Note from JWR:

We were overwhelmed by the generosity of reader R.C. in Arkansas, who just sent us a gift via PayPal, to help defray the cost of some of The Memsahib’s recent hospitalization. Thank you very much! Most of all, we appreciate your continuing prayers.

Letter Re: Getting Third World Experience to Prepare for More Austere Times

Mr. Rawles,
I have been prepping and working on self-reliance for some time now, and starting reading your blog about a year ago. Thank you for your efforts.

I am a dentist and would like to mention a training option that may be of interest to some of your readers. Especially medical personal. For the past 11 years I have been a “volunteer” dentist for a week or two at a time in a very poor, Central American country. I am part of team that includes other dentists, medical doctors (MDs), and assistants.

I picked this country because of its poverty, relative ease of travel (as opposed to Africa) and the lack of armed conflict. There are many reasons that I go, but a main one is for training and equipment testing.

We stay on site; in a village that has no running water or electricity. Every day hundreds of people line up outside the gate, starting about 5:00 a.m.. The Dental team almost exclusively remove teeth. The MDs see a wide variety of ailments, but many parasites, and hand /eye injuries related to chopping wood and cook fires. I am not qualified to go much beyond that in describing the medical team’s activities.

Delivering care in a place like this is a totally different world than my comfortable, climate controlled office. It’s more than removing learning how to extract teeth without great lighting and high-powered suction. The skills required to deliver safe, efficient, high volume oral surgery in what is essentially a ”grid down situation” take some time to develop.

Equipment that works great in the states, only takes up shelf space in the Third World. Without high tech equipment, most dentists aren’t fully productive until they have completed several trips.

The training aspects involve more than my personal skill in removing teeth and running a clinic. I have trained many people in suturing, and given them ample practice. Some trained dental assistants have also learned to inject Novocain as well as removing less challenging teeth.

In addition to the clinical aspect of such trips, these types of missions provide opportunity to practice skills such as off-road driving, crowd control, and improvising. Living for a week or two without running water and electricity gives a taste of what TEOTWAWKI might be like. The parts of daily living that we take for granted in the United States of America, come in to sharp focus. It is also worthwhile to see how yourself and others behave while under a bit of stress from change in diet, poor sleep and other environmental disorientations.

There are many medical/dental mission organizations, both secular and religious. They vary in length of trip, cost and location. Many have personal stay at hotels and drive out to provide services. All could use your support. This type of training is clearly not an option for everyone, but has been very worthwhile for me and my team on many levels, beyond a
training experience. If interested, local dental and medical societies are a good place to start researching. – D.J.

JWR Replies: Some of my relatives have done multiple “tours” overseas with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), and I have a friend that has worked for several years with Baptist Medical and Dental Missions International (BMDMI). in Honduras. The father of one of my college classmates was a volunteer pilot for The Flying Doctors for nearly two decades. I’ve observed that they all have returned from these trips both strengthened in their faith and much more capable in operating in austere environments. I highly recommend this sort of service. It is a challenging yet incredibly rewarding form of personal ministry, to God’s glory.

Letter Re Binocular Recommendations

Sir:

For our possible retreat security, you’ve written a lot about communications gear, intrusion detection devices (like Dakota Alerts), night vision gear, guns, and even observation post [construction]. But I haven’t seen your recommendations on binoculars. What model/brands [do you] recommend? Thanks, – Ray V.

JWR Replies: I generally recommend 7×50 binoculars for retreat security at fixed sites. For patrolling, I prefer 7 power binoculars with smaller objective lenses–perhaps 7×42 or even 7×35, for lighter weight.

If your retreat is out in open plains country, you might want more magnification and larger objective lenses. (Perhaps even a large 30×50 monocular spotting scope, for early intrusion detection.)

Basically any good brand with coated optics in rubber-armored housings will suffice. If I had to choose between buying just one pair of Zeiss or Steiner binoculars versus several pairs of Simmons or Bushnell binoculars, then I’d go for the latter. You never know when a pair of binocs–even the best–will fog up, get a cracked/scratched/chipped lens, or will get lost or stolen. So I recommend opting for quantity rather than the absolute top quality. You can literally buy four or five times as many pairs for the same money. Just like when buying pocket knives, this strategy should not be taken to extremes. (Don’t buy the “no name” junky Chinese binoculars!)

Regardless of the brand you buy, I recommend that you install Butler Creek flip-up lens caps (we also use them on our scoped rifles), and invest in a padded case, such as the Steiner BinoBag or Cabela’s Snug Rug.

Letter Re: Survival Fiction Recommendations

Mr. Rawles;

I really enjoyed your novel [“Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse”.] It was great, and I was amazed at the quantity of useful facts that you squeezed into a piece of fiction. I’ve read it three time and have given away a copies to a couple of my friends and to my dad. It helped him extract his head from the sand. For that alone, I am very grateful.

What other “survival” fiction do you recommend that has any real educational value? (Not just motivational or “what if” situations.) Are there any novels like yours, or perhaps some movies that are “musts”? Thanks, – Ken H., in Cleveland, Ohio

JWR Replies: I enjoyed reading all of the following novels:

Lucifer’s Hammer, by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank (Classic nuke scenario)
Pulling Through by Dean Ing (a more modern nuke scenario + a mini nuke survival manual) Not to be confused with my screenplay that has the same title.
Some Will Not Die by Algis Budrys (Plague total wipe out scenario)
No Blade of Grass by John Christopher (Massive crop disease/social breakdown scenario, from the British perspective.)
Vandenberg by Oliver Lange (Invasion scenario) later republished under the title “Defiance”.
The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
Last of the Breed by Louis L’amour

For my movie recommendations, scroll down near the bottom of the SurvivalBlog Bookshelf page. OBTW, if you enjoy movies with survival themes, then you will like reading my “Pulling Through” screenplay (available–at least for now–for free download.)

Odds ‘n Sods:

Perennial content contributor Cheryl N. found this “must read” MSNBC piece: Credit Crisis Prompts Unprecedented Response. It squares nicely with what I have been writing since the Spring of 2007: The global credit collapse is unprecedented, and will be both deep and prolonged. We are nowhere near the bottom yet!

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From The Guardian: Greenspan warns more banks may be bailed out. (A hat tip, again, to Cheryl N. for the link.)

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John R. recommended a brief speculative piece on state secession, penned by fellow SurvivalBlog reader Bill Buppert, recently posted over at LewRockell.com: ‘Good Morning, Mr. President.’

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I mentioned this slide show linked at The Drudge Report once before: The World’s Most Worthless Money. OBTW, their data on Zimbabwe has now been thoroughly overcome by events.On August 1st, Comrade Mugabe’s henchmen lopped 10 zeros off their new national notes. So one of those pre-August Z$100,000,000 notes is now worth only one 1/10th of a cent. And buying a house that would cost $50,000 if denominated in US Dollars would cost $450,095 in the new Zimbabwean dollars. (Or, Z$4,500,950,000,000,000 in the old currency.) Four and a half quintillion dollars! As Buckaroo Banzai would say “That’s a lot of zeros!”

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Am I optimistic for the long-term? Absolutely not. I still believe we’re due for the mother of all market crashes, and that the U.S. economy is running on borrowed time — and I do mean borrowed. I think most baby boomers are in serious financial trouble, and that oil will climb above $200 a barrel. Inflation will also increase, causing more pain for the poor and middle class.” – Robert Kiyosaki

Letter Re: Of Bulls and Bears–Some History and a Glimpse at the Future

Dear Mr. Rawles,
Thanks for the great blog, and your “Patriots” novel. Reading your site has become a daily routine for me.
One thing that I am finding amusing in today’s investment market is this mythical line in the sand of when we are officially in a Bear market. At present the market seems to be fighting to stay just above this line and almost daily some market pundit states how one average or another has “officially’ entered an intraday Bear Market.
Few people know, especially those in the investment market, the origins of the terms Bulls and Bears.

In my neck of the woods, the Gold Country of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, Bulls and Bears have been battling it out since the early days of the Gold Rush. This was sport for many of the local towns to bring to the town square a large bear captured in the wild and put the bear to do battle with a local prize bull. The men of the town would gather and wager on which of the two behemoths would win out in a fight to the death.

One of two scenarios would play out. In the first scenario (a Bull Market) the bull would gore the bear in the abdomen slashing the bear open in a spectacular display of blood and guts. The bear would die fairly quickly and the townsmen would head off to the bars to tell of their afternoon’s entertainment. In the other scenario, (the Bear Market) the bear would gain position inside of the bull’s horns placing the bull in the proverbial ‘bear hug’. Then things would get ugly! The bear would then bite off the nose of the bull. At this point all the bear has to do is hang on and let the bull bleed out – and that is just what the bear would do. This takes hours of the bull bellowing in pain, blood pouring from the bull’s face all the while. Once the bear had achieved the inside position and the nose was bitten off, it was effectively over, but there were still the hours of bellowing and blood until the bull finally died.

The reason for my writing you with this bit of history is because it is obvious that in the investment arena the bear has gained the inside position, the nose of the bull has been bitten off, and we are watching the bull bleed out (numerous large cap companies reporting colossal, multi-billion dollar quarterly losses – now in a row; the housing market crash; the dollar weakening; and the entire banking industry teetering on complete insolvency to name a few. The efforts of the Fed to gauze the wound will not prevent the inevitable outcome). What amazes me is watching the pundits and talking heads make ridiculous statements about how we are “not actually in a bear market” because we float just above a subjective line in the sand; or my recent favorite, some reporter whining about “why can’t we just get to the bottom of the bear market already and start over”. The history of Bulls and Bears shows, at least in symbolic reference, why a bear market is not a quick, flashy downside where we ‘just get there and start over’. This is a long, slow process and no matter how hard the bull tries to pull away, he is not getting away from the inevitable outcome.

Jim, you, through your blog site, you offer us the opportunity to be prepared for what may come. Those who sit ringside believing that the bull will somehow win out in this scenario are fooling themselves and those around them. Keep up the great work! – Dennis

JWR Replies: As reader Kevin A. recently mentioned to me, the market terms are most often attributed as follows: Bulls gore head first and then raise their heads and thus their horns upwards, while bears fight by striking with their paws in a downward motion. But regardless of the specific origin of the terms, don’t forget the old Wall Street saying: “Nobody beats the bear.”

Letter Re: The Novel The Road is Now in Movie Production

Mr. Rawles,
As you seem to enjoy a bit of fiction with your survival preparedness I thought you would be interested to know that Cormac McCarthy’s best-selling and Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “The Road”, is being made into a Hollywood movie. While certainly not the world’s greatest survival fiction it isn’t a bad morality play of the mindset required to survive a pervasive society ending disaster.
The movie is set to release in November by John Hillcoat and star Viggo Mortenson, Robert Duvall and Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce and 12-year-old Kodi Smit McPhee.
It could be good but the sheeple will no more go see this than they will the survival movie, “Blindness”. – Neal

Letter Re: Preparedness Versus Reliance on God’s Providence and Protection

Jim,
I’ve struggled with the paradigm of preparing versus having faith in God to provide for our needs and protection. There are many Biblical references/analogies regarding both. Would you be willing to share your thoughts? Sincerely, – Short-ckt

JWR Replies: For some relevant Bible passages, please see the latest additions to my Prayer page. In particular, see the sections under these headings:

Clarification on Christianity and Physical Preparedness
Food Storage
Self Defense
Charity

May God Bless You and Yours!

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Cheryl N. sent us this article that ran in Australia’s The Age, back in June: Talk of financial system breakdown moves from the fringe to the mainstream

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Both Dean and KAF mentioned an EMP article, in The Wall Street Journal.

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Cheryl N. also flagged this: 2007 Mortgages Going Bad at Faster Pace. “Mortgages issued in the first part of 2007 are going bad at a pace that far outstrips the 2006 vintage, suggesting that the blow to the financial system from U.S. housing woes will be deeper than many people earlier estimated.” Meanwhile, we read: California Housing Years Away From Bottom

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Grut in Colorado told us about a You Tube clip produced by some LDS women, teaching food storage techniques.

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Reader Scot F. mentioned that the State of Ohio is touting pandemic flu preparedness, in a new television public service advertisement.

Letter Re: Some Practical Experience with WVO Conversions for Diesels

JWR,
Some waste vegetable oil (WVO) information for you: My 2001 Excursion 4WD runs on WVO, and I’m presently in the process of converting my recently acquired 1996 Ford F250. For my first conversion, the Excursion, I bought a conversion kit from a company and I recommend that all first timers on straight vegetable oil (SVO) start with a kit from a reputable company. I’m building my second conversion kit on my own and I expect it to cost around $800 for all the conversion parts except for the second tank for the WVO. (I picked up a L-shaped 105 gallon transfer tank cheap off Craigslist a year ago since I knew I’d be getting a diesel pickup and converting it sometime in the future). Conversion kits usually cost more but they use expensive filters only available by mail order from boat supply houses ($33-$40 each filter). Mine is cheaper since I run filter bases and filters from FleetFilter.com ($5-$7 each filter for an equal or finer micron rating). Fleetfilter is a NAPA auto parts store in Texas that only sells filters online (I’m not affiliated with them I’m only a satisfied repeat customer). The main advantage is this: If I ever need to replenish my spare filters while on a trip, I can go to the local NAPA store and if they don’t have it in stock they will have it in the morning. (A side note: I used to call them “NOPA”, as in; Question: “Do you have this part in stock? Reply: “Nope uh, I’ll have it in the morning.” Joking aside, they really can get the right parts the first time.)

The savings of running on WVO will completely pay for the conversion in about four and a half months and completely pay for the entire truck, and the other stuff I bought for it, in about 2.3 years (Payback was calculated on $4.00 per gallon diesel. Payback is faster when diesel is higher. I last filled up at $4.22 per gallon). I picked up the truck cheap since second gear was blown out, also I bought a topper and a rolled over truck (for cheaper than a junkyard transmission) and swapped the transmissions out so I can have complete a spare drive train as soon as I rebuild the bad trans. After I sell my old gasoline-powered truck I’ll have very little money in the “new” one, and I already have enough filtered and de-watered WVO to cover the cost of the conversion and then some. If I lose my sources of WVO (local restaurants give it to me for free) then I can use up my WVO or probably just run on diesel and keep what I have in long term storage to be used during in emergency to G.O.O.D. After that I could run Waste Motor Oil or Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) in the same second tank that the WVO ran in. Between the two tanks (the 44 gal. stock tank is for veggie and the new tank mounted on the inside of the frame is 24 gallon) in the Excursion I can go about 1100-to-1200 miles to empty, and in the F250 I estimate a range of about 2,500-2,700 miles to empty (two stock diesel tanks 15 and 19 gal. and the 105 gallon transfer tank).

Preparation for long term storage of WVO – People talk about a limited shelf life of vegetable oils while this is true for vegetable oil to be used for cooking, I don’t think this applies when working with WVO for fuel. I believe they go bad due to microbes, similar to the microbes present in diesel fuel. Microbes need three things to live, water, food and air. To kill the microbes, I de-water all the oil, then filter it again before I pump it into 55 gallon drums or 275 gallon totes, as I pump it in I add microbiocide (available from boating supply houses) to kill the microbes and I fill the containers to the brim to reduce the amount of air present. Due to the microbiocide, the vegetable oil in the container can never be fit for human consumption, but I’ve never reused any of the waste vegetable oil I get from the restaurants anyway, since I don’t know what chemicals they clean their fryers with and would never consider cooking with used oil (from a source outside my families direct supervision) as an option – not even in a pinch. So even after all this if the WVO “goes rancid”, it still doesn’t matter since we use it for fuel, not cooking. Note: The dead microbes will leave a very thin layer of sludge at the bottom of the LTS containers when allowed to settle for several weeks, no matter how finely the oil is filtered.

BTW, thank you for all your assistance and efforts. We bought the family pack pallet of 150 of #10 cans from SafecastleRoyal last year, we would not have bought it or heard about it, if you hadn’t pointed it out and told us why now is better than later. They were very courteous, helpful and allowed us to make a few substitutions. We are glad we joined the Safecastle Royal program and we did tell them we found them via SurvivalBlog. We have commented several times how grateful we are to have some food for ourselves and for charity. God is Good. We also bought a Listeroid [engine generator] several months ago as we saw the writing on the wall concerning Bernanke’s decimation of the dollar, and are grateful we slipped in under the wire on that too. You have taught us a lot and my wife is now very eagerly exploring the possibilities of getting some goats. I hope to be a 10 Cent Challenge supporter soon.

Thanks and God Bless, – Rollinns (A loyal reader who has a long way to go and has read only partially through the archives and lives somewhere in the middle of the country within a few hours of I-70.)

Letter Re: Advice on Finding a Retreat

Mr. Rawles
Regarding GvO’s letter that was posted on Thursday: I think that “finding a retreat” is not as important as finding people to work with, and while time may be getting short, I still believe the answer is primarily about people, not places.

GvO obviously has skills that would be useful even before the Schumeresque season arrives. So, I can tell you what worked for us.
We found an online group that was devoted to Homesteading, after a year or so when the group decided to have a Meet-N-Greet, we went, and met the founders, and some of the other members. This went on for a few years, and soon we found ourselves being invited to join in other activities. In the end we have become part of a small highly committed yet not strictly organized Meet-N-Greet. I believe that it will be a stable, and functional group due to the fact that we have all spent quite a bit of time getting to really know each other, what we have to offer, and what we need help with.
I found out later that the whole reason the original founder set up the online community, was to find Meet-N-Greet members, so if you can’t find a group like this then as James said, start one. I would recommend that it not be about survival or preparedness, directly, rather some other activity like homesteading, or camping, or whatever else you have an interest in that can naturally extend into a more secure future.

The key is to get involved in group activities, and pull your your share of the weight without getting in the way. Let your character show through your actions, and I believe that you will find what you are looking for–or more precisely it will find you. Thanks James, and Good Luck to GvO. Regards, – Anon.

JWR Replies: As I mentioned in my Finding Like-Minded People in Your Area static web page, networking is the best method to find or form a retreat group. Online discussion forums such as The Mental Militia “Gulching” is one good national venue. But of course all of the usual OPSEC provisos apply. Go slowly and cautiously. Above all, proceed with prayer.