Monthly Archives: March 2015

WEEKLY THREAT ROUNDUP 3-21-15

From AlertsUSA

 

 

 

ISIS Threatens U.S. and Europe,
Obama Removes Iran and Hezbollah from Terror List

March 21, 2015

 

Between March 14-18, 2015, AlertsUSA issued the following
related Flash messages to subscriber mobile devices:
3/18 – US Embassy Tunis warns citizens traveling to or in Tunisia to exercise extreme caution following terror attack on the popular Bardo Museum. 19 killed.

3/17 – Arab language media outlets reporting Syrian air defenses have shot down U.S. military aircraft. Specifics unknown. Monitoring…

3/16 – ISIS vows to blow up White House, Big Ben & Eiffel Tower. Spokesman warns Christians and Jews would soon be unable to stop the jihadi advance to the caliphate.

3/14 – U.S. Embassy Riyadh and all consulates in Saudi Arabia will be closed Sun/Mon following credible threat of terrorist attack. Monitoring…

What You Need To Know
On Monday AlertsUSA subscribers were notified via SMS messages to their mobile devices regarding new statements coming from ISIS threatening to attack the White House, Big Ben at the Palace of Westminster in London as well as the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

In a new 28-minute Arabic-language audio message posted to the Internet, ISIS spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani warned Jews and Christians that they could either “convert to Islam or pay the ultimate price when your armies are expelled from Muhammad’s peninsula, from Jerusalem, and all Muslim lands.” He went on to say “if Jews and Christians continued on their current path, they would soon regret having done so and be incapable of preventing the surge to the caliphate.”

Al-Adnani also indicated that ISIS had major plans:

“We want Kabul, Karachi, Riyadh, Tehran, Baghdad, Damascus, Jerusalem, and Cairo, Sana’a, Doha, Abu Dhabi, and Amman. The Muslims will return to power, to be the vanguard and lead in every place.”

ISIS ATTACKS IN TUNISIA, US EMBASSY WARNS

On Wedensday AlertsUSA subscribers were notified of a warning message from the U.S. Embassy in Tunis, Tunisia advising American citizens traveling to or in Tunisia to exercise extreme caution following a terror attack on the popular Bardo Museum in the capital. Late this week, the Islamic State formally claimed responsibility for the attack.

20 foreign tourists, mostly Europeans, were killed in the attack. While this is the worst terror attack in the country since a 2002 suicide bombing in the city of Djerba, it is important to note that Tunisians make up a significant contingent of the foreign fighters currently operating in Syria, Iraq and Libya.

According to an Islamic State spokesman in an audio recording posted the Internet,: “We tell the apostates who sit on the chest of Muslim Tunisia: Wait for the glad tidings of what will harm you, o impure ones, for what you have seen today is the first drop of the rain.”

The U.S. Embassy in Tunis is reminding U.S. citizens of the importance of increased vigilance and the need for caution while in the country, and in particular, while visiting public venues frequented by large numbers of foreigners, such as hotels, shopping centers, and tourist sites and restaurants.

IRAN AND HEZBOLLAH REMOVED FROM LIST
OF STATE SPONSORS OF TERROR

In a stunning move which has many in the U.S. military and intelligence communities shaking their heads, it was revealed this week that the Obama Administration has removed Iran and Hezbollah from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. This, despite their being responsible for the killing of hundreds of U.S. Marines, giving sanctuary to numerous members of al Qaeda and providing arms, financing, training, and other means of facilitating terror-related activities to numerous groups,

Why would he do this? One glaring reason is optics. It would look pretty bad for President Obama to ink a nuclear deal which ultimately allows Iran a pathway to developing nuclear weapons if they were still listed as a state sponsor of terrorism. Being on the list also means a host of economic and trade sanctions.So there is potential that such a designation was tabled as a chip in negotiations.

We remind readers that Iran was behind Hezbollah’s bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Lebanon in 1983 which killed 241, the 1985 hijacking of TWA flight 847 from Cairo to San Diego during which U.S. Navy diver Robert Stethem was murdered, and the 1988 capture, brutal torture and hanging of U.S. Marine Colonel William R. Higgins. Then we have the estimated 1,000+ U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq by Iranian proxies. In 2007 during hearings before congress, then Army General David Patraeus testified that Iranian Republican Guard Quds Forces had been provided training, equipment, arms, and funding to terrorists in Iraq. Then there is the ongoing influx of funding, weapons, and training provided by Iran to Syrian government forces and Iran’s backing of the Houti rebels who brought down the government in Yemen just weeks ago. And this week in an article appearing in the Washington Post, David Patraeus argues that the foremost threat to Iraq’s long-term stability and the broader regional equilibrium is not the Islamic State; but rather, the Iranian back Shiite militias. And finally, to this very day, Iran continues to declare they ultimately seek to destroy the nation of Israel and the Jewish people.

In the end, the removal of Iran and Hezbollah from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism is a stunning development which will have dramatic global and regional implications for for U.S. citizens and interests and that of our allies.

As always, AlertsUSA continues to monitor developments in this region, as well as its impact on the domestic terrorism threat environment and will immediately notify service subscribers of changes in the overall threat picture as it applies to U.S. citizens and interests as events warrant.

AlertsUSA continues to monitor developments in this region, as well as its impact on the domestic terrorism threat environment and will immediately notify service subscribers of changes in the overall threat picture as it applies to U.S. citizens and interests as events warrant.

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Russia Launches Massive Military Drills w/ 80KTroops,
Deploys Nuclear Capable Missiles and Bombers

March 21, 2015

 
On March 20, 2015, AlertsUSA issued the following
related Flash message to subscriber mobile devices:
3/20 – Moscow issues harsh warning to the U.S. over planned convoy of 120 Army Stryker vehicles expected to move through Baltic States along Russian border. Monitoring..
What You Need To Know
As AlertsUSA has been reporting for a number of weeks (see thisthisthis andthis), the buildup of U.S. and NATO forces in Eastern Europe continues, as do similar efforts on the part of Russia. This week, Russia launched massive military exercises spanning all nine time zones, including the Volga region, Urals, Western Siberia, the Far East region and the Pacific, the North Caucasus and along the borders of NATO member states from the Arctic through to the Baltic and Black Seas. The unannounced drills began on Monday under orders from Vladimir Putin and initially involved 40,000 troops, 3,000 vehicles, dozens of warships and 110 aircraft.

On Thursday Russia’s Chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, said thatthe number of troops taking part in the exercises has gone up to 80,000, and the number of aircraft participating in the exercises had increased to 220. This also includes the deployment of Tu-22M3 nuclear-capable bombers to Crimea and “Iskander” missile systems to Kaliningrad.

Late this week the U.S. Army began deployment of Patriot air defense units to Poland for exercises. Currently, the United States Army has three different sets of troops in Poland for training exercises, as part of “Operation Atlantic Resolve.” American troops have been training continuously in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia to demonstrate the U.S. commitment to NATO and Article 5 (collective defense) responsibilities.

A very dangerous situation is unfolding in Eastern Europe with more than 200,000 military personnel, hundreds of aircraft and literally every other modern implement of war involved in complex, agressive military training exercises on land, sea and in the air. Both sides are feeling pressured. Both sides are feeling threatened. The potential for misinterpreting actions or accidents is high.

AlertsUSA continues to monitor developments in this region 24/7 and will immediately notify service subscribers of announcements of additional significant force deployments or any other changes in the overall threat environment, as events warrant.


Travel Security Update

The U.S. Dept. of State is the authoritative federal source for information on the security situation at travel destinations worldwide. With tensions rapidly increasing in most regions, readers planning on international travel, even to such common destinations as Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean Islands, are strongly encouraged to do a little research on the security situation prior to departure.

Latest USGOV Travel Alerts and Warnings

Syria   03/03/2015
Honduras   03/02/2015
Jordan Mall Alert   02/26/2015
Ebola Travel Alert   02/02/2015
Worldwide Caution   01/09/2015
Worldwide Alert   12/19/2014
   

 

See all USGOV Travel Alerts and Warnings HERE.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: threatjournal

California Farmers Skip Planting, Sell Water to Desperate Cities: “We’re Afraid They’ll Just Take It”

 


The water crisis in California is reaching epic proportions.

And it’s going to cost everyone, big time.

After a sustained drought, NASA has reported that the state has less than one year of water reserves remaining, with no backup plan if things go wrong.

Now, there is so much demand for water in Southern Californian cities that many farmers are opting to sell their water rights to urban dwellers – not just at a premium, but at an unbelievable and unprecedented rate.

CBS News profiled some rice farmers with historic rights to the Yuba River who are being offered so much for water, they have decided to forego planting their crops altogether and sell the new “cash crop” – liquid gold.

 

The going rate has jumped from the $50 per foot acre, which many farmers have been willing to pay, to an astounding $700 per foot acre.

Many fields will stay dry because farmers will be doing what was once considered unthinkable: selling their water to Southern California. He and his fellow growers have agreed to sell 20 percent of their allotment to Los Angeles’s Metropolitan Water District as it desperately searches to add to its dwindling supply. This new price means growers will earn a lot more money on the fields they don’t plant, making water itself the real cash crop in California.

Fourth generation rice farmer Charlie Matthews knows that the soft approach is the early one, and fears that cities will use any means at their disposal to steal or take his water if he isn’t cooperative. The crisis is that big:

“In the long term, if we don’t make it available we’re afraid they’ll just take it,” said Charlie Mathews, a fourth generation rice farmer with senior rights to Yuba River water.

That desperation will express itself in terms of draconian water rules for urbanites – who have already been reporting each other for using too much water on their lawns – and higher costs… much higher costs. According to these farmers, there is virtually no upper limit on what people will pay for water when they really need it.

Agriculture, it appears, will go elsewhere, with market demand for water in a crisis enough to trump just about everything. As SHTF has already reported, the drought could impact the food supply and create shortages or extreme prices.

According to Matthews, water will sell at any price:

“They have to pay whatever the last price, the highest price, people will pay,” Mathews said.

There is no short term plan for recovering from California’s water crisis, and the stakes will only get higher until a solution is found.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via:  shtfplan

Two strains of bird flu spreading

Over the past few weeks two strains of bird flue have been being reported on. One exists here in the United States and has resulted in the destruction of over 40,000 turkeys to try to minimize the spread. This is the H5N2 strain.

The second strain – the H7N9 – is currently in China. It is being found both in poultry and in humans. It is being reported that this strain could result in a massive pandemic if not brought under control.


Here are several links pertaining to the the H5N2 and H7N9 bird flu strains:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/bird-flu-strain-poultry-farmers-scrambling-29636088

http://outbreaknewstoday.com/kansas-avian-influenza-detected-in-leavenworth-county-poultry-flock-66717/

http://www.inquisitr.com/1920326/butterball-turkeys-infected-with-avian-bird-flu-40000-turkeys-will-be-killed-to-stop-multistate-outbreak-in-u-s/

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_27696409/report-h7n9-bird-flu-has-makings-pandemic

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/u-exports-risk-bird-flu-enters-heart-poultry-051047677–finance.html

I am not suggesting the world will end tomorrow due to bird flu. No – I am sure that both of these strains will be kept under control. BUT – you never know.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via:  modernsurvivalonline

Improvised Weapons Using Everyday Objects

Guest post by Written by: Travis P

—————-

I’ve carried a gun everywhere the past four years. In fact, my love of guns goes way back.

As soon as I turned of age, I applied and received my concealed carry permit, and since then have carried a variety of guns. Honestly, leaving my gun at home makes me feel naked. It’s almost like I forgot my shoes that morning.

I carry a firearm not because I’m paranoid and hate everyone. I’m actually quite a jolly, friendly person, and I don’t feel everyone is out to get me. But just as I provide for my family, I believe that my personal self-defense, and the defense of my family, is a responsibility that lies solely with me. So I carry at work and on vacation, and I have one within arm’s reach at home.

Sometimes, though, you enter a facility where you can’t legally carry a gun. That happened to me recently at a government building that prohibited any type of self-defense weapon. This got me thinking: What, if anything, could I use as a weapon if something happened?

This is where “improvised” weapons come into play. These are items not usually seen as weapons but that can be used as such. There are a number of different factors one has to consider when looking for an improvised weapon:

‘Better than Nothing’

Is using an improvised weapon better than punching, kicking or biting? Often the answer is pretty obvious.

Ease of Use

Now let’s say a chair near you weighed 50 pounds. More than likely, its weight is going to prohibit it from being an effective weapon. You have to be capable of employing it fast and effective without training.

Harmless, Common Appearance

An improvised weapon is a common item that appears utterly harmless. This is more focused on if you are planning to carry it every day.

Now, let’s examine five improvised weapons:

1. Keys. I don’t have a large key chain. However, even the nine keys on my keychain could be used to strike and scratch an enemy or attacker. Of course, the old between-the-fingers-and-punch attack may work, but that’s a bit of a stretch. Yet what if I attached some paracord to it? Or a little lanyard, just a couple of inches long? I then could have a handle to swing the keys.

Another option is using one key, a large one, like an automobile key. Place the end of the key in your hand and position the tip between your index finger and your thumb. This gives you a short, but stout stabbing or slashing implement. These require you to get close and nasty, but it’s a bit better than throwing a punch.


2. Soda can. This one is remarkably simple and easy to do. A can of soda can be twisted, folded and bent into a rather sharp knife. This requires something like a key to create the initial puncture. One downside is that it takes a few minutes to do correctly. You have to form the aluminum into a blade-like object, and fold or roll the material to make it stronger.

Another option is, if your soda can is still full, to use it as a projectile. Such cans are easy to throw and heavy enough to hurt. Another wild choice is to wrap the can in some cloth and swing it like a mace. The cloth can be something as simple as a sock; shove it in there and use it like a madman’s makeshift mace.

3. A bag. Speaking of crazy madman maces, an excellent makeshift weapon can be made from almost any bag. This includes purses, backpacks, baby bags, messenger bags … you get the point. With a bag, you already have a swing-able weapon capable of striking farther than your fists. Add some weight to it and you can have a potentially lethal weapon.

It’s simple to use and easy to carry. A messenger bag with its long strap will probably work the best. A modern laptop has a bit of weight, as does a good hardcover novel or textbook, and of course you can always throw a couple of sodas in it.

4. Pens, scissors, staplers and other office supplies. It always blew my mind that I couldn’t carry a three-inch pocket knife in some places, but there was easy access to scissors with four-inch blades. That being said, of course pens, scissors and staplers are excellent weapons.

Clearly a standard Bic pen is a poor fighting instrument, but it could be used for strikes to the neck and eyes, but those are hard to score in a fight. However, a solid metal pen can do some damage. A heavy metal stapler can be used as a swinging weapon, and scissors are pretty self-explanatory. Don’t forget: If your office has one of those large paper cutters, the blade can be removed easily.

5. Bathroom. Air sprays like Febreze and Lysol have a very distinct stinging effect when applied to the eyes. As metal cans, they are also half decent blunt instruments. The same goes for Windex and most any cleaner. Also, if you’re strong enough to wield it, the lid to a toilet tank is an effective and heavy blunt instrument.

This list is obviously short, as I wouldn’t have time in the day to write every single object and how it could be a weapon. Instead of relying solely on this article, identify items during your day that could be used as weapons. Make it part of your day-to-day situational awareness, and you’ll soon learn that improvised weapons can be solid self-defense weapons.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: offthegridnews

Getting Home

Guest post by D.K. Vet

——————–

Now, I feel relatively secure in my prepping, having been at it for several years. Food, check. Arms and ammo, check. Water, tent, first aid supplies, heating sources, et cetera, check, check, check. All is well and good, as long as I am home or near home and can shelter in place or pack up and move out of Dodge. However, there are several times every year when I am away from home and not just in the next county. We spend time in Florida and go to vet conferences in other states. When we’re somewhere else, we are totally dependent upon what’s locally available. We all know local sources can be depleted in a matter of hours.

I carry concealed every day, even at home, but you can’t do that on a plane anymore, unlike the ’60s and ’70s. Yes, I can pack and declare a pistol or rifle when I go to a state with reciprocity, and maybe I should always do that when I can, especially if it’s for an extended time. My insecurity grows the farther I get from home. Many knowledgeable sources believe that when the SHTF, it will happen quickly, whether it’s an economic crash, an electromagnetic pulse, grid collapse, or failure of civility. What if I’m away from home? It’s a 17-hour drive from Florida to home, nearly non-stop. If I’m in Arizona, that’s more of a three-day trip by car, providing the roads are clear, there are no roadblocks, and an EMP hasn’t knocked out transportation.

So, what is there to do? Should I stay home until our country has been reset to original intent Constitution rule? Well, that will require a Second Revolution (2R), because as corrupt as things are in Washington, a hundred more elections won’t change a thing. As Einstein defined “insanity,” that’s doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. Like voting R/D/R/D/R/D and thinking that someone eventually will reduce the size of our federal government, eliminate earmarks, eliminate the Federal Reserve, or vote for term limits. Ha. The series “House of Cards” is far closer to fact than to fiction.

When I travel, I make sure we have plenty of cash. How much? Well, ten Franklins is good. Consider the possibility that you have a rental car in Las Vegas and you have to get home to Illinois. You see on TV that there is a general trucker’s strike and rioting is beginning in the cities because the grocery store shelves have gone bare. The very first thing to do would be to get to a gas station, buy as many 5-gallon gas cans as will fit in the trunk, and load the car and them all up with gas. Get some road maps, if you don’t already have them, because you will want to avoid the bigger cities on the way home. Even little crossroad towns might give you trouble. To get an idea of what it would be like to travel 250 miles on foot to get home, read Going Home by A. American.

When renting a car, even for a short stay, consider getting an SUV or 4-wheel drive vehicle that would be more road-worthy than an economy car. It may be a trade-off of durability for gas economy, but you want something that is less likely to break down on a back road. The more ground clearance your vehicle has, the better also. Get green, tan, or some other “earth color” if you can pick one. Think blending in instead of standing out, like silver or red would.

How can you arm yourself if you don’t have a gun? Is there a sporting goods store nearby? Even a Walmart? Buy a gun and a couple boxes of bullets, if you can (being a non-resident), or at least get a couple of fixed-blade knives, a hatchet, or a knife that you can fashion into a short spear. Compound bows and crossbows work, too. Got money left? Get gallons of water and pop-lid canned goods, like beef stew or anything you can eat cold or hot out of the can. Get a couple of spoons and a few butane lighters while you’re at the store, if there’s anything left. Remember the saying about “nine meals to anarchy?” Don’t put this off, if it looks like things are going bad quickly. Too late will be tough scheisse.

One thing you can still pack in your checked luggage is a good knife or two, or even a tactical hatchet. Edged weapons are still okay, and do not need to be declared. I just traveled with two pistols and had to declare them in my checked bag. The bag, guns, and I were escorted over to an inspection area, where the gun cases were swabbed for explosives (for other than gun powder, apparently). They must be looking for bombs using gun cases as concealment. They never even looked at the guns; I just had to lock the cases.

Other considerations regarding an emergency road trip home would include a can or two of “fix-a-flat,” or even the inexpensive battery-powered air pump at an auto parts store. Some new cars today have a mini air pump that plugs into the cigarette lighter as part of the inflatable spare tire kit. A multi-tool would be handy, as would a roll of duct tape, some baling-type wire, and several flashlights. You don’t need shelter if you sleep in the car, but you will be better off rotating drivers and pressing on home. Consider a small backpack or two in case the car breaks down totally and you have to proceed on foot. Did you pack good road shoes? All-weather jackets with hoods could keep you alive if you’re hoofing it. Grab some big, 55-gallon heavy trash bags if you see them. They make great rain covers and ground cover, too, to curl up on.

By all means, use your credit cards while you can, but it is likely that the system behind them will soon shut down and you will have to fall back on your cash. As you can see, $100 won’t last long when you’re preparing to drive home. Silver one-ounce coins are heavy, but it wouldn’t hurt to pack a few of those, too, in case paper money quickly becomes worthless. That’s why you need to buy what you can with fiat currency ASAP.

Take stock of everything in your rental car. Check the glove box, trunk, and compartments for a spare tire, jack, inflator (if it’s a doughnut), and any safety items. Some have a first aid kit, too. Likewise, take stock of everything in your luggage, carry-on, and on your person(s). Nail trimmers, ball-point? pens, eye drops, and lip moisturizer sticks will all be useful. I’ve flown for many years, even internationally, with an Exotac® fire starter, a magnet-base mini red lens flashlight, and a Swiss-Tech® Utili-Key on my key chain without confiscation. Also have a little key chain stainless container full of aspirin. Seven keys kind of masks things, too.

Before checking out of your hotel room, grab all the small shampoos, soaps, and even the little sewing kit. If your trip home is long, you will probably want to freshen up a few times on the way. You might just take a couple of the wash cloths and towels, too. If there is someone at the desk, you can pay them for the towels on the way out.

With one person driving, the other should be constantly scanning ahead, and a decent pair of binoculars are easy to pack on a vacation or trip. Your navigator should be watching for road blocks or people gathered by the road. Avoid them at all costs, because they are not there to help you on your way. Every person you meet is a potential enemy who will swiftly kill you for what you have, or worse. Be constantly on guard, and do not stop within sight of other people.

Regarding Lt. Col. Dave Grossman’s classification of sheep, sheepdogs, and wolves, I have an acquaintance who said he was a sheepdog but could become a wolf if that’s what was needed to keep his family alive. That’s disconcerting, to say the least. I wouldn’t necessarily want him in my group, but you have to understand that it is very likely in a “failure of civility” situation; everyone will become a predator in some way, and everyone will also become prey. You may not be able to discern wolves from sheep until it is too late, because they will all be wearing sheep’s clothing, and there is no animal more deceptive than man. So consider everyone a potential enemy.

All bridges will become potential choke points for people to ambush you or hold you up for ransom or take whatever you have that they want. Crossroads with woods or buildings nearby can also be ambush points to watch out for. You can be reasonably sure if these points are controlled by our military that it may be safe to approach and pass through. However, if government contingency plans are activated, they could also confiscate your weapons, transportation, food, and fuel, before shuttling you off to a FEMA camp. It’s better to stand off, unseen, and observe what is going on there for a while. Let somebody else approach them and be the goat. Highway overpasses can also harbor bandits, and it would be good to observe from a distance before approaching.

If it looks like you will be trekking home, see if you can find a bicycle (or two) with sturdy tires. Your gluteus maximus will toughen up after the first few days, but you’ll cover many more miles faster this way. Average walking speed is three to four miles per hour, but a bicycle can put you up to 10 to 15 mph. Tough touring tires will get you over 4,000 miles (not the skinny 10-speed tires, which may go 1-3k). You’re not trying to impress anyone with a high-tech racing bike, so look for sturdiness and heavier tires. Think about fixing flats, too, and get a small patch kit with tire changing spoons.

When I fly, I dress for potential survival travel. I wear a long-sleeve 5.11® shirt and pants, and have on Thorlo® over-the-calf anti-fatigue socks. Underwear is reflected by the weather, remembering the adage that in cold weather, “cotton kills.” Wicking polypropylene would be the all-weather choice. I always wear waterproof boots covering above the ankle, usually Vasque® lightweight hiking boots. Consider the possibility of a crash landing in which you are lucky enough to survive but have to walk to civilization. I see people on the plane in shorts and wearing flip-flops, but I feel fine the way I’m dressed.

A hat– baseball cap or lightweight stocking cap– that you can stow somewhere in your 7-pocket pants could be a lifesaver as well. Since most of your body heat is lost through the top of your head, in cold weather you want to conserve this. Columbia® makes a light cap with reflective “Omni-Shield®” lining that really keeps your head warm. Any cap with a brim, or a soft, foldable boonie hat would be fine for warmer weather. Above all, you want to avoid getting sunburned, even in the winter.

You can make it home in days, if in a car with no problems along the way. On a bicycle it will be weeks, for sure. On foot, depending on the distance, it could take months. Consider the pioneers crossing the western plains, walking alongside their covered wagons. The 2,000-mile Oregon Trail took 160 to 170 days to travel. The pioneers had to worry about Indians and bandits, but they were all armed and ready for the unexpected. Things won’t be much different today in that respect, but you may not have the security of firearms. Avoiding trouble by avoiding people will be imperative.

If there are friends or family that live between you and home, and the phones are working, contact them with your plans. It may be worthwhile to go a little out of your way to hole up with them for a few days before proceeding. If they live in a city, find out what the conditions are there; it may be more dangerous than it’s worth. Get accurate directions to their location.

The time of the year is certainly important, too. I wouldn’t try walking home when the temperatures get below freezing at night. Going from north to south might not be as bad in the winter, but going the other direction and you are at the mercy of the weather and it will add tremendously to your problems. Keeping yourself dry is very important, because you can become hypothermic in even moderate temperatures. Your body will cool down to the ambient temperature quickly if you are undernourished, stressed, and improperly dressed. Wet clothing facilitates loss of body heat.

I’m glad my odds are good that when the world collapses, I will be at home and able to take advantage of my “stuff.” Millions of Americans today are oblivious to anything taking place beyond their TV screens, hand-held games, or cell phones. Good luck to them. Sorry, but I’m too old to carry you. I have enough on my hands just saving myself and my family. There will be a tremendous winnowing of the chaff. Remember the Marines’ gung-ho motto, “Improvise, adapt, and overcome.”

Oh, and last but not least, always have a small New Testament or Bible along in your travels. Borrow the Gideon’s from that hotel room, if you have to. It can help you through many trials and tribulations. Prayers go up; blessings come down. Getting home safely is the objective.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via:  thesurvivalistblog

Nothing About a SHTF is Routine

Routines can be dangerous when lulled into indifference.  You know your daily routines like the back of your hand.  Most likely you do 90% of the same things the same exact way every day you get out of bed.  I bet you are headed to Starbucks right now for another $5 cup of Jo-Jo with a whip.  Or rushing to pack your briefcase or purse to pick the kids up at school so you can jump ahead of the long line of buses?  I guess we call that life.  Some just call it our routines.

Many might call it a rut.  We all have our own ways of being or remaining in a rut.  It is what we become accustomed to doing in our day-to-day functions of being.  For sure it is a learned behavior and for some it is tough to break the cycle.  But changes do come.

A SHTF will break your cycle.  It will thrust you out of a rut so fast, you’ll be some time trying to understand the circumstances as to what exactly happened to shake your world.  You may never come to terms with it.  To review, just go back and look at news reports post-Katrina, post-the New Jersey/New York hurricane, riots in Ferguson, post-terrorist attacks in France, or any other SHTF event natural or unnatural.  The impact is immense and long-lasting.  There is no routine in disaster of any kind.  Maybe we can’t avoid it, but we can sure prepare and train for it.

Victims of Circumstance

When a SHTF event unfolds, if we are near enough to become directly involved then we automatically become a victim of the circumstances.  Sure, the houses and businesses on our city block may not be burning, or were not blown away by an F-5 tornado, but we could suffer none-the-less.  The impact radius could be a hundred miles out.  That’s just an improbable guess on my part.  Maybe you can guess better.  Maybe not?  These are those things we can’t know, until we know.

Services can be lost, essential grids will in all likelihood go down for electric power, municipal water, and natural gas.  That likely also means no way to pump gasoline at the local quick stop (are your vehicle fuel tanks full now?).  For days, weeks, or maybe longer there will be no food restocking for local stores either if they weren’t burned down or looted already.  Police will be busy and it may be a while before state troopers or the National Guard show up to re-establish law and order.

We could explore further other types of SHTF events but we have only witnessed some small outbreaks of social breakdowns when social recipients don’t get their monthly goodies or other services.  We have not seen banks close, Wall Street not reopen on Monday morning or other major commercial or government collapses.  Yet!  But just remember the minor inconveniences of massive credit card hacking jobs.  These are likely to grow in frequency and intensity.  All these events could happen and present another whole set of circumstances to which we could become victims as well.

Maintaining Our Own Radar

Ever see the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button?  A sequence in the movie plot describes a series of events, the specific timing of which resulted in a career ending crash with Benjamin’s lifelong girlfriend walking out into the street only to be hit by a cab.  She was a celebrated dancer, but lost her career by breaking her leg in the accident.  As they say, “timing is everything.”

The narrator described the unfolding events saying that had any aspect of the series of actions not been delayed by only seconds, the cab would have passed her by on the street minutes before she walked out.  She would have missed the whole accident.  Of course, there is no control over such events of fate.  We may not be able to alter fate or even jump back to the curb in time to miss colliding with a vehicle in the street as in the movie series Final Destination, but we should be able to remain vigilant in keeping up with events happening in our vicinity.

Sometimes preparation for a SHTF is as simple as watching the weather, monitoring news reports, local police radios channels on a scanner receiver unit, or watching world wide news sources via the internet.  We may not always be able to interpret world events and their eventual impact on our households, but surely we can observe the projected pathways of a storm coming our way in time to Bug Out or Lock Down.

If you have not established a “radar screen” and regular methods to keep track of what is going on down the street, in town, state, country, or the globe, then set about becoming more aware.  We certainly cannot survive a SHTF by sticking our heads in the sand.  That’s a great way to get your tail feathers blown off.

Plan & Practice To Establish SHTF Routines

During any kind of a survival scenario regardless of the type or duration, your everyday life routines will be grossly interrupted.

What needs to happen immediately is the establishment of completely new routines designed to help you get through the SHTF as unscathed as possible.  These new routines you can develop, devise, plan, hone, and practice well in advance of the real thing.

The real trick is not to wait until it is too late to react and catch yourself thinking or saying, “Boy, I sure wish I had done that before now.”  I hope you’ll laugh when I say, “after all that’s why they call all this prepping.”  Ultimately the prep is in the practice.  “When all is said and done, practice does not make perfect.  Practice only makes permanent.  If we strive only for meritocracy, that is all we will ever achieve,” stated by Patrick Rogers in the April 2011 issue of SWAT Magazine.  It’s an interesting perspective with application to a lot of things, including prepping.

Therefore, we prep, we practice and hopefully this work achieves some measure of permanency that will outlast any SHTF.  Sure is nice to think it might anyway.  We have to put our trust in something, and that something is ourselves.  Survival Cache and SHTF Blog are committed to presenting helpful information to assist all preppers in building backup routines that we can use during a SHTF or other survival situation.  Sure, put the kids on the school bus the next school day, head to work and finish that report, think about that vacation you want to take, but be prepared if the everyday routine gets derailed and be ready to implement your new routines.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

By Dr. John J. Woods, a contributing author to SHTFBlogSurvival Cache

Raising Pigeons for Food and Self-Reliance

I would like to make the case for raising pigeons for food as an urban livestock. Pigeons have lived alongside man for thousands of years with the first images of pigeons being found by archaeologists in Mesopotamia dating back to 3000 BC. Throughout human history the pigeon has adopted many roles ranging from symbols of gods and goddesses to sacrificial victims, messengers, pets, food and even war heroes. A pigeon is about 13 inches in length from bill to tail and weighs a little less than a pound. Males are slightly bigger than females.

The feral pigeon that we see in our towns and cities today is descended from the Rock Dove (Columba livia), a cliff dwelling bird historically found in coastal regions. The word ‘pigeon’ is actually derived from the Latin word ‘pipio’ which meant ‘young bird’. The word then passed into Old French as ‘pijon’ and from that the English name ‘pigeon’ was derived and is now used the world over as a common name for the Rock Dove. Other common names include ‘domestic pigeon’ and the ‘feral pigeon’. In 2004 British and American Ornithologists officially re-named the bird the Rock Pigeon.

Since their initial domestication pigeons have been seen as a cheap source of good meat. The Romans kept pigeons for food as evidenced by the fact that they were familiar with the practice of force feeding squabs in order to fatten the young pigeons faster. Pigeons were especially prized because they would produce fresh meat during the winter months when larger animals were unavailable as a food source.

The feral pigeon mates for life, (but if one is killed the other will seek another mate) and can breed up to 8 times a year in optimum conditions, and will set on two eggs each time. Often older pigeons will lay more than two eggs in a nest. When this occurs the extra eggs should be discarded as two young is all the parents will be able to feed. The frequency of breeding is dictated by the abundance of food available to the parents. The eggs take 18 or 19 days to hatch with both parents incubating the eggs. Young dependant pigeons are commonly known as ‘squabs’.

A squab is a young pigeon from 1–30 days old. Both parents feed the young with a special ‘pigeon milk’ that is regurgitated and fed to the squabs. Each squab can double its birth weight in one day but it takes 4 days for the eyes to open. At approximately 2 months of age the young are ready to fledge and leave the nest. This much longer than average time spent in the nest ensures that life expectancy of a juvenile pigeon is far greater than that of other fledglings. When ready to leave its nest, a squab can sometimes weigh more than its parents.

Ten pairs of pigeons can produce eight squabs each month without being fed by the pigeon keepers. For a greater yield, commercially raised squab may be produced in a two-nest system, where the mother lays two new eggs in a second nest while the squabs are still growing in the first nest fed by their father.

Establishing two breeding lines has also been suggested as a strategy, where one breeding line is selected for prolificacy and the other is selected for “parental performance”. Pigeons are also quite territorial about their nesting area. Pigeons co-exist much more harmoniously when each mated pair has two nest boxes of its own. Because pigeons are also territorial about their perch, it is best to ensure that every pigeon in the loft has lots of places to perch.

Establishing more than one pen is a strong strategy for raising pigeons. Extra pens allow for the keeping of spare, unmated females and males which can be used to replace mated pigeons which might perish from disease or predation. Because it is sometimes difficult to determine the sex of a young pigeon, it is also handy to have another pen for pigeons that have been weaned but which have not yet given external indications of their sex. Unmated birds however should not be released to feed as they may mate with someone else’s pigeon and take up residence at their cote.

A pigeonnaire (dovecote) can be constructed on the urban compound in an area easily accessible to the garden for the use of the manure if care is taken during planting time as pigeons will feed on your freshly planted seeds. Plans for your pigeonnaire can be found at several on line sites and in “The Have More” book.

The major points being that it should have an entrance way that can be converted to one way entry only, room to exercise, usually 8×10 with 8 feet of head room, enclosed with wire mesh or hardware cloth that would prevent snakes from entering, and a small fountain for the pigeons to wash in. This basin would need to be either removable or coverable to limit use to specific times of the day to keep the pigeons from soiling the fountain..

Pigeons also have the advantage in that most urban dwellers ignore them/fail to see them as a food source. With the properly constructed loft pigeons can be released to forage during the day and they will return to roost and care for their young in the evenings.

Although pigeon poo is seen as a major problem for property owners in the 21st Century, it was considered to be a valuable resource in the 16th, 17th and 18th century in Europe. Pigeon poo was a highly prized fertilizer and considered to be more potent than farmyard manure. It was so prized that armed guards were stationed at the entrances to dovecotes (pigeon houses) to keep thieves from stealing it!

In England in the 16th century pigeon poo was the only known source of saltpeter, an ingredient of gunpowder and was considered a highly valued commodity as a result. In Iran, where eating pigeon was forbidden, dovecotes were set up and used simply as a source of fertilizer for melon crops and in France and Italy it was used to fertilize vineyards and hemp crops. It can also be used as a tanning agent for certain leathers.

So, self-feeding, easy to raise, with large amounts of fertilizer. Win, win, win!

 

Learn How to Raise Pigeons for Meat

Raising Pigeons

General Pigeon Information for Beginners

How (and why) raise pigeons

 


Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: thesurvivalistblog

WEEKLY THREAT ROUNDUP 3-14-15

 

From AlertsUSA

 

U.S. Armor and 3000 Troops Arrive in Baltics
Russia Rattles Nuclear Sabre

March 14, 2015

 

Between March 9-11, 2015, AlertsUSA issued the following
related Flash message to subscriber mobile devices:
3/11 – US steps up delivery of mil aid to UKR, incl radar, armored vehicles & UAVs. Russia defends basing of nukes in Crimea, incl strat bombers and tactical missiles.

3/9 – US deploys Abrams tanks and other armored vehicles to NATO members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in face of growing Russian threats. Monitoring…

What You Need To Know
Twice this week AlertsUSA subscribers were been notified via SMS messages to their mobile devices regarding the ongoing U.S. and Russian military buildup in Eastern Europe as well as increasing delivery of military aid to Ukraine.

U.S. ARMOR AND SOLDIERS POUR INTO BALTICS

Starting first with the Baltics, readers will recall that last week we reported the Commander of U.S. Army Forces in Europe, Lt-Gen Frederick Hodges, called for the deployment of U.S. tanks in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Romania and Bulgaria in response to the growing Russian threat in the region. On Monday alone U.S. transport ships delivered more than 120 M1A2 Abrams tanks and M2A3 Bradley armored vehicles to the Port of Riga in Latvia, and this was just the start. In total, approximately 750 pieces of armored equipmentincluding tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, artillery pieces and helicopters arrived this week, along with 3,000 soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 3rd infantry division based out of Georgia.

Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren said the deployment of soldiers is currently scheduled to last 90 days. Agence France-Presse (AFP) is quotingan unnamed military source as saying that the military hardware will stay in the region long after U.S. troops head back to base. It is highly likely additional brigades will follow.

And this is just the U.S. Army component. As AlertsUSA Threat Journal has been reporting for months, the U.S. alone has deployed tens of thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, fighter aircraft, refueling tankers, early warning radars and naval warships on a rotational basis to augment and train train with European allies air, ground and naval presence throughout the region (see thisthisthisthis and this). This week, even the normally quiet Norway launched it’s largest military war games in 50 years. The exercise, known as Joint Viking, is taking place in the country’s far northeast Finnmark County (click for map), which is above the Arctic Circle and borders Russia’s Kola Peninsula.

And as we reported last week, the U.S. and Britain have military forces deployed in Ukraine.

RUSSIA CONDUCTING MAJOR EXERCISES

As for Russia, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated early this week that Moscow would respond to NATO military buildup near Russian border “in an adequate way.”

The Russian Federation is itself surging forces to their border regions. In addition to 12,000 troops inside E. Ukraine, an additional 50,000 staged on the border and another 28,000 in Crimea, on Thursday Russia’s Defense Ministry stated that large-scale military exercises were taking place in Russia’s Southern and North Caucasus Federal Districts, as well as on Russian military bases in Armenia, the Georgian separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and on the Crimean Peninsula. Three Russian naval fleets are also holding military drills in the Black, Baltic and Barents Seas.

RUSSIAN JETS CONDUCT MOCK ATTACKS ON U.S. SHIPS

Russian fighter jets are reported to be running mock attacks on U.S. warshipsin the Black Sea. NATO officials indicate Russia is using its newest Su-30 multi-role fighter jets to simulate penetrating NATO’s anti-air systems

NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN CRIMEA

On Wed of this week, AlertsUSA subscribers were also notified of statements out of the Russian Foreign Ministry that Moscow publicly reaffirmed their right to deploy nuclear weapons in Crimea. According to Mikhail Ulyanov of the Russian Foreign Ministry, “Obviously, Russia has the right to place nuclear arms on its territory, if it considers it necessary, in any region.

Readers are reminded that in August of last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin had announced the approval of deploying nuclear-capable Iskander-M short-range missiles along with Tu-22 nuclear-capable bombers to the Crimean Peninsula.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU?

While a majority of the American public is transfixed with the launch of new smart watches, cable shows about rap music moguls and the upcoming season of Game of Thrones, the world is growing extremely dangerous by the minute. One would really have to be detached from reality to not see these escalations as highly threatening.

From Russia’s perspective, they have seen 1.) several decades of the progressive Eastward expansion of a powerful military alliance (NATO) which wages war around the globe at will now undertaking a buildup of forces along their Western border, 2.) U.S. and EU meddling in the internal politics of Russian friendly nations, 3.) U.S. and other NATO warships now a near permanent presence in the Black Sea, 4.) ongoing efforts to deploy ballistic missile installations in neighboring countries and 5.) increasing economic and trade sanctions which present direct strategic threats to their economy.

From Europe’s perspective, Russia’s moves in Ukraine have put genuine fear into hearts of former Soviet bloc nations. Europe has seen 1.) the annexation of Crimea, 2.) direct Russian support of and involvement in Ukraine’s civil war,3.) the reported presence of tens of thousands of Russian troops in and around Ukraine as well as along the Federation’s entire Western border and 4.) the increasing aggression of Russian Navy and Air Force.

This is a very dangerous situation taking shape with both sides actively preparing for war. At some point this confrontation will come to a head by accident or specific intent. When it does, the result will be ugly. It is always nice to talk about diplomatic solutions, but this will require one or both sides backing down. Will Russia pull away from Ukraine and Crimea and allow the country to come under the direct influence of NATO? Considering the strategic importance of the territory, this is very unlikely. Will NATO pull back forces from the region, cease the meddling in the internal politics of Russian-friendly nations and leave Baltic member states to fend for themselves in the face of Russian aggression? This is equally unlikely.

RUSSIAN NUCLEAR THREAT

Russia openly admits they are unable to win a conventional conflict against the full blown might of NATO. As such, their military doctrine relies on the use of tactical and strategic nuclear weapons (also see this and this). During testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee less than three weeks ago, nuclear arms experts testified that such weapons are at the center of Russia’s national security strategy and military doctrine.

“Since the early 2000s, Russian strategists have promoted the idea of “de-escalatory” nuclear strikes. According to this “escalate to de-escalate” concept, Moscow will threaten, or if necessary, carry out limited nuclear strikes early in a conventional conflict in order to force peace on terms favorable to Moscow. Nearly all of Russia’s major military drills over the past decade have concluded with simulated nuclear strikes. Moreover, President Putin himself has personally overseen such nuclear exercises.”


SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
Subcommittee on Strategic Forces

REGIONAL NUCLEAR DYNAMICS

Written Testimony of Dr. Matthew Kroenig
Georgetown University
Senior Fellow, Brent Scowcroft Center on Int’l Security
Atlantic Council

Hearing Video Available HERE

 

AlertsUSA continues to monitor developments in this region 24/7 and will immediately notify service subscribers of announcements of additional significant force deployments or any other changes in the overall threat environment, as events warrant.

AlertsUSA.com

 

OTHER ALERTS ISSUED THIS WEEK BUT
NOT DETAILED IN THIS NEWSLETTER ISSUE

3/12 – FBI again warns Congress of growing threat of ISIS-related terrorism. Calls threat from foreign fighters and indiv violent extremists “extremely dynamic.”

3/12 – 2 police officers shot in Ferguson, MO during renewed civil unrest. State sources indicate poss Nat’l guard deployment in next 24 hrs.. Monitoring…

3/11 – Earth-Directed X2-Class solar flare. High UV radiation causing HF radio fade-outs, navigation degradation. Awaiting assessment on CME threat.

 
 
Homeland Security Threat Info Direct to Your
Mobile Device 
* Get Away Early, Give Your Family Extra Safety.
* In Wide Use By Gov, 1st Responders, Travelers.
* 24/7/365 Monitoring. No Hype. Just the Bad Stuff.
* Issued Hours and Days before the MSM.
* On your Cell Phone, Tablet or Email.
* We Give The Clear Truth, Unlike the MSM.
* Over a Decade in Operation!
 
We are NOT part of the government.
In fact, they are our customers!
 



Travel Security Update

The U.S. Dept. of State is the authoritative federal source for information on the security situation at travel destinations worldwide. With tensions rapidly increasing in most regions, readers planning on international travel, even to such common destinations as Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean Islands, are strongly encouraged to do a little research on the security situation prior to departure.

Latest USGOV Travel Alerts and Warnings

Syria   03/03/2015
Honduras   03/02/2015
Jordan Mall Alert   02/26/2015
Ebola Travel Alert   02/02/2015
Worldwide Caution   01/09/2015
Worldwide Alert   12/19/2014
   

 

See all USGOV Travel Alerts and Warnings HERE.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: threatjournal

How To Make Self Rising Flour

Self rising flour does not require yeast. Dry yeast has an approximate shelf life of about 4 months after it’s opened (and if kept refrigerated) while the shelf life of the key ingredient in self rising flour is about 2 years and does not require refrigeration.

Sounds pretty good for preparedness and/or making edible biscuits without yeast…

The key ingredient to self rising flour is baking powder. Baking powder is a leavening agent that releases carbon dioxide when moistened. This produces air bubbles in baked goods which cause them to expand and become lighter while baking.

Technical:

Baking powder contains three ingredients:

Sodium bicarbonate (Baking Soda)
Monocalcium phosphate (acid salt)
Cornstarch (filler and moisture absorbent)

Baking powder works by releasing tiny carbon dioxide gas bubbles into a batter or dough through a reaction between the baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and acid/salt (monocalcium phosphate) when exposed to moisture, causing bubbles in the wet mixture to expand and thus leavening the mixture.

A beneficial aspect to utilizing baking powder to make a self rising flour is that it does not require refrigeration. It’s not a living organism like yeast. So long as you keep it dry, the unopened shelf life is up to several years and once opened it’s good for about 6 months at room temperature.

To test your baking powder, add about 1/2 tsp to some hot water in a cup. If it foams and bubbles, it has enough zip left. If it just sits there, well, it’s no good…

Self Rising Flour Recipe

To make 1 cup of self rising flour, add 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt. Stir/mix until well blended together. That’s it!

Self Rising Flour Biscuits Recipe

In the spirit of cross-training in the kitchen, I decided to try my hand at making something edible from my self rising flour. I actually surprised myself by successfully making a simple but tasty batch of biscuits.

All the ingredients used required no refrigeration, making this a reasonable food source for post-SHTF. I only cheated by using the oven for baking. However you could substitute by cooking over a fire (dutch oven?), or using a solar oven, or even improvising by using a covered pan on low heat over a hot burner.

This makes 8 or 9 biscuits.
First mix all the dry ingredients well.

2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 cup sugar
4 tbsp powdered butter (or 1/4-cup real butter)
1 tbsp powdered egg (or 1 real egg)

Then add 1 cup water and mix well.

This will produce a sticky blend of dough. Unlike a yeast mixture, the self-rising-flour does not ‘rise’ prior to cooking. The rise will happen as it cooks. I spooned the mixture into foil baking cups (they will stick to the paper ones) and set them in cupcake trays. I suppose you could use and shape aluminum foil in a pinch, or you could even spread the batter mixture into a do-it-yourself foil ‘cake’.

Bake at 375-degrees for 25-30 minutes until golden.

It doesn’t rise like a traditional loaf of bread would, but it makes for a decent tasty biscuit…

 

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

 

Via: modernsurvivalblog

Activated Charcoal: A Must-Have Item in Every Preppers Med Kit

 


 

If I were to guess, activated charcoal is probably not one of the items found in your med kit right now.

Well, it’s time you change that…

The thing is, in a long-term disaster or a post-collapse situation, you’ll likely not have access to professional medical help. And if you or your loved one accidentally ingests something poisonous, it could end up being a very bad day for you or yours.

That’s where having activated charcoal could be a very real life saver.

In this article you’ll discover just what activated charcoal is and how it can be used to ward off potential disaster when things go very bad. In addition, you’ll learn about many of the other potential uses that this long-standing “medicine” has.

Activated Charcoal Throughout History

The first recorded use of charcoal for medicinal purposes comes from Egyptian papyri around 1500 B.C. as a method of staving off infection of open wounds. Since then, activated charcoal has continued to be an effective form of treatment for a variety of ailments down to the present time.

In fact, it’s common to find activated charcoal in modern emergency rooms for treatment of drug overdose and poisoning.

How does it work you ask? Well, read on…

How Activated Charcoal Performs its “Magic”

It may at first seem a bit unbelievable as to how a simple black powder can be so effective at removing poisons from the body. But there’s real scientific reasons as to why.

Activated charcoal works mainly by adsorption (no I didn’t spell that incorrectly). Since activated charcoal is 100% alkaline (i.e. negatively charged), this negative ionic charge attracts postive ionic charges like toxins and poisons, causing them to bind to the charcoal which then gets escorted out of your body through the eliminative process of your intestines.

Even when made as a poultice (a moist paste of charcoal and water that you spread over a wound or sting) this adsorption process will work to draw out poisons caused by stings and bites of animals.

Basically the process that creates activated charcoal (steam heating and oxidation) ends up creating an internal lattice of very fine pores. This structure allow s charcoal to adsorb over 100 times its weight in bacteria, toxins and other positively charged chemicals (like drugs and unwanted medicine).

For that reason, it’s important that you don’t ingest charcoal if you’ve recently (within the last 24 hours) taken perscription medicine for medical reasons since it can also adsorb certain medicines as it does poisons.

Charcoal Remedies

Here are just some of the examples of charcoal remedies (both internal external) that you’ll find used in modern as well as folk medicine:

Internal Uses:

  • food poisoning / drug overdose: This is really the only remedy I’ve found where charcoal is used in modern medicine. My ER doctor friend has used charcoal a number of times in the Emergency Room for drug-overdose patients.
  • elimination of toxins that contribute to anemia in cancer patients
  • stomach bug/flu: This has worked very well in my family. Anytime we feel a stomach bug coming on we take a teaspoon of charcoal in a cup of water which stops it in its tracks.
  • filter toxins from blood
  • headaches
  • minor arthritic symptoms
  • diarrhea
  • sore throat irritation
  • tooth abscesses

    External Uses:

  • disinfect wounds
  • teeth whitening: Charcoal surprisingly does an excellent job at removing tartar and plaque buildup on teeth (no the black will not stain your teeth) and even removes stains (especially those caused by coffee).
  • cold sores
  • insect bites: Very effective against bee and wasp stings. I’ve personally seen this work wonders for my 4-year old daughter with a wasp sting. The pain subsided very quickly after making a poultice and covering her sting.
  • snake bites

    Is Activated Charcoal Something I Can Make?

    As a quick warning, this is not the charcoal that comes as briquettes that you use in your charcoal grill. Since many of them are laden with dangerous fillers and petrochemicals (firestarter) to help them ignite, ingesting or using these for medical purposes could certainly lead to a very bad day for you or your loved ones.

    True activated charcoal is made industrially through a process of exposing pure charcoal to hot steam in order to oxidize it. So while you can certainly make normal charcoal from a woodfire and grind it up fine enough to be somewhat effective (if that’s all you had available to you), it’s not the same.

    Given the purity that you can buy as well as it’s practically limitless shelf life I would still highly recommend you purchase it.

    Where Can I Purchase Activated Charcoal and How Can I Learn To Use It?

    It’s important that you purchase a high-quality charcoal. Here’s the one that I recommend and buy for my own family:

    Hardwood Activated Charcoal Powder 16 oz (1 lb) in Mylar Bag

    In addition, if you want to learn all of the fantastic ways to use this as well as dosing information be sure to check out some of these resources:

    Activated Charcoal: Antidote, Remedy, and Health Aid

    Charcoal Remedies

    Drugs.com

     

    Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

     

    Via: tacticalintelligence