Keep Our Service Free-Donate

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Shhh-Watch what you say in the USA, DIY Earth Oven, Hard Times



Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin

A Digest of Urban Survival Resources


For Independent Minded People!

ISSN 2161-5543

 

In This Issue:

1.       Preparing for hard times

2.      Build an earth oven for cooking

3.      The reality of water scarcity

4.      5 ways to curb your addiction to shopping

5.      Watch what you say or do in America

 

Economy is the art of making the most of life.
- George Bernard Shaw

 

 

7 TIPS TO PREPARE FOR HARD TIMES

1. Practice using less electricity – a lot less electricity

I just finished the audio book version of One Second After . An EMP, tackled the potential of a cyber attack, tell me that it is only prudent to get by with less reliance on the electrical grid. For many, the problem of limited or non-existent electrical power can be mitigated by generators or solar power. Generators are great as long as you have fuel and solar power will work if you have the money to set up a solar system plus, of course, an abundance of sun.

To me, the optimal solution is to try to get by with less electrical power. That means less reliance on my two freezers full of food and more reliance on bulk foods and freeze-dried meals. It also means lots of batteries and some wind-up devices.

2. Maintain a survival library and a survival notebook

The time may come when your online resources may no longer be available. Perhaps, as mentioned above, the grid may be down. Or perhaps the internet will be censored with survival and preparedness sites blocked. It could happen, you know.

Accumulate some preparedness books in print form and maintain your own survival notebook in a three ring binder. Don’t overlook free resources that may be available from your local county or state emergency management department. Even FEMA has some good stuff in printed form (see Free for You: The “Are You Ready Guide to Preparedness”.

3. Make learning a habit

Set aside a brief period each week to either learn a new skill or practice becoming more proficient at a skill you already possess. Better yet, take some time – even a few minutes – each day to find a new trick or tip to add to your survival notebook.

Amazon frequently offers free e-books on a variety of topics. These books are typically only available for one to five days and are a great way to learn something new. Sure, they may not be available if the power is out but if the goal is to learn from them, take notes and put what you learn into action now rather than later.

One of the most important things you can do now to prepare for a crisis or disaster is to always be learning.

4. Grow food

Growing your own food can be so rewarding that I just can not fathom even the smallest apartment dweller not growing at least a pot full of herbs on their window sill. There is something magical about popping a few seeds in a pot and watching them sprout and grow into something that is actually edible.

Beyond the window sill garden, there is the container garden, bucket garden, square foot garden, vertical garden, raised bed garden and the mini-farm. No matter how difficult it may seem, check out some videos on YouTube or books from your local library and start growing some food this spring.

5. Acknowledge that there will be fear and panic

Those of you that have experienced a disaster, poor health, job loss, or civil disobedience and war will understand that fear and panic are inevitable. Realize that in the case of a disaster, there is not a darn thing you can do other than recover. Plan for the worst and hope for the best. A cliché, I know. But that is the truth.

Other woes such as poor health, los of a job or a financial meltdown are a bit more difficult to deal with. Questions such as how will you cope and  live will cross your mind as you stay up nights wondering what you could have done to mitigate the situation in the first place.

Acknowledge now that there will be fear and panic and realize this is WHY you prep. Prepping is the insurance policy that will help see you through hard times.

6. Embrace companionship and love

Not to get dopey, but life is more robust when you have someone to hug. I like to say “hug the ones you love, and love the ones you hug.”

I would also like to suggest that you share a modest portion of your bounty with your less fortunate or elderly neighbors. I would also like to suggest that you share your kindness when kindness is shared with you in turn. Life is precious and at the end of our time, it won’t be the fancy cars, the elaborate home, or the diamond rings that count. It is will the feeling of peace knowing that you have lived well with love in your soul and compassion in your heart.

7. Maintain your faith

If you are a religious person, find comfort in your faith. And if not, embrace your inner strength and have faith in yourself and in the miracle of your life. Hold this faith near to your heart – when hard times come, it may be all that you have left.

Did you know that food costs make up on average 6% of a typical middle class household budget? The lower your income, the larger percentage of your budget you’ll spend on groceries. Food costs do not change dramatically as you make more money…
 
 

 Making good use of an old wash tub...

PM’s Compendium of Useful Resources

Build an Earth Oven for cooking


Click here to read and view pictures of this project as it progresses:
http://runningwave.blogspot.ca/2008/07/how-to-build-earth-oven.html.

Build Your Own Wood-Fired Oven: From the Earth, Brick or New Materials


 

How to insulate sliding glass doors
read more here

 


Agriculture is one of the world’s most insatiable consumers of water. Yet, it is facing growing competition for water from cities, industry, and recreation at a time when demand for food is rising, and water is expected to become increasingly scarce.


 

Beating the Drought's Impact on Food Prices
With grocery prices on the rise, it is imperative that those of us stretching our food dollars continue following all of the tips that those in similar situations have been offering during these financially trying times. In addition, it may also be time to include some of these creative cooking ideas along with your frugal shopping tips to further stretch those grocery dollars.
Read more.

 

Five Ways to Curb Your Shopping Urge


 

Hearty breakfast ideas that will last you until lunch!
read more here

 

The Nanny State Updates Americans are fat n happy while their rights are trampled!

 

With an $8 budget and no results (except harming kids and invalids) it’s time to disband the TSA…Who do Congressional flatworms continue wasting taxpayer funds?

A review of the performance of the Transportation Security Administration: In nearly a decade there is not a single report of a terrorist having been caught during the TSA screening process. No bombs have been discovered. No hijackings have been thwarted. For the TSA to claim it has made the nation’s skies safer is as absurd as the rooster taking credit for the sun rising each morning. Observant passengers have caught more terrorist-wannabes than the 67,000 TSA employees.  Learn more about abuses at:


Please help! Well articulated petition on We The People to get rid of the TSA!


 


Basic self-defense: If a chaser does catch up to you, basic self-defense is key. Chances are you're not fighting a ninja and as we've noted before one of the most important facets to staying alive in an assault is knowing where to hit. Go for the head, ears, groin, or knees when you can. Most importantly, don't stick around when you knock them down. Get out as soon as possible.





The Parting Thought- the times are a changing…

 The unPatriot Act was just a warmup...

The difference between a welfare state and a totalitarian state is a matter of time.”– Ayn Rand

Watch What You Say or do in the American Police State

An article in the Baltimore Sun reports that the Maryland Transit Administration has installed microphones on some city busses to record the conversations of passengers. They previously had video cameras, but added audio recording capability to the cameras on at least ten busses so far, with installation expected on hundreds more by summer. This measure is meant for security. It is hoped that the recordings will be useful in identifying trouble makers and for reconstructing crimes or mishaps after the fact.

There are signs on the busses that have the recording devices, notifying passengers that there conversations are being monitored and recorded. It is not clear yet if most riders are aware of the devices, though. Privacy advocates point out that even if most passengers are initially made aware of the recorders, it is natural to forget about them after a while, and to then talk freely with a friend or other passenger, or on a cell phone. It also isn't clear just how many people will have access to the recordings and for how long they will be kept.

5-Year Old Girl Labeled ‘Terrorist’ in American Police State

A few weeks ago in the Land of the Free, a five-year-old girl in Pennsylvania was labeled a terrorist threat.

Fortunately for the citizens of Northumberland County, local authorities managed to detain this nefarious kindergartener before she could exact her villainous deeds on thousands of innocents.

Authorities were tipped off after someone overheard a conversation between the girl and one of her classmates in which she mentioned plans to shoot people… with a bubble gun.

Administrators at her local elementary school questioned the girl alone without her parents for 30 minutes. She was then labeled a ‘terrorist threat’ and sentenced to a ten-day suspension.

Now, it’s quite fortunate for the child that she was granted a reprieve, albeit a small one, from state sponsored brainwashing. Public schools stamp out children’s creativity and independence, replacing them with obedience training and state propaganda
.

 

We see far too many instances of children being questioned by police for actions that 20 years ago would have been considered simple horseplay, foolish, or (literally) childish…what is wrong with this picture?

 
We live under a system where, simply from being born on a piece of dirt, citizens are obliged from birth to pay taxes on our worldwide income, fight and die in foreign wars, pay down the massive debts of our forefathers, etc. None of which we volunteered for.

 
Today, we pledge allegiance to a piece of dirt, to institutions run by criminally incompetent politicians, to neighbors we’ve never met, and to a society that no longer shares our values.

 
The Patriot Act turned out to be the warm-up for the main acts that were to follow. Today, the government can intercept Americans' international communications without a warrant as long as one party to the communication is "reasonably believed" to be outside the US, as if being outside the U.S. is probable cause to believe someone is committing a crime.

 
The government can now search any documents or papers, including the entire contents of laptops and other electronic devices, without any suspicion of wrongdoing whatsoever. Per a secret Department of Homeland Security Report, having a laptop computer or cell phone within 100 miles of any U.S. border results in the complete eradication of your Fourth Amendment right to privacy—and more specifically the right to be free from unreasonable searches.

Once upon a time... to be an American was something to be proud of…

Just another reason why I always say “We don’t need another election, We need another Revolution.”

 
“Until the next revolution”, the Poor Man

 

 
Keep our services free, visit our sites…

Check our Resources

 

 
The Essential Urban Survival Collection

Check it out:


 

Survival books & supplies – find them at our ebay store:


 

Follow us on Facebook


 

 Twitter


 

 

 

A Shallow Planet Production


Saturday, February 23, 2013

Emergency at-home Dental Fixes, Recycled Bottle Roof




 

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A Digest of Urban Survival Resources
For Independent Minded People!
ISSN 2161-5543
 
In This Issue:
1.       At-home emergency dental fixes
2.      50-gigs of free cloud storage
3.      Prepper foods at the grocery store
4.      Recycled bottle roof, homemade toilet cleaner
5.      100 years of intrusion by Uncle Sam
 
 
Budgeting is the art of doing that well with one dollar which any bungler can do with two.
- Arthur Wellington, British soldier and statesman
 
Emergency At-Home Dental Fixes-Until you see your dentist…
Directions: Apply the below remedies directly to both the problem tooth and surrounding gums unless otherwise directed.
For items that direct you to chew, or for liquids that are to be swished around inside mouth, direct the liquid on and around the sore tooth as much as possible.
Do not swallow liquids. Rinse your mouth and spit them out when done.
1.       Salt Water: Mix a heaping tablespoon full of salt in a small glass of warm water; swirl around inside your mouth for as long as you can, spit out. Repeat as needed.
2.       Hydrogen Peroxide: Swoosh a bit of hydrogen peroxide. If the taste is too horrid for you, try diluting with a bit of water.
3.       Alcohol: Swoosh a bit of whiskey, scotch, brandy or vodka. A strong mouthwash that contains alcohol will do the trick too.
4.       Vanilla Extract: Saturate a cotton ball with vanilla and hold in place. Can also use a cotton swab dipped in extract.
Other extracts that have the same effect are:
Almond Extract
Peppermint Extract
& Lemon Extract
5.       Tea Tree Oil: Just a drop or two will do the trick. You can also add some to a cotton swab and hold in place or add a few drops of tea tree oil to a small glass of lukewarm to warm water and rinse your mouth with it.
6.       Oil Of Oregano: Mix a few drops with a bit of olive oil, then saturate a cotton ball with mixture. Can replace the olive oil with lukewarm water if preferred.
7.       Apple Cider Vinegar: Soak a cotton ball with apple cider vinegar (ACV) and hold it in place. Can also try regular household vinegar.
8.       Ginger Root: Take a fresh piece of ginger and chew it a bit.
9.       Garlic: Take a clove of garlic, smash it and apply (settle it inside cheek). You can also mash some garlic with salt.
10.   Peppermint Leaves: Chew on fresh peppermint leaves. You can also use dried leaves, just hold them in place.
11.   Potato: Cut a fresh piece of potato (raw, skin off) and hold in place. Can also pound a piece of raw potato, mix in a bit of salt and use the mash.
12.   Lime: Cut a slice or wedge of lime and apply, bite into it if you can to release some of the juice.
 
What could you learn from the confessions of a conman?
read more here

PM’s Compendium of Useful Resources

50-Gigs of Cloud Storage Free

Most cloud-file-storage sites only offer you a few free gigs of file space. Now box.com is offering 50-gigs free! Use their service to backup your files in cyberspace, or share files with others. No Dell account is apparently needed to sign up
 
Recycled Bottle Roofing!

1. Simply cut multiple 2-liter bottles in the manner shown - removing the top and bottom so you are only left with the cylindrical pieces.
 
2. Make two cuts, one opposite the other, running the length of the cylinders.
 
3. Now make rows, placing half of the body halves facing upward and half of them facing downward.
 
4. The bottle halves that curve upward, allowing water to run off, must be overlapping the pieces that curve downward or that catch and channel the water.
 
5. Staple, rivet and/or epoxy the pieces together, making sure they are a secure fit and that all holes created are sealed with an epoxy or similar waterproofing substance.
 
6. Once you have your wave-like rows created or those that run right to left (horizontal), lay one slightly overlapping the other so that water will run off and across them as it proceeds down the slope. Whichever one is higher on the sloping roof than the other must naturally overlap the one below itself for this to occur.

7. Secure each row to the roof frame, waterproofing/sealing the wood or sheetmetal screws around the base as they are inserted and/or over the top of such after securing them. A brad gun can also be used, just be certain the staples run deep enough to secure the roofing against wind.
Naturally this is not recommended for areas with high wind or heavy snowfall.
http://bit.ly/ONZ0r
 
 
Can you get 'prepper' foods at the grocery store? Yes, if you know about these cheap emergency foods we often overlook…
 
The rise of the modern “prepper” is no accident, with shows like National Geographic Channel's Doomsday Preppers heralding a larger shift in social awareness. In the wake of storms like Katrina, Irene, and Sandy, even stubborn New Yorkers are realizing that Mother Nature packs a punch, and that most people aren't ready to roll with it. This combined with rising concerns about economic troubles and bumbling government has caused a flood of newbie preppers to take to the stores, eagerly looking for the security of stored food, water, and medicines. The prospect can be daunting, especially if you're trying to prep on your own or for a small group. Often, the biggest mistake new preppers can make is looking too far from home for the supplies they need.
The temptation to blow several hundred dollars on specialized freeze dried foods in durable looking specialty packaging can be almost too much to resist, and it’s the most common mistake new preppers with tight budgets make. In fact, many “prepper foods” are so cheap. You probably already have some and forgot about it. http://www.poormansurvival.com/Pages/citizenpreparedness.aspx
 
Something is dying in our time. As the nation struggles to recover from unsustainable personal and national debt, stagnant wages, the damages wrought by climate change, and more, a whole way of life is drawing to a close…Learn about starting your own food or other type of co-op here:
 
Video: Open Source Ecology has released free plans for building tractors, brick compressors, and other essential machines. Why pay more for stuff that's designed to fall apart?
 
 
Why You Should Worry About the Zombie Apocalypse Alert Hoax
At a glance, this is a very funny and relatively harmless hoax. As of yet unknown perpetrators hacked into the emergency broadcast system of several radio and TV stations and broadcast an alert that "the dead were rising from their graves." I know what you are thinking: Best. Walking Dead. Promo. Ever. But before you write it off as a goof, check out SecurityWatch's far more serious assessment. This is a big problem.
 
 
Grab 50GB of Box Online Storage Free for Life
 
 
Tired of nasty chemicals in your home? Try this natural homemade toilet cleaner
read more here
 
 
In 2009, nearly 2.5 million citizens in the United States were incarcerated in federal and state jails and prisons.
 
The Nanny State Updates Americans are fat n happy while their rights are trampled!
 
Thousands of times a year people are stopped as they cross into the United States, and their cell phones, tablets, and laptops are taken from them. Their e-mails and photos and other important documents are searched thoroughly without probable cause.
 
Because people today tend to rely on various forms of technology, it is challenging to avoid detection from government surveillance. Thanks to new software called Palantir, it is now nearly impossible to avoid global surveillance. Created by Stanford computer scientists in 2004, this software has enabled its users to keep a close eye on people [...]
 
Beat the IRS, crooked policemen, and bureaucrats - Dave Wellington - 2000
 
Forget police drones flying over your house. How about police coming inside, once a year, to have a look around?
As Orwellian as that sounds, it isn’t hypothetical. The notion of police home inspections was introduced in a bill last week in Olympia.
 
Gun rights advocates argue that registration leads to confiscation, only to have advocates of greater gun control scoff.

It's lunacy to think that government would actually confiscate guns, they say.

Only, that's exactly what
a Department of Justice memo says will have to happen in order for an "assault weapons" ban to have any impact on gun violence.

This memo follows on the heels of
a bill in Missouri that would give gun owners 90 days to turn in their rifles.
 
 
The Parting Thought- the continuing demise of your rights
 
100 Years of Intrusion by Uncle Scam
 
Imagine a time when the government knew nothing about the money in your bank. It cared nothing about how much you made, where you made it, and what you did with it. You could take your earnings in gold, silver, paper, or anything else, and never filed a sheet with the government.

How you earned a living was none of the business of the political class. For that matter, your bank account could be under a false name and absolutely no one cared.

This was the world of a mere 100 years ago in the United States. That's why it was called the "land for the free."

Back then, all federal revenue -- tiny by today's standards -- came from a tax on imported goods. That tax did plenty of damage, as all taxes do. However, the system was superior because it took only a tiny share of private wealth and, most importantly, it had no privacy implications for average citizens
 
The reason for the dramatic change is rather simple. Now we have an income tax. The government determines how you are paid and what you can do with your money, and spends vast resources tracking it all. The government wants its share. Therefore you have no right to earn money without coughing up.

The intrusion into our bank accounts was only the beginning. Over the course of 100 year, everything changed. The government can spy on our emails and cellphone calls, confiscate homes and cars with no legal proceedings, and even send drones over our houses and kill us legally. We are wholly owned. It is a world that no one living in late 19th century America could possibly recognize.
 
This situation has many people extremely alarmed and very confused. Surely there are ways that we can protect our privacy. Surely there are ways to guard our freedoms from these intrusions. To that end, people who do not entirely understand digital technology will often react in ways that are counterproductive. They decide to stay away from all social media altogether. They don't get a Facebook account, they don't Tweet, they don't do LinkedIn, and some people won't even use a credit card online.

These same people rail against private business in the digital age for collecting data on us. They won't use shoppers' cards at grocery stores. They denounce Amazon for tracking purchases. They freak out when Gmail feeds them ads based on subjects covered in the body of emails. They imagine that these are all symptoms of an age when privacy has been vanquished by the regime
.
 
There is a world of difference between a government that is spying on your bank account and an online retailer that tracks your buying habits in hopes of selling you more things you like. Government's actions are a threat to your human rights. The actions of private enterprise are ultimately designed to serve you better.

I take what seems to be a counterintuitive view of how to protect yourself in age of ubiquitous government snooping. The solution is not to hide but exactly the opposite: become a public person. Embrace social media. Do not fear having your name online. In fact, the more of a known entity in the digital world you are, the more protection you actually enjoy and the more likely you are to have advocates should you find yourself mixed up with the police state.
 
 
THE THREE COMMANDMENTS OF FREEDOM
The Creed of Freedom is based on five principles. However, in day-to-day application, they can be reduced to just three codes of conduct. These are The Three Commandments of Freedom:
INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS
Only individuals have rights, not groups. Therefore, do not sacrifice the rights of any individual or minority for the alleged rights of groups.
EQUALITY UNDER LAW
To favor one class of citizens over others is not equality under law. Therefore, do not endorse any law that does not apply to all citizens equally.
FREEDOM OF CHOICE
The proper function of the state is to protect, not to provide. Therefore, do not approve coercion for any purpose except to protect human life, liberty, or property.
Authored by G. Edward Griffin
 “Until the next revolution”, the Poor Man
 
 
Keep our services free, visit our sites…
Check our Resources
 
Regain control of your financial life – Become Debt Free
 
The Essential Urban Survival Collection
Check it out:
 
Survival books & supplies – find them at our ebay store:
 
Follow us on Facebook
 
 Twitter
 
 
 
A Shallow Planet Production