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
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.
"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
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.
Web sites can be blocked for many reasons. Employers block web sites to protect productivity. Parents block web sites with violence, pornography and illegal activities to protect to their children. Internet Service providers block web sites with child pornography because of the law. Some nations block certain web sites with opinions that dissent from those of the predominant political powers. Unfortunately, whether it is through the proposed “Internet kill switch” that the federal government has proposed or a deployment of government Internet censorship as China and Iran already employ, there is a possibility that those in the “free” world will find the government censoring web sites.
These blocks can be bypassed through changes in web site references, connections to anonymous proxy servers, Google redirects and changes in web site connection. All of the methods described here require either no technical skills to very little skill. The last section gives advice and resources for those who have servers and would be interested in creating the work around web sites and servers that others would value should a web of silence fall.
Accessing the Blocked Site Through Address Work-Arounds
Step 1
Enter the IP address of the blocked web site into the browser’s address bar. This may allow the web site to open via the IP address without triggering the block that is tied to the web site URL or web page name. For example, an IP address could be accessed using the address format: http://12.123.123.4/
Ping the web site name by going to the command line prompt. Then enter the command:
ping sitename.com
The response by the ping command will include the IP address of the web site.
Users can also use an IP address lookup based on the web site name. An example site for this is:
http://www.selfseo.com/find_ip_address_of_a_website.php
Step 2
In the URL of the web site, change the HTTP to an HTTPS without changing the remaining web site name. For example, http://example.com would be entered as https://example.com. The browser will then treat the web site as a secure site, in some cases bypassing the web site block.
Step 3
Bypassing the block of secondary web sites when the main web site was accessed via HTTPS or IP address may be necessary when the secondary web site is blocked because of key words in the web site. For example, a news web site is accessible but linked pages are blocked due to controversial material, references to politically incorrect views, or subject matter meta-tags. Bypass this block by selecting the “e-mail this story” option offered by some web sites. Send the story as text or html to an e-mail account. Then access your e-mail to read the material.
Step 4
Nations and ISPs that block forbidden web sites do not apply the same filters to e-mail. One work around is to have an associate with access to these sites to e-mail desired web site articles to you. This can be done by copying and pasting material into an e-mail. It can also be done by saving the web site page as a PDF, Microsoft Word document, or filtered HTML document and then e-mailing the web site as an attachment.
One could imagine services by those in “free” areas creating e-mail mailing lists, e-mailing news articles and information to those who do not have access to blocked sites that could include FoxNews.com, SurvivalBlog.com or other politically incorrect web sites.
Connect to an Unblocked System
Step 1
Access an anonymous proxy server. These are often called anonymous web proxies. If you do not know of one, search for the key words “anonymous proxy server” for many such web sites. Then access the anonymous proxy server. From the anonymous proxy service, a search window will appear. Enter the key words or web site name in the search window of the anonymous proxy server. The anonymous proxy server will then serve up the web site in a lower portion of the browser session, bypassing the block. Examples of anonymous proxy web sites include youhide.com, kProxy.com, proxify.com, bypassthat.com, and anonymouse.org.
As a warning, avoid any anonymous proxy server web site that requires payment for use. If the intent is to remain anonymous while surfing blocked sites, payment information creates a record that is traced back to you. And unlike web site viewing history that can be deleted off a computer by a system administrator, payment records are both impossible for the user to eliminate themselves and the most likely to be kept by the system administrator. Payment records are also at high risk of review by others, such as accountants and tax officials. So it is safest to never use an anonymous proxy server web site that requires payment for usage – because that defeats the user’s desire to be anonymous.
Users should also avoid any anonymous proxy server web site that requires installation of any additional software. Even if the software is not malicious, it could provide a trail from software source to your computer that is available to network administrators.
Step 2
Access another server via a VPN secure location. This secure access connection bypasses the blocking instituted by some firewalls. Users can then surf the web, only limited by the web site controls that the connected computer has installed. This does require the ability to set up a VPN connection as well as knowledge and permission to access a server that is not bound by the same access restrictions.
Step 3
View the Internet through a cell phone. Many web site blocks managed on a national level are done through ISPs and telecommunication company routers. Using cell phone networks can sometimes bypass these blocks. If used in conjunction with disposable phones with Internet access, it also provides more privacy.
This is an expensive option, since Internet access will be charged to the cell phone bill at data plan rates. The cost can be reduced by requesting web sites be viewed in text instead of HTML format. However, this option can bypass the web site filters in some nations that are based on the computer network.
Step 4
Go satellite Internet. Just as satellite television bypasses the local television programming by allowing viewers to select from a wider array of television shows, satellite Internet connections can bypass the Internet restrictions based on the local network. Hughes Satellite Internet is the largest but not the only provider in this area. This option is more expensive than surfing through a cell phone. It is also easier to be tracked down to the specific user, since a satellite dish is allowed. However, the proliferation of satellite dishes for television can provide cover in this regard.
A future form of speakeasy would be a sports bar with Internet satellite connections providing web sites that are not available on the consumer’s home computer. Or Internet cafes could simply have private rooms that provide broader access than those in the main area would have. The constant flow of customers also provides anonymity. If the computer does have software to track usage and sites visited, the turnover of users makes it harder to determine which individuals were viewing which web sites. Visiting different Internet cafes or sports bars with the unrestricted Internet access also provides more opportunity to not have one’s own computer searched and then seized due to illegal viewing of politically incorrect material.
Let the Block Think It is a Harmless Page – Bypassing the Block
Step 1
Go to Google or another browser. Search for the web site name in the search bar. Instead of clicking on the web site link, select the “cached” option below the web site description. This will be seen by the browser as viewing a web page from Google or the search engine, not the blocked site.
Step 2
Open up Google. Enter the URL in the format below, but with the blocked web site’s URL in place of www.showme.com: http://www.google.com/translate?langpair=en|en&u=www.showme.com
Translations through Google are read by web site filters as coming from Google, thus the web site is visible even though the original content is brought up through this command.
Step 3
Search for the blocked topic in a search engine. If the web site summary is visible but the web site is blocked, copy the web site URL. Then e-mail it to yourself for viewing on a less restricted system. For example, if a web site appears interesting but the computer on which you are working may be monitored, simply copy the URL and e-mail it to yourself to view on an unmonitored system later.
If the computer has software used to prevent illicit digital copying of material (as is used by some companies today to prevent users copying company data and pasting it in e-mails to send to others), a simple work around is to paste the URL into a text document like Microsoft notepad. Then perform several other transactions. At a later point in the session, after the copy and paste buffer has something else stored within it, cut the link in the text editor. Then paste the link in to an e-mail to send to yourself or others.
For Those With Advanced Computer Skills
Option 1: Set up a personal server. Then install an anonymizing web http proxy like PHProxy. In many cases, this creates a searchable web site. The safest location to get this software is through sourceforge.net, an open source software consortium.
Option 2: Alan Huang, the founder of UltraReach Internet and the Global Internet Freedom Consortium, does distribute his simple software through e-mail to allow anyone to bypass web surveillance. Contact his organization to install his software, currently used by many in Iran and China to get the rest of the story their own nations do not want them to see. Do NOT install software claiming to be his application from any other site; there is a high risk that software from any other source is likely malicious software.
Note: All techniques listed in this article are presently legal per the laws of the United States. Bypassing blocked sites using these methods may be illegal in the nation in which you reside.
For further reading on these topics or more advanced reading, refer to the books in the following list.
References
Introductory biographical note: The author is 64 years old, father of nine children, BSAE Aeronautical Engineering, Ex-Army Infantry Training Officer (1970-1974), former Gym Trainer (1996-1997), Firefighter and EMT training and certification (2009-2010), Real Estate Broker/Owner
Phase I
I began realizing my vulnerability in 1998-1999, when Y2K-induced turmoil was a potential real possibility. I began, in all haste to find and prepare for the possible disaster that might come when the clock struck 12:00 midnight and 2000 would ring in. My first step was to find enough land that would be secure enough for my family and to design a place we could live and that would handle any disaster, whether it was of nature, man-made or God directed. My requirements were simple. It needed to have relatively high elevation (1,500ft+ above sea level), close enough to a populated city , but rural enough to not easily be found, basically within a 1 hour drive. Secluded, but not to isolated, and not to far removed from all civilization, but yet be sparsely populated and hard to find. It had to have access to running water and have soil to grow crops.
I found a piece of property that was nearly 50 acres on the top of a ridge line, that was part of a 1,000 acre tract, with only 15 other property owners, with tracts ranging from 15 acres to 200 acres. The 1,000 acres was gated with one main, electrically operated secured gate leading in and a permanently locked gate leading out for emergencies only. The community had two 400 ft wells, with creeks running through the 1,000 acres and touching my tract. One of the wells was at the bottom of my property and had a 5 h.p. pump. The well was on a timer and delivered water to multiple tanks at different locations on the three highest elevations. Gravity feed then brought the water to the 15 property owners. I purchased an 8kw mobile generator, for standby power, to run the pump, if we were to loose electricity for any long period of time. The owner of the 200 acre tract reserved his for hunting and kept it seeded, to attract deer, rabbit, bear & turkey. The developer of the 1,000 acres paved the main road coming up to about 1,500 feet and then graveled from there to all the tracts ranging from 500 ft to 2,500 ft. My parcel sits at about 2,200 ft. ASL. All of the tracts are heavily wooded with hardwoods as well as evergreens.
My next step was to design and start construction of an impregnable home (fortress) that would withstand any disaster within the constraints of my budget. My plan was to dig into the mountain such that only one side would be open and dirt would surround the other three sides up to 12’. Because time was a factor, I knew I could only get the basement part completed before the New Year would ring in. This meant my roof would be the floor of the home that I would need to finish someday in the future, if the world was still around after Y2K.
I sent my floor plans to the engineering department of a nearby university and asked for help.
The dimensions I gave them were to be 37’X 52’ split lengthwise by a 12’ separation wall 12” thick of poured reinforced concrete surrounded by 12’ walls of the same. To handle the load of a semi-truck driving over my roof, they told me I needed 8” of poured concrete, reinforced with rebar, 10” on center and 6 by 6 [heavy] wire mesh. I added an 8’ wide X 5’ high fireplace on the open side of the basement with large racks for grilling my kill. The basement floor was 4” poured concrete that I ran one inch polyurethane tubing 4’ apart throughout the basement floor, which ran into a plenum in the base of the fireplace and back to a recirculating pump and holding tank. In addition, valving was added to reroute the heated water into the hot water system of the house. A small, electric hot water heater was added to the system capable of running from standard 120 VAC as second water heater capable running at 12VDC from solar panels via deep cycle storage batteries I purchased (4) 2’X 6‘ solar panels with frame, and a windmill.
Prior to having the roof poured I dropped in a 500 gal urethane water tank built into a frame that raised the tank from 6’ to the roof. This would allow me for gravity feed system in the basement.. I constructed two fiberglass shower stalls for two bathrooms, a work/mechanical room, two bedrooms and a kitchen on one side of the divided wall. Two metal framed doors secured this area from the large living room that is between the divided wall and the outside open wall. There are two metal doors exiting the basement. One is through a stairwell to the roof (future floor of the main house) and the other through the open side.
I also decided to add one additional piece for security, as well as escape. At the back of the basement going into the mountain I put in a 30’ X 10’ cleaned out metal fuel tank (25,000 gal to be exact). This is what I called my Survival Tank. I found the tank at a scrap metal yard out in the boonies and had a local welder cut one end out and put in a double hinged door secured by 1” X 1” sliding bars that were lockable with the largest master locks I could find. On the top of one end of the tank I had him cut out a 3’ X 3’ square and ran 4 walls, 6’ up with a latchable top, secured from the inside, as well as a metal ladder to go from the floor to the top of the latch. I then had a floor frame put in that was 30” from the bottom of the tank and added 2’ x 6” wood removable flooring. This is where I store all of the 5 gal urethane storage buckets. From the 2”x 6” floor I built metal shelving with 2”x 6” wood shelves to the roof of the tank. That left me with about an 8’ walkway front to rear down the center of the tank. The hard part was getting the tank up the last 500’ vertical 30 degree incline to the homesite. For this I had to find the largest wrecker in the state. We had to winch the tank up the 500’ and then drop it in the ground before we poured the 12” back wall around it, leaving the welded doors as the entry from the basement to the tank. The tank was now about 4’ underground, with the escape hatch protruding above the surface. A few years later, after Y2K became a no- event, I enlarged my floor plan above the basement and added an additional 1,000sq ft and poured concrete over the entire area where the tank was buried. With all this, an oversized septic system and drain field needed to be designed. I have since changed the design of the house to have a castle look that is an additional 26’ above the basement, using split face block that is reinforced with rebar and filled with concrete. Other things that have been done are the purchase and installation of an inverter system, solar array and windmill. I have a 600 gal gas tank and 1,000 gal propane tank. I have an extra 5kva generator which has been converted to be a dual-fuel system, i.e. gas/propane. After nine years I have the walls up from the basement roof and hope to have a metal/concrete roof put on before 2012, for what I hope is also a non-event.
Phase II
This is really a continuation of Phase I, but it is the process of preparing the list of lists and then accumulating the items necessary to insure a plan A, B & C and in some areas a plan D.
Mistakes I have made:
Construction
Foods
Hygiene
Don’t run out of money, because your eyes are bigger than your wallet or borrowing power is.
My Belief System
For those who believe, have repented and have chosen to follow in his teachings, he has promised eternal life. Although all things are in God’s hand, and it has been ordained as to the end and how and when it will happen, as Christians, we have a responsibility to God, our families, our church and our fellow man to be prepared both spiritually and materially. We may choose that “God will provide”, “ What is meant to be, will be” or “God helps those who help themselves” attitude. Through out the Bible, God gave direction, through his word, directly and indirectly to be prepared at all times.
Most agree on at least the distinction that we live in an unprecedented time in History. Before us, cities, kingdoms and nations have been destroyed by God or God has removed his hand and blessings and they have been destroyed or have destroyed themselves. God has, through his mercy, given guidance and direction for us to be prepared for his second coming. He has warned us of upcoming famine, destruction and the wrath that will be unleashed upon the earth before Jesus Christ returns. [We’ve also been warned of] the possibility, if not the absolute certainty, of some form of collapse in our system, as we know it. This may come in a variety of forms – flu pandemic, economic depression, or an EMP attack, all of which are likely scenarios. Regardless of the form, the result will be very similar and our concerns are as well: How do we protect ourselves and our families and provide a living? While stocking up on beans, bullets, and band-aids is the initial response, further preparation encourages us to find a defensible, as well as productive retreat. But then what? So you have your retreat (or not), you’ve stocked up on seeds and a food mill, and “the event” actually comes. Are you prepared to provide for yourself when the food runs out or if society never returns to “normal”?
Although it may be difficult to learn and find the time for, the ability to provide for yourself provides incredible rewards. If we should need to return to a less technologically “advanced” society, many people will not have the knowledge, skills, and determination to do so. A few forward-thinkers will. Which do you want to be?
James
Having suture equipment even if you don’t have the skills to use it is useful since you can hopefully find a veterinarian, doctor, nurse, PA, or Dentist qualified to use them. Having your own sterile medical equipment for the medical professionals you find is still a common bit of advice for people planning to visit third world countries.
If there is an injury requiring suture and you are not qualified especially in the highly enervated regions where suture can cause serious nerve damage and local paralysis of the body such as the hands and face there is a better way to use steri-strips and butterfly bandages.
Super-Glue related adhesives made of newer 2-octyl-cyanoacrylate instead of the skin irritant traditional Super-glue or cyanoacrylate (that have been in use in surgery and wound management since the 1970s). Qualified health care providers can provide treatment using surgical adhesives like Dermabond as a substitute for suture in many cases. I understand that the FDA in the United States may now allow these safe adhesives to be sold under several names over the counter, if not then Vetabond is a safe alternative.
Any cyanoacrylate related adhesive is reasonably safe to be used topically on the outer surface of the skin to help anchor your butterfly bandages in cases where suture or direct bonding of a wound is impossible because of training or supply issues.
-Use sterile technique at all times, if possible use autoclaved or pressure cooker steamed surgical tools instead of gloved hands just as with sutures
-Observe standard precautions when dealing with blood borne pathogens including eye protection for the care provider
-Clean the wound with antiseptic and remove any foreign debris, iodine based antiseptics are preferred, excellent lighting and visibility is required
-Use alcohol and sterile swabs to remove skin oils from the area to improve bandage adhesion
-consider irrigating or injected epinephrine or epi-lidocaine mix to reduce blood flow and anesthetize the area if you are trained in their safe use
-Close the wound
-Once the edges are aligned apply butterfly bandages
-Glue around the edges of the sticky pads of the butterfly bandage, do not allow adhesive into the wound
-If there is no allergy lightly apply triple antibiotic ointment over wound
-Apply sterile gauze over site
-Assess perfusion and neurologicals below the site
-Change dressing regularly, every few hours at first
-Reassess for infection, perfusion, and neuros after every bandage change
-If there is a question or problem a qualified medical provide should be sought immediately
If there is sign of infection you might need to open, drain, and irrigate the wound. You should seek qualified assistance and antibiotics at this point.
In some cases athletic tape stuck to a larger area of surrounding skin over your gauze dressing may be required to keep the edges of the wound held together. Regular dressing changes are still required.
You must never use circumferential taping (tape which is connected around the circumference of a limb) for any reason as it can act as a tourniquet cutting off blood supply and potentially damaging the limb to the point of requiring amputation especially if there is swelling or bad circulation.
If you have run out of sterile gauze clean white T-shirt material which has been steamed in a pressure cooker works well, only use when dry.
In a world without access to antibiotics an infected wound is one of the leading causes of untimely death so use sterile technique, equipment and supplies. Treat early and aggressively to prevent amputation or mortality.
Shalom, – David in Israel
Brett G. sent this: Fed’s Bullard: US at Danger of Japan-Style Financial Crisis.
The latest over at Dr. Housing Bubble: Banks cherry picking individual foreclosures that show up on the MLS.
Frequent content contributor K.A.F. sent this: SEC Provision Shocks Observers
“A modern day depression” Rosenberg sees “tough slogging” for the economy. (Thanks to Trent H. for the link.)
Rep. Bachmann: U.S. Faces ‘Disaster’ From Financial Reform Bill
K.A.F. forwarded this one: AP survey: A bleaker outlook for economy into 2011
Kevin S. forwarded a link to a piece on building with compressed earth bricks (CEBs) (Also called compressed earth blocks.)
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Reader Joshua H. sent this: Tight budgets and fewer cops; time for citizens to ‘arm up’
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Ready Made Resources now has just one or two full mil-spec AN/PVS-14 Gen 3+ weapons sight monoculars remaining on hand, in their special sale. These are autogated and complete with military issue monocular head mounts, manuals, sacrificial lenses, mil-spec soft nylon carry cases, et cetera. The price is just $2,995, which is less than most dealers charge for a standard Gen 3 scope. (As I mentioned before, these are the much more sought-after Gen 3+ variety.) Once they’ve sold out, that will be the end of the special sale price, so don’t miss out!
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Courtesy of KAF: Gel that can help decayed teeth grow back could end fillings and pain
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T.M. mentioned the other big oil spill: Michigan oil slick spans 20 miles; 19,500 barrels
"Whoever looks upon them merely as an irregular mob will find himself much mistaken. They have men among them who know very well what they are about, having been employed as rangers against the Indians and Acadians; and this country being much covered with wood and hilly is very advantageous for their method of fighting." – Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland, from a letter written April 20, 1775
Today we present another entry for Round 29 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round 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 on 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.
I have been reading SurvivalBlog for a few years now, and have noticed that many folks think outside the box on a variety of issues, but when it comes to building or modifying a structure for a retreat – or even a full-time place – they lapse into conventional thinking. So many times I have come across the words “house”, “cabin”, “home” or even “residence”. I guess the idea is that we have to “reside” somewhere, and the rest of the world may as well know where that is. Allow me a chance to share some of my thinking on this issue, and you may decide to avoid anything “residential”.
With just my wife and myself to plan for, we have decided that for the next decade at least, we’d like to keep as low a profile as possible. We are also building new, but if modifying an older structure, we would use the same techniques. Our first goal, already met, was to purchase the land for cash. This was not as big an expense as it sounds, as very rural undeveloped land can often be found quite cheaply.
We bought this land in a state that allows purchase by land trust. This is important for some of you to think about, especially if you have any problems from the past that may resurface. We did not name it the “The XYZ Family Trust” as many attorneys just automatically do; we used a name of a fictional agricultural facility. Anyone looking for property that we own will not find us there. No GPS coordinates will mark our property, and no bureaucratic thugs will be smashing down our doors at 3 a.m. Even traditional incorporation or LLC would not provide this degree of anonymity. And buying for cash leaves no mortgage trail.
I say this quite sincerely: I would rather live in a 5th wheel or a tow-behind trailer, on a piece of land that I own outright, than in a fine “house” with a mortgage on it. Many are still employed right now, but what if they lose the job? What if the dollar becomes worthless? What if there is a bank holiday, and funds are not available? How will they make the payments? We all need to think this through very carefully. We maintain that not having to make “payments” for the roof over our heads is of the highest priority.
We also needed to keep building costs very low. In most parts of the country, building a “home” means dealing with all sorts of bothersome building codes. Granted that many of them are for safety, but stop and think about this: banks make more interest on loans if the building costs more to put up; insurance companies get larger premiums if the value of the building is higher; and tax collectors pull in more revenue on expensive structures. Think about all those greedy hands held out, grasping at your hard-earned cash! We did, and decided that there had to be a better way!
We settled on the idea of building a “barn” and an “agricultural building”. Neither one of these will officially be a “residence”. This allows us to by-pass all sorts of nonsense. As a team, my wife and I know how to build stick-frame, as well as post-and-beam. If we could hire some local unskilled labor for part of the work, the “structures” would be up in a jiffy. If any building inspection is required, this is the point where it would be done. Once the inspector signs off, the owners are free to secretly finish the inside as they see fit. In our case, we intend to finish off the interiors as very comfortable homes.
What is the point of all this, you may wonder? By owning the property as a land trust for say, some sort of agricultural institute, it won’t appear on any municipal or county lists of “residences”. In this day and age of computerization, you need to be careful what types of lists your property and your name show up on. Disappearing from the face of the earth might not be such a bad thing! Any utilities used would be in the name of the trust, not your name. You’d never be visited by the Census (for those of you not comfortable with that issue) as no one would “live” there. If the Golden Horde came out your way, they wouldn’t find any house. The NAIS people would not be registering your premises (and no, the NAIS scheme is not yet dead. [JWR Adds: Yes, indeed it is “on the back burner” under different names.] If the government sent troops door-to-door, they’d pass you by. Owning “residential” property sets you up for all sorts of interference. You can probably imagine a hundred other scenarios you’d “miss”, so I won’t go on.
Do take some care not to look like a business. In this age of tax revenue shortfalls, everybody from the local fire marshal to town hall busybodies have been deputized to spot potential “businesses” for extra tax revenue. You need to be totally non-profit. If questioned, people are on the property only as volunteer workers. They don’t live there.
In order to live in a non-residence, there are a few items you’ll need to attend to. First, you’ll likely have some neighbors, somewhere. Our advice is to be friendly, neighborly, and helpful, invite them over if you wish, but say nothing. Another big item is making sure that from the outside, your non-residence does not end up looking like a residence. In our case, our backdrop is woods, woods, and more woods. We intend to paint the place in natural, earth tone colors: brown, forest green, dark tan – you get the picture. There will be no white window or doorframes, no shutters, no pretty garden paths leading to the doorstep. In fact, you’ll need to look closely to even find the doorstep. We intend to keep the window area on the sidewalls minimal, with skylights in the roof for natural lighting. There will be nothing to catch the curious eye. We’d like to blend into the woods.
The next item is the address. The property should not have any marked address, and certainly no roadside mailbox stuck out in plain sight, with a number on it! Nobody lives there, remember? Just some folks who volunteer to work there. I can’t think of a better way to advertise “residence” than a mailbox! Any mail going to the land trust (say, for utility bills), would go to the trustee, not to the property. Any mail addressed to you in your own name, is another issue entirely. Let me count the ways…post office box, re-mailing service, local RV campground that will accept your mail for a small fee, relatives, whatever you can think of, as long as it’s reliable. There will be issues with registering your vehicles (which can also be owned by a trust), buying insurance, dealing with your bank, etc, but all that can be worked out with a bit of thought. I’m just trying to lay a foundation for you here, to consider.
I find the idea of living this way to be sort of a thrill! If the same idea turns you totally cold, consider this: for probably the next 10 to 15 years, we are likely to be living in dangerous times. If you have a spouse, young kids, older parents, and others that you care about, you should consider doing whatever it takes to ensure their safety. There are those in government that, as you read this, are hatching new and sneaky schemes to invade your privacy. There are those in the tax-collection system looking for nefarious ways to snatch more of your income. There are low-lifes out there just waiting to prey upon you and yours. There are snoops expecting you to just live in the conventional manner.
The idea of hiding in plain sight – and living comfortably while doing so – has a lot of appeal. By not living in a “residence”, you exempt yourself from a lot of expense and bureaucracy. Perhaps, in another 15 to 20 years, after whatever is going to happen has happened, when the country is rebuilding, when it is safe for civilized folks to come out in the open again, then you can paint that agricultural building white, put up blue shutters, add a bay window, plant some pretty flowers along the walkway, fly Old Glory, and put up a mailbox. Life will go on, after all. Better times will be coming, and I hope to meet some of you on the other side!
[JWR Adds: Some friends of our family in the Inland Northwest live in a well-insulated pole frame steel shop building. They call it their “Shouse.” (Shop-House.) From a distance it looks a lot more like a shop building or a barn than it does a house. Their original plan was to temporarily live in the shop until they built their dream house. But the years went by and they got more and more comfortable in the shouse, as they added interior amenities. In the end they’ve settled into the shop very comfortably, and instead of being burdened by a mortgage, they live debt free.]
Mr. Rawles,
I had one more observation to add to B.B. in California’s letter about the 1992 Los Angeles riots. At the time, I was living in Bakersfield, a city a two hour drive from L.A., and I vividly recall watching the news coverage of the events. This was followed by stories of similar, albeit much smaller, incidents of ‘unrest’ in cities as far away from L.A. as Fresno, and Oakland, California. The most alarming thing was this: Each of these cities, indeed, even the city I lived in, had already sent some of the Police Officers (mostly California Highway Patrol) normally stationed there to assist in trying to restore order to L.A. In other words, the incidents of unrest had started to spread, even as the officers who were to stop it from spreading were sent someplace else.
Now obviously the incidents in other cities were very minor, and didn’t amount to much. However, the fact that [active component] U.S. Army troops were called in from Fort Ord (over 5 hours away) and even U.S. Marines from Camp Pendleton shows how this one, relatively short, localized incident, stretched the abilities of the government to reestablish Law and Order. (As I recall the riots lasted for less than a week, and major rioting occurred in only one major U.S. city) Can you imagine what might happen if major nationwide civil unrest occurred today, when so many of our brave National Guard and active duty U.S. Military troops are stationed overseas?
In this day and age when people will riot over the whether or not their favorite sports team has lost or won a game, and the economy is teetering on the edge of deep, dark, depression, we are closer to edge of anarchy then we have been in a very long time. If you think that living far away from a major urban center means that you are safe from the effects of such things, or if you think that help is coming during an incident of rioting or civil unrest, then you are sorely mistaken. – Krys in Idaho
Hi Jim,
In response to the letters sent to you regarding my article, the FORTE version of the antibiotics described would be appropriate for full-grown men and all but the most petite women (less than, say, 100 pounds or so). Children would be best served with the 250mg fish antibiotic dose. Frequency of these medications is from 2-4 times a day, depending on the individual drug. The risk of under-dosage would be suboptimal progress in healing. Overdosage often manifests itself as diarrhea.. Treatment length is usually from 5-10 days.
A good internet drug index can be found at rxlist.com.
If you suspect that you have influenza (a viral illness), antibiotics will do you little good. Instead, you should get Tamiflu and take it 2 times a day for 5 days. It is most effective when taken very early in the onset of the illness.
I would recommend stockpiling as many antibiotics as you can afford. Over the course of time, I guarantee you will need it; if you don’t need it, it will be an excellent barter item. Thanks again, – Dr. Bones
Hello Jim,
Here are a couple of resources for looking up drug information and recommended dosages:
Keep up the good work! – G.W. in Ohio
James Wesley;
Antibiotics, or any internally consumed medication for that matter, have a dosage range. To find the dosage range of a particular drug based on body weight, a drug information handbook will be needed. This will detail the appropriate milligrams of drug / Kilogram of body weight / per day (essentially the maximum dosage per day based on body weight) of the particular drug you need. All dosage amounts are in the metric system (mg) so you will need to convert it to the English pound system. Once you find the range, you can decide (based on the weight, age, medical status, virulence of infection and extent of infection) how much you would like to dispense.
A simple formula for converting the mg. of drug / Kg. of body weight / per day into mg. of drug / pounds of body weight / per day is:
(mg. of drug x weight in lbs. of person) / 2.2 lbs = maximum mg. of drug per day based on weight in lbs.
So, an example for the mathematically challenged using Amoxicillin:
The drug handbook lists Amoxicillin:
Child: 20-50 mg/kg/day in divided doses every 8 hours.
Adult: 250-500 mg every 8 hours.
If your child’s weight is 50 lbs. and he is in good general health (using the upper limit of the drug), multiple 50mg of Amoxicillin x 50 lbs. divided by 2.2 lbs = 1,136 mg/ lbs./ per day. So, 1,136 mg of Amoxicillin should not be exceeded per day.
Now, take the 1,136 mg and divide by 3 (because it is taken every 8 hours) = 379 mg every 8 hours (not to exceed ,1136 mg in a 24 hour period). The drug is only dispensed in capsule form as 250mg or 500mg capsules. So, based on the above child, I would prescribe a 250mg capsule every 8 hours for 7 days and monitor his response. If he starts to feel better, continue with the medication. If he gets worse, then up the dosage to 500mg every 8 hours and monitor or switch to a different antibiotic drug class.
The problem with under-dosage would be the bacterial infection is not eradicated from the body and the infection gets worse and possible resistant to the antibiotic. Over-dosage of an antibiotic when be difficult to do and the results even harder to estimate in my opinion. I would postulate that a prolonged over-dosage of an antibiotic (depending on the type of antibiotic) would alter the normal micro flora of an individual leading to gastrointestinal problems (diarrhea). I hope this helps, – Tennessee Dentist
Dear Jim,
I am board certified in family medicine. In general, I agree with the antibiotics recommended by Georgia Doc. Ten day courses of Levaquin and Bactrim are usually adequate for most infections. I have found Alldaychemist.com to be a reliable and reasonably priced source for most common antibiotics and other medications. It is based in India. Perhaps some of your pharmacist readers, can comment on if it is true the eighty percent of the world’s generic medications are manufactured in India. Keep up the good work. Sincerely, – Dr. Jim
Dear Mr. Rawles,
Please let your readers know that there are three resources available to help determine the drug and dosage needed for specific illnesses. The first is The Merck Manual
The second resource is The Pill Book
Finally, everyone should be aware of what drugs they take for frequently occurring disorders such as tonsillitis, sinusitis, cystitis, etc. If your doctor regularly prescribes 500 mg Amoxicillin, you can be assured the drug and dosage are correct for you.
Thanks so much for your blog. – S.S. in Tennessee
Hello JWR,
First off, thank you for the site. My wife and I have just recently ‘woke up’ regarding preparedness (less than a month ago). It’s really been a great bonding experience and also allows us to get back to basics. We are nowhere near ‘ready’, but we are working on it daily and have a plan of action. Hopefully we’ll never really use any of this, but again, thank you for potentially saving our lives! We are very grateful, maybe I can give back a little with this e-mail.
I am writing regarding the recent pharmacy articles. Very well written and I agree with them completely. As a pharmacist and owner of an independent pharmacy myself, I can’t stress enough that if SHTF, the pharmacies at CVS (I used to work there), Walgreens, Wal-Mart, and the like will be locked up. Count on it. I know if times became truly bad, I would take everything home with me and work from there while I had supplies left to prevent looting. I’ve stocked up on antibiotics, blood pressure meds, pain relievers, diuretics and other ‘survival meds’ (the cheap ones anyway) in bulk for the communities that I serve for awhile, but I doubt that most places have. I worry about my diabetic patients, along with those in the nursing home and homebound. I guess that the only thing that keeps me awake more than the Golden Horde is the image of those patients in the nursing homes that I serve, post SHTF, it really breaks my heart to think what could happen there.
I would just like to add a couple more products that I haven’t really seemed mentioned anywhere that would be extremely beneficial, potentially lifesaving in my opinion.
Meclizine, brand names Bonine, some versions of Dramamine, (double check the active ingredient which are usually highlighted in yellow on the back of the box) can be used for multiple uses, but it’s main function is preventing and treating nausea and dizziness. I imagine needing to gather firewood, hunting, or other outdoor activities while undergoing a dizzy spell. Not a good combination, although the job may need to be done You can get a generic bottle of 100 tablets with a long shelf life at my pharmacy (I’m assuming others as well) for around $5. The brand name is much much more expensive for the same amount. Be careful giving to children though, there is a Bonine for Kids that is a different ingredient that I use for my kids on car trips. Make sure that you’re not confusing dizziness with dehydration.
Silver Sulfadiazine (brand names SSD and Silvadene). This is a prescription medication but if the opportunity presents itself, get hold of some. Treats burned skin to prevent secondary infections and it greatly increases healing time. Will work for cuts, burns, infected bug bites, etc. Similar product to Neosporin (triple antibiotic cream, without a prescription), except much more effective. My suggestion to get hold of some, next time you get a normal burn from the lawn mower muffler or curling iron, instead of treating it at home, go see your physician. Tell them a friend used SSD and you would like some. Shouldn’t seem like a strange request. I’ve heard you may be able to get the same stuff from your Vet, but I’m not sure on that. This product is inexpensive, so ask for [a prescription for] a large quantity. Also, be careful if your have a sulfa allergy, since SSD has sulfadiazine in it, which is sulfa based.
Prednisone is another prescription that would be extremely beneficial post-SHTF. Can be used for strains and the like (although ibuprofen and naproxen are over the counter and much safer with far fewer side effects). However I envision it for near emergency situations with flu and breathing issues. Prednisone has a lot of side effects both short term and long term so be careful.
Sun Screen in bulk. You run the risk of dehydrating much much faster with a sunburn. At least wear a hat and loose lightweight long sleeve clothing. Dehydration will kill quickly and it is not a pleasant way to go.
Get a hardcopy of a medication book (I recommend The Pill Book by Harold Silverman, but there are others). Invaluable in my opinion. It will tell you side effects, common uses, common dosages, some interactions, etc.
I can’t stress this one enough: Get healthy, now. Quit smoking/chewing, lose weight, get in shape. You may not even need that blood pressure, diabetic or cholesterol med if you loose the gut. It’s hard work but it does work. You are going to have to become much more active post-SHTF, might as well get in shape before hand. Makes the whole civilization ending thing easier to handle. I’m working on my caffeine addiction now, I can’t imagine these headaches after the Pepsi shelf is empty.
There are so many others to be addressed (diuretics, pain meds, anxiety meds, vitamins, etc.) but this would be a place to start along with Michael’s advice. Just my two cents. – Dustin in Kansas
Mr. Editor:
Thanks to Dr. Bones for the tip on sourcing antibiotics from aquarium supply stores.
The main bacteria present these days in open trauma wounds is called methicillin (penicillin family) resistant Staph Aureus (MRSA). The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta) top recommended oral
antibiotic for MRSA is Bactrim DS, 3-4 tablets per day for 10 days. This is more than the classic Bactrim dose of two tablets a day that got used for female urinary tract infections and other less serious infections. Pharmacists sometimes challenge the higher dosage, but only because they are uneducated on this use for the drug. Other drugs that are often prescribed for for open trauma are Levaquin, and Augmentin. Levaquin cannot be given to kids. Augmentin syrup is the number one antibiotic for kids.
Here are the contents of the first-aid pack attached to our G.O.O.D. bags:
1- Trauma Pack; Tac-Pack Battle Pack, Option 2;
2- CELOX-A Hemostat syringe;
2- Betadine scrub, B-D Easy Scrub Brush
2- Sterile pairs of gloves
1- Sterile instrument set, tweezers, scissors, forceps, and needle driver, all in a sterile double peel pack
2 -1% Lidocaine 5ml syringes with capped needle
2 -No. 15 Sterile scalpel
1 – 5-0 Monofil suture
1 – 6-0 Chromic Gut suture
2- Steril gauze, Israeli 4″ Field Dressing;
1- Coban, 2″ Tan roll
1- Cheaper Than Dirt Universal Splint;
10 – Fever/Pain medicine, Tylenol travel packets-Extra Strength
Antibiotic tablets, Bactrim-DS: qty 30 (3/day x 10 days)
Antibiotic ointment, Bactroban cream, one tube
I am looking to add a transfusion kit, such as described in your novel, “Patriots”. Thanks, – Ragnar in Texas
Flagged by G.G.: Jim Rogers predicts a new recession in 2012
Also from G.G.: Drip after drip of deflation data
I was doing some web wandering, and found this over at Gold Eagle: The Coming Silver Supernova
Reader K.S.B. sent a link to a CBO report on the U.S. debt crisis that is a must read. The key word: unsustainable levels of debt. There are some articles discussing the CBO report in The American Spectator and in The New American.
John L. mentioned an article about counterfeit silver coins.
Frequent content contributor KAF sent this: North Dakota, Alaska lead US job creation, study says.
Another link from KAF: Home Vacancies Rise as U.S. Ownership Falls to Lowest in Decade