Head for the Hills – The New Survivalists
November 27th, 2006Great article! You guys will love this:
Via: Energy Bulletin:
Sober and serious, McReady is part of a new wave of survivalists making plans for big trouble. Whereas once it was nuclear holocaust, big-government paranoia or religious rapture that motivated such people, now it is more likely to be climate change, energy shortages and economic collapse. This story is not about whether what they think is true, but more about the social phenomena of what they’re doing about it. Most never discuss their beliefs with friends and colleagues because they’re frightened of ridicule. But they are getting ready for a world morphed into “Argentina on a very bad day” or plunged into a never-ending depression, or famine, or, worst-case scenario, Mad Max IV and the die-off of billions of people.
Research Credit: idleworm
UK: DNA of Suspects’ Families to Be Held by Police
November 27th, 2006Via Independent:
Relatives of suspects in criminal investigations are to face having DNA tests and their confidential medical records released to the authorities if they refuse to co-operate with the police.
Internal government guidelines on the use of the DNA database seen by The Independent on Sunday instruct the police to ask for medical files belonging to the relatives of criminals so their blood and tissue samples can be tested for DNA.
The secret document, prepared for police forces by the Home Office, reveal that families of suspects, and those with similar genes, are being targeted by investigators.
The guidelines show how people on the DNA database with similar genetic make-up to suspects are being approached by the police. They are then asked for the names and addresses of their relatives who will be swabbed for DNA.
Record Amazon Purchases
November 27th, 2006I don’t know who you are, but thank you all for doing your shopping at Amazon via Cryptogon. November isn’t finished, but it’s already a record. Thanks again.
And to the person who bought some goods from Magic Cabin, thanks to you too!
U.S. Carried Out Madrasah Bombing
November 27th, 2006Imagine my shock.
Via: Sunday Times:
THE bombing of a Pakistani madrasah last month, in which 82 students were killed, was carried out by the United States, a Pakistani official has admitted, writes Christina Lamb.
The madrasah in the tribal agency of Bajaur was bombed during a visit to Pakistan by the Prince of Wales amid allegations that it was being used to train suicide bombers.
“We thought it would be less damaging if we said we did it rather than the US,†said a key aide to President Pervez Musharraf. “But there was a lot of collateral damage and we’ve requested the Americans not to do it again.â€
The Debt Ridden, Undead America
November 27th, 2006America is like a chicken that has just had its head cut off. The carcass remains animated, for a time, bleeding and running around in the dirt, bumping into things. It isn’t quite dead at this point. It’s undead.
Or, maybe that’s just how it seems to me, as someone with no debt of any kind, no credit card balances and no desire to shop for crap I don’t need. Becky and I are “poor” in terms of income, yet we wouldn’t be living any differently if we had a bank balance many digits long. Well, we might have a couple of solar panels and a wind turbine if we were rich…
Via: San Francisco Chronicle:
If you’re like most people, you’ll be giving your credit cards a healthy workout over the next few weeks. So this is as good a time as any to consider a few harsh realities.
First off, the Center for American Progress, a liberal-minded think tank, has crunched data from the Federal Reserve and found that Americans for the first time owe more money than they make.
According to the center, average household debt levels topped average after-tax income by more than 29 percent as of this summer. Moreover, the average family is now spending 14.4 percent of its disposable income on debt repayments — the largest share since the Fed began collecting such data in 1980.
“This is an unsustainable trend,” said Christian Weller, senior economist at the center. “People simply can’t borrow at the same rate they’ve borrowed in the past.”
According to the Fed, total consumer credit debt, excluding mortgages, hit a record $2.4 trillion in September. Factoring in mortgages, outstanding household debt soars to about $12.3 trillion.
Trading Non Renewable Petrochemicals for Topsoil
November 26th, 2006I’ve written a post on Farmlet about how Becky and I were able to establish our garden so quickly:
Out of the five acres of land that makes up the Farmlet, only about three square meters of it had friable topsoil that was clear of kikuyu grass. In other words, only about three square meters of our five acre property was immediately suitable for gardening. Even though we have only been on this property for less than a year, we’re now harvesting vegetables—and have lots more growing—in our large, organic garden.
How did we get up and running so quickly?
Gas powered machines and sheet mulching.
Arctic Gull Spotted in Southern California
November 25th, 2006Via MSNBC:
A small white gull with an ordinary name had bird watchers flocking to the Salton Sea for what they call a “mega-rarity.”
The Salton Sea, a 35-mile-long lake stretching across the Imperial and Riverside county line, is a popular stop for birds heading south, and Guy McCaskie, co-author of “Birds of Salton Sea,” believed he spotted a Ross’s gull there a week ago.
The appearance of the arctic bird nearly 100 miles east of San Diego would be the first reported in California and would place it hundreds of miles farther south than it had ever been seen.
Housing Crash on Oprah
November 25th, 2006The only way I know anything about what happens on TV is when I chance across references to it online. So, if this is late, forgive me.
Oprah is helping FBs (f#@*&% buyers) sell their homes!
I managed to watch all of part one, and about one minute of part two before the twitching and convulsions began. But there are five parts to this: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Is the housing crash story old? Are you sick of the topic being mentioned on Cryptogon? I, personally, don’t think it’s maintaining the right appearance for Cryptogon to be covering the same material as Oprah! And there are more bubble blogs out there than you can shake a stick at. The only reason I follow this is because it’s going to represent the largest financial boondoggle in the history of the world.
Discuss.
Via: Housing Panic
Retired Spooks, Businessmen Serve in Internet Thought Police
November 25th, 2006I thought old, pink faced drunks just played golf and watched bad TV…
Via Infowars:
An organization of highly trained, committed and ruthless individuals with links to global intelligence agencies are using the Internet to try to foment terrorism in order to advance their unified political agenda. No it’s not Al-Qaeda, it’s Vigil, the elite private spies who are stalking the web and telling the government about any e-speech they deem suspicious.
‘Big Brother’ Cameras Listen for Fights
November 25th, 2006Via Cnet. This is the key sentence:
The sound system also means fewer people can monitor more cameras in surveillance centers, Vorst added.
They want autonomous mode weapons and surveillance technology more than anything. They want low level operators out of the loop so increasing amounts of control can be centralized into a smaller number of hands.
Related: ‘Big Brother’ Cameras Bark Orders at People
