CITY FORAGING - Edible Begonias?

By Ray Gano

Yep the world's most common houseplant is edible. They are also one of the most common bedding plant for three reasons…

1 They look great.
2. They like shade
3. Deer don’t like to eat them
4. The most important thing, most city folk don’t even know that they are edible. 

So if you are walking around your neighborhood and "inventorying" what your city has to offer, you will probably see Begonias in abundance.

That is why I have decided to list it as one of those plants you need to identify and mark down on your local map or GPS waypoint.

Now what is interesting is that in those fancier grocery stores it is becoming "Haute Couture" to have flower pedals in your soup, salad and dressing up the plate. Often times those pedals they are eating are none other than Begonias.

Now something you can do, is plant the wax begonia, which is the most common in your yard. For those of you who live in an apartment, these plants thrive in pots and containers.  People will admire them but very few if any will know that they are part of this week's dinner menu.

There are at least 15 types of begonia that are edible…

B. annulata (aka B. hatacoa),
B. auriculata,
B. barbata,
B. gracilis,
B. grandis var evansiana (sparingly due to its medical uses),
B. hernandioides,
B. malabarica,
B. mannii,
B. picta,
B. palmata,
B. plebeja (stems peeled, sap is used to make a drink),
B. Semperflorens, 
B. rex and B. roxburghii (cooked),
B. fimbristipula is used to make a tea. (1)

Begonias are a common part of meal time in countries from Mexico,  India and Brazil.  Basically wherever they grow they have been a food source to people in the know.

So welcome to the club of being in the know.

Begonias have been found to be a  good source for vitamin C, often consumed by the pirates of the Caribbean to prevent scurvy. Well, I threw in the pirate stuff because they are native to Central and South America. They are also native to Japan, India, Indonesia, Burma in fact most of Asia all the way to  South Africa.  Pretty much where there is a semi humid environment along with warm weather, you will find begonias.

In Japan they are eaten like you would steamed spinach, throw them in a pot, add some salt, pepper and water and you have a side dish.

In Indonesia  they are used to make a sauce for meat and fish because of their "tart" taste. They are also used to make salads from China to Brazil.

Pretty much any time you would make greens cooked or raw, you can substitute those for begonias.

Now I have to say that Begonias contain oxalic acid, which can make them rather tart at times.

In high concentrations, oxalic acid is a dangerous poison, but such immediately toxic levels are not found in foodstuffs but rather in  the industrial arena. It is found in some bleaches, some anti-rust products, and some metal cleaners, among other things. As I have mentioned, it is also a naturally occurring component of plants, like begonias and other dark-green leafy foods. (2)

Also because they are ground cover, you need to make sure that where you forage from is not treated with pesticides and sprays. And as with any edible plant, make sure that you have clearly identified the plant. When in doubt, don’t eat it.

Thing is that Begonias have been harvested and eaten for at least 1,400 years where I understand that China has the earliest records using begonia grandis. (pictured here) There it was used as an herbal medicine, an astringent to clean wounds, reduce swelling and to treat a number of diseases.

A great website to visit and learn more about Begonias is: http://www.begonias.org.

Endnotes

1 - http://www.eattheweeds.com/www.EatTheWeeds.Com/EatTheWeeds.com/Entries/1958/5/25_Begonias%E2%80%99_Bonanza.html

2 - http://oxalicacidinfo.com/

The Sluggard

By Ray Gano

Proverbs  6:6 (KJV)  Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

Folks, if you are easily offended, then please stop right here. The following article is one of great concern, and believe it or not, one of great love.

I look out at the horizon today and the direction this country as well as the world is going, and I have to say that a storm is coming like no other.

Now I want to make very clear that I am not a prophet nor a son of a prophet. I do not stand on dreams,  visions nor "words of knowledge." What I do stand on is God's Word in knowing what the future holds.

To be honest, we view our world in two different ways.

You can look at this world and see great opportunity, or you can look at this world and see great despair. It is up to you on how you view it. I guess it depends on what sort of person you are. Do you see the glass half empty or half full?

This has got to be one of the most painful articles I have ever written, but I feel that what I need to say, is what needs to be said.

Christians, we have turned into a gaggle of slothful sluggards, and I group myself into this as well because I know that with all I do, there is still more of myself that I could give to the Lord.

 I have been feeling a conviction like no other. We as the church have failed when it comes to "occupying till HE returns," and that is a fact.

Here we are living on the razor's edge and yet we are asleep at the preverbal wheel.

Scripture says…

Proverbs 6:9 (KJV)  How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

Look at where this nation is going, the path that we are on, the direction we are being led.

People, don't we see where this is headed?

It is like 90% of the church has just given up and rolled over. The fight is gone, the battle is lost, the white flag has been given over to the enemy.

Is it just me who feels this way?

Listen, I am going to harp on something that I know that I am going to get a ton of flack for, but I feel that it needs to be said.

But before I make my statement, I need to clarify one thing. I firmly stand on the Lord's imminent return. My ears are perked  every moment in hopes to hear that triumphant trump sounding.

Thing is, that so many have used this as an excuse, instead of the impetus for action.

Yes, I am talking about the rapture.

It seems like there are many out there that have forgotten why we are here. They have forgotten the great commission and the great commandment. They have focused on things that really do not matter, over the very souls of the loved ones we could effect for the Lord.

 It is like they have rolled over and said "WHO CARES.. The rapture is coming, so let's eat, drink for tomorrow is not. Why?... because the rapture is coming."

It is like people are using this as a crutch and excuse to be complacent instead of leveraging it for strength to get out there and share the gospel in all earnest.

Folks, we hear it all the time, time is short, but it seems like we have been lulled into some sort of sluggard's stupor. We are like a deer in the headlights and don’t know what to do.

I was thinking back on the Boy Scout motto : Be Prepared.

But for what?

Be prepared for anything. Live a life of anticipation as well as urgency.

Scripture tells us to "Be Ready Always"

1 Peter 3:15 (KJV)  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

We need to be ready always to share the gospel in good times and in bad.

But what is sad is that it seems that we have lost our "fight within us."

What we need to do is fight, fight for tomorrow, fight for that loved one across town, fight for that co-worker. We have got to shake off this complacency and we have got to stand and fight.

Now here is where I might upset some of you.

But Ray, I stand on Matthew 6: 25 & 31

Matthew 6:25 (KJV)  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Matthew 6:31(KJV)  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

Folks, using this verse so that you do not have to do anything is taking scripture out of context.  People are using God's Word for an excuse for laziness.

What many people are doing is making God out to be the great welfare agent in the sky and sugar daddy.

He is neither of those.

How does God provide for all our needs?  Well, He sure doesn’t plant $20.00 bill trees in the back yard, nor have I witnessed pennies from heaven. How God provides His blessings is opportunities set before us.  Because we are being diligent for Him through the work we do for the Kingdom, he will provide for all our needs.

We need to work, prepare and always be ready.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 (KJV)  For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

Proverbs 30:25 (KJV)  The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;

So leaning upon Matthew 6: 25 & 31 as your excuse has turned many into sluggards.

I want to speak to the men for a moment here.

Men, read the following and ask yourself, what are you doing about it?

1 Timothy  5:8 (KJV)  But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

You know what really gets my goat is when I hear folks say that I am some radical survivalist gun toting nut for having the concern to make sure that my family is taken care of.

I often here "Ray - You just don’t trust God to provide and besides look around you, the rapture is coming any day now."

So is it wrong to put food "insurance" in place?

Many have home insurance, car insurance, life insurance, health insurance, renters insurance so forth and so  on. How many people are willing to give that up because the rapture is going to take place in the next few days?

Where is your faith now?

Don't YOU trust God?

Why do you have all these things in place if you are quoting Matthew 6:31?

Matthew 6:31 (KJV)  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

In fact,  if you quote Matthew 6:31, then also why not  "sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me?" (Luke 18:22)

Do you see what I am getting at? It seems like there is hypocrisy going on.

What guarantee can you give me that we will NOT be here this time next year?

What about 3, 5, 10 years from now?

"Oh Ray, the rapture is going to come and God will take us home!"

Yea? …When?

Do you have some sort of magic all seeing crystal ball that will guarantee that we are outta here by this time next year?

I know that I am pushing the limits with some of you. And in fact I can hear you say.. "Ray has gone off the deep end. He is turning into one of those… you know… post tribbers. "

Folks, like I have said, I stand firmly upon the Lords imminent return.

In fact it is the doctrine of imminence that drives this fire that I have burning in my bones at this moment, and saying the things I am saying.

I look out at the sea of people, including myself and I ask, "have I  really given my all, or am I paying lip service?"

Do I really believe that He is coming soon or am I just playing that church game that many of us play?

Folks, very hard times are coming to this nation. That is a hard core, 100% fact. You can bury your head or you can wake up and smell the coffee and do something about it.

We are on the cusp of what I believe as being something great. Others see doom and gloom. Others refuse to see anything and it is life as normal, Monday Night football, pizza on Fridays.

Folks, I see great opportunity like no other.

The problem is that about 80% of us don’t care, 20% of us are getting somewhat involved in the game, 10% of us are on the field of battle and 2% are fighting the fight.

It all boils down to we have forgotten to "Occupy Till He Returns."

But what is worse, the enemy has caught us in our complacency, and now we are having to play catch up big time.

Can you guarantee that we are not going to be here this time next year?

I know that I can't, and in all honesty, you can't either. Only God knows the time. So we need to wake up to this reality, put on our armor and fight the good fight instead of being the yellow bellied cowards we have been for the last 20-30 years.

It is time to plant the standard of God and say to the enemy NO MORE!!! 

We need to live like the next minute is our last, as well as if we will be here for the next 20 years.

With this stated, we need to ground ourselves and look at what tomorrow really brings, and folks it ain't going to be coming up all roses either, tough times are ahead.

We need to prepare and we need to be ready. This nation and this world is going down the tubes fast.

But more than that, there are so many out there who do not know the Lord and they are seeing this world go to the wolves.

These people are fearful and they do not have the answer, but we do. It is what we do with that answer that is of the utmost importance.

1 Corinthians  15:34 (KJV)  Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.

I speak this to your shame…. Those are very hard words to hear.

What are these lost people to do?  Are they to go to these pitiful excuses for churches today so they can hear about their Best Life Now?  What about gaining heaven through works and have a "Purpose Driven Life?"

Let me repeat what Scripture says…

1 Peter 3:15 (KJV)  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

Christian, we have a responsibility like no other. We cannot be sitting around on some mountain top singing kum-by-ya with our eyes peered into the clouds.

That is the way of the sluggard.

What is worse is because so many have bought into this lie of doing nothing because God is going to rain pennies from heaven, has effectively  taken themselves out of the game and sitting on the sidelines doing nothing for the kingdom of God.  

They continue to make our Lord out to be our excuse for such slothfulness.

The  time is at hand now, the need to be ready to share the gospel is now. But are you ready to ALWAYS share the gospel?

How many people do you know that do not know the Lord?

What have you personally done about it? Compound that with where this nation is going and we have a responsibility to our fellow man to share the blessed hope in good times and in bad.

Answer me this, what would happen if all the banks closed for two weeks, in fact let's make it one week. Your ATM card would not work, credit card would not work and no one is taking checks.

Store shelves will be empty in just three days, more likely two.

Riots, vandalism, looting, people run amuck. In fact remember the LA riots? Imagine that taking place pretty much in every big city but worse.

But what are you doing about it to ensure that you can protect your family and provided for your family in as situation like this? Can you share the gospel in good times and in bad?

Like I said, I am probably going to rub a lot of you the wrong way because you do not want to hear what it is I have to say. Why? Because it means we need to get out of our complacent rut and do something about it.

I  can hear it now. You are going to count me off as some kook, fool, survivalist, right wing nut case, or make excuses.  Anything to sooth your conscience so you do not have to take action and remain the sluggard sitting on your laurels.

While other ministries are out there selling some panacea idea that life is great and God has a extra special place in his heart for the American Christian. You may be sitting there saying He will never allow us wonderful Americans to see hard times, let alone persecution. Why?  Because everyone knows that God's throne is draped in the good ol' red, white and blue.

I am sorry for the sarcasm, but I am trying to drive home a point.

Yes, what I am saying are real hard words to say as well as real hard word s to hear.

It is called cold hard truth.  We as Christians have bought into the PC garbage all these years. The media has told us to be good little drones, don't store food because that is "hording." And yet it was seen as prudent when our grandparents and great grandparents had a basement full of self canned jars of food, dried hams hanging from the rafters and barrels full of salted fish or other meat.

Oh they were not hording, that was then, but this is now.

When it comes to the cold hard truth, we would rather bury our heads in the sand and make excuses.

But we can't do that anymore. The times are at hand and accountability to our Lord is here.

"Can't we just continue on and not rock the boat Ray?"

Look at what "not rocking the boat" has brought this nation.

 Because we have "not rocked the boat"  millions of innocent babies have died in the womb,

Because we have "not rocked the boat" we now have same sex marriage.

Because we have "not rocked the boat"  we have a Muslim President and a nation that is on the fast track to self destruction.

Why?

Because we have refused to "occupy till He returns" with an unwillingness to face reality.

I know that I am sounding hard and uncaring. But folks, if I did not care, I would not be saying these things. If I did not have the love I have for the church, which at times is so overwhelming, I would do nothing.

Christian,  I just cannot stand idly by and just let things go on.

We have got to reach deep down inside of us and pull out that internal fight that I know each and every one of us has inside us.

We have got to prepare and be ready for tomorrow for the literal sake of the gospel. Why? Because the Devil has the high ground and we gave it to him, that is why.

But how many of us really have the knowledge to stand on our own?

Here at Prophezine I have been working hard to try to equip you with the tools that you will need.

It is not too late, we still have time, but what you need to do is realize that we need to occupy and not live in some panacea dream.

Scripture says…

Matthew 25:26 (KJV)  His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:

Matthew 25:33-36 (KJV)  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

1 Timothy  5:8 (KJV)  But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

What are you doing to ensure that you feed the hungry, cloth the naked, give drink to the thirsty? What self sustaining insurance have you provided to make sure you have provided for your family so that they can further the gospel as well?

If you are of the 80%... odds you have done nothing.

Just like the slothful servant Christ spoke of in the above verses.

Why? Because you lack knowledge and know how.

Hosea  4:6 (KJV) My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.   

Because people have forgotten what God's Word really says and have made Him out to be the sugar daddy in the sky, we are now in the position of ignorance and complacency.

Friend, this has been burning in my heart for the past 3-5 years now. We as Christians have got to stand and be counted now more than ever.  We have got to stop being the sluggard and prepare ourselves for the hard times ahead. You don’t want to believe me, I know, I was there myself. That is until the Lord dropped what felt like a 1000 lb weight called "a conviction for tomorrow."

We are losing this fight not because we have fought the good fight, but because over the years we have given up the high ground.

We do not have any guarantees that we will not be here next year. And if someone tells you differently, then run as fast as you can from them for only God knows the day and the hour.

Look at what the past 3 years have brought with this evil god forsaken administration. What is going to happen in the next  three years?

Do you think that the heathen will do the right thing and help turn this nation around? 

Or are we going to just give up because "HEY.. America ain't in Bible Prophecy anyways, so why should I care and go against what God has ordained?"

Yes, I have actually heard that too. It all boils down to complacency. That is what we have to fight. We have to care again, we have to be ready to ALWAYS share the gospel, but more than that , we need to ensure that we can share the gospel credibly.

But to do that, we need to prepare. We need to learn from Joseph who saw the storm coming and prepared not only for Egypt, but for others including Israel to weather the storm. He filled Egypt's silos full of grain, gathered the livestock, put up stores for later use.

We need to be like Noah, who worked 120 years to build the ark that would save his family.

Folks, what have you done to ensure that YOUR ark is prepared and ready for the storm?

Scripture says…

Hebrews  6:12 (KJV)  That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Who do you follow? That person who is pushing that selfish "best life now"?

Or have you bought into some purpose driven drivel that has stolen your time for real works of faith?

Time is short, but we still have time.

Folks, here at Prophezine I have tried to provide some help.

I can hear it now…" Hey Ethel… here it is… he is going to pitch something."

Yes, I am, because I believe that what I am doing is God sent and is needed in the church today.  We have become so dumbed down that we could not find our own head if it was not attached at the neck.

Do you know how much vital information we have lost in just one generation?

Look at what our grandparents knew that is totally unknown because of M-TV and Budweiser.

Folks, we are at that point in time that once again we need to know how to truly stand on our own two feet and be self sufficient.

But what has happened is that the enemy has done such a great job of steeling our birthright, that we no longer know what that birthright is any more.

It is our God through His people Christians, that made this nation great; not Muslims, Hindus, or Hare Krishna's.

But if we listen to the main stream media today, they claim it was everyone else but the Christian who helped form this country.

Folks, we need to equip ourselves with knowledge once again.

There is so much that we have lost from our great grand parents to today. But folks, I have worked at trying my hardest to bring together two DVDs worth of information.

If you want to sit out there in the internet world and throw stones, then so be it. But it is not going to stop what I believe is vitally important work.

I don’t have a 501c3 non-profit organization; Tracye and I firmly believe that this is the way God has called us to run Prophezine.  I have to work doubly hard to live in the "for profit" world , but be more transparent so that I never cast any shame on the Lord for what we do here.

 It is just me and my wife as we sit behind our computers here in our dining room doing the best we can for the Lord. So I don't have the luxury to do things for "free" for the tax write off. We barely have enough to rub two pennies together.

I do what I do because I have a fire burning in my bones and a message of hope to take to the world.

 If what I have said means anything to you,  then we have got to equip ourselves with knowledge so that we are not over taken by the coming storm.

We need to equip ourselves spiritually and personally for the times ahead.

Look at the DVD libraries we have compiled.

Go to http://www.prophezine.com/pz_store/

In getting these , you are also helping us here at Prophezine to make a stand and continue to fight the darkness that is surrounding us. But more importantly, you are going to make a difference for tomorrow because you are equipping yourself with knowledge for today.

Finally, I leave you with the following…

Ephesians 6:13 (KJV)  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

The time is now, we must do all so that when that evil day comes, and it is coming, we can stand, and we can occupy till He returns.

JUST RELEASED - TEOTWAWKI - The City Version

You asked for it, I have compiled it and now it is here. TEOTWAWKI - The City Version!

I received many emails telling me that they can't raise goats, build a green house or know anything about solar energy and making your own bio diesel. People just wanted to know how to deal with living in the city in "The End Of The World As We Know It" (TEOTWAWKI) situation.

Well I have been working on this data DVD for over a month now. It has been hard, but it is well worth it.

To introduce to you the new data DVD, I want to mention just a few of the new 27 different folders we have on this data DVD.

Seniors - I got many emails from concerned seniors on living and surviving in a city environment. Home safety, self protection and how to do these things were a high priority. I have gathered some great information, check lists and very informative videos specifically to meet the TEOTOWAKI Senior.

Disabled - There are many PZ insiders who are physically disabled in one way or another and it was my desire to try to help them by equipping them with excellent information and videos as well. For example, disaster preparedness for a disabled person takes on a whole new meaning. This was a tough assignment but I have found some great resources, check lists and yes even videos too.

Emergency Prep - I took into consideration preparing with limited space, so I have really sought out a lot of information geared to that mindset. For example, ever think of what you can put in a five gallon bucket for storage? What about 6 day mobile resupply bag just in case you are stuck at work and can't get home. Grab & Go.. Bug Out Bag…pre-planning for emergencies?

Foraging in the city - Didn’t think it was possible? Think again. If it came down to it, could you clean a squirrel? A rabbit? What about a pigeon? There are lots of edibles in the city, but do you know where to look?

Finally a folder I want to really highlight and one I am very serious about….

Going Underground - Folks, in these days and times we are living in, we as Christians may need to go underground. But once we are underground, then what? How do we maintain secure communication, phone security, even personal camouflage and learning how to be "the grey man?" This is a reality that can take place, we need to be prepared no matter what. "On The Job Training" could literally cost you your life. Don't believe me, ask our brothers and sisters in communist China. Can you imagine what it would be like if Bibles were outlawed? What about even going to church and meeting with each other?

TEOTWAWKI - The City Version is 3.71 Gigabytes in size. 27 different folder topics, 535 different files including over 25 videos you can watch on your computer.

I am also adding for free three very special e-books and when you get this data DVD, you will realize these books alone are worth the price for TEOTWAWKI - The City Version. But you are going to have to order the data DVD to find out what those three books are.

ORDER NOW >>>

CITY FORAGING - The Prickly Pear Cactus

By Ray Gano

Opuntia (OH - pun -tea- ya )or also known as the Prickly Pear Cactus is the most common of the edible cactuses found here in the US. It is native to every U.S. state except Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont. Hawaii did not have any until  it was recently introduced and "naturalized." Believe it or not but I understand that Opuntia are also native to southern Alaska, so yes it even grows in the great white north too.

Besides being edible, the blossoms of the Prickly Pear will greatly benefit your garden by attracting bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. This is beneficial because the bees and butterflies help pollinate the other plants in your area.

Now you can eat the pads of the cactus pretty much year around. But it is the prickly pear fruit which most people are familiar with. You know when they are ripe when deep red to purple. Here in Texas fruit start to show on the plant around July, ripening in August and continue to put off fruit almost all summer and fall. In fact a large cactus can put off hundreds of fruits during their season.

How To Harvest

The Opuntia has what is called "glochines." I call them "Gotcha's." These are small microscopic thorns / hairs that remind me of really small slivers. They grow in clusters on the plant, so when touch one of these clusters, they will all stick in you. You can pull them out with tweezers or I hear that duct tape also works. They do come out pretty easy, but they are a still "Gotcha" painful.

To get these  "glochines" off, you can use running water, you can burn them with a propane torch or even a candle. You can also peel the fruit while wearing tough leather gloves, but I like to burn the thorns off first, then I wash them before I peel them. I want to make sure I have gotten all those little glochines off the fruit, not for fear of eating them, but you will get tired of the little "gotchas" they give you while working with them.

Now you pick the fruit  with VERY heavy leather gloves or what I use, long kitchen / BBQ tongs. This way you don't come in contact with these little thorns.

To harvest the pads, all you do is grab a pad and they break off pretty easily. You can also use a knife and cut them off from the base or trunk of the cactus. They are pretty easy to harvest. The pads also have the small glochines, but they surround a large long thorn. They wash off using a hose so that helps in the harvest. Once you pick them you can also burn off the thorns and then peel the outside of the pad with a knife or peeler.

How To Eat Opuntia - Prickly Pear

Holding the football shaped fruit, cut the fruit in half long wise. This will expose the red flesh and seeds. You can eat the fruit raw or cooked down. When they are fully ripe they have raspberry / pear / kiwi like flavor. Just be sure to take the seeds out with a spoon. They are very hard and can break your teeth.

NOW…do not throw the seeds away. Remember this is City Foraging, so we use what we gather.  As you clean out the seeds let them fall into fine strainer and wash them off. Put these seeds in your food dehydrator and once they are dried, you are able to put them into your grain mill and grind them into flour. 

Once you have cleaned your fruit, you can eat them fresh, make jams and jellies, syrups, fruit juice concentrate, even dehydrate the pulp into fruit leather (fruit roll-up) Pretty much anything you can use standard fruit in, you can substitute with Opuntia's prickly pear.

As for the pads, once you have them cleaned and peeled there are several ways you can eat them.  Brush on some olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and then grill them. When they turn a sage green in color or become pretty floppy, they are finished. Plate them as a side dish sliced length wise or whole.

You can also dice them up, boil them with onion, garlic, salt, pepper till they turn from a bright green to a sage green color.

If you have ever worked with okra, you will notice a "slimy" juice. Wash this away, it is normal and some folks do not like the texture. Once you have washed and strained the Opuntia pads, put them in a bowl with some chopped green onion, cilantro, tomato, some finely diced pickled jalapeño peppers, (optional) lime juice, lemon juice, salt, pepper and any other spices you would like to add and you have made are really refreshing great tasting salad.

If you want to step it up a notch, add some raw shrimp and a sturdy white fish like snapper, the lime and lemon juice will "cook" the fish turning it into ceviche.  This will take about 2-3 hours of marinating in the cactus salad, which will also infuse the salad with more flavor.

You can also cut the pads into thick long strips and pickle them. You will find this in the stores in your Mexican food section and it is called Napolino or Napales. Get a jar and give it a try, it is really good and I can eat a whole jar in a day. If you like pickles, you will like Napolino.

Now know that Opuntia is good for you. There have been some studies that show that that it will lessens low density cholesterol. It  is low in calories and sodium, high in fiber and vitamin C. It also helps control blood sugar and it is rumored to reduces the effects of a hangover if eaten before drinking.

Cautions

Besides avoiding the spines, which seems pretty obvious;  never eat any part of any cactus that has white sap. If the cactus you are picking has white sap, you do not have Opuntia but some other cactus.

City Foraging

So in a city foraging scenario, the Opuntia is easily found and often people will not think of harvesting it. Do not make it obvious that you are harvesting this plant. Maybe harvest  when people activity is at a low or possibly at night. It is natural for people not to look at this plant as a food source. This is mainly due to the hassle from the thorns and glochines. So this is a plus for you in that it will give you a good food source in lean times.

City Foraging Map

My advice is get a map of your local area and mark it with your cactus finds. You want a map of about 2-5 mile radius. A great place to order your maps of the area is http://store.usgs.gov.  This is where I get our maps. A 1:24,000 scale should do, but if you can get even closer, that is better. Check your local gas stations, they often have a map that are closer in scale and easier to mark.

If you have a handheld GPS with software, you can go around your neighborhood and make waypoints to all the cactus and other edible plant sources. This way you know where they are located and when you need to harvest, you can harvest a little bit from each plant so as others do not notice that the plant is being picked. Mapping this out will help you in your harvest and also prevent you from over harvesting a food source. 

For example,  on day one you can take harvest route one that you created on your computer using your GPS software. On day two take harvest route two, again from the mapping software. Doing this will also help you so that you do not get "picked off" from other people seeing your food sources and you gathering and foraging in the city.

Silver’s Historical Correlation with Gold Suggests A Parabolic Top As High As $714 per Ounce!

Almost 70 respected economists, academics, gold analysts and market commentators (see list below) are of the firm opinion that gold is going to go to at least $2,500 if not as high as $10,000 per ounce (or more) before the parabolic top is reached. As such, just imagine what is in store for silver given its historical price relationship with gold. We’re looking at an extreme case scenario of a future parabolic top of perhaps as much as $714 per ounce for silver, the ‘poor man’s gold’. Let me explain.

The current price of gold and the price of silver – the silver:gold ratio – continues to hover around the 67:1 range which is way out of whack with the historical relationship between the two precious metals. It begs the question:

“Is now the perfect time to buy silver instead of the much more expensive gold metal?”

It is critical to step away from all the noise and clutter that passes for knowledge and take the time to gain perspective on where the price of gold and silver are in terms of the ‘big picture’, i.e., where they are in respect to their historical relationship with each other over the long, medium and short term and, based on those relationships, how they might perform in the future.

Bull Market Stages
The key to a secular gold/silver bull is the collective gold/silver transactions of investors worldwide buying and selling gold/silver that ultimately sets the price and determines their fortunes. The collective demand trends of gold/silver investors effectively divide precious metals bulls into 3 distinct demand-driven stages, namely:

1. Stage One which occurs when a devaluation of the dominant currency in which gold is priced, i.e. the USD, leads to a moderate increase in the price of gold. Stage One for gold began on February 15th, 2001 when it reached a 22-year secular low of just $255.10.

2. Stage Two which occurs when the decoupling of gold from local-currency devaluation begins to outpace the dollar’s losses and gold starts rising significantly in virtually all currencies worldwide. Stage Two began on June 5th, 2005 when gold (at $417.67US) first surpassed 350 Euros for the first time.

3. Stage Three which occurs when the general public around the world starts investing in gold and this deluge of capital into gold causes it to escalate dramatically (i.e. to go parabolic) in price. We are approaching Stage Three and it will become clearly evident when the price for gold begins its daily record ascents to dramatically higher prices.

Gold
We are now in the very early stages of Stage Three with gold having gone up 24% in 2009 and up 13.3% in the first 6 months of 2010. As such there are no shortage of prognosticators who see gold going parabolic reminiscent of 1979 when gold rose 289.3% in the course of just over a year (from a $216.55 closing price on Jan. 1, 1979 to a closing price of $843 per ounce barely a year later on Jan. 21, 1980) and 128% higher in a late-1979 parabolic blow-off of just under 11 weeks! A 289% increase in the price of gold from $1250 would put gold at $4,866. That being the case what appear on the surface to be rather outlandish projections of what the bull market in gold will top out at don’t seem quite so far-fetched.

Below is a list of the parabolic tops for gold as discussed in articles and/or speeches by well known economists, academics, market analysts and financial commentators. Their prognoses are limited to those above the CPI adjusted 2010 price of $2,300 and they are grouped according to the extent each individual sees gold appreciating over the next few years (and next few months in a few cases).

The list below is provided on my site – http://www.munknee.com/2010/07/these-70-analysts-have-sound-reasons-to-believe-gold-will-reach-parabolic-top-as-high-as-10000/ – with a link to the actual article in which each estimate was put forth if you care to check out the rationale behind each individual’s projections.

(If, in checking out the list, you find a name missing please send me his/her name and the URL of the article in which the individual states his/her case. I am only interested in projections of gold achieving a parabolic top of at least $2,500 per ounce. I will provide an updated list at a later date if warranted. Send the email to editor@munknee.com.)

Higher than $10,000
1. Mike Maloney: $15,000;
2. Howard Katz: $14,000;
3. Silver-Coin-Investor.com: $7,000-$14,000;
4. Jim Rickards: $4,000 – $11,000
5. Roland Watson: $10,800 (in our lifetime);

$5,001 – $10,000
1. Arnold Bock: $10,000 (by 2012);
2. Porter Stansberry: $10,000 (by 2012);
3. Tom Fischer: $10,000;
4. Shayne McGuire: $10,000;
5. Eric Hommelberg: $10,000;
6. Gerald Celente: $6,000 – $10,000;
7. Peter Schiff: $5,000 – $10,000 (in 5 to 10 years);
8. Egon von Greyerz: $5,000 – $10,000;
9. Patrick Kerr: $5,000 – $10,000 (by 2011);
10. Peter Millar: $5,000 – $10,000;
11. Alf Field: $4,250 – $10,000;
12. Jeff Nielson: $3,000 – $10,000;
13. Dennis van Ek: $9,000 (by 2015);
14. James Turk: $8,000 (by 2015);
15. Joseph Russo: $7,000 – $8,000;
16. David Petch; $6,000 – $$8,000;
17. Michael Rozeff: $2,865 – $7,151;
18. Martin Murenbeeld: $3,100 – $7,000;
19. Dylan Grice: $6,300;
20. Murray Sabrin: $6,153;
21. Harry Schultz: $6,000;
22. Paul van Edeen: $6,000;
23. Paul Brodsky/Lee Quaintance: $3,000 – $6,000;

$5,000
1. David Rosenberg: $5,000;
2. Martin Hutchinson: $5,000 (by end of 2010);
3. Doug Casey: $5,000;
4. Peter Cooper: $5,000;
5. Robert McEwen: $5,000;
6. Martin Armstrong: $5,000 (by 2016);
7. Peter Krauth: $5,000;
8. Tim Iacono: $5,000 (by 2017);
9. Christopher Wyke: $5,000;
10. Frank Barbera: $5,000;
11. John Lee: $5,000;
12. Peter Dawes: $5,000;

$2,500 – $5,000
1. Pierre Lassonde: $4,000 – $5,000;
2. Mary Anne and Pamela Aden: $3,000 – $5,000 (by February 2012);
3. Bob Chapman: $3,000 (by 2011);
4. Larry Edelson: $2300 – $5,000 (by 2012);
5. Luke Burgess: $2,000- – $5,000;
6. Ian Gordon/Christopher Funston; $4,000;
7. D.P. Baker: $3,000 – $3750;
8. Christopher Wood: $3,500 (in 2010);
9. Adam Hamilton: $3,500 (by 2010/11);
10. Eric Roseman: $2,500 – $3,500 (by 2015);
11. John Henderson: $3,000+ (by 2015-17);
12. Hans Goetti: $3,000;
13. Michael Yorba: $3,000;
14. David Tice: $3,000 (by 2012);
15. David Urban; $3,000;
16. Michael Lambert: $3,000;
17. Brett Arends: $3,000;
18. Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: $3,000;
19. Trader Mark: $3,000 (by mid-2011);
20. Ian Williams: $3,000;
21. Byron King: $3,000;
22. ThumbCharts.com: $3,000;
23. John McAvity: $2,500 – $3,000 (by 2012);
24. Jeff Nichols: $2,000 – $3,000;
25. Graham French: $2,000 – $3,000;
26. Sascha Opel: $2,500+;
27. Rick Rule: $2,500 (by 2013);
28. Daniel Brebner: $2,500;

Silver
Silver has proven itself, time and again, to be a safe haven for investors during times of economic uncertainty and, as such, with the current economy in difficulty the silver market has become a flight to quality investment vehicle. The 49% increase in silver in 2009 attests to that in spades (albeit up only 10% in the first 6 months of 2010). During the last parabolic phase for silver in 1979/80 silver went from a low of $5.94 on January 2nd, 1979 to a close of $49.45 in early January, 1980 which represented an increase of 732.5% in just over one year. Such a percentage increase from the current price for silver would represent a future parabolic top price of $155. Frankly, such prices seem impossible in practical terms but that is what the numbers tell us.

Silver:Gold Ratio
How both gold and silver perform, in and of themselves, does not tell the complete picture by a long shot, however. More important is the price relationship – the correlation – of one to the other over time which is called the silver:gold ratio.
Based on silver’s historical correlation r-square with gold of approximately 90 – 95% silver’s daily trading action almost always mirrors, and usually amplifies, underlying moves in gold. With significant increases in the price of gold expected over the next few years even greater increases are anticipated in silver’s price movement in the months and years to come because silver is currently seriously undervalued relative to gold as the following historical relationships attests.

Let’s look at the silver:gold ratio from several different perspectives:
- Over the past 125 years the mean silver:gold ratio (i.e. 50% above and 50% below) has been 45.69 ounces of silver to 1 ounce of gold.
- In the last 25 years (since 1985) the mean silver:gold ratio has increased to 66.9:1
- The present silver:gold ratio is range-bound between 63:1 and 70:1 (66.77:1 at the end of June 2010).
- Interestingly, during the build-up to the parabolic blow-off in 1979/80 silver outpaced gold going up 732.5% vs. gold’s 289.3% causing the ratio to drop from 38:1 in January 1979 to 13.99:1 at the parabolic peak for both metals in January,1980.

Conclusions:
There are many! Let’s look at the various price levels for gold and the various silver:gold ratios mentioned above one by one and see what conclusions we can draw.

First let’s use the mid-year (June 30th, 2010) price of $1243 for gold and apply the various silver:gold ratios mentioned above and see what they do for the potential % increase in, and price of, silver.

Gold @ $1243 using the current 66.77:1 silver:gold ratio puts silver at $18.61 (June 30/10)
Gold @ $1243 using the above 45.69:1 silver:gold ratio puts silver at $27.20 (i.e. +46.2%)
Gold @ $1243 using the above 13.99:1 silver:gold: ratio puts silver at $88.85 (i.e. +377.4%)

Now let’s apply the projections made above by the various economists, academics, gold analysts and market commentators listed above to the silver:gold ratio and see what that suggests is the parabolic top for silver.

@ $10,000 Gold
Gold @ $10,000 using the silver:gold ratio of 66:1 puts silver at $150
Gold @ $10,000 using the silver:gold ratio of 45:1 puts silver at $222
Gold @ $10,000 using the silver:gold ratio of 14:1 puts silver at $714!!

@ $5,000 Gold
Gold @ $5,000 using the silver:gold ratio of 66.1 puts silver at $75
Gold @ $5,000 using the silver:gold ratio of 45:1 puts silver at $111
Gold @ $5,000 using the silver:gold ratio of 14:1 puts silver at $357

@ $2,500 Gold
Gold @ $2,500 using the silver:gold ratio of 66:1 puts silver at $38
Gold @ $2,500 using the silver:gold ratio of 45:1 puts silver at $55.50
Gold @ $2,500 using the silver:gold ratio of 14:1 puts silver at $178.50

From the above it seems that, any way we look at it, physical silver is currently undervalued compared to gold bullion and is in position to generate substantially greater returns than investing in gold bullion.

Summary
History will look back at the artificially high silver to gold ratio of the past century as an anomaly, caused by the dollar bubble and the world being deceived into believing that fiat currencies are real money, when in fact they’re all an illusion. This fiat currency experiment will end badly in a currency crisis. The wealthiest people will be those who bought silver today and were smart enough to research and pick the best silver mining stocks and warrants.

Indeed, while gold’s meteoric rise still has room to run, silver’s run is yet to get started. As such, it certainly appears evident that now is the time to buy all things silver.

Source - www.FinancialArticleSummariesToday.com; By: Lorimer Wilson; Words: 1656


http://www.munknee.com/2010/07/silver%E2%80%99s-historical-correlation-with-gold-suggests-a-parabolic-top-as-high-as-714-per-ounce/

Dollar Devaluation and Destruction of America Pick Up Steam

Back in January Lindsey Williams’ insider sources told him the dollar will be devalued within a year. In response, oil and food prices will rise significantly and the elite and banksters will move assets into gold and silver.        
    
On Friday Fortune reported that central banks are now abandoning the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. Morgan Stanley says the dollar is rapidly losing its status. “We already knew that central banks have preferred gold to dollars,” writes Fortune, but it now “seems that those central banks prefer almost anything to dollars.”

Both the United Nations and the IMF urge dumping the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. Last year, both China and Russia questioned why the dollar should hold this status.

The dollar is unsafe because of the U.S. national debt. Over the last few years bankster grocery clerks in Congress and the White House have managed run up an astronomical debt and this has destroyed the dollar. As Fortune notes, two weeks ago America’s debt went up to $166 billion in a single day, a single day run-up greater than the entire U.S. annual deficit in 2007.

Fortune, of course, blames the American people for all of this, not the banksters and their buddies in the district of criminals. “Americans, the world’s consumers, continue much of the behavior that helped the U.S savings rate drop so low,” writes Heidi N. Moore.

Savings? Since the creation of the Federal Reserve in 1913, the dollar has lost 96% of its purchasing power. In other words, $100 today buys only 4% of the amount of good or services that it would have in 1913. On January 1, 1914, the Consumer Price Index was 10.0. The CPI was 30.9 in 1964 and last year it was 211.1.

“This means that prices have risen 683% since 1964. The only problem is that your wages have not risen at the same rate, even using the government manipulated CPI. Using a true CPI figure, average weekly earnings are 64% below what they were in 1964. This explains why a family of five could live well with one parent working in 1964, but even with both parents working and using debt in prodigious amounts, the average family does not live as well today,” writes Jim Quinn.

Dollar devaluation is directly related to the size of the national debt. Currency loses it value when government is unable to pay off its debt. The amount of debt owed by the U.S. government to the banksters is unpayable. If all money owned by all American banks, businesses and individuals was rounded up and sent to the government, there would not be enough to pay off the national debt. It is mathematically impossible to pay it off.

The government tells us the national debt is somewhere around $12.8 trillion. “As shocking as that massive number is, however, it is just a fantasy — a tiny fraction of the gargantuan amount our government really owes,” writes Lorimer Wilson. “In addition to that official $12.8 trillion national debt, Washington has written $108 trillion in off-budget, unfunded IOUs on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, its prescription drug program, its veterans benefits programs and its Federal pension programs that must also be paid.”

Dollar devaluation is a natural response — in an unnatural fiat money system — to government debt.

Take the case of Argentina. In 2001, the Argentine peso was pegged to the U.S. dollar. Argentina, however, was unable to pay its debt in early 2002 and the peso was devalued. The result was rampant unemployment and poverty. The regime of Domingo Cavallo imposed austerity on the people (as the IMF insisted it do) and this resulted in a general strike and a state of siege against the people by the government.

In February the credit ratings agency Moody’s Investor Service warned that the U.S. is at risk of losing its AAA credit rating. “The US government may be forced to devalue the dollar if … investment rating agencies (Fitch, Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s) down-rate the value of US Treasury bonds as they should,” writes author Bill Sardi. “Government cannot meet all its obligations and promises by raising taxes on the wealthy. Its only option now is to officially devalue the dollar, probably by 30%.”

In 2008, as the engineered global financial crisis was beginning to pick up steam, trend forecaster Gerald Celente said that the dollar would eventually be devalued by as much as 90 per cent. Celente’s track record is impeccable. He successfully predicted the 1997 Asian Currency Crisis and the subprime mortgage collapse. “The consequence of what we have seen unfold this year would lead to a lowering in living standards,” notes Celente’s blog, Trends & Forecasts.

None of this is a mistake. The euro is following the dollar down the tubes. The IMF and the United Nations suggest replacing these currencies with special drawing rights (SDRs), an international reserve asset that is used as a unit of payment on IMF loans and is made up of a basket of currencies. “A new global reserve system could be created, one that no longer relies on the United States dollar as the single major reserve currency,” a United Nations report states.

During the G20 confab in 2009 plans were announced for implementing the creation of a new global currency. “There is now a world currency in waiting,” a communiqué released by the G20 stated. “The creation of a Financial Stability Board looks like the first step towards a global financial regulator” and thus a world bank as a component of one-world government.

In 2008 Obama’s Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said after attending a Bilderberg meeting that the Federal Reserve should play a “central role” in a new global banking regulatory framework. The banksters are diligently putting all their pieces into place.

“Ultimately, what this implies is that the future of the global political economy is one of increasing moves toward a global system of governance, or a world government, with a world central bank and global currency,” writes Andrew Gavin Marshall, “and that, concurrently, these developments are likely to materialize in the face of and as a result of a decline in democracy around the world, and thus, a rise in authoritarianism. What we are witnessing is the creation of a New World Order, composed of a totalitarian global government structure.”

Marshall notes that the very concept of a global currency and global central bank is authoritarian and removes any vestiges of oversight and accountability away from the people toward a small, increasingly interconnected group of international elites.

Marshall cites Carroll Quigley: “[T]he powers of financial capitalism had another far-reaching aim, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole. This system was to be controlled in a feudalist fashion by the central banks of the world acting in concert, by secret agreements arrived at in frequent private meetings and conferences. The apex of the system was to be the Bank for International Settlements in Basle, Switzerland, a private bank owned and controlled by the world’s central banks which were themselves private corporations.”

In order for this long sought after agenda to be successful America and its currency must be destroyed. As noted by Fortune, central banks around the world are now picking up the pace in the abandonment of the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency. It is part of the plan and so is the destruction of America’s middle class now underway.


Kurt Nimmo
Infowars.com
July 11, 2010 

How to Obtain a Duplicate Passport and Passport Card

This was such a great article that I had to share it.  Ray - S4C

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by Bryan Black on July 2, 2010

If you’re like me, you have meticulous records, backups of everything, and are always war gaming everything. “What would happen if the house burnt down and I wasn’t able to get anything out?”

I seriously go through these scenarios all the time, especially when it comes to important documents. I’ve recently started investigating the steps to obtaining duplicate passports and passport cards for myself and my family.

There are many reasons why you’d want to have a duplicate passport and even one of the new U.S. Passport Cards.

Why a duplicate?

The primary reason I’m getting duplicates is redundancy. Two is one and one is none, as the saying goes. I live by this. A duplicate allows you to have a passport stored where a friend or family member can access it and send it to you. This is important if your passport is stolen overseas and you need to get home.

I always carry color copies of my passport, but nothing beats having the real thing to receive in an emergency situation.

Here’s some other reasons to consider a duplicate:

• When applying for a visa for international travel to certain countries, you will be required to send off your passport to a consular. During this time, you will be without your passport and unable to leave the United States, unless you have a duplicate passport.
• Having a duplicate passport will allow you overlapping dates of expiration, so that you’ll be able to always have a valid passport, even if a renewal is taking longer than it should. I did this with my Concealed Handgun License. I have my TX CHL with one expiration date, and a Florida permit with a different date.
• Traveling to sensitive countries with certain stamps can cause delays, this is where a second passport comes in very handy.

How to obtain a duplicate

1. Fill out Form DS-82 on the U.S. Department of State Website. This is the basic form for applying for a U.S. passport by mail, and is not specific to a duplicate passport. Once the application is filled out, print it out, as you’ll need to mail it or bring in person when applying for a second passport.
2. Write a letter explaining your need for a duplicate passport. Just one paragraph is all you need, but it helps if you have travel plans that help your case. Providing a history of trips where a duplicate passport would have been needed will work too.
3. Submit Form DS-82, two passport photos, passport fees, and the letter explaining your need for a duplicate. Currently the fees for a duplicate passport are $135, but they’re changing by July 13, 2010, so act quick. It will take 4-6 weeks to find out if your duplicate passport has been approved.

Passport Cards

U.S. Passport Cards have only been around for two years now, but are a great way to have official backup identification in an emergency. If a duplicate passport is more than you’d like to bite off right now, a Passport Card might be the way to go.

The Passport Card can be used to enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda at land border crossings or sea ports-of-entry and is more convenient and less expensive than a passport book. The passport card CAN NOT be used for international travel by air.

Even though there are limitations with Passport Cards, they’re a great item to have. Other than your travel being logged by the Government, there’s no stamp placed on a Passport Card like there is on the Passport Book. That’s not really as important as it is with sensitive countries and the Passport Book.

The current cost is only $20 if you have a valid Passport Book, but that price is going up to $30 when the new fees go into effect. Here are some great FAQs on Passport Cards, including instructions on how to obtain a Passport Card.

RFID

Just a note that all new Passport Books AND Passport Cards contain RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chips in them (denoted by the mark in the photo to the right). While the Department of State says there’s no personal information written on the electronic chip itself. The chip does contain a unique number which identifies a stored record within secure government databases.

A protective RFID-blocking sleeve is provided with each passport card to protect against unauthorized reading or tracking of the card when it is not in use. I’d recommend a RFID blocking sleeve for your Passport Book too, or just disable it if you’re paranoid about it (Warning: tampering with your passport could land you 25 years in prison, and land you a strip search each time you travel).

Source - http://www.itstactical.com/2010/07/02/how-to-obtain-a-duplicate-passport-and-passport-card/

Canker and Rust

By Ray Gano

Well for those who are not linked into my Facebook , everything turned out ok with my dentist appointment. They needed to pull my right wisdom tooth.  BUT, the pain is gone and now I have a hole in the back. I am still nursing it so I do not get "dry socket", which I hear is a fate worse than death itself and the pain horrific. Needless to say, I am following the doctors instructions to a "T."
Lots of things going on in the news this past week. The front runner is of course the oil spill. One of the big things that I have noticed regarding this is the clamp down on the press' ability to truly report what is going on. The current administration has been preventing the press from coming within 65 feet of any operations dealing with the spill.
I have a contact that is coming off duty from the oil slick area. I hope to spend some time speaking to him. From what I understand, he was working as part of the crew who is drilling the relief wells. I am interested to see if he can shine any more light on what is going on down there.

Another thing that has me greatly concerned is the state of our economy. More and more signs of serious trouble are looming before us. The S&P 500, which is probably the number one indicator of the state of the economy is getting ready to cross beneath the 200-day moving average.

"Ok Ray, so what does that mean in everyday English? "

It is a very powerful indicator that we could be moving into a "bearish" period. In other words A stock market where a majority of investors are selling ("bears"), causing overall stock prices to drop.

Now you may say this is good and for some it is. But when the law of supply and demand take hold, what happens is people's savings, 401Ks, IRAs, retirement literally gets wiped out.

The S & P 500 is approaching the "Death Cross" as it is known in the financial world.

When you add this impending "Death Cross" with all of the other signs that we are seeing in the financial world,  recession and in fact depression are certainly reasons for alarm. 

Being a PZ Insider and getting the news I send out daily, you know that financial markets across the globe are full of fear and panic right now.  In fact the number one dominate force is the financial world right now is fear.

When fear rules, the markets become very volatile and could fall very quickly. I personally remember when MCI/Worldcom fell, it was a matter of days seeing stock that once sat in the hundreds, being priced in pennies. In the end Worldcom failed and took with it millions of peoples investment holdings. Those invested in mutual funds lost horribly and many people lost their entire retirement savings, just in a matter of days. 

The MCI/Worldcom situation is an excellent example of a bear market in action. People tried to sell off their stock as fast as they could, but the problem was that there were more sellers than buyers and the stock prices was dropping like a lead balloon at warp speed. There was no time to get out and people literally lost everything.

The average rule is that markets tend to fall much faster than they ever rise.  So are we now approaching one of those times of panic when financial markets across the world fall at breathtaking speed?

Quiet possibly. I know that I am concerned for the state of the environment.

Thing is that people who do not have tangible assets are at the greatest risk of losing.  When one has "paper"(investments)  based and supported by "paper" (fiat currency) one is playing a smoke and mirrors game of "virtual" assets. In other words, one has nothing to show for it. (mammon)

This is why I have tried to stay with what God's Word says, maintain your wealth in gold, silver, land, livestock, and most of all, investing in your family.

Now I am going to say something that might upset some folks.  Those who like to throw out  the "gold rusts" idea, you are making God a liar.

Gold and silver are the ONLY God created and ordained forms of money.  In other words, it is the only medium of wealth that God has created, ordained and will be here till the end of time.

Saying gold will rust is like saying all the water in the world will disappear one day. Water is a God created and ordained element just like gold and silver is. It isn't going away.

 I challenge you to reread that portion of scripture again.

James 5:3  Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

When we read this in context we see that James 5 is not speaking of literal rust, otherwise people will "eat your flesh as it were fire." 

What we need to understand here is the James is speaking in and using "Colloquialisms."

What James  5 is addressing here is our testimonies that are against us. 

Like the steward who buried those talents in the earth, instead of improving them according to what the Lord said and to His will; he did nothing. Like the poor steward, the people will suffer torment.

 He says "Ye have laid up treasure in the last days."  When it is too late; you have no time to enjoy them in light of serving the Lord.  They will become like cankers and rust. They will not literally canker and rust,  but because those who had the talents and abilities were poor stewards over them, they will suffer a great loss.

A verse I often point to in my own personal life is…

1 Corinthians 15:34 (KJV)  Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.

Like the 1 Cor 15:34 verse, James 5 is addressing all of us who have the ability to work for the kingdom and we are all squandering it. We are like the "rich men" who have it all, and yet do nothing with it. Our "riches" will be like cankers and rust because we did nothing with them.

WOW… what a jump from bear markets to living the right life in the last days.

Folks, that is what it is all about.

We can let the world bring us down, fear rule us and scream that the sky is falling.

OR… we can take solace in that our God reigns and knows our today's and tomorrow's.

But that does not leave us to do nothing.

Scripture says…

Proverbs 6:6 (KJV)  Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

Proverbs 30:25 (KJV)  The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;

The Lord has given us foresight to understand the coming storm. We have history to also draw upon and learn from.

There are things taking place worldwide. God does not want us to sit on some mountain top staring at the sky in the lotus position. He has called us to share the gospel and the blessed hope of His soon return. 

We still have time.