Thread: BASIC LIST / SUGGESTED ITEMS FOR LONG TERM SURVIVAL

The Top 50 Survival Blogs!

1

SHTF Plan

2	Survival Blog

3	The Survival Podcast

4	Urban Survival

5	The Survivalist Blog

6	In Case Of Emergency, Read Blog

7	The Survival & Emergency Preparedness Blog

8	Survival And Prosperity

9	The Survival Mom

10	American Preppers Network

11	WillowHavenOutdoor.com

12	Survival Topics

13	Pioneer Survival Blog

14	Preparedness Pantry

15	Off Grid Survival

16	Disaster Preparedness Blog

17	Ice-Qube - Emergency Preparedness Blog

18	Wilderness Survival Skills

19	Surviving In Argentina

20	CARD\'s blog

21	Modern Survival Blog

22	Backwoods Survival Blog

23	Back Door Survival

24	Modern Survival Online

25	Texas Prepper\'s Network

26	Preparedness and Response

27	Shepherd School

28	Stealth Survival

29	Save Our Skills

30	Be A Survivor

31	Bug-Out Survival

32	Total Survivalist Libertarian Rantfest

33	Doug Ritter

34	ATEP Emergency Preparedness Blog

35	Survival Joe

36	Preparedness Pro

37	The Just In Case Book Blog

38	TEOTWAWKI Blog

39

SHTF Blog

40	SHTF America

41	International Preparedness Network

42	Emergency Survival and Preparedness Blog

43	Code Name Bullseye

44	Keep It Simple Survival

45	Survival Times

46	Advanced Survival Guide

47	If It Hits The Fan

48	Survival Common Sense

49	Emergency Preparedness Blog

50	The Retreat

http://www.survivaltop50.com/

=> View these other great Survival Blogs that almost made the Top 50!

http://www.survivaltop50.com/runners-up/

Consequences of Collapse: Access to Critical Medicines Is Disappearing in Greece

Mac Slavo
January 11th, 2012
SHTFplan.com
Comments (161)

When a nation goes into economic crisis the paradigm to which its people have become accustomed begins to deteriorate. Access to critical supplies becomes difficult, sometimes immediately. In the case of Greece, which has been dealing with a loss of confidence in its debt instruments and economic policy, the collapse of life as Greeks know it has taken place over the last several years.

While we have been fortunate enough to avoid as severe a calamity here in the United States, many of the forecasts put forth by ourselves and others regarding the effects of an economic collapse are already taking place in Europe, namely Greece. In the midst of the Greek panic in 2010, for example, as Greece’s meltdown was in full swing and the people scrambled to get out of paper currencies, the price of gold, which was trading for around $1100 an ounce in the global commodity exchange marketplace, soared to over $1700 an ounce on the streets of Greece. In recent months, as Greece implements austerity measures and the unemployment rate sky rockets, its people have lost the ability to engage in traditional commerce because, simply put, they have no tangible income or money to do so. As a result, we’ve begun seeing a barter society emerge all over the country, making it possible for some people to directly exchange labor for consumptive goods and service.

When things get bad – and they will – the most essential items necessary for survival will disappear first. As currencies collapse, financial market destabilize and economies come to a standstill, critical supplies like food and medicine will become difficult to acquire at any price. This is exactly what is now taking place in Greece, where access to life-saving drugs and even common over-the-counter medicines like aspirin is becoming a tragedy where the losses will be measured not in Dollars or Euros, but lives.

For patients and pharmacists in financially stricken Greece, even finding aspirin has turned into a headache.

Mina Mavrou, who runs a pharmacy in a middle-class Athens suburb, spends hours each day pleading with drugmakers, wholesalers and colleagues to hunt down medicines for clients. Life-saving drugs such as Sanofi (SAN)’s blood-thinner Clexane and GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK)’s asthma inhaler Flixotide often appear as lines of crimson data on pharmacists’ computer screens, meaning the products aren’t in stock or that pharmacists can’t order as many units as they need.

“When we see red, we want to cry,” Mavrou said. “The situation is worsening day by day.”

The 12,000 pharmacies that dot almost every street corner in Greek cities are the damaged capillaries of a complex system for getting treatment to patients. The Panhellenic Association of Pharmacists reports shortages of almost half the country’s 500 most-used medicines.
…
“It would be unrealistic to deny that there are many difficulties regarding all public services due to the financial crisis,” Nicolaos Polyzos, secretary general of the Ministry of Health, wrote in a response to McKee’s article posted on the ministry’s website.

The reasons for the shortages are complex. One major cause is the Greek government, which sets prices for medicines. As part of an effort to cut its own costs, Greece has mandated lower drug prices in the past year. That has fed a secondary market, drug manufacturers contend, as wholesalers sell their shipments outside the country at higher prices than they can get within Greece.

Strained government finances only make matters worse. Wholesalers and pharmacists say the system suffers from a lack of liquidity, as public insurers delay payments to pharmacies, which in turn can’t pay suppliers on time.

Source: Bloomberg

This is what happens when a country’s economy falls apart. In a report from 2010, economist John Williams warned that a hyperinflationary environment in the US would not only cause food disruptions, but also disrupt the regular flow of commerce. And, while Greece may not specifically be experiencing a hyperinflationary environment (yet), an economic collapse resulting from a debt crisis has similar consequences as evidenced above.

But such a thing couldn’t happen in the United States, right? As we approach yet another debt ceiling this month, requiring some $1 trillion dollars just to keep the system from seizing up like an engine that has run out of oil, our elected officials and leading economic decision makers will ensure we avoid such an outcome.

Or will they?

How willing are you to trust the health of your family to the very individuals and corporations who are responsible for causing the crisis in the first place?

Like Greece, we will see a continued deterioration of basic services here at home. We may be able to print trillions upon trillions of dollars, but eventually those dollars will become worthless and no one will accept them as a trusted currency. This means that all of the food we import from other countries, the drugs we buy from pharmaceutical companies, and the oil we buy from the middle east, will become difficult, if not impossible, to acquire.

Now is the time to get prepared. Food, of course, is one of the first essential preparedness items to stockpile. But how many have given thought to life saving medications? If you have someone with a medical condition in your family, how will you gain access to that medicine when it’s no longer available at your local pharmacy. We recommend taking steps immediately to secure at least a 3 – 6 month supply of the drugs you or your family members need to survive (and to consider proper off-grid storage methods for those requiring refrigeration). Additionally, we strongly encourage you to consider adding Antibiotics for SHTF Planning to your stockpiles, because if things get so bad that you are unable to find medicines like penicillin or cipro at a local pharmacy, you can be assured that no one on the street will be willing to sell them – at any price.
Related: Antibiotics for SHTF Planning by Tess Pennington of Ready Nutrition for a list medicines to acquire and where to get them.

Related: A Doctor’s Thoughts on Antibiotics, Expiration Dates, and TEOTWAWKI published at James Rawles’ Survival Blog

Hat tip SmokyMtnLady

Consequences of Collapse: Access to Critical Medicines Is Disappearing in Greece

Letter Re: Lead: The Other Precious Metal

September 7, 2011 9:09 PM

Dear Sir,

First, before I get started, my thanks to you for this blog and your books.

I've invested in metals: Gold, silver, check; "Real" copper pennies, nickels, check; Lead...what? lead? Yes, lead. To me, as a reloader and bullet caster for more than four decades cheap lead in the form of Linotype and wheel weights was taken for granted. But now, with the new regulatory push from the EPA, lead will soon no longer be used as the balance weights on our wheels. This will dry up the last major source of inexpensive used lead [that is in chunks that are a convenient size for melting pots].

My suggestion to all "preppers" even if you do not reload and cast your own bullets is to save your brass and keep an eye out for lead in any form (except lead/acid batteries)

because a reloader/caster such as myself would turn your empties into like new practice or hunting ammo. Some restrictions apply. I am talking about using cast lead in pistol calibers, buckshot and slugs and some lower velocity rifle cartridges. Your MBR and AR's require jacketed bullets but you still need to save the brass it has value and you could barter "components" for ammo. Reloading is a skill everyone should be aware of and a "group" should be able to perform.

One last thing: Stock up on .22 Long Rifle (LR) ammunition. 10-to-20 thousand rounds would be a good start. It makes a great barter item. I believe there are more .22 LR firearms in US than all others combined and .22 LR and the other rimfire cartridges cannot easily be reloaded.

Keep your powder dry. - Capt. Mike

Letter Re: Lead: The Other Precious Metal - SurvivalBlog.com

We have started stocking some OTC's and such. Fortunately, no one in our household is on a life saving drug. Husband was on cholesterol med, but after reading up on it, and noticing some things in his overall health, he got off and started using grapeseed extract and phsyllium fiber to lower it. As well, he is in blood pressure med, it is something he should have, but alternatives are out there for him. Our son works for a feed store, and we will get some antibiotics this way, although they are labeled for fish or pets, the dosage just needs to be adjusted. Aspirin and other painkillers, plus some cold meds for comfort when we're sick, are already in the works too.

First Article of Selco’s Survival Guide

Posted by Jay on January 7, 2012 in General| 41 comments

*The upcoming course that launches next week consists of several elements such as interviews, some videos, Selco’s supply list and a guide about what Selco thinks is important when it comes to survival. This article here is the introduction to the guide. If you have subscribed to our newsletter you will get early access to join the course that will launch next week. (This post was written by Selco but edited by Scott, a native English speaker)*



Scope of this course

This course is about the simple and raw side of survival and not the fancy bells and whistles part. I believe this raw and very basic side of survival sometimes gets forgotten. But in the end it is not things like fancy freeze-dried blueberry muffins that will help you survive when TSHTF (The Shit Hits The Fan).

There is nothing wrong with trying to prepare to keep your living standard even if TSHTF, but that is not the point of this course.

No matter how many freeze-dried blueberry muffins you have stocked, the day will come when the last one is gone and all you have is your big sacks of rice or grain, if anything at all. This course begins at that day. The focus here is on the uncomfortable, stinky, brutal and depressing side of survival. This is what I can talk about best, because this is what I experienced.

This course is mostly about what I experienced in my time during the Balkan war, how I coped with it and what helped me to survive. Often in life, we learn only when we are forced to, and in this course I will share what I was forced to learn during my year in hell.

Fewer rules, more principles

Jay and I sat together and tried first to establish some basic principles. Because unlike rules, principles are universal and in all sorts of unexpected situations they will help guide you toward right decisions and right actions.

There are many great books and resources concerning technical aspects of survival: so no, you will not find recipes for candle-making in this course. It is simply better to get a book about that.

The three parts of the course

The first part of the course consists of the interviews Jay did with me. These will introduce you to the experiences that taught me the tough lessons I am trying to pass on to you. You will come to understand the mindset that helped me survive and stay sane during my year in hell . Walking in my shoes a bit will prepare you to better cope with unexpected situations that may arise in your own life.

In the second part of the course, you will find several chapters of advice on topics such as security, trading, movement, water & food, and first aid & hygiene. While the interview part of the course lays the foundation and helps you to see things from my point of view, in this part of the course I offer concrete and practical advice. I will talk about the lessons I’ve learned, and how I might approach the next crisis differently.

In the third part of the course, I go through some of the equipment and resources I keep on hand, providing you with a detailed list of what I stock and why.

Been there, done that.

In the end, this guide is a set of personal opinions, based on a set of personal experiences. There is no one single way that works for everyone. If this course can help you to anticipate and adapt to any unexpected and dramatic upheaval that may come your way—the kind of disaster we all hope never comes but must be prepared for anyway—it will be a success in my eyes.

Since my experiences during the Balkan war I have been preparing for whatever might come next. I have never stopped. It was first all about weapons but my focus has changed over time. I have settled on a way of preparing which I’m confident is the right way for what I expect to happen in the future. As a member of this course, you will be informed whenever I modify my setup or plans. So as long as we all have the Internet let’s enjoy the ride into the darkness together.

You will learn a lot of things in this course, but like learning to play a guitar only practice will get you ready for the challenges that might await us in the future. Please use what you learn here, think about it and put it into action. Just having a map that shows you how to get up the mountain doesn’t mean you are ready to get up there. The only way to know this is to get out and try things. Throughout the guide I will recommend ways of practicing the techniques I have shared with you.

Finally I want to send a big thanks to my family and friends, to Jay for contributing his psychological knowledge and coming up with all those hundreds of questions that helped me to remember, Scott for editing this guide, and also to everyone on the Internet who has encouraged me to share my experience. Thank you and now let’s get started

First Article of Selco’s Survival Guide | SHTF School

Suburban Survival – Space to Secure vs Privacy

Posted by Jay on December 18, 2011 in FAQ, Security| 62 comments

I get this question often so I answer it here.

“I would like to be part of a community or family larger than 2 or 3, but my extended family is worthless. My husband’s family is 1000 miles away, and don’t get the advantages of family either. My hope is to stick to our suburban home with a few good neighbors on our block. Is that a fantasy?”

Hello and welcome, fantasy is way too strong word, lot of the things can be turned from fantasy to the real things very easy. I think it is the worst scenario, to be in the suburban when sh!t hit the fan. Worse than even city, and for sure worse than rural.

Because of defense. In most cases people are further away between houses, so there is not too much sense of organizing something as a small group of neighbors. Too hard to keep it secure if you do not have the numbers.

It always depends on the space where you live. Few neighbors in close houses like in city make sense because you have less area to secure, more choke points. Few neighbours is way too little in suburban but of course always depends on your area.

But still if i found myself in the suburban areas, i do not think i can survive without some bigger numbers, and bigger organisation, on street level. The alternative would be to take neighbors in or secure smaller area like 2 houses instead of 6. So families of 6 houses move into 2 houses and secure those. I saw some families survive like this on outskirts of city.

We also moved all people (15) to one house, but we were in city so our defense setup was different anyway.

Problem is people, neighbors will want to keep their space, privacy and all that so most will not come. But as soon as neighbors family lies robbed and dead in the garden people will reconsider and trade privacy for security. Many people had to get hurt first or loved ones get killed before they learned. Learn now, that you and loved ones don’t get hurt.

Suburban Survival – Space to Secure vs Privacy | SHTF School

Survival Situation – Action Wins

Posted by Jay on December 14, 2011 in Survival Psychology| 54 comments

Usually we take for granted what we see on TV, or other media. You can say “No i am always suspicious and do not believe all this” but most of us are forming our opinions unconsciously. So at the end, over the time we just have some opinions, and we are just sure about some situations and solutions, we believe some things just work like that because we saw it so often. Even if we are not experience that in real life, or even if we are not spending much time thinking about these things.

You see action movie and people just shoot each other no big deal.

As i say before, act of shooting is not so hard, actually it is pretty much easy, but decision to shoot someone is much harder, and great majority of people have problem with that decision in real life.



On one of the local meeting during our hard time people tried to organize some stuff like how to protect homes, set up some kind of neighborhood watch or something like that, most of the guys were armed with guns or any other kind of weapon, on the other side mostly all without previous experience with guns or weapon.

Guy who had a rifle was a taxi driver in normal times, he bought rifle few days before everything started, probably just gets know about basics with gun handling, but he was trying to look dangerous and relaxed in same time. In the middle of some kind of meeting and yelling he somehow gets in argue with another guy, who had a hunting knife on his belt.

Very soon argue was out of control and man took his knife out of the belt and start to approach guy with rifle. It was not something like jump or sudden attack, it was more like slow threatening walk with knife toward the man. Ex taxi driver had enough time to raise his rifle and simply shoot the guy with knife, but he did not, he got finished off, stabbed multiple times.

People just left the area and move on. Guy was left there, I guess relatives picked him up some time later. Body was gone the next day.

It was not about his speed or something like that, i guess he was just stuck with whole situation, he hesitated too much, he was not prepared for that threat, he was not ready, call it as you like. Now when you look in whole situation looks strange that guy did not just raise rifle and fired, but to do that you need first to cross over some things in your mind. That change takes time.

I have seen more situations like this one, sometimes just seconds counts, and your will to do things.

My ex coworker bleed to death because his wife freezed when heavy caliber bullets cut off his arm, even she had some kind of tourniquet and some bandages close to her, she did not use anything, she just screamed while blood was pouring all around him.

It is hard to get your mind in state when you not think too much, instead of just act accordingly, it is hard to do that especially in not normal times. Hard times can learn people to act like that, but it is hard school and lot of people just failed. Great majority of us is same like that taxi driver, only few of us like guy with knife.

This is not about becoming killer, or toughest man. It is about acting. Hopefully your SHTF situation will not be as violent as mine. But remember human act or freeze and freezing can happen to all of us. Prepare people around you to not freeze but act by practicing drills.

Yes there is reason why you do “boring” airplane and ship rescue drills. It teaches you to act and this might make difference between life and death.

Survival Situation – Action Wins | SHTF School

So according to this guy, being rural is a bad thing? I don't think so. Gangs roam even the suburbs now and you can bet if we had a SHTF situation, they would get control over plenty of areas real fast, I would not want to be there, I would want to be out where I am now, room to move and plenty of escape points if I had to. Besides, good neighbors, older, have guns and experience with guns. As for us, no guns, I know we should, we have not yet. I have never shot off a gun one time in my life, and know I need to practise too. My husband has in the military, but he is not a fan of guns after being the target in Vietnam..I know he would if he had to though.

Dude, That Isn’t Wax On Your Apple!<--- LINK

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Dude, That Isn’t Wax On Your Apple!