Wednesday, September 05, 2012
A note about CombatEffective
Just as an afterthought, I should have posted on here last month that it has been 30 months since the destruction of the CombatEffective.us website. It is up and running again, and beginning to get back to life.
Tuesday, September 04, 2012
Some General Notes About Prepping
I have said before that if you have enough money to be able to afford Cable TV, then you have enough money to follow the five rules of finance that I recommend.
I would modify that, ever so slightly today. As part of a methodical savings plan, I would say we need to be prepping for disaster. I noted that the Red Cross was tapped out in June of 2008.
People, in general, do not learn from past disasters. This was evidenced by the lack of preparedness when Wilma hit Florida, 3 months after Katrina and Rita, and with plenty of warning.
Here is something I wrote, about 4 years ago about being prepared.
As most people will not be prepared for a major disaster, some things might be kept on hand, just for bartering with other, less prepared people. (Biblical References: Genesis 41:33-57)
The following is clipped from one of those "paper money is worthless and gold is the only real money" web sites. The web site, as a whole, is pretty much loony, but this article is good:
Begin Clip:
There are a lot of different opinions as to what items will be best for barter in a post-collapse world where the underground economy may be the only viable economy for the passing of goods and services. That said, consider this a starting point as you begin to acquire goods for barter.
In no particular order, consider accumulating some of the following items for barter purposes. And keep in mind that in a post-collapse world, the items do not necessarily have to be new, but simply serviceable.
Water purification supplies including purification tabs and filters
Hand tools including hatchets, saws, machetes and general fix-it tools
Fire making supplies, including lighters, matches, flint fire steel
Sanitary supplies including toilet paper, feminine products and diapers
Disposable razors and razor blades
Fuel, any and all kinds (gas, diesel, propane, kerosene)
Prescription drugs, painkillers, and antibiotics
First aid remedies such as cough syrup, cortisone cream, boil-ese, calamine lotion and topical pain relievers
Spirits such as bourbon, rum, gin, and vodka
Coffee and tea (instant coffee is okay)
Solar battery charger and rechargeable batteries
Standard Batteries
Reading glasses
Paracord
Bags, including large garbage bags as well as smaller zip-close bags
Plastic sheeting
Duct tape
Tie Wraps
Heavy plastic sheets and tarps
Toiletries including toothpaste, dental floss soaps, shampoo (tip: save those small sized toiletries that are provided by hotels and motels)
Condoms
Latex or Nitrile gloves in a variety of sizes
Hard candy
Fishing supplies
Knives of various types including fixed blades, kitchen knives, and box cutters
Condiments and Spices
Paperback books on a variety of subjects
Tobacco and cigarette rolling supplies
Amusements such as playing cards, crossword puzzle books, Sudoku
Pencils & paper
Pepper spray
Garden seeds
Flashlights
Vinegar and baking soda to use in DIY cleaning supplies
Empty spray bottles and squirt bottles
Hand pumps for both air and liquids
Mylar blankets and tents
Hand warmers
Sewing and mending supplies
Knitting or crochet needles and yarn
One thing you will notice that I have not included firearms or ammo and for good reason. In a post-collapse society, you might not know your barter partners well and may run the risk that they will use these items against you so that they can steal the rest of your stuff. One person’s opinion, anyway.
I would modify that, ever so slightly today. As part of a methodical savings plan, I would say we need to be prepping for disaster. I noted that the Red Cross was tapped out in June of 2008.
People, in general, do not learn from past disasters. This was evidenced by the lack of preparedness when Wilma hit Florida, 3 months after Katrina and Rita, and with plenty of warning.
Here is something I wrote, about 4 years ago about being prepared.
In the foreseeable future (and yes, those of you who know me know that I have said similar things before) disasters will become the norm. If you are not currently recovering from a disaster, then you should be thinking about (and preparing for) the next one. This may sound a little calloused, but most of the people in New Orleans in 2005 and those in Houston and Galveston this month were deluded into thinking it never could happen to them.Keep in mind, Hurricanes happen every few years along the Gulf Coast
As most people will not be prepared for a major disaster, some things might be kept on hand, just for bartering with other, less prepared people. (Biblical References: Genesis 41:33-57)
The following is clipped from one of those "paper money is worthless and gold is the only real money" web sites. The web site, as a whole, is pretty much loony, but this article is good:
Begin Clip:
There are a lot of different opinions as to what items will be best for barter in a post-collapse world where the underground economy may be the only viable economy for the passing of goods and services. That said, consider this a starting point as you begin to acquire goods for barter.
In no particular order, consider accumulating some of the following items for barter purposes. And keep in mind that in a post-collapse world, the items do not necessarily have to be new, but simply serviceable.
Water purification supplies including purification tabs and filters
Hand tools including hatchets, saws, machetes and general fix-it tools
Fire making supplies, including lighters, matches, flint fire steel
Sanitary supplies including toilet paper, feminine products and diapers
Disposable razors and razor blades
Fuel, any and all kinds (gas, diesel, propane, kerosene)
Prescription drugs, painkillers, and antibiotics
First aid remedies such as cough syrup, cortisone cream, boil-ese, calamine lotion and topical pain relievers
Spirits such as bourbon, rum, gin, and vodka
Coffee and tea (instant coffee is okay)
Solar battery charger and rechargeable batteries
Standard Batteries
Reading glasses
Paracord
Bags, including large garbage bags as well as smaller zip-close bags
Plastic sheeting
Duct tape
Tie Wraps
Heavy plastic sheets and tarps
Toiletries including toothpaste, dental floss soaps, shampoo (tip: save those small sized toiletries that are provided by hotels and motels)
Condoms
Latex or Nitrile gloves in a variety of sizes
Hard candy
Fishing supplies
Knives of various types including fixed blades, kitchen knives, and box cutters
Condiments and Spices
Paperback books on a variety of subjects
Tobacco and cigarette rolling supplies
Amusements such as playing cards, crossword puzzle books, Sudoku
Pencils & paper
Pepper spray
Garden seeds
Flashlights
Vinegar and baking soda to use in DIY cleaning supplies
Empty spray bottles and squirt bottles
Hand pumps for both air and liquids
Mylar blankets and tents
Hand warmers
Sewing and mending supplies
Knitting or crochet needles and yarn
One thing you will notice that I have not included firearms or ammo and for good reason. In a post-collapse society, you might not know your barter partners well and may run the risk that they will use these items against you so that they can steal the rest of your stuff. One person’s opinion, anyway.
Sunday, September 02, 2012
Not Much Happening in the Economic World
After a couple months of not much happening in the economic world, it looks like the economy might be improving. Or not. Remembering that the all important numbers for our nation's economy are jobs and manufacturing, these will come out again on Friday (the 7th).
Meanwhile, I ran across a couple of good tidbits on how the global economy works that might be of interest. Ugg, they are from the NY Times. Well, even a broken clock is right twice a day.
First, showing the inter-connectivity of our economy with Japan and Europe, the economics blog from nov of 2011 has an article about the Euro-zone crisis. That article contains a link to a neat graphic showing which nations' banks are debtors to whom. Of course, they don't look at anything owed to China, and this seems to be banks that are independent of the US "sovereign" debt.
Something almost everyone seems to be ignoring is the decline in investing in the machinery of our economic engines. The equipment and software that make our country run. This is a bad thing. Without this investment, the US will ultimately deteriorate, no matter what any other numbers might pretend. But, it is a deterioration that might be years from now. Or not, no one knows how long it will take to come home to roost.
But ultimately, the worst sign of the times, from the economic world, is that the whole world looks at the US Treasury bond as a GOOD and safe investment. So much so that interest rates on the 10 year treasury bond have been under 2% for most of the past couple of years. Since a 4% growth is considered good, and 2% or less growth is considered poor or worse, it is pretty much elementary that the whole world's economy is going nowhere good for several years to come.
Meanwhile, I ran across a couple of good tidbits on how the global economy works that might be of interest. Ugg, they are from the NY Times. Well, even a broken clock is right twice a day.
First, showing the inter-connectivity of our economy with Japan and Europe, the economics blog from nov of 2011 has an article about the Euro-zone crisis. That article contains a link to a neat graphic showing which nations' banks are debtors to whom. Of course, they don't look at anything owed to China, and this seems to be banks that are independent of the US "sovereign" debt.
Something almost everyone seems to be ignoring is the decline in investing in the machinery of our economic engines. The equipment and software that make our country run. This is a bad thing. Without this investment, the US will ultimately deteriorate, no matter what any other numbers might pretend. But, it is a deterioration that might be years from now. Or not, no one knows how long it will take to come home to roost.
But ultimately, the worst sign of the times, from the economic world, is that the whole world looks at the US Treasury bond as a GOOD and safe investment. So much so that interest rates on the 10 year treasury bond have been under 2% for most of the past couple of years. Since a 4% growth is considered good, and 2% or less growth is considered poor or worse, it is pretty much elementary that the whole world's economy is going nowhere good for several years to come.
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