DNC happenings

So, the Democratic National Convention officially starts Monday, in my pleasant little town. But, people have already started showing up, delegates, conventioneers, and protesters.
Some lovely rumors going around, mostly about how bad the protesters are going to be, some of which may be true, but also, how bad the police, and other authorities are going to be. In case ya'll didn't know, we live in the downtown area, about 1 1/2 miles from the Pepsi Center, Jae works 3 blocks from Civic Center Park, where the
majority of the protests are going to be, and my route to work takes me past Invesco Field, where Obama is giving his acceptance speech. That day, they are closing the street I take to work, so I still have to figure out how I'm getting home that day.
Just some stories of interest, considering all this going on.
Cyanide and dead Somali found in ritzy hotel, blocks from the State Capitol(and Jaes work):

Somali & cyanide at the Burnsley

Gitmo on the Platte:

GITMO

Freedom cages for protesters:

from the main protest website

Oh yeah, warnings are being given to keep supplies for 3 days, that 911 may not be able to respond, and they may cut power and water.
This will be fun!

ANARKOS

I have no sovereign, all I have is my life
There are no secrets, merely truths I have not yet discovered
Materialism is not life, living and joy, pain and growing are life
Modern society is the abberation, not the norm,
It does not set my thoughts, my intelligence guides me
No gurus, just guides and fellow wanderers

I will not quit, I will not fail, I will
SURVIVE
I WILL LIVE

Well, hmmm, the economy sucks....

This is an important topic for people to pay attention to for two reasons.
A)Survival: The worse things get, the harder preperations are going to be to
make, and the more expensive supplies and the like will be. And...
B)Self Defense, just as theft related crimes rise during the holiday season, they also do during times of economic "downturn", or plummeting downfall, as this might turn out to be.

Due to this, we need to realize the fact that you are not going to be able to rely on most mainstream sources of information on the economy. This is also due to(mostly) two reasons:
A) Corporate ownership of all media. Almost every media outlet in this country is owned by 6 companies. They are not just media companies, they are also producers of goods and services, which they want you to buy. Since most of the "goods" they produce are useless, and of no real value, they would be expendable to most people during an economic hard time. Since the aforementioned companies desire profit over anything, including honesty, they will not let the news be known, so as to not endanger their profit margin.
B)Related, but different than above. Almost all of these companies have "financial services" components of the corporations, and they are making a killing off this mess.
I guess it really just boils down to greed. In the words of Don, greed as a mental illness. Enough is not enough, and too much is barely adequate.
Well, since all this is happening, it, as usual, falls on us to take care of things ourselves. Be more cautious while you are out and about. Take the normal crime avoidance measures. Secure food, preferably some long term storage food(check the links for a good source). Get out of debt. Seriously. It is my wife and my biggest goal right now, and we are working very hard at it.
Make sure all your stuff is in good repair, car, house, all of it, not just gear geek stuff you like to play with.
Watch to not get suckered into buying for the sake of buying, save your money, but don't keep all of it in the bank. Remember IndyMac, and now, the FDIC is having trouble covering bank failures already, and they have just started.
Stay safe, and take care.

A quickie

Hello all, been doing a lot of thinking since my last posts.
One thing I didn't realize before this episode was how many people read this blog,
and from how far away some of them are. It is awesome, and humbling to realize that people from Belgium, France, Germany, and Japan(too name a few) read this, and care enough about me to write me, and see if I was ok. It also makes me realize who and what are important to me. Bobbe, Jay, Don,Chuck, Rod, and Serge, especially, thanks for everything.
On to more important things. Take a look at the series of posts Don Rearic has over at the Reclussionaire. It is a stark look at the reality we are all facing, as the powers that be continue their quest to take over everything, and put the blame on us for being irresponsible. Particularly these two posts:

Salinas thinking

&

Jeffersons war

Scroll down his blog and read his response to Phil "asshat" Gramms "Nation of whiners" statement.
The stress and tension are building here in the downtown area due to the DNC coming to town. I have a pretty bad feeling about this one. A little less than 3 weeks, and people are getting froggy, and violent already.
Heat is getting ridiculous here. 104 on Friday, and not much cooler the last 2 days.
Thats all for now, keep an eye out for more posts this coming week, as I have a couple reviews to do, and some other fun stuff.
Take care of yourself, and those you care for, as its obvious our "betters" don't care.