Letter Re: Rethinking Wound Care

HJL, What the writer says is spot on for infection occurring more often in warm and moist conditions. One note here, however. Flies in a wound are going to lay eggs and you are going to get maggots. As disgusting as that sounds, it might not be a bad thing. Maggots have been used for centuries to debride wounds. (Debride means to remove non-viable tissue.) Maggots only eat the dead tissue, which is where the infection is at its worst. The less infection present the easier it is for the bodies defensive mechanisms to fix the problem. I first became …


Keep Your Nose Clean!, by E.P.

In a survival situation, one of the most important things to consider is hygiene, especially if you are caring for children. In developed countries, waterborne illnesses and skin diseases are no longer common, but even in a short-term survival situation, unclean spectres rear their ugly heads. Fortunately, a simple family hygiene kit is easy to prepare and store. Although public health has advanced much in the past 150 years, at its core it consists of isolating waste and washing hands properly. Other important considerations are regular bathing and dental hygiene. As a mother of six children, I would also add …


Two Letters Re: Urban Trash

Hugh, Under item number 7 (Recycle). Textiles, including things like shoes and purses, that aren’t in good enough shape to be donated to thrift stores can be recycled through GemText. Be kind and make sure the items are clean. Go to gemtextrecycling.com to see if they are near you. – S.B. o o o HJL, This contributor recommended burning trash that is combustible outdoors. This used to be common practice, but it is now most likely banned as illegal open burning in all but the most rural locations. Even in rural areas there can be burning bans due to wildfire …


The Development and Maintenance of the First Weapon- Part 2, by B.C.

Strength-Building Option 2: Alternative Training Your second option is much less expensive and is easier, but it’s less lucrative in its payoff. You’ll need three handled water containers (I would use the inexpensive pre-filled 2.5gal ones you can buy at the grocery store), a pair of grippy work gloves, and a large filled and twist tie sealed sandbag. You’ll leave them filled as is for now, but will eventually fill the containers with sand or dirt as you get stronger. Fill the sandbag to a weight that allows you to take it from the ground to your shoulder 5x with …


Letter Re: Dehydrating Food

Hugh, Thanks to the author for a very informative article on food dehydrating. Dehydrating frozen vegetables from the grocery store is a very easy way for the beginner to start; however, as these small particles of food shrink they will fall between the openings of the trays. Don’t use cheesecloth unless you want to spend an hour with tweezers picking them free. Try to find a fiber-free porous inert material and then let me know what that is. A pulverized mixture of various dried vegetables makes a great soup additive or a table seasoning. I’ve made dried soup mixes from …


The Development and Maintenance of the First Weapon- Part 1, by B.C.

“You can’t make people smarter. You can expose them to information, but your responsibility stops there.” -Mark Rippetoe, Strength Coach and Texan Two-thirds, one-third, and one-tenth. Those are the stats on how many Americans are overweight, obese, and have diabetes, respectively. Let that sink in for a minute. One in ten Americans would be dead within weeks, should their insulin supply be cut short by any kind of major incident. (Insulin is only guaranteed to be good for 28 days.) There would be roughly 30 million bodies in the first two or three months. The remaining folks who are obese …


Two Letters Re: Urban Trash

Hugh, This article is a good start to a problem solving dilemma. It definitely requires a mindset change, but that’s achievable for everyone. The best book I ever read, back in the late 80s, on this subject is Re/Uses: 2133 Ways to Recycle and Reuse the Things You Ordinarily Throw Away by Carolyn Jabs, published in 1985. – T.S. o o o Hugh, When I have plenty of scraps, I do just as the author suggests (and as Julia Child had suggested in her book!) and make soup stock with them, canning them for later use. It makes for wonderful, …


Urban Trash: Why and How to Minimize Your Garbage- Part 2, by K.S.

3. Compost/Animal Food Technically you could differentiate between these two, as some items that you can compost you shouldn’t feed to certain animals. So scrounge two plastic buckets of a size you’ll actually use, carry, and empty, and make sure they have well-sealing lids since you’ll probably keep these in the kitchen. Then, label one Compost and the other Chicken Food (or whatever). Keep them under the sink or somewhere where you’ll actually use them. I’ve heard that compost “rules” have changed and you might be able to compost meat and dairy products now. I probably wouldn’t feed old meat …


Letter Re: Two Things Old-Timers Knew, That You Must Know About Wound Care

There are two things old timers knew that you must know about wound care, if the patient is outside. The wounds of a person or animal all will be affected greatly be these two things. If you are not able to see a doctor or get to an air-conditioned facility, such as a hospital, these two things could save your life. You need to know them. Two days ago my daughter was riding her beloved pony and our cows were a bit scared by the dog who was faithfully looking out for our daughter. She usually doesn’t ride near the …


Urban Trash: Why and How to Minimize Your Garbage- Part 1, by KS

“Political upheaval. Threats of nuclear war. Violent protests. Imminent economic collapse. And you think it’s important to talk about sorting my trash? Let’s get real. I’ve got bigger things to deal with, and I don’t have time to go all eco-friendly here.” Sound familiar? Sound like… you, maybe? I get it. I really do. Why spend time doing hippy-dippy stuff, like reducing, reusing, and recycling when you could be going to the range, running tactical drills, deep-stocking your pantry, or armoring your BOV? Well, you need money for ammo, armor, food supplies, firearms, and medical gear, right? And unless you’re …


Letter: Check Yourself for Readiness

Readers, Are you prepared to handle BIG change? What if China invades the U.S. tomorrow, or Russia drops a nuke on NYC, or global warming causes the U.S. to become the poorest country in the world, or really any other life changing event occurs? Have you thought about what you will do differently? Many people gear up for that catastrophe by storing gear and food in the basement and buying weapons. While that is important, it is not nearly enough. Nothing will make you invincible, but as Curly said, “The One Thing” is your attitude. I own and run a …


Recipe of the Week: Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients: 1 lb lean ground beef 1 large onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 2 (1lb) cans of tomatoes, cut up 1 (8oz) can tomato sauce 1 (12oz) can tomato paste 1 cup beef bouillon 2 tbs minced parsley 1 tbs brown sugar 1 tsp dried oregano leaves 1 tsp dired basil leaves 1 tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper Directions: In a large skillet or slow-cooking pot with a browning unit, crumble the meat with onion and garlic. Break up pieces of meat with fork and cook until it loses its red color, then drain off excess fat. In a …


Letter Re: Taurus Judge

Pat, Hello. I just read your info about the problem with Taurus Model 85 and have a quick note about a Judge I bought from a nice dealer. I tried shooting it several times, and it worked well with no failures. I disassembled the firearm safely, then had it color-coated by a finisher. I did the disassembly and apparently lost a small spring, and when I reassembled it I didn’t find it. I then contacted Taurus and sent the firearm to them. I received a call from a service tech that the coating had to be removed, and they returned …


Letter Re: So Tell Me Again…

HJL, The writer stated that he doesn’t typically blanch so that he doesn’t destroy the enzymes. However, acid in the stomach will do the same thing as blanching. So it really doesn’t matter whether he does or not, at least as far as “destroying” the enzymes. If he eats the food, the enzymes will naturally break down as the second step of digestion. An enzyme is simply a type of protein, a molecule that is too big for our bodies to absorb intact. (An very simplistic example: Insulin is an enzyme. If eaten, it will break down and not be …


The Times They Are A Changin’ , by ShepherdFarmerGeek

Last night, the Dogs of Doom and I were out for our after-dinner hike when we heard what sounded like voices. But it was coming from the treetops, and soon a crow flew into sight, pursued by an angry sparrow. The crow was smarter, stronger, faster, and much bigger than the little bird, but he was being driven away because the sparrow was out-maneuvering it. I knew exactly how that crow felt! Nine hours earlier I had been the only customer at the local copy shop, and the owner was helping me find some colored paper, when this sour-looking elderly …