SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “HJL”. As the war drum beats louder, many preppers are starting to focus on their nuclear fears. Much of it is just unfounded fear, but it is good to understand it.
Poison Ivy
Reader HL sent in this article on dealing with poison ivy. It lists eight things you should know including what it looks like, recognizing the rash, and treating the symptoms, even with homemade remedies. I would also add that poison ivy isn’t as common as TV would have you believe. If you are one of those who has allergic reactions to the oil in the plant, you should know all you can about it. However, only about 25% of the population is actually affected by it. It’s also worth noting that even if you are not affected by the plant, if you get it on yourself or your clothes, you can transfer it to someone who is affected.
The Plague
A couple of Arizona counties are warning that fleas from the region have tested positive for the plague. This would be the same plague that wiped out a third of the population of Europe in the Middle Ages. Granted that things are different now. We have better hygiene, better medicine, better access to that medicine (despite Obamacare), and better knowledge. However, it would be wise to take precautions to reduce the risk of exposure. If you are going to be out and about in areas where fleas are known to inhabit, you should be wearing protective clothing and possibly insect repellent.
Nuclear Fears
Since the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the fear of radiation and other “unknowns” has driven preppers to seek protection and longevity in some interesting ways. However, the complex nature of radiation is not well understood by many of those same people. “If you see it on the Internet, it must be true” is often how they operate. CBS has apparently continued this grand tradition. Thank goodness that Herschel Smith over at the Captain’s Journal has written an article that brings some sanity back into this insanity. I especially like his anecdotal evidence of public schools near the end of the article. Thanks to HPS for the link.
o o o
If you don’t feel better after reading that article, then what you need is a nuclear hardened retreat. SurvivalRealty.com has exactly what you are looking for in Montana. This is one of those sites that was built during the Cold War to provide critical communications infrastructure in the case of a nuclear war. The building is one foot thick concrete. A local Internet provider is currently using the tower so you get high speed Internet as part of the deal. As remote as the property is, there is 200A electrical service as well. It also seems well priced, unlike many of these sites.
Stacking Cordwood
With the warm weather, it’s hard to think of winter, but that is exactly what you should be doing right now. Reader T.J. sent in the link to Wranglerstars latest video on stacking cordwood in preparation. Of course, if you’ve stacked cordwood, you know what a pain it can be. None of it is uniform in size and there is generally no supporting structure to keep your piles from falling over. I’ve tried stacking on pallets, up against fences, and just piling it in a giant pile. None of it worked very well, and the wife was never happy about how it looked. In this video, Wranglerstar is using the Holz Hausen method, which looks really nice. I think I’m going to give it a try.
Iranian Navy
Iran has decided to escalate the rhetoric against the United States. Iranian lawmakers reportedly shouted “death to America” as they passed a measure that gives the Iranian navy $500 million in additional war spending. Iran is planing on sending a flotilla of warships to the Atlantic Ocean making them a world threat instead of just a regional threat now. So apparently Obama gives them millions of dollars for freeing captured U.S. sailors and for signing a nuclear accord which they never intended to keep and regularly violate. Now they are giving some of that back to the U.S. in a form sure to cause concern as the war drums beat louder.
Virginia Violence Commentary
Reader D.S. sent in this commentary on the violence in Virginia this week:
“The Virginia Governor placed blame squarely on the “white supremacists”. This would be better received if blame for Portland Oregon, St. Louis Missouri, and Dallas Texas was squarely placed upon Black Lives Matter and similar black supremacists.
“The original protest, while distasteful, was permitted. The violence was fomented when anti protest people who were not permitted, interfaced with the original protesters. Free speech is not a crime, even icky speech: Stopping their speech by violence is.
“President Trump is blaming ALL who were violent. For this he is faulted. We are too polarized.”
“Iran is planing on sending a flotilla of warships to the Atlantic Ocean making them a world threat instead of just a regional threat now” really? every nation has the right of free maritime travel, Iran has not attacked anyone for hundreds of years. The us in the meantime is the on nation that is unilaterally attacking country after country. So I post the question; who is the real threat to world peace??
Very cogent and factual statement
Poison Ivy not common? That’s not true in Minnesota. Ironically it is spread by birds that eat the berries and grows mostly on the forest edges where it spreads very quickly. It takes more than medical treatment to keep from getting it. The oil can remain on objects and clothing for up to 2 years if not cleaned properly. Don’t wash other clothes with poison ivy clothes because it can become infested with it. If you know where a poison ivy patch was growing and it was killed don’t dig into the ground for 3-5 years. The oil remains in the ground within the roots. And NEVER put it on a burn pile. The smoke will contain the oil. Breathing it in is just like getting on your skin.
Indians used it as crude chemical warfare,burn a pile upwind and watch your enemies choke,excellent for a otherwise defensible position
CD,
You REALLY need to get out from under your rock a little more often.
Last month the Iranian “navy” was approaching a US Navy ship. The US Navy ship gave several warnings, in several different methods, to back off and don’t approach any closer.
It wasn’t until the US Navy ship fired a shot across the Iranian navy ship’s bow, that the Iranian ship backed off.
Granted, the Iranian navy ship DID NOT attack the US Navy ship, but it wasn’t for lack of prevarication and trying on the Iranian navy’s part.
They were in Iranian waters,if a Iranian ship tried to go into New York harbor it might be different
Here in Monterey County California Since the early 1970’s the plague has been reported found in dead ground squirrels, raccoons, skunks and some house cats. The media gives out the usual bland warning to keep away from wild animals and don’t feed them. However in the Monterey Peninsula area the squirrels, skunks and deer are in everybody’s yard. And those pesky raccoons raiding the garbage cans nightly. With all this close animal contact no humans have been infected so far. Oh yea that dang pesky poison oak too. I found out a nice dip in the ocean will relive the effects of it for me.
For poison ivy, 2 words: Dawn dishsoap. We have used it for years. Because of God’s Will, myself and my children are not affected by it but other’s we come in contact with are so we take precautions. Of course we know how to recognize it, which is the most important, but you can’t see every leaf in the woods. Dawn is an absolute must have in my house for cleaning oil-based products off of things and us. The skin irritation caused by poison ivy, oak, and sumac comes mostly from the oils of the plant. We wash our clothes and ourselves in it when we know or suspect we’ve been exposed to it. I know there are “natural” remedies for it but the cost, availability and ease of use is worth it to me.
That ammonia and the petrolium-based surfactants’ natural hydrophilic bonding of fats and oils to water busts up all kinds of greases, lubricants, fuels and other gooey slippery stuff.
But it’s the baby ducks that make it magic.
“I am home, I am home, I am home.”
Re: Charlottesville.
Who’s idea was it to invite David Duke, KKK and Nazi flag waving morons to the “Unite the Right” rally?
It doesn’t matter what is right or wrong anymore.
The media has just been given all the ammo they need to vilify anyone who identifies as a conservative and brand us as white supremacists.
It’s almost as if the left had organised this rally themselves.
And now, they’re going to be removing historic monuments all over the country at a pace that will make your head spin.
Well played numbnuts.
It is the removal of history(especially factual history)that paves the way for domination of the population,without history you are adrift in events with nothing to relate to,remember Orwell’s 1984
True statement. Hopefully there are enough of us who will stand up and say enough is enough. I dont mean because of race but because it is history.To hell with the PC crowd IAm not buying it anymore.
I definitely don’t stand with either side in the violence…and nobody likes nazis. But, if the police won’t enforce the law, this is what happens. It’s been said before on this and other sites: if rule of law breaks down then the better armed, trained, and motivated will emerge as the (short term?) winners.
Regarding Nuclear Fears, the Herschel Smith article over at the Captain’s Journal…
Universally, most people think that if nukes get unleashed everybody will die, or it’ll be so bad they’ll wish they had. With this attitude they are not open to, much less seeking out, how they might could learn something that could help save their families. They think it futile, bordering on lunacy to even try.
Reality is, for most people, if they think they can survive or think they can’t, they are both right! That’s because those who think they can’t survive won’t ever try to learn how they could and then they can’t and won’t.
I’d just be careful inadvertently implying that it’s hard, complicated and expensive to get it all right and you’re sunk if you don’t, cause then some will be discouraged from doing anything if seeing the bar set so high, and risk slipping back into the ‘it’s all futile’ mode again.
There’s much that people can readily grasp, afford and do, even last minute and in a hurry, that’ll be very effective minimizing casualties and exposure. 90% of the expected casualties, from blast and fallout later, are easily avoided when the affected populations simply knew beforehand what to do & not do, from the instant of the initial flash.
Read my ‘Physicians for Civil Defense’ article at http://www.GoodNewsNuke.com and the basic ‘how to’ specifics in the follow up guide that it next links and points all to.
“It’s almost as if the left had organized this rally themselves.” We’ll look here: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-08-14/report-%E2%80%98unite-right%E2%80%99-organizer-jason-kessler-was-occupy-movement-obama-supporter-8-m
Fox News. (2017, August 15). Nuclear attack preparation: US government provides survival tips.
Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/08/15/nuclear-attack-preparation-us-government-provides-survival-tips.html
Shane Connor,
When are NukAlert-ER ‘Extended Range’ devices going to be available to the public again?
http://www.ki4u.com/products1.php
$750.00, “Govt Sales Only Until Further Notice (3/17)”
https://www.amazon.com/NukAlert-ER-Handheld-Radiation-Detector-Dosimeter/dp/B00DQVXM5A
“Currently unavailable. We don’t know when or if this item will be back in stock.”
Hard to say, govt priority, but we have waiting list and pulling a few out of pipeline each month to nibble away at it. shane@ki4u.com to get on it, though likely still next spring at this rate, so don’t wait if you don’t have anything, get something else in the meantime that’s high range.
Virginia Violence Commentary,
Aratani, L. (2017, August 15). Helicopter involved in Charlottesville crash was in previous incident. The Washington Post.
Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2017/08/15/helicopter-involved-in-charlottesville-crash-was-involved-in-previous-incident
“The helicopter had finished flying over downtown at around 4:42 p.m. and was en route to provide air support for the motorcade of Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) when it crashed.”
The Captain’s Journal article mentioned the dangers that nuclear power plants pose. A page on CNN’s web-site used to give you the ability to see how far away you are from the closest nuclear power plant, however it no longer works (http://money.cnn.com/news/specials/nuclear_power_plants_locations/). Does anyone know a working web-site where you can type in an address to see how far away it is from the closest nuclear power plant? I know that there are sites that allow you to see the fallout of different types of nuclear bombs, but I am more curious to learn about nuclear power plants.
For fleas, ticks, and other outdoor pests we treat our hiking clothing with Permethrin. Works like magic to keep them off.
This summer I got a bad case of poison ivy on my legs. I poured hydrogen peroxide over the affected areas and by the next morning it was starting to dry up and no itching. Five days later it was entirely gone.
Regarding “dirty bombs”, the author is correct that they, like chlorine devices and most biological agents, are inefficient TACTICAL weapons. However, they are very effective as STRATEGIC weapons, due to the psychological impact and the way they redirect resources.