I recevied it in E-mail. In down loading I lost it somehow;

Could someone that have it please post it for all.

-- Lon (Lon1937@aol.com), June 16, 1999

Answers

I hope someone has this info.....everytime Gary sends me the Reality Check, it is blank on my computer screen, too. I wind up asking him to try again, and it works after the second or third request. I just wondered how many other people have the same problem.

-- Jo Ann (MaJo@Michiana.com), June 16, 1999.

Here it is... hope GN doesn't mind it being posted. ----------

Gary North's REALITY CHECK Issue 40 June 14, 1999

199 DAYS TO GO

In 100 days, the first stages of the panic will begin. When it gets to double-digit days countdown, the media will start pumping the airwaves with Y2K stories. You must buy whatever you have to have by then. You had better have taken delivery.

This delay is pushing it. The July 1 deadline is nearing. On that day, all U.S. government agencies are supposed to be compliant, most large corporations have promised compliance, all nuclear power plants are supposed to be able to prove they will be compliant by September 30, and 44 states roll into fiscal 2000.

Then there is August 22: the GPS rollback.

What do you have to do next? Come to grips with this:

YOU CAN'T BUY YOUR WAY OUT OF THIS WITH MONEY ALONE

Fact: you cannot get it done by writing a check. The people who are real craftsmen are hard to find and harder to hire. We have sent our best and brightest to college for a generation. They are not willing to get their hands dirty. Those who stayed behind to hammer our nails and suck our septic tanks are not interested in moving fast, even for money.

Hunting season starts in the fall. Forget about getting a worker in Arkansas the day the deer season begins. These people are not driven by money. They are driven by leisure. With 99 days to go, they will still be driven by leisure. They don't know about Y2K and do not care. They'll get by. It's the college graduates who will be trapped. You cannot buy your way out of this with money. You must also have time. It's almost gone.

Buy the stuff now. You may be able to get it installed later. But buy the stuff. This means wires, connectors, duct tape, nails, and everything else most of us never touch.

Meanwhile, start lining up your installers. I mean NOW!!! You must get on their list. Expect them to be a month late, too.

The most frustrating part of my life is this: I have done everything I know how to do, but people simply will not believe me about preparation time and costs. It's not that most people refuse to believe that Y2K is a threat. It's that those who say they do also think they can buy their way out of it in December. They have money today, and they think money will talk in a crisis in which repairmen will see that their own lives are in danger. "Here's my check," says the 60-year-old physician. "Save my live. You have 30 days."

The guy will take your check and delay for six months (forever). Or he will just not show up to get your check. YOUR MONEY WILL NOT TALK IN DECEMBER. It won't even whisper. Got that? Drill it into your brain and your belly. Believe it. Feel it. Don't trust in your money.

You think I'm exaggerating. I wish I were. I supplied the name of a self-sufficiency advisor to 18,000 REMNANT REVIEW subscribers. He charges $100/hour, 3-hour minimum.: cheap. He got six clients. Whoopdie-do.

The advisor's name is Charles Griffith. If you have no information on how to get started, spend $300 for three hours. Mail your check to him at P. O. Box 887, Ozark, AR 72949. Include your phone number. He will call.

Do I really believe that as many as 2,000 REMNANT REVIEW readers, after almost three years, really do believe in Y2K? No. It's just another amusement park thrill ride for most of them.

I know who my subscribers are: 50-70 years old, upper middle class, urban, with no skills in self-sufficiency. They are just like I am. But I'm trying to learn. I know it's late, but I'm trying -- and spending $10,000 each month. I know what it takes. I am still not Y2K- compliant. It has taken four months to get a skilled plumber to give me an estimate. He says he is coming tomorrow. Tomorrow for sure. You know. Manana.

Do I think 8 million listeners to Art Bell take it seriously? No. Do I really think their futures are at risk? Yes. Do I think as many as 1% will act in time? No. Will they curse the day they heard and did nothing? Yes. Will this do them any good? No.

For a good personal preparation list, in order of importance, click through to this site:

http://www.t2kprep.com/y2ku.htm?now=58116

The site also has a comprehensive list of Y2K links, which you access at the bottom of the page.

ELECTRICITY: THE PHENOMENAL BARGAIN

To buy a top-end home power system, expect to pay $4 per watt. You probably use 20,000 watts per day. Your home power system's equipment will cost you $80,000. For 10 kilowatts a day, you'll pay up to $40,000. Grim, isn't it? You'll never get it back if Y2K doesn't shut us down.

Consider a 20 cubic foot standard refrigerator. It consumes about 2,000 watts a day. To fund its power will cost you about $8,000 in solar panels, panel rack, batteries, wires, and inverter. Cost from your power company: 14 cents a day. Alternative: buy a 14.5 cubic foot propane refrigerator from Jade Mountain for $1,800, and buy 1,000 gallons of propane: $2,000 with a tank. Want a propane freezer? Add another $1,800 for 10 cubic feet. You will use 750 gallons of propane a year: cooking and refrigeration.

Heating must be done with gas or wood. Cooking, the same. Heating and cooling are electricity power hogs.

Air conditioning? Electric fans. Grim, isn't it? Spoiled, aren't we?

Lesson: today, we pay practically nothing for our refrigeration. It's one of this world's nicest gifts. Can we do without it? If the grid goes down, most people will have to. But how? Canning? How many people know how? How many own 2,000 canning lids? (I do.)

Buy compact florescent light bulbs. The 15-watt Phillips high spectrum bulbs are very good: $15. They give off as much light as a 60-watt incandescent bulb.

Find out the daily power consumption of each item that you absolutely have to have to maintain your lifestyle, beginning with a pump for your water well. Total it up: kilowatts per day. For help, use the charts at

http://www.nwes.com/page34.html

http://www.mrsolar.com/fighow.html

What you will probably conclude is that your Y2K budget cannot sustain you in middle-class comfort unless you are quite rich. Electricity and water systems for flush toilets are very, very expensive to buy. If we lived the way our great grandparents did, or my next-door neighbor did in 1950, we could prepare for Y2K quite reasonably, once we had our geography taken care of. But electrical power and indoor plumbing are expensive if you have to supply them with up-front capital.

If you buy four panels to top off your batteries and charge them with your generator, you will do fine until you run out of fuel. A 1,000-gallon diesel fuel tank costs $1,000. The diesel costs 60 cents a gallon. You run your vacuum cleaner and front-loading Fridgidaire Gallery washer when you run your generator to charge your batteries. You will use up a gallon of fuel per hour. Power isn't cheap.

You have to trade off fuel for panels. The panels last indefinitely; fuel gets used up. It is also expensive to store. The longer you think Y2K will last, the more panels you need. But if Y2K doesn't take down the power grid, the investment will fall in value fast. So, if you think Y2K will be mild, don't spend too much. If you think it will be total, but you don't have a lot of money, just buy enough panels for a few lights, a computer with a flat panel screen, and a few low-consumption items. Come to grips with a lower standard of living. You'll be better off than most people if all you have is four solar panels, a dozen deep-cycle marine batteries with anti-sulfating pulse units, and florescent bulbs. But a 10kw China Diesel generator would sure be nice, if you have $1,500 for 1,000 gallons of diesel and storage containers, such as the $20, 55-gallon plastic drums at Sam's Club. You can now get the China Diesel units again:

http://www.chinadiesel.com

After you have figured out the minimum power consumption you can sustain without going nuts, send an e- mail to any or all of these companies for a consultation on what you must buy. Give your zip code, so they can see how much sunlight you get annually in your area. Give a phone number where you can be called. Consultations are free.

mailto:info@solarextreme.com

mailto:batteries@nwes.com

mailto:CharlieCollins@mrsolar.com

Each has a different approach. But the basic solar system is a dozen solar panels, a Trace inverter, and Trojan L-16 batteries. Northwest Energy wants to sell you long-lived (16 years) HUP-1 batteries. Charlie Collins may have another suggestion.

Buy pulse attachments for any battery system, so that sulfation is minimized. Bob Cale sells them. Contact him for details. Tell him how many batteries you expect to buy.

mailto:y2kbobcale@bigfoot.com

Then find a way to keep the batteries in a 65 to 77 degree environment. I'd suggest buying a storage shed from Lowe's at $10 square foot and a lot of insulation for the battery room. I bought a 10' by 20' for $2,000, installed. I divided the battery room from the generator room, using a wood wall.

If I find out how to muffle the sound of the generator, I'll let you know.

RUNNING WATER

Let me say it one more time: the most important thing you will get with your home brew electricity in 2000 is power for a pump in your water well. Forget about solar power until you have your own water well. Water first. You have to have water. If you can't get a well, get your roof fitted with water drains that feed into a cistern. Until you have 1,000 gallons of water in reserve, you're taking too many chances, unless you have a privy and unless you are content with one bath a week, in a tub, heated on a wood stove. Where's your wood? Where's your stove? Where's your tub?

Food is cheap today. Buy it now. Water to drink is cheap. It can be stored: 365 gallons per year per person. Storage space is the big cost. But year-round running water is very expensive if there is no water company. Answer this question: What is running water worth to you? Don't spend any more money until you answer this. Spend your money to get this taken care of.

This leads me to the topic of pumping water. You need a well. If you have to drill one, do it, assuming you're allowed to in your city. If not, you are at risk.

If you want a great emergency hand-pump, I know where the best one is. It pumps 10 gallons a minute from 100 feet. I will test it on a 200-foot well next week. The pumping action is easy to use. The pump is a back-up pump. It will fit down a well where there is an electric pump. It was invented by a friend of mine, W. F. Kile. He is a genius inventor, but like most genius inventors, he is a marginal businessman. He is always short of capital. But he's honest. You can trust him with your money -- in this case, $495. It's normally $595, but I negotiated a deal. To get it, you must pay by check, since you are buying directly from him, not his distributor. If you want to pay by credit card, it's $595. Here is the distributor's Website:

http://www.watergopher.com/water.htm

Visit the site. Find out the details. Note: you must do the calculations on how deep your well is, so that you know if you will need to buy extra cable and pipe (over 45 feet deep).

To get these pumps out the door, he has to order the parts four weeks early, payment in advance. So, from the day he receives your check until the day he ships the pump, it will be six weeks. He can build them in lots of 50. If 50 of you are willing to take a chance with a check for $495, send it to:

W. F. Kile Organization P. O. Box 77 Zion Hill, PA 18981

Tell him you heard about this from me, to get the discount. If you are not among the first 50, he will put you on a waiting list and send back your check. He will let you know when the next batch will be available.

At $595, there is no waiting list. Order from the Website. But you'll still have to wait six weeks for delivery.

There is a company that sells a home well drilling rig. My father bought one and hit water at 75 feet. The drill goes to 200 feet. It's called the HYDRA-DRILL 2000. It sells for $997. For information click:

http://www.deeprock.com

THE LOST MIRACLE PRODUCT TURNS UP AGAIN

I have been wanting to write about this for three years. I have known about it for 35 years. I bought my first one about 33 years ago. But the item went out of production -- I thought -- a decade ago. It was invented by my friend Skipper K. Yee, but he sold the rights to it years ago. He lost track of it. Last week, I located it by using the search engine with the unforgettable name: dogpile. Alta Vista doesn't have a listing.

It's a Frantz oil filter. You have to buy one for your generator. You should buy one for every internal combustion engine that you expect to run in 2000 and beyond, Y2K or not. It's a bypass filter for most vehicles, but it's a primary one for engines without filters. I put one on my 1956 VW bug in 1968. That was the only filter it had.

Here I will get into trouble. I am about to tell you something that you will not believe. You will resist accepting it. But here goes: motor oil does not wear out; it just gets dirty. This means that if you keep it clean, you never have to change your oil.

A Frantz unit removes everything in the oil larger than three microns. It removes all water, so acid cannot form in the oil. If you stick one on a diesel engine, it keeps water and crud out of the fuel that reaches the engine.

It keeps oil continuously clean. In other words, there is no build-up of crud as you go from an oil change to, say, 5,000 miles. Metal shavings never get into the oil for more than one trip through the engine. Then they are trapped and held in the filter element.

Here, I reprint a report that I first published in REMNANT REVIEW on Feb. 20, 1987.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Over twenty years ago, I bought my first Frantz oil filter. I have had them (or a technical equivalent) on my cars ever since.

Why a Frantz? Because when it comes to cars, I am both lazy and cheap. I am also forgetful about car maintenance. I forget to have my oil changed. So I bought a filter that literally does away with oil changes. It filters so well that the oil never needs changing. Oil doesn't break down if it doesn't get dirty, contrary to the old husbands' tale. With a Frantz (or a Motor Guard, or a Harvard), it doesn't.

Why not? Because the Frantz uses an incredibly efficient filter device. It removes metal shavings, water (and therefore acid, since without water, your engine can't form acids), and carbon. What is this miracle filter? Toilet paper. That's right. Every 3,000 miles, or once a month, you remove the old, oily roll from the Frantz (cold engine, please), stick in a new roll, and put the top half of the filter canister back on. (I have also used the Motor Guard units, too, and they are easier to work with, since they have a threaded top that screws on and off easily, but my test was made with a Frantz. Frantz engineers believe their design is safer for the engine -- less likelihood of leaking oil. I'm not competent to judge.) Add one quart of oil to replace what was in the discarded roll, and drive in peace.

My auto mechanic was always skeptical about the Frantz. He had repaired diesel trucks in the past, and he was convinced that by-pass filters like the Frantz were high-risk items. I kept praising the idea of toilet paper filters, but he was hard to convince.

Finally, my legendary 1972 Toyota Corolla gave up the ghost. The steering was soggy, the front end shook between 36 and 40 miles per hour, and it just wasn't worth salvaging. But I wanted to see how the engine had fared with the Frantz. I had him tear down the engine and give me a report.

The engine had 130,000 miles on it. But because of a design defect in that year's Corolla engine, it had blown up three times in the first 27,000 miles. Finally, I found an honest Toyota dealer who admitted that the problem was the engine. At 27,000 miles, the dealer rebuilt the engine, even though it was beyond the warranty expiration mileage. He told me I would never have a problem with it again. He was correct. I never did.

I had just installed a Frantz. That was in 1974. So the engine was broken in with the Frantz on it. This meant that no metal shavings got into the engine during the critical breaking-in period. So from the "new" engine until 130,000 miles -- a total of 103,000 miles -- I changed the oil four times. One change was by mistake; my mechanic changed it, not knowing that I was running a test. I am convinced that I never needed to change the oil once. >From 1977 until 1983, 1 never changed it. I used a standard 10-40 weight oil. Here is the report from the mechanic-owner of Robert's Service Center:

Gary's Toyota had all the battle scars of a 15 year old compact that had seen the salt of the Snowbelt, the sun of the South, and the destruction that four youngsters with all the trimmings could offer. Like your car, you say? Well, the engine had never been touched. I had worked on everything else -- the carb, the alternator, muffler, brakes, etc. -- but not the engine. Gary asked me to take the engine out of the car and dismantle it, even though the engine was still operative. I checked all the critical engine parts for wear against factory specifications.

The results were remarkable. No sludge was found nor any build-up of oil that had broken down; no bearing surfaces were etched or scarred; no significant wear on the engine block occurred; and no particulate matter in the oil pump pickup screen was found. In fact, the only noteworthy wear was the top compression ring on all of the pistons. The end gap was between .015 and .020, and the spec was .008. All bearing clearances were within specs. (Factory specifications -- G.N.) The camshaft lobes were not pitted and showed little wear. The crankshaft journals were smooth and measured to factory specs. The oil pump driveshaft and rotor were within the specs for clearance (.010 and .006). We simply could have put a new set of rings on the pistons and reassembled the engine, using all the old bearings and oil pump, and placed them back in service.

In short, the Frantz works. Its effectiveness was proven to us and the practicality cannot be argued. It was paid for shortly after its installation and is easy to service. The hoses and fittings never leaked or caused -any clearance problems. (I had installed a new set of hoses in 1977 -- G.N.) Sounds too farfetched? Believe it, it's true. As a professional mechanic who is skeptical of "here today -- gone tomorrow" gimmicks, I'm sold. . . .

P.S. I called the junk man and he came to haul the Toyota off and all its boxes of parts. I thought the car was history. Later, I heard he had put it all back together and was using it out at his place. Same engine and parts - new gaskets! Remarkable!

Maintenance is crucial. As my mechanic remarked privately, there is one major problem with the Frantz -- or rather with the owners. People know they are supposed to change the oil in their cars at least every 6,000 miles, and preferably every 3,000. So, when they take the car in for the oil and filter change, they have the mechanic make regular maintenance checks. These add years to the life of the car. They pay for themselves. But with a Frantz or Motor Guard, anyone can "change his oil," since he doesn't have to change anything but the toilet paper. It takes five minutes. No oil to drain, no turkey roasting pan to put under the car while you're draining it, no outraged wife yelling about this specialized use of the turkey pan. It's so easy that you are tempted to forget that clean oil is only part of the car's maintenance program.

Frantz also has a filter for diesel fuel, to keep the fuel lines free of junk. They discovered this use for their filters during the good old days when the Mexican government was subsidizing diesel fuel. An American along the border could drive down and fill up at 20 cents a gallon, instead of paying $1.20 in the U.S. But the Mexican fuel was very often dirty. Smart diesel car owners started installing the Frantz oil filters in their cars' fuel lines. Frantz later made the product available specifically for this purpose. There is another problem with the toilet paper filters. The paper companies have long abandoned the 500 double-ply rolls that were common a decade ago. They now give you about 350 sheets wrapped loosely. The "soft squeeze" television ads were designed to make buyers think they were getting a good deal when in fact they were being short-sheeted. I buy the commercial rolls that are sold to hotels. The hotels insist on full rolls in order to reduce the turnover (rollover?) and therefore reduce maid time. You can buy these in boxes of 50 or 100. Or you can pay a premium price and buy them in smaller units from Frantz.

The big advantage to these filters is that you can forget to change them and it really doesn't hurt anything. By keeping the oil permanently clean, there is never any build-up of gunk in the oil. Oil gets dirty with normal filters. If you graph this build-up, it increases until you change the oil, and then it drops down to near zero again. With the toilet paper filters, the graph stays flat constantly -- no gunk, no metal shavings, ever. That's why the engine never gets scarred.

There is one other problem: your local mechanic will probably bad-mouth the product. You may get scared off. I had mine installed by a Frantz dealer. It took first-hand inspection by my innately skeptical mechanic to change his mind, and it took 13 years and 113,000 miles for me to bring in the evidence. The president of Motor Guard had so many bad experiences with people getting scared off by the local mechanic and returning the now used filter units to the company that he actually discouraged me from mentioning the product. I called him about six years ago, and he asked me not to promote it. He had moved into other more profitable product lines, and preferred to sell these units only to car fleets, trucking fleets, and other similar bulk order users with their own mechanics. In 1986, Motor Guard sold the distribution rights to a private entrepreneur. [It has long since disappeared from the market -- 1999.]

It should be obvious why normal retail outlets have no incentive to sell such products to you. The car manufacturers want you to trade in the car every few years. Why double the life of the engine? The oil companies want you to change your car's oil. The auto repairmen want you to have the engine rebuilt. Nobody wants to get sued, and having recommended an odd-ball device for the engine is a good way to get sued if anything even vaguely related to the engine goes wrong. . . .

* * * * * * * * * * *

Buy a case of 60 rolls of Marathon TP at Sam's Club for $25. That's 42 cents per roll. At 5,000 miles per roll, that's 300,000 miles of driving. But you can probably get 10,000 miles per roll.

A Frantz costs $165. If you pay $17 per oil change, ten missed changes will pay for it. That's 60,000 miles. You'll also double the life of the engine if you install it on a new engine.

Every 5,000 miles, you pull out the old roll, put in a new one, and add a quart of oil to replace the oil you just tossed out that was inside the used roll.

I always liked to show skeptics this trick. I would pull out the dip stick and wipe the oil on a piece of Kleenex. Then I would hold up the sheet, so that the sky was behind it. The oil spot was almost colorless: not a smidgen of residue.

Skipper Yee used to go through regular certification by the FAA to get his units onto private propeller-driven planes. This was an advertising stunt more than anything. If it was approved by the FAA (which it was), then it was safe for your car (which it was).

I have located a man who manufactures the Frantz units, but with slight improvements. His name is George Walker. His Website is:

http://www.wefilterit.com

If you mention my name when you buy, you will receive the following as a bonus: 8 feet of replacement hose, two extra seals, a 10mm fitting for foreign cars, and free freight in the lower 48 states.

He sells the Frantz units in sets of six for $135 each, or $810. I need a dozen: four generators, two for the diesel tractor, several cars, the lawn mower, the log splitter, and two for the diesel truck. I want these engines to last.

If chemical plants explode or shut down in 2000, then oil, diesel, and gasoline will get very expensive. I will not be doing a lot of driving. But if I have the filters, I can keep going, since I have a lot of fuel stored.

If we get merely a recession/depression, I will cut my costs by eliminating all oil changes. I will drive the vehicles a lot longer on a quart of oil: 5,000+ miles per quart.

When you change your oil before installing the Frantz, replace it with Shell Rotella-T. This is the best nonsynthetic oil you can buy. You can buy it at Wal-Mart. Buy it by the case. But skip on one quart. Instead, add a quart of this amazing product: Rislone Engine Treatment. This product solved my engine's clicking lifter problem as soon as I added it. You can buy it at any auto parts store. Buy a case. Then add one-quarter Rislone and three-quarters Rotella-T when you replace the roll.

Now, to set the record straight, the following are myths: (1) the toilet paper shreds and gets into engines; (2) some engineering outfit tested motor oil and says it breaks down. If the toilet paper (damp with oil) shredded, it would get filtered out after one trip through. There is no verified example of a Frantz filter's roll ever shredding. As for the anonymous report on worn-out oil, ask to see the report. It never existed. I tried to find it years ago. I wrote to the outfits I was told had produced it. They knew nothing about it.

The main problem is getting it installed. Your mechanic may warn you that it's bad. After all, he doesn't sell them. Also, in small engine compartments, there may be no easy way to fit it in. But for generators, lawn mowers, tractors, etc., space is not a problem. If it's an internal combustion engine, it needs one of these units.

CONCLUSION Buy something you will need every day. It can be cheap: duct tape. It can be expensive. But set up a daily buying program. You have very little time left.

Buy items that you can use if y2k doesn't shut down the West, but only throws us into a recession/depression. Buy the items you know you will use anyway.

But, above all, get your water/sewer problem solved. That's the crucial one. If you doubt me, click here:

http://www.garynorth.com/y2k/detail_.cfm/4985

END

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), June 16, 1999.

Here is the site for all his RC newsletters:

http://www.reformed-theology.org/realitycheck/index.html

-- Carol (glear@usa.net), June 17, 1999.

$810 -- Too expensive. I would like to buy ONE Frantz oil filter. I'm in Austin TX.

-- Rick (rick7@postmark.net), June 17, 1999.