A blog by Mel Riser about LifeBoat Permaculture and Solar Villages

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Always a possibility...

ON WISDOM:

a.. Be kinder than necessary – you’ll understand in the long run…

b.. Learn to recognize the inconsequential - then ignore it…

c.. Every person that you meet knows something you don't - learn from them ...

d.. Get involved with your government - politics is too important to be left to the politicians. PERIOD

e.. Watch the "Andy Griffith Show" to help keep things in perspective….

f.. Don't waste time responding to critics…

g.. Remember that the more you know, the less you fear….

h.. Don't expect money to bring you happiness – some of the MOST miserable people I know are rich…

i.. Never resist a generous impulse – intuition is generally correct…

j.. Keep it simple. DITTO

k.. Measure people by the size of their hearts, not the size of their bank accounts….

l.. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality – what are you doing in your life that has relevance in 50,000 years?

m. Act with courtesy & fairness even if mistreated - don't let them determine your response…

n.. Trust in God but lock your car – and put instruments in the trunk… JUST DO IT.

o.. Don't major in minor things…

p.. Be modest. A lot was accomplished before you were born – even more after you are gone, what
are you leaving?

q.. Don't burn bridges. You'll be surprised how many times you have to cross the same river…

r.. When declaring your rights, don't forget your responsibilities – Knowing and not doing are like not knowing at ALL…

s.. Loosen up. Except for rare life-and-death matters, little is as important as it first seems – and most will be forgotten in a week…

t.. No matter how dire the situation, keep your cool…

u.. Hear both sides before judging…

v.. Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all they have – and by adding a little faith, you have love…

w.. Use your wit to amuse, not abuse…

x.. Never take action when you're angry…

y.. Be tactful. Never alienate anyone on purpose….

z.. Think big thoughts, but relish small pleasures - have a toke now and then for perspective...

edited by mojo anonymous

[ On the Lighter Side: ]


1. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me, either.
Just leave me the hell alone.PLEASE!

2. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and a leaky tire.

3. It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.

4. Sex is like air. It's not important unless you aren't getting any.

5. Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.

6. No one is listening until you fart.

7. Always remember you're unique. Just like everyone else.

8. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.

9. It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.

10. It is far more impressive when others discover your good qualities without your help.

11. If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.

12. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

13. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.

14. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat & drink beer all day.

15. If you lend someone $20, and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

16. Don't squat with your spurs on.

17. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

18. If you drink, don't park; accidents cause people.

19. Some days you are the bug, some days you are the windshield.

20. Don't worry, it only seems kinky the first time.

21. Good judgment comes from bad experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

23. Duct tape is like the Force. It has a light side & a dark side, and it holds the universe together.

24. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works…

25. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

26. No one gets off this planet alive… dance all you can…If you can’t dance just wiggle…

Friday, March 03, 2006

Preparedness?

Preparedness

"Be Prepared" The Boy Scout Motto

"Failing to prepare is preparing to fail" Benjamin Franklin

http://www.bigsecrets.cc/gd8.gif

Depression: Breadlines: long line of people waiting to be fed: New York City: in the absence of substantial government relief programs during 1932, free food was distributed with private funds in some urban centers to large numbers of the unemployed. Source: People at a Breadline During the Great Depression

Did you catch the most important part of the above caption? It is "in the absence of substantial government relief". Does that sound familiar? Between the time of the Great Depression, and Hurricane Katrina, nothing has changed. If you still believe the government gives a flying flip about you, now is the time to flush that idea.

The above picture is worth studying. Look the clothing. Notice all the coats and ties and hats. Everybody has a haircut. The men could be business owners, accountants, lawyers, bankers or stock brokers. Not a one could be considered a bum or homeless or a welfare cheat.

It is a safe bet that every man pictured thought he was immune because of his education, degree, connections, income or status, yet there they are in a food line.



If you wonder why you should prepare, look at the graph at the top of http://www.dieoff.org and realize that the current population is off the chart. Then visit http://www.ibiblio.org/lunarbin/worldpop and watch the count rise each second and realize that every person born is a consumer of energy. Then read everything you can on http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net.

If that does not wake you up to the perfect trifecta of misery coming our way, then you are welcome to join the masses and suffer what they deserve. If your mind is your primary weapon, you are defenseless.

When it comes to a detailed description of what the future holds, I can do no better than what you will find at www.endtimesreport.com/OIL_SHOCKS.html and


Perhaps you are of the persuasion that believes the whole "Peak Oil" scenario is false. I sincerely hope you are right, but it really does not matter who is right and who is wrong. Whether by fact or by fraud, the end result is the same for all of us. We will face higher prices and shortages either way. You have a choice - waste energy defending your opinion, or invest in life. It is up to you.



There are many other threats facing us right now. We cannot ignore the fact that a death cult called islam has declared war on the entire world. Anyone who doubts this should take note that muslims are killing other muslims for not being muslim enough. Another religion of no better repute once terrorized the known world in a phase called The Inquisition.

I have been a student of preparedness since the 1950's. In all that time, with all the books I have read, and all the courses I have taken and all the videos and DVDs I have watched, no author has admitted that the greatest threat humanity faces is from religion. Those who doubt this eternal truth, need only examine the birthplace of religion, and try to name a single moment when that place has known peace.

To understand the threat, you must understand what religion is. Religion is the belief in something which cannot be proven by facts. On the surface this seems harmless, but the people who suffer from religious dementia tend to use weapons to force their sickness on others. History proves my point. Religion has caused more death and suffering than any other cause.



In times of peace, economic threats are perhaps the most common problem that the average person has to face. Unemployment strikes almost everyone at one time or another. I live in Austin, which is half music town and half liberal bastion. Steady jobs are harder to come by, so having food stores means in hard times, we at least are fed and healthy. Having food stored is the best unemployment insurance you can have!

Let's not forget mother nature. Unless you have been living under a rock, you have heard about major earthquakes, tsunamis, and a record breaking hurricane season. Global warming is not a theory anymore, it is here.

Are you one of those who whines that the government should "do something" ? The government "did something" after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and we all saw the results - Thoughts On Disasters (warning - not for the politically correct).

If you want to hide your head in the sand, just remember what part of your body is most vulnerable in that position, and know that screwing people is what government does best.

What are you going to do? You could laugh this off, grab another beer and the remote, and fade into a self-induced coma. Or you could invest a little of your time and some pocket change and live. If you are of the first group, I hope you enjoy hanging around thousands of your peers in a crowded, stinking terrordome, with addicts going through withdrawal, while the storm howls outside and you regret leaving your toilet paper behind.

If you are of the second group, welcome, and read on.



Perhaps now you are ready to take action to prepare yourself. The following links are the best of the best:

Lots of free info: www.beforethestormhits.com

Many hours of free training from a top notch CERT instructor:

Nuclear War Survival Skills book free! www.oism.org/nwss

For when the gas runs out: www.pedalrv.com

The best nutrition for the money spent in a portable system is sprouting. There is only one system I can recommend: www.sproutamo.com The Sproutamo system is compact, durable, simple, inexpensive and it works. It also requires no AC power or batteries.

In the area of wilderness survival, there is only one source at the top: www.survival.com

When it comes to trapping, you can't go wrong with anything from: www.buckshotscamp.com . There are hundreds of stories of trappers who survived the Great Depression without starving, and you would do well to learn this almost lost art. Also, the newsletter at www.buckshotscamp.com/newsletter-monthly.htm is priceless.

If you want to grow your own food, no method produces more food in less space and uses less water than hydroponics. To save a lot of money and do it yourself, go to: www.howtohydroponics.com. To make your own greenhouse without going broke, use the system from www.lostcreek.net.

What do you do when you can't flush? If you don't know how to make a sawdust toilet, you don't know shit! Also take a tip from whitewater rafters and build a rocket box shitter that uses lime as the disinfectant.

The best survival blog I have found is www.SurvivalBlog.com. They have the best survival/military glossary on the net, a comprehensive list of links, and the bookshelf section lists most of the books that I recommend.

Have you noticed I did not say one word about firearms? There are two reasons for that. Number one is there are already at least a thousand websites and magazines covering the subject. Another is if your focus is on firearms, then your plan is unbalanced. There is a place for weaponry, but only as one part of an overall plan, not as the central focus. Protection is good... but IF you had TRULY though out your survival preps and location, firearms would only be necessary in an emergency.

There is an inaccurate public image of the survivalist as a gun nut wearing camouflage, hiding behind a tree while having a Rambo fantasy. A true survivor is more likely to have food stored, supplies in a vehicle, and a plan backed up by training.

Sections of this were gleaned from writing of others in boards I frequent... there is LOTS of info out there... if you would only move your feet and ask for help...

"Knowing and not doing are like NOT knowing at ALL"

Last but not least is emotional control. It is going to be TOUGH someday to look hundreds of hungry people, some friends and relatives in the eye and know because they DID NOT prepare, there is nothing you can really do for them...

ants and grasshopper thing?

Here's a list of the links above.

mel














Thursday, March 02, 2006

Spring Fuel rotation

Well all you preps kind of folk, need to think about rotating and using your stored winter fuel.

I'm gonna blend my diesel with some fresh BioDiesel and PRI-D and the gasoline is going to get refreshed with some High Octane and used in my boat.

The boat seems to digest older fuel better than the newer cars and vans. plus the added octane and alcohol dries up any water that has accumulated over the winter.

As well as fuel, I need to put another 6 months worth of chicken and rabbit feed in the barn, as they will need to be fed as well.

I also believe it's time to get another stock of long term food stocks. Wheat, honey, powdered milk, etc.

These items are still good in my store house, but some are getting to be 6 years old and I am thinking of feeding some of it to the chickens.

While I have always been pretty prepared for MY family, my extended famliy is now coming in to play.

I think I need to put away foodstuff for the folks that might show up at my house in an emergency. Now that I have added a few more significant other types and their children to the list, it is obvious, I NEED MORE FOOD.

what about you? do you have food stored?

mel