Odds ‘n Sods:

An informative assessment that looks like it is spot-on. Bundy Boots the BLM – Is This a Significant Moment?

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A short article on what if a suitcase nuke went off in DC, but it has a link to the Government report that is a good source of information about planning. 120 pages! – B.L.

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Turning off AC to modern high rise building that houses major financial organizations could really disrupt things.

Hackers Are Sneaking Via Unlikeliest of Places, Try Vending Machines And Air Conditioning Units. – H.L.

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The last section of this video details a woefully under-reported threat facing many residents of the the Pacific Northwest. – E.G.

Notes from HJL:

Today we present another entry for Round 52 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course (a $1,195 value),
  2. 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,
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear,
  5. A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value),
  6. A $300 Gift Certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  7. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  8. A roll of $10 face value in pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver quarters, courtesy of GoldAndSilverOnline.com, (currently valued at around $180 postpaid),
  9. Both VPN tunnel and DigitalSafe annual subscriptions from Privacy Abroad (a combined value of $195),
  10. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304,
  11. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit, and
  12. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate.

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100 foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. Acorn Supplies is donating a Deluxe Food Storage Survival Kit with a retail value of $350,
  4. The Ark Instituteis donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package–enough for two families of four, seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate– a $325 retail value,
  5. $300 worth of ammo from Patriot Firearms and Munitions. (They also offer a 10% discount for all SurvivalBlog readers with coupon code SVB10P .),
  6. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  7. A full set of all 26 books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  8. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value),
  9. Autrey’s Armory – specialists in AR-15, M4s, parts, and accessories is donating a $250 gift certificate,
  10. Dri-Harvestfoods.com in Bozeman, Montana is providing a prize bundle with Beans, Buttermilk Powder, Montana Hard Red Wheat, Drink Mixes, and White Rice, valued at $333,
  11. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate, and
  12. Organized Prepperis providing a $500 gift certificate.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security,
  5. A MURS Dakota Alert Base Station Kit with a retail value of $240 from JRH Enterprises,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances, and
  7. Ambra Le Roy Medical Products in North Carolina is donating a bundle of their traditional wound care and first aid supplies, with a value of $208.

Round 52 ends on May 31st, 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.

How To Be Fully Prepared By Taking Charge of Your Health, Our Story, by J.D.

We began our quest to take charge of our health just prior to the end of 2011. Here is our story!

This article is for the purpose of sharing how two individuals (referred to as Person #1 and Person #2) with differing health issues took it upon themselves to learn about their health, deal with their issues, and get off many prescribed drugs. “One size does not fit all.” Eighty-seven percent of those who write the Clinical Guidelines that doctors follow have ties to the pharmaceutical industry! (UPDATE: 2014 an article just came out that states now that number is 53%, but it’s still too high! See “How to Cure Diabetes” page iii & JAMA article Jan 2014 “More than a Billion People Taking Statins”)

http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1787389
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=194615

When doctors use the same protocols to prescribe the same drugs for every person, never looking for the root of the problem much less at what nutrient deficiencies exist that could be causing the problems, something is wrong!

We have achieved a number of successes, which hopefully will encourage you and demonstrate that some of you can do the same. We learned that we needed to find out what our body was missing and attempt to replenish those nutrients, as well as stop putting things into our body that have no nutritional value or, worse, harms the body chemistry! The body can heal itself, if you treat it with care rather than taking the easy route and merely masking symptoms with another drug.

Where did we start to learn about our health and how to correct problems? (For the serious student only. It requires a lot of reading and time to change your health, but the results are well worth it.)

  1. Books and TW Newsletter of Dr. Sherry Rogers, a physician of 40+ years who finally realized there were some important things missing in her medical training– Molecular Biochemistry and a recognition that the body can heal itself (See “The High Blood Pressure Hoax” pages 39, 202, 222)! She has spent her retirement empowering others on how to take control of their health and find their own cures, using natural means, since the hierarchy in medicine is more concerned about keeping people sick, so their profits increase. http://www.prestigepublishing.com
  2. We started with the following four books by Dr. Sherry Rogers, which are very inexpensive for what you get: “The Cholesterol Hoax“, “The High Blood Pressure Hoax“, “Is Your Cardiologist Killing You“, and her latest book “How to Cure Diabetes“, which lists the nutrients in one section that most people lack, and how to correct them . Later we subscribed to her TW Newsletter to keep learning and keep abreast of new information. (NOTE: Dr. Rogers’ books have something in them for every problem, regardless of the title because most health problems are interrelated.)

Person #1: Changes and Results (over a two-year period, starting the end of 2011):

Description: This person was relatively healthy, took no drugs, but had some lipid levels that could be reduced (cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL), was a little overweight and not very active (trying to work on that), as well as a had some TSH level (thyroid) that was creeping up. She has no gallbladder, which caused some bowel problems after eating! She was a sweet and soda pop junkie! Eating habits needed to improve.

  1. Soda pop. She stopped it cold turkey because it has zero nutritional value and is full of refined sugars and high fructose corn syrup, which is bad for you. (Did you know it is also in ice cream, candy, salad dressings, and many grocery products?) She has no heart problems but noticed she would have what felt like angina and arrhythmia periodically. Now she knows what was causing this problem because it stopped after she stopped drinking soda pop. Listen to your body!
  2. Sweets. She was a sweet addict. She now tries to eat 70% dark chocolate occasionally, when she wants a sweet, but she tries to limit her overall intake. She has substituted a coconut smoothie, watermelon, and nuts. Her cravings have reduced significantly since changing her eating habits and supplementing with nutrients. Cravings are a sign your body doesn’t have something it needs. Feed it the right things, and those cravings go away. (Did you know sugar fuels cancers?)
  3. Trans fatty acids. Try to avoid foods with TFAs in them. “TFAs and plastics damage lipid metabolism, constrict blood vessels, and raise cholesterol and triglycerides” (“How to Cure Diabetes” page 163). (Did you know that the FDA allows manufacturers to add trans fatty acids and not label it, as long as it is under 500 mg per 1/2 cup? – “The High Blood Pressure Hoax” page 63)
  4. Salad Dressing. She started making her own with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (1 cup) and Balsamic vinegar (1/4 cup). Then she adds spices, like thyme and oregano with some salt and pepper to taste. The store dressings are full of high fructose corn syrup and other junk.
  5. Water. She started drinking filtered water (Berkey Light), after noticing that by drinking water in plastic bottles over a few months that her TSH level increased. Plastic water bottles leach phthalates (plasticizers) as do all plastic products, including food wrappings. Products in plastics should be avoided as much as possible, even though it’s everywhere. Her main beverage now is filtered water. (The body needs a lot of water to function properly– eight glasses per day. However, it should be good water without fluoride and other chemicals that are toxic.)
  6. Cod Liver oil. Carlson Lemon liquid is the purest on the market, and doesn’t promote the fish burp, like the fakes out there do. It tastes refreshing. She uses one teaspoon daily after supper, and takes it with her Vitamin D3, which helps metabolize the D3 more effectively. RESULT: It reduced her triglycerides 23% in 6 months, among other benefits. (“The Cholesterol Hoax” pages 141 and 161.) You can find it here: http://www.needs.com Her lipids– Cholesterol/HDL Ratio– is the most important concern for her to watch. It continues to decrease, as well as the triglycerides. She contributes a lot of this to the quality cod liver oil.
  7. Vitamin D3. She now takes 2,000iu daily. (Many need 4,000iu, to start, if blood levels are under 60 ng/ml.) It takes two to six months to correct a D3 deficiency. (Carlson D3 is one of the best.) She had her Vitamin D3 levels tested for the first time. (The blood test to ask for is the Vitamin D3 25-Hydroxy, which revealed she was a little low.) Most people are extremely low. She now gets this tested annually and suggests others do the same! Vitamin D receptors are in nearly every tissue of the body, and it causes cancer cells to go back to becoming normal cells (called Apoptosis). Therefore, this nutrient (Dr. Rogers says it’s really a hormone) is extremely important to your health!
  8. Clay. This works through the digestive system. It does not enter the blood, and it’s a great detox. Due to having no gallbladder, she would previously have diarrhea shortly after eating. She started drinking 2 oz of clay a day (one in the AM and one in the PM), and it solved that problem and also made her more regular. It made her teeth whiter, and she received rave reviews from her dentist. She also got immediate relief from a stove burn on a finger by applying the clay mask to the finger very soon after the burn. Where a blister was starting to form, it never fully developed because the clay stopped it as well as the pain from the burn. The next day, it was like it never happened. Those are only a few benefits of a good clay that she has experienced, but there are many more. Remember, all clays are not equal in purity, so be selective. (She heard about this on a radio show.)
    http://www.livingclayco.com
    http://www.aboutclay.com
  9. Sugar. She switched to coconut sugar for her coffee in the morning. Refined sugar is not good for you. Other good sugars include Just Like Sugar http://www.justlikesugar.com and Stevia (as long as it’s pure. Don’t fall for Truvia, it’s the corrupted version of Stevia). Bad fake sugars: Aspartame, Nutrasweet, Splenda, et cetera). (Did you know that these fake sugars elevate cholesterol and make you hungrier than natural sugars? “The Cholesterol Hoax” page 186.)
  10. Meat. Some don’t eat meat, but there are some of us who can’t do without it. Therefore, they found a local grass-fed meat producer who uses no vaccines or hormones and bought meat from them. She rarely buys it in the stores anymore and has stopped eating anything with nitrites in it– hot dogs and cold cuts. Buy local when you can!
  11. Real Salt (Redmond) Natural Sea Salt. This is better than refined salt.
  12. Coconut Milk & Coconut Oil. She cooks with coconut oil and no longer buys other unhealthy and refined cooking oils, some of which are GMO (Ex: canola oil) (See “How to Cure Diabetes” page 159). She also drinks a coconut milk smoothie (1 cup orange juiceJ, 1 Tbsp. Honey, 1/2 can coconut milk, and 1 banana) daily. Coconut has gotten a bad rap. It is a medium chain triglyceride that assimilates well in the body, and it has many benefits. (See book by Dr. Bruce Fife “The Coconut Oil Miracle“.)
  13. Kale. She started eating kale a few times a week. This is highly nutritious! (Tear it off the stalk and bring to boil in water, then cook for less than 10 minutes.)
  14. Carlson Aces with Zinc and Iodoral. She lowered her thyroid (TSH level) by a whole point by taking one Carlson Aces with Zinc & 1/2 Iodoral daily for three months. She also thinks using real salt, instead of refined salt helped, as well as no longer drinking from plastic bottles and drinking filtered water.

TIP: Ask your doctor for a copy of your blood test results, and then make a chart which will show your progress over time, or what you need to do more work on.

Person #2 Changes and Results (over a two-year period, starting the end of 2011):

Description: She had high blood pressure, GERD, a hiatal hernia, one knee replacement (the other knee was weak), struggles with her weight, from time to time had herpes lip blisters (only one in two years, after making changes), and was diagnosed with diabetes 2, with diagnosis since reversed.

She was taking five drugs (some for over 10 years), and on various ones from time to time for high blood pressure. These included: Losarten, Tiazac (Calcium Channel Blocker that shrinks the brain and more), Metoprolol (diuretic that depletes potassium and more), one for cholesterol (Crestor, the cash cow statin, which now everyone is being told they need to be on), one for GERD (Pantoloc, which also depletes many nutrients), and soon would have been on a new diabetes drug. She thought that labels in the store that read “Diet” were the more healthy choices for her struggle with weight, but she later discovered that diet pop has aspartame, as do many products, and is even worse for you than regular pop and makes you gain weight. (See “How to Cure Diabetes” page 163.)

So, what did she do?

  1. Regarding her diabetes diagnosis, she immediately bought a treadmill and set out to lose weight. Over many months she slowly lost 100 pounds. She reversed this diagnosis, and her blood sugar is now normal. She has not had a bad reading since the initial diagnosis.
  2. After learning from Dr. Rogers books, she asked her doctor to order the Cardio Ion Test from Metametrix Lab, located in Georgia– a test highly recommended by Dr. Rogers. This is a 13-page assay of your total body molecular biochemistry. It is a little high priced, so if you can’t afford this test, purchase a copy of “How to Cure Diabetes“, and you will find a list of the nutrients most people are low in (page 181), and what to do to remedy the problem. Then read, read!
  3. She consulted over the phone with Dr. Rogers on the results of the Cardio Ion Test (a 1-hour appointment) and received a regime of nutrients to take over time to fix the body chemistry that was ailing, as shown on the biochemical assay. She then began using the nutrients suggested to replenish depleted nutrients, partly caused by prescription drugs.
  4. She began the process to fix problems with a change in lifestyle, eating habits and by using the appropriate nutrients, NOT DRUGS, to replenish and correct the body chemistry! She also started cooking at home more, and stopped eating out as much.

Results: (over a period of two years)

  1. She is off four of the five drugs that she had been put on for life. (Once on drugs, you rarely get taken off unless you say something and take action), She also lowered the dose of her blood pressure drug to the lower available dosage, 25 mg (Losarten).
  2. Her blood pressure is now normal and continues to be so. She used: Natural Calm (magnesium), Carlson L-Arginine powder, Carlson Acetyl-L Carnitine powder and other nutrients to correct this problem. She still uses these and keeps tabs on her blood pressure periodically! She had to slowly wean off of the three blood pressure medications, while taking these corrective nutrients. Slow changes are important with these medications!
  3. For her GERD, she stopped taking the pill immediately, as it is an acid-blocking drug, and acid is quite necessary for proper digestion. It also depletes nutrients. There are other ways to deal with GERD naturally. (NOTE: Some may need to be tapered off these drugs to avoid a rebound effect. She was able to get off of it quickly, without this effect, and has had no problems since. (If you have this problem, check out Zinlori by Metagenics.)
  4. Regarding cholesterol, her statin– Crestor– was stopped immediately! After reading much on this subject, we think the statin was lowering her cholesterol way too much, as well as lowering vital nutrients, which we think brought on her diabetes diagnosis. She also exhibited the symptoms of mania and being zoned out. Since she has been off this drug, she no longer exhibits these symptoms and her cholesterol is normal. (Cholesterol that is too low is dangerous.) She used: Carlson Cod Liver Oil, which is much better than a statin, and magnesium, which acts like a statin. These nutrients don’t deplete CoQ10, Zinc, Selenium, Vitamin E, folate, et cetera the way statins do. (Did you know that Lipitor sales exceeded $120 billion between 1996 & 2011, and now they have changed guidelines to where they predict more will go on statins, even if healthy?) What do you think that will do for their profits? Also, do a search on Dr. Duane Graveline, and read about his TIA experience while on a statin. He states they damage the mitochondria. (See “New Study Fine Tunes Diabetes Statin Link” (WSJ, 8-10-12, Wang)(“How to Cure Diabetes” page 290.)
  5. She reversed Diabetes 2! This diagnosis woke her up and made her start taking her health into her own hands. She only had one bad blood glucose reading, and that was the one when she was diagnosed. Taking immediate action after that diagnosis is why she successfully reversed her diabetes.
  6. 6) Her first D3 test was 45 ng/ml. It should be over 60 ng/ml. Her levels are now normal. This was very important!

Drugs deplete nutrients that the body needs to stay well. If you can get off drugs by finding a natural substitute, we advise you to do so. After consulting with your doctor, find your deficiencies and correct them, and then slowly weaning off the drugs.

If we can do this, anyone can. It just takes a lot of reading and a commitment to want to be healthier WITHOUT DRUGS!

You will never be truly prepared until you act on behalf of your own health and stop believing the lies that drugs are an answer for every ailment. Big medicine needs to learn to share with natural products, because we know they work. We are proof that you can CURE yourself of some ailments, if you get educated, change your lifestyle, and correct your deficiencies.

GOOD LUCK ON YOUR QUEST FOR HEALTH! WE FOUND IT, AND YOU CAN ALSO. THE TIME YOU SPEND LEARNING WILL BE WELL WORTH THE RESULTS! GIVE IT A TRY!

STOP BEING A CASH COW FOR MONOPOLY MEDICINE AND BIG PHARMA!

START LEARNING HOW TO BE HEALTHY!

YOU WILL ONLY BE TRULY PREPARED, WHEN YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF YOUR HEALTH AND NO LONGER NEED TO RELY ON DRUGS!

WARNINGS:

  1. “Don’t stop what your doctor has ordered until you have cured yourself” (Dr. Rogers “How to Cure Diabetes” page 46.)
  2. “Some drugs cannot be abruptly stopped but have to be systematically weaned off over months.” (Dr. Rogers “How to Cure Diabetes” page 46)
  3. “There is a powerful force with obscene financial incentives that has worked hard to keep this information secret.” (Dr. Rogers “How to Cure Diabetes” page viii.)

Pat’s Product Review – Cold Steel Recon Scout

Over the years, I’ve tested quite a few knives from Cold Steel, and I’ve yet to be disappointed in any of them. We’re going to take a closer look at the Cold Steel Recon Scout. This is one brute of a fixed blade knife, which is made In Taiwan, for those who ask. I’ve known Lynn Thompson, who owns Cold Steel, for at least 20 years or more, and he is one of these people who is dead serious about his knife designs and the final product. Lynn has, on more than one occasion, sent back an entire run of knives after he received them and inspected them. He won’t settle for shoddy workmanship with the Cold Steel name stamped on his products. To be sure, once in a while a “second” will slip through or a customer returns a knife for “whatever” reason. He won’t sell those knives as new; he sells them as “seconds” so you don’t ever have to worry about buying someone else’s used knife when you buy a new knife from Cold Steel. Once a year, Cold Steel holds a yard sale at their offices, where you can buy discontinued, “seconds”, or returned knives at a huge discount.

The name of this website is SurvivalBlog, so many of the knives (and other products) we test and report on are designed for survival, not just wilderness survival but survival on the mean streets. We also cover products suitable for camping and hunting needs and products that you can use around your home all the time. However, the Cold Steel Recon Scout is without a doubt one of the absolute best all-around survival knives you will ever find. It is designed to take whatever you can throw at it and come back for more, again and again!

Just a quick run down on the specs from the Cold Steel website on the Recon Scout is in order. We are looking at a fixed blade knife with a blade that is 7 1/2 inches long and made out of SK-5 High Carbon, NOT stainless steel. However, there is a black powder coating on the blade to help ward-off rust. One of the things I like best about carbon steel blades is that they hold an edge for the longest time, and when they do dull they are easy to bring back to scary sharp in a couple of minutes. The overall length of the Recon Scout is 12 1/2 inches, and it weighs a hefty 15 ounces. The blade thickness is 5/16-inches. Read that again; it is more than a quarter of an inch thick. The handle material is Long Kray-Ex, and I’m not sure what it is exactly, other than it feels like rubber, hard rubber. It has cross checkers for a good hold, and there is a lanyard hold in the butt of the handle. The sheath is made out of Secure-Ex, and it is a polymer material.

I’ve tested a lot of Cold Steel fixed blade knives, as well as folding knives over the years, and I believe that the Recon Scout is my favorite of the lot for camping, hunting, military use, and survival use. If you can break this knife, you should join the U.S. Marine Corps. They can break just about anything. I’ve tried to do some serious damage to the Recon Scout, all to no avail.

First off, the Recon Scout came as sharp as sharp can be. I would have been disappointed if it wasn’t up to my expectations. Then again, I’ve said it many times, I honestly believe that Cold Steel set the gold standard when it comes to sharp factory knives. I could take a piece of copy paper and slice off a piece from the top of the paper that was ever so thin. Try that with another knife that is 5/16th of an inch thick. It can’t be done.

This knife was made for chopping, too. It has just the right blade length and amount of heft to it to enable you to really chop. I have a lot of timber on my small homestead, so I never lack for a tree or branch to chop on. The Recon Scout is like a hatchet, when it comes to chopping. I also took some free-hanging poly rope, which is tough to cut because it is so slick. I could easily cut right through it, with one swing of the blade. Try that with many other fixed blades knives.

One test I don’t normally do with many knives is trying to break off the blade’s tip. It’s easier done that you think. How many times have you taken your pocket knife and used it for prying on something,only to have the tip snap right off? Yeah, that’s what I thought. I pounded the Recon Scout’s blade into a tree, about half an inch or maybe a little deeper with a hammer, and I “snapped” the knife out sideways numerous times trying to break the tip of the blade off. It didn’t happen! It won’t happen, either!

I took an old used car tire with steel belts and went to work on it with the Recon Scout. It easily cut through the rubber and the steel belts. Try that with many other knives and see what happens. I chopped on 2X4 wood, cut through cardboard boxes, and even used the knife in the kitchen a few times. It came through with flying colors. I threw the knife at a big pine tree, trying to make it stick. It never did. I did manage to finally scuff the black coating on the blade but just a little bit. I also did some digging in my yard, and we have a lot of rocks in our soil. I finally, at long last, managed to dull the blade. A few minutes on the croc stix had the blade scary-sharp all over again.

The Recon Scout used to come with a Nylon-type sheath, and while it was ok, I always wanted something more. Current knives come with the Secure-Ex sheath, and it is really a dandy one. You don’t have to worry about the sheath getting wet, staying wet, and causing the knife to rust. Nor do you have to worry about the tip of the knife poking through the sheath, if you’re not careful putting it back into the sheath.

The Recon Scout retails for $199.99, but you can sometimes find it discounted a bit, if you check around. Yeah, it’s not cheap, but quality never comes cheap. Now, for the bad news. If you go out and get a Recon Scout for your survival purposes or camping/hunting use, it might just be the last fixed blade knife you’ll ever need. I can’t recommend this knife highly enough. It is impressive and will handle many jobs that lesser fixed blade knives can’t handle. So, be advised, this might be the last fixed blade knife you will ever buy.

Letter Re: Cliven Bundy Support

Dear Editor,

I am writing to you today in support of Cliven Bundy. I attended Saturday’s rally at the Bundy Ranch in support of this rancher and his family. It is true that his family history of ranching this land pre-dates the BLM. It is also true that the BLM has regulated approximately 52 ranchers out of this area of Nevada in the past several years. Mr. Bundy refused to give them anymore of his money, reasoning that why give them the funds to regulate against him to remove him from the land.

The BLM has frequently used the tactics of endangered species to garner public support. It should be known that the desert tortoise reserve near Las Vegas has recently been closed, according to the BLM, due to lack of funding to support the tortoises. Many have been euthanized as they are considered un-adoptable. However, that same agency without funding for the tortoises has spent millions, I would guess, building a militarized compound outside the Bundy ranch, scrambling BLM personnel from neighboring states, and hiring outside contractors to rustle Mr. Bundy’s cattle and corral them. They also hauled heavy equipment onto his property and broke up water lines and cisterns that the Bundy’s had paid for themselves to water the cattle. These water supplies are also used by the wild animals that enjoy the same range land. The personal accounts of the family, as they told their story, was heartbreaking. This is the instance of one rancher and his family. We are all as vulnerable as they. The heavy hand of the federal government was never so visible as it has been this past week in Clark County, NV. I am proud of my fellow countrymen and women that gathered to stand with the Bundy family.

Thankfully, the BLM pulled back and for now it appears peaceful at the Bundy ranch. I was proud to be present and take a stand for the Bundy family this past Saturday. – H.D.

HJL Replies: It’s good to see people exercising their rights. The battle will continue on and rumors abound, so people need to keep a close eye on what is happening. What I find surprising is that the main stream media hardly covered the event at all, even when it escalated. The alternative media and Internet have proved invaluable here, as it has abroad, in keeping the power in the hands of the people. This will not be the end of this situation, and other situations may crop up both here and across the country. The people need to stay vigilant to reign in the abuses.

Economics and Investing:

Every Central Bank for Itself

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More indications of the state of the economy and how people like you are responding to it: A SurvivalBlog reader reports that time to delivery of his PM shipments are averaging about 133 days from order to delivery.

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Items from The Economatrix:

20 Price Increases That Are Breaking America’s Middle Class Families

Retailers Still Have A Lot Of Heavy Lifting To Do Despite March Gains

Russia Announces Decoupling Trade From Dollar

The U.S. Dollar: Currency Masquerading as Money

Goodbye American Middle Class: New Report Reveals That 62 Percent Of Americans Earn $20 Or Less Per Hour. Household Income Stuck In Neutral For A Generation.

Odds ‘n Sods:

This is so preposterous, yet it fits right in with Obama’s history of governance. Mark Levin warns: Obama preparing country for coup against Constitution. – P.M.

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EBOLA Detection Kits Deployed To National Guard Units In All 50 States. – T.Y.

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Shakedown: Treasury now seizing tax refunds from adult children to pay parents’ decades-old Social Security debts. – SDS

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Denver Schools to hire previously illegal immigrants. – B.R.

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Make Matches Waterproof With Nail Polish. – R.F.

Note that the picture only shows the heads of the matches covered. Wood is porus, and if you don’t seal the whole match, it may not matter as the water can be drawn up into the head through the wood via capillary action.

Notes from HJL:

As of Saturday afternoon (April 12, 2014), it appears that the supporters of Cliven Bundy, through their rapid response and willingness to escalate, have successfully forced the hand of the Feds. The court orders still stand, but the BLM has (wisely) decided that to pursue the matter further would endanger the safety of the public and their employees. You can bet that the situation is not resolved, but the inappropriate escalation of the BLM is done for now. Hopefully, this will go back to the courts for resolution rather than to the field.

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Today we present another entry for Round 52 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course (a $1,195 value),
  2. 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,
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear,
  5. A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value),
  6. A $300 Gift Certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  7. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  8. A roll of $10 face value in pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver quarters, courtesy of GoldAndSilverOnline.com, (currently valued at around $180 postpaid),
  9. Both VPN tunnel and DigitalSafe annual subscriptions from Privacy Abroad (a combined value of $195),
  10. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304,
  11. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit, and
  12. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate.

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100 foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. Acorn Supplies is donating a Deluxe Food Storage Survival Kit with a retail value of $350,
  4. The Ark Instituteis donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package–enough for two families of four, seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate– a $325 retail value,
  5. $300 worth of ammo from Patriot Firearms and Munitions. (They also offer a 10% discount for all SurvivalBlog readers with coupon code SVB10P .),
  6. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  7. A full set of all 26 books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  8. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value),
  9. Autrey’s Armory – specialists in AR-15, M4s, parts, and accessories is donating a $250 gift certificate,
  10. Dri-Harvestfoods.com in Bozeman, Montana is providing a prize bundle with Beans, Buttermilk Powder, Montana Hard Red Wheat, Drink Mixes, and White Rice, valued at $333,
  11. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate, and
  12. Organized Prepperis providing a $500 gift certificate.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security,
  5. A MURS Dakota Alert Base Station Kit with a retail value of $240 from JRH Enterprises,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances, and
  7. Ambra Le Roy Medical Products in North Carolina is donating a bundle of their traditional wound care and first aid supplies, with a value of $208.

Round 52 ends on May 31st, 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.

My Two Cents, by G.H.

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I read with interest the after action reports for Sandy and the ice storm in the South, and I wanted to let people know what I have learned after three natural disasters, two ice storms, and a microburst. They all came on with little notice. The ice storm in January wasn’t supposed to be much of anything until it covered the area with over two inches of ice. In some areas there was no power for 42 days after that one! The microburst came at 2am in July and knocked down every power pole on the main road for miles. Recovery took five days for that one. It wasn’t bad because it was in the summer, and we didn’t have to deal with heating. Then there was ICEMAS 2013, Christmas week. Four days there were temperatures down to -17°F.

If you are on municipal water, don’t trust it after the power goes down. Fill your jugs and bathtub from the treated water in the pipes. Then don’t use any without boiling or treating it because having no power means you have no treated water. If you are on a well, after the power goes out is not the time to think about storing water. If you have time to prepare, get that bath tub filled to the overflow line. Not having a flush toilet just because you didn’t store some flush water is just one more thing you wish you had.

If the disaster comes on suddenly, like a microburst, there is no time to prepare at that point. The preparation happens when you purchase a storage tank and keep it filled. This can be done easily with a “Temper Tank”. This is a 42-gallon, fiberglass pressure tank that is installed at the point just before the water enters a hot water heater or an on-demand, instant type heater. The tank’s job is to even out the differences between summer and winter water intake temperature. If you are on municipal water when the power goes down, close off the valve to this “Temper Tank” to prevent contaminated water from entering. Then, the water is always fresh because you have been drawing hot water every day, thus, refreshing the “Temper Tank”. All you have to do is open the drain valve on the bottom of the tank and draw off potable water as needed via gravity. Located at the top of a “Temper Tank” is an air admittance valve that allows air into the tank as you draw off water, so the tank doesn’t implode from vacuum.

If you don’t have a generator, you should have at least four gallons of frozen water stored in your freezer to keep your fridge cool for short power outages (up to a couple of days). Move two of the frozen 1-gallon jugs from the freezer to the fridge to draw out warmth. These can also be used as potable water after they have melted. If you do have a generator, only operate it four hours at a time to stretch your fuel reserve. Swap your gallon water jugs between the freezer and the fridge each cycle. If it’s cold enough outside, simply re-freeze the jugs outside overnight.

I decided to optimize my resources by utilizing only one fuel– kerosene– for heat, lights, hot water, and cooking. It can be stored in large quantities safely, and it will not deteriorate if kept in a sealed container and out of the sun. Heat is obvious with kerosene. Open a window 1″ in each room where there is an operating kerosene heater and you will not die! Really! The portable heaters are available everywhere. I use a mixture of modern portables (non-pinned wicks, 22,000btu) and antique Perfection brand heaters (11,000 btu). I like the Perfections because they heat up faster than the modern units and shut down with way less smell. Additionally, you can fill the founts away from the heater, and the heaters are easily carried about. However, you must clean them between every tank of fuel. Don’t worry; it only takes about two minutes. Wick replacement can be accomplished without any tools, and you don’t have to spend an hour without heat. Wick replacement should only take five minutes. For more information: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KeroseneHeaterandStoveCollector & http://heatburner.websitetoolbox.com/ See Miles Stair for replacement wicks.

Military Thermo-Electric Kettle Fans keep ALL the heat from these heaters on the floor. They pop up as new surplus all over the Internet from time to time, but be aware they are pricy yet essential for not heating the ceiling (unless you live on the ceiling).

For everyday on-grid use, I use a Toyotomi Direct Vent kerosene fueled heater as my primary heat source. My water is heated by a Toyotomi kerosene-fueled water heater. Why these? Both can easily operate on a generator or, for a day, on a battery inverter/charger/switcher setup. (I used Dual Optima 8050-160 D31T batteries and a Surefire Heater Sentry 600w inverter/charger/switcher.)

For emergency cooking, few people use kerosene. It seems everybody turns to the Coleman portable propane or white gas, twin-burner camping stoves, but you can’t use them inside. I prefer to stay indoors to cook when it is -17°F!

A hundred years ago if you didn’t have access to gas, kerosene stoves were the preferred stove. Sure people can and do heat things up on a kerosene heater, but a kerosene stove produces a more concentrated heat with a blue, gas-like flame. There are several modern Korean multi-wick kerosene stoves available, Alpaca being the most recognized. These are tiny portable single-burner stoves. They can be purchased and ganged together in a stand for multiple burners. There is also a single-wick, #2688 Sockwick stove by Butterfly. It is a modern version of the Kerosun portable stove.

I prefer the vintage single-wick Perfection kerosene stoves in either the stand-a-lone cooktops or portable stoves, which can be purchased with one to five burners. The top of the line stoves have a built-in oven. I personally use an antique (1950’s) Perfection dual-burner portable kerosene stove. New reproductions are available from Schwartz Manufacturing, 1261 W 200 S, Berne, IN 46711-9779. You have to write them because it is an Amish concern. These stoves are also available through Shetler’s Wholesale, (260) 368-9069, fax: 260.368.9902 P.O.Box 8, 630 High St. Geneva, IN 46740. The single-burner portable stove is the 600MFG-Q model, and the double-burner portable stove is the 620-WQ model. New selected stand-a-lone models show up from time to time at Lehman’s https://www.lehmans.com. While kerosene stoves do produce a flame-like gas, you will heat things slower because the pot or pan must sit atop the tall chimney of the kerosene burner to produce the correct burn without smoke. Unlike the Alpaca’s, Sockwick’s, or the Kerosun models, you heat with an intense column of heat rather than a flame. By the way, the food doesn’t taste like kerosene either, if you were wondering.

There are also portable ovens that set on top of the kerosene burners. Perfection was the most famous cook-top oven. Boss made them as well as Griswold. Modern reproductions of the Perfections are still available from the above stove links and Lehman’s . I have found the portable stove-top ovens bake superior to a modern oven because of the flow of heat. There are no hot or cold spots. Don’t be fooled by the knock-down camping ovens. They’re not in the same league as a true Perfection or Schwartz reproduction. Kerosene stoves can also be used for emergency heating and will produce heat for over half a day on a single gallon of kerosene. Antiques are available on Ebay and generally cheaper than new, if you don’t mind rebuilding them. The fuel for these stoves (and lamps/lanterns) is water clear kerosene ONLY. Do NOT use pink stuff because it clogs up the wicks. In a pinch a SAD heater can also be used for cooking with kerosene only; do NOT use Kleen Heat for cooking. The best emergency lighting, off generator, is accomplished with Propane-powered wall lights by Humphrey. You get 50-60 watts of light per mantle with 2000 Btu of heat. One pound of propane delivers 11 hrs of light. If you use gas for cooking, it is easy to tee into the gas line and place a gas light above your cooktop. Make sure you have extra mantles on hand!

For portable light, I use kerosene with both wall-mounted and table models, burning Kleen Strip’s Kleen Heat. You can turn the wick higher without smoke and obtain more light with the Kleen Heat, plus there is almost no smell. It is basically Low Odor Mineral Spirits with the flash point raised to the kerosene level of 140°F. In kerosene carry lanterns, I prefer the Dietz #90 D-Lite style. They output less light than the tall style Hurricane lanterns, but for walking with a lantern as your only light, the #90 D-Lite puts more light on the ground and runs for a really long time between fillings. You can get them from W. T. Kirkman. Either antiques or modern reproduction lamps or lanterns work fine. For maximum light with flat wick kerosene lamps, not lanterns, I recommend replacing the 7/8″ (antique) or 1″ (modern) wick of a #2 Queen Anne or Eagle burner with a #3 Queen Anne Burner that utilizes a 1-1/2″ wick for more light. It will retrofit the #2 oil lamp collars to #3’s with dual size threads. This jumps the output of a single burner from 12 CP to 20 CP. They are available from http://www.Oillampparts.com . Duplex burners, if American and using 1-1/2″ wicks, can output up to 45 CP. A Rayo center-draft lamp can output 80 CP but only if you have a borosilicate glass chimney (e.g. Pyrex) and ONLY when using Kleen Heat or Low Odor Mineral Spirits (not kerosene) in center draft lamps. See Miles Stair for the premium chimneys . He also has high quality OEM-style replacement wicks, not the poor quality ones found at the local hardware store.

Why kerosene? During a storm power outage, it may be impossible to get your propane tanks refilled or if you have a large tank, getting a home delivery. Kerosene can not only be stored safely for years but with five gallon cans you can obtain it yourself. I prefer to store my kerosene in recycled plastic drums. If you hunt around, these can be found intact with bungs. Get drums with a minimum capacity of 30 gallons, preferably 55 gallons, and in blue color to keep the light out. Then, purchase 5-10 gallons of kerosene every pay period. You will fill that 55-gallon drum in just a few months. Speaking of kerosene cans, the California mandated CARB gurgle cans are a POS! Please spend the $ and obtain real high-flow cans. My recommendation is the military “Jerry” cans. Usually things were made better years ago. However, with military “Jerry” cans, unless you already have the metal ones, look at the Scepter plastic 20 liter/5 gallon plastic cans. The first time you pour out 5 gallons of kerosene, you will wonder how you ever got along without them! Ebay is the place to acquire used Scepter cans. You can legally own the Canadian versions but not the ones marked as U.S. military. Note: Scepter is a Canadian company, so they all come from Canada anyway! Look here for Scepter accessories: http://www.jagmte.com/index.php?route=common/home. These are two websites with instructions for making a DIY high-flow pour spout: http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/off-roading-trails/224756-scepter-jerry-can-alternate-spout.html and http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/56733-2-quot-to-1-quot-PVC-fitting-for-Scepter-Military-Fuel-Container-Spout.

I am fussy about my kerosene. You can use K1 from “locked” pumps. However, if you can find it, Canadian #1 Stove Oil is the best due to its 15ppm sulfur content. I then add .5 oz of Kero-Kleen Scented Kerosene Treatment per five gallons of kerosene. I like vanilla. I use the Kleen Heat Kerosene Substitute in all my lanterns and lamps.

One tip for finding food after a disaster, stay away from the grocery stores. They are most likely all picked over anyway. Hit the convenience stores for fast food and drug stores for canned goods. Most of the drug stores are just convenience/grocery stores that happen to sell drugs. Also, always take a flashlight with you. Most times the store personnel will let you in unescorted, if you have your own flashlight. Also, always have cash! Have lots of it and in small denominations because without power or banks, change will be hard to come by. Have another way to charge your cell phone besides plugging into the wall, too. Either a car charger, USB, or solar work okay. I notice that the crank units don’t seem to work all that well.

Letter Re: Banksters

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Jim,

Just wanted to share with you the experience I just had with the Banksters a few minutes ago. I am currently living in a military town (after retiring from the military) but had to go to Virginia to handle some business for my elderly mother. I took her to the bank to cash a personal check for an account that we are both on. I was flabbergasted when told by the teller that the computer systems had been down all week, on and off, and at this time we could not get anything more than $100, unless someone knew my mother personally (which makes no sense since that still would not be verification of what’s in the account). The manager told me that even though they couldn’t verify she had $100 in her account either, their protocol was to allow people to take out $100.

I fortunately live only 200 miles away and have my credit card, but I only have a small amount of cash on me. This is criminal and the epitome of incompetence on the part of the banks. Needless to say I am closing her accounts. However, interestingly enough the banker matter-of-factly said, “You can close the account, but it’s like this in all banks since we all are on computer systems.”

Odds ‘n Sods:

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It would appear that the Federal government is having trouble figuring out who they are supposed to protect and who should be prosecuted… Mexican soldiers draw guns on U.S. agents .

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PG&E offers $250K reward in California grid attack – SFGate – B.B.

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Regarding the immigration issue: Sen. Sessions: ‘Deliberate Plan by President’ to Collapse U.S. Law Enforcement System

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Honey, the delectable condiment for breads and fruits, could be one sweet solution to the serious, ever-growing problem of bacterial resistance to antibiotics, according to researchers who presented their findings at a meeting of the American Chemical Society. Honey is a new approach to fighting antibiotic resistance. – H.L.

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Sad that our own soldiers would treat Americans this way. Sadly, it’s what this government wants. That’s why they have their employees do firearm training with pictures of pregnant women, grandmothers, and children as targets. This is what if you see something say something leads to: Vacationing Family Pulled Over, Handcuffed At Gunpoint By Air Force Base Security – P.M.