Rachel John, Extreme Knitting, 1000 Strand Knit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVRfVEONxJQ&feature=related

I just watched this 6 minute long video about a woman who knitted a mattress out of 1000 strands of yarn.  The first five minutes show the way she set up all the balls/spools of yarn (you can speed through it if you want.)   The colors were so gorgeous I wanted to roll around in all that yarn!  The end was a little disappointing, though, not at all what I expected.  I actually think I could create that mattress myself, if I had the yarn set up the way she did.  It didn't look like she had any more knitting talent than I do.

She did create a beautiful object d' art, however.

Got home from a quilt teaching trip, Woodbridge, VA

Wayne and I drove to Woodbridge VA on Sunday night.  I taught a workshop at the Cabin Branch Quilters Guild all day on Monday, and then taught a power point lecture at night.

Wayne spent the day touring museums in D.C. and seeing the cherry blossoms.

It was a great ego boost to meet Beth and Marianne, the two women who had booked me.  They said their favorite quilt in the MidAtlantic Quilt Festival about five years ago was my quilt, "Make an Appointment". Later, when they became the president and program director for their guild, they said, "Let's get the teacher that made that quilt", and they tracked me down.

I also met Shannon S., who came up to me at the end of my lecture and told me she had taken a class from me a couple of years ago when I taught at the MidAtlantic Quilt Festival.  She showed me a picture of the quilt she made using my techniques, and I asked her to send it to me.  So here is the photo of her quilt:

I love it!

New York, Boston, and Albany

(This blog has become my filing system. It is easier to find quotes with this search engine than the one on lds.org.)


In Doctrine and Covenants 84:114-115, it reads:

Nevertheless, let the bishop go unto the city of New York, also to the city of Albany, and also to the city of Boston, and warn the people of those cities with the sound of the gospel, with a loud voice, of the desolation and utter abolishment which await them if they do reject these things.

For if they do reject these things the hour of their judgment is nigh, and their house shall be left unto them desolate.

Orson Pratt also prophesied that New York, Boston and Albany would be left desolate.

Wilford Woodruff told specifically what would befall each city: New York will be destroyed by an earthquake. Boston will be swept into the sea. Albany will be destroyed by fire. Millenial Star, October 6, 1866.

My friend Lyric, 2011 Quilting Teacher of the Year

I just found out that my good friend Lyric Kinard was recently named 2011 Teacher of the Year by the International Association of Professional Quilters!  What a great honor!

And to think I knew her when.  She and I were in a quilt bee together for about ten years, from the time she was a complete beginner until she was already winning national quilting awards.

She is very talented, you should check out her website:

http://www.lyrickinard.com/index.html

General Conference soon!

 I am looking forward to General Conference SO MUCH.  I can hardly wait for next Saturday and Sunday.

And after General Conference, we are going to finally do what we have wanted to do for awhile...we are going to cancel our satellite TV hookup.  We think $79 a month is ridiculous.  We will start doing Netflix and maybe satellite radio for $10 a month, I could listen to the audio of the Glenn Beck TV show every day (without the video).

I want every bit of money we can get for buying more food storage, warm clothing, etc, for the economic downturn that I am positive is going to come.

Peter Schiff:

 To me, it's like watching someone walk into the same sliding glass door again and again. Wall Street must know by now that large infusions of liquidity from the Fed spur present consumption at the expense of investment for the future. We are an indebted family going out for an expensive meal to celebrate getting approved for a new credit card. It might feel good (at the time), but we're still simply delaying the inevitable.

http://www.zerohedge.com/article/guest-post-investment-legends-“dollar-collapse-inevitable” 

The Dubai Fountain

http://www.wimp.com/dubaifountain/

What will they think of next.

Treasury Bonds and Beanie Babies

I can remember when my kids were small, Beanie Babies were all the rage.  Adults (who should have known better) were convinced that if they bought each new Beanie Baby, and kept it in a pristine condition, that somewhere down the road some future buyer would want to buy it from them at a huge price.

I used the Beanie Baby delusion many times as a parable with my kids.  It was how I taught my children about the stock market.  I said if you buy a Beanie Baby (or a stock), and other people think it is worth more, they will pay you more than what you paid.  But if you are wrong, and you buy something that no one ever wants to buy from you, then you have made a bad investment.

I am leading up to the subject of treasury bonds.  For my whole life, treasury bonds seemed like a sure thing.  I never questioned them, they seemed like a worthwhile investment for a person to make.

Suddenly, in the past six months or so, I am beginning to wonder if the old Beanie Baby delusion is in play here.  Pimco sold all of its treasury bonds a couple of months ago.

And I just read an article titled,  "Running For the Exits: Hedge Funds are Dumping Treasury Bonds.  Do They Know Something?"

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/262688/running-exits-jim-lacey

In this article, Jim Lacey says:

So who is still buying U.S. debt? According to Bill Gross, the “old reliables” — China, Japan, and OPEC — are still in the market for 30 percent of all new debt. The rest, however, is being purchased by the Federal Reserve. There is no one in else in the market. For the first time ever, Americans are refusing to purchase their own country’s debt.

Here's another paragraph:

Researchers at Gross’s firm, PIMCO, estimate that in the last quarter, the Fed purchased 70 percent of all new Treasury debt. This is a disaster in the making. By printing new money to buy debt, the Fed is both holding interest rates artificially low and flooding the world with dollars.

Jim Lacey goes on to say that eventually the bondholders will see that the value of their assets has fallen, and everyone will stampede for the doors.


I can remember going to hundreds of yard sales in the 1990's and early 2000's, and seeing tables full of factory-condition Beanie Babies.  In the beginning, people were asking $10 per item, later $5 per toy, and now at any yard sale I can find Beanie Babies for 50 cents,  or even in the free bin.


How long before U.S. treasuries meet the same fate?  And when it happens, what will happen to the rest of the economy?  

"American Thinker" and "SHTFplan"

http://www.americanthinker.com/

and

http://www.shtfplan.com/

Two of my very favorite blogs.

What if King George III had had Google?

(And here I am using Google all day long.)

What if King George III had had Google?  A fictional account of the American Revolution.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/03/what_if_king_george_iii_had_ha.html

NIA Addresses Inflation Data
http://inflation.us/blog/2011/03/nia-addresses-latest-bls-cpi-inflation-data/

Before he ran for president, it was a different story

Here is what Obama said when he was still a candidate:

From SHTFplan.com:
http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/obama-on-military-attack-president-does-not-have-power-under-the-constitution_03212011


In December of 2007, while then Senator Obama was running for the Office of the President, Boston.com sat down with the candidate for a Q & A session.
The question from interviewer Charlie Savage asked Mr. Obama about Presidential authority to initiate a military attack under the Constitution:

In what circumstances, if any, would the president have constitutional authority to bomb Iran without seeking a use-of-force authorization from Congress? (Specifically, what about the strategic bombing of suspected nuclear sites — a situation that does not involve stopping an IMMINENT threat?)

Mr. Obama, at one time a professor of constitutional law at the University of Chicago, responded with a clear and concise view on the matter:

The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.
As Commander-in-Chief, the President does have a duty to protect and defend the United States. In instances of self-defense, the President would be within his constitutional authority to act before advising Congress or seeking its consent. History has shown us time and again, however, that military action is most successful when it is authorized and supported by the Legislative branch. It is always preferable to have the informed consent of Congress prior to any military action.
As for the specific question about bombing suspected nuclear sites, I recently introduced S.J. Res. 23, which states in part that “any offensive military action taken by the United States against Iran must be explicitly authorized by Congress.”

While President Obama and his counterpart in the UK, Prime Minister David Cameron, believe that the military action in Libya has been authorized, and is legitimate and legal, it is only legal with respect to United Nations’ bylaws and treaties.
The United States, however, requires the approval of Congress to engage in war, as stated by Mr. Obama in December of 2007. While the actions of Libya’s long-time leadership may be perceived abhorrent and morally unjust, it does not justify US involvement – especially unilateral decision making, with respect to US law, on the part of the President.
The United States was not in danger because of Libya’s actions against its people. There was no imminent threat.
Regardless of what the United Nations has or has not authorized, the People of the United States, by law, require Congressional approval for such an action.
This is a prime example of why our Founders were adamant about the system of checks and balances.

"My Troubled Relative"

Written by ChrisMartenson

"My Troubled Relative" 

I need your advice. I have a relative who is in financial trouble. He makes $50,000 a year, but he spent $74,591 last year, and his prospects of making $50,000 this year look kind of bad. There's a good chance he will get a pay cut.

Unfortunately, he’s been overspending for quite a while and has charged $295,632 on credit cards. He’s been lucky enough to get low teaser rates, and when those have expired, he’s been able to transfer the balances to other low-rate cards. So he keeps charging $24,591 per year beyond his income. If he can’t keep rolling over his debt at super low rates, the interest will quickly eat him up.

But, that's not his worst problem. He convinced his family he was a great investor. His parents gave him a portion of their income for many years, and he promised he would make regular payments to them and cover their medical care when they got too old to work. The problem is, he spent all the money. He also has dependents who are poor, and he promised to help them out, too. To cover those promises, he should have $2,372,953 sitting in a bank account earning an interest rate that keeps up with inflation. But the money is all gone.

So what should he do? Well, his Republican friends, who say they are responsible with money, have decided he must really cut spending to get things under control. There are lots of things he can live without, so they say he should reduce spending by $1,292 per year. His Democrat friends say that’s too much. They feel it would be a great hardship for him to cut spending that drastically, so reducing it by $137 should be about right.

So here’s the picture:

• $50,000: Income
• $74,591: Expenses
• $24,591: Deficit
• $295,632: Short-term revovling debt at artificially low rates
• $2,372,632: Unfunded promises
• $1,292: Republican friends budget cuts
• $137: Democrat friends budget cuts

So, what does the future look like for my Uncle Sam? Do you think he can keep going like this much longer? 

Read the rest of the article at:

http://www.chrismartenson.com/blog/how-explain-current-economic-situation-friends-and-family/54409?utm_source=newsletter_2011-03-19&utm_medium=email_newsletter&utm_content=node_title_54409&utm_campaign=weekly_newsletter_10

Let's make him a U.S. citizen and elect him to the Senate

http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/no-fear-farage-tears-into-eu-president_03192011

Why, oh WHY don't we have people in OUR legislature who can tell the leaders off like this guy does in the European Union?  I just LOVE this guy!

In the second video, Mr. Farage tells the president of the EU, "You have the charisma of a damp rag, and the appearance of a low grade bank clerk."

Watch all three videos.

Miracle Berry Party

 Seth and Janette hosted a party at our house last week.  Seth had received these Miracle Berries for Christmas, and wanted us all to try them.  They alter your taste buds for about an hour, changing sour to sweet.  (You can get some from ThinkGeek.com)

It was kind of scary eating all sorts of weird foods, and having their flavors completely altered.  Lemons tasted like really strong Lemonade.

Dill pickles tasted like Bread and Butter pickles.

Seltzer water still had a bitter taste, but not as bad as it would have been.

Rachel and I still loved Salt and Vinegar chips, the miracle berries could not change that.

Gasoline, Tomatoes, Palin

We've been filling up our cars when they are half full, you never know what the price of gasoline will be from one day to the next.  A gas station on Davis Drive was $3.60 today, and the gas at Sam's was $3.44.

I bought 4 tomato plants at Walmart today.  For the last two years, I have grown cherry tomatoes and tried to grow big tomatoes, but the big tomatoes never appeared.  This year, I only purchased big tomatoes, I am bound and determined to learn to make salsa and spaghetti sauce this year.  We will see how I do.


From the New York Sun, March 16, 2011
"Palin Doctrine Emerges as Arab League Echoes Her Demarche on Libya"
http://www.nysun.com/opinion/palin-doctrine-emerges-as-arab-league-echoes-her/87263/

Predicting earthquakes, can it be possible?

http://video.foxnews.com/v/4586903/sign-of-california-quake-to-come/

Fox news, March 15, 2011.

Very, very interesting.  I have no idea if this guy is right.  Some of his theories really make me stop and think "That makes sense."

I remember when I was a kid, textbooks told us about continental drift and that the continents just plowed through the layers of the earth.  No scientists knew the facts on plate tectonics yet.  When they discovered the rift valleys and the deep sea trenches, thats when they finally figured it all out.

I wonder if this guy is on to something that in future years we will all be taught in school.

Quantitative Easing: Our Tiger By the Tail

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/03/quantitative_easing_our_tiger.html

Here are some excerpts from this article, published today, March 16, 2011.

Why QE Will Continue Until Hyperinflation Stops It

From a purely economic perspective, QE and inflation should never have occurred. From a political standpoint, it is a means of hiding the critical economic condition of the country. A stoppage of the program would result in two likely outcomes:

• 1. A Depression

Economic and financial performance has been artificially inflated by QE. A bubble in both areas has developed as a result of QE.  Chris Martenson explains:

The Fed has been dumping roughly $4 billion of thin-air money into the US markets each trading day since November 2010.  The markets, all of them, are higher than they would be without this money.  $4 billion per trading day is an enormous amount of money.  As soon as the QE program ends, the markets will have to subsist on a lot less money and liquidity, and the result is almost perfectly predictable....

 If QE no longer provides economic stimulus, then why continue it? Quite simply, stopping QE would potentially cause markets to collapse and the economy to enter a depression. Stopping it also would risk bankrupting the Federal government.

• 2. A Government Unable to Pay its Bills

The Federal government is insolvent. Without QE it would likely be illiquid. It is doubtful the US could sell enough debt to arms-length buyers to sustain its current spending. The current estimate of the deficit is $1.7 Trillion.

Without QE there would be added distress for government and the economy. Domestic interest rates would rise to whatever level necessary to attract market funding. Higher interest rates would provide a further drag on the economy. They would also dramatically widen government deficits. Kyle Bass quantifies what a return to more normal interest rates would do to government spending:

... a move back to 5% short rates will increase annual US interest expense by almost $700 billion annually against current US government revenues of $2.228 trillion (CBO FY 2011 forecast)....

In short, our economy is in a shambles despite what the propaganda machine spews. Harry Schultz, famed investment advisor and newsletter author, wrote at the age of 86 in his final newsletter:

"Roughly speaking, the mess we are in is the worst since the 17th century financial collapse. Comparisons with the 1930's are ludicrous. We have gone far beyond that. And, alas, the courage & political will to recognize the mess & act wisely to reverse gears, is absent in the U.S. leadership, where the problems were hatched & where the rot is by far the deepest. "

Read the rest of the article for more information.

With Japan's problems adding to the global economic problems, I have very little faith that our dollar is going to last much longer.

Discovering a talent I didn't know I had

Can you raed this? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. 

I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in what oerdr the ltteres in a word are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is that the frsit and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still raed it whotuit a pboerlm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the word as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! 


55 people can read the paragraph above, the other 45 can scroll down to see what it says.











(Note from Amy:  I am so proud!  I could read it with no problem!  I feel very talented.  And, by the way, I can also see those magic eye pictures.  So nanny nanny boo boo!)





I couldn't believe that I could actually understand what I was reading. The phenomenal power of the human mind, according to a research at Cambridge University, it doesn't matter in what order the letters in a word are, the only important thing is that the first and last letter be in the right place. The rest can be a total mess and you can still read it without a problem. This is because the human mind does not read every letter by itself, but the word as a whole. Amazing huh? Yeah and I always thought spelling was important! 

Ritz Cracker Pie

Wayne came home early yesterday, he was feeling all dizzy.

I made bread again last night, I keep trying out new recipes.  I am using the very, very last of the yeast from a big package, it is almost dead so I have to use almost double what the recipe says.  Last night the bread puffed up way too high and then fell flat.  Oh well, next time I'll use new yeast and I'll be able to measure it the way the recipe says.

Zac made "Grandma's Pie" for our dessert last night, or as we usually call it, "Ritz Cracker Pie".  It is very very good, and he likes to make it because it has no pie crust.  Here is the recipe:

Grandma’s Pie (also called “Ritz Cracker Pie”)

30 Ritz crackers (one roll)

1/2 cup nuts

1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

3 egg whites

Crush crackers, mix in next four ingredients.

Beat egg whites until stiff, fold carefully into mixture.

Pour into glass pie pan.  Bake 325 for 30 minutes.  Cool and serve with whipped cream.

Take That, Vinnie

I have a bad memory of my Grandma Vinnie.  One day our family was at my grandparents' house, and Grandma was making biscuits.  She could do it completely from memory, no recipe needed.  She was actually probably the best cook I have ever been around, but of course I never learned anything from her.  (I was a kid, I didn't care about any of that.)

My mother called her mother-in-law "Mom".  My mother said many times in my life, "All Mom ever does is cook."  This caused me, from the time I was young, to think of cooking as a waste of my time.  I didn't want to waste my life cooking the way my mother thought her mother-in-law wasted her life.

Back to the story.

When I was a young teenager at my Grandma's that day, watching her make biscuits, she asked me something about it, and I said I didn't know how to make biscuits, and had never done it before.

My Grandma was shocked and appalled, and made a big deal of the fact that I was so old and didn't even know how to make biscuits.  I also got the impression she was implying, "What a terrible mother you have, not teaching you to cook."

I was pretty embarrassed.  It didn't make me feel any closer to my Grandma, thats for sure.  I have felt bad about it ever since, like I didn't measure up.  And I REALLY didn't like the judgmental attitude she had towards my mom.

So, yesterday I made biscuits for the first time.  And Wayne and Zac pronounced them excellent, and want me to make them again.  So there.

Hand Dancing

http://dalesdesigns.net/hand-dancing.htm

I loved this video (sent to me by Aunt Carol).  I think OK Go ought to do their next song with hand dancing.

Jacob safe

Carla forwarded the email sent from her son's mission.  "All the missionaries in the Nagoya Japan mission are safe."  Hallelujah!

Burning CD's

It has taken me forever over the last 3 days, burning the 150 CD's I have to give away with my presentation tomorrow morning.

I've been watching the news all day about the Japan earthquake and tsunamis.  My sister's son Jacob is on a mission in Japan, my mother told me the missionaries have all been accounted for, but I want to hear it from my sister.  I will tell more when I hear from her.

This and that, diary stuff

I'm busy getting my Food Storage presentation ready for Saturday.  I'll be teaching at the stake women's day 9am-12.

I got some seeds planted in little cups, in three weeks I can transplant them into my garden.  This will be my third summer to have a garden.  Every year I learn a little more.  I got some more boards today at Home Depot, for Wayne to build a 5th "square foot garden".  And I got some more trellis, because last year I didn't have enough space for all the climbing vegetables I had.

Tara has decided to attend Wake Tech in the fall, so she will be living at home again.

I have discovered I absolutely love baking with white wheat.  I don't know why everyone told us to buy hard red wheat 30 years ago.  It was all we ever had.  Now I am buying only white wheat, it tastes so much more like regular flour.

I learned to sew a bit on my treadle machine.  It is like sewing with no brakes and with no steering.  I have to pedal full speed, because if I slow down at all, the wheel goes in reverse and it breaks the thread.  The only way to sew is FAST, and that means I never have time to straighten up the fabric layers as they fly through the needle.  Lots of crooked seams.  There is no way to do anything but straight seams on it, I can't imagine setting in sleeves.

On Friday night, Wayne and I attended the Young Adult regional dance.  We always sit in the game room and play board games or talk to the other members of the bishopric, but occasionally we hear a good song and run in there and dance one dance.  So we heard some great swing music and hurried into the gym and started dancing.  Wayne is such a good leader, we were doing spins and doing so well, basically the whole crowd was just standing in a circle watching us and about two other couples dancing.  It was very fun.

And here's my bad news for the day:


http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/03/08/bowles-simpson-fiscal-crisis-could-come-within-2-years/
"Bowles, Simpson: Fiscal Crisis Could Come Within 2 Years"

Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, who co-chaired the White House’s deficit-reduction commission last year, said Tuesday the U.S. could face a destabilizing fiscal crisis in two years or even sooner.

At a Senate Budget Committee hearing on Tuesday, both men chided Congress for focusing so much time and energy on cutting domestic discretionary spending, which makes up about 12% of government spending, and not focusing enough on entitlement programs and the tax code. The U.S. has $14.1 trillion in debt and is projected to run a $1.65 trillion deficit in 2011. Debt levels are projected to grow rapidly, which many believe will force the U.S. to borrow more money from other countries.

“This problem is going to happen long before my grandchildren grow up,” said Mr. Bowles, who was White House chief of staff during the Clinton administration. “This is a problem we are going to have to face up to it maybe two years, maybe a little less, maybe a little more.”

He said the crisis is “predictable” and will take place when “our bankers over there in Asia begin to believe we are not going to be solid on our debt, that we are not going to be able to meet our obligations. Just stop and think a minute what happens if they stop buying our debt. What happens to interest rates? What happens to the U.S. economy? The markets will absolutely devastate us if we don’t step up to this problem. The problem is real. The solutions are painful, and we have to act.”

Mr. Simpson, a former Republican senator from Wyoming, said, “I think it will come before two years.”

Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the ranking Republican on the panel, said “the remarks you have just made are very sobering.”

Two evenings, Two exciting stories

Part 1:  Last Wednesday night as Wayne was leaving from bishopric meeting at the NCSU Institute building, a college age skateboarder was skateboarding down the street ahead of him.  It was dark and the guy was wearing dark clothing and weaving all over the road.

Wayne was hanging back because he didn't want to hit the guy.   As the skateboarder approached the intersection a car turned onto that street just as the skateboarder went into the oncoming lane, and the two collided. Wayne watched as the guy was thrown up onto the hood, then the windshield, then onto the roof, then the driver hit the brakes, so the guy got thrown back down to the windshield, and onto the street.

The driver and Wayne rushed out (and called 911), and the skateboarder's leg was all askew, yet he was asking "where is my bottle of whiskey?" which they found nearby.  Then the guy started calling his friends on his cellphone and telling them he got hit by a car.  So Wayne gave a police report and finally got home.

Part 2:  Thursday night (the very next night) Wayne and I and Zac were returning from south of Apex.  We were driving past LaRancherita on narrow Salem Street, where everyone has to parallel park.  I was saying how there is no way I can park on that street because I can't parallel park.

We had to stop because there was a car trying to parallel park.  We waited for them for a little while, because it was obvious they were as unskilled as I am, they kept going back and forth.

Suddenly, the driver must have stomped on the gas because we watched as the car went careening backwards at full speed and smashed into the next parked car and then went up on the sidewalk and I was afraid it was going to hit a building.  The motor was squealing even though the car was smashed onto something that made it stop moving.

Two men ran over to help, so Wayne decided there was no reason for us to stay, so we drove around the crash and went home.  We were pretty stunned.

I told Wayne he is an accident-magnet.



Another interesting article:  "Media Misleading Americans about Inflation"
http://inflation.us/blog/2011/03/media-misleading-americans-about-inflation/

Goodbye, Clinique

I have been washing my face with Clinique bar soap for years.  I like their eyeliner too, and their base makeup.

My bar of face soap is getting microscopic, so I went to the mall on Friday to get a new bar.  As I was walking toward the cosmetic counter, I was thinking, "it used to be $7, its probably $9 by now."  The lady rang it up and said, "That will be $12.95."

I didn't take me two seconds to say, "I'm sorry, I've decided not to buy it."  And I walked away.

I'll go check out some other brands of facial cleansers at Target or somewhere.  No way am I paying $12.95 for one bar of soap.

Two amazing treasures from quilt guild silent auction

I made three aprons for my daughter-in-laws for Christmas, and had to make up the patterns because I couldn't find ones I liked.

Then I went to the silent auction at Durham-Orange quilt guild in January, and got this absolutely darling apron pattern in a big bag of sewing junk for only 25 cents.

The other miracle was that I also got this ORIGINAL OWNER'S MANUAL for my 1950's Singer featherweight sewing machine, it was also just stuck in the bag.

Over 1,000 pages of Food Storage Information Packed into 35 Minutes.

That is the title of my presentation which I will be giving at the Apex Stake Women's Day, Saturday March 12, 2011.

I will be presenting my 35 minute class three times in the Apex Stake center Primary room:
9:35-10:10,  10:15-10:50, and 10:55-11:30.

The reason for the title "Over 1,000 pages of Food Storage Information Packed into 35 Minutes," is that I will be showing you all the documents which are included in the free CD which you will get in my class.  All of these booklets were written by church members who have published them on the internet, and have given permission for them to be used by anyone who is interested.

One booklet is 300 pages, one is 200 pages, and many more are around 100 pages each.  This is the best information available in the world today, and you will leave my class with your own copies, to read or print out at your leisure.

I will also give you lists of websites and blogs where you can go to find out more.

Hope you can attend!

Time to start saving nickels and pennies

http://www.coinflation.com/coin_calculators.html

On March 2, 2011  I went on that site and looked up the melt value of every single U.S. coin.

Pennies (1909-1982)  are worth .029 cents.  That means if you buy a roll of 50 pennies, for 50 cents, you are actually getting $1.48 of metal.

(1982-2011 pennies in a roll of 50 pennies are a loss, the metal in them is only worth .33)

Jefferson nickels from 1946-2011:  If you buy a roll of 40 nickels, for $2.00, you are actually getting $2.91 of metal.


More losses:
1965-2011 Roosevelt dimes have metal value of .026 each.

1965-2011 Washington Quarters have metal value of .064 each.

Kennedy half-dollars have metal value of .12 each.

Eisenhower dollars have metal value of .25 each.

The good thing about nickels is that you don't have to sort them.  Pretty much every nickel you get will be from 1946-2011.  So they are easy to collect.


For pennies, you need to sort every one of them to make sure to save the ones from 1909-1982.  (The 1982-2011 are worth less than a penny.)  And I don't know how to tell the difference between a good one or a bad one from 1982.


Now that I know this, I am going to get some nickels and pennies as a means of exchange when the bad times come.  And I think we had better watch out, it won't be too long before everyone has this figured out and the older pennies and the nickels quit circulating or get recalled by the government.


Plus:  A good article by Kellene Bishop:
 http://www.preparednesspro.com/blog/food-shortage-series-part-4/

More steps to end the U.S. Dollar's reign as world's reserve currency

I watched a video a few months ago that made me fear for the future, and today I saw two news stories that show that Porter Stansberry's predictions are coming true.

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/117991/20110302/china-yuan-trade-reserve-currency.htm
"China to allow all trades to settle in yuan, encourages use as reserve currency"
International Business Times,  March 2, 2011

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/02/china-economy-yuan-idUSBJA00246420110302
"China aims to settle nationwide trade in yuan by 2011"
Reuters, March 2, 2011


The following story happened Nov. 24, 2010:

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-11/24/content_11599087.htm
"China, Russia quit dollar"  
China Daily, Nov. 24, 2010

In case these headlines make you say, "So what?", you need to listen to this YouTube by Porter Stansberry research.  He tells you why our economy is going to collapse when the U.S. dollar is no longer the world's reserve currency.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI-BIVWlc7A
I already put this link on my blog on 1-16-2011, but I think the video was made in December 2010.

Here are some of my notes from the video:

This video is 1 hour 16 minutes long.  You can start at 6:00 if you want to skip a bunch of boring parts.

At 8:50, he tells about “the one thing that has saved us so far”: our dollar’s unique position as the world’s reserve currency.

Since everything in the world is bought and sold in U.S. dollars, this enables us to print more dollars anytime we want to buy anything overseas.

13:27- “In order for prices to start skyrocketing, all that has to happen is that other countries start preferring payments in something besides U.S. dollars.”

Most Americans have no clue what will happen when our money is no longer the reserve currency.

He tells about the fall of the British currency (it was the previous reserve currency of the world.)

17:27 "Maybe you don’t think something similar can happen here...but I’m telling you, its already happening."

18:59  There are other disastrous consequences to the U.S. dollar losing status as the world’s currency...

20:00 Massive inflation can happen.  It happened in Yugoslavia, Greece, Iceland

In the U.S., states are going bankrupt.

Our federal government would be bankrupt, too, except it keeps printing money.

29:06 What most people don’t realize, is that the U.S. can only continue printing dollars as long as the U.S. remains the world’s reserve currency.

30:09  Meeting of countries to plan to end dollar dealings for oil.

32:21 U.S. Dollars days are numbered.

35:07  Bloomberg News recently reported that China and Russia plan to start trading in each other’s currencies to diminish the dollar’s role in global trade. (See Nov. 24, 2010 news story link at top of this blogpost.)

57:00 to end:  He ends by saying have at least 6 months of food and supplies, after that he tries to sell his book and services.

1:09:04  He has a booklet you can order "The World's Most Valuable Asset in a Time of Crisis".  (Someone told me they ordered his information, and found out this asset suggestion was "Farm Land.")

Washington Post article on Mormon values

http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/john_mark_reynolds/2011/02/an_american_trumpet.html

Feb. 9, 2011

The Christian case for Mormon values

With former Utah governor Jon Huntsman and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney both believed to be gearing up for a run for the presidency, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has again found itself answering questions about what these two prominent members believe. 
Post reporter Sandhya Somashekhar wrote in a story published Tuesday that Mormon leaders see the ascendancy of these and other Mormons (such as convert Glenn Beck) as a sign "that the community has finally 'arrived,'" but added "researchers say there remains a deep mistrust of Mormons and that little has changed in public opinion to suggest that voters will be more open this year than they were in 2007."

If conservative Christian and Mormons share a political agenda, why do suspicions still plague Mormon politicians? Do media personalities such as Glenn Beck help or hurt the cause?

McConkie: "What Think Ye of the Book of Mormon?" Nov. 1983

http://lds.org/ensign/1983/11/what-think-ye-of-the-book-of-mormon?lang=eng

This is a great test of the truthfulness and scriptural worth of the Book of Mormon:

May I be so bold as to propose a test and issue a challenge. It is hoped that all who take this test will have a knowledge of the Holy Bible, because the more people know about the Bible, the greater their appreciation will be of the Book of Mormon.

This test is for saint and sinner alike; it is for Jew and Gentile, for bond and free, for black and white, for all of our Father’s children. We have all been commanded to search the scriptures, to treasure up the Lord’s word, to live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God. (See D&C 84:44.) This, then, is the test:

Let every person make a list of from one hundred to two hundred doctrinal subjects, making a conscious effort to cover the whole field of gospel knowledge. The number of subjects chosen will depend on personal inclination and upon how broad the spectrum will be under each subject.

Then write each subject on a blank piece of paper. Divide the paper into two columns; at the top of one, write “Book of Mormon,” and at the top of the other, “Bible.”

Then start with the first verse and phrase of the Book of Mormon, and continuing verse by verse and thought by thought, put the substance of each verse under its proper heading. Find the same doctrine in the Old and New Testaments, and place it in the parallel columns.

Ponder the truths you learn, and it will not be long before you know that Lehi and Jacob excel Paul in teaching the Atonement; that Alma’s sermons on faith and on being born again surpass anything in the Bible; that Nephi makes a better exposition of the scattering and gathering of Israel than do Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel combined; that Mormon’s words about faith, hope, and charity have a clarity, a breadth, and a power of expression that even Paul did not attain; and so on and so on.

There is another and simpler test that all who seek to know the truth might well take. It calls for us simply to read, ponder, and pray—all in the spirit of faith and with an open mind. To keep ourselves alert to the issues at hand—as we do read, ponder, and pray—we should ask ourselves a thousand times, “Could any man have written this book?”

And it is absolutely guaranteed that sometime between the first and thousandth time this question is asked, every sincere and genuine truth seeker will come to know by the power of the Spirit that the Book of Mormon is true, that it is the mind and will and voice of the Lord to the whole world in our day.

I don't believe a word of it.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Oil-prices-climb-as-Iran-apf-1296176780.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=2&asset=&ccode=

from "Oil Prices Rise on Middle East, Bernanke Comments"



Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress Tuesday that a prolonged rise in oil prices would hurt the U.S. economy. But he said runaway inflation is unlikely. "The most likely outcome is that the recent rise in commodity prices will lead to, at most, a temporary and relatively modest increase in U.S. consumer price inflation," Bernanke said.




"Unlikely"


"Temporary"


"Relatively modest"




And if you believe that, I have a bridge I want to sell to you.

Our stake's food drive for NC Food Bank

http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/02/28/1018747/mormons-join-ncssm-for-food-drive.html

Here is the article Yonat Shimron wrote for the Raleigh News and Observer.  I was helping out there while she was interviewing the people.

Here are some pictures I took:

The first picture shows people carrying food from a trailer to the sorting tables.

Here are the sorting tables.  We took donations and then sorted all the food by cans, boxes, bottles, bags, and checked all the expiration dates.

This is inside the truck.  The kids carried the canned goods in there and put them inside the big boxes.  The food inside more fragile containers (glass, bags, etc.)  were boxed separately.