Flying stingray towers: Secret US spy program targeted Americans’ cellphones – D.M.
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Allah Praised on House Floor. – J.R.
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Why do you prep? How about record-breaking temperatures across the Northern States this year, in mid-November?
Thursday:
Wednesday:
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“Pure Arctic Outbreak”: Staying Warm During the Polar Vortex. – F.B.
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“And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.” – Genesis 24:49 (KJV)
Today, we present another entry for Round 55 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:
First Prize:
Second Prize:
Third Prize:
Round 55 ends on November 30th, 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.
We recently experienced our own financial SHTF situation. Well, that’s true, if you could call six years “recent”. Before I get into our situation, I think a little history would be appropriate.
The wife and I had started prepping together in 2002. We actually were taking baby steps prior to that but when the economy trashed we went all in. I thought that was it. There was no way we, as a nation, could just print money and keep the ship afloat. Early in 2009, I realized we may actually have a bit more time. If every civilized country in the world was printing money, has anything really changed? It’s obviously a tad bit more complicated than that, but that is the essence. After all, we are the world’s banker and if we print and hand it out to everyone, has the amount of money really changed? By the way “everyone” does not include you. Everyone means banks. Basically, we printed money for them. So, by my reckoning, if a country had 20 million to start and we gave them an additional 20 million and increased everyone else by the same relative percentage, it’s a wash. That sounds good, but inflation will eventually come into play. Of course, that’s just my opinion, and I’m a guy with no big government experience nor any economic knowledge beyond my small world. Have any of you bought a steak lately?
So we thought we were doing good. We didn’t have a bug out location yet, but we did obtain a goodly amount of bullets, Band-Aids, and food. We actually have a backup power source, based on Dave’s post here on SurvivalBlog. We can, and do, generate enough power to back up essential things, like our freezer, some lights, and a small portable AC unit. We live in the desert, so cooling is paramount for us. Our water is squared away for seven months, which is a summer here. Applying Murphy’s law, I can assume that something will happen a month prior to the summer, but at the least I bought a bit of time. Ultimately, time is the name of the game for preppers, don’t you think?
We both have good jobs, and although it was real dicey for awhile, by the grace of our Lord, we still have them. However, by poorly using the free will we were given, we made some very poor choices. One of those choices brought to light the other poor choices we had made.
My wife is the accountant in our family. She does an outstanding job of it. She had a 820 credit score and almost no debt when we wed in 2005. She was able to fix the baggage issues I had accumulated with money over the years, but we became complacent with our finances.
In 2008 we experienced our financial SHTF situation that was caused by us. It wasn’t weather, the economy, or some outside source. We owned it. My wife admitted to a gambling addiction…and so it started. However, it was the debt we had accumulated as a whole that made it a SHTF situation.
For OPSEC purposes, I’m not going to use numbers on what we dealt with; I am going to use percentages. I actually think this is more useful, since everyone has different resources and income. Hopefully, by using percentages, some can relate to and utilize what I describe.
My wife’s gambling was devastating, not just financially but emotionally as well. It was a long road for us on both accounts, but for this I will focus only on the financial aspect of it. Again, that was simply the eye-opening issue that brought to light the troubling financial spot where we found ourselves.
My wife had accumulated a debt amount equal to 50% of our yearly earnings in a few short months. She had used her credit cards primarily, as well as our savings. I immediately looked over our finances and discovered a myriad of problems. We had two car loans, a student loan, two mortgages, her gambling credit card debt, a fair amount of other credit card debt, and a small loan against my 401K. Our savings was enough to buy a used Pinto. I also had a child support obligation to fulfill. The timing of all of this couldn’t have been worse. The housing market had crashed and we were upside down, though the previous year we owned 35% of our home. Now we were 35% underwater. We basically were renters in our own home.
At this point I realized this was a SHTF situation. We could lose our home, our remaining savings, and most everything we had. We would definitely lose some but to what extent was yet to be defined. It was up to us to defend ourselves.
We had made one good decision, financially. In October of 2008 we pulled all of our retirement (401K) investments out of the market. We knew something wasn’t right; this would come into play a few years later, thankfully.
I immediately created an excel spreadsheet of our bills. Across the top were months and down the side were bills. I extended this out for ten years. Each bill was broken out by principal and interest and based on the minimum payment. Each month had a column devoted to actual payments made for that month. This spreadsheet showed clearly that the gambling debt would devour us financially within a year, if not less. Another thing this spreadsheet showed was the magnitude of what we were paying banks. The amount of interest we were paying was equal to an hour per day of our combined pay. We basically were working for the banks for the first hour of every day at work, and this did not include the gambling debt! These were the same banks that had been bailed out with billions for their gambling addiction, by the way. It was so ironic that I wanted to scream. At that point we realized we were at war with banks. If they were too big to fail, we would become too small to fail. We decided our goal was to become debt free.
We had to address a few things at the same time, during the first salvos of this war. First and foremost was the gambling debt. Thankfully, she had maintained her cards in good standing and she had come forward prior to the bills becoming past due. She took on the task of contacting her debtors and starting negotiations towards repayment. We did not have the resources to pay what she owed, pure and simple. She would have to negotiate the amount and/or payment amount. For my part, I had to distance myself, legally, from her financial obligations, or we would fail. If my income was drawn into this mess, we were looking to lose everything. If we could isolate my income, we would have ammunition for the battles to come. To distance myself was possible because I was only an authorized user on her credit cards. What this means is that I had no financial obligation to pay her debt, because the banks had added me to her accounts without a credit check. Quite simply, they were betting that I would spend on their card in her name. They wanted her in debt to them. We struggled morally on this for quite awhile, because if she had gambled the money shouldn’t we both be responsible as man and wife? In the end, we looked to the law of the land, which stated that I did not have an obligation, based on the contracts signed. While she obviously had signed all the contracts, I had signed not a one. It was not my debt, which was quite true.
We then obtained a copy of our credit reports. When this started, she had eight credit cards but rarely used them. They were like a collection for her, and before the gambling she never had more than $500 combined credit card debt. I had two cards at that time with balances on both, and I needed to maintain good credit just in case we would have to use it during this fight. That was to be apart of our reserve in this war. It turned out that half of her cards were listed on my reports, and I contested everyone online. Within a few months, most had been removed. However, it took me over a year to get one of her debts removed from my report. Not once did this particular company say I was responsible, and they agreed it would be removed. Time after time I had the same “groundhog day” conversation with them. Finally, I was able to talk to an employee that figured out the problem. Each time I had it corrected, an incorrect code had been entered. A simple code had kept my score 100 points below what it actually was! We needed a war plan. We sat down and decided how we could win and what winning was. In our case, winning was becoming debt free. We decided that how we could win was pretty basic– pay off existing debt and don’t borrow or pay fees. In the end our financial strategic battle plan was a quite simple three-step plan.
Hugh,
I appreciate and enjoyed ShepherdFarmerGeek’s article and follow-up on “Ebola Unafraid”. However, I think a word of caution is in order. In particular, Vitamins A, C, and E are frequently synthetic versions of the natural vitamins; they are produced in factories, and the vitamin supplements are typically laced with GMO’s that are involved with the manufacturing process. Vitamin C sold as “Ascorbic Acid” is actually a derivative of mold. I am not a doctor or even a nutritionist, but I have read enough to know that we should avoid the cheap forms of these vitamins. Vitamin D3 is safe to buy as far as I know, but readers should search for natural, organic, non-GMO vitamin C supplements, which will cost more than the synthetics.
Here are some references:
Antioxidants that are dangerous: http://www.naturalnews.com/044498_vitamin_supplements_antioxidants_cancer.html
Vitamin C/Ascorbic Acid is bad:
GMO’s in Vitamins: http://www.naturalnews.com/041416_GMO_vitamins_maltodextrin.html
Here are some vitamins that I like:
There are other brands on Amazon, but I can’t speak to them. As you can see, natural vitamins are not inexpensive. It should go without saying, but I am just a consumer and have no financial interest in any of these companies.
Regards – JCG
Vladimir Putin “Prepares For Economic War”, Buys Whopping 55 Tonnes Of Gold In Q3
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The Economic End Game Explained. – J.W.
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Items from Mr. Econocobas:
Ask The Expert Interview with Chris Martenson from Peak Prosperity
Mortgage Volume Stalls with Rates
24 Reasons Why Millennials Are Screaming Mad About Our Unfair Economy
15 Doomsday Fiction Books That May Soon Become Reality – J.W.
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In a recent incident in western Oregon, a man was arrested on his own property for filming police from across the street. This police must learn that they cannot trample our First Amendment right to document public events. Join CFAPA.org, folks! Membership and press credentials are available free of charge.
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SWAT team shoots lap dog. – T.P.
As usual, it’s not cut and dried; it’s a complicated altercation with police, but it is an indication of current police mentality. Warning: foul language
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Proposed Water Rule Could Put ‘Property Rights of Every American Entirely at the Mercy’ of EPA – B.B.
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From Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large: Insults and Challenges- 5 Tips for Effective Verbalization During a Violent Encounter
“Duty, honor, country. As long as we believe in these words, our nation and our democracy will flourish.” Daniel K. Inouye, US Army, Medal of Honor
Don’t forget, Safecastle is currently having a fantastic sale on their Mountain House foods– from 25% to 32% off of normal prices.
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Today, we present another entry for Round 55 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:
First Prize:
Second Prize:
Third Prize:
Round 55 ends on November 30th, 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.
Hello, my name is J, and I’m a recovering feminist. Sure, that may sound like a joke, but I am being completely honest and forthright when making that statement.
In this article, I will explain my background and rational for this topic of choice as well as clearly spell out seven survival tips for the die-hard feminist. These tips can be put into action right now. It is my hope that at least one die-hard feminist will read this article and consider prudently preparing for the unexpected now.
You may ask yourself, what the heck does feminism have to do with survival? Why would you even choose this topic? Well, face it; there are massive numbers of feminists in our society, and they are not going away. If the SHTF, what are they going to do? Their whole world view will be destroyed in a matter of months, days, or perhaps worse– even seconds. Their entire purpose and professional existence, as they know it, will be useless. Does this give you cause for alarm? It does me, because I know it will be those exact women who turn into raging lunatics without an ounce of common sense to keep them centered in times of trouble. They need to be warned now, and they need to consider opening their minds and hearts to the truth. Only the wise will foresee what is to come and take action. Those feminists who continue to live numbed-out will most likely suffer beyond what can only be imagined, as unbearable emotional and physical pain.
If you were wondering, yes, I am still “recovering”. What am I recovering from? Well, mostly I’m recovering from the natural consequences of living my young adult, professional life as a feminist. I bought into most of the lies propagated by the feminist-ideologue-machine of our society. Being properly raised up in public schools and liberal universities, I was well educated on the subject. For example, I adopt the belief that a woman can truly do anything a man can do; this includes fighting and winning America’s wars. Sure, women are smart and capable human beings, but by no means were they designed to be warriors! Although American women in the last several decades have willingly murdered their young (over 50 million now), let’s be honest, women were not designed to physically protect themselves or their families by lethal force. Radical feminists would like you to believe otherwise, and they are more than willing to send daughters, sisters, wives, and mothers to the front line of combat to kill and be killed. After all, we are created equal, right?
Before you start feeling offended, take note that this particular aspect of the radical feminist agenda has been one of the biggest scams of our generation. Encouraging women to step into a warrior footprint has and will continue to damage marriages, children, and society at large. How is that? Well, it’s simple; who is going to fill the role of nurturer, homemaker, and supportive wife/mother? When women are taken away from their natural roles and placed into male professions, there is no replacement for their absence in their natural gifting. A hole is left that no village can fix. Sure, schools do their part to raise our kids, and men have stepped up to the plate doing laundry, dishes, and so forth. However, in the end, when you were a kid and you scraped your knee or you were hungry, who did you seek for comfort, who did you hope was in the kitchen making your favorite dinner each night? If your mom wasn’t there, you can’t say deep down you didn’t wish it would have been your mom holding you or cooking for you, instead of your teacher/lunch-lady/babysitter or even your dad. Moms bring peace to a home when they are present in their innate roles. You can’t replicate or replace this natural phenomenon.
I was raised in the 70’s and 80’s by loving parents who simply acted as best they could with what they knew. I remember being told, “You can be whoever you want to be, and you can do whatever you want to do in this world.” So, that meant I could choose any profession, even if it was a profession mainly occupied by men. This led me into the active duty military. Today, I suffer from my choice to “Be All You Can Be”. I sustained permanent injuries from military service. Not to go into boring details, but these were not combat injuries; they were just the simple wear and tear that goes along with hard parachute landings, 15 mile road marches, and simply hauling gear well beyond my spine’s capacity to bear. Despite suffering, I loved my time in the military, mostly for the relational aspect of unit cohesiveness and serving my country.
That being said, if we are honest with one another, it is clear that women are not suitable for the majority of male professions that require harsh physical conditions. Women are NOT designed to run, fight, and haul combat weight at the same effectiveness level of men. Sure, there are the unusually unique women (perhaps genetically) who can hang with the guys. However, in general, women are simply not equipped physically like men!
Believing and living out the typical feminist lifestyle, I also suffer deep emotional injuries. At my lowest, I had zero respect for marriage or motherhood whatsoever, and I would be so ashamed to write that, if it were not for the grace of God. Actually, without God’s mercy, perhaps I wouldn’t be here to write this today, as I was clearly on a path of self-destruction. Regardless, I am certain that if I had not seen the Light, I would still be living out a feminist life, in utter darkness on a direct path of loss and loneliness.
All that being said, why would any true feminist take the time to read this? I’m not sure, but it is my hope that at least one will. Turning one feminist into a Recovering Feminist would be a huge success and reason enough for me to share my testimony.
If the world turns upside down as predicted by wise men and we end up truly having to fend for ourselves, at some point a die-hard feminist will have two choices– change or fall prey. The better choice, for survival purposes alone, is for her to turn from her ways and accept her natural role as a woman. Granted, this will not be easy. Otherwise, I believe the die-hard feminist will continue in her prideful, selfish, destructive ways and fall prey to the first person who eventually overpowers her. This sounds incredibly harsh, but if I were to be upfront about the entire purpose of this article it would be to say this. I believe wholeheartedly that this scenario will become the reality for die-hard feminists if the SHTF.
I am making these suggestions now, because we still have time to change. Of course there is no guarantee, and if things turn bad quickly in this country, these preparation tips may be too late, depending on your situation. Let’s hope otherwise and prudently take action now. So without delay, here are my recommendations.
Possible Scenario
Before we go dark, martial law is enacted, and the transportation and commerce system we are so accustomed to reaches a stand-still…
There comes a time when you need to admit to the facts. We have taken women so far from their natural roles that they cannot imagine life outside the box. Working full time, aborting babies, pursuing married men, and living like male bachelors takes its toll on the heart, sometimes creating the coldest places in the soul. The first and most important tip I can give you is that you won’t get anywhere as a die-hard feminist in terms of survival if you continue acting or thinking the way that you do. You will not have the support network, media, or societal crutch to continue living out your feminist ideology in the crisis scenario. You will not be able to boss men around, humiliate them, disrespect, or falsely accuse them any longer. It simply will not be an option for you. You will not be able to file a discrimination complaint, in other words. There will be no women’s rights left.
(I do not receive any financial benefit from sharing the following:)
While you have time now, accept this truth with grace. It took me an entire year to accept that I was wrong in my belief system and to slowly turn from my ways. I can’t imagine someone being able to change on the spot or, worse, being forced to accept this truth out of necessity for survival. Personally, I am still changing and accepting responsibility for what I have done wrong. Even my internal processing of information was faulty and misguided, so it has been a slow process of change. That being said, if the time comes when we are forced to adapt and all women simply need to accept things the way they are, they will obviously not have the luxury I did to take the time to accept this change with grace. In that scenario, although it sounds painful, God’s grace is sufficient!
Here are a few simple ideas:
Think about someone besides yourself. Programming in the feminist world teaches us to have self-confidence above all, to value our own needs first, and to seek happiness vs contentment. One of the best ways to practice being a woman is to first think of others and then consider your needs. It is amazing how your perspective will change. I spent so many years focusing on myself that unfortunately the habit rears its ugly head daily. However, I am at my best and truly the most content when I act on and consider the needs of others first, before myself. Try it! Trust me. It will open up a whole new world for you.
For married women:
Cook your spouse’s favorite meal and clean up afterward without expecting a thing. Or make yourself available to him without prompting.
Tell your husband that you respect him. You heard me; say it out loud! Actually say these words often. Personally, I know how difficult it is to simply utter those words, but they are powerfully healing in a marriage that has suffered from destructive feminist ideology.
I could go on with suggestions, but this is a personal issue of practicing being a natural woman without bitterness or hatred towards men, children, or the role of womanhood.
In times of trouble, you will not be able to escape your femininity with a pill every day. God gave the female body natural cycles for a reason. By suppressing these, or numbing out with SSRIs, we have altered our natural state physiologically. Do yourself a favor and stop taking birth control, anti-anxiety, or any other unnecessary pharmaceuticals now, and find natural alternatives if possible. This tip actually may not be a choice for you in the event of a disaster, for many medications may not be available or accessible, which is even more incentive to stop. There are many natural ways to manage hormones and even anxiety. Seek out a common sense Naturopathic doc or herbalist for help. If you are addicted to pharmaceutical medications, perhaps these resources may be helpful. (Again, I am not affiliated with these, nor do I benefit from sharing them or offer any guarantees.):
Find someone you know who is NOT a feminist, and ask her for help. I would bet, if she has a tender heart, she will be more than happy to graciously assist in your recovery from feminism. Additionally, I would love to hear from anyone looking for help in leaving the feminist ideology behind for good. I would love to support you. Feel free to email me xxx (Editor’s Note: SurvivalBlog’s policy is to not post reader’s personal email addresses. for the protection of the author, requests for contact must be sent through SurvivalBlog. No hate mail will be forwarded to the author.) On that note, now that I’ve given out my personal email, die-hard feminists who can’t see this article as an act of love, PLEASE spare me your hate mail. I am familiar with how radical feminists work– they first do hate…unlike the doctor’s promise to first do no harm. It won’t do you any good to attack me. I’m radical about my conversion from feminism, and I will NEVER go back! Sure, I slip up sometimes, just like any addict, but I’m completely sold on the grace and mercy I have been extended and I am content in the truth now!
In PEACE and GRACE and MERCY
Hi Jim,
Military shipping containers make great storage, but your readers should be aware that the large plastic cases are not necessarily waterproof if they have a pressure relief valve. Most of them have this due to the need for pressure equalization, e.g. atmospheric changes during aircraft transport. If you are going to bury such a case or use it in a wet environment, the small round valve can allow water to enter the case. Some of them are good at keeping water out for a short time, but if something is going to be stored for possibly years, anything that lets air in is also going to let water in. Your best bet is to seal the valve, so nothing gets through.
K.L.
IEA Says Oil Supplies May Not Keep Up With Demand
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Banks fined billions for rigging currency markets – G.G.
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Items from Mr. Econocobas:
What the Economy Has Done to the Family
If Everything Is Just Fine, Why Are So Many Really Smart People Forecasting Economic Disaster?
Fears of German Recession as Moment of Truth Looms
Fed’s Rosengren Says Fight for Higher Inflation Should Be Vigorous– There’s so much I want to say, but this illustrates how fundamentally the economy is in a depression wanting to clear the imbalances by deleveraging, but the Central Bankers and governments can’t afford this. They will continue to try and inflate away their debt and corrupt system of a debt-based monetary system.
“The patronage of the government for the last three years has been wielded to corrupt everything that comes within its influence and was capable of being corrupted, and it would seem that virtue and truth has fled from its embrace. The administration of the government has stained our national character, and it rests with the people to work it out, by full expression of their disapprobation. The present is a contest between the virtue of the people, and the influence of patronage….I hope the virtue of the people may prevail, and all may be well.” – Andrew Jackson.
Today is the birthday of USMC Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph “Dan” Daly (born 1873, died April 27, 1937). He was one of only nineteen men (including seven marines) to twice receive the Medal of Honor.
This is also the birthday of Corporal John Alan Coey (died 19 July 1975). He was the first American volunteer killed in Rhodesia.
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Safecastle is currently having a fantastic sale on their Mountain House foods– from 25% to 32% off of normal prices.
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Today, we present another entry for Round 55 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:
First Prize:
Second Prize:
Third Prize:
Round 55 ends on November 30th, 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.