Left Of Boom”– A Different Way of Thinking About Prepping, by The Retired Professor

“Left of Boom” is originally a military term referring to the timeline before an explosion. When the explosion happens (the boom), then the timeline shifts to “right of boom”. Left of boom is where you want to be. This gives you time to avert the explosion, or at least prepare for it. Right of boom is where you do not want to be. Being right of boom means you now have to shift from averting and preparing to focusing on recovery. The whole concept embraces a timeline of “before”, “during”, and “after” a calamity, be it personal or systemic.

On a personal level, although you may not have thought about your life in terms of left and right of boom, almost all of us continually apply the concept in everyday life. Why do you buy insurance? The answer, of course, is to prepare for a “boom” (house fire, car wreck, illness, et cetera) that you hope will never happen. However, if it does happen, the insurance is a preparation meant to at least soften the blow. Left of boom thinking is why people board up windows ahead of a hurricane, sandbag flood-prone areas, exercise, get medical checkups, and the list of actions goes on.

Enter the Prepping Mindset

By definition, preppers are engaging in left of boom activities. Whether your preps are massive and costly or simple and free, the general concept is the same. You are preparing for what you believe is a coming hardship or calamity– a boom. However, there is often a problem many preppers don’t realize. A lot of people are “prepping”, but they’re doing so without a goal (or goals) in mind as to what they are prepping for. Their acquisitions become almost aimless, sometimes jumping from one category to another with no real plan behind their actions. Occasionally, these acquisitions are driven by the illogic of what becomes available at a given time. For example, there may be a sale on some particular category of goods; other times people focus on a category of preps based on what’s “in vogue” at the moment, due to a television show or news broadcast. Most of the time, though, our preps coalesce around a half dozen or so categories that are always at the top of the discussion in blogs, articles, television shows, et cetera. What comes first to mind? Food, water, shelter, defense, or maybe lists based on clichés, like “beans, bullets, and Band aids”. Sound familiar?

None of these activities or categories are bad, of course, and some prepping is better than none. However, I would like to suggest a better way of thinking and a more directed approach to your prepping. Not only will your thinking be more focused but so will your resource spending, whether that be in terms of time, money, space, or location. Since none of us has unlimited resources to spend, it behooves us to make the most of what we do have. Here is my suggestion.

Thinking “Left of Boom”

Start thinking “Left of Boom”. Sit down with your prepping partner(s) and identify a calamity (a boom) that you think is likely enough to happen that you believe you should prep for it. Let’s say for example that you focus first on a “grid down, lights out” scenario. First, draw a facsimile of this on a sheet of paper: Left of Boom, Lights Out!, and Right of Boom.

Now, with your partner or partners, do some group thinking (sometimes called “brainstorming”), which works really well here, and start focusing on what you can do now while you are in the green area (Left of Boom) to minimize the problems in the red area (Right of Boom) that the boom will create. For the moment, don’t worry about other catastrophes; just focus on the one you picked for this scenario. Start a list of priorities. Think of this as your “A” list. It’s the list of preps you believe are necessities for you and your group if the predicted event should happen. Here might be a way to start. Now assume you are “Right of Boom”. Ask yourself and your group the following questions:

  1. What would we need if the power outage lasts for 24 hours?

    This would likely be a local event. Inconvenience would probably be the worst problem experienced by most, except perhaps for people needing powered medical devices. Although your list at this point will probably be quite short, pay close attention to any items you do not have. These are the things to acquire next.

  2. What would we need if the power outage lasts 72 hours (3 days)?

    This now becomes a bit more serious, especially if it occurs in colder months. As the list of needs grows, where are the gaps in your preparations? The gaps are where you should focus your priorities.

  3. What would we need if the power outage stretched to a month or more?

    Remember, when there’s no power (you are now right of boom) it means there are no lights at night, no electric appliances working (think refrigerator and freezer here), no electronic entertainment, no power tools (at least after the battery runs out), possibly no heat, possibly no cooking, maybe no water from the faucets, probably no gasoline except what you have in your vehicles, and almost certainly lots of desperate people. The list of needs grows.

  4. What would we need if the power outage were projected to last a year or more?

    Now, of course, we are into something like EMP territory. Whether man made or natural, it makes little difference, at least for this exercise. The results are essentially the same. Your list is likely now quite long. How many items on your list do you already have? Don’t focus on what you have; focus on what you don’t have. The “don’t haves” are now what needs to be added to your preparations.

Now you are ready to pick your own scenario. Draw the timeline again. This time you fill in the blank with the scenario you believe is most imperative. Left of Boom, fill in the blank with the scenario, and then Right of Boom. Then ask yourself questions, like “What would we need if…?”

Smoldering Fuse in a Major City

One “Left of Boom” scenario I strongly encourage readers to game out (if it applies to you) concerns living in major cities. Life-threatening calamities can happen anywhere of course, but large cities and their immediate surrounding areas, especially those run by left-wing administrations, pose a special threat. Face it, the risks of living in Chicago or Los Angles are a lot different and more numerous, than living in Mayberry. The current socialistic political winds, the perceived war on police, and massive unemployment have made larger cities more dangerous than ever for anyone living in or near one. In some cities, some 911 calls are going unanswered due to reduced budgets . In other instances police are reluctant to exit patrol cars and risk lack of supervisor backing, if a situation goes sideways. Perhaps more than ever, your safety is in your own hands.

Large cities are also demographic powder kegs, and the fuse is smoldering. The political left wants open borders, “free” entitlements, and voting rights for all comers, regardless of legal status. Unfortunately, that could happen. (See: The Left’s Secret Immigration Plan, at: http://www.billoreilly.com/show?action=latestTVShow#1). The basis of this commentary is a NY Times article outlining the political left’s view on what immigration rules, in the United States, should be. If you set out to deliberately design a society sitting on a mountain of sociological dynamite, you couldn’t do better.

The vast majority of these new entrants to the U.S. will likely gravitate to the 30 or 40 largest cities, because that is where most of their brethren already are and it’s easier for them to make a living there whether it be on entitlements, entry level low wage jobs, or criminal activities. Keep in mind also, most of these metropolitan areas are “sanctuary cities”, deliberately protecting criminals, often vilifying law-abiding citizens and attracting miscreants of all types. If you live in one of these places, you are currently left of boom. Are you comfortable?

Currency Crisis

Another scenario I suggest you game out is a currency crisis. It is not widely known, but your bank deposits do not legally belong to you. Yes, you read that right! Those deposits belong to the bank. You are now an unsecured creditor of the bank. Legally, you have “loaned” your deposits to the bank. Google the term “Bail In”, and you will get a good sense of what this issue is all about. Yes, the bank owes you the money, but there are numerous reasons why they may refuse to immediately return it to you. Even under current calm conditions, there are increasing numbers of stories of people trying to withdraw modest sums from their accounts and being refused or hassled with paperwork and delays. If a serious financial crisis occurs, even retrieving small amounts from your bank accounts could become problematic. At present, you are left of boom of a serious banking crisis. Are you comfortable?

The good news is that as you game out scenarios using this approach many of the same individual items will appear on different lists, because they are virtually a staple good. For example, your first scenario list may include a Big Berkey water filter. Then you find that the Berkey also appears on every other list. Just because it gets listed six times doesn’t mean you need six Big Berkeys. You only need one to cover all scenarios. Well, maybe two. Redundancy is never a bad idea. Just don’t forget extra filters.

Conclusion

By all means, prepare, but do your homework. Prepare with direction, not aimless bouncing from topic to topic. Spend your resources on things you are sure, or reasonably sure, you and your group will need. To do less is to waste precious time, money, and energy on a “hope”. Hope is not a strategy. Your list of necessities will not match mine, your neighbor’s, or some armchair expert’s list. Don’t let that weigh you down with doubt. Learn from others. Listen to their ideas. If invited and you are so inclined, share your ideas with them. Adopt good ideas from others, and discard bad or irrelevant ones. Learning what others are thinking will pay off in ways you would never think of on your own. Suddenly finding yourself “Right of Boom” can be deadly. Being “Left of Boom” never hurt anyone, and preparing can provide some level of contentment in a world that seems to grow crazier by the day. Be a positive force! N.C.L The Retired Professor

Letter Re: Can You Buy a Budget Sniping Rifle That Is Effective?

SB editors,

That’s an interesting read on sniping rifles; thanks for posting. I would like to bring your attention to a detailed 80+ YouTube video series on long-range marksmanship, Sniper 101 by Tiborsaurus Rex.

The author is a bit long-winded and spreads out 15 minutes of good info into 20-30 minutes, but it’s still worth passing on to your readers. I’m up to video 38; so far it’s been a very informative series, and I’ve adjusted some of my cyber-Monday purchases after hearing his discussion on equipment choices (i.e. single-power mili-rad scope and spotting scope).

The author also has a few faith-based videos that I intend to view after completing the long-range series. – FooBarr

HJL Responds: I took a look at a random sampling of his sniping videos as well as comments and reviews. His videos are an excellent resource! The main point of his shooting style is to achieve a cold bore, 1st shot capability, and he demonstrates it multiple times with multiple calibers with ranges exceeding 1300 meters. This is probably one of the best instructional series I have viewed on the subject. I also spent considerable time viewing his faith-based videos, and I am confident that he speaks truth.

Economics and Investing:

China establishes rival to World Bank. Sent in by G.G.

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California cash sales surge while total sales volume plunges: Cash sales made up 30 percent of total sales last month.

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Video: Egon von Greyerz – Bond Market Biggest Bubble in the World – Sent in by G.G.

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Items from Professor Preponomics:

U.S. News

When Santa Was a Bank (Bloomberg) A Little Bit of History… “For much of the 19th century, Santa Claus had a branch office at No. 12 Wall Street. This was the “Saint Nicholas Bank,” established in 1853 and capitalized at $500,000.”

58 Facts About the US Economy from 2015 – Almost Too Crazy to Believe (The Economic Collapse Blog) From the Article: “The following are 58 facts about the U.S. economy from 2015 that are almost too crazy to believe…”

How Overregulation Led to the Collapse of Obamacare’s Largest Co-op (Daily Signal) From the Article: “A new report examining the collapse of Health Republic of New York, Obamacare’s largest co-op, said its failure—which may lead to a $265-million loss of taxpayer dollars—can be attributed in part to heightened regulatory control by the state.”

Unconverted: Contrarian Economist Unswayed by Fed’s Lift-Off (Reuters) From the Article: “The historic rate move on Dec. 16 “was very, very stupid.”

International News

Switzerland to Vote on Banning Banks from Creating Money (The Telegraph) From the Article: “If successful, the sovereign money bill would give the Swiss National Bank a monopoly on physical and electronic money creation…”

Zimbabwe’s Newest Legal Tender: Chinese Yuan (Christian Science Monitor) From the Article: “In exchange for $40 million in debt forgiveness from China, Zimbabwe will introduce the yuan as an official currency, one of many used since the country’s own dollar collapsed under hyperinflation in 2009.”

The Trade Wars Begin: U.S. Imposes 256% Tarriff on Chinese Steel Imports (Zero Hedge) Hint: “The measure is clearly aimed exclusively at China’s dumping of steel on the U.S. market, and its relentess exports of deflation.”

Personal Economics and Household Finance

How Much Half of Americans Nearing Retirement Have Saved for It (Deseret News) Spoiler Alert: Fifty-two percent of households 55 and older haven’t saved a dollar for retirement…”

Odds ‘n Sods:

Another reason why I don’t do social media: The Serial Swatter – T.Z.

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ISIS Sanctions Organ Harvesting of living non-Muslims (to save Muslim lives) – Sent in by T.P.

Article quote: “Islamic State has sanctioned the harvesting of human organs in a previously undisclosed ruling by the group’s Islamic scholars, raising concerns that the violent extremist group may be trafficking in body parts. The ruling, contained in a January 31, 2015 document reviewed by Reuters, says taking organs from a living captive to save a Muslim’s life, even if it is fatal for the captive, is permissible.”

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Government Concerned That Homeschool Parents Are “Radicalizing” Their Children – D.S.

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SurvivalBlog reader D.S. sent in the link to a video that pretty much sums up all my complaints about many churches today: Star Wars Nativity. When the Gospel message or the teaching of God’s commandments are eclipsed by “a good show” (entertainment) we are in deep, deep trouble.

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But what if Muslim terrorists are attacking us because they’re Muslim terrorists? The Islam Terror Truthers

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man; and keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself” 2 Kings 2:1-3 (KJV)

Notes for Friday – December 25, 2015

To those who are celebrating the Advent of our Lord and Savior, the team at SurvivalBlog wishes you a peaceful and meaningful Christmas. For those who choose to celebrate our Lord through the biblical feasts, stay safe out there during this holiday season. Our prayer is that each and every one of you enjoy the family time and stay safe on the roads.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 62 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, chromlined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR type rifle to have 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 pmags 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 from Sunflower Ammo,
  9. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304, 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 FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  4. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  5. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  8. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  9. Safecastle is providing a package of 10 LifeStraws (a $200 value)

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A $245 gift certificate from custom knifemaker 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. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit,
  8. Montie Gear is donating a Precision Rest (a $249 value), and
  9. 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 62 ends on January 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.

The Grid Will Never Be Down in the Way You May Think! – Part 2, by X-liberal

Discrimination

Imagine eating lunch inside your employer’s break room and reading lovely gestures on the bulletin board, such as “We are an equal opportunity employer. We don’t discriminate over race, gender, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, etc.” The liberal leadership stands next to the bulletin board, illustrating to the world that they would never discriminate in hiring practices, no way, no how! Then these same enlightened liberals enact a diversity program whereby they hire solely based on one’s skin color, gender, or sexual orientation, thereby ignoring the law they just stood behind! That means these “chosen few” (in the diversity) have access to the grid and the ability to buy and sell on it in a more longevity manor than those not considered in the diversity.

Wage Discrimination

This is going even further folks. Have anyone of you had a complete year of income, lately? Do you work a full year anymore, with full benefits, full retirement contributions, and on a full 2040 hours of annual work? I know that my accounting contracts have not been renewed and have been cut short, downsized, and expunged only to bring in some diversity of which I am not included. (It’s my opinion that this is because I’m a white, heterosexual male.)

Age Discrimination

Also, workplace age has become a factor. I know in my industry these accounting firms want the young twenty something[s] so they can send them out to their paying clients. The workforces are younger, more attractive, more pliable to leadership, and also paid less with less experience. So age discrimination is another factor quelling your purchasing power on the grid. In my father’s generation, men worked for the same company until they retired and bestowed their wives their pension when they passed on. It was simpler then.

Citizen Discrimination

In addition, the tech and medical industries where I have worked are almost exclusively H1B Visa positions, meaning that if you are from a foreign country you have that high-paying job. This is another form of discrimination holding you back from purchasing power of goods and services through the grid.

Political Correctness

Another one is political correctness. I have seen men stripped of their badges and their server access shut off and then their person removed from the premises physically by security due to offenses that someone claims on them, simply because something was reported to the Human Resources department. It is sad. Usually these men hold a family income and benefits package providing for a stay-at-home spouse and children. Often, the females reporting their offenses, with their equality of income and equality of job title, do not support a stay-at-home husband and children. It is very sad what is going on in our workplaces today. If you are not politically correct, you are not allowed a full capacity onto the grid.

Government Chocking

How about governmental agencies, such as the IRS or your unreasonable home owners association? We have seen grievous atrocities go unpunished, even after Congressional hearings, about targeting Conservatives for auditing and denial of non-profit status in the IRS. As a CPA, only under Obama, if you show the signed canceled check that cleared the bank from your church donation, the IRS says they still dispute it and you owe fines, penalties, and taxes on that non-considered tax deduction donation. This reduces your family income and also your capacity of survival off the grid.

The Pattern

Are we seeing a pattern here, folks?

Are we seeing that the grid is slowly being turned off for Conservatives and Christians? Are we seeing the connection folks? That connection is that we will all soon loose due to Liberals being in charge, writing laws, marking new groups as “special privileged” groups, and they’ll color it up as professing tolerance. They even exclaim to “coexist” but then sue everything Christian out of the public arena under their artillery piece “The Separation of Church from State.” So much for tolerance and this non-tolerance at work, in government, in the public schools, and yes, soon it will be in the hospitals, as life-giving surgeries will be targeted toward the “non-chosen” few.

The grid is up folks. It is healthy. It’s alive. However, it is slowly diming for a majority of us. When the grid was built and run by Conservatives, it was accessed by everyone, indiscriminately. Now it is run by Liberal Democrats, and sadly, discrimination is the key to its access.

Gun Rights

I want to stress one thing right here and that is Gun Rights

Where we are going next, folks, is that everyone must pass a mental health screening to own a firearm. That sounds good, right? Wrong! Imagine the bar of inadequate mental health now being anyone that is labeled a “hater”– a Christian, a God-fearing Christian. They’ll claim you are mentally ill and call you a “hater of homosexual marriages, abortions, feminism, birth control for teen girls, single momhood paid for with tax-payer monies, global warming deniers, green movement ‘haters’, and Agenda twenty-one hinderers. You haters. You intolerant!” Get the picture?

We are not far away from this. All of you must understand that I believe this is the last generation of Americans allowed to own a firearm as a private citizen. Five years out, I believe firearms will be totally banned. You need to stock up now, for you and for your generations of family members. Another tip, you must not purchase an extra box of ammo here and there, as I read from this blog periodically. No! Get to a gun show and purchase thousands of rounds per firearm. Pay cash, anonymously traced! I have a friend who owns a dozen assault rifles. They’re for his “just in case scenario,” as he calls it, for bartering, and to prepare others that come to the game late, unarmed. If you need to sell your wares, then do it. Guns and ammunition will be soon worth more than you can image. Remember the law of supply and demand, where the demand is high and supply is low, the price increases substantially. Take my head on this one!

Also, move to where there is strength in numbers, because when “they” come for your firearms, you will be able to do something. My family has just purchased a log home package and we plan on building in the spring months up in the American Redoubt. No, we are not rich. We just used all of our savings and cashed in stock. Why? Because there is strength in numbers! In addition, my family has written out on a sheet of paper the entire Second Amendment and the grievous atrocities that if they occur we will take action. Know your boundaries folks. For example, it’s safe to say that if the government starts gassing a certain religious sect, like certain governments of the past (Nazis), that would be a boundary crossed that we could not tolerate.

It is even worse. We are loosing this country’s bandwidth so fast by placing human beings subject to the environment, which takes precedent over protecting America’s borders, currency, quality of education, family, affordable housing, job security, human health, the free enterprise system, ingenuity, space exploration, military might, and the list goes on and on. God has placed man to have dominion over the animals and nature. God didn’t orchestrate the Liberal mantra that nature has dominion over man and that man must submit to “Mother Nature” or else there is no “grid” for him or her. There will be trillion dollar blocks of money exchanging hands in the near future for their Environmental Movement. First, it was conservation, taking land without paying for it, in the name of saving “something”. Then it was reducing our Founding Fathers purchase of the Seward’s Ice Box (Alaska) and the Louisiana Purchase of money for land (legitimate taking of land) as imperialism. Next, it is a free grab for all the Earth’s resources, including food and water, in the name of environmentalism. Look at the People’s Republic of California not allowing their farmers water and not allowing farmers to build vats on their land to store water. Liberals!

You might as well say that the grid is down for Conservatives, Christians, and even a sleight of hand move by Liberals to include all Republican, Libertarian, and Independent voting pools. The grid is going to be down to all types of individuals that do not take that Mark of the Beast (those who refuse to become Liberal). I believe God is moving swiftly and rapidly to get us all to safety, inside His Ark, so to speak. Our family continues to pray for each of you in the upcoming year. Let’s face it, if we have another Democrat in the Oval Office come November, our chances to continue onto the grid will be significantly demurred.

We hope you stay blessed and are able to live “off the grid”. When we, the chosen few by God, are all off the grid, then we don’t care that the grid is soon to be banned for Conservatives!

Thanks be to God our Lord and Savior. Thank you JWR. Thank you all, survivalists.

God bless and may God bless the American Redoubt– Lord willing, our new home, and our new country.

Letter Re: Water Works

Team,

Yet another solution to hot water is to use a solar inverter of an appropriate size to provide 220v power to a regular old hot water heater. I can recommend the Outback Radian 8000W inverter and the Rheem Marathon water heater due to the water heater’s high efficiency and extra insulation. It uses between 3000w and 4500w of power depending on the model, and if you put it on a timer it only runs at night when everyone is asleep and not using the inverter otherwise. I have seen that inverter run our well pump, the hot water heater, and both of our furnaces all together, and it only hit about 75% of its capacity doing so. That combo keeps all five of my family members taking hot showers daily, and it doesn’t consume any precious fuel! – Gilpin Guy

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HJL,

I found Water Works by JSP to be one very helpful and informative series! We are in the process of completing our own water system and are employing many of the ideas used by JSP. There are a couple of additional items that we will be adding to ours that might be worthy of consideration by others.

We also have the Simple Pump and have nothing but praise for it. They also offer a solar powered mechanism to attach to the Simple Pump. So when our system’s complete, we’ll have our electric well pump, the solar powered motorized Simple Pump, and finally the hand powered Simple Pump.

The next device I cannot take credit for, as a good neighbor has been instrumental in this item being added to our own water works plans. It provides hot water, solar powered hot water. A grid of copper tubing exposed to the sun, insulated from the elements, an insulated holding tank that transfers the captured heat to the household water has provided my neighbor with enough hot water through the summer that his hot water heater is turned off and through the winter on sunny days, his hot water is supplied primarily from the sun. There are many plans for solar water heaters out there, and the payback is short and the comfort long lasting.

Finally, if a cistern floats out of the ground in a heavy rain storm, the catchment system is in dire need of maintenance. Depending upon the size of the cistern, if it’s empty, it’s going to take one huge cement slab to hold it down. – J.T.

Economics and Investing:

Russia Gold “Buying Spree” Continues; Buys 22 Tons In November

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U.S. Exports More Gold To Hong Kong Than It Produces

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Russia keeps pumping Could we see oil go below $30? – P.S.

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Items from Professor Preponomics:

U.S. News

50 Examples of Government Waste (Waste Fraud and Abuse) This truly sums up the problems at hand! Article Excerpt: “Reducing wasteful spending is not easy. Even the most useless programs are passionately supported by the armies of recipients, administrators, and lobbyists that benefit from their existence. Identifying inefficiencies and abuses is much easier than devising a system to fix them. Many lawmakers focus more on bringing home earmarks than on performing the less exciting task of government oversight. Exasperated taxpayers see the cost of government rise with no end in sight.”

Fall Out from Oil Job Losses is Starting to Reach Other Sectors (Houston Chronicle) From the Article: “The energy disease is spreading to other parts of the economy.”

International News

U.K. Economy in Shock Slowdown as Recovery Loses Steam (The Telegraph) From the Article: “Britain’s recovery is losing steam, according to official data that showed growth this year was weaker than previously thought.”

The Dollar Shortage Has Arrived: Africa Runs Out of Dollars (Zero Hedge) From the Article: “…in an unexpected turn of events, the disappearance of not just synthetic but very physical dollars has hit one region much harder and much faster than we expected. Africa.”

This is Canada’s Depression: Surging Crime, Soaring Suicides, Overwhelmed Food Banks and “the Worst is Yet to Come” (Zero Hedge) From the Article: “…the real casualties in Canada are no longer metaphorical economic objects, but the very people who until recently enjoyed comfortable lives only to succumb to an unprecedented collapse in the local economy.”

Personal Economics and Household Finance

Print Media Plagued by Subscription Scams (Clark Howard) This is an older posting but well worth the review and reminder, since so many subscribers do not track their renewal dates or necessarily know to whom they are sending funds!

Odds ‘n Sods:

A recent article on Zero Hedge that has absolutely no media coverage that I can find. “Unstoppable” California Gas Leak Now Being Called Worst Catastrophe Since BP Spill – Sent in by M.C.

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From the desk of Mike Williamson, Survivalblog Editor At Large – There’s always a way… Aluminum wall art for sale on Amazon.

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An innovative old-tech solution to greenhouses: Fruit Walls: Urban Farming in the 1600s also, Reinventing the Greenhouse – Sent in by P.S.

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SurvivalBlog reader sent in an enjoyable video clip of Santa and his reindeer from Boston Dynamics (maker of the robotic pack mule for military).

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What happens when facial recognition tools are available to everyone – Sent in by G.P.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“The man who prefers his country before any other duty shows the same spirit as the man who surrenders every right to the state. They both deny that right is superior to authority.” – Lord Acton

Notes for Thursday – December 24, 2015

December 24, 2015 will be the 16th Anniversary of when John Joe Gray’s legal troubles began. He and his family have been self-sufficiently holed up in their Texas ranch for 13 years, in defiance of a warrant for his arrest. This has been the longest standoff in American history, in which he has faced the administrations of four different county sheriffs.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 62 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, chromlined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR type rifle to have 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 pmags 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 from Sunflower Ammo,
  9. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304, 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 FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  4. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  5. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  8. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  9. Safecastle is providing a package of 10 LifeStraws (a $200 value)

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A $245 gift certificate from custom knifemaker 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. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit,
  8. Montie Gear is donating a Precision Rest (a $249 value), and
  9. 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 62 ends on January 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.

The Grid Will Never Be Down in the Way You May Think! – Part 1, by X-liberal

I want to illustrate is that the grid is never going to be down. That is, I mean it won’t be down for the “chosen few”. Why? Well, let’s go to God’s word in the Book of Revelation Chapter 13:16 and have a look.

“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”

What this is saying is that those who have this mark will be able to buy and sell in the free market system. Those “chosen” people would be able to have medical treatment, products from the grocery stores, online shopping deliveries, and a conduit for buying and selling. This means that there will always be a grid up so FedEx planes can transport goods, UPS can deliver boxes to homes, grocery stores will have trucks arriving for restocking, hospitals would be capable of surgery procedures, and even an occasional trip to the opera will all be available right up to the end of the world. The Grid will never be down, according to scriptures. That is, the grid will never be down for the chosen few.

Who are the chosen few?

We already are seeing some strong anti-God and anti-bible social pressures, including high school students having their microphones pulled for mentioning “God” at a graduation ceremony; an elementary student expelled for writing an essay about Jesus; college students removed from campus for being Christian; terminations from work due to having a certain political party presidential candidate’s bumper sticker on their car (happened to me); people called “a hater” for believing God’s Word illustrates that marriage is between a man and a woman rather than between two men or between two women or between a man and a farm animalor; the removal of anything Christian from the public realm through challenges of “separation of church from state”. Those classified as veterans, Christians, rightwing extremists or essentially Republican voters are being placed on the Domestic Terrorist watch list by Home Land Security since a certain Democrat took over the Whitehouse. This will not cease, folks.

I’m a CPA and hold an MBA in accounting. My lovely Asian wife holds an MBA in marketing and is pursing a PhD. I wanted to underscore our background to alert you that many, many professionals are paying heed to the warning signs. In addition, I wanted to demonstrate that individuals preparing to “survive” are not just those bucktooth, homeless-looking, tatteredly-dressed people that the Liberal media illustrates when they waltz through gun shows to interview people. To lead into this, we have all seen the effects of being a Christian or Conservative in the free enterprise system, our place of employment. When we are upholding our conservative values at work, we are flagged for termination, downsized, let go, identified for non-renewal of contracts, and black listed.

There will always be a grid, folks, always! It’s just that the grid will slowly but surely become monopolized by a liberal contrivance, which is a Democratic candidate voter pool. There already are sects of hate speech laws passed through the Obamacare Act. A “hater” is flagged by Liberals, investigated by the FBI for hate crimes, and usually criminalized for their view adhering to the Conservative agenda. Let me explain.

Do you remember that George Orwell novel, Animal Farm? You understand the definition of bias or specialized rights, if you have read this. The character in the book, Napoleon, who is a pig, had another pig terminated to obtain sole power over the animals on the farm. One day Napoleon wrote on the barn wall, “All animals are created equal.” It sounds lovely enough, and the animals bought into his leadership. The next day he wrote under that phrase, “But some animals are more equal than others.”

That is where we are, folks. There are three groups of Liberals (Democrats) upheld as having “special” human rights over others. If you dissect this for a moment and go with my train of thought, they are women’s right, black right, and gay right holders. Now, before anyone gets their fanny all in a wad with underwear stuck in it, my family is not racist, sexist, or homophobic. We love everyone. That means we love everyone, no mater the race, gender, or choices they make in life, period. However, the liberal bandwagon doesn’t love everyone equally. Women’s rights are doled out to 51% of the world’s population. (In fact, to hold these human rights, their measuring stick is that one must not don a penis. That’s a nice rights movement.) Liberals uphold human rights for people of color, too, meaning that 88% of the American population will not receive these specialized human rights. The gay, lesbian, beastiality, transgender, and bisexual communities also have special human rights just for sexual conduct to proliferate under the banner of G.L.B.T.B. (These human rights are currently doled out to 0.1% of the world’s population, meaning 99.9% of the world’s population do not have these human rights.)

Now I thought human rights were for all human beings, since they are “human”. Right? Am I wrong to think that human rights were doled out indiscriminately to everyone, all at the same time, anywhere on planet Earth? I mean, isn’t that equal rights– everyone receiving the same human rights? Well, that’s not correct, according to Liberal ideology. Adolph Hitler underscored in his book Mein Kempf that if you turn groups of the population against the other sects, the government can step in with authority and with the solution. In his case, it was the “Final Solution”.

Let’s sunder the results…

Women’s Rights**

  • Sued over $1 trillion out of corporate American since 1960
  • Terminated the lives of babies in the realm of 58 million since 1973
  • The divorce rate was 8% in 1960 and today is over 62%
  • Women working rate was 8% in 1960 and today is about 70%
  • 91% of child custody cases are awarded in favor of the mother
  • 35% of men have been confronted by law enforcement in the courting process to be married
  • 92% of men financially support women (working/non-working) in marriage or through child support
  • Women serve less time in prison than men for the same crime
  • Domestic violence, harassment, stalking, and assault charges against men are at an all-time high
  • Sexual harassment training illustrate men to be sexual predators and deviants at their work places
  • Feminists don’t assume wifely duties, when liberated. It is construed as the “real” sexual harassment

Black Rights**

  • Over 1000 Internet sites for black-only surfers
  • Over 300 tabloids and syndicate media outlets for black-only readers
  • Over 100 Radio programs for black-only listeners
  • Over 10 television stations for black-only viewers (BET is the biggest)
  • United Negro College Fund
  • Black Caucus in Congress
  • Black History Month
  • Black-only clubs at all major universities
  • *All above said mentioned groups condone/ enforce discrimination against other races with no reprisal
  • *When Donald Sterling said, “Don’t bring black people to the game,” he was shaken down for $billions
  • Black Lives Matters Movement has been connected with executing law enforcement officers
  • NAACP has been connected with the burning down of cities in Ferguson, Baltimore, and Philadelphia
  • 600,000 black slaves were taken from Africa, and 600,000 soldiers died to free them (in the Civil War)
  • According to Pat Buchannan, black communities have received over $1 trillion in government handouts
  • Despite being 12% of the U.S. population, blacks commit 52% of the homicides
  • Blacks commit 40% of all other violent crimes (murder, manslaughter, rape, robbery)
  • Even with these statistics, whites are twice as likely to be killed by police officers
  • Blacks are outnumbered 5 to 1 by whites but commit eight times the violent crimes against whites
  • With a 12% population in America, African-Americans make up over 60% of the prison population
  • 38% of black couples divorce as compared to 21% of white couples and 22% of Hispanic couples
  • 42% of black students enrolled in college will graduate; 62% of white students enrolled in college will graduate.

GLBTB Rights**

  • 0.1% of the world’s population is GLBTB
  • 60% of syphilis cases reside in the GLBTB community
  • 78% of the GLBTB have some form of a sexually transmitted disease, according to the C.D.C.
  • 60% of GLBTB have intestinal worms, flukes, amoebae, or Gay Bowel Syndrome
  • 71% of H.I.V. cases are from the GLBTB community
  • GLBTB boast of having over 100 sexual partners per annum and over 1000 per lifetime
  • 63% of lesbians never experienced childbirth and carry an increased risk of breast cancer
  • 33% of lesbians have bacterial vaginitis, and it is found only 13% in heterosexuals
  • 21% of lesbians die of murder, suicide, or traffic accidents; 534 times higher than heterosexuals
  • 50% of lesbians are charged with domestic violence against their partners
  • 50% of lesbians on death row were lesbians at the time of their crime
  • Obama D.O.J. has authorized an amount of $250,000 paid to each G.L.B.T.B. in a violence case
  • Jonathan Lax Scholarship Fund pays $20,000 / semester to gay students; this excludes heterosexuals
  • Appointed by Obama, Kevin Jennings wrote the foreward to the book titled “Queering Elementary Education”
  • Being GLBTB will reduce one’s lifespan by twenty-three years, according to major studies

** Statistics taken from the book, In Pursuit of the Free Pass, by John Howard.

All men and women are equal today under the U.S. Constitution. However, this is not the case as Liberals step in with their solution! Liberals are in charge of doling out human rights. In my opinion, these specialized human rights movements are biased, destructive, and unconstitutional. The U.S. Constitution is still the same document granting all humans certain unalienable rights that are doled out by a benevolent Creator and orchestrating a government embodiment with the duty to uphold those God-given human rights, for all humans, indiscriminately… period and end of story! Biased human rights are doling out favors for the privileged few, while minimizing opportunities for the ones not included under the banner of those human rights (or opportunities to buy and sell on the grid)!

Letter Re: Being Anonymous, by Spotlight

HJL:

It’s well written, and he makes good points. Many are things I do. On the other hand, I routinely wear a tie, appear on television commercials promoting my business, and am active on social media. I have even run for political office. Having an excess of energy, I actually knocked on 4,500 doors. I should be out of luck by Spotlight’s standard. Interestingly enough people seem to be so socially conscious about position that you are simply not recognized by people you work with regularly (not friends) when you switch from your coat and tie brand to a paint-stained flannel shirt, pickup truck loaded with tools, and a three-day beard. They look right past you.

I will pick a nit on the whole gray man concept. We have duties as citizens that mean you should know and work with your mayor, city council members, county commissioners, state reps, and even congressmen and senators. I believe we all have a duty to contribute to our community to make it work. When we don’t, it does not, and we end up in the ditch as a society. – R.V.

Economics and Investing:

Russia’s Central Bank Issues Crimea Banknote – Sent in by RBS

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Items from Mr. Econocobas:

Most Americans have less than $1,000 in savings

Items from Professor Preponomics:

U.S. News

To Make the Payment is Almost Impossible: Puerto Rico Defaults (Again) in T-9 Days (Zero Hedge) Will Puerto Rico become America’s Greece?

Inside the Billion-Dollar Battle for Puerto Rico’s Future (New York Times) From the Article: “Some warn that Puerto Rico could be a test case for the rest of the country, paving the way for troubled states like Illinois to escape unsustainable debts.”

Existing Home Sales Fall 10.5% in November (Fox Business) From the Article: “U.S. home resales posted their sharpest drop in five years in November, a potential warning sign for the health of the U.S. economy although new regulations on paperwork for home purchases may have driven the decline.”

Staples Says FTC Rejected Offer as They Try to Acquire Rival Office Depot (Chicago Sun Times) The number of megalith mergers and acquisitions means that anti-trust news continues and will for some time… From the Article: “The Federal Trade Commission sought to block the deal earlier this month believing that a tie up between the last of the major retailers in the sector would throttle competition.”

International News

Finland Should Not Have Signed Up To Euro, Says Foreign Minister (Irish Times) Changes may be coming… “While polls still show most Finns don’t want to go through the process of exiting the currency bloc, there are signs that a plurality of voters think they would be better off outside the euro.”

President of the Czech Republic is Disappointed Greece is Still in the Eurozone (Greek Reporter) Article Excerpt: “The Czech Republic will join the Eurozone the first day after the departure, if possible, of Greece from the Eurozone,” he said adding that “I am extremely disappointed that the summer negotiations between Greece and the lenders did not lead, in the end – despite its appearing quite probable – to Greece’s exiting the Eurozone”.

2016 May Bring a Host of New Troubles for Greece (CNBC) From the Article: “A pension system overhaul, however, is shaping up to be a big hurdle for Greece, a hard sell at a time when the country’s economic crises have sent unemployment skyrocketing above 25 percent and average income plummeting 25 percent over the last four years.”

Personal Economics and Household Finance

Here’s a Sweet Deal: Make Your Own Cocoa Mix (Living on the Cheap) From the Article: “On a cold winter’s eve, what tastes better than a cup of hot cocoa?”