Politics

[Tanks]

Solar in some areas has the advantage of providing continuous, supplemental power that can diminish utility bills ongoing.

My electric bill last month was $5.86. That is with running the A/C at 68 F during the night. Looking at my meter during the day, I am always feeding the grid.

 

[spike.t]

Totally fkd

Post from Paul Thorpe

Two images that sum up Britain this week. One is dead after being handcuffed by police. Two walk free after punching police.

youtube.com

 

[mdwest]

How did you get that through US Customs, is there a special dispensation for NZ?

There are 5 countries you can bring back meat from to the US with no special dispensation, no paperwork, etc… NZ is one of them..

NZ limits you to 50lbs per traveler.. thankfully I had 3 people (wife and one of my daughters) with me… so we got 150lbs home..

Just freeze it, put it in a cooler… seal it up super tight (we went through damn near an entire roll of duct tape lol) and check the cooler(s) into checked baggage..

I thought for sure either NZ or US customs would give me some sort of shit or a hard time.. but it was zero hassles… there were probably 10 hunters in line in Christchurch with me.. so they obviously see this all the time… and amazingly enough the last boy comment I got from customs at LAX was “congratulations! I’m jealous. I’d love to have that going into my freezer”… the customs guy in LA was actually super friendly and helpful..

I’ve gotten WAY more hassle traveling domestically with fish or game…

 

[Tanks]

Dry ice in cooler?

 

[rookhawk]

There are 5 countries you can bring back meat from to the US with no special dispensation, no paperwork, etc… NZ is one of them..

What are the other countries you can import meat from in your checked baggage?

 

[Alistair]

@Alistair , I'm going to disagree with your statement, "ROI on a back up generator = 0, so not that hard to beat."

Having a backup generator does have a pay out. I've lived through extended power outages, Hurricane Katrina to name one, where all the contents of refrig and freezer were lost. A generator keeps the cold stuff cold. Without power for 11 days, the house was not very livable without AC. Go to a hotel, if you can find one, most likely several hundred miles away.

With a generator, staying at your house helps to keep the potential looters at bay too. You simply can't put a value on the chance opportunity to shoot a looter. Priceless!

I mean, fair enough I guess.

But saving a freezer full of food and a week or 2 in a hotel maybe once every couple of years (if that) is not going to yield enough savings to pay for a 15k generator. Especially as the generators are only expected to have a 15 - 20yr useful life.

 

[mdwest]

What are the other countries you can import meat from in your checked baggage?

My understanding is :

Canada
Australia
New Zealand
Iceland
Japan

 

[mdwest]

Dry ice in cooler?

No ice… or at least I wasn’t willing to risk it on the long flight from NZ.. especially with a connecting flight from LAX to DFW (and a layover)

When in the US I typically pack the cooler with ice.. then just before I arrive at the airport drain off all water…then seal it tight and go straight to check the bag.. if there is any liquid in the cooler TSA can reject it..

From NZ we just packed the meat in there as tight as possible (super hard frozen) and left as little air space as we could.. and then just sealed the hell out of it…

It’s a long trip from Christchurch to DFW… but amazingly enough when we got home the meat had barely thawed at all and was still “frozen” (albeit not the solid rock it had been when we left)…

The outfitters are pretty accustomed to hunters taking their meat home so most of the ones I’ve spoken to in NZ have commercial grade freezer capable of getting things much colder than your typical household freezer… and they have the ability to flash freeze if you happen to land your animal the morning of your trip home, etc..

 

[rookhawk]

I mean, fair enough I guess.

But saving a freezer full of food and a week or 2 in a hotel maybe once every couple of years (if that) is not going to yield enough savings to pay for a 15k generator. Especially as the generators are only expected to have a 15 - 20yr useful life.

It all depends on A.) The value of your foodstuffs, B.) The value you place on convenience.

Not everyone has the same quantity and quality of food in their freezers.

Over here, I live in the middle of nowhere and drive an hour for "big city" groceries. If I go through the effort to make gallons of espanole or demi glas, that stuff is worth hundreds and hundreds of dollars. A side of beef, three briskets, a few pork bellies, and 2-3 lamb could be ten grand in food. A total loss across all four freezers would take me a year to replenish (I pre-order my meat from ranchers 12 months out).

If i had TV dinners and Swansons/Stouffers processed foods in my freezers, I wouldn't care enough to buy a generator. Losing $500 in food versus buying a $14k generator wouldn't make any sense at all. But losing sauces and cooking components that have taken me hundreds of hours to prepare would be a horrific loss in the value of my time/labor/capital.

 

[mdwest]

Over here, I live in the middle of nowhere and drive an hour for "big city" groceries. If I go through the effort to make gallons of espanole or demi glas, that stuff is worth hundreds and hundreds of dollars. A side of beef, three briskets, a few pork bellies, and 2-3 lamb could be ten grand in food.

With what I spend on hunting, venison is probably the most expensive Red meat per pound in the world lol… I could fill my chest freezer with Kobe and Wagyu cheaper than the 200lbs of deer that’s normally in there lol..

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Win some, lose some...

Face on currency
Name off building

His name should have never been added. Reading his social media post, his reaction can only be likened to a tantrum.

View attachment 767295

Tantrum is accurate. What a child.

"Unless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else, bring this Institution back, physically, financially, and artistically, I have no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey into 'NEVER NEVER LAND'," he said on Truth Social.

Did you know back in December he had to sack most of the Kennedy Center board members and pack it with enough stooges to get himself elected chairman? Then the first thing he did was plaster his name over the doors. What a fathead clown. Then decides to close the Center for two years for a remake, ostensibly for 250th anniversary celebration (yeah, that excuse ... again!). The judge saw through that bullshit and put the boots to any renovations. The enabling legislation specifically states running the Center belongs to Congress, not the president. But obeying the law never has interested him much (e.g. fake tax appraisals of his real estate property).

Trump claiming to be THE national authority on arts ... that ranks right up there with depicting himself as the Second Coming Messiah. Ridiculous. His most substantial artistic contribution to history will be the volumes of comic dialogue he's provided for late night show hosts.

What's most disgusting is neither the GOP party nor Congress will make any attempt to reign in his foolishness. Instead millions of taxpayer dollars have to be frittered away litigating this silly crap. I thought Trump was all about trimming the fat? Sure seems like he's blowing a lot of money to inflate his ego. Build a silly imperial arch that costs millions so the National Park Service can take care of it. But wait ... how are they supposed to do that after he's slashed the NPS funding/staff 30%?

 

[wingshot74]

No ice… or at least I wasn’t willing to risk it on the long flight from NZ.. especially with a connecting flight from LAX to DFW (and a layover)

When in the US I typically pack the cooler with ice.. then just before I arrive at the airport drain off all water…then seal it tight and go straight to check the bag.. if there is any liquid in the cooler TSA can reject it..

From NZ we just packed the meat in there as tight as possible (super hard frozen) and left as little air space as we could.. and then just sealed the hell out of it…

It’s a long trip from Christchurch to DFW… but amazingly enough when we got home the meat had barely thawed at all and was still “frozen” (albeit not the solid rock it had been when we left)…

The outfitters are pretty accustomed to hunters taking their meat home so most of the ones I’ve spoken to in NZ have commercial grade freezer capable of getting things much colder than your typical household freezer… and they have the ability to flash freeze if you happen to land your animal the morning of your trip home, etc..

On a relatively short hop from Florida to Texas recently, I froze a couple of small water bottles and carried on a soft cooler of fish. No BS from TSA going through security. Perhaps more common sense in FL or maybe that’s okay anywhere in the US

 

[Flipper Dude]

On a relatively short hop from Florida to Texas recently, I froze a couple of small water bottles and carried on a soft cooler of fish. No BS from TSA going through security. Perhaps more common sense in FL or maybe that’s okay anywhere in the US

I’ve done that from Mogadishu, I mean Minneapolis to Texas. No problems

 

[tinktink12]

 

[Russ16]

My understanding is :

Canada
Australia
New Zealand
Iceland
Japan

It’s actually more than that depending on the species. There is a form on the CBP website you print and fill out. My brother brought back roe deer meat from Scotland.

Most goat meet is prohibited but deer are allowed from quite a few.

 

[Russ16]

It all depends on A.) The value of your foodstuffs, B.) The value you place on convenience.

Not everyone has the same quantity and quality of food in their freezers.

Over here, I live in the middle of nowhere and drive an hour for "big city" groceries. If I go through the effort to make gallons of espanole or demi glas, that stuff is worth hundreds and hundreds of dollars. A side of beef, three briskets, a few pork bellies, and 2-3 lamb could be ten grand in food. A total loss across all four freezers would take me a year to replenish (I pre-order my meat from ranchers 12 months out).

If i had TV dinners and Swansons/Stouffers processed foods in my freezers, I wouldn't care enough to buy a generator. Losing $500 in food versus buying a $14k generator wouldn't make any sense at all. But losing sauces and cooking components that have taken me hundreds of hours to prepare would be a horrific loss in the value of my time/labor/capital.

Yeah that’s why I haven’t pulled the trigger. I generally buy food at the store for one or two meals at a time. If I have a couple hundred dollars in the fridge it is an exception.

 

[Tanks]

f I go through the effort to make gallons of espanole or demi glas, that stuff is worth hundreds and hundreds of dollars.

Yep, demi-glace is about $5 per ounce. Luckily one does not need a lot per use.

Amazon.com: Bonewerks Culinarte Demi Glace de Veau Classic (Thickened Veal Stock Reduction) 2 lb-Pack of 6 : Grocery & Gourmet Food

Amazon.com: Bonewerks Culinarte Demi Glace de Veau Classic (Thickened Veal Stock Reduction) 2 lb-Pack of 6 : Grocery & Gourmet Food

www.amazon.com

 

[Brent in Az]

And Mexico

 

[rookhawk]

Yeah that’s why I haven’t pulled the trigger. I generally buy food at the store for one or two meals at a time. If I have a couple hundred dollars in the fridge it is an exception.

You're a perfect candidate for a portable generator for general use, and handy to keep your fridge running in a blackout. If you aren't literally buying enough food to feed a large family plus guests for 6 months at a time, a permanent backup solution isn't a big need.