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
- 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…
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.
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
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.
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
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 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.
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?
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.”
Check our Resources
Check it out:
Survival books & supplies – find them at our
ebay store:
Follow us on
Facebook
Twitter
A Shallow
Planet Production
