Posted on 02/09/2009 12:36:11 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny
Yahoo ran an interesting article this morning indicating a rise in the number of survivalist communities cropping up around the country. I have been wondering myself how much of the recent energy crisis is causing people to do things like stockpile food and water, grow their own vegetables, etc. Could it be that there are many people out there stockpiling and their increased buying has caused food prices to increase? It’s an interesting theory, but I believe increased food prices have more to do with rising fuel prices as cost-to-market costs have increased and grocers are simply passing those increases along to the consumer. A recent stroll through the camping section of Wal-Mart did give me pause - what kinds of things are prudent to have on hand in the event of a worldwide shortage of food and/or fuel? Survivalist in Training
I’ve been interested in survival stories since I was a kid, which is funny considering I grew up in a city. Maybe that’s why the idea of living off the land appealed to me. My grandfather and I frequently took camping trips along the Blue Ridge Parkway and around the Smoky Mountains. Looking back, some of the best times we had were when we stayed at campgrounds without electricity hookups, because it forced us to use what we had to get by. My grandfather was well-prepared with a camp stove and lanterns (which ran off propane), and when the sun went to bed we usually did along with it. We played cards for entertainment, and in the absence of televisions, games, etc. we shared many great conversations. Survivalist in the Neighborhood
http://www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/books/drt/DrT92-2.html
Avoiding Vitamin B-12 Deficiency
We have already discussed vitamin B12 and seen that it is essential to our life and well-being. Yet we require it in such small quantities and our body stores it so well that vegetarians probably have little need to be concerned about developing a deficiency, if they eat butter or milk products. But when we ingest certain things, our ability to absorb B12 and our stores of it tend to decrease markedly. Birth control pills, denatured alcoholic beverages and tobacco decrease the stored supply. Wine and beers made with yeast probably cause a deficiency only when used to great excess. The older person’s stomach produces the “intrinsic factor” in reduced quantities-this is a substance quite necessary to the vitamin’s absorption from the stomach and small intestine. The symptoms of B12 deficiency develop insidiously, but if they are recognized early, they are easily reversible-with replacement therapy. If they are not detected and treated early, the changes may become irreversible. Many people in India show the late neurological changes due to this deficiency. The actions of B12 and folic acid are complex.
Indeed, anemia due to B12 deficiency may even be countered with the use of folic acids. Folic acid is common in vegetables such as asparagus, kale, beets, greens, spinach, turnips and wheat bran. Thus a deficiency of folic acid in adults is less likely to occur than a B12 deficiency. But it may be common in children and young adults since they often avoid these foods. Folic acid can be lost with exposure to heat, air or light. Also, because it is water soluble, it may be lost to the liquids in which the greens are cooked. Therefore, it is wise to either drink the “pot liquor” or use it in soups and sauces. Up to 94% of pregnant women show some deficiency of folic acid, and it can quickly develop after trauma, burns or surgery.
The deficiency may worsen if vitamins C or B12 are also deficient. Now, our intestine can manufacture folic acid, but for that, paraminobenzoic acid needs to be present. This acid is often added to food supplements for this reason. Vitamin B12 can be absorbed from certain cereals, for example, when they have been treated by the addition of this acid. Vitamin B12 supplements can be taken by injections, about once a month, in pill form, which can be absorbed from the intestine if the “intrinsic factor” is present, or in liquid form that can be placed under the tongue for rapid absorption. B12 is often added as a supplement to breakfast cereals and other foods. Eating greens raw is a good way to assure adequate absorption. If you cannot obtain these foods fresh, then frozen greens are acceptable, as are canned greens, though they have lost most of their potency. Would I supplement my diet with these low nutritional substances?
Yes, as an older vegetarian, I do. And I highly recommend it for all vegetarians, especially children, women and older people who may live in metropolitan areas. Supplementation is absolutely necessary for those vegetarians who do not use dairy products.
http://www.paidtwice.com/category/tips-and-tricks/
Craigslist Vs eBay
Monday, May 5th, 2008
I had a comment last week on one of my older posts about selling items on Craigslist asking me what I thought about Craigslist and eBay, and when to use which service to sell your unneeded or unwanted belongings. I haven’t been using either lately, and I have not used eBay anywhere near as much as I used Craigslist in the past, but I have had some success using both services. I’ve put together a little rundown of what I think of each, what I’d recommend using each for, and the pros and cons I’ve encountered. I am by no means an expert, but I do like to get rid of things and get paid to do so, which is basically the requirement for using them. :)
To me, Craigslist is a way to try and unload anything. It is free, so you basically can list whatever you want, and if it doesn’t sell, it isn’t a big deal. It just costs you the time it took to list the ad. Which, in my experience, is pretty minimal. I like to include a picture of the item I am selling, so that takes a little longer, but still, my time investment is small. You set the price you want to sell the item for, and Craigslist provides an anonymous email listing, so you can screen potential buyers and just not respond to people who send you annoying responses. One of the cons is that you may need to give out your address to have someone collect their item. I have gotten around this by choosing to meet people in public places unless the item was too big for me to transport, and also having other people home than me when I have someone come to my house. But most often, I met people in a parking lot of a busy shopping center or store. Using Craigslist, I have gotten rid of many items that I never thought I would, such as unused bottles of lotion, baby bottles, miscellaneous toys and baby clothes, and other such items. The other con, for me, is that since I don’t want to have people generally come to my house, the items I am selling have to be expensive enough to warrant the gas it will take for me to drive somewhere to meet someone. That also puts a limit on how small and random the items I sell can be. And, since it is free, some buyers don’t take things seriously and completely flake out on you. Which, to me, is annoying. So, in summary:
* Craigslist Pros:
o Can list anything for free
o Small time investment
o Can get rid of things you never thought you might
o You can set your price, and refuse to sell for less
* Craigslist Cons:
o Might have people come to your house
o If not meeting at your house, have to use gas to get to location
o People are flaky
A final tip about Craigslist - this is a local service, so use it locally. Don’t respond to random people trying to get you to ship items here there and everywhere. Most likely, that is a scam of some sort. If you want to ship items, use a service where you’ll get your maximum audience - like eBay.
eBay has a wider audience, since it is not local service. This means that you’ll get more eyeballs on your items, and you can potentially sell for a bigger profit if things get bid up. However, since it is an auction service, if you want to set a minimum price for your item, that will cost you more. Which leads to a major con for me - it costs money to list on eBay. I don’t mind having to pay if the item sells, but even if you don’t sell your item, you have to pay a fee. You do get to relist for free, but I have had items that didn’t sell even with the free relisting, so I was still out the initial money to list the item. It is pretty easy to list items here as well - I found it took me more time than Craigslist but with practice I might have gotten better. However, you don’t want to list just anything - you want it to sell. You can search eBay for similar listings and what things have sold before, which is another plus - you can get a good idea of what might sell and what its value is. You also will have to ship items to buyers unless you choose to only sell for local pickup, and the item has to be worth someone wanting to pay for shipping for them to buy it. So that eats into your profit margin a little bit - a person isn’t going to buy an item worth $3 usually for $3 plus $5 shipping. And if an item is very large, you might not be able to find anyone willing to pay to have it shipped unless it is very valuable. So, in summary:
* eBay Pros:
o Wide audience
o Search for past sales and current sales
* eBay Cons:
o Costs money to list
o Have to ship items
On a personal level, I’ve had more success with Craigslist, but I have also have used it a lot more. I have only listed a handful of items on eBay, and although the items I sold there did sell for more than I had gotten for similar items on Craigslist, including the hassle of shipping and also having other items not sell, I didn’t make much more of a profit in the end using eBay than I did with Craigslist. For someone running a business, this would be different, but if you are simply trying to sell a few items to get them out of your house, and you aren’t setting up your own resale empire, Craigslist may be the way to go. But if you have unique or valuable items that are easily shippable and you want to get the best price for them, you may want to try eBay first. Good luck earning some snowflakes!
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Surviving the Great Collapse
hmmmm, I’m worried about you granny.<<<
No need to worry, I will last as long as God plans.
The people across the street know that I am alone, so there is no hiding it.
No, there isn’t going to be anyone to help me, my son lives on the other side of the valley, but his is not into protection and would just get himself killed if he got in it.
I will have to be ok, there is no other option.
The best I could find for the money came from Walton Feed...
The Grinder-Wonder Junior (Deluxe) at $219.95.
Will give all a report when I get Home to use it next week!<<<
I thought you had said that it was bought at Walton, but was afraid that I was mixing up my sources, as 2 or 3 others on this thread are also buying them right now.
Thank you for your help, and do travel safely.
Except full nationalization and mega bailout, he does not seem to have any other suggestion. In a way, he is more or less clueless on what the real solution should be.
He is just scared sh*t. <<<
As usual, Tiger is right on the target.
Folks are getting so scared that it is not going to be a surprise at all, they will all know that it is coming.
Thanks for posting the link.
Local Man. I know him well. His Health was Really Bad.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2208376/posts
Moonshiner Apparently Commits Suicide before Going to Prison.
Yes, that’s the one I’ve thinking about ordering.
Thanks so much.
Well, I took my canner over to the extension service today to get the pressure gauge checked. They don’t have any equipment to do it. They were going to have to contact someone from Rockford, IL to see if they would come down at some point and have a day to check gauges. They will contact me or the other option was to give them my canner and if someone is going up to Rockford to take it with them. It looks like I also have to find a new gasket. Mine seems to be larger than the pot. So glad I’m checking this out now so I have time to solve the problems before I need to be using the canner.
OMG Bureaucrats can mess up ANYTHING!
Not too many years ago, it was required by law that each County Extension Office provide free testing of gauges on pressure canners...
Well, I did some more checking today and they have loused that up now too... In 2005 they changed things to:
“Canner testing in counties is optional. It is not a required activity for a county. Testing of dial gauge pressure canners, and safety checks of canners, does offer an educational opportunity. FNP and EFNEP grant guidelines do not allow FNP/EFNEP professionals to conduct gauge testing on grant-funded time.”
AND
“Charging for this service is recommended. From one to five dollars appear to be reasonable fees. Educators have the option to vary the cost or seek sponsors. This fee can be used to cover the cost of a new tester unit, postage for mailing the testing unit, employee’s time/travel or to have needed forms and fact sheets printed. All monies collected remain in the county.”
ALSO
“Pressure Canner Inspection and Dial Gauge Inspection forms. They both must be completed fully, signed by the person conducting the testing, copies given to the client, and also kept in an office file. If there is any question of reading ability, read the results to the client. The forms not only record the gauge testing results, but also prompt the tester to conduct a safety and sanitation check of the entire canner lid/unit. Keeping copies of the inspection forms is one form of protection for you if questions should be asked related to your advice, the date of the testing or the results. Although the form does not request it, writing the name of the person who requested the testing is highly recommended.”
I was so ticked off, that I called my County Extension Agent. I have known him for quite a few years, and worked closely with him when I was with DHIA. He said he has been saddened over the past 15 years at how the Gov’t. has diminished the real purpose of Extension, and put all the emphasis on social programs. Everything from specialists to educate people on how to use car seats for children to welfare counseling. He then said he can hardly wait till next year when he is able to retire and get away from the morass that they have created for them. (Yes, he does do the pressure gauge checks - free - on his own time and says he will continue that until he retires!)
So, I guess my suggestion at this time is to invest about $20 in a new gauge (they just screw in) That way you have a tested gauge to start with. (They do test each one before packaging)
Red Hill General Store carries a full (and I mean full) line of parts for just about any cooker/canner you can imagine. They have several websites related to canning and I bought my canner from them - and to date have been very pleased with their service.
http://www.pressurecooker-outlet.com/parts.htm
You should be able to match your model number with one of their charts. (They even listed the old one I have from the 40’s as well as my new one)
They will also have the gaskets and safety valves if you need them.
Sorry for you having to make the trip to the Extension Office to no avail...
That sounds incredibly complicated! I wonder if all canner’s pressure gauges are so hard to check/calibrate. I imagine they’re all similar....
So after I buy one, can I assume it’s fine or do I need to have it checked before using?....I guess I can call the manufacturer and let them decide. ;)
I just looked at the mill on Waltons and see now why I didn’t get it. The one I got isn’t nearly as rugged, but can be operated either with a motor or by hand. I have limited upper extremity use, so I’ll resort to hand grinding only if I have to! But since I may have to at some point, I’d like a nice hand one as well. Plus the fact that it grinds coffee, etc, is nice.
But it looks quite versatile and very well made. Please do report back on how easy it is to grind (and include if you’re a big tough he-man with lots of muscle to use for comparison!).
And one more thing, if when you get it - if there’s anything in the instructions about whether it can grind popcorn or not, I’d like to know. Somehow, I ended up with a SuperPail of the stuff....;)
make addition ‘addiction’.
My name is CottonBall and I am a hoarder......
9th small quake hits northern edge of O.C.
March 16th, 2009, 5:05 pm · posted by Gary Robbins, O.C. Register science writer-editor
The series of earthquakes that have been occurring in and around the Western Hills Golf and Country Club in the Chino Hills area, on the northeast edge of Yorba Linda, continued today with a 2.3 quake at 5:13 p.m., following by a 2.5 quake in nearly the same spot at 6.34 p.m. and a 1.9 quake at 6:53 p.m., says the U.S. Geological Survey.
All three quakes occurred near the Western Hills Golf and Country Club in the Chino Hills.
As we’ve reported in earlier posts, the shaking is occurring west of the Chino Hills fault, and not far from the Yorba Linda trend, the seismic zone that produced a 5.4 quake last July.
These are the latest two quakes since the weekend, when 3 quakes occurred at the golf course in a 19 hour period.
Source: http://sciencedude.freedomblogging.com/2009/03/16/7th-small-quake-hits-northern-edge-of-oc/21877/
—
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Mysterious window shaking resumes in O.C.
March 16th, 2009, 3:33 pm · posted by Gary Robbins, O.C. Register science writer-editor
Residents from San Juan Capistrano to Huntington Beach have reported hearing and feeling windows and doors in their homes shake and rattle today between 3 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. — an eerie repeat of the unexplained door and window rattling that startled and frightened thousands of people in Orange County on March 3.
The readers include a person named Tracy in Corona del Mar, who said, ” OK we felt these on March 3rd same creepy window shaking one then the “aftershock” , but what about the past hour March 16th between 3;15 and 4:15? Just now? Crazy! Would really like to know what is going on… military testing in Camp Pendelton? Any one have any Ideas?”
The quick answer is that we don’t know what’s happening. Camp Pendleton recently announced that it would be conducting artillery training at different times around the clock. However, a Pendleton official said this afternoon that the Marines were not firing Howitzers during the period in which Orange County residents reported feeling shaking in their homes. And the U.S. Geological Survey says there haven’t been any earthquakes today that would produce widespread shaking across Orange County.
Source: http://sciencedude.freedomblogging.com/2009/03/16/mysterious-window-shaking-returns-to-oc/21849/
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Check out http://groups.yahoo.com/group/californiadisasters/
From Santa Barbara County, California
This is an interesting story that explains how
goats & dogs are being used to prevent wild fires
in this part of California.
But it doesn’t mention anything about the problem
of Foxtails.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/californiadisasters/links/NS_001237311882/
I have also added this link to the folder above.
Bill Zardus
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Dogpark-National-News/
http://www.santaynezvalleyjournal.com/archive/7/10/4005/
THIS STAFF WILL WORK FOR FOOD
By Wendy Thompson, = wendy@ syvjournal.com
Staff Writer
03/05/2009
snip
“Meyer’s main staff consists of three fine dogs:
two Great Pyrenees and an Anatolian shepherd.
The dogs keep constant watch over the herd of
Boer, Lamanche and Kikos (Spanish breed) goats.”
snip
Brush Goats 4 Hire may be reached at 805-705-2554,
or visit their Web site, www.brushgoats4hire.com.
Reach Wendy Thompson at wendy@ syvjournal.com
———————— End Of Story ————————
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Local Man. I know him well. His Health was Really Bad.<<<
I am sorry that you have lost a friend.
I believe that you cannot die, unless it is time for you to do so, therefore, he went at the time he was meant to go and not sooner or later.
He looks like a man that I would enjoy having a talk with and that photo of his still is beautiful, it is a work of art.
Watch for pennies, that is a copper still, so he is sure to be flipping pennies at you, when you find one, look up and say thank you, for it is a sign that your Guardian Angel is watching over you.
The penny , comes from a very old Hungarian Folk Tale.
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