Happy New Years, everyone! Let us wish for at least a tolerable 2015!
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
A Quiet New Years Eve
A good night to Bug-In.
Happy New Years, everyone! Let us wish for at least a tolerable 2015!
Happy New Years, everyone! Let us wish for at least a tolerable 2015!
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Broadminded Survival!
Be safe and have a Happy New Year as well!
Be safe and have a Happy New Year as well!
Monday, December 22, 2014
Bug Out Scenario #001 - New England - Viral Pandemic - Prologue
[Practice in Paranoia - Truth in Fiction]
Autumn days swept by like dead leaves over quiet sidewalks. Inside old walls, baseboard heating clicked away to counter the dropping temperature. Fiona, our three-year-old Pit bull mix was curled up on the back of the living room couch like a cat. While sitting I leaned back, using her rump as a pillow. A low grumbling of displeasure came from her, so I immediately sat back up to leave her be.
The news was on and it was hard to avoid the repeated failures of the CDC. Containment of the virus seemed futile as cases began to exponentially pop up up all over the U.S. after Black Friday. I shut the TV off in frustration and brought my attention down to my coffee table, which had a disassembled hunting rifle on it. In the corner of the table a mug of tea steeped with curls of steam rising.
I clicked on the radio receiver and turned it to 99.5 Boston Classical. Giovanni Gabrieli's Canzon Duo Decimi Toni filled the room with beauty, although Fiona seemed less impressed with the noise. As I carefully wiped down the rifle's bolt, she stretched out and pushed past me to get off the couch. She shook and clicked across the wood floor to the nearest window. She used the warmed baseboard heating as a step-up in order to look outside. After a moment I leaned forward and noticed that it was the season's first snowfall that had caught her eye. I walked over and stood motionless for a moment to see the snow building up fast and to see her eyes of curiosity meet mine.
I couldn't help but smile at least a little.
(Chapter 1 coming soon...)
-Written by Benjamin Cardoza
Autumn days swept by like dead leaves over quiet sidewalks. Inside old walls, baseboard heating clicked away to counter the dropping temperature. Fiona, our three-year-old Pit bull mix was curled up on the back of the living room couch like a cat. While sitting I leaned back, using her rump as a pillow. A low grumbling of displeasure came from her, so I immediately sat back up to leave her be.
The news was on and it was hard to avoid the repeated failures of the CDC. Containment of the virus seemed futile as cases began to exponentially pop up up all over the U.S. after Black Friday. I shut the TV off in frustration and brought my attention down to my coffee table, which had a disassembled hunting rifle on it. In the corner of the table a mug of tea steeped with curls of steam rising.
I clicked on the radio receiver and turned it to 99.5 Boston Classical. Giovanni Gabrieli's Canzon Duo Decimi Toni filled the room with beauty, although Fiona seemed less impressed with the noise. As I carefully wiped down the rifle's bolt, she stretched out and pushed past me to get off the couch. She shook and clicked across the wood floor to the nearest window. She used the warmed baseboard heating as a step-up in order to look outside. After a moment I leaned forward and noticed that it was the season's first snowfall that had caught her eye. I walked over and stood motionless for a moment to see the snow building up fast and to see her eyes of curiosity meet mine.
I couldn't help but smile at least a little.
 |
| Photo by B. Cardoza (2013) |
-Written by Benjamin Cardoza
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Average Pay versus Amount of Work in the US Corporate System
[Corporate Gain]
After working in and supporting the corporate machine for nearly a decade I have seen all kinds of levels of success and failure. As I work in the I.T. field it is easy to see huge areas of dysfunction and unbalance in companies that other areas of the business may be unaware of just because of the nature of our work.
I have come to the conclusion that in the majority of US-based corporations there is a point in climbing that pay grade and status ladder within your career where the amount of work usually doesn't match the amount of pay you receive. What I mean is after a certain level of status and title you get paid a lot to do very little, whereas those who get paid less end up working much more. Now that is not always the case - sometimes there are very high paying individuals in the capitalist machine that work just as hard as someone making a fraction of what they do.
But normally what I've seen is if you're the CEO, President or VP of a big company you'll probably be spending more time on vacation than actually doing real work and your pay is much higher than your minion underlings.
Below is my of rough idea of the amount of work vs. pay from my personal experience. You may have a different opinion or experience than me though.
Pay/Work Ratio Chart:
*Low Pay - Hovering around Minimum Wage
*Low-Mid Pay - $10-$12 per hour
*Mid Pay - $16-$25 per hour
(↑Here exists the gap between the majority of the middle and upper class↓)
*High Pay - $60+ per hour
I must note that the numbers at the bottom of my graph don't really represent specific data or amounts, but rather just a visual range that makes it easy to understand my ideology on the matter. Also the Pay/Work Ratio wage amounts reflect an overall average in the U.S., as I understand that specific geographic areas may consider certain pay-grades low or high within the different socioeconomic classes.
I, myself have been sitting in what I consider the Low-Mid to Mid Pay range for the duration of my IT career and for the most part my work loads have definitely been on the higher end of the average. Everyone has different experiences in the US corporate machine, but I feel that for the most part these are universal truths...
After working in and supporting the corporate machine for nearly a decade I have seen all kinds of levels of success and failure. As I work in the I.T. field it is easy to see huge areas of dysfunction and unbalance in companies that other areas of the business may be unaware of just because of the nature of our work.
I have come to the conclusion that in the majority of US-based corporations there is a point in climbing that pay grade and status ladder within your career where the amount of work usually doesn't match the amount of pay you receive. What I mean is after a certain level of status and title you get paid a lot to do very little, whereas those who get paid less end up working much more. Now that is not always the case - sometimes there are very high paying individuals in the capitalist machine that work just as hard as someone making a fraction of what they do.
But normally what I've seen is if you're the CEO, President or VP of a big company you'll probably be spending more time on vacation than actually doing real work and your pay is much higher than your minion underlings.
Below is my of rough idea of the amount of work vs. pay from my personal experience. You may have a different opinion or experience than me though.
Pay/Work Ratio Chart:
*Low Pay - Hovering around Minimum Wage
*Low-Mid Pay - $10-$12 per hour
*Mid Pay - $16-$25 per hour
(↑Here exists the gap between the majority of the middle and upper class↓)
*High Pay - $60+ per hour
I must note that the numbers at the bottom of my graph don't really represent specific data or amounts, but rather just a visual range that makes it easy to understand my ideology on the matter. Also the Pay/Work Ratio wage amounts reflect an overall average in the U.S., as I understand that specific geographic areas may consider certain pay-grades low or high within the different socioeconomic classes.
I, myself have been sitting in what I consider the Low-Mid to Mid Pay range for the duration of my IT career and for the most part my work loads have definitely been on the higher end of the average. Everyone has different experiences in the US corporate machine, but I feel that for the most part these are universal truths...
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
World News - Russia's Flexing Muscles
[Cold War Part Deux]
Since the Russian challenge against Georgia in 2008 Vladimir Putin has been making some huge pushes for ramping up the Russian military backbone. For months reports have come in about a high presence of Russian military aircraft repeatedly buzzing around their neighbor's airspace. Production of tanks, armored vehicles and weapons is all up and even writer Nikolas K. Gvosdev entitled his recent November 2014 article on the subject: The Bear Awakens: Russia's Military Is Back.
Today, there is an agreed-upon ceasefire between the Ukrainian government and the Pro-Russian rebels, but that hasn't stopped the violence. According to a recent UN report over 4,300 people have died, with almost one million displaced since the ignition of the conflict back in April.
Gone are the days of thinking of Russia as a broke and weak state living in the shadow of its former glory. Putin's push towards a modern military infrastructure hasn't been empty talk. "The rhetoric has been matched by a concurrent allocation of resources; Russia is now engaged in its largest military buildup since the collapse of the Soviet Union more than two decades ago, with major increases in defense spending budgeted each year to 2020."¹
These are scary times as very soon Russia will be once again become a major player in the military super power game. "The growing size and sophistication of the yearly joint maneuvers with the Chinese army and navy have all worked to resurrect the image of Russia as a military threat."¹
While people are concerned about what new smartphone to get for the holidays, around the world this is happening...
Just be prepared for more news about Russia increasing their border strength and showing their military might in a number of unpleasant ways. It really does seem like Putin is planning on returning the Russian Federation back to the powerhouse days of the Soviet Union. So is the world really ready for another Cold War?
¹ Nikolas K. Gvosdev (2014). The Bear Awakens: Russia's Military Is Back. The National Interest.
Since the Russian challenge against Georgia in 2008 Vladimir Putin has been making some huge pushes for ramping up the Russian military backbone. For months reports have come in about a high presence of Russian military aircraft repeatedly buzzing around their neighbor's airspace. Production of tanks, armored vehicles and weapons is all up and even writer Nikolas K. Gvosdev entitled his recent November 2014 article on the subject: The Bear Awakens: Russia's Military Is Back.
 |
| Royal Netherlands Air Force intercepted this Russian Sukhoi |
Gone are the days of thinking of Russia as a broke and weak state living in the shadow of its former glory. Putin's push towards a modern military infrastructure hasn't been empty talk. "The rhetoric has been matched by a concurrent allocation of resources; Russia is now engaged in its largest military buildup since the collapse of the Soviet Union more than two decades ago, with major increases in defense spending budgeted each year to 2020."¹
 |
| Russia's hand in retaking ex-Soviet satellite states |
While people are concerned about what new smartphone to get for the holidays, around the world this is happening...
Just be prepared for more news about Russia increasing their border strength and showing their military might in a number of unpleasant ways. It really does seem like Putin is planning on returning the Russian Federation back to the powerhouse days of the Soviet Union. So is the world really ready for another Cold War?
¹ Nikolas K. Gvosdev (2014). The Bear Awakens: Russia's Military Is Back. The National Interest.
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Hodgepodge Cooking - Breakfast or Lunch Concept
- Sliced Italian sausage
- Shredded cheddar
- Spanish rice
- Black beans
- Spinach
- Salsa
Never underestimate a man's ability to throw together random leftovers from the fridge...
Monday, December 1, 2014
Alternate Heat - Winter Months Part III\Endless Projects - Part III
[Dual Post]
Since August of 2014 I've been see-sawing back and forth between wood stoves and pellet stoves for alternative heating. At first, going back even to the summer I thought of going to the wood stove route - even to the point of picking up one used. On top of that I picked up a new wood stove fireplace insert in August from a local vendor, but found out it was too big to properly be installed.
So I backtracked and changed plans... brought the wood stove back for store credit and got a high quality pellet stove in its place. The fireplace is still just a fireplace and the installed pellet stove sits at the opposite end of our house. Our used wood stove we got this past summer is sitting dormant for now until we find a proper place to utilize it.
Upon cutting into our living room's wall to port the pellet stove's exhaust vent out we discovered a rather depressing fact: no insulation in the walls. There is literally nothing, it's actually hollow between the exterior and drywall. Looking back on last year's winter it now makes sense as to why that room was so cold and why we used so much oil. So that brings up another project that we'll have to tackle next year - blown-in insulation and\or insulate underneath the exterior siding. Both are expensive and time-consuming.
Hard to say what we'll do next in terms of projects as this year has been especially tough and expensive for the number of things we're trying to accomplish in our 150+ year old house.
Since August of 2014 I've been see-sawing back and forth between wood stoves and pellet stoves for alternative heating. At first, going back even to the summer I thought of going to the wood stove route - even to the point of picking up one used. On top of that I picked up a new wood stove fireplace insert in August from a local vendor, but found out it was too big to properly be installed.
So I backtracked and changed plans... brought the wood stove back for store credit and got a high quality pellet stove in its place. The fireplace is still just a fireplace and the installed pellet stove sits at the opposite end of our house. Our used wood stove we got this past summer is sitting dormant for now until we find a proper place to utilize it.
 |
| Newly setup LOPI AGP Pellet Stove |
Hard to say what we'll do next in terms of projects as this year has been especially tough and expensive for the number of things we're trying to accomplish in our 150+ year old house.
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