Securing Your Data and Online Communications, by A.F.S.

If you are a frequent visitor to SurvivalBlog then I do not need to explain why the subject matter may be of importance. There are several previous posts that cover somewhat related information that I will reference and expand upon.

First, the disclaimers: I am not a data security expert. I could not blind you with science nor expertly baffle you with Bravo Sierra. However, I have been directly involved in the Internet related software business for almost 20 years. I have spent many hours a day for almost two decades using the internet and watching it evolve. During that time, especially since 9/11, I have also watched the watchers watching more of everything we do.

The second disclaimer is the software or services I mention below may not be legal in all countries. While currently legal in the US, the FBI recently sent a flyer to all Internet cafes and coffee shops warning that a number of quite normal and legal behaviors should be considered a “potential indicator of terrorist activity” and should be reported.

Hopefully the information contained herein will help you maintain the small amount of privacy you have left when it comes to the data on your computer and your online activities. The caveat being this – there is no such thing as perfect security or absolute privacy. Pretty much any code or encryption can be broken if someone has the resources and the motivation to do such.

There are certainly many more options available than I will cover here, but I wanted to keep this as simple as possible so anyone with more than rudimentary computer skills can implement whatever measures they deem necessary. I will cover the areas of securing data you keep (files, folders, etc), securing e-mails, IM and chats, protecting your identity while browsing and also making secure voice and video calls. However, the first thing I have to talk about is using some common sense.

Common Sense
Yes, an invasive government has the resources to electronically monitor any and all communications and to break almost any type of code or encryption. However, that does not mean they have the resources to manually analyze every single phone call, e-mail, chat, purchase or web browsing habits of every single person on Earth. Just because you may visit sites deemed threatening to TPTB or you have purchased a survival knife online doesn’t mean you are a high priority target on some watch list.

So here is the common sense part: don’t make yourself a high priority target. Try to exercise a degree of discretion and intelligence if you find it necessary to make posts online or send e-mails. I have to shake my head in disbelief when I see people making inflammatory posts online. Such posts are filled with threats, anti-government or violence inciting rhetoric. Such “keywords” will get someone’s attention. The bottom line is this: unless you are one of the very brave souls that have chosen to take a public stand, to offer constructive ways to adapt to and survive the rapidly changing world we live in, it’s best to draw as little attention to yourself as possible. Try to keep your emotions at bay when posting online, because once you put it out there, it is there forever.

Data Security
We all have data we need to keep and a lot of it should be secured in some manner – such as scanned copies of your important papers (birth certificates, passports, driver’s license and such), supply lists, maps, routes – you get the picture. Any unsecured data on an Internet connected (or confiscated) computer is a security risk. Trojans, Viruses, Key-Loggers, Malware, Drive-by Downloads all pose the risk of exposing your data. I won’t discuss the need to keep your anti-virus and/or anti-malware software up-to-date because if you aren’t doing that – the rest of this information won’t do you much good. Below I will cover several aspects of data security from the simplest to the more complex.

The first rule is to not to keep your sensitive data on your computer’s hard drive in the first place. Flash drives (USB thumb drives) are inexpensive and can hold a tremendous amount of data. Keep your sensitive data on a flash drive, or better yet, a Micro SDHC card. For around $15 you can get a 16GB Micro SDHC card with SD adapter. You will probably need the adapter because the actual data card is smaller than your pinkie fingernail and about as thick – it can be hidden anywhere. If your computer doesn’t have a flash card reader, then you can get an external card reader for less than $15.

File Encryption Using a Password
Again, I won’t cover all possible options in this post, just the quick, easy and less complex solutions I have found and since Windows is the most prevalent operating system, I will limit software references to that unless noted – you can probably find similar solutions for Macs or Linux machines. For quick encryption of one or more files, dsCrypt is a free AES/Rijndael file encryption software with simple, multi-file, drag-and-drop operations. All you do is download/save the 25kB .exe file and double-click to launch – it doesn’t have to be installed – the file you download is the program itself – which means it can also be used from portable media.

If you have a lot of files you need to secure, you may want to look at TrueCrypt, a free open-source disk encryption software for Windows, Mac and Linux. TrueCrypt creates a virtual encrypted disk within a single file which can be mounted as a real disk. This file can be created anywhere on your hard drive or portable media. Anything saved to this “disk” is automatically encrypted. This solution requires a multi-step installation – but is well worth it. I suggest you keep the disk space allocated to something reasonable because it cannot be undone without formatting the drive.

To exchange encrypted files with others, there are some free solutions available that offer high levels of encryption. The only caveat is the recipients also need the same software installed and the password used to unencrypt the files – not a huge price to pay for a bit of security.
Encrypt Files is a very easy to use for files or entire folders
dsCrypt – (great for portable media)
MEO Encryption is a great free program for files and e-mail. Actually, after playing with MEO for a bit, it is quickly moving to the top of my list.

Finally is the area of obsolete or replaced drives. Formatting a drive does NOT delete the data – it can be fully recovered with simple software. Most drives I replace will not be reused because they are old technology. I used to take a sledge hammer to them, but now use a drill press and put a ½” hole all the way through the case and platters. However, if that’s not your style – you might want to look at Boot and Nuke. You have to create a CD or DVD from the downloaded .iso file, but then you simply re-boot using that disc and the hard drive will be wiped clean to DoD/NSA disc over-writing standards.

Also, simply deleting a file/folder – even after emptying your recycle bin – does not protect that data. It can be recovered unless you use a file shredder program. A good free one can be downloaded from Fileshredder.org/

Secure E-mail
Every e-mail you send will go through numerous servers before it is delivered (usually 10 -15 different servers). Your message can be read, scanned or copied at any step in that route. Referring back to the section on using common sense – be mindful of what words or phrases you use because you might garner someone’s attention – other than your intended recipient.

One partial solution is to use a web-based “secure” e-mail service. Such services encrypt your messages before sending but the thing to keep in mind is any time you rely on a third-party service or server, your messages aren’t really secure. However, some security is better than no security so here are some of the free secure email services you might want to check out:
Hushmail.com
S-mail.com
PrivacyHarbor.com
BurnNote.com

For much better security, your best bet is to encrypt messages before you send them. This can easily be done using MEO Encryption (mentioned previously for encrypting files) which can be used with your existing e-mail server.

To quickly encrypt a simple text file to send, LockNote is a good way to go.

For those worried that by simply sending encrypted files or messages will draw unwanted attention, how about encoding short messages into a standard image file? This can be done with 4t HIT Mail Privacy Lite

Secure Instant Messaging and Chats
While both Yahoo and Google offer an off-the-record or encryption option in their IM clients, I must again remind you that such service providers have full access to the original content as they handle the encryption.

Your best bet for secure IM communication is to use Pidgin for Windows or Adium for the Mac OSX. Both programs have an Off-the-Record function that uses 256-bit AES encryption that is performed before the message is sent through the 3rd party provider. Both work with all major IM servers and offer a slew of other great features:
Pidgin for Windows
Adium for Mac OSX
Jitsi for Windows, Mac and Linux

Private Web Browsing
You leave footprints everywhere you visit via any of the standard browsers. Yes, you can disable cookies and your browsing history and all that, but I’m talking about the footprints you leave on every server that transmit your requests for any web site. The footprint includes your IP address, operating system, browser and version, screen resolution and more. There is a previous SurvivalBlog post that provides more details about this.

In the post above, using the Tor proxy system was recommended. Until recently, this was not so easy to do. It involved installing a couple of programs and browser plug-ins. Further, most people would use Tor with their favorite browser not realizing that a lot of multimedia features on web sites will negate any benefits Tor is providing. For instance, Flash movies, scripting language and file downloads can reveal your actual “footprint.”

However, this process has been made a lot easier by the Tor community. You can now install a Tor/FireFox combination in a single program. It is an older, stripped down version of FireFox that has all possible vulnerabilities disabled. A single icon first launches and connects you to the Tor network and then automatically launches the safe FireFox browser.

Using A Virtual Private Network (VPN)
While all other services and software I mention are free, there is a low-cost option to consider to keep all your online activity private. If you are like me, I tend to bounce around the Internet from buying wool socks online to sites where I should be using Tor – but I simply forget to launch it first.

While Virtual Private Network (VPN) services have been around a long time, it has recently become easy enough to implement that anyone can do it. Briefly, when you use a VPN, you create an encrypted tunnel between your computer and the VPN servers. All your network traffic is then routed through that server and sent back to you. The gist of it is, you download/install a simple software program, set it to start when you boot up (if you want), and all your internet activities are through the IP address of the VPN service – and the good ones don’t keep logs of your activities. The one I use hides me behind 24,500 different IP addresses on servers in 40 different countries. And best of all, I don’t have to remember to do anything – it’s automatic and full-time.

There are a lot of VPN services out there, and prices range from $7 – $20 a month (you get much better deal on annual payments). Personally, I use http://HideMyAss.Com – but each service is a bit different in regards to usage limitations, so here is a site that reviews the top 10: http://myvpnreviews.com/

The service I use allows me to install the software on as many computers as I want, in addition to my smartphone. However, only two devices can use the service at the same time.

Two final notes on VPNs. First, you should always use some type of VPN when connected to public Wi-Fi. They are terribly unsecure. You might as well run around naked in broad daylight. Yes, you are that exposed.

Finally, a VPN is great for hiding your browsing activity – but it does not take the place of file or email encryption. While the tunnel between your computer and the VPN is encrypted, unencrypted files or emails still go through public/open servers to reach your recipient.

Secure Voice and Video Chat
We all know how easy it is to eavesdrop on cell phone or even land line telephone calls, and to repeat again, using a third-party voice or video service is not secure. But what if there was a way to tap directly into the SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) network used for VoIP (Voice Over IP) and have your conversations and video chat encrypted before they even hit the network?

As with using encrypted IM or files, all parties involved must have the same setup – but since we are talking free stuff here, that is a non-issue. I will skip the technicalities and just get you going. To do the above is a two-step process (both easy). First, you need to register to get a free SIP address.

Second, download and install Jitsi for Windows, Mac and Linux (mentioned previous for secure IM). Jitsi facilitates secure video calls, conferencing, chat, desktop sharing, file transfer, support for your favorite OS, and IM network. Jitsi uses ZRTP to encrypt all communications. To use Jitsi with a SIP address, you will have to go into Options – Accounts and create a new account for the SIP network. To save you some possible confusion, the Jitsi SIP setup asks for “SIP id” – this is the “SIP address” contained in the email you receive when you sign-up at GetonSIP.com. The rest should be self-explanatory.

Finally, I would like to add a bit to a couple of previous posts. This SurvivalBlog post explains how to setup the Hosts file for going directly to a web sites IP address in case the DNS system is unavailable.

The question unanswered in that article was: “How do I find the IP address of my favorite sites so I can add them to the Hosts file?” The fastest way is to go to http://centralops.net/co/ , click on the Ping menu. On the new page, enter in the domain name and click go. The page will refresh showing the IP address.

Multiple MAC Addresses
 This SurvivalBlog post recommended buying a dedicated laptop to use at public Wi-Fi locations. The post mentions the network card in each computer has a unique MAC address. That MAC address can be captured by servers you visit – but most definitely is logged by the Wi-Fi router every time you connect to one.

If you cannot afford a dedicated laptop for this purpose, the next best bet (and less expensive) would be to buy several USB Wireless adapters (all the same make/model). You can pick these up for around $10 each online. Because all the adapters are the same make/model, they will all work seamlessly with the drivers provided. However, each adapter will have a unique MAC address (and not the one of the onboard Wi-Fi card in your laptop). They are small enough to easily put in a zip-lock baggie and cache near two or more of your favorite public Wi-Fi spots – so you don’t have to keep them in your possession.

So you would just grab the wireless adapter, disable the onboard Wi-Fi card, pop in the adapter and it will be the adapter’s MAC address logged. When you are done, wipe the adapter and baggie down, and return it to its hiding place. If for some reason your laptop is confiscated, you would have excellent plausible deniability because the onboard MAC address would not be one that was logged.

And, again, when using public connections, a VPN tunnel is highly recommended.

The Defensive Pistol, by W.R.B.

Introduction:

My purpose in writing this piece is to further ones knowledge on the subject of the defensive pistol as a survival tool.  To say there is one best gun or best caliber would be ignorant of the facts. To quote Ignatius Piazza of Front Sight: “Any gun will do, if you will do.”  There is more to it than just the gun.

I will focus on what I have learned during the course of my life as to what the role of the defensive pistol is or would be in a SHTF situation, what types of weapons and calibers are best suited, and what you need to do to be prepared to defend yourself.

I do not consider a SHTF situation to necessarily be the end of the world as we know it.  I consider a SHTF situation to be any situation that requires immediate and possibly decisive action on your part, to survive and/or protect your family and/or friends. In other words “your back is against the wall and if you don’t do something… you’re gonna die.”

Role of the Defensive Pistol:

The normal role of a defensive pistol is as a Secondary Weapon System used to back up a Primary Weapon System, or more precisely, a rifle.

It has been said many times that you use a pistol to fight your way to your rifle. I see this as a somewhat limited scenario, and something that applies in a war zone or other militaristic venue or even a cataclysmic event. Point being there is other shooting going on around you so you need to rifle up as soon as possible, and barring that your pistol will have to do.

In today’s everyday real world of McDonalds and Wal-Mart, you must consider that you may not be able to get to a rifle when you need it most.  You can’t very well go through life with a rifle slung over your shoulder, and it will probably be at least as far away as your car in the parking lot which isn’t going to do you much good if the lead is already flying. Your pistol or more properly your wits will have to do.

Avoidance is always the best remedy to a potentially deadly situation. Being alert and aware of your surroundings at all times can and will keep you much safer than any gun will.  Knowing escape routes and being ready to exit at the drop of a hat when the first signs of trouble manifest, are much better ideas than having to carry a gun full time. Even if you have a gun, exiting stage left and avoiding using said gun will get you out of trouble better than engaging in a gunfight. Especially if you have your family with you, as it is not a real sound survival strategy to include your wife and kids in a gunfight.

Keep in mind that if you use your gun your life will be changed forever and there is the distinct possibly that you may even end up in jail as a result.  The only time you can use a gun to defend yourself is if your life or the life of your loved ones is being threatened by a credible threat. In your home that is an easy call, at Wal-Mart it is a very different story.  If it is proven that there were other viable options for you to avoid this confrontation you may be held responsible for just plain killing someone.  I live in Southern California and this is a very distinct possibility as we tend to have a little more liberal mindset in our government and justice system. Always consider that the liberal mindset will still convict you even if you were doing the right thing, just to make a point.

A word to the wise here, to repeat. Avoidance is always your best option!

If all else fails and you need to go for your sidearm because you are out of options, it would probably be a good idea if you had a reliable one, in a major caliber, that you actually know how to use, and are willing to use.

What type of gun should I have?

Well, you need to have a gun that you are very good with, that you have trained extensively with, and can actually hit what you’re aiming at, with. Under pressure!

This eliminates about 98% of the people who carry guns right out of the gate. Re-read the point above about “avoidance” as the most viable course of action.

No matter which gun you have, when the bell rings you will revert to 50% or less of your capability on your best training day if it was just yesterday. If it was several months ago, deduct some more.

If you are a 90% shooter at the range under time pressure then you will be a 45% shooter under dire stress. This is not the end of the world as 50/50 is not horrible odds. Do remember you are betting your life here. However if you are a 50% shooter at the range you need to seek other options as at 25% effectiveness you are giving away a 3:1 advantage to your opponent and divine intervention maybe needed to save you. Betting on this option to prevail is not a real sound survival strategy.

Here’s a hard fact.  If you are untrained then you have no business whatsoever carrying a gun!

You are a danger to yourself and more properly, to others.  I have nothing but contempt for the individual that thinks they have got what it takes when they haven’t got a clue! They haven’t even been to a school or have only been to a range and shot the gun a few times and then get a Concealed Carry Permit and start carrying a gun.  They are uneducated and dangerous!  I actually know people like this and I can tell you without reservation they are all fools!

I used to believe that I could think my way through any situation like this. I’m a smart guy, and I can solve problems quickly etc.  I was so wrong!  In fact, when faced with a simple tactical scenario the first time I failed miserably, so miserably in fact that I almost cried. And this was just a training drill!  What it taught me is the only way to live through this type of event is to train often and with good supervision. Learn how to cope with the stress involved.

I go to Front Sight training academy two or three times a year, and I really need to go more.

But, I digress, so back to the topic of what kind of gun to use:

For a defensive pistol I recommend a semi-auto pistol in either .40 S&W or .45 ACP for men and 9mm or larger for women depending on the individual’s ability to control the recoil and most women can handle a .40 caliber gun easily.  As far as the brand I’ll make it real simple.  Buy a Glock! I’m sure there are those that will argue for many other brands of guns. However the one to get first is a Glock.  More police use Glocks than all the other brands combined, and there are several very good reasons why.

First and most important, the Glock pistol is by far the easiest pistol to train someone with.  You can only do three things to a Glock.  You can insert a magazine, you can rack the slide, and you can pull the trigger. There are no safeties to disengage (other than the trigger which takes care of itself), and finally there is only one weight of trigger pull to master. You draw the gun from the holster and fire. It is the same way every time.  The last thing you need is a complex gun that requires you to have a long double action trigger pull of 10-15 pounds for the first shot and then a light single action trigger for the rest of your shots.   You can pretty much guarantee giving away your first shot.  With the Glock you simply draw the gun, acquire the target, and press the trigger. You do the same thing every time. This breeds familiarity and familiarity breeds competence. This competence comes quicker with a Glock than any other pistol. It is as simple as that.

There are certainly other similar guns, S&W M&P, Springfield Armory XD, Ruger SR9, but they are all just different versions of the original.  Believe me Gaston Glock got it right, and got it right first.  The Glock is a tool, made by a tool maker.  Most don’t know the Glock 16 was an Entrenching Tool made for the Austrian Army .That’s how he got in, in the first place. The Glock 17 was the first gun he ever designed. Once you learn how to run a Glock then you can branch out into other more complicated firearms, however by that time you will probably see no reason to do it. For the intended purpose there is nothing better.

Whatever gun you chose you need to shoot it a lot and you need to get professional training to learn how to run the gun and use it correctly.  This takes practice and there is absolutely no other way. When bad happens you will not have time to think, your actions must be rote.

Training:

Yes, you need professional training.  You need to get it from the best possible source.  I recommend one of the large firearms training academies.

Virtually anyone can be taught to operate a pistol proficiently in as little as 3-5 days at a firearms training venue such as Gunsite, Front Sight, Sig-Sauer etc. Note: I did not mention your local firearms instructor. You need to go somewhere that teaches lots of people how to shoot, and the reason why is because they have more experience teaching all types of people than your local guy does. They can break through even the most stubborn of bad habits, and produce someone who is able to draw his gun and fire two well placed shots into a target in less than 2 seconds every time.  Your local guy may be able to do this, but face it; you are not going to be training with him 8 hours a day for 3-5 days, and shooting 800-1,000 rounds of ammo. You may get 1-2 hours a week at best. You need the intensive training that only a large outfit can deliver

The key is intensive and consistent training, without attitude, done in a specific sequence of events that takes you from not knowing which end of the gun the bullets come out of, to very proficient quickly and safely, and produces consistent results.  Any of the above mentioned outfits can train you up to a competent level in very short order. As an example Front Sight ran 60,000 people through firearms training classes last year alone.  You can’t argue with that kind of success and those numbers.

I can’t stress this next point enough.

I personally feel that if you are not willing to spend the time, effort and money to get trained up to a competent level you have no business carrying a defensive gun or for that matter even owning one.  Guns are serious tools and if you are going to own one you need to know how to use it safely and effectively.  This does not mean having the guy who sells you the gun show you how to load it.  This means getting professional training.

I have a neighbor who is the Armorer for our counties Sheriffs Department. He tells me that they can not even get the deputies to shoot more than once or twice a year because the county won’t pay for ammo.  This to be the height of stupidity.  You have people who have chosen to carry a gun for a living and yet they are next to incompetent when using it, and not willing to spend a few bucks to improve! The same holds true of the concealed carry person. He needs to shoot at least once a month (after receiving training) and get retrained at least once a year at a school to maintain proficiency.  I feel you have a moral obligation to be proficient if you are going to carry a gun full time.

After all it’s your life you are protecting.

Believe me when I say those skills you get by going to a training facility, are very perishable skills indeed.  I had not been to a pistol class for nearly a year when we finally went last November. (We took rifle classes last year, instead)  It took me until noon the second day and 300 rounds of ammo to get back to where my draw was consistent and I was getting good hits. If I had gone to another pistol class earlier in the year then I would have been back up to speed by lunch the first day. Believe me it goes away fast and the older you are, the faster it goes.

A word about ammo:  

In my region, Wal-Mart has the cheapest prices on ammo.  You do not need high dollar hollow points in your gun.  You do not need Personal Defense ammo that is $30 for 10 rounds.  Regular FMJ bullets will do just fine.  I think most people would agree that if you hit anyone with anything it is going to ruin their day. But there is a reason why you are taught to shoot twice into the chest. That reason is that only 65% of first round hits do the job, so twice that is 130% which is a nice safety margin.  Solids work just fine for this.

If that doesn’t work then you are trained to put out the lights.  It is called “failure to stop.”  A round between the eyes stops anyone.

I want to talk about Mindset:

Your mindset is everything. Everyone no matter how sophisticated or crude has a moral code they live by. How you choose to live your life may not  be understood by someone else. For some, killing you is no big deal. For you, killing a person could mean mental anguish the likes of which you are unprepared for. My point here is that you need to have all the moral stuff figured out well before you need to fight for your life.

You must have already established the lines in the sand that will result in you fighting with deadly force. You will not have time to mull this over when you are dodging bullets. It must be pre-ordained, and it must be rote.  Once you start fighting you must never quit until you have won, if you start to lose you must fight harder.  You must etch this statement  into your mind, and live by it! 

“I will never quit!”

Your life and the lives of your loved ones depend on it.

“Willing”

The last component of mindset is called “willing”

You have to be willing to kill someone.

Rule #1 of firearms safety is “treat all guns as if they were loaded”

Rule # 2 is “never point a gun at something you are not ‘willing to destroy’”

So if you are not willing to kill someone you shouldn’t point a gun at them.

If you are not willing to point a gun at them, then you might just as well leave it at home.

If this is true of you, then refer to “avoidance” above. It is your only viable option.

Always remember “Your best survival tool is your mind.” You’ll always have that with you when you need it!     God willing.

Letter Re: Are You Ready for City Sewer Backups?

Mr. Rawles,
Some fellow bloggers and I  discuss  prepping ideas on a discussion forum. One subject that came up (pardon the pun) was sewer problems.
I am in a small town that has a sewer system. We got rid of the septic tanks and pits back in the 1980s. I was young at the time and remember being a curious kid watching the houses being plumbed into the street sewer mains, and some houses had a special valve  (called a back-flow prevention valve, or check valve) installed into the system and others didn’t. I asked the workers why, and they stated that the hilly terrain could cause sewage from one house to back up into a house downhill on the sewer line. The valve was meant to stop the waste from going into the house and instead let it back up until it flowed out of the next uphill man hole cover. (The thinking was: “better in the street than in a house.”) Not all houses had this valve installed. Some if considered high enough above the next uphill man hole cover, were not required to put one in. My concern is the amount of pressure it would take to lift a heavy man hole cover – the waste may instead choose to go to a shower or toilet rather than lift a heavy manhole cover that may be stuck in place.

After talking with the other bloggers, one did in fact confirm just such a case where the sewer pipe filled the vacation house with three feet of sewage. All that mess could be avoided by the installation of a relatively inexpensive back flow valve on the main sewer pipe leaving the house. I installed one in the house I recently moved into, and even though the valve cost less than $50, the additional materials and such made the project cost over a $100.  (I did the work, so having a plumber do it would cost more). It should be a one day job if the digging, cutting, plumbing, and back filling all goes well. And don’t forget to put in a clean out fitting on both sides of the valve, and also put everything in a valve box so that it is easy to get to if maintenance is needed in the future.

I would hope everyone reading this had a retreat off the main sewer pipe, but that can’t be. I would also think this should be very important if the towns sewer system happens to be combined with the storm drain system, which could cause some major flooding during a bad storm. Also, some systems in both flat and hilly terrain have pump stations that rely on electricity in order to get the sewage to the treatment plant. Once they run out of backup power, and if people are still flushing with stream, rain, or swimming pool water, the full brunt of sewage may be heading to a bathroom near you.

Take Care, – Solar Guy

Economics and Investing:

The latest spike: St. Louis Fed Adjusted Monetary Base (BASE). With massive monetization still underway, the key question is :at what point will come the transition from deflation to mass inflation? I suspect fairly soon…

‘Plan for an economic 9/11’: Analysts warn Americans to buy guns and gold, predicting market crash and street riots within a year

Home prices fell in December in most US cities. Survey: Prices fell in 18 of 20 US cities in final months of 2011, prices back to 2002. (Thanks to C.D.V. for the link.)

R.C. sent this: S&P declares Greek ‘selective default’ after bailout

Also from R.C.: The Fed’s Anti-Recession Effort May Unleash 15% Inflation.

Dollar Alternative Anyone? (A hat tip to Diana for the link.)

The Greek Default Credit Event Day Cometh: ISDA Committee Agrees to Review Greek CDS Trigger Query. Meanwhile, we read: If Greece isn’t a ‘credit event,’ what is? (Thanks to C.D.V. for the links.)

Items from The Economatrix:

John Galt:  It’s Time To Accept Reality That It’s Too Late

Market Crash And Street Riots Within A Year:  Americans Should Plan For Economic 9-11

Gas Prices Signal Tsunami of Inflation

The Kamikaze Debt Market Deleveraging

Odds ‘n Sods:

R.C. sent this: The home guard: Police suggest 30 thorny bushes homeowners could plant to discourage ‘lazy’ garden thieves

   o o o

Bummer: Wyoming narrowly defeats measure to prepare for apocalypse. (Thanks to Rex for the link.)

   o o o

DIY 1911 Carbine, M1 Carbine Grenade Launcher, Commie Insurgents

   o o o

Randy in Maine wrote to mention that his local Home Depot store is now selling Gamma Seal bucket lids (in black only) for $6.47 each. Please note that all Gamma Seal lids are certified food grade, but that many of the orange HDPE plastic five gallon buckets that are sold at Home Depot stores are not. Check the markings on buckets before you buy. And for any buckets or lids that you own that are not food grade or for any that you are uncertain, relegate them to storing only non-food items.

   o o o

K.A.F. spotted this instructive gardening video: Making Soil Blocks

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The crisis takes a much longer time coming than you think, and then it happens much faster than you would have thought, and that’s sort of exactly the Mexican story. It took forever and then it took a night.” – Economist Rudiger Dornbusch (as quoted in John Mauldin’s newsletter, Thoughts from the Front Line)

Note From JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 39 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, 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 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), and E.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo.

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A FloJak F-50 hand well pump (a $349 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and E.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value).

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

Round 39 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

My Vacation in War Torn Yugoslavia, by C.N.

My family is from the former Yugoslavia and it had been a family tradition to go back and visit the homeland of my grandparents. Unfortunately for me, by the time I could go, my father had passed and I found only one cousin willing to do it again. As luck would have it, it was the summer of 2000 and I thought the war had been long over. It was only recently I discovered that the horror continued right up until just before my arrival there.
 
After a short stopover in Frankfurt, we boarded a smaller plane to Zagreb. The flight was beautiful, the scenery, breathtaking.
I thought about the stories I was told about this place. My family were farmers there, and I was excited to experience the way of life that used to sustain them. I wanted to see the animals, horses, pigs, cows, chickens, the fields of vegetables, and how they did it all. I had heard about how they would slaughter the pigs, then salt and smoke them, and I really wanted to know how. I don’t know if you’ve had them, but Yugoslavians are famous for their cabbage rolls. I wanted to know how to make the sour cabbage, and how they did all this for ages without refrigeration. I was fascinated with the idea of being self sustaining off the grid, and how they managed even after the war.

We rented a van to get to the tiny village of Covac near the larger city of Okucane. I was surprised at the military presence there still, there were checkpoints with armed guards asking to see your passport. Luckily most of them spoke English and didn’t actually seem that concerned with us. We must have went through three before getting to our destination.

Arriving in Covac, it was like nothing I had ever seen. One gravel road, off of another gravel road, one small store at the corner. There were maybe 40 houses altogether, surrounded by fields and farther back, forests. At one time this place was beautiful. Now, unreal. Most of the houses had been destroyed and abandoned. Some had walls missing, bullet holes marred the surface of the concrete, trees even growing where the roof once was. The town pavilion that once held meetings, dances and parties was reduced to rubble. We pulled into the gravel driveway of the house we would be staying at. 

Our hosts came out to greet us, a young lady and her elderly mother. The house was small by western standards, a concrete square with a kitchen, bedroom and cold room. The kitchen had a table and chairs, a woodstove and small counter, and a laundry line all lit with a single bulb hanging from the ceiling. The bedroom held two single beds, and a dresser with a television with rabbit ears atop, again all illuminated with a single bulb. The cold room was farthest away from the woodstove, just a concrete room with shelving on all sides which interestingly doubled as the room to bathe in. The outhouse was about 40 feet away, past the open well, unlit of course. My cousin told me a story about using the outhouse while a chicken pecked her from below, I guess that’s when they closed it off at the back. Regardless, I still had some anxiety about using the outhouse at night. The well was open, like the ones you see in old fairytales, with a roof and a bucket on a rope. Looking down into the water, I counted four frogs swimming around down there. I hoped they boiled the water before drinking. They didn’t. Meals usually consisted of smoked, salted meats, sausage or bacon, eggs, fresh vegetables like tomato and onion, bread and soups.

I remembered my Grandmother telling me about picking beans in the fields, and moving the livestock from the forests to graze, and back to the barn. Looking out at the fields, there was nothing but weeds. The only livestock in the town was some chickens and a cow. I asked what happened, the stories I was told and the place I was in seemed vastly different. When the war came here people fled and later were forced out or had their homes destroyed or taken over. Most of the younger people never returned leaving a town of mostly elderly. There was no one to do the hard work involved in farming here, and no one could afford the start up costs again even if they could. At one time this land was self sufficient, the people were happy and free, now barren, a way of life lost. I wanted to walk in the fields that sustained my family for generations, I was told I was not allowed. Not allowed? Apparently it had not yet been cleared of land mines so it would be an enormous risk. I still can’t believe that a tiny village, so far away from a small town had been hit so hard in this conflict. I recall a story from my Grandmother about her family hiding from the Nazis back in the war. That happened here, at least twice people were murdered in war, here, on this tiny strip of houses, seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

We went to visit other relatives in nearby Gredjane, I had hoped they fared better, they didn’t. My Grandfather’s brother and his wife lived in a small brick house, the size of a shed. The four of us couldn’t all be inside at once it was so small. It held a single bed, a woodstove, and a table and chairs. Nothing here was refrigerated, they had no electricity, not even a light. The towns people came by to say hello. Once again I was surprised at the age of the people who remained here. It amazed me that the elderly people chose to stay or come back while the youth took to the cities and stayed there. Leaving that place, it would be the last time I would see my relatives again. My Grandfather’s brother died two years ago, six months after my Grandfather.

Back in Covac, it was bath day. My gracious hosts had to heat buckets of well water on the woodstove for me. I bathed in the cold room, in a plastic bucket a foot deep, two feet across. It wasn’t pretty, but it did the job. I had to get used to brushing my teeth outside, and just spitting on the grass. I had never done laundry by hand, that wasn’t so bad. All in all, life there seemed so quiet, peaceful. It was actually hard for me to sleep at night, I wasn’t used to it being so dark, and so quiet. There were no streetlights, no traffic sounds, not even the familiar sound of dogs barking.

They did have a small garden close to the house. They grew potatoes, onions, carrots, cabbages, tomatoes and beans. Since the summer was ending we did get to help with some of the harvest. At this time, they didn’t pull out all of the root vegetables, just some for the cold room to use, and some for next years’ planting. We put the seed potatoes in a hole near the house. It was full of hay, we placed the potatoes and onions inside then covered them with hay and buried it. The cabbage was harvested, washed and placed in large tubs with brine, enough to just cover them.The tubs were stored in the cold room, then covered with fabric, a wood plank, and weighed down with a brick. Unfortunately my stay was not long enough for me to try them once the process was complete. I must say, although delicious when cooked up, the smell of them fermenting was a little harsh.

I did not have the opportunity to see any meat processing but I was told how it was done. Once ready, the meat was salted, and then smoked in smokehouses. This would occur in the fall so the meat was then hung in the attic which vented the woodstove smoke in one end and out the other. This would continue the smoking process thus preserving the meat longer for later use. After my visit, the smell of a wood fire always reminds me of my trip, and the taste of homemade smoked bacon.

Three weeks had gone by so fast, even here where there were no distractions in daily living. On the long ride home I had a lot to think about. I believe the one thing that made the deepest impression was the fact that this village, so remote, and so small was so deeply affected in their own TEOTWAWKI. I had just assumed that in almost any situation fleeing the cities is always plan A, this trip taught me otherwise. I believe we need to be careful in creating a plan for disaster that is sort of one size fits all. In this situation, in this civil war, the resources in the city were better. Those left in the country were completely alone in a horrific time and to this day, many of their stories remain untold.

Ebola for Beginners, by Jeff R.

CentOre’s February 7, 2012 article “Signs of the Times: What are the SHTF Tipping Points?” briefly touched on one point that I would like to expand on: Ebola and Marburg viruses.  I am not a physician–I’m not even in the medical field, but I have had the occasion to learn a little more about these viral hemorrhagic fevers (or VHFs) from a research project while pursuing my Bachelor’s degree in Emergency Management. The information available on this subject is constantly changing and involves advanced knowledge in a number of scientific disciplines, so what I can provide is just sort of an Intro to Ebola 101.  I know there are people out there who are better trained and more knowledgeable on this topic than I, but maybe this will get the conversation started.  God forbid that one of these plagues should ever come to our shores, but should that happen, I hope this will help SurvivalBlog readers be a little better prepared for it. 

An Ebola Primer

Most of the viral hemorrhagic fevers in the Ebola family originate in sub-Saharan Africa.  The only exception is variant Ebola Reston, which originates in the Philippines. Ebola Reston causes only asymptomatic infections in humans, but devastatingly lethal infections in other primates.  As we will see, it is important in this discussion because it is the only known variant contractible via airborne transmission.  Ebola viral hemorrhagic fevers all begin with fever, body aches, and chills, but soon progress to vomiting, hematemesis, diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, hemorrhaging, and often, death.

Marburg virus
A cousin of Ebola, this virus is fatal in up to 90% of human infections.  First identified in Marburg, West Germany in 1967, it came to Behring Laboratory in a shipment of African Green Monkeys. Lab workers became infected while using the monkeys and their tissues in polio research. The outbreak spread into Yugoslavia before it was halted.  In 2007, the Egyptian Rousette, a species of African fruit bat, was identified as the reservoir of the Marburg virus (Institut de Recherche, 2007).   It is a wide ranging, migratory species found throughout sub-Saharan Africa and the Nile River valley, which brings the primary reservoir into the same area as the major metropolitan areas of Cairo and the Nile River delta (Egyptian Fruit Bat, 2003).  These cities are a mere six hours by air to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport, and twelve to New York’s JFK airport. Or as Dr. Robert Swanepoel of the South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases stated in 2006, “Los Angeles is as close to Ebola as Kinshasa [Democratic Republic of the Congo] with air travel,” (Stoddard, 2006).  Air travel has already brought Ebola to our doorstep. 

Ebola Zaire
Identified in 1976 during an outbreak around Yambuku, Zaire, this variant killed 88% of those infected, making its lethality virtually equal with that of Marburg. The reservoirs of this and all other known variants of Ebola have not been identified, in spite of decades of effort.
Ebola Sudan
Near simultaneously with the above Ebola Zaire outbreak, a second Ebola outbreak occurred in the Nazara and Maridi areas of Sudan in 1976.  The infective agent in this outbreak was also identified as Ebola, but a less aggressive variant, killing only 53% of those infected.

Ebola Bundibugyo
The first outbreak of this variant occurred in the Bundibugyo district of Uganda in December 2007 through January 2008. Ebola Bundibugyo differs significantly from other Ebola variants in that it causes more vomiting and was fatal in only 25% of infections.  Its presentation departed so much from previous expectations that only after laboratory analysis was it identified in August 2008 as a new Ebola strain (Powhall, 2007).

Ebola Tai/Cote D’Ivoire/Ivory Coast
 In November 1994, a Swiss ethologist contracted the fever while performing a necropsy on a chimpanzee found in the Tai National Forest in Ivory Coast. She had used poor barrier protection, and was most likely infected by aerosolized fluids during the necropsy. She was later transported to Switzerland for treatment, and made a full recovery after six weeks. In spite of transportation and treatment without strict isolation, no other human cases occurred (Waterman, 1999).

Ebola Reston
As noted above, Reston causes only asymptomatic infections in humans. Researchers discovered it during a 1989 outbreak at a primate quarantine facility in Reston, Virginia. A second outbreak occurred soon after at another primate quarantine facility in Alice, Texas.  No human illnesses or deaths resulted from the few human infections that occurred.  During the outbreaks, primates housed in different sections from the infected primates soon contracted the virus as well.  Since there was no contact between these groups and the second group had been in quarantine beyond the incubation
period for Ebola, it appears that this variant is communicable through airborne transmission.

Complications

Recombinant viruses
Samples of Ebola Zaire obtained from six dead gorillas and a chimpanzee were found to have different genetic sequences.  In other words, Ebola viruses are capable of recombination, a capability seen rarely in RNA viruses and never before seen in filoviruses (Mackenzie, 2007). Remember the “milder” Ebola variants Bundibugyo and Tai, and airborne but asymptomatic Reston?  Should any of them find their way into a common host with one of the fiercely pathogenic Zaire, Sudan, or Marburg variants, recombination could occur and result in a slower burning but just as deadly new variant of Marburg, or a murderous and airborne variant of Zaire. Had that been the case in Reston, Virginia or Alice, Texas, instead of a few dead Macaques, the result could have been much worse, perhaps even TEOTWAWKI. 
           
Increasing risk to North America
Ebola has long been in intermittent scourge in sub-Saharan Africa, and has extended it reach into Europe once.  It has not been a major concern to North America for a couple of reasons: 1) outbreaks tend to occur deep in the African bush, and 2) the disease is so aggressively pathogenic that it kills its carriers before they can spread the disease further.  As illustrated above, the potential for an emerging, less aggressive variant is an ever-present risk.
Sub-Saharan Africans have been immigrating to Europe in record numbers. Such immigration to France doubled between 1982 and 1990. By 2005, the African immigrant population of metropolitan France was an estimated 3.6 million (ISEE, 2005). This growth has triggered a rapidly growing demand for illegal bush meat, any of which could carry one of the Ebola viruses or some as-of-yet unidentified hemorrhagic virus.  And it isn’t just Europe’s problem. The black market bush meat trade is a growing problem in the United States and Canada (BCTF, 2009). Anyone who handles Ebola-infected bush meat is likely to contract that disease, and likely to transmit it to others as it progresses through vomiting, hemorrhaging, and death.

Carrier states
According to the Special Pathogens Branch of the Centers for Disease Control, Ebola viruses have no carrier state; that is that there can be no “Typhoid Mary” of Ebola—no person who carries an infective form of the virus yet has no symptoms (CDC, 2009).  While it may seem like sophomoric hubris for one to differ with the CDC on the issue of disease, research indicates that their position may not necessarily be accurate.
Research performed during two outbreaks of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in northern Gabon in 1996 discovered that “asymptomatic, replicative Ebola infection can and does occur in human beings” (Leroy et al, 2000, p. 2210). This same research demonstrated that there were no genetic differences between the Ebola strains found in symptomatic and asymptomatic persons, indicating that that the cases were not the result of viral mutation.  This raises the ugly probability of the Ebola version of Typhoid Mary; persons without the disease but still infected and very much infective.  A further complication arises during convalescence after acquiring Ebola, as viable virus has been isolated from the seminal fluid of convalescing Ebola victims two to three months after the disease has resolved (Leroy et al, 2000, p. 2210).  It is therefore only prudent to assume that Ebola is also sexually transmitted.

Another potential carrier of Ebola viruses are dogs.  During the Ebola outbreak in Gabon in 2001-2002, research was conducted on pet dogs in the area of the outbreaks. Blood samples were taken from dogs living in areas where outbreaks had occurred, major cities, and as a control, dogs in France. In short, testing on the dogs showed an increase in seroprevalence of Ebola as a function of their distance from the outbreak areas. Villages in the outbreak area with an animal source, such as a dead primate, also had the highest level of seroprevalence when compared to villages without an animal source, major cities, and the dogs in France (Allela, Bourry, Pouillot, Delicat, Yaba, Kumulugui, 2005). The researchers concluded that the dogs had been infected with the Ebola Zaire virus that circulated in that area, and that the infections had been either extremely mild, or completely asymptomatic. During these asymptomatic infections, dogs “may excrete infectious viral particles in urine, feces, and saliva for a short period before virus clearance” (Allela et al, 2005, p.389). Ebola is a highly infective pathogen requiring exposure to relatively few virus particles to produce symptoms.  An affectionate lick from an asymptomatic dog might be all it takes to contract the disease.

Implications for the Prepper

The sooner you can pick the truth out of the media noise the more time and distance you can put between the generally diseased public and yourself.  Amidst all the media sensationalizing and the government bowdlerizing, listen for a confluence of these reported symptoms. Parenthetical figures are percent of known historical cases reporting each symptom.

  • Fever (90%-100%)
  • Headache (40%-90%)
  • Chills
  • Muscle pain/joint pain (40%-80%)
  • Malaise (75%-85%)
  • Pharyngitis (20%-40%)
  • Loss of appetite
  • Vomiting (59%)
  • Vomiting blood (10%-40%)
  • Non-bloody diarrhea (81%)
  • Blood fails to clot (71%-78%)
  • Abdominal pain (60-80%)
  • Dry and sore throat (63%)
  • Chest pain (83% of Ebola Sudan infected patients; uncommon in Ebola Zaire infected patients)
  • Abnormal susceptibility to bleeding—hemorrhagic diathesis (71%-78%)
  • Maculopapular rash—flat, red rash with raised bumps (5%-20%)
  • Hiccups (15 %)      (Waterman, 1999)

 

 Your first order of business should be to create distance between you and the GDP as you can as quickly as possible. If ever there was justification to withdraw to your retreat, this is it. The CDC and local health departments will be scrambling to isolate and identify this beast, but it could be weeks before they even know what they are dealing with.  If you don’t have your own piece of the American Redoubt, then quarantine yourself and yours from the rest of the population as best you can. Barring some god awful mutation, Ebola is not airborne, so if you can keep people from coughing, sneezing, bleeding, vomiting, secreting, or doing any other kind fluid-slinging on you, you will be safe. 

Since dogs are likely capable of becoming “Typhoid Mutley” and carrying Ebola, keep stray or feral dogs away from your location. Obviously you don’t want anything that is infected spattering or bleeding around your retreat, so if you can passively exclude dogs and any other carnivores and omnivores from your location with fencing or other measures, it might help prevent you having to kill them within your perimeter.  Also, take care to keep your animals away from strays or wild animals, and don’t let them nose around animal carcasses or droppings. I could not find any information regarding Ebola and native North American wildlife, but the possibility of other animals becoming carriers is a real concern.  Keep this in mind as you go about your daily routine.

If Ebola hits home:
With an incubation period of up to three weeks, going into retreat mode and taking Ebola with you is a possibility.  What if, in spite of all your precautions and preparations, somebody in your group develops Ebola?
At the time of this writing, there are no set treatments for acute Ebola, aside from supportive care in managing hydration, electrolytes, oxygen, and blood pressure. Maintaining the comfort of the patient as best as possible is important, as is doing what can be done to improve their chances of survival and recovery. Due to the extreme pathogenicity of Ebola, extraordinary care must be taken to avoid contamination or infection of others.  Below are the bare minimum of what precautions you should take to protect yourself and the rest of your group while there is an active Ebola infection.

  • Isolation
  • Quarantine
  • Barriers
  • Bleach
  • Burning

 

Isolation of the symptomatic Ebola patient from the rest of the group. Time in the isolation “ward” should be  minimized as much as possible while still maintaining humane and compassionate care.

Quarantine of exposed persons until the maximum incubation period for Ebola has elapsed (21 days). This means any person believed to have had any direct contact with any amount of bodily fluids from the patient.

Barrier protection for any person caring for the patient or handling anything used by the patient.  The bare acceptable minimum of protection is a face shield that covers the eyes, nose, and mouth; mask, gloves, gown, foot covering, and hood.  You don’t have to have a positive pressure biohazard suit (although that would be ideal). The goal is to keep bodily fluid from touching you being inhaled or ingested.

Bleach the soles of the shoes when leaving the ward by walking through a pan of bleach solution. Spray down the barrier protection with bleach solution before removing it.

Burn contaminated clothing, medical waste, and anything else not reusable. This is not the time to try to conserve medical supplies by reusing disposable supplies. Re-use of disposables was a primary vehicle of spreading Ebola in the earlier African outbreaks.

The CDC has a detailed manual covering infection control procedures for Ebola. It is available as a PDF download from its web site, as well as are other resources. It might be a good idea to have that manual saved on your TEOTWAWKI flash drive and a couple of hard copies printed out, just in case. The manual can be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/vhfmanual.htm.

Putting familiarization with Ebola and other possible agents of pandemic on your preparation list, and adding some basic barrier and infection control supplies to your stockpile should help you gain an edge over any such outbreaks. With adequate preparation and help from the Almighty, you can make it through an Ebola crisis.

Bibliography

Allela, L., Bourry, O., Pouillot, R., Delicat, A., Yaba, P., & Kumulungui, B. (2005). Ebola virus antibody prevalence in dogs and human risk. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 11, Retrieved April 15, 2008, from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol11no03/04-0981.htm

Bushmeat Crisis Task Force, (2009).  United States and Canada in “Regions affected.” Retrieved February 18, 2012 from http://www.bushmeat.org/bushmeat_and_wildlife_trade/regions_affected/us_and_canada

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (2010, April 9). Ebola hemorrhagic fever information packet. Retrieved February 18, 2012, from CDC Special Pathogens Branch Web site: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/Fact_Sheets/Ebola_Fact_Booklet.pdf

Deadly Ebola virus can mutate, French scientists warn. (2007, November 30). Agence France-Presse. Retrieved February 20, 2012 at http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jVqkLb-RTvPTOkzEkrovrzFYqeJg

Egyptian fruit bat. The centre for the conservation of specialized species. (May, 2003). Retrieved on April 10, 2007 from http://www.conservationcentre.org/scase2.html

Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (2007, September 11). Marburg virus identified in a species of fruit bat. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 17, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070909205527.htm

INSEE, (2005). Institut National de la Statistique et des Études Économiques – France – statistiques. Retrieved April 9, 2008, from Le recensement de la population Web site: http://www.insee.fr/fr/home/home_page.asp

Leroy, E. M., Baize, S., Volchkov, V. E., Fisher-Hoch, S. P., Georges-Courbot, M-C, & Lansoud-Soukate, J. (2000). Human asymptomatic Ebola infection and strong inflammatory response. The Lancet. 355, 2210-2215.

Mackenzie, D. (November 2, 2007). Ebola evolves deadly new tricks. Virgin Media, Retrieved March 26, 2008, from http://www.virginmedia.com/digital/science/ebola-evolves.php

Parker, J. N., Parker, P. M. The official patient’s sourcebook on Ebola hemorrhagic fever. Icon Health Publications, 2003.

Powhall, K. (2007, December 6). Ugandan health workers hit by Ebola, causing panic. The Seattle Times, Retrieved March 28, 2009, from http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004056966_webebola06.html?lid=seattle_times&lpos=day_txt_ap_report

Stoddard, E. (June 19, 2006).  Ebola could follow bush meat trade routes to west. Reuters, Retrieved February 19, 2012, from http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1651716/posts

Waterman, T. (1999). Tara’s Ebola site: Honors thesis Stanford University. Retrieved on February 15, 2012 from http://virus.stanford.edu/filo/filo.html . This site is also a good source of information on Ebola.

World Health Organization, (2007). Ebola haemorrhagic fever. Retrieved April 12, 2008, from WHO Media Center Web site: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/index.html

JWR Adds: One of the surest preventative measures for diseases spread by human contact is isolation. I have long recommended moving to farming or ranching country in the American Redoubt region. (Even before I gave it that name.) Ponder these population statistics (as of 2011):

Idaho: 1,568,000

Wyoming: 563,000

Montana: 989,000

Eastern Oregon: Approximately 300,000

Eastern Washington: Approximately 450,000

Total Population of The American Redoubt: Approximately 3,870,000

Versus:

Tennessee: 6,403,353

Virginia: 8,096,604

Michigan: 9,876,187

New York (Entire State): 19,465,000

Queens County, New York: 2,230,750

Bronx County, New York:1,385,100

Thus, the combined population of The American Redoubt is about the same as just two boroughs of New York City.

The bottom line: If you want to survive a pandemic spread by casual contact, then your best chances will be in lightly-populated places like the American Redoubt region. Just be sure to stock up on plenty of storage food and fuel, so that you won’t have to make any trips to town for the first 18 months of a pandemic.

Economics and Investing:

James K. was the first of several readers to send this piece in the usually Pollyannaish McNewspaper: Three doomsaying experts who foresee economic devastation ahead

G.G. suggested this: Extreme couponers push some retailers to tweak the rules.

Reader C.D.V. sent these four article links:

Credit Card Debt Nears Toxic Levels

George Osborne: UK has run out of money

More bad news: U.S. water bills to triple. (Yet another good reason to move out to the country and build where you can use spring or PV-pumped well water.)

Cue the dark, foreboding Beethoven music: Iran Moves Further to End Petrodollar, Announces Will Accept Payment in Gold Instead of Dollars.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Michael W. mentioned: Eight Home Remedies that Actually Work

   o o o

A surprisingly good article, coming from Canada’s notoriously leftward-leading Toronto Star (a.k.a. Toronto Red Star or Toronto Krasnaya Zvezda, by its detractors.): Why Costco is preparing for the end of the world. (Among others, the article quotes JWR.)

   o o o

K.A.F. flagged this: Mystery virus kills thousands of lambs

   o o o

Urban farming in Detroit gets the documentary it deserves. (Thanks to Matt L. for the link.)

   o o o

Martin sent us this: The World War Three Files.

Note From JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 39 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, 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 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), and E.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo.

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A FloJak F-50 hand well pump (a $349 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and E.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value).

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

Round 39 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Alternative Power in a TEOTWAWKI World, by Scott H.

I am currently working in the Alternative Energy industry after retiring from a 21-year career with the military.  As part of my Vocational rehabilitation, the military allowed me to choose my future career.  As a long time reader of SurvivalBlog and a Bible-believing Christian, I saw the importance of prepping.  This includes living off grid.

Alternative energy seems to be emerging as a buyer beware market.  You can see many manufacturers prey on fear claiming that their systems can run your fridge, furnace, freezer and well pump during any grid down event. This is simply an impossibility, a typical house needs 10 or more Kilowatts of power.  This is impossible to provide with an 80W panel and a 50 amp/h battery with a 250 W inverter, which many of these boastful claims are built around.  Not only will it not run your house, or anything else for more then a few minutes the shocking price demanded for these systems are well over $2,500.

When designing a system we always do a spreadsheet up of the total wattage of the household in question, and many times a typical household can expect to pay $14,000 plus for a system sufficient enough to be off grid. 

It is obvious that companies and consumers are asking the wrong questions when thinking about alternative energy.  The industry is looking to make money.  The consumer is looking to get the best bang for their buck, so in the interest of the little guy who cannot fork over thousands of dollars I have a few suggestions.  Without getting into the nitty gritty of system sizing, wire sizing, fuse sizing everything has be laid out in layman’s terms.

1.)  How much do I have to spend?  Let’s face it, if you only have $500 then you need to build a system around that costs $500.

2.)  Build a system that in the future can be expanded upon.  There is no point in buying a 6-amp charge controller as part of your upgradeable system when the biggest panel you can add to it is 80W.  For the ease of numbers, an 8-amp charge controller will handle a 135 Watt panel.

3.)  Change your lifestyle.  Most people who are preppers already know that life will change dramatically.  When the grid goes down, you will not be using your electric range your electric dryer, and definitely not your hair dryer or coffee maker.

Addressing the foregoing:  First, a solar system has three components.  Solar panel(s) + Charge controller + Batteries.

So for that $500 you could buy a 50 Watt panel, a 10-amp charge controller (ensure that the model is equipped with a low voltage disconnect.) and a 50 amp hour battery.  With this system, you can add an inverter to enable you to charge batteries for cordless tools, run a laptop or radio.  You can buy pre-packed distribution centers for 12 volt lighting with have 12-volt auto-jacks and 2.1 plug-ins to run lighting.  A 3 Watt LED 12V light bulb has the same lumens as 60 Watt incandescent bulb.  A system this size would give you 25 amp hours of continuous power.  Roughly, a 50 Watt panel will charge a 50 Amp/h battery in a day of continuous sun light. 

Not only could you light your cabin with 3Watt bulbs you can also add a couple of 12 V, 10W motion spotlights for security as well as have capacity for cordless tool batteries and laptop charging.  Your heating choices would have to be kerosene, propane or wood as well as cooking and refrigeration.  There are 12-volt refrigerators and freezers but you would need a substantially larger system to run them.

To expand on your $500 system you can substitute your 50W panel up to a 135 Watt panel keeping your 10-amp charge controller.  You can upgrade your batteries from a 50 Amp/h battery to a 106 Amp/h or even a 165 amp/h battery. 

Currently Fur Harvester Auction Trap line Store in North Bay, Ontario carries pre-packaged cabin systems for off-grid trappers cabins that are manufactured by Glenergy, these can be viewed at www.glenergy.ca  All of these pre-packaged plug and play systems range from  $300 to $1,160 Canadian Dollars.

To upgrade again, you would have to replace the 10-amp charge control to add additional panels.  If you had 2 x 135 Watt panels which could be used in either a 12 or 24-volt system now.  A 20 amp 12-volt charge controller and 2 x 6volt 530 Surrette batteries wired in series has just significantly increased total power output.  You can still run all the lighting requirements, use a larger inverter and now you can add a 12-volt deep well pump, and give you more storage, this means if the sun does not shine for a week, you still have power stored. 

Also when purchasing items, eBay is a valuable resource.  Just ensure that when searching for a panel, most flexible solar panels that are 35 Watt or greater are only 6-volt so you will have to buy 2 and wire these in series these to make 12-volt.

When upgrading from here, you can purchase a smart controller and wire in a generator with an electric start.  The generator would strictly run to charge batteries and not run any 120-volt appliances directly.  This would be beneficial when you have a long period with no sun and over consumption, the generator would run long enough to top up the batteries.  When the system has been set up correctly the generator would not run very often unless your kids are having a PS3 Tournament and leaving all of the lights on.

When buying your batteries only buy solar rated batteries as they are built for rapid charge and a longer discharge.  Deep cycle RV batteries just are not built for this.  Another consideration for batteries is trying to use a Lead Acid Gel battery when designing a portable system, liquid lead acid batteries will spill and vent, and lithium ion batteries are expensive and heat up when charging. Regardless of what type is used, ensure that if they are housed in any kind of container they are vented to the outside for larger systems and if it is a portable system make sure there is some sort of overpressure valve.  Pelican cases have overpressure valves built in already.

When building your system, ensure everything is fused.  Fuse your solar panel, fuse your battery, and fuse your loads.  In the event of a solar flare or an EMP, you can have a second charge controller and spare fuses stored in a Faraday cage such as a military ammo can.  In 30 minutes, you could have your system back up and running.  In this case most charge controllers are plastic, one alternative is Morning Star controllers which are metal and encapsulated which makes them weather proof.  The downside to these controllers are that if the solar is hooked up and the battery fuse blows or is disconnected the controller will get fried.  Most other controllers do not have this problem.  Saying that, I always recommend that the solar is disconnected before the battery is disconnected with any charge controller.

When I build custom systems, they have to be rugged.  Currently I have twenty-one 10 Watt systems in Africa which are in use by missionaries.  These systems charge cell phones and laptops, charge 9-volt lanterns and fans and provide 12 volt localized lighting.  Each missionary kit was provided a 10 Watt security spot light as well.  This shows that with even a system as small as a 10 Watt panel and a 9 amp/h battery can provide most of your requirements, plus these are portable and pretty much maintenance free as tool kits are in short supply as well as the ATC fuses.  In a bleak future of a grid down world, there may be an abundance of abandoned vehicles and ATC fuses will be one of those items not scavenged, except for by of course you who is reading this article. 

This leads to another plus in a grid-down world.  In Africa, there are hardly an land lines, there are large areas with no electricity and yet everyone has a cell phone.  Cell towers are mostly powered by solar.  There have been a few businesses set up Ghana with systems I have built to charge cell phones.  Any soldier who has been to Iraq or Afghanistan has seen the countless call offices where you can pay to use a cell phone.  With a small system you can charge lanterns, cell phones, whether or not cell phones will work and even batteries, this can be a valuable source of barter.

Using ruggedized cases such as a Pelican case is one way of building a portable system that can be taken with you in the case you have to G.O.O.D., something that can be thrown into the back of a pick up.  A system this size can be as small as a 20 Watt panel with a 21amp/hour battery.  This size system again would be enough to charge tool batteries, laptops and run 12 volt lighting.  Something as small a 3Watt 12-volt panel with 50 Watt hour batteries will light a tent, charge cell phones or other handheld devices and costs less than $85.

It is my belief solar will be a much better option then naphtha or kerosene lanterns because you will not need to carry spare fuel bottles.  This is a definite plus if you are traveling, light or the cost or scarcity of these resources makes them unattainable.

Letter Re: Handy Photovolatic Calculators

Jim,
I’m a retired U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer who has taken restoration carpentry as my second career.  I’ve been following you for a couple years now and very much appreciate what you’re doing. To those ends, I received a link to this article from Fine Homebuilding and thought it might be interesting and perhaps useful to fellow preppers.  Of particular interest to me was the interactive maps from NREL.  One can point their mouse to a particular point on the U.S. map (or to pre-selected points on the global map) and then load the location data into NREL’s PVWatts Calculator.  The calculator then shows the user location-specific data regarding positioning of arrays, available sunlight by month for the location selected, DC to AC inversion de-rates, et cetera.  

It occurs to me that calculating the value of the energy produced by a notional PV array would be useful so long as we remain grid-up as it provides the user the ability to calculate an amortization schedule for the investment.  Going the other way, as I’m currently noodling, it provides the ability to develop an electrical load scheme for a home factoring location, budget, and power requirements.  For example, wiring a completely separate DC bus not tied to the grid with a lead-acid battery backup versus using the standard residential AC bus with DC-AC inverter and grid-tied.  Or, a dozen other permutations to arrive at the best bang for the buck.  

Cheers, – Joe B.