Prince Harry Pokes Al Qaeda in the Eye

Well, it seems Prince Harry has been or will soon be spirited out of country. Hats off to the guy for doing his duty.

He did some real damage apparently while on the ground in Afghanistan, so now he figures he will be an especially tempting target back in Britain for their very own radical Islamists.

Anyway, Harry has poked a thumb in the eye of those AQ dastardlies and now for the time being at least, he can go "na-na, na-na-na, you missed me, you missed me."

Just think what kind of rep he'll have if he manages to now sneak a little tour of duty on the ground in Iraq!

See Britain: Harry's Afghan Deployment Over

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Need to Assess the Financial Condition and Safety of Your Banking Institution?

Get the low-down here: http://www.bankrate.com/brm/safesound/ss_home.asp


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Unprecedented Food Cost Hikes Ahead

Shoppers warned bigger bills on way
By Javier Blas
Published: February 24 2008 22:02

When William Lapp, of US-based consultancy Advanced Economic Solutions, took the podium at the annual US Department of Agriculture conference, the sentiment was already bullish for agricultural commodities boosted by demand from the biofuels industry and emerging countries.

He added a twist – that rising agricultural raw material prices would translate this year into sharply higher food inflation.

“I hope you enjoy your meal,” Mr Lapp told delegates during a luncheon. “It is the cheapest one you are going to have at this forum for a while.”

His warning that a strong wave of food inflation is heading towards the world economy was met by nods from agriculture traders, food industry executives and western’s government officials at the USDA’s annual Agricultural Outlook Forum.

Larry Pope, chief executive of Smithfield Foods, the largest US pork processor, warned delegates of a wave of “real food inflation” just at the time central banks were under pressure to cut interest rates.

“I think we need to tell the American consumer that [prices] are going up,” he said. “We’re seeing cost increases that we’ve never seen in our business.”

[snip]


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Palestinians Plan Mass Rush on Gazan-Israeli Border Monday

http://debka.com/headline.php?hid=5050

Excerpt:

Beefed-up Israeli military and security forces prepare to repulse thousands of Palestinians planning to crash the full length of the Gazan-Israeli border and its crossings at 10:00 a.m. IT Monday, Feb. 25. (3am EST)

Behind the human shield of women, children and elderly leading the assault on Monday, Hamas, Jihad Islami and Fatah are expected to shoot, send in suicide bombers and unleash a Qassam barrage. If Israeli forces are goaded into opening fire, civilian casualties may be heavy enough to draw international condemnation.

[snip]

Update:

Palestinian scheme for mass charge on Gaza-Israel border collapses
February 25, 2008, 1:41 PM (GMT+02:00)


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PhD Candidate's Political Science Survey

I was asked to post this link here without comment, so as not to bias responses:

http://www.ic.sunysb.edu/stu/crweber/TAKESURVEY/election_2008.htm

Watch Bird Flu's Progression - Past 50 Months

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Oil at $150 by Year-end

Oil and food -- modern life's two necessities seem guaranteed to skyrocket through at least the next year. The logical result of that, in your day to day life, is something akin to chaos.

Bank projects oil will hit $150 by year's end

ABU DHABI — The price of crude oil was expected to skyrocket to $150 per barrels over the next few months.

An analysis by Saxo Bank said the price of oil would continue to rise sharply in 2008. The analysis said inflation as well as growing demand would fuel the rise in global prices.
Saxo, the specialized investment bank headquartered in Denmark, said gold would hit $1,000 per ounce as the price of all precious commodities would rise. The analysis linked the movement of oil and gold.

[snip]

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Deep Survival--Stories to Ponder

National Geographic Adventure is one of just two magazines to which I subscribe. It is a rare treasure, given it's ability to deliver relevant, helpful, and fascinating information about our natural world and how we interact with it.

Two recent, thoughtful columns under the heading of "Deep Survival" are highly recommended to our readers who are interested in being fully prepared for disaster. They are unusual and memorable in that they approach unique aspects of being ready ... that is, how apt are you to make wise decisions in dangerous conditions.

I ask that you read through each of these columns linked below and spend a bit of time mulling over the mental and emotional wherewithal you might have at your disposal when you are at sudden risk. (The lessons offered are applicable across the spectrum of episodic daily-life.)

Deep Survival #1: Avalanches

Deep Survival #2: Tsunamis

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Wheat Prices On Fire

Wheat is just leading the upward charge. Other food commodities are rising as well.

Record wheat price ignites food inflation fears

It's $15 a bushel at Minneapolis Grain Exchange and expected to keep climbing

BY TOM WEBB
Pioneer Press

Article Launched: 02/08/2008 12:01:00 AM CST

The highest wheat price in U.S. history - more than $15 a bushel - was reached Thursday in Minneapolis as a trading frenzy inflames the grain markets, fans fears of spiking food costs and revives worries about food shortages.

With wheat stockpiles dwindling, a worldwide scramble is under way for bushels of high-protein spring wheat, the variety grown in Minnesota and the Dakotas and traded at the Minneapolis Grain Exchange. Already, spring wheat prices have tripled in the past year and are poised to move even higher.

"In my wildest dreams, six months ago I didn't see $15 wheat," said Ed Usset, grain-marketing specialist at the University of Minnesota.

Thursday's closing price of $15.23 a bushel may be jubilant news for wheat farmers and the rural Midwest, as the historic rally pushes corn and soybean prices near records, too. But it could mean new price shocks for consumers, and it already alarms food companies that need wheat for such consumer staples as bread, cereal, crackers and pasta.

In 2007, the rate of U.S. food inflation more than doubled to a 17-year high of 4.8 percent. Some expect that pace to nearly double again this year.

"We're projecting that food inflation in the U.S. is going to be 8 percent," said Mark Palmquist, executive vice president for the ag businesses of CHS, a farmer-owned cooperative based in Inver Grove Heights.

[snip]

I'll say once again--buy storage food NOW. It is better than money in the bank in this situation.

Get Ready ... Seriously - www.safecastleroyal.com

"Business Not as Usual: Preparing for a Pandemic Flu"

Excellent new video made for businesses and organizations in Seattle and King County ...

Click link to open streaming video:

Business Not As Usual:Preparing for a Pandemic Flu

Windows MediaPlayer must be installed on your computer to view the streaming video through your Internet browser. Install Windows MediaPlayer (free).

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Get Ready ... Seriously - www.safecastleroyal.com

Montague Folding Bikes & Swiss Bikes - Preppers' Bikes

Think spring. Think portable transportation. Think riding under your own power down city streets, along dusty trails, and across babbling brooks.

These bikes are tough and cool. Easy to carry in your compact trunk, on a plane or train, or stowed under your desk or in your apartment closet. Just 30 seconds to fold down or to reassemble, light enough to carry in a special shoulder bag--being prepared for the unexpected or the inconvenient should always be so easy.

I have the Montague Paratrooper and it is by far the most adaptable, enjoyable, most rugged yet most comfortable ride I've experienced. In fact, that's why I sell the Montague and SwissBike lines. I believe in them.

Check out our folding bike listings here (remember--we ship free to the lower 48, AND our members get 20% off the list prices)!



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Killer Tornadoes Wreak Devastation in 4 States

The severe storm season in the U.S. has made a sudden, tragic entrance on the scene.

Folks are free to play the odds and hope they aren't ever struck by the fury that is possible out there, but we have to encourage you to have in place a viable shelter that will withstand winds that otherwise threaten those who are unprepared.

Twisters Kill at Least 50 in Southern States

LAFAYETTE, Tenn. - Rescue crews, some with the help of the National Guard, went door-to-door looking for more victims a day after a cluster of tornadoes tore through the South, killing at least 50 people and injuring several hundred.

Residents in five states tried to salvage what they could Wednesday from homes reduced to piles of debris. Dozens of twisters were reported as storms swept through Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama.

Seavia Dixon, whose home in Atkins, Ark., was shattered, stood in her yard, holding muddy baby pictures of her son, who is now a 20-year-old soldier in Iraq. Only a concrete slab was left.

[snip]


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Legendary Investor Counsels Rich to Prepare for War in "Wealth, War, and Wisdom"

Excerpt from Bloomberg:

Biggs's Tips for the Rich: Expect War, Study Blitz, Mind Markets

Jan. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Barton Biggs has some offbeat advice for the rich: Insure yourself against war and disaster by buying a remote farm or ranch and stocking it with "seed, fertilizer, canned food, wine, medicine, clothes, etc.''

The "etc.'' must mean guns.

"A few rounds over the approaching brigands' heads would probably be a compelling persuader that there are easier farms to pillage,'' he writes in his new book, "Wealth, War and Wisdom.''

Biggs is no paranoid survivalist. He was chief global strategist at Morgan Stanley before leaving in 2003 to form hedge fund Traxis Partners. He doesn't lock and load until the last page of this smart look at how World War II warped share prices, gutted wealth and remains a warning to investors. His message: Listen to markets, learn from history and prepare for the worst.

[snip]

My Take: I haven't read this yet, but I will certainly be getting a copy.

According to his bio, author Barton Biggs spent 30 years at Morgan Stanley. Capping his many achievements, he served as Chairman of the investment management firm.

At various times during this period (1973-2003) he was ranked as the number one U.S. investment strategist by the Institutional Investor magazine poll and then, from 1996 to 2003, as the number one global strategist. In 2003, Biggs left Morgan Stanley and, with two other colleagues, formed Traxis Partners. Traxis now has well over a billion dollars under its management.

On "War, Wealth, and Wisdom," the publisher summarizes:

During our current years of political upheaval and dramatic market swings, it's important to look back on historic periods to gain insights into the direction of stocks and economic stability for investment opportunities today. In Wealth, War, and Wisdom, legendary Wall Street investor Barton Biggs has analyzed, for the first time, the major events of World War II and how they shaped the stock market and individual wealth from 1930 to 1945. No one before Biggs has traced this intersection, and the lessons for investing today are unparalleled. In Wealth, War, and Wisdom, Biggs discusses the performance of equities in both victorious and defeated countries. He then reveals how individuals preserved their wealth and explores whether or not public equities were able to increase in value and serve as a wealth preserver in spite of the ongoing battles. Besides examining the stock market, Biggs looks at how other assets, including real estate and gold, fared during this dynamic and devastating period. His unique account of the Second World War is lively and lesson-filled on life, politics, and survival, and completely relevant to predicting the way modern financial markets and the economy may act during times of uncertainty. Filled with in-depth insights and practical advice, Wealth, War, and Wisdom will help investors apply these original financial lessons directly, and beneficially, to today's turbulent markets.


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Fifteen More Cities on Homeland Security Terror-Risk List

The Associated Press reports that the Department of Homeland Security has added 15 cities/regions to its list for funding priorities--areas thatare at high risk of terrorist attack.

See Fox News' report here.

Added to last year's Tier II list: Albany, NY; Rochester, N.Y.; Syracuse, N.Y.; Austin and Round Rock, Texas; Baton Rouge, La.; Bridgeport, Stamford and Norwalk, Conn.; the Hartford, Conn., region; Louisville and Jefferson County in Kentucky and an adjoining area in Indiana; Nashville, Davidson County and Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Richmond, Va.; Riverside, San Bernardino and Ontario, Calif.; Salt Lake City; San Juan, Caguas and Guaynabo, Puerto Rico; and Toledo, Ohio.

The FY07 Tier II list:
Anaheim/Santa Ana Area (CA)
Atlanta Area (GA)
Baltimore Area (MD)
Boston Area (MA)
Buffalo Area (NY)
Charlotte Area (NC)
Cincinnati Area (OH)
Cleveland Area (OH)
Columbus Area (OH)
Dallas/Fort Worth/Arlington Area (TX)
Denver Area (CO)
Detroit Area (MI)
El Paso Area (TX)
Fort Lauderdale Area (FL)
Honolulu Area (HI)
Indianapolis Area (IN)
Jacksonville Area (FL)
Kansas City Area (MO)
Las Vegas Area (NV)
Memphis Area (TN)
Miami Area (FL)
Milwaukee Area (WI)
New Orleans Area (LA)
Norfolk Area (VA)
Oklahoma City Area (OK)
Orlando Area (FL)
Philadelphia Area (PA)
Phoenix Area (AZ)
Pittsburgh Area (PA)
Portland Area (OR)
Providence Area (RI)
Sacramento Area (CA)
San Antonio Area (TX)
San Diego Area (CA)
Seattle Area (WA)
St. Louis Area (MO)
Tampa Area (FL)
Tucson Area (AZ)
Twin Cities Area (MN)

The Tier I list of cities (that receive the most funding):

Bay Area (CA)
Chicago Area (IL)
Houston Area (TX)
Los Angeles/Long Beach Area (CA)
National Capital Region (DC)
New York City/Northern New Jersey Area
• New York City Area
• Jersey City/Newark Area


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U.S. National Guard & Reserves NOT Ready for Attack Within US

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