How To Build A Shelter

Here are some different shelter design ideas...

7 Reasons to Start Prepping

We often get comments and emails from readers asking how they can convince their friends and family to start prepping.
From friends and family members that truly believe the government will save them during a time of crisis, to those that have been brainwashed into believing that preppers are all  tinfoil hat wearing nutjobs, prepping can often be a touchy or even taboo subject to talk about.
Here are 7 reasons that might help convince your friends and family that it’s time to become a prepper.

1. Unemployment

According to the most recent numbers, the actual unemployment rate in this country is close to 22%. The average time it takes to find employment is at a record high of 39.2 weeks. Even those that see little value in prepping for a SHTF situation should understand the need to prep for the possibility of being hit by unemployment.
Prepping isn’t always about preparing for an end of the world scenario. It’s also about being prepared for those small scale events in life that can feel cataclysmic if we’re not prepared

2. Economic Problems

You don’t have to buy into the possibility of a total economic collapse, but you should at least realize that our country is in big financial trouble. With over 16 trillion dollars in debt, and unfunded obligations that make the actual debt number about $120 trillion, it doesn’t take an economist to see that we are in for some major trouble in the months and years ahead.

3. Natural Disasters

A number of people woke up real quick after seeing what happened during Hurricane Katrina. In under 24 hours, the city of New Orleans became a prime example of how quickly civilization could break down. Before our eyes we got a glimpse of what would happen during a full scale collapse; as people took to the streets to loot, riot, rape and even murder their fellow citizens.

4. It’s just like buying Insurance

Some people find the subject of prepping to be a little bit out there. When I come across these people, I often ask them if they have health or vehicle insurance. In my opinion, having a dedicated section in your budget for prepping is no different than buying vehicle insurance or a health insurance policy.

5. Shooters, Lunatics and the Extreme Fringe of Society

While active shooter situations and terrorist attacks are still pretty rare, it’s a phenomenon that does seem to be increasing in regularity. From the recent mass shootings to the growing number of terrorist attacks around the globe, these events do happen and they are something that we need to be prepared for.

6. The Cyber Threat

Our society is becoming increasingly dependent on cyber technologies; but according to Cyber Security expert Eugene Kaspersky, co-founder of the Kaspersky Lab, that dependence has left us extremely vulnerable. In fact, he is warning that emerging cyber threats could spell “the end of the world as we know it”. The threat is real, and the threat has the ability to set the world back 200 years in a matter of days.

7. The Pandemic Threat

According to Jason Tetro, a microbiologist and coordinator for two research centers at the University of Ottawa, the Emerging Pathogens Research Centre (EPRC) and the Centre for Research on Environmental Microbiology (CREM), “the world is becoming increasingly more likely to see a major (pandemic) event.”
When that happens, it will affect our infrastructure severely. By not having the human resources to work, protect and maintain our antiquated infrastructure, things will begin to rapidly deteriorate and leave us even more vulnerable to attack.

Source:
http://offgridsurvival.com/reasontostartprepping/

ObamaCare fines for hospitals begin 10-1-2012

One of the key provisions of the ObamaCare law that could result in drastic cuts to hospitals for treating the elderly and the poor will kick in today. In an attempt to rein in the costs of medical care which many critics say will hurt the elderly and the poor the most, the ObamaCare law will now mandate as of Oct. 1, 2012 that patients who need to return to the hospital for follow-up admissions within 30 days of discharge may not get the level of care they have come to expect.

The new provision will place fines on hospitals for treating returning patients who are readmitted within 30 days after discharge. Critics say that this will lead to serious declines in both the level and quality of care rendered to patients.
Critics further state that those hospitals that cater to the elderly and the poor, such as large teaching hospitals that are affiliated with universities, will be negatively impacted the most.
When the Democrat-controlled Congress of 2009 voted in secret after midnight to approve ObamaCare, it did so with the knowledge that citizens would be introduced to its provisions incrementally over a period of several years. This gradual implementation has had the effect of lessening the impact of the new law and gradually acclimating citizens to a new way of delivering healthcare in America, particularly with regard to strikingly large tax hikes, rationing of care, and reductions in care to seniors.
With popular opposition to the healthcare law still running consistently high in national polls, observers are anxious to see how the new provision will play out among the citizens who are most effected by the reductions in care, particularly the chronically severely ill who often need readmission to the hospital after initial treatment, and the nation's growing senior adult population.
Some observers believe that the new provision will place an enormous amount of added pressure on these populations, given that patients cannot be certain that their treatment will be up to par in the event of the need for readmission to the hospital after discharge. And hospitals that are already feeling the squeeze financially due to cutbacks in reimbursements from the government may be forced to limit the level of care given during readmission, resulting in patients being discharged long before they are ready.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his running mate, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., have stated that they intend to repeal the ObamaCare law if elected, replacing it with common sense solutions that address specific areas of the healthcare delivery system without tax increases and reductions in the level and quality of care.
The Republican plan includes provisions such as tort reform that limits the amount juries can award litigants in healthcare lawsuits, allowing health insurance companies to market and sell their coverage across state lines, which will increase healthy competition and reduce the cost of premiums, allowing small business owners and individuals to purchase low-cost group insurance coverage, and implementing tax credits to low income persons who buy health insurance plans.
Conservatives have long maintained that these provisions will result in health insurance coverage for as many if not more of the uninsured than the ObamaCare plan, given that many citizens will choose to pay the IRS fine for not having insurance rather than pay costly premiums that are far more expensive than the fines.

Source:
http://www.examiner.com/article/obamacare-fines-for-hospitals-begin-today

Artwork Likens Obama to Jesus

This was during the DNC but interesting to say the least...

By Todd Starnes

Street vendors across downtown Charlotte are selling posters and artwork depicting President Obama as Jesus Christ and the Democratic National Convention is expected to feature a stained-glass window backdrop during their meeting.

One poster features an image of the president in prayer with the headline, “Prophecy Fulfilled.”

“Barak is of Hebrew origin and its meaning is ‘flash of lightning,” the poster notes, referencing a passage in in the Old Testament book of Judges.
Hussein, they allege, is a Biblical word meaning “good and handsome.”
“So you see, Barak was destined to be a good and handsome man that would rise like a flash of lightning to win victory in a battle against overwhelming odds,” the poster read.
The posters were being sold outside security zones at the Democratic National Convention. The posters are not sanctioned by the DNC.
An Obama calendar, obtained by Fox News, features two religious images of the Commander-in-Chief.
The month of August includes a photograph of Obama’s birth certificate with the words “Heaven sent.”
The president was born on Aug. 4th.
The entry also includes a photograph of Obama along with a passage of Scripture from the New Testament.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life,” the entry read — referencing John 3:16.

The month of November includes an image of individuals with their hands on Obama’s back — with the words “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”
Fox News also obtained a photograph of a DNC stage design. It resembled a giant stained glass window. It’s unclear what the imagery will be used for.
The comparisons to Jesus Christ have brought strong condemnation from some evangelicals — including Robert Jeffress, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Dallas, TX.
“If Barack Obama is the promised Messiah, I think there are going to be many Christians who are profoundly disappointed,” Jeffress told Fox News. “One only has to look at Obama’s record to understand that he is absolutely, positively not the promised One.”

Source

Uses For Black Walnuts

Tincturing Black Walnut

Posted on 9/10/2012 by Maria

Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) trees are all around here.  This time of year they are thumping on roofs, smashing into cars, and sending the squirrels into a frenzy.  I was first introduced to Black Walnut as a medicine over 15 years ago while in herb school, though it wasn’t until we moved onto our little homestead, and had outdoor animals to take care of, that I really got to know it.
Black Walnut is traditionally used as an anthelmintic (That’s your vocabulary word of the day.  Use it the next time you are talking to your vet or doctor about worms and they’ll think you are super smart!  )  That basically means that it works by expelling parasitic worms from the body.
Animals that spend most of their lives out doors (in our case, our farm dog and our chickens) are super prone to getting worms.  I’ve talked about my use of Black Walnut with Suki and heart worm (see the comment section of that post), but I also use Black Walnut as a dewormer for our chickens.  Twice a year, in the spring and late summer, when the weather is humid and muggy, I give them a Black Walnut preventative in their water (60 drops in a gallon of water) for two weeks.  If I ever notice those classic symptoms of a wormy chicken (sluggish, droopy wings, decrease in laying), I will give them another week of it.  It works wonderfully!
Black walnut tincture can cost $10-$15 an ounce in the store…. I can make a quart of it (32 ounces) for about $10.  That’s about .31 cents an ounce!
So, how do you do it?  It’s easy!

Here’s what you need:

• Black Walnuts (I used about 12 to make a quart of tincture)  You can harvest them this time of year.  It’s easiest to grab them off the ground after they have fallen, because they grow pretty high up in the trees.
• Alcohol (I like to use 100 proof vodka, but any alcohol that is 80 to 100 proof, or 40-50% alcohol is fine.  Since my chickens aren’t picky about the taste of their tinctures, I just use the cheep stuff.  This 1.75L bottle cost me $18)
• A large jar (I’m using a 1/2 gallon mason jar)
• Sharp knife
• Wax paper
• Gloves (though you can see, mine are mysteriously absent from this picture.  Oh, yeah.  I wasn’t wearing any.)

The state of your black walnuts is important.  You want them nice and green.  A black spot like this on the outside:

will look like this inside.  Ewwwww!  Though the chickens might not mind tinctured worms, I do!

This is what you want your walnuts to look like when you cut off the hull (or outer layer).

Cut the hull off of the walnuts and put the hulls in your jar.  You will see the black walnut start to darken before your eyes!  Seriously!  It starts oxidizing immediately!!

I begin pouring the alcohol into the jar as I’m cutting the hulls.  This keeps them from oxidizing so rapidly in the air, and puts all the good medicine in the alcohol.

So, the gloves.  Yeah.  It’s a good idea to wear gloves while you are cutting Black Walnuts as they can stain really badly.  I forgot to pick any up at the store, so I just went for it.  I think, from all the Black Walnut juice that I soaked up through my skin, I can safely say that I am now free of worms!
By the end of the cutting process the color of the alcohol had already changed dramatically, as had my fingers.

Lovely!
Once you cut the hulls, put them in the jar and cover them with the alcohol, you want to put the top on the jar.  A layer of wax paper goes in between the glass and the lid.  This keeps the alcohol from reacting with the metal.

You will also want to label your tincture!!  Always label!!  ’Cause you might just forget what you put in there and what a waste it would be to have to throw it all out because you didn’t label it.  On my labels, I always put the name of the plant, along with the percentage of alcohol, and when it will be ready to strain.  (Sometimes, on you might see things on tincture bottles like 1:2 or 1:5…. that is the scientific method of tincturing and it means amount of herb:amount of alcohol or menstrum used.  We’re not doing that here.  We’re keeping it simple.)
Put your tincture in a shady place indoors and shake it gently for the next two weeks.  Here is mine, happily resting on the kitchen counter.  (Yes, those are many bottles of home made hard apple/peach cider that you see in the background!!  You are very observant!)

About 15 minutes after taking the above picture, Leif asked if he could be in one of the pictures with the Black Walnut.  Check out the color difference already!!

And my hands…… My fingers are about 10 shades darker as I type this!!

After letting the tincture sit for 2 weeks, you can strain the hulls out.  I use muslin/cheese cloth to get all the little bits out of the fluid.  Save your tincture in a clean, labeled jar (don’t forget that layer of wax paper) and store in a cool, dark place.  You can bottle it up in little dropper jars for easy use.
See, wasn’t that easy???
(The happy, worm-free ladies say ‘hello!’)

Oh, and unlike many of the chemical dewormers for chickens that are on the market today, you can still eat the eggs of your chickens while they are taking Black Walnut tincture!!

Source:
http://dirtundermynails.com/2012/09/10/tincturing-black-walnut/

People Vs. Government

How To Make A Paracord Bracelet

How To Make A Paracord Bracelet.  Otherwise Known As A Survival Bracelet.

Paracord bracelet with a side release buckle:

This tutorial will show how to make a paracord bracelet with a side release buckle. When made on a larger scale, you can make this for use as a dog or cat collar as well.

Source:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Paracord-bracelet-with-a-side-release-buckle/

Items needed to make your bracelet:

Anti-Jihad Adverts To Run In New York Subway

More trouble brewing and this time it's on our own soil.  If this escalates, Will this be the beginning of a civil war?  Will this give Obama the chance for martial law?  Read on.....

By Hannah Thomas-Peter, New York Correspondent

The head of a group that has won its fight to run controversial adverts in New York subway stations referring to some Muslims as "savage" has told Sky News that she will fight "to the death" for the right to offend people.

Pamela Geller runs the American Freedom Defence Initiative (AFDI), which has taken out ads that read: "In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat Jihad."
The posters are due to appear in 10 New York City subway stations next week.
They were initially rejected by the New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) because of the use of demeaning language.
But in July a Manhattan court judge ruled this was a violation of the first amendment rights of the AFDI and they should be allowed to run.
Ms Geller told Sky News that she was unconcerned the adverts might make the subway network a target for violence.
She said: "Were there similar ads on the London buses and trains on 7/7? You know there weren't.
"I will not abridge my freedoms so as not to offend savages.
"I won't take responsibility for other people being violent.
"I live in America and in America we have the first amendment."
Ms Geller, who is a prominent supporter of Israel, stressed that she was not referring to all Muslims as savages, only those who engaged in what she characterises as "Jihad".
She believes that America is under threat from some Muslims who wish to impose Sharia law on the country, and her group has launched similar campaigns before.
The release of the adverts coincides with widespread anger in parts of the Middle East over an anti-Muslim film made in the US and released on the internet.
Next week heads of state from all over the world will be converging on the city amid heightened security for the UN General Assembly.
The Washington DC MTA has deferred the placement of the controversial ads "out of concern for public safety, given current world events".
But New York MTA Transportation spokesman Aaron Donovan said: "Our hands are tied."
There had been some suggestions that the city's transit body was trying to find a way to stop the adverts appearing.
However, another spokesperson for the MTA told Sky News it appeared the ads are definitely going ahead, although he was unable to say on which day, and at which subway stations.
Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American Islamic Relations, told Sky News: "Our basic position is that the first amendment means that everyone is free to be a bigot or even an idiot like Pamela Geller.
"We wish she wasn't provoking and inciting hatred, but in America that's her right.
"We encourage Muslims to exercise the same right to publicly denounce such adverts.
"The real danger is the spread of hatred in our society, which can lead to attacks on innocent people."


Source:
http://news.sky.com/story/987227/anti-jihad-adverts-to-run-in-new-york-subway