Thread: BASIC LIST / SUGGESTED ITEMS FOR LONG TERM SURVIVAL

Ridin out the Recession



Uncle Willie's Swamp Cabbage Stew, Peggy's Pig Eggs, and Yankee Puddin:

Posted on October 11, 2011 by admin
Deb and I were out the other day, and we were killing some time at the bookstore. She was picking up a couple crossword puzzles, so I was mostly just wandering around…in the cookbook section…again.

Honestly though, I do enjoy looking at the cookbooks and seeing the different recipes people across the Country use, mainly…South of the Mason-Dixon Line! LOL!! If they have the words “GRITS” in them, I know right then…it’s my kinda book!

Like I said, I was just browsin around, and then I saw it…a book with a title that warmed my heart. It’s title… “White Trash Cooking.” It’s the 25th anniversary edition, and was written by Ernest Matthew Mickler. It was published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown publishing Group, which is a division of Random House Books.
Harper Lee, the Alabama native best known for her novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” was quoted as saying, “I have never seen a sociological document of such beauty. The photographs alone are shattering… “White Trash Cooking,” is a beautiful testament to a stubborn and proud people.”

The photographs themselves are almost worth the price of the book alone.

From the ole kerosene lamp on the table, to the dish drain with the old colander and hand cracked mixer, to the “share-cropper styled” houses, the cast iron cookware, the hamper basket full of purple-hulled peas, to the photographs of the individuals themselves.

It truly is a testament not only to the people, but their history as well. We’re both enjoying this book.

Today, let’s post a couple of the recipes, and try them if you like. Who knows, you may soon find that you too, may come to love and enjoy a big plate of good ole , “White Trash Cooking!”

Uncle Willie’s Swamp Cabbage Stew:

• 1 medium swamp cabbage
• 2 large chopped onions
• 3 pieces of fatback
• 1 teaspoon of white sugar
• 2 cans of tomatoes
• 1 pod of hot, green peppers, chopped
• Pinch of Thyme

Fry fatback, onions, and chopped swamp cabbage till it starts to brown. Add tomatoes, sugar, peppers, and thyme. Simmer until it thickens and tomatoes cook down. Add another pinch of thyme 10 minutes before it’s done. Serve over rice.

If you don’t have access to swamp cabbage, Heart of Palm that you can purchase from the supermarket will work.

Peggy’s Pig Eggs:

• 6 hard-boiled eggs (peeled)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup of breadcrumbs, or cornmeal
• 1 pound of loose sausage meat

Mix ½ the beaten eggs with the sausage meat. Pat the meat around the outside of the boiled eggs until it’s even all the way around. Then smear the rest of the beaten eggs on the meat covered eggs and roll them in the breadcrumbs.

Now you have something that looks like six large goose eggs. Fry these in a heavy iron skillet with ½ inch of oil in the bottom until golden brown. Make sure you roll them around while they’re frying to brown them evenly.
Drain on a brown paper bag to get rid of the extra grease, and then chill them overnight before using.

“Your company won’t believe their eyes when they cut them open,” says Peggy Lou Dawson of Pee Dee, North Carolina.

Yankee Puddin:

• • 4 sweet potatoes, grated
  • 2 sticks oleo
  • ¼ cup Karo syrup
  • 1 cup grated coconut
  • 4 eggs, whole
  • 1 cup chopped pecan
  • 1 cup chopped dates
  • ½ cup cooking sherry
  • ¾ cup chopped raisins
  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 cups sweet milk
  • 1/8 teaspoon allspice
  • 2 cups sugar

Beat eggs and sugar; fold in all other ingredients and bake for 1-1/2 hours at 300 degrees. A thick casserole dish works best.

This may be served as a dessert, topped with Reddi Whip, but it goes good with meat and vegetables too.

http://ridinouttherecession.com/?p=962

There's A Downside To Vaccinations

October 13, 2011 by Catherine J. Frompovich

Since the 1980s, vaccination schedule mandates started from the CDC, the Food and Drug Administration and State health agencies requiring that infants, toddlers and teens be vaccinated against numerous diseases.

Everyone reading this article most likely has been vaccinated at some time in his or her life. You probably thought you were doing something worthwhile to protect your health and well-being. What you undoubtedly did not realize was the downside to vaccinations which, unfortunately, is not adequately emphasized by physicians or the media.

Sad vaccine-related complications occur by the thousands — especially in infants, toddlers and teens — as documented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). And a most sinister reaction can occur when vaccine-related symptoms appear similar to the effects of child abuse, prompting law enforcement officials to press charges against a parent or caregiver. The symptom is brain inflammation, and the criminal charge can be any one of several, but the most frequent is shaken baby syndrome.

In the 1980s, the CDC, the Food and Drug Administration and State health agencies began requiring that infants, toddlers and teens be vaccinated against numerous diseases, many of which had become self-contained with little or no health threats. Some examples include:

• Pertussis (whooping cough) According to Vital Statistics of the United States and Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970 Part 2, mortality rates went from 16 in 100,000 to two in 100,000 in 1942. The pertussis vaccine wasn’t even introduced until 1948. Pertussis vaccines cause a number of adverse reactions.
• Influenza mortality rates in the United States went from 180 per 100,000 in 1933 to fewer than 10 in 100,000 in 1965. The flu vaccine was widely administered starting in the late 1980s. Senior citizens were targeted, and today many seniors suffer with Alzheimer’s disease. Is there some connection since flu vaccines contain aluminum, a neurotoxin, which stores in the brain? Aluminum has been implicated in dementias.
• Measles deaths in England and Wales went from 1,200 in 1850 to fewer than 50 deaths in 1950. The measles vaccine was not introduced in England and Wales until 1965. The combination of measles, mumps and rubella vaccines into one vaccine has been linked to more adverse reactions.
• Tuberculosisdeaths in New Zealand went from short of 1,400 in 1880 to about 100 in 1951. The BCG (tuberculosis) vaccine was introduced in New Zealand in 1953.

Within 24 hours of birth, infants in the United States are vaccinated with the Hepatitis B vaccine. At 2, 4 and 6 months of age, infants receive a series of vaccines, sometimes as multiple vaccines in one dose or individual doses during one visit. Vaccines contain numerous neurotoxins capable of causing brain inflammation. Several vaccine adjuvants (Tween 20, Tween 80 and Triton X-100) are ingredients that were used in DDT sprayed on World War II servicemen. They are capable of causing apoptosis (cell “suicide”) and epileptic seizures, and some people believe they enable aluminum and mercury (thimerosal) to cross the blood-brain barrier.

Since a child’s immune system is not fully developed until about age 2, their bodies are not capable of dealing with all the toxic and poisonous ingredients found in vaccines injected into them (26 in their first year of life). To understand more about vaccines, I suggest you visit www.ThinkTwice.com.



Common vaccine reactions in infants are fussiness, uncontrollable screaming or fits, which may cause parents to seek hospital emergency room help. The symptoms often lead doctors to believe that abuse has occurred when, in reality, observed brain swelling or inflammation may be directly related to vaccines. Such reactions can happen shortly after a vaccination or over a prolonged period, since neurotoxins and poisons cause biochemical events that induce and prolong inflammation. If indeed the child has suffered trauma from being shaken and there are trauma marks on the body, then legal charges are in order.

The end result of abnormally prolonged lipid peroxidation may be abnormal brain inflammation with secondary brain edema (swelling). In essence, the brain might be compared with highly inflammable dry grass or brush enclosed in an area with elevated oxygen levels, needing only a spark to set off a conflagration of inflammatory lipid peroxidation. In all likelihood, vaccine adjuvants provide this spark far more often than generally realized, as Harold E. Buttram, M.D., and I wrote in our paper, “Vaccines and Brain Inflammation.”

To better understand what happens in the brain, as Dr. Buttram and I wrote:

In explanation, microglia and astrocytes are first-line immunological responder cells located in the brain that defend against foreign infectious invaders. Normally this response, such as to a viral infection, is of limited duration and harmless to the brain. However, when microglia and astrocytes are over-stimulated for prolonged periods, which vaccine adjuvants are designed to bring about, this extended activation can be very destructive to the brain causing inflammation and/or bleeding.

As a result of vaccine damage, a child can suffer many health anomalies, including the autism spectrum disorder, which has been a common childhood health anomaly since the 1980s when innoculation with numerous vaccines became mandatory. Other problems can include allergies (especially to foods). Childhood diabetes also appears to be on the rise, and there is speculation and some research pointing to vaccine-induced diabetes.

John Classen, M.D., of Finland said during a 1998 conference held by the American College of Medicine: “All autoimmune diseases are increasing in incidence. General immune (over) stimulation from vaccines is a cause of autoimmunity.”

Considering that today’s vaccines have been incubated in cell cultures of aborted fetuses, monkey kidneys and other animal tissues, this should give any thinking person pause to consider the possible implications involved in manufacturing, injecting and receiving vaccines.

Recently recombinant DNA has been found in the HPV vaccine given to girls as young as 9 years of age. There are no studies I know of validating the safety of recombinant DNA, and none are proposed. Why? Many young women have died after receiving an HPV vaccine injection. See www.TruthAboutGardasil.org.

Basically, a compromised child is left with lifelong health problems, the family is devastated, and infants and toddlers often are taken away from their parents and put in foster care while the courts press on with legal charges of shaken baby syndrome or any of several other legal charges. Many times, children who have glutaric acidemia are misdiagnosed with shaken baby syndrome. Emergency room physicians and nurses are not trained to perform proper medical tests that can exonerate parents of child abuse.

Numerous parents have had their children put up for adoption by the State because of the above, which, more often than not, is brain inflammation caused by vaccine reaction, which the FDA and vaccine makers deny. However, if you look closely at a vaccine package insert, you will see on some that brain inflammation is listed as an adverse reaction or contraindication. That is tacit proof that it can happen, I think. But who is to know whose or which child will suffer from brain inflammation? It seems like it’s a medically mandated crapshoot.

So many parents have been prosecuted legally for vaccine-induced brain inflammation as child abuse that they are fighting back. In August 2011, the Evidence Based Medicine and Social Investigation Conferencetook place in Vancouver, British Columbia, where numerous medical and legal experts discussed legal challenges defending those innocent but accused of criminal acts relating to child abuse that apparently can be traced to vaccine-induced brain inflammation, plus the failure of global legal systems to protect the innocent. That conference was the first of its kind. A similar conference is scheduled for August 2012.

The sad part about vaccinations is their often-irreversible downside, and brain inflammation is one that occurs often and condemns many perfectly healthy and beautiful children to a life with disabilities. However, the saddest part about the vaccine-induced brain inflammation issue, I think, is the CDC’s and FDA’s apparent disregard for what neurotoxins and other poisons in all vaccines really do to infants, toddler, teens, adults and senior citizens. Certainly, Congress should investigate what’s going on.

The answer as to why Congress probably won’t investigate can be found in the fact that in a September 2010 CDC report, nearly 90 percent of adults reported taking prescription drugs in the month before the report. Close to 75 percent of senior citizens take two or more prescription drugs, while 37 percent take five or more. However, it’s been noted that senior citizens who take multiple prescription drugs are at higher risks for falls, with as high as 15 percent interactions or adverse advents — even deaths. Aren’t vaccines pharmaceutical drugs?

In addition to brain inflammation, parents, Congress and the CDC and FDA, in particular, should be concerned with transcession, which may be taking place in human bodies. From a standpoint of future generations, there is the possibility that vaccines may be bringing about genetic hybridization in our children. In reality, that just may be the greatest hazard of today’s childhood vaccination programs.

–­ Catherine J. Frompovich

http://www.personalliberty.com/perso...-vaccinations/

Growing Trend: Thieves Raid Vegetable Gardens in Indianapolis, New York and Chicago

Mac Slavo
October 14th, 2011
SHTFplan.com
210 Comments


As the economy sours, food prices continue to rise, and more people find themselves out of work, it is becoming increasingly difficult to put food on the table. This is evidenced by the record numbers of Americans on food stamps with supplemental nutritional assistance program participation rates quickly approaching 50 million people.

As a result, those who have lost everything or can’t afford to buy their own food are now turning to theft to make ends meet. Reports from Chicago, Indianapolis, New York and other cities across the country indicate that organized teams of thieves are turning to a growing criminal trend:

Indianapolis:
After a summer of battling bugs, pulling weeds and digging dirt in the stifling hot weather, gardeners of the Grassroots Community Farm were nearly in tears over the latest insult.

They struggled several times recently for answers to an unexpected problem at their three-acre plot near 38th Street and Lafayette Road.

Who would steal their hard-won tomatoes right off the vine? Who cut the collard greens and swiped their sweet potatoes?

Apparently, the gardeners decided, it wasn’t deer from nearby Eagle Creek Park. Rather, it was the work of vegetable thieves who came equipped with shovels and plastic bags.

Their plot isn’t the only community garden in the city to suffer thefts and vandalism this summer.
…
“Thefts and vandalism are huge,” declared Kay Crimm of Grow Me gardens.

Last year, her group had a three-acre site near 46th Street and Arlington Avenue. It was plundered so badly that the gardeners left the site and moved to a plot at 46th Street and Post Road, she said, but it has “been ripped up, too.”
Source: WLS 890AM

Thefts of vegetables, fruits and herbs are not just isolated to the Indianapolis area. The New York Times reports that thefts are rising across the five boroughs, and similar reports have emerged from Chicago:

New York:
AT the 700 community gardens sprinkled through the city like little Edens, the first commandment should be obvious: Thou shalt not covet, much less steal, thy neighbor’s tomatoes, cucumbers or peppers. But people do.

By midsummer, the urban irritant of garden pilferage was in full bloom, right in sync with the crops, the heat and the mosquitoes.
But to hear urban farmers speak, no borough, and no garden devoted to edibles, whether sprawling or thimble-size, is immune to theft. “Food is more attractive than flowers, especially in this economy,” said Marjorie J. Clarke, a caretaker at the flowers-only Riverside-Inwood Neighborhood Garden, known as RING.
On the Upper West Side, cucumbers are tops for filching; in Harlem, the main draws are chilies and herbs; on the Lower East Side, green and red peppers; in Brooklyn and Queens, tomatoes and squash. But then, “tomatoes are universally enticing,” Ms. Bukowski said.

Chicago:
While not as expensive as rubies, diamonds and emeralds, these tomatoes, cucumbers and melons are just as tempting and pricey. Heirloom plants and seeds that are all the rage can be more expensive than recent cultivars. These plants that new community gardeners favor sell for top dollar at farmers markets around Chicago. Then there are also the costs associated with being a member of a community garden. In allotment-style community gardens, gardeners rent plots to plant in every year.
…
After a community garden has been plundered it is normal to feel everything from anger; to pitty at the thought of the thief perhaps not having food security.

Ironically, the “Please Do Not Steal the Vegetables” sign included at the top of this article was itself stolen!

An inability to afford food and the resale value of quality vegetables will certainly continue to drive this trend going forward. While securing a community garden plot may be difficult simply because the owners do not have the ability to continuously monitor the land, those growing personal gardens around their homes should take note and consider some external security preparedness measures.

When it comes to food, a hungry thief will stop at nothing to take what’s available, whether it’s vegetables, fruit, micro-livestock, or even gardening tools that he can resell. Today, while stores are fully stocked with goods that remain moderately affordable, having your vegetables stolen is more of an inconvenience than anything else.

But, if the economic situation were to ever deteriorate into something more serious, where one’s family was depending on their garden for daily sustenance, then it becomes life threatening. For this reason, we advise establishing food security procedures now and becoming familiar with how to secure your provisions from would-be thieves.

Hat tip Mike

http://www.shtfplan.com/emergency-pr...icago_10142011

As winter's dark days loom, why vitamin D supplement: Experts explain why we still need a daily dose of sun... from a bottle

By Alice Smellie
Last updated at 10:12 PM on 15th October 2011
9 Comments

It is the vitamin that is actually a hormone, made naturally by the body from fat under the skin in response to sunlight.

And, astonishingly, more than half the British population don’t get enough, with one in six severely deficient in Vitamin D by early spring.

Evidence suggests this may raise the risk of a host of problems from bone-thinning, heart disease and cancer to diabetes and even depression. The answer, experts agree, is taking a supplement throughout autumn and winter.

So just why are these pills – made from sheep’s wool and mushrooms – so vital to our health?

A little sunshine goes a long way: But one in six Brits are severely deficient in Vitamin D by early spring (posed by model)


WHY WE DON'T GET ENOUGH VITAMIN D

We need ten to 15 minutes of direct sunlight on unprotected skin several times a week from May to September to make enough Vitamin D to see us through the winter. Darker skins may need longer as the pigmentation doesn’t allow such efficient production, and fairer skin less time.

Outside these months, the sun is at the wrong angle to produce the right wavelength of ultraviolet light, and no Vitamin D is produced.

‘People are so aware of the dangers of UV damage that they often avoid it and we’re especially careful of children, because of the link between early sunburn and skin cancer. In October, our levels of Vitamin D should still be acceptable, assuming we have gone out in the sun during the summer,’ says Dr Elina Hypponen of the Medical Research Council’s Centre of Epidemiology for Child Health.

‘But Vitamin D is stored for only between one and two months in the body. From now on, levels start to drop and by January almost everyone will have below optimum levels. We’re starting at a disadvantage this year after an appalling summer. I recommend taking supplements now.’

WE ALL NEED MORE OF THE SUNSHINE VITAMIN

The body needs Vitamin D to absorb calcium, which is essential for bone health. Deficiency increases the risk of the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis and fractures by up to 60 per cent and can also cause osteomalacia, a bone-softening condition.
‘There is evidence it may slow the progression of cancer,’ says John Monson, professor of Endocrinology at The London Clinic.

And Dr Hypponen says: ‘There are links between Vitamin D deficiency and raised risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Studies show keeping levels up may help prevent seasonal infections such as colds.’

In the past few years children have started to develop rickets, a bone-softening disease associated with the Victorians and with lack of sunshine. Last year, Leicester Royal Infirmary reported 200 cases of rickets being admitted and last November, Southampton General Hospital said that one in five children tested for bone problems had signs of rickets.

‘These increasing numbers are frustrating because it’s so easily preventable as Vitamin D supplements are inexpensive,’ says Dr Helen Storr, consultant in paediatric endocrinology at St Barts and the London NHS Trust.

Those most at risk of deficiency are pregnant and breast-feeding women, and children, who need it for bone growth.

It has been observed that pregnant women are more likely to need a caesarean if they have low levels of Vitamin D. Even new-born babies can be deficient because they aren’t absorbing enough from their mothers.

The elderly, housebound, dark-skinned and those who cover up for social or religious reasons are also at risk.

HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?

Most EU countries recommend 10 micrograms (mcg) or 400IU (international units) of Vitamin D a day – but that only ten per cent of this should come from the diet. There is no definitive UK guideline.

A salmon fillet contains about 7mcg, and egg yolks less than 0.5mcg. Some breakfast cereals and margarines have Vitamin D added – Special K has about 8mcg per 100g and margarines contain between 7mcg and 9mcg.

‘It isn’t practical to get all your needs from food,’ says Dr Hypponen. ‘No one is going to eat a generous portion of oily fish every day. That’s why almost all of us could benefit from a supplement.’

Professor Ashley Grossman, endocrinologist at Oxford University, is seeing increasing numbers of patients suffering from either deficiency or insufficiency.

‘Deficiency is suggested to be less than 25nmol [nanomoles per litre] in the blood, which is the point at which bone health starts to be affected,’ he says.

Finding out if you are deficient involves a straightforward blood test. He recommends that everyone takes a supplement.

HOW TO CHOOSE A SUPPLEMENT

There are two forms of Vitamin D. ‘D2 comes from plant sources such as mushrooms or is synthetic, and D3 from sheep’s wool. There is a slight difference in their chemical structure but this shouldn’t affect the way they are processed by the body,’ says Dr Hypponen.

Prof Grossman recommends taking 1000IU or 25mcg daily. ‘400IU will maintain levels but won’t push them higher if they are already low,’ says Dr Hypponen, who thinks it should take as little as a month to push levels back up to a respectable level.

Dr Storr suggests that newborns can have 400IU a day and older children up to 1000IU. ‘A dangerous dose would depend on the individual but it would be in the tens or even hundreds of thousands taken over a long period.’

Dr Carrie Ruxton, of the Health Supplements Information Service, suggests that Vitamin D is safe to take with any medications if you are taking an over-the-counter one.

‘Our modern lifestyles are partly responsible for the problem of D-deficiency re-emerging,’ says Dr Hypponen.

‘And we are only just beginning to understand the full impact Vitamin D has on health.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...n--bottle.html

Friday, October 14, 2011

Survival Gear - The Survival Vest - Part Two - Body Armor




Depending upon its rating, a “bulletproof” vest or in more correct terminology, body armor, will help to protect you from the risk of injury or death from a majority of ballistic threats that you may encounter. While normally not a requirement for everyday use, in a worst case scenario body armor may give you an additional safety factor. It is important to remember that there are many cases in which the amount of protection derived from using body armor may be limited due to various other factors




These factors may include, but are not limited to:
1. Rifle ammunition.

2. High velocity pistol ammunition.

3. Pistol ammunition fired from a rifle.

4. Armor piercing ammunition.

5. Objects with sharp edges or points.

6. Injuries due to ricochet or deflection.

7. Exposure of body parts not protected by the armor.

It is also important to remember that any unusual type of ammunition or other special situation can defeat body armor. There is also the distinct possibility that you will suffer some form of blunt trauma or internal injury as a result of being shot. Even with body armor, there is always a risk that you will suffer some type of serious injury or death if you are shot.

Body armor reduces the risk of injury or death. It does not make you invulnerable.

The concealable body armor in the above pictures is from Point Blank Armor and is Level 111A and is a type commonly used by many law enforcement and corrections officers.

The link below lists the threat protection for different levels of body armor:

NIJ Body Armor Specs

Got body armor?

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

http://stealthsurvival.blogspot.com/...-part-two.html

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Survival Gear Test - The Lifestraw Personal Water Filter



Water is necessary for your survival. Although you can go an extended period of time without food, you won’t last long if you fail to stay properly hydrated. Severe dehydration is one of the most common dangers in survival situations that people are not prepared for properly and as a result, many people become victims of the devastating effects of dehydration. Even if you find a small puddle of water, you still have a serious problem if the
water is unsafe to drink



Even if you find a source of water, the safety of that water for drinking purposes may be questionable and the Lifestraw can help solve that problem. At a filter rate of .2 microns, it will handle most anything except for waterborne viruses. Recent rains left a few places that made an excellent source of water for my test of the Lifestraw.

http://eartheasy.com/lifestraw

In order for it to be considered a fair test, a waiting period of three days produced no ill effects from my use of the Lifestraw. No effects from dysentery, diarrhea or nausea were experienced. It worked and worked as designed to filter and purify a questionable water source. The water source looked fairly decent but was still questionable.It does require some effort on your part but works quite simply. To use it requires only that you suck water through it like a straw but it does require a little effort to get it started. It reminded me of one of those thick milkshakes that takes a while to get it started but eventually gets sucked up the straw. Just insert the bottom into the water source and suck through the mouthpiece. That’s all you have to do to make it work.



It's comparable in size to a small Streamlight Stinger Flashlight but weighs significantly less than the flashlight.



To clean your Lifestraw simply blow through the mouthpiece to flush the excess water out and give it a good shake or two. It would also be a good idea to flush it with properly treated water before storing. It has a shelf life of three years (per the manufacturer) and will safely filter and purify over 250 gallons of water. It also has caps that cover both ends of the Lifestraw and comes with a safety lanyard. The lanyard comes off easily if it becomes entangled or hung up. All it takes is a slight tug to remove it completely



Its light weight (only 2 ounces) was impressive but also makes it somewhat vulnerable to rough handling. You will need to be careful not to bang it too hard against other objects in order to avoid breaking the plastic filter enclosure. There are also no moving parts or items that need to be replaced.

It comes in a sealed package with a complete set of instructions for its care and use. Both my Lifestraws shipped quickly and arrived as stated by Eartheasy.com from which they were obtained. At a cost of less than $20 (USD) per Lifestraw , this is a great piece of survival gear for everyone.Staying above the water line!Riverwalker

http://stealthsurvival.blogspot.com/201 ... sonal.html

What to Put in Your Hollow-Handle Survival Knife

Posted on September 22nd, 2011
by Leon in Survival knives

The term “Survival knife” starts discussions! A while back, a question was asked about what to carry in the hollow handle of a survival knife. Specifically, what survival items are so important that they should be included as part of the knife?

By Leon Pantenburg

This Jim Grenfell hollow handle survival knife would be a good choice.


This leads to another question: What useful items can you actually put in that handle space? Is having that tiny bit of extra space worth weakening the entire knife? After all, the logical place for the knife to fail is where the blade meets the handle, and some hollow handle knives will break under the stress of hard use.

Then, suppose you do pack the handle with assorted items. Will you be able to get them out under the duress of a survival situation, or will the stuff have shifted and settled into a blob of useless junk? A knife handle is hardly the place to store something fragile!

What Is a Survival Knife?

Any survival knife question should start with yet another question: What do you consider a survival knife, and what do you anticipate using it for?

Rambo, according to the scriptwriters, could carry just about anything he needed in the hollow handle of his survival knife!


There seem to be some extreme views in this topic. The 1980s Rambo movies, starring a steroid-infused, testosterone-exuding Sylvester Stallone, started the whole hollow-handle Bowie-type survival knife cult.

Rambo, according to the “First Blood” scriptwriters, could apparently pack anything he needed for wilderness or urban survival in the hollow handle of his knife/sword. (Remember in the first movie, when he pulled out that suture from the handle and sewed up his arm? And where’d he get all the stuff to make booby traps? And how about that spear he made with his knife to stab a wild pig?) As the Rambo movies progressed, the knives got bigger.
The Rambo movies spawned a slew of cheap, imitation copies, and some people bought them to include in their survival kit. Don’t mistake the junk for some of the high quality products.

Some excellent hollow handle examples are made by knifemaker Chris Reeve in Boise, Idaho.
Reeve’s hollow handle knives are made of a single piece of steel, so there is small danger of breakage. The workmanship is superb.

Another excellent quality hollow handle survival knife is the Buck-184 Buckmaster. Resembling the Rambo knife, it is a hefty piece of steel and a quality piece of work.

I never bought a Buckmaster, but one of my elk hunting buddies, Phil Walker, did. An incredibly skilled hunter, outdoorsman and great friend, Phil harvested deer and elk every year with monotonous regularity. When Phil sauntered back into camp with that elaborately-casual grin on his face, it meant the rest of us had a meat-hauling job ahead.

Phil’s gear was all top quality, and had been refined over the years so it filled all his elk hunting needs. Phil’s elk rifle was a Ruger Number 1 in .338 Winchester. The hunting cutlery he carried included an 8-inch Old Hickory butcher, a Wyoming knife and (Phil being a native Texan) an honest-to-God Bowie knife.

Those wouldn’t have been my equipment choices, but it’s hard to argue with success.

My personal philosophy on survival knives is at the other extreme. I believe that survival knife design isn’t as important as proximity and ease of carrying.

You can’t carry a Rambo knife everywhere, so when (fill in the apocalyptic acronym) happens, that tiny, keychain Swiss Army Classic on your keyring may be all you have to work with.

What design is best?

I was lukewarm, at best, about the hollow handle/storage concept until I was asked to design such a knife. My buddy, the late Dr. Jim Grenfell, of Bend, Or., took up metalworking upon retirement. Jim, a Korean War fighter/bomber pilot, with 43 combat missions, was a graduate of three military wilderness survival schools.

If he thought the idea had merit, I was willing to pay attention. Per my recommendations, the prototype blade ended up being a carbon steel, drop point design, five inches long; 3/16-inch thick, about 1-3/4 inches wide, with a straight taper edge. The handle was taken from a cheaper model and welded to the knife tang.

The completed knife works very well. I gave the prototype to my brother Mike for his 40^th birthday, and it has been used extensively for deer and elk hunting. Jim passed away before he could finish my knife, so I still don’t own a hollow handle survival knife!

Space matters: Suppose you’re considering buying a quality hollow handle, and you want to make the best use of the space. How much actual volume is there?
The knife handle, left, has about as much space as the waterproof match container and Nalgene vial.A common-sized handle, if such a thing exists, appears to be about one inch in outside diameter. Interior diameter is 7/8-inch and the depth of the cavity is about 3-1/8 inches from the bottom to the start of the threads. The space is big enough to hold about two liquid ounces, or is a little bigger than a waterproof match container.

Based on that formula, ask yourself: What items, along with the knife, would do me the most good? Here’s what I wouldn’t put in the handle:

• Waterproof Matches: I don’t trust matches as a reliable source of firemaking. You can only carry a finite number, and matches deteriorate with time. In addition, the movement and shock associated with being carried in a knife handle would eventually ruin them.
• Fish hooks and sinkers: I tie flies and jigs and make most of my own lures. I probably have too much fishing-related stuff. Even with all that gear, and a genuine enthusiasm for fishing, there are days when a fisherman can’t buy a bite. Don’t waste the handle space on something like hooks or weights you probably won’t use.
• Water Purification Tablets: These are left out because you must have a container to put the water in before it can be purified. Put water purifiers in another kit. Besides, unless properly packed, pills will dissolve, deteriorate or be vibrated into powder.
• A Swiss Army Classic: Don’t put my beloved dinky, everyday carry, do-it-all knife in the handle! A Classic doesn’t need to be kept dry, and it would take up valuable space. Besides, don’t put all your eggs in the same basket.
• Survival Instructions: If you haven’t learned survival skills by the time you need them, a booklet won’t help. Knowledge is the most important part of your survival kit!

You could include these:

• Drugs, man: If you have special medical needs, this might be one place to properly store the pills. Also, pain or allergy meds or other prescription medications could be literally at hand. (More about storage later.)
• Firemaking tools: Include a Boy Scout Hot Spark or possibly a Spark-It. There should be room for some waxed firestarter, too. Include a few inches of jute twine to stop any rattling around and use that as a firestarter.
• A glover’s needle and dental floss: In an extreme emergency, you could suture a wound with these items. But more likely, the value would be to repair equipment or clothing. . The floss could also be used to clean your teeth, which is an often overlooked sanitation issue.

So, How Do You Pack These Things?

Whatever items are in the handle must be accessible. In a survival situation you may be working with cold, numb fingers, or be shaking from fear, injury or shock. You don’t want to fumble with the contents and drop them in the snow or dirt.

This works really well: Get some Nalgene vials.There is a set that chambers in the hollow handle like a shotgun shell into a shotgun. One of the vials is 3-3/8-inch high, so it is a little longer than the handle cavity. Trim the edge of the vial so it fits inside, and leave a small tab you can grab with your fingers. Put all your gear in the vial and carry it that way. The vials also allow you to divide up the space.

Pack your meds, individually in cellophane, in a smaller vial, and pack it tightly with cotton. This will keep the pills from being smashed or powdered. Stack another short vial on top in the space with other meds or necessary items.

The final decision in the hollow handle debate will end up being if the tiny bit of extra space gained is useful and worth investing in. In the end, like in most survival-related topics, the gear choice selection will be up to you!

To learn more about choosing survival and hunting knives, check out this SurvivalCommonSense.com blog!

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com/2...fe-handlefeed/

Dr. Maurice Hilleman, explains why Merck's vaccines have spread AIDS & other plagues worldwide

October 17, 2011 by Bob Livingston

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4W2MJbcg ... r_embedded



http://www.personalliberty.com/feature- ... worldwide/

The Coming Paradigm Shift Will Result in Riots, Starvation and Bloodshed

Mac Slavo
October 17th, 2011
SHTFplan.com
Comments (286)

Chris Duane founder of Don’t Tread on Me joins Kerry Lutz on the Financial Survival Network to discuss sound money, the inevitability of the coming economic collapse, and his ultimate exit strategy.

Among other topics, Chris delves into the post-collapse world and suggests there is a strong possibility that two different Americas will come out of this:

You are going to see, in metro areas, the absolute worst in humanity, as the people that are most dependent upon a collectivist system, whether they’re these Occupy Well Street people, or people who are loaded up with debt, they are totally unprepared for an economic reality where their paradigm does not function.

As a result they’re going to go through the absolute most disgusting inhumanity that I think any American has ever seen as they go through this anger phase – and it’s going to result in riots, and starvation and bloodshed.

It has to happen. You don’t have people’s life savings and people becoming desperate and not have that happen.

The majority of our fellow citizens since the Baby Boomer generation have been spoon fed a paradigm of debt, dependence, and central control since birth. For the last seven decades we’ve known nothing but good times, with a handful of recessions mixed in. Half of the households in America receive some sort of government support in the form of food stamps, medical care, retirement distributions or other entitlements. We have become wards of the state.

As we’ve vehemently argued in previous commentaries, this system of entitlement and government support simply cannot be maintained over the long term. The entire country, from individuals, to local governments, to states, to the Federal government itself, is completely broke. There is no way – NO WAY – that this debt will ever be repaid at today’s dollar valuations, and much of this debt will result in flat-out default.

Governments on all levels will be forced to implement austerity measures that include wage decreases, layoffs, and pension cuts. Prices for basic goods and services will continue to rise. As prices rise and the dollar’s value dwindles, the disbursements from government will not increase, thus people’s checks will purchase fewer and fewer goods.

Those who are in debt and failed to prepare for a new paradigm will be left with nothing. And we know what happens when people lose everything and they have nothing left to lose – they lose it.

The paradigm is shifting, and you can either pretend it isn’t, or get ready to live in a different world. It’s coming whether we like it or not. Kerry Lutz points out that, historically, some people got it and made the necessary adjustments, while others were left impoverished:

It’s interesting you mention when an old paradigm dies and a new one takes its place. There are people who are still connected to the old one and can’t conceive of life without that old paradigm. I think you saw that in the Great Depression. A lot of people never recovered from it because once that hit it was the end of their lives.

We have a choice now, to get mentally, physically, spiritually and financially prepared for what’s coming. This includes a variety of different strategies including investing in assets and skills that will survive an economic collapse, changing your environment (such as moving out of major cities), and creating new lifestyle habits that are not dependent on debt or even the monetary system as we know it today to survive (things like bartering and personal food production).

Listen to the full interview: Audio at the page link

Check out Kerry Lutz’s informative guests and interviews at the Financial Survival Network

Watch Chris Duane’s video The Ultimate Exit Strategy

http://www.shtfplan.com/emergency-pr...dshed_10172011

Just for Women: 23 Truths about Firearms

Lisa Bedford
October 17th, 2011
The Survival Mom
78 Comments

This article has been generously contributed for your reading pleasure by long-time SHTFplan friend and well known preparedness pro The Survival Mom Lisa Bedford.

Editor’s Note: Lisa has written this article specifically for women, but most of these principles apply for men just as well. Consider #1: You can never have too much ammo. That’s definitely a unisex truth about firearms, and one that just about every prepper takes to heart.

Hat tip to Lew Rockwell and The Daily Crux for letting us know this article was out there.

1. You can never have too much ammo. It’s amazing how quickly one or two people can shoot through 100 rounds or more in a single target practice.


2. If you’re smart, your firearms will be common calibers. It will be easier to find ammo and easier to get replacement parts.

3. If you’re even smarter, you own firearms that are of popular makes and models. It will be easier to find a gunsmith capable of making repairs and customized requests.

4. Unless you’re at the range every day, it’s hard to get too much practice. If the range masters know you by name, that’s a good sign that you’re getting enough practice!

5. It’s a mistake to limit your practice to shooting at a piece of paper under optimal conditions. Take classes that will challenge your shooting skills in high-pressure scenarios. Until the adrenaline is really pumping and your brain feels scrambled, you’ll never know how you’ll respond in a life or death situation. (Note: The first time I was firing a gun under pressure, I got so rattled that I was using my non-dominant eye. I was fortunate that any shots hit my target!)

6. A shotgun should be at or near the top of your list when it comes to firearms for home defense. Your choices are the 12 gauge, 20 gauge and the 410. Once you’ve made your decision, get to the range and practice, practice, practice. When it comes to stopping power, a shotgun can’t be beat.



7. Don’t fall into the trap of buying the smallest gun at the store. Believe it or not, a larger gun will be more comfortable and accurate to shoot.

8. Learn how to clean your own gun. Learn how to completely dismantle it (field strip), clean each part, and put it back together.

9. Your safety is your responsibility. Not your husband’s, nor the police, nor your kids.

10. A gun isn’t the end-all when it comes to personal or home security. Think in terms of layers: situational awareness, home security systems, a watchdog, cacti along the back fence. It all adds up to more peace of mind and less dependence on any one strategy.

11. If a gun isn’t possible or desirable in your circumstances, come up with Plan B. One of my friends keeps a baseball bat near the front seat of her minivan. Another always has the most powerful pepper spray on the market in her purse, and yet another keeps an 18″ length of steel rebar wedged between the driver’s seat of her car and the middle console. Whatever your choice, always be aware of the location of your weapon, practice using it, and be comfortable with the thought that one day you may have to use it.

12. Don’t listen to celebrities and politicians who go on hysterical anti-gun rants. Remember, they can afford armed bodyguards and state-of-the-art home security systems. (Interesting that it’s okay if their bodyguards are armed but they don’t think law-abiding citizens should be able to own and carry guns.) I am my kid’s armed bodyguard.



13. Practice rapid firing when you’re at the range. If your life, or that of your children’s, is ever on the line, and your only choice is to draw your gun, your best tactic will be multiple, rapid shots at the bad guy(s).

14. Don’t assume you will only ever have to deal with a single bad guy. Just like roaches, bad guys stick together. You may very well be confronted with several all at once. Keep that in mind.

15. There’s a reason why experts prefer to keep their sidearms concealed. Open carry is okay if you’re trying to impress people, but it also makes you a target.

16. Your life should never depend on a gun you’re afraid to shoot. If the recoil is too powerful, if the trigger pull is too heavy, if firing it hurts your hand, do not plan on using that gun as a defensive weapon. Sell it. Throw it away. Give it away, but whatever you do, have a gun you are comfortable with and actually enjoy shooting. If that life or death moment should ever come, there cannot be even a moment’s hesitation due to fear of using your gun.

17. If you choose to carry your handgun concealed, practice drawing it from its holster or from its concealed location. And then practice another hundred times.

18. It’s a really good idea to keep an extra loaded magazine in your purse, the glove compartment, wherever it will be safe and easily accessible.

19. You just might be able to easily handle a larger caliber of handgun than you think. Don’t underestimate your ability.

20. Nothing beats not being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

21. Be willing to back down in a confrontation or willing to run or call for help. Your goal is to survive, not show off to the world your awesome marksmanship skills.

22. Every gun-nut has his/her own opinion about the best make, model, caliber, shooting stance, etc. Be willing to listen but keep in mind that they are just opinions.

23. Don’t get overly cocky just because you have a firearm in the house, your purse, or have a certificate from your shooting range for completing an advanced course. Law enforcement officers miss their target in a shooting confrontation about 70% of the time. Think about that.
Are there any other truths I’ve missed?

Visit The Survival Mom for regularly updated preparedness tips, resources, product reviews and a host of other prepping info you don’t want to miss.

http://www.shtfplan.com/the-survival...earms_10172011