This article was originally published by Michael Snyder at The End of the American Dream under the title: The Military Industrial Complex Is Making Hundreds Of Billions Of Dollars, And They Need A Military Draft In The U.S. To Take Things To The Next Level

It would be difficult to overstate the importance of the Military Industrial Complex to our society.  It employs millions of people, and it brings in hundreds of billions of dollars each year.  The Military Industrial Complex has always been one of the central pillars of our economy, and these days business is booming thanks to the war in Ukraine and the possibility of a war with China.

Needless to say, those who run the Military Industrial Complex want the gravy train to continue, and so politicians who are pro-war are showered with campaign contributions.  In both major parties, politicians who are pro-war greatly outnumber those who are anti-war, and that is not likely to change any time soon.

Smedley D. Butler fought in four major conflicts, and in 1935 he astutely observed that “war is a racket”…

“WAR is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.”

Of course, the statements that he made back then are even more true today.

If the Military Industrial Complex suddenly disappeared, it would leave a giant, gaping hole in our economy that would be extremely difficult to fill.  In an excellent piece that he posted earlier this week, Richard C. Cook shared some numbers about the Military Industrial Complex that are absolutely astounding…

Today about 2.1 million people are employed by the defense industry. According to Acara Solutions, a major MIC recruiting firm, their average annual salary is $106,700, 40 percent higher than the national average. The companies they work for produced revenues in 2022 of $741 billion. How much of their production is high-priced junk, no one knows. The performance of U.S.-produced armaments in the Ukraine conflict does not seem impressive. No modern U.S. weapons have ever been tested in an industrial-type war against an equal adversary.

The MIC also includes active-duty uniformed personnel of 1.37 million and reserves of 849,000. There are 750 U.S. military bases in more than 80 countries outside of the U.S. More than 100,000 U.S. military personnel are stationed in Europe. Annual salary and benefits of the military are currently $146 billion per year, escalating with COLAs compounded at two to three percent annually, sometimes more. Some former U.S. military personnel are assumed to be fighting in Ukraine as mercenaries or helping direct the fighting from safe locations like Kiev or Lvov.

Then there are the civilian employees. According to the DoD, it employs more than 700,000 civilians “in an array of critical positions worldwide,” with compensation totaling about $70 billion. According to the Government Accountability Office, we may also add 560,000 contractor employees, whose compensation is typically higher than the career workforce.

We can also add hundreds of thousands of executives, managers, employees and contractors of the three-letter Deep State agencies, such as the CIA, NSA, DEA, FBI, and now DHS, etc., who interface with the MIC day in and day out and are part of the same fabric of state-sanctioned force and enemy identification and interdiction.

In the entire history of the world, we have never seen anything quite like this.

And the Military Industrial Complex absolutely loves Joe Biden, because he has promised to keep the war in Ukraine going “for as long as it takes”…

It is likely that billions of people around the world view the conflict in Ukraine as a proxy war being waged by the U.S. against Russia. US President Joe Biden has pledged to aid Ukraine’s pursuit of victory “for as long as it takes,” without defining what the end state might be. Russian President Vladimir Putin has interpreted U.S. intentions to mean a fight “to the last Ukrainian.”

Unfortunately, there is a problem.

The Ukrainians are running out of warm bodies.

They have literally been grabbing men off the streets and throwing them into vans, but we didn’t care because it wasn’t our sons who were being forced to go to war.

Many Americans cheered when the Ukrainians began their ill-fated “counter-offensive”, but it turned out to be a disaster.

A senior U.S. intel official recently admitted to journalist Seymour Hersh that Ukraine has suffered approximately 75,000 casualties during this counter-offensive…

“There is no discussion in his headquarters or in the Biden White House of a ceasefire and no interest in talks that could lead to an end to the slaughter,” Hersh said.

Speaking of the Ukrainian claims of slow progress in an offensive that has lost an estimated 75,000 casualties, the official told Hersh: “It’s all lies.”

On many battlefields in Ukraine, there are unburied dead bodies just lying around all over the place.

The Russians have been mowing down wave after wave of Ukrainian men, and Hersh was told that there “is no Ukrainian offensive anymore”…

As the anniversary of the purported Biden Regime sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline approaches Sept. 26, veteran investigative reporter Seymour Hersh blamed a ”secret disinformation operation“ by CIA and MI-6 for misleading the public about the disastrous state of the US-led war effort.

“The war is over. Russia has won. There is no Ukrainian offensive anymore, but the White House and the American media have to keep the lie going,“ a senior US intel official told Hersh. “The truth is if the Ukrainian army is ordered to continue the offensive, the army would mutiny. The soldiers aren’t willing to die any more, but this doesn’t fit the B.S. that is being authored by the Biden White House.”

Where do we go from here?

The Military Industrial Complex certainly does not want this conflict to end, and Joe Biden has no intention of backing down.

So more warm bodies will be needed.

That is one of the reasons why there has been so much chatter about bringing back the draft here in the United States.

Recruitment has been way down in recent years, but our leaders desperately want to win this war with Russia and they also want to be ready to fight a war with China over Taiwan.

And so the stage is being set to draft young American boys and young American girls into military service…

The most recent edition of the US Army War College’s academic journal includes a highly disturbing essay on what lessons the US military should take away from the continuing war in Ukraine. By far the most concerning and most relevant section for the average American citizen is a subsection entitled “Casualties, Replacements, and Reconstitutions” which, to cut right to the chase, directly states, “Large-scale combat operations troop requirements may well require a reconceptualization of the 1970s and 1980s volunteer force and a move toward partial conscription.”

The context for this supposed need to reinstate conscription is the estimate that were the US to enter into a large-scale conflict, every day it would likely suffer thirty-six hundred casualties and require eight hundred replacements, again per day. The report notes that over the course of twenty years in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US suffered fifty thousand casualties, a number which would likely be reached in merely two weeks of large-scale intensive combat.

The military is already facing an enormous recruiting shortfall. Last year the army alone fell short of its goal by fifteen thousand soldiers and is on track to be short an additional twenty thousand this year. On top of that, the report notes that the Individual Ready Reserve, which is composed of former service personnel who do not actively train and drill but may be called back into active service in the event they are needed, has dropped from seven hundred thousand in 1973 to seventy-six thousand now.

Do you want your children to be fed into a meat grinder on the other side of the globe?

If not, it is time to stand up and say something.

Even now, large numbers of Americans are getting hurt fighting in Ukraine, and many of them are being treated at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany…

The US Army is giving medical care to wounded American fighters who volunteered for Ukraine’s foreign legion and other militias at a hospital in Germany.

This is happening with increasing frequency at the US Army’s Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, a New York Times investigation found, which marks “a notable new step in the United States’ deepening involvement in the conflict,” as the report underscored.

It appears to be just a matter of time before we find ourselves in a full-blown shooting war with Russia because both sides just continue to escalate matters.

This week, it was reported that Russia will increase defense spending by nearly 70 percent in 2024…

Russia said Thursday that it plans to raise defence spending by almost 70 percent next year, funneling massive resources into its Ukraine offensive to fight what it calls a “hybrid war” unleashed by the West.

With Moscow’s “special military operation” now approaching another winter, both sides have been digging deep and procuring weapons from allies in preparation for a protracted conflict.

Many Americans consider the Russians to be just like the Nazis, but it turns out that the Russians also consider us to be just like the Nazis…

Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president, warned that this would lead to a third world war, which would have greater consequences than World War II.

The 58-year-old politician also accused NATO of being like Nazi Germany and the Axis powers.

‘It seems that Russia is being left with fewer and fewer options but to come into direct conflict on the ground with NATO,’ he said.

The 74-year-old alliance ‘has become an openly fascist bloc like Hitler’s Axis, only bigger’, he claimed.

If the Nazis were around today, what would we do to them?

Needless to say, our leaders would be determined to utterly destroy them.

Russian leaders would feel the same way.

And so this makes pace almost impossible.

Here in the Western world, our leaders will never be satisfied until Putin is gone and the nation of Russia is broken up into lots of little pieces.

On the other side, there is constant talk on Russian television about how the conflict in Ukraine will inevitably spark a global nuclear war.  So it should deeply alarm all of us that the Russians recently conducted large-scale nuclear combat drills…

World War 3 fears have erupted once more after Vladimir Putin ordered thousands of troops from Russia’s nuclear missile force to run “combat readiness” exercises.

The combat drills took place in the Sverdlovsk region on Thursday and saw 3,000 Tagil Rocket Division soldiers being trained on the “highest degrees of combat readiness”, according to RadarOnline.com.

Video footage of the nuclear missile division’s combat drills was shown on the Russian defense ministry TV channel, Zvezda.

The clip shows thousands of soldiers training and Yars thermonuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles, feared throughout the world because of their massive 6,835-mile range.

We need to pull back from the brink before it is too late.

But our leaders won’t do that.

They don’t want to upset the Military Industrial Complex.

Unfortunately, we could also soon find ourselves in a war with China.

In fact, not too long ago a four-star general actually predicted that we would be at war with China in 2025…

The four-star general in charge of the US Air Force’s Air Mobility Command has defended a memo he sent to his officers earlier this year where he predicted the US would be at war with China in 2025.

“My assessment is that war is not inevitable, but the readiness I’m driving with that timeline is absolutely essential to deterrence and absolutely essential to the decisive victory,” Gen. Mike Minihan said last week when asked about his prediction, according to Defense One.

The moment that China invades Taiwan, there will be a war between our two nations.

So in the not-too-distant future, we could literally be fighting Russia and China at the same time.

And as I have been warning my readers for years, that is a really, really bad idea.

But it doesn’t matter what you or I think.

The Military Industrial Complex wants to make even more money, and our politicians want to keep the campaign contributions rolling in.

So we will continue to speed toward a date with the unthinkable as the fate of our society hangs in the balance.

Michael’s new book entitled “End Times” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

About the Author: My name is Michael and my brand new book entitled “End Times” is now available on Amazon.com.  In addition to the new book I have written six other books that are available on Amazon.com including “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned)  When you purchase any of these books you help to support the work that I am doing, and one way that you can really help is by sending copies as gifts to family and friends.  Time is short, and I need help getting these warnings into the hands of as many people as possible.  I have also started a brand new Substack newsletter, and I encourage you to subscribe so that you won’t miss any of the latest updates.  I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream, and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial, or health decisions.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and anyway that you can share these articles with others is definitely a great help.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, I strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

It would be difficult to overstate the importance of the Military Industrial Complex to our society.  It employs millions of people, and it brings in hundreds of billions of dollars each year.  The Military Industrial Complex has always been one of the central pillars of our economy, and these days business is booming thanks to the war in Ukraine and the possibility of a war with China.  Needless to say, those that run the Military Industrial Complex want the gravy train to continue, and so politicians that are pro-war are showered with campaign contributions.  In both major parties, politicians that are pro-war greatly outnumber those that are anti-war, and that is not likely to change any time soon.

Smedley D. Butler fought in four major conflicts, and in 1935 he astutely observed that “war is a racket”…

“WAR is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.”

Of course the statements that he made back then are even more true today.

If the Military Industrial Complex suddenly disappeared, it would leave a giant, gaping hole in our economy that would be extremely difficult to fill.  In an excellent piece that he posted earlier this week, Richard C. Cook shared some numbers about the Military Industrial Complex that are absolutely astounding…

Today about 2.1 million people are employed by the defense industry. According to Acara Solutions, a major MIC recruiting firm, their average annual salary is $106,700, 40 percent higher than the national average. The companies they work for produced revenues in 2022 of $741 billion. How much of their production is high-priced junk, no one knows. The performance of U.S.-produced armaments in the Ukraine conflict does not seem impressive. No modern U.S. weapons have ever been tested in an industrial-type war against an equal adversary.

The MIC also includes active-duty uniformed personnel of 1.37 million and reserves of 849,000. There are 750 U.S. military bases in more than 80 countries outside of the U.S. More than 100,000 U.S. military personnel are stationed in Europe. Annual salary and benefits of the military are currently $146 billion per year, escalating with COLAs compounded at two to three percent annually, sometimes more. Some former U.S. military personnel are assumed to be fighting in Ukraine as mercenaries or helping direct the fighting from safe locations like Kiev or Lvov.

Then there are the civilian employees. According to the DoD, it employs more than 700,000 civilians “in an array of critical positions worldwide,” with compensation totaling about $70 billion. According to the Government Accountability Office, we may also add 560,000 contractor employees, whose compensation is typically higher than the career workforce.

We can also add hundreds of thousands of executives, managers, employees and contractors of the three-letter Deep State agencies, such as the CIA, NSA, DEA, FBI, and now DHS, etc., who interface with the MIC day in and day out and are part of the same fabric of state-sanctioned force and enemy identification and interdiction.

In the entire history of the world, we have never seen anything quite like this.

And the Military Industrial Complex absolutely loves Joe Biden, because he has promised to keep the war in Ukraine going “for as long as it takes”…

It is likely that billions of people around the world view the conflict in Ukraine as a proxy war being waged by the U.S. against Russia. US President Joe Biden has pledged to aid Ukraine’s pursuit of victory “for as long as it takes,” without defining what the end state might be. Russian President Vladimir Putin has interpreted U.S. intentions to mean a fight “to the last Ukrainian.”

Unfortunately, there is a problem.

The Ukrainians are running out of warm bodies.

They have literally been grabbing men off the streets and throwing them into vans, but we didn’t care because it wasn’t our sons that were being forced to go to war.

Many Americans cheered when the Ukrainians began their ill-fated “counter-offensive”, but it turned out to be a disaster.

A senior U.S. intel official recently admitted to journalist Seymour Hersh that Ukraine has suffered approximately 75,000 casualties during this counter-offensive…

“There is no discussion in his headquarters or in the Biden White House of a ceasefire and no interest in talks that could lead to an end to the slaughter,” Hersh said.

Speaking of the Ukrainian claims of slow progress in an offensive that has lost an estimated 75,000 casualties, the official told Hersh: “It’s all lies.”

On many battlefields in Ukraine, there are unburied dead bodies just laying around all over the place.

The Russians have been mowing down wave after wave of Ukrainian men, and Hersh was told that there “is no Ukrainian offensive anymore”…

As the anniversary of the purported Biden Regime sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline approaches Sept. 26, veteran investigative reporter Seymour Hersh blamed a ”secret disinformation operation“ by CIA and MI-6 for misleading the public about the disastrous state of the US-led war effort.

“The war is over. Russia has won. There is no Ukrainian offensive anymore, but the White House and the American media have to keep the lie going,“ a senior US intel official told Hersh. “The truth is if the Ukrainian army is ordered to continue the offensive, the army would mutiny. The soldiers aren’t willing to die any more, but this doesn’t fit the B.S. that is being authored by the Biden White House.”

Where do we go from here?

The Military Industrial Complex certainly does not want this conflict to end, and Joe Biden has no intention of backing down.

So more warm bodies will be needed.

That is one of the reasons why there has been so much chatter about bringing back the draft here in the United States.

Recruitment has been way down in recent years, but our leaders desperately want to win this war with Russia and they also want to be ready to fight a war with China over Taiwan.

And so the stage is being set to draft young American boys and young American girls into military service…

The most recent edition of the US Army War College’s academic journal includes a highly disturbing essay on what lessons the US military should take away from the continuing war in Ukraine. By far the most concerning and most relevant section for the average American citizen is a subsection entitled “Casualties, Replacements, and Reconstitutions” which, to cut right to the chase, directly states, “Large-scale combat operations troop requirements may well require a reconceptualization of the 1970s and 1980s volunteer force and a move toward partial conscription.”

The context for this supposed need to reinstate conscription is the estimate that were the US to enter into a large-scale conflict, every day it would likely suffer thirty-six hundred casualties and require eight hundred replacements, again per day. The report notes that over the course of twenty years in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US suffered fifty thousand casualties, a number which would likely be reached in merely two weeks of large-scale intensive combat.

The military is already facing an enormous recruiting shortfall. Last year the army alone fell short of its goal by fifteen thousand soldiers and is on track to be short an additional twenty thousand this year. On top of that, the report notes that the Individual Ready Reserve, which is composed of former service personnel who do not actively train and drill but may be called back into active service in the event they are needed, has dropped from seven hundred thousand in 1973 to seventy-six thousand now.

Do you want your children to be fed into a meat grinder on the other side of the globe?

If not, it is time to stand up and say something.

Even now, large numbers of Americans are getting hurt fighting in Ukraine, and many of them are being treated at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany…

The US Army is giving medical care to wounded American fighters who volunteered for Ukraine’s foreign legion and other militias at a hospital in Germany.

This is happening with increasing frequency at the US Army’s Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, a New York Times investigation found, which marks “a notable new step in the United States’ deepening involvement in the conflict,” as the report underscored.

It appears to be just a matter of time before we find ourselves in a full-blown shooting war with Russia, because both sides just continue to escalate matters.

This week, it was being reported that Russia will increase defense spending by nearly 70 percent in 2024…

Russia said Thursday that it plans to raise defence spending by almost 70 percent next year, funnelling massive resources into its Ukraine offensive to fight what it calls a “hybrid war” unleashed by the West.

With Moscow’s “special military operation” now approaching another winter, both sides have been digging deep and procuring weapons from allies in preparation for a protracted conflict.

Many Americans consider the Russians to be just like the Nazis, but it turns out that the Russians also consider us to be just like the Nazis…

Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president, warned that this would lead to a third world war, which would have greater consequences than World War II.

The 58-year-old politician also accused NATO of being like Nazi Germany and the Axis powers.

‘It seems that Russia is being left with fewer and fewer options but to come into direct conflict on the ground with NATO,’ he said.

The 74-year-old alliance ‘has become an openly fascist bloc like Hitler’s Axis, only bigger’, he claimed.

If the Nazis were around today, what would we do to them?

Needless to say, our leaders would be determined to utterly destroy them.

Russian leaders would feel the same way.

And so this makes pace almost impossible.

Here in the western world, our leaders will never be satisfied until Putin is gone and the nation of Russia is broken up into lots of little pieces.

On the other side, there is constant talk on Russian television about how the conflict in Ukraine will inevitably spark a global nuclear war.  So it should deeply alarm all of us that the Russians recently conducted large scale nuclear combat drills…

World War 3 fears have erupted once more after Vladimir Putin ordered thousands of troops from Russia’s nuclear missile force to run “combat readiness” exercises.

The combat drills took place in the Sverdlovsk region on Thursday and saw 3,000 Tagil Rocket Division soldiers being trained on the “highest degrees of combat readiness”, according to RadarOnline.com.

Video footage of the nuclear missile division’s combat drills was shown on the Russian defense ministry TV channel, Zvezda.

The clip shows thousands of soldiers training and Yars thermonuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles, feared throughout the world because of their massive 6,835-mile range.

We need to pull back from the brink before it is too late.

But our leaders won’t do that.

They don’t want to upset the Military Industrial Complex.

Unfortunately, we could also soon find ourselves in a war with China.

In fact, not too long ago a four-star general actually predicted that we will be at war with China in 2025…

The four-star general in charge of the US Air Force’s Air Mobility Command has defended a memo he sent to his officers earlier this year where he predicted the US would be at war with China in 2025.

“My assessment is that war is not inevitable, but the readiness I’m driving with that timeline is absolutely essential to deterrence and absolutely essential to the decisive victory,” Gen. Mike Minihan said last week when asked about his prediction, according to Defense One.

The moment that China invades Taiwan, there will be war between our two nations.

So in the not too distant future, we could literally be fighting Russia and China at the same time.

And as I have been warning my readers for years, that is a really, really bad idea.

But it doesn’t matter what you or I think.

The Military Industrial Complex wants to make even more money, and our politicians want to keep the campaign contributions rolling in.

So we will continue to speed toward a date with the unthinkable as the fate of our society hangs in the balance.

Michael’s new book entitled “End Times” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

About the Author: My name is Michael and my brand new book entitled “End Times” is now available on Amazon.com.  In addition to my new book I have written six other books that are available on Amazon.com including “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned)  When you purchase any of these books you help to support the work that I am doing, and one way that you can really help is by sending copies as gifts to family and friends.  Time is short, and I need help getting these warnings into the hands of as many people as possible.  I have also started a brand new Substack newsletter, and I encourage you to subscribe so that you won’t miss any of the latest updates.  I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is definitely a great help.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, I strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

The post The Military Industrial Complex Is Making Hundreds Of Billions Of Dollars, And They Need A Military Draft In The U.S. To Take Things To The Next Level appeared first on End Of The American Dream.

Take some invaluable tips on how to stay hydrated longer in the wilderness in this featured video from Between the Blazes!

RELATED: How To Stay Hydrated In Hot Conditions

What You Need to Know to Stay Hydrated Longer

1. Where to Get a Safe Water Source for Drinking

It’s getting hot out there, and with heat comes increased risk of dehydration. Heading out to the hills can drain your body of energy and fluids.

But that is necessary because you want the cleanest source of drinking water, which is as far from civilization as could be. And a stagnant body of water is a big no-no!

2. How to Collect Water

When SHTF, you may have no other choice but proceed to a bug out location on foot. So, hiking is a perfect simulation to get yourself ready in case it happens.

One of the most important aspects of hiking is to stay hydrated. Once you’ve found the cleanest source of drinking water, you will need to collect it properly. Filter as many particles and debris out of it as you can.

The video below provides you with all the means and techniques to collect from the source to a container and keeping it clean.

3. Purification or Treating the Water You Collected

No matter how clear the water looks, harmful foreign entities are invisible to the naked eye. Some survivalists don’t bother at all though and for some reason, they seem to have a better immune system or stamina than others.

We can’t be too sure and if you are to really survive out there, never risk it. There are several ways to treat water and to make sure you stay hydrated.

Here are some of the suggestion to stay hydrated safely which is further discussed in the video:

• Boiling water
• Sawyer Mini Water Filtration System
• Aquamira Chlorine Dioxide Water Treatment Drops
• Potable Aqua Chlorine Dioxide Water Purification Tablets
• SteriPen Adventurer Opti UV Water Purifier
• Electrolytes Drink Tablets

No products found.

RELATED: LifeStraw: Embracing The Suck

4. How to Carry as Much Water with You as You Can

If you are walking to a distant place, then carrying water can be a problem. You can only carry so many water bottles efficiently before they actually get in your way.

But the one thing you want to prevent from happening is dehydration. So, what you do is consider your situation well and these tips from our featured video.

5. Importance of Staying Hydrated

Feeling lost and irritable when hiking? It might be dehydration setting in.

The benefits of staying hydrated also go beyond the physical aspect. You will also relate to the insights given on the importance of hydration.

6. More Tips for Staying Hydrated

By the end of the video, more tips, and suggestions are shared to help you stay hydrated better. For example, the amount of clothing you wear when out hiking can have an effect on your hydration.

Apparently, talking while hiking takes up a lot of energy too. Thus, you produce sweat and use up much of your water, so let’s go ahead to the video now!

This video from Between the Blazes will further answer your questions on how to stay hydrated while hiking:

You can survive without food for several days but without water? Heaven knows only how long. That is why, in a wilderness survival situation, hydration must be your first priority.

This video with tips, ideas, and guide to stay hydrated can be very insightful and useful for hiking, camping, and a wilderness survival situation.

What do you do to stay hydrated? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Up Next:

• How To Stay Hydrated In The Wild
• 10 Ways Hiking Can Prepare You For Anything
• How To Prevent Blisters

For awesome survival gear you can’t make at home, check out the Survival Life Store!

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**Disclaimer: All content on this site is for informational purposes only. Please read our full disclaimer here**

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on May 5, 2016, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.

Our standard of living is being systematically destroyed, but for a lot of years many Americans didn’t fully understand what was taking place because it was happening so slowly.  But now we have reached a stage where the purchasing power of our money is collapsing and the cost of living has become exceedingly painful.  Thanks to our rapidly rising cost of living, the middle class is becoming “the impoverished class”, and the poor are increasingly being pushed out into the streets.  If we do not find a way to turn these trends around, it won’t be too long before we have tremendous societal turmoil on our hands.

Earlier today, I came across an article about a woman that found a receipt from Burger King that was dated August 10, 1986.

At that time you could buy a Whopper for just $1.54.

Today, that same Whopper will cost you $6.79…

A woman has been left stunned after discovering a retro Burger King receipt from the 1980s which reveals the staggering price increases that the fast food chain has implemented over the past four decades.

US-based Liza took to social media to share the receipt after her mother found it in a box in the garage while remodeling her home.

The faded paper from the fast food chain dates back to August 10, 1986, and lists three Whopper burgers purchased for $4.62 – which works out at $1.54 each.

A single Whopper burger currently costs $6.79 in today’s money – over four times the price listed on the vintage receipt.

In other words, if you had $6.79 back then, you could buy four whoppers and you would still have money left over.

This is what inflation does.

It destroys our purchasing power.

Another woman named Melanie that makes 34 dollars an hour is so stressed financially that she literally tries to make one loaf of rye bread last her for the entire week…

“What I’ve started doing is I buy a loaf of rye bread, and I work really hard to keep that one loaf of rye bread lasting me the whole week. And I eat peanut butter, so I’ll eat peanut butter toast whenever I’m hungry.”

In the old days, if you were making 34 dollars an hour you were living the high life.

But now most people making 34 dollars an hour are just barely scraping by from month to month.

Of course it isn’t just food that has become absurdly expensive.

At this point, homes in the U.S. have never been more unaffordable than they are right now.

The following was recently posted on Twitter by The Kobeissi Letter…

Inflation adjusted home prices are now 85% above their average dating back to 1900.

Even after accounting for inflation, home prices have never been more expensive than they are now.

In fact, inflation adjusted home prices are now 20% above their 2008 peak, the previous all time high.

The median home now sells for an alarming 530% of the median annual income.

Meanwhile, the median house payment is now a record 49% of median PRE-TAX income.

Affordability has never been worse.

We have never seen anything like this in the entire history of our country.

Since the beginning of 2019, the median price of a home in the U.S. has risen by more than a hundred thousand dollars…

In fact, comparing present prices to levels before the virus panic, St. Louis Fed numbers show a median priced U.S. home rose from $313,000 in the beginning of 2019 to $416,000 today.

Rental prices have gone completely nuts as well.

As I discussed last week, the median asking rent in the United States is now over $2,000 a month.

Over the past couple of years we have seen unprecedented rent hikes, and vast numbers of renters have been getting the boot.

In fact, we are seeing a tsunami of evictions in the Los Angeles area right now…

With COVID-era protections gone, the number of renters facing eviction in Los Angeles continues to climb by the thousands each month.

From February through the end of August, approximately 50,000 eviction notices were filed by landlords in the city, according to figures released on Monday by the L.A. Controller’s Office.

A spokesperson said 96% of them involve non-payment of rent, and landlords were owed $186.5 million collectively.

So where will all these people go?

If they are young enough, perhaps they can live with their parents.

But many will not have that option.

Up to this point in 2023, homelessness in the United States has been rising at the fastest pace ever recorded, and a lot more Americans will find themselves without a home between now and the end of the year.

Meanwhile, those that are still scraping by will find it harder and harder to make ends meet.

The average rate of interest on our credit card balances has risen from about 16 percent in February 2022 to more than 22 percent today.

As a result, an increasing number of Americans find themselves unable to keep up with their payments, and it is being reported that credit card losses are rising at the quickest rate since the last financial crisis…

Credit card companies are racking up losses at the fastest pace in almost 30 years, outside of the Great Financial Crisis, according to Goldman Sachs.

Credit card losses bottomed in September 2021, and while initial increases were likely reversals from stimulus, they have been rapidly rising since the first quarter of 2022. Since that time, it’s an increasing rate of losses only seen in recent history during the recession of 2008.

It is far from over, the firm predicts.

More Americans are going bankrupt as well.

In fact, the number of bankruptcy cases in August 2023 was 18 percent higher than it was in August 2022.

Millions upon millions of Americans have been turning to debt in order to keep up with the cost of living, but as economic conditions deteriorate financial institutions are starting to get much tighter with their money.

So we are moving into a time when U.S. consumers will find it much more difficult to take on new debt…

Nearly 60% of the respondents in a New York Fed consumer expectations survey said it’s harder to get credit cards, mortgages and other loans than it was a year ago. It was the highest level since the New York Fed started the data series back in 2013.

Another Fed survey of loan officers reveals their fears aren’t unfounded. Banks reported that lending standards tightened across all consumer loan categories and all categories of residential real estate (RRE) loans. Meanwhile, the number of banks reporting tighter standards for credit cards rose by 36%.

Banks have also significantly tightened standards for business loans.

This is a recipe for disaster.

That is definitely true.

Without a doubt, this is certainly a recipe for disaster.

But there is no going back now.

In fact, the rising price of oil is going to cause enormous inflationary pressures throughout our entire economic system in the months ahead.

On Tuesday, a senior market analyst at OANDA warned that it appears that “nothing is going to get in the way of this oil price rally”…

“It looks like nothing is going to get in the way of this oil price rally,” said Edward Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA, in emailed comments on Tuesday. “Energy traders know a bullish trend when they see one and it will take a lot more than a strong dollar, softer Russian ban, and weakening demand, to disrupt this rally.”

When the price of oil reaches 100 dollars a barrel, that will be painful, but we can handle that.

But the chief executive of Continental Resources is projecting that the price of oil could eventually reach 150 dollars a barrel…

That’s Doug Lawler, chief executive of Continental Resources, the shale-drilling giant controlled by billionaire Harold Hamm, telling Bloomberg News on Monday that crude prices are set to remain elevated and could press to the $120- to $150-a-barrel range without new production.

More price pressure is coming, he said, unless policies are put in place to encourage more output.

If the price of oil reaches 150 dollars a barrel and stays there, it will be an unmitigated disaster for our economy, and the cost of just about everything will jump substantially.

That is because just about everything that we buy and sell has to be transported.

We need cheap energy in order to have a high standard of living, but unfortunately the era of cheap energy is coming to an abrupt ending, and that means that none of our lives will ever be the same again.

I kept warning my readers that a lot of the long-term trends that I have been writing about would catch up with us eventually, and now that time has arrived.

So enjoy the current economic conditions while you still can, because they will soon go from bad to worse.

Michael’s new book entitled “End Times” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

About the Author: My name is Michael and my brand new book entitled “End Times” is now available on Amazon.com.  In addition to my new book I have written six other books that are available on Amazon.com including “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned)  When you purchase any of these books you help to support the work that I am doing, and one way that you can really help is by sending copies as gifts to family and friends.  Time is short, and I need help getting these warnings into the hands of as many people as possible.  I have also started a brand new Substack newsletter, and I encourage you to subscribe so that you won’t miss any of my articles.  I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is definitely a great help.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, I strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

The post Life In America Has Never Been More Unaffordable Than It Is Right Now appeared first on The Economic Collapse.

Fun shooting with interesting training possibilities – for minimal cost Daisy’s adult Red Ryder BB gun is truly an adult…

This article %Daisy’s Adult Red Ryder BB Gun Review% appeared first on %Survive Doomsday%.

Have you heard about the agreement that global leaders adopted at the United Nations during the “2023 SDG Summit” that was held earlier this week?  On Monday and Tuesday, officials from all over the world gathered in New York City to commit their nations to fully implement the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals over the next 7 years.  If you are not familiar with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, you can find them right here.  They are essentially a blueprint for how the globalists want the world to be run.  Just about every area of human activity is covered by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and it would take extreme measures over the next 7 years in order to achieve all of them by the deadline.

But that was what the “2023 SDG Summit” was all about.

Leaders from all over the planet got together and pledged to do whatever is necessary to meet those goals on time.

They are calling it “a new phase of accelerated progress”.  The following comes directly from the official UN webpage about this summit…

The 2023 SDG Summit took place on 18-19 September 2023 in New York. It marked the beginning of a new phase of accelerated progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals with high-level political guidance on transformative and accelerated actions leading up to 2030.

Convened by the President of the General Assembly, the Summit marked the half-way point to the deadline set for achieving the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. It was the centerpiece of the High-level Week of the General Assembly. It responded to the impact of multiple and interlocking crises facing the world and is expected to reignite a sense of hope, optimism, and enthusiasm for the 2030 Agenda.

The globalists really do intend to implement the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals by the time the UN General Assembly convenes in September 2030.

That is just 7 years from now, and so the clock is ticking.

During the “2023 SDG Summit”, global leaders “adopted a sweeping Political Declaration” in which they committed themselves to achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals within the next 7 years…

Kicking off the second half of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, world leaders at the SDG Summit 2023 today adopted a sweeping Political Declaration to reaffirm their shared commitment to end poverty and hunger everywhere, combat inequalities within and among countries and build peaceful societies that leave no one behind.

The adoption of the 10-page document, by the Heads of State and Government and high representatives gathering at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, came at a critical juncture as global crises — including armed conflict, adverse climate impacts and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic — threaten the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

The “Political Declaration” is 10 pages long, and you can read it for yourself right here.

On the fifth page of the document, we are told that there is an “urgent need to take the actions necessary to reverse declines and accelerate progress to achieve the 2030 Agenda and implement the SDGs.”

So what will it look like as we “accelerate progress” toward those goals?

Well, as Paul Joseph Watson has reported, a 20 mph speed limit is being slapped on every single residential road in Wales…

How would you feel if every single road in your community had a 20 mph speed limit?

Unfortunately, extreme measures such as this will soon be implemented all over the world.

The globalists are absolutely determined to meet their climate goals, and all the rest of us will suffer as a result.

On the tenth page of the document that the global leaders at the UN just adopted, “the Summit of the Future in 2024” is referenced…

We look forward to the Summit of the Future in 2024 as an important opportunity to, inter alia, accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs.

This exceedingly important meeting will be held just two months before the next presidential election in the United States.

At that gathering, UN member states are scheduled to adopt something called “a Pact for the Future”.

You can read about “the Summit of the Future” and the “Pact for the Future” on the official UN website right here.

On that page the UN openly admits that one of the purposes of “the Summit of the Future” is to “put in place a stronger international response playbook for complex global shocks, maximizing the use of the Secretary-General’s convening power in the form of an Emergency Platform”.

I have written about this “Emergency Platform” that is being proposed before.

Essentially, if there is any sort of a major “global shock” the United Nations will be given authority “to ensure there is a unified, global response to the crisis”.

So what kind of a “global shock” would trigger these emergency powers?

Well, a UN policy paper that was published some time ago explained that a future pandemic, a “major event in outer space” or even “unforeseen risks” would all qualify.

Ultimately, just about any sort of a crisis at all could be used to justify activating this new “Emergency Platform”.

And once it is activated, officials at the UN would have the power to extend the emergency powers that they have been given indefinitely.

Needless to say, this is an extremely frightening proposal.

We definitely do not want the UN to have emergency powers over the entire globe that could be extended indefinitely.

Sadly, the Biden administration is fully behind this plan.

And next September, the U.S. will agree to adopt the “Pact for the Future”.

Of course this is why they are rushing to get this done.

With Biden in the White House, the globalists are able to greatly advance their agenda.

But once he leaves, it will be a lot tougher.

So time is of the essence.

I wish that more Americans understood what the globalists are trying to do, but unfortunately the mainstream media barely talks about any of this at all.

We live in such perilous times, and those that wish to erode our freedoms are absolutely relentless.

Michael’s new book entitled “End Times” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

About the Author: My name is Michael and my brand new book entitled “End Times” is now available on Amazon.com.  In addition to my new book I have written six other books that are available on Amazon.com including “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned)  When you purchase any of these books you help to support the work that I am doing, and one way that you can really help is by sending copies as gifts to family and friends.  Time is short, and I need help getting these warnings into the hands of as many people as possible.  I have also started a brand new Substack newsletter, and I encourage you to subscribe so that you won’t miss any of the latest updates.  I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is definitely a great help.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, I strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

The post While Barely Anyone Was Watching, Leaders At The UN Made A 7 Year Agreement To Implement A Single Global Agenda appeared first on End Of The American Dream.

When are we going to wake up and admit that our system is failing?  If close to half of our young adults find themselves needing to live with their parents, we have a major crisis on our hands.  Yes, there are some young people that are simply lazy and don’t want to work hard enough.  I definitely understand that.  But most young adults in America today don’t actually want to live with their parents.  Given the opportunity, they would love to have their own homes.  Unfortunately, home prices have risen to absolutely absurd levels and housing in America is now more unaffordable than it has ever been before.

I feel so badly for the millions upon millions of young people that are struggling so much right now.

We encourage them to pile up giant mountains of student loan debt without ever considering the consequences, and then once they get out into the real world they quickly discover that the cost of living has become extremely suffocating.

As a result, vast numbers of young adults are finding that it is necessary to move back in with their parents…

Nearly half of all young adults are living with their parents — and they’re not ashamed to say it.

Moving out and living on your own is often seen as a marker of adulthood. But dealt an onerous set of cards — including pandemic lockdowns, decades-high inflation, soaring student debt levels and a shaky job market — young people today are increasingly staying put. What’s more, it’s no longer seen as a sign of individual failure.

Needless to say, this is not a good thing for our society.

The last time that such a high percentage of young adults were living with their parents was during the aftermath of the Great Depression…

These days, about 23 million, or 45%, of all Americans ages 18 to 29 are living with family, roughly the same level as the 1940s, a time when women were more likely to remain at home until marriage and men too were lingering on family farms in the aftermath of the Great Depression.

So why is this happening?

One of the primary reasons why this is happening is because high interest rates have pushed housing costs to insane levels.

This week, the average rate on a 30 year fixed mortgage reached 7.19 percent…

US mortgage rates remained flat this week, hovering over 7%, where they’ve been for six consecutive weeks as inflation pressures persist.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 7.19% in the week ending September 21, a tick up from 7.18% the week before, according to data from Freddie Mac released Thursday. A year ago, the 30-year fixed-rate was 6.29%.

“Mortgage rates continue to linger above 7% as the Federal Reserve paused their interest rate hikes,” Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist, said. “Given these high rates, housing demand is cooling off and now homebuilders are feeling the effect,” he said. “Builder sentiment declined for the first time in several months and construction levels have dipped to a three-year low, which could have an impact on the already low housing supply,” Khater added.

And this isn’t even going to be the peak.

In fact, NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun is warning that “in the short run, it’s possible that mortgage rates may go up to 8%.”

8 percent?

Are you kidding me?

Even now, mortgage payments have escalated to absolutely crazy heights.  Earlier this week, the following example was posted on Twitter by Amy Nixon…

This home sold in 2021 for $685,000

Buyer’s monthly payment? $3526

Buyer’s monthly payment today? $8402

“But wages went up!”

“But people have cash now!”

NO—THIS IS COMPLETE INSANITY

STOP PRETENDING IT IS NOT

She is right.

This is nuts.

Only a very small percentage of the population can afford such monthly payments, and so millions of potential buyers are being sidelined.

And millions of potential sellers are being sidelined as well, because most of them would need to purchase another home if the current home they are living in was sold.

So the vast majority of us are trapped in our homes right now.

Most of us simply cannot afford to move because the mortgage payments would be way too high.

Obviously, this is one of the main things that is greatly depressing home sales right now.

Sales of previously owned homes declined again in August.

If you can believe it, they were actually down a whopping 15.3 percent from the already depressed level that we witnessed in August 2022.

If you want to thank someone, thank the officials at the Federal Reserve, because they created this mess.

Overall, Fannie Mae is projecting that this will be the worst year for home sales since 2011…

US home sales are headed for the biggest slowdown since 2011, according to Fannie Mae.

The government-sponsored mortgage finance company forecasted total home sales to slump to just 4.8 million this year, marking the slowest sales environment since 2011. That figure will only improve slightly in 2024, with total home sales expected to hit 4.9 million, Fannie Mae economists said.

If our young adults cannot afford to purchase homes, at least they can afford to rent places to live, right?

Wrong.

In recent years, rents have skyrocketed all over the country.

At this point, the national median asking rent in the U.S. is over $2,000 a month…

Landlords are continuing to ask near record-high rents amid a tight housing market, but tenants in some parts of the country are still finding deals, according to a new study from Redfin.

The asking rent in August was $2,052, up slightly (0.7%) from just a month earlier when the asking rent was $2,038.

When I was a young adult, I remember renting an apartment for $300 a month.

And I thought that was expensive.

Unfortunately, I don’t see much help for our young people on the horizon.

The Federal Reserve does not plan to cut interest rates any time soon.

And it will be quite some time before housing prices decline enough to be considered “affordable”.

So if you are a parent, please be patient with any young adults that you currently have living at home.

Factors outside of their control have made housing more unaffordable than it has ever been before, and economic conditions are going to continue to get harsher all around us.

Michael’s new book entitled “End Times” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

About the Author: My name is Michael and my brand new book entitled “End Times” is now available on Amazon.com.  In addition to my new book I have written six other books that are available on Amazon.com including “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned)  When you purchase any of these books you help to support the work that I am doing, and one way that you can really help is by sending copies as gifts to family and friends.  Time is short, and I need help getting these warnings into the hands of as many people as possible.  I have also started a brand new Substack newsletter, and I encourage you to subscribe so that you won’t miss any of my articles.  I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is definitely a great help.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, I strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

The post Almost Half Of All Young Adults In The United States Are Living With Their Parents appeared first on The Economic Collapse.

Today, I have something really awesome to share…

A Complete Guide On Buying, Using, & Building Hand Crank Generators

Because these highly unrated devices allow you to generate power in a pinch. 

How? By turning your calories into cheap, abundant power – Anytime, Anywhere…

Which is especially handy during a long term power outage!

TOPICS IN THIS GUIDE…     ↓(click to jump)

• 10 Best Crank Generators 
• Why You Should Own One
• How A Crank Generator Works
• Powering A House With A Bicycle
• Best Crank Generator Features
• How To Build A Crank Generator

Do YOU Live In A ‘Danger Zone’ County?
Find out NOW with my Danger Zone County Special Report – It’s 100% FREE… Click here now for Access!

Best Crank Generators On The Market Today

Here are the best hand-cranked generators available on the market today:

↓ Kaio Voyager KA500 AM FM Emergency Radio Review

↓ Free Power Emergency Hand Crank Dynamo Generator

↓ K-TOR Pocket Socket Hand Crank Generator

↓ RunningSnail Emergency Hand Crank Radio Review

↓ Pospower Solar Crank Radio Charger Review

↓ Hand Cranked Emergency Generator

↓ Portable Pedal Generator | Emergency Power

Why You Should Own At Least One

In modern times, access to electrical power is commonplace.

And most of us take it for granted.

For example:

We rarely find ourselves unable to charge our phones.

Airport terminals, coffee shops, and public spaces are all sprouting outlets.

Most people don’t even think twice about it.

But what about places where a standard 110v outlet isn’t easy to find?

Camping trips are one thing – you can plan and charge your devices beforehand.

You can also use them sparingly to conserve battery power.

Or find alternatives for power-hungry electronics.

But emergencies that arise suddenly and without warning can leave you without power.

• Powerful storms can happen at any time of the year
• Strong winds often knock out power lines
• Ice buildup and falling branches can equal weeks without power

Some utility companies have recently started shutting off electricity for preventative reasons.

With extremely high winds, a spark could turn into a massive wildfire.

Larger natural disasters like major earthquakes and tsunamis can destroy electrical infrastructure.

AND destroy power generation facilities, causing long-term outages.

Solar flares or EMPs can play havoc with the electrical grid.

Maybe for months!

With that in mind, how long would your batteries last? A few days? A week?

You need a better plan!

Your backup plan should have several ways to store and produce electrical power.

Solar, hydro, and wind power generation are quickly becoming more common.

Heck, even large utility companies have gotten on board with these sources.

Smaller versions of these systems are readily adapted to single-family homes.

But what if you can’t access free-flowing water, steady wind, or regular sunshine?

There’s one way to generate power that doesn’t rely on any of these outside sources – though you DO have to fuel it!

By fuel, I’m talking about muscle power as a hand-cranked or pedal generator!

You can find all sorts of model types and sizes, for example:

There are pocket-sized USB chargers for cell phones.

Or there are sizeable permanent generator installations.

Ones that wouldn’t look out of place in a professional gym.

Want a free 54 item survival gear checklist?

Click here to instantly download this Complete Checklist PDF. No purchase necessary.

How A Generator Works

Yes, they seem complicated.

For some people, it’s like a black magic box.

But the components inside a hand-cranked generator are pretty simple.

This simplicity is especially true compared to other forms of power generation.

All electrical generators work by:

1. Spinning a coil of wire (rotor) inside a fixed array of magnets (stator).
2. The magnetic field interacts with the coiled wire.
3. This setup causes electrons to flow through the wire.

Building a small electrical generator is a typical middle school science experiment.

↓ Genecon Hand Generator – Demos & Experiments

Fun fact:

An electrical generator and an electric motor are nearly the same construction.

In one case, you spin the rotor to make electricity.

On the other, you apply electricity to make the rotor spin.

This phenomenon means you can turn a generator into a motor and vice versa.

But only if you understand how to wire each one for the best efficiency.

With generators, you connect them to some form of mechanical power.

Ideally, it’s continuous power.

It can spin the rotor and create a constant, reliable, and stable electrical current.

In many cases, including coal, gas, oil, and nuclear-fueled power plants, the heat produced by combustion or nuclear fission is harnessed to create high-pressure steam.

This high-pressure steam then spins a steam turbine that directly drives the rotor.

Similarly, wind and hydropower systems spin a turbine and drive the rotor by using flowing air or water.

We can use this example to replace the “thing that spins the rotor” with another power source.

In the case of a hand crank generator, a lever and rotating handle (or pedal) allow you to spin the rotor manually.

Thus, generate power as long as you continue cranking.

Some also have the addition of a heavy flywheel.

A flywheel helps by adding momentum to generate some power even if you stop cranking.

Now, flywheels take more energy to get up to speed.

But it will help even the power output once it’s spinning at full speed.

All the electronics inside regulate and store the electricity generated.

To turn muscle power via cranking a handle into electricity.

Now, you must understand how much power you can expect to generate this way…

You cannot power an entire household with one:

Can You Power A House With A Bicycle?

That’s the biggest question. And the answer is No.

↓ Can You Power A House With A Bicycle?

Best Crank Generator Features To Look For

Most hand-crank generators are geared toward camping and emergency markets.

But these are relatively broad categories.

This means there are many functions and features to look for – depending on your needs.

Understanding these options helps to narrow down the selection process.

Thus making choosing the right hand-cranked generator easier.

Power Output

We measure generator output in watts.

This output measure allows you to judge what you can and can’t power while using it.

Make a list of the items you plan to power.

Then pick a generator that powers the LARGEST power need with some energy to spare.

Size

These generators come in a wide range of sizes and capacities.

For example:

If mobility is important, you’re better off with a pocket-sized model.

Portable devices where you can charge a simple flashlight and cell phone via USB.

It may be worth looking into larger models if you plan to be in one place (home, camper, cabin, boat, etc.).

Large ones are more efficient at filling a power bank and appliances.

Weight

Weight goes hand in hand with size.

A lightweight hand generator is easier to carry but usually comes at a cost.

Costs such as having:

• a less durable construction
• smaller (or no) internal batteries
• no flywheel to help stabilize power output

Power Storage

Most small hand-cranked generators feature a small internal battery pack.

The energy can be stored and accessed via USB or other connections.

This setup makes for a more streamlined device and a smaller overall package.

But make sure the internal battery is of sufficient size to power your devices.

Otherwise, consider moving up to a larger portable power station model.

Most larger permanent ones come with large external batteries.

So this issue is less of a concern.

Add-On Features

Many hand-cranked generators also feature some built-in functions.

These “add-ons” help make them better overall emergency tools.

For example:

• LED lights
• solar cells
• emergency radios

They are all common additions to pocket-sized hand-cranked generators.

Want a free 54 item survival gear checklist?

Click here to instantly download this Complete Checklist PDF. No purchase necessary.

How To Build A Crank Generator Yourself

Here’s a quick rundown of a few more DIY Crank Generator options, including a bicycle generator.

So for complete instructions on how to build a DIY bike generator, check out the video below.

It includes details of everything from:

• Building the bike stand
• How to fine-tune the charge controller
• How to maintain the health of your expensive batteries

↓ Homemade Bicycle Generator | Burn Calories and Make Electricity

NOTE: I can’t stress how much I prefer the bicycle generator.

Check out these dynamo chargers to build or buy a compact bike generator.

They’re perfect for small USB electronics:

These allow you to charge your batteries and devices WHILE YOU MOVE ABOUT!

This feature is a massive time and energy savings!

It also allows you to reach your destination at full charge.

And it takes full advantage of your larger leg muscles!

Final Thoughts

At some point, usually, when you least expect it, you’ll be faced with a lack of power.

A backup power source is critical from a passing storm to something more drastic.

One that doesn’t depend on water, wind, or sun is a great option to keep in your backup resiliency plans.

There are many hand-crank and pedal-powered generators on the market—and even more designs to build them if you’re mechanically inclined.

First, take time to figure out your electrical needs.

Then narrow down the field before purchasing the first one you find.

There’s a place for both hand crank generators and pedal generators.

But I think it’s clear you can better use your time spent cranking doing something else instead.

I much prefer a pedal-powered generator.

If you agree, you can choose an “under the table” design like the Power Box 50 or HPG-75 or a “full bike” solution like the 500W charging system.

Or you may even go with a DIY alternative.

The bottom line is:

These devices allow you to work on something else while pedaling to a full battery.

Now, go rest up; your turn on the crank is next!

Jason K.

Born & Raised In The Remote Woods Of Michigan

Engineering Degree From A Major University

Long Standing Member Of Mountain Search & Rescue

Offical Gear Tester For Several Outdoor Companies

Avid Outdoorsman: Backpacking, Camping, Fishing

Years Researching & Writing About Surival & Gear

P.s. Do You Live In A ‘Danger Zone’ County?

Find out now using my Danger Zone County List & Special Report it’s absolutely FREE.
In minutes you’ll know EXACTLY where you stand and if you should be worried or not..

So click here to get my FREE Danger Zone County List & Report….

Click on the image to get the List & Report for FREE and find out if YOU live in a ‘Danger Zone’ County…”

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Today, I have something really exciting to share…

A comprehensive guide on buying and storing powdered peanut butter for emergencies.

Because peanut butter has many amazing health benefits.

And you can’t live without protein for long…

• So what’s your plan if the grocery store is closed?
• How do you get enough protein in a crisis?

Powdered peanut butter! If you plan ahead…

Table Of Contents

↓(click to skip ahead)↓

» Best Powdered Peanut Butters

» What Is Peanut Butter Powder?

» Can I Make My Own?

» DIY Peanut Butter Powder

» Is It Really Healthy?

» How Long Does It Last?

» Best Ways To Use It

» Top Reasons To Stock Up

Do YOU Live In A ‘Danger Zone’ County?
Find out NOW with my Danger Zone County Special Report – It’s 100% FREE… Click here now for Access!

Best Powdered Peanut Butter For Sale

What Is Powdered Peanut Butter? How Is It Made?

This protein powder is made by roasting peanuts and pressing to remove most of the oil.

This process is used commercially to make peanut oil.

With peanut butter powder being a byproduct.

Once the oil is removed, the remaining particles are ground into a fine powder.

• Some have small amounts of sugar and salt added for taste.
• Some have flavor additives, such as chocolate.
• Other types have nutritional boosters, such as chia seeds, probiotics, and protein powder.

The result is a concentrated “peanut butter powder” with an intense taste.

It can then be used as a dehydrated product or mixed with water to rehydrate into a paste.

↓ How Is PB2 Made?! Is PB2 Healthy For You? Taste Test

Want a free 78 item prepper checklist?

Click here to instantly download this Complete Checklist PDF. No purchase necessary.

Can I Make My Own Peanut Butter Powder?

There’s a wide variety of store-bought options on the market.

But those who prefer DIY can also make it themselves.

The store-bought powder is more convenient and comes ready for long-term storage.

While making your own gives you more control over the pressing process.

This allows you to keep some nutritious fats in the powder.

These fats can increase the caloric load, which may be useful in SHTF scenarios.

The fats also make it easier for the fat-soluble vitamins to get absorbed by the body.

Making DIY peanut butter powder also lets you adjust the ratios of sugar, salt, and other flavor additives to taste.

DIY Creamy Peanut Butter Powder Recipe

The recipe has just a few simple steps:

1. Roast The Peanuts

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Lay whole or halved peanuts on a single layer of a baking tray.

Make sure not to overlap too much so they roast evenly.

The roasting time depends on if they are shelled or unshelled.

Shelled peanuts need around 20-25 minutes.

Unshelled needs around 15-20 minutes.

Once roasting begins, rotate the nuts periodically to roast evenly.

You can shake the baking tray every 5-10 minutes.

2. Press The Peanuts

Pressing removes the oil is more difficult at home.

Industrial peanut butter powder is pressed with industrial-strength equipment.

Industrial equipment is more effective than DIY methods.

If you are making DIY peanut powder, you can remove some of the oil.

However, you won’t be able to remove as much oil as commercial pressers.

This is not necessarily a downside since these oils can be very nutritious.

The best way to press them at home is to sustain high pressure.

Put the nuts between two paper towels and roll them with a rolling pin.

The paper towels will absorb some of the oil, leaving drier nut pieces behind.

3. Grind The Peanuts

If you have a food processor at home, break it out for this step.

If not, you can use any grinder, blender, mortar, or pestle.

When using a food processor, put the dried peanut pieces in the processor and grind in slow pulses of 5-10 seconds each.

Pause between pulses to dab away excess oil with a paper towel.

Continue until you have a uniform powdery product.

Want a free 78 item prepper checklist?

Click here to instantly download this Complete Checklist PDF. No purchase necessary.

Is Powdered Peanut Butter Healthy?

Very healthy.

It has several major health benefits:

Excellent Source Of Plant-Based Protein

It’s a great source of protein.

Plant-based proteins are particularly important for long-term stores.

They help diversify your protein sources so you don’t get all your protein from one source.

Plant-based protein sources are also more sustainable in certain ways.

They are easier to preserve and store long-term while retaining their protein load.

Great Source Of Amino Acids

Powdered peanut butter contains many amino acids.

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein.

One of the amino acids that are most represented is arginine.

Arginine helps maintain heart health, hormonal health, and circulatory health.

Rich In Vitamins & Minerals

In addition to amino acids, it’s rich in vitamins and minerals.

These include:

• Potassium. Helps with nerve, muscle, and heart health.
• Calcium. Maintains strong bones. Necessary to send messages between the brain, the body, and the nervous system.
• Magnesium. Necessary for healthy muscles and nerves. Decreases risk for Type 2 Diabetes and osteoporosis.
• Vitamin B-6. Needed for brain development. It keeps the nervous system and the immune system healthy.
• Phosphorus. It assists in building healthy bones. Helps the body digest carbohydrates and fats.
• Niacin. Promotes the nervous system, digestive system, and skin health.
• Vitamin E. Maintains healthy skin and eyes and strengthens the immune system.

Healthier For Diabetics

It’s low on the glycemic index (GI) scale.

This means it is less liable to change insulin levels or spike blood sugar.

Sticking to a diet of foods lower on the GI index can help manage diabetes.

A Terrific Source Of Dietary Fiber

PB2 is a great source of dietary fiber.

We need dietary fiber to maintain gut health.

It can feed beneficial bacteria in your gut’s biome.

Which can help with gastrointestinal issues.

It can also help you feel fuller for longer.

High In Antioxidants

It has several antioxidants.

Antioxidants help protect against “free radicals.”

Helping to reduce your risk of diseases (like heart disease and cancer).

Non-GMO

If your powder is made with real ingredient peanut, it is guaranteed not to be GMO-based.

No GMO (genetically modified) powdered are on the market today.

If you’re particularly concerned about GMOs, you should check the ingredients in pre-made PB2.

You’ll want to make sure there isn’t any GMO sugar or additives.

A Note on Removed Fats and Calories:

Powdered peanut butter is lower in calories than traditional peanut butter.

Two tablespoons of regular peanut butter are around 190-200 calories.

The same amount of PB2 is only 45 calories.

This may be beneficial for dieters in normal times.

However, fewer calories may not be as desirable in an SHTF scenario.

PB2 is also much lower in fats than peanut butter.

Two tablespoons of peanut butter contain 16 grams of fat.

The same amount of PB2 only has 1.5 grams of fat.

However, this doesn’t automatically make PB2 healthier.

It has less hydrogenated vegetable fats than regular peanut butter.

These fats (aka “trans fats”) are linked to health problems like heart disease.

However, PB2 also lacks certain healthy fats found in peanut butter.

These healthy monounsaturated fats can improve heart health.

They also make it easier for the body to use fat-soluble vitamins and nutrients in PB2 (like Vitamin E).

You can address this issue by getting monounsaturated fats elsewhere in your diet.

Good sources of monounsaturated fats include:

• Nuts
• Avocado
• Fish
• Olive oil
• Wheat germ

How Long Does Powdered Peanut Butter Last? What Is The Best Way To Store It?

Like powdered milk and powdered eggs, powdered peanut butter is far less perishable than standard peanut butter.

The reduced oil content makes it much harder to spoil.

Depending on the brand, it has a shelf life of peanut protein of 5-20 years.

You should store it in a cool, dry environment.

It’s generally easier to store and takes up far less space than regular PB.

Containers should remain sealed until ready for use.

Use anti-oxidizers to help prolong freshness.

If buying in bulk, look for PB2 that comes in sealable containers.

This includes #10 cans and gallon buckets with sealable lids.

Once opened, PB2 usually lasts up to a year with proper precautions.

It’s easy to store.

It takes up much less space than standard peanut butter.

It is also much more lightweight.

This makes it easier to carry and transport if necessary.

It is also quite durable, which can be useful in SHTF scenarios.

↓ Peanut Butter Powder: Storing And Uses

Want a free 78 item prepper checklist?

Click here to instantly download this Complete Checklist PDF. No purchase necessary.

How Do I Use Powdered Peanut Butter?

There are many different ways to use it.

One way is to reconstitute it with water until it forms a paste.

Then use the past in similar ways as regular peanut butter.

You can also use the powder itself as a dry ingredient.

Dry PB2 can be used in many different ways.

• A flavor enhancer to savory dishes like stir fry.
• Additional flavor to baked goods and batters.
• Making peanut sauces and marinades.
• Sprinkling it into oatmeal.
• Shaking it onto popcorn.
• Mixing it with flour to dredge meats.
• Blending it into smoothies or a protein shake.
• Mixing it into popsicles, ice cream, or frozen yogurt.
• Mixing it with yogurt or sour cream to make spreads.
• Adding it to braising liquid or soup stock for flavor.
• Sprinkle it over cut fruits like apples

Top Reasons To Stock Up On Powdered Peanut Butter

There are many reasons to add some to your nonperishable food storage.

Nutritious

As mentioned above, PB2 has ample nutritional value.

It provides lots of protein and iron to a daily diet.

It also has many important vitamins and minerals.

Easy To Store

The powder is compact and takes up very little space.

It can easily fit into food stores of all sizes.

It doesn’t require special conditions, so long as you keep it moderately cool and dry.

And it’s also very stable and has a long shelf life.

Easy To Transport

When preparing a long-term food store, there are many things to consider.

One of the things you want to think about is the different scenarios that may be possible.

Different scenarios require different types of foods.

In some scenarios, it is best to have lightweight and easy-to-transport food.

PB2 meets those requirements quite well.

For this reason, it is also a great snack for camping and hiking.

Versatile & Easy To Use

There are many different things you can use PB2 to make.

You can combine it with water and make a paste.

However, most people use it for cooking or as a recipe additive.

Variety is the spice of life. It is an essential morale booster in troubled times.

And its flavoring can make things more interesting on a day-to-day basis.

Article By Lana Alder

P.s. Do You Live In A ‘Danger Zone’ County?

Find out now using my Danger Zone County List & Special Report it’s absolutely FREE.
In minutes you’ll know EXACTLY where you stand and if you should be worried or not..

So click here to get my FREE Danger Zone County List & Report….

Click on the image to get the List & Report for FREE and find out if YOU live in a ‘Danger Zone’ County…”

The post Best Powdered Peanut Butters With Insanely Long Shelf Life appeared first on Skilled Survival.