I should have backup a little better than I did. Hell backing up once would have solved the problem. My netbook died on me. So all of the pdf's and doc's that I was getting around to uploading are gone. 

Could have paid the 140 to get everything back, but instead I spent the money on two new boxes.  You can read the full article here but lets just say I am not happy. 

It took me a really long time to compile all that crap, and now is going to take me even longer to get it all back. 

This whole idea of freeze drying food has shaken me to the core. Combined with an article geared towards urban survival settings (which I can't find now) and the plan of not bugging out, it has made me re-think everything I have ever thought. 

Maybe not bugging out is the best thing for my family. 

Maybe fortifying my rental (or at least having the ability to fortify) is a better and cheaper alternative

This is off-topic:

Been spending a lot of time trying to figure out how to make a home for myself on the web. Also have some ideas in the work, one being an e-zine. Looking for collaborators from all walks and poltical colors. Attempting to do something that Washington can't; have a open discourse on all issues. 

If interested please feel free to write 150 words on the topic of your choice; anything from aardvark to zebra, and send it to my SH inbox. 

Also posted in the discussion section of Get Out of the City.

My entire prepping regime revolves around getting out of the city, therefore, the things that I have to account for are not the same as if I was prepping from "Alpha Prime", if you will. Alpha Prime, is the town in rural Kansas that I grew up in, and if things go bad, the place that we are evacuating to. One of the things that I do have to account for is that when we get to Alpha Prime, the only place to go is my mothers. this presents a problem in that, I can not, in good conscience, ask my mother if it is okay for me to stockpile large amounts of food and material, on the off chance that I am right. So, instead of going out and buying massive amounts of food to store in the basement, etc,  I have to rely on a bug-out vehicle. 

My bug-out vehicle will be the topic of a future post and I am also considering adding a trailer to that outfit. Am thinking a 7 by 16 tandem axle v-nose enclosed, same kind of thing that I use for work, and if I do decide on that, that too, will be the topic of a future post. 

Not quite what I intended but at least it is a start and contact. Just a note I have taken the liberty of getting rid of my contact's name and title. Anything that I have changed will be italicized. 

Billy, thanks for contacting the University. Thinking about the worst case scenario--although some foods may be handled by filling into pouches and boiling(acidic foods for short term storage), it is not recommended for most prepared foods.   MRE's are packaged in impermeable pouches that do not allow air or moisture to migrate either way, plus they are processed in a retort that combines both high temperature and pressure.  They are typically flat and of uniform thickness, and to further insure complete and even heating of even the most thick and dense pieces, the retort is agitated to provide complete penetration of heat through out package.   The entire process is developed and monitored for each type of product, package size, and each batch, then quality assurance testing is done on each batch to insure safety.  The last thing the military or any camper far from help needs is a case of food poisoning.   I personally  and proffessionaly would not  consider it worth the trouble and risk, especially when there are some alternatives available:
Many new foods are on the market such as tuna, salmon, Spam, etc that are available in pouches-ready to eat.  Some of the new products for microwaves offer stews, pasta meals and similar in lighter packaging-this includes Hormel's Completes, Uncle Ben's Bistro Express Meals, etc.  They were developed for microwaving in the container, but you could transfer them to a pan as well for heating.  There are some soups in the Tetrapack cartons now as well that are a little lighter and pack easier than round cans.  
Another alternative that my brother (avid hunter) uses is to make his homemade stews, spaghetti sauce, etc. with minimal water, freeze in bags.  Then he takes a soft lunch cooler,  where he has punched a small metal thermometer through the top.  He packs his frozen entrees with some dry ice in this small pouch, wraps this in the center of his sleeping bag.  Each night he checks the temperature of the cooler without opening it-when it is getting close to 40F, he knows he has to start using the meals-or if lucky enough to be close to snow, he can repack the cooler with snow.  
I will discuss your idea with a colleague , our faculty member who is very knowledgeable in this area-if he has any other thoughts, I will let you know.  I understand your interest in this topic, and wish I had a more positive answer for you, but this situation truly warrants the following clichés:
"Better Safe than Sorry"

A continuation of a previous post. 

Not as sexy as guns, but just as important is gear selection. I have been an army surplus addict for my entire life. While every now and then I will buy a "new" piece of equipment, (noramlly discounted 70-80 percent) I have often found that for the most part I tend to stick to Army surplus. Maybe I am brainwashed, but never did any of my gear let me down when I was in the Army. I also tend to shop Wal-Mart sporting goods. Granted it's not the best gear out there, but it works for me. A lot of my gear plays double duty, it is what I camp and backpack with and it also what I use as my bug-out gear. 

I like OD green and Camouflage. It soothes me. I may be crazy but I don't believe that bright orange, red, yellow, or blue belong in the back country. Maybe I am a purist, but If need be I have a large patch of Blaze orange fabric  that I can put up on my tent if I need to be found. 

Yeah, I will get to Part two and three of Go With What You Know in the next couple of days, just need to put some thoughts  down first. 

Read the paper today and was surprised to hear that the Doomsday Clock was set back one minute. Was also surprised to read that 50 million Americans believe that the world is going to end within their lifetimes [source].

Also got in an argument with the wife about prepping. She must have forgotten to take her anti-bitch pill today because she was all over me like white on rice. The jist of the argument was this: 

I was looking at worthy posts on my other sites and noticed that although the message is compatible with SH I believe that they are too political. Instead of posting them here, as I am sure, not all of us have the same idealogical beliefs, I figure I will post the links, in this post, and ya'll can look on, at your own accord. 

Independence Day

 State of My Union

15 July 2009

Doomsteading, Prepping, Stockpiling, Caching, Pack Ratting; Whatever you may call the process of storing goods, the idea and motivation are the same; To prepare oneself for times when things may be scarce or just non-existent. 

The urge to stockpile can be anything as simple as, ‘Wow, Wal-Mart had a sale on socks, now we have 500 pair’; too, ‘I saw what happened in New Orleans and I won’t let that happen to me’ , or it could be something even more. Those are just two examples and I am not about to sit here and pretend to know all the reasons, then list all the reasons, and then give commentary on the reasons. That would be asinine. However, what I can tell you is that I think I know at least two more reasons why people stockpile…

Had a heated discussion with a friend yesterday about my selection of "gear". For some reason it must have been Kick-the-shit-out-of-Crowley-Day, because it seemed like I couldn't get anything right. 

First it was guns: 

Rifles: I like the M4,  I like the 5.56mm (.223) NATO round. It's what I know, it's what I am comfortable with. I know the round doesn't have as much stopping power as the 7.62 (.308) but ya know what, my shoulder doesn't get sore after 3,000 rounds either. My Deer Rifle is a .308 I'll be fine.