With corporate earnings for the first quarter of 2016 set to be the worst since the Great Recession, Societe Generale economist Albert Edwards is warning that the United States is about to be hit with a tidal wave.
A tidal wave is coming to the US economy, according to Albert Edwards, and when it crashes it’s going to throw the economy into recession.
…the profit recession facing American corporations is going to lead to a collapse in corporate credit.
“Despite risk assets enjoying a few weeks in the sun our fail-safe recession indicator has stopped flashing amber and turned to red”
…
He continued:
Whole economy profits never normally fall this deeply without a recession unfolding. And with the US corporate sector up to its eyes in debt, the one asset class to be avoided — even more so than the ridiculously overvalued equity market — is US corporate debt. The economy will surely be swept away by a tidal wave of corporate default.
Giving us further confirmation that something is amiss we need look no further than the brain trust known as our Federal Reserve. Earlier this week current Fed Chair Janet Yellen joined her predecessors Ben Bernanke, Alan Greenspan and Paul Volcker, all of whom argued that the U.S. economy is not only not in a bubble, but is on solid footing and a good trajectory.
Via Zero Hedge:
So, I think we’re making progress there as well, and this is an economy on a solid course, um, not a bubble economy. Um, we tried carefully to look at evidence of potential financial instability that might be brewing and some of the hallmarks of that, clearly overvalued asset prices, high leverage, rising leverage, and rapid credit growth. We certainly don’t see those imbalances. And so although interest rates are low, and that is something that could encourage reach for yield behavior, I wouldn’t describe this as a bubble economy.”
Keeping these latest comments within the context of mid-2007 when Chairman Ben Bernanke vehemently argued that the U.S. economy was not headed into recession and that the crisis was contained and would not spread to other sectors, we’d say that there is no better indicator for what comes next.
At this juncture . . . the impact on the broader economy and financial markets of the problems in the subprime markets seems likely to be contained.
Ben Bernanke, Federal Reserve Chairman
March 28, 2007
Once again our best and brightest – the very people who caused the problems to begin with – are telling us that everything is fine and there is no bubble.
The takeaway?
You’d better be prepared and have an evacuation route because a Tsunami is inbound.
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The horrible truth is that nothing can be done to save the future for our kids until the beast collapses and dies. Most of us won’t survive. Even with all the preps. This is going to be unlike anything North Americans have ever seen. It will be world wide, but the rest of the world has seen great suffering before.
“Observer”
You are right, no further comments needed…..
Spot on, man. Sad but true.
Well put. Americans like to think of ourselves as being able to weather the worst of times simply because we are Americans and we can do anything. The fact that we won World War II, put man on the moon, and became the industrial powerhouse over the last 70 years no longer matters. The past is the past, and the reality of the present clearly shows that the very industrial base and social adherence to basic values that made us great have been swept away. Even during the Great Depression there
was a desire to work and be civilized by most. Now the industrial cornerstone of our nation has been removed, and the desire of most citizens to live productive honorable lives has been swept away as well.
So True, I totally agree with you Observer. We, Americans are not used to poverty and being without money.
What about month, day and year? It can’t be true unless we’re told those, right? Sadly, I’ve no doubt that it will occur. Best of luck to all here.
I know you’re being somewhat sarcastic but frankly, I feel these sorts of articles are considerably more credible without the timeline. Once someone says it *will* happen “by September” or whatever, the credibility factor takes a nosedive.
I predict that sometime within the next decade we will see a downturn. Trekker Out. JMO.
I predict it will all come down on May 31st 2016! Watch and see 😛
I predict it will happen when it happens.
Anon says,
BINGO!!! you hit the time line correctly!! ha!
I’m issuing a RED ALERT for 2015.
karl denninger(our SMARTEST patriot) said a couple or three years ago, after presenting the MATH, that this COULDN’T go on more than 5 years, so i’m thinkin’ it’s going to get very bad, very soon….but i knew clear back in 04 that when you did what our banking system did, you are TOAST…i will never know how they kept those plates spinning SOOOO long….but eventually, they will crash down. in MY opinion, we’re already in the seventh inning of this bitch. i just wish it wasn’t a double-header.
Ran a cleanin’ batch today.
Po’d, good on that. I gotta run a bunch of tails they are piling up lol. I have 13 different flavors now for the summer shinefest up on the mountain 🙂 Gonna try some rum with blackstrap next. I hope you caught my wheeesky recipe before I left, it is great!
Have you tried the sour apple? Take 56 green Jolly Ranchers, 1 1/2 cups of water (boil). Dump and dissolve the jolly ranchers. Pour into two pint jars evenly and add shine or Ever clear.
PO’d, that sounds good! I will try it. Maybe cherry too. Thanks for the recipe (see men share recipes too lol).
Bo Polny has a video on YouTube with Greg Hunter (Watchdogusa) and in that video, Polny has a very convincing argument that everything will crash by August 2016. You say 31May – he says by end of August – either way uncomfortably close. Good luck!
I thought albert edwards was a pipe tobacco everyone smoked when I was a kid 50 years ago.
I thought it was one of the 33 things that was on the list for September 23, 2015 (last year).
When the fattened masses are caught off guard it will be a horrific scene. Murder, rape, and eventually cannibalism.
To Observer: You are correct. Even many with preps will die. I only hope to live long enough to protect my wife from being gang raped and killed.
Once you have been killed, who will stop the gang rape/killing of your wife?
The world has been having economic ‘hiccups’ for a number of months. But few members of the world economist club are willing to use the “recession” word for fear a central bank will print money and paper over that recession. However some telltale signs of recession have been popping up in the first quarter in the U.S.
Some of the signs of the slowdown in the U.S. (from Federal Reserve Economic Data or FRED) are the Industrial Production Index going negative, the value of manufacturers’ new orders has been negative for a year, the PPI for commodities being so negative and S&P500 revenue in a downtrend for several quarters.
So here is my Recession Survival Tips:
Own things that produce CASH if you can handle it time wise – rental property with rent discounts for cash, laundramat, etc.
Buy silver (or maybe gold); but keep as little money in the bank as possible.
DO NOT buy trinkets – iPhones, TVs, clothes, etc. Trinkets are bright, shiny things that go down in value once you touch them (tarnish).
Get a firearm – revolver and rifle. Get proficient. Because we don’t know what can happen once the plug is pulled.
Get a dog – a watch dog (one that barks), not a guard dog (one that bites). It works much better than alarm companies.
Learn first aid. Keep ample supplies.
Start a garden (growing my first bucket potatoes).
Have no debt on anything that doesn’t produce cash: no credit card or student debt; no loan debt on cars. Exception: primary residence, but use the money to buy an asset that produces cash. Pay the primary residence off as fast as possible to get totally debt free.
Consider used vehicles only. Learn how to spot underutilized used cars and trucks (I bought an F-150 with 30K miles 7 years old and it runs perfect.)
Rent rooms in your house if you can (can means your residence is disconnected from the room).
Keep ample supply of necessary medicines.
And Normal Preps…
rabbitone
I believe everyone should also have a shot gun. There is no better protection for you home than that. Ladies should get a 20 gauge pump and guys a 12 gauge. Use bird shot so you don’t have to worry about it going through the walls. You don’t have to get an expensive one. Just get a cheap pump shot gun.
MiV: I agree. I have a basic Mossberg 20 guage pump shotgun. It wasn’t expensive and it is easy to use.
Philo, I got the 590A1 for my birthday last month. A bit pricey, but worth it. Also easy to use and BAD TO THE BONE!
BH: cool! Mossberg makes good stuff. I like mine!
OH – SHOTGUN! I thought they said MINIGUN…
…Bbbbrrrrrrrrrrrrrvvvvvvvvttttttttttt!
Mike. You are right. A shotgun is so essential I have it as a basic prep and did not include it in my list. I have a Mossberg 535 12 gauge and my wife has the family’s old 20 gauge.I also love my Ruger 10/22s.
Rabbitone, last week I bought a 2000 Honda Odyssey minivan from its original owner for only $1800 cash. Only 120000 miles on it and it runs like new. Just needs a set of tires. Had to get an alignment done on it because of the old tires. It’s got the check engine light, SRS and ABS lights on. The last 2 lights are probably just sensors. I doubt if the engine light is anything serious since the van runs good.
Autozone will do you an OBD2 code scanner as a loaner tool. They want deposit but they give it back when you return the tool, total cost $0.
Brave, autozone will test your check engine lights for free. Good to know exactly what is causing it.
Genius, thanks, will do. Probably something really minor. I’ve already smoked the tires in it once. Not bad for a 16-year-old van, eh?
Brave, Feed Your 590! Midway USA has 250RD of 00Buck for just $90 can’t beat that price. Trekker Out.
MT, appreciate the tip. Thanks.
870, 590 are no longer on rations. .37/rnd. heck of a deal. Big thanks MT
While I believe the article to be true, I recently saw this (maybe here – so sorry for not attributing it)
“Why do economists exist ?…
To make meteorologists look good..”
<bb
With the latest reports laying out what the actual extent of the Fukishima disaster means for all life on Earth most will die from radiation, which seems like the plan to me. Financial collapse seems miniscule up against that threat.
It seems like the wild life is doing pretty well in Fukishima.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki seem to be doing exceptionally well also. Makes one think that all the worry about radiation is not all it is cracked up to be.
If we did not think this was coming there would be no reason to be hear. Think of anything that could be used to barter. One item that really shocked me when I first learned it was condoms. I thought why would people barter for condoms. It makes sense when you consider no one would want to have kids in a world like that.
1- Toilet Paper
2- Liquor
3- Additional tools
4- Pot Seeds
5- Extra Ammo
6- Extra Vegetable Seeds
7- Nails, Bolts, washers, ect.
8- Small solar panels for small electronics
9- Solar fence charger and rope.
10- Extra firearms
11- Traps for small game
12- Candles, matches, lighters, lanterns ect.
13- Fishing Gear
14- Extra coats, boots, socks, underwear, ect.
15- Feminine Products
16- Fertilizer
17- compost
18- Bicycles
19- Diapers
20- Antibiotics
21- Salt, sugar, coffee, spices, ect.
22- Sand bags, barbed wire
All of these could be used as barter items. I tried to come up with odd things. Of coarse it depends on how bad it gets.
Things that could give you an advantage over others. Yes some are expensive.
1- Night vision gear
2- Body Armor
3- Several water filters
4- Livestock chickens, goats, cows, American Guinea Hogs, Regular Hogs, rabbits, birds, ect.
5- A hand well pump or a large source of water. Pond or creek.
6- Reloading Equipment
7- Large fuel storage
8- Large solar system
9- Large supply of wood. Cross cut saws, mauls, wedges, axes.
10- Security system
11- Moped
12- Horses
13- Antibiotics
14 – Root cellar
15- A way to have ice
16 – Old fashioned mule and plow
17- Gold and Silver
18- A group of fellow preppers banned together
19- Having a doctor and nurse close
20- Having ex military, police, with the right training on your team.
21- Early warning systems. People, listening observation post. Just a way to know in advance that trouble is heading your way. As far in advance as possible.
22- Natural barriers, rivers, downed trees, old cars, ect blocking a good way to get to your property.
23 – A back up place to go. Hopefully totally hidden in the woods. You could just build a small one room cabin if you had too. Just knowing how to build temporary shelter in the woods if you needed it for a few days.
24- Knowledge. As many skills as possible. A collection of books on every topic you can think of to that would be helpful.
25 – Martial Arts. This also means staying in shape which will be so much more important then most people no. Start a workout program now.
I know everyone’s situation is different. I just threw together things that came to mind quickly. Hope I helped someone. If even just one.
MIKE
My brother. Great list.
I have talked to several people that if they saw your list they would POOOOPPPPP themselves. They are so far behind the curve it hurts to know what they are going to have to suffer.
Just got two more Solar panels for my brother. 2 more Sawyer water straws for me. (cleans 2 times more water that life straw at the same price). 20 more solar blankets, and two more solar panel control units. Just picked up 5 more M1A mags, and ordering 6 more FN LAR mags, next week.
I just listen to a former Military man telling a group to Stock up, Gun up, and Practice up. Its coming and when it does you are on your own. The great thing about this was the guy wasn’t selling anything. Even when asked questions about products he would not endorse any thing.
Sgt.
Sarge, you made a good choice on those Sawyers. I have their All-In-One and Mini which are good for up to a million gallons, in theory. I also have 2 of their Water Filter Bottles that have built-in filters which can be cleaned and never need replacing. I keep one in the truck and one as a spare. I tried a Lifestraw once and wasn’t too impressed with it. It might do in an emergency. Otherwise I’ll stick with my Sawyers.
Brave 1776
I have 4 of the Lifestraws, and they work fine used them in Mexico a couple years ago and Montezuma didn’t get me.
I have been researching these things and it looks like the Sawyers ins the better of the two. Amount of water, size, and at the same price. Not to say that the lifestraw is bad it isn’t it is a great product.
Sgt.
How long do you plan for it to go for?
How do you set a baseline for how long you plan for it to go for?
I mean you could attempt to buy enough toilet paper for 150 years but then some of your food preps are perishable (on a long enough time frame).
Somewhere in here you hit a wall of “I cant make more than X years of preps”… either because of space / perishability / cost…
TheGuy rises a good point that newer preppers probably wonder a lot about. Think of it based on your own risk evaluation. I live up north. It’s not unusual for a blizzard to shut things down for three days. Many people don’t even have enough supplies for that and those odds are high so that’s a starting point. I personally feel a very big economic event will come within a few years more likely within one year. My feeling is if you can hole up for 90 days with no outside inputs, there will be close to a 50% die off within that time. By then things might start to come back slowly. I personally don’t have the means to buy and store 2 years worth of supplies for a need I see very low odds of happening. For me the sweet spot is 6 months. All based on odds of needing and resources to prepare for.
Less tangible things that you can never get enough of are skills, community building, physical conditioning. These are things that pay off in the 3 day scenario or 10 year scenario.
Hope that gives you something that is helpful to consider.
Event horizons for preppers.
This is a risk management decision. The big question is what risks do you expect to be the highest and what is their historical duration and will they repeatedly occur once things break?
I may live next to a volcano and not worry, but is it historically overdue, have there been a series of quakes, is it smoking, is the mountain changing shape, have there been landslides. Ten years ago the US economy was in pretty good shape, right now it looks like the most dangerous volcano in the world.
New preppers, start by building a 30 day home survival plan, and an evacuation plan. I don’t have a bug out cabin in the woods, but I do have mutual agreements with relatives in three compas headings that I can just show up and they will take us in. Of course the plan is to load up with survival stuff appropriate for the situation.
A 30 day survival plan will handle 90% of the disasters that happen. The other 10% get more expensive. In an economic crash there can be repetitious supply problems with limited ability to replace used survival supplies.
After your 30 day plan looks good, consider expanding to 3 months. After that a 6 month plan.
A six month plan is a great hinge point, it means you have the supplies to get through a hot summer, or cold winter then plant and harvest. It also allows you to out survive most of the sheeple who compete for critical supplies and resources.
A years worth can mean you can take in an ally or relative to help you survive or have extra supplies to barter with.
There are books and stories written on economic collapses in the third world, a similar collapse here will likely create similar dangerous situations, read up on these.
You need preps to get you by until you are able to grow, trade for, or manufacture what you need.
Thank you Sgt. I have been worried about water for my home. I just ordered two of the larger Sawyer water filters. I had been looking at Berkley filters but felt shaky about buying them. Again thank you, I do appreciate all the great advice on this website.
What would they say when you mentioned ham radios?
Mike, Instead of stocking booze learn how to make it yourself. People will be a lot less likely to try and rob you if all you have is the means to make it. Making booze is a skill and a lot of people have no clue how to do it. It will make you a lot more valuable. Also tobacco seeds and rolling papers is good.
I tried my new whiskey recipe at the cabin the last 2 weeks and it was so good we drank it all! Smoothest I have ever tried and no bad ass hangover lol. Got my conex all setup now it’s just the finishing touches. Got the cellar condensation under control so it’s good for a while, new scope for the .06, remote cam, water tank held up fine, all is good 🙂
Just remember that tobacco seeds have to be sowed on top of the dirt because they need sunlight to germinate.
After the plants get large enough, transplant them to a larger area so they can spread out and grow.
Archivist, I agree. If you have the stuff that people want for their bad habits that will mean you have stuff to trade. Thanks for the info about tobacco seeds didn’t know that about needing sunlight to germinate.
soil not dirt
Sorry. My mistake.
Jerry Clower said that God made soil, and the devil made dirt.
Ref stocking booze.
Stock grain alcohol like Everclear. Being highly concentrated (98% pure) it is as compact and lightweight as alcohol can get.
It has medicinal uses, can be burned for fuel for both heat and to cook on, and if diluted can be consumed. Dilute it at least 1.5 parts water to 1 part grain alcohol to achieve 80 proof that won’t burn someone drinking it.
I would not barter it away for people to drink, it has too many other valuable uses.
Good List.
Mike I VA:
It will happen whenever the Banksters decide to cause it to happen.
To your very good list.
Did you say Chickens, Rabbits, Goats, Sheep, Alpaca.
Wagons for the horses, wheel barrels, plows,
NonGMO Seeds for Fruit and Nut Trees, let’s turn our homes into amateur or Professional Nurseries. If more people have fruit and nut trees, there will be less pandemonium in a financial crisis. So don’t throw out the seeds when you eat an apple or an apricot. The hard pit of an apricot contains a seed inside with medicinal qualities. Just don’t eat more than three or four at a time. Plant them in a pot. In some places a man’s wealth is determined by how many apricot trees he has. GMO trees have useless seeds. GMOs cause health problems. Live long and prosper.
Pot seeds and liquor. You got it covered don’t ya That’s hilarious!!
I watched a few videos on how to make a rocket stove. I copied this one: cheap and easy. I watched another video on how make a rocket stove with a bucket and some PVC pipe and concrete! The link below is for a rocket stove made from a paint can, a soup can, a tomato sauce can, sand, and small pea gravel.
ht tp://youtu.be/gQyU4lokVe4
(Take out the space between the T’s, as usual).
I also watched a couple of videos on how to make a Tandoori oven with flower pots! All of the videos were great and inspirational. They gave me hope if people from around the world from different places are still curious and still want to have these skills, we can make it. The flowerpot tandoori oven is probably the coolest thing I have seen in a while.
US Steel layoffs world wide, Houston Texas, Mustang Cat Cat dealer, Industrial .. layoffs today.
More to come… China is about to dump thousands of tons of steel, copper and other base metals on the global marketplace… the same thing that happened with oil is coming to base metals until the Chinese supply glut has been cleaned out… It’s going to be a mess.
Mac, thats great news! Should be a lot cheaper for people to make stills lol.
He said steel, as in carbon, not stainless steel for your still. I am going to build one soon. Do you ever use a wood cook stove for you heat source while distilling?
No I haven’t but I imagine you could just be sure and watch the temp closely. Use trivets to control the temp. You want between 175 to 180 F. ideally. You can judge by the rate of flow too, if it’s pouring out you have it too hot. If you scorch your mash it will taste like shit lol. Propane is easy and very controllable, once you have it to temp it just needs a low flame. Good luck and welcome to the club lol.
Dave, check out your local liquor store for a used/empty stainless beer keg. Most are going for around 60 bucks. 15.5 gallon.
I notice reefer seeds as #4 on the list. If things ever really get that bad who’s going to have time to sit back and be a stoner? Seems to me you’ll be too damned busy with staying alive and everything that’s associated with trying to do so if the world collapses as bad as some people think it will.
Pot seeds are not a bad idea. Hemp has a lot more uses than getting high. It’s a very good food source, the oil can be used as medicine, fuel, and lubrication (it’s the finest grade of machine oil available). It makes stronger fabric and rope than cotton and sturdier paper than wood pulp. It’s probably the single most versatile plant on the planet. It grows in any soil and any climate except the arctic regions with very little cultivation. Hemp oil can power a diesel engine. We can grow that fuel unlike petroleum products.
Just something for you critical thinkers to ponder …..
How did the attackers at Benghazi know where the CIA safehouse was, and the best time to schedule the attack? hillary’s hacked emails, perhaps?
Robin.
VERY INTERESTING!!!!!
If I was betting man I would bet that is where they got the info.
Wouldn’t that be something great to come out. Hellory you get a new Orange Jump suit with numbers on the back.
Sgt.
I just finished reading “They Dare Not Call It Conspiracy”. I am 55 years old and this book was written in 1971. It doesn’t even matter if The Donald is President. The goal is socialism/Communism. This country is too far gone. They intend to turn this into a NWO. Most will perish. MOST. Do the best that you can, whether you’re a prepper or not. I’m looking out my window and the trees are whipping around in this howling wind outside today. It matches my mood. But God is most certainly with believers so it’s all good. Enjoy each day, things are winding up on this earth.
I’ve been saying that since Trump declared. Even people in here seem to scoff at that and seem like there’s a political solution. If there were, if they really believe that, then why be in here?
Chicago was among four cities worldwide with the biggest flight of millionaires
Millionaires are leaving Chicago more than any other city in the United States on a net basis, according to a new report. About 3,000 individuals with net assets of $1 million or more, not including their primary residence, moved from the city last year, with many citing rising racial tensions and worries about crime as factors in the decision, according to research firm New World Wealth. That represented about 2 percent of the city’s high net worth individuals. Cities in the United States that saw a net inflow of millionaires included Seattle and San Francisco.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-chicago-losing-millionaires-0405-biz-20160404-story.html
I propose that President Obama issue an executive order (order # 8 trillion, 492 million, 899 thousand and three) authorizing Chicago to tax residents in other states based on benefits they receive from Illinois and Chicago. Watch the Bears on TV, you pay an entertainment tax (or, after last season, a masochist tax) – after all, who built the stadium? Read a research article published by a prof from Univ. of Illinois, you pay. After all, who paid their salary and for their labs? If you live, say, in Georgia (the state, or – what the heck – even the country), and employ someone who is now 40, but went to kindergarten in IL, you benefit from the education they are received, so, yep, you need to pay your “fair share.” I think you get the idea. And Rahm, if you are reading this, I want $300,000 for this idea. You can borrow it from the Chicago School Board – they won’t notice such a tiny amount…
Note: Hilary and Obama cronies will be, by dint of law, and as always, excluded from this tax.
———————-
This is exactly how Detroit got started. Next, it will be the businesses leaving….everyone except for the Chicago teachers’ union cronies, who will demand their salaries double… As Bastiat wrote 150 years ago, socialism is the great fiction, whereby everybody endeavours to live off of everybody else. Didn’t work in USSR, Zimbabwe, Cuba or Venezuela, and it won’t work here. Copying our state rep, Stephanie Kifowit, for her reference:
Test: Chicago and Paris. They are fleeing Paris as well. Saw that on Zerohedge a few weeks ago. 7,000 millionaires have left Paris. So yes. People are nervous, not just here, either.
Are they leaving NYC.
I recently returned from a 3 week trip to New Zealand. Nice people, beautiful country. Damn Hobits were annoying!
Everywhere we went there were young women from Europe working in the restaurants and hotels. They all had a similar story, they were trying to immigrate to NZ for a new life because Europe is dying. In many cases family financed their escape. The worst were the stuck up French because they knew little English. Most of the rest from the Eastern Europe to England, were fluent.
The smart ones in Europe are running for their lives. Parents are sending their adult children to perhaps better lives.
You can find articles written a few years ago that say almost the same thing, except the dates have been changed for this post. It will happen when it happens. Many commenters want to see others suffering, and hurting, and in misery. I have even read from one person who leaves a lot of comments on this site he wants to see people starve, and then occasionally mentions Christian topics. That is an example of both moral and mental confusion typifying some who write comments. Some say they have inside knowledge, or have proof of when a collapse will occur, and try to convince the reader they really know what they are talking about. All I can say is it has been borne out to show it is pure drivel. They say the people who don’t believe them will suffer; all that happened though was they made themselves look foolish, a public object of ridicule. Just in the last five years alone thousands upon thousands of purported experts or people with special insight or knowledge have said and written the collapse has started, there will be national chaos in the streets within a few days or weeks. It was found out some of those making the most dire predictions were in business selling stuff. It seems the more absurd the claim the more one is taken seriously, and those who are rational are called blind misinformed losers.
Bill,
Your post is quite lengthy and contains numerous concerns. You have obviously been a reader for quite awhile. If I found a site so not to my liking I wouldn’t continue to visit. People prepare because they believe something can go awry and they want to be ready or be more self-sufficient. You are either a prepper or you aren’t.
Bill,
How many good jobs have been lost in 5 years? What were people’s water bill, electric bill, real estate or car insurance bill 5 years ago? Quite a lot has changed in 5 years and not all good.
Bob, although the majority of the population today can read and write, a lot of the parables and syntax of the bible are misinterpreted by our modern society. Things that meant one thing when the bible was written, mean something entirely different today. Yet christians refuse to research these things themselves. There is no excuse for such ignorance as they have at their fingertips access to knowledge that past generations did not have. Yet people will still blindly follow what they have been taught, without questioning. That is the saddest part of not only the christian religion, but all religions.
We killed a pot belly pig yesterday. and processed it. About 50 pounds of meat. rendered fat it made a gallon of lard. We cooked the entrals and scraps outside in a metal pan with a wood fire. the chickens are pecking and eating it with relish. I agree on the shotgun . We have 12 guage Mossberg 500,s they are a bit heavy but that helps lessen the kick from the recoil. a 12 guage with buckshot is the most devastating close range weapon you can have. We also have one of those old double bbl hammer shotguns 12 guage.The chickens are laying plenty of eggs. We have been freezing the surplus. We have been planting above ground crops today.
OG: good to hear that those small pigs are edible! I only like retried beans if the pintos are mixed with lard. That is they way they taste the best. My grandmother made baked beans with salt pork, too, and they always tasted awesome.
I saw a thing on how to keep eggs unrefrigerated: the Mormons dip them in mineral oil. Can still use the egg even after months without refrigeration.
Almost any edible oil will work. Butter, tallow, lard, vegetable oils all work. The idea is to seal the pores in the shell. Beeswax works, too. The sooner it’s applied after gathering the eggs, he better it works. Untreated eggs will still last a week or more un-refrigerated unless it’s 90 degrees in the house.
I have heard of people using paraffin wax too. We have 2 different herds of wild horses using the pond now, the elk are back and deer too 🙂 I would rather eat a horse than a pig anyday lol. You are what you eat! 😛
Maybe that’s why I’m not a big fan of turkey. I guess you only eat the front 3/4 of the horse then. I have eaten horse and mule, both tasty, and nearly every other critter on this continent, including cat and dog (unwittingly) thanks to the short-lived Korean restaurant. Some out of necessity and some out of curiosity. Often the hardest part was overcoming revulsion and not taste, although some meats are hard to swallow without a gallon of hot sauce.
Bob, I found horse meat very similar to beef. I had it in Canada prepared with some sort of French gravy. Also had mule there which was even tastier. Having been raised around horses and working with them most of my life, I felt a little guilty. I kept reminding myself of how many times I’d been kicked or bitten by horses. Many European countries eat horse and Japan is particularly fond of pony meat, though I can’t imagine it tastes any different than horse.
Most of us are here, I believe, because we are expecting shit of some sort to hit the fan, whether natural or created by man, and sooner rather than later. We’ve prepped to the best of our financial abilities or as space allows. We’ve put together bug-out bags, many have BOLs or some other plan B. In talking with many preppers, I realize their preps are designed to keep their lifestyle as unchanged as possible. When I hear “I have a generator and extra gas to keep my well pumping and refrigeration working” I wonder what good is a generator if an EMP fries the pump or appliances, or how long they expect ethanol-spiked gas to remain fresh even with stabilizers added. Having items to barter is fine up to a point. What are we bartering with, for, and with whom? Mainly, we’ll try to barter our non-essential items for essentials. This means finding a fool to barter with. Sure I’d trade my spare shovel for your spare ax if my ax broke or my surplus of potatoes for your surplus eggs but I’m not trading anything necessary for my survival for a truckload of trinkets.
What we need to do is to examine every item we feel we can’t live without and come up with as many alternative ways to replace it as possible, with emphasis on thinking outside the box. If our replacement relies on something we can’t produce ourselves, or easily procure, it’s not a suitable replacement. For providing potable water, a heat source, protection from the elements and food, having a plan B is not enough. Work your way as far down the alphabet as possible with those. It’s better to have ideas in mind now and practicing as many as possible before SHTF. Putting a proven plan into effect is easier than trying to come up with one when you’re under stress and hoping it will work.
Fox
Good post.
Redundant systems and overlays to diminish the damage if one system is lost or used up. Repairable items with extra parts. Small items like “O” rings and gaskets or material to make gaskets and seals. Sparks plugs. Can you adapt 2 cycle lawn equipment to work for you.
All good points, anon. I’ve replaced paper or cork gaskets with leather ones I cut myself and they’ve lasted 10 times longer.
I’m in the process of putting in a simple ram pump to move water uphill from a spring to my yard. Parts to build it are cheap, no power needed to operate it and very few parts to wear out. Once completed, it makes my fourth means of providing water and one where I won’t be seen carrying it.
I’m trying to replace every system with non-motorized alternatives wherever possible. Silent and easy to conceal are pluses, too.
Fox: what are the four methods? Let me guess: you have rain barrels or some type of rain cachement, a well, the spring using a “ram pump” and . . . a pond?
What is a ram pump? Thanks!
I found a way to make a RAM pump using PVC pipe on MotherEarth news. Is that the type you built or did you get plans someplace else or make them up? Thanks!
Phil, I haven’t checked out the Mother Earth plans but I’m pretty sure they all work on the same principle. An uncle of mine had one in use over 40 years ago, so I knew they worked. He’s passed on, so I searched online and found quite a few on YouTube which appeared identical to my uncle’s set up. I drew up plans based on those. I’m using PVC except for the check valves. My only concern is whether the run off from the spring will produce enough pressure continuously. If not, my fall back plan is using a stream on my property boundary which I know will work. That stream is one of the 4 water options I mentioned. My decision to try the spring first is a matter of camouflaging, the stream being nearly impossible to hide, and the spring is closer by 100′ or so.
My other water sources are a dug well with hand pump, a pond 150′ from my house, and a lake about 1000′ away, though off my land. I do have a deep well with a submersible pump. I’m thinking of getting one of those sleeve type “buckets” for the deep well but that involves 300′ of rope and a hand-crank system. Not sure the amount of water per cycle is worth the effort, except it is the purest water source. The others will need filtering.
Fox: thanks for the reply. Wow, I think all of your water preps are awesome!
I agree that multiple backups are the way to go. With regard to your dug well with a hand pump, this is the type of well that my parents and grandparents used in Northern Maine. Where did you buy yours?
Thanks, I will check back for your reply. If you don’t a Utube channel or website, you should!
Phil, I’m just glad I have plentiful water on or close to my farm. Carrying water is hard enough to supply human use but I have livestock as well. I do have a small farm pond but in a SHTF scenario, I’d feel more comfortable keeping my stock closer to my house and being able to water them there. I can’t see the pond from my house so would only use that pasture when I could be there.
I picked up the hand pump at a farm sale many years ago along with a smaller hand pump, the type used in a kitchen. Both pumps needed replacement parts which I bought from an Amish supply catalog. Can’t recall the name of the company now. My parents and grandparents also used hand pumps. My grandmother had the small type in her kitchen and had a fit when it was replaced by faucets. She also had a washing machine operated by a handle with a ringer on top. Her kids chipped in and bought her a modern washer. She was so used to manually operating her old machine that she stood alongside the new one for the entire wash/spin cycle, looking bewildered.
I have in-laws in Maine below Portland. I had intended to visit them this past year but was sidelined with surgeries. I’m hoping to get there this Fall after the tourists are done gawking at leaves.
No, I don’t have a YouTube channel or website for prepping but until this past year, I did a lot of small seminars and individual instruction in a variety of primitive skills. Most of them weren’t considered primitive skills when I learned them.
You can buy a ram pump on ebay cheap too….
Good to know, Genius. That’s what I like about this site. We share practical ideas, sources, suggestions, and opinions to help one another.
Learn something new everyday if you pay attention.
It takes a few weeks to use up frozen and refrigerated food. Also to run power tools to fabricate something out of steel most of the time. Fuel isn’t a issue as most can be made. The amount a person can produce would be a issue. If a person becomes self sustainable and has bartering skills/supplies such as canned goods from the garden, they will survive just like the 1800’s. The biggest problem I see with most of us preppers is that people think “Stacking” is enough. A few here realize that Using, honing and developing skills, not just reading and talking about it, is the key to survival. Kula is a good example, as he has mastered tilling the soil for food and some profit, now he has taken up blacksmithing. Rebecca has also mastered gardening, and now is moving into cabin construction. These people “get it”…..someday the stacked stash will run out. There are a few others here that are doing the same (like 02 etc) that I haven’t mentioned. Point is, we need to stay focused on being independent much as possible of the system as it will not be there someday.
I agree completely, Dave. I was raised to be self-sufficient and have lived my entire life that way. Farmed and logged with horses, built my own home, barn, and outbuildings 90% by myself, raised livestock and poultry, doing my own butchering, and kept a 2 acre vegetable garden, put up all my produce and meats. Fed six of us and had a large surplus to sell or trade. I’m a fair blacksmith and very good saddle maker, frequently tanning my own leather. I was very fortunate to have many good teachers along the way who happily shared their knowledge. As such I’m happy to share what I know with others. I’m at a point in life where I can’t do many of these things by myself anymore but my kids all learned these skills, so I can rest easy knowing they’ll get through tough times.
James Rawles interview was repeated on Infowars today. Couple of things he said today, “stock up, team up, and train up.” He also spoke about this time as one of betrayal and deception. Amen to that.
“Be wise as servants and meek as doves.”
I am going to read his new book, “Land of Promise.” $3.99 on Kindle.
I’m sure it will be filled with practical ideas and tactics as much of his works are. I’m completely on board with stocking up and training up but when teaming up, we need to use a lot of discretion, as that’s where betrayal and deception is easily accomplished. Outside of my immediate family, there are maybe 3 people I would trust with my life. Small team but every member is well-trained in survival and proficient in defense. In fact, my age and recent surgeries make me the weakest member. I’m hoping my experience and knowledge of primitive skills can make up for my physical limitations.
Experience, knowledge and skills are BY FAR the number one thing people will need!
Amen to that! I’m just hoping to regain some of my lost strength and stamina. Three major surgeries in one year knocked the starch out of me and, at my age, healing takes a lot longer. I’m lucky to be here to complain about it, I know, but old habits die hard. Going from active participation to pointing and giving instructions is a hard transition for me.
@ Fox and Genius, Thumbs up to both of your comments, knowledge, skills, and physical conditioning…and sorry genius for calling you 02 in my other post. Elk directing traffic on hwy 2 by state line today.
I agree with Fox and Genius and Dave. I have no family worth bothering with I am sad to say.
I expect people to be skeptics but I am one of those people willing to team up with like-minded folks. I am really laid back in person. I know I across strong here but that is because I feel free enough to speak my mind.
I never had any intention to live forever…
The criminal United States, western central bankers will wait
and string this economy along the best they can unitl Trump becomes president. And then….only then will they cause the collapse and blame it on Trump and all who voted for him. Then there will be Civil unrest, urban warfare and economic martial law! Shame. Shame.
That’s a very likely scenario, Iguana, unless they can stop him from winning. If they do stop him, they will take us to war and blame the crash on that. The crash is unavoidable but they can control the timing to some extent and they can blame it on whomever or whatever they want and most people will believe the official line. Civil unrest is a pretty sure bet. How they control the people afterward is another story. They might try stopping welfare, food stamps, etc. but I believe that will lead to further violence to be met with military force. Their divide and conquer tactics are working too well to allow people to form a unified opposition. All those big box stores recently closed will be FEMA camps for whomever they scoop up. Best advice: Don’t get scooped up. Be as self-sufficient as possible and avoid the hot spots.