Monday, January 14, 2019

thar she blows


THAR SHE BLOWS
One year’s worth of calories costs $120, feed store wheat and Home Despot buckets.  For Y2K, that cost $20 if lucky ( free buckets ) or $33 if not ( nominal fee for the buckets ).  In twenty years the cost of food stores has quadrupled.  Plus that went from higher to lower quality ( food grade to off gassing buckets, from more to far less naturally grown wheat ).  Don’t you wish you had stored five year’s worth back then?  Hell, I wish I had gone more Whole Hog on surplus rifles and ammunition, so I guess hindsight is a bitch.
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Most of this is due to population growth and Gore Warming.  We went from six to seven billion people ( about ten percent seemingly ending up here ) and at the same time our seventy year streak of freakishly mild weather came to an end.  The “Green Revolution” was primarily about turning oil into food, with a huge boost from better rice and wheat strains.  Yet without that mild weather, even those two things might not have been enough.  About the time the Club Of Rome report came out, we had just gotten lucky with all of those.
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The Limits Of Growth was never wrong.  Its projections are playing out now.  It just had the unfortunate timing that Malthus did.  If I tell you I’m going to die, when I’m a healthy twenty year old, and you call me a liar twenty years later, you are only technically correct.  I’ll still die, but you insisted on rushing the evidence.  The same with Peak Oil.  Very few people had the grounding in the science to start the discussion, but once that started it was simplicity itself to prove but impossible to time.  The hopium addicts used the timing failures to try to disprove the whole concept.
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Peak Oil is also peak population, because only coal and oil allow over five billion people to eat ( prior to coal, the New World did allow a surge in population, but that is largely illusionary.  We did a head count, headed over to the Caribbean with the smallpox bio-weapon, decimated 90% plus of the indigs, then started counting again.  We saw a spike in White population, but that was really only one group being killed and their food taken.  Pre-Columbus, the Americas were centralized agriculture empires ).
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So there you have three very compelling arguments to store lots of food.  Prices go up, a lot, as our wages fall.  The population is at least twelve times too large for what we can grow without oil.  And oil net energy is falling off a cliff.  If any of you don’t have a year’s supply of calories, I’m considering withdrawing your Bison Minion Club frequent flyer rewards.  Or at least black out a butt ton of dates to punish you.  But one year is SOOooo yesteryear.  That was way back when the gooberment actually could rebuild with the resources available.
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A year’s start is at least something.  But I’d strive for three years and five is far better ( you can save 20% by storing the wheat in an IBC tote rather than buckets, AND that is a food grade container-holding five year’s worth ).  But you know what?  I could care less about food inflation, overpopulation or running out of energy.  All are very good, compelling and proven reasons to prep ( unlike Gore Warming, which is still a mad collective Fever Dream like Political Correctness ), but I’m only covered for those incidentally.
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I built up to storing five years of food for another reason.  Yellowstone.  Do I actually tremble in fear over a supervolcano blowing?  No.  Am I convinced Wyoming will soon be a smoking crater?  Not at all.  I’d stipulate that we have a better chance of thermonuclear war each year.  But Yellowstone is to be feared as a worse case scenario.  It doesn’t have to happen, it just has to be used as a benchmark in your preparedness.  Why?  Not because of being buried under ash, breathing cement into your lungs or having your eyeballs scratched into uselessness ( have swim goggles with that mask ).
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Because of Perpetual Winter, where nothing grows.  Compared to blocked sunlight, Peak Oil ain’t dingus.  Hyperinflation is fun.  And overpopulation is barely an inconvenience.  Worse case is the sun doesn’t get through.  THAT is why I’m so paranoid about food stores.  Why I think quantity is far more important that quality ( ONE, repeat ONE, #10 can of meat is worth five months of wheat ).  Why I believe prepping for the short term is not prepping at all.  If an asteroid hits, or we have a nuclear exchange, or a supervolcano blows, we are all super deluxe double dog dingused. 
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Again, I’m not saying that we WILL see any of the above.  Certainly, a gender and race confused diversity hire in the Air Force could be insane enough to launch.  And granted, you never know when Mother Nature is feeling contrary from PMS that day.  I just think the odds are against them.  But $500 isn’t even an AR-15 for most of the gun snobs here.  Newsflash there chief.  You need both, but don’t tell me you cannot afford plenty of food, because even Ross Perot knows you can.
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Understandably, you simply cannot prepare for everything Worse Possible Scenario.  None of us have the resources for that.  If I could, I’d be happy to buy a very elevated island in a tropical location, and have missile batteries protecting it.  With concrete bunkers full of gold, HK91’s and bitches in bikinis.  But those Worst Case problems I CAN cheaply plan for?  Like the First Fundamental, Food.  Yes, it is silly to NOT prep for the worst.  I had nightmare visions of years without plant growth, where everything died, thank you very humping much, overactive imagination!  And cheaply eliminated the worry.
( .Y. )
( today's related link here )
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note: thanks to minion goodness, I have the William W. Forstchen new book "48 Hours".  Overall a decent read, a main problem being the last part drug a bit.  I loved the premise.  Just note it is NOT a PA.  It is FAR better than his last two because of it, but that might make it less desirable for minions.  I'd call it a must read from the library and a Be Cautious if wanting to buy.  
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note: a minion pointed out another supplier of wool blankets click here.  The good price enticed him.  You'll have to read through the comments for any spec's, which I don't have.
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note: much better price than Amazon.  Minion reported E-Bay CD on the first issues of American Survival Guide click here
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20 comments:

  1. Yeah, and Minions should take full on advantage of being God's favorite children by being blessed with great hair and living in a stable continental national superpower with advanced agriculture, industrial food processing and door to door shipping. This is one off, and not going to last or be repeated. Ensure those food stocks are more secure and in non compromising storage vessels and locations than even those flir topped ar15s. Think secret vault rooms like egyptian pyramids and built or stored by no living witnesses. Selfishness will be an admirable trait post collapse, so practice it now. Plan on the necessity for your own survival to turn your back or not expose yourself to starving and useless family, in laws, associates and crying, malnourished, unicef looking neighbor kids. Just go have yourself some flatbread and coyote meat snacks then go take a nap. The collapse will allow you to get some peace and quiet finally.

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    1. I hear AR's are great against coyotes. Just beware of lack of expansion when used against Skinnies ( to include the bloated belly neighbor kid ).

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  2. Because of historical wisdom, not literal word of God, being ready for 7 bad years is a useful number to keep in mind. Granted, that may not mean 7 years worth of food, but 7 years of not much available is a good historical rule of thumb. The “oh crap 1000 years of dark ages” is beyond what I can plan for.

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    1. Even empires cannot plan for 1,000 years, and have have the most resources. Of course, winning the empire sows your own destruction anyway ( he who cashes in the most resources to win ), so that isn't a great example. But even a tropical paradise with limited humans cannot plan on a thousand years, human nature being what it is.

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  3. Just a note. Walmart wheat is 'out of stock'

    NWSenior

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    1. Hmmm. Bizarre. Augason Farms itself is still selling it. So either they screwed up buying too little, someone ordered too much and screwed the JIT model, or they are stocking it like they used to stock rimfire ( just enough to always be out for 99% of customers ) to save money stocking and shipping. Or, they just got a lawsuit that the fat girls working there can't pick up 26 pounds. This bears keeping an eye on.

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    2. Ha! Product size limitations due to hired help imfirmities. No more #10 cans of Yak testicles on shelf due to soy boy cannot hoist to shelf. The junior manager that does ordering has a daily or weekly order valuation limit placed on him by store manager. So this puppy boss must order with scan gun computations as much as that allowance allows so as to fill holes in the shelf or warehouse. He or A.I. computer will order to get the most or most quick selling items within purchasing budget. They will sometimes push off and not order carry on a product or vendor's item due to accounting flows. Payroll due, utility costs, taxes due, insurance plan costs due, etc. It is not as easy as in the back door, out the front door, money in the till any more. Either that or yellow vesters are stocking up hard and bought it all out for a spring offensive?

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    3. Wal-Mart used to be that simple. Out the front door, the next truck that night brings in a new one. Now? They spend more time and money figuring out how not to carry inventory if at all possible. And they think they can compete with Amazon. Let's just hope it is a one off.

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    4. Walton Feed has it on sale.. https://rainydayfoods.com/product-of-the-month.html
      45lb SP $26... about $250/yr, all packaged up... but where to hide 40 buckets?

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    5. Most can replace the bed frame ( I'd skirt with wood facing ). A third in the closet behind the hangers ( I prefer horizontal boards between rather than stacking directly ). Foundation crawl space?

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  4. Multiyear food stockpiles are not done by most I would guess.
    Agreed that grain, especially wheat is the foundation. Anything you can add or potentially produce in the future is a bonus.

    I can't stock as cheap & deep as wheat, but sardines are great for healthy energy food. Tried some King Oscar with Jalapenos. Heavenly.

    Good mineral salt is Redmond Minerals Real Salt. Bulk purchased.
    S

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    1. What weight can your vehicle carry? Make a lot of that wheat, at least in the trunk. Good snow traction. Or is it just wheat you can't do, rather than space limitations?

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  5. Have you ever researched it, and came across a source of feed store wheat that isn’t radiated or treated with pesticides? Just curious. I totally get the logic behind why you get it, but was wondering if there are healthier alternatives out there, short of buying the expensive organic stuff from Amazon?

    Also, save those metal holiday tins that cookies, pastries, popcorn, etc come in. They’re perfect for stashing wheat, and other edibles, and protecting them from rodents.

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    1. No, I stick with the crap stuff. Health is for rich folk.

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    2. re:
      tins

      Ours are filled with matches.

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  6. Don't forget that Putin has publicly stated his "take out America" plan is to nuke Yellowstone.

    Once or twice a year when Yellowstone burps, they send out a press release, usually with a projected ashfall map in case it blows. I think the projected ashfall for my area is 3". Your area will be more. Will the roof of the BPOD handle the additional weight?
    Peace out

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    1. Houses won't stand up to ash, and my BPOD ain't no house. If I can't keep shoveling, well...

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    2. Drape steeply sloped tarps over it then sweep the ash drifts away every now and zen.

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    3. No worries Jim, Helko is likely within the actual blast zone. Let alone the ash...

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    4. Most maps I've seem stop short of Elko by a bit. Of course, the map isn't the territory.

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