Letter Re: The Importance of Acquiring First Aid Supplies in Depth

James:
Tom L. points out that it took a while to find steri-strips and latex gloves needed to treat a wound so not to cause an infection. I would have to indicate that [bulk-packaged] latex gloves that you find in Wal-Mart or Walgreens are not sterile gloves. They are gloves that protect the wearer, not the one being treated though they are cleaner than bare hands. Proper washing of the wound with sterile saline water would be the best procedure and use the steri-strips for the closure under such late night conditions. Truly sterile gloves that surgeons use are individually packaged and wholly different that the boxed bulk gloves you can find in pharmacies. Watch the wound for any sign of infection and treat with appropriate antibiotics if necessary. This will probably include a discussion with you physician unless you have a copy of “Washington Manual of Medical Therapeutics” or “Sanford’s Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy” Pocket Guide and a cooperative physician who has given you a prescription for a broad range of antibiotics for your TEOTWAWKI pharmacopeia cabinet. My physician who is a prepper as well, is trading suture training for amateur radio instruction/training. Very fair deal. – Frank B., 14 Miles From Asphalt

Letter Re: Buying Stock in Apple (Not the Corporation)

JWR:
A few things to take into account when thinking of apple trees.  I planted three trees about five years ago and they are still far from being fruit bearing.  I figure they have about five years more before they are capable of bearing fruit.  This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t use them, but its defiantly a plan ahead thing.  

Another thing to take into account is that they require a bit of yearly maintenance to keep them bearing decent sized fruit.  An un-pruned tree bears a fruit that is about three fingers wide.  A properly pruned tree bears fruit that is closer to the size of what you see in a store.  It can take a few hours to trim a single tree with a trimmer. But with hand trimmers it takes about half a day per tree.  This is something that only needs to be done once a year, normally in the yearly spring. 

 Bugs are also a major issue that apple trees will run into the trees need to be sprayed once a year.  In a SHTF situation your not going to have bug spray handy but there is an easy natural way to take care of problems like this.  Buy a few pods of Praying Mantis eggs.  The Praying Mantis will eat the bugs that give you problems and not harm the plants you are trying to protect.  Because you are controlling them by nature; on the years that the bug populations are an issue then more of your predators will take care of the problem, and on the years where you are light on pests then you’ll be lighter on the predators.  As a nice by product you’ll also have less of other insect pests as well.

Apple trees will produce a nice amount of fruit for the last half of summer and the first half of fall.  During the Winter and spring you’ll need to have canned any excess from the year before.  Also Apples shouldn’t be your only source of food.  You need vitamins and minerals for more than one source.  While your researching the trees that you want also research things like Black berries and other fruit sources that will allow you to have a variety of food.  You can easily make sure that you have a variety of food that will return without the need for replanting on a yearly basis.  With the example of black berries you can easily make a couple of short fence rows that goes through the tree rows and plant the black berries to grow on them.

Cross pollination between tree types can be your blessing or curse.  If you research different trees and find that the fruit of one apple tree that will grow powerfully in your area; but you in your quest for the perfect Apple your find that this Apple is way to sweet for your taste.  Then you stumble on another that you find is to sour for your taste.  You can plant these 2 trees within your planting range.  (apple trees are suppose to be planted within around 15-25 feet of each other, or at least mine are.) So your trees will cross pollinate and give you a resulting fruit that is a combination of the original trees.  This is also where your curse comes in.  If your neighbor likes sour fruit and you like sweet fruit then you might end up with a combination because some of his trees are close to some of your trees. 

Some plants to look at:

  • Apple trees
  • Blueberry
  • Blackberry
  • Raspberry
  • Hazelnut
  • Almonds
  • Cashew
  • Cherry
  • Pear
  • Fig Trees
  • Pomegranate

Also as an advantage of keeping things like this going is that you’ll attract small wildlife such as rabbits and Squirrels.  Which is another nice food source. – W.P.

JWR Replies: One downside to having a lot of fruit trees and berry vines is for those of us that live in bear country. Bears can be very destructive. They often knock down fences and tear limbs off of fruit trees. In many states it is illegal to shoot a bear in defense of your crops and trees, unless you have a current bear tag and it luckily coincides with bear season. But thankfully most states sanction the killing of bears when a human life is in immediate danger.

Economics and Investing:

The convenient fiction that the U.S. is worthy of a “AAA” credit rating continues: S&P Cuts U.S. Ratings Outlook to Negative. How long can Uncle Sam dog-paddle in a sea of red ink? (Thanks to M.E.W. and several other readers for the link.)

Deborah B. sent this: U.S. Taxpayers on the Hook for Portugal Bailout

Items from The Economatrix:

Builder Outlook Falls Ahead of Spring Season

Poll:  US Economy Improving Despite Global Events. (If they sprinkle around enough hundreds of billions in quantitative easing funny money, it has to have some impact on the economy…) temporarily.)

Morgan Stanley Defaulted On Loan And Walked Away From Commercial Office Building In Japan (This is a good indication of what the outlook for Japan’s future really is.)

Odds ‘n Sods:

There is an excellent new blog that I can recommend called the Preparedness Advice blog. It is chockfull of useful information. Unlike so many other blogs that are long on diatribes and short on practical skills, the Preparedness Advice blog is full of clear, concise, level-headed advice. This one has been added to my blog roll.

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Reader K.A.F. sent this: Video: Atlas is shrugging already

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Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) spotted this: Georgian woman cuts off web access to whole of Armenia: Entire country loses internet for five hours after woman, 75, slices through cable while scavenging for copper.

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If you’ve been waiting to buy a Finnish M39 variant of the Mosin-Nagant rifle, I just heard that Pat Burns is running special 10% off sale. The sale even includes a few Finns that were built on pre-1899 antique receivers. For those, there is no FFL required to order, but state laws might apply. (See my Pre-1899 FAQ for details on the legalities.)

Notes from JWR:

There a have been several new property listings added at our spin-off web site, SurvivalRealty.com A few of them are truly exceptional off-grid properties. Please take a few minutes to see the new listings.

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Today we present another two entries for Round 34 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 Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 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.) , and B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value.

Round 34 ends on May 31st, 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.

Buying Stock in Apple (Not the Corporation) by Mike M.

In my journey as a prepper, I’ve been able to amass quite a bit of bulk food.  Present estimates place the tally at roughly two tons.  As of late though, I can’t help but look upon all that food like sand in an hourglass. It is disturbingly finite and in the grand scheme of things, a fleeting resource.  I come from a large Italian family and I already know that in a post fan scenario I would be shepherding at least 12 family members. My Christian convictions would not allow me to turn them away. This makes a measly few tons of food woefully inadequate for any long term survival situation. I realize that for my family to be truly self sustaining, I must secure a renewable food supply. I have a double city lot (100 ft x 120 ft) on the outskirts of town which doesn’t amount to much arable land. There is an apple orchard about 10 miles from our home where I take my family to pick apples each fall.  During each visit, I’ve always been amazed by the tremendous volume of fruit that can be produced by a single tree.  This was the catalyst that drove me to some exhaustive research on the survival potential of the apple.

Bear with me for a little math as I drive home the value of the apple as a survival crop; the daily caloric requirement necessary to sustain life is a moving target based on your body mass and your base metabolic rate. I’ve seen many figures quoted on minimum caloric requirements, from 700 to 1,200 per day. I’ve read that during WWII, the Jews in the concentration camps were given just over 700 calories per day and we all know the horrible outcome of that scenario. One look in the history books at the gaunt faces and haggard eyes of those poor emaciated souls is enough to convince me that 700 calories is decidedly not enough.  

For the sake of argument, let us assume that a diet of 1,500 calories per day will be sufficient to keep us alive (albeit a little hungry). One “dwarf” apple tree will reportedly produce between 3-5 bushels of apples per year once fully mature. A standard size tree will produce between 5-10 bushels. With a bushel averaging 45 lbs in weight you can expect 135 – 225 lbs per year from a dwarf tree and 225 – 450 lbs per year from a standard size tree. One medium sized apple is roughly 80 calories. At roughly 126 apples per bushel you would net 30,240 – 50,400 calories per tree per year from a dwarf tree. To contrast this, my research showed that one pound of wheat yields 1,429 calories. This means that one dwarf apple tree would generate the caloric equivalent of 21-35 lbs of wheat per year. The average life expectancy of a dwarf apple tree is 15-20 years so that single dwarf tree can be expected to generate 604,800 to 806,400 calories over the course of its life time. A standard sized tree will live much longer (80-100 years) with a productive life of 30-40 years and producing between 1.5 million to 4 million calories over the course its life time for a single tree.  (Did I mention that they only cost about $22, shipped?)

The square footage that would be required to grow the equivalent amount of wheat as the dwarf tree (calorically speaking) would be roughly 1163 square feet (I will spare you the math). I purchased 15 dwarf trees which will be planted in a single row spaced 8 feet apart along the 120 foot stretch of my property line. This small micro orchard will generate between 453,600 to 756,000 calories in a single year and a best case scenario of 15 million calories over an assumed 20 year life span. It would take 10,580 lbs of wheat to generate that many calories. The local LDS cannery sells bulk wheat at 30 cents per pound (not including the cost of mylar bags, O2 absorbers and food grade 5 gallon pails). This would cost $3,174 for the caloric equivalent in wheat. Considering I only spent $336.96 delivered for all 15 trees, it seems like a fair amount of calories for my money. Apples will give my family much needed vitamins which may be deficient in a storage diet comprised largely of bulk staples.  Apples contain vitamin A, vitamin C, B-complex vitamins, as well as fiber which we can all appreciate after a diet of MREs. Apples are also very rich in antioxidants which help to eliminate free radicals (linked to causing cancer and Alzheimer’s). It’s worth noting that calorie crops like wheat also need to be replanted every year and you must set aside a portion for seeding purposes whereas apples are less labor intensive and I can even plant edible crops beneath them as companion plants.

GENERAL INFO: A member of the rose family, there are 7,500 varieties of apples worldwide. Of these, 2,500 varieties are grown in the U.S. and roughly 100 are grown commercially. Washington, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, California, and Virginia produce the majority of the country’s commercial apple crop. I was surprised to learn that most commercial apple trees are actually two separate trees grafted together. Apple trees grown from seed will be genetically unique from the fruiting parent so germinating a seed from a supermarket bought apple could very well yield a crab apple tree. Rather than choosing what’s behind “Door number three”, commercial growers propagate apple trees by grafting a young branch (scion) of a successfully producing tree to a hardy rootstock. There are over 20 different rootstocks for apples. Combine 20 different rootstock possibilities with 2,500 different cultivated varieties (cultivars) and you can see how selecting the correct apple tree for survival purposes can be intimidating.  Let’s distill the issue down to the most important factors you must consider when growing apple trees.

ROOTSTOCK: The size of a tree (determined by the rootstock) will have an impact of how hardy it is, how productive it is (lbs of apples per year), and how difficult it is to harvest (you will need a ladder for a standard size tree). Apple trees come in three possible configurations: dwarf, semi-dwarf, and standard. A dwarf tree will grow to be about 10 feet tall, a semi-dwarf to 15 feet, and a standard tree to 20-30 feet depending on climate. Colder climates will produce shorter trees.  Most dwarf trees will also need to be staked as their root structure is not as beefy. Dwarf trees seem better for OPSEC as they are easier to hide from hungry passersby (unlike a 20-30 foot standard tree which telegraphs its presence to every hungry maw within line of sight). Dwarf trees also start producing in 3-5 years whereas you can expect a 5-7 year wait with a standard size tree. It will also be much easier to integrate any necessary pest management (IPM) strategies by companion planting directly beneath the dwarf tree or even placing a net over the tree. You can find a primer on the various rootstocks at the Cornell Cooperative Extension web site.

CLIMATE ADAPTATION: You must ensure you have a rootstock and cultivar that are well adapted to your climate. Thinking that you can go to Wal-Mart and magically pick out a tree that will produce like the ones you see in a commercial orchard is an unrealistic expectation. Remember, there may come a time when you and your family may rely on your micro orchard to stay alive and it would be quite a tragedy to watch your family starve because you didn’t do your due diligence to find a combination that was drought or cold tolerant.

DISEASE RESISTANCE/IMMUNITY:  Many nurseries will rate their trees resistance to the most common apple tree ailments: fire blight, apple scab, cedar apple rust, powdery mildew, and wooly apple aphid. I personally went with Geneva11 and Geneva 16 rootstocks with Freedom, Liberty, and Enterprise cultivars grafted to them. This selection affords me a high level of disease resistance. Pesticides may be hard to come by post fan so disease resistance is a must.

POLLINATION:  Apple trees as a general rule are not self pollinating. This means that you need another variety of apple tree that blooms around the same time so they may pollinate each other. (Side note: this biodiversity also provides added insurance that any diseases contracted may be limited to only one species vice wiping out a homogenous orchard) Some apple tree varieties are useless as pollinators. See the charts here to determine which varieties are compatible pollinators.        

KEEPER RATINGS: Many nurseries will rate apple varieties based on how well they keep in storage.  Enterprise apples will store for 6 months after they are harvested (late October). That means you could conceivably eat apples in late April of the following year without dirtying a single canning jar. Beware any cultivar that specifically states “Does not keep”. You can dehydrate and can them in mason jars but several hundred pounds of apples might require more canning equipment then you stock. See the links below for some specifics on cultivars and look for the “K” code to denote a keeper.
http://www.sln.potsdam.ny.us/apples.html
http://www.burntridgenursery.com/fruitingPlants/index_product.asp?dept=12&parent=7

MAINTENANCE: Apple trees greatly benefit from pruning. There are entire books on the subject and tons of how to videos online but this skill must be acquired to realize an apple trees full productive potential. The North Carolina Cooperative Extension has a great “how to” on the subject.

FERTILIZATION REQUIREMENTS: Apple trees should be in soil with a pH of 6.5. Nitrogen requirements are higher in young trees as they are focusing on greatly increasing their bio-mass. Older established trees will require less Nitrogen to facilitate fruiting. Either extreme (too much or too little) can be detrimental to the trees growth. The following table shows what to look for to determine if your tree is getting enough Nitrogen:

Indices for Judging Nitrogen Status of Fruit Trees

Index Point

Low Nitrogen

Normal Nitrogen
Terminal growth in non-bearing trees avg. less than 10 in. avg. 10 in. – 24 in.
Terminal growth in bearing trees avg. 4 in. – 12 in. avg. 12 in. – 20 in.

Leaf size

small, thin

medium to average

Leaf color

uniform pale/yellow-green

normal green

Fall leaf drop

early; leaves show red in veins

normal time; leaves green
to light green

Bark color

light to reddish brown

gray to dark gray-brown

Fruit set

poor; heavy June fruit drop

normal; 1-3 fruit/cluster

Fruit size

smaller avg./tree

normal

Fruit over-color

highly colored/earlier

normal

Fruit under-color

yellow color earlier

normal

Fruit maturity

early

normal

The Phosphorus content of the soil is harder to establish since the trees seem to pull it from much deeper in the soil than annual plants. A soil test is always a good idea to correct any deficiencies you may find.

Potassium contributes to improved fruit size, color and flavor. It is also a major factor in reducing winter injury, spring frost damage to buds and flowers, and helping to stave off disease. Permaculture practices like composting should be employed to minimize fertilizer requirements. Nitrogen fixing plants like beans and peas can be planted around the tree. In a survival situation, human urine can be diluted with water in a ratio of 8:1 and used as fertilizer. Tests show human urine has almost as much NPK as commercial fertilizers. The book Liquid Gold: The Lore and Logic of Using Urine to Grow Plants provides justification of this practice based on scientific evidence.

COMPANION PLANTING: This is also another topic that could command its own full article. Good companion plants for apples are:
Clover– Used to fix nitrogen and attract honey bees which are the prime pollinator of apple trees.
Chives, Garlic, Leeks– Prevents apple scab (chives only), deters aphids.
Peas/Beans– Fix nitrogen into the soil.
Savory, Chamomile, Thyme– Attract beneficial insects.
Comfrey– Compost cover crop.

NOTE: Avoid Black Walnut as its roots excrete a substance that inhibits the growth of other plants and trees to include apple.

In closing, raising apple trees is one of the most practical and cost effective solutions to ensuring our continued survival and that of our progeny.  Even if you have a silo filled with grain you are merely delaying the inevitable. The next evolutionary rung for us as survivalists is to work towards sustainability. Only then will we be able to rest our heads on our pillow at night and sleep soundly, comforted in the knowledge that there is no expiration date on our lives or that of our children.

JWR Adds: Each family should research which apple varieties do well in your particular climate zones. Buy your saplings only from well-established, reliable companies that cultivate top quality rootstock.

To insure rapid growth, invest your sweat equity in digging an oversize hole for each new tree. A familiar old saying is: “Dig a $10 hole for a $5 tree.”

Survival and Special Needs Loved Ones, by Mrs. H.

Although most survival enthusiasts are “of sound mind and body,” many of us have friends or family members who aren’t quite so lucky. Being the parent or friend of someone with special needs in everyday life is often stressful enough, let alone when facing TEOTWAWKI. Making preparations for their survival and long term care will help ease some of that worry in the event of a real emergency or extended crisis.

Obviously, the same basic needs should be met for everyone: food, shelter, water, heat, protection, and health care. With a special needs person thrown into the mix, though, your preparations should include extra measures, such as sanity savers, alternative medicines, extra safety measures, and so on. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Sanity Savers

Ever try to get an autistic child to calm down in the middle of an exciting event? It isn’t easy! As you can imagine, a survival situation may seem like a big game to many autists. Or, worse, they may balk and freeze at the worst possible moment. Either way, you need to learn ways to get your autistic child or friend to respond appropriately to danger. At the least, you need to get them to allow you to take the lead on cue.

Behavioral therapists can help you train an autistic individual to follow basic requests. The minimum they should know is when to follow you, when to stay down, when to be quiet, and when to run. If the therapist asks why you’re interested in teaching these commands, tell them you’re planning a trip to Disneyland.

Many special needs people will not eat unfamiliar foods, so keeping a stockpile of familiar meals and snacks will keep them from starving. Alternatively, you can introduce survival foods to their regular diet, a little at a time, perhaps one new food per week. If you make it seem like a treat to eat MREs, chances are good that they’ll believe you.

Finally, include practical play in your stockpile. Simple games, drawing paper, coloring books, and craft supplies will help keep special needs people busy while you attend to other matters.

Safety Measures

Many special needs people wander, whether they are autistic children to elderly adults with dementia. While electronic monitoring is fine in normal situations, your best bet in a post-SHTF situation is a well trained dog.

If you don’t already have a service dog, start looking for one. Border collie and lab mixes make great service dogs; they’re highly intelligent, loyal, easily trained, and just big enough to look scary if they need to. They also have a natural herding instinct, which makes training to prevent wandering a lot easier.

Dog-training services are available throughout the country, and part of the dog’s training may be covered by grants or volunteer organizations. If you’d prefer to train your own service dog, there are literally hundreds of books on the subject, as well as online courses. Designing your own training regimen will allow you to customize your dog’s responses to common commands, hand signals, and sounds. For instance, you can scream “SIT!” at my dogs all day, and they’ll ignore you, but the second you say “Sit” and lift two fingers, then their tail is instantly on the floor. Teaching the dog to “fetch” people as well as objects will save countless hours searching for everything from your kid to your car keys, as well.

Other safety measures include glow sticks (attach to their bug-out bag so you can see where they are), leashes, simple alarms such as trip wires with small bells to alert you to when they leave or enter an area they aren’t supposed to go, floatation devices, and possibly restraints, if all else fails. Restraints should only be used as a last resort, to prevent the individual from harming themselves or others, and should be promptly removed when they have calmed down. If you feel that using restraints is inhumane, then you don’t have to use them. But you may wish you’d kept some handy if you find yourself with a 12 foot deep rushing wall of floodwater running down the side of your retreat and a screaming, hitting, biting child who can’t understand why they shouldn’t go play in the water.

Alternative Medicines

If your loved one must take a prescription to stay stable enough to function, you need to find some effective alternatives to those drugs. Prescription drugs can be stockpiled, and veterinary medications can replace some “people” drugs, but those may not always be available. Learn about and stock up on alternative medications as a backup to your backup plan.

Some alternative medications that everyone should stockpile anyway include garlic, chamomile, horehound, cloud mushroom, aloe, witch hazel, and boneset weed. Learn to grow and harvest medicinal herbs and plants, their proper uses, signs of overdose, and counteracting agents, if available. If you have a retreat, consider planting a medicinal garden in addition to your regular garden crops, or at least do a bit of seed bombing in the local woods.

“Lost Causes”

I prefer to think that there are no people who aren’t worth trying to save, and that those who can’t help themselves deserve to be helped. Everyone has a value, whether it’s a Down’s Syndrome kid who happens to have a strong back and a good humored outlook, or a doddering old neighbor who remembers how to make rope by hand but can’t tie his own shoes anymore. According to some people, that makes me a sucker, and might get me killed. I’m okay with that. If I die in the attempt to save another human being’s life, that’s the best death I could hope for anyway.

There are, unfortunately, some special needs people who simply cannot be saved in a SHTF situation. As heartbreaking as it may be to accept that, it’s best if you prepare yourself for this possibility beforehand. You may be able to manage their condition for a short while and keep them comfortable, but if your loved one isn’t ambulatory, can’t swallow or eat normal food, or absolutely cannot be controlled without constant drugging and restraints, you may be forced to make a very difficult decision. Your personal beliefs, morals, and individual circumstances should guide your decisions, but not your emotions. Unless you are very honest with yourself, and admit that there is a lot of resentment that goes along with caring for a special needs family member, you may make a decision that you will regret for the rest of your life. Admit to your resentments, and put them aside.

Also, be aware of the fact that many special needs people are more aware of their situation than you might think. Elderly people with dementia have moments of clarity and astounding insight, and may decide to take their own lives to save resources or spare themselves the indignity of having to rely entirely upon others for their care. The same type of behavior can be seen in people with several different mental and developmental issues.

While suicide is a risk for even “normal” people during a crisis, special needs people are at even higher risk. Watch for signs of withdrawal, depression, and hopelessness, and try to counteract those symptoms with gentle reminders that they were important enough for you to save. Keep a close watch on elderly people, who are more likely to attempt suicide than a developmentally disabled person.

Finally, consider the impact of the disabled or ill person on the rest of the group. If you absolutely cannot abandon your loved one for the sake of the group’s survival, that’s fine; but be prepared to take your loved one to another location as soon as possible, or someone else may harm them out of sheer desperation. As much as we like to think that won’t happen to us, it’s a very real possibility in crisis situations-the weakest members of any group often end up outcast, injured, or dead.

Even though many survival groups are made up of close friends and relatives, eventually, someone will bring up “useless eaters” in regards to your loved one. Expect it, and don’t get angry-it’s human nature. Being prepared to leave the group and take your loved ones with you is always a good idea. If you suspect that your group may turn on your disabled family member, have a backup plan in place in case you need to leave and establish your own retreat elsewhere. You may be able to re-join your group at a later time, or at least keep relations friendly between everyone. Simply showing that you are willing to sacrifice your own safety and comfort for the sake of your loved one and your group will often turn the situation in your favor, though. Whether in a crisis situation or not, no one likes to feel like a heel, and everyone likes to think that if they find themselves ill, injured, or incapacitated, someone else will be willing to stand up for them and keep them safe, too.

Product Review: Gamo Airguns CFX Combo

Airguns are a useful thing to have around for pest control and small game, can be backup weapons when necessary, and are legal in many places where regular firearms are not.  They are relatively quiet, inexpensive, and the ammunition (pellets) can be bought by the thousand for little money. The Gamo CFX Combo air rifle is a handy package, that includes a .177 caliber air rifle with muzzle brake/muffler and 4×32 telescopic sight.  It shoots 1,000 fps with lead pellets, and is actually supersonic (1,200 FPS) with PBA (Performance Ballistic Alloy) pellets.  These are harder metal and harder hitting up close, but do lose some accuracy as they cross transonic in flight.

Ergonomically, it’s quite comfortable, with rubber inserts in the forearm, cheek rests on both sides of the stock, and a recoil pad.  While not needed for recoil, this also improves shoulder contact and grip. Length of pull was comfortable for children and adults.  The grip has enough molded checkering to aid in hold, without being abrasive.  Weight is listed as 8 lbs, but it felt a lot less.  The balance is excellent.

The “iron” sights are bright fiberoptic inserts, .6 mm in front, .4mm rear.  This makes them clear and bright, though a little large for small game at the far reach of the range.  The scope has ¼ MOA adjustments, and is solidly mounted to a rail.  It’s not a standard 1″ rail, but an older ½” style.  Rings are standard 1″.

The 35 lb cocking force was a bit much for children (ages 10 and 13), but manageable by all adults, some easier than others.  Pellets seat easily, action is smooth.  The trigger is two stage and adjustable, but was consistent and crisp enough we didn’t make any changes to the factory setting.  It breaks at just under 4 lbs.

Our test range was limited by property lines to 87 feet.  Temperature was 75F, 75% humidity, and calm.  Once zeroed, using standard lead pellets, we were able to keep a consistent 3″ group for near 50 rounds, with most within 2″.  The report is a crack on par with a staple gun, and penetration was through 2″ of heavy closed-cell foam and 1″ into a tree.  This is certainly adequate accuracy and penetration for rabbits, squirrels, rats, feral cats and potentially larger game.

While not durable enough for real combat or rough use (Especially the scope), it’s well-built and reliable.  Nothing about it feels flimsy or questionable.  As a retreat tool, recreational shooter or primary trainer, it’s well worth the investment.  List price is $259.95, and as always, many retailers offer good discounts. Gamo brand airguns are made in Spain. – Michael Z. Williamson, SurvivalBlog Editor at Large

Letter Re: My Experience With Social Collapse

People often discuss what would happen in a societal collapse and I wonder how many people have actually experienced one.  My experiences came from living in a foreign country…California.  19 years ago this month, I was living in Long Beach, California after my separation from the US Navy.  I was working in the medical field and came home one Wednesday around noon as usual for my early work hours.  The day was pretty uneventful with the exception of one little item.  The great state of California in all of its infinite wisdom had handed down a verdict of “Not Guilty” on a case regarding four police officers who had been caught on video tape beating a man 13 months before.  This ‘little incident’ would capture the attention of the nation and impact my life for the next six days.

That night I sat down to dinner and to catch up on the news.  I was up until almost 0100 hrs that night even though I had to be at work at 0400.  Like many Americans I sat glued to the news, watching as residents of Los Angeles County initiated what is now referred to as “The 1992 Los Angeles Riots”.  I would like to point out that there was no Economic Collapse, no Natural Disaster, no Terrorist Attack, only the rendering of a verdict in a trial.  12 citizens handed down a verdict on a case after reviewing the evidence presented, and whether it was the “RIGHT” verdict or not, this was the catalyst for the events which allowed the “wolves” to wreak havoc.  I watched from a news helicopter’s camera as “The L.A. Four” pulled Reginald Denny from his 18-wheeler loaded with sand and beat him unconscious with the final blow of a concrete slab thrown at his head.  Next up on the news was the beating of another man named Fidel Lopez where they robbed him, beat him, and tried to surgically remove his ear in very unsanitary conditions. I watched as the news covered the burning of cars, and stores began.  Every channel covered people being pulled from their cars to be beaten, raped, or killed.  The entire time this was occurring law enforcement, paramedics, and fire departments held their positions just outside of the ‘hot’ areas for their own safety and to refrain from inflaming the situation any further.  (“When seconds count, the police are only minutes away”)

Thursday morning I woke up to the smell of smoke from the fires.  I got up and went to work, where we were very busy because some people called in “Sick”.   The mayor at the time in L.A. had imposed a curfew, and there was a call up of the California National Guard, but that took almost a full day to get them in place.  I had worked through my lunch break and was therefore unaware of events that had started to unfold in Long Beach where I lived and worked.  When I left work that day, there were plumes of smoke rising from different places around the city.  I went directly home and took inventory of what I had.  I found I was grossly unprepared.  I was a ‘sheeple’ and I still didn’t know it.  I stayed home that night, watched some of the news and then caught up on my sleep.  I remember watching the local Price Club (this was before it merged with Costco) in Signal Hill being looted of televisions and such.  That is until a couple of Signal Hill Police cars pulled up.  They had a reputation of being heavy handed and were known to carry a semi-auto rifle as well as shotguns in their cars.  Even people who had purchased items stopped and set down their stuff until they were released by the police.  The looters just dropped their ill-gotten booty and ran.

Friday morning I awoke to the same smoke smells and got up and left for work.   This time I didn’t quite get there.  I was stopped on the first major intersection by the National Guard.  They were armed with M16 rifles, and in full combat gear.  They had a Humvee and the road was blocked by K-rails (those concrete things separating most metropolitan freeway lanes).  I was on a motorcycle and had to pull over, remove my Helmet, and show both my Drivers License and work ID.  I was told to be sure to carry these “until the crisis is over”.  They did not detain me long, but I had to go through 2 more of these on my way to work.  Again people were “out sick” so work was again busy, but I took a short break mid morning to go up to the helicopter pad and see the city.  There were about 15 people up there looking at the fires burning across the city.  We casually tried to figure out what it was that was burning, and it seemed for the most part to be stores.  Now remember I lived in the neighboring city of Long Beach, not L.A. and this was still happening. 

I ended my shift and headed home after stopping in the bank located in the basement of the hospital to cash my check just in case.  I was very preoccupied with what I had seen from the helicopter pad on my way home and was thinking about the fires while stopped at a light.  It was at that time that my first wakeup call was delivered.  I felt something hit me in the back of my head, and then got a hard yank on my waist.  Though dazed, I was able to maintain my balance, the brake, and clutch on my bike. Heard a noise to my right and looked over my shoulder to see a 2×4 finish bouncing on the ground and then see a young man running into an apartment complex.  In his left hand was my fanny pack, with the cash from my cashed paycheck.  I was not about to follow him into that complex and felt lucky that I was wearing a helmet or I would have been on the ground.  I ran the red light and headed home.  Having gotten home, I went into the house, locked the doors, and started planning the next two weeks until payday came again.  I figured I had enough food, and had filled up my car and bike so was not worried about gas, but decided I better get my laundry done with the change I had on hand.

I gathered up my laundry and headed to the back of the apartments where I lived with my handful of quarters, when my second wakeup call was issued.  As I rounded the back corner of the apartments I came face to face with three upstanding representatives of society at the time.  One of them greeted me with the usual head nod and “What’s Up?”, while the other two representatives were nice enough to give me a preview of their fine cutlery products.  They asked for my money.  When I told them I had just been robbed and didn’t have any, they didn’t believe me.  It really should not have been that much of a stretch to believe considering what was happening, but giving them the benefit of the doubt (maybe they hadn’t stolen a television yet to watch what was unfolding) I showed them my quarters and told them that was all that I had left, and they were welcome to it.  They started to approach mentioning the possibility that maybe I had something inside my place they would like better.  That was when a neighbor I did not know, stepped out into this alley holding a very large hand cannon and invited the young men to leave.  His name was Ricardo and I will forever be in his debt.

I decided to forget my laundry and instead to go to a friend’s house since the news was reporting that gangs from the Oakland California area (a six+ hour drive away) were coming to Long Beach to join in on the festivities.  I decide that it was time to Get out of Dodge.  I left on Friday and did not come back until late Sunday night.  Luckily things had died down a bit, even though the California National Guard had shot and killed a person they said tried to run them down.  The curfew was lifted in L.A. the next day and things got back to some semblance of normalcy (as normal as Southern California can be I guess), and I decided it was time to move.

I went on very blindly and still held a sheeple-like “things will work themselves out” attitude and a “People tend to over react” attitude until about a year ago.  I read the novel “Patriots”, and while reading thought: “Wow, that sounds similiar to what I went through.”  My eyes are fully open now, and I have learned a lot.  This was a collapse of society that I experienced, and even when I was right in the middle of it, I didn’t see the danger for what it truly was.  Again, no war, no economic collapse, or no natural disaster occurred.  The police didn’t help, and as a matter of fact a few others were fired because while this was happening they decided to go into a city park and shoot their guns. 

The paramedics didn’t come to the rescue, because it was unsafe.  I was a Corpsman in the Navy (8404) and I had to go into fire to rescue men, they did not.  The fire department didn’t even come in to put out fires, if there was still civil unrest happening.  And it wasn’t even their choice, as they were ordered to stay out.  We had the military on our streets to maintain order (not peace). Some 53 people died during six days of widespread looting, assault, arson and murder. Therer was more than one billion dollars in damage and thousands of people were injured.  Neighbors assaulted neighbors, people burned the very stores they shopped in, and looters were everywhere. 

The next time that someone tells you that you are crazy, or fringe, or an alarmist, remember I was none of these…I was lucky.  What have I learned?  It is better to be prepared than be lucky.  It is funny what it takes to have your eyes opened.  For me, as a novel written originally in 1991 by a forward-thinking man, about a fictional circumstance brought about by exactly what is happening now… I hope this makes some people say “Hmmm”.  Capt. Rawles, thank you.  To my fellow preppers, fight the good fight, and God bless. – Brad M.

Economics and Investing:

AmEx (American Ex-Pat): suggested this: Case Shiller 100 Year Chart (2011 Update). JWR’s Comment: Methinks house prices still have a lot farther to fall. Unless you find that “perfect” retreat property, don’t buy into a falling market!

Carl T. sent this: Losing 84 Cents on Dollar Reveals Runaway U.S. Public Pensions

John B. suggested: The Real Silver High

China trims holdings of US securities in February. Sometimes it is these “minor” news articles that speak volumes. (Thanks to G.G. for the link.)

G.P. recommended this piece at the NIA web site: The Truth About Silver and Inflation

Items from The Economatrix:

Why Silver Is Still The Best Revenge

Awaiting The “Zero Hour” Of Available Credit (The Mogambo Guru)

Odds ‘n Sods:

Roman recommended: Your bike – the coolest part of your disaster kit

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Non-Retreat Locale: Riding Along With the Cops in Murdertown, U.S.A.

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Vin Suprynowicz chimes in: The enormous disconnect between ‘mainstream’ professional reviews and viewer response to ‘Atlas Shrugged The Movie, Part I’. Bottom line: Statists hate this movie and the novel that it was based upon. The fact that that a 54 year-old Libertarian novel is presently ranked #6 overall on Amazon, and #1 in Political Fiction no doubt has the posteriors of the statists chaffed to a shade somewhere between pink and red. (Which, by the way, also describes their politics.) Oh, and reader P.I. noted that the reviewers at the Rotten Tomatoes web site gave it a miserable 8% approval rating, while the general public rated it at 85%!

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Not only is this ad a gross distortion and fear mongering, they don’t even know the difference between a “clip” and a “magazine”. Take note of the “little girl” target poster that the Brady Bunch commissioned especially for the commercial. What sick puppies, they are!

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One of my recent consulting clients was bemoaning the fact that his rural Kentucky retreat property was at the base of a mountain and had a northwestern exposure–definitely sub-optimal for siting photovoltaic panels. But he mentioned that there was a fairly large year-round creek with a waterfall on his property, just 200 feet from his planned home site. Anywhere that there is that much “fall” is a great candidate for micro-hydro power! He will soon be buying some 6″ diameter PVC pipe that will originate with a screened creek diversion and a Harris Pelton wheel DC generator. The creek diversion will be 54 vertical feet and 119 lineal feel from the Pelton wheel, so I expect that it will really hum. (Large diameter pipe is best, to minimize friction losses.) There is nothing quite like an alternative power system that generates electricity 24/7/365.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“…the afternoon of April 19, [1943] two boys climbed up on the roof of the headquarters of the Jewish Resistance there and raised two flags: the red-and-white Polish flag and the blue-and-white banner of the ZZW (blue and white are the colors of the Flag of Israel today). These flags were well-seen from the Warsaw streets, and the Jews managed to hold off the Germans for four entire days in their attempts to remove them. Stroop recalled:

‘The matter of the flags was of great political and moral importance. It reminded hundreds of thousands of the Polish cause, it excited them and unified the population of the General Government, but especially Jews and Poles. Flags and national colors are a means of combat exactly like a rapid-fire weapon, like thousands of such weapons. We all knew that – Heinrich Himmler, Krüger, and Hahn. The Reichsfuehrer [Himmler] bellowed into the phone: ‘Stroop, you must at all costs bring down those two flags’.” – From an account of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising that began on April 19, 1943

Notes from JWR:

After many months (my apologies!), we’ve finally corrected the link to our map of SurvivalBlog visitors. You’ll always be able to find the map down at the bottom of the left-hand navigation bar. OBTW, please note that some of those locations might not be accurate, because of VPN Tunneling. (Speaking of which, if you are serious about your privacy, I recommend the Strong VPN service for both your e-mail and web browsing.

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Today we present an article by SurvivalBlog’s Medical Editor, Dr. Cynthia Koelker. She hosts the medical prepping site Armageddonmedicine.net.  Today she writes about prevention and treatment of potentially lethal infections.

The Top Five Lethal Infections — How to Prevent and How to Treat

In choosing the top five infections in which preppers should be well-versed, I have employed the following criteria: 

  • The infection must be potentially life-threatening
  • The infection must be potentially reversible with treatment
  • The infection must be common now and likely to continue into the future.

Based on the preceding, these five are a good place to start educating yourself.

Pneumonia.  Pneumonia is often confused with bronchitis.  Both cause cough, fever, and difficulty breathing.  However, with bronchitis, the breathing tubes are narrowed, thus decreasing airflow.  Occasionally (primarily in patients with asthma or COPD) the airways will be so swollen that sufficient air cannot enter the lungs.  In these already-compromised patients, bronchitis may be life-threatening, but for the most part, acute bronchitis is self-limited and will resolve without antibiotics. In contrast, with pneumonia the tiny air sacs where gas exchange occurs are filled with infected fluid.  If fluid obstructs the membrane which allows oxygen to enter and carbon dioxide to escape our blood stream, the body may be deprived of life-giving oxygen.  Untreated, pneumonia is frequently life-threatening, especially in the elderly, the young, and those with other chronic breathing difficulties.  Sometimes bronchitis leads to pneumonia, or both problems can be present simultaneously (bronchopneumonia). 

As with most illnesses, there is a broad spectrum of pneumonia illnesses.  Some pneumonia is viral, and antibiotics do not help.  Pneumonia where only one lung is involved is usually bacterial and has a high enough fatality rate to warrant the use of antibiotics.  Untreated, the bacteria (commonly pneumococcus) may invade the blood stream, causing sepsis, widespread infection, and death.  Death may also occur from hypoxia (lack of oxygen causing suffocation).  It will be difficult for the layman to distinguish viral versus bacterial pneumonia (it’s difficult enough for doctors, who don’t always know either).  Diagnosing pneumonia by physical examination alone and distinguishing it from bronchitis is a whole article in itself, but one-sided chest pain is a strong argument for pneumonia in a patient with fever and cough.  (Blood clots, pleurisy, and heart problems may cause similar symptoms, however.)  Prevention of community-acquired pneumonia is 2-fold:  limiting spread via droplets and/or direct contact, and prevention of aspiration.  In the elderly, who have a decreased ability to clear their lungs, inhaling food particles or microbes frequently leads to pneumonia.  Having these folks eat slowly and remaining upright until the stomach clears after eating may decrease the likelihood of pneumonia.  Proper hand-washing for everyone and isolation of any infected patient should decrease the spread within the community. 

As for treatment, there is no single antibiotic guaranteed to work. What you have on hand may influence your choice of antibiotic.  Hospital doctors frequently prescribe IV medication, later switching to oral meds when the patient begins to improve.  You probably won’t have this luxury.  The strongest antibiotics (which you should probably reserve for the sickest patients) are Avelox, Levaquin, Biaxin, and Augmentin.  Appropriate first-line choices to treat pneumonia include erythromycin, clarithromycin, azithromycin, doxycycline, amoxicillin, and cephalexin.  Other possibilities include penicillin, ciprofloxacin, any cephalosporin, possibly trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole or tetracycline.  The length of treatment is another concern.  Five days may be sufficient in a patient making a rapid recovery, but 7-10 days is more typical, and a very sick patient, or one with underlying asthma or COPD may require two weeks of continuous, full-dose therapy.  With a limited supply of antibiotics, rationing will likely be a necessity, and you’ll have to decide early on what criteria you plan to use.

Kidney infection.  Kidney infection (pyelonephritis) is primarily a disease of women and the elderly, and occasionally children.  Usually, but not always, kidney infection starts with a bladder infection, with symptoms of frequent urination, burning, or abdominal pain.  The bacteria may ascend the ureter and lodge in the kidney, commonly causing one-sided back pain, just under the lower posterior ribs.  Untreated, the bacteria create a cesspool of infection, which may enter the bloodstream, causing sepsis and death.  In older men, the underlying cause is often an enlarged prostate.  Elderly men and women (and sometimes younger people as well) with a kidney infection may not exhibit specific signs, but rather simply appear ill or not themselves. 
Prevention is aimed at cleansing the urinary system by drinking plenty of fluids.  Having a more-than-adequate supply of potable water may be life-saving for the patient prone to kidney infection.  Women should always empty the bladder after intercourse, and should never hold the urine when they feel the need to go.

Appropriate antibiotic treatment of kidney infection usually begins with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, ciprofloxacin, or nitrofurantoin.  Again, Avelox, Levaquin, and Augmentin should probably be reserved for the sickest patients.  Amoxicillin is generally the first choice for pregnant women.  Cephalexin (or any cephalosporin) will usually work.  I generally don’t use penicillin, doxycycline, tetracycline, or the erythromycins, but they are sometimes effective.  Because nausea is a common symptom of kidney infection, it is best to avoid any antibiotic that has nauseated the patient in the past.  Duration of treatment should be about 5 to 15 days, with the shortest length of treatment reserved for those patients who seem to get well overnight.  If the chosen antibiotic has made zero difference by 3-4 days, a different antibiotic should be tried, generally one from a different class. 
      
Diverticulitis.  Diverticulitis is a disease of the middle-aged and elderly, those who have been on a western (American) diet long enough to have the little pouches bubble out (like tiny hernias along the colon), where food gets stuck and infection may occur.  The colon is chockfull of germs.  Normally the bacteria don’t have a chance to invade the wall of the colon during their transit along the gut, unless they get trapped in one of these pockets where an abscess-like infection may form.  If the pouch swells and bursts, the patient is a dead man (without emergency surgery and antibiotics).  You cannot wait this long to treat this infection.  There are no specific tell-tale signs, but the problem is more often left-sided than right, and is rare in people younger than about 35 or 40.  A little diarrhea or dark, maroon (bloody) stool may be present.  Urinary symptoms are generally absent.  Doctors themselves are not always sure if diverticulitis is present, but the risk of waiting outweighs the risk of treating when the diagnosis is suspected. 

Ideally prevention of diverticulitis begins in childhood with a lifelong diet high in plant fiber.  For anyone reading this article, your colon may already be riddled with the pouches (diverticula), so your best hope is to prevent the infection from starting.  Many patients find that eating popcorn or other small, hard objects sets off their symptoms (though this is medically controversial).  If I had diverticulitis, I would at least be meticulous about avoiding popcorn. 

Antibiotic treatment should ideally include a combination of metronidazole plus either ciprofloxacin (or Avelox, or Levaquin), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, or possibly Augmentin.  Minimum length of treatment is one week, though two or even three weeks is sometimes necessary.

Clostridium difficile colitis.  Until we run out of antibiotics, we will continue to see c. diff. colitis, also known as antibiotic-related colitis.  This infection is very rare in patients who have not taken antibiotics, but more and more common in those who have.  It causes terrible diarrhea with an obnoxious odor, and may begin any time during or after a round of antibiotics.  Untreated, the infection can cause dehydration, sepsis, and death.  Prevention is aimed at limiting antibiotic use to those infections where antibiotics are essential.  The only readily-available oral drug for c. diff. is metronidazole.  Oral vancomycin is also effective, but much more costly. Conscientious hand-washing among patients and caregivers will help limit the spread of the disease.  As the use of antibiotics decreases, the incidence of c. diff. will decrease as well.

Cellulitis.  Lastly, cellulitis, or soft tissue infection, is theoretically almost entirely preventable.  As long as the skin is completely intact, without a scratch, blister, crack, or abrasion, cellulitis is quite rare.  But probably everyone reading this article has some little imperfection.  Looking at my own hands, I see a few tiny nicks, not to mention the dry skin caused by a long winter with forced-air heating.  A microscopic crack is sufficient to allow a microbe to invade, and the skin is always home to a variety of bacteria, usually non-virulent staph.  Upon invading the skin, the bacteria reproduce, causing either a localized pimple (or larger abscess, like a water balloon) or a more invasive infection, spreading through the tissues like a sponge.  The soft tissues in and under the skin swell, and become tender, red, and warm.  With cellulitis, the infection may spread to the lymphatic vessels or veins, enter the bloodstream, and, as with the diseases above, cause sepsis and death. Most cellulitis is caused by typical staph and strep germs, though other bacteria are not uncommon. 

The methicillin-resistant staph (MRSA) is a special problem.  Your main clue to its presence will be that drugs good for treating typical staph may not work. The best drugs for methicillin-resistant staph are currently trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole or doxycycline.  For typical staph or strep, cephalexin or Augmentin are good choices.  The erythromycins and tetracyclines usually work as well.  Ciprofloxacin (as well as Avelox and Levaquin) are best reserved for cases in which none of the above antibiotics are effective, which may indicate infection with a gram-negative bacterium such as Pseudomonas.  Cellulitis should be treated for about 5 to 15 days, again with the shortest length of treatment reserved for those who respond within a day or two.  If the infection continues to spread after 24-48 hours (or hasn’t started to resolve the infection by 3-4 days) on a first-line antibiotic, therapy should be switched to that for methicillin-resistant staph.  If this makes no difference by 3-4 days, or if the infection continues to spread, switching to or adding ciprofloxacin is indicated.  If none of these therapies work, you might try combining all three, but odds of this working is really quite low, and treatment may be futile. 

In a future article I will address diseases common elsewhere in the world likely to spread in the U.S. if societal upheaval occurs.