Tea for Two Hundred, This Year and Next- Part 1, by Sarah Latimer

I grew up watching old movies. Doris Day was one of my favorite actresses. I loved her girlish bounce, playfulness, and the wink of her eye. So, I’m frequently reminiscent of her movie “Tea for Two” when I ask various members of the household if they’d like to join me in sharing some tea by asking, “Tea for two?”. I don’t really remember much about the movie since it has been such a long time since I watched it, but it became a common saying in my household, and it still is. However, we don’t just consume tea in individual bags around here every once in awhile. We consume a lot! Plus, we save some for future pleasure and health benefits, too.

It’s garden time and we’re busy planting, but I thought I’d take the time to write about some of the wonderful teas and flavor ingredients our family and those who visit us enjoy regularly from our garden (or from our long-term store house). You might want to consider planting some of these in your annual or perennial gardens, too, or maybe this will encourage you to research your favorite tea ingredients to find how you might grow them where you live. Many of our teas are homegrown, but some of our tea ingredients are purchased and prepared for long-term storage; there are ways to do so economically, and I’ll share some of these ideas as well. As a bonus, many of these teas are also healthy and have dual uses or possibly many uses, making the plant even more attractive to grow.

The stores have wonderful boxes of loose or bagged teas for sale, but most of these are costly, ranging up to $0.45 a cup or more. It’s big business, and our family are not the only ones who like drinking tea for pleasure and health purposes. Tea is gaining in popularity. Ready-to-drink tea sales, according to statistica.com, increased to $6.6 billion in 2014, up from $6.2 billion in 2013. Loose leaf tea sales increased to $1.3 billion in 2015, with most tea imported from China, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Kenya. Some green and black tea is grown domestically, with Lipton, a few other international and regional tea companies, and boutique tea producers having tea farms in the southern half of U.S. states, since tea bushes can be grown in zones 7-11. Traditional green and black tea bushes can also be grown in green houses, of course, and it is possible to successfully grow tea in large pots indoors in sunny windows, from what I read, but that’s not optimal. The traditional tea bushes naturally live a long time and grow quite large, which is difficult to do in a container.

All in all, it’s a lucrative business. At the market rates, with the amount of hot and iced tea our household consumes, we could easily spend $1,000-2,000 a year or even more just on tea at our present consumption, and that doesn’t include our coffee or juice budget. In our on-going efforts at frugality, we have found that there are better ways for us to use our financial resources and still be able to enjoy our delicious, satisfying, and healthy teas with little cost.

We grow much of our own tea and tea flavors, and we buy the other in bulk. By growing our own and doing our research, we know what we are consuming, the condition in which it was grown, and the plant’s health benefits. For those things we grow ourselves, we can be confident they were not sprayed with pesticides or contaminated with dangerous fertilizers and unhealthy water.

Furthermore, we never know when the Schumer will hit the fan, whether for the nation, our region, or maybe just for our family in the form of a period without income or a major, unexpected expense. If we ever had a repeat of the Boston Tea Party, where all imports were rejected, I’d want my own indefinite supply! While I doubt we’ll experience this, I do wonder if the importation of tea will be able to continue indefinitely. Like many items our nation enjoys, most of our tea is imported, and war seems to be emininent as well as financial crisis, so only the Lord God knows for certain what our future holds and what resources we will be able to import in the months and years ahead. Having our own self-sustaining supply of the things that we need is very important and becoming more important to me each with each day’s news report.

You may think that it is silly for me to be concerned about having a tea supply when there are much more basic and critical supplies necessary for life. Certainly there are! Tea may not be a staple necessity, but it is important for our family’s emotional and physical health. Under normal conditions, we drink tea every day in some form or fashion. For me and other members of our family, tea is one of the simple pleasures of life, and we enjoy being able to share this pleasure with our guests also. When SHTF, having some sense of normalcy will help keep us level headed and focused. Tea is one of those things that I intend to continue providing to my family that they can look forward to in the troubled days. So, it is my goal for our family to not only have what we need on hand and within reach for the long term but to have many of the things that we enjoy available to us as well. Noah had family, food, shelter, work, and water. The clothes and shoes of the children of Israel didn’t wear out while they spent 40 years in the wilderness, and at times they had more than their fill of manna and quail as well as “the Rock”, who provided water to them as they traveled. Regardless of what is going on in the world in a crisis situation, I don’t want to just survive; I expect our family to thrive, and I’m getting started now.

Plants We Grow For Tea

What do we grow on our property that is useful for tea? Well, the list is continuously changing. I am looking into adding tea plants (camellia sinensis), but I have not yet acquired these. (I understand that it is best to buy the plants rather than the seeds, because the germination rate of the seeds is slow, but I am no expert on this matter. Research this for yourself.) Collecting the leaves for green, black, or oolong tea look like quite a labor-intensive effort, but you know what goes into the plants that are nourishing you and you have a continued supply, as long as you are able to water and care for them. In doing my research, I understand that one must collect the new leaves with the best ones being produced in the springtime. The bushes can get quite large and I’d need several to meet our family’s tea demands, but I read that it is helpful to keep them pruned to encourage new growth (and leaves for tea). The leaves have to be hand picked, then bruised, and often rolled before being fully dried. Christine Parks, who writes for the American Camellia Society, provided a detailed pdf paper on how she grows and processes green/black tea in her backyard.

I don’t have tea bushes yet, but in writing this article and looking back at my information on growing green and black teas, I am more serious than ever about getting some bushes soon. These are nice bushes with beautiful camellia flowers on them. So, even if we don’t pick the leaves, they would look nice on the property! If and when SHTF, we will want black tea for sure, and I only have a few year’s worth stored away. I’ll tell you later how we store our teas and tea flavoring ingredients to retain long-term freshness. Let’s get right into what we grow on our property currently and what you can, too.

We grow (for tea):

  • Chamomile
  • Lemon Balm
  • Lemon Grass
  • Peppermint
  • Spearmint
  • Lavendar
  • Calendula
  • Strawberries
  • Blackberries
  • Blueberries
  • Peaches
  • Apples
  • Roses/rose hips
  • Borage flowers
  • Nasturtium flowers

Now, I’m not including the medicinal tea ingredients that we grow. Those are okay, but not really pleasant, in my opinion. Stinging nettle tea is actually not bad, but it is not a joy, like the ingredients I’m listing here. Echinacea is down right bitter, and there are many other medicinal plants we grow also that can be ingested as tea, but I’m not going to go into those specifically in this article. I’m focusing on what tastes good here, though there are health benefits, some of which I may mention.

Using the Plants We Grow

Let’s talk about the plants I grow and how I use each, specifically.

Tea by the Cup or Glass

What tool we use for infusing our tea has a lot to do with what ingredients we are using. If I am merely making a ginger root tea, then I can simply slice a thin piece of peeled ginger root and put it in a cup of hot water by itself to let it seep for five to ten minutes and remove it at the end of that time. However, if I am using chamomile or another tea/herb that has fine particles, I must use a very fine mesh infuser. Medium-sized or large particle tea, like black tea with coursely chopped leaves, can be put into a tea ball or a closed spoon with the holes to allow the infusing to occur. Alternatively, one can just dump everything into hot water and then pour through a fine mesh strainer after it has seeped. I use all of the above methods, depending upon what ingredients I have, how much I am making, and what is available to me at the time. Straining the tea and flavanoids out is important, because I don’t know anyone who enjoys drinking chunks of anything in their tea. If making iced tea, I seep a strong cup of tea in hot water and then slowly pour it over ice cubes, add a little chilled water and stir. Something new that we recently tried and found to work nicely for traveling, gift giving, or for carrying in your lunch box, brief case, or purse, are paper tea bags. They add a small expense but are very convenient. Because I was uable to find a supply of tea bags from a U.S. manufacturer, we ordered these drawstring tea bags from China through Amazon and found them to work rather well. The only drawback is that it takes several weeks for them to arrive, so be sure to allow that time in your planning and order a decent quantity if you want a long-term supply of these. It’s very easy to mix up a tea blend, put a heaping teaspoon inside one of these, tie it closed, and place several in a sandwich ziploc bag for convenient carry in my purse and use wherever I go.

Tea by the Pitcher or Teapot

Basically, I use the same tools as I do for the cup or glass but larger ones and have pitchers that can handle the hot water for seeping teas. If I am making iced tea, which is a staple in our home throughout most of the year (yes, I am a southerner and I’ve even been mocked publicly in a fine Boston restaurant for ordering iced tea in the winter but insisted upon a glass of ice and a cup of hot tea anyway!), I simply fill my infuser basket with tea and/or herbs and pour hot water into the pitcher to let it seep. Then, I let the infuser drain its yummy nectar and add ice water to fill the pitcher. I am especially fond of the Republic of Tea pitcher that allows for loose tea infusion as well as fruit infusion. In tea pots, I may use tea balls or baskets also.

Letter Re: Amazon Discussion

Hugh,

Another great Amazon tool isn’t really Amazon at all. To determine whether today’s price is the best price, copy the item’s URL and go to camelcamelcamel.com. There, you’ll be able to see a historical chart of the item’s price and set up a notification when the item reaches the price you’re comfortable with (not only on Amazon but with third party sellers as well, if you’re so inclined).

Camelcamelcamel.com is a great tool, if you don’t need to buy it today, for those items that may be more costly and in your budget at a lower price. – Dayzymom

Economics and Investing:

Balance Due: Credit-Card Debt Nears $1 Trillion as Banks Push Plastic – G.G.

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Swift Banking Network Struggles With Wave of Cyberattacks – It would be prudent to have cash, even when traveling around. Local banks might take an outage if the Swift network goes down. – P.S.

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Crony Capitalism And The Feudal America Of Trump And Clinton – J.B.

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Two-Thirds Of Americans Would Struggle To Cover $1,000 Emergency – G.G.

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The Biggest Winner Of The Oil Bust: Interview With Aeromexico – Airlines have thrived throughout the oil bust as fuel costs fell rapidly, but now that oil prices are slowing turning around airlines are trying to hedge the best price for the years ahead.

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SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Wonderful idea and program on urban farming. An All-Volunteer Squad Of Farmers Is Turning Florida Lawns Into Food – DMS

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New Surveillance System May Let Cops Use All of the Cameras – Note: All of these systems that allow the police or public to access private video cameras depend on users not configuring their cameras appropriately. Always change the password on any camera, even if you don’t think that it has access to the Internet. – B.B.

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Schumer to Introduce Further Gun Control Legislation – RBS

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Two from Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large:

US Immigration map

Useful site for tracking local crime

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An interesting article on the intrusive methods of policing: The Problem With Smart Policing – T.Z.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” – 1 Peter 2:9-10 (KJV)

Notes for Saturday – May 21, 2016

Just three days after Hessian mercenary forces assaulted the local New Jersey militia at Quinton’s Bridge, the same contingent surprised the colonial militia at Hancock’s Bridge five miles from Salem. In what became known as the Massacre at Hancock’s Bridge, at least 20 members of the militia lost their lives, some after attempting to surrender. The Loyalists reputedly exclaimed “Spare no one! Give no quarter!” as they stormed the occupied house. Judge Hancock and his brother (both Loyalists) were bayoneted in the melee by the attackers even though they were both staunch supporters of the crown and were themselves non-violent Quakers.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 64 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value),
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chrome-lined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul PMAG 30-rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt; (an equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions),
  6. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  7. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package (enough for two families of four) plus seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate (a $325 retail value),
  8. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  9. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating an AquaBrick water filtration kit with a retail value of $250, and
  10. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  3. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  4. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  5. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  6. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  8. Safecastle is providing a package of 10 LifeStraws (a $200 value)
  9. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A $245 gift certificate from custom knife-maker Jon Kelly Designs, of Eureka, Montana,
  3. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  7. Montie Gear is donating a Precision Rest (a $249 value), and
  8. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 64 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

How To Trim Your Horse’s Feet- Part 1, by R.B.

For starters I should let you know that I was school trained as a farrier at the Oklahoma Horse Shoeing School in Purcell, Oklahoma. I went there right after two tours in the U.S. Army. I worked full time as a shoer for about 10 years, then part time for another 10 years, and now I just shoe my own horses. In short, I have about 30 years and thousands of horses under my belt. I suspect the readers of this blog have already read JWR’s Patriots, which was the inspiration for this article.

The purpose of this article is to give you a usable reference to help you maintain the health of your horse’s feet, should you find yourself in a TEOTWAWKI situation where transportation via horseback is essential. I should also point out that all the information relative to shoeing, choosing sound horses for purchase, correcting traveling problems, forging corrective shoes, and identifying and treating ailments would take an entire book, which is likely a little too lengthy for this format. The aim of this article is to familiarize you with trimming horses feet and hopefully start you on a path of confidence and skill so that you can not only maintain your own stock but use this information as a barter skill to add to your TEOTWAWKI preparation toolbox.

Preparations

First, I think it’s best to give you a quick outline from start to finish of a basic trim. Later, we will go into detail on all the anatomy, tools, and procedures. (You can print, laminate, and keep this with your emergency horse trimming tool kit.)

200-27

Outline

Trimming horses feet:

  1. Starting with the front left foot, lift the foot and grasp securely and comfortably.
  2. Clean debris with dull side of knife.
  3. Check the foot for any sign of disease or injury.
  4. Use hoof knife to find the white line at the toe of the sole.
  5. Use hoof knife to concave the sole to the commisures, leaving enough dead sole to protect the foot.
  6. Use the hoof knife to trim the bars and frog.
  7. Use the nippers at the toe of the hoof wall to start a straight and level cut.
  8. Continue trimming the hoof wall along the left and right sides level with the initial cut.
  9. Check the alignment of the heels, using imaginary T line.
  10. Use the coarse side of the rasp to smooth and level the hoof wall from the heels to the toe.
  11. Check the alignment of the heels again, using imaginary T line and rasp to level.
  12. Use the coarse side of the rasp to cut a 45 degree angle across the front half of the hoof wall.
  13. Use the fine side of the rasp to “round” the 45 degree cut angle.
  14. Check again for any sign of disease of injuries and treat accordingly.
  15. Continue this process around the back feet and back to the opposite front foot.

Sounds simple enough, right?

Anatomy

It is important that you familiarize yourself with the anatomy of a horse’s foot. image-2 The outside shell that you see when the horse is standing is called the hoof wall. The hoof wall is named for the toe at the front, the sides are called the quarters, and the farthest back points are called the heels. Between and above the heels is a fleshy area, called the bulbs. At the top of the hoof wall, at the hair line, is an area called the coronet band. Inside the hoof the bone in the bottom of the foot is called the coffin bone. Just above that is the short pastern bone, with the long pastern bone above that and the navicular bone to the rear of the short pastern and coffin bone joint. If you lift up the foot and look at the bottom, just inside the hoof wall is a thin line called the white line.image-3 The white line is the laminae that adheres the hoof wall to the sole. After the white line is the sole. The sole comprises most of the area under the foot. The large leathery triangular pad at the rear of the foot is called the frog. On each side of the frog, there is a trough called a commisure, and just outside that, running from the heel to the front of the frog, is a line of wall tissue called the bars.

Tools

The next bit of necessary background reference is the tools. As a bare minimum to trim a foot, you will need a hoof knife, nippers, and a rasp. image-4 Hoof knives are hand specific; so, if you are right handed, you will need a right hand knife. I am right handed, but I also keep a left hand knife because it is much easier to trim the left side of the frog with a left-handed knife for a right-handed person. They also make a double-bladed hoof knife so you can have both knives in one tool. The knife should be kept sharp including the hook end, which is used to clean out hard to get to areas, like the commisure. Your nippers are for cutting the hoof wall. I recommend buying the best pair of nippers you can find. I went through three pairs of Diamond brand nippers before I finally broke down and purchased a pair of 15” GE nippers. The diamond nippers are fine for general purpose, but I have busted two pair on really hard mustang feet. The next tool on the list is a hoof rasp and rasp handle. Rasps are very sharp but also very brittle. When used for the intended purpose, they are like a hot knife through butter. However, if you accidentally drop or step on a rasp, they can snap like peanut brittle. So, for TEOTWAWKI, I recommend having at least one spare. The rasp has four cutting surfaces. The rough side is used for the bottom of the foot. The smooth side is used for the outside of the foot, and the edges are only used when shoeing. The last critical piece of equipment is an apron. I use custom-made chinks with a pocket and a magnet sewn onto the right outside of the knee. image-5 The apron will protect your legs from sharp edges of the hoof wall and provide a place to hold your tools, so you can use both hands to lift and position the horse’s feet.

The Details and Explanation

Now, let’s get to the detail and explanation that I promised you earlier. I like to start with the front left foot, because the left side of the horse is the most used and, hence, most familiar to the horse. It is important to keep the horse comfortable and relaxed as much as possible, as it makes your job a lot easier if the horse is not moving around trying to get comfortable. The whole job is about the horse, so keep that in mind; be considerate of the horse, and the whole job will be much faster. Pat Parrelli once said, “A horse doesn’t care how much you know, until he knows how much you care.”

Lifting a Horse’s Front Foot

Always start with your hand on the horse’s body just above the leg and run your other hand down the leg to the foot so the horse can follow what you are doing. When you get to the foot, if the horse is already broke to shoeing, it is likely he will just lift the foot for you. If he does not, you just grab hold of the hair at the back of the hock and give it a tug upward. If that doesn’t work, you can slide your hand above the hock and feel for a soft spot between the bone and the tendon. If you give that area a little squeeze, most horses will automatically give to this pressure and lift the foot. However you get them to give the foot to you, be prepared to take a good hold on the foot just above the hoof wall until you can get it high enough to grab it by the toe. When you have the foot raised, make a mental note of where the foot is. On a horse with straight legs, the foot will rise straight up and should be directly behind his elbow. The less you move the foot from that position the easier the job will be. If you try to pull the foot out toward you, it will be uncomfortable for the horse and he will likely be moving around trying to get comfortable while you are trying to work. So keep him comfortable and make your job easier. I keep my body as close to the horse as possible, raise the foot with my hand closest to the horse, then slide the foot between my knees, and switch to my outside hand in front of my knees to position the foot and get a good comfortable stance for both me and the horse. On the front feet, this position is very much more uncomfortable for you, but that bit of discomfort will pay off in the end with a happier more tolerant horse.

Cleaning the Foot

Once positioned, I start the trim by using the dull side of my hoof knife to clean out the foot. image-6 Keeping your knife sharp is critical for efficient trimming, and using the dull side of the knife means you don’t have to carry an extra tool to clean the foot. Plus, it protects the sharp side of your knife from rocks and gravel packed in the dirty foot. image-7 image-8

Letter Re: Shopping on Amazon

Hugh,

In addition to the information in this article I would like to mention that there are many free Kindle books at Amazon as well at archive.org that are in the public domain. You do not need a Kindle (or Amazon Prime account) to download and read these books, you can read them on your laptop/desktop computer with the free downloadable Kindle PC reading app from Amazon. If you use the shipping option that gives you a 99 cent credit usable on Kindle books or digital audio products it has been my experience that the length of time between ordering and arrival has not been any different than the fastest free option, and you can use that credit on Kindle books.

Another Amazon feature that I use numerous times daily, is the Send-to-Kindle app. This particular article in fact, like many on Survival Blog, I view on my Safari web browser and use the reader view and on the pull-down ‘file’ option I “save as PDF” to a folder on my computer. Once there I “Send-to-Kindle” to my portable Kindle Fire on which I’ve got an encyclopedia of knowledge. Saved as PDF files also makes them easy to print out and placed in that binder we all have.

Lastly, and most importantly, the section on Amazon reviews In Sarah Latimers’ article is very excellent and perhaps the most valuable information of all. In fact, I often read one-star ratings just for entertainment: “I rated this one-star because I got it as a gift and I already have one”. – Mr. T

Economics and Investing:

Huge Trend Changes Point To Something Big In The Gold Market

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The Coming Catastrophic Collapse Of The American Middle Class – B.B.

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U.S. debt dump deepens in 2016 – B.B.

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A third of cash is held by 5 U.S. companies

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Extreme rental living in Los Angeles: Want to live in a van, near the river? Or maybe a RV is more your taste?

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SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Missouri Lawmakers Ignore Bloomberg’s Anti-Gun Campaign: Pass Constitutional Carry, ‘Stand Your Ground’ Bill

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Sent in by G.G. – Judge orders ethics classes for ‘deceptive’ DOJ attorneys Excerpt: The facts of the deception are not in doubt, Hanen emphasized. “[DOJ] has now admitted making statements that clearly did not match the facts,” he said in the May 19 opinion, first noted by the National Law Journal. “It has admitted that the lawyers who made these statements had knowledge of the truth when they made these misstatements … This court would be remiss if it left such unseemly and unprofessional conduct unaddressed.”

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This Man Saved A Girl’s Life, Now Target Is Suing Him – B.B.

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Microsoft has become far more aggressive in pushing their free Windows 10 upgrade for users of Windows 7 and Windows 8. For those who do not want it (and some of the potential security issues it brings) it is important to realize that it can automatically download onto your machine and run the update without your approval. There exists various ways to stop this from happening AND freeing up potentially 6GB+ of space that it uses in pre-downloading its files. You can learn more here – B.M.

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Feds: EMP hit on electric grid threatens national security

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.” – Ezekiel 44:23-24 (KJV)

Notes for Friday – May 20, 2016

May 20th, 1942 is the birthday of Carlos Hathcock; he died February 23, 1999. He was a United States Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant sniper with a service record of 93 confirmed kills.

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We are coming up on the end of Round 64 of the SurvivalBlog Writing Contest. If you have an article you would like to submit to the contest, finish it up and email it to SurvivalBlog. If you haven’t read the list of prizes that are going to the top winners, you should take the time to read them below. Sometimes I look at these prizes and wish I could enter the contest! Remember, if you have won the contest before and it has been longer than a year, you can enter and be eligible again. Past winners of the Honorable Mention prizes can enter the contest any time.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 64 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value),
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chrome-lined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul PMAG 30-rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt; (an equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions),
  6. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  7. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package (enough for two families of four) plus seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate (a $325 retail value),
  8. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  9. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating an AquaBrick water filtration kit with a retail value of $250, and
  10. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  3. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  4. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  5. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  6. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  8. Safecastle is providing a package of 10 LifeStraws (a $200 value)
  9. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A $245 gift certificate from custom knife-maker Jon Kelly Designs, of Eureka, Montana,
  3. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  7. Montie Gear is donating a Precision Rest (a $249 value), and
  8. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 64 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Understanding the Progressive Agenda- Part 2, by DBS

The Next Domino to Fall After the Glass-Stegall Act

Look, our friends over at Wall Street were losing their wealth. We (the elite) couldn’t allow that to happen. They needed more dollars to pay their debts because the stupid middle class had lost their jobs, filed bankruptcy, and were not buying anything. What could we do? Well, we decided to print more dollars and give those dollars to them. Then, they could pay off their bonuses and buy more of their own stocks. They keep up their perceived value, and we will all look rich! We will take advantage of the inflated values of Wall St. We will inflate the Wall St values and increase the media stories and programs to the middle class so that they invest more into the inflated values. Then, when we decide it is time, we (the elite) will pull out all of our investments at the same time. This will leave the middle class holding the bag!

Sorry for the change to 1st person, the Great Recession is new and still painful for so many. I felt I needed to lighten up the true horror of financial destruction of the middle class. Hindsight is always—20/20! Now, I’m back to talking for myself instead of as a member of the elite.

Man, I hope this scenario, described above, doesn’t happen! That is why I educate my friends and family about the dangers of owning Wall St rather than any tangible asset.

The next financial issue the elite didn’t see coming was a drop in the GDP! Why? Recently the facade is showing its ugly truth in the financial markets. The charade is up! Remember where we are in the population control and demise of the western middle class theory. Have you figured out “the why”? The reason is greed!

Greed of the wealthy elite is the reason for population control, Marxism, and Communistic theory and agendas. The elite’s greed is why we have lost our family unit. It’s responsible for the attack on our Constitution, the emasculation of our men, the push to increase feminism, and the career woman. The result would be fewer kids born to conservative, Christian parents of the successful middle class. They couldn’t allow the middle class (MC) to multiply their efforts in obtaining generational wealth. They needed to deconstruct the MC western culture, because of the elite’s greed. Plus, to change the MC culture, the end result was to create a two-class system similar to a feudal system of “rulers and serfs”. That is why we have seen such an increase of the wealth of the Top 10% in the USA and a huge drop off of the middle class with an increase of poverty. This is the creation of a feudal system. I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news!

An unforeseen drop in the GDP is a real issue for the wealth of the elite ruling class. So, they need to solve this real issue and quickly! But how? They can’t afford to adjust the plan of ridding the MC, and they can’t make the MC any poorer without causing a revolt. What could be the answer?

If the MC did have the guts to revolt, the elite needed start the attack on our ownership of guns and ammo. Why? Well, because an unarmed population is not a threat to creating a feudal system, unless it is the peasant revolt in the French Revolution. However, I don’t think “pitchforks” would be very successful versus our current military and police state complex.

How Elite Solving the GDP Issue Without Increasing the Conservative Constitution-Minded Middle Class

The answer is immigration reform! What better may to solve the GDP than by bringing in a completely new class of consumer. These new consumers wouldn’t request any new Constitution rights. This new consumer won’t have a problem with loss of those rights, since they never had those rights before in their lives.

These new immigrant citizens will have almost 0 financial education, so they won’t threaten the elite’s wealth and power. Plus, when the Progressive politicians give those second and third rates citizens free stuff: home, welfare, cell phone, et cetera, these new citizens will vote Progressive with no questions or qualms. Never heard that technique work? Look back to 2012 and Obama’s vote-buying with government cell phones. SMH! Wow! It’s surreal.

Looking to the under 30 year old group, they have pushed for more “equality”. Man, we didn’t see that coming. Have you heard of “Occupy Wall St”? Do you remember “1% Rich and 99% Poor” signs? Well, that was a precursor of things to come! I think the Democrats and the Progressives found a way to quench the thirst for equality. They will make everyone the same. Using the techniques of communism, they will place everyone on an even playing surface, that being below the poverty line! That way we will all feel– equal, and there will no longer be any envy, desire, and will to bring a even greater loss of hope. How much equality do we need to have? The next generation has been brain-washed for so long that I feel sorrow for the Millennial generation. They are seeing a real punch to the gut in becoming adults, and they’re demanding the likes of Bernie and equality; they will be surprised. Be careful for what you wish for! With the use of TV, social media, Hollywood stars, and the music industry, these celebrities are all playing for a spot among the elite ruling class. They have been promised their place and the future of greater fortunes. Do your research and you can wonder why Leonardo DiCaprio gets invited to Davos Switzerland for a World Economic Summit!?! Then he comes back from Davos and wins the Best Actor award; during his acceptance speech, he rants about global warming. Does it seems curious or scripted? But the attack on the MC is not over. It has now become an elimination! Stay tuned! Reflect, and ask yourself “Why?”.

Understanding the Progressive Agenda—Part #2

In the last four years and over the next six years, our western middle culture is under its final attack. I believe our culture will be eliminated in the next ten years. Since the election of BHO, I have never seen such a movement to unravel our Constitution and our culture. The purposeful unraveling seems so comedic that it seems surreal. Why are there 0 checks and balances in Washington D.C.? Aren’t these checks and balances laid out in the framework of our government? So, it seems beyond me. Unless, all those politicians all are part of the same game? What a real shame. I feel duped and upset with their greed. In history, all of the most powerful empires had a great middle class. However, it seems that the Progressive Movement is now entering the final mode. It is really amazing to see how a liberal person behaves and acts around non-liberals. They get violent, aggressive, unable to communicate, narcissistic, unfounded and lost. It seems that the liberal mind has now become a mental illness. I guess, it’s brain washing? But, back to the matter, the progressive agenda is now becoming a movement. This movement is ready for the final stage– the elimination of the middle class.

Why? Let’s go back to looking at it from the elite’s point of view. The threat of the middle class needs to be eliminated, because having a middle class does not work with our goal of creating a two-class system of rulers and serfs. An educated, financially funded middle class, with a Constitution that was designed against tyranny, needs to be eliminated. Because those powerful MC will not go quietly, they could revolt and over-throw our positions of wealth and power. We need to eliminate the Second Amendment and take away any other parts of the Constitution that the Middle Class could use against us. Then we will create a major event that would destroy their finances, their basic needs, and thus make the Middle Class come running to us with their hands out, like it was back in 1933.

If we, the middle clas, would fall to ours knees and beg for help, the elite can then eliminate the middle class. Then, they (the elite) would have an entire population of American serfs. However, this is where I was confused. How can you have 200 million Americans on welfare! How does a Communist state work, financially?

It goes against all sound financial advice and against history. How about the teaching of Ayn Rand, the collapse of USSR, et cetera. Why in the world would a ruling party want a bunch of poor people asking for hand outs? Man, I didn’t get the Progressive agenda! I didn’t, until now.

What do all of those Serfs need? They need food, water, housing, utilities, and Chinese junk. You know, those are merely Serf essentials, and the elite will need to charge taxes on all those items. Still, I don’t think that would be enough wealth to cover all of the welfare handouts, would it? Then I thought, who owns all the factories, resources, water, and power plants that are needed by a large population? And if one group of rulers owned all of those resources and income generators, then those owners would be the only group that could profit from the sale of those products. By owning all of the necessities, charging a profit, controlling taxes, and eliminating all competition (small business owners), a wealthy elite would control national and global economies and populations. This is a grandiose dream of the wealthy elite. For we should remember the “Golden Rule”: he who owns the gold makes the rules!

The Unfortunate Truth

Now all of this could be a nightmare or a conspiracy theory. It will depend on your perspective and what the future will reveal to us. I know many of my friends and family could not or would not digest this foundation writing. So, I quote Plato:

“Those who are able to see beyond the shadows and lies of their culture, will never be understood, let alone believed by the masses.”

After I revealed this foundation theory to a family member, I was asked, “Now what?” There was panic and despair in their voice. I explained that I am going to keep doing what I am doing. I am going to keep raising my children and their children and doing it right. I am going to keep my culture alive, keep my religion in front, prepare for judgment day here on Earth and in Heaven, and prepare to keep my household healthy and happy. Yet, I am going to keep my prospects open to finding a new like-minded community. I am prepared to relocate to my next Redoubt, if needed. I plan on keeping in contact with like-minded people and to get more involved with local politics, and if the local politics change then I am ready to relocate to other areas that are open to conservative, Christian families. I am going to continue obtaining more wealth and making sure that wealth is far from the U.S. dollar hegemony. I will do my best to educate my children to raise more non-liberal children, so that I can help in keeping my Western culture alive. Keep your eyes open, and God speed.

Three Letters Re: Amazon

HJL,

I really enjoyed Sarah Latimer’s article on using Amazon. Although I use it quite a bit, I still found some of her shopping tips helpful.

Regarding caveats about shopping, the biggest one I have found is the item price is cheap but the shipping cost is outrageous.

amazonprices

Here is a quick example, note the cheapest one doesn’t have free shipping. [Editors note: These prices/shipping do not seem to be from Amazon Prime. Mrs. Latimer strongly urges SurvivalBlog readers to sign up for Prime. If you just order 10 or 12 items a year, it will probably pay for itself.]

Also be aware that the cheapest one may be shipping from your state and you will also have to pay sales tax, making it more expensive. – S.T.

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Hugh,

For purchases like 99% Isopropyl Alcohol, don’t neglect the Industrial & Scientific department. You can often find higher quality and less expensive products there than you can in the Health & Beauty department. I found a good deal on XL 6-mil Nitrile gloves there. – WGU

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Hugh,

Two more tips:

  1. You can use the “saved for later” feature to buy on sale. There are many things I want but they are pricey or I just want a spare. When going to the cart, it will say “items changed price”, so I can then see if something dropped, say from $100 to $80 and buy it then. It can sit for months at retail, then one day go on sale and I snap it up.
  2. The Synchrony Bank Amazon Prime rebate card. 5% back as a statement credit, with no fuss, on everything, not just Prime or Amazon. So if your bill would be $525, it ends up $500. – T.Z.

Economics and Investing:

Landlords Are Catching Retail’s Cold – RBS

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In some towns, the strip malls can’t die fast enough – RBS (Warning: This site may require a login to access.)

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Texas shelters, churches fear sudden influx of Cuban migrants will overwhelm them – W.C.

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Obama on track to double national debt – B.B.

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Items from Mr. Econocobas:

Fed Puts June Rate Increase on Table Provided Economy Says Go – For your daily comedic relief, it’s amazing what these folks will say with a straight face.

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