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This site is a member of WebRing. To browse visit here. Friday, December 26, 2008 What would you choose . . . This is sort of like the old question, "If you were stranded on a desert island, what one thing would you want to have with you?"If you knew for certain that the world was going to hell in a handbasket real soon now, what one or two or three things would you want to make sure you had?Some of the obvious answers are food, water, perhaps a source of electricity. I'd like to suggest that while short-term stocks of food and water are good (I'm not so sure about the electricity), what will keep people alive is knowledge. No particular esoteric knowledge either. Just some basic fundamental things like how to fix a meal without electricity and running water. How to keep your body, dishes and clothing clean (which also contributes to good health). How to repair your clothing so you're not running around in rags. How to perform basic first aid.The really great thing about information is that most of it is free. Can't afford books? Use the library, and at the risk of sounding snide, "Google is your friend."I'm aware that some people are perfectly comfortable with picking up bits and pieces of information until they have a good picture of the whole, while others are absolutely frantic if they don't have everything spelled out in detail from the beginning. If you're one of those people, one good idea is to find a Yahoo list that deals with the topic you want to know about, and ask questions. Call the county agricultural agent, if the subject has anything to do with gardening or farming. Look for online forums. Make a list of what you don't understand yet, and jot down the answers you get.And finally, try things out. All the information in the world is of little use if you have no experience putting it into practice. If the worst comes and you have to feed your family in the cold and the dark, you don't want that day to be the first time you do it. Add "change a poopy baby" or "clean and bandage a child's bleeding cut" or "keep your children warm when it's freezing IN the house, not just outside," and you get the picture.Some people have suggested to me that this kind of practice would "scare the children." Nonsense. They're not that stupid. Tell them "We're practicing in case there's a bad storm some day and the power goes out." That's all you need to say.Are there other essentials besides knowledge? Sure. But food and water stockpiles will eventually run out, even if they're not stolen or confiscated. There are some truly important tools to have, but there are workarounds even for many of them. No one can take knowledge away from you once you've got it firmly in your head.More later, back to the work that pays for this website. posted by Liz @ 9:17 PM | The template is set to display 10 posts. To see all the posts for this month, click on the month name in the Archive section RSS Feed PERSONAL Send email toliz at life-as-a-spectator-sport.com Home I'm a mother, grandmother, a computer professional, Democrat, Christian. I welcome politely worded comments and email, my spam filter throws the rest away, so don't bother to flame me WHY 'LIFE AS A SPECTATOR SPORT' "If you're lucky not to live in the gutters of a slum, but still can't afford to take vacations in the Alps, you're part of that enormous middle class who lives life through the medium of the television, further separated from "real" life by air conditioner, by automobile, by dishwasher, microwave and ice-in-the-door refrigerator, by automatic washer and dryer, and all the other appliances and conveniences that make it possible for America to live life at second hand. I'm not sure why Americans decided that televised drama was better than the real thing, that cardboard microwave food containers were an adequate substitute for real dishes, and their contents for real food, or that cooking, dishwashing and face-to-face conversation wasn't worth the effort and time it required. Someone fed this nation a plastic crate of out-of-season tomatoes and told us it was life and we took them at their word, and we're so much the poorer for it that it's hard to know where to start to list the shortcomings." I wrote this a couple of years ago, but I have to admit it's much less amusing than I thought it would be to see the artifical construct falling apart. THE NON-ELECTRIC HOME Cleaning, 1 Cleaning, 2 Cleaning, 3 KNITTING BLOGS Extravayarnza Knitting Heretic Mind of Winter Pie Knits Persistent Illusion See Eunny Knit The Keyboard Biologist Taleweaver's Ramblings TECHnitting Wendy Knits FINISHED PROJECTS -------FINISHED IN 2006------- Peruvian Cap Tutti-Frutti Socks Shelley's Socks Carol's Socks -------FINISHED IN 2007------- Chain Link Socks Baby Surprise Jacket Valerie & Friend Baby Bonnet Rainbow Baby Socks Girls Pixie Hood Mitred Square Heart Red & White Socks Coffee Cup Pot Holder Nubbins Dishcloth Garterlac Dishcloth Suede Booties Kate's Socks Norwegian Sweet Baby Cap Half Thumbless Mittens Red Mittens for Akkol -------FINISHED IN 2008------- SELF-RELIANCE AND THE FUTURE -- Blogs and websites -- Causubon's Book Club Orlov Food Storage Made Easy From the Wilderness In the Wake Listening to Katrina Survival Topics The Modern Homestead The Oil Drum Notes from a Hillside Farm -- Mailing Lists -- 12vdc Power Living on the Land Rainwater Refrigeration Alternatives Old Ways of Living POLITICAL BLOGS and SITES The political sites have moved BOOKS I'M READING How to Grow More Vegetables, etc. Small Scale Grain Raising ARCHIVES February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 August 2008 July 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002 February 2002 Feedjit Live Blog Stats
This is sort of like the old question, "If you were stranded on a desert island, what one thing would you want to have with you?"If you knew for certain that the world was going to hell in a handbasket real soon now, what one or two or three things would you want to make sure you had?Some of the obvious answers are food, water, perhaps a source of electricity. I'd like to suggest that while short-term stocks of food and water are good (I'm not so sure about the electricity), what will keep people alive is knowledge. No particular esoteric knowledge either. Just some basic fundamental things like how to fix a meal without electricity and running water. How to keep your body, dishes and clothing clean (which also contributes to good health). How to repair your clothing so you're not running around in rags. How to perform basic first aid.The really great thing about information is that most of it is free. Can't afford books? Use the library, and at the risk of sounding snide, "Google is your friend."I'm aware that some people are perfectly comfortable with picking up bits and pieces of information until they have a good picture of the whole, while others are absolutely frantic if they don't have everything spelled out in detail from the beginning. If you're one of those people, one good idea is to find a Yahoo list that deals with the topic you want to know about, and ask questions. Call the county agricultural agent, if the subject has anything to do with gardening or farming. Look for online forums. Make a list of what you don't understand yet, and jot down the answers you get.And finally, try things out. All the information in the world is of little use if you have no experience putting it into practice. If the worst comes and you have to feed your family in the cold and the dark, you don't want that day to be the first time you do it. Add "change a poopy baby" or "clean and bandage a child's bleeding cut" or "keep your children warm when it's freezing IN the house, not just outside," and you get the picture.Some people have suggested to me that this kind of practice would "scare the children." Nonsense. They're not that stupid. Tell them "We're practicing in case there's a bad storm some day and the power goes out." That's all you need to say.Are there other essentials besides knowledge? Sure. But food and water stockpiles will eventually run out, even if they're not stolen or confiscated. There are some truly important tools to have, but there are workarounds even for many of them. No one can take knowledge away from you once you've got it firmly in your head.More later, back to the work that pays for this website.
The template is set to display 10 posts. To see all the posts for this month, click on the month name in the Archive section
RSS Feed
PERSONAL
WHY 'LIFE AS A SPECTATOR SPORT'
"If you're lucky not to live in the gutters of a slum, but still can't afford to take vacations in the Alps, you're part of that enormous middle class who lives life through the medium of the television, further separated from "real" life by air conditioner, by automobile, by dishwasher, microwave and ice-in-the-door refrigerator, by automatic washer and dryer, and all the other appliances and conveniences that make it possible for America to live life at second hand. I'm not sure why Americans decided that televised drama was better than the real thing, that cardboard microwave food containers were an adequate substitute for real dishes, and their contents for real food, or that cooking, dishwashing and face-to-face conversation wasn't worth the effort and time it required. Someone fed this nation a plastic crate of out-of-season tomatoes and told us it was life and we took them at their word, and we're so much the poorer for it that it's hard to know where to start to list the shortcomings." I wrote this a couple of years ago, but I have to admit it's much less amusing than I thought it would be to see the artifical construct falling apart.
THE NON-ELECTRIC HOME
Cleaning, 1 Cleaning, 2 Cleaning, 3
KNITTING BLOGS
Extravayarnza Knitting Heretic Mind of Winter Pie Knits Persistent Illusion See Eunny Knit The Keyboard Biologist Taleweaver's Ramblings TECHnitting Wendy Knits
FINISHED PROJECTS
SELF-RELIANCE AND THE FUTURE
POLITICAL BLOGS and SITES
BOOKS I'M READING
How to Grow More Vegetables, etc. Small Scale Grain Raising
ARCHIVES
February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 August 2008 July 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002 February 2002
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