Comments on: The Toxic Dream: Progressively Improving Futures

By: międzynarodowe ubezpieczenie zdrowotne

międzynarodowe ubezpieczenie zdrowotne — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 18:41:00 +0000

Kredyty bez zgody współmałżonka
Przedstawiamy Państwu oferty kredytów gotówkowych, dla których nie jest wymagana zgoda współmałżonka. Kredyty są przeznaczone również dla osób z nie najlepszą historią w BIK. Procedury szybkie i uproszczone.
Kredyty bez zgody współmałżonka mają istotne znaczenie dla osób znajdujących się w trudnej sytuacji rodzinnej, nie zamieszkujących wspólnie, będących w separacji lub w trakcie rozwodu i nie mających rozdzielności majątkowej.
W takiej sytuacji tylko kilka banków jest w stanie udzielić pożyczki.
EUROBANK na dowód i bez zaświadczeń o zarobkach oraz bez BIK i zgody współmałżonka może udzielić nawet 30 tys zł na 7-8 lat !!! Wystarczy złożyć wniosek.
W pozostałych bankach mogą Państwo uzyskać od 10-20 tys zł bez zgody współmałżonka.

By: Linda Brady Traynham

Linda Brady Traynham — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 00:11:08 +0000

Bill, you wrote “11.Bill Simmons December 18th, 2009 10:54 pm :
Linda,
Sorry I’m talking about survival in a comment section about consumerism, but you and JHK have got me thinking about the relationship between the two ideas. The way I see it, in defense of consumerism, it is itself a survival strategy of the masses coping with the environment in which they find themselves- not exactly a awful environment by any stretch of the imagination despite JHK’s derision of modern American life, but nevertheless a world in which everyone must consume intelligently to prosper and survive the benign challenges of 21st century living. How to spend your disposable income and how to invest your savings in light of the trouble brewing?
I can think of a few interesting TEOTWAWKIT-or-not outcomes that might occur:
1. Planning for disaster and being ready for it when it does arrive.
2. Planning for disaster and wasting resources in needless preparation.
3. Planning for status-quo and being blind-sided by disaster.
4. Planning for status-quo and actually reaping the benefits.
5. Planning for status-quo and hedging for disaster.
6. Planning for disaster and hedging for status-quo.
Other possibilities?” Consumerism is great–so long as we can afford it! Your analysis is excellent and with care #2 will not be a factor; don’t buy any fall out shelters first. 1, 4, and 6 describe me best. Protect myself and those I love first, become as self-sufficient as possible, expect this to turn into a money-making operation if life staggers on, do my best to cover every sensible contingency I can (I can NOT protect us against UN troops, for example), and plan on coming out of TEOT-WAWKI stinking, filthy rich because I’ve got what everyone will want, starting with food and small livestock. Most of history folks counted themselves very well off indeed on a few acres with a garden, chickens, a goat, perhaps the luxury of a cow. Basic common sense is to secure your food supplies first by stocking up and expanding if possible. Get out of those high rise apartments and rent a small house in an older neighborhood. That will get a garden and reduce expenses. Americans are very wasteful, especially of time. Our chores take about 1 1/2 hours a day to milk twice, feed, cut brush for the goats (you could get stuff free from lawn services), and joy is taking care of a small garden after work. We’ve just forgotten HOW, or “when” people kept at least chickens and gardens. Write me any time you want to; ranchLT4@gmail.com. You’re smart, and I LIKE that. Linda

By: Linda Brady Traynham

Linda Brady Traynham — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 23:54:38 +0000

Joe…the solution is relatively simple, even though not all can manage it fully. Those of us who can opt out of the whole mess. We work on becoming as self-sufficient as possible and curtail all expenditures as sharply as we can manage. We trade with friends and family. We don’t buy things that occasion taxes if there is ANY other choice. We raise gardens, cut off the teens’ cell ‘phones, drive good old cars we can pay cash for, refuse to purchase useless consumer goods, hit Hollywood where it lives (no movies, no video rental, no cable TV), whack Pepsico by not buying soft drinks, Kentucky Fried, or Taco Bell., reduce driving, make our own lunches, and do everything we can come up with to lower tax revenue and growth of Agribiz, Pharma, Banks, government, and other connected entities. The BIGGEST thing to work on is finding a place you can grow a garden and either share or lease a little land. If you can, relocate to a small town or the country. For $250 (in Texas) you can get a GOOD milk goat who will provide all two families are likely to use about 300 days a year. Pullets (young hens who will be laying in a few weeks) cost $5.00 and will lay an egg every 26 hours in all but the worst of winter for at least two years. They cost little to feed because they love finding their own bugs and stuff. 5 hens would provide you with two dozen eggs a week practically free–IF you have some place to keep them. They will pay for themselves very quickly and be good eventually for soup or dumplings. If you have a rooster you can hatch chicks. If even one of several families has a place for livestock and you share the few chores you’ll reduce your food bills amazingly–and have fun. Get creative. YOU buy the goat and chickens if your friend has land and takes care of them. Read books on how to achieve independence. Use what you save by rejecting Pop Tarts, Dominos, Coca Cola, and HBO to get started. We built the greatest country ever known by growing our own food and not being wage slaves. If I can do it you sure can! Linda

By: Linda Brady Traynham

Linda Brady Traynham — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 23:29:00 +0000

Barry, I give up, what is “Distributionism?” It doesn’t sound like anything I’m going to like (since I work to produce things others would want to seize and distribute), but I’m always willing to listen. Thanks for writing.

By: Joe

Joe — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 09:58:55 +0000

All the inventions for an ‘ever-increasing prosperity’ have been found out. The only problem is the owners and rule makers of the markets’ playing fields have stiff-armed them out of production. The masses will not be given freedom from the grind which makes the owners of centralized markets the rulers of the masses. Sick egoes as usual are prevailing.

By: Linda Brady Traynham

Linda Brady Traynham — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 06:09:02 +0000

Mike, you did it ALL right, and you’re an inspiration to us all. That is EXACTLY how it should be done, and bless your ranching neighbors; in time you’ll come up with something of equal benefit to them. Our pride demands that. Oh, gosh, I’m going to hate to see this one disappear off W&G. And YES, there is little better than cribbage! Three games after dinner, then our books or research on Craig’s List…MY specialty is pegging, and you could grow to loathe the signs that say I have read your hand. I understand odds fine, but I am not lucky. In general my opponents are, and it makes them very vulnerable! Many a hand I’ll take you for eight or ten points (or more!) on a count of two. And…as much as I value self-sufficiency, one of the most special aspects IS shedding the trivial in life to gain time to be together, work together, and love each other more deeply. Get rid of TV, get rid of cell ‘phones, give up almost anything that will get you the incredible luxury of a stay at home spouse–and solve the paper problem, please! Wanderer! Figure out how to get the ink sludge out of newspapers at home for us, please. Dryer lint…felting will do for some things (animal hair mixed with a little detergent, mushed together, and dried) You people are a true delight to me! ranchLT4@gmail.com. Hugs, Linda

By: Linda Brady Traynham

Linda Brady Traynham — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 05:56:33 +0000

Ho, James the Wanderer, and you bet an engineering background is good no matter what you do or where you go! For starters…if you were part of our merry band I’d say, “Here’s what we have to work with, we can buy anything sensible we need for supplies, the Farm Manager will cooperate, we’ll all pitch in on building products…so go work out how to make all the biodiesel we need! Sugar beets are one strong possibility and we can use the leftover mash for animal feed. Oh…there is a 30,000 gallon tank over there that still has a little oil sludge in it, a boiler of at least 500 gallons, I can store several thousand gallons you produce other places, we have all sorts of machinery that runs on diesel, I’ve got a welder and lifting gear, and if you just have to have a chemistry lab we’ll re-fit the tack room. Let me know when you have a basic plan and have fun. PIck out a trailer to live in and dinner is whenever it is or cook for yourself.” Wow! My acquisitive heart beats faster at the thought of a PhD who functions as VP in charge of Energy and Developement. (I’m great at inventing titles. Everybody should have a good one he earns.) Remember Michael, over on http://www.thetexasring.com lives in Utah, and is very, very bright. How long until you have the poo-aitch-dee? I’m the Princess of Partially Partially Parallel and Only Slightly Skewed Universes, head cheerleader, and visionary. MY big job is planning my self-contained feudal fiefdom, and the HARD part isn’t land, cows, tractors, and casing to make our own sausage. It is personnel. You can’t HIRE the kind of men I need. I want BARONS, not serfs, men with skills, brains, and fire in their bellies. I need men who say, “I can contribute THIS in return for sharing what the rest of you produce, and here’s how my dream fits in with yours.” No, we are NOTHING like a pack of communists. Nobody owes anyone anything and we own nothing in common. We’re trying to put together our own Galt’s Gulch where we trade the good in ourselves and what we produce for the good in others. In time, if things ever reorganize and stabilize, we will probably have separate lands, but short term the more we can do to ensure self-sufficiency the safer and happier we all are. We all have our specialties, but we pitch in when a little extra muscle is needed. John is in charge of raising all of the vegetation humans and animals eat AND enough to barter–and he has the drive of a robber baron. He plans on getting rich fast! I’m rich already because all it “costs” me is a trailer I have several of, a little electricity, and setting another place at dinner. I can take care of his living expenses easily because I already have all these things; that frees him full time to produce, and his precious flock of goats roams happily with mine. Shazam, I erased every worry he had, and the land, seeds, machines, and tools are already here–and he has several material things I need badly. Instant factory, so to speak. HE will knock himself out providing what I did not have the energy, skills, and knowledge to get otherwise. He can use his share of the extra he produces to buy more goats or whatever he wants, and “my” share will be plowed into more upgrades. Bliss. It’s so Randian! Everyone is richer because John provides green, yellow, and red stuff, and he is richer because he doesn’t have to be distracted by anything else. I could really use a full time carpenter and handyman who wants to phase into having his own goats and chickens NOT because there isn’t plenty to eat, but to know that if circumstances sent him elsewhere he would have acquired basic farm skills and livestock. We’re big on cross-training. We’re working on becoming an association of equals who admire each other and are proud we pull our own weight and are building dreams that can be spun off in time…or get us all safely through the Greater Depression. So go study chemistry and any other sort of engineering, ’cause you might want to apply for membership some day! Linda

By: Mike

Mike — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 05:18:12 +0000

Hi Linda

In answer to your question “why SE Arizona?”… I do not really have an answer. I have traveled most of the country due to my work. The one thing I have discovered is that rural people are pretty much the same everywhere – (although I am not sure about Maine since I can only understand about one word in four they speak.) They are friendly, work hard and just generally enjoy life on life’s terms. I would be happy 100 miles out of the city in Minnesota if the weather were not so awful six months per year.

Our spot in Arizona is at about 5000 feet elevation, so the usual Arizona sterotypes do not necessarily apply. A few things we looked at when we decided on our AZ land were:

1 – Water – was there a decent aquifer within a reachable distance.

2 – Soil content – After you dug through about 4-6 inches of sand, it is almost 100% clay. (Clay mixed with sawdust makes soil that is as fertile as the soil in Idaho.)

3 – Local people – We have a cattle ranch immediately to the north of us and one immediately to the south. Both of the ranchers have already offered to allow us to have one or two cows per year run with their herds. So, we have already the beef problem.

4 – Hunting – Since we have the Dragoon mountains butting up to the western edge of our property, we have mule deer, whitetail deer (although they are smaller than the whitetails in MN), javalina, as well as several other large game. In terms of small game, there are some kind of funky looking quail, rabbits, as well as several other game birds. In short, daddy is going to be able to spend a whole lot more “quality time” with my rifles and shotguns!

Just a note to anybody else that might read this: If you are just starting to consider the benefits of escaping city life, try out the difficult parts of the self sufficiency first. About six or seven years ago, we decided to quit going out to eat in restaurant (except for very special occasions), we quit going to grocery stores, and we quite going to big box stores. Even living in suburbia, we tried to take on the “country life”. For a while we bought our produce at the farmer’s markets, until we got to know the farmers so now we buy directly from them. Once per year we buy a side of beef and a side of pork. We bake all of our own bread, make our sauces (making different kinds of mustard is great fun – on Christmas Eve we made a ginger-garlic mustard that will blow the back of your head off – GREAT stuff!) My wife learned how to can fruits and vegitables which means we always have the best jams and jellys. I have learned how to make sausage and smoke meat – no rushing out to the store to pick up plate of sausage and cheese before some unexpected guests drop by. The only household goods we buy at the store are paper goods (and I am trying to figure out a way to even get beyond that.)

This whole thing started as an experiment to see if we could manage to live happily in a “country” lifestyle. It has turned into a way of life even though we are (temporarily) still living in the city. In short the experiment proved that we eat better (I have gained 10 pounds), live happier, and it costs us about a third of what we were spending. So, cancel you cable TV subscription instead, enjoy a game of cribbage with your wife/husband at the dining room table (my evil-spiteful witch took 4 out of 5 games from me last night).

By: Barry

Barry — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 00:46:08 +0000

There’s an alternative to the mass consumerist ultra capitalist society we currently struggle to survive under. Capitalism’s only redeeming feature is that all the others that have been tried have been worse, much worse.
What hasn’t been tried so far except in isolated pockets is the system proposed by Chesterton, Bellloc, Fr McNabb and others called Distributism. A version of it has been working extremely successfully in Mondregon in Spain for most of the last century up till now.
Perhaps one day it will gain wider acceptance and people will be able to live dignified lives instead of the current pressured existence of boom and bust cycles with the Maddof’s of finance above it all.

By: James the Wanderer

James the Wanderer — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 18:17:01 +0000

I am currently living in an odd metropolis called Salt Lake City; it is largely clean, open and well-ordered. Brigham Young may have been many things, but he was a fairly good city planner; the streets were wide enough “to turn around a team and wagon”, and they are snowplowed in winter. I am not LDS, so I’m not totally tuned in to their culture, but their self-reliance, attunement to business and preparation (keep a year’s worth of food on hand, rotate your stocks) rings true to me.
At some point, I will either get my Ph.D. and find a position, or things will collapse first and I’ll have to move anyway; Utah is not exceptionally fertile, and I suspect SLC will turn out to be unsustainable at these population levels. My parents own a 30-acre farm in TN and another in TX; I may well wind up at one of them if things go south in a really spectacular fashion. Right now I admire your setups, and wish you all the best; I’m not sure if my Ch.E. degrees or prospective Ph.D. in material science would be really useful on a farm, but perhaps as a miner….
Cheers! Happy Holidays, and we’ll keep a weather eye open for new developments.
James the Wanderer