcore
The world media was all abuzz last weekend with the prediction by radio preacher Harold Camping of Family Radio who made a prediction that the world would end on May 21, 2011. But Mr. Camping was mistaken once again. No, this is not his first time making this prediction. Still, it was very entertaining while it lasted.
The phrase “The End of the World” is a connotation phrase- No one ever seems to define it. The term “End of Days” is used interchangeably. But whatever they mean, they do not mean exactly what they say. The end of days would literally mean that time stood still, the earth stopped spinning on its axis and there were no more days. No one believes that will happen. Even if Harold Camping would have been right, the world would not have ended. Even the Mayan predictions of the “end of the world” do not include the destruction of the earth in 2012.
So what is TEOTWAWKI? (The end of the world as we know it)
READ MORE
by Russell D. Longcore
The world media was all abuzz last weekend with the prediction by radio preacher Harold Camping of Family Radio who made a prediction that the world would end on May 21, 2011. But Mr. Camping was mistaken once again. No, this is not his first time making this prediction. Still, it was very entertaining while it lasted.
The phrase “The End of the World” is a connotation phrase- No one ever seems to define it. The term “End of Days” is used interchangeably. But whatever they mean, they do not mean exactly what they say. The end of days would literally mean that time stood still, the earth stopped spinning on its axis and there were no more days. No one believes that will happen. Even if Harold Camping would have been right, the world would not have ended. Even the Mayan predictions of the “end of the world” do not include the destruction of the earth in 2012.
So what is TEOTWAWKI? (The end of the world as we know it)
READ MORE
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Steve Forbes: "The US Will Likely Have A Gold Standard Within The Next Five Years"
by Tyler Durden
"A return to the gold standard by the United States within the next five years now seems likely, because that move would help the nation solve a variety of economic, fiscal, and monetary ills. “What seems astonishing today could become conventional wisdom in a short period of time,” Forbes said.
Such a move would help to stabilize the value of the dollar, restore confidence among foreign investors in U.S. government bonds, and discourage reckless federal spending.
TheModernSurvivalist: Thoughts On Urban Survival
By FerFAL
EDITORS NOTE: Like most of my postings, this article has been trimmed in content for space allowances. This particular article is VERY VERY long and chalk full of great info. At best, all I can do is pick out some key paragraphs in each section and reorganize them - even then it is long. Please read the riginal article as time allows.
My brother visited Argentina a few weeks ago. He’s been living in Spain for a few years now. Within the first week, he got sick, some kind of strong flu, even though climate isn’t that cold and he took care of himself. Without a doubt he got sick because there are lots of new viruses in my country that can’t be found in 1st world countries. The misery and famine lead us to a situation where, even though you have food, shelter and health care, most of others don’t, and therefore they get sick and spread the diseases all over the region.
What got me started on this post is the fact that I actually saw this coming, and posted on the subject here, months before the new viruses spread over the country and the news started talking about this new, health emergency, which proves that talking, thinking and sharing ideas with like minded people (you guys), does help to see things coming and prepare for them with enough time.
EDITORS NOTE: Like most of my postings, this article has been trimmed in content for space allowances. This particular article is VERY VERY long and chalk full of great info. At best, all I can do is pick out some key paragraphs in each section and reorganize them - even then it is long. Please read the riginal article as time allows.
My brother visited Argentina a few weeks ago. He’s been living in Spain for a few years now. Within the first week, he got sick, some kind of strong flu, even though climate isn’t that cold and he took care of himself. Without a doubt he got sick because there are lots of new viruses in my country that can’t be found in 1st world countries. The misery and famine lead us to a situation where, even though you have food, shelter and health care, most of others don’t, and therefore they get sick and spread the diseases all over the region.
What got me started on this post is the fact that I actually saw this coming, and posted on the subject here, months before the new viruses spread over the country and the news started talking about this new, health emergency, which proves that talking, thinking and sharing ideas with like minded people (you guys), does help to see things coming and prepare for them with enough time.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
More Americans now willing to take "extreme measures" to get money.
By Zee
If you are wondering what "extreme measures" are, consider that it must be more extreme than "those who would pawn their possessions, sell their home, or take out a payday loan" because that was a seperate question. Starting to sound scarry huh?
So what exactly do "extreme measures" entail? Selling a kidney? Identity theft? Scam artistry? Shoplifting? Rob a bank? Mug someone? Home robbery? Blackmail? Extortion? Kidnapping?
When Argentina's robust economy collapsed in 2001, people turned to making money though various crimes, including, increasingly, kidnapping, mugging & home break ins.
50% of Americans Couldn't Come Up with $2,000
By Caitlin Dickson
Nearly half of Americans are living in a state of "financial fragility," a new paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research reveals.
Harvard Business School asked survey participants whether they would be able to come up with $2,000 for an "unexpected expense in the next month." 22.2 percent predicted they would be "probably unable" and 27.9 percent said they'd certainly be unable to foot the unplanned bill. But, it was the participants' method of coping that really determined their fragility. 25.7% of respondents who were asked about coping methods (equal to 18.6% of all respondents) would come up with the funds for an emergency by resorting to what might be seen as "extreme measures."
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/business/2011/05/50-americans-couldnt-come-up-2000/38058/
If you are wondering what "extreme measures" are, consider that it must be more extreme than "those who would pawn their possessions, sell their home, or take out a payday loan" because that was a seperate question. Starting to sound scarry huh?
So what exactly do "extreme measures" entail? Selling a kidney? Identity theft? Scam artistry? Shoplifting? Rob a bank? Mug someone? Home robbery? Blackmail? Extortion? Kidnapping?
When Argentina's robust economy collapsed in 2001, people turned to making money though various crimes, including, increasingly, kidnapping, mugging & home break ins.
Is the US next?
Belarus Just Devalued Its Currency By 56%
The National Bank of Belarus (NBB) is sharply devaluing the official rate of Belarusian ruble. The exchange rate as of May 24 was set at 4,930 rubles per dollar. a decrease of 56% from the 23 May.
The National Bank of Belarus has officially confirmed a sharp depreciation of the currency. On its website it has published the official exchange rate of Belarusian ruble: $ 1 - Br4930 (a decrease of 56,3% to the rate on 23 May)
http://www.zerohedge.com/article/belarus-just-devalued-its-currency-56
The National Bank of Belarus (NBB) is sharply devaluing the official rate of Belarusian ruble. The exchange rate as of May 24 was set at 4,930 rubles per dollar. a decrease of 56% from the 23 May.
The National Bank of Belarus has officially confirmed a sharp depreciation of the currency. On its website it has published the official exchange rate of Belarusian ruble: $ 1 - Br4930 (a decrease of 56,3% to the rate on 23 May)
http://www.zerohedge.com/article/belarus-just-devalued-its-currency-56
Monday, May 23, 2011
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"To sit back hoping that someday, some way, someone will make things right is to go on feeding the crocodile, hoping he will eat you last - but eat you he will." - Ronald Regan
Going Gold
If buying gold is just a fad trend; if buying gold is just being paranoid; If buying gold is a bad investment - Then why are all the central banks starting to do it BY THE TON?
Zimbabwe To Trade Diamonds For Gold As It Prepares To Launch Gold-Backed Currency
by Tyler Durden
http://www.zerohedge.com/article/zimbabwe-trade-diamonds-gold-it-prepares-launch-gold-backed-currency
China Becomes World’s Larest Gold Buyer - Buys 93.5 Tonnes Of Gold Coins / Bars in Q1 - Gold Ownership Rising From Miniscule Levels
By GoldCore
http://www.zerohedge.com/article/china-becomes-world%E2%80%99s-larest-gold-buyer-buys-935-tonnes-gold-coins-bars-q1-gold-ownership-ri
PIMCO's largest holding is now in GOLD
by International Business Times
http://uk.ibtimes.com/articles/144859/20110512/gold-pimco-gudefin.htm
Zimbabwe To Trade Diamonds For Gold As It Prepares To Launch Gold-Backed Currency
by Tyler Durden
A week ago we presented the idea floated by once hyperinflationary Zimbabwe, oddly jeered by most, that the country is seeking to move to a gold-backed currency, adding, somewhat surrealistically, that the "days of the US dollar as the world's reserve currency are numbered." And if anyone should know a hyperinflationary basket case, it's Zimbabwe. Well, today this bizarre story just went fuller retard, after the country announced that it may exchange diamonds for gold "so that it can have a gold-backed currency, according to a recent proposal from the governor of Zimbabwe’s central bank." Indeed we speculated previously why: "Zimbabwe, a country rich in natural resources, took so long to figure out that it was nothing but a puppet in the hands of western monetary interests." Well, others are now getting this idea.
http://www.zerohedge.com/article/zimbabwe-trade-diamonds-gold-it-prepares-launch-gold-backed-currency
China Becomes World’s Larest Gold Buyer - Buys 93.5 Tonnes Of Gold Coins / Bars in Q1 - Gold Ownership Rising From Miniscule Levels
By GoldCore
Gold and silver are higher again today with the debt laden dollar, euro and yen all being sold. News that China has become the world’s largest buyer of gold bullion and has seen investment demand double continues to reverberate in the markets and may have contributed to this morning’s strength.
Chinese investors bought 93.5 tonnes of gold coins and bars in the first quarter. China produced 340 metric tons of gold last year and consumption was about 700 tonnes
http://www.zerohedge.com/article/china-becomes-world%E2%80%99s-larest-gold-buyer-buys-935-tonnes-gold-coins-bars-q1-gold-ownership-ri
PIMCO's largest holding is now in GOLD
by International Business Times
Anne Gudefin, PIMCO’s global equities portfolio manager, likes gold.
“The largest position in [our] fund is gold, which we think is a very good form of protection against what can go wrong,” said Gudefin in an interview with Fortune published on May 12
http://uk.ibtimes.com/articles/144859/20110512/gold-pimco-gudefin.htm
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Japanese Economy Collapses
by Tyler Durden
Yes, this is officially a recession. Of course, anyone reading Zero Hedge would have been perfectly aware of this outcome. And for it to be short, it means that the BOJ will be forced to print a few hundred trillion in Yen asap. Which in turn means that the USDJPY will surge and shift the Japanese recession even faster over to the US. And yes it means that the turbo print button among the central banks will get the F5 treatment as the second round of currency devaluation completes a lap.
There she is. The most glorious of the black swans, followed by the four horsemen right behind it.
http://www.zerohedge.com/article/japanese-economy-collapses-q1-gdp-drops-double-consensus-rate-epic-nominal-plunge-52
Yes, this is officially a recession. Of course, anyone reading Zero Hedge would have been perfectly aware of this outcome. And for it to be short, it means that the BOJ will be forced to print a few hundred trillion in Yen asap. Which in turn means that the USDJPY will surge and shift the Japanese recession even faster over to the US. And yes it means that the turbo print button among the central banks will get the F5 treatment as the second round of currency devaluation completes a lap.
There she is. The most glorious of the black swans, followed by the four horsemen right behind it.
http://www.zerohedge.com/article/japanese-economy-collapses-q1-gdp-drops-double-consensus-rate-epic-nominal-plunge-52
Think prices are high? Just wait ’til summer
By John Crudele
Prepare yourself for a summertime inflation shock.
An expert who helps put together the government's Consumer Price Index (CPI) says that the closely-watch inflation gauge could rise abnormally "after June."
If gasoline prices should rise, then the jump that's already baked into the summer CPI numbers will be even more pronounced.
There is also a lot of other tricky financial stuff going on right now. If, for instance, Congress stumbles in trying to raise the nation's debt limit -- well, nobody really knows what will happen to the economy, inflation and interest rates. But it won't be good.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/think_prices_are_high_just_wait_e8UQsYRLzapNcvWe0cgEIO
Prepare yourself for a summertime inflation shock.
An expert who helps put together the government's Consumer Price Index (CPI) says that the closely-watch inflation gauge could rise abnormally "after June."
If gasoline prices should rise, then the jump that's already baked into the summer CPI numbers will be even more pronounced.
There is also a lot of other tricky financial stuff going on right now. If, for instance, Congress stumbles in trying to raise the nation's debt limit -- well, nobody really knows what will happen to the economy, inflation and interest rates. But it won't be good.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/think_prices_are_high_just_wait_e8UQsYRLzapNcvWe0cgEIO
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Forget the Mayan's Dec 21 2012, this group thinks the world will end this Saturday!
(CNN) - For months they’ve been spreading the word, answering the biblical call of Ezekiel 33 to sound the alarm and warn the people.
Their message, which they say the Bible guarantees, is simple: The end of the world is near.
And now, it’s suddenly really near - so near that if these folks are right, you should probably pass on buying green bananas.
May 21, 2011, according to loyal listeners of Family Radio, a Christian broadcasting network based in Oakland, California, will mark the Day of Rapture and the start of Judgment Day (which, they say, will last five months). Those who are saved will be taken up to heaven, and those who aren’t will endure unspeakable suffering. Dead bodies will be strewn about as earthquakes ravage the Earth, they say. And come October 21, they’ll tell you, the entire world will be kaput.
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/18/tick-tock-goes-the-doomsday-clock/
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
TheModernSurvivalist: Preparing for Economic Collapse
by FerFAL
Today's contributor is Fernando "FerFAL" Aguirre. Many of our readers have expressed interest in hearing accounts from those who have lived through economic collapse. FerFAL experienced the hyperinflationary destruction of Argentina's economy in 2001 and continues to blog about his experiences and observations of its lingering aftermath. His website and his book Surviving the Economic Collapse offer windows into the probable outcomes to expect during a collapsing economy.
“How can I prepare for an economic collapse?” is one of the most common questions I get. It usually takes me a second to start to explain how complex such a question is. It’s like asking an auto mechanic, “Say, how do you build a car?” or asking a computer engineer, “What’s all that stuff inside my laptop?”
I do have some first-hand experience in this matter, though. The economy in my country, Argentina, has gone through various crises, but none as large as when the economy collapsed in 2001 after a decade of apparent prosperity. The currency devaluated, and Argentina defaulted on its USD$132 billion debt, the largest default ever. The middle class took to the streets after bank accounts were frozen, and the president was forced to resign, escaping the presidential building in a helicopter.
What I’ll do is, provide five quick foundational steps, based on what I know, for you to follow so as to be better prepared if something like what happened in my country ever happens in yours.
Step #1: Secure a percentage of your savings in bullion.
Step #2: Stock up on food.
Step #3: Acquire the essentials by putting together a survival/emergency kit.
Step #4: Improve your personal and home security.
Step #5: Embrace a different mindset. (become more positive, more active - survive!)
Some common questions regarding hyperinflation:
http://www.chrismartenson.com/blog/preparing-economic-collapse/57744
Today's contributor is Fernando "FerFAL" Aguirre. Many of our readers have expressed interest in hearing accounts from those who have lived through economic collapse. FerFAL experienced the hyperinflationary destruction of Argentina's economy in 2001 and continues to blog about his experiences and observations of its lingering aftermath. His website and his book Surviving the Economic Collapse offer windows into the probable outcomes to expect during a collapsing economy.
“How can I prepare for an economic collapse?” is one of the most common questions I get. It usually takes me a second to start to explain how complex such a question is. It’s like asking an auto mechanic, “Say, how do you build a car?” or asking a computer engineer, “What’s all that stuff inside my laptop?”
I do have some first-hand experience in this matter, though. The economy in my country, Argentina, has gone through various crises, but none as large as when the economy collapsed in 2001 after a decade of apparent prosperity. The currency devaluated, and Argentina defaulted on its USD$132 billion debt, the largest default ever. The middle class took to the streets after bank accounts were frozen, and the president was forced to resign, escaping the presidential building in a helicopter.
What I’ll do is, provide five quick foundational steps, based on what I know, for you to follow so as to be better prepared if something like what happened in my country ever happens in yours.
Step #1: Secure a percentage of your savings in bullion.
Step #2: Stock up on food.
Step #3: Acquire the essentials by putting together a survival/emergency kit.
Step #4: Improve your personal and home security.
Step #5: Embrace a different mindset. (become more positive, more active - survive!)
Some common questions regarding hyperinflation:
How quickly does it happen?
These events occur fast, but there are warning signs
How does the populace react?
Violently, as you’d expect when your life savings are stolen from you.
What happens to the capital markets?
The stock market dropped like a rock, then shut down.
Does violence and crime become an immediate concern?
Yes it does. While stores were the more common targets, houses were looted, too. The best thing to do was stay home, have a defendable position and be armed.
http://www.chrismartenson.com/blog/preparing-economic-collapse/57744
Mexico Quietly Buys Gold While The Dollar Tumbles
by Jack Farchy
The central bank of Mexico bought nearly 100 tonnes of gold in February and March, the latest emerging market country to turn to bullion as a means of diversifying away from the faltering dollar.
The purchase is one of the largest by a central bank in recent history. The gold, worth $4.6bn at current prices, is equivalent to about 3.5 per cent of annual mined output.
The central bank has not publicly announced the move, but has reported it both on its own balance sheet, posted online, and to the International Monetary Fund’s statistics on international reserves.
http://dumpdc.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/mexico-quietly-buys-gold-while-the-dollar-tumbles/
The central bank of Mexico bought nearly 100 tonnes of gold in February and March, the latest emerging market country to turn to bullion as a means of diversifying away from the faltering dollar.
The purchase is one of the largest by a central bank in recent history. The gold, worth $4.6bn at current prices, is equivalent to about 3.5 per cent of annual mined output.
The central bank has not publicly announced the move, but has reported it both on its own balance sheet, posted online, and to the International Monetary Fund’s statistics on international reserves.
http://dumpdc.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/mexico-quietly-buys-gold-while-the-dollar-tumbles/
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
The global economy is heading toward another double-dip
By Andy Xie
The global economy is heading toward another double-dip scare, possibly in the third quarter, in what could be a repeat of summer 2010.
Financial markets may stumble in a few months, and that could prompt the U.S. Federal Reserve to introduce a third round of quantitative easing or an equivalent, which would be another step down the path toward stagflation. In this scenario, China's current monetary tightening policy would be difficult to sustain.
A decline for the U.S. property market is accelerating. It could fall another 20 percent over the next 12 months.
These factors contributing to a double-dip scare may push the U.S. Federal Reserve to launch another round of stimulus, although it may not be called QE 3. At the same time, the scare may cause oil prices to dip, easing inflation concerns.
The main aim of a QE 3 would be the same as QE 2 – to support U.S. stock and property markets. While it may succeed in reviving these asset markets, it would also yield surging oil prices and inflation.
A real double dip would occur if either the U.S. Treasury bond market crashes or appreciation expectations for China's currency reverse on expectations of depreciation. The timing for this scenario could be fourth quarter 2012, possibly after the U.S. presidential election and Chinese Communist Party's 18th Congress.
Loose monetary policy is the cause of inflation, and its intended purpose is to stimulate growth. But when such policy is sustained despite inflation, it signals deeper problems. When stimulus fails to revive growth, it suggests structural problems.
In today's world, deep structural problems are impeding economic growth. But most governments don't have the political will or power to deal with them. Instead, they pursue easy solutions such as printing money, which leads to stagflation.
But the U.S. government is trying to simulate the demand side to solve a supply-side problem. That doesn't resolve the problem but instead creates a new one – inflation. No amount of monetary stimulus by the Fed can bring high growth back to the United States, in my view.
http://siliconinvestor.advfn.com/readmsg.aspx?msgid=27363012
The global economy is heading toward another double-dip scare, possibly in the third quarter, in what could be a repeat of summer 2010.
Financial markets may stumble in a few months, and that could prompt the U.S. Federal Reserve to introduce a third round of quantitative easing or an equivalent, which would be another step down the path toward stagflation. In this scenario, China's current monetary tightening policy would be difficult to sustain.
A decline for the U.S. property market is accelerating. It could fall another 20 percent over the next 12 months.
These factors contributing to a double-dip scare may push the U.S. Federal Reserve to launch another round of stimulus, although it may not be called QE 3. At the same time, the scare may cause oil prices to dip, easing inflation concerns.
The main aim of a QE 3 would be the same as QE 2 – to support U.S. stock and property markets. While it may succeed in reviving these asset markets, it would also yield surging oil prices and inflation.
A real double dip would occur if either the U.S. Treasury bond market crashes or appreciation expectations for China's currency reverse on expectations of depreciation. The timing for this scenario could be fourth quarter 2012, possibly after the U.S. presidential election and Chinese Communist Party's 18th Congress.
Loose monetary policy is the cause of inflation, and its intended purpose is to stimulate growth. But when such policy is sustained despite inflation, it signals deeper problems. When stimulus fails to revive growth, it suggests structural problems.
In today's world, deep structural problems are impeding economic growth. But most governments don't have the political will or power to deal with them. Instead, they pursue easy solutions such as printing money, which leads to stagflation.
But the U.S. government is trying to simulate the demand side to solve a supply-side problem. That doesn't resolve the problem but instead creates a new one – inflation. No amount of monetary stimulus by the Fed can bring high growth back to the United States, in my view.
http://siliconinvestor.advfn.com/readmsg.aspx?msgid=27363012
Steve Forbes: "The US Will Likely Have A Gold Standard Within The Next Five Years"
by Tyler Durden
"A return to the gold standard by the United States within the next five years now seems likely, because that move would help the nation solve a variety of economic, fiscal, and monetary ills. “What seems astonishing today could become conventional wisdom in a short period of time,” Forbes said.
Such a move would help to stabilize the value of the dollar, restore confidence among foreign investors in U.S. government bonds, and discourage reckless federal spending.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Muni's loosing their tax exempt status?
By JASON ZWEIG
Every few years, Congress floats the idea of reducing or eliminating the muni-bond tax break, long favored by investors looking to shelter income from Uncle Sam. Analysts and investors say that tax overhaul has to be part of deficit reduction—and that the tax exemption on muni-bond interest is fair game.
"We can no longer afford to dismiss it as if it can't happen," says Edward Reinoso, a 40-year veteran of the muni market and chief executive of Castleton Partners, an asset-management firm in New York. "It could happen."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704810504576307233579693982.html
Every few years, Congress floats the idea of reducing or eliminating the muni-bond tax break, long favored by investors looking to shelter income from Uncle Sam. Analysts and investors say that tax overhaul has to be part of deficit reduction—and that the tax exemption on muni-bond interest is fair game.
"We can no longer afford to dismiss it as if it can't happen," says Edward Reinoso, a 40-year veteran of the muni market and chief executive of Castleton Partners, an asset-management firm in New York. "It could happen."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704810504576307233579693982.html
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
It's not about speculators?
Gasoline and Onions
by John Stossel
Here we go again. That quote was Sen. Bernie Sanders doing what some always do when the price of oil spikes: complain about speculators. Now, President Obama says he'll investigate them: "We are going to make sure that no one is taking advantage of the American people for their own short-term gain." I assume that his new Financial Fraud Enforcement Working Group, like its predecessors, will uncover nothing untoward.
In America, we don't have a free market -- we have a government-saturated economy in which oil companies and other corporations have a cozy relationship with politicians and bureaucrats. That's wrong, but even that can't explain the recent run-up in prices. Oil companies today are no more greedy or clever than they have been all along.
We have to look for a better explanation -- and it isn't hard to find.
Read more at:
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=43310
by John Stossel
The speculators are ripping us off!
"The skyrocketing price of gas and oil has nothing to do with the fundamentals of supply and demand, and has everything to do with Wall Street firms that are artificially jacking up the price of oil in the energy futures markets. ... (T)he same Wall Street speculators that caused the worst financial crisis since the 1930s through their greed, recklessness and illegal behavior are ripping off the American people again by gambling that the price of oil and gas will continue to go up."
Here we go again. That quote was Sen. Bernie Sanders doing what some always do when the price of oil spikes: complain about speculators. Now, President Obama says he'll investigate them: "We are going to make sure that no one is taking advantage of the American people for their own short-term gain." I assume that his new Financial Fraud Enforcement Working Group, like its predecessors, will uncover nothing untoward.
In America, we don't have a free market -- we have a government-saturated economy in which oil companies and other corporations have a cozy relationship with politicians and bureaucrats. That's wrong, but even that can't explain the recent run-up in prices. Oil companies today are no more greedy or clever than they have been all along.
We have to look for a better explanation -- and it isn't hard to find.
Read more at:
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=43310
Sticker Shock: The Fed may deny it, but Americans know that prices are rising. Inflation is back.
by Joshua Roberts
“I can’t eat an iPad." This could go down in history as the line that launched the great inflation of the 2010s.
Back in March, the president of the New York Federal Reserve, William Dudley, was trying to explain to the citizens of Queens, N.Y., why they had no cause to worry about inflation. Dudley, a former chief economist at Goldman Sachs, put it this way: “Today you can buy an iPad 2 that costs the same as an iPad 1 that is twice as powerful. You have to look at the prices of all things.” Quick as a flash came a voice from the audience: “I can’t eat an iPad.”
To ordinary Americans, however, it’s not the online price of an iPad that matters; it’s prices of food on the shelf and gasoline at the pump. These, after all, are the costs they encounter most frequently. And with average gas prices hitting $3.88 a gallon last week, filling up is now twice as painful as when President Obama took office.
Maybe in June, when the Fed stops quantitative easing (its program of injecting cash by buying government bonds), inflation will recede. Maybe high fuel prices will, as Goldman Sachs predicts, slow the economy and revive the specter of deflation.
Maybe. Or maybe inflation expectations started shifting when the guy from Goldman—a Marie Antoinette for our times—seemed to say: let them eat iPads!
http://www.newsweek.com/2011/05/01/sticker-shock.html
“I can’t eat an iPad." This could go down in history as the line that launched the great inflation of the 2010s.
Back in March, the president of the New York Federal Reserve, William Dudley, was trying to explain to the citizens of Queens, N.Y., why they had no cause to worry about inflation. Dudley, a former chief economist at Goldman Sachs, put it this way: “Today you can buy an iPad 2 that costs the same as an iPad 1 that is twice as powerful. You have to look at the prices of all things.” Quick as a flash came a voice from the audience: “I can’t eat an iPad.”
To ordinary Americans, however, it’s not the online price of an iPad that matters; it’s prices of food on the shelf and gasoline at the pump. These, after all, are the costs they encounter most frequently. And with average gas prices hitting $3.88 a gallon last week, filling up is now twice as painful as when President Obama took office.
Maybe in June, when the Fed stops quantitative easing (its program of injecting cash by buying government bonds), inflation will recede. Maybe high fuel prices will, as Goldman Sachs predicts, slow the economy and revive the specter of deflation.
Maybe. Or maybe inflation expectations started shifting when the guy from Goldman—a Marie Antoinette for our times—seemed to say: let them eat iPads!
http://www.newsweek.com/2011/05/01/sticker-shock.html
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