Appendicitis and TEOTWAWKI, by Cynthia J. Koelker, MD

When considering the question of appendicitis at TEOTWAWKI the most important questions are these: 1.     What is the cause? 2.     How can it be recognized? 3.     Who is most at risk? 4.     Is it always fatal? 5.     Can it be treated non-surgically? 6.     Should it be removed before TEOTWAWKI? Appendicitis is caused by a blockage of the appendix, which varies according to age.  In children and young adults this is usually due to infection.  In the elderly it is usually due to hardened feces.  In developing countries appendicitis may be caused by parasites.  In people with an inflamed bowel it …


Three Letters Re: Insulin Dependent Diabetics When TSHTF

Sir: I am an Emergency Room physician in Arizona and a preparist.  When I treat people with Type 1 diabetes I routinely mention the need to stockpile and safeguard insulin and diabetes supplies.  When the patient is agreeable I write prescriptions for extra supplies on the spot.  One of my patients told me about Wal-Mart’s ReliOn brand of regular insulin, which is about half the price of other U-100s.  Those SB readers who are physicians and other healthcare providers have an obligation to their patients to inform them and help them obtain the medication and supplies they will need when …


Economics and Investing:

Dr. Gary North: A Civil War Inside Austrian Economics G.H. flagged this over at Time: If There’s No Inflation, Why Are Prices Up So Much? Kyle Bass Warns “The ‘AIG’ Of The World Is Back” Items from The Economatrix: Mark Levin:  Government Is “Simulating The Collapse Of Our Financial System, The Collapse Of Our Society And The Potential For Widespread Violence The Economic Un-Recovery: A Novel Perspective Jobless Claims Drop, Signaling Labor Market Gains


Odds ‘n Sods:

G.G. suggested this at Popular Mechanics: How to Stock Your Disaster Pantry    o o o Defense Distributed’s Cody Wilson: Rebel. Cause. Some Assembly Required.    o o o Chris Walsh of Revolutionary Realty suggested this video: How To: Break an axle on a Daihatsu Hijet    o o o Deeper Schumer: We Have Language for S. 374, the Transfer Ban. (Thanks to Bill N. for the link.)    o o o Statist scheming, perfected: After Aurora: How Mayor Bloomberg Planned to Make the Next Massacre Count. (Thanks to Pierre M. for the link.)


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me or say about me, my circumstances, or my position. Attitude keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there is no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me." – Charles R. "Chuck" Swindoll


Notes from JWR:

I recently turned in the manuscript for Expatriates: A Novel of the Coming Global Collapse to my editor at E.P. Dutton. The novel should be released in November, 2013. It is a departure from my previous novels, as the majority of the story takes place overseas, and there are no crossover characters with the previous novels except for ProvGov President Maynard Hutchings. But rest assured that the story is set in the same exciting near-future period, amidst the economic collapse. (But geographically is set primarily in The Philippines, Australia, and central Florida.) The cover artwork has already been completed. This …


Two Letters Re: Storing Coconut Oil

JWR, I work in the oleochemcals industry, just a little info on oil storage. Oxygen is by far your worst enemy when it comes to long term storage for any fat based materials. The oxygen will primarily interact with any of the double bonds located on a fatty acid chain, breaking down the fatty acid and creating the compounds that cause the oil to become rancid. The more unsaturated the oil is the more double bonds that will be available for the oxygen to interact with. Coconut oil is naturally highly saturated (typically ~94%), therefore fewer double bond sites on the …


Economics and Investing:

Kyle Bass: Yen could hit 200 Vs. US Dollar Eric Sprott: Is the West Dishoarding Its Sovereign Treasure Coin Hoarding Idea: Nickels I missed this when it was posted last August: The Two Things Your Broker Doesn’t Know About Silver Items from The Economatrix: What A Difference For Jobs $1.2 Trillion In Debt Makes The Coming Debt Collapse Payrolls Rise As US Jobless Rate Reaches Four-Year Low Italy Downgraded To BBB+


Odds ‘n Sods:

David S. was the first of several readers to send this: It’s Official – L.A. Officials Say : Prep For Two Weeks On Your Own    o o o H.L. sent: Has Gun Ownership in American Homes Really Decreased This Dramatically? H.L. opines, perhaps correctly: “No, gun ownership has probably increased, but the willingness to mention them to government officials and pollsters has decreased.”    o o o Some food for thought: Christians, The Second Amendment And The Duty Of Self Defense    o o o Freeze Dry Guy has announced that they are giving back 20%-30% back in Survival Bucks  …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“And many a man with life out of tune All battered with bourbon and gin Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd Much like that old violin A mess of pottage, a glass of wine, A game and he travels on. He is going once, he is going twice, He is going and almost gone. But the Master comes, And the foolish crowd never can quite understand, The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought By the Touch of the Masters’ Hand.” Excerpt from The Master’s Hand, by Myra Brooks Welch


Notes from JWR:

The C.R.O.S.S. benefit auction for a PVS-14 night vision monocular has ended. See details in the Auction Recap, below. — Today we present another entry for Round 45 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course. (A $1,195 value.) B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of …


Getting Prescription Drugs for TEOTWAWKI, by Sara Sue

It was quite a shocker when I couldn’t get my husband’s heart medication prescriptions filled in January.  After numerous phone calls to our pharmaceutical insurer, I finally found someone who assessed and fixed the problem, but it took over 6 weeks to get his prescriptions filled.  (Fortunately, I had stocked up last year, so he wasn’t completely out of his medications.  Stocking up was not intentional.  The insurer accidentally sent twice the amount requested and when I called to let them know, they said not to worry about it and they would stop the auto-refill feature).  As to why my …


Living in The Age of Sequestration

I’ve observed that we are now living in The Age of Sequestration, in many senses of the word. First, and most noticeably, is all mass media talk about the Federal Budget Sequestration. Despite all of the hoopla and handwringing, it is actually just a token decrease to an already enormously bloated budget. Second, is the forced sequestration of some Bad People. You’ve probably heard the latest news: following a lengthy jury sequestration former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilppatrick was found guilty. But his upcoming sequestration is hardly a news flash. Everyone knew he was a crook and this is of course …


Four Letters Re: The Human Appendix

Mr. Rawles: I am writing to address some of the questions in the letter on The Human Appendix. I am a physician who works at a large academic center. Regarding The letter writer’s questions, an inflamed appendix is not uncommon (This is know as appendicitis), and removal of the appendix is one of the simplest surgery’s we perform in modern medicine. It is unclear why the inflammation occurs, but if untreated it can be fatal. The appendix was historically thought to be a vestigial organ (useless), or an immune presenting organ ( i.e.: helps the immune system fight off infections). …


Letter Re: Fire: Your Partner in Survival

Dear JWR: The excellent article, “Fire: Your Partner in Survival, by Pledger” mentioned the BTU ratings of certain trees. Wanting to know a bit more, I did some searching and found a chart of the BTU ratings of various types of wood. On another note, Pledger’s reference to a cord as 4×8 feet by 16 inches threw me. I looked it up and found that a “full cord” measures 4x4x8 feet, which is the number I was familiar with, ranging from 80 to 100 cubic feet stacked. The web site I found uses 90 cubic feet for its BTU ratings. …