I don’t have much time to write today, I need to be on the work site in less then two hours. Today I am cutting brush and clearing land for a local farmer. It is hot sweaty work, but it pays money and even I find it nice to have a little extra cash to keep things going at the homestead kitty. Sometimes it’s nice to rent a movie to watch before I go to bed, on the downside, the TV and DVD player tends to cause the battery’s to discharge prematurely. But more on that later; today I leave you with some interesting links to other sites of interest to the survivalist blog masses. Enjoy

SHTF Recreation

The Urban Survivalist
Recreation is an important part of your preps that everyone should think about. It’s easy to get caught up in the serious stuff like food storage and arsenal maintenance. At some point you’re going to get a chance for a break and you’ll want to take that opportunity to relieve some stress. These days a break from reality is right at our fingertips. We can turn on a TV and get away from everything for a few hours. We can turn on our playstations, Xboxes, Nintendos or whatever and fire up a game that can easily occupy us for hours. The internet is an infinite source of entertainment and information. One of the most obvious indicators that you are in a real SHTF scenario will be when the lights go out and you don’t have constant, easy access to all of those anymore. So what do you do when the easy entertainment sources aren’t always available? There are plenty of options out there.

Syria test fires series of long-range missiles

The Congress Blog » Report: Syria test fires series of long-range missiles
Syria has recently test launched a series of surface to surface missiles and rockets, Channel 2 news reported Monday.

The standard-of-living bubble
Value Driven: The standard-of-living bubble – Aug. 20, 2008

Since credit card debt has been growing much faster than the economy – more than 8% in last year’s third and fourth quarters and over 7% in May the most recent month reported- people are apparently using it as a substitute for income. Thus, for the past year or so we have still maintained the standard-of-living illusion.

It may be that the standard-of-living bubble finally has to deflate. Sustainable increases in living standards have to be earned, not borrowed, and that means performing ever higher value work that can’t be outsourced. We haven’t been meeting that challenge very well; doing so will probably require much more and better education for millions of Americans, which takes time and money.

The result may feel like deprivation, but I don’t see it that way. Who knows – we might even find that living within our means and saving a little money actually isn’t so bad.

Russia Warns of Response to U.S. Missile Shield

Newsmax.com – Russia Warns of Response to U.S. Missile Shield

Russia says its response to the further development of a U.S. missile shield in Poland will go beyond diplomacy.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying the U.S. missile shield plans are clearly aimed at weakening Russia.

Large U.S. bank collapse seen ahead

The Congress Blog » Large U.S. bank collapse seen ahead

n class="custom">

The worst of the global financial crisis is yet to come and a large U.S. bank will fail in the next few months as the world’s biggest economy hits further troubles, former IMF chief economist Kenneth Rogoff said on Tuesday.

“The U.S. is not out of the woods. I think the financial crisis is at the halfway point, perhaps. I would even go further to say ‘the worst is to come’,” he told a financial conference.