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Letter Re: Hurricane Gustav–Learning From Mistakes

Jim,
A friend first introduced me to your blog, and I have begun to seriously consider many of the suggestions made by you and others for preparedness. One of the biggest indicators of a person's level of preparedness is an actual or potential disaster event

My wife and I have lived in Northwestern Louisiana for a little over two years. On the eve of Hurricane Gustav, we realized how unprepared we were for lack of power, water, let alone social breakdown. I certainly didn't expect a major disaster, and we didn't have one, but it is better to be prepared and not need it than get caught wanting.

My wife and I were traveling from a camping trip outside of Houston back to our home, and had the chance to learn by watching others. Halfway home, we stopped at a WalMart to gather some needed supplies (batteries, food, water, etc.) which we thought would be exhausted at home. To our surprise, most people had filled their baskets with chips, sodas, and frozen foods. It was Labor Day, but this particular town seemed to be at a heightened sense of alert for the Hurricane, so I didn't think all these people were prepping for a barbeque. Quite a few were stocking up on beer, coleman fuel, and flashlights.

The rice, beans and canned food shelves were full, as were the ammo shelves. Fruits and Vegetables were stocked to the brim, and the entire produce section was deserted.

While in the checkout lane, my wife and I decided that we need to spend a night a week planning and preparing and keeping inventory of our food supplies. My brother and his wife are beginning to understand the ramifications of being unprepared, and also have decided to take stock of their preparedness situation. I have thought long and hard about becoming prepared, but have taken very little action.

This mild scare has motivated me to get it in gear.

Thank you for your dedication to teaching and sharing your knowledge and experience with others. Without your blog, I would have never begun to think about being prepared in bad times. Thanks, - Matt S.

Letter Re: How Much Ammo to Carry?

Hello Mr. Rawles,
You are a great man for what you do! You have shaped my life in many ways and most certainly opened my eyes to many things, and for that thank you. I have recently started my own small TEOTWAWKI preparedness group of like-minded Christians.

We have standardized our gear but I have no idea how much ammo we should carry on our web gear, and if we should have a combo of rifle and pistol ammo. We have a lot of ammo stockpiled but we are wondering about patrols and other times when we would need to be away from our retreat location.
Thank you for any help you can offer. - California Guy

JWR Replies: My general guidance for a retreat security "basic load" for truly inimical times is:

.308 semi-auto rifle: Four spare 20 round magazines.

AK-47, AK-74 or .223 semi-auto rifle: Six spare 30 round magazines

Pistol caliber SMG: Eight spare 30 or 32 round magazines .

M1 Garand:10 spare loaded 8-round clips.

.30 caliber bolt action rifle: 80 rounds. (Hopefully, you'll have a rifle with either a detachable magazine or a stripper clip guide, for faster loading.)

SKS: 120 rounds on 10 round stripper clips. (12 full stripper clips.)

Riotgun: 50 buckshot shells, and 7 to 10 rifled slug shells (depending pouch configurations)

Handgun (supplementing a rifle or riotgun): four spare magazines for single stack magazine pistols, or three spare magazines for double stack guns.

Revolver (supplementing a rifle or riotgun): six spare speed loaders or full moon clips.

All of the above noted quantities might vary, depending on the situation. For example, if you are foraging for game you'd surely want to substitute some soft nose ammo, and birdshot. If you are on a preemptive offensive raid (God forbid), you'd probably want to carry much more ammo. Ditto for stocking an LP/OP or what you'd carry in a vehicle, where weight and space are not paramount concerns. If on a long range "avoid all contact" reconnaissance patrol or if you are inside your perimeter doing chores, you'd probably carry much less ammo.

I generally recommend carrying semi-auto rifle magazines loaded with tracers for the last three rounds in each magazine. (In the stress of defensive shooting situations you almost certainly won't be counting rounds, so the flash of tracers will cue you to switch magazines.) Your state/local laws and wildfire conditions, of course might preclude this.

Again, varying circumstances might very likely necessitate some increases or decreases to what I've suggested. And, of course, your physical stature and fitness or mountainous terrain might also dictate some changes.

One closing note for readers in California and other hopolophobic states that have enacted magazine bans: You will likely have to make do with smaller magazines. Make the best of it until you can move to state with greater freedom. At least California's "high capacity" magazine ban has a grandfather clause for any 11+ round magazines that you legally possessed on or before December 31, 1999. New York (state) also grandfathers any 11+ round magazines that were made before September of 1994, regardless of when you acquired them. Consult your state and local laws!

Letter Re: Is a Little Ice Age Approaching?

Hi Jim,
Thought you might find this article interesting: Sun Makes History: First Spotless Month in a Century

As a scientist (Oceanography) I have been astounded with scientists who can not see the forest through the trees when it comes to global warming. The ocean temperatures have been dropping over the last 1-to-2 years (as well as the overall temperature on Mars). Correlate the ocean temperature with sun spot activity and you do not need any more “proof” as this will show the direct cause-effect relationship of the sun to the temperature of the oceans.

Note that if we do get a “mini-ice age” in the next 10 years, then there will be a massive shift in demographics as northerners head south! Retreat locale may have to rethought for more northern regions unless you like living in “Siberia”. God Bless, - MRL.

Odds ‘n Sods:

I noticed that the spot price of silver dipped below $12.70 per ounce for the first time in many moons. Given the pitiful intrinsic value of the US Dollar, in my opinion silver priced anywhere south of $13.50 is a bargain. Buy on the dips!

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Reader "MGB" flagged a web site that illustrate which countries to avoid for offshore banking: This US IRS page shows the countries that have "transparency" via tax treaties And MGB recommend the Sovereign Society web site as a resource for comparing banking privacy of various nations.

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Naish Piazza's blog features a link to a great video produced for the US Marine Corps: In the Fight… Even When Shot. OBTW, speaking of Naish Piazza, Front Sight "Get a Gun" training and gear package offer will be ending soon. This is your chance to get five days of awesome training and an XD pistol and a lot of other gear and useful references for less than the normal cost of the training alone. Don't miss out on this deal, or you will regret it later!

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Simon in England sent us some evidence that the public fear of guns in the UK Nanny State has gone absolutely ballistic. Simon writes: "A SNP (Scottish National Party) councillor - Jahangir Hanif - almost got the sack for shooting a gun legally (years before he became a councillor) when on holiday in Pakistan. Instead, he got "a two-month suspension". No, you have not read that wrong. He broke no laws in Pakistan, Scotland, or the UK but there is still a call to sack him." Here are some links to news stories about this man's public humiliation for daring to shooting a gun recreationally: Councillor Kalashnikov, Kalashnikov councillor suspended, SNP refuse to kick out 'Kalashnikov councillor', Kalashnikov councillor escapes SNP expulsion, What has become of Scotland the Brave? William Wallace must be restless in his grave. OBTW, if any politicians from Scotland would like to engage in some similar "foolish and inappropriate conduct", they are welcome to come visit the Rawles Ranch. Perhaps we'll even fire some "evil" tracer ammo or detonate some Tannerite charges with one of my L1A1 ("SLR") rifles. That should send the UK tabloid press into an absolute paroxysm of hopolophobic frenzy.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"The amount of gold in existence is finite. It cannot be increased any faster than by 1.6% per annum (the rate at which mines are producing gold). Whereas the amount of money in circulation is currently expanding at double-digit levels, on a worldwide basis, the U.S. M3 money supply back in 1980 was 1.8 trillion dollars. Today, according to economist John Williams, the U.S. M3 money supply has ballooned to almost 15 trillion dollars. Some of that extra money has the potential to move into gold." - Peter Degraaf, in Is the Price of Gold Artificially Depressed?

Notes from JWR:

The high bid in the SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction is now at $350. The auction for a mixed lot that includes: Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried foods in #10 cans, (donated by Ready Made Resources--a $320 value), a NukAlert radiation detector, (donated by KI4U--a $160 value), a Wilson Tactical COP tool, (donated by Choate Machine and Tool Company, a $140 value), a DVD of 480 E-books on Alternative Energy (donated by WK Books--a $25 value). The auction ends on September 15, 2008. Please e-mail us your bid.

Today we present another entry for Round 18 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The contest prizes include:

First Prize: The writer of the best contributed article in the next 60 days will be awarded two transferable Front Sight  "Gray" Four Day Training Course Certificates. This is an up to $4,000 value!
Second Prize: A three day course certificate from OnPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner's choice of three-day civilian courses.
Third Prize: A copy of my "Rawles Gets You Ready" preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing

Round 18 ends on September 30th, 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.

Survival Medicine and Ditch Medicine, by Josh in Montana

There may come a time when we are no longer afforded the luxury of dialing 911 to receive prompt emergency medical care within minutes. You yourself may be faced with a sick or injured loved one, having nobody to turn to but you and your skills as well as inventory of supplies to provide critical interventions.

My lively hood is emergency pre-hospital medicine. Having earned a degree in Paramedicine in 2002, I have worked and currently still work as a full time paramedic for a department that sees over 4500 runs a year. I myself serve as lead medic or, “team leader” on close to 200 runs or “calls” per year. Over the past six years, I have participated in over 2500 emergencies first hand. I feel obligated to offer this article to those of you who may not have such an exhaustive exposure to injury and illness in the out of hospital setting. I also serve as a local tactical paramedic on the police department SWAT team, where I am affectionately referred to as “Doc”.

I would recommend to any of you interested, in researching your local educational programs or community colleges in search for a Emergency Medical Technician Basic course. This is a short duration and fairly entry level class on basic life support.

Most of us here are familiar with a G.O.O.D. pack. Equally as bulky and most likely as heavy would be a medical bag. Now, any tactical team with a medic is than going to have one guy, the medic, carrying a large medical bag. The one I carry for SWAT is easily over 35 pounds, perhaps 40. In addition, every member of the tactical team should also be personally equipped with a, “blow out kit”. This is a small personal medical bag that is clipped to either a hip or belt rig and part of your web gear. I will provide inventories for all of these items later on.

More important than all the trinkets, goodies, cool stuff and gnarly items you can purchase and put into a pack, is the knowledge of how to use and apply those items to an injured or sick patient. You must educate yourself on the pathophysiological process of the many illnesses and injuries you may encounter. This can be done over time, with the right books and reference materials. I recommend Mosby’s Paramedic Textbook in conjunction with the Merck Manual, Emergency War Surgery, and Where There Is No Doctor. Another book that I value as a paramedic is The Street Medic's Handbook.
Knowing the priorities of the sick or injured patient is broken down into a simple and common pneumonic called. “the ABC’s”. It is the fundamental order in which the caregiver approaches the sick and injured patient. I will try to walk you through the mindset of find and fix patient care that hopefully you can put into your tool box and never have to use.

When first alerted to the fact that you have an ill or wounded individual, you must first take into consideration your own personal safety. You must ask yourself, “Is what happened to them, going to happen to me?” This is critical not only for your safety, but to prevent you from also becoming wounded and no longer being of use to your team or others. After determining or making the scene safe, by either neutralizing the threat or dominating the location with support from other members you can begin to approach your patient. Keep in mind this would be different in an indoor verses outdoor scenario and also different for medical versus trauma.

When approaching the patient, you need to begin to observe them. Look for their movements, obvious injuries that you can see as you approach. Listen for gurgling or difficulty breathing. Talk to them and see if they respond. With this information, as you approach, you can form a general impression of the patient. Are they conscious? Can they move on their own power? What is the nature of the illness or the injury? Can you see any bleeding? Are their eyes open and staring, fixed, gazing, or looking around and able to focus? Are they conscious or not?
Once you are at their side, you begin a rapid assessment of the ABC’s. You find and fix problems as you go. Keep in mind on an emergency scene with a critical patient, we often use up to 3-5 paramedics for a serious patient. Two is the minimum number of caregivers you would want for a patient.

First you assess their level of consciousness. Ask them four simple questions. Who are you? What happened? Where are you? What time/day/month is it? This is referred to as alert to person, place, time and event. Most of us can answer these four questions 100% of the time. Unless severely intoxicated or suffering from a head injury, stroke, or shock, people can answer these questions. This gives you an idea as to the patients mental status and level of consciousness.

Next comes the all important (A) Airway. The airway is key. The airway refers to the nose and passages behind it (nasopharynx), the mouth and the area posterior or behind the tongue (oropharynx). Without an adequate airway, your patient will die and die quickly. The airway must be checked and rechecked on all critical patients. Common problems you will encounter with the airway on the sick or injured will be: fluids such as blood or emesis (vomit), foreign body obstructions (choking), broken teeth, tongue blocking airway, and head positioning. The airway of the patient, if the patient is unable to clear themselves, must be cleared by a caregiver. Depending on the mental status and present condition of your patient, will depend on how involved you will need to be in maintaining the airway. Also I must state that any severely injured patient due to trauma (car accidents, falls, assaults, etc.) must be thought of as having a cervical spine (neck) injury. This makes all care more complicated, as this patient requires cervical spine immobilization as well as full body immobilization to a long back board until cervical and spinal injury have been ruled out. This is a complicated and controversial issue, and different agencies have different protocols on how and when paramedics can rule out a spinal injury with assessments done in the field. Any numbness, tingling, paralysis, “electrical shock” feelings, in the hands or feet or legs must be thought of as indicative of a spinal injury. In that case, God be with you.

When approaching the airway, look inside and only remove items you can see. The fluids can be remedied with a portable hand suction. A patient that continues to actively vomit should be placed on their left side and allowed to expectorate (cough up) the vomit. Assist with suction to remove fluid. The risk of aspiration is increased in the unconscious patient. Aspiration is the act of taking in foreign material into the pulmonary (lungs) space. This can lead to aspirated pneumonia and death. I will not explain the many Basic and advanced procedures for maintaining an airway, as these can be found in further reading. Remember, if you don’t have an airway, soon you won’t have a patient!

(B) Breathing is the next assessment stage. In tactical medicine bleeding comes before breathing. Just remember here, that you should look for and immediately fix any profuse bleeding, especially arterial bleeding. I will address this in the circulation portion next. For breathing, you need to look, listen and feel to see if the patient is breathing adequately to support life. An adult should be breathing 12-20 times per minute. Interventions are required for respirations less than 8 per minute and more than 30. Look for chest rise to see and count if the patient is breathing. Listen for the movement of air at their mouth, as well as listen for adventitious sounds that indicate problems with the airway or lungs. Look to make sure the chest is rising equally on both sides. A stethoscope and the knowledge of what to listen for is critical to understanding the respiratory status of a patient. Wheezes, rales, rhonchi, stridor, silence, all of these represent a variety of different events that may be taking place in a patients pulmonary system. Problems with the breathing must be properly diagnosed or ruled out and fixed as you find them.

(C) Circulation, is as you guessed, the “C” in the ABC’s . Find and fix bleeding. When I say bleeding, I mean the kind of bleeding that is going to kill them today, not the little raspberry on their knee. Here you will ascertain the hemodynamic status of the patient. Feel for a pulse at anterior lateral forearm where the wrist and thumb come together. Right over the joint of your wrist you should feel a pulse, if not you are in the wrong spot. Look it up, this is the radial pulse. With this present you can be pretty certain that the patient has a blood pressure of anywhere from 80-90 systolic. Also count the rate. Count the beats in 15 seconds and multiply by four. That is how many beats they are doing in a minute. The average adult is at 80-100 beats per minute. Without exercise, anything past 100 indicates a fast hear, or tachycardia and can indicate blood loss, shock, illness, sepsis, or a variety of other problems. Other locations to assess a pulse are the neck or carotid, the femoral (over the crease where your upper thigh meets you pelvis).

Controlling bleeding is done by a variety of measures. If one does not suffice, continue to do it while moving on to establish the next treatment. First is direct pressure over the wound with bandage or gloved hand. Next, elevate the wound above the heart. Then there is the pressure point. The pressure point is the major artery that feeds the area you area attempting to control bleeding from. You go above the wound, or between the heart and the wound site and provide direct pressure to the artery. Last and highly controversial, requiring training and experience is the tourniquet. Many new products have arrived due to recent global conflicts. QuickClot is a new product designed to hasten the clotting factors and form a clot over a wound. This can be ordered from numerous Internet vendors.

While assessing circulation after you assess the pulse rate, quality and rhythm, you should look at their skin color. Are they pale? Is there skin dry or sweaty? Are they cool or hot? If you are privileged to have a cardiac monitor, put them on it and see what their heart is doing. You most likely don’t have one, and if you do you most likely know how to look at rhythms, so I don’t need to go into that and you don’t need this article. Circulation is this, pink warm and dry is good skin. Pale, cool and diaphoretic (sweaty) is bad.

Assessment of the skin and circulation will aid you in determining if your patient is suffering from shock. Shock is the lay person word for hypoperfusion or the lack of oxygen carried to cells. Cells start to die and this causes more cells to die. The five types of shock are hypovolemic shock (low blood volume) either due to blood loss or dehydration, Cardiogenic shock (bad heart), neurogenic shock (spinal injury), anaphylactic shock (severe allergic reaction), and septic shock (severe infection). All of these require rapid and correct interventions within short time frames for patients to survive.
After your initial assessment, you can move on to assess the patients disability and neurological functions. Check their grip strength, sensations in feet and hands being equal, motor skills, etc. For the elderly or any potential stroke patient I perform a Cincinnati stroke scale here or earlier if that is my suspicion. Get a set of vital signs now. Heart rate, Blood pressure and respirations. Splint and stabilize any fractures returning them to the anatomical correct position. Assess the pulses of any fracture before and after adjustment. Administer oxygen if you have not done so already.

Finally if time allows, get a SAMPLE history from the patient. This acronym stands for Signs and Symptoms, allergies, medications, pertinent past medical history, last oral intake and events leading up to event.

Supplies For Medical Kit:
Oxygen Bottle* Non-rebreather mask Nasal Cannula IV supplies*
Magill Forceps Leatherman Stethoscope Blood Pressure Cuff
Gloves Face shield Flashlight Advanced airways*
Hand Suction NPA’s OPA’s CPR Pocket mask Bag valve mask
Syringes #10 Scalpel Variety of Gauze pads Stretch bandages
Trauma pads Quick Clot Water proof tape SAM splints x2
Trauma Shears Hemostats pen-light Glucometer
Glucose gel Occlusive dressings Transpore tape 3” Cloth tape
Advanced Life Support Medications*

*Indicates prescription only and illegal to possess items unless under a doctors care, supervision or operating in the emergency pre-hospital environment.

A "Blow out" kits contain far less items and only essentials for minor wound care.

I hope this helps someday in a time of need, and serves as an introduction into pre-hospital care. Provisos: Do not take this as gospel. Do nothing illegal. Do not perform any of this care based on this article alone. Always use discretion and call 911 immediately in an emergency (while it is still up and running). Educate yourself further and be diligent. Medicine is important and the knowledge you gain may save your life or the life of a loved one. Take care.

Letter Re: Some Storage SNAFUs

Jim:
Why do the incredibly robust "cheap" imported AKs have chrome lined bores , yet some of the expensive and finicky American-made ARs not chrome lined? Well, if you live in a humid climate, it makes a difference. I made the classic error of storing my guns in gun cases. In fact, that's the worst way to store them as the humidity accumulates inside. One of them had nearly rusted solid in three years.

Thanks to the ministrations of another firearm enthusiast, all my guns are being de-rusted, dipped in preservative oil and mylar bagged along with oxygen absorbents, rust inhibitor tabs and desiccants.
I don't want to talk about what happened to the barrel of my M21 so just don't ask. If you live in a humid climate, then consider the PS90. Mostly plastic, hi capacity, very ergonomic.
I also learned about the weight limitations of gamma seals. I just noticed that when I put ammo in 5 gallon buckets with Gamma seal ls on them, if I go over three buckets high, the bottom seal breaks and falls into the bucket. Now I limit it to two high and only lightweight buckets on top. - SF in Hawaii

JWR Replies: Thanks for being so frank. Perhaps other readers learn from your mistakes and avoid some costly problems.

A humid climate dictates extreme vigilance for gun storage. Here is my general guidance:

1.) Clean thoroughly, lubricate heavily, and inspect frequently.
2.) If storing guns in a vault or a wall cache, invest in a Golden Rod dehumidifier. But don't expect it to be a miracle panacea. Mark your calendar with reminders for monthly inspections!
3.) Never, ever use a muzzle cap for more than an hour or two. They are for use in the field, not for storage!
4.) R.I.G., silica gel, and and VCI paper are your friends.
5.) If you use grease or a heavy coating of oil in a gun bore and/or its chamber, then be sure to tag the gun with a prominent reminder to yourself to remove the grease it before firing. (Not doing so can be a safety hazard!)
5.) Do NOT use oxygen absorbing packets for gun storage! These are designed specifically to kill insect larvae in stored food. These packets use a chemical reaction of moisture, salt, and ferric oxide (rust!) to consume the oxygen in a confined space. These packets can be bad news for stored guns. Instead, I recommend that you use silica gel to prevent rust. Silica gel packets also have the advantage that they can be re-used many times if you dry them out in an oven or a dehydrator overnight. (Since they employ a chemical reduction process, oxygen absorbing packets can only be used once.)

Odds ‘n Sods:

KAF recommended this: Documentary shows tough reality of doctors in war. (Warning: Not for children or for the squeamish!)

   o o o

Cheryl N. sent us yet another raft of economic news and commentary: Stagflation Becoming Economic Reality, FDIC Admits Short-Term Loans Might Be Needed, The Building Storm: Gold, the Dollar and Inflation, WAMU The Killer Bank, US Thrifts Lost $5.4bn in 2Q, Second Largest Ever, Bankruptcy Filings Near 1M in Past 12 Months; Up Almost 30%, Economic Depression: Who Will Suffer Least?,
Credit Crunch: It's Just The Beginning Of The End, Private Foreign Investors Dump US Debt, and Bankruptcies Soar for Senior Citizens. OBTW, in recognition of her many hours of tireless research, I think that it is time that we elevate Cheryl to "Economics Editor", and send her some more free books.

   o o o

An friend that is an American ex-pat wrote to ask about the EcoloBlue water generator. Do any SurvivalBlog readers have first-hand experience with one of these? I'm curious about how much current they draw, and their maintenance requirements. If they are indeed practical and low maintenance, then they might make sense for someone that lives in an area with plentiful sunshine (and excess photovoltaic power capacity) and a shortage of drinking water. Buying one of these is beyond my budget, but perhaps not for some SurvivalBlog readers.

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Hurricane Gustav was downgraded to a Category 2 tropical storm, but it still packed a wallop: Hundreds of thousands lose power as Gustav pounds coast

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Depression, especially in a highly leveraged world that is accustomed to prosperity, would likely result in serious civil strife. Politically, it must be avoided no matter what the economic or financial costs. Despite 'spin-talk' to the effect that the Fed is pursuing a dual mandate to both fight inflation and promote growth, in reality they are simply trying to promote growth pure and simple. This is the reality that few market analysts or journalists dare to mention." - John Browne

Notes from JWR:

It appears that tropical storm Gustav may be gaining force to hurricane strength, and is aimed at the coast of Louisiana. I trust that SurvivalBlog readers are well prepared and will be able to help out any friends or relatives, and even strangers that are displaced. As a Christian, I believe that charity is not just an arbitrary option depending on our moods. It is our duty.

The folks over at The Oil Drum, have posted some speculation: Hurricane Gustav, Energy Infrastructure, and Updated Damage Models. If there is indeed damage to the oil industry, we can expect a spike in oil and gasoline prices. Plan accordingly.

I'm pleased to report that I've signed a contract with Ulysses Press of Berkeley, California, to publish a new edition of my novel "Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse". It should be available in late 2008 or early 2009. Because of the publisher's quantity discount pricing, the new edition should be much more appealing to retail book dealers. The new edition will be slightly updated, and feature a new cover design. The current edition from XLibris will be available until just before the new edition from Ulysses Press is orderable. (I'll be announcing that in the blog, hopefully in November. Please do not contact the new publisher until then.)

It is gratifying to see that a novel that has been published for 10 years is still selling with such consistency! I wrote the first draft of the novel in the winter of 1990-1991, and that short draft was circulated on the Internet as shareware. I had no idea then that it would have such popularity and longevity!

Letter Re: The Shenandoah Valley as a Retreat Locale?

James:
"Doug Carlton" makes many salient points for those currently searching for retreat locations. Might I add a couple more that helped me in finding our place in southwest Virginia.

For every region of interest to me, I gathered a century worth of census data, available online. If you want to get a good picture of a community, this is an excellent place to start.

Second, I read Mark Monmonier's "Cartographies of Danger." Monmonier is a bit of an odd duck in the professorial geography/mapping community. I have no idea of his world view, but everything he writes is engaging and informative. "Cartographies of Danger" is perhaps unique in the world of scholarship-based publishing in that it a very low political correctness factor. He calls 'em like he sees 'em, including insightful content on social instabilities. Of course, it includes the items you would expect especially the distribution and frequency of natural disaster occurrences that I had not fully appreciated before. All the Best, - Crusher

JWR Replies: Most SurvivalBlog readers are well aware that my view of economics is of the Austrian school. Perhaps less well known is that my view of history is of the geographical determinist school. I've been enthusiastically in that camp for three decades. That viewpoint is part of what has driven my strong emphasis on relocation to lightly-populated regions that are well removed from major population centers and safely away from refugee lines of drift.

Letter Re: Night Operations

James:
Regarding Pete C.'s article on night operations: The great (but now sadly defunct) magazine "Coevolution Quarterly" had a great article about night vision development sometime in the 1980s (I've got a copy of it hanging around here somewhere, if only I was organized enough to lay my hands on it) that gave a brilliant method for training night sight via peripheral vision. The technique involved taking something like a lightweight brazing rod and attaching it [off-center] to the bill of a baseball cap. On the end of the rod, you attached a small white ball or disc, which you focused on as you walked. Finding a clear path on a moonless, lightless night, you put on the cap and focus on the ball/disc and begin walking. I tried this a couple of nights and though it took a while to really get the technique down, when you became adjusted to it, the effect easily rivaled that of artificial night vision devices. Apparently, with a bit of repeated practice, you can do away with the cap and fall right into the "de-focus" that allows or the ready use of peripheral vision for natural, intensified light gathering. Pete C's article reminds me that I need to try this again, and get comfortable enough with it that I can do it at will. Regards, - Hawaiian K.

Letter Re: Amaranth–A Weed You Can Eat

Sir,
I have been organic gardening for 50 years. At one time I had the largest organic produce gardens in northern Ohio. I'm good at it.
Some years ago, some people staying with me asked if they could plant a little Amaranth in one of my gardens. They related how Amaranth may be the most consumed food in human history. It is super productive, and very nutritious. I allowed them to plant some. That was a big mistake.

If you are not really careful to harvest every seed, it will spread like wildfire. Within a year or two, it will be all over your property. If you want weed-free gardens, this is not the plant to encourage. It grows tall and thick, and can and will choke out all your other vegetables. It took me a huge amount of work to get rid of it.

Amaranth is good food, but be careful what you ask for. If you must have it, plant it a long, long way from your other gardens. Harvest every bit. And don't let the birds spread it. - Jim in Ohio

Odds ‘n Sods:

Eric sent us this tale of unintended consequences: Wind Energy Bumps Into Power Grid’s Limits

   o o o

Some interesting demographics: The study is a bit dated, but a 2001 survey showed Wyoming as the state with the highest rate of gun ownership: The top three states were Wyoming (59.7%), Alaska (57.8%), and Montana (57.7%). Following close behind---all at around 55%--were Idaho, South Dakota, Mississippi and West Virginia. By the way, a neighbor told me that when a gal in Wyoming gets serious about finding a husband, all she has to do is switch her perfume to Hoppes #9, and the bachelors will line up at her door. (For those uninitiated in the shooting fraternity: Hoppes #9 is a rifle bore cleaner with a distinctive smell.)

   o o o

Frequent (and copious) content contributor Cheryl N. sent us another big batch of economic news and commentary: New Credit Hurdle Looms for Banks, World Largest Gold Refiner Runs Out, Is Your Bank About to Implode?, FDIC Will Need Half A Trillion Dollars, Surge in US Foreclosures Surge Past Subprimes, Debt Threatens the Entire System, Use of Food Stamps at Farmers' Markets Rise,
and The US is the Next Argentina.

   o o o

Safecastle is offering folks a free hardcover copy of James Kunstler's best selling Peak Oil novel, "World Made By Hand" (retail value of $24) with the purchase of a $19 lifetime Safecastle Royal buyers club membership. Or, for those who are already members, the book is free with any purchase of at least $170 (after the club 20% discount). Speaking of Kunstler, SurvivalBlog reader Scott H. pointed us to a an audio interview with him, over at Financial Sense.

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Rand Refinery Ltd., the world's largest gold refinery, ran out of South African Krugerrands after an ``unusually large'' order from a buyer in Switzerland. Hmmmm... Sounds like the smart money is is taking advantage in the recent dip in precious metals prices. Have you? (A hat tip to Kevin A for the the link.)

Jim's Quote of the Day:

"It's fairly clear to see that the [UK] government's figure for the rate of inflation has nothing at all to do with the real increase in our cost of living. The figure is deliberately manufactured in order to crush benefit payments, pensions and workers' pay rises." John Andrews in The Price of Eggs .

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"It's fairly clear to see that the [UK] government's figure for the rate of inflation has nothing at all to do with the real increase in our cost of living. The figure is deliberately manufactured in order to crush benefit payments, pensions and workers' pay rises." John Andrews in The Price of Eggs .

Two Letters Re: Amaranth–A Weed You Can Eat

James,
I just wanted to let you know that this plant ([considered] a weed) is usually killed off as a pest, yet is more nutritious then wheat. It grows all over the place and if it was planted on purpose it might help a lot for people looking to survive.

Deane’s site is packed full of plants worth looking in to for food! (A good source of info while the power is up! YouTube really does have everything!)’ - Fitzy in Pennsylvania

James Wesley;

In response to the person setting up a Michigan retreat, I saw mention of Amaranth as one of his grains set aside. Amaranth will grow quite handily as a "weed" in North America, has one of the highest protein contents of any grain (not gluten either, for those that are gluten sensitive) and extremely high content of lysine. It grows rapidly and can have grain heads over 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) with over half a million seeds therein.

I can think of few choices better suited to unsupervised growing [at an unattended retreat] than Amaranth. - Dave R.

Letter Re: Reusing Restaurant Food Ingredient Containers

Mr Rawles,
I've been thinking a lot about storing food like grains in the olive containers that get thrown out at the restaurant where I'm currently working. There made of what I assume to be food grade plastic (olive storage) and looks like they store about 7-to-8 liters. The lid is made of two pieces and has a rubber seal. If I were to wash these off a bit do you think they would serve as long term food containers?
Thanks, - Paul from Canada

JWR Replies: Those containers should be fine, since they are doubtless made of food grade plastic. Just be sure to inspect the seals to make sure that they are pliable and intact. Most of these olive buckets, barrels and tubs are made of HDPE. Since there is a slight chance of the odors from original contents permeating your grain, I recommend that you thoroughly clean the containers. (Via repeated soaking with hot, soapy water) Also, be sure to use use a mylar liner bag in each container . These liners are available in various sizes from Nitro-Pak. BTW, the same company also has a good reputation as a supplier for freshly-made oxygen absorbing packets that are properly sealed well for shipment.

Two Letters Re: Poor Customer Service From Buckshot’s Camp

Mr. Rawles,
I hate to bother you, but thought you might have heard if someone was ill or passed away at Buckshot's camp?
I placed an order which was billed out, and never got it. I have called several times and got the recording, and e-mailed also, but have never heard back from them. This has been since May. I was just wondering if you had heard anything about them, and thought maybe you know someone that may know them. The game trap article in today's blog, brought this up, and I'm just grasping at straws to see if someone knows them. Thanks, - Rod

Dear Mr. Rawles,
I recently ordered a snare kit and DVD on how to use it from Buckshot's Camp online at the beginning of July [2008]. I have yet to receive shipment and have had no response to e-mails or phone calls.

I checked the BBB finally and found that he has an unsatisfactory rating with them. So I wanted to let you and your readers know this since in the past you have suggested him as a supplier of traps and snares. Stay prepared, - Michael in Oklahoma

JWR Replies: Buckshot's Camp hasn't advertised with us since early 2006. I dropped them as an advertiser because of their poor customer service. (BTW, they were one of just two advertisers that I've been forced to remove in the three years that SurvivalBlog has been up and running. All of our other 80+ advertisers have sterling reputations.) I removed my links to Buckshot's Camp in my Links page at the same time.

I'm sorry to hear that you had the order fulfillment problem Bruce Hemming's ex-wife. (She owns the mail order business, as part of their divorce settlement.)

Please pray for Bruce and his ex-wife. They need to reconcile themselves to each other and to their slighted customers. And of course we all need to reconcile ourselves to God.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader A.M. in Cocoa, Florida sent a link to a very interesting video clip about a solar/hydrogen powered house. Coveting is a sin, but I must admit that I sorely wish that I had his sort of budget.

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Kevin A. recommended a piece of commentary by Darryl Schoon: Don't Cry For Me Argentina... Save Your Tears For Yourself

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Some escalation in the war of words in the nascent Cold War II: Russia Issues warning : Military help for Georgia is a 'declaration of war', and Russia bans poultry imports from 19 U.S. suppliers, and
Russia may cut off oil flow to the West . Thanks to readers KAF, Susan Z., and Mr. X, for the links.

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Derek C. notes that anyone interested in some light game theory reading, might consider a piece from the Cato Institute, on how fiat money emerges from a barter economy. Derek describes it": "The author's (quite intuitive) point is that fiat money comes from convertible paper money, which in turn comes from actual commodity money, which in turn comes from barter. this transference arises because barter is an inherently unattractive form of exchange, because of high transaction and search costs. The article has implications for the re-monetization of precious metal commodities, following an economic collapse."

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Anther Friday, another bank failure: Integrity Bank, in Alpharetta, Georgia. There will be many more bank runs in the next few years, so be ready.