Survivalist Anthologies Volume 1

by George Shepherd

  Personally, I’ve not had much luck with the various barter/trade websites like Paperbackswap.com. Often times, they just don’t seem to have the titles in which I’m interested. But, if you belong to online networking groups, such as those found on Yahoo Groups or Facebook, you might consider offering up a few of the books you don’t wish to keep and see if you can trade them for books you want. I’ve done this several times and the only cost to me was Media Rate postage.

  Now that you know where to look, what should you look for? This is where things get a bit subjective. What I might think is a great book, someone else might not like as much, or vice versa. Most of these though I doubt many would disagree with my recommendation.

  When you start planning for total societal collapse scenarios, one of the first questions you’ll ask yourself is where should you go, right? One of the best books on this topic is: Bug Out! - The Complete Plan for Escaping a Catastrophic Disaster Before It’s Too Late by Scott B. Williams. I recommend this book for two reasons. First, his chapter titled The Fantasy & The Reality of Living Off the Land should be required reading for every survivalist. Second, the bulk of the book consists of Williams discussing in great detail the various regions of the United States and how they may be suitable for the survivalist. Climate, flora, fauna, and a smattering of other subtopics are discussed at length.

  Once you have your location set, then you’ll want to learn various aspects of homesteading. For my money, two of the best books printed on these subjects are Carla Emery’s Encyclopedia of Country Living and Storey’s Basic Country Skills by John and Martha Storey. Each of these covers most of the same topics, such as growing food, raising farm animals, and preserving your bounty. Trust me though, you’ll want both of them, if possible. Think of it as having two seasoned pros at your disposal, rather than just one.

  The Foxfire series is another excellent resource for what we might call “old skills.” The series runs for twelve volumes and can be pricey, unless you can find it used somewhere. While there is a lot of great information contained in these books, I find them hit and miss for me personally. Rather than buying the complete set, you might consider checking them book by book to determine whether the individual volume will suit your needs.

  When planning your food storage, I can think of few books better than Peggy Layton’s Emergency Food Storage and Survival Manual. Chock full of the checklists like we all know and love, this book will keep you on the right track for planning how to feed your family for months or longer.

  Speaking of food, every self-reliance library should have at least one good book on food preservation. One of the most popular is the Ball Blue Book of Canning. There is a reason it is so popular – it is considered by many experts to be THE go to book for canning. There are many other quality books out there as well, such as Ed Corcoran’s Complete Canning Guide (available at CompleteSurvivalist.com). I’d suggest adding at least a couple books like this to your library for both current and future reference.

  You’ll also want one or more good first aid manuals. One of the best is the Special Forces Medical Handbook. This book goes into much more detail than most simple first aid texts, covering everything from gunshot wounds to gynecology. In addition, there is available for free download courtesy of the Hesperian Foundation the classic works Where There Is No Doctor and Where There Is No Dentist. They are both excellent books and highly recommended. Just Google “Hesperian Foundation” and the book titles and you’ll easily find the download pages.

  Magazines also deserve a spot in the self-reliance library. Ones I subscribe to or otherwise pick up on occasion include Backwoods Home Magazine, Back Home Magazine, Countryside and Small Stock Journal, and Mother Earth News. Of course, don’t forget the one you’re holding in your hand right now as well! All are great sources for excellent information of interest to the homesteader and prepper. Naturally, you’ll get the best price by subscribing as opposed to paying the newsstand price. Be sure to check out the websites for those publications as well. Many of them have articles and other information available for download free to subscribers, sometimes to the general public. Earlier, I mentioned rummage sales as a source for cheap books. This goes double for magazine back issues. Quite often, you’ll find a family wanting to clear space and will offer up entire boxes of old magazines for next to nothing. A few years ago, I picked up two copy paper size boxes of home improvement magazines for a whopping two dollars.

  In addition to these more or less standard resources, you might also consider texts on topics such as world history, U.S. history, math, science, and even the arts. Reason being; if there does come a time when our society takes a digger, it may well fall to you to educate the next generation. You can find a ton of materials like this online just by searching for free home schooling materials.

  Which brings me to my next point. Quite often, we preppers end up with a ton of articles, diagrams, recipes, and other great stuff we’ve found online. Rather than letting all that information sit on your hard drive or other electronic storage device, I’d encourage you to print out hard copies. Should the grid go down, it could be pretty tough to extract that information from a disk. Watch for back to school sales and pick up a few binders to keep your notes organized. Paper is cheap, printer ink maybe not so cheap, but the information you’ll have on hand by printing hard copies may well be invaluable come a societal collapse. You might consider using tabbed dividers in your binders, labeled with such topics as Recipes, Alternative Energy, Firearms, and/or Food Preservation.

  The point about organization applies to your entire library as well. The books and other reference materials won’t do you much good if you can’t find what you need when you need it. New bookcases can be pretty inexpensive if you watch for sales. Even just a few boards and cinderblocks will make serviceable shelves. Keeping your library well organized is a great plan and goal; I just wish I could follow my own advice!

  Along those lines, don’t purchase books like those I’ve mentioned, put them on a shelf, and forget about them. While you don’t necessarily need to read each one cover to cover, take the time to familiarize yourself with the contents. This will allow you to know which book you need when the time comes, rather than having to leaf through volume after volume, trying to speed read the contents to find what you are seeking.

  One final note about creating your self-reliance library. For me, no library would be complete without recreational reading material. Some years ago, I started acquiring copies of literary classics, such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, and even The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. While I’d love to have them in archival quality hard covers, most of them are just plain paperbacks picked up at flea markets and such. I also have a large selection of post-apocalyptic books like Jerry Ahern’s The Survivalist series and The Last Ranger series by Craig Sargent. Forgive me, but I just dearly love all those cheesy post-nuke book series from the 1980s and 1990s. The point is, consider making space for the fun stuff as well as the academic. If you are anything like me, a world without recreational reading material truly would be a nightmare.

  Jim Cobb is The Frugal Prepper. He owns SurvivalWeekly.com and blogs daily at http://www.survival-gear.com/blog. Jim loves to hear from his readers, whether they have questions, comments, concerns, or insults. Email him at Jim@SurvivalWeekly.com.

  How Silver Works for Promoting Healthy Wound Healing

  by Robert Scott Bell, D.A. Hom

  Between these three properties—direct action against microbes, immune enhancement, and tissue healing—silver may have the most broad spectrum action for just about any injury or illness from which you may be suffering.

  Silver is a versatile anti-microbial, immune-modulating, wound-healing element that has been used for centuries. While antibiotics and antibacterial soaps and sprays are stimulating the development of anti-microbial super-bugs, the right kind of silver in your medicine cabinet, affords protection that synthetic toxins
can never provide.

  Direct Action Against Microbes

  Silver stops infectious microbes in their tracks. It has long been accepted that silver is effective in fighting a range of microbes including bacteria, viruses, and fungi, and in recent years we have begun to understand more fully how silver works against these infectious agents.

  First, charged silver nanoparticles rupture the outer membrane of the infectious agent, exposing the internal components to the immune system for clean-up by our white blood cells. Silver at this level continues to work against microbes by attacking their oxygen-metabolizing enzymes and essentially suffocating them.

  Silver particles that are small enough (less than 10 nanometers) also have the ability to attack a microbe’s most important and vulnerable target: its very own DNA. When the gene pool is destroyed, the germ is no longer able to reproduce and wreak havoc on the immune system! Mammalian cells are left unharmed due to their inherent antioxidant protective mechanisms.

  Silver’s ability to attack microbes directly at the DNA level can be helpful in a variety of situations. When it comes to cuts and abrasions, unlike many common antiseptics, silver is a gentle disinfectant that is painless to use. When cold and flu season comes around, silver-based antimicrobial hand sanitizers work better than detergents with triclosan, which makes them safer for children and the environment.

  Enhancement of the Immune System

  The direct action against microbes serves as a first line of defense to help eliminate them before the immune system even needs to get extensively involved. In a survival situation, this greatly reduces the burden on an already-exhausted immune system. However, when the immune system does sense a threat that it needs to address, silver helps the immune system to perform at its very best.

  Silver enhances white blood cell production and helps white blood cells do their job more efficiently, by facilitating the healthy production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS is a tool used by white blood cells to disrupt the metabolic and respiratory pathways of pathogenic microbes. Researchers have observed that administration of silver seems to enhance the “Opsonic Index,” or the tracking, mobilization, recognition, and surveillance abilities of specialized white blood cells.

  All of this adds up to a cumulative enhancement of the immune system. In animal studies using silver, researchers have seen up to a 24 percent increase in the effectiveness of the immune system.

  Regenerative Properties

  Once silver has helped the body to rid itself of the infectious agents, it helps the body to heal.

  Silver helps to regenerate tissue, as observed by in vitro and in vivo studies by Dr. Robert O. Becker of Becker Biomagnetics in New York. In studies using silver as an antimicrobial for wound healing, Dr. Becker observed a very positive side effect: silver spurred significant growth stimulation in damaged tissues. While scientists have thought that regeneration in humans occurs chiefly in the liver, spleen and bone tissues, Dr. Becker’s research suggested that silver could play a significant role in helping to regenerate tissues in other parts of the body as well. This makes silver an exceptional choice for localized issues such as minor cuts and scrapes, but it is also helpful for recovery after an illness.

  Silver can help with recovery for mucous membranes that are raw from coughing and sneezing, and in the case of a deep chest cold or bronchial infection, silver may help to heal irritated lung tissue as well.

  With these three properties—direct action against microbes, immune enhancement, and healing—silver has something to offer for just about any injury or illness from which you may suffer.

  Silver hydrosol, which can be found at your local health food store, and stored right in your medicine cabinet, may be one of the best possible ways to benefit from silver’s incredible healing properties.

  Sundays on GCNLive.com and each weekday on the NaturalNews Radio Network, homeopath Robert Scott Bell hosts the fastest two hours of healing information on radio, dealing with everyday health issues from the perspective of alternative/holistic health care. Robert Scott Bell tackles the tough issues and shows no fear when confronting government and corporate bullies who would stand in the way of health freedom. Learn more at: http://www.robertscottbell.com/

  Resources: Sovereign Silver homeopathic first aid gel and silver hydrosol formulas are available from health food stores, natural pharmacies, medical professionals, and wherever quality natural medicines are sold. Visit http://www.sovereignsilver.com/ or call: 888-328-8840 for more information on using silver for its many important health benefits.

  Essentials For your Bug Out Bag

  by Chance Sanders

  I have an undying love for western movies. Old or new, there is a certain feeling I get from seeing the hard scrabble men and women of the frontier. There is one thing that always puzzled me though. The inevitable scene of our hero taking off across the badlands, chasing whomever with little more than his saddle bags, a bedroll, and his trusty rifle. No matter what, he seems to be able to overcome any obstacle with just these items. The only problem with this picture is the fact that it is pure fiction. Only a fool would have attempted such journeys with so meager provisions. So what is the point of all of this you ask? Bug out bags. Plain and simple; these have become the staple of all things preparedness and survival. The problem is that this term has come to represent several different things, not to mention a few heated debates. So, let us quickly discuss the different ideas and see if we can sort this mess out!

  Let us begin with the 72 hour bag. Experts (not me) have determined that this is the magical number that a person should be prepared for self reliance in an emergency situation. That is if you left a plan with someone and they start looking for you right away. Taking into consideration all the other emergencies one may be faced with, 72 hrs may not be enough.

  The next bag would be the get home bag. This is normally kept in the truck or office and is specifically designed to assist one during a crisis that did not allow normal means of travel home. These often include the same items as the 72 hr bag and perhaps more on the self defense and communications side of the house. The major difference in this and the 72 hour bag is the fact that it has to be light enough to allow you to move fast if you need to.

  The third bag is the “I am leaving my home to live in the woods forever” bag. This is the least likely scenario as well as being the heaviest of all the bags. It weighs a metric ton, and like Fat Bastard (from the Austin Powers movies) it will eat you. Seriously though, the thought of a bag that will enable you to live out your days as one man army against the zombie hoard is ludicrous. An event requiring you to leave your well stocked home in search of greener place to die will require a little more planning than just a back pack.

  So what do all of these bags have in common? Simple, they are all designed to support the user when he or she is deprived of the normally available resources that modern technology and hard working people in this country provide for us. Before we can begin to plan for what to pack, we have to look at our actual needs. In most cases, shelter is the number one priority. This starts with the type of clothing we wear. Functional clothing and footwear should be a constant concern to us. I am often amused when I see guys walking around in flip flops; I wonder what they would do if they ever had run from something.

  After clothing I would strongly suggest the heavy duty reflective tarps that have grommets and are reusable. These are preferable over your standard tarp because they have the added benefit of trapping and reflecting heat. I also prefer wool blankets over sleeping bags because they can be worn as a coat, and wool retains the ability keep you warm even when wet. Whatever you decide to use as cover be sure it is serviceable and you practice setting it up in various configurations quickly.

  Water is vital to survival no matter the situation. If you carry a stainless steel canteen such as the Guyot water bottle then you can boil your water to disinfect it. Knowing where to find or collect water in any environment is key to your survival. A
s far as chemical treatment of water goes, tincture of iodine is good because it is also a first aid item. Having an extra water container such as a camelback or a platypus is a great idea. You should also consider a means of water collection such as a contractor bag set up as a basin, as well as a sponge or bandana to collect dew off of vegetation.

  Fire is one of the most useful resources we have at our disposal. Fire will keep you warm, cook your food, make your water safe to drink, and a whole host of other things. A prudent person would ensure that they include at least three ways to make sure fire. Some of the better options that I have encountered are a Bic lighter, a ferro rod such as the ones offered by Strike Force, and the Mini Inferno. I keep at least these three items on my person as well as backups in the pack.

  I would also rate cordage right up there next to fire when it comes to versatility. I prefer something called bank line, or tarred mariner’s line. It comes in various sizes and lengths. This is by far the best stuff when it comes to cordage. You can repair your gear, make traps, rig up shelters, and many other great things.

  Moving on down the list, I would be remiss if I did not include a good cutting tool. In keeping with the philosophy of two is one and one is none, I think more than one cutting tool is necessary. The key here is to carry tools for different tasks, that way you can get more use out of them. If I am going to carry three different cutting tools for redundancy then it will usually mean a high carbon fixed blade belt knife, a longer chopper, and a saw. This trilogy gives me the most options while each tool can stand alone if necessary.