Saturday, August 30, 2014

Pessimism for Many this Labor Day, National Prepper Month

Poor Man Survival

Self Reliance tools for independent minded people…

ISSN 2161-5543

A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

The only liberty an inferior man really cherishes is the liberty to quit work, stretch out in the sun, and scratch himself.
~ H.L. Mencken

September is National Preparedness Month

The Ready Campaign established four universal building blocks of emergency preparedness: Be informed, Make a Plan, Build a Kit, and Get Involved. America’s PrepareAthon! builds on this foundation by encouraging millions of Americans to focus on a simple, specific activity that will increase preparedness.

America’s PrepareAthon! a new national community-based campaign for action that focuses on increasing emergency preparedness through hazard-specific drills, group discussions and exercises. National PrepareAthon! Days are held every spring and fall. During National Preparedness Month we ask you, your family, community and workplace to take action by planning a National PrepareAthon! Day on or around September 30th. We recommend using digital media tools as a way to promote National Preparedness Month, September 1st-30th

Why I Save Different Things
Most organize-your-home experts say, "If in doubt, throw it out!" To reduce clutter, they suggest that you rid your home of all excess. I beg to differ. I've saved money keeping extra items. Often, it's cheaper and more practical to re-use items than to buy replacements.

How to Buy
Used Canning Equipment
Whether you're looking for used canning jars, used canners or other second hand canning equipment, know what to look for or you'll be wasting time and money buying inferior or even dangerous equipment. Read more.

8 Clever Uses for Leftover Charcoal

Can You Find the Best Creative Use for Colanders?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the Labor Participation Rate currently stands at 62.9%, the lowest it’s been since 1978. “That was 36 years ago. So, although it may not be the worst labor market in the 132 years since the first Labor Day was celebrated, it still puts a damper on our celebrations this year.”

Pessimism on Economy Has Grown Since Recession

Americans are more anxious about the economy now than they were right after the Great Recession ended despite stock market gains, falling unemployment and growth moving closer to full health.

Seventy-one percent of Americans say they think the recession exerted a permanent drag on the economy, according to a survey being released Thursday by Rutgers University. By contrast, in November 2009, five months after the recession officially ended, the Rutgers researchers found that only 49 percent thought the downturn would have lasting damage.

Unions, which traditionally back the President, were up in arms over the Affordable Care Act, saying the law was turning the U.S. into a nation of part time workers. In fact, there has been major growth in the number of part-time and temporary jobs since the recession.

In a recent Washington Post article, the paper quoted Carrie Gleason, director of the Fair Work Week Initiative, who said: “What we’re seeing is a growing trend of low-quality part-time jobs. It’s creating this massive unproductive workforce that is unable to productively engage in their lives or in the economy.”

Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://wwww.Newsmax.com/Finance/economy-jobs-confidence-unemployment/2014/08/28/id/591423/#ixzz3Bm3DvyE7

The New Economy: NJ Woman working 4 jobs to make ends meet dies while napping between shifts

Additional useful gems for making life better…

10 Fruits & Vegetables That Regrow Every Year

Amazing Things To Make With Paper Rolls

15 Things To Make From Old Jeans

6 Convincing Reasons You Should Start Using Egg Shells In Your Garden

4 Brilliant New Uses For Leftover Coffee Grounds

Make A Bee Waterer: Water For Bees Without The Drowning Risk

12 Fruits & Vegetables That Will Last For Months

Find DIY and Homemade ideas here:

http://www.poormansurvival.com/Pages/Homemade.aspx

Enjoy your Labor Day Weekend-See you next week!

Yours in freedom,

Bruce ‘the Poor Man’

Got a News Tip or Resource to Share With the Poor Man?

Send it to: PoorManSurvivor@Gmail.com

A Shallow Planet Production

Friday, August 29, 2014

The Triumph of Ignorance

Poor Man Survival

Self Reliance tools for independent minded people…

http://PoorManSurvivor.net

ISSN 2161-5543

A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

"Restraint of government is the true liberty and freedom of the people."
-- John P. Reid

The Triumph of Ignorance

Americans have become embarrassingly stupid, having the attention span of a gnat.

It’s little wonder why daily newspapers are vanishing and even network news and news magazines are in decline or as we call it ‘a systemic media failure.’

The general public, especially those under age 34, seem oblivious to just about everything that isn’t entertainment oriented [no doubt this is why even local nightly news features so much irrelevant soft news and infotainment crap].

Stupid people are easier to control and manipulate as they rarely question anything…politicians know this have been taking advantage of the nation as a result because: STUPID PEOPLE JUST DO WHAT THEY ARE TOLD.

The Associated Press reported last year that although it’s long been known that America’s school kids haven’t measured well compared with international peers, a new study shows that American adults don’t either.

In math, reading and problem-solving using technology – all skills considered critical for global competitiveness and economic strength – American adults scored below the international average on a global test, according to results released Tuesday.

Adults in Japan, Canada, Australia, Finland and multiple other countries scored significantly higher than the United States in all three areas on the test.

The American Dream has been decimated, stolen or destroyed by Wall Street grafters who corrupted Congress and stole what they could from the American people [corporations now pay less taxes, no longer provide pensions, decent pay and few even offer health insurance coverage –they leave that to taxpayers-].

I wonder what the government will do after everyone is finally subjugated to slavery status, blind obedience levels or have gone underground to find freedom?

Readers ask me why I frequently focus so much attention on politics…The answer is simple: because since the 1960s our government has become the 800 pound gorilla crushing everything we do. It has eroded our freedoms, decimated our privacy, and blasted the middle class with its anti-citizen policies.

Years ago my political science professor told me something which always stuck with me “when a nation stops producing, its decline is assured.”

I’ve seen that happen to our nation and it angers me so I continue my uphill battle to educate folks of government wrongdoing [despite the fact our population is getting dumber and shows little interest as to how they’re getting screwed by the ill conceived policies from the Washington-Wall Street Cartel.

Of course, there are those few extraordinary folks that make this country work, the men and women who often devise thoughtful solutions to the crap the Washington-Wall Street Cartel dishes out.

Sadly, more people today distrust their government than perhaps at any other previous time in our history!

It is easy to become discouraged as response is often tepid but I’ll be a muckraker until I die and if I open the eyes of a few people along the way, I’ll die a happy man.

As the American economy sputters along and many people live paycheck-to-paycheck, economists say a highly-skilled workforce is key to economic recovery. The median hourly wage of workers scoring on the highest level in literacy on the test is more than 60% higher than for workers scoring at the lowest level, and those with low literacy skills were more than twice as likely to be unemployed.

Never underestimate the stupidity of the American people,”

By any standards it's been a bloodbath for retailers…

Many consumers are not better off but continue to spend like they are!

We have read in recent weeks and months about the continued movement of corporate profits by US corporations to their overseas subsidiaries in order to avoid paying taxes here on those profits. Walgreens almost went that route recently but they decided to not do what is called an "inversion" to avoid taxes. At least for now.

Nine straight quarters of loss at Sears and we saw its stock plummet 15% this year alone. K-Mart is on life support, after contributing to the near $1 billion loss for the holding company that owns both for the first half of this year. Over at Target, still reeling from customer outrage at its data breach, things weren't much better. Profits plunged 62% and on Wednesday, Target cuts its profit predictions again to avoid a wholesale run against its stock as Wall Street expectations continue to drop. Its stock is off 5% this year. At that flagship of retail, Walmart, seas are swirling as the giant reports flat sales and financially reluctant shoppers. Most of its growth is coming from smaller stores though its superstores maintain the sales course for the massive chain. Company earnings grew at a crawl of 2.8% this year despite massive sales promotions and even deeper price cuts.

Even consumer electronics big leaguer Sony announced plans to close most of its retail outlets in the U.S.

It is predicted Radio Shack will be out of business soon...Oh but the nightly news is filled with reports of how rosy things are you say?

In the mid-1980s I had a nationally syndicated business column. That’s when GE announced they were getting rid of US jobs and many, many corporations followed their lead. I wrote then that ‘Burger flippers can’t afford your $40, 000 car” as witnessed how US tax policies favored these corporations and the shedding of US jobs.

Must be nice to get rid of one’s US corporate citizenship and undermine the social contract as does GE, Apple Computer, FedEx, Verizon and like Exon-Mobil which earned a $43 billion profit in 2012 and paid ZERO taxes!

Starting in the 1960s our tax policy changed from corporations paying the bulk of taxes to where the middle class shouldered the bulk of the burden. All the while corporations also got rid of pensions and medical coverage…hell, why remain a good corporate citizen?

We have one of the most antiquated and complex tax policies in the world and Congress does not have the cajones to fix it. We need to create a system which rewards corporations for creating jobs and penalizes those which off-shore jobs. Too many corporations pollute and grab natural resources and get rewarded for it (low cost federal rent on public lands for example).

We don’t have a budget crisis, we have a political crisis which no longer rewards those who create in this country. Is it any wonder our infrastructure is crumbling as our tax base erodes thanks to ignorant policies?

How Tax Reform Can Save the Middle Class

In part two of his interview, Joseph E. Stiglitz says corporate abuse of our tax system has helped make America unequal and undemocratic. But the Nobel Prize-winning economist has a plan to change that. (Watch part one »)

Cops, Gun Culture and Anti-Government Extremism

That they're policing a country with more guns than any other doesn't excuse brutal policing, but it helps explain cops' mindset. By Joshua Holland

Read online »

Now free of charge…Your survival guide plan! [Share with others]

Our paychecks are remaining very stable while the cost of almost everything that we spend money on consistently (food, gas, health insurance, etc.) is going up rapidly. Bloomberg calls this "the no-raises recovery"...

How to Survive the…

War on Middle Class and All 9 Bonus Reports can be downloaded here:

http://1drv.ms/1d9kfiU

Yours in freedom,

Bruce ‘the Poor Man’

A Shallow Planet Production

Thursday, August 28, 2014

A Menace to Society

Poor Man Survival

Self Reliance tools for independent minded people…

http://PoorManSurvivor.net

ISSN 2161-5543

A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

ICREACH: The Government’s Searchable Database Of Private Communications

“Men fight for liberty and win it with hard knocks. Their children, brought up easy, let it slip away again, poor fools. And their grandchildren are once more slaves.”―D.H. Lawrence

The scale of illegal government and corporate spying on American citizens is literally beyond reason. America is now inches away from becoming a totalitarian state. Other nations laugh at how stupid citizens have become for tolerating this in view of the fact we used to be known as the land of the free!

And the proof is in the headlines...

· A.P. Scandal Raises Specter of Big Brother — The New Yorker
Freedom of the Press is protected in the U.S. Constitution—but since when has Obama and his left-wing fanatics had any respect for our Constitution? But disrespect is a far cry from out-and-out spying! Shame on the President and his goons!

· Benghazi emails show State Department had heavy hand — Fox News
What really happened in Benghazi—and who's to blame for the deaths of innocent Americans—may never be known! Because those loyal to Obama and Hillary began "massaging" the talking points from the very beginning! If the definition of censorship is suppressing unacceptable parts—Hillary and Obama are guilty as charged!

· In IRS scandal, echoes of Watergate — Washington Post
The last time I was aware that an American president misused the IRS to undermine his political enemies—he was impeached! OBAMAGATE has a familiar ring to it!

· Obama Administration defends massive phone record collection — Reuters
The White House recently confirmed the NSA has been collecting the phone records and web search data of all Americans!

Do you think the president was oblivious to his Administration's acts of spying... censorship... and gross misuse of power and intimidation tactics? NO!

Since I first began warning people about this growing threat to our liberty—and personal privay—the situation has gotten worse—far worse!

Unelected bureaucrats keep escalating the attacks on privacy and civil liberties—without public debate or knowledge and with very little, if any, legislative or judicial oversight.

In addition to their “Big Brother” quest for a free-pass into our private lives, they’ve created loopholes and gaps that thieves can penetrate to do us virtual, physical or financial harm.

In an effort to help dozens of government agencies access the troves of private telecommunications data it scoops up from foreigners and American citizens, the National Security Agency has its own “Google-like” search engine.

New information out from The Intercept — a site dedicated to reporting on NSA activities — reveals that the spy agency’s databases have likely been routinely used by domestic law enforcement agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Your Privacy Has Been Compromised by Your Own Government – and you pay for it!

ICREACH has been accessible to more than 1,000 analysts at 23 U.S. government agencies that perform intelligence work, according to a 2010 memo. A planning document from 2007 lists the DEA, FBI, Central Intelligence Agency, and the Defense Intelligence Agency as core members. Information shared through ICREACH can be used to track people’s movements, map out their networks of associates, help predict future actions, and potentially reveal religious affiliations or political beliefs.

The creation of ICREACH represented a landmark moment in the history of classified U.S. government surveillance, according to the NSA documents.

“The ICREACH team delivered the first-ever wholesale sharing of communications metadata within the U.S. Intelligence Community,” noted a top-secret memo dated December 2007. “This team began over two years ago with a basic concept compelled by the IC’s increasing need for communications metadata and NSA’s ability to collect, process and store vast amounts of communications metadata related to worldwide intelligence targets.”

Until the most recent disclosures, it was unclear how and to what extent the NSA shares the massive amount of data it collects with other agencies. The search tool, described by the NSA as a “one-stop shopping tool,” pulls information stored in several databases authorized by President Ronald Reagan’s Executive Order 12333, which expanded the government’s data-collection authority.

While surveillance is supposed to target only foreign communication networks, domestic communication information can easily be swept up by the government snooping programs.

Again from The Intercept:

To allow government agents to sift through the masses of records on ICREACH, engineers designed a simple “Google-like” search interface. This enabled analysts to run searches against particular “selectors” associated with a person of interest—such as an email address or phone number—and receive a page of results displaying, for instance, a list of phone calls made and received by a suspect over a month-long period. The documents suggest these results can be used reveal the “social network” of the person of interest—in other words, those that they communicate with, such as friends, family, and other associates.

The sharing of information between the NSA and domestic law enforcement agencies all takes place without court oversight.

Read more at The Intercept.

Ultimate Guide to Low Profile Living: 253 Cutting Edge Strategies

http://www.bonanza.com/listings/Ultimate-Guide-to-Low-Profile-Living-253-Cutting-Edge-Strategies-to-Reclaim-Pri/155609655

Vehicle To Vehicle Communication Requirements Could Give Government Control Over Personal Travel »
In the not-so-distant-future, American motorists could find the location, direction and speed of their automobiles constantly monitored by government officials as they travel. Recent filings reveal that the Department of Transportation is making the first steps toward requiring "vehicle to vehicle communications." More »

Congress is a Menace to Society

A new Gallup study suggests that in recent elections, disapproval of Congress’ job performance meant higher turnout. Currently, Gallup’s congressional job approval is 13 percent, with 19 percent of registered voters saying members of Congress deserve re-election.

We are a nation in distress…

President Obama, the golfer-in-chief, has seen his approval rating plummet over his inability to resolve much of anything regarding international policy or our domestic economic challenges.

The big question: Why do Americans continually reelect the same politicians into office? Too many in Congress think they should be feeding at the public trough for life (EX: New York’s Chuck Schumer has never had a real job in his life and has never fostered any meaningful legislation yet gets reelected based on what?]

Too many of us are asleep at the wheel and pay zero attention to how Congress has bankrupted our nation while eroding our rights, how Obama would rather be on the golf course while we’re invaded by illegals and terrorists overrun Iraq…if they’ve been in office since the internet was created It is time to get rid of them!

Something to consider: flying the flag upside down is a sign of distress. We should all fly our flag in that manner until we see those lifelong parasites in Congress torn away from the public teat. I realize much of the population has been bamboozled by these con artists but this could be a small, symbolic way to demonstrate our extreme displeasure!

www.PoorManSurvival.com

Yours in freedom,

Bruce ‘the Poor Man’

Got a News Tip or Resource to Share With the Poor Man?

Send it to: PoorManSurvivor@Gmail.com

A Shallow Planet Production

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Grey Water & Rainwater Recycling System for Survival

Poor Man Survival

Self Reliance tools for independent minded people…

http://PoorManSurvivor.net

ISSN 2161-5543

A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

Grey Water and Rainwater Recycling Systems For Survival

Many people say there will come a time when water will become “the new oil.” It means that one day, within the next twenty years, water will become so scarce that only a few places on earth will have clean water for drinking, bathing, and other things. The implications of this warning, like the loss of lives due to thirst and microbial infections, as well as the fact that over a billion people in the world do not have access to clean water even if it is a basic right, led many to find alternate ways of obtaining water they can use each day. Two well-known and highly-effective alternate ways of obtaining this liquid resource are grey water recycling and rainwater harvesting and recycling, and here are the definitions, benefits, and methods of implementation of both methods.

Grey Water Recycling

Grey water recycling, a method that is not exactly a way of getting fresh water, is defined as the reuse of domestic waste water, water that comes from the kitchen sink and bathtub. Sewage is not categorised as grey water, as it has a higher organic load and microbial content. Properly recycled grey water is often used to flush toilets or water plants, making them useful for everyday survival and living.

If you are interested in recycling domestic waste water or grey water, you can have a system built for your home. All you need are some pails and materials for making an improvised filter. You may already have the things you need in your garage, but if not, then you can buy these items for cheaper prices at yard sales or flea markets across your neighbourhood.

The first thing you need to do is to put buckets or basins under the sinks and showers to collect water used for washing hands and showering, respectively. When these need to be used, remove them from the showers and sinks and let them pass through a filter and into another bucket or basin. This allows for the removal of impurities.

In building your own filter, the things you need include a barrel, sand, stone, and a hose. The other materials you need are stated in the steps below.

Pour six inches of crushed stone into a drum that can accommodate 55 gallons of content. The drum you need should be one that has a spigot at the bottom.
On top of the stone layer, a sheet of weed mat should be placed.
On top of the weed mat should be placed ten inches of sand.
Lastly, a layer of gravel measuring one inch should be placed so the sand stays in place.

Once the water has passed through the filter, make sure to use it within the day. This way, bacteria and other micro-organisms do not have a chance of multiplying. It also prevents mosquitoes from using it as a breeding ground.

Rainwater Harvesting and Recycling

Rainwater harvesting is, of course, a collective term that refers to recycling water that falls directly from the sky when it rains. It is slightly acidic compared to lake and river water and for this reason, rainwater has to be filtered first before use. Unlike grey water, however, filtered and properly stored rainwater can be consumed and used for a wide range of purposes: laundry, vegetable gardening, drinking, and dish washing. People living and thriving on rainwater is not unheard of, hence making this a great water resource for anyone who is having difficulties paying water bills.

If you want to start your own rainwater collection and recycling system, then you can follow the steps stated below.

Compute the amount of water needed in your household monthly and yearly by reviewing previous water utility bills. This allows you to assess the amount of water that can be offset using this system.
Get a clean barrel. Remove its lid and drill twenty holes on it. These allow rainwater to get inside the barrel while keeping out wildlife.
Create a hole at the base of the barrel. This is where the tap will be placed. Use a sealant to secure the tap.
Using a permanent marker, trace the lid outline onto a wire mesh of considerable size.
Obtain a knife and cut along the drawn circle. Once you have done this, push the wire mesh an inch down the barrel. This filters large bits of debris to make water more usable.
Refit the lid on the barrel.
On your home, find a downspout. The ideal downspout should be one that originates from the roof and leads to the drainage on the ground.
Cut away a part of the downspout until it is at the estimated height of the barrel after the placement of cinder blocks under it.
Lay cinder blocks under the downspout and place the barrel on top of them. The cinder blocks will serve as a platform to support the barrel.

You can also use rainwater storage tanks and pumps for your rainwater harvesting system. For more information check out http://www.rainwatertanksdirect.com.au/.

Both rainwater harvesting and grey water recycling, alternative ways of acquiring this precious liquid resource, help in daily survival and living. Be sure to have these systems set up at home so you can save money and survive in the years to come.