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]

http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/SciRefGuides/solarovens.html

Solar Ovens and Solar Cooking: Selected Resources

* Technology and designs
* Cookbooks
* Online Resources
* For Kids

Library of Congress Standard Disclaimer

Photo: a cooking pot, in the middle of a cone shaped set of mirrors.
A parabolic solar cooker. Photo from the Planetary Engineering Group Earth Web site.

Cooking with the sun’s power is a fun way to use a renewable resource, and with excellent results. Food cooked in solar ovens retains its moisture and nutrients as it cooks slowly, and does not burn as with other types of heat. Many organizations are introducing solar cooking to the world’s less developed regions to prevent further deforestation in fuel-starved areas. They hope also to liberate the women and their children who must spend their days trying to gather fuel instead of working or going to school.

In more developed nations, solar cooking helps to decrease the use of fossil fuel and to keep the house cool in summer. Many are finding it a creative and practical way to produce delicious meals with less trouble than it takes to use a conventional range.

Designs for ovens and cookers abound. They range from very affordable home made models to those one can buy ready-made. Most of the cookbooks listed below also have an explanation of the different types of ovens as well as tips for the novice solar chef.
Technology and Designs

Radabaugh, Joseph. Heaven’s flame: a guidebook to solar cookers. Ashland, OR, Home Power, c1991. 80 p.
TS425.R33 1991

Solar cookers and ovens: technology options. New Delhi, Consortium on Rural Technology, 1982. 56 p.
TX831.S65 1982
Cookbooks

Anderson, Lorraine and Rick Palkovic. Cooking with sunshine:the complete guide to solar cooking with 150 easy sun-cooked recipes. Rev. and expanded ed. New York, Marlowe, c2006. 202 p.
TX835.5 .A64 2006

Barker, Jennifer Stein. The Morning Hill solar cookery book. Canyon City, OR, Morning Hill Associates, c1999.
100 p.
TX835.5 .B37 1999

Gurley, Virginia Heather. Solar cooking naturally. 4th ed. Sedona, AZ, SunLightWorks, 1999. 92 p.
TX835.5 .G87 1999

Halacy, Beth, and Dan Halacy. Cooking with the sun. La Fayette, CA, Morning Sun Press, 1992. 114 p.
TX835.5.H35 1992

Halacy, Beth, and Dan Halacy. The solar cookery book: everything under the sun. Culver City, CA, Peace Press, 1978. 108 p.
TX652.H32

Kofalk, Harriet. Solar cooking: a primer/cookbook. Summertown, TN, Book Pub. Co., c1995. 96 p.
TX835.5.K64 1995

Yaffe, Linda Frederick. Solar cooking for home and camp. Mechanicsburg, PA, Stackpole Books, c2007. 120 p.
TX835.5.Y34 2007
Table of contents online http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip079/2007003173.html.
Online Resources

Solar Cookers International
http://solarcookers.org/
Solar Cookers International (SCI) was established in 1987 to spread the use of solar ovens and cooking. Their programs educate policy makers, maintain an international exchange network through conferences and publications, and ,by bring solar cooking technology to areas of the world most in need of it. The site contains clear explanations of the benefits, types and best uses of solar ovens, as well as a list of cookbooks and commercially available ovens.

Solar Cooking Archive
http://www.solarcooking.org/
Sponsored by Solar Cookers International, the Archive contains a wealth of information, including newsletters, articles, discussion lists, plans for cookers, an international directory and more.

Baking in the Sun
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/RenewableEnergy/renewable_energy4.html
NASA’s Earth Observatory site

Solar Cooking Plans
http://solarcooking.org/plans/
Presents plans for building box, panel, and parabolic cookers, as well as a few other types of solar appliances.

Solar Ovens Society (SOS)
http://www.solarovens.org/
“ The SOS exists to promote solar cooking to the American public and to provide a way to partner with the over 2 billion people worldwide who lack adequate fuel for cooking their food.” They produce and ship cookers overseas, as well as offer them for sale. The site also includes a number of recipes.

Solar Household Energy, Inc.(SHE)
http://www.she-inc.org/
SHE’s mission is “to harness free enterprise for the introduction of solar cooking to improve quality of life and relieve stress on the environment.”

Solar Oven Development and Testing Project (Florida Solar Energy Project)
http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/research/solarthermal/solar_cooker/index.htm
The Florida Solar Energy Center conducted a research project to improve the performance, reliability and cost-effectiveness of low-cost solar cookers for use in developing nations. This site presents results of the tests. Much of the information is detailed and technical in nature.

For Kids

Building a Solar Oven, Cooking with the Sun
http://www.re-energy.ca/t-i_solarheatbuild-1.shtml
This solar oven page is part of the re-energy.ca site, which offers learning kits which allows students in grades 7 through 12 to build working models of renewable energy technologies. It offers a plan for a solar oven, and tips on safety and testing it.

NASA’s Kids Features — Cooking With the SunPhoto: girl holding her pizza box solar oven.
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/activities/A_Cooking_with_the_Sun_prt.htm
Make a solar oven and cook a snack using the power of the sun. Includes step by step instructions with photographs.

What Stores Energy Best?
http://www.solarnow.org/experiment.htm
Make a solar oven-like box to compare sand, salt, water and paper to see which substance can store energy the best.

This girl made a solar oven from a pizza box!
Photo: NASA Web site.

Compiled by MJ Cavallo
May, 2008

[ChocChipCookie]

ping

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

You guys have the same tagline!

[CottonBall]

My own expectation is that there will likely be 3-9 or maybe at most 12-18 months of pseudo recovery and ‘happy times’ again. Everyone will be singing OThuga’s praises even more.

I've read that more than once - that it will appear like all is getting better, and then it will hit. Perhaps that will be when deflation ends. And right before the hyperinflation hits at a rate that everyone notices.

[Quix]

Quite conceivable.

[CottonBall]

First, great question.

Second, thanks for posting the links to other posts and articles.

It was about September 15th. Here's the facts, and we don't even talk about these things. On Thursday at about 11:00 in the morning, the Federal Reserve noticed a tremendous drawdown of money market accounts in the United States to the tune of $550 billion was being drawn out in a matter of an hour or two. The Treasury opened up its window to help. They pumped $105 billion in the system and quickly realized that they could not stem the tide. We were having an electronic run on the banks. They decided to close the operation, close down the money accounts and announce a guarantee of $250,000 per account so there wouldn't be further panic out there and that's what actually happened. If they had not done that, their estimation was that by 2:00 that afternoon, $5 1/2 trillion would have been drown off the money market system of the United States, would have collapsed the entire economy of the United States and within 24 hours the world economy would have collapsed.

hmmmm, this guarantee of $250,000 is only good until September 2009. Perhaps that will be our end date.

Your #1 scenario - China quits buying our Treasuries - I'd say that's a sure end date. Without anyone buying our debt, we're toast. Nationalizing banks as well - then banks will not be able to make their own decisions on how to prosper. And there's already talks of this.

I think we all need to be prepared NOW. And then wait and see when it comes to pass. Get all the supplies you can now, perhaps some precious metals, guns and ammo for sure - and find a place to move to if you are not already in a rural setting. We're not moving (yet) and still need to move our supplies to our cabin. But, there's no point doing that until all the snow melts and we can put in a sea train. So, I just hope all remains stable until then, at least. And we'll stay in the city for now (where the work is), but plan to relocate at a moment's (or two) notice.

Do you have yourself stocked up with long-term storage food? And guns and ammo? And a place to move to (if needed)?

BTW, you're doing better than most just by asking these questions. My extended family refuse to consider that anythig bad might happen. They think I'm a tin-foil hat nutcase by trying to make them aware. I figure I've done my duty just by trying to tell them about the possibilities. What they do or don't do is on them now.

[CottonBall]

I got carried away with html! All the last paragraphs in italics were an accident.;)

[netmilsmom]

I’m glad!

Pray Our Lord’s own words back to him and he listens big time, so I have been told!

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

You didn’t close your tag!

(an old FR joke)

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Post Inauguration Threats (v2) - Asymmetric Convergence in Mexico
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2193221/posts

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Here’s the text from the post above:

What we now face in Mexico (clearly one of the most unstable countries in the World today) is a convergence of asymmetric threats. The threats posed by the instability in Mexico are many. It is not only the flow of drugs to the U.S. It is not only the violence related to the cartel turf battles. And frankly, it is not only the inability of the Calderón government to exert any real control over the violence or stem the flow of illegal narcotics across the U.S. border that is troubling. What this means is a combined and ever blending threat and overlay of:

* Mexico’s inability to quell the drug violence on its side of the border

* the parallel spill over of that violence to U.S. border cities

* the constant, but often unreported incursions of Mexican military and civilians into U.S. sovereign territory

* the very clear lack of a cohesive and viable border security plan from the U.S. government

* the inability of the U.S. to control illegal immigration across the Mexican border and the apparent forgetfulness that a portion of the illegal crossings are those of people described as “OTM” (other than Mexican)

* the dramatic and widening spread the upper and lower classes in Mexico

* the deepening unrest in places like Matamoros and Chiapas

* and finally, the reality that beyond Mexico’s southern border lies greater danger and Islamic terrorist training camps. [snip]

[CottonBall]

You didn’t close your tag!

(an old FR joke)

That may have been before my time here! But yes, I am guilty. And I look foolish posting that way!

[CottonBall]

This is anecdotal, but a good friend of ours was in a Sam’s Club in north Scottsdale. A very nice affluent area. He saw three very well dressed younger women pushing a total of five carts loaded down with canned goods, rice, etc. When he asked the cashier about this, he said that the store hasn’t been able to stay fully stocked with staples, and that they call customers like this, “freaks.” Maybe more people than we think are hunkering down — just not talking about it.

Sounds like it, if they can't keep the shelves stocked. Means it's an uncommon occurance that they didn't plan for. I've had a lot of cashiers ask me also why I'm buying so many canning jars, or toilet paper, or foil, or.... whatever it is I'm stockpiling for the day!

[familyop]

"This is anecdotal, but a good friend of ours was in a Sam’s Club in north Scottsdale. A very nice affluent area. He saw three very well dressed younger women pushing a total of five carts loaded down with canned goods, rice, etc. When he asked the cashier about this, he said that the store hasn’t been able to stay fully stocked with staples, and that they call customers like this, “freaks.” Maybe more people than we think are hunkering down — just not talking about it."

I've done that. Items in some small supermarkets of rural areas of the West have been outrageously high priced at times. We were over 1 1/2 hours from the nearest Sam's and would bring coolers and ice for the cold stuff. Then more recently, the Sam's in the City two hours from here (we moved) started pricing some items way up and putting "fair trade" banners on them (e.g., coffee, which we don't produce in the USA).

Hopefully by next year, we'll be greenhouse gardening. The various grocery chains will be marking products really high due to panic, at times, during the months or years to come.

If you are living from a private sector income, do whatever you can to store and save a little. ...same for government incomes, if a fast inflationary trend starts.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

When FR was new and primitive (before my time here, too), italics and bolds would span to the next post. The running joke is about closing your tag (so as not to put the next guy’s post in italics, bold, etc.).

[JDoutrider]

Dang, that would have had to have been a BIG pickup! LOL

Pick up? Nah! Borrowed Bobtail! Plus a Van/trailer combo... Been planning this bug out for over a year. What was going to be a relocation to my Better half's Rez has been in the works for quite a while... the urgency to make it our "Gulch" has been going on since last June. We have family (and property) here on the left coast and out there and intend to hold both.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Federal imprisonment of Christians right around the corner (hate crimes bills)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2193138/posts?page=1

[steve0]

Who here would volunteer to man a website that tracks some key measures to give us advance warning? I really want the help with information now so that I don’t have to beg for charity or money from Freepers later.

Here is a free medical resource. http://www.scribd.com/doc/3327856/Emergency-War-Surgery-

A neat website project would be to do for finances what http://www.raptureready.com/rap2.html has done for prophecy.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Muslim Sprayed Food with Fecal Matter (back)

February 24, 2009

Poisoning food with feces is detailed as a tactic in the Al-Qaeda manual found a few years ago by British intelligence.

Also, there are precedents, both involving Muslims, as does this story:

UK: Shop-owners sold chocolate cake sprinkled with human faeces

Man Caught On Tape Sprinkling Fecal Matter On Pastries

Fecal Jihad Update: ‘Man accused of waging spray war,’ from This Is Gloucestershire, February 24:

A man who is accused of waging a urine and faeces-spraying campaign at two supermarkets, a pub and a bookshop caused £700,000 damage, a court heard yesterday.

Sahnoun Daifallah, 42, is alleged to have squirted a brown, foul-smelling substance from a spray container at four businesses in Gloucestershire on May 14 and 16 last year.

The court heard the man from White City , Gloucester , visited the Air Balloon pub at around 12.45pm on May 14 where police were called after he asked a barmaid Susan Lawson-Bagent how much it would cost to rape her.

When officers arrived Daifallah had gone but he had left a trail of stench behind him which the prosecution say was his calling card.

Stephen Dent, prosecuting, told the jury: ‘He mixed up an evil potion of various biological ingredients including his own faeces and urine.

‘It was not until after he had left that staff started to notice a bad smell of excrement.

‘We say that this was his little calling card because he did not like the way he had been treated.’

Daifallah then moved on to Waterstone’s bookstore in Cirencester where it is alleged he sprayed the brown substance all over a toilet in the coffee shop.

Staff noticed the smell but it was not until after he had left the store that they discovered a 20-metre area of 38 shelves had been doused in the foul substance.

In total 706 books were contaminated, most of them in the children’s section.

On May 16 at around 11am Daifallah is said to have visited the Tesco store in Quedgeley.

Mr Dent said a customer saw Daifallah reach into his laptop bag and produce a jet of fluid over the frozen chips.

He allegedly moved on to the wine section where a member of staff saw a fine vapour come from bag and on to the wine, leaving brown fluid over the shelves....

Source: http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/025006.php

[This has happened several times, it is true that this is in the training manual for jihadi.

Now ask about our own recalls.

granny]

[DelaWhere]

>>>>Muslim Sprayed Food with Fecal Matter <<<<<

LOL Now that’s an appetite killer if I ever saw one...

And here I made a Chocolate Cherry cake with a fudge icing.

Actually, it is not limited to their area.. I have been to places that I was given a warning to avoid certain food establishments as I was an obvious outsider and outsiders are treated like this article...