Open Thread
This one’s for you again. I’m holding most things back, having said everything that really needs to be said already.
A few comments:
“I’ve abandoned free-market principles to save the free-market system,” Bush told CNN television, saying he had made the decision “to make sure the economy doesn’t collapse.” George W. Bush
The irony and stupidity of this comment by the Idiot In Chief should be obvious.
More shoveling money here, and here. I hope everyone realizes what’s actually going on. The rate cuts won’t work, nor will the bailout / rescues / “forgiveness” schemes. If you need someone to tell you “it’s OVER“, well, you just read it.
You will see a lot more (really serious) desperation in the weeks and months just ahead.
Now that collapse is well and truly here, it’s what you do day-by-day that counts for your survival. This is a prime reason I’m not posting about collapse anymore, there is no need. All the warnings went out for years, now we need to work on all the other issues of staying alive.
It’s very cold here, about -4 right now. I’m very busy again, but will be adding new products shortly (vitamins / supplements and seeds) to the site. Both are essential for your preparations, but don’t wait on me, get your preps now, as fast as you can.
Excited to purchase the seeds from you when you get them, thank you.
You mentioned cold, you did get snow correct? The extreme cold is here too, came quickly.
And just wanted to say thank you for putting up with me. Sometimes I log on and comment when I’ve been drinking. (I have to drink to relieve lower back pain as I’m allergic to pain pills).
SEEDS!
Very Good!
Stay warm all:)
Hey Individuality, you got drinking issues? Just means you are not insane enough to be comfortably adjusted to this insane world we live in. So, although the results of excessive drinking are detrimental, it is a sign that you retain a trace of basic sanity! Realize that it is a poor coping mechanism and choose better options. Got weed?:)
Seeds – excellent.
Two quick observations about the economy. We are in for a major roller coaster ride – the fed is spending money faster than a drunk sailor, buying up corporate and federal debt in order to flood the economy with liquidity. The rationale is to get people spending again. But as Admin has pointed out, getting further into debt is not the answer. Therefore, for some time, we are faced with the prospect of deflation – too many goods chasing to few dollars. When that happens, the entire ecomomy shrinks (collapses). This was the Great Depression scenario.
On the other hand, all the priming of the ecomomic pump by the Fed suggests that in the future, not only will our assets be worth less, our money will be worth less too. For as sure as I’m sitting here – we will have inflation at some point in the future. And remember, when it happens, we will all know where the fault lies. The Fed and the U.S. government is simply defrauding all Americans to bailout the very well to do, many of which aren’t even American citizens.
This supreme ripoff deserves nothing less than a little tar and feathering of those in charge in D.C. Is it too much to hope for? And after its done, wouldn’t it be great to hold a little Abu Graib party for them? Hell, we could rendition them to Syria and Egypt and other places so we don’t get our hands dirty.
Thanks Admin, for all you do….
Individuality, I don’t know the reason for your lower back pain, but I had problems for many years with my back “going out,” joint pain, tension, cramps in feet and legs, etc.
I was told by a microbiologist friend that all this is caused by magnesium deficiency. (Do a search on the symptoms of magnesium deficiency, if you want the whole catalogue of symptoms.)
I have had no problems with any of my symptoms since I began taking a daily dose of blackstrap molasses, which is high in magnesium. I should mention that a combination calcium/magnesium supplement did NOT work to relieve these symptoms.
More recently, I’ve found it helpful to also take Geritol Complete. This give what I guess is a full-range mineral supplementation, besides the B vitamins.
This seems to clear up the lingering muscular tension. You’ll know it’s cleared up when you feel like a cat stretching on warm hearth. That’s how your body is supposed to feel.
We’re having some pretty extreme cold too–and more snow than we’re used to in December.
I am excited to see the new seed list–which I’m sure will be heirloom and open-pollinated seeds.
I began saving seeds in a small way last summer. This is important. People need to get a book on this, or compile information from the internet. It’s not difficult, but there are a things you need to know to do this successfully–avoid unwanted crosses and ensure a broad enough gene pool that future generations of plants don’t deteriorate.
I also really think people need to have garden clubs or groups of some kind. We have one in my area. Garden clubs draw master gardeners–people who can share amazing techniques and who know what does well in your area. I learned about lasagne beds from the garden club. This is a fast and easy way to expand your garden. I learned where I could get a free and unlimited supply of llama poo. I took the plunge into dehydrating because members inspired me to try it.
Hint: Your family will eat all the dried apples you can produce, faster than you can produce them, while your fresh apples will go to waste.
If you have a garden club going, you can encourage other people to save seeds. I don’t think people realize how important this will be, going forward.
I would like to see admin carry some of the books people need, too.
Individuality and Kali, thank you for your candor.
I don’t post much but read this blog daily. I have a ‘localization’ group that I pretend it’s not too late with (well, while in group, but not on an individual basis,) and we just screened ‘The World According To Monsanto’ which is available on YouTube if you google it. THEY ARE LOCKING UP THE FOOD WHICH IS WHEN SLAVERY BEGAN. The screening sparked a lot of research which led us to what we’ve all heard about – Bill Gates Foundation and the Arctic seed bank – and FURTHER research led us to the discovery that it’s in conjunction with Monsanto and DuPont and Rockefeller. Point is, unless you know how far a strain of GMO crop can pollinate yours, choose to grow something else. In my monstrous corporate agribusiness rural area, I know it’s corn and soy, so I’ll choose alternatives.
The GM agribusinesses are suing farmers because their genes are patented, and the friggin WIND blows the pollen into their crop. This is putting them out of business. The organic coop food raids, the farmers with cowshare programs being shaken down…it’s over when they are after the last couple of percent of realfood producers…kinda like this digital conversion thing which will either force ‘rabbit ears’ out of existence or to sign up for monitoring…
Desperate Measures
More stupid attempts to keep the boat afloat.
Hey, Everybody, Haven’t posted for a while mainly because it has all been said.
As admin has said before “you don’t know collapse is here ’til it hits you.”
Glad to see you will be selling seeds.
Good luck to all and I hope everyone is now putting the final touches on being prepared.
Later.
Cheney admits to “War Crimes” on national TV – American’t Sheeple merely YAWN in unison.
~ http://www.politicalarticles.net/blog/2008/12/17/war-of-lies-cheney-admits-to-war-crimes/
Olberman had a great rant on this last night, some of which can be seen at
~ mgx.com/blogs/?p=1945
Meanwhile, In Greece, the ‘student protesters’ continue to attack ‘riot police’ and take over media centers –
apparently Ouzo has a major gonad growth hormone in it – guessing Americant’s NEVER will ‘revolt’
Chrysler is going to shut down all of its 30 assembly line plants for at least a month starting this Friday: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Chrysler-shut-assembly-lines-least/story.aspx?guid=%7B7A223CAD%2D3338%2D4DB1%2D9ECA%2DAAD243E4C36F%7D
Ford will also extend their holiday shut down by another week: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Ford-adds-a-week-idling/story.aspx?guid=%7BBAF57096%2DC4E5%2D4927%2D8F1E%2D3785D071B67E%7D
Chrysler financing arm may halt dealer loans: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Chrysler-financing-arm-may-halt/story.aspx?guid=%7BE48E9075%2D4BF0%2D43CF%2D8A2C%2D30BED743CB1F%7D
Like them or not, it will be a big mighty blow to the economics of this country, when the auto manufactures are gone…
Anybody want to bet that the greedy executives will be living it up large while the workers are being sent home?
Anybody?
The timing of this is ‘too perfect’ to not be anything other then a pressure point for Congress.
Frankly, I hope they go bankrupt. The nation is not responsible to bail out a badly managed company. This is the job of the shareholders.
Moreover, there is no benefit to delaying the collapse by anyone, anywhere. It is just going to make things worse.
Related issue: I still maintain as I did a few months back, that it would have been far better to give the mortgage bailout money to the individuals themselves.
Look what happened to the billions they shoveled into the hands of those banks. It did not help anyone. Imagine what would have happened if it actually wound up on the hands of the people who were the ones who really needed the help.
Some of you did not agree with me on this. But now we have the proof that all we are doing, all that Congress is willing to do, is to bail out the fat cat bureaucratic bastards, changing nothing at all.
This lying sack of shit is getting ‘house arrest‘ for squandering billions.
Where in hell is the American outrage in this country?
outrage – R U FKM kidding? One has to be even slightly paying attention to be outraged. IMO. 95+% of the sheeple ‘believe’ only what they want to believe – aka what they were told (indoctrinated) to believe by parents, preachers and society gossip/prevailing social mores. Reality is such a foreign concept that few could even recognize same if (when) it literally crawls down their throats and/or leaks out their colon. An original thought is impossible for globally brainwashed inherently cognition-free MORONS. Which reminds me of a post at PO I saw today entitled. “My town is full of morons”. I don’t typically respond to the bleating screed at PO, but I did today; sharing, “Prey tell (sic), which town (or website) is NOT FULL of morons? Yes, that’s a rhetorical question.”
Sorry John, your going to have to look really really hard for any outrage. I don’t have any, basically because I look forward to it happening, and some call me sick for it too.
I see coming in Feb/March maybe as late as April next year, a complete melt-down of all employment across the board, country wide. I also see a big bank collapse happening next year in the Southeast US, I mean like 80 to 100 banks…
so let it come, fast or slow, it doesn’t matter to me, because it will happen and I estimate that at least 99% of the people in this country are not ready for it…
Kali: Without going into detail, no weed. But after the collapse I will, right now it’s just too damn risky.
Not drinking issues, only get crocked once a week. The rest of the time it’s one or two drinks over eight hours just to relieve the pain.
And thank you for what I perceive as a compliment, that being I recognize that it’s an insane world. Have felt that way since I was young, just never able to put it all together.
And … thank you sharon for the advice. I’ve had two nasty falls and hit the same area each time. Both pretty hard hits, once onto a concrete step after slipping on ice and then on the corner of a hard wooden cedar chest while getting up in the middle of the night. Feel completely stupid because of it.
I tried a magnesium powder in warm water and didn’t feel well afterwords. Will try the black strap molasses.
I do like to be honest suguest.
THE Outrage is directed at who got voted off reality shows. The more things unfold the more it seems that the sheeple can not extrapolate and plan for a predictable future. Sure gonna miss them.
A friend of mine has been testing greenhouse methods in the Taos desert. Today we harvested Kale and various other greens. It is cold and has snowed a foot or so in the last few days and it is still pretty warm inside. He has not watered in a week because condensation is working well.
He employs passive venting using wax filled actuators. When it gets too warm the wax expands and opens the vents and they close again when it gets cooler.
Liberal use of Reflectix (sp), which is a bubble wrap covered on both sides with aluminum, helps keep the air temp in the 50’s.
Also, a small solar operated fan for constant air flow.
Like The Prisoner I look forward to collapse. It is very difficult to walk in both worlds and I never did like that Affluenza stricken, fear based society called modern Amerika.
Good luck to all.
It was a compliment I.
Also keeping it light:)
There’s a certain loneliness and pain seeing what others won’t. I say won’t because it’s not that they can’t. They refuse to look and be uncomfortable. It takes resilience to continue looking. We’ll never choose ignorance.
Ok people here it is, now if you look like a hamburger, you can smell like one,too…
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5htNyNi8i-XrcBv74A8JBGuFM1_4AD9558MJ80
Their desperate out in the world and are running out of new products to pull us out of the Global Depression II…
As I finalize my plans I have found a flaw and have a question for everyone.
I have plenty of bulk food in SP’s.
but I have no portable food. ie. backpack.
What is the best way to break down these buckets into portable sizes for a backpack.
The only options I have thought of are mason jars, or ziplock bags, or handmade cloth drawstring bags. Any other ideas?
Mylar bags could work and are a lot more durable then ziplock bag (which are not airtight either).
Thanks admin, How can mylar be sealed and does it come in various sizes?
PS Sorry I should have checked your shopping area first. Found them. Thanks.
Regarding planting of seeds, if you don’t have much space, or you’ve never planted a specific variety before, the best way to keep it viable is to plant a few every year, only for seed production–NOT for eating. It’s much better than storing with, or without, vacuum sealing, only to find someday when it’s truly needed, that it will not germinate.
Grow as much variety as possible, and save seeds, as it’s no doubt true that Monsanto and others have designs on every single type of seed on this planet.
Lynda (and others who might be interested), the key things with seed saving are: minimum number of plants of the variety you’re saving, and isolation distance.
Isolation is to avoid unwanted crosses. Minimum number of plants is to protect the genetic base.
Here’s a table of common vegetables I prepared for the garden club (I hope it will paste okay):
Crop Isolation Requirement Minimum Plants
Lettuce 2â’ 1
Tomatoes, Peppers,
Eggplant 50â’ 5
Corn 2,000â’ 50
Beans, common 30â’ 7
and lima
Onions 500â’ 5
Leeks 500â’ 15
Beets, Chard 4,000â’ 5
Spinach 2,000â’ 5
Squash, summer
and winter 1,000 5
Watermelon 1,000 1
Carrot 1,000 5
Parsley 500 5
Parsnip 500 5
Cabbage family
(cabbage, kale, broccoli,
collards, cauliflower,
Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi,
radish, rutabaga, turnip) 1,000 5
Okra 1,000 5
Okaaaay….It didn’t paste so good.
Translation:
Lettuce: 2′ isolation, minimum plants is one.
Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant: 50′ isolation, minimum number of plants is five.
And so on.
This material is drawn from a booklet called Growing to Seed, by Peter Donelan. A good resource.
I’ve noticed that other sources specify different isolation requirements and minimum numbers of plants. I guess it depends how careful you want to be.
It’s actually pretty easy to save seeds of most vegetables. I grow only one kind of spinach–hence, no isolation requirement. I grow quite a bit more than five spinach plants. The same is true of okra. Lettuce, as you can see, is easy. Two feet of isolation should be easy to plan for. You grow more than one lettuce plant of each variety, right?
Ideally, if a lot of people in your community are saving a lot of seeds and exchanging them, you could protect your vegetables’ genes by growing (for example) a bit of someone else’s Bloomsdale Longstanding Spinach seed along with your own, whenever they had seed available.
For me, tomatoes could be a problem. I grow maybe ten tomato varieties each year. Fifty feet of isolation for each variety? Five plants of each?
I could manage to produce seed of two varieties each year, by planting two patches of the same plant 50 feet from all the other tomato plants. This is where you need an organization of some kind, with each person committing to grow one or two tomato varieties to seed each year, and share the seed.
If you can get an organization going, it would be good to work towards establishing a seed bank.
Oops! One more thing:
With most vegetables, you’ll be able to enjoy eating the produce before letting it go to seed.
E.g., harvest your okra all summer. You will normally overlook a few pods, and they will get too large and tough for the table. Just leave them alone. Towards the end of the season, stop picking okra. Let the remaining pods get huge and dry out, and then collect them for seed.
Same with lettuce or spinach: Harvest the large leaves for as long as you can. Pretty soon, hot weather will cause the plants to “bolt” (form seed stalks) and turn bitter. Just leave the plants alone to set seed, and collect the seed.
Once you get started saving seed, you’ll se how you can easily “have your cake and eat it”–or have your seed and eat most of the vegetables.
The biggest inconvenience to seed saving is, most plants you are growing to seed will take up valuable garden space at a time when they’re not producing food for you. This is yet another reason to join with others to save seed.