Wednesday, April 30, 2008

HUMOR

Subject: A very well trained Labrador

A man had just settled into his seat next to the window on the plane when
another man sat down in the aisle seat and put his black Labrador
Retriever in the middle seat next to the man. The first man looked very
quizzically at the dog and asked why the dog was allowed on the plane.

The second man explained that he was a DEA agent and that the dog was a
'sniffing dog'. "His name is Sniffer and he's the best there is. I'll
show you once we get airborne, when I put him to work."

The plane took off , and once it has leveled out, the agent said, "Watch
this." He told Sniffer to "search."


Sniffer jumped down, walked along the aisle, and finally sat very
purposefully next to a woman for several seconds. Sniffer then returned to his seat and put one paw on the agent's arm.

The agent said, "Good boy", and he turned to the man a nd said, "That woman
is in possession of marijuana, so I'm making a note of her seat number and
the authorities will apprehend her when we land.

"Say, that's pretty neat," replied the first man.

Once again, the agent sent Sniffer to search the aisles. The Lab sniffed about, sat down beside a man for a few seconds, returned to its seat, and
this time he placed two paws on the agent's arm.

The agent said, "That man is carrying cocaine, so again, I'm making a note
of his seat number for the police."

I like it!" said his seat mate.

The agent then told Sniffer to "search" again.

Sniffer walked up and down the aisles for a little while, sat down for a
moment, and then came racing back to the agent, jumped into the middle
seat and proceeded to shit all over the place.

The first man was really grossed out by this behavior and couldn't figure
out how or why a well-trained dog would behave like that, so he asked the
agent, "What's going on?"

The agent nervously replied, "He just found a bomb."

PLASTIC BUCKETS VS STEEL CANS

Hi Mike,
When I hear a good idea I must research it to see if it holds water. Here is an interesting article. However it does not contain information on the tin chests that the Officers carried their own provisions in. The ships rats would gnaw right though the wood to get to the salt pork or any thing else. I remember reading that in sailing ships that the rats even gnawed though the wooden crates to get at the cocoa (cocaine) leaves. Plastic buckets will present no challenge to mice, rats and mice have to gnaw continously to keep their teeth down, ask a pest control person. YOUR IDEA FOR TIN CANS WAS INSPIRED.
Repectfully
*

I thought there was a probelms with rats and mice being able to gnaw through plastic. Good. We have some controversy! And controversy makes us smarter.


Stay alive.

Michael

mboone@rtccom.net

A READER POSTS

Hi Mike,
I wanted to get your opinion on charity. I plan in the next year to buy an additional one hundred pounds of flour and 1 hundred pounds of sugar. and put away all those plastic grocery bags to put a pound at a time in. We have a little country church about 5 miles in the next holler over about four ridges over from our cabin. I plan to carry 5 pounds at a time of each over the mountain and give it to the part time preacher. I do this not so much for charity but when the SHTF is over and I go back into the town the preacher can vouch for my family contributing to help their neighbors. Then I won't be an outsider who hoarded everything but a neighbor who shared what he had. Of course it helps that my family settled this part of Kentucky and is well known. But I fear when some of these survivalists who come out of their shelters are going to find a very different and closed community. You have the Amish and the relations that your kindly spouse has established so you are fixed. But I think it is going to be important to maintain some contact with the outside world when we retreat.

What do you think about my idea of charity and its reasoning?

Michael sez: Personally, I think it is well reasoned and intelligent. The locals can hurt you if they wish. Or they can be a big help. And your actions will decide what you receive. The sharing of food is a major thing in time of stress. And a guy who has been dropping off packets of food will be remembered in a positive manner. Don't for get to stick some Bay Leaves in the bags of flour. Keeps the damn bugs out. People won't forget that either.

The Bible says to never let mercy be exhausted from your heart. So first you apply your mercy to those who stayed with you through the hard times and maybe the national bloodbath. Don't ever forget THOSE people. Never ever! Your alms will strengthen your clan as a group and that will enforce continuity. And in this case continuity is another word for survival.

The people living outside the jurisdiction of your clan are another matter. I have stressed before and I will stress again, you must have a good line of questioning well scattered among your clan as to what you wish to know about possible joiners. This is of major import. We have already talked of possible Freebooter infiltration into the family area. They will send a decoy into your midst to scout you out and find your weaknesses. Question, question, and then question some more. But if you already know the people and have made them friends then your job is a lot easier. Be leery of women with young kids who wonder in unannounced. If you don't know them it might be prudent to have them checked out thoroughly.

What is to keep you from making a file on everyone you know in your area? Ain't illegal! And keep the file along with a topographical map that shows where these people live. You know the old saying, "Knowledge is Power" and it is true. But if the knowledge gets out to everyone than you have lost the initiative. Talk to men who have been in battle and they will let you know how things can get down right horrible if you lose the initiative. Never lose the ability to ACT as opposed to REACT. Keep the initiative.

As an aside, if there is among you those who can drink a few beers or a couple shots of whiskey, the local establishment for accomplishing this will make you a very good source of information. Especially after the SHTF. Very productive method of staying abreast of the local situation. Just be very cautious. You can lose as much as you gain if you mess up.

Your charity will get you in the door of some folks who can help you gather information. Nothing wrong with this. What you learn may save them also. And your charity may lead you to some fine joiners and God knows you will need some joiners. People of strength and ability. People to help grow food and help with security. Your people will go out among them all day and when you have your little private pow-wow later on you can exchange info. You keep track of everything all the time. Survival is serious business. That is the job of leadership.

I feel you are right about the folks who hide and then come out after the calamity. No one knows them and they have not interacted with anyone. Suspicion will be the mildest form of attention they will receive. Folks will be on pins and needles as it is, don't give them reason to doubt you in this time of stress. That can get you classified as dangerous real quick. Knowing the locals is a fair practice and can be beneficial to all concerned. You never know who will save your life. Local news can tell you where there is sickness and disease. Stay away from it! Let the die- off proceed at it's own pace. It is going to happen and that is that. And I know that is a harsh attitude but it is something you can LIVE with. If you have a medical professional who can run triadge then have at it. But make damn sure THEY are protected. You will find them very difficult to replace, if not impossible. The medical professionals will be running for their lives around major population centers, if they live. Don't go around population centers either.

Stay alive!

Michael

mboone@rtccom.net

THE SURVIVAL BROTHERHOOD

I have been emailing with various folks around the globe about survivalism. That is the neat thing about the Internet. I can talk with Judy of the Woods as if she were right here. A lovely person. I will be putting up a post from a medical site she sent me this week. It's kinda long but it hits like a 12 gauge. One of the best articles I have read in a long time. In fact I'll just post the URL and you can go look at it yourself. http://www.drbass.com/rosedale2.html I don't know if this is clicklable but if it ain't you can just copy and paste it to your browser.

I have already mentioned the Cox Clan getting together down in Kentucky this coming month, which starts tomorrow. Mr. Cox recently had a stroke but has not lost his desire to prepare one bit. He is coming along quite well if his emails are any indication.

Wolverine, up in the cold country, is doing well. He gets infected with the same plague that gets the rest of us from time to time. It is simply a reaction to doing all this preparation with no real crisis as yet to appear, and being mostly alone in the venture except for his family. And he is smart and so is his wife and kids but he just gets to wondering if it is all worth it, I think. But his intellect keeps overruling his emotions and that keeps him on the straight and narrow. It sure does help to have an IQ above your belt size when the doubt starts to creep in. That is what sets me off about those who want to stay in the city when TSHF. They can create doubt in other people who are preparing and investing in a much better idea. But don't come out to Wolverine's place looking for trouble. He has been clearing his fields of fire this week. I love it!

The Elder Dragon has been amiss this week. The sonovagun don't publish enough. And he is another smart cookie we have on our side. I tell ya', we need to strengthen each other as much as possible. Use email. Write comments. Hell, write blogs! It is all good glue to hold us together. Dragon is a leader, though he would deny it. He is crafty and smart. He will probably have a people one of these days and I would say they will eat well and have good security. They will also engage in commerce. Dragon is a tradin' man.

The new guy who is stirring the waters is http://guanxi-trading.com/default.aspx This guy has a dream about building a Barterville. He doesn't seem to be getting off of it. And they could damn well be the wave of the future. When we aren't getting any more stuff from China Inc., a Barterville will be a nice thing. I am sure he has lots to work out but I know he is on the trail. I have a place picked out for my own little trading post. Can't say what will come of it but I like the concept. And it ain't like you can't have one every 10 miles, because you can. There won't be any big box stores to compete with. There won't be any big box stores to run off all the local guys. Things can get back to normal. We can all get involved again. And this young man is gonna lead the way. I believe it. I think he is an active man and will do what it takes to make a sustainable business.

I met a new hillbilly called Daddy Newton this week. Seems to be the salt of the earth. Typical hillbilly. Unassuming. Not given to boasting. Says what he wants to say with a minimum of words. I think he and I will get along just fine. You treat these people right and they will do anything for you. You piss 'em off and you may as well be sitting in the midst of stones. Hello to you, Daddy Newton!

Jim Dakin over on Bison Survival is still cranking out good posts. He keeps me on the rising side of the sign wave. Jim Rawles is cranking pretty well these days. He keeps my up to date and survival minded. Nice to have someone who does that.

I met a new blogger this week but he is so obnoxious I will not mention his name. He thinks his fecal material has no odor. He is very much overloaded and doesn't seem to understand the concept of getting help. A manager always understands the idea of having enough help.

I will close this for now and re-read my email, looking for good ideas. Every little bit helps!

Stay alive!

Michael

mboone@rtccom.net

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

THE AFTERMATH

Hi Mike,
I have given this some thought. Some survivalists that live in City and Subburbs intend to depart for the countryside when the SHTF. But someday this and everything will pass. The cities will implode and empty. People will flee to safe areas and form safe enclaves.
1) Then what?
2) Have you given any thought to the aftermath?
3) What will our country and society be like after the implosion and the aftermath?
4) Will we have a free society or Warlords ruling certain areas?
5) Will we be able to reintergrate into a closed society that is suspicious of outsiders?
6) Will survivalists who have ran away or isolated themselves in bunkers be able to return to a now closed society?

We only deal with the event and rarely touch on the morning after.

7) What is your oponion?

Remember we planned for a wonderful lightning war in the Middle East but got caught with our pants down in the peaceful aftermath.
Respectfully, Jim

Michael sez: It is such a dog-eat-dog world that it is hard to imagine anyone except the gangs being able to organize for any kind of survival. But Nature abhors a vacuum and if a war lord type of leader is needed or has a shot at taking the local crown, then it will happen. You gotta be ready for this guy!

But in the event of an attack on our shores by a strong enemy, the situation for those still living will be one of chaos. Big time grid down. Medical attention at zero levels. Law enforcement non-existant. Communications a thought of the past. Food where you can steal it. Guns and ammo what you have to begin with. Sickness and disease most every place you look. Fires and radiation poisoning the rule and not the exception. Horrible.

But if you are out in the hills and hollers with free flowing water and some food preps you might have a chance. The die-off will be spectacular. I have seen it by vision and it is absolute hell. But I never saw it in the country. What was revealed to me was in a big city. I don't knoow how the countryside will fare but I know damn well I don't want to be in a city. And I have friends in the city. Good friends. People I appreciate very much. And I warn the stubborn idiots all the time and maybe I am getting through to them. Kinda funny but the sx o'clock news is working for ME for a change. HAH! By God, I'll bet the fedgov hates that! Ain't too hard to figure why this government is so secretive. They try like crazy to keep people from knowing what is really going on. If people really knew there would probably be blood in the streets. I know if I were a black man in this country I would never vote republican after having watched the fedgov after Katrina. New Orleans used to be a black city. But they seem to have moved a couple hundred thousand of them out of town and ain't bringing them back. So much for the Big Easy.

But getting back to the questions...I have been asked what the nation will look like in the aftermath of calamity. I haven't a clue. But that ain't true either. I do have a clue.

I believe there will be a thousand little enclaves spring up across the land. They will have leaders. The leaders will be called Kings or Queens, Priest or Priestess, or Boss or what ever the hell people decide. The three headed monster we have now has been proven to be lacking of the will to be caring of the people. The leadership of these enclaves will be persons whom the people trust. Some of them might even be elected. God, I hate elections. God don't like 'em either.

These leaders will be learning the new craft of governing people. And they will do well or they will be replaced by the subjects. Or they will find themselves very lonely because people can vote with their feet. But a single governor or ruler will be the most economical and efficient. The biggest size of these little enclaves will be around 250 people. A leader can't deal with much more than that on a daily basis. Everybody will know everyone else in the new enclaves. You won't neet a stranger. You will work together and eat together and play and party together and you will pray together. Thus the people will be secure in their minds as to their situation. I haven't said this before but the question drew me out. And this is another reason why I am not interested is prepping to keep the present civilization going when the SHTF. Like the guy up in Idaho says, "New America! And idea whose time has come." To hell with starting up the same damn ball of crap again. Who needs it? "Not I!" said the Michael.

The new enclaves will be ventures in trust. They will be lights on a hill of cooperation. They will eradicate the haves and the have nots. They will eradicate poverty. They will eradicate inequality. They will bring peace to a troubled world. And they will have the honor of God, for they are of his mind. God WILL honor his own mind you know. The new move will be called Kingdomism. It will be a lot of work and a lot of fun. There will be buildings going up and crops going in and being harvested. There will be crafts galore as people pursue their genetic inclinations. Who really knows what good lies within a person unless it is given a chance to manifest itself? In the new day a'dawning people will have the opportunity to prove their talent. The scripture says that every man's gift makes room for him. That just means that your contribution toward the good of all the people will guarantee you a place at the table, a place to worship God and an invitation of automatic issue to all events of your society.

I go now. Stay alive!

Michael

mboone@rtccom.net

AHH...THE SMELL OF BULLSHIT IN THE AIR

[The deliberate contamination of this product, which many people depend on, took place in China. You got that folks? CHINA!]


Tue Apr 29, 2008 11:32am EDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The contamination of Baxter International Inc's blood-thinner heparin appears to have been deliberate, the company's chief executive said in testimony prepared for a congressional hearing on Tuesday.

"We're alarmed that one of our products was used, in what appears to have been a deliberate scheme, to adulterate a life-saving medication, and that people have suffered as a result," Baxter Chief Executive Robert Parkinson said.

"We deeply regret that this has happened, and I feel a strong sense of personal responsibility for these circumstances," he said.

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; editing by John Wallace)


© Thomson Reuters 2008. All rights reserved. Users may download and print extracts of content from this website for their own personal and non-commercial use only.

GETTING INTO THE WEEK

I have had some fine emails this week so far. It is very heartening to know that others are working toward the same goals that I am. I am a bit troubled by the storage container trip going on with Jim Rawles right now but if sealed plastic buckets is what has to be then so be it. I went to the steel can with a lid because I don't have mice in the building and all but one of my rice bags are sealed. All of my beans are sealed. From what I have been reading, there are numerous places to pick up good buckets for little or no money. Lids and gaskets are another story but can be had without too much trouble. If you go read Mr. Rawles, which I do, pick up on what he has to say about "food grade" buckets.

We are starting to buy canned goods and store them. Stuff we can eat every day and enjoy. We are keeping an eye on the expiration dates of these foods. I can see a magic marker being used in the future to mark cans with easily identifiable dates.

It has bothered me in the past about the main body of people in this country who will not prepare for any type of emergency. They act like they don't even want to hear about it. You would think, intellectually, that with the news about food shortages and gas prices that survival blogs would be getting hits like Matt Drudge. But it is not happening. I can only come to the conclusion that there are supposed to be a certain percentage of victims and ignorance is what makes them that way. Lemmings do the same damn thing! And I intend to avoid the Lemming stampede with every shred of energy in this old body. To hell with not living because I was too damn lazy to even think! It would be a disgrace.

I was just sitting out on the porch thinking about my metal can storage. I am for sealed food grade buckets and all of that but I can't see why a little bit of applied intelligence can't make the 35 gallon can adequate. You can always seal the big cans. That is what caulking compound is for. And you can further seal the rice and beans and what not that you put in there. And you won't take up nearly as much floor space with the big can as you will 6 or 7 buckets. If you are short of storage space you might look into sealing the big cans. Just a thought. Ask around and see if this is feasible or not. I'd like to know.

I watched a DVD of The Last of the Mohicans just a few days ago. I've seen it three times now. What a story. Of course it is a lie, just a figment of Jim Cooper's imagination. But the story line is really good. Those Mohicans were hellish survivors. They tried to be upright and honest in their dealings with their fellow man but they were dealing with politicians and career soldiers and you know how that is. But in the end ol' Daniel Day-Lewis was headed for Kain-tuck-eee with the pretty girl. He was headed for a place he thought would afford him freedom. I reckon we are all looking for that place.

Freedom. That great intangible that seems so priceless to the men in this world. You will please note that I said "in" the world and not "of" the world. But I am not going to get on this subject this morning. It's too vast, though simple. I just remember that passage of scripture where it says that "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." If you don't feel liberty then God aint in it. And that which he has not planted wil be plucked up.

THE COX CLAN ABOUT TO MEET

Jim Cox is stirring up his clan down in Kentucky. Read some of what he has to say.

*************
Hi Mike,
Try this one it doesn't have anything other then words. I'll start sending you funnies.
I get them all the time, but most have to be downloaded. I'll send you all the ones that
don't.
I have been in physical therapy and RN has been taking care of me. I check your
website for golden grains of your knowledge two or three or four times a day. YOU MUST
KEEP CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, WE DEPEND ON YOU. AND YES I WOULD PAY A SUBSCRIPTION
FEE TO ACCESS YOUR SITE OR BUY FROM VENDORS THAT YOU SUPPORTED.
Our clan is patriarchal, which means that family leadership passed from my oldest brother,
to my older brother then to me as we each turned 65. I am only 62 but my older brother
has "suggested" that since I have began to have health problems I sign over the family
house and land to his son who is only 25. I am pondering it, I will have to turn it over to
the oldest male when I turn 65 anyway. The house is a two room log cabin on five acres
of land high up near the Appalachian trail. We have a spring and
a cave on the land. We have concealed the cave, and bricked in the entrance with a three
foot opening at the top for the bats to get out. If my health is good enough we will gather
there in May. I will be bringing 20 metal trash cans and two of the others will to. We are
planning on transferring our food into the cans from the wooden shelves. Which was a stroke
of genius on your part to suggest it.

I am following your advise very carefully in order to survive. I don't drink, smoke, swear,
and have never raised my voice to RN. So she says she allows me, to have what she calls the one
"vice"
(which will save her life). I AM STAYING ALIVE IN THE COUNTRYSIDE.
You have a responsibility to us to keep writing. RN went to the store this morning and came
back with the groceries and 20 pounds of rice for my "hobby" and three cases of vegetables
on sale for my "hobby". I am following your advise and buying extra every time I go to the store.
I have sold my stock and I am in the process of getting off the grid. Now, were you aware that I
have gone to other websites that you listed because YOU recommended them?
Let me give you an example of why medical skills are important. I got a call today from my
granddaughters other grandfather and ask if I would pick her up at school because had a rash
and RN was home. I picked her and and the minute we walked through the door RN asked her what
she had rubbed on her face. And she said yesterday her mommie put on some new suntan lotion.
RN said, Hmmmm, she has contact dermititis, I'll get her in the shower, get a towel. She wrapped her
in a towel and gave her a quick wash and her face rash cleared instantly. It is good to have
a medical person who understands quick solutions and can sew me up. I do not want my society to end,
but if it does I will STAY ALIVE IN THE COUNTRYSIDE.

Respectfully
Jim
*********
Jim gives me a lot of credit that I am not sure I deserve but I can relate to that part about being a voice crying in the wilderness. Anyone can see the planet is turning into a wilderness at a rapid pace. And there are several voices crying out about it. But that comes from people lovers and not from people haters. I want to point out that the Cox clan is going into their retreat AS A CLAN. There is a bunch of them. All kinds of people and skills and what not. They have a foothold on that mountain that they have owned for many years. And they have the shooters to defend it. And they know how to hunt and garden. They have a cave at least big enough for storage and a spring for water. Not a bad set-up at all. It can be better but we will be up grading our preparations the day the bombs drop. It never stops.

That business about going to the mountain as a clan is what I really enjoy. Having enough people to do a thing is vitally important. Growing food and pulling guard will be the first business at hand. Everybody has a job and no one without a job.

I thought about the age requirement of their clan. If you get to be 65 you turn over the ownership of the property to the next oldest son. That leaves all the older guys free to advise and council on things to be done. Society has errored on not keeping their elders around for advice. It's criminal. Any place you go seek a job they want to know how much experience you have. Except when it comes time to campaign for an election. Then experience doesn't seem to matter all that much. I reckon because the power brokers don't want an experienced man in there because they don't want anyone telling them to shove their funny business up their butts. The Cox Clan will have vigor and experience both. Wonderful combination. Destined for success.

They will have SOME trouble with the ladies because the women don't want to cook over a wood fire in the house in the Summer. And this is why the good God made Summer kitchens. You cut down some Locust trees and get your upright poles and you get them into the ground. You have the younger boys take the bark off with draw knives. If you ain't got any draw knives they ain't hard to fabricate. You use rough lumber for nailers going around the poles. These nailera are what you fasten your scren wire to when you get about done. You frame a rough roof out of lumber from a local mill or small diameter logs. Nothing fancy, just something to hold sheet metal securely. If you put a plate down for the roof you can use small logs for rafters and just cut a birds mouth notch to hold to the plate. My mentor never used anything less than a 20 penny nail to build something like that. We also always used 28 ounce ripping back hammers with waffled heads. You locate your wood stove where ever you want it and then put up your roof sheeting accordingly. Cut a hole for the stove pipe in your roofing sheets to best take care of that and you should be pretty much set. It's easy to write about this but not so easy to do the work. What ever does best is what you should do. Take a good crew and a couple days and enjoy the fun of doing things together. Use your best older man as job superviser.

Stay alive.

Michael

mboone@rtccom.net

Monday, April 28, 2008

A POST TO A-MAN

I hear you loud and clear on the difficulty of replying. Maybe we need to bitch at Google. All replies you send thorugh the blog come to my personal email address with me getting the option of either accepting or rejecting them. An ex-wife was making things difficult and I had to turn on the accept/reject button.

However, I put my personal email address at the bottom of a helluva lot of posts. It is . You can email me all you wish using that address and I will get it. I have been hit with 4 viruses in the past week but my security has worked and I am okay. Everyting is in quarantine. I'm a little afraid to nuke all the viruses because some of them are attached to programs that are keeping my computer running. I be afraid I might erase them.

I hope this explains a little better what is going on.

p.s. Due to the way Blogger works, the post for Tuesday morning is right below this one.

Michael

mboone@rtccom.net

WHO CARES?

I got to reading some Doomer this morning who sells food and he is so full of his own self importance that it is unbelievable. But there are different diameters of wire and they handle different amounts of current.

The question was raised about global warming. I think we are in for global cooling myself. The Legions who follow Al Gore may think much differently than I do but who cares? There is absolutely NOTHING we can do about it. That which comes from above is dominant. Ain't any way out of it. Yeah, I know, you can have an earthquake. You can have a volcano rise up in the back 40. But these things are mostly temporary and will pass. But all along, that which comes from above is dominant.

People react to dominance. And I say that as behavior opposed to acting. Whatever the weather is we react. The age of cheap fuel brought in the ubiquitous thermostat. Man no longer had to suffer nature but could turn a little dial on the wall and have his life as he wished it to be, at least climatically. You could have it cold in the Summer and hot in the Winter, if you wished. People wish to escape dominance but a little look around will give note to their failure. We follow the Sun, and have for millions of years. Where ever it goes we go also. And there is no mortal who can change that. The same applies to the Moon. It has followed the earth for millions of years and will continue, most likely. Think of all those asteroids that have crashed into the backside of the Moon and not made it to earth. And the Moon could not get out of the way. And who cares? I had no part nor lot in setting this system up and I just make my way however it seems best and doable.

I am no different than anyone else when it comes to being reactive to a dominant force. Make food scarce and I will do things to get food. I have to eat and I will do what it takes 5o continue doing it. So will you. No sane thing wants to die. No sane thing wants to be robbed of its natural strength. No sane thing wants to be faced with harsh impediments to its existance.

Life seems to be dealing us a different hand these days. Of course, the media tells us what it wants us to know. And the media works hand in hand with the government and big business. That is how the media makes it's money. Everyone who thinks the media tells us the truth and is populated by people who just love reporting things to the people raise their hands. Hummm. I don't see any hands. And I damn sure didn't raise mine!

So we can't rely on any factual news to tell us what is going on. What are we to do? Well, we can surf the 'net and read alternative news sites and see what they are saying. They rely on sensationalism quite a bit to get their readership up to where they can attract good paying advertisers. But there are those among them who relish publishing the news and they do so to the best of their ability. They can't do it every day but they try. But they are a source of different opinions regarding what is going on in the world. And it helps to have a differing opinion.

We can read the blogs! Hell, I publish one of those myself. I do it for my own personal satisfaction. I do it because I can run counter to the mainstream media and tell people what I think is going on. And I can use incidents from my own life to back me up. Experience counts. I can use the blog to tell people about dangers I see. I can use the blog to tell people what others think are dangers. I use the blog for counsel and not to follow a multitude to do evil. Not all blogs are published this way, but this one is.

And we have our personal friends to tell us of what is going on in their area of life. Phone calls and e-mail are used a lot in this country. Billions of emails are sent every day. We yak a lot! And this is about all we have as natural human beings to keep us abreast of what the hell is going on.

You can get on the trail of damn near any rumor you wish. And there are a lot of them. And if your investigation bears fruit, one way or another, then fine. But if it doesn't solve itself then don't worry about it. Like Dragon is fond of saying, "Keep your nose to the wind and your eyes on the ridgeline." Not much else you can do, really. You might get a warning about freebooters or government confiscation but that is about all. I ain't so sure they will even tell us if a nuclear missile strike is headed our way.

So you keep preparing, day after day, week after week. Because the system is in error and that is it's own reward. When things rightfully interpreted to be beyond our control are taking place and you know they are wrong, that they are in error, then get off your ass and get prepared. And the more I study the more I feel that individual survivalism, even practiced out in the country, is a waste of time and energy. Strong groups have a chance. Strong individuals have a good chance of getting their asses shot off. THINK! Even if life comes down to basic food production and security work you still have to sleep. Sure is nice to have someone on guard while you are sleeping! And you can have your dogs and your geese and your cans on a string line, but that human judgement is hard to beat. And a sentry can shoot a gun!

So don't pay attention to the blather of life but rather prepare to retain your life. And you will have charge of that. After all...who cares?

Stay alive!

Michael

mboone@rtccom.net

MONDAY MORNING

Hey! I got a nice comment from a nursing Mother is the Pacific Northwest. She says she can read my blog while she is nursing but she can't type too well. But she commented and that is special to me. Two or three hundred people a day do not seem to be able to make that much of an effort. Funny how that is. But Wolverine and gott_cha and the EMP from Maryland and Cox from Kentucky and Dragon and Charli Gribble and Mike Kemp and Vlad still communicate with me.

I have threatened my wife, the Handmaiden, with writing about guns all the time if I don't get inspired. Guns are not her area of expertise and she likes me to stay on other subjects whenever possible. Since she is my biggest fan I give her opinion a goodly amount of consideration, BUT DON"T LET THAT KEEP YOU FROM GETTING A SHOTGUN! And judging from the weenies we have running for President this election cycle, you had better get one quickly. Remember, the Heller decision is not out yet and we don't have the slightest idea what damage it may do. But we do know that the SCOTUS gets it's paychecks from the same treasury that the President and the congresscritters get theirs. And remember that the consitution grants that the SCOTUS does not have to pay txes on their salaries but FDR asked them to do it and they meekly obeyed. Kinda shows you where they are in their heads. So much for judicial independence and all that shit. But they were all lawyers before they were judges so what can you expect. Don't get me wrong. One of the most beautiful and intelligent young women on the planet, my oldest daughter, is about to become a lawyer and I love her very much. But I have this thing for lawyers and I had it before she was born and that is that. Time marches on.

I just read this article in the Autralian about global cooling. Not a pretty picture. It seems that we could be heading into an Ice Age that could last for maybe 10,000 years. If it is true I'll see you in Ecuador! I ain't got anything in me that wants to freeze to death. The writer of the piece said we ought to get busy and start hoping for increased sunspots. I ain't doing anything of the kind. What is it to me if I live in the hills of Ecuador or the hills of southern Indiana. If it comes a big snow storm in June or July I'll meet you at the dock for the ride to South America. Bring your stuff! You'll need it!

We are scheduled for two cold nights in a row. Happens every year about this time. We get a couple days of 80 degree weather and peeople think the cold is all over. We call these people short memoried. May 10th is our frost date. I am assuming you all know what frost date means, and that might be a mistake on my part. I never knew what it meant until I was in my late 20's. It is the last calendar date you can expect frost. It is the last day you can more than likely suffer dead food plants from freezing temperatures. In 37 years of living in this valley I have seen frost one time past the 10th of May. Ask your co-op guys and some old folks in the area what your frost date is and they will tell you. Folks who live close to the earth pay attention to such things. Knowing the frost date can save you from a rush to buy more seed. If there is any left that is for sale.

We have a sittin' duck this year. First time in the four or five years we have had ducks. These ducks are hatchery ducks and not used to being Mommas. They didn't have anyone to copy so they didn't do what they should do to have babies. But one of them seems to have the inclination to hatch out a batch of baby ducks. She has set on the nest faithfully. I kinda watch out for her from my porch and get rude when dogs comes around. The dogs don't like me but that is too damn bad. The ducks have always had the correect impulse to breed. Just like humans, they have a sex drive. But the sex drive is not the hatching and raising drive. I think that is learned to a great degree. I will sit on my porch with my pellet gun and watch out for things. The guy who mows around the pond got pretty close to the egg sitter but didn't drive her off. A good sign.

I'll close for now and wish you to stay alive.

Michael

mboone@rtccom.net

Sunday, April 27, 2008

THE NEXT STEP

What is going to happen? What stange and twisted path will we find ourselves on? Will there be war and bloodshed? Does mankind have a chance to survive? Big questions to tackle.

I see a major food crisis coming on. I see people all over the planet going hungry and not very happy about it. Discord and discontent will cover the earth. You crossword puzzle fans can think of the name Eris and know of what I speak. I don't know what will prompt this lack of food. I know there is a disease called Ug 99 that is attacking Wheat right now. And you let this planet run out of wheat and there wil be hell to pay. The blogs and the mainstream media say that we have the lowest grain stockpile of the last 25 or 30 years. There is no wonder that we are stockpiling rice. People don't want to go hungry.

I have listened to my friends in the organic food movement go on about the dangers of monocropping for many years. The first thing they will point out to you is that if a pestilence comes along that eats a particular crop then a huge concentration of it will attract them like crazy. We should really get our business together and produce our vegetables and grains and meat locally. So much safer and healthier. You can know what you are being fed if you have it growing close to you.

So I caution you to think and realize that food shortages and fuel shortages are a likely part of our future. We very simply live in an oil based economy and it is going to cost like crazy. Grow local, buy local and eat local. It is the smartest method I know of for keeping food at some sustainable level. I still remember Bobby Flay and his admonoition to EAT AMERICA on the food channel back when I had TV. And I went to the grocery store and it was true. There was anything you wanted in there. Little towns had live Lobsters for sale. Ain't gonna happen like that much longer. Too expensive. The shipping lines of travel are too long. You gotta get it at home.

If we can overcome the fuel and food problems then we are much farther down the road than we were a few months ago. I am hoping to have a damn good harvest of beans and corn and tomatoes this year. All local grown and started from non-hybrid seed. That is the ideal. We shall have to see what reality brings us. Sometimes our ideal and what we end up with are not the same thing. But we try. And sometimes we succeed. But it is not easy and there are problems and irritations.

You wonder what lurks behind the curtain of the future. You are constantly planning for the future but you don't know what it will bring. What little twist in the road will cause us a problem? Will it be the weather? Will it be the government? Will it be foreign affairs, of which we have no say in first place? Will it be rioters or freebooters? Hard times bring hard solutions. Not everyone is prepared to make hard conclusions work. But they will have to be done or we will find our butts in a sling. So stay flexible and attentive. You might have to make a quick turn in life.

I think this next step is probably survivable. I am not saying it will be easy but it will be managable for those who focus on such matters. I don't think the nukes are coming out this year. But I don't think they are too far off.

I do know that I am getting a lot of readers these days and little or no comments. No emails. Just lots of reading. I would appreciate getting some comments. I would like to get some emails. I never said I knew it all and didn't need some inspiration. All your communications will be appreciated to the maximum degree.

Stay alive!

Michael

mboone@rtccom.net

A POST FROM A READER

Good Morning Michael,

I have been up for a while, cooked the wife a nice breakfast and sat down and read through the dozen or so blogs I read. It doesn't take long with half of them not posting much new stuff for a few weeks. One hasn't posted anything since last February. I only care that I am not getting additional ideas and information to add to the mix so I can reach better decisions.

This could be way long, but I won't make it so. Salient facts are my mother-in-law blow a tire and it spent her spinning down the expressway. She crashed sideways into a guard rail and broke five ribs, a collapsed lung, bruised her lower side and had a two inch cut in her scalp. They were very concerned that her spleen was ruptured too. Wife, brother-in-law and I spent eight hours in the hospital with her until she finally got moved to her room and drugged up enough to rest. It was another personnel SFTH day. Oh yeah, local police gave her a $125 ticket for failure to control. Insult to injury if you ask me.

There were some lessons learned in this. As preppers we like to pride ourselves on being ready for a lot of stuff. If you take medication and you do not have a list of what you take and the doses with you and you get in an accident valuable time can be wasted while that information is gathered. It is a small item, but like ole Ben Franklin said, For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost, being overtaken by the enemy and slain. Check the nails!

Before I got the call to rush to the hospital I was clearing brush along a fence line, opening the view and clearing up around a bunch of raspberry bushes. I love a handful of fresh berries, either on a bowl of cereal, or popped in my mouth. Not much sweeter can be picked and eaten like a raspberry. I borrowed my buddies chipper and I will chip all the brush up and make a mulch for around some of the areas I cleaned up to keep weed growth down. Some I will compost for the garden. The end result will be a great view of the fields and woods from the deck, and a clear field of fire.

My last few trips to the store I have made sure I bought more staple items. Picked up some flour, salt, spices, and oils. Every store I checked had rice, although it was always in small bags. Both of my sons showed up last night from college and they decided on a trip dumpster diving. Came home with a boat load of meat still cold from the store cooler and a case of Lunchables. Like I told you before, I don't worry about the boys too much, they know the basics of survival and how to apply them.

Thanks for "listening". I just needed to chat with a fellow prepper. I have been feeling over-whelmed lately and sometimes just listing a few things accomplished makes some of the pressure go away.

Stay Alive my friend, talk to you later.

Wolverine

Saturday, April 26, 2008

THE WEEKS PREPS

I haven't done much prepping this week other than eating my wifes foraged food. That was interesting.

Two new books this week. THE FORAGER'S HARVEST by Samuel Thayer and COUNTRY WISDOM AND KNOW HOW by the editors of Storey Books. You can get them both at pretty reasonable prices from Amazon. The foraging boook had a nice article on toxic foods. Apparently a lot of foods are toxic if you eat too much of them. But a reasonable amount won't hurt you. It told of one young kid who loved Bell Peppers and ate five of them. Made him sick as a dog. The Country living book has so much in it I can't really give you a good analysis. But I like what I have read so far.

I bought 10 boxes of strike anywhere matches and intend to get busy making them waterproof. I will need some containers for holdng them. Some little pill bottles are really nice for holding the matches but I don't have enough of them. I'll figure something out. But 2500 matches is a lot!

We got a little rice and some beans this week but nothing to shout about. I took a #10 can of sprouting seeds up to the stash. That's always good for enzymes and other necessary things. Still haven't tried out the new grain grinder. I'm going to break down and buy some grain.

I read some new bloggers this week and enjoyed it very much. There are still some preppers out there who think living in the city is gonna be where it's at. I am convinced that this is not true and thus would not be able to say so.

The garden should be getting tilled here pretty quick. Looks like we are going to have one more night of "near frost" temperatures before the 10th of May. But the trees are leafing out and the Red Buds are glorious and it is looking like safe weather. I sure want to grow me a gross ampunt of beans this year. Some corn would be nice too. If the rice runs out we can serve beans and corn.

The supper tonight was country ribs, curly doc, a small helping of peas, homemade cane syrup from Georgia, some apple slices cooked with the rib meat, and a glass of ice water. Man. You just dodn't have to eat as much when it's real food. I just dressed the food out with a little pepper sauce, some syrup, a gob of good Amish butter, and a little salt. Good eating.

The political news is mostly the puking stuff we get all the time. The three cops who fired damn near 50 rounds at an unarmed man, killing him, got acquitted in Nu Yawk Sity. We read an article about the transit police in Nu Yawk now going to be patroling the subway system with dogs and automatic weapons. Sounds like a good place to pick up a machinegun to me! Some weapons freaks must be drooling! Vlad sent an article on this Northstar system that will allow the police to shut your car down if they are pursuing you. I don't have the system and I don't think I ever will.

Bush and his buddies are still looking for an excuse to bomb Iran. They ought to bomb Israel. But the Arabs are gonna get ol' Israel one of these days. You can take that to the bank.

Friday, April 25, 2008

SHORT POP FROM MSNBC

Paying cash? That'll cost extra
Posted: Friday, April 25 at 05:00 am CT by Bob Sullivan

Rhonda Payne went to an AT&T Wireless store in Calhoun, Ga., recently to pay her phone bill in cash. She'd been hit by ID theft and was forced to close her checking account, so she was worried she wouldn’t be able to mail a check on time. But when she arrived at the store, she was in for a surprise.

Paying in person, she was told, costs extra -- $2 extra.

Payne objected to the "administrative charge" that was added to her bill but got no sympathy. Instead, she said, she was told she should consider herself lucky because the fee was about to go up to $5.

"I was told that it was a courtesy to take cash,” she said. “I said, ‘Are you kidding me?'”

HILARIOUS!

NBC10.com
The Skinny On 'Miracle' Wrinkle Cream
New Product Has Converts Despite Issues

POSTED: 7:39 p.m. EST November 26, 2002
UPDATED: 5:04 p.m. EST November 27, 2002


A new wrinkle cream that promises fabulous results. But the question everyone's asking is "what's in that cream?"

Barbara Blair says this new gel she's been using makes her face look a lot younger than the Retin-A and vitamin C creams she's been using.

"It's really tightened my skin. Firmed it. The little lines are much better. The texture is very appreciably different."

What Blair probably doesn't know is that a key ingredient in the cream is the foreskin of a circumcised baby.

The skin that would otherwise be tossed away. It was first made into a product that helped burn victims heal. Now it's in this antiwrinkle gel, called TNS Recovery Complex.

Betsy Rubenstone is the aesthetician in the plastic surgery department at the University of Pennsylvania and she swears by this stuff.

She knows why the foreskin is used.

"It's filled with everything we begin to lose as we age," Rubenstone says. "And that includes growth factors, amino acids, proteins, collage, elastin and holyuronic acid."

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital dermatologist Paul Bujanauskas says while TNS might have merit, he would not prescribe it for his patients because no scientific research proving its value has been published in medical journals.

The cost of one bottle of TNS is about $130. And that will last you about a month and a half. How does it smell? Well that's another downside. Just ask anybody who uses it.

"It's disgusting. It's got a sour smell to it that makes you want to gag," says Blair. "But you get used to it."

THIS MORNING'S SURVIVAL

As mentioned earlier, I was pleased to note that someone is getting ready to open a Bartertown. This is survival thinking. Together we are greater than the sum of our parts. What another man has extra you may be in severe lack. And if you have to pay a cup full of grain head-tax for a bushel of corn or wheat, what is the difference? Everybody gets to live.

I am surprised that no more of you are planning on growing food and selling it when times get bad. Food and water will be the big things. THINK! That first year of bad times will belong to the food producers. And if you have non-hybrid seed for sale or trade you can break the hold of the growers by creating more of them. Food production is one thing you want to push in your area. For the sake of everyone get this taken care of. If you have the means, it might not be a bad idea to have little planting books run off on your copier. Just regular old fashioned directions on how to plant corn and beans and lettuce and peppers and whatever. Make it short and concise and if it's more than one page a simple staple will take care of it.

I'm sitting here typing away while drinking some Chickweed Tea. This comes courtesy of the Handmaiden. I really like it. Now if I can only get her to make this stuff on a regular basis! And put some leaves from the Stinging Nettle in with the Chickweed. I drink Decaf so I am not in an addictive spasm to get my daily caffine fix. I am perfectly content to drink wonderful herb teas. And this tea comes from leaves grown right here in our valley. Free for the picking. Great because they didn't come from the sub-continent of Asia but rather from my homeland. They are even genetically suited to be here. Just because they are.

I was investigating passage of scripture this morning. It's Revelation 6:16

"And said to the mountins and the rocks, (earthly organizations) Fall on us, (provide cover)and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, (God Almighty) and from the wrath (Seven vials) of the Lamb. (The Elder Brother, who will be leading the move toward Kingdomism in the invisible) I can featue us hiding in the caves and dens of the earth. Good survivalism. But I can't feature any contrivance that would keep us from the face of God. That is impossible.

There is the matter of clothing. And if you don't think much of this area, just ask your wife about the clothes you wear. Or wife, just go tell the unfeeling husband how essential clothing really is! Learn how to tan hides! You can do it with road kill! It's called brain tanning and it does the job. There are so many animal hides going to waste in this land of ours it is pathetic. Can't beat rabbit hide hand warmers. Cow and pigs can provide good footwear. Deer hides will make excellent clothing. Flax can be grown in more nothern climes and if you learn how to ret it you can spin it and make linen thread and thus weave linen cloth. Linen makes good undergarments and fine Summer cloths. There ae plenty of sites on the Web that will tell you how to make Winter boots and mocasions from hides. Learn this! I haven't as yet but I intend to get started. Horsehide is tougher than cow hide, in case you didn't know. If you have to eat old Dobbin for lack of anything else to keep you alive, don't throw his hide away! He makes good appearal. Best belt I ever owned was made from Horsehide.

Stay Alive!

Michael

mboone@rtccom.net

HONORABLE MENTIONS

I started reading a new blog today. Gotta do that since so many have dropped out for the Summer. I guess they figure the fall of civilization will wait until they get back. But the new guy is http://guanxi-trading.blogspot.com/. He is pretty smart and his mind seems to be together. He has a two part article on Bartertown. Read it. He makes a lot of sense. And remember, you will want a Bartertown. Having people drop by at odd hours to trade and palaver is not going to be conducive to a peaceful existance.

Jim Dakin wrote a great blog today. He is at http://bisonsurvivalblog.blogspot.com/ in case you don't already know it. The same with Jim Rawles over at the great http://www.survivalblog.com/. Very good blog.

The Handmaiden has given me a foraging link that I find to be very informative. You if are into god and free then try http://www.prodigalgardens.info/articles.htm. Nice pictures and all of that. She also gave me a site of some contrarianism called http://realitysandwich.com/the_new_urban_forager. This site is for folks who do it for the rebellion of it, among other things. Good info, though.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

PREPS AND STUFF

Hey! I had two kind of greens for my supper last night. Damn good. THe Handmaiden is looking to find these kind of things and identify them. She is getting pretty proficient. Last night I had Curly Doc and probably the last Dandelion greens of the season. Pretty damn good. And the amzing thing is the nutritioal value of this stuff.

1 cup raw Dandelion greens (cooks down to not much)

Gives you 54% of your daily requirement of Vitamin A

It gives you 151 mcg of Vitamin K. That is 188% of your daily requiement.

It gives you 103 MG of Calcium or 10% of your daily requirement.

It gives you 1.7 of Iron or 9% of your daily requirement.

In camparison with Broccoli, the Dandelion greens are much more nutritious. And Broccoli is considered a superfood. If it is too late to get Dandelion greens at your place be sure and get them next Spring. And it is an excellent source of fiber.

note: The water you cook these greens in has great nutitional value. I threatened to beat the Handmaiden when I found she had drank it all herself. Do not worry. She is a very small woman and I was in no danger. But I have a strong claim in on some of the "tea" the next batch of greens she cooks. Google will not give me any data on the nutritional value of Curly Doc so the Handmaiden is digging it out of her store of books. She brought in Chickweed, Orpine (Aarons Rod) and Dandelion greens and root. Salad time! She loves getting this healthy, high nutrition food for the price of stooping over and picking it. I hear food prices are going up. With all this free stuff the Handmaiden picks we may not notice it too much. Wouldn't that be killer!


********

A lot of people are worrying about creditors. If it is going to put you out on the street with your family then you better do something. There are still mechanisms in place for taking back what you owe on. Do what ever it takes to keep body and soul together. Hell, take a Chapter 11 bancrupcy if you need it. That will stall them off for a while. Speaking in mathematical percentages, there is a high probability that the debtor will know that the bills aren't going to get paid before the loan shark does. Get any plan you can make, in place and functioning, before the bastards come after their collateral.

Most of you people are victims. You BELIEVED the bastards. You wee trying to live the American Dream. You dutifully went to work all the time and pulled your oar. But now the bubble has burst and you are the criminal. You are the dirty SOB that ain't paying the bill. Forgive me if I don't believe that, however. Forgive me if I think you were robbed by banking charlatans. Forgive me if I think that Wall Street really did it. Forgive me if I feel that all these BFPoS (Bundled Financial Pieces of Shit) were a hoax from the beginning and were never going to make it. Forgive me that I don't think you crashed the economy and put thousands, soon to be millions, out of their jobs, and many out of their homes. You were being a good American citizen. Now you can become a good SURVIVALIST. Survivalism transcends all borders. If you are in it you are a world citizen. But a GOOD world citizen and not a New World Order freak.

There is free food out there. Learn it and eat it. Don't get it out of peoples lawns. American lawns are the most toxic places on earth. WHAT OTHER MEN TREAD UPON WILL BE YOUR FOOD. And it's pretty good stuff! You will learn to scrounge and prosper. You will learn who will help you and who will rip you off. You will learn about a HUGE market in the country that does not make the news. It's all barter and cash and traded work. And you can get anything you want in that market. Fuck the regulations. We are talking about a free economy here! Engraved in the steps leading up to my old High School were the words KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. Don't forget that. And don't give your knowledge to scumbags.

As I was writing earlier today, there is a change coming to this planet and the clever will make it. When the SHTF there will be Jubilee declared and all debts canceled. By that time you should have found you a nice piece of goverment property with a good spring on it. Maybe you can find someone who has more land than they can cover and will let you in on the deal. Man! It will be the ringing of the bell of FREEDOM!

**********

This is the site where you can get the data on Curly Doc http://www.edibleplants.com/wepnut_frames.htm

Enjoy!

Handmaiden

WSJ SAYS TO "STOCK UP"!

Load Up the Pantry
April 21, 2008 6:47 p.m.
I don't want to alarm anybody, but maybe it's time for Americans to start stockpiling food.

No, this is not a drill.

You've seen the TV footage of food riots in parts of the developing world. Yes, they're a long way away from the U.S. But most foodstuffs operate in a global market. When the cost of wheat soars in Asia, it will do the same here.

Reality: Food prices are already rising here much faster than the returns you are likely to get from keeping your money in a bank or money-market fund. And there are very good reasons to believe prices on the shelves are about to start rising a lot faster.

"Load up the pantry," says Manu Daftary, one of Wall Street's top investors and the manager of the Quaker Strategic Growth mutual fund. "I think prices are going higher. People are too complacent. They think it isn't going to happen here. But I don't know how the food companies can absorb higher costs." (Full disclosure: I am an investor in Quaker Strategic)

Stocking up on food may not replace your long-term investments, but it may make a sensible home for some of your shorter-term cash. Do the math. If you keep your standby cash in a money-market fund you'll be lucky to get a 2.5% interest rate. Even the best one-year certificate of deposit you can find is only going to pay you about 4.1%, according to Bankrate.com. And those yields are before tax.

Meanwhile the most recent government data shows food inflation for the average American household is now running at 4.5% a year.

And some prices are rising even more quickly. The latest data show cereal prices rising by more than 8% a year. Both flour and rice are up more than 13%. Milk, cheese, bananas and even peanut butter: They're all up by more than 10%. Eggs have rocketed up 30% in a year. Ground beef prices are up 4.8% and chicken by 5.4%.

These are trends that have been in place for some time.

And if you are hoping they will pass, here's the bad news: They may actually accelerate.

The reason? The prices of many underlying raw materials have risen much more quickly still. Wheat prices, for example, have roughly tripled in the past three years.

Sooner or later, the food companies are going to have to pass those costs on. Kraft saw its raw material costs soar by about $1.25 billion last year, squeezing profit margins. The company recently warned that higher prices are here to stay. Last month the chief executive of General Mills, Kendall Powell, made a similar point.

The main reason for rising prices, of course, is the surge in demand from China and India. Hundreds of millions of people are joining the middle class each year, and that means they want to eat more and better food.

A secondary reason has been the growing demand for ethanol as a fuel additive. That's soaking up some of the corn supply.

You can't easily stock up on perishables like eggs or milk. But other products will keep. Among them: Dried pasta, rice, cereals, and cans of everything from tuna fish to fruit and vegetables. The kicker: You should also save money by buying them in bulk.

If this seems a stretch, ponder this: The emerging bull market in agricultural products is following in the footsteps of oil. A few years ago, many Americans hoped $2 gas was a temporary spike. Now it's the rosy memory of a bygone age.

The good news is that it's easier to store Cap'n Crunch or cans of Starkist in your home than it is to store lots of gasoline. Safer, too.

Brett Arends at brett.arends@wsj.com

VICTIMS OF OUR TEACHERS

Hey out there! Things are not going to be like they have been for the last many decades. Patterns are going to change and thus the results will also. What once worked may not work any longer. I remember those words "men will not know what to do." And then some words from five or six weeks ago, "get ready for the next step." I can safely say that something is going on and getting ready to happen to our limited chain of experience. Don't forget that however hard you have a grasp of something is how tight a grasp it has on you.

We are victims of our teachers. Life and people have conspired to fashion us a certain way. And there is no guarantee that any of our basic beliefs are forever.

We humans are very conservative about some things. Hell. We are conservative about a lot of things! What worked for Uncle Joe or Grandpa Bill are surely going to work for us! We each have the human nature and what our human nature likes we wish to bestow upon ourselves. I think you can call that self interest.

But the habits of a young man become the ruts of an old man. As young men we made up our minds as to what we liked and stuck with achieving it. We had seen the way and it was doable. Had to be. Uncle Joe and Grandpa Bill had already demonstrated the possiblity. It had happened and thus it could happen again. Scientific reasoning applied to life.

How we looked at life and how we felt about life shaped our thinking about our future. The sawmill I ran over 30 years ago was going to run forever. But it sits there, a huge production machine, idle. Oh, it can still produce. No question about that. It's still a board cutting marvel. But the market has changed. Costs have gone through the roof. Twenty years ago it cost a hundred dollars of diesel fuel to run a skidder all day in the woods. Care to estimate what it costs now?

Our patterns of behavior are going to change or we will become the old has-beens. And I say the changes are coming quickly and decisivley. The true measure of our abilities and thinking will appear to everyone noticing. Who has the flexibilty to change with the rest of the world? Who can grasp the important issues and ignore the superfluous? Heady questions with deep meaning to our continued existance. Do we go the way of the dinosaur or do we mutate and live on? I would say that some of us will mutate. We will pick up on what is real and what is not real. Whaat is real will live. What is false and illusionary will die, and fade away.

Good fortune and Stay Alive!

Michael

mboone@rtccom.net

GARDENING TIP FROM BRUCE BURDICK

Turn Leaves to Fertilizer:

Gather all the leaves you can from your yard, your neighbors yard, or from the city or a lawn maintainence company. Some Organic Gardeners, you know who you are, grab their neighbors bagged leaves in the dark of night.

Place them in as many compost bins as you have. I like garden wire fencing about 5' high and 20 feet long forming a circular bin approx. 6-8 ft across. The ends can be roped or wired together and easily removed when the pile is done in a year or so, and moved to start a new pile nearby. NOTE: You can shred the leaves on the ground with a lawnmower to speed the decomposition of the leaves, or you can just let nature do it's thing.

Now moisten the leaves--do not soak them.

Encourage the speed of the decomposition process by adding a nitrogen source (Blood Meal; Cottonseed Meal; Soybean Meal; Fresh Green Grass Clippings; Coffee Grounds; etc.). Add a 3:1 ratio of "brown" leaves (carbon).... to a "green" nitogen source--in layers and wait a year or two. Then, enjoy your yield of well balanced, stable, and biologically active soil amendment that is well worth the effort and cheap to make.

Happy Gardening;
Bruce Burdick
4-2008

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

CITY VS COUNTRY

There seems to be a controversy in whether to live in the city or live in the country. Being a fan of controversy I will jump right in with both feet.

I reckon a lot of you really get off being in all those governmental databases where they keep track of everything you do. I suppose you know that if you start storing fuel to use for a bug out they will know it. And there is some federal law against it. There is a law against most everything if you took the time to search it all out. So you decide the day has come to bug out and that familiar light comes on behind you and a cop pulls you over and asks what you are doing with that hoarded fuel. Good luck explaining what the hell is going on to the junior g-man who has pulled you over. And don't forget, if you are a prepper and they have you in their database they probably will know that you are armed and thus are considered dangerous. Just your friendly tax dollars at work! Go quietly with the gentleman and let the courts handle your case. In the meantime we will confiscate your 10 five gallon cans of fuel out of your little bug out trailer, you dirty little criminal.

But remember, that's how it is, living with The Bitch. What do you think those street guys wear "hoodies" for anyway? They try to hide their faces as much as possible.

So you make the unbelievably stupid decision to bug in. And I know that last statement is not going to make me any new friends. But it might save your life.

I read these guys who go on about taking care of their neighborhoods out in the burbs and the aimless rioters just sort of roaming around looking for signs of a possible food source. What a joke! If there are groups of people out in the streets they are organized! They belong to GANGS. They have some of the most rigid personnel control of anyone on the planet! If you are in a gang, you follow orders and that is that. If you don't follow orders you get a bullet. Someone else takes over your woman and life goes on. So let the aimless rioter syndrome be struck down for good. It ain't happenin'. You have just been vaccinated. I hope it takes.

What you have to rely on is your own intuitive quest to live. What you will have done, if you have had to stay in town all this time, is know of a back street, hardly traveled, way to get out of town. It might take you through some older parts of town. It might take you down by the train yards. It might take you past some junk yards. It might take you a lot of places most folks don't go but it might take you out of that f*****g city too. There be more than one way to skin a cat.

I remember old Daddy Lyons. Some say he was the inspiration for the song "Big John." He was not 6'6" however. He was more like 5'8". Built like a brick. He had been a coal miner and later on a trucker. He was a dominant old cuss. And he happened to get caught in Watts in the riot of the 60's. Man. People doing all kinds of crazy shit. I am sure Daddy Lyons found it all a bit unnerving. People were burning buildings and looting stores and generally raising hell. Guns were being fired and there were a few bodies in the streets. Being just a simple guy from Kentucky, Daddy Lyons made a quick assessment of the situation and got his hog leg out from under the seat and put it on his dashboard. He then continued to drive on, unscathed, out of Watts and out into friendlier climate.

And I have related the story of Daddy Lyons with the express purpose of letting you know that the aimless rioting and looting ain't where it's at anymore. The rioters have been educated. There is command and control among the goons. And they ain't gonna quit having control. You can bet on that. When they come out of their home area in search of food and shelter, they are going out as a group. And they will be armed and they will be disciplined. Don't ever doubt that. The South Koreans kicked the rioters ass in the riots of the Rodney King era. They called in their relatives from all over the state of California and took care of business. The maurading rioters were denied the looting and burning of the Korean shops and stores. One more lesson for the rioters to remember. And they do. Don't be delusional and think they don't.

The rioters you are likely to meet will have expensive pistols and medium range semi or fully automatic rifles. AK's come quickly to my mind when thinking about their rifles. City guns, not long range bean field rifles. They will function well in an urban environment.

Get away from these people. They will kill you. They will rape your wife and daughters, if they have the time and the inclination. If they don't, the ladies just get a knife in the throat and left to die. These people will not totally devastate your home until they have taken what ever they need for their own personal survival. Then they will burn it down. Or if they get too much of a resistance, they will burn it down right at first. Just like our troops operate in the Mid-East. If they think an enemy is holed up in a house and has plenty of troopies and relatives to protect them, they dump a guided bomb on the poor bastards and THEN they go investigate the remains. You will get the same response from present day rioters only they will burn you out instead of dropping a million dollar bomb on your head.

If this country is attacked from off-shore, the chances of a large group of people congregating ANYWHERE are remote. The so called DIE OFF will include most everybody, I am afraid. As a man posted yesterday, the government of this country is hated and any military action taken against it will be most severe. Urban survivors may just find themselves crawling out of their holes just to die walkihg out on the street. AND IF I CAN THINK OF THIS YOU CAN DAMN WELL BET THAT AN ENEMY FORCE HAS ALREADY THOUGHT OF IT.

The main burning and looting in this country will probably occur if we have food riots and/or fuel riots. Then is when you can die in the parking lot of a big box store. Then is when the freebooters will reign freely in the areas of suburbia nd the close-in small towns. This is the time you will get burnt out and your family destroyed. If folks get a little hungry they can be very violent. AND IF IT IS BURNING AND LOOTING THEN THERE WILL BE COMMAND AND CONTROL AMONG THE LOOTERS AND BURNERS! THEY WILL BE ORGANIZED. MUCH MORE ORGANIZED THAN YOU, JOE BLOW PREPPER. Your little stash of rice and beans and a few guns and some ammo won't be shit compared to what you are going to face. These people will be out to kill you.

Think!

During the Watts riots the LAPD just shut down. They wouldn't go near the riots. They knew there was a good chance they would get their asses shot off if they did. Troops were eventually called in to stop the rioting. And remember, that was a small area of a large state that was involved in that rioting. The rest of California was relatively calm. The government could still move troops. Wifespread looting on our coasts will be universal, not isolated. Anywhere you have a large population you will have death, disease, starvationn and a few other goodies. And the POLICE will not protect you and the federal troops will MAYBE be there and MAYBE not. And will any troops get to you in time to save you? Got any money you wish to bet on this? And the people who are generally the rioters, the poor, have gotten MUCH BETTER at their chosen method of dealing with social problems.

GET OUT!

There ain't a damn thing worth dying for in a city. No house, no job, no social interaction. It's all a thin coating of veneer to keep the ignorant masses in place. Don't fall for it. The cops won't protect you and the militry won't protect you and you damn sure can't fight a determined gang.

Get out into the country!

The countryside is not the end-all of life's ills, but it is a damn sight better than being in a town. You can at least get away from trouble easier out in the country than you can in an urban environment. Head off into the woods and there ain't a whole lot of folks interested in chasing you. Especially if you are carrying a long gun. "Oh please don't throw me in that briar patch!" I am an old man and out of shape, but these young guys around here will kill you out in the woods if you are chasing them. I know 'em. They have ambushed Bambi all their lives and city slickers wont be shit to them. Believe it. Remember Hank jrs. song? "I got a shotgun, a rifle and a four-wheel drive and a country boy can survive." And then: "Because you can't stomp us out and you can't make us run, Cause all these old boys raised on a shot gun."

If you don't get it let me tell you that living in the country is a lifestyle. Yeah, we shop at the same big-box stores that city people do. But for the most part the similarities end there. I remember when Pharaoh moved the people of God to the area of Goshen in Egypt. The Egyptians weren't into fooling around with cattle and other critters. Too crude and base for them. The Hebrew people, on the other hand, were considered ACTIVE people, people who didn't sit in their shops and count money all day. They got the job of growing beef for Egypt. But they became strong and Egypt got to the point they considerd the Hebrew people to be a threat. So they started making things tough on the Hebrews. But the thing to remember was that living in the country and herding cattle made these people strong and vigorous. And it will do the same for YOU! Living in the country is hard work. Why the hell do you think there ain't many people out here? Making it in the country is difficult. Beautiful level farmland like they have in Iowa is not easy to come by. Damned expensive too.

But while it's tough to make a dollar out here, it's plain easy to stay out of trouble. Ain't any crack dealers standing on the corners trying to hook your kids. They would stick out like a sore thumb. The local guys would throw beer bottles at them as they drove by, for sport. That would give the STOP signs a rest, I reckon.

We have flowing springs out here. Good water. Drink all you want. We have a spring at one end of our property that has a pipe drove into it and water runs out of it 24 X 365. I have been here 37 years and it was running when I came. It's by a road and anyone who wants some water is welcome to drink. Simple as that.

There aen't too many large fields in the cheaper farm land but there will be enough to grow a garden. If you do get some cleared land you can raise a steer or two. Just don't tell the fedgov cause they will want you to implant an expensive chip in the critter. It's part of NAIS and it's for national security, don't you know. It will break most of our small cattle growers but that will have to be be dealt with on another level, I am afraid.

What is the matter? Are you a wimp and a sissy? Do you have lace sewed around the leg of your underwear? Get out and be a man! It ain't gonna be easy and nobody ever said it was. But if something is worthwhile then you have to put a little effort into it. Boys and girls aren't born knowing how to be men and women. They watch other men and women and learn from them. It's a learning process. And you must make up your mind to start somewhere! It's hard but you are a Survivalist, right? You ain't some cut and run idiot running around and waiting for Mommy 'Merica to do it all for you, are you? You do have the intestinal fortitude to take on the countryside don't you?

Free your mind and seize the time. Molon Labe! Get out of the sewer of city living and get into the country and get your life turned around. What the hell good is it to buy preps if you don't get out of the sewer where you bought them? Town ain't a place to live, its a warehouse for things you will need to make it. You live in your home. Out in the country. When society is gone, you will be gone from society.

Stay alive!

Michael

mboone@rtccom.net

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

RICE- COST UP AND RATIONED

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24262084/

Bay Area Shoppers Asked To Limit Rice Purchases

POSTED: 11:55 pm PDT April 21, 2008
UPDATED: 1:36 pm PDT April 22, 2008


The price of a food staple -- rice -- is rising significantly, NBC11 reported.

The price of rice has increased dramatically in recent weeks due to crop failure overseas and resulting hoarding, NBC11 reported.

And at least one Bay Area store is asking customers to hold back on their rice purchases. Costco has posted signs asking customers to follow their regular rice-buying habits.

The rice price increase is a result of a domino effect, NBC11's Noelle Walker reported. Drought in Australia led to a severe decline in rice production that in turn led the world's largest rice exporters to restrict exports. That spurred higher rice prices and hoarding in Asian countries, NBC11 reported.



Now in the United States, rice prices have skyrocketed.

Son Tran owns Le Cheval Vietnamese Restaurant in Oakland.

He said he's seen the price of rice go from $20 to $40 in a matter of weeks.

And Le Cheval's stockpiles are dwindling.

Add to that, the price of vegetables has gone up 50 percent, and some of Tran's regular customers aren't so regular anymore.


SLIDESHOW: Basic Foods Offer Big Health Boost


The empty tables are a new and troubling trend.

Rice isn't the only food in short supply. The unleavened bread snack matzo, popular with Jewish families during Passover, is also hard to find.

Grocers underestimated demand for the product and one of the main producers of matzo crackers had a problem with one of its ovens on the East Coast, which also shortened supplies.



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Copyright 2008 by NBC11.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

MUSINGS

We have a very good menu for mental digesting today on the blog. Lot of contributions. We can also get into some conflict. And this is the time to air it all out. When the shit hits the fan it will be too late for correction and analysis. Back about 3500 years ago, when David as King of Israel, they brought the Ark of the Convenant to Zion, which was sorta like a suburb of Jerusalem. There was no Temple to place the Ark within so they used an olld grain mill to house it. The Ark was kept on the threshing room floor. And that is a historical concept that continues unto this day, except in closed, ritualistic churches.

The truth can be seen many ways. And there are many truths. We have an old song we sing that goes, "A truth is not the whole truth. You can believe what you want to believe. But I'm going down through the thousand years, THE truth has set me free."

But as we progress in our idea of survival we will butt heads on occasion. And this is good. The Ark was in a grain mill, if you remember, and grain has to be ground into meal before the human anatomy can digest it. And it takes two to do the grinding. The Bible calls them the Upper and the Nether stones. Some things are just too hard to understand by us poor humans and we need to get into it and grind it down to where we can digest it. So don't be bothered by confrontation. It can be good for the main body of us. And right now the bombs are not going off and we can still get food and it is a lot more plesant than what it could be if the trouble had started. We still have peace on our shores. Aint saying for how long, but it's here right now. Enjoy it.

I have Bruce Burdick, my personal Master Gardener, on the blog today. I have hung with this guy for damn near 20 years and he is the best organic gardener I know. He can grow almost anything imaginable that will grow in Indiana. But his best shot is growing soil. He can turn a garden patch into a wondrous sight to behold. Soil you can turn with your hand. I've walked out into one of his gardens in the middle of Summer and taken a 3/8" dowel rod and run it 24" into the ground, with little or no effort. I'm telling you, this man knows soil and how to work with it. Any of you having trouble with clay soil will be plesed to note his article of today. Follow his instructions and you will have a productive garden.

gott_cha has a rant out today and I had to put it up for viewing. I almost got to my feet and saluted. We need a little survival rallying every now and then. You will like this one.

I still don't know what is on the agenda for us all. But I know it is coming. And by that I mean a new lifestyle is on the way. I remember riding to Bedford with Mike Kemp a few years ago and listening in amazement to a commercial on the radio that was talking up getting a second mortgage so that one of these two women in the commercial could go shopping with her friend. I mentioned to Kemp that our ancestors would have used that incident as grounds for divorce or maybe a defense at a murder trial. I think that stupid stuff is about over. At least it is over for the people with any sense.

But change is in the air. Something is coming. Lives will forever be changed by the coming events. And I don't know what the events are. Go figure!

Stay alive.

Michael

mboone@rtccom.net

gott_cha RANTS WONDERFULLY

The sole reason for these blogs is survival...thats it. We must look at every possible scenario and try to understand its implications and learn to survive. There is no "magic pill" approach.
In our time line of history we must understand that Govt. gone bad is the biggest threat to our freedom and daily lives. Just as in the days of the 13 colonies.
_______________
What good is survival without freedom?

Our Govt. is an out of control beast built upon a "thought to be" never ending supply of cheap oil.
The truth is,..oil has peaked and will decline,..same for other resources.
This beast will go to no ends to keep itself alive and functioning. Right now is using the war on terror to feed itself. Its a resource war and is playing now in the mid-east. Citizens will have a role only as cannon fodder. The Govt's concern will be about their survival,..not yours! Don't believe it? ask a Vet,unless they have been brain washed by this phony war on "terra" as Bush calls it, they will tell you how they really feel and what they really see happening.

And People,...with all due respect,..how can you make any statement about govt. knowing about your kids, whats with that? People seem to trust in the abilities of the Govt. to regain control and bring about peace during strife. The Govt. will be the cause of the trouble and strife!!!
Our enemies won't attack us because they hate our freedoms, as Bush has lied proclaiming they will. They will attack us because our GOVT. is the most hateful,deceptive and dangerous group of thugs since the Third Reich.
Can we be sure that the Govt. won't stage another Pearl Harbor incident, A Waco,..how about an Oklahoma City just to justify their existence. Hey even a Randy Weaver attack for us who prefer the countryside.
Knowing the truth about these matters, why would you want to offer up the young to the belly of the beast? To what end? When the turds come rolling I would think we would want to be as far removed from association with the Govt. as possible. This beast needs to die a sudden and violent death and when it does,..I wish to see it from a distance.
__________________
Our Govt. is rogue and it has over stepped its authority under the constitutional limits it was set up under. It has become the very beast spoken of by our founders when they said all enemies,..foreign and "DOMESTIC".
To whom are you loyal,..Govt. or the people? We must all ask ourselves that!(This is for us all)
Many Americans claim to love freedom yet wish for Govt. to provide for them from the cradle to the grave. Thats not freedom its dependency.

We all see the trees,..but do we yet see the forest?
_________________
Govt. is not going to save us,..never could never will.
Are they useful? yes! Our military will stave of the brunt of an "attack" but they wont be able to do it all.
These Brave men and women are honorable and loyal,..not stupid. They will fight AGAINST the beast for their families lives when that time comes.

When we deployed we went to protect America and our families. Not the US Govt. Same with them now.

True there is no eminent threat of invasion at the moment. But there is always a threat of a massive attack from our "strategic trade partners"..Read that as Russia or China,..or both.
But there is a much worse threat that comes form our own Govt. and its "black ops" agencies
That threat comes as false flag incidents designed to cause panic and paranoia to further their NWO that daddy Bush so blatantly spoke of prior to The first Gulf War.

Do we stay put being good "citizens" abiding by each and every new draconian law they enact,licking their boots in hope of their benevolence? Or do we use our good sense and get the hell out of dodge knowing one day spent free is better than a lifetime in bonds of servitude.

I know that everybody can't just pack it up and head for the hills . Some even love the city life. People have jobs and families, homes and all and they will be there when TSHTF ,..so yes prep!!
But dont bet your life or your loved ones on staying there assuming the Govt. will come running to help....Have a plan "B" and be ready to flee!
As far as the beast goes,..do all you can to cut off its Nuts now.
Use passive resistance if you can,...dont blatantly break laws or call attention to yourself,..but by all means be a cog in the wheel. Read about :Jury Nullification" and "Rule of Law",...obtain a "Citizens Handbook"...learn our responsibilities to our Nation,..our Govt. and our fellow man.
Dont be fooled into their Bull shit.
THINK!

MIKE KEMP ON WMD

Weapons of mass destruction fall into three large categories.

First we will consider what are called, usually incorrectly, 'poison gases'.

One first thinks of 'gas masks'. They are not 'gas masks' at all. They are particulate filters.

One true and actual 'poison gas' is chlorine. Just ordinary chlorine that is used to sanitize drinking water. It is evil stuff if not extremely diluted and dissolved in water. 'Gas masks' are useless against it, because it is NOT a particulate, it is an actual gas. The filters in a gas mask cannot capture it.

Cylinders of the stuff, under pressure, can and have broken, been damaged, or otherwise allowed to vent their contents to the air. The result is described as a yellow-green fog or cloud. Should you encounter such a thing, from an accident at a large swimming pool, or a water or sewage treatment facility, or some industrial accident, depart the area at 90 degrees to the wind. 'Crossways', in other words.

It is heavy, and lays close to the ground. It moves with the wind, and is (eventually, sooner or later) diluted and eventually dispersed by the wind. It burns your lungs and airways and eyes. It will also burn skin, but if it is strong enough to burn skin, your lungs are in real trouble.

Terrorists have discovered that this is the poor man's 'chemical weapon' of choice. It has been used against US troops in Iraq.

The remaining 'chemical weapons' or 'poison gases' are in fact almost always a finely divided particulate or droplets.

Tear gas (CN or CS) are examples of particulate-dispersed chemical weapons. The typical means of dispersing them is to impregnate an intentionally flammable chemical mix, similar to matchhead material, called 'smoke mix', for it's characteristic of burning in a fashion to produce a huge amount of smoke. This smoke is tiny particles. The chemical agent adheres to these tiny particles and are inhaled or land on the skin causing great discomfort... or worse. 'Tear gas' can kill you.

'Gas masks' work effectively on this class of materials, since it is a small particulate. The filters capture it and allow air to pass on by, slowly clogging the gas mask filters. Exit the area as soon as possible. Further, exposed skin, particularly with CS, will be greatly irritated. Long sleeves help. Covering all exposed skin helps. Covering the skin with vaseline helps.

Even breathing through a rag or t-shirt dampened with vinegar helps, for the vinegar dissolves the active portion of the agent sticking to the tiny particles.


Another smoke-dispersed chemical agent is called BZ. This is a super-hallucinogen, a super-LSD, and in very heavy doses be lethal. The lethal amount is actually quite small, but its dispersal in smoke means that to get enough to kill you, you have to breathe a huge amount of the smoke.

Standard 'gas masks', filter-masks, are also effective against this stuff. Exit the area immediately.

Sarin 'gas', also known as 'GB', is ugly stuff. Think of it as a 'pesticide' designed to kill humans. It is typically a liquid, and is dispersed in a weaponized military application by a small 'bursting charge', which turns the liquid into a mass of finely divided droplets. Standard 'gas masks', filter masks, are effective against this stuff. Exit the area immediately.


Another chemical agent, perhaps the most dangerous and most lethal, is called 'VX'. It is uniformly lethal to those exposed without the almost instantaneous administration of an injected chemical antidote, physostigmine and atropine, or similar chemicals. Most civilians simply do not have access to that. It is lethal upon inhalation of the infinitesimal droplets, and has the additional hazard of going right through exposed skin into the blood. In an area where this stuff is released, by the same means as GB or Sarin, a liquid dispersed by an explosive bursting charge, you cannot touch anything and you need protective outerwear in addition to the 'gas mask'.or filter mask.

Like the insecticides which they resemble, they are useful only where they are deployed. They do not travel very far. They are local area weapons. The most effective means of defense is to simply avoid the area.


Biological weapons, weaponized anthrax spores, for instance, are a different matter. There is little indication that you are being exposed. The only real defense is standard 'anti-infection' procedures. Wear glasses, don't touch your face and particularly not your eyes or your mouth without thorough soap-and-water cleaning of your hands. Once an infected population is established, it is self propagating, and is far more dangerous thereby than chemical weapons, which are by their nature a localized hazard.

The heavies are nuclear weapons. They are immensely powerful, with an immediate blast radius measured potentially in miles. Anything inside that blast radius is immediately atomized.

The immediate blast produces a huge amount of neutrons, which are subatomic, heavy particles, which are hugely penetrating. They are responsible for the majority of fallout from nuclear blasts. Physical material, dirt, steel, concrete, and the like are irradiated by these neutrons, and become themselves radioactive. Neutrons are the only means of causing other material to become radioactive. The irradiation by neutrons causes these other items to become radioactive, they are drawn up into the mushroom cloud, and become irradiated and actively begin to emit alpha, beta, or gamma.

Alpha is easily stopped by paper or skin. Breathing in a particle, however, can cause a lung cancer to develop. Beta is a bit stronger, but it too is stopped by minimal shielding.

Gamma is very penetrative, and requires serious shielding. Most fallout, thankfully, is fairly short lived. A few days, and several half-lives occur, and the emitted radiation falls away to almost nothing. You do not want to track these radioactive particles of fallout into your sheltering place, no matter where that is. Don't go out
unless you absolutely have to, and leave clothing at the door, including shoes.


The heaviest fallout of the strongest kind will be closest to the blast. Don't worry about neutrons.... to receive neutrons, you have to be line of sight to the explosion, and in that case, you are pretty much dead anyway, unless you are deep underground.

Gamma is going to be more present in particles which are heaviest and thus closest to the blast point. The half lives will be longer. The further you go away from the blast, the more the fallout will be alpha and beta.

In addition to the 'grades' or 'degrees' of harmful particles-- again, don't worry about neutrons-- if you get any at all you are likely dead anyway-- but gamma us worst, and its sources are longest lived; beta is midrange, and alpha is shortest livied and most easily stopped.

The other rules of radiation are time, distance, and shielding. The less time you are exposed, the more distance there is to the source, and the more shielding you have from the source, the better your chances for survival.

After a fallout event, stored food and water will be fine. Crops in the field will have fallout on them, and must be thoroughly washed. Most radioactive particles will sink, but any chance that the water has been contaminated with fallout would strongly suggest that it be filtered.

Mike Kemp