Adventures in Practical Preparation

To the debt ceiling, and beyond!

2011-07-17T00:52:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm getting that itch again, so, here goes. I don't know how much of a prediction this is more than just a hypothetical extrapolation based on past events, but here goes.

Think back to the fall of 2008. Remember that "oh shit" feeling you had? I think we're about to have another episode like that.

In 2008, how much of that crisis was real vs manufactured? I don't know, and I don't think it really matters. There were and are very real and very serious structural issues in the way our societal/political/economic systems are set up, yet, I'm sure some of the 2008 crisis was manufactured, and that's what counts. Never let a crisis go to waste, right? Especially when you can create, or at least get positioned to steer a crisis to some pre-determined outcome.

What came out of 2008? In the heat of the moment decisions were made that successfully kicked the can down the road for about 3 years, til now. The heat provided cover for some dubious at best decision making. Now there is all this hub-bub about the debt ceiling, which is providing the right excuse for the right crisis at the right time.

I fully expect there to be some fireworks over the next couple of weeks, as well as the eventual "successful" handling of the crisis. All the details are already known to the real players in this game. Everything you see and hear on the evening news regarding the debt ceiling is nothing more than a high-brow reality TV show. The only purpose these sound bites serve is to confuse and scare us.

We've already seen Ben Bernanke saying one day that the Federal Reserve is open to more stimulus packages, and then the very next day saying they aren't prepared for that right now. We've seen and heard lots of sound and fury coming from the politicians as well. We hear about Moody's saying they might have to downgrade U.S. debt. It's all a show.

Now, assuming the goal is kicking the can again (and I do) and maintaining B.A.U. for awhile longer I can say

Moody's, or any ratings agency that matter to the U.S. will never downgrade the debt.

We will see weakness (or strength) based on the days debt shenanigan-talks, in the stock markets thanks to High Frequency Trading algorithms. I generally expect weakness. The rhetoric and play-acting coming out of DC will increase in intensity and direness in order to put a good dose of fear into the populace.

Likewise, I expect to see a strong showing in the gold and silver markets based on the fear trade.

As the deadline approaches with no resolution in sight (or perhaps they will have a resolution, but the vote for it fails similarly to the first vote for TARP in 2008) I expect the stock markets to take a huge dump. There has been a lot of testing of the HFT algos between the May 2010 flash crash and now, and I can see the NYSE stop trading for a time due to hitting a down circuit breaker. If those algo's go a little nuts, it would be funny to see something like, DOW 100. At least then people would see what a farce things have become. But I don't expect that to happen for that same reason. I also see gold and silver taking a beating due to margin calls, etc. at this point.

Then we will see "marathon negotiations" and within 24 hours a "miraculous" agreement will be reached (one that is already decided on as of right now I'm quite sure). At this point, the stock markets stabilize and get a small bump, but not recovering all that was lost. Precious metals, which SHOULD now go up, will not. (Don't forget the goal is B.A.U. which means in part that the U.S. Dollar is king, and people who don't trust it - ie gold and silver bugs - are weirdos talking nonsense that should be shunned - the goal is to keep people in paper instruments that can be manipulated in a millisecond with a keystroke)

Now with people sufficiently terrified, and markets stable but lower Bernanke has his cover for QE3, and gets to ride that bitch in like a white horse. Of course there will be some delay to get here, but the stage is set again for the same shenanigan-cycle we've been thru since QE1.

Whatever is in the legislation to pass this debt ceiling increase, rest assured, will be bad for you and me, and therefore will have an extremely pleasant sounding name. Something like the "America's Fantastic Future Spending Bill"

The can will have been successfully kicked, again...for awhile. I also fully expect the intervals between these crises to shorten.

Good luck out there, this ride is still just warming up.

It's in

2010-12-07T23:18:00.000-05:00

The bottom. It's in, it's confirmed. I guess that was an impossible call. Silver up big, then down big. Just to spite those Max Keiserites. Why did it stop at 28.50? Actually the why doesn't matter. What matters is it did. 28.50 is the new normal. Buy buy buy.

The wheels are coming off. They're wobbling off right the fuck now. Why aren't you buying yet?

Once you pop, you can't stop

2010-11-08T13:13:00.001-05:00

So, less than two months ago I got all excited about a $14 swing in gold. How quaint. Today gold punched through $1400, and silver has been on a tear, breaking $27 today. After my last post I thought long and hard... could I recommend for anyone to actually sink their hard earned money into gold, or silver, at such high prices? I came to conclude no, I could not. The memory of the fall of 2008 was hot on my mind. I remember the euphoria of silver at $20, and people saying it was just a pullback, that it was just consolidating, as it dropped all the way down to the $9's. I thought (and still am not 100% convinced they don't) that the manipulators still had at least one more crushing blow in store for metals. I was thinking that the third time would be the charm, that we would get one more massive price drop, and buying opportunity. Well, as of today, I'm really starting to think there may be no third time. This might be the new normal, the end of the manipulation, and the beginning of the end of fiat currency. The USDX is up, along with Gold and Silver. Extremely bullish (well, for metals at least). Last week ZeroHedge had an article discussing strong resistance at $25.50 in silver. That ceiling held for one day. The next day it blew through $25...and $26. Today $27. $30 by the end of this week? I don't know what to think anymore. All of my prognostications turn out to be wrong, always, lol. Am I right this time? Is this IT, really?? I don't know. What I do know is, I don't want to be looking at $60 silver and $3000 gold next year at this time saying coulda shoulda woulda. And if the numbers are $10 and $1000, well, that's just a chance to lower your cost average then :) Good luck.

The value of these metals remains *fairly* stable, but their prices increase as the only trick that central banks can, will and do pull, is to run the printing presses to infinity and beyond. I am convinced they will do this until it all falls apart, because it DOES buy time, vs. instant deflationary black hole otherwise. But in the end the debt based currency system must crumble, and we are witnessing it. Oh, and if anyone says Gold, or Silver is a bubble... it's debt, it's fiat which is in the throes of it's last bubble, not metal. Buy now, buy regularly, buy frequently until you can't anymore. I am. If nothing else it's a middle finger to our irrevocably broken and fraud filled paper financial system. Take your ball and go home.

Hahaha

2010-09-21T14:32:00.002-04:00

$14 spike in minutes, setting another new intraday record. "She cannah take much more cap'n! She's coming apart!"

Get some while it's still affordable.

EDIT: Sorry I pulled the trigger a minute too soon; ANOTHER intraday record set lol!

A Thought on Debt and Petroleum

2010-08-12T14:41:00.000-04:00

Interestingly enough, from many mainstream sources we are hearing a rallying cry for the US government to cut the deficit. We are hearing "it's not fair, it is not right, to leave these debts to - to steal from - our grandchildren." And it makes sense, what does give us the right to rack up these huge public debts and saddle future generations with their burden? I suppose it arises from a sense of entitlement. Plus, it's just the way things are done... the way things have always been done.

Also interestingly, nobody (aside from a Saudi King, whom I believe was being disingenuous and just trying to cover his ass because SA has peaked while painting himself as enlightened and benevolent) is saying stop exploring for oil. Yes, we are hearing calls to conserve, but we are not hearing calls for a full stop to save some of the precious juice for future generations.

So, most agree that it's not right to leave massive debt for future generations to worry about, yet essentially nobody says it's not right to burn up all the oil we want right this minute. Why not?

I'm not being flippant here. I imagine an average Joe reading the above sentence and getting a little bit ticked off at me, due to feelings of "don't be stupid, it's common sense."

But here's the rub: money and oil are both resources. Money is a man-made resource, and oil is a natural resource. Oil is finite, and money (at least in theory) can be infinite. Yet here we are, worried about saving some money for future humans, but to hell with oil. Sense; this makes none.

Technology! That is what I am forgetting! Add some sweet, delicious technology into the above equation and suddenly everything comes up aces, right?

This mantra of technology as savior has become an ingrained, unquestioned part of our culture. Common sense says technology is awesome, and does so many great things, and any day now a fantastic breakthrough will occur rendering the need for petroleum moot. That's why it's silly to save any for the future, they won't need it by then, duhh!

Following that train of thought, a similar thing will happen with our current concept of money. There will be a technological advancement somewhere along the line rendering money itself, and the debt that it represents obsolete. We will leave our money in the dust, just as we leave our dependence on oil in the dust.

Well, if you find the above absurd, it's every bit as absurd to think that technology will find a replacement for oil. As best as I can tell, technology causes more problems than it solves. Our monetary system is in the process of laying bare all of its' inherent flaws and getting ready to implode, and our issues with oil have been laid bare in the Gulf of Mexico.

Heh, I have run out of gas for this thought experiment. I was just trying to poke some fun, and holes, into the logic behind some unquestioned pillars of our insane culture. This is why we are doomed, and this is why you must put some effort into preparation. Our culture is going to get really wacky when it really starts literally running out of gas. That day is fast approaching. Failure to prepare is preparing to fail. Best of luck.

Oh really

2010-07-13T12:18:00.002-04:00

So, reports are coming in that the tarballs showing up in NE Florida aren't from Macondo. To that I say:

Edited to ad: there is a report out that two scientists on some board are saying Corexit is safe.

And all I hear is this:

Updated garden pics

2010-07-12T14:00:00.001-04:00

They're starting to take off now!

It's true...carrots love tomatoes...

Now, here is something interesting... the tomatoes in the back (closest to the camera) are called "Red grape" that I got from Victory seeds. It said on the packet "do not direct seed." Well, I direct seeded them, about 4 weeks behind starting the others indoors...and now look, they're as big, if not bigger than the rest...hmmm....

Potatoes to the left, yard long beans to the right (c'mon and grow you dirty dawgs!)

Finally! They're hereeeee....

The Pennsylvania Red Leaf tobacco is totally kicking ass...

The okra (Clemson Spineless) is doing great in the beds...but not so well in the smart pots...which is cute, because they advertise (of course) that they're better than raised beds. To be clear, the okra in the pot closest to the camera was planted the same day as the stuff in the beds. Good to know.

Now to be fair, it looks likes my pumpkins are coming along just fine... and it's intersting to note that, from left to right we have some hybrid plant that is supposed to produce gigantic fruits, the one in the middle is supposed to be standard Jack O'lantern size, and the one on the right is a smaller variety, some sugar type pumpkin for cooking.

The oil is rounding third and heading for home!

2010-07-10T12:57:00.001-04:00

Yesterday tar balls arrived in Crescent City Florida.

Remember this?

Looking pretty accurate. Oil in Richmond, VA in a week or so anybody??

I hope people are paying attention to this, and acting... it's going to get real ugly.

Watch 'em

2010-07-09T09:42:00.000-04:00

Yeah I know I have a motivational pics page

2010-07-06T13:40:00.000-04:00

But I actually did these up myself, and kinda like 'em, even if they are totally nooby.

I pickle they

2010-07-05T19:29:00.000-04:00

Check out my beets! More specifically Chioggia beets, tonight I will pickle they with some eggs.

Garden progress

2010-06-26T22:20:00.000-04:00

So, here are a few pics of how things are coming. I'm not happy with most of these pics, so more will come later!

Here's the finished raised beds:

Tomatoes: Green Zebra, Great White, Plum Yellow, Red Grape, and Moneymaker.

Above you can also see the pepper plants (forget what kind lol) Danvers half long carrots, Marigolds, and I think I have Tendercrisp celery in there too...

This bed is still sprouting, but the Chioggia beets are doing well, picked one today but it was still pretty small, the broccoli/cauliflower behind it is doing ok...

The Pennsylvania Red Leaf tobacco is doing really well....the radishes in front look...uhm, weird?? I guess that's what it means when a plant bolts to seed....

Here's my modified three sisters garden... I've got Stowell's Evergreen (white) corn, Broad Windsor Fava beans, Royalty Purple Pod beans, Contender, Golden Wax, Kentucky Wonder pole beans, and McCaslan pole beans...Gray Zuchinni, White Scallop squash, Crookneck squash, Delikatesse cukes, Lemon cukes, White Wonder cukes, Snow's Fancy pickling cukes, Little Marvel peas, Sugar Snap peas, Sugar Ann snow peas, Casper eggplant, Rotunda Bianca eggplant, Long Purple eggplant, Diamond eggplant, Cream of Saskatchewan watermelon, Charentais melon, Honey Rock melon, and a type of orange watermelon...phew!!! So, kinda crappy looking now, but I'm hoping in another month this thing will look awesome.

What I'm trying to accomplish here, is to have the veggies so densely packed, I don't have to do much weeding...I'm leaving the clover (heard that it works well as a live ground cover) so we'll see how well it works out...

And my fairly pathetic looking trees....I'm hoping these guys start perking up...the peach tree is looking the best so far...

This also speaks for itself

2010-06-03T21:11:00.000-04:00

This is a must watch video

2010-05-19T14:56:00.002-04:00

This speaks for itself

2010-05-09T22:52:00.002-04:00

Do not believe the propaganda

2010-05-07T13:58:00.001-04:00

Do yourself a favor and throw your tv in the garbage. At least sell it to some sucker on craigslist.

This might be "it"

2010-05-02T18:46:00.001-04:00

I'm sure you've all heard or read at least a little bit of the ongoing oil spill disaster in the gulf of Mexico. What you probably haven't heard is that this might very well be "it."

This might be the incident that kicks us from our current slow collapse trajectory into a fast collapse scenario.

Somewhere on this blog I stated that I've made two "doom" predictions which never came to fruition, and that I wouldn't do that ever again. And I won't now. What I will do is issue a strong warning: this might be it, so you should really get your ass in gear.

So let's think about this for a moment:

The first spill rate estimations were 1000 gallons a day. (Even me, and my doom loving ways, didn't pay much attention to this story for the first few days).

Then it went to 1000 barrels a day (42,000 gallons).

For a few days they were saying about 5,000 barrels a day.

Now I just read the actual rate is closer to 25,000 barrels a day - and the "whisper number" is 100,000 BARRELS a day.

Uhhh, are you seeing the pattern here?? This has been going on for ten days so far. Apparently if it goes truly worst case scenario this formation could dump as much as 163,000 barrels of oil per day into the gulf until the reservoir is empty, and no one knows exactly how much oil is in there!

My gut feeling is that the gulf of Mexico is done for if the flow isn't stopped within a week. The area is already in a world of hurt if the flow stops right now.

So, how is our national economy as fragile as it is, supposed to deal with several states economies being absolutely ruined?

Have you pondered the upcoming hurricane season? Just imagine what destruction that could cause. I wonder how far inland it would be raining petroleum? I wonder how effective a defoliant petroleum is? I wonder how poisonous it would be to people and (food) animals alike?

What if this thing doesn't stop until it runs dry?

What happens to the environment/weather if this makes its way up the east coast and/or out into the Atlantic?
What happens to the national economy in THAT case?

Already there is talk about the gulf coast refineries having to shut down. I wonder how expensive gasoline would get if that happens? I wonder just how quickly the shortages would hit? Do you think our economy can absorb $4/gal gas again? What about 5/6/7/8/9 dollars a gallon?

I have more questions than answers here folks, but please pay close attention to this one, and please start start prepping in earnest. This one might be beyond human capabilities to contain, and the only answer I have to that situation is "you better have some preps."

Good luck.

Raised beds done

2010-05-01T20:51:00.000-04:00

Finally done. Now to put some flagstones in the middle for a finishing touch.

Yardwork-in-progress

2010-04-20T21:12:00.000-04:00

Hard to believe only two months ago the yard looked like this:

Now here is the same section of the yard after I pulled out just a couple little shrubs:

Getting there:

Lookin' good:

Early bird gets the worm:

So, how many rocks and bricks were hidden in there? I made this:

And last but certainly not last....my rock pile!

Still to come, the raised beds. Stay tuned!

Abandon hope all ye merry motorists

2010-03-28T23:43:00.003-04:00

Apparently some people still think the economy is actually improving, that the recession has actually ended. It has not, the collapse is in full swing. I think part of the non-seeing issue is folks not looking at the big picture. It is difficult to take the time and step back from the myriad of little problems that harass all of us and really look at where we are, and how we got here.

So let's take a step back and say that petroleum IS our economy. It is the alpha and omega. It is the backbone which supports everything else. That backbone is weakening. Our economy is predicated on growth. Growth needs energy. Without a growing energy supply, the backbone atrophies and weakens.

Ok, so you see the issue illustrated in these three charts? In 2005, after Hurricane Katrina crude oil hit a record high of $75 a barrel. When oil hit $147 a barrel three years later, production barely nudged upward. At these prices producers want to crank out as much as they can. They can't crank it up anymore. This IS the bumpy plateau of peak oil. We are on it right now.

So guess what? Like so many other things, The Powers That Be decided to try to paper over these issues, leading to charts like this:

Unfortunately we have now reached this point:

Lending, borrowing, throwing money at the problem is literally like adding fuel to a fire at this point. See what it's doing to the banking industry?

What this means is that, since we are running out of energy, they have tried to pump our economy by throwing money at it. They have always done this, but now it just won't work anymore. People are resistant to change, and so, for now, a veneer of Business-as-Usual remains, but make no mistake, our economy, our way of life, everything really...is now a zombie. It's dead, it just doesn't know it, yet.

Now for a discussion of these very issues, here are two of my favorite people.

I have been pondering why I'm even bothering with my goofy little blog. A large part of it has to do with my "guilt issues." I can see the inevitable collapse coming full steam ahead, and I don't know why so many cannot. But, I will try, in my own way, to help others to see it while there is still time to prepare for it. That way, when the shit hits the fan and most of the people I know are saying "I can't believe it, how could this happen, why didn't anybody warn us?" I'll be able to say I tried. I made a fucking blog to show you what's coming, and what you should be doing. What more could you want from me? This blog is basically an exercise to avoid future guilt that I anticipate having. Don't show up on my doorstep looking for a handout, you won't get it, and I won't feel (terribly) sorry/guilty about turning you away. The time to get busy is right now. Good luck.

Options

2010-03-14T21:46:00.003-04:00

I've mentioned redundancy before, but here is a graphic example of it for you. One of the objectives of prepping is to provide options for yourself, now and in the future. Options and redundancy go hand in hand. Here are my lighting options for when the power goes out.

The funny thing is I didn't even realize how many flashlights I had til I rounded them all up for this photo.

So I've got flashlights and battery powered lanterns for easy and instant lighting. I've got flashlights that take AAA, AA, C, and D size batteries. I've got a few of the wind up type flashlights and lanterns that don't use batteries. I've got a Hot-blast Dietz kerosene lantern, a kerosene lamp, and a (kerosene) Aladdin lamp. I bought a ten pack of kerosene burners designed to be used with Mason jars. I figure that two of them mounted on the small 4 oz jars will be sufficient to cook with if necessary. I also bought a 10 pack of small glass tubes designed to be used to make liquid candles. I've got a dual-fuel Coleman lantern that can use regular gasoline as well as Coleman fuel. I've got a propane lantern. I have a cigar box full of spare parts, wicks and mantles. Wal-mart sells Coleman mantles in 4 packs for about $2; I buy two or three each time I'm there. I found a box of 864 Tealight candles that I couldn't pass up.

I could do a pic like this of my home heating options, as well as my food cooking options, and my energy producing options, but I think you get the idea.

Options, they are good to have, get yourself some now while it's still easy to do so.

Also, I learned something last month when the power went out from the epic snowstorm: those cute little battery lanterns that Wal-mart sells for $5 are garbage. It's the one in the middle - and it's on high!

I'd much more highly recommend the LED mini-maglight. The LED lantern on the right uses D batteries and can be found at Deal Xtreme and also works well.

Original Content!

2010-03-04T19:28:00.000-05:00

Finally!

Here is an idea that I haven't seen elsewhere.

This project combines the beauty of re-purposing with the fun of gardening.

You know the clear plastic containers that eggs come in? The ones that look like this?

Save up a bunch of them. I started saving this pile last fall.

Actually that might be all you need to do, I'm not sure. I went one step farther though. I used Rustloeum's Plastic spray paint and painted the egg holders black:

Here's what you end up with:

Now, I haven't cut apart the two halves of the egg holder section, but from each of the egg cartons you get 12 regular seed starting pots, and 12 mini pots in a mini-greenhouse!

Yes, I realize that the pots are pretty shallow, and the greenhouse section might be totally unusable. But maybe it'll work! I'll post updates as time goes on.

Wow, I was wrong, recovery is here!

2010-03-04T13:30:00.000-05:00

Click here for a more detailed version of this. It's worth it!

Gardening Season is almost here

2010-02-28T17:42:00.000-05:00

Some advice. Start small. Starting small will help keep you from getting discouraged, which is what happened to me last year. Here is my garden from spring of 2009:

Pretty nice, huh? The garden, as pictured, measures about 18'x20'. You see my neighbors shed, in the top right part of the photo? Well, turns out a family of groundhogs made their home underneath it. By the time they were eradicated, they had eaten about 2/3's of my garden, and I was just pissed, and gave up on it. By the end of the season it looked like this:

Pathetic, huh? Well, If I would have planned it better (such as having a fence at the get go) and kept it smaller, I think I would've been more apt to keep up with it at least.

Now, forget about feeding yourself entirely from a garden. It's not going to happen. Not unless you have 1) a good bit of land (I've heard it takes about an acre to feed one person for a year) or 2) a lot of time to do some heavy duty intense gardening.

The point of a garden is to get fresh fruit and veggies that you KNOW don't have any industrial nasties added, and again, you get just a little bit more independence from the JIT systems. A little bit here, and a little bit there, and before you know it, you've got a real safety net. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The time to begin that journey is now.

A word on seeds.

You really should stay away from hybrid seeds. They make great plants, but the seeds they produce are hit and miss - the seeds may turn out right, or they may revert back to some plant that was part of the hybridization process. It's important to start saving your seeds.

Here are three reputable stores you can get good, non-hybridized seeds from:

Baker's Creek Heirloom Seeds Fedco Seeds

And this website offers some great information as far as how to increase the health and output of your garden naturally.

Food Security

2010-02-26T15:33:00.002-05:00

Whoever feeds you, owns you. I don't know who to attribute that quote to, but if you think about it, it's pretty accurate.

I want you to begin a food stockpile, so that in times like these you can gain some independence from our Just-In-Time food delivery systems. Did you know that the average grocery store only has about three days worth of food in it? Don't take it for granted that the shelves will always be well stocked.

Fema recommends having a 3 day supply of food in case of an emergency. That's a joke. I recommend having a months worth of food stored, as a bare minimum.

A month's worth of shelf stable food can be tucked away under your bed, in a closet, in any nook and cranny you can find, so don't just say "I don't have room for anything like that."

Another issue people have with canned foods is the high sodium content. These days there are many good, organic products on the market today with relatively low sodium. They cost more, but you get what you pay for.

Store what you eat is a great motto. If you hate kidney beans, don't store them. If you can eat pasta for a month no problem, then store nothing but. (lol not really, but you get my point)

Start with the basics. Canned goods remain viable long after there expiration dates. Exhibit one. Exhibit two.

Canned goods with a high acid content don't last as long because the acidity tends to eat through the can. See this as an example:

It helps if you can keep all your stored foods as cool as possible. Usually this means the basement. Here is my pantry. As you can see, in the winter the temperature stays around 50, which is great. In the summer it gets to about 70, which is acceptable. Also notice I write the expiration dates in big print on the cans and jars. The way I'm doing it, I will begin to eat and rotate my stock once they hit their expiration dates.

Dry goods are another important basic staple of your food stockpile, with rice and beans being a mainstay in any preppers stash. As unappetizing as it would be to subsist entirely on rice and beans, you can do it, and it will keep you alive and relatively healthy. Here is a great way to recycle and re-purpose your empty 2-liter bottles:

These containers make it easy to pour out a portion, and provide greater protection from pests and rodents than a plastic bag does. I imagine just storing your rice and beans like this would keep them good for a few years.

There are lots of types of rice available - which one has the longest shelf life?

Good old cheap "Enriched White Rice."

Bouillon is also a great thing to have to add flavor.

So are things like gravy, and powdered flavorings and drink mixes:

One for my old GSS crew!

2010-02-23T22:54:00.000-05:00

Good luck with the new "7&7" plan! I'm sure that one will be a winner!

But that's not helpful is it? That's just my bad attitude talking yet again! So here is something hopefully useful for you.

Before I got shit-canned I received some of the literature for the new 401k plan. (great timing on that one lol)

There is a fund offered by EuroPacific.

Peter Schiff is the president of EuroPac and he is one of the guys who gets it.

Full disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor and this is not advice! (also I think the whole damn thing is going up in smoke anyway) But if I were still with the company, I'd put my money in EuroPac, and here is why:

Guns!

2010-02-20T12:32:00.003-05:00

Alright, this is going to be my only post on guns. There is TONS of in depth information and discussion available out there if you want it.

So, back to the rule of three. Security is your #1 concern. Now, is owning a gun going to magically keep you from getting shot? No, of course not. But, if you're like me, if somebody does end up shooting at me, I'd like the ability to shoot back!

Two guns is one gun, one gun is no gun.

Ever hear this old adage? Here is what it means:

I bought this gun well used, and put maybe 500 rounds through it. The last time I took it apart for cleaning I noticed an issue. First of all I never thought I'd be the owner of a broken gun. But like anything mechanical they can and do fail. Secondly, if this was the only handgun I owned, well now I have no guns.

A close up in case you can't see what I'm talking about:

So if you insist that one gun is all you need I strongly suggest purchasing a number of replacement springs and parts at a minimum. And then keep your fingers crossed your piece doesn't break like mine did. Also it's not a bad idea to get spares anyway, no matter how many firearms you own.

Here are three great sites for gun parts: Numrich Wolff Gunsprings Brownells

I would recommend having a minimum of three guns, or one for every adult in your household, whichever number is greater.

The first gun you should acquire is a handgun. I'd recommend a semi-auto in 9mm .40 S&W or .45 ACP. I'd stay away from the fancier/newer cartridges like .357 Sig. You want something common, something (relatively) easy to find ammo for.

If you prefer revolvers I'd recommend a .357 Magnum. You can also shoot .38 Specials in them which gives you greater ammo choice.

What are two guns every farmer worth his salt owns? A shotgun and a 22. After you get your handgun I'd look for a pump action shotgun, either 12 or 20 gauge. This weapon is capable of taking small game, flying game, and large game if you load it with slugs. Very versatile. Versatility is good.

The 22 Long Rifle cartridge has put more meat in the pot than any other cartridge in existence. It's quiet, has no recoil, and ammo is still cheap enough that you can actually afford to practice with it and build a nice stash. My personal preference would be for a Ruger 10/22. If you go with a 10/22 you will notice there are TONS of magazines available for it. Top of the line mags are made by Tactical Innovations.

One thing about 22 ammo...there is so much of a selection available it can drive you nuts as to which one you pick. First of all you should get a number of brands/types to see which one your particular gun shoots best with. After all the research I've done here are the two mainstays in my stash. 1) Winchester Super-X 40 gr Subsonic HP and 2) Aquila Interceptors

Metal Money

2010-02-18T21:40:00.001-05:00

Did you know the 2011 Budget includes language to change what our coins are made from?

Get ready for steel coins America.

This is exactly why I've been telling anyone who would listen for the past year or so! SAVE YOUR CHANGE! You know, what's rattling around your sock drawer, ashtray, cup holder etc...is all going to become like the old silver coins. They'll disappear from circulation when the switch is made, and just like the old silver coins, the coins in your pocket right now will appreciate just like real silver did. You will hear something similar to this when it is announced; don't believe it, save your change now, it WILL increase in value.

Maybe you think this is a good thing, after all it makes no sense for Treasury to spend more than a penny to make a penny. And I agree with that.

But the problem isn't that metal prices have gone up, it's that our currency has been debauched; it's been beaten down; it has been devalued through inflation. I hope you understand that when they go to steel coins that is only one step away from the proverbial wooden nickel. Steel is about the cheapest metal you can make coins out of.

Anyway the issue is this: 100 years ago a pound of copper had the exact same utility that it does today. Its' utility, its' usefulness, its' value hasn't changed (ie no one has invented a flying copper car the produces skittles as exhaust). So what has changed? The currency that it is measured with. Currency value goes down, price goes up. If the value of any item/product/commodity stays constant, but its' price goes up = currency has declined. We had half cent coins in circulation in this country at one point in time! Back when the currency wasn't fancy toilet paper.

There is no subtler, no surer means of overturning the existing basis of society than to debauch the currency. The process engages all the hidden forces of economic law on the side of destruction, and does it in a manner which not one man in a million is able to diagnose. - John Maynard Keynes

In the video I make a comment about a dollar increasing in value may only be worth fifty cents, but that that would be a good thing. As long as the fifty cents has the same purchasing power as the original dollar did this is a true statement. We are used to prices going up. We accept this as normal. But what it is is inflation, a monetary phenomenon. It is our currency being devalued. We could also get used to a system in which the currency strengthens and prices drop.

I want to play a game

2010-02-17T21:50:00.001-05:00

It's called "which powerful American woman is telling the truth?"

First up is Sheila Bair, head of the FDIC:

Next up is Elizabeth Warren, head of the Congressional oversight panel tasked with keeping an eye on TARP funds:

Got beans?

Foreclosures in the Pittsburgh Area

2010-02-16T21:45:00.000-05:00

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On saving money, gasoline style

2010-02-02T21:41:00.000-05:00

Most everyone likes to save money wherever possible. A prepper likes to save money wherever possible in order to facilitate spending more money on more preps! Here is a way for you to 1) save money (in two different ways in my case), and 2) gain a modicum of energy independence by building a small fuel stockpile.

I recommend acquiring three (at a minimum) 5 gallon gas cans. New ones cost about $10 or $12. They quickly pay for themselves in this example.

Now me personally, I have nine of these cans. Got one for three bucks at a garage sale, bought the rest new. I rotate the stored fuel in multiples of three. The way I figure it, I won't need to use any fuel additives to keep it usable as it will never be more than a year old. Ignore anyone who says gasoline goes bad in that timeframe. I bought an old Bronco in 2005, and only ever drove it about 15 miles. Thing was a deathtrap... Anyway, I did fill the tank the day I bought it. When I finally sold it in 2009, it still ran just fine, with 4 year old, untreated gasoline in it.

So here it is: the largest supermarket in my area (I imagine lots of supermarkets are doing similar promotions across the country) has one of those deals where you get discounts off of fuel purchases at their gas stations based on how much money you spend in their grocery stores. Also, they recently implemented another discount in which you get a percentage off of your grocery bill based on how much fuel you buy from them. The key is the quantity of fuel. It's limited to a maximum of thirty gallons. These days, very few vehicles have that big of a gas tank, so you're never getting your money's worth. And of course they say you can't bring gas cans, but I haven't had any issues yet, aside from a few strange glances from passerby's.

This technique works best if you have two vehicles to work with. So you save up your discounts until they are about to expire. Run both your vehicles down to empty, fill one up with 15 gallons of stored fuel, take the three now empty cans and the empty vehicle to the station and fill 'em up! Fill the cans first to make it easy to know exactly how much fuel is going into each. If you only have one vehicle, I'm sure you can convince a friend or a neighbor to participate with you.

The proof as they say is in the pudding; here is my best example:

And here is a more typical example:

And here is how the cycle starts again:

The rule of three and water storage

2010-02-01T22:23:00.006-05:00

An important prep is long shelf life food, and lots of folks (bachelors excluded, usually) still keep well stocked pantries. What almost nobody (well besides preppers) thinks about is storing water.

Now, the rule of threes goes something like this: (feel free to add your own, these numbers aren't set in stone, it's just designed to help you prioritize your needs)

You will die in

.3 Seconds without security (you get shot)
3 Minutes without air
3 Hours without shelter
3 Days without water
3 Weeks without food
3 Months without hope

In the fullness of time I'll address each point, but for now I want to discuss water storage.

So the rule of three illustrates just how important water is. However I prefer real world experiences to illustrate my points. And it's the best way to learn as far as I'm concerned. Sitting around reading and conceptualizing helps, but it doesn't replace real world experience.

So, a week ago we got hit with a huge snowstorm, better than 20 inches, and we lost power for about 18 hours. I was so excited! Finally, it's go time baby! I learned a lot in that little amount of time. Regarding water, well, I got a call on my cell phone with a recorded message from my water company. It said " Due to a power outage serving one of their treatment plants, Pennsylvania American Water today requested that customers cease water consumption due to low tank levels serving customers in Allegheny and Washington Counties." Link. I heard the spokeswoman from the water company on local radio, and it was kinda scary...basically if everybody didn't stop using water right then, at about 8pm that evening, their tanks would run dry by the next morning.

Doesn't that just give you a warm and cozy feeling? In this day and age that a power outage can cause something like this to happen!? I mean really, they don't have standby generators that can handle the load, Just In Case of a situation like this!? Hell it surprised me a little bit, and I already understand that America is headed towards third world status. Heck, America's infrastructure is already graded D by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

So you see my point here? How screwed would YOU be if you got no water out of the taps...and none of your neighbors did either? It is imperative to store water. It's not hard. Yes, it feels strange at first because NOBODY does it right!? Yeah well, just last week I was sure as hell glad that I do. Funny thing though, I have four 55 gallon food grade drums, but they're empty. Can't think of a good place to stash them. Believe me, they will be full soon.

So how do you begin a water stockpile? Easy, like this:

Save all your empty plastic (glass is preferable actually) containers, rinse 'em out and fill 'em up. I keep a bunch in my fridge in the basement as a thermal sink. You can stash them wherever though. Away from sunlight is best otherwise algae might grow. (Not that algae would really hurt you though; don't forget humans got to the top of the food chain for lots of reasons - a strong gut amongst them.) I refill them every 6 months or so so I don't need to worry about adding any preservatives. My larger containers that are actually filled hold 7 gallons - these ones I rotate once a year. I just did this and the water was fine. So anyway yeah you can get all fancy with rainwater catchment systems (which I plan to do this spring) but you gotta start somewhere; here is the easiest way to get in the game. You can also drink the water in your hot water heater if you have to. And the water in the back of your toilet.

The day the cracks begin to show

2010-02-01T22:07:00.002-05:00

When I first thought about this post, the title in my head was "Good Habits." I am going to discuss habits, and try to get you to change some of yours. You may think that the habits I'm about discuss are so minor as to be laughable, but I promise you, on the day that the cracks become evident to all, you will be very happy to have already started doing these things regularly.

So, I'm going to just blurt out in no particular order as many of these little things I can think of.

1) Stop and fill up the gas tank in your car when it gets down to half full.

Before I became an official prepper, I had kind of made a game out of squeezing as many miles as possible out of each tank of gas. Which is fine, when things are going smoothly. Now I've made a new game. 1/2 tank = E. When my vehicle gets to a half tank, I can put about 7 gallons of gas in it. And I'm not anal about it, by the time I get to a station if I only have 3/8's of a tank, that's ok. Because I know that's probably more prudent than about 99% of everybody else.

Isn't it a crappy feeling, waking up in the morning realizing your car is on E, and you're running late for work. It'll never happen again if you pay attention here. Just stop more frequently. Plus, on the day when the cracks begin to show, and people are going bonkers, you don't have to fight for a place in the gas lines unless you want to.

2) Break the (terrible) habit of using plastic and begin using cash.

I'm not being judgmental here, I was this way too. I mean I bragged about never having any cash, and bitched & moaned about not knowing where the cash goes whenever I carried it. Well, that was really just an excuse, it's not that hard to watch your spending when using cash.

A few months ago I was at the airport, picking up my father. I went to the gas station to buy some snacks. I happened to not have any cash on me that day. And guess what happened!? Murphy's law reared it's head and the store's credit card machine was not working. I even commented to the clerk that I normally carried cash...she said it's been a long day because most people don't anymore. Luckily I was only looking for a snack, not trying to stock up before a blizzard...or a bank run. Anyway this is one of those things that I think about a lot anymore - modern life is filled with a lot of conveniences. Unfortunately we take these things for GRANTED, and we shouldn't. And then I chuckle because the old fashioned methods...like carrying cash...although not flashy, and a little more time consuming...well, they work no matter what.

3) Start a piggybank.

Stockpile cash, it's a resource we use daily. Start small. I've heard of people making a game of it, such as "collecting" five dollar bills. Or tens. Or ones. But you want to always have a stash that you don't touch unless you have to. (dipping into the till because you don't feel like hitting the ATM is unacceptable, lol) And if you have the ability to sock away 50's or 100's don't put all your eggs in one basket - it may be hard or impossible to make change for the big bills.

And yes save all your coins. Lots of people hoard copper pennies They are worth more than a penny in metal. But I just save it all. Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value of zero. No matter what metal coinage will always retain SOME value.

4) Recharge your batteries.

Almost everyone has a flashlight or two floating around, and probably some rechargeable batteries too. But do you charge them up regularly, or do you charge them right before you need them, cursing at how long it's taking because you're in a hurry? Nothing worse than grabbing your flashlight and getting a weak yellow glow out of it. Now I don't do this on any set schedule, but once every two or three months I recharge all my batteries to make sure they'll have some juice in them if I need them LIKE RIGHT NOW. I was very glad I did this after the snowstorm we just had.

5) Defensive driving.

Accelerate slowly. This is the best way to get the most mpg.

Leave a car length between you and the car in front of you at a light and don't jam the brake down, only light pressure. (learned this one from ferfal)

Pay attention to your mirrors; check them all regularly. Scan the road in front and in back.

On saving money, laundry detergent style

2010-02-01T16:16:00.001-05:00

Did you know there are tons of recipes online on how to make your own laundry detergent? If you're wondering how I consider this prepping, simple, #1 it's a lot cheaper than store bought stuff, and again saving money on necessities = more money for good stuff, like big ass emergency candles lol. #2 The way I figure it, each batch of this will make enough detergent for one person for a year. Do some quick and dirty math, and for about $100 invested today, you'll be able to supply yourself with laundry detergent literally for the rest of your life. #3 If we end up with a real crash this could very well be a little business opportunity for yourself...run your own little laundromat.

Now I know what you're thinking: "there's no way this works as well as store bought stuff." That's what I thought at least. I was proven wrong. To test how well this stuff works I rubbed some common stain makers into an old pair of jeans and let them sit for 48 hours before washing.

Before:

After:

Perfect? No, but better than I expected, and more than good enough for me!

So here's the recipe I used:

TIPS FOR LAUNDRY SOAP: We use Fels-Naptha bar soap in the homemade soap recipes, but you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile or Zote bars. Don't use heavily perfumed soaps. We buy Fels-Naptha by the case from our local grocer or online. Washing Soda and Borax can normally be found on the laundry or cleaning aisle. Recipe cost approx. $2.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value

4 Cups hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

The one thing I would do differently is just to use two five gallon buckets in the beginning - it's a pain because when you put everything in one five gallon bucket it thickens into an almost pudding like consistency, and it becomes a pain trying to get half of the soap pudding and half water into your containers. Just divide the heated soap solution in half, and dump it into your two buckets and add hot water to them and be done with it.

Car bag

2010-01-30T15:30:00.000-05:00

So, as I was driving to a friends house on new years eve, it occurred to me that I would be in a real jam if my car broke down or I got a flat tire. It was cold, a little bit of slush was on the road, I had nothing but a fleece on with no hat, gloves, or anything else that would be helpful in such a situation. I actually got a bit upset with myself...I'd been prepping for over a year and here I am driving a 15 year old car without any useful thing in it! Stupid! Anything mechanical can and will fail, eventually. It's guaranteed!

Then I remembered my old high school backpack that I hadn't found a use for yet and it came to me: the car bag.

Now, if you're interested in this concept of a survival kit packed into a bag, google Bug out Bag (BoB). Or INCH bag. I find the concept behind bob's and inch bags interesting, (and yes I have a bob) but I'm not sure of the utility of such a kit. I certainly wouldn't consider it a beginning prep. But a car bag makes sense for anybody, and in any season. And if you put one together, maybe you'll get interested in putting together a bob.

So with that said, here is what I've got now:

Here is everything in it:

Starting at the top left here are the contents:
1) Scissors
2) Garbage bag
3) Firestarting kit
4) Screwdriver with multiple bits
5) Hex sockets
6) A little ratchet tool
7) Pocket knife
8) Pliers
9) Multi-tool with screwdrivers and built in flashlight
10) Cheap (Wal-Mart) para cord
11) Duct tape, flattened out
12) Small homemade first aid kit
13) A liter of water (it's been through several freeze/thaw cycles without breaking...yet)
14) Bungee cord (don't you hate it when you need one but don't have one with you!?)
15) A commercial small first aid kit (hey it fit, so why not??)
16) Little ice scraper
17) Tri-pod flashlight
18) Small inverter
19) Big emergency candle (it's one of those things you buy in the beginning of prepping and then can't think where to stick it; here's as good as anywhere lol)
20) Small flashlight
21) Headlamp
22) Tire repair kit
23) Old pair of tennis shoes (having wet feet sucks)
24) Hat
25) Gloves
26) Hooded sweatshirt
27) Old flannel
28) Thermal underwear top
29) Tee shirt
30) Heavy socks
31) Boxers
32) Thermal underwear bottoms
33) Old jeans
34) Foot and hand warmers (Vacuum sealed for added durability)
35) Trail mix
36) Beef Jerky
Not shown: one pen and one pencil (don't you hate it when....)

You can use the sockets with the screwdriver handle but if you need more torque do this:

And if you're curious as to what's in my firestarting kit:

I really can't see myself needing this, but what the heck....this is nothing fancy, some store bought fire dust, homemade char-cloth, lighter, matches, tea candles.

And after taking everything out I was able to pack it back in more efficiently...now I've got space for a little bit more if I want it!

Speaking of which I need to be careful I don't pack my whole car full of stuff. Since I put this bag together I also carry a bag of kitty litter, a set of reflectors, and a little air compressor kit that also has an electric impact driver lol. And after the blizzard we had, I'm also going to find an old little shovel to throw in the trunk too!