July 2021 - Page 2 of 4

Why Did China Buy an Airstrip in Texas?

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by Aden Tate

Should nations let their enemies purchase land within their own borders? You’d likely give a resounding ‘no’ to this question, correct?

And yet, a former Chinese general with alleged ties to Chinese concentration camps recently bought an airstrip in Texas. And this isn’t just some random ranch in the middle of nowhere. It is 200 square miles (130,000 acres) of land between one of the most active Air Force bases in the U.S. and the border of Mexico.

As the world is being fear-mongered about “variants,” this is happening right under American noses.

Who is Sun Guangxin?

Sun Guangxin is a former General of the People’s Liberation Army in China. He owns two-thirds of real estate where the Uyghur concentration camps are located in the capital of Xinjiang.

Russia had The Gulag. China has the LAOGAI.

The terrors that take place within the LAOGAI system can be seen and read about on the LAOGAI Research website. The pictures and nightmarish stories within will show you the brutal truth about socialism/communism.

Why Did Guangxin Purchase Land in the U.S.?

The former Chinese General purchased the land to allegedly build wind farms. The name of the property purchased by the Chinese firm is called the Morning Star Ranch.

Sun Guangxin, who has close ties to the Chinese Communist Party, purchased the land allegedly to build wind farms, Kyle Bass, founder, and principal of Hayman Capital Management and a founding member of the Committee on the Present Danger: China, told Epoch T.V. in a recent interview.

The wind farm project, known as the Blue Hills Wind development, is being managed by G.H. America Energy, the U.S. subsidiary of Sun Guangxin’s Guanghua Energy Company. [source]

Should We Be Concerned About the Morning Star Ranch?

Well. Perhaps, yes.

“You’ve got a former People’s Liberation Army general billionaire who has bought over 130,000 acres of Texan land, including a giant wind farm in an area where there isn’t particularly a lot of wind but happens to be right beside a very sensitive U.S. military installation,” Bass said.[source]

And the Morning Star Ranch has its own airfield. We’re not talking about just some cruddy dirt airstrip for a Cessna, either. We’re talking about a well-maintained, paved runway that’s somewhere in the ballpark of 4000-5000 feet. Current reports indicate that the former General may have expanded to 10,000 feet. The airfield is listed as permanently closed by the FAA (its call sign is TA81), yet it appears to be well-maintained.

Who Wants a (Reportedly) 10,000-Foot…

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Sen. Ron Wyden Pushes Intelligence Community to Protect Data From Online Advertising Data Collection

Senator and veteran privacy advocate Ron Wyden recently sent a letter to the Acting Intelligence Community Chief Information Officer urging him to protect intelligence community computers and personnel from threats posed by the sale and misuse of online advertising data. The letter emphasized that advertising companies operate in an unregulated market where they can “collect vast amounts of sensitive information about users, their movements, web browsing, and other online activities” and then offer that information “for sale to anyone with a credit card.” Senator Wyden previously led an investigation that uncovered the ways advertising companies were selling so-called “bidstream” data to firms in China, Russia, and other high-risk foreign countries. The sale of bidstream data poses both privacy and national security risks because that data includes precise location information of Americans as well as their device identifiers and browsing histories. In the letter, Sen. Wyden sought information on how, if at all, the intelligence community protects data from online advertisers, including through the use of ad blocking technologies. EPIC has repeatedly raised concerns over the collection of vast amounts of data online and has joined a growing coalition of groups in their call to Ban Surveillance Advertising.

Starting A Business In Texas: 5 Tips For Making It In The Lone Star State

There are a lot of reasons why Texas is a great US state. Not only because of the quality of life but also because it offers a lot of support for its business community. Its economy is the second biggest in the U.S at $1.9 trillion and the state is the first in the country for growth prospects.

In other words, if you want to start a business anywhere in the United States, Texas is certainly one of the best options. But before you can do that, you need to know all of the tips that will allow you to build a successful business in the Lone Star State.

Choose Your Business Idea And Legal Structure

When choosing your business idea, it’s best to take into consideration things like your skills and interest but also resources and if there’s a demand for a certain type of business. Keep in mind that 42% of startups fail because of a lack of market need, so you need to make sure people are interested.

The next step is to choose your legal structure. The type of legal structure you choose depends on what kind of business you want to start, if you’re planning to hire employees, and your opinions on liability.

Here are your choices:

Sole proprietorship

A business where one person owns all the business assets, they are the sole owner and are completely liable for the business. This is the simplest and most common form of legal structure.

General partnership

A business where one or more individuals run completely separated business entities but can satisfy debts and liabilities with each other’s assets.

Limited liability company (LLC)

An unincorporated business entity that offers more flexibility and provides owners with pass-through tax advantages and limited liability.

For-profit corporation

A corporation with centralized management, limited liability, perpetual duration, and very easy transfer of ownership. The corporation owners are stakeholders and the managers are directors.

Obtain Business Insurance

Your business isn’t as safe as you think. At any moment, something can go wrong and cause you to lose your assets and even your entire company. Sometimes it’s a fallout such as a lawsuit, but other times it’s a natural disaster such as a hurricane or a flood.

If you want to make sure that no matter what happens, your business will stay protected, you need to look into business insurance in Texas. This insurance will protect you and keep you from going out of business. Just make sure to explore all the different types of coverage you can get, some of which include general liability insurance and malpractice insurance.

Put In A Request For An Employer Identification Number

An employer identification number, or a business tax identification number, is the number that is used to track all of your business dealings. Think of it as your company’s social security number, and you can use it to open business checking accounts and file all of your employee’s tax withholding.

This number is free to obtain and you…

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House Passes the Consumer Protection and Recovery Act

Congress consumer protection FTC

House Passes the Consumer Protection and Recovery Act

The House of Representatives passed the Consumer Protection and Recovery Act (H.R. 2668) Tuesday on a 221-205 vote. The bill explicitly authorizes the Federal Trade Commission to seek monetary relief for injured consumers in federal court and to require bad actors to return money obtained through illegal actions. The amendment to the FTC Act restores a key piece of the FTC’s Section 13(b) power, which the FTC previously used to obtain restitution and disgorgement for wronged consumers until the Supreme Court recently limited this authority in AMG Capital Management v. FTC. On Monday, the House Rules committee voted to advance the bill to a floor vote, with House Democrats stating that “the urgency is not hypothetical” during the hearing. President Biden also supports the Act. EPIC has long advocated for the FTC to implement meaningful financial penalties against companies who harm consumers through unlawful data and privacy practices and for the creation of a Data Protection Agency to protect consumers against data abuse. Recently, EPIC published a report that highlights the FTC’s unused authorities and urges the FTC to make full use of the tools in its statutory toolbox.

How Basement Foundation Repair Can Make Your Basement Strong?

Reasons for basement foundation problems vary and can be complex or quite simple, but they all have something to do with the state of the soil surrounding your basement. If it’s sandy and loose, foundation slippage can occur and cause your basement walls to weaken and eventually collapse. If it’s concrete and very dry, excess water pressure can force its way into your basement and cause the same problems. Even basement foundation materials such as the wooden floors and walls can break down and fail if they are not properly sealed.

Important to Repair the Basement Foundation:

Whatever the reason is for basement foundation problems, you should know that it is extremely important to repair the foundation of basement at once, to avoid further damage. You can also go towards the help of one of the top basement waterproofing company.

Foundation cracks, major cracks, and other kinds of basement foundation damage can be very expensive and time-consuming to repair. In some cases, it may be necessary to completely replace portions of the basement foundation. For example, a tiny crack can become a major issue if it starts to expand. This is why it is so important to know what causes basement foundation problems, and what to do about them.

Find the Reason for Failure:

When a basement foundation has begun to fail, one of the first things you need to do is to find the reason for the failure. If you have discovered the problem after you’ve started to install basement waterproofing materials, then you need to repair the basement foundation repair. Otherwise, you may end up ruining your basement property, and the basement foundation repair can be a lot more costly and complicated than it has to be.

Condition of the Soil:

The most common reasons for basement foundation problems have to do with the condition of the soil surrounding the basement. Usually, sandy soils suffer from more issues with basement foundation corrosion.

This corrosion occurs when a basement water flow is interrupted. A basement waterproofing system will help to prevent this basement foundation deterioration, and the cost of basement foundation repair will be much less than it would be with a wet basement.

Humidification and Condensation:

However, not every sandy basement foundation cracks or drains well. A basement waterproofing system can cause more basement foundation damage if it’s installed incorrectly. For example, a basement waterproofing system that contains flashings might just be too wide for your basement. This will allow excess moisture to move into your basement. This can lead to humidification and condensation.

Professional Contractors:

A professional basement waterproofing system will include some type of inspection. It will also have experienced contractors available to evaluate your situation and recommend a solution. These contractors will do an inspection of your basement and then quote a price on how much it will cost to fix your basement. You can get a number of estimates from different contractors. Then, if you still aren’t happy with the cost, you can choose to get a…

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Rabbit In The Garden? It’s A Common Frustration

In The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, farmer Mr. McGregor is forced to defend his garden from the titular bunny. He gives chase until the anthropomorphic critter—stuffed full of vegetables—makes a narrow escape (minus his jacket and shoes).

Readers might be relieved by Peter Rabbit’s survival. His blatant disobedience in visiting the garden notwithstanding, no one wants to see him wind up as the main ingredient in one of Mrs. McGregor’s rabbit pies.

But hobby farmers might be more inclined to sympathize with the plight of Mr. McGregor. A rabbit in a garden is a discouraging day of destruction waiting to happen.

A Woeful Tale of the Rabbit in My Garden

Recently, I’ve been feeling a lot like Mr. McGregor. There’s been an explosion in the wild rabbit population on my farm, triggered by at least one spring litter.

The baby rabbits have started venturing out. One—we’ll call him Petey—is growing a little too bold in his exploration of the farm.

About one week ago, Petey managed to slip into my farm’s main garden through an open gate. Inside, he found a world of lush plants quite unlike the surrounding yard, complete with a thick patch of raspberry bushes convenient for hiding out of sight and out of reach.

There’s no telling how long Petey would have stayed—and how much he would have eaten—if he hadn’t been noticed immediately. A grand chase involving multiple people ensued. It ended with the little rabbit unleashing a frenzied dash out of the raspberry patch, out of the garden and across the yard to hide under a nearby shed.

Petey’s Persistence

We hoped this would mark the end of Petey’s garden adventures. But unfortunately he hasn’t given up quite so easily.

Over the course of several days, he was spotted repeatedly near the garden fence, perhaps searching for a way inside. Each time, we chased him away—sometimes to the safety of the shed, and sometimes into patches of tall grass.

Of course, we didn’t really think Petey would find his way back into the garden, at least as long as we kept the gate shut. The garden is surrounded by two types of fencing—eight-foot welded wire to keep out deer, and two-foot hardware cloth to keep out smaller animals like rabbits and squirrels.

The hardware cloth is bent outward at the base and buried slightly to discourage critters from digging underneath.

But Petey’s efforts eventually paid off. One afternoon, there he was, sitting in the middle of a walkway even though the garden gate had been shut. Realizing he’d been spotted, Petey retreated back to the raspberry patch, and considerable rattling of the bushes was necessary to flush him out.

He finally reappeared at the back of the garden. Then Petey sprinted to a corner and—poof!—seemingly ran right through…

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Why You May Want a Wine Cellar on Your Homestead

Wine cellars are cool, literally! They help keep wine at the proper temperature and are a natural addition to any homestead. If you are all about the simple life, you deserve a wine cellar. Here’s why!

What Wine Cellars Do for Wine

One of the most sensible reasons for installing a wine cellar in your homestead is preserving your wine for a long period of time, perhaps years. Wine is very temperamental when it comes to factors like temperature and humidity.

When exposed to heat, wine will begin to degrade. Likewise, excessive levels of humidity can cause the wine to spoil. If you can keep a consistent temperature of 55 degrees Fahrenheit or slightly cooler in your cellar, this will ensure your wine is maintained.

Natural corks can absorb moisture, which will cause the wine to spoil over time. On the other hand, artificial corks and, of course, screw tops cannot absorb moisture.

If space is a concern, don’t worry about keeping your wine bottles on their sides unless they have a natural cork. Wines with artificial corks, which make up the majority of corked wines today, can be kept upright. The same goes for wine with a screw top.

For the best results, however, you should store high quality wines rather than the cheapest stuff. Much wine today is simply not made to last.

Wine Cellars Help Save Money

Life off the grid is less expensive when you have a wine cellar. Why? One of the oldest tricks in the book is to save money by buying in bulk. Boxes of wine are cheaper than buying by the bottle. You won’t be paying extra, and you’ll reduce the need for shopping.

Having a wine cellar will allow you to store more wine for longer periods without worrying about spoilage. You will know your wine is safe for the foreseeable future, and you can feel good about investing in it.

Your Wine Cellar Can Make Money

A cellar helps to keep things organized. If you plan on keeping a large variety of wines from different vintages, building a wine cellar will help you keep your wine properly preserved and well-organized. Good organization is always an intelligent investment.

There’s a lot of satisfaction in being self-sufficient. With a wine cellar, you could store cases of wine that will be more valuable in the future. Certain wines grow rich in value and flavor over time when stored properly. This means you can enjoy more earnings and more flavor as time goes by. Definitely do your homework to find the right wines if you want to do this.

For that matter, you may decide to try making your own wine. With a cellar to keep it cool, you can sell off the extra and add to your income.

Keep in mind, it doesn’t have to be all about the money. You can store a portion of wine to sell later once it grows in value and another portion for your own enjoyment.

Building Your Wine Cellar

There are many DIY…

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My 7 Worst Gardening Mistakes and What I Learned From Them –

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by Joanna Miller

This time of year is when my garden has been active for months, and my worst gardening mistakes become evident. Every year I tell myself, “I’m going to do THIS next year, and things will turn out better!” And they usually do, though I reliably manage to make some utterly different mistake the next time around. I thought it might be helpful for beginning gardeners (and possibly entertaining for experienced gardeners) to compile some of the biggest mistakes I’ve made over the years.

Mistake #1: Not Doing the Research

My first gardens were in the Chicago suburbs. I never made any big mistakes there because it’s really easy to grow things. My first big gardening mistakes came in Houston, where it’s pretty easy to grow things too. If you don’t start off making assumptions. I made a lot of assumptions.

It didn’t occur to me to read the seed packets or Gulf Coast-specific gardening books during my first year of gardening in Houston. I just did exactly what I’d done in Chicago.

My First Year of Gardening Yielded Exactly Four Tomatoes.

I started reading up on tomatoes and did a little better the following year, though my cucumbers tasted awful. Like the tomatoes I’d planted too late, and the hot weather made them almost inedible. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of reading up on plants and knowing your growing zone. Especially if you’ve moved cross-country or are gardening for the first time. Timing and varieties are so different from place to place.

Gardening is challenging for anyone, anywhere. Sometimes you have to make changes and adjust. Dennis revamped his entire garden and got great results. Read more about that here.

Mistake #2: Assuming the Critters Won’t Get In

Another mistake I made in Houston was assuming that property boundaries were inviolate. We had a nice privacy fence and no pets, so I didn’t plan for any kind of animal protection other than bird netting. I was pretty disappointed when neighborhood cats started using my garden as a litter box. Aside from the disgust factor, cat poop is also dangerous for pregnant women to handle due to some diseases they spread. And this was right in the middle of my childbearing years.

We got some plastic sheeting from Home Depot and wrapped it around posts at the corners of the garden. It was only about two feet high, so it was still easy for me to step over. But, the cats must have disliked the smell because that stopped them.

Daisy knows all about the…

The Vital Reason to Clean Out Your Garage Now

If you’re trying to live off the land, you probably plan to keep your vehicles running for years and years. Yet many times the need to stock up on supplies clashes with the need to shelter our cars.

Sheltering a car has been shown to decrease the frequency of maintenance and repairs, ultimately safeguarding your budget from unforeseen costs.

When your garage is stuffed to the brim with tools, supplies, and an assortment of left-overs from vacations and projects gone by, it leaves your car vulnerable to the elements. If this is true of your garage, it’s time to protect your vehicles (and your investment).

Why Shelter Is Critical to Maintaining Your Car Investment

Many people think a garage is just a convenience, not a necessity. Yet sheltering your car is beneficial in so many practical ways. It’s like the old adage: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

If regularly sheltered, the lifespan of a car’s parts, performance, interior, and exterior are extended. The car should look better, run better, and last longer. Here’s why.

Balanced Temperatures

A sheltered car stays cooler in hot weather and warmer in cold weather. That reduces discomfort for people, but it also saves on costs related to the car HVAC system. You will stress the HVAC system less, and the heat, the air conditioning and the fan will last longer as a result.

Even more important, all of the delicate parts of a car stay at a more balanced temperature. This decreases shrinking during cold spells and swelling during hot spells. Shrinking and swelling are contributing factors to the decay and/or malfunction of many different parts.

Blocked Moisture

If accessible from the house, the garage keeps you dry in a rainstorm. This protects your interior as well. Also, day after day, a garage decreases rain’s impact on the car’s engine, transmission, and more. Moisture likes to seep into the different oils that lubricate your engine’s vital parts, your gear shaft, and your brakes. Sheltering also keeps water away from parts that can rust.

All-Weather Protection

A garage is protecting your paint job from sun damage. That same sunshine can fade upholstery and interior design elements. Presumably a garage will stop damage from wind, hail or snow. Exterior parts, such as light covers, and decorative elements, such as beltline molding, will last longer.

Security

Even the most experienced car thieves are unlikely to break into a garage. Plus it will stop petty thieves who target driveways, sneaking up to see if a car was left unlocked. A closed garage also discourages destructive rodents and insects.

Solving the Problem

If you have a garage, start by assessing its contents. What do you need? Where else can you store things? Then start sorting through the mess. Most garage organization tips suggest that you make piles for trash, recycling, and donations as you clean out the area.

While there are many organizational tools to buy, there are even more that you can make out of supplies you may already have. …

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Post-TEOTWAWKI Barter. Bettering Your Post-SHTF Barter Preps.

Many Prepper YouTube channels and Prepper websites advocate the stocking up of barter items from the dollar store. Let us examine this line of thinking and explore other options for barter goods. I don’t doubt that the un-prepared might have a need for dollar store quality trinkets but there are four questions to ask yourself before stocking up on barter goods from a dollar store.

One, will those, who are prepared with barter goods need your dollar store barter goods?
Two, what exactly will those, so unprepared as to need something from the dollar store, have of value to trade with you?
Three, is it worth the security risk to trade with people that are that un-prepared as to need something from the dollar store?
Four, will the dollar store items be seen as valuable?

I have taught classes in family disaster preparedness and used several props from the dollar store to demonstrate and drive home the point that when you need your disaster supplies kit, you need the items to work since your life may depend upon it. I used a dollar store Swiss Army “style” knife with a bent-over blade to demonstrate the lack of quality. If you put 50 of these knives away for trade for a post-The End Of The World As We Know It (TEOTWAWKI) environment, how many people would make a trade for a knife of such poor quality? Perhaps they don’t know the knife is of poor quality and they make a trade for it and it breaks the first time they use it? Word will get around that you have junk and/or that you are a cheat. Both of these opinions will be detrimental to you, as you will be stuck with trade goods no one is willing to trade for and/or no one will trust you to trade with you for anything. Yes, there will be hoards of the un-prepared who need stuff but like you and I, they will need that stuff to be of quality to survive. The un-prepared will probably be desperate to begin with. The perception (or reality) that they got “ripped off” on a trade by you may make them even more desperate and thus turn them into a potential security threat.

I’ve been rough on dollar stores just to make a point. I’m not insinuating that there isn’t anything of barter value at a dollar store but you need to test those items and if, after the test, you wouldn’t put the item in your bug out bag, you shouldn’t put someone else in a bind by trading something of such poor quality. As my dad always used to say “your reputation is the most valuable thing you own, so don’t tarnish it.” I suspect after SHTF reputation will mean a whole lot more for everyday survival than it does today.

Something else to consider is how many other Preppers in your area have also stocked up on barter items from the dollar store? Will the barter marketplace be flush with dollar…

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