U.S.A .- For all you survivalists out there (is that all of us?), here’s a very thorough list I found of the first 100 items that are mostly likely to “disappear” if some type of emergency happens in the United States. Many citizens of other countries across the world have been operating like this for years. We  are perhaps the slow and the “fat” ones. Regardless, it’s good to be prepared to take care of your family, and your clan (tribe) – the people close by in your “inner circle.”

And, it’s good to make alliances and trading arrangements with others you trust.

This list was placed under the heading of “Survivalism and Gardening,” and definitely points out that basics – like clean water, water containers, firewood, non-electric lighting devices, lots of matches, toilet paper, garbage bags, food staples, baby supplies – will be in high demand.

It was posted by Greg on May 31, 2010 on this web site.

Consider collecting these items now:

1. Generators (Good ones cost dearly. Gas storage, risky. Noisy…target of thieves; maintenance etc.)
2. Water Filters/Purifiers
3. Portable Toilets
4. Seasoned Firewood. Wood takes about 6 – 12 months to become dried, for home uses.
5. Lamp Oil, Wicks, Lamps (First Choice: Buy CLEAR oil. If scarce,
stockpile ANY!)
6. Coleman Fuel. Impossible to stockpile too much.
7. Guns, Ammunition, Pepper Spray, Knives, Clubs, Bats & Slingshots.
8. Hand-can openers, & hand egg beaters, whisks.
9. Honey/Syrups/white, brown sugar
10. Rice – Beans – Wheat
11. Vegetable Oil (for cooking) Without it food burns/must be boiled etc.,)
12. Charcoal, Lighter Fluid (Will become scarce suddenly)
13. Water Containers (Urgent Item to obtain.) Any size. Small: HARD CLEAR PLASTIC ONLY – note – food grade if for drinking.
14. Mini Heater head (Propane) (Without this item, propane won’t heat a room.)
15. Grain Grinder (Non-electric)
16. Propane Cylinders (Urgent: Definite shortages will occur.
17. Survival Guide Book.
18. Mantles: Aladdin, Coleman, etc. (Without this item, longer-term lighting is difficult.)
19. Baby Supplies: Diapers/formula. ointments/aspirin, etc.
20. Washboards, Mop Bucket w/wringer (for Laundry)
21. Cookstoves (Propane, Coleman & Kerosene)
22. Vitamins
23. Propane Cylinder Handle-Holder (Urgent: Small canister use is dangerous
without this item)24. Feminine Hygiene/Haircare/Skin products.
25. Thermal underwear (Tops & Bottoms)
26. Bow saws, axes and hatchets, Wedges (also, honing oil)
27. Aluminum Foil Reg. & Heavy Duty (Great Cooking and Barter Item)
28. Gasoline Containers (Plastic & Metal)
29. Garbage Bags (Impossible To Have Too Many).
30. Toilet Paper, Kleenex, Paper Towels
31. Milk – Powdered & Condensed (Shake Liquid every 3 to 4 months)
32. Garden Seeds (Non-Hybrid) (A MUST)
33. Clothes pins/line/hangers (A MUST)
34. Coleman’s Pump Repair Kit
35. Tuna Fish (in oil)
36. Fire Extinguishers (or..large box of Baking Soda in every room)
37. First aid kits
38. Batteries (all sizes…buy furthest-out for Expiration Dates)
39. Garlic, spices & vinegar, baking supplies
40. Big Dogs (and plenty of dog food)
41. Flour, yeast & salt
42. Matches. {“Strike Anywhere” preferred.) Boxed, wooden matches will go
first
43. Writing paper/pads/pencils, solar calculators
44. Insulated ice chests (good for keeping items from freezing in
Wintertime.)
45. Work Boots, belts, Levis & durable shirts
46. Flashlights/LIGHTSTICKS & torches, “No. 76 Dietz” Lanterns
47. Journals, Diaries & Scrapbooks (jot down ideas, feelings,
experience; Historic Times)
48. Garbage cans Plastic (great for storage, water, transporting – if with wheels)
49. Men’s Hygiene: Shampoo, Toothbrush/paste, Mouthwash/floss, nail clippers, etc
50. Cast iron cookware (sturdy, efficient)
51. Fishing supplies/tools
52. Mosquito coils/repellent, sprays/creams
53. Duct Tape
54. Tarps/stakes/twine/nails/rope/spikes
55. Candles
56. Laundry Detergent (liquid)
57. Backpacks, Duffel Bags
58. Garden tools & supplies
59. Scissors, fabrics & sewing supplies
60. Canned Fruits, Veggies, Soups, stews, etc.
61. Bleach (plain, NOT scented: 4 to 6% sodium hypochlorite)
62. Canning supplies, (Jars/lids/wax)
63. Knives & Sharpening tools: files, stones, steel
64. Bicycles…Tires/tubes/pumps/chains, etc
65. Sleeping Bags & blankets/pillows/mats
66. Carbon Monoxide Alarm (battery powered)
67. Board Games, Cards, Dice
68. d-con Rat poison, MOUSE PRUFE II, Roach Killer
69. Mousetraps, Ant traps & cockroach magnets
70. Paper plates/cups/utensils (stock up, folks)
71. Baby wipes, oils, waterless & Antibacterial soap (saves a lot of water)
72. Rain gear, rubberized boots, etc.
73. Shaving supplies (razors & creams, talc, after shave)
74. Hand pumps & siphons (for water and for fuels)
75. Soy Sauce, vinegar, bullion’s/gravy/soup base
76. Reading glasses
77. Chocolate/Cocoa/Tang/Punch (water enhancers)
78. “Survival-in-a-Can”
79. Woolen clothing, scarves/ear-muffs/mittens
80. Boy Scout Handbook, / also Leaders Catalog
81. Roll-on Window Insulation Kit (MANCO)
82. Graham crackers, saltines, pretzels, Trail mix/Jerky
83. Popcorn, Peanut Butter, Nuts
84. Socks, Underwear, T-shirts, etc. (extras)
85. Lumber (all types)
86. Wagons & carts (for transport to and from)
87. Cots & Inflatable mattress’s
88. Gloves: Work/warming/gardening, etc.
89. Lantern Hangers
90. Screen Patches, glue, nails, screws,, nuts & bolts
91. Teas
92. Coffee
93. Cigarettes
94. Wine/Liquors (for bribes, medicinal, etc,)
95. Paraffin wax
96. Glue, nails, nuts, bolts, screws, etc.
97. Chewing gum/candies
98. Atomizers (for cooling/bathing)
99. Hats & cotton neckerchiefs
100. Goats/chickens

Some First-Hand Observations/ General Tips

1. Stockpiling helps. but you never no how long trouble will last, so
locate near renewable food sources.

2. Living near a well with a manual pump is like being in Eden.

3. After awhile, even gold can lose its luster. But there is no luxury in war quite like toilet paper. Its surplus value is greater than gold’s.

4. If you had to go without one utility, lose electricity – it’s the easiest to do without (unless you’re in a very nice climate with no need for heat.)

5. Canned foods are awesome, especially if their contents are tasty without
heating. One of the best things to stockpile is canned gravy – it makes
a lot of the dry unappetizing things you find to eat in war somewhat
edible. Only needs enough heat to “warm”, not to cook. It’s cheap too,
especially if you buy it in bulk.

6. Bring some books – escapist ones like romance or mysteries become more valuable as the war continues. Sure, it’s great to have a lot of survival guides, but you’ll figure most of that out on your own anyway – trust me, you’ll have a lot of time on your hands.

7. The feeling that you’re human can fade pretty fast. I can’t tell you how many people I knew who would have traded a much needed meal for just a little bit of toothpaste, rouge, soap or cologne. Not much point in fighting if you have to lose your humanity. These things are morale-builders like nothing else.

8. Slow burning candles and matches, matches, matches!

Chapter One – Slippery Slope – Return of the Forgotten One (Sci Fi)

For years now, thousands of people had been coming into the country illegally from Zoor’s neighboring border, Bartonia.  The Government had laws against it, but they had not been enforcing them. Now, the situation was dire, and the provinces closest to the border were beginning to take things into their own hands.

If the Newcomers wanted to come into Zoor so badly, then it is only right that their movements should be tracked. So some thought. The Newcomers should be issued an electronic surveillance bracelet. They should be counted. They should be controlled. Their access to education and health care should be decided upon by the Government. It was a slippery slope.

Usually, the people of Zoor would have thought that barbaric, but in the tough times that had hit the planet over the last 50 years – basically non-stop war and greed – many people in Zoor saw jobs being taken by the Newcomers, and services their tax dollars were paying for being given free to these “border-crashers.”

The Government already had practice in this regard. Already, the Government had begun issuing the surveillance bracelets (“tags”) to prisoners of war, and to war contractors and to soldiers. Over 10 million people in Zoor had been catalogued and “tagged” – and now for Zoor citizens to go into or out of their own country, required being tagged, as well. It was a slippery slope.

These tags contained everything needed for one to operate in modern Zoor. All of this was done, of course, to keep the people of Zoor safe from terrorists. Though small, the bracelet contained birth and family information, tax and employment records, financial records, law enforcement records, health records, an iris scan, 12 rolled fingerprints, numerous pictures of his/her face, and any  identifying marks, and the most critical element – the unique DNA of that individual. The bracelets were different colors, though no one knew for certain if the colors meant something or not.

Through a newer technology, called RFID, an area could be scanned and a list of all of the people tagged in that area could come up on a computer screen (showing their whereabouts and their identifying data.) You know, like items are managed and monitored in large retail stores. It was a slippery slope.

Many people across Zoor had become sick – some from known causes, others from hidden causes. Mining was everywhere. Each province seemed to be mining for their own survival, regardless of the health and environmental fall out.

Costs were soaring. Money was devalued. Many people  did not have basic care. Many could not find natural foods, only synthetic nano-foods, and clean water was scarce. Part of the food supply – the seafood – had been wiped out by massive oil spills. Not a good situation.

So, the Government had come to the rescue and developed a brand new Plan to take care of the populace: From the time each baby was born in Zoor until the time they died, the Government would furnish their health care and food. What a deal. And, of course, a surveillance bracelet would be required to “participate”. It was a slippery slope.

Zoor was buzzing… Who would monitor all of the bracelets? And, would the leaders of Zoor and those who monitored the populace also be tagged? Those were unspoken questions as many were sometimes afraid to speak out. Perhaps, eventually, computers could monitor some of the bracelets – to save money, of course.

*****

In the midst of it all, there sat Noelte, 29, a young mother.  She had a dilemma. She had lived near the River near a chemical plant for years and knew she had developed another tumor in her leg; she could feel it, the knot protruding from her thin, tanned shin. But, she had already had three removed. The pain was bad. She tried to move through it, rather than dwell on it. But, the possible repercussions from getting an appointment to see a medic could be even more daunting.

Noelte had heard that on the fourth tumor, you would be labeled “incurable” and a “marker” would go on your bracelet. She wasn’t sure what the marker was, or what it meant. It just didn’t sound good. Noelte looked down at her little girl, Rombley, resting on the bed and smiled. Now, there was a beautiful girl! Vibrant eyes, full of hope. After all, why not? Rombley had seen God a lot more recently than Noelte had, and still had visions of flying at night… visions of hope.

To be continued…

USA, Earth – One of my favorite web sites is Gimundo because the news they publish is purposely uplifting. I am on their email mailing list and the information I receive is well worth it.

Take for example, the headline story for today. It’s about Doc Compton, a Texas businessman, and an action he takes that keeps generosity flowing. It’s simple, and oh so powerful!.

Place a single dollar bill in an envelope and pass it along to a stranger, asking them to “pay it forward.”

A  little note inside reads something like this: “If you need it, keep it. Otherwise, simply pass it on to someone else who could use the money – and, if you’re able to, add a dollar of your own to the envelope.”

Once again, this is one person making a big difference – where they are, with what they have. All of us can do this.

This is “viral communication” at its best.

When interviewed by The Dallas Morning News, the Doc remarked:  “It’s not about the money; it’s not about whose hands the money ultimately lands in. It’s about the hands along the way that get to experience the gift of giving.”

Compton came up with the idea when he gave $10 to a couple who couldn’t afford to buy their lunch.

No Strings Attached

I have heard people say “whatever goes around,comes around” and “if I give to others, then that will come back to me.” While there is nothing wrong with giving in this manner, perhaps taking it to the next level sounds like: “I will give, regardless of whether anything ever comes back to me or not.. Just because it’s kind and decent and right.”  Unconditional giving.

You know, after a number of years of working at a soup kitchen and serving the homeless, and seeing what they gave back to the servers, I had the “opportunity” of being on the other end of the giving this past Spring when I went to a soup kitchen for food when I was between paychecks.

I found out that there is no difference in the “side” of the soup table you are on. One gives food, the other receives food. And, we each give the opportunity to be a servant to each other.

I have witnessed, too, when a group of homeless folks who regularly attend a soup kitchen will get together and pray for, and get a card for one of the “servers” who is sick. Now…who is it that’s giving there?

In closing, Gimundo reports that Compton himself  had lost his job as an investment banker, and that Christmas an acquaintance came to his house with a car full of presents for his children, and a gift for him – $2,500. Then and there, “Compton vowed to pay that kindness on to others.”

So, buy some envelopes at the Dollar Store, make up a little note, and pass on those dollar bills! Then, get ready to change lives more than you ever know, including your own!

To read the whole Gimundo story and check out the site for yourself, click here.

A Science Fiction Tale:

Prelude: The Return of the Forgotten One

In an instant, in one space/time snapshot, a wonder-full story began and then spun out across time and space – toward the past and toward the future.  Many snapshots later (or earlier, if you prefer) a crucial time in history arose – when time and space literally seem to converge on each other, at first not sure if they will make love or war. The Figure 8 had transversed its course and both ends were meeting in that middle land once more.

It was shaky going. Just as soon as one felt like he/she knew what was real anymore, it changed again. And, that was okay, even though it often felt the opposite. “It’s all good” would be the modern saying for the hope that comes from just giving all one has each day, and praying for the best outcome of all concerned. After all, we see and move forward by faith, not sight.

It was a time of great upheaval, of suffering. But, oh, a time for hope, as well. The people had been living on the planet for ages. So long, in fact, that memories of entire generations of people on the planet – and their children – had been forgotten….or erased.

Details about their Source, their purpose, and their true identity and nature and life fuel seem to have evaporated.  Some people sought to remember these threads, others to forget…while perhaps the majority, these days, simply had forgotten that there was anything to remember or forget. They were numb, raw, overexposed to images and information and stimuli. They were used to being afraid.

Sometimes, this “forgetting” was due to catastrophic events on the planet – threats from underneath, from the surface, and above.  And, some times, the threats seemed to come from the ethers, invisible threats. Who knows if these type exist apart from the minds of the inhabitants – apart from the echoes they can hear across the land – or not?

Both threats and opportunities had come too from others “worlds” – from people unknown to the planet’s inhabitants. Aliens. For, if the people would know that others existed beyond their planet, they could, if  in dire trouble, call on these “others” to help. Across time, and across space,  and across dimensions. Nothing was impossible.

Such is the time of our telling. This time, human DNA had triumphed. Humans had rose to the top of the food chain and maintained their position – above dogs, and cats, and reptiles, on down to amoebas. The humans were multiplying rapidly, using up their resources and minerals and organs, experiencing dis-ease, further imprisoning each other, polluting the planet, and beginning to fight for food and water. One place or another on the planet was at war, constantly.

For, you know, the ancient story goes that once the First War began, it never has ended, whether above or below, or in that gray bridge between. The planet’s people were bidding time against catastrophe – in one form or another. On their own, in their own minds,  they had succeeded in making great technological advances.  In fact, so superior were their advances that they had done what they had not intended; they had created ways to eliminate themselves, to wipe out their entire race.

Greed, too, had swept the planet – to the extent that some would eliminate others just as easily as they strip a $20 bill from their money roll to pay a black-suited valet. The Little People – who knew no better,  would be better off with the educated and powerful in control, anyway, right?

So, what The Little People were told, and how they were molded was very important. And, it was most important that the strings that tweaked them would be so subtle and so cunning that the People would not even know that they were being herded for profit – and had been for years. It would be better still if what they were told actually looked like it was a way to help them in their suffering.

There were governments. Some had celebrated their people; some had eventually slaughtered their people. None had lasted very long, for varied reasons. But, without question, nearly all the people kept falling farther away from one important truth: that peace was their legacy.

There were temples and churches. Some on the planet believed in good and evil. Some believed that all is One.  And still others believed in nothing (or is it, no-thing?) For, it  is often true that if  a situation or experience is a paradox, the more real it actually is. That’s as reliable of a barometer for discernment as any other.

There were sprites and elementals, and there were the clouds, and the shadows. There was the Sun, and the moon, and the stars, and all sorts of space debris surrounding the planet. There was activity going on in space beyond ones wildest imagination, sometimes obscured.

And, then… There were the leaders, strong leaders, who had led the people to new heights at each new juncture along the planet’s own journey… and some men and women, who had caught the planet in addictive downward spirals, with each recovery a bit harder than the last. Pull and tug. Pull and tug. Pull and tug.

Legend has it that strong leaders need to be peacemakers – speaking and negotiating with anyone, looking for commonalities first – to get the ball moving. Strong  leaders have been around the block, and above all, have sought and discovered truth from his/her own experience and mistakes – rather than just through the images and limitations presented to them. As Martin Luther once said, they “sin boldly”. To these men and women, richness is in relationship and depth and wisdom and nature, not necessarily blood line or “authority”.

Never forget, we still are writing history and herstory one blink, one experience, one tear, one kiss at a time.

Rest assured, Love will prevail.

*****

Check back on the site later for Chapter One of  “The Return of the Forgotten Ones” – coming soon.

(Note: The photo is of an Analemma – a trace of the annual movement of the Sun on the sky – is well known among experts of sun-dials and old Earth’s globes as a diagram of change of seasons and an equation of time.)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – By doing a Google search on “hungry children in America,” you think you’d find many pictures. But, that’s not the case. The problem of hungry children in the United States is a real one and it’s only exacerbated by the fact that not much is reported on the issue by mainstream media – in the United states or elsewhere.

The fact is 17 percent of all children in the United States – almost one in four – struggle with hunger daily.

These children live in families lacking the resources to put nutritious meals on the table, and they suffer the health consequences: impaired growth, development and performance at school, more illness and hospitalizations, and greater susceptibility to obesity than other kids.

Great American Dine Out Week is September 19 – 25

Share Our Strength is the organizer of The Great American Dine Out, now in its third year. This event rallies chain, franchise and independent restaurants to raise funds to help end childhood hunger in America – by participating in a national week-long dine out. This year’s Great American Dine Out is September 19 -25, 2010.

“Our mission is to end childhood hunger in America by 2015. It begins with an eagerness to give back to our local communities,” says Ray Blanchette, CEO, Ignite Restaurant Group and Chairman of the Great American Dine Out Board of Directors.

“Partnering with Share Our Strength in the Great American Dine Out is a critical step in aligning the restaurant industry as a whole to give back in a strategic way. Participating in the Great American Dine Out will inspire everyone in an organization, from the office staff to the managers and hourly team members.

I urge every restaurant to sign up today to support the Great American Dine Out. It will take everyone in our industry to ensure that no child grows up hungry.”

Since 2007, thousands of restaurants have participated in the Great American Dine Out, rallying their employees, vendors and customers to raise more than $1.2 million to help end childhood hunger.

The Eastern Illinois Foodbank, for example, used a grant it received from funds raised through the Great American Dine Out to help support a number of food programs that help children.

The Signs of Hunger

One Saturday morning, an 8-year-old was spotted biting into a raw, unwashed potato he’d ripped from a sack his mom had just received from the food bank’s Foodmobile, a mobile food pantry that serves needy areas. “Don’t worry,” he said, “it doesn’t taste bad.” The boy’s school principal, a Foodmobile volunteer, wasn’t surprised: his teachers had told her he had been showing signs of hunger for months.

In 2009, more than 3,500 restaurants across the United States raised nearly $800,000 to support No Kid Hungry, the Share Our Strength national campaign to end childhood hunger in America by 2015.

Calling All Restaurant Owners to Join in the Effort

Registration for the 2010 Great American Dine Out is open to all restaurants across the country. Once registered, restaurants can take advantage of the Great American Dine Out Online Resource Center, that’s full of downloadable in-store marketing materials, templates for publicity tools, and instructions for ordering pre-printed promotional materials.

To register, contact Jessie Sherrer at (202) 478-6505, or register on the web.

The 2010 Great American Dine Out is sponsored by Sysco, Ecolab, American Express, USA Today, Food Network, and The National Restaurant Association.

By the Numbers: Food Insecurity in the U.S.

Food insecurity exists in 14.6% of all U.S. households:

- 42.2% of all households at or below the poverty line
- 37.2% of all single-mom households
- Families struggling with hunger experience three or more symptoms of food insecurity during seven months of the year, on average.
- Symptoms of food insecurity include running out of food without money to buy more, cutting portion sizes or skipping meals, and not feeding children in the family because there isn’t money for food.
- For about one-fourth of families struggling with hunger, symptoms are frequent or chronic.

Food insecure families (17.1 million households) struggle with hunger:

- 83.6% live in major metropolitan areas
- 67.7% live above the poverty line
- 52.1 % are white
- 48.7% (8.3 million) have kids under 18

Food insecurity affects nearly 17 million children in America:

- 34% more now than in 2009
- 48.7% live in married-couple families
- 41.9% live in single-mom families
- 41.2% live at or below the poverty line
- 40.3% live in the South
- 35.5% live in cities outside of major metro areas

More about Share Our Strength

Share Our Strength is a national organization that works hard to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry. They weave together a net of community groups, activists and food programs to catch children facing hunger and surround them with nutritious food where they live, learn and play.

Share Our Strength is headerquartered in Washington D.C.. They work with the culinary industry to create engaging, pioneering programs like Taste of the Nation, Great American Bake Sale, A Tasteful Pursuit, Great American Dine Out, and Operation Frontline.