Doomsday bunkers hot buy

Have you finished your April Fools Day shopping yet? Only four more days left! Let’s look at the headlines:

•”Sales of luxe doomsday bunkers up 1,000 percent“: Events in Japan and the Middle East have increased sales of bunkers anywhere from 20 percent to 1,000 percent, CNNMoney.com reported.

Northwest Shelter Systems, an Idaho company that offers shelters ranging in price from $200,000 to $20 million, has seen sales surge 70 percent since the uprisings in the Middle East, with the Japanese earthquake generating further interest, CNN reported. The company has 12 bunkers already booked, when it normally sells four per year.

So, despite the doomsday nature of these times, this is a good-news economic report. Who said sales of new homes, er, bunkers, were down? And there must be slightly lower-tier action going on as well — people who can’t afford a brand new bunker but are nonetheless splurging to upgrade their outdated Y2K shelters, which are so 1999. Doesn’t A&E have a “Flip This Bunker” series?

•”Arizona golf course hole is par 5 and 3 mountain lions“: Finally, something to spice up the game. And a fresh use for the phrase “To Coug it.”

•”Coyote delays jets at busy Atlanta airport“: He was late for a big golf tournament and didn’t want to miss his plane.

•”Shark bites Cancun tourist in surf despite warning“: Those darn sharks, not following warnings…

•”A durable doomsday preacher predicts the world’s end — again“: Preacher Harold Camping, 89, was wrong about his prediction about 1994, but he’s certain about the upcoming end in just months — May 21, Religion News Service reported.

Hmmm, makes one think twice about ordering that $20 million bunker.

•”Protect yourself: Don’t hold more than $500,000 in any single account“: Well. No problem then. Some financial advice is certainly easier to follow than others.

•”America’s millionaires on the rebound“: Well, thank goodness. The rest of us were worried. The millionaires said two things were key to their survival: The $500,000 under the mattress and the $500,000 stashed in the bunker.

•”Artificial cloud designed to offer shade at Qatar’s 2022 World Cup“: No, that’s not artificial thunder you hear. It’s the entire Pacific Northwest Emirates groaning in unison, “We’ve got your #$&%@$^ cloud right here.[”] Holding the World Cup in the Middle East may, in fact, be a sign of the apocalypse, even if Preacher Harold Camping forgot to mention it. Wouldn’t it be easier to play the games in air-conditioned, underground bunkers?

Go ahead, make soccer-is-a-sign-of-the-apocaplypse jokes. Just turn the artificial sun up a little higher.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Sunday, June 15

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

AP government students at Henry M. Jackson High School visited the state Capitol this spring and watched as a resolution they helped draft was adopted in the Senate as part of the Building Bridges Future Leaders Academy. (Josh Estes / Building Bridges)
Comment: Future leaders learn engineering of building bridges

Here’s what Jackson High government students learned with the help of local officials and lawmakers.

Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown, speaks with reporters during a press conference in Seattle, on April 4, 2025. Brown has filed a lawsuit accusing the Adams County sheriff of sharing inmate information with federal immigration agents in defiance of a state law meant to limit collaboration between state law enforcement officers and federal immigration agencies. (Jordan Gale/The New York Times)
Comment: The reach and reason of sanctuary policies

They can’t protect people from ICE raids but local governments aren’t required to assist the agency.

Comment: Early cancer diagnosis can be key in saving lives

An act in Congress would allow Medicare coverage for early-detection tests for a range of cancers.

Comment: In wildfire crisis, options for forests, communities

By thinning threatened forests, mass timber can use that material for homes, businesses and more.

Forum: Everett’s land-use plan should keep affordable housing tool

Its comprehensive plan should keep inclusionary zoning, setting aside housing for working families.

The Buzz: ‘Your majesty, the peasants are revolting!’

Well, that’s a little harsh, but we’re sure the ‘No Kings’ protesters clean up well after their marches.

50 years after “Jaws,” look at sharks differently

This summer, the world celebrates the 50th anniversary of “Jaws,” the blockbuster… Continue reading

Church leader was calling for a religious riot

I was stunned by a recent letter praising pastor Ross Johnston and… Continue reading

Holocaust was rolled out slowly, too

The Holocaust didn’t happen overnight. Eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion and staging… Continue reading

In a gathering similar to many others across the nation on Presidents Day, hundreds lined Broadway with their signs and chants to protest the Trump administration Monday evening in Everett. (Aaron Kennedy / Daily Herald)
Editorial: Let’s remember the ‘peaceably’ part of First Amendment

Most of us understand the responsibilities of free speech; here’s how we remind President Trump.

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer testifies during a budget hearing before a House Appropriations subcommittee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Thursday, May 15, 2025. (Al Drago/The New York Times)
Editorial: Ending Job Corps a short-sighted move by White House

If it’s jobs the Trump administration hopes to bring back to the U.S., it will need workers to fill them.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.