National Geographic’s Doomsday Preppers is a new weekly show which explores the lives of otherwise ordinary Americans who are preparing for the end of the world as we know it. If you were like me, the first time I saw the title and preview for this, I was sure it was going to lampoon preppers with all the ferocity of Jurassic Park’s Tyrannosaurus Rex. I mean, seriously, haven’t we all been subjected to the raised eyebrows, the subtle head shakes, and the not-so-few suggestions of paranoia from our family, friends, and neighbors? So it was
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The Murder of the Century is about, as you might guess, a murder.

But more than that, it is the story of how journalism became sensationalism and truth learned to play second fiddle to headlines that sell. Long before CNN, MSNBC, and FOX News, Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst were betting their fortunes on creating a new kind of media. Ironically, Pulitzer is now remembered for the likes of iconic Pulitzer Prize winning authors, Harper Lee and William Faulkner. But in 1897, he and Hearst all but invented yellow journalism.

Be forewarned; this book is short, blunt, and sobering.

In typical eBook spoiled brat fashion, one Amazon reviewer gives the book two stars for this reason: “Although the basic idea is a good wake up call, it really should not have the selling price it does by any means. $1.99 would have been the fair price for the Kindle version of this book.” If you share the attitude that the value of the words of a book is solely determined by its length and format, I would suggest you not waste your time reading any further.

Nothing quite matches the aroma of fresh, homemade bread baking in the oven. Enjoying the hot, crusty goodness straight from your own kitchen with a smear of sweet cream butter is about as close to heaven as it gets. Like so many other skills, baking your own bread has become a lost art. However, in the quest for more self-sufficient living, this is one skill you probably want to master. For those of us who have grown up without a family member to pass on this heirloom skill though, where do we start? The answer
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There is a popular aphorism that says, “Be careful what you wish for.” This could apply quite well to the relationship between the off-the-grid lifestyle and how it has been portrayed by big media and popular culture. On the one hand, it is our duty to try and warn everyone who is capable of listening about the storms that are coming, and any kind of publicity that preppers or off-the-grid projects can get would seem to have the potential to help us do that. But on the other hand, mainstream culture is notorious for the
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If you didn’t watch the highest-rated cable television series in the summer of 2011, it is probably because you ditched TV a long time ago, you consider anything labeled science fiction unwelcomed, or you gave it a shot but it took longer than two hours for mankind to redeem itself so you pulled out your worn-out copy of Independence Day in its place. The Story The first episode of Falling Skies begins with a child telling the story of how earth fell. The camera pans across crayon drawn images of the destruction of 90 percent
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What kind of book do you think a woman named Lisa Renee Sorbo Walsh Felsh Heidenstecker Mikitarian would write? If you said an eclectic mix of short stories featuring women in various seasons of their life, you would have a beginning understanding of this wonderful author’s debut book, Her Safari. I know… you’re thinking “This is an off-grid news site. This is where we go to learn how to be self-sufficient. Why are we showcasing this book here?” I have known Lisa for several years now. She has a heart as big as a house,
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Imagine a world, our world, where every person on the planet is dead and doesn’t know it. Not zombies according to the current literary fad, but rather a planet populated by people who are but shells of what they were created to be. A people devoid of all emotion with the exception of one – fear. New York Times bestseller Ted Dekker and co-author Tosca Lee conjure up just such a world in Forbidden, a dystopian novel that is bound to strike a chord with many. This is first and foremost an entertaining read that
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The Conspirator, directed by Robert Redford, is the kind of movie that is probably destined to do better over time than at the box office. Less than two minutes at the beginning of the film contain anything close to the usual wide-screen fair of exploding objects or dismembered bodies. Instead, it deals with the less
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School necessity…. airline carry on…. overnight bag…. equipment carrier…. diaper bag…. hiking must… emergency preparation…. A good backpack is all of these and more. These versatile bags have been around for ages, and it seems like new uses are discovered for them every day. As the new school year starts, odds are you can find dozens of varieties of backpacks in local stores. They come in every shape, size and color. Some have sections for carrying laptops or other equipment; others are smaller to accommodate young children, and there are still more that have frames
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