The report out of India that “India to launch cow urine as soft drink” A quote from the UK’s Times online makes a little more sense if you know that in the UK, marketing is often focused around a ‘unique selling proposition’ – or USP for short. Given that little bit of background, read on:
“Don’t worry, it won’t smell like urine and will be tasty too,” he told The Times from his headquarters in Hardwar, one of four holy cities on the River Ganges. “Its USP will be that it’s going to be very healthy. It won’t be like carbonated drinks and would be devoid of any toxins.”
Still, count me skeptical: the secret ingredients aside, this story makes a little high fructose corn syrup, phosphoric acid, caffeine and whatever else is in cola products sound positively delicious in comparison. Wonder if Coke is pissed? LOL. Is this marketing gone udderly (sic) crazy?
—
Speaking of food and drink:
“Lawmakers delay vote on bill charging obese employees more for healthcare” in South Carolina. Wonder if they went out to dinner to talk about it?
Who’s Got Money?
“Las Vegas Tourism: Drop in visitors accelerated toward end of 2008” says a report. I never understood why people would go to a casino to gamble, anyway. I mean, if it’s gambling you like, open up an online trading account or get hold of my commodities guy. No point going through airport searches and bumpy airplane rides if all you want to do is take on Fate…and there’s got to be somewhere closer to take your spouse out for dinner without dishes to wash after…
Watch Meat, Food Prices
Over in the Texas Hill country – and out south and west of there, and even down toward Corpus, there’s been a developing drought that looks to be the worst in over 100-years. Last week’s drought monitor report will be updated later on today here, but if you look at last week’s you can see the problem:
If you haven’t been working on getting a garden in yet, let me again remind you that the money spent on a garden could be the best possible investment you could make this year. Look at the fires in Australia and then read how China farmers struggling under severe drought. Now, what happens if the US has a change in weather patterns that causes a drop out of the square states and the corn belt? I’m telling you right now that food is a huge problem are later this year and even beyond the fact that famine is what turns recessions into depressions, you need to be thinking about self-sufficiency while you still have options. Not to be too preachy about it, but ignore this advise at your own peril.
Skeptical of this site? Go read “Catastrophic fall in 2009 global food production” and get back to me.
—
A lot of readers are putting in gardens:
“Dear George, I am a faithful reader of your UrbanSurvival site. Each weekday morning I ponder your thoughts over my morning cup of coffee. A little over a year ago, I began to understand the need to store up food. As this past year has unfolded, I have seen the wisdom in this. I have studied the best types of food for long term storage that would have the greatest nutritional value. I also began researching heritage, non-hybrid, and non-GMO seeds. As a mom and a teacher, I what to know more than just facts. I want to know the how, or the how-to of things. I applaud you for heading your readers to become self-sufficient. Gardening is certainly one way we each can provide food for our families. However, for many people, especially those who live in urban areas, they need to learn the how-to of gardening. Have you heard of the Mittleider Method of Gardening? This is an amazing method that teaches you how to yield 5-10 times the amount of produce and use 1/2 the water! Mittleider also teaches how to garden in containers, or even on top of non-soil areas, like patios. This method of gardening can be invaluable to those who are apartment dwellers, or have small backyard spaces. Knowing that we need to be gardening, and having the know-how to garden, are very different things. Whether we live in urban or rural areas, learning how to dramatically increase yield, and reduce the water consumption in our gardens is very valuable information. Please share with your readers this website.
Thank you George for taking the time to read my email. I look forward to reading your site in the morning!”
Another one to check out: SPIN Farming’s site.
Readers Writes
Here’s one:
“You were right in your answer to the person who wondered why there’s nothing but “happy talk” on CNBC. (And the other financial outlets – G)
After last week, there is another BIG reason: chief honcho at General Electric Jeff Immelt (CNBC is a part of GE) was named to Obama’s business advisory group. So now the CorpGov cluster f*ck is complete.”
Naw…not even near done, yet. I’m sure they will figure up another BOHICA. Have faith. As my consigliore said: “The way depressions work is economists will try everything in their toolkit first…” There’s still a lot more to try…like install anti-protectionist legislation so the super-rich can keep exploiting lesser paid workers…
—
Send snip and save items to george@ure.net
— end snip and save section —
A number of readers have asked for some discussion of whether ‘barter systems’ will replace “money” as the economic washes up on the rocks of economic history over the next couple of years. I sincerely wish the complex future could be reduced to a single concept, like barter, but it can’t. Instead, we’ll all face a tapestry of exchange mechanisms – probably quite different from what we’re used to in the current economy – which will be driven by major fundamental shifts in underlying values at a societal level. What’s clear from a read of Dmitri Orlov’s Reinventing Collapse: The Soviet Example and American Prospects
More For Subscribers Subscription Information
What is better than a Christmas New Years Valentine Card?
Why, sending an email to everyone in your ‘contact’ file and tell them about www.urbansurvival.com of course!
“Live on $10,000″ Updated
What? You haven’t ordered the ebook “How to Live on $10,000 a year — or less”? Suit yourself. We’re all going to live it shortly, anyway. I just thought you might like a heads up by reading about how to do it before you get pink-slipped. But, suit yourself OR visit www.liveontenthousand.com or, click one of the following button:
Yep – still possible. I also took a bit of additional material that was pertinent from recent issues of Peoplenomics and included them. The whole thing runs about 65 pages, but it gives you a vision of how to not only live on the aforementioned dollar amount, but also how to migrate up the economic foodchain if you make a little more than that and do some active savings… Click here for the page with more details on it.
—-
Last week’s report is here. For back issues of this site, click here. (Goes back to 1997!)
Barter and Future Exchange