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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Master the New Work Economy, Free Health Screenings, More


Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin

A Digest of Urban Survival Resources


ISSN 2161-5543



In This Issue:

1.      Mastering the new work economy

2.      Start a non-profit group

3.      Free Health Screenings

4.      Homestead blessings

5.      Have we gone overboard on terrorism?



If moderation is a fault, then indifference is a crime. --Jack Kerouac



Want to Start a Non-Profit?


   For years I have been involved with a variety of non-profit charities and a think tank.  Think of it as getting a tax break for doing good.  There’s been uptick in the number of non-profit creation despite the fact donations are down for most.


Starting a non-profit requires a bit of planning, supporters and upfront money to pay for incorporation and federal fees.  Your planning should include a website and initial monies for fundraising.  Most experts suggest $5,000 in startup fees are needed.


You can save some legal fees by writing your own bylaws and do your own IRS filing; often pro bono assistance can be found from your state bar association or from law school students.  Of course, their many how-to books, especially from Nolo Press, which are useful.


Most states, too offer an association for non-profits which provide assistance – go to the National Council of Nonprofit website at: Councilofnonprofits.org to find one for your state.


You’ll need cash to operate right away so it’s wise to build a database of potential donors by offering memberships or hosting special events.  You might be able to locate grants to help cover special projects by checking the Foundation Center’s site at:  foundationcenter.org


Don’t forget the power of social media too, especially for networking and fundraising.  Find more information about getting grants (it contains a mini-course) at the “Free Money” tab on our PoorManSurvival.com site.

Have a debt-related question?  At bundle.com type a question into their ‘ask a debt expert’ to join a forum and get free advice from experts at the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.



PM’s Compendium of Useful Resources





Free Health Screenings

Heart disease and stroke:  The CDC has 21 locations where women 40-64 can get free blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes tests.  Find a location by going to their site at:

CDC.gov/wisewoman or call 800-232-4636



Vision Problems:  Discover if you have eye problems by getting tested at the Prevent Blindness America (PreventBlindness.org - 800-331-2020), Vision USA at 800-766-4466, or from EyeCare America at EyeCareAmerica.org



Dental Problems:  Federally funded health care centers provide low-cost dental exams to people based on financial needs.  Locate a center by going to FindHealthCenter.hrsa.gov or call 888-275-4772



Get into advertising - if you don’t mind driving a virtual billboard on wheels, you can save hundreds of dollar in some high traffic cities by finding car companies, like Budget, that rent cards covered in product ads.



The West Ladies.

The West Ladies are some of the most precious women you’d ever want to meet. In fact, after watching all of their DVDs I’m convinced they would be the best neighbors and friends I could ever ask for. These three young women— sisters Jasmine, Hannah, and CeCe, along with their mother Vicki—have created a series of DVDs called Homestead Blessings.

Each DVD in the Homestead Blessings series teaches you about one of the many “arts” of homemaking and homesteading




Mastering the New Freelance Economy


Tara Gentile was working in what she calls a "dead-end retail job" at Borders, earning $28,000 a year as a store manager, when she decided she'd be better off launching her own business as an entrepreneur coach. Aside from more money, she also wanted the freedom to spend more time at home with her daughter, who was then six months old. Now, just over a year and a half later, Gentile, 28, works mostly from her home office in Reading, Pa., earns about $150,000 a year, and spends much of her time teaching other people how they can do the same.

Gentile is part of a new wave of people opting to work themselves…more at:




SIDEBAR: The  U.S. economy is in bad shape right now, but things are about to get even worse. The long-term problems that are destroying our economy have not been fixed, and the leaks in our ship are going to continue to grow.

Americans have become so desperate that they have started to look for work overseas. For example, the number of Americans that are submitting applications for temporary work visas in Canada has approximately doubled since 2008. Other Americans are willing to learn foreign languages and travel to the other side of the world if that is what it takes to land a decent job. Just consider the following quote from a recent USA Today report....

Job placement firms are reporting a surge in American worker interest in booming economies such as Hong Kong, Singapore, China and, increasingly, India. Hunt Partners, an executive search firm, estimates that it's getting 50% to 100% more unsolicited résumés from Americans looking for Asia-based positions today than before the recession.

Many long-term unemployed workers are just waiting for permission to give up looking!



Avoid buying on impulse.  Initiate a 24-hour waiting period before making a purchase outside your budget.



The Nanny State Updates…



Stay home and watch the game - save your money!

NFL has announced that it will be implementing "enhanced" pat-downs at all 32 NFL stadiums. Once this is fully implemented, the 16 million fans that attend games each season will be frisked from the ankles to the knees and from the waist up. Apparently this new level of security was brought on by a recent incident where a Cowboys fan smuggled a stun gun into a game between the New York Jets and the Dallas Cowboys and started zapping other fans with it. As usual, authorities have responded to a minor security incident by massively overreacting to it. In the post-9/11 world in which we live, paranoia is standard operating procedure.  Perhaps if enough fans decline to attend, the frisking may end.



Gotta love our government - Protecting our freedoms (Right)

A recent Politico article had to say about how things have changed in the post-9/11 world....

At the NSA, thousands of analysts who once eavesdropped on troop movements of enemy soldiers in distant countries were now listening in on the bedroom conversations of innocent Americans in nearby states.

“We were told that we were to listen to all conversations that were intercepted, to include those of Americans,” Adrienne Kinne, a former NSA “voice interceptor,” told me. She was recalled to active duty after Sept. 11.

“Some of those conversations are personal,” she said. “Some even intimate. … I had a real problem with the fact that people were listening to it and that I was listening to it. … When I was on active duty in ’94 to ’98, we would never collect on an American.”



Reason.tv: Peter Schiff on the Dismal Future of the U.S. Economy
"We have to cut $1.5 trillion out of this year's budget," says investment advisor, author, and radio host Peter Schiff. Reason's Nick Gillespie sat down with Schiff at July's FreedomFest in Las Vegas. Schiff, whose most recent book is How an Economy Grows and Why it Crashes, says that the economic downturn of 2008 is only a mild preview of what's in store for the U.S. economy in the future and predicts much higher unemployment and huge inflation over the next few years. The only way out of this mess, says Schiff, is for the government to get out of the way and let the inevitable market correction occur. "It would be painful to cut spending by that degree," he acknowledges, "but not nearly as painful as it's going to be if we don't cut spending by that degree."


Winterize your outdoor faucets before winter sets in by insulating them and be sure to drain and turn off.


The Parting Thought – Going overboard on terrorism


   It’s a widely circulated sentiment that terrorists have already won in their battle against our country.  After 911, our government went crazy eroding the rights of citizens.  The FBI had reported that Al Qaida had as many as 5,000 operatives in the USA, it wasn’t true. 


It’s also estimated we’ve spent $400 million per person on security while turning our country into a national security state.  The firms which sell surveillance equipment and body scanners have certainly made a huge dollar at taxpayer expense!  The government says it has foiled 23 terrorist plots since then while spending billions on long term wars in the Middle East.  More people die in bathtub accidents than in acts of terrorism.


The FBI has never identified any sleeper cells operating here, yet the Patriot Act has been renewed and the Dept. of Homeland insecurity has cooked up new villains to look for including a campaign for Americans to report anyone who might be suspicious including far right Christians.


I believe it is time to end the fear mongering and return our Bill of Rights to all of us!



Yours for better times, the Poor Man!



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