Weekly Roundup - Living On Nothing Edition [Survival Today

Did you hear about the guy that lives on nothing? No seriously, he lives on zero dollars a day. Meet Daniel Suelo, who lives in a cave outside Moab, Utah. Suelo has no mortgage, no car payment, no debt of any kind. He also has no home, no car, no television, and absolutely no “creature comforts.” But he does have a lot of creatures, as in the mice and bugs that scurry about the cave floor he’s called home for the last three years.

To us, Suelo probably sounds a little extreme. Actually, he probably sounds very extreme. After all, I suspect most of you reading this are doing so under the protection of some sort of man-made shelter, and with some amount of money on your person, and probably a few needs for money, too. And who doesn’t need money unless they have completely unplugged from the grid? Still, it’s an amusing story about a guy who rejects all forms of consumerism as we know it.

How to Brew Your Own Beer and Maybe Save Some Money. A fantastic introduction to home brewing, something I’ve never done myself, but always been interested in trying. (@Generation X Finance)

Contentment: A Great Financial Principle. If I had to name one required emotion for living a frugal lifestyle it would be contentment. Once you are content with your belongings and your lot in life you can ignore forces attempting to separate you from your money. (@Personal Finance by the Book)

Use Energy Star Appliances to Save On Utility Costs. I enjoyed this post because it included actual numbers, and actual total savings, from someone who upgraded to new, energy star appliances. (@The Digerati Life)

Over-Saving for Retirement? Is it possible to “over-save” for retirement? Yes, I think so. At some point I like the idea of putting some money aside in taxable investments outside of retirement funds, to be accessed prior to traditional retirement age. (@The Simple Dollar)

40 Things to Teach My Kids Before They Leave Home. A great list of both practical and philosophical lessons to teach your kids before they reach the age where they know everything. I think that now happens around 13 years-old. (@My Supercharged Life)

Index Fund Investing Overview. If you are looking for a place to invest with high diversification and relatively low fees (for broader index funds with low turnover), index funds are a great place to start. (@Money Smart Life)

5 Reasons To Line Dry Your Laundry. My wife and I may soon be installing a clothesline in our backyard. In many neighborhoods they are frowned upon - one of the reasons I don’t like living in a neighborhood. I digress. One of our neighbors recently put up a clothesline, and we might just follow his lead. (@Simple Mom)

* 4 Quick Tips for Getting Out of a Rut * Young and Cash Rich * Embracing Simple Style * First Trading Experience With OptionsHouse * The Exponential Power of Delayed Consumption * How Much Emergency Fund is Enough? * 50 Questions that Will Free Your Mind * Save Money On Car Insurance

From ‘How did people survive the great depression’:

At least 1/3 of Americans did NOT live on farms or in rural areas; it’s not as if Chicago, NY, et al just sprang up after WWII.

And the U.S. (especially in those urban areas) was busy absorbing European, and especially East European, immigrants — due to the tail end of the big immigration boom, plus the global Depression.

Since I’m steeped in NYC history, and my family lived through it all:

It was NOT a Golden Age of Brotherhood.
There were crooks, slackers, gangs, thieves, and ripoff artists; “nice” people brewing illegal-toxic liquor in the basement, or getting odd jobs with neighborhood crooks, or selling things that fell of a truck; and dirt-poor new or recent immigrants with culture-clash problems (assorted Old World bigotries, language problems, and difficulties with sanitation, indoor plumbing, and American customs).

But people pulled through for very non-mystical reasons. Mostly, it’s that a then-non-techie society ALLOWED people to do more to get out of a hole.

Such as:

— Most used coal for heating. So they weren’t in the gas/electric co’s total grip: If things got rough, they sent their kids to railroad tracks and trainyards to pick up coal that dropped from the cars.

Some of my relatives remember those trains’ all-black coal-car crews: When those guys saw “poor kids” scrounging for coal at trackside, they’d wave and heave some big shovelsful of coal down for the kids.

— People could raise chickens, rabbits, etc (even in cities) for food, or have communal veg gardens. Today, “food animals” would be a zoning violation, and there’s no unclaimed gardenable space in most cities.

— Businesses were mostly mom ‘n’ pop shops, so the owners had say-so, and also felt responsible for the community (even though their shoe pinched as well). They’d give people a break, pay a kid to deliver small things, hire someone to sweep — not because they needed the help, but since they knew that just one 10-cent job could make a difference.

As a kid, my grandmother would be sent to get stale bread, for a penny, from the little local bakery. The owners were a Jewish couple from Poland, and (though their business was struggling), they did the goofiest thing: They kept “regular” prices for the better-off folks, but virtually gave the stuff away to the have-nots (and they knew who was who). Instead of giving a kid stale bread for a penny, they’d give him/her a fresh loaf — and throw in cookies or a pastry “for your mother.”

Italian and Polish butchers did similar things — because everyone was in the same boat; no one could be high and mighty, or oblivious to the people around them.
But today, most stores are chains, or run from afar, and the staff can’t just “decide” to show a little mercy.

— Somehow, somewhere, people could find some manual labor to do: deliveries, repairs, cleaning, housepainting, window-washing, doing “home work” (sewing at home, for garment factories), bricklaying, temp construction jobs, road crew, door-to-door sales, newspaper presses ... ANYTHING.

But those jobs don’t EXIST today: They’re handled by private companies, contractors, or unions; and “home work” is illegal.

And frankly, most people today
(a) would regard those jobs as beneath them, and
(b) couldn’t do them right anyway, since we’ve lost the labor/tool “reflex.” We’re too used to pushing paper, or sitting at keyboards. Most people can’t even change a drill bit or a vacuum-cleaner bag with any intelligence — much less ad-lib their way through an unfamiliar laboring job.

— It was “normal” for kids to not graduate from high school — due to the era, the abundance of blue-collar jobs, lax labor laws, and the immigrant groups who still viewed secondary-ed as a luxury. (Anyone who graduated from high school in the Depression was NOT awfully bad off. Anyone who went to college — !!! — was either truly privileged, or came from a family that was REALLY willing to suffer, and placing all of its bets on the kid’s education.) So you’d have 16-year-old kids working full-time in some factory, or pasting together several PT jobs, to help out the family.

— ADULTS WERE GROWNUPS. Even KIDS were grownups — so teens could be TRUSTED with all those adult-type jobs. Life was tough, but you had some responsibility for someone(s) other than yourself. You didn’t quit when things stopped being “fun,” or say “eww!” and have a hissyfit, because no one around you did that, either.
The only people exempt from this Code of Responsibility were (a) the mentally ill; or (b) totally hopeless pathetic losers (since it was a waste of breath to nag them), whom you pitied and ignored. But today, it’s as if most adults want to be rich/hunky/gorgeous kids, and all kids just want to be “famous.”

— They cut to the chase: survival. Whatever their bigotries, people LEARNED to get along, HAD to get out of their own “ghettos,” and learned that other groups/religions/ethnicities weren’t all that weird ... and were in the same boat.

As kids, my very-white-Euro grandparents routinely ate Sunday supper in the local black-pentecostal church: Throughout the Depression, the church hosted free suppers for all, with no “preaching.” They made a point of being fancy (with napkins and flowers), so that the “guests” felt respected, not “poor.”

The local synagogue had a food pantry and baked-goods breakfasts — for all. The Italian, Polish, and German social clubs had free-food block parties. And when people were in dire straits, with rent in arrears, neighbors held rent parties — blocked off the street, played music, danced, and had people put something in the hat to help a family avoid eviction.

— Many immigrants, or first-generation Americans, KNEW that their survival was up to themelves ... because they were broke newbies, at the bottom of everyone’s totem pole, had experienced real hardship/discrimination in the places they came from, and knew that “established” Americans and WASPs didn’t give a s—t about them, and regarded many of them as vermin. They knew that life wasn’t a happy-ending movie, real s—t happens, and if they didn’t do something, they’d be roadkill.

— They had communities. People in the same boat (regardless of ethnicity-religion-etc.) would help each other out ... by taking turns watching each others’ kids, or feeding them lunch or dinner, so the parents could work. Today, we’re so mobile (and paranoid) that we barely know if we HAVE neighbors, until they sue us or get arrested.

So it wasn’t magic, and people weren’t any more ethical, religious, moral, etc. than they are now. But they WERE more grown up: They didn’t whine, point fingers, blame everyone else, sit in some private bubble, live totally in their heads, or think that all would turn out OK if they repeated some mantra or believed they could fly or mentally created their own reality. They lived right smack-dab in the real world.

http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message518012/pg1

Propoxyphene: Withdrawal - Risk of Cardiac Toxicity

Sold as Darvon, Darvocet, and generics

AUDIENCE: Pain management, Pharmacy

ISSUE: FDA notified healthcare professionals that Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals has agreed to withdraw propoxyphene, an opioid pain reliever used to treat mild to moderate pain, from the U.S. market at the request of the FDA, due to new data showing that the drug can cause serious toxicity to the heart, even when used at therapeutic doses. FDA concluded that the safety risks of propoxyphene outweigh its benefits for pain relief at recommended doses. FDA requested that the generic manufacturers of propoxyphene-containing products remove their products as well.

BACKGROUND: FDA’s recommendation is based on all available data including data from a new study that evaluated the effects that increasing doses of propoxyphene have on the heart (see Data Summary in Drug Safety Communication). The results of the new study showed that when propoxyphene was taken at therapeutic doses, there were significant changes to the electrical activity of the heart: prolonged PR interval, widened QRS complex and prolonged QT interval. These changes can increase the risk for serious abnormal heart rhythms.

RECOMMENDATION: FDA recommends that healthcare professionals stop prescribing and dispensing propoxyphene-containing products to patients, contact patients currently taking propoxyphene-containing products and ask them to discontinue the drug, inform patients of the risks associated with propoxyphene, and discuss alternative pain management strategies. Patients were advised to dispose of unused propoxyphene in household trash by following the recommendations outlined in the Federal Drug Disposal Guidelines.

Read the MedWatch safety alert, including links to the Drug Safety Communication, News Release, and supporting documents, at:

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm234389.htm

Tell us how we are doing:

http://survey.foreseeresults.com/survey/display?cid=d509U9xg0gZVxkMRcoMsQg==&sid=link&cpp[date]=11_19_2010_1245&cpp[type]=S

You are encouraged to report all serious adverse events and product quality problems to FDA MedWatch at www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm234212.htm

Del Bueno Recalls Cheese Because Of Possible Health Risk

Contact:
Del Bueno
Jesus Rodriguez
425-503-3823

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - November 17, 2010 - Del Bueno of Grandview, WA is recalling all size packages of Queso Fresco Fresh Cheese, Queso Panela Fresh Cheese, Requeson Mexican Style Ricotta Cheese, and Queso Enchilado Dry Cheese because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

Del Bueno distributed the cheese to retail markets in Washington and Oregon and to the flea market in Pasco, WA.

The following products are being recalled:

* Queso Fresco Fresh Cheese, UPC 75318225028 for 16 oz. package, UPC 753182814063 for 3 lbs. package, date code up to and including Feb 10 2011.
* Queso Panela Fresh Cheese, UPC 753182814056, date code up to and including Feb 10 2011.
* Requeson Mexican Style Ricotta Cheese, UPC 753182814070, date code up to and including Jan 10 2011
* Queso Enchilado Dry Cheese, no UPC date code up to and including Mar 15 2011.

The date code is stamped on the back of the packages. This date code is to signify the expiration date. The cheese is packaged either in 1 lb. or 3 lbs. plastic vacuum bags.

No illnesses have been reported to date.

The recall is the result of the environmental samples and finished product samples by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the result of the finished product samples by Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). The test results revealed that the cheeses are contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

Del Bueno has notified their customers and has pulled the products from retail stores. The firm is working with FDA to conduct the recall.

Consumers who have purchased Del Bueno brand cheeses are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact Del Bueno at 425-503-3823 between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm Pacific Time.

Professor C J Lim’s book “Smart-cities and Eco-warriors”

highlights urban agriculture

Farming for the City.

From barren, unproductive rooftop to fertile agricultural
oasis teeming with people, chickens and bees, Brooklyn’s Eagle Street Rooftop Farm
is a catalyst for community and food security.

Diary of an Urban Apiarist.

When bees go to collect nectar, they don’t use shopping
carts. These and other lessons learned from the front-lines of rooftop pollinator
pampering in New York City.

United Way of New York City’s Seed Grants for Urban Farming for 2010-2011

For 2010-2011, Seed Grant funds are targeted at urban farming initiatives in New
York City. Funding can be used to transform unused or “under-used” land to vital,
food-producing spaces or to expand an existing urban farm. In either case, the urban
farming initiative fit within the applicant’s general scope of community services
and assist in the expansion of community outreach services related to nutrition
education and wellness. In the project proposal, applicants must clearly explain
how an urban farm fits within their scope of work and how this funding will directly
benefit the intended target population.

Living Architecture Monitor features urban agriculture
Farming for the City.

From barren, unproductive rooftop to fertile agricultural
oasis teeming with people, chickens and bees, Brooklyn’s Eagle Street Rooftop Farm
is a catalyst for community and food security.
Diary of an Urban Apiarist. When bees go to collect nectar, they don’t use shopping
carts. These and other lessons learned from the front-lines of rooftop pollinator
pampering in New York City.

Food garden on stage at Berlin theatre

Between workshops on harvesting, collecting seeds, the garden can be explored. The
youth clubs of HAU present material they have worked on for several months, and
die Helmis will show “Hans-Guck-in-die-Luft”. The mother of 19-year-old Hans is
an outstanding tightrope walker, and his father a famous ornithologist. Hans is
clumsy and living in his own world, but he is also a very talented draughtsman and
bird voice imitator who has to cope with the conflict between an artist’s life and
reality.

Upscale Bexley, Ohio,

one USA’s top 100 richest neighborhoods, to allow chickens
Bexley, which is home to Capital University, upscale retail and high culture, soon
may be home to chickens - legally.

One area of the East Side suburb is ranked among the country’s top 100 richest neighborhoods
- with a median family income of $322,000 dollars.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All stories here:
City Farmer News [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=fclqmpbab&et=1103939282626&s=1304&e=001PRfzvvdk4UiTRNQNXnP46WR3E5FrzmM-CzKQoYARDGU_iuSnL4t9jN3MnqYFhQyQYRLJ9-Ha1ZgF_hzgIVUTjjwhqNmXNhnnWZDJ6ipD0-ou7lDRmRghEw==]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Michael Levenston
City Farmer - Canada’s Office of Urban Agriculture
1978-2010

Potato Soup, Basic for the Crockpot

6 med. potatoes, diced
3 carrots, sliced
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, diced
6 c. water
4 chicken bouillon cubes
Parsley flakes
1 small can (5.8oz) evaporated milk

Put everything into the crockpot except milk.
Cook 8 to 10 hours on low (all day) or 3 to 4 hours
on high.

Potato Soup

7 to 7 1/2 cups of cubed peeled potatoes
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons drilled dill weed
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk

In a large crockpot, combine first ten ingredients.
Cover and cook on high for 7 hours or until the vegetables
are tender. Add milk. Stir to blend and heat. Use a hand
mixer to blend some of the “chunks” to thicken soup. Fix
to preference: to thicken further use potato flakes & to
thin soup, add regular milk.

Potato Soup For Crockpot
Serving Size : 8

8 Lg Potatoes — cubed
2 Med Onions — chopped
2 Tbsp Margarine
2 Chicken boullion cubes
2 Tbsp Parsley — dry
6 cup Water
2 cup Milk
1/2 cup Flour — mixed with water

Place ingredients 1 through 6 in the crockpot and
cook all day on low to medium. 1/2 hour to one hour
before serving; add milk and flour mixture.
After the soup starts to thicken, it is ready to serve.

NOTE: Add 1/4 pound of Velveeta cheese for Cheese
potato soup. 1 can evaporated milk may be substituted
for the regular milk.

This is a recipe from my crockpot list. Make sure you add
salt and pepper to taste once it’s done—it is wonderful!
—Maria

Crockpot Potato Soup

This recipe is made in a crockpot but can also be made
on the stove.

6 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” cubes
2 onions, chopped
1 carrot, sliced
1 celery stalk, chopped
4 cups water
1 (13oz) can milk or half-and-half
dash white pepper
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. flour
2 tsp. salt
2 tbl. butter
chives, chopped, optional

Put all the ingredients with the exception of the milk, flour
and cornstarch in a pot. Cover and cook on low for 10-12
hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
Combine the milk, flour and cornstarch together and add to
the pot during the last hour. Serve with chives on top.

Crockpot Potato Spinach Soup

4 medium potatoes, diced
1 onion, chopped
1 cup chopped smoked turkey breast or ham
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
1 package (10 oz) frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese, optional

Combine first 7 ingredients in crock pot. Cover and cook on
low 7 to 8 hours, until potatoes are tender. Add spinach and
continue cooking on high for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with
shredded cheese sprinkled on top, if desired.
Serves 6.

Crock Pot Ham And Potatoes
6-8 slices ham
8-10 med. potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 med. onion, peeled and thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
1 c. grated Cheddar cheese
2 cans cream of celery or mushroom soup
Paprika

Put half of ham, potatoes and onions in crock pot.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then grated cheese.
Repeat with remaining half. Spoon undiluted soup
over top. Sprinkle with paprika. Cover and cook
on low 8-10 hours or on high 4 hours.

Famous Potato Bacon Soup

8 cups coarsely chopped peeled potatoes
1 small onion, shopped (1/3 cup)
1/2 pound bacon, crisped, drained, and crumbled
1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese, softened
3 14.5 oz cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 10.75 oz can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/4 tsp. pepper

1. In a 4-qt. crock, stir together the potatoes and onion.
Stir in the bacon.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese,
chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, and the pepper.
Add the mixture to the crock.

3. Cover and cook the soup on low heat for 8-10 hours
or on high heat for 4-5 hours. If you like, mash the potatoes
slightly for a thicker consistency before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Potato Soup for the Crockpot

Note: This is for a 5-quart crockpot, which is larger than
the usual. Cut down the proportions if you have a smaller
crockpot.

8 potatoes, unpeeled or peeled, chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, pared, chopped small
2 ribs celery with tops, chopped
1 (14.5 oz.) can chicken broth (or 1 can vegetable broth)
2 T. dried parsley (or 6 T. fresh parsley, chopped)
1-1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. white pepper
1 c. milk
1/2 c. flour
green onions, sliced
bacon, fried and chopped
grated cheddar cheese

Put all ingredients down to and including the pepper into the
crockpot. Add water to within 1 inch of the top of the crockpot.
Cook on high for 8 hours. 1 hour before serving, put milk into
a small container with lid. Put flour into milk, and shake. Stir in
milk/flour for thickening.

Serve topped with green onions, bacon, and cheese. A green
salad complements this soup beautifully.

http://bigspud.com/files/psoupcrock.htm

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