Comments on the Collapse Factors

UrbanSurvivalSkills.com received the following comment from Anonymous on the Collapse Factors: "Since the beginning of the financial collapse, which started in Oct 2008 (but has it's roots back in 1998 and 9/11/01), I have been amazed at how long things have continued to work in an almost "normal" fashion. All of my economics training is telling me this will end badly, but the one area I have to be honest about is that it is taking longer than one might have expected. We might see a "lost decade" like Japan, or a continued slow motion train wreck as we have now. But it doesn't change the need to prepare for the eventual collapse.

Our country still has about $10 or $20 trillion of non-levereged net worth to borrow against. But that will go fast. Things could collapse soon if foreign governments demand gold instead of dollars. But if not, this existing situation could go on for a few more years. For me, the acid test will be interest rates. When the Fed cannot control interest rates, and we see the trend like Greece for the 2 year bond at 48% interest, the gig is up. Just my two cents worth.

UrbanMan replies: I think you're on the mark, but I think the beginnings of the collapse occured with F.D.R.'s new deal and several Administrations since,......one of those factos being coming off the Gold standard. I also think you're spot on with the slow collapse scenario. I think we are going to see that. It may hasten with a cataclysmic event like a nuclear or cyber terrorist attack, but the odds are on a slow slide into a pre-collapse depression like era.

But the situation cannot stay at this point forever. The question is just how long will this be until chaos and anarchy takes over,...SHTF,...which will be a natural result when this nation of people, the majority of which are used to a decent life, have to struggle to survive?

I think we'll be very much like Greece, and maybe very soon. I'm hoping to be able to move (no, not to the Great American Redoubt) and get better prepared to live it out,..but I feel the great weight of the debt, inflation, inept Federal Government response, dwindling resources, societal issues, and disenfranchised masses making it come sooner rather than later.

The Government cannot do much. Their Courses of Action remain: 1 - trying to control the people who have nothing and nothing to lose,...read "military control", or, 2 - Over taxation and confiscation of wealth and assets,...read "Socialist State".

What other choices does the government have? The vast entitlement society has got to be coming to an end. With 43 to 45 million people dependant upon the government now depending upon their wits, what will the ground truth be then?

SHTF Handguns: Another Reader Question

I received an e-mail question about handguns for personal protection in a survival or collapse environment. "Urbanman, I am in a loose knit group, I guess you can call us a survival band. There are four of us couples. Between us all we have a couple deer rifles and shotguns, but discussed the need to have some handguns and everyone is on board with buying the same one for ammunition and magazine compatibility. We can all agree on the Beretta military handgun in 9mm, but I recently was told by a neighbor, a retired Army guy, that the Army is getting rid of the Berettas. Is this true? Are we making a bad choice with the Beretta?"


UrbanMan replies: Yes, it is true the Army is looking at replacing the Beretta M9, 9mm handgun. Not necessarily because it is a bad design, the guns in the service have reached the limit of their life cycle. They have been in service since around 1986. On occasion I have carried the Beretta M9 or 92SF as well as a Beretta 96D in .40 caliber S&W.

Since 1986 alot of improvements have come of the handgun industry,..to name a few:
1. Better ergo-metrics with interchangeable grip inserts to make the gun fit the end users hand better.
2. Integral picatinny rail underneath the frame in order to mount a handgun light and or laser.

The Beretta can be learned to well enough. Is reliable and uses metal magazines with a metal magazine catch. Magazines are plentiful and available either in 9mm or .40 S&W, both of which I would not feel inadequately armed with, albeit a handgun is primarily a defensive weapons. I think you are on the right track in selecting a common handgun and each survival group members should have a long gun and a handgun.

There are many other good handguns out there, among them the Glock series pistols; Smith and Wesson M&P series semi-automatics; Sig-Sauers; Heckler and Koch. You are going to find all different makes and models, and calibers, of handguns across this country accepted for agency use.

Ruger also makes good, and cheaper priced, pistols as well. The advantage with the 9mm is usually a extra round or two in the magazines and a little bit cheaper ammunition.

Bottom line is that any quality handgun will do,...you ought to be more concerned with training everyone in your group on whatever handgun you select. Good luck to you and the development of your Survival Group,...hope you never have to see SHTF, but it is nice knowing you are beginning to get ready. Don't forget about your long guns as they are your primary survival firearms for personal protection during the collapse.

Earthquakes, Hurricanes and other Natural Disasters - whats your SHTF Communications Plan?

Within the past week we have seen Earthquakes on the Colorado-New Mexico border and in the Larger Washington D.C. area. In the case of the District of Columbia, people reported their voice cellular communications affected. Oddly enough texting was not as affected for the people I called to look into this, however most reported their phones out of service for both for some of the time.

We have Scientists predicting a large earthquake in the Memphis, Tennessee area. More floods are forecasted for the Missouri and Mississippi rivers regions. And then you have California.......with predictions to a giant earthquake coming with hundreds of thousands of casualties to even the dire prediction of the California coast sliding off into the Pacific.

Now we have Hurricane Irene barreling down on the East coast. Then to top it off, my cellular carrier has a tower gone so as my phone jumps around to connect to a tower, I drop calls all the time. All of this got me to thinking about most of the people out there unprepared to react to a communications shutdown and live within a broader communications bare environment.

I have a no-communications plan not only with my family but the people who will be part of my survival group. We have planned routes of travel to our planned primary survival holeup (my house) and to our secondary holeup as well. The first people at either location, as most of us work during the day, will monitor our emergency radio and establish a base station net control.

We have emergency linkup points selected in case of no-shows. We have this backed up by Push to Talk Family Radio System Walk-About type radios with pre-selected primary, alternate, contingency and emergency channels and brevity codes.

I have some higher end VHF radios, but no enough to go around to all survival group members and to valuable to field now. They will be in use once the survival group co-locates.

We have rehearsed this with most of our moving parts (survival group members) at a pre-arranged time to denote a notional national emergency. Doesn't have to be a natural disaster. It could be a pandemic outbreak alert, a nuclear or EMP attack, a market collapse or other government announcement sending people and society into chaos.

SO, I just wanted to remind everyone to imagine an event creating chaos with our normal landline and cellular communications systems. What would you do? Do you know what your family, friends and survival team members would do?

Reader Questions of Collapse Factors

UrbanSurvivalSkills.com received two e-mail questions and we're going to respond to in a single post.
 
Wayne asked:  "Sovereign Man said that two things – economic deterioration and the increasingly heavy hand of Big Brother– are the essential ingredients in revolution.   When combined, widespread social upheaval is nearly a foregone conclusion.  Then he went on to state that thinking people need to recognize the risks and consequences at stake, and formulate a plan to prepare for them. My ultimate recommendation is to set up a safe haven location outside of your home country– a crash pad in a stable place where you can feel secure in your family’s safety and watch the turmoil on television instead of from your front porch. (p.s. these are almost verbatim).  What do you think of this and is there any relation to the riots you wrote about last week?"

UrbanMan replies:  I have not read Sovereign Man for awhile, but he is dead on the mark.  Excessive government regulation which tends to take freedoms away from people as well as destroy the economy, and the economy tanking making it harder for people to make ends meet will set the stage for riots,....be it food riots, riots against authority,...anything excuse or reason will do to serve as a catalyst for the people's frustrations.   And I think we are seeing the leading edge of riots in this country that have plagued Europe.  It will get worse as this country runs out of money to pay entitlements.  The "entitled" will think they are getting the short end of the stick and these groups are largely in urban densities.   Can anyone say "Detroit"?    

As far as Sovereign Man's recommendation to set up a safe haven outside of your home country?   Where the hell is that going to be?  Costa Rica or some other Central American country where the military rules and gringos have second class rights?   No thanks, I'm sticking to the good ole U.S.  The more of us are prepared, the better off this country and also better the chances of rebuilding something worthwhile.......and preparation be it for natural disasters, economic depression or a total SHTF scenario, are becoming much more mainstream.
 
Anonymous wrote:  "There is an article in the New York Times talking about a severe shortage of drugs especially for infections.  The article also stated that since supplies were so low, people were paying sometimes 20 times, yes 20 times!!!!! the regular price.   This scares the shit out of me as my wife and son are pretty prone to getting infections and going on antibiotics.  Is this something that is going to get better or worse and will it cause a pandemic?

UrbanMan replies:  Yes, I have been keeping on top of this.  A couple friends of mine reported that their hospitals reported they "don't stock" a certain medication,...probably a political correct way of saying "we can't get it".   Viral infections can be spread causing a pandemic in the worst case, and I believe it is harder for bacterial infections to spread.  My base preparations for the increasing chances of sickness and disease is to use good hygiene; be prepared to quarantine any people you take in during a collapse;  and maximum use of nutrition and supplements to build our immune systems as a prophylaxis (preventative measure) to sickness and disease.   My base thinking is that this will not get any better unless the economy rebounds and costs of medical treatment are reduced.            
 

Rabbi Talks About the Growing Survival Threat

Incredible Government mismanagement of taxpayers money and the base economy; Riots in London where widespread robberies, destruction, looting and assault taking place. Forty Three million Americans on food stamps; Another round (QE3) of printing Money to deflate the value of the existing money supply; crop failures, natural disasters and more government regulation decreasing the ability of this country to produce food;

All this and some people are actually saying it will get worse! Glenn Beck is predicting race riots over the failed economy and coming collapse. Some very main stream people are actually saying, whispering mind you, but nevertheless saying the SHTF is going to happen and happen within two years. Other are quietly preparing for the collapse and preparing first to protect who and what is theirs.

A friend of ours sent us the following letter from Rabbi Bendory talking about the growing danger. The highlights of which are posted below:

An Open Letter To All Urban Residents –
And Especially Jews.

by Rabbi Dovid Bendory, Rabbinic Director,Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership, and certified NRA Instructor.

Times have changed rapidly, and ominously so. In Wisconsin – home to JPFO’s office – “Witnesses' accounts claim everything from dozens to hundreds of young black people beating white people as they left State Fair Thursday night.”

In Philadelphia, the “mayor talks tough to black teenagers after ‘flash mobs’ … attack people at random on the streets of the city’s tourist and fashionable shopping districts.” The mayor has now imposed a curfew on the City.

“In Chicago on Memorial Day weekend, roving teens flashed gang signs, knocked cyclists off their bikes and harassed picnickers.”

We’ve seen similar events in Peoria, IL; Atlanta, GA; Las Vegas, NV; and – close to home for me personally – South Orange, NJ.

And while you won’t see it in the Main Stream Media, you can find plenty of blogs that highlight the racial undertones – and overtones – of these flash mobs. Here’s an account of a Peoria eye-witness who says the mob chanted “kill all the white people.”

As most decent people are watching the stock market gyrations and following our federal government’s mismanagement of both monetary and fiscal policy, our nation is entering an unpredictable phase. I’m sorry to say that, based on history, things are going to get worse. Just look at London, England, where four nights of rioting hooligans have resulted in the deployment of an extra 16,000 police officers in an attempt to stop the looting, vandalism, destruction, assaults, and robbery.

GET A GUN.

Get a gun, and learn how to shoot it accurately, under pressure. If you find yourself in a “flash mob,” the police will NOT show up in time to do you a bit of good. These mobs gather in minutes and disburse just as quickly when the first police car arrives. Or worse, they attack the first police officers until backup arrives.

What kind of gun should you get? Start with a quality semi-automatic pistol. A standard magazine of 12 or 15 rounds will come with it, and you can purchase and carry one or two backup magazines on your person or in your car. If your state laws allow it, a loaded shotgun in your car wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

And in London, all guns are outlawed. Thank God, in America, we still have the Second Amendment.

Read the entire article here, Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership:

Long Stay Foods for SHTF

So if you're looking for groceries to buy in bulk and store in your pantry, these products are your best bet. Urban Survival Skills advocates considering many types of foods to stock for SHTF, among them:

Canned and dry pantry items, which would be probably the first items consumed.

Vaccuum packed bulk food items, like pasta, rice, beans, and dry meals like the rice dishes and hamburger helper, etc.

Commercial survival foods like the Mainstay Bars; and, commercial rations like the Military Ready to Eat (MRE) meals.

And it seems like it has become (almost) mainstream in America to advocate everyone stocking up food for "bad times".
My preps has changed slightly over the past few months with a bigger emphasis on bulk canned and packaged items. What I have bought mostly in the past two months is canned soup and stews, packaged pasta, and all sorts of nuts.

The following article came off a internet mainstream news site about buying groceries in bulk for long term storage. Maybe some people are stocking food and supplies as a hedge against rising prices and others asa hedge against SHTF,...kinda same result which is being prepared.


Canned Beans and Vegetables. Canned food, by definition, lasts longer than most products in the grocery store because it has been specially processed in air-tight cans. In general, canned items can stay good for 12-18 months, according to Gans, but some last even longer. Canned products like beans and vegetables, which are low in acid, can actually last for as long as two to five years. The only exception is if the can is dented or rusty, as that indicates the can has been punctured at some point, which speeds up the spoilage process.

Cereal and Crackers. You might as well start stocking up on crackers and cereal for the winter. According to Heslin, these products are essentially just "edible cardboard" that don't have enough moisture to grow bacteria or mold, so they can last for a very long time. Cereals like Cheerios and Puff Wheat, which have little to no sugar, can last for 18-24 months if unopened, while crackers like saltines can generally last for about two years.

The safety and nutrient quality of these products doesn't change, but the taste and texture might deteriorate somewhat. In other words, your body will be fine eating these things after more than a year, but you may find them a bit too stale to make it worthwhile.

Dried Pasta and White Rice. Just as with cereal and crackers, dried pasta and white rice do not contain enough moisture to spoil, and can therefore last for at least two years unopened. Consumers should be mindful though of what kind of pasta and rice they intend to store, though. Brown rice and whole wheat pasta may seem the same, but in reality each of these products contains more oil than their traditional counterparts, and can therefore go rancid much quicker.

Honey. Honey can take years to expire, but according to Gans, one can conservatively hold onto it for about a year before its consistency begins to change, hardening and losing its sweet taste. Interestingly, Gans says that honey stays good for 12 months whether it's opened or unopened, making it one of the only foods where that is the case.

Spices. You may want to think twice before replacing the containers in your spice rack. In general, most common spices like salt, pepper and oregano don't actually expire in the traditional sense, they just become less and less flavorful.  Salt occurs naturally in nature, it has no expiration date.  There is no difference in 10-year-old salt at all, as long as it hasn't been exposed to moisture.

One Step Closer to Gold Confiscation

Received this from TownHall:
Over The Counter (OTC) Bullion trading is now Illegal for all U.S. Residents. Again, OTC Bullion trading is now illegal but purchasing Gold & Silver and taking personal delivery or having it delivered to a Depository is Exempt from this New Ban thanks to lobbying efforts by several companies who mine and coin Gold.

What this means to us the Preparing Survivalist is that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) now has a foot hold on the physical bullion market. A feat this Government Agency has tried to achieve since its 1974 inception. Which of course is a step closer to Gold (and Silver) confiscation. And as you remember your history lesson, from 1933 through 1974 bullion was illegal to own until then President Gerald Ford gave back the rights of Americans to own bullion.

The CFTC's June 14th, meeting on The Dodds Frank Act, set forth the final rules on all Over The Counter markets, including retail commodity transactions of physical Bullion. The Over the Counter (OTC) Bullion Markets, Banned for ALL U.S. Residents and corporations as of July 15, 2011.

Many OTC Precious Metal Dealers have already begun to Unwind their Bullion Retail businesses.

Why was this put into law? Well, one is free to believe that is intended to protect consumers,.....or one can believe that it is to protecting what little value the U.S. Dollar has against Gold & Silver,......or one can simply look to history and believe that is to enable a faster transition to a government ban on ALL Gold and Silver. Remember, the last thing the despots do before a Country collapses is to loot the national treasury.

Add this into the equation: The CFTC pushed Congress to outlaw all Bullion that is NOT deliverable to Retail consumers within 48 hours. That would Shutdown 95% of All Retail Dealers....Overnight! No Matter how Large a Dealer maybe,... No Dealer sits on ENDLESS amounts of Inventory. The Dealer would eventually have to Order Inventory from Mints such as U.S. , Canada , Austria , South Africa or Directly through the Exchange. Nonetheless, delivery takes 3-14 days. Which does NOT complete the process, the product would still need to be shipped to the Retail Investor...

Therefore a 48 Hour Delivery Mandate is impossible, ultimately, making ALL Bullion transactions Illegal by default.

So is a Government ban on Gold And Silver coming? History has taught us, first comes Government control, then comes Government Ban/Confiscation!

Wilderness Survival - Boy Scout's Example

With the good news being reported about the 12 year old Boy Scout from Utah being found alive after surviving in a cold wilderness environment by using his fieldcraft skills and building tree-branch shelter, I was asked my two people, what would I have done if I was lost.

First, the Boy Scout's story: The 12-year-old Boy Scout, however scared, kept his wits about himself and still knew what to do when he got lost during a Utah wilderness outing: He built a shelter made of tree branches and wood to get through a cold night and he covered himself in dirt to stay warm.

Scout Jared Ropelato's lean-to — a crude structure the Boy Scout manual advises Scouts to build if they become lost — kept him warm enough so he could sleep after the overnight low in Utah's Ashley National Forest dipped to 31 degrees in the area. The boy was wearing only jeans and a shirt, and had no food or water, when he went missing around noon Friday. He had gotten lost while on his way by himself back to camp from a nearby lake, walking a total of eight or nine miles before searchers on ATVs found him Saturday morning some four miles from where he started.

First of all, preparation is the key to survival. This comes in two forms: Knowledge and Skills about the environment and fieldcraft/survival skills; the second being Equipped. A knife, folding or fixed blade,...a lighter or waterproof matches,...and a canteen are essential to any outdoor outing or hike. If you are even better equipped then your chances (and comfort) are much better.
Having a simple Butt Pack or Day Pack with those above items, plus a flashlight, ground cloth or survival blanket, a section of parachute cord, maybe 50 feet, and, some food such as granola or survival bars would be the minimum in my book.

Knowing how to build a fire, build a shelter, procure and filter water would be key. If I was lost and looking to help people find me, a fire, then a shelter, then a ground to air signal in a nearby cleared area would be my first priorities as long as I had water. Sure you can go maybe up to 48 hours without water, but throughout that second day your mental and physical skills will start to wane. In a colder environment, such as this Boy Scout was in, you could stretch that to maybe 72 hours, and this is depending upon how hard you are working; how much sweat you have lost; if you avoid exposure to the Sun; and, if you have food to eat.

Hats off to the Boy,...other than breaking the two man rule, which is his Scoutmaster's fault, he did good.

Food Shortage Already Here

UrbanSurvivalSkills.com has already written several posts about the coming food shortage, both in this Country and Worldwide. With the droughts, natural disasters, economic condition and high taxes/expenses this Country's ability to feed itself is rapidly declining. On the plus side, never before has hobby farming where regular people and even urban dwellers start their own gardens been so prevalent. Not only is a worthwhile skills, but the satisfaction you get from harvesting your own vegetables and having them for dinner just makes it all the more worthwhile.

A reader sent me this article entitled What Produce Drought Isn't Killing, People Are Stealing: Killing Drought in Arkansas

By Ron Klinefelter, owner of Spring Valley Organic Growers, 10 August 2011:

This is now our 77th consecutive day (Aug. 7) of this heat and drought. Temperatures all week were over 100. One day it was 104, one it was 107! We also broke 2 new all time heat records this week….108, and 112, and of course, no rain.

Several more things bit the dust this week. One, a patch of a beautiful heirloom grinding corn, that usually produces 2 ears, many a foot long. Even with every other day watering, they just couldn’t produce even one ear, and are now just curling up and dying.

Attention…..NO SEED for next year!

I was walking in one of the gardens yesterday, and the big elderberry bushes have so dried up that their big dinner plate sized clusters of fruit, which have just sat there green for weeks, instead of ripening, have begun to mummify, like they had been placed in a dehydrator. Also, the armadillo damage is so great now that they are ravaging whole beds. In the morning, it looks like a roto-tiller has gone thru there.

I have natural food stores calling me, asking for any produce, especially tomatoes. When I was in one of them last week, they were selling organic tomatoes FROM MEXICO! In talking to the manager/produce buyer of Prairie Markets last week, she told me that virtually everyone had “given up”, and there wasn’t even a viable farmers market in town now.

One more little problem. I was talking to someone in an adjoining county that was fortunate to get SOME rain. They had a pretty good bunch of tomatoes that they had been letting ripen on the vine. They were going to pick them one evening, but it was just too miserably hot. They decided to wait until morning to pick them for canning, when it was a little “cooler”. This is a relative term, as it is well after dark.9:00p.m., and it’s still 92 degrees. When they went out to pick them the next morning, someone(s) had snuck in, in the night and stolen EVERY SINGLE TOMATO! Not a one was left!

I have so much water and time invested in the gardens now, that I don’t hardly dare to stop now, but even if it were to start raining for days now, there probably wouldn’t be time enough before frost to bring another crop off. This will most likely be my last year of commercial growing. I am a vanishing species.

Seeing what I see, and reading what I’m reading from all around the country (and world), I find it almost impossible to believe that food shortages and possibly famine are not dead ahead. One would be a fool to not be putting up food like crazy, while you can get it. To NOT be doing that, I believe, is a very dangerous and foolhardy move – act now!

Read it yourself here: Produce Killing Drought

Survival Rifle for 15 Year Old

UrbanSurvivalSkills.com received an e-mail question concerning Sniper Rifles……”This is about the sniper issue. I am a Marine and have a 15 year old brother who is an excellent shot but not up to (handling) large loads and I don't like the idea of missing him (him being messed up) up in close-quarter combat. I have plenty of buddy's to cover that. I want a lightweight and long-range take-down weapon. I disagree with .22LR due to its lack of take-down and versatility. I mean there maybe other groups with a heavy military center to these groups which would include body armor. Just wanted some choices for SHTF that you might suggest. I was thinking along the M40A1.”

UrbanMan replies:: Thank you for your service, Marine. A .308 caliber battle rifle like the venerable M14 or M1A1 or in the AR platform such as the excellent LWRC’s (shown to the left) and the LaRue piston driven AR platforms in .308 may be too much to handle due to weight and felt recoil for a 15 year old boy, although I saw 10 year old boys carrying FN/FALS and G3 rifles in Africa, but they weren’t proficient in their use nor even safe. If you want something light, then the M40A1 rifle, which sniper platforms are built on, really isn’t it. Plus you would have to add a scope then training for a 15 year old. I sure it can be done but I would choose a different solution.

Sometimes the closer you are to the solution, the harder it is to see it. As a Marine you are familiar with the M-4 carbine in it’s variants. This is a light weight rifle, if you keep all the crap like lights, scopes, etc., off the gun. It can be broken down if necessary and purchased with a 16 inch barrel and collapsible stock for a smaller profile. Using the SS109 bullet, which is a steel core penetrator and known to you as the 62 grain green tip, is a very effective package against armed criminals wearing body armor when SHTF. And of course the 5.56mm cartridge is more accurate that most men (or boys) can use, and effective range is not an issue as it is accurate enough out to 500 meters. This weapon has been proven as an effective close quarter battle weapon for a lot of military and law enforcement units as well.

Another thing you can consider is the Kel-Tec SU-16D series carbine which is a very lightweight firearm. The weight, unloaded, is under 4 pounds. It is a gas operated much like the M16; uses the M16 bolt; uses M16 type magazines; is semi-automatic and has a cross bolt safety. If you are looking for something with some range, this is probably not it as it’s rudimentary sights probably won’t support accurate shooting past 200 yards. I think this gun best serves as a take down survival gun for Bug Out Bags, but at a retail price tag over $700 it probably is too expensive for what you get.

While I shot one several months ago and shooting off hand at 50 yards it was easy to center mass hits on an IPSC target, I just would not buy one. I don’t need another 5.56mm gun and there is something about plastic guns. But I will say it did not fail on me, nor the owner, and we eventually shot about 160 to 200 rounds that day through it. It may be an option for someone who is concerned about weight. But remember what you give up in weigh, you get back in recoil given the same caliber.

Okay, we're back to the M-4. Magazines are plentiful. Easy to handle gun for older children. Ammunition is cheap. I'd be looking to this gun.

Survival Gardens - More Comments

UrbanSurvivalSkills. received the following on e-mail,....."Hey UrbanMan,really liked the article on Survival Gardening and the lessons learned. Here is what learned from my survival gardening and what helped me format my food stockpiling:.

Seeds. Quality of seeds are very important. Ensure you store them in a controlled manner.

Planting. Ensure the soil and planting location is prepped to control waste of water (important if and when the collapse hits and water sources may not be reliable). Make sure you cull the plants as they come up so you keep the strongest plant of that species otherwise they will compete with each other. Don't plant too close together. I planted my corn way too close together this year and the stalks are not growing very tall.
UrbanMan comment:. Yeah I planted too close together as well.

I also planted new vegetables every 2 to 3 weeks. I am only planting two or three plants at a time because of my limited space in my backyard.

Types of Crops.. Tomatoes, black squash not yellow, potatoes, onions and cucumbers were easy for me to grow. Corn was okay, but (again) too close together. I am know enjoying a piece of fresh vegetable almost every day! I am know buying more brown and white rice, and dried pasta so I'll always have something to make with my vegetables. Canned soup goes further when you can add a piece of fresh vegetable to it and it tastes much better!.

Container Growing. Any containers have to have the ability to drain, so consider this. A a few nail holes in the bottom of the container go along way to drainage and not rotting the roots.

I hope this helps your readers. I am so glad I planted crops this year as I have learned so much. I think people who buy those pre-made SHTF tins of seeds but have never grown anything are going to be in for a surprise and not a good surprise.

UrbanMan comment: I agree with the need to "practice" growing crops if you have never done so. I also think that the Survival Planner would probably be better of customizing his own survival seed stock or at least augmenting store bought survival seed kits by figuring out what grows best in his area and buying those non-hybrid seeds from a reputable source. Gurney's Seed and Nursery is one of the sources I like. They also offer growing information, supplies and growing aids as well as a free newsletter.

There are a lot of celebrities (radio and news) pushing the idea of stocking food; hardly any of them talk about Seeds for Survival Gardens. What are you doing to do when the food runs out?

Stay Safe All. Cheers, Urban Man.

Second Recession - Are We Going to See Riots then Economic Collapse?

Paraphrasing the article, "Second Recession in he U.S. Could Be Worse", from the New York Times,.....their view is that the second recession (are we out of the first yet?) could be extremely painful and may not be recoverable.

Glenn Beck is predicting riots in the streets. And he is pretty damn accurate. We are seeing riots in England right now, and not just from the Police killing a man in an attempted arrest,...what fueled the riots is the general feelings by the "have nots" that they are getting the "short end of the stick".  They like alot of us in the U.S. are tired of their government  running this country into the ground.

Nowhere will this be larger issue if the high density population groups in the U.S. can't get food anymore either due to escalating prices or lack of availability....or fuel,......or really any commodity necessary for life or just plain survival.


We have seen two consecutive days of giant losses on the Stock Market.  Over 500 point on Friday 5 August, then over 600 points on Monday 8 August. What is going to happen if the Stock Market goes into free fall?

If the economy falls back into recession, as many economists are now warning, the bloodletting could be a lot more painful than the last time around.  “It would be disastrous if we entered into a recession at this stage, given that we haven’t yet made up for the last recession,” said Conrad DeQuadros, senior economist at RDQ Economics. And this is the good news. This is an understatement.

Anxiety and uncertainty have increased in the last few days after the decision by Standard and Poor’s to downgrade the country’s credit rating and as Europe continues its desperate attempt to stem its debt crisis. This is going to force the U.S. to execute entitlement reform, leaving millions without, or worse yet, have their credit dry up,..in effect becoming bankrupt.

We have had a population in the work force grow by 3% in the last four years, but jobs have declined, putting an extremely large number of people out of work and on some sort of welfare.  What happens when the Government either begfins entitlement reform or just goes plain bankrupt and people have no choice really but to take what they need. 
We are very lucky that  fuel prices and interest rates have remained comparitively low, but that just cannot last for very much longer and the decline will become much more rapid.

Think about what you are going to do once food cannot be obtained, due to either high prices or unavailability.   Where are the most likely places for riots to begin?  Where will they migrate to?  Speaking of migration, are you are a natural refugee route?   How is your OPSEC?  How many people know you stock food and supplies?  Are you tracking the indicators of this potenial collapse?

As I post this the morning of Tuesday August 9th, I have no idea what will happen today, but you can be damn sure I'll have both the Television and radio on at work, as well as surf through revelent sites when I have the time,...and I will make the time.  This week may very well be critical.     

New York Times article: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Second-Recession-in-US-Could-nytimes-2428475539.html?x=0

More Fixed Blades Knifes for Armageddon

I received a comment that the link to Spartan Blades did not open. Here it is again, and I have tested it, so this should work:

Spartan Blades

Two people that I know well, one a high powered Fed and the other a top shelf gun hand for the military each had different ideas on the best fixed blade knife to carry.

One of them loves his fixed blade Strider, telling me that it is thick enough to drive into an elephant's skull and it is the only fixed blade he now carries, although if I know this guy like I think I do,...one or two knives is no knives, so I know he carries a couple extra, probably folders. Did not get a chance to ask him.

Strider Knives

The other gent, if I can call him that without offending him, tells me his next knife will be an Up-Armored fixed blade fighter. This professional warrior has carried a Randall No. 1 early in his career and since then has put that knife away since they don't make them anymore, and now owns several SOG Bowies. He said his last knife will be a Up-Armored Knife. I have not heard of this company so I checked out their website and they make some beautiful knives.

Up-Armored Knives

I probably won't be posting too much more information on high end products as I planned from the get go for this to be a site that offered common sense survival prepping information for the common man,..meaning it had to affordable too. Not too many people I know will sink $400 into a fixed blade knife. But since someone asked,.....

SHTF: Argentinian example of Economic Collapse

This post and topic jumped to the top of our heap because of the recent downgrading of the U.S. credit worthiness and the bad economic forecast that presents to Americans. There is an interesting interview with Mr. Fernando Aguirre who was a first hand witness of Argentinian Economic and Currency Collapse in the Fall of 2001, from which the events in the U.S. are mirroring those of what Mr Aguirre experienced.  He  is the author of "Surviving the Economic Collapse", go to the website listed at the bottom of this post hear Fernando tells chilling stories of bank closures, life savings lost, & starving people slaughtering cattle on public roads just to survive.

What will be telling is how the markets, first in Japan as they open much earlier than our (around 6:00 pm Sunday Eastern Standard Time) and the direction the U.S. Markets take after that on Monday morning,....but back to Aguirre and his lessons from Argentina.       

Aguirre tells of the currency value deflation; massive unemployment and percent of population in poverty escalating;...or pretty much where we are at now here in the U.S........

.........followed by massive attempts by the Argentinian population to withdrawal money or otherwise "cash hoarding" and the immediate black market exchanging of Argentinian currency to U.S. Dollars; then the government attempts to control money leaving the banks and limit banks failing buy laws on withdrawals limits.  And all along the government telling lies to the people, probably justifying it by the rationale of minimizing chaos, riots and violence. 

If you are not one of the fortunate people who are prepared including holding physical Gold and Silver, what currency are you planning to exchange dollars for?????

Aguirre Interview on Contrary Investors Cafe

Is Economic Collapse Close at Hand?

Yesterday the Stock Market took a 512 point downturn. Today will be very telling as to just how close we are to a fast slide of economic collapse.

The rest of the World's view of the U.S. economy is basically that the inmayes are running the asylum. What happens here effects the rest of the World since the U.S. dollar is depending heavily on on the dollar for it's stability and status as the World's reserve currency. Both the stability and status are close of going away. So that foundation has been rocked with the U.S. Government expanding the limit of borrowing and the resultant show of a lack of confidence from Wall Street and many other Countries. What that means to use is the potential for massive inflation and hence a depression.

Add to the fact that about 25% of personal income is coming directly from the government in the form of entitlements, such as Disability pay, Social Security, Food Stamps, Jobless Benefits which are all funded by the U.S. Government which is borrowing heavily to pay for these entitlements.

By the end of this year, many of those dollars that fund entitlements are going to disappear,..some by the expiration of these benefits and some because the lack of moeny to pay for them.

Add QE3, where the Government prints more money, which in turn devalues the existing money supply, and we have a SHTF - Economic Collapse scenario on the tipping point.

Moody Analytics predicts a weakened economy coming due to lack of job growth;.....the Labor Department predicts smaller job growth;.....continued massive foreclosures will drive more people in banckruptcy and shorten the available money supply from lenders;.....the Federal extension of jobles benefits will expire soon placing many more people desperate for a way to feed their families and pay basic bills.

The outlook is not good. If you have never kept track of all the economic and political factors that would influence a collapse, now is the time to start. It is very likely that we are at the tipping point to a rapid slide towards a depression and then a partial or total economic collapse.

I would suggest to be leaning forward. Maybe finalize your last minute preparations. Ensure you have some ready cash for the chaotic one day where it will be apparent and you may need to be prepared to procurement whatever you are not willing to procurement today.

Survival Bug Out Option - Concrete Canvas Shelters

Concrete cloth has been around along time, but is rarely known inside the United States. ARZ Builders Inc., are a U.S. based source of pre-made, concrete structures that you literally inflate and water down to activate the concrete.

Use of other material such as earth, snow, bricks, rocks, etc., can be used to assist in protecting the concrete canvas shelter, providing occupants additional protection from small arms fire as well as adding insulation.

Concrete Canvas Shelters are rapidly deployable hardened shelters that require only water and air for construction. Visit www.concretecanvas.co.uk for further information. The key to CCS is the use of inflation to create a surface that is optimised for compressive loading. This allows thin walled concrete structures to be formed which are both robust and lightweight. CCS consist of a cement impregnated fabric (Concrete Cloth) bonded to the outer surface of a plastic inner which forms a Nissen-Hut shaped structure once inflated.

Watch this video about the installation and setting of the concrete building.



Contact Info:

ARZ BUILDERS INC.
1515 N. Federal Hwy #300
Boca Raton - FL 33432
PHONE: (Cell) (561) 239-9923 - (Office) (561) 394-0910
http://arzbuilders.com/concrete-canvas-shelter.html

Dilbert's Survival Preps

Dilbert survival preps apparently don't include OPSEC. A tongue in cheek look at the narrow line between dripping or outright advocating SHTF prep to your friends and co-workers in relation to trying to maintain some type of Operational Security......or you can call this "Art imitates life."

Thanks to Mountain Man Steve.

Gold and Silver Market Information

Another source for up to date information on precious metals and solid analysis specifically on the Gold and Silver markets is Private Bullion.

This site, ran by Scott Hage, provides easy to understand links between Gold and Silver and how the National Debt, Stock Market and other economic factors influence each other.

UrbanSurvivalSkills has long said that the smart Survival planner understands that Preparing for the Collapse or SHTF if you prefer, involves much more than stocking guns and ammunition. Surviving anything be it a bad blind date or SHTF requires planning and preparation,.....understanding the threat,...keeping on top of indicators for the collapse and taking the correct measures to ensure you are not caught flat footed.

Private Bullion is also a discreet source for precious metals: Gold, Silver, Platinum or Palladium as well as coins or a numismatic value or for melt value. We have long held that the complete Survival Preparer should have a quantity of at least Silver coins, both bullion and coins for silver melt value, in order to be completed covered for the many and diverse catalysts of collapse that all lead to American's struggling for food and security.

Add the Silver Bullion blog (link at top) to your bookmarks and spend a few minutes visiting their site every couple days or so to stay informed in the economic realm especially as it pertains to previous metals.

Post SHTF Disease/Healthcare Medical Planning

We received the following comment from a reader,....."I have three kids with insulin-dependent diabetes. In an ice chest, two 2-liter bottles of frozen tap-water will go 2 days without melting. Reserve an area of a open-top, chest-type, freezer to keep as many 2-liter ice bottles as is possible. These provide thermal-capacitance to the chest. In colonial days, ponds would be cut-up in winter -- WHAT?! -- In Northern states ponds could have a 3-ft thickness of ice. These huge slabs of ice would be mule-teamed into underground (giant root-cellars) keeps that stayed at around 55 deg F. Large amounts (actually MASSIVE) amounts of straw would be packed between these huge slabs of ice. Ice could be kept for months like this. With our modern forms of insulation, we can store small items for a long time -- especially if we intermittently get power or have a generator. Regular insulin will keep for a year or better, but ONLY if properly cooled (not frozen). Manufacturers of insulin used to keep a 6 month supply of insulin in powder form -- which could then be re-constituted. They will not sell insulin in powder form. "

UrbanMan's comments::  No doubt the reader with insulin dependent children has read "One Second After", which incidentally just came out in paper back.  This fictional account of survival after a EMP attack does not end well for insulin dependent people in the story.  This is a challenge I am fortunate enough not to have.  It is hard enough to plan for probable routine medical needs and emergency medical situations without having to stock and properly store vital medications for pre-existing diseases or conditions. 

I know of a gent who has a family member in need of home dialysis 3 to 4 times weeks.  Apparently this is through a semi-permanent tube into the body.  This gent's challenge is to procure enough dialysis supplies for a year with the intent at the six month mark to extend the supply by reducing the procedure which in turn would create a bed ridden patient. 

Very tough circumstances to work a solution for.   It seems for the insulin the only solution would be to procure years of supplies and develop a SHTF - Collapse proof cold storage capability.  Which may have to combine cold weather, underground and limited power solutions to work. 

Had anybody out there developed a solution for post STHF storage of vital medications? 

STHF Prep: The Race for Physical Gold and Silver

From the article: The Global Physical Gold & Silver Reserves Race is the New Nuclear Arms Race. If the ownership of physical Gold and Silver is not important, then why are people, institutions and countries racing toward stockpiling it? Again, the complete Survival Plan must have some Gold and/or Silver. This is the same as having as Bug Out Bag,...having extra magazines for your rifle,....essentially the same as any contingency. Most preppers did not stock 6 months of food overnight, not did they accumulate a SHTF - Prepare for the Collapse Survival firearms battery overnight. This is a continuous process. I would rather have 6 ounces of silver than none; I would rather than 100 ounces when the collapse commenced than just 50 ounces. The purchase of Gold and/or Silver scares people sometimes because it's value can go down,...what about the value of food that you have bought and has spoiled? Or the AR-10 rifle you bought and will (hopefully) never have to use for the purpose you bought it for?

Add JS Kim and the above website to your financial indicators research and tracking list to be prepared for when SHTF otherwise known as the Collapse or Financial Armageddon.

The old Cold War USA-USSR nuclear arms race has been replaced by the East-West Central Bank battle to accumulate physical gold and physical silver reserves. While Western Central Banks and their puppet bullion banks have distracted and goaded private citizens with the invention of fraudulent bogus paper gold and paper silver derivative products, including ETFs more recently, and paper futures contracts for a much longer period of time, they themselves have been making sure to avoid the very fraudulent paper products they have invented and have been diving headfirst into real physical precious metals.

As Central Banks continue to significantly devalue all major global currencies through excessive creation of new supply out of thin air in a digital world where “new money” is never even printed into paper/cotton form but only is created as digital bytes that are sent across international borders, the private families that are the majority shareholders in the world’s most powerful Central Banks have engaged in heavy buying of physical gold in particular, and to a lesser degree, physical silver. In 2010, Central Banks as a group, became net buyers of physical gold after two decades as net sellers. EU Central Bankers became net buyers of physical gold for the first time during the 1st Quarter 2011 since their introduction of the heavily flawed Euro into circulation in January of 2002.

As of April 2011, China was, according to “officially reported” statistics, the sixth-largest official holder of gold, with 1,054.1 tonness, according to World Gold Council estimates. The U.S. was still reported to possess the largest gold reserves at 8,133.5 tonnes. However, all of you know by now that I believe all “officially reported” statistics, whether the statistic is GDP, unemployment, inflation, or gold reserves, to be a charade and mockery of the truth. To this day I am highly skeptical of the US reported reserves of 8,133.5 tonnes, especially since these reserves have neither been independently audited nor independently tested to ensure that they meet good-for-delivery bar status since Dwight D. Eisenhower was the US President in the 1950s. As for China ’s “officially reported” holdings of only 1,054.1 tons, anyone that takes these reported stats at face value as the truth is a fool for any number of logical reasons. One , China reported that its “official” gold holdings were a constant 600 tons from 2003 to 2009 and then reported that it had increased its holdings to more than 1,000 tons overnight in 2009. Since China lied about its gold reserve holdings for more than 6 years, one cannot and should not assume that their “officially” announced 1,054.1 ton level was truthful. Since China made that announcement in 2009, their “official” gold reserve level has not increased at all.

Anyone that believes that China has not accumulated more gold, and lots of it, since that time, does not understand the Chinese government and Chinese bankers. Chinese bankers have been studying the best ways to invest in gold and silver for many years now in preparation for this global monetary war and they realize that one of the best ways to invest in PMs is to own the real thing. Furthermore, there are multiple mechanisms by which China could be secretly increasing their gold reserves out of the scrutiny of the public eye. In 2008, China replaced South Africa as the largest gold producer in the world, but nobody really knows exactly how much gold China produces or how many proven/ probable reserves or how much measured/indicated resources they own. Thus, China could be increasing gold reserves significantly on in-house production alone. Certainly we know that China is increasing its silver reserves through a policy of decreasing its domestic silver exports and increasing its foreign silver imports.

For example, last month, China ’s General Administration of Customs reported that its net imports of silver nearly quadrupled year-over-year in 2010 to more than 3,500 metric tons. Also of important note is the fact that in 2010, China exported 1,575 metric tons of silver, 58% less than in 2009, and imported 5,159 metric tons of the metal, 15% more than in 2009. This is a huge change if one realizes that from 2005 to 2010 China transitioned from a net exporter of 2,900 metric tonnes of silver to a net importer of 3,500 metric tonnes.

From 2005 to 2010, China increased its gold holdings in its State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) more than tenfold from a very small starting point of USD $4.2 billion to USD $48.1 billion. However, China could be increasing gold (and silver) reserves significantly through purchases in its Sovereign Wealth Fund – purchases that are not made available for public inspection or consumption. For China to publicly announce their buildup of gold and silver reserves that would drive up the price of the very commodity they wished to accumulate more of would be akin to then-Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown’s foolish decision to pre-announce in 1999 that the UK would be selling half of its gold reserves.

Also of important note are the following facts. China only recently deregulated gold in 2003 to allow gold prices in China to mirror international prices. The Shanghai Gold Exchange only opened in October of 2002. In late 2009, the Chinese started making gold and silver bullion easily accessible to its citizens through introducing physical sales of multiple size bars at its banks and China finally legalized ownership of 99.999% pure silver bullion. The Chinese typically have a tendency to buy PHYSICAL gold and PHYSICAL silver, not the fraudulent paper gold and paper silver derivatives invented by bankers to suppress the price of gold and silver. For the first time ever, Chinese citizens will be able to buy silver futures in Hong Kong this week and later in Shanghai ; however, since the Chinese are fond of owning Physical metals, perhaps even the majority of Chinese may settle these futures contracts with physical delivery. Furthermore, even when the option to buy gold and silver ETFs in China becomes a reality, the average Chinese citizen may shy away from these products due to his or her propensity for owning real gold and real silver.

For Asians in general, gold and silver have always been money. In Thailand , the word for money “ngen” is also the word for silver. In China , the word for bank combines the characters for “silver” and “movement”. In China not only is private demand strong AND relatively young, but even in India , private ownership of gold bullion bars was not legalized until 1990. Thus, the war between East and West over gold and silver will intensify in coming months and coming years. The objective of the East will be to release the gold and silver price from the clutches of Western price suppression schemes while the objective of the West will be to hoard gold in an attempt to prevent citizens of Western nations from owning the asset that will protect them the most from their currency devaluation schemes.

The current talk in the mainstream financial media about gold being a bubble at $1,600 an ounce and of silver having already reached its top of its long-term peak at $50 an ounce is simply rubbish. A bubble is never defined by high prices, the perception of high prices or even a decade long rise in prices. What defines a bubble is a meteoric rise in price that is not supported by fundamental reasons. For example, the US NASDAQ dot.com stock market was a bubble because dot.com stocks that had zero earnings were trading at impossible valuations and sometimes double and triple digit dollar values per share. However, the fundamental reasons that have driven gold from $250 to $1,600 and silver from $4 to its current $39 – $40 range are even stronger today than they were at the beginning of this precious metals bull. Therefore, it is impossible for a bubble in gold and silver to exist at their current prices and at this current time.
And for this reason, this is precisely why the global nuclear arms race has been replaced by a global physical gold race. Welcome to the new global war in precious metals.

J.S. Kim
SmartKnowledgeU

JS Kim is the Managing Director and Founder of SmartKnowledgeU, a fiercely independent investment consulting and research firm that devises investment strategies to protect Main Street from the fraud of Wall Street.

SHTF - Financial Armageddon with the Collapsing Economy

Very bad times we are living in now. The collapse of the whole financial system may be just a short few weeks or a couple of months ahead. Consider the National Debt,...a political football and economic anvil all the same. If the Government doesn’t work a miracle and come to an agreement on how to proceed, then the inaction will bankrupt this country, driving the value of the dollar down, driving fuel and commodities prices up and very possibility lead to riots in the streets. Yes, we are facing financial SHTF and the question is how are we going to Survive the Collapse.

Even if the Government comes to some sort of arrangement in any case increasing the Debt limit, the Country is screwed. The Fed, acting separate from the government will print more money.....this would be QE 3 – more paper fiat currency to flood the market and deflating the value of the dollar.

If the Government cuts spending,..imagine that concept,....the cuts will have to come at least partially from entitlements which would place more people in the have not column.

Just look at Gold and Silver: Gold has recently hit record highs, probably staying above $ 1,580 an ounce for the short term before going up,....and up. Two years ago, the silver/gold ratio was above 83, with gold selling at $804.60 and silver at $9.64. Last month it was 43.04!

The bailout of Greece will reduce the availability of European Nations to buy U.S. Debt. We'll soon see a distressed and broke Federal Government trying to bail out a couple of our failed States,...California and Illinois comes to mind as both drive up taxes in a pathetic attempt to generate revenue only to drive an average of 5 businesses a week out of their respective state.

Experts in the Economy are saying that housing prices are going to decline another 20%!! And that we are, for the very least, in for a 4 to 5 year recession which are going to make times very tough for at least 100 million Americans.

Have you wondered why the last International Monetary Fund (I.M.F.) head, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, was removed and attacked so vicious and swiftly? Wondering why Timothy Geithner is about to leave his position shortly?

In the past week, Cisco, Lockheed Martin and Borders announced a combined 23,000 in job cuts. Meanwhile, state and local governments have cut 142,000 jobs this year. Whats going to happen when the Federal Government cannot pay for the massive amount of employees they have hired? Another 30,000 to 60,000 people on the street at once!

The common folk know the deal and it is bad. Here are just a few quotes I have from people who have been contacting me:

“The SHTF is coming. I'm have been taking money out of my 401K and buying something real and useful with it, rather than leave it there and have to load it in a wheel-barrow to buy a loaf of bread after the dollar collapses. Government causes inflation and uses it to reduce their debt in terms of buying power."

"Bernanke's agenda is that the dollar MUST be destroyed. Everything he does is toward that end."

"There has never been in a situation in my lifetime where a guy (President Obama) increases the debt by 40%, and GDP growth is on the way down, use of Food Stamps are up exponentially, millions more are unemployed -- and to accomplish this we spent $4 trillion of money we had to borrow. Way past time to prepare. Should have did it by now. The time now is to seek cover."

”I quit my job; took what I could out my 401K plan and moved the family to my in-laws farm. I am currently waiting it out. I’d like nothing more than to be here a year from now and have to move back to the city to get a job, but if not, then so be it, we’re ready.”

”Thanks for your site. Good interesting look at survival needs against the coming collapse. I took all of my savings out of the bank, bought a little silver, a bunch of food, sold my luxury sedan (eliminating a payment and bought a used truck). Now learning to grow my food. The question is not if the Shit Will Hit The Fan, it is when.”

Well, looks to me like many people thinking we are not going to have a successful conclusion to our country’s economic woes.

Food Prices Up, Shortage to Follow

Why Are Food Prices Rising So Fast?

If you do much grocery shopping, you have probably noticed that the cost of food has been rising at a very brisk pace over the past year. So why are food prices rising so fast? According to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, inflation is still very low and the economy is improving. So what is going on here? When I go to the grocery store these days, there are very few things that I will buy unless they are on sale. In fact, I have noticed that many of the new "sale prices" are the old regular prices. Other items have had their packages reduced in size in order to hide the price increases. But with millions of American families just barely scraping by as it is, what is going to happen if food prices keep rising this rapidly?

The food prices are especially painful if you are trying to eat healthy. Most of the low price stuff in the grocery stores is garbage. Eating the "typical American diet" is a highway to cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

But if you try to stick to food that is "healthy" or "organic" you can blow through hundreds of dollars in a heartbeat. In fact, the reality is that tens of millions of American families have now essentially been priced out of a healthy diet.

Soon there will be millions more American families that will not even be able to afford an unhealthy diet.

Some recent statistics compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics are absolutely staggering. According to a recent CNBC article, over the past year many of the most popular foods in America have absolutely soared in price....

Coffee, for instance, is up 40 percent. Celery is 28 percent higher while butter prices rose 26.4 percent. Rounding out the top five are bacon, at 23.5 percent, and cabbage, at 23.3 percent.

Unfortunately, it looks like the trend of rising food prices is accelerating. Just look at what the CNBC article says happened in the month of April alone....
Just in April—the most recent month for which data is available—grapes went up nearly 30 percent, cabbage jumped about 17 percent and orange juice surged more than 5 percent. Meat is becoming more expensive as well. Since March 2009, livestock prices have risen by 138%.

So when Ben Bernanke tells us that inflation is very low, that really is a lie. On the stuff that people spend money on every day (like food and gas), prices have gone up dramatically. Sadly, this is not just a phenomenon that is happening in the United States. The truth is that the entire planet is rapidly approaching a horrific global food crisis.

Over the past year, the global price of food has risen by 37 percent and this has pushed approximately 44 million more people around the world into poverty.

When food prices rise in the U.S. it may be painful for millions of American families, but around the world a rise in food prices can mean the difference between surviving and not surviving.

That is why it has been so alarming that the global price of wheat has approximately doubled over the past year.

But it is not just wheat that has been soaring. Check out what a recent Bloomberg article had to say about what has been happening to many key agricultural commodities over the past year....

Corn futures advanced 77 percent in the past 12 months in Chicago trading, a global benchmark, rice gained 39 percent and sugar jumped 64 percent. There will be shortages in corn, wheat, soybeans, coffee and cocoa this year or next, according to Utrecht, Netherlands-based Rabobank Groep. Prices also rose after droughts and floods from Australia to Canada ruined crops last year. European farmers are now contending with their driest growing season in more than three decades.

Even before this recent spike in food prices the world was struggling to get enough food to everybody. It has been estimated that somewhere in the world someone starves to death every 3.6 seconds, and 75 percent of those are children under the age of five.

So what is going to happen if food prices keep on rising at the current pace? That is a very good question. We really are starting to move into unprecedented territory. Nobody is quite sure what is going to happen next.

So why is all of this happening?

Well, a lot of people are blaming the Federal Reserve. All of the "quantitative easing" that the Fed has done has flooded the financial markets with money. All of that money had to go somewhere. Much of it has pumped up the prices of hard assets such as oil, gold and agricultural commodities.

But it is not just the Fed that is to blame. The truth is that central banks all over the world have been recklessly printing money.

When the amount of money in an economy goes up, the purchasing value of all existing money goes down. In the United States , that means that your dollars will not go as far as they did before.

But it is not just monetary policy that is affecting food prices. In 2010 and 2011 we have seen an unprecedented wave of natural disasters and crazy weather. This has caused problems with crops all over the globe.

In addition, U.S. economic policies are also playing a role. At this point, almost a third of all corn grown in the United States is used for fuel. This is putting a lot of stress on the price of corn.

Also, there are some long-term trends that are not in our favor. For example, the systematic depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer could eventually turn " America 's Breadbasket" back into the "Dust Bowl". If you have not heard of this problem I would encourage you to do some research on it.

Things are going to get a lot worse, but already America is having a really hard time feeding itself. According to Feeding America's 2010 hunger study, more than 37 million Americans are now being served by food pantries and soup kitchens.

So is that number unusual?

Yes, it sure is. The number of Americans that are going to food pantries and soup kitchens has increased by 46% since 2006. That is not a good trend. Another stat that I talk a lot about in this column is the number of Americans on food stamps. Right now, there are 44 million Americans on food stamps. Nearly half of them are children.

How did we ever get to the point as a nation where more than 20 million children end up on food stamps? It is estimated that one out of every four American children is currently on food stamps, and it is being projected that approximately 50 percent of all U.S. children will be on food stamps at some point in their lives before they reach the age of 18.

So what is going to happen if the economy gets even worse?

What is going to happen if there really is a major food crisis in this country someday? Food prices have been going up for decades and they are going to continue to go up. But the frightening thing is how fast they are increasing now.

As the U.S. middle class continues to be destroyed, the number of Americans that can't afford to buy enough food is going to continue to rise. Food prices are rising much faster than wages are, and that is not likely to change any time soon.

Food is rapidly becoming one of the most important global economic issues of this decade. The farther one looks down the road, the bleaker things look for the global food situation.

I hope you are prepared for that. So what are you going to do? Watch for deals. Stock food when you can. Be prepared, and start now, to grow your own.

Urban Survival - Bugging In Reader Comment

UrbanSurvivalSkills.com received the following comment on Bugging In from Jonathan: “(Bugging In) That's my plan-A. To dig in. Since I have no secondary property or location in which to bug out. I have the home field advantage in that I know the area and the people. Have established good relations with neighbors. Have the reputation of 'being there' for everyone when they need help fixing something or borrowing a tool. Which could be a good or bad thing. Only time will tell. My Plan-B is head for the woods (public land) for a limited time if we had to leave our
home for a limited time.Civil unrest, natural/man made disaster etc. Maybe not the best plan. However if we HAD to leave the house, that's my current plan.”

UrbanMan comments: Jonathan, you sound like a confident person with a plan. I don’t know how many times I have written that Survival is a Team Sport,…dripping survival prep to your friends and relatives,….developing your team to survive Armageddon,….developing relationships with your neighbors,…..being prepared for strap hangers to show up to your location asking for help, whether you know them or not.

In the worst case of a collapse, people are going to be looking for leadership. The person they hold in high esteem will be able to make a huge difference in keeping a team or community together, leveraging everyone’s contributions and capabilities. The worse the collapse and the situations we find ourselves in, the more difference leadership will make.

In order for the team or community to survive, organization of effort, security and basic sustainment needs to be addressed,…in other words, the best team in the world will turn on each other once the food or water runs out.

You also have a good idea with a Bug Out plan. Can’t stress that enough – to have a Bug Out plan just in case your Bug In location is untenable and if staying there, death would be certain. Hopefully your public land destination has a full time water source and defensible terrain. It gets out living in tents or lean to’s, so a fixed site may be better but it also draws attention. Think about cache some supplies either enroute to, or close to your Bug Out location.

SHTF Plan: Surviving with Ramen and a Gun

Received this question from Anonymous: ”Hey UrbanMan, I have stockpiled twelve cases of ramen, several bags of jerky, about 30 lbs of rice and a smaller amount of pinto beans and I have my ruger mini-14 which has never failed me. I have enough camping gear in case I have to rough it or move. I don’t have a gas mask yet. What else do you think I need to have?”

UrbanMan’s comments: That’s a hard question to answer. First of all you have to have an idea of the threats; then develop a plan to reduce those risks; then procure equipment and supplies to enable the plan. Ramen, rice, beef jerky and beans are all a good start to having one material aspect of a Surviving Armageddon plan,....meaning food,....but shelter, protection and water are all very necessary also.

Survival is a team sport, ...are you part of a larger element?.....maybe your family, friends, relatives and/or neighbors? If everyone prepared alike? Is your home going to a magnet for the unprepared following the beginning of a collapse? What about medical supplies and medications?,....have enough of that?

Do you have any precious metals in a form to barter to buy with such as Silver rounds or Gold coins?

Is the Mini-14 your only survival weapon? What about other firearms for the rest of your family or Survival Team to use. Protection and security is a 24/7 endeavor and this takes many people to do this and patrol and protect the group and the survival location.

If you are buying survival food commercially,...whatever you can afford, when you can afford it,..consider canned soup, dried meals such as mac and cheese, rice dishes,.....consider jars of nuts. I recently bought sixteen large jars of nuts at a wholesale nut factory for $80. I am basing my economic collapse survival food on much more than pantry items, although they are very necessary but primary as a ready food supply. I am stocking dehydrated commercial foods, Main Stay Survival bars, and some large bulk rice, beans, pasta, etc.

However, the big points I want to make with you is that you have to have a team and the team needs to focused on a common goals. You should have a plan and work towards the material procurement and operational readiness of that plan. That plan should include a Bug Out sequel. No matter how secure you feel in your main Bug In survival location,...have a Bug Out plan and it would be best to Bug Out to a secure, prepared site. Hope this makes sense and hope it helps. Urban Man.

Armageddon - a Fixed Survival Blade Recommendation

I received a personal e-mail asking me for my recommendation on a good fixed blade, as the requester put it "to accompany someone through Armageddon." I guess that means the primary consideration of a knife that won't break.

Now I own a bunch of large fixed blades knives: a custom, bone handle 8 inch blade Bowie; a parkerized Bowie made by LaRue Tactical when they were still making knifes; a Special Forces Yarborough Knife designed by Bill Harsey; a older SOG Bowie Knife; and even an old Ka-Bar. All that actually have given to me. They sit on a shelf, gathering dust, but are great to un-sheath and handle from time to time, and, as clumsy as I am I'd do better to leave them along. But I know I have some good knives if I need one.

I was also asked this question months ago and I believe I oriented the requester to some cost efficient knives,....this time I'm upping the ante and am going to introduce a company who higher dollar blades I have seen twice in the past year carried by some professional trigger pullers involved on a project with me.

The company is Spartan Blades from Aberdeen, North Carolina just west of Ft Bragg, home of the Army Special Forces and some other unit whose names eludes me.

Curtis Iovito and Mark Carey, Co-Founders of Spartan Blades, LLC, created Spartan blades, in which they say "“Knives with Intent”, designed from their 40 years combined experience in US Army Special Forces.

The knives I saw being carried put me off at first because of their somewhat futuristic design, but when I handled them I was impressed with the balance and workmanship. So if my reader was looking for a blade that would seemingly endure the assumed hardships of Armageddon then Spartan blades are a candidate. Visit their website at http://www.spartanbladesusa.com

Here are a couple of their offerings:

Nyx - the primordial goddess of night and darkness. The “Nyx” is a fully capable combat/utility knife. This sturdy blade, has a thick belly that is perfect for field related tasks such as carving aiming stakes, building hide sites, or simply cutting a piece of 550 cord. The blade geometry lends itself to field dressing game also. The “Nyx” is the perfect companion for the Sniper, Ranger, Scout or any soldier working in a field environment.


Specifications:
Knife Name: Nyx
Designer(s): Iovito/Carey
Overall Length: 10"
Blade Length: 5 1/8"
Blade Thickness: 3/16"
Blade Steel: CPM S30V
Blade Hardness: 58-59 HRC
Blade Style: Hybrid / Recurve—designed as a sturdy field/utility knife.
Coating: SpartaCoat - PVD - DLC (Flat Black) or ZrN (Flat Dark Earth)
Handle Material: CE Canvas Micarta® Black, Green or Natural Tan
Weight: 0.48 LBS

Ares (Arês) - a fitting name for this knife, Ares in Greek mythology was the son of Zeus and Hera, the god of savage war, bloodlust and slaughter personified on the battle field. “Ares” is manufactured for the modern warrior as a military fighting / utility knife with several distinctive features to assist the serious military professional. This knife was specifically engineered for and with the input of U.S. Special Operations Forces and Other Government Agencies.

Specifications:
Knife Name: Ares
Designer(s): Iovito/Carey
Overall Length: 10 1/2"
Blade Length: 5 3/8”
Blade Thickness: 3/16”
Blade Steel: CPM S30V
Blade Hardness: 58-59 HRC
Blade Style: Fixed Drop Point—this design allows for strength of the blades tip by placing it in line with the users hand while keeping the upward curve of the cutting edge.
Coating: SpartaCoat - PVD - DLC (Flat Black) or ZrN (Flat Dark Earth)
Handle Material: CE Canvas Micarta® - Black, Green or Natural Tan
Weight: 0.422 LBS