The Terrorism Lie

The Christmas Day underwear bomber was just another false flag "terror" incident to redirect the public's short attention span away from the corporate sell out that was "health reform" and justify giving billions more to the American corporate prison and fear complex. 

Billions of dollars will now be made by those companies selling full body scanners that don't really work. These devices do nothing but reinforce America's siege mentality instilled to control a restless and unhappy population. Remember after the shoe bomber they rolled out billions of dollars worth of those ineffective sniffers that didn't work. Same deal here a convenient underwear bomber who can only be thwarted with billions of dollars worth of scanning equipment that happens to be in a warehouse ready to install.

Do not fall for this crap. Remember Al Qaeda was a CIA created militant group formed to fight the Russians in Afghanistan. They are now simply a CIA boggy man that can be rolled out whenever the government needs to ratchet up the fear level or divert attention from the corporate criminal looting of our country.

Terrorism is simply an excuse to monitor and control American citizens.

Cheap Dog Toys

One of the big expenses I had to due away with when I moved to Bear Ridge was dog toys. The things are terrible expensive.

Here are a few simple and cheap ways to keep your pet happy.

Take an old plastic Pepsi bottle or possible an empty Parmesan cheese container. Scramble an egg getting it really well done. Place the scrambled egg, or a small piece of meat if you don't have an abundant egg source, in the bottle and give it to the dog. They will spend hours ripping the plastic before they actually get to the egg treat. I usually cut a slit in the bottle so they can smell the eggs. Watch them at first to make sure they don't eat the plastic.

Another fun thing I have discovered is used stuffed animals. The kids love to tear up stuffed animals but at $5 to $10 apiece it is an expense way to remove anxiety and burn off excess energy. There is a junk store in town that buys up storage units at auction and sells the stuff really cheap. Anyway they have many many bins full of stuffed toys. They sell them at six for a dollar. You can pick them up cheap at goodwill type stores as well.

I also started giving them deer and elk bones that I find laying around. Great source of calcium and they love them. Make sure the bones are not to small or they will choke and no bird bones.

Keep your pets happy

Greatest Threat to the American Survivalist

The greatest threat the American people face is the merging of the Federal Government and Corporate America to further profits during the Great Decline. You need to prepare for an economic tyranny that controls your wages guaranteeing corporate profits first and leaving your family to live off the feeble leftovers. Family needs are secondary to mandated participation in whatever business has the influence to purchase congressional favors.

In the name of profit Corporate America, with the help of a willing congress, has destroyed this once great country by dismantling our massive manufacturing base, exporting middle class jobs and gambling in risky unregulated economic schemes. Unfortunately for them the cash cow that was the American economy has run out of milk. Eternal unemployment rates over twenty five percent, runaway inflation and increased civil unrest are here to stay further eroding profits margins.

Americans have finally woken up and are paying down debt, reducing consumption and dropping unnecessary financial burdens. Additionally, the shortsightedness of globalism left the world with no country to replace America as the apex consumer nation. The capitalist model, which is based on continuous growth, is crashing leaving Corporate America searching for next great thing.

Federal Government and Corporate America Merge

Corporations are facing the perfect storm of their own creation. For thirty years the quest for bigger profits has functionally destroyed the purchasing power of the American consumer base. Rather than fix the economic problems stemming from globalization the corporate world has moved to a model of growth supported through government mandates and collections over innovation and competition. Through naked bribery Corporate America created an unholy merger guaranteeing profits through federal legislation and government mandates laid on the backs of American workers and our gutted economic system.

Democracy has grossly failed everyone with politicians in all parties instantly being corrupted by unregulated industry influence. The only real power we have as American citizens at this point is debt revolt. Unfortunately banking, insurance and a growing list of other industries have already insulated themselves from this collective populace action by having the Federal Government guaranteed loans, investments and mandated participation enforced by the IRS through imprisonment.

The Federal government through the IRS will become the enforcement and collection agency for most industries. If you refuse to pay your power bill they shut off your power. You can live happily without power. But, if the power company uses the IRS as its collection agency you pay or go to jail. We are seeing this model emerge fully through the criminal health care reform and banking bailout legislation.

For instance, the Federal Government will "purchase" any defaulted loan from the bank then collect the debt through the IRS. There is no risk to the loan institution. We see this now with the criminal student loan scam. Students are given a loan from a bank at a high rate of interest, say 8%. If these loans are guaranteed by the government why such a high interest rate? If the student defaults the bank is paid off and the IRS uses wage garnishment to collect the debt. We are seeing this more and more with the "mortgage rescues" but soon the practice will be everywhere from car loans to credit cards.

If you default the government purchases the loan and the IRS chases you forever garnishing the top of your paycheck leaving the leftovers to provide for your family. The worker has no choice!  The government and their corporate overseers determine your take home pay. You will go along with the scheme or face imprisonment. Even bankruptcy will not stop the IRS as government loans such as student loans and soon all loans are exempt from bankruptcy.

Paying off your debt will make no difference.

It is not just the banking industry that is benefiting from this corrupt little model of commerce. Soon all Americans will be forced through congressional mandate to purchase policies in the failed private health insurance industry with the IRS as the enforcement and collection mechanism. Next we will see the energy industry reaping windfall profits from the cap and trade scheme. To help the energy industry "retrofit" a fee will be accessed on all Americans, even those living off grid. Collected by the IRS of course and distributed back to corporate America maintaining the profit margin.

Popular Uprising and the Police State

Organized dissent against the government or any of its corporate handler will be quickly and harshly squashed. The massive surveillance infrastructure rolled out over the past few years, was never to hunt foreign terrorists but rather control a starving and desperate population unwilling to give their last dollar to Corporate America.

The telecommunications industry, internet and cell phone providers, are selling American citizens personal data to government and corporate entities making billions in the process under the umbrella of retroactive immunity granted last years by a Democratic Congress and signed by a Republican President.

Right now corporations are buying data from companies like Google and Facebook on American citizens who speak out against their business agendas. Right now the government is buying data, tracking and recording your whereabouts through your cellphone provider and monitoring for civil malcontents. Through third party data miners the government/corporate complex is building lists of your acquaintances even casual meetings at a coffee shop can be tracked through cell phones GPS location system. Your mind and your actions are being mapped and recorded for future culling.

If you start advocating against the powers you will simply disappear as an enemy combatant. They know what you are doing...they know what you are thinking...they know where you are.  ICE agents will show up at your door, take you away and hold you indefinitely in an undisclosed/unregistered American prison. ICE currently focuses on immigration roundups...which is the perfect practice for rounding up the hidden American patriots standing against the fascist state.

What you gonna do now?

Key Provisions in the Senate Health Bill

Reform it ain't!

I got this from firedoglake.com. A liberal group is starting a petition to stop the Senate version of the health insurance industry giveaway. Sign the petition if you would like after reading the points of the giveaway to the insurance industry. Remember this is a liberal group.

The Senate's health care bill must be killed. Sign our petition to Congress and President Obama: We must do better for health care than this bill.

The Senate health care bill is an ungodly mess of errors, loopholes, and massive giveaways. When the American people find out what's actually in this bill, they will revolt. Here's why:

1. Forces you to pay up to 8% of your income to private insurance corporations -- whether you want to or not (#)

2. If you refuse to buy the insurance, you'll have to pay penalties of up to 2% of your annual income to the IRS (#)

3. After being forced to pay thousands in premiums for junk insurance, you can still be on the hook for up to $11,900 a year in out-of-pocket medical expenses (#)

4. Massive restriction on a woman's right to choose, designed to trigger a challenge to Roe v. Wade in the Supreme Court (#)

5. Paid for by taxes on the middle class insurance plan you have right now through your employer, causing them to cut back benefits and increase co-pays (#)

6. Many of the taxes to pay for the bill start now, but most Americans won't see any benefits -- like an end to discrimination against those with preexisting conditions -- until 2014 when the program begins (#)

7. Allows insurance companies to charge people who are older 300% more than others (#)

8. Grants monopolies to to drug companies that will keep generic versions of expensive biotech drugs from ever coming to market (#)

9. No reimportation of prescription drugs, which would save consumers $100 billion over 10 years (#)

10. The cost of medical care will continue to rise, and insurance premiums for a family of 4 will rise an average of $1000 a year -- meaning in 10 years, you family's insurance premium will be $10,000 more annually than it is right now (#)

We desperately need health care reform. But we can't pass the Senate's bill.

Sign the petition! 

Winter Solstice

December 21, 2009 at 10:49 am the Sun is reborn at Bear Ridge.

The winter solstice marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year. The sun appears at its lowest point in the sky, and its noontime elevation appears to be the same for several days before and after the solstice. Hence the origin of the word solstice, which comes from Latin solstitium, from sol, sun and -stitium, a stoppage. Following the winter solstice, the days begin to grow longer and the nights shorter.

In pre-historic times, winter was a very difficult time for Aboriginal people in the northern latitudes. The growing season had ended and the tribe had to live off of stored food and whatever animals they could catch. The people would be troubled as the life-giving sun sank lower in the sky each noon. They feared that it would eventually disappear and leave them in permanent darkness and extreme cold. After the winter solstice, they would have reason to celebrate as they saw the sun rising and strengthening once more. Although many months of cold weather remained before spring, they took heart that the return of the warm season was inevitable. The concept of birth and or death/rebirth became associated with the winter solstice. The Aboriginal people had no elaborate instruments to detect the solstice. But they were able to notice a slight elevation of the sun's path within a few days after the solstice -- perhaps by December 25th.

The winter solstice may have been immensely important because communities were not certain of living through the winter, and had to be prepared during the previous nine months. Starvation was common in winter between January and April.  Most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter, so it was almost the only time of year when a supply of fresh meat was available. The majority of wine and beer made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking at this time.

I used to live in Illinois and let me assure you that after three months of gray and ever darkening skies the rebirth of the sun is truly a time to celebrate. Although you will have another three months of gray dark skies you have made it past the mid point and from here on the days get lighter and longer with the promise of warm days ahead.

Living in the high desert I don't have quite the problem with gray overcast misery...most days are brilliant blue sun filled skies. Cold yes, but lots of wonderful sunshine. Unfortunately the day still ends at 4:30 with the cabin settling into the shadows by 3 in the afternoon. This becomes critically important when your house is solar powered. The dying sun impacts more than your mood it reduces peak charging from 10 hours of supercharged light in the summer to 4 hours of anemic sunshine mid winter.

The winter solstice is truly a time to celebrate for myself and anyone using the abundance of our sun to power their home. So how best to celebrate this rebirth of the sun. Well here are some some ancient festivals our distant ancestors partook in to celebrate the winter solstice.

ANCIENT EGYPT: The god-man/savior Osiris died and was entombed on December 21st. "At midnight, the priests emerged from an inner shrine crying 'The Virgin has brought forth! The light is waxing" and showing the image of a baby to the worshipers."

ANCIENT GREECE: The winter solstice ritual was called Lenaea, the Festival of the Wild Women. In very ancient times, a man representing the harvest god Dionysos was torn to pieces and eaten by a gang of women on this day. Later in the ritual, Dionysos would be reborn as a baby. By classical times, the human sacrifice had been replaced by the killing of a goat. The women's role had changed to that of funeral mourners and observers of the birth. Wine miracles were performed by the priests, in which priests would seal water or juice in a room overnight and the next day they would have turned into wine. The miracle was said to have been performed by Dionysus.

ANCIENT SAMI: The indigenous people of Finland, Sweden and Norway, worship Beiwe, the sun-goddess of fertility and sanity. She travels through the sky in a structure made of reindeer bones with her daughter, Beiwe-Neia, to herald back the greenery on which the reindeer feed. On the winter solstice, her worshipers sacrifice white female animals. They also cover their doorposts with butter so Beiwe can eat it and begin her journey once again.

ABORIGINAL AND NEOPAGANS: These groups see time as circular and repetitive, with lunar (monthly) and solar (yearly) cycles. Their rituals guarantee the continuity of nature's cycles, which traditional human societies depend on for their sustenance.

I kinda dig the ancient Greeks but I think the neighbors would complain and that butter on the doorpost would drive the dogs crazy.

So, I shall build a large and bountiful bonfire of freshly cut pinon and cedar maybe even some old sacred plywood. Around this roaring fire I will dance drinking my most rare ale and sampling my most tender meats. (bud light and spam) I will continue until the sun peaks shining its approving countenance upon me. (or I run out of scrap wood) Then without haste I hurry inside and run the microwave for 10 minutes...with nothing in it...now that is a sacrifice.

Seriously if you are bone chilled and have not seen the sun for 2 months or are having to cut back on power hungry niceties this really is a day to celebrate.

Happy Solstice Everyone!

Coming Down From The Mountain

In June this past summer while looking for a place to cut wood I was introduced to this guy living way up in the mountains behind my cabin. Frank and I hit it off and he let harvest as much wood as I needed from his land. He had only been living up there for about a month staying in an old 32 foot trailer while building his cabin.

I took a break from cutting one day and wandered over to check his progress. Franks cabin was an actual log cabin built with big felled logs from the land. An ungodly amount of work cutting the trees, dragging them to the site, trimming the logs and eventually lifting the foot round monsters into place. By mid July he had the foundation and one full run of logs around the outside of the place. It was roughly 20 x 30 and two stories. A ton of work.

Anyway he told me that he had planned on having the place enclosed by the first snow which would happen in mid September. He actually had to have the cabin ready because his place was inaccessible after the first snow until April. If it was not quite finished he told me he would stay in the trailer and work through the winter.

As the summer progressed he enthusiastically worked on the cabin but it became clear by the middle of August that it wouldn't be anywhere near ready. I started asking him if he was prepared to winter up there, you know standard questions like do you have plenty of food and water for 6 months, how are you planning on heating that camper (he had 2 twenty pound propane bottles), can you survive the isolation through the winter. I knew that he was going to town to visit and pick up groceries every couple of days but Frank assured me that everything was fine as he continued to work on the cabin.

End of August Frank dropped by to visit and show off a shotgun and rifle he had picked up after selling a couple cords of wood. He was worried about bears he told me.

About a week into September Frank shows up at the house with a look of panic on his face. It had snowed the previous night up in the mountains and it took him a couple of hours to get off his land and down the road to my place. Frank asked if I could help him pull his trailer down to the lake. My truck was big enough to pull the massive thing. He said he was worried about getting snow bound. I said "isn't that plan, isn't that why you stored food" he told me that he had planned on storing plenty of food but didn't get around to it and only had a few days worth up there. Even worse both his propane tanks were empty.

So I went up and after much wrangling we were able to pull the beast down the mountain through the mud and ice. It was slick, treacherous and the master cylinder had gone out on the truck about a month before so stopping was a difficult task. Another day and we wouldn't have gotten the thing out of there. Fortunately Frank was able to make arrangement with one of the ranch owners down here and rented some land on a maintained road to camp out for the winter.

The point I am trying to make is don't get caught up in the fun and forget the necessary. It doesn't matter if you are staying in a camper, tent or cabin. Without heat, food and water you will not survive.

Intolerance

Black/White, Gay/Straight, Female/Male, Illegal/Legal

I really don't understand why born survivalist tend to be more prone to discriminatory influences than their less prepared brethren.

I used to run a site called SurvivalistNews.com. Many of you may remember it. The site tracked the blog-spheres survivalist sites giving a brief rundown on the pertinent daily postings. I really enjoyed running the site until early January of 2009. At that time almost universally the survivalist bloggers took a racist tone in their daily postings. I tried to ignore it and even skipped daily posters that were overtly racists but in the end it overwhelmed me and I stopped updating the site. The site remained wildly popular until I closed it down last month even though I had not updated it since mid February 2009.

I cannot say if it was intentional or simply an attack on the most recognizable attribute of our current President but as a Gay American I cannot tolerate nor stomach the hatred that was directed towards a minority group in this country.

In America we are played against each other...We are played like a cheap walmart guitar. Whites against Blacks, Gays against Christians, Undocumented Immigrants against American Citizens.

It is a divisive illusion...An illusion designed to occupy our minds and distract us while the powers that be destroy our livelihood and imprison all of us in a web of debt and corporate control.

Get over it...
Get past it...
Grow up and understand those who seek to destroy us.

Oral and I

About 20 years ago I was working as a sports reporter for a news paper in Oklahoma. The state tournament for girls basketball was held at Oral Roberts University and I was covering it.  I had a press pass and was sitting in a box next to the court. I had to change the camera lens and stood up to dig through my bag.

A gentlemen in a box directly behind me yelled "Down in front...sit down". I said "just a minute" and continued to dig for my lens. Again he repeated "Down in front...sit down" with a little more annoyance in his voice. I kept digging but yelled an apology over my shoulder. The second the apology was out of my mouth he yelled "you need to sit down now".

Well, thoroughly annoyed at this point I spun around and yelled "give me a fucking minute" right to the scowling face of Oral Roberts. Being the good reporter I quickly raised the camera and snapped off a picture of irritated pastor in his green/yellow plaid pants and unmatched argyle sweater. Ever the professional Mr Roberts instantly donned a benevolent smile the second he saw the camera.  Although the two massive black bodyguards flanking him did not.

I quietly sat and watch the rest of the game. I still have the picture somewhere.

Anyway I had to run and pick up some insulation from the lumber yard about 40 miles from here. On my way back I just kept thinking of that night at the state tournament, rolling the events over in my mind for some reason. Had not thought about it in years.

When I got back to the cabin I checked the news and saw that Oral Roberts was dead. Ain't that weird.

Heating Problem

The new stove is heating great. I start the fire between four and five in the evening let it burn hot for a while then load it up between six and seven, damper it slightly and have good heat until around two in the morning. At two I throw a few more logs in the stove, damper it down a little more and have it smolders until six when I open the dampers toss a couple small logs on and let the fire roar as it warms the house. Plus the hot fire burns off the creosote from the night before. It burns down about nine after getting the house to the upper 70s. The sun takes over around ten. On very cold days or if the wind is particularly fierce I burn the stove through the day. I did this from mid November until just a couple of days ago. I like the house really warm during the day.

Here is the problem. I am burning through a cord of wood every two weeks. Now the temperatures here have been cold since late November but nothing outstanding. Running 20 to 30 degrees in the day and dropping to around 0 at night this is fairly typical. January may have some spells of slightly colder nights. Fortunately with the days starting to get longer in January the sun will be able to pick up more of the daily heating.

The cabin is located on the north side of the ridge. I am sheltered from the more wicked winds but this time of year the sun can only be counted on to give me good heat from ten to around two thirty. Most days are brilliant sunshine but do to the ridge and trees behind the house I am in shadows a good portion of the day.

I had planned on seven cords of wood based on last years usage. The new stove and fact that last February and March were on the warm side has thrown my planning off. With wood running about $150 a cord now if I have to buy it this becomes a costly mistake.

So here is the plan. I will top out three trees behind the house that are stealing the most sun. This should increase the solar gain in the house especially in the mornings. Shove some more insulation in the ceiling and fill in some of the more drafty cracks. Finally cut back on the wood I am burning and adjust when I fill the stove to let the logs burn out around six in the morning rather than nine. I just have to keep the house cooler at night and not burn any wood during the day.

My wood usage needs to be down around one cord per month on the coldest months.  I will let you know how this works out

UFO Invasion Imminent

UFO Invasion Imminent

This mysterious spiral blue light appeared over Norway last night December 8th, 2009.



The following article ran on October 21, 2009 in the Examiner. 


Official disclosure of extraterrestrial life is imminent

An official announcement by the Obama administration disclosing the reality of extraterrestrial life is imminent. For several months, senior administration officials have been quietly deliberating behind closed doors how much to disclose to the world about extraterrestrial life. Dissatisfaction among powerful institutions such as the U.S. Navy over the decades-long secrecy policy has given a boost to efforts to disclose the reality of extraterrestrial life and technology.

The impending disclosure announcement follows upon the secret implementation of a year long openness policy on UFOs and extraterrestrial life. Over the period February 12-14, 2008, the United Nations held closed doors discussions where approximately 30 nations secretly agreed on a new openness policy on UFOs and extraterrestrial life in 2009. The openness policy was implemented but never publicly announced due to threats against UN diplomats not to disclose details of the secret agreement. h The secret UN agreement was based on two conditions. First, UFOs would continue to appear around the world; and second, the openness policy would not lead to social unrest in liberal democracies. Both conditions have been satisfied making it possible for the next stage to begin – official disclosure of extraterrestrial life.

Obama’s September 24, 2009 chairing of the UN Security Council meeting on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, signaled his emerging leadership role in tackling major global issues such as nuclear weapons. The Nobel Peace Prize was an important step in giving global legitimacy to President Obama in making an extraterrestrial disclosure announcement. Obama is therefore poised to play a prominent role in the increased global governance that will be necessary after an extraterrestrial disclosure announcement. The timing would most likely coincide sometime soon after his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech on December 10, 2009 in Oslo, Norway.

There have been various sources that have revealed deliberations are underway to make an announcement concerning the existence of extraterrestrial life by the end of 2009. These include, Dr Pete Peterson, a whistleblower who has recently emerged revealing high level discussions have taken place concerning announcing the existence of extraterrestrial life. In a Project Camelot interview, Dr Peterson revealed that “Obama is planning to disclose the reality of ET contact by the end of the year; and that most, but not all, of the ET visitors are friendly.”
Another source is David Wilcock, a prominent researcher of emerging scientific paradigms. Wilcock has been told by additional independent sources that extraterrestrial disclosure will take place by the end of 2009. He furthermore claimed in a Coast to Coast AM radio interview that “a 2-hour international TV special has already been booked that will introduce an alien species, similar to humans, to the world.”

In addition, popular NASA and space researcher, Richard Hoagland, has publicly come forward to reveal that the October 9, LCROSS ‘bombing’ mission of the moon, discovered an ancient base at the moon’s South Pole. Reviewing the scientific data achieved by NASA’s LCROSS mission, Hoagland concluded, also on the popular late night Coast to Coast AM radio show, that “LCROSS is part of a carefully constructed campaign to prepare the populace for imminent disclosure. The President of the United States will soon announce that scientists have discovered ruins on the moon, he added. Nobody saw the LCROSS debris plume because the probes struck a building which swallowed the effects of the explosion.”

Finally, two independent and confidential sources have revealed to me that face to face meetings have recently occurred between U.S. military officials with one or more groups of extraterrestrial visitors. This has allegedly led to confidence being built for future cooperation with the extraterrestrials that will be formally announced to the world public either at the end of 2009, or early 2010.

In conclusion, a diverse number of sources and events point to some form of extraterrestrial disclosure being made by the end of 2009, or early 2010. Official disclosure will most likely emerge in either of two scenarios. One is that President Obama will announce the existence of extraterrestrial visitors, and describe one or more of these to the world. This scenario is supported by Peterson, Wilcock, and my own confidential sources. The second scenario is that an announcement will be made concerning the discovery of artificial structures at the moon’s South Pole, as revealed by the LCROSS mission. This scenario is supported by Hoagland.

Which ever of the above scenarios is used for announcing the existence of extraterrestrial life or technology, President Obama will figure prominently. Behind the scenes, powerful institutions are ensuring that nothing derails the planned disclosure announcement. The disclosure will follow upon a year of greater government openness on UFOs in accord with a policy secretly developed at the United Nations. If extraterrestrial disclosure does occur at the end of 2009 or early 2010, President Obama will lead an unprecedented effort to promote global governance through the United Nations. The Obama administration and its supporters are poised to take a bold step forward in helping our planet become an interplanetary culture that openly deals with the challenges posed by extraterrestrial life.

Unless of course it was swamp gas

Little Cabin on the Ridge

The Bear Ridge Nudist Retreat & Meditation Cottage is finally nearing completion.

May 2001 I picked the location and started building this tiny 8 by 10 foot structure on the top of Bear Ridge. The small cabin is situated in an area that cannot be seen from any road...maximum privacy but with great views. Unfortunately the privacy came with a price.

Everything had to be carried from the road up the hill to the ridge. So this little building project was back shelved half finished until I got the big cabin at the bottom of the hill livable. Axel and I spent many nights in the small unfinished cabin that first summer. It was cold and rainy all summer and the coyotes would come right up to the tarp covered walls and sniff us out. It was an adventure but not a priority so it sat there for the last eight and a half years waiting for me.

Late this summer I started packing the building supplies up the hill to finish project.

Originally there was an unfinished barn roof on the structure and you slept on the current roof. But this roof style fell out of favor when the unsheathed rafters fell off the building. Deciding this was divine intervention and not wanting to carry all the roofing plywood up the hill I kept the flat roof.

The upside is that the flat roof is a great star/ufo gazing platform. The view from the roof is fairly well unobstructed while still lending a degree of privacy. A cap installed around the top of the cabin is where the deck railings will be attached. Rolled roofing is install on the decking it will probably leak really bad but that is nothing new.

The two big windows were originally installed in the big cabin but were replaced when I added the front addition. So they were packed up the hill along with the big and very heavy sliding glass door I picked up at ReStore in Colorado Springs for $20. The sliding glass door is orientated to the south. 

Power is generated with an old 80 watt solar panel charging a 115 amp hour battery through a 10 amp charge controller. There is a 400 watt inverter that the laptop or LED lights can be plugged into. Real simple and plenty of power for a long evenings work.

The cabin is heated with a Big Buddy propane heater attached to a 20 pound bottle. Of course the big south side sliding glass windows provide plenty of heat during the day easily keeping the well insulated cottage between 60 and 80 degrees. The temperature is maintained into the evening with the Big Buddy running on medium even on the coldest nights.

I was wanting a really small wood stove possibly a military tent heater but decided that there was not enough floorspace to install the unit.  If I build on I will consider this but until then the propane will do just fine.

I picked up an old futon frame and mattress at the local junk store for about $10. Very comfortable for sky gazing and folds out into a cozy but adequate full size bed. Covers and pillows are stored in a couple of plastic bins located on a shelf above the futon. The bins are protection in case a mouse happens to get into the cabin.

A small fold down desk is built into the wall under the north window. Great view for computer work or cooking. There are a couple of small stools that work as desk chairs or just additional seating. The stools are hollow cubes that are also used for storage.

The place still needs the top railing installed, inside finish work plus more shelving and a small deck built in front of the sliding glass doors but it is comfortable and livable as is.

I am using the place as a getaway when the dogs are driving me crazy and also as a little guest house.

The next big addition for Bear Ridge is a small 4 by 7 foot steam hut located about 20 feet south of the little cabin. Steam will be produced with an old turkey roaster, pressure cooker, assorted valves and hoses plus a small albino dwarf named Fredrick who will bring the water up the hill (I got him real cheap on CraigsList...I love CraigsList).

The Kids Are Bored

The kids are bored it is a beautiful day but only about nine degrees outside. Very cold. From left to right we have Conway who is five, Axel who is nine and of course little Ruby Jean the baby.

Damn Aliens Again

SAN LUIS, Colo.— A creepy string of calf mutilations in southern Colorado has a rancher and sheriff's officials mystified.

Four calves were found dead in a pasture just north of the New Mexico state line in recent weeks. The dead calves had their skins peeled back and organs cleared from the rib cage. One calf had its tongue removed.

But rancher Manuel Sanchez has found no signs of human attackers, such as footprints or ATV tracks. And there are no signs of an animal attack by a coyote or mountain lion. Usually predators leave pools of blood or drag marks from carrying away the livestock.

Two officers from the Costilla County Sheriff's Office have investigated the mutilations but say they don't know what's killing the calves.

"There's nothing really to go by," said Sanchez, who's ranched for nearly 50 years. "I can't figure it out."

A spokesman for the sheriff's office told The Pueblo Chieftain that investigators doubt a person butchered the calves because there is no blood at the scene.

"I've butchered a cow before and I know what kind of a mess it leaves," Sgt. James Chavez said.

Some in the area believe the mutilations are the work of aliens. An area UFO chaser, Chuck Zukowski of Colorado Springs, has been to the Costilla County pasture to investigate.

He told the paper there have been other unexplained calf mutilations in the area, including three in March. One of the other calves, found dead on a ranch near Trinidad, had its ears removed, Zukowski said.

"We're trying as much as we can to find a pattern," said Zukowski, who runs a UFO Web site called ufonut.com.

Sanchez said he has sold off his 32 remaining calves out of fear more would be mutilated. He hasn't decided how he'll manage the remaining 40 animals in his herd.

"It's a big loss for a small rancher," he said.

Information from: The Pueblo Chieftain, http://www.chieftain.com


================================================
Four years ago mid summer I was down here for the weekend. About 3 am I had to use the bathroom. As I was passing the windows I glanced down towards the lake.

There was what looked like a helicopter hovering over this small lake side village...just a few houses. Anyway the "helicopter" was hovering and spotlighting an area to east end of the lake. It hovered there for a few minutes then flew back over the lake and disappeared behind the mesa. Its spotlight was on the whole time and made absolutely no noise. I just assumed it was a drug sting or some sort of military training. I used the bathroom and went back to bed.

The next afternoon I was heading out and drove over through the little village on my way to the highway. Right past the town about 20 feet west of the road was a large white bull laying there on its side legs sticking straight out. It was not there the day before. I stopped and snapped a couple of pictures (lost) but didn't go over and investigate up close. The bull laid there until it finally rotted away.

I can't say that the hovering light dissected then dropped the bull but they did appear connected.

My only question is why would aliens selectively remove parts from cattle then simply drop the evidence back into the field.

This was a terrible problem that peaked back in the 70's with sporadic mutilation occurring through the years up to today. I only hope we are not returning to the mass harvests of forty years ago.

Oh and I really hope they don't have a taste for chicken.

New Wood Stove Installed

I finally got the big Earth Stove I picked up last year fixed and installed.

This wonderful stove was listed on Craigs List last year for $100. It was built in the 70's with a craftsmanship not seen in today's stoves. None of that silly anti pollution crap for this baby. She is a big plate steel monster who keeps the place warm if not full on hot through the coldest night.  There were some cracks in the corners of the door opening which were repaired with refractory cement and the chimney and stove pipe had to be changed from 6 to 8 inch.

My old stove was nice. Small with a great viewing window but the thing had to be fed every ninety minutes which really sucks when you are trying to get a good nights sleep. Plus I had to burn it as hot as I could to keep the house warm.

I traded the neighbor the old stove for his help in getting the mammoth Earth Stove into the house and set on the hearth. He also threw in a 100 pound propane tank but I have not needed propane heat. He took the small stove and put it in his 26 foot trailers where it keeps him and his dogs toasty warm.

The fire box on the Earth Stove is between three and four times bigger than the small stove plus it has a very efficient air intake damper that allows me to easily control the burn rate and stove temperature.

There is a control knob attached to a metal coil that can be set for low, medium or high. The coil expands as the stove heats up and closes the damper slowing the burn rate. As the stove cools down the coil contracts opening the damper feeding more air into the fire box.  If I want to shut off the airflow almost completely there is a metal cover that drops down over the top of the air intake.

There is an oven thermometer on the top of the stove. On the low setting the stove fluctuates between 220 to 270 degrees depending on where the damper is. Completely dampered down it hovers right around 180 degrees. The cabin is staying between 65 and 75 degrees at night on the lowest setting. Drops down to around 50 degrees when the damper is completely closed which is a great sleeping temperature. 

A full load of wood will burn between 6 and 8 hours with the stove dampered down depending on the wood. I should be able to get that number up to between 10 and 12 hours when I get the damper installed in the stove pipe next week.

The only downside to the new stove is that the door is solid so I cannot see the fire. You know I thought this would bother me but honestly the fact that I can sleep through the night more that makes up for aesthetic deficiency. If I really want to see the fire burning there is a metal mesh screen that came with the stove that can be fit over the open door hole. I have used it on a few occasions and love it but you cannot sleep with it installed.

All in all a wonderful addition for $100 and I wish I would have installed it last winter.

Employer Sponsored Health Insurance In Massive Declining

As the number of companies carrying employer sponsored health insurance declines so do the health insurance profits. Rather than actually providing an affordable product to the American public the health insurance industry is simply buying congressmen who will force Americans to purchase these unnecessary policies to support their bloated industry profits.

These numbers don't lie. More and more American companies are being force to abandon health insurance for their employees do to skyrocketing costs. Rather than fix the problem congress is rubber stamping a health insurance industry written bill that will simply mandate that all Americans buy their product.

This is not free market. The health "reform" bill currently moving through congress will force American workers to purchase private health insurance over the necessities of life such as food and shelter on the threat of imprisonment. The IRS becomes the collection agency for the insurance industry breaking our backs for health insurance profits.

Source Economic Policy Institute 

Clarification on Affordable Health Care for America Act

A helpful reader sent me a tactful email pointing out that I sounded like a crackpot and that basically it was not believable that the government would jail you for not purchasing health insurance.

To be fair the Affordable Health Care for America Act does not specifically say that you will go to jail for not buying health insurance from a private insurer.

The Affordable Health Care for America Act does levy a $750 fine against any person not purchasing health insurance from a private insurer. That $75o fine is levied and collected by the IRS. If you refuse to pay the IRS you can be fined $25,000 or serve up to five years in prison.

So yes the Affordable Health Care for America Act does not have imprisonment in the bill itself but through the clever use of the IRS as the collection agency you are bound to pay or suffer massive fines and imprisonment.

Affordable Health Care for America Act

Here is the Affordable Health Care for America Act in a nutshell.

American citizens are mandated by the federal government to purchase health insurance from private companies. If an American citizen does not purchase health insurance from a private company they will be fined and/or IMPRISONED by the federal government for non-compliance.

There is absolutely nothing in this health insurance "reform" bill to control the cost of insurance premiums...nothing. The public option in the House version is nothing more than a privately run insurance co-op contracted by the federal government.

The health insurance "reform" creates debtors prison for Americans who either cannot afford the outrageous insurance premiums or will not purchase into the corrupt health insurance system because of their beliefs or personal values.

As the American economy continues its downward slide more and more Americans will be forced to abandon their private health insurance to simply support the family. Even worse companies are starting to drop their employee insurance do to the staggering associated costs. Over the next few years insurance company profits are set to drop significantly.

What can an insurance company do to guarantee massive profits when every other sector in the economy is tanking.

You buy the elected officials and under the lie of reform force every American to purchase your product. Not only purchase your product but guarantee no competition or price controls.

Health insurance is not health care. Health insurance does not actually do anything but garner a massive percent of what you pay them for corporate profits. Health insurance is an unnecessary burden on the people of America...a burden which will now be mandated on every citizen to further insurance industry profits.

Chickens

The neighbor is taking off to spend the winter with her grandchild in Oregon so I have luckily inherited six fine fat egg laying hens.

The herd is made up of two Plymouth Rock, two Leghorns and two Red Star (Red sex-link) all are great layers and winter hardy breeds.

A couple of weeks back I started building the coop. Real simple design partly screened on the east/west sides, fully screened on the south and closed on the north. Good sun during the day and keeps out the bitter north winds. There are several roosts in the north east corner which they seem to enjoy climbing.

A two by four foot roosting box in the north west corner easily hold the girls at night giving then a nice compact area to huddle in. There is a small laying box in the corner of the roost that all the hens share. They step in box, drop the egg and move on...no long term parenting for these ladies.

There is one foot of hardware cloth buried around the perimeter to keep the coyotes and lesser predators from burrowing under the walls. The window screens are also half inch hardware cloth which should keep out anything except bears and mountain lions. A fine structure if I do say so myself. I am still trying to pick a color.

The coop cost right around $250 to build. In addition to this there is the ongoing cost of feed and scratch.

The hens are laying between five and seven eggs daily. The eggs are spectacular with brilliant yellow yokes and the whites hold together well when cooking...not the pale runny things you pick up at the Safeway. Plus honestly the hens are fun to watch and give the dogs a nice diversion.

Now the obvious question...are the eggs worth the upfront and associated ongoing costs.

At first I doubted it thinking I could buy alot of eggs from the store at $1.99 a dozen. But then I smacked myself for looking at the situation through globalist glasses. Yes there is a cost associated with keeping chickens employed but I will always have the security of a steady protein supply that can grow itself with the simple addition of a rooster.

Pee Is The New Power Source

I picked this up over at MSNBC. If they can actually produce this on a large scale it would revolutionize our way of looking at power. Plus destroy the existing oil and power industries. A few cows, a couple of solar panels and the pee power converter and you would be completely energy independent.

Forget gas, batteries — pee is new power source
Scientists can create cheap hydrogen from urine for use in fuel cells

By Eric Bland

Urine-powered cars, homes and personal electronic devices could be available in six months with new technology developed by scientists from Ohio University.

Using a nickel-based electrode, the scientists can create large amounts of cheap hydrogen from urine that could be burned or used in fuel cells. "One cow can provide enough energy to supply hot water for 19 houses," said Gerardine Botte, a professor at Ohio University developing the technology. "Soldiers in the field could carry their own fuel."

Pee power is based on hydrogen, the most common element in the universe but one that has resisted efforts to produce, store, transport and use economically.

Storing pure hydrogen gas requires high pressure and low temperature. New nanomaterials with high surface areas can adsorb hydrogen, but have yet to be produced on a commercial scale.

Chemically binding hydrogen to other elements, like oxygen to create water, makes it easier to store and transport, but releasing the hydrogen when it's needed usually requires financially prohibitive amounts of electricity.

By attaching hydrogen to another element, nitrogen, Botte and her colleagues realized that they can store hydrogen without the exotic environmental conditions, and then release it with less electricity, 0.037 Volts instead of the 1.23 Volts needed for water.

One molecule of urea, a major component of urine, contains four atoms of hydrogen bonded to two atoms of nitrogen. Stick a special nickel electrode into a pool of urine, apply an electrical current, and hydrogen gas is released.

Botte's current prototype measures 3x3x1 inch and can produce up to 500 milliwatts of power. However, Botte and her colleagues are actively trying to commercialize several larger versions of the technology.

A fuel cell, urine-powered vehicle could theoretically travel 90 miles per gallon. A refrigerator-sized unit could produce one kilowatt of energy for about $5,000, although this price is a rough estimate, says Botte.

"The waste products from say a chicken farm could be used to produce the energy needed to run the farm," said John Stickney, a chemist and professor at the University of Georgia.

For livestock farmers who are required by law to pool their animals' waste, large scale prototypes could turn that urine into power within six months.

Smaller versions likely won't be available until after that, so the average consumer probably shouldn't start saving their pee just yet.

"It is not a solution for all our cars," said Stickney, "but it is the kind of process which will find many applications and will make for a greener world."
© 2009 Discovery Channel

To survive we must adapt...

Our survival as a species as well as many other species depends on us doing things differently and not relying on the broken models of waste and consumption that has driven America to the point of collapse. We need to start structuring our lives on those third world countries who will continue to exist when America is just a footnote in the history books.

Here is a response I got today about my various experiments in waste reclamation. I think that the post completely captures what is wrong with America today.

What is wrong with you? Are you not aware of the fact that A. septic systems exist? B. They are required? C. In most places, you can do it yourself? and D. After getting the perk test done, and permit for the septic system, and the system installed, you're problems are over?

I'm sure your neighbors really appreciate your kindness to the their wells in that area also. Being a "survivalist" means putting some thought behind each situation for the long-term. I'm talking about intelligent thought processes. True "survivalists think about the environment. Chump, you are in America, not some 3rd world country so all I'm saying is if you are going to put forth the effort to become a survivalist, you should put forth the effort to do it properly!

Actually I am thinking about the environment and survival in a finite system. All a septic system does is traps nutrient dense waste underground where it can never be used again if you compost this waste it can be recycled back into crop production this is especially helpful in arid areas such as mine. Nitrogen is a main component of fertilizer and of urine. Our waste should be recycled back into nature not locked away in an underground vault.

Plus if you have a septic system you will be using 3 to 5 gallons of water with each flush just to get rid of waste which is completely unacceptable. I am currently existing on about 2 gallons of water every day. There are deep wells out on the valley floor going dry as I write this. Once we have exhausted our finite supply of well water it's over folks. It will take millions of years to replenish the aquifers and frankly we will be gone by then.

Septic systems and your attitude towards them is what is wrong with America today. The reason septic systems are required is because not so long ago some plumbing contractor decided he could make a ton of money by convincing the state legislature to mandate septic systems at $3000 a pop. The state loved the idea because they get $500 for each inspection.

Composting toilets and urine recycling systems are the way of the future. Think about the tons of nutrient dense crap and nitrogen that are flushed out of a business skyscraper every day not to mention the billions of gallons of water wasted. The future will see this waste collected, composted and sold as fertilizer or topsoil to grow crops. Not to mention the fact that the composting process produces tremendous amounts of heat which could help offset heating cost in the winter reducing dependence on natural gas. Or we could go so far as to collect the methane from the composting process and use it to cool and heat our building. This American waste cannot continue.

Being a survivalist does not mean we take our sanitized/monetized lifestyle of city living and replicate in a small cabin. The old ways of consumption and waste have failed us and to survive we must adapt.