Go to the source: Be A Survivor

By Flea – Be A Survivor

Received the following email and decided to share:

Greetings:

I am writing to see if I can interest your blog in a topic for September – emergency preparedness.

National Preparedness Month (NPM), sponsored by FEMA’s Ready Campaign, is a national campaign during the month of September to increase emergency preparedness across the U.S. I am currently reaching out to emergency and disaster-related blogs to ask for help in encouraging Americans to take steps toward preparedness. Slightly more than half of Americans say they have taken steps toward preparedness, and your blog would be a great place to encourage the rest to get prepared.

You can find information about the Ready Campaign and National Preparedness Month at Ready.gov, and I can provide you with additional information or answer any of your questions. This is such an important, yet often forgotten task, not just during National Preparedness Month, but year-round. We would be delighted if your blog would consider supporting preparedness.

Thank you in advance for your support,

The Ready Campaign
Office of External Affairs
Federal Emergency Management Agency
npm@dhs.gov

…that is all.

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Go to the source: Be A Survivor

By Flea – Be A Survivor

I get a lot of emails for this so I figured I would do something about it.

If you want to exchange links with me go ahead and add a link to my site on your blog or website. It must be on your main page don’t bury it somewhere.

Send me an email and reference this post and let me know my link is up. After I check it I will happily put one up for you.

If your blog is new please actually have some material up on it before asking me…if I don’t think it will be valuable to my readers, I reserve the right to refuse it (I will let you know if I do and why).

***NOTE: If you sell stuff…don’t ask me about link exchanges. I will happily send you advertising rates if I think your products are worthwhile.

Thanks,
Flea

…that is all.

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Go to the source: Be A Survivor

By Flea – Be A Survivor

I recently made my first foray into the world of home brewing and I must say I am thoroughly enjoying the experience.

I decided to go with a starter kit I picked up from homebrewers.com. It came with a fermenting bucket, bottling bucket, hydrometer, siphon, racking cane, bottle brush, sanitizer and several other odds and ends.

The process was fairly simple. I used steeping grains in a big pot of water, right before the boil, I removed those and added the malt extract, dextrose and hops. Boiled the mixture for an hour.

One that was done I sanitized the fermenting bucket added the mixture I boiled (called wort) added enough cold water to bring to 5 gallons and added the yeast. I aerated the bucket, sealed the lid and added the airlock on top.

The airlock started to show visible signs of activity (C02 being released) after about 48 hours.

Once fermentation completes all I need to do is transfer the brew to the bottling bucket, add priming sugar, bottle, cap, and in two weeks I should have nicely carbonated beer. I will take some pictures when I am bottling and of the final product when carbonated and ready for consumption.

Brewing is pretty fun, pretty easy, and definitely something that will be useful after the SHTF and Budweiser doesn’t exist anymore.

The homebrewers.com website has some nice videos that should peek your interest and they have pretty much all the equipment you would need, including ingredients.

…that is all.

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Go to the source: Be A Survivor

By Flea – Be A Survivor

This will be short and to the point.

Political correctness, I don’t even like the way the words sound as they roll off the tongue.

The country is going to hell in a hand basket and the primary reason is because of political correctness. I usually stay away from the politics stuff but if you’re conservative, trying to have a conversation these days is tough because things are “off-limits”. PC doesn’t affect the liberal community as much because that’s just the way it is…you are all adults I’ll let you stew on it.

We need to call them like we see them. Trying to pussyfoot around stuff only exacerbates a situation.

If I disagree with someone who happens to be a different color than me, that does not make me racist, no more than visiting Hawaii makes me Hawaiian. The issue today is we are so afraid to say what we are thinking because we may be branded something that we aren’t. We all know that once that genie is out of the bottle; there isn’t a way to stuff his ass back in there.

This being America we always think we can make things better by throwing money at it, the best example of that is our educational system. We throw billions at it and our kids still can’t pass basic proficiency tests. The schools in my area just reported results on performance and they missed the goals. You will be shocked to learn the goal ONLY required 58% of students to perform at a satisfactory level, and WE MISSED THAT!! I mean are you fucking kidding me? Stuff like this makes me think about home schooling if we ever have a kid.

No amount of money is going to fix this political correctness issue, people will just have to scream they are tired of the BS and say what they want. The only way to change the brainwashing we have all gone through since this crap started is to say enough is enough.

…that is all.

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Go to the source: Be A Survivor

By Flea – Be A Survivor

When doing yard work, safety should be the first thing that your routine starts with. I recently had a close call while doing the weed whacking and it just reinforced my commitment to safety going forward. I was doing some edging with the weed whacker and something shot up and hit me in the face right below the eye and actually drew blood. If this piece of debris was about an inch higher I cringe to think what could have been.

The most important safety item when doing almost any kind of work is safety glasses. Mine were sitting on my workbench when the incident happened, great place for them eh? Needless to say that was a wake-up call and they are on my face anytime I am using tools or doing work from here on, I promise you that.

Next item on our safety list are a pair of work gloves. These very inexpensive items will protect your hands and knuckles from getting busted (I stuck that in for Ornery Bastard). Gloves will keep your hands from getting cut, your fingernails from getting filthy and will keep items from slipping out of your hands should you be sweating (which we do a lot of in South Carolina).

Hats are important especially if you have short hair and the sun is blazing. The hat will serve multiple purposes by protecting your from the sun and sucking up sweat and keeping it from dripping into your eyes. I usually wear a military style boonie hat when I am doing yard work because it also protects my neck from the sun.

Work shoes! I caught my wife mowing the lawn in flip flops one day and I wanted to scream at her. You need to wear work shoes of some type to protect your feet and toes from flying debris. While boots may not completely protect you from the lawnmower blade while it is running unless they are steel toe, flip flops won’t do a damn thing to protect you. Proper foot wear will also keep you from twisting an ankle while you are concentrating on your work.

Lastly you really should wear jeans when doing yard work to protect your legs from the sun and all the flying debris. I am guilt of not doing this and I have the scars on my shins to prove it. The debris coming off the weed whacker is so fast that if it hits your bare legs you will bleed.

Well that is it folks these are some simple tips you should follow when you are doing yard work at your house. Your skin, feet, and eyes will thank you if you follow it. Be safe!

…that is all.

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Go to the source: Be A Survivor

By Flea – Be A Survivor
People just love to waste time and procrastinate. Why do something now that you can pretend doesn’t exist till tomorrow? Why not spend countless hours in front of the boob tube or playing video games? The answer is simple organization and preparation. The more shit that piles up, ultimately you are that less productive as a person.
I see this at work all the time people wait until the very last minutes to get tasks accomplished and their day quickly becomes a clusterfuck of horrors. The boss gave them something a month ago that is due tomorrow and bammo…emergency happens and the time you thought you were going to use to finish the task is now gone. Guess you better go drop another 7 bucks on a latte as you are going to be working late Daniel-son.

The best thing to do at work and in life is to tackle things as you get them. You get a bill? Take 5 minutes and pay that sucker now and mail it out…don’t wait until there is a stack…mentally is less traumatic on your brain because you won’t see you bank account drop like the bomb on Nagasaki once every month. Those dribs and drabs are easier to live with (even though it is all mental). You get an email, answer it now; you get handed a task, start work on it immediately; you have a chore, do it now. You will quickly see that all of this organization and lack of procrastination will result in two magical things happening, the first being your stress level will drop tremendously, the second is you will have more free time…I guarantee it!

Beware of time wasters, the biggest being the boob tube. Now don’t get me wrong I do watch some TV but I keep to the stimulating stuff like History Channel, Discovery Science, Travel Channel, DIY, etc. Keep away from stuff that is just brain numbing, like Snoki and those asshats from Jersey Shore (makes me embarrassed to admit I grew up there). All those stupid shows should be banned as far as I am concerned, nothing good can come of your kids seeing some illiterate, promiscuous, fucktard being handed her own clothes line and writing a book about her nonsensical life…they’ll think that is the right way to go in life. Get your kids reading as early as possible and keep them away from all the garbage on TV. Kick there asses outside once in awhile too, our kids are fat but have the strongest thumbs of any nation on the plant from playing non stop video games. Unless thumb wresting becomes and Olympic sport we are screwed.

I know you think I am full of crap but it really does work. I use this stuff at work all the time and in my personal life. Not wasting time or waiting around for a sign from God to finally start working on something will help you live a happier stress free life.

My wife and I have a lot of this stuff down to a science, I made and initial investment of time into managing our finances and now because I have everything documented and in Quicken…bills take a matter of minutes. We plan our grocery shopping and we use list to make sure we stay on target; this has helped us save money. Our preps are in order and all of my equipment is clean and ready to rock should I need it. How did I do all these but staying organized and avoiding wasting my time or procrastinating.

…that is all.

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Go to the source: Be A Survivor

By Flea – Be A Survivor

Received another interesting email and thought I would share with my readers.

“WILL YOUR 1911 END UP KILLING YOU???

John Veit”

Flea – So check it out and let me know what you think…

…that is all.

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Go to the source: Be A Survivor

By Flea – Be A Survivor

The problem with many people today is they want things handed to them on a silver platter. Work ethic, hard work, desire, drive; whatever the heck you want to call it is seemingly gone the way of the dodo bird. People aren’t bashful about holding their hand out for a free ride even if there is a guy next to them who really needs it.

Part of the issue is parents – timeouts, therapy, “we are all winners”, no spankings, and creating new disorders to classify your little monster (and your lack of discipline and parenting skills) have gained us a generation of wussies, for lack of a better term.

We can’t all be winners…no matter hard we try. Second place is the first loser and the sooner your kid realizes that the better off they’ll be. That builds character people, drive, and ambition to win (the right way). If your kid sucks at baseball I am sure they’re good at something else. Berating your kid because he dropped a pass and is only playing football because YOU MADE him makes you look like an asshat and nothing more. Maybe your kid wants to be a boy scout or play the violin, regardless trying to live vicariously through your kid is a recipe for disaster so give it up.

Next, your kid is medically fine…he is just obnoxious because the Dr. Spock bullshit you raised him on doesn’t work. When I was young, if I back talked I got my ass whooped…something magical occurred after I got my ass whooped several times…I stopped back talking. I see kids throwing full on temper tantrums in the store that look like a rabid dog having a seizure…the mom stands there staring at the ceiling. Well guess what, you suck as a parent lady and your kid needs a beating.

The government is just like a new age parent who thinks they know best, well guess what they don’t. I personally believe that other than protecting me from the invading militaries of Mexico and Canada the government should stay the hell out of my life. I don’t think there should be unemployment benefits (look around the world there are plenty of countries that don’t have them) or social security for that matter. Live your life within your means and save money for when a bad spell hits. I guess I am just a heartless bastard.

All these handouts reduce the will of people to work hard. Back in the day…yeah they worked hard before all this new deal BS. Your ancestors all worked their asses off to make ends meet. Now we sit around and call sending a few resumes on Monster.com a job search (oh I worked hard honey I sent out three resumes today). Listen you take what you can get, if I lost my job as a IT person and couldn’t get another one…I would work first shift at McDonalds and second shift at Burger King if I had to, in order to support my family. It isn’t my fault you are paying $500 a month for a car and $2500 a month for a house you can’t afford.

The point is people; time and time again it has been proven that hard work WILL get you somewhere, it may take a while but if you are persistent you will be successful. Failing is part of living, if we take that away from our kids we take away a fundamental building block of character and this country is doomed. I want to see every one of you make it, be all you can be, and have the life you want but I expect all of you to work for it. I am sure my readers all have earned everything they have as you guys know this stuff, but we do the get occasional new person here, so I got to say it.

…that is all.

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Go to the source: Be A Survivor

By Flea – Be A Survivor

I have written about OPSEC in the past but some people are truly dim when it comes to protecting their shit. What I am talking about isn’t necessarily goods like food, guns, and gear. I am talking about your identity.

People will sign up for the stupidest stuff to get a free tee shirt, coupon, or some other worthless piece of hermit crab crap. If someone wants information from you in return for some trinket, tell them to hit the highway. Nothing is worth giving up information about yourself that could possibly be used for nefarious purposes. Keep your information close to the cuff and only use it when absolutely necessary.

The less information out there in out there in the wild about you, the better it is for you. A fun exercise is to go to Umbrella Corp…err uh I mean Google and type in your full name and see what interesting tidbits pop up. Hopefully not a whole hell of a lot because once the genie is out of the bottle there ain’t much you can do about it.

One of the first things you need to do is if you have a Facebook page keep that set to private and “Friends Only” don’t allow those bastards to publicly index your page. God I hate Facebook but how the else I am supposed to see pictures of the people I love doing stupid stuff. Not to mention the family arguments and knock down drag out fights I get to witness played out for all your friends to see…those are priceless. Better yet don’t have a Facebook page under your real name…or at all for that matter.

Eliminate as much physical mail as possible from being delivered to your address. There are even organizations out there that can help get you off marketer’s lists, just make sure you use the reputable ones (it should be FREE). Those pesky meth heads love driving around and stealing mail from mailboxes, especially outgoing mail so they can wash your checks (look it up) and fund their Dexter’s Laboratory of horrors. They are like roaches, in fact there will probably only be roaches and meth heads left after the big one hits.

Speaking of paying your bills online (well how the hell else you gonna protect yourself from the aforementioned meth heads?) Get yourself 3 programs for your computer: antivirus software, a firewall, and a good spyware program, all can be had for free “just Google it” (GOD I hate the F’in phrase). The main thing is to stay away from the porn sites….yeah I know none of you do that but in case we get a new person here I have to say it. They are a cesspool of malware, viruses, and other stuff that even a shot of penicillin won’t cure.

Don’t pay for shit online with your debit card. The big difference between a credit card and a debit card is the money comes right out of the bank with a debit card. If there is an issue and you get charged $2,000 instead of $20.00 because some dipshit missed a decimal then guess what?…your screwed. SURE you’ll eventually get your money back but do you really have an extra $1820 lying around??? So between the meth heads cashing your checks and the porn site charging you $2000 instead of $20.00 you can see how this can quickly spiral out of control.

And for crying out loud do not sign up for those bullshit services like LifeLock. Todd Davis, yeah the dumbass with his SSN# on the side of the truck…well what they don’t tell you is his identity has been stolen at least 13 times already (Google it). All the stuff “they do” for you, you can do yourself (namely place a freeze on your credit by calling the credit reporting agencies).

The main thing people is to just be careful, don’t do anything stupid and if something seems too good to be true than it most likely is, period.

This discussion is to be continued…I could tell you when but then I would have to kill you.

…that is all.

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Go to the source: Be A Survivor

By Flea – Be A Survivor

I laugh everytime I see the Geico commercial below. The reason being we have become a nation of fat and depressed losers. I laugh at the commercial because what R. Lee screams at the guy, that is what I want to scream at people sometimes.

Sure there are people out there with true medical issues and my heart goes out to all of you, but let’s face it folks…there ain’t THAT many people out there that need to be medicated. The pharma companies and doctors are doping us up faster than a crack head who just hit the lottery. They can’t wait to give you a pill to help you handle all that stress that is going to make your brain explode.

Me? I call stress having to go out and find your next meal or figure out how not to get eaten by things higher on the food chain than you. Not getting into the school I want, being able to go on vacation, or having to actually work for a living…that is nothing (ask the people looking for jobs, they know…and I mean REALLY looking, not that half hearted bullshit to keep the wife off your back and the unemployment office happy).

I think it was Josey Wales (great movie BTW) who said “Dying’s easy for men like you and me; it’s living that’s hard…” Living is tough, suck it up and get on with it and don’t make excuses for your inadequacies and you’ll do fine. Work hard and most of all always keep a positive mental outlook. It could always be worse trust me; just when you think you are down, the old man upstairs plants one square in the wedding tackle to show you who is in charge. The only thing you can do is roll with it and say it will get better to yourself.

I know, you think I am full of crap, it is a proven fact that people fighting things like cancer can increase their odds by maintaining a positive outlook and a fighting attitude. I mean if you call it quits you might as well jump in the hole and throw the first shovel full of dirt on yourself to save everyone the trouble.

Letting crap roll off your back is a skill I have mastered, ask my wife. I don’t let shit bother me, I keep it real and tell people to go scratch when it is called for, otherwise I mind my own damn business and get on with my life.

That is part of the problem, we get way too involved in everyone else’s business. Worry about yourself and when you are in a ZEN like state (never gonna happen), then you can stick that thing between your eyes and mouth in other folks affairs. And for cryin out loud stop giving advice to people who never listen to it anyway…another pet peeve. If they don’t do what you suggest and they screw themselves so be it (you would think they would listen to after that but they never do).

Maintain a positive outlook and you will be rewarded. You will find you are happier, healthier, and ready to face new challenges with renewed vigor.

You don’t have to listen to me though, I am sure your doctor can prescribe something to you to take that edge off…ya jackwagon

…that is all.

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