On the first Fifth Monday in 2012
Houses still face financial disaster

January 30, 2012

Schedule:
Pre-meeting: 6:00 p.m.
Dinner 7:00 p.m.
Announcements: 7:45 p.m. J. Kent Hastings, Master of Ceremonies
Presentation: 8:00 p.m. Howard Hinman:
“More Secrets of MERS & the Massive Mortgage Meltdown.”
Questions: 8:45 p.m. Q&A via written cards for at least the first round of questions.
Close by 9:30 p.m.

Location: Asian Buffet (Oriental buffet)
23552 El Toro Rd., Lake Forest, CA 92630
At Raymond, behind a bank, near the public (gov’t) library branch.


View Larger Map
Tel: (949) 206-9988 – Fax: (949) 206-9098

J. Kent Hastings of the Kingdom of Nye, (County in Nevada, town of Pahrump), will serve as the Master of Ceremonies for the event and will offer a Toast to the evening’s festivities.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:

More revelations about the still little known (outside of real estate and mortgage banking circles) system alleged to have exacerbated the real estate value crash of a few years ago, the effects which still reverberate through the economy.

UPDATES:

MERS still exists. Its role continues to be confused. What is not is that MERS exacerbates the problem.

Robo-signing still exists. John O’Brien, the Register of Deeds in Salem, Massachusetts is still getting documents signed by the notorious robo-signer “Linda Green”. [Featured on a segment of “60 Minutes”.] Jeff Thigpen, the Register of Deeds of Guilford County, North Carolina has joined in the investigation. The results were downright ugly. Land records all over the country appear compromised by MERS, robo-signing, a polite word for document fraud, securitization, ad nauseum.

The current federal administration was attempting to negotiate a 50-state settlement for pennies on the dollar. President Obama announced further investigations in the State of the Union Address on January 24, 2012. Several state attorney generals have been holding out. This includes California attorney general Kamala D. Harris and Nevada attorney general Catherine Cortez Masto.

We have our first “known” dead body, a whistle blower notary in Nevada, Tracy Lawrence. She was 43. That is the power of the Too Big to Fail Banks.

Douglas E. French, the President of the Ludwig von Mises Institute, said that the solution would be allow to the Too Big Too Fail Institutions to declare bankruptcy. [Talk on January 14, 2012 at the Mises Circle in Houston, Texas. Available on mises.tv.]

Barring some total reversal of course, this will almost certainly bring down the United States of America and the worldwide economy.

So let Resilient Freedom Foundation show you how to be better prepared for the possibly coming chaos.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Howard has addressed Libertarian clubs on many occasions, chiefly on economic and financial topics. He is a Mortgage Fraud Professional, the Presider of the International Property Title Alliance, and Chief Financial Officer, Senior Legal Researcher and Director of Communications of the California Legal Rights Fund, Inc. He also hosts the Karl Hess Community Technology Forum, an independent supperclub in Orange County devoted primarily to the topic of appropriate technology.

Howard is a graduate of California State University at Fullerton College of Business and Economics with a degree in Business Administration. Among his many associations and achievements, Howard is a member of Toastmasters International since 1983, and is a Distinguished Toastmaster. Howard resides in Orange County. Join him on Facebook and LinkedIn.

For the first round of questions, audience members are asked to submit their questions in writing to the Master of Ceremonies, so that they may be presented to the speaker most effectively.

Cost is dinner (approximately 15.00 FRNS) plus a 5.00 room charge per attendee. (Cash only for the room charge please.) MasterCard and Visa accepted by the restaurant. Beer and wine available at an additional charge.

Good food. Some vegetarian dishes available.

For this meeting, leave a reservation message with the subject “OC KHCTF” on the web at http://permakent.com/contact/ or email: permakent@gmail.com

If you have additional questions contact Kent Hastings toll free at 1.877.867-8209 or leave a voice mail message.

Future dinner talks at the Karl Hess Community Technology Forum are still to be determined. We will keep you posted.

Resilient Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization. Its mission is to support a resilient community, including respect for personal rights and responsibilities.

The next fifth Monday in a month is April 30, 2012. We tentatively have a speaker on the subject of “Founding a Hackerspace” from Crashspace, a hackerspace in Los Angeles.

For information about this event (other than reservations) and/or future events, please contact Howard Hinman, Director of Communications, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Legal Researcher, at (714) 244-2291. His email is: Howardhinman1234@yahoo.com.

Here is link to the amendment that added the ham radio exclusion:

SB 140 in PDF.

Read it carefully.

The law is primarily concerned with hand held wireless devices, further the law avoids discussing communication/electronic equipment mounted to the vehicle.

A ham radio mounted in a car with a microphone is not a hand held wireless device.

A handi-talkie is a hand held wireless device.

The follow are the exemptions passed in senate bill 140

2. The provisions of this section do not apply to:

(a) A paid or volunteer firefighter, emergency medical technician, ambulance attendant or other person trained to provide emergency medical services who is acting within the course and scope of his or her employment.

(b) A law enforcement officer or any person designated by a sheriff or chief of police or the Director of the Department of Public Safety who is acting within the course and scope of his or her employment.

(c) A person who is reporting a medical emergency, a safety hazard or criminal activity or who is requesting assistance relating to a medical emergency, a safety hazard or criminal activity.

(d) A person who is responding to a situation requiring immediate action to protect the health, welfare or safety of the driver or another person and stopping the vehicle would be inadvisable, impractical or dangerous.

(e) A person who is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission as an amateur radio operator and who is providing a communication service in connection with an actual or impending disaster or emergency, participating in a drill, test, or other exercise in preparation for a disaster or emergency or otherwise communicating public information.

Please note paragraph 2e the amateur exemption, the final statement of “or otherwise

communicating public information” exempts all amateur communication as amateur radio by design is only communicates public information.

It also makes handi talkies legal. Get a Ticket and argue the point with a judge.

Also note exemption does not include CB Radios, but again a mounted radio is not a hand held wireless device. Get a Ticket and argue the point with a judge.

Salman Khan describes how a dashboard program for Los Altos schools replaced “one size fits all” classroom lectures with videos that were watched at each student’s own pace.

This provides the teachers unprecedented data on which students were having difficulty with particular subject areas, and being free of the tasks of lecturing and grading homework thanks to automation, teachers could focus all their time on quality interaction in the classroom.

Khan still does the instruction video creation, but has a top staff of software people developing the application to keep kids focused and motivated, using points and badges like in video games.

A highlight of the presentation is Bill Gates interviewing Salman at the end with questions about how ready the concept is for adoption in all classrooms. Khan replied that there are already a million viewers a month worldwide and the system could handle many more users.

For me, permaculture designs are best when they require the least labor AND the least petroleum.

Quoting Paul Wheaton:

“If you like podcasts with lots of technical information in permaculture, this podcast might be your ultimate fantasy.

I talk about hugelkultur, Sepp Holzer, Willie Smits, Geoff Lawton, desertification, reversing desertification, tomatoes that are able to survive without our help, polyculture, tap roots, edge, terracing, starting from seeds instead of transplanting, Alan Savory …

I’ve had people tell me that they have listened to all of my podcasts at least twice, and the podcasts with Helen Atthowe four times.  I suspect that this would be the one that rates eight times.

This one podcast, might, I think, convey more about “what is the real benefit of permaculture” than any other podcast.

This is the podcast that you can send to others to help them understand your passion about “permaculture”.

http://www.richsoil.com/permaculture/508-podcast-087-replacing-irrigation-with-permaculture/“

On the scariest Fifth Monday in a Month
Houses remain haunted by financial ruin

October 31, 2011

Schedule:
Pre-meeting: 6:00 p.m.
Dinner 7:00 p.m.
Announcements: 7:45 p.m. J. Kent Hastings, Master of Ceremonies
Presentation: 8:00 p.m. Howard Hinman:
“The Secrets of MERS & the Massive Mortgage Meltdown.”
Questions: 8:45 p.m. Q&A via written cards for at least the first round of questions.
Close by 9:30 p.m.

Location: Asian Buffet (Oriental buffet)
23552 El Toro Rd., Lake Forest, CA 92630
At Raymond, behind a bank, near the public (gov’t) library branch.


View Larger Map
Tel: (949) 206-9988 – Fax: (949) 206-9098

J. Kent Hastings of the Kingdom of Nye, (County in Nevada, town of Pahrump), will serve as the Master of Ceremonies for the event and will offer a Toast to the evening’s festivities.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:

The topic for this month is a little known (outside of real estate and mortgage banking circles) system alleged to have exacerbated the real estate value crash of a few years ago, the effects which still reverberate through the economy.

Meant to facilitate the assignment and hypothecation of mortgages- a financial tool- it has instead worsened the foreclosure crisis, because its badly flawed implementation has prevented bad paper from clearing the market.

From Howard’s masterful thesis:

The Secrets of MERS: A Fiasco Unfolds– Or what you do not know can hurt you and many other people badly!
In other words: Welcome to the Massive Mortgage Meltdown.

It is more than just the blue-gray and weatherworn house in Denmark, Maine. As the summer of 2011 becomes the winter of 2012 the secrets – whether they involve widespread incompetence, fraud or even worse – perhaps the deliberate crashing of the American economy – regarding MERS (“Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems”, abbreviated “MERS”) – and its effects – are becoming apparent around the world.

Look at this incredible quote:

“’The whole financial system is becoming a lot less transparent,’ says Hernando de Soto, a Peruvian economist who has written on the importance of well-defined property rights. ‘You can’t size up risk anymore.’”

Being able to reasonably assess risk is at the essence of practical investment. The inability to accomplish this is a prime cause of the current stagnation. Howard will proffer his analysis as to the why and wherefore. As usual, the answer to the question qui bono very often informs the answer to the question quare (why).

Please join us for an evening of relevance and revelation. Howard will help us to understand the reasons for MERS, how this system operates, and the disturbing implications of its government “mixed economy” interference in the markets.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Howard has addressed Libertarian clubs on many occasions, chiefly on economic and financial topics. He is a Mortgage Fraud Professional, the Presider of the International Property Title Alliance, and Chief Financial Officer, Senior Legal Researcher and Director of Communications of the California Legal Rights Fund, Inc. He also hosts the Karl Hess Community Technology Forum, an independent supperclub in Orange County devoted primarily to the topic of appropriate technology.

Howard is a graduate of California State University at Fullerton College of Business and Economics with a degree in Business Administration. Among his many associations and achievements, Howard is a member of Toastmasters International since 1983, and is a Distinguished Toastmaster. Howard resides in Orange County. Join him on Facebook and LinkedIn.

For the first round of questions, audience members are asked to submit their questions in writing to the Master of Ceremonies, so that they may be presented to the speaker most effectively.

Cost is dinner (approximately 15.00 FRNS) plus a 5.00 room charge per attendee. (Cash only for the room charge please.) MasterCard and Visa accepted by the restaurant. Beer and wine available at an additional charge.

Good food. Some vegetarian dishes available.

For this meeting, leave a reservation message with the subject “OC KHCTF” on the web at http://permakent.com/contact/ or email: permakent@gmail.com

If you have additional questions contact Kent Hastings toll free at 1.877.867-8209 or leave a voice mail message.

Future dinner talks at the Karl Hess Community Technology Forum are still to be determined. We will keep you posted.

Resilient Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization. Its mission is to support a resilient community, including respect for personal rights and responsibilities.

For information about this event (other than reservations) and/or future events, please contact Howard Hinman, Director of Communications, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Legal Researcher, at (714) 244-2291. His email is: Howardhinman1234@yahoo.com.

KARL HESS CLUB MONDAY OCTOBER 17, 2011 eMinder

On a Fifth Monday in a Month

August 29, 2011

Schedule:
Pre-meeting: 6:00 p.m.
Dinner 7:00 p.m.
Announcements: 7:45 p.m. Howard Hinman, Master of Ceremonies
Presentation: 8:00 p.m. J. Kent Hastings:
“Surviving the Phone and Internet Kill Switch”
Questions: 8:45 p.m. Q&A via written cards for at least the first round of questions.
Close by 9:30 p.m.

Location: Asian Buffet (Oriental buffet)
23552 El Toro Rd., Lake Forest, CA 92630
At Raymond, behind a bank, near the public (gov’t) library branch.


View Larger Map
Tel: (949) 206-9988 – Fax: (949) 206-9098

Howard Hinman of Orange County, will serve as the Master of Ceremonies for the event and will offer a Toast to the evening’s festivities.

J. Kent Hastings is a writer, video editor, audio and film producer, computer programmer, agorist and ham radio hobbyist.

Hastings wrote columns about RSA encryption, spread-spectrum radio, and secure privacy-protected off-grid banking transactions in his regular “Techtics” column for SEK3′s Tactics of the Movement of the Libertarian Left during the 1980s.

Kent also wrote an article for the first issue of Agorist Quarterly, published in 1995, titled “The Information Underground Railroad,” after attending the RSA Data Security conference in 1994.

Kent has returned to an early interest in tinkering with homebrew electronic gear, partly because he finds it fun, and also thanks to recent threats that have resurfaced from government authorities worldwide to cut off private communications on the Internet and cell phones “for our safety.”

He will have equipment on hand to demonstrate various ways around the Internet and cellphone outages that have been imposed during protests (just when you might need rescue from violence the most).

If the power grid goes down, many would lose phone and Internet service because of their reliance on cable company devices. A portable battery with AC inverter will also be demonstrated at the meeting. Solar recharging in the field and other preparedness resources and activities in case of evacuation will be discussed.

Social networks such as Twitter and Facebook are being more closely scrutinized by police with each passing year. Users have been jailed for organizing relatively harmless “flash mobs,” including celebrities simply inviting fans to the local mall.

Hastings will share his thoughts on how watchdog groups like Cop Block could avoid trouble by using stealthier recording devices and immediate streaming to remote undisclosed storage media, even if Internet access is being blocked.

For the first round of questions, audience members are asked to submit their questions in writing to the Master of Ceremonies, so that they may be presented to the speaker most effectively.

Cost is dinner (approximately 15.00 FRNS) plus a 5.00 room charge per attendee. (Cash only for the room charge please.) MasterCard and Visa accepted by the restaurant. Beer and wine available at an additional charge.

Good food. Some vegetarian dishes available.

For this meeting, leave a reservation message with the subject “OC KHCTF” on the web at http://permakent.com/contact/ or email: permakent@gmail.com

If you have additional questions contact Kent Hastings toll free at 1.877.867-8209 or leave a voice mail message.

Future dinner talks at the Karl Hess Community Technology Forum are still to be determined. We will keep you posted.

Resilient Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization. Its mission is to support a resilient community, including respect for personal rights and responsibilities.

For information about this event (other than reservations) and/or future events, please contact Howard Hinman, Director of Communications, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Legal Researcher, at (714) 244-2291. His email is: Howardhinman1234@yahoo.com.

Wasatch Community Gardens

“Rainwater harvesting was illegal in Utah until 2010 and in Colorado until 2009. Colorado now allows harvesting only when landowners already own a well or have the right to use one on their property.”

Salt Lake City got the memo and citizens can learn rainwater harvesting at places like Wasatch Community Gardens.

“Rainwater collection that is used for gardening purposes is finally legal in Salt Lake. So we can finally have our Rainwater Harvesting workshop again!”

Unfortunately, sane people in the arid zone of Arizona were unsuccessful in a recent attempt to allow private rainwater collection, even though the downstream residents the law was designed to protect will have most of the uncollected rainwater evaporate before it reaches them. So it’s a loss for everyone.

Perhaps toilet-to-tap recycling like in Big Spring, Texas will solve Arizona’s drinking water shortage.

Call me strange, but I’d prefer the rainwater.

Island 3 O’Neill Cylinders

The Discovery News subtitle is “The drought-stricken town is taking a page from NASA, which developed a urine recycling program for astronauts.”

The Slashdot poster explains:

“After being run through microfilters and undergoing reverse osmosis, slimy sewage is cleansed with peroxide and ultraviolet light. This intense process ensures that any pharmaceuticals and carcinogens are removed, and that the H2O stands up to drinking water regulations.”

Coming to a water district near you? The Discovery News article interviews a big city DWP honcho considering a similar scheme and reports that 41% of America is abnormally dry.

In 2009, Pop Sci ran a story about a report from Finland, “Better Tomatoes Via a Fertilizer of…Human Urine?.”

“Plants fertilized with a mixture of stored human urine and wood ash produced 4.2 times more fruit than plants without the pee, the study found. The urine-fertilized tomatoes had more beta-carotene than unfertilized ones, and much more protein than traditionally fertilized plants.”

Speaking of NASA, click image of the view of Earth from Apollo 8 over Rama’s interior to see a list of O’Neill cylinders and other space habitats.

The Story of Stuff, an entertaining “consumption run amok” video presentation, illustrates the limitations of conventional recycling. For every barrel you recycle, 70 barrels of waste were required in manufacturing the item. And just 1% of the things people buy are kept six months later, the rest is trash. (Makes my iPod seem not quite as bad as Greenpeace made out in 2008).

“The Earth is the cradle of humanity, but mankind cannot stay in the cradle forever.”–Konstantin Tsiolkovsky

Speaking of cradles, the book Cradle To Cradle: Remaking The Way We Make Things calls for true recycling as might be needed offworld in a self-contained habitat, according to Amazon:

In Cradle to Cradle, the authors present a manifesto calling for a new industrial revolution, one that would render both traditional manufacturing and traditional environmentalism obsolete. Recycling, for instance, is actually “downcycling,” creating hybrids of biological and technical “nutrients” which are then unrecoverable and unusable. The authors, an architect and a chemist, want to eliminate the concept of waste altogether, while preserving commerce and allowing for human nature.

In a completely unrelated story found on Google, NJ.com reported “Ice cream truck driver from Trenton is found with urine bottles in freezer after DWI charge.”

Ee-ew!

AP video about Big Springs, Texas:

(From Mike Everling)

KARL HESS CLUB MONDAY AUGUST 15, 2011 ennouncement

Howard Hinman “The Secrets of MERS and the Massive Mortgage Meltdown.”

Dinah’s Family Restaurant 6521 S. Sepulveda Blvd. (at Centinela Avenue) in West Los Angeles (310) 645-0456. The club meets in the separate meeting room behind the main dining area.

7:00 p.m. Gathering Time [Dinner stipulations: $10.00 order minimum plus $3.00 Club Cover Charge ]

8:00 p.m. Dinner (Order from the regular menu)

8:45 p.m. Announcements

9:00 p.m. Guest Speaker: Howard Hinman

10:00 p.m. Q & A

10:30 p.m. Adjournment from Dinah’s (Please depart premises promptly)

11:00 p.m. Afters: Mixing and Mingling Lounge- Doubletree Hotel 1616 West Centinela Avenue Culver City

For information on the Karl Hess Club: http://www.karlhessclub.org/

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:

The topic for this month is a little known (outside of real estate and mortgage banking circles) system alleged to have exacerbated the real estate value crash of a few years ago, the effects which still reverberate through the economy.

Meant to facilitate the assignment and hypothecation of mortgages- a financial tool- it has instead worsened the foreclosure crisis, because its badly flawed implementation has prevented bad paper from clearing the market.

From Howard’s masterful thesis:

The Secrets of MERS: A Fiasco Unfolds– Or what you do not know can hurt you and many other people badly!

In other words: Welcome to the Massive Mortgage Meltdown.

It is more than just the blue-gray and weatherworn house in Denmark, Maine. As the summer of 2011 becomes the winter of 2012 the secrets – whether they involve widespread incompetence, fraud or even worse – perhaps the deliberate crashing of the American economy – regarding MERS (“Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems”, abbreviated “MERS”) – and its effects – are becoming apparent around the world.

Look at this incredible quote:

“’The whole financial system is becoming a lot less transparent,’ says Hernando de Soto, a Peruvian economist who has written on the importance of well-defined property rights. ‘You can’t size up risk anymore.’”

Please join us for an evening of relevance and revelation. Howard will help us to understand the reasons for MERS, how this system operates, and the disturbing implications of its government “mixed economy” interference in the markets.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Howard has addressed our club on many occasions, chiefly on economic and financial topics. He is a Mortgage Fraud Professional, the Presider of the International Property Title Alliance, and Chief Financial Officer, Senior Legal Researcher and Director of Communications of the California Legal Rights Fund, Inc. He also hosts the Karl Hess Community Technology Forum, an independent supperclub in Orange County devoted primarily to the topic of appropriate technology.

Howard is a graduate of California State University at Fullerton College of Business and Economics with a degree in Business Administration. Among his many associations and achievements, Howard is a member of Toastmasters International since 1983, and is a Distinguished Toastmaster. Howard resides in Orange County. Join him on Facebook and LinkedIn.

_____________________________

Upcoming Programs Scheduled:

September 19, 2011 Karl Hess IV “Whither Conservation in the 21st Century: More Government or More Liberty?”

October 17, 2011 Richard B. Boddie “SEK3 Was Right After All”

November 21, 2011 Will Otey “Freedom is Not for Everyone: Creating a New Libertarian Country”

______________________________

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Our regular venue is Dinah’s Family Restaurant in West Los Angeles. The address is: 6521 S. Sepulveda Blvd. (at Centinela) (310) 645-0456. The nearest corner is W. Centinela Avenue.

The time for dinner is anytime between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. You may be seated in the meeting room at that time. Other restaurant patrons may be there as well until 8 p.m. The club will have exclusive use of the room between 8 and 10:30 p.m. The program will be from 8:45 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. (the restaurant’s doors close at 11 p.m. sharp). Please exit promptly after 10:30 p.m.

Dinah’s minimum for our diner/attendees is $10.00. There is a $3.00 cover to the club (which, with notice, may vary upward by program but will be at least $3.00). Order off the regular menu. Individual cheques. Pay your own tab. The club dues will be collected from you. Please note that KHC attendees must observe the minimum restaurant order.

Thank you to our loyal members for your continued support.

_________________________________

Special Note: VENUE FOR AFTERMEETING: DOUBLETREE HOTEL LOUNGE (Formerly RADISSON)

Please join us for the Aftermeeting in the lounge at the Doubletree Hotel Culver City. When we adjourn Dinah’s at 10:30 p.m., proceed to the Doubletree and we’ll reconvene for an informal gathering by 11 p.m. until 2 a.m.

The Doubletree is at 6161 West Centinela Avenue at Arizona in Culver City 90230-6306 (one block West of Sepulveda Boulevard). It is possible to walk from Dinah’s in about two minutes or repark your car on Arizona one minute away, but it is recommended to park in the hotel lot. N.B.: the available hotel parking is a pay lot, however the bar will validate your parking with any purchase. The lounge is immediately inside the hotel lobby adjacent to the desk.

It is not permitted to make a left turn onto Centinela from Arizona, so a good way is to turn right and go to the intersection with Sepulveda, make a U-turn and drive back to the hotel, which will be on the right hand side.

Doubletree Telephone: (310) 649-1776 For More Hotel Info, see: Radisson Website:

http://doubletree1.hilton.com/en_

_____________________________

Random End Notes: Although the corporate ownership of the Aftermeeting venue has changed, its policies, for our purposes, have remained unchanged. We invite you to join us for a congenial time after the regular meeting.

_____________________________

“In a world increasingly concerned with questions of energy production and raw material shortages, this project explores the potential of desert manufacturing, where energy and material occur in abundance.”

Kayser tests his invention in the Sahara Desert at Siwa, Egypt, but I wonder if it will work with the soil here in the Nevada desert.

Markus Kayser – Solar Sinter Project from Markus Kayser on Vimeo.

See Pahrump with Andy

Neil writes a blog at Rational Review.

The message from Andy Alberti has the subject line, “Finally a new maufacturing business is coming to Pahrump”:

“Wind Sail Receptor Company out of Henderson intends to open a manufacturing plant in Pahrump and employ about 90 workers by the end of the year, or so the news that is fit to print says.”

“The Company intends to make wind power turbine blades for use in homes and small businesses.”

“The Nevada commission on Economic development has authorized a $162,000 training grant for the company.”

“Nye county seems to have had no involvement nor has Pahrump since there was no mention of them in the news article announcing the move.”

Wind Sail Receptor video at YouTube.

Our speaker, Jenny Cohen, told us how her early experiences in gardening gave her the skills to succeed in business when she grew up.

She also described post-war Britain as a nation of gardeners, but was concerned that in a later visit, pervasive surveillance cameras gave evidence that freedoms had eroded.

Maybe gardening persists as a popular activity in the UK, but the following video sounds the alarm for the survival of farming in that country, citing for example that most farmers there are over the typical retirement age for other professions, and oil shortages won’t be able to continue fueling large scale mechanization.

This BBC Natural World episode, “A Farm For The Future,” replaced the video under the “Permaculture Video” link at my personal PermaKent blog when the old one about an international permaculture conference went missing.

Patrick Whitefield makes a brief appearance when Forest Gardening is discussed. It’s a clever way to increase yields yet eliminate much of the labor despite the projected low petroleum inputs we’ll have available in the future.

In another example of polyculture, using deeply rooted multiple grass species is shown to support cattle grazing all winter without them destroying the field or using gas to bale hay.

A Very Rare Sixth Monday in a Month
(So rare in fact, that it’s actually the First Monday of the next month)

June 6, 2011

Schedule:
Pre-meeting: 6:00 p.m.
Dinner 7:00 p.m.
Announcements: 7:45 p.m. Howard Hinman, Master of Ceremonies
Presentation: 8:00 p.m. Jenny Cohen:
“Gardening and Entrepreneurship”
Questions: 8:45 p.m. Q&A via written cards for at least the first round of questions.
Close by 9:30 p.m.

Location: Asian Buffet (Oriental buffet)
23552 El Toro Rd., Lake Forest, CA 92630
At Raymond, behind a bank, near the public (gov’t) library branch.


View Larger Map
Tel: (949) 206-9988 – Fax: (949) 206-9098

Howard Hinman of Orange County, will serve as the Master of Ceremonies for the event. In honor of the event, he will offer a Toast to the evening’s festivities.

Jenny Cohen‘s professional background includes success in multiple fields, such as real estate sales and as a Neuro Linguistics Programming (NLP) instructor.

Drawing upon life lessons from her father; who as a closet astronomer and avid gardener taught her about the riches of the universe and the joys of nature; Jenny Cohen went on a personal quest to discover the missing element in her life. How could she achieve both financial freedom and spiritual growth and happiness? Was it possible to have both? Find out the answer at tonight’s meeting.

For the first round of questions, audience members are asked to submit their questions in writing to Master of Ceremonies, so that they may be presented to the speaker most effectively.

Cost is dinner (approximately 15.00 FRNS) plus a 5.00 room charge per attendee. (Cash only for the room charge please.) MasterCard and Visa accepted by the restaurant. Beer and wine available at an additional charge.

Good food. Some vegetarian dishes available.

For this meeting, leave a reservation message with the subject “OC KHCTF” on the web at http://permakent.com/contact/ or email: permakent@gmail.com

If you have additional questions contact Kent Hastings toll free at 1.877.867-8209 or leave a voice mail message.

Currently scheduled dinner talks at the Karl Hess Community Technology Forum include J. Kent Hastings of Pahrump, Nevada visiting us on Monday, August 29, 2011. His topic is “Survive with Ham Radio When the Internet is Set to Kill.”

While every effort will be made to adhere to this schedule, it is subject to change – with or without notice!

Resilient Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization. Its mission is to support a resilient community, including respect for personal rights and responsibilities.

For information about this event (other than reservations) and/or future events, please contact Howard Hinman, Director of Communications, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Legal Researcher, at (714) 244-2291. His email is: Howardhinman1234@yahoo.com.

Excerpt of Karl’s organizational philosophy:

“I favor a world of neighborhoods in which all social organization is voluntary and the ways of life are established in small, consenting groups.”

According to the organizer, their website is coming soon.

Here’s an excerpt at YouTube from Toward Liberty, “a 1980 Academy Award-winner for Best Documentary Short Subject.”

“The Capteur Soleil, [links to story about its use in Haiti by Rice] a device designed decades ago by French inventor Jean Boubour, was modified at Rice two years ago for use as a solar-powered cookstove. . .This year, Team Sterilize modified it further. When a set of curved mirrors and an insulated box containing the autoclave are installed, the steel A-frame sitting outside Rice’s Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen becomes something else entirely — a lifesaver.”

In other solar related news, the OSE team in Missouri announced the open source licensing of the Solar Fire solar designs. According to the article, “Solar Fire Breakthrough,” they announced their agreement:

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have a breakthrough on the Solar Turbine project. We are adopting the Solar Fire concentrator technology as our official solar energy platform. OSE and Solar Fire are entering into partnership – with a single purpose of creating a state-of-art, replicable, open source platform for solar concentrator power applied to electricity, space heating, and process heat.”

The Solar Fire concept is described in this YouTube video.

TED Talk post

Marcin plans to create open source designs with clear documentation, 3D models, schematics, blueprints and how-to videos for all of the 50 key technologies he believes are necessary to have a sustainable advanced industrial economy with local resources.

He shows construction hardware (a CEB press) that uses the dirt beneath your feet to make 5,000 compressed earth bricks in a day, enough to build a house.

Also, the LifeTrac tractor is an example of agricultural machinery that “breaks new ground,” although he’s also interested in no till permaculture organic food production.

Combine all that with the computerized fabrication and Internet distribution of ideas you’d expect from Make Magazine type hackers and perhaps shortages can be eliminated for jobs, food, fuel, housing and consumer doodads which can be 3D printed.

Way to go, Open Source Ecology! See Marcin’s TED Talk at YouTube.

UAV stands for “Unmanned Aerial Vehicle,” with applications listed at Wikipedia including “remote sensing; oil, gas and mineral exploration and production; transport; scientific research; armed attacks; and search and rescue.”

If the dollar loses its purchasing power, perhaps unmanned aerial vehicles will also deliver goods without the energy and labor costs of transporting a human pilot. Perhaps a robot will load your grocery order into a parcel delivery blimp or model aircraft, which will then travel to your location via GPS, internal map and a radio beacon to guide the craft to its destination at your place, even if you’re off-grid with no roads like in some third world village.

The economics will make UAVs dominant, whether there’s a bigger crash to come or not. Military drone maker Insitu quotes an Aviation Week item on its website:

“It’s official: Boeing’s Insitu subsidiary has outstripped Boeing Commercial Airplanes in delivery rates for air vehicles.”

The April, 2011 issue of Mechanical Engineering features “Drones For Peace” artwork on the cover. The feature article is entitled “Airborne, Autonomous & Collaborative.”

One can imagine the legal hurdles for the operator of such a robotic fleet. Certainly the FAA would be involved at this point. Details of the amateur legal requirements may be found at DIYDrones’ “Regulatory FAQ.”

A couple of quotes from Jon Stokes’ article:

“Despite Google’s professed love for all things open, details of its massive datacenters have always been a closely guarded secret.”

and

“Facebook’s new OpenCompute.org project, in contrast, takes the exact opposite approach.”

There are energy and development cost savings from using this “Bazaar” community supported method when compared to the closed “Cathedral” approach.

If you’re building a data center and want to avoid legal hassles and unnecessary operating expenses, it’s worth checking out Facebook’s new OpenCompute system.

I plan to edit video from a better camera into a concise little movie based on this presentation, organizing the material and including still photos to illustrate my points.

FIFO Can Tracker- Food Storage Canned Foods Organizer/Rotater/Dispenser: Kitchen, Cupboard, Pantry- Rotate Up To 54 Cans

There are plenty of examples in the news about people forced to stay in their homes without power and water for weeks or months. If you were in that situation, what would you do?

It will take some time to grow a garden for food self sufficiency under the best conditions, and it’s not easy even then. You’ll need food and water to get you through the planting process, which would be great if the ground isn’t frozen or flooded. You might have to wait to plant. Hence the need for storing food. And do you even have the seeds for edible plants on hand? Just asking.

If you stick the newest cans from the store at the front of your cupboards, you’ll be tempted to just grab the last ones you put in, neglecting the ones in the back, perhaps beyond their expiration dates, thus wasting food or taking a risk of eating spoiled stuff.

I heard about can rotation a few times on The Survival Podcast, and am ready to jump in and get a system myself. Shelf Reliance’s CEO, Steve Palmer, was interviewed about his company. Listen here: “Steve Palmer of Shelf Reliance on Food Storage and Global Events.”

Food prices are going nowhere but up, faster than most anything else. If you buy now cheap while you have the money and it still has its full purchasing power, you’ll eat better later.

Looking around Amazon, I see can organizers for any shelf size, with some that are designed just for smaller soup sized cans. The one shown here, like most of these kind of systems, makes it easy to take cans out in the order they were put in.

To put it another way, a “first in, first out” system. For canned goods if not Christian souls, the first should be first and the last should be last.

See CBS video “Radiation fears spark panic buying of potassium iodide in U.S.” at YouTube.

To get around price gouging, perhaps potassium iodide is still available at cost directly from Anbex, the manufacturer of IOSAT.

A network of volunteer remote Geiger counters is organized on a handy map display of the continental U.S., online at Radiation Network.

Rain Barrel at Amazon

Unfortunately, the answer is yes. Some states outlaw saving rainwater. It’s also an international issue.

A good description of the situation and in my opinion, the best case for allowing private rain collection is at the Rainwater Observer, Is Rainwater Collecting Really Illegal in Some States?

First there are unintended consequences. Because much of the rain doesn’t reach natural waters like lakes or rivers, “. . .this legislation can result in a waste of valuable water resources in states where water is often a scarcity.”

The article affirms the Resilient Freedom thesis that public purposes will also be served efficiently when people are allowed to meet their own needs, “. . .allowing residents to collect rainwater that falls on their properties would reduce reliance on standard water supplies, alleviating the economic burden on public utilities budgets.”

Here’s a news feature from KSL TV in Salt Lake City, Utah about such a situation:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

  Karl Hess, Sr. 1975 edition

Karl Hess, Jr. encouraged me to buy shortwave ham gear when he spoke to our libertarian supper club at the 100th meeting a few years ago, citing its usefulness during an emergency when a colleague was injured in Africa, where he was working in the field.

Since then I’ve put together some kits in custom enclosures with more powerful ones on the way. Alternative communication methods to the phone and Internet grid are always in the news, most recently in Egypt.

See the complete meeting announcement at the club site for more information about Karl Hess, Jr.’s topic, “Wither Conservation in the 21st Century: More Government or More Liberty?.” Excerpt from site:

“The world changed in 1970. Although the first Earth Day called for more aggressive State involvement, over the past forty years conservation has evolved into a movement increasingly characterized by volunteerism, cooperation, network governance, and entrepreneurship.”

Karl Hess, Sr. mentioned ham radio in passing in his book, Community Technology, and even in his 1975 book, Dear America which followed his 1969 “Death of Politics” article in Playboy.

Karl Hess, Sr. was a speechwriter for Barry Goldwater, then later became an anarchist hippie proponent of alternative energy, off-grid food production and local industry who made a living as a welder for cash, famous for not paying taxes. Goldwater was a ham radio operator who promised to put an antenna farm on the White House if he got elected (he wasn’t). Hess’ autobiography was edited by his son and is titled, Mostly on the Edge: An Autobiography.

Okay, see you at the KHC if you’re in Southern California.

Now, this video from 2008 shows two Arduino boards sending and receiving Morse code to each other acoustically at the same time (full duplex) at 300 words per minute. You could get a 140 character tweetish message out in a few seconds at that rate. Even at just 30 wpm over the shortwave radio the same message would take less than a minute.

Beats walking if the phones or Internet are down.

Quoting HuffPo:
“These messages weren’t coming from mobile phones or computers, but from an amateur radio sending out Morse Code somewhere amidst the chaos in Egypt.”

Hundreds of miles range with a few watts using a wire thrown over a tree branch for an antenna can beat the government kill switch.

Meanwhile, on the political right side of survivalist prepping, Alex Jones InfoWars published a credible list of alternative communication methods from Liberty News Online, “How to Communicate if the Government Shut Down the Internet” (also forwarded to me by J. Neil Schulman).

Just one point of clarification. During a political upheaval, checking the call sign of amateur radio operators won’t be the State’s top priority and effectively jamming all signals might not be possible, especially if one were to use spread spectrum techniques.

Let’s say for example you were to transmit thermal noise in one band and the noise mixed with the message in another (transmitted reference). It would appear to be noise as well.

Perhaps if you have some programming skills you could use the digital “direct sequence” method to mix several pseudo random “chip bits” with each bit of your message while you quickly hop the center frequency of your signal using a fast digital synthesis chip and a secure software spreading code.

And just to be safe you might use a stealthy hidden antenna that looks like a clothes line, basketball hoop, bird feeder, flag pole or other disguise so your neighbors don’t rat you out. Out of sight, out of mind. Morse code and texting can be done silently with earphones. QSL?

Victory over censorship!

A Rare Fifth Monday in a Month
January 31, 2011

Location: Asian Buffet (Oriental buffet)
23552 El Toro Rd., Lake Forest, CA 92630
At Raymond, behind a bank, near the public (gov’t) library branch.

View Larger Map
Tel: (949) 206-9988 – Fax: (949) 206-9098

Schedule:
Pre-meeting: 6:00 p.m.
Dinner 7:00 p.m.
Announcements: 7:45 p.m. Howard Hinman, Master of Ceremonies
Presentation: 8:00 p.m. Anthony L. Hargis:
“Who shall we save … banks … or you?”
Questions: 8:45 p.m. Q&A via written cards for at least the first round of questions.
Close by 9:30 p.m.

Howard Hinman of Orange County, will serve as the Master of Ceremonies for the event. In honor of the event, he will offer a Toast to the evening’s festivities.

Anthony L. Hargis ran a “bank that wasn’t a bank” in Orange County using “transfer orders” to allow account holders to pay others with mass units of gold (example: 100 mg) instead of checks using fractional reserve fiat currency units (like the U.S. dollar). He will discuss the state and The State of the current economy and what to do about it.

For the first round of questions, audience members are asked to submit their questions in writing to Master of Ceremonies, so that they may be presented to the speaker most effectively.

Cost is dinner (approximately 15.00 FRNS) plus a 5.00 room charge per attendee. (Cash only for the room charge please.) MasterCard and Visa accepted by the restaurant. Beer and wine available at an additional charge.

Good food. Some vegetarian dishes available.

For this meeting, leave a reservation message with the subject “OC KHCTF” on the web at http://permakent.com/contact/ or email: permakent@gmail.com

If you have additional questions contact Kent Hastings toll free at 1.877.867-8209 or leave a voice mail message.

Currently scheduled dinner talks at the Karl Hess Community Technology Forum include Jenny Cohen of San Diego County on Monday, June 6, 2011. Her topic is “Gardening and Entrepreneurship”.

While every effort will be made to adhere to this schedule, it is subject to change – with or without notice!

Resilient Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization. Its mission is to support a resilient community, including respect for personal rights and responsibilities.

For information about this event (other than reservations) and/or future events, please contact Howard Hinman, Director of Communications, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Legal Researcher, at (714) 244-2291. His email is: Howardhinman1234@yahoo.com.

Dinah’s Family Restaurant 6521 S. Sepulveda Blvd. (at Centinela Avenue) in West Los Angeles
(310) 645-0456.  The club meets in the separate meeting room behind the main dining area.

7:00  p.m.  Gathering Time
8:00  p.m.  Dinner  (Order from the regular menu)
8:45 p.m.  Announcements                   <–(Note starting time)
9:00 p.m.  Guest Speaker: Geo. McCalip
10:00 p.m. Q & A                                 <–(please hold questions and comments until this time)
10:30  p.m. Adjournment from Dinah’s    <–(please depart the premises at this time)
11:00  p.m. Afters: Mixing and Mingling Lounge- Radisson Hotel 1616 West Centinela Avenue Culver City

Dinner stipulations: $10.00 order minimum plus $3.00 Club Cover Charge

For information on the Karl Hess Club: http://www.karlhessclub.org/

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:

In December 2009 Geo. gave a very well received presentation at the Karl  Hess Club wherein he declared that nine years on defense was enough.  In his speech that evening, “Fomenting Revolution for Fun  and Profit,” he laid out a strategy for going on offense with a goal of putting an end to the tickets for revenue scam.

Since then, California Legal Rights Fund has received funding from  various sources and is beginning to put his plan into action.  Geo.’s  speech will give us an update on the latest developments in the battle
to reclaim our rights.  Be there to hear the latest report from the front.

ABOUT THE  SPEAKER:

Geo. McCalip is a long time libertarian activist and former resident of AnarchoVillage.  For almost ten years he has run HelpIGotATicket.com, a  pro bono web site dedicated to helping people fight the California  traffic tickets for revenue scam. This experience led him to found California Legal Rights Fund (CalRights),  an educational non-profit (501(c)(3)) dedicated to educating the people of California as to  their legal rights. (http://CalRights.org)

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Our regular venue is Dinah’s Family Restaurant in West Los Angeles.  The address is: 6521 S. Sepulveda Blvd. (at Centinela) (310) 645-0456. The nearest corner is W. Centinela Avenue.

The time for dinner is anytime between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.  You may be seated in the meeting room at that time.  Other restaurant patrons may be there as well until  8 p.m. The club will have exclusive use of the room between 8 and 10:30 p.m. The program will be from 8:45 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. (the restaurant’s doors close at 11 p.m. sharp). Please exit promptly after 10:30 p.m.

Dinah’s minimum for our diner/attendees is $10.00. There is a $3.00 cover to the club (which, with notice, may vary upward by program but will be at least $3.00).  Order off the regular menu. Individual cheques. Pay your own tab.  The club dues will be collected from you.  Please note that KHC attendees must observe the minimum restaurant order.

Thank you to our loyal members for your continued support.

Upcoming Programs Scheduled:

February 21, 2011    Karl Hess IV “Wither Conservation in the 21st Century: More Government or More Liberty?“ [200th meeting] SPECIAL DUES: $5.00 (this month only)
March 21, 2011       Speaker and Program TBA [Award Night: The SEK3 Memorial Chauntecleer]
April 18, 2011          Howard Hinman “The Secrets of MERS and the Massive Mortgage Meltdown.”
[7th Samuel Edward Konkin III Memorial Lecture]
May 16, 2011 Ben Pleasants “Erotica” (Tentative topic)
_________

Special Note: NEW VENUE FOR AFTERMEETING: RADISSON HOTEL LOUNGE….

Please join us for the Aftermeeting in the lounge at the Radisson Hotel Culver City.   When we adjourn Dinah’s at 10:30 p.m., proceed to the Radisson and we’ll reconvene for an informal gathering by 11 p.m. until 2 a.m.

Park on the street or in the lot at Dinah’s (after hours and at your own risk).  Radisson Telephone: (310) 649-1776

For More Hotel Info, see: Radisson Website: http://www.radisson.com/culver-city-hotel-ca-90230-6306/caculver

We will try this a time or two to see how we like it.  It is always possible to return to the Back Stage at a later date.
_____________________________

Upcoming Local Event We Highly Recommend:

INFO BLURB provided by Howard Hinman:

Karl Hess Community Technology Forum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 13, 2011

Karl Hess Community Technology Forum

Date: Monday January 31, 2011

Location: Asian Buffet (Oriental buffet)
23552 El Toro Rd., Lake Forest, CA 92630
(At Raymond, behind a Chase Bank, near the government library).
Tel: (949) 206-9988 – Fax:  (949) 206-9098

Schedule:
Pre-meeting:  6:00 p.m.
Dinner 7:00 p.m.
Announcements:  7:45 p.m. Howard Hinman, Master of Ceremonies
Presentation: 8:00 p.m. “Who shall we save …  banks … or you?”
Questions: 8:45 p.m. Q&A via written cards for at least the first round of questions.
Close by 9:30 p.m.

Howard Hinman of Orange County, will serve as the Master of Ceremonies for the event.  In honor of the event, he will offer a Toast to the evening’s festivities.

For the first round of questions, audience members are asked to submit their questions in writing to Master of Ceremonies, so that they may be presented to the speaker most effectively.

Cost is dinner (approximately 15.00 FRNS) plus a 5.00 room charge per attendee.  (Cash only for the room charge please.)   MasterCard and Visa accepted by the restaurant.  Beer and wine available at an additional charge.

Good food.  Some vegetarian dishes available.

For this meeting, leave a reservation message with the subject “OC KHCTF” on the web at http://permakent.com/contact/ or email:  permakent@gmail.com

If you have additional questions contact Kent Hastings toll free at 1.877.867-8209 or leave a voice mail message.

Please reserve by 5 p.m. on Sunday, January 30, 2010 so that the restaurant may properly prepare for this Monday evening event.

Currently scheduled dinner talks at the Karl Hess Community Technology Forum include Jenny Cohen of San Diego County on Monday, June 6, 2011.  Her topic is “Gardening and Entrepreneurship”.

While every effort will be made to adhere to this schedule, it is subject to change – with or without notice!

Resilient Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization.  Its mission is to support a resilient community, including respect for personal rights and responsibilities.

For information about this event (other than reservations) and/or future events, please contact Howard Hinman, Director of Communications, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Legal Researcher, at (714) 244-2291.  His email is:  Howardhinman1234@yahoo.com.

###
____________________________

We Also Highly Recommend:

Looking for Hugh, The Capitalist Guidebook, a novel by Leon Weinstein
2009 WAM-art.net  4780 Poe Avenue Woodland Hills, CA 91364  $12.99
For more information and to order a copy, contact: inquiries@wam-art.net or 818 716-7064

The author, who was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, started writing plays in high school, going on to direct theatre shows and films.  In 1974 he immigrated to Israel where he organized the Theatre for Youth and was twice nominated for the Best Children’s Show of the Year.  Author of numerous plays, short stories and a variety of political articles, Mr. Weinstein co-founded Weinstein Art Management, in Woodland Hills, which is aimed at providing venues for artists from ex-communist countries. He is currently on a quest to prevent socialism from taking over the United States of America.

The author says that “this book  is an attempt to apply to everyday life the philosophical principles of Ayn Rand and many other proponents of Capitalism and individual freedom. My thanks go to Antoine de Saint Exupery for writing The Little Prince, Lewis Carroll for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, L. Frank Baum for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and Jonathan Swift for Gulliver’s Travels. These four authors were my guiding stars in creating Looking for Hugh.”

It is the story of a  teenage boy searching for his lost friend Hugh in a series of encounters after a ride on a kite to the “Thousand Islands Empire.”  Part fantasy and part polemic, the vignettes portray a series of situations each illustrating different facets of oppression brought about by adherence to various political philosophies.  Intended for adults but accessible to younger readers, the author hopes that this work will serve to educate and inspire those who would champion the ideals of a free society.  This book is very readable and is highly recommended.  Mike says: “****1/2“
Available at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Looking-Hugh-Capitalist-Leon-Weinstein/dp/0615304478

***************

A new institution of higher learning:  The C. S. Lewis College in Massachusetts

Dr. J. Stanley Mattson, the Founder and President of the C. S. Lewis Foundation, was inspired to use the Foundation to acquire and restore The Kilns, the home in the English countryside Professor Lewis shared with his brother Warren Lewis, and later his wife, Joy Davidman.  Fully restored and updated for practical living, it now serves as a retreat and study centre for scholars.

For more information on the C.S. Lewis Foundation and current programs along with news on the college, please visit www.cslewis.org and  http://www.cslewiscollege.org/
__________________________________

Random End Notes:

The decision was taken to try the Radisson for an Aftermeeting venue by virtue of its very close proximity to our dinner venue and also because it will almost certainly be quieter (if not downright sedate) than the Back Stage.  However, the drinks are likely to be more expensive, so we will want to assess whatever trade off this represents.  Join us, throw in your opinion, and we will listen.
…

The Karl Hess Club wishes you a very Happy and Prosperous New Year in 2011! Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to seeing you often in the new year, and in those that follow.

(The name of the club is the Karl Hess Community Technology Forum. Karl Hess was a political speechwriter for Barry Goldwater who became a noted Libertarian activist. Karl was also known for promoting off-grid renewable energy, housing and food systems. Congratulations to Make Magazine‘s Green Project Winner: The Global Village Construction Set. The GVCS leader is a fan of the appropriate technology work as described by Karl Hess and I support their project.)

The audio mp3 file khc2010nov29.mp3 is of Jay Stuart Snelson‘s talk at the Karl Hess Community Technology Forum Nov. 29, 2010. I recorded it with the iTalk app on my iPod Touch and did what I could in Audacity and Levelator. Howard Hinman was MC. He is heard bringing the club to order and providing the speaker introduction.

A film released this year, Countdown To Zero, by the makers of An Inconvenient Truth and Food, Inc., confirms Jay Stuart Snelson’s assertion that nuclear weapons are still a very significant threat even if supposedly “the Cold War is over.”

Here’s the trailer for Countdown To Zero at YouTube.

Wovel at Amazon

While timely due to cold weather throughout the nation, the Wovel isn’t exactly “hot news,” so I hope I’m forgiven for jumping on the topic right after seeing it.

Quoting Maggie Koerth-Baker’s BB post, “It came out in 2005 and has since inspired a ton of YouTube fan videos.”

It looks like a great advance over a regular shovel for avoiding back pain and also without the expensive mechanics and fuel burning of a snow blower.

A commenter on the post recommended a cheaper snow shovel replacement that doesn’t have the cool wheel, the Suncast SF1725 17.5-Inch No Lift Easy Glide Snow Shovel Blade Scoop with Wear Strip.