Tsiyon Messianic Community

Subject: Preparedness solutions for challenging times
Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2008 06:18:51 -0700


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How to better prepare yourself and your family against climate change, natural disasters and the post-oil economy...
Dear readers,
I've been a proponent of personal preparedness for many years. "Preparedness" simply means having some backup supplies on hand to help you get through unexpected events or hard times, and over the last decade, we've seen numerous examples of why preparedness is so important: Hurricane Katrina, power grid blackouts, ice storms, tsunamis, earthquakes, riots, nuclear accidents, terrorist events and freak weather patterns.
 
In every case, those individuals who were prepared fared much better than the unprepared masses. People who had stored some water, food, heat, blankets, flashlights, fuel, radios and cash were in a far better position to get through the events than everyone else.
 
In terms of preparedness for coming events, including dwindling oil supplies, climate change and freak weather patterns, there are two things every person must carefully consider right now:
 
1) The frequency and severity of such emergency events is increasing each year. (Things are getting worse...)
 
2) Most people will not prepare in advance, meaning that they will truly find themselves in an emergency during the next unpredictable event.
 
Keep reading to learn how to avoid becoming an unprepared victim. Below, I've also listed some recommended sources and a tremendous discount (50% off for NewsTarget readers) on some essential preparedness items that you may want to consider acquiring before the next difficult event appears.
 
Essentials of preparedness
 
Every family and household should cover basic preparedness needs. The primary areas to consider are:
 
WATER: You must have water to survive even a couple of days. Low-cost preparedness options involve filling empty soda bottles with water and storing them around your house or apartment. You can also fill your bath tub with water if you have advanced warning of an approaching emergency.
 
A medium-cost solution is to purchase water storage containers and fill those in advance. You can add a few drops of plain clorox bleach to each container to discourage the growth of bacteria (for long-term storage). You'll find affordable water storage containers at www.BePrepared.com
 
It's also a good idea to have a hand-pump water filter on hand. I recommend an affordable water filter bottle made by Katadyn (a water filter company I've used and recommended for years). You can find other water filters at any camping store or outdoors equipment supplier such as www.REI.com
 
FOOD: Having extra food on hand is easy. Just buy some extra dried or canned goods at your local store. Raw, fresh nuts are good to store, as well as dried foods in #10 cans. Avoid salty, sugary foods because they dehydrate you and suppress immune function. Stick to bland foods that provide nutrition, not entertainment. They key here is to store your food before the emergency hits and make sure you have enough water to rehydrate dried foods.

LIGHT: You'd be amazed how difficult life gets when you're fumbling around in the dark trying to find something to eat or drink. Don't be caught in such a situation: Get some reliable light!
 
But what works best in emergencies? Candles are a terrible choice because people fall asleep and burn down their homes with candles. (No kidding.) Flashlights that need batteries are also a terrible choice because few people bother to check the batteries, and they always seem to be dead right when you need them.
 
The best choice is a dynamo-powered LED flashlight that allows you to generate light by simply turning the handle. One minute of winding the dynamo handle can provide up to 30 minutes of light with the LED flashlights we offer through www.BetterLifeGoods.com and we've put together an amazing 50% off discount package on dynamo LED lights, radios and combo tools (see below for discount link).
 
HEAT and SHELTER: In every emergency, you'll need heat and shelter. (Or, if you're in the desert, you'll need shade and water.) Heat is easy to conserve with a well-made low-temperature sleeping bag. A wood-burning stove is also a fantastic solution and far better than any fireplace (which loses most of the heat it generates). Don't try heating your house with a propane heater or outdoor cooking stove, either: The carbon dioxide emissions will fill your house and cause you to never wake up again. So prepare with ample clothing and a good sleeping bag for each person in your home. Again, you can find quality sleeping bags at www.REI.com (get yourself some lightweight, hi-tech fiber sleeping bags that are easy to carry, yet still very warm).
 
COMMUNICATIONS: In emergencies, keeping in touch with emergency broadcasts is crucial. That's why a radio is one of the most important tools you can have. But guess what? Most people don't have a radio that actually works when the electricity is out!
 
This is why a dynamo-powered radio is the best solution for emergency preparedness. By turning the dynamo handle for one minute, you can generate up to 30 minutes of radio listening time. No batteries are required, and the units are so small and portable that you can slip them into your pocket or store them in the glove box of your car.
 
The best dynamo devices can also charge your cell phone. This lets you make outbound emergency calls when needed, even if your batteries are empty. When the electricity is out, it's crucial to have a reliable way to make a cell phone call. (In many cases, cell phone towers are still working even when the electricity is out in a particular region.)
 
The Better Life Goods preparedness bundle
 
We've put together an incredible deal on four preparedness products to help protect you at home and when traveling -- or even during any major emergency like a freak storm, act of terrorism or natural disaster:
 
Dynamo Emergency Tool with Radio, LED Flashlight and Cell Phone Charger
This dynamo-powered device is designed as an emergency preparedness tool for your car. In addition to the LED light, AM/FM radio and cell phone charger functions, it has a glass break, audible siren, and doubles as a makeshift self defense device, too. Plus, you can shine the endless LED light and listen to AM/FM radio anytime by simply winding the dynamo handle for a minute or two. Comes with five connectors for various cell phone manufacturers.
 
The retail on this device is normally $39.99 (but you can get it for half that, see below...)
 
Dynamo LED Flashlight with Cell Phone Charger and AM/FM Radio (ECL-802)
This pocket-sized device combines all the essential preparedness functions in a handheld unit with a clever, built-in dynamo winding handle. The LED lights are extremely bright, and the rubber grip helps you hold on to even if rain makes things slippery. Comes with one cell phone connector (Nokia), which plugs into various cell phone charging adapters you can find at Radio Shack or other electronics supply stores.
 
Retail price is $29.95 (but again, you can get it for half that...)
 
Dynamo LED Flashlight Multi-tool with Interchangeable Bits (ECL-600)
This dynamo-powered LED light includes six double-headed interchangeable screwdriver bits that allow you to make simple repairs, even when there's no electricity or light. This handy tool gives you a source of light and a reliable toolset, all in a single device that fits easily in a kitchen drawer.
 
Retail price is $24.95
 
Dynamo LED Water Lantern with Emergency Beacon (ECL-900)
This is the world's first device to turn a durable water storage container into an LED lantern that can be recharged by winding the embedded dynamo handle. This gives you light and water storage in one clever device that's perfect for taking with you on the road, in a vehicle or camping in the great outdoors. A switch on the top lets you choose between white LED lights or red LED lights (which won't ruin your night vision). Retail price is $24.95
 
These four products retail for a total of $119.84. We're making all four available to NewsTarget readers for 50% off retail, or just $59.92 for all four.
 
This is an unbeatable preparedness deal, and it's only available to NewsTarget readers. You won't find this offer on Amazon.com, eBay or anywhere else. It's by far the least expensive way to help ensure the safety of your car, home and person during difficult times. (And if there's one item you don't need, you can offer it to a friend as a gift. Each of these four comes individually packaged.)
 
Click here to take advantage of this special NewsTarget 50%-off discount right now.
 
This offer is only good while inventory lasts. We reserve the right to end this offer at any time.
 
(Note: These prices are barely above our cost, but we'll still honor our satisfaction guarantee. If you're not completely satisfied with any of these products, you can return them for a full refund, less shipping costs.)
 
Why BetterLifeGoods preparedness products are better for the environment!
By the way, three of the four products mentioned here are RoHS certified, meaning they are made with non-toxic materials. We've also had these specifically manufactured with internal NiMH batteries instead of NiCad batteries, so these products have longer life and are safer for the environment. The battery capacity is higher on these than on any similar product you'll find anywhere.
 
Most manufacturers just choose the cheapest, most toxic batteries they can find, because consumers usually don't know the difference. But we went out of our way to have these manufactured to be far safer for the environment while offering greatly improved battery life. The result is a line of products that are superior to anything similar you might find in mass marketing retailers.
 
And at this 50% off price, it's simply the best deal you'll find anywhere on environmentally-friendly preparedness products. (It's the best deal we've ever offered, period!)
Take advantage of this now. Quantities are limited. Click here to order this four-product bundle at 50% off retail.
To your health and wellness,
- Mike Adams



The NewsTarget Insider is published by Truth Publishing.
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Ps. Shalom! I am not selling these, simply recommending them as the deals are fantastic! 
Better be safe than sorry; hope the links work, if not Google for the website, and sign up for the deals!
Yahshua is GREAT!
Love and blessings,
Ester

                       STORING GRAIN-LEARNING FROM YOSEV/JOSEPH

Succeeded in Saving Vast Amounts of Grain From Pests During His Sojourn in Egypt
Teresa Neumann (April 22, 2008)

They believe Joseph was aware of this [destructive beetles] and therefore, according to the Biblical description - he isolated the grain of each city in its own jurisdiction and prevented the transfer of batches of grain from one community to another. In their opinion, that is the meaning of the verse: 'and [he] laid up the food in the cities; the food of the field, which was round about every city.'

(Israel)—Ever wonder how Joseph (viceroy to the king of Egypt in the First Covenant), succeeded in preserving huge amounts of grain for seven years without the benefit of chemical pest control and the inability to seal the warehouse as is possible today? Researchers from Bar-Ilan University have been exploring such questions for a long time and now believe they have found the answer in the remains of a burnt beetle found in a grain of wheat about 3,500 years old.

According to a report in Haaretz, Prof. Mordechai Kislev, Dr. Orit Simhoni and Dr. Yoel Melamed, from the laboratory for archaeological botany in the Life Sciences department of BIU, studied the beetle known as the Lesser Grain Borer, which was found in one grain of wheat among several tens of thousands that were discovered in a dig at Tel Beit She'an.

That granary was dated to the Middle Bronze Age II B, about the time when Joseph was in Egypt. The report adds that the beetle, which originated in India and can cause catastrophic damage as it can finish off a granary in a very short time, was among the most ancient ever found in the Land of Israel.
The lesser grain borers reportedly changed their taste to wheat and barley several thousand years ago when they began migrating westward during the time of Joseph.

Reporter Ran Shapira noted that the three researchers were familiar with granary pests from their previous study of grains found in Tel Hadar, on the shore of Lake Kinneret, north of Ein Gev, where they found a large number of such pests.

"When they examined the vestiges of the plants in the granary at Tel Beit She'an, the three researchers came to the conclusion that the wheat had been harvested in the Gilead region," said Shapira. "The conclusion reminded Prof. Kislev of the caravan of Ishmaelites that came from the Gilead region, whose members bought Joseph from his brothers and took him with them to Egypt (Genesis 36, 25-28).
The lesser grain borer was just starting its career in Egypt when Joseph arrived there. Because of its phenomenal reproductive capacity, storing one batch of grain containing a small population of the grain borer was enough to bring about the destruction of the entire granary and to threaten an entire city with starvation."

The researchers believe Joseph was aware of this and therefore," adds Shapira, "according to the Biblical description—he isolated the grain of each city in its own jurisdiction and prevented the transfer of batches of grain from one community to another.
In their opinion, that is the meaning of the verse: 'and [he] laid up the food in the cities; the food of the field, which was round about every city.'"

As to the type of pest control that was practiced during the time of Joseph, the researchers referred to a quote by the 11th century Hebrew Bible commentator Rashi, who wrote: "And people put amongst the grain some of the earth of the place, and this prevents it from decaying."
They believe Rashi was "referring to a method by which fine sand is added to the grain. The grains of sand scratch the hard covering that surrounds the body of the beetle, and make it dry up and die.
This method is still used today by various African tribes, and we can assume that it was sufficiently effective to exterminate a pest that had just arrived in the region, like the lesser grain borer."

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Shalom! This is wisdom that could only come from YAHWEH upon Yosev chosen (through much affliction to fulfil the calling to preserve provision for the household of Yisrael) to store up for the seven years' of famine throughout the countries.
Blessings in Yahshua HaMeshiach,
Ester.

                                               Tuesday May 6 2008, 10:06 PM
                                   Burma death toll rises to almost 22,500
Burma's military government has raised its death toll from the devastating Cyclone Nargis to just under 22,500 people, state media reports.

An additional 41,000 people are missing as a result of the cyclone, which ploughed into the Irrawaddy delta on Saturday, triggering a massive storm surge that swept inland.

The powerful cyclone that hit Burma's low-lying Irrawaddy delta triggered a massive wave that gave people nowhere to run.

It is one of Asia's worst natural disasters, and the worst since the 2004 tsunami that killed 220,000 people in a dozen countries.

"For expert (foreign aid) teams from overseas to come here, they have to negotiate with the foreign ministry and our senior authorities," Maung Maung Swe told reporters in the country's main city Rangoon.

Earlier, the minister told reporters that most of the victims had died from a 3.5-metre storm surge generated by the cyclone, which hit on Saturday packing 190km/h winds.

"More deaths were caused by the tidal wave than the storm itself," Maung Maung Swe said.

"The wave was up to 12 feet (3.5 metres) high and it swept away and inundated half the houses in low-lying villages," he said, giving the first detailed description of the disaster. "They did not have anywhere to flee."

Christian relief organisation World Vision, one of the few international agencies allowed to work inside Burma, said its teams had flown over the most affected regions and witnessed devastation on the ground below.

"They saw the dead bodies from the helicopters, so it's quite overwhelming," Kyi Minn, an adviser to World Vision's office in Rangoon.

"The impact of the disaster could be worse than the (2004) tsunami because it is compounded by the limited availability of resources on top of the transport constraints."

Footage on state television showed boats washed away and houses caved in, massive trees uprooted and tossed into the streets like toys, and massive destruction across an area that is the country's primary rice-growing region.

Reflecting the scale of the disaster, the ruling junta said it would postpone to May 24 a constitutional referendum in the worst-hit areas of Rangoon and the sprawling Irrawaddy delta.

However, the broadcast said the May 10 vote on the charter, part of the army's much-criticised "roadmap to democracy", would proceed as planned in the rest of the southeast Asian nation, which has been under military rule for the last 46 years.

The government has lifted states of emergency in three of the five states and some parts of the Rangoon and Irrawaddy regions.

The total left homeless by the screaming winds and storm surge is in the several hundred thousands, United Nations aid officials say.

Bernard Delpuech, a European Union aid official in Rangoon, said the junta had sent three ships carrying food to the delta region, rice bowl for Burma's 53 million people. Nearly half the population live in the five disaster-hit states.

Information Minister Kyaw Hsan said the military were "doing their best". But analysts said there could be big political fallout for army rulers who pride themselves on their ability to cope with any challenge.

"The myth they have projected about being well-prepared has been totally blown away," said political analyst Aung Naing Oo, who fled to Thailand after a brutally-crushed 1988 uprising.

"This could have a tremendous political impact in the long term."

US First Lady Laura Bush, one of the fiercest international critics of Burma's government, accused the ruling generals of not doing enough to warn their people before the cyclone hit.

"Although they were aware of the threat, Burma's state-run media failed to issue a timely warning to citizens in the storm's path," she said at the White House.

"The response to the cyclone is just the most recent example of the junta's failure to meet its people's basic needs."

Burma has long been a target of international criticism, not least because of its long detention of democracy icon and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.

It is the worst cyclone to hit Asia since 1991, when 143,000 people died in Bangladesh.

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                              Fifty killed as tornadoes pummel southern US
                                        By Tom Leonard in New York
                                Last Updated: 2:24AM GMT 08/02/2008

At least 50 people were killed and hundreds more injured as tornadoes brought devastation across five southern American states.

In pictures: A tornado touches down outside Atkins High School in Arkansas

In Tennessee, the worst-hit state, 26 people died and officials said a "twister" could have caused a fire that broke out at a natural gas pumping station, sending flames shooting 500ft up in the air.

The twisters, part of an usual spasm of winter weather, also hit Arkansas, Kentucky, Alabama and Mississippi.

As the extent of the carnage became clear, presidential candidates including Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee interrupted their victory speeches to remember the victims.

Emergency officials said the death toll included 13 in Arkansas, and seven in Kentucky. More than 100 people were injured in Tennessee alone, they said.

In Arkansas, a couple and their 11-year-old daughter were killed in their home after a tornado touched down near the centre of Atkins, a community of 3,000 along the Arkansas River in the central part of the state where authorities searched in the dark for survivors - or more victims.

The home "took a direct hit" from the storm, the Pope County coroner, Leonard Krout, said.

Meanwhile, a spectacular fire erupted at a natural gas pumping station northeast of Nashville that authorities said could have been damaged by the storms, and an undetermined number of people were reported dead.

Telegraph TV: At least two tornadoes hit Mississippi, tearing through buildings and power lines

"This was an extraordinary night," said Mike Beebe, the governor of Arkansas.

"When it's compounded by darkness, that makes it that much more difficult."

Emergency crews went door to door through the night seeking other possible victims in Atkins, working amid a heavy scent from splintered pines.

Power lines snaked along a street and a deep-orange pickup truck rested on its side.

A navy blue Mustang with a demolished front end was marked with spray paint to show it had been searched.

Outside one damaged home, horses whinnied in the darkness, looking up only when a flashlight reached their eyes.

On Southeast Second Street, a ranch home stood unscathed across the street from a concrete slab that had supported the house where three people died.

The power was knocked out briefly at a Little Rock convention hall that hosted a watch party for Mr Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor.

The fierce winds destroyed homes and turned over vehicles | More pictures

"While we hope tonight is a time for us to celebrate election results, we are reminded that nothing is as important as the lives of these fellow Arkansans, and our hearts go out to their families," Mr Huckabee said.

At the WJ Matthews Civic Centre in Atkins, a shelter was empty except for Red Cross volunteers and a single touch-screen voting machine.

The civic centre had hosted an election precinct earlier yesterday.

Mobile phone pictures sent to television stations showed a dark, broad funnel approaching Atkins. Traffic was snarled on nearby Interstate 40, with tractor-trailers on their sides.

At least six tornadoes touched down in the 100 miles (160 kilometres) between Oxford, Mississippi, and Jackson, Tennessee, according to the National Weather Service in Memphis, where deaths and damage were also reported.

One storm tore a large part of the north wall off Hickory Ridge Mall in Memphis. A few people north of the mall took shelter under a bridge and were washed away, but they were pulled out of the Wolf River with only scrapes, said Steve Cole of the Memphis Police Department.

Later, the storms damaged a dormitory at Union University in Jackson, trapping at least three people who talked by phone to rescuers trying to dig them out.

Union University students wander past a dormitory destroyed by the storms | More pictures

In 2003 a tornado in Jackson killed 11 people and in 999 a twister killed nine.

In Arkansas, the Baxter County Sheriff's Office said debris, including parts of houses, blocked Highway 62.

The town of Gassville was sealed off because of the possibility of gas leaks resulting in an explosion.

Officials do not know what started a fire at the Columbia Gulf Natural Gas pumping station near Green Grove, about 40 miles (65 kilometres) from Nashville.

The blaze could be seen in the night sky for miles around, with flames shooting "400, 500 feet in the air", said a spokesman for Tennessee Emergency Management.

It could have been the storms that damaged the station, said Mike Browning, a spokesman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol. A tornado shredded warehouses in an industrial park in Southaven, in northern Mississippi, said Commander Steve Atkinson of Desoto County Sheriff's Department.

"It ripped the warehouses apart. The best way to describe it is it looks like a bomb went off," Mr Atkinson said. "A lot of fire departments are here and we're searching each warehouse to see if there was anybody in there. It's going to be a time consuming thing and we'll probably be searching into the morning."

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                                              Tuesday May 6 2008, 07:04 PM
                                 Australia 'not ready' for major disaster
Catastrophic disasters such as tsunamis, earthquakes, dam bursts or cyclones could leave Australia flagging because of a lack of preparedness, a new report says.

A wide-ranging review of Australia's resilience to a major natural disaster says such events pose a threat to normal life across significant areas of the country, similar to security challenges.

The focus on national security has obscured the potential for much greater deaths and casualties caused by extreme natural disasters and the need for an all-hazards risk approach, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) says.

The report - Taking a Punch: Building a More Resilient Australia - says the country has been very lucky not to have faced the "big one".

"(That's) the catastrophic event that produces extensive casualties and loss of life, widespread damage, large numbers of displaced people, significant business failure, extreme relief and recovery costs that simply overwhelms our capacity to respond," the report said.

"Examples might include a major earthquake on one of our big cities, a tsunami hitting a major population centre on the east coast, a major flood or dam burst in a densely populated area, or significant flooding from the impact of a major cyclone combined with storm surge that affects both urban and regional centres simultaneously.

"There's little information on the record to generate public confidence that we really know what the breakpoint is in terms of surge and sustainability."

The report said history was not a guide.

"Cyclone Tracy devastated Darwin on December 25 1974 with 65 dead, 150 major injuries and air evacuation of around 30,000, many deciding not to return to Darwin," it said.

A key concern was the importance of having a single-incident management system for command and control of emergencies which can be adapted quickly from the routine to a nationally-declared incident, APSI said.

"Currently there are many systems across policing and emergency authorities.

Australia does not have an appropriate, effective, timely national community information and warning system capable of being used in the lead-up to, occurrence of, and recovery from disasters.

"Recent improvements to tsunami monitoring are commendable, but don't help to convey the message of a potential impact to communities in the middle of the night."

About 30 per cent of councils in Australia were under severe financial stress with asset management and improvements urgently required, APSI said.

Work commissioned by the Australian Local Government Association suggests a national backlog of $14.5 billion in local government infrastructure renewal work, notably for bridges which can be vital in dealing with natural disasters.

"Climate change will compound the risks of disruption and have a direct influence on the type, scale and frequency of disasters and emergencies Australia will face, including increased flooding, more frequent and intense storms, lightning events and bushfires.

"More coastal zone residential developments are simply increasing these risks."
 
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Shalom! Are we prepared?
Signs and warnings, prophecies have been given. These are "natural" disasters, or commonly known as acts of Elohim, or His judgments.
Urgency to take heed, store up foodstuff, and water, maybe in a shipping container, securely fixed onto the ground, made cosy, placed in the backyard somewhere, when there's no time to run looking for shelters!
There's the other, man-made ones to consider too. Act now! Wisdom and knowledge has been given too.
Ester.

                                    FOOD CRISIS AND RISING PRICES   

Dr. Mercola's Comments:
 
According to The World Bank’s estimates, food prices, overall, have increased 83 percent in the last three years. Since January of this year, the price of rice has risen more than 140 percent.

Although we haven’t experienced any violent outbursts in the United States yet, countries in the Caribbean, Africa and South Asia have already seen deadly riots due to rapidly rising food prices.

Last week I discussed this issue in the article Beware--Food Crisis Getting Worse, explaining my growing fears of what this may be leading toward: the final death knell by genetically modified foods, all in the name of rescuing us all through “higher yield crops well-suited for the small farmer.”

Everyone is talking about the need for higher yields. Not one mention of increasing sustainable agriculture, even though the unsustainable use of land and water is one of the contributing factors to this global crisis. Other factors, which were pointed out in my last commentary, included:

Biofuel mandates directing more crops to the manufacturing of ethanol
Improved financial situation of people in China and India has increased demand for western-style diets rich in grains, meat and dairy
Export quotas by large grain producers, coupled with panic-buying by grain importers
Trade imbalances among nations
Population growth, adding 78 million people per year
Global warming. Unfavorable climatic conditions in 2007 devastated crops in Australia and reduced harvest in other European countries. Southern Africa and the western U.S. have been plagued with severe drought.
Rising oil prices, as fossil fuels are needed throughout the agricultural process, from running tractors, to fertilizer production, to shipping
Artificially induced price hikes for the purpose of population control
What I did not discuss was the issue of government payments to farmers who don’t farm. 

Why are We PAYING Farmers Who Don’t Farm?

An article in The New York Times, published April 24, 2008, highlights the disastrous politics of the farm bill, and the ostrich-like behavior of our U.S. government officials in light of the current food crisis.

Between 2000 and 2006, the U.S. federal government paid at least $1.3 billion in “direct payment” subsidies for rice and other crops to people who did no farming, according to The Washington Post, in July 2006.

This was a result of a misguided 1996 farm law, meant to phase out farm subsidies that began during the Depression. Though the regular subsidies helped farmers who were facing low prices, they also imposed strict controls on which crops could be grown.

The farm bill, dubbed “Freedom to Farm,” was meant to remove these government limits and phase out the subsidies by offering farmers an annual fixed cash payment based on the farm’s number of acres. The payments came without restrictions, meaning the farmers received the money as long as they did not develop the land, even if they didn’t grow anything.

As a result, non-farmers moving into residential areas that once were farmland are receiving government checks just for living on the land!  And farmers are also still receiving annual payments, regardless of whether or not they grow the subsidized crop.

These annual payments were supposed to decline over a seven-year period to transition farmers away from the subsidies, but instead the program expanded.

This year, as Congress works toward the final passage of the farm bill, the bill still includes the disbursement of $5.2 BILLION in “direct payment” subsidies, whether food is grown or not!

The farm bill, as it stands, does little or nothing to address the current concerns. It doesn’t change any of the biofuel mandates that direct more corn to ethanol, for example – another factor contributing to the global rise in food prices.

Said Representative Ron Kind (D-Wis), who has advocated broad changes in farm subsidy programs, “It really is astounding. It’s as if this farm bill is being negotiated in a vacuum.”

And Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, stated, “There really doesn’t seem to be any intervention that reflects these broader crises. They are sound asleep at the leadership level.”

Industrial agriculture lobbyists wield incredible power in Congress. However, they cannot dictate where you choose to buy food for your family. So please do your health a favor and support the small family farms in your area. You’ll receive nutritious food from a source that you can trust, and you’ll be supporting the honest work of a real family farm.

Maintaining Your Health as Food Prices Rise

There are no easy answers to the issues of rampant price hikes on food. Many deal with the current situation by cutting down on their medical care. Others start looking at the 99 cent burger deals at the local drive-through, or the processed meals in the frozen section of their supermarket, thinking they’ll save a few bucks.

Don’t go that route, folks.

You might save a few dollars today, but I can virtually guarantee you, you’ll pay for it later when ill health sets in. If you want to maintain optimal health, keep these simple – and in many cases free – guidelines in mind:

Eat as much raw, locally grown organic food as you can afford, paying attention to your nutritional type
Excercise regularly.
Get plenty of appropriate sunshine,which has been proven to help prevent numerous cancers and other diseases
Manage your stress.
Limit toxin exposure as much as possible
Get plenty of sleep. 

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Shalom! Taking precautions is good advice. Not the time to be passive, to save on rising prices. WATER, Oats, Milk Powder, frozen veg, wholemeal flour, butter if you can find any, oil, rice, fresh meat/fish to freeze, to name a few examples.
Blessings,
Ester.

                          Obtaining and Sprouting SEEDS

(NaturalNews) 21st May 2008
With food prices rising, the dollar falling, and the economy reeling, it is becoming increasing important that we learn how to grow a portion of our own food. The first steps are obtaining and sprouting seeds, so we'll explore those topics here.

Enzymes Are Your Friends

It may seem hard to believe, but life forms on Earth are constantly submerged in two of the most corrosive substances in the Universe: Oxygen and H2O. Seen at the microscopic level, we are dissolving like an antacid tablet in water. What keeps us alive in this highly solvent medium? It turns out that the enzymes in raw food offset the damage we sustain, reversing the aging process.
A rare disease called Progeria, Hutchinson Gilford causes extreme premature aging due to lack of enzyme activity. New studies at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences link autism to reduced enzyme activity.

Though we all eventually succumb to the ravages of time and oxidation, we can slow the process by consuming living foods that are rich in enzymes. Fresh, raw foods like sprouts are among those foods containing the most enzymes, but for the healthiest and freshest sprouts it is best to grow them yourself.
Sprouting Sunflower Seeds

Most of us have tried sunflower seeds, but it's likely they were no longer alive. The ones we had were probably already shelled, dried, roasted, irradiated, salted, preserved, bagged, shipped, and stored for long periods of time, by which point every last enzyme had perished. Wouldn't it make sense to consume living seeds? Real seeds will lay dormant for many years or until activated by moisture.

After sprouting, most edible seeds such as Alfalfa, Broccoli and Radish are left in the sun for a couple of days to produce Chlorophyll (a process called Greening or Photosynthesis). Sunflower seeds are ready to eat once they sprout so they are a great first choice for sprouting. Along with containing nearly every vitamin, fresh sprouts actually produce minerals not present in the original seed through a process called transmutation, so they are an extremely cost effective form of nutrition. (Instructions for sunflower sprouts are provided at end of this article).

Seed Types

After learning to grow sprouts you may try growing sunflower greens, whole sunflowers or other vegetables. It is important to understand the main types of seeds:

* Heirloom seeds (also called Heritage seeds) will reproduce the same every generation. Most of us assume all seeds are like this.

* Hybrid seeds are the product of two unique plants and the seeds will gradually revert to the dominant parent over subsequent generations. While providing more variety, these seeds must be purchased again each season to obtain the same crop.

* Genetically Modified (GMO) seeds are patented and require a license fee and a contract to use certain pesticides. Some GMO crops are designed to produce sterile (terminator gene technology) seeds. GMO seeds mix both plant and animal matter in ways that nature never intended. Recent studies showed that GMO crops have 10% lower yields.

GMO companies like Monsanto are part of the pesticide industry and they have been aggressively buying up seed companies for the past 20 years. Corporations prefer fruits and vegetables that are picked before ripening and have tougher skin in order to survive shipping. However if given a choice, consumers prefer fruit with more delicate skin and flavor. Farmers of generations past dedicated their entire lives to producing seeds for plants that would grow well in their local area, only to have them go extinct due to commercial interests.

"Fair Trade" alliances such as CAFTA and Codex Alimentarius seek to irradiate, patent and/or genetically modify all seeds. The new Iraqi Constitution only permits farmers to plant Monsanto GMO seeds. Canada's ridiculous C-51 legislation seeks to regulate all seeds and plants as "prescribed foods" which would effectively ban seed saving.
However, seeds should be regarded as treasures and seed diversification is essential if we are to withstand food viruses such as the one that caused the Great Potato Famine in Ireland in the 1840s.

Stock up on Heirloom seeds while you still can!

Recipe for Sunflower Sprouts

Ingredients:

* Sprouting Jar.

* Screen Lid (or cheese cloth and rubber band).

* Sprouting Sunflower seeds (food grade).

* Filtered Water (I prefer distilled).

Instructions:

* Fill jar about half-way with sunflower seeds.

* Add enough water to cover seeds.

* Soak seeds 1-2 hours and drain.

* Turn jar upside down and rest at an angle inside a soup pot to allow excess water to drain.

* Keep seeds in moist, dark area at room temperature 2-3 days.

* Rinse and drain seeds once each day.

* Sunflower sprouts do not grow large and are ready to eat nearly right away.

* The sprout will be about 2-3 times the size of the seed.

* To remove hull, hold the seed with one hand and tug the sprout with the other.

* Store in refrigerator and consume within 2-3 days.

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Shalom! Happy sprouting for enzymes and anti-aging! 

Blessings,
Ester

Greetings, Friends;

I found the following article on the Yahoo! web page.  I have heard it said, "fortune favors the prepared mind".  Call it fortune, providence, fate, or whatever.  The time to become prepared is NOW.  Those that entered the ark with Noah were prepared to ride out the storm.  There's a definite storm brewing.  And, it's already on our side of the horizon--wise words in this little survey article.  I pray YAH blesses and keeps all my friends.

YAH's Shalom,
Danny Lee ben-Israel




By SAMANTHA GROSS, Associated Press Writer Posted Sat May 24, 2008 11:12am PDT

Peter Laskowski stacks firewood at his remote home in Waitsfield, Vt., Friday, April 11, 2008. Convinced that the planet's oil supply is dwindling and the world's economies are heading for a crash, people around the country are moving onto homesteads, learning to live off their land, conserving fuel and, in some cases, stocking up on guns they expect to use to defend themselves and their supplies from desperate crowds of people who didn't prepare. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

BUSKIRK, N.Y. - A few years ago, Kathleen Breault was just another suburban grandma, driving countless hours every week, stopping for lunch at McDonald's, buying clothes at the mall, watching TV in the evenings.

That was before Breault heard an author talk about the bleak future of the world's oil supply. Now, she's preparing for the world as we know it to disappear.

Breault cut her driving time in half. She switched to a diet of locally grown foods near her upstate New York home and lost 70 pounds. She sliced up her credit cards, banished her television and swore off plane travel. She began relying on a wood-burning stove.

"I was panic-stricken," the 50-year-old recalled, her voice shaking. "Devastated. Depressed. Afraid. Vulnerable. Weak. Alone. Just terrible."

Convinced the planet's oil supply is dwindling and the world's economies are heading for a crash, some people around the country are moving onto homesteads, learning to live off their land, conserving fuel and, in some cases, stocking up on guns they expect to use to defend themselves and their supplies from desperate crowds of people who didn't prepare.

The exact number of people taking such steps is impossible to determine, but anecdotal evidence suggests that the movement has been gaining momentum in the last few years.

These energy survivalists are not leading some sort of green revolution meant to save the planet. Many of them believe it is too late for that, seeing signs in soaring fuel and food prices and a faltering U.S. economy, and are largely focused on saving themselves.

Some are doing it quietly, giving few details of their preparations — afraid that revealing such information as the location of their supplies will endanger themselves and their loved ones. They envision a future in which the nation's cities will be filled with hungry, desperate refugees forced to go looking for food, shelter and water.

"There's going to be things that happen when people can't get things that they need for themselves and their families," said Lynn-Marie, who believes cities could see a rise in violence as early as 2012.

Lynn-Marie asked to be identified by her first name to protect her homestead in rural western Idaho. Many of these survivalists declined to speak to The Associated Press for similar reasons.

These survivalists believe in "peak oil," the idea that world oil production is set to hit a high point and then decline. Scientists who support idea say the amount of oil produced in the world each year has already or will soon begin a downward slide, even amid increased demand. But many scientists say such a scenario will be avoided as other sources of energy come in to fill the void.

On the PeakOil.com Web site, where upward of 800 people gathered on recent evenings, believers engage in a debate about what kind of world awaits.

Some members argue there will be no financial crash, but a slow slide into harder times. Some believe the federal government will respond to the loss of energy security with a clampdown on personal freedoms. Others simply don't trust that the government can maintain basic services in the face of an energy crisis.

The powers that be, they've determined, will be largely powerless to stop what is to come.

Determined to guard themselves from potentially harsh times ahead, Lynn-Marie and her husband have already planted an orchard of about 40 trees and built a greenhouse on their 7 1/2 acres. They have built their own irrigation system. They've begun to raise chickens and pigs, and they've learned to slaughter them.

The couple have gotten rid of their TV and instead have been reading dusty old books published in their grandparents' era, books that explain the simpler lifestyle they are trying to revive. Lynn-Marie has been teaching herself how to make soap. Her husband, concerned about one day being unable to get medications, has been training to become an herbalist.

By 2012, they expect to power their property with solar panels, and produce their own meat, milk and vegetables. When things start to fall apart, they expect their children and grandchildren will come back home and help them work the land. She envisions a day when the family may have to decide whether to turn needy people away from their door.

"People will be unprepared," she said. "And we can imagine marauding hordes."

So can Peter Laskowski. Living in a woodsy area outside of Montpelier, Vt., the 57-year-old retiree has become the local constable and a deputy sheriff for his county, as well as an emergency medical technician.

"I decided there was nothing like getting the training myself to deal with insurrections, if that's a possibility," said the former executive recruiter.

Laskowski is taking steps similar to environmentalists: conserving fuel, consuming less, studying global warming, and relying on local produce and craftsmen. Laskowski is powering his home with solar panels and is raising fish, geese, ducks and sheep. He has planted apple and pear trees and is growing lettuce, spinach and corn.

Whenever possible, he uses his bicycle to get into town.

"I remember the oil crisis in '73; I remember waiting in line for gas," Laskowski said. "If there is a disruption in the oil supply it will be very quickly elevated into a disaster."

Breault said she hopes to someday band together with her neighbors to form a self-sufficient community. Women will always be having babies, she notes, and she imagines her skills as a midwife will always be in demand.

For now, she is readying for the more immediate work ahead: There's a root cellar to dig, fruit trees and vegetable plots to plant. She has put a bicycle on layaway, and soon she'll be able to bike to visit her grandkids even if there is no oil at the pump.

Whatever the shape of things yet to come, she said, she's done what she can to prepare.

                                  Emergency Telephone Numbers
                                           These are more effective than 911
When -

You are sad, phone John 14

You have sinned, phone Psalm 51

You are facing danger, phone Psalm 91

People have failed you, phone Psalm 27

It feels as though Elohim is far from you, phone Psalm 139

Your faith needs stimulation, phone Hebrews 11

You are alone and scared, phone Psalm 23

You are worried, phone Matthew 8:19-34

You are hurt and critical, phone 1 Corinthians 13

You wonder about your belief, phone 2 Corinthians 5:15-18

You feel like an outcast, phone  Romans 8:31-39

You are seeking peace, phone   Matthew 11:25-30

It feels as if the world is b igger than Elohim, phone  Psalm 90

You need YAHshua like insurance, phone  Romans 8:1-30

You are leaving home for a trip , phone  Psalm 121

You are praying for yourself, phone  Psalm 87

You require courage for a task, phone  Joshua 1

Inflation's and investments are hogging your thoughts, phone   Mark 10:17-31

You are depressive, phone  Psalm 27

Your bank account is empty, phone  Psalm 37

You lose faith in mankind, phone  1 Corinthians 13

It looks like people are unfriendly, phone  John 15

You are losing hope, phone  Psalm 126

You feel the world is small compared to you, phone  Psalm 19

You want to carry fruit, phone   John 15

Paul's secret for happiness, phone   Colossians 3:12-17

With big opportunity/ discovery, phone   Isaiah 55

To get along with other people, phone   Romans 12

ALTERNATE NUMBERS

For dealing with fear, call   Psalm 47

For security, call  Psalm 121:3

For assurance, call  Mark 8:35

For reassurance, call   Psalm 145:18

ALL THESE NUMBERS MAY BE PHONED DIRECTLY.
NO OPERATOR ASSISTANCE IS NECESSARY.
ALL LINES TO HEAVEN ARE AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY.
FEED YOUR FAITH, AND DOUBT WILL STARVE TO DEATH

--------------------------------------------------
Shalom beloved! All at our finger tips! Who is nearer to us than our Elohim YAHWEH!
To Whom ALL glory and honour is due!
Call upon Him while He is near!
Love and blessings,
Ester.

                                                                Prepare now for surging food costs and empty grocery store shelves…
                                                                                   How To Survive The Coming Food Shortage!


Why almost everyone is wrong about
how to survive any food shortage or crisis!
 From: Consumer Reporter
Thursday, 8:37 a.m.

*******************

If you have ever wanted to produce your own cheaper than dirt survival food...this is going to be the most important message you will ever read.

Here is why:

There now exists a new video course that reveals how to safely prepare and store foods in the event of a dangerous worldwide crisis. It’s designed for anyone who is frustrated with surging grocery prices and the very real possibility of empty shelves during the first year of the new administration.

The success of the new videos has already encouraged hundreds of people who never thought they could preserve their own food to take action and finally start storing their emergency supply.

Massive Food Shortage Creates Worldwide Chaos!
Skyrocketing food prices are hitting pocketbooks worldwide. The world’s poorest countries which have the highest population bases are at risk the most as core food supplies become scarce. Worldwide grain supplies are dropping precipitously. Exporting nations are now themselves running out of grain.


Will Canadian Troops be guarding U.S. food supplies this winter?   

As a result, hunger is spreading worldwide. Already, several African nations have had citizens killed in food riots. There is talk that the government in Bangladesh could be toppled over soaring food prices. Food-related tensions and unrest are breaking out in Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and South America. Armed soldiers now stand watch over rice distribution in more and more countries. Just a few miles to the South, food riots have broken out in Mexico and Haiti. Estimates are that 33 nations are at risk of conflict and social unrest because of food shortages.

That's a lot of suffering. And, Americans who know their history understand all to well, suffering tends to bring out the ugly side in human nature. Right now, Americans just change channels when they see others starving on television. But it seems America could be next. The dollar is quickly losing value and the U.S. is more dependent on foreign food production than ever. Already grocery bills are rising faster than incomes. Wheat, corn, soybeans, bread, apples, beef, chicken, eggs, and milk: prices for these items are shooting up by double-digit percentages. Coupled with energy prices pushing skyward, more and more Americans are feeling the pinch which now includes food shortages. Many experts think we could be approaching the greatest disaster in the country's history. Many Americans are starting to prepare.

How To Prepare For An Unthinkable Crisis!
There is still time for you to prepare, but you have to start learning how to make your own survival foods as soon as humanly possible. The best way to do it is to get the inside scoop on how to do it right. Fortunately, there is a way to get twenty years worth of food storage secrets crammed into two DVD's.

This new food storage system is called Food Storage Secrets. You do not need a lot of expensive equipment to store foods for a crisis using the methods taught here. Even better, Food Storage Secrets pays for itself quickly as you begin to put away garden produce or even meats that you buy on sale. For most folks it's simply the biggest bargain of their lives. You can finally become self-sufficient and any extra money saved in food expense goes right back to your pocket. Frankly, at the end of the day, Food Storage Secrets actually makes you money!

What's more, the videos take you by the hand, step by step, through the entire process of "putting away" almost any food you can think of. It's very much like having a food storage professional right there with you every step of the way.

 http://www.foodshortageusa.com/
From above webpage (a big thank you to RemnantMama ) you will find links to the following, PLUS a FREE copy on How to Store Food!!
Blessings in Yahshua,
Ester.

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Want To Learn More About The Global Food Shortage?
Click Here To Watch The World Food Shortage Network

FREE First Thanksgiving book
reveals how the pilgrims dealt with extreme food shortages.
Click Here For Your Free Copy



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                                                              Stay informed as the food shortage crisis develops...
                                                              *******************   Food Shortage Solution: Eat Your Landscape

 


When food shortages occur, those
who have planned ahead with edible
landscaping will truly benefit.

 When food shortages occur, those who have planned ahead with edible landscaping will truly benefit. People often landscape around their homes with beautiful flowers, to benefit the birds and butterflies…why not benefit you personally as well?

Blueberries are easy to plant around a home and with good care it will produce blueberries for muffins, drying, snacking, ice cream toppings and many other goodies! Cherry trees can be decorative and productive and if you don’t have room for trees there are also bush cherries available! In the right zones, tangerines, lime, lemon and orange trees offer fruit and shade. Coffee plants can be kept in containers on the corner of decks, and cranberries, currants and a host of other berries can be run along fence lines.
 
  Ginkgo is a long cultivated nut tree with an unusual point in a male and female tree is needed to provide nuts. They grow up to 30 feet high in full sun, and the males may e kept on the street or front yard with the female back further so you can harvest the nuts without competition!

Do you have a sitting area you’d like to make use of? There is not a better area to use for growing herbs! Planters can host chocolate mint, lemon mint as well as the more common spearmint and peppermint – keep them separated as they can be invasive. Rosemary, thyme, lavender, lemon grass and horseradish are all productive plants as well. You can, with a little research, create a tea garden to sip sweet tea on summer afternoons, or a potpourri/craft garden if that’s an interest for you. Best of all is a kitchen garden – garlic, basil, savory and a wide range of other plants can be grown in most areas. You get a year’s worth of landscaping plus food. Plants such as rosemary can handle quite a bit of trimming once established and fresh herbs are so much better than the processed ones!

Adventurous gardeners may try less common plants such as josta berry, jujubes and apricots. If you like nuts, almonds are another possibility for those with extra space. Have a shady area you want to use? Get a log implanted with shiitake mushrooms, which can last several years. This is a great way, if you like mushrooms, to grow your own and use the space that isn’t fully in the sun.

Strawberries are an obvious choice for very little effort. A flower box with pansies can generate lavender pansy preserves as well as decorating. Rhubarb is another possibility, with rhubarb pie being a favorite of many people.

This is just as possible for those in cooler climates as in the coastal zones. Smaller trees and shrubs can provide considerable food for a small family as well as dressing up your yard with flowers and fragrance – after all flowers are needed for fruit!
Some use vines to cover areas and among the vines that can be used is grapes. Gourds and other vines can also be ‘trained’ up a trellis.

A natural offshoot as you begin landscaping with edible food is composting – compost bins don’t have to be unsightly! While many use pallets – which can be ‘dressed up’ with flowers or ‘hidden’ behind bushes – an older trash can works well also. An old metal one that may leak is great – put a few holes in it and dress it up with a coat of paint. You will no longer have to pay to have grass and other things hauled off – compost it, turn it back into something useful for your garden!

The University of Nevada designed, installed and maintained a strip in the city of Reno. One area was designed to attract insects (which pollinates the landscaping), but there was also a salsa garden, salad/herb garden, perennials, “Three Sisters garden”, tomatoes and ground cherries. This is a great use of space!

There are many websites and books available on these topics; it is not difficult or expensive to produce edible landscape!
 
Food Shortages Loom For America
 
 
We in America are spoiled. We have so many choices at the grocery store that it is beyond the imagination that food won’t be there. Although there are many right here in the United States who go to bed hungry on a regular basis, the true food shortages which have sparked riots in other countries have thus far escaped the USA. It is foolish to think we are immune forever.

Wendell Berry mentioned in his book “The Unsettling of America” 31 years ago that food was too important to be used as a weapon. People have ignored that idea for three decades because – WE have food on the grocery shelves and it can’t be that bad.
 
 
Society looked the other way as dairy farmers struggled to hang on to herds of a couple hundred cows and maintain their lifestyle. It looked the other way again when small hog farmers were buried under 9 cent hogs, a price that meant ham alone brought twice what the whole pig cost. Some farmers gave hogs away as it would cost them to sell or keep them.

This eliminated many alternatives for our food. While we see now that with oil those who have it can, will, and do dictate the price people do not see the flashing neon sign that our food supply is in the same situation. Indeed, consumers are for the most part so unaware of it that they continue to purchase on cost, generating revenue for the handful of corporate entities that hold the majority of our food supply.

Archer Daniels Midland – ADM – bills itself as “supermarket to the world” and had a 67% increase in profits while Cargill – resented by small farmers the world over – had an 86% profit increase.

Most consumers have no idea what some ingredients in their products really are.
For example, sorbitol is a hydrogenated sugar alcohol derived from corn, which is used in sugarless gums and candy, as well as being an ingredient in polyurethane.
 
As one of the largest processors of oil seed, ADM produces soybean powder and meal for human and animal use. Extracted from that is a crude oil used not only for edible oils, vegetable oils and lecithin, but also for industrial oil, biodiesel, and polymers.

Cargill – enjoying record profits – has its hands in baked goods, cereals, beverages from alcohol to soft drinks to fruit drinks, candy and chocolate, dairy, health and organic (think sports drinks, vitamins!), meat and poultry, pharmaceuticals, prepared foods (condiments, jams/jellies, side and main dish mixes, puddings, sauces and much more) and snack foods. You won’t see “Cargill” on grocery store shelves openly labeled just like you won’t see the other majority players, but it’s there and much of what you eat comes from them.

Rest assured when it comes to maintaining those record profits that they will have that in mind before those too poor to buy their foods. Cotton farmers in India, pushed out by Monsanto cotton, have committed suicide at the prospect of losing their livelihood, and farmers in many other countries do not even want them as neighbors. If it comes to their finances or yours – theirs will take precedence.  Monsanto and Cargill each own 50% of a company that markets genetically engineered foods worldwide.

Monsanto eagerly pushes farmers into courtrooms where a small farmer has no chance of winning, whether or not they’ve ever planted their seed. One farmer was held accountable for planting their genetic altered seed on land he didn’t even own – which made no difference in the courtroom. Absolute power corrupts absolutely is an appropriate adage to describe what’s happening.

With these corporations holding the vast majority of our food supply…what happens when they raise prices and demand more profits? We can do without fuel – but we cannot do without food. Unfortunately, the headlights are approaching and American consumers don’t have a clue to move off the road.

Corporate America exists for one thing – profit. They might give a token amount for charities but profit comes before anything. Lower costs drive the ‘reasons’ for GMO products, which most people don’t want to eat and farmers don’t want near their fields.

If your checkbook is drained and they’re showing record profits do you think they will barter with you as small farmers will? Do you think they will feel sorry and say “here’s groceries until you get on your feet? Not going to happen – it cuts into their profit. Farmers have seen it – consumers don’t and are unaware of it.

And THAT takes food shortages to a whole different level.

 

*******************  Protecting Your Food Supply - 10 Tips
 
Learn to “put up” food – canning, food dehydrating and other methods are easier than ever with modern gadgets designed to preserve food.
It takes a little effort ...

 1. Learn to garden and use whatever space you have available. From a back yard area, raised beds, container gardens on a deck or small herb pots in the kitchen window, people can grow more than they think with a little creativity and effort. Use edible landscaping for plants that are decorative as well as that provide food. Need a couple shade trees? Why not use fruit or nut trees – they will supply shade as well as food.

2. Learn to “put up” food – canning, food dehydrating and other methods are easier than ever with modern gadgets designed to preserve food. It takes a little effort – but on a kitchen counter you can dry enough herbs for a year; you can make real powdered and flaked pepper, garlic and onion.
 
  3. If you freeze food, be sure you have a means to keep it going in a crisis. If the electricity goes off you don’t want to lose a year’s supply of food! Have a generator and fuel, get a propane freezer, have some means of keeping that food cold. Putting food aside is only part of insuring your food supply – storing it safely is the other issue.

4. Be discreet. Don’t brag about your food supply and don’t spread the word you have six months of food in your basement. If you do, and there’s a crisis, you may be overrun with people who know you have plenty stocked away. Are you then prepared to defend your food supply?

5. Storage a problem? Use areas most don’t think of. The pantry is good for many things but if you’re putting up dozens of jars of spaghetti sauce, preserves, soups and other sauces you’re going to need room. Have a protected corner of the basement up off the ground (enough that a wet floor won’t damage the food!).

6. Along with your food supply have a means to prepare food including water, grill and gas/wood/charcoal, etc. If a storm knocks an area down for 2-3 weeks be able to rely on your own resources for those 2-3 weeks. Have on hand not only necessity items but a few luxury items as well. These could include a little candy, or cookies or something that just makes things a little more like home.

7. Don’t forget storing personal hygiene items – you can make a ‘composting toilet’ from free plans online…having this available with sawdust or shavings, toilet paper and other items can greatly increase the comfort in an emergency.

8. Don’t rely on the government helping – or on people being friendly. A catastrophic situation such as New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina showed the government cannot handle it – people have got to be able to rely on themselves. Prepare and have plans in place for tornado, fire, emergency evacuation and sheltering in place (being confined to home). Remember a train derailment or other issues can change things in a hurry! Practice that evacuation. You have 10 minutes- what do you grab? Hesitating can be deadly…having a plan can mean survival.

9. Be able to cook from scratch, make bread and do other skills to get through if you had to. If you have the food stocked up it doesn’t do any good if you can’t use it. If you rely on mixes make your own mixes in Ziploc ™ bags that seal tightly – label with a marker right on the bag with how much liquid, egg and oil to add. In a pinch, that bag can be the bowl – simply put wet ingredients in and mix, then pour into a baking pan. Experiment with your grill to make things before you have to.

10. Being able to hunt and fish can mean having an ongoing food supply. Having fishing gear and hunting supplies can mean the difference between eating or not. In the depression some spoke of having a small dog that would go through culverts and flush out rabbits while the large dog at the other end dispatched the rabbit as it ran out. Sporting? Perhaps not…but if it comes to eating or not, how ethical will you be after not eating for 4 days? Get prepared now. Work on getting things growing, on learning the skills you have to in order to survive. When the public food supply is interrupted it will be too late. 

 ==================

Toda raba to R'Mama for the links to these fabulous articles to bless the community here.
Knowledge will not benefit if actions are not taken!    Print out for ref would be great!
Love and blessings in Yahshua's most glorious and worthy-to-be-praised Name!
Ester.

Shalom! Do look into this and TAKE action! Blessings, Ester.


http://www.survivalseedbank.com/

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TESTING THE FAITH
Pastor now tells how to prep for imminent catastrophe
Wilkerson says be ready, 'See the salvation of the Lord'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: March 09, 2009
8:35 pm Eastern

© 2009 WorldNetDaily

 
David Wilkerson
A nationally known pastor and author who predicts an imminent catastrophe of YAH's* judgment on America
is now telling concerned Believers it is time for peace and preparation, not panic.

"This is what I hear the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart concerning my own spiritual response to impending calamity," writes David Wilkerson, author of "The Cross and the Switchblade" and founder of a ministry to troubled New York street kids, on his blog today. "It is simply this: Stand still and see the salvation of YAHWEH*."

As WND reported, Wilkerson drew attention by publishing on his blog over the weekend a vision for impending fires and riots sweeping through New York City and other cities across the country.

"An earth-shattering calamity is about to happen," he writes. "It is going to be so frightening, we are all going to tremble – even the righteous among us."

"It will engulf the whole megaplex, including areas of New Jersey and Connecticut. Major cities all across America will experience riots and blazing fires," he explains. "What we are experiencing now is not a recession, not even a depression. We are under YAHWEH’s* wrath."

After such dire words, Wilkerson was asked how people should respond to his message, and, with today's blog post, the pastor answered.

       
"I can only answer by sharing what the Holy Spirit is speaking to my own heart and what I am to do," writes Wilkerson. "I shared that I was led in a practical way to lay aside a month’s supply of food — because I have witnessed the panic in the wake of terrorism."

Wilkerson's call to prepare for catastrophic circumstances comes during a time when, as WND reported, the economic crisis has prompted a surge of business in the emergency preparedness industry.

Bill Heid of Survival Seeds, a company that sells "banks" of high-yielding vegetable seeds sealed for long-term storage, told WND, "The survivalist mentality used to be considered a fringe element, but now that economic times are such as they are, many more average, regular folks are adopting the same set of preparations."

But Wilkerson also sees a spiritual application of his message, calling Believers to exhibit peace and hope in YHWH's* salvation in the midst of fearful times.
"My warning is just one voice among many who are saying the same thing," writes Wilkerson. "We may all tremble for a season, but those who truly know YHWH’s Word will be quickly comforted by the Ruach*. We will be baptized with a great peace – a supernatural quietness – which will be a tremendous witness to the fearful multitudes."

One of the many leaders with a similar message is Dr. Gary Dull, pastor and founding member of The Faith and Freedom Institute.

"America was founded with a spiritual basis, but there are those who want to make it a purely secular nation," said Dull to an NBC reporter. "Because of the rejection of YHWH* and His values, we can expect nothing but His judgment. All one needs to do is to read in history and find out how that when a nation forgot YHWH*, YHWH*orgot the nation."

A past vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention is hoping believers pay attention to Wilkerson's message.

"I have known David Wilkerson for more than 25 years as well as many of his friends and associates," said Pastor Wiley Drake. "He is a righteous man and I believe he is listening to YHWH*. I encourage each Believer to read and heed what YHWH* is saying through our brother."

Wilkerson is the founding pastor of Times Square Church in New York City, where he launched a ministry to gang members and drug addicts in 1958. He is a highly regarded mentor to other pastors in evangelical circles and travels the world holding conferences for other ministers.

His work in New York in the 1950s and 1960s led to the formation of Teen Challenge – a nationwide ministry to reach out to people with life-controlling habits. Teen Challenge has grown to include 173 residential programs and numerous evangelism outreach centers in the U.S., and 241 centers in 77 other countries. The program claims a recovery rate of 86 percent.
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David Wilkerson is a mighty vessel in YAHWEH's Hand. Taking heed is better than not being prepared in such times as these.
ABBA has given us the wisdom and discernment to be always watchful.
Shalom in Yahshua! Ester.

Shalom! Wholesome article on Dandelions! Enjoy! Blessings in Yahshua,
Ester.                                                   


    Dandelions.

Benefits

Dandelions can be beneficial to a garden ecosystem as well as to human health. Dandelions attract beneficial ladybugs and provide early spring pollen for their food. In a study done at the University of Wisconsin, experimental plots with dandelions had more ladybugs than dandelion free plots, and fewer pest aphids, a favorite food of the ladybugs. Dandelions long roots aerate the soil and enable the plant to accumulate minerals, which are added to the soil when the plant dies. 

Not only are dandelions good for your soil, they are good for your health.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a serving of uncooked dandelion leaves contains 280 percent of an adult's daily requirement of beta carotene as well as more than half the requirement of vitamin C. Dandelions are also rich in vitamin A.

Dandelions are also used as herbal remedies. The white sap from the stem and root is used as a topical remedy for warts. The whole plant is used as a diuretic and liver stimulant.

 Identification and Biology

The dandelion is one of the most common and recognizable weeds. The official name for the dandelion is Taraxacum officinale, which means "official remedy for disorders". There are many common names for dandelions, including priest's crown, Irish daisy, monk's head, telltime, blowball, and lion's tooth.

The dandelion is a broadleaf weed, with a deep, fleshy tap root. What looks like a dandelion flower is actually many tiny yellow flowers surrounded by leafy bracts.( They are produced on stalks 6 to 40 centimeters tall (2.5 to 16 inches) clustered at the base of the plant.(7)

The common dandelion is a biennial or perennial plant which reproduces by seed. The seeds spread with the help of their downy parachutes.

People often confuse the common dandelion with the false dandelion, Hypochoeris radicata. The false dandelion looks similar to the common dandelion.-
Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides.

                                  False dandelions
 
Hawkbeard flower heads and ripe seeds are sometimes confused with Dandelions.Dandelions are so similar to catsears (Hypochaeris) that catsears are also known as "false dandelions." Both plants carry similar flowers which form into windborne seeds. However, dandelion flowers are borne singly on unbranched, hairless and leafless, hollow stems, while catsear flowering stems are branched, solid and carry bracts. Both plants have a basal rosette of leaves and a central taproot.
However, the leaves of dandelions are smooth or glabrous, whereas those of catsears are coarsely hairy.

Other plants with superficially similar flowers include hawkweeds (Hieracium) and hawksbeards (Crepis). These are both readily distinguished by their branched flowering stems which are usually hairy and bear leaves. -Wikipedia

Antioxidant properties
Dandelion contains luteolin, an antioxidant, and has demonstrated antioxidant properties without cytotoxicity.

When I was first learning primitive living skills, I was intrigued by the thought of surviving off of what nature provides. Of all the plants talked about in the few survival books I had collected, dandelions were familiar and they were right under foot. So being the adventurous young male that I was, I tried them. Yacht, pituey, spit-spit-spit, blah! Well, so much for machismo. The bitterness was overwhelming. This did not help my interest in plants.

While working on my Ph.D. about 20 year ago, I designed a survey-driven research project of senior citizens in a rural Michigan farming community. Many of these people were born between 1890 and 1910. Most had grown up in an era where there was no electricity, no cars, no supermarkets.

They lived off canned, bagged, and bottled food they bought from the general store, whatever agricultural food they could produce or trade for, and wild foods they gathered from the surrounding area. The wild foods helped to spice up and add diversity to their diets. Dandelions were one of the most commonly eaten foods.

         Managing the bitterness away

As a result of my extensive experience preparing dandelions and the little I know about the science of taste, here are some conclusions I’ve drawn to bring out the flavor of dandelion greens while limiting the bitter sensation.

1. Dilution: This is where you mix your dandelions with something that dilutes the bitterness. This could include mixing it with milder greens (like miner’s lettuce or chickweed) or putting in some dish with other ingredients so that the proportion of dandelion leaf is reduced relative to the overall food. One of the best ways to use fresh dandelions in a salad is to chop them into small pieces and sprinkle them over a mixed salad. The bitterness of the dandelions is lost, but the overall flavor of the salad is enhanced. The key to this is not making dandelions more than one-fifth the mass of the total salad and having the pieces be small enough so that they do not overwhelm the taste buds.

2. Masking: This is a taste bud thing. Fat is the main ingredient for doing this. This is why many of the old-timers (like the farmers mentioned earlier) poured bacon grease over their dandelions. My understanding is that fat, in the form of oils, butter, bacon grease, etc., cover taste bud receptors and reduce their sensitivity to the harshest forms of the bitterness. Fat also enhances the flavor of the greens.

A “mess” of cooked dandelion greens drizzled in olive oil and sprinkled with dandelion flower petals. Mmmm... wonderful flavor with no bitterness. These greens were cooked for five minutes in only one pot of water because the least bitter greens were selected for use.
 
3. Distracting: Adding sugar, vinegar, or other impactful flavor to a salad causes your brain to have competing taste sensations to the bitter one. This makes the bitterness less prominent and sometimes lost in the other flavors.

You are now armed with the kinds of information that will help you get more satisfaction out of your dandelion greens. For me, a melted cheese and dandelion sandwich sounds great right now.

Dr. John Kallas is the owner of Wild Food Adventures, Institute for the Study of Edible Wild Plants and Other Foragables. He has been researching, teaching, and writing about wild foods for more than 25 years. For more information go to: www.wildfoodadventures.com

Shalom! While unpleasant news and events surround us, we have these folks kindly pointing us to getting prepared for any emergency!
It's darkness versus light, guess which side will triumph? 
Which side would we rather be with?
YHWH has given us brains and body to function, we can more than simply function if we choose to be more than conquerors in Yahshua!
HalleluYAH! Blessings to all who are determined to climb up Mt. Tsiyon,
Ester.

Emergency Preparedness
As the world seemingly becomes more dangerous, commonly learned skills are no longer enough to protect your family from disaster. Whether from a nuclear conflagration or a hurricane, emergencies can happen at any time. Families can do much to keep themselves safe, see the links below.

The government has recommended that all households be prepared to weather an emergency. Many folks in the northeast are already adept at stocking up. They know that a big storm could strand them for days or weeks without power. They might not get to the store for awhile either. Having emergency supplies around gives you something to fall back on.

Besides food, water, light and other emergency supplies, shelter is important too. Choices range from a full-blown bomb shelter to an existing root cellar, or just a place to hunker down in during a tornado. On these pages you'll find some useful information on what to do to prepare for various emergencies.

Nuclear preparedness is important too. If you think you don't have to prepare because "everyone will die" well, that's just not the case. Many people will survive even in the event of a nuclear attack. I hope the following information will help you be safe.

Nuclear Information
KI FAQ's
Shelter Designs



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Free Online Book:

Nuclear War Survival Skills

Radiation pills at Nitro-Pak.com .

Milkywaypublishing.

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Not happening-the links can't be done, the text keeps 'running' away from me, and highlighting the entire paragraph instead!!!  LOL!
Having a cat and "mouse"  fun time!!
Anyway, YHWH is fantastic! The links are there in the first post!
Our thanksgiving to ABBA and the folks supplying these vital info.
Being prepared in the spiritual having our ABBA's nature is more so than in the natural physical sense.
Love and blessings,
Ester.

So where is the following information to help us to survive or to be safe?, or did I miss it somehow?

Shalom!

My apologies!  The links didn't appear. Okay, I've placed in the links from here, learnt something new!  And that's good!
I've edited the previous post with the links working.

Here's the addtional from the links-

Nuclear Information Articles
Nuclear War Survival Skills[/u]]Nuclear War Survival Skills is a free online 270 page book. Ton's of information! As complete a reference as you'll need.

Map a Nuclear Blast, an interactive page from PBS where you can learn the effects of a nuclear blast on any address in the United States.

Shelter Designs, a collection of free designs for various shelters.

Doomsday Clock The current time of the Doomsday Clock, from the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. Be sure to check out the Timeline, a history of the clock and its past time swings.

How Nuclear Radiation Works[/u]]How Nuclear Radiation Works from howstuffworks.com. Easy to read, well illustrated and informative.

Three Mile Island[/u]]Three Mile Island, a book on the Washington Post website, This link goes to Chapter 6, where radioiodine fallout is discussed.

RadNet[/u]]RadNet, a rather technical site. Radnet documents and reports on plume sources and dispersion of radiation.

You can buy Potassium Iodide pills at Nitro-Pak.com [/u]]Nitro-Pak.com .



P/s All these info is from Milkyway Publications (love the name, like "the Land of milk and Honey"! : ))), praise YHWH for them.
Blessings,
Ester.