GEO-POLITICAL: As we speak, some form of cease-fire appears to have begun to take hold between the countries of Georgia and Russia. The outcome of the Georgia-Russia confrontation is promising to have much wider implications than those generally associated with border disagreements between formerly joined states. Old rivalries between major cold-war antagonists, the U.S. and Russia, have apparently begun to re-erupt bringing about talk of a “new” cold-war. This is something we’ll all want to keep an eye on.
FUEL: Yesterday, cnnmoney.com ran an article entitled “ Gas fuels inflation – little relief in sight “. The article noted that while the price of gas failed to keep up with oil prices as they increased, it will probably not go down as fast either. The of results this situation will be a continued high percentage of U.S. paychecks being spent on gasoline.
FOOD: On 8/12/08, Telegraph.co.uk presented some strong opinions held by The Prince of Wales, Prince Charles ( a noted environmentalist ), concerning the risks involved in the mass development of genetically modified crops. The Prince noted that large multi-national corporations were conducting crop experiments that had gone “ seriously wrong “ in the past ( e.g., salinization problems in western Australia and India’s Green Revolution with it’s hybrid seeds and grains that demand large amounts of water) and that to depend on them for the worlds food supply would be disastrous.
EXPANSION: On July 8, we presented an article with some ideas on developing a very basic food storage program. It began with a simple philosophy based on the acronym SID : simple, inexpensive, do-able. It went on to identify four “things” (tools) needed to begin: 1. A dedicated space for storage, 2. A pen or pencil, 3. A notebook, and 4. A permanent marker. It further proposed a time-definite to achieve this minimum level of preparedness : 30 days.
On July 11, we “ elaborated “ a little including water in our preparation plan and provided some anticipated uses of the “ things “ (tools) as well as a best-source preparation guide from FEMA (again trying to stay within SID).
It’s now August 15, and we need to expand.
We need to double (actually a little more than double) our program to cover a full week of food storage and preparation. We need to try to do this by the middle of September of this year. We’re adding some time here because we’re going to have to add some food preparation equipment and a first-aid kit.
Moving from three to seven days preparation is probably going to require us to move from power bars, snacks, and open-the-can-and-eat to some kind of basic cooking. Here’s what we‘ve found successful : a Sterno Folding Stove, a two-pack of Sterno Canned Cooking Fuel (minimum), a GI canteen cup w/ folding wire handle (available from your local Army-Navy store for about $5), and and a box of kitchen matches. The Sterno equipment and matches from wal-Mart plus the canteen cup should be in the $20 range.
First_aid kits can vary considerably in equipment and composition. Here’s an approach to this subject we think you might consider. First, ask your family doctor about his recommendation. If you don’t have a family doctor check with your public local public health facility. Seek the guidance of a professional here especially if you have a health condition or are taking prescription medications( this of course includes any member of your family included in your preparations). Check with your local red cross for ideas, lists, and sources. The Red Cross info is generally free and good on the basics.
We’ll continue to discuss food preparation and first-aid later on.
On August 19 we’ll try to pass on some more info on world food conditions, what others are doing in regards to these conditions and, with a special eye on food security for the family, what you can do.
In the meantime, keep your eyes on the horizon.
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