ednesday May 21 2008
Note from JWR:
Please continue to spread the word about SurvivalBlog. Mentioning the blog in forum posts or when you call talk radio shows would be greatly appreciated!
Letter Re: Challenging Conventional Beliefs on Saving Hybrid Seeds
Hello James:
Conventional wisdom holds that one should not plant seeds saved from "hybrid" plants. This wisdom is ironclad boilerplate and generally appears in paragraph 2, sentence 2 of every essay on gardening when it really counts. I want to push back on that idea.
My understanding of agricultural history is that most farmers raised landraces of vegetables and animals prior to the 1600s. A landrace is a swarm of similar-but-not-identical plants or animals. There are very few exceptions, Merino sheep being one of them and asexually reproduced fruit trees being another.
The introduction of "County Fairs" changed that. Suddenly, the emphasis went from feeding and clothing one's family to having the biggest gooseberry or carrot, the earliest ripening apple or the most artistic sheaf of oats. This coincided with the dawn of the industrial revolution. Fertilizer was barged in from the coasts and suddenly the struggle to supply absolute minimum calorie and protein per-capita requirements lifted.
The County Fair provided a new venue to prove one's worthiness as an alpha male. "Show" characteristics were selected for to the exclusion of vague, difficult-to-measure attributes like "livability" and vigor. Those characteristics simply did not "show" and win ribbons.
Genetic selection of one characteristic to the exclusion of all others nearly always results in a narrowing of the genetic base. The fastest way to select for one characteristic is some form of in-breeding. That also results in a loss of general vigor.
More than two hundred years of "County Fair" style based breeding and the resulting in-breeding depression created the backdrop for the hybrid revolution. At that time, Agricultural Scientists found that crossing two in-bred lines generally resulted in a 30%-to-40% increase in yield. One perspective of hybrid seed is that it allowed farmers to regain the vigor of the landrace genetic swarm while retaining the extreme uniformity (important for mechanized agriculture) of in-bred cultivars.
Simple facts:
-Most in-bred lines used to produce f1 (first generation) hybrids are edible.
-All of the progeny of those hybrids will be edible.
-Most modern hybrids offer high degrees of disease resistance.
-Many of the progeny of modern hybrids will retain various degrees of that disease resistance.
-There will be a huge increase in plant-to-plant variation in height, ripening season, fruit/grain size in the f2 generation compared to both the hybrid and conventional cultivars.
-It is unlikely that the f2 generation will suffer a 40% loss in productivity compared to the hybrid parent. Two factors come into play. One is a quirk of mathematics. Going from 100bu/a to 150bu/a is a 50% increase but going back from 150bu/a to 100bu/a is a 33% decrease. The second factor is that the basis for the early hybrid comparisons were fairly inbred cultivars. The progeny of f1 hybrids won't suffer from in-breeding depression.
Summary:
-In dire circumstances, planting seeds from hybrid tomatoes, corn, squash, etc. will produce far more food than leaving your backyard in Kentucky Bluegrass.
-There will be a large increase in plant-to-plant variation.
-Plant-to-plant variation can be managed by increasing the seeding rate and thinning out the goofy plants.
-This is not heresy. Rather, it is a return to the genetic swarm of the landraces that fed humanity for thousands of years.
-Scientific breeding is the art of breeding the best to the best...and culling the rest. So save the best of your f2 generation for the next year's seed. Regards, - Joe H.
JWR Replies: You've swayed me a bit, but I stand by the assertion that seed saved from hybrids will generally not provide the same potential yield and quality as the parent plants. Hybrids are fine to use in the short term, but in the long term, to be fully prepared you need to have non-hybrid (a.k.a. "open pollinated" or "heirloom") seed reserves to fall back on. You need to continuously practice saving seed. (It is a skill that takes some time to learn.) Also, be sure to practice isolating plants from unintended cross-fertilization.
Further, keep in mind that the new (and patented) "Terminator Gene" technology will undoubtedly become more widespread in the years to come. Seed saved from those crops will have virtually no useful yield, and even if they did, it would invite lawsuits.
Potassium Iodide Versus Potassium Iodate for Post-Nuke Thyroid Gland Protection
James,
You mentioned stocking up on Potassium Iodide (KI). The head trainer at Medical Corps--(I took their awesome class, thanks for giving it kudos)--developed Potassium Iodate (KI03). It has a huge benefit over KI, in that it doesn't upset the stomachs of the people taking it [as much as KI]. Medicine is much more beneficial if you don't involuntarily purge it.
Another thing I'd like to mention to SurvivalBlog readers is that KI and KI03 don't expire, even if the bottles have expiration dates marked. Since it is not an organic--it a very basic chemical compound. Iodine might leach out and turn the tablets dark, but iodine is still iodine. Just mix it with food to cover the bad taste and it'll still be effective. With Regards, - Cody (a 10 Cent Challenge Subscriber)
Surviving During the Crisis (Translated from the Energie & Klima Blog)
JWR's Introductory Note: The following is a re-post from the Energie & Klima Blog, which was kindly translated by SurvivalBlog reader Martyn B., a multi-lingual Danish ex-pat that lives in Spain . To read the original article in German, see: Überleben in der Krise
Within the next two years, the price of oil could rise to $150 to $200 per barrel, analysts of the investment bank Goldman Sachs forecasted yesterday under the management of the famous chief analyst, Arjun N. Murti. According to the news agency Bloomberg, the cause is stated mainly as being that the supply of oil cannot cover the rising demand from countries that are comprised by the growth, such as China. The chief analyst of said bank in Munich Harlaching, where parents in the "villa suburbs" exchange the newest economic developments while they watch the kids playing in the sandbox and on the climbing rigs, only smile at such forecasts. The man in his late forties who is never seen without science and economy magazines, has already moved on. For a while, he has now been reading and praising "Walden" by Thoreau.
On request, Uwe informs overbearing, smiling parents that the imminent "crisis" has nothing to do with the crisis from the 1980s where Monaco Franze [bon-vivant, small time crook and protagonist of a German television series by the same name] procured forest strawberries, parma ham and champagne from Dallmayr (Delicatessen chain) for picnics with pretty female schoolmates in the English garden while the whole world around him was talking about crisis, saved and dared not "fill up". No, the imminent crisis, according to Uwe, is written in upper case: PEAK OIL, CLIMATE CHANGE, FINANCIAL CRISIS, HUNGER RIOTS and cannot be charmingly painted pretty by Munich-Harlachingen-ish island mentality, a completely misguided "Munich feeling". You need to
get prepared, right now, for a totally new, radically changed lifestyle in order to survive this CRISIS.
As The Guardian reported at the beginning of the week, Uwe is a part of a greater international movement. So-called survivalists with a sharpened awareness of the possibility of an impending total breakdown of Economy and Society, would be discussing on countless pages on the Internet where to find refuge and how to best equip your retreat once the time comes.
While many would not shy away from breaking arms legislation when equipping themselves, most will, according to information from The Guardian journalist Harriet Green, be content with the milder methods for fighting for survival, such as stashing food, growing fruit and vegetables in their own gardens as recommended by the famous British television chef Jamie Oliver and self-sufficiency in terms of energy and water.
When it comes to money, survivalists will also be looking for new opportunities. According to Harriet Green, precious metals are preferred. (For savings, Uwe advises stocks and real estate).
"The safe haven must be self sufficient". Ex-banker Barton M. Biggs also knows this. He is also one of the people cited in The Guardian's Survivalist Overview as warning against the impending total breakdown. The former (until 2003) "Chief Global Strategist" of Morgan Stanley has published a book, "Wealth, War and Wisdom" and contains, according to Bloomberg, has an unusual piece of advice for the rich: "Insure yourself against war and disaster by buying a remote farm or ranch and procure large stocks of seed, fertilizer, canned food, wine, medicine, clothes etc."
The "etc.", Bloomberg alleges, "must mean guns".
But even when "the wolf is at the door", there are also survivalists with a less bleak concept of the time after Peak Oil, such as the webmaster of WolfAtTheDoor, who predicts to The Guardian that TEOTWAWKI will occur within the next decade: "I'll be turning 50 this year. So far, I've had a good life. I want to enjoy the next 5 to 10 years."
Uwe, as it seems, has found a girlfriend among the single parents in Munich-Haidhausen; maybe he will soon be writing crisis in lower case. I'll soon be going to BeraterBank to find out.
- Thomas Pany, May 7, 2008
Odds 'n Sods:
From Matt in Texas: The Rise of Stagflation Means the End of Fiat Wealth
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E.J. (our British ex-pat correspondent living in rural Italy) mentioned this piece from The Guardian newspaper: The island house that powers itself - with a little help from 100 mph gales
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Readers Sam K. and Stephen S. note that Peak Oil is now getting more mainstream media coverage, such as this CNBC piece: $12 Gas and Rationing? Possible, Says Expert. (The article quotes Robert Hirsch, who was the lead writer for SAIC's well-publicized Report on Peak Oil, in 2005.) And speaking of Peak Oil, reader A.A.P. mentioned Tom Whipple"s scary piece about diesel price escalation posted over at Energy Bulletin. A.A.P.'s comment: "A diesel backup generator may now be a bad idea." FWIW, I still lean toward propane-powered gensets. But if I had access to a source of biodiesel, I'd definitely be in favor of diesel generators.
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Stephen S. sent us this link: Gun owners pinched as ammo costs shoot up. Congrats to the SurvivalBlog readers that stocked up in advance of the recent price increases. Ammo is better than money in the bank.
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the enemy." - George Washington
Tuesday May 20 2008
Note from JWR:
Because I get inquiries via e-mal almost every day asking "How do I find people in my area that share my interest in preparedness?", I decided to create a new "Finding Others" static page. You might find it useful.
Two Letters Re: Beyond First Aid--Where to Learn Medical Skills
James,
It's funny how life gets in the way. I was in the process of writing a fairly long (I stopped at 15 pages) discussion of pandemics and medical care at home when the report in Chest came out. Suffice it to say that the wind was somewhat taken from my sails. And my take-home messages would have been 1) Hospitals are terrible places to be in a pandemic so stay away (I plan to), 2) Since you're not going to the hospital, people at home better learn how to do basic nursing care (so finding older nursing textbooks and patient care equipment like bedpans is a good idea), and 3) despite what all of medical science can, and cannot do, think about what to do when your family member succumbs to the disease.
I'm also pleased to see the various good points offered by others with regard to medical care. The Western Rifle Shooters Association course looks particularly good. Almost all of the various suggestions are good, but there are a couple of things that need to be emphasized:
For example, having antibiotics and administering them can be very good - but, you have to use the right antibiotic for the organism in question. Using an antibiotic that is effective against (say) Gram-positive organisms when the patient has a Gram-negative infection is not 'almost as good' or 'close enough', it's not only not at all helpful, it can make the patient much worse (not to mention using up valuable resources that are not easily replaced). There is a reason there are lots of different antibiotics, and there is no one magic bullet that works on everything.
Starting an IV is sometimes necessary, but usually not - we use them in the hospital to keep a route open for drug administration right away, should it be needed, and to provide fluids. However, the current Tactical Casualty Care Guidelines (used by military medics in combat, and limited in applicability to that sort of trauma, only) call for IV fluids to be withheld until hemorrhage (bleeding) is stopped. Not only is it wasteful of scarce resources (in combat, you only have what you have, not unlike a TEOTWAWKI situation), but adding more fluids to drain out onto the ground is actually dangerous to the patient (IV fluids don't carry oxygen, and washing out red blood cells is a bad idea). So, stopping the bleeding (if any) comes first.
In a medical (the patient is sick, not hurt) situation, keeping the patient hydrated is important, but giving too much fluids via IV can be just as harmful - especially in a respiratory infection kind of pandemic: The fluid has to go somewhere, and can build up in the lungs causing pulmonary edema and eventually heart failure. In fact, this is one of the modalities that people died from during the 1918 influenza pandemic. IVs too, can cause harm if used with gusto by people who don't fully understand the physiology of the body.
Also, being able to apply a cast is great - but, if the fracture is not reduced (straightened) first, the person will be left with a life-long disability. If the blood vessels are compromised (either by the fracture, or the treatment) the persons limb will certainly be put at significant risk, and their life very much potentially so. It's not a matter of simply applying a cast. And should a person need a wet plaster cast applied to a leg (for example), it will be several days at least before the cast will be strong enough to be moved, so the patient will require bed rest and care for that time - and as you and others have said, they will require a wheel chair and crutches for several months while the leg heals - a big plaster cast is heavy. And care must be taken to not apply the cast too tightly, to monitor the cast and limb for swelling and be ready to cut it open (bivalve it) if swelling is present, and the right amount of padding must be used since the plaster gets pretty hot while it is curing.
And finally, there are few (if any) reasons why a wound must be sutured in the field. All wounds will heal, eventually, and it's often better to leave a wound that is contaminated with foreign matter open than to close it. All wounds must be cleaned out, and while we will use sterile water or saline solution plain clean water is just fine. Using a 30cc syringe with a 22 gauge angiocath (a flexible needle used for IV administration) will provide about the ideal pressure, but using a plastic bag with a small hole poked in it will work adequately. The important thing is to get the wound cleaned out - dirt, leaves, blood clots, and anything else not viable - including dead and dying tissue, which must be removed surgically (we call that debriding). Then, the body is made in layers, and when you're sewing it up it each layer has to be sewn separately, with each layer using a particular kind of suture material, a particular needle, and a particular kind of stitches. Even closing a 'simple' skin laceration can cause problems if the edges of the wound are pulled too tightly - blood flow is compromised, the tissue dies, and infection sets in leading to sepsis and gangrene.
After all, the first rule of medicine is "First, do no harm". - Flighter
Jim:
Chuck Fenwick at Medical Corps runs a fine operation, but there are other ways to learn to suture. Chuck does have great surgical equipment and suture material for sale at very good prices.
First download Ethicon's book on wound closure, or buy a printed copy from Amazon.com, among other places.
This is the same book (in a newer edition, of course) that I was taught with back in the early 1960s in my summer job as an ortho tech while in college.
Then get the necessary instruments (needle-holder, surgical scissors, etc.), including a package or two of suture with an atraumatic needle (needle attached) or separate curved needles. Don't worry about sterile technique at this point. You're learning technique and to tie knots.
Next, order a fresh ham (not smoked) from your butcher or the local grocer. This will be your "patient". Now make a small incision through the skin of the ham, maybe 4" long. Suture the incision following the directions in the manual. Then make another incision and suture it closed. Continue this until you can close an incision at a reasonable speed with a nice neat row of stitches. This is how I learned to suture, at the kitchen table at home.
Finally, remove all the sutures, bake the ham, and serve with red cabbage and sweet potatoes for Sunday dinner. I hope this is of help to your readers. - Jonas P.
JWR Adds: Keep in mind that most wounds do not require suturing--although failing to do so will likely result in the formation of some extra scar tissue. But remember that we are talking about TEOTWAWKI here--not a beauty contest. Also, don't be in a hurry to suture! In most cases wounds should indeed be allowed to drain extensively, and premature closure could actually increase the risk of sepsis.
Choosing an HK91 Clone Versus the M1A for a Primary Battle Rifle
Hello Mr. Rawles.
My Father bought me your novel "Patriots" and I read it and it really inspired me and woke me up to becoming more of a survivalist. I live in the country just about 50 miles out side of Chicago (pretty much the worst place to be if the SHTF, well even if it doesn't, it still sucks, LOL), but never mind that we have other places to go, thank God. I have always been around guns. I have been shooting probably since I could walk. Anyway, I am wondering why in your book you chose to [show the main characters owning] HK91s instead of M1As? We have both a HK91 and an M1A, both with lots of accessories. I would most likely take my LMT AR-15 over the .308 but I'm open to change. I was just wondering why you chose the Heckler and Koch or which one you like better for that matter. Thank you for the advice if you can. - Eric B.
JWR Replies: I consider the two rifles essentially comparable, although if fiberglass bedded, an M1A can be much more accurate. I recommend HK91 clones because they are presently less expensive than M1As, and their spares are much less expensive. An M14 parts kit (everything but the receiver) is around $750, if you can find one. But you can buy a G3 part kit for under $250. Excellent condition military surplus HK G3 magazines are as little as $2 each. So buy at least 50 of them, while they are still cheap. Meanwhile, USGI M14 magazines are $22 to $28 each. Ouch! So buying 50 spare magazines would cost you around $1,100--which is enough to buy another rifle!
Odds 'n Sods:
Yishai suggested a Hack-n-Mod video clip on how to make thermite. Warning: Some serious safety precautions must be taken, because thermite burns at temperatures hot enough to liquefy steel, and once ignited, it is almost impossible to extinguish. (It generates its own oxygen.) Note the minor accident near the end of the video. He'll also have some serious explaining to do about that back porch slab.
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Kevin a recommended this piece by Marty Weiss: Brace yourself! The U.S. government could be understating the Consumer price Index by 7.6%!
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Frequent content contributor Michael Z. Williamson mentioned a web article about some locals in Cambodia improvising a working rail train from a few spare parts. Note that from the photos it appears to be dead level ground and there is no sign of a hand brake. Having a brake is a must, for safety. Also, see our archived survivalBlog articles about high-railers and rail motorcars (a.k.a. "speeders"--such as this one posted in July of Aught Six--that discuss the serious legal and safety implications of using right-of-ways that belong to railroad companies.
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Any SurvivalBlog readers fluent in German will probably find this Energie & Klima Blog post interesting: Überleben in der Krise.
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"[T]he Clinton administration launched an attack on people in [Waco,] Texas because those people were religious nuts with guns. H*ll, this country was founded by religious nuts with guns. Who does Bill Clinton think stepped ashore on Plymouth Rock? Peace Corps volunteers? Or maybe the people in Texas were attacked because of child abuse. But, if child abuse was the issue, why didn't Janet Reno tear-gas Woody Allen? - P.J. O'Rourke
Monday May 19 2008
Letter Re: The Modern Conception of "Hard Work" Versus a Traditional Farmer's Tasks
Sir:
I recently finished trenching and running a few hundred feet of irrigation pipe on land that has been in my wife's family for a few generations. We are the proud recipients of this small farm in the Southeast US. My Mother-In-Law was helping, and getting various tools and such out of the 100 year old barn (still standing and strong). We found an old hoe that was worn so that over half of the tine was missing. She said that her father and grandfather had used this hoe to manually weed and till every bit of the 50 acres! This was a farm that didn't have indoor plumbing until the early 1970s.
Here I was, exhausted from digging a trench (with a machine of course), and laying pipe (plastic with glue), and had been working "very hard" for a few hours. Slowly realizing, listening to my mother-in-law that her family worked this land without the aid of gas powered equipment until her father died in the late 1980s. For over 125 years this farm had produced an income and raised families. I was tired after working, but now had an understanding that in no way can I count myself in the same league as the men that had worked sun up to sun down by hand, these were true men. I whine when the lawn mower won't easily start, or when the padded handle on the shovel gets too hard for comfort!
In the interest of preparedness, each of us should examine ourselves to see if we have it in us both physically and mentally to work at providing for our loved ones. After this experience, I am doing more to get myself physically in shape for what may come. No matter, I will be happier, healthier, and more humble than before! God Bless, - RJ in the Southeast US
Letter Re: Positive Feedback on Front Sight's Self Defense Training
Hi, Jim!
I want to thank you for having SurvivalBlog support Front Sight's current special of $1,199 for the class [with a XD pistol and other extras included.] I took advantage of it, along with my son, aged 20, a couple of weeks ago, and had a great time down there. This was my third time down there, my son's first.
One thing people may want to do is rent one of [the Springfield Armory] XD pistols in 9mm for $100, for the class. This gives you much more control on target, especially for someone (like my son) who hasn't had much pistol experience. Plus the cost of 9 mm ammo is about half the cost for 45. While we are getting the XDs in .45 caliber, renting the 9mm gave us the XD experience and probably saved us over $100 in ammo costs. We can practice with our .45s at a more leisurely pace. As you've indicated before, the instructors there are very professional, very friendly, and the class gives you the whole perspective of accuracy in shooting, the psychological mindset that one must have to defend oneself, and the legal knowledge of what kind of problems you might encounter. - Chester B.
Letter Re: Martial Arts Fact Versus Fiction
Mr. Rawles
I just found this blog after checking out Steve Quayle's web site and links. I must say this discussion is a breath of fresh air.
My experience is much different than many who have posted; I have little training in the martial arts, and never been in the military. I don't even watch those Ultimate Fighting shows.
I work with kids in state juvenile facility here on the West Coast of the US. Most of the "residents" as they are called are 14-20 years of age, and usually very aggressive and violent gang members. Unlike adult corrections in my state, we don't carry weapons of any kind including pepper spray. We wear street clothes and work in a average ratio of 12 residents to one staff.
In other words I deal for eight hours a night with the most likely people you would face in a survival situation. Most reading this live in an area where these are the most likely assailants and unless your a hardcore survivalist living in a tree these are the people that most reading this will face. Here are some things I've learned - usually the hard way
1) Forget talking your way out of it. Once they have decided on violence talking is only used to distract you or to manipulate you into believing you can talk your way out of the situation. We are trained in verbal de-escalation skills but experience also shows us that gangstas who are on a mission to raise their status in the gang by "putting in work" will not listen to reason, or pleas. Conditioning by the gangs to see violence as nothing more than a tool or as a way of enforcing rules within the gang literally enables most gang members to shut off a conscience or thought of potential consequences. They in many cases may also be under the influence of various drugs that hinder their reasoning ability. In other words don't bother talking if you want to live.
2) Forget any martial art that wastes time on flying kicks and roundhouse punches. Don't waste time learning how to use swords and throwing stars. As many have stated before a system with equal parts grappling, punching, kicking, elbows, knees, etc.
3) Learn to take assailants(s) out quickly. I noticed that many seem to be fans of Ultimate Fighting and I'm not going to say its fake, but it is entertainment. The fighters are great but lets be honest, the matches are intended to draw ratings by selling the drama. I have no doubts that those same fighters without the rules would be able to take out their opponents much quicker than they do. You should do this as well. Don't play around or make unnecessary movements. Don't stop and sermonize half way through giving a beating.
4) Finish the job. The idea that you should get your opponent down then run away is pretty d**ned dumb. First you may have nowhere to run to, and nobody to help you. You are better off once your opponent is down making sure they don't get up on their own power for a long time. All I can say is do what your God given conscience deems necessary for you and your loved one's survival in such a situation
5) Awareness!, Awareness!, Awareness!
If a person, place, or situation makes those little hairs stand up there is good reason for it. If your in a crowd always be aware of eye movements, body movement. Also be aware that criminals/gang members never attack alone. Even if they aren't joining in the attack they have accomplices serving as lookouts to either tip them off or to distract. Be aware of where you are, and who is around you at all times. Watch what those people do or say.
6) Learn to fight in close quarters. A dojo or a gym is great but have your sparring partner and you fight within a small chalk circle for a while. Better yet a medium sized walk in closet. Many well known street gangs that got their starts in the California prison system (Sureños or 13s come to mind) created fighting systems for both offense and defense in their cells. The "fighting art" consists mostly of elbow, and knee strikes with some uppercut punches, followed by takedowns. Is it any good? Ask any correctional officer who now extracts these guys from cells using "stun shields", pepper spray guns, and eight-man extraction teams. Fairly intelligent, and motivated sparring partners can probably duplicate this style with a little trial and error.
7) Don't waste your time getting into a punching contest. In most cases your assailant is a more experienced fighter than you. They also have experience taking a punch. How many punches have you taken lately Sugar Ray? Probably not many, if any. Forget kicking too unless you have been trained how to do it properly or when to do it. Sending a kick to someone's face like Chuck Norris or Jean Claude Van Damme is cool in movies - especially after its been choreographed and practiced for weeks, then filmed from the optimal angles. Its looks pretty dumb when you do it though. It tends you get you beaten or dead as well. If your assailant is on the ground a few well placed kicks to the mid-section, groin, ribcage, neck, or face couldn't hurt however.
8) Go for the eyes or throat. Cut off the assailants sight and air. If more than one assailant hit the first ones eyes, and take out the second ones breathing ability. If three - eyes, eyes, air. Go for knees ankles, and feet if you do kick. Avoid the groin since most men are genetically inbred to react to protect their assets. If you can take the side of your foot and say run it into an aggressors knee and then driving your leg, the results are quite surprising. Same with the ankle.
9) Use any weapons available. This also means improvising weapons. I once was charged by a young resident in our living units kitchen. I had a container of ranch [salad] dressing in my hand which quickly made contact with his face and most important - his eyes. Immobilize the assailant with whatever is available. Another resident charged me on the floor, and I pulled his shirt up over his head tight which blinded him and made it hard to swing on me. I have seen coins, cans of chewing tobacco, coffee, and even a handful of hard candies thrown into the face of an attacker to disorient. Knocking eyeglasses or hats off can have similar effects.
10) Any fighting system that doesn't teach just basic arm bar takedowns, goosenecks, and "Z" holds should be avoided. There is a reason these things are taught to correctional officers, cops, and people like myself and its because they are easy to learn, easy to retain, and most important they work. With just a few modifications these moves can be quickly turned from less than lethal to lethal moves. Also learn moves that can be applied when your fine motor skills are impaired. When the fight or flight syndrome kicks in finesse goes out the window, and the more basic the better. If the take down has complex actions then forget it you'll be too messed up thanks to your heart rate to attempt it.
11) Arm yourself. A knife is great, a gun is better. Train to use both and practice often. Most important get into the mindset to use the weapon.
Just a few things I thought that I'd throw into to stir the pot. - C.T.
JWR Adds: I agree that high kicks and roundhouse kicks are strictly "Hollywood" showmanship. Not only do they deliver less power, but they also leave you vulnerable to being thrown off balance.
Unfortunately, California's Nanny State mentality has led to enactment of laws that have made concealed carry of some knives a felony on the first offense, open carry of firearms--except when hunting--a misdemeanor, and concealed carry of firearms either a misdemeanor or a felony on the first offense, depending on circumstances. It is very difficult to obtain a handgun concealed carry permit in most California counties unless you are engaged in a business that requires you to regularly carry cash or valuables. Even "trunk" carry of firearms is effectively banned unless you are on your way to or from a shooting range or a hunting trip, or to or from a gunsmith's shop. To make matters worse, local law enforcement and interpretation of these laws varies tremendously. Sight of a citizen with a gun that wouldn't cause a sheriff's deputy to blink an eye in Modoc County would be cause to call out a SWAT team in Alameda County. California's complicated laws make effective self defense outside of one's home quite difficult. Thankfully, California has not banned canes, walking sticks, and umbrellas. So my advice to Californians is to concentrate on stick fighting martial arts. Train regularly and don't leave home without your cane! And if you can, move out of California! Vote with your feet.
Odds 'n Sods:
Wes at WK Books has been working on an index/reference of known U.S. Military manuals and publications. It is hard to find a comprehensive list of military manuals to get an idea of what is out there and what you may want to add to their personal reference library. Please do not confuse this index with his product (the 1600 U.S. Military Manuals, Government Manuals, and Civil Defense Manuals, Firearm Manuals). When printed out, the index of known U.S. Military manuals is 15 pages long and includes the last publication/updates by month/day/year. Wes told me that it is current as of May 16, 2008.
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Inyokern sent us this article: High Steel Prices: A Preview of Peak Oil. Inyokern's comment on the article: "Here's a canary in the coal mine. The high price of oil impacts the price of steel, impacting the cost of building or replacing equipment to make solutions to the cost of fuel and food." My comment: Of immediate concern is that the increased wholesale price of steel will soon work its way down to the consumer level. So if you are certain about any fencing projects at your retreat in the next two or three years, then buy the materials in advance. (Rolls of woven wire, rolls of barbed wire, smooth wire, T-posts, staples, et cetera.) Consider it part of your Alpha Strategy.
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More news from disarmed England: Airport-style scanners on the streets. In their socialist utopia, they want everyone equally disarmed. There are just two problems: 1.) Criminals, by definition, don't obey laws--only the law abiding citizens do, and they aren't the problem.2.) Even if they do succeed is disarming everyone, it will leave anyone that is smaller, older, or weaker at the mercy of those that are younger and stronger. (BTW, I find it ironic that the same liberals that champion women's rights also want to disarm them, putting them at a disadvantage to thugs. On average, men have about 50 percent more muscle mass than women in the upper body, and 10 to 15 percent more in the lower body.) My advice to SurvivalBlog's readers in England: Take the gap and emigrate to the US or New Zealand, soon!
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While web surfing, I stumbled into an interesting treatise on inflation by Michael W. Hodges.
Jim's Quote of the Day:
“When I hear somebody sigh, 'Life is hard'; I am always tempted to ask, 'Compared to what?'” - Sydney J. Harris
Sunday May 18 2008
Note from JWR:
With the author's permission, we present a guest editorial from economic commentator Darryl Robert Schoon. It was published May 12, 2008.
Triage In Financial Markets, by Darryl Robert Schoon
Global financial markets are in extreme triage following the credit contraction of August 2007. It is believed central bankers are trying to restore markets to help the economy. In truth, they are like life insurance companies fighting to keep a wealthy patient alive so the high premiums will continue to be paid and the large death payout will be postponed. It has been only nine months since credit markets unexpectedly froze in August 2007. The central bankers who were surprised by the summer 2007 credit contraction now hope the danger has passed. But they are about to be surprised again and soon.
We are witness to the unraveling of historic levels of debt caused by central bank issuance of debt-based money. That such issuance over three hundred years has led to trillions of dollars in constantly increasing compounding debt is not unexpected. What is also not unexpected is that someday the debt could not be repaid. That realization is what happened in August 2007. Suddenly, buyers of debt, those in need of guaranteed downstream revenues realized $1.5 trillion of AAA rated subprime CDOs would not be repaid as expected. The consequences of that realization are now in motion.
When this happened, credit markets froze. The day of reckoning feared by kreditmeisters had arrived. Since then, central bankers have been furiously providing liquidity to banks, the intermediaries of credit, hoping to restore confidence in credit markets - but more liquidity will not restore confidence in debt any more than more money will satisfy the yearnings of the soul.
Once buyers of debt realized they could no longer trust AAA rated debt, the systemic risk to capitalism soared. The foundation of capitalism, a debt-based paper money system created by bankers, is confidence; and when a confidence game is being run, there is absolutely nothing more important than confidence.
When modern banking substituted credit driven debt-based paper money for gold and silver, every aspect of commerce was affected. Paper money with no intrinsic value, and its method of leverage, capitalism, are totally dependent on trust and confidence; and in August 2007, that confidence was shaken. Whether or not the damage is irreparable remains to be seen.
While credit driven paper money produces growth, it does so at the cost of stability. Today's multi-trillion dollar global economy is based on the banker's amalgam, an unsavory collection of credit, debt and speculative greed, a volatile combination that becomes increasingly unstable as it grows - and it has been growing now for over three hundred years.
Capitalism's Minsky Moment
The late economist, Hyman Minsky, is a name increasingly heard in these increasingly problematic times. Minsky's hypothesis was rather direct in its clarity, that as capital markets mature they became increasingly unstable, that over time investments become more speculative leading to heightened instability which culminates in market corrections whose severity is a function of previous excess.
Two excellent recent references to Minsky are: Thomas Tan's Introduction To Minsky Theory, and Doug Noland's Revisiting Financial Arbitrage Capitalism. Both articles will shed light on Minsky's explanations about why markets are collapsing and will continue to do so.
Time is a key ingredient in Minsky's observations on the instability of capital markets. Capital markets came into existence in 1694 when the Bank of England, its central bank, was established. The ensuing three hundred plus years have given capital markets more than enough time to mature - and collapse. Minsky's moment, the bane of maturing markets, is now at hand.
Debt - Cursed Be the Tie that Binds
The world is now bound as never before by the bonds of debt that cross national boundaries. Globalization is the name for the spread of England's central banking system that has given bankers increasing control over global productivity while endebting virtually all of humanity.
Capital markets built on credit and debt need to continually expand in order to service previously created compounding levels of debt. When only England was on a credit-based system, as long as England's empire expanded its increasing debts could be absorbed; but when England's expansion slowed, so too did its economy.
The conundrum of the necessity of continual economic expansion is now being played out on a global scale. Now, the entire world is based on England's debt-based central banking system; and, consequently, unless the world economy continues to expand, the commensurate expanding edifice of global debt will collapse.
When global credit markets imploded in August 2007, the contraction of the world economy began. Since then, despite the best efforts of central bankers, global growth has continued to slow; and, after the present contraction has finally run its course, the world will be a far different place than it is today.
It has been only nine months since credit markets froze and uncertainty replaced the smug hubris of the world's then sanguine bankers. Only a year ago, the IMF was predicting yet another year of strong growth, now they see otherwise.
When Everyone is Blind, the Blind Believe that They Can See
Today, bankers don't understand the trouble they are in because what is happening has never happened before - at least to them. The Great Depression was the last time a financial crisis happened on such a scale but the lessons of the Great Depression were those of another generation and lessons lost must be relearned by those who never knew them.
Unfortunately, we will learn the lessons together as we pay for what we collectively forgot and consciously denied. All of us, even the late comers to capital markets in Asia, are vulnerable to the sinking boat of credit and debt built by western bankers over the past three hundred years.
How Long it Floated, How Quickly it Sank
In May 2008 we are at the cusp of the crisis. Those still in denial hope we are closer to its end than its beginning; but, if we are, that means the descent will be quick and brutal instead of protracted and painfully slow. Either way, the end will be the same.
The daisy chain of debt constructed by bankers has now connected all of us, the solvent and insolvent alike. Personal solvency will provide but little protection when countries, relatives, neighbors, banks, and employers and employees become insolvent. Gold and silver will be among the few lifeboats and faith will be invaluable.
Note: I will be speaking at Professor Antal E. Fekete's Session IV of Gold Standard University Live (GSUL) July 3-6, 2008 in Szombathely, Hungary. If you are interested in monetary matters and gold, the opportunity to hear Professor Fekete should not be missed. A perusal of Professor Fekete's topics may convince you to attend. Professor Fekete, in my opinion, is a giant in a time of small men. - Darryl Robert Schoon
Letter Re: Beyond First Aid--Where to Learn Medical Skills
Jim,
There has been a recent thread on learning medical skills. Studying the disasters like the recent Chinese earthquake, Myanmar storm and Tsunami teach us that in mass casualty situations like these, you can go a long way knowing how to deal with broken bones, lacerations and infections.
Imagine the help you could be if you could:
Apply a cast
Run an IV
Clean and dress a wound
Do minor suturing
Administer antibiotics from your medical kit
These skills can each be learned in a weekend. Sure, knowing how to manage an airway, insert a chest tube, decompress a pneumothorax and manually deliver a breech [presentation] baby are great to know but the basics will go a long way. My advice? Start with the Medical Corps [field medic] course and then follow up with National Procedures Institute for the suturing, Casting Workshop for casting and a phlebotomy course for IVs - SF in Hawaii
JWR Adds: The Medical Corps classes are excellent. I also recommend the Practical Medical Course taught by the Western Rifle Shooters Association. (This course is subtitled: "Field Expedient Medical Care for Outdoorsmen in Austere Environments.") Check their web site regularly, for announcements of course dates and locations. This modestly-priced training is led by an Emergency Room doctor with 35 years of experience.
Odds 'n Sods:
Brent F. suggested this article from Australia's Courier Mail newspaper: Drivers face fuel ration shock.
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CDO Debt Could Pose Renewed Danger for Banks. (A hat tip to RBS for the link.)
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Nick recommended the text of a recent speech by geopolitical analyst Richard Maybury: You will be either a winner or a loser, there will be no middle ground. FWIW, I have been following Maybury's writings for more than 10 years, and I've found that he is right far more often than he's wrong. He was issuing dire warnings about the Islamic terrorist threat long before 9/11/01. I think that his premises about the implications of instability in "Chaostan" are essentially correct.
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Brenda at Mountain Brook Foods (one of our former advertisers) mentioned that since they have relocated to Idaho, they still need to close out their warehouse in Tracy, California. This is a great opportunity for anyone in Northern California to save on the cost of shipping. Until May 28th, they are selling full cases of storage foods (in nitrogen-purged #10 cans) with discounts of 40% to 75%. All orders will be shipped the last week of May, from California. Please indicate on your order if you would like to pick-up your order in person during the last week of May.
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears." - Psalm 34:4
Saturday May 17 2008
Note from JWR:
The high bid in the SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction. is now at $600. This big auction is for any of you that are gun enthusiasts. It includes 17 items: A four day "gray" transferable Front Sight course certificate, which was kindly donated by Naish Piazza of Front Sight (worth up to $2,000), a $200 gift certificate from Choate Machine and Tool Company (the makers of excellent fiberglass stocks, folding stocks, and shotgun magazine extensions), $450+ worth of full capacity magazines from my personal collection including five scarce original Ruger-made 20 round Mini-14 magazines, and an autographed copy of the book "Boston's Gun Bible." The total value of this 17 item auction lot is $2,700! Note: Because this auction includes full capacity magazines, no bids will be accepted from outside of the US or from a resident of any state with magazine restrictions. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.
Letter Re: Do-It-Yourself Meat Canning
Dear Jim,
Here is some info that other like-minded survivalists might find useful.
There was a recent article on television about beef and chicken being priced very reasonable due to the fact that the market is being flooded by farmers trying to unload their product before it costs them more to feed and ship than they can sell it for. I checked it out and yep they were right. Sam's Club has boneless, skinless chicken breast and beef tip roast for less than 3 dollars a pound. I paid that same price for it a year ago.
Anyway, considering this, one might think, yes great deal, but other than freezing it, what do I do with it? What if the power goes out, then I have lost all my precious food.
I grew up in the mid-west where home canning was as common as corn and bean fields. Anyway, many people don't realize that you can also home can meat using a pressure canner. Yep, just like you do corn and beans, in Mason jars, with rings and lids. (The lids are commonly called "flats" in some parts of the country.)
Now if you are unfamiliar with this method, don't let it scare you off. In the beginning you will have to invest some money for a pressure canner, and also for jars, which come with rings and lids. You can find these at Wal-Mart, or your nearby hardware store. A canner will cost between 60 and 80 dollars, jars are from 7 to 10 dollars a dozen, including the rings and lids...and if you are real lucky and hit an estate sale or auction sale, you might come across jars really cheap..then you just have to purchase rings and lids. I prefer the Presto canner, which comes with a handy little book that tells you exactly how to can with it. Just follow the directions explicitly and Presto! One warning...do not use the advice out of an older canning method book. Many of the methods used years ago are no longer considered safe. But, if you follow the instructions with the canner, I personally feel that the food is actually safer than buying it in the store already canned. Consider that you know what you put in the jar, you know that it was done clean and sanitary. Remember to date your jars and rotate [your inventory] just like you would any other canned food. And as far as price: Have you priced a can of Spam lately?
Once you have invested in the initial jars and rings, you can reuse them, if you stock up a nice stock of lids. When you are living at your retreat and bring home a nice deer, rabbit, fish, quail...etc, etc, you can do the same with it. It is really very simple. Virtually you wash and cut up the meat in small pieces, put it in clean jars, adjust the lids and follow the simple instructions that are in the little canner booklet. It sure beats Spam and Vienna sausages. Take it from a Hurricane Katrina-surviving granny, no more Spam for me. Also, you do not necessarily have to have the best cuts of meat because pressure cooking is a natural tenderizer, this would be great with wild game that might not be the most tender. Even though it is prudent to stock up salt, it is not necessary to add salt as a preservative when you can meat in this method.
The canned meat comes in very handy in everyday life. When you come in tired and need a quick meal, you can do most anything with it. Just heat it and turn it into fajitas, chicken or beef with noodles or rice, chili, manhattan sandwiches. The uses are endless.
Also, this is not just a girl thing...my husband enjoys helping can as much as I do. It is the finished product that is so impressive. To me the initial cost is well worth it considering the need to preserve meat and veggies etc. WTSHTF. Just be sure to stock up on lids. I also hear there are some reusable lids and am currently checking into them online.
Hope this helps someone to prepare. - Survival Nanna
JWR Replies: Thanks for that suggestion. BTW, don't overlook canning fish. Canned fish typically has a shelf life that is longer than other meats. It is noteworthy that there will be no legal salmon fishing on the California and Oregon coast this year. This production shortfall is likely to increase the price of canned salmon from Alaska. For now, canned salmon can still be found for as little as $1.69 per standard 14.75 ounce tapered can. Stock up. In a year, you will be glad that you did!
Letter Re: Long Term Storage Food Vendors are Now Painfully Short on Inventory
Hi Jim,
I would be interested in you analysis of this: Nitro-Pak, is not even accepting orders for #10 cans of food.
Emergency Essentials, (www.BePrepared.com) is out of over half of their #10 can selection.
Notice that [presently] you cannot order even wheat in cans or pails.
Is this happening throughout the food storage industry? What is up with all this? - Paul D
JWR Replies: The storage food industry is relatively small and simply doesn't have the capacity to handle orders from more than 1% or 2% of the population. Because of the recent headlines about global food shortages and galloping price increases, that capacity limit has been reached.
From what I 've heard, many of the vendors have orders backed up by three months or more. In some instances they've been told by the food packing companies (their wholesale suppliers) that they cannot guarantee or even commit to estimating a shipment date. It is no wonder that some vendors have suspended taking new orders.
The bottom line: The food storage concept is going mainstream. So expect long delays in order fulfillment. Please patronize SurvivalBlog's paid advertisers first. They deserve your business. Some of these vendors presently have some canned storage foods in stock, available for immediate delivery,. But with the Generally Dumb Public finally waking up, don't expect this product availability to continue much longer.
UPDATED on Saturday May 17th: I just got word that for the time being, Mountain House has suspended taking any new orders on their freeze dried foods in #10 cans.
Letter Re: Advice on an Underground Fuel Tank Installation and Use
Mr. Rawles:
Can you direct me to where I can learn how to bury 300 gallon fuel tanks correctly? Also, how to get the fuel out if there is no power. Thanks, - Mark T.
JWR Replies: Unless you expect to use your fuel tank on a daily basis, then I recommend that you install just a manual (hand) pump. These are available from most tank dealers.
If it will be buried in rocky ground, first put down a 4-inch layer of sand, to minimize risk of punctures during installation. Otherwise, burial is pretty straightforward. Be sure to read this general guide on preventing leaks that was published by Oklahoma State University, and this fuel tank safety document, published by the state of North Dakota.
If you buy a used tank, have it pressure tested. If you are getting a steel tank, a coating of asphalt emulsion--although it is a messy job--will extend the life of your tank. Also, talk to your tank dealer about installing a sacrificial zinc anode for cathodic corrosion protection. Together, those two measures can greatly extend the life of a steel tank.
OBTW, see my reply to this posted letter for some ideas on camouflaging your tank's pump head, to prevent fuel thefts.
Odds 'n Sods:
Micah flagged this Fox Business video clip with some speculation about a possible war with Iran and a resultant spike in the price of crude oil.
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Kevin A., RBS, and Tim P. all mentioned a news article over at the Silver Bear Cafe that focuses on one of our least favorite Nanny States, California: Not-So-Safe-Deposit Boxes: States Seize Citizens' Property to Balance Their Budgets
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"Viking Eric" mentioned a company in England that creates houses out of CONEXes.
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Mike the Blacksmith sent us this: Fed's Discount Window Loans to Banks Climb to Record Level
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"In political life today, you are considered compassionate if you demand that government impose your preferences on others." - John Stossel
Friday May 16 2008
Notes from JWR:
Congrats to Mark L., the high bidder in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction that ended last night.
Today we begin a new SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction. This big auction is for any of you that are gun enthusiasts. It includes 17 items: A four day "gray" transferable Front Sight course certificate, which was kindly donated by Naish Piazza of Front Sight (worth up to $2,000), a $200 gift certificate from Choate Machine and Tool Company (the makers of excellent fiberglass stocks, folding stocks, and shotgun magazine extensions), $450+ worth of full capacity magazines from my personal collection including five scarce original Ruger-made 20 round Mini-14 magazines, and an autographed copy of the book "Boston's Gun Bible." The total value of this 17 item auction lot is $2,700! Note: Because this auction includes full capacity magazines, no bids will be accepted from outside of the US or from a resident of any state with magazine restrictions. The opening bid is just $100. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.
The following is another article for Round 16 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win two valuable four day "gray" transferable Front Sight course certificates. (Worth up to $4,000!) Second prize is a copy of my "Rawles Gets You Ready" preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 16 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries. Remember that articles that relate practical "how to" skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.
How To Prepare for Radiation Emergencies, by KLK
Scenario 1
You are sitting at your retreat, enjoying the scenery, when you hear on the radio that there has just been a nuclear weapon that has detonated in a contiguous State . You decide to run into your shelter. After a few days in there, you start to wonder when it might be safe to come out. You also wonder if you would have been better off evacuating and getting as far away from the radiation source as possible.
A radiation disaster is a scenario for which we must be prepared. It may be from a radiological source, such as a nuclear reactor accident, or from nuclear devices, such as a nuclear weapon.
Much of what we know about radiation exposure comes from accidents such as Chernobyl [nuclear power plant disaster] and [the bombing of] Hiroshima [and Nagasaki]. With the nuclear reactor accident in Chernobyl (1986), 70% of the contamination fell on 26% of Belarus. 400,000 people were evacuated and 50,000 km squared was restricted and removed from use. The isotopes included Cs137, Cs134, Sr90, I131, and Pu239, with an estimated 114 Million Curies entering the environment. Untoward effects from this accident included 31 initial deaths, 300 injuries and hospitalizations, 150,000 abortions, $ 3 billion spent in emergency response, $500 million spent to compensate Italian farmers, 10,000 reindeer slaughtered, and an increase in cancer (mostly thyroid cancer, many years after the incident).
It is estimated that if a large US city (population 1 million) was hit by a 10-Kiloton (KT) nuclear device, that it would produce the following casualties:
>13,000 prompt fatalities
Approximately 114,000 expectant fatalities (>830 cSv)
Approximately 90,000 requiring ICU support (530-830 cSv)
Approximately 141,000 requiring either ICU or minimum care ward (300-530 cSv)
Approximately 150,000 requiring a minimum care ward (150-300 cSv)
Approximately 159,000 requiring outpatient therapy (70-150cSv)
Approximately 128,000 requiring health monitoring (25-70cSv)
Approximately 212,000 worried [but] well (<25>
The healthcare system is not ready or able to cope with this magnitude of casualties. That brings us to: What should you do?
The mechanism of injury from a nuclear device is 3 fold: blast, heat and radiation. Assuming a 10-KT burst, people within a 0.55 km radius of the explosion fall within a “blast injury circle” and have a high immediate fatality rate. People within a 0.9 km radius of the explosion fall within a “prompt radiation circle”, and people within a 2.1 km radius fall within the “thermal circle” and suffer 2nd degree burns. If you are outside of these 3 circles, you may suffer from radiation fallout. The amount of fallout you are exposed to is determined by 3 factors: length of time exposed, distance from the original explosion, and how much shielding there is between you and the radioactive source.
To minimize radiation exposure, you will want to reduce your time exposed, increase your distance from the source and have as much shielding as possible. This can lead to a dilemma if faced with this scenario: should you evacuate your retreat (increase your distance from the source), or should you stay and go into your shelter (increase your shielding)? The answer to this question will depend on whether or not you have a shelter, how far away from the initial source you are, the strength of the nuclear device, and the weather conditions. Even if you have a shelter, you may be forced to evacuate due to your proximity to the radiation source (Remember Chernobyl where 50,000 square kilometers were deemed unusable). It can take many months and sometimes years to clean up after a Radiation Event. Most people don’t have shelters that will sustain them for that long. Unfortunately, if faced with this scenario, you will have limited time to make your decision, for if you decide to evacuate you will want to do it immediately to reduce your exposure time, and before the roads get jammed with people. Thus, it would be useful to know a few basic equations to help you make your decision.
Radiation exposure follows the inverse square law- exposure reduction is proportional to the inverse square of the distance. Radiation is measured in Gray. If the source produces 10 Gy/hour at 1 meter, the exposure will be 2.5 Gy/hour at 2 meters (10 divided by 2 squared). The worst case scenario could produce up to 50-100 Gy/hour at the site of the explosion. With this information, you can calculate your exposure based on how far away you are from the radiation source. You must also keep in mind the weather conditions. If your calculation reveals a total body dose of <0.7 Gy, the radiation effect will be minimal, and you should be safe to stay at your retreat.
Scenario 2
You decided to stay at your retreat with some type of shelter, but after 12 hours a family member starts vomiting. Should you take them to the hospital which you know will be full of victims or should you stay isolated?
The key to treating radiation victims is knowing what dose of radiation they received. All medical decisions are based on the dose estimate.
There are many ways to determine dose of exposure, most of which require a hospital visit and laboratory tests. Without access to prompt healthcare, the easiest way to determine dose is to record the time from radiation exposure until the time the victim starts vomiting. Then use the information below to estimate the dose the victim received (measured in Gray):
Time To Onset of Vomiting Post Accident/Terrorist Act
| Hours to Vomiting | Estimated Dose (Gray) |
| 20 | 0.1 |
| 7 | 0.5 |
| 5 | 1 |
| 2 | 5 |
| 1 | 10 |
| 0.8 | 20 |
| 0.5 | 50 |
| 0.3 | 100 |
Use that number for the following interventions:
If they received a dose of <>not be significantly affected by the radiation and they do not need to be hospitalized.
If they received a dose of 0.7-5 Gy, their lymphocytes (cells in the blood that fight infection) will dramatically decrease. This happens within the first 1-2 days and puts them at a very high risk of infection. Their hemoglobin and red blood cells will also decrease at 30 days after exposure and they will become very anemic. With good supportive care, the blood counts will recover by 60 days post exposure. Treatment includes IV fluids, antibiotics and colony stimulating factors. These are the people who benefit the most from being admitted to the hospital because they need the colony stimulating factors (which are not able to be stored at a retreat). My advice would be to take them into the hospital. If this is not feasible, they must be quarantined for at least 60 days. If they do not get an infection, there is a good chance they will live.
If they were exposed to a dose of 6-15 Gy, the predominant effect will be on their gastrointestinal system- this means profuse, bloody diarrhea and dehydration, starting at 5-7 days post exposure. It is also often associated with severe nausea/vomiting and fever. Treatment includes specific antibiotics, GI nutrition, IV fluids and early cytokine therapy for 5 or more weeks. These people will also benefit from hospitalization if feasible. Survival is possible, but unlikely.
If they were exposed to > 15 Gy, the effect will be on their cardiovascular system and central nervous system. This leads to brain swelling and death within 2-3 days. It is associated with a 100% mortality rate and the best care would be to provide them with pastoral care and to keep them comfortable. There is nothing medically that can be done to save their life.
Scenario 3
You decide to make a trip into town to pick up some supplies. It’s around 10 a.m. and you are walking down the street. All of a sudden you hear a loud explosion and see pieces of shrapnel flying. There are casualties all around you from the scrap metal. You are thankful that none of it hit you. Then you hear someone yell “It was a Dirty Bomb!” You think to yourself, “A Dirty Bomb! What should I do?”
A “Dirty Bomb” is a radiological dispersion device which combines a conventional explosive with a radioactive material. It is not a nuclear weapon, nor a weapon of mass destruction; however, it is a weapon of mass disruption. The impact depends on the type of explosive, amount and type of radioactive material and the weather conditions.
Immediate deaths or serious injuries would likely result from the explosion itself. It is unlikely that the radioactive material would kill anyone. The radioactive material would be dispersed into the air and reduced to relatively low concentrations. Low level exposure to radioactive contamination could slightly increase your long term risk of cancer (mostly thyroid cancer). There would be significant impact by causing fear, panic and disruption. Clean up would be costly and could take many months.
Consider this example: In Goiania, Brazil, 1987, 1375 Ci of Cs-137 spread throughout a neighborhood. It was an accident (not a terrorist event), and yet it caused mass panic and fear. Ultimately, 112,000 people were screened, out of which 249 had detectable contamination. Four victims died within four weeks and 20 were hospitalized. Site remediation took months to complete (Oct 1987-March 1988). Can you imagine the impact if it had been a planned event?
Dirty bombs can expose one to radiation both externally and internally. Internal contamination can occur through inhalation (nose, mouth) or absorption (wound in the skin). The radiation is typically deposited in the thyroid, liver, lung and bone. It is not acutely life threatening.
When dealing with a victim of radiation contamination, act as if they were contaminated with raw sewage. Protect yourself with clothes, mask, and gloves and use standard medical emergency procedures (Airway/Breathing/Circulation). Decontaminate after the victim is stabilized. Removing their clothing and washing with soap and water is 95%+ effective at decontaminating. Treat with fluids, anti-emetics (anti-nausea), anti-diarrheals and pain medication.
There are also blocking and diluting agents, but these are isotope specific:
For Radioactive Iodine (I-131), use Potassium Iodide (KI) - must be given within 4 hours after the exposure, see the dosing chart below
For Strontium-85 and Strontium-90, use calcium, aluminum, barium
For Tritium, use ordinary water (force fluids for 3 days)
For the Transuramics (Plutonium, Americium, Curium, Californium), use DTPA 1 gram intravenously (must be given within 24 hours after the exposure)
For Cesium, use Prussian Blue 1 gram orally three times a day for three weeks
There are two problems with the blocking agents: First, you often don’t know what the isotope identity is until after it is too late to administer the blocking agent. There is no easy way to determine which isotopes were included in the bomb and you will need to rely on medical personnel to provide you with this information. Secondly, most of the blocking agents are not readily available. The only exception is KI, which is easily purchased through many of the SurvivalBlog advertisers. You are fortunate if you have DTPA or Prussian Blue stored away, but most people don’t.
In the absence of knowing what isotopes were in the dirty bomb, my advice would be to have as much fluid as possible (to dilute tritium). I would also take KI if you have some. If I-131 was in the bomb, the KI will protect your thyroid gland (and possible cancer later in life). It must be taken within 4 hours after the exposure. If I-131 was not in the explosive, the KI is safe with minimal side effects. If you decide to take some, use the following dosing chart:
Adults 18 and older: 130 mg of KI
Pregnant/Lactating females: 130 mg KI
Children age 3-18 years: 65 mg KI
1 month-3 years: 32 mg KI
Birth-1 month: 16 mg KI
In summary, the radiological/nuclear threat is real! Mass casualties in your area are possible, but radiation injury is treatable.
JWR Adds: Some readers might not be familiar with the term Gray--the standard unit of measurement for radiation exposure, that replaced REM (Roentgen Equivalent, Man), and RAD (Radiation Absorbed Dose). For us Bomb Shelter Era dinosaurs, conversion from Grays are as follows.
1 Gy equals 100 rad
1 mGy equals 100 mrad
1 Sv equals 100 rem
1 mSv equals 100 mrem
Stocking up on KI tablets is inexpensive, so every family should keep a supply on hand. In 1985, I was stationed in West Germany and was briefly down-wind of Chernobyl. At the time I wished that I had some KI available! Anyone that lives in an urban area should have a Nuk-Alert "key fob" radiation detector. That way you won't have to wait for word from someone else to determine whether or not a nearby bomb explosion was a dirty bomb. Nuk-Alerts are available from several SurvivalBlog advertisers.
Gun Buy-Up Programs as a Method for Firearms Battery Upgrades
Hi Jim:
Just wanted to let you know that my teen-age sons are reading "Patriots", (the latest edition). I appreciate that your book is one that a father can allow his children to read, because it isn't filled with sex scenes. While I'm sure my sons are not ignorant about such things, there is no reason to shove their faces in it constantly.
The real reason for this e-mail is to give you and the readers another idea for raising funds for purchases, and best of all, you get the funds from liberals!
Several months ago, we had a "gun buy back" in the two neighboring cities where I live. I had been waiting for just this type of event, because I had eleven junk guns to turn in. I only turned in ten, because the lady in line in front of me traded me a 4" S&W K-22, target "combat masterpiece" for an old, bolt action 20 gauge.
Before the readers start burning me in effigy, let me note that the shotgun was the best of the guns to be turned in. The rest were junk that had been given to me by friends who know that I am "into" tinkering with broken firearms. The H&R .22 revolver that I had fixed would not group into the side of a barn from the inside, an old Remington .22 rifle with scope grooves hand ground with a side grinder (no kidding) did not function reliably, the other guns were the same level of worth. I could not morally sell or even give someone a firearm that I knew to be extremely unreliable, so this was my chance to get something for guns that were one step from being boat anchor material.
Now the best part is, if the gun was deemed to be "functional" the owner was given $75, "non functional" guns were worth $50 this was in the form of gift cards to a major "big-box" store that sells almost everything, including fuel and ammo. The store gift cards were a parts of the cards donated, others were from grocery stores and restaurants. I ended up with over $600, and a decent K-22.
Almost every gun nut that I know has a few guns that are absolute junk and probably unsafe to fire. If it is a quality made gun that has just seen too many hard times, first check with someone knowledgeable about collector guns. If it truly is "junk" then save what parts might be salvageable, (sights, magazines, springs, pins, etc.) and put them in an envelope with the make, model, and caliber of gun they were from. Some people have guns that were in a house fire and were badly damaged. This is a chance to salvage some value for them.
By the way, a friend of mine was watching the whole event, and he told me that out of approximately 150 guns turned in, perhaps four were of decent quality. It seems that gun owners were using the opportunity to get cash (or near cash) for junk. The big giveaway was when they asked for the gun cases back. All the best, - Raggedyman
JWR Replies: Thanks for that tip. OBTW, I refuse to use the term gun "Buy Back", since it is Orwellian Newspeak. How can these liberal love fests be a "Buy Backs' if the government (or other sponsor of these idiotic programs) never owned the guns in the first place? So properly, they should be called Buy-Ups.
Odds 'n Sods:
More Gloom und Doom from Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: The global slump of 2008-09 has begun as poison spreads. It sounds like he's been reading SurvivalBlog. Don't listen to the Wall Street pundits at CNBC who assure us that there will be a jolly "soft landing,"
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Thanks to Chester for sending this: US foreclosure filings surge 65 percent in April. As I've mentioned before in SurvivalBlog: Anyone that does not yet own a rural retreat should watch the foreclosure listings carefully. There may some tremendous bargains in the next few years that are right in your "ideal" retreat locale region. Two foreclosure monitoring services that I recommend are RealtyTrac.com and Foreclosures.com.
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From Reader Tim P.: Zimbabwe Introduces a Z$500 Million Note.
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RBS found this one from The Washington Post: Growing Deficits Threaten Pensions--Accounting Tactics Conceal a Crisis For Public Workers
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"To be thrown upon one's own resources, is to be cast into the very lap of fortune; for our faculties then undergo a development and display an energy of which they were previously unsusceptible." Benjamin Franklin
Thursday May 15 2008
Note from JWR:
The SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction ends tonight (May 15th) at midnight eastern time. The high bid is now at $350. This auction is for four items: A FoodSaver GameSaver Turbo Plus heavy duty food vacuum packaging system (a retail value of $297) kindly donated by Ready Made Resources an autographed copy of : "Rawles on Retreats and Relocation", an autographed copy of "SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog", and a copy of "The Encyclopedia of Country Living", by the late Carla Emery. The four items have a combined retail value of around $395. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments before midnight eastern time.
Letter Re: Household Food Costs Escalating in England
Jim,
It is not just USA that may is seeing food and fuel prices increase, here on the other side of the pond in the UK we are see the same.
Problem here is that out government are trying to persuade us that inflation is low. Due to keep moving the goal posts and accounting methods.
There is now a worldwide crisis over supplies of key crops such as corn, wheat and rice that has triggered food riots in some countries. In the UK it has brought the biggest rises in bills in a generation.
A family which spent £100 a week on food last year now has to find another £19.10 for the same products, equivalent to £993 a year. Once "must-pay" bills for petrol, mortgages, power and council tax are added, the extra cost is more like £2,200.
Yet the official inflation rate is just 2.6 percent. Experts say a worldwide drive to produce biofuels – made from corn, wheat and soya as an alternative to oil – is a major factor.
Many farmers have switched from food production to biofuel crops. The effect of biofuels on food prices has been dramatic. A litre of corn oil has more than doubled in a year, to £1.38, in one of the big supermarkets. Fusilli pasta, made from wheat, is up 81 per cent, a baguette by 41 per cent and Weetabix cereal 21 per cent.
Farmers are also facing huge increases in feed bills, leading to dearer meat and dairy products. Milk is up 16.6 percent, English butter by 62 percent and mild cheddar by 25.6 percent.
Basmati rice is up more than 60 per cent in 12 months and Britain's biggest supplier, Tilda, has warned of a further rise of around 30 per cent in the coming year.
The soaring price of oil is the second major factor battering consumers. Figures from the AA show the cost of diesel has risen by a quarter in the past year, while unleaded petrol is up 15.4 percent.
The higher price of oil is dragging up the cost of both gas and electricity. How much longer can this go on?
There are more details in this Daily Mail news article. Regards, - Norman in England
Two Letters Re: Triage in Emergency Mass Critical Care (EMCC) Events
Jim:
Two minor notes:regarding the letter from DS in Wisconsin:
Pulse Oximeters are cheaper now than ever. Some drug companies give them away as promo's. You can find them online starting well under $100, some nearer to $50. These are battery operated self-contained finger clamp units, but I've seen nurses at more than one hospital using them to take vitals.
Secondly, while it is possible to ventilate a patient by hand for long term, it is not very practical. You'd need a staff of dedicated people that are willing to perform a laborious and painful task for hours on end, rest a bit, and then go in for another shift, and to keep this up for days or longer. If you don't think it is painful, then practice by squeezing one of your dog's larger squeaky toys non-stop for, say, 3 hours. Do it in one place, without moving the toy, and while you are standing up. Don't stop for more than 30 seconds or your squeaky toy will die. You will need to keep this up for the entire duration that the patient needs ventilation, or the patient will expire. While you might be able to pull this off for one family member during a crisis, to plan on using this method for treating mass casualties in an outbreak is more than a little bit optimistic.- Patrick M.
Jim,
In response to the e-mail from DS in Wisconsin: There’s no way anyone can BVM (bag-valve-mask) aka ventilate a patient over an extended period of time, it’s strictly for transporting patients (usually under half an hour). There are several “disaster” ventilators available that rely on purely mechanical ventilation and will function over a longer period of time (think bird flu). Do a web search on “surevent” for an example. Individual pricing for these “disaster” vents is usually under $100. For patients who can breath on their own, do a web search on “bubble CPAP”, a device that can be manufactured at home. In all cases you will need a source of air and/or oxygen that has absolutely no oil residue (remember how a diesel engine works?)—use commercial medical grade compressed gases/compressors only.
As a clinical engineer, I often wonder where people get their ideas. Pulse oximetry (SpO2) is not a reliable indicator of oxygen perfusion, although from an equipment standpoint, it is the cheapest indicator. If you have critical needs, or money to burn, end tidal CO2 (etCO2) is the way to go.
Odds 'n Sods:
Thanks to Yishai for sending us this interesting article link: Five Modern Secret Room Dreams (and Nightmares): From Creative Hideouts to Dreadful Spaces
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Samuel K. flagged this: Are Backyard Ethanol Brewers an Answer to High-Priced Gas? In the context of Schumeresque days, such systems would only make sense in a place like Hawaii, where it could expected that grid power might be available, and cane sugar is readily available. Used in CONUS, I predict that grid power or transport disruptions would quickly transform these systems into just quaint ornaments. And of course these systems make E100 (pure ethanol) . This is great for Brazil, where there are lots of E100-compatible cars and trucks on the road, but at least for now this is essentially worthless in the US, where there are virtually no E100 cars and trucks available.
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Tom from CampingSurvival.com demonstrates how to use a magnesium fire starter. OBTW, a pill bottle stuffed tightly full of cotton balls should be stowed with your magnesium fire starter at all times, since you never know when you might have to start a fire in wet weather and/or with limited natural tinder available. I have pill bottle full of cotton balls attached to my Blast Match, at all times.
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Lawrence T. suggested an interesting albeit lengthy blog article that discusses the combined impact of fuel costs and JIT inventory systems: J.I.I.T.
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"You can call a survivalist irrational.
You can call a survivalist reactionary.
You can even call a survivalist stupid.
But there's one thing you can't call a survivalist: unprepared." - Thomas Greene
Wednesday May 14 2008
Note from JWR:
The SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction ends tomorrow night at midnight, eastern time. The high bid is now at $350. This auction is for four items: A FoodSaver GameSaver Turbo Plus heavy duty food vacuum packaging system (a retail value of $297) kindly donated by Ready Made Resources an autographed copy of : "Rawles on Retreats and Relocation", an autographed copy of "SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog", and a copy of "The Encyclopedia of Country Living", by the late Carla Emery. The four items have a combined retail value of around $395. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.
Range Test and Product Review: Rock River Arms LAR-8 .308 Mid-Length A4 Carbine, by Michael Z. Williamson
After many delays for many reasons, I finally have my hands on a LAR-8, which is Rock River Arms' entry into the AR-10 clone market. This model is the LAR-8 16" carbine, flattop, MSRP $1,100.
The rifle arrived in a sturdy bright blue case, compartmented to fit a disassembled rifle of each length, with one magazine, manual, everything wrapped in plastic. This is a heavy rifle compared to an AR15, at 8.1 lbs (for a carbine, remember), but is quite reasonable for a .308.
From the rear: The buttstock is a standard 6 position, and aftermarket stocks will fit, likewise for the Hogue grip. The internals are proprietary, but it appears that standard AR fire control parts will fit. The trigger felt really odd, almost hair trigger, until we weighed it right about 6 pounds. It is just exceptionally crisp with a very sweet let-off. The fire control switch is right-handed only, which is a little odd, since the magazine release is ambidextrous (button on each side), and the bottom-mounted bolt release is, also. It appears that standard handguards will fit, too.
The controls are easy to reach. I do like the bolt release. Insert a magazine, brush downward with thumb, and it clacks into battery. Operation was flawless for the full day. This is on the rifle as delivered, with no oil, teardown, anything. It chambered and fired every time, and there were no hitches.
Here's one of the prime selling points: The rifle is advertised to, and does, accept metric and inch FAL magazines. I had a little more trouble with inch mags, but I suspect they were older. I bought ten at a gun show for $50. That's enough magazines for 210 rounds of ammunition (nine 20 round, one 30 round). That's about the price for just one of the competitor's magazine. Feed and function was fine with both, assuming the magazine was good. At that price, though, one can buy a case and keep the tight ones for spare parts.
The weapon is tight, well-made, with excellent fit and finish. It is well-balanced and comfortable. It felt very robust and durable, though as a loaner, I didn't do an all-out abuse test. If you are familiar with the AR-15, the only relevant differences for handling are the weight and the location of the bolt release, which is lower than one is trained for, but easily managed. Since most of us slap the paddle as the hand goes down anyway, there's no problem adapting to carrying the motion to the base of the magazine well. Other minor differences are the much heavier recoil spring, and the previously-mentioned excellent if unusual trigger.
The rifle came without iron sights on this model (other models have M16A2 style sights). This was a minor problem. I have excellent scopes, but no riser to bring them high enough above the receiver, and no mountable front sight. I managed by attaching one of my EoTechs. The EoTech is a combat sight, not intended for long range precision, but seemed to work well enough. I was within 8" of center with the first shot (before zeroing). That's good enough for combat shooting at 100 yards.
Weather: 64° F, 62% relative humidity, Barometric pressure 29.87 and falling, elevation 630 ft above sea level.
Using South African surplus R1M1, 204W, Lot A11/80, I was able to keep 4" groups of 20 rounds. This is 4 MOA, with 30 year old ammo, a short barrel, a combat sight with a red dot shooting at a red target. I find this acceptable.
With US [military] surplus Lot 1-80, three shot groups ranged from 2.125" to 2.375", very consistently.
Using US military match grade XM118 LR PD (2002, Lake City), our groups ranged from 1.125" to 1.6", median 1.375". This is well within the 1.5 MOA accuracy promised, using an inadequate sight. I am impressed and satisfied. A good handloader could probably break 1 MOA, and this is with the 16" carbine, not the 26" heavy barreled "varmint" rifle.
I would suggest Rock River make the fire selector switch ambidextrous, since all other controls are. That's the only improvement I can think of.
It cleaned easily, with a little more room to get inside than an AR-15. The bolt cam pin appears to go in sideways compared to an AR-15 (rotated 90 degrees). The firing pin is longer. Everything fit well, had a good metal surface and a very dark parkerized finish.
For those of you wanting .308 power and range with the AR's handling, welcome home. For those wanting a reasonably priced precision rifle for target shooting, hunting, or SHTF, you'll be hard-pressed to do better than a Rock River LAR-8. The availability of AR-platform accessories and mods are significant points in favor of both, as are the dirt-cheap military surplus FAL magazines. One can buy the rifle and included case, customize stocks, grips, handguards and mechanicals, load 200 and more rounds in magazines, and still be money ahead of a competing AR-10 clone. Add in the exceptional accuracy and strength, and it tops my list.- Michael Z. Williamson
Two Letters Re: Triage in Emergency Mass Critical Care (EMCC) Events
Dear Jim,
This letter is in response to NC Bluedog's very informative article that appeared today. Here in rural Wisconsin, we have the same problems as he noted--shortage of high-technology life-saving devices. This is due to the overall situation that our medical care industry is dollar-driven. He have a small hospital, and two more within a 15 minute dash via ambulance. Each hospital has at least a four-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with a ventilator per bed, and at least two extra ventilators that can be used outside of their ICUs. Beyond that, there are none available. Extra units would have to be imported from major hospitals within the state. To get these units would take time, along with the funding to lease them--providing the disaster is confined to my area. The hospitals in my area are not sufficiently wealthy to do this in a mass emergency event.
So, in a TEOTWAWKI situation, what can you or I do? There is a solution. Each EMT and Paramedic have in their Rescue bags, a set of airways and a bag-valve mask. Some even have a device called a "Pulse Oximeter." This unit measures the amount of oxygen in the blood. When an airway, bag mask, and Pulse Oximeter are used in conjunction with each other, you have a primitive ventilator. There are more devices that are available to the EMT/Paramedic, but all require more advanced training in their use. I won't go that way here. However, to use these devices requires training, and I suggest that you enroll in the proper program to use them correctly. The only down-side to ventilating a patient in this manner is very time-consuming and labor-intensive. If you must do this for any length of time, I suggest you have several individuals willing to take over and give the proper ventilations to the patient. This method is used in our hospitals as a back-up should there be a ventilator failure.
How much does this cost? The basic set of six airways will run approximately less than $5, and bag-valve-mask starts at approximately $10 and goes up, and the killer is the Pulse Oximeter. I've seen them advertised starting at $300 and continue on up through the roof. If you are a family, and have the need for such a unit, (an asthmatic child, etc.) talk to your insurance company and see what can be done. If you are a member of a group, talk it over and have each member donate toward the cost. Then get proper training. These units together are not hard to use or understand. Think about this when you have your next group meeting. All of these devices can be purchased Over The Counter (OTC) from the better Medical/EMT supply companies.
I hope this small solution will answer a lingering question that any of you have concerning the availability of ventilators in an emergency. Start thinking about, and plan for, the addition of airway management tools to your medical preps. Doing so now will give you an edge up when the day comes. - DS in Wisconsin
Jim:
The other dirty secret that isn't described is that at some point, you will run into staffing issues. I'm an Intensive Care nurse at a big teaching hospital, and I find the challenge of a complex patient: managing ventilators and "dancing on the vasopressors" is second nature and even quite fun.
NC Bluedog makes a good point that the hospitals are chronically short of staff an money, but let's play with the idea further. We'll grant that we've been able to find intrepid and dutiful nurses and physicians who will work for free and will work more than a hundred hours a week. And the Ventilator Fairy drops all of the vents (and warmers, IV pumps, heart monitors, Swan-Ganz monitors, etc, etc, etc...) that we need. Even with the Hollywood Scenario, at some point there will not be staff. Certainly in an outbreak, but I wonder about it often during especially bad flu and pneumonia seasons. There will be no staff because they're all out sick themselves (the stress and long hours having weakened their immune system in the face of super bugs, or just the "run-of-the-mill the native drug-resistant ones we have in the hospitals now), or because they've got a sick family member to care for. Or they have their own kids to look after- recall earlier this year when Singapore (or was it Hong Kong?) closed the schools for two weeks to prevent the spread of an especially bad infection. Someone's going to have to stay home with all those quarantined kids. I can't put them in day care while I head to the hospital after all.
And at some point the devotion to duty will start to fail. Even with the threat of lost licenses (State Boards of Nursing frown on folks who walk away from their patients or who don't show up when needed), folks will feel the need to be home with their kith and kin.
And that's when we reach Kunstler's "World Made by Hand" - Regards, Michael G.
Odds 'n Sods:
R.E. found a link to this map of the population density of the US, Mexico, and Canada. Do you see why I prefer the Western US for retreats? Too bad that Canada has a frigid climate (inland) and such draconian gun laws. Otherwise, much of western Canada would be ideal. See my free Recommended Retreat Areas web page for more detail on my recommendations, and my nonfiction book "Rawles on Retreats and Relocation" for even greater detail, with some very useful accompanying maps.)
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Eric sent us this: Hard-hit consumers turn to Amish--People save by buying 'scratch and dent' and reclaimed grocery items
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Brent mentioned this article about Australian farmers sowing a record-breaking number of hectares in wheat: Sowing, Not Sewing. And speaking of wheat, Bob G. sent us this alarming article:
UN alert: One-fourth of world's wheat at risk from new fungus
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Kevin suggested this piece from Slate: Gauging the risk of an inadvertent nuclear war.
Jim's Quote of the Day:
"Oppression can only survive through silence." - Carmen de Monteflores
1 comment:
Sure pepper spray works but the spray can create a pepper cloud that will gas a whole room so better not to use Pepper Shot Pepper Spray in your juvenile home when the children's are staying there. Because sometime it may hurt children's.
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