Letter Re: Storing Foods to Eat for Pleasure

Dear JWR:
You’ve probably heard of the “Mormon Four,” a starting place for beginning preppers wanting to attain a one-year food supply. The Mormon Four prescribes amounts of red hard winter wheat, powdered milk, sugar or honey, and salt to sustain life for one year. That’s a lot of bread making, preserving, and sprouting over and over! Yes, these foods are nutritious, have a long shelf life, and can keep you alive. However, my opinion is that the boredom factor in this diet is huge, even if you love bread.

Here’s an idea: Everyone, and I mean everyone, from around the age of 12 and up, both male and female, develop their own specialty to serve. That is, a delicious dish to prepare that is a crowd pleaser. Your special dish should be based on foods that you can easily access frequently from your garden, orchard, pantry, or stores. In Jim’s book Patriots, one character masters making popcorn over a fire. His particular skill is appreciated at the retreat as a treat and a break in routine.

Your food doesn’t have to be fancy, just special. You will want to know how to make a recipe based on either something you are growing or abundantly have on hand. You’ve got a lot of wheat? Okay, you be the sourdough bread person baking on a stone without using the electrical breadmaker. Or bake pie, cake, or pizza. You live in an apartment? Wonderful salad greens and herbs can easily be grown in pots. People write this idea all the time in their articles, but I really do it. Yes, I have a nice herb garden in a strip long my driveway, but I also have pots of growing herbs. And due to limited space, our lettuce always is grown in pots. Come up with your own signature salad dressing to accompany. Seasonings, oil, and vinegar are keepers. If you don’t have chickens, deviled eggs probably shouldn’t be your special food. Your dish can be simple or involved, a hearty soup or a casserole or a sauce or a food preserved from your garden by fermentation, such as cabbage or cucumbers. Once we lived up north and had glorious cherry and apple trees. For five years I made candied cherries (killer in salads) and tons of apple sauce. Down south you might have citrus trees like we currently do. Preserved candied citrus peel is a yummy sweet I first started making years ago when I was a teenager. The cook just needs to be practical in terms of availability.

Think about a few foods you and your family or friends love and enjoy. Then, see how you can acquire a constant ingredient supply, research and try out various recipes, perfect your substitutions, and eventually declare yourself an expert on a certain dish.

Here are a couple of easy food ideas:

If you grow corn, you probably already know many ways to cook corn, but here’s how we do it:

1. Roasted or Baked Ears: Take whole ears still with silk and husks intact. Trim silk off top that is sticking out of top, about 1″ so it won’t smell burned in the oven. Scrub outside of ears to remove any dirt. Place in a 350* oven for around 45 minutes. Take out of oven, using a kitchen towel and tongs, remove silk and husks. Cover with butter, salt, and pepper, and realize life is good.

2. Grilled Ears: This is how my Girl Scout troop used to eat corn when we camped. Soak and completely submerge ears in a large container for at least one hour. Over hot coals, grill ears, turning frequently until all sides are sufficiently blackened, about 10-15 minutes. Take corn off grill, carefully peel back husk and silk because it’s hot. Use the husks you’ve folded back as a holder. Butter, salt and pepper, eat and enjoy. Then wonder when you are grilling again because your corn tastes fabulous and you are aware that butter dripping down your chin isn’t a bad thing.

3. Grandmother’s Sweet Corn: Cut the raw kernels from each ear. Pan fry in a little butter (like 3 tablespoons), salt, and pepper. When cooked through, add milk to cover (cream is even better) and gently cook the milk down. Add a tablespoon of sugar or 1 Equal or Splenda packet. Adjust seasonings. Listen to the rave reviews.

4. Salted Ears and More: There is a variation on Grilled Ears made with salty ocean water. Another recipe calls for boiling whole shucked ears in 1 stick of butter, milk, and seasonings in a Dutch oven. However, I don’t much care for this recipe as it sounds like a waste of ingredients to me, but I did want to mention it.

100 years ago, many people made their own pickles out of a variety of garden produce. Dill tomatoes taste like dill pickles with a different texture. Pickled green beans and pickled okra please many people. Pickled peaches were a staple at my house when I was growing up. Tasty sour pickles are fermented with salt and time in a crock. My father-in-law was a popular preacher and always would serve a large smorgasbord of home-canned pickles when guests came to eat. These were presents from little grannies from across small Texas towns. The best ones ever were called “Sun Pickles” and were amazingly hot yet amazingly sour, fermented outside over a period of days. I have yet to find a recipe that even comes close.

Fire and Ice Pickles:

dill pickles
2 garlic cloves
2 chile pepper packets, like from pizza delivery or about 2 teaspoons pepper flakes
lots and lots of sugar

There are quite a few similar recipes out there, but here’s my easy recipe. Get a jar or big bucket (if you love pickles) of whole dill pickles, either commercial or your own home-canned. You may NOT ever substitute kosher dill pickles. They must be dill pickles. Drain off juice, but save it for potato or tuna salad. I use and reuse a 1 quart glass jar or spaghetti sauce jars. This is not a bread-and-butter pickle recipe. It’s even better.

Slice pickles into 1/2″ coins. Do not use a mandolin slicer — the slices would be too thin.
Layer 1/2 the pickles, add the garlic and pepper seeds. Add rest of the pickles. Now, start to pour sugar into the jar. Cover the pickles with as much sugar as you can get in the jar. Put lid on tightly and shake to distribute sugar. Set out overnight on counter.

Next day you’ll see that the sugar is pulling out the water and going into the pickles. The pickles will have settled some so you have room to add more sugar. Cover again with additional sugar, but the liquid should not be so saturated that it cannot dissolve all the sugar. Cover and set out again overnight.

The next morning rinse the jar off in case the outside is sticky, give the pickle jar a good final shake or roll on your breadboard, and refrigerate. I have no idea how long they last because they get eaten up so quickly. My guess is a long time. These pickles make phenomenal potato salad. Be sure to save the juice to use in potato or tuna or chicken salad. Now you have sweet, crispy, tasty pickles.

So, grow your garden, store your foods, and own your special recipe that makes your people happy. You’ll give folks something to look forward to. Smile and say “thank you” when they rave. – Elizabeth B.

Letter Re: Buying an AR-15 During the Gun Control Scare of 2013

Mr. Rawles,
I wanted to share my experience regarding this situation. When the great scare began in December, I knew that as a prepared individual I did not need to panic buy and so I decided to perform an experiment.

The goal: To acquire an AR-15 for the lowest possible cost during a time with the highest possible demand.

Total cost for my AR-15: $654 (For perspective, the bulk of the component parts that I purchased was when complete rifles were easily selling for $2,000+)

How I did it:

When the scare began in earnest, I knew that the odds of getting the Rock River Arms tactical operator 2 that I had been eyeing went out the window, so I decided the easiest method of acquiring would be to buy the key components (the ones most likely to be banned) and then lay low for everything else.

Purchased during the scare:

Lower: Milled lowers were in short supply and those that were available were testing the $400 range, this was not an acceptable price. Based on many positive reviews online, I knew that Palmetto State Armory carried lowers produced by ATI that were polymer (and would not be on the top of anyone’s purchasing list). Cost $49 + $20 FFL transfer fee

Upper: Clearly, any of the high dollar uppers that one would normally buy were in the realm of crazy prices at this time. Again, Youtube and Google came in handy. A small operation known as Blackthorrne sells AR uppers at very reasonable prices online and I was able to acquire an M4 style 16″ upper (assembled) for $300 shipped.

Stock: As “Evil Adjustable Stocks” were going to be squarely in the crosshairs, I went on to a local firearms forum and offered to trade a 500rd bulk pack of .22LR (at this point more endangered than African Elephants) in exchange for a stock, tube, buffer and spring (Mil Spec not commercial as that is what the lower had marked on the box). Estimated value: $27 (including shipping)

Lower parts kit: Needed to complete the lower. And it included the “evil” and potentially banned, pistol grip. RGuns in Carpentersville, Illinois provided it for $80 (Including Shipping + Sales Tax — I am in the People’s Republic of Illinois.)

Total expenditure during the Crisis: $466

Purchased after the scare subsided (Items that had the feinstein ban passed (With no changes), we still would have the ability to purchase):

Bolt carrier group: Cosmetically blemished, but otherwise fine Auto profile BCG from Palmetto State Armory: $99

Charging Handle: $19

Professional Assembly by a gunsmith: $70 (Headspace checked, test fired, etc..)

Expenditure after the crisis: $188

What have we learned during this crisis:
Some of the good that has come out of this crisis are actually very interesting web sites. Gunbot.net allows you to search for “In stock” ammo sorted by price per round. ARPartsFinder allows you to find “In stock” AR components, again at the lowest possible prices. Additionally, and I think this is the most important thing, if you can afford to stock up more than you see yourself needing, do it. If nothing, when the next scare comes, you will be positioned that you can turn a handsome profit. Last summer I had purchased Tapco AK mags for $6/each, not out of any need but rather just to have them… I sold 10 of those magazines in January at a staggering $15/each, this may not sound like much but in six months I had a 150% return on my investment… when was the last time you had an annual return of 300% on your 401(k) or IRA? – K.A.

Letter Re: The Bug Out Boat

Dear Editor:
Lean Jimmy’s bug out boat idea is good, but on most rivers of North America you’ll have “pirates” set up at strategic points along the watercourses — as in yesteryear — and have a tough time getting by them. It’ll only be a matter of time before they take control of those defined travel lanes and lighten the load of fleeing refugees. Slave trading might also come back into vogue.
 
How could you outfox them? Travel at night? Maybe. But if your craft was small, almost silent and light enough to carry or collapse into portable pieces, you’d obviously hold some advantages up your watery sleeve:

A Folboat (See a video of some being assembled and paddled.)

The native people of the continent were using stealthy deerskin folding craft in the late 1700s and often broke them down to hide their presence while scouting or traveling waterways. Commandos in WWII used the very same tactics and still do to this day. Why not follow in their wake?
 
A Greenland II tandem kayak from Folbot — Made in the USA — will take a large payload and two paddlers. Dr. Hannes Lindemann made an amazing voyage across the Atlantic in a tandem folding kayak in the 1950s so they can handle the big stuff, too. Long Haul is another USA based manufacturer while Feathercraft is based in Canada. For the money, though, Folbot tops my list and I’ve had their 2-man version (at the time it was called a Super Folbot) since the early 1980s. And it’s still going strong!
 
Since I live on an inland river – as many North Americans do — and that watercourse connects to others that run all the way across the country to the Great Lakes and the Atlantic, I have several folding boats stashed away. Did I mention that they also make fine craft for weekend forays and extended holidays?
 
Get one now! Cheers, – Wayne W.

Recipe of the Week:

Notutopia’s Coffee Concentrate

This recipe will make 1 Qt. of coffee concentrate that can be used to make both iced or hot coffee from one batch, and can be safely stored in the refrigerator for a whole month.

Ingredients:

1 cup finely ground roasted coffee grinds, caffeinated, or de-caf
32 oz. filtered cool water

Equipment:

1 32oz. mason jar with lid
1 fine mesh sieve or 2 paper filters

Instructions:

Finely grind 1 cup of roasted coffee beans, you can even use pre-flavored ground coffee, but it will not be quite as potent a concentrate as when using freshly ground whole beans.
Add the cup of fine grounds into the clean mason jar.
Slowly add the filtered cool water over the grinds.
Apply lid, and gently shake well.
Set on cabinet top and do not disturb for 12 hours.

Place the sieve or use the 2 paper filters with a rubber band to secure them, over the top of another clean wide mouth mason jar.
Slowly pour the coffee concentrate over the filter.
Once the dripping ceases, remove and dispose the paper filters, and cap the concentrate. It’s now ready for use.
Store the concentrate in the refrigerator.

For Iced Coffee:
Choose a tall glass or carafe and add 4 to 6 cubes of ice.
For every serving of coffee, pour 1/2 cup of concentrate to an equal amount of filtered water.
Add your choice of milk, almond milk, soymilk, or horchata.
For coffee flavoring, add one half cap of extract. Try vanilla, caramel, rum, mint, banana, etc.
Sweeten with your choice of sweetener. Try honey, agave nectar, stevia, sugar, or sugar substitute.

For Hot coffee:
Chose your cup. Again pour 1/2 cup of concentrate to an equal amount filtered water. Microwave for 2 minutes, or heat in a saucepan on the stovetop or grill.

Useful Recipe and Cooking Links:

Flavored Coffee Recipes

Easy Iced Coffee Recipe

Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? Please send it via e-mail. Thanks!

Economics and Investing:

Reader “Racefan” sent a link to some tax data that is helpful in evaluating retreat locales: Property Taxes on Owner-Occupied Housing, by County, 2005 – 2009, Ranked by Property Taxes Paid.

I don’t often used the words “conspiracy theory” and “delightful” in the same sentence, but take a look at Bix Weir’s latest essay: The Hidden Meanings in the New $100 Bill!

Items from The Economatrix

Stagflation: The Fed’s Worst Nightmare

Ron Paul Talks Gold

Ron Paul On Gold And Why We’ll See More Detroits

What’s Up With Inflation?

Odds ‘n Sods:

One of my long-time friends mentioned that he has recently been experimentally hiking with a LED Mini Maglite carried in a Nite Ize headband, and equipped with a relatively waterproof TacStar brand pressure tape switch that he can clench between his teeth.  For regular trail hiking, the light’s head can be cranked down for “continuous on” operation when the standard tail cap is installed. But when operating tactically with the tape switch tail cap installed, the light can be activated just “on demand” by clamping his teeth down on the tape switch.  He has even experimented with a wire stiffeners, positioning the tape switch and the mouthpiece of his Camelbak hydration pack on either side of his chin. That way he can selectively bite down on one or the other, by just slightly tilting his head. Clever. He jokingly calls this “the combat pacifier effect.”  This is a clever way around the dilemma of how to activate a flashlight on demand and hands-free, regardless of what weapon is in his hands. Obviously this technique will require some practice. And of course the periods of time that the light is on should be minimal, to avoid making yourself a target.

   o o o

G.G. flagged this: Even Powering Down A Cell Phone Can’t Keep The NSA From Tracking Its Location.

   o o o

Seed for Security has announced another bonus offer: With the purchase of their Super Survival Pack you will receive a free packet of Soldier Beans (approximately 150 seeds), and a free 1 pint pouch of Winter Rye Grain approximately 13,280 seeds). Their Super Survival Pack includes 5,500 open-pollinated, Non GMO vegetable seeds, plus a pint each of Hulless Oats and Winter Rye. There is a total of 18 varieties of vegetable seeds. The shipping weight for this Pack is 4 pounds. This is their most popular product and comes with a four-page Seed Saving Guide. This offer is for a limited time and will be automatically included with your order.

   o o o

Another link from G.G.: Maine man recovering in Canadian hospital after being mauled by polar bear as electric fence fails to ward off violent attacker. In this particular case, Joe Biden was right: “Get a shotgun.” They were very lucky to have frightened off the bear with just a flare gun.

   o o o

If I lived in Iowa, I’d jump on this pedal grinder. (Available for local pickup only.)

Notes from JWR:

Camping Survival 23% off sale on all Backpackers Pantry Freeze Dried Foods ends today (July 28th, 2013), so place your order before midnight.

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Today we present another entry for Round 47 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course. (A $1,195 value.) B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear, E.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value), F.) Two BirkSun.com photovoltaic backpacks (one Level, and one Atlas, both black), with a combined value of $275, G.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo. and H.) A roll of $10 face value in pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver quarters, courtesy of GoldAndSilverOnline.com. The current value of this roll is at least $225.

Second Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training. Together, these have a retail value of $589. C.) A FloJak FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. D.) $300 worth of ammo from Patriot Firearms and Munitions. (They also offer a 10% discount for all SurvivalBlog readers with coupon code SVB10P.), E.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials and F.) Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) 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, C.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, D.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value. E.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value), and F.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 47 ends on July 31st and the queue is full, but you can e-mail us your entry for Round 48. 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.

Dealing with the Dying, by A Healthcare Couple

This essay is a joint effort from a healthcare couple.  My wife is a hospice nurse and I work at a long-term care facility.  Together, we have witnessed numerous patients die.  The purpose of this essay is to educate you in helping to take care of a dying group member (will use the term patient for this writing).  The first time that I experienced death up-close and personal was when my best friend B. died a few years ago.  We were both in our 20s and he had cancer.  Over the course of more than a year I was with him as he went through chemo, radiation and surgery.  At that time my experience with death was limited to my elderly grandfather and a few friends of my parents.  Death seemed pretty sterile and did not happen directly in front of my own eyes.  Now in my early 30s, I’ve experienced the death of more friends, their newborns/young children, more grandparents, and numerous patients of ours of all ages.  I’ve learned a lot since then and would like to share it with you.

In a TEOTWAWKI scenario, the reality is that people are going to die.  People you cared deeply for as well as people you never met.  Depending upon the scenario, the death-rate could be high and the possibility that you may have to help with the care of a dying person is likely.   
Take for example some of the current big killers for the U.S. population:

  • Heart disease
  • Cancer
  • Stroke
  • Diabetes
  • Respiratory Diseases
  • Influenza

Now add in potential TEOTWAWKI scenarios and the list could be expanded to also include these potential deadly killers:

  • Gunshot and other puncture wounds
  • Lack of availability for life-sustaining medication
  • Influenza epidemics
  • Worldwide diseases that are relatively low here in the U.S. but may increase do to unsanitary conditions and/or lack of access to quality health care (such as AIDS, Cholera, Hepatitis, Malaria, Meningitis, Rotavirus, Tuberculosis, Typhoid, etc.)
  • Labor complication
  • Drowning
  • Burns
  • And the list could go on and on…

Whatever the case, if you are called upon to help with the care of a dying person, it is best to know a little about the subject. 
In this essay I’m not going to write about emergency room procedures or survival medicine that you can use in the field to save lives, but rather, I want to focus on when medically you can do no more for your patient.  Depending upon the preparation of your group, the threshold could vary widely for when you can do no more.  It is my hope that you have taken necessary steps to prepare and practice lifesaving techniques for you and your group. 

For hospice patients, they usually are given six months life expectancy or less.  In your case, the patient may have those few months to live, but more likely they will have much less time than that.  Know that when the body is going through the dying process, many changes are happening.  I understand that each person and situation is different, but I am going to try and cover the dying process in general terms.    

In hospice, when a patient is getting close to dying, it is referred to it as active dying.  Leading up to this active dying stage, the patient may have reduced appetite and you may notice weight loss.  Don’t force the patient to eat food.  The body is dying and has not need for the nourishments.  I’ve seen all too often family members trying to get their loved one to eat, only causing that patient to become nauseous.  In addition to the reduced appetite, the patient my sleep more and be very tired.  They may become disoriented, have delusions, or hallucinations (speaking to people who aren’t there).  This is very common and may times if the patient is talking to someone that is not there, it is highly likely that they are speaking to someone who has already died.  These hallucinations are a very interesting phenomenon to me.  I usually try not to change the subject, but rather gather information from the patient such as who they are talking with, and what they are talking about.  Don’t miss this opportunity as the patient may be trying to tell you or a loved one something.

Currently in hospice, we have many methods to use to make patients more comfortable.  For patients suffering from pain, we have a whole host of drugs available.  Many of these stronger drugs are opiates which diminish the experience of pain by the patient.  Some of the more common drugs used are Oxycodone (Oxycontin), Morphine (Roxanol), Fentanyl (patch, Actiq), Methadone (Dolophine), or Hydromorphone (Dilaudid).  In a TEOTWAWKI scenario, it will likely be difficult to obtain these drugs and you may be left with more common household drugs such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or aspirin to help relieve pain.

For patients suffering from breathing problems, we currently have oxygen [concentrator] machines that we can hook-up directly to the patient [typically via a nasal cannula.]  In addition, many of the opiates also help relieve breathing problems.  Without either of these two resources, you can try to reposition the patient by placing more pillows under their head or having them sit at an incline.  You can also try creating a light breeze directed at the patient’s face to see if that helps.  If the patient’s lips become dry, try using a lip balm.  If the inside of their mouth become dry and they are conscious, try giving the patient ice chips if available (if not, you can wipe the inside of the mouth with a cotton swab, cotton ball or damp washcloth.  This dryness in the mouth can cause irritation to the patient, so make sure to provide ice or dab the inside of the mouth every two hours.  For patients lying in the same position for any length of time, they may develop pressure ulcers (sores).  Try to reposition the patient if possible every few hours.
When a person is actively dying, there are some signs you can look for to know that the person is close to death:

  • The body has a difficult time regulating its temperature, so you will notice the body temperature beings to gradually lower (normal body temp is 98.6 -98.2F if taken orally) or if an infection is present, the temperature may spike
  • The pulse begins to become irregular, sometime speeding up with other times slowing down (normal pulse is 60-100 beats per minute)
  • Blood pressure begins to lower (normal pressure is 120/80)
  • The patient may begin to perspire and feel cool to the touch
  • Skin beings to change color as blood circulating within the body begins to diminish (you will usually notice it in the lips or fingertips as they begin to turn a bluish/purplish color)
  • Breathing usually becomes more difficult, sometime rapid and shallow and others time gradually slowing to just a few breaths per minute (normal is 12-20 breaths per minute)
  • While not as noticeable, it is very common to have a surge of energy for a short period of time (the patient my want to get up out of bed, may want to talk to friends/family, eat after going days without eating, etc.)

When pulse, blood pressure and respirations cease, the patient has died.  The deceased should always be handled with the utmost care and respect.  We are all going to die someday, so treat the body as you would want someone else to treat your body.  It is appropriate to do a small ceremony at the bedside with all who are present.  I typical being with a prayer and then have those gathered say something about the deceased.  Due to infection control, I would recommend that the deceased be buried immediately.  If at all possible, have everyone coming into contact with the deceased, the bed, clothes, etc., wear rubber gloves.  If possible, wrap the body in a blanket or sheet.  You may then want to wrap the body in a plastic trap, as body fluids may begin to be excreted from the body.  You will want to wash bedding in hot soapy water and then use a bleach solution to wipe down any infected areas.  If you are in a location to bury the body, dig an area away from water sources.  The typical grave is 4 feet deep, 8 feet long and 3 feet wide.  Use whatever measurements fit for the deceased.  If you are unable to bury the body, the next best solution would be to burn the body.  Make sure to have plenty of your fire source, as you want to dispose of as much of the body as possible. 

On a final note, throughout this the dying process, don’t forget how powerful human interaction can be.  Especially for patients who are experiencing high levels of anxiety, human touch can do wonders to help calm a person.  Touch helps to convey care, solace, and comfort.  Even if the person is no longer conscious, talk to them.  Many times the patient can hear you even if they are not alert, awake and conscious.  Have people introduce themselves as they enter the room.  Have them talk directly to the patient.  Encourage visitors or those gathered to talk directly to the patient.  Lastly, take time to mourn the loss of life.  In a TEOTWAWKI scenario, you may not be able to have much time to mourn, but make it a priority when you have the time to remember all those that died.          

Letter Re: The Most Important Preparedness

Dear James,
Recently, a friend of mine just took his own life, leaving behind a wife and three young children.  He loved to talk about being prepared and would spend hours reading survival blog.  As far as “preparedness” goes, he seemed to be very prepared for TEOTWAWKI, having spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on guns, ammo, a bug out vehicle, all the medical and survival supplies you could think of, etc.  He also had military training, martial arts training, and was an excellent marksman, if anyone was prepared, he seemed to be ready.  However, in the end, he would take himself out, leaving his wife and three children, without a father, protector, or bread earner.  I believe that while he was so focused on preparing for TEOTWAWKI, that he forgot to take care of himself and his family.  I believe that instead of looking to God to be his protector and to take away his burdens, he looked to himself.  Disillusioned, he turned to alcohol and marijuana for comfort, which lead to marital problems, depression, anxiety, and ultimately he chose to take himself out, rather than face his problems.

Alcoholics have high rates of major depressive disorders, and the risk of suicide is 5 to 20 times higher.  Further, one out of every three suicides under the age of 35 is related to alcohol.  Alcohol works on the prefrontal cortex, inhibiting the areas of the brain related to self-control and judgment.   “Chronic alcohol misuse can cause psychotic type symptoms to develop, more so than with other drugs of abuse. Alcohol abuse has been shown to cause an 800% increased risk of psychotic disorders.”

Marijuana is also associated with worsening of paranoid symptoms, with its effect on the pre-frontal cortex and amygdala.  Thus, those under its influence are more likely so see patterns that don’t exist leading to schizophrenic like paranoid symptoms.

My friend often would talk about his faith in God, but trying to work out his own problems and turning to substance abuse, he forgot some of the Bible promises like Isaiah 26:3 “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”  and Isaiah 54:17 “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.”  Thus, in preparing for TEOTWAWKI, he neglected the most important preparation, that of learning to trust in God, who will be our ultimate source of protection and salvation. –  S.I.

Notes of Clarification for SurvivalBlog Readers, by Pat Cascio

First of all, I want to clear-up a misconception: Jim Rawles and I are not one in the same person – we are two different people. I hear from SurvivalBlog readers all the time, asking me if I’m really Jim Rawles – I am NOT! Jim had his blog site up and running for several years before I came on board, as the Field Gear Editor. I know this won’t satisfy some of you, but you can believe what you want – Jim and I are not the same person. I live in Western Oregon, and Jim lives – well, I don’t actually know where he lives, and it’s none of my business. And, please stop asking me for his phone number!
 
I receive well over 200 e-mails each day, many are junk, however many are from SurvivalBlog readers with questions. Due to the number of e-mails I get, I have to keep my answers short. I hope I’m still helpful with my answers, though. So many of you ask me “what’s the best……” and I can’t give you a pat answer to that. The best handgun is the one I’m carrying at the time – ditto for knives. I can’t pick a firearm or knife for you – it’s a very subjective thing, I can only suggest what appeals to me. And, while I sincerely appreciate this, this is not the way I operate – many of you offer to pay me for my advice to you in your e-mails. If I can help, I’m happy to do so, so don’t offer to pay me for my advice – I’m not in that business. I just hope I have the right answers to your questions most of the time.
 
As to the many vendors who send me their products to test and write about. Once again, don’t offer to pay me to push your products ahead of someone else’s products. We make every attempt to test products in the order they are received by me. The only exception to this is knives – I received so many knives, that I spread my reviews out quite a bit – no one wants to read half a dozen knife reviews in a row on SurvivalBlog. As the Editor, Jim Rawles decides when an article will appear in print, and he is a very ethical person, so I’m sure he’s just as offended as I am by companies wanting us to push their products ahead of someone else’s products. Right now, I’m working on review articles that will run in November, and I have enough products to test and write about, clear through January of 2014. If you can’t wait for me to get to your products for testing and a review, then don’t send them to me. Sorry! I write one article each week for SurvivalBlog, and I’m also writing one article each week for another web site , so I keep extremely busy!
 
I’m not any sort of celebrity and there is nothing special about me. I’m just a hard-working stiff like everyone else is. Many readers write and ask me if they can stop by and meet me. I simply don’t have the time to do this, and I’m a very private person. I don’t readily welcome unannounced guests onto my little homestead.
 
Thanks to everyone who e-mails me, I do sincerely appreciate hearing from all of you. And, even those few who are critical, at times of my reviews on gear, I still appreciate your e-mails. However, those few who send threatening e-mails to me: they are turned over the authorities. I had one fellow who went so far as to even threaten me and former President George Bush – for whatever reason. His e-mails were turned over to the US Secret Service.
 
SurvivalBlog is not some radical right-wing web site, as many Liberals believe it to be, especially the likes of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) who often target Jim Rawles, as some type of whacko survivalist who plans on taking over the country. This is not the case. Jim is running a very informative blog site, for those intelligent enough to realize that they need to prepare for disasters – many types of disasters. And, I have not seen any articles or suggestions on SurvivalBlog, that even come close to having the web site advocating over-throwing the government. And, for those agent provocateurs who e-mail me trying to get me to say I’m advocating over-throwing the government: Stop it – I can see right through your e-mails. Find someone else to set-up, neither myself nor Jim Rawles will fall for this.
 
Thanks again, to all the loyal and faithful readers SurvivalBlog has, Jim and I sincerely enjoy hearing from all of you. – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio

Letter Re: Some Overlooked Risks

Jim;
In a recent post, Harry T. mentioned that “Fido” will be competing with humans for food should we return to a hunter-gatherer schema. He is absolutely correct in addressing the newly-wild domestic dog as a threat. I have been treed twice in my life by life-threatening critters. Once was by a huge wild hog while I was fly-fishing on the North Carolina-Tennessee line. Apparently I entered his domain and he felt I was a threat to be dealt with. I’ve encountered bears and rattlesnakes who were far less aggressive than that tusker. The other time I had to climb a tree to avoid being eaten (or at least bitten) was when a pack of feral dogs chased me in the mountains of eastern Tennessee.

These were dogs who had apparently been dropped in the mountains by their owners. Some of them still had collars. They were a mixed bag — one beagle, a few mutts, an Australian shepherd, and some sort of Doberman cross, among others. There were about 10 in the pack. They pulled a sneak attack, rushing me in mid-day while I was hiking. I was only a teenager, about 16 years old. I was carrying a pocket knife, but no other weapons. I went up a smallish Sassafras [tree], climbing about 15 feet up a tree that was only about four inches in diameter. Once there, I had no recourse until the dogs got tired of circling the tree and waiting for their dinner to fall. The only warning I had of the threat was the beagle: Fortunately, he bugled as the pack was approaching me. I love beagles — They’re single-minded and they make their intentions very clear.

After about 20 minutes, the dogs began fighting among themselves, then wandered off. The Australian shepherd was the last to leave. He was the only one that didn’t make any noise. Just patiently waited. I don’t know if he had been more recently abandoned than the others and wanted to make a friend, or if he was simply more patient. Herding instincts and whatnot. Long story short: I got out of the situation with nothing more than a scarred boot where the Doberman caught me while I was climbing. But that incident caused me to grow a new set of eyes (and ears) for potential threats. – J.D.C. in Mississippi

Economics and Investing:

From G.G.: Family goes bankrupt after blowing their $100,000 savings on Beanie Babies they thought would become valuable. JWR Adds: I recommend investing in tangibles, but not those sorts of tangibles!

Also from G.G.: Government Wastes More Money than You Think

Items from The Economatrix:

The Uneasiness Of Quantitative Easing: How QE Is Ineffective With Helping The Broader Economy In Favor Of Boosting Support For The Too-Big-To-Fail Banks

Borrowers Redefaulting In Obama’s Housing Program

Part-Time Nation: What Does It Say When A Vast Portion Of Our Society Is Now Working At Part-Time Jobs? 2013 scorecard: Minimum wage restaurant jobs added: 239,000. Manufacturing jobs added: 13,000

The Most Delinquent Loan Of Them All: Student Debt Delinquencies At Record Levels On The Eve Of Rates Doubling. Half Of College Graduates Working In Jobs Where Their Degree Is Not Required

Odds ‘n Sods:

Yes, America, sometime we do need more than just reduced-capacity (10-round) magazines: Houston woman in critical condition after pack of 15 dogs attack

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Of interest to archers: How to Tune Your Bow: 15 Steps to Perfect Arrow Flight. (Thanks to James W. for the link.)

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Yet another one of Bloomberg’s gun-grabbing mayors is thoroughly disgraced: Mayor Bob Filner taking time off for ‘intensive therapy’. (Apparently this one grabbed more than guns.) And, quite predictably, he refuses to resign from office. Bloomberg’s gang of petty tyrants is absolutely shameless, even when under felony indictment.

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B.B. spotted this: Hornady Suspends Production of 150 Ammo Types and 150 Bullet Types for Balance of 2013

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South Africa, Riots and the Price of Food

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately,
Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?
And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any [man] deceive you:
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am [Christ]; and shall deceive many.
And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for [such things] must needs be; but the end [shall] not [be] yet.
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these [are] the beginnings of sorrows.
But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.
And the gospel must first be published among all nations.
But when they shall lead [you], and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.” – Mark 13:3-11 (KJV)