Balaam's Ass Speaks          Brings you:

SURVIVAL:

This page is not the most encouraging, but it is absolutely essential.  We have tried to examine all books listed here ourselves, or we have asked friends we trust to do so.  PLEASE let us know if you have found a book of special worth and practicality.  We don't have much time to help our readers get ready for Y2K in particular.  We could very well be off the Web for a long time as of January of 2000.  So, we have only a few months to be of service to our readers.

Y2K:  Year 2000--  
Specific Discussions on its Reality, Solutions, and Alternatives

GARY NORTH ON Y2K--  By permission, we are allowed to distribute Mr. North's Web site.  There are 1300 articles on all aspects of life and Y2K.  North is a Reconstructionist, which we are not.  Otherwise, the CD is a fantastic convincer for skeptics, and it will stimulate good thinking to get ready for the crisis.  
We offer it at cost.  $15 (Postage included)--  
Call 1 (800) 338-8863 to order by credit card.

The Millennium Bug : How to Survive the Coming Chaos-- Michael S. Hyatt--  This book is an incredible account of what well may happen when the calendar rolls over to the year 2000. It was even more scary to me because Michael Hyatt echos what my computer-oriented relatives & friends have mentioned to me as far back as a year ago. We aren't ready -- and we won't be ready. The only questions that remain are how serious will it be and for how long. I have urged all my friends to read this book. As Mr. Hyatt says, being prepared is like taking out an insurance policy -- and hoping to God you never have to use it.  An Atlanta reader.   --  I have read this book, and I feel it is the best one on the subject.  Steve Van Nattan

The Y2K Personal Survival Plan Handbook 1-- Michael Annis-- This is a survival HANDbook that delineates some of the best techniques for staying alive during disaster scenarios. It is constructed on the premise that the Y2K Millennium Bug, cutely named, is actually larval, and named so to further disinform and disarm the masses on many different levels. The potential of Y2K is to birth a host of other globally impacting events which will demand a toughening and strengthening of our way of conducting life. It is also a call for the rapid reintroduction into society of such things as honor, valor, kindness, compassion, mercy,! and generosity. It discusses the tendency to do just the opposite during times of crisis, and by doing so, thus decreasing the potential for survival for the majority.

THE MODERN SURVIVAL RETREAT--  We do not recommend running to the hill and isolation.  If you feel this is your only option, get this book.

FOOD SUPPLIES AND THE HOME  
Basic Necessities, Storage, Community Efforts

The Encyclopedia of Country Living : An Old Fashioned Recipe Book--  Carla Emery--  This book has been recommended by a reader of the Home Makers' Page.  She said that her family re-settled in primitive conditions, and this book was her best source.

Lehman's Non Electric Catalog - All sorts of things for the home and kitchen that use manual power.
     Order for $2 from:
     Shepherd Farms Enterprises, PO Box 693, Richland Center, WI, 53581    
     E-Mail:  Brashear@mwt.net

How to Develop a Low Cost Family Food Storage System-- A. Evangelista-- A thorough book to explain safe, cost efficient food storage.

Build Your Own Low Cost Log Home--  Roger Hard-- Using log or a kit this volume gives in depth instructions for log building by hand or machine.

Live Off the Land in the City and Country-- Ragnar Benson--  A book which considers basic survival in the city is very rare-- Get this one.

Boy Scout Handbook Trail to Eagle--  Old Classic with many survival skills illustrated.

The Swiss Family Robinson--  Elizabeth Janeway--  Many survival ideas are found in this old classic.

Square Foot Gardening-- Mel Barthomew-- Using squares, not rows increases yields and reduces labor. Practical for suburbs or rural gardening.  This concept would be very useful in cities and where water is scarce.

Successful Small Scale Farming-- Karl Schwenke-- An organic strategy for raising cash crops and developing agricultural skills.  With or without a tractor.

Basic Butchering of Livestock and Game-- John J. Metler DVM-- A book for anyone who hunts, farms, or buys large quantities of meat (domestic or game animals).  If you have never slaughtered and butchered an animal, you better get this one.  It is NOT beyond the average person, but there are some terrible mistakes you can make, and you can get hurt.  You will pay dearly to have a butcher prepare your meat, and some of them are crooks and steal meat from you.

Cheese Making Made Easy-- R&R Carroll-- Soft, hard, whey, goats milk, mold ripened, and quick cheeses. With step by step instructions!

Home Sausage Making-- Charles Reavis-- 175 recipes of healthy lower fat and salt sausages, many using poultry and fish, and game.

The Original Road Kill Cookbook-- B. R. Peterson--  This sounds disgusting, but...  Let's suppose it is mid March of 2000... the grocery stores are all closed... There is NO meat anywhere...  And, a car goes by and hits a deer or rabbit, and it is still alive.  You could kill it off and prepare it for dinner, or you could starve or live malnourished on roots and starch.  You will wish you had this book.  Let's say the animal was hit some time ago and is laying dead in the road as you come along.  Or, you come on a kill of coyotes or a bear.  You could run the other predators off and finish the animal for your own dinner table.  How could you tell if it was safe to eat?  You know, I have passed up many deer along the roads in Michigan, and I always wonder if I should have stopped and checked the thing out.  If it had just died, that deer is free and wholesome food.  One day, I dare say I shall be stopping for sure.  How about a farm animal?  The one who hit it often speeds away in terror of the farmer.  How about going to find the farmer and cutting a deal with him for half the meat if you butcher it?  Of course, your car better not have blood and hair all over it  :-)

Edible And Useful Plants of the United States and Canada-- Charles Francis Saunders-- Use, eat, craft with plants used by native people and pioneers.  This may save your life.

Woodstove Cookery-- Jane Cooper-- This teaches the inexperienced wood stove user how to buy, set up, fuel, clean, use, and enjoy a wood stove treasure.

Complete Guide to Home Canning and Preserving - U.S. Dept. of Ag. complete guide to safe, delicious, home canning and preserving.

Root Cellering-- Mike and Nancy Bubel-- Natural cold storage of fruits and vegetables. Keep your produce harvest fresh in your basement, and other hideaways.

Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (And Not So Wild Places)--  Steve Brill, Evelyn Dean--

Edible Wild Plants : A North American Field Guide-- Thomas S. Elias, Peter A. Dykeman--  This book is a well-organized listing of edible wild plants in North America. Listings are by season, so you know when to look for a specific plant. Habitat is described including a quick reference range map of North America, as are how to harvest, prepare, and store foods for future use. A symbol key at the left of each plant will tell you at a glance what uses you can put a plant to; trail nibble, potherb, etc. Related edible and poisonous look alikes are also listed. This book utilizes pictures, something none of the other books I looked at did. I think this makes identification of plants much easier than relying on someone's black and white sketch or colored pencil rendering of something wild that I'm plan to eat. The one down side to this is that some of the pictures could be much better; about a dozen pictures are black and white, while others show the plant only at a distance which might make identification problematical. However, scientific names are provided, and if you have the luxury of time, you can do a search online for a more precise picture.

Aloe Vera, Jojoba and Yucca--  John Heinerman--

Wild foods of the Sonoran Desert--  Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Press--

The Tumbleweed Gourmet : Cooking With Wild Southwestern Plants--  Carolyn Niethammer--

Fruits of the Desert--  Sandall English--  This is a cookbook for the Sonora desert of southern Arizona and norhtern Mexico.  Several startling discoveries are in the book, such as how to make flour and jelly of Mesquite beans, cactus apple treats, and how to cook green Palo Verde beans as a table vegetable.

Bush tucker : Australia's wild food harvest--  Tim Low --

From Agar to Zenry : A Book of Plant Uses, Names, and Folklore-- Ron Freethy--

MEDICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Hypothermia, Frostbite, and Other Cold Injuries : Prevention, Recognition and Pre-Hospital Treatment-- By James A. Wilkerson

Where There Is No Doctor : A Village Health Care Handbook--  David Werner, Carol Thuman, Jane Maxwell--  This book is highly praised by Mr. Hyatt of The Millennium Bug.

Where There Is No Dentist-- Murray Dickson--  Very new.  We have no comment on this one yet, but the fact that the author would dare to even write it commends him somewhat.

Do-It Yourself Medicine--  Ragnar Benson--  No actual use of this as yet, but it sounds very useful-- A prolific writer by a legitimate publisher.

American Folk Medicine-- Clarence Myer-- A complete collection of home remedies from herbs, simple kitchen items, and natural ingredient.

Old Herb Doctor-- Joseph Meyer-- A guide to old fashioned, common sense comfort measures made from God's useful herbs.

Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured--  Student Pocket Skills Guide

How Indians Use Wild Plants for Food, Medicine, and Crafts-- F. Densmore-- 200 plants used by Chippewa people of North America.

ANIMAL KEEPING FOR FOOD AND TRANSPORTATION

The Family Cow-- Dirk VanLoon-- 262 pages about buying, handling, feeding, milking, maintaining a healthy, productive family cow.  It is not as  frightening as you might think  :-)

Raising Milk Goats the Modern Way-- Jerry Belanger--  An adult book teaching beginners the art of commercial dairy goat farming. Great for a small family herd.  Goats will do two basic things for you--  They will mow the lawn when gasoline is scarce for lawn mowers, AND you can eat goat meat which is more mild then lamb or mutten.  Goats do not pull the grass up by the roots like horses.

Raising Poultry the Modern Way-- Leonard S. Mercia, Kimberly Foster-- An adult level book teaching beginners the art of commercial poultry farming. Great for raising birds for eggs and meat.

Raising Rabbits the Modern Way--  Bob Bennett, Constance Oxley-- A commercial guide to raising the perfect suburban survival livestock. Will provide meat and fur in small spaces.

Horse Keeping on a Small Acreage-- Cherry Hill, Richard Klimesh-- A guide to providing facilities, feed, and space for exercise. A wealth of information for owning a family horse.

Keeping Bees--  John Vivian-- Thorough guide to raising bees for fun and profit. Detailed information about this sometimes complex subject.  If you don't mind tackling African bees, which I lived with for 12 years in Africa, you can often get swarms easily from bee keepers who have lost hives to the African bees.

SPIRITUAL SURVIVAL PRINCIPLES
You have no business buying survival books which replace the King James Bible.  
Start there please, then check out the following.

Prepare and Pray! Manual- 227 Pages, includes 18 chapters of projects, etc. $36.00--  
     Order from:
     Shepherd Farms Enterprises, PO Box 693, Richland Center, WI, 53581    
     E-Mail:  Brashear@mwt.net

CYBERSPACE AND COMMUNICATIONS
The Web, Telecommunications, and Radio

Guide to Emergency Survival Communications--  I am not a techie and was therefore pleased to find clear and simple explanations of what is required for one to be prepared to remain connected during a time of a catastrophic failure of traditional communications infrastructure.  This book contains information and availability of an wide range of radios and other devices that will help keep you in touch with news, weather and government sources of information.  There are even descriptions and reviews of high-tech, hand-cranked radios that never require batteries.

SELF-DEFENSE AND HUNTING
Violent and Benign

Ragnar's Action Encyclopedia : A Do-It-Yourself Guide to : Choosing the Right Weapon, Assembling a Sniper Rifle, Making Improved C-4--  Ragnar Benson--  Our interest here is in the event of social melt-down in the year 2000.  Also, the sniper weapons can be used to hunt game and reduce loss of ammunition.

David's Tool Kit : A Citizen's Guide to Taking Out Big Brother's Heavy Weapons--  Ragnar Benson--  I wish we did not have to consider this possibility, but the Executive Powers Act could put a mindless dictator in absolute control of our lives by one stroke of the pen.  Masses of foreign troops could then be entering your community in less then two weeks.  If a man like Bill Clinton was on the other end of the pen, you would need this book, and you could not get it after the executive order was signed.  Should you get this one and store it?

Survival Poaching--  Ragnar Benson--  We only recommend this book if social order has broken down completely.  At that point, any way you must use to feed your babies is fair, and the fish and game authorities will probably be doing the same.

TRAVEL AND MODES
Getting there other ways

Pocket Guide to Auto Maintenance & Emergency Car Repair--  Wally Stewart, Ned Hawkins, Gary LaFontaine, Kirk Botero--  Spiral bound for ease of use.

Plan...Not Panic-- Barbara Salsberry-- A 72 hour survival/evacuation emergency manual.
     Order from:
     Shepherd Farms Enterprises, PO Box 693, Richland Center, WI, 53581    
     E-Mail:  Brashear@mwt.net

Alternative Lifestyle Living and Travel--  Ron Hofmeister, Rob Hofmeister, Barb Hofmesiter--  This book is revised with each printing and the last printing was July 1997. Also the authors are full-time RVers who have been living and traveling full-time for over nine years. Watch for Book Two to be out in November of 1998.

Transitions Abroad Alternative Travel Directory--  Clay Hubbs--  A guide for overseas travellers looking for alternatives to packaged tourism. Lists resources, programs, and contact information for travelers, including adult educational programs, special interest tours, family travel, ecotravel, careers and short-term work abroad, volunteer programs, and internships. Offers tips on planning experiences such as starting a business abroad, teaching abroad, crewing a yacht, and studying traditional medicine in China.

CAESAR DURING CRISIS
Resistance, Co-existence, and Alternatives

The Politics of Bad Faith : The Radical Assault on America's Future-- David Horowitz-- The author of Radical Son returns with a vigorous polemic against the American Left. Showing that liberals and conservatives have sharply contrasting views on the ideas of freedom and equality--and defining these differences in forceful prose--Horowitz goes on to blame the Left for many of what he believes to be America's ills, including multiculturalism, feminism, and economic socialism.

Battle Front : USA Vs. Militia--  Ian Slater--  Novel--  First blood. The Federals drew it--as battalions of freedom fighters went tank-to-tank with the National Guard in the Northwest. Though the president declares the area secure, top officials know the truth: the militia movement is spreading like wildfire--more violent, more organized, and more committed than ever to an armed victory over the United States. No matter how desperately the government tries to regain its hold, the roads of America are shuddering under columns of tanks, the skies throbbing with Blackhawks. For two hundred thousand trained militiamen are armed with high-tech killing tools and the courage of true believers. And after a spark ignites the Everglades, the USA takes the most explosive hit of all. . .

The Minuteman : Restoring an Army of the People--  Gary Hart-- A nation defines itself by the kind of army it creates for its protection. By that standard, America at the close of the twentieth century is large, powerful, and technologically sophisticated. But it is also muscle-bound, confused, wasteful, and desperately in search of a mission. In The Minuteman, former Senator Gary Hart proposes a provocative and radical restructuring of America's armed forces, asking the questions that have gone unanswered for too long: Why do we have 1.5 million men and women under arms with no major threat to our security? Why is our military budget at the same level as during the Cold War? Why are we spending more money for fewer weapons? Why are the best service personnel taking early retirement? Why is it taboo even to question the structure of our bloated military establishment?

SELF-GOVERNMENT
Local and National

Unarmed Against Hitler : Civilian Resistance in Europe, 1939-1943--  Jacques Semelin--  What did the peoples and governments of occupied Europe do--or not do--to impede Nazi administrators and armies, to facilitate an Allied victory, and to resist the Holocaust? These are some of the questions raised and examined in detail in Semelin's fascinating account. Essential concepts such as "resistance" or "non-cooperation" and "legitimacy" are explored as to their implications for what happened and what the meaning may be for future proponents of non-violence in the face of aggression.

Civilian resistance as a national defence: non-violent action against aggression--  Adam Roberts--

Civil War II : The Coming Breakup of America-- Thomas W. Chittum-- Mr. Chittum makes a chilling case for another Civil War in America's future, this one going along racial lines. He sets out his evidence in a coherent, compelling fashion and tells everyone who cares to  listen how to survive the upcoming war. Contemplating the purchase of an armored vest and moving to a place well away from long distance artillery as Mr. Chittum suggests should be enough to sober up all Americans to the dangers of multiculturalism. While many critics would be happy to just dismiss the book outright as paranoid propaganda and say that another Civil War could never happen, these people only need to look out to southern California to see the treasonous Aztlan Movement that is growing there. Hopefully, enough people will read this book and take actions to keep the tome forever in the realm of "what-might-be" and not "what-was".

COMMERCIAL SURVIVAL

Pastured Poultry Profits-- Joel Salatin-- 334 pages of revolutionary information about raising meat birds for profit. Net $25000 in six months on 20 acres.

Meltdown on Main Street : Why Small Business Is Leading the Revolution Against Big Government--  Richard Lesher, Newt Gingrich--  In a book that is certain to become a rallying point for the conservative upheaval that has swept Congress, the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce breaks a decades-long tradition of neutrality to sound a battle-cry for the coming elections. Lesher offers a stinging indictment of years of policy-making and argues for a continuing push toward the traditional values of self-reliance, individual responsibility and personal initiative.

 

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