Survival Rations...

Survival rations (SR) should be part of every preppers stock. SR's are different from your standard stock of food in that they provide nutrition in only the most dire situations. Mainstay 3600 emergency food rations are that type of food. Each bar provides 400 calories for a total of 3600 calories per package. The rations are US Coast Guard approved and they recommend 3 bars per day per person on land and 2 bars per person at sea. Thus each package provides a minimum of 3 days of nutrition per person. A case comes with 10 packages or 30 days worth of nutrition for 1 person. A case goes for ~ $53. The rations have a 5 yr shelf life. Each 24 oz package is about 5inx5in by 1in thick.
Ok, sounds semi-spiffy, but how do they taste? Not too bad actually...something similar to a lemon bar. The big aspect is that the bars do not make you thirsty, something many rations cannot claim, but key in getting a USCG approved ration.

Sanitation...the stinky problem.

I thought I would start the new year off with something usually overlooked....sanitiation during times of disaster. Many stock up on loads of TP and then really don't think about the issue after that. So what to do when the water stops running and the TP runs out? This is a subject many don't like to breach, but it a daily issue that must be addressed.

Sanitation after a disaster is a huge issue. The potential for disease outbreak is massive...the present situation in Haiti is a great example.

Bugging In:

People on sewer systems, especially low lying coastal areas face a serious issue. Though toilets can be flushed by pouring water into the tanks, when flushed it goes no further than your area lift station holding tank. With the power off these lift stations stop working and the holding tanks fill up. Either the waste will begin to flood the streets or it will back up into your house. Neither is a good option. Those on septic systems can continue to flush...though this is a huge waste of water.

If it is a short term disaster solutions are easy...probably the simplest is the 5 gal toilet. Available for purchase from several suppliers or you can make your own. This is also a good option for those bugging out via BOV.

A longer term solution is a 55 gal drum that can be constructed into a composting toilet if you are feeling really adventurous. Additionally a small septic system can easily be constructed.

A great book for waste composting...-The Humanure Handbook: A Guide to Composting Human Manure, Third Edition - Joseph C. Jenkins .

Bugging out:

Ok so you have to bug out. If going BOV, most think heck I'll just pull over and go (which is exactly what the masses will do). This again sets up the potential for disease spread as well as water contamination. With the BOV you can carry a 5 gal bucket...but I suggest you have one with the bottom cut out...dig a hole and presto..mini loo. But is is good to be responsible..a great book that addresses going in the wild and applies to any mode of bugging out.

-How to Shit in the Woods, Second Edition: An Environmentally Sound Approach to a Lost Art - Kathleen Meyer

Holy Smokes I'm out of TP?!...now what?

Fortunately, someone has already done a study. Though a bit on the 'bold' side, they try several different substitutes...I'll let you read and decide for yourself.

I'm a slacker...

credit

Yea, I know I haven't posted in a while, and I'm lacking a decent excuse, but get ready...a bunch of reviews are coming, and I might even make an attempt at the dreaded video posting...at the very least it should be hilarious...or not.

-PS

The Madness of a Society.

This video is a bit political (with some religious undertones) but drives home the serious problem this country will shortly face. I know I'm 'preaching to the choir' on this, but it clearly shows the problem.
There is one silly aspect in the video referencing the contrail off CA that was initially mistaken for a missile...other than that it is right on as far as the masses are concerned.

Gear Review S.O. Tech Mission Go Bag and Mission Bag Extended

S.O. Tech has 2 products I like, Go Bag Extended and Mission Go Bag. I was looking for something in the bailout bag arena. Something to basically get me home should a sudden disaster occur. Something I could easily stash in my truck that was much smaller than a standard bug out bag. I think these fit the bill. these certainly aren't cheap items...but you get what you pay for.



The Go Bag Extended is perfect for compact carbines (broken down) with side pouches for spare mags, loops for attachments and larger pockets for other necessities.
In mine: AR-15, 6 spare mags, 2- G21 mags, IFAK, water container, water filtration, energy bars, weapons cleaning kit, Wiley goggles, RMJ Loggerhead, shemagh, survival tin fishing kit.


The Mission Go Bag is similar to a messenger bag, but with plenty of pockets inside....the problem is I tend to over stuff it.
Glock 21, 2 spare mags, 2-AR-15 mags, water, silver coinage, binos, notepad,multitool, knife sharpener, knife, flashlight, blowout kit, radiac meter, stripped MRE, gloves.

Just a little walk...

I was out on a little walk today, and thought OK let's do a little prepper thinking. What if....I needed to find food, start a fire etc. It's winter time and things are looking a bit bleak where I am hiking, what food is available quickly? I immediately went to my favorite place, the fallen tree.
With my trusty, always on me leatherman, I popped open the bark to find.


Food! Termites...though a bit intensive to collect, they are nutritious with high levels of protein and fat (badly needed in cold weather).

I decided to think a bit bigger. Looking on the ground I was surrounded with pine cones...ooo pine nuts!



Unfortunately these pine nuts had been on the ground a bit too long and had turned to mush. So I moved on and spotted a good sign.



The game trail was well used with some fresh sign from the night before by a raccoon.




The great thing about racoons, especially in Florida, is they are excellent scavangers. Find where a racoon has gone to eat and you can find some good eats (crabs, mussels, etc.). Raccoons themselves are also very good eating though they run a risk of carrying diseases (true of most wild animals).

Then I found the big sign..




Wild boar tracks which lead to a large wallow area. This gave me the indication of a good size group of wild pigs in the area. Setting up a dead fall or careful hunting position could produce a large amount of food in short order. So next time you are out on a walk...look around and see what food is available. Don't worry salad fans, I'll get to plants next.....

Life to imitate Art?....Will 'I am Legend' (the movie), come true?

I get worried when humans try to play 'God' and begin messing with DNA, much less anything else that has the potential to mutate into something quite deadly.

Regardless of which side of the embrionic stem cell research discussion, the fact remains that chaos rules and genetic anomalies can and do occur.

The MSM isn't covering this at all so the only site I could find the article on was an anti-stem cell research site (so read with a critical eye).

FDA OKs First Embryonic Stem Cell Research Trial on Humans, Despite Concerns
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Obama administration has approved the bid by cloning company Geron to undertake the first trial involving the use of embryonic stem cells in humans. They have never been used before in people because the cells cause tumors and have been plagued by immune system rejection issues when tried in animals.

My worry is someone's body will create a mutation of some previously harmless virus or bacterium and result in something the human body's immune system cannot repel. Though realistically speaking...the human race is due for a population control event (PCE).

Why the President's Jobs Plan Won't Work

The President has proposed a new plan to get people back to work.

The problem is one tax on businesses is skyrocking, not due to the federal govt. perse (though they are the ones extending benefits), but due to states.

State unemployment taxes have skyrocketed. Here in Florida a 12 fold increase.

"The minimum tax will jump from $8.40 per employee to $100.30 — an almost 12-fold increase — next year while the maximum will go up from $378 per employee to $459, state officials said Wednesday."

33 other states plan to hike these taxes a minimum of 3x the present rate. HI has a 500% increase coming.

This means we have gone past the tipping point. The action by the govt. will be too little too late.

Why the unemployment numbers went down...

The number of people in the workforce shrank by 291,000.


How this impacts the numbers is explained by the genius at Political Math:

Let’s say we have 20 people in the workforce and 2 of them fit the technical definition for unemployed, which means that they’re actively looking for work. That gives us an unemployment rate of 10%.

Now, let’s say one of the unemployed people got tired of being unemployed and decided to go back to school. She has now removed herself from the labor force, so we don’t count her when we count unemployed people. Let’s also say that one of the employed people lost his job and instead of looking for a new one, he decided to simply retire.

As you can see we haven’t added any jobs… in fact we have fewer jobs than we did before. But we took a higher percentage of people out of the “unemployed” group than we did out of the “employed” group. It’s now 1 person unemployed and 17 people employed. We’ve “slashed” the unemployment rate to 5.5%.

Monthly Rotation and checklist.

Don't forget it is rotation and check list week.


Tips this month:
Every six months it's a good idea to inspect and taste your water supply or even change it out. Even reaching into the barrel (or what ever you use and feel the sides for signs of algae/slime. Inspect any lids rubber gaskets etc..

Don't forget to inspect the gear and items in your personal carry bag. I discovered damage to my water purifier filter screen and the container carrying my silver had been crushed...both were in the bottom. I will have to rearrange their placement.