In recent years, honey bee colonies have been dying off at an unprecedented rate. The problem is termed “colony collapse disorder”. Several different possible causes have been proposed, but researchers do not agree on the cause or solution [Wikipedia article]. … Continue reading
A SHTF scenario implies substantial changes to society due to a disaster from nature or human events. Possible SHTF scenarios include: failure of the economy, severe disruption in food production and distribution, collapse of the power grid, breakdown of law … Continue reading
I was talking with Butch, co-author of this blog, about the drought in California. And we began to realize how the continuation of this drought over the long term could set-up a series of catastrophic events. I think most people … Continue reading
The current drought in California began in the southern half of the State nearly two years ago, in early 2013. By May of that year, the entire State was engulfed in a moderate drought, categorized as level “D1″ by the … Continue reading
Prepping and survival websites often exclaim that a collapse of the food economy is near. But perhaps it is not. I can see both sides to this question. There are indications that a collapse is near, but the food economy … Continue reading
There must be more than seven ways, but these are the ones that seem most likely to my mind. 1. Agriculture: Drought You don’t need that new car or that new pair of shoes. Most people can put off until … Continue reading
Ebola is coming to the United States. And I’m not talking about isolated cases of travelers from West Africa. There will be a major Ebola outbreak in the U.S., maybe not this year, but in the not so distant future. … Continue reading
All of California is under a drought. And the vast majority of the land area in California is under severe, extreme, or exceptional drought. See the Drought Map here. How long has this been going on? For the last 2 … Continue reading
Bitcoin and similar digital currencies (also called cryptocurrencies) use cryptographic techniques to maintain a public ledger. The entries in this ledger are the currency, and it has value based on the willingness of individuals and businesses to trade products, services, … Continue reading
The current U.S. Drought Monitor shows a huge swathe of land from CA to Texas, struck by severe drought. How severe? The Drought Monitor system uses a scale from D-zero to D-4 D0 - abnormally dry D1 - moderate drought … Continue reading
Just to be perfectly clear, I’m not recommending investment in Bitcoin or any other Bitcoin-like crypto-currency. Right now and for the foreseeable future, it’s very risky. But it might be useful to have a basic understanding of how Bitcoin works, … Continue reading
Will social security benefits be available to you when you retire? If you are already receiving benefits, will those benefits continue? Not necessarily. Congress, in its drafting of the laws that govern social security, and the U.S. Supreme Court in … Continue reading
