Thread: BASIC LIST / SUGGESTED ITEMS FOR LONG TERM SURVIVAL

SURVIVING IN ARGENTINA
Life in Argentina after the 2001 crisis

About to devaluate: Argentina restricts the purchase of Dollars

Monday, October 31, 2011



The last measure by the recently re-elected Crisitna Kirchner can only be described as pathetic and desperate. While the “official” dollar price is 4.26, on the street they are selling it for as much as 4.86 if you can find it.

Last Friday the vice president announced that to buy US dollars people will have to show their IDs, their wage bill to determine income, and then go through a background check with the Argentine tax collection office, the AFIP. What was embarrassing was to see that today as people panicked to buy US dollars, the media that is in the government’s pocket explained why people should not worry. One lame reporter tried to explain that which lacks any logical explanation: “ Its like when using a credit card, people. Instead of checking automatically with the credit card company to see if you have credit, here they check you up with the AFIP (Argentine IRS). The AFIP can either authorize or not the purchase. According to what? Wellll… according to anything they want. They check your bank account, your salary, loans, if they even “feel” you shouldn’t be buying US dollars for whatever reason, and that nearly always the case, they just deny it. Lets suppose you’re traveling on business or pleasure and you need dollars or Euros (this goes for all foreign currency) . Now you need to show plane tickets, hotel reservations, and also the AFIP approving you based on whatever they desire as before. As you can imagine, most people get denied. And then there’s the little detail of 50% of the population working on the side for cash and not existing according to the AFIP, those folks they can forget about buying a single dime, ever. I’ve heard that since Friday there has been problems at the usual “caves” and “arbolitos”, black market USD dealers, and the police has shut down the ones that are most known.

Here’s an easy question guys: What do you think will happen with the USD and peso now that the exchange is heavily restricted? Of course, its going to go up like crazy. 1 to 5 exchange rate next month? 1 to 10 next year? Who knows? During the last hyperinflation a certain eminent government minion suggested that people with USD should be shot. Isnt that a wonderful form of democracy? These last desperate measures where expected. Anyone with half a brain cell could see this coming after the election. That’s why I wrote the post titled. “And so it ends for Argentina” just a few days ago.

This is supposed to be a measure to stop the flee of capital. Over 16 billion USD have left Argentina in the past 6 months. Makes sense right? Take this measures after the elections and the big fish, the politicians in the know included, (and those of us that saw this coming) could send their money out. The only one that gets busted with this measure is the working middle class and poor which are trying to protect some of their savings.
I expect heavy restrictions coming for the purchase on gold and silver any time soon.

Ah! That’s what they meant folks! When they said on CNN and NBC that that Argentina’s economy was booming? Its booming, you know, like going boom… like a bomb… like something that explodes and causes mass amounts of destruction.

Read more about it:

Argentina Ups FX Controls to Slow Capital Flight; Risks Seen

Buying dollars in Argentina just got a lot tougher

FerFAL

http://ferfal.blogspot.com/2011/10/a...restricts.html

SURVIVING IN ARGENTINA
Life in Argentina after the 2001 crisis

Thats not a knife, THIS is a knife!

Hi Ferfal,

I’m down here in Buenos Aires at the moment and the other evening a rough looking kid, probably from a villa, approached me and threatened
to stab me if I didn’t give him money. At that point I pulled out my vaquero grande and he nearly pissed his pants and took off.

No one was hurt. The encounter couldn’t have gone better. I just wanted to thank you for the excellent knife recommendation.
Saludos, Ian

Hi Ian, glad it helped. The Vaquero is not only effective, its also pretty intimidating. While I wouldn’t count on intimidation alone, it is a factor that helps, and when it does it may prevent the fight entirely which is great. I had a somewhat similar experience with two guys in a train, just pulled the knife out and they took off. They didn’t have a gun visible and in the South American summer they only had worn off t shirts and shorts, and no visible gun print. (if a bad guy doesn’t pull a gun right away, most likely he’s got nothing)

There was this robbery attempt caught on a security camera some time ago, of a guy with a knife trying to mug another person with a bag. The one with the bag pulled this huge facon knife from his bag, about 10” long. The bad guy had this little pocket knife. The “victim” slapped him around with the flat of the blade. The video clip had no sound but you could guess he was either insulting him or telling him to take off. The bad guy tried to man up but given the Crocodile Dunde moment he took off.

I like the new Vaquero. I don’t own one yet but I can tell the grip has been much improved. The plain edge version is more practical too. The curved edge will take a bit more skill to sharpen but I just love that “s” shaped blade and Nogales clip point.



Cold Steel Large Voyager Vaquero Folder with Plain Blade

The new Espada looks good too. The original one was too expensive for me but the new one is more affordable and practical.


Cold Steel G-10 Espada Knife (Medium)



FerFAL

http://ferfal.blogspot.com/2011/11/t...-is-knife.html

The Kelly Kettle: How it Works

Thursday, October 27, 2011

We are giving away one of our new Kelly Kettle Base Camp Combos http://beprepared.com/product.asp_Q_pn_ ... sid=ppblog this week. But what is the Kelly Kettle? How does it work? We set out this week to answer those questions in our series "The Kelly Kettle: How it Works". To enter the giveaway, Click Here. http://preparednesspantry.blogspot.com/ ... eaway.html



The larger, "corked" vessel is actually the kettle that you boil the water in. It is double walled, and the water goes into the angled spout, between the two walls. The center is hollow so the heat from the fire can pass through. This increases the surface area of water exposed to the heat, making it boil faster. The cork allows you to fill the kettle before you leave and transport cold water with you.

The fire is lit in the Fire Base. You can use the supplied can of Fired Up! Emergency Fuel and Fire Starter, or gather sticks and kenneling to light your fire with. Or use a combination of both. As your water is heating up, if you need to add more fuel, this can easily be done through the chimney on top of the kettle.

Below you will find a photo walk-through of using the Kelly Kettle to boil water.



Everything you need to boil water



Fill the Kettle with water. The provided cork-and-chain is to help store cold water and transport it to where you are going.



Fill the Fire Base with your fuel source. Here, we are using 1 cup of our can of Fired Up! Emergency Fuel and Fire Starter. http://beprepared.com/product.asp_Q_pn_ ... sid=ppblog You can also use wood, leaves, twigs, pine cones, etc.



Before lighting your fuel source, place the Kettle on top of the Fire Base



VERY IMPORTANT!!!! Be sure to remove the cork BEFORE you light the fuel in the Fire Base. Forgetting to do so can result in explosions. REMOVE THE CORK!!!! The sides of the kettle have these nice hooks, designed to keep the cork off of the ground.



Point the hole in the Fire Base into the wind to allow adequate air flow. If it especially windy, adjust so only some of the wind will be blowing into the hole.



Orient the Kettle so that the Spout is pointing into the wind. This will keep ash from the Chimney from falling into your water.



Light the fuel in the Fire Base, using your preferred fire-starting method.



As you can see, the chimney goes all the way down into the Fire Base. More fuel can be added by dropping it down the chimney. Be careful to not get burned!



Your water will boil in about 4-8 minutes, depending on the type and amount of fuel used, the weather conditions, and how full the kettle is



Once your water has boiled, you will need to remove the Kettle from the Fire Base very carefully. Hold the Handle at a 90 degree angle, so that it is sticking straight out, level with the ground. Do NOT hold Handle above Chimney while on Fire Base. You will burn yourself.



Now that the Kettle is not over the Fire Base, you can hold the handle above it, like normal. use the cork and chain to tip the kettle (since the sides will be VERY HOT) and pour the water out.

And that is how you use the Kelly Kettle. Stay tuned, because next time we will be demonstrating how you can boil water and cook food with the Kelly Kettle. AT THE SAME TIME!

http://preparednesspantry.blogspot.com/ ... works.html

Kelly Kettle: How it Works, Part 2

Friday, November 4, 2011

We are giving away one of our new Kelly Kettle Base Camp Combos this week. But what is the Kelly Kettle? How does it work? We set out this week to answer those questions in our series "The Kelly Kettle: How it Works". To enter the giveaway, Click Here. http://preparednesspantry.blogspot.com/ ... eaway.html

To learn how to set up and light the kettle, see Kelly Kettle: How it Works.

Below is a tutorial on how to both cook and boil water at the same time with the Kelly Kettle.





Assemble the Pot Support, as shown.





Insert the Pot Support into the Chimney opening. If you have already lit the stove, be sure to use the supplied gripper-handle to avoid burns.



Light the stove, if you haven't already.





Place your Cook Set pot, with the food you wish to prepare in it, on the Pot Support http://beprepared.com/product.asp_Q_pn_ ... sid=ppblog





While your water is boiling, your food will cook. Here we are reconstituting and cooking some Mountain House Creamed Beef.





If the water in the Kettle boils before you are finished cooking, simply remove the Kettle, and insert the 2 Piece Grill. Be careful not to burn yourself.



Finish cooking your meal. Enjoy a nice hot beverage from the Kettle while you wait. Then use the Gripper-handle to remove your food from the fire, and enjoy.

So there you have it, folks. Boil water, cook food, everything you need to do in an emergency or while out camping. Do you have a Kelly Kettle yet? What kinds of things have you made with yours?

http://preparednesspantry.blogspot.com/ ... art-2.html

The Government Wants to Seize Your Vitamins

November 11, 2011 by Chip Wood

The Food and Drug Administration has drafted a proposal to regulate what it calls “new dietary ingredients.”

No matter how many times you beat back a Federal power grab, it is almost impossible to kill the monster. Like the most terrifying villain in the worst horror movie you’ve ever seen, it keeps coming back to life and threatening the townspeople.

Consider the efforts by the Food and Drug Administration to make it impossible for you to buy the vitamins you want. The FDA first tried to make many supplements illegal in the early 1990s. But its overzealous persecution of vitamin makers (I was one of them) caused millions of consumers to demand that Congress block the FDA.

As a result, in 1994 Congress passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). While the law was far from perfect (what Federal legislation ever is?), it did protect the right to take the supplements of our choice. The only way the FDA could intrude was if it could prove a supplement was unsafe. I don’t know of a single case in which that happened. So for 17 years, those of us who take vitamins to protect our health were safe from government meddlers.

Unfortunately, there was a dangerous loophole in that 1994 law. While supplements that existed at the time were protected by law, the FDA was given the authority to regulate any new ingredients that were introduced after Oct. 15, 1994.

What happened? At first, nothing did. For 17 years, the FDA took no action.

That’s been a good thing, because for 17 years the dietary supplement industry continued to innovate. It discovered new ingredients and formulations and found better ways to extract and concentrate the most effective natural ingredients. As a result, millions of consumers benefited. They protected their hearts and arteries, found relief from joint pain, improved their memory, protected their prostate and much more.

Meanwhile, some deadly dangers did exist. Pathogens like E. coli in food kill at least 2,000 people every year. Acetaminophen, the painkiller in Tylenol and other drugs, is known to kill hundreds more. An FDA researcher estimated that there may have been more than 27,000 deaths linked to the use of Vioxx before the FDA finally took the drug off the market.

Now, the FDA wants to act like the past 17 years never happened. The agency has drafted a proposal to regulate what it calls “new dietary ingredients.” If this proposal is implemented, some of the most effective nutrients you take will be pulled from the market. Nutrients like resveratrol, ubiquinol CoQ10, bacopa, strontium and more.

That’s not all. Under these guidelines, the FDA can define almost anything as a new dietary ingredient. For example:

• If a supplement includes more of an ingredient than was used 17 years ago (even something like vitamin C), it’s new.
• If an ingredient uses a different extraction process (like baking or fermentation), it’s new.
• If a supplement uses an ingredient at a different “life stage” (such as using ripe rather than non-ripe apples), it’s new.
• If a supplement duplicates an ingredient in a laboratory rather than extracting it from the food (even though it’s chemically identical), it’s new.
• And if a probiotic formula includes a strain of bacteria that wasn’t found in yogurt 17 years ago, it’s new.

What would happen to these “new” ingredients? The manufacturers would have to take them off the market until they could prove the ingredients are safe — even if those ingredients have been safely used for 17 years.

What kind of proof is the FDA demanding? According to the guidelines, many companies would have to conduct animal studies using a dosage that’s 1,000 times the typical dose.

I’m not kidding. The FDA wants vitamin makers to do studies for a full year, at 1,000 times the typical dose.

So a fish oil manufacturer would have to conduct a one-year study in which animals are force-fed the human equivalent of 240,000 milligrams of fish oil each and every day. Do you think this outrageous overdose might injure or kill its victim? Of course it could. And that would give the FDA all the excuse it needed to outlaw any product that contained it.

But wait, it gets even worse. If one fish oil manufacturer performed such a study and it passed, it doesn’t mean that other fish oil makers can use the same data. No, sir. They are still required to go out and do their own studies before they’re allowed to sell their product.

These studies are very expensive. A study like the one above typically costs $100,000 to $200,000 to perform. Multiply that by several ingredients in several products and you get an idea of the cost.

Say a company carries six products containing six ingredients each. It would cost between $3.6 million and $7.2 million in studies before that company could even offer the products for sale. For a larger company offering 50 products or more, the costs would be astronomical.

Even if the company did all of that, every penny of those new and higher costs would be passed on to you, the consumer.

Anyone on a tight budget (and that’s almost all of us these days) would find the supplements they rely on becoming prohibitively expensive — if they were even on the market anymore.

Few supplement makers will be able to afford these studies. Many of them will be forced out of business. The ones that remain would still be at the mercy of the FDA. That’s because there are no requirements for the FDA to approve anything. It can approve or reject anything it wants. In the past, it has rejected the majority of ingredients submitted to it.

That means most of the nutrients you buy today will be pulled from the market and never return. Those that do return will be a lot more expensive — or may be available only as prescription drugs.

This is a blatant abuse of power. What the FDA is doing is performing an end-run around the existing law. According to the law, the FDA has to prove a dietary supplement is unsafe for it to be taken off the market. These new guidelines turn that on its head. They are clearly not what Congress intended.
Fortunately, these FDA guidelines have not yet been finalized. All Federal agencies are required to give the public an opportunity to comment on a draft before it is made final. In this case, the FDA has given interested parties until Dec. 1 to comment on the draft. That means there’s a small window of opportunity for you to voice your disapproval.

Frankly, I wouldn’t bother commenting to the FDA. The process is deliberately cumbersome. Those unelected bureaucrats don’t care what you think, anyway.

Instead, please contact the people you do elect: your Congressman and your two U.S. Senators. They have the power to rein in the FDA, and they have done so before — when enough voters complained.

We may not be able to kill the monster, but we can drive it back into its cave. Whether we do is up to you.

Until next time, keep some powder dry.

–Chip Wood

http://www.personalliberty.com/conse...your-vitamins/

Ridin out the Recession



Baked Ham With Bourbon Glaze, Pork Medallions with Blackberry Sauce, and Bourbon-Chocolate Pecan Pie:

Posted on November 9, 2011 by admin

Good morning folks. How’s everybody today? We’re glad you guys stopped back by to visit this morning, and we hope everyone is doing just fine! Why don’t you all pull up a chair, prop your feet up, and just as soon as I finish “bumpin my gums” this morning we’ll probably fire off a cook stove.
We had a little warm snap, which I could probably better describe as actually, we’ve had a couple cool snaps, then it warms back up again. Whichever, but since the nights have gotten back up in the 60’s, and the days in the 80’s, the grass has started growing a little again, and the okra is really putting out once more.

We’ll have okra until the first frost, so we could still get quite a bit more off them. We planted them back in August from seed, so we were getting kinda a late start, but the production we’ve gotten off it already was more than worth the time and effort, and actually everything else we get from it we consider to be a bonus!

Deb and I picked it last Saturday and we pickled 23 pints. Then yesterday we picked again and we pickled another 29 pints. So we put up 52 pints since Saturday. I don’t know how many we’ve already put up, but it’s considerable. I know we’ve had to have given away at least another 35-45 pints away.
We love it and we don’t know many that don’t, so, it’s going to good use! Matter of fact we’ve got a buddy coming today who ate a whole jar the last time he came by. I had maybe three or four pieces, and he ate the rest.

Deb got us a jar, and we started off sharing the jar and a fork to “stick em with.” Well, once I quit, he took the jar and fork, sat it across from him, and proceeded to “knock the jar out!” The man might eat a dern pickled okra or two! I wonder why he’s stopping by today, huh? LOL!

He’s a great guy though, and Deb and I love him to death. They don’t make em much better than ole Sonnie!

Years ago when he and I met through our business, we started corresponding pretty regularly, and became fast friends. He called one day and requested I fax him over a bid. I asked his e-mail address, and he gave it to me verbally…so, I e-mailed him the bid, and took off again.

Anyway, after 2-3 hours he called once more and asked, “Dub, are you going to send me your bid…I need it pretty quick.” I told him I had sent it to him, to check his mail once more. He says no, he still hadn’t gotten it. I went back, looked, and sure enough, it had been returned…non-delivery.

I called him, and said that he must have not given me his correct e-mail address, and he gave it to me once more. I said, “Sonny, that’s what I’ve got, “so he asked me to spell Sonny. I said, S…O…N…N…Y!

He said , “NO Dub, it’s S…O…N…N…I…E!”

I said, “I, E??? How the heck you expect a fellow to send you a dern e-mail, and you don’t know how to correctly spell YOUR OWN NAME, dad-gummit! It’s Y, not i, e!!”

He laughed and said that that’s how he’s always spelled it. I then told him that it was alright. It’d be easier to teach me how to MISSPELL it, than teaching him how to spell it CORRECTLY, since he’d spent his entire life spellin his dern name wrong anyway! LOL!

Today’s recipes come from the cookbook, “Best Kept Secrets of the South’s Greatest Cooks,” and it comes from the Editors of “Southern Living.” For any of you who haven’t gone through an issue of this magazine, you’re sure missin out. Pick up an issue next time you’re in town and “look into it!”

The first recipe today from Miz Judi’s Kitchen is…Baked Ham with Bourbon Glaze. I figure this recipe to be very good ( I love ham anyway you want to serve it), and after looking at it for a while, I know I’d enjoy this, and the very next ham we bake, this will be it!

I can hear myself sittin at the table now…”Hey Deb, how bout passin me another PINT of that dern glaze…I mean ham!”

Baked Ham with Bourbon Glaze:

• 1 cup honey
• ½ cup molasses
• ½ cup of bourbon

( I’m thinkin maybe they MEANT…a cup and a half!! Lol)

• ¼ cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 (6-8 pound) smoked ham
• Garnish: fresh herb sprigs

Microwave honey and molasses in a 1 quart microwave safe dish on HIGH 1 minute; whisk to blend. Whisk in bourbon, orange juice and mustard.
Remove skin and excess fat from ham, and place ham in roasting pan.

Bake on 325 on lower oven rack for 1-1/2 hours or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest portion registers 140 degrees, basting occasionally with honey mixture.

Bring drippings and remaining glaze to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat, and serve with sliced ham. Garnish, if desired.
Roevis McKay, New York, New York.

The cookbook states Mr. and Mrs. McKay have lived in Manhattan for many years, but still feel close to their North Carolina roots. By the way, this recipe is so good, that it is in “Southern Livings, Recipe Hall of Fame.”

Pork Medallions with Blackberry Sauce:

• 2 (1 pound) pork tenderloins
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground whole allspice
• 1’4 cup butter or margarine, divided
• ½ cups diced shallots (about 3 large)
• 2/3 cups dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons seedless blackberry fruit spread
• Garnishes: fresh blackberries, fresh thyme sprigs

Sprinkle pork evenly with salt, pepper, and allspice. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

Grill pork over medium-high heat (350-400) 20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest portion registers 160 degrees, turning pork once. Remove from grill, and let stand for 10 minutes.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat while pork stands. Add shallots, and sauté 5 minutes, or until tender. Add wine; cook 13 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Reduce heat to low; whisk in fruit spread and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Cook 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Cut pork into ¼ inch thick slices. Drizzle blackberry sauce over pork. Garnish, if desired.

Kathy Hunt Dallas Texas

Well, since we’ve already had Baked Ham with Bourbon Glaze, and Pork Medallions with Blackberry Sauce which has wine in it, we might as well insure getting a DUI driving back home, with a dessert that might “put a little pep in your step, too!”

Bourbon-Chocolate Pecan Pie:

• ½ (15 ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons bourbon
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

Fit piecrust into a 9 inch pie plate according to the package instructions; fold edges under, and crimp. Whisk together eggs, corn syrup, butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, bourbon, flour, and vanilla extract, until mixture is smooth; stir in chopped pecans and chocolate morsels. Pour into crust.
Bake on **lowest oven rack on 350 for 1 hour or until set.

** The reasoning for baking the pie on the lowest oven rack is it keeps the crust from becoming soggy.

http://ridinouttherecession.com/?p=1034

Daily Survival
Tips on surviving anything life throws at you, from simple job loss to TEOTWAWKI survival.

10 Alternatives to Occupy Wall Street

Original Article http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot ... treet.html

from Code Name Insight by Code Name Insight

I thought I was pretty much done on the subject of Occupy Wall Street but an article today caught my attention. Seems like the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York had actually led to job loss, http://www.mediaite.com/online/did-occu ... rk-eatery/ as opposed to increased economic opportunity as some say the protests were designed to do. And then there was a second article stating that many of the protesters may be closer to the 1% than the 99% http://news.yahoo.com/nyc-arrest-record ... 25415.html yet they are still partaking in the protests just to enjoy the party atmosphere. So for those who want to actually accomplish something of a change in their economic and political lives sans the sleeping outside and protesting just for the sake of protesting part, here's some ideas:

1. Shop local. Skip the Starbucks and make your own coffee at home or patronize a locally owned and operated coffee shop. Spend your money in your community and not with large out-of-state chains.

2. Spend cash or barter. Skip the big banks and spend cold, hard cash while you are shopping local. Better yet, barter for the things you need. A local cash and/or barter economy will do more to improve your local economy than shouting idiotic messages on the streets of New York City.

3. Choose to not participate with big business as much as possible. I say "as much as possible" because while it is simple to move your money from Bank of America or another national bank to a local bank or credit union, it is impossible to find a locally-based cell phone carrier. But you can be aware of how you spend every dollar and spend it where it will do the most good and have the most local impact.

4. Reuse and recycle. Obviously there are many products that you want and need that are not made locally (or even in this country, for that matter). Before you go shopping at Wally World and purchase a cart full of items made in China or Honduras, look at ways you can reuse and recycle these products that are already in the local economy (ie: shop garage sales, CraigsList, and thrift stores first).

5. Cut back. I am a huge fan of minimalism these days. After purging almost everything I owned nearly a year ago (and selling most of it for pennies on the dollar before giving away what was left--about four truck loads), I have realized that the quest to have nearly every single item man has ever made is an exercise in futility. There will always be better deals, there will always be newer products, there will always be more advanced technology...the secret is to buy only what you really need and then use it to death before replacing it. We don't need that much stuff to live happily and the feeling of not being responsible for a mountain of consumer junk it truly liberating.

6. Instead of being against something, be for something. This is a paraphrase from Mother Theresa but the gist is that if you are always fighting against something you really don't accomplish much but if you are fighting for something you are much more likely to see results. You can scream about being against the big agricultural complex but what good will that do? The companies aren't going to shut down just because you tell them to. On the other hand, if you are fighting for cheaper, locally-grown food, you can plant a garden or better yet, start a community garden, and actually accomplish something with all of your efforts.

7. Do the work yourself. We may rail about illegal immigration and big pharma yet we continue to eat vegetables picked by illegal immigrants and continue to rely on big pharmaceutical companies for our chronic illness medications. How about growing your own vegetables and picking them or exercising and changing your diet so you no longer need to medicate yourself into oblivion because of poor health choices?

8. Live as close to the source as possible. I'm not talking about this in a spiritual source sort of way(although that isn't such a bad idea) but by living simply and locally you not only will be healthier and wealthier but you will be more in tune with...life. Why drink bottled water from a municipal tap in a big city when your own water is probably much better? Why buy fish flown in from Asia when you can throw a line in your nearest lake and enjoy really fresh and really local food?

9. Ignore advertising. This is a hard thing to do for many unless you are one of the TV-less crowd since advertising is a constant barrage of messages of which we have been inculcated since birth. The problem is that advertising makes you feel worse about yourself unless you immediately run out and buy the product being advertised. Want women to fawn over you (women that, no offense, wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pole no matter what you do)? Then you better run out to a national chain store and pick up a national-brand deodorant and "poof" Playboy-bunny like women will come running to you. Want your kids to be happy (never mind the fact that the food that will make them happy will also make the sick, hyper active and pre-diabetic)? Then you better run out to the store and buy them choco-bunny-breakfast-flakes so they will look as cute and happy as the kids in the commercials. The bottom line is that commercials are selling you a line of BS and if you want to make significant changes in your perception (and ratchet it back somewhere closer to common-sense normal) then you need to ignore these psychologically manipulative messages and think for yourself.

10. Challenge everything. Just because you aren't protesting doesn't mean you can't challenge commonly held beliefs. Start asking why. Start asking if there is a better way to do something that the status quo. Start making changes in your life that the "Joneses" wouldn't understand. Just because something has "always been that way" doesn't mean that you have to "go with the flow" and be just like everyone else. Yes, it is easier to do that as it takes very little effort but it also lulls you into a false sense of security and it has been proven to have quite a few negative affects that people (sheeple) don't realize until it is too late. My grand dad would be rolling over in his grave if he saw how people so willingly gave up their freedoms just to fly on an airplane (in his case, he probably would have learned how to fly and just flew himself...he was an ornery as his old bull when someone/something got his dander up and any sort of taking away his freedoms would do just that).

Eventually the Occupy Wall Street people will dwindle away but if you want to do something with staying power and if you want to do something that will make legitimate, concrete changes that will impact your life, you need to take control of your life and your self and put your efforts into being/making the changes that you want to see.

http://daily-survival.blogspot.com/2011 ... treet.html

11 Trunk Essentials for Winter Preparedness

By Angela, on November 7th, 2011


photo by ripkas

Winter is fast approaching if its not upon you already. Time to update and rotate the car emergency kits! With winter driving in particular in mind, here are the 11 essential survival items to have in your trunk:

1. Water. If the water is kept in a box/tote/etc. in your trunk, it actually doesnt freeze as quickly as you might think it would. Open the bottles and pour a bit out, then re-close them if youre afraid of them freezing and bursting.

2. Food. Think high protein, something filling. Maybe one of these homemade survival bars. Or the commercial types. Jerky would be good also. Keeping some food in your belly will help keep you warm and provide energy if youre stuck or have to hike out of somewhere.

3. A way to make fire. Waterproof matches, a lighter or two, fire starters, whatever you need to be able to get a fire going.

4. Blankets. Youll probably be pulling these out even if there is no emergency, but for sure youll be glad you have them if youre stuck on the side of the road in the winter for even an hour! The thrift store is a great place to look for used wool or other warm blankets.

5. A good knife and/or multi-tool. There is nothing so sacred about your vehicle that you couldnt use parts of it to stay alive. But how are you going to cut your car seats and seatbelts into modified snowshoes without a good knife?

6. A shovel. Slide off the road into a snowbank and a shovel can mean the difference between being stuck there and digging 3 feet of snow out of your way and getting back on the road.

7. Gloves. Some sturdy, warm, work-in-able gloves would be best.

8. Light. There are fewer hours of daylight in the winter and the chances of something happening when its dark out are pretty good. Keep a good flashlight handy and make sure the batteries are charged or fresh.

9. First aid kit. Important stuff. If you can help yourself or your passengers before medical help arrives, youre that much better off.

10. Communications. Keep your cell phone, CB, or ham radio charged and in the vehicle with you. This doesnt need to be in your trunk it will probably up front where you can get to it and use it easily. Help may be just minutes away if you have a method of contacting someone.

11. Spare tire, jack, and tire iron. This should be a given to be in your trunk, but check your spares air pressure, make sure you know where your jack is and how to use it, and make sure you have a way to get those lug nuts loosened and tightened back up! Changing a flat tire in the snow is no fun, but it would be better to have the means of getting it done and getting back on the road than having to wait for someone to rescue you.

Just a few items in your trunk can mean the difference between a miserable, possibly life threatening experience on the road and coming out alive and well. Nows as good a time as ever to get those winter supplies in the trunk, especially before you start that holiday traveling!

How about you? What would you add?

http://foodstorageandsurvival.com/11-tr ... paredness/

Baxter, same company that unleashed tainted avian flu vaccines, recalls 300,000 flu vaccines for serious adverse reactions

Thursday, November 10, 2011
by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer

(NaturalNews) Baxter Healthcare Corp. has announced it is recalling roughly 300,000 doses of its Preflucel influenza vaccine due to what it says is an excessive number of adverse events. Baxter is the same drug company that was caught inserting Avian Flu Virus into flu vaccines back in 2009 (http://www.naturalnews.com/025760.html).

The UK's Daily Mail reports that a high number of individuals injected with an apparently tainted batch of Preflucel have been reporting side effects like fatigue, muscle pain, and headaches. The vaccine, which was crafted specifically for those with egg allergies, has only been in use since March when it was first approved for use in the UK.

"The vaccine is being recalled because these side effects have been reported more frequently with this specific batch," said a Baxter spokesmen. This spokesman also attempted to reassure the public that those who have already been vaccinated with Preflucel "should not be concerned (for their safety)."

At the same time, however, Baxter has instructed healthcare providers not to administer any more Preflucel, no matter what batch it came from, to patients. And since this announcement, many European countries where the vaccine was distributed have ceased using it, and have instead switched to various alternatives.

"[Preflucel] should no longer be used and any remaining stock [of the recalled batches] should be returned to the original supplier for credit," announced the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. "No further Preflucel of any batch should be administered at this time."

Conveniently for Baxter, no further information has been provided to the public as to what might be the cause of the uptick in adverse reactions. And if the vaccine is so harmful that the company has decided to recall several hundred thousand doses of it and cease all further administration of it, how can officials say that those who have already been injected with it are safe?

The 2009 scandal involving the US division of Baxter essentially exposed the company as a purveyor of biological terrorism. After all, the company's Biosafety Level 3 (BSL3) facility where the tainted vaccine was produced would have prevented unintentional contamination, which implies an intentional conspiracy (http://www.naturalnews.com/025760.html). So what dirty little secret might Baxter be trying to hide with its current recall?

Sources for this article include: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic ... fects.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/034112_Baxte ... cines.html

$433-million smallpox drug deal: A company controlled by a longtime political donor gets a no-bid contract

No Fear, Indeed

- Michael Oberndorf, RPA
Sunday, November 13, 2011

Late breaking, but hardly surprising, corruption news, reported by the ever-so-liberal Los Angeles Times, no less:

“Cost, need questioned in $433-million smallpox drug deal: A company controlled by a longtime political donor gets a no-bid contract to supply an experimental remedy for a threat that may not exist”.

It seems that in spite of being caught flat footed and red handed pouring taxpayer dollars into failing, mismanaged, Democrat-donor run “green” energy company, Solyndra, the Obama-Soetoro Gang threw caution to the wind, and engineered a highly unethical, and perhaps also highly illegal deal for another fat cat Democrat donor.
Siga Technologies is run by one of the richest men on the planet, ranked 52nd richest in 2010, and thus, clearly a One-percenter, billionaire and long-time Democrat and big donor, Ronald O. Perelman. Funny how many big Democrat donors are the very super-rich Jews the anti-Semitic Occupy “movement” degenerates hate so much. But I digress.

Siga was trying to get a contract to sell the government 1.7 million doses of smallpox vaccine, but ran into some major problems. For example, their drug is experimental and has never been tested on humans, so no one has any idea of whether or not it works. Then, there’s the fact that smallpox was eradicated, wiped out, back in 1978, except for small samples kept locked away by the Russians and us. And to top it off, Siga wanted $255 per dose, for a total of $433,500,000.
For us, as taxpayers, another huge question is why this came up at all. It seems that the government already has a stockpile of a billion dollars worth of $3 per dose of a vaccine that is known to work. With only a vague and extremely remote possibility that somehow a terrorist group might get their hands on live smallpox virus, a possibility regarding which the LA Times reports, “There is no credible evidence that any other country or a terrorist group possesses smallpox,” it looks as if this is a needless project to begin with. Even before they rigged the deal so Siga and Perelman would get it, this thing stank like month-old fish.
Apparently several other companies put in bids significantly lower, so the Obama-Soetoro Gang changed the rules making Siga the only bidder under a sole source procurement. Amazing how easily government regulations can be bent and twisted, when the benders and twisters are powerful Democrats. One wonders, too, where money for this patently political payoff was supposed to come from? Yet the Obama-Soetoro/Reid/Pelosi cabal demand that we continue to raise the debt ceiling, when it should be obvious to even the most willfully blind that vast majority of the money is going into the pockets of their fat cat and big union puppet masters.
The outrageousness of the Siga boondoggle illustrates another, very significant point. The Obama-Soetoro Gang is not afraid of us. They pulled this rip-off of the taxpayers right out in the open. They seem to believe their own propaganda and lies about Tea Party members and ordinary Americans. They think we’re too stupid to catch on to the fact that they’ve been looting our treasury for the past three years. Unlike the Mafia, they have not even tried to make it look legitimate. We need to put an end to this. Now.
Since the spineless parasites infesting Congress refuse to stop the spending (read, looting), we need to find another way. I have reached a point where I can see very valid, justifiable reasons for not paying our taxes anymore, at least not to the government. They have left no doubt in the minds of reasonable Americans that the more we give them, the more they will steal and give to their cronies, their partners in crime, as the Siga incident aptly illustrates. However, it would be very difficult for them to do much to us if millions of us were to deposit our taxes in escrow accounts, thus showing good faith, rather than criminal intent.

If, as, and when, law and order are restored, i.e., we return to government by the Constitution, the money will be there to pay for repairing the damage these traitors have done. If not the money can serve to put into force the sentiments expressed so long ago, in the Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/42312