The last cause

Food producers announce price increases

2010-11-04T16:39:00.000-07:00

"...Prices of staples including milk, beef, coffee, cocoa and sugar have risen sharply in recent months. And food makers and retailers including McDonald's Corp., Kellogg Co. and Kroger Co. have begun to signal that they'll try to make consumers shoulder more of the higher costs for ingredients.

For food executives, how quickly to pass along higher costs presents difficult choices. Missteps could be costly when the economy...."

Per the Wall Street Journal

There is a window to stock up now on staples before these preplanned price increases take effect, unless of course one believes the money can be invested elsewhere for a higher return than the price increases will be, right now it appears to be anywhere from 3% for companies and 4 dollars on 1 pd of premium beef.

Thank you helicopter Ben, now armed with information, I'd expect a buy of staples as not even pasta and rice will escape this round of price inflation and Coffee seen as a daily staple inside the US will certainly see even more of a price increase as the dollar's decline will make importing Coffee even more expensive as well as piggy back price increase by coffee producers that they will blame on the declining dollar.

Knife Sharpening.

2010-10-25T16:04:00.000-07:00

Well, if you have time to watch TV, you have time to sharpen all of your utensils. A sharp knife means less effort is needed to use as well as being a nice helper when you are deboning a chicken thigh or a fish or what have you.

This a video on how to use a wheeled knife sharpener these do a fine job especially on longer blades and charming cheapy flea market blades.

The old fashioned way, a wet stoned pocket knife

For a prepper, or Frugalist, how to use a cinder block to sharpen a knife

How to use some commercial systems such as a Lansky

How to fix a blade with a chip in it with a stone

Wet stone maintenance

Learn to sharpen your own blades, scissors, shovels, hatchets, what have you, so they perform the way they should when you reach for them.

The Bicycle experiment

2010-10-21T06:38:00.000-07:00

Lately I've found, with additional time on my hands, that I have a renewed interest in bicycling, a past time I loved as a young man moreso than driving an automobile. Being forced into frugality, my selection for bicycles to engage in this past time is limited to the products at the local Goodwill Thrift Store.

Which means..Huffy bicycles, at one time Huffy was just considered a lower end bike, now among bicycling purists Huffy is akin to cow flop with rims that may or may not melt when exposed to direct sunlight.

At least that is what my online research (research=lurking on Bicycle Forums and reading old posts) has shown. Undaunted, I picked up two Huffy bikes, one a Superia 15 speed, the other an ancient Santa Fe 10 speed. The Superia appears to have been what I'd politely call a "good idea at the time" bicycle, someone bought it, rode it maybe 5 times, parked it in the garage and eventually donated it to Goodwill, the tubes are fine, the tires are fine, the brakes work etc. But with air in the tires, and a relubing the crank, forks, and wheels, it was road ready from Day 1.

It also cost a whopping 12.50 cents

The Santa Fe is a different situation completely, it was more or less from the "rode hard, put away wet" category, the 1 3/8th inch tires were flat, the front derailuer does not work, the bearing were all dry as sun bleached bones, the inner tubes had holes, the rear dereaileur was out of adjustment, and to top it off, it came from an era where tires and tubes are not standardized a 26 inch road tire could mean one of 3 possibilities and no amount of googling will solve the mystery one has to try them out or take the wheel to the local bicycle shop were to enjoy the faintly patronizing looks as the innocent question of "do you have a tire to fit this rim" question is asked.

I have no intention of mentioning that it belongs to a Huffy, least wise the patronizing look turns into thinly veiled contempt as they consider this klutz in front of them basically married their Sister, or at least 1st cousin, by owning a Huffy and having the gall to walk into THEIR shop with such a piece of garbage!

Pardon the digression.

The Sante Fe cost a whopping 10 dollars, but the reality is a Huffy of that vintage is worth 100 dollars..at most. So repairs are an expense that is not going to be recouped. However the advantage the 10 speed has over the 15 speed is simple, it is a lighter, quicker bike if one has to peddle 10 miles less weight and less rolling resistance is the way to go.

I found the tires and tubes needed on Amazon.com for 32 dollars delivered which is somewhat expensive, however if the Santa Fe works I suspect that it will be ridden far more than the more durable, but heavy, Superia.

At the end of it all, the benefit from a cost point of view will not be all that great, even with gasoline at 2.80 a gallon, my vehicle achieves 22 mpg, meaning to recoup that 42 dollars I'll have to peddle 70 miles or so to just break even and since it is the Fall heading into Winter, that seems like a tough deal to manage to accomplish. However the health benefits should not be ignored as if one does not have health, what do you have to replace it?

Free Stuff and a Cold Steel Shovel upgrade

2010-10-21T05:49:00.000-07:00

Gentlemen sounds as if he is Australian, but his modification of the Cold Steel Special Forces Shovel are among the best I've ever seen the cord wrapped handle along with the additional pouches attached to the nylon sheath are good ideas. I've used a CS shovel for everything from camping to a coal moving device on a BBQ grill to a thrower and the CS shovel just trucked right through everything that I've thrown at it.

Ah, Kuntao Silat Footwork, Steve Gartin IS a fine teacher, but with a troubled past, as with most teacher/student relationships, both should take away what they are looking for and discard that which is unprofitable.

General Mills has announced a 5% price increase for their products.

Take advantage of opportunities, especially if you live in the Southern Portions of the US as Winter will be upon us soon and all we can wait for is Spring, and the rebirth of the Earth..5 months from now..

Federal Reserve Announces:we have to steal more value from your savings

2010-09-24T16:22:00.000-07:00

We've all been to the movies to see an Action Film, the Hero is some supposedly highly trained merchant of death out to save the world, the villian is of course clearly delineated, suspicious laugh, psychotic small army of men willing to spend their lives etc.

That of course is Reel Life, in Real Life, they are much more difficult to spot but occasionally they do mark themselves, to whit:

Federal Reserve Open Market Committee:

"...The Committee will continue to monitor the economic outlook and financial developments and is prepared to provide additional accommodation if needed to support the economic recovery and to return inflation, over time, to levels consistent with its mandate..."

In their view, the way to fix things is to make the money you have in your pocket, bank account, piggy bank, what have you, worth much less in order to stimulate the Economy.

Basically they are planning to rob the value of your money through the silent tax of inflating the currency, now would be a great time to use a Modern Version of the Alpha Strategy to purchase items that are needed, but will be more expensive in the future as the Robber is not using a firearm, but a digital creation of US Dollars to make everyone in the United States all the more poor.

This is in addition to the news that now 1 in 7 Americans are in poverty, the highest level ever recorded, there are an additional millions barely above the poverty line via Unemployment Insurance Payments that should have expired some time ago.

However as a philosophical issue, income should never mean poverty or no poverty as it is safe to say whomever bothers to read this blog is smart enough to structure their life to have as Wealthy a lifestyle as Common Sense may provide.

From raising a garden to self improvement to recapturing that health of youth, "we" know the score no matter the promises from a politician of Nuevo Utopia, it is up to ourselves to create our own lives and it would be helpful if they stepped out of the way and allowed that to happen.

Lower Fixed Costs by any means necessary.

Welcome the Consumerist to the links at the bottom of the page

2010-08-30T20:28:00.000-07:00

Ran across the Consumerist on Survival Blog and thought it a useful tool for those who are concerned with both saving money and receiving good value when money has to spent.

Their Shrink Ray is both funny and sad and illustrates "how" Large Food Corporations change weights and amounts of ingredients but use the same size packaging. Any consumer or modern Alpha Strategist needs to know that information as per unit cost is one of the keys to savings and value.

How the Alpha Strategy has made money for me.

2010-08-25T07:34:00.000-07:00

Ah, Unemployment, the new American Pandemic, a terrible affliction that has reached my doorstep in the form of losing my job in the down economy. Fortunately I had a month and half of lead time before the closure and put it to work via stocking up on goods that would have to be purchased with expensive but cheap money over the upcoming months whilst the job search, or new venture is launched.

Expensive but cheap money, one asks, isn't that an oxymoron?

Allow me to explain, right now after years of working the household is well stocked with the items that make a home a home, cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, soap, toilet paper etc. as time rolls forward those items will be depleted through normal usage, to purchase replacement items two months from now, with dwindling cash reserves is quite expensive when there is no other income coming into the home. But the money is "cheap" as it was created out of nothing at all but a vague promise of "full faith and credit".

By purchasing those household items over the past two years, in bulk, the Alpha Strategy helped me to avoid the "Expensive but Cheap" conundrum, as well as sidestepping the 10% inflation on those items that has bumped prices upwards.

Reviewing my notes from 2008, a jumbo box of Surf detergent at Sam's Club in 2008 cost 14.54, today they cost over 17.00, so every box of Surf purchased in 2008 has made around 3 dollars per box..not to bad a ROI.

There is one item that has retreated in price due to Govt Subsidies, Light Bulbs, in 2009 those mercury filled, energy efficient bulbs were 9 dollars for a pack of 8, now they are 3 dollars for a pack of 8 due to Subsidies from the Govt.

Win some, lose some.

Our Summer of Discontent

2010-06-23T18:11:00.000-07:00

Well, for better or worse the US rolls forward into a uncertain future, it should be rather clear by now to all but fanatics that Obama's policies have, on the main, failed, now the US is looking at a mountain of debt, a War that is in shambles, and political leadership that enjoys the trappings more than the job.

Meanwhile, the small, quicker fish should be moving into Yr 2 of garden planning and harvesting, conserving cash to purchase durable goods, if not purchased already, and have finally realize the truth of the matter, the plaintiff cries from the flooded streets of New Orleans post Katrina "Help us, Help us" have been answered in the only manner the Govt knows how to..ineffectively.

Inflation rises by 2%

2010-05-03T13:37:00.000-07:00

Death Taxes and Inflation.

With the Federal Reserve unlikely to tighten monetary supply, now would be a good time to stock up on Items one will need this Fall, things such as Motor Oil and Filters, Tools, Ammunition, Bulk Food and perhaps Christmas Gifts.

Time for this year's garden

2010-03-21T08:02:00.000-07:00

It has been a long and cold winter but the first real green shoots are coming up now, which means "time to plant the early spring garden".

This year's foray will be mostly herbs as last yr's experiment just did not have enough room for proper vegetables to flourish, Basil and Cilantro and Oregano will be the main crop this year as they are used the most around the house in cooking.

December Inflation rises 2.7%

2010-02-18T19:05:00.000-08:00

Prices on food and fuel rose in December prompting the Fed to contemplate raising interest rates, which means the proto recovery, or faux recovery will be over before it begins.

1 in 5 US Families could not purchase food in 2009

2010-01-31T18:21:00.000-08:00

Well, here at the Last Cause we tend to look eskew on anti Hunger groups in the US as the dichotmy, Obeisity and Hunger is simply to large to reconcile.

However, this story caught the eyes:

"..Nationwide polling found 18.2 percent of households reported "food hardship" -- lacking money to buy enough food -- in 2009, according to the group. That is higher than the government's "food insecurity" rating of 14.6 percent of households, or 49 million people, for 2008.

Households with children had a "food hardship" rate of 24.1 percent for 2009 compared with 14.9 percent among households without children. Twenty states had rates of 20 percent or higher. Seven Southern states led the list..."

Food insecurity? They made that up, or the respondents did not understand the question, or perhaps did not know how to prepare simple foods, after all Children's palates have been subtly changed via massive amounts of Sugar in nearly every food product aimed at the pre 12 yr old market.

A decent larder/pantry/storage would see people through the hard times, yet it would not include the Sugary foods, but would not be bland and tasteless either.

Extending the life span of lithium batteries

2010-01-21T17:16:00.000-08:00

"Aging of lithium-ion is an issue that is often ignored. A lithium-ion battery in use typically lasts between 2-3 years. The capacity loss manifests itself in increased internal resistance caused by oxidation. Eventually, the cell resistance reaches a point where the pack can no longer deliver the stored energy although the battery may still have ample charge. For this reason, an aged battery can be kept longer in applications that draw low current as opposed to a function that demands heavy loads. Increasing internal resistance with cycle life and age is typical for cobalt-based lithium-ion, a system that is used for cell phones, cameras and laptops because of high energy density. The lower energy dense manganese-based lithium-ion, also known as spinel, maintains the internal resistance through its life but loses capacity due to chemical decompositions. Spinel is primarily used for power tools"

A fascinating article, and timely.

There are few things more frustrating than reaching for the cordless power tool, that has had a battery on the charger and being met with a slow hum and 3 turns per second.

On the plus side, apparently Scott Brown's election in MA has stopped Healthcare Socialization in it's tracks, which on the whole is good, but the additional 1.9 Trillion Dollars in debt the Federal Govt is forced to authorize is not so good.

Sooner or later, that will start the inflationary spiral, when jobs are being lost at 400k per month, the US is about to face a double squeeze, rising prices and no jobs to be had to buy anything anyway.

2010 Food Crisis

2010-01-06T06:13:00.000-08:00

Crisis, never really cared for the term or idea, a Crisis is lack of life boats while the Titanic was sinking, a Crisis is running out of water in the middle of the Sahara.

That said, there is a confluence of events concerning the upcoming Food Market around the globe, mainly Argentina is suffering a drought and their Grain harvest will be far below what the world markets expected, add in a unusually cold winter in the US and an increasing hungry China and perhaps Writer Decarbonel is onto something:

Food Crisis of 2010

"...The same USDA that is predicting record harvests is also declaring disaster areas across half the Midwest because of catastrophic crop losses! To eliminate any doubt that this might be an innocent mistake, the USDA is even predicting record soybean harvests in the same states (Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Alabama) where it has declared virtually all counties to have experienced 30 percent production losses. It isn’t rocket scientist to realize something is horribly wrong.

USDA motivated by fear of higher food prices

The USDA is terrorized by the implications of higher food prices for the US economy, most likely because it knows the immediate consequence of sharply higher food will be the collapse of the US Treasury market and the dollar, as desperate governments and central banks dump their foreign reserves to appreciate their currencies and lower the cost of food imports. Fictitious USDA estimates should be seen as proof of the dire threat posed by higher food prices, as the USDA would not have turned its production estimates into a grotesque mockery of reality if it didn't believe the alternative to be apocalyptic....."

Decarbonnel also makes a great point here:

"..With one out of eight Americans on food stamps, foreign central banks are subsidizing US food consumption by funding the US government with their treasury purchases. Once the food crisis begins next year, they will be faced with the choice:

1) Continue subsidizing US food consumptions as triple digit food inflation ravages their economy and their people starve.
2) Dump their treasury holdings onto the market to rapidly appreciate their currencies, lowering the cost of food imports and preventing widespread domestic starvation...."

Hmm, I've been around a bit and have seen such predictions before, however 18% of adult workers in the US are on foodstamps including 1.1 million in Tennessee alone, so basically foreign banks are indeed paying, via buying Treasury instrument, to feed the masses in the US.

I have little doubt that the USDA is lying via statistics concerning Harvests in counties that have suffered 30% losses or greater in one crop, however the possibility also exists that additional crops were planted or different crops were planted which would magnify losses in any one crop.

Be that as it may, things are fuzzy, if one steps back and looks at the big picture, food prices are bound to rise in 2010 even more than they have since the Alpha Strategy was published, the only thing that can be said with this information is:

1. The Alpha Strategy is more valid than in the past

2. Something is cooking in the world food markets, though futures prices have not reflected that reality as of yet.

3. With Monetization by the Federal Reserve, including but not limited to purchasing Treasuries not sold at auction, and perhaps engaging in Stock Manipulation coupled with the possibility that there will be a Food Shortage means it is a good time to purchase those food items that will store the longest as well as being the most likely to rise in cost during 2010.

Things like Canned Tuna for example, have risen 30% in prices since 2009, Rice would also be a safe bet (if one likes Rice), I also think Coffee and Chocolate will have surprising rises in prices.

The thing about coffee is, it is the #2 Commodity traded in the world in terms of cash volume, as the dollar weakens the prices will rise..

Shadow Stats and real inflation numbers

2010-01-01T15:00:00.000-08:00

New Year's day...eh...a somewhat bland holiday wherein I expect many are nursing hangovers at home and abroad, watch it lass, that is a bad place to have frost bite.

I find Shadowstats a great counterpoint to the "official" inflation numbers, .Gov has every reason to underreport actual inflation whilst proclaiming the recession as being "over", which is not quite the case to be sure, if anything we are seeing demographic specific effects of inflation.

"Demographic inflation"?

Think of it this way, with the offical inflationary stats excluding food and fuel and the cost of increased laws and regulations, inflation hits some demographics of the economy much harder than others.

A small business owner who now has to pay a slew of additional costs for emission controls, increased minimum wage taxes in the form of FICA and SS and Medicare, is hit much harder than say a Doctor's office who does not face the effects of that particular brand of .Gov inspired inflation.

Hmm a RedDawn remake?

2009-12-27T22:37:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWnKEOJw-Ok&NR=1&feature=fvwp

A nice collage of the original film, a remake?

Not sure about the quality that a remake may possess:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oIRF4cYQ8Y

Well not surprising, a Red Dawn Remake merely shows the lack of creativity in Hollyweird...that said, media that focuses people on the Cruddy life is Always a good thing, life is not all Pan and Roses and Butterflies.

BTW..always drove me nutz, the Original Red Dawn featured Pat Swayze and Scott Thomas discussing "no radio" when in fact the radio in Swayze's pickup would have worked just fine..

Post Christmas...get yourself into gear..efficiently

2009-12-25T12:55:00.000-08:00

Christmas day has arrived, they always do, on the 25th of every December.

Plenty of gifts, food, comraderie etc and so forth, perhaps even lending a hand in doing dishes or taking out the torn remnants of wrapping paper..

Enough of that, now that Christmas has passed, it is time to regift oneself from the ghosts of Christmas, Birthdays and splurges past.

The average purchaser of electronics, be they Play Stations or Laptops or even a PDA uses maybe 10% of the capacities of those devices, typically what happens is the gadget is used for one, or maybe two things, everything else is just not bothered with, at the Last Cause that is unacceptable.

We are all about increasing capacity by using what we already own, for example:

-Old Gateway laptop, 1 Ghz processor, DVD player has morphed into a 15 inch media center that can watch sports events or shows online for little to no cost in preperation for dropping Satellite Service once the cheapy intro rate expires.

-Old Palm PDA the M500 series, found a kit online for less than 40 dollars that allows it to transform into a GPS unit.

-Bread Machine, no new tricks with that, merely a schedule and Jankesque committment to a schedule, fresh bread is quite a treat, the capacity is already there, why not use it twice a week to create preservative free, tastee bread?

-Found an old Fax for Computer program that should increase capacity if I need to send a fax.

-Reformatted some old 1 gb thumb drives and installed DSL linux

-Went through the book library and found some old titles that I have not read in years, as the saying goes "If you wish to learn something new, read a book you already have read".

-Open Office installed on the media center Gateway to create spreadsheets for the Alpha Strategy purchases that need to be made, as well as synching the laptop with the old palm pilot for penny by penny budgeting purposes.

-Cheapy digital camera that can record film, plan on going through self defense techniques with a blade in order to see where improvement can be made, most cellphones already have digital cameras in them, it does make one wonder if the camera is still good even if the service is dropped.

-Blew the dust off of old workout equipment, if 2010 is as bad as I think it can be, it will be a great time to get back into top shape, from the old Nordic Tracks to some dumbells, that equipment still works just fine and it is a positive outlet for frustrating times.

And it beats watching Oprah and wallowing in self pity.

-Langauge Course, these are real gem, picked them up for 5 dollars on sale at Office Max, 51 langauges, coupled with "The Quick and Dirty Guide to Learning Foreign Languages Fast" and by Spring basal competence in 5 different languages can be mastered rather easily.

A few examples of recycling older tech and items and making them useful again, if one has ever shopped at a thrift store and found similar items keep in mind the item is not useless, the former owner just was not creative enough to find a new use for them.

Have a Merry Christmas, save your money, be cautious, but decisive when acting.

Khazad! Khazad! Christmas is Upon You!!

2009-12-09T19:13:00.000-08:00

That time of year is here...again...and the ads are bombarding the buying public...again..Christmas must be some diabolical plot by marketers to influence feelings and drive the Consumer into debt or they are..less than caring..

From "laptop for $199" to the lastest greatest digital gadegtry, "you" will buy something..."you" know it, surrender, pull out the Credit Card...do it!

Insert Sam Kinnison voice over.

Christmas in and of itself is not particularly Scriptural, in fact a better case could be made for Consumation over Immaculate Conception, however it is a golden chance to reconnect with family and loved ones and just enjoy some good company and have a nice meal and exchange gifts preferrably that one created themselves, that is how Christmas began and perhaps should return to being.

And times are hard, if the cooking is done oneself it reduces costs, unless of course one's time is extremely valuable, and of course cook a bit more so there are leftovers that can be given out as take home dishes for those less fortunate guests who are going through it.

It should be pointed out that the best bargains are often found in the returned items section of the local store, and items that are over purchased at the local market will be marked down in early January, a good time to stock up on wrapping paper and perhaps food items.

Unemployment to persist at high levels

2009-11-11T04:46:00.000-08:00

Sadly, mankind never learns the big lessons, Unemployment will remain high for years.

Hundreds of billions in "stimulus" monies won't change that TARP has merely consolidated banking power at taxpayer's expense and made the Federal Government partial owners of the new conglomerates.

So while people lose their jobs, and inflation (actual inflation not the lies the .Gov is peddling this week) rises robbing money from rich and poor alike, now there will be even less employment available moving forward under the twisted Keynsian Vision that is en vogue in Babylon on the Potamic.

With a warehousing strategy in place, the loss of a job can be dealt with, at least somewhat, the problem is the 90's and 2000's housing boom created millions of mortgage holders, but far fewer actual homeowners, a lost job can see an eviction from one's home making the warehouse a burden, however that is one of the risks in America on the Decline, there is no longer Certainty only Doubt and loss moving forwards.

A one time favorite Author of mine, Boston T Party mentioned in his great "Surviving Doomsday" that Americans really should live with the thought that if their income were cot in half, it would have no effect on their day to day lives.

What a great concept, along with the rebirth of the Nuclear Family, two ideas who would allow Americans in particular to get back on their feet as a whole without living in one's car for an extended period of time.

Supplement table fare, a good strategy

2009-10-20T19:42:00.000-07:00

"...The National Sporting Goods Association forecasts that spending on hunting and firearms will rise $350 million this year, even as spending declines for nearly every other sport the group monitors.

For hunters, deer meat isn't free -- there's overhead, including a deer hunting license, ammunition, gas for the car -- but it's cheap.

"You've got your loin steaks and your hindquarter steaks," Weaver said, "and the rest ground up into sausage -- comes to about 70 cents a pound."

http://www.indystar.com/article/20091019/LOCAL/910190348/In+trying+times++hunters+go+after+deer+to+put+food+on+the+table

The writer does a good job of reminding the reader that hunting "gear" often times outstrips the savings in venison going on the table.

I also would think that if savings were really what were being sought, the Huntsmen would go out in groups and dilute the costs among several people, gas, lunch, even baits, those costs add up.

And such supplemental meat should also include smaller game animals such as Rabbits and Squirrels and Ducks (though Ducks tend to be a "rich man's game due to the high costs involved, not always but once the dogs and the blinds and the time are added in, as well as the custom perrazi's, it would take a lifetime of hunting to recoup the cash layouts.

Some Venison Sausage with Rich along with some homebrewed wine and homemade bread sounds like a great meal indeed.

Dollar begins free fall

2009-10-13T15:47:00.000-07:00

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/dollar_loses_reserve_status_to_yen_hFyfwvpBW1YYLykSJwTTEL;jsessionid=65E301CF47ED50D15170F8D6530791C5

"After printing up trillions of new dollars and new bonds to stimulate the US economy, the Federal Reserve chief is now boxed into a corner battling two separate monsters that could devour the economy -- ravenous inflation on one hand, and a perilous recession on the other.

"He's in a crisis worse than the meltdown ever was," said Peter Schiff, president of Euro Pacific Capital. "I fear that he could be the Fed chairman who brought down the whole thing."

Well, who couldn't see this one coming?

I see there are two trends emerging, A) Denial, the DC spendthrifts simply act as if this is not a fact of life for their budgeting purposes, they will not stop spending, they will not stop issuing debt and they will continue to print money with no inherent value.

B) The statistics for inflation will be skewed and unreliable, quite simply they will lie about the effect that inflation will have on everyday life in America.

What this means in real world terms, if one stockpiles is imported goods are going to go upwards in price, everything from plastic storage bowls to Levi's will cost more and soon, perhaps as soon as this Spring, maybe sooner.

It also means that internally produced commodities such as Sugar and Grains will rise in price as the producers can now make more money selling internationally than domestically.

I'd recommend inventory what items you purchase the most that are produced internationally and make a decision on what you would invest in and use the most and make a decision to purchase, or do without or substitute...because they are only going to rise in price as the dollar slides in purchasing power.

Greenshoots?

2009-09-24T20:49:00.001-07:00

It is now official Senior Citizens will not see a Cost of Living increase for the next 2 years as the Treasury has determined that inflation will not be an issue.

An idea of course that is spurious at best, Utility Companies are raising rates, Grocery Store prices have also increased, but those are not "core inflation" measurements, which means Granny is outtaluck with a shrinking in purchasing power .Gov payout making do is again a reality.

I do believe that Seniors will be able to handle such a situation better than today's youth because at least they have heard the stories of the Great Depression, though they were rarely told that the .Gov and FDR actually prolonged the Depression.

Either way, the Alpha Strategy is nothing new for the Seniors I've met, for example a 81 yr old Florida lady who stockpiled grains and breakfast cereals as well as having a Orange and Grapefruit Orchard.

Christmas time meant homemade Orange Marmalade, which is quite good actually.

To me, the recommendations for Alpha Strategy warehousing are non commodity items, anything that is imported will naturally rise in price as the dollar (and our purchasing power) continues to erode, imported items such as Quality cookware such as knives and cooking gear will rise in price by next spring, as will auto parts which on new cars will see increases in prices if one has dealer servicing, and parts will rise in price even on that classic Toyota 4 Runner.

Ammunition is a neutral buy at the moment simply because production will exceed demand and prices will naturally fall with the caveat being .Gov action to increase the prices via onerous regulations in places such as California.

The Federal Reserve begins Monetization

2009-08-11T18:32:00.000-07:00

Monetization...or "Stabilization" is when the Federal Government issues debt, that a different branch of the Federal Govt purchases, in this case, the Federal Reserve which prints the "dollar" is purchasing from the Dept of Treasury, which issues Debt instruments.

So?

Basically the Fed is printing money and handing it over to the Federal Govt, that causes inflationary pressures, which in turn causes prices to rise across the board, everything from Ramen to Gasoline will rise in price.

The best hedges against the coming price inflation, besides marketable skills, are items that must be purchased either now, or 3 years from now, Motor Oil, Oil Filters, Toilet Paper, Food Items, key clothing items as well such as socks or briefs.

And keep in mind, the Porkulus monies, some 600 billion "dollars" remains largely unspent, add that to the 200 Billion in failed Treasury Debt that did not sell at auction, that produced 200 billion more that will be pumped into the US Economy, as well as the decline in the value of the Dollar v the ChiCom's Yuan, making even imported goods more expensive, and the Citizen is facing an inflationary spiral.

And the more the Obama Administration spends, the worse the cycle will grow, and they plan on spending Trillions more on non revenue producing projects, make work projects if one will.

Michael Janke's Take Control and change your life

2009-07-12T05:07:00.000-07:00

Here on ye olde blog I think a new feature will be the "bargain book bin" featuring a review of a older book normally available for 1 dollar or less, but has content that merits mentioning.

This installment will highlight a work from the year 2000, Michael Janke's " Take Control Master The Art of Self Discipline and Change your life forever"

Found at the local Goodwill for the sum of $1.00, Janke was a one time motivational speaker who authored several other books along with a series of videotapes (it is from the Dot.com era).

Janke's work is small, 231 pages, and is mainly focused on increasing self discipline and productivity via a series of self assesing questions as well as worksheets that one designs that are a kind of Get Things Done system with absolutely no flab to be found.

And that is the heart of the book and one of the most positive features of the work, Janke' is an ex SEAL and intersperses vignettes from his time in the military that, in my view, are written for the .com era new gen computer techie types, the stories don't add much to the overall message of the book, Efficiency via Time Discipline.

If the reader can put aside the SEAL references, and focus on the self assessment and goal setting portions, Janke's book can be very effective at turning dead time into productive time as well as focusing effort into finishing projects from the most mundane tasks to the longer term goals that must be completed.

The simple system of a ledger and a box next to each task as well as Substitute Thinking is effective, and if followed, works surprisingly well. Results being the ultimate "proof test" Author Janke's should be given credit for writing a implementable system that actually works.

Janke' s Future Orientation is out of the norm for such a motivational work and makes for a interesting purpose in following his prescribed plan of Self Discipline. Actions now, ones that take concrete and positve steps in a parent's life do trickle down to the children, such a view is worth considering paying the $1.00 this book currently commands.

Summer time

2009-06-21T14:40:00.000-07:00

We have had an incredible amount of rain this spring, literally, we have gone from drought to flood in 4 months.

Which is great for the plants, not so good for the people.

Inflation is slowly appearing out in the Real World

2009-05-13T07:17:00.000-07:00

Alas, it's been a month since I posted simply because there is so much turmoil at the moment that patterns had yet to form, until now:

Gasoline has risen from 1.97 to 2.13

Motor Oil has suddenly spike upwards, premium brands are now 3.20 a quart, even the store brand at Advance Auto has jumped to 2.69 from 1.59 even during the height of the oil crunch last year.

Spaghetti Sauce has jumped from 1.00 or so to 1.25, even plain old boxed pasta has increased from .88 cents to 1.37 a box of rotini.

Ammunition is still scarce, with astronomical prices being asked for a single box of ammunition, 47.50 for a single box of aummunition.

The M1 supply has risen 10% already, with more to come, meaning inflation will really kick in this year, meaning what you purchase now will be a better investment then most of the traditional intangiables investments that served so well from 1982-1999.

We've had an unusually wet spring so far, the home garden is doing well, and hopefully, home gardening will continue to grow in popularity as it will provide an offset to the inevitable increase in the price of gasoline and other food stuffs, in this case those in warmer weather climates will have an advantage over those in the northern parts of the US, or for that matter, the globe. If you have the climate and the space, there is little reason not to grow a garden this year, and grow that which will be expensive at the local grocery store, Red Peppers for example, are a good crop, Corn on the other hand, is not as 3/1.00 vs 1.89 per pepper makes quite clear.

The Propeht of Doom Syndrome v Enlightened Self Interest

2009-04-11T12:18:00.000-07:00

No doubt about it, these are troubled times Spiritually, Ethically and Financially, from Bank Collapses to Nationalization to Inflation to increasing structural costs, and of course anyone who is even partially serious about a Religious Faith is the subject of scorn.

Times like these a Jeremiah or a Nietzsche arises to pronounce this era is the most trying ever and destruction is certain to come. It's human nature to seek out what we feel is the "truth" for the times, in good times, Anthony Robbins or Chris Warren, in bad times Gerald Celente or Peter Schiff.

The Prophet of Doom is set upon a pedastal and either praised or mocked depending on what one's views are, the Sunny Optimist is either called out of touch or bringer of hope, depending one what one wishes to hear.

As a Preparedness Aware Individual, it is wise to maintain a balance between both, to be Optimistic about one's preparations but a Prophet of Doom subscriber is not a mutually exclusive philosophy, in fact, it is simple Enlightened Self Interest to grasp the fact that times are never as bad as they seem, nor as prosperous as they seem.

A year's worth of supplies should cost about a month's pay depending on family size and Cadillac tastes, and using the Alpha Strategy, one is insured either way, it is a safe bet that inflation will be a fact of life, so prebuying items that will cost more later makes sense in the case of job loss, or hyper inflation or simple piece of mind. So one has effectively hedged against both a crash or even a return to normalcy.

I enjoy Gerald Celente's work, I also like Rick Warren's outlook, I don't plan on moving to the hinterlands (yet) nor do I plan on putting on a happy face...

2009-04-07T13:40:00.001-07:00

Ammunition is literally disappearing off the store shelves in what can only be described as a "panic".

Nothing wrong with that, people should cherish their Rights, the problem is, how do you save money and still remain armed and accurate?

Enter the ChiCom .177 pellet rifle, typically sells for 50 dollars or less, pellets are relatively cheap, and they hit hard enough to bring down small game such as rabbits or squirrels or soda bottles and since they are modeled after the SKS (which is now a 300 dollar rifle, weren't they 59 dollars not that long ago?) one can also have some training time behind a similar rifle. The cheapy ChiCom also allows for a telescopic site to be added which helps with accuracy a great deal.

This gentleman used his pellet rifle to successfully bring home some supper:

http://www.americanairgunhunter.com/huntingwithchineseAG.html

The price increase in SKS rifles is a great example of inflation in action, when they first became available in the early 90's, they were viewed as semi crappy fixed magazine rifles that could be had for next to nothing, now they command a week's pay and the ammunition is no longer 1.99 per 20 cartridges..and that happened in 13 years or so.

2009-04-07T13:34:00.000-07:00

And so it begins, we are beginning to see the effects of all of the money that has been created even down to the "can of sauce" level of the economy, what used to be 98 cents is now 1.19, add in the coming increase in sales taxes and we are looking at a 1.25 a unit price.

The way around this is to rely on oneself and purchase Canning Jars and lids and the industrial sized cans of stewed tomatoes, and stir up your own sauce with a blender and can it before hand. Doing thus also lets the cook make their own sauces to taste, add basil from the garden or oregano or extra onions or garlic in either whole form, or powdered form.

Another clever way to enjoy pasta and to save some money is to harvest wild greens such as Nettle Tops or Kale or what have you, and make Pesto sauce with them, leave out the pine nuts and such pesto will be much more affordable to create and it utilizes one's own environment to improve your bottom line.

The Knife in self defense mode, cheap, handy and effective

2009-03-16T13:46:00.001-07:00

Knife use in self defense is a pecuilar passion of mine as to me their potential is underrated and their effectiveness at defense (by being offensively defensive) is without a doubt. Fortunately there are some wonderful resources on the WWW that are not only free, but also were used in WW2.

W.E.B. Fairbairn's Get Tough comes to mind. Colonel Fairbairn designed a stiletto style dagger based on his years in the Changhai Police Force, in fact such a dagger is the picture at the top of the Blog.

More pertinent for this post is, Col Fairbairn also created a chart showing the major arteries in the human body along with an estimate of how long consciousness would be lost if one were severed as appears above.

A recent work by Paladin Press entitled Contemporary Knife Targeting studied Col Fairbarin's chart and asked medical professionals about it's accuracy or lack thereof. The work claimed Fairbairn was overly optimistic and that the volume of blood and heart rate would make the chart impractical and of lesser value.

My conlcusion is Col Fairbairn was too optimistic, but the Paladin Press work was to conservative in that the rate a injury will cause shock in an attacker varies from person to person, from situation to situation, they also failed to account for the increased heart rate and blood flow internally that a conflict will create. Authors Grasz and Janich however, did offer an effective biomechanical cutting program that relied more on targeting muscle groups then arteries.

That said, taking Col Fairbairn's chart and authors Grasz and Janich's study, it can be reasonably said that either penetration into the body cavity, or slashing a artery or muscle group can be done with the smallest of knives.

That 2 dollar steak knife literally can be used to save one's life in a pinch, if not knowing knife use system is a problem, it is one of a lack of knowledge only, the triceps, qaudraceps, radial artery (inside the wrist) are well known to most.

A steak knife one may ask? Of course, it is the deadliest blade in America, often a domestic dispute will erupt and the first thing that comes to hand is used, be that a chair or a knife from the butcher's block on the counter.

Of course things can be more complicated then this, and training never hurt, especially if one's life is in the balance, or could be in the balance, but do not let the "ninja master" syndrome effect one, mankind has used knives for thousands of years, it is not rocket science at a most basic level it is quite simple.

Frugality is the new fad...

2009-03-15T18:42:00.001-07:00

When a major media outjest manages to run a story on the new sincerety, one has to take notice.

The nightmare of a consumer driven economy, the Urban Professional cuts back spending even when there is disposable income available, no worries though, tax increases and regulatory burdens and the hidden tax of inflation will destroy the value they are hoarding. That is the issue with merely hoarding cash under the mattress, it loses it's buying power to inflationary termites.

It could be said that official inflation is quite low, and that would be a truism, however in this downturn we are experiencing producer price hikes at the overseas manufacturing locations, the US inflationary measures also do not account for food or fuel, they basically are worthless as a economic measure in a Global Economy.

Those new to value hoarding would be well served by purchasing items that will increase in price over the long term that are fit to warehouse. Otherwise sticker shock at the local Wally World could make it to America's Funniest Home videos.

The idea to use plain vinegar over even plain jane fabric softener is a good one.

Spring is here, time to plant a garden.

2009-03-08T14:47:00.000-07:00

The mini warehouse is located in an urban environment where tilling the soil would be frowned upon.

No problem, instead of a subsistence garden as would be the case in Europe, I've decided to use the limited space to grow herbs to supplement the variety of food during the year.

These work well:

Basil
Oregano
Field Onions

The only realistic food items that there is space to grow is jalapeno peppers and maybe a heavy yielding variety of tomato, both items are quite expensive at the store, as are the herbs when they are fresh, so this makes financial sense.

And it should be pointed out that culinary matters count as well, a few fresh basil leaves can light up a otherwise bland pan of scrambled eggs, and that also adds to the comfort factor, Fresh Oregano is wonderful when added to the typical can of spaghetti sauce which has little flavor of it's own.

So if one has the time, look into a small herb garden, it pays both in the wallet and in the comfort factor.

Gold is spiking in price

2009-02-22T13:22:00.000-08:00

Gold has suffered a surprising upward trend, almost 80 dollars in a single week.

Normally Central Banks then sell gold to depress the price, however in this case, a rising gold price means the Central Banks now have more assets on hand and that helps to keep them solvent.

Silver, or poor man's gold, has also seen a upward trend, however not as large percentage wise as Gold has, there is perhaps still some room to purchase Silver in expectation of a rising price and a profit, however Silver is purely an investment as no Central Bank holds silver reserves.

Buyer beware on silver purchases for anything other then a small fast profit or as a minor hedge against inflationary presssures.

There will be no Hunt Brothers this time out, and the commodity bubble bursting effected silver.

Mormon Index rising...Alpha Strategy in effect?

2009-02-05T05:06:00.000-08:00

Now I must confess my issues with Mormon Theology, however on the whole I've found such differences to be no barrier to friendship and good natured conversations with my fellow Mormon Americans.

That stated, I must say the "Mormon Way" of preparing for one year of hard times with no commercial food or personal care products is a great and wonderful example of what Americans of any creed or even no creed or faith should practice if possible:

A contrarian view of what is really happening in the US Economy is Mormon Index, a compendium of the utilization of the services of a Mormon Warehouses:

.....Winona and Kevin Black began stocking their shelves a couple of years after their 1985 wedding. When they moved to St. Louis, in 1990, they had two small children and began their food storage in earnest. Kevin Black was a resident at Barnes Hospital at the time, and the family was spending $30 a week on food.

Today, with seven children, the Blacks have increased their food budget to $100 a week, and they've abided by the church's food-storage suggestions for two decades.

One of their daughter's twin mattresses was set up on boxes filled with cans of powdered milk, potato flakes and red beans. Shelves in an upstairs closet of their Crestwood house are balanced on the large No. 10 cans used in the church's cannery operation and filled with wheat.

In a separate storage room downstairs, more boxes of wheat, pasta, sugar and oats sit next to multiple jars of mayonnaise, boxes of soup mix, bags of popcorn and cans of refried beans.

Winona Black keeps a black marker in the room to help her keep track of the rotation of supplies

The Bishops Warehouse also provides services such as resume writing and faux interviews that are video recorded and played back so any flaws in the interviewee's performance may be crtiqued and improved.

Quite impressive, and everyone whether atheist or other, could take a lesson from those remarkable preperations.

Individuality, Privacy, and the need for effort

2009-01-11T07:43:00.000-08:00

I'm occasionally struck by the reality of modern Internet Communities and the amount of private information they can reveal.

From Facebook to Twitter, people are literally taking their most private details, and making a public spectacle out of them, which seems a bit foolish. The Internet is "forever" meaning 10 or 15 years down the road, what is youthful behavour now, will be cringe worthy later as people, believe it or not, change over time.

And it should also be mentioned that Officials frequently look for MySpace pages during the course of investigations, or when they are merely fishing around, and there has been two cases of such information leading to people's deaths at the hands of law enforcement simply because some well meaning, but misguided soul posted pictures of themselves with firearms on their myspace pages, in one case in NC, a poor slob simply had pictures of his friend holding firearms and he was killed in a incompetent SWAT raid on his home near a college campus.

It makes some sense to participate in such social sites, it makes even more sense to publish as little actual person information as possible and still participate with ones friends.

In Biblical terms, "Behold, I send you out as sheep among wolves, be ye wise as serpents, and gentle as doves"

Over a month with no posts..dressed up for the New Year.

2009-01-09T19:42:00.000-08:00

It's been a month, but no time lost per se, Deflation is beginning to emerge into the US Economy, and that is one tough thing to deal with effectively.

For the Alpha Strategist, this is a prime time to load up on long term storage items, prices will not be lower then they are now, add in a staggering 7.2% unemployment rate, and things are beginning to become "interesting".

It would make sense to acquire supplies for the larder now, as when unemployment hits, not only will one be broke, one will also be unable to purchase personal health items, or food supplies, or motor oil, or any of the things that make life move forward.

This downturn happening in the Winter only makes matters worse, but if one shows forsight, like the Ant in the parable, and gathered in the Fall, or gathers now, especially if one is employed in a Tourist or Travel business, one will be able to ride out a rough patch.

SWAT team confiscates families food supply in Ohio

2008-12-07T10:10:00.000-08:00

On the surface, this could be a hysteria inducing story for an Alpha Strategist, the local county SWAT team raids a small family business and home and carts off food stuffs and leaves no paper work or inventory documenting their actions.

Could your larder be next?

Ewww...scary..scary...like FDR and Gold in 1933

But alas, nothing quite so dramatic:

"On Monday, December 1, a SWAT team with semi-automatic rifles entered the private home of the Stowers family in LaGrange, Ohio, herded the family onto the couches in the living room, and kept guns trained on parents, children, infants and toddlers, from approximately 11 AM to 8 PM. The team was aggressive and belligerent. The children were quite traumatized. At some point, the “bad cop” SWAT team was relieved by another team, a “good cop” team that tried to befriend the family. The Stowers family has run a very large, well-known food cooperative called Manna Storehouse http://www.mannastorehouse.com on the western side of the greater Cleveland area for many years"

Basically they sold or donated uninspected beef to a college, the beef was free of both steroids and the normal massive doses of anti biotics that some beef are currently injected with, which of course tipped Inspector Cleseau, who was denied membership in the Co-Op so he came back a week later with men armed with fully automatic weapons, bullet proof vests, and flash bang hand grenades...over a paperwork issue.

Spam..it's what's for dinner

2008-12-07T10:04:00.000-08:00

A recent article mentioned that sales of the canned meat product Spam have shot up 10% since September.

Spam is sort of a platypus of food, and to be frank, relying on it for nutrition over the long haul is dubious, but that increase in sales when added with the increase in the sales of seeds for DIY food production, America clearly sees some hard times on the horizon.

It requires hundreds of pounds of food to feed a family of four, solid nutrition is actually inexpensive to purchase in bulk, foods such as Barley and Split Peas or even Oats are good values and available in bulk.

5 best and 5 worst deals at Costco

2008-11-30T17:27:00.000-08:00

For using a stockpiling strategy to defeat the corrosive tax of inflation, Warehouse Clubs are hard to beat...in theory, if one watches prices places such as Sams, BJ's and Costco sometimes have great bulk deals, other times, not so much.

So helpfully, MSN money has provided a small portion of insight into the best and worst deals at Costco and presumably the other Warehouse Clubs as well:

The Best, Meat, Electronics, Dairy and Eggs*, Alcohol, Prescription Drugs.

The worst, Designer Clothing, Frozen Foods, Products purchased in Bulk and wasted via shrinkage, Paper Goods and Gasoline.

Now far be it from this humble AS to disagree with the mighty MSN Money, but they are off base, people who stockpile in anticipation of hard times learn the skills needed to make buying Bulk and Frozen foods productive and not deductive.

Bulk Foods are broken down into smaller air tight containers, Frozen Foods are broken up into smaller units and used more quickly, in my area Eggs are actually a dollar more expensive at the local Sam's then they are at the local discount shopping retailer and key storage items like Spaghetti Sauce are also more of a value at the local discounter.

Gasoline is difficult to purchase at the local Sam's as they have a strange pay now, drive over to pumps with the receipt to fill up the tank, with local Gas and Kiosk retailer EnMark doing business in the area, such a inconveinence is not worth the effort and EnMark also has Water and Air to top off your vehicle with.

So as per usual with such articles, knowing local conditions is the key to winning the retailing game, look at prices and inconveince and decide at what point saving money in small amounts is not worth the effort or trouble, and choose accordingly.

Another odd one, Hanging Pheasant

2008-11-30T15:21:00.000-08:00

Recently ran across a different Blog about Hunting and found another long forgotten practice:

Hanging Pheasants, or for some Dry Aging Beef.

Basically once the bird is reduced to possession, it is left to err "age" until the tissue begins to break down (better known as rot slightly) in order to enhance the flavor of otherwise a nondescript version of Chicken.

I can recall reading about that practice in James Clavell's Shogun, but thought it was sort of created merely by a lack of refrigeration, apparently I was incorrect:

"

The great Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarindoesn’t give a timetable, but says, “the peak is reached when the pheasant begins to decompose; its aroma develops, and mixes with an oil which in order to form must undergo a certain amount of fermentation, just as the oil in coffee can only be drawn out by roasting it.” Sounds pretty hardcore.

Roy Wall wrote in 1945: “The flesh of either wild game or domesticated animals and fowl can certainly be improved by aging, but it is my opinion that there must be a limit to the aging process…aging in the open air for 10 days or a month, according to weather conditions, is, in my opinion, most beneficial to domestic and wild meat alike."

Hmm...well..mmkay...

As for the Alpha Strategy, right now prices seem to have stabilized, I would however point out that food producers sign contracts in advance, sometimes years in advance, with the decline in prices of commodities there will be less production of those commodities, meaning prices will rise sometime in early 2009.

Now the other thing to keep in mind is Government introduced scarcity, there are less then 50 days until the real possibility exists that items such as rifles and ammunition and magazines will increase in price even moreso then Alpha Strategists are seeing today, add in the real possiblity of precious metals becoming a safe haven until political leadership sorts out how much inflation they wish to introduce into the US and indeed World Economy...

A rarity, the lost art of Ferreting in the UK

2008-11-25T18:06:00.000-08:00

I always found the idea of hunting with ferrets both intriguing and a bit distasteful, on one hand, they are no different then using hounds to hunt rabbits, on the other, they give a massive advantage to the hunter that uses them.

Anyhow, here is a interesting of one such hunt:

We pulled up in the farm yard and left the jeep at the same spot as we had yesterday. I pushed 3 cartridges into my gun and we put out game bags on over one shoulder and slowly crawled towards the gate. We slipped the guns through the gaps in the fence and picked a target. I picked two big fat rabbits sitting right next to each other. My grandad started the countdown, 3, 2, 1. We sent all of our shots at the rabbits and stood up while re-loading so we could get a better aim. we fired off another 2 rounds each and went to pick up our rabbits. We gutted them and left them to cool in the grass behind the jeep. we netted up all the holes, set the long nets and set some peg snares on the runs to catch any lucky escapees. I put Purdey and Kala into the first bury and Dodge and Stinker into the second while my grandad put 5 of his into one massive bury that went under a tree. We killed 16 in the first ten minutes after putting down the ferrets and another 47 in the next hour. My grandads ferrets sent out a pheasant and he shot it before I.."

Obviously, ferrets are dynamite game animals, these gents apparently had a source to purchase the excess rabbits they had bagged, and since Rabbits reproduce several times a year, no great pressure was put on the local populace.

Ferret hunting in the US is rare, in fact some MidWestern States had banned their use in the 40's and 50's, the ferret is just that effective...

Hard Times...Good Times pt II

2008-11-21T07:39:00.000-08:00

The LA Times has a story about Children moving back in with their parents due to the Mortgage Collapse, on the whole, it's a fair story but perhaps overlooks just how common it was in American to have three generations under one roof.:

"...When adult children and parents are forced to live together, they typically experience a breakdown in what Coontz calls "the economy of gratitude." Family members notice only the inconveniences and ignore the nice things that they do for one another.

That doesn't have to happen, of course. Houses are larger now, so family members have more space and more chances for privacy. But beyond that, children and parents can peacefully coexist by approaching the new living arrangement as they would if they were taking on any roommate: Agree in advance on how to handle household purchases, cleaning and other responsibilities. Resolve the question of who is in charge and how the house is to be governed, and the situation may not seem so bad after all."

Now this is a somewhat fact of life, however Common Sense tells me that our lifestyle in the US, extreme self containment, is probably even less healthy, there is no need to learn Coping Skills like Patience and Tolerance of other's foibles.

The story does go on to point out this benefit:

"Hinkle had to think twice about living under the same roof as the son who had been her most problematic child.

"It's been surprisingly wonderful," she says. "He's calm and sensible, and I'm getting a level of contact with my kids and grandkids that has been more rewarding than I could ever have dreamed. Neither of us could have afforded to live here on our own."

Hinkle and her son talked about how they would divide the space and respect each other's privacy. She lives in the former garage, converted into a studio with its own entrance, and the kitchen is shared. When her door is closed, that means she's not to be bothered. No one is to assume that she will be the live-in babysitter.

For her part, Hinkle goes into other parts of the house only when invited.

"If it is getting tense, then I go into my room and close the door and work on e-mails or read," she says. "I know basically they are very good parents, and I made plenty of mistakes. They will make their own mistakes."

Now this in my view will be the "new" normal in the US for a couple of years, as the Economy rolls up tighter and tighter, people will retreat into what Institutions that remain, in this case, the Family, in times past, when one family member with a family of their own went through a Divorce or prolonged Unemployment/underemployment, the Family normally the Parents would offer to put them up "until they get back on their feet". Only in this case, I think we will see the rebirth of closer Family Unit that pools efforts to try and get ahead. There will be adult children who have to return to school to learn new skills, that will take time and humbleness to accomplish.

Rifle prices..in 1988..

2008-11-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

With the current Rifle buying frenzy in the news, I think now would be a good time for some nostalgia courtesy of the July 1988 Shotgun News:

Sweidsh M-38 Carbine...90.00

Fr-7 .308 bolt action carbine...115.00

FN-49...126.00

Chinese (Norinco) Ak-47's...275.00

M1 Garand...299.00

M1A..w 4 magazines...325.00

AR15...325.00

Belgian FAL...595.00

Steyr AUG (w25 magazines)...870.00

Belgian paratrooper FAL's...875.00

The M1A is a real bargain, AR's start at 600 dollars these days, clearly if and when the Obama Administration bans military patterned rifles, today's prices will seem like a real bargain, other good items to buy in the current 60 day window are Full Capacity Magazines for handguns, as well as Rifles, and Ammunition, sooner or later, today's prices will seem quite cheap in comparison to even two years from now.

I can remember clearly the zoom upwards in prices after the 1994 ban, one month a magazine for a Glock cost 12 dollars, the next month...45 dollars...

It's Catching on in San Francisco...

2008-11-19T13:49:00.000-08:00

San Francisco is a prosperous town, with the HQ's of several major corporations there, and a vibrant community type feel to it, this story comes as a surprise:

" The goodies in the pint jars and the carboys come from the Joseph Daniel Wilson Memorial Garden, which the Worleys founded across the street. The fresh produce is a huge final delivery from a Community Supported Agriculture farm in Orange County, which they used all summer. Packed in sand and stored at 55 degrees, the potatoes should keep at least until the New Year. The squash could still be palatable on Groundhog Day, and the onions should survive till spring. Cynthia Worley, who counsels and teaches adults for the New York City Department of Education, and Haja Worley, a neighborhood organizer and radio engineer, will let their basement-deprived friends store vegetables, too"

Middle America apparently does not like the smell of what is coming down the river and at least some folks are taking steps to prepare, though it should be noted, a Community Garden is at best a supplement, scores of people trying to make do off of a couple of acres food plot is not tennable.

What surprises me is the attitude to what once was thought simple prudence on the part of "Joe and Jane Average" in America:

Root cellars have long been the province of Midwestern grandmothers, back-to-the-landers and committed survivalists. But given the nation's budding romance with locally produced food, they also appeal to the backyard gardener, who may have a fruit tree that drops a bigger bounty every year while the refrigerator remains the same size

So the article sort of casts stones at self sufficiency, yet goes on to offer advice:

People who squirrel away vegetables tend to be resourceful, and they do not limit themselves to the subterranean. Anna Barnes, who runs a small media company and coordinates the Prairieland Community Supported Agriculture in Champaign, Ill., says squash hung in a pair of knotted pantyhose stay unspoiled longer than others.

This is a typical American reaction in my view, disparage, "only nutcases or grannies do that" to offering advice on how to do what they just disparaged.

The real problem is, if one is laid off or out of work, and has a family, grown food will not be enough, 365 days x 3 meals a day, and you will run out of pantyhoused squash before you run out of dinner to prepare.

Hard times....good times?

2008-11-12T16:15:00.000-08:00

Ahh, Mr. Obama won the election, the Fed could care less as the pump trillions of dollars out of nothing but thin air, and the bailout was a massive bait and switch...

Gas is down to 2.30 or so a gallon and it looks like hard times will sweep across the US and the Globe over the next few years...Nice...thank you Wizards of Smart!

Anywho, being the optimistic American that I am, I have to wonder if such a contraction will bring families closer together and perhaps still some of the foolish bickering that goes on during fat times, there is nothing like being the lifeboat to silence the squabbles. Such a renewed comittment to core values can only be a good thing.

To me, this is also to hone some skills and perhaps learn new ones, as our new found sincerety begins to take root, perhaps people will relearn some of the habits that made America successful in the first place, things like Frugality, Thrift, Work, Family, these are the things that make America livable.

As for the Alpha Strategy, a vignette:

A close friend, who is also a Strategist, lost his sole source of income, his rent is fairly cheap, and includes utilities and internet access, his larder is quite deep, and slowly he has been drawing down on his supplies to keep himself afloat during these times.

If he had purchased Stocks, or even Metals instead of stockpiling goods, he would face selling expensively purchased assets at a discount due to market downturns.

This worked well for him, and he also does not have to bother with tax paperwork, or the upcoming boom in Global Inflation that is on the horizon, buy now, store here, pay less down the road...works everytime it is tried..

Iceland going through Alpha Strategy Blues in currency meltdown

2008-10-13T18:15:00.000-07:00

Iceland always seemed like a wonderful place tucked into the middle of the N Atlantic, the people are friendly and until recently, life was cheap.

With an isolated location, and little food production capacity, our Icelandic Neighbors are no confronting empty store shelves and little food to purchase with a no worthless currency.

Alpha Strategy is relatively cheap to pursue while times are good, a family of four needs 3 meals a day, 7 days a week for at least 365 days, or 4,300 meals at about 2 pds of food per meal, give or take, or 8,000 pds of food or 160 bags of Beans and Corn or what have you.

Depending on how much your family consumes and how much food can be acquired via fishing or hunting or domestic production....

Icelanders, whose per capita gross domestic product is the fifth highest in the world, according to the United Nations 2007/2008 Human Development Index, will have to tighten their belts.

Shoppers are paying more for the goods they do get. The cost of fruits and vegetables, nearly all of which are imported, have gone up about 50 percent in recent months, said Steinunn Kristinsdottir, a 33-year-old Reykjavik resident who was leaving the Bonus store with her cart full.

``This situation really has been a bit troubling for people,'' she said. ``They don't know what's going to happen.

Stock market crash was forseeable, now comes Inflation

2008-10-09T18:12:00.000-07:00

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/oct/08/inflation.banking

This is the "best case scenario"

Monetary authorities around the world are now focused on trying to ensure that we avoid the fate of the United States in the Great Depression of the 1930s, when output fell by over 30%. Instead, their hope is that the recession to come is more like the early 1970s, when western economies shrank by 5% to 10%. Painful but not catastrophic.

One of the benefits of the venerable strategy of stockpiling is such inflation is avoided, by buying in quantity now, the Alpha Strategist will miss the pain of losing 10 dollars on every 100 dollars.

The real irony of this is, people who are "savers" the few and far between people who put their money in the bank, are about to lose their shirts from both inflation driven loss of purchasing power AND the increase in Capital Gains taxes.

Truly, inflation is a Govt best friend, and "Joe or Jane Average" worst enemy.

And what is the largest tidal wave to hit, Seniors on fixed Social Security incomes will not have their benefits increased 10%, try 4% maximum, literally, Seniors and the Retired will face the hawk and buzzard for a couple of years.

Buy, Buy Now, Buy in Bulk, Avoid all of this by using the Alpha Strategy.

Never...never..take things for granted

2008-09-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

As an Alpha Strategist, I'm afraid I let my gaurd down this week.

Hurricane Ike decimated the Houston Energy infrastructure, in response I filled the tank to the brim, the crisis seemed to pass, facilities were back and operational fairly quickly.

Alas, that is true, but not the whole truth, it would seem that my region was at the bottom of the list to have gasoline delivered to the pumps, after two weeks, I'm running on empty, there is no gas to be had without a 1 hour wait time.

Needless to say, I'd be out of gas long before I made it through the line, so in a counter move, it is shanks mare and a ten speed bike to make up the difference, if a real emergency hit, I'd be reduced to Fourth World level unable to transport to the hospital or the pharmacy.

The lesson from this one is, never trust what the media says, or what is "normal" that is a huge mistake in a crisis, and failure to forsee these sorts of things will cause inefficiency.

Fire! Death! Murder! Well...not exactly

2008-09-16T20:25:00.000-07:00

The Wizards of Wall and Broad have finally cooked their own gooses, to many years of high risk, medium profits and bad loans...they got burned, AIG, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers and a cavalcade of others, all no longer exist..

Hundreds of Billions in value....gone.

The Death of those Noble Houses of finances were no surprise, the effects will be felt for decades, centuries...eons...err...no it will not, the weak fail, that is one of the laws that cannot be legislated against, like gravity and God's Laws of personal behaviour, sure you can violate them, for a time, but the end result is...bowing to the inevitable (eww...grim...).

Murder! Which is what will happen to the average Go-Go 2000's family, their budgets are about to murdered in the contraction that will take place, we could see some minor deflation of commodities as losses in the US scare money out of the market and deflate prices.

Of course, as that money flees jobs go along with it, meaning if you have stocked the larder in your affordable dwelling and kept your bills low, the Alpha Strategy will pay dividends in the event of job loss/lowered income.

I see the Gurus on TV proclaming this a short term adjustment, they are quite wealthy enough to make that statement, but don't buy it for a second, this event will take time to be swallowed up in the rhythms of life, the easy credit Big Screen TV gas guzzling SUV life is about to face some attitude adjustments.

A bit of adivce though, if one is a Alpha Strategist, do not simply turn your back on Opportunity and gaze at your Alpha Savings Account, yes, it is nice security, now is the chance to go bargain shopping with that cash that is horded via bulk savings.

For myself, I can see some solid opportunities really solid ones, now that the preplanned Alpha Strategy is in effect, the next step is to look at one's own strategy for the next three years out in the face of Market that is cash strapped but value enhanced.

In 2002, I saw some historic lows, I still kick myself today for not dropping at least some money on companies that will not only pay a dividend, but also will appreciate.

Alpha's have won this round, it's the next round that should be looked forward to, don't fight the last war.

Consumer prices rise quickly

2008-08-14T15:43:00.000-07:00

From the AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer prices shot up in July at twice the expected rate, pushed higher by surging energy and food costs. The latest surge left inflation running at the fastest pace in 17 years.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that consumer prices rose by 0.8 percent last month, twice the 0.4 percent gain that economists had been expecting.

It marked the third straight month of oversized inflation increases following jumps of 0.6 percent in May and 1.1 percent in June. And it leaves inflation rising by 5.6 percent over the past year, the biggest 12-month gain since January 1991.

Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy costs, rose 0.3 percent in July, slightly higher than the 0.2 percent increase that economists had expected. For the past 12 months, core inflation has risen by 2.5 percent, the highest 12-month change since February.

The inflation surge presents a major problem for the Federal Reserve: Will inflation force it to start raising interest rates even as the economy struggles to avoid a recession?

Some economists said they believed this could be the last truly horrible inflation report, noting that energy prices have been falling since hitting a peak last month. Others worried that the July report could be a signal that inflation is not going to moderate as quickly as had been expected because the surge in energy prices is now starting to spread to other sectors of the economy.

So basically "core" inflation has risen, and the statistics do not track the costs of Alpha Strategy key items, food and fuel and the products made from oil, with a JIT inventory system, some makers of those products may only suffer a small rise in costs, manufacturers typically sign futures contracts for their raw materials, however once those contracts run out, the producers will have no choice but to raise prices on everything from Oatmeal to Toothpaste.

For myself, I hit on a mini gold mine of savings at a Industrial Paper Supplier, 200 rolls of generic Toilet paper for 40 bucks, a similar amount of a name brand toilet paper would cost 150 dollars plus taxes of 11 dollars, or about 25% of the cost for the 200 rolls.

It's small ball somewhat, but it reaffirms the saver mindset, and 200 rolls of TP will last almost two years at my home.

Dressed up ye old Blog with a Sykes Fairbairn

2008-08-05T19:46:00.001-07:00

Decided to add one of my favorite knives as a header on the blog.

The Sykes Fairbairn is a beautiful knife with a controversial design, tested in combat, but if you abused it, the blade would fail at the tip.

The tip of the knife would just snap off if it was abused, and yet the WW2 paras and OSS used it throughout the war with good results, but like most things, the newest and latest "obsolesced" this fine blade.

After WW2 there were barrels full of issued Sykes Fairbairn knives exported to America and sold for 3 dollars or so, today they would be worth hundreds of dollars if they had been used in combat.

The lesson is, what is cast away if it has intrinsic design value will always be useful, if not currently sexy...

Beauty Supply stores as Alpha Strategy enablers.

2008-08-04T13:16:00.000-07:00

Happened to be out and about in the heat of the day today, ran across a Discount Beauty Supply store of the type that author Pugsley mentioned in the Alpha Strategy.

I am a bit low on shampoo at the moment so I dropped in to see if Pugsley was correct, and not surprisingly he was quite correct, a 1 gallon bottle of professional shampoo concentrate sold for 8.99 which on it's face would seem steep, but the 1 gallon is a concentrate, it makes 5 gallons in total, or 2 dollars a gallon, the average bottle of shampoo is maybe a quart or less and costs 2.00 to 3.00 bucks.

5 gallons will make 20 quarts of shampoo if not more, or 2.00 x 20=40.00 and the concentrate avoids state sales taxes on the 20 or more bottles that you would normally buy over the course of time.

So a 5 minute visit to Beauty Supply shop has acquired enough shampoo to last for 2 years at least...

Hydrogen Peroxide's many uses

2008-07-31T20:58:00.000-07:00

Peroxide was invented during World War II to help army troops in their various needs. Nowadays, this same chemical can be bought in almost any drugstore for as low as one dollar! However, not everyone is familiar with the uses and benefits one can get from a cheap bottle of peroxide.

I took the liberty of researching on this topic. Below are some of the less known but definitely great ways to maximize that small bottle resting in your medicine cabinet!

Heal wounds and infections by soaking the affected area in peroxide from five to ten minutes. Do this several times a day for better and faster results.
Kill fungus on your feet by spraying a mixture (fifty percent peroxide and fifty percent water) of peroxide and water on them everyday. Don't wipe with cloth, just let it dry.
Rather than keeping your toothbrush in your bathroom cabinets, soak it in a cup of peroxide. This will kill bacteria and germs that may have accumulated due to residues from your teeth.
Use peroxide as mouthwash. Take one capful and gargle for about five to ten minutes. You'll be surprised to see whiter teeth and sore-less gums.
Following the same idea as with your toothbrush, peroxide can also be used as a spray cleaner for countertops and tabletops. You may also put a small amount on a dishrag and wipe it on the surfaces to kill bacteria and germs.
Spray a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water into your nostrils whenever you have colds or blocked sinus. Hold it for a few minutes and then blow your nose into a tissue. Peroxide kills the bacteria that cause colds, coughs, flu, and sinus infections.
Use peroxide as a pain-reliever! If you're suffering from toothache and the dentist is still several miles away, gargle peroxide for about ten minutes several times. This shall lessen the pain and give you ample time to get to the dentist without having to suffer more.
Half a bottle of peroxide mixed with your bath can cure mild and recurring skin infections such as rashes, boils and fungus
Use peroxide as a substitute for bleach. Apply a small amount on stains or mix with your laundry to whiten clothes.
Clean your mirrors with peroxide! You'll love the smudge and smear-free surface!

Die Hard II and an oil change...

2008-07-29T20:33:00.000-07:00

Summer, man it is warm out, it was also a good day to change the oil in the ol' Honda, and good lesson was learned about actually "using" your stockpiled goods.

Sam's Club had 5 qt bottles of motor oil for the low price of 9 bucks or so, motor oil is a great item to stockpile as the price will go only upward for quite sometime even with the recent oil price reductions, it takes time for the quarts of oil to deflate in price as the old expensive quarts are moved through the system.

On to the oil change, my Honda takes five quarts, it is an old car and I like to use oil treatments such as Slick 50, I'm sure there is some website somewhere that would reply "Slick 50 is garbage, a scam", well perhaps, I drive old cars and have yet to lose an engine that I've used Slick 50 in.

Well, 5 qts (+) in the oil pan, a 5 qt large bottle of oil, and 1 quart of Slick 50...I'm one quart of oil over the 5 I need....to try and eyeball the large bottle of Castrol and "guess" when a quart is left is a bad idea, to sloppy.

Then Die Hard II arrived for inspiration, pour the quart of slick 50 in first, then pour 1 quart of oil out of the 5 quart jug and voila! 4 qts of oil with one to spare...just like Die Hard II...

Point being, Alpha Strategists buy in bulk to save money on packaging costs, handling larger amounts then what are called for in an application is one more minor skill one must learn to make it work.

Hunting and fishing to save on costs?

2008-07-27T15:08:00.000-07:00

On the face of it, Hunting or Fishing for some steroid free protein would seem to be a money saver for the average Alpha Strategist.

I would say hold up for a moment, let's look at costs:

"Sportsman's License" (Allows for both Hunting and Fishing and Trapping)

40.00

Firearm to hunt with

Moison Nagant 100.00
Box of ammunition 5 dollars per 20 4 boxes needed for proficiency 20.00

Now unless one lives in a semi rural region, or near Hunting Land, we will have to drive to shoot our deer (or elk or bear) say 50 mile round trip at 20 mpg 3 gallons used so we are at 12.00 for gas.

Now you also will need "Blaze Orange" gear for safeties sake, you can ditch the camo as wearing a blaze orange vest makes camouflage...pointless...a Vest will cost right about 18.00

And the final problem, a Alpha Strategist can go through all of those assets, and not reduce to possession a deer, you also have to either be lucky, or very skilled as the North American Deer is far ahead of "Joe Average" in using their senses.

So let's look at fishing, pole, tackle, license, bait and time.

If you catch your limit of Trout, and are fortunate enough to catch mostly 2 pd fish, after cleaning you will have about 5 pds of low fat, steroid free protein, Trout also sells for 6.00 a pd in my area, and those are farm raised, so 30.00 worth of Trout is a good deal in terms of assets used.

Now it should be said, if the Alpha Strategist is a skilled hunter, and already posses the gear, then it could pay off to take your tag limit (if you do not have to miss work to do so), in NC, you can bag up to 5 deer, that would fill a freezer and then some.

The real good deal from a Alpha Strategists view is small game hunting, squirrels, rabbits, pheasants, these are the land equivalent of trout, a high return for a minimum investment.

I hunt and fish, and completely enjoy it, however that is a hobby, to hunt or fish to fill a roll in the Alpha Strategy, I would have to watch costs like a hawk, perhaps combining hunting during the day, and fishing during the evening, perhaps even having to run a trot line to get a good harvest of fish as a single line and hook is just not efficient enough unless the fish are literally jumping on the bank...

I've seen fish do that at my favorite fishing spot, but like any fishermen worth his salt, I'm not saying where that spot is....

Costco to raise prices...hope you Alpha'd already

2008-07-25T18:48:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of ABC news:

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Story?id=5445433&page=1

"...Costco has announced that it will have to raise its prices, on some items by as much as 15 percent...."

a 15% return on your investment would be a good feat in today's Stock Market, yet if you bought ahead of such a predictable event, that is exactly what you would have "earned" in savings still in your wallet.

It pays to stockpile needed items ahead of time in these inflationary times, in fact, it is the one investment with the least amount of risk..

If you are an Alpha Strategist, the time to buy is now

2008-07-23T20:23:00.000-07:00

Con Agra and Kraft Foods will raise prices on their food products by 20% this year, meaning that jar of cheese whiz will go from 2.80 to 3.20 or so:

A1 Steak Sauce
Africana Romania
Ali Coffee
Alpen Gold chocolate (Russia)
Arrowroot biscuits
Athenos Mediterranean food products
Back to Nature
Baker's
Balance Bar
Better Cheddars
Boca Burger
Bonox
Breakstone's
Brooke Bond
BullsEye Barbecue Sauce
California Pizza Kitchen (grocery store items)
Calumet Baking Powder
Cameo biscuits
Capri Sun
Carte Noire
Charada (Peru)
Cheese Nips
Cheez Whiz
Chicken in A Biskit
Chips Ahoy!
Christie (Canada)
Claussen
Clight
Club Social crackers
Cool Whip
Corn Nuts
Coronita (Peru)
Côte d'Or (Belgium)
Country Time powdered drink mix
Cracker Barrel
Crystal Light
Daim (Sweden)
Dairylea (Europe)
Delissio (Canada)
DiGiorno
Easy Cheese
Eden processed cheese (Philippines)
Estrella Potato Chips (Sweden; Finland)
Field (Peru)
Fig Newtons
Filipinos (Spain; Portugal)
Freia (Scandinavia)
Fruit2o
General Foods International
Gevalia (Sweden)
Grape-Nuts
Grey Poupon
Handi-Snacks
Honey Maid
Jack's Pizza
Jacobs (Europe)
Japp (Scandinavia)
Jell-O gelatin
Jet-Puffed Marshmallows
Kaffee HAG
Kenco (UK)
Knox gelatin
Knudsen
Kong Haakon (Norway)
Kool-Aid
Kraft BBQ Sauce
Kraft Caramels
Kraft Macaroni and cheese
Kraft Dinner (Canada)
Kraft Easymac
Kraft Mayo
Kraft Peanut Butter
Kraft Singles
Kraft Sandwich Spread
Lacta (Brazil)
Lefèvre-Utile Biscuit Co.
Lunchables
Maarud Potato Chips (Norway)
Marabou (Sweden)
Maxwell House
Milka (Switzerland, Germany, rest of Europe)
Miracle Whip
Miracoli (Germany)
Mostro (Peru)
Nabisco
Nabob (Canada)
Nilla
Non-Stop (Scandinavia)
Nutter Butter
O'boy (Scandinavia; Estonia)
Onko coffee
Oreo
Oscar Mayer
Grated Parmesan cheese
Philadelphia cream cheese
Pigrolac
Planters
Poiana (Romania)
Polly-O cheese
Post Cereals
Premium (a Nabisco brand of saltine crackers)
Pretzels
P'tit Québec
Prince Polo
Pure Kraft Salad Dressings
Ritz
Royal baking powder
Seven Seas
Shake 'n Bake
Simmenthal canned meat
Snackabouts
SnackWells
South Beach Living
Starbucks (grocery store items)
Stove Top stuffing
Suchard
Svoge (Bulgaria)
Taco Bell (grocery store items)
Tang
Tassimo T-DISCS.
Teddy Grahams
Terry's chocolates
Terry's Chocolate Orange
Toblerone (Kraft Foods Switzerland)
Tombstone
Triscuit
Trakinas
Twist
Vegemite
Velveeta
Wheat Thins

Here is the list of ConAgra products that will rise in price 20%

Act II - Microwave Popcorn
Alexia - Appetizers, Artisan Breads, and Potato Products
Andy Capp's fries - flavoured corn and potato snack made to look like French fries.
Banquet - Frozen chicken and ready-to-heat meals
Big Mama Sausage - Snack-sized preserved sausages
Blue Bonnet - Margarine and bread spreads
Chef Boyardee - Ready-to-eat pasta meals
Crunch 'n Munch - Glazed popcorn/nut mixture
David Sunflower Seeds - Sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds
Dennison's - Chili
Egg Beaters - Processed egg product
Fiddle Faddle - Glazed popcorn/nut mixture
Fleischmann's - Bread spreads
Gebhardt - Tex-Mex style foods
Golden Cuisine - Ready-made food for seniors
Gulden's - Mustard
Healthy Choice - Ready-to-eat and prepared foods
Hebrew National - Kosher sausages, cold cuts and condiments
Hunt's - Canned tomato products, ketchup and barbecue sauce
Hunt's Snack Pack Pudding - Shelf-stable pudding
J. Hungerford Smith - Dessert ingredients for restaurants
Jiffy Pop - Popcorn
Kid Cuisine - Prepared foods for children
Knott's Berry Farm - Jams and jellies
La Choy - Chinese-style foods
Lamb Weston Inland Valley - Consumer sales of frozen potato products
Lightlife - Vegetarian meat product substitutes
Luck's - Canned baked beans
Manwich - Canned sloppy Joe mix
Margherita - Italian-style processed meats
Marie Callender's - Frozen meals
Move Over Butter - Margarine
Orville Redenbacher's - Popcorn
PAM - Spray cooking oils
Parkay - Bread spreads
Patio - Tex-Mex-style frozen meals
Pemmican - Beef and turkey jerky
Penrose - Pickled sausages
Peter Pan - Peanut butter
Poppycock - Premium Glazed popcorn/nut mixture
Ranch Style - Baked and Refried beans
Reddi-wip - Whipped cream
Ro*tel - Canned tomato sauce
Rosarita - Mexican - style foods
Screaming Yellow Zonkers - Glazed popcorn (Discontinued)
Slim Jim - Meat snacks
Swiss Miss -Powdered cocoa for hot chocolate and pudding
Squeez 'N Go - Prepared pudding
Van Camp's - Canned beans
VH - Sauces (Available in Canada only)
Wesson - Cooking oils
Wolf Brand Chili - Chili

Wesson Oil would seem to be a good Alpha Buy, as would LaChoy Soy Sauce in the 1 gallon size.

Now it should be mentioned that the parallel "generic" brands of similar products actually come from one of these two companies, only in a different package, meaning even the "Cheapy" versions will rise in price.

Tha Alpha Strategy, what it is, how it works

2008-07-06T05:08:00.000-07:00

In similar economic times, the mid to late 1970's, a Economist, John Pugsley wrote "The Alpha Strategy", a book on economics and more importantly, how to protect the purchasing power of your hard earned monies through a reviewing of the role of the goods we use in our lives.

Pugsley's Alpha Strategy basically eschews investments in liquid assets in favor of banking on inflation growth outstripping returns on investments in typical consumables such as Dry Good foods, Home Cleaning Products, Personal Care Products.

A good example of the Alpha Strategy in practice is found in the common light bulb, the same Light Bulb is mandated to be replaced with mercury filled toxic light bulbs in 2012, currently a 4 pack of generic light bulbs costs 1 dollar + tax, currrently a single mercury light bulb costs 3.50 a piece.

The average American Family uses 24 light bulbs a year:

Incandescent Light Bulb Cost per year........6.00

Mercury Light Bulb Cost per year.....84 dollars

A 78 dollar difference per year, if a ten year supply is purchased via the Alpha Strategy, incandescent bulbs would cost 60 dollars, a mercury bulb 10 year supply would cost 840 dollars.

The Alpha Strategy would turn 60 dollars in cost today, into 780 dollars in cash over a ten year period..

Wheat prices have doubled, that will work it's way down into the price of familiy staples such as Rotini, when price checked, the average cost has increased 37 cents on a box of pasta, with three pasta based meals a week, or 1.11 per week in additional cost, over 52 weeks, a 50 dollar + savings can be realized by bargain shopping and stock piling a supply of pasta now, before the poor wheat harvest and additional energy costs raise prices even higher.

The Alpha Strategy is a Contrarian one, instead of trying to increase the yield from an investment, it seeks to attack Future Costs by using today's dollars to cheat inflation down the road.

The additional benefits are that your Savings is Tax Free, and having a larger then average Larder (The Average Family has about two weeks of food stored) will help to protect one's loved ones in the event of a social disruption.

The Alpha Strategy is quite old, thousands of years old in fact, it comes from a time when there was no money per se, there were however goods such as shoes or swords or food herds that wealth was based on, Desert Dwellers have practiced this for a very long time.

2008-02-21T18:47:00.001-08:00

Winter is ending, the sun is warm is again, my illness has passed, this year I feel renewed as the plants that surround me.

Ahh so far, so good the joys on contrarianism

2007-11-11T08:53:00.000-08:00

In today's rush to be "different" it seems to me that people forget that there is a time fro change for that difference to be actual, and not merely complaining.

For example, the stock market has been said to be in crash mode for at least 2 yrs now, fine, it is over valued, well now it is readjusting it's values thanks to an inevitable bursting bubble.

For contrarian investors, this is not a time for "I told you so" it is a time to start stalking bargains, stocks that perform, pay dividends and show long term value.

For me, there is one more criteria, they must have DRIP DIP plans available, meaning that I can directly invest, and reinvest dividend income in the purchase of more shares automatically.

This also means decisions must be made about sellling Gold or Silver to buy those shares, both have had huge increases in valuation , and like the stock market, a correction is inevitable, those are the decisions that Contrarians make, and let others chase the money by going with the herd.

Opportunity?

2007-08-21T12:29:00.000-07:00

With the survival of my favorite Christian Forum, the crisis has passed...sort of.

I have found that if something is marked for closing, then eventually it will be closed sooner or later, terrible, but that is the way it is.

So another forum has recently been put up for sale, and "IF" things can be worked out (Lord willing) then I will be able to purchase a piece of that forum and start a Christian sub forum on it.

I've made the offer, all that can be done is waiting for an answer.

Alas, the parting of old friends

2007-08-08T13:53:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite places on the 'Net has closed down, IMO because of budget and bandwith concerns, to borrow from a book:

One door closes, another opens

That's life.

So if any of my fellow exiles from Knifeforums stops in, welcome aboard.

Today the similarity of Christ's wilderness time and the Zen concept of "no mind" is on my mind.

Jesus spent time in the wilderness after his cousin John the Baptist was beheaded, no one really knows what he did when he was on his solourn, but it would not be unreasonable to consider that he was emptying himself, to allow God to fill him with His will.

The Zen concept of Zazen, of clearing your mind of troubles or even thoughts would seem to me to fit nicely into what Christ taught by his actions.

So in that line of thought started waking at 5:45 am, to read the Scriptures and to perhaps excercise as well.

It's a nice time to catch up and prepare for the day, a page of Proverbs, meditated upon while lifting weights or
practicing Fencing is rather nice actually.

Ahh, the joys of zip drives

2007-07-07T03:57:00.000-07:00

So after my long absence, I've been playing aroudn with my Comapq Aero 4/25, I've finished with the Compaq and now I have been creating a book with it, a neat hobby to be sure.

The Compaq's tiny keyboard is a challenge to work with, I normally use a laptop with an external keyboard to type with, but the Aero's lack of a port for a keyboard means that I have to learn how to type all over again.

Cool!

The "problem" that I have run into is a catch 22 in that windows 95 makes using a zip drive a snap, the Aero's native Windows 3.1, doesn't support zip drives, you have to use DOS and I hate Dos, Dos is the geek's gate across the bridge of general computer usage.

So on it goes, type and save to a cough cough "floppy disk" then save that to a zip drive, then convert that to a Open Office doucment, then edit and then ......

The zen of old school Aero laptops

2007-05-08T20:37:00.000-07:00

My addiction has flaired up again, this time it is directed at a ancient Compaq product.

The Compaq 4/25 Contura Aero, 4mb of titanic memory, 174mb Hard drive, no external mouse, only a track ball, pcmcia floppy, Bios that is flakier than a bowl of Tony the Tiger's product.

Ahh, web searches until all hours of the night, (the Aero Faq is a wonderful resource) finding the best price on a new battery (25 dollars on ebay) new memory runs in the 4mb 8mb and 16 mb flavors, with the 16mb requiring a Bios flash to get it to read all 16mb's of Ram.

A few lessons that I have learned

1. The Aero can handle a 8gb HD, with a Bios upgrade the Aero Faq mentions that the HD has to be less than 12.7mm, which in 1997 was a problem, now it is no big deal.
2. If your Aero has not been used for a long time, and you buy a new battery for it, start the computer first, then remove the hinged door plate and insert the battery to be charged, unlike a normal laptop that you put the battery in and start as normal, if you do not, you will be staring at a POST screen that will check your memory (4096) and you will go no further as the old cmos battery has just checked out on you (me)

3. The Cmos battery part number is 3v cr1220, it also is very cheap to purchase I paid .99 cents for mine.

4. HP/Compaq (God bless them) still maintains a download page of everything that you will need to get this twitchy but cool laptop up and running. From Rampaq's to flash the Bios to downloads to restore your hibernation partition.

5. Before formating and installing your OS, be certain to have your hibernation partition installed, it MUST be installed on a wiped HD, not a formatted one.

6. The pcmcia floppy is somewhat rare, ebay had some for 40 dollars or less, new they can go for 200, unless you like laplink, or winlink, buy one of these beasties.

7. Amazon.com had the best price on memory upgrades, at 6.00 for 4mb, new that is a 130 dollar chip.

The zen part is the usefulness of such things as keyboard short cuts, remembering those forgotten Dos commands, and smiling as you type at the thought that new these little guys went for 2,000, and now they are mere pennies.

Life is a fleeting thing, sometimes what we value highly are the most uselessly hindering things of all.

Addicted to old Operating systems

2007-04-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

My budget was going along fine, I was saving money, I was happy.

Then just then, I decided to buy a 40 gb HD, and install in a laptop with no cd drive.

Opps, have to buy a extrernal CD drive, and well, it could handle win2000, and shouldn't you upgrade the memory......

I am comfortable with my addiction, it is positive and constructive, realitively cheap..that is what I tell myself anyway.

Does anyone know where to find a M$ Plus! CD......

Secrets of happiness

2007-03-20T19:03:00.000-07:00

My budget just got blown up this week, a fuel pump went bad on the Honda, for a domestic, it would be cheap enough to fix, 30 dollars and some bolts an voila! fixed.

Not so with Mr. honda, try 180 dollars and a gas tank removal and it still Isn't fixed.

I should be upset, but it is an opportunity, I've been meaning to start riding a bicycle into work. Loss some weight, and save some money, but it is just so darn easy to hop in the car and drive to where ever it is that I wanted to go.

Now, that no longer is an option, I am looking forward to this actually, I perform better and try harder when the back is against the wall, and in this case, I have only gain in front of me, not loss.

This is a secret in a way, problems can be opportunities for growth or effort or change, if I solve this problem, I will achieve some goals and pick up a fun hobby.

How great is that?

The 300

2007-03-13T20:33:00.000-07:00

The film the 300 depicts the Spartans as some sort of pro freedom type band of merry maruaders.

Unfortuantely, that difers from Spartan reality.

In Sparta, children were conscripted into military training at the age of 6, that is if the passed the fitness test, if they flunked that, they were left to die. At the age of 6 they were inducted and the training began, they were now property of the State, they fought each other in training drills, and to graduate to manhood, they ahd to sneak out at night and find a peasant to strangel with their barehands, then they lived in barracks until the age of 40 or so, when if married they could spend part of their time with their wives, a Spartan didn't "retire" until 55 or so, and then they were free to live on their own plot of land with their wife.
.

I like the Spartans, there theory of "state as armed camp" makes a sort of sense, and we see that in practice in the world today, from North Korea to Cuba, however it should be pointed out that those aren't exactly the freest places in the world....

Unexpected luck

2007-03-06T21:04:00.000-08:00

Took the bike to work the other day, my co worker had already bought a new bike, Siggh.

A different co woker decided to ride the bike just for kicks, and sure enough, he broke it doing wheelies. Then he offered to buy the bike off of me for more than I was going to sell it to my other friend for, how cool is that?

I see Libby got convicted, and of course his lawyer is out in front of the courthouse pledging to file appeals..I also notice that Libby will be going to prison, and the lawyer will be going home a millionaire from Libby's legal fees...

Another Monday

2007-03-04T20:59:00.000-08:00

It's monday again, a bit under the weather as well, but my goodnes unless I feel like a truck ran me over I'm going into work.

For the money?

No, I promised a mexican co worker that I would bring him a bike and I forgot to bring it into work for him. He has to walk everywhere, so if we are enver to poor to help others, why not?

Progress is good as well on my goals, and I've discovered Ubuntu CD's, man, that is one heck of a deal it is more capable out of the box than any windows system that I have ever messed around with.

Don't look back Bill, I think Linux is gaining on you......

The promise of Spring

2007-03-02T03:32:00.000-08:00

Well we have made it to March, spring is just around the corner, with
it's promise of new beginnings with every rising bud of a flower.

I like the springtime, before the summer heat wilts everything including the people who work under the unrelenting sun. In the Spring the woman seem more beautiful, the air seems cleaner, and the promise of life abounds.

Enjoy!

So far the plan is going wonderfully well (AMDG), I've lost a good ten pounds, saved a ton of money by laying off the booze, and actually *gasp* gotten a few long festering projects off the ground like installing Zip Drives (remember those anyone?) and programming other things and changing oil and and....

The language study has been lagging,
So I cannot Vous et Vous Francaise as of yet, and my Espansih is still poco...but it's spring, and the sun will be out, and the birds will be birding, and well

Happy Monday!

2007-02-26T03:30:00.000-08:00

Another Monday is upon us, another chance to start the work week for some, the begrudging start of another 5 days until the next weekend.

A slave with 2 days off is not free, rather they just have a good master........

Why have we become a nation of ninnies and snopes?

2007-02-25T11:05:00.000-08:00

After hearing ad infinitium about Ana Nicole's untimely (yet not unsurprising) demise, an all of the gory details about who was the "baby Daddy" and who wasn't, it became apparent that th US has become a nation of ninnyhammers and window peepers and vicarious morons
.

Why in the world should anyone care about Mrs. Smith's private life and sexual piccadillios? I submit that the reason isn't some repressed sexual urge, rather many people like to examine other people's lives just for the heck of it, as if they could pull some meaning for their own life out of her train wreck of a life.

My goodness this whole episode gives me a view of America populated by flabby arms injecting insulin to control that dietary diabetes all the while clucking like old hens at Smith's life. Put down the remote, take a walk and do try and put the National Enquirer mindset to death if you please, you are ruining a fine country.

Take some time to relax...

2007-02-18T15:02:00.000-08:00

Life today is hectic, even trying to live at a slow pace is a chore. We simply are covered with ways to get that "important message" or there always seems to be some brush fire burning somewhere at sometime in all of our lives.

Why not take the time to relax and just enjoy whatever it is that one likes to enjoy? Be that reading or sleeping or laughing or writing on a blog? Who will it hurt to take a day off? The world won't end (I promise), those pressing issues will still be there tomorrow like orphaned cats.

Think about this, by taking a day off, you have luxury that even the richest cannot afford, time to yourself. to do whatever. I spent my precious quiet time looking for obsolete computer programs, or course I found two alarm clocks that will work perfectly on an old laptop/alarm clock/fax machine/checkbook balancer/scheduler/ and word processor......

Next up:

The intricacies of Pacifism and Civil Disobedience..

Let's do things better

2007-02-15T04:13:00.000-08:00

It has been my opinion that one thing that freedom loving people lack is positivity, there are no silver linings, and there never is any achievement. Perhaps this is foundational for freedom loving people, because we are externally driven, we are always reacting to external events, rather than influencing events, we become victims of circumstance.

This can lead to bitterness and extreme cynicism to the point that it paralyzes our ability to actually wake up in the morning and enjoy life.

That is a mistake As an old martial arts instructor once said:\

"If I go down 7 times, on the 8th I rise again,"

Here are some great general rules for living a more productive (or at least a happier life)

Achieving your dreams and goals depends on several factors:

1. You should have a specific goal.
2. You have to be sure that you really want to achieve your goal.
3. You need to have a clear mental image of your goal.
4. You need a strong desire.
5. You need to disregard and reject doubts and thoughts about failure.
6. Show confidence and faith and persevere until you gain success

Now one's goal could be almost anything, However for one's piece of mind, it would be better if the goal is internal and personal. Don't let the bastards drag you down by fighting their fight, fight your own battle.

Peace

The wonder shovel

2007-02-13T08:37:00.000-08:00

I recently picked up a cold steel shovel for the whopping price of 19.00 (Before the current austerity program)

The shovel accompanied me on camping trip and I was surprised at how useful this thing really is.

I used it to chop fire wood, as spatula, as a throwing knife, to dig my fire pit, to throw sand on my fire pit and to clear brush away from my campsite.

It comes with a useful sheath that has both belt loops and a tab to run a rope through and to tie it off to your back pack. I woudl imagine that it would make a useful self defense tool as well.

For 19.00, it is well worth the money I highly recommend one for the trunk or the bug out bag.

Firearms getting to be harder to find? Or is that guts?

2007-02-10T21:52:00.000-08:00

Read a couple of news blurbs that "Firearms dealers are having a hard time keeping inventories".at a few of my best sources.

To that I would say "Really?"

America is awash in firearms, the last estimates were that the there were 200 million firearms in America in private hands. That is an amazing number and also illustrative of one of the problems in America, we have plenty of tools, they jsut aren't being used. A sort of "If five are good, ten is better" way of thinking.

When was the last time one of even five were used at the range or just plinking with some friends? Or even carried?

No lack of firearms availabliity is not a problem, lack of a willingness to use the ones that are out in private hands is, that boils down to a lack of guts, or desire or maybe both, either way the effect is the same.

I do have to wonder how many folks even bought a hunting license or even tested the ones that already DO have in the last year?

Microsoft Vista for dummies

2007-02-04T19:43:00.000-08:00

All of the hoopla over microsoft releasing it's new Vista operating system is somewhat surprising.

5 years in the making Vista is the "leading edge" of Microsoft efforts.

This is the same Microsoft that gave federal judge a Windows computer that would not boot up to a splash screen.

With this in mind perhaps a few primers are in order some "how to's" if you will..

1. Buy the Vista upgrade, it's cheaper and can scan you computer for compatibility
2. Poor stiff drink and wait the two hours while it "checks" your system.
3. When it then tells you that your system will not support Vista gulp drink down in one gulp and dial Microsoft Support, poor another stiff drink and wait.
4. After you hear the busy signal for 20 minutes, down second drink
5. Try to remove Vista from your XP machine pour another stiff drink
6. After you find your XP restore disks, take fourth and final stiff drink, call into work tomorrow and tell them that Microsoft has caused you to miss work with a hangover.

That is more than likely the only way that you will ever get any use out of Vista......:)

Seriously though, from what I have read about Vista, it a dud. It also contains the death knell for computing as we formerly knew it, the days of downloading and burning a CD or DVD has been effectively sounded
.

Which is a good thing really, Users now have a clear choice, you can go along with the idea that you merely rent the content of your computer, with M$ being the official hall monitor for the Hollywood types, and the recording studio types, or you can *gasp* learn to use Linux or Mac. Or you can go retrograde, win2000 still works just fine, as does WinME *gasp* ME? that is a the worst OS ever!!!!!

No, actually it runs just fine I've used it for years with -0- problems you can also use handy tools like Lite PC on it, and remove the bloat, my recording laptop boots up within 15 seconds using Lite PC.

Besides, removing Internet Explorer is pure liberty ladened joy.

A good website with tweaks for ME can be found here:

http://www.burzurq.com/forum/trevtweak.html

And you have "permission" to dump Microsofts Darth Vader lite bloatware and move to Linux, really, it's fine Bill already is quite rich (so wealthy in fact, he would lose money on a per minute basis if he bent over and picked up a 100 dollar bill)

Guerilla's Attack Boston

2007-02-01T13:20:00.000-08:00

On the "news" today we are regailed with stories of the Guerrilla Attack on BOSTON!

The pre dawn raid started quitely enough, assailants unknown attached devices to the sub structures of the busiest bridges in Boston.

The fact that this could be done with security levels on "heightened" isn't surprising really, after all the Govt's heightened may not be your own personal "heightened".

The plot thickens, the devices had foreign emblems on the them vague shapes that appeared to be holding weapons of some sort, there were blinking lights that may have been timers for the devices.

Well, it would seem that officer friendly rolled the Bomb Squad, the SWAT boys and Lord only knows "who" else showed up at the party.

With hearts beating a staccato rhythm in their chests the bomb squad slowly approached one such device after 10 hours,they destroyed the device, and found the culprits, the masterminds, the evil masterminds turned out to be two young men in their mid twenties who were running a Guerilla Marketing Campaign for the Cartoon Network, the signs were simple light brite type flashing message boards that had a newly created cartoon character on them...

Now the sight of the Chief of Police trying to act like this was a major threat is as comical as it was pitiful to watch.and to listen too.Not to be outdone the Chief of Police in Boston held their own press conference about this.Replete with the stern looks and head shaking.

Both tried, to make the situation seem dire, as if the"big one" had happened.

I guess the saying is true, "No one takes Marketers seriously" Unless of course you are begging for homeland (in) security money to cover the overtime for this nonsense that is.....

I think I can hear OBL laughing from his palatial cave in Pakistan, yes I think I can hear it from here.....

Being low debt and high freedom in life.

2007-01-30T21:00:00.000-08:00

Debt isn't neccesarily a bad thing, in fact debt like cash is a useful tool. Debt can allow one to leverage assets in order to buy an asset that will increase in value down the road. A house or land for example.

However bad debt will simply eat up your money like a crack addict, to buy a mere entertainment item by going thousands of dollars into debt is just plain foolish.

Yet flat screen TV's were all the rage this past Christmas.

so let me understand this, going into debt to buy an item that wastes your time and freedom is somehow what the majority of Americans wanted this past Christmas?

So when they are busting their collective humps this June to try and pay off that silly television and complaining all the while, I should somehow feel badly for them as I go on an extended vacation?

Fat Chance.

The savings program is going ahead of schedule, I did splurge a bit and bought Chinese for lunch today.

A whopping 4 dollars....

So far I am 4,500 dollars away from my goal of 5,000.

So far, so good...

2007-01-28T15:34:00.000-08:00

Well now, a few days in and things are going, well.

Finished a few projects that (added a HP deskjet 792 for a whopping 5 dollars) this along with an old laptop could be resold for 50 bucks or so this spring at the local swap meet.

Which brings up a point for me at least.

Wasting time.

How does someone waste time? Is it a waste of time to read a book? Stargaze ( I recently had my outdoor telescope stolen from my backyard, I don't mind too very much as long as they actually use it..:) )

Making ones hobbies productive is a great use of time, productive could mean almost anything, just shut off the TVee and do something, Lookup www.fija.org learn a language, heck learn how to sew a button back on a shirt...don't start planning the super bowl party for a week only to watch a boring game that involves large men playing a child's game....

Paredo's Rule

2007-01-25T20:21:00.000-08:00

The old 80/20 rule, you can have 80% of the fun for 20% of the cost, it's the remianing 20% of the fun that costs so much. Most Americans have no idea what that means or would even care if they did. It seems to me that maority simply worry about "afford/cannot afford".

and if the average consumer cannot afford it, they buy it on credit.

Which is great for people with a hint of Do It yourself in them. The "old" quickly becomes the "discarded"
from leather coats to old kitchen appliances, most of these sorts of things are either give aways, or low priced at the local thrift store or charity.

Dual coffee and expresso machines are commonly sold for 8 dollars or so, and these are Krups machines, not exactly the bottom of the barrel.

I wil admit that the Siren Song of "buy buy buy" has hit even me, even though I limit my debt to one weeks pay, the bills sit there accusing me, making me wonder when they need to be paid (in full BTW) so starting tomorrow, I will live on the "new" minimum wage no matter what I bring home.

This will accomplish more than a few things

1. It will allow me to see where I spend money on junk.
2. I will lose weight, some 30 pds or so. 30 dollars a week for an adult will be "fun".
3. It will force me to actually get all of the stuff I have accumulated into working and usable order.
4. For entertainment I will have to dust off the old weight set, we all have one of those, be it the "nordic skier" or the "bowflex" that is buried underneath whatever (I would bet jackets..Am I correct?)

So follow along (or not) as I meet my goals whcih are:

1. Save 5,000 or so.
2. Learn at a small level Spanish, French, some Latin,
3. Get all of my "paredo's rule" stuff in working order.
4. Lose 30 pds, and get back down to my College weight.

We shall see....

Passport? We don't need no stinkin' passport

2007-01-24T21:44:00.000-08:00

So the US's march to Authoritarianism continues with the recent implementation of "No passport, no Canada or Mexico".

This borders on the foolish, but that hasn't stopped the imperial conversion...err...."Homeland Security" from marching forward like mind numbed robots. The ironic thing is there is a built in 12 million person resistance already to this idiocy.

"illegal" aliens are not likely to be applying for passports anytime soon, why should they?

Sadly, the US powers that be are determined to make the US "commbloc lite" and the majority of people inside the US are more than happy to follow along with the plan. Well, it isn't politics. it is personal, we are sovereigns or we are not.

Windows 95...man I'm cheap

2007-01-24T03:37:00.000-08:00

After months of struggle, I finally got an ancient HP omnibook laptop up and running.. It has a win95 (a) OS, no usb ports, and a ebay acquired 2gb HD. The great thing about using this Model T of a computer is the software is free!

If it is free, it is for me.

The next step is finding a suitable parallel port printer, these are no longer made new, but the local Goodwill has everything from a Canon Bubble Jet, to the occasional Apple Laser writer. If one is lucky, not only is the power supply included, but the cartridges are still good.

Or my personal favorite printer, the Okidata Microline 320, these old Dot Matrix printers have a character life of 200 million characters for the print head, and the ink cartridges are a whopping 5 dollars a piece.

Mobile printing perhaps? I like the Canon BJ 10 x series, battery powered, what a great deal for 20 dollars or so, there are even wireless cards available for the old 16 bit Win95, granted, they are slow, but they are faster than dial up.

Ciao

Hello

2007-01-23T20:59:00.000-08:00

Ahh the blogosphere, what more needs to be said, where the unknown share there thoughts and their lives with whosever will.

I plan on writing about what interests me, old tech, privacy, sharp things, bad poetry, or good poetry
perhaps the beauty of being.the gross indifference of cats, trying to learn foreign languages.