SF in Hawaii recommended this article on midwifery in austere circumstances: Border Patrol Learns “Emergency” Childbirth .
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Linked at Drudge: New age town embraces dollar alternative. This trend has implications for post-collapse local economies, based on barter.
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Sean M. suggested this article from one of Guns & Ammo‘s spin-off magazines: What Really Happens In A Gunfight? The conclusions from twenty-five years of lethal force investigation.
"Courage is being scared to death, and saddling up anyway." – John Wayne
The high bid is now at $160 in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction for a batch of 10 brand new original Imperial Defence SA-80 (AR-15) steel 30 round rifle magazines.
Jim:
To the young man having trouble getting his parents to prepare for disaster, I have some suggestions that may help. These ideas can be easily modified to fit other relatives and friends too.
First, lead by example. Whenever you, personally, do have money, no matter how little, spend a bit to stock up on something you, personally, use. It can be something as inexpensive as a toothbrush, or a bag of potato chips, whatever. Store it in a clear bin somewhere prominently in your room. As your parents see that it is so important to you that you spend part of all the money you get on preparing for disaster, they may begin to believe its importance. It will be slow going if you are buying a toothbrush at a time, but you and your parents will see that bin eventually starting to fill up and you will be encouraged to do more.
Next, buy your parents their own plastic bin with your birthday or Christmas money. (This again emphasizes again how important it is to you.) Stash it in the coat closet, or the laundry room or under a table. (You can stack two bins, put a tablecloth over it, stick a lamp on top and put it next to your bed. Only your family will know its secret identity.)
Then go grocery shopping with your parents at least once a month. When they toss a package of batteries (or whatever) in the cart ask if they will buy an extra one “just in case.” At first do this for just one or two very inexpensive items each trip so they’ll hardly notice. Mention that you’ll put it in their “bin” for them. When you get home be sure you help unload and put the groceries away. Take that extra package of batteries and put it in their bin. Now you have earned brownie points for helping out, and you have helped them to start their own preparations.
By the way, I would not recommend having their bin in plain sight or in the kitchen because it would be too tempting to not buy batteries next month because they know there is a package in storage. (I speak from personal experience here.) But, as they say, “out of site, out of mind.” They won’t have it out reminding them every day. Make sure you do not use anything from either of the bins as that would undermine all you are trying to accomplish. It’s their stuff though, so if they insist on using something just let it go. If you are patient and consistent with your spending and storing, they will be more likely to “see the light.”
Finally, offer to prepare supper at least once a month. Whatever your cook, make twice as much as your family needs. Before you even sit down to eat, package the extra and put it in the freezer. Now your family has at least one day’s supper in case of trouble and it wasn’t even painful. (If you are short on freezer space, store things laying flat in a freezer bag on a cookie sheet. Once frozen turn the bag up on its side like a book on a shelf. You can get a lot more in the freezer that way.)
The key to this whole idea is showing your belief and commitment to your parents in a tangible way. If you are not willing to spend your money preparing, why should they? If you are not willing to take the time to cook extra to freeze, why should they?
Start today. Be consistent, be patient and be imaginative. Even as a broke college student you can do more than you think. – KB
James:
I found the three following Australian web sites while surfing the web. The AusSurvivalist site led to the second two: Australian Government information concerning the London bombing and how Australia needs to prepare, and the Australian Government Emergency Management web site. Regards, Bill N.
James:
Regarding the letter from the BATF on your [Pre-1899 FAQ] web page concerning antique rifles keeping their antique status even if built as custom sporters, etc. I don’t remember the exact wording. But this question has come up and someone cited your letter as proof that once an antique, always an antique… Except I know of a respected [Class] 01 FFL who was told by the BATFE to stop building pre-1899 Mauser custom rifles because they then became “modern”, manufactured on that date [of modification], not when the receiver was manufactured. – Dutch
JWR Replies: I suspect that the FFL holder that you heard from had heard a personal interpretation of the law from a field agent. The letter that I posted came directly from the ATF Firearms Branch and is hence definitive and authoritative. In essence, here in the U.S., either a receiver was made before 1898 or it wasn’t. Pre-1899 manufactured rifles, pistol, and shotguns–except for machineguns and short-barreled rifles and shotguns–are outside of Federal jurisdiction. Legally, the receiver is what constitutes the gun, and anything that someone does to modify it–aside for turning it into a full auto or attaching a short barrel in violation of GCA-’68–cannot bring it into Federal jurisdiction. Please read the letter again. (See the scanned pages.) The wording from the ATF Firearms Branch is quite clear: “The fact that the firearm has been re-barreled, re-chambered, re-blued, or sporterized would have no bearing on its [Federally exempt] classification.” Most likely the source of the confusion for ATF field agents is their vague recollection of the U.S. Curio and Relic (C&R) law, that states that if a C&R gun is substantially altered, then it loses its C&R status. But that is an entirely different law, pertaining to modern (post-1898) listed C&R guns, which are inside ATF jurisdiction. It is also noteworthy that the ATF letter on pre-1899s specifically addressed Model 1893 Turkish Mausers, that had their receivers re-heat treated and were then rebarreled for higher pressure 8×57 cartridges, in the1930s. These even had their receivers prominently stamped with 1930s dates at the time that they were re-arsenalized. But even these rifles are still considered legally “antique” and outside Federal jurisdiction!
Brian H. sent us a link to this article about NBC shelters in Germany: Bunkers in vogue in as cold war fears rise
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There is an interesting thread of discussion over at The Claire Files Forums about precious metals investing. OBTW, this thread was started on April 23rd, when spot gold was at $687 per ounce. Gold is presently around $656. So I think that it would now be a good time to buy. (As I often say: “in a bull market, buy on the dips.”) My prediction for gold is somewhere north of $2,000 per ounce, and silver at over $50 per ounce. Of the two, I prefer silver because a.) I believe that it will out-perform gold as an investment (in percentage gain) and b.) because it is more manageable for bartering, particularly if it is bought in the form of pre-1965 dimes and quarters.
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Tim R. said that there is a good article in eWeek about Google’s invasion of privacy. As previously mentioned, I recommend that SurvivalBlog readers update their “Search” browser bookmarks to point to Scroogle instead of Google.
"For those who are in sovereign control of arms are in a sovereign position to decide whether the constitution is to continue or not." – Aristotle, The Politics
The high bid is now at $150 in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction for a batch of 10 brand new original Imperial Defence SA-80 (AR-15) steel 30 round rifle magazines.
Jim:
Interesting question – is it worth it to get a Class III firearms license to legally buy a sound suppressor ([commonly, but erroneously, called a] “silencer”)?
I’d always dismissed it as a a big hassle, but I’m now told it is not the hassle it used to be. Full auto firearms are a waste of ammo for the most part, but it occurred to me that a silencer would be a huge tactical advantage:
1. No muzzle flash and very little noise to give away your position, or attract return fire.
2. No muzzle flash or noise so you keep your night vision and hearing for the firefight. Especially if shooting indoors, preventing long term hearing damage in invaluable. Post-TEOTWAWKI you really wouldn’t want your first defensive shooting to be the end of good hearing ability, now would you? 🙂
3. Can train more discreetly, and without bothering neighbors
Of course, there is the $200 tax stamp per suppressor, and the loss of privacy, etc., etc. Your thoughts on the matter? Comments from Class III folks? Regards, – OSOM
JWR Replies: Sorry, but I can’t make a blanket recommendation. Why? Every individual must weigh the risk/benefit ratio of acquiring any federally registered firearm or suppressor for themselves. As you mentioned, they do have some tactical advantages. But the risk associated with owning one is the higher profile that comes along with the registration process. That might not be an issue in some locales. Suppressor ownership is considered “cool” in some western and southern states. But it is considered quasi-criminal or even “borderline whacko” in many of the more populous Nanny States. So take regional differences into account when considering a purchase. Some SurvivalBlog readers in parts of Europe–where suppressor ownership is commonplace and virtually unrestricted–might laugh at this. But sadly, here in the U.S., Hollywood movies have warped public perception of suppressors, particularly in the big cities.
I must also mention that it goes without saying that untaxed/unregistered (illegal) purchases or home manufacture should not even be considered, since they carry the risk of a felony conviction in the US.
Although I have several friends and acquaintances that own registered full auto firearms and suppressors, I decided not to buy any. For me, even living in a rural and lightly populated pro-gun state, the risks of the high profile outweigh the benefits. But your mileage may vary.
Sir:
In reply to Bill H.’s questions about Ferric chloride to stop bleeding. In the U.S. Ferric Chloride is recognized as a styptic in veterinary medicine and should be used at a concentration of 10%. Lower concentrations are progressively less effective as a styptic but become useful as an astringent. Ferric subsulfate is currently used in the U.S. in human medicine as a styptic. I see it used frequently in our hospital in the surgery department. The typical use is at full strength or 20%. Alum is another potential styptic used at 0.5 to 5% solutions (yes, the stuff for pickles). Bismuth subgallate powder is another styptic used in hospital surgery departments at full strength. These products can be obtained without a prescription. Try to acquire the highest purity possible for human use.
I fear that much of this olde tyme information is being lost to ultra modern medications. The old products still work. They have just lost favor in the brilliant light cast by the high pressure pharmaceutical sales promotions of newer glitzy products ( I was once on the dark side, selling such products). As a pharmacist, I would recommend that you befriend an older pharmacist or a compounding pharmacist where this knowledge still resides. Understand that since 1980 most pharmacy schools have shifted their emphasis to the new Pharm. D. (Doctor of Pharmacy) degree which has a greater focus on clinical issues. The older Bachelor of Science Pharmacy degree focused primarily on the older traditional pharmacy knowledge based on how to make the drugs. I work with two other pharmacists who are also survivalist minded and all of us are collecting selected textbooks. In a TEOTWAWKI situation, pharmaceutical plants will not be functioning. The olde tyme chemistry and pharmacy skills will be extremely useful to a family or local community during the hard times. I recommend that you try to acquire older (1940-1970) versions of the following texts to be able to refer to the older formulations: Remington’s Pharmaceutical Sciences, USP (United States Pharmacopoeia) and the NF (The National Formulary) as well as current and/or older copies of the Merck Manual, Merck Veterinary Manual, and the Merck Index. These texts will give you a good foundation to work with. Good Luck, – Yonah .
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Jim:
Goodness gracious, no, don’t use ferric chloride! Where do people get these ideas? It’s not even used in the so-called styptic pencils (aluminum sulfate or titanium dioxide). According to the Merck Index (which is not the same as the Merck Manual, it lists chemicals and some drugs with their chemical properties) Ferric chloride is an astringent, not a styptic…and it’s toxic, also.
If someone is willing to invest in very small quantities of expensive chemicals from the Radio Shack for first aid purposes, they should invest in the right stuff. It’s great to be able to ‘make do’ with a multi-tool and a rock, but I’ve found that I always do a better job with the right tools at hand.
Most bleeding will stop with the application of direct pressure, or elevation, or using a pressure point. Failing that (which works 99.999% of the time) a tourniquet can be used. The blood stopper products are for very rare, specific instances of certain injuries that don’t lend themselves to conventional treatment.
In a wood or metal shop? Make sure the guards are in place, “read, understand and follow all the safety rules” as that guy on television says, and get a real first aid kit.
On that subject, the only product like that, that has not only been FDA approved but actually tested in controlled, blinded medical research published in legitimate journals, is Quik-clot. It’s what I use. Disclaimer: I have no interests in the company of any sort, I just buy their stuff – at market prices.
But, something I’ve used on animals after cuts from wire or rocks, is instant potato flakes. Just put them on the wound, the effect is similar to that of some of the approved products that I don’t use…and it’s cheaper. I can’t suggest using it on a person, of course. – Flighter
Mr R
Quik-Clot is the best available product for instantaneous hemostasis
It’s available in both powder/packet, and impregnated-bandages. It works. I’ve seen it in action with my son, who lacerated an artery in the hand. www.z-medica.com
It’s even been used intracorporeally in a trauma case, written up in the Journal of Trauma Surgery. Although not recommended for this, it worked
It costs about $17 per packet, can be purchased in a coyote-brown trauma pack with compression bandages and a tourniquet for about $35, and is worth every penny. I don’t know the bandage cost, but the site would have it. This should be in everyone’s car and home medical kits.
THIS SHOULD BE IN EVERYONES’ CARS AND HOME MED KITS ….Off subject, I’d encourage everyone to get the books Ditch Medicine (by Hugh Coffee) and Emergency War Surgery ([Martin Fackler, et al], Desert Press ) And to just think about what they’d need to handle the kind of mundane and exceptional injuries that are likely in normal and extranormal circumstances. – MP
JWR,
Bill H. in Birmingham, Alabama wrote that using Ferric Chloride felt like a cautery iron, or worse. That was an ingredient of the older-style clotting agents.
The latest and greatest is Celox. This stops just as fast and doesn’t burn. There is a Group Buy [for Celox] in progress at WarRifles.com by Broadsword. He and his wife are great folks for the cause of survivalism. BTW, SurvivalBlog is well-followed by many of the readers at WarRifles.com. Keep up the good work, – Gilmore in Arizona
Mr. Rawles:
I’ll let doctors speak to treatment but as someone who worked in a famous lab researching blood coagulation let me make a few general statements about clotting. There are two clotting pathways, extrinsic and intrinsic. As an organism the body cannot allow uncontrolled bleeding either internally or externally. However the clotting cascade is fairly long and includes some check points because to have blood clot when it shouldn’t is also dangerous to the organism.
There is a substance in skin that starts the coagulation process when the skin is broken (this starts the extrinsic pathway). One thing a lot of people don’t know is that the clotting cascade involves a number of steps and the timing of these steps can determine the speed of clotting. We spent a lot of time researching the structure and action of
Factor VIII and Factor IX. Factor VIII is the classic hemophiliac factor, if you have a very low level of it you will have a lot of problems in any situation where you need for clotting to occur. But the distribution of Factor VIII is across the whole spectrum, some people have 100% of normal but many people do not. I measured my own level in an assay and found I have about 20% of normal. This means my blood will clot but slower than someone who has a higher level and that is what I have in fact observed when I get cut. So people should realize that there are wide variations in efficiency of clotting from individual to individual and they should expect that. – Karen L.
Jim:
No doubt, bleeding is scary, but bleeding in the vast majority of survivable wounds can be stopped with simple pressure or a pressure bandage. There are coagulants on the market (Quik-clot and Hemcon) but unless you are either a surgeon or can get to one (or a vet), if you can’t stop the bleeding with pressure alone (the scalp is an exception), you’re patient is probably not going to make it. Hemcon (unless a femoral or brachial artery for which Quik-clot is indicated) is preferred as Quik-clot burns like heck. The worst burning with Quik-clot is at the skin layer so try to keep it off the skin. Quik-clot should not be for surface/oozing bleeding. A great use for Hemcon bandages is for hard to control scalp bleeding externally. If you’re going to use one of these powder coagulants, get the versions that are in bandages (for Hemcon) or little sacks (for Quik-clot). The earlier versions where you just pour the powder into a wound can (if a femoral bleeder) get squirted out of the wound by the force of the arterial bleed before they can work.
In general, for bleeding you can:
1) Apply direct pressure
2) Apply a pressure bandage
3) Use pressure upstream on arterial pressure points
4) Cauterize (portable cautery devices are available, the Aaron Bovie change-a-tip is what I have)
5) Use the clotting agents as per above
6) You can use a tourniquet on the extremities (Write down the time it was applied and make sure anyone who takes over care knows about it).
7) Apply a hemostat or ligate the artery
If you’re more sophisticated and have the money, you can get Factor 7 (Novoseven), but it’s not without risk and has been associated with blood clots. The idea is that if you have a patient that is going to bleed to death, the clot is secondary.
Better to focus on not bleeding in the first place (body armor anyone?) and some advanced medical skills like surgical cricothyrotomy and airway management (anyone can learn to use a combitube) and decompressing a pneumothorax. Perhaps next would be learning to run an IV. If you give fluids IV, remember, if you water down the blood too much, it can make the bleeding worse by diluting the clotting factors and raising blood pressure. A little shock is a good thing. Getting more advanced, you need to manage the lethal triangle (hypothermia, coagulopathy and acidosis.) This will be done by (1) keeping the operating room at 100 degrees F (2) use of whole blood and (3) managing blood pH respectively. A contraindication to a hot emergency room would be in the case of cardiac arrest where you actually want to cool the patient to inhibit apoptosis.
If all you have is some sterile gauze, (heck you can use your clothing) just stuff the wound tight and apply pressure until you can get to more definitive medical care. If you have a wound packed tight, long term, you will decrease circulation in tissue that can be salvaged. (Causing it to die, increasing the need for debridement so if no help is coming, keep that in mind.) Quik-clot would be appropriate for a femoral or brachial artery but if you’re on your own, you’re looking at an amputation next, so I hope you have some muscle relaxants, painkillers, and sedatives. – SF in Hawaii
P.S. I’m not a doctor so if an emergency room doctor wants to criticize this response, have at it.
JWR Replies: I’m not doctor either, but I would recommend avoiding the use of a tourniquet unless everything else you have tried has failed and you still fear that your patient will die of blood loss before transport to a hospital. The simplistic guidance that the U.S. military has given on tourniquets for the past 25+ years is: “If you apply a tourniquet, chances are that the limb will be lost.” Yes, that is generalizing and overly simplistic, but overall it is still a good proviso.
I should also mention that in addition to the aforementioned Quik-Clot, Hemcon, and Celox, there is a competing product called TraumaDEX. From what I’ve read, it has proven efficacy, and does not cause a burning sensation. (It is a potato-based formulation.) It is sold by a number of Internet vendors including Ready Made Resources.
As if things couldn’t get any worse in Zimbabwe, the latest estimate is that the annual currency inflation rate could reach 24,136% by December. This quote from the article reminds me of accounts of the hyperinflation in Weimar Germany: “This weekend bread prices rose again, to Zim$20,000 per loaf. At the beginning of the week, one loaf was selling for around $9,500.” The exchange rate to the US Dollar is now approaching Zim$65,000 to USD$1. I’ve said it before (and hopefully I won’t have to say it again): Comrade Mugabe and his band of fools must go!
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I noticed that a particularly nice HMMWV is for sale on eBay.
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The recent revival of the CBS Jericho television series (following the much-publicized “nuts” fan protest campaign), may spell for success for the The Sarah Connor Chronicles series, planned by the Fox network for 2008. (There is also a Terminator 4 movie in pre-production, slated for release in 2009.) Perhaps survivalist fiction is now carving a substantial niche in the mainstream America’s media appetite. This gives me hope that my Pulling Through screenplay might get noticed by a producer. But I’m probably just dreaming.
"Willingness is a state of mind. Readiness is a statement of fact!" – Firearms trainer John S. Farnam,
The high bid is now at $130 in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction for a batch of 10 brand new original Imperial Defence SA-80 (AR-15) steel 30 round rifle magazines.
Sir:
As a hobby machinist, I spent some time prowling sites catering to the hobby. Did, when I was out of work for a while and had the time. A most interesting reference showed up on several “foreign” sites. (Outside the u.s.)
Posters were recommending the chemical Ferric Chloride as a coagulant. According to the texts, it would stop heavy bleeding on contact. Presumably, it chemically cauterized the wound. I have spilled it into minor scrapes, by accident. It felt like a cautery iron, or worse.
I lack knowledge of biochemistry. But I am aware that both iron and chlorides are present in blood. That’s why it’s so corrosive to my machines. The busted knuckle syndrome. Perhaps it simply coagulates open bleeding quickly.
So, the questions posed are thus:
1) Is Ferric Chloride truly a good coagulant?
2) What is the optimum dilution (percentage)?
3) At what dilution does it lose effectiveness?
I write to ask you to pose these to your regular readers. There appears to be a wide knowledge base in your readership. I am hoping there are some knowledgeable in the subject.
Ferric Chloride is available at Radio Shack as an etchant for making circuit boards. The purity is not really what I would ask for in First Aid. But when one is bleeding severely. Any port in a storm, so to speak.
Obviously, such treatment should not be used on spurting wounds, or sucking chest wounds. But as a shop treatment? A lathe or table saw can take a finger, or a hand, faster than it can be said. – Bill H., Birmingham, Alabama
JWR Replies: Your question goes far beyond my expertise. Perhaps some of the doctors that read SurvivalBlog would care to comment. I’d also appreciate their comments on commercially available clotting agents for treating trauma.