Is Recession Preparing a New Breed of Survivalist? [Survival Today - an On going Thread #2]

May 05th,2008

[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

[nw_arizona_granny]

Straw bale house survives earthquake tests

April 6, 2009
Courtesy University of Nevada, Reno
and World Science staff
It huffed and puffed, but an earth­quake-simula­t­ion ta­ble with a force re­port­ed as 82 tons could­n’t knock down a straw bale house de­signed and built by civ­il en­gi­neer Dar­cey Dono­van.

The 14-by-14-foot (4.3 me­ter) dwell­ing with clay plas­ter walls un­der­went twice the ac­celera­t­ion and shak­ing as recorded at the 1994 Northridge, Ca­lif. earth­quake, the larg­est meas­ured ground ac­celera­t­ion in the world, Dono­van said.

In the last of sev­en in­creas­ingly vi­o­lent tests, the house cracked, swayed and sent out a small cloud of dust and straw — but stayed erect. Dono­van over­saw the tests March 27 at the Uni­ver­s­ity of Ne­vada, Re­no, where she is an alum­na.

She has been build­ing si­m­i­lar homes since 2006 through­out the north­west fron­tier of Pa­ki­stan, in the Him­a­la­ya foothills be­tween the trib­al ar­eas and Kash­mir. A 2005 earth­quake in Kash­mir, meas­ured at mag­ni­tude 7.6, killed 100,000 peo­ple, most of whom per­ished af­ter their flim­sy homes fell on them as they slept.

Dono­van uses bales for struc­tur­al sup­port rath­er than just as in­sula­t­ion as in oth­er straw-bale de­signs.

“Our goal is to get the larg­est num­ber of poor peo­ple in­to earth­quake-safe homes. We want to make it as af­ford­a­ble as pos­si­ble,” Dono­van said. “S­traw bale hous­es are used around the world, but those have posts and beams for sup­port and rely on en­er­gy-intensive ma­te­ri­als, skilled la­bor and com­plex ma­chin­ery, mak­ing it un­af­ford­a­ble for the poor.”

“Our de­sign is half the cost of con­ven­tion­al earth­quake-safe con­struc­tion in Pa­ki­stan,” she added. “The ma­te­ri­als we use — clay soil, straw and grav­el — are readily avail­a­ble; and we uti­lize un­skilled la­bor.”

Part of the trick to Dono­van’s de­sign, she said, is simply pack­ing the straw hard. “We build a small, steel com­pres­sion box, pack it with straw, which is readily avail­a­ble from the Pun­jab Dis­trict, lit­er­ally stomp on it to com­press it, add a lit­tle more, stomp on it a lit­tle more, and then fi­nally use stand­ard farm-type hand jacks to do the fi­nal com­pressing of the bales,” she ex­plained.

“We fill old vegeta­ble sacks with grav­el, like sand­bags, for the founda­t­ion. The bags are fully en­cased, or boxed, in a mor­tar made from clay soil and ce­ment. It’s as low-tech as pos­si­ble.” The build­ings are 80 per­cent more en­er­gy ef­fi­cient than mod­ern con­ven­tion­al build­ings, con­tin­ued Dono­van, whose group al­so trains lo­cal res­i­dents how to build the homes.

While the re­gion lacks build­ing codes, Dono­van and a group she founded, Pa­ki­stan Straw Bale and Ap­pro­pri­ate Build­ing or­gan­iz­a­tion (paksbab.org) are seek­ing an en­dorse­ment from Pa­ki­stan’s newly formed Earth­quake Recon­struc­tion and Re­ha­bilita­t­ion Au­thor­ity.

Source: http://www.world-science.net/othernews/090405_strawbale.htm

[Marmolade]

“I like watching the old shows on TV land. “

Not sure about “content” but hubby started recording Green Acres a few weeks ago. I think he was looking for something funny to get away from all the daily stress in our lives these days. We watched an episode the other night - even our 16 year old son was laughing along with us.

I cringe with some of the shows on TV nowadays. They seem to be leading the way for many in our society - unfortunately down the wrong path.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2009pres/05/20090522b.html

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, May 22, 2009

Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343
HHS Takes Additional Steps Toward Development of Vaccine for the Novel Influenza A (H1N1)

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that the department will take important steps necessary to prepare for potential commercial-scale production of a candidate vaccine for the novel Influenza A ( H1N1). The Secretary is directing approximately $1 billion in existing funds that will be used for clinical studies that will take place over the summer and for commercial-scale production of two potential vaccine ingredients for the pre-pandemic influenza stockpile.

“Preparation and planning are critical to keep Americans safe in the face of a potential pandemic,” Secretary Sebelius said. “Our goal throughout this new H1N1 outbreak has been to stay one step ahead of the virus. An important part of this effort has been our work to develop a potential vaccine because vaccines can help prevent and control influenza virus outbreaks. The actions we are taking today will help us be prepared if a vaccine is needed.”

The funds will be used to place new orders on existing contracts with companies that hold U.S. licenses for flu vaccines. With these orders, they will produce a bulk supply of vaccine antigen and adjuvant. Antigen is the active ingredient in a vaccine that causes the human body’s immune system to develop antibodies that help fight an invading virus. Depending on the results of clinical studies, adjuvants could be added to a vaccine to improve the immune system’s response and potentially reduce the amount of antigen necessary for the body to recognize and fight a virus.

Having both antigen and adjuvant on hand provides maximum flexibility in a future immunization program, if a program is recommended. For example, if needed these ingredients could be used in vaccine to help protect health providers and other members of the critical workforce, as recommended by the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza.

With these funds manufacturers will also prepare pilot lots of potential vaccine for use in clinical studies to determine the proper dose for a vaccine, determine if adjuvants are appropriate and ensure a vaccine is safe and effective. The U.S. government will share as much information as possible from the results of these clinical studies with the World Health Organization and the global community so that other countries can benefit from the U.S. efforts to determine dosage, safety and effectiveness.

The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) in the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response established the existing contracts with these companies in 2004 as part of the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza.

To learn more about the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza, visit http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/federal/pandemic-influenza.pdf. More about BARDA is available at http://www.hhs.gov/aspr/barda/index.html. For the latest on the H1N1 flu virus, see http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/.

###

Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

Last revised: May 22, 2009

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/westernbagel05_09.html

Western Bagel Baking Corporation Issues an Allergen Alert for Undeclared Egg In Publix Brand 100% Whole Wheat Sliced Bagels

Contact:
Jeff Gerber Quality Assurance Manager
Western Bagel Baking Corporation
Jgerber@westernbagel.com
818-786-5847

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — Van Nuys, CA – May 21, 2009 – The manufacturer of Publix 100% Whole Wheat Sliced Bagels is recalling a limited number of 12oz packaging of 100% Whole Wheat Sliced Bagels with lot code date of 10491 and 11291 as they may contain undeclared Egg. The lot code date may be found printed on the clip that closes the bag. Persons who have an allergy to Egg run the risk of a serious or possible life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume the affected product. The UPC number may be found on the side label below the Nutrition Facts panel:

Publix 100% Whole Wheat Sliced Bagels, UPC: 41415-78290

The product was distributed throughout the chain to include stores in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee.

“The recall was initiated after the discovery of Egg Bagels packaged inside a 100% Whole Wheat Sliced Bagel packaging. This resulted in the undeclared Egg ingredient,” said Jeff Gerber, Western Bagel Baking Corporations Quality Assurance Manager. “As part of Publix commitment to food safety, they are asking customers to return the product for a full refund or replacement. There have been no reported cases of illness. Consumers with questions may contact Publix at 1-800-242-1227.”

#

Photo: Product Label

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/update.htm

CDC Updates U.S. H1N1 Flu Situation: 48 states | 6552 cases

Table. U.S. Human Cases of H1N1 Flu Infection
(As of May 22, 2009, 11:00 AM ET)

For more information on H1N1 situation, please visit www.PandemicFlu.gov

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=48478

Hurricane Preparedness Week: May 24 - 30, 2009

Now Is The Time To Gather Emergency Preparedness Supplies

Release Date: May 22, 2009
Release Number: 1791-488

» More Information on Texas Hurricane Ike

TEXAS CITY, Texas — The Governor’s Division of Emergency Management, the National Weather Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency urge coastal residents to gather supplies and documents they will need BEFORE a hurricane threatens Texas. Hurricane season runs June 1 through Nov. 30.

Keep your emergency supplies in easy-to-carry containers. Re-check and refill your hurricane supplies after every storm.
Use this checklist:

* First-aid kit, prescription medications, copies of prescriptions, other special medical items, hearing aids and batteries, eye glasses

* Important documents and records, photo IDs, proof of residence, information to process insurance claims

* Credit cards and cash (with power out, banks and ATMs may not be available)

* Battery-operated radio, NOAA Weather Radio and extra batteries

* Phone numbers of family, friends and other important phone numbers

* Road maps, a travel plan, hotel reservations, list of places between your town and your destination to stop if the highways are clogged

* 3-day supply of non-perishable food, one gallon of bottled water per person per day, coolers for food and ice storage, paper plates, utensils

* Manual can opener, knife, tools, booster cables, fire extinguisher, duct tape, tarp, rope, flashlight with extra batteries

* Extra keys

* Blankets, pillows, sleeping bags for each person, extra clothing, toys for children

* Supplies for babies, the elderly and family members with special health care needs

* Toilet paper, cleanup supplies, personal hygiene products

* Leash, food, cleaning supplies and veterinary records for pets

FEMA leads and supports the nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation, to reduce the loss of life and property and protect the nation from all hazards including natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters.

Last Modified: Friday, 22-May-2009 11:11:18

[DelaWhere]

>>Glad to hear your’s are doing well. I bought 2 new trees this spring - an heirloom apple, which is leaving out. The cherry tree isn’t doing anything. I think I will have to call the company and see if they will replace it. 2 Blueberries are doing OK. Lost most of the asparagus.<<

Sorry to hear about your cherry tree... Do you have another apple nearby for pollination? Yield is majorly increased if there is another variety close by for the bees to do their thing...

This year, I tried asparagus from seed... I realize that it will be several years before getting to cut any, but they are doing absolutely great... Did a tray of 72, and about 70 germinated - now they are about 10” and doing great. Will be transplanting them tomorrow (since it is supposed to rain tomorrow night)

Wheat is doing great, lettuce, cabbage, all 4 onion types, transplanted corn, watermelon, cantaloupe, Amish paste tomatoes, Thessaloniki tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, spinach, yellow and zucchini squash, beets all doing terrific - looks like it will be a great year for the garden production. Now waiting for some of the other things I planted to come up. (Now the fun begins keeping ahead of the weeds)

[DelaWhere]

>>>Rolled the mixture in the cabbage leaves (which isn’t nearly as easy as it sounds)<<<

I have much more success if I steam the leaves a bit before I try to wrap. Mmmm Mmmm, getting anxious for those cabbages to grow to harvesting size...

[metmom]

Well, yeah the leaves were cooked. I still had trouble doing it. My dad did fine, but between really big hands and lots of practice, that helped.

The other alternative was to line the casserole dish with the leaves, put in the mixture, cover it with more leaves, then put the stewed tomatoes on top, and bake. It kind of made one giant stuffed cabbage.

[appleseed]

Just a few things to add, my wife is Blackfoot Indian and spent several years in the deepest darkest Mexico as a missionary so my six is covered. We have a stock-pile of food but that is our normal way of doing things. Been my experience that TP is better than grass, leaves or my fingers and I might add that one can't eat gold or silver. Been without electricity so I have all the stuff that requires manpower to operate, just out of experience. Got a bunch of books to keep busy and can also be used as tinder if needed. As far as luxuries, toothpaste, rouge, soap or cologne I'm not stockpiling. May be good for bater but I live in the sticks and probably won't be doing much of that.

As far as kids goes, my grandaughter loves stickers. I have about a dozen sticker books which should last until she moves on to another passion. I thank God for the wisdom he has given me to prepare for the worst. When I look at my kids and my grandaughter I see my blessing and I am thankful. My self-reliant life has prepared me to take care of them.

[ExSoldier]

Earth sheltered homes aren't merely earthquake proof. They're also: 100% windproof, including Category 5 Hurricane and F5 Tornado. Also 100% fireproof & 100% bulletproof to everything except artillery or air attack. Even floods don't do a lot of damage to the exterior or interior shell of one of these homes.

[DelaWhere]

Hey, that sounds neat - layer it like lasagna...

Cabbage lasagna. Might even try that.

[DelaWhere]

Sounds like we need to really stock up on medical supplies...
- - - - - - - - - - - -

Court Says Bureaucrats, Not Doctors, Decide What Is ‘Medically Necessary’

A ruling by the 11th Circuit could be a sign of things to come in Obama’s America.

May 22, 2009 - by Jeff Emanuel

Earlier this month, a panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of three states that filed suit to have final medical decision-making authority transferred from doctors to state bureaucrats.

In March, as reported here at Pajamas Media, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama appealed U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash’s ruling that physicians, not government bureaucrats, were qualified — both legally and medically — to decide what was “medically necessary” for their patients, regardless of bureaucrats’ opinions.

The thrust of the states’ argument in Moore was summed up in the amicus brief filed by the state of Florida, which said, “Treating physicians … cannot be trusted with this sort of decision. When left to their own devices, they advocate for their patients, and deem all manner of unproven, dangerous, ineffective, cosmetic, unnecessary, bizarre, and controversial treatments as ‘medically necessary.’”

The “final arbiter” of medical decisions is and should be “the state,” said attorney Robert Highsmith in March 24 oral arguments — and the panel of the 11th Circuit agreed.

As a result of this ruling, doctors within the 11th Circuit’s jurisdiction will no longer be “left to their own devices” to treat Medicaid patients under their care. However, current events suggest the relegation of medical professionals’ recommendations to the status of mere suggestions pending review by state bureaucrats isn’t likely to be limited to Medicaid cases alone for long.

As taxpayer-funded and bureaucrat-run health care programs like Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) are expanded to include more middle-class Americans, and as the federal government’s control over the health care market grows astronomically under the guise of “health care reform,” the issue of government encroachment on doctor-patient decisions will only increase.

The first steps toward nationalizing this problem have already been taken at the federal level, where authors of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act included funding and authorization for the benign-sounding “comparative effectiveness research,” or CER. This term, quite simply, refers to the drawing-up of those cost-effectiveness spreadsheets state and federal bureaucrats use to approve or deny care prescribed for patients by their physicians.

Outside Georgia, where Moore reinforced the state’s right to ration health care to Medicaid recipients, the greatest example of CER at work is in Great Britain, where bureaucrats at the National Institute for Clinical Effectiveness (NICE) have become notorious for denying doctor-prescribed treatments based on their impersonal spreadsheets — and where patients who choose to pay out of pocket to go above and beyond the treatments covered by the National Health Service forfeit, permanently and by law, the state-managed health care benefits their taxes pay for and their fellow Britons are still receiving.

Government is a jealous mistress. What simply appears to be an issue of who pays for a few extra hours of in-home care today could very well turn into a get-half-coverage-or-none-at-all situation here, like it is in Britain, before too long.

The answer to this dilemma is simple: get government as far away from our health care and medical decisions as possible. The American people need to be making those decisions on their own, with their physicians. When government is given free rein to overrule medical professionals, patients and their doctors lose their rightful, meaningful role in determining their own medical fates.

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/court-says-bureaucrats-not-doctors-decide-what-is-medically-necessary/2/
- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Coming soon to everyone with Universal Healthcare...

[metmom]

ping to 8,153

[metmom]

Have you posted that as its own thread yet? You should. That needs to get out.

[WKB]

Ping

[DelaWhere]

>>>Have you posted that as its own thread yet?<<<

Someone beat me to it...

I agree... We need to hear it loud and clear - over and over...

But instead, the Republicans are too busy eating their own.
Like Gates and Ridge gnawing on Dick Cheney.

[WKB]

oops ping redo ping to 8,153

[penelopesire]

Scary stuff! The idiots in this great country sometimes boogle the mind.

[Marmolade]

“My $800 annual budget and how it works.”

Thanks for posting this Granny. I have been couponing for the past 6 months or so and have also started stockpiling. It has helped a lot with our budget and I have been able to find quite a few things for free. However, our area doesn’t have anywhere that does double or triple coupons, so my savings don’t come close to hers. There are several couponing sites that make the job an easier one - you don’t have to figure out all the deals on your own. They often post the sales a week in advance so you can plan accordingly. I admire this woman for being able to stick to her $800 budget.

(I’m trying to do a mega catch up here. Once the garden is in I should have a bit more time to keep up)