2009 February

So there’s this thing called the Baltic Dry Index…

Friday, February 6th, 2009

Yeah, I know, you’re thinking this is going to be pretty dry.

In some ways, it is. In other ways it’s quite disturbing, and be ready for a sinking feeling, or that neat feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you know something really bad is coming your way..

So…Baltic Dry Index. BDI. Whattheheck izzat?

It’s a number. Issued by a commodities exchange in London, the Baltic Exchange. So what’s the number mean, why is it done, and why is it important?

Well sit down right here kids, and let Greg edumacate you on it.

A long time ago (mid-1700’s or so), some traders got the idea that a great way to assess where the markets were actually moving, was to look into exactly what the quantity of commodities out there, that were in transit. Or planned to be in transit, i.e. shipped. You get the idea. Say you’re a trader and you’re trying to figure out what the coal market is doing. You can either talk to your trading buddies, and have them “massage” the data to get an advantage over you (hey, it’s business), or you can go to the source of the matter. If you can get the actual numbers, numbers don’t lie, unlike people.. (more…)

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Posted in Disasters, Economy, Greg, Preparedness, Why we Prep | Comments Off

Common Daily Tasks

Monday, February 2nd, 2009

When creating your preparedness plan, it often helps to have a list of the things that you do everyday, so that you can plan to keep doing those same things even if you can’t make it to the store. Before I created the Preparedness Capability Checklist, I made a bunch of lists that allowed me to get a better handle on what I was trying to accomplish.

Even though we now have the checklist, I think it’s still important to look at what it is that you do daily, so that it puts what you’re trying to accomplish into perspective. Below is the list that I came up with, but your daily list may differ slightly. Make changes where necessary for your needs. Also, note that it focuses on “Daily” tasks, you should also include anything that you do periodically.

The list includes an indented sub-list under the tasks that lists out some of the gear and supplies you would generally need to accomplish the task. FYI, gear and equipment are durable goods, things that aren’t consumed or expended when used, like a cooking pan. Supplies are those things that get consumed or expended when used, like food and water, but can also include pens, pencils and paper as these items either wear out or get used up. (more…)

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