How do you spend your Saturday mornings?

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

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

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?

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

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

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)

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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