Illegitimis nil carborundum

Confessions of a Prepper

2009-05-27T14:42:00.000-07:00

When do you have enough stuff? I have often asked myself this question. I started preparing when I was young so I have had a long time to acquire my stuff. I am to the point now that I have so much stuff I wonder if I have too much. I have multiples of everything. I call them "AIR SPARES", Air Force for having an airborne spare aircraft for any mission. Should I pass up the good deals I see and stop buying?

Can you have too much stuff? You can never have too much food, water, supplements etc. But what about everything else we buy? If you had say 12 sleeping bags for a family of 4 that may be excessive. Guilty!

I think that at a point prepping becomes very obsessive. Am I wrong? I know that we must be obsessive to a point in order to get it right. But when I read that one blogger mentioned he had over 200 mags for a certain firearm. It hit me that maybe there has to be either a point of no return or an end point.

To be honest I think that my buying is a compulsion of sorts. It is like an Adrenalin rush to me. I just keep buying stuff. I can't help it if stuff just keeps showing up that I want or should I say need. Even if I have some already.

How many of you out there have this compulsion? I cannot be alone in this.

Well let me know your thoughts.

Mark

I Have Been A Sheeple for a while

2009-05-25T08:19:00.000-07:00

As I have mentioned before I get plenty of time off at my job. On Friday the 8th of May I started a long period of no work. Boss did some traveling. In fact in the last 18 days I have only worked 5 days. During that time I avoided ALL news. No news was good news for a time. I hope everything went well during this time for all of you.

I just took care of things around the house and did some needed maintenance on the vehicles. Spent some quality time with the family and did some traveling.

Having ones head in the sand can be refreshing. Like the old song "Don't Worry Be Happy." That was me for a time. Now its back to reality.

Later I will do some catching up on what has transpired since I have been in a news blackout.

I did not stop my seemingly never ending quest for Stuff. By the way when is enough enough? That's a post for a later date.

In my travels I went to the states largest Flea Market about 240 miles from here. Found two extreme cold weather bags for $15.00 each. Got two more mags for the AR at $5.00 each plus some stripper clips. Precious metals were abundant. This was a mini vacation of sorts and it was a good time for all. The weather was excellent and the scenery was outstanding. All in all a great trip.

Locally I installed a new radiator and shocks in the truck, new tie rods in the MR2 and oil changes all around. I find working on vehicles relaxing and somewhat enjoyable, except for the busted knuckles of course. Gives you a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction.

Local yard sales have been good too. Lots of stuff I did not need and some I did. Just popped into one sale by chance and they had a Remington 740/06 for $300.00. Thank you very much! I love surprises. Found a great reference collection of books on WWII, 17 books in all. I am a WWII buff and cannot ever get enough info. Here is just a few of the great books I found. Aviation Badges and Insignia of the United States Army 1913-1946, Luftwaffe Aircraft and Aces, The Allied Aces of WWII, Uniforms/Weapons and Equipment of the WWII GI, The Submarine at War, Wearing the Edged Weapons of the Third Reich and many more. I will be sharing info and pictures from some of these books in later posts. If you have an interest in a specific book I am glad to share. I will post the complete list later.

Good news abounded during this brief time. My oldest made the Deans List at college with straight A's, Life is good. Have you seen that show about Found Money where they surprise people with large sums left by some distant relative or an old bank account or stocks they forgot about. Well my wife did some checking and my father was on the list by name. Some Life insurance policy from whom he does not know as yet. Got to love it.

I will be getting the trailer ready for the summer. You know cleaning and maintenance. I cannot wait to go camping. May hit a few National Parks and some local State Parks as well. Drowning worms is high on my to do list too. The locals rivers and streams are too fast and full for now but soon they will be prime for fishing. May even do some inner tube float trips. Summer, got to love it. I get even more time off during the summer and I cannot complain. We only work 3 days a week during this time and I make good use of the time off.

Well I guess for now I have gone on long enough. It is good to be back at the daily grind even if it means that there is bad news out there waiting to be discovered. I will now catch up on what I missed in the real world and with all of Your blogs. Thanks for reading my rambling thoughts.

May God Bless America!

Who Speaks For You?

2009-05-07T16:50:00.000-07:00

Below in green is a saying I have always held close.

(NEWSPAPER HEADLINE)

JULY 1, 1937, MARTIN NIEMOELLER, CHURCH DISSIDENT LEADER, ARRESTED
Martin Niemoeller, one of main opponents of Nazi racial ideology in the Lutheran church and one of the founders of the oppositional "Confessional Church," is arrested. He is sent to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp in 1938 and spends the next seven years in concentration camps. After the war, Niemoeller's condemnation of bystanders to Nazi policies will become a call to early action.

His words: "First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist - so I said nothing. Then they came for the Social Democrats, but I was not a Social Democrat - so I did nothing. Then they came for the trade unionists, but I was not a trade unionist. And then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew - so I did little. Then when they came for me, there was no one left who could stand up for me."
From the following website http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/prisochr.htm

Now I know there are many who find fault with what Michael Savage has to say. I must say right up front that I agree with 90% of everything he says. I like the guy OK! But as I type he is being attacked for his free speech. He is on a "No Entry List" for the U.K. as a "Rabble-Rouser"(really that's the term used) of all things.

They put him in the same category as a famous American music star that escapes me for now. Michael can't get into ENGLAND, PERIOD! A frigging Talk radio Host. What could he possibly do to the entire country of Great Britain?

Why all of a sudden does Great Britain FEAR Michael Savage? Is it Micheal's FREE SPEECH they don't like? Michael said this could get him on the no fly list for being a threat in another nation! Why are they coming for Michael? Anyone?

Now if a foreign nation can do this to American Citizen, whether its a Musician or a Talk Show host, what IS OFF LIMITS TO YOUR OWN GOVERNMENT.

I can hear some in the world saying "That's only one man I, I could care less if he has problems." Well folks that one person is our problem. He is just the beginning of much more unless someone stands up for FREE SPEECH NOW!

I think the above saying is Very appropriate for TODAY. To SPEAK UP for Michael Savage get the MSM like Fox News to give it the attention it deserves. I know I am a Whore for telling you to use the MSM but what else is there? Sure you can write you REP. But why waste your time? They could care unless it involves them.

The only avenue left is the MSM. Someone needs to get it out that FREE SPEECH is under attack. So email those losers at FOX and tell them they need to speak for Savage. No need to contact the rest of the MSM, nothing but deaf ears. Fox is our only chance.

So if you love FREE SPEECH please send an email to Fox.

Here is the email address for the Fox News Manager newsmanager@foxnews.com

Thank You for your help and your visit.

Saturday Night Specials

2009-05-06T14:31:00.000-07:00

Most who read this kind of blog may not consider the "Saturday Night Special" for their kit. I for one think it is perfect for what it is. It is a small cheap pistol. Not very stylish, not very powerful and inexpensively made. The Clerke 1st is an example of one of these little pistols. Made in Santa Monica Ca. by the Clerke Technicorp company. Caliber 32 S&W with an 1 1/2" barrel. A very heavy weapon for its size at 1 pound 4 oz. Holds five shots and is very reliable.

This is what I call a GUT GUN, you know how in the old movies when the bad guy shoves the gun in the gut of his target and pulls the trigger. The way Ruby did Oswald. You cannot miss at that range and it will kill. Not very effective at a range of more than a couple of feet but when in need its better than nothing.

The price is right too. Around $25.00 for a pistol is CHEAP. I have seen them from $20.00 up to $50.00. They are pocket pistols basically and for a backup weapon they serve a purpose. Heck one of these and another more expensive backup would make me feel better any day. Any rounds in the direction of the bad guys is better than none. Also at that price they are disposable if needed. Try throwing away your Glock, I bet you won't.

What better weapon to have for barter or to give to that neighbor who has nothing when the SHTF. You can keep it in the BOB and if God forbid its stolen who cares. You are only out a few bucks instead of the hundreds you may have paid for that Browning or the like. Keep one in the trunk, glove box, toolbox, tackle box etc. with a box of ammo. Cheap insurance for sure.

Most of these little pistols are looked upon as inferior to all others. I suggest you give them a second look for what they are Inexpensive firepower. So the next time you see one of these much maligned weapons buy it for what it is and for what it could be.

All is Not Lost I Hope

2009-05-05T08:10:00.000-07:00

With all of the crap coming down the pike from the Obamanation Administration such as treaties and the like I still believe there is a glimmer of hope out there. My Hope rests with the American People in general.

Even my Liberal Boss says she stands behind the Constitution to the letter. She is anti gun in her home but defends my right to own them. She is not a fan of Talk radio or anything Right Wing but she fully supports their right to exist and their Free Speech. She has told me this on many occasions. She is well educated and has groups of common sense. She is a live and let live Liberal. She has said that if she is allowed to live her life according to what she believes then why shouldn't everyone else. She never tries to impose her beliefs on anyone and is open minded about your point of view.

Surely she is not a minority among the Liberal masses. I hope she is the rule and not the exception. There must be Millions of others like her who just want to go about their life without being told how to live it and want the same for everyone else.

This is where my Hope comes in. I cannot believe that the majority of People in this country do not think like her. With the exception of the 535 and the MSM, I think that the majority of this country is still of sound mind and will only take so much crap before they make themselves heard.

Most of us are busy trying to make ends meet, doing the job thing and just going about life. Some could care less about events unfolding around them,the Sheeple. There are 300 million of us and I am betting the majority of us are not going to take it much longer. "WE" as in you and I have seen to much crap come at us for many years but those who just stroll through life without a care must soon wake up to reality.

I am an optimist at heart and a little pessimism is fine at times. But I believe in this Country and the People who live here. It is not to late yet and maybe just maybe there will be an awakening of the Masses and then the real UNITED STATES OF AMERICA will shine through like it has so many times before.

MAY GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

MARK

A New Countdown on the Sidebar

2009-05-04T16:44:00.000-07:00

I have started a temporary countdown of the left sidebar. This is for an acquisition that will arrive in about the number of days indicated. There is a backlog due to the Obamanation. A nice hard case and other items will wait until its arrival. Well I think that will do it for now.

P.S. This Countdown is for my own entertainment, mostly.

Spring is Back Again

2009-05-03T14:28:00.000-07:00

The snow we got last weekend is now mostly gone and today was a beautiful sunny warm spring like day. Temp was about 52 and it felt much warmer. I look forward to going camping and doing some fishing. I love to fish the local streams and creeks. I do not know how much it is for a fishing license where you are but here a year is $17.00. I don't catch anything very big but they put up a good fight just the same. I release everything since I am not in need of food. I let them get bigger. I just enjoy catching them for now. We have Rainbows, Cutthroats and Browns. Some of the lakes around here have Grayling too. The local river has some big trout but the current makes it a task to fish. I drown worms as opposed to Fly fishing. Flies are fine when required by law but I prefer live bait. Lots of fly fisherman here. They flock to the rivers to get a workout with their arms. I have always thought that fly fishing was a lot of work.

My favorite place to camp is about 35 miles from here. A great stream runs through the area and there are Deer, Black bear and and an occasional Elk. I have even seen a Beaver or two at times. Plenty of campfire wood all over so I don't even have to bring any. Night time is my favorite when all the stars come out that are invisible in the city. On one occasion I counted 35 meteors streaking through the sky in one hour. If you are patient and look long enough you can see satellites circling the planet.

There is something about cooking in the woods that makes everything taste better. I know it is just my imagination. People seem to cook more when camping too. Maybe its the fresh air or the exercise. Most of us are not accustomed to walking much but when camping we seem to do a lot. I seem to sleep sounder out in the wild than I do at home too. Again maybe the exercise or the fresh air.

There are still those among us that insist on bringing the modern things along, like music, chain saws, generators, motor bikes and once I saw a TV on a picnic table! I try to avoid the crowded areas since here you can camp for free anyplace in the State parks that is not a developed. By developed I mean tables, outhouses etc. Just find a spot anywhere and set up camp. No restrictions on fires unless the fire danger is high.

I once spent a month camping in the local forests and that was a time the family and I will never forget. The freedom it provided and the lack of stress was GREAT. During the week we never saw anyone except for maybe a Ranger now and then. Basically we had the entire forest to ourselves. Once a week we would drive into town for propane and some grub needs. Otherwise we were camping fools. We were not roughing it by no means. We had a 12' cab over camper with a sink, shower and toilet for the bathroom, a Real refrigerator with a freezer, 4 burner stove and an oven. The fridge was a 3 way power type. It also had the old propane lights that are now no longer made. They make great light and provide heat too. This thing had a hot water heater too. I sold it years ago and regret it. It was good to us for a long time but we needed bigger digs.

I know I could live in our current travel trailer forever and be as happy as a lark the entire time. Even the wife says she would enjoy it! We both like simple surroundings without the clutter and and unnecessary things that most of us have in our homes. You know the useless things that are just dust collectors and serve only as decoration. Of course there would still be the necessary items that we all have in our stash. Firearms, Etc. I know firearms are modern things to but they are NECESSARY no matter where you are. But I can do without a TV, Stereo, even the computer. A radio would be the extent of my modern electronics. It seems to me that we all are addicted to too many modern things that we could if we had to live without. I know it would be tough on the young ones but they would survive I am sure. They will be going their own way soon anyway.

Well I am getting anxious to go camping and the next opportunity I get I am off. Drown some worms and eat like a pig. That's the life for me. Mark

Another Bargain Gear Item

2009-05-02T15:33:00.000-07:00

I went to a local auction today and I normally do not even leave an absentee bid. I hate to wait around for them to get to the items I am interested in. I saw three things that I Wanted. Two Marine Ghillie Suits and a Blackhawk S.O.F. Ruck Pack Kit. I put in some bids and left. This afternoon I went back to see if I got anything. I missed out on the suits but I got the Backpack. It lists for $383.00 on the Blackhawk site. I paid $60.00. It has tons of room and many pockets. It is new and I think it was an Issue item to the same guy who had the suits. Below is an image from the Blackhawk site. Both of the large side pockets have Alice clips for removal. WOW a bonus, I was going through the pockets and found a Beretta 9MM Magazine by Pro Mag. Cool!

The other day I picked up a Kevlar helmet #6 for $18.00 and a WWII Like new backpack for $20.00 the kind that has the triangle shaped frame. I needed another pack like I need another hole in my head. I have more packs than people to use them by a factor of 2. I just can't pass up a good deal for the life of me. I guess I should stop buying stuff so the wife will be happier but it is an obsession with me. MUST BUY GEAR! MUST BUY GEAR! Everywhere I go I see something I want and I already have one or two at home most of the time.

Well I think that will do it for now. Have a great day out there. I have already!

I Found My Ammo Fairy

2009-05-02T08:59:00.000-07:00

As usual I spent the morning hitting yard sales. Got the usual things I look for and a surprise too. At one sale I met a man named Ed and he had a few boxes of ammo on his table. I bought up a couple and he said he had MORE.

He reloads in his basement and does cast and jacketed. His garage is full of lead and he said all he needs is Brass for some of his stock. I have brass galore and he said bring it over and he will take care of me. The ammo I bought was 9MM for $9.00 a box and .223 for $10.00. Now this may not be the cheapest price in town it is the quantity I like. He said he has the ability to reload tons of ammo! I am bringing over all my brass and he said check back in a week.

This is a great find, better than a silver mine at this time.

He also ties Flys which is another good thing to know.

He has been at this for 45 years and that makes me feel good about buying it from him. He has dies for every caliber I own. I asked him how well stocked he was on primers and he Laughed! So things are getting better for me daily except for the Possible Pandemic thing that I ranted about last night. Not much I can do about it so I am going to go about my business for now and be thankful for what I have and the new source for more AMMO!

May God Bless America!

Mark

AS I SEE IT NOW!

2009-05-01T20:13:00.000-07:00

This is what is happening NOW! Schools are closing around the country and more to come and here's why! Not because of the flu but a possibility of the flu is reason to close a school. Schools around the country will ALL close. To quote the OBAMANATION :

"He said that schools with confirmed or suspected cases should consider temporarily closing "to be safe as possible," and advised parents to prepare for contingencies, including not sending a child to a daycare center."

Confirmed or suspected cases! That means as a Principle do you want to have it on your conscience that you kept a school open and a child died? NO! So we have the domino effect across the country! No more School!

Now one parent/guardian home with the kids all day.

If they sent your child home from school because there might be a chance of getting the flu, and you can't take them to childcare, are you going to take them shopping or go anyplace for fear of getting the flu(sheeple!)? Since we still have some Nuclear Families (look it up)out there, maybe one more member of the family is out in that toxic air and that wouldn't be prudent, maybe everyone should stay indoors except for emergencies!

They are already closings schools. Check it out for yourself.

I am no genius but I think I know what stinks and this stinks! This has the odor of a baited trap!

That has already SPRUNG!

Now what to do?

ME NOTHING. YET!
I DARE THEM!

MAY GOD BLESS AMERICA!

HOW THE SUN WORKS FOR IDIOTS

2009-05-01T17:57:00.000-07:00

This title is in no way directed at anyone in particular. I just used that to let people know it is a very simplified explanation of How The Sun Works, Period. I am just borrowing the "FOR IDIOTS" guide books idea for a while. I promise to give it back. I know that to some of you this will be OLD news. But to some it will be an awakening.

Well I have always loved the Heavens but especially the Sun. That little bright ball up there is the only reason we exist. No Sun No WE! Now its been heating us up for a long time. Just like a fine watch it keeps going and going. Now even the Sun gets run down at times and cools just a little. We are 93,000,000 miles away from the Sun and it still warms our planet. Oh by the way any closer and we FRY and any farther we FREEZE. Just thought I would throw that in.

I want you to think of the Sun as pot of hot water on the stove. Now you can bring water to a boil and it roils like crazy. Really hot water. Now if you get it to a temp close to boiling, it is still very hot just not boiling hot. The Sun is the same. When the Sun is very hot it boils like that water making bubbles on the surface. These are the Sunspots. The more Sunspots the hotter the Sun is. Fewer Sunspots means its still hot but much cooler than when there are many Sunspots. Now for all you skeptics check out there this chart at : http://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/greenwch/spot_num.txt It covers Sunspot activity since 1749 starting in the month of May of that year.

Below is the 1913 records of Sunspot activity from that site. The numbers in ( ) is the number of sunspots seen in a given MONTH per DAY. I put the () around them to make them easy to read.

JAN 1913 1 (2.3) 3.6 FEB 1913 2 (2.9) 4.5 MAR 1913 3 (0.5) 1.7 APR 1913 4 (0.9) 2.9 MAY 1913 5 (0.0) 0.0 JUN 1913 6 (0.0) 0.0 JUL 1913 7 (1.7) 3.7 AUG 1913 8 (0.2) 1.3 SEPT 1913 9 (1.2) 3.6

OCT 1913 10 (3.1) 4.6 NOV 1913 11 (0.7) 2.2 DEC1913 12 (3.8) 6.8

I can hear it now why pick 1913? Well as I have posted earlier it has snowed quite a bit here in the last few days. It snowed 26.5 inches in 3 days. My point is that this 26.5 inches of snow snapped a 96 year old record for snow in April. April 1913 to be precise. We beat it by 8". Now that's a record that has stood for 96 years. The Sunspot activity in April 1913 was 0.9 sunspots per day. There were no Sunspots on the 25th through the 29th of April 2009. It snowed 26.5 inches it that time frame. If you doubt it go to, http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpmenu/forecasts/SRS.html and see for yourself.

Now in 1913 there were no Sunspots again until July of that year.

Now to go back even farther in time to 1645 through 1715. This is the lowest recorded period of Sunspot activity EVER! The data for this period is located at the site below.

http://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/SunspotCycle.shtml : This is called "THE MAUNDER MINIMUM"

Early records of sunspots indicate that the Sun went through a period of inactivity in the late 17th century. Very few sunspots were seen on the Sun from about 1645 to 1715 (38 kb JPEG image). Although the observations were not as extensive as in later years, the Sun was in fact well observed during this time and this lack of sunspots is well documented. This period of solar inactivity also corresponds to a climatic period called the "Little Ice Age" when rivers that are normally ice-free froze and snow fields remained year-round at lower altitudes. There is evidence that the Sun has had similar periods of inactivity in the more distant past. The connection between solar activity and terrestrial climate is an area of on-going research.

I guess historical records are not good enough! But anyway I digress.

Now lets recap, Maunder Minimum Less Sunspots colder earth, Maunder Maximum More Sunspots Hotter Earth. Got It!

We are now in Maunder Minimum as I type and have been for quite a while. Since 2007 to be precise. Check out the charted data here : http://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/images/Zurich_Color_Small.jpg

The Earth is starting to cool in conjunction with the Suns 11 year cycle of Sunspot activity. We are now at the lowest point of Sunspot activity in this part of the cycle.

Now my whole point of this is to put my 2 cents into the GLOBAL WARMING THEORY. If you look at the charts and then check out the weather during any given year back to 1749 you will see that its colder on Earth in the years that fewer sunspots are recorded. Just the same it is HOTTER on Earth when there are more Sunspots!

Now the hottest period we have had on Earth is from 1998 to 2007. There were groups of sunspots during that time frame. Check it out.

So one more time repeat after me: MORE HEAT HOTTER PLANET, LESS HEAT COLDER PLANET! Period.

If your read this rant Thank You. I hope you at least give this some thought. It would be nice if we started worrying about important things, not what the temperature of the planet is since we can do NOTHING about it!

Mark, up to his butt in 26.5 inches of snow in APRIL!

Epidemic Influenza And Vitamin D

2009-04-29T19:40:00.000-07:00

I visit http://www.stevequayle.com/start.html every weekday and I always see a bunch that interests me. Today I found an article that may be of use to all. The title of it is "Epidemic Influenza And Vitamin D" it is located at http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/51913.php. Read the entire article and make up your own mind as to it relevance to today's situation. This is no crackpot site but a medical site.

Since in the past I have been plagued(no pun intended) with pneumonia on occasion I am following the advice given here just in case. The way I see it if it only costs me $6.00 for some supplemental Vitamin D it is worth the price. I am going to take 1000IU a day from now on except when I am able to get the natural stuff from the good old Sun. We have 11" of snow so far and its still snowing so pills will have to do for now. According to this paper you get about 12,000IU after 20 minutes of sun over the entire body(naked?) I think I will stick to shorts and no shirt thank you. Don't need the neighbors getting sick on my account.

Ultraviolet B light works too but use eye protection or you will burn your eyeballs!

OK I have to tell this story about ultraviolet light. In the 1980's I was stationed in Iceland. They have hot water pools that are formed by the output of the geothermal plants that produce electricity and steam heat for the country. This was way before they were made to look like the resorts they are now. This was just a silt bottomed huge pond of hot silty sulphur smelling water that locals laid around in anytime of the year. The only building was a small trailer about 8' by 12" long with chairs and a tanning bank of lights. Most of the Icelander's went in nude and then went into the trailer during the winter and hit the tanning light. My Ex wife and I tried this pool several times and found it relaxing. On one trip she decided to try the tanning light. She had been using the one on base and thought it would be the same. Since we were alone in the trailer and the pond was empty she tried it nude. She only stayed 5 minutes on each side. It was a vertical type lamp bank that you stood in front of. That evening she started to feel like she had a bad sunburn. When she looked in the mirror she was red everywhere. We went to the ER and they wanted to admit her since she had 2nd degree burns on over 90% of her body. The only places she was not burned was the bottom of her feet, top of her head and between her legs. Needless to say I was the lotion master for the next few days. They gave her pain meds since it was so severe. So be careful of the eyes and your skin if you use UV lights. Even the ones that are used for finding minerals will burn your eyes. That's why the cop shows wear the red glasses when using UV.

Just thought I would pass this on for those who have need for the info. I have already informed my extended family in other parts of the country. Better than a kick in the butt or a shot in the arm.

Mark Kent

WINTER WONDERLAND?

2009-04-29T07:08:00.000-07:00

In an earlier post I mentioned we were expecting about a foot of snow. Well here are some images of that snow. This is a really wet snow but it is not sticking to power lines as yet. Trees are heavy with it and a few broken branches here an there.

I thought it would be fun to drive what I call my skateboard to work today. I have an MR2 that sits very low but is fun in the snow. It has no problem since the roads are kept very clear here. Might hit a big parking lot for some donuts.

I love snow and even at my age I like to go play in it. This is great snowman and snowball snow.

Its a beautiful day in the neighborhood as you can see.

Later Mark

LIFES CHOICES

2009-04-28T05:35:00.000-07:00

A great line from an Indiana Jones movie that says it all was "HE CHOSE POORLY." That speaks volumes to me. I have always tried to do just the opposite as have all of you I am sure. When I retired from the military I researched thoroughly my future residence based on many factors. I looked at all the variables and made a decision based on what I considered important. The place that I/we chose was not what my wife would have liked but in explaining why and for the sake of our then small children she agreed. We had lived in a large population center with vast amounts of Gang activity, excessive crimes of all kinds and limited resources.

My current home is in a relatively secure environment. No gangs, crime is extremely low, abundant resources, low cost of living, semi rural with lots of farm land surrounding it, with locally grown vegetables, dairy, beef, chicken, wheat, barley and more. We have many local farms that raise anything needed and several organic farms for both meat and veggies. Water is very abundant since we live near a Major river.

The surrounding area has vast amounts of wildlife, dove, pheasant, geese, ducks, deer, elk, moose, rabbit, antelope, grizzly bear, black bear, mountain lions, wolves, Great fishing in lakes, rivers and streams. Lets just say paradise for the outdoors type. I can sit on my front porch and see Bald or Golden eagles fly by, hawks of all kinds looking for food and the occasional owl. Lets just say we have it all here.

We have 4 seasons with moderate winters. As I type it is snowing and we expect about 1' total for the next few days. Its a wet snow and that's good for the local farmers.

The population of the surrounding area is about 80,000 which includes the 50,000 in my town. Now that may be a lot of people to some but that 80,000 is spread out over a VAST area.

While driving around town you may see people riding their horse on the same street. Not a strange sight here just your average day. When trying to change lanes here on a busy road people wave you in instead of speeding up to keep you out. There are still gentleman here who hold the doors for ladies. If a motorist has car trouble here at a stop light or anywhere folks go out of their way to help. It is not odd to see maybe 4 big guys pushing a car out of the intersection that has stalled. People shovel each others sidewalks in the winter when needed not when asked. People helping people that's what we do here.

This state is one of only a handful that has a budget surplus and we even got check from the surplus.

Natural resources abound from coal, timber, gold, platinum, palladium, copper, oil, natural gas, sapphires, diamonds, water as already mentioned and hydroelectric power right in town. We even have 6 HUGE wind turbines that I can see from my house with more to be installed soon. We also have a local oil refinery.

The unemployment here is about 5.9% but several surrounding areas have 3.5% or so. Both my wife and I are lucky to have great jobs. I consider my job the best in the NATION. Its just my boss and I and the business is BOOMING! The business relates to one of the above mentioned natural resources. No its not oil.

Now I am not on a bragging rant here but with everything that is going on in the world and the recent events I consider myself VERY fortunate to be living where I do in these times. This was one of my better decisions. So to quote that Indiana Jones movie again "I CHOSE WISELY."

I'M BAAACK!!

2009-04-27T07:56:00.000-07:00

Well howdy folks! I am back in the saddle again. No the men in black did not pay me a visit and I was not in jail or God forbid dead.

I went into work on the 17th of April and the boss said she wanted to take some time off so I was given 10 days paid vacation and I took full advantage of it. I headed to my Happy Place pronto! For those who do not know my Happy place is a Ghost town in Nevada. I have been in bliss the entire time. No phone calls, no computer, no TV, no liberals, nothing but fresh air and peacefulness! Perfect weather and great scenery are great for the soul too. Simple is good and I had many days of that. Watching sunsets and sunrises without a care is what we were all meant to do on occasion. Being able to hear the sound of a hawks wings cutting through the air as he dives for his breakfast is a thing of beauty and the sight of wild horses just going about life without a care is what God gives us at its best. Even the rattlesnakes were a sight to behold. They are Gods creatures too and I say live and let live. They have a place in this world as much as you and I. Needless to say I am rejuvenated and at this point nothing could get me down.

I made it back in time to do the local Gun show and what a show it was. As usual I made out like a bandit in the precious metals department and bought a few things along the lines of the Second Amendment. Ammo shortage my BUTT! I found anything I wanted! Supplies for the .50's and all the other .......'s, mm's and ga.'s were plentiful. Plenty of buying as expected and much money to be made.

The line for entry was wrapped around the corner of the building for 2 hours. and was long most of the day on Saturday!

I was a seller this time and its been a while since I have done this. I sell as you might expect jewelry, antiques and collectibles.

Well there were many great items for sale and some unusual things too. Saw a Carbon 15, new never fired($800), a BRAND NEW NEVER FIRED MODEL SP1 COLT($1995!!!!), I forget the designation but a Pea green polymer($1050) AR-15 clone made in Lake Havasu AZ. interesting to say the least, the new HK AR-15 upper ($1650)that has three rails on it, again I forget the designation, the one that handles dirt, grime, water, gunk and keeps going and many .50's but whats new with that.

I pride myself on having the most unusual items at the show even if I do say so myself. Pride is a terrible thing I know but what the heck I deserve to have some once in a while. I have for many years been holding on to three very unique items I have acquired. First I had, (had the operative word) two 20mm barrels from an F-5E. Then there is my favorite and I am still the proud owner of a GAU-8/A barrel. All 92 pounds 8' of it. Just thought I would give them some daylight from hibernation as it were. I will continue to hold on to the big one for now. Maybe someday it will find a new home but I am in no hurry. I only wish I had more of the smaller ones to get rid of, they went FAST!

Since I was in my dreamland for so long I missed the Flu thing, and anything else that happened while I was being happy. Maybe I should have stayed put. I am glad that TEOTWAWKI held off while I was far from family. Thank you Lord!

Well I do not go back to work till Wednesday so I will be taking care of business around the house. Maybe do some treasure hunting or the such at the local junk shops since I have not made the rounds in a long time.

I hope all was fine for you and yours and you were in my thoughts and prayers. I hope all of you will get some quality time as I did and get back to what matters, LIVING! Taking a break from the real world is the best medicine I can prescribe for anyone.

Mark

NEVER NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER!

2009-04-16T06:46:00.000-07:00

First impressions are what most people judge others on. But recent events in Great Britain prove the old adage "NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER" that goes for people too! I know this is old news to most but the recent British version of American Idol called Britain's Got Talent blew me and the world away. Now I am not a fan of the U.S. version of this show but if I could get the British version here I would watch every episode.

Susan Boyle is a prime example of the old adage at its best. She was welcomed by the audience and the judges of this show with great apprehension for only one reason her looks. This was further justified in the minds of all present by her actions, a little dance she did and the singer she admired and aspired to be like. But those in attendance soon got a dose of Reality when she started to sing.

I was amazed when I heard her sing and yes I teared up too. I say you go girl! I predict that she will run away with a win in this talent contest.

I hope that Susan Boyle's experience will make every person in the world think twice before they judge anyone for what they see and not whats hidden.

I can name two prime examples of how people might judge someone just on appearances. If you did not know them for their accomplishments they would be judged immediately by their looks.
Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. Both brilliant men who have an outward appearance of not fitting in with what is considered the NORM in appearance.

I bet that if you took photos of these two people out on the street and asked people what they thought of them most of the responses would be negative. Now I know that Einstein is fairly recognizable to most but there are many who would focus on his appearance and nothing more.

Since I am a big fan of precious metals as most of you know and gems too I have a couple of prime examples of making judgements from appearances alone.

In Russia during the 1800's gold fever found many people panning the rivers for GOLD nuggets. In one area the prospectors were finding grayish nuggets that they considered to be not yet Gold since they had the density of gold but the color was wrong. So thinking that this was gold that had yet to change color threw them back to continue the transformation into Gold. Well these nuggets they threw back were actually PLATINUM NUGGETS. But since they did not know what they were and perceived them to be worthless they were dismissed for looks alone.

A local gold mine near me during the same time frame had a similar event. Prospectors were complaining about something they called "Riffle Clutter". For those of you that do not know the Riffle is the ridged tray on a sluice box or a dredge that collects the gold when the prospector washes the material he or she thinks contains gold. All of the lighter material passes over these riffles and the gold being heavier than the other material is caught by these Riffles. Well this Riffle Clutter was considered to be just a nuisance and was thrown back into the river. The belief among all the prospectors was that the BLUE Riffle Clutter was nothing but broken bottles that had been disposed of in the river. Back in the day Blue glass was a popular type of glass for many liquids.

Well one enterprising prospector thought that it was strange that this Glass would be trapped in the riffles along with the gold. He was told by the owner of a local lapidary shop that these Blue pieces of glass might be sapphires so he gathered up a cigar box full of the little blue riffle clutters and sent them off to Tiffany and Co. He later received a letter and a very large check. In the letter Tiffany wanted more of the Finest Sapphires they had ever seen.

So remember that judging anything by its looks could cost you more than you think. I bet Simon Cowell is dreaming of the money he can make.

Good Luck Susan Boyle!

Are you really prepared?

2009-04-15T06:58:00.000-07:00

I ask this question for a simple reason. We in the present have all the bells and whistles that enable us to survive with relative comfort and convenience. We have as the basics of the survival kit go: tents, sleeping bags, cook stoves, prepared food stuffs, modern lighting devices, GPS or a compass, water filters, firearms ETC ETC you get my drift I hope. More than the basic we would like to have solar panels, generator, fixed shelter, heat source, transportation, surveillance equipment, night vision equipment, modern electronic devices of all kinds, ETC ETC and so on.

Now lets take the Eskimo of days gone by and the tribes in the jungles of South America or Africa Saharan desert they live day to day without any of the above modern trappings we depend on.

These people even today live with almost nothing and they still survive(except modern Eskimo's who have adopted modern ways). I am sure some of you have seen the series on TV with two guys who live with these so called PRIMITIVE tribes in the jungle. These people have survived in almost the same manner for who knows how long and my point is that they have SURVIVED! With none of the items we consider essential for the very same task LIVING!

Now I am not suggesting that we ditch the clothing and use just bows and arrows or blow guns but we need to take a step back and really get back to the basics of survival.

The Survivor Man series or the other guy who uses his survival knowledge are good examples of what I mean.

How many of us have actually tried to start a fire with the methods used on these shows? Or have built a shelter and searched for food in the environment that was around you? How easy would it be if you were truly in a survival situation? I mean survival with NOTHING but your brain and the clothes on your back.

I for one have tried some of the things shown on these series and I will say that it is much harder than it looks. I think I have some general knowledge of these techniques but if it came down to me having nothing available except my brain I would be hard pressed to make it happen with a positive outcome. I mean try starting a fire in the ways portrayed on these shows when you are tired, hungry, cold maybe and possibly injured. These all make using these techniques much harder. The psychological factor is also a MAJOR player.

I mean most of us are soft and lets face it as a society LAZY. We expect too much from technology to make our lives easier. In a survival situation things change dramatically. Those with military survival training or the folks in the military who tramp all over hell and half of Georgia carrying everything they need in a pack are better suited than most. But lets be honest the majority of us myself included are in no way prepared for this type of slogging around the country side on foot for days on end even without a pack.

A case in point was the story of a young girl around the teen years who was on an aircraft that crashed in the middle of some South American jungle. She was if I remember right the only survivor of the crash. Now she had NOTHING with her for obvious reasons. She was fortunate since she was raised in this environment and knew a little about what she was facing. Her father had taught her some of the things to look for in the jungle and what to avoid. These basic skills are what gave her the ability to survive and make it back to civilization. By the way she knew better than to stay put at the site of the crash and wait for help. In the jungle a crash site is swallowed up by the thick growth of vegetation. She eventually made it to a river and was helped by some river traffic. I believe she was alone in the jungle with nothing but her brain for if I remember about two weeks or so. An amazing case of true survival. Yes she had to do this in order to LIVE but the point is she did it!

I am not suggesting that we throw ourselves into a jungle and try to duplicate this brave girls feat. But the next time you go camping or go for a hike. Practice the skills that are the basics and see what it really takes to survive.

I mentioned in my BIO that I enjoy winter camping. I have spent 4 days in -20 degree F or greater weather with some of the modern items mentioned above and it was to say the least a challenge just staying comfortable. I was not alone during this and with shift work on the part of my fellow campers we kept a fire going the entire time to help with staying warm. I had no stove, no heat other than a fire. I did have a proper sleeping bag, tent, ground cover, a mat under my bag and proper clothing. Other than that we made due with the basics. We had lighters of course, axes, knives, utensils, pots and pans and store bought food stuffs, just the basics. We cooked over the fire, melted snow for water and heated rocks for warmth at night. I really enjoyed the experience and gained a lot of incite as to what is good to have and what is not.

This is the kind of thing I think will be useful for all of us to experience. You do not have to do without the basics and use whale oil for light and heat or kill a caribou for clothing but actually putting some of our gear to use on a regular basis is very important. Even if you just set up camp in your yard for a couple of days and get accustomed to using everything. Not much different than going to the range to sharpen your marksmanship skills.

Well enough of that but I hope some will take my advise and use the things that we WILL depend on when needed. This modern stuff and our brains are no good to anyone unless we use them regularly.

Why Carry A Gun?

2009-04-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

I really like the thought that went into this. You may have seen this before if so skip it. I agree with all of it!

This was linked on http://www.stevequayle.com/start.html

My old grandpa said to me “son, there comes a time in every man’s life when he stops bustin’ knuckles and starts bustin’ caps and usually it’s when he becomes too old to take an ass whoopin’.”
I don’t carry a gun to kill people. I carry a gun to keep from being killed.
I don’t carry a gun to scare people. I carry a gun because sometimes this world can be a scary place.
I don’t carry a gun because I’m paranoid. I carry a gun because there are real threats in the world.
I don’t carry a gun because I’m evil. I carry a gun because I have lived long enough to see the evil in the world.
I don’t carry a gun because I hate the government. I carry a gun because I understand the limitations of government.
I don’t carry a gun because I’m angry. I carry a gun so that I don’t have to spend the rest of my life hating myself for failing to be prepared.
I don’t carry a gun because I want to shoot someone. I carry a gun because I want to die at a ripe old age in my bed, and not on a sidewalk somewhere tomorrow afternoon.
I don’t carry a gun because I’m a cowboy. I carry a gun because, when I die and go to heaven, I want to be a cowboy.
I don’t carry a gun to make me feel like a man. I carry a gun because men know how to take care of themselves and the ones they love.
I don’t carry a gun because I feel inadequate. I carry a gun because unarmed and facing three armed thugs, I am inadequate.
I don’t carry a gun because I love it. I carry a gun because I love life and the people who make it meaningful to me.
Police Protection is an oxymoron. Free citizens must protect themselves.Police do not protect you from crime, they usually just investigate the crime after it happens and then call someone in to clean up the mess.
Personally, I carry a gun because I’m too young to die and too old totake an ass whoopin’.
…author unknown (but obviously brilliant)

LEST WE FORGET THE PAST

2009-04-13T18:29:00.000-07:00

This is the origination of the now famous quote. It is very relevant today! I post this as food for thought in reference to the DHS document below! Lest we be next!

JULY 1, 1937
MARTIN NIEMOELLER, CHURCH DISSIDENT LEADER, ARRESTED
Martin Niemoeller, one of main opponents of Nazi racial ideology in the Lutheran church and one of the founders of the oppositional "Confessional Church," is arrested. He is sent to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp in 1938 and spends the next seven years in concentration camps. After the war, Niemoeller's condemnation of bystanders to Nazi policies will become a call to early action. His words: "First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist - so I said nothing. Then they came for the Social Democrats, but I was not a Social Democrat - so I did nothing. Then they came for the trade unionists, but I was not a trade unionist. And then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew - so I did little. Then when they came for me, there was no one left who could stand up for me."

From the following website http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/prisochr.htm

MUST READ*

2009-04-13T18:22:00.000-07:00

This is an official DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY DOCUMENT.

http://infowars.com/media/rightwing-dhs.pdf

Just read it I need not say anymore!

The Pirate Question

2009-04-13T15:18:00.000-07:00

I think this pirate thing is being blown out of proportion. Yes they have what 10 or 12 ships, and 200 people as of now. They have used hijacked ships as mother ships to launch smaller boats for assailing other ships. But here is the point I want to make. None of the vessels taken are warships. Just commercial vessels. The small boats they use to "attack" larger vessels are at most launches or medium size motor boats. These ocean going vessels dwarf the boats they use to "attack" them.

How do they get the ships to stop? Do they threaten the vessel with RPG'S, AK'S
or other small arms. Can an RPG or even an anti tank weapon stop a large vessel? They do not want to disable the vessel since they have taken most into a Somali port to be held for ransom or used later as a mother ship.

Lets say they do stop it, how do they get on board? Can't the crew raise any boarding device such as a ladder, or other means of boarding a moving ship to prevent them from getting on board? Am I missing something? These are not your average weekend river boat or for that matter a houseboat. The deck is many feet up from the waterline. How do they get up to the deck? Do the crews fear them in the those tiny boats that much?

A while back there was a special on TV that addressed Pirates in that very area. There was a cruise ship that was "attacked" by pirates in a tiny boat with RPG'S and AK's. The crew had filmed the attack. They managed to get off a couple of RPG rounds that did not explode. The crew used one of those new Sonic devices and the pirates fled. Now if the crew of a Cruise ship can avoid stopping then why not a cargo ship?

Now to the meat of the question. Have some of these ships stopped and been boarded for reasons we are unaware of? Not to say the the American Flagged Vessel was one of these. Lets say that it would be unseemly for any ship to just dock in Somalia and start to unload on the up and up. But if a ship is HIJACKED and it is taken into port and unloaded who is going to question this action as anything more than pirates taking some bootie? What has been ON some of those ships that were "Hijacked?" It has been put out there that the Chinese have been supplying these pirates and the Somali warlords with weapons. What better way to get them to these people than to make it look the ship was attacked by pirates.

If my scenario is true then where are these weapons going? How many AK'S, RPG'S and the such can they use at any given time? A ship load of weapons could be unloaded and sent to who knows where with the approval of and payment to the local warlord. Last time I saw images of Somalia and its residents they all seemed well armed. Remember Black Hawk Down?

Lets say they go to neighboring countries like Kenya-unstable, Sudan-unstable, Uganda-unstable, Ethiopia-no better you get the point. What if it is PEOPLE that are the cargo? Does not need to be many to cause havoc. I mean TERRORISTS when I say people. What about explosives, chemicals? You get my drift.

I just think it is strange that the shipping companies have not provided some security when passing this area. It would be much less expensive to have a couple of guys with .50 caliber rifles to stop these guys. Even a few shots at them with something lighter would send them looking for an easier target. These pirates are getting $MILLIONS$ for the return of the ship and crew. How much can it cost to hire some security guys for the entire trip to act as a deterrence?

Something is not right about this whole pirate thing. It smells FISHY.

The first incident was I believe(been wrong before) was an oil tanker that caught fire due to an "explosion?" Was this pirates or as reported terrorists or was it insurance money at work? I forget the details but I believe it was near Yemen. Why destroy a tanker FULL of oil? How much is the oil itself worth even to non pirate terrorists? What political message would be gained by destroying a tanker and killing a few people? Was this a suicide bombing or did they just pull along side set some charges in a small boat and cruise away? They did find small boat wreckage at the scene. The French are glad to pay ransom as are many other nations. Why blow it up?
It just seemed strange to me.

My whole point is why have the governments of the other countries not done what we have just done? Is the thought of killing a few pirates that sickening to them that they would rather pay the ransom? It is not the governments that are paying the ransoms its the ship owners or the insurance companies. Why don't the other countries cry out for protection from the respective governments naval forces. I am sure that these countries have at least a cruiser or a destroyer or some warship bigger than the pirate vessels.

I just think there is more to this than meets the eye. Something is not right about the whole pirate thing.

Just my thoughts and I am sticking to them!

TTR AND NELLIS PATCHES

2009-04-13T05:30:00.000-07:00

These are most of the patches worn by team members. I cannot locate the non-subdued patch for the Ghost Riders 416 FTR Squadron.

Starting from top, Dragon Test Team, Grim Reapers, Nightstalkers, (missing Ghost Riders).

Next, 37AGS, Subdued Ghost Riders Maint. Patch, NightStalkers Maint. Patch, 37 AGS subdued.

Four different 4450th Tactical Group patches. Red patches prior to the subdued black patch. Large black one is for jacket pocket.

Large red 4450th is for jacket pocket, Next one is a test pilot school patch. the bright color one is the Lockheed Field Service Patch for the F-117.

Three A-7D patches. Top patch was worn by Nellis cover story crew. The bottom two were also worn by Nellis Crew but are much earlier. Went from large color to large subdued to small patch.

I also have two of the Aircraft style HUGE vinyl stickers. The kind put on the tail or fuselage. About 2' x 1 1/2' or so(a guess since its been a while since I have looked at them) but they are big. I will image them later.

Spacing is not working again, sorry.

Hope you enjoy these images.

Mark

BIBLE ART FOR EASTER

2009-04-12T06:59:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of Easter I thought I would share some pictures from a Bible I have. This Bible was printed in 1882. It is a German language Bible but was printed here in the USA.

Happy Easter.

Mark

I Remember........

2009-04-09T15:07:00.000-07:00

When Sunoco gas stations had gasoline up to 109 octane.

When cable TV had NO commercials and good programming.

When we knew our enemies by the flags they flew.

When news casters reported and left opinions to themselves.

When cartoons were for kids.

When children played outside.

When Gay meant Happy.

When getting the clap was a major thing.

When the Military were the GOOD GUYS.

When religion wasn't vilified.

When school was for learning not indoctrination.

When the dollar was backed by GOLD.

When silver coins were given as change.

When baseball hats were worn properly.

When pay phones were enclosed.

When America made things.

When slide rules got us to the MOON.

When Hank Aaron Beat Babe Ruth's Home run record without STEROIDS.

When movie stars made movies not speeches.

When commercial airplanes were not buses with wings.

When drive-in theatres were THE place to go.

When there were no BLEEPS on TV.

When Woolworths sold M1 Carbines and Garands!

When the President of the United States did not bow to ANYONE!

Home on the Range TTR (TONOPAH TEST RANGE) IV

2009-04-08T06:06:00.000-07:00

Well another chapter begins. this time I will jump around a bit to give you some more incites into this part of my time at TTR.

Now many of you know that Nevada has a large population of wild horses. The Test Range is loaded with them. A great sight to see to be sure. Huge herds(is that the right term) roam all over the area I was privileged to see. When taking the bus to work they would be just grazing on the sparse vegetation the desert provides or playfully running around like a bunch of colts. As for colts there were many to be seen. These horses were not a bother to anyone and it felt good to know that at least here no one could harm them. The range gave them the ultimate protection from losers who thought they made good targets. The only problem they presented was to vehicles at night. Every now and then one would stray onto the road and become a casualty of fate. This got to be a big concern for the Commander of this base. He of course was mainly concerned about the safety of his troops and the expense of losing the numerous vehicles that were trashed by hitting a horse. He put out a proclamation that the next person that hit a horse would face his wrath.

First let me say that TTR was black as black at night no lights could be seen anywhere. To be able to see a horse crossing the road at night there was IMPOSSIBLE. Well two days after this proclamation by the Commander, He hit a horse and trashed his truck. Needless to say the cat was out of the bag and the fun started. Now this Commander was a great guy and had the respect and admiration of all. He was the kind of man that knew how to treat everyone as PEOPLE. He could also take a joke. Several days after his horse episode some folks had made a sort of trophy for him. It was a diorama of sorts. It had his Red truck(the only red truck on TTR) all crumpled up and a dead horse, the road, grass, cactus the whole nine yards on this thing and a little plaque with the proclamation on it . They presented it to him and he laughed his butt off. This kind of thing would not have been acceptable anywhere but at TTR. We had a special relationship that allowed us to do things that others in the USAF could not. After this event he understood the hazards of driving on the range and made no further proclamations about hitting horses.

There was as I have said two bus systems at TTR. One that operated in and around the housing area and also took us to work. Then there was one that served the secure area only. On the secure area bus I struck up a conversation with one of the drivers and learned he was a FAMOUS KNIFE maker. I believe his last name was King but I could be wrong, its been a long time. Anyway he was a great guy and carried one of his knives with him a folder. This was strange since having a weapon on TTR was a no no. But I think he was given special consideration because of who he was. A great guy with many stories to tell to anyone who would listen. Many just passed him off as just a bus driver. But a few who knew better listened. I have always learned to listen to those with life experience no matter who there are. I mainly asked about his knife making and what he thought about the Black Jet. The ride was never a long one since his route was short but it made the ride even shorter when he was driving.

Now everyone knows that the F-117 is a single seat aircraft and there are no two seat versions, not enough room in the airframe. So for a new pilot there is no chance to fly with an instructor pilot. This is where the simulator comes in. Now it is no secret that all aircraft have a simulator of some kind. But the F-117 had THE simulator. I will not go into details but lets just say when I flew the Simulator it was like flying. During desert Storm the simulator was not being used much for obvious reasons. We were given the opportunity to use it any time we wanted. I took FULL advantage of this and logged much time on it. I took off, flew missions and landed it with no problem. I am no pilot but years of being familiar with aircraft gave me a basic understanding of how they work and how to use the instruments. Something that will never be duplicated again. I am happy to have had the experience. I must say that to this day I laugh at the graphics of even today's modern video games. I will leave it at that.

I can say that I have flown two real jets before while serving in the USAF. An F-4E and and A-7K. I did not land them or takeoff but I was allowed to take the controls of both. On the A-7K flight I was able to fly the entire length of the Grand Canyon only turning around when we reached the airport closest to the end, I forget the name of it. We were at an altitude of only 1000' and I followed the winding canyon all the way. What a thrill. After the canyon we did some aerobatics. I was allowed to do an Immelman (look it up and see what it is)and vertical a figure eight and the best of all a full loop. No I did not lose my lunch. I love roller coasters and this was just a really fast one. Pulled 6 g's at one point YEAH.

In the F-4E I became a member of the Mach Club by achieving Mach 1.2. The crossing of the sound barrier was to say the least exciting. Now the plane we were in had external wing tanks and this required us to go into a shallow dive to achieve Mach 1+. We started at about 2000' and when we recovered we were only at 800'. Being in the cockpit of any fighter aircraft is a noisy event even with the helmet on. Engine noise mainly. When we broke through the sound barrier all of a sudden all I could hear was the noise of the instruments and gyros whirring nothing else. Almost total quiet. What an amazing thrill and experience. The pilot maintained mach1.2 for less than a minute but due to the fuel consumption he said that it was prudent to slow down before we became a glider. F-4E's do not glide. During our Mach run at 800' off the deck everything was a blur to me. The ground was whizzing by and you had to look forward to keep you brain from crashing while trying to focus on anything. You know what it is like when you look out a car window at the close objects they make your eyes dart back and forth if you try to actually see anything , well magnify that just a little and you know what I mean. I will never forget that ride.

Shortly before the Mach flight I was allowed to fly the length of Death Valley. Our altitude was a bit higher around 4000' but still a marvelous view. I ran an intercept on the other aircraft and since I was a Radar guy I knew how to operate the system with ease. But being on the ground and tracking something is way different than being in a moving plane with a closing rate 0f about 1000MPH. Needless to say I did not even come close to getting a lock-on.

Then the pilot took me to his favorite spot to fly He called it flying the gap and when he said gap I had no idea how small it would be. We were part of a two ship flight and the other plane took lead and I am happy they did. I got to see the most fantastic view ever in an aircraft. When the lead plane went over the hump of the gap I had a full view of the leads bottom as he went over the top. What a sight that was. We were VERY close to each other and I mean close. When we exited the gap we were over someones mining claim with a small trailer and we broke out VERY low. So low I could see great detail of the people on the ground. When going through the Gap we were no more than FEET away from walls and dirt. I mean literally only a couple of feet. What a rush! We continued this low level thing for quite a while playing grab ass with the other plane over hills and down hills the best roller coaster I have ever been on PERIOD. The ground was very close and the ejection seat I was in was just a seat at that point since there was no chance of using it, there was no time to react fast enough. Thankfully I am writing this and not some stain in the desert.

Well Time to do the work thing. More later. Mark

Home on the Range TTR (TONOPAH TEST RANGE) IIIA

2009-04-07T16:49:00.001-07:00

Well here we go again.

Today I will focus a little on what we did at Nellis as part of the cover story for the Stealth program.Being at Nellis and having a BIG secret was kind of exciting to say the least. We for obvious reasons felt privileged and at the same time special in relation to others on the base. We weren't any better than the rest but our mission was entirely different and required at times thinking on our feet as it were.The operations on Nellis were many times multinational and this caused some apprehension on our part many times.

A great tradition among Air Force's worldwide is patch trading. Now since we were not very visitor friendly this was a little difficult for us when someone would POP in for a chat and to get one of our patches. As as I mentioned before when someone who we did not recognize came into our building we would instantly do a MEET AND GREET before they got to far into the building. We would approach the person and ask politely if we could help them. This was odd I am sure to them since in most places you could wander for some time before someone would even notice you. On one occasion a British group came for a visit and we went into action. They just wanted to get some patches which we gave them and then they wanted to see our planes and talk shop. Well that was not going to happen. Try getting a fellow airman to kindly leave as soon as possible in a polite manner and they begin to feel unwanted. This was not our purpose but in our building things could change at a minutes notice and someone could be discussing classified or the such. These poor Brit's I am sure thought how rude of the colonists to rush us out.

Another time a Brit who had purchased of all things a Harley had been driving down the flight line road a no no to begin with towing his prized possession on a trailer and drove right into our red line area where the planes were parked. He was stopped by a maintenance crew they called security and he was given a polite lashing I am sure. The Security Police on Nellis were not briefed on our mission and any breach of the RED LINE was handled the same as anywhere else on the flight line. For those who do not know there is a red line painted the entire length of the flight line. As with anything red it means stop, no crossing. This type of infraction happens often at bases worldwide. Some times it is a civilian driver who is lost and wanders into the flight line area by mistake.

Being part of the 4450th was also different in that we had different rules from the regular AF. For instance in the USAF every year everyone has to qualify on a 1 1/2 mile run in a certain time for your age. In our unit we got permission to do long hikes in the mountains nearby instead and that was great. One time we went up a trail that led to the area where the oldest living things on earth live the Bristlecone pine said to be over 5000 years old. These hikes would be a family affair with a picnic afterwords and a great time for us all to get together. Of course there would be more than one of these events since our schedules would not allow for everyone to do it on the same day.

The agencies on base were familiar with us but anytime we dealt with them they knew we were odd sorts since we always got what we wanted no questions asked. We had priority in everything we did. This at times caused some discontent among the MASSES but they never gave us a hard time just the LOOK. I am sure they resented us in some small way but they could do nothing about our special status.

A good example of this special treatment was when we needed some new recruits from a tech school in Denver Colorado, Lowry AFB. Myself and two others a Chief Master Sergent and a Master Sergent flew out to Lowry with the task of finding two people to join the A7's.Now when we showed up at the school the we went directly to the Commander's office. Since we were SPECIAL he had no notice of our arrival or what we were doing at HIS school. The Chief just handed him a letter that basically said COOPERATE. Now I know that this was unprofessional sounding to just show up with no notice but that is how we operated to preserve as much secrecy as possible. The Commander, after reading the letter, said what do you need and asked us how he could help. I do not know who signed the letter but they had much pull. We were given a room to interview some folks and also given their service records and school records. Each candidate was questioned at length, even as far as asking them if they had any problems with flying. These poor folks were very new in the military and a few asked when they entered the room if they were in trouble since their instructor could not give them any idea what we were doing. We would put them at ease and we even went so far as to put them on a first name basis for the interview so as to relax them further.

When we had found our two people it was time to let them know they were selected and that we would take care of getting their assignments changed. This is where the fun started. We went to the assignment section of the personnel department at the base and the Chief handed the letter that he had shown the Commander of the school to the Chief of the Personnel section. The Chief of this section being a Chief said I cannot change their assignments and gave our Chief the brushoff. Our Chief being the diplomatic type asked to use the phone. He promptly called someone, to this day I have no idea who he called, and handed the phone to the Chief. The Chief simply said yes sir several times and hung up. He then asked our Chief how he could help. Amazing what one phone call can do.

This is my favorite example of how our unit was different from even other A7 units. Our A7's were the only active duty planes of this type. All others were assigned to the National Guard. Since our planes were no different in appearances to those in the Guard we got any and all modification or time compliance orders that they got. The only problem was that ours did not have the cannon installed and some of the armour plating(for weight and balance). These were removed to make the aircraft lighter. There were also systems that we did not use. I will leave it at that. So if we had a new mod or the such that pertained to these areas we could not perform that task.

This lack of systems or non use of systems proved interesting on one occasion for me. As the head of my specialty on the aircraft I was sent TDY (temporary duty) to Wright Patterson AFB, Dayton Ohio for a conference on a digital conversion of the system I was responsible for and several other system it would affect. Since some of this stuff was not used I hoped that nothing would come up that I could not explain away.

The first awkward moment was when all the other Guard folks and I met. The first thing they asked was, so why do you guys fly A7's and what do you do? Our cover was that we were testing advanced avionics (not a lie - F-117). So that's what I told them. I could tell right off that was not good enough for them but they let it be, for now. I was going to be at this conference for 7 days so I just hoped that that was the end of the awkwardness, Not. Everything was going great until someone mentioned some problems with a NON use system on our planes. When I was asked if I had a similar problem which they all had experienced I simply said NO (not a lie). Needless to say they wanted to know why and I told them I could not discuss this any further. Luckily the chief in charge of this conference understood my situation and changed the subject.

One other great thing about that conference is my visit to the Air Force Museum at Wright Paterson AFB in Dayton Ohio. I was like a kid in a candy store. Planes I had only seen pictures of were now inches away. I was overwhelmed. I say all my favorites, the XB-70, X-15, B-58, B-29, (FW-190, ME -109 German WWII) P-51, Spitfire, P-39, P-47, P-40, P-62, B-1, B-36 HUGE the list goes on and on. If you are ever in Dayton this is worth the trip.

One thing that I will mention here is that I had a relative who was a Major General attached to Wright Pat when the Roswell thing went down. This is the base that the supposed Alien bodies were brought to. He was at the time in charge of a Scientific unit at the base. I asked him many years ago if he knew about the rumor. He said he did and that to his knowledge nothing of the sort ever came to that base. Take that for what it is worth. I will say that he had a very high security clearance. One more interesting thing about him is that he also participated in the Nuremberg Trials as a younger officer. He was a West Pointer. Was moved over to the USAAF during WWII and went on to the USAF in 1947. He was a pilot, P-51s. One of my TTR buddies reminds me of him a little, this relative once buzzed his mothers house in NEW YORK CITY. He was a great guy. He has passed now but he was alive well after 9/11. Here is something he said to me after 9/11. Mark its been two days now how come Afghanistan still exists! Every so often he would call and mention the time since 9/11 and ask the same question. He lived to see something happen there but he felt it was way to little to late! He passed at the age of 95 and is buried at Arlington. Sharp as a tack to the end!

Now for one of the characters I worked with. I will not use his real name. Derek was by far the most exciting of the bunch. I remember a trip I took with him in a Government owned vehicle, GOV, up North as we called it. One of only two trips where I got to drive up instead of fly. The trip up was uneventful if you could call a high speed run uneventful. Derek was the driver ALWAYS he insisted and who am I to argue at being a passenger. Its a long drive. Anyway the speedometer was not much use for him. To put it simply the mile markers were going by every thirty seconds! Yes I know it was wrong but we were young and fearless let alone the abuse of a GOV. Needless to say he had an ulterior motive for this. He wanted to make it before dinner, it was surf and turf night. We arrived on time for his dinner of choice and unscathed. This was just a parts run of sorts for the A-7's there and to bring some other items back to Nellis. It was an overnighter of course.

On the return trip Derek wanted to take a Short Cut. Now you must understand there are no shortcuts across CLASSIFIED RANGE. Our security badges allowed us to access only certain parts of the the Test Range. But Derek new better and proceeded to drive where we were NOT SUPPOSED to be. He said it would cut many miles off our trip back. I said maybe not if we get stopped and they check our badges. He was not phased by my words one bit. So here we were about to Trespass on areas of classified Range and he was excited. As we went along suddenly a sign read area such and such badges only. I looked at my badge and it was not there. Here we go. I will not be able to describe where we were or what we saw but I can tell you this, I was keeping an eye on the sky for a very good reason! After what seemed FOREVER a new sign proclaimed we were leaving that area and we were in the clear. Thank you Lord!

Now the fun was not over and now I got to play a little. I am sure you are all aware that Nevada has what is called the EXTRATERRESTIAL Highway. Well we ended up coming out on that road. Now Speed racer had a new game he wanted to play. At the speeds mentioned before. He had brought along many very small steel juice cans, you know the ones you see in the markets with pineapple juice in them they are about 3" high and about 1/1/2" in DIA. perfect for the palm of the hand. He called them juice grenades and we had all flavors, prune, apple, pineapple you name it. Now these were full cans. His idea was to try and hit things with them as he drove. I was the launcher and he would toss a few too. Well I am not very good at hitting things at the speed he was going so I never made contact with any targets. The idea was sound but we had no way of judging when to release. I have to admit it was kind of a rush trying to hit billboards and the such. None of his lobs by him made it either. I bet somewhere out there there are many burst juice cans along the south bound lane of that highway. We did not stop in Rachel NV we blew by like a flying saucer. Made the trip back in record time, for who I do not know but it was fast.

Years later I saw Derek back in Vegas at a Reunion of sorts. He had flown in under his own power. He had a PILOTS license now, a REAL one and had rented an aircraft. He wanted me to go up with him. I declined for obvious reasons.

Well I will stop for now. More later. Thanks for reading Mark

LISPING LOSER MSNBC REPLACEMENT

2009-04-06T21:03:00.000-07:00

I am sorry but I have to let some frustration out and screw the political correctness CRAP.

The loser station MSNBC, the HOMOSEXUAL, Transgender and Losers channel you know the one with that Madcow he/she and the is he or isn't he Heir Olberman. Well I am still looking for the name of the Lisping LOSER who is a replacement for the usual LOSER on softball. He just called a Minnesota State Representative a WING NUT for her views on the political environment.

I have tried to stay away from the negative but just surfing channels got me mad. How did I manage to catch this loser at the exact moment of his dribble?

These folks are wetting themselves over that Obamanation, non citizen, LOSER.

He JUST CALLED us WING NUTS again, meaning the right.

Yeah I called them names too but they have a NATIONAL audience and should have higher standards! My standards were lowered to prevent from having to buy a new TV!

Make note to self DELETE MSNBC as was done with CNN. There I feel better.

Thank you for letting me get that out I needed it.

WAY COOL, LIKE NARLY DUDE

2009-04-06T20:38:00.000-07:00

I just found out that if you click on the images I posted they enlarge! Now I feel better about posting images. Before this Revelation I was a little depressed by the quality. Try clicking on the images of my favorite place if you have not already. It makes a world of difference.

By the way the person in the Happy place image is my Big Little brother. He is a great guy who makes me laugh constantly. In that image you can see the ruins of one of the ghost towns near where we are camped(camped, well not really camping in an RV) there are two within a short distance of each other. The RV even gives more detail too. Check out the sunset image and look at the Joshua trees in the foreground. Boy I miss this place BAD!

I love revelations like this one. Simple pleasures are the best!

OLD WORLD CRAFTSMANSHIP = PRICELESS!

2009-04-06T18:56:00.000-07:00

WOW, I just found out that if you click on the image it enlarges! Way cool this will give you a better look.

Well yet again here are today's treasures form the same antique/junk shop. The stick pin is 14kt with an amethyst and the ring is also 14kt with great open work, mill graining and carved designs all the way around even the shank. It also has some great enamel work too. The ring dates from the 1800's probably around 1890's or so. The image does not do the ring justice since the stone is blood red and marvelous. I have to break out the refractometer to see what I have. But I would say without a doubt it is a ruby, the question is Synthetic or natural. They started making synthetic rubies and sapphires in the 1800's. By the way the stone is about 6 carats or so by measurement. It measures about 13mm long and 10mm wide and 6mm deep. The gold value minus the weight of the stone is about $70 dollars, I paid $12.00. The actual value of the entire ring is much more. The stick pin has about $45 dollars in gold content and I paid $12.00, but again it is a 1920's era piece and worth much more than that.

I guess I had better explain some of the terms here. First a REFRACTOMETER is a device that with light refraction and a special liquid determines the refractive index of a given gemstone. It gives a numerical readout that corresponds to certain gems determined by how much light it refracts. The readout is in a given range and that determines the type of gem.

Mill Graining is a type of very tiny bead like decorations usually on the edge of a ring. Think of them looking like little drops of gold in a line all along the edge of a ring. On this ring they are around the bezel(hold the stone in place). The open work is similar to that you might find on a very ornate wrought iron fence with patterns throughout or a stainglass window without the glass and on a very tiny scale. The pattern is flowers and leaves surrounded by tiny little holes for lack of a better word that make the designs appear to float on the ring.

Along the shank of the ring(part that wraps around your finger) there is intricate carving of flowers and leaves intertwined, same as the open work but carved. Very delicate and beautiful carving.

This is old world work and today would be a custom job since much of this type of work is no longer done. To have a ring duplicated WITHOUT THE STONE would run in the THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. The main reason is that none of this ring was Cast it was intricately made by hand. All the open work was done with an extremely tiny saw to get the desired pattern and finished product. I counted 124 individual cuts in the metal to obtain the desired effect. Some of the cuts are less than 1/2mm in diameter. Imagine the person who did this toiling for weeks to complete this ring. Nothing like that today exists. This type of craftsmanship today is PRICELESS!

The value of the stone if it is synthetic is about $200.00 to $300.00, if natural, PRICELESS! I am betting on the synthetic!

I added anothe rimage to show the almost true color of the stone and the open work is a little visible.

Well thanks for letting me show and tell as it were.

Mark

I Live IN the ALAMO, DO YOU?

2009-04-05T13:05:00.000-07:00

What is this crazy dude up to now? He thinks he lives in the Alamo. Well metaphorically I do. Its called My home and My town. I am talking about G.O.O.D.

Now don't get me wrong G.O.O.D. is fine for natural disasters, man made types like chemical spills, nuclear waste problems or reactors you get the idea. But as far as "THEM" or "THEY" go I am staying put! I have come to the conclusion that G.O.O.D. under the "THEM" or "THEY" scenario is Bad for My Home, Bad for MY town and Bad for the Country as a whole and here is my reasoning.
What if those brave souls at the Alamo, many of which were not native to the area, had seen what they were about to face and said later guys? What about another brave group during the War of 1812 who in New Orleans fought British troops while being out gunned and out trained but still had an ENORMOUS victory in the face of these odds. Those in N.O. were a, pardon the saying, a rag tag, bunch of soldiers, citizens and even pirates who stood their ground to defend this young nation from the attacking forces of the British. They stood their ground and WON a major battle(I know the war was over but that is not the point).

Then take the Revolutionary War. What if the signers of the Declaration had not seen fit to carry out that very dangerous task? Or what if simple farmers, cobblers, printers, doctors and the rest of the plain old citizens had decided to mind their own business and not get into the fight? Except the TORRES of course.

The groups that I mention here were for the most part ill equipped and greatly outnumbered. They were lucky during the Revolutionary War if they had shoes, food, shelter, proper clothing etc. Yes we had help from the French and the British were involved in a war with France etc., but without the resolve of a few patriots we would be singing praise to the Queen as I type.

Who in these UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is better suited to follow in the footsteps of these great patriots than those of us who are PREPARED? I am not suggesting anything like a revolution or the such. But take for instance posts I have read that state it is a good idea to have extra food stuffs for neighbors and family. Well forget helping your neighbors if you G.O.O.D. They are left to fend for themselves. And what about the less fortunate among us the elderly, infirm, children, poor, sick or the doctors and nurses who stay behind to honor their oath, Fireman, Policeman, Clergy you get the point. As a former military member it would be like leaving a fellow Airman behind to save my own BUTT. How many of you ex military would do that? This G.O.O.D. situation is no different. These are the very people who I swore an oath to protect. No matter what their background.

When I joined the military at the age of 17 I did not do it for adventure, glory or financial gain. I did it because I believed it was the right thing to do for my COUNTRY! Just because I am no longer wearing the uniform does not mean that I am no longer a protector of this GREAT Country that I love! On the contrary I have even more responsibility now than when I was a civilian and my eyes have be opened significantly. I have seen how other countries treat their citizens and how wonderful it felt to touch U.S. soil again after being gone. You cannot remove the Olive Drab or what have you from my blood!

Now I know there are those thinking that the Police or even our own military may move against us. I have a sneaky suspicion that "THEY" don't know them very well. I served for 20 years and in that time I met more like minded people serving with me than I did prior or since. How many of the millions of military members have similar beliefs? Why do you think that politicians always try to keep their absentee votes from counting? They know where they stand and do not want them to make a difference in any election. I have also experienced the anger expressed by fellow military members when a liberal President or Congress is sworn in. They know that they will be the first targets of oportunity for budget CUTS.

I do not believe I can leave when fellow Americans who have no choice but to stay and face the wrath of whatever "THEY" want to dish out.

Here is a good scenario that played out on LIVE TV and it made me very angry. How about the Hurricane that hit New Orleans. When I saw all the empty school buses up to the doors in water I was stunned. How could that be, why were they not used to get people out of town? I will tell you why "THEY" did not care what happened to anyone but themselves. Even police officers left town when they were needed most. I say let those types leave and those of us with the fortitude and morals stick around and make a difference in a strangers life.

Then there was the U.S. Congressman who in the same disaster above decided to get himself a deuce and a half and save his belongings from the flood. He could care less about those who were in the same situation. Self serving LOSER.

Sure there may be some in the government agencies who respond similarly to what happened to Ruby Ridge or Waco Texas. But I believe that America has reached a turning point and that this scenario would be less likely now. I am an optimist at heart but a realist too.

Well I guess you get my point I hope. I think it would be better for all of US to make a stand and deny "THEM" the outcome they dream of and that we fear the most, The end of this Great Country as we know it.

May God Bless America

Mark Kent

Todays Finds of Gold & Silver

2009-04-04T10:18:00.000-07:00

Well here are images of the items I found today at a local antique/craft fair. Total value is $386.07.

There is a 14kt 30" rope chain value $148.31, I paid $2.00, 7 grams of dental gold (yes fake teeth made of 16kt gold) paid $10.00 for them in a box with other stuff in it, value $127.76.

A total of 232 grams of Sterling silver for which I paid $28.00, 7.45 ounces with a value of $88.00. The large serving spoon is .830 Norway silver. That means it is 83% silver by weight. Paid $6.00 for it and it has $22.00 in silver.

The round pin at the bottom right of the jewelry picture has an 18kt gold crest mounted on the silver itself. I have not included this in the gold value of these items. May be about $40.00 or 2 grams of 18kt in that Crest alone(an educated guess).

If you asked for the info I offered I did not mention 16kt gold or dental gold for the simple reason that I come across it very seldom. Also they made dental Platinum for the same reason. Platinum fake teeth or caps. By the way I had to remove the false teeth from the front of the large plate. Also remember to remove all of the cement on these type of items too.

For some reason I am having spacing problems again SORRY.

Well like I said I am tired of negative and this is NOT negative.

Have a good day. Mark Kent

Gold is Gold Silver is Silver no matter the form it takes

2009-04-03T14:56:00.000-07:00

Well I have previously posted about how I find gold and silver for pennies on the dollar. I offered to give the information I use to anyone who asked. I had two takers.

Today was another banner day for me. I just returned from a local antique/junk shop with the items in the images. I spent a total of $57.00 and the total gold content was $402.00. Not bad for a little knowledge I am willing to share FREE. This $402.00 is what I get from my refiner not the full gold value, he gets 5%, I get 95% if I choose to sell. The top image is 14kt gold and the bottom is 10kt gold.

By the way the 4 leaf clover pin in 14kt gold was made in the early 1920's and is worth many times the gold value. The stick pin has a genuine emerald in it and the whole item is also worth many times the gold content. One of the 10kt pieces has a tiny diamond in it. Not worth much but a diamond.

I have 35 or so years experience doing this sort of thing. I want nothing but to share this knowledge with those who would like to increase their income for only a little gas, time and very little money.

When I buy in a store I pay what they ask and still make money. A very tiny minority of people know what I know about the actual value of the items they sell. Its all about knowing what the actual gold or silver content is of the item in question and being able to know that it is gold or silver.

If I buy a 14kt ring for say $1.00( happens very frequently) and it weighs 4 grams and the value of the 14kt gold is $16.00 a gram you have $64.00 in gold. A single gram of 10kt gold is worth about $12.00 and 18kt gold is about $21.00 a gram.

Even silver which is less valuable is still a great buy if you know what to look for. For instance I recently purchased a sterling silver pitcher (sterling is 92.5% silver) for $125.00. It weighed 21 ounces. The actual value of this item was $250.00 at melt. Not counting the resale value of a large piece of sterling like this( I will not sell it). Now my profit margin was not as huge as with the gold but more people know what sterling silver is and on large pieces the Sterling hallmark is very evident. Sterling silver as of today is worth about $11.88 an ounce.

Now I do not know many people who can buy Gold or Silver at these prices. If you are really serious about increasing you money supply or just putting this stuff away for THAT day you need this info.

There are some out there who will scoff at this and that leaves all the more for the rest of us. One thing to remember is that GOLD IS GOLD AND SILVER IS SILVER no matter what shape it comes in, whether it is in coin form, a ring, a necklace or a spoon.

Well I think I have made my point. My email is below if anyone would like to have the info I have offered.

Mark Kent

markkent13@gmail.com

Texas Sized Gathering all welcome

2009-04-02T10:56:00.000-07:00

Below is info on a Texas get together for all you Patriots. I would be there if not for the distance. I will be there in spirit though. We are holding a similar outing here on the 15th of April. Give them a good turn out for the sake of the Nation. Thanks to YeOldFurt for the post and the OathKeepers. Mark Kent

Oathkeepers in Lexington
Here it is:http://oath-keepers.blogspot.com/2009/03/oath-keepers-will-muster-on-lexington.htmlHow about us Texans in Gonzales on April 19th?Anyone up for that? Maybe we could get Chuck Norris to say a few words too?YeOldFurt http://yeoldfurt.blogspot.com/

I AM TIRED OF NEGATIVE

2009-04-02T06:53:00.000-07:00

I just cannot take much more negative so I have decided to take you to that happy place I love to visit. Now this may not look like much of a place to visit but it is a slice of Heaven to my family and I. A place to unwind, be free of the trappings of everyday life. No TV, Radio, Bad News, politics, few if any people besides us. A vast emptiness with lots to do and no schedule to follow. This place is the one mentioned in the cellphone post. It is located in Nevada. I grew up loving the desert and this place is what that is all about. Note the RV in one image. The views are breathtaking. The first image is sunset there. These images were taken during a rather wet time and everything was GREEN.

THINKING ABOUT IT Very Hard

2009-04-01T16:36:00.000-07:00

This is a possible project. Everything is there and it runs. Needs major TLC. Price is right too!

Military History Question Answer

2009-03-30T15:58:00.000-07:00

Well I guess no takers on this one. Here is the question.

Everyone knows the name of the plane that dropped the First atomic bomb. Name the plane that dropped the second A-bomb. Where is that plane today? What were the names given to the bombs? These two bombs were totally different in design, name the major difference, other than size? Which of these bomb designs was never tested to see if it would work?

The aircraft that dropped the second A-Bomb was Bockscar and the aircraft is on display at the Air Force Museum Dayton Ohio. The bombs were named Little boy, Hiroshima and Fat man Nagasaki. One little trivia blurb about the Nagasaki Bomb it was originally targeted for another city, name escapes me now but it was the boyhood home of the man who gave us the Tornado FUJITA scale Tetsuya Fujita. Ironically it was weather that saved him. Little boy was a gun type Uranium bomb and the Nagasaki bomb was a plutonium bomb with an implosion type detonator. The bomb tested at the Trinity site was a plutonium bomb like the one dropped on Nagasaki. They knew the gun type bomb would work but did not know if the other would. That was the reason for the Trinity test.

GM = GOVERNMENT MOTORS CORPORATION

2009-03-30T08:08:00.000-07:00

Well it is now official we have a new company called GM or GOVERNMENT MOTORS CORPORATION. They do not even have to change the names on the building or the cars.

The Obamanation teleprompter is speaking as I type and the Market is responding accordingly. One bright spot in all of this is that Gold, Silver and Platinum are up.

Whats with all the suits around him are they the fall guys/gals if what he proposes goes wrong and it will. It took all of these people to tells us what we already knew, GM and Chrysler were broke and needed help to remain viable. We give money freely to financial institutions who MAKE nothing but there is a reluctance to give more money to companies that actually make something.

Just in "THE U.S.A. will now guarantee all warranties on GM cars" this directly from the Dear Leaders mouth. Unbelievable that this would even be bantered around as an idea. He had earlier said that the GOVERNMENT would not run GM. What the hell does this look like. I guess that those who own a GM product are now in charge of their own warranty since the Government is THE PEOPLE. How will this work, do you show up at the body shop and say your Uncle Sam will take care of it. Will they issue a new warranty card with the Treasury Seal on it or what?

I think I am in a really bad nightmare and I will wake up SOON and this will be just a bad memory.

Can you say COMMUNISM? By the way I hate the word COMRADE, this is a Communist indoctrination word and should not be used to describe fellow military members or anyone who is a citizen of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Also the word HOMELAND is a communist word just check your history books. Could be worse "They" could have called it the Fatherland!

Stay tuned for more propaganda from the Dear Leader coming soon to a TV near you. When do the military parades start? Can you imagine the Macy's Parade with M1A1 tanks and Humvees instead of Balloons, they could use WWII barrage Balloons instead. Can you say Jack booted Thugs marching down 5th Avenue.

Meet the new DOTUS our Dear Leader

2009-03-30T07:01:00.000-07:00

Well I have coined a new term for the Obamanation "DOTUS" Dictator Of The United States. He is now on equal terms with the likes of Kim Jong-il and Chavez. Our Dear Leader has seen fit once again to CHARGE HEAD LONG INTO SHIT HE HAS NO CLUE ABOUT by asking for the resignation of a PRIVATE COMPANY CEO!!! This was not and is not his place or responsibility! I only wish that Wagnor had a PAIR!

We are the fast track towards COMMUNISM forget socialism we are beyond that point.

This LOSER has no idea of what he is doing, he is Playing President and making it up as he goes. This is not a game, this is the future of our country he is playing with. I bet he went back to the TV to check out the latest on the Final 4 or some such worthless activity as that. I am waiting for him to start his own TV REALITY series called "HOW FAR CAN I GO."

You wait and see he will start taking over the oil companies, firearms companies, utility companies, drug companies, hell the entire stock market is at risk from here on.

The dolts on CNBC whom I watch daily have barely touched on the fact that a sitting President just eliminated a CEO in the blink of an eye and they make it seem as an everyday occurrence, maybe it will be.

I am not a conspiracy buff but some have merit and I believe that this LOSER has something on the majority of those in power. Why else would he be able to wield such power without any backlash what so ever?

I thought that Billary was made of Teflon, this guy is like nothing we have seen before.

I now wait patiently for the order from the Dear Leader for Marshal Law nation wide. This is not far off I am afraid. He has UNLIMITED power now and since no one is complaining he can do what ever he likes. My only peace of mind in all of this is that he don't know us very well do he(Elmer Fudd)? We are not the country of Venezuela or North Korea. I guess he has never studied any history. We do not just give up and play dead.

Enough for now I need to get something to eat and I would like to be able to keep it down.

GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Narcissitic, Incompetent, Dictator, Bafoon

2009-03-29T18:56:00.000-07:00

I cannot put to words what I want to in order to express my OUTRAGE at this Incompetent, Narcissistic, Dictator, Bastard. Yes I am talking about the OBAMANATION who some call the POTUS. Well he is nothing but a dressed up buffoon with a degree.

Now he asks for the resignation of a CEO, and the ass agrees. I would have told him to shove it where the sun does not shine and laughed in his face. Never mind that he has given my company money I would have started choking because I laughed so hard.

Unbelievable I wish I could be more precise as to how I feel but I am practicing restraint. XXX Edited for content to prevent an O dark thirty visit from the men in Black. XXX
I hope all those who voted for him rot in hell. Anyone with half a brain should have known better than to vote for this arrogant asshole. But no he promised CHANGE and boy did he deliver.

If your offended by my remarks GOOD I hope I did offend you. If you voted for this Bastard you deserve more than I can dish out. Yes he is a Bastard Child since his father was already married to an African women when he married the loser that gave birth to this loser. Seems Clinton was a bastard child too. See a pattern here. Both were Narcissistic Bastards.

Is it like Michael Savage says that "Liberalism is a mental disorder." I think it should be listed in the:
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or DSM-IV-TR .

The part that gets me the most is no one who could stop this, like the Supreme Court of Wimps or some brave judge somewhere, nobody is doing anything. This loser is left to fester like an open wound and the assholes of the MSM just keep spouting the same old shit. They are mesmerized or something. Has this bastard got something on everyone or what?

You just wait this is the tip of the iceberg for shit coming from this bastard. He has just begun to screw all of us.

I can only hope for a very large Asteroid on the scale of Texas sized striking D.C. (Dumb ass Central) when everyone is there. I do not care if it causes a worldwide disaster it would be worth it in the long run.

I have to go I can no longer think about this. I need a drink.

Mark
cannot seem to get the spacing to work sorry

What Can One Person Do?

2009-03-29T10:03:00.000-07:00

Well I let my anger at the events unfolding in this Great Country get the best of me. I have since refrained from flying my flag upside down. I know that this was going to portray me as a NUT Job, militant, anti American(those who do not know the meaning), neighborhood crazy ETC. Not to mention the OPSEC breach mentioned by fellow bloggers.

But what can one person do to facilitate change or bring attention to the myriad of problems facing our Nation?

I have racked my brain daily on this question. Forget about the 535 they are useless as a submarine with screen hatches. Local government such as Governor's and State Legislators have of late done some things to ensure States rights. My state is among them with a 10th Amendment bill and a possible REAL MONEY bill in the form of using bullion Coins like gold and silver before the Depression and prior to 1964 for all monetary transactions. States can not make coinage or paper money but nothing says what form of currency they have to accept for payment.

But what about the other problems we face? The National Debt, Socialism/Communism take over, growing dependence on the 535 for everything from health care to food and shelter, attacks on the food growing industry, Unconstitutional laws, Bill of Rights erosion, Taxation with representation because they know better than we do (these losers even say it to our faces), Immigration out of control, economy in the tank so lets print more money, Give that money to the Financial institutions that caused the problem or better yet lets buy our own Treasury Bills (makes them worth even less)(this new vast amount of money has yet to hit the open market but when it does watch out for massive inflation), Lets FREE the TERRORISTS and let them live among us, On the other hand lets allow the destruction of our population base by allowing even more government subsidized abortions(I know that this is not a popular subject for all but it is important to the moral decline of our Country), These last two subjects sound more like the rant of OSAMA than a U.S. President OBAMA, Only one letter difference.( I know that there is another spelling USAMA), weakening of our military(the Obamanations ILK actually proposed making soldiers pay for medical care for injuries received on ACTIVE DUTY!!), Then there is the CAN HE BE PRESIDENT ISSUE?(nothing will be done) Well you get the idea. I am sure I missed something but I tried to list the ones that are front and center.

Nothing short of a new Declaration of Independence will work in my humble opinion. Even if we replace ever member of the HOUSE in 2010 and all of the Senators up for reelection I am sure that the same old crap will continue. Am I wrong?

So if anyone out there has a GOOD idea please share it here. I will put them in another post if you agree. Somebody out there has THE IDEA that may make a difference. They may be reluctant to share or think that it does not have merit. The only thing I ask is that all comments fall short of the the only obvious SOLUTION!

Thank you for letting me vent.

Mark

Well I guess its me against the world

2009-03-27T21:30:00.000-07:00

I thought there would be at least someone who wanted me dead or strung up for the post about flying the U.S. Flag upside down. But Nothing. On something this controversial I expected at least one response. I read on Google that there are several others doing the same thing(for election and other reasons) and some have been threatened with arrest and the such. Has anyone ever been arrested for burning a flag. Maybe not for the flag burning but the fire itself. I will continue my protest even with my family not so happy about it. I was told not to fly my BIG(really BIG) flag by the misses so I bought a new smaller one.

Prior to the last election I had signs up everyday in my front yard and on my truck. They were fluorescent color poster board. They were ; NOBAMA, BUSH III OR MARX II and GOOGLE ODINGA. They would be torn down or defaced daily but I put them back up each day. One day there were many Obamanation stickers put on my truck everywhere. I was not deterred. I was thanked at stores and on the road when driving my truck. Then too my family was not as exuberant as I was. But I continued even after my youngest was asked why I was doing it by school mates and even by teachers.

I assure everyone out there that this was not something of a whim for me. I have been thinking about it for months. I respect the flag and all it stands for. I am a retired Veteran of the United States Air Force. I consider myself a Patriot and a Defender of The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America, All of it.

So far this year the Constitution has been trampled to death and the Government has ignored (more than usual) the PEOPLE of this country who want to put a stop to the outright socialist takeover of this Great Country!

Money is flowing fast and furious and this threatens not only the economic stability of the USA and its possible total collapse, but the future of our children, their children and their children's, children. All in the name of saving a few lousy corporations, that if they had been less greedy they would still be viable. Then when we help them with billions of $$$$$ they send it overseas or to other banks like Goldman Sachs.

Now our so called leaders want more money for more companies and there are people who can barley feed themselves or are homeless. Sure some of the homeless or hungry may have been Greedy too (homes they could not afford ETC.)but what is more important a company or a person?

Are we now under a socialist government, without any say in what our government does? Do we have representation? Is this the type of government you want? Is this what our military has fought and died for?

Has the American Flag been reduced to a status symbol for the elite to flaunt when it suits them? Do "THEY" check their lapel to be sure that the Flag pin is there for reasons other than Patriotism? Has the Flag become nothing but a piece of cloth or a metal pin?

I do not take lightly my flying the flag of the United States of America Upside down. I love my Country and the Flag that represents it more than you will know. But to stand by idly and do nothing when this Great Nation IS in DISTRESS is not my way.

If I have offended anyone that was not my intent. My only hope is that some will understand my actions as that of a Patriot who knows when his country is in dire trouble!

I have put a portion of the Declaration of Independence here so you can read it again.

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.

God Bless America

Mark Kent

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH AMERICA Here is my plan

2009-03-26T18:59:00.000-07:00

This is a great article from our neighbor to the north. Worth the read. Asks the same question that has been on many blogs of late. When is enough enough America?
http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/9607

What will it take for US to say NO More. What is the tipping point or has it passed?

I have a simply yet recognizable type of protest. If it spreads around the country maybe it will be a starting point or a rally point. It is very simple for most patriots to do and is a recognized distress symbol.

FLY THE AMERICAN FLAG UPSIDE DOWN !

I think if enough people around the country start this and it gets national attention maybe someone will get the idea that we have had enough.

I am starting In the morning with this plan, I have a huge flagpole so it will not be missed. I live on a busy intersection in a medium size town and my house is on the way to all of the TV stations transmission centers.

A silent protest is the best of all because everyone who does not know why you are doing it has to ask you the question and if they are sheeple you can tell them the reason. Remember if you do this, represent our cause with dignity and respect. The only dumb question is the one that never gets asked. You may even want to put up a small sign that states your reasons for your action (make many because they will be torn down).

I know from experience that there will be people who want to argue with or destroy your Free Speech. Do not let them get under your skin just brush it off. Trust me I have dealt with this kind of anti Free Speech stuff before during the past election.

I will let you know the response here. I have mainly the old American values in my town with only a minority who do not share my beliefs (why I moved here).

Mark Kent

Want to own an anti gravity device? Really no joke!

2009-03-24T17:33:00.000-07:00

I knew the title would attract attention. But this is no gimmick. Windup watches are actually tiny Anti Gravity devices. In the Elgin Watchmakers book it says that if a large enough watch movement could be made it would actually defy gravity. Now the smaller ones do this on a very tiny scale, the Balance wheel(the part that moves back and forth inside the watch) is made to be unaffected by the forces of gravity or it would stop running in short time. It is mounted on two points that allow it to move freely and it has counter weights attached to the outside ring and a very very tiny spring that causes it to wind and unwind at great speeds. Thus it is not affected by the gravity and can continue to run until the mainspring runs down. Well enough of that.

Being an apprentice watchmaker and before that I have always been intrigued by watches. How they work and why they keep time. Nowadays there are more battery powered watches than windup types. Yes the digital watches are great since you do not have to remember to wind them. They have many bells and whistles too.

But the great thing about a windup watch or an Automatic winder is that they are all repairable. Now I am not suggesting that the battery powered ones cannot be fixed. I either replace the battery or just replace the entire movement with a new one and its fixed. The windup kind are much more adaptable to repair. They are very simple actually. Just some gears and a mainspring and some of what most would call bearings. Those bearings in a REAL watch are tiny man made Ruby, Sapphire or Diamond. What we call Jewels. All of the gears on a watch ride on tiny jewels like a pivot point but no pivot. The jewels reduce friction to an absolute minimum and allow the gears to move freely, lubricated of course.

Now the whole point of this post is to encourage you to buy a windup or automatic watch for your survival gear. No need to change the batteries or buy extra batteries. Just leave it in with your supplies and when it is needed it will work just fine.

Now everyone who is an old hat at this survival stuff knows about EMP. Well say goodbye to that digital watch in that event. But the REAL watch is unaffected by EMP.

Times were when the military were issued windup watches with 24 hour dials. I do not know if our military still does this. They can still be purchased though in used condition and are made by fine watchmakers of all kinds.

Now there is such a thing as an 8 day clock. This is a clock a little larger than a normal pocket watch and it has TWO huge mainsprings that allow it to run, once wound, for 8 days without winding. These are also the same type used in Aircraft for pilot use. You know the black luminous dial kind seen in all military cockpits. I have imaged one and another type of 8 day clock for reference.

The automatic winder is great for those that forget to wind their watch daily. It works on the principle of movement, arm movement. It has a mechanism that winds the watch while you wear it without you even having to think about it. Rolex(avoid these please, I will explain) has this type of movement. Many other inexpensive and reliable brands have this type also.

My thing about Rolex is not just me. My watch master(my term for him) has been doing this for 63 years and he along with other REAL watchmakers always say AVOID Rolex watches. Rolex is mainly about marketing and selling. Less about reliability. I must say though they have an outstanding case. One piece case made out of a single piece of metal which surrounds the most troublesome movement made. If you must have a watch that will impress please seek out a Patek Phillipe. This has a fine movement and puts Rolex to shame as far as being THE watch to own. If someone who owns a Rolex has never heard of a Patek then they are wannabes in the Jet Set today. They say the Patek is not a watch it is an Heirloom. $$$$ Patek $$$$, get it? Worth every penny though. A used Patek may cost as little as $2000.00 for a low end basic model 18k case and such and the top of the line USED may run 5 figures!

For those of us in the real world seek out an old Elgin, Hamilton, Omega, Titus, Timex, Bulova, Illinois, Gruen, Longines and Waltham to name a few. Bulova and Elgin made some military types including the 8 day aircraft clocks.

For those of you who worry about accuracy just remember that the trains in this country were run on time for Many, Many years with windup pocket watches. These were RR grade watches used by the conductor accurate to 3 seconds a month! They also come in wrist watches. They will say on the face that they are RR grade. Or just ask any watchmaker about them he or she will know.

Now a pocket watch with a hunter case(cover over the dial that protects the crystal)is ideal for traveling over rough terrain. It can be kept inside a jacket or pack and will be protected from damage unlike a wrist watch. They do make waterproof watches in windup form but I do not know of a waterproof pocket watch, I will check.

I hope I have given you a little info to help you make a decision on buying a REAL watch. OH one more thing, unless that digital watch has hands on it or a built in compass you cannot use it as a direction finder(pseudo compass) as many of you probably know how to do!

Any questions feel free to ask I am always willing to help out. markkent13@gmail.com

Dandelion Friend or Foe

2009-03-24T08:56:00.000-07:00

Dandelions get a bad rap from gardeners and lawn freaks. Many do not know (most survival minded do) that Dandelions are food and medicine in one. Most of the info here is from http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Dandelion.html

This post is about growing them intentionally for food and medicine use. Yeah I know some of you are cringing and hoping you are not the neighbor of that person. These little "weeds" are a great source of vitamins such as B-1, B-1, B-2, B-5, B-6, B-12, C, E, P, and D, biotin, inositol, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and zinc. The root contains the sugar inulin (see below), plus many medicinal substances.

It’s supposed to strengthen the entire body, especially the liver and gallbladder, where it promotes the flow of bile, reduces inflammation of the bile duct, and helps get rid of gall stones. This is due to its taraxacin. It’s good for chronic hepatitis, it reduces liver swelling and jaundice, and it helps indigestion caused by insufficient bile. Don't use it with irritable stomach or bowel, or if you have an acute inflammation.

Dandelion root’s inulin is a sugar that doesn't elicit the rapid production of insulin, as refined sugars do. It helps mature-onset diabetes, and I used it as part of a holistic regime for hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). The taproot is edible all year, but is best from late fall to early spring.

You can also eat dandelion flowers, or use them to make wine. Collect them in a sunny meadow, just before mid-spring, when the most flowers bloom. Some continue to flower right into the fall. Use only the flower’s yellow parts. The green sepals at the flower’s base are bitter.

Collect dandelion leaves in early spring, when they're the tastiest, before the flowers appear. Harvest again in late fall. After a frost, their protective bitterness disappears. Dandelions growing in rich, moist soil, with the broadest leaves and largest roots, are the best. Select the youngest individuals, and avoid all plants with flowers.

I myself saw first hand people who loved these plants. While stationed in Alaska shortly after the huge influx of Vietnam refugees my new neighbors being from Vietnam asked me if they could pick my dandelions and of course being uninformed I said yes. They would pick the leaves while they were still very young and curly like a wild fern plant. I know better now why they picked them.

The article also says that there are no poisonous plants that look like the dandelion. Chicory and Wild lettuce are similar.

Now everyone knows how fast these things grow and how tough they are. So what could be better than growing them as a supplement to your diet. They are perennial and even if you snap off the root to eat it they will grow back eventually. Here where I live they even make it through the worst winters every year. The plant is also self fertilizing so it does not need to be pollinated. Basically they are sexless.

This is just some Food for thought as it were. Give it a try and see if it would be a viable addition to your survival needs. You could even raise them indoors in one of those herb gardens they advertise on TV. That way you could control the spread of the seeds to your neighbors yard and remain friends. I suggest getting seeds from a plant far from people so that you avoid any pesticides or should I say try to avoid them as much as possible.

Next time you are on some remote trip and see one growing give it a try and you may be surprised at what you taste. Yes I have tried them and they are not bad. Try getting the leaves before they spread out.

As with anything I put on this blog, the info is there for you to do your own research. Do not take my word for it and that of the author who's info I have presented.

China/Russia Talk about new Reserve currency

2009-03-24T08:12:00.000-07:00

The current default Reserve currency today is the U. S. Dollar. China alone holds TON$ of U.S. Treasury Bonds. Basically they are holding and buying our debt. As you may remember a while back China expressed concern over the dollar and the U.S. in general that we may not be able to pay what we owe in the form of Treasuries that they own. I do not blame them. As with any investment you are concerned about the potential loss of that investment or its decrease in value.

Now China and Russia are in talks with the IMF to create a new Reserve Currency. This would be a totally new Super National Global currency. Can you say NWO. This will be discussed at the upcoming G20 meeting in London on April 2nd.

If they do create this New Currency it will cause a total collapse of the U.S. Dollar. Can you say TEOTWAWKI.

Of course all the world leaders are spouting the same thing and some have even used the term "New World Economic Order"(U.K. Brown). Even Bernanke told the CFR recently "that a new overarching financial authority should be created and empowered with sweeping new regulatory responsibilities." (above info is from http://www.infowars.com/china-voices-support-for-new-global-currency-to-replace-dollar/ 23 March 2009)

Well here we go. NWO is on the fast track under the guise of Economic trouble. "They" have the solution and "WE" will pay the price. If "They" do create this new money say goodbye to any savings you have in the bank or in any financial institution. Here's why, When a new currency is issued "They" will exchange your OLD money for the New Money but not one for one. More like 10 old types for 1 new type. This means a huge loss for anyone with cash.

Those with Gold or Silver will be fine but you still only get the new crap instead of the old crap when you divest.
Paper is paper no matter who's picture is on it. Speaking of that who would they put on this new money, The IMF Director, CFR people?

"Can you hear me now?" NO! and heres why

2009-03-24T06:13:00.000-07:00

Cellphones are very popular and they come in many shapes and sizes. Some are very expensive while others are cheap. So the more expensive cell with all the bells and whistles must be better than the $10.00 phone right. There are many different providers of service too. You see commercials about them all the time. When was the last time you say an Ad about Tracfones? Yes those pay as you go phones you see hanging on the racks along side the reload minute cards. Cheap and not very stylish looking. Well let me tell you a little story about what cheap does for you.

I love to go to my favorite Ghost town. This place is in the middle of now where. The nearest town is 60 miles away and when I say town I am talking population of around 3000. There are no cellphone towers anywhere near this place and it is located in a bowl shaped valley.

When we go to this place we go in style in a Large motor home. Very lavish (not mine), anyway on the first morning of our stay there we woke up to NO COFFEE anywhere we looked in the RV. Now I know this is not an emergency but it could have been a 911 event instead. My point is that My father tried to call home to ask where some coffee might be and his Verizon Phone was Useless. I had a cheap little Tracfone that I paid $9.99 on sale and so I said let me try. I dialed the number and got the home answering machine. Leaving a message I hung up. I was surprised I got through on my little bargain. I tried later and got through again still no one home. But the whole point is that it worked!

Here is the reason why. I later found out the my Tracfone had 3 different types of transmission frequencies. Think of it as 3 different channels it can operate on (simplified of course). So my phone was a tri-band phone. The reason I was told that my little phone had Tri-band capability was that since it was not a big name brand phone the Tracfone people made it so it would work on all available networks. The band that made my call possible was an ANALOG band called FDMA, Frequency Division Multiple Access. This type of band works like a radio station and works on a wide bandwidth. Just think of it as a radio with a freq. scanner that finds a station that it can tune in(simple again). That is what my little phone did. It found a station it could call out from by scanning for it. It scanned a 45MHZ bandwidth range looking for someplace to connect to.

Verizon and the other major cellphone companies do not use Analog signals in their Network so no connection is possible in the middle of no where.

The other types of transmission technologies used are, TDMA, Time Division Multiple Access and CMDA, Code Division Multiple Access. Both of these are DIGITAL transmission type frequencies for DIGITAL phones.

Here is a break down of these terms from http://www.howstuffworks.com/cell-phone7.htm .

The first word tells you what the access method is. The second word, division, lets you know that it splits calls based on that access method.
FDMA puts each call on a separate frequency.
TDMA assigns each call a certain portion of time on a designated frequency.
CDMA gives a unique code to each call and spreads it over the available frequencies. The last part of each name is multiple access. This simply means that more than one user can utilize each cell.

The last two types are digital only. Now I am sure that there are other phones out there that have Analog capabilities but I know for sure that Tracfones KYOCERA has it. It is the cheap looking old style phone. I will put an image up for you.

The whole point of this post is to give you an advantage when you need it most. If the event I described had been a 911 type emergency we would have been up the creek without a paddle.

So the next time you are out shopping buy one of these cheap phones and put in your car just in case. The $9 or so cost may save a life.

Even if you do not buy one of these find out if your current provider has a Tri-Band phone.

I am sure many of you out there are aware of this but a repeat of info is not a waste of time for those who do not have the knowledge.

By the way there was no real coffee in the RV just DECAF. I did find some tea for a caffeine fix.

BOYCOTT J.P. MORGAN CHASE Email I sent to J.P. Morgan Chase

2009-03-23T18:50:00.000-07:00

BELOW is a copy of an email I sent to J.P. Morgan/ Chase. This is response to a post by CoyotePrime about J.P. Morgan buying some new Gulfstreams and possibly taking over a hanger used by a small business who will have his business cut in half if that happens. They only have email for people who want to give them money to throw away, nothing for complaints.

Well I guess this is going to the right department. Abuse is a good title for what you plan to do when your company purchases $120 million dollars worth of aircraft and destroy a small business in the progress. Have you ever heard of Jet Blue or United. Don't tell me that your company does not have stock in any airline.

You (J.P. Morgan/Chase) get $25 billion tax payer dollars and decide to go on a buying spree. I do not care if you already had the money or not. Why not divest yourself of the art collection and pay back some of the money given to you. I know they made you take it but the least you could do is pretend to be thankful.

The hanger that is proposed for your use is currently being used by a small business and will have to cut its business and staff in half if you are given the lease.

I hope there is a customer backlash and people start a run on your banks. I would love to see you all riding on buses to get around.

The person who determined that you needed these planes should be fired and the same goes for anyone who thought the idea was a good one.

If I had any money in your banks I would rush down in the AM and withdraw it. But I am smarter than most since my money is not in the stock market or the banks.

You so called executives are nothing but thieves with a license to steal!

I hope you make the right decision and stick with what ever planes you already have and maybe try flying commercial. Do not give me the important business trip crap either. Ever heard of a video conference, Email, cellphones or faxes.

Mark Kent
U.S.A.F. Retired (worked for a living on AIRPLANES)

THANK YOU COYOTE PRIME // I'M FLYIN HIGH

2009-03-23T13:16:00.000-07:00

I was Flabbergasted during my morning routine of checking my favorite blogs. When I checked out "Running 'Cause I Can't Fly," my tiny ole blog was listed along side some really Great, Giant, HUGE blogs as one of CoyotePrimes favorite blogs. This is quite an honor coming from someone with an such an awesome, high class and totally professional blog.

If you have not visited "Running 'Cause I Can't Fly" you must check it out. There is something for everyone and his posts and images are incredible. He has History, science, political, humor, nature, astronomy I could go on and on. This is not your run of the mill blog, this Prime Blog real estate.

Heck today's The Daily "Near You", (this features an image of someones hometown around the world) brought back great memories. Today it was Reykjavik Iceland, I was stationed there in the 80's. Made me nostalgic for the good old days of my youth.

So I encourage everyone to check out http://coyoteprime-runningcauseicantfly.blogspot.com/
You do not know what you are missing.

Again Thank You CoyotePrime for your gracious inclusion in your favorite blogs.

Humbly Yours Mark

2009 Failed Bank list and Depression,depressing stats

2009-03-22T16:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of banks that have failed this year alone.
http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/banklist.html

There are 20 banks in all. We are only 81 days into the year so far, that means that every 4.05 days a bank fails (so far). Gee that's only a possibility of 90 bank failures this year. Whew and I was worried. Only 25 banks failed in 2008, 3 in 2007, none in 2006 and 2005, 2004 had 4, 2003 had 3, 11 in 2002 and 4 in 2001 according to the FDIC.

At the above rate of one bank every 4 days we will beat 2008 in 24 days or so. The rate for 2008 was 1 bank every 14.6 days.

Now of course that does not compare to the great depression or does it? Information below is by George Marvin on iREPORT.com. The entire article can be read at http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-95272.

First, before the Great Depression, there were 25,568 banks in the country. Many of them were mom and pop operations with just one office. While the number of banks was reduced from that level to only 14,771 banks in 1933, a total of 10,797 banks lost, the demise of majority of them happened the same way that it is happening now: The stronger ones are taking over the weaker ones for a few cents on the dollar. There were a TOTAL of 2,489 actual bank failures during the entire Great Depression, as would be defined by the period in which the economy was in recession (late 1929-1933. The economy actually grew by over 10% in 1934, as unemployment dropped and the recovery began. The number of bank failures was miniscule for the rest of the 1930s.) That is an average of 622 bank failures per year at the worst of the depression. To put that into perspective, there were 924 bank failures in 1926, and 636 bank failures in 1927, at the height of the Roaring 20s. The banks that failed back then were mostly small banks, with fewer than a dozen employees. The TOTAL deposits of all of the banks that failed from January, 1921 through december, 1933 was $5.3 billion. The total loss to all depositors was $1.1 billion after the banks were liquidated. According to the CPI, that would be about $86 billion in deposits and $18 billion that the depositors lost due to the liquidations of the banks.

On the other hand, WAMU by itself had 3,150 branches, about the same number as all of the banks that failed during the Great Depression, combined, and over 43,000 employees, more than the entire number that were unemployed by all of the bank failures of the Great Depression combined. Likewise, it held almost as many mortgages as all of the banks that failed during the Great Depression, combined. The one bank had $309 billion in assets, FOUR TIMES THE TOTAL OF ALL OF THE BANKS THAT FAILED DURING THE ENTIRE GREAT DEPRESSION! If there had not been a buyer for its assets, the depositors who were not covered by FDIC insurance may have lost as much as the final losses of every customer of every bank that failed during the entire great depression, combined.

Just more to think about.

ICELAND ALL BANKS NOW GOVERNMENT OWNED

2009-03-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

Well the lovely media has not reported on anything about Iceland since the protests there.

I follow the events unfolding there for two reasons. One I was stationed in this beautiful country. Two I believe that this small country is a microcosm of the world in general.

Below is a copy of the Central Bank of Iceland's (equal to our FED) statement about the country's banks.

21.03.2009 Changes in Iceland's savings bank operations
The Icelandic authorities decided today to take co-ordinated action to protect the interests of savings bank customers and to ensure continued banking services throughout the country.
The measures taken provide a strong foundation for sustained savings bank operations, enabling the savings banks to take active part in rebuilding the Icelandic economy. As the Government has already announced, all deposits in domestic banks in Iceland are guaranteed in full. The Financial Supervisory Authority has intervened in the operations of SPRON and Sparisjódabankinn on the basis of the Act on Authorisation for Treasury Disbursements due to Unusual Financial Market Circumstances, etc., no. 125/2008.
SPRON customers will automatically have access to their deposits and will receive banking services through New Kaupthing. The same applies to customers of Netbankinn. Customers can obtain information online and at SPRON and Kaupthing branches, where staff will be available to advise them on how to proceed. Sparisjódabankinn’s payment intermediation operations will be taken over by the Central Bank of Iceland.

The unemployment rate there is now pushing 11%. Prior to the world crisis we are now in it was 1.6%. They have a workforce of about 159,000 and about 11% of that number are unemployed. The total population is about 306,000.

According to the Central Bank of Iceland the inflation rate is 17.6%. They even have a graph that charts the inflation rate on their website. The target rate is listed as 2.5%.

The exchange rate has increased from 77.65 Krona to the $ TO 112.94 Krona to the $ in one year, 19 March 2008 TO 19 March 2009. Info also from the Central Bank of Iceland. As of 20 March 2009 it is 113.44. It just keeps rising.

The debt of this country is 200% of GDP. That does not include the debt of the failed banks! This is reported to be the highest in the world!

The fishing industry there is BROKE! With debts of about 800 billion Krona. Fishing accounts for 70% of exports (CIA factsbook) !

I fear that events unfolding in this little country will only spread worldwide soon. To read more you can go to http://www.newsfrettir.com/n/ ( English Translation of Icelandic News By the Beautiful eyes of ANYA) or http://www.sedlabanki.is/?pageid=194 (Central Bank of Iceland website English version).

Why are bonuses paid?

2009-03-20T07:06:00.000-07:00

Why do EMPLOYEES get bonuses? Is it because they did not do what the company expected of them? Is it for failure? For being a Lone Ranger and doing what ever you want? NO!!

Bonuses are paid to EMPLOYEES for going above and beyond what your company expected you to do or you did just what they wanted you to do. Either you made money for the company or you made a big difference in the company in some way.

The AIG EMPLOYEES would not have been eligible for a bonus if they had not met the terms of that contract, PERIOD! A contract states a certain criteria for each person named in the contract to fulfill that contract. With a loan contract the lender agrees to give you a certain amount of money and you agree to the interest rate and the amount of time you have to pay it back. If you or the lender breach that contract in any way there are consequences. To say that the AIG EMPLOYEES do not deserve the bonuses can only be true if they did not meet the requirements of that contract.

These EMPLOYEES must have done exactly what AIG wanted them to do or they would not have gotten any bonus! If that meant buy more toxic assets then they bought them. Or if they were told to have subordinates buy toxic assets and they did then they were doing what was expected of them.

How do we know that all of these EMPLOYEES were part of the problem? I am sure that not all of those who got bonuses were dealing in bad debt. This is an insurance company. What if some of these people were selling groups of insurance to home owners, life insurance policies, any kind of insurance. Should they be penalized for selling insurance.

My whole point is that the people who are under fire for getting bonuses were entitled to them under CONTRACT LAW. The met the requirements and got the contracted bonus.

If the former CEO had a pair he would take some of his MILLIONS and pay these people what the earned.

Now Congress is violating not only contract law but the Constitution. Besides the fact that they had inserted(DODD) a provision in the last $400 billion bill that protected these and many other bonuses.

The Obamanation mocks Special Olympics

2009-03-20T05:37:00.000-07:00

That's it this loser has crossed the line one to many times. This narcissistic fool mocked people with disabilities. How can a sitting President even consider something like that. This gave us an insight into his thinking and what really goes on behind closed doors. Hitler had a similar contempt for those less fortunate than us. We all know what his solution was.

This was no slip this was his true self coming out because there was no TelePrompter. Why do you think he uses them every time he talks to groups of people.

The way I see it he was revealing his narcissistic tendencies because he was not very good at bowling and it was brought up by the host. He tried to deflect the negative (in his mind) connotation of his bowling skills on to others. This is what these type of people do. How good a bowler you are is no reflection on you as a person. But to him he is all mighty and has no faults.

I guess I should have expected no less from someone who has little if no regard for unborn children. Now we know how he feels about the living.

By the way as I thought the videos he gave Prime Minister Brown DO NOT WORK ON HIS TV. I guess no one in his club house knows that Europe uses PAL transmission and we use NTSC. They are not compatible. By the way there is a rule that the President can not give a gift worth more than $100.00, look it up. These 25 dvd's may have been worth more than the $100.00 unless they were from his private collection(used). Not to mention the value of the other gifts like the plastic model of Air Force One. These USELESS gifts and the lack of State dinner for a world leader are more proof of his narcissistic tendencies.

See he was the important person not Brown. Why should he give special treatment to some guy from Great Britain. After all they are only our Allies and I am the POTUS.

God help us all with a person like this in office for the next 4 years. He makes all who voted for him look just as foolish in the eyes of the international community as he does. I am ashamed to have him represent this Great Country.

Our only hope is to take back control of Congress. Then he won't be able to get anything done. But at the rate he and the Lib's are moving bills through they may get all the crap done before 2010.

Gun & Antique Show Awesome Results

2009-03-19T19:38:00.001-07:00

Well this show was mostly western collectibles and antiques. A lot of Henry rifles (real ones) Old Colt revolvers and all types of cowboy and Indian related items. Saddles, chaps, spurs and more.

I Focused on the Antique portion of the items, but I did not pass over the tables with the western items. You never know what you will find at any table. Most of the people who sell western items are very proud of their items (expensive). Some set up just for show and tell.

I lucked out again in the silver and gold department. I got 36 ounces of sterling flatware (only 4 were weighted handle knives) for a grand total of $95.00. Included was a service for 4, with 5 pieces in each place setting. The best Item found was only $20.00. A 19th century Dutch hallmarked powder jar for a ladies dressing table. It weighed 7 ounce's and is not weighted. I have included an image. Has a great scent on the inside from the powder.

For gold I found 2 14kt gold nibbed ink pens and one Palladium tipped, my first. A small award pin from the U.S. Post Office made of 10kt.

Just so I do not bore all the weapons folks I did score a great shotgun, A Winchester 12 gauge 1300 defender. Has the plastic aftermarket shoulder stock/ pistol grip combo and the plastic handle type grip on the slide. I am not a fan of this plastic stuff. Get this I paid $85.00 for this baby. Takes 3" shells a plus for sure.

No ammo for modern weapons mostly collector stuff. Nothing I could use for sure. This show is the smaller one and like I said is mostly for Western collectors. The big show later in the year is more of the assault weapons and massive firepower show. 50 Cal's, full autos, AR'S, HK'S, FNL'S, GARANDS ETC. Much ammo normally but who can say what it will bring.

One thing I like about these shows is most everyone is like minded and 2nd amendment patriots. The big subject on every bodies lips was the Obamanation and his ilk. It felt good to be surrounded by firearms and Patriots. I had a sidearm on the whole time and no one cared!! How sweet it is!

Two more days and I will go back everyday to sit with the Watch Master and discuss whatever comes up. Another thing that is great is the women as much as the men love the firearms!

Please Buy Silver NOW!!!

2009-03-19T06:53:00.000-07:00

As I type silver is up 12.19%. Silver is going to break out even higher very soon. I see silver at $16.00 by the end of the month or higher. Just my guess no facts to back it. The dollar is down, oil is up, stocks are in a bear market rally, and the printing presses are smoking hot. Can you say massive inflation? They talk about deflation but with all the money set to be printed how can that be true. The more money you print or electronically create the less it is worth.

Just heard an analyst state he thinks the Fed may increase balance sheet to $6 TRILLION soon. This is double the estimate of some but why should they stop now they are on a roll.

Silver's move will be fast and furious. Right now it takes 70 ounces of silver to get 1 ounce of gold. Ratio should be around 50 to 1 or silver at $19.00 an ounce.

Silver's percent gain is DOUBLE that of gold at a little over 6%.

I have encouraged everyone to buy silver before and I hope some have taken my advice.

I was big in to silver and gold in the 80's and I made a ton. Got out before it dropped. I do not see that happening here. Too much printing going on and the economy is much worse off. I see stocks dropping to the 1985 levels eventually. That would put them in the 1500 point range on the Dow. This is all my opinion but I have a feeling that this is the time for all of this to come true. By the way the in 1987 the highest % loss ever on the Dow was -22.61% and the 7th highest % gain on the dow was also in 1987 at 10.15%, two days after the -22.61% drop.

Who wants the dollar now, which means who will buy our Treasuries besides the Fed?
The dollar was worthless as you know before this and all of this does not make it any better.

This bear market rally has historical relation to the crash of 1929(actually occured in 1933) see my post of GREATEST DOW JONES % GAINS EVER.

Well nobody can say I did not try to convince you.

Buy more Stock in INK and Paper

2009-03-19T05:21:00.001-07:00

Let me get this straight. The Federal Reserve is going to buy $1,000,000,000,000.00 ($1 trillion) in long term Treasury Bonds and Mortgage securities. So we are using worthless paper to buy worthless paper?

This action comes just days after China expressed concerns about the HUGE investment they have in long term Treasuries. Are we going to buy back some of China's securities? We are buying $300 billion worth.

Then there is the purchase of Government Guaranteed? Mortgages. Are these Fannie and Freddie CRAP? Cost is $750 Billion.

Fed balance sheet has doubled in size from $900 billion to $1.8 Trillion and is expected to grow to over $3 trillion over the next year.

Here is a quote from an article in the New York Slime; "The Fed rarely buys long-term government bonds. The last occasion was nearly 50 years ago under different economic circumstances when it tried to reduce long-term interest rates while allowing short term rates to rise."

That same article says they may be buying Commercial real estate mortgages in the future.

Here's another quote from same article: "The Fed’s action is an expansion of its effort to bypass the private banking system and act as a lender in its own right." Where do I apply for a loan?

What kind of cooling system do they have on the printing presses? I guess the guys that work there have job security for the time being.

Buy the way the dollar has lost 5% of its value this week. Gold was up dramatically yesterday at one point it climbed $45.00 an ounce. Gold is up $60.00 an ounce as I type this. Platinum and silver are up too. Maybe the Fed should have bought some of these instead of more paper.

Homeland Security Blackhawk Helicopter landing here

2009-03-18T21:16:00.000-07:00

Now this was just brought up by one of my little ones. Today at school a Homeland Security Black Hawk helicopter landed on the school football field. Now I will say that my town has only 50,000 people and we are as far as I can tell little threat to anyone. So why is there a Homeland Security helicopter anywhere near here. They do not have a long range and to fly here just to land at a school is strange.

Now a local military asset is important but any unarmed helicopter is a waste of time unless its just for local transport. I know it was unarmed from the pictures taken by my little one. Camera phone you know. Unable at this time to include images since the phone is not cooperating. Will try later.

We have military helicopters that fly around on occasion but not these. The Homeland Security choppers have the gold stripe running the length of the fuselage.

From the sound that any helicopter makes when it approaches its no wonder they are a good target for ground fire. My best friend in high school was an Army chopper pilot. He took me up once in Alaska. Great trip. Not so good for the kidneys. His was a Huey. You would think there should be a silent chopper?

That brings me to a question about choppers. Remember a while---- back in the Persian Gulf some Seals or the such raided a ship by helicopter? It was a while ago so you may not remember. Didn't the crew hear it coming from a long ways away? Just a chopper question that popped into my head.

Well I will end now. Hope to have images posted as soon as the phone cooperates

Bush Administrations Greatest Accomplishment

2009-03-17T21:18:00.000-07:00

2688 DAYS THANK YOU President Bush and the UNITED STATES MILITARY and those who are unnamed.

I hope this number will continue we are now at 2744 as of 17 March 2009

Military History Question

2009-03-17T06:13:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows the name of the plane that dropped the First atomic bomb. Name the plane that dropped the second A-bomb. Where is that plane today? What were the names given to the bombs? These two bombs were totally different in design, name the major difference, other than size? Which of these bomb designs was never tested to see if it would work?

Investing whats left into something tangible

2009-03-16T07:53:00.000-07:00

This post is for those of you who still have something in your 401k, stock or you took your money out of the bank and put in your mattress.

One asset that will not go up and down like buying bullion gold or silver is numismatic coins. U.S. COINS. Now if you are going to buy numismatic coins DO NOT BUY GOLD COINS. They are tied to the price of gold on the low end of the market. What I mean by this is that lets say you buy a common date $20 GOLD Liberty that is in circulated condition. If the price of gold drops to $700.00 an ounce and you bought it at $929.00 an ounce the value of the coin will drop accordingly. Now you will also pay a premium for a coin of this type around $100.00 or more.

Your best bet is to buy KEY DATE coins. Coins that are of low mintage basically. These are but not limited to the following. They are not tied to a bullion spot price either. Even the silver coins in the key date category do not depend on the silver price for their value.

pennies 1909 s vdb, 1911s, 1922 plain or no mint mark (no D mint mark D=Denver), 1924D

nickels 1913s, 1914d, 1915s, 1921s, all buffalo nickels

dimes 1916d, 1921, 1921d, mercury dimes

quarters 1932d, 1932s Washington quarters

halves 1916, 1916d, 1916s, 1921s, 1938d, all Walking liberty

$1 1888s, 1893, 1893o, 1894o, 1894s, 1895o, 1895s, 1902s, 1903, 1903o, 1903s, and any of the CARSON CITY MORGANS mint mark CC, all of these are Morgan type $1

PEACE $1, 1921

This list only covers modern coins not the older coins that are less familiar to you. Also I have not included odd denomination coins. No error coins are included either such as the 3 legged Buffalo nickel, any double die coins(coin struck twice and letters or date doubled in process), or small or large date varieties, nothing that would be considered an error. I also did not include any KEY date coins that start at $1000.00 in the GOOD grade category for obvious reasons. Most of these coins are low mintage coins or from low mintage mints such as the Carson City dollars(these gained notoriety in the 1980's when the mint found many bags of them during an inventory. Big news back then. Mint put them in a Slab (plastic case) and they went crazy in price. They were the must have coin and still have a good collector value.

Now I know if you do not have any coin collecting knowledge how can you buy these and know what you are getting is what the dealer says it is. Make sure that with any of these key date coins that they come in a SLAB from either PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service)or NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Corporation) There are others but these in the opinion of most are the best. The gray sheet web site lists the % increase of these companies graded coins PCGS UP 78.06%, NGC up 74.95%. No other grading companies are in the 70% range. See next paragraph for GRAY sheet info.

The next thing is how much is too much for a slabbed coin. You can get what is called the GRAY sheet. But it is located at www.greysheet.com The cost for 3 months is $31.00 for 19 issues and worth every penny. Cheaper by the year and two year subscription etc. Do not buy before consulting this sheet. Coin books you can buy at book stores or use at the library or magazines DO NOT have current value. They only can give you mintage, and basic info, NOT current values.

Now what grade to buy. The better the grade of course the higher the price you will pay. I have a theory on this and is only my idea so come up with your own. I would buy the best you can get but I would avoid the highest grade. Here's why, lets say you want to sell your graded coin later. If you paid X and there are fewer buyers who can afford X then you have limited the number of available buyers. A good mid grade say EF (extremely fine) depending on the coin will still be priced so Joe the plumber can buy it to add to his collection. In the higher grades there are fewer people that can afford them. On the other hand the higher grades will appreciate faster so there is a give and take on what to buy. The coins that may only reach a price of say $500.00 or $700.00 at the highest grade would be a good buy since most collectors will have that amount if they really want it.

Now I have not mentioned any Proof coins here. Proof coins are stronger strikes and start with a premium price. The 1936 proof set (1st set of 5 coins but others in earlier dates as single coins are available at a HUGE PRICE) sold for I believe $1.85 when it came out and sells for around $7,500.00 now. Proof sets have a sheet price also and these go up depending on demand and availability. Do a search for the 1936 proof set and see what I mean.

Now any of these that you buy will be higher price than the sheet price since the seller wants to make a profit on them. You must use your own judgement on how much more than the sheet price you want to pay.

Well I think that will give you the basic info and the rest is up to you. I am not giving any guaranties on any of this but I would say the chances of these types of coins going down appreciably is slim. Just stay clear of any gold numismatics since some of the price is tied to the gold spot price. Only the really rare gold coins will not be affected, such as the 1907 HIGH RELIEF $20.00 ST. GAUDENS to name one. This type of coin is for the BUFFETS of the world even in the lower grades. Upwards of the HIGH 5 figures and up for one of these in the upper grades.

Remember do your homework and get a gray sheet before buying anything.

Good luck and put that money in something safe even if you do not choose coins.

Maslow's Theory, LIFE, LIBERTY, PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

2009-03-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

For anyone who has had a management class you are familiar with Abraham Maslow, a Psychologist who came up with the following pyramid to depict basic human needs very simply. This is called Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. To put it in simpler terms, at the base are LIFE needs Food, shelter etc. , moving up there is security, LIFE again, then relationships or HAPPINESS, mental well being, HAPPINESS again and finally freedom of expression and morality or LIBERTY. Maslow's theory I believe is in the Declaration of Independence, " We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their CREATOR with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are LIFE, LIBERTY and the PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS. It is striking to me that Maslow put sex in there twice. I will take all I can get.

The Constitution is also relevant to his theory. He mentions security of the body, the family and property, 2nd Amendment anyone? How about morality, Freedom of Religion, 1st Amendment.

Just my take on this theory and how it relates to Survival needs in general.

My opinion and I am sticking to it. Yes I know the theory about opinions.

This is for "D" the vegan gun toter

2009-03-13T15:35:00.000-07:00

Well thank you first of all for posting a comment "D" to my Meat food for life. You said in your post that many vegetarians/vegans do not eat meat for environmental reasons. I think that is a good cause since I do not want polluted water, land, air or food for that matter. But to say that eating only vegetables is saving or helping to save the environment is a bit of a stretch.

Unless the veggies are harvested by hand, transported by horse drawn wagon (methane)and use no water to grow them, have no fertilizer to help them grow, and the seeds just appear out of thin air then they are not as GREEN as you think.

Even organic veggies require fertilizer to grow. If compost is used this must be stored some where and transported by truck (diesel fuel or gasoline)or packaged in plastic bags (oil based) and then shipped. Even if it is shipped by trains they use (diesel) for generating electricity to make it go (more economical than trucks). I have never seen a train pull up to my local garden store or grocery store. Even if the grower picks it up himself fuel is used. If manure is used then we are back to Cows (methane), horses or exotic animals such as elephants, etc. These require feed that also must be transported the same as the compost. The amount of methane produced by these animals is HUGE so there we go again with the pollution factor. You could have your own compost pile but it better be HUGE and start now so you will have it for your future garden.

As for growing your own veggies for a vegetarian I would say that 1 acre per person would be advisable. Now weather is a major factor with any garden. I assume all those who are vegetarian's live in Florida, California or some other great year round climate. Otherwise you better can enough for winter (canning requires Heat=fuel). Now that garden does not produce, milk (cows again), soy products in quantities for food (I would not want soy as my only food), Sugar if used, coffee same, oranges, bananas, olive oil, rice, coconuts, tea, avocados, nuts, salt, pepper, various other spices, grape fruit, apples, dates, molasses, pomegranate, kiwi, star fruit, honey, juices, peanut butter, butter (cows), cashew butter, pineapples well you get the point I hope. Most of the non U.S. grown products must be shipped by boat or train and they are far from environmentally sound. Ever seen what ships dump in the ocean?

I did not even cover the stores that sell these products or the people who work there and I would say they drive to work, not walk in most cases.

Now I hope every vegetarian that grows their own food has sufficient water for it in the form of rainfall. If not then water must be provided from other means such as the city, county or through irrigation canals. All use some sort of power to get them to you. Even the irrigation canals cannot flow up hill. Not to mention the chemicals (oil again) used to make water safe for drinking, except for the irrigation canals.

Now vegans do not eat eggs but vegetarians do and these eggs have to be transported, refrigerated, inspected(light source, electricity)and packaged. Now the people who do this may not be as GREEN as their product and I am sure they drive to work (fuel). Does it require any fuel source such as electricity to make the recycled egg cartons?

Now we won't even go into the production of the seeds. But energy must be used for packaging, transport, and the growing of the seed producing plants to begin with.

You also mentioned that I was wrong about the lack of vitamins in a pure vegetarian / vegan diet. Yes they have many vitamins but if cooked improperly say goodbye. How can you be sure they are cooked properly. I suggest drinking the left over water or using it for soup to insure that you get the vitamins. Steaming is the best way to cook them. If you are eating them raw you can get the full benefit of the nutrients. But who could eat raw veggies for life. I suggest you still take supplements for your health just in case.

I agree "D" with your train (no pun intended) of thought, yes, cows, chickens, pigs, ducks, geese, turkeys and other food animals do produce products harmful to the environment. But being a vegetarian or a vegan is not much better and much more expensive in the long run.

You also mentioned you are a gun toting vegan. Where do the components come from for gun powder, the steel for the weapon or the lead, you get my point.

Again I thank you for your post but as long as humans live on this planet no matter what we eat we will still contribute to some kind of pollution and there is no way around that unless you can live without food, water and shelter.

Thank you again "D". This post was not meant to put you down in anyway but to help you see the truth behind any diet.

Greatest Dow Jones % gain EVER

2009-03-13T06:52:00.000-07:00

Here is a little something that may surprise readers. Since the markets are having a little rebound of late I thought I would give a little history of the Dow Jones Bull Markets. The greatest % increase in the Dow was 15.34% and get this the date was 15 March 1933. The next 3 highest % gains ever on the Dow are as follows; 6 Oct. 1931 14.87%, 30 Oct 1929 12.34% and 21 Sept. 1932 11.36%. Now all of these were in the heart of the Depression. Even Hoover pointed out in his later years that his administration had the greatest BULL market to that date. These records still stand to this day.

Now for the connection to today's markets. The 5th highest % gain of all time was 13 Oct. 2008 11.08% and the 6th highest was 28 Oct. 2008 10.88%.

The 8th through the 10th highest % gains were also in the heart of the depression, 3 Aug. 1932 9.52%, 11 Feb. 1932 9.47% and 14 Nov. 1929 9.36%.

Coming in at number 7 was 21 Oct. 1987 10.15%. 1987 also has the highest % loss of all time of
-22.61% on 19 Oct 1987. This is followed by 28 Oct. 1929 at 12.82%.

See any pattern here?

Now I am not predicting anything but the markets have a history of this type of rebound we are experiencing in today's market. Just thought it would be fun to see these numbers.

Buy the way at the same time the market is up so is gold and silver. Go figure.

U.S. Military History Question Series

2009-03-13T06:14:00.000-07:00

I thought that a U.S. military history question series would be interesting. I hope some young folks will read these questions and be motivated to learn more about the Greatest Military ever.

What branch of the U.S. military sank the first Japanese naval vessel of WWII, and where?
Now even harder what type of weapon was used?

Info on "How do you spend your Saturday mornings"

2009-03-12T17:21:00.001-07:00

If anyone wants info that I said I would give on the above post you can email me at ;

markkent13@gmail.com I will be glad to share with anyone who asks. You too J.T.

I have added the shortcut to the refinery I use at the bottom of the blog list the very long one. Just click and go this is the best around and no fees.

My take on Bernie Madoff's Take

2009-03-12T12:42:00.001-07:00

First let me say that I have renamed him Madeoff as in of course with the money. I know it is not original probably but I like it.

The leading factor behind his success in this scheme was GREED. He was the former NASDAQ chairman so everyone thought he was the man for investing with. So they just poured money out to him no questions asked. They just wanted more MONEY and did not care how they got it.

Greed is very powerful and even some very rich people who should have done some checking before hand lost bunches of money. Now the charities and pension funds should fire the mangers who did not check first on his investments. Also the people who invested for the well known types like Spielberg and the such should get jail time for not doing their job, or at the least be sued.

Bernie's wife, sons, brother and niece are also part of this scheme. His wife was the accountant, His niece and one son were the Compliance officers, and his brother received funds from this ponzi company to invest in real stocks in the real Madeoff investment firm. His other son from what I understand helped run the crap company. Bernie also transferred some property to his wife for something like $1.00 or the such. GREED

Now you can or should I say could make money in the stock market but if any of these people had done any research they would have steered clear. But since this was Bernie they thought it was OK. Greed again.

The others with liability in this are the SEC and the bank that he was depositing the money from these people into. It was a New York bank and they should have seen the signs of huge amounts of money being moved around. But again it was Bernie and they were probably glad to have such huge amounts of cash in their bank. Again GREED.

The whole point is that most, if not everyone who was part of this aside from the SEC (just incompetent) believed his lies and were GREEDY bastards who deserved what they got.

There is a saying from a Steve McQueen movie that I like and it applies here: "Believe half of what you see and nothing of what you hear"

Physical precious metals is the only way to go. Had these fools put their money in gold or silver when this scheme started in the early 1990's they would have more than they do now! Millions More Ha Ha! That is not greedy that is just smart.

I think a lot of his investors would like "A Weekend with Bernie"

Meat food for life

2009-03-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

Well here is something that just wrangles me, Vegetarians. Now I am all for "to each his or her own" but being a vegetarian makes no sense to me. Most of the country of India (Hindus) are vegetarian with cows treated like gods running all over the place. There are an estimated 40,000 cows in Dehli alone roaming free. Are there any starving people in India? They would be short a few cows if I was hungry. Here we call them a hamburger on the hoof or what ever is your choice cut. But I digress. In this country vegetarians mainly choose that path not for religious reasons but for the sake of the living thing. To be sure most vegetarians have no religious background since in the bible it tells you all about eating MEAT!

When a vegetarian tells me that they can never get full and are always hungry I just want to sit them down and show them what a meal is really like. I would get them a nice New York Steak or a T bone with all the fixin's and see if they are still hungry then. Now myself I do not eat the huge hamburgers put out by the fast food chains, but give them a triple decker burger and some greasy fries and damn if they won't be full then.

Now even our teeth are geared to meat eating. Take an elephant for example it has teeth for grinding vegetable material down so it can be digested. Our front teeth are for tearing the meat and the back teeth are for further chopping of the meat.

What happens to your digestive system if you only eat veggies, you are always taking a dump that's what. Try eating a high fiber diet when that is not your normal diet and see what happens. Imagine just eating plant material forever and you get the picture.

Now I am not against vegetables. I love my corn, green beans, beans in general, rice, potato's etc. But this is not what our bodies were designed to run on. You must take huge amounts of supplements with a veggie diet to maintain proper health.

One other point about Veggies, it has been my experience that most are LIBERALS! Who among other things hate guns, approve of abortion, want my money and think that the OBAMANATION is the greatest thing since soybeans.

The whole point of this post was to vent some again.

Just give me some good ole MEAT thank you. In fact I think some steak is in order tonight. Maybe I will eat the veggies portion besides mine.

What would you have done?

2009-03-11T16:21:00.000-07:00

This post is for those who may have thought my purchases of precious metals from charitable organizations such as thrift stores was unethical. As a matter of fact I went to both stores and offered my expertise gratis, free and even offered to get them set up on ebay so they could sell the more valuable donations.

I went to one thrift stores board meeting with a plan. I would get NOTHING from this and they would make more money. I was asked to leave and told they were not interested. The other store said they had someone who does that type of thing for them and thank you anyway.

With both of these places I was doing it to help them not myself and so today I make out like a bandit at the expense of either their pride, arrogance or ignorance

So I continue to purchase gold, silver, platinum and diamonds for pennies on the dollar. Not to mention the collectibles and antiques I find and resell also.

In my opinion these stores are doing an injustice not only to their charity but to the people who donate the items.

Just thought I would clear the air just in case, although no one had commented on that post as yet.

BOYCOTT ADIDAS

2009-03-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

Well I guess one sports company does not want to exist anymore. Adidas is now proudly selling hats with the HAMMER AND SICKLE on them. The part that really pissed me off is that they are SOLD OUT! I hope this companies stock goes the way of Lehman Brothers or Washington Mutual. The real kicker is that they are probably made in CHINA! If I owned any of their crap, which I do not, I would mail it back to the company headquarters with a note telling them to shove them where the sun don't shine.

What genius in the marketing department decided this was a good idea and why is he still employed?

The fact that the hats were sold out is a testament to the stupidity of the American lemming public. I take that back because lemmings at least do not buy these stupid hats. If I see a loser with one on I will say something you can count on that. But the chances of one being seen here are slim since most wear hats with a fertilizer company logo or a cowboy hat, thank GOD. I am in what can still be regarded as AMERICA.

This is a German company with offices in the USA.

I had more on my mind but I will leave it at that since it will only make me more angry.

BOYCOTT ADIDAS

Here is their contact info to give them a piece of your mind if you wish.

adidas

USA Customer Service
5055 N Greeley Ave.
Portland, OR 97217USA
1 (800) 448-1796
customerservice@shopadidas.com

I just don't get it, am I missing something?

2009-03-09T13:52:00.000-07:00

On my trips around town I take short cuts through the numerous alleys and today alone I noticed TWO gigantic screen TV boxes and along with one the ever needed new entertainment center. I must have missed the memo that the economic downturn was over. Yes I know that spending helps the economy but I cannot condone this type of spending on items that have no intrinsic value.

My biggest TV is a 27" tube type that we bought in 1995. It still works fine although it did need a new remote recently at a cost of $9.00.

I know that it is none of my business but why would anyone want something that will be obsolete in a year or two and worth no more than the TV I have now.

No its not sour grapes since I could buy one of the new 65" flat screens if I felt I needed it. But TV only upsets me most of the time and I tend to only watch CNBC and educational programming (History channel ETC.) or something funny. Watching the news no matter who you watch just makes me want to throw lead at the set. But then I would have to buy another one.

I guess its OK that people are still buying the trinkets in life but how much gold could you buy with the money spent on a flat screen. Not to mention any other items discussed in survival forums. I am part of the great minority that is the Be Prepared world, but I would rather be part of that group than the sit on my butt and watch football on the new flat screen.

Yes watching sports on TV or the Oscars, or some reality show is a form of escape. Maybe those who buy the big TVs are getting a comfort fix and that is how they deal with all the crap around them.

I wish I could sit down with those people and give them a dose of REAL REALITY and explain what could happen in the future near or far and get their heads back in the game of life. My family has always been "prepared" for as long as I can remember. I just grew up with that mindset by observing my parents. Even today in their mid 70's they are ready to head out with all the things they need and live comfortably. We even discuss where to meet in THE event and such like it was nothing.

I have always wondered how many people there are like those who write the survival blogs I read. It would be interesting to get an idea of the numbers so we could do a head count after all the rest are either in camps or on the way to whatever destiny awaits them.

Some have posted that many who blog are talkers or wannabes or Mall survivalists. I for one take it very serious.

So when I see people spending on useless (to me) stuff I just shake my head and try not to get upset at the lemmings around me. I try not to get upset at the stupidity and think happy thoughts. I could be wrong and those people could have a basement of stuff for the SHTF but I doubt it.

Well I got that off my mind and I feel better and it only cost me a little time not $$$$. Thank you for letting me vent.

Home on the Range (TONOPAH TEST RANGE) III

2009-03-08T12:21:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite example of how our unit was different from even other A7 units. Our A7's were the only active duty planes of this type. All others were assigned to the National Guard. Since our planes were no different in appearances to those in the Guard we got any and all modification or time compliance orders that they got. The only problem was that ours did not have the cannon installed and some of the armour plating(for weight and balance). These were removed to make the aircraft lighter. There were also systems that we did not use. I will leave it at that. So if we had a new mod or the such that pertained to these areas we could not perform that task.

This lack of systems or non use of systems proved interesting on one occasion for me. As the head of my specialty on the aircraft I was sent TDY (temporary duty) to Wright Patterson AFB, Dayton Ohio for a conference on a digital conversion of the system I was responsible for and several other system it would affect. Since some of this stuff was not used I hoped that nothing would come up that I could not explain away.

The first awkward moment was when all the other Guard folks and I met. The first thing they asked was, so why do you guys fly A7's and what do you do? Our cover was that we were testing advanced avionics (not a lie - F-117). So that's what I told them. I could tell right off that was not good enough for them but they let it be, for now. I was going to be at this conference for 7 days so I just hoped that that was the end of the awkwardness, Not. Everything was going great until someone mentioned some problems with a NON use system on our planes. When I was asked if I had a similar problem which they all had experienced I simply said NO (not a lie). Needless to say they wanted to know why and I told them I could not discuss this any further. Luckily the chief in charge of this conference understood my situation and changed the subject.

One other great thing about that conference is my visit to the Air Force Museum at Wright Paterson AFB in Dayton Ohio. I was like a kid in a candy store. Planes I had only seen pictures of were now inches away. I was overwhelmed. I say all my favorites, the XB-70, X-15, B-58, B-29, (FW-190, ME -109 German WWII) P-51, Spitfire, P-39, P-47, P-40, P-62, B-1, B-36 HUGE the list goes on and on. If you are ever in Dayton this is worth the trip.

One thing that I will mention here is that I had a relative who was a Major General attached to Wright Pat when the Roswell thing went down. This is the base that the supposed Alien bodies were brought to. He was at the time in charge of a Scientific unit at the base. I asked him many years ago if he knew about the rumor. He said he did and that to his knowledge nothing of the sort ever came to that base. Take that for what it is worth. I will say that he had a very high security clearance. One more interesting thing about him is that he also participated in the Nuremberg Trials as a younger officer. He was a West Pointer. Was moved over to the USAAF during WWII and went on to the USAF in 1947. He was a pilot, P-51s. One of my TTR buddies reminds me of him a little, this relative once buzzed his mothers house in NEW YORK CITY. He was a great guy. He has passed now but he was alive well after 9/11. Here is something he said to me after 9/11. Mark its been two days now how come Afghanistan still exists! Every so often he would call and mention the time since 9/11 and ask the same question. He lived to see something happen there but he felt it was way to little to late! He passed at the age of 95 and is buried at Arlington. Sharp as a tack to the end!

Now for one of the characters I worked with. I will not use his real name. Derek was by far the most exciting of the bunch. I remember a trip I took with him in a Government owned vehicle, GOV, up North as we called it. One of only two trips where I got to drive up instead of fly. The trip up was uneventful if you could call a high speed run uneventful. Derek was the driver ALWAYS he insisted and who am I to argue at being a passenger. Its a long drive. Anyway the speedometer was not much use for him. To put it simply the mile markers were going by every thirty seconds! Yes I know it was wrong but we were young and fearless let alone the abuse of a GOV. Needless to say he had an ulterior motive for this. He wanted to make it before dinner, it was surf and turf night. We arrived on time for his dinner of choice and unscathed. This was just a parts run of sorts for the A-7's there and to bring some other items back to Nellis. It was an overnighter of course.

On the return trip Derek wanted to take a Short Cut. Now you must understand there are no shortcuts across CLASSIFIED RANGE. Our security badges allowed us to access only certain parts of the the Test Range. But Derek new better and proceeded to drive where we were NOT SUPPOSED to be. He said it would cut many miles off our trip back. I said maybe not if we get stopped and they check our badges. He was not phased by my words one bit. So here we were about to Trespass on areas of classified Range and he was excited. As we went along suddenly a sign read area such and such badges only. I looked at my badge and it was not there. Here we go. I will not be able to describe where we were or what we saw but I can tell you this, I was keeping an eye on the sky for a very good reason! After what seemed FOREVER a new sign proclaimed we were leaving that area and we were in the clear. Thank you Lord!

Now the fun was not over and now I got to play a little. I am sure you are all aware that Nevada has what is called the EXTRATERRESTIAL Highway. Well we ended up coming out on that road. Now Speed racer had a new game he wanted to play. At the speeds mentioned before. He had brought along many very small steel juice cans, you know the ones you see in the markets with pineapple juice in them they are about 3" high and about 1/1/2" in DIA. perfect for the palm of the hand. He called them juice grenades and we had all flavors, prune, apple, pineapple you name it. Now these were full cans. His idea was to try and hit things with them as he drove. I was the launcher and he would toss a few too. Well I am not very good at hitting things at the speed he was going so I never made contact with any targets. The idea was sound but we had no way of judging when to release. I have to admit it was kind of a rush trying to hit billboards and the such. None of his lobs by him made it either. I bet somewhere out there there are many burst juice cans along the south bound lane of that highway. We did not stop in Rachel NV we blew by like a flying saucer. Made the trip back in record time, for who I do not know but it was fast.

Years later I saw Derek back in Vegas at a Reunion of sorts. He had flown in under his own power. He had a PILOTS license now, a REAL one and had rented an aircraft. He wanted me to go up with him. I declined for obvious reasons.

Well I will stop for now. More later. Thanks for reading Mark

Well I will end here and get more to you later. For now its enough.

Home on the Range (TONOPAH TEST RANGE) II

2009-03-08T09:56:00.000-07:00

Well here is more of my time at TTR.

I left off talking about the accommodations at TTR. They were at best just hotel rooms but with more for no cost. After checking out the digs we went to the dining hall to get some dinner. This facility is open 24 hours a day since the base operated on the same schedule. Now it had ANYTHING you could think of. On Wednesday they called it Surf and Turf day. Yes steaks and lobster no joke. On any given day you could have burgers, sandwiches of any kind, pizza, well you name it they had it. In the drink department they ad unlimited choices you name it they had it. The facility had two lines. I call them the full course meal line and the what do you want line. The full course meal line had several menus to choose from like Chicken, beef, fish, turkey etc. on the other line there were sandwiches and fast food options of all kinds. Needless to say we were not going hungry.

After pigging out we checked out the other facilities. The Mancamp had more than a full gym, indoor pool with jacuzzi, racket ball courts, steam room, sauna, free weight room, Nautilus room, exercise room you know mats and the such and a basketball court.

The pool was unusual in that it was stainless steel not the normal concrete style you see everywhere. This is because of the earthquakes and testing done on the range would have cracked a normal pool in short order. It was very large, Olympic size is about right. The jacuzzi was also large.

There was also a baseball field, football field / running track, several tennis courts and outside basketball courts too.

The main building that housed the indoor rec equipment also had a library that could order books from Nellis if they did not have it. A very small quick store of sorts that was mainly run by GI's and stocked by them. They were mini entrepreneurs of sorts and the military gave them a very small room to work out of. You could get the essentials like smokes, dip (smokeless tobacco), beer, can sodas basically anything that the government did not provide.

In this building there was also a rec room with pool tables, ping pong,video machines, foosball, card tables everything you could think of. Here is one that may get your dander up, there was no golf course at TTR but they did have one of those whack your ball at a screen things with many different courses available to play. This was before they were popular and it cost a mint I am sure. But the big wigs spared no expense for the troops.

Now on the subject of BEER there was a full bar in this very building. Yes a bar just like in the real world, TV's, juke box, and a full service bar. Now this place saw lots of business and the group of guys I hung out with in my time on the range had our favorite drink of choice, KAMIKAZE'S by the pitcher (only $12.00) with no glasses we used something that was even better, what me called straws but were actually oil sample tubes for the jets, new ones of course. Yes they were not intended for this use but they were made out of plastic that would leave no contamination in the sample and for that reason they were just fine for straws at least we hoped. What can I say we were young and could care less about the health effects, hell we were drinking alcohol with them. The great part of being at TTR was that most people did not drive and there was no need to worry about DUI since there was a great mass transportation system.

One quick sidebar on the bar. Myself and many others were at TTR when the first gulf war started for obvious reasons. We all met in the bar to watch the Classified News Network since we had advance knowledge of what was going to happen. The Stealth fighter was first into action (yes the Apaches started the whole thing by killing some front line positions but they did not "boldly go where no one had gone before") Anyway we sat with our Pitcher of our favorite and waited for news of the first attacks. More on this later.

Now while at TTR we could not leave the fenced area which meant no going into Tonopah the town. We were isolated in that respect. The civilian workers had a bus that ran them into town on a regular basis called the town bus. I of course never rode on it. The gate of the fenced area of TTR was just outside of Mancamp. But I never made it past the fence that surrounded mancamp on foot since it was forbidden. The gate(yet another fence) that was used by the town bus to the free zone has now been moved, I have been told, all the way to the highway that leads to town about 8 miles from what I can figure, that's a lot of fence.

Another interesting thing about TTR was that it was of course restricted airspace. While I was part of the wing we had a Cessna make an emergency landing on our runway. He was in trouble and saw a runway and headed for it. He ignored repeated calls to not land but what was he supposed to do? When he landed the security nabbed him bagged him(bag over his head) and took him out of the secure hanger area. We heard that after some questioning and signing his life away he was sent packing. But the plane was not as easy. They could not let him fly out of our facility so they towed it to the fence outside of Mancamp and lifted it over the fence and sat it in the dirt next to the road. Sometime later he was allowed to repair his plane and takeoff from the road never to return.

Well enough for this run I will post more later. I hope those who read this enjoy it. Let me know what you think please. Until next time.

How do you spend your Saturday mornings?

2009-03-07T20:48:00.000-08:00

Saturday is always an early bird thing with me, even in the winter. I go treasure hunting. I go to any yard sales that peak my interest. Today I went to one and got two 14k gold wedding bands for which I paid a total of $10.00 for the pair. The gold content was $108.00. After hitting the yard sales I went to the thrift stores. Nothing special at them so I headed to a small mall that has a couple of sellers most weekends. One seller had a sterling compote, $15.0o and a sterling nut dish $10.00. He also had 3 gold chains two 14k and one 10k and I bought all of them for a total of $45.00. Now you may ask why did I pay so much for the sterling. The compote has about 2 1/2 to 3 oz's and the nut dish has about 2 oz's of sterling silver. Even though they are weighted I know how much each has in silver minus the weighted base. I normally try to stay clear of weighted pieces but these had no damage and the price was right. By the way the gold chains had a total value of $100.00. I do this (except yard sales) everyday except Sunday and not for religious reasons but because the thrift stores are closed and the yard sales would be the same stuff different day.

Now I have been doing this for around 36 years. Only 13 years in my current location. This past week alone I found a 14k watch chain, 10k mans signet ring, pair of sterling S&P, sterling pitcher, and a sterling Salvador Dali art plate. The total weight of the sterling none of which were weighted was 28 ounces and the gold value total was $173.00. By the way I paid $2.00 total for the ring and watch chain. Chain is in great condition. The silver cost me $190.00 but the silver value of the lot was $346.00. With the items I got today the total value for the week is $777.00 while I paid out $292.00 total.

Now the reason the sterling is more expensive than the gold is because most people can ID sterling for what it is but not its true value. Now I got all of the sterling pieces listed above at One antique store. They knew it was sterling but not its TRUE value. All of these were in excellent condition. The Dali plate is valued at about $200.00 for its collectors value and yes it has the box, but I only count the silver value. The gold items above were at one thrift store.

Now on occasion I get sterling for the same low price as I do the gold. But more times than not the gold is by far the cheapest.

There is a gun show coming up and I will be looking for these types of items there too. Plus I need some specific items that should be available there.

My whole point of this post is not to brag but to have you go out and look for this kind of thing. In hard economic times I have the perfect skills for making money for little money invested.
Now of course I do not rush out and sell these items since I am not in need of the cash right away and most of this is for my families future and my full retirement. If I need quick cash I can sell locally for about 75% of the value (this is low should be around 80 to 85%) of the gold if I need some quick cash or I can send it off to a smelter and get 95% of its value. You can see why selling locally is not very attractive even at the prices I pay. Sending to the smelter takes about 7 to 10 days. The company I use charges no refining fees, no smelting fees, I get a flat 95% from my gold no matter what the karat and no matter how much I send.

I would be glad to send anyone who asks for it the info on what to look for and what to pay and the name of the smelter I use and what is a good selling price for your items.

Now a warning DO NOT SELL TO ANY OF THE PLACES ADVERTISED ON TV OR IN MAGAZINES PERIOD! You will be lucky to get 10% of any precious metal value if you get anything at all. Do a google search .

To contact me just leave your desired contact info on this post and I will get back to you as fast I can.

Surviving Iceland and Those EYES

2009-03-06T22:31:00.000-08:00

Ran across this website in my travels. newsfrettir.com/alive/ Sites actual title is Surviving Iceland. Was stationed in Iceland in the 80's. A beautiful country with great people. This site is her personal blog and she runs another one that translates local news events form Icelandic to English. She uses the screen name Anya. She and a lot of her fellow Islanders (their spelling of Icelanders) are having a rough time economically. If you have a chance check out her site you will not be disappointed Trust me on this one. This country has, as far as I know, the largest use of geothermal energy of any nation. They have great fishing both in the Atlantic ocean and in the local rivers for salmon and trout. More sheep than people (no sheep jokes please). The most literate country in the world too. More books per person than any other nation. Also has the oldest democracy still in existence they call it the Althang. Also elected the first Women President. Reagan and Gorby met there too, Reagan left early. Most of the population is redheads and blonds, she is Blond. Bobby Fischer played a major chess match in the capital city Rekjavik.

Please check out her site and let me know what you think.

Engage Brain before shifting mouth into gear

2009-03-05T15:54:00.000-08:00

Is it just me or does the stock market tank even more every time the Obamanation opens his mouth? Today the Dow fell 281 points or or 4.09%, the Nasdaq fell 54.15 or 4% and the S&P 500 fell 30.32 or 4.25% and the Obamanation talked. Now I am not complaining since I have NOTHING in the stock market and Gold went up $26.50 to $932.40 or 2.93% and SILVER, MY FAVORITE, went up 33 cents to $13.24 or 2.56%. But there a lot of people who are seeing investments go down the drain. Since the Obamanation took office the Dow has lost 20.35%. Now is that the fault of George W. Bush? NO! Is it the Obamanations fault, well no but he should get the hint that when he talks things go south WORSE than they might have. The Turbo Tax dodger is no better. By the way wasn't Turbo Tax dodger in charge of the NEW YORK FED with oversight of some NEW YORK financials? I know most of this is old news but really folks can someone put a gag in the Obamanation's mouth. On second thought those of us who have Gold and Silver hope he keeps right on talking. Never mind everything I said. You just go on spouting what ever it is you say and I will be happy. There is always 2010.

Pistolet Maus, Do I need a CWP?

2009-03-05T15:17:00.000-08:00

Now I have noticed on some blogs that folks proudly post the image of the newest member in their firearms family. Not to be outdone I decided to venture into that area only a little bit,and I mean a little bit. Pictured here is the PISTOLET MAUS or MOUSE PISTOL. Made in Germany around the the 1940's as I found out from an expert. These are individually hand made and are very precise little pistols. It is a little over 1 1/2" long. It has a breakdown barrel with a 2mm diameter barrel. I can still get blanks for it. They even make fireworks type ammo for it but no thanks. I thought I would also ask for your help, I am looking for the original cleaning rod since it did not come with it. If anyone has an extra laying around I would be happy to buy it. The image is a little dark and the pistol is all stainless, there is not any gold on it, a reflection somewhere. So I am the proud Papa of a bouncing baby pistol. Enjoy!

GLOBAL WARMING IS OVER BLAME IT ON THE SUN

2009-03-04T20:26:00.000-08:00

I found this on STEVEQUAYLE.COM. This letter was sent to the future Obamination administration prior to inauguration. I knew all along that us puny humans could not have done anything on the scale that the environmental wackos thought was possible. This is funny since most of the global warming events lately have been held in snow storms and record cold spells. Maybe now they will say burn more coal and drive more so we can increase the greenhouse gasses or we will all freeze to death! Besides there was a reason for the melting glacier's and the melting icecaps, we were coming out of an ice age that once covered most of the planet in ICE! I knew there was a reason for buying all that cold weather gear and a house with an alternate heating source. Send this to all your liberal friends. I am sending it to as many people as possible.
VINDICATION AT LAST!!!

Space and Science Research Center
4700 Millenia Blvd. Ste. 175
Orlando, FL 32839
Tel: 407-835-3635 Fax: 407-210-3901
www.spaceandscience.net

Press Release
SSRC 1-2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
8:00 PM
Obama Climate Change Advisers Holdren and Lubchenco
Are Told Global Warming Is Over
Time to Prepare the US for the New Cold Era

The Space and Science Research Center (SSRC), today releases a letter mailed on January 1, 2009 to President-elect Barrack Obama’s nominated science adviser Dr. John Holdren and nominated NOAA administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco clearly stating that “…global warming is over; a new cold climate has arrived.”

In this letter, SSRC Director John Casey calls on Dr. Holdren to immediately reverse course on global warming programs and start preparing the country for the next climate change. Since the early 2007 discovery of the solar cycles that according to Casey drive our climate over a period of about 200 years, he and later the SSRC have been on a mission to get the word out to government leaders and media representatives in order to prepare the US for the coming bitter cold era.

In explaining the reason for this first press release of 2009, Mr. Casey says,” There can no longer be any doubt that the Sun has entered an historic period of dramatically reduced activity which will bring us many long years of deep cold weather. This was predicted by me and a few other scientists around the globe but of course we were not taken seriously because of the politics of global warming and the refusal of many media outlets to print or telecast alternatives to the now discredited man made global warming concept. According to national and international sources that monitor the Sun, what is happening on and in the Sun is nothing short of record setting, astounding, and at the same time worrisome. The solar wind is at its lowest level in fifty years. The surface movement on the Sun has slowed to record rates and according to NASA’s previous announcements is ‘off the bottom of the charts.’ Most telling is the current prolonged lack of sunspots between the normal 11 year solar cycles 23 and 24 which is about to set a one hundred year record for time without sunspots. NASA also has long since forecast that cycle 25 will be ‘one of the weakest in centuries.” All of these events in combination leave little doubt that a ‘solar hibernation’ lasting several decades delivering the coldest weather in over two centuries has in fact arrived.”

In its last press release of 2008, the SSRC had warned President-elect Obama in its sternest language to date, of the coming cold and genuine apprehension about climate change campaign promises and recent appointments. The release expressed that such actions in support of anthropogenic global warming would create a punitive and restrictive atmosphere for scientists who oppose the belief that greenhouse gas emissions were the primary agents of climate change and that the ill-effects of the new cold weather without government assistance and preparation, would lead to a ‘worst case scenario’ for the American people.

Director Casey repeated his long standing position on the next climate change with the comment, “The longer we delay the necessary nation-wide preparations for the coming cold era the more difficult it will be. If the extremist rhetoric of man made climate change advocacy takes hold in the Obama administration which at this point is at fever pitch, then the stage will be set for the new cold climate to catch us completely off guard and unprepared. This will cause many Americans to suffer needlessly.”

He added further, “The Earth has been in a long term cooling trend technically for eleven years. The significant drop in global temperatures that also occurred between January 2007 and much of 2008 should have been enough for most observers to finally accept that global warming is over, except that this information was intentionally not passed on to the American people. Also and unfortunately, the Presidential campaign where both major parties continued to beat the drum of global warming and man made climate change only helped to cement in the flawed concept that mankind was more powerful and had more influence on the Earth’s climate than the Sun itself. This unbelievable idea has been pushed heavily by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This and the previous press release are intended to be no nonsense, to the point pleadings for some sanity in our government and the main stream media that have failed to accept the new climate reality. Specifically, it was the Sun and not man that caused the past twenty years of peak heating and it is the same Sun that through a dramatic decline in its activity will now bring us decades of extreme cold climate.”

In a closing statement Casey reiterated, “The global warming of the past decades was caused by the Sun. It is now over. It will not return based upon the SSRC’s research, for at least thirty years. It will then return only because the Sun’s repeating cycles of activity are scheduled to pick up again at that time. We should not waste another minute, another penny in controlling something that simply does not exist, namely man made climate change and global warming. It is essential for the welfare of all Americans if not the world, that in light of these new and startling changes in the Earth’s temperature and the profound changes in the Sun, that the next administration initiate a top-down review and redirection of climate change policy as soon as President Obama takes office.”

The SSRC has posted the letter to Dr. Holdren which was copied to Dr. Lubchenco at the SSRC web site: www.spaceandscience.net.

*********************************************************************
The Space and Science Research Center (SSRC) is the leading research organization in the United States on the science of and planning for the next climate change to a cold era based upon the RC Theory developed by Director John Casey. The SSRC is located at 4700 Millenia Blvd. Ste. 175, Orlando, Florida. Tel: 407-835-3635. The SSRC web site is at www.spaceandscience.net

Mr. John L. Casey, SSRC Director, has been a national space policy advisor to the White House and Congress, a Space Shuttle engineer with a leading aerospace company, a consultant to NASA Headquarters, and consultant to or President of several leading edge high tech start-ups. For years he has been active in his home town in conservation and environmental cleanup for his neighborhood. He is an advocate for pollution controls and monitoring and a mercury free environment. He was previously chairman of a humanitarian organization where through his efforts millions of dollars in medical and financial aid were raised for women and children in Iraq and Afghanistan.

BUY SILVER BUY SILVER NOW

2009-03-04T17:02:00.000-08:00

I really want everyone who reads this to BUY SILVER NOW. Do not wait. I cannot say it any simpler, Silver is CHEAP. I said the same thing in a previous post titled DOWN JONES and HI YO SILVER. Even Mad Money Jim Cramer said buy it and Bloomberg.com said buy it and has been saying it for a while. Yes I know it is bulky, heavy, not as pretty, and NOT AS EXPENSIVE as GOLD. You can get 70 ounces of silver for the cost of 1 ounce of gold at today's closing price. Again I will give you the numbers. For the price of gold to equal the 1980's highest price , inflation adjusted, gold would have to be around $2300.00 an ounce. The same inflation adjusted price for silver to match the highest price of the 1980's would have to reach $400.00 an ounce. So when they say gold hit a record, its only record was for current prices not inflation adjusted prices.

Even if you buy 70 ounces of silver today at the dealer price of say $16.00(see below) an ounce for $1120.00 and if silver goes up to the 2008 high of $20.00 an ounce you have gained a value of $280.00 for a 25% increase. For a total value of $1400.00. That is just a $4.00 rise in price over the $16.00 you paid. If you bought the 1 ounce of gold for $998.00 (kitco U.S. gold eagle see below), and it goes up 25% you make $249.50 or a total value now of $1247.50. Now as I write this the Euro markets show silver at 13.09 with an .18 cent increase or a 1.39% increase while gold is at 913.60 up $7.70 or an increase of .85%. (silver closed in the U.S. at $12.90 an ounce and dealers make a profit, usually about $2 to $3 an ounce, gold was at $905.90, with the Kitco profit of $93.00 an ounce or $998.00).

Please buy silver now, sell the trinkets, collections that someone else might want, sell that extra TV, Sell on craigslist it free.

If the folks who read this blog are truly concerned about the future then you will heed my advice.

My father told me years ago to buy as much silver as you can and hold on to it. I have followed his advice since then.

BUY NOW BUY OFTEN BUY SILVER WHILE ITS CHEAP!

Mexico drug buying trips (legal drugs)

2009-03-03T08:19:00.000-08:00

I am sure that most people are aware that Mexico allows the selling of what would be prescription drugs in this country, Over the Counter. You can walk into any Mexican Pharmacia and buy practically anything without a prescription. I first experienced this with my parents about a year ago. I was visiting them down south and they had planned a trip to Mexico to pick up some items that would otherwise be very expensive here in the USA. We drove to an Arizona border town called Algodones Mexico (this town is the town for this type of activity)and parked in this huge parking lot that was at he time mostly empty ( it was close to summer, no snow birds). We just walked into Mexico and started shopping for drugs. We did go into town a ways to get them even cheaper than the closer stores. You can get any anti-biotic you want in any quantity. Cipro was flying off the shelves. I even noticed some strong pain relievers for sale. You must get a list of Mexican names for these drugs so that you know what to ask for. Most of the sales people speak some English and have dealt with so many Americans that they know what you want right away. Now I was overwhelmed with everything they could sell.

Now of course some will worry about the quality and the actual content of what you are getting. I was assured by my parents who are not the kind to just follow the crowd and they did much research on this subject, even asking local doctors and pharmacists before even driving one mile toward the border. Not everyone will be able to drop in on Mexico just like that but if you want to make a once a year trip it is worth the drive. If you have wanted a stash of anything you would need a prescription for in this country then this is the way to go.

No with all the news about the crime in Mexico, I was surprised at the number of police all over the place in this town. This town brings in a group of money to the Mexican economy and they do not want any problems. To give you an idea about the size of this operation on the USA side the parking lot was the size of some large casinos in Vegas. It was HUGE. The US Customs station coming back into the USA had long shaded Disneyland type cattle herding walkways that stretched for as far as you could see. My parents said that when the snowbirds are down south the wait to get back into the USA is up to 6 or 10 HOURS sometimes. We went in the off season SUMMER and waited only 15 minutes. The Customs guy asked "What is in the bag?" As long as you do not have Narcotics you are fine. They could care less about the non-narcotic medicines. But do not say I got some stuff for my friend or my buddy, they frown upon this. They are your drugs period. There were people in line that had BOXES of drugs they were bringing back.

One other thing that this town offers is DENTISTRY on the cheap. Also recommended by several people I talked to in line and at the pharmacy. You can get anything done and without an appointment. My brother was down with my folks one year and had lots done with no problems and little cash.

You will soon need a passport to get back into the USA but when I went down all I needed was an Id with a US address. I had my military Id and that was OK too.

I thought my experience with this drug buying trip was something that could be used by those who had thought about doing this.

Viva la Algodones, Mexico

Home on the Range (TONOPAH TEST RANGE)

2009-03-02T18:36:00.000-08:00

Let me start by saying that nothing you are about to read is classified or confidential. I will only be relating to you my personal time (did not exist for the most part) at Tonopah Test Range (TTR). I was first able to go up range as we called it about one month after being assigned to the 4450th Tactical Group SLUF'S A-7D/K aircraft. We were the cover story for the F-117 Stealth Fighter program.

When I first arrived I was totally in the dark (funny I will explain later). I had applied for the position and had gotten the needed security clearance and had all my life laid bare and been interviewed by the FBI guy who asked anything he wanted of me and everyone I ever knew.

For the first month at the squadron based at Nellis AFB I was what you would call now out of the loop and conversations would stop when I approached a table of guys or entered a room. When sitting down with some folks in the ready room the first thing they would ask is "ARE YOU BRIEFED" if the answer was NO or I do not know then they knew to keep quiet about any program related topics. Well as you might guess you start to feel like an outcast and that is no fun. Then one day I was told to go to this other building where the pilots worked out of and That was my briefing day.

I went to the room number they gave me and sat down. Now this was not your normal room it was a safe room and I am guessing it was soundproof. When I say safe room I mean it had a safe door on it. A very large room all the same. There were 4 other people there to get briefed like myself. The officer giving the briefing started by checking our Id's and then his list. Once he was satisfied that we were who we were supposed to be he started. Turned out the lights and started a film. The film ran about 1 minute and he stopped it. We had only seen the F-117 from the side and then no more. He turned on the lights and told 2 people that they could leave now. After they had left the Captain informed the remaining 3 of us that they only had clearance to see the aircraft nothing more. He then started the film again and it ran about 15 minutes if I remember right. We saw it fly, taxi, sitting in the hanger, in the cockpit I would say everything about it except touch it. Then we signed our lives away and he sent us to get our badges that would allow us to go up range to TTR. I WAS NOW BRIEFED YEAH!!!

When I returned to the ready room I felt like a new man and part of the crew finally. All the guys I had been hanging out with shook my hand and asked me what I thought and when did I want to go up range? I really felt extra special that day like nothing else I had experienced in the service to that date.

The next available time for me to go up range was the next Tuesday so I was scheduled for that days early flight. Oh the flights were great to me and crap to some. I love to fly any chance I get so I was happy to go anytime I could. We flew on red and white Boeing 727's with the air stairs. One of the aircraft was reported to be the one that D.B. Cooper jumped out of. The best pilot we had for theses A/C said he was researching it but I never heard anymore. By the way that pilot was a shit hot jock and could fly a 727 like a fighter. Very fun to fly with and always made flying interesting. I remember one flight back when the weather was a bit rough and the winds were strong he came over the intercom and said that he was going to make a very steep and fast decent into Nellis AFB. He was spot on about that. I never had so much fun on a commercial size A/C. At the last minute he flared this good size aircraft and the gear came down and we landed. Just that fast. That was great!!! Once while having the honor of his piloting skills he got permission for a short cut over Mercury test range you know the place where they set off the above ground nukes. Man the landscape below was like looking at the moon. (not classified since they now allow visitors to some of these areas). Another fun flight! The flights up to Tonopah were just about boring most of the time. Before we would land we would have to close the shades since some of the people were not fully briefed. This ended when they told the world.

My first trip up was exciting of course. I could not wait to see it up close and sit in the cockpit.

I had actually gone up on an afternoon flight since I got bumped for someone who worked up there. That was OK though. I was there when the planes started flying and of course it was dark out and the first time I saw one in real life all I saw was a light coming at me and a whining sound. Nothing else was visible since the A/C was black. The guy who was there to show me around took me into a phase hanger and there was my first look at one up close. There were two in this hanger one in pieces and one mostly whole. What a thrill. I checked out both till the guy I was with got bored and said we should get a room for the night.

To get to the place where the living area was for everyone there was a bus system that ran 24 hours day from the hanger areas to the Entry Control Point. Once you went through the entry control point on foot and out of the secure area where the A/C were you had to change buses to one that went to the living area. If I remember right it was about 10 miles away or was it 7 I forget. Once you arrived at the living area you had to stay on the bus so that security could check every ones ID. We went into the office to get our rooms and then headed off to them on the next bus. They had a great transportation system since no one had a car and only the big guys had GOV's.

The rooms for everyone were at a place called MANCAMP. These were originally used by another aerospace company I will not mention. There were new barracks that were built by the USAF and the old trailer style rooms from the aerospace co. These trailer type barracks were mostly used by the pilots since they were far from any noises that could disturb the daylight sleeping habits they needed. It was for me lucky that I could stay in these pilot type rooms for the night, the only time I was able to do so. The rooms were small and had a frig, TV w/cable, private bath, closet, bed, phone and a table and a chair. Nothing special just enough for comfort.

Well I think I will make this a continuing story so that you must come back and read the rest if you are interested. If it is boring let me know, you wont hurt my feelings because nothing anyone can say will tarnish this special time in my life.

The DOWN JONES and HI YO SILVER

2009-03-02T07:28:00.000-08:00

Well I am not one who tries to predict anything but I am going to make this one and only prediction about the Dow Jones and stocks in general. I have looked back at the trends back to the 1929 era and the fall then was 89% in value. We are at a 50% drop in value so far on the Dow. The market fell 11% just in Feb. so I am predicting that the DOW will drop to 1530 points or so which is 1985 levels. That is an equal drop with the 1929 figure or so. In the Great depression our country had a currency that was backed by GOLD, there were no credit cards, we had a manufacturing base (5% manufacturing now, 95% service), Ag was more of an industry than now and the dust bowl era did not help that industry, The government did not have all the obligations it has now IE; social security(result of depression), medicare, medicaid, welfare, food stamps, you get the idea. My grandfather varnished peoples doors for a quarter a door during the depression. I do not plan a repeat performance thank you.

All I can say is buy SILVER. Why not gold? Well one ounce of gold is above $900 pushing $1000 and one ounce of silver is $13.00. Try buying a loaf of bread or anything with a one ounce gold coin. Yes I know they make 1/10 ounce coins but you pay a premium for them more than the one ounce coins, why pay more for the same metal? Even if the dollar ends up like Germany of the 30's your gold will increase in value and be harder to liquidate.

Silver is the one precious metal that when used in manufacturing is NON recoverable. The majority of this metal s used in the film industry, yes they still make film. Anyway back to owning silver. It is what I call the poor mans gold. Cheap for now and becoming scarce in any size coin or bar. For gold to be at the same levels as the 1980's high of the $800 an ounce range it would have to be at $ 2300.00 range NOW, Silver was at $49.00 an ounce range in the 80's and it would now have to be at, WAIT FOR IT, $400.00+ AN OUNCE (about $437.00 or so) now to be equal in dollar value of the 1980's high. So gold is $1300.00 away from its all time high and silver is $387.00 away from its all time high. That means that gold would have to increase 2.5 times its current value (using $940.00 an ounce) or so to reach the all time high and silver would have to increase(using $13.00 an ounce)WAIT FOR IT 33.6 times its current value to reach the all time high in dollar value. (all figures for dollar value is inflation adjustment for your info)Which one has the potential for more upside just based on those numbers? DUH! Now there is no limit as to where any of these go but silver is better than gold on an ounce per ounce basis.

Yes silver is heavy in quantity, but I would rather have 72 ounces of silver than 1 ounce of gold (gold at 940.00 and silver at 13.00). Silver is the way to go and you can get 1 ounce for your share of the STIMULUS PACKAGE ($13.00) Not really ha ha (see below). I recommend not buying that box of ammo or that extra magazine instead buy SILVER. Now remember that any local business that sells precious metals is going to make a profit on every ounce of what ever they sell so that ounce of silver may cost you as much as $16.50 AN OUNCE. STILL CHEAP!!! Also remember to only buy PHYSICAL METALS NO PAPER. Any online dealer now has a 6 to 8 week wait for delivery but you are locked into the price. Cheaper on line by about 50 cents or so and most do not charge postage. That is important when buying silver. One more thing just buy the generic silver not the U.S. government stuff which carries a premium (I just said something that goes against my usual rant of buy American) But a buck is a buck and it is still American silver just not U.S. government silver.

Mark Kent

Yes I know you cannot eat precious metals so food is good but having both is better.

*** NOTE I MADE A GRAVE ERROR IN THE CALCULATIONS OF CURRENT VALUES TO WHAT THEY SHOULD BE IN 1980 DOLLARS. INSTEAD OF A 2.5% INCREASE IN GOLD IT IS A 2.5 TIMES THE CURRENT VALUE OR ABOUT 250% INCREASE AND THE SILVER IS THE SAME ERROR IT SHOULD BE 33.6 TIMES THE CURRENT VALUE INSTEAD OF 33.6%. THAT MEANS THAT SILVER WOULD HAVE TO INCREASE OVER 3360% TO REACH AN ALL TIME HIGH OF ABOUT $437.00 AN OUNCE. ***** I already changed it above but I wanted to point it out just in case you read the previous post info. My bad or Good should I say.

Chemical detection and radiation detection with military kits

2009-03-01T21:33:00.000-08:00

I was a USAF chemical decon team member in the 1980's and I still have some M8 paper and some M256 vapor sample kits. I want new M256 kits but they cost many $$$. The M8 paper is still good, as I have tested it. This is basically larger pieces of the strips used to check the alkaline contents of liquids . We used this primarily since it was easier and faster to use. M8 paper is cheap and easy to use. The M256 type of test kit is not for everyone and if push comes to shove just keep the mask on. Early in the 1970's I was also the squadron exposure control monitor, which put me in charge of radiation detection and radiation levels for outside workers. I picked up a meter and some dosimeters that were ex fallout shelter equipment. These are easy to use and fairly available since Clinton got rid of all the shelter equipment. The dosimeters are great for leaving outside to check nearby levels. Make sure that they are not placed in direct contact with the ground to prevent contact readings. Hang them from something in the air for more accurate readings. I have an extension wand for my meter that can be put out about 25' for outside monitoring. But readings for farther out use a dosimeter. When confronted with any radiation remember that anything above 200 rads is at best lethal. This is not a great amount and you should avoid contamination if at all possible. DUH! Keep your chin up and good luck in all you do. Mark Kent

9 volt IR signal light

2009-03-01T20:58:00.000-08:00

Something I picked up a few years ago and is simple to use. I found it at a yard sale at which I wish I had purchased the hummer camo netting in the huge box. Anyway this is a little 9 volt powered twin light that is IR /infrared that flashes. Used for signaling I would say for use by downed pilots or for recon use or the such. About half the size of a 9 volt battery. Great for being found if lost since the US military uses IR for night searches if you are so lucky. I will post an image of these soon. I found the Ir transmitter and here is the goverment stock number 5855013618987, I have 3 unopened and one I had to open. Mark Kent

By the way the name is for the following: Because I fight a "Never ending battle for truth justice and the American way" SEE Superman song!

New websites for your enjoyment and info

2009-03-01T19:11:00.000-08:00

I have added 3 new links on the blog section, one is titled MISSILES AWAY, and lists the Nuclear missile silos here in the USA another lists disasters worldwide such as nuclear, hazmat spills, power outages etc. shows the date time and more info. The next shows the CDC radiation doses for USA Nevada test site above gorund nuclear tests, Page 61 is neat since it shows the radiation form background sources and space. By the way our enemies with nukes still do not like us and here they are, Russia, and China with Iran and north Korea close behind. I will find more like this when I can. Thank you for looking. Mark Kent

The G.O.O.D. The B.O.B. and IT could get UGLY

2009-03-01T07:58:00.000-08:00

You have to love Clint Eastwood even today. But enough. already. For ease and less crap to deal with I am leaving out all periods in acronyms. Besides periods are useless. Here comes the mail. This is about GOOD, BOB and how it can get Ugly. How many of you have ever tried to pack whatever vehicle or multiples of them you have with all the stuff you have collected over the years for that grand day when you are going to GOOD. Sure you may carry a BOB in the trunk or wherever but try loading everything and time yourself. Sure if you are just one lonely guy or girl you could manage it in short order. How about the family of 4 with little ones. Say the little ones are 5 or so. Still they can help somewhat but pretty much useless for hauling full ammo cans of 7.62 or 50 pound bags of rice etc. Do not forget the body armor for the little ones you know the vest, kevlar helmet, chem suit, gas mask, backpack, Oh you say they do not make such things for mini people. What do I do now! They surely do not make them for infants. Yes you can get the plastic bags you have seen on tv with the baby inside and a filter outside. COST?, Availability? ETC.

My whole point of this post is to get everyone to wake up and smell the roses or coffee or whatever you like. GOOD in the real world is not practical.

Neither is buying land just for teotwawki. The MAJORITY of people in the USA have lives that revolve around a JOB, HOUSE or HOME of some kind. You know that place where we have put up just the right drapes, got the flat screen on sale, carpet the right color etc. Sure a small minority of us who do not have a mortgage, loans of any kind, family nearby etc. can move to the middle of who knows where and live surrounded by bramble bushes, pyracantha, barbed wire, k Rails, berms, chickens, pigs, goats, geese, cows and any other live off my own livestock you can think of. I know that a MAJORITY of the people who prepare for GOOD or are thinking of living like I mentioned above would not be able to stomach slaughtering say even a rabbit or a pig let alone a cow. Yes I know that a lot of you are GREAT WHITE hunters and all that. But the Majority of you out there are NOT. Sure you may know how to process a deer or an elk but cows are not the same neither are pigs. I would say that maybe a few percent of Americans have even thought about slaughtering a pig or a cow let alone done it. Even a chicken is a tough nut. How many of you will hate the process of taking the feathers off the chicken every time you want some NUGGETS haha!

Now I do not know how many of you have been to the doctor lately or have taken your children to one for any number of reasons. Here is just a couple of my recent trips to people who "PRACTICE" medicine. Remember I live very close to this BIG hospital with all the electronic crap you can think of, a state of the art facility, if there is such a thing.
I woke up with a pain in my chest, and both arms were a little numb. I passed it off as nothing but age and went to work(I know DUMB). When I got home from work it had progressed throughout the day to the point where I could not stand it much longer. Was it my heart or what? My wife said we are going to the ER and off we went. After 2 hours of many hookups to and run through of machines that are NOT in my BOB or any of my backpacks or bins or boxes or ammo cans, with a hospital full of doctors to consult, nurses, pharmacy etc I was told that I had pleurisy. Look it up. They gave me, after I almost went postal on them some IV drug for the still severe pain (2 hours no pain relief in a hospital ). Thank you lord and I was once again a sane man. Now I do not know how far from a facility like the one I describe you want to be but all the stuff I have put away for that all important time of TEOTWAWKI was USELESS. Sure you can breakout the Medical CD or the book on what if medical emergencies. What if that had been you or your child. Are you going to sit there waiting for a miracle to appear on the screen of your KINDLE or whatever that says you are going to live you have pleurisy? NO!

Here is another scene that can not be cured with stuff from my vast stores of survival items or yours for that matter. Before I go any farther I am NOT a klutz or prone to accidents, sickly or the such these events happened over many years. OK. I was going down to the basement to get a jar of creamer for the coffee. I got the creamer and as I was leaving the room I kicked a picture frame you know the kind with glass covering the picture. (Picture was one of the items at the time we were selling on the Internet and should not have been on the floor) OK when I kicked the frame a piece of glass shaped like a large knife blade stuck me in just the right spot, severing my artery, tendons and nerves for my left leg about 4 inches above my ankle. Well I knew how to plug the spurting hole no problem, I could even walk up the stairs doing so. I got to the kitchen no problem and informed the wife about my little trip and told here to call 911. She did and the Fire Dept., always first on the scene what would we do without them???? The paramedic wrapped me up and then the ambulance arrived. I told the fire dudes thank you and the ambulance no thank you and the wife drove me to the hospital. Mistake number one was not going in the ambulance. Not because I started to leak or anything like that the fire guy did a great job. No because if you arrive in an ambulance they see you FIRST and FAST and you do not have to wait with the colds and flu and such crowd. Well live and learn. I hobbled inside to a FULL waiting room and was asked to wait. When I got to see a person who asked what my problem was I told her that I had severed an artery and that the firemen had patched me up. Well what do I know about my condition, I am just a layman not a medical dude. So I was sent back out with the masses to wait. Now where was all that blood going that was leaking into the muscle and tissue of my lower leg and foot? It had to go somewhere. Now prior to the blood filling up my lower leg I had no pain since the nerves were cut. But as the blood slowly filled up my leg those nerves still working started to make it very uncomfortable for me. After 1 hour and 30 minutes I was seen and the doctor said as he washed his hands please take off you bandage so I can take a look at you leg. I told him that would not be a good idea and he insisted so I complied, ruining his nice white shirt and I am sure an expensive tie. He promptly told me to PUT MY FINGER ON IT while he went for some new bandage. Long story shorter, After emergency surgery by a Neurological surgeon, Orthopedic surgeon and a Vascular surgeon and three days in the hospital I was out of a JOB and laying on my ASS in bed. 3 months later I could get around with a cane and got a new JOB. Now I do not know about all of you folks out there but I do not have any of those types of doctors in any of my stuff. In fact I do not have ANY doctors in my stuff DO YOU? My point is this SHIT HAPPENS even to the best prepared person in the world. No little book or bag of medical supplies is going to prevent or help with anything that occurs on a regular basis to real people like I have just related to you. Sure you can be careful and live in a bubble but you are going to need a real doctor at some point. PERIOD! Not a medic or a buddy but a REAL Doctor and more than one sometimes.

My whole point is GOOD is only practical on a temporary basis, IE hurricane, flood, fire etc. If you really think that you can live without the trappings of modern civilization FOREVER guess again. Not gonna happen. The life expectancy as pointed out on some survival sites was 18 or so years for the native peoples and in the 1900's 48 was the average for American men. The rate was only 65 or so for men in the 1960's. Only through modern advances in such things as medicine, clean water, safe food, heating and air conditioning have our lives been extended to the 70's or so. Remember that guy who was wanted for bombing abortion clinics who was a SURVIVALIST, they found him eating out of a dumpster behind a STORE.

You can not carry enough food to live forever or even a year in a car, pickup, truck with a trailer along with everything else in our bags of tricks. Ever weigh the year supply of food you have put away? How about the space it takes up? Lets see here is a short list of stuff the average survival person has put away. Maybe not average but you get the idea.

1. #10 cans of food
2. ammo for all the firearms 1000 rounds each
3. the firearms themselves
4. fuel and the cans that hold them (propane, gas, diesel etc.)
5. medical stuff, not pills just fixing stuff
6. clothing for all climates, boots etc.
7. temp shelter, tents and the such
8. sleeping bags, cots, or ground mat etc.
9. backpacks full of who knows what you might need
10. body armor if you have it
11. water for use until you get where?
12. sanitation supplies, tp, kotex, soap, shampoo, towels, wash clothes etc.
14. medicine you might need, does it require refrigeration?
15. barter stuff, ammo, magazines and the such not included above
16. portable stove
17. pots, pans, dishes, utensils unless you intend to eat out of the #10 cans or foil bags
18. tools for vehicle repair gear repair, ax, saw, ETC.
19. spare parts for the vehicle unless yours never breaks down
20. coolers for preserving that food you will shoot in the wild, where do you get the ICE?
21. solar panels for charging all the stuff
22. Batteries of all kinds and do not forget the vehicle kind

Well you get the idea. I got tired of listing stuff. Now think about where you are going to put all this stuff in the car or whatever you drive and remember that for every person you have just multiply by that number. Just the #10 cans alone will get out of hand. That reminds me you need room for the most important thing THE PEOPLE!

So here is my advice for all who want to GOOD. Do it only if you have to and on a temporary basis. Unless you want to abandon all the stuff you can not carry with you. The best thing I can offer all of you is this. If you live in a major city with groups of folks and you can afford to find someplace on the outskirts or in a place that would not be among the poorer population or near them MOVE! Otherwise you can stick it out like the Korean business owners did during the Rodney King Riots and stood their ground and saved their businesses. You could save your home the same way if you feel it would be worth it. But in the case of a Hurricane, flood, fire or other NATURAL disaster just pack the minimum and GOOD. You will come back later and clean up.

I know I have not covered all the bases of GOOD but I think this is a realistic look at the entire idea of GOOD. By the way if you live in Dodge City Kansas stay put you will be fine.

Mark Kent

Survival supplies on the cheap

2009-02-28T09:40:00.000-08:00

When looking for survival items other than firearms and ammo try looking at thrift stores, junk shops, flea markets and garage sales / yard sales. Remember I am in a cold weather climate so your availability will differ from mine. I find many useful items at these places. All of my extreme cold weather mummy bags (4) have come from these sources. Along with several intermediate weather bags. I have purchased propane stoves, canteens, lanterns, compound bows, Chemical suits new in the bag (5), gortex camo jackets (3)and pants (2), Camo uniforms of all types are plentiful, Night desert camo sets(3), Parkas (many), extreme cold weather pants (many), Snowmobile suits are plentiful, The gauntlet type military issue gloves Many pair, Mukluks, bunny boots, combat boots, flak vests, even a threat level 2 vest. You can get tents, backpacks, cots, coolers, gas cans, pots, pans, almost anything you would need for survival at these places.

I must admit that I go to these types of stores everyday and the chances of my finding some of these items is greater the more I shop at them. Just because when you shop at these places you do not find the same amounts as I do, do not give up. It is worth your time to continue to think of these places as a source for cheap survival gear. Of course if you are not near a military installation you will not have the same types of items I have listed but you will still have generic camping gear available to you no matter where you live.

Now I have purchased firearms at yard sales before but seldom do they sell them at these sales. Most of the time when they do sell firearms they want too much $ or the weapons are not what I would want for my inventory. Shotgun ammo is easy to find in most places and the chances of a sale having your type of shot shells is better than you finding some .44 mag or .500 S&W.

I have even had luck at the local antique stores. I picked up a kevlar helmet and several pairs of gauntlet winter gloves at a favorite store of mine.

So the best advice I can give is to shop often and early at the stores and the yard sales. You never know what you will find and how much you might save in the long run.

Why I started a blog

2009-02-27T18:06:00.000-08:00

My reason for starting this blog is so I can say the things I wish I could say everyday. When I hear or see something that makes me want to scream I get a big knot in my gut. This blog gives me a vent for that knot in my gut. I have chosen the name of this blog to bring a little hope to those who are like minded. "Do not let the bastards grind you down". I hope I can live up to that phrase myself. It will be hard at best for me to follow my own advice.

I am survival minded with realistic boundries. I think that I have some useful info with respect to survival so this is my forum to share this info and my opinions too.

Now for those who wonder yes I have a family but for the purpose of this blog this is the only time I will mention them since they are my private side and not for your consumption. I will be laying bare most of my thoughts and feelings and that will be enough without you becoming familiar with my family too.

I believe in ALL of the Constitution, not just parts and AS IT WAS WRITTEN (I do think that some of it should be changed but by amendment only). Any law made by any government be it local, state or federal that takes away from or adds to any part without a constitutional amendment is unconstitutional, PERIOD. This means any law, PERIOD. I see the Declaration Of Independence (DOI) as the founding document for the Constitution. Without the DOI there would be no Constitution. Thus in the DOI it states that LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS ARE UNALIENABLE RIGHTS. If you need a dictionary find one and see what these words mean.

As for my political beliefs, any political party that does not respect the aforementioned documents are enemies of this country, Period. I vote for the party that least offends me and has a chance of getting in office, I do this while holding my nose. While I am on the enemy thing , the enemy of my enemy is My enemy.

Well here I go.
Mark Kent

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