08:21 – Winston-Salem had our first Ferguson protest yesterday. It was peaceful and uneventful, although protesters did block a couple of downtown streets for a short time. There was no violence and no property damage. Protesters ignored police orders to clear the streets and move to the sidewalks, but no arrests were made. As Barbara said, the protesters were simply exercising their Constitutional right to peaceable assembly. I do wish they wouldn’t block streets. The Constitution guarantees them the right to protest; it doesn’t give them the right to force anyone else to listen, and it certainly doesn’t give them the right to inconvenience others.
I did a Google search yesterday for local prepping groups. There’s apparently a fair amount of activity. One meet-up group based in Walkertown, just down the road from us, has 225 members. Since preppers tend not to be joiners, that tells me there must be many thousands of active preppers locally.
Interestingly, a year ago a local TV station tried to get members of that group to agree to be interviewed on camera. All but one of them declined, and the one that did volunteer to be interviewed didn’t give away any details of his own preps during the interview. So they did a short interview with him, and then talked with a business owner over in High Point who sells $80,000 steel bunkers designed to be buried 20 feet underground. At one point, they asked her what her customers looked like and how they dressed, apparently expecting her to say that they all wore body armor and camo BDUs and carried assault rifles. She said they wore jeans and t-shirts and drove normal SUVs and minivans, just like anyone else.
I remember back in the early sixties when people started freaking out over atomic attacks. Several people put in bomb shelters. Well actually they were meant to be radiation shelters. Some were steel fuel tanks meant for gas stations that were altered with access and filtered air connections and buried in back yards. They certainly seem odd now. I bet many of them rusted away after many years under a watered lawn.
lol I just got an email from Amazon for “12 Deals Day 2”. From their 100 books to read: “Silent Spring by Rachel Carson”. lol Is that a political statement or something? What kind of turd would get that for their Kindle? Only $1.99 if you hurry.
“…$80,000 steel bunkers designed to be buried 20 feet underground.”
Not OFD’s ideer of “survival,” more like a tomb. And I’m claustrophobic so that concept is no good here. Never liked it in the first place; swelter down there in yer own funk for weeks and then pop up to find a devastated moonscape and everyone else dead?
“From their 100 books to read…”
I see these lists of books to read from time to time and have a good laff; almost never is there anything I’d read. Conversely, my list has nothing that anyone else would read anymore. So mote it be.
We got another couple inches of light snow today so fah; gotta clean off the vehicles again, etc. Wintuh wunduhland out there now…
As a submarine veteran, claustrophobia is not one of my problems. People think that the Boomers (missile boats) spent most of their time submerged, well I was on Fast Attacks and back in the day we did many runs that far exceeded any time a Boomer spent submerged.
Back in the late 50s early 60s my parents were looking for a new home. I remember most of the new ones had this new “feature” called a fallout shelter. Most were just concrete bunkers below the basements, very thick reinforced concrete all around.
As Mr. OFD predicted, the House of Reps rewarded the citizens that elected them a big, fat “fuck you” with a $1 Trillion plus bill (“Boner” must have been fellating Odoosh all day long). lmao Hoping the Senate will kill it. They still have enough Dumbocrats to do it.
You’d think Murkans would get tired of being lied to and stabbed in the back, by RINO types, straight-up Repubs, and the Tea Party clowns, but no, we’ll keep right on hustling down to the polls and voting again, while screeching at the growing numbers who won’t bother with that anymore to get out there and validate the regime just like them.
Hey, just because those people jump off a cliff, are YOU gonna follow them?
At just a trillion a year, assuming it stays at that level, we have 20 years until we hit Mr. Lynn’s “deadline” for whatever may happen, including the end of Happy Motoring and Grid failure. I might still be around at 81 but am not counting on it, and I’m guessing a number of us here will not be around anymore by then. We’ll probably live long enough to see the collapse and failure of a diseased and corrupt system that is no longer sustainable. Many, if not most of us, were born and grew up during its “golden” years here in North Murka and it’s gonna be pretty miserable by the time we check out.
Continued very light snow here; my siblings down in the Maffachufetts banana belt inform me that they got no snow but it’s “cold.” (It’s 28 here and 31 down there.) Cold to us is single digits and below zero with a wind chill off the lake. And one can get used to even that after a while.
Hey Atoz, they are raising money to build PRCs:
http://www.housingwire.com/articles/32310-fannie-mae-and-freddie-mac-to-restart-affordable-housing-fund
Cold to us is single digits and below zero with a wind chill off the lake. And one can get used to even that after a while.
Heading to Germany for Christmas this year. After the Christmas holidays the wife unit and I are heading to Rena Norway. Supposed to real cold. Bought long underwear, snow books, thick socks and a new coat. Hopefully it will be enough. Daylight is only about 6 hours and I am going to attempt cross country skiing in the mountains somewhere around Rena.
Regarding being underground, I actually like that. Never been claustrophobic, at least much, and have a certain feeling of security when I’m downstairs in our basement away from the ravages of weather. Someday, I would even like to have a level below the basement. Might build one as part of an addition project.
I seem to be able to take lots of heat, not too much humidity, and almost no cold. Unlike OFD, the older I get the less I like cold weather. Don’t have any arthritis, at least yet, but warm temps feel so relaxing. Cold temps are just tense, maybe not painful, but tense.
Hey Atoz, they are raising money to build PRCs:
lol!! Sign up Chicago, Detroit, NYC etc for the first PRCs.
Can’t wait for “Angle of Attack”
At just a trillion a year, assuming it stays at that level, we have 20 years until we hit Mr. Lynn’s “deadline” for whatever may happen, including the end of Happy Motoring and Grid failure.
Did I say assume a trillion dollar loss per year? I would not do that as Obolacare is getting ready to ratchet up again. The cost of Obolacare in a year or two may be over a trillion dollars by itself as more and more people (think illegal immigrants XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX undocumented future citizens) are also covered. Apparently the future cost of Obolacare is going to take your breath away.
I would figure future feedie losses at two trillion dollars per year on average. Just wait until the interest rates start rising, they will go up very quickly and then the interest payments on the feddie debt will balloon. That is when the instability will start to occur.
Can’t wait for “Angle of Attack”
Gotcha, me too!
http://www.amazon.com/Angles-Attack-Frontlines-Marko-Kloos/dp/1477828311/
I just pre-ordered it from Amazon.
“… I am going to attempt cross country skiing in the mountains somewhere around Rena.”
Sweet! Have a grand time over there, Mr. Ray! I believe it’s called “Nordic skiing,” LOL.
“That is when the instability will start to occur.”
So, rather than 20 years, more like 10. This is certifiably insane and there is no way out. The Tea Party dunces and buffoons ain’t gonna save us. Even if the regime right now, immediately, did a 180-degree turn and started doing the right things to fix this mess, it would be too late.
I believe it’s called “Nordic skiing,”
I believe in my case it will be called “Nordic Falling Down”. I have never been on snow skis in my life, water yes, snow no. Why try you ask? Well the family of our exchange students want to show us a good time and to them cross country skiing is a good time.
Getting the tickets on this trip was an odd experience. We are traveling from Nashville to Berlin, then on to Munich, Munich to Dusseldorf, then Dusseldorf to Oslo (train to Rena), Oslo back to Nashville.
Booked the entire trip on Expedia. Intiallly the cost was $4,000 a ticket. Not going to happen so I tried a different approach. I searched a round trip from Nashville to Berlin and Oslo back to Nashville. $1500 a ticket which is about what I expected.
I then searched the Germany part of the trip. Tried individual flights and that came to about $1,000 a person. So I tried searching a trip with three flights. That worked out to $350.00 a person, about what I expected given the price of train tickets.
So I thought I would try to search individual trips from Nashville to Berlin, then Oslo to Nashville. One way ticket to Berlin was $2700 a ticket. That is $1200 more than the full round trip ticket. That does not make sense. You fly more for round trip but pay less.
After I got done booking and then confirming all the tickets the entire trip for flights is about $3700. Now I have to get train tickets in Norway. Oslo to Sandejford is $100 for both of us. Sandejford to Rena is about $180, Rena back to Oslo is about $100 for both of us. Unlike the German trains there is no discount for foreign travelers. Never have used the Norway trains before so that will be a new experience.
then talked with a business owner over in High Point who sells $80,000 steel bunkers designed to be buried 20 feet underground.
Around here, we call them storm or tornado shelters.
BTW, we’ve had a few supports (can’t call ’em protests, since they can’t lucidly describe exactly what they’re protesting) here in Huntsville. Blocked a couple of streets for a while around Oakwood College and around Alabama A&M. Only one that came close to arrests was when they tried to block US 72 on the way out of town at rush hour. Cops pointed out they did not have a parade permit, and those drivers on their way home to Madison, Athens and other points west were not likely to slow down as they came over that hill just because somebody was playing tiddlywinks in the middle of a 60 (usual speeds more like 75-80) mile an hour 4 lane divided highway.
I believe in my case it will be called “Nordic Falling Down”.
Ray, only time I’ve ever been skiing was somewhere in your neck of the woods. We did the Tennessee Pratfall for a while, then spent the rest of the day in the lodge drinking hot toddies and buttered rum.
Can’t even walk on those Tennessee round-tops in the middle of summer unless you happen to be one of those two breeds of cow so prized by Tennessee farmers. You know, the clockwise cows with the two right legs shorter than the left ones and the counter-clockwise cows with the two left legs shorter than the right ones.
Got to admit, though, they look mighty impressive the way they can stand on the sides of those hills without tipping…
Ray, I’d encourage you to be very cautious. I cross-country skied in college and it can be extremely demanding physically.
“That does not make sense. You fly more for round trip but pay less.”
Yup, Mrs. OFD has run into truly wacky airline flight routes like that just in her domestic travels; it evidently depends on the location of hubs, the level of expected traffic, etc.
“I believe in my case it will be called “Nordic Falling Down”. I have never been on snow skis in my life…”
Be thankful it’s Nordic, aka cross-country, and not Alpine, aka downhill, or you really will be falling down a lot; my first time with the latter ended on the first day with me having fallen at least 30 or 40 times, and I was sore as hell; plus, got to see toddlers flying past me not even using poles. Let’s hope your first time is on a fairly level plain and very gently rolling slopes and not up in the forested mountains. If you get a chance, try snowshoeing; you might like that better; I have. Tall buggers like me have a hard time on the downhills; our center of gravity is bollixed; Mrs. OFD, however, is a double black diamond Alpine skier and instructor for disabled kids. She deigns to slog along with me on the x-c and snowshoe trails, though.
Cross country skiing. My wife taught me downhill skiing, which I picked up reasonably quickly in 1-2 lessons (meaning, I didn’t fall over all the time, and could actually make it down an easy slope.
Flush with success, she put me onto cross country skis. Where your entire foot is attached to a downhill ski, only your toe is attached on the cross-country ski. The ski is also very narrow, and my sense of balance isn’t the best. The result was not pretty.
Not to put you off, Ray, but I have the impression that it’s like swimming. If you’ve done it enough to get it into your muscle memory, it’s all no problem. A good swimmer goes lap, for lap, for lap and thinks nothing of it. But getting it into your muscle memory…well…it will take a few tries, not just one…
Me, I like to walk – a bit slower, but a lot more dignified…
The best way to learn x-c skiing is with actual lessons from a decent instructor, who starts you out gently, on level ground. If you’re used to the downhill boots and skis, then yeah, it’s a bit different. But Mr. Ray hasn’t been on ANY snow skis yet so this may be OK. I doubt the Norse will force him out on a 40-mile telemark marathon in their mountains the first day.
I did a Google search yesterday for local prepping groups. There’s apparently a fair amount of activity. One meet-up group based in Walkertown, just down the road from us, has 225 members. Since preppers tend not to be joiners, that tells me there must be many thousands of active preppers locally.
I have been amazed at the number of prepper blogs:
1. http://www.thesurvivalistblog.net/
2. http://graywolfsurvival.com/
many, many, many more like shtfplan.com .
My advice
1. Put on ski equipment
2. Test it out slowly and carefully
3. Remove equipment
4. Go into ski lodge
5. Find a nice warm spot by the fire
6. Order up some refreshment
In most cases just proceed to number 4
When my younger sister was in grad school, she lived in a converted fallout shelter from the 1950’s – separate access, heavy concrete walls, floors, & ceiling. It was all connected to the public utilities, but I don’t recall if there was still independent HVAC (or at least ventilation).
And snow skiing sounds like an invitation to further orthopedic misadventure; I’ll pass.
In regards to skiing, a most excellent and fun way to pass time, just remember this rule and you will be just fine: Young people bounce, old people break.
I not sure where the delineation between old and young is but it is somewhere between 18 and 30 years of age. If you are 2X the high range, oh well.
BTW, my 78 year old partner still skis frequently.
I remember seeing the damn toddlers flying by me, without poles, while I was struggling to rise to my regular height, which is a bitch when you gotta lift 250 pounds via only your arms and poles; once or twice, fine, but thirty or forty times the same afternoon? Your shoulders will be screaming. I also spent some time retrieving various items that had flown from my pockets and face, like glasses, for instance. Older kids would pick them up for me in benign pity. I was all of 30 at the time. I wouldn’t even try downhill now.
X-C is good enuff for me and much better exercise and WAY cheaper and WAY more quiet. No crowds at the lift lines, no expensive tickets or parking to buy, no jackass daredevils weaving in and out across the trails. You can get up a good head of steam doing the Nordic thang, and some of the speed-enhancing techniques like double-poling and the “skating” method rocket you right across the landscape and over hill and dale. If I could get in much bettuh shape, I’d like to try the primitive biathlon up here; maybe they have a level for decrepit, senile seniors…
…ah yes…here it is…”…First ‘Elder'(60 and Over) and First ‘Old Fart’ (70 and Over shooting for score only – times don’t matter).”
http://www.primitivebiathlon.com/
But I also highly recommend snowshoeing; lotta fun and you can also get going pretty good on top of tons of snow in the deep woods…bring a friend, let someone know where you’ll be and for how long, and your EDC kit plus.
I doubt the Norse will force him out on a 40-mile telemark marathon in their mountains the first day.
Yeh, if I see any hills larger than a gopher mound I will pass and proceed to number 4.
Good strategy. Going uphill on x-c skis for long distances can wear a person down; coming back downhill is cool, but tricky on ice. I learned by taking lessons and all it took was a morning of them and I was good to go.
Other than that, have a great time and enjoy Number 4.
Mrs. OFD is back from Long Island early, but electing to stay at her mom’s tonight, as it’s still snowing up here and the roads at night are slick and kinda tricky, too. Her night vision ain’t gettin’ any better, so better safe than sorry.
OFD hisself is watchin’ “Noah,” with Russell Crowe in the lead; interesting take on the angels. Next up, when it comes out, “Exodus.”
Winston-Salem had our first Ferguson protest yesterday. It was peaceful and uneventful, although protesters did block a couple of downtown streets for a short time. There was no violence and no property damage.
No looters XXXXXXXXX undocumented shoppers?
Word got out that Dr. Bob and Cerberus were monitoring the situation. Yeah, the border collie got some kinda chemical upgrade in the basement lab.
And the Mooch continues to make friends for this regime, yea, unto the future generations:
“Why don’t presidents’ wives simply take care of their own children and grandchildren, just mind their own damn business, and leave the American people alone.”
http://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/meddling-michelle/
OFD hisself is watchin’ “Noah,” with Russell Crowe in the lead; interesting take on the angels.
Recommended? I have not seen any of it but it was heavily panned in the Christian press. And downgraded by viewers:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/noah_2014/
You do not want to mess with angels, they are usually on a mission.
Recommended? I have not seen any of it but it was heavily panned in the Christian press.
Christian or not, it was just a crappy movie.
No problems at all, from what the news report said. No property damage, and no injuries.
“Recommended? I have not seen any of it but it was heavily panned in the Christian press.”
Nope. What Mr. Ray said. Too long, too stupid, crappy dialogue, etc., etc.
The Noah Angels were described as: Stone Transformers – Angels in Disguise. I haven’t watched it and won’t. None of my friends liked it.
The premise for the angels was that they have disobeyed God and been punished by being cast down and merged with the molten earth, though how it became molten again after having had Eden and subsequent Creation I am not clear. They rose from the molten earth as giant stone figures with molten cores and spoke English. After they helped Noah and were semi-destroyed in the end, it appears that God forgave them and they were taken up on beams of light. This is all pretty bad Scripture and theology, of course, but a whammo special effects caper.
The angels we have in Scripture appear to men as men themselves, only sorta different. The bad angels, who so far as I can tell have never been forgiven for their disobedience and rebellion, are what we have known and called as demons, or devils.
One of their acolytes sits in the White House.