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Saturday, August 31, 2013

Grow Tomatoes in a Bra, Best Cities for Cheapskates, DIY Bike Generator


Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin

A Digest of Urban Survival Resources


For Independent Minded People!

ISSN 2161-5543

 

"I've been absolutely terrified every moment of my life
- and I've never let it keep me from doing a single
thing that I've wanted to do."


- Georgia O'Keefe

From The Smiling Dog Saloon Files

 

 

In This Issue:

1.       10 Most hated industries in America

2.       DIY Solar parabolic dish. Bicycle Generator

3.       10 Best cities for cheapskates + Tips, Free Urban Survival Handbook

4.       How the government created Big Brother –our growing surveillance society

 

 

The 10 Most Hated Industries In America

"...The perceptions of those two industries, banking
and real estate, have
improved significantly among Americans in the past year,
according to a new Gallup poll. And while Americans still
have a negative perception of the two sectors overall, both industries
have recovered a great deal from the plunge they took after the crisis..
..The poll asked 2,013 American adults to rate 25 businesses on a
5 point scale..."

Here they are:

1. Oil and Gas Industry
2. Federal Government
3. Healthcare Industry
4. Banking
5. Pharmaceutical Industry
6. The Legal Field
7. The Real Estate Industry
8. Electric and Gas Utilities
9. Television and Radio Industry
10. Hollywood


 

More Stay-at-Home Dads

The number of American Dads who remain home to care for children while the mother works has doubled since 2001.  More women than men get college degrees and 28% of married mothers make more money than their husbands.




 

PM’s Roundup of Useful Resources…

 


9 ways to plan for a lower grocery bill

 

Free DIY Bike Generator Plans from the Poor Man Survival Crew…

Click on the Bio Diesel Plans folder


 

 

Free – Ragnar’s Urban Survival eBook from the Poor Man Survival crew…




Here’s another neat solar cooker idea which is very similar to the other solar cooker design by the same guy, enjoy!


 

Decoding Retailers' Price Tags

There actually is a method to retailers' price tag madness. At Costco, for example, prices that end in 97, 88, 00 are markdowns, whereas those ending in 49, 79 or 89 are manufacturers' specials. Here is a chart to decode various retailers' pricing policies including Gap, Old Navy, Home Depot, JCP, Office Depot, Sam's Club, Staples, and more. And here is more insight into Target's clearance pricing policies.

 

10 Best Cities for Cheapskates


 

Here are a few more frugal living tips…
 
 
 

Growing tomatoes in a bra

Large tomatoes will require support. Tomato plants don’t have a very strong stem and usually bend (sometimes break) under the weight of the growing tomatoes - especially due to the larger tomatoes. Generally, “stakes” are used to provide some support to the stem so as to keep the tomatoes off the soil. The book goes a step further and suggests tying a used/worn-out bra between two stakes, in such a way that the cups supports large tomatoes.

Using diapers as water reservoirs for plants

This is again in the context of tomatoes (is tomato gardening so popular? - there are a lot of tips and tricks in the book about growing tomatoes). According to the book, you can reduce the frequency of watering tomato plants by placing the absorbent material from a disposable diaper underneath the soil, and then planting your tomato plant on the top. Whenever you water the the plant, some of the water will be absorbed by the soil and the rest will be absorbed by the diaper material. When the soil dries out, the roots can still suck up water from soaked diaper (scientifically, when the soil dries out, the soil itself sucks up the water from the diaper - which is analogous to how a candle wick draws up wax - by capillary action). This way you could probably get away with watering just a couple of times a week.


 

Here are 5 key ways from the PurposeFairy.com
I found to be invaluable in changing my relationship to money
and developing a 'prosperity' consciousness:


1. Change your mIndset (yes, it is the first step!)

"Money is just energy, and the longer you believe you
will never have it, the longer you’ll be stuck in this money rut.
Challenge your current perspective on money by filling in the
blank “Making money is _______”. Was your answer hard /
stressful / boring / etc? If yes, time to change that!
Fill in the blank with NEW word from the following options
– fun / exciting / easy.."


2. Stop spending money on frivolous things

"Every single time you pull out your wallet, ask yourself
“Is spending this money helping me get closer to my goal?”
If the answer is no, put it away and walk on by. Yes, it’ll
sting in the moment, but when you can finally invest in your
 bigger life goals, you’ll be grateful you had
the willpower to say no when it mattered
.."


3. Start talking about what you want

"Put it at the forefront of your mind everyday. Tell everyone you
know. Talk to strangers about it. How could this possibly help
you with money? You never know. There just might be someone
out there who has connections to someone or something that c
an help you get it. The more you let the world know
you’re serious about asking it happen, the easier it is for
people to help you get what you want."

4. Make saving money a game

"Every time you say no to spending frivolously, keep track
of exactly how much money you saved, and put that exact
amount of cash in your “BIG DREAM” jar/account (you do have
one of those, don’t you?). As you watch your jar fill up, it becomes
more and more motivating to continue to save, knowing that you’re
saving for something that
really
matters. Toss your spare change in t
here while you’re at it."


5. Get creative with your money-maker


 "It’s not all about saving – you’ve gotta be bringing in more moolah
too. I guarantee there are at least 50 ways that you could be making
more money right now...."


(As a matter of fact, one of the most valuable exercises I've ever done
was to make a list of 100 ways to
make money (legally!)
It really opens up your brain...)

 

Most British children

Are born out of wedlock making Britain the world leader in broken homes – the USA is number two.

 

The Nanny State-We love our government

Guilt by Dislike

Television programs and movies that glorify prosecutors and make every arrested person appear to be guilty have changed our justice system. In their book, Mistrial, Mark Geragos and Pat Harris explain how the standards for convicting a defendant have changed as a result of a cultural shift in attitudes. Now, to get a conviction, it is enough for a prosecutor to make the jurors dislike the defendant and to prove that the defendant acted oddly.

 

How bad is the U.S. economy? Thieves now stealing spare tires from parked cars
(NaturalNews) The U.S. economy - the national unemployment rate is at 7.6 percent and the number of people too discouraged to even look for work is at historical highs - is continuing to flounder, and it's driving some people to turn to rather unconventional...

 

Forty percent of U.S. companies to alter health care plans, drop coverage, due to Obamacare
(NaturalNews) As the official start date for Obamacare draws ever closer, there is more evidence that the law simply won't perform as advertised and, in fact, will cause even greater harm to American society than without the "healthcare reform" it was...

 

 


The Parting ThoughtNot to worry in the land of the free!

 
Dear Unconcerned Citizen…

The biggest threat to national security, privacy & freedom is our own government…

 
How the U.S. Government
Forged a Surveillance Society

 
The following article is from a past issue of the DeWeese Report. For more information and to subscribe click here.

On September 12, 2001, President George W. Bush invited members of Congress and the media for a meeting in the cabinet room of the White House. The mood was understandably anxious, somber: The World Trade Center lay in rubble, the Pentagon had a hole gouged into it and shock and awe had settled over the United States. One of the most extraordinary periods of American history – what would come to be known as the “Post 9-11 Era” – was beginning.

The president gravely laid out the situation and the steps his administration would take to secure the homeland, but during the course of the meeting he also made this significant declaration: “We will not allow this enemy to win the war by changing our way of life or restricting our freedoms.”

Those were heroic words of principle and patriotism in a traumatic time, but history would show that government’s reaction to the terrorist threat was the exact opposite than the protection of freedoms. Instead, government rushed in with a massive plan to create a surveillance society, intending to watch and document every action by the American people as a means of ultimate security.

 

FBI Tracks Your Transactions

The government is watching your purchases made with credit cards and even with store loyalty cards. They no longer need to get a warrant to do this thanks to more and more intrusive laws being passed in the name of national security. Some people argue that it doesn't really matter as long as you are not doing anything illegal. Others, including myself, feel that mistakes are often made by governments, and I prefer more privacy. This video describes some of what federal agents are doing with their...

Continues here...
http://www.thesecretinformationsite.com/secrets-videos.html


First, Congress passed the Patriot Act, giving law enforcement powers to circumvent many Constitutional guarantees to personal privacy and home security. Then Congress created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The department immediately became an army of more than 170,000 employees by combining twenty two existing federal agencies, including the

Border Patrol, Coast Guard, Secret Service, FEMA, Immigration and Naturalization Service, Customs Service, Animal and Plant Health Inspection, Federal Protective Service, FBI’s Computer Incident Response Center and several more lesser agencies of the same type. In the middle of this rush for security, Congress created the Transportation Security Agency (TSA). Also born in this Post 9/11 era were state fusion centers with the intention of combining federal, state and local law enforcement agencies into instant response teams, intending to eliminate bureaucratic overlap and red tape, in case of another terrorist attack or Hurricane Katrina-type disasters.

 
Continued here:


 


Support the Revolution – Make a Donation to the Poor Man today!

“Until the next revolution”, the Poor Man

 

Much of what the Poor Man does is to promote the concepts of self-reliance, a voluntary society and economic independence -- writing articles, giving talks, maintaining blogs and an educational website -- he does for free. Donations made to support him in these efforts are much appreciated.

 

Keep our services free-Check our Resources

 

Free – Updated Sideline Income Resources and Tools


 

Get the No BS – Ready for Anything Survival Files Download-Now includes…

Home Prepping Database Program

This software will assist you and your family in what and how many supplies you will need when you will need to lockdown in your home until things settle down


 

 

 


 

A Shallow Planet Production

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Essentials for Survival-Homemade Hootch, What We Overspend On, DIY Projects




Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin

A Digest of Urban Survival Resources


For Independent Minded People!

ISSN 2161-5543

 

Why do the so-called wars waged on drugs, terror, crime, etc. usually result in a war on citizens rights?

From The Smiling Dog Saloon Files

 

 

In This Issue:

1.        10 Essentials for Wilderness Survival

2.       Using the My Garden resource

3.       DIY 1000 Wind Turbine, 10 things we spend too much on

4.       Homemade whiskey + Your pantry prime

5.       Getting out of Dodge-Grab your docs – Your Survival Cheat Sheet!


10 Essentials for Wilderness Survival


 The number one most important thing I make sure to bring is a knife. They have so many uses in every day camp activities and life in general. If you find yourself in a survival situation, your chances of survival are infinitely increased with a knife. I always have a pocket knife on me for everyday use and camping.

Fixed blade knives are ideal. They are more durable and resilient than folding knives as they do not have mechanical movement. They are also better for cutting large objects such as branches. Folding knives are great for a
backup and less demanding tasks.

Uses:

- cutting rope
- creating weapons
- opening packages
- boredom relief
- creating fire starters (ie: bow drill)
- building emergency shelters (cutting branches, cutting tarp, etc)
- cutting cloth for bandages (if you don't have a first aid kit)
- cutting bandages
- so much more; you discover many more uses through experience

 

Grab your free copy of Wilderness Survival at:


 

Find more DIY details at:


 

 

 

PM’s Roundup of Useful Resources…

 

DIY 1000 Watt Wind Turbine & Other Energy Saving Projects


 

Mountain Grown: Appalachia's New Local Food Economy

Hungry for okra, collards, and trout? In Appalachia, you can now get all your soul food cravings from local farmers
.    READ MORE »

My Garden

 My Garden lets you manage your garden online, receive garden specific information based on what you’re growing and then lets you share your gardening knowledge online over their platform. There are two versions, free and paid. 

When you land on the main page, the site gives you a great rundown of what they have to offer you like a personal garden calendar, detailed plant records, a community of shared knowledge, a wish list, photo albums, readings, and events.

http://www.mygarden.org/

 

Tradition and emotion often cause people to overspend. Who says you should pay three months' salary for an engagement ring?


 

 
Homemade whiskey – Great DIY Skill!


 

 


 


 

Camping cooking simplicity in 30 minutes or less-DIY


 


The Nanny State-We love our government

Staying Off Gov’t Spy Radar

 Average Americans are becoming more and like the characters in a spy movie; they are being tracked all the time. Law enforcement agencies, local governments, intelligence agencies, phone companies, banks, Internet companies, and many others are trying to track us. Big government tracks us to monitor our movements while big...


 

DETROIT – Philippine tourist observed “parts of the city were like shanty towns back home, the only difference is the abandoned building are bigger.’ Many parts resemble the post-apocolyptic movie Mad Max.  Run by one party for 50 years, Detroit per capita income is now $13,969 – less than the average income of a resident of Botswana or Belarus

 

 
 

The Parting ThoughtNot to worry in the land of the free!

 

Dear Unconcerned Citizen…

 

Survival Cheat Sheet from David Morris

 

Gather crucial
documents and take a few specific steps to preserve your
identity and wealth through any disaster. Here's a quick
peek:

Some items to have copies of (digital and/or physical) in
case of disaster...

* Driver's license

* mortgage note/deed to property

* bank account numbers and balances

* car registration

* insurance paperwork

* passport

* any investment documentation

* As many medical documents as you have

Make digital copies for thumb drives and physical copies to
place in a safe, secure spot like at a relative's house, a
safety deposit box, an attic or crawlspace. In the course,
I'll cover the best tools to use to get this done...even if
you don't have a scanner or know what a thumb drive is.

Remember to encrypt the digital copies to protect your
sensitive information.

Home Prepping Database Program and other bonuses including…

This software will assist you and your family in what and how many supplies you will need when you will need to lockdown in your home until things settle down.  Learn more and order at:


 

Support the Revolution – Make a Donation to the Poor Man today!

“Until the next revolution”, the Poor Man

 

Much of what the Poor Man does is to promote the concepts of self-reliance, a voluntary society and economic independence -- writing articles, giving talks, maintaining blogs and an educational website -- he does for free. Donations made to support him in these efforts are much appreciated.

 

Keep our services free-Check our Resources

 

Free – Updated Sideline Income Resources and Tools


 

Get the No BS – Ready for Anything Survival Files Download-Now includes…

Home Prepping Database Program

This software will assist you and your family in what and how many supplies you will need when you will need to lockdown in your home until things settle down


 

 

 

 

A Shallow Planet Production

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Urban Survival Kit for Kids




Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin

A Digest of Urban Survival Resources


For Independent Minded People!

ISSN 2161-5543

 

"When you want to help people, you tell them the truth.
When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear."

-- Thomas Sowell

 From The Smiling Dog Saloon Files

 

In This Issue:

1.       Turning trashed mail into cash & other landfill facts

2.       DIY Pyramid stove, Solar water bottle heater

3.       Eco Transportation on the cheap

4.       Urban Survival Kits for Kids

5.       Your 5-inch pocket knife could land you in jail

 

 

One of the biggest
components of modern landfill is food
waste - some 40% of landfill are leftover
meals and other food-based detritus.


If there's one thing I can't stand, it's
waste (especially food) so when I discovered
an app called LeftoverSwap was launching
at the end of this month, I had to share it.

As Inc.com describes it:

 

"Three years ago, Dan Newman was visiting his friend
Bryan Summersett, in Seattle. They decided to order pizza.
A lot of pizza. "We wanted to try a bunch of them. But our eyes
were bigger than our stomachs," Newman says.

They couldn't finish it all, and wondered what they might do
with the leftovers. "We had a bunch of pizza left over at the
end of the night, and we thought it would be great if we could
broadcast that we had pizza available."

Summersett is a coder, Newman an entrepreneur. When they
get together, they often discuss business ideas. At the time,
they thought sharing leftovers may be a bit out-there. But,
these days it doesn't seem so strange: people are already
sharing everything from homes to bikes..."


Sharing a stranger's lasagna may sound icky but think about it.
How different is that from paying for prepared food that's been
sitting around a food court? And for families with picky kids,
this could be a godsend.  Read more here:


http://www.fastcoexist.com/3015683/would-you-eat-a-strangers-lefotver-lasagna?partner=rss

 

 

Landfill Stats


There has been an approximate 100% Increase in total
recycling in the US in the past decade. The U.S. has the most pounds of trash per person
per day (4.6 lbs of trash per person, 1.5 lbs of recycled materials per person) Aluminum can be recycled forever with NO loss of quality (good thing since we use over 80,000,000,000
aluminum cans each year)
Americans use 2,500,000
plastic bottles, most of which are thrown away.  In landfills, where plastic bottles are shielded from sunlight, they will not decompose for thousands of years. The energy saved by recycling one glass bottle would run a computer for 30 minutes.

 

Recycling 1 ton of mixed paper saves the energy equivalent
of 185 gallons on gasoline.
Every year, Americans use 1 billion
shopping bags, creating
300,000 tons of
landfill waste. The greenest states are Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire,
Nevada, Hawaii, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Colorado


 


Sure, you can send junk mail straight to the recycling bin, but that feels wasteful. Instead of reflexively tossing the piles of unwanted offers and catalogs, consider these six ways to nix the annoyance of junk mail.   http://earth911.com/home-garden/turning-mailed-trash-into-treasure/

 

Have something to recycle-Find out where


 


30 All-Time weather records were broken in 30 months…EX:  The largest single drought disaster declaration in history – 1,016 counties in 26 US states.

 

 


PM’s Roundup of Useful Resources…

 

Ryan Romanes' 'Urban Survival Kit' Teaches Kids How to Live in a City

The 'Urban Survival Pack' by New Zealand designer Ryan Romanes is designed to combat poverty in cities by providing solutions for people with limited space and money. The compact boxed kit is put together with inexpensive materials like oriented strand board (OSB) and cardboard, which can be easily reused or recycled.

The contents of the kit include a bit of everything, like essential tools for emergency situations, gardening tools and seeds.

These boxes are meant to be used as educational items in schools to teach children how to survive in a city.
Survival kits traditionally contain equipment for roughing it in the wilderness and Romanes' 'Urban Survival Pack' is an interesting take on habits that should be instilled in youth for survival in an urban setting.

Getting the kids prepared is one thing but being able to do so while they’re out of your presence is another thing entirely. Sadly, most of what you would want to include in a kit for your kids is probably banned at schools, but here’s some ideas to get you started: “One of our biggest concerns…

 
 

 

Seattle-Based Clean Republic Makes Eco Transportation Easy

In under two years, Seattle e-bike startup Clean Republic has gone from prototype to delivery of more than 1,000 units. Clean Republic is a garage-based company that markets an e-bike conversion kit for the do-it-yourselfer as well as its Hill Topper electric bike kit -- basically a ready-to-install bike wheel with built-in electric assist motor.

The beauty of the Clean Republic Hill Topper is that it installs in just about 3 minutes and it’s relatively inexpensive. It's available with an 11-pound sealed lead acid (SLA) battery pack that delivers a 10-mile range or a more expensive lithium battery that weighs about 6 pounds and gives a 20-mile range. The Clean Republic Hill Topper is intended to assist, not replace the rider; as anyone who has been to Seattle knows, a little help on the hills can be very handy
.

 


$5 Discount by using this link to learn more…


 

 


KP pyramid wood stove-DIY


 

Solar Water Heater-in a Bottle

I always appreciate simple ideas like this one. The following video shows how you can use simple soda bottles to heat water (or whatever) to a hotter temperature then you could by simply placing a black-painted metal container in the sun.


 



 

These Supermarket Chains Give Away Free Antibiotics and Vitamins


Supermarket chains around the country have various programs that provide free prenatal vitamins, vitamins for kids, free antibiotics, free diabetic medications, and even free generic Lipitor. See which stores are offering which pills.

 

How Much Of A Subsidy Will You Get In Obamacare? Here’s An Estimate (Kaiser Health News):  With the October 1 start of Health Care Exchanges just around the corner, there's no better time than the present to determine if you qualify for a subsidy.


 

The Nanny State-We love our government

SWAT Team Has Real Life Terror Drill On School Bus Filled With Terrified Children (Video)


CONTRIBUTOR: N. Morgan. Getting the children use to their police state tactics. Getting them conditioned to submit and obey. Another example of how they are turning America into a complete police state. ROSSFORD, Ohio - A training exercise this Rossford Wednesday morning left students literally hanging on to the edge of their...

 


 

The average American household is earning less than when the Great Recession ended four years ago, according to a report released Wednesday.

U.S. median household income, once adjusted for inflation, has fallen 4.4 percent in that time, according to the report from Sentier Research. The report is based on an analysis of Census Bureau data.

 


The Parting ThoughtNot to worry in the land of the free!

 

Dear Unconcerned Citizen…

Your 5 Inch Pocket Knife Could Land You 3-5 from Todd over at Survival Sherpa:

Is that bulge in your pocket an illegal knife, or are you just excited to read this article?

Huh!?

That’s right, in case you’ve just returned as a 30 year castaway on a remote, deserted island, there are laws that govern the length of your blade and whether you need a permission slip from the State to carry (open or concealed).

Welcome to Nanny State America! If you live here in these united States, pleading ignorance for carrying weapons (knife or gun) is not going to get you off the hook with our ever ‘watchful’ enforcers.

If you’re like most law-abiding people, you’re probably committing a-felony-a-day without even knowing it.

To understand and stay within the law, you’d need to either go back to your island paradise or spend 8.31 hours per day for the next 2.7 years buried in law books.

There are 50 states, 57 according to the POTUS, that have different rules about possessing and owning weapons.

If you frequent cross state lines, you’d need to spend time researching all the state laws for travel route.

Plus, you need to know how to interpret legalese.

Lets say you want to go visit your aging grandmother in Buffalo, New York.

You leave Georgia and drive through several states and stop for fuel, beef jerky, and a room at Motel 6.

You possess a Georgia Firearms License enabling you to legally carry your Bowie knife concealed (Crocodile Dundee style).

It was a gift from your kids. So you carry it. (Just play along, okay)

How can you check to see if your able to legally carrying your knife (or any knife) in NY? Just do it and hope you don’t find out the hard way?

Here’s a better way...

Continue reading the full article.

Support the Revolution – Make a Donation to the Poor Man today!

“Until the next revolution”, the Poor Man

 

Much of what the Poor Man does is to promote the concepts of self-reliance, a voluntary society and economic independence -- writing articles, giving talks, maintaining blogs and an educational website -- he does for free. Donations made to support him in these efforts are much appreciated.

 

Keep our services free-Check our Resources

 

Free – Updated Sideline Income Resources and Tools


 

Get the No BS – Ready for Anything Survival Files Download-Now includes…

Home Prepping Database Program

This software will assist you and your family in what and how many supplies you will need when you will need to lockdown in your home until things settle down


 

 

 


 

A Shallow Planet Production