In addition to mankind’s emissions of “greenhouse gasses,” good climatologists also look at a wide variety of contributing interwoven factors, such as solar fluctuations, orbital variations, volcanic ash, air pollution particulates, and so on. For example, in the winter of 2009–10, a combination of cooling effects from the Northern Hemisphere’s aerosol pollutants (smoke from coal power plants, industry, cars) and the sun being in a phase known as a “solar minimum” temporarily counteracted the warming effects of the greenhouse gasses across the central latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, helping to give many of those living in the heavily populated areas of Europe, North America, and Asia a winter that seemed like “the good old days.” This led many to breathe a sigh of relief, siding with the climate change deniers’ proclamations that global warming is a hoax foisted upon the peoples of the world by a huge conspiracy that managed to corral and censor the vast majority of the world’s climate scientists from countries around the world. However, global scientific weather data for that winter showed composite temperatures well above average in the far north as well as most of the Southern Hemisphere—areas not subject to the cooling effects from the bulk of the aerosol pollutants emitted by the industrial nations of the north. After analyzing temperature data for the entire world, scientists concluded that 2005 and 2010 ended up in a tie for the hottest year on record.
3. Collapse of the World’s Oceans
“Experts on invertebrates have expressed ‘profound shock’ over a government report showing a decline in zooplankton of more than 70% since the 1960s. The tiny animals are an important food for fish, mammals and crustaceans. . . . ‘But, despite this experience, we were profoundly shocked to read that zooplankton abundance has declined by about 73% since 1960 and about 50% since 1990. This is a biodiversity disaster of enormous proportions.’ “
“Fall in Tiny Animals a Disaster,” - BBC News, July 10, 2008
With eleven out of fifteen of the world’s major fisheries either in collapse, or in danger of collapse, our world’s oceans are in serious trouble. The ocean’s planktons form the bottom of both the food chain and the bulk of the carbon-oxygen cycle for our planet. According to a recent British government report, the oceans have lost 73 percent of their zooplankton since 1960, and over 50 percent of this decline has been since 1990, and the phytoplanktons are also in serious decline.
Unfortunately, the coral reefs aren’t doing much better than the planktons. By 2004, an estimated 20 percent of the world’s coral reefs had been destroyed (up from just 11 percent in 2000), an additional 24 percent were close to collapse, and another 26 percent were under long-term threat of collapse. The oceans’ roll in sequestering atmospheric CO2 and maintaining a breathable concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere is even more vital to our planet’s health than the rainforests, but perhaps because the damage is occurring out of sight beneath the surface, we appear to be less concerned with what we are doing to the oceans.
4. Deforestation
“The rainforests of the Amazon, the Congo basin and Indonesia are thought of as the lungs of the planet. But the destruction of those forests will in the next four years alone, in the words of Sir Nicholas Stern, pump more CO2 into the atmosphere than every flight in the history of aviation to at least 2025.”
Daniel Howden, “Deforestation: The Hidden Cause of Global Warming,” - Independent, May 14, 2007
Over 50 percent of the world’s forests have already disappeared, and much of the rest are threatened. Deforestation contributes approximately 25 percent of all global greenhouse gasses, nearly double the 14 percent that transportation and industry sectors each contribute. Additionally, the forests of the world are a critical part of the weather cycle as well as the carbon-oxygen cycle. Each large mature tree acts as a giant water pump, recycling millions of gallons of water back into the atmosphere via evaporation from its leaves or needles. It has been estimated that a single large rainforest or coniferous tree has an evaporative surface area roughly equal to a 40-acre lake. When the trees are decimated in a region, a process called “desertification” tends to occur downwind because the trees are no longer there to pump groundwater back into the atmosphere to fall back to earth as additional rainfall at some downwind location.
5. The Global Food Crisis: Soils, Weather and Water
“World food prices have risen 45 percent in the last nine months and there are serious shortages of rice, wheat and [corn],” Jacques Diouf, head of the Rome-based U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said at a major conference in New Delhi yesterday. . . . World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick said earlier this month that nearly three dozen countries face social unrest because of surging food and fuel prices. For the countries most at risk, “there is no margin for survival,” he said.
“Global Food Riots Turn Deadly,” - David R. Sands, Washington Times, April 10, 2008
For the first time since the “green revolution” started, our world is producing less food each year, yet its population continues to rise as we lose more topsoil, arable land, and have less water for irrigation. Climate change is currently contributing more to losses than technology is to gains. In 2008 and 2009, food riots threatened the stability of many governments. In 2010 extended droughts in the breadbaskets of both China and India threatened the food supply for over one-third of the world’s population.
6. Overpopulation
Sometime around 2050, there are going to be nine billion people roaming this planet—two billion more than there are today. It’s a safe bet that all those folks will want to eat. And that’s . . . an incredibly daunting prospect. Right now, an estimated one billion people go hungry each day.”
“Is There Enough Food Out There for Nine Billion People?” -Brad Plumer, New Republic, February 3, 2010
Overpopulation is the elephant in the room that few are talking about. In the last decade, we have added more people to the planet than were added between the births of Jesus and Abraham Lincoln. Around the year 1980, our world first overshot its capacity to provide for its human population, yet this population continues to grow, and we continue to live on borrowed time (Global Footprint Network 2010). One thousand years after Jesus walked the earth, human population was around ½ billion. It took another 800 years to double this population to 1 billion. It took only 130 more years for the next doubling to 2 billion in 1930. When I was a kid in 1960, world population hit 3 billion people, and it only took another 40 years to double to 6 billion in the year 2000.
The world’s population reached 7 billion around the end of October in the year 2011, meaning that between the start of the year 2000 and the end of 2011, we added more people to the population of our world than lived on the entire planet just two hundred years ago! There is simply no way we can achieve a sustainable future unless our population stops growing and starts shrinking. Either Nature will do this for us, with starvation and plagues spreading across the planet as our natural and man-made systems fall apart, or mankind will use its intelligence and free will to proactively implement positive solutions to these issues.
(Graphic Above: Global population growth. Source: U.S. Census Bureau )
This is serious stuff, but don’t take it too seriously. Make a plan, set some goals, and create a timeline that includes several milestones. Each time you reach a new milestone, reward yourself with a break and a breather. All work and no play will be hard on your friends and family, plus it will make your job of enlisting the “buy in” of others that much more difficult. No one likes a “stick in the mud.” Your disaster prep, plans, and training are much more likely to succeed if you are part of a group with common goals and values, than if you are a survival team composed of me, myself, and I. The present moment is all you can ever truly have, so don’t forget to take time to live and experience those precious moments between now and the time spent on future plans and preparations.
In closing, I urge everyone to do your best to change the world, and do your best to be ready for the changes in the
world!
Mat Stein P.E. is is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); where he majored in Mechanical Engineering. He’s the author of the acclaimed book: “When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability and Surviving the Long Emergency” (Chelsea Green 2008). His latest book: “When Disaster Strikes” is a comprehensive guide to surviving a large number of various natural and man-made disasters. He can be reached at his website: http://www.whentechfails.com/
How to Turn a Cheap Surplus Rifle Into a Top-Line Shooter
by Chance Sanders
“Shooters, this is your 500 yard line course of fire, firing 10 rounds in the time limit of 10 minutes. Your time limit begins, and you may begin firing when your target appears.”
I don’t know how many times I heard this phrase during my 8 year service in the United States Marine Corps. For a time it was my voice issuing these commands from the tower. As a Primary Marksmanship Instructor assigned to Weapons Training Battalion, Stone Bay, I was able to learn the finer points of marksmanship. The Corps’ long history was built on the concept of: “Every Marine a rifleman”. I have always had a fascination with firearms especially those of the precise nature. I would also find occasion to visit the armorer who maintained not only the sniper rifles, but also our match grade rifles and handguns that we used for competition shooting. He explained in great detail the finer nuances of building a precision rifle. The heavy barrel to reduce barrel whip, a hand lapped bolt trued to the action, glass bedding, and so on. He also explained that when a barrel began to heat up, accuracy would decline due to heat expansion in the barrel. The resulting rifle was accurate but heavy!
Since moving on with my career with another government agency, I still get paid to shoot guns for a living. My interest in precision rifles has not gone away, nor has my desire to own such a rifle. The problem is; such rifles have become cost prohibitive and with every new gun magazine there seems to be a new and better rifle – rifles that are capable of accurate fire at distance, that before now were not even imaginable. The common theme, however, is that these rifles cost as much as a good used truck! So where does that leave the rest of us? Those of us who are focused on having food stored, keeping a small homestead going, and trying to plan for next year’s garden?
Until now, a prepper’s best option was his deer rifle or a surplus military rifle from three wars ago. What if I told you that that was no longer the case? What if someone had devised a way to make your deer rifle or surplus military rifle a viable long range precision weapon? What if I said this could be achieved with no gain in weight? What if I told you that you could own an AK47 that shot a minute of angle without changing any of the reliability of the weapon? The guys at Teludyne Tech have done such a thing.
I was recently contacted by Mark Hatfield, V.P. of logistics at TTI and asked if I would like to check out their product. Of course I did! Within a week I was making the 2 hour drive up to Greer South Carolina to visit the TTI headquarters. Upon arrival I was greeted by Mark Roth the President of the company. He was wearing his shooters clothes, which put me at ease. Once we were inside I realized that the professional gun guy apparel was standard within the company. These guys were serious about shooting! After introductions were made we sat down at the conference table and began discussing what exactly the company offered. All around me were rifles of every make and model that had one thing in common, a Strait Jacket Barrel System™. Invented by Alan Adolphsen, the SJBS is a breakthrough technology in how barrels work. Designed to utilize your existing barrel at its core, the Straight Jacket drastically reduces barrel whip by pressure fitting thin walled tubing to your barrel, then filling the void with their proprietary medium, thus creating a new monolithic structure. This new structure retains the necessary flexibility while adding accuracy and enhancing rigidity. After handling every rifle they had, I started getting the itch - you know, that itch you get when you hold a rifle that begs to be fired, demands to prove to you that it can out-shoot you any day of the week?
Soon we were on our way to the range to put these guns to the test. I could feel the confidence and excitement that these guys had in their product as we discussed the evolution of the barrel system as well as upcoming opportunities for the company. It seems that certain people in Fort Bragg have developed quite an interest in this company. When we arrived at the range we quickly set up targets at the 100 yard line utilizing Teludyne’s own unique targets. The rifles to be tested were two Remington 700s both in .308 Win and a M4 in 5.56. Each rifle was outfitted with the Straight Jacket Barrel System™.
After setting up, I proceeded to shoot a few strings of fire. The first shots were all good groups, but I was encouraged to fire as rapidly as possible to see if I could heat up the barrel. I quickly burned through two 20 round boxes of Black Hills ammunition. Satisfied that if the barrel was going get hot it would have done so by now. Then, I decided to do something unconventional. I switched over from shooting right-handed off the padded rest to left-handed off the bipod. My rationale for doing this was not to prove my shooting prowess, but because I was starting to experience fatigue in my right eye from staring through the scope for so long.
With a fresh eye on the scope the Mil Dot reticule jumped out in sharp relief. I took my first shot on a fresh target... Nothing... For a moment I started to doubt my decision to switch hands. Mr. Hatfield, who was spotting for me, suggested that perhaps I had hit one of the bold black arrows on the target and that’s why he could not find my shot. I slightly adjusted my point of aim and focused. This was the critical point where I had to believe not only in myself but also in the weapon system. The upgraded rifle had already proven it could do what a precision rifle is supposed to do, the question was could I?
The world around me began to shrink into that tube of glass mounted on top of the rifle. Mentally I check off all the factors that could affect the shot, made small adjustments, and fired. The patented muzzle break designed by Teludyne reduced the recoil so much that I never lost sight picture. I knew before Mark called it that it was a good hit. I quickly fell into a rhythm and repeated the whole process for four more shots.
After we made the weapon safe, the three of us took a walk down range to further inspect the target. Mr. Hatfield was right; my first round had impacted in the black line. All other shots had created a single hole within a one inch grid on the target. I was completely sold on the Straight Jacket Barrel System™; however, the guys had more in store for me. By this time in the afternoon we had the range to ourselves and had set up more targets at the 50 yard line. With the M4 in my hands, I moved forward of the benches to put the rifle through its paces. Once again the goal was to see if I could heat up the barrel. I ran through a series of pop drills to test the weight and balance of the rifle and burned through a few magazines at the rapid rate of fire. After about the fourth 30 round magazine, I cleared the weapon and popped out the bolt. The chamber was barley even warm. After reassembling the weapon, I dumped another magazine through the rifle and then started shooting more deliberate, well aimed shots. The weapon performed flawlessly. The importance of this, as explained by Mr. Roth, was that during a heated firefight an operator could rely on his rifle to make precise shots at distance if needed.
I was further shocked to find out that the weapon I was shooting had never been cleaned! This of course went against everything I had ever been taught. Mr. Roth assured me that this was not due to laziness on their part, but that since the rifle stayed cool then carbon never stuck to anything. This would be extremely important for a person, who due to operational tempo, didn’t have time to do a thorough cleaning between patrols.
So where does this leave us regular guys? Those of us who would love an accurate rifle without all the weight, but don’t have an extra $3000 lying around? Those of us who cannot afford match grade ammo in enough quantity to feel adequate for long term self reliance? With the Straight Jacket Barrel System™ installed on your current rifle, or a surplus rifle
that you have had your eye on, I would venture to say that we are left in a pretty good spot indeed!
Chance Sanders is a former U.S. Marine marksmanship and firearms instructor. He currently works as a tactical security specialist and teaches survival skills in his native South Carolina.
Survival Reloading Presses and Other Gear
by Doug Bell
(Example Images at End of Article)
Let’s say the world is falling apart, going to hell in a hand basket, and you don’t want to go along for the ride. The why is not really important to us now, it might be that Greece is going bankrupt and dragging the rest of the European Union down with it, it might be 2012 and Planet-X, the Mayan Calendar, or what ever is currently on the radar right now, but I assure you, The End Is Near. Rome fell, Classical Greece fell, Egypt fell, the USA is just the last in a long line, but if history tells us anything, sooner or later, (possibly in 2012), things will end, and it always gets worse over time. So what can you, the thinking survivalist prepper do? What can you do to ensure your families survival and prosperity no matter what? Simple! Learn to reload and ensure you and yours are a valuable asset to your group or community and you will prosper.
Now reloading is idiot simple to do. I know, I have been reloading for close to forty years now and still have all my fingers and both eyes, so if I can do it, most anyone who can chew gum and walk at the same time can learn to reload safely as well. Since nothing chaps my bum like some fool who tries to make everything sound mysterious, like some sort of “black art” done at midnight under the dark of the new moon, I am going to put this as simply as I can, so everyone can understand it. Which will be too simple for the advanced reloader, but no one is born knowing all this, so we have to start somewhere... and that’s the beginning.
Survivalist Anthologies Volume 1 Page 42