We who have active duty military family members might be a small minority, but don't flip us off!!!

...crowded under this bus

“No self respecting woman should wish or work for the success of a party that ignores her self.” - Susan B. Anthony, 1872

Speaking for herself, only.  ;-)

has scheduled that's so much more important than this!

....but it will no doubt involve a big speech /snark

“No self respecting woman should wish or work for the success of a party that ignores her self.” - Susan B. Anthony, 1872

don't occur until after the conventions. At this point they are both presumed nominees. The GE doesn't start until after the conventions.

Like O! said while he was rejecting Clark's comments about McCain, O! has better things to do than talk about national security

was suppose to be under this topic. :o

I started some files on this one recently too.... This election has taught me so much about the value of just doing your homework in a Zero Free Press culture.

Oh my files, my files...my miles of files.
All the while-- the smiles and the guile,
and the blatant denial.
Yet miles of files; indictments, and trials,
surround me in piles of all that is vile.

He's ranked right there with Larry Craig.

Could this be a possible vp? Why are clueless people ok with this idea?

Of course I do remember Obama saying on Fox News that he liked the way Republicans "regulated" things; and he DID say that businesses should have more of a say in the regulating process. So I guess this would fit. }:0

I posted these stats yesterday:

HAGEL

Voted 90% with Bush & Repubs.

100% pro life

100% Christian Coalition rated

Only 8% labor/union approval rating

92% pro-Free Trade.

Civil rights.... an 11% rating

And he still has a huge controlling interest in the biggest election systems company in the nation, ESS

Change We Can Grieve In!

Pretty dismal.

I like your P-BESS idea. Are you going to start a page for suggestions? I'll kick in a few. Living in the Maine woods for 30 years was a good teacher.

When my husband's Alzheimer's progressed to the point it no longer made sense to stay in a rural area we bought a nice old house in historic district a few miles further down the coast so we would be closer to hospital, shopping, library, and eventual nursing home,etc. That meant giving up my big gardens where we had raised a good percentage of our food and having smaller garden space.

In town we had a nice yard but I didn't want to plow it up so we built several raised beds for intensive gardening. They were great. I'll dig up some details and post them when you start a file - or maybe put them on the new thread just starting.

I think I will put up a thread, but I'm trying to get out of the house to do stuff now so-- maybe later.

Don't want all these good ideas to just go to waste on the GD and dissipate!

I am big on the home gardening ones!!

Here's what I think will work, is if we approach it kind of like we did the Series Blogs and teams can volunteer for the subjects they know best. For example two or three people who are up to date on auto and gas saving tips can write pieces in tandem or together with info on it and the rest of us who have our own ideas can add on in the comment section.

I think FilthyRich and LJM enjoy the economy - so could contribute to that one. And so on. Our cooking and food peeps could work together on that topic. I'm not that versed in any of these things so I'd probably just function as editorial, like I did in Series blogs, and just keep the focus on the scope- not too broad, not too narrow.

No big deals with tons of research or complications... Really just simple home survival remedies. We will all need this, I'm telling you-

Then we can start an order of publishing. Intro blog, and successive "chapters" that could be revisited each month.

Something to think about - what everyone would like to see covered, the main topics.

Always try to keep nonperishables stocked in the pantry and food in the freezer. If it weren't for Aldi's and Costco, I don't know what we'd do. So far, the prices are up some at those stores, but I think we're still lucky. Food in other parts of the world eats up so much more of a person's monthly income.

The thing people need to focus on now is how not to waste food. It amazes me that there are people who don't know how to eat leftovers.

I think we need to have a little Survival Series here at CCN with everyone pitching in their tips on what we can all do to get through the upcoming Depression and global food crisis, to say nothing of the gas crisis and global warming one-two punch combo.

We need gardening tips, conservation tips, energy advice, etc etc etc. Each of us probably has something to offer that others might not be up to speed on yet.

The Series front page space is appropriately reserved for Congressional candidates right now but we can always just do these as separate blogs and tag them to archive together.

They could be topic specific so it's more organized with the over arching theme being Post Bush Era Survival Skills or P-BESS!

One with automotive tips- what to drive, how to drive, what kind of gas and performance, alternatives.

One with household energy conservation.

I'm really wanting to see one on home food production, home gardens, and other high cost grocery alternatives.

Buying green. Building green.

A big one or two or three on investment strategies (FilthyRich do ya hear us?) and cash hoarding... on savings and how / where/ when.

We could really use this kind of thing. Plus it's independent of Presidential politics - so we could all participate without killing each other! :)

I am saving up credit card points to buy a nice bike (with a big basket) for my hubby to get groceries. We live in the hills so -- it's great exercise to bike back up! :)

OK - I've suggested it again. Let's see if anyone is game.

Companies are going to have to let more of their employees telecommute and the ones that can't find ways to let them work 4 days a week. Then there's the ride sharing/carpooling thing from the 1970s. I've gotten to the point I don't let my tank (Prius) get much below a quarter tank before I top off. I just keep as much of the cheaper gas I bought in the tank and cost average with the more expensive stuff. I don't know if it really is saving me much, but I feel better when I buy gas. I get sticker shock even in my Prius.

Then there's the thing about it being ok to just buy what food you need for a few days and not letting anything spoil. Americans throw out way too much food. I'm beginning to think we all are going to have to do neighborhood potlucks and then share leftovers. It could be a fun way to get to know the neighbors. Especially in places with lots of older people who are getting stuck on meals-on-wheels. Volunteers are dropping out of the program, because they can't buy gas. Some of the programs are bringing people frozen meals for the week they can microwave to save on gas. That's a good idea for those who are able to do so.

I'd say people who can get a free standing freezer should do so. That way you can shop bargains when you can find them. You can also cook ahead and then freeze individual portions to use later. That stops with the food wasting as well.

That's the kind of stuff we can use and archive.

It could be in Chapters: HOME, FOOD, AUTOMOTIVE, WATER etc.

Have to run now but think on it and maybe weze guyz can all come up with a little project. I know somebody here, and I can't recall who, was way ahead of the curve and had already put in their own well for water!

Here in CA water conservation is a huge issue to cover too.

helped design and build a community on an estate in Portugal years ago that has it's own reservoir for water and field of solar panels for electricity. At the time, everybody thought they were a bunch of stupid hippies. Now, the government in the area wants to get their hands on what they have and can't. It's drought city in Portugal and Spain these days. They have to truck in drinking water to Barcelona. Your neighborhood may have to dig it's own reservoir to catch the rain water for your neigborhood. Kansas is purifying water and pumping it into the underground aquifers here. We also have citywide rain barrel and rain gardens to catch the runoff before it goes into the storm drains. It's an attempt to help save the infratstructure in the aging city as well as keeping the contaminated runoff from the streams and rivers. People use the water in their rain barrel to water plants outside and whatever else they want rainwater for.

on the shores of Lake Erie, but I DO have a rain barrel and I use the water for my plants. Well, I have in the past. This year the rain has been doing the job for me.

What rain? :)

Welcome to the desert. Mullholland gave us about 8 decades of faux relief piping in the Colorado H2O but we are in sorry shape here... there is no rain. We just have fires.

If you haven't, run out and buy an upright freezer. Two, if you have room. Don't need the automatic defrost kind, as it's not that hard to take care of this little item now and then. You also don't need the most expensive brand; check consumer reports for best buys. Get a high energy-save one. We've got 2 and both are crammed; if I remember right, they each cost us less than $200 - but that was several years ago. Step 2, if you're able, find a grower that raises beef and buy a quarter. Organic raised is best; we paid $1.75 a pound for steaks, roasts, etc. That was last year's prices, but delivered yesterday. I think this years will be more like $2.50 or $3.00 a pound. Also got 100 lbs. of organic hamburger for $3.00 per. Same stuff in the store is approaching $6 or $7 per lb. With 2 freezers, it's easy to stock up on specials and your own home grown stuff.

When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends.
Japanese Proverb

I have a freezer, and freeze veggies that are in season locally. I try to freeze all local veggies,fruits, etc. for the winter season. I have a bread machine and make extra and freeze it. I buy food on sale, and freeze if possible...I still have blueberries from last year, and the new season crop is coming in. So must make large blueberry slices (make them on cookie sheet, with my homemade crust, to use up the berries from 2007! I am lucky to live in rural area where veggies and fruits are all over the place. My Mom used to tell us, that if you have flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, milk, eggs, you can make just about anything. It doesn't have to come out of a box!!!

That is what I'm talking about. One step further- which is the best brand of freezer to buy if someone is getting one? The most energy efficient?

The best bread machine? Easy recipes?

For those of us who are kitchen-challenged (that would be me) these things could be very helpful!

Thank goodness my hubby is a great cook or I'd starve.

In this day and age, most appliances come in energy star, so that's where I'd start. Consumer Reports tells you which brand of anything they think is best.

who kept a garden and grew all their own veggies to freeze or can. Then they bought a side of beef of whatever it was they ate for meat for the freezer. I think a lot of rural people live that way. In Germany people grew potatoes and cabbage. They'd have cellars full of these for the winter. It's what people used to do to keep root vegetables. They still do.

The price of wheat, milk and eggs have gone up along with everything else. There's going to be more demand for all of it. As for the breadmaker, I haven't gotten that good with mine. You'll have to share your breadmaker secrets on how you get a good loaf to turn out.

I love the idea of neighborhood potlucks.

I've also been thinking about coordinating community gardens (here in the suburbs!)--asking anyone who has yard space they're willing to grow food on if they will offer some up to neighbors who want to grow veggies but don't have appropriate space (too much shade or whatever).

which could make for lovely countertops... but not sure how good it is to grow edibles.... this is what I see as a benefit with a series like this.

Not necessarily a chit chat forum with theorizing back and forth about a particular 'remedy'... but more of a reference source where everyone who has something relevant to the topic at hand -that they know works-- can put it up in the blog dealing with that subject.

If it's done this way it would serve the purpose of anyone in need being able to just go into the tag and hit all "CCN Survival Series" blogs and find the one that dealt with FOOD. Bam, you've got garden ideas, crock pot recipes to freeze for 10, foods that have longer shelf lives and how to store for optimum time. Shopping tips, etc etc.

I've been thinking about this for the longest time because we always have threads like this with all this good info from our resourceful Clarkies but it's never 'catalogued' in one accessible place.

We are all going to be needing something of these tips in the near future...

I also think we need one that focuses just on psychological strategies to best survive hard times, depressions of all sorts and I happen to know we have some trained psychologist on CCN! :)

So we all have something to offer and conversely it's something we all can use too!

This year I discovered that potatoes can be grown in containers. I had never before tried growing potatoes.

I also had a great crop of arugula (O's favorite vegetable) growing in a window box all winter long. Now that summer is here, I'm growing bush beans in window boxes.

I had green peppers growing in a sunny bedroom during the winter, as well. Winters in NC are too cold to grow them outside. I've been doing a lot of experimenting lately. :)

close to house in the country was on granite ledge with very little top soil. The big veggie garden was across the road in good soil. The wild blueberries grew very nicely on existing thin topsoil over leldge. Raised beds worked very well near house, and they are easy to tend, weed, build soil, etc. Once you fill them and add required nutrients you are in business. Find a source for some good aged cow, horse or hen manure to mix and have soil tested to see what else you need to add. I don't know the cost of a truckload of loam any more but once you get beds filled it is easy to keep the soil healthy from year to year.

We used 2 x 12 x 12 and made the beds 4' wide, We added a 1 x 6 nailed to the top of 2 x 12 on long sides for a place to sit. Sitting down made for easy planting, weeding. The 12" deep beds let us grow carrots, beets, as well. We made one bed using 2 x8's deep but the 12" held moisture better.

Some ideas here:

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/quickref/vegetable/intensive_veg_gardening.html

http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-335/426-335.html

I am counting on you guys to save all these posts to use IN THE SERIES where we can access them!

I just realized that my neighbor is growing grapes in the same granite so yeah... must be good for some things.

I have zero gardening experience outside of small flower beds, but my father used to plant a whole yard full of veggies and it was so nice...

So keep all your good ideas handy, in a file! :)

in straw which is good for square foot gardening. I could never grow just a square foot of potatoes. We were meat and potato people, so we had 2 raised boxes with just a small amount of soil relative to the other boxes but lots of straw.

One year we just put the seed potato pieces on top of the soil and covered them with seaweed gathered down along shore and didn't touch them till we raked back the seaweed and harvested the spuds in September - no weeds, no bugs, beautiful potatoes.

I've never lived near the sea so I guess that would be expected.

What you experienced with the seaweed at harvest is pretty much what we did with straw. A few easy to pull weeds of course as there are usually some weed seeds hiding in straw. But the pleasure of just lifting the potatoes instead of digging them was worth pulling a tiny amount of weeds.

I live on a Blueberry Farm, my parents owned and as a child , helped plant them. When my Mom passed away, I was living with her to take care of her. I promised her I would, and she would never go to a home. After she died, I sold the farm to the neighbor, and shared with my sisters. However, I rented the house back (got a good deal). Oh oh off track!!
My point is that the ground here is VERY sandy and sour, and not good for anything but blueberries. Now I have large pots with rich soil, with tomatoe and pepper plants in them. They are growing like mad, and don't have to weed them. So, if you live where soil is a problem you can make a bed or pots of good soil to plant veggies. Just a thought

gorw tomato plants directly in a bag of soil. There are plenty of ways to have patio and rooftop gardens. Google for them.

is your State/County Cooperative Extension Service. This service is no longer only farm-related information. I worked for the Kansas State University Extension Service for ten years, and really found that there is no information that can't be found for gardening: strawberries, blueberries, cabbage,cucumbers, beans, potatoes, newest flower varieties, soil ammending, compost making with grass/leaves, vegetable peels, banana skins, sweet corn husks, and anything without grease/bones, etc.), canning, sewing, water conservation, what to plant for wind/water erosion, best grass for your area, veterinary issues with pets such as cats, dogs, exotics, farm animals, and just about anything else you can think of. Each state ES would have info for specifics of that state.

The best parts of this suggestion is that it is almost always FREE of charge, can be located on line for your own printouts, or from the local extension offices. It is part of the USDA Land Grant Universities in each state (i.e. Kansas=Kansas State Unversity, Arizona=Univ of Ariz, Alabama=Auburn Univ, New Jersey=Rutgers Univ., New York-I believe is Cornell, etc.) The instructors are actual federal/state employees, being researchers and instructors, as well as County Extension Agents.

I don't have a large garden any more, but we grow tomatoes, beans, oregano, asparagus, and a lot of flowers, so I do a lot of canning: pickles-sweet & dill, peaches & fruit when in season and cheap, green beans, tomatoes (w/o salomnella), corn in season, sweet potatoes which I buy after Thanksgiving when they are cheap/plentiful-bake, then slice, freeze=easy, etc. Information for canning, freezing, processing can also be located at the Extension offices. Home grown and/or processed food is free of preservatives and additivees= healthy.

Start-up equipment can be expensive or inexpensive according to your needs. I've gardened for many years, but while I worked for the ES a state-wide program was started, and exists in most states today, is the "Master Gardener" program which curriculum is different in various states, but "specialists" usually of the Extension Services are the teachers. A fee us usually charged for the whole program, but the information is worth much more than than the fee. At the end of the course some volunteer work is usually required. The course here consists of once a week meetings for several weeks usually in the Fall & Winter, presenting information and "how tos" on turf grasses, pruning shrubs/flowers/trees, communications,home preservation, garden crops growing, etc.

If you're interested, your Extension service whether in County or State can provide any other info in which you'd be intrested. There are also garden clubs available, where new acquaintenances are made.

Gardening is fun, relaxing, considered excercising, outdoor fresh air (where no pollution), productive, accomplishment. If you don't have "garden space", there is also container and indoor gardening.

Lots of good info there.

I am so envious of all you gardening Clarkies, I'm frankly sort of challenged in this field, but determined to give it a whirl. But it will be as a pure neophyte who just watched my Dad do it quite well as a kid. We had a third of the backyard relegated to growing food!

I hope you'll contribute to our series as well,

http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/16080

as you seem to know a good deal on the subject. I think by the end of the decade we may ALL be gardeners....

how gasoline prices might be affecting programs like Meals on Wheels. Hmmm.

The guy in this story might have been just ahead of the curve by just a bit.

http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_5347601

The million rounds of ammo could come in handy

And be certain to get a few pointers on the future life by watching:

http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/manvswild/manvswild.html

Grubs are probably fairly good for you, plus they're free.