SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Winners — Round 29

We’ve complotted the judging for Round 29 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The winners are:

First prize goes to Old Dog in Wisconsin for Getting My Lists Together, posted on July 15th.

He will receive all of the following: 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 between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Parabellum (Luger ) with 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP projectiles, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $249 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second prize goes to B.B. in California, for Riots and Civil Unrest in America, posted on July 21st. He will receive: A.) 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 $400, and B.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third prize goes to Dr. Bones for A Doctor’s Thoughts on Antibiotics, Expiration Dates, and TEOTWAWKI, posted on July 26th. He will receive A.) A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

Because of the tremendous number of great entries in this round we’ve selected an unprecedented 20 “honorable mention” prize winning articles. Each of these writers will receive a $30 Amazon.com gift certificate. The prize winning articles are:

Note to prize winners: Please e-mail me your snail mail addresses (both UPS and US mail), and I’ll get your prizes out, right away.

Agroforestry (Forest Gardening), by Prepared in Maine

I’m going to say something shocking: gardening with annuals is expensive in terms of inputs: time, seeds, fertilizer, and land. You many exceptional but I’d bet that many would starve or be forced to leave home if you had rely on gardening (whether due to inexperience, crop failure, or lack of resources). Some articles here have touched on agroforestry concepts, but I hope this brings these together for mutual benefit.

What the heck is agroforestry? Agroforestry (or Forest Gardening) is gardening in three dimensions using perennial plants that provide food and useful materials for humans (fiber, medicinals, dyes, edible leaves, spices, poles, honey, fuel wood, fodder, mulches, game, sap products, etc.) or benefit the other plants (soil fertility). No, I am not talking about traditional gardening in the forest. An agroforest system is self-sustaining and efficient space where, once established, you only need prune and harvest. Agroforestry is building a layered garden from ground cover to canopy trees that are all useful to you and yours with little maintenance.

In the US and Europe, the majority of our food supply comes from a very small number of annual plants. These supply the food required for our existence. Agroforestry turns this upside down and adds diversity in terms of species used and by incorporating perennial plants. Perennial food (and other beneficial) plants, including trees and bushes, can be grown easily and without a lot of time and attention. I encourage all growers to try and integrate perennial crops with their normal annual vegetables to make a more productive and resilient growing system. If done right, it is not a lot of extra work and the yield is better.

Other than a few examples for your consideration, I won’t get into what plants you should use. You will have to decide that based on your climate zone, property, and the specific needs of your family. The books at the end provide more information to help guide your decisions. Instead, I present the pros and cons of agroforestry as it pertains to family preparedness. The benefits of agroforestry as a preparedness consideration is not in the texts, but I think agroforestry can be incorporated into a balanced, long-term family preparedness plan to help see you and your loved ones through hard times.

Advantages:
You design and build the agroforest to have what you need when and where you need it. Incorporating agroforestry techniques can be done in a way that affords concealment and a layer of protection and stretch your larder. (as mentioned in a recent SurvivalBlog post, blackberry patches can serve as a boundary and provide great fruit).

Incorporating agroforestry means less input from you (in terms of time, fertilizer, and seeds). These are all to your benefit, because in and TEOTWAWKI scenario, you won’t have a lot of any of these. I cannot realistically imagine weeding or hoeing if I was concerned about my security in some scenarios. I can see myself harvesting fruits, nuts, and greens as I walk the perimeter of the property. Properly designed, agroforests require no fertilizer inputs– you design with plants that will provide fertilizer (fix nitrogen, prevent evaporation of moisture, etc.). Agroforests are designed around using perennial plants– no need to have garden seeds each year. Perennial plants are often hardier than annuals once established. Perennial plantings in an agroforest system are designed to perform well together (like the three-sisters combination in the garden, but on a grand scale).

There are beautiful options available in edible trees and bushes that you can add without jeopardizing OPSEC. Most people don’t know plants and trees and few would recognize the bounty of a well designed agroforest. People will likely pass by your property without recognizing the bounty offered by your trees, bushes, and ground cover.

Another important feature of agroforestry is scalability. You can design an agroforest on a small scale (quarter acre) to many hundreds of acres. You decide how much or how little to add to your agroforest design.

Disadvantages:
Creating an agroforest takes time– planning time and time to mature. Also, bringing in trees, bushes, and ground cover is expensive and hard work (if done right). Don’t put a $10 tree in a $1 hole. You are planting for the long term, so do it right. Plan your planting based on not how it will look today or next fall, but in 5-10 years. You can harvest form many of the plants after 1 year, but their real bounty won’t be realized for several years. Amend your soil with good quality compost when planting and dig a hold three times the diameter of the root ball. Practice humanure (caveat emptor) as dug-in soil amendment in your fruit/nut arbor.

You may have to learn about pruning the fruit and nut the species you grow. Sure trees and bushes will produce some fruit and nuts if you just leave them alone. However, if you learn to prune them you can increase your bounty several fold. For example, coppicing (or regrowing trees from cut stumps) is a useful technique for agroforestry that can be used for some fuel woods. Also, Pollarding (or cutting the top off) to get vigorous new growth for grazing can also be very useful. Both of these techniques also increase biodiversity in your agroforest– allowing you to grow other species of plants. A few hours reading online and a weekend hands-on course on
fruit/nut tree pruning at your local extension office can really get you on your way. If you live in the boonies, I would suggest a textbook on tree pruning. Supplement that with a hire visit by a local arborist at your home and you’ll be set. Be sure to be there when he comes and ask questions so you can learn to do it yourself. Proper practice in tree pruning and arbor care can be a very valuable skill for maintaining your property and a marketable skill for the future.

Putting it All Together (Examples):
Here is an overview of how this works. When considering trees and plants to add to your landscape in a particular area, ask yourself what you want to accomplish: Do you want a plant that thrives under a canopy that provides food and spreads (hosta or Siberian purslane). Do you want something to limit approach on a steep hillside and provide food and pollen for bees (rugosa rose or blackberries). Do you want a plant that will increase soil fertility and provide a medicinal purpose (comfreys or liquorice). Or a hardy ground cover that improves soil and is also a graze food source (Austrian peas). Do you want a fast-growing windbreak or screen that can also be used for food (bamboo). Do you have a boggy or wet area that could supply food (arrowhead or cattail) and medicine/fiber/fuel wood (willow). How about a shady ground cover that is a food and medicinal (ginger). What about a fruit tree that is cold-tolerant to add to the apple orchard (hawthorn). What trees will regrow best to provide an ongoing source for my woodstove [given that I need so many cords per year] (coppiced ash, beech, or willow). How can I add a second layer to ensure sufficient graze for my livestock (pollarded maple, linden, chestnut). What about a bush to provide fruit and natural pectin for making jam (quince). How about a fruit-bearing, nitrogen-fixing, evergreen hedge for a privacy screen (autumn olive or Elaeagnus). The more diverse, mutually-supporting, and interconnected the plants in your system the stronger it will be–think of a spider web.

Then design a particular area with planting to maximize what you want to accomplish. For example, an over story of hazelnut apple trees with chokecherry understory and mint and rhubarb ground cover with grape vines trailing up the trees. The approach area (paths) could have a combination of clover and sorrel. This one example provides food, fiber, tea, and fertility. If you have diversity in your plantings you can extend your harvest through the entire growing season.

When you consider the importance of food and resources for civilization, it makes sense to work with your town planner to incorporate beneficial species into landscape design of public spaces. By encouraging your town to add these species you increase the supply of food or other important resources in your community. In most cases, these species cost no more than ornamental plantings and the benefits to the community are long-lasting.

I would encourage you to research agroforestry to incorporate it into your property design plan. I am moving my property toward more agroforestry as time and finances permit. In my case, this means replacing one-dimensional (ornamental, beauty only) trees and perennial plants with multi-dimensional (beauty + benefits) species and incorporating agroforestry into future landscape design. I hope this article convinces you of the benefit of this approach on your property.

You can read more about agroforestry from these texts:

Real World EMP Effects on Motor Vehicles, by Michael Z. Williamson

I distilled the following from another forum:

See the EMPCommission.org links. The auto testing results are on page 112 of that report. They tested a sample of 37 cars. Here is a summary of the results:

Most cars will not even stall. In a test, where cars were subjected to EMP conditions, they tested both with cars turned ON, and cars turned OFF. I quote “No effects were subsequently observed in those automobiles that were not turned on during EMP exposure.” NO EFFECTS FOR CARS THAT WERE TURNED OFF during the EMP, they just started right up.

EMP effects on cars that are running: “The most serious effect observed on running automobiles was that the motors in three cars stopped at field strengths of approximately 30 kV/m or above. In an actual EMP exposure, these vehicles would glide to a stop and require the driver to restart them.” In other words, 90% of the cars would not even stall if they were running when an EMP happened. There were some further effects, blinking dashboard lights on some cars, etc.., read the report to see them described. Over 20% of cars experienced NO effects while running, not even burnt out radios, and to reiterate, for the cars that were OFF, there were NO effects.

Here’s the conclusion of the commission for trucks: “Of the trucks that were not running during EMP exposure, none were subsequently affected during our test. Thirteen of the 18 trucks exhibited a response while running. Most seriously, three of the truck motors stopped. Two could be restarted immediately, but one required towing to a garage for repair. The other 10 trucks that responded exhibited relatively minor temporary responses that did not require driver intervention to correct. Five of the 18 trucks tested did not exhibit any anomalous response up to field strengths of approximately 50 kV/m.”

An EMP could cause some cars to stall, which could definitely lead to accidents when the EMP happens. Most cars will run just fine, we will not likely see a breakdown of our auto transportation system from an
EMP. – SurvivalBlog Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson

 

Letter Re: How to Bypass Blocked Web Sites

Dear JWR:
In response to the posting by Tamara W., I would like like to furnish an addendum. The post references an “Internet Kill Switch” which has recently been signed into law. As I am sure that you and most of your Internet savvy readers are aware, there are two distinct ways that the PTB (Powers That Be) can “kill” the Internet. The first is relatively trivial. This is by corrupting or otherwise disabling the DNS (Domain Name Server) system where human readable URL’s (Universal Resource Locator) such as SurvivalBlog.com are translated into computer readable IP (Internet Protocol) addresses such as 64.92.111.146. Since this is a trivial “kill”, the solution is also trivial, as that described by Tamara W. The solution is to simply bypass the “block” by bypassing the translation from URL to IP address.

This process can be likened to the common phone system. If one wants to call Joe Blow, you simply look up in the “directory” for the phone number of Joe Blow, and get the response (412) 555-1234. The trivial “block” is to prevent one getting the correct phone number for Joe Blow. And likewise, the trivial solution is to already know the correct phone number for Joe Blow, and to “dial” this number directly.

A much more effective “block” is to prevent the “switches” between you and your destination from working. In the Internet, these “switches” are known as routers. If one was to “kill” the routers, the Internet is effectively killed. In the same vein, if your phone companies’ directory services was “killed”, you could still dial the correct number, but if the telephone company local switching office was “down”, you ain’t going nowhere.

As a disciple of Sun Tzu, I refuse to underestimate my opponent. As such, I am fairly certain that their attempt to “kill” the Internet won’t be limited to simply disabling the DNS system, but will also include shutting down the routers as well. The only “solution” is to develop a communication system which does not depend on infrastructure that is beyond your control. Currently the only option is amateur radio, where the entire communication path is under the “control” of those doing the communication. – NC Bluedog

Economics and Investing:

From G.G.: The Aftermath Of The Global Housing Bubble Chokes The World Banking System.

Also from G.G.: “This debt is like a cancer,” says Erskine Bowles, co-chairman of President Obama’s debt and deficit commission

Richard S. spotted this: The Irish Leave the EU.

Do you recall my prediction of higher taxes–perhaps in some desperate and creative ways–to make up for state budget shortfalls? See: When Quinn the Governor gets here. (A hat tip to Tamara at the View From The Front Porch blog, for the link.)

Odds ‘n Sods:

F.J. sent us this item: Risk of Earthquakes in the U.S. Midwest May be More Widespread Than First Thought

   o o o

E.M. sent a link to a surprisingly even-handed New York Times video piece about an Appleseed shoot.

   o o o

Matt S. suggested a site with farm and building plans. This is the North Dakota State University farm plans service. It has plans for all kinds of buildings for farm, camp, residential and storage buildings. All plans are available to look at or download in PDF format, and you can also buy copies of the plans from them.

   o o o

Larry L. recommended a fiery piece by a former Ford Administration staffer that ran, in all places, Investor’s Business Daily: Will Washington’s Failures Lead To Second American Revolution?

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The law of the LORD [is] perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD [is] sure, making wise the simple.
The statutes of the LORD [are] right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD [is] pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the LORD [is] clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD [are] true [and] righteous altogether.
More to be desired [are they] than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.” – Psalm 19:7-10 (KJV)

Coupon Warrior!, by GRITS (Girl Raised in the South)

You look at the economy, and you are alarmed. You see the direction the world appears to be headed, and your eyes glaze with near panic. You realize you must prepare for disasters and shortages, but you are overwhelmed by the scope of the project and wonder how you can ever afford to build a stockpile of necessities.
I hope I can throw out a few ideas that will help you build up that stockpile over time with a painless, cost-effective method.
I’ve always hated to shop. The grocery store was a place I raced through, snatching only what I needed and hoping to pick the fastest check-out line. I’d paw through the Sunday coupon pages and the weekly grocery store circulars, hoping for the rare free can of dog food or cup of yogurt, but that was the extent of my interest.

All that changed when my feeling of impending doom induced me to stock up, ASAP. With the possibility of hyperinflation or supply disruption staring us in the face, accumulating consumables while our money is still worth something strikes me as a sound investment. Besides, we live in an area prone to power blackouts from hurricanes. Although my electrician husband installed a transfer switch for our generator, one never can predict how long the power could be off or how long the fuel would last. I decided to buy more supplies in a gradual manner without busting the weekly budget. So I took a closer look at those shiny sheets and ads.
It’s a game, and saving money by spending it can be fun. With attention to detail, one ought to be able to accumulate extra food and household supplies for little or no extra expenditure. I’ve been filling the space under the beds and in the cabinets without spending much more than normal and without attracting attention. In six months’ time I’ve accumulated at least an extra three to six months’ worth of canned food, laundry detergent, first aid items, paper goods, and other household items. I vow not to pay full price if I can help it. Here are a few hints I’ve learned.
Name brand versus store brand: I used to believe that the store brands would usually beat the price on the name brands even considering the coupon discount. At full retail, that’s true. But I suggest you hang on to the coupons, bide your time, and lurk like a Moray Eel waiting in its cave to snap up good stuff on the cheap.

For instance: We enjoy a particular brand of salad dressing. Okay, perhaps you hard-core survivalists press your own olive oil, ferment vinegar from your home-grown apples, and add herbs from your lush garden grown from heirloom seeds. However, olives and apples don’t thrive in my warm, humid neck of the woods. Besides, we actually like the bottled stuff. Anyway, I looked for the $1.00 off two bottle coupons in my Sunday paper or on the Internet, waited for the buy-one-get-one-free (BOGO) deal at the store, and bought two 16 ounce bottles for $2.79 instead of $7.58. Because the deals and coupons come out regularly, I have accumulated enough salad dressing for six months of steady use. Because I don’t have to buy more any time soon, I can now use the money I would normally spend on salad dressing for other things.

From time to time, use of coupons paired with a sale can give you a positive cash flow at the checkout. Once I actually made money buying salad dressing. Because I had two $2 coupons for a new flavor of a brand I don’t usually buy, I decided to watch for an even better deal. Before the coupons expired, a store offered a BOGO on the salad dressing, two for $3.79. With my $4 worth of coupons, I actually got paid 21 cents for trying the new flavor, which, by the way, is very good, premium stuff. Two $1 off coupons for organic tomato sauce earned me an extra 22 cents when I bought the items for 89 cents each. A Publix coupon for $5 off the purchase of two pharmaceutical items, coupled with a $1.00 manufacturer’s coupon earned me $1.22 at the checkout because the two items came to a total of $4.78. Profit made: $1.65 plus I got to keep the goods.
Which brings me to another point: Some stores let you use both their store coupon and a manufacturer’s coupon on the same purchase. Make sure the store will honor both. If they do, it’s a great way to stack savings.
Watch for the “blinky” coupon machines posted around the store aisles as well as coupons in the Sunday paper and on the Internet. In a blinky I found a BOGO coupon for Curly’s barbecue. I decided to save the coupon, which had a decent expiration date, in case I spotted a special. A few weeks later, a store offered a BOGO on the same item. I used the coupon and scored over two pounds of cooked, seasoned pulled pork for free. The retail totals over $13 . The meat tasted even better for not costing anything and released funds for other items. Cha-ching!

Speaking of BOGO offers, they have allowed me to gradually stock up on can after can of chicken, tuna, beef stew, vegetables, chili, soup, butane lighters, and vitamins. Those BOGOs allied with a coupon can create outstanding deals. I’ve learned that the BOGO deals come around in cycles. Collect your coupons and wait for the opportune time to grab them.
A word here about canned meat, especially for the testosterone set: Guys, I know you think bigger is always better, but listen to a woman for a moment. In a grid-down situation, you don’t want to open that huge #10 can of beef unless you have a crowd to feed all at once. One of those cans contains more servings than a family of two or even four can consume in a whole day (unless you’re feeding teenage boys). What happens to the leftovers if you don’t have refrigeration? Try to store it in 90 degree heat until it starts to smell funny? Maggot food, anyone? Your dog will enjoy it if you don’t wait too long to give it to him, or else you’ll make him sick, too.
On the other hand, I understand big cans of freeze-dried food will keep for a few days if properly packaged. That should give you time to consume it before it grows fur you can neither spin nor weave.
Think small and consider the neat, no-fuss solution. Reasonably sized canned food does not require further cooking, hydration, or even warming, to make it edible. Some cans have a flip top so you don’t even need a can opener. A couple of five ounce cans of tuna or a 10 ounce can of chicken, a 14-½ ounce can of tomatoes and one of corn will feed two people a nutritious, reasonably palatable meal. No big deal if you can’t eat all the vegetables. They won’t give you dysentery if you eat them at the next meal. From a previous blogger I’ve also discovered B&M brown bread in cans, which is not much more expensive than fresh bread and will store nicely. That illustrates the variety of food available in cans.

Dried beans and rice are cheap, great storage items and have many uses. However, they take a lot of preparation and cooking, are deficient in many nutrients, and get mighty boring mighty quick. On the other hand, if you could somehow harness your natural gas production they would make a fine energy source.

Other perks: See what premiums are available in your local stores. I can’t tell you anything about Kroger or Safeway because they don’t exist where I live. The Winn-Dixie stores in our region offer discounts for gasoline purchases. As you buy food and other goods the credit accumulates on your store card. Certain items earn you extra points. You have to use the discount in for up to 20 gallons by the end of the calendar month. My last gasoline fill-up was discounted 30 cents per gallon, though I didn’t spend more than $200 at Winn-Dixie that month. The Shell station charges a few cents more than the cheapest gasoline in the area, so I still saved about $5.70 over what I would have paid at the BJ’s supermarket. That $5.70 could have translated into a few cans of beef stew or a half dozen cans of tomatoes, with the BOGOs offered.

Some stores generate coupons at checkout for future use. I’ve taken advantage of those at Winn-Dixie, Walgreens and CVS. The ones from Walgreens and CVS are like cash that can be spent on the next purchase. Combined with specials and store coupon items, let’s make a deal! Winn-Dixie’s printouts are specific and conditional. I was very happy one day to receive two $2 coupons good at WD for any Oscar Mayer product. O-M lunch meat happened to be on sale at two for $5 the next week. It was then possible to buy one and a half to two pounds of pre-cooked meat for a mere buck. Not a storage item, but good for our immediate needs.
Some manufacturers offer rebates on items. For instance, Sorrento made an offer of a $5 rebate on two packages of cheese sticks. I found a couple of coupons for the same product, bought the handy and tasty cheese, and sent in for the rebate. I got my check for $5, which equaled what I had paid for the cheese after using the coupons. I did the same thing for a package of Perdue chicken and a bunch of Activa yogurt.
Sniffing out the deals: I start with the store flyers that come out weekly, and study them for bargains on items I normally use or storable items I expect to use in the future. Every Sunday, except holiday weekends, is like Christmas with all the shiny sheets full of coupons. I clip the ones I think I’m likely to use and save the other sheets in case I’ve overlooked something or an unusual deal comes up. The clipped coupons go into file folders according to the classification. For instance, one of the folders is labeled “meat,” another “dairy,” another “household goods” and so on. The folders go into a holster-style file folder so I can take the whole thing with me to the store. That way, if I spot a deal I didn’t anticipate, I can pull out the right coupon to capitalize on the spot.

It might pay to buy an extra newspaper if the coupons are really good that week. Having two $1.00 coupons for a BOGO is great fun. The Internet is also a good source. CouponMom.com has links to printable coupons. Other online sites are available, too. Sometimes by going to a manufacturer’s web site you can score a coupon or two. I’ve already mentioned the blinky machines in the stores, and in-store specials sometimes aren’t advertised in the flyers. It takes me several hours a week to match coupons and store specials, make my plan, then do my shopping, maintaining predatory alertness. When I get the checkout ticket and see I’ve saved half the bill, I just got paid for my time.

After all, time is money. You can make your own soap, but soap isn’t expensive. Between coupons, sales and rebate systems, I’ve found laundry detergent to be so cheap it wouldn’t pay to make it from scratch. It’s good to know how to make soap, but having a sizeable stash of it is easier in the short run.
Other people are also alert for good deals, so stores will often run out of sale items. Depending on store policy, you can either substitute a similar item, or get a “rain check” ticket that will honor the sale price after the deal has expired. If the item is advertised as “while supplies last” or like wording, you’d better not wait to long to score the deal or you’ll be out of luck.

Drawbacks: If you live in a rural area without much chain store competition, you may have trouble finding the best deals. If your local weekly rag doesn’t provide coupons, a Sunday subscription to a metropolitan paper will bring those shiny sheets to your doorstep. I’m blessed with a Wal-Mart, two Publix stores, a BJ’s, a Big Lots, a Dollar General, a Family Dollar, a Winn-Dixie, a CVS and a Walgreens within a two-mile radius, so I can take my cooler for refrigerated items and make a sweep. Drive time and gasoline aren’t the issue for me they would be for folks who live in a less congested area. On the other hand, the stores in my region don’t seem to offer double value for coupons, though I understand some run such specials in other parts of the U. S.

Common sense applies here, remember. If your family hates lima beans, don’t swoon for the great BOGO with a coupon on huge cans of lima beans unless you intend to donate them to the food bank. Or give them to your mooch of a brother-in-law for his birthday. If you think air fresheners stink, skip the super deal unless it makes you money equal to or greater than the purchase price, then give the goods to somebody who wants them.
A word about expiration dates: Most stores won’t accept an out-of-date coupon, so be sure to watch those dates. Use them or lose them, but don’t fret if you can’t get a good enough deal in time. Another will likely pop up by and by. As for the food itself, most packages and cans have a “sell-by” date stamped on them. If stored properly, they should still be good beyond that date, but make it a point to rotate your storage food. That’s another good reason to stock up on foods you and your family would enjoy, crisis or not.

I decided to keep about a three month supply of bagged dog food as well in a cool, dry environment. So if the SHTF, my first tier intruder alarm system will be okay for a while.
My husband is bemused and a skeptical, though he was happy to buy me the 20 gauge shotgun I requested and we enjoyed a fun date at the shooting range. I keep telling him one of these days he’ll be glad we have full cabinets and boxes of cans under our beds. Really and truly, I pray we will be able to consume our stash at our leisure, not as a matter of life and death.

Three Letters Re: A Doctor’s Thoughts on Antibiotics, Expiration Dates, and TEOTWAWKI

Hello-
I must first thank you, Mr. Rawles, for your advice. I truly believe it will one day save my life. Also, the amount of knowledge I have gained from all of the contributors to SurvivalBlog is astounding!

My profession is in the animal industry, so I am familiar with antibiotics and other meds. At work, it is many times frustrating to pull out dosage instructions from a bottle of medicine, only to find that they’re all written for humans. Especially the antibiotics! I order only from veterinary pharmacies, but these drugs are manufactured and labeled for human consumption. Now I laugh when I go to the local Rite-Aid. I recognize many of the bottles on their shelf.

In addition to fish antibiotics, I strongly suggest making use of livestock supply companies. I love my local Tractor Supply, but I could never afford to purchase meds from them. I would like to share links to two reputable companies that offer prices much lower than those at the local agricultural supply store:

1.) Jeffer’s Livestock Supply is #1 on the list. They have great customer service, super low prices, and fast shipping. This is a great resource for antibiotics- Sulfas, Penicillin, Oxytetracycline, etc. They also carry medical supplies like suture packs, sterile gauze, Telfa wound pads, elastic bandages, needles, and syringes. If you’re really worried about sterility, read the descriptions- they won’t state that it’s sterile unless it is… Also, I use these things on a daily basis, and have cross-referenced the companies. The syringes, for example, are produced, packaged, and sold for use on humans. There aren’t many companies that make medical supplies for animal use only, so when you purchase them, they are typically large quantities of human products.

2.) KV Vet Supply carries the same products also at great prices.
Depending on what part of the country you’re in, you may find shipping to be significantly faster or cheaper with one of these companies.

I will also include here a list of medical supplies that I have used extensively and feel that I wouldn’t want to be without, especially in a world without local doctors and nurses.

– Chlorhexidine solution- bactericidal, fungicidal, virucidal. I hardly ever use iodine for wounds. I reach for this product almost every time. Chlorhexidine is even found in human mouthwash, so you may be using it already without knowing it!

– Tissuemend is an absorbable glue for closing skin lacerations. It works better than super glue on skin. It is pricey, but trust me, a little goes a long way.

– SSD – I saw on the blog today that someone else recommended it, and I couldn’t agree more… It is hydrophilic, breathable, gentle, and very effective. * order it from the livestock supply- a one pound tub could last you for a very long time, and it’s around $32.

– Vetrap – a person could go broke buying bandages, but not with Vetrap. You don’t need scissors to tear it, it stays put, and works great to wrap sprains as well as to hold a nonstick pad in place on a wound.

– Cast padding – this is cheap, soft, and makes a good first layer in your bandage. It helps to stretch the more expensive adhesive bandaging materials. If you pull too tightly on it, it will simply pull apart, which helps to keep from wrapping too tightly. The cushion factor keeps other wraps (like Vetrap) from forming a wrinkle that could rub your skin raw.

– Probios Powder – I am so thankful that people are accessing antibiotics, but please don’t forget the probiotics! Some antibiotics can really do a number on your gut! They kill all the good bacteria right along with the bad, so you need to build back your numbers during and after treatment. Who wants to take the midnight patrol with a bloated, crampy gut and diarrhea? The great thing about Probios is that the bacteria is “colonizing”, unlike the probiotics in yogurt, which get passed through the digestive system. It is available in a powder as well as gel. Get the powder! The gel must be refrigerated.

– Diamond V Yeast Culture – It goes hand in hand with Probios. The yeast acts as a “prebiotic”, and nourishes the beneficial bacteria in your gut, helping the colonies form faster. It is sold as “Epicor” to humans, but us farmy-types buy it in 50# bags at the feed store. Please take a few minutes to read up on this product- it really does live up to the hype for people as well as animals. I have taken it for almost two years, and have been shocked at the reduction in bronchitis and sore throats I’ve had.

– Ichthammol – I don’t want to ever be without good old drawing salve. Skin abscesses are usually best left alone. Opening them allows bacteria to enter and compound your problems. Ichthammol, applied topically and covered with a Band-Aid will do wonders in a few short days. It also works great for insect bites, swelling, and splinters that won’t come out.

– AluShield Spray – This is a powder-based spray that acts as a bandage. If you want to save your gauze and Vetrap for more serious injuries, AluSpray can cover a wound and seal out dirt while letting your wound breathe. A can is around $10 and will give over two hundred treatments. I love this stuff! Thank you again, – S.S.

Mr. Rawles,
The AllDayChemist.com site was mentioned on a recent post on SurvivalBlog. I wanted to express to you and your readers that this site is, in my opinion, one of the best places to order medications from. They do have a minimum $25 shipping charge though. My wife has very bad asthma. Through our insurance at our pharmacy, one albuterol inhaler costs us over $30 each! I heard about all day chemist about 6 months ago. I bought 8 (yes, eight) equivalent inhalers from them for $3.50 each (just a bit more that 10% of what we pay with insurance at our pharmacy). Even with the shipping it was under $50 delivered to our door (for all 8 inhalers) from India. This site is an excellent one for stockpiling much needed life-saving medications. I should note that I have no allegiance to them other than being a very satisfied customer

Thank you for a great blog, – L.R. in Wisconsin

JWR.
A State of Oregon public health web site may help your readers regarding the types and amounts of antibiotics necessary for some common medical conditions. They are easily printable (pdf form) and provide a treatment algorithm/decision making tree that is quite helpful. – Regards, – J.P.

Practical and Affordable Food and Medicine Rotation

Jim,
In addition to stores of long-term food in #10 cans (Mountain House and cans from the LDS cannery), I keep about a six month supply of “grocery store” canned and boxed food and a multiple-year supply of
OTC medicines. A lot of this stuff goes unused because I’m pretty bad at rotating and while they are items we like, we just don’t eat them that often.

Every year around the holidays I box up a ton of stuff and donate it to the food bank. The tax deduction I take is the “fair market value” (i.e., current grocery store price) of the goods donated. Inasmuch as
I typically pay less than half of retail by using coupons and catching sales – and every year have thousands of dollars in consulting income that I pay 40% tax on, this results in my short-to-medium-term food
supply being close to free.

I’ve never been audited and in any case there is nothing wrong with this, but ’tis best to itemize the list of goods donated, take pictures and get a receipt from the food bank.

This approach provides charity, tax savings and food storage all at the same time! – Matt R.

Two Letters Re: How to Bypass Blocked Web Sites

Sir:
I have several friends in China under different guises, work or school visas for instance, but their main purpose is evangelism. When we e-mail them we have to be very careful about what we say because the Chinese government reads incoming e-mails. For instance “I’m praying for you” would be written as “I talked to Dad about you”. Just so we aren’t thinking all our e-mails are secure. – Richard C.

Mr. Rawles,
I would like to say the article “How to Bypass Blocked Web Sites, by Tamara W.” was technically correct, and I will not question the legality of the methods used. One word of caution: trying to use any of the mentioned techniques will get you fired if you use them at work to bypass security measures in place. As a consultant for several mid-size companies, it is my job to provide the evidence to the corporate attorneys for use during dismissal.

I still love the site and read it every day!

Best Regards, – Scott P.

JWR Replies: I trust that SurvivalBlog readers will use the information in that article (and all of the others posted here) responsibly. Fighting tyranny and maintaining personal privacy are admirable, but stealing time from your employer is not!

Economics and Investing:

Several readers mentioned this: IMF Says U.S. Financial System May Need $76 Billion in Capital

G.G. suggested a piece by Niall Ferguson: Sun Could Set Suddenly on Superpower as Debt Bites.

China Becomes Second Biggest World Economy

Reader “AmEx” (American Expatriate) spotted this: Fed’s Bullard:Worried About Possible Deflationary Outcome For US

Also from AmEx: Top Hedge Funds That Dodged Crash, Rode Market Back Turn Gloomy

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Mike P. forwarded a link to this BBC News article: Greek police clash with hauliers amid crippling strike. Mike’s comment: “The truckers’ strike is in its fourth day, gas stations are empty, and the government is implementing emergency measures originally intended for wartime or natural disasters. Does any of this sound familiar?” Reader Tom G. sent a link to a fascinating companion article: Greece Haulier Strike – Your Experiences.

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Some charming news, courtesy of reader R.F.J.: Rats Overrun Manhattan Park

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Also from R.F.J. comes a link to an Instructables article: How to build a log cabin with dovetail notches.

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K.A.F. flagged this: 100 Million Facebook Users Learn True Meaning of Going Public. I told you so! Also from K.A.F.: White House proposal would ease FBI access to records of Internet activity. Let’s face it, folks: There is no expectation of privacy for anything you do on the Internet. None. Zilch. Nada. Henceforth, try to envision your Internet forum posts and e-mails being printed in 10 foot tall letters on a billboard sign in Times Square.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"A pistol defends your property and your person from unanticipated and barely anticipated threats from thieves and robbers. With it, you can control your immediate environment. A rifle defends your freedom from oppressors and tyrants. With it, you can enforce your will." – Gabe Suarez

Note from JWR:

Today we present two entries for Round 29 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.

The first article might seem off-topic for SurvivalBlog, but it isn’t, especially when you consider that both the Internet and political world are dynamic.We cannot predict how political situations might change. Consider this part of your preparedness.

The prizes for this round of the writing contest will 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 between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Parabellum (Luger ) with 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP projectiles, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $249 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) 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 $400, and B.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

Round 29 ends tomorrow (July 31st), so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry for Round 30. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.