August 11th is the birthday of SurvivalBlog editor The Werewolf in Brazil. Feliz aniversário!
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Pantry Paratus is having a sale on of the SolarBag lasting through Wednesday, August 13, 2014. The sale includes several giveaways so you may want to take a look!
The Knowledge: How to Rebuild our World from Scratch is a new book out in the U.S. now, and a New York Times science bestseller. If civilization does collapse, whether it’s caused by a viral pandemic, coronal mass ejection, or financial meltdown, the break in normal services is likely to cause a great deal of panic and perhaps a severe depopulation among the unprepared. The world as we know it has ended, but what now? What can the survivors do to ensure they thrive in the long-term, and how can you begin rebuilding a proficient society over the generations? Many preppers keep a large stockpile of preserved food, defensive weapons and ammunition, and other consumables, but this won’t last forever. What do you do when it starts running out? How do you teach your children to make for themselves all that they need and their children will need?
The essence of The Knowledge is a thought experiment– an exploration of the behind-the-scenes fundamentals of society. What is the crucial science and technology behind how our modern world works and how did civilization progress over the centuries? And if you ever had to, how could you avoid another Dark Ages and reboot civilization as rapidly as possible? What could you do better the second time around?
The Knowledge takes the discussion beyond many prepper books and websites that explain important topics, like survival skills, preserving food, and weapons (such as How to Survive TEOTWAWKI) and explains all you need to know in areas like agriculture, materials, energy, and transport in order to rebuild society itself, at least as far as is possible within a single book.
Below is an excerpt of the book, exclusive to SurvivalBlog, from the section dealing with creating crucial substances for yourself.
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Even before humanity began to settle down and the first cities were founded in Mesopotamia, our lives depended on the deliberate extraction, manipulation, and exploitation of natural chemicals. Over the centuries we’ve learned new ways to interconvert between different substances, transforming those that can be most easily acquired from our surroundings into those that we need the most, and producing the raw materials with which our civilization has been built. Our success as a species has come not just from mastering farming and animal husbandry or employing tools and mechanical systems to ease labor; it also derives from the proficiency with which we can provide substances and materials with desirable qualities.
The first substance that a recovering post-apocalyptic society will need to begin mining and processing for itself, because of its multitude of functions that are absolutely critical to the fundamental operations of any civilization, is calcium carbonate. This simple compound, and the derivatives easily produced from it, can be used to revive agricultural productivity, maintain hygiene and purify drinking water, smelt metals, and make glass. It also offers a crucial construction material for rebuilding and provides key reagents for rebooting the chemical industry.
Coral and seashells are both very pure sources of calcium carbonate, as is chalk. In fact, chalk is also a biological rock: the white cliffs of Dover are essentially a 100-meter-thick slab of compacted seashells from an ancient seafloor. But the most widespread source of calcium carbonate is limestone. Luckily, limestone is relatively soft and can be broken out of a quarry face without too much trouble, using hammers, chisels, and pickaxes. Alternatively, the scavenged steel axle from a motor vehicle can be forged into a pointed end and used as a drill to repeatedly drop or pound into the rock face to create rows of holes. Ram these with wooden plugs and then keep them wet so that they swell and eventually fissure the rock. But pretty soon you’ll want to reinvent explosives (Chapter 11) and use blasting charges to replace this backbreaking labor.
Calcium carbonate itself is routinely used as “agricultural lime” to condition fields and maximize their crop productivity. It is well worth sprinkling crushed chalk or limestone on acidic soil to push the pH back toward neutral. Acidic soil decreases the availability of the crucial plant nutrients we discussed in Chapter 3, particularly phosphorus, and begins starving your crops. Liming fields helps enhance the effectiveness of any muck or chemical fertilizers you spread.
It is the chemical transformations that limestone undergoes when you heat it, however, that are particularly useful for a great range of civilization’s needs. If calcium carbonate is roasted in a sufficiently hot oven—a kiln burning at least at 900°C—the mineral decomposes to calcium oxide, liberating carbon dioxide gas. Calcium oxide is commonly known as burned lime, or quicklime. Quicklime is an extremely caustic substance, and is used in mass graves—which may well be necessary after the apocalypse—to help prevent the spread of diseases and to control odor. Another versatile substance is created by carefully reacting this burned lime with water. The name quicklime comes from the Old English, meaning “animated” or “lively,” as burned lime can react so vigorously with water, releasing boiling heat, that it seems to be alive. Chemically speaking, the extremely caustic calcium oxide is tearing the molecules of water in half to make calcium hydroxide, also called hydrated lime or slaked lime.
Hydrated lime is strongly alkaline and caustic, and has plenty of uses. If you want a clean white coating for keeping buildings cool in hot climes, mix slaked lime with chalk to make a whitewash. Slaked lime can also be used to process wastewater, helping bind tiny suspended particles together into sediment, leaving clear water, ready for further treatment. It’s also a critical ingredient for construction, as we’ll see in the next chapter. It’s fair to say that without slaked lime, we simply wouldn’t have towns and cities as we recognize them. But first, how do you actually transform rock into quicklime?
Modern lime works use rotating steel drums with oil-fired heating jets to bake quicklime, but in the post-apocalyptic world you’ll be limited to more rudimentary methods. If you’re really pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, you can roast limestone in the center of a large wood fire in a pit, crush and slake the small batches of lime produced, and use them to make a mortar suitable for building a more effective brick-lined kiln for producing lime more efficiently.
The best low-tech option for burning lime is the mixed-feed shaft kiln: essentially a tall chimney stuffed with alternating layers of fuel and limestone to be calcined. These are often built into the side of a steep hill for both structural support and added insulation. As the charge of limestone settles down through the shaft, it is first preheated and dried by the rising draft of hot air, then calcined in the combustion zone before it cools at the bottom, and the crumbling quicklime can be raked out through access ports. As the fuel burns down to ash and the quicklime spills out the bottom, you can pile in more layers of fuel and limestone at the top to keep the kiln going indefinitely.
A shallow pool of water is needed for slaking the quicklime, and you could use a salvaged bathtub. The fine particles produced will turn the water milky before gradually settling to the bottom and agglutinating as the mass absorbs more and more water. If you drain off the limewater, you’ll be left with a viscous sludge of slaked-lime putty. Limewater is used to produce gunpowder, and the slaked lime is a critical ingredient for construction: making a mineral glue for sticking together fired-clay bricks or gravel for concrete, as we’ll see in the next chapter. Another fundamental use of lime is for making soap.
Soap can be made easily from basic stuff in the natural world around you and will be an essential substance in the aftermath for averting a resurgence of preventable diseases. Health education studies in the developing world have found that nearly half of all gastrointestinal and respiratory infections can be avoided simply by regularly washing your hands.
Oils and fats are the raw material of all soaps. So, somewhat ironically, if you carelessly splash bacon fat onto your shirt cooking breakfast, the very substance you use to clean it out again can itself be derived from lard. The key step in making soap is to chemically break open, or “hydrolyze” the fatty molecules, and for this you need a potent alkali. Alkalis are the opposites of acids, and when the two meet they neutralize each other to produce water and a salt. Coated with a fur of these long soap molecules, a small droplet of oil is stabilized in the midst of the water that rejects it, and so grease can be lifted off skin or fabric and be washed away. The bottle of “invigorating, reviving, hydrating, deep clean sea splash” men’s shower gel in my bathroom lists nearly thirty ingredients. But alongside all the foaming agents, stabilizers, preservatives, gelling and thickening agents, perfumes, and colorants, the active ingredient is still a soap-like mild surfactant based on coconut, olive, palm, or castor oil.
The pressing question, therefore, is where to get alkali in a post-apocalyptic world without reagent suppliers. The good news is that survivors can revert to ancient chemical extraction techniques and the most unlikely-seeming source: ash.
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Dr. Lewis Dartnell is a research fellow at the University of Leicester, England, and the author of The Knowledge: How to Rebuild our World from Scratch, out now with Penguin Press. Explore extra material on the book’s website: www.the-knowledge.org
Chinook Medical Gear, Inc. calls the kit I’m reviewing the MinimalistPak. They mean minimal in terms of size and cost. It’s not minimal, however, in terms of what you can do with it. It’s a good basic kit for handling most of the injuries one might get on a hike or perhaps while doing a roadside repair on a recalcitrant car. It can handle a good sized cut, though I would want more with a gunshot wound or other major injury. It is one of the seven kits available in their PAK line of first aid kits.
The kit comes double sealed. The first layer is a heat-sealed, zip closure plastic bag, which protects the kit that is packed in a LOKSAK OPSAK– a high quality waterproof clear plastic pouch that also has a zip closure. These bags are serious business; think sandwich bag on steroids. It is rated for keeping the contents dry down to 200 feet. I had no way to test that since I avoid places where I can’t breathe without extra gear, but it is comforting to see that level of confidence in the packaging. This version of the bag is also supposed to contain odors.
Here are some of the details on what you are getting:
Dimensions: 3.75” x 8” x 2.25” Weight: 9.2 oz
PERSONAL PROTECTION: 1 Emergency/Survival Blanket; 2 Nitrile Gloves, LG, BK; 3 Personal Antimicrobial Wipes
IMMOBILIZATION: 1 Elastic Bandage Wrap, 2″x4.5 yd
INSTRUMENTS: 1 Tweezers; 1 Flat Duct Tape, 1.89″x2 yd, OD
WOUND / BURN / BLISTER: 1 Trauma Pad, 5″x9″; 3 Burn Jel, 3.5 g.; 1 pkg Band-Aid, 30 ct; 6 Knuckle bandages; 6 Moleskin; 1 Stretch Gauze 3″x12 yd; 1 Suture Strip Plus, 0.25″x4″; 2 Non-Adherent Dressing, 3″x4″ 3; Povidone-Iodine Prep Pad; 4 Sterile Gauze Pad, 3″x3″
MEDICATION: 2 Aspirin, 2/pk (Analgesic); 2 Diamode, 1/pk (Anti-diarrheal); 2 Diphen, 1/pk (Antihistamine); 2 Ibuprofen, 2/pk (Anti-inflammatory); 3 Hydrocortisone 1% Creme, 1.5 g; 3 Triple Antibiotic Ointment, 0.9 g; 1 Oral Rehydration Salts, 12.5 g
Chinook is marketing this as a highly portable kit that you can have close by at all times, thanks to its small size and light weight. Since it only costs $27.00, it is also an economical solution, economical enough to be able to have several kits. There could be one in every car as well as one at home and another at work. When you need first aid, you need it now, so keep a kit close by.
Most of the contents in the kit are in their own zip closure plastic bags, for extra protection as well as to keep the contents sorted. The tweezers are held in a small, clear cylindrical container, which is a good thing as they are the sharp pointy ones that work so well for removing splinters or ticks. The container keeps them from punching holes in the LOKSAK or the other supplies. The various pads, suture strips, and gauze items are in their own sterile packaging.
Everything in the kit looked fresh, and the items with expiration dates were reasonably far into the future. I really liked the fact that they marked the kit’s label and supply list with the expiration date of the first item to go. You need to check your kits, by the way, on a regular basis and replace things that are old. Expiration dates are often very conservative, but pay attention to them. Watch out especially for adhesives and elastic items. Heat in a car can shorten the life of these products. Try a Band-Aid or two to make sure they still stick. See if the elastic bandages are still stretchy. Sacrifice some of your old stuff for practice.
Going through the kit, you will find a pair of the exam gloves that we all recognize are needed for dealing with non-family members. I probably won’t waste time putting them on to treat my wife or son (unless cleaning up after vomiting or worse), but I certainly would if helping a stranger. You also get some sterilizing wipes for cleaning up after working on someone. This is always a good idea, especially if dealing with an illness.
You get a very useful elastic bandage that could be used to hold on a dressing, put pressure on a sprain, immobilize a joint, or even make a sling. It could also be combined with something rigid to form a splint. It has a Velcro tab on one end to help secure it in place. I will admit to preferring cohesive wrap, which does pretty much the same but sticks to itself, so you don’t have to worry about making it stay on. The traditional elastic bandage is thicker, so you have to use more cohesive wrap to get the same amount of pressure. Cohesive costs more, though, and this is an entry level kit aimed at getting you a lot of capability for not much money. These types of products aren’t sterile, by the way, so you don’t want to put them directly over a wound, unless it is all you have and you are trying to stop bleeding.
Don’t joke about the duct tape in the kit. It is very useful stuff for first aid. You can use it to hold on a bandage, secure a splint, fashion a makeshift tourniquet, close a wound, or roll it up for someone to bite on if they are having a seizure or need a bullet to bite on for pain. Some people swear by it for protecting blisters, though I would want something between the blister and the tape. One instructor told me it wasn’t needed, but the thought of peeling it off a blister doesn’t sound like much fun. What’s really nice about the duct tape in this kit is that it is flat and has a backing you peel off before using. That saves room over the usual roll form. There isn’t enough here to make one, but I’ve seen stretchers made from the stuff too, so it doesn’t hurt to keep a roll nearby.
You get a nice pair of small tweezers that are not only great for splinters and ticks but also holding all sorts of other things. Just remember when you borrow them for some non-medical chore to put them back afterwards.
There is a pretty fair selection of dressings in the kit. There are a bunch of Band-Aids– 30, in fact, including small ones, medium- sized ones, and large ones for all those various wounds and scratches we get so often. You get moleskin for blisters and some knuckle bandages. You then move up to the bigger stuff. I really like suture strips for holding cuts closed, and you get a set of them. Even minor cuts in bad spots can be really annoying and take forever to heel, if they keep opening; suture strips will help them heel far faster. You then find some basic 3”x3” gauze pads, which can be used for cleaning wounds or covering them. They aren’t the best thing for a burn, though, but you also get some non-adherent pads that won’t stick. If there is bleeding, you get a combine pad, also often called a trauma pad. Finally, there is roll of gauze bandage that could be used directly on a wound, as it is sterile, or used to hold another dressing on. I’ve seen makeshift slings formed with the stuff, and you could use it to pack a deep wound, such as a gunshot.
One product I was not familiar with in the kit was WATER-JEL BURN JEL. It is a thick liquid for minor burns, which we all know can be very painful. I actually got a patient for it the day after the kit showed up when my nine-year-old spent too much time in the sun and got a pretty parched face. He said it really helped, though it gives off some fumes that he told me made his eyes sting a little. I watched when he put it on, and he didn’t get in his eyes; so, I suspect it was the tea tree oil or lidocaine in it that bothered him. He said it helped the burn enough to make the sting worth putting up with. When I looked the stuff up on Amazon, I found that it gets enough rave reviews to provide a vote of confidence in it. I’m going to buy a box of the packets as minor burns are common during Scout camping.
There are some packets of Povidone-iodine wipes to get things clean before putting those dressing on.
You get some meds too. There is the usual aspirin, and they also give you some ibuprofen. Although aspirin will work as an anti-inflammatory, my doctor says ibuprofen is better. I was happy to see an anti-diarrheal as well as an antihistamine. The runs and allergic reactions aren’t fun, so it is nice to have these along. I might have also liked having some acetaminophen in the mix. It’s good for kids. There are also some people who feel it works better for them than the other two.
As expected, there are some packets of antibiotic ointment for wounds and hydrocortisone ointment. The last is very welcome for skin irritation from allergic reactions or rashes. Itching is not fun, and this stuff can help take it away.
A surprise for me in this kit was the packet of rehydration salts. It’s good to have this stuff around in the event someone forgets to drink enough or they have an illness with a lot of vomiting and diarrhea. You don’t often find this in an entry level kit, but I think it reflects Chinook’s desire to make this a good kit for outdoors folks. You can make your own for less, but it won’t be sealed in a long life packet.
Chinook is very generous with some of the small items, and you may feel you could remove a few of them to make the kit more compact. These are things like the small Band-Aids, mole skin, and knuckle wraps. I haven’t been able to use this many Band-Aids on a Cub Scout Pack camp out, which usually is a major consumer of them. If you live in a really warm climate, you might consider ditching the survival blanket, but I’ve heard of people dying of hypothermia in South Florida, so I wouldn’t. When you use one of these for a cold victim, don’t be concerned about its lack of insulation. They are amazing at reflecting and retaining one’s own body heat. We almost gave the practice patient a heat stroke when we wrapped him with one in a first aid class. It was only about 70 degrees, but we had him sweating in under a minute and begging to get out. The blanket also makes a very visible signal device and can serve as a makeshift poncho or shelter to keep you dry.
Okay, so what’s lacking here? Considering the price, that isn’t a fair question. A better question would be what should you add after getting this one. Well, it is one of a series of compact kits Chinook is offering. The first one that draws my eye is their BleederPak. In a survival scenario, having someone bleed out would be really awful. A real tourniquet and compression bandage could make the life or death difference. You get that in this kit. It comes with the SWAT-T tourniquet, which I’ve written about before. It is a wide elastic band that you can wrap tightly around the affected limb. I’ve seen highly positive reports on it, and my doctor thinks it is a better mousetrap than the strap types, both for stopping blood and doing less damage. My only concern is that I think I would have much more trouble self-applying it than I would one of the strap ones. They cost more, though, so this is a good choice for this sort of kit. You also get a QuikClot dressing with a hemostat in it to stop bleeding. There is a compression bandage and some compressed gauze you can use to pack a wound. This kit adds a tremendous amount of capability to the MinimalistPak. It also comes in the LOKSAK for protection.
From here, I would probably get the GermPak which they might want to call the Germ-HeartPak, as it includes a face mask for CPR. You also get some more antiseptic wipes, two respirator face masks, more gloves, and a bag for bio waste.
The ToolPak would also be on my list, competing with the GermPak. It gives you some very useful EMT shears (so you can cut clothes or bandages off people without adding to their wounds), a thermometer (important for illnesses and monitoring for infection), a penlight, a marker, and more duct tape. There are also some safety pins that can help hold bandages together or hold wounds together.
Like all of the other Paks, these two come in LOKSAKs.
The prices are:
You can also buy their Chinook6Pak for $119.95. In it, you get all of the kits, less the MinimalistPak, but all of the items from the Minimalist are contained in other ones. You could then go to the home store and get one of those tool bags they usually have on sale and have a very capable kit.
Chinook has some reasonably priced and well thought out kits, and they are worth a good look if you don’t already have first aid capabilities. Don’t forget that you need to have this capability with you. That means having more than one kit. You need one in each car, at home, and at work. It gets pricey, but that’s life… or death.
Chinook is based in Durango, Colorado and assembles the kits using individual items from a number of suppliers.
I want to stress the need for training. I’ve written about this before and, with the tolerance of my editors, I’m going to reiterate that gear is worthless without skills. The Red Cross offers classes around the country. I particularly recommend their Wilderness First Aid class. It was developed with the Boy Scouts of America. It takes two days and helps you deal with things when out of range of immediate emergency response. It is, however, only an introduction and doesn’t deal with some of the issues a prepper might face.
I’ve had recommendations for the following courses from other organizations:
National Outdoor Leadership School
Wilderness Medical Associates International
Stonehearth Learning Opportunities
Advanced Wilderness Life Support
This is, by no means, an exhaustive list of first aid training. These are just the few that I know about that have reputable recommendations. If you know of others, please drop me an email.
Your local college or university may have classes intended for EMTs and paramedics that could be useful, though they are usually based on the idea that there is a trauma center nearby.
You can find tons of videos on YouTube, but I’m leery of them unless I can verify the quality of the people posting the video. Vendors often post videos on how to use their products and those are usually pretty good. A doctor friend highly recommended this one, 9mm vs .45 vs Rifle, A Dr.’s View of Gunshot Wounds. You have to register your age to view it, as it is graphic and restricted to adults. There isn’t as much about treatment as I would like, but it is still an interesting look at gunshot wounds. I say again that it is graphic in parts. I did not enjoy viewing it and had to make myself finish as I thought it had training value.
The bottom line is that you, or someone in your group, needs to get some serious training along with some serious first aid supplies. Ideally, everyone would get a basic Red Cross class and, if possible, the Red Cross Wilderness one. Don’t forget CPR, which you can get from Red Cross or the American Heart Association. – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor, Scot Frank Erie
One versatile recipe that we love is Creamed Tuna. This is good comfort food. You can serve it on mashed potatoes (our favorite), noodles, rice, or toast. You can vary the protein, and instead of using canned tuna you can use canned salmon, shrimp, chicken, or even beef. It is easy to make. The recipe can easily be doubled, and you can make it with what you have in your pantry. Basically, it is a white sauce with whatever meat you add to it.
In a medium saucepan, make a roux with the butter and flour by melting the butter and whisking in the flour over medium heat. Keep whisking occasionally for 1-2 minutes so the raw flour taste will cook off. Slowly whisk in the milk, using the lesser amount, and continue to cook over medium heat until it thickens. Add more milk if you want a thinner sauce. Add the tuna (or other meat), breaking up the chunks, and heat through, adding salt and pepper to taste. Serve over your favorite bed of mashed potatoes, rice, noodles, or toast. Serves 4. This is great with peas or green beans served alongside. Enjoy!
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Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlogreaders? Please send it via e-mail. Thanks!
Hugh,
In reference to the excellent article Time “OUT”, by K.T., it is important to note the difference between “automatic” and “self winding” watches. Over the past couple of decades some companies have produced “automatic” and “kinetic” watches that charge an internal battery when the watch moves. These watches are different than “self winders” that wind the mainspring with an internal pendulum when the watch is moved. When the battery starts to go in these new automatics, it is very cost prohibitive to fix. Also, I’ll repeat what K.T. stressed in his article about buying quality mechanical watches– the cheap ones are a shadow of what a good watch should be.
Sadly, the quartz movement was much better before the EPA removed mercury from batteries. The old Hg batteries would sometimes last longer between changing than mechanical watches would last between cleanings.
Best regards, K.L.
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Hugh,
Good article on mechanical watches with the glaring omission of the Ball “Hydrocarbon Engineer” watch. I own several Rolex’s but wear the Ball brand watch around the ranch driving fence posts, slopping animals, and digging in the sand. The best Rolex does not have the impact resistance of the Ball, and it has 28 tritium vials marking the numbers, sapphire crystal, titanium/stainless band, and auto wind. Note that sapphire crystals don’t take welding splatter well and will pit, so don’t wear one while welding or grinding. Ball has been around since 1892 and led to the phrase “Being on the ball”. I’ve been a believer – O.T.
On the border: Going it alone. – H.L.
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Census Bureau: One New Migrant Enters U.S. Every 40 Seconds. – P.M.
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An excellent read on the ideals that founded our nation. The Right to Resist Evil Leaders—The Christian History. – J.W.
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Get used to toilet-to-tap water, Californians told. – T.P.
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Repel ticks with rose geranium. – J.W.
“There are more instances of the abridgement of the freedom of the people by the gradual and silent encroachment of those in power, than by violent and sudden usurpation.” – James Madison
Today, we present another entry for Round 54 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,400+ worth of prizes for this round include:
First Prize:
Second Prize:
Third Prize:
Round 54 ends on September 30st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.
Our faith influences our actions and course in life; our understanding of that faith can change the course of both action and life. If we are not careful, we will passionately study one rail on our train track, with lesser attention to the other rail; the result is not only fighting within our self, wasted energies, and veering off course but also a potentially significant train wreck, instead of efficient stewardship.
It is not my intention here to sway you to one prophetic view or another, and I won’t even mention here what mine is, other than to say that I am a believer in Jesus Christ’s work on my behalf. Some background, though, is needed. I am the editor and founder of a Christian website focusing on discernment, and providing research for over eleven years in this ministry, with Christian writing experience for over eighteen years. I have seen a very, very wide gamut of opinion, takes, interpretations, positions, et cetera on prophecy and the correlating decisions that those particular views would logically call for from an individual.
Regardless of your prophetic views, I highly encourage many aspects of prepping, and I practice it myself. The Bible is full of great examples, such as Noah, Joseph, Obadiah, Agabus, who balanced God’s provision and providence with man’s responsibility. The primary focus that I want you to consider is this: Is your focus in one area blinding you or hindering you from balancing both? Is it possible to be so focused on secular and mechanical methods and solutions that we miss a tempering hand of faith directing those efforts? On the other hand, is it possible that a limited understanding of prophecy is already directing our efforts but in the wrong direction? Or, do we have a careful regard to make sure and solid our understanding of prophecy so that all of our efforts work hand in hand for greater impact now and in eternity?
Think on this: How much money have you spent so far on your efforts? How much have you already intended to spend? How much time have you spent searching the Internet, books, shows, and elsewhere to gain a fuller knowledge of prepping? How much time have you spent trying to beat it into someone else’s head that they need to prep, too? When we look back down our train tracks and see what kind of mileage we have already burned through, and what potentially lies ahead, it makes an incredible difference if our wheels are not aligned. Internal torque and frustrations, inefficiencies, and overheating are just some of the physical and spiritual fatigues that can impact our life and that of those around us. Our train has passengers; where are we taking them? Is our train currently in good shape? You are the engineer, and this is time for routine maintenance and diagnostics.
Here is a brief checklist of potential problem areas that need to be checked:
1) Have you read the manual? I’m not talking about having read through it, hop, skip, here, and there at church. Reading your favorite section over and over again doesn’t count, either. Just like any manual, there’s the easy-to-understand stuff, how-to-get-started stuff, how-to-have-fun stuff, neat stories, bios, and anecdotes, and so forth. It’s the here’s-how-to-break-it-down-and-clean-it sections that get glossed over, along with the very important routine maintenance section with the fine print. When your engine locks up is not the time to figure out how to change the oil. What are the best operating procedures? How do I run at maximum efficiency? What are the rpms we should be running this at? Are there load and weight restrictions? Is there a help center for advice? What are the manufacturer’s tips? What’s the warranty cover? Is there a maintenance log? I think you get the point. The Bible is not just our manual for church; it is the manual for our life– every aspect of it. If we gloss over certain sections, we can quickly run into trouble, and if we are not doing routine diagnostics, we might not even be aware of brewing trouble.
Like any piece of equipment, until you have read the manual about operating it at certain speeds or functions, you should throttle back until you know how to properly approach that operation wisely. We should always make sure we are operating according to the manual’s directions.
2) Can you cite the manual?
If you’re going to run with your little red wagon, you better make sure you are running it right. Having the wheels come off later looks mighty big. I don’t pretend to have arrived. I make mistakes every single day, and sadly, I fail God every day. However, I get back up, I say, “That was stupid”, and I look in the book for guidance of what I should be doing. The biggest mistake that we all can run into is when we cite something else besides the manual.
This also happens to be the largest single mistake that I regularly see taking place, regardless of prophetic position. When I honestly ask people to give evidence why they hold to a certain position, I usually get a 60-40 mix of Bible verses along with memes, quips, and a thought(s) they heard someone else say. The problem is that that 40% meme marshmallow is built into their foundation; if that meme, Facebook quote, or witty-saying-by-so-and-so is taken out, then there isn’t much credibility to look at or consider.
If you study to get your certification in any subject, you will always be tested against what the textbook or manual says… and nothing else. Outside opinions are irrelevant to the foundational understanding of any subject. Once we have a sure foundation, we can use witty sayings or quips to echo the thoughts we have already established. So, here is the question for you, and this is the same diagnostic that I always try to use: Can you pass a test citing no other evidence besides what the manual states? Could you write out a solid evidential defense from the manual of why you are operating a particular focus in your life in a certain manner? You say you believe such-and-such about prophecy, and that throttles and colors all your actions toward prepping (time, money, relationships, energies, et cetera). Great. Since so much is at stake then, prove to me you are going in the right direction.
Have you set aside time and studied to answer that question and to make sure of the conclusion? If that question was given to you as a pop quiz, would you fail? Would you have to hit the books hard and frantic to actually learn what you only had a shallow understanding of, previously? Would half of your report be crossed out– every part that cited opinion, memes, banter, or man’s precepts?
In my reviews of various people’s defenses for their position, I’ve found that as soon as you start highlighting the portion of their foundation that is marshmallow and inadmissible, they have to resort to banter, personal attacks, and so forth. I always have to ask and check myself to make sure my positions are not being propped up by some pet opinion or witty meme found on Facebook. Are all the points and foundations that I am basing my life and actions on found solely in the manual– Scripture? If not, then my boiler may bust, my wheels wobble, and a thousand other things that will ultimately keep me from arriving at the destination and goal that I would have arrived at had I paid proper heed as a wise steward. I can burn through a lot of coal, spin my wheels, and blow a lot of steam, yet go nowhere meaningful. Only when we are properly engaged, can we gain traction to move forward in the purpose and plan that our Engineer designed for us. The greatest tragedy would be to succeed in something that does not matter.
3) Can you pass the test?
Any redneck (I are one!) can shoot guns, but there is a world of difference between them and someone trained to strip that gun down, clean it, and reassemble it blindfolded. One knows how to make a lot of noise; the other one passes inspection. We will all have to give account of our stewardship one day. Pleading ignorance will not be an option. Whenever we as preppers want to know about some new aspect or skill, we’ll hunt a thousand reviews, articles, forums, and tutorials before we settle on committing to a hefty purchase or significant time investment. Why? Because so much is at stake, if we make an uneducated commitment. Well, have you made as rigorous a search in making sure and solid the position that colors all of your time, energies, life, and focus?
Part of making sure any defense (legal or tactical) is to ruthlessly examine flaws and potential weaknesses. This is the biggest problem that I see in most people’s prophecy position defense– they have not cross-examined it, nor invited peer-review. The same preppers who will research a thousand inputs into why they should or should not do such-and-such, often do not take the exact same rigorous steps to determine if their life should follow such-and-such faith position; it is super easy to identify them, too. It is the same way you differentiate between someone who wants to learn and someone who would rather have their pet opinion on any matter: start examining and digging through their position defense.
Someone who has done their homework, research, and due diligence on any subject will not be intimidated by someone else taking a magnifying glass to it. They may be curious to see what you see, or what you are comparing it to (the manual versus your own opinion). However, in general, they are comfortable with it being examined because they have looked into it the best that they could. Someone who has only a shallow understanding of a subject gets really nervous under cross examination, and they soon have to resort to bluster and banter to make it look like they know what they are talking about. We see this in many areas of life.
So, can your position (that you are basing much of your effort and energies around) stand cross-examination? Have you explored potential weaknesses in your position? Have you invited peer-review and constructive feedback? Have you deliberately sought out what others perceive as major contradictions and errors with your position? Have you rigorously examined their points to see if any of them had validity? If any are found, are you quick and humble to adjust accordingly? Can the position you hold as a deciding factor in your life pass the test?
4) Have you proven all things?
Scripture commands us to prove all things; hold fast that which is good (I Thess. 5:21). Opinions, memes, quips, prejudices, denominational standings, and man’s precepts are not accepted evidences as proof; only Scripture is. It is a two-part command– prove what is good, and let go of what is not good.
Part of passing any test is first knowing what the questions are. I suggest you set aside a fast– not of food (although you may do that) but more importantly of distractions– television, movies, games, and frivolous activities. Part of passing any test is study time and quiet hall, too. Pray and ask God for wisdom and that He will open your eyes to behold wondrous things out of His Word, that He will direct you to the best resources, and that He will give you discernment. Those who truly want to learn will get instruction.
Get some paper, your Bible, and Bible study helps and resources; come to a determination of what you are going to hold to. Write out the statement of the major view of prophecy that is influencing and coloring many of your life actions. If possible, break it down into specific sub-points if applicable. Then, do your research, finalizing only on Scripture as the foundational evidence. You may even break it all down into evidential degrees: what Scripture is clear and weighty on a matter, what passages may be circumstantial, and what passages you are unsure of. It also helps to have another category for opinion or thoughts that you have heard used for/against for additional study to see what lies behind their use. Cross-check and look for weaknesses, and make sure those evidences are being applied in a proper manner as well. Examine all the premises; eliminate any marshmallows. Compare notes with others. Once you have gathered your position and supporting material, open it to cross-examination by a panel of people you trust to give you an indifferent, constructive critique.
Only once we have proven what is true (not who is true), and let go of what is not proven, can we make decisions in life with the proper perspective, throttle, and even destination and goal. It has been said that unguarded strength is double weakness. Yes, it is possible to be strong in one area and field intellectually, yet have it all misdirected by the area we did not make sure. It is my prayer that you will read the manual, cite the manual, pass the test, and prove all things as you seek to serve Christ first and highest, above all.
John 7:24 – “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”
Hugh,
The WHO article you mentioned says there’s another way to purify water tainted with microcystins, and it’s one of my favorite water purification methods because it can also be used as a wound cleanse, an antiseptic solution, an anti-fungal treatment for the hands and feet, a cholera disinfectant, a treatment for canker sores, a fire starter, and even a snow marker for an emergency signal. On top of all that, it’s less expensive per pound than calcium hypochlorite.
What is this wonder chemical? Potassium Permanganate (KMNO4) 98% 1lb
Some disadvantages: Calcium hypochlorite will purify about 100 times as many gallons. So you’re best buying lots of hypochlorite for most of your bulk needs and a little bit of permanganate for special cases, like mitocystins or bug-out bags. Permanganate is good for a bug-out bag, due to its multiples of uses, though you will want to mind the storage recommendations and warnings, such as flammability, so use a proper container.
More disadvantages: A little bit can quickly stain almost anything, and it seems like permanganate is more oxidizing/reactive/flammable than hypochlorite. However, I’m no chemist; do your research.
I’ve contemplated placing a few crystals in a coffee straw then sealing it with a lighter, then placing the straw inside one of those Altoids Smalls tins re-purposed as an EDC survival kit. Provided it meets the storage recommendations, I just might do it. – CDV
HJL Adds: If you are going to contemplate storing Potassium Permanganate, make sure you read the MSDS sheet. Pay particular attention to Section 10, “Stability and Reactivity”, and do not use a storage container that can potentially become shrapnel, such as glass. KMnO4 is such a strong oxidizer that if the right conditions exist, it can produce gas fast enough to simulate an explosive property.
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Good morning, Hugh,
You posted today about water filtration and purification regarding the Toledo, Ohio water crisis, and pointed out that calcium hypochlorite is effective against mytocystin in the water.
Two questions: First, is there a good way to store calcium hypochlorite to prevent its degradation? I buy the 1-pound plastic packages, rather than 5 or 10 gallon buckets, because it’s easier to use, and if something happens to one package I’ve lost one pound, not five or ten. The container (a plastic box with lid) in which I store them reeks of chlorine because the plastic bags HCH comes in are slightly porous. My concern is corrosive fumes leaking/escaping from the plastic tub and causing problems with other stored items.
Second, you mentioned sand filters. I’m hoping you share your research on them with us. Sand filters sound like a possible simple and inexpensive means of initial water purification. Thanks – N.O.
HJL Responds: The only practical storage container is chemically resistant plastic, as CaOCl2 is highly corrosive to zinc (galvanized metal), corrosive to most metals, and mildly corrosive to glass. For long-term storage, you need better containers than what the product is usually sold in. The thin, standard food-grade, plastic buckets are still somewhat permeable to the chemical. Polyethylene will give you the best performance with thicker walls being better.
Medical examiner rules James Brady’s death a homicide. – T.P.
This one leaves you scratching your head. Do they really expect to try a man who was already found not guilty 33 years ago?
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Thousands Of Gallons Of Water Stolen From Small Town’s Fire Department – JBG
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How to Build the Ultimate Survival Shelter – RBS
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(Warning: Graphic) ISIS Sweeps The Middle East In A Method Reminiscent of Genghis Khan – B.B.
After seeing ISIS in action, I am beginning to understand God’s command to Moses and Joshua in ancient times to wipe them out. This truly is an abomination to all that is good.
Article quote: “Never again has morphed into never mind.”
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Woman takes matter into own hands during home invasion – T.P.
“What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?” – James 2:14-16 (KJV)
August 9th, 1831 is the birthday of James Paris Lee. Lee, who died February 24, 1904, was a Scottish-Canadian and later American inventor and arms designer, best known for inventing the bolt action that led to the Lee-Metford and Lee-Enfield series of rifles.
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Harrison Tactical Gear has upgraded their online checkout system and can now give SurvivalBlog readers a 10% discount on anything in their online store. Just use the code “survivalblog14” during checkout to automatically receive the discount.
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Today, we present another entry for Round 54 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,400+ worth of prizes for this round include:
First Prize:
Second Prize:
Third Prize:
Round 54 ends on September 30st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.
