Survival Homestead

See, the problem is that these actions by people should really be undertaken during the ‘fat years’ rather than waiting until things are already lean.

Via: Reuters

Americans, unnerved by a worsening job market and sky-high oil prices, plan to pay off debt and boost savings in preparation for expected further economic turmoil, according to a survey from Reuters and the University of Michigan.

Half of U.S. consumers polled said they plan to speed up reducing their debt and a third said they plan to save more in the year ahead, according to the survey, which will be released next week.

“Most of the planned declines in debt and increases in savings are intended as a precautionary measure in the face of a deepening economic downturn,” Richard Curtin, director of Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers, said in a statement on Friday ahead of Tuesday’s release of the poll.

The Reuters/University of Michigan’s widely followed U.S. consumer sentiment index has fallen sharply this year, as the economy slows and oil prices hit record highs.

I enjoy reading Gary North’s free weekly newsletter, perhaps you will as well. This was last weeks tip.

Gary North’s Tip of the Week - July 12, 2008 Tire Code

This tip can keep you from being ripped off for hundreds of dollars. It may even save your life.

What I am about to tell you, I learned this week. I should have known for decades. So should you.

First, tires older than six years are unsafe. They have a tendency to disintegrate. It doesn’t matter that they have never been driven. The rubber disintegrates.

Second, there is a numerical code, required by Federal law, that tells you when the tire was manufactured. It appears at the end of a 12-digit code that begins with DOT.

The last 4 digits tell you the week and year. For example, 4207 means that it was produced in the 42nd week of 2007. If it’s a 3-digit code, the tire was produced in the previous century. Replace it.

Until recently, manufacturers were allowed to place the code on the inside of the tire, assuring sellers that buyers would not discover that the tire had been sitting in inventory for several years.

When the code is on the inside, it’s very difficult for the buyer to see it, even if he knows that it’s there and what it means.

Here is a recent article on the topic.

http://www.garynorth.com/snip/595.htm

Here is a photo of a tire with the code.

http://www.garynorth.com/snip/596.htm

Before you buy new tires, ask the salesman to show you the exact tires to be installed — not “looks just like this (but 10 years older).” Check the code. Do not pay for tires older than six months. It’s your money.

Check your spare! Replace it if it’s old.

Gary “242″ North

Via: CNN.com

An E. coli outbreak traced to recalled beef in Michigan and Ohio has spawned cases in three other states, U.S. health officials said Tuesday.

New York, Kentucky and Indiana each have one lab-confirmed case of a bacterial infection that matches the 41 previously reported cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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The outbreak has been traced to beef sold in Kroger supermarkets in Michigan and Ohio. The Kroger Co. last month recalled ground beef sold in Michigan and Ohio stores, then this month expanded it to include other states. About 5.3 million pounds of beef was recalled.
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The Kentucky patient lives near Ohio, but the New York and Indiana patients did not travel to either of the states where the outbreak began, said Mark Sotir, a CDC investigator working on the outbreak.

All 44 illnesses in the outbreak are attributed to the same type of E. coli, one that causes a potentially deadly bacterial infection. The illnesses began between May 30 and June 24. CDC officials say 21 of the victims have been hospitalized and one developed kidney failure, but no one has died.

Via: organicconsumers.org

USDA is boosting its efforts to get livestock producers signed up in the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) ahead of mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) legislation that becomes effective this fall. In an interview with Meatingplace.com during a two-day swing through Texas this week to visit meat and poultry processing plants, Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer said he prefers not to make NAIS mandatory but warned it could happen if not enough producers sign up voluntarily.

I don’t usually concern myself with cinema or television programming anymore, but this one did catch my eye.

Via: cinemablend.com

“Wolverines!” The single word is a rallying cry to anyone familiar with ‘80s cult hit Red Dawn, which starred Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, and Charlie Sheen. Let’s see - ‘80s flick, cult hit, memorable catchphrase - yup, must be time for a remake.

MGM has targeted Red Dawn for an updated remake and brought Carl Ellsworth (Red Eye, Disturbia) on board to script it out. The original story played heavily on Cold War paranoia by starting the third world war with an invasion on American soil. There’s still something chilling about the image of soldiers parachuting down into the high school’s back field to those of us who lived in that time. You can’t argue Ellsworth’s logic for a remake though: ” “The tone is going to be very intense, very much keeping in mind the post-9/11 world that we’re in. As Red Dawn scared the heck out of people in 1984, we feel that the world is kind of already filled with a lot of paranoia and unease, so why not scare the hell out of people again?”