Oil

I have to admit I've slacked off a bit today to research just what is going on with the price of oil these days. I heat my house with oil, and there is no freaking way I'll be able to afford to heat my house this winter. Because of the brilliant fire-codes here in my town, I cannot add a wood stove either. So basically, I'm fucked this winter.

So it looks like there are several reasons for the gas to be so expensive. China has doubled it's oil imports over the last 10 years. OPEC won't increase production. The cost to actually refine the oil has jumped from $5-$10 a barrel to $20 - $30 a barrel. The world demand for oil has gone up as well. The dollar is so weak right now, I think I'll kick the next Republican I see in the beanbag.

Of all these factors only two are pointing to a sharp increase in price. The weak dollar is killing us, and those nitwits printing more money is not helping the issue. Also, there is the spike in refining costs for fuel. I see no reason as to why it would cost more to refine a barrel of oil this year rather than last year. I think this bears more investigation.

Ultimately though it's our Federal Government that is squarely to blame. If those meatballs in office could just keep the dollar strong we wouldn't have it half as bad as we do now. Just thinking about it makes me tankful I am in a (mostly) recession-proof field of work. I might not lose my job, but my money is in survival mode, I'm not even going to see the new Indy film to save $.

More preperations

Well I bit the bullet, and bought some more stuff I needed for the BOB. I got myself a great water filter from amazon.com and bought some items for the first aid kit and 5 days worth of dehydrated Mountain House food. I also grabbed some survival rations, and a wind up radio/flashlight kit for short $.

The water filter removes cryptosproidium, and it's filter is good for 200 gallons or so. I was going to buy the "upgraded model" but all it adds is a ceramic disk and a carbon filter for better taste... more stuff to break and more stuff to have extras of. this model is only 11oz. and can connect directly to the water backpack thingy I got from Coleman. Down the road I'll be getting a replacement filter, but 200 gallons should be good for a while. Better to put $ into other areas.

The survival rations are for the core bag. It's 3days worth of food in a vacuum sealed pack good for 5 years. The dehydrated food will go in the BOB. When I get some more $ to spend I'll buy another weeks worth or so and keep it in the bigger BOB. Down the road I'll probably get some of the #10 cans for the house in case I get to bug out with my truck, and they last 35 years rather than 7.

The wind up radio and light will go in the bigger BOB. I need to split the messkit I got into 2 parts, one for the BOB the rest into the Bigger BOB.

BOB progress

Well Last night while watching the Celtics lose in a most disappointing fashion, I managed to get some work on my BOB done. I also watched a bunch of videos on youtube.com from P.A.W. productions about food storage and such. For those of you outside the survivalist circle a BOB is a Bug Out Bag. Basically it's everything you need to survive. You keep all your necessary gear in the bag, and you grab it as you haul ass out the door.

I got my hands on a awesome rucksack a few weeks ago in one of my flea market expeditions. It's US military surplus, and cost me $5! I also got one of the huge duffel bags that open on the end with a shoulder strap for $5 too :) I love flea markets.

I've got the deal of the century on the rucksack, it's a combat model, so there are tabs to quick-release the backpack in case of trouble. Very handy. I attached the knife I got the other day at the other flea market tactically on the left strap, I can easily draw it, and I can still get to the strap releases in a hurry.

I sharpened up the 6" bladed knife, and I'm rather pleased on how well it took an edge. While I was at it I touched up my little Gerber pocket knife as well. Yet another task done, all while the Celtics got their asses whupped.

For the actual supplies in my BOB, I'll have to do another post down the road, as I'm not complete yet. I'll outline my plan though. I intend to have a modular system of components that I can either grab or ditch as the disaster strikes. I scored that camelback personal hydration thingy at the Coleman outlet, and that will form the core of my system. In there I'll have the absolute minimum of survival equipment. Flint 'n' steel, Water purification tablets, micro fishing survival kit, pocketknife, survival blanket, etc. It is a small backpack itself, so I can stash a minimum of supplies there. No matter what this is my last line of survival, It wouldn't even contain a firearm. Over this Camelback is the rucksack, this has all the usual survival gear.

Those two packs will cover me on foot. The duffel will hold more supplies, in the event I can catch a ride, more "luxury" items like a shotty to go with the battle-rifle and handgun in the rucksack. The next level would be all my gear I can stuff into my truck, assuming I can bug out via the roads.

Attached to the rucksack will be pouches of gear I can drop if not needed or if I have to. For example, I'll have a "civil disobedience" kit that has swimming goggles, dust masks, and vinegar to deal with CS gas. If the poop doesn't hit the fan in such a way as that accessory kit is not needed then I can ditch it. I can't afford a gas mask, I have better places to put my $ for now. Down the road I'll re-assess once more $ becomes available.

I'm going to do what I normally don't and that's buy some items on credit. I don't have any CC balance, so I'm going to buy a few things I need now, and pay them off as I can. Nothing extravagant, just a water filter and some dehydrated food for the BOB.

On Communities

I've been busy as all hell with the yardwork on Sat and Sun, so I didn't get a chance to post. Then i busted my hump at the Job today, so no time there. I'm about to run to the grocery store to get some grub, but I wanted to mention a cool thing going on.

We don't dump our yard waste into the landfill here, we actually have a town compost heap. And I have to say it's amazing what can happen when a community pulls together. Yeah, I'm talking about a compost heap. But it's 20'+ high and about 100 yards long and about 15 yards wide. All free for the taking if your a resident.

Now if a community can pull together for compost, what else could we be pulling together on that we are not?

Seasteading

I found this interesting article on slashdot.org this morning about Seasteading. Interesting ideas in the wired article, and a full book on the subject is here. I have always been fascinated with the development of a system of government. In particular I have always been interested in Sealand. I have to confess when it was up for sale I bought extra MegaMillions tickets to see if I could be lucky enough to win and buy the damned thing.

If your in deep water your immune to tsunamis, and your not in range of a nuclear target, it might be the ultimate retreat location. Never mind your on the open sea, and if you want to buy a RPG, you can! Between aquaculture and gardens on the roof you could keep a family fed quite well.

I'll read the book, and post again on the subject if it's worth the time.

Random things

Well I had my interview last night for my LTC. I am going for the Class A, which in the nanny state means I can carry large capacity handguns, and own large capacity rifles. I got finger printed and added to the Mass electronic ID check thingy. The Sgt. was cool, and I was surprised (and relived) there was no real interview. In four to six weeks I should have my Class A, hopefully without restrictions.

I need to re-read all the laws and such for my state and purchasing firearms. It is insanely complex, and does absolutely nothing to stop the bad guys from getting whatever the hell they want. For example, I can only buy certain firearms new. These are on a list that the bowels of bureaucracy spits out. In order to get on the list a firearm manufacturer has to send five weapons at their own expense for testing, and then the AG can still veto it. It's bullshit!

So now I have to buy used, which isn't so bad, but it has to be made before a certain date (Oct '98 I think) and so on and so forth. Extra magazines have to be from a certain date or earlier as well. I would have to say it's nothing short of a pain in the balls, but at least I can still get something. Soon enough I feel that Mass will join NY and CA in even more restrictive, unconstitutional, and irrational victim disarmament (as Boston T. Party would say)

At this point I'm not 100% sure of what I would like to buy. Down the road I want a shotgun, a battle-rifle, and a handgun. The shotty is already decided, nothing says "I wub you" like the click-clack of a Remington 870. I've seen deer shot close with 00 buck, and the entire chest cavity was nothing but hamburger and bits of bone.

The battle rifle is a different story. I have seen the differences in damage between a 5.56 and a 7.62, and there is no way I'm going into any type of SHTF scenario with a .22. Yeah ammo is cheap and plentiful, but I want to shoot a bad guy once, not dump half a clip into their chest to have them crawl off and cause more trouble. Right now I'm leaning towards the FAL line. They give me more bang for my buck (har har). It is not carved in stone, as I have yet to actually shoot one. I have shot an M1 so the M14 is high on the list, but they are just too pricey now. Especially extra mags.

Now I have a love affair with the .45ACP cartridge. I have always thought that pistols need big heavy slugs for stopping power, and the fact that all the police forces in the area are abandoning the 9mm cartridge for the .40 cal proves to me that My original assesment from '82 is still the correct one. I love the 1911, but I'm not a big fan of the single action. I think I might go with the Glock .45 for my primary and a 1911 for a second handgun. I have yet to shoot the Glock, and because they are not on the list I have to buy it used. I'll be making it priority #1 once I have my LTC to try one out and make a decision.

Sunday purchases

Sunday I like to visit my Mum. This time we agreed to meet near a huge fleamarket I normally don't go to for breakfast and browsing. This particular market has higher dealer fees, so getting a bargain is tougher. It is nice because they have about 100 or so dealers there, and a wide selection of stuff.

So to make a long story short I found an excellent bug-out knife for $15. It's "stainless" but it's the crappy grade of steel, but it fits my hand well, and has a good sheath that has a positive click. This way I can fix it onto my BOB straps vertical and it won't fall out. I'll sharpen it up tonight and see how it takes and edge.

I also scored two of the instant cold compresses for $1 each and a good size box of the bleed-stopping gauze for $3. The cold compresses are nice, but might be too heavy for the BOB. If so I'll toss them into the camping first-aid kit. I'm almost there on my BOB's first-aid kit, and for a lot less $ then one of the pre-packaged ones.

Now I have mentioned my inner voice before, and it tickled my brain again about the Coleman outlet. I haven't been there in a year, so I figured I'd burn the gas to go check it out. Well like always, listening to that inner voice paid off! Turns out they are going out of business (dammit) but had 40% off the entire store! I didn't go hog wild, as I already had a lot of stuff. I did pick up some extra mantles for my lanterns, a good compass, a camping knife-fork-spoon, and a set of stainless backpacking cookware. And to top it all off they had one of those "personal hydration" backpacks for 60% off. It has next to no additional storage space, and it isn't tactical with all the reflective tape all over it, but I can wear it under my coat or BOB. Toss in a very small flashlight and it was $45 for the lot. Major score!

I have been meaning to get one of those camelbacks or whatever for a while for my bike riding. and like most of the stuff I've been getting it serves a nice dual-purpose for my preparedness preparations. (Was that even English?)

Firestarting

So I feel that part of being prepared is having the skills to back them up. Anyone can make a fire with a lighter, or matches and ample tinder and kindling, but what if you had limited items?

So I took out my fire-steel I bought a while ago, and figured I would practice making fires with what I had in my BOB(besides matches and lighter), and what I had in my back yard. I had a section of newspaper, a container of dryer lint, and my fire-steel. Let's just say that I considered myself well-schooled in how to make a fire. I was COMPLETELY wrong.

First off dryer lint is not as good a fire-starter as you would think. It lights, but then because of all the dog hair, and synthetics I wear for work, it did little more than burn the outside layer of the lint. Even if I pulled it all apart and made it fuzzy I wouldn't be able to make a fire from it.

The second option was to try to start the newspaper from the fire-steel, but that is a no-go. It just will not catch. I did try some of the TP I had, but it's the fancy stuff that wouldn't catch either.

Now I could have cheated and used the whole section of newspaper, but I was determined that if I did need to bug out, that I would need more than one fire on the way. So each attempt used a little lint and a 6" square piece of newspaper. I could make about 30-40 fires from the amount of lint and newspaper I had.

After an hour, I could reliably get a small fire going from a bit of lint and a 6" square of newspaper. Now this was perfect conditions, in heavy rain or such I would have to use a firestarter. I also limited myself to the back yard which only has oak and maple, where the front yard has some pine trees. Pine makes firestarting a cinch!

I think it was a good exercise. If I was in the woods, the additional tinder available to me would make it easier. At least now I know I could make a fire when bugged out, even if the spare lighter, and matches were lost. The way I look at it, the more confident you are in your skills, the less likely your going to panic when and if the SHTF on any scale. Whether it's a blizzard, a hurricane, power outage, or even TEOTWAWKI.

When was the last time you practiced making a fire?

Preparedness

Over the last year or so an idea has peculated through my conscious mind from my subconscious mind that I need to be better prepared. Now I am generally a very down-to-earth person, not given into any fad or craziness. Usually it's my first instinct to cut across the grain, to zig when everyone is going to zag. I tend to listen to these subconscious suggestions as over the course of my live it's saved me a lot of trouble. If I go "with the flow" on these instincts, then lots of good things usually go my way.

For example, I was out registering my truck at the DMV when I saw a gun store that I never knew was there, and decided to stick my head in and look around. When there I asked pretty much out of the blue about the FID and Handgun saftey class that the nanny state makes us take to get a LTC (license to carry i.e. CCW). Turns out for $94 I get the Mass class, the NRA class, and get to shoot a bunch of firearms - next class starts in 10 days. Coincidence? I think NOT. I have since filled out the paperwork and submitted it to the local police for processing, and I have an interview on Monday with the Chief. I'm a little nervous because he has the final say on what I can or cannot get. Maybe I'll post how the process works here in Mass so everyone can see how lucky you are in other states.

Recently, Every time I go to the grocery store I've picked up some extra canned goods, and I got about 10 days worth of food - it's a start.

So why bother? Here in the northeast we get hit with hurricanes, blizzards, and nasty storms called nor'easters. In a 5 year span, it is 100% guaranteed we will be hit with them. Most of the time it's no big deal, but every now and then, we get hit with a really nasty one. We lose power, and life sucks for a few days maybe a week. Ten days or so of food means I can help out one of my neighbors if they need it, until the power comes back on.

I personally feel that everyone in America should have food and water in their home for at least a week. Canned goods are cheap enough that there is NO excuse not to have this done. Poop happens. Look at those who were buried in snow in the Midwest this most recent winter, they had food stored so they survived without FEMA screwing things up because they had common sense enough to say "Gee, it snows in the winter, I might get stuck in the house!" As I recall there were only a few deaths when hundreds of thousands were affected. Good job!

Now I'm on a limited budget so I cannot mail order a year's worth of MRE's, expensive water purification rigs, 55 gallon drums to store extra gas, etc. I just cannot do it. However, I will slowly increase what preparations I have, and eventually I might have some of those items. For now, I am going to stick with the percentages. Some gear does double duty. I have a lot of camping gear already as I love to go camping so I have propane lanterns, stoves etc. Just need to stock extra propane so I can run these for a week instead of the 3 days of a camping trip.

So, basically, there is a 100% chance I will lose power in 5 years. I should be 100% prepared for that catastrophe then. If there is a .0001% chance of global nuclear war, then I should put my budget's $ into something that's probably more likely to happen. Buying NBC gear without having a bicycle to commute to work in case of the Peak Oil crash (.1%) is just silly. I agree that having some nice land somewhere outside of the beaten path is a great idea, but I am unwilling to sell of everything I own, abandon my career and move out to the sticks. If you have, then my hat is off to you, I just cannot do it myself.

So I urge everyone to prepare. Start with the most likely scenario for your area, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc. and make DAMN sure you and your family will be ok. Then re-evaluate. Counting on the chuckleheads at FEMA for anything is about as smart as playing in traffic, Boston traffic at that. In my links I've linked to a few of the survival blogs I read every day. I might not agree with them on everything, but I do agree with them that the time to prepare is NOW!

Flea markets - the last vestige of pure capitalism

I cannot figure out when I decided that I love flea markets, but over the last several years I've built up my true capitalistic skills. I'm going to do my best to help you guys out improving yours. I am assuming you, my faithful reader, have never been to a flea market before. This post is quite long, maybe I should have split it into two parts.

Why bother? - I'm a frugal person by nature. That does not mean cheap. I like to get my money's worth whenever I buy an item. That generally means to get the best bang for my buck, so I try to buy used.

There is another aspect to flea markets that most people don't mention, and that is the thrill of the hunt. There is nothing more gratifying then finding exactly what you need at a rock-bottom price. Every one of us has a sort of visceral hunter-gatherer instinct, and nothing satiates it better than a great deal.

How it works - A person pays someone X amount of $ to set up tables in Y amount of space to sell there wares. I have seen anything and everything for sale at a flea market. In my state it is a pain in the ass to buy a firearm so those are rarely for sale. I have seen obviously stolen car parts to hand made high quality crafted items like jewelry and evening gowns (?!?!?). No sales tax, although I guess the dealer is supposed to report it. As a buyer I never had to pay it.
Most flea markets open early I mean oh god thirty early. The dealers roam around before the general public and get to snap up the best deals. Oh well - I like to sleep.

What to expect - First off you will meet some very interesting and colorful people. The bulk of the people at the flea market will be from the lower middle class and downwards. Expect poor sanitation, and the place will generally be filthy. Depending on the flea market some of the dealers or customers might need a shower. If dirt creeps you out, have a pocket-sized bottle of hand sanitizer, or just accept the fact your going to have dirty hands. Expect the bathrooms to be from someone's nightmare, although this is not always the case. Outdoor flea markets usually have porta-potties.

Usually all sales are final. Money talks and bullshit walks. I never accept their price as anything other than a starting point. More on haggling below.

What to wear - I recommend sturdy shoes, bluejeans, and t-shirt/sweatshirt. I don't like to wear shorts, as sometimes I have to get on my hands and knees to check out an item, and who knows what is on the floor. Try to blend in with your surroundings, leave the Gucci handbags and Tommy Hilfiger jackets at home, unless you like to pay more for your stuff. I suggest bringing tote-bags or rucksacks for carrying your purchased items. Often your items will need to be cleaned up, so your first purchase at your first flea market might be a bag to carry your stuff in.

The dealers - I find there are four kinds of dealers at flea markets. There are the junk-dealers, the Merchants, the Craftspeople and the Collectors.

The Junk-Dealers sell just that, their junk. Often they do not have tables but piles of shit spread around to look through. Nothing is priced, and the dealer will toss a figure at you by cross referencing how you are dressed vs. how likely the doohickey will sell.

The Merchants are the next in the food chain. They (almost) always have their items neatly displayed, and the merchandise is usually better quality. They tend to run this like a business, and usually know what they spent on an item, and what they should get for it.

Craftspeople are either selling supplies for their craft, or selling finished products. These folks are rare in my circle of flea markets, so I don't have any helpful hints.

Finally, we have the Collectors. They could be selling anything from comic books to Nazi mementos from WWII. I also lump the true-blue antique dealers in this category. These guys know exactly what their stuff is worth, and can grade it expertly. These are the hardest people to haggle with, and conversely the hardest place to find a real bargain.

Money - Cash is pretty much it. I have seen a few Collectors or Craftspeople with wireless credit card machines, but you always get a better deal with cash anyways. I'll go with $100 in my pocket to a small or medium sized show. If I need more money I'll just put down a deposit and haul ass to an ATM for more. Then again I'm not really looking for any big-ticket items.

I have never been pick-pocketed at a flea market, but like any crowd there is always a possibility. Just use common sense as you would anywhere else. Keep your money and wallet in your front pockets. Never put down your purse. Be aware of your surroundings. Do not flash lots of cash - ever.

The Hunt - Start with a list of stuff your looking for. I have found out the hard way that if you browse aimlessly you buy a lot of other peoples crap that they didn't need and now it's crap you don't need. Your list doesn't have to be too specific. Sunday I was looking for a rucksack, a good single edge-fixed blade knife, and anything else that would be handy in a bug-out-bag. I also have my standard list of woodworking hand tools I'm always looking for.

As to the actual market, I am systematic in my search. I start at one end and go table by table to cover the entire site. I make sure I at least browse every table. After all these years I can run a mental inventory over a 10' long table in about 20 seconds. Be sure to look behind the table, and in any containers that might hold what your looking for. Don't be afraid to dive headfirst and pull stacks apart and empty buckets to search for stuff, just put everything back as neat as it was. Be careful! I am always looking out for chisels and such so digging in buckets of rusty tools is quite dangerous. Don't expect any reduction in price if you get a laceration off of a rusty knife tossed in a bucket.

If I see an item of interest, I'll take a closer look at the table to see if there is anything else I'd like. I'll wave over the dealer and start asking prices. Sometimes it's not obvious who is running the table, just ask "Who's table is this?" and either the dealer will come running over, or the next dealer over will let you know where he's at.

The Haggle - Haggling is a art form. It is the base of all trade. What is the objects perceived value vs. it's actual value? There are two methods I use. First, it's a straight adjustment of price. The second tactic is to add or subtract items to adjust the price.

I have a few rules I follow when haggling:
1) Know what you're buying
2) Be ready to walk away
3) Keep your poker face
4) Never lie

Know what you're buying. The dealer will not shed one tear if you thought it was a complete set of something when it's missing parts. Open up the box and look inside! Check the fit and finish of anything your interested. For example, if you want to buy a lawnmower, have them start it up.

Be ready to walk away. I buy up hand planes for woodworking. A nice quality Stanley #5 is worth $6 to me, if the dealer says $20 I just say "No thanks!" and walk away. There could be another one at the next table or the next show. Do not let your emotions rule your judgment.

Keep your poker face. Do not look overly enthusiastic about an item. Yelling "OMG Honey, they have it!" just cost you big $ unless it's pre-priced. Likewise don't look disgusted while haggling over an item, I prefer a neutral expression until the deal is done.

Never lie. Although good advice in general, I will not lie when haggling for an item. Likewise I'll never lie when selling an item. I look at it as good karma. I won't claim a set is missing a fictional piece, nor will I intentionally belittle the item to try to devalue it. If it's in crappy shape I'll call it like it is, but grease on a tool isn't worth making a big deal over.

If there are several items together, you usually get a better deal, On occasion I've asked how much for 3 items, and then add in a few more for only a few bucks. I also have had 10 woodworking chisels selected to ahve the guy say $100. By taking out one chisel he really liked I got the other 9 for $40 - now THAT my friends is haggling.

Tips on specific merchandise

Tools - Watch out of the cheap import shit from Taiwan. If it's an electric tool, make sure it works before buying. If there is no power to test it then it means it's a paperweight - walk away. I do not count the battery as functional on any cordless tools - I assume I have to replace it.
Weapons - Be careful. In Mass, double-edged knives are illegal, so I would never put my LTC into jeopardy by buying one. 99% of the knives are crap, just pure useless crap. On the other hand I have seen some VERY nice knives at a Collector's booth, but they were high-end knives that belong in display cases, not in a bug-out-bag.
Food - I'm a real picky eater so I have never bought food at a flea market. On the other hand, the hot dog vendor at one flea market has the 2nd best hot dog I have ever eaten in my life. So I'm talking about the pre-packaged stuff. Check the dates, and make sure it's still sealed correctly.
Health and beauty products - You can find good deals on perfumes, deodorants, etc at some flea markets. I count toothbrushes that I'll use and toothpaste as food so I have never bothered. I have bought toothbrushes to clean parts and such at flea markets at a great deal. (10 for a $1)

Warning! Rants ahead!

Ok fair warning! Future posts might be in the form of a rant. Part of why I am blogging is to mentally review a topic, and/or purge, vent, etc. something that is pissing me off.

I usually review my posts several times, in order to clean up the cussing and my pathetic excuse for written language skills.

Please, I am not a troll, nor do I want to kick off a flame-war... It's just sometimes the filters don't kick in all the way. So if I do offend you, please re-read it a second time before getting pissed off. Odds are I didn't mean it that way.

On the other hand If I want to piss you off, believe me there will be NO doubt... (hee hee)

Politics

So what happened to the middle ground? The current political structure in the U.S. of A. is a field of fruit-loop extremists on one platform or another. I consider myself a moderate in many ways, but there is just no where for me to stand without being int democrat vs. republican vs. commie-pink-o vs. libertarian vs. green party... AAARRRGHHH!

My problem is that I, like most intelligent Americans, don't fit neatly into one political bucket or the other. I'm Anti-Gun control, but I'm Pro-Choice... Am I Republican or a Democrat?

Why force anyone onto one side of the fence or the other? There are more than two sides to every issue, so why do we have only two (viable) political parties? Give me a third damn choice that isn't on the fringe!

America has a host of issues, and one of the biggest problems is we are a two political party system. It is too easy for the lobbyists, the special interest groups, the corporations, etc. to play one side against the other. Take a look at the up coming presidential farce of an election and see who ultimately wins regardless of who is elected. It certainly isn't the common citizen!

The candidates selected to run from the democratic and republican parties are those individuals who:

A) Have the best chance of winning
B) Will serve the party

Now far be it from me to be so selfish as to wonder where I am on that list. Oh that's right I'm NOT. Democrats care about Democrats and Republicans about Republicans. All of the slimy bastards care about lining their pockets and keeping their political agendas going.

What ever happened to political servants? I elect the prick to serve me, and his other constituents! Not his political party, not the SIG's, bot the corporations, but the people. That's all the constituents - Republican, Democrat, Green Party, Libertarian, etc. All of them!

the more I think about this whole mess we are in the more it pisses me off. If and that is a big IF a 3rd party starts to form you can bet your bottom dollar that both the Republicans and Democrats wouldn't stop until it's stomped in the ground, then go back to their old shenanigans.

And so it begins...

TEOTWAWKIAIFF

More than an 80's R.E.M. song, I lately feel like I'm watching Rome burn and I don't have a violin handy. I am watching the people (or some would say sheeple) in America degenerate into Neanderthals with Gucci handbags. People are more concerned with Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton than with the 12 % inflation rate. We are in the beginning of a major housing market correction (probably a collapse) and 99% of Americans would rather wear their asses for hats than figure out what really is going on.

I have been reading many of the survival blogs out there, and I have begun some modest preparations as my finances allow. I intend this blog to be a catch-basin for my rather unique view of the world. I'll follow up with posts on where I stand on a variety of issues, hopefully I'll help out with some tips, some facts, and something to (metaphorically) poke you in the grey matter to make you think.