31 October 2012
28 October 2012
10 Ordinary Objects Repurposed Into Extraordinary Furniture
1. Shopping Cart to Chair and Side Table
2. Old Chair To Swing
3. Church Pew to Headboard
4. Wooden Ladder To Bookshelf
5. Trolley to Chair
6. Suitcase to Chair
7. Folding Chair to Shelf/Closet Unit
8. Bike to Bathroom Counter
9. Wood Pallet to Bed
10. Leather Belts to Chair
For more ideas go to: http://www.buzzfeed.com/stacylambe/26-ordinary-objects-repurposed-into-extraordinary
2. Old Chair To Swing
3. Church Pew to Headboard
4. Wooden Ladder To Bookshelf
5. Trolley to Chair
6. Suitcase to Chair
7. Folding Chair to Shelf/Closet Unit
8. Bike to Bathroom Counter
9. Wood Pallet to Bed
10. Leather Belts to Chair
For more ideas go to: http://www.buzzfeed.com/stacylambe/26-ordinary-objects-repurposed-into-extraordinary
20 October 2012
19 October 2012
16 Foods That’ll Re-Grow from Kitchen Scraps
By Andy Whiteley
Co- Founder of Wake Up World
Looking for a healthy way to get more from your garden? Like to know your food is free of the pesticides and other nasties that are often sprayed on commercial crops? Re-growing food from your kitchen scraps is a good way to do it!
There’s nothing like eating your own home- grown vegies, and there are heaps of different foods that will re- grow from the scrap pieces that you’d normally throw out or put into your compost bin.
It’s fun. And very simple … if you know how to do it.
Just remember … the quality of the “parent” vegetable scrap will help to determine the quality of the re-growth. So, wherever possible, I recommend buying local organic produce, so you know your re-grown plants are fresh, healthy and free of chemical and genetic meddling.
Leeks, Scallions, Spring Onions and Fennel
You can either use the white root end of a vegetable that you have already cut, or buy a handful of new vegetables to use specifically for growing.
Simply place the white root end in a glass jar with a little water, and leave it in a sunny position. I keep mine in the kitchen window. The green leafy part of the plant will continue to shoot. When it’s time to cook, just snip off what you need from the green growth and leave the white root end in water to keep growing. Freshen up the water each week or so, and you’ll never have to buy them again.
Lemongrass
Lemongrass grows just like any other grass. To propagate it, place the root end (after you’ve cut the rest off) in a glass jar with a little water, and leave it in a sunny position.
Within a week or so, new growth will start to appear. Transplant your lemongrass into a pot and leave it in a sunny outdoor position. You can harvest your lemongrass when the stalks reach around a foot tall – just cut off what you need and leave the plant to keep growing.
Celery, Bok Choi, Romaine Lettuce & Cabbage
Similar to leeks, these vegetables will re-grow from the white root end. Cut the stalks off as you normally would, and place the root end in a shallow bowl of water – enough to cover the roots but not the top of your cutting. Place it in a sunny window position, occasionally spraying your cutting with water to keep the top moist.
After a few days, you should start to see roots and new leaves appear. After a week or so, transplant it into soil with just the leaves showing above the level of the soil. The plant will continue to grow, and within a few weeks it will sprout a whole new head.
Alternatively you can plant your cutting directly into soil (without starting the process in water) but you will need to keep the soil very moist for the first week until the new shoots start to appear.
Ginger
Ginger is very easy to re-grow. Simply plant a spare piece of ginger rhizome (the thick knobbly bit you cook with) in potting soil with the newest (ie. smallest) buds facing upward. Ginger enjoys filtered, not direct, sunlight in a warm moist environment.
Before long it will start to grow new shoots and roots. Once the plant is established and you’re ready to harvest, pull up the whole plant, roots and all. Remove a piece of the rhizome, and re-plant it to repeat the process.
Ginger also makes a very attractive house-plant, so if you don’t use a lot of ginger in your cooking you can still enjoy the lovely plant between harvests.
Potatoes
Re-growing potatoes is a great way to avoid waste, as you can re-grow potatoes from any old potato that has ‘eyes’ growing on it. Pick a potato that has robust eyes, and cut it into pieces around 2 inches square, ensuring each piece has at least one or two eyes. Leave the cut pieces to sit at room temperature for a day or two, which allows the cut areas to dry and callous over. This prevents the potato piece from rotting after you plant it, ensuring that the new shoots get the maximum nutrition from each potato piece.
Potato plants enjoy a high-nutrient environment, so it is best to turn compost through your soil before you plant them. Plant your potato pieces around 8 inches deep with the eye facing upward, and cover it with around 4 inches of soil, leaving the other 4 inches empty. As your plant begins to grow and more roots appear, add more soil. If your plant really takes off, mound more soil around the base of the plant to help support its growth.
Garlic
You can re-grow a plant from just a single clove – just plant it, root-end down, in a warm position with plenty of direct sunlight. The garlic will root itself and produce new shoots. Once established, cut back the shoots and the plant will put all its energy into producing a tasty big garlic bulb. And like ginger, you can repeat the process with your new bulb.
Onions
Onions are one of the easiest vegetables to propagate. Just cut off the root end of your onion, leaving a ½ inch of onion on the roots. Place it in a sunny position in your garden and cover the top with soil. Ensure the soil is kept moist. Onions prefer a warm sunny environment, so if you live in a colder climate, keep them in pots and move them indoors during frostier months.
As you use your home-grown onions, keep re-planting the root ends you cut off, and you’ll never need to buy onions again.
Sweet Potatoes
When planted, sweet potato will produce eye-shoots much like a potato. Bury all or part of a sweet potato under a thin layer of soil in a moist sunny location. New shoots will start to appear through the soil in a week or so. Once the shoots reach around four inches in height, remove them and re-plant them, allowing about 12 inches space between each plant. It will take around 4 months for your sweet potatoes to be ready. In the meantime, keep an eye out for slugs… they love sweet potatoes.
To propagate sweet potatoes, it is essential to use an organic source since most commercial growers spray their sweet potatoes to prevent them from shooting.
Mushroom
Mushrooms can be propagated from cuttings, but they’re one of the more difficult vegies to re-grow. They enjoy warm humidity and nutrient-rich soil, but have to compete with other fungus for survival in that environment. Although it is not their preferred climate, cooler environments give mushrooms a better chance of winning the race against other fungi.
Prepare a mix of soil and compost in a pot (not in the ground) so your re-growth is portable and you can control the temperature of your mushroom. I have found most success with a warm filtered light during the day and a cool temperature at night. Just remove the head of the mushroom and plant the stalk in the soil, leaving just the top exposed. In the right conditions, the base will grow a whole new head. (In my experience, you’ll know fairly quickly if your mushroom has taken to the soil as it will either start to grow or start to rot in the first few days).
Pineapple
To re-grow pineapples, you need to remove the green leafy piece at the top and ensure that no fruit remains attached. Either hold the crown firmly by the leaves and twist the stalk out, or you can cut the top off the pineapple and remove the remaining fruit flesh with a knife (otherwise it will rot after planting and may kill your plant). Carefully slice small, horizontal sections from the bottom of the crown until you see root buds (the small circles on the flat base of the stalk). Remove the bottom few layers of leaves leaving about an inch base at the bottom of the stalk. Plant your pineapple crown in a warm and well drained environment. Water your plant regularly at first, reducing to weekly watering once the plant is established. You will see growth in the first few months but it will take around 2-3 years before you are eating your own home-grown pineapples.
And one for the kids….. ‘Pet’ Carrot Tops!!
I call this a ‘pet’ because the plant that re-grows from planting a carrot top will NOT produce edible carrots, only a new carrot plant. The vegetable itself is a taproot which can’t re-grow once it has been removed from the plant. But it makes an attractive flowering plant for the kitchen, and they’re
easy and lots of fun to grow…. for kids of all ages!
Cut the top off your carrot, leaving about an inch of vegetable at the root. Stick toothpicks into the sides of the carrot stump and balance it in a glass or jar. Fill the glass with water so that the level reaches the bottom of the cutting. Leave the glass in filtered, not direct, sunlight and ensure water is topped up to keep the bottom of your cutting wet. You’ll see roots sprout in a few days, and you can transplant your ‘pet’ carrot into soil after a week or so.
Your success re-growing lovely fresh vegies from scrap may vary, depending on your climate, the season, soil quality and sunlight available in your home or garden. And some vegies just propagate easier than others do. In my experience, a bit of trial and error is required, so don’t be afraid to do some experimenting. Get your hands dirty. It’s lots of fun! And there’s nothing like eating your own home-grown vegies.
Co- Founder of Wake Up World
Looking for a healthy way to get more from your garden? Like to know your food is free of the pesticides and other nasties that are often sprayed on commercial crops? Re-growing food from your kitchen scraps is a good way to do it!
There’s nothing like eating your own home- grown vegies, and there are heaps of different foods that will re- grow from the scrap pieces that you’d normally throw out or put into your compost bin.
It’s fun. And very simple … if you know how to do it.
Just remember … the quality of the “parent” vegetable scrap will help to determine the quality of the re-growth. So, wherever possible, I recommend buying local organic produce, so you know your re-grown plants are fresh, healthy and free of chemical and genetic meddling.
Leeks, Scallions, Spring Onions and Fennel
You can either use the white root end of a vegetable that you have already cut, or buy a handful of new vegetables to use specifically for growing.
Simply place the white root end in a glass jar with a little water, and leave it in a sunny position. I keep mine in the kitchen window. The green leafy part of the plant will continue to shoot. When it’s time to cook, just snip off what you need from the green growth and leave the white root end in water to keep growing. Freshen up the water each week or so, and you’ll never have to buy them again.
Lemongrass
Lemongrass grows just like any other grass. To propagate it, place the root end (after you’ve cut the rest off) in a glass jar with a little water, and leave it in a sunny position.
Within a week or so, new growth will start to appear. Transplant your lemongrass into a pot and leave it in a sunny outdoor position. You can harvest your lemongrass when the stalks reach around a foot tall – just cut off what you need and leave the plant to keep growing.
Celery, Bok Choi, Romaine Lettuce & Cabbage
Similar to leeks, these vegetables will re-grow from the white root end. Cut the stalks off as you normally would, and place the root end in a shallow bowl of water – enough to cover the roots but not the top of your cutting. Place it in a sunny window position, occasionally spraying your cutting with water to keep the top moist.
After a few days, you should start to see roots and new leaves appear. After a week or so, transplant it into soil with just the leaves showing above the level of the soil. The plant will continue to grow, and within a few weeks it will sprout a whole new head.
Alternatively you can plant your cutting directly into soil (without starting the process in water) but you will need to keep the soil very moist for the first week until the new shoots start to appear.
Ginger
Ginger is very easy to re-grow. Simply plant a spare piece of ginger rhizome (the thick knobbly bit you cook with) in potting soil with the newest (ie. smallest) buds facing upward. Ginger enjoys filtered, not direct, sunlight in a warm moist environment.
Before long it will start to grow new shoots and roots. Once the plant is established and you’re ready to harvest, pull up the whole plant, roots and all. Remove a piece of the rhizome, and re-plant it to repeat the process.
Ginger also makes a very attractive house-plant, so if you don’t use a lot of ginger in your cooking you can still enjoy the lovely plant between harvests.
Potatoes
Re-growing potatoes is a great way to avoid waste, as you can re-grow potatoes from any old potato that has ‘eyes’ growing on it. Pick a potato that has robust eyes, and cut it into pieces around 2 inches square, ensuring each piece has at least one or two eyes. Leave the cut pieces to sit at room temperature for a day or two, which allows the cut areas to dry and callous over. This prevents the potato piece from rotting after you plant it, ensuring that the new shoots get the maximum nutrition from each potato piece.
Potato plants enjoy a high-nutrient environment, so it is best to turn compost through your soil before you plant them. Plant your potato pieces around 8 inches deep with the eye facing upward, and cover it with around 4 inches of soil, leaving the other 4 inches empty. As your plant begins to grow and more roots appear, add more soil. If your plant really takes off, mound more soil around the base of the plant to help support its growth.
Garlic
You can re-grow a plant from just a single clove – just plant it, root-end down, in a warm position with plenty of direct sunlight. The garlic will root itself and produce new shoots. Once established, cut back the shoots and the plant will put all its energy into producing a tasty big garlic bulb. And like ginger, you can repeat the process with your new bulb.
Onions
Onions are one of the easiest vegetables to propagate. Just cut off the root end of your onion, leaving a ½ inch of onion on the roots. Place it in a sunny position in your garden and cover the top with soil. Ensure the soil is kept moist. Onions prefer a warm sunny environment, so if you live in a colder climate, keep them in pots and move them indoors during frostier months.
As you use your home-grown onions, keep re-planting the root ends you cut off, and you’ll never need to buy onions again.
Sweet Potatoes
When planted, sweet potato will produce eye-shoots much like a potato. Bury all or part of a sweet potato under a thin layer of soil in a moist sunny location. New shoots will start to appear through the soil in a week or so. Once the shoots reach around four inches in height, remove them and re-plant them, allowing about 12 inches space between each plant. It will take around 4 months for your sweet potatoes to be ready. In the meantime, keep an eye out for slugs… they love sweet potatoes.
To propagate sweet potatoes, it is essential to use an organic source since most commercial growers spray their sweet potatoes to prevent them from shooting.
Mushroom
Mushrooms can be propagated from cuttings, but they’re one of the more difficult vegies to re-grow. They enjoy warm humidity and nutrient-rich soil, but have to compete with other fungus for survival in that environment. Although it is not their preferred climate, cooler environments give mushrooms a better chance of winning the race against other fungi.
Prepare a mix of soil and compost in a pot (not in the ground) so your re-growth is portable and you can control the temperature of your mushroom. I have found most success with a warm filtered light during the day and a cool temperature at night. Just remove the head of the mushroom and plant the stalk in the soil, leaving just the top exposed. In the right conditions, the base will grow a whole new head. (In my experience, you’ll know fairly quickly if your mushroom has taken to the soil as it will either start to grow or start to rot in the first few days).
Pineapple
To re-grow pineapples, you need to remove the green leafy piece at the top and ensure that no fruit remains attached. Either hold the crown firmly by the leaves and twist the stalk out, or you can cut the top off the pineapple and remove the remaining fruit flesh with a knife (otherwise it will rot after planting and may kill your plant). Carefully slice small, horizontal sections from the bottom of the crown until you see root buds (the small circles on the flat base of the stalk). Remove the bottom few layers of leaves leaving about an inch base at the bottom of the stalk. Plant your pineapple crown in a warm and well drained environment. Water your plant regularly at first, reducing to weekly watering once the plant is established. You will see growth in the first few months but it will take around 2-3 years before you are eating your own home-grown pineapples.
And one for the kids….. ‘Pet’ Carrot Tops!!
I call this a ‘pet’ because the plant that re-grows from planting a carrot top will NOT produce edible carrots, only a new carrot plant. The vegetable itself is a taproot which can’t re-grow once it has been removed from the plant. But it makes an attractive flowering plant for the kitchen, and they’re
easy and lots of fun to grow…. for kids of all ages!
Cut the top off your carrot, leaving about an inch of vegetable at the root. Stick toothpicks into the sides of the carrot stump and balance it in a glass or jar. Fill the glass with water so that the level reaches the bottom of the cutting. Leave the glass in filtered, not direct, sunlight and ensure water is topped up to keep the bottom of your cutting wet. You’ll see roots sprout in a few days, and you can transplant your ‘pet’ carrot into soil after a week or so.
Your success re-growing lovely fresh vegies from scrap may vary, depending on your climate, the season, soil quality and sunlight available in your home or garden. And some vegies just propagate easier than others do. In my experience, a bit of trial and error is required, so don’t be afraid to do some experimenting. Get your hands dirty. It’s lots of fun! And there’s nothing like eating your own home-grown vegies.
Making Flour From Rice Instead
Since the weather has been crummy for the past few days, I didn’t have a chance to use my Sun Oven. So, instead I decided to try something that I haven’t seen elsewhere in the preparedness community–and probably for good reason–I tried to make flour from rice in order to make a loaf of bread. As you might tell from the picture (left) it didn’t work out so well; this is normally the story of my life the first time I try something new.
Originally, I tried to follow these instructions, An Illustrated Guide to Making Rice Flour. Since the instructions included some pretty pictures, I assumed I could follow them. Strangely, the instructions said I should soak the rice, dry it off to be damp (not wet), grind it, and then heat the rice flour to evaporate any water. Unfortunately, that didn’t work AT ALL! After soaking the rice and attempting to dry it, I tried an electric grinder and the rice simply wasn’t being fed properly at all. I then tried my Back to Basics Hand Grain Mill and I got about a 1/4 teaspoon before it wouldn’t grind any rice whatsoever either. I assumed I either had the rice still too wet or I shouldn’t have followed these instructions in the first place.
So, I decided to wing it and do what felt right and I ground dry rice instead. That worked out quite a bit better and more how I expected. I ended up doing two passes through the hand grinder and got about two cups of flour from 1.5 cups of dry rice, which is equivalent to grinding wheat.
If you look at the picture to the right–click to enlarge–you can see the differences in what flour looks like (left clump) versus the first pass with rice (right clump). I’ve also got a second pass of rice (top clump) and a first pass of wheat (bottom clump) for comparison purposes shown too. It seems that the rice, even at second pass, is a bit more like salt than flour. I expected this a bit because even wheat isn’t a whole like like flour after a pass or two in my hand grinder.
Regardless, the wheat seems to work out ok when used for bread. Let’s see how the rice turned out…
As I mixed it the dough didn’t have that sticky feeling I’m accustomed to. In fact, it wanted to fall apart more than stay together. Regardless, I was committed so I covered the bowl and let sit for two hours. After checking the dough it was obvious it didn’t rise and I wasn’t expected miracles but I decided to bake it anyway. In the oven it went.
30 minutes later (at 450 degrees) I took it out and was still disappointed. The taste test didn’t do anything for me either but a few people said it didn’t taste too bad. The “bread” was cooked but tasted weird to me… and it obviously did not rise. Perhaps the yeast was bad (I didn’t test it and now I’m thinking that was my problem) or maybe the rice wasn’t ground enough, or maybe it’s because I used rice as flour instead of wheat. I don’t know what the problem was exactly, but I’m fairly positive I won’t be trying that again any time soon. I’ll stick with what I know.
[EDIT: Turns out it WAS the rice, according to Bellen's comment below: "Rice does not have gluten, the protein found in wheat, that gives the dough that stretchy quality and allows the air bubbles to form and raise the loaf." Thank you for clarifying that.]
Originally, I tried to follow these instructions, An Illustrated Guide to Making Rice Flour. Since the instructions included some pretty pictures, I assumed I could follow them. Strangely, the instructions said I should soak the rice, dry it off to be damp (not wet), grind it, and then heat the rice flour to evaporate any water. Unfortunately, that didn’t work AT ALL! After soaking the rice and attempting to dry it, I tried an electric grinder and the rice simply wasn’t being fed properly at all. I then tried my Back to Basics Hand Grain Mill and I got about a 1/4 teaspoon before it wouldn’t grind any rice whatsoever either. I assumed I either had the rice still too wet or I shouldn’t have followed these instructions in the first place.
So, I decided to wing it and do what felt right and I ground dry rice instead. That worked out quite a bit better and more how I expected. I ended up doing two passes through the hand grinder and got about two cups of flour from 1.5 cups of dry rice, which is equivalent to grinding wheat.
If you look at the picture to the right–click to enlarge–you can see the differences in what flour looks like (left clump) versus the first pass with rice (right clump). I’ve also got a second pass of rice (top clump) and a first pass of wheat (bottom clump) for comparison purposes shown too. It seems that the rice, even at second pass, is a bit more like salt than flour. I expected this a bit because even wheat isn’t a whole like like flour after a pass or two in my hand grinder.
Regardless, the wheat seems to work out ok when used for bread. Let’s see how the rice turned out…
As I mixed it the dough didn’t have that sticky feeling I’m accustomed to. In fact, it wanted to fall apart more than stay together. Regardless, I was committed so I covered the bowl and let sit for two hours. After checking the dough it was obvious it didn’t rise and I wasn’t expected miracles but I decided to bake it anyway. In the oven it went.
30 minutes later (at 450 degrees) I took it out and was still disappointed. The taste test didn’t do anything for me either but a few people said it didn’t taste too bad. The “bread” was cooked but tasted weird to me… and it obviously did not rise. Perhaps the yeast was bad (I didn’t test it and now I’m thinking that was my problem) or maybe the rice wasn’t ground enough, or maybe it’s because I used rice as flour instead of wheat. I don’t know what the problem was exactly, but I’m fairly positive I won’t be trying that again any time soon. I’ll stick with what I know.
[EDIT: Turns out it WAS the rice, according to Bellen's comment below: "Rice does not have gluten, the protein found in wheat, that gives the dough that stretchy quality and allows the air bubbles to form and raise the loaf." Thank you for clarifying that.]
A Couple Of My Favorite Pages That I think Everyone Should Follow
http://www.thesurvivaldoctor.com/
http://www.prepperwebsite.com/
http://www.doomandbloom.net/
http://rethinksurvival.com/
http://wakeup-world.com/
As I come across more, I'll be sure to add them. Or if you have a page you would like added to this list message me and I'll check it out.
http://www.prepperwebsite.com/
http://www.doomandbloom.net/
http://rethinksurvival.com/
http://wakeup-world.com/
As I come across more, I'll be sure to add them. Or if you have a page you would like added to this list message me and I'll check it out.
15 Do-It-Yourself Natural Remedies
copied from http://www.thereadystore.com/diy/5340/15-do-it-yourself-natural-remedies/
If a disaster occurred and the medical industry was strained, how would you get medicine? Or even closer to home, what if you were lost in the woods while camping this weekend and needed to relieve your pain?
There are dozens of items that you’re very familiar with that you’ve probably never used for healing. They can be found in your yard, in your food storage or flying around your home. Things like baking soda, salts, honey and ginger can be used for healing in case of an emergency.
Part of being prepared is knowing how to use items for multiple purposes. These ideas are perfect to help you stay ready for an emergency situation and be prepared while you’re enjoying the outdoors. Comment below to let us know what you’ve used to stay healthy and well!
Epsom Salt
You would have never thought that simple magnesium sulphate – also known as epsom salt – could do so much. This mineral is great for skin-softening, stress-reducing and aching sore muscles.
Splinters. Add some water to a handful of epsom salt and apply it to the skin’s surface. Let it go to work for about 10 minutes. It will help to draw out the splinter and save your from digging around.
Sprains. Epsom salt will reduce the swelling of a sprained ankle or bruised muscle. Add 2 cups Epsom salt to a warm bath and soak the sprain.
Muscle pains. Epsom salt helps draw fluid out of the body and helps shrink swollen tissues. As it draws out fluid through the skin, it draws out lactic acid – which can contribute to muscle pain. Add a cup or two of salt to a hot bath and soak the affected muscle.
Baking Soda
Entire books have been written about the benefits of baking soda. We’ve even written a whole article on what you can do with the stuff. It comes at no surprise that baking soda is a natural healer too!
Stings. You can use baking soda to soothe mosquito bites and other insect stings. Apply a little water and make a baking soda paste. Apply this to the itchy areas. The paste can also be used against poison ivy and chicken pox.
Sunburns. Add baking soda to warm water and apply to your skin. This will soften the water and make a soothing remedy.
Bladder infections. Bacteria thrives inside acidic environments inside your bladder. Make a cocktail of baking soda and water to down after dinner. This will soothe your bladder infection problems.
Ginger
Ginger is one of the most used kitchen cures. It’s closely related to other spices like turmeric and cardamom and has been used medicinally for over 5,000 years. Ginger is used to ease nausea, vomiting and other digestive problems.
Migraines. Danish researchers have found that taking a teaspoon of fresh or powdered ginger at the first sign of a migraine, may reduce symptoms by blocking prostaglandins – the chemical that causes inflamed blood vessels in the brain. Unlike aspirin, ginger blocks only prostaglandins that cause inflammation, the the beneficial ones such as ones that strengthen the stomach lining.
Menstrual cramps. The chemical compounds in ginger act as antispasmodics. They inhibit painful contractions not only in the digestive tract but also in the uterus.
Honey
Honey is great for healing because it lasts for so long. Stored in the right conditions, honey can have an indefinite storage life. It’s good for soothing allergies, coughs and ulcers. Check out other uses of honey here.
Ulcers. Honey may reduce ulcer symptoms and speed the healing time. Honey reduces inflammation, stimulates blood flow and enhances the growth of epithelial cells on the inside of the stomach. Honey also kills H. pylori – the bacteria responsible for most ulcers.
Cuts. The sweet goo is great for taking care of cuts or scrapes that could end up getting infected. Honey contains hydrogen peroxide and propolis – a compound that kills bacteria. Applying honey to cuts or scrapes locks out other contaminants and denies bacterial growth. Lavender
If you’re out in the wild and spot a lavender plant, be sure to grab some. It will probably come in handy! Lavender is great for treating headaches, insect bites, ear infections and athlete’s foot.
Skin infection. Lavender is a great way to fight infections in cuts and scrapes. Soak a clean cloth in a lavender infusion and apply and compress to the wound.
Ear infection. The same chemical compounds that fight infection in scrapes and cuts, also help sooth swimmer’s ear.
Pain reliever. Lavender has some minor pain killing properties. It appears to reduce the transmission of nerve impulses that carry pain signals. Mix a few drops of the oil in a tablespoon of carrier oil (an oil derived from nuts or fruits of a plant) and rub it in. It’s also great for relieving itching.
Goldenseal
This herb can heal just as well as man-made medicines and drugs. In studies, goldenseal has proven just as effective against certain infections as prescriptions.
Infectious diarrhea. The berberine in goldenseal helps prevent diarrhea-causing organisms from clinging to the lining of the intestines. Fighting the spread of infection during a disaster is an important preparation.
Eye infections. Goldenseal is too bitter to enjoy as a tea or drink but you can strain the beverage, let it cool and use it as an eyewash to speed the healing of eye infections such as pinkeye. You’ll have to continue to apply goldenseal to your eyes to continue to fight the infection.
Your recommendations
So, what do you think? Have you found something that works really well as medicine in the wild? Share your knowledge below and help the community!
If a disaster occurred and the medical industry was strained, how would you get medicine? Or even closer to home, what if you were lost in the woods while camping this weekend and needed to relieve your pain?
There are dozens of items that you’re very familiar with that you’ve probably never used for healing. They can be found in your yard, in your food storage or flying around your home. Things like baking soda, salts, honey and ginger can be used for healing in case of an emergency.
Part of being prepared is knowing how to use items for multiple purposes. These ideas are perfect to help you stay ready for an emergency situation and be prepared while you’re enjoying the outdoors. Comment below to let us know what you’ve used to stay healthy and well!
Epsom Salt
You would have never thought that simple magnesium sulphate – also known as epsom salt – could do so much. This mineral is great for skin-softening, stress-reducing and aching sore muscles.
Splinters. Add some water to a handful of epsom salt and apply it to the skin’s surface. Let it go to work for about 10 minutes. It will help to draw out the splinter and save your from digging around.
Sprains. Epsom salt will reduce the swelling of a sprained ankle or bruised muscle. Add 2 cups Epsom salt to a warm bath and soak the sprain.
Muscle pains. Epsom salt helps draw fluid out of the body and helps shrink swollen tissues. As it draws out fluid through the skin, it draws out lactic acid – which can contribute to muscle pain. Add a cup or two of salt to a hot bath and soak the affected muscle.
Baking Soda
Entire books have been written about the benefits of baking soda. We’ve even written a whole article on what you can do with the stuff. It comes at no surprise that baking soda is a natural healer too!
Stings. You can use baking soda to soothe mosquito bites and other insect stings. Apply a little water and make a baking soda paste. Apply this to the itchy areas. The paste can also be used against poison ivy and chicken pox.
Sunburns. Add baking soda to warm water and apply to your skin. This will soften the water and make a soothing remedy.
Bladder infections. Bacteria thrives inside acidic environments inside your bladder. Make a cocktail of baking soda and water to down after dinner. This will soothe your bladder infection problems.
Ginger
Ginger is one of the most used kitchen cures. It’s closely related to other spices like turmeric and cardamom and has been used medicinally for over 5,000 years. Ginger is used to ease nausea, vomiting and other digestive problems.
Migraines. Danish researchers have found that taking a teaspoon of fresh or powdered ginger at the first sign of a migraine, may reduce symptoms by blocking prostaglandins – the chemical that causes inflamed blood vessels in the brain. Unlike aspirin, ginger blocks only prostaglandins that cause inflammation, the the beneficial ones such as ones that strengthen the stomach lining.
Menstrual cramps. The chemical compounds in ginger act as antispasmodics. They inhibit painful contractions not only in the digestive tract but also in the uterus.
Honey
Honey is great for healing because it lasts for so long. Stored in the right conditions, honey can have an indefinite storage life. It’s good for soothing allergies, coughs and ulcers. Check out other uses of honey here.
Ulcers. Honey may reduce ulcer symptoms and speed the healing time. Honey reduces inflammation, stimulates blood flow and enhances the growth of epithelial cells on the inside of the stomach. Honey also kills H. pylori – the bacteria responsible for most ulcers.
Cuts. The sweet goo is great for taking care of cuts or scrapes that could end up getting infected. Honey contains hydrogen peroxide and propolis – a compound that kills bacteria. Applying honey to cuts or scrapes locks out other contaminants and denies bacterial growth. Lavender
If you’re out in the wild and spot a lavender plant, be sure to grab some. It will probably come in handy! Lavender is great for treating headaches, insect bites, ear infections and athlete’s foot.
Skin infection. Lavender is a great way to fight infections in cuts and scrapes. Soak a clean cloth in a lavender infusion and apply and compress to the wound.
Ear infection. The same chemical compounds that fight infection in scrapes and cuts, also help sooth swimmer’s ear.
Pain reliever. Lavender has some minor pain killing properties. It appears to reduce the transmission of nerve impulses that carry pain signals. Mix a few drops of the oil in a tablespoon of carrier oil (an oil derived from nuts or fruits of a plant) and rub it in. It’s also great for relieving itching.
Goldenseal
This herb can heal just as well as man-made medicines and drugs. In studies, goldenseal has proven just as effective against certain infections as prescriptions.
Infectious diarrhea. The berberine in goldenseal helps prevent diarrhea-causing organisms from clinging to the lining of the intestines. Fighting the spread of infection during a disaster is an important preparation.
Eye infections. Goldenseal is too bitter to enjoy as a tea or drink but you can strain the beverage, let it cool and use it as an eyewash to speed the healing of eye infections such as pinkeye. You’ll have to continue to apply goldenseal to your eyes to continue to fight the infection.
Your recommendations
So, what do you think? Have you found something that works really well as medicine in the wild? Share your knowledge below and help the community!
17 October 2012
10 Reasons to Take Your Kids Hunting
“Oooh, there are a couple of squirrels in the pecan trees. Can I go get them?”
My oldest son was sitting in the family room recliner this morning still in his pajamas. He and I were the only ones awake. When he looked out the window, his morning mental fog cleared immediately. He wanted to harvest a couple of squirrels.
“Ok.”, I said. A few minutes later he was dressed, armed, and out the door. If only I could get him to move that quickly at other times.
The Benefits of Hunting
Obviously this wasn’t his first time hunting. I have taken him squirrel hunting before. We’ve gone into the woods on our property and have sat together quietly until the squirrels made their presence known to us. We’ve turned the arbor-dwelling little creatures into delicious meals. I’ve written before about the Squirrel Extraordinaire: A Delicious Recipe that my family enjoys.
He has also harvested a deer and doves. We have a rule in our house: if you kill it, you eat it. (That even applied to a snake one time. We do, of course, have exceptions to the you-kill-it-you-eat-it rule. If a predator, such as a coyote, is threatening our animals, we may protect our animals by killing the predator without eating it.)
We are not trophy hunters. We are meat hunters. Supplementing our diet with game that we’ve harvested just makes sense.
Teaching your children to hunt is good for many reasons.
Cut down on grocery bill. As food prices continue to increase, it’s nice to be able to provide a very inexpensive dinner.
Develop hunting and processing skills. Hunting is a skill. Being able to stalk prey, knowing where to aim, and when to pull the trigger is an acquired skill.
Build confidence. Knowing that you can provide for yourself and family using a weapon is critical. If the first time you enter the woods to hunt, you have a starving family depending on you, that’s a lot of pressure. Knowing that you’ve done it before is a great comfort.
Spend time together. There are many reasons to spend time with your kids. Hunting is a good way to spend time with them doing something that is not only useful, but enjoyable.
Get kids outdoors. Many kids spend too much time playing video games and sucking down sodas and junk foods. Hunting will get them into the great outdoors where they can appreciate creation.
Teach them to quietly navigate terrain. Being able to move through the woods quietly is another skill that may come in handy one day.
Promote gun safety and familiarity. Using a weapon is a skill every child should learn. I don’t want them ignorant about weapons. That is really dangerous! Especially if they are unfamiliar with them and find one at a friend’s house.
Cross-training. If TEOTWAWKI comes, we are all going to be very, very busy trying to stay alive. Having someone else trained to hunt will improve your odds.
Get use meats that may one day be a staple in our diet. If you’ve ever eaten venison or duck, you know that it can have a very gamey taste. There are ways to help mask the taste, but even that takes some practice.
A well rounded education. We homeschool and we take it seriously. Our kids learn math, grammar, science, history, literature, and geography, among other things. But as required as those subjects are, it’s also important to teach them skills such as cooking, gardening, animal husbandry, home repairs, and hunting.
By the way, a few minutes later, my son came back with 2 squirrels in his hand. He’s outside dressing them as I write this. Looks like we’ll have squirrel dumplings for dinner.
http://preppingtosurvive.com/2012/10/15/10-reasons-to-take-your-kids-hunting/
My oldest son was sitting in the family room recliner this morning still in his pajamas. He and I were the only ones awake. When he looked out the window, his morning mental fog cleared immediately. He wanted to harvest a couple of squirrels.
“Ok.”, I said. A few minutes later he was dressed, armed, and out the door. If only I could get him to move that quickly at other times.
The Benefits of Hunting
Obviously this wasn’t his first time hunting. I have taken him squirrel hunting before. We’ve gone into the woods on our property and have sat together quietly until the squirrels made their presence known to us. We’ve turned the arbor-dwelling little creatures into delicious meals. I’ve written before about the Squirrel Extraordinaire: A Delicious Recipe that my family enjoys.
He has also harvested a deer and doves. We have a rule in our house: if you kill it, you eat it. (That even applied to a snake one time. We do, of course, have exceptions to the you-kill-it-you-eat-it rule. If a predator, such as a coyote, is threatening our animals, we may protect our animals by killing the predator without eating it.)
We are not trophy hunters. We are meat hunters. Supplementing our diet with game that we’ve harvested just makes sense.
Teaching your children to hunt is good for many reasons.
Cut down on grocery bill. As food prices continue to increase, it’s nice to be able to provide a very inexpensive dinner.
Develop hunting and processing skills. Hunting is a skill. Being able to stalk prey, knowing where to aim, and when to pull the trigger is an acquired skill.
Build confidence. Knowing that you can provide for yourself and family using a weapon is critical. If the first time you enter the woods to hunt, you have a starving family depending on you, that’s a lot of pressure. Knowing that you’ve done it before is a great comfort.
Spend time together. There are many reasons to spend time with your kids. Hunting is a good way to spend time with them doing something that is not only useful, but enjoyable.
Get kids outdoors. Many kids spend too much time playing video games and sucking down sodas and junk foods. Hunting will get them into the great outdoors where they can appreciate creation.
Teach them to quietly navigate terrain. Being able to move through the woods quietly is another skill that may come in handy one day.
Promote gun safety and familiarity. Using a weapon is a skill every child should learn. I don’t want them ignorant about weapons. That is really dangerous! Especially if they are unfamiliar with them and find one at a friend’s house.
Cross-training. If TEOTWAWKI comes, we are all going to be very, very busy trying to stay alive. Having someone else trained to hunt will improve your odds.
Get use meats that may one day be a staple in our diet. If you’ve ever eaten venison or duck, you know that it can have a very gamey taste. There are ways to help mask the taste, but even that takes some practice.
A well rounded education. We homeschool and we take it seriously. Our kids learn math, grammar, science, history, literature, and geography, among other things. But as required as those subjects are, it’s also important to teach them skills such as cooking, gardening, animal husbandry, home repairs, and hunting.
By the way, a few minutes later, my son came back with 2 squirrels in his hand. He’s outside dressing them as I write this. Looks like we’ll have squirrel dumplings for dinner.
http://preppingtosurvive.com/2012/10/15/10-reasons-to-take-your-kids-hunting/
21 Signs That The Global Economic Crisis Is About To Go To A Whole New Level
The global debt crisis has reached a dangerous new phase. Unfortunately, most Americans are not taking notice of it yet because most of the action is taking place overseas, and because U.S. financial markets are riding high. But just because the global economic crisis is unfolding at the pace of a "slow-motion train wreck" right now does not mean that it isn't incredibly dangerous. As I have written about previously, the economic collapse is not going to be a single event. Yes, there will be days when the Dow drops by more than 500 points. Yes, there will be days when the reporters on CNBC appear to be hyperventilating. But mostly there will be days of quiet despair as the global economic system slides even further toward oblivion. And right now things are clearly getting worse. Things in Greece are much worse than they were six months ago. Things in Spain are much worse than they were six months ago. The same thing could be said for Italy, France, Japan, Argentina and a whole bunch of other nations. The entire global economy is slowing down, and we are entering a time period that is going to be incredibly painful for everyone. At the moment, the U.S. is still experiencing a "sugar high" from unprecedented fiscal and monetary stimulus, but when that "sugar high" wears off the hangover will be excruciating. Reckless borrowing, spending and money printing has bought us a brief period of "economic stability", but our foolish financial decisions will also make our eventual collapse far worse than it might have been. So don't think for a second that the U.S. will somehow escape the coming global economic crisis. The truth is that before this is all over we will be seen as one of the primary causes of the crisis.
The following are 21 signs that the global economic crisis is about to go to a whole new level....
#1 Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer says that the global economy is "awfully close" to recession.
#2 It was announced last week that the unemployment rate in Greece has reached an all-time high of 25.1 percent. Unemployment among those 24 years old or younger is now more than 54 percent. Back in April 2010, the unemployment rate in Greece was only sitting at 11.8 percent.
#3 The IMF is warning that Greek debt may have to be "restructured" yet again.
#4 Swedish Finance Minister Anders Borg says that it is "probable" that Greece will leave the euro, and that it might happen within the next six months.
#5 An angry crowd of approximately 40,000 angry Greeks recently descended on Athens to protest a visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel...
From high-school students to pensioners, tens of thousands of Greek demonstrators swarmed into Athens yesterday to show the visiting German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, their indignation at their country's continued austerity measures.
Flouting the government's ban on protests, an estimated 40,000 people – many carrying posters depicting Ms Merkel as a Nazi – descended on Syntagma Square near the parliament building. Masked youths pelted riot police with rocks as the officers responded with tear gas.
The authorities had deployed 7,000 police, water cannon and a helicopter. Snipers were placed on rooftops to ensure the German leader's safety.
#6 The debt crisis is Argentina is becoming increasingly troublesome.
#7 The government debt to GDP ratio in Italy is expected to hit 126 percent this year. In Greece, it is expected to hit 198 percent. In Japan, it is expected to hit a whopping 237 percent.
#8 Standard & Poor’s has slashed the credit rating on Spanish government debt to BBB-, which is just one level above junk status.
#9 Back in the year 2000, the ratio of total debt to GDP in Spain was 192 percent. By 2011, it had reached 363 percent.
#10 Record amounts of money are being pulled out of Spanish banks, and many large Spanish banks are rapidly heading toward insolvency.
#11 Manufacturing activity in Spain has contracted for 17 months in a row.
#12 It is being projected that home prices in Spain will fall by another 15 percent by the end of 2013.
#13 The unemployment rate in France is now above 10 percent, and it has risen for 16 months in a row.
#14 There are signs that Switzerland may be preparing for "major civil unrest" throughout Europe.
#15 The former top economist at the European Central Bank says that the ECB has fallen into a state of "panic" as it desperately tries to solve the European debt crisis.
#16 According to a recent IMF report, European banks may need to sell off 4.5 trillion dollars in assets over the next 14 months in order to meet strict new capital requirements.
#17 In August, U.S. exports dropped to the lowest level that we have seen since last February.
#18 Economics Professor Barry Eichengreen is very concerned about what is coming next for stocks in the United States...
"I’m worried that stock markets in the United States in particular have gotten ahead of economic growth"
#19 During the week ending October 3rd, investors pulled more than 10 billion dollars out of U.S. mutual funds. Overall, a total of more than 100 billion dollars has been pulled out of U.S. mutual funds so far this year.
#20 As I wrote about the other day, the IMF is warning that there is an "alarmingly high" risk of a deeper global economic slowdown.
#21 When shipping companies start laying off workers, that is one of the best signs that economic activity is slowing down. That is why it was so troubling when it was announced that FedEx is planning to get rid of "several thousand" workers over the coming months. According to AFP, "its business is being hit by the global economic slowdown".
For even more signs that the global economy is rapidly crumbling, please see my previous article entitled "The Largest Economy In The World Is Imploding Right In Front Of Our Eyes".
So is anyone doing well right now?
Yes, it turns out that QE3 is padding the profits of the big banks in the United States and making the wealthy even wealthier just like I warned that it would.
According to the Washington Post, QE3 is helping the big banks much more than it is helping consumers. Is this what the Fed intended all along?...
JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo, the nation’s largest mortgage lenders, said Friday they won’t make home loans much cheaper for consumers, even as they reported booming profits from that business.
Those bottom lines have been padded by federal initiatives to stimulate the economy. The Federal Reserve is spending $40 billion a month to reduce mortgage rates to encourage Americans to buy homes. Instead, its policies may be generating more benefits for banks than borrowers.
So exactly how much has QE3 helped out the big banks? Just check out these numbers...
Revenue from mortgages was up 57 percent in the third quarter compared with the same period last year at JPMorgan and more than 50 percent up at Wells Fargo.
But should we expect anything else from the Federal Reserve?
The American people are trusting the Fed to protect our economy, and yet they cannot even protect their own shipments of money. In fact, the Fed recently lost a large shipment of new $100 bills.
Or perhaps could letting people steal money from their own trucks be another way that the Fed is trying to "stimulate the economy"?
Stranger things have happened.
In any event, the truth is that the U.S. economy and the U.S. financial system are unsustainable from any angle that you want to look at things.
We are drowning in government debt, we are drowning in consumer debt, Wall Street has been transformed into a high risk casino where our largest financial institutions are putting it all on the line on a daily basis, we are consuming far more than we are producing, there are more than 100 million Americans on welfare and we are stealing more than 100 million dollars an hour from future generations to pay for it all.
Anyone that believes that we are in "good shape" does not know the first thing about economics.
Sadly, the U.S. is not alone. Nations all over the globe are experiencing similar problems.
The global economic crisis is just beginning and it is going to get much, much worse.
I hope that you ready.
The following are 21 signs that the global economic crisis is about to go to a whole new level....
#1 Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer says that the global economy is "awfully close" to recession.
#2 It was announced last week that the unemployment rate in Greece has reached an all-time high of 25.1 percent. Unemployment among those 24 years old or younger is now more than 54 percent. Back in April 2010, the unemployment rate in Greece was only sitting at 11.8 percent.
#3 The IMF is warning that Greek debt may have to be "restructured" yet again.
#4 Swedish Finance Minister Anders Borg says that it is "probable" that Greece will leave the euro, and that it might happen within the next six months.
#5 An angry crowd of approximately 40,000 angry Greeks recently descended on Athens to protest a visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel...
From high-school students to pensioners, tens of thousands of Greek demonstrators swarmed into Athens yesterday to show the visiting German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, their indignation at their country's continued austerity measures.
Flouting the government's ban on protests, an estimated 40,000 people – many carrying posters depicting Ms Merkel as a Nazi – descended on Syntagma Square near the parliament building. Masked youths pelted riot police with rocks as the officers responded with tear gas.
The authorities had deployed 7,000 police, water cannon and a helicopter. Snipers were placed on rooftops to ensure the German leader's safety.
#6 The debt crisis is Argentina is becoming increasingly troublesome.
#7 The government debt to GDP ratio in Italy is expected to hit 126 percent this year. In Greece, it is expected to hit 198 percent. In Japan, it is expected to hit a whopping 237 percent.
#8 Standard & Poor’s has slashed the credit rating on Spanish government debt to BBB-, which is just one level above junk status.
#9 Back in the year 2000, the ratio of total debt to GDP in Spain was 192 percent. By 2011, it had reached 363 percent.
#10 Record amounts of money are being pulled out of Spanish banks, and many large Spanish banks are rapidly heading toward insolvency.
#11 Manufacturing activity in Spain has contracted for 17 months in a row.
#12 It is being projected that home prices in Spain will fall by another 15 percent by the end of 2013.
#13 The unemployment rate in France is now above 10 percent, and it has risen for 16 months in a row.
#14 There are signs that Switzerland may be preparing for "major civil unrest" throughout Europe.
#15 The former top economist at the European Central Bank says that the ECB has fallen into a state of "panic" as it desperately tries to solve the European debt crisis.
#16 According to a recent IMF report, European banks may need to sell off 4.5 trillion dollars in assets over the next 14 months in order to meet strict new capital requirements.
#17 In August, U.S. exports dropped to the lowest level that we have seen since last February.
#18 Economics Professor Barry Eichengreen is very concerned about what is coming next for stocks in the United States...
"I’m worried that stock markets in the United States in particular have gotten ahead of economic growth"
#19 During the week ending October 3rd, investors pulled more than 10 billion dollars out of U.S. mutual funds. Overall, a total of more than 100 billion dollars has been pulled out of U.S. mutual funds so far this year.
#20 As I wrote about the other day, the IMF is warning that there is an "alarmingly high" risk of a deeper global economic slowdown.
#21 When shipping companies start laying off workers, that is one of the best signs that economic activity is slowing down. That is why it was so troubling when it was announced that FedEx is planning to get rid of "several thousand" workers over the coming months. According to AFP, "its business is being hit by the global economic slowdown".
For even more signs that the global economy is rapidly crumbling, please see my previous article entitled "The Largest Economy In The World Is Imploding Right In Front Of Our Eyes".
So is anyone doing well right now?
Yes, it turns out that QE3 is padding the profits of the big banks in the United States and making the wealthy even wealthier just like I warned that it would.
According to the Washington Post, QE3 is helping the big banks much more than it is helping consumers. Is this what the Fed intended all along?...
JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo, the nation’s largest mortgage lenders, said Friday they won’t make home loans much cheaper for consumers, even as they reported booming profits from that business.
Those bottom lines have been padded by federal initiatives to stimulate the economy. The Federal Reserve is spending $40 billion a month to reduce mortgage rates to encourage Americans to buy homes. Instead, its policies may be generating more benefits for banks than borrowers.
So exactly how much has QE3 helped out the big banks? Just check out these numbers...
Revenue from mortgages was up 57 percent in the third quarter compared with the same period last year at JPMorgan and more than 50 percent up at Wells Fargo.
But should we expect anything else from the Federal Reserve?
The American people are trusting the Fed to protect our economy, and yet they cannot even protect their own shipments of money. In fact, the Fed recently lost a large shipment of new $100 bills.
Or perhaps could letting people steal money from their own trucks be another way that the Fed is trying to "stimulate the economy"?
Stranger things have happened.
In any event, the truth is that the U.S. economy and the U.S. financial system are unsustainable from any angle that you want to look at things.
We are drowning in government debt, we are drowning in consumer debt, Wall Street has been transformed into a high risk casino where our largest financial institutions are putting it all on the line on a daily basis, we are consuming far more than we are producing, there are more than 100 million Americans on welfare and we are stealing more than 100 million dollars an hour from future generations to pay for it all.
Anyone that believes that we are in "good shape" does not know the first thing about economics.
Sadly, the U.S. is not alone. Nations all over the globe are experiencing similar problems.
The global economic crisis is just beginning and it is going to get much, much worse.
I hope that you ready.
With each passing year, the difference between America's prisons and America's public schools becomes smaller and smaller. As you read the rest of this article, you will be absolutely amazed at some of the crazy things that school children in America are being arrested for. When I was growing up, I don't remember a single police officer ever coming to my school. Discipline was always handled by the teachers and by the principals. But today, there are schools all over the country that have police officers permanently stationed in the halls. Many other schools will call out police officers at the drop of a hat. In the classrooms of America today, if you burp in class, if you spray yourself with perfume or if you doodle on your desk, there is a chance that you will be arrested by the police and hauled out of your school in handcuffs. Unfortunately, we live in a country where paranoia has become standard operating procedure. The American people have become convinced that the only way that we can all be "safe" is for this country to be run like a militarized totalitarian police state. So our public schools are run like prisons and our public school students are treated like prisoners. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world by far, and our schools are preparing the next generation to either "do time" in the prison system or to live as good little slaves in the Big Brother prison grid that is being constructed all around us. But what our schools are not doing is giving these children the critical thinking skills that they need to live as free citizens in a nation that used to be "the land of the free and the home of the brave".
Of course very few people would deny that the character of American schoolchildren has changed dramatically over the decades. Back in the 1950s, some of the biggest school discipline problems were gum chewing and hair pulling. Today, kids bring knives, guns and drugs with them to school. Gang activity is rampant in many of our schools and in some schools kids are even having sex in the school bathrooms.
So there is definitely a discipline problem in our schools.
But what is going on in many areas of the country is absolutely ridiculous. For example, in 2010 alone police down in Texas issued an astounding 300,000 tickets to school children.
Yes, if a kid pulls a knife on someone the police should get involved, but teachers and administrators should be able to use some common sense and handle the vast majority of discipline problems that happen themselves.
What you are about to read is absolutely going to amaze you. The following are 19 really crazy things that school children are being arrested for in America....
#1 At one public school down in Texas, a 12-year-old girl named Sarah Bustamantes was recently arrested for spraying herself with perfume.
#2 A 13-year-old student at a school in Albuquerque, New Mexico was recently arrested by police for burping in class.
#3 Another student down in Albuquerque was forced to strip down to his underwear while five adults watched because he had $200 in his pocket. The student was never formally charged with doing anything wrong.
#4 A security guard at one school in California broke the arm of a 16-year-old girl because she left some crumbs on the floor after cleaning up some cake that she had spilled.
#5 One teenage couple down in Houston poured milk on each other during a squabble while they were breaking up. Instead of being sent to see the principal, they were arrested and sent to court.
#6 In early 2010, a 12-year-old girl at a school in Forest Hills, New York was arrested by police and marched out of her school in handcuffs just because she doodled on her desk. "I love my friends Abby and Faith" was what she reportedly scribbled on her desk.
#7 A 6-year-old girl down in Florida was handcuffed and sent to a mental facility after throwing temper tantrums at her elementary school.
#8 One student down in Texas was reportedly arrested by police for throwing paper airplanes in class.
#9 A 17-year-old honor student in North Carolina named Ashley Smithwick accidentally took her father's lunch with her to school. It contained a small paring knife which he would use to slice up apples. So what happened to this standout student when the school discovered this? The school suspended her for the rest of the year and the police charged her with a misdemeanor.
#10 In Allentown, Pennsylvania a 14-year-old girl was tasered in the groin area by a school security officer even though she had put up her hands in the air to surrender.
#11 Down in Florida, an 11-year-old student was arrested, thrown in jail and charged with a third-degree felony for bringing a plastic butter knife to school.
#12 Back in 2009, an 8-year-old boy in Massachusetts was sent home from school and was forced to undergo a psychological evaluation because he drew a picture of Jesus on the cross.
#13 A police officer in San Mateo, California blasted a 7-year-old special education student in the face with pepper spray because he would not quit climbing on the furniture.
#14 In America today, even 5-year-old children are treated brutally by police. The following is from a recent article that described what happened to one very young student in Stockton, California a while back....
Earlier this year, a Stockton student was handcuffed with zip ties on his hands and feet, forced to go to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation and was charged with battery on a police officer. That student was 5 years old.
#15 At one school in Connecticut, a 17-year-old boy was thrown to the floor and tasered five times because he was yelling at a cafeteria worker.
#16 A teenager in suburban Dallas was forced to take on a part-time job after being ticketed for using foul language in one high school classroom. The original ticket was for $340, but additional fees have raised the total bill to $637.
#17 A few months ago, police were called out when a little girl kissed a little boy during a physical education class at an elementary school down in Florida.
#18 A 6-year-old boy was recently charged with sexual battery for some "inappropriate touching" during a game of tag at one elementary school in the San Francisco area.
#19 In Massachusetts, police were recently sent out to collect an overdue library book from a 5-year-old girl.
Unfortunately, what is going on in our schools is a reflection of the broader society as a whole. Our schools are being turned into prisons because our entire society is being turned into a giant prison.
Our nation is rapidly heading down the toilet, and the children of this nation do not have a bright future to look forward to.
If the police really want to find some criminals, they should start investigating some of the sickos that are in charge of some of these classrooms.
It seems like almost every day now there is a news story about some public school teacher that is involved in some kind of really perverted stuff.
For example, just check out what police down in Los Angeles recently found that one teacher was hiding....
A former Los Angeles elementary school teacher has been arrested for felony molestation of nearly two dozen students, accused of gagging children and putting live cockroaches on some of their faces. Deputies say the crimes were committed on campus.
Sickos who do that kind of stuff to kids should be punished very severely.
America's schools are changing, and not for the better.
Personally, I went to public schools all my life, but I would not recommend that anyone send their kids to public schools today. There is just way too much crazy stuff that goes on.
And our kids are learning less than ever in these public schools. As I have written about previously, many of them are coming out of the system as dumb as a rock. Instead of teaching our kids how to think critically and examine all sides of an issue, these schools are indoctrinating our kids and pushing particular social and political agendas on them.
There are a few public schools out there that are still good, but the vast majority of them are horrible. They are not producing the leaders of tomorrow and they are not preparing the next generation with the tools that they need to survive in a complex world.
So is there much hope that our schools can be turned around? Feel free to leave a comment with your opinion below....
Of course very few people would deny that the character of American schoolchildren has changed dramatically over the decades. Back in the 1950s, some of the biggest school discipline problems were gum chewing and hair pulling. Today, kids bring knives, guns and drugs with them to school. Gang activity is rampant in many of our schools and in some schools kids are even having sex in the school bathrooms.
So there is definitely a discipline problem in our schools.
But what is going on in many areas of the country is absolutely ridiculous. For example, in 2010 alone police down in Texas issued an astounding 300,000 tickets to school children.
Yes, if a kid pulls a knife on someone the police should get involved, but teachers and administrators should be able to use some common sense and handle the vast majority of discipline problems that happen themselves.
What you are about to read is absolutely going to amaze you. The following are 19 really crazy things that school children are being arrested for in America....
#1 At one public school down in Texas, a 12-year-old girl named Sarah Bustamantes was recently arrested for spraying herself with perfume.
#2 A 13-year-old student at a school in Albuquerque, New Mexico was recently arrested by police for burping in class.
#3 Another student down in Albuquerque was forced to strip down to his underwear while five adults watched because he had $200 in his pocket. The student was never formally charged with doing anything wrong.
#4 A security guard at one school in California broke the arm of a 16-year-old girl because she left some crumbs on the floor after cleaning up some cake that she had spilled.
#5 One teenage couple down in Houston poured milk on each other during a squabble while they were breaking up. Instead of being sent to see the principal, they were arrested and sent to court.
#6 In early 2010, a 12-year-old girl at a school in Forest Hills, New York was arrested by police and marched out of her school in handcuffs just because she doodled on her desk. "I love my friends Abby and Faith" was what she reportedly scribbled on her desk.
#7 A 6-year-old girl down in Florida was handcuffed and sent to a mental facility after throwing temper tantrums at her elementary school.
#8 One student down in Texas was reportedly arrested by police for throwing paper airplanes in class.
#9 A 17-year-old honor student in North Carolina named Ashley Smithwick accidentally took her father's lunch with her to school. It contained a small paring knife which he would use to slice up apples. So what happened to this standout student when the school discovered this? The school suspended her for the rest of the year and the police charged her with a misdemeanor.
#10 In Allentown, Pennsylvania a 14-year-old girl was tasered in the groin area by a school security officer even though she had put up her hands in the air to surrender.
#11 Down in Florida, an 11-year-old student was arrested, thrown in jail and charged with a third-degree felony for bringing a plastic butter knife to school.
#12 Back in 2009, an 8-year-old boy in Massachusetts was sent home from school and was forced to undergo a psychological evaluation because he drew a picture of Jesus on the cross.
#13 A police officer in San Mateo, California blasted a 7-year-old special education student in the face with pepper spray because he would not quit climbing on the furniture.
#14 In America today, even 5-year-old children are treated brutally by police. The following is from a recent article that described what happened to one very young student in Stockton, California a while back....
Earlier this year, a Stockton student was handcuffed with zip ties on his hands and feet, forced to go to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation and was charged with battery on a police officer. That student was 5 years old.
#15 At one school in Connecticut, a 17-year-old boy was thrown to the floor and tasered five times because he was yelling at a cafeteria worker.
#16 A teenager in suburban Dallas was forced to take on a part-time job after being ticketed for using foul language in one high school classroom. The original ticket was for $340, but additional fees have raised the total bill to $637.
#17 A few months ago, police were called out when a little girl kissed a little boy during a physical education class at an elementary school down in Florida.
#18 A 6-year-old boy was recently charged with sexual battery for some "inappropriate touching" during a game of tag at one elementary school in the San Francisco area.
#19 In Massachusetts, police were recently sent out to collect an overdue library book from a 5-year-old girl.
Unfortunately, what is going on in our schools is a reflection of the broader society as a whole. Our schools are being turned into prisons because our entire society is being turned into a giant prison.
Our nation is rapidly heading down the toilet, and the children of this nation do not have a bright future to look forward to.
If the police really want to find some criminals, they should start investigating some of the sickos that are in charge of some of these classrooms.
It seems like almost every day now there is a news story about some public school teacher that is involved in some kind of really perverted stuff.
For example, just check out what police down in Los Angeles recently found that one teacher was hiding....
A former Los Angeles elementary school teacher has been arrested for felony molestation of nearly two dozen students, accused of gagging children and putting live cockroaches on some of their faces. Deputies say the crimes were committed on campus.
Sickos who do that kind of stuff to kids should be punished very severely.
America's schools are changing, and not for the better.
Personally, I went to public schools all my life, but I would not recommend that anyone send their kids to public schools today. There is just way too much crazy stuff that goes on.
And our kids are learning less than ever in these public schools. As I have written about previously, many of them are coming out of the system as dumb as a rock. Instead of teaching our kids how to think critically and examine all sides of an issue, these schools are indoctrinating our kids and pushing particular social and political agendas on them.
There are a few public schools out there that are still good, but the vast majority of them are horrible. They are not producing the leaders of tomorrow and they are not preparing the next generation with the tools that they need to survive in a complex world.
So is there much hope that our schools can be turned around? Feel free to leave a comment with your opinion below....
16 October 2012
Soup Kitchen Head Slams Paul Ryan for Staged Photo Op
The head of a soup kitchen in Ohio has accused Republican vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan and campaign staffers of ramrodding their way into the soup kitchen so that Ryan could get his picture taken washing dishes in the dining hall. According to news accounts, Ryan arrived at the soup kitchen after the food had been served, the patrons had left, and the hall had been cleaned. Photos show Ryan washing dishes that had reportedly already been cleaned. Brian Antal, president of the Mahoning County St. Vincent De Paul Society, criticized the Ryan team for using the soup kitchen for a staged photo op. Antal said: "They showed up there, and they did not have permission. They got one of the volunteers to open up the doors. The photo op they did wasn’t even accurate. He did nothing. He just came in here to get his picture taken at the dining hall."
13 October 2012
Almond Milk Benefits
Almond milk has several benefits which render it a perfect substitute for regular milk.
Almond milk is an extract of protein-rich almonds, and has proven to be extremely beneficial for those who lactose intolerant. It was extensively used as a popular beverage in Medieval Europe and the Middle East. Nutritional benefits of almonds include lowering blood sugar levels and treating constipation, and these benefits can even be obtained by drinking it. Given below are all the benefits of consuming almond milk regularly.
Benefits of Almond Milk
• Lactose-free Lactose is the sugar found in cow's milk. Many people are lactose intolerant, and consumption of milk causes abdominal discomfort, bloating, and diarrhea in such individuals. As almond milk is extracted from almonds, a nut, hence it is plant derived and does not contain lactose. Therefore, it can be easily substituted everywhere where one might use cow's milk.
• Full of Essential Nutrients Almonds are rich in proteins and full of vitamin E, magnesium, selenium, manganese, zinc, potassium, fiber, iron, phosphorus, and calcium. Since it is full of healthy flavonoids, it helps lower LDL cholesterol and protect the heart. High levels of vitamin E ensure powerful antioxidants in the body. Antioxidants inhibit the growth of free radicals that are known to cause cancer. Almond milk contains many vital nutrients, hence unlike other milk, it doesn't need to be fortified with vitamins and minerals.
• Low in Calories Fewer calories, no cholesterol and saturated fats makes this beverage very healthy and good for those trying to lose weight. Power packed with nutrients, its health benefits will keep you fit and fine.
• Healthy Choice for Diabetics Carbohydrates consumed through various foods are broken down into sugars, thereby increasing sugar content in the body. This is not desirable in diabetic individuals. Almond milk is a better alternative to cow's milk for individuals with diabetes because it has lesser amount of carbohydrates and calories. The body is able to completely digest the sugars and derive energy for better functioning due to its low glycemic nature.
• Beneficial for Eyes and Skin Including pure almond milk in the diet ensures healthy skin and eyes. It contains Vitamin E and Vitamin A in moderate quantities which are necessary for maintaining a healthy skin and keeping the eyes in a good condition so that they can easily adjust to differences in light in the surroundings.
• Homemade and Pure As one can easily extract almond milk at home without much effort, and also store it without using preservatives and additives, it would be right to say that consuming it is extremely healthy! It has already been proved that to increase milk production, cows are being injected with antibiotics and growth hormones, leading to allergic reactions and toxic side effects, some as bad as certain types of cancers. To avoid these dangers, it is better to switch to homemade almond milk which is pure and nutritious.
However, a word of caution - almond milk cannot be substituted for breast milk. Although the health benefits of almonds are many, they do not have the necessary adequate nourishment required for infant growth. For lactose intolerant babies, it's best to consult a doctor on what would be best for the child. Nuts like almonds also include goitrogens; this substance is known to suppress thyroid gland functioning by interfering with iodine uptake. The use of bitter almonds has also been cautioned against, as bitter almonds when blended with water, release cyanide; a poisonous chemical.
Almond Milk Recipe
Raw almonds - 1½ cups Filtered water - 4 cups Soak almonds in water for minimum six to eight hours. Drain the water, and blend the almonds with 4 cups of water, until it reaches a milk-like consistency. Strain it to remove almond skin and granules. One can store it in an air-tight jar in the refrigerator for four to five days. If you want it to taste sweet, then blend in a few soaked dates as well.
Buy good quality almonds to not only extract milk, but also to enjoy its many health benefits. And if you don't want to have it bland, add in some chocolate or vanilla flavor to create an instant yummy healthy drink!
By Loveleena Rajeev
Last Updated: 3/12/2012
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/almond-milk-benefits.html
Almond milk is an extract of protein-rich almonds, and has proven to be extremely beneficial for those who lactose intolerant. It was extensively used as a popular beverage in Medieval Europe and the Middle East. Nutritional benefits of almonds include lowering blood sugar levels and treating constipation, and these benefits can even be obtained by drinking it. Given below are all the benefits of consuming almond milk regularly.
Benefits of Almond Milk
• Lactose-free Lactose is the sugar found in cow's milk. Many people are lactose intolerant, and consumption of milk causes abdominal discomfort, bloating, and diarrhea in such individuals. As almond milk is extracted from almonds, a nut, hence it is plant derived and does not contain lactose. Therefore, it can be easily substituted everywhere where one might use cow's milk.
• Full of Essential Nutrients Almonds are rich in proteins and full of vitamin E, magnesium, selenium, manganese, zinc, potassium, fiber, iron, phosphorus, and calcium. Since it is full of healthy flavonoids, it helps lower LDL cholesterol and protect the heart. High levels of vitamin E ensure powerful antioxidants in the body. Antioxidants inhibit the growth of free radicals that are known to cause cancer. Almond milk contains many vital nutrients, hence unlike other milk, it doesn't need to be fortified with vitamins and minerals.
• Low in Calories Fewer calories, no cholesterol and saturated fats makes this beverage very healthy and good for those trying to lose weight. Power packed with nutrients, its health benefits will keep you fit and fine.
• Healthy Choice for Diabetics Carbohydrates consumed through various foods are broken down into sugars, thereby increasing sugar content in the body. This is not desirable in diabetic individuals. Almond milk is a better alternative to cow's milk for individuals with diabetes because it has lesser amount of carbohydrates and calories. The body is able to completely digest the sugars and derive energy for better functioning due to its low glycemic nature.
• Beneficial for Eyes and Skin Including pure almond milk in the diet ensures healthy skin and eyes. It contains Vitamin E and Vitamin A in moderate quantities which are necessary for maintaining a healthy skin and keeping the eyes in a good condition so that they can easily adjust to differences in light in the surroundings.
• Homemade and Pure As one can easily extract almond milk at home without much effort, and also store it without using preservatives and additives, it would be right to say that consuming it is extremely healthy! It has already been proved that to increase milk production, cows are being injected with antibiotics and growth hormones, leading to allergic reactions and toxic side effects, some as bad as certain types of cancers. To avoid these dangers, it is better to switch to homemade almond milk which is pure and nutritious.
However, a word of caution - almond milk cannot be substituted for breast milk. Although the health benefits of almonds are many, they do not have the necessary adequate nourishment required for infant growth. For lactose intolerant babies, it's best to consult a doctor on what would be best for the child. Nuts like almonds also include goitrogens; this substance is known to suppress thyroid gland functioning by interfering with iodine uptake. The use of bitter almonds has also been cautioned against, as bitter almonds when blended with water, release cyanide; a poisonous chemical.
Almond Milk Recipe
Raw almonds - 1½ cups Filtered water - 4 cups Soak almonds in water for minimum six to eight hours. Drain the water, and blend the almonds with 4 cups of water, until it reaches a milk-like consistency. Strain it to remove almond skin and granules. One can store it in an air-tight jar in the refrigerator for four to five days. If you want it to taste sweet, then blend in a few soaked dates as well.
Buy good quality almonds to not only extract milk, but also to enjoy its many health benefits. And if you don't want to have it bland, add in some chocolate or vanilla flavor to create an instant yummy healthy drink!
By Loveleena Rajeev
Last Updated: 3/12/2012
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/almond-milk-benefits.html
Expiration Dates on Drugs are a Myth
Being ever suspicious of big pharma, I have always doubted those one year expiration dates on prescription drugs and also the limited expiration period on over the counter drugs. For heaven’s sake, anyone in the military or emergency responder business knows that outdated drugs exist and are used on an everyday basis.
Along these lines, yesterday I received an email from my friend Joe Alton aka Dr. Bones of www.doomandbloom.net. He has just written a new article citing new evidence on the bogus nature of expiration dates on drugs. Given the implications for every prepper who is storing medical supplies, I am sharing Joe’s article below.
New Evidence on Expiration Dates
Over the years, I have expressed my opinions on the bogus nature of the expiration dates stamped on medications in pill or capsule form. I have cited the findings of the Shelf Life Extension Program, a program meant to investigate the possible usefulness of the millions of doses of various expired medications stockpiled by FEMA for use in peacetime disasters.
In my original article, “The Truth About Expiration Dates” 2 years ago, I indicated these findings were no longer available to the public. Now, a breakthrough scientific article has been published in the respected journal “The Archives of Internal Medicine”. Below is the article in its entirety, with important sections in bold type:
October 8, 2012 — An analysis of 8 medications indicates that most of the active ingredients they contain were present in adequate amounts decades after the drugs’ expiration dates, according to results from a study published online October 8 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Lee Cantrell, PharmD, from the California Poison Control System, San Diego Division, University of California San Francisco School of Pharmacy, and colleagues used liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry to measure the amounts of the active ingredients in the medications. The medicines, which had expired 28 to 40 years ago, were found in a retail pharmacy in their original, unopened packaging.
To meet US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards, an active ingredient must be present in 90% to 110% of the amount indicated on the label. Drug expiration dates are set for 12 to 60 months after production, even though many compounds can persist far longer.
In the new analysis, 12 of the 14 active ingredients persisted in concentrations that were 90% or greater of the amount indicated on the label. These 12 compounds retained their full potency for 336 months (Dr. Bones 28 years) or longer. Eight of them retained potency for at least 480 months (dr. bones: 40 years). Dr. Cantrell’s team was unable to find a standard for homatropine, 1 of the 15 ingredients.
Only aspirin and amphetamine fell below the 90% cutoff. Phenacetin was present at greater than the cutoff in Fiorinal (butalbital, aspirin, caffeine, and codeine phosphate, but was considerably less in Codempiral No. 3. The authors attribute the deficit in Codempiral to conditions that led to preferential degradation of phenacetin because of its amide group, compared with codeine, which is also in Codempiral but is more chemically stable.
Three compounds persisted in greater than 110% of the labeled contents: methaqualone (in Somnafac), meprobamate (in Bamadex), and pentobarbital (in Nebralin). These relatively high amounts may reflect degradation of other components of the compounded drug, the fact that the samples were produced before FDA-instituted quality control measures in 1963, or inconsistencies of the analytical techniques between when the drugs were compounded and now. The new findings are consistent with the efforts of the Shelf-Life Extension Program, which has extended the expiration dates on 88% of 122 drugs tested so far. Extensions range from 66 to 278 months.
“Our results support the effectiveness of broadly extending expiration dates for many drugs,” the researchers conclude. They also point out that extending shelf life can significantly lower costs to consumers.
Limitations of the analysis, the investigators write, include an inability to confirm the storage conditions of the drug samples, as well as imprecise dating of the samples. The authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
For the preparedness community, this information is very important, as it lends credence to what I have been telling you all along: Get your medical supplies together, and don’t throw out drugs in pill or capsule form just because they have passed their expiration dates.
We are anxiously awaiting lists of the 122 drugs that the Shelf Life Extension Program has tested, but you can expect them to be medications that will be useful in the aftermath of a catastrophe.
Along these lines, yesterday I received an email from my friend Joe Alton aka Dr. Bones of www.doomandbloom.net. He has just written a new article citing new evidence on the bogus nature of expiration dates on drugs. Given the implications for every prepper who is storing medical supplies, I am sharing Joe’s article below.
New Evidence on Expiration Dates
Over the years, I have expressed my opinions on the bogus nature of the expiration dates stamped on medications in pill or capsule form. I have cited the findings of the Shelf Life Extension Program, a program meant to investigate the possible usefulness of the millions of doses of various expired medications stockpiled by FEMA for use in peacetime disasters.
In my original article, “The Truth About Expiration Dates” 2 years ago, I indicated these findings were no longer available to the public. Now, a breakthrough scientific article has been published in the respected journal “The Archives of Internal Medicine”. Below is the article in its entirety, with important sections in bold type:
October 8, 2012 — An analysis of 8 medications indicates that most of the active ingredients they contain were present in adequate amounts decades after the drugs’ expiration dates, according to results from a study published online October 8 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Lee Cantrell, PharmD, from the California Poison Control System, San Diego Division, University of California San Francisco School of Pharmacy, and colleagues used liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry to measure the amounts of the active ingredients in the medications. The medicines, which had expired 28 to 40 years ago, were found in a retail pharmacy in their original, unopened packaging.
To meet US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards, an active ingredient must be present in 90% to 110% of the amount indicated on the label. Drug expiration dates are set for 12 to 60 months after production, even though many compounds can persist far longer.
In the new analysis, 12 of the 14 active ingredients persisted in concentrations that were 90% or greater of the amount indicated on the label. These 12 compounds retained their full potency for 336 months (Dr. Bones 28 years) or longer. Eight of them retained potency for at least 480 months (dr. bones: 40 years). Dr. Cantrell’s team was unable to find a standard for homatropine, 1 of the 15 ingredients.
Only aspirin and amphetamine fell below the 90% cutoff. Phenacetin was present at greater than the cutoff in Fiorinal (butalbital, aspirin, caffeine, and codeine phosphate, but was considerably less in Codempiral No. 3. The authors attribute the deficit in Codempiral to conditions that led to preferential degradation of phenacetin because of its amide group, compared with codeine, which is also in Codempiral but is more chemically stable.
Three compounds persisted in greater than 110% of the labeled contents: methaqualone (in Somnafac), meprobamate (in Bamadex), and pentobarbital (in Nebralin). These relatively high amounts may reflect degradation of other components of the compounded drug, the fact that the samples were produced before FDA-instituted quality control measures in 1963, or inconsistencies of the analytical techniques between when the drugs were compounded and now. The new findings are consistent with the efforts of the Shelf-Life Extension Program, which has extended the expiration dates on 88% of 122 drugs tested so far. Extensions range from 66 to 278 months.
“Our results support the effectiveness of broadly extending expiration dates for many drugs,” the researchers conclude. They also point out that extending shelf life can significantly lower costs to consumers.
Limitations of the analysis, the investigators write, include an inability to confirm the storage conditions of the drug samples, as well as imprecise dating of the samples. The authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
For the preparedness community, this information is very important, as it lends credence to what I have been telling you all along: Get your medical supplies together, and don’t throw out drugs in pill or capsule form just because they have passed their expiration dates.
We are anxiously awaiting lists of the 122 drugs that the Shelf Life Extension Program has tested, but you can expect them to be medications that will be useful in the aftermath of a catastrophe.
Eight Survival Lessons Learned from the Brushfire Plague
Based upon the number of review requests I receive, the genre of “survival fiction” is hot. More than hot, actually. It is exploding with new authors putting survival stories to paper on a regular basis. As someone who lives and breaths prepping and survival, when I take a few moments out of my day to relax, reading a terrifying tale of survival during a SHTF situation is the last thing I want to do. I would much rather take to the trails, hiking with my dog or hitting the dance floor with the Survival Husband.
Every once in a while, however, a survival novel crosses my path that is not only a relaxing and entertaining read, but also a though provoking primer on dealing with the unexpected consequences of the breakdown and collapse of society. The book Brushfire Plague, by R. P Ruggiero is such a book and I do not say this lightly. From the first few pages through the end, I was challenged by the issues faced by a community under the siege of chaos and sickness and was provided with a platform for formulating my own plan should I be put in a similar situation.
And the Winner Is . . .
But I am getting ahead of myself. As promised, I am giving away a copy of the Brushfire Plague and am happy to announce that the winner, chosen at random from comments to my Brushfire Plague Giveaway is Rusty who was chosen at random using the number generator at www.random.org.
Thanks to all of you for entering the contest and sharing the reason you prepare with the rest of my readers.
Lessons Learned from Brushfire Plague
Today I am pleased to share with you the lessons I have learned from reading this outstanding novel. And although I finished the book almost two weeks ago, I am still thinking about those lessons and incorporating them in to my personal preparedness program.
1. Skills and stuff are equally important.
What do I mean by that? Simply that you can have a years’ worth of freeze dried food, six ways to purify water and a well-stocked first aid kit but if you don’t have the skills to defend yourself, the knowledge to find food in the wild, and the ability to tend to serious wounds, all of the “stuff” you own will be of little use to you.
2. Community organization with like minded people can and will save lives.
Unless you live in isolation, the bad guys are going to come around and it may be difficult if not impossible to defend yourself on your own. Not only is there strength in numbers, but members of an organized team will most certainly have a wider variety of skills at their disposal.
3. Mental discipline and a level head under pressure will prevail when tough decisions need to be made.
When roaming groups of people show up on your street, they may be tired, hungry and in need of shelter. What do you do? Who gets to stay? How do you decide? This is just one example of the tough decisions you may have to make in a collapse situation.
4. Do not underestimate the need to defend yourself in ways you can not fathom in advance.
Without being too much of a spoiler, Brushfire Plague presented methods of community defense I had not considered before. (Hint: using old vehicles to set up a physical blockade – now why didn’t I think of that?)
5. There will be casualties. Be prepared mentally and physically to deal with the seriously wounded and the deceased.
You may feel prepared with a well-stocked first aid kit, antibiotics and even a suture kit. But do you know how to use them? How do you determine dosages especially when the drugs on hand may be in short supply? Who gets them and who does not?
And equally important, if people die (and they likely will), what will you do with the the bodies? Bury them (hope you have a strong back and a good shovel)? Burn them? The ramifications may be horrific but if you are one of the survivors, you will have to have the mental capacity to deal with this.
6. Grieving is important as is the need to spend personal time alone to rest and recharge.
No one can do it all 24 hours a day for days on end. Take time to grieve your losses and also time to rest and recharge your mental and physical batteries.
7. Perceived “good guys” may be bad and perceived “bad guys” may actually be good.
No surprise here. Just be prepared to evaluate, interview and act based upon as much knowledge and gut instinct you can muster. Trust no one until that trust in earned.
8. Feelings and compassion count as does the love and support of friends and family.
This is an important theme both in the book and in my own life. Without these qualities, the will to go on may be compromised. Again, I do not want to spoil the book for you, but much as in Cormac McCormack’s “The Road”, the love between a father and his son is an important part of Brushfire Plague.
The Final Word
In my opinion, survival fiction should not be so terrifying that you end up filled with fear and apprehension. Instead, you should first of all, enjoy the book and second, come away with a sense of renewed motivation to continue to expand upon your survival skill set. Also, the very best of the genre will present situations that could really happen in either the short term or long term and not be so “out there” in fantasy, that there is no useful takeaway.
That is my two cents, anyway. Next on my list? BOCA CHITA: Prepare. Escape. Surviveby Lance Long. I have not started it yet but it looks like it will be another good one.
http://www.backdoorsurvival.com/index.php/2012/10/11/brushfire-plague-review/
Every once in a while, however, a survival novel crosses my path that is not only a relaxing and entertaining read, but also a though provoking primer on dealing with the unexpected consequences of the breakdown and collapse of society. The book Brushfire Plague, by R. P Ruggiero is such a book and I do not say this lightly. From the first few pages through the end, I was challenged by the issues faced by a community under the siege of chaos and sickness and was provided with a platform for formulating my own plan should I be put in a similar situation.
And the Winner Is . . .
But I am getting ahead of myself. As promised, I am giving away a copy of the Brushfire Plague and am happy to announce that the winner, chosen at random from comments to my Brushfire Plague Giveaway is Rusty who was chosen at random using the number generator at www.random.org.
Thanks to all of you for entering the contest and sharing the reason you prepare with the rest of my readers.
Lessons Learned from Brushfire Plague
Today I am pleased to share with you the lessons I have learned from reading this outstanding novel. And although I finished the book almost two weeks ago, I am still thinking about those lessons and incorporating them in to my personal preparedness program.
1. Skills and stuff are equally important.
What do I mean by that? Simply that you can have a years’ worth of freeze dried food, six ways to purify water and a well-stocked first aid kit but if you don’t have the skills to defend yourself, the knowledge to find food in the wild, and the ability to tend to serious wounds, all of the “stuff” you own will be of little use to you.
2. Community organization with like minded people can and will save lives.
Unless you live in isolation, the bad guys are going to come around and it may be difficult if not impossible to defend yourself on your own. Not only is there strength in numbers, but members of an organized team will most certainly have a wider variety of skills at their disposal.
3. Mental discipline and a level head under pressure will prevail when tough decisions need to be made.
When roaming groups of people show up on your street, they may be tired, hungry and in need of shelter. What do you do? Who gets to stay? How do you decide? This is just one example of the tough decisions you may have to make in a collapse situation.
4. Do not underestimate the need to defend yourself in ways you can not fathom in advance.
Without being too much of a spoiler, Brushfire Plague presented methods of community defense I had not considered before. (Hint: using old vehicles to set up a physical blockade – now why didn’t I think of that?)
5. There will be casualties. Be prepared mentally and physically to deal with the seriously wounded and the deceased.
You may feel prepared with a well-stocked first aid kit, antibiotics and even a suture kit. But do you know how to use them? How do you determine dosages especially when the drugs on hand may be in short supply? Who gets them and who does not?
And equally important, if people die (and they likely will), what will you do with the the bodies? Bury them (hope you have a strong back and a good shovel)? Burn them? The ramifications may be horrific but if you are one of the survivors, you will have to have the mental capacity to deal with this.
6. Grieving is important as is the need to spend personal time alone to rest and recharge.
No one can do it all 24 hours a day for days on end. Take time to grieve your losses and also time to rest and recharge your mental and physical batteries.
7. Perceived “good guys” may be bad and perceived “bad guys” may actually be good.
No surprise here. Just be prepared to evaluate, interview and act based upon as much knowledge and gut instinct you can muster. Trust no one until that trust in earned.
8. Feelings and compassion count as does the love and support of friends and family.
This is an important theme both in the book and in my own life. Without these qualities, the will to go on may be compromised. Again, I do not want to spoil the book for you, but much as in Cormac McCormack’s “The Road”, the love between a father and his son is an important part of Brushfire Plague.
The Final Word
In my opinion, survival fiction should not be so terrifying that you end up filled with fear and apprehension. Instead, you should first of all, enjoy the book and second, come away with a sense of renewed motivation to continue to expand upon your survival skill set. Also, the very best of the genre will present situations that could really happen in either the short term or long term and not be so “out there” in fantasy, that there is no useful takeaway.
That is my two cents, anyway. Next on my list? BOCA CHITA: Prepare. Escape. Surviveby Lance Long. I have not started it yet but it looks like it will be another good one.
http://www.backdoorsurvival.com/index.php/2012/10/11/brushfire-plague-review/
Think Like A Con
I’m sure you’ve heard expressions about being “in their shoes” and “thinking like a someone else”. Well how about “thinking like a con” to improve your personal safety and security? Is that a new one to you? Well that is exactly how we need to start thinking.
I once heard about a study where some criminal analysis’s went to a prison with surveillance footage from a mall entrance. They played the footage for various convicts and had them select which person they would pick to become their victim. Each and every time the convict selected the individual that had no situational awareness, was not paying attention, or that looked timid.
Profiling
Let’s play a game.
The next time your out at the mall, a sporting event, or another place where there is a large number of people let’s try something. Look around at the other people around you. Pretend you are a criminal, see which individuals you would select to become your victims. Do not commit a crime against these individuals, just watch them. Try to figure out what makes them look like a victim. If you can not figure it out, reverse it. Look at who you would not select as a victim. Try to figure out why you would not victimize them.
Once you have determined why you would select that individual as a victim, you need to look at yourself and determine if you are doing those actions yourself. Make sure you don’t look like the person you feel would be a victim.
Your appearance:
Some things that will help you not look like a victim are:
Keep your hands out of your pockets
Keep your head up
Practice good situational awareness
Stay in shape (see fitness challenge post)
Carry yourself with confidence
Don’t act afraid
Don’t look like an easy target
These are just a few things that may make criminals move on to easier prey. I’m sure during the experiment you will discover more things that make an individual look like an easy target to criminals.
Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes can really give you some perspective. Think of all the other ways you can apply the “think like a con” mentality to solve your safety and security issues.
After you try the experiment come back over hear and share with us what you have discovered. We can all use it as a learning tool.
3 Portland Activists Indefinitely Detained for Refusing to Speak at Grand Jury Hearing
Warning Signs: FedEx To Slash Thousands of Jobs Citing “Weak Global Economic Conditions”
One key measure of global economic health is how much freight – raw materials and manufactured goods – is being shipped around the world and in the United States. In July of this year the Balctic Dry Index, a measure of the price to pay for the movement of raw materials by sea, hit a record breaking low and signaled a steep decline in global manufacturing and consumption.
This was a key indicator for where the economy was headed on a global scale.
Just a few months later we’ve received confirmation of this trend from FedEx, one of the largest shipping companies in the world.
Yes, Americans are still shopping, but they aren’t shopping at the same pace they were five years ago. Their jobs have been eliminated, wages reduced and credit has been restricted. FedEx’s latest earnings report is proof positive of this:
Earnings for the first quarter were below our expectations as weak global economic conditions dampened revenue growth, drove a shift by our customers to our deferred services and outpaced our near-term ability to reduce FedEx Express operating costs to match demand levels.
Source: FedEx
Demand for FedEx services is down overall for a variety of reasons, including less retail consumption in an already struggling economy and a customer shift to cheaper shipping methods.
As a result of weakening earnings, profits and customer demand for their services, FedEx has been forced to implement internal cost-cutting measures, and as you may have already guessed that means staff layoffs:
Fedex, the global delivery company, said Wednesday it was planning to cut “several thousand” people from its workforce via a voluntary departure program beginning early next year.
Company chairman Fred Smith said at an investment conference in Memphis, Tennessee, that the cuts would come in the company’s Fedex Express global express delivery service, and in the US unit, Fedex Services.
The cuts are part of a plan to boost profits by $1.7 billion by 2016, mainly through intensified cost reductions.
They also come in the wake of the company’s warnings that its business is being hit by the global economic slowdown.
Source: France 24 via What Really Happened?
While official unemployment reports attempt to make the case for an economic and jobs recovery, the fact of the matter is that Americans are being laid off across the country in just about every key industry, and as ridiculous and unbelievable as it may sound, this may just be the beginning.
Earlier this week we learned that Darden Restaurants (the parent company of Olive Garden and Red Lobster) will be laying off workers citing the economy, as well as government regulation, namely Obamacare going into effect in 2013.
Prominent CEOs around the country see the writing on the wall, as do many political and financial insiders such as financier George Soros who warned earlier this year that even the best-case scenario will be painful:
I am not here to cheer you up.
The situation is about as serious and difficult as I’ve experienced in my career.
…
We are facing an extremely difficult time, comparable in many ways to the 1930s, the Great Depression. We are facing now a general retrenchment in the developed world, which threatens to put us in a decade of more stagnation, or worse.
The best-case scenario is a deflationary environment. The worst-case scenario is a collapse of the financial system.
Plan on the worst-case.
The collapse of the American way of life is happening before our eyes. It’s been at least four years since this recession began, and we may have a much longer road ahead of us. The Great Depression was an event that spanned at least ten years, followed by five years of global war.
We’re looking at a series of events that may last not for 18 months (like typical recessions do) or a few years, but perhaps a decades-long decline that destroys the wealth and stability of the United States of America.
Author: Mac Slavo
Date: October 11th, 2012
Website: www.SHTFplan.com
Caught On Tape: Obama Campaign Staffers Say It’s “Okay” to Vote Twice
Before I post this, I feel the need to correct the title (when I copy a article from another site, I use the original title). The campaign workers don't say it's ok in all cases, however they do laugh or agree with the stated intention of voting 2 or 3 times. Either way, they are still not making any obvious attempt to stop the action from taking place. Since these are people working for the Obama campaign, he IS responsible for the information they give the public, and by allowing this, he is taking part in election fraud. - B Clampit
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Controversial investigative journalist James O’Keefe (of ACORN hidden video fame) is at it again, and this time he’s caught some volunteers and employees of the Democratic National Committee assisting would-be voters with registering and voting in multiple states.
When undercover reporters visited various locations across the country they received the same response from Obama campaign staffers – that it’s basically okay to vote multiple times if you happen to be registered in two or more states.
In Houston, Texas, for example, the Project Veritas reporter made her intentions known, and rather than being rebuffed for her planned illegal activity, she was provided assistance with obtaining the proper forms to be registered in two states and was told to say “I don’t know” if the double-voting ever became an issue.
Similar situations unfolded at other DNC funded community organizations.
In a country where advanced technology is being used to track the most minute activities of its citizens, it is shocking to see just how easily the process of electing the leader of the free world can be compromised.
Obama campaign staffer and DNC Regional Field Director Stephanie Caballero facilitates voter fraud on hidden video:
Reporter: Yea I don’t want to get in any trouble but like I said if no one’s gonna know
Reporter: I don’t have a problem with it.
Reporter: Yea, so anyway – But -
Obama Campaign: Oh my God this is so funny. It’s cool though!
Reporter: But I was gonna see as far as all the registering for Florida -
Obama Campaign: Mhm
Reporter: Where do I get the forms to do that?
Reporter: Or not registering but voting in Florida for the absentee -
Obama Campaign: So what you’ll have to do is you’re going to call in to Florida.
Reporter: Okay.
Obama Campaign: And call – Let me see.
Obama Campaign: Are you going to do what I think you are going to do?
Reporter: Well I mean if no one’s gonna know -
Obama Campaign: Laughter
Obama Campaign: You’re so hilarious!
Obama Campaign: Come up with like – If anyone checks say “I don’t know”.
How many times will you be voting this election season?
Author: Mac Slavo
Views: Read by 9,481 people
Date: October 10th, 2012
Website: www.SHTFplan.com
09 October 2012
Tetanus in Times of Trouble
Most of us have dutifully gone to get a Tetanus shot when we stepped on a rusty nail, but few have any real concept of what Tetanus is and why it is dangerous. The role of the survival medic is to maintain the well-being of their family or group in a collapse. This can be best assured with an understanding of what infectious disease is. Knowledge of risks, prevention. And treatment will be the armor plate in your medical defense.
Tetanus (from the Greek word tetanos, meaning tight) is an infection caused by the bacteria Clostridium Tetani. The bacteria produces spores (inactive bacteria-to-be) that primarily live in the soil or the feces of animals. These spores are capable of living for years and are resistant to extremes in temperature.
Tetanus is relatively rare in the United States, with about 50 reported cases a year. Worldwide, there are more than 500,000 cases a year, however. Most are seen in developing countries in Africa and Asia that have poor immunization programs. Citizens of developed countries may be thrown into third world status in the aftermath of a mega-catastrophe. Therefore, we can expect many more cases that could be your responsibility as medic to evaluate and treat.
Most tetanus infections occur when a person has experienced a break in the skin. The skin is the most important barrier to infection, and any chink in the armor leaves a person open to infection. The most common cause is some type of puncture wound, such as an insect or animal bite, a splinter, or even that rusty nail. This is because the bacteria doesn’t like Oxygen, and deep, narrow wounds give less access to it. Any injury that compromises the skin, however, is eligible; burns, crush injuries, and lacerations can also be entryways for Tetanus bacteria.
When a wound becomes contaminated with Tetanus spores, the spore becomes activated as a full-fledged bacterium and reproduces rapidly. Damage to the victim comes as a result of a strong toxin excreted by the organism known as Tetanospasmin. This toxin specifically targets nerves that serve muscle tissue.
Tetanospasmin binds to motor nerves, causing “misfires” that lead to involuntary contraction of the affected areas. This neural damage could be localized or can affect the entire body. You would possibly see the classical symptom of “Lockjaw”, where the jaw muscle is taut; any muscle group, however, is susceptible to the contractions if affected by the toxin. This includes the respiratory musculature, which can inhibit normal breathing and become life-threatening.
The most severe cases seem to occur at extremes of age, with newborns and those over 65 most likely to succumb to the disease. Death rates from generalized Tetanus hover around 25-50%, higher in newborns.
You will be on the lookout for the following early symptoms:
Sore muscles (especially near the site of injury)
Weakness
Irritability
Difficulty swallowing
Lockjaw (also called “Trismus”; facial muscles are often the first affected)
Initial symptoms may not present themselves for 1- 2 weeks. As the disease progresses, you may see:
Progressively worsening muscle spasms (may start locally and become generalized over time)
Involuntary arching of the back (sometimes so strong that bones may break or dislocations may occur!)
Fever
Respiratory distress
High blood pressure
Irregular heartbeats
The first thing that the survival medic should understand is that, although an infectious disease, Tetanus is not contagious. You can feel confident treating a Tetanus victim safely, as long as you wear gloves and observe standard clean technique. Begin by washing your hands and putting on your gloves. Then, wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water, using an irrigation syringe with 3% hydrogen peroxide to repeatedly flush out any debris. This will, hopefully, limit growth of the bacteria and, as a result, decrease toxin production.
You will want to administer antibiotics to kill off the rest of the Tetanus bacteria in the system. Metronidazole (Fish-Zole or Flagyl) 500mg 4 times a day or Doxycycline (Bird-Biotic) 100 mg twice a day are among some of the drugs known to be effective. This study compares the use of Metronidazole versus Penicillin G: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1417474/
Remember, the earlier you begin antibiotic therapy, the less toxin will be produced. IV rehydration, if you have the ability to administer it, is also helpful. The patient will be more comfortable in an environment with dim lights and reduced noise.
Late stage Tetanus is difficult to treat without modern technology. Ventilators, Tetanus Antitoxin, and muscle relaxants/sedatives such as Valium are used to treat severe cases but will be unlikely to be available to you in a long term survival situation. For this reason, it is extraordinarily important for the survival medic to watch anyone who has sustained a wound for the early symptoms listed above.
As medic, you must obtain a detailed medical history from anyone that you might be responsible for in times of trouble. This includes immunization histories where possible. Has the injured individual been immunized against Tetanus? Most people born in the U.S. will have gone through a series of immunizations against Diptheria, Tetanus, and Whooping Cough early in their childhood. If not, encourage them to get up to date with their immunizations against this dangerous disease as soon as possible. Booster injections are usually given every 10 years (or if 5 years have passed in a person with a fresh wound, sometimes along with Tetanus Immunoglobulin antitoxin).
Tetanus vaccine is not without its risks, but severe complications such as seizures or brain damage occur is less than one in a million cases. Milder side effects such as fatigue, fever, nausea and vomiting, headache, and inflammation in the injection site are more common.
Given the life-threatening nature of the disease, this is one vaccine that you should encourage your people to receive, regardless of your feelings about vaccines in general. If not caught early, there may be little you can do to treat your patient without all the bells and whistles of modern medicine.
Dr. Bones.
To learn more: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2010/WHO_HSE_GAR_DCE_2010.2_eng.pdf
American Undergraduates Recruited For Population Control Agenda As UN Raises The Stakes
Jurriaan Maessen
ExplosiveReports.Com
In a recent biennial report released last week by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) the projection for global population growth in 2050 has been raised with an additional 117 million people on top of the earlier projection of 8 billion people. As the UN keeps up the pressure an effort is underway to flood universities and colleges throughout the United States with population control propaganda. One of the people doing the rounds across academic America is former EPA chief John Seager, who now heads up an organization called “Population Connection”, dedicated to the selling of human population reduction.
On October 3 2012, Pennsylvania State University provided a stage for Seager, president of “Population Connection”, an organization promoting the culling of the overall human population. Accepting an invitation by the Institute of Environmental Studies, Seager attempted to convince a hall filled with undergraduates of the need to bring down the population for “sustainability” purposes.
In an October 4 article titled “Lecturer Explores Population Control Issues“, the Daily Pennsylvanian reports Population Connection aims to inform no less than three million k-12 students throughout the United States “about this issue and to lobby Congress to garner support for international family planning.”
“About 98 to 99 percent of all the population growth is happening in generally very poor places that are very far away [from America],” Seager told the Daily Pennsylvanian. “And to bring this issue to your average American is a very hard challenge.”
The man who extended the invitation, Stanley Laskowski, explained why he attracted Seager to lecture:
“population growth is the root of all environmental problems and his insight into the issue at hand is invaluable.”
This is exactly the idea Seager is promulgating across the US. As a former EPA chief appointed by the Clinton administration in the mid 90s, Seager has found an eager audience in the establishment academic scene. During one of his recent lectures, held at the Nicholas School of the Environment, he stressed that man is the foremost enemy to the planet and the global population should be curbed towards what he calls “sustainable levels.”
Speaking of the UN’s population projection for the next decades- which will have the human population at 8 billion by 2050- Seager (from 35 minutes onward) stresses that this “(…) if we move to that low line on the UN projection- in my view the best possible outcome in terms of human population growth (through voluntary programs)- it would be the biggest single slice of the carbon pie. It would do more than thousand mile per gallon cars. It would do more than that.”
Seager states that technological solutions to Co2 emissions will not be sufficient to prevent global climatic Armageddon.
“Tim Dyson at the London School of Economics found that if we reduced our carbon footprint by one percent a year in the developed world over the next forty years, a hundred percent of that is wiped out by population growth.”
Therefore, Seager argues, the birthrate in the developing countries should be drastically reduced. This is the global consensus in the scientific community today. Whatever we do to diminish our “carbon footprint” in the developed world, only a thorough culling of the Third World population will make sure the earth has a chance of survival. In 2005 an MIT professor told students (from 10 minutes, 10 seconds onward):
“The real trick is, in terms of trying to level off at someplace lower than that 9 billion, is to get the birthrates in the developing countries to drop as fast as we can. And that will determine the level at which humans will level off on earth.”
Attempting to fence off the “critique” from both the left and the right questioning the right of these scientific elites to tell developing nation how many children to have, Seager states that, indeed, we have no right too so, he also states:
“That said, we have an opportunity to make options available…upon request. We do not go into any country until that country asks us to come in.”
Yeah. The mortally wounded deer will beg his attacker for death in the end. By the way, through many World Bank publications, such as the Reproductive Health Action Plan 2010-2015, published in April of 2010, we learn that the World Bank aims directly aims for the financial throat of a nation, saying in so many words that the financial lifeline will be discontinued if the Bank’s population policies are not being complied with double quick.
“The World Bank is uniquely positioned at the country level to take on advocacy for reproductive health, particularly in reaching Ministers of Finance. This will require utilizing the World Bank‟s economic analysis and technical resources to marshal arguments for investment in reproductive health. Bank’s country directors have key role to play in process of making RH a country priority through their policy dialogue with governments.”
The World Bank- as lender of last resort – has the dependent nations in a stranglehold. If nations do not comply with its directions, the Bank can cut the financial lifeline, no problem at all. A World Bank discussion-paper from 2007 titled Population Issues in the 21st century explains how this process works in more detail:
“The Bank has a potential comparative advantage to address these issues at the highest levels of country policy setting, not only with ministry of health counterparts, but also with officials from finance and planning. This is important given the increasing recognition that political economy is a critical factor in the implementation of population and reproductive health programs, particularly in high-fertility countries.”
Nothing voluntary about it, in other words. The decision is being made by UN technocrats and international bankers, and politicians in “high-fertility countries” are playing along to ensure their own survival. Now American undergraduates are being talked into this global “play or die” game as the UN agenda is moving forward.
Monsanto found guilty of chemical poisoning in landmark case
(NaturalNews) A French farmer who can no longer perform his routine farming duties because of permanent pesticide injuries has had his day in court, literally, and the perpetrator of his injuries found guilty of chemical poisoning. The French court in Lyon ruled that Monsanto's Lasso weedkiller formula, which contains the active ingredient alachlor, caused Paul Francois to develop lifelong neurological damage that manifests as persistent memory loss, headaches, and stuttering during speech.
Reports indicate that the 47-year-old farmer sued Monsanto back in 2004 after inhaling the Lasso product while cleaning his sprayer tank equipment. Not long after, Francois began experiencing lasting symptoms that prevented him from working, which he says were directly linked to exposure to the chemical. Since Lasso's packaging did not bear adequate warnings about the dangers of exposure, Francois alleged at the time that Monsanto was essentially negligent in providing adequate protection for its customers.
To the surprise of many, the French court agreed with the claims and evidence presented before it, declaring earlier this year that "Monsanto is responsible for Paul Francois' suffering after he inhaled the Lasso product ... and must entirely compensate him." The court is said to be seeking expert opinion on how to gauge Francois' losses in order to determine precisely how much Monsanto will be required to compensate him in the case.
"It is a historic decision in so far as it is the first time that a (pesticide) maker is found guilty of such a poisoning," said Francois Lafforgue, Paul Francois' lawyer, to Reuters earlier in the year.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), exposure to alachlor can cause damage to the liver, kidneys, spleen, and eyes, and may lead to the development of anemia and even cancer. The EPA apparently views alachlor as so dangerous, in fact, that the agency has set the maximum contaminant level goals (MCLG) for alachlor to zero in order to "prevent potential health problems." (http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/basicinformation/alachlor.cfm)
In 2007, France officially banned Lasso from use in the country in accordance with a European Union (EU) directive enacted in 2006 prohibiting the chemical from further use on crops in any member countries. But despite all the evidence proving that alachlor can disrupt hormonal balance, induce reproductive or developmental problems, and cause cancer, the chemical is still being used on conventional crops throughout the U.S. to this very day. (http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_ChemReg.jsp?Rec_Id=PC35160)
"I am alive today, but part of the farming population is going to be sacrificed and is going to die because of (alachlor)," added Francois to Reuters.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.care2.com
http://www.google.com
http://ecowatch.org
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/037465_Monsanto_chemical_poisoning_court_case.html#ixzz28n1Gfwlo
Houston Man Receives Visit from FBI after Photographing Weather
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