Thread: BASIC LIST / SUGGESTED ITEMS FOR LONG TERM SURVIVAL

Denninger: I Hope Youve Taken the Last Couple of Years to Become Prepared

Mac Slavo
September 22nd, 2011
SHTFplan.com
Comments (196)

Karl Denninger, who forecasted the breakdown in stock markets a couple of weeks before the crash of 2008, says that all hell is now breaking loose:

You’ve once again had your 401k and IRA whacked by the incessant lies and scams promulgated by your government and the “financial wizards” who seduced you back into the markets with half-truths and siren songs.

The market opened this morning down 300+ DOW points and the VIX slammed through the 40 level. There will clearly be bounces along the line but as things stand right now the underlying financial conditions have not changed one iota from where they were in 2007. Instead of allowing those who were overlevered to go bust and have capitalism do what it does best – creative destruction of the foolish – we instead took private effectively-defaulted risk and transferred it to the public balance sheet.

But that’s a scam – it simply moves the deck chairs on the economic Titanic, because governments can only raise funds through two means: They can borrow money (increasing leverage) or they can tax it (decreasing consumption or investment by private parties.) The obvious “borrow it” choice was made here in the US and elsewhere, but just as with private borrowing government borrowing has limits and we’re now running into them, and deficit spending creates false demand signals in the economy that must eventually end.

Recognition that you’ve been scammed can be a truly ugly thing. It is usually violent at an emotional and financial level, and more often than one would like it has a habit of being violent in the physical sense as well.

Well, America (and the world), you’ve been scammed by the financial institutions and governments for the last 30 years. 2008 was the first spasm of recognition but was short-circuited by…. you guessed it…. even more scams. Rather than demand truth and an end to the games the American consumer lapped up the frauds and schemes of the politicians on both sides of the aisle who conspired with the financiers to rip you off once again.

The opportunity to address these issues as I have been tirelessly attempting to do, was ignored by those in policy roles in Washington DC. Those who have been reading The Ticker are well-aware of my efforts going back into 2007 and through the 2008 Presidential campaign on both sides of the aisle, along with my efforts since.

They’ve been ignored with the political establishment choosing to knob-job the banks and lie to you, the public, rather than address the fact that the entire last 30 years have been one gigantic economic scam and that what they were attempting to do could not, as a matter of mathematics, succeed.

Now recognition of that fact is dawning on people in a convulsive fashion, and markets of all sorts are reacting as one would expect when their entire worldview is exposed as having been a gigantic and intentional pyramid scheme constructed of debt layered upon debt thatcannot be paid down. The wrong thing was done in 2008 and there is zero evidence that our government has changed one iota in their singular focus on misdirection and lies in this regard.

Welcome to awareness; I hope you’ve taken the last couple of years to become prepared.

Source: Market Ticker

Denninger has for years put forth mathematically undeniable empirical evidence that shows not only how unsustainable our system is, but the lunacy in the government’s purported solutions and response.

Our debt load is too high. Our production capacity has been decimated. Our GDP growth is negative and has been for a decade (if you look at the real data).

It may very well all be coming to a head. While we opined earlier that the triggers for the meltdown of the last 24 hours may not have been a loss of confidence in the US dollar, that doesn’t mean it won’t happen as a result of what will play out in coming weeks and months.

It’s clear that stock markets world wide are in panic mode, and this will not bode well for investors, as Denninger suggested in a commentary yesterday:

I’ll go ahead and make the prediction now: This time will be worse than 2008 and we’ll measure from SPX 1370, which makes the minimum downside target under 600. And no, this time it won’t recover with more “hopium” and fraud – that card has already been played which means the pension funds and annuities across this nation are going to get smoked, exactly as I warned about four years ago.

Consider the implications of what led to the collapse of 2008, our failure to resolve the problem, the obscene debt we created in the last three years, and the economic disaster that is the American job market.

Many have been holding out hope that “they” will do something to keep everything from normal.
They won’t.

So if you haven’t spent the last two or three years preparing, then we’d recommend you get into high gear right now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Now.
The world as we have come to know it, in one way or another, is going to crumble over coming years. It may happen overnight in a rapid waterfall collapse, or it may deteriorate over several years. Regardless of how it happens or exactly how long it takes, we’re running out of time and the outcome will be the same. Here’s historical proof exists that this can happen in America. In The Redline: A Tale of Collapse, Brandon Smith depicts a scenario that may not be too far off from what reality will look like in America in the not too distant future.

Suffice it to say that if you want to avoid, or at least insulate yourself from, living in a world of poverty, violence, and despair, consider how you can become more self reliant today.

• What will you do if commerce stops due to a currency collapse and the banks are closed- how will you buy food, medicine and bare essentials?
• Can you grow your own food or raise micro livestock?
• Do you have the ability to protect yourself at home or in public?
• What skills do you bring to the table that will be of use when the service industry in America collapses – what are you capable of producing?
• How prepared are you to sustain your family in the event of a hyperinflationary or hyperdeflationary collapse – what will you use to pay your monthly mortgage and bills if traditional currencies collapse or you lose your primary income stream?

All of these questions and many more should be at the top of your list of things to do right now.

Obviously, mainstream media, government and central bankers have been lying to us about the state of our economy and financial markets. Perhaps preparedness minded web sites like SHTFplan are wrong.

But what will you do if we’re right?

http://www.shtfplan.com/emergency-pr...pared_09222011

Life After An EMP Attack: No Power, No Food, No Transportation, No Banking And No Internet



September 19th, 2011
153 comments

Most Americans do not know this, but a single EMP attack could potentially wipe out most of the electronics in the United States and instantly send this nation back to the 1800s. If a nuclear bomb was exploded high enough in the atmosphere over the middle part of the country, the electromagnetic pulse would fry electronic devices from coast to coast. The damage would be millions of times worse than 9/11. Just imagine a world where nobody has power, most cars will not start, the Internet has been fried, the financial system is offline indefinitely, nobody can make any phone calls and virtually all commerce across the entire country is brought to a complete stop. A nation that does not know how to live without technology would be almost entirely stripped of it at that point. Yes, this could really happen. An EMP attack is America's "Achilles heel", and everyone around the world knows it. It is only a matter of time before someone uses an EMP weapon against us, and at this point we are pretty much completely unprepared.

The sad thing is that we are spending hundreds of billions of dollars hunting down "terrorists" in caves on the other side of the globe and we have been told that because of "national security" it is necessary for our private areas to be touched before we are allowed to get on an airplane, but our government is doing essentially nothing to address what is perhaps our biggest security vulnerability.

What would you and your neighbors do if the power went out and it did not ever come back on?

What would you do if an EMP attack happened in the middle of the winter and you suddenly were not able to heat your home any longer?

What would you do if all the electronics in your car got fried and you simply could not drive anywhere?

What would you do if all the supermarkets in your area shut down because food could not be transported across the country anymore?

What would you do if you were suddenly unable to call your family and friends for help?

What would you do if you were suddenly unable to get the medicine that you needed?

What would you do if your debit cards and credit cards simply did not work any longer and you could not get any of your money out of the bank?

What would you do if all of these things happened all at once?

A single EMP attack would be the worst disaster that the United States has ever seen by far.

An electromagnetic pulse could potentially fry the vast majority of all the microchips in the United States. In an instant, nearly all of our electronic devices would be rendered useless.

Yes, the federal government knows all about this. The following excerpt is from an April 2008 report by the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack....

“The consequences of lack of food, heat (or air conditioning), water, waste disposal, medical, police, fire fighting support, and effective civil authority would threaten society itself.”

Most of us have become completely and totally dependent on electricity and technology. Without it, most of us would be in huge trouble.
The following is how an article in the Wall Street Journal described the potential consequences of an EMP attack....

No American would necessarily die in the initial attack, but what comes next is potentially catastrophic. The pulse would wipe out most electronics and telecommunications, including the power grid. Millions could die for want of modern medical care or even of starvation since farmers wouldn't be able to harvest crops and distributors wouldn't be able to get food to supermarkets. Commissioner Lowell Wood calls EMP attack a "giant continental time machine" that would move us back more than a century in technology to the late 1800s.

It wouldn't be so bad if we had the knowledge and the infrastructure to live the way that they did back in the 1800s, but today that is simply not the case.

Dr. William Graham was Ronald Reagan’s science adviser and the chairman of the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack. Dr. Graham believes that in the event of a large scale EMP attack, the vast majority of Americans would either freeze, starve or die from disease.

According to Graham, in the aftermath of an EMP attack life in America "would probably be something that you might imagine life to be like around the late 1800s but with several times the population we had in those days, and without the ability of the country to support and sustain all those people."
Would you be able to survive?

All of those big bank accounts may never be able to be recovered after an EMP attack. Your money might be instantly fried out of existence.
The following is what Graham believes would happen to the financial system in the event of an EMP attack....

“Most financial records are stored electronically. ATMs, which depend upon both power and telecommunications, would not be available; banks, which try to back up records but in general aren’t strongly aware of the EMP problem, would face the problem of unprotected storage and computer systems”

This is the danger of having a financial system that is so dependent on technology. We may wake up one day and find that all the money is gone.
But if an EMP attack actually happened, the biggest concern for most of us would be trying to figure out how to survive.

The president of the Center for Security Policy, Frank Gaffney, is convinced that a single EMP attack could result in the deaths of the vast majority of the population of the United States....

"Within a year of that attack, nine out of 10 Americans would be dead, because we can't support a population of the present size in urban centers and the like without electricity"

Are you starting to get a feel for the scope of the problem?

The sad thing is that so much could be done to protect this country from an EMP attack.

Right now, most vital U.S. military infrastructure has at least some protection from an EMP attack.

But the general population has been left completely and totally vulnerable.

It has been estimated that the entire power grid could potentially be protected for about 20 billion dollars. Considering the fact that we have spent over 400 billion dollars in Afghanistan, I think that we could afford it.

We have spent our national security dollars very, very badly and someday it is going to come back to bite us in the rear end.

Right now, other nations around the world are working feverishly to develop EMP weapons. The following is from a statement by Dr. Peter Vincent Pry to the United States Senate Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security on March 8th, 2005....

Russian and Chinese military scientists in open source writings describe the basic principles of nuclear weapons designed specifically to generate an enhanced-EMP effect, that they term "Super-EMP" weapons. "Super-EMP" weapons, according to these foreign open source writings, can destroy even the best protected U.S. military and civilian electronic systems.

But it is not just Russia and China that have been developing "Super-EMP" weapons. According to Newsmax, it is believed that North Korea may have tested a "Super-EMP" weapon back in 2009....

North Korea’s last round of tests, conducted in May 2009, appear to have included a “super-EMP” weapon, capable of emitting enough gamma rays to disable the electric power grid across most of the lower 48 states

Remember, all it would take is one strategically placed EMP attack to wipe out this nation.

But an EMP weapon is not the only danger that can produce this type of effect. The truth is that a really bad geomagnetic storm could also potentially produce almost as much damage.

This is something that everyone knows is one of our biggest vulnerabilities and it is something that we can make preparations for.

Yet the Bush administration and the Obama administration have just stood there and have done nothing.

Our idiocy is astounding.

General Eugene Habiger, the former head of U. S. Strategic Command, has said the following about the possibility of an EMP attack in the future....

“It is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when.”

Remember, this is something that could cause millions times more damage than 9/11 did.

Instead of molesting old ladies at airports and chasing goat herders around the mountains of Afghanistan, perhaps we should be addressing our largest security vulnerabilities.

But that would require using some common sense. Sadly, common sense seems to be in very short supply in Washington D.C. these days.

So if the government is not going to do anything about it, that means that it is up to you to prepare yourself and your family. This world is becoming very unstable and disasters can strike at any time.

We all saw what happened after Hurricane Katrina. The government response was a nightmare. An EMP attack would be millions of times worse and the federal government probably would not even be able to get you and your family any assistance.

You would truly be on your own.

So are you ready?

This is yet another reason why the number of preppers in the United States is exploding. A lot of people can see how the world is changing and they understand that the federal government is not going to come through for them when the chips are down.

An EMP attack could end life as we know it at any time.

It is a glaring security vulnerability and the entire world knows that it is there.

I hope that you are getting ready, because the government certainly is not.

http://endoftheamericandream.com/arc...nd-no-internet

Apple-Pear Cobbler with Crisp Brown Sugar-Pecan Topping



by Abigail Johnson Dodge

Be the first to rate this Recipe
Any kind of sweet-tart apple will work well in this cobbler; I like Braeburn and Cortland. For the pears, try Anjou or Bartlett, two of my favorite pears for baking.

Serves 6 to 8

For the topping
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2-1/4 oz. (1/2 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 oz. (4 Tbs.) cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
Pinch table salt

For the filling
1-1/2 oz. (3 Tbs.) unsalted butter
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 Tbs. unbleached all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp. finely chopped fresh ginger
Pinch table salt
1/2 cup applejack or apple cider
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 lb. firm, semi-tart apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 lb. ripe pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F.

Make the topping
In a food processor, combine half of the pecans with the brown sugar, flour, butter, ginger, and salt. Pulse the ingredients until they begin to form moist clumps. Add the remaining pecans and pulse briefly until the pecans are broken up but not pulverized. Refrigerate the topping in the work bowl while you prepare the filling.

Make the filling
Tip: Cast iron skillets are great, but not for this cobbler; their reactive surface can lend a metallic taste to the finished cobbler. Stick with a nonreactive skillet, such as stainless steel or enamel-lined cast iron.
Melt the butter in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet (8- to 10-cup capacity) over medium-low heat. Add the brown sugar, flour, ginger, and salt; cook, stirring and smearing with a rubber spatula, until the sugar is melted and the mixture is smooth, about 1 minute. Whisking constantly, add the applejack and lemon juice and cook until boiling, about 2 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low and add the apples. Cook, stirring gently, until just barely tender, about 4 minutes. Add the pears and gently toss until coated and hot, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Assemble and bake
Spread the fruit into a relatively flat layer. Scatter the topping evenly over the fruit. Bake until the fruit is very tender when pierced with a knife and the topping is browned, 25 to 35 minutes. Let sit for about 10 minutes to allow the juice to settle and thicken before serving.

Make Ahead Tips
You can make the topping store it in the freezer (in a zip-top plastic bag) for up to 3 months.

nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 370; Fat (g): 18; Fat Calories (kcal): 160; Saturated Fat (g): 7; Protein (g): 2; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 7; Carbohydrates (g): 45; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 2.5; Sodium (mg): 45; Cholesterol (mg): 25; Fiber (g): 3;

photo: Scott Phillips
From Fine Cooking 112
July 7, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/42d5f3h

Diamond-X Dutch Oven Hot Wings:

• 3 lbs. segmented chicken wings
• Peanut Oil for frying
• ½ cup Louisiana brand hot sauce
• ½ cup teriyaki sauce
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/8 teaspoon minced ginger root
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more)
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more)
• Lots of fresh garlic! Chopped or minced (2-5 cloves or more, depending on how brave you are!!)

In a 10 quart Dutch Oven deep fry wings in peanut oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. In a 2 quart Dutch Oven, combine Louisiana hot sauce, teriyaki sauce, brown sugar, vegetable oil, ginger, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. In a separate Dutch Oven combine wings and sauce. Stir or toss until wings are evenly coated with sauce.

Jared S. Mattson, region 4, Caribou-Targhee National Forest, Montpelier/Soda Springs Ranger District, Idaho.
Hunter’s Lunch:

• 1 small can of mushrooms
• ½ onion, sliced
• ¼ lb. ham in ½ inch strips
• ¼ lb. bacon
• *1 cup cooked spaghetti
• *1 can tomatoes
• *1 can lima beans
• *1 can whole kernel corn

Fry together mushrooms, onion, ham, and bacon until done. Mix with all other ingredients and bake for 30 minutes on 350.

*I adjusted the amounts myself. All were calling for ½ can of these ingredients, but I see no sense in having another ½ can of these laying around the kitchen. Dub
From: Bert E. Strom, Region 4, Boise National Forest, retiree

Recipe extracted from the U.S. Forest Service Region 6 Fire Control Lookout Cookbook dated June 1, 1943.

http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/34536

Granmas Chicken

1 chicken cut to your choice¨buttermilk
2 cups flour(or more)
salt and pepper

Wash the chicken, cover with buttermilk, chill in fridge several hours¨or overnight. Oil for the deep fryer or iron skillet (which is best)

This used to be lard and now is canola oil at our house

Drain chicken and dredge in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. For thicker coating dredge twice.

Bring oil to temp and add chicken pieces, dark chicken first skin side down, in one layer.

Fry until golden brown and turn over and add a lid to skillet.

When chicken is nearly done remove lid and crisp on both sides, remove and drain.

Make gravy

Drain some of the drippings from the oil and add the last of flour
from dredging and brown.

Add two cups of water or canned stock. Simmer until thick.

To make this Mamas cream gravy add a cup of milk or a small can of evap milk at the end of cooking. Next day delicious meal for leftovers, put any leftover chicken pieces in the gravy add some water and simmer until hot through. Great with rice or mashed potatoes.

bttt

Survival Food: An Apricot Energy Bar Recipe

Posted on September 21st, 2011
by Leon in Food and Cooking

A good way to steer your kids toward eating right is to teach them to cook. While hunger is generally the best sauce in the outdoors, a few good recipes can make the outdoor culinary experience even more fun.

Some beauty must be earned, such as this waterfall in the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota. (Bob Patterson photo)

by Leon Pantenburg

When it comes to stocking up on survival food, the best, most inexpensive and tastiest option may be to make your own.

And while the idea behind an energy bar is to provide a quick dose of get-up-and-go, some of the commercial products can taste downright institutional!
But who says an energy bar has to be bland and yucky tasting?

Here’s a simple recipe for a whole grain energy bar that is quick, easy to make, and tastes good! And if your children get to help make the energy bars, that is another part of the outdoor experience for them to enjoy!

Easy Energy Bar

Ingredients

• 9 cups oats
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup (or maple syrup)
• 2 cups sugar (not refined, but raw cane sugar)
• 2 cups margarine, melted (butter, if preferred)
• 1/2 cup peanuts
• 4 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a large bowl stir all the ingredients together.
3. Press 1/2- inch thick onto a 9×18-inch cookie sheet.
4. Bake at 250 for about 15 minutes, until the mixture is bubbly,
5. Remove from oven and let cool (this is very important, it will become very crumbly if not allowed to cool completely)
6. Cut into small pieces and enjoy.

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com/2...gy-barsfeed-2/

Camp Chef Cast Iron Conditioner a Winner

Posted on September 20th, 2011
by Leon in Food and Cooking



Whenever a product needs to be thoroughly tested, and it relates to off-grid cooking, I send it to Karla Moore. Karla is the author of “Survival Pantry” blog, is a hardcore prepper and off-grid cooking expert, and knows more about old-time homesteading survival skills than just about anybody.

She has also owned and operated “Heart of Iowa” soapworks in Gilbert, Iowa for the past 10 years.

Karla collects cast iron, and a favorite activity is accumulating antique pieces, reconditioning them back into working order and giving them to friends and family. Karla’s idea of a good time is cooking a large meal outdoors, using her cast iron ovens and skillets, for members of her extended family.

People looking to improve their off-grid cooking setup, and save a few bucks (and who isn’t?) can frequently find used cast iron at garage and/or estate sales. Don’t be put off by a little rust or dirt – frequently the only thing needed is a good cleaning and for the piece to be re-seasoned. (To learn how, click here.)

I tried some Camp Chef cast iron conditioner (I was not paid to do the review), liked it, and send a sample to Karla for further evaluation.
To read her review, click here!

Karla Moore


Karla Moore is a professional soaper, accomplished Dutch oven cook, prepper and avid do-it-yourselfer. She is the author of “Survival Pantry” blog, and walks the talk when it comes to preparedness. Karla, and her husband Warren, live on a small farm outside Gilbert, Iowa.
The Moores have a large garden and several fruit trees, and Karla cards, spins and dyes wool, sews, cans, preserves food and makes cheese. In season, she and Warren are avid mushroom hunters.


Karla owns and operates “Heart of Iowa” soapworks. She started making soaps for her own personal use, and started her business in April, 2000. Karla has very sensitive skin and is allergic to the detergents used in most commercial soaps. Her experimentation, and earlier training as a cosmetologist, subsequently lead to a special line of soaps designed for people with allergies or similar skin conditions.

Today, Karla sells soap products all over the world and offers a complete line of scented and specialty soaps, shampoo bars, and custom blends. Karla specializes in soaps for people with allergies and teaches soapmaking classes. She enjoys visiting with both beginner and experienced soapers.

Karla’s idea of a good time is hosting a large family gathering at her farm, where she and several of her siblings team up to feed a crowd, using Dutch ovens and off-grid cooking methods!


http://www.survivalcommonsense.com/2...nditionerfeed/

Water Disinfectant With Iodine Crystals

by Polar Pure








Canteen full of nasty water. My hands felt nasty just being in the water


Unfiltered canteen: Nasty nasty puddlescum water


Measuring out cap-fulls of iodine solution. The instructions printed on the side of the bottle are easy to read and follow.

http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Pure-Disinf ... alcommo-20

Earthquake Preparedness Checklist

A quick earthquake preparedness checklist to include in your emergency preparedness plan. Print a copy of this list for quick access, and include this list with your emergency kits.

• Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation. Consider storing more water for extended periods of time if possible.
• Food - at least a three to nine day supply of non-perishable food and a portable stove.
• Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Whistle to signal for help
• Dust mask to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Can opener for food (if kit contains canned foods)
• Local maps
• Cell phone and chargers
• Prescriptions medications and glasses
• Infant formula and diapers
• Pet food and water for your pet
• Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification, and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container
• Cash or traveler's checks and change
• Emergency reference material, such as a first aid book
• Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person; consider additional bedding if you live in a cold-weather climate and rain gear.
• Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper, When diluted nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
• Fire extinguisher
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Candles
• Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
• Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, paper towels
• Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children

http://blog.iprepare.com/