You probably already have a well-stocked pantry for survival, but have you checked the foods lately? While some foods from are a bless and you can use them for several purposes in a survival situation (e.g. honey), there are other foods that you are stockpiling without knowing how dangerous they are.
Since there are good foods and bad foods in your pantry, for this week’s prep blog review I’ve gathered four articles on this topic to help you check your stockpile and make sure the food you choose for a survival situation is healthy, nutritious and won’t put your life in danger.
23 Survival Uses for Honey that You Didn’t Know About
“Whether you enjoy the sticky amber manna that is honey or not, there are a ton of potential uses for it in survival situations, or simply to maintain your everyday health. It has been a popular remedy for centuries, and with good reason.
Types of Honey:
While you may be thinking solely of the little grocery store bears, there are literally thousands of different types of honey. We’ll go over some of the varieties noted for their health benefits.”
How to Avoid This Dangerous Preservative Found In Dried Fruit
“If you opened up a pantry belonging to any prepper, you’d most likely find a veritable cornucopia of dried foods within.
It’s pretty much a staple for preppers. Unfortunately, dried foods of all kinds often come packaged with preservatives that aren’t so healthy.
It can be a real challenge to find long-lasting foods that you would want to eat during an emergency, that aren’t also filled with toxic preservatives.”
What Refrigerated Foods are Safe to Consume after a Power Outage
“Time is not your friend when the power goes out and your refrigerator stops cooling. Typically, if the door is not opened food should stay within a safe temperature for four hours.
What is a safe temperature for fresh meats, and other perishables?
Forty degrees Fahrenheit or below, if raw ground beef, for example, is stored for longer than two hours above 40° F it must be discarded, it is simply not safe to eat because of the growth of possibly harmful bacteria.”
“I’m certainly no stranger to dehydrated and freeze dried field rations. As a United States Marine, I lived on Meals Ready To Eat (MRE) for weeks at a time. So I understand the need for wise food storage.
The value of these MRE meals were that they provided a heavy dose of calories with very little, if any, preparation time required.
When time allotted, we would use heat tabs to warm up our meals in order to make them more comforting.
But regardless of how much tabasco sauce, salt, or pepper that we added to these MRE’s, the outcome was usually the same…the taste was horrible and our digestive system paid one hell of a price!”
This article has been written by Drew Stratton for Survivopedia.
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Have you ever thought sometimes that Prepping is all work and no play? To the uninformed, prepping and preppers by association are consumed with fear and doom. Who wants to live a life where all you think about are bad things happening to the people around us? Many people I have talked to, who don’t understand preppers think we just sit around scared, paranoid and in fear of that knock on the door or the plague that could wipe out 80% of our nation but that isn’t true at all. At least for most of us. I think in some ways it is the people who never consider prepping that walk around in fear. Fear of terrorists, of people who have different opinions, of those who aren’t vaccinated, of someone who might own a firearm, of people who want more freedom and, well you get the point.
I have said before that the message of prepping is hope, not doom although you must choose how you look at things. I prepare because I want to be ready if something horrible happens, but I am prepping to survive whatever “it” may be. I don’t have a fatalistic view on my chances of survival, only what may necessitate me having to employ measures to ensure it. My wife and I had this same conversation back in the beginning as she saw (put up with) my ongoing efforts to get my family more prepared. She viewed my outlook on the future as extremely bleak. She couldn’t imagine a world like I was preparing for and wondered what was the point in living through those conditions. Since then she has seen that I am actively engaged in trying to protect my family to the best of my ability so that we can survive and hopefully help others in a calamity. She knows that I want to be part of the team helping others and that I don’t want to depend (or myself become a burden) on emergency services.
But other people can focus on the negative and get mired in the events we are prepping for more than the outcome we are trying to achieve so with this post, I want to give you some ideas for hobbies that preppers can participate in that can do two things. First, these hobbies for preppers will give you skills that you can use in a survival situation but can also enrich your life right now. Second, these hobbies will help you focus on the goal of surviving if for some reason you have gotten a little mired in the thoughts about the future and have become a little negative in your outlook.
Best Hobbies for Preppers
Below I have listed 16 of the best hobbies for preppers in no certain order that can give you training and encouragement in your abilities.
Backpacking/Hiking/Camping
I lumped these three together because they are so similar but I have often advocated backpacking as a way to both test and practice your bug out plans. There are some that disagree with me, but when you are preparing for a backpacking trip into the woods, you need to consider all the same things you would as a bug out. The only exception usually is security.
Backpacking trips require you to lay out and plan for one or more days living in the environment, usually away from civilization and returning safely. You have to carry everything on your back, navigate trails, inclines declines, obstacles just as you would in a bug out scenario. Best of all you get to see how carrying all your gear will feel at the end of a day. How far did you make it? Is there anything you realized you forgot once you got out into the woods? If you had to do it all over again, what would you change?
Hiking and Camping are similar but with a good bit less risk. With hiking, we are usually talking about day trips back so minor preparations are needed, but still a great activity and you can learn a lot about yourself and your own physical ability. Camping, when done from the convenience of a car and a camp site is the least like bugging out on foot, but could mimic a vehicle bug out scenario and it’s just good to get out of the house, into nature and spend time away from it all with family and friends.
Geocaching
The contents of the geocache at Buckden Rake
Geocaching is a fun activity that I started a few years back with my children and passed the interest off to a son-in-law who is now sharing it with his children. Geocaching is a great way to learn how to use a GPS unit to find items hidden and this ties directly into your own plans to stash prepping supplies in caches along your bug out route.
While playing this “game” you learn simple navigational skills but perhaps more importantly, how people hide items, how to find them and it really makes you think out of the box in some cases. Finding a hidden ammo box in the woods is one thing but finding a micro cache in the middle of a downtown business district is something altogether different. Another great activity to do with kids as they get to join in with finding the hidden caches and discovering the interesting objects people have left behind.
Hunting
In a grid down scenario, any activity that makes you more adept at bringing home food is a good one in my book. Hunting is a natural in that respect and it can teach you more than simply shooting at game. You can learn how to stalk prey, how to appropriately camouflage yourself and your movements, you can learn to identify game trails and habits of the game you are looking for.
Hunting allows you to employee various tools and methods to achieve your intended results. Firearms, bowed weapons, snares and traps are all useful and can give you great experience if you must depend on hunting to feed the family.
Auto Mechanics
When is the last time you changed your own oil?
Can you fix things? When is the last time you changed your own oil? Do you even know how to do that? While I can admit that some of the newer cars aren’t really set up for you to perform your own maintenance, that shouldn’t stop you from learning if you have the notion. As I have gotten older my need to work on my own cars has decreased but I still have manuals and have been known to turn a wrench when it’s necessary.
Knowing how to do basic repairs to your vehicle is a great skill and it can start with simple things like changing tires, belts, batteries and hoses to more complex projects like replacing water pumps, alternators or half-shafts. With the right tools and a manual for guidance or YouTube, anyone can do practically anything you need to repair your vehicle. This can save you money and could be vital if for some reason we aren’t able to take a vehicle to the shop to get it fixed.
Fishing
Like hunting, this hobby can put food on the table as well as be a simple, enjoyable way to get outside and spend some time either alone or with friends. Fishing can take on many different styles, but the basics are the same. Sometime the gear is different.
Gardening
In terms of putting food on the table and being in a place where you are able to store food away, gardening is one that we should all be doing. As I mentioned in a post the other day, in a disaster, your food won’t last forever so you need a backup plan for your backup plan.
Gardening can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. Many people start with a small plot and grow tomatoes, but if you are aiming to be able to put up enough food to last your family through the winter and up to the next harvest, a little more land and time will be required. Start learning how to grow your own food now, what your solid conditions are like, how to compost and you will be one step closer to being ready to have your garden provide everything you need.
Paintball/Airsoft
What does paintball have to do with prepping? For starters, it can teach you team tactics, simulate military maneuvers to achieve objectives and deal with some of the stress in combat. OK, before anyone screams at me, I know this does not compare to real combat. Bullets go through walls much faster than paint balls do but if you look at this as training and you treat your surroundings as though the paint balls are real bullets, it can be beneficial and instructive.
Air-Soft is lumped in here too with the same benefits and less mess. As long as you understand the difference between cover and concealment, both of these games can teach you lessons. If nothing else, you can see how out of shape you are from running and hiding behind obstacles.
Off-Roading
This hobby might be one of the most expensive for preppers, but if you already have a 4-wheel drive vehicle, getting off-road isn’t impossible and you can learn how to drive off the pavement and see what obstacles your vehicle can overcome. Communities like Overland Bound offer instruction, support, ideas and events to practice the skills needed to successfully go off-road.
Combine off-roading with camping and you have the makings of a really good vehicle bug out practice scenario. When you plan to go out with friends you can practice your bug out load plan, vehicle to vehicle communications with CB or Ham, land navigation with maps or GPS and field recovery when you get stuck in a mud pit that “didn’t look that deep” or break a part on the trail.
Marksmanship
One of the most important requirements for owning a firearm is practice so that you are proficient in the safe use and handling of this tool. Part of this I believe is being able to hit what you are shooting at and when your life depends on accurately hitting a target you are going to wish you had all the practice in the world.
Marksmanship can apply to pistols, rifles and even bows. Starting with paper targets and learning the fundamentals is key to getting better, more confident with that weapon and when the time comes you need to use it for hunting, practice or self-defense you can’t have enough training under your belt.
Orienteering
Orienteering combines racing with map reading. You can do this on your own or join a group like Orienteering.org. Timed races put individuals or teams though a course where you have to find your way with a map, compass and find different points along the way.
Want to create a secret treasure map to your hidden cache in the middle of 10,000 acres of forest? This is a good way to practice. It also helps with terrain recognition, and the obvious skills of map reading and how to use a compass.
Exercising/Fitness
More of a chore for some people than a hobby, exercise is one of the most critical components to being able to survive in a grid down or SHTF scenario and it’s one thing we most easily overlook or choose to ignore. Being able to move yourself from point to point, lift heavy objects repeatedly, perform manual labor and still have the strength to stand watch with alertness in the middle of the night is not something we can ignore.
Exercise can come in many forms, from simply walking during your lunch hour each day, to lifting weights, riding bikes, to following a routine from an app on your phone while you watch TV at night. The point is to do something to make sure your body is ready for the rigors of a stressful situation when you are faced with it.
Self-Defense Arts
When the SHTF, you already know that violent acts will become more pronounced. We see it every day now even though all the major systems we depend on are functioning normally. Having the ability and skill to defend yourself is important to all preppers. I carry a concealed weapon almost every day and so do many of you, but what if you aren’t able to take that weapon and someone threatens your life?
Self-defense classes help you avoid dying in a fight. You can choose from dozens of activities like boxing, Krav Maga, Judo, Karate, Taekwondo, Brazilian Jui jiitsu and countless others but they can all be used to keep you and your family safe while at the same time giving you focus, increasing your fitness levels and bolstering your confidence level.
Beekeeping
Keeping bees can not only help your garden and fruit orchards produce more.
You might be thinking that beekeeping is going to be too advanced but in reality, it takes about the same amount of time and means as gardening or other outdoor hobbies. In recent years, beekeeping has grown as a hobby to help families grow healthier plants while also helping the families be more self-reliant.
Keeping bees can not only help your garden and fruit orchards produce more, but you also get the benefits of honey, which can be stored forever and wax which can be used in making soap, candles and healing salves to heal minor scrapes or burns.
Ham Radio
Ham Radio operators can still communicate if there is no electric power, satellites or cellular service. That is the primary reason they are the go-to method of communication for preppers as well as emergency response teams in virtually every large city. With the right equipment, Ham operators can talk to people in other countries using technology that was around in the early 1900s. If some disaster knocks out the cell phone service, emergency communications can be routed through Amateur Radio and you can keep in touch with others in your family, group, region or state easily.
Ham or Amateur radios fall under the control of the FCC and there is a licensing process associated with being able to communicate on the radio. To speak on the air legally, you must first obtain your Technician level license and a call sign from the FCC. Your name and information will be listed in at least one public database and this information is freely accessible to anyone who wants to look.
Food Preservation
By now you probably are more than aware that if the power grid goes down, just about all of the food preservation capacity we have is lost. Yes, we have canned food, but grocery stores rely heavily on the refrigerated containers to keep meat and dairy product fresh. The freezers we all have rely on electricity too so in a true collapse how will you keep that bounty of vegetables around for longer than a week or two? It must be preserved.
How can piloting one of those annoying remote control gadgets help you in prepping? Well, it is a hobby I have been wanting to try for a while for a couple of good reasons. First of all, it looks fun, but the ability to fly a drone with an HD camera 400 feet up in the air could have serious grid-down prepping advantages. The one drawback is the FAA requires registration and they have a lengthy list of rules. Most of them I see the rationale with, just hate the process.
Mostly it is about the ability for intelligence. You can fly a drown over your retreat location to get unobstructed surveillance to see who is coming from miles away. You can verify threats before they are close enough to do you any harm. Optionally, you could use a drone to advance scout a route you were getting ready to take on foot or to determine if that old logging road you are using has an ambush roadblock ahead. Or get really cool video of your kid’s soccer game.
So who is still with me? There are just 16 hobbies for preppers but I know there are so many more than can be used. What hobbies do you find help your prepping skills?
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The first thing to consider is what items do people need and use every day, followed by will they need these items after a long-term disaster and if so will those items be readily available when the resupply lines are cut. If not,...
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What did you do to prep this week… that is the question… below you’ll find the answer… Maybe…
Well, folks, here we are again another week granted to us and I hope that you used that time to do something… anything to increase your level of preparedness. After all, that’s always the goal is to increase your level of preparedness in steps, even small steps, each week until you’re as prepared as you possibly can be.
One of the best preps that you can have in most cases costs very little money and that’s knowledge and that’s where reading...
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Opposition and gridlock at every turn. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Thursday poured cold water on the Trump administration’s goal of completing tax reform by the August recess. Via The Hill.
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Before Europeans discovered the Americas and introduced such diseases as chicken pox, the flu, smallpox, and measles, Native Americans were relatively disease-free and, for the most part, lived long, healthy lives, unless of course famine struck.
Native American remedies for existing illnesses were made of indigenous medicinal plants, many of which were highly effective.
Unlike modern medicine, sick patients weren’t just handed medicine until they either got better or died. Instead, Native Americans took care of their health holistically; it was strongly linked to spirituality.
The Native American ideal state of health and well-being was intrinsically linked to a close connection to the Earth and living in harmony with the environment.
In other words, they weren’t the “savages” that Europeans assumed that they were; I’m sure that, if they had the European desire for progress and financial gain, the Americas would have been vastly different than they were when Columbus found them. Instead, they believed that natural balance must be maintained. Life was about coexistence, not the almighty dollar.
But, if you take a look at what they actually did to maintain that balance, you may be surprised to find that their methods coincide with what modern medical practitioners preach on a daily basis.
Regular Cardio and Strength Training
Many tribes greeted the dawn with an early morning run to celebrate the arrival of a new day. How many people do you know that run in the mornings (or at some point during the day) as part of their exercise routine?
Of course, along with the physical exercise they also benefited from the release of stress-releasing hormones that we now know comes from physical exercise. Since running was, in large part, spiritual, there was also surely the clarity of mind that comes with meditation.
Oh, and we can’t forget that regularly carrying animal carcasses, curing hides, carrying water, setting up and tearing down camps, and participating in ceremonies and games that centered on acts of physical strength are all examples of strength training in its purest form.
The Native American concept of fast food was eating berries, fruits, and nuts as they picked them. They didn’t typically gorge themselves unless it was a celebratory feast and the only chips they had were possibly buffalo chips – depending on location – that they used to start a fire (or possibly create a home remedy).
Everybody now is preaching that free-range, organic, hormone-free meat is the only healthy option. Well guess what – the Native Americans were already following that diet. They treated sick animals in the same way that the treated sick people – herbally.
Either that or they just put them down and maybe ate them, depending on the illness or injury. Plus the animals weren’t ingesting grass poisoned with artificial pesticides and other chemicals.
Nuts and seeds were rich in Omega-3’s, high in good fats and low in bad fats, so they had that covered, and the berries that they ate, again, had no pesticides or chemicals. And lest we forget, they had to work for their food, so they were naturally exercising every day of their lives.
Until less than 100 years ago, diabetes was practically non-existent in the Native American population, until they began to adopt the eating habits of other Americans.
Mental Health
We now know that mental health is critical to physical health.
Native Americans regularly meditated and practiced acts of gratitude for everything that surrounded them.
As some modern philosophies teach, they were present and mindful. They celebrated the seasons and the bounty, and they were grateful and respectful to the animals that they killed to sustain themselves.
In a nutshell, Native Americans had a healthy outlook on life and worked regularly to maintain that. They knew, without an advanced medical degree, what it took to stay healthy.
Medicinal Herbs
For every illness, there’s a cure. At least in theory. Though Western Medicine hasn’t managed to find cures for many diseases, Native Americans had treatments for just about everything, and if you pay attention to early American writers, they often worked.
These treatments were entirely natural – no penicillin or opiates required. There are natural elements that provide the origins of these modern meds, such as soil and plants that contain natural antibiotics and plants such as willow bark that contain natural pain killers. In fact, willow bark was an original ingredient in aspirin.
Just because a cure is natural doesn’t mean that it doesn’t work as well as modern medications; in fact, the opposite is often true.
As preppers, we realize that we may not always have access to OTC and prescription meds so, considering that, we’ve put together a special report on Native American remedies that teaches you how to use the eight super-plants that treat more than thirty diseases. You’ll also learn how to help your body stay healthy and heal itself naturally, and how to preserve your food without refrigeration or electricity.
In general, their naturally healthy lifestyles prevented many diseases, but some did exist. Plus, you have to consider injuries such as broken bones, open wounds, and infections.
When treating any medical condition, the knowledge of the tribe healer often saved the day with a combination of treatments.
Throughout the generations, natural remedies were handed down from one healer to the next, and it seems pretty likely that the entire tribe knew how to use herbs, plants, seeds, and roots for healing, too.
These ingredients, alone or combined, were used to make poultices, teas, decoctions, salves, and oils that worked in conjunction with other holistic methods described above.
Sweat Lodges
Also known as medicine lodges, sweat lodges were often used for healing, prayer, introspection, and purification. Sweat sessions were required to be supervised by trained elders who were experienced with the process and could safely control the situation in case somebody became ill or uncomfortable.
Many holistic healers believe that sweating purifies the body by flushing toxins from the body and may help kill disease by raising the body temperature to a point that bacteria and viruses can’t survive. That is, of course, theoretical, but it makes a certain amount of sense.
Remember that knowledge is the only doctor that can save you when there is no medical help around you.
This article has been written by Theresa Crouse for Survivopedia.
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When it comes to storing enough food to survive, unassisted and on your own for three six-months or a full year or even longer is the point where most new preppers get overwhelmed and some even give up altogether. And while I agree that storing and rotating such a large amount of food on a continuing basis can be a lot of work and takes dedication, it is by no means impossible, and if done right can even be enjoyable – just follow this food storage list.
But where do you start? You should start with the basics first wheat (or other grains, for those...
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Over the years, the media has done an excellent job of minimizing the immense risk of nuclear contamination.
No matter whether mainstream media makes their reports late at night, or the newspapers print somewhere in the middle of the paper, American citizens remain largely unaware of just how bad the nuclear contamination problem really is.
While these problems continue to be understated or ignored, cancer rates continue to skyrocket and large scale animal die offs go on without other explanation.
Since the media cannot provide an accurate barometer, preppers must take extra care to investigate nuclear risks and be ready to deal with them long before a critical level warning is issued.
Fukushima
Even as I write this article, the #2 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is pumping out over 530 sieverts of nuclear radiation per hour. It only takes 1 sievert to cause radiation sickness, and 10 to kill. Right now, the radiation levels inside the reactor are so high, even the best radiation shielded robots cannot survive more than 2 hours.
Now, if you do a Google search in the news section for Fukushima, you only find Fox News reporting on this matter. If you watch TV or read a newspaper from other mainstream sources, there is every chance that you won’t even know that the ongoing situation in Fukushima has gotten much worse.
To add insult to injury, for some time now there are massive die offs of fish all along the west coast from Alaska to Chile. There are also genetic mutations popping up in fish and other animals that suggest they have been exposed to nuclear radiation.
Very soon, perhaps, the US government will have to admit that coastal areas of the Western United States are experiencing higher rates of cancer; and those cancers are being caused by nuclear contamination from Fukushima. In the meantime, all we hear from Japan is that it can take 40 years or more to stop the radiation leaks and fully decommission the reactors.
If you live along the west coast, or plan to bug out to any area west of the Rocky mountains, it is best to move further inland as quickly as possible. Your best options will be locations that are on the east side of the Rockies, and in the lowest valleys on that side. Just make sure that you aren’t near any nuclear plants or nuclear waste dumps.
Because nuclear radiation from Fukushima is being detected all over the world, it is also very important to have your own Geiger counter as well as a Kierney Fallout Meter. In addition, it is also extremely important to avoid buying foods, beverages, or anything else from Japan or anything from businesses along the western seaboard.
Since people are not aware of the level of nuclear contamination, it is all too easy to ship products that have low levels of contamination all over the place.
Never forget that ionized radiation exposure produces effects as it accumulates in the body. What looks like a safe amount right now may not be when added to continual exposure.
The Bear is Still out There
Right now the media claims that just about nothing can stop the tawdry bromance between Trump and Putin. Nevertheless, there are many tangible points of contention between our two nations.
While Trump and Putin may ultimately agree on Syria and be able to work together on this issue, there is a very real possibility that they will not be able to reach common ground on nuclear disarmament.
Relations between the United States and Russia soured during the Obama administration. Virtually all of the work done starting with the Reagan administration is lost, as evidenced by Putin’s videos saying that war with the United States was inevitable. While he often said that he held hopes for better chances with a new president (Trump), his actions since the election say there are problems.
For example, Russia is performing snap air raid drills and has been conducting civilian nuclear bomb shelter drills even before Trump was elected.
Keep any eye out for more news of large scale civilian preparedness drills and military maneuvers, especially in relation to the Ukraine or Russia’s border with other nations.
Chinese Aggression
Even though former President Clinton was eager to sell China super computers, it remains very clear that this communist nation can and will flex its muscles in military matters. Aside from serious trade deficits, China is becoming increasingly hostile to the United States with regards to the South China Sea.
There are several tiny islands in the South China Sea that are claimed by different nations. They may not be worth much of anything in terms of real estate, but the sea floor beneath and around them is believed to be rich in natural resources such as oil and natural gas. Given China’s economic growth and population size, it is very clear they need the South China Sea for fossil fuels.
While China isn’t likely to start a nuclear war over this incident, they may be more inclined to follow North Korean aggression if the situation is to their advantage. Never forget that the government of China takes the issue of saving face very seriously.
A nation that issues decrees that attempt to tell supernatural entities where they can and cannot incarnate is not likely to forget a slight no matter how minimal. This, in turn, can make China very easy to control by North Korea even as they seek to make it look like they are the ones controlling the situation.
The very fact that North Korea continues with its nuclear arsenal says that China will use them as a scape goat to start a nuclear incident, and then follow up, either from the position of “protecting an ally”, or more likely defending Chinese honor.
North Korea
Considering the number of other nuclear threats we face, it is not likely that North Korea will develop its own arsenal (including delivery systems) fast enough to be a risk to us or any other country.
The real risk from North Korea stems from it’s position as an ally of China and the interest ISIS has in being recognized by North Korea. We cannot discount the role of South Korea in this problem given that the people of both nations are keen in being one nation again.
While that is a positive thing in cultural terms, it is not so good for the global economy because South Korea has been infiltrated by Sharia Banks. Even though the majority of these banks may be peaceful, we cannot ignore the possibility that these banks secretly support ISIS and other terror organizations.
As it stands, the greatest risk we face from North Korea is a diplomatic one. Because it is a small country, other nations such as China can use it as a front for hostile actions.
It is, and remains my contention that China, and perhaps even Russia will not attack directly. They will attack through North Korea, a state run by what western media paints as a “madman”. In my opinion, it gives North Korea far more leverage in the nuclear arena than we are led to believe.
Watch the news carefully for signs of these developments, as well as the Sharia watch group site that gives excellent information on the progression of Sharia law and banks throughout the world.
Israel Upping the Stakes in Iran
Iran is similar to North Korea in the sense that it is not likely it will develop a nuclear arsenal and delivery system fast enough to compete with established nuclear nations.
On the other side of the equation, Iran is favored by many people in Islamic nations and seen as a crown jewel. As messy as the situation was in 1981 when Israel bombed Iranian nuclear material sites, it did give the rest of the world some time to think about how to manage a nuclear capable Iran.
History still paints this action as something of a disaster because Iran is now far more protective of its nuclear sites and has gone to great lengths to protect them from bombings.
Even though Israel stopped short of bombing Iranian nuclear targets just a few years ago, there is a definite chance they will go through with their plans sometime soon.
Because there are no Middle Eastern nations that admit to having nuclear weapons, it is not likely this action would trigger an immediate nuclear attack on the United States from a country in this region.
On the other hand, Russia remains supportive of Iran as front much as China does North Korea. Given that stance, it is likely both Russia and the United States would be drawn into the fray. If other tensions continue to escalate, there is a chance we will be right back to facing nuclear war with Russia.
Before closing the topic of Iran, let me point out that two of the five nuclear weapon states (United States, Russia, China, UK, and France) have puppet nations in front of them that claim to want access to nuclear arms. I think these puppets hold far more power than we estimate because they might be bought for the right price by the nations hiding behind them as well as other nations that want to push China or Russia into a war with the United States.
In the end, never forget that smaller nations always want to get bigger and have a better place in the global pecking order, while large and powerful nations must struggle to maintain it at their own level plus watch out for the effects of smaller nations acting en masse.
Use business activity sites to watch for where large companies are moving or building their factories as well as FOREX sites that revel changes in one nation’s currency in relation to another.
The Dilemma of Pakistan
Even though Pakistan is a nuclear nation and ally of ours, it is at odds with India, another ally and nuclear nation. At this time, Russia makes no secret of its interest in strengthening economic and cultural ties with India while Pakistan struggles with terrorist groups trying to take it over from within.
Unlike Iran and North Korea, I don’t necessarily see Pakistan as a puppet that could be used by the Trump administration. Nor do I see Pakistan as a nation that would attempt to start a nuclear war on its own.
However, if a terror organization gets control of any of nuclear assets (not just weapons), it can spell disaster for nations surrounding Pakistan that are aligned with the United States. It is through this form of aggression that a major global nuclear war can be triggered.
In the arena of Mutually Assured Destruction, diplomatic ties are always complicated when two groups are leery of each other. In this situation, the media tends to sway public opinion into thinking that “other countries” will break their promise first, or fall to terrorism long before the United States will.
The mirror here works two ways and the media in these other countries may also cast doubt on the strength and integrity of the United States. No matter whether Pakistan chooses to align with Iran, or gives another non-Israeli Middle Eastern country the promise of nuclear weapon support, it can be a very dangerous trigger.
Escalating levels of mistrust alone can create a self-fulfilling prophecy of horrifying proportions. If there is one warning I would look for insofar as Pakistan serving as a trigger to a major nuclear encounter, it would be support of a Middle Eastern nation against Israel, or increasing indicators that radical Islamic terrorists are controlling the government and nuclear assets.
A World Ready to Stop Our Nation
When Trump made his inaugural speech, many people in the United States cheered when the candidate they voted for proclaimed “America First”. This phrase, however, has become a point of mockery via viral videos that are being shared around the world. These videos, which seek to “introduce” Trump to their nations say “we don’t mind you being first, but us second, or third, etc.”
While these videos pretend to be humorous, the “me second” theme can be seen as threatening from the standpoint of war, in particular, MAD.
In a MAD scenario, it is often thought that the first strike is not always the defining one. Instead, as other nations join not the fray and launch nuclear weapons, the destruction of the first striking nation, and quite possibly the rest of the world, is assured. Since many of these nations “nuclear sharing” contracts with NATO, it is entirely possible these videos are a warning.
Many of our allies, including Israel have made these videos. While they may, in fact, just be a joke (which in an of itself can be seen as an act of aggression), the fact remains that nations will always look for the most advantageous positions for themselves. Mocking a president of a world power is not a way to grow an alliance. If anything, it will only lead to more aggression.
Insofar as nuclear risks, watch for points where nations making these videos move to contribute to the destabilization of the United States or act in some way that increases the risk of the United States being drawn into a nuclear conflict with one of the other main nuclear nations.
Never forget about France and the UK. While they are historically some of our best allies, they also have many ties to other nations and are on a path to global unity. Trump may not want to bring the United States into that conglomeration especially if our nation cannot be the leader or act with unreserved autonomy.
Aging US Nuclear Reactors
If you think the overseas based threats of nuclear disaster are troubling, then you haven’t been watching Fukushima or Chernobyl close enough.
What is happening at Fukushima can easily happen right here. We have hundreds of aging nuclear power reactors spread throughout the nation. For example, Indian Point has been showing signs of trouble for decades, however it never gets shut down because it brings in too much money.
For the most part, you won’t get any warnings from the media or government sites about nuclear reactors that may be in trouble. Earthquakes, hurricanes, or other natural disasters could also cause problems at these power plants.
As a prepper, you will be best served by always being informed and aware of how close or far away you are from nuclear reactors. Avoid being downwind of a nuclear power plant and within 200 miles.
It is also very important to have several Kierney Fallout meters located around your home and work place. These will help you detect sudden changes in ionized radiation. If you see something going on, you can always follow up with a Geiger counter.
What Else is ISIS Hiding?
One of the biggest problems with ISIS and other terror groups is they have a lot of money. While many people want to stereotype radical Islamic terrorists as being of Middle Eastern descent, the fact of the matter is many radicals are in Asian and Oceanic countries.
For example, Indonesia and the Philippines both have fairly large terror cells that may well rise up and take the place of ISIS on the world scene. In some cases, some of these groups may already be aligned with the Taliban, ISIS or Al Quaeda or are offshoots of these groups.
Since these groups have so much money and access to gullible people of all races, lone wolves can slip through even the best clearance processes for nuclear facilities. No matter whether they get in as janitors for a nuclear medical testing facility or work in a nuclear power plant, there are probably dozens of ways they can gain access to nuclear materials.
Also, with money comes the capacity to buy scientists. In this case, even if we don’t have the technology to turn medical grade nuclear materials into warheads, that doesn’t mean terrorist based scientists aren’t trying their hardest.
Unlike other scientists committed to curbing or inhibiting weapons development, rest assured that drugged up, knocked up, brainwashed and radicalized terrorists will not hesitate to find as many deadly tricks as they can. Just as sadly, they more than likely have all kinds of money at their disposal to do the job.
From dirty bombs to close range warheads, the best thing preppers can do is be aware. Keep a close watch on abandoned buildings and people that go in and out of them. Get to know the homeless people in your area so that you can figure out who is new or using that as a cover. Make it your business to keep a Kierney Meter with you at all times. If you detect suspicious levels of radiation, report it. You just never know what might be hiding under your own nose.
Other than that, never assume that it is just Middle Eastern people that may be plotting to launch an inside nuclear attack in our nation. Even if the final perpetrators wind up being from this part of the world, it is entirely possible that people from other races were part of the process.
In short, let the trail of ionized radiation be your guide and suspicious behavior patterns be your guide more than race based stereotypes.
Improper Medical Testing and Nuclear Waste Disposal
Speaking of obvious sources of a nuclear disaster, never forget about how much radiation you are getting from x-rays, mammograms, CT scans, and other medical diagnostic systems. While these are supposed to be safe over a lifetime, they may be enough to cause serious damage when combined with contaminated food, air and water.
It is best to limit your exposure to these tests as much as possible. Ask for, and demand tests that use other means to view internal organs and systems while providing suitable information. If your insurance company will not pay for alternative tests, do not hesitate to take the matter to social networking, the media and your elected representatives.
From mundane things you deal with every day to large scale conspiracy theories turned real, our nation is in serious danger from nuclear fuels and technologies.
Now is the time to make sure you know how to detect nuclear radiation and spot global trends that indicate dangers are increasing. This is also the time to make sure you can follow appropriate steps based on what you find. Do not forget to include nuclear survival gear in your bug out bag and EDC, and learn how to survive an attack!
This article has been written by Carmela Tyrell for Survivopedia.
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You could encapsulate just about anything in the world of prepping under one simple word: planning. Preppers are planning for different scenarios where they must implement one or more plans for how to deal with various aspects of said scenario. We plan on how we will act, what prepping supplies we will need to acquire and we plan how to talk to family members and avoid neighbors.
Preppers plan for medical emergencies by selecting the right medical supplies, books and resources such as wilderness training to put us in a better position to render first aid to wounded family and friends. We plan for economic collapse by investing in precious metals, or diversifying our income by a second or even third job. Preppers plan to bug out and deal with violent confrontations from displaced and possibly hostile individuals or groups that will stop at nothing, including your life to survive themselves. Gardens, food, shelter, alternate power, FEMA, government abuses and on and on we have our plans. But are you planning to fail? Is what you are doing really a plan at all?
What is your prepping plan?
I have written a few articles on the subject of planning with respect to prepping because it seems to me like a logical step but I was reminded of this topic again while planning a backpacking trip with a small group of my daughter’s friends. We would be going into the woods in a remote location that I had been to before, but my “plan” focused on me really – the basics I knew I would need to take into consideration and I had not fully appreciated this group of kids that I hardly knew. I hadn’t expanded my scope of thinking outside of my own little bubble. Almost instinctively I was making lists in my head of what gear I would need and where it was stored. Mentally I calculated the weight I would be packing in and pictured myself walking through the woods with my faithful dog and a bunch of teenagers lagging somewhere on the trail behind me. It didn’t take long for me to figure out that I certainly couldn’t “plan” on each of these kids knowing what they were getting into and what they would need.
I started writing out a list of the basics: Who, What, When, Where, and How. I left out the Why because I don’t need an excuse to go live in the woods for a few days, I have been waiting for almost a year for the opportunity! In my revised plan, I focused on what they would each need to have, the conditions of the voyage into the great unknown and many details the parents would likely need to know. Before long my plan was a two-page word doc that my daughter laughingly said “detailed enough, Dad?” It’s a simplistic example, but I started thinking about my prepping plans considering that exercise.
A list isn’t a plan
When I started prepping, the first thing I did resembling a plan was to write out a long list of the items I thought I needed to focus on in order to “be prepared”. I still have that list around here somewhere but I remember exactly the types of things I scribbled down back so many years ago. There were sections for Food, Water, Shelter, Security, Finances, Gardening and Medical. Each section had a list of items I knew from my research could help me and my family. It was a good start but just writing down these supplies I needed wasn’t really a plan. It was a shopping list.
My list helped me get started with the acquisition of food. I was able to focus on first a 30-day supply of food and that grew as I had other items checked off. My list was constantly being analyzed for priority. If I got an extra $100 to spend I would look at my list and see where I had the biggest hole in my preps and move in that direction. Some months I was able to cross items off my list and other months I wasn’t able to. It helped me but again this was not a plan.
Having a ton of supplies isn’t a plan
Eventually my supplies stared to add up and I was feeling more comfortable with the odds of my family being able to survive, I still didn’t have a plan other than to stay in my house and use the supplies we had been scraping together. I had a supply of ammo, weapons, rain barrels, our garden was started and the pantry was filled with canned beans, rice and corn. I had freeze-dried food under the beds and medical supplies stashed in bins at the bottom of closets but after all this, the only thing I could really say was that my plan was not to need to go to the store for a while. I could sit pretty while the world collapsed at least for some time.
It wasn’t too long after that I realized a few things:
Your plan to stay on your piece of land might need to change against your wishes.
If the world goes to hell, your reality will likely change. Your health, responsibilities and abilities could all suffer in a long-term collapse.
Going back to my backpacking analogy, I started to reflect on all the other people whose lives could impact my prepping ideals. It is wise to take these other people into account when I made my plans. My neighbors, the people down the street, law enforcement, rescue services, the military, gangs, relatives, friends. A disaster will likely be a dynamic event that you will have to adjust to and make changes to your plans on a daily basis in some cases. A warehouse of supplies is nice, but what if you are forced to leave all those behind?
So, in some ways all the work we think of as being the bulk of Prepping – the accumulation of gear, guns, ammo and supplies only gets us maybe 15% of the way to this mythical point of preparedness. The rest is what we will do with those supplies we have accumulated, how will we use them with our families in various situations. How will we ensure the use is done in a manner consistent with how you envisioned them when you purchased the supplies. Do we need to ration and when? Who can access the supplies and how will you deal with resupply? Who will you share with and what are you prepared to do in situations where you don’t want to share? But that’s just the Stuff part of it. There is so much more!
Prepping is not simply distilled only to the acquisition of gear. You should not relax when you have a pantry full of food and some camping gear and a rifle or two. Granted, that will put you ahead of many people, but that is only a short-term gain. If you are searching for true preparedness, your plans must begin to imagine a life without many of those supplies you have stockpiled because in a true grid-down disaster, end of the world calamity that you are imagining there is a pretty good chance your MRE’s will be long gone, your ammo could be gone and any medical supplies you had might have vanished months ago.
For me, a true prepping plan is being able to live without any of the supplies I am stocking up. I am pointed in that direction now with efforts on self-reliant power, food production and living off the land as much as possible. Does that mean I am not stocking up anything and I am only going to be prepared to eat bark and roots? Nope, but I won’t be sitting in my suburban bunker eating my canned peaches watching DVD’s on my solar-powered player either as the world burns outside. The supplies will only buy me time. That time is going to need to be spent on many initiatives that will lend themselves to survival. Survival for my family and everyone I can bring along with me.
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The holidays are over, the traveling is done and life is settling back down, Nov and Dec makes me think about loss opportunities we have being self-reliant. For instance all the food prep, each month at different families houses I saw a large amount of recyclable materials hit the trash can! I thought back a few years ago with I had built a biogas digester.
A digester is a great homestead appliance. You put all sorts of refuse in it and get fuel from the other end. However, it requires some work. First, we have to decide...
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We have worked out an exclusive deal with the publishers of the survival card game “Conflicted” where we will be posting one question per week from the deck for open discussion here on TheSurvivalistBlog.net. You can buy your own Conflicted Deck here and play it with your friends and family… Okay, here we go…
The economy crashed and your family lost their income. Jobs are hard to come by. What other options are available to you, with the skills that you currently have?
Looking forward to the discussion in the comments below…
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1. North Korea says missiles were drill for strike on US bases…
Is it time for a regime change in North Korea? After all the U.S. government has always been good at meddling in elections and regime change by overthrowing leaders of other countries. But would it do any good to overthrow Kim Jong-Un or is direct military action required? Talk doesn’t work and neither have sanctions. Via Yahoo News.
2. North Korea, the real threat to the U.S…
A high-altitude EMP attack — though there would be no blast, thermal or fallout effects on the ground — could knock out the electric...
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The first thing that people do in the movies when there’s a catastrophic event is try to get out of town. They end up in gridlocked traffic and end up surrounded by panicking people abandoning vehicles that can’t go any further. Obviously, there was a lack of planning.
As preppers, we’re prepared to avoid these types of situations either by bugging in, or by having bug out vehicles that can navigate terrain, and will allow us to avoid major roads so that we have a better chance of getting safely away.
Though many people don’t consider a motorcycle a good choice for a bug out vehicle, don’t discount the advantages out of hand. After all, while all of those cars are gridlocked, you can ride the berm or split the lanes to continue traveling. This would, of course, come with the risk of somebody knocking you off your bike, so you’d have to be extremely cautious while also traveling quickly.
You can also travel off-road if you have the right bike and it’s properly equipped. Oh, and if you have an EMP room that’s at least 5 or 6 feet square, you can keep the bike right in there along with an extra motor and parts and still have plenty of room left for your other stuff.
Also, a motorcycle gets anywhere from 30-70 mpg. The average dual sport bike has anywhere from a 3-6 gallon tank, which means that you can make it 150-300 miles on one tank. They’re also versatile and do well both on the street and off-road assuming you choose a good bike and put knobby tires on it.
Many people like to use a 250cc for a bug out vehicle, but I like a little more speed and power – I’d recommend a 600 – it doesn’t weight that much more than a 250, though you will lose a little mpg. That’s negligible, though – 10mpg maybe. Chances are good that your bug out place is still going to be well within your tank range.
There are downsides. You can’t realistically take more than two people and will only be able to take the bare essentials with you. Ideally, you should probably use a bike to get you to a pre-stocked bug out location. Most sport bikes, enduros, motocross bikes and duel sports are light enough that 2 people can lift them up into the back of a truck.
However, there are a few modifications that you should probably make in order to optimize it for bugging out. These are just general suggestions – you’ll have to account for your individual terrain and bug out plans.
Put Headlights on Toggle Switch
Motorcycles typically have headlights that turn on as soon as you turn the key as a standard safety feature. Since you may need to hide, it’s probably a good idea to put the headlight on a toggle switch. Fortunately, the wiring on a motorcycle is fairly simple, so this is easy to do.
Paint to Match Your Terrain
I absolutely love the electric blue and neon green paintjob on my GSXR, but it doesn’t exactly lend itself to hiding.
Not only do you want to keep from being seen on it if possible, but you don’t want it to stand out for somebody to target as a potential getaway vehicle for themselves should you need to stop and be away from it. (i.e., bathroom breaks, etc.)
Fortunately, it doesn’t take much paint to cover an entire motorcycle. Choose a paint that will help you blend into your terrain. Whether it’s green or tan, or somewhere in between, camouflage that ride.
Cargo Racks
You can buy a cargo rack for behind the seat, or you can do what I did for my last bike and build it yourself. This allows you quite a bit of customization because you can add a little bit of storage here and there.
For instance, you can potentially add a rifle carrier that would ride under your thigh, or a storage rack in front of it. You can also buy or build saddle bags. We are, after all, the kings and queens of DIY.
Use Quiet Exhaust
On a standard day, I’ll preach that loud pipes save lives all day long, but not in this case. Your goal is to fly under the radar, so you want the bike to be as quiet as possible. Because of the way a motorcycle motor works, you’re not going to be able to get it whisper-quiet like a car is, but you can muffle it significantly by modifying the pipes.
Especially if you’ve opted to use a small-cc bike, don’t do too much in the way of modifying the heads to muffle the sound because you don’t want to restrict the airflow.
Have an Extra Motor and Parts in Your EMP Room
If you have an EMP room, you have room for a motorcycle motor. They’re small and fairly light – less than 150 pounds in many cases.
Once you start looking, you’re going to be surprised by how many places you can put a storage bag on your bike. There are handlebar bags made to sit in the triple tree. I put mine on the front between the forks when I carry it.
You can also get magnetic tank bags that will carry a surprising amount of gear and supplies.
Magnetic Holsters
These are great. The magnets are seriously strong enough to hold onto the tank even if things get rough. I had one on my last bike that I used when we went camping and I kept it on the front of my tank up by my gauges. You can, of course, always customize them or have them custom made.
Backpack
This is probably my most important piece of survival gear because it stays right with me all the time. I don’t have to worry about it falling off or catching on things, or slowing me down as long as I’m on my bike. Put what you can’t live without in here, in case somebody steals your bike.
I always keep, at a minimum:
Sounds like a lot, but actually if you think about it, the only big item is water. It all fits in the bottom of one of my pouches, and I have a nice little “just in case” kit.
I also keep a toolkit underneath my seat that holds the main 3 sockets and small wrenches that work on my bike, a pair of pliers, and zip ties.
Suspension
Depending on the bike that you have, you may need to adjust the suspension so that it’s fit to ride off-road. This is a topic best researched before you decide on a bike. I can’t really offer much advice that would be any good because everything depends on what you have to work with.
Tires
If you’re going to take your bike off-road, you need to have knobby tires on it. If you’re not, you need to keep your street tires in excellent condition because in the middle of an emergency is the worst time possible for you to have a blowout.
These are just a few tips to help you get your motorcycle ready to use as a bugout vehicle. I considered recommending armoring the tank and you can do that if you want, but truthfully, you’re using it as a vehicle that is light, nimble, and maneuverable. You want to avoid weight where you can.
Do you have any other tips to help prepare a motorcycle so that it will serve as a good bug out vehicle?
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This article has been written by Theresa Crouse for Survivopedia.
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We now know that mental health is critical to physical health.
