It looks like I'm reasonably well prepared for the end of civilization as we know it

So I got this list from a reader, who asked, "You've got most of these covered--right?" Well, let's check it out. The list included the following 10 skills:

1. Gardening for Food
2. Animal Husbandry
3. Butchering an Animal
4. Food Preservation
5. Blacksmithing
6. Basic Carpentry
7. Basic Mechanical Repair
8. Herbal Medicine
9. Horseback Riding
10. Hunting

As anyone who has been reading this blog for a while knows, I am pretty good at gardening and food preservation. As it happens, I can ride a horse like a boss, I am down with basic carpentry, I hunt, I know how to butcher an animal, and I am fair at animal husbandry, as long as they don't get real sick. But I've tended farmed animals, so I feel like I could pull that off.

What does that leave us? Blacksmithing, basic mechanical repair, and herbal medicine. I know very little about any of these, alas. I've never worked a forge, but I understand the concept and could probably pull it off, although my shit would be ugly. Engines? Forget it? Other, more basic mechanical shit -- OK, but not great. Unfortunately, I think they're talking about engines here. To me, that makes no sense. No engine works without fuel, and unless we're talking about a steam engine, if I need to know these skills, fuel is going to be in mighty short supply. So this one doesn't  bother me.

Herbal medicine, though, is a weak point for me that I feel like I should brush up on. Assuming these skills ever become important again, that is going to be a big one. So look forward to posts in which I learn about herbal medicine and blacksmithing. Fuck a bunch of mechanical repair.

Nancy Pelosi valiantly wages a lone battle against the Huns sweeping down from the north, or something like that

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, former Speaker of the House, current Minority Leader, D-Calif. and living proof that a brain is not necessary to succeed in government, has once again shown that she really, truly has nothing useful to add to the national conversation -- or any conversation, it would appear.

While maintaining that Democrats are "not fear-mongers," she then threw out this gem while appearing on Bill Maher's show, whatever its called: “Civilization as we know it today would be in jeopardy if the Republicans win the Senate.”

That sounds to me like a compelling reason to vote Democrat, doesn't it? I mean, seriously, who wants to vote for the end of civilization as we know it? Of course, since "civilization as we know it today" includes morons like Pelosi, Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (whom I understand likes to look at pictures of little boys naked, according to Ace) and, of course, President Barack Obama in positions of power where they can fuck up our lives, then maybe Pelosi is right, except that ending that particular version of civilization would be a good thing.

While Nancy "We have to pass the bill to find out what's in it" Pelosi eliminates any doubt about her stupidity every time she opens her mouth, I still have this question:  since Nancy Pelosi is from San Francisco, what the hell does she know about civilization, anyway?