It has been a good long time since I've posted (and rightly so, maybe more on that at some future time). Things have been quite crazy "out there", but that's what was expected and should most certainly come as no surprise. Between the now admitted triple meltdown at the Fukushima nuke plant, the record breaking floods that currently threaten one or possibly two nuclear plants here in the US and the raging wild fires currently threatening the Los Alamos nuclear storage containers in New Mexico, there definitely appears to be a "running theme" developing. Then there's the continuing "GlobalRev" uprisings around the world along with the failed attempts to hijack the movements by TPTB, the continuing economic collapse playing out like a slow motion train wreck and the incredible weather anomalies that are only now being recognized as "incredible" by the MSM. Again, maybe more on these at a future time.
See, that's not what this post is about. I'm not interested in posting an "update" on the news, nor an editorial opinion piece...nor even a "how to" type article about RVing or growing a container garden in a campground somewhere in Florida.
If you're not already "up-to-date", you're simply doing it wrong.
If you're more interested in what I have to say than what an expert has to say, I thank you but please do check out the expert first - we can chat later about what he/she says.
If you haven't been greedily consuming everything you can find on the net about "how to" this or that, you are not only wasting valuable time but you most likely deserve the ignorance you currently possess on your particular "this or that".
No - this "post" is a sort of reminder of what should be considered sustainable. This post is here to help clarify some very false and potentially lethal misinformation that's out there (and has been out there), and hopefully help guide the misguided toward a more rational middle path (both in a physical, practical sense and in a more "spiritual path" or "way of life" kind of way).
And to top it all off, I'm not even going to write a "proper post". I'm going to simply embed a video you should watch, in which an actual expert talks about this, and leave it at that. So here's that video:
Showing posts with label survival. Show all posts
Showing posts with label survival. Show all posts
4.03.2011
Dear American
The story, as many others do, begins like this: A long time ago, in a land far away...
The story is a long one, leading up to this point, and may, in fact, be a long one leading forward. We wont concern ourselves with what happened before, nor what happens later, as this story is about a young man's "today".
You see, "today" is today, no matter where you are - no matter what land you inhabit - and what this young man was realizing is something many of even our own people, and our current generations, can relate to. His world, as it stood, had become a very dismal place. Greed and corruption ran rampant. The people of his land were encouraged by their overlords to "sacrifice" their "cares" in order to pay their bills. Everyone was being forced into acting as a sort of compulsory slave, and they found themselves working long hours for little in return.
It seemed only the most ruthless could succeed in this young man's world. Those who followed their hearts were destined to become outcasts.
The young man wasn't happy about any of this, and so he found himself taking it upon himself to worry. He would worry about his family, his friends and his neighbors. He even worried about the future generations of his people. Continually reminding himself that he shouldn't worry so much, that it was unhealthy to do so and that these people he worried over had, for the most part, brought this all upon themselves, didn't seem to help.
He found himself sleepless and experiencing a very real physical pain as he imagined how his world "should be".
Day after day, night after night, the young man would put on a brave face. He would spend time with his family and pretend that he fully understood the situation his world was in. He offered his very best spiritual and emotional insights to others who worried, and he assured them that their worry was unnecessary...that things would take care of themselves.
After a few hours of this, he would retreat to his home, exhausted, and find himself swimming in his despair. The world was so big, and so corrupt. He knew there was no way for him to save his people from the approaching cataclysm.
Each night, his heart would cry silently while he attempted to distract himself from the problems he knew he alone could never solve. Evil itself had corrupted everything he knew, every aspect of his society, and the only solution to this problem was a complete devastation of his world.
But today, instead of impatiently waiting for sleep to come, as he usually did, the young man decided to take action. He decided that it was more honorable to try to speak out to the people of his world than it would be to just watch silently as his world was destroyed by the pervasive greed and corruption.
So, sitting quietly in front of his computer, he began to write:
Dear American,
I am writing in hopes that you will wake up. Your way of life is corrupt, and it will soon be over. I am not making a "death threat", I am trying to warn you of what is coming if you don't open your eyes. The world we live in is changing rapidly, is becoming more difficult to live in by the day, and it will soon become impossible to maintain society in its current form. It is up to each and every one of us to change the way we think about life and the way we act in the world.
There is but a short time to get your affairs in order. Soon, time will run out and we will all be living a very different way. Today's world is about to become a thing of the past...both a happy memory and a dire warning for future generations. The question is, will you be helping to preserve freedom and liberty, or will you be helping to destroy both with your blind faith in a failing system? Will you be prepared for the world you find yourself in?
We are all aware of the rampant corruption in government. We are all aware of the escalating erosion of our liberties. What we may not all be aware of is that such things as the current economic collapse were planned events. You see, a handful of individuals, families and corporations have amassed a large amount of wealth through their financing of such atrocities as World Wars 1 and 2, Hitler's concentration camps and even modern day terrorist activities. With this wealth came power. Lots of power. From the Federal Reserve Bank and the Bilderberg Group to Skull and Bones and Bohemian Grove, there is far too much secrecy surrounding those who run this country's affairs. Just ask yourself this question: if these people have my best interests in mind, why do they meet behind closed doors?
I am not telling you to go out and buy guns, nor am I telling you to stock up on canned meats and vegetables, though both of these may be good ideas. What I am telling you to do is this: become aware of the very painful but obvious conspiracy at play. You have become slaves in your own country. The dystopia of science fiction is already our way of life, from constant surveillance and big government nanny states to mind controlling drugs administered to the masses and high tech gizmos that betray every aspect of your being.
Through the consolidation of power by the wealthy elite, we the people have lost all but the faded memories of what made this country great. The dollar bill in your pocket is nothing but a debt to be repaid, and every hour you work, every penny you save, makes somebody else rich as you slide deeper into poverty. This is not the "American Dream", and it's not intended to be. This is the dream of the powerful elite. And it will only get worse from here.
It is already too late to make things right without many years of painful recovery and rebuilding, but if we don't start working today, we're only allowing things to become worse. Every year we sit back and allow this cancer to progress, our nation's recovery will become harder and more painful. You can help save our children and grandchildren from decades of suffering, but you must start by changing the way you think about wealth.
Wealth is NOT money. Wealth is NOT a new car or expensive clothing
Wealth is love, friendship, family and happiness
Wealth is freedom of emotional and spiritual fulfillment
To make things right, you must stop buying your video games, cell phones and fake fingernails. You must stop feeding these empty material desires that have done nothing but enslave you. Stop sacrificing your dreams by flipping burgers and answering phones for a living. Instead, invest your time and money into what makes you truly happy...what truly fills you with joy. Decide to love your neighbors and cherish your dreams. Invest in your local businesses. Buy your local produce. Grow flowers and vegetables in your own back yard. Spend time with your children before they learn to distrust and hate you. Withdraw all your money from the bank and spend it on what you know will last...on things that can be handed down generation to generation and shared amongst communities.
This is the only way to break the cycle of corruption we find ourselves in today.
This is the only way to get our country back.
It is your duty, as an American, to become informed. It is your duty to prevent the slavery that has been planned for you and your children by the powerful elite. There is little time left to open your eyes, and little time left to do what's right. Failure is simply not an option.
I am asking for you to work harder than you ever have before to ensure our country's survival. Now, more than ever, your country needs you. And it needs you to wake up.
Sincerely,
Your Friendly Neighborhood Blogger
The story is a long one, leading up to this point, and may, in fact, be a long one leading forward. We wont concern ourselves with what happened before, nor what happens later, as this story is about a young man's "today".
You see, "today" is today, no matter where you are - no matter what land you inhabit - and what this young man was realizing is something many of even our own people, and our current generations, can relate to. His world, as it stood, had become a very dismal place. Greed and corruption ran rampant. The people of his land were encouraged by their overlords to "sacrifice" their "cares" in order to pay their bills. Everyone was being forced into acting as a sort of compulsory slave, and they found themselves working long hours for little in return.
It seemed only the most ruthless could succeed in this young man's world. Those who followed their hearts were destined to become outcasts.
The young man wasn't happy about any of this, and so he found himself taking it upon himself to worry. He would worry about his family, his friends and his neighbors. He even worried about the future generations of his people. Continually reminding himself that he shouldn't worry so much, that it was unhealthy to do so and that these people he worried over had, for the most part, brought this all upon themselves, didn't seem to help.
He found himself sleepless and experiencing a very real physical pain as he imagined how his world "should be".
Day after day, night after night, the young man would put on a brave face. He would spend time with his family and pretend that he fully understood the situation his world was in. He offered his very best spiritual and emotional insights to others who worried, and he assured them that their worry was unnecessary...that things would take care of themselves.
After a few hours of this, he would retreat to his home, exhausted, and find himself swimming in his despair. The world was so big, and so corrupt. He knew there was no way for him to save his people from the approaching cataclysm.
Each night, his heart would cry silently while he attempted to distract himself from the problems he knew he alone could never solve. Evil itself had corrupted everything he knew, every aspect of his society, and the only solution to this problem was a complete devastation of his world.
But today, instead of impatiently waiting for sleep to come, as he usually did, the young man decided to take action. He decided that it was more honorable to try to speak out to the people of his world than it would be to just watch silently as his world was destroyed by the pervasive greed and corruption.
So, sitting quietly in front of his computer, he began to write:
Dear American,
I am writing in hopes that you will wake up. Your way of life is corrupt, and it will soon be over. I am not making a "death threat", I am trying to warn you of what is coming if you don't open your eyes. The world we live in is changing rapidly, is becoming more difficult to live in by the day, and it will soon become impossible to maintain society in its current form. It is up to each and every one of us to change the way we think about life and the way we act in the world.
There is but a short time to get your affairs in order. Soon, time will run out and we will all be living a very different way. Today's world is about to become a thing of the past...both a happy memory and a dire warning for future generations. The question is, will you be helping to preserve freedom and liberty, or will you be helping to destroy both with your blind faith in a failing system? Will you be prepared for the world you find yourself in?
We are all aware of the rampant corruption in government. We are all aware of the escalating erosion of our liberties. What we may not all be aware of is that such things as the current economic collapse were planned events. You see, a handful of individuals, families and corporations have amassed a large amount of wealth through their financing of such atrocities as World Wars 1 and 2, Hitler's concentration camps and even modern day terrorist activities. With this wealth came power. Lots of power. From the Federal Reserve Bank and the Bilderberg Group to Skull and Bones and Bohemian Grove, there is far too much secrecy surrounding those who run this country's affairs. Just ask yourself this question: if these people have my best interests in mind, why do they meet behind closed doors?
I am not telling you to go out and buy guns, nor am I telling you to stock up on canned meats and vegetables, though both of these may be good ideas. What I am telling you to do is this: become aware of the very painful but obvious conspiracy at play. You have become slaves in your own country. The dystopia of science fiction is already our way of life, from constant surveillance and big government nanny states to mind controlling drugs administered to the masses and high tech gizmos that betray every aspect of your being.
Through the consolidation of power by the wealthy elite, we the people have lost all but the faded memories of what made this country great. The dollar bill in your pocket is nothing but a debt to be repaid, and every hour you work, every penny you save, makes somebody else rich as you slide deeper into poverty. This is not the "American Dream", and it's not intended to be. This is the dream of the powerful elite. And it will only get worse from here.
It is already too late to make things right without many years of painful recovery and rebuilding, but if we don't start working today, we're only allowing things to become worse. Every year we sit back and allow this cancer to progress, our nation's recovery will become harder and more painful. You can help save our children and grandchildren from decades of suffering, but you must start by changing the way you think about wealth.
Wealth is NOT money. Wealth is NOT a new car or expensive clothing
Wealth is love, friendship, family and happiness
Wealth is freedom of emotional and spiritual fulfillment
To make things right, you must stop buying your video games, cell phones and fake fingernails. You must stop feeding these empty material desires that have done nothing but enslave you. Stop sacrificing your dreams by flipping burgers and answering phones for a living. Instead, invest your time and money into what makes you truly happy...what truly fills you with joy. Decide to love your neighbors and cherish your dreams. Invest in your local businesses. Buy your local produce. Grow flowers and vegetables in your own back yard. Spend time with your children before they learn to distrust and hate you. Withdraw all your money from the bank and spend it on what you know will last...on things that can be handed down generation to generation and shared amongst communities.
This is the only way to break the cycle of corruption we find ourselves in today.
This is the only way to get our country back.
It is your duty, as an American, to become informed. It is your duty to prevent the slavery that has been planned for you and your children by the powerful elite. There is little time left to open your eyes, and little time left to do what's right. Failure is simply not an option.
I am asking for you to work harder than you ever have before to ensure our country's survival. Now, more than ever, your country needs you. And it needs you to wake up.
Sincerely,
Your Friendly Neighborhood Blogger
2.03.2011
When Natural Ain't So Natural - GMO Taking Over
Monsanto, Dow, Bayer, Syngenta, BASF...the list goes on. These companies develop genetically modified crops, such as Monsanto's pervasive line of "Round-Up Ready" crops that includes corn, sugar beets, soybeans, and now even alfalfa. The studies done on these GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) should be already on the FRONT of your mind any time you're buying food.
But did you know that so-called "natural food" retailers, like Whole Foods Market, Organic Valley and Stoneyfield Farm, are selling you these GMOs? You see, though products and foods labeled "organic" are not supposed to, and generally don't, have any GMO crop ingredients in them, those labeled "natural" have no such regulation...and according to this article in the Huffington Post, two-thirds of Whole Foods' annual $9 billion in sales is from products contaminated with GMO ingredients.
Repeat: "Natural foods" are contaminated with GMO!
Currently, combined "organic" and "natural" food purchases result in sales of around $80 billion dollars annually, which is approximately 12% of all grocery store sales. Obviously, nobody wants to eat these "frankenfoods"! One manufacturer of GMO crops is even on the record, stating: "If you put a label on genetically engineered food you might as well put a skull and crossbones on it." Now we find out that they've been sneaking this crap it into what many Americans had trusted was safe!
So how much of the food out there is GMO? As of 2010, the reports are that 95% of sugar beets, 86% of corn, and 93% of soybeans, cotton and canola (rapeseed) grown in the US are GMO. Up to 80% of processed foods sold in the US contain GMO ingredients and, with the revelation that even so called "natural foods" are contaminated, that percentage may be about to go way up.
It's time that everyone learn to identify both edible and medicinal plants. Start growing non-hybrid and heirloom vegetables in your back yards. The little bit of money you will save can then be used to buy more honest, organic foods when you visit the supermarket. That's a major win all around, not only helping deprive the big business, unsustainable modern agriculture of your hard earned money, but also ensuring the food you eat is truly safe and helping preserve genetic diversity for future generations.
"Natural" isn't natural anymore, and ignoring this problem isn't going to make it go away.
But did you know that so-called "natural food" retailers, like Whole Foods Market, Organic Valley and Stoneyfield Farm, are selling you these GMOs? You see, though products and foods labeled "organic" are not supposed to, and generally don't, have any GMO crop ingredients in them, those labeled "natural" have no such regulation...and according to this article in the Huffington Post, two-thirds of Whole Foods' annual $9 billion in sales is from products contaminated with GMO ingredients.
Repeat: "Natural foods" are contaminated with GMO!
Currently, combined "organic" and "natural" food purchases result in sales of around $80 billion dollars annually, which is approximately 12% of all grocery store sales. Obviously, nobody wants to eat these "frankenfoods"! One manufacturer of GMO crops is even on the record, stating: "If you put a label on genetically engineered food you might as well put a skull and crossbones on it." Now we find out that they've been sneaking this crap it into what many Americans had trusted was safe!
So how much of the food out there is GMO? As of 2010, the reports are that 95% of sugar beets, 86% of corn, and 93% of soybeans, cotton and canola (rapeseed) grown in the US are GMO. Up to 80% of processed foods sold in the US contain GMO ingredients and, with the revelation that even so called "natural foods" are contaminated, that percentage may be about to go way up.
It's time that everyone learn to identify both edible and medicinal plants. Start growing non-hybrid and heirloom vegetables in your back yards. The little bit of money you will save can then be used to buy more honest, organic foods when you visit the supermarket. That's a major win all around, not only helping deprive the big business, unsustainable modern agriculture of your hard earned money, but also ensuring the food you eat is truly safe and helping preserve genetic diversity for future generations.
"Natural" isn't natural anymore, and ignoring this problem isn't going to make it go away.
1.31.2011
Simple Solar Heating for RVs
Having lived full-time in an RV for several years now, my "green" side tends to run wild at times yielding some interesting results. With the economy just totally sucking the way it does, and so many people ending up living in campers "not by choice", some of these quirky projects from my past may be invaluable. This will be the first of a series of posts where I share some of these projects.
For those of you living in a location that receives cold winters, this project might prove invaluable. It saved me hundreds of dollars in heating costs while living in central New Hampshire, and only cost less than $50 to set up!
Firstly, here's an animated gif that demonstrates simple passive solar heating. With just a basic understanding of how this works, you'll probably find yourself coming up with some pretty cool ideas on how to harness the power of the sun. Keep in mind that the amount of heat generated when sunlight hits black collector plates is substantial - up to 800 or even 1200 BTUs per square foot! That easily translated to air temperatures of 50 to 100 degrees warmer coming out of the heater than the air that goes in.
I tried various ideas, from what I called a "solar curtain" hung in my kitchen window to various simple window collectors made from old cardboard boxes spray painted black. They certainly worked, and worked well, but I knew I could do better. Plus, all the projects I had been trying would just recycle the stale indoor air. You see, I smoke cigarettes and absolutely refuse to "smoke outside" in the middle of a New Hampshire winter. I wanted a way to pipe in heated fresh air from outside.
The solution was to set up some solar collectors on the outside of my camper, one on each south-facing window. To ensure the temperature of the air coming in to the camper was good and hot, I used 12V computer fans (hooked into my RV's 12V system of course) to blow the air in through the window when a thermostat registers high enough temperatures.
The "collector plates" were simply thin sheets of wood, painted black and taped to the side of my camper. I used 1x2 lumber to create a simple frame for securing the clear plastic (.7 mil). The cold outside air entered through the bottom of the collector and heated up against the black collector plates. The heated air naturally rose to the top of the collector, where it was then blown inside by a computer fan.
Outside air temperatures were around 30 degrees on the day I took these photos. By 3:30pm, the temperatures inside the collector were over 110 degrees and the temperature of the air blowing into the camper was about 87 degrees.
A cheap programmable thermostat, set to the "cool" mode, monitored the air temperature inside the collector. When the temp was above my setting of 80 degrees, it sent power, as though it were turning on the AC, to the computer fans. When the air inside the collector cooled down, either because the sun was beginning to set or it had gone behind clouds, the thermostat stopped sending power and the fans shut off.
Like I said, this system saved me hundreds of dollars in heating costs over the course of that one winter, and the total cost to set it up was less than $50. There were problems with the system, of course: on windy nights, cold air would often sneak through creating drafts. Overall, though, this system was a huge success.
Watch for my post about a makeshift "sun room" made from plastic and electrical conduit that ended up saving me over a thousand dollars AND provided fresh greens all winter!
For those of you living in a location that receives cold winters, this project might prove invaluable. It saved me hundreds of dollars in heating costs while living in central New Hampshire, and only cost less than $50 to set up!
Firstly, here's an animated gif that demonstrates simple passive solar heating. With just a basic understanding of how this works, you'll probably find yourself coming up with some pretty cool ideas on how to harness the power of the sun. Keep in mind that the amount of heat generated when sunlight hits black collector plates is substantial - up to 800 or even 1200 BTUs per square foot! That easily translated to air temperatures of 50 to 100 degrees warmer coming out of the heater than the air that goes in.
I tried various ideas, from what I called a "solar curtain" hung in my kitchen window to various simple window collectors made from old cardboard boxes spray painted black. They certainly worked, and worked well, but I knew I could do better. Plus, all the projects I had been trying would just recycle the stale indoor air. You see, I smoke cigarettes and absolutely refuse to "smoke outside" in the middle of a New Hampshire winter. I wanted a way to pipe in heated fresh air from outside.
The "collector plates" were simply thin sheets of wood, painted black and taped to the side of my camper. I used 1x2 lumber to create a simple frame for securing the clear plastic (.7 mil). The cold outside air entered through the bottom of the collector and heated up against the black collector plates. The heated air naturally rose to the top of the collector, where it was then blown inside by a computer fan.
Outside air temperatures were around 30 degrees on the day I took these photos. By 3:30pm, the temperatures inside the collector were over 110 degrees and the temperature of the air blowing into the camper was about 87 degrees.
 |  |
| Kitchen window collector Fan is not in operation (note plastic flap) | Bedroom window collector Fan in operation |
 |  |
| Thermostat in operation At 80* and above, the thermostat sends 12V power to the fans | Air temperatures in operation Numbers top to bottom: temp of air blowing in, temp inside the collector and humidity |
A cheap programmable thermostat, set to the "cool" mode, monitored the air temperature inside the collector. When the temp was above my setting of 80 degrees, it sent power, as though it were turning on the AC, to the computer fans. When the air inside the collector cooled down, either because the sun was beginning to set or it had gone behind clouds, the thermostat stopped sending power and the fans shut off.
Like I said, this system saved me hundreds of dollars in heating costs over the course of that one winter, and the total cost to set it up was less than $50. There were problems with the system, of course: on windy nights, cold air would often sneak through creating drafts. Overall, though, this system was a huge success.
Watch for my post about a makeshift "sun room" made from plastic and electrical conduit that ended up saving me over a thousand dollars AND provided fresh greens all winter!
1.07.2011
A Warning on the Perilous Act of Buying a Camper, or How I Learned to Trust Nothing and Got Stuck with a Rotting Tin Can
Back in 2006, I knew nothing about what to look for in a camper. At the time, I was recently out of college after a year studying for a philosophy major. Money was so tight that I was unable to qualify for another loan, so it was a no-go on continuing my education. I left school and moved in with Mom to help her sell the house she was living in (and about to lose). After a thorough house prep, I got a job doing graphic arts for a major corporation and we started putting money into "important things" - learning such things as how to make our own herbal tinctures and soap-making as well as good quality "Bug Out Bags" and miscellaneous survival gear.
After months of trying to sell and barely ever showing the house, we got a bite. It wasn't much of a bite, however, as the selling price was a mere $6k above what was still owed - we felt lucky to get that much.
So the next move, carefully planned out based on internal feelings, money supply and the prophecies, predictions and trends of the time, was to buy a camper. This would allow us to be mobile in the event of a disaster. It cost less than an apartment or house and would not only allow, but actually force us to get out and enjoy nature again. Many aspects of the full-timer lifestyle appealed to us, not the least of which was the idea that if you don't like your neighbors, you could just move your house.
But in retrospect, I should have done a lot more research on what to look for. With such a small amount of money to work with, the only options were used and mostly abused rigs, most of which were literal nightmares manifest. We checked the floors for soft spots and wouldn't buy anything with signs of water damage. We knew enough to ask about water tanks and heaters, furnaces and propane lines. And we finally found one: a 26' fifth wheel rig that seemed a wonderful investment.
Note the use of the word "seemed".
We found a campground that was like an oasis in the middle of the city, here in Florida, with trees and grass and big, roomy sites. A few months later, we hauled north to New Hampshire to spend time with my ailing grandmother. But after a total of maybe 6 months living in the rig, we discovered something shocking: the wall around the stove vent was completely rotted out. You see, we didn't know how rot occurs in these rigs. The wall may look 100% normal from both the rig's inside and out, but behind that wall-paper covering, the wood might be sopping wet, rotted out and full of termites and carpenter ants. We started running around checking everywhere and found that most of the walls in the camper were fine. We assumed it was isolated.
Then, about 8 months later, during a prolonged period of rainy, dreary New England days, a drip developed from the ceiling in the overhang, directly over the queen bed. I made my way to the roof to check things out and realized the rubber membrane showed no signs of cracking or anything. There was no pooling water, no rips or tears...no sign of why the ceiling was leaking. By the next morning, the ceiling was dripping fast and steady from a couple locations along the panel joints. I opened things up to check where the water was getting in since the roof seemed fine, not knowing what I was going to find.
And I found mold. A lot of it. I found the 2x2 framing was rotted through in spots. I found the 1/8" chip board that presses directly against the rubber membrane swelled up and sopping wet. It fell apart with the lightest touch of the finger.
From there, I proceeded to remove the entire ceiling in the overhang. The damage was extensive, showing what must have been years of water damage, rot and mold. Fungus of all colors covered the face of the chip board. The small amount of fiberglass insulation was blackened and soaked with water. As I opened up the walls, I found the same thing had happened there and was only just starting to penetrate into the interior panelling.
At this point, I got very discouraged. My mother had moved out of the camper a few months previous and I was fairly cash poor - there was no way I could afford to strip everything down and rebuild, nor could I afford to get another rig. I opted to just seal things off and sleep on the couch until my situation improved. Up went the plastic to protect both myself and the pets from the infestation of mold, to at least some extent. I made it a regular habit to spray down the walls and ceiling with a mist of bleach solution.
And I resolved to save money up to get myself another rig - a rig that I could be sure is safe from such disastrous neglect.
That was back in 2007 when I made that resolution. Of course, like most long term goals, nothing has gone to plan. In 2008, I was forced to change jobs. I began earning a bigger and much more reliable paycheck, but my savings grew slowly. My car broke down, then my truck, then my car again...then my truck again. Gas prices went through the roof and I found myself driving my 8-cyl Dodge pickup 60 miles a day. Frankly, in today's world, what money there is just doesn't like to hang around long.
By the summer of 2009, I finally had enough saved to start figuring out what the next step would be. I began vigorously researching various rigs and was disappointed by everything that was available. The better rigs cost more than I could afford and what was in my price range had all the same weaknesses I had discovered with this rig: rubber membrane roof, basically no insulation, poorly designed electrical systems, and cheap construction materials with no thought to durability.
The best solution, I decided, was to literally build my own - a "Bus Conversion", and specifically one on a "flat-nose schoolie". I drew up the plans and budget, then set out looking for my bus.
But then, that October, I got a wake up call I couldn't ignore. My gut told me to get moving in no uncertain terms. By that December, I had quit my job and moved back to Florida. I spent around $2k of my meager savings in that move, paying for gas, repairs, new tires, rent and food. It took me three months to find work, but once I did I was ok again. After 3 more months, I was back to where I was and felt comfortable.
But then another wake up call. Another push into the unknown. I found myself moving to New Mexico and spending out of my savings yet again. And the trend continued.
You see, I'm now effectively stuck with this rig. No matter what plans I make, I can't seem to get out of it. Something else always comes up. I'm back in Florida with about half of my original savings left. Meanwhile, the exterior seams have popped and the roof leaks in dozens of places. In fact, the roof is caving in now on the overhang.
So you ask yourself, what's the point? What's the moral of the story?
Due diligence and thorough research. Never take anything at face value.
If you, like so many others, are finding yourself ready to buy a used camper and become a full-timer, learn about what to look for. Learn about what might go wrong. By making a single honest mistake in the beginning of all this, I have spent years dealing with dripping ceilings and worries about mold.
What appears to be is rarely the case with these rigs, and you're probably going to be stuck with what you buy for years to come.
After months of trying to sell and barely ever showing the house, we got a bite. It wasn't much of a bite, however, as the selling price was a mere $6k above what was still owed - we felt lucky to get that much.
So the next move, carefully planned out based on internal feelings, money supply and the prophecies, predictions and trends of the time, was to buy a camper. This would allow us to be mobile in the event of a disaster. It cost less than an apartment or house and would not only allow, but actually force us to get out and enjoy nature again. Many aspects of the full-timer lifestyle appealed to us, not the least of which was the idea that if you don't like your neighbors, you could just move your house.
But in retrospect, I should have done a lot more research on what to look for. With such a small amount of money to work with, the only options were used and mostly abused rigs, most of which were literal nightmares manifest. We checked the floors for soft spots and wouldn't buy anything with signs of water damage. We knew enough to ask about water tanks and heaters, furnaces and propane lines. And we finally found one: a 26' fifth wheel rig that seemed a wonderful investment.
Note the use of the word "seemed".
We found a campground that was like an oasis in the middle of the city, here in Florida, with trees and grass and big, roomy sites. A few months later, we hauled north to New Hampshire to spend time with my ailing grandmother. But after a total of maybe 6 months living in the rig, we discovered something shocking: the wall around the stove vent was completely rotted out. You see, we didn't know how rot occurs in these rigs. The wall may look 100% normal from both the rig's inside and out, but behind that wall-paper covering, the wood might be sopping wet, rotted out and full of termites and carpenter ants. We started running around checking everywhere and found that most of the walls in the camper were fine. We assumed it was isolated.
Then, about 8 months later, during a prolonged period of rainy, dreary New England days, a drip developed from the ceiling in the overhang, directly over the queen bed. I made my way to the roof to check things out and realized the rubber membrane showed no signs of cracking or anything. There was no pooling water, no rips or tears...no sign of why the ceiling was leaking. By the next morning, the ceiling was dripping fast and steady from a couple locations along the panel joints. I opened things up to check where the water was getting in since the roof seemed fine, not knowing what I was going to find.
And I found mold. A lot of it. I found the 2x2 framing was rotted through in spots. I found the 1/8" chip board that presses directly against the rubber membrane swelled up and sopping wet. It fell apart with the lightest touch of the finger.
From there, I proceeded to remove the entire ceiling in the overhang. The damage was extensive, showing what must have been years of water damage, rot and mold. Fungus of all colors covered the face of the chip board. The small amount of fiberglass insulation was blackened and soaked with water. As I opened up the walls, I found the same thing had happened there and was only just starting to penetrate into the interior panelling.
At this point, I got very discouraged. My mother had moved out of the camper a few months previous and I was fairly cash poor - there was no way I could afford to strip everything down and rebuild, nor could I afford to get another rig. I opted to just seal things off and sleep on the couch until my situation improved. Up went the plastic to protect both myself and the pets from the infestation of mold, to at least some extent. I made it a regular habit to spray down the walls and ceiling with a mist of bleach solution.
And I resolved to save money up to get myself another rig - a rig that I could be sure is safe from such disastrous neglect.
That was back in 2007 when I made that resolution. Of course, like most long term goals, nothing has gone to plan. In 2008, I was forced to change jobs. I began earning a bigger and much more reliable paycheck, but my savings grew slowly. My car broke down, then my truck, then my car again...then my truck again. Gas prices went through the roof and I found myself driving my 8-cyl Dodge pickup 60 miles a day. Frankly, in today's world, what money there is just doesn't like to hang around long.
By the summer of 2009, I finally had enough saved to start figuring out what the next step would be. I began vigorously researching various rigs and was disappointed by everything that was available. The better rigs cost more than I could afford and what was in my price range had all the same weaknesses I had discovered with this rig: rubber membrane roof, basically no insulation, poorly designed electrical systems, and cheap construction materials with no thought to durability.
The best solution, I decided, was to literally build my own - a "Bus Conversion", and specifically one on a "flat-nose schoolie". I drew up the plans and budget, then set out looking for my bus.
But then, that October, I got a wake up call I couldn't ignore. My gut told me to get moving in no uncertain terms. By that December, I had quit my job and moved back to Florida. I spent around $2k of my meager savings in that move, paying for gas, repairs, new tires, rent and food. It took me three months to find work, but once I did I was ok again. After 3 more months, I was back to where I was and felt comfortable.
But then another wake up call. Another push into the unknown. I found myself moving to New Mexico and spending out of my savings yet again. And the trend continued.
You see, I'm now effectively stuck with this rig. No matter what plans I make, I can't seem to get out of it. Something else always comes up. I'm back in Florida with about half of my original savings left. Meanwhile, the exterior seams have popped and the roof leaks in dozens of places. In fact, the roof is caving in now on the overhang.
So you ask yourself, what's the point? What's the moral of the story?
Due diligence and thorough research. Never take anything at face value.
If you, like so many others, are finding yourself ready to buy a used camper and become a full-timer, learn about what to look for. Learn about what might go wrong. By making a single honest mistake in the beginning of all this, I have spent years dealing with dripping ceilings and worries about mold.
What appears to be is rarely the case with these rigs, and you're probably going to be stuck with what you buy for years to come.
12.21.2010
A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss?
I had never really thought about the meaning of the phrase "A rolling stone gathers no moss." On the latest cross-country jaunt, returning to Florida, I found myself contemplating this quite a bit. What was meant by "rolling stone" exactly? I'm reminded of those rocks in a desert somewhere that, due to wind patterns, appear to roll across the plains and flats. They aren't actually rolling forward of their own volition, but rather wind causes the sand to erode and the rock slowly "rolls forward". It's similar to when you stand on the beach and a wave breaks over your feet - as the water rushes back out to sea, it erodes the sand around your feet and you find yourself off-balance.
But these rocks "live" in extremely dry and windy locations. Moss tends not to grow in those locations as it is, so even the non-rolling stones of the area would "gather no moss". Obviously, that's not what was meant, but it's a start.
Where do stones regularly gather moss then? My thoughts go to the streams and brooks of childhood. Cool, clear water cutting through pine forest floors, replete with large rounded stones and giant boulders dropped by glaciers many thousands of years ago. There was certainly a lot of moss along those trout streams, making them slick and tricky to navigate. But I never really saw any of these stones "roll" on their own. It occurs to me, however, that the same process as the "rolling stones" of the desert undergo via wind erosion simply must happen within the turbulent streams of New Hampshire. As the water erodes the soil and sediment around the pebble or stone, the water's push against the stone becomes ever more difficult for the friction and gravity to withstand. Eventually, the stone will go tumbling downstream, settling in a new location where either the path is clogged with other stones and debris or the current subsides enough that the forces of gravity and friction can again take hold.
I like this idea. Not only does it bring to mind images of the beautiful rounded stones that massaged bare feet as I'd wade hip deep and cast my trout flies. It also brings to mind the idea of a great rushing current pushing us along toward some universal ocean, carrying sand and sediment over us, slowly eroding us until we've become round and our surfaces polished. To fight this constant current means being buried alive in the onslaught of sand and mud meant only to perfect us. And, if your head is above the proverbial water line, it means gathering moss.
So choosing to be like the "rolling stone" in the babbling brook that is life, "no moss" will be gathered. But what exactly is this moss? Is it material stuff? Is it emotional baggage? Of course it is. It's this and much more. The moss referred to here is composed of both good and bad things, like love and family, enemies and debts. It is all of the things we accumulate throughout life: savings accounts, family heirlooms, long time friendships or your favorite bench in the city park. Life, though, is constantly pushing us. Holding on to these things can be difficult in the rushing torrents of a spring flood. If we hold on too long, we can become buried and suffocated by the very things we hold on to.
So some of us just choose to "roll". We choose to let the current take us downstream, toward that mysterious unification where all the streams of life lead. On the way, we'll bump into many moss covered stones, making brief encounters with those who choose to hold on and stay put. Our journeys will often slow and even stop for a time as the current slacks during the dry months of the late summer. We'll often become tangled in the piles of debris during spring floods, or find ourselves washed up on the embankments after large, violent storms. But we always resume our journey to the sea. We always find our paths moving forward again.
And sometimes we find ourselves feeling envy for all that moss other stones have gathered. We dream of lives where we can settle in a small pool with a sandy bottom, gather moss and just take a break. Tumbling along with the current often seems more difficult than just staying put. But then the draw of the sea reminds us of why we choose to roll.
"A rolling stone gathers no moss," and this is a choice some of us have made.
So I'm back in Florida again. This is my 4th time here. Life, up to this point, has certainly been a wild ride. The journey to here has been rich and full of experience. I think, though, at this point, I'll stay put and rest for a while before the next storm carries me away again. It's good to catch your breath every now and then.
But these rocks "live" in extremely dry and windy locations. Moss tends not to grow in those locations as it is, so even the non-rolling stones of the area would "gather no moss". Obviously, that's not what was meant, but it's a start.
Where do stones regularly gather moss then? My thoughts go to the streams and brooks of childhood. Cool, clear water cutting through pine forest floors, replete with large rounded stones and giant boulders dropped by glaciers many thousands of years ago. There was certainly a lot of moss along those trout streams, making them slick and tricky to navigate. But I never really saw any of these stones "roll" on their own. It occurs to me, however, that the same process as the "rolling stones" of the desert undergo via wind erosion simply must happen within the turbulent streams of New Hampshire. As the water erodes the soil and sediment around the pebble or stone, the water's push against the stone becomes ever more difficult for the friction and gravity to withstand. Eventually, the stone will go tumbling downstream, settling in a new location where either the path is clogged with other stones and debris or the current subsides enough that the forces of gravity and friction can again take hold.
I like this idea. Not only does it bring to mind images of the beautiful rounded stones that massaged bare feet as I'd wade hip deep and cast my trout flies. It also brings to mind the idea of a great rushing current pushing us along toward some universal ocean, carrying sand and sediment over us, slowly eroding us until we've become round and our surfaces polished. To fight this constant current means being buried alive in the onslaught of sand and mud meant only to perfect us. And, if your head is above the proverbial water line, it means gathering moss.
So choosing to be like the "rolling stone" in the babbling brook that is life, "no moss" will be gathered. But what exactly is this moss? Is it material stuff? Is it emotional baggage? Of course it is. It's this and much more. The moss referred to here is composed of both good and bad things, like love and family, enemies and debts. It is all of the things we accumulate throughout life: savings accounts, family heirlooms, long time friendships or your favorite bench in the city park. Life, though, is constantly pushing us. Holding on to these things can be difficult in the rushing torrents of a spring flood. If we hold on too long, we can become buried and suffocated by the very things we hold on to.
So some of us just choose to "roll". We choose to let the current take us downstream, toward that mysterious unification where all the streams of life lead. On the way, we'll bump into many moss covered stones, making brief encounters with those who choose to hold on and stay put. Our journeys will often slow and even stop for a time as the current slacks during the dry months of the late summer. We'll often become tangled in the piles of debris during spring floods, or find ourselves washed up on the embankments after large, violent storms. But we always resume our journey to the sea. We always find our paths moving forward again.
And sometimes we find ourselves feeling envy for all that moss other stones have gathered. We dream of lives where we can settle in a small pool with a sandy bottom, gather moss and just take a break. Tumbling along with the current often seems more difficult than just staying put. But then the draw of the sea reminds us of why we choose to roll.
"A rolling stone gathers no moss," and this is a choice some of us have made.
So I'm back in Florida again. This is my 4th time here. Life, up to this point, has certainly been a wild ride. The journey to here has been rich and full of experience. I think, though, at this point, I'll stay put and rest for a while before the next storm carries me away again. It's good to catch your breath every now and then.
12.04.2010
RV Heating and Cooling, or How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Use a Multimeter
Look, I'm no tech wiz. I've learned along the way to do a bit of electrical and mechanical work myself, but when it comes right down to it, I'm usually afraid to even touch things like "complicated" heating and cooling systems. I mean, the little experience I have with things like replacing starters, water pumps or head gaskets in cars, or wiring up a new electrical outlet, new thermostat, etc - these things are small potatoes when you start thinking about the dangers of working with a live AC unit or something that burns propane. The dangers there are real - explosions, electrocutions, or worse.
In 2009, just as the New Hampshire winter was setting in, my furnace decided to quit on me. The thermostat said "turn on" but the furnace did nothing. I tore apart my couch, pulled the furnace out and started applying low amperage 12 volt to various things that looked like they should take it. Of course, this produced no results. I decided the blower motor must be dead and gave up. I spent a few months running an electric heater to keep warm and quickly found my pipes freezing up.
In December, I picked up and moved to Florida. Problem solved - don't actually need a furnace there.
While in Florida, however, my AC unit decided to quit on me just as the summer heat set in. Thankfully, a long-time family friend was staying in the same campground. He, having been an HVAC specialist a good portion of his life and even teaching classes at a college for it, knew a little something about what to look at and how to test it. He brought over his multimeter and started poking at things with what appeared to be little fear of electrocution. His determination was that the "running capacitor" was shot. I pulled it and ran down the street to get a new one but, after they tested it and said it was fine, I decided that rather than bother him to come over and keep testing for me, I'd get my own hands dirty and bought myself a multimeter.
Best tool investment I've ever made.
I tested this and that. After a few minutes of poking the probes at different terminals, I found that the problem was definitely BEFORE the capacitor, not in it. No voltage ever made it to the capacitor when the thermostat said "turn on". After scouring the internet for info on how an RV air conditioner works, I found myself probing the control board. Lo and Behold - it was a simple relay switch in the control board. $80 and 2 weeks later, I had a working AC again. Thank God as my interior temps were soaring to 100*F almost every day!
This taught me a valuable lesson - if you expect to have a shot at fixing things in your rig, you not only NEED a multimeter, you simply CAN'T be afraid to use it. A multimeter allows you to test for three things that will almost always narrow down the problem - voltage (both VAC and VDC), amperage and resistance (ohms). 9 times out of 10, simply testing for voltage at some connection point will tell you exactly where the problem is.
After moving here to Albuquerque, I knew I had to try to fix my furnace. Winter was coming and temps were already dropping to the upper 30s at night. Since I had found the problem with the AC and replaced a cheap part rather than the whole unit, my optimism was up and I was pretty sure I could find the problem. Firstly, let's outline the basics of how a standard RV heating system works so you can follow along.
1 - The Thermostat:
When the thermostat registers an interior temperature cooler than the requested temperature, it sends DC voltage to the furnace. When it registers warmer than the requested temperature, it stops sending that voltage. It's that simple.
2 - The Furnace On/Off Switch:
I'm not sure if all furnaces have this, but my Suburban does. Two wires come from the thermostat, and one goes through a simple on/off rocker switch. When off or malfunctioning, the voltage from the thermostat will go no further than this switch.
3 - The "Time Delay Relay" / aka "Klixon" Relay:
This relay controls the running of the blower motor itself, turning it on and off based on the DC voltage signal from the thermostat. It allows 12VDC to run from your main house battery/converter to the blower motor when the thermostat is sending a signal, then will actually wait a certain number of seconds before stopping that 12VDC when the thermostat has stopped sending voltage.
4 - The "Sail Switch":
This switch is mounted on the side of the blower motor, with a "sail" piece inside the blower motor itself. It simply monitors the operation of the blower motor. When the blower motor turns on and starts blowing air, the "sail" part of the switch gets blown in a certain direction and the switch turns on, allowing the voltage from the thermostat to flow to the control board. If the blower motor doesn't turn on, or isn't blowing the air strongly enough, the sail never gets pushed to the "on" position, preventing the burner from ever starting.
5 - The Control Board:
This is where all the rest of the magic happens - opening the "orifice" to allow propane into the burning chamber, ignition of that gas, overheat monitoring, etc. I wont go into details because, well, I don't know the details.
Very, VERY simple system, at least compared to what I expected. So how did I test mine?
Firstly, I made sure there was voltage coming from the thermostat. I turned on the heat so the thermostat would tell the furnace to turn on, then I took the multimeter and put the black/negative probe on the 12VDC ground wire and the red/positive probe on the wire coming from the thermostat. Yep - got voltage. That means the thermostat is fine and there's no break in the wire between it and the furnace. Next, I checked to see if the on/off switch was working correctly by doing the same thing, but putting the red/positive probe on the connection to the relay switch, which is the next connection point after the point I was testing. Yep - I got the same voltage there, so that's fine. Then I checked to see if there's 12VDC running to the relay. I put the positive probe on the relay terminal and registered a clean and steady 13.1VDC. When I checked to see if the 12VDC was coming out the opposite terminal, however, I got nothing. Looks like the relay's dead.
I ordered a new relay from the internet (less than $20) and installed it. Turned on the thermostat and on pops the motor. Good. Fixed everything for $20. A new furnace, which I was convinced I would have to buy back in New Hampshire, would have cost over $250.
Moral of the story? Buy a multimeter and learn how to use it, then learn about how RV heating and cooling systems work, especially the ones in your rig. They're much more simple than we realize, and they're often VERY easy, and very CHEAP, to repair.
Afterall, when you're RVing these days, you've gotta save EVERY PENNY you can.
In 2009, just as the New Hampshire winter was setting in, my furnace decided to quit on me. The thermostat said "turn on" but the furnace did nothing. I tore apart my couch, pulled the furnace out and started applying low amperage 12 volt to various things that looked like they should take it. Of course, this produced no results. I decided the blower motor must be dead and gave up. I spent a few months running an electric heater to keep warm and quickly found my pipes freezing up.
In December, I picked up and moved to Florida. Problem solved - don't actually need a furnace there.
While in Florida, however, my AC unit decided to quit on me just as the summer heat set in. Thankfully, a long-time family friend was staying in the same campground. He, having been an HVAC specialist a good portion of his life and even teaching classes at a college for it, knew a little something about what to look at and how to test it. He brought over his multimeter and started poking at things with what appeared to be little fear of electrocution. His determination was that the "running capacitor" was shot. I pulled it and ran down the street to get a new one but, after they tested it and said it was fine, I decided that rather than bother him to come over and keep testing for me, I'd get my own hands dirty and bought myself a multimeter.
Best tool investment I've ever made.
I tested this and that. After a few minutes of poking the probes at different terminals, I found that the problem was definitely BEFORE the capacitor, not in it. No voltage ever made it to the capacitor when the thermostat said "turn on". After scouring the internet for info on how an RV air conditioner works, I found myself probing the control board. Lo and Behold - it was a simple relay switch in the control board. $80 and 2 weeks later, I had a working AC again. Thank God as my interior temps were soaring to 100*F almost every day!
This taught me a valuable lesson - if you expect to have a shot at fixing things in your rig, you not only NEED a multimeter, you simply CAN'T be afraid to use it. A multimeter allows you to test for three things that will almost always narrow down the problem - voltage (both VAC and VDC), amperage and resistance (ohms). 9 times out of 10, simply testing for voltage at some connection point will tell you exactly where the problem is.
After moving here to Albuquerque, I knew I had to try to fix my furnace. Winter was coming and temps were already dropping to the upper 30s at night. Since I had found the problem with the AC and replaced a cheap part rather than the whole unit, my optimism was up and I was pretty sure I could find the problem. Firstly, let's outline the basics of how a standard RV heating system works so you can follow along.
1 - The Thermostat:
When the thermostat registers an interior temperature cooler than the requested temperature, it sends DC voltage to the furnace. When it registers warmer than the requested temperature, it stops sending that voltage. It's that simple.
2 - The Furnace On/Off Switch:
I'm not sure if all furnaces have this, but my Suburban does. Two wires come from the thermostat, and one goes through a simple on/off rocker switch. When off or malfunctioning, the voltage from the thermostat will go no further than this switch.
3 - The "Time Delay Relay" / aka "Klixon" Relay:
This relay controls the running of the blower motor itself, turning it on and off based on the DC voltage signal from the thermostat. It allows 12VDC to run from your main house battery/converter to the blower motor when the thermostat is sending a signal, then will actually wait a certain number of seconds before stopping that 12VDC when the thermostat has stopped sending voltage.
4 - The "Sail Switch":
This switch is mounted on the side of the blower motor, with a "sail" piece inside the blower motor itself. It simply monitors the operation of the blower motor. When the blower motor turns on and starts blowing air, the "sail" part of the switch gets blown in a certain direction and the switch turns on, allowing the voltage from the thermostat to flow to the control board. If the blower motor doesn't turn on, or isn't blowing the air strongly enough, the sail never gets pushed to the "on" position, preventing the burner from ever starting.
5 - The Control Board:
This is where all the rest of the magic happens - opening the "orifice" to allow propane into the burning chamber, ignition of that gas, overheat monitoring, etc. I wont go into details because, well, I don't know the details.
Very, VERY simple system, at least compared to what I expected. So how did I test mine?
Firstly, I made sure there was voltage coming from the thermostat. I turned on the heat so the thermostat would tell the furnace to turn on, then I took the multimeter and put the black/negative probe on the 12VDC ground wire and the red/positive probe on the wire coming from the thermostat. Yep - got voltage. That means the thermostat is fine and there's no break in the wire between it and the furnace. Next, I checked to see if the on/off switch was working correctly by doing the same thing, but putting the red/positive probe on the connection to the relay switch, which is the next connection point after the point I was testing. Yep - I got the same voltage there, so that's fine. Then I checked to see if there's 12VDC running to the relay. I put the positive probe on the relay terminal and registered a clean and steady 13.1VDC. When I checked to see if the 12VDC was coming out the opposite terminal, however, I got nothing. Looks like the relay's dead.
I ordered a new relay from the internet (less than $20) and installed it. Turned on the thermostat and on pops the motor. Good. Fixed everything for $20. A new furnace, which I was convinced I would have to buy back in New Hampshire, would have cost over $250.
Moral of the story? Buy a multimeter and learn how to use it, then learn about how RV heating and cooling systems work, especially the ones in your rig. They're much more simple than we realize, and they're often VERY easy, and very CHEAP, to repair.
Afterall, when you're RVing these days, you've gotta save EVERY PENNY you can.
12.03.2010
This Really Pisses Me Off: Government Evicts Man from His Own Land
This was on Infowars.com today:
YouTube Link
Here's this man - this man is just trying to live his life the way he wants! He's in the middle of 38 acres of HIS OWN LAND, not bothering anyone or asking for anything!
It's NOBODY'S BUSINESS! Nobody else's business how he's living!
He's doing no harm, seems perfectly content and he's healthy. He's sound of mind. He just wants to be left alone to live his life the way he wants. What right does the town have to keep dragging him into court? To threaten him with eviction? Why aren't people, his neighbors, his friends, standing up for him?
Must everyone dictate how we live our lives?
Is it really even their business?
And how can it be even legal to throw a man off HIS OWN DAMNED LAND!?!?
Isn't there someone he can turn to to get help? To get these people off his back?
He's 72 years old - where's he going to go? What's next? A nursing home? Are they going to throw him into a nursing home? Are they going to declare him insane? Are they going to declare him unfit to make his own decisions?
This is JUST PLAIN WRONG and someone needs to help him.
Where does the government interference in our lives end? They are already dictating where and how we can live, what we can buy, and what jobs we're allowed to have. You can't even live on your OWN LAND in the middle of NOWHERE without government evicting you. They've gone WAY too far already. When will people wake up?
YouTube Link
Here's this man - this man is just trying to live his life the way he wants! He's in the middle of 38 acres of HIS OWN LAND, not bothering anyone or asking for anything!
It's NOBODY'S BUSINESS! Nobody else's business how he's living!
He's doing no harm, seems perfectly content and he's healthy. He's sound of mind. He just wants to be left alone to live his life the way he wants. What right does the town have to keep dragging him into court? To threaten him with eviction? Why aren't people, his neighbors, his friends, standing up for him?
Must everyone dictate how we live our lives?
Is it really even their business?
And how can it be even legal to throw a man off HIS OWN DAMNED LAND!?!?
Isn't there someone he can turn to to get help? To get these people off his back?
He's 72 years old - where's he going to go? What's next? A nursing home? Are they going to throw him into a nursing home? Are they going to declare him insane? Are they going to declare him unfit to make his own decisions?
This is JUST PLAIN WRONG and someone needs to help him.
Where does the government interference in our lives end? They are already dictating where and how we can live, what we can buy, and what jobs we're allowed to have. You can't even live on your OWN LAND in the middle of NOWHERE without government evicting you. They've gone WAY too far already. When will people wake up?
12.01.2010
DOT-P2P and US bails out EU?
After reviewing the rest of the news today, I have a few interesting articles to share.
We'll start off with this, a wonderfully fun video to watch:
YouTube link
Love getting those behind the scenes looks at what really goes in D.C. when "no one's looking".
Meanwhile, back on earth, in a push to keep big government out of our business, it looks like "anonymous" and the hackers of the world are working on a new project. The "DOT-P2P" project, a "decentralized open domain name system", is what I would have to say is the biggest push forward in years for online freedom and privacy. The recent seizure of domains by big government over supposed illegal copyright infringement or some such has shown how vulnerable we are to censorship on the web. The project, started only days ago, aims to create a decentralized system that relies on peer-to-peer networking technologies, including BitTorrent, to completely bypass ICANN and ISP DNS services. It will use a ".p2p" top-level domain, handled by an existing "community-based" DNS.
Not since TOR has a better idea been put forward in my opinion.
Read more about this at TorrentFreak, the openNIC project and the project's official pages at the dot-p2p.org.
In other news, be ready for a rocky ride in the next week. Not only is the Federal Reserve releasing some important information (namely, the names and other data of financial institutions and foreign central banks it has loaned money to as of late), but the US is evidently preparing to bail out the EU! If the euro were to plummet toward death, one can easily imagine a lot of money flowing into dollars, giving the dollar a big boost akin to a shot of anabolic steroids. However, if the US dollar is about to go flooding into Europe in an attempt to keep the euro from falling flat on its face, one can also imagine a move away from both euros AND dollars.
The question becomes, what direction does money move when both the euro and the dollar are considered worthless pieces of crap? My guess is gold.
We'll start off with this, a wonderfully fun video to watch:
YouTube link
Love getting those behind the scenes looks at what really goes in D.C. when "no one's looking".
Meanwhile, back on earth, in a push to keep big government out of our business, it looks like "anonymous" and the hackers of the world are working on a new project. The "DOT-P2P" project, a "decentralized open domain name system", is what I would have to say is the biggest push forward in years for online freedom and privacy. The recent seizure of domains by big government over supposed illegal copyright infringement or some such has shown how vulnerable we are to censorship on the web. The project, started only days ago, aims to create a decentralized system that relies on peer-to-peer networking technologies, including BitTorrent, to completely bypass ICANN and ISP DNS services. It will use a ".p2p" top-level domain, handled by an existing "community-based" DNS.
Not since TOR has a better idea been put forward in my opinion.
Read more about this at TorrentFreak, the openNIC project and the project's official pages at the dot-p2p.org.
In other news, be ready for a rocky ride in the next week. Not only is the Federal Reserve releasing some important information (namely, the names and other data of financial institutions and foreign central banks it has loaned money to as of late), but the US is evidently preparing to bail out the EU! If the euro were to plummet toward death, one can easily imagine a lot of money flowing into dollars, giving the dollar a big boost akin to a shot of anabolic steroids. However, if the US dollar is about to go flooding into Europe in an attempt to keep the euro from falling flat on its face, one can also imagine a move away from both euros AND dollars.
The question becomes, what direction does money move when both the euro and the dollar are considered worthless pieces of crap? My guess is gold.
Thievery
I worked about 18 months doing loss prevention for a clothing store back in the north east. That's why this morning, this story caught my eye: Women accused of hiding merchandise in body fat. Now, I've watched people steal many times. I watched old women and young boys, teen-age girls and middle-age mothers, as they grabbed whatever caught their eye and shoved it into a bag or ran for the fitting rooms to rip tags off shirts and pants, then casually walk out of the store wearing high-price clothing they had no intention of ever paying for. Teen-age boys had the mentality of "smash and grab" engrained in them - they'd walk in, grab their item of choice and rip the tags off while running out the door, leaving gaping holes in the backs of their new gangsta shirts. I'd see them coming from a mile away, like a poorly camouflaged hunter pacing off his nervous energy before taking a shot. Old women, seasoned by years of experience, would skillfully pick up items and slide them into a bag, then calmly walk out the door, sometimes so quickly you could barely tell if you had actually seen it happen. The one thing I haven't seen is what these women did - concealing merchandise in rolls of body fat. That's definitely a new one in my book.
The whole loss prevention thing made me sick inside - who'd have thought so many people could steal? Who'd have thought it was so easy, so natural, and so common? In the loss prevention profession, there's a well known and typically unspoken truth - everyone, given the opportunity, is not only a potential thief, they're a LIKELY thief. It's the saddest realization I ever had.
Some would do it because they couldn't afford all the fabulousness they desired and would simply steal what they couldn't afford. Some would do it because they were "mentally ill" and just couldn't help themselves - getting that cheap thrill when they got away with stealing became addictive.
However, most did it simply because they could. After stopping someone with hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise shoved into a bag, we'd always bring them back to the office, sit them down and interview them. "Have you ever done this before?" and "When was the first time you stole?"
"Why did you steal these items today?"
More often than not, the thief had enough money in their wallet to buy the item stolen.
I remember coming home from that loss prevention job one night. I stopped at a gas station to grab a case of beer, a usual occurrence. A woman in line just in front of me was paying for, I think, gas and a drink. As the cashier was putting her money in the till and counting out the woman's change, the woman grabbed a candybar and shoved it into her purse. This was in full view of me, standing behind her, and not quick or skilled in the least. The cashier saw nothing, of course.
When I told the cashier, after the woman had left, that the she had stolen a candybar and that she should be watched the next time she comes in because "she *will* do it again, now that she's gotten away with it, and she'll likely steal something worth more than a candybar", the cashier told me very matter-of-fact that they "can't do anything about it anyway" - can't stop them, can't call the police...can't even ask if they'd like pay for the item.
I wish I was surprised by that revelation, but I wasn't.
It fully occurred to me, at some point along the way, that our society has broken down to the point where we literally serve the people who steal. Those who "have-not" but "do-want" are somehow treated as worthy of just taking. Even big government welfare, foodstamps, and housing programs provide more than enough to live on. In fact, they provide so much to those who don't work that it turns out to a better deal than working for many.
A 40hr/wk job at $7/hr works out to $280/wk before tax. After tax, monthly income is somewhere around or below $1,000, right? Let's assume that the apartment of choice costs $800/mo. That leaves less than $200/mo for food, gas, etc. Who can blame a person for quitting that job and getting on welfare? The apartment they'd live in would be free or at least cost them a lot less that $800/mo. They'd receive much more than $200/mo on foodstamps, so much more that it's common practice nationwide to sell your unused foodstamps for spending cash.
I've heard many stories, some of them first-hand accounts, of people doing this - quitting their job to go on welfare, and subsequently earn more for doing less. Many will even look for ways to "work under the table" to avoid losing their big government handouts.
What these people fail to realize is that the more they take in these handouts, the more is taken from the working stiff's paycheck. It's a snowball effect in that the more these welfare programs cost, the less worthwhile having a job becomes. Of course, monetary inflation is another huge factor in this. In order to ensure that the working stiff doesn't get too upset by the higher and higher dollar amounts coming out of his paycheck each month, the big government in charge of all this just prints up more money to pay for the higher costs of welfare. This way, the dollar amount might not change but the nation's "wealth pie" is being divided into smaller and smaller slices every day. Over time, your $10/hr job just doesn't pay for what it used to. You're eventually forced to realize that giving up your job and getting on the welfare bandwagon not only pays better but sounds like the best deal of the century.
It has become like this everywhere you look in our society. People who produce are not only taken for granted, they're taken for a ride. They're taken for a ride by those who produce nothing.
During the 2008 presidential campaign, one of the candidates, referring to the income tax, said that it was a terrible idea to punish people for working, for generating an income. If anything, people should be punished for SPENDING rather than saving, encouraging a more responsible and frugal mentality. He was advocating a move toward a sales tax system and away from the income tax. When you stop and think about what he said, that people are being punished for generating an income, you have to realize that he's right. The more you work, the more you produce and the more money you make, the more is taken away from you for income tax, entitlement programs and welfare. That just doesn't seem right, does it?
Anyway, I'll cut this short here as I still haven't finished scanning the news this morning and it's already after 2PM.
A final thought: Who can blame these people for stealing from stores when it's so engrained in our culture to just "take"? Who can really blame them?
The whole loss prevention thing made me sick inside - who'd have thought so many people could steal? Who'd have thought it was so easy, so natural, and so common? In the loss prevention profession, there's a well known and typically unspoken truth - everyone, given the opportunity, is not only a potential thief, they're a LIKELY thief. It's the saddest realization I ever had.
Some would do it because they couldn't afford all the fabulousness they desired and would simply steal what they couldn't afford. Some would do it because they were "mentally ill" and just couldn't help themselves - getting that cheap thrill when they got away with stealing became addictive.
However, most did it simply because they could. After stopping someone with hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise shoved into a bag, we'd always bring them back to the office, sit them down and interview them. "Have you ever done this before?" and "When was the first time you stole?"
"Why did you steal these items today?"
More often than not, the thief had enough money in their wallet to buy the item stolen.
I remember coming home from that loss prevention job one night. I stopped at a gas station to grab a case of beer, a usual occurrence. A woman in line just in front of me was paying for, I think, gas and a drink. As the cashier was putting her money in the till and counting out the woman's change, the woman grabbed a candybar and shoved it into her purse. This was in full view of me, standing behind her, and not quick or skilled in the least. The cashier saw nothing, of course.
When I told the cashier, after the woman had left, that the she had stolen a candybar and that she should be watched the next time she comes in because "she *will* do it again, now that she's gotten away with it, and she'll likely steal something worth more than a candybar", the cashier told me very matter-of-fact that they "can't do anything about it anyway" - can't stop them, can't call the police...can't even ask if they'd like pay for the item.
I wish I was surprised by that revelation, but I wasn't.
It fully occurred to me, at some point along the way, that our society has broken down to the point where we literally serve the people who steal. Those who "have-not" but "do-want" are somehow treated as worthy of just taking. Even big government welfare, foodstamps, and housing programs provide more than enough to live on. In fact, they provide so much to those who don't work that it turns out to a better deal than working for many.
A 40hr/wk job at $7/hr works out to $280/wk before tax. After tax, monthly income is somewhere around or below $1,000, right? Let's assume that the apartment of choice costs $800/mo. That leaves less than $200/mo for food, gas, etc. Who can blame a person for quitting that job and getting on welfare? The apartment they'd live in would be free or at least cost them a lot less that $800/mo. They'd receive much more than $200/mo on foodstamps, so much more that it's common practice nationwide to sell your unused foodstamps for spending cash.
I've heard many stories, some of them first-hand accounts, of people doing this - quitting their job to go on welfare, and subsequently earn more for doing less. Many will even look for ways to "work under the table" to avoid losing their big government handouts.
What these people fail to realize is that the more they take in these handouts, the more is taken from the working stiff's paycheck. It's a snowball effect in that the more these welfare programs cost, the less worthwhile having a job becomes. Of course, monetary inflation is another huge factor in this. In order to ensure that the working stiff doesn't get too upset by the higher and higher dollar amounts coming out of his paycheck each month, the big government in charge of all this just prints up more money to pay for the higher costs of welfare. This way, the dollar amount might not change but the nation's "wealth pie" is being divided into smaller and smaller slices every day. Over time, your $10/hr job just doesn't pay for what it used to. You're eventually forced to realize that giving up your job and getting on the welfare bandwagon not only pays better but sounds like the best deal of the century.
It has become like this everywhere you look in our society. People who produce are not only taken for granted, they're taken for a ride. They're taken for a ride by those who produce nothing.
During the 2008 presidential campaign, one of the candidates, referring to the income tax, said that it was a terrible idea to punish people for working, for generating an income. If anything, people should be punished for SPENDING rather than saving, encouraging a more responsible and frugal mentality. He was advocating a move toward a sales tax system and away from the income tax. When you stop and think about what he said, that people are being punished for generating an income, you have to realize that he's right. The more you work, the more you produce and the more money you make, the more is taken away from you for income tax, entitlement programs and welfare. That just doesn't seem right, does it?
Anyway, I'll cut this short here as I still haven't finished scanning the news this morning and it's already after 2PM.
A final thought: Who can blame these people for stealing from stores when it's so engrained in our culture to just "take"? Who can really blame them?
11.29.2010
You Dare Quit Your Job In This Market!?!?
There are two ideals that anyone with a brain MUST hold sacred.
The first ideal is individuality. We people are not cows and should not be treated like them.
The second ideal is having a sense of real self-worth. You should receive rewards based on what you're actually putting out into the world, not on what some rich elitist asshole believes they can get away with paying for it.
Warning: wild tangent follows
We all have a dream of something better. We all want to live life the way that we see fit. Lots of noise accompanies the dream - noise from advertising and propaganda, noise from self-doubts, noise from peer pressure and established norms. The noise is not only deafening, it's horrifying. The dream seems impossible to obtain.
The truth is, however, when you clear through the noise and really see what it is you truly, deep-down-inside want in life, it turns out to be something easily attainable. Your day job, the one you go to every day just trying to pay the bills, may be just what's holding you in place and making it impossible to fulfill this dream. At least, that's what I came to realize.
I've been a bit of a renegade most of my life. I've hated many of the established norms. I've challenged authority. I've got myself in to trouble countless times for breaking rules I didn't agree with.
When I was 16, I had a job at a plant nursery for a summer. I went to work when I was scheduled and plucked weeds from around the plants. I liked that job, but I didn't like the schedule. In fact, I loved that job. I would spend hours just pulling weeds and thinking, admiring the beauty of the natural world. But I didn't like the schedule. Needless to say, I just stopped showing up. Instead, I went bass fishing. At 17, I did the same thing with high school itself. I didn't like having to go and sit in classrooms chewing the same information day after day like a cow chewing its cud. So, instead, I went fishing. I stopped going to class and started learning on my own time.
I became an official "drop out" in the fall of 1999. In January 2000, I landed a "job" working as a freelance computer programmer with a local business, a $600/wk contract that took me overseas to Spain and Australia. When the contract ended, I was sure I would have no trouble finding more work just like it. But by 2001, the stark "reality" of the world had sunk in. I found myself grinding away working dead-end security jobs while I attended college. I spent years "working for the man", never feeling any control over any of it. Being an employee was akin to being a slave.
The jobs got better over time, from working security to working as a graphic designer, and eventually to working as a web developer. But I was still a lowly, underpaid and under appreciated employee. I forgot what it felt like to have true freedom.
Then, in 2009, I quit my day job. What followed was a remembering of what it is to be self-employed.
Back to these ideals of individuality and real self-worth.
The truth boils down to this: as an employee you are a cow. Your sole purpose is to produce milk and doing anything other than this is forbidden. The farmer places you with the other cows, who also produce milk and do nothing more. You don't need to know anything other than how to produce milk. In fact, learning how to produce, say, butter can be dangerous to your own well being.
If you take it upon yourself to learn to produce butter, there are two likely outcomes:
Outcome #1 - You get reprimanded. After all, you were hired to produce milk, not butter. That's someone else's job.
Outcome #2 - The farmer throws an extra handful of hay into your trough. You will now be expected to produce butter, day in and day out, for less hay than the other butter making cows get. After all, you were hired to produce milk, not butter, and you will always be a milk cow to the farmer.
Your life as a cow won't get easier the more you try to produce - it just gets harder. You do more and more work for no real gains. The extra bite or two of hay at the end of the day is hardly worth all that churning it took to make butter.
If you choose to be a cow, the only viable option is to give up and just make milk - nothing more, nothing less - and be happy with your meager rations of hay each day.
Imagine, though, that you decide to quit being a "cow" and you walk away from the farm to start producing milk and butter on your own time. You sell what you make at the market rate. You are now in charge of your own production, not the farmer. There's no farmer to reprimand you for producing butter instead of milk. In fact, you can expand your knowledge further and learn to produce cheese, yogurt and even ice cream if you'd like, each fetching more at market providing you with all the hay you deserve. You're in charge now.
I know, it's terrible metaphor, but it works well enough for our purposes here. What I'm saying is this: in pursuing a dream, there's not much room for being a cow. You have to hold on to the ideals of individuality and self-worth. Anyone with a brain has a dream of what life should be like, and it's your responsibility in life to move toward that dream. It's your responsibility to attain it. You'll never achieve your dream by sacrificing your individuality or your sense of real self-worth.
The first ideal is individuality. We people are not cows and should not be treated like them.
The second ideal is having a sense of real self-worth. You should receive rewards based on what you're actually putting out into the world, not on what some rich elitist asshole believes they can get away with paying for it.
Warning: wild tangent follows
We all have a dream of something better. We all want to live life the way that we see fit. Lots of noise accompanies the dream - noise from advertising and propaganda, noise from self-doubts, noise from peer pressure and established norms. The noise is not only deafening, it's horrifying. The dream seems impossible to obtain.
The truth is, however, when you clear through the noise and really see what it is you truly, deep-down-inside want in life, it turns out to be something easily attainable. Your day job, the one you go to every day just trying to pay the bills, may be just what's holding you in place and making it impossible to fulfill this dream. At least, that's what I came to realize.
I've been a bit of a renegade most of my life. I've hated many of the established norms. I've challenged authority. I've got myself in to trouble countless times for breaking rules I didn't agree with.
When I was 16, I had a job at a plant nursery for a summer. I went to work when I was scheduled and plucked weeds from around the plants. I liked that job, but I didn't like the schedule. In fact, I loved that job. I would spend hours just pulling weeds and thinking, admiring the beauty of the natural world. But I didn't like the schedule. Needless to say, I just stopped showing up. Instead, I went bass fishing. At 17, I did the same thing with high school itself. I didn't like having to go and sit in classrooms chewing the same information day after day like a cow chewing its cud. So, instead, I went fishing. I stopped going to class and started learning on my own time.
I became an official "drop out" in the fall of 1999. In January 2000, I landed a "job" working as a freelance computer programmer with a local business, a $600/wk contract that took me overseas to Spain and Australia. When the contract ended, I was sure I would have no trouble finding more work just like it. But by 2001, the stark "reality" of the world had sunk in. I found myself grinding away working dead-end security jobs while I attended college. I spent years "working for the man", never feeling any control over any of it. Being an employee was akin to being a slave.
The jobs got better over time, from working security to working as a graphic designer, and eventually to working as a web developer. But I was still a lowly, underpaid and under appreciated employee. I forgot what it felt like to have true freedom.
Then, in 2009, I quit my day job. What followed was a remembering of what it is to be self-employed.
Back to these ideals of individuality and real self-worth.
The truth boils down to this: as an employee you are a cow. Your sole purpose is to produce milk and doing anything other than this is forbidden. The farmer places you with the other cows, who also produce milk and do nothing more. You don't need to know anything other than how to produce milk. In fact, learning how to produce, say, butter can be dangerous to your own well being.
If you take it upon yourself to learn to produce butter, there are two likely outcomes:
Outcome #1 - You get reprimanded. After all, you were hired to produce milk, not butter. That's someone else's job.
Outcome #2 - The farmer throws an extra handful of hay into your trough. You will now be expected to produce butter, day in and day out, for less hay than the other butter making cows get. After all, you were hired to produce milk, not butter, and you will always be a milk cow to the farmer.
Your life as a cow won't get easier the more you try to produce - it just gets harder. You do more and more work for no real gains. The extra bite or two of hay at the end of the day is hardly worth all that churning it took to make butter.
If you choose to be a cow, the only viable option is to give up and just make milk - nothing more, nothing less - and be happy with your meager rations of hay each day.
Imagine, though, that you decide to quit being a "cow" and you walk away from the farm to start producing milk and butter on your own time. You sell what you make at the market rate. You are now in charge of your own production, not the farmer. There's no farmer to reprimand you for producing butter instead of milk. In fact, you can expand your knowledge further and learn to produce cheese, yogurt and even ice cream if you'd like, each fetching more at market providing you with all the hay you deserve. You're in charge now.
I know, it's terrible metaphor, but it works well enough for our purposes here. What I'm saying is this: in pursuing a dream, there's not much room for being a cow. You have to hold on to the ideals of individuality and self-worth. Anyone with a brain has a dream of what life should be like, and it's your responsibility in life to move toward that dream. It's your responsibility to attain it. You'll never achieve your dream by sacrificing your individuality or your sense of real self-worth.
Begin
What the hell happened to us?
I remember a time when things were cheerful and bright, and the future was full of wonderment. Long gone are those days.
Today's world is filled with chaos and an alphabet soup of evils. From prescription drugs to airport security, "quantitative easing" to little boys being suspended over patriotic flag displays. This is not the country...not the WORLD I expected.
Today's mentality, between the greedy corporate giants and the "impoverished" welfare dropouts, makes me moan in disgust. My love of humanity is challenged every day by the headlines. A simple visit to the grocery store turns into an exercise in holding one's lunch. The latest "Black Friday" rampage is but a whisper of the real story - how many of the crazed, faceless people trampling one another for a video game receive food stamps every month?
Our society is crumbling around us. Anyone can point to countless symptoms of the problem but I don't think anyone ever points to the cause. A breakdown of morality? The loss of good christian values? Television and video game violence? Rap music? These are all symptoms of the greater evil. We have become diseased.
A lot of us like to point at a time when things changed. I'm one of them. However, that day, 9/11, things didn't really "change". No - that was simply the day that we noticed. The change has been happening, behind the scenes, for decades. On 9/11, as we watched the horror of what later became, clearly, "in your face" treason, we finally realized that things had changed; that life had changed. We no longer could look forward in life and see the same blue skies we had previously. Everything turned gray.
Maybe I'm one of a minority here. Maybe not.
What happened to all of us, all over the world, was we realized that our technology gods had failed us. A small corner of the fantasy world in which we lived began to peel away revealing the atrophy and horror of the way we lived. Many wrote off this realization, smoothed back the corner and got in line to buy a new smart phone with their monopoly money welfare vouchers. Many others were shocked into thinking for the first time in their lives.
Personally, that day sent shockwaves through my psyche. I found myself reading the Bible for the first time. I studied Nostradamus' Centuries and read about Fatima. Ancient prophecy, remote viewing and astrology became everyday topics in my pursuit of understanding. Economic bubbles and not-so-federal reserve banks quickly came into view. By 2004, Alex Jones and his bullhorn documentaries had shed rays of light on a dark aspect of a reality that had previously only consisted of quaint ideas such as owning a house and raising children.
In 2006, I moved into an RV. I had begun learning about alternative energy, herbal medicine and survival preparedness. I had begun to let my Heart, God Himself as Spirit, lead me in life. I've followed my heart for years now, letting it lead me from place to place, job to job, and topic to topic; it hasn't been easy, but who ever said it was supposed to be?
And this is where this blog will pick up, here in Albuquerque, November of 2010.
I remember a time when things were cheerful and bright, and the future was full of wonderment. Long gone are those days.
Today's world is filled with chaos and an alphabet soup of evils. From prescription drugs to airport security, "quantitative easing" to little boys being suspended over patriotic flag displays. This is not the country...not the WORLD I expected.
Today's mentality, between the greedy corporate giants and the "impoverished" welfare dropouts, makes me moan in disgust. My love of humanity is challenged every day by the headlines. A simple visit to the grocery store turns into an exercise in holding one's lunch. The latest "Black Friday" rampage is but a whisper of the real story - how many of the crazed, faceless people trampling one another for a video game receive food stamps every month?
Our society is crumbling around us. Anyone can point to countless symptoms of the problem but I don't think anyone ever points to the cause. A breakdown of morality? The loss of good christian values? Television and video game violence? Rap music? These are all symptoms of the greater evil. We have become diseased.
A lot of us like to point at a time when things changed. I'm one of them. However, that day, 9/11, things didn't really "change". No - that was simply the day that we noticed. The change has been happening, behind the scenes, for decades. On 9/11, as we watched the horror of what later became, clearly, "in your face" treason, we finally realized that things had changed; that life had changed. We no longer could look forward in life and see the same blue skies we had previously. Everything turned gray.
Maybe I'm one of a minority here. Maybe not.
What happened to all of us, all over the world, was we realized that our technology gods had failed us. A small corner of the fantasy world in which we lived began to peel away revealing the atrophy and horror of the way we lived. Many wrote off this realization, smoothed back the corner and got in line to buy a new smart phone with their monopoly money welfare vouchers. Many others were shocked into thinking for the first time in their lives.
Personally, that day sent shockwaves through my psyche. I found myself reading the Bible for the first time. I studied Nostradamus' Centuries and read about Fatima. Ancient prophecy, remote viewing and astrology became everyday topics in my pursuit of understanding. Economic bubbles and not-so-federal reserve banks quickly came into view. By 2004, Alex Jones and his bullhorn documentaries had shed rays of light on a dark aspect of a reality that had previously only consisted of quaint ideas such as owning a house and raising children.
In 2006, I moved into an RV. I had begun learning about alternative energy, herbal medicine and survival preparedness. I had begun to let my Heart, God Himself as Spirit, lead me in life. I've followed my heart for years now, letting it lead me from place to place, job to job, and topic to topic; it hasn't been easy, but who ever said it was supposed to be?
And this is where this blog will pick up, here in Albuquerque, November of 2010.
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