Recession~~~Depression....We Are In It People!!!! WTSHTF

Good morning reader's and thanks for stopping by.
I was watching the new's last night and hearing some of the remarks from our president wanna be's.....I watched carefully to hear what i already know is happening and i did not.Is everyone covering up the state we are in??? Are they dillusioned?Or do they think we are stupid????(((by the way if you dont know what WTSHTF means,when the s--- hits the fan))))
This nation is so much in a recession it is not even funny and it is being so whitewashed it is sickening.I I have some question's i would love to ask them!!!
1. Have you took a look at the grocery store prices lately?Do you not buy food?
2. What do you drive not to know gas prices?I have seen no one in a carriage or horseback lately!
3.Was their insurance raised already this year with the deductable going up as well,15%????
4.When was the last time they took a 400.00 a month wage cut to keep a job??(happened with my family and a lot more at shaw ind. in alabama last month! over 1,000 people work there,they have past supervisors working as machine operator's now with HUGE cuts!)
5.How many bill's are they behind on ''due to inflation''?
6.Heating cost up by 20 and 30% in places.That is huge amounts .
7.Less money coming in than going out anymore.How do they assume that this is going to encourage american's to spend more money to help save a nation that is falling..SPEND MORE????? Who is giving us this money to spend?As for me ,if ''This magic money'' appears would be to pay bills already owed!!!!! Do they consider that putting back into the economy?If so i am all for it!
8.They are encouraging you to go buy,BUY ,BUY!!!aND IF YOU DO AND TAKE YOURSELF FARTHER IN DEBT,you are going to loose ,loose loose....Be very careful with the money,if any, you have now.I fear it will not last long.
9.electricity going up monthly!A lot of families are paying 20% more than last year and that is with them cutting back usage!What The heck?
10.A lot of folks are in the same boat as we are,we pay excessive amounts monthly for insurance and can not afford to use it because of high deductables!
11.And last but not least.HOW do you not see that all these trades going on with other countries are killing us in the usa????All jobs are oversea's,so we are buying their products instead of our own(is it just me or was this stupid???) and now they are trying to kill us and our kids with lead?????WHAT PART OF THAT IS NOT RAISING FLAGS TO YOU????

I was looking up the actual difference in recession and depression....Here it is.

{{"In economics, key differences between the terms depression and recession exist. For example in the US, the last real depression was the Great Depression of the 1930s. The US economy has experienced frequent bouts of recession, however.Recessions tend to occur with greater frequency than do depressions because the economics of a country are relatively fragile, and slight changes, or shocks, like the dot.com burst, cause decreased spending that reduce the GDP by less than 10%. Usually a diversified economy recovers from this type of shock with relative rapidity because there are other ways to spend money.
The dot.com recession did last for several years. Some people inaccurately termed this a depression. It did not reduce the GDP by more than 10%, thus the economy recessed, and was not depressed.
People tend to reach for a term that reflects more than its actual meaning. Referring to a depressed economy is evocative of the type of depression people encounter when they must make less, spend less or invest less. A recession seems more neutral or more positive in comparison."}}

OK....That made so much sece let's try it this way.
What happens if we are in a recession?
{{we can expect employment to dip and unemployment to increase. That’s not an automatic relationship since “unemployment” is a technically defined term and, among other things, requires the person to actively seek work (also a requirement for collecting unemployment benefits).With fewer people working, we can expect income growth to stall.But spending cutbacks and reduced income means businesses are limited in their ability to pass along any increases in expenses in the form of higher prices. Indeed, to move goods off of shelves, businesses are more likely to reduce prices – and inflation.There will be pain for those who lose jobs during and because of the recession or recession-like environment, and the burden will fall to those who remain employed who will benefit from the lower prices. And it is just that benefit which will help us out of a recession in an economy dominated by consumers who will have the opportunity to play hero!}}

OK.....in case that is still confusing(((and why wouldn't it be,We are there people!!!!))))And the thing is, it is not over yet! It will get worse,there is not doubt in this ladies mind.
There is no fundamental difference between a recession and depression but recession is usually used for shorter periods. Two successive quarters of falling economic activity constitute a recession
2. The immediate impact on 'middle classes' is that there are unexpected failures of corporations and capital invested in stock markets is lost. For 'lower' classes there are redundancies and it is harder to find work.
3 Recessions end when a number of corporations see opportunities to make money again and start investing and taking on staff. This is often triggered by low interest rates.
4 When a country begins to emerge from recession people start to find work again and start spending money and those with capital start investing so stock markets respond.
5 It can be any length of time but it is usually determined by the overall mood of confidence and the action of governments to stimulate spending
6 It is a torrid time for politicians who always get blamed. The best thing that governments can do is to invest in infrastructure to create jobs and provide long term advantages to the community.




*********** I found this fellow's remarks online and wanted to share..He desribes it well in my opinion without all the b--------.


What is the difference between recession and depression?

A recession is when the economy starts to take a nose dive in growth, new jobs and profits! The consumers spending is what keeps a recession from coming! Housing market was always a safe haven to keep a bad recession from even happening! And the Big main Interest can help to by lowering it! But because of the house market colapse! (The big ballon bust) The housing market is no longer a safe haven from stopping a recession from coming!

But that's not the biggest problem we all will be facing soon!!! The big main interest rate has already been lowered to 4.25% 2 months ago and it may end up being dropped to 3.25 % but that will show just how bad things really are! Because that will be the lowest in American history!!!

Which will be very bad to do, seeing the American dollar is already losing a lot of value already! and by lowering it that low could back fire and not only bring the bad recession coming! a lot faster! And maybe even worse to throw us into a depression!!! Which if a depression was to come to the American people in todays fast pace world!!! It will be a complete disaster for Hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Americans! all businesses and companies will all close up!

Poverty will be every where, Crime with be a huge everyday life to all! And all America's enemys will take full advantiage of the depression the the Americans would be hit with!!! It will be a complete nightmare for all, the American people today could never withstand a depression!!!

The biggest things that caused all this upon us was first te wars we have still going on! The costs are Giganic and then the Housing market took off lie a turbo rocket and many were getting into houses they no way could ever afford because of dishonest bankers and realitors! the interest rate at 4.25 % help a;most anyone to buy a house if they could afford the house or not, because very dishonest bankers were making illegal mortiages that later would make te buys lose there houses in forced foreclosures!!

realitors were jacking up house prices double and tripple of what the houses were even worth! WHIICH MADE THE ECONOMY BOOM, AND MADE MANY SELLERS AND BANKERS AND REALITORS RICH!!!!

But everyone knew it wasn't going to last so they sold as many houses as they could and as fast as they could to anyone that wanted one! And at any COST!!! So they, sure many got houses they could have never been able to ever afford the normal way of getting a loan! but mst home buyers were sucked into Arm loans and pay the interest only loans!

Well the problem with tha was, it was only for a short term and whe the term was up, they all got nailed huge house payments, double and tripple in size in the payments which most can't fford, so the baks now are foreclosing on all of them just as fast as they can, ad may can't even refinance either, the mortiage companies aren't allowing it so the people are just losing there homes!

So to be point! about the whole problem, We have nothing good enough to stop the recession form coming and it's being talked about to be the worse recession ever hit American people! I feel the job forces will be starting the domino effects of lay off's probably around the end of feb. to the middle of Mar. and it will be a everyday thing and life as we all once knew it is in for a huge change of very unhappyness for most!!!

About all can say, is people better start getting ready for it, So the can be prepared of what's to come! Businesses had there hands in this problem too! All they have been doing for the last 5 - 6 years is jacking up all there products and services prices! o there to blame too! if there prices were back down to half of what there charging the consumers could stop the huge recession on it's way, but see they won't!

Businesses have gotten so dam greedy and raked in so many high profits, that they don't care if the recession comes, they made so much money, that it won't hurt the business owners pocket book!!!

I have been telling people for the last year! that the only way we can get back at the greedy money thirsty businesses today to stop them in there tracks of price hiking was for all of us to just quite buying there products and services until they dropped there high buck prices back down to where they should be!! bt no one seem to want to listen and just bought the stuff anyway at amost double the price it should actualy be at!!

So now they will wish they had listened to may warning about crazy spending! I really don't think the Fed's can stop the huge recession coming, they have no save haven housing market, main interest rate is too low already! the only real chance they have is force businesses to drop there prices in half! To get people spending again, or raise the main interest
up to at least 12% to see if it could actually turn the enonomy around!!! lowering it any further could only make a disaster!!!


And i will end with that.I totally agree with him.I fear america can not take a depression.We have before you say...YES we have .But at that time people were still self sufficent in most area's.They were capeable of raising their own food,Private water wells,Smoke houses for meat,traded with neighbors,and a large amount owned their homes free and clear and their land.America is not like that now,I would venture to say 20%-30% maybe can handle this! The one's that do have will have to protect their belongings and family by force i am afraid. I pray for america,,,i realy do.I love this land,and it's people.My next blog will be on idea's you can do ,to possibly save your families lives as well as your's........I am not a fear rager,I am a very positive person.I believe in jesus and he watches over us.He also warns us this is coming and gives us common sence to prepare.I would love to hear your thoughts on this...good or bad.....

~Betty~Simply Southern

Make it,Use it,Love it .DO IT YOURSELF!

I have been experimenting on solar ovens,not the sometimes expensive panels you buy in the store.I knew there had to be a way to make them yourself out of something ordinary,maybe something laying around the house or closeby.
There are a lot of good ideas out there so i am going to include some of these.Some are so easy my 5 year old grandson Billy can help with it.Now you may think ''why would i want to go to the aggravation of making something i have to leave in the yard and wait a few hours for it to get done''?
Here is why!Here in the deep south most of our down time from electricity is from hurricanes,tornado's etc.So is a lot of other areas.In the north would be snow storms and ice,much like what they are having now.If something happens and your electricity and/or gas is disruppted then you are out of ideas.You are still going to get hungry and the kids want to be fed.So on this scenerio would be really cool,if not logical,to know how to do it.GRANTED YOU WOULD NEED SUN ,but typically after the storm,there is sunshine,if only a few hours of it..That's all you'd need.
So that that idea you now find possibly silly or unneeded for a person such as yourself,Now makes you a very wise and prepared person indeed.Chances are everyone will be watching to see how you are getting by without the modern neccessities!Perhaps you were smart and prepared ahead of time..Yes,and what if something even worse happens?what if power were down for an extended time?
A lot of very smart people in high places are saying that there is a very high possibility that just this scenerio will happen in the very near future.An economic collapse.The people in the depression area did not plan for a collapse like that either.Most thought all was well and learning to live more modern.But the thing that differs from then to now is,Most people did still know how to take care of themselves without modern help.NOW THEY DON'T.TOO MANY GENERATIONS HAVE PAST THAT RELY ONLY ON OTHERS.
Worse case scenerio happens ,you at least have made a small step in helping yourself,best case,you can have fun camping and show off your newly acquired skills!
It is a win win situation for you..So come on,indulge yourself and try it!

Simply Southern~Betty R.
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Panel solar cookers are the first solar cookers that are truly affordable to the world’s neediest. In 1994, a volunteer group of engineers and solar cooks associated with Solar Cookers International developed and produced the first “panel” cooker, the CooKit. Elegant and deceptively simple looking, it is an affordable, effective and convenient solar cooker. It requires a dark, covered pot and one plastic bag per day or one high-temperature plastic bag per month. With a few hours of sunshine, the CooKit makes tasty meals for 5-6 people at gentle temperatures, cooking food and preserving nutrients without burning or drying out. Larger families use two or more cookers. The CooKit weighs half a kilogram, folds to the size of a big book for easy transport. CooKits are now produced independently in 25 countries from a wide variety of materials at a wholesale cost of $3-7 US. We expect that the new hand-assembled CooKits will outlast the manufactured CooKits which last for two years.

CooKits complement other cooking methods needed at night and on cloudy days. Coming about twenty years after the first efforts to replace open fires with improved cooking stoves, the CooKit uses no fuel at all. The CooKit is both user-friendly and environmentally friendly. Families can save scarce, expensive for when they cannot solar cook and when economically capable, add other, higher cost cooking improvements such as modern biomass, smoke hoods, biogas, or liquefied petroleum gas.
The CooKit folds to be about the size of a large notebook when not in use.The value of CooKits is outlined in the following manner:
Addressing fuelwood scarcities:



Solar cooking one meal a day, three times a week has been proven to reduce fuelwood consumption and related smoke by one third.
The CooKit saves more than four times its value in fuelwood each year. With careful use and storage, a CooKit can be used for two years, reducing fuelwood consumption by two tonnes.
Improving health:

The CooKit can pasteurize household drinking water, making it safe to drink.
The solar cooking process is smokeless, reducing respiratory diseases and eye irritation
Solar cooked foods retain vitamins, nutrients and their natural flavors; there is no smoky taste; the foods cook slowly in their own juices. Nutritious, slow-cooking traditional foods (beans, root crops, and some grains) are restored to the family diet
Clean up is easy as the food never burns or sticks to the cooking pot.
Solar cooks frequently report that the money they save on cooking fuel purchases is used to for many essentials, such as extra food, school supplies, and medical care.
Without having to gather wood or dung, breathe smoke, and tend a fire – all associated with traditional cooking – solar cooking is easy and safe for people with AIDS and other illnesses, the elderly, disabled and young orphans.


Rocks can be used to allow the CooKit to be used under windy conditions.Enhancing household and women’s economic status:

The CooKit represents a new opportunity for women to capitalize on an underserved market and better meet their own cooking energy needs
Solar cooking saves time as there is less need to tend a fire or collect firewood. A person can cook while at work, at the market, or tending crops. Young girls can attend school instead of searching for fuelwood.
Solar energy is free and abundant in many areas of Kenya, providing a safe, clean, healthy supplement to traditional fuels.
Co-developers are Roger Bernard of France and Barbara Kerr of the USA, with work also by Ed Pejack, Jay Campbell, and Bev Blum of Solar Cookers International. Extensive field tests in the USA and in many developing countries confirm its performance, convenience, low cost, acceptance, and adaptability to diverse needs.


Construction plans


Easy plans for making a CooKit
Plans for making a CooKit exactly as Solar Cookers International manufactures them. Start with a big piece of cardboard about 1m x 1.33m (3'x 4'). Cut and fold as shown. The angles and folds shown are best, but small variations are OK.Hints:


<<>>


To make clean straight folds in cardboard, first make a crease along the line with a blunt edge such as a spoon handle, then fold against a firm straight edge.
Make the slots a little too small and narrow so that they fit snugly to hold up the front panel.
Glue aluminum foil on the side that will form the inside surfaces when the oven is set up for cooking.
To set up, lay panel flat with shiny side up. Fold up front and back parts and fit back corners into the slots in front.
You're ready to cook! Put your food into a dark-colored pot. Then place the pot inside a plastic bag (an oven cooking bag will withstand the heat best). Close the open end of the bag and place pot and bag into the center of the cooker.

You will find more detailed plans in Solar Cookers and more tips and tricks on this one by going to main source loactaed here>>>>>>
solar cooking!CLICK HERE NOW


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Haybox Cookery --
What is a haybox? Simply an insulated box used for slow cooking. Haybox cookery saves energy. Hayboxes and solar box cookers go very well together. This tipsheet from the Centre for Alternative Technology shows you how to make one and suggests two easy recipes to start you off.


jOURNEY TO FOREVER-HAYBOX-

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Another really cool thing i have been looking at is a tipi.Native americans lived in them year round ,of course they were built properly.But all things considered would not be a bad idea to know the basics anyway.The kids would have a blast with it in the back yard,so try on just for fun.This peticular pattern uses pvc for tubing.i personally like using wood.

Backyard or Livingroom Tipi

The whole gang will love this mini tipi that’s perfect for every child's next backyard powwow.




Backyard or Livingroom Tipi

Materials:

tipi pattern (we used Terrific Teepees, available at www.sewbaby.com)
canvas
coordinating lining fabric
sewing machine
thread
heavy-duty sewing machine needle
masking tape
measuring tape
five 66-1/2" lengths of 3/4" diameter PVC pipe
drill
five 3/4" PVC end caps
five crutch tips
electrical tape (optional)
acrylic paint and textile medium (optional)

1. Follow the tipi sewing instructions provided with the pattern.

2. To make channels for the tipi poles, you will need to make a French seam. With the lining already stitched to the outside fabric layer at the top and bottom of each panel, lay two panels together, lining sides facing (figure A).

3. Mark and cut the corner, at the bottom of the channel, on a diagonal 2" from the side and 2" from the bottom (figure B).


Make this tent -from DIY NETWORK!


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A lot of talk has been going on now about everyone needing to go green,save the enviroment and the likes.I agree.i agree because i just think it makes sence!I know we should all do what we can do to help protect our earth.If we can live cheaper and more self suffcient-i know we should do that.We need to stand on our own two feet whenever possible just like our grandparents did.I assure you a lot less headaches come from that.The energy bills are not as high,gas prices are cut,grocery bills are not so scary and life is just much less stress free.Which by itself is eneough for me to think about it.
Been looking at earth ship homes. another house building method that caught my attention is this. You make a huge pile of soil with your tractor, as big as you want. You lay rebar and pour concrete on your soil dome. You then dig out all of the soil with you tractor and pile it on top of your concrete dome. Plant your garden on top of your house. Interior temp stays stable year round!
Check out these ''earthhomes''! Some are quite basic,others big,beautiful homes.I like this.I am going to try a smaller one.Would be good for food storage and as a storm shelter if built right....The first one is a large home.
earthship home

Here are some more links!
1>> The Earthship Global Website This is the "big daddy" of Earthship websites. It is the homepage for Earthship Biotecture in Toas, New Mexico. These are the folks that have been nuturing the idea for the last 30 years. Tons of information and tons of pictures.

2>>>>>>>>
TOUCH THE HEART HOME This is Mike Shealy's llama and tirehouse website. Mike lives in an Earthship not too far from us. If you are looking for a tirehouse designer, I recommend Mike. Right now he's working on a couple of tire-bale houses, check out the drawings on his site!

3>>>>>>>> CHECK IT OUT! New Mexico. A great commentary on the building process. Has great pictures of the outside of Allen and Pat Gooch's "Nest" with interior pictures too.

4>>>>>>>>> THE HUT A hut as a starter project then the building of a Nest. Good Pictures!
THANKS GOING OUT TO EARTH POWER FOR ALL THE INFO AND LINKS!

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Here is a really neat forum with all kinds of cool diy ideas!!! i like this forum...
lumenlab.com

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another really cool diy site..lots of fun things here kids can be involved in!
junk home!
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Till tomorrow--"think simple"
Simply Southern~Betty