Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A Digest of Urban Survival Resources
For Independent Minded People!
ISSN
2161-5543
Out
upon merry Christmas! What's Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills
without money; a time for finding yourself a year older, but not an hour
richer...? If I could work my will," said Scrooge indignantly, "every
idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' upon his lips should be boiled with
his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. He
should!" >Charles Dickens
From The
Smiling Dog Saloon Files
In
This Issue:
1.
No
chickens were harmed in making this coop
2.
DIY healing salve recipe
3.
Keeping your Prepper Lifestyle activities to
yourself
4.
The NSA is coming to town-Christmas parody
video
No Chickens Were Harmed in the
Making of This Coop…
In
1955 my parents, having decided that their five children should experience a
bit of what farm life is about, purchased a house with forty acres in a canyon
near Alamogordo, New Mexico, a fairly short commute to my father's job at
Holloman Air Force Base. A previous owner had operated a commercial orchard on
the property, and it still had a number of fruit bearing peach and apple trees.
In the course of the following year we acquired a registered brand, two calves,
two pigs, three horses, a half dozen turkeys-and a hundred New Hampshire Red
chicks ordered through the Sears Roebuck farm catalog. My father built a chicken
coop with roosts and brooding nests and enclosed an open area with a wire
fence, although we quickly learned that the wings on chickens are fully
operational. The wire fence was soon removed and the chickens wandered at will.
New
Hampshires are great egg producers, and we regularly collected more than we
could possibly eat. So my father bought generic egg cartons and began selling
the surplus to the people he worked with. My parents were obviously pleased
with their egg-selling experiment because my father announced at dinner one
night that he was going to build another coop, this one large enough to house
five hundred hens. We were going into commercial egg production.
Over
the next few months my father and I worked evenings and weekends building the new
structure. It was long and high-ceilinged, with windows all along the side
walls. The original coop now looked like a tool shed by comparison. And then,
one day, they arrived, not the five hundred New Hampshire Reds I had
envisioned, but hundreds of shiny metal cages. They would be hung from the
rafters. Troughs attached to the cages would provide food and water and the
eggs would roll out the front of the cages for daily collection.
My
little sister Carol, who was seven at the time, was the first to react. She was
horrified. It was mean and cruel, she said. Animals cannot live in cages. In
short order the rest of us voiced similar outrage. Even my mother was
sympathetic to our feelings on the issue. It was hopeless, and my father knew
it. There would be no chicken gulag. When my father was transferred and sold
the property two years later, the cages still sat on the ground in the new
coop, a mute testament to compassion over economics.
But
if I were to share this story with Rep. Steve King, he would likely respond
that my little sister was an incipient animal rights radical and my father a
fool.
PM’s
Roundup of Useful Resources…
DIY healing salve
You’ll need:
A double boiler
Oven-proof dish if your
double boiler insert can’t go in the oven
Fine mesh strainer or
cheesecloth
1 cup olive oil
1 cup herb of choice (if
using more than one, use a total of 1 cup)
¼ cup beeswax
Clean, dry jar(s) with lid
to store your ointment.
Heat your oven to 200
degrees and then turn it off.
Put the oil and herbs into
the double boiler on medium heat. You want to heat the oil so that the herbs
begin to steep, but not bring it to a boil. (You do not want the herbs to get
much darker than they started). After the oil has had a chance to heat through
for a few minutes, stick the top part of the double boiler into the oven for a
few hours.
Strain the oil into a bowl
using cheese cloth or a fine mesh strainer. Stop here if you just want an
herb-infused oil. To continue making the salve, put the oil back into the
double burner on the stove on medium heat. Add the wax and stir until melted.
Pour the oil into your container and let it cool. If you are using a plastic
container, let the oil cool for a while before pouring it in.
Now you just need to add a label and place it in your
medicine cabinet.
It’s packed full of
antimicrobial, antiviral, antibiotic, and anti-fungal goodness and I created it
out of my desire to treat a broad-spectrum of skin ailments. Based on the
properties of the oils and herbs used in this balm, it has the power to heal:
-eczema
-psoriasis
-topical thrush
-inflammation
-itching
-slow-healing wounds
-cuts, scraps, and bruises
-bug bites and stings
-burns
-rashes
-psoriasis
-topical thrush
-inflammation
-itching
-slow-healing wounds
-cuts, scraps, and bruises
-bug bites and stings
-burns
-rashes
Now if that doesn’t sound
like a Spring and Summer must-have, I don’t know what is
Properties
of the Herbs
Making this salve requires
the infusion of a few herbs into good-quality olive oil.
§ Calendula
This
is one of the best herbs to use when attempting to treat ailments of the skin –
such as cuts, burns, inflammation, bruises, minor open wounds, scrapes.
Phytochemicals that are present in this flower work hard against bacteria,
viruses, and fungi.
§ Plantain
Plantain
is an awesome plant and it’s actually a common weed that grows nearly
everywhere. It has incredible medicinal properties and can heal a variety of
different skin issues such as: eczema, psoriasis, bee stings, insect bites,
poison ivy. Learn to identify this plant in the yard and you’ll never have to
buy it!
§ St.
John’s Wort The “feel good” herb is often known for it’s use in treating mild
depression; however, when St. John’s wort is used externally it is wonderful in
homemade salves for the treatment of bruises, wounds, and especially good for
treating sunburn.
§ Oregon
Grape Root I love Oregon grape root! It’s broad-spectrum healing properties –
anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, antibiotic, and anti-viral — make it the perfect
addition to this salve.
Herbal
Miracle Salve: The Recipe
Ingredients
-1 1/4 cup good-quality
olive oil
-0.3 ounces dried calendula flowers
-0.3 ounces dried plantain
-0.2 ounces dried St. John’s wort
-0.2 ounces dried Oregon grape root
-1-2 ounces beeswax
-essential oils
-0.3 ounces dried calendula flowers
-0.3 ounces dried plantain
-0.2 ounces dried St. John’s wort
-0.2 ounces dried Oregon grape root
-1-2 ounces beeswax
-essential oils
1. Weight the dried herbs
using a kitchen scale.
2. Prepare the oil
infusion. You can do this one of three ways:
§ Cold
Infusion. In a glass mason jar, cover the weighed herbs with 1 ¼ cup of oil. Stir
to combine, and allow oil and herb mixture to steep for 4-6 weeks.
§ Hot
Oil Extract. In a glass mason jar, cover the herbs with 1 ¼ cup of oil. Stir to
combine. Place the glass jar in a pot on the stove, or in a crock pot, filled
with a few inches of water on lowest setting (Be sure to put a towel on the
bottom of the pot.). Infuse the oil and herbs for 4-8 hours, a day, or up to 3
days. Note:
Watch the pot and add water as it evaporates.
§ Alternatively. According to Rosemary Gladstar
,
you may also do it this way; “Place the herbs and the oil in a double boiler
and bring to a low simmer. Slowly heat for 30 to 60 minutes, checking
frequently to be sure the oil is not overheating.”
3.
Strain the oil and herb infusion through a cheese cloth. Squeeze to extract as
much oil as possible. Be sure you collect at least 1 cup of herb infused oil.
1.
In
a saucepan, over very low heat, melt 1-2 ounces (depending on how thick you’d
like your salve) of beeswax. I suggest starting with the lesser amount of wax and adding more if
needed. Note:
To check if the mixture is the right consistency, because the salve hardens as
it cools, Rosemary Gladstar
again suggests placing a “tablespoon of the mixture in the freezer for
just a minute or two. If it’s soft, add more beeswax; if too hard, add more
oil.”
2.
When
the consistency is to your liking, pour the salve into your containers of
choice.
Notes
3.
-I like
to use essential oils of clove, lemon, eucalyptus, cinnamon, rosemary,
lemongrass, and lavender. Each of these essential oils – should you choose to
add them – are in themselves antimicrobial and will provide a powerhouse of
healing and medicinal properties. They also give a preservative-like effect to
your salve. Add them at approximately 5-10% of your total amount.
4.
-I
generally do not add preservatives. Without the natural preservatives, your
salve should be shelf stable up to 5 years.
The
Nanny State- Your Freedom at
Risk!
The federal government just cashed out on our General
Motors shares and the final tally is a $10.5 billion loss. Many could still
argue that this cost was worth it, but it is different from what has been
represented to the public that we would lose no money on the deal. Indeed, the
article below says that the White House delayed the final sale until after the
election due to the implications of an over $10 billion bath. My concern is the
lack of clarity and honesty surrounding the bailout…it’s all too common that
taxpayers get screwed by the Washington-Wall Street Cartel.
The NSA has planted 50,000 sleeper malware packages – in
effect, digital sleeper agents – in more than 50,000 computer networks around the
world. The agents, controlled by the NSA’s Tailored Access Operations (TAO)
unit, can be activated on command to harvest information of cause disruption.
To plant the digital agents, the NSA employed methods typically used by
Internet scammers and fraudsters.
The NSA is Coming to Town-Santa Parody
The
Parting Thought – Nothing to worry in the land of the free!
The Poor Man has long warned - Keep your
business to yourself…
Operational security is a military
term that essentially means the security necessary to deny the enemy any useful
information about what you are doing, and it’s not
just a term for military folks, either. It has lots of ramifications into the
civilian prepper world – guidelines that most people who term themselves
preppers ought to be following.
Consider that little good can come
from revealing your plans to anyone outside your family unit. The
information you inadvertently reveal about your preparations and plans is
almost certain to arouse suspicion with authorities at various levels, not to
mention opportunistic criminals. It’s not that preppers are engaged in any
illegal activities – to whit, the overwhelming majority of those that take on
the moniker of prepper or survivalist are overwhelmingly law abiding – it’s
just that certain activities are twisted by some people into something they are
not. A certain person might enjoy shooting, and acquire a perfectly legal gun
collection only to be branded as “having an arsenal.” Another person might have
a huge food stockpile and be termed a “hoarder” or even implicated of being
insane.
The reasons for these perceptions
mainly have to do with America’s shift to more leftist political leanings and
general moral decay. There isn’t much that can be done about that
problem, but there is much you can do about remaining operationally secure in
your preps and not arouse attention. Here are some tips:
1.
Keep your mouth shut: It’s important to not volunteer more information than people
need to know in any given conversation. Be wary about revealing too much
information to strangers – if you’re thinking right now that you don’t talk to
strangers, consider your average store purchase. If you buy a cart full of
canned goods and the cashier asks if you’re planning for World War III, don’t
take the bait. Oftentimes, store clerks and low level store employees act as
tipsters to higher level people.
2.
Watch what you say in texts and
email: Assume that nothing is
secure with these forms of communication. Never write anything that would even
be perceived as incriminating or reveal a clue as to what your preparations
are. Best to not write it down for any reason, since as soon as you hit send,
the communication is forever gone and no longer your property.
3.
Be wary of posting photos on the
Internet: Besides vain bragging, what is to
be gained by posting a photo of that new rifle or that pantry full of canned
goods stacked from floor to ceiling? Even if you think the photo reveals little
in terms of location, consider that many smartphones will attach a GPS
coordinate to the metadata in the photo. This invisible geotag is by default on
unless you disable it, and many people unwittingly send photos all over
cyberspace with their full GPS coordinates embedded within. It’s an elementary
process to see the geotag as well – anyone can do it within 30 seconds. Now
that distant retreat cabin is no longer in a secure, undisclosed location – it
is at precisely X GPS coordinates!
4.
Keep your ride anonymous: Don’t put little stickers on your car that show how many are in
your family, where your son or daughter is an honor student at, or anything
else that reveals where you live. Even car dealer license plate frames that
show were you bought the car can even be used against you. Make sure your car
has nothing on the outside that easily identifies you, and leave the interior
devoid of items that would do the same.
5.
Keep your home anonymous: Do you often leave your garage door open so that passersby can
see what’s inside? Consider that they can not only see the contents, but get a
visual on where the interior door is that leads to the home and even what kind
of lock is on it. At night, all drapes should be closed, making it harder for
people to see in your home. All it takes is a clear night, open drapes, and a
dime store telescope for someone to completely map out the layout of your home.
Operational security is essentially
a big fancy word that means common sense
©
2013 Off The Grid News
The nation's top
Internet firms, including AOL, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Twitter,
Yahoo and Apple, are making a more public push for government surveillance
reform, demanding limited user data collection and more transparency.
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