Thread: BASIC LIST / SUGGESTED ITEMS FOR LONG TERM SURVIVAL

How To Get Out Of Debt, Stay Out Of Debt And Save For Your Future

June 6, 2011 by Peggy Layton



If we are stressed about money while we are healthy and able to work, think what it will be like to try to support ourselves when we are older, not so healthy and not able to work as much as we have in the past. Who will support us then?
People are working two or three jobs, and bankruptcies and foreclosures are at an all-time high with little hope in sight. We need to change our financial habits and get a handle on our debts. If we understand the value of money and its power, we can use it to our advantage to make our lives more productive.
Can you imagine how much money you could have at retirement if you saved up the money for all your purchases (including a modest car and home) before you bought them, then saved the rest of the money that you would have paid in interest to the bank? You could be your own bank, and you could collect all the interest. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could teach this concept to our children?
A Modern-Day Plague
We live in a throwaway society. We purchase anything and everything our hearts desire. To do so, we use credit cards, finance through banks or use other means. Then, when an item breaks, it goes in the garbage and off to the landfill. We don’t bother to fix it.
I read an interesting book called Affluenza, by John De Graaf, David Wann and Thomas H. Naylor. It is about the disease that is consuming our nation right now. We want to live like the affluent, so we do whatever it takes, which includes using credit cards and going into debt for things that make us feel good for the moment. Our children grow up with shopping mall fever. They must have the latest, greatest electronic devices, computers and cell phones (much better than their parents).
As a result of going into so much consumer debt, we now have a rash of bankruptcies, the stress of excess and the addictive virus, hoarding fever. We actually buy things to make ourselves feel better. When it all piles up around us, we build garages or rent storage units to hold and organize our stuff. All of this causes side effects like working too hard, lacking meaning in our lives, losing emotional connections with loved ones, having unrealistic expectations and experiencing dissatisfaction.
Affluenza could very well be a modern-day plague sweeping across our nation. An epidemic of great proportions has hit all our families. We are getting deeper and deeper into debt. We are in the rat race. We must ask ourselves: Why are we working so hard and not getting ahead? What are we doing it for? Are we teaching these bad habits to our children?
Calculate Your Living expenses
Create a chart to determine exactly what amount of money you need to sustain your lifestyle. Evaluate this chart to see how you spend on interest-bearing payments. Develop a plan to cut the spending. Every dollar you cut back is a dollar in your savings account.
Think about the possibility of scaling down and not needing so much to sustain life. Evaluate entertainment, vacations, impulse purchases and other wasteful spending habits. Make a commitment to cut up the credit cards and pay cash for everything. If you need a card to make purchases, use a debit card. If you don’t have the money in the bank to purchase what you want, don’t buy it.
Getting out of debt takes a firm commitment and discipline from everyone in the family. This chart will help you evaluate exactly what is needed and what can be cut out of your life to simplify living and stop the accumulation of debt. It doesn’t matter how much money you make, it is how much you save that counts.
Your chart should contain the following categories:

• House Payment
• All Utilities
• Telephone
• Food
• Clothing
• Auto Payments
• Gasoline
• Insurance on Autos
• Health Insurance
• Medical and Dental
• Education
• Fixed Debts
• Credit Cards
• Entertainment
• Other
• Other
• Other
• Total Per Month
• Total for Three Months
• Total for Six Months

It is a good idea to have a three-to-six month supply of cash on hand (not in the bank) to pay bills just in case the banks have problems and you cannot get your money out. It is good to have small bills and coins for smaller purchases. The stores might not be able to make change for a $100 bill. It takes time to save enough money for emergency bill-paying.
If you are already in debt or must have some debt, the following chart is the recommended amount. Do not exceed more than 36 percent of your monthly income for debt expenses or you will be in financial trouble.

• Car Payments: 6 percent of monthly income
• Housing: 25 percent of monthly income
• Credit Cards of any kind: 5 percent of monthly income

If you can get out from under the pressure of debt, you will give yourself a 36 percent raise and have that extra money to put into saving for your future.
Debt Elimination Program
I have been researching a program to get out of debt in about one-fourth the amount of time it would traditionally take. This includes the home mortgage and all other debts. It takes discipline and focus. This can also be called behavior modification. A person must be willing to take a certain amount of money each month and apply it to debt and keep applying that exact amount each month until all the debt is eliminated, even if it takes seven to 10 years. You can purchase the software on my website.
The software has you list all your monthly living expenses and every debt that you must pay every month to meet your monthly bills. It will calculate the amounts of the debts and the interest rates. It recommends that you pay off the smallest and highest-interest debt first, then the next smallest up to the largest. Any extra income such as tax returns, bonuses, inheritances, sale of properties, etc., will be applied to the debt as well. This is called the snowball effect. The software has a rapid payoff calculator and spreadsheet.
Here is an example of the snowball effect on a person’s debt:

Debt	Amt. Owed	Interest Rate Monthly	Payment
Dental Bill	$500	8.5 percent interest	$100 per month
Credit card No. 1	$2,500	18.5 percent interest	$500 per month
Credit card No. 2	$5,000	21 percent interest	$100 per month
Car	$15,000	6.8 percent interest	$595 per month
Home Mortgage	$75,000	5.8 percent interest	$850 per month

Say the smallest debt is a dental bill of $500, with a monthly payment of $100. The next lowest is a credit card with $2,500 at $18.5 percent interest. The next is another credit card with a $5,000 balance at 21 percent interest. The minimum payment on the second credit card is $100 per month. This will get you every time if you make only minimum payments. If you paid the $100 per month with accruing interest, it would take more than 20 years to pay it off. Ouch! So it must be accelerated.
When the dental bill is paid off, add the $100 you were paying for that bill to the amount you pay monthly for the first credit card. After the first credit card is paid off, add amount you were paying on the first credit card to the amount you are paying on the second credit card until it is paid off. When second credit card is paid off, add the amount you were paying on the second credit card to the car payment until the car is paid off. Then, take the amount you were paying on the car payment and apply it to principle on the mortgage payment. You will accelerate your mortgage payments by paying large principle payments. That reduces the payments again by about a fourth of the time it would have taken if minimum payments were made.
The software calculates the amounts owed, the interest rates, the amounts paid, the reduction in debt and the amount you will save on interest by using the rapid payoff calculator and spreadsheet. The calculations can be adjusted if something unforeseen happens and you incur extra debt. It keeps you disciplined and focused on debt elimination. Ultimately, when all your debt is paid off, it helps you save for your future by paying yourself the interest and principle you would have paid to the bank. It is amazing how things happen to help with the goal of debt elimination and saving for the future.
I believe there is a universal force from God that helps us accomplish our goals. It is like the law of attraction that is talked about in the movie “The Secret.” Amazing things start to happen when we are clear about what we want. “Ask, and ye shall receive,” (John 16:24).
About 10 years ago, my husband and I were trying to get out of debt, and I prayed seriously about it. We were flying home from a trip and I was pondering about what to do, when it came to me very clearly. I believe I was shown a vision of how to get $70,000 dollars to pay off the balance owed on our home. I wrote it down in a notebook step by step as I was shown. I went to work doing the things I was shown. It took about six months to accomplish, and I had our home paid off.
Our home is paid for and we are no longer slaves to our mortgage company. It feels so good to be debt-free on our home and know that we won’t be kicked out if times get tough and we get into financial trouble. We now take our mortgage payment and save it. I was so amazed at how it worked and how everything fell into place for me.
I still use the following process:

• I state my goal of what it is I want to accomplish.
• I visualize that I already have it.
• I thank God every day that I already have it.
• I act as if it has already happened.
• I do not try to figure out how it will happen.
• I do not doubt that it will happen.
• I just know that it will, and it does.

Peggy Layton is the author of seven books on the subject of Emergency Food Storage and Survival.
Debt Elimination Software, Books And Emergency Supplies
If you are interested in the Debt Elimination Software talked about in this article, any of the books, emergency supplies, wheat grinders, ION water purification drops or emergency food storage, click here.
Food-Storage Meals
Are you interested in a great source for pre-made meals that can be stored for 15 years and taste great? I have been testing out emergency Food Storage Meals, packaged in Mylar™ pouches. These meals serve four people and are ready to just add water and cook. I find them delicious, convenient and easy. Click here.

http://www.personalliberty.com/conse...r-your-future/

Atlantic Hurricane Season Under Way

June 6, 2011 by Personal Liberty News Desk


Hurricane season along the Atlantic coast is officially under way, and the National Hurricane Center (NHC) has predicted a tumultuous six-month stretch.

According to The Associated Press, the NHC has forecast that the storm season will be busier than normal, with as many as six major hurricanes expected to hit the East Coast. The agency reported that climate patterns known as El Niño and La Niña are expected to have neutral impact this season, which complicates long-term predictions.

The last time the storm forces were neutral was in 2005, when Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita ravaged the Gulf Coast, the news provider reported.

In order to avoid catastrophic results in the event of a natural disaster, HurricaneSafety.org recommends that citizens should bolster their self-survival skills. The source suggests that individuals should start gathering supplies, prepare their homes for a potential emergency and educate family members about proper response procedures before, during and after a hurricane.
Creating a family disaster plan can help save lives. Every member of the household should know where to go, whether it’s a neighbor’s house or an underground shelter, if a hurricane hits.
According to the website, every household should designate an out-of-state friend or relative to assume the role of the “family contact.” Long-distance calls are often the easiest to make in the wake of a disaster, and the out-of-state contact can help orchestrate recovery efforts and inform other family members about their loved one’s safety and whereabouts.

http://www.personalliberty.com/news/...son-800521650/

Visualizing Emotional Collapse: From Euphoria to Despondency

Mac Slavo
June 7th, 2011
SHTFplan.com
2 Comments

The good folks over at Financial Armageddon ask Are We Half Way There? with respect to the real estate market and cite an article from the News Observer that gives us some insight into would-be home seller sentiment:

Although Donna Roberts’ Cary house is for sale, she was not among the hundreds of Triangle homeowners who participated in a nationwide open house event over the weekend.
Instead, she used the weekend to scope out the competition, touring homes in her Lochmere neighborhood that are priced similarly to her own.
Roberts’ house has been on the market since late March. Initially listed for $825,000, the house is now at $779,000 after two price reductions and just four showings.Click here to find out more!
Fearing further discounts, the neighbors on her cul-de-sac are now upset at her for selling. “It’s tough now,” Roberts said. “But housing prices could go down even further.
“There’s no good time to sell right now, unfortunately.”
After years of assuming the housing market couldn’t get any worse, a growing number of Triangle homeowners and agents are now resigned to the fact that no one seems to know when it will hit bottom.

We’ve frequently suggested that the real estate market is nowhere near its decline even though home values across the country have seen price drops of nearly 30%. While The Fed attempts to ‘stabilize’ housing by printing more dollars in the hopes that prices will not deflate, the policy, as evidenced by recent home sales numbers and values, clearly indicates that one of the largest bubble collapses in the history of man kind is farm from abating.
For those of our readers who would like an example of how bad things can get in a market that was supposed to go up for ever, we need only look at the recent historical example of Japan, a country that saw real estate declines of 75% (inflation adjusted) since their bubble popped in the early 1990′s. It is for this reason that our outlook for the US housing markets is dismal, and if Japan is any guide, we will likely see a 25% to 50% decline in prices from here as the pendulum swings from Euphoria to Despondency.
A great visual of where we are today and where we’re headed in terms of investor emotion and market sentiment is provided by Russell Investments:

We all remember the euphoria and anxiety around the time of the real estate bubble pop in 2007 and 2008. Speaking with neighbors and friends who own their homes, some of whom are trying to sell their homes right now, it becomes fairly clear that the chart above has pegged the current emotional state of investors almost exactly.Many are still in denial, believing that those trillions of dollars in bailouts and the rhetoric from Washington will save their home values, jobs, and retirement accounts. A good number, especially those who have lost their jobs or have had their homes on the market for several months, are coming to the realization that things may not actually be as has been presented by state sponsored media. The fear and depression are setting in, and as this crisis unfolds – be it with another stock market crash or continued inflationary melt up – panic will become the emotion du jour. Eventually, people will give up, surrendering themselves to the realization that life as they know it has changed drastically. Most will never experience the booming lifestyles of the middle class nouveau riche of the late 20th century again in their lifetimes.When the “Hope” bumper stickers start being scraped off your neighbors’ vehicles you’ll know that we have reached the bottom of the cycle – despondency. You may also recognize this bottoming out by mass protests, civil unrest and riots, as this particular crisis is not a typical bubble bursting. It affects not just real estate, but every aspect of our economy including employment, credit lending, production, consumption and national debt.There will be blood in the streets (figuratively and probably literally). Realizing and accepting that this is the natural progression of events given the situation in which we find ourselves will make it much easier to understand, cope, and prepare for what’s happening around us and what’s coming our way.

http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-new...dency_06072011

Mike Adams: European E.Coli Superbug Bioengineered to Produce Human Fatalities 1/2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtdeaJ-BssE



Mike Adams: European E.Coli Superbug Bioengineered to Produce Human Fatalities 2/2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPDx2m_Y ... re=related

Dried Fruits Equal To Fresh, Report Shows

June 8, 2011 by Marcy Bonebright

A new report suggests traditional dried fruits such as dried apricots, dried apples, dates, dried figs, raisins and prunes be included side by side with fresh fruit recommendations by policy makers.

Looking for a sweet, healthy snack? A new report says dried fruits offer the same benefits as fresh fruits.

A report by internationally recognized researchers at the 30th World Nut & Dried Fruit Congress on May 21 concluded that traditional dried fruits such as dried apricots, dried apples, dates, dried figs, raisins and prunes should be included side by side with fresh fruit recommendations by policy makers around the world.

“Dried fruits are great sources of total and soluble fiber in the diet,” said Dr. Daniel D. Gallaher of the University of Minnesota, one of the presenting researchers. “Just as fresh fruit, they have low glycemic index values and can play an important role in preventing different aspects of metabolic diseases.”

The report addressed concerns that dried fruits contain more concentrated amounts of sugar than fresh. Consumers should pay attention to portion sizes when eating dried fruits, as it’s easy to overdo it.

Dr. Arianna Carughi, Health and Nutrition Research Coordinator for the California Dried Fruit Coalition, said that in addition to their fiber benefits, dried fruits are a great source of potassium. Dried fruits also contain a range of specific vitamins and minerals, unique to each fruit.

Dried fruits are also an excellent way to satisfy your sweet tooth, according to Michael Cutler, M.D., editor of Easy Health Options. He says to add dried fruit to your food for a healthy sugar substitute.

http://www.personalliberty.com/news/...t-shows-25751/

6 Real Examples of Food Terrorism

Recent food terror warnings hide reality

Activist Post

The latest warning coming from British intelligence that al-Qaeda and other political organizations could contaminate the food supply is part of a continuing plot line that hides the obvious: our food already has been poisoned under the auspices of oversight agencies who have been complicit in the very real threats to the public food supply. The following toxins offered into the marketplace by corporate-government collusion have contributed to far more sickness and death than E. coli or salad bar terrorists ever will . . . unless of course the terrorists have bioengineered a superbug, or it has escaped from a bioweapons lab like the one at Fort Detrick, Maryland.
Pesticides: Aside from the fact that pesticides have been linked to lower IQ in children, thus altering the future potential of human society, DDT and the cocktail of other pollutants and synthetic chemicals now include those used in GM food production (Bt), such as glyphosate. Even more alarming is that pollutants that have been banned for decades are still present in 100% of pregnant women, while those from GM food appear in 80% of unborn fetuses. The presentation below offers additional analysis of the health effects, particularly on the immune system:



Fluoride: Sodium fluoride (silicofluoride), is an industrial-grade hazardous waste material made during the production of fertilizer. Its past history includes patented use as rat poison and insecticide. Dr. Paul Connett is leading the fight against mandatory water fluoridation. People are finally waking up to the hazards and are now demanding that governments remove this deadly poison. Let’s keep in mind that it was put there with full knowledge of its toxicity and has led to massive negative health effects. Dr. Connett explains all in a must-see, one-hour interview:



Mercury: In both organic and inorganic form, mercury wreaks havoc with the nervous system — especially the developing nervous system of a fetus. It penetrates all living cells of the human body, and has been documented most as increasing the risk for autism. This calls into question mercury’s use in dental fillings, vaccines, and just about anything containing high fructose corn syrup — a near staple in the American diet . . . including baby food. It has also been known for years that mercury fumes from CFL compact fluorescent tube light bulbs pose a serious threat which goes far beyond eyestrain, migraines, and depression, but still they have been pushed under the green agenda and are set to be completely phased in by 2014. We offer the following video of truth-telling comic relief from 2007 to illustrate the absurdity of such legislation, with a more serious presentation available HERE:



GMO: Monsanto owns nearly 90% of staple GMO crops such as corn, soy, and cotton. Monsanto started as a chemical company that brought the world poisons like Agent Orange and Roundup. Independent studies of “frankenfood” have shown a link to organ failure; a Russian study has concluded near-total sterility in GMO-soy-fed hamsters by the third generation; and other animal studies have shown potentially pre-cancerous cell growth, smaller brains, livers, and testicles, partially atrophied livers, and damaged immune systems, according to a comprehensive article by Jeffrey M. Smith that also highlights the process of intimidation that even well-regarded scientists have been subjected to when publishing their research. Perhaps a recent mainstream article theorizing that a massive 64% increase in bowel cancer among young people is attributable to “heavy drinking and obesity” should be redirected toward the rise in the prevalence of GMO. Here is Jeffrey M. Smith interviewed about the GMO threat:



Bisphenol-A: The FDA failed to warn the public about this chemical found in plastic packaging including baby food containers, baby bottles, and pacifiers. Animal research has shown many adverse health effects such as damage to the reproductive system, immune system, and neurological development, as it mimics sex hormones. In humans this seems to be leading to early puberty, reduced sperm count, and prostate cancer. The two-part episode below offers key details about the history and dangers of Bisphenol-A that the FDA continues to officially allow despite finally acknowledging its dangers, even as other countries ban it and many companies have proactively removed its use:



Aspartame: Among the many dangerous food additives that plague the modern-day plate, Aspartame is one of the most widespread and toxic. Aspartame is a neurotoxin that interacts with natural organisms, as well as synthetic medications, producing a wide range of proven disorders and syndromes as outlined in the following must-see, full-length documentary, Sweet Misery, showing how a neurotoxin became part of the food supply with FDA approval:



Conclusion

The list above is merely the tip of the iceberg that doesn’t even include corporate/military poisoning of the planet through environmental disasters like Fukushima, the BP oil disaster, geo-engineering, or the ongoing use of depleted uranium. As the food terror news is guaranteed to be used to cast a wider net of potential shadowy terrorist groups and lone nuts in order to usher in total food control, we would do well to remember the millions who already have died from corporate-government malfeasance . . . and from exactly where the provable death sentence has been issued. Terrorists have been striking the food system for decades now. They’re just not the cave-dwellers we’ve been conditioned to fear.

http://farmwars.info/?p=6205

What Everybody Ought to Know About Bow Hunting For Survival



by M.D. Creekmore
57 comments

This is a guest post by JimShyWolf and entry in our non-fiction writing contest – where you could win $100 cash. (This contest ends on June 5 2011 so get busy)

Let’s clear the air first. I’m not a professional archer or bow hunter. I’ve never published an article in BowHunter or Archery magazine, nor have I ever competed in the Olympics in any venue, let alone archery. (Regardless what you may have heard to the contrary.) Nor have I ever traveled out-of-state to hunt any animal with a bow (and only did it once with a rifle, so am no expert there, either). Nor have I any formal education beyond what a college phy-ed class attempted to teach me after I’d been shooting and studying archery for twenty years. When push comes to shove, I am a ‘purist’ but I don’t let that stop me from using modern materials or style of bow.
At 64 years of age, what I have is more than fifty years experience shooting, hunting, ‘kind of’ studying archery from the bowhunting and zen aspects, and shooting since I was eleven because Mom didn’t think kids should have guns before they could walk. So my career with archery began as many do: parents don’t equate bows and arrows with their ability to kill. And, as any child of a parent knows, they’re wrong. A 45 pound draw hunting bow has the killing ability of a 30-06 rifle. Actually, in expert hands and in the right circumstances, even a 25 pound draw weight bow will have the killing ability of a 30-06, or any other shoulder fired weapon you want to stack against it.
Please note: I did not mention anything other than killing ability. I did not say “at 800 yards” or “point-blank range” or “with a 220 grain JHP” or any other round. I said “ability”. There isn’t an animal on earth that has been killed with a rifle before it was killed with a bow. We won’t get into how the first bow was accidentally made by a caveman when he discovered his fire drill bow would shoot sticks across the fire faster than he could throw it, or how Nimrod was the first Mighty Hunter with a bow.
But how does a bow have the same killing capacity as a 30-06?
Because of much the same reason a bullet does: blood-letting. A bullet has ‘shock’ value as well, yet an arrow will bleed even more quickly than a bullet because of it’s cutting edges. And when hunting or speaking of hunting, the arrowhead is equally as important, if not more so, than the bow or arrow. Let’s look at this from the beginning, getting to the arrowhead in a few minutes.
When it comes to surviving in a true wilderness setting, a bow, In My Opinion, is the absolute best weapon you can have. Better than a rifle or pistol for several reasons.
First: a bow can be made from almost any hardwood material, especially the maples, yew, ash, and best of all, the Osage orange. Birch, some pines, and aspen can be used as well, with brittle oak being a fairly down-the-line choice. There are exotics that can be used, but we’re talking survival in North America so will limit our choices to anything growing around us.
Second: an arrow can easily be made from reeds (think cattail for one) or whittled from other woods, Port Orford Cedar being the most commonly used (until the Spotted Owl terminated the harvesting of it, and over harvesting as well, to be totally honest). Cedars make the best wood arrows because they don’t warp as readily as most other woods, have a more stable grain pattern and can be reaved most easily into sheaves for arrow stock, and can be compressed most readily.
Arrowheads can be chipped from flint, or other stones, even panes of glass, any bone, or just the fire-hardened tip of the arrow itself. If you’re industrious, you can file steel down to a very serviceable point. But, we’re talking survival and what’cha got with you, not what you’d like to have.
Bowstrings can be spun quickly from the inner bark of many commonly available plants- milkweed being a common material or cut from any animal hide or, in a survival situation, from the cords of one’s jeans. (Just don’t tear away your groin cloth, Tarzan!) Now: name one bullet you can do this with. ‘Nuffa that. Now let’s get to the bow.
Regardless where you live, any archery shop now is going to convince you that “you must absolutely gotta have the very bestest top of the line got more speed than light double helix hyper snappy wheel compound that we happen to sell right here” bow. I won’t say BS on that, but I will tell you this: a salesman’s job is to sell. Not necessarily what you want or need, but to sell.
Here I’m going to state my opinions, not some scientific hyperbole an engineer came up with or what a catalogue will say. What kind of bow you get- be it traditional longbow, recurve, or compound- is up to your preferences. I’m going to tell you mine.
I shoot them all. I love them all. All are very serviceable and sturdy. The newest bow I have, a Fred Bear compound, is darn close to 30 years old and shoots as well today as it did the day I bought it- only more accurately ‘cuz now it’s got ‘sperience. It’s also the only bow I have sights on. The oldest I have is 53 and my son learned to shoot with it as I did: one arrow at a time. My second oldest- 39- is the original Fred Bear takedown with two sets of limbs (one target, one hunting) on a B riser (it came with choice of A,B, or C- diferentiated by length of the riser, which also was the deciding factor of draw weight). There are others in my collection- a Ben Pearson takedown (TD) a year younger than the Bear, a Paul Bunyan fiberglass longbow, and a very antique pure aluminum bow made by ParX of Jackson, Michigan. (I should google them to see if they still make bows.) Sorry- thinking out loud again, and digressing. Some odds and ends complete the collection.
My point is, it won’t matter what style of bow you choose, just be sure it’s the one you want and dream about. If your imagination is filled with Robin Hood or Fred Bear or Ben Pearson or Howard Hill, you would probably feel more comfortable with a longbow or recurve. Either will be a fine choice.
Longbows have a tendency to ‘stack’, which means they get harder to draw as you draw them. If it’s a very short bow, it will stack more than a longer bow. Recurves stack less than longbows due to the curve. Too, the length of your personal draw will also cause it to stack more or less.
Draw length is measured the old-fashioned way: Hold your arms out in front of you, fingers extended, to make an arrowhead. The distance from your fingertips to your chin is your arrow length, your draw length is from your wrist to your chin. Bowyers have simplified this for us, however, and make their bows with an ‘average’ draw length of 28 inches. The reason for the arrow length? So you don’t cut your fingers with the sharp broadhead, it extends beyond your hand. Arrows can be cut to length as required, even simply at home with a sharp knife.
If your dreams extend to the modern mystique of wheels and pulleys, cams and short, snappy- and very fast arrows- then you may be dreaming of a compound. Other than Bear, I won’t comment on who makes the best, but there are many out there. Some very good bows are made by some very unknown people, and a good way to learn about some is pick up a copy of a Bowhunter magazine. (No plug, just reference.)
Compounds do send arrows down range faster than other bows and use very light arrows. (Do not use a wood arrow on a compound bow- ever. Nothing may happen, but then again, you may end up with an arrow shaft in your forearm, or worse. That’s experience talking, and manufacturer’s direction.) If TSHTF, my choice will be the recurve or longbow because of the simplicity of their design, maintenance, and ease of repair. I just don’t have the shop to rebuild steel/aluminum/magnesium pulleys and steel cable strings.
Not to mention, compounds are much heavier than stick bows. I’d rather carry more arrows than more bow.
Arrows for longbows and recurves run from cedar to esoteric compunds like graphite. In short, any arrow can be shot from a stick bow. Wood and aluminum have been around for… well, ever, almost. OK- when Alcoa came out with their first aluminum arrows, I was skeptical. Still am, but dang, they shoot nice. Almost as tough as wood. Almost. In some instances, tougher: and they can be reasonably straightened of mild bends. (Wood can as well- use steam and pressure to do that, though.) Fiberglass and graphite… well, you ain’t gonna straighten those breaks. Some have told me graphite is tougher than wood, but my opinion is still out- and will be until I test some, which I don’t intend doing.
Compund bows shoot aluminum, ‘glass and graphite with equal aplomb, but never wood. (Don’t ask.) With today’s compounds, the biggest ‘thing’ is the speed factor. Everyone’s trying to get their bow to shoot as fast a 30-06 bullet. Or so it seems. I’ve heard excuses (ok, reasons) from things such as “the deer don’t jump the string” (which I laugh at), to “the lighter arrows need the speed” (which I agree with). To gain this speed of arrow, they use the lighter carbon or graphite arrow, which usually weighs less than the broadhead on the end. And speed creates penetration- which the lighter arrows need. Badly.
So my opinion of light arrows is still out. In “the old days”, we used to ‘spike’ our aluminum arrows with a wood arrow to increase the weight so they’d get better penetration. We didn’t need speed- we had power. Arrows are ‘fletched’ with feathers- real turkey feather is best and be sure they come from the same wing- or plastic vanes. The debate rages as to which is best. I’ve used both, have some mighty old arrows with turkey feathers. And some mighty old vanes as well.
The biggest problem I’ve had with vanes is cold temps. They seem to stiffen and don’t stabilize the arrow as quickly. But that may just be my imagination. Some say feathers aren’t as waterproof as vanes, but I don’t see that. I sprayed mine with Camp Dry once and forgot it. No problems. Water runs off like a duck’s back.
Some people also claim wet bowstrings stretch and make the bow lose power due to less ‘fist’ in the bow. To which I say nonsense: I’ve never lost ‘fist’ with a string or cable. (‘Fist’ is your hand-made to a fist, thumb extended upward, and from the riser to the string is the height of the string from the riser.) I will admit that a vegetable fiber string will most likely stretch, as will leather. Soak them in tallow before use.
What does make a bow lose power can be on the string, though. Silencers. Attachments that quiet the string vibration after the shot- which vibration is also what the animal hears and causes it to ‘jump’ the string- and evade the arrow. Silencers can be as simple as a feather tied to the string, both ends of the bow, or as complicated as gobs of rubber bands woven into the string layers. Here, less is more. Go as simple as you can get away with. Some people don’t use silencers at all.
Arrowheads (told’ja we’d get here) are what does the killing with an arrow. Where I live, there are several rules to follow with arrowheads used for hunting. (Note: in a survival situation, there is only one rule: survive. So forget about ‘nice’ and ‘laws’ and ‘fair chase’.) MN requires arrowheads “be of barbless design with at least two blades and a circumference of two inches for three or more blades and weigh 125 grains”. Which just means, go to your local sport shop and buy what they sell cuz they’ll most likely not be selling illegal products.
If they are, call the local game warden and let him know and your butt is covered when you go to court. Other states probably have similar rules, so check yours if you’re interested in being ‘legal’. Fred Bear makes the Bear Razorhead, which was an original design two-blade with a third and fourth blade insert, and which has probably killed every animal on the planet. They’re extremely difficult to find these days. Now hunters are using all kinds of jury rigged designs, some utilizing real jenyouwine razor blades as cutting edges.
Complicated monsters that cut quickly and cleanly, to be sure, but no where near as hardy as the old Razorhead. The closest I’ve seen to the Razorhead is the Magnus two-blade, and they’re great. Not to mention, take a very fine edge. Oh, yes- I sharpen all my broadheads. Not something you’ll do with the more modern designs- all you need with them is more razorblades. And a few hundred bucks. Dang- those heads are very spendy now!
Between a two blade and three, or four, blade the biggest difference is cutting power. Or cutting ability. An arrow kills by bleeding the animal out- so expect it to run and have to track it- like cutting its throat. The more blades, the more damage to arteries and muscle and veins and… you get the idea, and the more easily traqcked. The more damage, the faster it bleeds out. Too, shot placement may be a bit more precise with an arrow than with a gun because arrows do not go through bone. Hitting the critter in its vitals is, well- vital.
So practice-practice-practice! Side note on broadheads: round over the tip so it passes by bone rather than trying to penetrate it and getting stuck. You don’t need a pointy point, you need something that slides past the bone. Also, an arrow wound to a non-vital spot with a rifle can wel cause an animal to bleed out, so there are more areas to aim at with a bow.
Also, MN does not allow crossbows unless one is handicapped and proven by a doctor’s permission slip. I’ve shot crossbows, don’t own one, and have little to say about them. I have considered getting one just ‘because’ and no other reason. A friend uses one, loves it, and has lots of fun with it- but he’s not a hunter. Some compounds will draw hundreds of pounds and shoot a bolt (arrow) fast as… ummm… litning… but they lose speed, therefore power, quickly. Maybe others have more experience with them and can comment. Some states do allow hunting with crossbows, so they can’t be all that bad.
When it comes to shooting, a crossbow is probably the easiest to learn quickly since it’s so much like a rifle. Compounds are easy to learn and be accurate with when loaded with sights- and some with stabilizers, levels and flucks (or whatever they’re called)- but have their limitations in those condiditons. (More on that in a minute.) Most difficult- but certainly not hard- to learn is the recurve and longbow using instinctive shooting techniques (my fave method).
Shooting a bow is relatively simple. Nock and arrow on the string, push-pull the bow and string apart, bring the hand to your cheek, look at the target as you point the arrow at it, and let the string go. All bows are shot in that manner. The hardest part is doing the same thing over and over again and never varying that technique.
Let’s examine the shooting aspect a moment.

‘Instinctive’ shooting is how archers first shot. By looking at the target, pointing their arrow at it, and releasing. No sights, no levels, no floofloos. Use a push-the-bow-pull-the-nocked arrow method as you raise the bow to point the arrow at the target. The string hand anchors someplace on your face- usually the corner of the mouth- prior to releasing the shot. The bow arm is extended almost straight out, with just a slight curve, the uper body leans forward slightly and the head is ‘cocked’ over the arrow.
Focus on the target- a small patch of hair (in hunting)- and not on the arrow. Let your eye aim the shot just as you would by pointing your finger at it. Release smoothly- release smoothly- release smoothly- by extending the shooting fingertips. Right: don’t go past the first joint on your finger to pull the string-arrow. Just open your fingers and let the arrow go. Once released, hold the bow in place- don’t drop it or let it fly into orbit. And don’t let your release hand fly off into space, either.
Instinctive shooting can be done with any bow in any position. If you’re laying on your back, you can shoot with this technique holding the bow level with the ground, no need to bring it to a vertical position. If you’re leaning forward ducking under a branch, the bow can be shot without lifting it to a vertical position. If you’re hanging by your hair or the skin of your teeth, a bow can be shot without having to bring it to a vertical position.
Now let’s talk about sights and levels and stabilizers and… all those modern contrivances that require a bow be held vertically and level before it can be shot. Which usually includes all the compound bows being sold today because they ‘just gotta have all this stuff to make them work’. BS. IMO. Sights are wonderful on bows, just as on rifles and handguns. But they do limit a bow a lot more than a rifle- kind of.
When useing sighted bows, the weapon must be held in a vertical position for the sight to be any use. In short, you can’t ’tilt’ your bow and expect the sight to be ‘on’, ‘cuz it won’t be. Any deviation off the axis the bow was sighted in at will negate the sight. And in the bush, you’ll have a lot of fun trying to find a vertical position 100% of the time. For sure, it’s not the most difficult from a stand- though some shots from a stand with a sight are nearly impossible and only uncomfortable with instinctive shooting.
I enjoy the sights on my compound for tournaments and field shooting at the club, but for hunting I feel they’re pretty ‘iffy’ if I’m stalking. As to having a sight level… I ain’t building a house, I’m shooting a bow, probably at a deer or pesky wabbit or partridge… I don’t need no stinkin’ levels.
Two additional items you’ll need- again, don’t ask why, just trust me on this- are some sort of finger protection such as a glove or tab. Mechanical releases are very good, make the release butter smooth, but again, use the KISS principle. Unless you absolutely positively gotta have the latest gizmo… I prefer the glove because ‘it’s on my hand and no fiddling involved’ when I want to use it. Not the best for some, but for me it removes a lot of other dilemmas.
An arm guard is mandatory, especially if you’re shooting with a jacket or ghillie suit or long sleeves- anything the string can whack on its way to resting. And it’s doubly mandatory if you’re shooting sleeveless. You don’t need broken blood vessels in your arm swelling to the size of a birthday party baloon. Trust me on this- I know. (Don’t ask!)
If you’re going to hunt with a bow, be sure to spend time honing your tracking skills as well. Nearly any animal shot with a bow is going to move out of the area before it bleeds out and you don’t need to waste a life or food. After all, that food may save your life, or that of someone you love.
I know a lot of people have spent gazillions on their armories and think they have all the bases covered, but until they have a bow, they’ve only got to third base. Home plate is a long way off- about 90 feet, which is farther than the average deer shot with a bow. So might I suggest getting a bow and half-dozen or more arrows, a finger glove or tab, an arm guard, and a few hours practice to really round out your survival preps?
Who knows- the opportunity may arise you want a silent shot… and we haven’t even gone fishing or bird hunting yet.

Shy III

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like...

1. Guest Post: Hunting Game Now and After TSHTF
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Top Post-Collapse Barter Items And Trade Skills

Brandon Smith
June 10th, 2011
Alt Market
21 Comments



The concept of private barter and alternative economies has been so far removed from our daily existence here in America that the very idea of participating in commerce without the use of dollars or without the inclusion of corporate chains seems almost outlandish to many people.However, the fact remains that up until very recently (perhaps the last three to four decades) barter and independent trade was commonplace in this country. Without it, many families could not have survived.
Whether we like it or not, such economic methods will be making a return very soon, especially in the face of a plunging dollar, inflating wholesale prices, erratic investment markets, and unsustainable national debts. It is inevitable; financial collapse of the mainstream system ALWAYS leads to secondary markets and individual barter. We can wait until we are already in the midst of collapse and weighted with desperation before we take action to better our circumstances, or, we can prepare now for what we already know is coming.
In today’s “modern” globalist economy, we have relied upon centralized and highly manipulated trade, forced interdependency, senseless and undisciplined consumption, endless debt creation, welfare addiction, and the erosion of quality, as a means to sustain a system that ultimately is DESIGNED to erode our freedoms not to mention our ability to effectively take care of ourselves. We have been infantized by our financial environment. In the near future, those who wish to live beyond a meager staple of government handouts (if any are even given) will be required to make a 180 degree reversal from their current lifestyle of dependency and immediate gratification towards one of self sufficiency, personal entrepreneurship, quality trade, and a mindset of necessity, rather than unfounded excess.
This means that each and every one of us will not only be driven to form barter networks outside the designated confines of the mainstream, we will have to become active producers within those networks. Each and every one of us will need to discover practical goods and skills that will be in high demand regardless of economic conditions. Being that our society has all but forgotten how this kind of trade works, let’s examine a short list of items as well as proficiencies that are sure to be highly sought after as the collapse progresses…

Top Priority Goods
To be sure, this list is a summary of items that will have high value during and after a breakdown scenario. I welcome readers to post their own ideas for trade goods below this article. The following is merely a framework which you can use to get started, and was compiled using actual accounts of post collapse trade from the Great Depression, to Bosnia, to Argentina, to Greece, etc. These are items and skills that people were literally begging for after financial catastrophe occurred in numerous separate events.
Water Filtration: Stock up on water filters. Learn how water filtration works. Even make your own water filters using cloth, activated charcoal, and colloidal silver. Everyone will want to trade with you if you have extra filtration on hand. During economic breakdowns, especially in countries like Argentina, and Bosnia, which had more modern, city based populations, the first thing to disappear was clean water. Always. In some cases, the tap water still runs, but is filled with impurities, and needs to be boiled. Boiling does not remove bad tastes or smells, however, and clean filtered water will be in demand.
Seeds: Non-GMO seeds are a currency unto themselves. They can last for years if stored properly, and everyone will want them, even if they don’t have land to plant them. Get enough for yourself, and then purchase twice as much for trade.
Fresh Produce: Ever heard of scurvy? Probably. Ever had scurvy? Probably not. Believe me, you don’t want to have it. Your body essentially begins to fall apart slowly, and the result is an ugly boil and sore filled complexion, the loss of teeth and hair, and the eventual failure of internal organs. Don’t think you can live on beef jerky and canned beans for months on end. You need fresh vegetables and fruits, and the vitamins they supply. Anyone with a well managed garden and a few fruit trees is going to do very well in barter. Vitamin supplements would also be a practical investment.
Long Shelf Life Foods: This one should be obvious, but you may be surprised how many preppers, even though aware of the danger in the economy, do not have ample stored foods.The rationalizations abound, but usually, you are dealing with a person who has a heavy hunting background, and believes he will be able to procure whatever food he wants whenever he wants with his trusty bolt action rifle and a few hours in the woods. Don’t fall into this foolish trap. Thousands if not millions of other hungry, destitute people will likely have the same idea, combing the forest for deer, only running into (and perhaps shooting at) each other. In every single account of modern economic collapse I have read, the people involved kick themselves brutally for not stocking more food that didn’t require refrigeration. Even those that were moderately prepared stated that they wished they had stored twice as much as they did.
Sealed food kits would be highly valued trade items, as long as they contained necessities like grains (wheat or rice store well), salt (the human body will not function without salt), honey or maple syrup (the body needs sugars), and powdered milk, peanut butter, or any other foods with fat content (the body needs fats). Prepackaged freeze-dried foods are more expensive to stock, but they are, of course, easy to trade.
Food Producing Animals: Chickens are great for eating, but they also produce eggs. Cows and Goats can be slaughtered, but they also produce milk. Sheep can be easily herded towards your dinner plate, but they also produce wool. Rabbits make a good stew, but they also produce lots of other rabbits. In terms of barter, these animals will be life savers, as well as a solid source of trade income. Dual purpose livestock are really where it’s at for those who have even an acre of land, and many of them (except cattle) tend to feed themselves easily if left to wander your property. You can trade eggs, milk, wool, etc, that they produce. Not to mention, fetch serious value for trading the animal itself.
Solar Power: Solar power is so overlooked by most barter organizations and survivalists in general that it’s astonishing. If every home in America had at least two large solar panels on the roof, I would not be half as worried about collapse as I am today. My suspicion is that many preppers believe that after a breakdown, we will all return to some kind of Agrarian pre-electric age where everything is lit with oil lamps. This is silly. If I have my LED lamp with rechargeable batteries, I’m certainly not going to rely on less effective burning lamps that depend on a finite fuel supply. And, I’m certainly not going to give up the advantages of nightvision, radio communications, or refrigeration if I can help it. The key is to ensure that you have a continuous means of diverting electricity to these goods. This already exists in the form of solar power.
Depending on your budget, you can purchase solar panels that can be folded and carried with you for charging batteries, or, you can purchase entire arrays and battery banks that run your whole house. Those without electricity WILL want electricity, and solar is an excellent barter item. Wind generators, as well as water driven generators (as used often in Bosnia) are also a consideration. People that have the knowledge to set up these systems for others will not have trouble finding trading partners.
Firewood: Even with solar power, home heating will become a major concern for every household during and after a breakdown. If you can avoid running your battery bank out on inefficient space heaters, you will. The best way to do this is with a wood stove, or a fireplace.Those without any electricity will scour their immediate areas for loose wood, then move on to chopping down random trees for fuel. This is one of the few instances, ironically, that those in urban environments would have an advantage, being that dry wood for burning is literally everywhere in the city. During the Great Depression, families would often sneak into abandoned homes and apartment buildings to dismantle sticks of furniture, or even the walls, to use as firewood.
A small, well insulated home can be heated with as little as two cords of wood every winter.Larger drafty homes require as much as twenty cords per winter. A “cord’ of wood is a stack of split timber around four feet wide, four feet high, and eight feet long. This wood is “aged”, or dried for at least a year after being cut, so that it burns cleaner, and creates much more heat than freshly felled timber. When the general public begins to rediscover the need for aged cord wood, those with timberland will have a prized commodity on their hands for barter.
A disciplined cutting routine would be essential. Only cutting enough timber (of the right maturity) to create a decent supply while not erasing the whole forest for a single year of profit.Those traders with the correct knowledge will do very well in a barter economy.
Gasoline And Oil: This is a tough one, because its hard to predict how much petroleum the U.S. will be able to import or produce on its own during a collapse, and its very difficult to store for long periods of time. If you hear news that the wars in the Middle East have expanded even further, or that OPEC is decoupling from the dollar, you might want to run to the nearest station and fill as many storage cans as possible, along with a little bit of added ‘gas saver’ which helps keep it stable longer. Initially, people will be dueling to the death for gas and oil. I have little doubt. After the price hits $15, $30, $60 a gallon due to hyperinflation, and a little time passes, I think people will begin finding ways to live without it, or they will reduce its use to emergency tasks.
Desire for gas will always be there, especially in agricultural areas where one tractor could help sow the seeds that feed an entire town. But beyond storage, I would suggest learning ways to distill your own corn ethanol and alcohol based fuels. This is where the real barter potential is.
Silver And Gold: I placed precious metals in the middle of this list for a reason. Concerns in a collapse situation will be varied, and the manner in which a derailment progresses will also determine the order of needs in a barter community. In a Mad Max scenario where there is little to no community, or the construction of any semblance of economy is impossible; sure, gold and silver will not be very high on most people’s lists. Has this ever happened in recorded history? No. Gold and silver have remained common currencies for thousands of years despite any catastrophe. This is why I have to laugh at those people who undercut precious metals or claim that because you “can’t eat them” they will not be important. In Argentina, in the midst of complete meltdown and monetary chaos, when people were shooting each other in the streets for food on a daily basis, gold and silver became king, and still are.
Barter networks that have formed in Argentina love to trade for anything made out of gold or silver, because precious metals are the only tangible form of currency in existence there. Being able to trade goods is fantastic, but sometimes, you may not have what another person wants.Do you go out to find someone who does, trade with them, then, try to find the guy who turned you down? No. If you have any meaningful localized commerce in place, then you should also have a common medium of exchange, and precious metals are the only thing that safely fits the mold, because they cannot be artificially reproduced or fabricated. Their rarity and their longevity make them the perfect method of common trade. Even if the worst of the worst occurs, rebuilding will result in the immediate resurgence of trade, and the immediate need of a new currency. Gold and silver will come back, as it always has, and always will. Every potential barter network should be including gold, silver, and maybe copper, on its list of accepted alternative currencies, and the values of said metals should be weighed by the inherent supply and demand of the community. The “official” market value ( which is very manipulated) should only be used as a loose guide.
Firearms And Ammo: Another obvious one. The problem is, the selection of calibers is so varied within the U.S. that stocking anything that will be needed by everyone is very difficult. The only recourse is to stick with common military calibers, such as 9mm, 40 S&W, 45 ACP, .223, 7.62 by 39, 7.62 by 51 (.30, 12 gauge, .410, and 20 gauge shotgun shells, and the ever pervasive .22. Stocking these calibers will result in a much greater chance of trade.
I can think of no instance of societal disintegration that did not lead to horrible violence. In places where firearms are outlawed, the carnage is always much worse. Criminals easily get their hands on weapons, while law abiding citizens are left defenseless. Governments take liberties with the people, while the populace cowers. Accounts of torture, rape, murder, and genocide, are abundant in the face of hard economic times. EVERYONE should be armed, and as reality sets in, even those who clamored to outlaw guns will be clamoring to get one.
Of course, laws today very strictly regulate our ability to barter firearms, but post collapse, no one will care much.
Ammo reloading will be a useful skill in light of the fact that homemade manufacture of ammo is very difficult. The nationwide ammo supply will dwindle very quickly, except for those pockets of people who smartly stockpile for trade.
Body Armor: That’s right. Any kind of body armor is as good as gold in a collapse environment.People in countries across the world wish they had it, and would trade almost anything for it.When you live in a place where a random gun shot (a minute by minute occurrence in many countries), from a criminal’s weapon, or more likely a police or military weapon, could bounce off the curb or through your car windshield, and into your chest, you begin to respect the necessity of Kevlar. The fact that body armor is relatively cheap and is easily obtained in the U.S. should be taken advantage of by barter networks. This advantage may not exist in a couple of years.
Tazers And Pepper Spray: Easy to purchase and stockpile here in America. Better than nothing when facing armed attackers. Disables without death (in most cases), and easier on the conscience. Trades well.
Various Tools: A garden hoe may be a novelty item to most suburbanites and city dwellers now, but soon, it will be a mainstay tool. If you have extra, they will come to you for barter. I’m not going to list every tool in existence here, but I suggest using common sense. What tools do you see being required for daily use? What would YOU need post collapse?
Pesticides: I’m big on organic food and healthy eating, but if my life is on the line, I’m spraying my crops down with whatever poison I can find. Unless you have years of experience with natural pest deterrence methods, then I suggest you do the same, especially in that first year of calamity. A hoard of locusts could annihilate your crop within a day given the chance, and should be dealt with using the most powerful means available.
Cockroach and rat poisons will also be huge sellers, guaranteed. Vermin thrive in unkempt human environments, whether in the country or the city, and with them comes disease.Diseases you thought had disappeared off the face of the Earth, like bubonic plague or small pox, will make a comeback in cities, where streets of death and sewage act like enormous Petri dishes (remember New Orleans after Katrina? Imagine if that had never been cleaned up).
Stock pesticides, even if they offend your environmental sensibilities. You’ll use them, trust me.And, people will trade whatever they can for them.
Warm Clothing: The world is awash in textiles and clothing. Using clothes as your primary means of trade is not necessarily the best plan. However, most of the clothes made around the world are very poor quality, and are not designed for harsh environments. Clothes made specifically for harsh cold or rough wear are harder to some by, and are often very expensive.This is where you would want to focus your investments.
Gortex, for instance, could give you incredible bartering potential. Wool socks are a rarity (how many people do you know with more than two pairs of wool socks?). Water resistant and water proof jackets and overcoats, boots, well made hiking shoes, and waterproofing chemicals and sprays will be needed within trade networks. The ability to make these items, or repair them, will also be valued.
Medicines: This is another difficult item to procure, mainly because doing so often gets you flagged as a possible drug dealer. Certain items aren’t too hard to come by and store, though, and could be life saving barter material in the future. Antibiotics are handed out like candy by doctors today, so storing any extra you have away for trade may be a good strategy. Painkillers are another medical miracle that doctors seem to sprinkle out of helicopters without a second thought. With the risk of injury increasing one hundred fold after a financial tsunami, I suspect even mere aspirin would put a smile on the face of any barter networker.
Eventually, natural medicines and herbs are going to have to move to the forefront, as industry medicines begin to disappear, or become so expensive they are unobtainable. Stocking such herbs and vitamins would be smart, for protecting oneself, not to mention, its savvy business sense.
Toiletries: Yes, yes, we all hear about how great toilet paper will be as a barter item, and how preppers plan to demand cows, trucks, and beach-front property, in return for packages of the silken quilty-soft huggable rolls of goodness. I don’t disagree that it will be highly desired at first. People don’t change their habits that quickly. But let’s face it; toilet paper is a luxury item in a post collapse environment, not a necessity. People are going to eventually go back to older methods of hygiene, like using strips of washable cloth. It might sound gross to us now, but hey, did you think we were going to start using poison ivy and pinecones?
Stock toilet paper, but don’t treat it as a priority. Focus more on cleaning items like soap, toothpaste, and bleach, as well as chemicals that cause human waste to quickly biodegrade.Staying clean is VERY important, because the alternative is catching a nasty bacterial infection that may kill you, when in more peaceful and comfortable times, it may have just given you slightly irritating intestinal distress. The rest of the country will come around to this way of thinking in short order, and many people will come to you for the cleaning goods you stockpiled.
Specialty Items: There are many circumstances that are hard to predict, circumstances that could severely affect barter markets and what items come into demand. For example; a nuclear event, as is in progress in Japan, could just as easily strike the U.S. There are 104 nuclear power plants in the U.S., not to mention the threat of a small nuclear attack (or false flag). The market for goods such as potassium iodide pills and Geiger counters would explode (potassium iodide suppliers were inundated with orders from around the world after Fukushima). How many people do you know with a Geiger counter? I’m one of the few I know with one, and I know preppers across the country! In the wake of a fallout situation, knowing what is contaminated with radiation and what isn’t, knowing if it’s even safe to go outside, is imperative. Having an extra Geiger counter could help you barter your way into any number of goods.
A biological event might bring medical grade particulate masks to the top of people’s lists, as well as disinfectants and even hazmat suits. It’s an ugly thing to imagine, but for those who plan to engage in independent trade, it’s a likelihood that must be considered.

Top Priority Skills
Provided below is a brief list of skills which have served people well in various economic downturns, and will do the same for you in this country. Keep in mind that almost any skill that other people cannot do well has potential for trade, but some skills are more sought after than others. In my research, it is those people who are able to produce their own goods as well as effectively repair existing goods that have the greatest potential for survival in a barter market.Next, are those people who have specific abilities that are difficult to learn and who have the knack for teaching those abilities to others. If you do not have any of these skills, or perhaps only one, then it would be wise to begin learning at least one more now. Keep in mind that competition will very much exist in a barter economy, so knowing as many skills as possible increases your chances of success.
Mechanic, Engine Repair
Welding
Blacksmithing
Firearms Repair, Ammo Reloading
Construction
Architect, Home Reinforcement
Agriculture, Farming Expertise, Seed Saving, Animal Care
Bee Keeping
Doctor, Medical Assistant
Veterinarian
Well Construction, Water Table Expertise
Engineer, Community Planning, Manufacturing, Electrical
Firearms Proficiency, Security, Self Defense Planning
Martial Arts Training
Wild Foods Expert
Hunting
Chemist
Sewing, Textiles
Soap Making, Candle Making, Hygiene Products
Small Appliance Repair
Electronics Repair
HAM Radio Expert
Homeschooling, Tutoring
Again, there are definitely many more trades of value that could be learned. This list is only to help you on your way to self sufficiency and entrepreneurship in an Alternative Market.Unfortunately, too many Americans have absolutely no skills worth bartering in a post collapse world.
Bringing Back The American Tradesman
Barter networking is a powerful tool for countering the affects of depression, hyperinflation, stagflation, globalization, and beyond. But, networks require that participants actually have necessary goods and services to trade. In only half a century or less, American culture has been sterilized of nearly all its private trade skills. We have lost our desire to produce, and have been relegated to the dregs of a retail nightmare society dependent entirely on consumption and debt. This is going to change, one way, or another.
We can change on our own, or we can wait until fear and desperation force us to make hard choices. I would rather forgo the desperation and the painful fall into the gutter. It makes little sense.
The bottom line is, if you wish to survive after the destruction of the mainstream system that has babied us for so long, you must be able to either make a necessary product, repair a necessary product, or teach a necessary skill. A limited few have the capital required to stockpile enough barter goods or gold and silver to live indefinitely. The American Tradesman must return in full force, not only for the sake of self preservation, but also for the sake of our heritage at large.Without strong, independent, and self sufficient people, this country will cease to be.

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This article has been generously contributed for your reading pleasure by Brandon Smith of Alt-Market.com.
You can contact Brandon Smith at: brandon@alt-market.com
Join Alt-Market today, find a barter network in your area, or start your own. Insulate yourself and your family from economic collapse before it is too late.

http://www.shtfplan.com/emergency-pr...kills_06102011

New NASA research points to possible HAARP connection in Japan earthquake, tsunami



Friday, June 10, 2011
by: Ethan A. Huff, staff writer

(NaturalNews) Recent data released by Dimitar Ouzounov and colleagues from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland highlights some strange atmospheric anomalies over Japan just days before the massive earthquake and tsunami struck on March 11. Seemingly inexplicable and rapid heating of the ionosphere directly above the epicenter reached a maximum only three days prior to the quake, according to satellite observations, suggesting that directed energy emitted from transmitters used in the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) may have been responsible for inducing the quake.

Published in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) publication Technology Review, the findings are presented alongside a different theory called Lithosphere-Atmosphere-Ionosphere Coupling, which hypothesizes that the heating in the ionosphere may have been caused by the impending earthquake http://www.naturalnews.com/earthquake.html as the fault line released radioactive radon. http://www.naturalnews.com/radon.html This theory, of course, is not actually proven, but is instead presented as a possible explanation for the presence of the high-density electrons and emitted infrared radiation that was observed.

Another explanation for this strange heating -- and one that, upon analysis, seems much more likely -- is that it was an indication that concentrated energy was used to induce the earthquake, http://www.naturalnews.com/energy.html and not the other way around. Numerous credible reports and scientific observations reveal that HAARP technology http://www.naturalnews.com/technology.html is fully capable of being used as a scalar weapon, meaning it can emit strong electromagnetic pulse bombs that can alter weather or trigger seismic fault lines.

Evidence that HAARP is not only capable of inducing earthquakes, but that it appears to have been used on Japan

A casual glance at the graphics presented as part of Ouzounov's research data shows near-perfect heat rings present above the epicenter of the quake. http://www.naturalnews.com/research.html If radon emissions from the fault line were truly responsible for creating these heat zones, they would more than likely have had irregular, scattered appearances, rather than concentric circles. This anomaly by itself debunks the theory that the impending earthquake caused the heat patterns.

Also, readings from the HAARP Induction Magnetometer, which visualizes the frequency spectrum of signals detected in the earth's geomagnetic field, show that a steady, ultra-low frequency (ULF) of roughly 2.5 Hz was being broadcast days before the earthquake. The 2.5 Hz ULF happens to be the exact same frequency as the natural resonance produced http://www.naturalnews.com/natural.html by an earthquake -- and since there were no constant earthquakes occurring on the days before the quake as the HAARP Induction Magnetometer appeared to indicate, the logical conclusion is that the signal was being broadcast to induce the quake ( http://presscore.ca/2011/?p=1624 ).

Some would argue that HAARP is not capable of producing such frequencies, especially at the power levels http://www.naturalnews.com/power.html that would be required to induce a massive earthquake like the 9.0+ that occurred in Japan. But testimony by various governments says otherwise.

On April 28, 1997, then US Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen gave an important keynote address at the Conference on Terrorism, Weapons of Mass Destruction, and US Strategy at the University of Georgia in Athens. When asked a question about terrorism, Cohen had this to say as part of his response about the type of technology that existed, even back then:

"Others are engaging even in an eco-type terrorism whereby they can alter the climate, set off earthquakes, volcanoes remotely through the use of electromagnetic waves" ( http://www.defense.gov/transcripts/tran ... riptid=674 ).

This admission counters the claims made by some that no such technology exists, and that it is impossible to create seismic activity using directed energy. Clearly the technology has been around for a while, and the notion of it being used as a weapon is anything but a baseless conspiracy theory.

Then, there is the EU report on the environment, security and foreign policy, that was released on January 14, 1999 ( http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/get ... XML+V0//EN ). This report outlines various types of weapon threats, including a section entitled, "HAARP - a weapons system which disrupts the climate."

The paper explains that HAARP is "run jointly by the US Air Force and Navy," and that one of its purposes is "to heat up portions of ionosphere with powerful radio beams." http://www.naturalnews.com/radio.html It also states the following important details:

"HAARP can be used for many purposes. Enormous quantities of energy can be controlled by manipulating the electrical characteristics of the atmosphere. If used as a military weapon this can have a devastating impact on an enemy. HAARP can deliver millions of times more energy to a given area than any other conventional transmitter. The energy can also be aimed at a moving target which should constitute a potential anti-missile system."

Later references to HAARP describe it as "a matter of global concern," emphasizing that most people have no idea it even exists. This was written, of course, more than a decade ago -- and yet not much has changed since that time, despite several pushes to make HAARP more transparent. But if HAARP is truly responsible for helping to induce some of the seemingly natural disasters that occur in the world, it is no surprise that the program continues to be kept largely under wraps.

You can view the HAARP Fluxgate Magnetometer for yourself at the following link: http://maestro.haarp.alaska.edu/cgi-bin ... -scmag.cgi

Sources for this story include: http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/26773/

http://www.naturalnews.com/032670_Fukushima_HAARP.html

Cancer cure known for 35 years?



Saturday, 11 June 2011 18:32
Acharya S Contributing Writers - Acharya S http://freethoughtnation.com/contributi ... rya-s.html

Of course, there have been other substances going back even farther that have been claimed to cure cancer, such as Dr. Wilhelm Reich's orgone energy. However, Dr. Burzynski's treatment has been scrutinized scientifically for decades and seems to be quite effective. I've known about his work since the early 1990s, but it goes back to the '70s. Thus, an apparent cure for many forms of cancer - peptides called "antineoplastons" - has been known for some 35 years but has been battled against and suppressed by governmental agencies and medical authorities since that time.

The documentary linked below, "Burzynski, the Movie," http://www.burzynskimovie.com/ is available for free until June 13th, after which time it will be for sale, with the proceeds used to help get FDA approval of his treatment. The film - which, oddly enough, was directed by a friend of mine, Eric Merola - is well worth watching. If Dr. Burzynski had been taken more seriously decades ago, there's a strong chance my beloved mother would be alive today, instead of succumbing to ovarian cancer and radiation/chemo.

Video: Burzynski: Cancer Is Serious Business http://vimeo.com/24821365

Burzynski: Cancer Is Serious Business from BurzynskiMovie on Vimeo.

Here's a recent interview of Dr. Burzynski by Dr. Joe Mercola.

Video: Drs. Stanislaw and Greg Burzynski on Cancer (Part 1/5) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXf7r4VB ... r_embedded



Further Reading

The Great Cancer Hoax: The Brilliant Cure the FDA Tried Their Best to Shut Down... http://articles.mercola.com/sites/artic ... movie.aspx

Cancer Breakthrough: 50-60% Success Rate, Cures the Incurable http://articles.mercola.com/sites/artic ... ancer.aspx

See also the book The Burzynski Breakthrough. http://www.amazon.com/Burzynski-Breakth ... eknownfoun



http://freethoughtnation.com/contributi ... years.html