lds2

This is much bigger and just as sad as Katrina... Before and After Pictures of just a few of the areas devastated by this calamity... Before and after Sandy: Photos show contrast between lovely shore and wreckage | NJ.com Before-and-after views of Sandy destruction*Pictures - CBS News .

500 LDS missionaries helping neighbors in Sandy's wake 500 LDS missionaries helping neighbors in Sandy's wake | Deseret News

Here's a little bunny trail in this thread but I've been thinking about this a lot lately... Looking at the state of our existing marriages with the incivility and even abuse do we really need to focus so much on later? Seriously, many couples aren't good to each other and/or don't really want each other now. For many couples who are happy while young, as they get older this seems to become more of an issue. Barring those who are unfortunate enough to truly be married to a sociopath, can a man or woman who is unhappy with their spouse now hope to get a "better one" in the future? I don't think in most cases that would be possible. We are told that if we are unhappy in this life we will take that unhappiness with us into the next life. Heavenly Father has promised that if we are truly faithful and follow the example of his Son on this Earth we will be happy there. That is the goal I keep my eye set on and try to let the rest fall where it may. :)

Global Food Reserves Have Reached Their Lowest Level In Almost 40 Years but the population has grown exponentially since then. Food prices went up 10 percent between June and July. Food prices are expected to go up (depending on what product) between 5 and 20 percent before the end of December. Food prices are expected to really rise before winter crops come in in the spring. "Evan Fraser, author of Empires of Food and a geography lecturer at Guelph University in Ontario, Canada, says: “For six of the last 11 years the world has consumed more food than it has grown. We do not have any buffer and are running down reserves. Our stocks are very low and if we have a dry winter and a poor rice harvest we could see a major food crisis across the board.” “Even if things do not boil over this year, by next summer we’ll have used up this buffer .” Global Food Reserves Have Reached Their Lowest Level In Almost 40 Years (NYSEARCA:MOO, NYSEARCA:DBA, NYSE:POT, NYSE:MON, NYSE:DE, NYSE:AGU) | ETF DAILY NEWS

In this article basically Robert Fitzwilson (economist during past inflationary years) says that we have had a 200 year technology induced nirvana which is slowly coming to an end. We have seen deflationary pressures as tools made things like clothing and food dirt cheap. But that is coming to an end. As countries and peoples compete for available finite resources (such as food and cotton) prices inevitably go up. Between productivity declining and money printing we should look into converting our money into real assets. "If one has savings, the simple way to sidestep the financial implications of what lies ahead is to convert them as soon as possible to real assets. Anything left in the current monetary system that is not absolutely necessary will be severely diminished or destroyed. The U.S. elections are a few weeks away. Sadly, no matter who wins, the trillion dollar deficits, ballooning entitlements and printing will continue apace. Stay focused on wealth preservation. If we are to eventually turn back from the fiscal cliff, it will be a long and hard struggle. Even if victory is achieved, the existing stock of paper-based wealth will be severely impacted unless protected. Time is running short to take action.” My Blog .

There are precious metals banks that hold gold and silver and then make certificates that are the equivalent of the metals that they have in the bank. So instead of taking gold and silver home they give you essentially an IOU where you could go and get it or just keep the paper at home and let them store it for you. Of course it can be safer to store the actual gold and silver as paper can be conterfeited, etc. But some people worry about have those assets at home too as it can be lost or stolen. Even in the big banks some gold bars are stolen and replaced by sophisticatedly made goid covered tungsten bars. So if you took all the silver made in two and 1/2 YEARS and put it for sale all in one day, that is what happened the other day. Half a years worth went out in 5 minutes. This is happening a lot, the gold bankers threw everything they had at the gold market the other day to keep it under $1800. The reason I read is because a lot of computer automated programs were set at $1810 to sell and it would have put the gold market into chaos. My Blog (Not lds2s blog :) ) Article on how bullion banks had to halt golds advance the other day...

There will certainly be more than 178,000 more years in the Earth's history, and the end of the world isn't about the end of the Earth it is about the end of the wicked and the first 6,000 years of humanity moving into years where Christ will reign on the Earth. 10 We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.

I agree...we need to live our lives with confidence and joy. However, as we are in the "last days" and "perilous times" it would be provident to obey the commandment from Heavenly Father found here... https://www.lds.org/topics/food-storage?lang=eng https://www.lds.org/bc/content/shared/content/english/pdf/language-materials/04008_eng.pdf?lang=eng as we continue to "enjoy the world we have...for it is a wonderful place!!!" .

It might be well to remind ourselves that Enoch and his people established Zion in their day, also a time of great wickedness. We will do the same. Doctrines of the Gospel Student Manual - Chapter 35 - The Fall of Babylon and the Establishment of Zion

One thread you say our problem is global warming in this one that food contributes to obesity so we don't really need it... Corn and soy are major fillers in our food supply because they are cheap. It is unlikely that they are going to be replaced with things that are more expensive...so next we will be told that sawdust type fillers and synthetics in our food used to replace these fillers are actually great for us because they are low fat and provide products with less calories. There is not a shortage of sugar this year (at all) so what we are also going to see is a lot more sugar coatings on smaller products. I don't think that will effect the number of obese people in this country. What the substitute fillers will do to our health is anyones guess.

It seems also that the "trade winds" have not been working right for several years now. Whether this is caused by the same phenomenon are something else is a huge debate. But the "500 year" drought in Russia and the almost non-stop flooding in other areas that year were caused by failure of the winds to move systems. The flooding in the northern part of the country last year and the drought in the south were caused by something similar. The drought this year is also caused by a failure of the winds to work the way they are supposed to. What is causing this is a debate similar to "the chicken and the egg." Some people say it started with the currents in the gulf getting messed up by the oil disaster there. Other's global warming or "colding" ... Our "weather weirding" is most likely an unfortunate combination of many things.

Federal scientists say this July was the hottest ever recorded in the United States as a whole… The NEAA has said that the stretch from August 2011 through July of 2012 was the warmest 12-month period the U.S. has ever known. "The current year is out and beyond those Dust Bowl years. We're rivaling and beating them consistently from month to month." UN agency: Global food prices up due to US drought The drought monitor this week was still very sobering...

“Were we surprised when the last terrible war [the Civil War] took place here in the United States? No . . . You will see worse things than that, for God will lay his hand upon this nation and they will feel it more terribly than ever they have done before. There will be more bloodshed, more ruin, more devastation than ever they have seen before. Write it down! You will see it come to pass; it is only just starting in . . . There is yet to come a sound of war, trouble and distress, in which brother will be arrayed against brother, father against son, son against father, a scene of desolation and destruction that will permeate our land until it will be a vexation to hear the report thereof.” Prophecy of John Taylor (General Conference, 1879); (Source: Journal of Discourses, 20:31>> The American Civil War (1861–1865),

FWIW - This could totally be one of those I heard it from my brother's hairdresser thing...and I'm not sure that pioneer rumor mills were any more reliable than our own today...but I thought is was interesting... My brother, Noah Packard, says that he heard the Prophet Joseph say that the next great (U.S. civil) warafter the war of the rebellion (the Civil War of the 1860's between the North and the South) would commence in a little town now called Chicago but at that time it would have grown to be a very large city. And another brother told me that the Prophet said that the cause of the next great trouble of the United States would be the depreciation of the currency of the United States. I believe I have given you all the facts in as short and concise manner as possible. >> (Source: A. Milton Musser papers, LDS Church Archives, letter from Nephi Packard to A. Milton Musser, July 24, 1896)

Did you know that there is an earthquake fault as strong as the Wasatch underneath the great salt lake that runs along the west of the Promontory mountains, Antelope island and connects to the Oquirrh Mountain Fault on the West side of the Tooele mountains? The last time this earthquake happened the ground dropped 2.2 meters or about 7.2 feet at one point. Evidence of tsunamis in the past was found. I don't know how big a tsunami that could cause...anyone else know? Also if this fault runs North to South and drops on the West side which way would a wave go?

Ten Concepts vis a vis Earthquake Hazards and Great Salt Lake Earthquake hazards of Great Salt Lake include: Surface rupture: … this is why we take all surface evidence of faulting seriously. Ground shaking: Ground failure, liquefaction: Tsunami (initial slosh) and continuing seiche: Most risks of the NW quadrant are not life threatening. The risks are significant and will be costly to address. However, a highly, very highly unlikely hazard is a killer phenomenon… movement of the Weber-Davis and/or Salt Lake segment of the Wasatch fault with ensuing sudden displacement eastward of the Great Salt Lake. Earthquake Hazards in Utah http://geology.utah.gov/online/pdf/pi-38.pdf

Sharky, it sounds like you would be a great neighbor to have! I'd love to go on a nature walk in the spring with you. Being able to add healthy vegetation to the food pot is a great skill to have. We obviously live in different "zones" though and so that possibility isn't very likely. This time of year here there seriously aren't any weeds out there except a little goatshead and morning glory where I water the trees, the ground is mostly bare. Perhaps I live too close to town also as we don't have much wildlife here so that really isn't an option either. We do have a lot of hunters that believe that their year supply is running up in the mountains just waiting for them and 1,000s of others with the same plan to hunt. Unfortunately, we don't have irrigation water or we might have some vegetation along the canals.. Each of us have such different situations! With wheat and beans as a complete protein as well as herbs and grains to harvest and/or sprout you will be far better off than 99 percent of the rest of us...and you'll have TP. :)

FYI - The Salt Lake Honeyville store has moved and is now spitting distance (almost) from the downtown Costco. This is the store where I have gotten the best prices on some varieties of beans (not offered at the LDS cannery) and has a great variety of grains. "We've moved to bring food storage and baking ingredients closer to you! Our new location can be found where the I-80 meets the I-15 freeway in between Costco and Home Depot. Honeyville Farms 389 West 1830 South Salt Lake City, Utah 84115."

There are no weeds for the cattle to eat in the drought in the Mid-West...farmers are turning to gummy worms and fruit loops as there just isn't enough affordable hay or even corn silage (ground up corn stocks)... US farmers turn to gummy worms, fruit loops to feed cows after corn shortage

Worse is to come, new research warns. World food prices look set to hit an all-time high in the first quarter of next year – and then keep rising...The coming year will see the world economy re-enter a period of agflation as grain and oilseed stocks decline to critically low levels... World on track for record food prices 'within a year' due to US drought - Telegraph

Can't tell you what this means except that IT ISN'T GOOD! The equivalent of two and a half years worth of annual US silver mine production has been dumped on the silver paper futures market in the last 24 trading hours. I wonder how much that "paper" will be worth in the future, even physically holding it has it's problems... There were also reports of multiple counterfeit tungsten filled small gold bars being discovered in NY today. A silver article...Silver Smashed to $33.50 As 50% of US Annual Silver Production Dumped on Market in 5 Minutes | SilverDoctors.com A gold article...Gold Counterfeiting Goes Viral: 10 Tungsten-Filled Gold Bars Are Discovered In Manhattan | ZeroHedge

There are just a couple of things wrong with this statement... Perhaps in an area that is tropical or subtropical with plenty of water you could gather enough for a family's survival if you were an herbalist...but even then that is NOT going to be possible during a drought! The wild and/or domestic animals will have already stripped most everything edible. If "gathering" be careful, some plants that are edible have close cousins that look the same almost that are extremely toxic where even experts have a difficut time telling between them. Of course eating alfalfa or crops from farmers fields would be stealing which might keep you physically alive but not as much spiritually. Seriously, right now there is not a drought in Utah and I live "in the field's" and there is not enough nutritious grasses/leaves out there to keep a small goat healthy let alone people who's stomachs aren't made to get nutrition out of dry grasses/bushes. if we weren't supplementing with hay the domestic animals in my area would starve and it isn't even fall/winter/early spring yet when this type of vegetation is not available. In most areas in Utah the only major crop is alfalfa which is not a very good food for human consumption... As far as eating grasses for survival you could, theoretically, find or grow your own grasses and eat them like a leafy green however Grasses/leaves are not particularly easy to eat and most don't taste good (good luck getting your kids to eat grass), and you would need to eat very large quantities to get good levels of nutrients. These are basically salad foods but with more fiber and so don't have the calories people need to be healthy. During a drought or summer months the grasses are not likely to even be live salad foods. These dry weeds may go in and come out in basically the same dry state taking any actual nutritious foods you may have eaten through your system quickly not providing time for digestion. Alfalfa is an appetite stimulator which is not what you want to do to your family if they are already hungry. Also alfalfa seeds are toxic in large quantities (contain the toxic amino acid canavanine.) Sprouting these seeds (if you have the spare water) helps break some of this down but I still wouldn't eat it as a staple and you have to be very careful sprouting because bad bacteria is not uncommon without the right seeds/supplies, etc. Truthfully, this is a very bad plan. That said, I do agree that TP is important!...but get your 3 month supply, water and basic foods first (as found in the pamphlet the first presidency gave us) you can always use cotton square diaper wipes or sticks/rocks/sand if you have to.

"The “mass liquidation” of animals – which Rabobank said will pick up pace in the beginning of 2013 – will contribute to food prices hitting new highs. The cost of pork is expected to rise at the fastest pace - by 31% by the end of June next year... This would see food prices reach their highest level on record, up by 175% compared to the year 2000." Early 2013: Prepare For A Massive Food Price Surge; Up 175% from the Year 2000

The latest forecast by LEAP/2020 predicts the global economy will be ‘sucked into a black hole’ by October..."The best proof is the Fed’s September 13th decision to maintain its Operation Twist programme of Treasury repurchases by adding to it an unlimited programme (in time and amount) of mortgage backed securities repurchases (40 Billion USD/per month)...The Fed is aware that this decision will cause a backlash and damaging consequences internationally. In fact it has been hesitating for months ahead of a new QE3 (6). But, in trying to avoid a socio-economic implosion and a stock exchange collapse on Wall Street...it chose “Psychological Easing” rather than “Quantitative Easing”... Indeed all the signals are already on red: employment isn’t moving up, the jobs created are paid very much less than those lost (9), poverty is exploding throughout the country (10), … and the US multinationals (11) have increased announcements of falling profits for the second half of 2012 and 2013, returning to the levels of 2008/009, typical of a recession period (12). GEAB N°67 is available! Global systemic crisis/October 2012 -The global economy sucked into a black hole and world geopolitics heated to white-hot: The seven key factors of an unprecedented double shock

Food storage is a commandment from Heavenly Father to have right now, there is no better investment than that! :) Bishop McMullin basically promised miracles for those who have "layed up in store" and who can say whether this is not one of the commandments you must obey upon which additional blessings are predicated!... For instance you could share and starve with those around you yet be blessed to survive, at least that is what happened for my pioneer ancestors who shared... Seriously, food will be an excellent investment this year I think. Prices are already at record breaking levels and we are still IN HARVEST, the highest prices WILL come this spring (barring a depression)...if harvests are good next year in Brazil they may moderate late spring. However, if the harvests aren't good either in Brazil or next summer I don't know what the world will do as global food inventory will be at a three week level by next fall (even with an average harvest from Brazil) and then we will have another six fall/winter months to get through before more crops from South America could be expected... Any major failed harvests in the Southern or Northern hemispheres are going to really hurt at least as far as prices for the next few years...and perhaps far more than that...at least for the billions of people that scrape buy on a few dollars a day. And that is due to low supply, who knows what additional inflation will do which is now pretty much guaranteed at least for the foreseeable future. .