Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A Digest of Urban Survival Resources
ISSN 2161-5543
A
Free Press is the Guardian of a Free People
In This Issue:
1.
Why
you’re paying higher electric bills
2.
The moral underground
3.
Dodging Bill Collector Tricks
4.
Using DropBox and TrueCrypt for added security
5.
Wireless fingerprinting, Save your nickels
Will Rogers
Alexander Hamilton started the U.S. Treasury with nothing and that was the closest our country has ever been to being even.
Alexander Hamilton started the U.S. Treasury with nothing and that was the closest our country has ever been to being even.
Why you’re paying higher electric bills
On December
13, 2011, USA Today released the
results of a comprehensive review of government data and discovered that
electricity costs have gone up faster than inflation for 5 years straight.
And that means the average household now pays $1,419 for electricity each year -- an extra $300 per year compared to the year 2006.
And that means the average household now pays $1,419 for electricity each year -- an extra $300 per year compared to the year 2006.
To put this in
perspective, major household appliances now use less energy than ever before.
For example, a new refrigerator will use HALF the electricity of a fridge made
in 1996.
The same is true for
many appliances and devices. They've become more energy efficient with every
passing year... yet the price of electricity continues to rise rapidly.
You Can Blame It on Politicians
So why are overall
electrical costs skyrocketing even while appliances are using less energy than
ever before?
The problem
goes straight back to Washington, DC.
High energy taxes
coupled with government mandates that require perfectly good coal-burning power
plants to be replaced by brand new clean-energy power plants have caused
electricity prices to spike.
Getting Started Living Off The Grid
Get your copy here
http://www.off-grid-living.com/living-off-the-grid-volume11-book.pdf
Clean glass and mirrors
with coffee filters - they work better and are cheaper than paper towels.
PM’s
Compendium of Useful Resources
Wal-Mart has launched an "American Idol"-like contest to find the best new products.
For the first time, the world's largest retailer is giving any small business, entrepreneur or individual inventor a shot at winning a spot on its store shelves nationwide and virtual shelf space through walmart.com. The contest is called "Get on the shelf."
Similar to the popular reality show "American Idol," Wal-Mart (WMT) said contestants can enter any product category that it already has -- ranging from toys, electronics to clothing and household goods. They then can create and submit videos of their latest inventions at www.GetOnTheShelf.com.
The discounter said the public will then vote online for the top three winners at GetOnTheShelf.com. The three will be sold on walmart.com. But the top winner will also automatically get shelf space in select Wal-Mart stores around the country.
Jefferson War
Nickels (’42-‘45) are 35% Silver…
Nickels are the last premium-free hedge against both a stronger dollar and a weaker dollar. The copper/nickel content of these little beauties will go up in value -- like pre-1964 silver coins did -- should the dollar weaken. If the dollar gets stronger, then the value of the metal content may fall below face value... but you'll still be able to use the coins at face value!
Nickels are the last premium-free hedge against both a stronger dollar and a weaker dollar. The copper/nickel content of these little beauties will go up in value -- like pre-1964 silver coins did -- should the dollar weaken. If the dollar gets stronger, then the value of the metal content may fall below face value... but you'll still be able to use the coins at face value!
As a test, I
sold 10 of these on eBay for $18
Dodging Debt Collectors’ Tricks
Even if a debt is legitimate, it may not be you that owes it. It might be someone else with the same or
similar name. Collectors use public
sources to track down debtors and hope you’re the correct party.
Make sure you ask the collector for their address, then send them a
certified letter requesting verification the debt is yours. By law, they must send proof. If they don’t respond or the debt isn’t
yours, they cannot bother you anymore.
There is a statute of limitations on debt which varies by state. The time frame is usually within three to six
years, which begins 180 days after the account is officially delinquent. Find the statute of limitations in your state
at:
CreditInfoCenter.com/rebuild/statute
limitations.shtml
Then, send them a certified letter saying their time for collection has
expired.
If the debt is yours and is recent, they may stop at nothing to get
payment including threats of actions not legally allowed. Since many of them purchase old debt at a
fraction of the original debt, they’re often happy to make a settlement with
you - 25% of the original bill isn’t uncommon.
The Moral
Underground: How ordinary Americans subvert an unfair economy…book
by Lisa Dodson which offers a collection of stories of middle class managers
and professionals who refuse to be
complicit in an economy that puts decent life beyond the reach of the working
poor…
Whether it’s a nurse
choosing to treat an uninsured child or a supervisor padding a paycheck…unsung
heroes at the heart of a national state of economic disobedience. Something more of us need to be doing.
Using Dropbox And TrueCrypt For Maximum
Privacy
Privacy of your digital files is simpler than ever. Not only can you store files somewhere that has no relationship to your own computers, but you can encrypt all of your data so that it will be extremely difficult and expensive to break into if it is found.
Privacy of your digital files is simpler than ever. Not only can you store files somewhere that has no relationship to your own computers, but you can encrypt all of your data so that it will be extremely difficult and expensive to break into if it is found.
A wet pumice
stone will clean a dirty oven faster than a spray-on product.
Higher Fuel Prices - again…yet Obama nixed pipeline deal Gas prices are at a record high for January and are 28.5 cents per gallon higher than a year ago. And that's expected to go even higher--some analysts predict that the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded could hit $4 to $4.25 per gallon by the spring.
One might think that given the high cost of energy, the President would be seeking to increase domestic production, especially given Iran's threats to block the Strait of Hormuz, thereby cutting off a quarter of the world's energy supply. Think again. Under President Obama, oil and natural gas production on federal lands is down by more than 40 percent compared to 10 years ago, 2010 had the lowest number of leases issued for oil and gas production on federal lands since 1984, and the Administration held only one offshore lease sale in 2011.
The Parting Thought – Don't we love Big Brother
A new technology being
pushed by high tech firms to law enforcement.
Some federal bureaucrats already want to register everyone who travels
in order to prevent a major terrorist attach…or because they fear riots from
angry, out-of-work people who’ve lost their homes, a dollar collapse, etc.
The US government
spends $75 billion on high tech providers, usually focused on American citizens
as opposed to real terrorists. As noted
in Forbes magazine, the Department of Homeland Insecurity is developing
pilot programs to broaden the use of security type scanners to “allow them to
take these technologies out of airports and into contexts like public events,
special events, and ground transit.”
“Until the next
revolution”, the Poor Man
Remember,
remember the 4th of November…
Get your “We
don’t need another election” Protest T-Shirt Now
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1 comment:
Among the dozen or so prepper blogs we read, yours is always among the best in terms of useful information, resources and political insights.
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