Holiday Events, BBQ Tips, Deals

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin

A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

For Independent Minded People!

ISSN 2161-5543

In This Issue:

1.      Holiday BBQ Tips. Find BBQ festivals

2.       Holiday Deals & happenings

3.       US Intelligence agencies beyond control

4.       Co-Founder of Face Book ‘starting his own country’

''Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.'' - Mark Twain

BBQ Tips for the Holiday Weekend

Going back to cave man times, we men still enjoy stabbing a slab of meat onto a fire or hot coals…’cause it tastes so good and brings out our manliness!  Mom’s enjoy because it’s a day off from the kitchen and there is less cleanup.

Personally, I like to marinate meats overnight before cooking it.  Even cheap cuts of meat can be made to taste great with an overnight marinade.  Marinades can be purchased for just about any taste or can be as simple as a bottle of beer or container of Italian dressing.

There are two schools of thought on which is best, gas or charcoal.  My preference lies with charcoal to which various woodchips can be added for more flavor.  One thing I learned is one should remove the meat from the fridge 20-30 minutes prior to placing it on the grill, otherwise, the meat will contract when it hits the heat.

Another tip - undercook the meat.  It’s easy to toss an underdone piece back on the grill, if it’s overcooked, you are out of luck. If you’re grilling fish, use indirect heat and a grilling basked or aluminum foil which you’ve coated with cooking spray or butter…also good for corn and other vegetables.

Always pre-heat your grill for at least 10 minutes in order to sear in the flavor of the meat or if using charcoal, wait until they’re glowing red embers.  A light coating of olive, vegetable spray or cooking oil to the meat or fish (add a small amount to a plastic bag to coat) will prevent the food from sticking to the grill.  Don’t spray the grill with vegetable spray or it will become sticky.

Use Kosher salt instead of regular seasoning, it sticks to the food better and helps the caramelization  process .  Adding wood chips is another good flavor enhancer.

Keep your workload to a minimum by serving the easy foods everyone loves and which can be made in advance (everyone loves my asparagus salad and potato salad).  Veggie, cheese and fruit trays can be pre-made or purchased.

Finally, keep the phone number to your local fire department handy in case of fire (just kidding) and you might find some good recipes in my free cookbook (if you’ve not already downloaded it) on the Watkins section of our site - PoorManSurvival.com

Keep gnats away by filling a few small bowls with a solution of 3 parts vinegar and 1 part dishwashing soap and set the bowls around the picnic area and 3 feet away from food.

PM’s Compendium of Useful Resources

Check Out a BBQ Festival

Grilling at home for summer or for Memorial Weekend is tough to beat, you might have even more fun at various festivals held around the country.  Where I’m from in Scottsdale, AZ they host the Best Damned BBQ Cook-off.  Growing up in Cleveland, I used to cook at the annual Cleveland Rib Burn-off.  Find a festival near you at:

www.Festivals.com

Sellers Abuzz over USPS Ban on Overseas Electronics Shipments
Online merchants are abuzz over a new policy from the USPS that
prohibits the international mailing of electronics containing
lithium batteries, including tablets and smartphones and even
power drills. The ban takes place on May 16th and will likely
take many online sellers by surprise.
http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y12/m05/i15/s01

Memorial Day Deals

From May 28^th through Sept. 3^rd, Sonic will halve the price of their shakes after 8pm.

Serviceman and women with military ID get FREE admission to many theme parks including Knott’s Berry Farm, Cedar Point and Cedar Fair theme parks all day on Memorial Day.

Grab a meal at participating IKEA stores and deduct the price of that meal from any purchase over $100.

Museums

A handful of museums and galleries will close for the holiday, but many others will offer free admission to the general public. The American Association of Museums has a state-by-state list of accredited museums and phone numbers, so call ahead to check on any deals or closures at the location that interests you.

If you’re in the Nation’s Capitol, all 16 Smithsonian museums and parks continue to be free, but several are offering special Memorial Day exhibits.

Parades

Cities from coast to coast play host to parades and memorial services. Most parades take place on May 31, but check VetFriends.com for a list of activities specific to your state, like wreath-laying events, free outdoor concerts and, if you live near a military harbor, ship tours.

New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C, and San Francisco each offer celebrations that annually attract over 10,000 people.

Airshow

Airshows are an exhilarating way to bring the family together and see some impressive aerial acrobatics. The Experimental Aircraft Association, an organization for aviation enthusiasts, has a searchable database of airshows specializing in everything from WWI-era biplanes to ultramodern jets. For most, the only cost is gas to reach the airfield (and occasionally parking).

The New York Airshow at Jones Beach on May 28 and 29 is a standout, featuring a performance by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels.

I-500…One of my favorites (great fun to attend)

The Indianapolis 500 starts its engines on May 30 at the largest stadium in the world. It may be too late for tickets, but you can still watch the race at home. Fire up your back-porch grill, invite some friends over and have an Indy themed party. You’ll avoid the crowds (not to mention flying tires) and still have a great time.

Remove mildew from your deck by spraying the wood with white vinegar.  Let it sit for an hour, then hose it off…works on patio furniture cushions too!

The Nanny State Updates…

Intelligence Agencies Are Beyond The Control Of Their Creator... And They Are Targeting You

There are 45 different government agencies with 1,271 subdivisions, all involved with intelligence…

 The size of the intelligence community is astounding. Even worse, there is no accountability to anyone. These agencies wield a lot of power secretly and they are monitoring citizens and their every day activities.

http://www.howtovanish.com/2010/07/intelligence-analysis-how-dangerous-is-citizen-dataveillance/?awt_l=9mqfI&awt_m=1owDycItFyxNxm

Reality Check: Barack Obama and the U.S. Congress have been stealing trillions of dollars from future generations in order to make things tolerable in the present. If the federal government adopted a balanced budget next year, the debt-fueled prosperity that we are currently enjoying would start disappearing very rapidly and all hell would break loose in America.

This is a major flaw in our system. Most of our politicians do not care about how they are raping future generations financially. Most of them just care about getting elected again.

Scrub-free way to clean dirty wicker furniture.  Mix ¼ cup of household ammonia and 1 gallon of water and liberally spray the problem areas and let sit for 10-minutes, the hose off and let air dry.

The Parting Thought – Big Brother in the form of an increasingly powerful government and
in an increasingly powerful private sector will pile the records high
with reasons why privacy should give way to national security, to law
and order, to efficiency of operation, to scientific advancement and
the like."
-- Justice William O. Douglas

One of Facebook’s earliest investors is a step or two closer to implementing his own version of expatriation.

Peter Thiel’s concept for a floating country now has a name: Blueseed.

Billed as “Silicon Valley’s visa-free offshore startup community,” Thiel and collaborator Patri Friedman (Milton’s grandson) plan to convert a cruise ship or remodel a barge and park it off the coast of San Francisco.

That would allow international entrepreneurs to get close to the Silicon Valley startup scene without jumping through the hoops of getting a work visa

Some 100 international tech companies are already on board. “Blueseed hopes to have room for around 1,000 inhabitants in the live/work cruise ship of their dreams,” according to SFist, “with all-inclusive rent estimated at about $1,200-3,000 per month.”

Blueseed’s website has an amusing FAQ: On the subject of seasickness, it says, “Given the shape and size of the Blueseed vessel, and the ocean conditions at our mooring spot, it is very unlikely that seasickness will be a concern.”

Here are some likely reasons why folks wish to live a free life…

How the World has Changed Drastically Over the Past 10 Years...

1) The endless War on Terror and the rise of police states around the world

2) ELIMINATION of any semblance of financial privacy

3) The BURSTING of four major bubbles-- stocks, credit, derivatives, property

4) Developing nations' increasing economic dominance

5) The end of America's economic and diplomatic primacy

6) The greatest global economic decline since the Industrial Revolution

7) Rising world population coupled with food and water shortages

8) Loss of confidence in major institutions: government, banks, corporations

9) The growing, addict-like social dependency on technology

10) Central planning in the world's most "free" economies

 “Until the next revolution”, the Poor Man

Our privacy, our rights, our jobs, and just about every aspect of our lives are under attack by the people who are supposed to serve us…Free-21 Ways to Protect Your Privacy

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

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New self sufficiency books added weekly

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A Shallow Planet Production

15 Signs US is a Police State, DIY Solar Cooking, Hunting to Feed Family

Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin

A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

http://www.PoorManSurvival.com

ISSN 2161-5543

In This Issue:

1.       Emergency, Easy DIY Solar Cooking/Water Purification

2.      Feed your family with your gun – free report

3.      15 Signs the US is becoming a Police State

4.      Agenda 21 – the threat in your backyard

5.        Using what you have to get ahead

 Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies.
-- James M Dakin

 Agenda 21 and the Threat in Your Backyard

Ready to trade in your car for a bike, or maybe a subway instead? Interested in fewer choices for your home, paying more for housing, and being crammed into a denser neighborhood? You can have all this and more if radical environmentalists and "smart growth" advocates have their way and local, state, and the federal government impose the policies set forth in the United Nations' Agenda 21.

You might have heard of this nefarious-sounding policy in a recent Republican presidential debate, but even if you haven't, here's some background information: Agenda 21 is a voluntary plan adopted at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. It calls on governments to intervene and regulate nearly every potential impact that human activity could have on the environment. The end goal? Getting governments to "rethink economic development and find ways to halt the destruction of irreplaceable natural resources and pollution of the planet."

As adopted, Agenda 21 was described as "a comprehensive plan of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by organizations of the United Nations System, Governments, and Major Groups in every area in which human impacts on the environment." That includes hundreds of specific goals and strategies that national and local governments are encouraged to adopt. And that translates into restrictive zoning.

Policies that are aimed at deterring suburban growth. Ultimately, they suppress housing supply and drive up home prices, in turn imposing unnecessary costs, especially on middle- and lower-income households. These policies contributed to and aggravate the real estate bubble by putting inflationary pressures on housing prices.

But here's the catch: Nothing about Agenda 21 is binding, and it's not a threat in and of itself. Instead, the threat Americans need to be concerned about is the one that lies in their own backyard. In a new paper, "Focus on Agenda 21 Should Not Divert Attention from Homegrown Anti-Growth Policies," Wendell Cox, Ronald Utt, Brett Schaefer explain:

Opponents of Agenda 21 should not be distracted from the more tangible manifestation of the smart-growth principles outlined in that document. If they focus excessively on Agenda 21, it is much more likely that homegrown smart-growth policies that date to the early 1970s and undermine the quality of life, personal choice, and property rights in American communities will be implemented by local, state, and federal authorities at the behest of environmental groups and other vested interests.

(Excerpted from the Heritage Foundation, The Poor Man is a contributor to their group)

Carpet Spot Cleaner. To clean spots on rugs and carpets, use window cleaner. It works as well as the spray-on carpet cleaners and if you buy the store brand (I use Wal Mart), you can get it for as little as $0.97 for a full quart bottle.

PM’s Compendium of Useful Resources

Emergency DIY Solar Cooking and Water Purification

With a regulatory and legal mess that has prevented the modernization of America's antique and increasingly prone-to-failure power grid, you are increasingly exposed to the potential for electricity outages. One critical step to being prepared for an emergency is making sure you have enough fuel on hand to cook your food, keep yourself warm, and get around.

Here’s a low-cost way you can cook your food and purify your water without using any fuel at all.

A Simple Box Oven Can Serve You Remarkably Well

The easiest model of solar oven to build is a simple box oven. You'll need some pieces of plywood, a piece of window glass, cardboard scraps, a hammer and nails, aluminum foil, glue, black paint, and duct tape. Begin by framing your box. You can make your box any size you wish, but keep in mind that a larger box will not get as hot as fast and will be less efficient at retaining heat. On the other hand, the box must be big enough to accommodate a cooking pot.  Read the rest of the article here:

http://poormansurvival.com/GuestColumn.aspx

Meat Hunter: How to Feed Your Family with Your Gun. From our associates at: Off the Grid News, it's yours free of charge. Simply click here to download it.

Discover important information such as:

>Why "survival" hunting is different from sport hunting

>The basic equipment you need and how to get it at the lowest cost

>The passive way to "hunt" for food that works for you 24/7

>The nuisance animal in 40 U.S. states that's a virtually untapped food source

>How to find out what permits and licenses you need

>How to find out about fish from contaminated waters

>How to skin and dress game once you've killed it

http://www.offthegridnews.com/otgN451/index_mh.html?utm_source=OTG_MHunteremail_Dec4_Text1&utm_medium=OTG_MHunteremail_Dec4_Text1&utm_term=OTG_MHunteremail_Dec4_Text1&utm_content=OTG_MHunteremail_Dec4_Text1&utm_campaign=OTG_MHunteremail_Dec4_Text1

Using What You Have

That's the name of a website subscriber Steve created around the concept of creative living and making the best of what you have. Every page starts with "I have..." and lists some creative things to do with that thing that you have, whether it is a thousand dollars, a good voice, a bicycle or any of the other dozens of things covered.

Check it out here...
http://www.usingwhatyouhave.com

Earthineer is a free social site for sustainable living. Connect with people who share your interests.  Thanks to CatsBananas for pointing us to this site…

Backwoods Home Magazine:
"Earthineer is one part Facebook, one part Craig's List classified bartering, one part eco-blog, and wholly dedicated to the social network of sustainable living"
Claire Wolfe: "what Facebook could have been if Mark Zuckerberg had actually considered making Facebook useful and interesting"
http://earthineer.com/index.php

To Keep Bar Soap

For this household tip to work with modern soap, you must first remove the bars of soap from their wrappers and allow them to dry out. Not only do the dry bars last longer, but they leave less of a soap residue in the soap dish. This tip works!

The Nanny State Updates…

Surveillance Society

Governments collect their own data and rely on data collected by private entities to monitor and track individuals, regardless of whether or not there is probable cause to believe they have committed a crime. Learn how they do this and how to minimize your own dossier.

http://www.howtovanish.com/2010/01/surveillance-society-negative-aspects-of-government-data-mining/?awt_l=9mqfI&awt_m=1jvgHE8eXCxNxm

In Michigan anti-sex news: The state's pending "Hot for Teacher" bill could end up criminalizing sex between consenting adults of legal age. That's enough to win this month's Nanny of the Month award.

Remove stubborn dirt/scuff marks on walls: furniture, tables, shoes, etc : Diaper wipes! Funny, but true and they work.

The Parting Thought – Greetings Comrades!

15 Signs America is Becoming a Police State

Americans are running out of options for living a free, happy life…terrorism seems to be defined as just about anything these days.

Once upon a time, the United States was a land of unparalleled freedom. The rest of the world envied the freedom that ordinary Americans had to think, say and do what they wanted. But all of that has changed. Now Americans have to fear that they will be tackled by a squad of security goons and dragged off to a detention facility somewhere if they spill a Coke on a flight attendant or take a few too many pictures of a public building.

A police state is one in which the government exercises rigid and repressive controls over the social, economic and political life of the population. A police state typically exhibits elements of totalitarianism and social control, and there is usually little or no distinction between the law and the exercise of political power by the executive.

The inhabitants of a police state experience restrictions on their mobility, and on their freedom to express or communicate political or other views, which are subject to police monitoring or enforcement

An electronic police state is one in which the government aggressively uses electronic technologies to record, organize, search and distribute forensic evidence against its citizens.  (Source:  Wikipedia)

Just consider this recent TSA case… It's not unusual for 17-year-old to find themselves in hot water with the fashion police. But on a flight from Virginia to Florida, Vanessa Gibbs found herself detained by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) over the appearance of her purse.

And just to be clear, it wasn't the content inside the purse that the TSA objected to. No, agency officials took exception with the design of a gun on Gibbs' handbag.

The rest of the world is laughing at us. America is rapidly turning into a totalitarian police state and we have become a global joke. You won't find any other country on earth where senior citizens are being strip-searched and sexually molested before they are allowed to get on to their flights.

All of this is taking place now…in the ‘land of the free.’

#1) A new bill being pushed by Senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman would allow the U.S. military to round up large numbers of Americans and detain them indefinitely without a trial if they "pose a threat" or if they have "potential intelligence value" or for any other reason the President of the United States "considers appropriate".

(The bill specifically excludes American citizens and legal residents of the U.S (1032 (b))…but we all know how often government agents “redefine” laws as in the case of RICO and Asset Forfeiture Laws. The state writes the laws. Then it interprets the laws. When needed, it rewrites the laws to suit...the state)!

#2) Lawmakers in Washington D.C. working to create a new immigration bill have decided on a way to prevent employers from hiring illegal immigrants: a national biometric identification card all American workers would be required to obtain.

#3) Barack Obama is backing a plan to create a national database to store the DNA of people who have been arrested but not necessarily convicted of a crime.

#4) Just to get on an airplane, Americans will now have to go through new full-body scanners that reveal every detail of our exposed bodies to airport security officials.

#5) If that wasn't bad enough, the Transportation Security Administration has announced that airport screeners will begin roving through airports randomly taking chemical swabs from passengers and their bags to check for explosives.

#6) Starting in December, some passengers on Canadian airlines flying to, from or even over the United States without ever landing there, will only be allowed to board their flights once the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has determined they are not terrorists.

#7) Organic milk is such a threat that the FDA has been conducting military style raids on Amish farmers in Pennsylvania.

#8) An NYPD officer has broken his silence and has confessed that innocent citizens are being set up and falsely arrested and ticketed in order to meet quotas.

#9) A growing number of police departments across the U.S. are turning to mobile camera systems in order to fight motor vehicle theft and identify unregistered cars.

#10) For decades, Arizona has been known as "the sunset state", but lately many frustrated residents have started calling it "the surveillance state".

#11) Judges and police in Florida have been caught using "secret codes" on tickets in the state of Florida.

#12) An extensive investigation has revealed that between 2003 and 2007, that state of Texas quietly gave hundreds of newborn baby blood samples to a U.S. Armed Forces laboratory for use in a forensics database.

#13) A 6-year-old girl was recently handcuffed and sent to a mental facility after throwing temper tantrums at her elementary school.

#14) One 12-year-old girl in New York was recently arrested and marched out of her school in handcuffs just because she doodled on her desk.

#15) When a mother on a flight to Denver spanked both of her children and cussed out a flight attendant who tried to intervene, she suddenly found herself handcuffed and headed for prison. Why? She was charged with being a domestic terrorist under the Patriot Act.

Passage of the unPatriot Act gave government unparalleled powers which essentially defy the Bill of Rights and the Constitution…yet few of these laws apply to members of Congress!

The staggering growth of anti-citizen laws, the militarization of our police forces, increased domestic spying on citizens, the veneer of “laws” being used to target citizens is a horrifying trend in our country.


Compiled from a variety of sources.

“Until the next revolution”, the Poor Man

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 Keep our services free, visit our sites…

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New self sufficiency books added weekly

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 A Shallow Planet Production