Prepare The Immune System

This is the first day of the new year that I have had to call in sick to work. I was hoping that I would last at least a few months into the year before getting sick but oh well. With people coughing, sneezing and hacking in your face just about every where you go it's a good thing to build on that immune system of yours. I started feeling the "sicky" symptoms come on from the second half of my shift at work the other day, then by the time I got off I started getting chills, headache, and body aches. All I wanted was to get better ASAP because I knew I would have to call in to work sick. As I drove home I progressively got worse. So I remedied myself to some major herbal super atioxidant free radical reducing green tea, honey, mega doses of clementines, a naturopathic flu medicine, some very watery miso soup, showered, bundled up, had more tea and went to bed SUPER early. I majorly sweated my sickness out throughout the night, suffice to say I am feeling WAY better than what I have felt the night before. Most of my symptoms have diminished surprisingly to my astonishment.

With flu season happening just about any time these days it is imperative to keep the immune system working and protecting you in top form. As preppers you not only need to prepare in the food storage arena but also in your health arena. I would not want to be sick or stricken by some debilitating virus in times of emergency, that would be just horrible and a nightmare if you ask me because it would hamper your efforts in preparing and doing the things that need to be done in an instants notice. And what if you will not be able to access a doctor or hospital? It's going to be all up to you to nurse yourself back to good health, something to really think hard and seriously about I know I have. So make sure you have fully stocked and supplied yourselves medically with much needed first aid supplies, medicines, antibiotics, herbs, teas, spices that can also be used as remedies for sickness.

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Prepping in Paradise

by BigIslandPrepper

If you are new to prepping in Hawaii (Paradise) you are in for some different issues than they face on the mainland. Southern warm and humid states have similar problems but we are unique. Our warm Islands are warm and humid 365 days a year.

We are also unique in that we have almost all the same disaster scenarios that they have on the mainland, except cold blizzard conditions. We have, high winds, hurricanes, and tornados. Then we also have tsunamis, volcanoes, lava flows, and lots of earthquakes.

A lot, one would think to prepare for. However, prepping is the same for one and all of our potential disasters.

I will be covering a new topic every week and waiting for responses before moving on. We will start with location, shelters, and mobility. Then move on to food, food storage, meal preparation, power, lighting, cooking, water storage and quality. Finally we will cover health, medical, nutrition, sanitation, and personal safety.

What Will 2012 The Year of The Dragon Bring Us?

Yes indeed, this year is fastly coming to an end filled with natural and man made disasters of all types, sizes, and shapes. Who could ever forget about Japan's tsunami of March 11th 2011 and following that a nuclear fallout from Japan's nuclear plants that were damaged from the earthquake. Japan had the 1-2-3 punch fully loaded disaster. Egypt uprising protests revolutions around the globe started to take flight and burn like never ending wildfires across the globe into other countries. The death of North Korea's leader Kim Jong II  leaves a lot of questions out there regarding the next leadership in command his son. Yet famine still flourishes in North Korea. The end of Gadhafi and Osama Bin Laden? Seems as though this guy supposedly died several times throughout the years. And no proof was ever presented to the public when the claim was made by the US government. I found it quite odd in how they seemingly got rid of the body ASAP, how about you? Strange year indeed for disasters in full swing and protests, revolutions and just plain weirdness. Yet the year zipped by like no other. The "Occupy" trend. It's not what they're for, but what they're against? Big corporations? Um, that soda pop and bottled water you're drinking is from a big corporation and so are all the foods that you eat and clothes that you wear come from. Hows about occupying the real monsters GOVERNMENT SPENDING! And everything else connected to those deceptive tentacles derived from the government. There's so much more things that came out of the year 2011 good and not so good but this would lead me to go on forever here which I refuse to because I don't have to repeat anymore news that you all hopefully already know by now.

But I will repeat the ever importance of preparedness and there has never been a greater time than now to be moreso vigilant in your preps. Don't wait for a disaster to occur because it will and don't hesitate and wait to prepare because by then it's already too late. So set yourselves up with preps and be on top of things at all times because anything is possible and impossible simultaneously. Keep on prepping!!!  

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The Price Of Paradise

An excellent article by Alternative Hawaii

 

photo by Aloha2U

The Cost of Living in Paradise is High!
If you are thinking of making Hawaii your home, consider the following facts:

Sources indicate a cost of living ranging from 30%¹ above the national average to well over 60%² for certain family sizes.

• In 2006, a family of 4 renting accommodation in Honolulu needs to earn $111,695 or 55% more income to maintain a lifestyle similar to a comparable family earning $72,000 in the continental United States.²
  
• Although the 2003 median income of $71,320 for a family of 4 in Hawaii was higher than the national figure of $65,093, this is still below the amount required to maintain the same standard of living for a family of 4 in Hawaii as elsewhere in America.³
  

Hawaii's High Cost of Housing and Low Income

A major component of Hawaii's high cost of living can be attributed to its high cost of housing and low income.

• In 2005, the State of Hawaii ranked number 10 out of 47 States surveyed (Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana were excluded) for having the most expensive housing market based on a 2200 sq. ft. (approx.) single family dwelling with 4-bedrooms, 2.5 baths, family room (or equivalent) and a 2-car garage in a corporate middle-management neighborhood. Hawaii ranks number 47 (bottom of the list) for the most affordable housing market! ⁴
  
• The national average of the markets surveyed in the above study was $401,767. The survey showed that the 2005 Average Sales Price for the most expensive Hawaii market was $745,454 (Kihei, Maui) and the most affordable was $737,625 (Honolulu, Oahu) - well over the national average.
  
• 2005 set record high prices for single family dwellings on the Island of Oahu. The 2005 median resale price of a single family home was $590,000. The 2005 median resale price for a condominium was $269,000.⁵ The cost of housing on neighbor islands was even higher and higher incomes were harder to obtain.⁶
  
• In 2004, Hawaii's home ownership rate (proportion of owner households to the total number of occupied households) was only 60.9%, ranking Hawaii as 48th (one of the lowest) in the nation - indicative of widespread speculative investment.⁷
  
• In 2005, Hawaii's total personal income grew by 8% - the biggest increase since 1990 and the third largest increase in the nation.⁸ However, Hawaii's 2004 Per Capita Personal Income of $32,606 ranked 20th in the United States, below the national average of $33,041.⁹

For salary and cost of living comparisons between Honolulu and other U.S. cities, see the Cost of Living Wizard.

Even with 2 adults working full time, rental housing and home ownership are becoming increasingly unaffordable, if not impossible, for the average family in Hawaii.

Cost of Food

Amazingly, Hawaii has less than a seven day supply of many foods, especially perishables. Some 90% of our food is still imported.

In recent years, the cost of food in Hawaii has been offset to some degree with the arrival of major warehouse outlets throughout the Islands (e.g. Costco, Sam's Club, Wal-Mart). However, the Economic Research Institute's 2006 Cost of Living Analyses for Honolulu shows that the cost of consumables weighted to pricing patterns of grocery and drug store chains is as much as 66% more than the U.S. average depending upon family size, earnings level and spending patterns.²

Perhaps 10,000 acres could grow all the perishable food Hawaii needs. Unfortunately, key factors in utilizing these acres are the high cost of some land, tax laws and leasing difficulties, water, labor and transportation.

You just can't grow cucumbers on $95,000+-an-acre land!

Land Availability

Nearly half of Hawaii's 4.1 million acres are managed by the State or Federal Government and of the remaining 50% in private ownership, approximately 20 percent is controlled by seven private landowners.¹⁰

Of the total acreage, the State Land Use Commission classifies 95% as belonging to either Agriculture or Conservation Districts and only 5% to Rural and Urban Districts.¹¹

Increasing urbanization and growing pressure from developers to use agricultural land for resort and large subdivision development is likely to continue fueling the high price of housing, food, and cost of living in Hawaii.

America's Health Care - A System in Crisis

The Nation's health care costs in 2006 have hit the $1.9 trillion mark and now consume 16 percent of the gross domestic product.

Half of the people filing for bankruptcy in the United States cited medical costs as the reason. About 75 percent of those filing had health insurance when they became ill.

Currently, 46 million Americans are uninsured and millions more have inadequate health insurance. In terms of health indicators like life expectancy, infant and maternal mortality, and obesity, the United States ranks close to the bottom of the list of Western countries.¹²

Health Care Costs in Hawaii

As at January 1, 2006, the average cost for HMO (Managed Care) for an individual in Hawaii was $437 a month - for a family $747 a month. The average cost for Indemnity (Non Managed Care) for an individual was $563 a month - for a family $936 a month.²

The 2006 U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Poverty Guideline for a family or household of 4 people in Hawaii is $23,000 a year.¹³ In Hawaii, approximately one in ten persons were living "at or below poverty level" in 2004. Of those below poverty, 12.4% were uninsured (compared to 4.4% of those above poverty).¹⁴

Hawaii Quest is a State program that provides health coverage through managed care plans for eligible lower income Hawaii residents. To be eligible for Hawaii Quest, you must have income not more than 100% of the current Federal Poverty Guidelines.¹⁵

In 2004, the percentage of the Nation's population without health insurance remained unchanged, at 15.7% percent.¹⁶ Hawaii had a total uninsured population of 5.2% in 2004.¹⁷

Beginning in 2006, Hawaii intends to extend Medicaid coverage to an additional 29,000 people over the next six years.⁸

Many Hawaiians believe that health care is a precious human right that cannot be trusted to the vagaries of the profit-driven market model. -Alternative Hawaii

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How Does Your Garden Grow?

Your food storage plan should most definitely be supplemented by having an edible garden. Growing vegetables and fruits is a step in the right direction to being self-reliant and self sufficient when it comes to preparedness. As a prepper I have managed to grow and harvest time and time again endless amounts of fruit and vegetables that grow specifically in my area. Living in Hawaii you have the normal gardening challenges and dealing with garden insects is universal wherever you live in the world. My neighbor gave me excellent advice when growing fruits and vegetables. She said "always remember, grow one for the birds, one for the bugs, and one for you in any and everything that you grow." And with this advice I grew 5-6 times the amount of food that I'd normally grow because I know that not everything will grow and turn out the way that I might expect it to. It's better to have more than less and these days you never can tell what's going to happen on a daily basis when it comes to disasters. And disasters come in many shapes and forms when you least expect them to.

Having an edible garden gives you a peace of mind and provides you with a set of skills to take care of yourself and family if all else fails when the grocery stores shut down and are looted in the event of SHTF scenario. I'm no expert in what I do preparedness wise but I am willing and ready to be prepared and do what is needed to acquire the much needed skills to be where I need to be in a preparedness manner. And if someone needs help prepping I am more than happy to assist the person(s) where assisting is needed because the first step in prepping is being aware of your surrounding and having an understanding of what is going on in the world and how it affects you on many levels. If you have not noticed by now how unstable the world is and how volitile things are you better start waking up because time is definitely running out and real fast.

What ever the living situation you may find yourself in there are ways to start a garden at any budget and living space. You don't need an acreage to grow fruits and vegetables although that would be an ideal situation. If you live in an apartment you can grow things on the balcony in planter pots and or 5 galon buckets. You can also grow things indoors as hanging planters. Get a sprouting kit and start sprouting vege's it's really easy and always at your fingertips. You really don't need to spend a lot of money on gardening because you can always recycle things that you use normally in the home to start with. All those clear plastic containers that hold berries or tomatoes that you purchase from the grocery stores can be used for sprouting seeds and starting seeds. Seeds can be harvested and saved from your fruits and vege's that you normally buy and consume. Or you can also purchase a packet of seeds which run about a dollar a pack.

Start somewhere and don't wait, have an edible garden as part of your food storge plan. My food storage plan consists of canned goods, dehydrated, freeze dried, garden edibles, etc. I made it a point to always have a variety of different types of foods to allow myself in having options that will become critical especially if I'm faced with a disaster that will not allow me to get to any store for fresh vege's or anything else foodwise for that matter. Growing herbs in the garden is also an excellent idea because herbs will give you many options and flavors to chose from when making the same thing over and over again to eat because after awhile eating that can of spam day in and day out will wear out REAL fast. So you'll want to kick it up a notch and spice things up with lots of herbs and spices. Besides, they are easy to grow and you can dry them out such as lavender and use as a tea and they are healthy for you and provide you with other medicinal properties, many herbs do so remember to grow these as well. And a lot of herbs are insect repellents in and out of the garden. So it is beneficial to have some of these in the garden because they perform multiple duties that will only benefit you in the long run.

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Prepare for Tighter Manipulation and Control with Conditions

I don't know about you but if you haven't noticed by now how the government in it's many tentacles, offshoots, and forms works to prevent, eliminate, and basically destroy a lot of our very freedoms and liberties you're in bad shape to say the least to not be aware of. The FDA regulates the food and drug industry but I would not trust them with a ten foot pole, no make that a one inch pole.

 Keep in mind, this was uploaded April 2007. We are currently facing this very issue NOW in 2011.


A pattern of manipulation and control is closing in tighter and tighter knowing these things you need to be reactive and proactive in preparing for yourself and family at a vigilant level. Knowledge is power and power is knowledge. Fully arm yourselves with knowledge in all aspects that you will need to survive any type of storm including and if not the most important of all is your health and wellbeing. I don't need to tell you how to eat or what precautions to take to keep yourself healthy because that's your responsibility and everyone has different needs. But I can tell you to prepare yourself nutritionally by eating foods that are right for your body and that will provide all the proper nutrtional values that you would need to survive and function properly. Especially if you'll need to rely on your health in the event of a disaster that may require you to live without food or water for an unspecified time. And if this would ever happen pray that you have prepared with all the food storage preps ahead of time. Hopefully, you will have stocked up on medicine, vitamins, heirloom seeds, books and  everything else that you'd need in a survival situation to keep your mind, body and sprirt going strong. Something to ponder, should the FDA regulate your vitamins.

And, how Big Pharma got Americans hooked on anti-psychotic drugs. Um, this is a no brainer here. If you weren't aware of this one then Big Pharma has already gotten to your brains and body, lot's a luck in detoxing yourself on this one. Any and everyone that takes prescribed drugs will be taking them for the rest of their not so healthy life and you will never heal from these drugs it's all an illusion. The drug just keeps you going and hobbling along never tackling and eliminating your underlying health problem think about it. And how about the side effects that come along with each and every drug that you take, when you think about it the drug you're taking for one ailment is compounding you with another ailment that you probably never had to begin with, now you got an additional one and need another drug to maintain that condition or ailment at this rate you'll never be fully healthy ever again. Big Pharma really has people wrapped around "pill taking" so deceiving. People, you have got to take better responsible care of your own bodies, health and wellbeing. Start somewhere and become self-reliant with yourself and not allow others to dictate your health. Do something for yourself and your family, be the rock and pillar of strength that will lead the way for them and you. You have a choice you know. Choose self-reliance and self-suffciency, a sound mind and body is a better prepared one to face any type of storm.


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Survival Skills - From Camping to 2012

Here's an excellent article I've come across from Survival-Goods. Thought I'd share this with you all.


There’s a lot of chatter about 2012 these days. Everyone seems to have an opinion. Some are dismissive, viewing apocalypse prophecies as a ruse drummed up by ancient calendars that don’t perpetuate beyond December 12, 2012. In the other camp are individuals who are greatly apprehensive, even fearful, about prospects of solar flares, planetary collisions and cataclysmic events.

The point missed by many in these extremes is that we all should be ready for any crisis. Maybe we won’t face catastrophes of the “world-ending sort”, but perhaps, more of the common “garden variety” disaster. Floods, tornados, hurricanes, raging wildfires, nuclear threats, bioterrorism, and epidemics- we humans already have more than our share of mini-cataclysmic events, even apart from 2012 mayhem. Any one of these events could significantly alter life as we know it for an undisclosed period.

In history, nearly everything is finite. Mighty dinosaurs and many powerful cultures that once ruled the Earth are no more. Of those who do survive- from animal to mankind- the sole characteristic that seems to perpetuate the species is the ability to adapt.  How adaptable is the typical, urban modern man anyway?  How likely would he be to survive for an extended period without normal comforts?

Even in a minor calamity (like a few hours without power) many of us wouldn’t fair well if we weren’t prepared with adequate food, water and warm clothing. But survival is more than attaining the right supplies. It means having a problem solver mentality, lacking rigidity and possessing the will to live. Along with this come certain technical skills survivors must acquire.

Whether stranded in the wilderness on a backpacking adventure gone awry, facing a natural disaster, or even in the midst of a catastrophic global crisis, you’ll need some skill to withstand the event.

Survival Skills:

• Shelter:  Understanding the importance of shelter is paramount.  If exposed to extremely cold conditions, a human body can perish in as little as three short hours.  Wandering around until fatigued in extreme temperatures instead of creating a shelter remains one of the biggest mistakes made by those in peril.  Know how to build shelters in all climates, with a variety of items. This also includes realizing the necessity of staying in an existing shelter, such as your vehicle, if stranded in bitterly cold weather.
• Fire: Creating fire is the single most versatile and required survival skill. In addition to providing heat, fire also cooks, purifies water by boiling, melts snow into drinking water, keeps dangerous wildlife away and can alert rescuers.  Have a backup plan or two on items that can start fire in the event of a major emergency. Keep extra lighters or waterproof matches on hand. In addition, learn how to build a proper wood fire if out in the wilderness. (There is a special set of skill required to build a fire). Be aware of flammable, everyday items (like Vaseline or petroleum based lip balm smeared on cotton) that can be ignited to start a fire.
• Water: In survival, you’ll hear references to the rule of 3’s. It’s a bit of information to tuck your brain for times when the going gets tough. While it’s stated that death can occur in as little as 3 hours without shelter, the second part of the rule of 3’s relates to water. 3 days without water can be lethal, especially in arid weather or when the body is suffering great exertion. Maintain at least a 72 hour store of water. Know how to purify water, both from boiling a minute and by using plain household bleach for when reserves run out or are unavailable. When in the wilderness, remember, water is usually found in low places. Go downhill toward valleys to find streams.
• Food: The last of the rules of 3’s is about food. Even though hunger can be excruciating, adults can survive for up to 3 weeks without food. This means if you have to choose between finding water or food, make sure you have adequate water first. However, food is a viable way for the body to maintain warmth, as burning calories creates heat. In addition, food keeps energy levels higher. Keep a food store of high calorie, long shelf life non-perishable food products on hand. Consider items like 3600 Calorie Mayday Bars, which take up little room and last for years. In the wild, a general rule of thumb is that furry mammals and insects with 6 legs are food. Plants are risky. Unless you are very familiar with botany, don’t attempt consuming vegetation.
• First Aid: Today’s response time for emergency medical teams is very impressive. In most of the United States, dialing 911 brings relief in moments. But in the event of a disaster, workers may be overwhelmed, cell phones may not have signals and you could suddenly be quite alone with a major injury. Take classes now and research means to identify and treat the following:

o        Dehydration/Heat stress

o        Broken bones

o        Cuts, scrapes

o        Severe bleeding

o        Stroke

o        Heart Attack Symptoms

o        Concussions

o        Sprains

o        Choking

Learn CPR. Buy the best first aid kit you can for your home or car and tuck smaller ones in various places. Too often we skimp on this. In the event of a major illness or injury, apart from quick response of health care providers, your training and products in your first aid kit might be all you have to depend on. 

• Navigation: Without GPS, many of our brains couldn’t locate a building across town; much less navigate in the wilds. Remember, if a sudden disaster struck, familiar landmarks may be eradicated. Even a well traveled urban area may seem like foreign territory. You should have a map of the area handy, know how to find vital points, such as community shelters and possess a compass. Consider how you would find shelter, food and water on foot if transportation were not available. Learn at least one other means to find directions, such as using a watch to center the sun. (Hold analog watch horizontally. Point hour hand at sun. 1/2 the distance between the 12 o’clock position and the hour hand is south. For example- if the hour hand is on 8, half the distance to 12 o’clock is 10 (or south). From this you can easily figure other directions).
• Other Necessary Skills: Depending on the length of a disaster, skills that will carry survivors through to recovery might be as varied as learning to use firearms, grow food products, hunt, and fish and preserve foods. Building and mechanical expertise, such as carpentry, auto repair, electrical or plumbing capabilities would be of course needed techniques. But long before recovery, the adaptive, skilled and prepared individuals must first survive. 

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