On Markets, Manipulation, Regulation, and Nationalization

On August 12th the newspaper headlines had some exceptionally bad news: Four European Nations to Curtail Short-Selling. This is an ill-advised panic move, following some massive losses on the European stock markets. (The French CAC 40 index is down 18.2 percent thusfar in August. Meanwhile, the DAX was down 15% in just a week.) Banning short selling does not bode well for the free market, nor for any meaningful stock pricing numbers that we can rely on.

As the nascent global credit crisis deepens, we can expect more monkeying with the markets, on both sides of the Atlantic. For example, the already highly-manipulated COMEX precious metals market will probably become less free, and less transparent. I predict that if the spot price of gold gets above $1,900 per ounce, the COMEX regulators will raise margin requirements to absurd levels–just like they did with Silver Rule 7 to stop the Hunt Brothers in 1980.

At the risk of sounding like someone from the Tinfoil Hat crowd, there are also persistent rumors of the Federal Reserve buying up stock shares. This has been attributed to the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets (commonly called the Plunge Protection Team.) The Fed is also very quiet about what it calls Permanent Open Market Operations (POMO). And of course the same net effect has been accomplished indirectly on a grand scale through massive infusions of credit, via the Quantitative Easing monetization mechanism. (This is where money is created ex nihilo as the government buys its own debt.)

Another threat to free markets and investor freedom of choice is a legislated nationalization of our IRA and 401(k) accounts. The estimated $14 trillion in those accounts are the choice fruit that some in government have been eyeing for many years. If enacted, a nationalization scheme will likely “invest” in a mix of government-managed stock purchases to make Wall Street happy, and “annuities” (Read: worthless Treasury paper), to make Tim Geithner happy. They’ll no doubt claim that they’re doing so “for our safety.” Thankfully, this hasn’t progressed beyond a lot of Think Tank talk, yet.

Never underestimate the ability of politicians to manufacture a crisis to fulfill their goals.

Pat’s Product Reviews: Rossi Ranch Hand

I grew-up during the Golden Years of television – the 1950s and early 1960s. Many television programs produced during that time were westerns: The Lone Ranger, The Cisco Kid, Bonanza, Wanted: Dead Or Alive, Wagon Train, Johnny Yuma, Gunsmoke, and many, many others. One of my favorite westerns was Wanted: Dead Or Alive starring the late Steve McQueen, who played a bounty hunter – going after bad guys for a reward. And, more often than not, Steve McQueen’s character “Josh Randall” was always side-tracked doing good deeds for folks. What made this program so interesting was the gun that “Josh Randall” carried: A cut down Winchester Model 92 in .44-40 caliber, that had a barrel length of about 10-12 inches, with a large lever loop for operating the action. Funny thing was, “Josh Randall” carried 45-70 rounds on his pistol belt. Go figure.

I think every kid (and adult) wanted a cut-down rifle like the one “Josh Randall” carried – I remember having a toy gun that looked like this gun, as well as a holster to go with it. I grew-up, and I’ve always wanted a similar gun, but I didn’t care to jump through the FedGov red tape to have a cut-down rifle. FedGov regulations mandate that you have to have at least a 16″ barrel on a rifle, with an overall length of 26″ – if your rifle is any shorter, then there’s lots of red tape and have a $200 tax for a Short Barrel Rifle (SBR), and I just don’t care to give the FedGov any more reason to come knocking on my door.

Enter Rossi USA and their Ranch Hand – which is technically a “handgun” by their definition. Rossi didn’t start out with one of their lever-action rifles and cut it down. Instead, the gun was designed and designated as a “handgun” from the start. The Ranch Hand has a 12″ barrel with an overall length of 24″ with it’s abbreviated “stock.” There’s the ever-popular large lever loop, just like the one on Wanted: Dead Or Alive, too.

I waited over a year to get my sample Ranch Hand, and I had requested one in .44 Magnum (they come in .45 Colt and .38 Special/.357 Mag) too. However, the only sample available was in .38 Special/.357 Magnum, so I snapped it up. What we have is a rather large “handgun” that weighs in at 4 pounds, that is different than most other handguns on the market. Puma came out with a similar gun a few years ago, however, they were selling for about $1,200 retail – the Rossi Ranch Hand retails for $536 – less than half the price of the Puma version.

With a gold bead front sight and an adjustable leaf rear sight, the Ranch Hand affords a very sharp sight picture. The rear sight is adjustable for windage and elevation, using the rear sight elevator for making elevation adjustments, and for windage adjustments. (You have to tap the rear sight left or right in the base until you get the desired point of aim/point of impact. The Ranch Hand holds 6 rounds in the tubular magazine, plus one in the chamber, giving you 7 rounds available. There is also a saddle ring – but it’s for looks – I don’t see it being used unless you are mounted on a horse, and even then….? The Ranch Hand is nice and evenly finished in a beautiful blue finish, too.

The front foreend and stubby rear “stock” are made out of hardwood of some type, and nicely fitted and finished, too. I suppose, in a pinch, you could use the “stock” and mount it to your shoulder, but it’s not very comfortable – I tried it!  There is also a steel butt plate on the “stock” as well. Trigger pull was really nice at about 5-lbs, and it was very crisp, too. There is a manual safety on the top of the receiver, too – right where the hammer rests. The lever-action was very smooth and sure, something that can’t always be said about some lever-action rifles.

The overly large lever – well, I tried to “twirl” it (unloaded gun, of course) – like “Josh Randall” did on the television show, but the Ranch Hand locks-up tightly and wouldn’t allow any twirling. Perhaps over time, when the lever action loosens-up a bit, it might work. However, this only attests to the tightness and how well the gun is fitted – not a bad thing at all.

I had a variety of .357 Magnum ammo on-hand from Buffalo Bore Ammo from 125-gr JHP all the way up to their 180-gr “Heavy” hard cast lead load. I started out with the Buffalo Bore 180-gr LFN round, and this baby lets you know that you have some serious power in your hands. Remember, most .357 Magnum loads are designed for revolvers or traditional handguns – the Ranch Hand has a 12″ barrel, so you are gaining quite a bit of velocity. Buffalo Bore’s owner, Tim Sundles, tells me that, in a lever-action .357 Magnum rifle, that this load is equal to a 150-gr .30-30 round – I believe him – it really “kicked” in the Ranch Hand. Only problem I had was, this load, being heavier than most other .357 Magnum loads was hitting about 3″ high at 25-yards. I moved the rear sight elevator down to its lowest position and it brought the point of impact down another inch. I then removed the rear sight elevator completely, and I was about an inch high at 25-yards with this load.

I tried the Buffalo Bore 158-gr JHC .357 Magnum load, in the Ranch Hand, with the rear sight elevator back in place, and at its lowest position – once again, the gun was shooting a bit high at 25-yards – about 2″ high. I removed the rear sight elevator and the Ranch Hand was hitting just slightly above the point of aim – not too shabby. I tried the Buffalo Bore 125-gr JHC round, with the rear sight elevator back in place, once again set at its lowest position, and this round was impacting dead on. So, it appears that the Ranch Hand is set-up, at least my sample was, for 125-gr .357 loads to high point of aim, point of impact at 25-yards, this isn’t a bad thing. I also tried the Buffalo Bore Tactical Short Barrel Low Recoil, Low Flash .357 Magnum load, and this round also high right-on at 25-yards. BTW, this load doesn’t have a lot of recoil, and it was designed for snub-nosed .357 Magnum revolvers.

I should mention that, at the start of my shooting, the gun was hitting to the left a couple of inches. It took a little “whack” with a plastic hammer to move the rear sight to the right, and get the point of impact right on – piece of cake! I had no malfunctions of any type during my testing, and I fired the Rossi Ranch Hand over a dozen different times, and occasions over several weeks. To be honest, this gun is just plain fun to shoot! At the end of my testing, I found half a box of Remington UMC 125 grain JHP .357 Magnum in my ammo stash. So, I tested it as well, and the Ranch Hand didn’t like this ammo at all for some reason – it was all over the target – any place from dead center hits, to hits on the far side of the target – right and left – to off the top of the target. Go figure? I know most guns shoot certain types, brands and weight of ammo better than other brands. But I was really shocked at how the Remington UMC load wouldn’t group well at all. So make sure you test various types of ammo in your guns, to make sure your gun likes a particular brand. In this case, the Rossi Ranch Hand simply performed poorly with the Remington UMC load.

Now, while the Ranch Hand was a lot of fun to shoot, I started wondering about the practical application for such a gun. I don’t see myself carrying it concealed, but I do see myself getting a leg holster, like the one “Josh Randall” used to carry his sawed-off Winchester Model 92 in – just for nostalgic purposes. So, I had to scratch my head, and wonder what purpose the Ranch Hand would serve. Well, it didn’t take me long to realize that, this gun would make a perfect gun to stash in my emergency box in the back of my car, along with a couple boxes of ammo, and my other emergency supplies. I also see the Ranch Hand being carried in a BOB, and this is where it would really shine. There might be times when you need a handgun, and other times, when you might need to really reach out there and “touch” someone – and with the Ranch Hand’s 12″ barrel, you can really reach out there – and hit your target.

So, putting nostalgia aside, and the absolute fun factor of the Rossi Ranch Hand, the gun does serve a couple very practical functions. I would be comforted, knowing that, if my rig broke down out in the boonies or in the mountains, that I’d have the Ranch Hand in my emergency box, and it could take care of all but the biggest game and any two-legged threats. I wouldn’t hesitate using the .357 Magnum Buffalo Bore 180-gr Heavy load against the black bears in Oregon – it would get the job down in short order. And, with some of the lighter .357 Magnum loads, or even .38 Special loads, it’ll take care of most two-footed threats you might encounter as well. Personally, I’d stoke the Ranch Hand with .357 Magnum loads and never look back at the .38 Special load.

My only problem now is, coming up with the bucks to purchase my sample Ranch Hand – but I’ll figure it out for a couple reasons. Number one is, the nostalgia associated with Wanted: Dead Or Alive and number two is the pure fun factor of shooting the gun – did I mention it was fun to shoot? Lastly, is the survival/practical application of having this gun in the e-box of my car – it would be very reassuring to know I’d have this gun and some hot-stepping .357 Magnum loads on tap in an emergency situation. Looking back, I’m glad that I was sent the Ranch Hand in .357 Magnum instead of .44 Magnum. This is because .38 Special and .357 Magnum ammo is a lot less expensive to shoot, and in my opinion, the .357 Magnum will take care of “business” for me.

– SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio

JWR Adds: The pragmatist in me says: Rather than buy a four-pound abbreviated lever action for one’s bug out bag, why not just buy a Dan Wesson Model 715 revolver, with both a 2-1/2″ barrel and a 10″ barrel? That way you could have the best of both worlds. (Concealability with the short barrel, and in some circumstances, long sight radius for long range shooting.) The revolver, complete with two barrels, a barrel wrench and a feeler gauge would weigh less than four pounds. With practice, barrel changes can be done in less than 90 seconds.

Tetanus: A Nasty, Fascinating Bug, by Dr. Bob

Nearly everyone has heard of the famous “lockjaw”, but not everyone knows that the cause is tetanus infection.  Even fewer people have actually seen a case of tetanus, even in the medical circles it is a rare event in the U.S.  There are only 233 cases reported from 2001 to 2008–or 1/10,000,000.  Deaths are even more rare here in the States, and of those 233, 31 were fatalities.  Most deaths were people over 65, presumed to be less than optimally immunized.  

There has only been one reported infant case in the U.S. in that time period, and that was with a mom that was not immunized.  You may be getting the message here, but let me spell it out for you:  GET YOUR TETANUS SHOT!  All arguments against a tetanus vaccination are just noise. Keep it up to date and keep it current.  You need a shot every 10 years, and once it gets beyond six years if you a nervous prepper you should probably get it updated. So, let’s get into the details and weird, fun stuff about tetanus.  Tetanus infection is caused by Clostridium tetani bacteria, which lives in spore form in soil, dust, and animal feces.  The spores sit dormant in our environment waiting and hoping with their little spore minds for a dirty wound to get into.  They then transform (robot transformer noise inserted here) into the bacterium and start to grow.  The incubation period for tetanus spores can be from a single day to months later.  As they grow, they make this nasty tetanus toxin called tetanospasmin which messes with your motor neurons which control your muscles.  It is released when the bacterium are actually killed by time or your own immune system.  They actually get you when you kill them, how cool is that?  Very.  Anyway, the toxin then affects your nervous system and causes muscle spasms that look like this: , sweats, fever, rapid heart beat, high blood pressure, trouble swallowing and breathing due to the spasms it causes.  The most common and famous symptom is of course the painful spasm of your masseter muscles in your jaw, sometimes strong enough to bust your molars in half!  Ouch.

The good news is that tetanus will not grow in healthy tissue, it needs wounds, skin infections, dead tissue, or foreign bodies to invade.  Most often the types of things people get that can allow a tetanus infection to start are splinters, gun shot wounds, puncture wounds, crush injuries, open fractures, burns, animal bites, non-sterile injections, umbilical stump infections (infants), dental infections and even ear infections.  90% of tetanus infections can easily be traced to a wound or infection source, but 10% or so are more devious and are likely to start with a simple scratch or small crack in the skin.  Most tetanus infections tend to strike the elderly, diabetics, or IV drug addicts. WTSHTF one of these will be missing very quickly due to getting shot a lot or being cured by lack of supply. Diabetics will have an obvious change to their diets and lifestyles, and will need to be vigilant against wound infections.  Elderly folks can prevent being victims of tetanus by keeping their vaccinations up to date.

There are four types of tetanus infection to review.  The first is neonatal tetanus infection.  Babies don’t like dirt, at least at first.  They should be delivered in as clean an environment as possible and special care needs to be taken of their little umbilical stumps after the cord is cut.  Basically, an umbilical stump is an open wound, and it should be treated as such.  Non-immunized moms have given their babies risk of tetanus infections.  Don’t be one of those moms.  There are certain cultures that also do stupid things to the umbilical stump which increases the risk of tetanus infection.  Don’t rub weird stuff on an umbilical stump!  Your weird cultural practices of rubbing ghee, oil, juice, or whatever on the kids new shriveling cord needs to stop.  End of that story.  The bad thing is that babies tend to die more than adults from tetanus infection, usually from 10-60% of the neonatal infections are fatal.  Final messages about neonatal tetanus: Keep deliveries clean, umbilical stumps clean, and moms vaccinated.

Next types of tetanus infection are cephalic and local.  Usually caused by a head or neck wound, cephalic tetanus will usually progress to generalized tetanus like the local infection does.  Cephalic tetanus causes more of an immediate and local spasm due to the location of the wound.  The cranial nerves are usually affected; and besides the almost immediate lockjaw that occurs, there are lots of facial muscle spasms, neck muscle spasms, and swallowing troubles right off the bat with this type of tetanus.  Cephalic tetanus is really a local tetanus, which is the next type of tetanus to discuss.  Local tetanus, as already mentioned, usually progresses to the generalized type just like cephalic tetanus.  It can cause local symptoms of spasm at the site of the infection, and rarely the infection will stay localized to that area close to the wound.  Sometimes local tetanus will affect the abdominal muscles and confuse people.  It will not always be next to or close to the wound causing it, making it seem like the person may have appendicitis or another surgical problem in the abdomen instead of a tetanus infection.  This gets tricky to figure out, so for our discussion, let’s keep it simple and categorize this type as near the wound causing it.  Both these types of tetanus can, and usually do, progress to the generalized type of tetanus infection.

Generalized tetanus gives the symptoms that we have already reviewed.  Half of people get lockjaw, but the stiff neck, spasms, risus sardonicus (sardonic smile, think of The Joker in Dark Knight), rigid abdomen, apnea (irregular breathing) due to spasm of neck or chest muscles, and trouble swallowing.  Usually symptoms will last 4-6 weeks from their onset, due to the ongoing effect of the toxins released even after the bacteria are dead.  Treatment of generalized tetanus is best done in an ICU with anesthesia and IV medications. (Not likely in TEOTWAWKI.) 

Antibiotics are recommended for the treatment of tetanus, and there are lots of antibiotics that are helpful in killing the bacteria.  The best is metronizadole, which is recommended as the first-line treatment.  After that, Penicillin, Cephalexin and other Cephalosporins, Doxycyline and other Tetracyclins, Azithromycin and other Erythromycins, Vancomycin, and Chloramphenacol are all effective against tetanus.  One that is not is sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim), which is used in the treatment of MRSA and many wounds.  The best treatment choice available is having a treatment choice.  The wound also needs to be cleaned and dead tissue removed (debrided).  As you can start to recognize, tetanus treatment is a lot easier with vaccination to prevent the disease than it is after getting it.

So, in TEOTWAWKI, what do you really do with a person that is suspected to have a tetanus infection?  Well, with the fatality rate in adults ranging from 8-50%, prayer never hurts.  The interesting thing about tetanus symptoms:  they are triggered by loud noise, bright lights, and touch.  How spooky is that?  Placing a tetanus victim in a cool, dark, quiet place will help their symptoms and may help improve their survival.  While the fatality rate is high for non-immunized people and nearly zero for those immunized, even after our ten years runs out and there was no tetanus vaccine around, the immunity would continue to help survival and has shown to be a predictor in survival even after vaccination is older than ten years.  The other way to confirm the diagnosis is also pretty cool:  a spatula test.  Touch the back of their throat with a tongue depressor or Q-tip and usually you will trigger a gag reflex.  With a tetanus infection, touching the throat will cause the jaw to clamp down on the instrument and spasm.  So don’t use your finger!  The test is only really necessary when trying to decide between a tetanus infection you suspect or a possible dental infection causing a tight jaw.  As already mentioned, usually the wound plus symptoms equals tetanus.

Besides antibiotics, medications like diazepam (Valium), Baclofen, and Magnesium can help with the spasms if you have it.  Most likely you will not, so it’s back to the treating the person like and mushroom and then praying for them.  Don’t go the way of blues musician Joe Hill Louis, Henry David Thoreau’s brother, and Robert E. Lee’s favorite horse Traveller–all dying of tetanus.  Keep up with your vaccinations and get your kids vaccinated too against tetanus.  Kids start at two months of age getting a Tdap shot, don’t miss this chance to protect your child.

Stay strong and stay vaccinated against tetanus.

JWR Adds: Dr. Bob is is one of the few consulting physicians in the U.S. who dispenses antibiotics for disaster preparedness as part of his normal scope of practice. His web site is: SurvivingHealthy.com.

Letter Re: A Source for Qiviut Socks

Several months ago a SurvivalBlog post recounted a man’s survival while iced-in in a remote area. He credited a life-saving cache left by a local property-owner with saving his life. Included in the cache was a pair of qiviut socks. After reading the article, the socks continued to fascinate me — as I am somewhat cold-blooded and even wear wool socks in summer. After much research, I decided to try a pair and searched the internet. I found one source, in Canada, that sells the socks (70% Qiviut, 20% Merino, 10% nylon) and ordered a pair. I’ve found the product to be good quality, and decided to buy another, but only if they could tailor to the changes I wanted. They were very responsive and customized the sock to my cuff and length desire (ankle, calf, etc).

The source is Spruce Haven Farm. At their web site, enter ‘qiviut’ in the search box. Again, if you don’t like the style shown or are unsure of the size, use the ‘contact us’ tab to open communications. – Desert Dawn

Economics and Investing:

At The Daily Bell: Richard Maybury and Rick Rule on Why More War Is Likely, the Future of the US Dollar and Why Neither of Them Vote

Another from The Daily Bell: Thomas Jacob on the New Swiss Gold Franc, Why the EU Is a Bad Idea and Why an IMF Managed Currency Would Be Tragic

Arnaud de Borchgrave: Black swans galore: As U.S. superpower status fades, ‘Arab Spring’ gives way to global chaos. (Thanks to J.B.G. for the link.)

Michael W. sent this: Tracking the money from stocks to gold.

 

Items from The Economatrix:

Shoppers Lift Economy But Will They Keep Spending

Some $4 Trillion Wiped Off World Stocks In Two Weeks

US Default Scare Leads To Biggest Weekly Surge In Non-Seasonally Adjusted M2 In History

When Will Silver Catch Up With Gold’s Stunning $100 Advance?

Odds ‘n Sods:

I recently received a sample body armor carrier, AK magazine pouch, and an AK magazine, all made by U.S. PALM. To start, I must mention that all of their cataloged items are made in the USA. While the vast majority of their competitors have “gone cheap” and sourced most of their products overseas (primarily in mainland China), U.S. PALM’s management made the commendable decision to produce all of their gear here in the United States. That puts them up several notches, in my book. A couple of detailed reviews will follow in the blog at a later date, but for now let me say that I’m very impressed with the quality of their workmanship. Disclaimer (per FTC File No. P034520): U.S. PALM is not a SurvivalBlog advertiser. They have not solicited me or paid me to write any reviews or endorsements, nor will I receive any remuneration from their sales of their products. They did provide me with several sample items of their manufacture for evaluation, at my request.

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Wally B. mentioned this new segment from Russian television: Preparing for an apocalypse in America. Decent preps, and a great ham rig, but pitiful OPSEC. Why did they have to mention their family name or their city? Loose lips sink ships.

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If you are looking for a retreat property, or if you have one that you’d like to sell, then be sure to check out our spin-off web site, SurvivalRealty.com. We now have 61 listings in 47 States in the U.S. and two other countries. One the latest listings is an upcoming auction for a 147 acre camp property, near El Dorado, Kansas. SurvivalRealty.com ads cost just $30 per month and no sales commissions are charged.

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Sergio sent me a link to map showing the percentage of Christians and all faiths in each state.

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K.A.F. sent this: 11 crazy alternative investments: Collectible guns. JWR’s Comments: Only out-of-touch eastern urbanites consider guns a “crazy” investment. In fact, they are a proven inflation hedge. They are also one of the few investments (like Japanese swords) that can help you defend all of your other investments. I’m fairly confident that my Merwin & Hulberts (albeit not quite as nice as this one) will hold their value in the next couple of centuries much better than shares of Xing, Yahoo and Zynga. Granted, stocks on average have been great performers, but even a few “blue chip” stocks like AIG have gone bust. My knowledge of antique Colts, Winchesters, and Mausers gives me tremendous confidence that I’m buying a long-term winner. But corporate managements can change, so there is no certainty that a company that I invest in today will even exist in a hundred years. (How’s that Pan Am stock doing for you, Mom?)

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"The fabric of American empire ought to rest on the solid basis of the consent of the people. The streams of national power ought to flow from that pure, original fountain of all legitimate authority." – Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 22, December 14, 1787

Notes from JWR:

Remember our Victory! We have not forgotten the sacrifices that were made in World War II. I hope that even the most recent generation can somehow relate to the fullness of the joy that was shared on August 14, 1945!

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Today we present another entry for Round 36 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) 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 B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) 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, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) 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.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, and C.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 36 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Prepping for Missionaries and Other Long-Term Foreign Worker, by Mission Mobilizer

The position of the Missionary or Long-term foreign worker is a bit unique, and certainly cannot be assumed to be similar either to a non-American prepper in his native home or to short-term traveler overseas. Those who travel overseas in the short term, need only to make sure that they are back home before any kind of crash and they can implement all of their plans as normally as they would have had they been at work when things began to go wrong.

Those overseas for longer periods of time, stretching into years rather than days or weeks must plan differently. For the one thing they generally cannot simply leave because things look rough. For the missionary this is because bad times do not justify ignoring either the command of scripture or his personal mandate to the work he is doing. For other long-term workers the weight of their work may equally compel them to stay where they are whether that is a moral obligation to some form of aid work or financial dependency to a business or job. For these and other reasons, many who are overseas long term cannot simply scurry home and wait for years to see whether something bad is going to happen or not.  

A different more balanced approach is therefore necessary for those who find themselves in this situation. Let me begin by saying this calls for a great deal of careful thought and discernment. The decision to make for home or stay put when things do actually get very rough, while similar to that made my many in the United States whose retreats are some distance from their homes, must be made ahead of time. You will need to be able to act quickly regardless of what you plan to do in the event that a disaster strikes.  

Stay Put or Bug Out?   The decision to stay or go is very personal, and may involve reasons that are purely spiritual or emotional, a since of being called to stay or a desire to be with close family in hard times, nevertheless careful thought should be put into this decision. Firstly you should consider the nation you are living in as a whole. How viable would it be to stay in that country in the event of some sort of worldwide disaster, such as economic collapse or power grid failure? This is tricky as factors are involved which may not be readily apparent. The Philippines for example, was rated very poorly in terms of how it would handle the grid failure anticipated around Y2K. Having spent sometime living there I found this odd since the country, as a whole seemed to have little technological dependence. But upon further investigation, I found that the nation was dependent on imports not only economically but also for essentials like food. Some Latin-American nations on the other hand may be even better off than the United States in terms of food and water because the sources are kept much more locally even in large cities. Thus it is key to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of attempting to stay or go in the country you are located in.  

Your personal location should be considered as well. Do you live in a major city or way out in the middle of nowhere. If you live closer to the airport than to the place you might consider retreating to in country, then perhaps it would be safer to just fly home than to try getting out safely into the countryside. If on the other hand you live so far out in the sticks that you cannot easily get in and out of town (you must be flow out, you have to hike out but it takes several days, etc.) then you may be remote enough that getting out is neither practical nor necessary. While our natural instincts may gives us a strong desire to be home, we should be willing to consider that we may be in a better place overseas than we would be if we were back home. Consider how a mass exodus from the cities and the inability to get food or water except from local sources would affect the area you live in.  

Next to be considered are the people around you. Will you be able to put together a reasonably self-sufficient team of people in order to survive where you are, or will you be trying to survive on your own? Are the locals hostile to your presence even in the best of times, or do they have a strong value for live and appreciate and desire your presence in their community? Is your community already self reliant to some degree? Has your family been present long enough to know the local language and customs well enough to handle a large-scale crisis? If you will be unable to form a community that will fit in with that which is already there, or are not surrounded by anyone else interested in self sufficiency then going home may be in your best interest, especially if you have friends or family interested in prepping and helping you prep. If, however, you feel you are in a more self -sufficient and communal environment on the field, then you might think about staying put even if you might be tempted to “feel” differently.  

Once you have made up your mind on this all important decision it is time to put together a plan to act out whichever contingency you have chosen. I will address Bugging Out first, as this is likely the plan that will be most advocated by Mission and Non-government Organizations, Large Businesses, and Governments.  

Bugging Out
If you plan to bug out, there basically two things that must be arranged. The first is to ensure that you have a secure and reliable way to successfully get home to where you are going. The second is to have a retreat group and location already prepared in advance.   Setting up a safe route home is a two step process. The first step is to ensure you are able to make it back to your home country. The second is to make sure that you can reach your retreat once your flight lands. To be honest this process is good practice for any spending time overseas whether they are concerned about long-term crisis or not and is recommended by most organizations (mission or business) operating overseas. Here is a checklist of things you need to have done in order to Bug Out safely:              

* Have a signal and rally point, each member of your family needs to know where to be in the event of any kind of tumultuous event. I recommend that a signal and rally point be used for all crisis that may occur not just major ones that justify leaving the country.              
* Have passage booked and all legal documents (Passports, Birth certificates, etc.) current and easily accessible. Return fair is not difficult to maintain and can make the trip home much quicker than trying to book a flight after things are already bad.              
* Keep your bags packed. Each member of your family should have a large day pack pre packed with bear essentials gear and their most important items. Unlike preppers in the United States your window to get out will be much smaller, you will not have time to pack your bags or evaluate what needs to be taken with you after things get bad so do it now. These bags should be the largest carry on baggage acceptable. Even if the airlines are allowing checked baggage, you don’t need to take the time to check yours. Your focus should be on getting on the plane and getting home.              
* Have a route to the airport (or other transportation hub) predetermined. You will want the safest and fastest route you can find. Try to find one that does not take your near areas you think may be volatile if there is social unrest and that will have less traffic in the event that everyone else is scrambling for their home as well.  

Before I continue to the second half of the journey, that which will begin upon your touching down, I feel I should make a brief note about computers. Many missionaries, foreign workers, and businessmen rely heavily on one or several computers. These often contain sensitive and priceless information that they cannot lose. In this situation I do not believe it is a good idea to waste space carrying even your laptop on the plane with you. Instead I believe that all of the computers your family (and office if applicable) uses should be packed up to a small, portable, external drive. In the event of a major crisis simply scrub or destroy all of your hard drives and slip this drive into your backpack. It is a good idea to keep a back up anyway.   The situation may change rapidly while you are flying (the most common form of travel these days) from overseas back home. Things may deteriorate rapidly, so that even just a few short hours make all the difference. This emphasizes why, as much as possible your bug out plan should include a group of close, like-minded friends. If your plan has been to come home all along then you should have been preparing with this group of people in the first place. Just like others who plan to bug out in country, a group retreat should be predetermined and you should preposition all of your gear there. This should be done easily by making trips out during your visits home, and by purchasing items online and having another member of your group carry them up for you.   

The best plan would be to work with members of your group, and have someone meet your family upon arrival. This will require constant communication as things grow worse as well as a layer of back up plans in case it should fail. First of all you need at least two radios. One should be a portable shortwave radio for you to monitor current conditions upon arrival, but before rendezvousing with your contact. Secondly you should have some form of handheld radio device with a preset channel for contacting your group. This should have as long a range as possible. In this way you will be able to locate your ride quickly, even in a crowd.  

A storage unit or even the home or apartment of a nearby friend will be helpful in all of this. Such a unit should be located within walking distance of your arrival point (the airport, etc.) as well as within the reach of your handheld radios. This will provide you a place to do several things. First of all a vehicle and supplies can be kept at such a location, ready and waiting for your arrival. With the help from your support group, this vehicle and the supplies in it can be maintained easily and will allow you to arrive safely at your retreat even should something go wrong. Secondly, this provides a good place for your contact to wait for you as the airport may be crazy. Finally, this will provide a safe place for your retreat group to leave a message for you, in the event that they should come but be forced to leave before you arrive for some reason. They will be able to fill you in on the situation and tell you how you should proceed (using vague terms about locations and people to protect OPSEC of course).   While traveling from overseas back home is never and ideal situation, especially when compared to living at your retreat, for those who are called to be overseas in a full time capacity practicing these tips should make the probability of arriving safely home much higher. Lets take a look now at Bugging In.  

Bugging In
Many of the same considerations take place when bugging in overseas as they do when selecting a retreat here in the United States. Questions like: Is my house the best place to be, or should we have plans to relocate to a friend’s house that is located better? or How much food and livestock does my family require? will be the same no matter where you are located. In some areas the missionary or foreign worker is better positioned than the average American. For example the water in most countries is not safe to drink, so you may be better prepared in terms of water purification, also the architecture overseas is often better suited to the climate meaning it is less dependent on the power grid for heating and cooling. However, you may face some key challenges that should be addressed:
            
* Retreat location: In at least on country I lived in the ownership of property by non-citizens was illegal. The only way to purchase property was by having your mission agency incorporated in that country. I don’t know about all cases, but from what I have seen this is a fairly common practices. It isn’t hard to see how this could pose a problem. If you have a excellent retreat locations prepared with all of your gear propositioned only be tossed out by your landlord who now wants to be out in the safety of the countryside, you haven’t really done yourself any good. For this reason whenever possible a way to purchase the property needs to be found. This may mean you have to compromise between what makes for a good retreat, and what makes for a good mission/business office (if your organizations is having to by the land).     
         
* Water sources: While you may have better water purification processes in place, and likely a better system for storing water than most Americans who have city or county water, having your own source of water may be somewhat more difficult. You will have to determine if digging a well is legally possible, and even if it is you may need  to be prepared to do it yourself (for those in humanitarian type enterprises this should come rather easily). If legalities do pose a problem for some reason, you may want to simply invest in a storage system (refreshed by rainwater from your roof) that will hold enough water for you to implement a prearranged system (to dig a well or tap a near by stream) after law and order have begun to collapse and legalities are less of an issue. Of course if you are out in a very remote place and everyone gets water from a nearby river or spring then this won’t really be a problem anyway.  
            
* Self-defense: The ability to defend your self, overseas, is often much more limited. Many nations don¹t allow any ownership of firearms by civilians, and fewer still would allow a foreigner to own one. Your first step should be to spend some time doing legal research and determine what your options are. A few of the African nations do allow the ownership of hunting rifles, and such and if you are in one of these nations than this would be preferable to nothing. If, however, you are in the more common situation of not being able to obtain firearms you should consider a two-fold approach. First you should research and determine what weapons police and military units are using where you are as these are what will likely be most available post crash. If at all possible obtain a civilian version of one of these weapons to practice with while you are in the United States. Resist the urge to modify it, but instead train with it as it is likely to be if you happen to find one post crash. If the weapon in use by the local military and police isn’t available here in the U.S. than consider getting an inexpensive AK clone and training with it, as the AK is the most common firearm in use today, worldwide. Learn to shoot accurately with whatever is likely to be available, to be able to easily do routine maintenance, and how to determine which variants are of highest quality for times when you have a choice.  

The second step in self-defense preparedness overseas will be to acquire and train with older more traditional weapons, many of which are not restricted. For projectile weapons I suggest either a bow or a crossbow. These should be a simple as possible, either a locally available product or a recurve imported from the States. Compound bows and cross bows are great for use in good times but are likely to me more prone to wear and tear without proper care. The recurve will give you more power relative to the size of the bow than a long bow, but without any additional maintenance being required. Slingshots, especially when using steel shot, can be very effective and are easy to slip into your pocket or backpack. They can be used for hunting small game or for self-defense. Knives and hatchets can be easily trained with, and you really ought to have them for general chores anyway, as such the only other weapon I think really needs to be mentioned is the cane. The good thing about a walking cane or stick is that is not generally perceived as a weapon, even by an attackers; but when wielded well a cane or stick can win easily even over a knife or machete.              

* Most of the other prepping topics can be easily adapted for use overseas. Books like JWR‘s novel “Patriots” and other blog articles have gone in to great detail on a wide variety of different topics. The key is to begin to think about how to adapt these to your specific environment. What differences might weather and local culture make? By adapting to the circumstances of the country you are in, there is a good chance you, your family, and your friends can find a safe place to be and possibly even continue the work you have been doing.   

In Closing – A Note for Friends and Family of Missionaries and Others Overseas:  
These tips have been written from my experience to help missionaries and other long-term foreign workers begin to think through the options they have, and the concepts they will need to consider. For friends and family the role of the missionary or foreign worker seems dangerous even in the best of times, and we the urge to beg your friend or family member to come home can be hard to resist. Please try to keep in mind that the cause of the Gospel, and the charity offered by many other organizations are just. Good, Godly, and charitable work ought not be stopped simply because we fear the times. However, as a prepper friend of missionaries you should provide moral support as they press on even in hard times, and in helping begin the conversation on what options they are considering in the event of a crisis. This role is vitally important as many missionaries I personally know are either: considering temporarily giving up their work until things blow over, or feel that they must press on even if it means not being prepared at all. As a prepper community, especially a prepper community that emphasizes Faith and Charity, we can help this work continue by beginning this conversation and exploring options together.

Letter Re: Deal Hunting for Preparedness Items on eBay

Jim:
The eBay online auction company has been around for many years and up until recently I had not been using it to get the incredible deals I should have been getting for years.  Much of the survival gear that a prepper needs is often highly durable and will last a life time, so buying them second hand on eBay is a wise choice.

The first thing to consider is your List of Lists.  Consider what you need from reloading supplies, body armor, tactical gear, weapon accessories, clothing, or surplus goods.  Now make a list of key words that are associated with all these items.  Sometimes a simply searching for a few key words related to the item you are actually searching for will result in a great find at a great price. When searching for items make certain you use the search result filters located on the left of the screen.  [JWR Adds: Also be sure to search for common spelling errors in auction titles that will cause auctions to get overlooked. For example, if “camouflage” is misspelled “camoflage”, of if “gauge” is misspelled “guage” or “gage”, then there is good chance that there will be few bidders.]

When searching for high quality gear like Trijicon ACOGs, or well made Tactical gear, don’t be afraid of checking the “used” box.  You will see that all this used stuff is still serviceable and often half price.  I have bought many vests for the family, accessories for weapons, or other supplies at 80% off.  Its pretty incredible sometimes. Look through your search results and add any items of interest to your watch list, this is done by simply clicking the item link, then clicking on “Add to watch list”. 

Once you have added everything you are interested in to your watch list, consider your budget, and narrow it down to the items you are really gunning for.  The next part is bidding.  I am the scourge of every decent human being on eBay.  I am a bid-sniper.  I wait until the last moment to submit my bid.  This prevents anyone else watching the items from outbidding me. As the items auction timer counts down the last 20 minutes or so, it will count down second by second for you to watch.  Have your bid placed into the bid window and when 10 seconds are remaining, place your bid as quick as you can! [JWR Adds: There is bid sniping software available. I recommend using it.] Your bid will get locked in and no one else will really have a chance to do anything about it, unless they have done the same thing or previously placed a much higher bid.

Another thing to be aware of is that people instinctively place bids in predictable increments.  So lets say an item is going for $40.  People will bid in increments of $5.  So if you see that people have already bid on it, you can be sure that you will need to bid $46, or $51 to secure the auction.  When you are bid sniping keep this in mind.  You need to bid slightly over the next predictable bid.

Some auctions are normal auctions where they start at one dollar and bidding is open for a few days or up to ten days.  When the auction is complete, regardless of what the highest bid is, the highest bidder wins the auction.  Other auctions have a reserve, which means that a minimum bid must be made to meet the reserve requirement before the auction can be won.  I ignore any auctions with a reserve because I don’t look for fair prices, I look for great deals!  Other auctions say “Buy now for x or Make an offer”  Don’t be afraid to make an offer to people.  Just by them creating the auction in this way you know they are looking to make a sale.  I once bought two $300 [body armor] plate carriers of great quality by making an offer of $50 for each vest.

Good luck hunting for your survival gear.  Search for anything and everything.  I always check eBay before I make any purchase, from clothes to gun scopes.  You should too!

JWR Replies: I too find a few bargains on eBay, particularly old AC/DC vacuum tube AM-Shortwave radios for my collection, field gear, holsters, magazine pouches, and knives. By patiently waiting for “sleeper” auctions, I’ve accumulated a substantial pile of Cold Steel, Benchmade, and Columbia River Knife and Tool (CRKT) folding knives, both for eventual barter and as a hedge on inflation. A few years ago, I was still able to find some bargains on pre-1965 non-numismatic “junk” silver coins, but unfortunately those days are gone, since there is presently such strong interest in precious metals. And sadly, eBay’s management went Politically Correct and banned sales of firearms magazines and many gun parts such as barrels. For those, I use auction sites like GunBroker.com and AuctionArms.

Economics and Investing:

G.G. sent this: Bank in Kansas Becomes 64th Failure This Year

Also from G.G.: Analysis: Fed low-rate promise seen as opening salvo for QE3

Carlos in the U.P. spotted an excellent article by Karl Denninger explaining how the fundamental issues in our economy such as derivatives and too much leverage are kept from coming to the light of day: Dispelling Popular Delusions: TARP And Balance Sheets

J.B.G. suggested this news clip that illustrates the innate yet well-founded anxiety about the near future: Texans grab their guns as economy stalls

Items from The Economatrix:

Beijing Downgrades US Treasury From A+ To A

After A Wild Week For Stocks, What To Do?

Consumers Splurge In July, Pushing Retail Sales Up

Odds ‘n Sods:

C.N. sent this: Government pays for empty flights to rural airports.

   o o o

Tam had some great commentary on the trend toward über-tactical training that is sacrificing safety: Big Boy Rules. (About 1:30 into the video that she found, things get just plain foolishly 360-degree suicidal –with copious and un-necessary friendlies downrange, et cetera.)

   o o o

“Apartment Dweller” suggested some clever commentary on choosing strong computer passwords.

   o o o

Wilson Solar Grill Stores the Sun’s Energy for Nighttime Fuel-Free Grilling. (Thanks to Drew for the link.)

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,

Nor scrip for [your] journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.

And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.

And when ye come into an house, salute it.

And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.

And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;

Mat 10:18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.

But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.

For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.” – Matthew 10:7-20 (KJV)

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 36 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) 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 B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) 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, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) 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.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, and C.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 36 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Foraging: How To Make Yourself Starvation Proof, by Mike F.

The following are some reasons for learning how to identify, harvest, and prepare a few wild plants for food:

  • Crop failures might make foods too expensive to purchase, or scarce due to lack of production (if producers can’t afford to grow it, and manufactures can’t afford to process it you probably won’t find it on a shelf)–
  • Lack of hunting/trapping wild game- you are not always going to bag a squirrel, or catch something fishing, coming back empty handed is going to happen sometimes. Deal with it- even setting out 10 snares you ‘might’ get something, but you might not. most likely when you need it most too.
  • Scarcity of wild game (over hunting as competition to hunt after a disaster or emergency is going to be fierce, even if laws forbid hunting people are going to try and eat, as seen in a recent Brooklyn New York park where vagrants were fined (Lord knows why, they have no money! ) for fishing, poaching in a public park.  If they were stealing plants I doubt anyone would have noticed, or cared.)
  • The obvious breakdown of food sources, no power for super markets or local sources of food.

The first option is to stock a good amount of storage food for the bad times. That food will eventually diminish or be consumed at some time- what if you could help stretch those rations by eating common weeds? It takes no resources to plant them and very little energy to hunt/harvest them (same reason early hunters became farmers when game was scarce.) Find the most cost economical way to expend the least amount of energy with the most yields, best results equates to having a full belly with less work. One thing I won’t recommend is going in to an area and stripping it of wild food, be sure to only take what you really need, and let some plants live long enough to reproduce or your local area might become a barren wasteland. This should be common sense, but I think it’s worth mentioning.

It’s important to be knowledgeable about local wild foods – but where to find out information on what’s good to eat?
A couple of easy ways to gain knowledge on wild plant foods.

1.      Reading books- libraries are free, watch DVDs (some you can borrow from the library), check the internet if you have access, use the library’s computer if you don’t, –youtube has free information and how-to videos.

2.      Go to someone who knows and have them walk you around on a weed walk! Nothing beats first person experience and learning about something hands on.

3.   Ask someone older then you about sharing this info if they happen to know anything about farming listen to what they have to say about growing your own food. (just remember we are seeking common weeds that most back yard gardeners would be annoyed at and likely destroy, then not eat.- well, maybe if you have cattails in your back yard, you have more problems that this article can cover.) 

The books I’ve seen and read I purchased from Amazon, Borders, Barnes and Noble, and checked out from the local library. The DVD I found online was from a woman who lived in upstate New York, and moved to Arizona.It is called Linda Runyon’s Master Class on Wild Food Survival. I do respect and like youtube videos called the ‘Eat the weeds’ series with Green Deane. There is a wealth of information there! His amaranth video was great, and he mentions many times ‘you know you can make beer with this’. Great info. 🙂

Anyhow about the DVD: Linda Runyon is an expert on wild plants- she not only tells you plant identification she also explains about storing plants by drying and how to prepare plants, in ways I’d never thought of. Linda Runyon’s Master Class video was worth the $30 on Amazon. Her Wild Cards flash cards are about one of the best survival buys I’ve ever purchased: 52 playing cards –all food plants/trees! As I recall, I paid $5 for them – again on Amazon. They are very compact and ready to be taken camping so you can ID plants.

Walking with an Expert

The plant walk I took was sponsored by ‘The Good Earth Health Food Store’ in Callicoon, New York (a few years back). If you are in the ‘occupied’ New York area and have time this would be something to bring a camera and a notebook to! (Warning: bring extra batteries, my camera died before the walk ended!) I did, however, take notes!  Nathaniel Whitmore, Herbalist – gave a tour around the town of Callicoon to show what plants people step over daily that can be eaten. The tour lasted an hour and ended up on the banks of the Delaware River.  This was a donation event that Nathaniel was doing every few weeks, so it would be best to contact the store for more info on dates and times-  (I don’t work for them, or have any stake in their business.) I was however enlightened by the amount of plants that were pointed out in the field, this man’s knowledge of wild plants in astounding.  

The top five has been done before on this blog- but let’s recap because these are about the most common plants around- If you know them, your likely never to go hungry!

1.      Dandelion -greens.
2.      Cat tails –every part, roots baked and eaten like potatoes
3.       Queen Ann’s lace –wild carrots (make sure its stems are hairy because poison hemlock is very similar to wild carrot, and it is deadly- Poison Hemlock is hairless, and doesn’t smell like carrots!!)
4.      Lambs quarters – cooked like wild spinach
5.      Wild lettuce –greens

But what else do you see daily? That is my question! Are you taking the time to question what plants are around and how can you use them?? And it’s something that you as a survivalist need to be aware of in every walk, outing, bike ride…become aware of your surroundings. Pay attention to what nature is growing outside that you can eat for free.  Make it a habit to learn what plants are in your area, and how those plants can be used. Next time you are out make a list and take pictures of plants you are not sure of, to find out if it’s something useful or food. You can always open a book or google a description of a plant in your down time, later when your back home.

On my daily walks I see- the white flowers of Queen Ann’s Lace (wild carrots) everywhere, white flowers of wild onions and leeks, the blue flowers of Chicory (roots used for coffee substitute.), the yellow flowers of wild mustard, yellow flowers of dandelion’s, greens of plantain, greens of lamb quarters (probably the best tasting wild plant!), yellow flowers of evening primrose (potatoes), amaranth (pig weed- seeds used for flour) and I didn’t even mention the trees! White Birch buds/twigs/sap, maple seeds/syrup, and acorns… food is literally everywhere – but the key is in knowing and being aware of one’s surroundings enough to find it when you are hungry. Awareness is the key. I have learned that the more I look for something the more of what I am looking for I find.

[JWR Adds: I must re-emphasize the author’s point: Be very careful about plant identification. For example, the Water Hemlock (which is poisonous) to an untrained eye looks very similar to Queen Ann’s Lace!]

Here is a quote from Linda Runyon ‘with the woods being green- 50% of that green is stuff you can eat.’ Knowing this makes it really hard to starve, unless you have given up on living. This simple idea gives me a lot of comfort knowing that someday supplies might run out or become scarce, I’ll be able to find what I need. There really is enough food for everyone smart enough to know where to look for it.  

One more thing: I’ll close with a quote. I love this quote because it sums up what people rioting in the UK are doing to themselves by destroying the middle class businesses that are the stalled, damaged, driving engine of their economy. I know it’s very colonial of me:  “Life is hard; it’s harder if you’re stupid.” – John Wayne