Ron Paul 2nd Amendment 1989

One DA making NY safer

Preppers in New York

A while back I was interviewed for an article about preppers in NY for Times Union.  I didn't get featured in the article, but it is pretty good anyway.  Kristen V. Brown is the author.  She has some other good articles so check her out @ kristenvbrown.com
Anyway, here is her article about preppers in NY: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Preppers-Being-ready-just-in-case-4508567.php

Guest Post: Surviving Disaster with Precious Metals

Some people across the world know all too well just how possible it is that a disaster might happen. Unexpected storms or military invasion can mean the different between your normal everyday life or an upheaval of events where each and every day is a new mission of survival.

It goes without saying that preparing food, water, and shelter are essential parts of surviving disasters, but what if I said that owning gold and silver was another facet of survival? The fact of the matter is that precious metals will most definitely serve countless benefits in the wake of a disaster. The reason for this is that in the wake of disaster, paper currencies will be deemed worthless as they are nothing more than paper. This means that making purchases and bartering with paper money is going to be a fruitless endeavor.

Gold and silver, metals that have been valued and sought after for thousands of years, will undoubtedly take the place of paper money and credit cards we have today and it would be a shame for you to be caught up in a disaster without these items. The purpose of this article is to explain to you the different types of metals that you can buy as well as the possible benefits that they will serve you. Being prepared for disaster is by no means an easy task, but with gold and silver it can make your preparation even more complete.

Coins vs. Bars

The two main types of gold and silver are coins and bars. While these two entities can be found weighing the same and containing the same amount of metal in them (purity level), they are very different. The main difference between gold bars and gold coins is the fact that coins are used as legal tender whereas bars aren’t. Going hand in hand with this is the fact that coins are only produced in certain countries where bars are produced everywhere. For example, a 1 oz American Gold Eagle coin can only be produced by the US Mint, but a 1 oz gold bar can be produced by any privately owned mint across the world.

Since mints are government-run, the coins that come from them are as scarce as the government mint decides it wants them to be. Bars, on the other hand, are produced in countless numbers and when one company stops producing them, another begins. This means that coins are more often than not rarer than similarly sized bars and is the reason why gold and silver coins will often cost more than gold and silver bars. These are a few of the reasons why you should own gold and silver bars in preparation for disaster instead of coins. Coins being more expensive than bars is not always the case, but more often than not you will see that this is true.

Timing Your Buys

Just like it is always a smarter choice to purchase something like a television when it is on sale as opposed to when it is not, it is important to purchase precious metals when their value has taken a momentary dip. Like stocks on the stock market, the value of precious metals is always changing. As a potential investor it is your job to watch the markets and see how precious metals are acting as a way to better gauge when you should make a purchase.

Buying at opportune times means that you are going to be making the most out of your money as well as giving your investment room to grow and become more valuable. Predicting which way values of gold and silver are going to move is not an easy task, but making a reactionary buy to a drop in the price of gold or silver is something that can be done with little to no effort at all.

Where to Buy

When in the market for gold and silver, searching the online catalogues of web-based precious metals dealers is the smartest way to go about making a purchase. The amount of online dealers is growing at a consistent rate and we all know that the more competition there is, the better the price is for the consumer.

Doing side by side comparisons of products offered on different online dealers is a great way to make the most out of your money. In addition to there being a countless number of online dealers, the fact that you don’t even have to leave your house in order to make a purchase attracts a lot of investors. The only precaution you have to take when making a purchase is being sure that the online dealer you are buying from is a reputable one. JMBullion.com is one of the most trusted names on the Internet, and there are countless positive reviews to be found attesting to their reputation and service.

Holy Snake!

We found this guy at the Pitch Pine Bog in Rome, NY.  This is one of the largest snakes I have seen in New York State.  One lesson I learned was to always carry a good camera when I go hiking.  You never know what you'll find. Does anyone know what kind of snake this is?

Guest Post: What Are The Differences Between Freeze-Dried and Dehydrated Food?

Although both freeze-dried food and dehydrated food are both great for food storage and emergencies,
there are some differences between the two. Here are some of the major differences:

Differences in the Way They're Processed

What is Freeze-Dried Food?

Freeze-dried foods are prepared and flash frozen. Then, they go through a drying process.

The entire process removes all of the water from the foods, while freeze-drying the flavors. This gives
these foods the ability to keep all of their natural flavors, nutritional content, vitamins and taste intact.
People have said that these foods have a fresh taste, as if they were just recently prepared.

About 98% of the water content is removed from freeze-dried food. This reduces the weight of the
food significantly, making it simpler to store as well as transport. For example, a chicken weighing 3kg
will only weigh 1kg once the freeze-drying process is complete. These foods can be easily and quickly
rehydrated by simply adding hot water. It's important to note that freeze-drying requires professional
processing, making these foods a bit more expensive than dehydrated foods.

Because so much of the water content is removed, freeze-dried foods can have a shelf life of 25 or
more years.

What is Dehydrated Food?

Dehydrated foods are those that were picked at the peak of their ripeness. Then, they are cleansed and
trimmed so that only the prime parts remain. Once this is complete, they are dehydrated for long-lasting
freshness.

Many experts say that the dehydrating process removes about 75% of the moisture from the foods.
This is done using a dying process that's highly sophisticated. Once dehydrated, the foods are packed
in enameled, heavy-duty cans. They are then sealed with tightly, giving them the longest shelf life
possible.

Removing so much water content from the dehydrated foods makes them more compact. This is great
for preppers who have very little storage space for their food insurance. For example, a 24-pound case
of canned foods can weigh between 36-45 ounces in its dehydrated form. It would also come in one
single #10 can. This means that with dehydrated foods, you can yield about double the amount of food
for the same cost of regular canned foods.

Because about 25% of the water remains in dehydrated foods, they can have a shelf life of up to eight
years.

Author Bio

This article was written by content creator, Chett Wright. FoodInsurance.com is an industry leader in
emergency food storage. Like the Food Insurance Facebook page for amazing offers, and learn more
about freeze dried food from Food Insurance.

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