Forward to the future!

A handy roundup of grim discoveries and the way ahead (whether you like it or not)

In between panic about getting enough toilet rolls and ready meals, take a look at some of these beauties.

Fancy a $5k bug out bag with some jazzy hand creams for your private jet? No problemo!

Maybe some heavy duty “air purifier” products?

The granddaddy of pricey-gadget peddlers is Hammacher Schlemmer & Co. The retailer stocks a range of defenses such as the “Virus, Mold, And Germ Destroying Air And Surface Sanitizer,” which for $399.95 promises to zap nasty microbes from your living room using technology similar to what NASA employs to purify its space shuttles.

In the days before coronavirus, the item was billed mainly as a mold fighter. And though it was always meant to fight viruses, the company added the v-word to it and some other products to grab the attention of agitated shoppers, not to mention internet-search algorithms.

“We strengthened the title to aid consumers in their search,” said Ann Marie Resnick, the company’s vice president of marketing.

– Bloomberg, March 14 2020

Thanks to Ann Marie for her kind help with that.

And if you thought that was bad/amusing, how about reading this 2017 Reuters article about the World Bank and their “Pandemic Bonds” investment opportunity… Sounds pretty sweet. Too bad they couldn’t delay the payout until July 20. More on the details can be found in this Feb 2020 article.

The Class A bonds feature an interest rate of 7% while the Class B bonds’ rate is 11%.

According to the PEF, around $75.5 million had been paid to bondholders in the form of premiums as of August 2019. The full amount paid in interest and coupons has not been disclosed. The bonds are set to mature in July 2020.

– DW.com, Feb 2020

Ah, the sweet smell of profit as you bet on global pandemics, raking in the millions… What could be better? Of course though, it’s all done in the best possible taste.

Lastly, lest you reach for the tinfoil hat too early, check this one out. Already cash is used less day to day than it used to be, but now people literally have a fear that money is “dirty” (like it wasn’t before??), carrying germs, viruses, etc.

Hmm, I wonder if that sort of thinking could be useful to anyone? I wonder if, just maybe, making cash an unhygienic inconvenience for everyone would help “Progress”? I’m sure it would be in the public interest above all else…

The crucial point here is that the mere existence of cash is a control on the power of banks and government. If there is no cash alternative then there is nothing to stop us being charged to have bank deposits. Whereas, if cash still exists but bank deposits pay negative interest, we can always make the switch.

–Ofwealth.com, March 2016

Have a read. It’s actually pretty staggering. Maybe I just like to see patterns, watched too much X-Files or something…

Anyway, something to consider as you lurk in your bunker over the coming weeks…