Author’s note: My wonderful friend and assistant, Vicky has the nerve to take off work this week so that she can participate in her son’s wedding. Geesh! Unfortunately, I’m completely inept at editing my own work, adding photos, links, etc. without her.  So you’ll have to endure the rough stuff until she returns next week. (unless I get a chance to work on it in the wee hours of the morning-Vicky)

By Kellene Bishop

Sure, I believe that we should love our neighbors, but trusting them with our safety and security is a whole ‘nother matter.

The History of Neighbors:

You may find it interesting to note that during the Hitler regime, the neighbors of the Jews and so-called “traitors” were the greatest asset to Hitler’s intelligence operations. Hitler used all manner of lies, propaganda, intimidation, and bullying to get regular, everyday citizens to betray their neighbors to the Reich for either being a Jew or being sympathetic towards the Jews.  If a particular person were to betray a significant number of their neighbors, then they would often be awarded additional food rations and other favors that irresistible to some during a time of famine, poverty, and chaos. As a result of the harshest of living conditions, many Germans would wrongfully accuse a neighbor of being a sympathizer simply so that the informant could put a meal on the table.

When the Soviets first occupied Lithuania in 1940, they did so under the deceptive position of liberation for the Lithuanian people. But some citizens did not fall for this guise and were wise to the true intents of the Soviets and the looming Nazi regime. These attentive patriots worked bravely and selflessly to escape the certain enslavement that was in store for their nation and were naturally motivated to likewise warn their neighbors of this pending demise. It’s important to note that the Soviets and the Third Reich did not tolerate lukewarm loyalty from any of their counterparts. The KGB (rightfully) believed that if a person was not vehemently supportive of the Soviet occupation, then such a person was a dissident and thus likely to compromise the strength of the Soviet plans for world power.  As such, if neighbors were not regularly providing the identities of other persons as “resisters” to the Soviet regime, then they would find themselves cast with a hue of suspicion and be considered as a rebel sympathizer—subsequently tortured to death. It was primarily through this means of intelligence gathering, that by the end of the war the KGB (and later, the Nazi’s) killed nearly 96 percent of all Jews in Lithuania all because there would rarely stand a man who had the courage to trade their own life for freedom and friendship.

Today, in stark contrast to the charm and friendliness of the citizens in Vilnius, Lithuania, there is The Museum of Genocide Victims. This museum tells the all too familiar story of neighbors turning on neighbors—usually in the name of a false sense of morality or financial gain. In this case, hundreds of thousands of Lithuanians and Poles were brutally murdered for standing up to an evil and suppressive regime throughout many years. Ironically, this museum is established in the former KGB headquarters where tortured and murdered persons were represented coldly by a name and a location by the very people that they celebrated, prayed, and wept with.

(As an aside note, I also find it interesting that the Soviets felt so threatened by opposing points of views even though a sparse few of the resisters were armed with any type of weaponry. It was simply their beliefs that the Soviets felt were so dangerous to their evil objective.)

I don’t share this information with you to remind you of a horrible blemish on the history of humanity, rather to remind you that such circumstances are not apt to be isolated solely to history. Any stressful or catastrophic future event is just as likely to challenge the strands of decency we bear. As I’ve said time and time again, desperation and fear cause people to do unspeakable acts.  Thus, in the interest of preparedness, I feel that it’s important that we recognize that the friends and neighbors with whom we share our preparedness efforts and plans must be chosen wisely and prayerfully; our lives may well depend upon it.  I realize—of course—that when one catches the spirit of self-reliance and independence we desperately want to share such convictions with other persons we care about.  There is certainly a strong case of wise stratagem in converting our own neighbors and friends to a state of preparedness for our own sakes. Those who are properly prepared are less likely to compromise our own reserves, right? However, we all must still prepare for “Plan B” in the event that the anticipated loyalty and bravery does not hold firm. As such, I encourage you to not be free flowing with specifics of the fruits of your self-reliant state or plans of relief until you are certain—spiritually and mentally—that such information will be held sacred by a brave soul.

Our Own Mental Fortitude:

While there is much to consider in this respect, “who can I trust?” I submit that there is an even more important question we ask ourselves while we have the peace and comfort to support such an exploration. “Who will I be under dire circumstances?”

I’m sure that I’m not the only person in the world today who’s ever been painfully betrayed by close friends.  In fact I dare say that some of my escapades of such cutting experiences would be suitable for a compelling auto-biography. But I know that I’m in good company with exceptional men and women such as George Washington, Tecumseh, Grace O’ Malley, and of course Jesus Christ.  I am not an exceptional recipient of these circumstances. But more importantly that what may be thrust upon us by the cowardice of others, I feel it’s vital that we ensure that we possess the appropriate amount of spiritual and mental preparedness to maintain a strength of character in all instances. Will I betray another for a meal?  Will I stand up for another’s freedom by surrendering my own life?  Will I be decent so long as my children’s lives are not in jeopardy? I feel that considering this series of possibilities will do much to strengthen our own mental fortitude.

Examples of Strength:

It doesn’t require much time on Facebook or in front of the daily news to realize that there are many persons surrounding you who do not believe in self-reliance, freedom, and independence as you do.  Worse, there are few persons who are willing to work hard to establish healthy state of preparedness and then back up the courage of convictions with bravery in light of all kinds of torture, starvation, or embarrassment. Instead they feel emboldened with a sense of entitlement that simply because you have, they should receive. This pervasive thought process may not seem life-threatening today, but under the cloud of war, famine, or other challenges, it may seem perfectly rash to a weak mind.

Love our neighbors? Certainly! I believe that because of such a love we are required to forgive them their wrongdoings. In fact, I believe that the scars of those who were betrayed so cruelly during the 2^nd World War will be healed contingent on the measure of forgiveness they extend to their traitors as well as the scars we carry by betrayal in our own lives. But let’s understand that the Parable of the 10 Virgins, Jesus’ betrayal by Judas, the sell-out of Joseph in Egypt by his brothers, and many other thought provoking scenarios only addresses loving of our neighbors, not blindly trusting them. In fact, in the case of Christ and Joseph in Egypt, we are given all kinds of examples of carrying cautiously in light of human betrayal. In light of all of these points, I feel that there’s a great deal of wisdom in the admonition to “trust not in the arm of flesh.” In fact we are warned of this reality in the scriptures as we are told that even brother shall fight against brother and even the strongest of bonds between a woman and her own child shall be shredded amidst times of turmoil and trial.

I like my neighbors, a lot. We talk over fences. We gather at celebrations. At Christmas time we all exchange homemade gifts of love and loveliness. But it’s a very different outlook when I ask myself if I could trust so and so with my life and freedom. Unfortunately, there are only a handful of people in this world that I feel I could answer affirmatively. As such, I either need to get to know them all better so that I can be accurate in my summation or I must be wise in my decisions of  who I can trust. After all, I believe I have a solemn responsibility to care for my family and choice friends so that we may fulfill all of our purposes here on earth.

The Reality:

There is a reality for which we must mentally prepare so that we might peacefully anticipate a day of great turmoil without losing our emotional strength. We have greater ability to be at peace if we acknowledge that such a compromise of trust could happen to us.  It’s wise and even peaceful to face this reality so long as we harbor no hatred or fear of those who would violate our trust. We must accept that vile brute force can and frequently does triumph over kindness, love, and decency. The Polish and Lithuanian Jews who were annihilated by the Einsatzgruppen didn’t believe that something so atrocious could ever happen to them.  George Washington never wanted to believe that Benedict Arnold would betray his country in exchange for a little financial gain. The great Chief Tecumseh couldn’t fathom that anyone would not want the Indian nations to be unified in strength and peace. After bravely conquering entire armies of men who threatened the destruction of Ireland’s civilization, Grace O’Malley never expected her own son to betray her into the hands of prison. Though Christ had foreknowledge of Judas’ betrayal, it still brought him tears of sorrow.  But all of these persons were able to thrive in peace and victory in spite of these crushing turns of event. And with a little bit of caution, we too can endure anything that life throws at us, in spite of fickle, fine feathered friends.

May your trusted friends be many and your preparedness efforts be even more abundant.

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

By Kellene Bishop

The purpose of my article today is to help to outline some aspects of mental and physical preparedness that we must take into consideration prior to enduring a serious scenario.  Whether it be an earthquake, a flood, a hurricane, or a financial collapse, there are some consequences which will definitely take place and I feel that it’s important that all persons who desire peace in their preparedness efforts, take the time and the work necessary to prepare for this very important aspect of preparedness—giving help to others.

I believe in helping others and my preparedness efforts give proof to that end. However, understand that there is a well-deserved saying that “no good deed goes unpunished.” Unfortunately, there is truth in that statement as it relates to our fellow men, so that’s what I’m going to address today.

Confidentiality: For starters, know that your willingness to help others should be shared confidentially and only with those you intend to aid. The helping of others MUST be a pre-planned strategy, not a reactive, knee-jerk one, in order to ensure the utmost of safety and survival for you and your loved ones.  In other words, you need to have a set plan among your family members that under a specific set of circumstances you will plan on assisting them in accordance to their needs. In other words, suppose there is an earthquake in California where your brother and his family lives. Communicate clearly to your brother that under such circumstances they are to get to your home in Utah post haste with whatever supplies they can bring, and you will give them aid. Be sure that it is understood that this invitation is to be kept confidential between you and your intended recipients. Otherwise, you will be confronted with a desperate and aggressive army of other persons seeking aid. Regardless of the size of your heart you can NOT take care of everyone who comes to request assistance. Doing so will not only compromise your safety, but your life as well, and most certainly the lives of those you intended on helping all along. Clear communication and confidence is key in such circumstances.

No Flood Gates: There have been examples in every single disaster that has ever taken place in the history of the world in which well-intended caregivers lost  their sustenance, their shelter, and their lives because they opened the proverbial Wal-Mart doors on the morning of Black Friday to those in need.  Several instances were shared in which successful survivors of Hurricane Katrina were robbed, bludgeoned, or killed so that others could benefit from their supplies.  A church, which made every effort to try to help others, was suddenly forced by local authorities to take on all of the evacuees that the local law enforcement deemed necessary, regardless of the compromise of safety that such demands put upon the church and the others they were sheltering. Think of it as the camel getting his nose into your tent. You’ll never get him out after that and all you’ve done to prepare will be seriously compromised. A hospital in the aftermath of India’s historic tsunami was taken over not by patients who needed care, but by violent gangs who demanded access to drugs.  In order to ensure that you are not one of these statistics you must plan on being heavy handed and determined in the care you will extend to others.  This means you need to rehearse in your mind, discuss with your family, the severity of such circumstances and make sure that everyone is educated in maintaining the safety of your group.

Stand Your Ground: Planning on helping others cannot just be about the amount of supplies and the foundation of your religious beliefs. Remember that desperate circumstances create monsters out of some of the best of persons.  As such, no person can be completely prepared without accepting this reality.  Food, water, clothing, etc. are only a small part of your preparedness efforts. There’s a reason why I teach that the third most important part of preparedness is your Physical Preparedness. Some think that I’m simply referring to ones health when I say this. In actuality, I’m also referring to ones physical security as well.  Your supplies are meaningless if you cannot ensure that they will be used in safety and security. As such we must all obtain the  proper knowledge and supplies to ensure our safety and that our decisions on behalf of our safety are respected and obeyed.  This also means that mental fortitude must be established before a disaster comes calling. And, sorry to say it folks, but this also means that you must learn how to effectively protect yourself, and your loved ones, even if you are in a high stress situation.

Community: This brings me to my next point. I’ve said it previously in other posts, but I believe it bears repeating. There is something to be said for strength in numbers. Part of the reason in you preparing to share you goods with a specific person should be in anticipation of the man power it will take to protect those goods as well as lives.  A single, lone person doesn’t  man an empty Fort Knox today. So I suspect that it will take more than a single person with knowledge and skill to protect your shelter—whether it be an automobile traveling for safety, a tent community, or a single home.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: Lastly, it’s critical that you know your rights sufficiently so that you are committed to maintaining those rights. My favorite motto when I was in sales holds true to just about any scenario: “Whoever is more committed, wins.”  Throughout even recent situations of natural disasters, many persons have given up their freedoms with the least little bit of aggravation in a “disaster scenario.”  (shelter in LA, guns in NC, speech in MI, etc.) Let me be perfectly clear in hopes that you openly discuss this with your family and friends for future planning– It’s not ok for you to be taken somewhere else when you have chosen to stay in your home. If folks can sign a “do not resuscitate” (DNR) order, then they sure as heck have the right to “Do Not Rescue” as well.  In fact, I suggest that you make a “DNR” sign for your front door in the event of a natural disaster. You and your family should always plan on staying together—if for no other reason than the safety of your family and the mental well being in knowing how everyone is doing.  Your GOD GIVEN rights, which no court in the land can legally infringe upon, gives you that right to stay together even if a uniformed person tries to convince you otherwise in a disaster scenario. And you know what, if Fido or Brutus are one of your family members, then you darn well better PLAN for them to remain a part of your family with your preparedness efforts.

Always remember, disasters do not alienate you from your unalienable rights. Keep in mind that the Declaration of Independence was written during a time of disaster, war, and turmoil. If it had efficacy during such a time, then a little ole earthquake, hurricane, or other Act of God or U.S. Government certainly does not take those rights of survival away from you simply because times are tough. In accordance to the U.S. Constitution, you also have a right to arms—in a disaster or in peace time. You also have a right to your property—regardless of who does not have their own property. The Constitution doesn’t say that “Mr. Smith shall only retain his foods in the event of everyone else having three meals a day,” right?  There’s nothing even remotely in our laws which intimates such a posture.  So, what I’m saying is that you must decided ahead of time what your committed posture will be in the event of a disaster in order to you to have your rights and decisions heeded.  Will you stay or go. Will you give to others? Will you defend your lives under all threats of loss or impairment?

As you know, I continually teach peaceful preparedness efforts. I also believe that you can have peace in the midst of you needing the fruits of your preparedness efforts. However, if you do not mentally and physically prepare in some of the ways I’ve suggested, then you will have liberated peace from your family and surroundings. We all need to prepare now to keep the peace.

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For any questions or comments on this article, please leave a comment on the blog site so that everyone can benefit!

Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

By Kellene Bishop

Here’s your emergency drill. Can you handle it?

As you know emergencies can never come at an opportune time.  They are always sudden. No music lingering in the background to tell you that they are just about to pounce on you, right? So here you are, having an ordinary day, when some lady on the internet tells you “Ok. It’s time for you to put on your big girl/boy pants and see just how serious you are about preparedness.”  So, are you ready?  Can you commit? Can you lengthen your stride and see just what kind of a mental, physical, and tangible state of preparedness you are in? Don’t worry though. This particular challenge will only affect that food area of your preparedness efforts. Ready?

Thirty days. No restaurants. No deli food. No pre-made stuff to purchase. Oh, and stay out of Costco’s sample section. You’ve got to cook it all your own based on what you’ve got right now? Ok. Ok. I’ll give you ONE day to prepare—but that’s it!

Are you scared? Are you yelling and swearing at the computer screen right now telling me there is NO way you’re going to do this?  If not now, then WHEN?  You have all of the rest of your comforts in life still.  You still get your car, electricity, Facebook, etc.  All you’re doing is living off of what you’ve got ready for yourself right now.

Here’s how you will benefit from this challenge.

1)      You will use what you’ve got and help cycle through it.

2)      You will force yourself to be creative and use what you’ve got on hand to make great meals.

3)      You will better learn the art of “waste not” living.

4)      You will learn what physical strength you need to monitor so that you have the strength to plan and cook each day.  Keep in mind that during this challenge you’ll still have access to a microwave, etc. So let’s not start whining yet, please.  But you will realize just how much physical energy it takes to have every morsel of food received come about only because of work.

5)      You will learn whether or not you’ve been storing items in which your family can actually live and thrive.

6)      You’ll learn the reality of the need for comfort foods and a variety of foods. I can’t stress this lesson enough. So many folks tell me that they have a years supply and then they tick off staples that you nor I would ever eat for a week, let alone  year—at least not if there was a Baskin-Robbins open.

7)      You’ll be more wise in the future in what you stock up on and you’ll learn that you can’t afford NOT to stock up when a good deal/sale comes your way.  This experience will definitely put things in their proper perspective.

8)      You’ll learn how to better organize your foods so that they are accessible and require the least amount of physical effort as possible or realistic. I find it strange that one of the first things people think about when they think about survival is oft times the most inaccessible supply to reach.

9)      Your family (particularly the little ones) will learn the value of “work to have” instead of just asking for it and “Voila! It’s there.”

10)  Lastly, you’ll learn “I can do it!” and that’s a lesson that no one else but yourself can teach you.

So why am I kicking up a new challenge for myself for the next 30 days? I know it won’t be easy, but I’m positive that it’s necessary. Here’s why I’m doing this for my own good.

My blasted health challenges have been annoying lately—to say the least. Additionally I’m married to a man that loathes to cook—even if it’s a box of macaroni and cheese. As a result of the two scenarios combined, I feel like we’ve been spending way too much money going out to eat. Even last night, when he got a steak burrito and I got a yummy mahi-mahi burrito, chips, beans, and a soda all for only $1.70 (thank you, coupons) I still felt guilty. I know that eating out isn’t healthy—no matter how great the food may be. Each time a person eats out they increase their chances of getting the “flu du jour” by over 50%. While that may seem like a safe bet to some, I don’t like the odds.

The other aspect that’s bothering me is that it’s likely that regardless of what survival scenario may ever come my way, I doubt I’ll be feeling any better than normal. So then what’s a girl to do? How will I eat when I’m married to “Lucille Ball in the kitchen”? I decided I didn’t like that vulnerability. It’s VERY likely that the primary caregiver in a family will get ill or injured at some point in a troubling time. For goodness sake, I burned my hand doing something that I do all the time and that about sent me over the edge. Yet burns, accidents, injuries and illnesses are much more pervasive in a “disaster” type of scenario. As such, I decided I had to engage in some Mental Preparedness and draw a line in the sand.

So, design this challenge to fit your needs, but don’t be wimpy about it. Worst case scenario make yourself refrain from non-do-it-yourself- foods all but once a week. Whatever you do PLEASE make it a REAL challenge. It shouldn’t be that hard knowing that you can go back to normal at the end of 30 days. You could just do a trial run and see just how long you could manage with what you’ve got on hands. If you are willing to give the trial a go, but run into an obstacle, go ahead, fix the problem and then proceed. Keep a list of what you run out of and when. Then you have a new hot spot to focus on in your preparedness efforts.

Here are my personal rules for this challenge. I will be independent in my food preparation and supplies. I will cook for myself over the next 30 days strictly from what I have on hand. And my Prince Charming is actually on board with me on this too (because he loves saving money more than he hates cooking—hee hee) and he has agreed to take care of some of the load as well. I will  have to live off of what I’ve got right now.  Yup. Right at this very minute I will create meals based on what I’ve got on hand and nothing else. So yes, that means when I’ve got company coming next month, I’ve got to get creative and confident so that I can feed them, too, the old fashioned way, for the entire time they are here. But isn’t that what I’ve been planning to do in my Food Preparedness efforts anyway?  So why not start now?  One caveat I will be giving myself however. Since I believe in working while the sun shines, I will still be making purchases via coupons—however, I am not allowed to use my purchases to accomplish this challenge AND I can only purchase items that are 75% or better off for this entire 30 days.

Some time ago we did a 14 day challenge similar to this.  But I think it needs to go longer—to be more of a push and a strengthening challenge.  After all, if I believe in preparing for a year, wouldn’t it be a good barometer reading to make sure that I can handle 30 days?

Keep in mind that this means no morning coffee or soda from the gas station. No bakery or deli items purchased at the store. And no free hot dog for the promotion at the car dealership either. *grin*  Use what you know is safe, is cooked properly, and is the best bang for your buck.

So, who’s going to give this a shot?  Think of this as taking control rather than giving up things that you think you love or need right now. Think of this as another step in reaching your goal of independence.  Oh, and did I mention that there’s a prize for one of you?

On July 25^th we will be taking all of the persons who made comments regarding THIS CHALLENGE on our blog or on Facebook and entering them to win one SUPER prize! What is it?  Its unlimited access to any of the live webinars I teach for the next 3 months!  –However many you want on whichever topic you want.  So feel free to let the rest of us know how the challenge is going for you because the more you comment, the more chances you have at winning. But know that the best prize is that which you will personally gain by going through this experience!

Onward, ever onward in our efforts of preparedness!

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If you would like to host a preparedness party for your business, community, or church group, please contact Vicky at vicky at preparednesspro.com

For any questions or comments on this article, please leave a comment on the blog site so that everyone can benefit!

Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

by Kellene Bishop

For the past 10 years I’ve been teaching others how to easily use a pressure cooker in their modern-day kitchens. It’s no secret that I absolutely LOVE mine and simply could not live with as much peace of mind without it.  Amidst my classes I frequently encounter persons who have horror stories of how the pressure cooker blew up in their grandmother’s kitchen spraying tomatoes all over the ceiling. I always assure them that such horror stories have a logical reason and need not be the norm. In fact, I believe that pressure cookers are very, very safe to use in the homes. Think of me as the Pressure Cooker Dragonslayer. *grin*  Pressure cookers are harmless—unless of course, you encounter an “ID-10-T” error.  Yes, the” I.D. one zero tee error”, as espoused by the IT tech geeks with a sense of humor, otherwise known as an “idiot” error, does indeed have the power to ruin a good day. But you never know. There just might be a useful lesson in there for your preparedness efforts. I know I got a wake up call.

Let’s just cut to the chase. I was stupid. I was trying to film a short instructional video on my Flip, which I held in my right hand.  I had released all of the pressure in the cooker, and was attempting to lift off the lid with my left hand—my weak hand. As such, I foolishly got distracted with the camera angle and didn’t pay attention to the fact that I was placing my left hand right in the middle of the stream of hot steam that was escaping from the pan.  Immediately my left hand seared with pain and I dropped the lid.  I went to the sink to run water over it, but it became quickly apparent by the intensity of pain that this wasn’t a simple burn.

I’ll go ahead and admit that while I (surprisingly) did not utter a single swear word, I was scared and really, really hurting. I was the only one at home at the time and since the running water was the only thing giving me any semblance of comfort I felt slightly handcuffed to the sink. Oh…I have never been in such pain—ever! I suspect I panicked a bit and didn’t think clearly. Then I made myself breathe, say a quick prayer, and then tried to think of what in the world I could do to solve this serious problem.  Should I call 9-1-1? No. Too expensive. Should I drive myself to the ER? Nope. I simply could not leave the running water that long as the pain was simply too intense—and besides, what would I do if I couldn’t get to a hospital and this happened? (Yes, in my warped mind I DID indeed still think like this) The hospital would have given me a good shot, cleaned the wound, and sent me on my way along with a hefty bill.

So, I escaped the water long enough to make a sound decision on which essential oil to use. I instinctively went with the Lavender oil. But taking my hand out of the water and letting the oil soothe me wasn’t an option. Again—it was simply too painful. So I grabbed a nearby bowl, filled it with water, and then dropped the essential oil in there. I found some comfort this way. I won’t continue with this mess except to say that I have never been so happy to hear my dogs bark to tell me that my husband was home. Although he was shocked a bit to see me so distressed and crying, he simply knew what to do and went about it in a very matter of fact manner. He applied Burn Free, wrapped the hand, and wanted me to keep it elevated. Sorry Honey. I know you just did this pretty wrapping job on my hand, but I SO want to plunge it back into the water for some relief.  So he endured my water ritual for the next 6 hours until I could finally bear the pain long enough for it to crest and he could rewrap it.

So why in the world am I sharing this somewhat embarrassing story with all of you? Because I got hit with a taste of reality that has an affect on my preparedness efforts. I know I have learned a few things, so I hope you can too.

1)      I need a heck of a lot more gauze, medical tape, and bandages.  So I’ll definitely be keeping my eyes out more  for those kinds of items. But I’ll also get back to crocheting my own bandages. They are a lot thicker than the commercial gauze and more durable and thus can get cleaned, sanitized and reused. The stitching is easy and mindless, so it can be done while you’re watching the kids soccer practice or your favorite TV show.

2)      Essential oils are great for care, but perhaps not the best for emergency care in the event of a laceration, broken bone, or immediately after a severe burn such as this.  While using them instead of chemical drugs is a good idea, I certainly wouldn’t advise relying on them solely for true emergency scenarios. I sure wouldn’t postpone the resetting of a bone or stopping the bleeding while you go and try to figure out which essential oil is best. (Although my instincts did NOT lead me astray in this case—thank heavens.) They definitely help in the healing process and the lavender water felt a heck of a lot better than the just plain water. I’m positive that I would have had more blistering and burning had I not taken this treatment to task early on. But the essential oils simply cannot replace the learning of other key medicines and procedures.

3)      I need more Burn Free! If we had a half dozen people affected by a severe burn, I would have run out of that stuff faster than a toilet flushes. It’s also more likely the burn accidents can occur if you’re living amidst your non-traditional methods of cooking such as a butane stove, fire pit, etc.

4)      Aspirin is an analgesic and the only one of the traditional pain relievers that can be claimed as such.  While I actually had on hand some more robust pain relievers, all they did was mask it whereas the aspirin really did relieve the pain and the source thereof.  So I’ll give it a bit more credit in my preparedness repertoire in the future.  My girlfriend who’s a long-time nurse told me to go ahead and take 4, even 6 aspirin if I needed to. While it may make my ears ring, it will do a great job at diffusing the pain—and she was right on both counts. However, be sure that you drink PLENTY of water if you consume any kind of medicine like this. It’s hard on your poor liver, stomach lining, and kidneys, so they need a little extra boost.

I’m sure that I have more to share on this matter (such as the Frankincense essential oil is doing a great job at making my hand appear a little less “raw”) including other methods that I have on hand that I could have used instead. But it sure did open my eyes at how vulnerable we could be without immediate access to medical care. So boning up on my emergency medical skills is definitely in it’s rightful place as the second more important aspect of Preparedness—Mental Preparedness.

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For any questions or comments on this article, please leave a comment on the blog site so that everyone can benefit!

Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

By Kellene Bishop

Yup. It’s never been done before. But then again, we’re not just anybody, right?  Between now and June 15th, you can win big with…

Preparedness Pro’s $1,500 Giveaway!

I can honestly say that I’ve never seen any preparedness company give away as many goodies as we’re going to over the next few weeks. As such, I’m having just a little bit of trouble sleeping. 

How would you like a GREAT chance to win part of a $1,500 Great Preparedness Giveaway?!  We’ve got over 65 awesome prizes and over five different ways that you can win!  Why are we doing this?  Well, it’s not your birthday. And don’t worry, you didn’t forget an anniversary.  It’s because we have a very important goal that we’re committed to but WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Preparedness Pro needs your help in order to meet our community outreach goals this year of touching the lives of 100,000 people. So we’ve rounded up over $1,500 in prizes shipped right to your door in order to entice you to help your family, friend, loved ones, neighbors, or even a complete stranger! After all, that’s the people who make up this 100,000 people that we want to reach out to.

Sure, I should be tickled pink with the 90,000 readers we have every month. But I’m not. There are still too many who have never heard of us, never read us, and don’t even know what real preparedness is. There are too many who are actually looking for the kind of practical, no-nonsense preparedness information but still aren’t able to find it. And there are still so many folks who need to get started getting such information who simply are overwhelmed and don’t know where to start, who to trust, etc.  That’s exactly why we need your help.

While it may seem lofty to some, we firmly resolve to accomplish a goal for this year to affect 100,000 people positively through Preparedness Pro—whether it be our writings on the blog, our live classes, our webinars, or even upcoming programs and books—we truly desire to share the message of “every day preparedness to promote peace instead of panic.” So, today through the 15^th of June, we are going to offer a promotion in which you can earn great FREE stuff just for sharing Preparedness Pro with others.  Blue Chip Foods, Chemisan, Five Star Preparedness, and Shirley J’s have graciously offered to reinforce this promotion in order to help us get the word out to everyone. As such they are providing us with some very, very generous giveaway prizes for you!  In fact, we have a total of SIXTY-FIVE prizes totaling over $1,500 to give away for this contest. With so many prizes to give away, your chances of winning are REALLY great! Not only that, but we’re going to give you FIVE different ways you can win one of these incredible prizes!! These aren’t any chintzy lame-o prizes either. These are all some of my favorite preparedness foods and other items that I would LOVE to share with you, just as much as I would share them with my best girlfriend. The retail value of these many prizes range from $15 to over $100 (including shipping).  So let’s cut to the chase. Here’s how you can win one of them!

1) Blog Referral: This is a very easy way that you can win one of these great prizes  All you have to do is refer people to our blog. When some one NEW jumps on our blog, have them register for the RSS feed and post a comment saying that YOU sent them to the blog. They can identify you as your screen name or your real name, whichever you prefer.  Every time you send someone to our blog, your name gets entered to win one of these wonderful prizes. There is no limit to the number of times you can enter to win! The drawing for all of the winners will be held on June 16th and we will happily ship the items out to your home.  Oh, and guess what? When your referral lets us know that you referred them, they will ALSO be registered to win one of the prizes and they can also refer folks too. Only one prize per household.

2) Facebook Referral: Similar to the first way of entering to win, simply refer people to our Facebook page.   Any NEW person you refer that becomes a Fan on our Preparedness Pro Facebook page will ALSO qualify you as another entry to win one of these SIXTY-FIVE great prizes! And for those of you who become fans, all you need to do is comment to enter (remember to tell us who referred you)! Once again, there’s no limit on the number of times you can enter! (Only one winner per household, please)

3) Comment Prize: For every comment you make on our blog or our Facebook page now through the 15^th of June, you will be entered to win one of our three grand prizes–an Augason Farms Breakfast Six Pack! The retail value on this product is over $95!  But you’ve got a chance to win the whole enchilada simply by contributing to our blog and/or Facebook page with your comments. Just to be clear, EVERY TIME you comment, ANYWHERE on our blog or Facebook page, you’ll be entered into the drawing for this awesome prize—shipped right to your door! Of course, there’s no limit on the number of times you can enter! How easy is THAT?!!!  (All comments must be acceptable in accordance to the Preparedness Pro guidelines. Keep it nice and clean, folks. *grin*)

 4) Mental Preparedness Prize: As you know, Mental Preparedness is the second most important principle of successful preparedness.  To that end we offer high-quality, affordable, webinars (as well as live classes) that you can access regardless of where you live or what you like to run around wearing in you house at night.  Crunch on your popcorn all you want, you won’t bother us when you attend one of  our specialized and information-packed webinars. But, guess what? In honor of this great giveaway, you’ll be entered to with an Augusan Farms Dinner Pack each time you attend one of our webinars between now and June 15^th!  This dinner pack is loaded with tasty essentials, including my favorite—the Potato Gems!!  Retail value on this Grand Prize is over $97!!!  Now, isn’t THAT grand?!  Yummm…creamy potato soup, sweet freeze-dried corn, multi-purpose vegetable stew…ooh! I’m getting hungry all of the sudden! Don’t worry, I’ll refrain from helping myself to your prize.

 5) KUDOS Prize: This is a great way for you to be guaranteed a GREAT prize, no matter what.  As you may know, Preparedness Pro has been working for over a year to provide quality preparedness information for all levels of preparedness. In addition, we are truly committed to touching the lives of 100,000 persons this year!  But with all of the home- spun, mythical, doomsday, and just plain wrong information available on the internet, it can be quite overwhelming to someone who’s trying to find the right information. So, we’d like these persons to hear from YOU and have you give them your opinion on Preparedness Pro.  So, if you’ll e-mail us your two cents regarding the blog, webinar, or class content provided by Preparedness Pro, I will personally give you a great gift. I will give you a special recorded demonstration of my “Best Bread Ever.” This demonstration shows you how to make awesome, memorable, superior tasting bread in less than 75 minutes and also gives you great tips for making any other kinds of bread you desire.  On this recorded tutorial, I also show you how to use the bread dough for several other great applications such as a breakfast roll, sopapillas, delicious Italian breadsticks, etc. BUT…in addition to this guaranteed gift in exchange for you taking the time to share your thoughts, you will also be entered to win another one of our grand prizes—an On-the-Go Privacy Hut!  This is a great resource for portable privacy when you’re out camping or on the beach and also a great place to use your alternative toilet. The retail value of this prize is $60.00 and it will proudly be shipped to your front door! (you can e-mail us at Vicky@PreparednessPro.com.  Comments may be shared in the future marketing messages to encourage the participation of future Preparedness Pro readers.)

So, are you excited?  With over SIXTY-FIVE prizes and five different ways to win, how could you not be?  I know that we sure are excited to give these prizes away!  So, let’s get going, folks.  Let’s start sharing Preparedness Pro with everyone you know!  It’s going to be an exciting few weeks!

If you’re interested, here are just a few of the great prizes that we’ll be giving away…

Spiff-E Whip

Morning Moo’s Milk (#10 can)

Augason Farms Freeze-Dried Peas (#10 can)

Augason Farms Tomato Powder (#10 can)

Shirley J Onion Seasons

Shirley J BBQ Seasoning

Shirley J Pizza Pasta Seasoning

Diatomaceous Earth

Redmond Clay

Water Pasteurization Indicator

Augason Farms Blueberry Pancake Mix (#10 can)

Country Fresh Powdered Milk (#10 can)

Augason Farms Potato Gems (#10 can)

Augason Farms Diced Celery (#10 can)

Augason Farms Almond Poppyseed Muffin Mix (#10 can)

Ultra-Maxi Gel

Vital Wheat Gluten (#10 can)

Augason Farms Freeze Dried Broccoli (#10 can)

Augason Farms Textured Vegetable Protein

Shirley J Universal Sauce

Five Star Preparedness Freeze-Dried Mango Chunks

Five Star Preparedness Freeze-Dried Pineapple Chunks

by Kellene Bishop

The news as of late does a great job reminding me why preparedness really does need to be an everyday focus. We’ve clearly seen that we can’t stop thinking about preparedness just because we are going on a vacation to Paris. Look at the consequences that so many are enduring all because of a volcano from across the ocean.  In reviewing the 10 Principles of Preparedness and comparing it to those who are stranded in airports or international cities, look at which aspects of Preparedness they are challenged with.

Spiritual, yup. It’s very trying as we are forced to make friends with hundreds of strangers quickly. Only ones belief system will provide a measure of sanity and peace.

Mental, yup. A great trial for many is occupying their mind. Some were well served by thinking soon enough of alternative ways to travel to their desired destination. Some were well served by mentally anticipating possible obstacles on their trip. Their skills and mental fortitude will enable them to ride out this curve ball that life has thrown them.

Physical, yes, indeed. There are a great many physical challenges caused by a lack of sleep and a dependence on cigarettes, caffeine, and other stimulants.

Medical—serious problem there.  For those who took just enough medication on their trip, there could be more serious problems looming.  I wonder what the newspaper stories would read like if all they did was focus on the medical need this travel interruption is causing. All of the thousands and thousands of dollars being spent by stranded passengers as they have to rely on ambulatory or emergency services all because of this unprecedented travel delay. To make matters worse, the availability of something as simple as water and reliable sanitation services has compromised the airports entire sewage system. I cringe to think that there may be persons traveling who are ill who are spreading it to the masses that they are now stranded with in the airports or elsewhere.

Clothing/Shelter, oh yeah. In fact, this is the most draining need on the airport and cities where travelers are stranded. Simply having a place to sleep in safety is sorely compromised as many attempt to sleep on an airport floor with the television voices looming.  Along these same lines, let’s not forget the aspect of sanitation that is causing an enormous taxation on the available facilities. I’ve frequently read of passengers begging for something as simple as a towel so that they can bathe suitably in a sink. Imagine the plight of the mothers with their children in tow who ran out of diapers, never foreseeing this series of events.

Fuel, yes!  (Remember, fuel is power as well) Many stranded passengers are claiming that the air is thick, sticky, and hot due to an over taxation of the environmental conditioning systems.  Usually the space they are stranded in gets a break overnight to aerate out all of the highly used air.  But not now. It’s getting recycled at the same pace as it usually is and as best as I can tell, nothing is being done to take into consideration the need for any environmental control changes.

Water and food needs are definitely going unmet—for all ages.  Think of the parents with children in tow, thinking that they only needed to feed them for a day or so during their travels. Now all of the sudden they’ve got to pay top dollar just for the most basic of nutrition while they wait out this act of nature. All stranded travelers are left with what their pocketbooks can afford. Most are attempting to stay close by to the airport in the event that they are able to get out sooner. This means that they are also staying close to the most exorbitant prices for food.  How I’m sure many of them wish they had stashed just a little bit more comfort food, a water container, or other like preparations before they left home.  Having two dogs, I cringe at the thought that someone has to endure these circumstances with a furry companion nearby. How absolutely stressful this scenario must be.

Financial Preparedness—wow. Who would have thought that the forced stay in the airport would take up nearly as much money as the entire trip?! And yet that is what many passengers are reporting.  Not to mention the terrible financial hit that the airports are taking in losing over $200 million dollars per day!  No wonder they are being a bit stingy with the handing out of peanuts, blankets, pillows, etc to their stranded travelers.  Those who work for the airlines no doubt will receive some type of compensation during their forced stay on the ground, but imagine the trickle effect that this grounding has on employed persons.  Unable to get back to their jobs. Unable to perform their contracted services.  As an employer there’s only so much one can do before they have to say “I’m sorry, but I have to hire someone else because I have a business to run.” The consequences of this delay brings not only lost revenue, but unrecoverable revenue to an industry and a people that can ill abide it.

Communication—All I can say is thank goodness there are still pay phones at the airports (for the most part).  Imagine what would have happened, or what kind of troubleshooting could take place, without the need for communication.  Even the simplest of communication between one human being to another is important to our survival.

So, in hindsight, I simple encourage us all to stop and think before we take a *harmless* trip.  There is much that can go wrong. Your job is to be as prepared for them as possible.

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For any questions or comments on this article, please leave a comment on the blog site so that everyone can benefit!

Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

By Kellene Bishop

Earlier this week I was uncharacteristically mesmerized by a sports article.  Phil Mickelson, a highly accomplished professional golfer, was thrown a proverbial curve ball of bad luck just before he attempted to make a putt.  The green was clean and unhampered as he carefully connected with the golf ball, just before it was to head into the hole, a very small errant leaf blew onto the green landing directly in the balls path—causing just enough of a diversion that Mickelson missed an easy shot.  The pictures in the article tell the whole story.  Some call it a freak stroke of bad luck.  I call it Life’s Reality Check.

On the opposite side of things, I had what some may call a stroke of good luck. The other day I was teaching a live cooking class for a local business.  I always send my ingredient list ahead of time so that they can have everything ready for me.  One of the dishes that I was going to make out of freeze-dried foods was a Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder.  Obviously, in such a dish, the corn would be important, right. Well, without telling me, the business simply did not furnish the corn—not in a freeze-dried format or any other.  There was nothing. No note.  No substitute. Nothing.  So here I am in front a classroom of people without my star ingredient for corn chowder.  I noticed that the store carried pre-cooked beans that you only need to soak for about 20 minutes in hot or cold water prior to eating. So I decided on the fly to make a chicken chili using the pre-cooked black beans that were on hand.  As it turned out, the revised plan turned out DELICIOUS and is now one of my favorite easy dishes that I plan to make repeatedly. I’m actually happy for the missing ingredient mishap.

So, what do I believe is Life’s Reality Check?  I believe it’s the teacher in our lives that tells us that no matter how planned out we have things, life tends to throw us a curve ball.  One may believe they are intended for greatness as a doctor or a lawyer only to find themselves derailed into another highly fulfilling career—as in Warren Brown’s case (Government attorney turned star of Food Network’s Sugar Rush and Cakelove series.) Perhaps there could be a 12 year old who creates her list of criteria for her “Dream Guy” only to end up marrying the REAL man of her dreams who didn’t meet the 70% of the list requirements. (As in my case with my Prince Charming)  My point is two-fold. 

onsFirst: Preparedness doesn’t come into play when we’re confronted with the opportunity for action—whether it be faced with housing down-on-their-luck family members, escaping a house fire, or suddenly discovering that you have to have 5 dozen cookies made for your third grader. Preparedness begins in our soul.  The time to be prepared is BEFORE the events come into our life. Yes, the events themselves will help us prepare for the next step and the next, but when the opportunity presents itself and requires us to show ourselves what we’re made of, the time for preparation is over.  We either have it or we don’t.

Second: In spite of all of our best planning, we will still get thrown curve balls. An errant leaf, a car accident, and surprise visit from a long lost friend, or an idea that comes out of the blue that changes your life.  These kinds of moments require our spiritual and mental preparedness to accept them, embrace them, and work through them with all of the grace and integrity we can muster.  It would be a shame if we were being led to a moment of joy and happiness or growth and peace only to go kicking and screaming, right? Kind of ruins the ambiance of the moment, eh?

I look back on several areas of my life, and if I were to pinpoint an area of regret, it would be that I didn’t roll with more punches.  I wish that I had learned sooner the wisdom of “That which doesn’t kill me will make me stronger.”  Or another of my favorite quotes, “Don’t pray for God to move the mountain, ask Him for a rope and a pair of hiking boots instead.” I wish that I could go back through some of my challenges with more maturity and more acceptance.  I’m sure I could have grown more personally and been a better influence on those I have loved.

I think it’s interesting to note that Phil Mickelson didn’t throw a temper tantrum when he missed his putt. He didn’t curse or swear. He simply accepted that this little leaf just landed where it was going to land and that was it. And yet conversely, in this same meet, Tiger Woods, who had much better “luck” still carried on with verbal assault and 2-year old without a nap style of behavior—in spite of never encountering a fluke act of nature.

In the spirit of Preparedness, I hope that we can learn to better accept the curveballs that get thrown at us and demonstrate our acceptance of them by doing our best to prepare for them now.  Fortifying our spiritual and mental strength, along with all of the other Principles of Preparedness, will serve as proof that we have indeed chosen to accept Life’s Reality Checks and are committed to thrive as a result of them.

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If you would like to host a preparedness party for your business, community, or church group, please contact Vicky at vicky@preparednesspro.com

For any questions or comments on this article, please leave a comment on the blog site so that everyone can benefit!

Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

Medical supplies photo c/o www.macombcountymi.gov

by Kellene Bishop

As I’ve shared previously, preparedness is primarily about independence from vulnerabilities.  After being on nearly a dozen medications regularly for years, I decided to take a closer look at my medical vulnerabilities as a whole in order that I might more fully understand what kind of a battle I’m engaged in—after all, bringing the most effective weapon to the battle is only possible if one knows their opponent well. After doing a great deal of research over the last year for the benefit of my own path towards medical independence, I’ve realized that I’ve essentially attempted to fight the battle with a lot of ammo and no firearm. While a mass of cartridge rounds may appear intimidating to most enemies, it’s downright laughable without the right tool to expend them.  Nowadays, it’s my belief that by educating ourselves on just how truly vulnerable we are medically, we can have a better drive and motivation towards taking care of ourselves as much as possible. I hope that you all may benefit from the last two years of focused research that you might be more medically independent in your life.

First of all, allow me to say that I firmly believe that our medical practitioners have an important and appropriate place in our society.  The advances of modern medicine and the accompanying technology is absolutely amazing.  For many, the only alternative to relying upon such advances would be certain death.  That’s one side of the coin. However the other side of the coin is what I’m addressing today—the side which presumes there is no other alternative, responsibility, or accountability when it comes to our healthy independence.

The focus of today’s article is an encouragement that you take more responsibility and accountability for your medical well-being.  Part of that is being more aware of the person or entity that you empower to have influence over your health care.  Here’s just some food for thought to being with. In spite of often being cited to the contrary, heart disease and cancer are not the number one killers in America.  It’s actually medical malpractice. In fact there are a countless articles in the legal world which address this fact, yet you won’t see a medical organization ad that addresses this fact (just Google medical malpractice + cause of death).

Along that same vein, pay close attention to the entities which you give heed to.  I’ve seen a lot of shocking things during my time in the world of high finance.  I’m to the point now that nothing surprises me when it comes to following how money and power really pull the strings to many vital aspects of our survival.

Pharmaceutical recalls photo c/o whatthehealthmag.files.wordpress.com

Let’s take pharmaceuticals for example. How many drugs are you familiar with that have been originally approved by the FDA, only to have them pulled off of the shelf due to fatal consequences in their use?  And yet the FDA approves them.

Have you taken time to research what causes the FDA to approve some drugs and not others? Why are some drugs approved in record time and not others (i.e. the H1N1 immunization shot)? With all of the medical advances in our world for treating cancer have you wondered why chemotherapy and radiation are STILL the only FDA approved treatments for cancer (vs. the successful Vitamin B-17 treatment that causes over 20,000 Americans to go leave the country to find B-17 treatments elsewhere)?  If the FDA really cared about your health, then why don’t they put any energy into approving preventative methods?  I’m sorry to sound so negative folks, but the truth of the matter is, there isn’t much money in preventative health care. You can’t patent naturally existing minerals and vitamins, etc.  If the FDA really cared about your health, then why don’t they or the USDA actually have the power to shut down offending food, meat, or other plants who are repeat offenders?  When it boils down to it, the FDA is driven by power and money. Where there is an absence of gain for the FDA, there is an absence of proactive motion. Worse than a lack of action, are the results OF their actions. Their seal of approval on products has become as questionable as Rosie O’Donnell endorsing health food. It’s unfortunate that the FDA has continually proven themselves to be wrong again and again. As such, they have not earned the respect in my world that merits them to have the final say over what I will and won’t put into my body. When it comes to medical practices, they focus solely on treatment, not prevention.  This is the ONLY reason why they have

administering medicine photo c/o www.cosmosmagazine.com

 not poked their nose into the market of natural remedies up until now—and the only reason why they are threatening to push into this field of oversight is because the treatment medical industry has taken a financial beating over the last 5 years to the tune of over $100 billion dollars! Yup. The treatment methods have powerful lobbying groups and they are making sure that the FDA essentially puts a stop—or at least a large stumbling block—to all of the mom and pop kind of homeopathic methods out there. That sad truth is that the FDA is influenced largely by power and money, not by the “conclusive studies.”  I have found that time and time again the study of a drug tends to lean in the direction of the company that is paying for the study to be done.  While I may sound like a broken record, folks, keep in mind that the FDA had their own doctors come right out and say that a cigarette a day would keep the doctor away, that AIDS was contagious by touching, and that the only acceptable way to treat cancer is a deadly chemical radiation. (See G. Edward Griffin’s book “A World Without Cancer”. It’s packed full of indisputable research, facts, and evidence.)

Along these same lines, the other large vulnerability we have exposed ourselves to is the rampant acceptance of pharmaceuticals.  As one who struggles with clinical depression, obesity, and the ailment of insanity in the world around me (*grin*) I too think that life might me easier if it could just be fixed with a little pill each day.  However, I’ve come to realize that our bodies are so absolutely amazing in how they were created and that if I just do more to encourage them to function properly, then I can avoid so many of the drugs out there.  Pharmaceuticals are high-powered chemicals with real-life side affects. Can you believe that we now are told—with a straight face—that possible side effects of the drugs we take may result in “temporary paralysis, thoughts of suicide, liver failure, heart attack,” etc. etc. (By the way, if you haven’t seen Disney’s movie “Old Dogs”, you may want to. It’s nothing more than meaningless entertainment calories—light and fluffy.  But there’s a hysterical scene in there about what happens when two guys get their litany of medicines mixed up due to the side-effects.  I was cackling so hard, my cheeks and my gut hurt the next day). Due to the scenario in which the pharmaceutical companies test their subjects, most drugs are created much more potently than is necessary as well.

hydration photo c/o yalesustainability.files.wordpress.com

The majority of Americans run through their days dehydrated.  Unfortunately, much of what we put in our bodies chemically is a drying agent, thus compounding the dehydration effects.  However, if our bodies are well hydrated, then the effect of our medicines would be more obvious and thus we wouldn’t need to take as much. Water is necessary to cause the medication to be transported throughout our body.  However, when the pharmaceutical industry goes through the testing of their drugs on human beings, they pay no attention whatsoever to the state of hydration in the body.  The presence of water/hydration in the body compounds the effects of all nutrition—chemical or otherwise. Given that the majority of Americans are dehydrated, the medicines are made more powerful than necessary so that most patients can experience the desired chemical results of their medications. And yet there is a mountain of highly credible research to indicate that the symptoms of serious medical conditions such as heart disease, kidney failure, cancer, depression, ADHD, and diabetes would be dramatically lessened if the patient were to stay well hydrated.  Wouldn’t it be interesting if you were to take a drug that has strict instructions that you not only take a full glass of water with it, but that you also drink plenty of water during the day in order for it to be helpful?  Well, the drug industry wouldn’t sell as much medicine though if they spread that kind of doctrine though, would they?  So, they create and dispense their drugs to the most common denominator—dehydrated bodies.

doctor visit photo c/o shepardinsurancequote.com/

I know that on my path over the last couple of years I have found so many alternatives to traditional medicine.  Allow me to be clear. I don’t think that traditional medicine is evil, per se, I just think that it’s so widely accepted because there’s a seriously concerted effort to get us all to accept it as the answer.  As an expert marketer, I can appreciate such a successful campaign. But the consequences are that most people do not search out alternative answers.  Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of folks who are willing to throw billions of dollars out the window to saturate the market with the message that there are less risky, less expensive, and more effective treatments for what ails us—that don’t require a doctor’s visit, health insurance, surgery, or pricey consults.  Well, in my opinion, if you pick up one end of the stick of mainstream pharmaceuticals, then you also pick up the consequences: dependence, exorbitant expenses, follow-up doctor visits, physical side-effects which require yet more medications, etc, etc.   These kinds of dependencies aren’t just bad in one area of your life.  They have a negative impact on your areas of Physical, Financial, and Mental preparedness.  What are you going to do if you suddenly do not have access to those drugs? What if there’s an earthquake or a long-term power outage? What if you you’re your insurance or your job and can’t pay for them any longer?

In the name of Physical Preparedness, I implore you all to do what you can to cut the apron strings attaching you to the smothering mother of Medical Dependence.  No, I don’t recommend that anyone attempt to perform their own frontal lobotomy, but I’m 100% sure that there is a whole heck of a lot more that we can do for ourselves than what we are doing.  I KNOW that there are several potent medications that would be a much larger part of my life if I let them. But I try to make sure that I proactively put some good things into my body daily.  I’m not the epitome of health. I’m not saying that we all have to be perfect, but I am saying that we should all TRY perfectly.  Yes, I have the indulgences of life frequently—trying to quit many of them—but in my effort at becoming more independent from vulnerabilities I won’t permit my day to go by without making sure my body is stocked up on the good things that I have easy access to.  Quality vitamins and minerals that actually get absorbed into my body, WATER (at least ½ my body weight in ounces each day), good sleep, sprouts, flax seed (yummy in my yogurt) and other good sources of fiber such as wheat meat, whole grain bread, etc.—these are all a part of my daily proactive regime. I find that if I do enough of the proactive behaviors in my day, that I don’t have time or appetite for as many of the harmful actions.   As some of you may know, I also take 2 tablespoons of food-grade diatomaceous earth each day and two teaspoons of Redmond Clay.  I can assure you that there are at least 8 different aspects of my ill health yell loud and clear when I have omitted the proactive consumption of these products.  But I’d much rather have those kinds of things in my body rather than “FDA approved” drugs and treatments and their accompanying side-effects.  Wouldn’t you?

Just another step towards better preparedness folks.  May you exercise all of the independence your body can handle.

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If you would like to host a preparedness party for your business, community, or church group, please contact Vicky at vicky@preparednesspro.com

For any questions or comments on this article, please leave a comment on the blog site so that everyone can benefit!

Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

Counter Commodity Security

By Kellene Bishop

To be completely forthright, I wanted to write this particular article first in this particular series. However, I knew that it wouldn’t have as much of an impact if the foundation hadn’t been laid out properly with the previous articles. So think of this article as the cymbal clash that follows your drum roll.

As I’ve shared with you previously, preparedness is not about being ready for an “end of the world” type of scenario. It’s about independence of everyday scenarios.  I am positive that if we are prepared to handle everyday scenarios head on, then even when such scenarios are compounded into more alarming, widespread scenarios, then we will also be ready for those as well.

 I’m going to assume that most of the world would agree that we are reliant on others for our food sources. Very, very few persons in the world nowadays have the skills or the wherewithal to produce all that they and their family consumes in terms of nutrition.  As such, we are reliant on the grocery stores to stock what we want, we are reliant on our paychecks clearing the banks in a timely manner so that we can purchase the food we need; we are reliant on the health inspectors to ensure that we don’t die or get violently ill as a result of the food we eat; we are reliant on the Federal Reserve to make sure that the money which we pay for our foods has sufficient value to buy enough of what we need; we are reliant on transportations flowing smoothly so that we can get our food delivery; and we are reliant upon Mother Nature to nurture and grow the foods that are planted and harvested each year. Frankly, an interruption in any of these areas will not only affect our personal food supply, but because such a snag in a constantly tenable situation would be so widespread, it would also bring with it some dire domino consequences.  As you can see, food preparedness is very closely tied to many other areas of preparedness including physical, medical, and financial.  This is exactly why I’ve attempted to lay a better foundation for you relative to understanding how tenable the financial world in on an international basis. Because you need to understand that are in order to understand why an imminent true-blue food shortage is about to change your financial world as you know it.

 No, I don’t say the words “worldwide food shortage” lightly.  I don’t believe in fear mongering, inducing panic, or chaos.  That kind of emotional manipulation only helps the retailers of “emergency preparedness” supplies.  But what I do believe in is education.  If you are able to see the scenario we have before us in it’s proper light, then you are able to calmly, deliberately, and strategically prepare for a more serious scenario.

Food Shortages photo c/o www.foodshortageusa.com

 FOOD SHORTAGE—the two words that initially bring about distrust, disgust, and denial in most persons who hear them. And yet even our government officials are blatantly sharing food shortage information with us on the USDA website. The disturbing thing is though that the USDA has such food shortage information on the exact same page in which they are predicting a bumper crop scenario this year.  In addition to the USDA reports, there is unlimited, credible, and undeniable information that there will indeed be a food shortage for 2010.  Even the mainstream media has dared to share information of the 450% increase in pricing on some standard produce such as tomatoes and green beans due to weather related harvest shortages.

So, why are we sure to experience a food shortage this year?

1)      Mother nature has wreaked havoc in several key areas of the world—including in the farming capital of the world, our own Midwestern states.  Our spring last year was so wet, causing many farmers to plant later in the year.  Unfortunately, the water continued to wreak havoc on the farms as they attempted to harvest their crops. Over 30% of all of our key crops in the Midwest went unharvested due to the wet soil conditions (as in the Mid-west and the South), record droughts (as in Texas) or unexpected freezes (as in Florida). Click here to see article.  We are already playing things close in our food supplies this last harvest. We really couldn’t afford a 30% hit.  

Tie this in to how it plays out in the financial world, it means that there will be less supply of food in spite of increasing demand.  Larger demand for something in short supply requires higher prices. At present circumstances, you food budget may purchase as little as 30 percent less food than it did before but as much as 400% less food than it did before—yup, that means you’ll be in the negative.

2)      Several key exporting food nations have experienced the same kinds of shortages who have been some of the key exporters of wheat, rice and other grains. Unfortunately, these nations are having to rely on food IMPORTS this year.

The tie in to this problem as it relates to the financial aspect is the same as #1, except that it pinched not just the pricing, but the plain and simple availability of food.  In which case, money won’t make a bit of difference if you don’t even have the commodity around to purchase it.

3)      2009’s early financial crisis.  Farmers could not get credit to run their farms properly and certainly not in response to the additional help they needed in the face of adverse weather conditions. As a result, there was drastic drop in the number of crops that were planted.

This means that they are, at the very least, behind one harvest season—and that’s assuming that they were able to make it through this past one in spite of a lack of financial aid.  This inhibits the farmers from being able to get ahead by planting enough to make up the financial difference.  Unfortunately, the further behind one gets financially, the less likely they are to qualify for financial aid. A lack of farmers definitely means a lack of foods. According to David Miller, Director of Research for Iowa Farm Bureau, as of December 2009, the net farm income was down by one third! He predicts that the drop in income will continue during 2010 as well. In other words, once the farming industry gets behind on food production, it’s unlikely that they can catch up.  Our population is ever increasing in the U.S., not going down. Thus the need for food will continue to increase as well. We’re in a vicious downward cycle right now.

fusarium head blight or scab, photo c/o www.ars.usda.gov

4)      New insect enemies have begun to infiltrate entire wheat and soybean crops that we do not yet have a suitable weapon for. Officially called a fusarium head blight or scab, it’s more commonly  known as “tombstone” because of the white tombstone-like appearance it has on the dead crops. It’s a toxin-infecting fungus that attacks the wheat flowers. The cooler and more moist the growing environment, the more the scabs flourish.  Unfortunately the cool, wet weather we’ve had in our crops the last two years have been an expensive weather pattern. The way to combat this problem is to develop wheat strains that are resistant to this disease. Obviously, discovering such requires more than one harvest, and historically requires 4 harvests to be sure.  With the present food crisis we have in the world, I’m not sure we have the luxury of waiting through four harvests to get back on our feet.

In addition to this, many parts of the country experienced a dearth of grasshoppers consuming their hay reserves for their livestock. (South Dakota and Wyoming, for example)   Considering that many farmers only yielded one-sixth of what they typically do, this was a traumatic setback for many.

 Again, the financial consequences of this affect the supply and demand in our food market.  Wheat, corn and soy are king in nearly everything we consume in one way or another. Meat needs the nutrition of quality feed and plenty of it. Without proper feed, every aspect of our meal get formidably expensive.

food recall photo c/o lunchbox.hospsrvc.ttu.edu

 

5)      The last two years have brought about the largest number of food recalls ever.  And merely 4 weeks ago, we experienced the largest food recall in American history with the salmonella discovered in the manufacturing plant in Las Vegas. This plant was the largest producer of hydrolyzed vegetable protein, which is found in nearly every processed food on the market. As a result, our market got hit with a massive food recall, which also impacts profits of grocers and cash flow for them to be able to provide additional food for their shelves.

 Can you see the financial consequences on this one?

 6)      Gas prices are on the rise again.  I don’t know about your neck of the woods, but fuel has risen over 30 cents per gallon in the last two weeks where I am.  When I see fuel rising I immediately think of food costs. It takes fuel to harvest, transport, clean, and process food, Folks.  With unemployment at record high numbers, accompanied by abysmal inflation, that’s a recipe for a lack of access for many folks to purchase food. If food can’t assuredly be sold off of the shelves before it spoils because folks are having to be more cautious in their spending, then grocery stores will pull back on how much they stock on their shelves so that they don’t have to take the financial hit for spoilage.

7)      The wheat and other food reserves have already been exhausted or are inaccessible.  China has long bragged that they hold an enormous wheat reserve of over 150 to 200 million tons (2009). But news articles over the last 5 years account for China reducing that reserve is far in excess of what they claimed to have stored.  No one can verify today that there is any wheat in reserve in China.

India, which has a burgeoning population growth long bragged about their wheat reserves. Unfortunately, such reserves have been completely exhausted due to stark poverty and agriculture problems and replaced with low quality, rotting wheat instead. Under India’s FCI act, the government is required to purchase all of the wheat, regardless of the quality. Thus, in an attempt to keep up with export contracts, India had to raid their stores of quality wheat and replace them with their poor quality, disease-ridden wheat instead for their own people.

As you know, the U.S. no longer has any wheat reserves. The fact that the dollar has been so soft, makes the importing of U.S. wheat by other countries very attractive as their own currencies remain strong against the U.S. dollar. (See, even they understand that “stuff” is more important than money.)

 Argentine dock workers going on strike has made worldwide access to the 3^rd largest supplier of soy useless as the soy harvests simply sit in the port until concessions can be made. (A particularly uncomfortable problem for Europe, which is already experiencing a soy shortage due to the South American crops yielding less than normal.)  Oh, and did I mention that Argentina is experiencing unusually heavy rains so far this year?

 And the financial consequences continue…

 Food shortages have many financial affects, including triple digit food inflation numbers.  But it’s an impact that very few persons can avoid because we all need to eat, right?  The evidence shows that not only will food cost substantially more in 2010, but there will plain and simple be the elimination of food in many aspects.

food harvesting photo c/o www.extension.iastate.edu

The production of food is cyclical. We rely on harvests. Much of our food has been destroyed and thus we cannot create more until the next harvest cycle.  Since the U.S. and most other nations have eliminated their “just in case” food supplies as a result of the previous year’s weather and economic related problems worldwide, we simply do not have a back-up plan. That’s why some food will simply not even exist, even if someone did have the money to pay a higher price for it. In fact, it’s in part attributed to the USDA’s false prediction of a bumper crop for the past two years that the U.S. chose to walk the edge of the cliff when they got rid of their excess food supplies and sold them or donated them to hurting countries.  The USDA told them that the food they were exporting would be easily replaced by the next two year’s harvests.  In fact, they even went so far are to claim that we would have the “largest ever soy crop and the second largest corn crop. Well, here we are, two harvests later, and Mother Nature pulled a fast one on the USDA. In direct contrast to the suspicious predictions by the USDA, we experienced some of the WORST harvests of 25 years!

 So, why did the USDA come out right and just plain LIE about the bumper crop predictions?  Well, our friends, the Chinese have a lot to do with this one. They are the most heavily invested in our debt and they rely heavily on the U.S. for the food supplies.  Remember, money is only as good as what it can purchase, right?  So if China relies heavily on our ability to export food to them, then it requires them to play nice with us, right?  So it’s important to the USDA anyway, that we keep up the pretense that our food supply is just fine and dandy and capable of keeping up with our own supply and demand as well as that of other nations which rely on us to feed them.  Oops. We’re about to be discovered real soon folks.  Not just by China (which latest numbers indicated that they own 25% of our foreign debt) but also by Japan, which is at 22% ownership of our foreign debt.

Zimbabwe inflation photo c/o stan.uio.no/

Here’s where the real crisis begins, folks. If China does not get their food needs met by their relationships with nations who are willing to export their foods, then China has no other choice but to DUMP their U.S. currency and debt back into the market so that they can reclaim their own currency (yuan or Renminbi) so that they can purchase “stuff” to feed their nation with instead of just having debt or currency sitting around.  What happens if China dumps their debt and currency back into the open market?  Our existing currency value will drop way, way down, due to an oversupply in our economic system.  What that then means is that the money which we rely on to purchase our own food, will simply not purchase as much as it used to.  (Think Zimbabwe—in which they had to brings BAGS of cash just to purchase a loaf of bread)

China drought photo c/o physorg.com

 To make matters worse, are you aware that China is experiencing the worst drought ever this year?  On March 19, 2010 one of the provinces worst hit by the drought , Guizhou Provice, released a statement claiming that the existing drought has affected 84 counties, cities and other areas within China, with a total affected population of 17.28 million persons.  Of that 17.28 million, the report claimed that over 3.1 million people are literally starving from a lack of food. This drought has affected the drinking water supply for over 18 million people as well, including the water necessary for about 12.5 million acres of crop and livestock farms.   They claim that over 2.9 million acres of land are already completely destroyed and unsalvageable.   So far, this drought has caused a loss of $2.85 billion (US).  The leader of the Yunnan Province, another province affected by the drought, told the Bejing News that local citizens in this area should “prepare for the worst.”  Does this put China in a vulnerable position in which they are likely to do something desperate in order to protect their greatest asset—their man-power? Of course it does.

 So, what does all of this mean to you?  It means you need to mitigate your risk of exposure to soaring food costs by purchasing smart NOW. Purchase food that has a long shelf-life with plenty of nutrition. (i.e. freeze-dried produce, whole grains, and canned meats).   Utilize coupons as much as possible. While a coupon may only be 50 cents off of an item, the items add up to a sizeable savings—as much as 110%!  Even the 50 cents savings on a $3 item is a better return than most of Wall Street is experiencing presently. And forget about the couponing stigma! No one would accuse Warren Buffet of being a “hoarder of stocks” would they? Just because he kept buying stocks that he recognized as being valuable didn’t make him some kind of a crazy, right? Well, the same holds true to those of you who take the initiative in purchasing a commodity that will still have it’s value 5, 10, or even 30 years from now—food. Food prices will NOT be going down. They are only going to keep rising. So mitigate your vulnerable position by investing heavily in quality foods now.  There’s a big difference between being a crazy food hoarder and stabilizing your grocery budget over the long-term. At least you can ensure that your money works for you today and years from now in that capacity of your life.  Remember, that’s what preparedness is about—eliminating your vulnerabilities and establishing independence.

 May your dinner table be independent for decades to come in spite of what Mother Nature or foreign nations throw at you.

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

By Kellene Bishop

Mental Preparedness is important so you can face emergencies and stress photo c/o imgur.com

Some time ago I was giving a class on the area of Mental Preparedness. Just as a reminder, the area of Mental Preparedness is about the acquisition of knowledge, mental fortitude to do what you’ve got to do to keep your family safe and secure, as well as the pursuit of honing your knowledge into skills. One of the things that I regularly teach about is the reconstruction of our nation if such an instance ever becomes necessary.

In the event that something horrific did occur in our nation, say that there was a financial collapse or a dispute over who’s guiding and directing our nation in accordance to the U.S. Constitution, wouldn’t it be helpful if there were intelligent men and women who could help us restore our nation as brilliantly as did our Founding Fathers?  Keeping in mind my philosophy of Everyday Preparedness, I firmly believe that having an understanding of the Constitution now is just as important to our safety, security and liberty as it would be in a somewhat apocalyptic scenario.

For instance, there are over 3.4 million words in the IRS tax code.  We’ve all heard of the bills that get passes that nobody even reads that have tens of thousands of words in them as well. I think it’s safe to say that the majority of my readers believe themselves to be Americans, first and foremost. And yet they are left vulnerable (there’s that word again, folks) because of a lack of education and knowledge of their rights and freedoms extended to them via the law of the land.  Just because the law is there doesn’t mean it certainly does not get trampled. Not intending to get any hackles riled, let’s just say that there’s plenty that’s going on right now that is a blatant infringement on our freedoms and liberties—or is there? 

If you don’t bring processed foods into your home, does the fact that our nation is presently undergoing the largest food recall in the history of our nation affect you?  Nope. But for the tens of millions who live off of foods that contain the contaminated hydrolyzed vegetable protein, it makes a huge difference.  And yet it may very well affect others that we love and care about.

Here’s one more example. Many moons ago I used to (somewhat purposefully) date guys who worked at the movie theaters. I was a movie junkie—perhaps still am—and so if I was dating a guy who worked the ticket stand then inevitably I and a friend would get in to see the move for free.  Now, just because I got in to that movie for free, did that change the price of the ticket? No. Of course not.

What would the founding fathers think of today's nation? photo c/o johndenugent.com

Well, just because most of us have never read the U.S. Constitution, let alone really studied it, does that make it an archaic instrument?  No. Just because a law is trampled does not mean that a new constitutional precedence is set. The U.S. Constitution has long been established as the reigning law of the land and yet it’s is nearly impossible for representatives of the court to use any Constitutional law as a standing for their plea. Instead, they are usually required by the judge to cite case law, never the U.S. Constitution.  Ridiculous, eh?  What that means is that one simple choice made by an errant judge can alter how laws are interpreted from now on simply because it was put on the books. Right or wrong, it’s done that way. What is even more alarming is that many rogue judges of the land are looking to international law to direct their legal decisions—in spite of taking an oath not to conduct themselves in such a manner. 

Now, let’s consider another aspect of all of this.  Regardless of whether or not you view the Bible as a religious or heavenly inspired book, but try to roll with me on this example, ok?  Our nation has a lot of individuals who classify themselves as Christians. Typically, along with that is their reading and studying of the Bible. Thus if a person comes up to a Christian and says something like Jesus Christ was never baptized, a Bible reading Christian may immediately recall in the book of Matthew in which the Bible to the contrary.  That being said, it is unlikely that a Bible studying person would ever have their belief “undone” simply because someone says something to the contrary. Right?

So my question is, since the U.S. Constitution affects everyone of us on an everyday basis, what are we doing to learn it so that we too can stand firm when confronted with blatantly false and incorrect procedures, laws, doctrines, etc?

IRS Code photo c/o www.primafacielaw.com

Here’s an example. As I said earlier, the IRS Code has over 3.4 million words. In the IRS code, it has deliberately been written to take familiar sounding words to you and me, and literally redefine them to mean something completely different. In doing so they are able to collect over 5,000% more in taxes than they would otherwise.  If a person were to actually study the 3.4 million words in the Internal Revenue Code, read the definition in the first million or so words, then read the IRC statues in the final 2 million or so words, they would see that the world of taxation as they know it doesn’t apply to them as broadly as previously thought.

As another example. Many of us are receiving Census forms this week and are filling them out freely. And yet the in U.S. Constitution Article I Section 2:

“… Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective numbers. The actual enumeration shall be made within three years after the first meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct.”

What is actually required for the census? photo c/o thebsreport.wordpress.com

This gives the government the authority to take an enumeration every ten years. They can take that enumeration whatever way they want, but it remains an enumeration, not a classification, or anything else. An enumeration is a count or a number, and it’s only qualifier can be the area the number is representative of. Thus far, I fail to see any amendment that gives the government any authority to take anything other than an enumeration. They can, of course, ask any question they would like, and we can, of course, refuse to answer any other of the questions by them other than the count of people we represent and the area we are in, which they determined by the address on the letter that was sent to us.  The fact of the matter is, even Congress can not simply pass legislation to override the Constitution, nor can the President simply execute an Order for such.  And yet how many of you are filling out questions on your Census form that you’re not too happy about?  Perhaps some of you are even giving credence to the chain-e-mail that a fine of $5,000 could be assessed if you don’t fill in all of the information.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not trying to give legal or tax advice. But I am trying to encourage you as a part of your Mental Preparedness to take responsibility to the world around you and be a student thereof. If nothing else, I’m sure that what I’m sharing sound reasonably logical to most of you. That’s only the case because I’ve studied it. We would all benefit if we could all study it and have a dialogue of such facts instead of just assuming that the dictates that come across our television sets, radios, and newspapers is accurate. We simply can’t rely that the people that we’ve elected are knowledgeable of all of the rights and freedoms afforded to us by God and the U.S. Constitution.  The only way for us to remain independent of the ill effects of such ignorance is to eliminate our vulnerabilities and become informed.  It’s just one more way we can ensure Mental Preparedness on an everyday basis.

To true peace and freedom.

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If you would like to host a preparedness party for your business, community, or church group, please contact Vicky at vicky@preparednesspro.com

For any questions or comments on this article, please leave a comment on the blog site so that everyone can benefit!

Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.