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Wednesday, April 1, 2015 · 12:10 AM

Modern Living: Part III of V (Antibiotics & GMOs)

(Survival Manual/2. Social Issues/Death by 1000 cuts/ Modern Living)

Topic:
Part I
1.  What happened to the American dream?
2.  Entertainment galore
Part II
3.  Cigarette smoking
4.  Illegal drug use

Part III
5.  Antibiotics and super bugs
6.  Antibiotics in meat
7.  GMO in crops 

Part IV
8.  Household Pollutants and Chemical spill
Part V
9.  Infrastructure deterioration

5.  Antibiotics and ‘superbugs’

A. China threatens world health by unleashing waves of superbugs
By Peter Foster in Beijing 6:25PM GMT 05 Feb 2010
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/7168303/China-threatens-world-health-by-unleashing-waves-of-superbugs.html>
China’s reckless use of antibiotics in the health system and agricultural production is unleashing an explosion of drug resistant superbugs that endanger global health, according to leading scientists.

Data from Chinese hospitals shows a very frightening picture of high-level antibiotic resistance

Chinese doctors routinely hand out multiple doses of antibiotics for simple maladies like the sore throats and the country’s farmers excessive dependence on the drugs has tainted the food chain.

Studies in China show a “frightening” increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as staphylococcus aureus bacteria, also known as MRSA . There are warnings that new strains of antibiotic-resistant bugs will spread quickly through international air travel and international food sourcing.

“We have a lot of data from Chinese hospitals and it shows a very frightening picture of high-level antibiotic resistance,” said Dr Andreas Heddini of the Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control.

“Doctors are daily finding there is nothing they can do, even third and fourth-line antibiotics are not working. “There is a real risk that globally we will return to a pre-antibiotic era of medicine, where we face a situation where a number of medical treatment options would no longer be there. What happens in China matters for the rest of the world.”

Particular alarm has been raised by resistance rates of MRSA in Chinese hospitals, which has more than doubled from 30 per cent to 70 per cent, according to Professor Xiao Yonghong of the Institute of Clinical Pharmacology at Beijing University. Last year researchers found a new strain of MRSA in Chinese pigs imported into Hong Kong and called for urgent new studies into its potential to infect humans after an infection of the new strain was confirmed in Guangzhou, where many of the pigs were farmed. A Beijing-based health expert with access to unpublished surveys showed that the situation in China was actually worse earlier studies had indicated.

“The Chinese Ministry of Health has all the data,” the expert warned, “but they seem unable or unwilling to believe it. The situation has global implications and is highly disturbing.” The Chinese Ministry of Health failed to respond to requests for an interview or information by phone, email and fax over a three-day period.

New prescription guidelines to restrict antibiotic use being issued by the Chinese Ministry of Health in 2004. “The guidelines are not being followed effectively,” added Professor Xiao, “over just the last five years, for example, our studies show the rate antibiotic-resistant E. coli has quadrupled from 10 per cent to 40 per cent.”

Public health experts say the rampant over-use of antibiotics in China is primarily caused by China’s under-funded healthcare system where hospitals derive up to half of their operating income from selling drugs. In some cities, such as Chongqing, almost half of all drugs sold are antibiotics.

“In Chinese hospitals our data shows that 60 per cent of in-patients are being prescribed antibiotics compared with the WHO guideline of 30 per cent,” added Professor Xiao who also heads China’s National Antibiotic Resistance Investigation Network.

China’s State Food and Drug Administration bans the sale of antibiotics without prescription but a survey by The Daily Telegraph found the drugs were still easily obtainable over-the-counter.

Three out of five chemists agreed to sell antibiotics after a cursory consultation with the ‘patient’ who complained of a sore throat. At one outlet a pharmacist handed over a course of the second-generation antibiotic, Cefuroxime Axetil, with minimal hesitation.

Asked if the sale could “get her into trouble” she said that the pharmacy would get a doctor to write the prescription later to cover their sales records. She added that even doctors from the nearby Capital Institute of Pediatrics came to buy antibiotics without prescription. “When the surveillance is strict, we won’t risk selling antibiotics,” Ms Zhang added. Asked to elaborate, she explained, “For example during the 2008 Olympic Games period, we didn’t sell them”.
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B.     Antibiotic Resistance Called Growing Threat to Human Health
VOA.com (Voice of America), Washington, DC,  May 18, 2010, by Vidushi Sinha
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Antibiotic-Resistance-Called-Growing-Threat-to-Human-Health–94101404.html
The World Health Organization calls antibiotic resistance one of the three greatest threats to human health. Experts fear antibiotic resistance puts humans in danger of becoming nearly defenseless against some bacterial infections.

Dangerous comeback
 The improper use of antibiotics has led to strains of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. Experts say if efforts to combat the problem are not launched now, infections that were curable could make a dangerous comeback.
Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, calls on American lawmakers to address the problem. “We speak of the pre-antibiotic and antibiotic eras, but if we don’t improve our response to the public health problem of antibiotic resistance, we may enter a post- antibiotic world in which we will have few or no clinical interventions for some infections,” he says. Specialists are concerned that the more an antibiotic is used, the less effective it becomes. The genetic mutation of bacteria, which makes them resistant to antibiotics, is a natural process. But drug overuse has accelerated the process.

Impact of drug overuse
“You end up with very resistant bacteria in the urinary tract. That’s only one example. Skin infections, lung infections, different bacteria causing these types of infections as they become more and more resistant, and then you get to more severe problem like tuberculosis in many parts of the world,” says Dr. Donald Poretz, an infectious disease specialist. “People are given little of this and little of that to treat tuberculosis and tuberculosis germs develop resistance.
“One of the most lethal infections born out of bacterial resistance is Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as MRSA which kills 19,000 people in the United States every year. Since 2002, about 2 million MRSA infections have been acquired in US hospitals each year. Poretz says these infections can spread globally.
“You can have worldwide resistance, some resistant to some drugs, some resistant to other drugs in different parts of the world,” he says. “And with rapid travel you can communicate those resistant bacteria to anyone here, there, there or there.”

Cutting back
Drug companies have cut back on production of antibiotics, and that contributes to the problem, scientists say. Less than optimal dosing means the target bacteria survive and build resistance incrementally. Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) says profits drive pharmaceutical companies to shy away from antibiotics. “So if they’re going to make a choice of making a product that some, a lot of, people are going to take every day for the rest of their lives, a lipid lowering agent, whatever you have, they’re going to lean towards that rather than to make a new product that a relatively small proportion of the population will use maybe 10 days to two weeks out of the year,” said Fauci.
Experts say the solution lies in educating patients and doctors to stop using antibiotics when they are not necessary.

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6. Antibiotics in meat

A. Bacteria in grocery meat resistant to antibiotics
Reuters, NewYork,  Fri Apr 15, 2011, By Aman Ali
<http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/15/us-bacteria-meat-idUSTRE73E7FJ20110415>
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Researchers have found high levels of bacteria in meat commonly found on grocery store shelves, with more than half of the bacteria resistant to multiple types of antibiotics, according to a study released on Friday. While the meat commonly found in grocery stores is still safe to eat, consumers should take precautions especially in handling and cooking, the chief researcher for the study said.

The study by the Arizona-based Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGRI) examined 136 meat samples from 26 grocery stores in Illinois, Florida, California, Arizona and Washington D.C.

Dr. Lance Price, the head researcher on the study, said high levels of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria were found in the meat. “Staph causes hundreds of thousands of infections in the United States every year,” Price said in an interview. “It causes a whole slew of infections ranging from skin infections to really bad respiratory infections like pneumonia.”

Staph infections also kill more people in the United States each year than HIV, he said.

A spokeswoman for the Food and Drug Administration said that the agency was aware of the TGRI findings, and similar studies of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in meats, and was working with the U.S. Agriculture Department and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the causes and effects.

“FDA has been monitoring the situation. The TGRI study points out that the public health relevance of the findings is unclear. FDA continues to work with CDC and USDA to better understand this issue,” the FDA spokeswoman said. Price said the most significant findings from the study aren’t the level of bacteria they found, but rather how the bacteria in the meat was becoming strongly resistant to antibiotics farmers use to treat the animals they slaughter.

The study found that in 96 percent of the meats with staph bacteria the bacteria were resistant to at least one type of antibiotic, and 52 percent were resistant to three or more types.
“The bacteria is always going to be there. But the reason why they’re resistant is directly related to antibiotic use in food animal production,” Price said. “Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest threats to public health we face today.”

“This is one more reason to be very careful when you’re handling raw meat and poultry in the kitchen,” Price said. “You can cook away these bacteria. But the problem is when you bring in that raw product, you almost inevitably contaminate your kitchen with these bacteria.”

Washing hands and counters before and after handling meat and keeping other foods away from uncooked meat are ways to prevent disease from spreading, Price said. But consumer initiatives aren’t going to solve the bigger problem, he said.
“To put it all on the consumer is really directing blame at the wrong end of the food chain,” Price said.
Of all the types of meats where bacteria was resistant to three or more antibiotics in the study, turkey was the most resistant, followed by pork, beef and then chicken. Price said it’s not clear why turkey was the most resistant.

USDA officials could not be reached immediately for comment.

.
B.   Antibiotics used in meat pose a threat to public health, admits FDA
Friday, October 22, 2010, Natural News.com,  by: David Gutierrez, staff writer
<http://www.naturalnews.com/030132_antibiotics_meat.html#ixzz1MJsDSXbj>
On June 28 of this year, the FDA issued a draft of new guidelines urging meat producers to refrain from using antibiotics to promote livestock growth, calling the practice an “urgent public health issue.”
“To preserve the effectiveness [of antibiotics], we simply must use them as judiciously as possible,” said FDA Deputy Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein.

The livestock industry regularly gives antibiotics to healthy animals to make them gain more weight faster, as well as to prevent infection. For more than 30 years, public health experts have warned that this practice is contributing to the evolution of drug-resistant bacteria, including strains that can infect humans.


“We are seeing the emergence of multidrug-resistant pathogens,” Sharfstein said. “FDA believes overall weight of evidence supports the conclusion that using medically important antimicrobial drugs for production purposes is not appropriate.” In order to preserve the effectiveness of “medically important” antibiotics, including penicillin, tetracyclines and sulfonamides, the FDA issued new guidelines reiterating that antibiotics should be given to food animals only for health-protection purposes, and that veterinarians should oversee all such drug use, from selection to treatment.

“Using medically important antimicrobial drugs as judiciously as possible is key to minimizing resistance development and preserving the effectiveness of these drugs as therapies for humans and animals,” said Bernadette Dunham, director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine.
The draft guidance will be open for public comment for 60 days before becoming official agency policy. Although the FDA technically has the authority to ban any veterinary use of antibiotics that it deems inappropriate, the agency is taking a more cautious path — voluntary guidelines — in the hopes of avoiding a battle with lawmakers and the food industry. Prior FDA attempts to regulate agricultural antibiotic use have all been blocked by Congress.

      The European Union banned growth-promoting uses of antibiotics in livestock in 2006. “We are not expecting people to change tomorrow,” Sharfstein said. “This is the first step in FDA establishing principles from which we could move to other steps, such as oversight. This does not tell people what to do, it establishes principles and tells people how to achieve those principles.”
Nevertheless, the threat of mandatory regulations is an obvious subtext to the FDA’s newest move.
“We have the regulatory mechanisms, and industry knows that,” Sharfstein said.
The FDA’s move reflects the growing concern among public health experts about the growing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
“The development of resistance to this important class of drugs, and the resulting loss of their effectiveness as antimicrobial therapies, poses a serious public health threat,” the FDA’s draft guidance statement reads.

      It is estimated that 100,000 people die in the United States every year just from drug-resistant infections acquired inside hospital settings. The overall number of deaths caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria is likely much higher. “The writing is on the wall,” said infectious disease specialist Brad Spellberg of the University of California-Los Angeles, author of Rising Plague. “We’re in an era where antibiotic resistance is out of control, and we’re running out of drugs and new drugs are not being developed,” he said. “We can’t continue along the path we’re on.”

      The National Pork Producers Council fired back at the FDA, saying the guidelines would be an unduly heavy burden without good cause. “There is no scientific study linking antibiotic food use in food animal production with antibiotic resistance,” the council said. “[That is] patently untrue,” responded Margaret Mellon of the Union of Concerned Scientists. “There is a mountain of studies linking the use of antibiotics in animals to the evolution of resistant pathogens that cause human disease.”

      Because many bacteria can transfer between human animals, and because many of the same drugs to treat humans are also used on livestock, health advocates have singled out agricultural antibiotic use as an area of major concern. According to the Union for Concerned Scientists, 70 percent of all antibiotics used in the United States in 2001 went to livestock for growth-promotion purposes, while another 14 percent went to animals for disease prevention or treatment.

      The industry trade group, the Animal Health Institute, has disputed this figure, claiming that only 13 percent of agricultural antibiotics are used for growth promotion, with much of the remainder used for illness prevention — a use that is not addressed by the new guidance. This has raised concerns that even if the FDA implemented an obligatory ban, the industry could sidestep it by reclassifying its antibiotic use without changing its practices.

      Poor diets and cramped living conditions produce abnormally high infection rates among factory-farmed animals. To maintain the increased profits associated with factory farming without bearing the associated health costs, many farmers simply dose their animals with antibiotics as a preventive tactic.
“[Even] under the FDA’s proposed guidelines, agribusiness could continue to routinely feed antibiotics to entire flocks or herds to prevent illnesses they may never encounter,” wrote Pew Health Group Managing Director Shelley Hearne in a letter to the New York Times. “This approach to prevention would never be allowed in human medicine, and it should not be allowed in animals.”

      Health and consumer groups expressed disappointment at the FDA’s statement and called for an outright ban on all agricultural antibiotic use except for the treatment of illness. “I was expecting an action plan. I was disappointed that all we have here are principles,” Mellon said. “They’re apparently expecting voluntary action. It’s my belief that the industry’s not going to act until it has to.”
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7.  GMO in Crops

A.  Why You Should Be Concerned About GMOs
February 20, 2011, Posted by Josh Corn
http://www.stopagingnow.com/liveinthenow/article/are-gmo-foods-bad-for-you-why-you-should-be-concerned

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have been grabbing headlines in recent weeks, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) suddenly reversing bans on one genetically engineered crop after another. The list of genetically modified food ingredients is growing at an alarming rate. And what’s even more disturbing is the fact the USDA seems to have sided with big business in allowing GMO foods to be sold without any labeling whatsoever.

Consumers have been left largely in the dark, unable to make informed choices about buying foods containing GMOs. By some estimates, over 75% of all processed foods sold in the U.S. contain a GMO ingredient. Corn, soy, canola, cottonseed, sugar, beef and dairy products are among the most likely to have been genetically modified.

Scientists, environmental activists, supporters of organic farming and consumers alike are joining forces to protest the USDA’s decisions. Organizations like the Organic Consumers Association, Alliance for Natural Health USA and Say No to GMOs! are just a few examples of those working to fight back against GMOs.

What’s behind all of the outrage and fervor? Here’s a brief overview of the case against GMOs. It’s important to educate yourself now, because the onslaught of approved GMO foods entering our food supply is likely to continue, as the government refuses to acknowledge that they could be harmful.

Why do GMOs exist?
If you listen to the government and the Big Agra companies it supports, GMO foods are perfectly safe, and their benefits include lower cost crops, more productive farms and even healthier foods. But the truth is, genetically engineered plants exist for a single reason — profits. Companies like Monsanto have been known to bully farmers into paying “technology fees” to use their GMO seeds.
In most cases, the reason that seeds are genetically modified is so the plants can withstand massive doses of herbicides and pesticides. And guess who sells these toxic chemicals? The same companies that make the GMO seeds.

Why should you be concerned about GMOs in our food supply?
Genetically engineered plants have had either genes from bacteria or viruses, or genes that make plants resistant to toxic chemicals like the herbicide Roundup — spliced into their DNA. These genes were never part of the human diet until the first GMO plant was created in 1996.

To date, there have been no long-term human safety studies conducted on GMOs. To assume that they are safe defies common sense, as we lack any scientific evidence to prove that they do not pose a threat to human health. In fact, more research points towards potentially harmful effects of consuming GMOs.

The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM)’s official position on GMOs is that they “have not been properly tested and pose a serious health risk” and that a moratorium on GMO foods should be put in place until long-term studies demonstrate their safety. Many other environmental, public health and consumer protection organizations around the world are also calling for these steps to be taken.

According to the AAEM, “Animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food,” including reproductive problems, compromised immunity, accelerated aging, blood sugar imbalances and harm to major organs.

Aside from the potential dangers of consuming GMO foods, GMOs pose a grave threat to the entire organic farming industry. (Scientists say that cross-contamination of GMO crops with non-GMO crops will be inevitable.) GMOs also contribute to greater pollution because many are designed to withstand greater application of pesticides and herbicides.

Have you ever seen one of those movies where a government-created toxin gets loose and spreads out of control? GMO seeds are real-world example of this scenario, and it’s happening right now! Experts all over the world are warning that as more and more GMOs are approved, they could become so intertwined with our food supply that we reach a point of no return.

Nobody knows for sure why the USDA is all of a sudden accelerating its acceptance of GMOs. What’s the rush? Are short-term decisions being made that are going to have serious long-term consequences? Unfortunately, the government has a long track record of doing just that. And history is replaying itself with GMOs. So the time to take action is now.
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B.  Eight Reasons Genetically Modified Organisms are Bad for You
Organic Authority,Written by Shilo Urban
http://www.organicauthority.com/foodie-buzz/eight-reasons-gmos-are-bad-for-you.html
Genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, are created when a gene from one species is transferred to another, creating something that would not be found in nature.

A large percentage of domestic crops (up to 85% of soybean yields) have DNA that was tweaked in a lab, yet it is nearly impossible to know which food items contain these genetically engineered ingredients. Thankfully new mobile phone apps are making it a bit easier for the consumer to know what she is eating, but this is not enough.

GMOs are bad for your body, bad for the community, bad for farmers and bad for the environment. This is why
1. The health consequences of eating genetically modified organisms are largely unknown. Genetically engineered foods have not been shown to be safe to eat and may have unpredictable consequences. When trans-fats were first introduced, corporations battled to get them onto your grocery shelves – and it is only decades later that this once novel food has been proven to be extremely unhealthful. Many scientists are worried that the genetically altered foods, once consumed, may pass on their mutant genes to bacterium in the digestive system, just like the canola plants on the roadsides of North Dakota. How these new strains of bacteria may affect our body systems’ balance is anybody’s guess.
2. Food items that contain GMOs are unlabeled in America. Why so sneaky? The European Union has banned GMOs, as have Australia, Japan, the UK and two dozen other countries that recognize that a lack of long term studies and testing may be hiding disastrous health defects.
3. Genetic engineering reduces genetic diversity. When genes are more diverse, they are more robust; this is why a pure bred dog tends to have greater health problems than the dear old mutt. Plants with reduced genetic diversity cannot handle drought, fungus invasions or insects nearly as well as natural plants, which could have dire consequences for farmers and communities dependent on GMO crops for survival.
4. Once the mutant genes are out of the bag, there is no going back. Genetically modified organisms contaminate existing seeds with their altered material, passing on modified traits to non-target species. This creates a new strain of plant that was never intended in the laboratory. In North Dakota, recent studies show that 80% of wild canola plants tested contained at least one transgene. In Japan, a modified bacteria created a new amino acid not found in nature; it was used in protein drinks and before it was recalled it cause severe mental and metabolic damage to hundreds as well as several deaths. Japan banned GMOs after this horrific experience. Monarch butterflies have also died after their favorite food, milkweed, was cross-pollinated from Bt corn which rendered it toxic to the endangered species.
5. GMOs are not the answer for global food security. Genetically engineered crops have shown no increase in yield and no decrease in pesticide use. In many cases other farm technology has proven much more successful, and even Monsanto agrees that its genetically engineered crops yield less than conventional farming.
6. Genetically engineered foods have not been proven to be safe, but the few studies conducted don’t look so hot. The organs of rats who ate genetically modified potatoes showed signs of chronic wasting, and female rats fed a diet of herbicide-resistant soybeans gave birth to stunted and sterile pups.
7. Big biotech firms have very sketchy track records, but then again what would you expect from organizations who want to patent the world’s food supply? These massive biotech companies have a history of toxic contamination, deceiving the public and suing small farmers when their patented seeds blew across the fence. Biotech firms sell sterile seeds to African farmers- meaning the seeds are only good for one season, because the plants that grow up will not be able to reproduce. Farmers must buy new seeds every year instead of growing from the previous year’s yield. GMOs are not the farmers’ friend.
8. GMOs require massive amounts of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. These things are poisons, and should not be eaten or allowed to run off into our water supply. But they are, every day, by companies who care far more about the bottom line than they do about your health, your environment or your children’s future.

The bottom line is that genetically modified organisms have not been proven in any way to be safe, and most of the studies are actually leaning the other direction, which is why many of the world’s countries have banned these items whose DNA has been genetically engineered. In America, they aren’t even labeled, much less banned, so the majority of the populace has no idea that they are eating lab-created DNA on a daily basis.

End of  Survival Manual/2. Social Issues/Death by 1000 cuts/Modern Living: Part III of V: Antibiotics and GMOs

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Wednesday, March 11, 2015 · 12:10 AM

Gettin’ by when supplies tighten

(Survival Manual/ 2. Social Issues/ Gettin’ by when supplies tighten)

A.  Report: Farmers Hoarding Food To Protect Against Currency Collapse
29 Apr 2013, SHTFPlan.com, by Mac Slavo
Pasted from: http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/report-farmers-hoarding-food-to-protect-against-currency-collapse_04292013
silo1

Which asset is more secure than money in the bank?
The answer is simple.
It’s the asset that will still have value when the money or the bank collapse.

All over the world, when people have been faced with the prospect of having their savings wiped out or confiscated they have turned to hard assets – physical goods they could hold in their possession and trade if necessary – as protection.

Argentina, a country that is no stranger to economic hard times and hyperinflation, gives us a prime example of what becomes money when the system collapses.

At an inflation rate of 25%, while their currency loses significant purchasing power, Argentines have made a mad rush into gold, silver, and other tangible goods that retain their barterable value.

Like many Greeks, who have headed to the countryside to grow their own food in the midst of complete economic destruction, farmers in Argentina are hoarding the one tangible investment they know will not lose value, no matter what their currency does.

With world food demand on the rise, growers in the Pampas grain belt are filling their silos with soy rather than converting their crops into pesos, a currency that hit a new all-time low in informal trade this week.

Considering Argentina’s high inflation, clocked at about 25 percent by private economists, “money in the bank” is not as secure as storing soybeans next to their fields, many say.
“We are going to hang onto our soy. One can see higher prices ahead,” said Jose Plazibat, a partner with the firm of Bandurria and Plazibat Brothers, which farms more than 3,000 hectares near the town of Chacabuco in Buenos Aires province.

With their currency in meltdown and food demand around the world rising, these farmers understand where real value comes from.
1.  Their food can’t be lost in the stock market.
2.  It’s intrinsic worth cannot be vaporized in a banking collapse.
3. And they do not need to wait for anyone to deliver it to them, as they hold it in their personal possession.

Hoarding commodities – not the paper receipts that represent your ownership, but the actual physical good – is a powerful diversification strategy, and one that is a natural response to times of uncertainty and government run amok:

Argentina is going through the classic stages of economic collapse.

The government seized all pensions. They are destroying everything that gives the people incentive to be a society that emerges from the cooperation of everyone.

When government turns against its own people, even as the USA is currently doing, you end up with deflation insofar as the economy collapses and wages are not available, while hoarding emerges as does barter.
……….source: Martin Armstrong

This strategy of buying commodities at lower prices today to consume at higher prices tomorrow can be implemented on a micro-economic personal scale in your own home. Doing so, especially with health and nutrition considerations, will not only provide you with long-term cost savings as global currencies continue to lose purchasing power, but insulate you against the possibility of a rush for food in the event of an emergency or widespread economic instability.

Whether you choose to stock your long-term food pantry by going to a grocery store, grow your own food in your traditional or aquaponics garden, learn to preserve it yourself, or prefer to do your own food storage packing, the key is to develop a plan and implement it now.

The US dollar isn’t getting any stronger over the next 10 years.
But the rice, beans, wheat, and pasta you stockpile will still have the same exact intrinsic value a decade from now as they do today.

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B.  Bartering Supplies That You Haven’t Thought Of; And Some You Have!
29 Apr 2013, American Preppers Network, by Jalapeno Gal77
Pasted from: http://americanpreppersnetwork.com/2013/04/bartering-supplies-that-you-havent-thought-of-and-some-you-have.html
gettin by tradeWhen I think of bartering supplies my mind automatically goes to a SHTF scenario.  There are a lot of lists out there for such scenes, but ultimately what you choose to barter is up to you.  Many people stock things like silver, gold, cigarettes or alcohol or coffee.  While these can be great items, they are also expensive.

I will admit, stocking up on cigarettes, coffee and alcohol do go against my health and religious beliefs, but it doesn’t stop me from storing it.  I would much rather barter an item that I will never use or need, than to barter precious items I do need.  In the end, what you decide to spend money on is your choice.

 Below is a list of items I feel would make good barter items if, and only if, I have enough extra to get away with it:
•  Salt:  We store a LOT of salt.  It has multiple purposes and back in the day, people actually used salt as currency because it was considered such a high trade value and hard to find.  Salt can/was used to preserve food and it helps to eliminate the season availability of certain foods and allowed long distance travel.
• Toilet paper:  Take the cardboard out and put them in a large vacuum sealed bag storage bag.
• Kitty litter or dehydrated lime for sanitation or easy clean up of human waste in buckets.  Can you imagine what someone would trade for this?
• Matches/lighters
• Bleach
• Sugar
• Feminine supplies
• Flu/Cold Medicine
• Allergy Medicine
• Antibiotics/ Pain killers / fever reducer
• Bar Soap
• Seeds
• Toothpaste/toothbrushes
• First aid bandages
• Hydrogen peroxide (You could trade this by the cup or half cup.)
• We store small bottles of alcohol for trade.  We also have bigger bottles for refills if they want to bring it back for more.
• Coffee: We vacuum seal coffee in smaller portions with 1-2 coffee filters in each bag of coffee.  We also have 2 percolators to prepare the coffee if the person has no way to do so.
• Cigarettes: We do not store these but many people use them as barter items.
• Pipe Tobacco: Vacuum seal it to keep it fresh longer
• Spices
• Ramon Noodles: Very cheap and if someone is hungry then this would be good trade value.
• Beans: We stock the 15 bean soup because it comes with a spice packet in the soup.  You could trade these by the bag or by the cup depending on the size family they have or if it’s an individual.
• Razors
• Coats/Warm Clothing: We purchase used coats at goodwill and thrift stores.  All different sizes but especially kids coats.  These can be stored in large vacuum sealed storage bags and hardly take up any room.
• Small candles (or wax , wicks and wick tabs for making candles.)
• Chickens: Chickens produce meat and eggs, both of which people will want.
• Fly tape/mouse traps
• Pesticides
• gel, diapers, formula
• Socks/underwear
• Information on growing food or slaughtering animals.  You could print off some easy instructions and place them in binders.
• Fish hooks, weights, fishing line, bait
• Glow sticks
• Laundry soap powder
• Measuring spoons

These are just a few ideas to help you get started.  Notice, I did not put silver or gold on the list.  While this is a great item to have, I believe that if we are in a grid down situation, not many people are going to barter for something they cannot eat or use to stay alive.  Please don’t misunderstand me, it is alright to have these items for yourself, but for bartering, I just don’t feel it will be helpful in that area.

gettin by battery

[Mr. Larry ideas:
_a) If you develop or buy a 12 volt battery bank (several deep cycle 12 volt batteries) and a couple hundred watts of  PV panels (150-300 watts), solar charger,  inverter, and  a battery charger for AAA and AA rechargeable batteries, you would continue to use your personal electronics during a local disaster or SHTF event.
_b) Additionally, if you stock  an extra 50 to 100  AA and AAA Sanyo Enloop batteries, you would be set to operate a local “rent and recharge” battery service, thereby developing a “for food” customer base during a grid down scenario; it would only take recharging the batteries of maybe a half dozen families batteries to provide a significant portion of your “daily bread” or for the accumulation of other barter/trade items/services.]
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C.  40 Items to Barter in a Post-Collapse World
28 Aug 2012, Backdoor Survival.com, by__
Excerpt pasted from: http://www.backdoorsurvival.com/41-items-to-barter/

There are a lot of different opinions as to what items will be best for barter in a post-collapse world where the underground economy may be the only viable economy for the passing of goods and services.  That said, consider this a starting point as you begin to acquire goods for barter.

In no particular order, consider accumulating some of the following items for barter purposes.  And keep in mind that in a post-collapse world, the items do not necessarily have to be new, but simply serviceable.

  • Water purification supplies including purification tabs and filters, household  bleach.
  • Hand tools including hatchets, saws, machetes and general fix-it tools
  • Fire making supplies, including lighters, matches, flint fire steel
  • Sanitary supplies including toilet paper, feminine products and diapers
  • Disposable razors and razor blades
  • Fuel, any and all kinds (gas, diesel, propane, kerosene)
  • Prescription drugs, painkillers, and antibiotics
  • First aid remedies such as cough syrup, cortisone cream, boil-ese, calamine lotion and topical pain relievers
  • Spirits such as bourbon, rum, gin, and vodka
  • Coffee and tea (instant coffee is okay)
  • Solar battery charger and rechargeable batteries
  • Standard Batteries
  • Reading glasses
  • Paracord
  • Bags, including large garbage bags as well as smaller zip-close bags
  • Plastic sheeting
  • Duct tape
  • Tie Wraps
  • Heavy plastic sheets and tarps
  • Toiletries including toothpaste, dental floss soaps, shampoo (tip: save those small sized toiletries that are provided by hotels and motels)
  • Condoms
  • Latex or Nitrile gloves in a variety of sizes
  • Hard candy
  • Fishing supplies
  • Knives  of various types including fixed blades, kitchen knives, and box cutters.
  • Condiments and Spices
  • Paperback books on a variety of subjects
  • Tobacco and cigarette rolling supplies
  • Amusements such as playing cards, crossword puzzle books, Sudoku
  • Pencils & paper
  • Pepper spray
  • Garden seeds
  • Flashlights
  • Vinegar  and baking soda to use in DIY cleaning supplies
  • Empty spray bottles and squirt bottles
  • Hand pumps for both air and liquids
  • Mylar blankets and tents
  • Hand warmers
  • Sewing  and mending supplies
  • Knitting  or crochet needles and yarn

One thing you will notice that I have not included firearms or ammo and for good reason.  In a post-collapse society, you might not know your barter partners well and may run the risk that they will use these items against you so that they can steal the rest of you stuff.  One person’s opinion, anyway.

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C.  10 Forms of Currency if Paper Money Becomes Useless in Any Crisis.
18 Mar 2013, EmergencyHomesteader.com, by katalystman
Pasted from: http://www.emergencyhomesteader.com/10-forms-of-currency-if-paper-money-becomes-useless-in-any-crisis/

gettin by dollar burns

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gettin by PM & ammo

..gettin by water food.
gettin by seeds medical

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.gettin by liquor light

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gettin by camping knowledge

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Monday, November 10, 2014 · 12:05 AM

Food expiration dates

A.  The Real Expiration Date for Common Foods
15 March 2014, Natural Blaze.com, by Heather Callanghan
Pasted from: http://www.thedailysheeple.com/the-real-expiration-date-for-common-foods_032014

cheeseBy Heather Callaghan
The regulation guidelines for expired foods are few and arbitrary, really. They are also voluntary. They sprang up in the 1970s for more consumer information and perceived freshness. Expiration labels are only required by law for infant formula and baby foods; other laws regarding dairy are left up to some states and vary. There is waste before, during and after a food item’s grocery stay. Now, more than ever, when throwing out food we’re unsure of, it feels like trashing bags of money – and most of it is completely unnecessary. But nobody wants too read yet another scolding article about it. So…

Now that we know our expiration labels don’t tell us anything at all – where do we go from here? What can we eat with confidence?

First, let’s define some terms for the dates printed on food products:

Expiration – This is an estimated date for when the item is expected to go bad and the consumer is expected to proceed with caution. Still, a surprisingly large amount of these can be expanded, with some exceptions.

Sell by – That’s for the retailer, not for you. It’s about peak quality, like with flavor. It’s for store display and maddeningly, much of this gets tossed – prompting a “dumpster dive” revolution. Wouldn’t it be nice if people didn’t have to relegate themselves to a dumpster to get this perfectly good food? But in the dump it goes first.

Best if Used By/Before and Use By – Again, these refer to quality, not safety.
Pack or Born On – This is the manufacture date stamp and often refers to canned goods and beer.
Guaranteed Fresh – This is mostly the baker’s way of letting you know how long you can enjoy the baked good before it possibly goes stale. It doesn’t mean it’s harmful, but could be stale.

Yogurt and deli meat can last a week to 10 days more than the “sell by” date. Salami at two to three weeks. Most fresh meats, especially poultry and seafood, should be cooked and eaten within days. Eggs a whopping five weeks after expiration. When in doubt, gently place eggs in a big bowl of cold water filled to the top. If the eggs float, toss them. If they “stand up” that just means they are not as fresh but are still okay to eat.

Packaged items can last a long time after expiration but after months you may notice a staleness and waxy taste which could be rancid oils. Packaged and canned items can generally last a year or more after the stamped date.

The key to keeping storable foods the longest, is cool, dry and airtight. Canned goods included. If you see bulging cans – do not open! It’s rare, but it could be botulism. Bill Nye made this crystal clear to me as a kid.

Real Simple and iVillage offer a list of items and a “true” expiration, some lasting for years, but again, take with a grain of salt. Throwing out opened juice after a week in the fridge? No way! Of course if you make your juice yourself, ideally, it should be consumed immediately for best benefits. Whole, natural foods and drinks do not generally last as long as the grocery store – but you knew that! For instance, when I buy homemade bread I know to freeze it, otherwise mold is great indicator I waited one day too long. Lesson learned. Raw honey can last forever and honey and brown sugar indefinitely.

Cheese can have a long fridge life too. According to one naturopath, Kerrygold cheese from grass fed cows can be bought in bulk at Whole Foods and sit in the fridge for six months – mine is still fine after one month.

Is it really a great idea to be eating old food? Debatable. Some fruits like bananas can have added benefits with age. Ayurvedic principles frown on old or rotten food for its effect on the body or bio-rhythms (except for items better with age or fermentation). But, I’ve seen depression-era folks charge through their 80′s having lived a frugal life eating the bad fruits first, expired foods and keeping the fridge well above the suggested 40 degree mark. (Where can I get an immune system like that!)

The bottom line is that expiration is perception and to follow your nose and your gut. If something smells or tastes funny, do not risk it! Common sense and intuition are our friends and thankfully, we are much less likely to get sick in a clean home than from a restaurant. If you think you might get food poisoning, immediately take homeopathic Arscenicum Album 30c and Activated Charcoal.
What have you noticed that you can eat after the stamped date?

Two websites devoted completely to real expiration dates:
http://www.stilltasty.com/
http://www.eatbydate.com/

All Recipes allows you to type in what ingredients you currently have and pulls up recipes you can use. You can save favorite recipes in your own online recipe box.
Love Food Hate Waste is an English web site devoted to helping people use food on its way out

– See more at: http://www.thedailysheeple.com/the-real-expiration-date-for-common-foods_032014#sthash.iOuVubo3.dpuf

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 B.  Shelf Life for Long-Term Food Storage
ThePreppersWife
Pasted from: http://prepperswife.blogspot.com/p/shelf-life.html

The following may be stored indefinitely (in proper containers and conditions):
Wheat
Vegetable oils
Corn
Soybeans
Sugar
White rice
Bouillon products
Powdered milk (in nitrogen-packed cans)
Vitamin C
DRY Pasta

PRETTY GOOD REFERENCE FOR LONG TERM FOOD STORAGE ~ Your mileage may vary ~ not a complete list but a good start.  Shelf life data provided below gives specific foods and average shelf life assuming optimum storage conditions.  Foods kept at lower temperatures extend their shelf life. Foods vac sealed – last longer

“A hungry man decides for himself what’s fit to  eat, A hungry Mom decides what’s fit to eat for the family” ~ The Prepper’s Wife 2011 Shelflife of Food Items * NOTE: Shelf life info from various sources.  Conflicts are researched through multiple resources.

Baby Food, canned – 12 months
Baking Powder – 18 months (unopened)
Baking Soda – 18-24 months
Beans, Adzuki – 8-10 years (at 70 degrees F.)
Beans, Blackeye – 8-10 years (at 70 degrees F.)
Beans, Black Turtle – 8-10 years (at 70 degrees F.)
Beans, Dried – 12-24 months ( in their original container)
Beans, Dried – indefinitely (resealed in a food grade container w/oxygen absorber or vacuum sealed in a food grade bag)
Beans, can, Baked, Bush – 24-36 months 1-423-509-2361
Beans, can, Black, Progresso – 24 months 1-800-200-9377
Beans, can, Bush Beans Brand – 26 months
Beans, Garbanzo – 8-10 years (at 70 degrees F.)
Beans, Great Northern – 8-10 years (at 70 degrees F.)
Beans, Kidney – 8-10 years (at 70 degrees F.)
Beans, Mung Beans – 8-10 years (at 70 degrees F.)
Beans, Pink – 8-10 years (at 70 degrees F.)
Beans, Pinto – 8-10 years (at 70 degrees F.)
Beans, Refried – 5 years (at 70 degrees F.)
Beans, Small Red – 8-10 years (at 70 degrees F.)
Beans, Soy – 8-10 years (at 70 degrees F.)
Bouillon – 24 months (Keep dry and covered)
Bouillon (Cubes) – 24 months
Bouillon (Granules) – 12 months
Bouillon, Herb Ox – 24 months
Bouillon, Tone – 24 months
Bread, Crackers – 3 months
Bread, Crackers, Saltines – 8 months
Bread, Crackers, Ritz – 8 months
Bread, Crackers, Whole-wheat – 48 months
Bread, Crumbs, dried – 6 months (Store dry and covered)
Bread, fresh, store-bought (original container @ 70° F. basement) – 5 days
Bread, frozen, store-bought (original container @ 0° F. freezer) – 6 months
Bread, Mix, Biscuit Mixes (most) – 9 months
Bread, Mix, Biscuit Mix, Krusteaze, any flavor except mix for bread machines – 24 months
Bread, Mix, Hot-roll mix -18 months (If opened, store in airtight) container
Bread, Rolls (commercial) – 3-5 days (frozen 2-3 months) Homemade breads may have shorter shelf life due to lack of preservatives.
Bread, Tortillas, Corn – 1-2 weeks (refrigerated 2 weeks) May be frozen
Bread, Tortillas, Flour – 1-2 weeks (refrigerated 2 weeks) May be frozen
Bread, wheat, homemade (polyethelene bag @ 70° F. basement) – 3 days
Bread, white, homemade (polyethelene bag @ 70° F. basement) – 5 days
Butter, dehydrated – 5-8 years
Butter (refrigerated) – 1-2 weeks (frozen 6-9 months) Wrap or cover tightly.
Buttermilk Powder – 24-36 months
Buttermilk (refrigerated) – 10-14 days Cover tightly. Flavor not affected if buttermilk separates.
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Cake Mix (most) – 9-12 months
Cake Mix, Angel Food – 9 months
Cake Mix, Betty Crocker – 8-12 months
Cake Mix, Jiffy – 24 months
Cake Mix, Pillsbury – 18 months
Candy, hard – 24 months
Casseroles, mix – 9-12 months (Keep cool and dry)
Cereals, cooked – 6 months
Cereal, Corn, dry Ready-to-eat – 12 months
Cereal, Cream of Wheat – 12 months
Cereal, Hominy Grits – 12 months
Cereal, Oatmeal – 12 months
Cereal, Processed (in a Box) – 6-12 months
Cereal (Publix) – 12-18 months 1-800-242-1227
Cereal, Quinoa Cereal – 1-3 months
Cereals, Ready-to-cook, oatmeal, etc. – 12 months
Cereals, Ready-to-eat (unopened) – 6-12 months (opened 2-3 months)
Cereals, ready-to-eat (opened) – 2-3 months (Refold package tightly)
Cereal, Rice cereal, dry Ready-to-eat – 12 months
Cereal, Wheat, shredded, dry Ready-to-eat – 12 months
Cheese, Brick (Hard and wax coated) (opened/refrigerated) – 2 months
Cheese, Brick (Hard and wax coated) (unopened/refrigerated) – 3-6 months (frozen 6 months)
Cheese, Cheddar (Hard and wax coated) (opened/refrigerated) – 2 months
Cheese, Cheddar (Hard and wax coated) (unopened/refrigerated) – 3-6 months (frozen 6 months)
Cheese, Cottage cheese (original container @ 38 – 40° F. refrigerator) – 10-15 days
Cheese, Cream cheese (original container @ 38 – 40° F. refrigerator) – 21 days
Cheese, Cream, Neufchatel (refrigerated) – 4 weeks
Cheese, dehydrated – 5-8 years
Cheese, Dry cheeses (original container @ 60 – 70° F. basement) – 3 months
Cheese, Edam (Hard and wax coated) (opened/refrigerated) – 2 months
Cheese, Edam (Hard and wax coated) (unopened/refrigerated) – 3-6 months (frozen 6 months)
Cheese, Gouda (Hard and wax coated) (opened/refrigerated) – 2 months
Cheese, Gouda (Hard and wax coated) (unopened/refrigerated) – 3-6 months (frozen 6 months)
Cheese, natural (vacuum package @ 38 – 40° F. refrigerator) – 6 months
Cheese, Parmesan, grated – 12 months
Cheese, Parmesan, Romano (opened/refrigerated) – 2-4 months
Cheese, Parmesan, Romano (unopened) – 10 months
Cheese, processed (vacuum package @ 38 – 40° F. refrigerator) – 8 months
Cheese, Powdered – 36 months
Cheese, Processed Cheese Products (refrigerated) – 3-4 weeks (frozen 4 months)
Cheese, Ricotta (refrigerated) – 5 days
Cheese spreads/dips (original container @ 38 – 40° F. refrigerator) – 21 days
Cheese, Swiss (Hard and wax coated) (opened/refrigerated) – 2 months
Cheese, Swiss (Hard and wax coated) (unopened/refrigerated) – 3-6 months (frozen 6 months)
Chocolate ( An Import ) – 12 months
Chocolate, Hot Cocoa Mix, Nestles (Individually Wrapped) – 24 months
Chocolate, Nestles Quick – 24 months
Chocolate, Premelted – 12 months Keep cool.
Chocolate, Semi-sweet – 18-24 months Keep cool.
Chocolate syrup, (unopened) – 2 years
Chocolate syrup, (opened) – 6 months (Refrigerate)
Chocolate, Unsweetened – 18 months Keep cool.
Chocolate syrup (opened) – 6 months
Chocolate syrup (unopened) – 24 months
Cocoa – 5 years (in Mylar pouch)
Cocoa mixes – 8 months
Condiments, Catsup – 12-24 months
Condiments, Mustard, prepared yellow (opened) – 6-8 months
Condiments, Mustard, prepared yellow (unopened) – 24 months
Condiments, Mustard, French’s (Jar) – 18 months
Condiments, Mustard, French’s (squeeze bottle) – 12 months
Cookie Mix, Basic – 5+ years (in #10 can with oxygen absorber)
Corn Meal – 6-18 months (Keep tightly closed. Refrigeration may prolong shelf life.)
Corn Starch – 18 months
Corn Starch, Argo – 24 months (indefinitely resealed in a food grade container w/oxygen absorber or vacuum sealed in a food grade bag)
Cream, Half and Half, Light and Heavy (refrigerated) – 7-10 days (frozen 2 months)
Cream, ultra pasteurized (unopened/refrigerated) – 21-30 days
Cream, Sour (refrigerated) – 2 weeks
Cream, Sour, Dips, commercial (refrigerated) – 2 weeks
Creamer, non-dairy, Creamora – 24 months
Creamer, Non-Dairy – 9-36 months
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Drink Mix, Country Time Lemonade – 24 months
Drink Mix, Crystal Light – 24 months
Drink Mix, Fruit, powdered – 10 years (in Mylar pouch)
Drink Mix, Orange – 10+ years (in #10 can with oxygen absorber)
Drink Mix, powdered, Kool Aid, Kraft Foods – 18-24 months 1-800-543-5335
Drink Mix, Tang – 24 months
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Eggs, dehydrated or freeze-dried powdered – 5-8 years
Eggs, fresh (original package @ 38 – 40° F. refrigerator) – 120 days
Eggs, pickled – 1-12 months (cool storage is recommended)
Eggs, powdered – 5+ years (in #10 can with oxygen absorber)
Eggs, processed (original package @ 70° F. cool basement) – 15 months
Extracts; i.e. Vanilla – 18 months
.
Flour, Rice flour – 1-2 months
Flour, White – 6-9 months (some sources say up to 5 years)
Flour, White enriched – 12 months
Flour, White – 5 years (in Mylar pouch)
Flour, Whole-wheat – 6-9 months (some sources say up to 5 years)
Flour, whole wheat graham – 2 weeks
Frosting, canned (opened) – 3 months (Refrigerate)
Frosting Mix – 8-9 months
Fruit, Apples (can), Comstock – 24-36 months 1-800-270-2743
Fruit, Apples, fresh (separated in boxes @ 32° F. mod. moist cellar) – 6 months
Fruit, Apple Chips, dried – 8+ years (in #10 can with oxygen absorber)
Fruit, Apple Slices, Dried – 24 months [8 years (in Mylar pouch)]
Fruit, Applesauce, Motts – 12 months
Fruit, Bananas – 2-3 days (until ripened, then refrigerate)
Fruit, Banana, Dried Chips – 8 months
Fruit, Bananas, fresh (ventilated container @ 60 – 70° F. basement) – 1 week
Fruit, Berries, fresh (ventilated container @ 38 – 40 F. refrigerator) – 1-2 weeks
Fruit, Canned – 12-24 months (in the original container at 70 degrees F. in a dry basement)
Fruit, Canned fruits (original container @ 70° F. dry basement) – 2 years
Fruit, can, Del Monte – 18-26 months
Fruit, can, Comstock – 18-26 months
Fruit, can, Libby’s – 36 months+ 1-888-884-7269
Fruit, Citrus fruit, fresh ventilated container @ 32°F. mode. moist cellar) – 8 weeks
Fruit Cocktail, Canned – 24 months
Fruit, Cherries, Bottled – 24 months
Fruit, Coconut, shredded, canned or packaged – 12 months
Fruits, dried – 6-12 months (Keep cool, in airtight container; if possible)
Fruit, Dehydrated – 6-8 months
Fruit, Dehydrated – 5 years (Hermetically sealed in the absence of oxygen at a stable temperature of 70 degrees F. – They should keep proportionately longer if stored at cooler temperatures.)
Fruit, Dehydrated fruits (air/moisture proof @ 70° F. dry basement) – 8 months
Fruit, Frozen fruits (original container @ 0° F. freezer) – 12 months
Fruit, Jams & Jellies (original container @ 70° F. dry basement) – 18 months
Fruit, Peach, canned – 24 months
Fruit, Peaches, Del Monte – 24-30 months 1-800-543-3090
Fruit, Pear, canned – 24 months
Fruit, Pear halves, Del Monte – 24-30 months 1-800-543-3090
Fruit, Pears, fresh (ventilated container @ 32° F. mod. moist cellar) – 4 months
Fruit, Pie Fillings, Comstock – 18-26 months
Fruit, Pineapple, canned – 24 months
Fruit Smoothie, Del Monte – 12 months
.
Gelatin – 18 months
Gelatin Mixes  18 months
Gelatin, flavored, Jello, Kraft Foods – 24 months
Grain, Barley, Whole (a soft grain) – 5-8 years (at room temperature sealed without oxygen)
Grain, Barley, pearled – 12 months
Grain, Buckwheat (a hard grain) – 10-12 years+ (at room temperature sealed without oxygen)
Grain, Buckwheat (kasha) – 6-12 months
Grain, Corn, Whole, dry – 2-5 years (indefinitely resealed in a food grade container w/oxygen absorber or vacuum-sealed in a food grade bag)
Grain, Corn, Whole, dry (a hard grain) – 10-12 years+ (at room temperature sealed without oxygen)
Grain, Flax (a hard grain) – 10-12 years+ (at room temperature sealed without oxygen)
Grain, Kamut (a hard grain) – 10-12 years+ (at room temperature sealed without oxygen)
Grain, Lentils – 24 months (indefinitely resealed in a food grade container w/oxygen absorber or vacuum sealed in a food grade bag)
Grain, Millet (a hard grain) – 10-12 years+ (at room temperature sealed without oxygen)
Grain, Oat Groats (a soft grain) – 8 years (at room temperature sealed without oxygen)
Grain, Oats – 2-5 years (indefinitely resealed in a food grade container w/oxygen absorber or vacuum sealed in a food grade bag)
Grain, Oats, Rolled (a soft grain) – 1-8 years (at room temperature sealed without oxygen)
Grain, Quinoa, Whole (a soft grain) – 5-8 years (at room temperature sealed without oxygen)
Grain, Rice – 24-48 months (indefinitely resealed in a food grade container w/oxygen absorber or vacuum sealed in a food grade bag)
Grain, Rice, brown  1-6 months
Grain, Rice, white  24-48 months
Grain, Rice, white – 4 years (in Mylar pouch)
Grain, Rice, wild  24-36 months
Grain, Spelt (a hard grain) – 10-12 years+ (at room temperature sealed without oxygen)
Grain, Triticale (a hard grain) – 5-12 years+ (at room temperature sealed without oxygen)
Grain, Wheat, Whole (a hard grain) – 10-12 years+ (at room temperature sealed without oxygen – possibly indefinitely)
Granola – 1-3 months
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Herb, Garlic – 5-8 months (Keep in cool, dry, ventilated area.)
Herbs, ground – 6-36 months (in airtight container in dry place away from sunlight and heat)
Herbs, whole – 12-48 months (in airtight container in dry place away from sunlight and heat)
Herb Leaves, flowers, roots, and other herb parts – 12 months after harvesting (in cool place)
Herbs, Frozen (in freezer bags) – 6 months
Herbs, Green, Leafy – 12-36 months
Herbs, Whole Seeds – 3-4 years
Herb or Spice Extracts – 4 years
Herbs, Seasoning Blends – 12-24 months
Herbal Essential oils – indefinitely
Herbal Extracts (Commercially prepared) – expiration date
Herbal Infusions – Make fresh daily. Store in refrigerator or cool place.
Herbal Decoctions – Consume within 48 hours. Store in refrigerator or cool place.
Herbal tablets or capsules (Commercially prepared) – expiration date
Herbal Tea (comfrey leaf or root) – 24 hours
Herbal Tinctures (Alcohol based) – 2-4 years
Herbal Tinctures (Vinegar based) – 12-24 months
Herbal Tinctures, syrups, and essential oils – Keep for several months or years. Store in dark glass bottles in a cool environment away from sunlight. Store syrup in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Herbal Ointments, creams, and capsules – Keep for several months. Store in dark glass jars (or plastic containers.)
Honey – 12-24 months (Some sources say indefinitely. Gently heat to remove crystallization.)
Honey – indefinitely (in an airtight container at room temperature) (Watch out for additives in the honey. It is possible to buy honey with water and sugar added. This honey generally doesn’t crystallize like pure 100% honey does when stored for a long time. If there are additives, there is no saying how long it will last.)
Hormel (all canned products) – indefinitely in original container
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Ice Cream (frozen) – 1-2 months
Ice Milk (frozen) – 1-2 months
.
Jams – 12-18 months
Jellies – 12-18 months
Juices, can – 12 months
Juice, Apple, Motts – 12 months
Juice, Apple (Whitehouse), Nat’l Fruit Prod. Co. – 24 months 1-800-551-5167
Juice, can, Dole – 24-36 months (800) 232-5942
Juice, Canned fruit juices (original container @ 70° F. dry basement) 24 months
Juice, Dehydrated fruit juice (air/moisture proof @ 70° F. dry basement) – 12 months
Juice, Frozen fruit juices (original container @ 0° F. freezer) – 12 months
Juice, Fruit (canned) – 18-36 months (in a cool, dry place)
Juice, Fruit, Dehydrated – 12 months
Juice, Orange, Bluebird – 24 months 1-800-237-7805
Juice, Pineapple, Del Monte – 18 months
Juice, Snappy Tom Cocktail Juice, Del Monte – 18 months
Juice, Tomato, Del Monte – 24 months 1-800-543-3090
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Ketchup (glass & plastic) – 24 months
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Legumes, bottled or canned – 24-36 months
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Marshmallows – 2-3 months
Marshmallow Creme – 2-3 months
Mayonnaise – 3-4 months
Meat, Beef, canned (original package @ 70° F. cool basement) – 30 months
Meat, Beef, canned (in chunks with natural juices)  30 months
Meat, Beef, Dried, canned – indefinitely
Meat, Beef, dried (can @ 70° F. cool basement) – 18 months
Meat, Beef, fresh (original package @ 38 – 40° F. refrigerator) – 10-14 days
Meat, Beef, frozen (air & moisture proof @ 0° F. freezer) – 10 months
Meat, Beef, Roast, can – indefinitely (in original container)
Meat, canned (most) – 12-36 months unopened (1-2 months opened, refrigerated)
Meat, canned, Tyson – 36 months
Meat, Chicken, canned – 12-36 months
Meat, Chicken Breast, canned  36 months
Meat, Chicken Breast (can), Tyson – 36 months
Meat, Chicken, canned, Tyson – 36 months
Meat, Chili, canned  indefinitely
Meat, Chili w/beans and without, can – indefinitely (in original container)
Meat, Chili w/beans, Hormel – indefinite 1-800-523-4635
Meat, Chili, Seafood Cocktail – 24 months
Meat, Fish or shellfish, canned  12-18 months
Meat, Ham, canned (shelf stable, unopened) – 24 months
Meat, Ham, Country style (unsliced) – 12 months
Meat, Ham Chunks, canned – indefinitely
Meat, Ham, Deviled, can – indefinitely in original container
Meat, Lamb, fresh (original package @ 38 – 40° F. refrigerator) – 7-10 days
Meat, Lamb, frozen (air & moisture proof @ 0° F. freezer) – 8 months
Meat, Pork, cured (vacuum package @ 38 – 40° F. refrigerator) – 4 weeks
Meat, Pork, fresh (original package @ 38 – 40° F. refrigerator) – 4 days
Meat, Pork, frozen (air & moisture proof @ 0° F. freezer) – 4-6 months
Meat, Pork, sausage (original package @ 38 – 40° F. refrigerator) – 4 days
Meat, Poultry, fresh (original package @ 38 – 40° F. refrigerator) – 5 days
Meat, Poultry, frozen (air & moisture proof @ 0° F. freezer) – 8 months
Meat, Seafood, canned  48-60 months
Meat, Spam, canned – indefinitely (in original container)
Meat, Spam, Hormel – Indefinite 1-800-523-4635
Meat substitutes (air & moisture proof @ 0° F. freezer) – 4 months
Meat, Tuna, canned  48-60 months
Meat, Tuna, Starkist – 4-6 years 1-800-252-1587
Meat Turkey, can – 12 months
Meat, Turkey and Gravy canned dinners – indefinitely in original container
Meat, Veal, fresh (original package @ 38 – 40° F. refrigerator) – 6 days
Meat, Veal, frozen (air & moisture proof @ 0° F. freezer) – 8 months
Meat, Vienna Sausage, canned  24 months
Meat, Vienna Sausage, Libby’s – 24 months 1-888-884-7269
Milk Alternate, Morning Moo brand powdered – 5 years in original bag (7 years in bucket) Food storage and gluten-free food products – Augason Farms
Milk, aseptic packaging – Pkg. date
Milk, Canned, Condensed – 12 months
Milk, Canned, Sweetened Condensed – 24-36 months
Milk, Canned, Evaporated – 12-36 months (Invert can every 2 months.)
Milk, Evaporated, Publix – 18-24 months
Milk, Powdered (Instant Non-fat) – 6-15 months
Milk, Powdered (Nonfat dry) – 3 years (in Mylar pouch)
Milk, Powdered (Non-Instant) – 24-48 months
Mixes, Biscuit – 5+ years (in #10 can with oxygen absorber)
Mixes, Bread Mix, White – 5+ years (in #10 can with oxygen absorber)
Mixes, Brownie (most) – 9 months
Mixes, Brownie – 5+ years (in #10 can with oxygen absorber)
Mixes, Cookie mixes – 12 months
Mixes, Cornbread – 5+ years (in #10 can with oxygen absorber)
Mixes, Muffin Mix (most) – 9 months
Mixes, Muffin, Blueberry – 5+ years (in #10 can with oxygen absorber)
Mixes, Muffin Mix, Krusteaze, any flavor except mix for bread machines – 24 months
Mixes, Pancake Mix (most) – 6-9 months
Mixes, Pancake, Buttermilk – 5+ years (in #10 can with oxygen absorber)
Mixes, Pie Crust Mix – 8 months
Mixes, Sweet Roll Mix – 5+ years (in #10 can with oxygen absorber)
Molasses (opened) – 6 months
Molasses (unopened) – 12-24 months
Mushrooms, Freeze Dried, Tone – 24 months
Mushrooms, Green Giant – 48 months
.
Nuts (in the shell)  24 months
Nutmeats (in vacuum can)  3 months
.
Oils (unopened) – 18 months Store in cool place away from heat
Oils (opened) – 6-8 months Store in cool place away from heat
Oil (some) – indefinitely (in original container)
Oil, Canola, Best Foods – 18-24 months 1-800-338-8831
Oil, Corn, Mazola (Best Foods)  18 months from pkg. Date1-800-338-8831
Oil, Olive – 24 months
Oil, Salad – 6-9 months
Olives (canned, unopened) – 1-3 months
.
Pasta – 24 months  to indefinitely
Pasta, American Beauty – 36 months (in original package)
Pasta, Cup-O-Noodles – 24 months
Pasta, Fusilli – 8+ years (in #10 can with oxygen absorber)
Pasta, Macaroni – 8 years (in Mylar pouch)
Pasta, Macaroni & Cheese – 12 months
Pasta Mixes 6 months
Pasta, Noodles & Sauce, Chicken Flavor, Lipton – 24 months
Pasta, Noodles, Fettuccine, Montalcino – 18 months+
Pasta, Penne – 8+ years (in #10 can with oxygen absorber)
Pasta & Sauce, Lipton – 12 months
Pasta-Roni  Exp. Date
Pasta Sauce – 24 months (unopened) (2 weeks opened, refrigerated)
Pasta Sauce – Lipton 5 Brothers – 24 months
Pasta Sauce (Ragu-Jar), Lipton – 24 months 1-800-328-7248
Pasta, Shells – 8+ years (in #10 can with oxygen absorber)
Pasta, Spaghetti – 8 years (in Mylar pouch)
Pasta, Spaghetti – 10+ years vac packed
Pasta, Spaghetti – 18-24 months
Pasta, Spaghetti, Montalcino – 18 months+
Peanut Butter (opened) – 2-3 months Refrigeration prolongs storage time
Peanut Butter (unopened) – 6-24 months Refrigeration prolongs storage time
Peanut Butter (Jif), Proctor & Gamble – 24 months 1-800-543-7276
Peanut Butter, Jiffy – 24 months
Peanut Butter, Skippy – 24 months
Peanuts 24-36 months
Peanuts, Planter’s – 24-36 months 1-800-622-4726
Pectin, Dry – 3 years
Pectin, Liquid – 12-18 months
Pectin, liquid (opened) – 1 month (Refrigerate)
Pickles (canned, unopened) – 1-3 months
Popcorn – 8+ years (in #10 can with oxygen absorber)
Popcorn, both microwaveable and regular – 24 months
Popcorn, whole kernels – 12-24 months
Popcorn, Pops Rite – 24 months
Potato chips (original container @ 70° F. basement) – 1 month
Pudding Mixes  12 months
Pudding Mix, Chocolate or Vanilla – 5 years (in Mylar pouch)
.
Ready Meals, Chicken and Dumplings, can – indefinitely in original container
Ready Meals, Chicken & Dumplings, Sweet Sue – 24 months
Ready Meals, Chicken & Noodles, Sweet Sue – 24 months
Ready Meals, MRE (Meals Ready to Eat)  3-10 years (stored at 80 degrees or cooler)
Rice, flavored or herb mixes 6 months
Rice, Minute Rice, Kraft Foods – 18 months
Rice Mixes – 6 months
Rice, parboiled – 6-12 months (stored unopened in cool, dry place)
Rice, White Emerald – 12 months+
Rice & Sauce, Lipton – 12 months
Rice-a-Roni  Exp. Date
Rye (a soft grain) – 5-8 years (at room temperature sealed without oxygen)
.
Salad dressings, bottled (unopened) – 10-12 months (Store on shelf)
Salad dressings, bottled (opened) – 3 months (Refrigerate after opening)
Salad dressings, made from mix – 2 weeks (Refrigerate, after mixing)
Salt – 24 months (indefinitely resealed in a food grade container w/oxygen absorber or vacuum sealed in a food grade bag)
Salt – indefinitely if stored free of moisture
Sauce, Barbecue – 12 months
Sauce, Chili – 12 months
Sauces, Gravies, powdered mixes (most) – 12 months
Sauce, Hot sauce (commercial) – 24 months
Sauces, powdered mixes (most) – 12 months
Sauce, Salsa (commercial) (unopened) – 12-18 months
Sauces, Sloppy Joe Sauces – 24 months
Sauces (steak, etc.) – 24 months (stored unpacked in cool, dry place)
Sauce, Tabasco Sauce, McIInenny – 5 years
Sauce, Worcesterhire (commercial) – 24 months
Sherbet (frozen) – 1-2 months
Shortenings, solid – 8 months
Shortening, Crisco, Proctor & Gamble – Indefinite 1-800-543-7276
> Shortening, Crisco – indefinitely (in original container)
Shortening, Powdered – 5+ years (in #10 can with oxygen absorber)
Soup Base, Tone – 10 years
Soup, Bear Creek – 36 months (435) 654-2660
Soup Broth, Chicken Broth, Swanson – 18 months
Soup, Campbell – 18-24 months 1-800-871-0988
Soup, canned – 3+ years
Soup, Country Kitchen – 36 months
Soup, Progresso – 36 months 1-800-200-9377
Soup Mix, Chicken Noodle, Bear Creek – 18 months
Soup mix (dry) (most) – 12 months
Soup Mix, dry – 5 years (in Mylar pouch)
Spaghetti Sauces – 24 months
Spices – 24 months (indefinitely resealed in a food grade container w/oxygen absorber or vacuum sealed in a food grade bag)
Spices, ground – 6 months (in airtight container in dry place away from sunlight and heat)
Spices, whole – 12-24 months (in airtight container in dry place away from sunlight and heat)
Spice, Cinnamon sticks, whole – 24 months+ (in airtight container in dry place away from sunlight and heat)
Spice, Cloves, whole – 24 months+ (in airtight container in dry place away from sunlight and heat)
Spice, Nutmeg, whole – 24 months+ (in airtight container in dry place away from sunlight and heat)
Stew, Beef, Dinty Moore – 24-36 months 1-800-523-4635 (some sources say indefinitely in original container)
Sugar – 24 months (indefinitely resealed in a food grade container w/oxygen absorber or vacuum sealed in a food grade bag)
Sugar – indefinitely if stored free of moisture
Sugar, Brown – 4-18 months
Sugar, Confectioners – 18-48 months
Sugar, Granulated 24-48 months (indefinitely resealed in a food grade container w/oxygen absorber or vacuum sealed in a food grade bag)
Sugar, Granulated – 20+ years (in Mylar pouch)
Sweetener, Artificial – 24 months
Syrups – 12 months (Refrigerate, after opening)
.
Tapioca – 12 months (stored unopened in cool, dry place)
Toaster pastries – 2-3 months (Keep in airtight package)
TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) Meat substitute (bacon bits) – 4 months (Keep tightly closed)
TVP, unflavored – 5+ years (in #10 can with oxygen absorber)
.
Vanilla Extract (opened) – 12-18 months
Vanilla Extract (unopened) – 24 months
Vegetables, Beets, fresh (ventilated box @ 32° F. moist pit or cellar) – 6 months
Vegetables, Cabbage, fresh (ventilated box @ 32° F. mod. moist pit/cellar) – 6 months
Vegetables, canned – 24-48 months (unopened)
Vegetables, Canned veggies original container @ 70° F. dry basement) – 2 years
Vegetables, can, Bush Beans Brand – 26 months
Vegetables, can, Del Monte – 24 months
Vegetables, can, Green Giant – 24 months
Vegetables, can, Progresso – 24 months
Vegetables, Carrots, fresh (ventilated boxes/bags @ 32° F. moist pit or cellar) – 6 months
Vegetables, Carrots, dehydrated – 10 years (in Mylar pouch)
Vegetables, Corn, canned 24-36 months
Vegetables, Corn, can, Green Giant – 36 months
Vegetables, Corn, can (whole & creamed), Del Monte – 24 months 1-800-543-3090
Vegetables, Dark green, fresh (flexible package @ 38 – 40° F. refrigerator) – 7 days
Vegetables, Dehydrated veggies (air/moisture proof @ 70° F. dry basement) – 8 months
Vegetables, Dehydrated – 8-12 (at room temperature sealed without oxygen)
Vegetables, dehydrated flakes – 6 months
Vegetables, Green Beans, Del Monte – 24-30 months 1-800-543-3090
Vegetables, Hominy – 12 months
Vegetables, Libby’s – 36 months+ 1-888-884-7269
Vegetables, misc. fresh veggies (flexible package @ 38 – 40° F. refrigerator) – 1-2 weeks
Vegetables, Onions, dry – 2-4 weeks (Keep in cool, dry, ventilated area.)
Vegetables, Onions, dehydrated – 8 years (in Mylar pouch)
Vegetables, Onions, fresh, dry (net bag @ 32° F. cool, dry area) – 6 months
Vegetables, Peas, dry – 12-24 months (indefinitely resealed in a food grade container w/oxygen absorber or vacuum sealed in a food grade bag)
Vegetables, Peas, dry – 8+ years (in #10 can with oxygen absorber)
Vegetables, Pillsbury – 24 months 1-800-328-6787
Vegetables, Potato, canned (original container 70° F. dry basement) – 30 months
Vegetables, Potato, dehydrated (original package @ 70° F. dry basement) -30 months
Vegetables, Potato Flakes – 3+ years (in #10 can with oxygen absorber)
Vegetables, Potatoes, fresh 4 weeks (Keep dry and away from sun. Keep about 50 degrees for longer storage.)
Vegetables, Potato, fresh (ventilated boxes/bags @ 35 – 40° F. mod. moist pit/cellar) – 6 months
Vegetables, Potato, frozen ) original package @ 0° F. freezer) – 8 months
Vegetables, Potatoes, sweet 2 weeks (Do not refrigerate sweet potatoes.)
Vegetables, Potato, sweet, fresh (ventilated boxes/bags @ 55 – 60° F. dry) – 6 months
Vegetables, Potatoes, Instant 6-12 months
Vegetables, Potatoes, Instant – 3 years (in Mylar pouch)
Vegetables, Potatoes, Instant, Idahoan (in a can) – indefinitely (in original container)
Vegetables, Pumpkin, fresh (ventilated box @ 55° F. mod. dry basement) – 6 months
Vegetables, Squash, pumpkin – 6 months
Vegetables, Squash, acorn – 6 months
Vegetables, Squash, spaghetti – 6 months
Vegetables, Squash, butter-nut – 6 months
Vegetables, Squash, winter, fresh (ventilated box @ 55° F. mod. dry basement) – 6 months
Vegetables, Tomatoes, canned 30-36+ months (unopened) (2-3 days opened, refrigerated)
Vegetables, Tomatoes, can, Crushed, Flavored Diced – 24 months
Vegetables, Tomatoes, can, Diced, Wedge, Stewed, Whole – 30 months
Vegetables, Tomatoes, can, No Salt Added Stewed – 18 months
Vegetables, Tomatoes, fresh ripe (flexible package @ 38 – 40° F. refrigerator) – 2 weeks
Vegetables, Tomatoes, green (flexible package @ 55 – 70° F. mod. dry basement) – 4 – 6 weeks
Vegetables, Tomatoes, Libby’s – 36 months+ 1-888-884-7269
Vegetables, Tomato Paste – 30 months
Vegetables, Tomato Powder – 5+ years (in #10 can with oxygen absorber)
Vegetables, Tomato Sauce – 12-24 months (unopened) (3 days opened, refrigerated)
Vinegar (opened) – 12 months
Vinegar (unopened) – 24 months (some sources say indefinitely in original container)
.
Yeast – 24 months (or expiration date on package)
Yeast (Fleischman’s), Freshlike – 24 months 1-800-435-5300
Yeast, Fleischmans (800) 777-4959 Date is stamped. If you use it past the stamped date, you must first “PROOF” it. Proof it by bringing ¼ cup of water to the temperature in the instructions on the back. Stir in 1 tsp. of sugar and one packet of yeast. After five minutes it should begin to bubble. At the end of 10 minutes, it should have a rounded crown of foam on it. If this happens, yeast is active. (Be sure to deduct ¼ cup of liquid from your recipe)

We use our best judgment NOT the date stamped on a can or box.!

 

(Survival manual/ Prepper articles/ Food expiration dates)

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Monday, September 15, 2014 · 12:10 AM

Normalcy Bias

(Survival Manual/ Prepper articles/ Normalcy Bias)

A.  America Has Fallen Victim To The Normalcy Bias, Do You Suffer From Normalcy Bias?
25 Jan 2013, BeforeItsNews.com
Excerpt pasted from: http://beforeitsnews.com/education/2013/01/america-has-fallen-victim-to-the-normalcy-bias-do-you-suffer-from-normalcy-bias-video-2442598.html

AENThe Normalcy Bias condition is well known to psychologists and sociologists. It refers to a mental state of denial in which individuals enter into when facing a disaster or pending danger. Normalcy Bias leads people to underestimate and minimize both the possibility of a catastrophe actually happening, as well as its possible consequences to their health and safety.

The Normalcy Bias often results in situations where people fail to prepare for a likely and impending disaster. The Normalcy Bias leads people believe that since something has never happened before, that it never will happen. Therefore, like an infant with a security blanket we cling to our habitual, repetitive, and normal way of life, despite overwhelming proof that serious danger lies ahead.

The Normalcy Bias is part of human nature and, to some extent, we are all guilty of participating in it. Unfortunately, the Normalcy Bias inhibits our ability to cope with a disaster once it is underway. People with Normalcy Bias have difficulty reacting to something they have not experienced before. The Normalcy Bias also leads people to interpret warnings and to inaccurately reframe information in order to project an optimistic outcome which leads to the person to infer a less serious situation. In short, it is kind of a pain-killing drug which numbs a person to an impending danger.
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B.  50 Signs That Human Civilization Is In BIG Trouble: “Times Have Become Strange, Disturbing and Frightening”
4 Aug 2014, SHTFplan.com, by Be Informed
Pasted from: http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/50-signs-that-human-civilization-is-in-big-trouble-times-have-become-strange-disturbing-and-frightening_08042014

 Editor’s Note: The signs of collapse are all around us. From naturally occurring phenomenon to man-made influence, one can’t help but notice that something just isn’t right with the world. Most people ignore the possibilities, often making up excuses for why they shouldn’t be preparing for a significant change to our way of life. But the evidence, as outlined in the following analysis by long-time SHTFplan Community contributor Be Informed, suggests that failing to prepare for it could have a horrific outcome. 

normalcy bias1It is not just you that has seen that life has begun to stink for the human population around the globe.  Like a sick person there are symptoms of a much more aggressive underlying condition that can become or IS terminal.  Life is not just like it was a generation or two ago.  This is not just some sort of nostalgic longing for people’s youth.

Times have become strange, disturbing and frightening for most.  Even the most elderly and long lived of the people can tell you that during their lifetimes there has not been such a disconnect with the dreams of people and their futures looking bright.

A negative cloud hangs over human civilization and the following 50 examples show why we all should be quite unsettled.

  1. Fukushima. This is a catastrophe that is poisoning the regional western Pacific Ocean that will become worldwide sooner than later unless repaired or contained. [You do understand that the problem at Fucushima is NOT contained and is threatening a much worse disaster to humanity than the tidal wave did to Japan. Mr Larry]
  2. Bee and butterfly die off. Butterflies are the canary in the coal mine warning of a toxic environment.  Bees are the difference between food and about 1/2 less the needed amount we all depend on if bees are not around to pollinate flowers.  Bees help fuel the agriculture industry.
  3. Genetically modified foods and poor unhealthy livestock.  We are not meant to eat frankenstein food that our bodies don’t recognize or don’t properly assimilate.  Eating animals that are shot full of chemicals or that eat GMO foods or other substandard feed is a human health problem starting with all forms of cancer.
  4. Lack of arable land.  At a certain point people won’t be able to grow enough food to feed the world.  This is normally reached at between 1500-2000 people per square mile of arable land.  Right now the world stands at about 1400 people per square mile of arable land.
  5. Antibiotic resistant diseases. This is very serious for humans as a very contagious and highly fatal bacteria could wipe out massive numbers.  It is also an issue with animals on the farm and plant life people depend on to consume.  An agricultural blight would be just as devastating as centuries ago if uncontrollable.  People go hungry.
  6. Chemical poisoning of the water ways.  This is from the creeks to the streams to rivers and lakes to the ocean.  Clean water is necessary for health.  Food sources are being contaminated at a very alarming rates from toxins all around the world.
  7. Fresh water scarcity.  One only has to look to the American Southwest to see just how important fresh water is and what any drought can do.  Famine becomes more and more likely when someone cannot give crops enough water.  Cities can cease to function without enough water.
  8. Toxic processed foods being the normal staple people eat.  Junk food by any name, people become extremely malnourished which causes an overwhelmed health care system.  People simple don’t function well when they live on bad food.
  9. Super germs, both human, animal, and plant. There are life forms in the plant and animal kingdom that go extinct all the time.  Recently Ebola has become more virulent, new diseases such as MERS shows an increase of the chance of a super pathogen killing off large percentages.
  10. Human beings becoming more frail. Lack of good food, proper exercise, clean safe water and food has helped create a creme puff type of people.  These people lack hardiness and will wither in the face of any real hardship.
  11. Invasive introduction of species not meant to be part of certain ecosystems. People continue to accidentally or on purpose bring in plants, animals, and germs into places that just can’t handle them.  Look at the Burmese Python snake in Florida that has decimated the animal life there.  Asian fish and mollusk species into American waters have caused horrible damage.
  12. Pharmacentical poisoning of humans. MEDS, as people call them, have caused side effect after side effect and left exploding health care costs that have bankrupted individuals all over the place.  On top of this it has left the population in a state of being almost half dead.
  13. Over vaccinations. There is still much debate over Autism and vaccinations being the cause, but why is it necessary to overtax our immune systems with every practical inoculation against every disease ever thought of?  Especially something someone has extremely little chance of ever catching?
  14. Difficulty in maintaining proper crop production. In many areas the ground is no longer able to sustain itself because of over fertilizing creating a brine of salt and other minerals.  More and more already scarce water to help water down the soil becomes necessary.  Plants suffer disease and need even more fertilizer treatments to give out a decent crop.  These plants also need more pesticides.
  15. Expansions of human settlements into known disaster areas. Much of these terrible calamities such as intense flooding can be avoided by proper planning and never putting buildings into known danger areas such as flood plains.  This expansion continues at an alarming rate each year.
  16. Little or no protection given to people’s businesses and homes from catastrophes.  Flood walls, buildings constructed to better withstand earthquakes, pre-established fire breaks, etc.  The whole country and other countries are mostly still at the mercy of Mother Nature because of lack of insight to safeguard property.  See #1 Fukushima.
  17. Crumbling infrastructure. Someone can drive around and see all the bridges and roads in desperate need of repair or replacement.  The power grids and nuclear plants are at the top of the lists in need of help, and would cripple the country if and when they fail.
  18. Over populating urban areas worldwide. This is a problem that is waiting to become a cataclysm should the economy collapse or other widespread disaster occur.  Large cities depend entirely on outside aid to continue to operate.  Without this, large cities die and with them most of the people that live there.  Congestion is adding much to the stress level of hundreds of millions from these concentrated number of people living like matchsticks on top of each other.
  19. Almost total inability of most people to adapt to harsh change. A sudden drop off of “necessary” reliances have put most people on the brink of individual collapse when what they need is not there for them for days, weeks, months or longer.
  20.  Failure of solutions and problems. Like Fukushima, other big problems are lost for concern as there is a near universal acceptance of just living with it no matter how terrible it is.
  21. People depending on safety nets to bail them out of ALL circumstances. So many now just know that no matter what happens, the government, FEMA, or other agency will save them.  People have become reliant on others that might or might not be there.  Setting up for failure.
  22. No monetary accountability. As people care less and less, future financial disasters build up steam and are allowed to get worse.  New 2008-09 type economic collapses become more likely as phantom money and fudged numbers go by without much thought about what is really happening.
  23. Exploding debt.  The U.S. debt is following E to the X expansion in which inflation not only becomes hyper, but infinite and limitless.  This is the way expontential E to X works as the line of increase starts out gentle and almost flat and grows to almost 90 degree vertical increase.
  24. More percentage of world’s money in less percentage of the people’s hands. Money simply means power, and less people have this power.  This means fewer people with more control over more people, a lot more control.
  25. Main stream media and government deception. Most people are naive and even more so want to think everything is rosy and wonderful.  We are being fed a constant stream of information that doesn’t begin to scratch the surface just how awful things are and how close to everything falling apart life as we know it is.
  26. Lack of privacy and government intrusion into our lives. Besides the drone problem, you just have to ask how much NSA and others pries into our private lives and makes honest good citizens into suspects of everything and anything.
  27. People wanting to be linked up to everything. While people complain about the government looking in like peeping Toms at others’ lives, the public wants to be connected with everything.  This is opening all sorts of windows to everyone’s lives that they’d rather not have others observing.
  28. Credit cards and taking physical money from society. Cashless societies means that every single thing someone purchases is monitored.  One thing bought could send your friendly neighborhood Gestapo to your door to see why you purchased what you did.  People depend more on plastic cards than anytime in history.  This also of course leads to bankrupt type debt from so many that are irresponsible with credit.
  29. Allowing a machine or government to do someone’s thinking for them.  People will not even act on anything anymore without asking their SMART phone to do everything for them.  They rather have those in authority tell them how to think and behave, it is far easier.
  30. Total dependence on technology and gadgets.  People cannot function the most rudimentry tasks or problems anymore.  Mental laziness is gripping this world.
  31. Lack of concern for anyone but oneself.  Self indulgence and living for the moment at other people’s expense.  Just look at the most popular word now filtering around the world, SELFIE.
  32. Worship and practice of weirdness and perversion. There is a loss of wholesomeness that was once praised and admired.  The following of these music idols shows this all too well.
  33. Human self mutilations. You look at some of the face jewelry that pierces their lips and cheeks that looks like some has been blasted by shrapnel and you wonder how anyone would want to look like they were hit by some suicide bomber.  A trendy look that is a frightening example of how much certain people dislike or hate their bodies and lives.
  34. Listlessness and stagnation of humans. There is a strong lack of any drive in people anymore.  Like a sloth people just exist and wander around like zombies oblivious to much around them.
  35. Political correctness and conformity. This is a plague, as people are losing their rights to say anything that might be offensive to anyone.  The First Amendment is dying slowly in front of our eyes.  It doesn’t matter how well thought out or true something is, only that NO ONE has hurt feelings from what is said.
  36. Taking people out of the decision making processes. As technology grows so does the elimination of people.  This is not only job losses, but allows fewer and fewer to make important decisions in business, military, and everyday life.  It sets up for failure that is not easily correctable when the status quo does flop.
  37. Destruction of people’s rights as humans and as life forms to defend themselves.  Those that would attempt to control everyone by forcing their idealism of what means to be civilized is the taking away of people’s self defense all over the world.  Some areas even prohibit the use of your own personal body to save yourself from being brutally attacked.
  38. Numbness of other people suffering. Even to the point of enjoyment of seeing others in pain, sadism is becoming more intense each day.  Music songs talk about this barbarism all the time.  Pain for everyone is the new norm that individuals are gravitating towards like a moth towards fire.
  39. People’s lack of convictions.  Just look at the 90% disapproval ratings given to the U.S. congress.  Each election cycle however the same politicians that get so much hate and flank are re-elected over and over again.  Most people talk and that is it.
  40. Indifference and falling apart of the family unit. There has been, over the course of humanity, much strength and security in families.  This is dying off as families have grown so far apart that they interact only for short amounts of time each day with each other.  A common response to this is a cop out – we have to let others live their own lives.
  41. Escapism. Human beings are so miserable with the horrors of the world that they take drugs, create fake worlds of fantasies in video games, and do anything they can to get away from it.
  42. Death of the human conscience.  This is one of the most distressing of human problems that there is.  People have lost that special side of them that defines wrong and right.  Morality is way more than what others tell you what is correct, it is knowing what is fair and just towards others.
  43. Widespread unhappiness, depression, despair, fear, anger, and hopelessness. Those that choose not to escape from this, deal with this ugliness each day.  The stress level of so many is higher than anytime in history.
  44. Increase of rampant insanity. Whether it is from brain chemistry toxins or just human beings losing it, lunacy is becoming commonplace everywhere.  Then 2nd Amendment rights are vilified and blamed on firearms rather than the person that needs mental help and would have used some other tool to murder others anyway.
  45. Loopholing of long established laws and freedoms. All over the world peoples’ rights are being attacked by their government to gain more control.  This is fueled further by the majority of the population accepting and supporting this power grab.   Many in the U.S. actually want to rewrite the Constitution, something that has worked remarkably well for more than 200 years.
  46. Terrorism and other mass attacks becoming easier and easier.  With technological advancement comes the ability to manufacture very deadly weapons of mass destruction.  The worst of any of these are biological weapons that can kill millions or billions, not just directed at humans, but possibly at livestock and crops.
  47. Willingness of countries to fight over less and less. Natural resource depletion, especially fresh clean water, has always been a war starter.  Now with so much less to go around it has become an even larger issue.
  48. Many so called leaders now feel that nuclear war is winnable or the ONLY option. Nuclear weapons are now on more of a hair trigger than they have been for decades.  Countries are itching for a fight like North Korea and China against Japan and South Korea. Those that are overmatched in conventional weapons feel they can make this up with nuclear warheads.  Human civilization is almost living on borrowed time with this one.
  49. Intensification of religious hatred. In the past few years peoples’ disgust towards each other based on their religious belief has grown to the most dangerous level in decades and is continuing to get worse.  Look at all the examples of savage attacks based solely on someone’s faith every week.
  50. Lack of preparation by 99%+ of the population. This is something that should be of grave concern to everyone.  People are simply not ready for the next human catastrophe, which will eventually come violently.

Number 50 is the most essential.  It is a simple choice by an individual if they want to have a chance to live for themselves and their families and see through a SHTF disaster, or die a hard ugly death.

There are countless more than 50 abominations that humans are rotting through now.  It is the choice of the individual to either attempt to do something about the storm that will come, or live in self denial that this could ever happen.

Do you live in a world where your government will come to the rescue like the cavalry? A world where you need not self prepare for anything because 9-1-1 calls will link help within minutes?
Or have you come to terms with the fact that, as we saw during Hurricane Katrina, you will be totally on your own and failure to prepare will leave you without food, water, or anything else necessary to survive?
A lot of problems with human civilization add up in the future to a collapse of most of everything we depend on.
The choice is up to each individual, as the signs of impending big problems in the future cannot be dismissed no matter how far in ground someone wants to bury the truth.

C.  The Reality of Survival: “Forget Good Guys and Bad Guys… The Prepared Guys Win”
21 July 2014, SHTFplan.com, by Selco
Pasted from: http://www.shtfplan.com/emergency-preparedness/the-reality-of-survival-forget-good-guys-and-bad-guys-the-prepared-guys-win_07212014

The following article has been generously contributed by Selco of the SHTF School web site. For those who have never seen Selco’s work, he’s the real deal. He was there in the 1990′s when his city in the Balkans was surrounded by a hostile army. From one day to the next life as he and those around him knew it had changed drastically. The media, of course, told people that everything would be fine. But As Selco highlighted in a previous article, the reality of collapse was brutal. Peace and stability very quickly turned to war and madness. He details his experience in his One Year in Hell survival course. In the article below, Selco shares his views on what it means to survive when your entire way of life has been cut off from the rest of the world. 

Do you want to know what it’s really like when it hits the fan? Then keep reading.

normalcy bias2

 Survival Among Humans By Selco
TV news and internet are covered with headlines like “shocking, captured Iraqis beheaded” or “they are killing everyone on their way” and “prisoners executed” and similar.
And folks who watch and comment on the news and videos who still live in a “normal” world without this kind of craziness going on, are shocked of course.

First comments are that those people and groups who are doing that are animals and they need to be “bombed to stone age”, or “they are not deserving better anyway” and then goes “they are all same there, let them kill each other” and similar.

While I would definitely like to see that fanatics getting “eradicated” there, there are more things that should be considered.
Most of the folks are not going to watch video of that violence, because it is too much for them they will change channel, or simply open the page with news from the “celebrity world.”
People do not want to watch or think about bad things, people want to forget that, and yes, at the end there comes again that famous “it cannot happen to us” idea.

  • Do you really think that when (not if) SHTF events would be much different in your part of the world?
  • Do you think that when collapse happens, you and people around you in your town will be somehow able to organize food distribution, security and safety for residents, and all those criminals and sick bastards will somehow disappear, and there is going to be new better society?
  • Are you under the influence of movies and you think that good guys win almost always and that there is justice and sense in everything?

I hope you do not because I highly doubt anything like this is going to happen anywhere.
Forget good guys and bad guys. Prepared guys win, they can be good or bad, or both.
Problem is in the fact that simply too many people are waiting for S. to hit the fan so they can go out and play their own version of God. Just ask yourself this question: Who is more experienced living in place without any law, criminals or regular folks?

 Criminals, sick folks, small Napoleons, guys who suddenly think that they have solution for building new society without including morale in story…
There are guys who wait for SHTF to go out and rule, to take your food, enslave you, recruit your older kids, or to take your wife maybe for fun.

Maybe how and when everything happens in your neighborhood would be different when SHTF then in those news articles that we talking about, but lot of things gonna be the same, lot of people, not enough resources, and fight for power.

 It is often hard to imagine for regular people how nasty other humans can become. If you have been to prison, war or deal a lot with criminals you know better.
And again, I am taking this from my own experience. Again.

 One day I had job, family, car, restaurants, cinema, girlfriends, I was listening Guns n Roses and was angry about last album of Metallica. Life was nice and good to me, I had problems but they were in the range of am I lazy to go and rent video tape, or just spent afternoon reading something.
Then BAM!
I suddenly realized that I am living among guys who are finding amusement in taking women and teenage girls to “rape prisons”, or kill for fun and not for survival. I suddenly realized that I was living all the time among whole bunch of weird sick folks who when SHTF just went out to have fun.

And yes, I heard and read many times “they are just different down there, they are all the same, let them kill each other, they are different.”
And I am sure that if tomorrow SHTF in Sweden, there s gonna be folks who gonna write “oh, leave them, they are animals anyway, not like we here, they are different.“
It is the easy answer. It feels good to think like that.

But forget that, forget about image of “we are nice and decent folks here, and it is impossible to happen to us, these kind of atrocities.”

 Be prepared.

Whenever someone I know tells me about bad situation here something like “OH, it is gonna be OK, it is not gonna happen to us, situation will be better,” in that same moment I get a strong urge to go out and buy more ammo.
Or whenever someone says to me “do not worry, we have system here, they gonna take care of everything,” I feel like I am gonna throw up.

Screw the system, you need to build your own system.
It is like people live in their own little pretty house. Outside you have monsters knocking on windows looking at the people inside but they look away. Facing reality is uncomfortable and most believe monsters never come in. Bad news is that closing your eyes does not make you invincible. You are just blind and more vulnerable.

 Lesson here is, do not discount what you can learn from ongoing crisis half way around the world. I never expected people could turn into monsters all around me so fast, I adapted and survived, but you have chance today to understand this and be prepared for this.

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Thursday, September 4, 2014 · 12:10 AM

Bartering your supplies

(Survival Manual/2. Social Issues/Bartering your supplies)

A.  When the supply line is broken
Bartering is an effective way to get goods and services and basically cut out the middle man. In really hard times, we would be looking to increase these exchanges and find ways to get things done, to feed, clothe and whatever else would be needed- without spending cash.
In a “worst case” economic situation or extreme hyperinflation, bartering goods and services could become an essential family survival strategy.  Having pre-stocked  raw material and manufactured goods that would become scarce will put you in a position to barter for those things you need and don’t have.

•  Crisis Duration
During a short-term crisis that isolates people from goods & services, bartering will probably be done with cash for goods or by simple exchanges of food items.  If you are sure the crisis will be short-lived you can consider providing goods at very low barter cost to assist those in great need.  This will create a tremendous amount of local good will for you during and after the crisis.
Long duration crisis will be evident by a collapse of the national economy that affects production, storage and transportation of goods.  Consider the various natural phases of a long-term crisis when deciding what skills to learn and what goods to pre-stock in preparation.  What will become scarce?
What will people need during each phase?  What goods should be held back for the next phases? What essential material can be refurbished and repaired using low-tech methods and tools?  What geographic specific goods and services will be needed?  As an evaluation example: there will not be much survival demand for a wood stove fabrication capability in Southern Florida.

•  Value of Goods
The value of your trade goods will be determined by essential need and perceived scarcity.  The value of goods will also change over the duration of the crisis as needs, conditions and availability change.
•  Early Phases
Early on there will be some goods that disappear quickly, some will be essential while others will soon become the new luxury items.  When was the last time you considered a bar of soap a luxury or even a necessity that you had to ration?  As bartering becomes more prevalent after the big crunch, you will have to be able to decide, what to barter and when.

•  Alternate Options
When some goods will become scarce or not available, there may be viable alternatives to replace them.  When toilet paper disappears, newspaper will be in demand.  Homemade soap will soon replace dwindling stock of mass-produced soap – homemade disinfectant soap will be the most valuable.  With no electrical power, being able to make candles and candle lanterns can be a money-making skill. As time passes, there will be less and less pre-crisis manufactured consumable goods. Tools and other non-consumables will break and wear out.
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B.  Top 12 Barter Goods for WTSHTF
1.  Water Purification Supplies – Does this really need an explanation?
2.  Prescription Medications – Yes, this is a difficult one to stock up on, but if you come across them in the post-apocalyptic world – SNAG ‘EM. What do you think you could trade a bottle of nitro pills for with someone who has a heart condition? If you require prescription medications I would strongly advise you consult with your physician about obtaining a few month’s extra supplies.
3.  Fuel – We’re talking all types: gas, diesel, propane, firewood, etc. Can you have too much? No, so you’ll likely keep it for yourself, but if you DID need something that you hadn’t already acquired, fuel will be a great commodity for bartering.
4.  Guns –Yes, they’re expensive, but there are MANY people out there who are averse to owning a gun, but once TEOTWAWKI hits, their minds will quickly change. They’re expensive, yes, but to someone that’s unarmed, a single-shot shotgun and a box of shells will be worth its weight in gold.
5.  Ammo– America is the most heavily armed nation in the world, but I seriously question how many people actually maintain an adequate supply of ammunition for those guns. Think about it, how many people do you know that go out and buy a few boxes of shells before hunting season starts?  They don’t have an adequate supply should SHTF. You can have all the guns in the world, but if you can’t load them with bullets – they’re useless. Stock up on common calibers (.22, 9mm, .45, .223, 12 gauge and .308) and you’ll find yourself in high demand with people who need rounds. Now, the flip side of this is do you really want to give away ammunition that might be used against you? You’ll have to decide this depending on the exact SHTF circumstances.
6.  Survival Books – Books with good information will be huge. They’re EMP-proof and don’t require electricity to run (unlike the pc you’re using). I advise you to at least print and save the pages of this Survival Manual.
7.  Batteries – Stock as many as you can use while rotating stock and staying within the recommended life span. A better idea is to stock a few crank radios and flashlights.
8.  Soap, Bleach and Cleaning Agents – Your local grocery store won’t be open. These items are critical for maintaining health and hygiene.
9.  Cast Iron Cookware – People that run out of fuel will be cooking over an open fire – situations that call for cast iron. Settlers used it for a reason.
10.  Survival Seeds – This would be for the pro-longed SHTF situation. Their value will be infinite.
11.  Garden and Hand Tools – Those left alive will suddenly become gardeners and carpenters, whether they like it or not.
12.  Canning Supplies – How will people survive the non-growing season without these?

Some items I’d like to cover that are not included above:
•   Silver and Gold Coins – A lot of people advocate purchasing these for bartering purposes, but their value is entirely dependent on the situation. If you’re lost in the desert for 14 days, would you rather have a gallon of water or 4 bars of gold? Precisely my point. When the cataclysm hits people WILL NOT look for silver and gold coins, they’ll be looking for the items mentioned above.
•   Booze – Yes, alcoholics will do flips and twists for it when they run dry, but what will your typical alcoholic have to offer in trade? Think about it. While I would appreciate a stiff shot of Jack Daniels post-Doomsday, I wouldn’t waste my time stocking up on it for bartering purposes. That being said, if you do drink, and you have a pantry stocked with food, it’d certainly be worthwhile to add the booze of your choice to the shelves and rotate stock. Remember: Shop in your pantry for dinner, shop at the store for your pantry.
•   Toilet Paper –Don’t waste valuable storage space to stock amounts much beyond your typical household needs.
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C.  Internet Blog respondents list what they feel would be important barter items.
Blogger 1:  My wife and I have been talking about things you can not go a day without. 1. toilet paper, 2. hand and bath soap, 3. tooth paste and brush. That is just a beginning. I think the next time we go to the BOL [bug out location] We will have to stock up on these items. I’m thinking a case or half case of each.

Blogger 2:  -Ammo  -Pedialyte  -Canned Goats Milk of Baby Formula -Dried Beans and Rice. This is a big no brainer, because you can have so many portions in such a small area of storage. But it could also be a form of currency if neighbors or others are starving. Start a little black market with dried goods. Only carry small amounts so if your life is threatened -Pain Relievers, and other medicines. I think a small stockpile of medicines is a MUST have if not just for personal use, but for the ability to make amazing personal benefit from it -Fire wood  -Shoes or Boots.

Blogger 3:  I was thinking of the following items: Sweeteners (sugar, honey, molasses, etc…), BIC lighters, vegetable  seeds, OTC medicines, duct tape.

Blogger 4:  In a crisis of months duration, with supply disruptions many people would probably desire the simple things that remind them of being human and civil that currently take for granted.
– I believe toiletries, especially soap, will be highly desirable. When I go shopping, I especially like buying extra tooth-brushes/paste, mineral oil, alcohol (isopropyl), hydrogen-peroxide.
– Coffee. Bean or ground.

Blogger 5:  I like batteries as a barter item. A few common types, but mostly the expensive lithium-ion variety. NiCd, NiMH, Alkaline and old-style carbon-Zn batteries all only have a shelf life of a few years. Lithium batteries last 10 yrs or more. Solar battery chargers are another interesting item, although they’re a little big (charging batteries could be an interesting service to provide). Flashlights, too, esp. the modern compact extra-bright variety. – it wouldn’t hurt to have a few hundred to a thousand candles stashed away, if there is an EMP candles will be in great demand. Matches might also be good.

Blogger 6:  Bathroom products such as soap, shampoo, toothpaste, shaving cream, deodorant would be good for trade. Toilet paper will be high up there too. All cheap stuff to get today and last a long time. I can’t help but think that keeping an extra bicycle or two around would be worth their weight in gold.

Blogger 7:  90% silver is popular with the SHTF crowd. Makes good barter material. Can’t trade a K’rand for a bag of apples. But a 90% dime will be worth about $7.25 if silver goes to $100.  So make sure your PM is in small denominations if you intend to barter with it. My ‘survival mentor’ says…”to prepare for the unthinkable one must first think the unthinkable”.

Blogger 8: I would have to go with salt, that’s right plain old salt. I’ve spent a decent amount of time in areas with no/or sporadic electrical services, and have witnessed people getting around this by using salt to preserve extra food, and it takes A LOT of salt. Sugar would be a hot item as well.

Blogger 9: Here is a list of worthy additions to a “barter list”:
Seeds: general garden  Bottled water  Food of any kind – especially those in cans and jars, in small quantities
Alcohol  Matches  Candles
Batteries: primarily AA, AAA, 9 volt  Flashlights  Blankets
Radio  Condoms  First aid kits
Soap Tooth brush  Toothpaste
Water containers  Water filters or any kind  Propane
Mess kits/cookware  Tools of any kind – especially those most common (hammers, saws, hand drills, screwdrivers, etc.)  Nails and screws
Toilet paper  Aluminum foil  Rope/cord/string
Small notebooks, wooden pencils/ink pens Clothes pins
Fishing line and hooks/lures  Bug spray/insect repellent  Duct tape
Tarps  Bleach  First aid kits & supplies
Knives & sharpening stones/supplies  Ammunition (be careful with this one)  Razors for shaving
Clothing of  any kind – especially socks/underwear  Work gloves  Coffee/Tea/Flavored drink mixes
SPAM – I know its in the food category– great barter  item  Cigarettes/Cigars  Gardening tools
Canning jars and supplies  Fire starting supplies – including fire-steels, magnesium, etc.  Spices
Something else to consider – bartering does not always have to involve some-”thing”. In many cases skills can be bartered as well. If you know how to get a garden going and another person can repair a roof – just do a swap and work things out. Maybe someone has some fuel that they will give you if you can fix their vehicle. After TSHTF the bartering of materials and skills may very well become the only method of commerce – as money may be worthless.
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D.  Top Post-Collapse Barter Items And Trade Skills
June 10th, 2011, Alt Market, Brandon Smith
Pasted from: http://www.shtfplan.com/emergency-preparedness/top-post-collapse-barter-items-and-trade-skills_06102011

The concept of private barter and alternative economies has been so far removed from our daily existence here in America that the very idea of participating in commerce without the use of dollars or without the inclusion of corporate chains seems almost outlandish to many people. However, the fact remains that up until very recently (perhaps the last three to four decades) barter and independent trade was commonplace in this country. Without it, many families could not have survived.
Whether we like it or not, such economic methods will be making a return very soon, especially in the face of a plunging dollar, inflating wholesale prices, erratic investment markets, and unsustainable national debts. It is inevitable; financial collapse of the mainstream system ALWAYS leads to secondary markets and individual barter. We can wait until we are already in the midst of collapse and weighted with desperation before we take action to better our circumstances, or, we can prepare now for what we already know is coming.

 In today’s “modern” globalist economy, we have relied upon centralized and highly manipulated trade, forced interdependency, senseless and undisciplined consumption, endless debt creation, welfare addiction, and the erosion of quality, as a means to sustain a system that ultimately is DESIGNED to erode our freedoms not to mention our ability to effectively take care of ourselves. We have been infantized by our financial environment. In the near future, those who wish to live beyond a meager staple of government handouts (if any are even given) will be required to make a 180 degree reversal from their current lifestyle of dependency and immediate gratification towards one of self-sufficiency, personal entrepreneurship, quality trade, and a mindset of necessity, rather than unfounded excess.
This means that each and every one of us will not only be driven to form barter networks outside the designated confines of the mainstream, we will have to become active producers within those networks. Each and every one of us will need to discover practical goods and skills that will be in high demand regardless of economic conditions. Being that our society has all but forgotten how this kind of trade works, let’s examine a short list of items as well as proficiencies that are sure to be highly sought after as the collapse progresses…

Top Priority Goods
To be sure, this list is a summary of items that will have high value during and after a breakdown scenario. I welcome readers to post their own ideas for trade goods below this article. The following is merely a framework which you can use to get started, and was compiled using actual accounts of post collapse trade from the Great Depression, to Bosnia, to Argentina, to Greece, etc. These are items and skills that people were literally begging for after financial catastrophe occurred in numerous separate events.
Water Filtration: Stock up on water filters. Learn how water filtration works. Even make your own water filters using cloth, activated charcoal, and colloidal silver. Everyone will want to trade with you if you have extra filtration on hand. During economic breakdowns, especially in countries like Argentina, and Bosnia, which had more modern, city based populations, the first thing to disappear was clean water. Always. In some cases, the tap water still runs, but is filled with impurities, and needs to be boiled. Boiling does not remove bad tastes or smells, however, and clean filtered water will be in demand.

Seeds: Non-GMO seeds are a currency unto themselves. They can last for years if stored properly, and everyone will want them, even if they don’t have land to plant them. Get enough for yourself, and then purchase twice as much for trade.

Fresh Produce: Ever heard of scurvy? Probably. Ever had scurvy? Probably not. Believe me, you don’t want to have it. Your body essentially begins to fall apart slowly, and the result is an ugly boil and sore filled complexion, the loss of teeth and hair, and the eventual failure of internal organs. Don’t think you can live on beef jerky and canned beans for months on end. You need fresh vegetables and fruits, and the vitamins they supply. Anyone with a well-managed garden and a few fruit trees is going to do very well in barter. Vitamin supplements would also be a practical investment.

Long Shelf Life Foods: This one should be obvious, but you may be surprised how many preppers, even though aware of the danger in the economy, do not have ample stored foods.The rationalizations abound, but usually, you are dealing with a person who has a heavy hunting background, and believes he will be able to procure whatever food he wants whenever he wants with his trusty bolt-action rifle and a few hours in the woods. Don’t fall into this foolish trap. Thousands if not millions of other hungry, destitute people will likely have the same idea, combing the forest for deer, only running into (and perhaps shooting at) each other. In every single account of modern economic collapse I have read, the people involved kick themselves brutally for not stocking more food that didn’t require refrigeration. Even those that were moderately prepared stated that they wished they had stored twice as much as they did.
Sealed food kits would be highly valued trade items, as long as they contained necessities like grains (wheat or rice store well), salt (the human body will not function without salt), honey or maple syrup (the body needs sugars), and powdered milk, peanut butter, or any other foods with fat content (the body needs fats). Prepackaged freeze-dried foods are more expensive to stock, but they are, of course, easy to trade.

Food Producing Animals: Chickens are great for eating, but they also produce eggs. Cows and Goats can be slaughtered, but they also produce milk. Sheep can be easily herded towards your dinner plate, but they also produce wool. Rabbits make a good stew, but they also produce lots of other rabbits. In terms of barter, these animals will be life savers, as well as a solid source of trade income. Dual purpose livestock are really where it’s at for those who have even an acre of land, and many of them (except cattle) tend to feed themselves easily if left to wander your property. You can trade eggs, milk, wool, etc, that they produce. Not to mention, fetch serious value for trading the animal itself.

Solar Power: Solar power is so overlooked by most barter organizations and survivalists in general that it’s astonishing. If every home in America had at least two large solar panels on the roof, I would not be half as worried about collapse as I am today. My suspicion is that many ‘preppers’ believe that after a breakdown, we will all return to some kind of Agrarian pre-electric age where everything is lit with oil lamps. This is silly. If I have my LED lamp with rechargeable batteries, I’m certainly not going to rely on less effective burning lamps that depend on a finite fuel supply. And, I’m certainly not going to give up the advantages of night vision, radio communications, or refrigeration if I can help it. The key is to ensure that you have a continuous means of diverting electricity to these goods. This already exists in the form of solar power.
Depending on your budget, you can purchase solar panels that can be folded and carried with you for charging batteries, or, you can purchase entire arrays and battery banks that run your whole house. Those without electricity WILL want electricity, and solar is an excellent barter item. Wind generators, as well as water driven generators (as used often in Bosnia) are also a consideration. People that have the knowledge to set up these systems for others will not have trouble finding trading partners.

Firewood: Even with solar power, home heating will become a major concern for every household during and after a breakdown. If you can avoid running your battery bank out on inefficient space heaters, you will. The best way to do this is with a wood stove, or a fireplace. Those without any electricity will scour their immediate areas for loose wood, then move on to chopping down random trees for fuel. This is one of the few instances, ironically, that those in urban environments would have an advantage, being that dry wood for burning is literally everywhere in the city. During the Great Depression, families would often sneak into abandoned homes and apartment buildings to dismantle sticks of furniture, or even the walls, to use as firewood.
A small, well insulated home can be heated with as little as two cords of wood every winter. Larger drafty homes require as much as twenty cords per winter. A “cord’ of wood is a stack of split timber around four feet wide, four feet high, and eight feet long. This wood is “aged”, or dried for at least a year after being cut, so that it burns cleaner, and creates much more heat than freshly felled timber. When the general public begins to rediscover the need for aged cord wood, those with timberland will have a prized commodity on their hands for barter.
A disciplined cutting routine would be essential. Only cutting enough timber (of the right maturity) to create a decent supply while not erasing the whole forest for a single year of profit. Those traders with the correct knowledge will do very well in a barter economy.

Gasoline And Oil: This is a tough one, because its hard to predict how much petroleum the U.S. will be able to import or produce on its own during a collapse, and its very difficult to store for long periods of time. If you hear news that the wars in the Middle East have expanded even further, or that OPEC is decoupling from the dollar, you might want to run to the nearest station and fill as many storage cans as possible, along with a little bit of added ‘gas saver’ which helps keep it stable longer. Initially, people will be dueling to the death for gas and oil. I have little doubt. After the price hits $15, $30, $60 a gallon due to hyperinflation, and a little time passes, I think people will begin finding ways to live without it, or they will reduce its use to emergency tasks.
Desire for gas will always be there, especially in agricultural areas where one tractor could help sow the seeds that feed an entire town. But beyond storage, I would suggest learning ways to distill your own corn ethanol and alcohol based fuels. This is where the real barter potential is.

Silver And Gold: I placed precious metals in the middle of this list for a reason. Concerns in a collapse situation will be varied, and the manner in which a derailment progresses will also determine the order of needs in a barter community. In a Mad Max scenario where there is little to no community, or the construction of any semblance of economy is impossible; sure, gold and silver will not be very high on most people’s lists. Has this ever happened in recorded history? No. Gold and silver have remained common currencies for thousands of years despite any catastrophe. This is why I have to laugh at those people who undercut precious metals or claim that because you “can’t eat them” they will not be important. In Argentina, in the midst of complete meltdown and monetary chaos, when people were shooting each other in the streets for food on a daily basis, gold and silver became king, and still are.
Barter networks that have formed in Argentina love to trade for anything made out of gold or silver, because precious metals are the only tangible form of currency in existence there. Being able to trade goods is fantastic, but sometimes, you may not have what another person wants.Do you go out to find someone who does, trade with them, then, try to find the guy who turned you down? No. If you have any meaningful localized commerce in place, then you should also have a common medium of exchange, and precious metals are the only thing that safely fits the mold, because they cannot be artificially reproduced or fabricated. Their rarity and their longevity make them the perfect method of common trade. Even if the worst of the worst occurs, rebuilding will result in the immediate resurgence of trade, and the immediate need of a new currency. Gold and silver will come back, as it always has, and always will. Every potential barter network should be including gold, silver, and maybe copper, on its list of accepted alternative currencies, and the values of said metals should be weighed by the inherent supply and demand of the community. The “official” market value ( which is very manipulated) should only be used as a loose guide.

Firearms And Ammo: Another obvious one. The problem is, the selection of calibers is so varied within the U.S. that stocking anything that will be needed by everyone is very difficult. The only recourse is to stick with common military calibers, such as 9mm, 40 S&W, 45 ACP, .223, 7.62 by 39, 7.62 by 51 (.308), 12 gauge, .410, and 20 gauge shotgun shells, and the ever pervasive .22. Stocking these calibers will result in a much greater chance of trade.
I can think of no instance of societal disintegration that did not lead to horrible violence. In places where firearms are outlawed, the carnage is always much worse. Criminals easily get their hands on weapons, while law-abiding citizens are left defenseless. Governments take liberties with the people, while the populace cowers. Accounts of torture, rape, murder, and genocide, are abundant in the face of hard economic times. EVERYONE should be armed, and as reality sets in, even those who clamored to outlaw guns will be clamoring to get one.
Of course, laws today very strictly regulate our ability to barter firearms, but post collapse, no one will care much.
Ammo reloading will be a useful skill in light of the fact that homemade manufacture of ammo is very difficult. The nationwide ammo supply will dwindle very quickly, except for those pockets of people who smartly stockpile for trade.

Body Armor: That’s right. Any kind of body armor is as good as gold in a collapse environment.People in countries across the world wish they had it, and would trade almost anything for it.When you live in a place where a random gun shot (a minute by minute occurrence in many countries), from a criminal’s weapon, or more likely a police or military weapon, could bounce off the curb or through your car windshield, and into your chest, you begin to respect the necessity of Kevlar. The fact that body armor is relatively cheap and is easily obtained in the U.S. should be taken advantage of by barter networks. This advantage may not exist in a couple of years.

Tazers And Pepper Spray: Easy to purchase and stockpile here in America. Better than nothing when facing armed attackers. Disables without death (in most cases), and easier on the conscience. Trades well.

Various Tools: A garden hoe may be a novelty item to most suburbanites and city dwellers now, but soon, it will be a mainstay tool. If you have extra, they will come to you for barter. I’m not going to list every tool in existence here, but I suggest using common sense. What tools do you see being required for daily use? What would YOU need post collapse?

Pesticides: I’m big on organic food and healthy eating, but if my life is on the line, I’m spraying my crops down with whatever poison I can find. Unless you have years of experience with natural pest deterrence methods, then I suggest you do the same, especially in that first year of calamity. A hoard of locusts could annihilate your crop within a day given the chance, and should be dealt with using the most powerful means available.
Cockroach and rat poisons will also be huge sellers, guaranteed. Vermin thrive in unkempt human environments, whether in the country or the city, and with them comes disease.Diseases you thought had disappeared off the face of the Earth, like bubonic plague or small pox, will make a comeback in cities, where streets of death and sewage act like enormous Petri dishes (remember New Orleans after Katrina? Imagine if that had never been cleaned up).
Stock pesticides, even if they offend your environmental sensibilities. You’ll use them, trust me.And, people will trade whatever they can for them.

Warm Clothing: The world is awash in textiles and clothing. Using clothes as your primary means of trade is not necessarily the best plan. However, most of the clothes made around the world are very poor quality, and are not designed for harsh environments. Clothes made specifically for harsh cold or rough wear are harder to some by, and are often very expensive.This is where you would want to focus your investments.
Gortex, for instance, could give you incredible bartering potential. Wool socks are a rarity (how many people do you know with more than two pairs of wool socks?). Water resistant and water proof jackets and overcoats, boots, well made hiking shoes, and waterproofing chemicals and sprays will be needed within trade networks. The ability to make these items, or repair them, will also be valued.

Medicines: This is another difficult item to procure, mainly because doing so often gets you flagged as a possible drug dealer. Certain items aren’t too hard to come by and store, though, and could be life saving barter material in the future. Antibiotics are handed out like candy by doctors today, so storing any extra you have away for trade may be a good strategy. Painkillers are another medical miracle that doctors seem to sprinkle out of helicopters without a second thought. With the risk of injury increasing one hundred fold after a financial tsunami, I suspect even mere aspirin would put a smile on the face of any barter networker.
Eventually, natural medicines and herbs are going to have to move to the forefront, as industry medicines begin to disappear, or become so expensive they are unobtainable. Stocking such herbs and vitamins would be smart, for protecting oneself, not to mention, its savvy business sense.

Toiletries: Yes, yes, we all hear about how great toilet paper will be as a barter item, and how preppers plan to demand cows, trucks, and beach-front property, in return for packages of the silken quilty-soft huggable rolls of goodness. I don’t disagree that it will be highly desired at first. People don’t change their habits that quickly. But let’s face it; toilet paper is a luxury item in a post collapse environment, not a necessity. People are going to eventually go back to older methods of hygiene, like using strips of washable cloth. It might sound gross to us now, but hey, did you think we were going to start using poison ivy and pinecones?
Stock toilet paper, but don’t treat it as a priority. Focus more on cleaning items like soap, toothpaste, and bleach, as well as chemicals that cause human waste to quickly biodegrade.Staying clean is VERY important, because the alternative is catching a nasty bacterial infection that may kill you, when in more peaceful and comfortable times, it may have just given you slightly irritating intestinal distress. The rest of the country will come around to this way of thinking in short order, and many people will come to you for the cleaning goods you stockpiled.

Specialty Items: There are many circumstances that are hard to predict, circumstances that could severely affect barter markets and what items come into demand. For example; a nuclear event, as is in progress in Japan, could just as easily strike the U.S. There are 104 nuclear power plants in the U.S., not to mention the threat of a small nuclear attack (or false flag). The market for goods such as potassium iodide pills and Geiger counters would explode (potassium iodide suppliers were inundated with orders from around the world after Fukushima). How many people do you know with a Geiger counter? I’m one of the few I know with one, and I know preppers across the country! In the wake of a fallout situation, knowing what is contaminated with radiation and what isn’t, knowing if it’s even safe to go outside, is imperative. Having an extra Geiger counter could help you barter your way into any number of goods.
A biological event might bring medical grade particulate masks to the top of people’s lists, as well as disinfectants and even hazmat suits. It’s an ugly thing to imagine, but for those who plan to engage in independent trade, it’s a likelihood that must be considered.

Top Priority Skills
Provided below is a brief list of skills which have served people well in various economic downturns, and will do the same for you in this country. Keep in mind that almost any skill that other people cannot do well has potential for trade, but some skills are more sought after than others. In my research, it is those people who are able to produce their own goods as well as effectively repair existing goods that have the greatest potential for survival in a barter market. Next, are those people who have specific abilities that are difficult to learn and who have the knack for teaching those abilities to others. If you do not have any of these skills, or perhaps only one, then it would be wise to begin learning at least one more now. Keep in mind that competition will very much exist in a barter economy, so knowing as many skills as possible increases your chances of success:
Mechanic, Engine Repair
Welding
Blacksmithing
Firearms Repair, Ammo Reloading
Construction
Architect, Home Reinforcement
Agriculture, Farming Expertise, Seed Saving, Animal Care
Bee Keeping
Doctor, Medical Assistant
Veterinarian
Well Construction, Water Table Expertise
Engineer, Community Planning, Manufacturing, Electrical
Firearms Proficiency, Security, Self Defense Planning
Martial Arts Training
Wild Foods Expert
Hunting
Chemist
Sewing, Textiles
Soap Making, Candle Making, Hygiene Products
Small Appliance Repair
Electronics Repair
HAM Radio Expert
Homeschooling, Tutoring
Again, there are definitely many more trades of value that could be learned. This list is only to help you on your way to self-sufficiency and entrepreneurship in an Alternative Market. Unfortunately, too many Americans have absolutely no skills worth bartering in a post collapse world.

Bringing Back The American Tradesman
Barter networking is a powerful tool for countering the effects of depression, hyperinflation, stagflation, globalization, and beyond. But, networks require that participants actually have necessary goods and services to trade. In only half a century or less, American culture has been sterilized of nearly all its private trade skills. We have lost our desire to produce, and have been relegated to the dregs of a retail nightmare society dependent entirely on consumption and debt. This is going to change, one way, or another.
We can change on our own, or we can wait until fear and desperation force us to make hard choices. I would rather forgo the desperation and the painful fall into the gutter. It makes little sense.
The bottom line is, if you wish to survive after the destruction of the mainstream system that has babied us for so long, you must be able to either make a necessary product, repair a necessary product, or teach a necessary skill. A limited few have the capital required to stockpile enough barter goods or gold and silver to live indefinitely. The American Tradesman must return in full force, not only for the sake of self-preservation, but also for the sake of our heritage at large. Without strong, independent, and self-sufficient people, this country will cease to be.

E.  Trading during an emergency
Know what you need and what’s available: During a “trade-day” gathering, take time to walk around to see what goods others are offering and their relative abundance.  Never make an impulsive buy.  Have a list of what you need for your group and what you may want for future barter as essential goods become more and more scarce.  The longer a crisis lasts, the more people will be bartering for the essentials of life, like food, replacement clothing, salt and sugar, etc.  Consider looking for worn-out items for low-cost that you can restore by repairing (a specific skill) and then resell at a higher price later.
•  On-Display: Don’t keep more than one or two items of a particular kind in view.  Let people make the assumption that there is a very limited quantity.  After selling a “rare” item, you can evaluate whether or not to let the buyer know you have “a few more” for sale.  Having just a few of a kind items for barter may make your “store” look bare, so be prepared to display other things even if you don’t think they will sell.  People are psychologically drawn to seller areas that seem well stocked with all types of goods.
•  Buying: Absent a controlling government for a means of correcting fraud or redressing a trade that was misrepresented the phrase “buyer beware” is even more important. Be very sure you have evaluated and examined all the goods before you accept the trade.  The top layer of a barrel of apples may be fine, but what is the condition of the bottom layer?
•  Contracts:  For high value or large volume exchanges or for situations where goods are to be delivered or picked up, be sure to prepare a short contract that spells out exactly what each party will receive and for what and when. As a minimum, describe the goods, their amount and condition and delivery or pickup date. Never throw way these contracts as they will be the only evidence of ownership you have. Try to ensure buyer-seller goods are exchanged at the same time. Don’t pay for goods and receive only a promise to deliver later unless you know and fully trust the person with who you are doing business.
•  3rd Party Exchanges:  Be on the lookout to buy goods that you know someone else wants. Keep note of what others are looking for that they can’t find.  Being able to acquire these goods and then bartering them for more than you bought them will increase your “goods-wealth”.
•  Beware Bait & Switch:  Don’t assume the goods you receive from behind the curtain or from under the table will be the same quality of the goods you see on display.  Provide payment only after you have examined the exact specific goods you will receive. Check expiration dates on canned and other packaged perishable goods.  Check for wear and damage on all goods.
•  Selling: Consider giving a good initial deal. Give good initial barter value to a new trader and he will return.  It’s also a means to start a good will word of mouth campaign as well as build a positive reputation.
•  First & Last  Offer:  Let the buyer be first to set a price.  They may be willing to give more than you expected.  If you don’t like the price, tell them how scarce and necessary the item is.  This will psychologically reinforce the buyers initial interest in the item.  A poker face is helpful.  If you have to make a first offer, make it higher than what you expect you can get but not unreasonable higher.  A counter-offer will probably be made by the potential buyer.  Options:
Add more goods for a sweetener or remove some to meet the needs of the buyer.  When a potential buyer exhibits an “I can do without it” attitude, you need to decide if you can live with a lower offer or just need to let them walk away.  Never leave a bartering situation with less than you arrived.
o Evaluation of goods by buyers:  Be sure to mention any major faults with your trade goods.  Allow potential buyers to evaluate the minor obvious deficiencies on their own.  If a piece of equipment does not work, say so.  Of course there is no need to tell a buyer about all the rust that they can see for themselves.  A non-functional piece of equipment might be very valuable to someone who needs replacement parts.

F.  Security
Make sure you leave adequate security back home when your group goes to trade days or you may find it stripped to the bone when you get back.
•  Assess trade day area threats: Remember, this is a time of crisis and there are bad and desperate people about. If trade day organizers do not provide perimeter and walk-about security, you need to evaluate how many of your group needs to be at your trade area and how many should move about together during shopping tasks.
•  There may be a need for everyone in your group to be carrying a visible sidearm in a holster to discourage theft and assault. But don’t act as a perceived threat to others.  Be hyper-aware of activities and people around you.  Do not go off with someone alone so they can “show you something”.
•  After making a deal: Once a bargain is made, be sure to quickly close the deal by making the actual exchange.  Take your new purchases back to your group’s area and keep them undercover and under guard.  Trade days will attract thieves.
•  Prevent post-trade day theft: Be on guard for people loitering around your barter area.  They may be “casing the joint”.  Keep all your trade goods inside your roped off trade area and establish a “no goods” zone of more than an arm’s length inside your rope barrier. Don’t be chatty about where you live or the number of people or conditions at your living area. Don’t wear your best clothes to trade days.  Be clean and neat and polite. Strike a balance between appearing not too needy and not to well-off.
•  Make your defense visible: During travel to and from trade days is the time to let your firearms be seen.  Thieves and “highwaymen” will prey upon the least aware and least defended.
•  Beware “Security” services: There may emerge in your area, groups that have only muscle and weapons who offer security services for “guarding” homes and travelers to and from trade days.  These same people may also be engaged in shake-downs, extortion and other scheme of intimidation.

G.  Price gouging
Congress Tells FTC to Define Price Gouging
May 6, 2006,  Washington Post Staff Writer, By Steven Mufson
“In a recent blog entry, Edward Lotterman, an economist who writes a column for the St. Paul Pioneer Press in Minnesota, wrote that anyone trying to define price gouging should consider the following examples: “Paying $12 for two thin slices of cold greasy pizza and two small Cokes in an airport departure concourse; my neighbors selling a house for eight times what they had paid for it years ago; Twin Cities apartments renting for $150 more per month than a year ago; me charging $200 per hour as a consulting expert in a legal case when I get less than $50 per hour teaching at Metro State University.”
Traditionally, the FTC has played a key role in investigating price-fixing or manipulation, offenses that usually involve collusion between two or more players in a market who conspire to reduce competition so they can increase prices. There are many people who allege that major oil companies have engaged in such a plot by limiting output by oil refineries. Schmidt said the FTC was conducting “a very serious substantial investigation that is examining whether there has been unlawful gasoline price manipulation.”
But price gouging is something that usually involves one company or outlet taking advantage of temporary market conditions to charge an exorbitant price. As gasoline prices are going up by the day, many people think that’s what’s going on now.
In a competitive market, that wouldn’t be possible — at least not for long. Consumers would go to some other seller, demand for the price gouger would dry up and he would cut his prices.
Though the FTC has in the past avoided coming up with a definition for price gouging, many state governments and attorneys general have defined it. Usually the definitions are limited to pricing actions taken during emergencies or catastrophes, such as hurricanes. In Florida, the attorney general’s Web site explains that Florida law “compares the price of the commodity or service to the average price charged over the 30-day period prior to the declared state of emergency. If there is a ‘gross disparity’ between the prior price and the current charge then it is price gouging.”
But what’s a “gross disparity”? “Gross disparity would be determined by a jury of Floridians,” said Charlie Crist, Florida attorney general and a Republican candidate for governor. “I don’t think it would be too hard to give it some significant definition in the mind of a juror who would probably be very upset with someone trying to take advantage of a catastrophe.”

Exactly, what is price gouging?
Price gouging statutes seek to stem opportunistic behavior, which is designed to take advantage of an unforeseen opportunity to charge a monopoly price by threatening to withhold output. It is often defined as a 10 to 25 percent increase over prices during the month before an emergency. One state defines “unconscionable price” as an amount charged, which either represents a “gross disparity” or “grossly exceeds” the average price available for these items and services in the same area 30 days immediately before a declaration of a state of emergency.
The term is similar to profiteering but can be distinguished by being short-term and localized, and by a restriction to essentials such as food, clothing, shelter, medicine and equipment needed to preserve life, limb and property. In jurisdictions where there is no such crime, the term may still be used to pressure firms to refrain from such behavior.
The term is not in widespread use in mainstream economic theory, but is sometimes used to refer to practices of a coercive monopoly which raises prices above the market rate that would otherwise prevail in a competitive environment. Alternatively, it may refer to suppliers’ benefiting to excess from a short-term change in the demand curve.
In the United States, laws against price gouging have been held constitutional as a valid exercise of the police power to preserve order during an emergency, and may be combined with anti-hoarding measures. Exceptions are prescribed for price increases that can be justified in terms of increased cost of supply, transportation or storage.
As a criminal offense, Florida’s law is reasonably typical. Price gouging may be charged when a supplier of essential goods or services sharply raises the prices asked in anticipation of or during a civil emergency, or when it cancels or dishonors contracts in order to take advantage of an increase in prices related to such an emergency. The model case is a retailer who increases the price of existing stocks of milk and bread when a hurricane is imminent. It is a defense to show that the price increase mostly reflects increased costs, such as running an emergency generator, or hazard pay for workers.

The true value of higher prices during an emergency
•  A thought experiment: A massive pipe ruptures, tap water grows undrinkable, and consumers rush to buy bottled water from the only two vendors who sell it. Vendor A, not wanting to annoy the governor and attorney general, leaves the price of his water unchanged at 69 cents a bottle. Vendor B, who is more interested in doing business than truckling to politicians, more than quadruples his price to $2.99.
•  You don’t need an economics textbook to know what happens next.
•  Customers descend on Vendor A in droves, loading up on his 69-cent water. Within hours his entire stock has been cleaned out, and subsequent customers are turned away empty-handed. At Vendor B’s, on the other hand, sales of water are slower and there is a lot of grumbling about the high price. But even late-arriving customers are able to buy the water they need — and almost no one buys more than he truly needs.
•  When demand intensifies, prices rise. And as prices rise, suppliers work harder to meet demand. The same Globe story that reported yesterday on Coakley’s “price-gouging’’ statement reported as well on the lengths to which bottlers and retailers were going to get more water into customers’ hands. From <http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2010/05/04/whats_wrong_with_price_gouging/>

Signal value of rising prices during an emergency
•  Water 60c/bottle rises to 2.99/bottle. (400%)
•  Typical 10-30KW Generator rent rises for $45/day to $85/day in winter power outage. (88%)
•  Generators sales price climb from $500 to $900 in wake of Hurricane. (80%)
•  Sheets of plywood rise from $18 to $60 with the approach of a hurricane. (233%)

Rising prices don’t just serve as a rationing mechanism, they also serve as a signaling mechanism.  Rising prices for generators in Dade County send a signal that Dade County needs generators – and that there’s a hefty profit to be made in getting them there.  The $900 price tag thus serves as a signal for people to buy generators for $500 in North Carolina and bring them to where they’re needed.  As more people do this, the supply of generators in Florida moves closer to demand, the price of those generators moves down, and a new equilibrium is approximated.  The lesson: price gouging is not just a static event, it’s part of a larger dynamic market process.
When a hurricane is coming, all the plywood will still be sold, but for more. It isn’t really “above the market” however, because markets change, and the “market price” is naturally higher when demand increases, as it does before a storm. But all that plywood will still be sold in any case, and will be covering windows and protecting houses somewhere.
What the higher price does, though, is more than just put more money in the retailer’s account. It does something else that benefits us all. Higher prices allocate the plywood to better uses.

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F.   Stockpiling vs hoarding
Hoarding vs. Stocking Up, by Deborah in the UP,
Pasted from: http://survivalweekly.com/?page_id=784
When the pioneers began their trek west, they took with them, supplies, food, clothing, animals.. All the things they felt they would need to make the journey. When they got where they felt was far enough, they stopped and set up shop. This was likely somewhere near a town, but not like we know it today. If they were 30 miles from town, (a trip that would take us 30 minutes) it would take them 2-3 days to get there, and the same getting back. Obviously, that trip wasn’t made very often, and certainly not for a loaf of bread or a quart of milk. That milk was gotten from the cow or goat, and bread was baked, from scratch, most often from a sourdough starter.
A food source was THE most important item on the schedule. Land needed to be cleared for a family garden and pasture fenced for the animals. That garden was all important, and meant life or death to the family. The woman’s role was very important for the homestead. While the man/husband/father toiled with the land, kept track of the animals and kept the family safe, a difficult job to say the least, the woman/wife/mother was expected to provide meals, the life sustaining essence. Where did those meals come from? The garden of course! And while the summer may have been bountiful, the winter could be very lean.. if the family/woman didn’t PREPARE. It was expected of the female to can (a different and difficult process back then), preserve, dry, smoke, salt, whatever process fit the food, just so it could be eaten during the time of lean. There needed to be a winter food source for the farm animals too.. or they would die.. The husband/father was the hunter, and the sons as they grew, but the kill needed to be extended as long as possible, by preserving the meat for later consumption. All of this needed to be done to get the family from one growing season to the next. A year. This was standard! This was normal! This is the way things were!
Granted, those trips to town were rare, but they were necessary for certain items: sugar, salt, bolts of cloth for clothing, maybe even new shoes for a growing child. Necessary too to bring barter items in, for exchange. Many times families did without, that was the way of life… but they made do! As long as they were fed, their world would go on. Having a good, healthy pantry full of food, was normal, desired, strived for, admired.
What has changed?

Today, if someone had a year’s worth of food, to get them from one growing season to the next, … they would be called crazy, hoarders, fringe… looked down upon, feared, ridiculed. … survivalists!! Today, those 30 mile trips to town are often made daily!
What has changed? Society perception.

Today, it isn’t the family garden that provides a secure food source, it’s the local grocery store! How dare we question the availability of the next shipment! Therefore we should all have only a week of food on hand… why? Otherwise we would be Hoarders!
From Wikipedia: Hoarding as a human behavior falls in to two main categories. One type of hoarding is triggered as a response to perceived or predicted shortages of specific goods. Hoarding behavior may be a common response to fear, whether fear of imminent society-wide danger or simple fear of a shortage of some good. Civil unrest or natural disaster may lead people to collect foodstuffs, water, gasoline, and other essentials which they believe, rightly or wrongly, will soon be in short supply.
Unlike hoarding immediately before or in the wake of a crisis, hoarding a resource while its supply is abundant can actually alleviate future shortages because those who stockpile in this manner will not contribute to future demand when supplies are reduced.
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G.  Anti hoarding laws are vague and simple to implement
Pasted from: http://forum.prisonplanet.com/index.php?topic=122032.0
•  State Legislation’s Role in Anti-Hoarding
Most states have chosen to enact their own anti-hoarding laws. That means some states may not have such laws, others do and not all are uniform. However, uniformity of state law is something governors are striving for under the Interstate Compact Agreement. The Compact Agreements, much like Executive Orders for the president, really don’t require voters’ input. They are law if the legislature doesn’t object, much like Congress that has 30 days to object to an EO before it becomes law.
At times of “declared emergencies”, each governor cedes (gives over) authority of his/her state to the federal government. When a governor declares it for his state, he becomes the delegated representative of the federal government according to an Interstate Compact Agreement.
Bottom line, even though federal legislation does not directly address anti-hoarding, goods can be seized if national circumstances are felt to warrant it whether or not amounts stored are deemed excessive in your state’s eyes.

•  Hawaii As A Specific Example of Anti-Hoarding
For Hawaii, this information will be found in Title 10 under “Public Safety”. It is located after legislation on militias, state guard troops, etc. Then you find the jewel… In Hawaii you are considered a “hoarder” if you have more than one week’s provisions on hand BUT you have to dig to uncover this information. Here is a specific example:

“HAWAII REVISED STATUTES REVISED 1997, Title 10:
(1) Prevention of *hoarding, waste, etc. To the extent necessary to prevent hoarding, waste, or destruction of materials, supplies, commodities, accommodations, facilities, and services, to effectuate equitable distribution thereof, or to establish priorities therein as the public welfare may require, to investigate, and any other law to the contrary notwithstanding, to regulate or prohibit, by means of licensing, rationing, or otherwise, the storage, transportation, use, possession, maintenance, furnishing, sale, or distribution thereof, and any business or any transaction related thereto.”
In the actual Title document for Hawaii, you will not find the specifics for what length of time constitutes “hoarding” nor an amount. Instead, you must look at the committee notes which describes it as the opinion that one week’s supplies per person is considered adequate food provisions. It is not spelled out what those provisions shall consist of or how much is considered “adequate” until you get to the committee notes.
You will probably have to “dig” for the committee notes as well. Lynn Shaffer, our legislative interpreter, explains committee notes this way. “When the legislature agrees that a law or statute is needed to effect certain governmental goals to prohibit or encourage civilians to respond in a particular way, that statute has attached to it (you will see it printed in the law books) what is called “committee notes.” The courts, when making a determination of how the statute is to be interpreted and applied to the case before it, looks to “legislative intent” or what was recorded in the committee’s notes when the bill was meandering its way through the legislative process.”

•  OK, so If I ‘hoard’, then what?
Again using Hawaii’s Titles as an example, any items in excess of what legislation has deemed appropriate to store (in Hawaii’s case any amount over 1 week) is subject to forfeiture and may be confiscated, ordered destroyed or may be redistributed for public use. See exact text below:
“128-28 Forfeitures. The forfeiture of any property unlawfully possessed, pursuant to paragraph (2) of section 128-8, may be adjudged upon conviction of the offender found to be unlawfully in possession of the same, where no person other than the offender is entitled to notice and hearing with respect to the forfeiture, or the forfeiture may be enforced by an appropriate civil proceeding brought in the name of the State. The district courts and circuit courts shall have concurrent jurisdiction of the civil proceedings. Any property forfeited as provided in this section may be ordered destroyed, or may be ordered delivered for public use to such agency as shall be designated by the governor or the governor’s representative, or may be ordered sold, wholly or partially, for the account of the State. [L 1951, c 268, pt of 2; RL 1955, 359-25; HRS 128- 28; am imp L 1984, c 90, 1]”
http://forum.prisonplanet.com/index.php?topic=122032.0

•  Where do Anti-Hoarding Laws come in?
These ideas of anti-hoarding legislation may have stemmed from two areas of confusion:
First is from Executive Orders in place dating back to 1939 which Clinton has grouped together under one order, EO #12919 released on June 6, 1994. The following EOs all fall under EO#12919:
10995–Federal seizure of all communications media in the US;
10997–Federal seizure of all-electric power, fuels, minerals, public and private;
10998–Federal seizure of all food supplies and resources, public and private and all farms and equipment;
10999–Federal seizure of all means of transportation, including cars, trucks, or vehicles of any kind and total control over all highways, seaports and water ways;
11000–Federal seizure of American people for work forces under federal supervision, including the splitting up of families if the government so desires;
11001–Federal seizure of all health, education and welfare facilities, both public and private;
11002–Empowers the Postmaster General to register every single person in the US
11003–Federal seizure of all airports and aircraft;
11004–Federal seizure of all housing and finances and authority to establish forced relocation. Authority to designate areas to be abandoned as “unsafe,” establish new locations for populations, relocate communities, build new housing with public funds;
11005–Seizure of all railroads, inland waterways and storage facilities, both public and private;
11051–Provides FEMA complete authorization to put above orders into effect in times of increased international tension of economic or financial crisis (FEMA will be in control in case of “National Emergency”).
(http://www.millennium-ark.net/News_Files/Exec.Orders/EOs.html)

What has changed? The world has changed. Where once it was expected for a family to provide for itself, now, if they do, it could be taken from them, legally…to provide for those who did not.

Public attitude regarding stockpiling vs hoarding
•  It’s not hoarding! Hoarding is taking more than your share when resources are scarce. In times of plenty, we STOCKPILE to minimize our need for resources when they ARE scarce… Remember – stockpile good, hoarding bad!
•  I agree with the term “stockpile” not hoarding.
•  We survivalists aren’t hoarding, we’re just food collectors. Myself I collect hard red winter wheat……… and a little bit of cocoa powder as well LOL
•  Hoarding is a word with big time negative connotations. Purchasing all the wheat in town during SHTF and charging 3x what you paid (if selling at all) would be hoarding but going to the local big box tomorrow and getting a hundred points of rice would not be hoarding.
•  Stockpiling the basics for your own use is “hoarding”, stockpiling so you can make absurd profits is known as “price gouging”, which is illegal in some states after the TSHTF has happened. In a TEOTWAWKI, price gouging could very well be punishable by facing a firing squad.
•  If I save all my money and put it in the bank is that hoarding or being frugal with my resources? If I invest in things that turn a profit down the road i.e. food stuffs, or commodities, wouldn’t that be considered a wise investment? Perception is always the determining factor.

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Thursday, August 21, 2014 · 12:10 AM

Basic food storage

(Survival Manual/ Prepper articles/ Basic food storage)

ARainMan.  Bulk Food Storage: Build your Foundation On the Basics
2011, Provident-Living-Today.com, by
Pasted from: http://www.provident-living-today.com/Bulk-Food-Storage.html

 See how to build your One year supply of food . . . for $225
Every storage plan should include bulk food storage items. These basics are needed in everyone’s home storage. Long-term food storage is cheap, and healthy.

These provisions are your survival foods. At the bottom of this page, I’ll show you a simple six-step plan to enhance your bulk food storage. You’ll want to add in the extras; it will make all the difference in your emergency food supply.

BasicFood 1Is the economic depression affecting your family? You can implement the ten money saving ideas and save lots when buying food. The price for whole grains compared to other food is very low. Your food budget will stretch a lot farther if you will buy and use these bulk foods. You can even feed your family on A Dollar A Day per person.

One Year Supply For 1 Adult- Mormon Food Storage
This list is a guideline for storing the bare minimum. The picture below shows you how much food you’ll get to eat everyday if you follow this guideline. And this is all you’ll get to eat. That is why I call it survival rations. You will stay alive, but eating probably won’t still be your favorite pastime. You get 1 cup Wheat, 1 cup Oatmeal, 1/2 cup Rice, 1/3 cup beans, 2 Tbs Oil, 1 glass Milk (2 T powdered milk), 1/3 cup honey, and 2 tsp salt per day. Your daily menu might look something like this:

Breakfast:  Hot oatmeal with honey & milk
Lunch: Tortillas and Sprouted Wheat
Dinner: Rice and Beans

With that said, whole grains are still the foundation of your food storage. You can use them in almost everything you cook. These are the dollar stretcher foods.I can feed my family of 12, breakfast every day for a month on one 50-pound bag of oatmeal (costs about $20). Add peaches, milk, and honey for taste, and you have a nutritious breakfast that children love.

BasicFood items.
A one year supply for 1 adult should include:
400 lbs of Grain,
60 lbs of Legumes,
16 lbs of Powdered Milk,
10 Qts of Oil,
60 lbs of Sugar or Honey, and
8 lbs of Salt.The shelf life on these items is included in the chart below.

The chart shows how much it costs for a one-year supply for 1 adult. Adjust it to your individual needs. For example: rice and oats are a lot easier on a child’s digestive system compared to wheat. Store more of these grains for the children.

See Bulk Food Storage Containers to learn how to store your bulk food.

NOTE: You don’t want to start using wheat when that is all you have to eat. It will be hard on your system. Slowly add it to your diet, my family has been eating wheat for years and we don’t have any problems with a whole-wheat diet. Even my babies eat wheat and do great.

Cost of One Year Supply for 1 Adult
This chart was created in 2009. Because the price of food fluctuates, prices might be different than the ones represented in the chart.

BasicFood shelf life - cost chart

*Not all olive oil lasts this long. Research the shelf life of the oil before buying it.

Wow, look at that. For $224.94 you can get a year’s supply of bulk food storage if you go with the cheaper sugar and vegetable oil. If you go with the Olive Oil and Honey, it will cost you $410.76. Getting your bulk food storage is a great place to start, and it’s cheap!

I found everything on the chart except for the oil, salt, and honey at the LDS Bishop’s Storehouse – bulk food storage at great prices. All are welcome. The shelf life of the food is also listed on their order form. Check it out. Bulk food has a very long shelf life – about 30 years.
Find a location near you in the USA or Canada.

A Note About Honey: When you are buying honey, make sure you can trust your source to give you pure honey. Cheap honey is actually corn syrup. You get what you pay for. Local Honey is actually the best option to buy if you have the opportunity because the bees are using the same plants and flowers that you encounter everyday. It helps you with your allergies

Picture of a 1 year supply of bulk food storage rations for one adult.

BasicFood 1 yr-1 perspn

Adding to the Basics. . . Bulk Food Storage Expanded. . . A Six Step Plan

Add some variety to your bulk food storage.
STEP 1: IF I HAVE Wheat, Powdered Milk, Oil, Salt, Honey or Sugar, Water I CAN MAKE Popped Wheat ,Steamed Wheat, Sprouted Wheat, Cooked Cracked Wheat, Tortillas

STEP 2: IF I ADD Yeast, Baking Powder, Powdered Eggs, Baking Soda I CAN MAKE THESE ADDITIONS: Custards, Puddings, Pancakes, Cookies, Waffles, Muffins, English Muffins, German Pancakes, Crepes, Egg Noodles, Pasta, Breads, Biscuits, Crackers, Mayonnaise. A lot more options huh? Keep reading.

STEP 3: IF I ADD Powdered Butter, Tomatoes, Powdered Cheese I CAN MAKE THESE ADDITIONS: Meatless Dinners, Meatless Casseroles, Cream Sauces These really add flavor.

STEP 4: IF I ADD Unflavored Gelatin, Canned Milk, Canned Fruits I CAN MAKE THESE ADDITIONS: Jello Salads, Whipped Cream Desserts, Baby Formula, fruit dishes Mmm, now we have desserts.

STEP 5: IF I ADD Soup Base, Rice, Legumes (Beans), Beef Broth, Chicken Broth, Alfalfa Seeds, Sesame Seeds I CAN MAKE THESE ADDITIONS: Hearty Dinner Soups, Chili, Rice Puddings, Refried Beans, Rice Dishes, Fresh Sprouts, Gluten This would really expand your dinner menu in an emergency.

STEP 6: IF I ADD Canned Meats, Dried Potatoes I CAN MAKE THESE ADDITIONS: Dinners, Casseroles, Sandwiches. This may not sound like a lot but a meaty flavor can make all the difference.

STEP 7: EXTRAS: Oats, Raisin, Nuts, Peanut Butter, Granola, Juices, Corn Starch, Soup Mixes, Spices & Flavorings, Lemon Powder or Juice, White Flour, Shortening or Margarine, Cream of Tartar, Junket Rennet Tablet, Molasses, Karo Syrup, etc. These are small things that you could do without but really add variety to your diet.
.

B.  Food Storage List
30 Apr 2012, SelfReliantNetwork , by Jessica, Salt N’ Prepper
Pasted from: http://selfreliantnetwork11.blogspot.com/2012/04/basic-food-storage-list.html

BasicFood Warning

My bare bones list for food storage necessities for one adult male. For an average adult woman multiply the amounts by 0.75. For a child ages 1-3 multiply it by 0.3. For children 4-6 multiply by 0.5. Children 7-9 multiply by 0.75. I’ve listed the category along with the weight in food you need. Under each category are the basics this weight should be distributed into. It is up to you how you distribute it. In the space provided before each item write in the amount in pounds you have of each. (This is figured as a 1 year supply) Remember you can adjust things as you need to for your family’s likes and dislikes. But I think Jessica did a really great job of giving everyone a starting point! SRN

Grains – 400lbs

____ Barley
____ Cereal
____ Cornmeal
____ Flour

____ Multigrain
____ Oats, Rolled Quick
____ Oats, Rolled Regular
____ Popcorn
____ Sprouting Seeds
____ Wheat
____ White Rice
____ Pasta Noodles

Milk/Dairy – 75lbs
____ Canned Milk
____ Canned Sour Cream
____ Cheese Spreads
____ Condensed Milk
____ Dried Cheese
____ Dried Eggs
____ Infant Formula (If Applicable)

____ Powdered Milk
____ Powdered Cheese
____ Powdered Sour Cream

Juices/Beverages – 25lbs

____ Apple Juice
____ Baby Strained Juices
____ Cocoa Drink Mix
____ Cranberry Juice
____ Dried Juice Mix
____ Kool Aid
____ Grape Juice
____ Tomato Juice

Fats/Oils – 20lbs

____ Canned Butter
____ Cooking Oil
____ Margarine
____ Mayonnaise
____ Olive Oil
____ Peanut Butter
____ Powdered Butter
____ Salad Dressing
____ Shortening

Meats (Canned, Dehydrated or Freeze Dried) – 20lbs

____ Beef
____ Beef Jerky
____ Chicken
____ Fish (tuna, crab, shrimp) ____ Ham
____ Pepperoni
____ TVP (Textured Vegetable protein)
____ Pork

Fruits and Veggies – 90lbs Dried, 370qts Canned

____ Apple Chips
____ Applesauce
____ Apricots
____ Peaches
____ Berries
____ Fruit Cocktail
____ Olives
____ Pears
____ Pineapple
____ Raisins
____ Tomatoes
____ Celery
____ Potatoes
____ Corn
____ Peas
____ Spinach
____ Carrots
____ Onions
____ Mushrooms
____ Peppers
____ Pickles
____ Asparagus
____ Yams

 

 

 

Beans & Legumes – 90lbs

____ Pinto
____ Pink
____ White
____ Kidney
____ Nuts
____ Sprouting Seeds

Sugars – 60lbs

____ Corn Syrup
____ Honey
____ Syrup
____ Brown Sugar

____ White Sugar
____ Powdered Sugar

Auxiliary Foods – As Needed

____ Baking Powder
____ Baking Soda
____ Cake Mixes
____ Vitamins
____ Cookies
____ Cornstarch
____ Crackers
____ Cream of Tartar
____ Roll/Bread Mixes
____ Instant Breakfast
____ Instant yeast
____ Muffin Mixes
____ Pancake Mix
____ Pectin
____ Pie Fillings
____ Gelatin
____ Salt
____ Survival Bars

Spices & Condiments – As Needed

____ Allspice
____ Basil
____ BBQ Sauce
____ Bouillon Cubs
____ Cayenne Pepper
____ Chili Powder
____ Chives
____ Chocolate Syrup
____ Cinnamon
____ Cloves
____ Coriander
____ Cumin
____ Curry
____ Dill Weed
____ Garlic Powder
____ Ginger
____ Gravy Mixes
____ Ketchup
____ Nutmeg
____ Onion Flakes
____ Oregano
____ Paprika
____ Pepper
____ Sage
____ Salad Dressing
____ Salt
____ Steak Sauce
____ Soy Sauce
____ Spaghetti Sauce
____ Thyme
____ Vanilla Extract
____ Vinegar
____ Worcestershire Sauce

 

 

C.  7 Last Minute Prepping Items
28 May 2013, By Gaye Levy
Pasted from: http://www.backdoorsurvival.com/7-last-minute-prepping-items/

Every single one of us has been in a situation where the weather forecasters and civil authorities have warned of an oncoming crisis.  It might be a winter storm, a spring flood or a wildfire.  It might be a hurricane or a minor pandemic.  All you know is that a crisis is brewing and you better be prepared.

For the experienced prepper, there is comfort in knowing that you have plenty of food, water and supplies to get you through for the short term.  You have candles, flashlights, batteries and light sticks.  You have a extra blankets and the means to cook without fuel.  And of course, you have a bug-out bag.

But imagine a scenario where a disaster is brewing and you have a bit of notice.  There is a possibility, however small, that you might be stuck indoors and in your home for two weeks, possibly longer, without access to common services such as power, sanitation systems, and access to the local supermarket.

Put on your thinking cap – what have you forgotten?  What has been overlooked?  And what can you pick up at the last minute to insure your safety and comfort?

While there are lots of lists floating around telling you what you need and what will disappear first, there is not much out there that addresses those items you might want to consider at the last minute – things that will be useful but of no interest to the mad mob of folks who have done diddly-squat to prepare.

Today I present a list of the last minute prepping items I will seek out when I have some advance notice of an oncoming storm, disaster or crisis.

SEVEN LAST MINUTE PREPPING ITEMS
1.  Bleach The Clorox Company acknowledges that their bleach product has a one year shelf life beginning with the day of manufacture. Allowing a few months for those white jugs to make it to the supermarket, it is best to assume that the jug of bleach you purchase at the supermarket will have a shelf life of about nine months.  Extreme temperatures will reduce this period to about six months.
Now understand that what I am referring to is the use of bleach as a disinfectant.  It has been my experience that old bleach works just fine for whitening your laundry.  But is simply does not make sense at all to stock up on bleach for survival and preparedness purposes.
With a storm brewing, this is the first thing I would purchase as I top off my last minute, short term emergency preps.

2.  Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Sure, as an experienced prepper I have a good supply of freeze-dried fruits and vegetables.  But once a #10 is opened, it’s 25 year shelf life is reduced to one or two years.  So if a short term disaster is predicted, I will want to pick up fresh vegetables and fruits that require no refrigeration.
Let the frantic mobs go after the canned goods.  I will take the fresh stuff since I am already well stocked with canned and packaged items.

3.  Over the Counter Remedies and Prescription Drugs With my survival first aid kit nicely packed and tucked into my bug out bag, I will head over to the first aid section of the drug store and pick up some extra over the counter items such as eye drops, throat spray, and bandages.  If I have refills remaining on my prescriptions drugs, I will get those too.
Of course if things get really serious, I still have my well stocked kit but for just a few days or a week or two?  It will not hurt to pick up some extras while I can still get them.

4.  Cooking Oil, Peanut Butter and Other Short Shelf Life Items These three items have a very short shelf life.  Have you ever opened up a bottle of cooking oil or jar of peanut butter and stepped back due to the overwhelming rancid smell?  If the power is going to be down for awhile, it might be nice to have a fresh supply of these items so that you have no surprises as you try to cook and eat while waiting out the storm.

Another short shelf life item to consider is yeast for baking bread – outdoors if necessary in your cast iron Dutch oven over an open fire.

5.  Wine and Spirits You may or may not have a long term supply of spirits.  If you do partake of an occasional drink, why not pick up a few extra bottles to see you through?  For years, folks in hurricane-prone areas of the United States have had “hurricane” parties where families and friends wait out the storm.
In an adult environment, it is common to have a cocktail or two at these parties.  There is even a famous drink called the “Hurricane”.  Heck, why not?

6.  Aluminum Foil You can use foil to fashion cooking utensils or to line your pots and pans before cooking so that you do not have to waste precious water cleaning up. If you do cook on you pans directly, a crumpled up piece of foil can be used as a handy scrubber to remove the crustiest. You can even use foil to create an im promptu Faraday cage.

7.  Chocolate Let’s face it.  You are going to be stressed so accept that.  Get yourself some chocolate – okay a lot of chocolate – and ride things out while indulging in your favorite chocolate treat.  My favorite is the Endangered Species dark chocolate bar with cranberries and almonds.

If chocolate is not your thing, then perhaps some cookies or graham crackers or just this once, some seriously unhealthy packaged caramel corn.

THE FINAL WORD This list of seven last minute prepping items represents my list and more than anything, is shared so that you can start thinking about your own list of last minute preps.  Personally, the first and the last items – bleach and chocolate – should be on everyone’s list.

I leave it up to you to think about the other things that you may need.  Perhaps there are some tools or utensils that you were waiting to purchase.  Or a heavy duty sleeping bag or hiking boots.  How about some FRS radios?

You might also want to read “5 Things You May Not Have Thought of When Planning for an Emergency” for some other ideas.

The challenge today is to think about the prepping supplies and gear that either have a short term shelf life or that are still on your to do list.  Keep this list handy and located somewhere accessible so that if you have the luxury of some advance notice, you can pick up some uncommon last minute preps.

Plus some chocolate, of course.

BasicFood adjuncts
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D.  How Much Food Fits in a Container
USAEmergencySupply.com
Pasted from: https://www.usaemergencysupply.com/information_center/packing_your_own_food_storage/how_much_food_fits_in_a_container.htm

Estimated Pounds per Gallon

Estimated Pounds per Gallon

 1
Gallon		 1.5
Gallons		 2
Gallons		 5
Gallons

6
Gallons

 

Cracked Red Wheat 5.83 8.75 11.66 29.15 35.00
Hard Red Wheat 7.50 11.25 15.00 37.50 45.00
Hard White Wheat 7.50 11.25 15.00 37.50 45.00
Pearled Barley 7.33 11.00 14.66 36.67 44.00
Whole Corn 7.50 11.25 15.00 37.50 45.00
Hulled Buckwheat 7.00 10.50 14.00 35.00 42.00
Flax 6.33 9.50 12.66 31.67 38.00
Long Grain White Rice 7.33 11.00 14.66 36.67 44.00
Long Grain Brown Rice 7.17 10.75 14.34 35.83 43.00
Par Boiled Rice 7.00 10.50 14.00 35.00 42.00
Rolled Oats 4.17 6.25 8.34 20.83 25.00
Oat Groats 7.00 10.50 14.00 35.00 42.00
Oat Bran (Fine) 5.00 7.50 10.00 25.00 30.00
Rye 7.00 10.50 14.00 35.00 42.00
9-Grain Cereal 6.33 9.50 12.66 31.67 38.00
Hulled Millet 7.17 10.75 14.34 35.83 43.00
Wheat Bran 2.50 3.75 5.00 12.50 15.00
All Purpose Flour 6.67 10.00 13.34 33.33 40.00
Cornmeal 6.67 10.00 13.34 33.33 40.00
Beans 7.00 10.50 14.00 35.00 42.00
Anasazi 6.67 10.00 13.34 33.33 40.00
Black Turtle 7.00 10.50 14.00 35.00 42.00
Black Eye 6.33 9.50 12.66 31.67 38.00
Garbanzo 6.67 10.00 13.34 33.33 40.00
Great Northern 7.00 10.50 14.00 35.00 42.00
Green 1.67 2.50 3.33 8.33 10.00
Green Peas 6.67 10.00 13.34 33.33 40.00
Kidney 6.67 10.00 13.34 33.33 40.00
Lentils 7.17 10.75 14.34 35.83 43.00
Lima 7.17 10.75 14.34 35.83 43.00
Mung 7.50 11.25 15.00 37.50 45.00
Pink 6.83 10.25 13.66 34.17 41.00
Pinto 6.83 10.25 13.66 34.17 41.00
Refried 4.17 6.25 8.34 20.83 25.00
Small Red 6.83 10.25 13.66 34.17 41.00
Small White Navy 7.50 11.25 15.00 37.50 45.00
Soy 6.67 10.00 13.34 33.33 40.00
Pasta – Macaroni 4.17 6.25 8.34 20.83 25.00
Pasta – Egg Noodles 2.67 4.00 5.34 13.33 16.00
Pasta – Spaghetti 5.83 8.75 11.66 29.17 35.00
Alfalfa Sprouting Seeds 7.50 11.25 15.00 37.50 45.00
Diced Carrots 3.33 5.00 6.66 16.67 20.00
Cross-Cut Celery 1.33 2.00 2.66 6.67 8.00
Chopped Onions 3.00 4.50 6.00 15.00 18.00
Potato Dices 2.67 4.00 5.34 13.33 16.00
Potato Flakes 2.50 3.75 5.00 12.50 15.00
Potato Granules 7.50 11.25 15.00 37.50 45.00
Potato Slices 1.67 2.50 3.34 8.33 10.00
Split Green Peas 7.50 11.25 15.00 37.50 45.00
Tomato Powder 5.83 8.75 11.66 29.17 35.00
Applesauce 3.33 5.00 6.66 16.67 20.00
Apple Slices 1.67 2.50 3.34 8.33 10.00
Banana 2.33 3.50 4.66 11.67 14.00
Butter Powder 4.17 6.25 8.34 20.83 25.00
Margarine 4.17 6.25 8.34 20.83 25.00
Cheese Blend 4.17 6.25 8.34 20.83 25.00
Non-Fat Milk 5.83 8.75 11.66 29.17 35.00
Morning Moo White 5.83 8.75 11.66 29.17 35.00
Powdered Eggs 4.17 6.25 8.34 20.83 25.00
Powdered Whole Eggs 4.17 6.25 8.34 20.83 25.00

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Monday, June 30, 2014 · 12:10 AM

Food during a nuclear or volcanic winter

(Survival Manual/ Prepper articles/ Food during a nuclear or volcanic winter)

food v2]

A. Scientists Map Food Security, Self-Provision of Major Cities
12 Dec. 2013, ScienceDaily, by the University of Copenhagen.
Pasted from: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131212100055.htm

Wealthy capital cities vary greatly in their dependence on the global food market. The Australian capital Canberra produces the majority of its most common food in its regional hinterland, while Tokyo primarily ensures its food security through import. The Copenhagen hinterland produces less than half of the consumption of the most common foods. For the first time, researchers have mapped the food systems of capital cities, an essential insight for future food security if population growth, climate change and political instability will affect the open market. Several partners in the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU) are behind the study.

“The three major cities in our study achieve food security by different degrees of self-provision and national and global market trade. It is important to understand such food flows in order to relate it to the energy challenge and the risk of national political unrest caused by food shortages and its effect on the open food trade,” says Professor Dr. John R. Porter from the University of Copenhagen, who is leading author on the study recently published online in the journal Global Food Security.
John R. Porter is also the main lead author of the forthcoming report from the IPCC Working Group 2 on food production systems and food security, which will be released following governments’ review, in March 2014.Higher farmland yields have influenced the cities self-provisioning over the past 40 years, but overall the ability of cities to feed themselves is unlikely to keep pace with increasing population, the research shows.

 Self-provisioning does not increase in line with population growth
Particularly in the capitals of Australia and Japan, where the population has increased tremendously over the past 40 years, the self-provision has declined; in Canberra from 150 to 90 percent and in Tokyo from 41 to 27 percent.
This is despite the increase in yield of agricultural land per hectare. Copenhagen on the other hand, has increased its self-provision slightly from 34 to 45 percent because its population has remained fairly constant.
“When the local capacity to supply a city declines, it becomes more dependent on the global market. As an example, Japan imported wheat from 600,000 hectares of foreign farmland to meet the demand of their capital and surrounding region in 2005. This means that large cities should now start to invest in urban agriculture especially if climate change has large effects on food production and other parts of the food chain in the future,” says John R Porter.
The study has exclusively focused on the historical and current production and not considered whether changes in land management practices can increase productivity further or whether consumers are willing to limit their intake to local seasonally available goods. It did not include citizen-based production from allotments, urban gardens etc.

Food v winter1

Scientific debate on food security and urbanization
More than half the human population lives in or near cities. That has increased global food transportation which makes up 15 percent of the global greenhouse gas emissions.Both food security and urbanization is on the program for next year’s major international conference on sustainability hosted by the IARU partnership. John Porter is organizing the session on global challenges and sustainable solutions related to food security.
“The congress will be an important event to discuss new insight in global food security and the different challenges faced by rural and urban populations. Also, we get a unique chance to stimulate the discussion with input from expertise of other disciplines, such as economy, biodiversity and health.”

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B.  Feeding Yourself Through a Nuclear, Impact, or Volcanic Winter
18 January 2013, Schemabyte.com, by scemabyte author (see website)
Pasted from: http://schemabyte.com/feeding-yourself-through-a-nuclear-impact-or-volcanic-winter/

The primary orientation of prepper gardens is disaster scenarios. Disaster scenarios such as volcanic winters, however, involve a reduction of sunlight and heat that would reduce the efficiency of gardens, if not outright destroy them. We should keep winter crops in our stockpiles and have the skills to fall back to mushroom and insect farming, should it come to that.

1816 was the “Year Without a Summer” when volcanic and solar activity combined to create freezing temperatures that caused widespread crop failures. By Giorgiogp2 (Own work)

Artificial Winters
There’s a number of ways how enough particulate matter could be injected into the atmosphere to reduce the global temperature and block out sunlight, thus affecting plant life and our crops.These kinds of things don’t necessarily have to be regional. They could impact the entire planet. If the event’s small enough, you could just pack your seed stores and hit the trail. But if it’s a big one, there’s probably nowhere to go where you’ll be much more effective than where you are.
If you’re a regular reader, you know I’m not trying to cause you to react to these threats in a fear-based way. Instead, I’m suggesting that we ensure we have the proper supplies and skills to react to them – that we prep.

In no particular order:
1. A severe volcanic eruption could create a volcanic winter. Major volcanic eruptions frequently occur; check out the timetable on wikipedia.org. 1816 was the Year Without a Summer caused by a combination of volcanic and solar activity, resulting in a severe food shortage.
2. A series of nuclear explosions could theoretically create a nuclear winter. The ash and dust in this scenario would get lifted into the stratosphere, where rain couldn’t wash it down. One of the hypotheses over on Wikipedia holds that temperatures would become colder than the Little Ice Age and would last for more than a decade from a small exchange of nuclear weapons. Per that hypothesis, a large exchange would make agriculture completely impossible.
3. The impact of a sizable asteroid or comet on earth could create an impact winter. Per that Wikipedia article, one study showed there’s a 1 in 10,000 chance a sizable rock could hit us in the next century.

TOPSHOTS-INDONESIA-VOLCANO

Three Possible Approaches to Nuclear, Impact, and Volcanic Winters
There’s three possible solutions I see for resolving this scenario.You could:
1. Wait it out. If your food stores are big enough, just bunker down and there you have it. This is ideal because it minimizes the variables, of course, if you have enough supplies.
2. Generate artificial light. If you have an alternative energy source and a hell of a lot of plant lights, you could play space station.
3. Adapt your farming.

I don’t like the first two options for the same reason, although you should certainly have some supplies to implement them as possible.

1. When your entire plan relies on stored food or technology, then your entire focus becomes protecting and rationing those resources.
2. Sufficient food or alternative energy for either proposition directly impacts your mobility and is situation dependent.
3. Significant investment is required up-front for both of those solutions, and investing in that way could mean you’re not preparing for other disaster circumstances.

After your supplies fail, only an alternative way of farming will keep you alive.

Winter Crops with Low Light Requirements
Hopefully, an artificial winter wouldn’t totally block out the light. Instead, the atmosphere would just filter out much of the sunlight. While still disastrous for most crops, there’s some that don’t need as much light and heat. The problem is that edible plants that grow well in really low light aren’t, generally speaking, the same plants that grow in cold temperatures. Even when there’s a bit of overlap, plants that grow in very low light have very low nutrition. Light is, after all, their food.Nevertheless, I’m with you on this. If there’s some light coming on down, let’s bust out our winter crops and go year-round with them.

Per organicgardening.about.com, your best bet for vegetables in the shade are:

  1. Beans
  2. Beets
  3. Broccoli
  4. Brussel Sprouts
  5. Cauliflower
  6. Leafy Greens like collards, mustard greens, spinach, and kale
  7. Peas
  8. Radishes
  9. Salad Greens like leaf lettuce, arugula, endive, and cress.
  10. Swiss Chard

Per forums.gardenweb.com, garden.lovetoknow.com, guardian.co.uk, and telegraph.co.uk, some good winter crops might be:

  1. Asparagus
  2. Beets
  3. Broad Beans
  4. Brussel Sprouts
  5. Cabbage – spring cabbage
  6. Collards
  7. Cauliflower
  8. Garlic
  9. Lettuce – lambs & winter lettuce
  10. Leeks
  11. Kale
  12. Onions, Spring Onions, Shallots
  13. Peas – english & sweet
  14. Radish
  15. Rhubarb
  16. Spinach
  17. Turnip

But that’s way optimistic. For my money, I’m sticking with the southernstates.com zone 7 recommendations.

  1. Beets
  2. Broccoli
  3. Carrots
  4. Kale
  5. Lettuce
  6. Peas
  7. Spinach

Combine that with the shady vegetable list above, you’re left with beets, broccoli, lettuce, peas, and spinach. Good thing those are all tasty. Feel free to correct me (on either recommended vegetables for low heat + low light or on the tastiness opinion) in the comments. Something else to keep in mind XS29L on survivalistboards.com‘s excellent advice of focusing on sprouting; sprouts don’t require light and, even though it’s not sustainable forever, it’s a lot better than just relying on your dried and canned stores if the skies darken.

Mushrooms 
In a “true” nuclear or volcanic winter, traditional agriculture would become completely impossible. Without greens to feed animals, farming for the most part would be annihilated until the stratosphere cleared enough to let some sunlight back in. But the trees could live on for decades because of their sugar stores and slow metabolisms. They wouldn’t produce much, if anything, but they’d still be there. That’s good, we can feed mushrooms with wood.

If you want to play Darwin, read the list of edible fungi on wikipedia.org. What we’re really talking about here, though, is mushrooms and truffles. Perhaps there’s a species of yeast that could grow on bark and the two together would be quite tasty, but if you go sucking on something like that I don’t want to know about it.

The easiest way to grow mushrooms (and the only way if you aren’t good at identifying them) is to buy a mushroom-growing kit from a company like mushbox. Making sure you pick an edible one, of course, you then take the fruited mushrooms off to a dark corner and continue to feed them substrate – and they continue to produce. Some mushrooms need light to propagate, so you need to verify that before proceeding, but the light requirements for those species that do need it is insignificant compared to plants. White, crimini, and portobello (which are just large crimini) mushrooms need complete darkness, so those are winners on that score.
Since stable mushroom colonies don’t keep producing in the winter outside and might even die if it gets too cold, the plan is to grow them indoors. Makes it easier, anyway, because they have to be kept humid as well as warm (misted once or twice a day). Since heat rises, logically the best place for your mushroom farm is going to be as high up in your house as you can go, keeping in mind that the attic might be out of the question unless you have good air circulation there. If there’s some sunlight, you could consider the greenhouse in a shady area too.
The substrate you feed the mushrooms depends on the type of the mushroom you’re growing. Check out the Mushroom Shack product page for a description of the various choices available to you like straw, logs, sawdust, compost, paper & cardboard, and other organic materials. Per ehow.com, the classic white button mushroom prefers compost. While I understand portobello is more sensitive and difficult than white mushrooms, be aware that most of the online descriptions are targeted toward professional growers. Once you get the colony going, you should be able to just feed them things like wood chips and other discards, mostly just focusing on not introducing competing fungi.

Don’t Forget the Crawlies
As long as you’re out scrounging in the wet and dark for wood to feed your mushrooms, pick up some of the other rotted stuff for your mealworms, termites, and other micro-livestock that can earn off a living off the other crap you’ll be able to find. You actually give them the worst of what you scrounge up and save the good stuff for the mushrooms.

This list of wood-attacking insects could actually be a menu for us someday.  (http://www.entomology.wisc.edu/insectid/wood-attk.php)
I won’t go too deeply into this since I just put out a post titled “Micro-Livestock: Why More Preppers Should Consider Farming Insects”, but insects are a perfect candidate for the wintry world after nuclear blasts, a meteor impact, or a large volcanic eruption.
Certainly, you can look to feed those insects to chickens or fish if you want to move further up the animal chain. And certainly, hunt and fish while it lasts.
But if it’s a long winter, and it very well could be, you can thank me for that delicious termite and mushroom stew. Save some for me.

Byte: The Scenario

  1. A change falls upon the land from a volcanic eruption, the skies darken, and the crops fail.
  2. Live off stored food and sprouted grains, expanding insect and mushroom farming capacity.
  3. Turn on the space station in your basement as you near stockpile emptying, powering your grow lights with energy from a wind turbine, modified exercise bike, or whatever else your prepper ingenuity has prepared.
  4. Revert to insects, whatever you still have that can live off bugs, and mushrooms after the stockpiles empty and the technologies fail. Talk about your Atkins diet.
  5. Survive to the day when the sky lightens and winter crops will succeed.

Resources & More Reading
Nuclear Winter – wikipedia.org
Volcanic Winter – wikipedia.org
Impact Winter – wikipedia.org
Year Without a Summer – wikipedia.org
Timetable of major worldwide volcanic eruptions – wikipedia.org
Which edible plant requires the least amount of sunlight to grow? – survivalistboards.com
Top 10 vegetables to grow over winter – telegraph.co.uk
Ten Vegetables You Can Grow Without Full Sun – organicgardening.about.com
Fresh vegetables in winter – forums.gardenweb.com
How to grow winter veg – guardian.co.uk
Best Producing Winter Vegetable Garden – garden.lovetoknow.com
Planting Fall and Winter Vegetables, Good For Nutrition and Good For Your Pocket – southernstates.com
Top 10 Vegetables to Grow Over Winter – thompson-morgan.com
Winter Garden Crops – greenhousecatalog.com
Vegetables to grow in winter: a how-to guide – permaculture.co.uk
How to Grow Truffles Indoors – ehow.com
If The Sun Went Out, How Long Would Life On Earth Survive? – popsci.com
How to Grow Edible Mushrooms in Your Backyard – tobuildagarden.com
Grow mushrooms indoors with a kit – oregonlive.com
How to Grow Portobello Mushrooms – http://growyourownmushrooms.net/
How to Grow Mushrooms in Coffee Grounds – ehow.com
Types of mushroom Substrates – mushroomshack.com
What Is the Natural Habitat for Mealworms? – ehow.com
Darkling Beetle/Mealworm Information
.

food v winter ash
.C.  What’s it like during an ashfall?
Excerpts pasted from: http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/ash/ashfall.htmlWhen ash begins to fall during daylight hours, the sky will turn increasingly hazy and “dusty” and sometimes a pale yellow color. The falling ash may become so dense that daylight turns to murky gray or even an “intense blackness” such that “it is impossible to see your hand when held up close to the eye.” Loud thunder and lightning and the strong smell of sulfur often occurs during an ash fall. Furthermore, rain may accompany the ash and turn the tiny particles into a slurry of slippery mud. Most people also describe an intense quietness, except for thunder that may accompany the ash fall, giving a “deadness” to the normal sounds of life.During a heavy ash fall and for several days after, normal community and business services are typically severely limited or completely unavailable. Transportation systems are likely to be shut down or restricted—roads may be impassable or purposefully blocked, airports temporarily closed. People will be stranded away from home. Electrical power may be intermittently unavailable when conditions favor

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Thursday, June 26, 2014 · 12:10 AM

Problems with the natural food chain

(Survival Manual/1. Disaster/Problems with the natural food chain)

A.  Crop Disease
The Food Crisis Of 2011, Oct. 27 2010 by Addison Wiggin, contributor
Pasted from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2010/10/27/the-food-crisis-of-2011/

“Every month, JPMorgan Chase dispatches a researcher to several supermarkets in Virginia. The task is to comparison shop for 31 items.
In July, the firm’s personal shopper came back with a stunning report: Wal-Mart had raised its prices 5.8% during the previous month. More significantly, its prices were approaching the levels of competing stores run by Kroger and Safeway. The “low-price leader” still holds its title, but by a noticeably slimmer margin.
[The world’s population is growing  at about 83 million people each year. During the last ten years, while global grain supplies have remained below average, about 830 million people have been added. A rising number of people on a diminished resource base has already lead to political turmoil across the Middle East. Now switch ‘food’ for ‘fuel’ in the ‘use more- have less’ equation and in a couple years when we are seen on the downside of peak oil, imagine retail cost increases and gasoline prices in North America, Europe, and developed of Asia. Mr Larry]
Read more at: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_much_does_the_world_population_grow_each_year#ixzz1U44q6sq

Within this tale lie several lessons you can put to work to make money. And it’s best to get started soon, because if you think your grocery bill is already high, you ain’t seen nothing yet. In fact, we could be just one supply shock away from a full-blown food crisis that would make the price spikes of 2008 look like a happy memory.
Fact is,  the food crisis of 2008 never really went away.
True, food riots didn’t break out in poor countries during 2009 and warehouse stores like Costco didn’t ration 20-pound bags of rice…but supply remained tight.

Prices for basic foodstuffs like corn and wheat remain below their 2008 highs. But they’re a lot higher than they were before “the food crisis of 2008” took hold. Here’s what’s happened to some key farm commodities so far in 2010…
•  Corn:  Up 63%
•  Wheat:  Up 84%
•  Soybeans:  Up 24%
•  Sugar:  Up 55%
What was a slow and steady increase much of the year has gone into overdrive since late summer. Blame it on two factors…
•  Aug. 5:  A failed wheat harvest prompted Russia to ban grain exports through the end of the year. Later in August, the ban was extended through the end of 2011. Drought has wrecked the harvest in Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan – home to a quarter of world production
•  Oct. 8:  For a second month running, the Agriculture Department cut its forecast for US corn production. The USDA predicts a 3.4% decline from last year. Damage done by Midwestern floods in June was made worse by hot, dry weather in August.

America’s been blessed with year after year of “record harvests,” depending on how you measure it. So when crisis hits elsewhere in the world, the burden of keeping the world fed falls on America’s shoulders.
According to Soren Schroder, CEO of the food conglomerate Bunge North America, US grain production has filled critical gaps in world supply three times in the last five years, including this summer…
• In 2010, when drought hit Russian wheat
• In 2009, when drought hit Argentine soybeans
• In 2007–08, when drought hit Australian wheat

So what happens when those “record harvests” no longer materialize?
In September, the US Department of Agriculture estimated that global grain “carryover stocks” – the amount in the world’s silos and stockpiles when the next harvest begins – totaled 432 million tons.
That translates to 70 days of consumption. A month earlier, it was 71 days. The month before that, 72. At this rate, come next spring, we’ll be down to just 64 days – the figure reached in 2007 that touched off the food crisis of 2008. But what happens if the U.S. scenario is worse than a “nonrecord” harvest? What if there’s a Russia-scale crop failure here at home?

“When we have the first serious crop failure, which will happen,” says farm commodity expert Don Coxe, “we will then have a full-blown food crisis” – one far worse than 2008. Coxe has studied the sector for more than 35 years as a strategist for BMO Financial Group. He says it didn’t have to come to this. “We’ve got a situation where there has been no incentive to allocate significant new capital to agriculture or to develop new technologies to dramatically expand crop output.”
“We’ve got complacency,” he sums up. “So for those reasons, I believe the next food crisis – when it comes – will be a bigger shock than $150 oil.”

A recent report from HSBC isn’t quite so alarming…unless you read between the lines. “World agricultural markets,” it says, “have become so finely balanced between supply and demand that local disruptions can have a major impact on the global prices of the affected commodities and then reverberate throughout the entire food chain.”
That was the story in 2008. It’s becoming the story again now. It may go away in a few weeks or a few months. But it won’t go away for good. It’ll keep coming back…for decades.
There’s nothing you or I can do to change it. So we might as well “hedge” our rising food costs by investing in the very commodities whose prices are rising now…and will keep rising for years to come.

“While investor eyes are focused on the gold price as it touches new highs,” reads a report from Japan’s Nomura Securities, “the acceleration in global food price is unrestrained. We continue to believe that soft commodities will outperform base and precious metals in the future.”
So how do you do it? As recently as 2006, the only way Main Street investors could play the trend was to buy commodity futures. It was complicated. It involved swimming in the same pool with the trading desks of the big commercial banks. And it usually involved buying on margin – that is, borrowing money from the brokerage. If the market went against you, you’d lose even more than your initial investment.
Nowadays, an exchange-traded fund can do the heavy lifting for you, no margin required. The name of the fund is the PowerShares DB Agriculture ETF (DBA).
There are at least a half-dozen ETFs that aim to profit when grain prices rise. We like DBA the best because it’s easy to understand. It’s based on the performance of the Deutsche Bank Agriculture Index, which is composed of the following:
•  Corn 12.5%
•  Soybeans 12.5%
•  Wheat 12.5%
•  Sugar 12.5%
•  Cocoa 11.1%
•  Coffee 11.1%
•  Cotton 2.8%
•  Live Cattle 12.5%
•  Feeder Cattle 4.2%
•  Lean Hogs 8.3%

So you have a mix here of 50% America’s staple crops of corn, beans, wheat and sugar…25% beef and pork…and 25% cocoa, coffee and cotton. It might not be a balanced diet (especially the cotton), but it makes for a good balance of assets within your first foray into “ag” investing.
The meat weighting in here looks especially attractive compared to some of DBA’s competitors, which are more geared to the grains. It takes about six months for higher grain prices to translate to higher cattle and hog prices.
You can capture that potential upside right now…and you’ll be glad you did when you sit down to a good steak dinner a few months down the line. After all, it’s going to cost you more.”
.

B.  Five Dangers to Global Crops That Could Dramatically Reduce the World Food Supply
29 Oct 2010, The Economic Collapse, by Michael Snyder
Pasted from: http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/5-dangers-to-global-crops-that-could-dramatically-reduce-the-world-food-supply

 “The world food situation is starting to get very, very tight. Unprecedented heat and wildfires this summer in Russia and horrific flooding in Pakistan and China have been some of the primary reasons for the rapidly rising food prices we are now seeing around the globe.
In places such as Australia and the African nation of Guinea-Bissau, the big problem for crops has been locusts. In a world that already does not grow enough food for everyone (thanks to the greed of the elite), any disruption in food production can cause a major, major problem. Tonight, thousands of people around the world will starve to death. So what happens if things get even worse? Many agricultural scientists are now warning that global food production is facing dangers that are absolutely unprecedented. Crop diseases such as UG99 wheat rust and the “unintended effects” of genetic modification pose challenges that previous generations simply did not have to face. The outbreak of a real, live global famine looks increasingly possible with each passing year. So are you and your family prepared if a global famine does strike?
Already, there are huge warning signs on the horizon. Just check out what agricultural commodities have been doing. They have been absolutely soaring.
A recent article on the Forbes website noted a few of the agricultural commodities that have skyrocketed during this year….

Here’s what’s happened to some key farm commodit prices so far in 2010…
• Corn: Up 63%
• Wheat: Up 84%
• Soybeans: Up 24%
• Sugar: Up 55%
Are you ready to pay 84 percent more for a loaf of bread?

[A 1 lb. loaf of multigrain wheat bread would  therefore increase in cost from about $2.78 to $5.11. Mr Larry]
You better get ready – these raw material prices will filter down to U.S. consumers eventually. So what is going to happen if the world food situation gets even tighter?
You don’t think that it can happen?

The following are 5 potential dangers to global crops that could dramatically reduce the world food supply:

1.  UG99 Wheat Rust
UG99 is commonly known as “wheat rust” or “stem rust” because it produces reddish-brown flakes on wheat stalks. The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico believes that approximately 19 percent of the global wheat crop is in imminent danger of being infected with UG99.
Ultimately, it is estimated that about 80 percent of the wheat on the globe is capable of catching the disease.
There is no known cure.
This current strain of wheat rust was discovered in Uganda in 1999 and has spread into areas of Kenya, Sudan, Ethiopia, Yemen and Iran. It is feared that this crippling disease will spread even farther into south Asia, devastating the fertile growing regions of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.
If that happens, you might as well kiss world food stability goodbye.
A recent article in the Financial Times contained an absolutely stunning quote from one prominent agricultural scientist….“You can talk about crying wolf,” says Ronnie Coffman, director of the Durable Rust Resistance in Wheat project at the University of Cornell in the US, “but it is a wolf”, he asserts, “driving across the corn fields of Kansas.”
Later on in the same article, Coffman warns that this disease could cause a devastating famine in which literally millions of people would die….“It can be absolutely devastating if environmental conditions are right,“ he says. “You can count the number of people who could die from this in the millions.”

2.  Mad Soy Disease
Mad Soy disease is spreading at an alarming rate among soy farms down in Brazil. Previously, the disease had been confined to the north part of the country, but now it has been increasingly spreading south. This disease retards the maturation of infected plants, and it has been causing yield losses of up to 40 percent. The USDA says that “there are no known effective treatments.”

3.  Verticillium Wilt
Verticillium Wilt is a fungus that prevents lettuce from absorbing water, causing it to quickly grow yellow and eventually wilt. This dangerous fungus is very hard to get rid of totally because it can stay in the soil for up to seven years.
Today, Verticillium Wilt is spreading all over Monterey County, California. Considering the fact that Monterey County produces more than 60 percent of the lettuce in the United States, that is very bad news.

4.  Late Blight
In 2009, a disease known as “late blight” attacked potato and tomato plants in the United States with a ferocity never seen before. According to a press release from Cornell University, late blight had “never occurred this early and this widespread in the U.S.” when it started showing up all over the place early last year.
Late blight begins as ugly brown spots on the stems of potato and tomato plants, and as the spots increase in size, white fungal growth develops until finally a soft rot completely collapses the stem.
This was the disease that was responsible for the Irish potato famine in the 1850s. A major new outbreak could occur without warning.

5.  Genetic Modification
While it may or may not technically be a disease (depending on how you look at it), genetic modification is having a very serious affect on crops around the globe. For example, about 10 years ago Chinese farmers began to widely adopt Monsanto’s (MON) genetically modified Bt cotton. Researchers have found that since that time, mirid bugs that are resistant to the Bt pesticide have experienced a complete and total population boom.
Today, six provinces in Northern China are experiencing what can only be described as a “mirid bug plague”. Mirid bugs eat more than 200 different kinds of fruit, vegetables and grains. Chinese farmers in the region are completely frustrated.
In the United States, a different problem is developing. The complete and total reliance of so many U.S. farmers on Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide has resulted in several varieties of glyphosate-resistant “superweeds” developing in many areas of the United States.
The most feared of these “superweeds”, Pigweed, can grow to be seven feet tall and it can literally wreck a combine. Pigweed has been known to produce up to 10,000 seeds at a time, it is resistant to drought, and it has very diverse genetics.
Superweeds were first spotted in Georgia in 2004, and since then they have spread to South Carolina, North Carolina, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri. In some areas, superweeds have become so bad that literally tens of thousands of acres of U.S. farmland have actually been abandoned.
One of the most frightening things about genetic modification is that it actually reduces that amount of crop diversity in the world. For example, if nearly all farmers start using the same “brand” of genetically modified plants that are all virtually identical, it sets up a situation where crop diseases and crop failures can cascade across the planet very easily.
Genetic variety is a very desirable thing, but today our scientists are just doing pretty much whatever they want without really considering the consequences.
It has been said many times that genetic engineering is similar to “performing heart surgery with a shovel”. The truth is that we just do not know enough about how our ecosystems work to be messing around with them so dramatically.
Can we afford to make any serious mistakes at this point? The truth is that we already live in a world that is not able to feed itself. Tonight, approximately 1 billion people across the globe will go to bed hungry. Every 3.6 seconds someone in the world starves to death, and three-fourths of those who starve to death are children under the age of five.”

 

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Monday, June 16, 2014 · 12:10 AM

Canned protein

(Survival Manual/Prepper Articles/ Canned protein)

 A. Canned Protein Foods For SHTF
7 December 2013, ModernSurvivalBlog, by Ken Jorgustin
Pasted from: http://modernsurvivalblog.com/survival-kitchen/canned-protein-foods-for-shtf/

Protein can

While planning and choosing various foods for your overall preparedness food storage, also think about the proteins.
All foods made from meat, poultry, seafood, beans and peas, eggs, processed soy products, nuts, and seeds are considered part of the Protein Foods Group.
Proteins are the building blocks for our bones, muscles, and blood.
Here’s a list of some choices for storing back some canned protein…

CANNED PROTEINS
They are already ready-to-eat, pre-cooked and/or pasteurized, and therefore theoretically require no fuel consumption for safe eating (although some of the items listed below will likely taste better warmed up or cooked).

Canned Salmon
Not only is this fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, it’s actually better for you when canned because ‘traditional pack’ salmon is packed with the bones intact, meaning more calcium for your bones and teeth. Also, some of the fat is removed, making it a healthier option.

Canned Tuna
Tuna is a naturally lean protein source, also containing good omega-3. Be aware that tuna may contain levels of mercury, so it’s probably best not to consume more than a few cans a week. Here is a tuna consumption calculator for your reference regarding maximum recommended intake.

Canned Chicken
Packed with protein and low in fat for a relatively low calorie count, chicken is high in selenium as well as cancer-preventing B-vitamin niacin. It also contains B6, which is important for energy metabolism.

Canned Pinto Beans
The canned beans are convenient and can easily be added to soups or stews. They’re a good source of folate and manganese, relatively high in protein, and rich in vitamin B1 as well as a slew of other minerals.

Canned Kidney Beans
They are high in fiber, iron and memory-boosting B1, releasing their energy slowly (meaning no sugar spikes), and contain a relatively good amount of protein.

Canned Beef
There are a variety of commercially available canned beef choices out there. Beef is another source of protein. I just randomly checked a can of Kirkland canned beef (12 oz) and it contains 15 grams of protein, slightly more than the same size canned chicken (13 grams).

Canned Almonds
Often considered the healthiest nut, a medium sized handful contains about 5 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber (the highest of any nut), calcium, zinc, iron, vitamin E, and some B-vitamins, minerals, and selenium. Generally, most all unprocessed nuts are good in that they contain protein and other attributes. If they’re canned, they should have a longer shelf life, but the oils in them will go rancid after a time.

How much protein do you need each day?
Recommended daily amounts are shown in the following list from the USDA.

These amounts are appropriate for individuals who get less than 30 minutes per day of moderate physical activity, beyond normal daily activities. Those who are more physically active may be able to consume more while staying within calorie needs.

Children 2-3 years old – 2 ounce equivalents**
Children 4-8 years old – 4 ounce equivalents**
Girls 9-13 years old – 5 ounce equivalents**
Girls 14-18 years old – 5 ounce equivalents**
Boys 9-13 years old – 5 ounce equivalents**
Boys 14-18 years old – 6 ½ ounce equivalents**

Women 19-30 years old – 5 ½ ounce equivalents**
Women 31-50 years old – 5 ounce equivalents**
Women 51+ years old – 5 ounce equivalents**

Men 19-30 years old – 6 ½ ounce equivalents**
Men 31-50 years old – 6 ounce equivalents**
Men 51+ years old – 5 ½ ounce equivalents**

**See Protein Equivalents Chart below…

 Protein Equivalents Chart

protein chart

B.  My Protein Food Sources
2009, iProtein.com,
Pasted from: http://www.iprotein.com/protein-foods.html

Find out how much protein is found in the protein sources listed below!

Protein in Foods

…………………………………..Calories       Protein (g)  Total Fat (g)  Ounces

Beef

Pot Roast                                    183               28                8                     3

Flank Steak                                 175               24                9                     3

Rib Roast                                    172               24                8                     3

Round Roast                               153               27                4                     3

Sirloin                                         165               26                6                     3

Tenderloin                                  174               24                8                     3

Lean 85% Ground Beef            204               22                12                   3

Lean 90% Ground Beef            162               25                7                     3

Beef Jerky                                      70              11                1                     1

Beef Liver                                   184               23                7                     3

Beef Hot Dogs                            184               6                  17                   1 hot dog

Chicken

Broth                                          19                 3                  1                     1/2 cup

Dark Meat                                  174               23                8                     3

White Meat                                 147               26                4                     3

Ground                                       178               22                9                     3

Chicken Liver                              133               21                5                     3

Pork

Loin Chop                                    165               26                7                     3

Country-style Ribs                     203               21                13                   3

Shoulder-lean                              207               22                13                   3

Tenderloin (breaded)                  277               30                13                   3

Lean Tenderloin                          133               25                4                     3

Pork Hot Dog                              183               6                  17                   1 hot dog

Ham                                              133               21                5                     3

Turkey

Beast (no skin)                           133               26                3                     3

Breast (with skin)                     168               24                4                     3

Ground                                      210               23                12                   3

Dark Turkey (no skin)            159                24                6                     3

Turkey Hot Dogs                    129               8                  11                   1 hot dog

Lamb

Shoulder                                   239               30                12                   3

Leg                                             163               23                7                     3

Loin Chops                              186               25                8                     3

Veal                                            127               25                3                     3

Seafood

Fish

Breaded Fish Sticks           231                13                10                   3

Cat Fish                                132                 21                5                     3

Cod (baked or broiled)       89                  19                1                     3

Flounder/Sole                    99                  22                2                     3

Haddock                             98                  23                1                     3

Orange Roughy               143                   17                8                     3

Red Snapper                     19                  22                1                     3

Canned Salmon                130                17                6                     3

Fresh Salmon                   183                23                9                     3

Sardines                           177               21                10                   3

Shark                               148                24                5                     3

Sword Fish                      127                22                 4                     3

Trout                                  164                30                 5                     7-8

Tuna (oil packed)            169                25                 7                     3

Tuna (water packed)        111                25                 –                      3

Fresh Tuna                       156                25                 5                     3

Shrimp

Batter                                 195                18                11                   3

Canned                               102                20                 2                     3

Fresh/Frozen                      84                 19                 1                     3

Lobster

Broiled/Grilled                     80                  17                1                     3

Canned Meat                       79                  17                1                     3

Oysters                                    117                12                 4                     3

Bread

French                                        100               3                  1                     1 slice

Italian                                         83                 3                  –                      1 slice

Mixed Grain                             65                 2                  1                     1 slice

Pumpernickel                           80                 3                  1                     1 slice

Raisin                                         68                 2                  1                     1 slice

Rye                                               65                 2                  1                     1 slice

Sourdough                                  88                 3                  1                     1 slice

White-firm                                  88                 3                  1                     1 slice

White-firm                                  75                 2                  1                     1 slice

Hamburger Bun                          129               4                  2                     1 bun

Hard Roll                                    155               5                  2                     1 roll

Hot Dog Bun                              115                3                  2                     1 bun

Whole Wheat                                60                2                  1                     1 slice

English Muffins                            140                5                  1                     1-3 1/2 inch

Tortillas

Corn                                            61                  2                  1                     1-6 inch

Flour                                          105                3                                         1-8 inch

Vegetables

Lentils                                        115               9                  –                      1/2 cup

Refried Beans                            135               8                  1                     1/2 cup

Radish                                          1                 –                  –                      one

Rhubarb                                      26                 1                  –                      1 cup

Spinach-Fresh                            9                 1                  –                      1/4 cup

Potatoes

Baked                              220                5                  –                      7

Boiled                              124                3                  –                      5

Mashed                            122                3                  1                     3/4 cup

Baked French Fries            224                3                  12                   1/3 cup

Fruits

Bananas                                     105               1                  1                     1 med.

Pears – Fresh                             98                 1                  1                     1 med.

Pineapple – Fresh                     38                 –                  –                      1/2 cup

Plums – Fresh                           36                 1                  –                      1 med.

Prunes                                        20                 –                  –                      one

Raisins                                        55                 1                  –                      2 Tbsp.

Raspberries – Fresh                  30                 1                  –                      1/2 cup

Tangerine                                    37                 1                  –                      1 med.

Cherry Tomatoes                         3                   –                  –                      one

Tomatoes – Fresh                        26                 1                  –                      med.

Grape Fruit                                 39                 1                  –                      1/2 med.

Oranges – Fresh                          60                 1                  –                      1 med.

Cantaloupe                                 94                 2                  1                     1/2 med.

Honeydew                                  113               1                  –                      1/4 med.

Watermelon                                152               3                  2                     1 – 1×10″ slice

Cherries – Fresh                        104               2                  1                     1 cup

Strawberries – Fresh                 23                 –                  –                      1/2 cup

Kiwi                                             46                 1                  –                      1 med.

Apple                                           80                 –                  –                      1 med.

Nectarine                                   67                 1                  1                     1 med.

Peach                                          37                 1                  –                      1 med.

Soups

Chicken Noodle                          56                 3                  2                     1/2 cup

Cream of Mushroom (water)    98                 2                  7                     3/4 cup

Cream of Mushroom (milk)    154                5                  10                   3/4 cup

Cream of Tomato                       65                 2                  1                     3/4 cup

Vegetable Beef                           59                 4                  1                     3/4 cup

Eggs

Egg                                               75                 6                  5                     1 large

Egg Yolk                                      59                 3                  5                     1 large

Egg Substitute                             48                 3                  3                     2 Tbsp.

Cheese

American                                    106                6                  9                     1

Cheddar                                      114               7                  9                     1

Cheddar (low fat)                         90                 8                  6                     1

4% Cottage Cheese                     109               13                5                     1/2 cup

2% Cottage Cheese                     102               16                2                     1/2 cup

1% Cottage Cheese                      82                 14                1                     1/2 cup

Cream Cheese Light                     60                 3                  5                     1

Feta                                                 75                 4                  6                     1

Mozzarella                                     72                  7                  5                     1

Parmesan                                       23                 2                  2                     1 Tbsp.

Ricotta Park Skim Mild            170               14                10                   1/2 cup

Swiss                                             107               8                  8                     1

Miscellaneous

Peanut Butter                              95                 4                  8                     1 Tbsp.

Air-popped Popcorn                  30                 1                  –                      1 cup

Oatmeal – Cooked                      109                 5                  2                     3/4 cup

 

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Monday, May 19, 2014 · 12:08 AM

Survival during social chaos

(Survival manual/7. Warehouse/Survival during social chaos)

A.  How People Act in Times of Trouble
Pasted from: http://www.ki4u.com/guide.htm

“When tough times come, you’ll likely  discover that people today, overall, are not as resilient as they were in times past. For many of us, our grandparents generation included a higher percentage of self-reliant rural folks who both ‘made do’ on less while growing and raising their own food. Today, most people are far removed from the land and the routine of being responsible for supplying their own food; many even have a dangerous government-dependent mentality of entitlement. Fact is, the morality that both sustained and restrained previous generations during tough times is not as widely embraced in this present population. As a result, many people will more quickly rationalize theft, robbery, looting, and rioting when they fear hunger and deprivation. Crime is already a problem today–even with nobody being hungry, and with law enforcement in place. Crime, then, could explode when hunger threatens and law enforcement deteriorates concurrently. It is therefore prudent for anyone making serious preparations to also include plans for maintaining their own security if law enforcement is either unavailable or cannot keep pace with the demands of an overwhelming crime wave. If you do not own or use guns, I would strongly urge you to re-evaluate your personal security.
If you find it lacking, acquire some guns and ammunition immediately, and get some safety and practical tactical training in their use. Ask the clerks at your local gun store for advice on defensive arms and to point you to local resources for that essential training.

For those who already have weapons, be sure they are effective models and calibers for self-defense, and that you have stocked plenty of ammunition and high-capacity magazines if needed. Weapons and ammo will quickly disappear, or they will become prohibitively expensive or restricted, once the essential need is more widely recognized.”
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B.  Crime Prevention for Home
Prevent robbery, theft, and burglary with a fundamental enemy, a motion sensor light. Motion Sensor lights are your first defense against crime at your home property. Motion lighting will startle a potential thief or burglar outside of your home and will often send them somewhere else instead. Thieves are looking for easy access with the least resistance and they do not want to be seen or caught. Obviously this is only a night time deterrent however this is when many bad guys prowl for cars to steal, entry into yards for property valuables, or look for ways to enter the home. Their success begins under the cover of night and not being seen by the property owner, tenant, or neighbor.

According to statistics:
•  The best times for a home break in is after lunch in the early afternoon.
•  The second best time for a home burglary is from 2:00-3:00 pm, people just left from lunch, and nobody is at the house, this provides a short window of time, but comes unexpected.
•  For a military assault or to breach a building, the best time is 4:00AM, right before dawn when the body is just starting to wake up and is still most sluggish.
•  40% of the felonious assaults involved firearms, 12% represented cutting or slashing, and 6% involved other types of assaults.”
•  Most burglars spend six to eight minutes inside a victim’s home and only have time to check the most obvious places for valuables.
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C.  Survival Psychology “Deadly Force”
Survival Cache, by Captain Bart, Catholic Deacon, Retired US Army Pilot, Suburban Survivalist
http://survivalcache.com/survival-psychology-deadly-force/
“A great deal of survival talk and survival psychology centers around weapons and their use. The use of weapons for hunting or protection from aggressive animals is a (relatively) morally neutral action, but the use of weapons against another human being is not.

Note: SurvivalCache.com remains “Religion” neutral, this entry was submitted by a man of the cloth and we felt that it had enough merit to be posted for all.

While you can be a Vegan and a survivalist, it is extremely difficult and even a Vegan might see the need to protect people and crops from predatory animals. The moral dilemma arises when the discussion turns to the use of deadly force against fellow human beings.

For those of us raised in the Jewish or Christian faith, the prohibition against murder is absolute. The commandment is actually, “Thou shall not commit murder”, not “Thou shall not kill” but that is a different discussion.  Let’s address survival, preparation and the use of force against people.

The Scripture, both Old and New Testaments have many examples of being prepared.  Joseph in Egypt is a prime example in the Book of Genesis.  In the New Testament, note that Jesus wasn’t born in a stable because Joseph and Mary were homeless, he was born in a stable because the central government in Rome ordered them to relocate for the purpose of being taxed.  The Holy Family fled to Egypt because the local government was bent on destroying the Infant.

Nowhere in Scripture or the earliest Church writings are soldiers told to put up their arms or to change jobs.  They are told to do their job honestly and to the best of their ability.  Paul explains that government has the power of the sword since it is their God given role to enforce law and punish evil.

The early Church fathers addressed this issue at the same time as they addressed the issue of war in general. Men like Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas explain in detail what constitutes a just use of deadly force. There are three main events that must be met before deadly force can morally be used:
1.  Force may only be used defensively.  Deadly force may only be used against people to protect one’s own or another life.
2.  The amount of force must not be excessive.  You cannot kill someone for minor offensives.
3.  There must be a reasonable possibility of victory.

Defend
The first requirement means that open aggression is never morally justified.  Deadly force may only be used against actual or reasonably threatened force.  The leader of the biker gang who threatens my family and me, gets off his bike and walks in my direction has not actually used force against me.  The threat is however creditable and deadly so a deadly response is justifiable.  It further means that deadly force is never available to an aggressor even to defend his own life.
Shooting a homeowner who is using deadly force against me after I have broken into his home is not self-defense.  It is murder.

“Eye for an Eye”
The second item is rather straightforward but is often misunderstood. The Scriptural “eye for an eye” injunction is not a command to seek revenge but is an absolute limit on the amount of retribution that can be sought. If you break my tooth I may not kill you for it.  I may do no more than break yours in return.  This was a great limitation in a land where blood feuds last centuries.  Interesting arguments crop up discussing what is ‘justifiable’.  There is an old saying from the American West that ‘Horse thieves are hung not because they stole a horse. They are hung so that horses may not be stolen.’  In a time and place where having your horse stolen was often a death sentence, being a horse thief was a capital offense.  In the Eastern cities of today or even of the same era this was not true because the result of being afoot was not nearly as severe.  Horse thieves are not hung today, not even in Texas.

Victory
The final criterion requires a reasonable chance of success in your endeavor.  Attacking an armored column with a bow and arrow is suicidal and suicide is forbidden.  You are not allowed to murder, not even yourself.

The final, perhaps most interesting, point brought out by the Church fathers is that if there has ever been such a thing as a just war (justifiable defense) then it follows that there is such a thing as an unjust peace (failure to act).  As a husband and father, I do not have an option, morally speaking, when it comes to defending my family.  I have an absolute responsibility for their welfare.  This means I must also defend myself, even if they are not present, or I deprive them of the care they are entitled to.

The time to think through this responsibility is before TSHTF.  In fact, it should be done before the first weapon is purchased.  Establish your limits of what is and is not acceptable force. Then, if the time comes to act, there will be no hesitation. The same applies for survival in general.  I know what I believe is my responsibility to my family’s welfare and no person or act of government can remove that responsibility from me.  The Moral and Natural Laws set requirements that man made law cannot alter or remove.

People must decide for themselves what their responsibility is to their family and community.  They must then take appropriate steps to ensure they can carry out that responsibility.
Any other action is not in keeping with the long Christian tradition of just wars and self-defense.
By Captain Bart, Catholic Deacon, Retired US Army Pilot, Suburban Survivalist”

Deterrents & defense from criminal assault
Crime                                                Defense
Burglary                             Home security: locks, lights, arms
Armed robbery                 Awareness of  surroundings, Concealed carry
Aggravated assault          Awareness of  surroundings, Concealed carry, Pepper spray
Murder                              Concealed carry
Rape                                    NA
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D .  A Guide to Looting When the SHTF (And Your Counter-Strategies)
April 21st, 2011, SHTF Plan, by Mac Slavo, see this article and other invaluable survivalist information at:
http://www.shtfplan.com/emergency-preparedness/a-guide-to-looting-when-the-shtf-and-your-counter-strategies_04212011
Law and order will be the first casualty when the shit hits the fan [SHTF]. Recent historical examples the world over, including New Orleans, Haiti, and Chile show that without policing, looting will become an immediate danger.

The following Guide to Looting When the SHTF by Thomas Northrop of No Bullshit Survival shows that survival and preparedness planning does not include just storing food, supplies, guns, and medicine, or creating tactical defense plans for your home and property.
There will be organized gangs, whose sole method of acquiring necessities will be through looting. A friend recently mentioned that when discussing possible collapse scenarios at the water cooler, one of his office coworkers suggested that he would simply take what he needs from other people if it came down to it. Thus the looter mentality is not as isolated as we may think. In all likelihood, this person has already considered what he would do, how he would do it, and how far he was willing to go.

This is a reality, so understanding and accepting it as such is important now – so that you are fully prepared to deal with it if ever confronted by such a situation.

If you’re a law abiding citizen I suggest you don’t read this section. In some historical instances extraordinary measures have been taken against looters during times of crisis. It’s not uncommon in some countries for looters to be shot, either by police, army, or business owners. Some governments will justify the shooting of looters with the excuse of “preventing further damage to the economy”. I suggest you get out of countries that value the economy over your life.
Warnings aside… Let’s get down to business!

What is Looting?
Looting is essentially the act of stealing goods during a catastrophe, riot, war, or natural disaster and can also be referred to as sacking, plundering or pillaging. Looting is almost always opportunistic and usually occurs during a collapse in authority.

Looting can be justified in many ways. Some people may feel that if the goods are not stolen, they will be wasted. Another common belief is that if they don’t steal the goods, it will be stolen by someone else. In the aftermath of a large disaster, these beliefs both hold credence and are good reasons for you to be looting!

 Preparing
As with any endeavor, preparation is the key to success. In order to take optimal advantage of a disaster and loot effectively you’ll want to get several things handled ahead of time. The next few pages will cover all the information you need to become a master looter.

Make a Looting Kit
There are a few items that will make looting a lot easier. You’ll want to keep these items ready and on hand for when shit hits the fan. They should be kept together in the location for easy access so you just pick them up and go when it’s time.
•  Crow bar: The ultimate urban survival tool! A nice, heavy crowbar can be used to break into stores, clear your way through rubble and it can be used as a weapon! Don’t underestimate the crowbar. There are a million things you can do with a crowbar, just use your imagination.
•  Bump keys: These are keys that have been ground down in such a way that they can be used to open almost any lock. Bump keys are used by locksmiths and they’re relatively easy to use. A crowbar will get you through any door or window, but a bump key will get you through without making a mess.
•  Laundry bag: A strong, large drawstring bag is a definite must for looting. Laundry bags are great for the purpose of looting. They have a large carrying capacity and when empty they can be folded to fit in your pocket. You can always go for a large backpack, duffle bag or rucksack but they’re cumbersome, expensive and made for looks more than anything else.
•  A dollar coin or quarter: You may be wondering… a dollar coin or quarter? What the hell for? Well the answer may be a lot simpler then you imagine. The coin is for a shopping cart! Just make sure you get one before the other looters! If you don’t want to use a coin, you can always use the crowbar to break the chains holding them together.
•  Flash light / Lantern: It’s very likely that if the situation permits looting, the power is probably out. Good luck getting over fallen shelves and getting food in the dark. Looting with one hand will also be difficult, but there are a few methods around that. I suggest placing the lantern or flash light in the shopping cart, get a head lamp, or just bring someone along to shine the light and push the cart.
•  Make a Looting Team: Find several friends or family members and make a plan! It’s all about leverage, you can get a lot more done if you work as team. Get everyone together in a room and discuss a plan of action.

Here are the questions you’ll want to have answered:
•  Under what circumstances will looting take place?
•  Where will the goods be kept?
•  Who has a vehicle for transportation?
•  What are the best locations for looting?
•  Should each individual go to a different  store?
•  Should everyone go as team?
•  What goods have priority?

If each person  focuses on acquiring a certain type of item, you’ll collectively save a lot of time and effort. What I mean by this is that one person will collect water filters, one person will collect rice and beans, and the other person will collect fuel. That’s just an example and should be customized to fit your team needs.

Mapping and Creating a List of Target Addresses
Get a detailed map of your city and mark off important looting locations. Make a legend with symbols to represent different types of locations, for instance, use a circle for food stores, triangles for hunting/outdoor stores, squares for hospitals and pharmacies etc. A good resource for finding addresses and locations is Google maps, just type in a store name and Google will give you all the addresses for that store in your area. Copy and paste the results into a .txt file and print it out for future use. This map is extremely important and should be kept in a safe area. The map should be copied and distributed among friends and family.

Here’s a list of some locations to keep in mind:
•  Hospitals
•  Restaurants
•  Grocery stores
•  Large stores and warehouses
•  Police stations
•  Fire stations
•  Factories
•  Shipyards
•  Pharmacies
•  Liquor stores
•  Malls
•  People’s houses
•  Schools
•  Sporting good stores
•  Outdoor living stores
•  Garden stores
•  Hardware stores
•  Military / Armory bases
•  Gas stations
•  Air ports
•  Shipping container sites
•  Hotels

What to Loot
Some items are important to loot and some aren’t. A wide screen TV for instance will not contribute to your chances of survival. The highest priority should be on food and water but depending on location, finding water may be a problem. Water is too heavy to move around so instead of looting water bottles the focus should be on buckets and water filters. The value of money may be worthless in a disaster situation and therefore should not be a high priority.

The most important items to loot are as follows:
(This list of  items should have already been purchased  and included amongst your long term security preparations!
•  Personal medicine (if required)
•  Water filters and water
•  Rice
•  Dried lentils, legumes, beans
•  Salt
•  Oatmeal
•  Whole wheat flour
•  Sugar
•  Cooking oil
•  Coffee
•  Money (preferably in change)
•  Alcohol
•  Cigarettes
•  Energy bars
•  Coolaid/ electrolytes
•  Fuel/oil

Places to Avoid
The family-run corner stores should be avoided as the owners actually have an interest in the store. The best historical example to illustrate this point occurred during the LA riots… remember Korea town?  Go for the Wal-Marts and Super stores where the employees could care less about you looting, they
have no vested interest in the store.

Looting When Shit Hits the Fan
You have a plan and you know what to do, but now we’ll going into the details of what happens next.   It’s my personal belief that violence will not break out in the first stages of a disaster since food and supplies are still in relative abundance and people have what they need to survive. This has been
proven during hurricane Katrina and many other disasters. The first few weeks of a disaster should be spent looting and acquiring resources. Everyone in your team should loot the area and acquire as much as a possible. It’s only after several weeks of looting that gangs and groups will have formed and violence will erupt. Fighting will most likely occur over food and resources. All looting from that time on should be executed with extreme caution.

We will undoubtedly get flack for publishing this “guide,” so to clear things up, we are posting this not so much as an instructional manual for how to loot, but to reiterate the point that there are those, and they are plentiful, who are fully prepared to take what they need at the expense of others.

You may have stereotypes of what a looter looks like and the people they will be traveling with. Stop stereotyping, because the fact of the matter is, that when people are hungry and under extreme stress the line between right and wrong is blurred and very easily crossed, and color or socioeconomic background will not matter.

With respect to the looting guide above, Mr. Northrop’s list of items to loot are, for the most part, necessities. Some might even suggest that instead of looting, we could call it “foraging,” at least when it comes to the essentials. Imagine for a moment that one of your family members has sustained an injury and requires antibiotics. Would you or would you not break into the pharmacy down the street to gain access to Penicillin? The same goes for food. If you’re food stores were wiped out, for whatever reason, and you knew of a train fully loaded with boxes of dry goods, would you or would you not “loot” that train to acquire the much needed food?

Some would argue that abandoned grocery stores, pharmacies, hospitals or distribution centers don’t belong to any one individual, so looting in those areas is not as bad as, say, breaking into someone’s home.

Supplies at those abandoned locations, however, will eventually and likely very quickly, run dry as everyone who hasn’t prepared (probably north of 90% of the population) will be scrambling to get as much food as they can.

You can probably guess what happens next. This is why it is important to prepare right now. The last place you want to be when the SHTF is out with the rest of the looters and foragers. It would be much more preferable to be at home finalizing your defense preparations – doing things like setting up barbed wire, firing lines, booby traps and coordinating with neighbors – because if the disaster event lasts for more than a week without outside resupply, gangs and looters are going to be headed your way next.”

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E.   Using your Expandable baton
1.  Display your baton openly. Often, just the presence of this weapon deters an assailant. Holsters are available that attach to your belt so the baton is in clear view of any would-be attackers.
Since criminals usually look for easy targets, simply displaying a baton may help avoid an attack in the first place.
2.  Grasp the baton firmly in your hand and quickly flick your wrist. This will open the baton. You want to maintain a secure, but not tight, hold of the baton. Since fluidity of motion is required to strike effectively, a grip that is too firm will cause tightness in your wrist and arm, decreasing your ability to strike quickly and smoothly.
3.  Create a distance of a few feet between you and your assailant, if at all possible. In order for your strikes to be effective, make room to maneuver. Take a step back or to the side to create the distance needed.
4.  Target your attacker’s weapon to disarm him. Then, aim for the bony areas of the body, including the head, knees, collarbone, ribs, elbows or wrists. This is much more effective than striking areas of muscle. While muscle strikes will hurt, they are not nearly as debilitating as a strike to a bony area.
5.  Block your attacker’s blows, and aim at disabling him, if possible. Stop him long enough to get away and get help. Put your whole body into the strike. Using only your arm for leverage is not nearly as effective as a strike that has the force of your body behind it.
6.  Close your baton by holding it perpendicular to the ground, and strike the tip firmly onto the ground. This will start the retraction process. Continue to tap the ground until all the sections of the baton have retracted, and the baton is in its closed form.
•     Handle length: 8- 1/4″ for the 21″ vs 9- 5/8″ for the 26″.
•     Each state has its own laws regarding expandable batons.
•     In most states carrying an expandable baton is not a problem. Using it is. Carrying a 2 x 4 x 3 is not a problem but using it to hit someone is.
•     I’m certified in expandable baton use for police work and cannot understand why someone would carry one for self defence. They are good for helping to take control or controlling a subject, but I wouldn’t depend on one for self defence. You need to get way to close to your aggressor. I would rather run into the street than allow myself to get that close to an aggressor and try to pull out my baton.
•     For the police, the expandable baton has some advantages. You always have it with you on your belt, the wood batons are great but they were usually in the car when you needed them. Also the expendables make a nice intimidating noise when opened, almost like a pump shotgun, but again that is for police work were you have to get in close to the aggressor, not for civilian life were you should be running away calling for help.
Pasted from <http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071028033543AAwTtOH

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