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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Check our Resources

New self sufficiency books added weekly

http://www.OldBookNook.com

A Shallow Planet Production

BS Meter for Political Ads, 100 Firms Hiring At-Home Workers, More

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.       Viral Spiral-checking the facts on political ads

2.      Capturing solar for your hot water heater

3.      Free list of 100 firms hiring at-home workers

4.      8 Privacy tips to prevent ID theft, Make your own detergent

5.      SDR’s-the plan underway to dump the dollar

The threat of people acting in their own enlightened
and rational self-interest strikes bureaucrats, politicians
and social workers as ominous and dangerous."
-- W. G. Hill

Viral Spiral - Don’t get caught up in those misleading political ads…

It’s all misleading propaganda anyhow.  Both parties are guilty of twisting the facts to help whichever politician they are buying for an election.  Spinmeisters (hired guns) are paid big bucks to take comments out of context and re-spin them into BS much of the public swallows like a bird with a worm.

There’s little question in my mind the average American is a gullible lot…hell, 47% of Americans  don’t know how long it takes the earth to revolve around the sun.  (We’ll give you 365 guesses).  Sounds like they need a ‘Smart Phone!’

Campaign managers know this and work it to the advantage of their candidate.  There are a few organizations that do know the facts and they will share the truth with you.  My favorite is FactCheck.org

A nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases. Our goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding.

Here are two examples of the FACTS:

Is “Obama’s finance team” recommending a 1 percent tax on all bank transactions, as a chain e-mail claims?
No. This idea was first floated in 2004 by one House member, who says it would replace the federal income tax and eliminate the national debt. So far it has gone nowhere.

Is President Obama using tax dollars to rebuild mosques around the world?
Yes — and to rebuild historic churches and temples as well. The State Department’s program to preserve overseas cultural landmarks started under President Bush in 2001. (Not to say we should be spending tax dollars on such projects).

FactCheck.org is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. The APPC was established by publisher and philanthropist Walter Annenberg to create a community of scholars within the University of Pennsylvania that would address public policy issues at the local, state and federal levels

http://www.factcheck.org/

NOTE:  The Nazis were masters of political propaganda and they learned it all from an American, Edward Bernays, considered the Father of Spin!

Heal cuts and scrapes with sugar.  A new UK study found that pouring granulated sugar on a wound reduces and pain and cuts healing time.

PM’s Compendium of Useful Resources

Here's a very inexpensive way to capture free solar energy and save on your electric bills.
The least expensive and most effective way of getting free solar energy is with a solar hot water heater. You can use them for your domestic hot water, to heat a swimming pool or hot tub, or even as the heating system for a small home or cabin.

SimpleHeaters.com claims that you can build your own solar hot water system for as little as $70. That's for what they call a "batch heater" built with an old oil drum. ( There's some poetic irony there ). I took a look at their building guide and agree that you can probably keep within that cost if you have some plumbing skills. But, even if you went with some store-bought components, and spent a couple of hundred dollars, your pay back time from reduced electrical bills should be just a few months. After that, any hot water you generate is free.

Free list of 100 companies that hire home-based workers! http://workathomesuccess.com/bonus/companylistpromo.pdf

Make Your Own Detergent and 20 Other Tips to Save on Laundry

Want to save 90 percent on laundry detergent? What about cutting your washer's electricity usage by 90 percent? Then read on

http://www.moneytalksnews.com/2012/05/18/make-your-own-laundry-detergent-and-other-tips-to-save-on-laundry/?utm_source=Money+Talks+News+Updates&utm_campaign=email-2012-05-18&utm_medium=email

FOR COWORKING NEWS, CHECK OUT DESKMAG

Coworking centers - where work-at-homers and road warriors can mingle, work, and relax - continue to spread. As they do, and coworker numbers grow, we can expect the centers' prices to gradually fall and coworking centers themselves offer more and more amenities.

(If municipalities were smart, they would also subsidize coworking centers. A busy center can anchor a community, reduce transportation burdens, and support local businesses, too.)

To keep track of all this, check out Deskmag, an online magazine that covers the coworker movement. There's also a helpful co-working wiki here.

http://www.deskmag.com/

Get a Sneak Peek Before You Paint a Room

Learn what a room will look like in a new color by uploading a photo to Sherwin Williams’s free Paint Color Visualizer Program:

www.Sherwin-Williams.com/homeowners/color

Eight Privacy Tips To Prevent Identity Theft

With the alarming rise of the crime rate it is no surprise that over 30,000 identities are being stolen every day. These days identity theft is one of the most popular means of making quick money for sneaky crooks. Therefore, it is is essential that you protect your identity. Here are eight very simple privacy tips that will help you protect your identity and hard earned money.

1. The most basic step to prevent identity theft is to regularly monitor your credit card and bank statements. Many thieves begin by making small purchases so it advisable to always keep receipts from your purchases and review the expenses with your statements. Additionally, Credit Karma provides free credit scores and reports…Read more at:

http://www.howtovanish.com/2012/05/eight-privacy-tips-to-prevent-identity-theft/?awt_l=9mqfI&awt_m=IxCXrezlAixNxm

Store valuables in your child’s sock drawer rather than in your nightstand.  Thieves scour the master bedroom, but rarely a child’s room.  The laundry room is another good choice.

The Nanny State Updates…

Government Stupidity - NYC police spent nearly one million dollars on typewriters.

Q: Does the IRS pay billions in tax refunds to workers who are in the U.S. illegally?

A: Yes. The Treasury Department’s Inspector General determined that $4.2 billion was paid in 2010, up from less than $1 billion in 2005. Leading Democrats are resisting a bill that would stop future payments.

J.D. Tuccille on the Terrible Truth About the TSA

We don't all all agree on whether the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has any business groping toddlers or destroying expensive medical equipment in the pursuit of its appointed mission of keeping travelers safe from scary terrorists. Security expert Bruce Schneier calls it all pointless and oppressive "security theater" intended to make the government look responsive, while Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) describes intrusive measures as "very important" and pushes for even stronger stuff. But necessary evil or not, writes J.D. Tuccille, one thing is increasingly apparent: The TSA is spectacularly inefficient and inept at everything it tries to do.

Gotta love a government that…

Prosecutes Hall of Fame pitcher, Roger Clemens, for injecting performance-enhancing drugs into his own body, but does not prosecute a single investment banking executive for fraudulently injecting mortgage-backed securities into the US financial system.

To clean your plastic outdoor furniture, spread a small amount of shaving cream on them to soften dirt and then hose them down to rinse.

The Parting Thought – Dollar no longer reigns king

People don't want reality, they want fantasy

The Dollar A Safe Haven?  Plan to Replace the Dollar already here…

This ongoing lunacy is based on multiple biases. For some, the dollar represents America, and a collapse of the currency would suggest a failure of the republic, and thus, a failure by them as individual Americans who live vicariously through the exploits of their government. By extension, it becomes “patriotic” to defend the dollar’s honor and deny any information that might suggest it is on a downward spiral.

Others see how the investment world clings to the dollar as a kind of panic room; a protected place where one’s saving will be insulated from crisis. However, just because a majority of day trading investors are gullible enough to overlook the Greenback’s pitfalls does not mean those dangerous weaknesses disappear.

There is only one factor that shields the dollar from implosion, and that is its position as the world reserve currency. Without this exalted status, the currency’s value vanishes. Backed by nothing but massive and unpayable debt, it sits frighteningly idle, like a time bomb, waiting for the moment of ignition.

The horrifying nature of the dollar is that it is only valuable so long as foreign investors believe that we will pay back the considerable debts that we (the American taxpayer at the behest of our criminally run Treasury) owe, and that we will not hyperinflate in the process. If they EVER begin to see their purchases of dollars and treasuries as a gamble instead of an investment, the façade falls away.

The Dollar Dump Has Already Begun

Foreign countries ARE already calmly and quietly dumping the dollar as a global trade instrument.

To those people who consistently claim that the dollar will never be dropped, my response is, it already has been dropped! China, in tandem with other BRIC nations, has been covertly removing the greenback as the primary trade unit through bilateral deals since 2010. First, with Russia, and now with the whole of the ASEAN trading bloc and numerous other markets, including Japan. China in particular has been preparing for this eventuality since 2005, when they introduced the first Yuan denominated bonds. The bonds were considered a strange novelty back then, especially because China had so much surplus savings that it seemed outlandish for them to take on treasury debt. Today, the move makes a whole lot more sense. China and the BRIC nations today openly call for a worldwide shift away from the dollar.

There IS a replacement already conveniently ready to roll forward. The IMF has for a couple of years now openly called for the retirement of the dollar as the world reserve currency, to be supplanted by the elitist organization’s very own “Special Drawing Rights” (SDR’s).

The SDR is a paper mechanism created in the early 1970’s to replace gold as the primary means of international trade between foreign governments. Today, it has morphed into a basket of currencies which is recognized by almost every country in the world and is in a prime position to take the dollar’s place in the event that it loses reserve status. This is not theory. This is cold hard reality. For those who claim that the SDR is not considered a “real currency”, they should probably warn the U.S. Post Office, which now uses conversion tables that denominate costs in SDR’s.

http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/facts/sdr.htm

 “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

Follow us on Facebook

www.facebook.com/PoorManSurvival

 Twitter

http://twitter.com/poormansurvivor

Keep our services free, visit our sites…

Check our Resources

New self sufficiency books added weekly

http://www.OldBookNook.com

A Shallow Planet Production