To Be More Self-Sufficient and Frugal Learn To Cook Like They Did In the Great Depression

Recently I was poking around the internet for some good recipes that would be good in a survival situation or any situation in which you have to make due with a limited amount of food.

This search lead me to a youtube channel called Depression Cooking in which Clara, a 94 year old woman from Chicago prepares recipes from the great depression that her mother made.

The video that I happened to come across first was for Depression Breakfast which I have included below.

Clara, also has her own website called Great Depression Cooking with Clara where you can find out more about her and even purchase her DVD.

My grandparents lived through the great depression and I learned quite a lot from them, but they are no longer around.  I think that what Clara is doing is great, and we can learn a lot from people like her.

I plan on trying some of her recipes, I hope you will too.

Disaster Preparedness Blog Now Has A Discussion Board

I've added a new discussion board section to the site. Take some time to add and respond to topics that are related to preparedness, business continuity, disaster preparedness, or survival.

Earthquake and Tsunami In Japan

The earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan makes us all realize just how fragile life can be, and how powerful the forces of nature are. Events like these can be both unpredictable and unforgiving to our ways of life.

Japan was, and remains to be, one of the best prepared countries in the world when it comes to earthquakes and tsunami preparedness. The building codes are one of, if not the best in the world and yet no amount of preparedness can keep such events from happening to us anywhere in the world.

As I sit and write this I shudder to think about how such an event might impact other cities and countries around the world if the same event occured in another place. It reminds me of a conversation I once had with someone about being prepared to go at a moments notice with my go-bag ready at all times.

I would like to think that I am ready, but the truth is you never really know until that time is upon you. I only hope I never will be tested or have to put my last resort SHTF plan to work.

With this said, my thoughts and prayers are with the Japanese people in there time of need. I ask that if you can to please make a donation to a charity that is actively helping the Japanese to recover.

A good one is always the Red Cross the only thing that you should be aware of when making donations to other charities is to be sure they are legitimate since fraud becomes an unfortunate event during these tragedies.

Just so you are aware March 27, 2011 kicks off Tsunami Awareness week, and I will be doing some posts on that starting that week.

So far estimated costs of the disaster are estimated to be around $180 Billion (U.S.) and the death toll estimated to be around 10,000 and expected to climb as whole towns and infrastructures have been wiped out.

Staten Island Declared A Major Disaster for December 2010 Snow Storm

My home town of Staten Island, (Richmond) was one of several New York counties that was declared a major disaster yesterday by the President for the December 26 - 27, 2010 snow storm.

The New York City Mayor Bloomberg welcomed the declaration saying it will give the city the need funds to help pay for the clean up.But he also stated that he felt the other City Boroughs also warrented the same declaration.

Even though the city did not exactly do the best job cleaning up the mess, thanks to an alleged work slow down by the sanitation department.

Whether it was intentional or not, New York City has handled bigger storms in the past much better than the storm that left this mess. However, Staten Island usually takes longer to clean up after such a storm, and it takes several days before they start clearing the side streets there.

You can read the announcement and declaration on FEMA's website at the press release titled:

President Declares Major Disaster For New York

Latest Solar Flare Causes Outage Hype, But Poses Little Threat

The latest solar storm that started on Valentine’s Day this past Monday produced the largest flare since December 5, 2006. According to NASA it is not large enough to cause widespread outages, but will produce pretty light shows.

The type of flare produced was a type X2 Flare, with types M and X being the strongest class of flares, and are numbered from 1 through 9 with 9 being the strongest.

While outages from flares and solar storms are possible, this series does not seem powerful enough to cause any. Though it is possible that additional and stronger flares could occur, especially since we are nearing the beginning phase of this solar cycle and more flares will be coming.

I’ve recently noticed a large spike in the number of views I have been getting on past posts that discuss the potential for solar storms and solar flares to be devastating, so I thought it might be appropriate to create this post letting people know that in this latest series there is little to worry about.

If you are interested in the effects that these storms could have or have had in the past the following related past posts may be if interest to you:

Sun Spots, Solar Flares, and Geomagnetic Induced Currents Can Disrupt Your Business

Coronal Mass Ejection May Cause Disruptions, Being Called Solar Tsunami by Some

What Exactly Is Space Weather and Why You Should Care?