UrbanSurvivalSkills.com received a reader question from the post Urban Survival Preparation - Emergency Planning by Yahoo....."Anonymous asked,......Have you posted anything that relates to women's natural issues, like our monthly visitor? Material to stock up on that? Any natural grains or food that would substitute Midol? Good site."
UrbanMan replies: Boy, have you got me out of my comfort zone. But thinking about this will be good for my survival group’s planning as I have several ladies coming to the big change era and some just starting out getting acquainted with their new monthly visitor.
I have stocked many boxes of tampons……I think there is 160 total of assorted absorbency capacities. No doubt these would run out. In the back of my mind I have been thinking about some type of re-useable pad much like how the old cloth baby diapers were used. I think the solution in a post collapse world would be some sort of pad that can be laundered and re-used.
If a home made or field expedient product intended to be inserted was used, then I think the chances of toxic shock would probably be increased.
As far as natural hormone replacement therapies go, the following plants are in phyto-estrogen supplements: Black Cohosh, Cimicifuga, Racemoss root; Chasteberry; Licroice Root, and, Dong Quai Root.
I know a lady who is her late 40’s and is taking a pharmaceutical grade phyto- estrogen supplement and reports no menopause symptoms and sometimes goes three months between her visitor showing up.
Another product associated with reduced menopause symptoms, as well as other degenerative diseases is Omega 3 Fatty Acids, which balance The Omega 6 Fatty Acids that body produces and reduces problems associated with inflammation.
My source for this is http://www.myachingknees.com
As far as reducing pain from menstrual cramping, lessening your caffeine, salt and sugar intake just before your visitor arrives and using Chamomile tea to reduced discomfort associated with cramping,…again start drinking this a day or two before your visitor if he’s known to come on schedule.
As far a OTC pain meds such as Advil and others. Part of your Survival Medical kit should include the standard OTC medications such as Aspirin, Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, Benedryl, some decongestants and the like. I myself hate to take anything other than aspirin and even then only small amounts. But I assume these may be in short supply during a collapse. I buy the big bottles at Costco or Wal-Mart, then replace when the expiration date gets about six months past due.
I am attaching a link to herbal remedies for menstrual pains from www.Home Remedies and Nutrition, here.
Hope this helps and thanks for commenting earlier.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Urban Survival Planning - Argument For Economic Collapse with the Shrinking of the American Middle Class
The Middle Class in America is Radically Shrinking, from The Business Insider
by Michael Snyder, Editor of theeconomiccollapseblog.com
UrbanMan’s Comment: What do you think will happen when there is no middle class only a lower class scraping to get by and an elite class? What will this ratio look like? 10% Upper Class and 90% in the poverty zone? How long will the people in the poverty zone put up with that? The 10% in the Upper zone will include the super rich and government employees, over 400,000 added to the roles is the number I seen, compared to 2.5 million net job loss since the Obama Administration came into office. Keep in mind this article was written by a economist, who is not in the habit for preparing for the worst like we are.
The 22 statistics detailed here prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the middle class is being systematically wiped out of existence in America. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer at a staggering rate. Once upon a time, the United States had the largest and most prosperous middle class in the history of the world, but now that is changing at a blinding pace.
So why are we witnessing such fundamental changes? Well, the globalism and "free trade" that our politicians and business leaders insisted would be so good for us have had some rather nasty side effects. It turns out that they didn't tell us that the "global economy" would mean that middle class American workers would eventually have to directly compete for jobs with people on the other side of the world where there is no minimum wage and very few regulations. The big global corporations have greatly benefited by exploiting third world labor pools over the last several decades, but middle class American workers have increasingly found things to be very tough.
Here are the statistics to prove it:
83 percent of all U.S. stocks are in the hands of 1 percent of the people.
61 percent of Americans "always or usually" live paycheck to paycheck, which was up from 49 percent in 2008 43 percent in 2007.
66 percent of the income growth between 2001 and 2007 went to the top 1% of all Americans.
36 percent of Americans say that they don't contribute anything to retirement savings.
A staggering 43 percent of Americans have less than $10,000 saved up for retirement.
24 percent of American workers say that they have postponed their planned retirement age in the past year.
Over 1.4 million Americans filed for personal bankruptcy in 2009, which represented a 32 percent increase over 2008.
Only the top 5 percent of U.S. households have earned enough additional income to match the rise in housing costs since 1975.
For the first time in U.S. history, banks own a greater share of residential housing net worth in the United States than all individual Americans put together.
In 1950, the ratio of the average executive's paycheck to the average worker's paycheck was about 30 to 1. Since the year 2000, that ratio has exploded to between 300 to 500 to one.
As of 2007, the bottom 80 percent of American households held about 7% of the liquid financial assets.
The bottom 50 percent of income earners in the United States now collectively own less than 1 percent of the nation’s wealth.
Average Wall Street bonuses for 2009 were up 17 percent when compared with 2008.
In the United States, the average federal worker now earns 60% MORE than the average worker in the private sector.
The top 1 percent of U.S. households own nearly twice as much of America's corporate wealth as they did just 15 years ago.
In America today, the average time needed to find a job has risen to a record 35.2 weeks.
More than 40 percent of Americans who actually are employed are now working in service jobs, which are often very low paying.
For the first time in U.S. history, more than 40 million Americans are on food stamps, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture projects that number will go up to 43 million Americans in 2011.
This is what American workers now must compete against: in China a garment worker makes approximately 86 cents an hour and in Cambodia a garment worker makes approximately 22 cents an hour.
Approximately 21 percent of all children in the United States are living below the poverty line in 2010 - the highest rate in 20 years.
Despite the financial crisis, the number of millionaires in the United States rose a whopping 16 percent to 7.8 million in 2009.
The top 10 percent of Americans now earn around 50 percent of our national income.
Giant Sucking Sound
The reality is that no matter how smart, how strong, how educated or how hard working American workers are, they just cannot compete with people who are desperate to put in 10 to 12 hour days at less than a dollar an hour on the other side of the world. After all, what corporation in their right mind is going to pay an American worker 10 times more (plus benefits) to do the same job? The world is fundamentally changing. Wealth and power are rapidly becoming concentrated at the top and the big global corporations are making massive amounts of money. Meanwhile, the American middle class is being systematically wiped out of existence as U.S. workers are slowly being merged into the new "global" labor pool.
What do most Americans have to offer in the marketplace other than their labor? Not much. The truth is that most Americans are absolutely dependent on someone else giving them a job. But today, U.S. workers are "less attractive" than ever. Compared to the rest of the world, American workers are extremely expensive, and the government keeps passing more rules and regulations seemingly on a monthly basis that makes it even more difficult to conduct business in the United States.
So corporations are moving operations out of the U.S. at breathtaking speed. Since the U.S. government does not penalize them for doing so, there really is no incentive for them to stay.
What has developed is a situation where the people at the top are doing quite well, while most Americans are finding it increasingly difficult to make it. There are now about six unemployed Americans for every new job opening in the United States, and the number of "chronically unemployed" is absolutely soaring. There simply are not nearly enough jobs for everyone.
Many of those who are able to get jobs are finding that they are making less money than they used to. In fact, an increasingly large percentage of Americans are working at low wage retail and service jobs.
But you can't raise a family on what you make flipping burgers at McDonald's or on what you bring in from greeting customers down at the local Wal-Mart.
The truth is that the middle class in America is dying -- and once it is gone it will be incredibly difficult to rebuild.
by Michael Snyder, Editor of theeconomiccollapseblog.com
UrbanMan’s Comment: What do you think will happen when there is no middle class only a lower class scraping to get by and an elite class? What will this ratio look like? 10% Upper Class and 90% in the poverty zone? How long will the people in the poverty zone put up with that? The 10% in the Upper zone will include the super rich and government employees, over 400,000 added to the roles is the number I seen, compared to 2.5 million net job loss since the Obama Administration came into office. Keep in mind this article was written by a economist, who is not in the habit for preparing for the worst like we are.
The 22 statistics detailed here prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the middle class is being systematically wiped out of existence in America. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer at a staggering rate. Once upon a time, the United States had the largest and most prosperous middle class in the history of the world, but now that is changing at a blinding pace.
So why are we witnessing such fundamental changes? Well, the globalism and "free trade" that our politicians and business leaders insisted would be so good for us have had some rather nasty side effects. It turns out that they didn't tell us that the "global economy" would mean that middle class American workers would eventually have to directly compete for jobs with people on the other side of the world where there is no minimum wage and very few regulations. The big global corporations have greatly benefited by exploiting third world labor pools over the last several decades, but middle class American workers have increasingly found things to be very tough.
Here are the statistics to prove it:
83 percent of all U.S. stocks are in the hands of 1 percent of the people.
61 percent of Americans "always or usually" live paycheck to paycheck, which was up from 49 percent in 2008 43 percent in 2007.
66 percent of the income growth between 2001 and 2007 went to the top 1% of all Americans.
36 percent of Americans say that they don't contribute anything to retirement savings.
A staggering 43 percent of Americans have less than $10,000 saved up for retirement.
24 percent of American workers say that they have postponed their planned retirement age in the past year.
Over 1.4 million Americans filed for personal bankruptcy in 2009, which represented a 32 percent increase over 2008.
Only the top 5 percent of U.S. households have earned enough additional income to match the rise in housing costs since 1975.
For the first time in U.S. history, banks own a greater share of residential housing net worth in the United States than all individual Americans put together.
In 1950, the ratio of the average executive's paycheck to the average worker's paycheck was about 30 to 1. Since the year 2000, that ratio has exploded to between 300 to 500 to one.
As of 2007, the bottom 80 percent of American households held about 7% of the liquid financial assets.
The bottom 50 percent of income earners in the United States now collectively own less than 1 percent of the nation’s wealth.
Average Wall Street bonuses for 2009 were up 17 percent when compared with 2008.
In the United States, the average federal worker now earns 60% MORE than the average worker in the private sector.
The top 1 percent of U.S. households own nearly twice as much of America's corporate wealth as they did just 15 years ago.
In America today, the average time needed to find a job has risen to a record 35.2 weeks.
More than 40 percent of Americans who actually are employed are now working in service jobs, which are often very low paying.
For the first time in U.S. history, more than 40 million Americans are on food stamps, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture projects that number will go up to 43 million Americans in 2011.
This is what American workers now must compete against: in China a garment worker makes approximately 86 cents an hour and in Cambodia a garment worker makes approximately 22 cents an hour.
Approximately 21 percent of all children in the United States are living below the poverty line in 2010 - the highest rate in 20 years.
Despite the financial crisis, the number of millionaires in the United States rose a whopping 16 percent to 7.8 million in 2009.
The top 10 percent of Americans now earn around 50 percent of our national income.
Giant Sucking Sound
The reality is that no matter how smart, how strong, how educated or how hard working American workers are, they just cannot compete with people who are desperate to put in 10 to 12 hour days at less than a dollar an hour on the other side of the world. After all, what corporation in their right mind is going to pay an American worker 10 times more (plus benefits) to do the same job? The world is fundamentally changing. Wealth and power are rapidly becoming concentrated at the top and the big global corporations are making massive amounts of money. Meanwhile, the American middle class is being systematically wiped out of existence as U.S. workers are slowly being merged into the new "global" labor pool.
What do most Americans have to offer in the marketplace other than their labor? Not much. The truth is that most Americans are absolutely dependent on someone else giving them a job. But today, U.S. workers are "less attractive" than ever. Compared to the rest of the world, American workers are extremely expensive, and the government keeps passing more rules and regulations seemingly on a monthly basis that makes it even more difficult to conduct business in the United States.
So corporations are moving operations out of the U.S. at breathtaking speed. Since the U.S. government does not penalize them for doing so, there really is no incentive for them to stay.
What has developed is a situation where the people at the top are doing quite well, while most Americans are finding it increasingly difficult to make it. There are now about six unemployed Americans for every new job opening in the United States, and the number of "chronically unemployed" is absolutely soaring. There simply are not nearly enough jobs for everyone.
Many of those who are able to get jobs are finding that they are making less money than they used to. In fact, an increasingly large percentage of Americans are working at low wage retail and service jobs.
But you can't raise a family on what you make flipping burgers at McDonald's or on what you bring in from greeting customers down at the local Wal-Mart.
The truth is that the middle class in America is dying -- and once it is gone it will be incredibly difficult to rebuild.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Urban Survival Firearms - M4-M16 Tactical Lights
This is the second part of a response to a reader who was asking about Tactical Lights. First of all I think everyone needs to be able to mount a white light on their Survival-Defensive Long Gun. You have to train with these lights just like any other piece of equipment. You can have an accidental light discharge which would give away for your position so you have to know the controls, switches and pressures down cold.
The weapons light world has come along way since mounting D cell Mag Lights underneath our M16's using hose clamps. But that's still a valid technique if you have no other equipment. In fact, I was teaching a weapons course to a unit which had M16A2 rifles without picatinny (aka 1913) rails. I gave them a familiarization shooting our guns which were mounted with various lights, but the white light for all of their night fire training can from the Mag Lights we mounted with hose clamps underneath their handguards. Hey the only handheld flashlight they had was the old Army issue Angle Head,...so guess what,....all the white light for their handgun night fire was using the Angle Head Flashlight.
There are many tactical lights available today that mount to picatinny rail sets, primarily, on M4 carbines or their clones. I have a definite preference for a smaller light. I mount a Surefire G20 light using the excellent Viking Tactics mount on my carbines. I mount a pistol grip underneath the rail so that the thumb of my off hand is utilized to operate the light. This light operates on pressure to turn momentarily on and when that pressure is released the light goes off. You can still turn the push button housing until the light is fully on.
One of the newest lights on the market is the InForce light. It uses a picatinny mount and the flashlight is pressed into the mount being held in place by grooves. I think this is to allow the shooter to rapidly remove the light for other purposes. The light is push button activated on the tail and has three functions: full on high lumen, full on low lumen and a strobe feature. Best use for this light is also with a pistol grip so that the off hand thumb can operate it. Strobe lights are popular and the idea is that the pulsing light disorients the bad guy. I did not find it very effective when tested on me. However the rapid dis-mount for this light is something worth considering if you do not carry other lights. Inforce light shown below.
Surefire is the King of Tactical Lights. Their M900 series Tactical light is a very high lumens capable flashight producing 125 to 500 depending upon the bulb you use. The flashlight is built into a picatinny capable mount with a hand grip.
Both the M900 and M900 with Turbo Head (you'll know it when you see it) are operated with a squeeze pad on the grip and a "dead man's" switch near the thumb. There are also two small LED's that are operated separably as a navigation light and are routinely used by teams to illuminate locks to be cut, or hinges/door knobs to be breached. The Surefire M900 with Turbo Head (higher lumens) is pictured lower right and the M900 with standard head is shown lower left.
The only problem I have with most Tactical Lights, and certainly all the weapons mounted lights, is that they use DL123 lithium batteries which are not rechargeable. You could buy a hundred of these for your Survival Stash, but the cost would be around $300 (minimum), and the fact they will eventually go bad is a deterrent. I have AAA and AA powered flashlights to replace my Surefires when I have no more DL123's, as I can recharge these batteries.
The lights shown above are all available from Brownells. The Urban Survivor would be well served to have the weapons light capability on some of his/her firearms.
The weapons light world has come along way since mounting D cell Mag Lights underneath our M16's using hose clamps. But that's still a valid technique if you have no other equipment. In fact, I was teaching a weapons course to a unit which had M16A2 rifles without picatinny (aka 1913) rails. I gave them a familiarization shooting our guns which were mounted with various lights, but the white light for all of their night fire training can from the Mag Lights we mounted with hose clamps underneath their handguards. Hey the only handheld flashlight they had was the old Army issue Angle Head,...so guess what,....all the white light for their handgun night fire was using the Angle Head Flashlight.
One of the newest lights on the market is the InForce light. It uses a picatinny mount and the flashlight is pressed into the mount being held in place by grooves. I think this is to allow the shooter to rapidly remove the light for other purposes. The light is push button activated on the tail and has three functions: full on high lumen, full on low lumen and a strobe feature. Best use for this light is also with a pistol grip so that the off hand thumb can operate it. Strobe lights are popular and the idea is that the pulsing light disorients the bad guy. I did not find it very effective when tested on me. However the rapid dis-mount for this light is something worth considering if you do not carry other lights. Inforce light shown below.
Surefire is the King of Tactical Lights. Their M900 series Tactical light is a very high lumens capable flashight producing 125 to 500 depending upon the bulb you use. The flashlight is built into a picatinny capable mount with a hand grip.
Both the M900 and M900 with Turbo Head (you'll know it when you see it) are operated with a squeeze pad on the grip and a "dead man's" switch near the thumb. There are also two small LED's that are operated separably as a navigation light and are routinely used by teams to illuminate locks to be cut, or hinges/door knobs to be breached. The Surefire M900 with Turbo Head (higher lumens) is pictured lower right and the M900 with standard head is shown lower left.
The only problem I have with most Tactical Lights, and certainly all the weapons mounted lights, is that they use DL123 lithium batteries which are not rechargeable. You could buy a hundred of these for your Survival Stash, but the cost would be around $300 (minimum), and the fact they will eventually go bad is a deterrent. I have AAA and AA powered flashlights to replace my Surefires when I have no more DL123's, as I can recharge these batteries.
The lights shown above are all available from Brownells. The Urban Survivor would be well served to have the weapons light capability on some of his/her firearms.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Urban Surival Preparation - Emergency Planning by Yahoo
One of my Urban Survival Planning and Preparation considerations is how to handle my neighbors (and friends) who come to me after the collapse seeking help. Many of them would undoubtedly be burdens on me and my family due to their Survival unpreparedness. Most of them, even when facing the undeniable indicators of a pending collapse, won’t prepare either. This Yahoo News article may serve to help some of the those people, who will not be readers of this site, to have enough Survival food stocks to endure more than a couple days which would also serve to allow more time so better decisions can be made,...which hopefully would be to get out of Dodge and eliminate the chances of them being a burden on me, and I say that only partially in jest. I am going to re-produce this article, with my comments (in Italicized print) and place them on their house doors in hopes of giving them a moderate and comfortable education in the beginning of Emergency Preparation. Have you ever noticed how the connotation of Emergency Preparation and Survival Preparation are different?
The top foods you should keep in case of an emergency – An article from Yahoo News. By: Vanessa DiMaggio
Natural disasters--such as a flood, hurricane, or blizzard--often come without warning. Stocking non-perishable food items ahead of time (and choosing wisely what you include) will help you weather the storm with less stress.
Fueling your body during an emergency is very different from your everyday diet. Because you’ll probably expend more energy than you normally would, you should eat high-energy, high-protein foods. And because you have a limited supply, the higher-quality foods you eat--and the less of them--the better. "In a disaster or an emergency you want those calories," says Barry Swanson, a food scientist at Washington State University . "You want some nutrients and some fiber—something to keep your diet normal."
UrbanMan’s comments: High Protein foods are not necessary. Foods high in caloric value, and fats are generally a better choice for a survival situation.
But that doesn’t mean you have to eat like a pauper. "In an emergency, generally you tend to think of meeting more basic needs than preferences and flavors," says Elizabeth Andress, professor and food safety specialist at the University of Georgia . "But if you plan right, you can have a great variety of foods and nutrients." Here, Andress and Swanson weigh in on what items you should include.
What to Always Keep in Your Pantry
These items have lengthy expiration dates, so you can stash them away for long periods of time. Make a list of everything in your stockpile and check expiration dates every 6 to 12 months to keep things fresh. And don’t forget to have a can opener on hand at all times--all that food won’t be of any use if you can’t open it.
Peanut butter. A great source of energy, peanut butter is chock-full of healthful fats and protein. Unless the jar indicates otherwise, you don’t have to refrigerate after opening.
Whole-wheat crackers. Crackers are a good replacement for bread and make a fine substitute in sandwiches. Due to their higher fat content, whole-wheat or whole-grain crackers have a shorter shelf life than their plain counterparts (check the box for expiration dates), but the extra fiber pays off when you’re particularly hungry. Consider vacuum-packing your crackers to prolong their freshness.
Nuts and trail mixes. Stock up on these high-energy foods—they’re convenient for snacking and healthful. Look for vacuum-packed containers, which prevent the nuts from oxidizing and losing their freshness.
UrbanMan’s comments: Peanut Butter, crackers, and nuts are all great things to have plenty of on hand. Consider a mix of nuts, however peanuts are particular cost efficient. Almonds are a great source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids which will help maintain your health.
Cereal. Choose multigrain cereals that are individually packaged so they don’t become stale after opening.
Granola bars and power bars. Healthy and filling, these portable snacks usually stay fresh for at least six months. Plus, they’re an excellent source of carbohydrates. "You can get more energy from carbohydrates without [eating] tons of food," Andress says.
Dried fruits. Such as apricots and raisins In the absence of fresh fruit, these healthy snacks offer potassium and dietary fiber. "Dried fruits provide you with a significant amount of nutrients and calories," Swanson says.
UrbanMan’s comments: Would suggest buying some #10 cans of dehydrated fruit from EarthWaveLiving, click here. Fruit will be at a premium during a collapse. I am basing my daily Survival diet around rice and/or beans,..maybe some pasta instead, with a vegetable (fresh, canned or dehydrated) and one serving of dehydrated fruit each day.
Canned tuna, salmon, chicken, or turkey. Generally lasting at least two years in the pantry, canned meats provide essential protein. Vacuum-packed pouches have a shorter shelf life but will last at least six months, says Diane Van, manager of the USDA meat and poultry hotline.
Canned vegetables. Such as green beans, carrots, and peas when the real deal isn’t an option, canned varieties can provide you with essential nutrients.
Canned soups and chili. Soups and chili can be eaten straight out of the can and provide a variety of nutrients. Look for low-sodium options.
Bottled water. Try to stock at least a three-day supply--you need at least one gallon per person per day. A normally active person should drink at least a half gallon of water each day. The other half gallon is for adding to food and washing.
UrbanMan’s comments: Bottled water is always good to have on hand, better yet have lots of storage containers so you can fill up when the collapse indicators are getting due. Have a plan and the items needed to conduct a "water less life" – meaning conserving water for drinking and only drinking. You simply cannot live without water.. You can use water-less hand soap to clean; use a field expedient "porta-potty".
Sports drinks. Such as Gatorade or Powerade. The electrolytes and carbohydrates in these drinks will help you rehydrate and replenish fluid when water is scarce.
Powdered milk Almost all dairy products require refrigeration, so stock this substitute for an excellent source of calcium and vitamin D when fresh milk isn’t an option.
Sugar, salt, and pepper If you have access to a propane or charcoal stove, you may be doing some cooking. A basic supply of seasonings and sweeteners will improve the flavor of your food, both fresh and packaged.
UrbanMan’s comments: I would add rice and beans, about 10-20 lbs per person at a minimum. Beef and Chicken bullion cubes can be stored with the rice and beans to provide flavor. Powdered mash potatoes, boxes of macaroni and cheese, bags of 16 bean soup and mix are all good food stuffs to stock.
Multivitamins Supplements will help replace the nutrients you would have consumed on a normal diet.
UrbanMan’s comments: Vitamins from an off the shelf are virtually worthless. You are literally wasting your money. I would save your money for something else. If you are buying quality supplements, then consider stocking a 6 to 9 month supply; start taking them now to build your body’s immune system; rotating extra stocks out but keep track of expiration dates.
UrbanMan’s final comments: Vacuum packing dry food stuffs can preserve these foods for two years or more. An investment into a food saver would allow you to vacuum pack things like rice, spices, crackers, granola bars, dried fruits, etc., for a longer shelf life. However, I’m afraid you may be forced to use these stocked supplies before the expiration date. If you are not in the full Survival prep mode, then at least put some vegetable seed packets (non-hybrid type) into a #10 can and put into your pantry. You may be very glad you did this at some point.
UrbanMan’s final comments: Vacuum packing dry food stuffs can preserve these foods for two years or more. An investment into a food saver would allow you to vacuum pack things like rice, spices, crackers, granola bars, dried fruits, etc., for a longer shelf life. However, I’m afraid you may be forced to use these stocked supplies before the expiration date. If you are not in the full Survival prep mode, then at least put some vegetable seed packets (non-hybrid type) into a #10 can and put into your pantry. You may be very glad you did this at some point.
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