Pic De Jour

$28 cabbage, $65 chicken, and other insane food prices in Northern Canada

Nunavut is the edge of the world in a lot of ways — it’s the farthest-north part of Canada, a broken-up spray of frozen land coming off the top of the country like a very icy mohawk. In terms of land mass, it’s bigger than any other Canadian province or territory, with an area the size of Western Europe, but its population (mostly Inuit) is smaller than Berkeley’s — and I mean the university, not the town.

So it’s remote, and cold, and sparsely settled, but none of that really explains why food is so outrageously expensive that the basic necessities of life are beyond normal people’s reach. Now, the locals are starting to get fed up (not literally, because they can’t afford it), and they’re agitating for government attention to their unsustainable cost of living. Cabbage that costs $28? Chicken for $65 a pound? They’re having Nunavut. (Sorry.) (Not sorry.)

Below are some photos of real food and water prices from the “Feeding Our Families” Facebook group. Canadian dollars and American dollars are basically the same now, so there’s no need to do complicated monetary conversions to figure out how staggering this is. It’s as staggering as you think.

More Here

Nuclear Cover-Up: Explosions, Military Helicopters Filmed Near Blacked Out Radiation Zone in Indiana and Michigan

Eyewitnesses on the ground near the media-blacked-out elevated radiation zone near the border of Indiana and Michigan, where radiation levels hundreds of times higher than normal were quickly removed from public viewing by the EPA, (See Here)  are now sending in a large number of photos and videos documenting massive explosions accompanied by unmarked helicopters, A-10 Thunderbolts, and military personnel. These reports come after a Department of Homeland Security hazmat fleet was sent out to the location.

Those on the ground report that the explosions are ‘loud and deep’, sounding like fireworks with a kick. The explosions are oftentimes followed up with a squadron of helicopters or other aircraft, oftentimes black and unmarked. One Michigan resident reports the following, and is then backed by dozens of organic comments which confirm the findings:

“EXPLOSIONS EVERYWHERE! Also, Large helicopter heading away from Local Air Force base flying toward scene of explosions! These explosions are seriously consistant, loud booms for the last hour or more.”

After generating much interest, the poster was able to capture some of the explosions on tape. While he would be the first to do so, many more videos began to pop up recording both the explosions and the onset of military aircraft flying through the area into the radiation zone. You can view the video below and hear the explosions for yourself Here

Further comments went on to document the increased presence of unmarked choppers and strategic military aircraft. A number of photos have begun to surface from eyewitnesses in the tri-state area of the event, reporting that the helicopters and other crafts were traveling towards the center of the incident. Some pictures are shown below:

TSA Help Wanted – Google Censored Video

10 Tips That Will Guarantee You Have Food if SHTF

Protecting Your Food Supply – No Matter What Happens

1. Grow your own food. This sounds so simple yet few actually do it. There are lots of excuses: not enough room, not enough sunlight, don’t know how and so on. Well I say get over it. Whether you have a backyard area, a raised garden, or a few pots on the deck, with a little bit of work you can grow something. Try using edible plants in your landscape, or how about some fruit trees or an herb garden?

2. Learn to “put up” food by canning, freezing or dehydrating your bounty. With or without modern gadgets, putting up food as it is called, takes some effort, but the results are worth it. You save money, control the use of salt and preservatives, and guarantee a source of food when the grocer’s shelves are empty.

3. Plan for supplemental power when the power grid shuts down. You will be out of luck if you only rely on a freezer. One option is to get an emergency generator – just be sure that you also store an adequate amount of fuel. Or forget about freezing and either purchase canned foods, or can and dehydrate your own.

4. Zip those lips. Be discreet. Don’t brag about how much food you have stored or you will find yourself the hit of the cocktail set when friends and neighbors take note of where to eat when the SHTF. Speaking of which, do you have a way to defend your food supply?

5. Get creative about storage. As with the garden, you may need to get creative when it comes to food storage. Walk around your home or apartment with a new set of eyes. What about under the beds or in a back corner of the closet? The crawlspace under you house is good, too – just remember to keep things elevated a bit so that a damp floor does not ruin your stored food.

6. Have alternative cooking sources. You are going to need some way to cook your stored food if the power is out. Pick up an inexpensive wood or charcoal burning grill such at the Volcano II Collapsible Stove. You can also – very very little money – get a rocket stove that will burn wood or biomass (twigs, pinecones and such). You will be amazed at how versatile these little stoves are. Also consider a solar oven. Whatever you choose, make sure you either have fuel or access to fuel.

7. Learn depression cooking. Cook from scratch, make your own bread, and learn to cook full meals from low-cost, easily stored staples such as beans and rice. One of the mistakes people make is to acquire food for emergency use yet continue to purchased pre-made, pre-packaged, or takeout food for daily consumption. They never learn to cook, let alone learn to cook using the most basic of ingredients.

8. Take advantage of nature's bounty. Depending on where you live, fishing or hunting or both may be an option for you. Learn fishing and hunting skills now and please, don’t forget to learn to clean and cook your bounty. There are some excellent videos on butchering as well as preserving your bounty. It is not as difficult as you think.

9. Store food properly. Read about the six enemies of food storage and plan accordingly. Purchase food in bulk, then package and store dry goods for the long term in Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers. Or shop at dependable vendors such as Emergency Essentials for foods that are already safely packaged for long-term emergency use. You will be surprised at the many options available to you.

10. Depend on yourself, not the government. No list would be complete without reminding you that you need to rely upon yourself, and not others to tend to your needs if a disaster or other major catastrophic event occurs. Your neighbors, who have not prepared, may be downright hostile and the government, while well-intentioned, may take some time to get needed supplies to your area. Analyze the potential for disaster in your geographical area (earthquake, wild fires, floods, tornado, hurricane) and have a plan that you can implement should you need to shelter in place or evacuate.

How to create a natural first-aid kit for home or travel

These products are safe for use on children and pets as well. A small padded lunchbox makes a nice place to keep your stuff.

• Arnica - get both the pellets for internal use and the gel for external use. For trauma, muscle strains and soreness, bruises. Do not use on open wounds. Also good for sleeplessness and restlessness when over-tired, such as from jet lag. There are homeopathic blends for jet lag.

• Activated charcoal or powdered bentonite clay for traveler's diarrhea or food poisoning. If using on children or pets, be sure to check dosing directions. Make a paste and apply externally to wasp or bee stings to draw out poison. Apis is the homeopathic remedy for stings.

• Calendula cream for soothing and healing wounds and burns, including sunburn. Has astringent, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory properties. Aloe vera is good for burns as well.

• Citronella based insect repellant. Other essential oils that repel bugs include: peppermint, cedar, lemongrass, geranium, rosemary. There are many nice natural (DEET free) blends available. Apply liberally and often.

• Ginger - capsules or crystallized; for motion sickness, soothing stomach upsets, and relieving gas. It has antispasmodic properties.

• Lavender essential oil - an all-purpose remedy; use to help with insomnia, anxiety, headaches, wounds and burns. For most people, it can be applied directly to the skin. One drop takes the swelling and itch out of mosquito bites. It is an anti-inflammatory and has antiseptic properties. Tea tree oil is an antiseptic as well. Use to prevent a wound from getting infected. There are homeopathic bug bite ointments available too.

• Nux vomica homeopathic remedy for overindulgence. Too much excitement, food, drink, sugar. Carbo veg remedy is also helpful for bloating and gas.

• Rescue Remedy - Bach flower remedy for calming all kinds of emotions: anger, grief, fear. Helps with anxiety and sleeplessness. Give it to your pet during a lightening storm, or to a toddler to calm a tantrum, or to an adult having trouble sleeping.

• Yarrow - an anti-inflammatory useful in the treatment of diarrhea, stomach cramps, and other gastrointestinal distress. Open and sprinkle on minor wounds to stop bleeding. Make into a tea to lower fever. Mild sedative, may prevent insomnia.

Other Considerations:
It's a good idea to take your regular vitamins or supplements with you to maintain equilibrium. Vitamin C and the Bs help combat stress, magnesium helps with sleep and constipation. Electrolyte mixes such as Airborne or Emergen-C are good additions too, especially if you will be flying and breathing airplane air.

Depending on your plans, customize your kit. For example, if you're planning an outdoor excursion, you may want to add grindelia spray for poison ivy. Rhus tox is the homeopathic remedy for poison ivy, and very helpful as well.

Additional essentials: bandages, tweezers, instant-read thermometer, moleskin for "second skin" for blisters, elastic bandage for sprains, alcohol wipes, waterless hand sanitizer.

Quote De Jour

"But what counter--insurgency really comes down to is the protection of the capitalists back in America, their property and their privileges. US national security, as preached by US leaders, is the security of the capitalist class in the US, not the security of the rest of the people." - Philip Agee, CIA Diary, p562