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A one, and a two, and a three; won’t you come with me?

 Welcome, dearest friend; hope we did not offend.

 Forget this intrusion; we’re here to stir some confusion.

 You know what happens when all the lights go out? That’s when madness walks about.

Yes, I’m the new music teacher and I’m here to show you how to rock the Hell out of your blues guitar. Forget what you know about writing music – living it is better. Want to find out how to start writing your tune? It’s easy – you need some inspiration, a little soothing darkness, and 32 million people without electricity. What kind of devilish tune is this you ask? One that nightmares are made of. Thought several weeks have passed since the great blackout – a termed coined by the Venezuelan press to describe a major power failure, one that enveloped the entire country in darkness. Seven days, 23 states, and 32 million souls struggling to go by. This is what my tune sounds like. And, to my very misfortune, I was there to witness it all; the good, the bad, the ugly, the distorted, and the horrific.

In retrospect, this thing started out like any self-respecting horror movies – lights going out without a reason and every attempt at restoring them ending in failure. I recall telling my fiancé that we’re stuck like in a gigantic time bubble, ever returning to the same point – the anchorman on TV reassuring the public that the Government is doing everything in its power to solve the issue as quickly as possible. What a load of horse shit, I kept saying. They don’t even know what the problem is, let alone deal with it.

And so, we sat and waited. What else could we do? It wasn’t that bad at first. Our pantry was fully stocked with food, we had water, books, candles – everything a couple could hope for and even more. And then things started to happen. At first, we kept hearing about police forces cordoning off entire neighborhoods and people getting arrested; looting, physical violence, those sorts of things.

“So, it takes a little darkness for someone to go completely bonkers?”, my fiancé told me. Have to agree with her on that one. There’s nothing more utterly horrific than having to go through life with the same demureness as a caveman looking for a place to lay low for the night. Still, what else could we have done? We couldn’t wish for electricity to show up. And, of course, she insisted that a backup generator would be a waster of money. Sure, go ahead and buy that expensive new medicinal bike. It’s not like we don’t use it now as a rack for clothes.

Anyway, there we were, two lovebirds in their cozy nest, waiting for something to happen. We stopped listening to the radio. I know! Big mistake in case of an emergency. So, sue me! Two days passed without any major events. And then shit started flying all over the place. That angry mob the officers were so desperately trying to keep in check, broke free and began torching their way through the city. Had to go outside and get the car inside the garage. Good thing I did it, because my neighbor’s car got totaled when the mob passed by us.  You want to know what happened when that crowd of angry people stopped in from of my home? I soiled my pants. Not ashamed to deny it, but what could I have done? It’s not like I have a special riot control squad stashed in my garage to set it loose on those people.

Things started to calm down after the end of the 6th day, right after the power guys managed to restore power to some parts of the city. Sure, it wasn’t a total victory, but who cared? We had power and, more importantly, it was once again safe to go around the city. And just in time because, by the 3rd day, we’ve eaten everything last bit of food in the house.

You know what I had to do in order to get some food? Go out. Alone and at night. I’m used to camping and everything but, I tell you, nothing’s more frightening than a pitch-black city. Not a soul in sight and the silence was almost deafening. The store was just around the corner, but that wasn’t the major issue. To get there, I had to get passed a fucking blockade set up by some of the people from my neighborhood. Yes, they took stuff out of their garages and blocked the road. It’s easy to imagine what would happen if someone was foolish enough to approach them.

Seen this sort of thing a couple of times – in times of civil unrest, thugs dressed up as police officers set up barricades and would stop people for ‘questioning.’ Well, to make a long story short, I remember how the authorities tried to nab one of the mobsters who beat the shit of a little lady who happened to came by the blockade.

Not a pretty sight and that’s why a 5-minute trip to the store turned into a 30-minute clock-and-dagger adventure. Of course, since there was no power, I couldn’t just waltz inside and use my card. Had a couple of Bolivars on me; more than enough to buy some power bars and a box of instant mashed potatoes. Longest night of my life, one I won’t soon forget.

Think darkness is soothing or calming or comforting? Think again, my friend. Spending the night under the stars is great, but if starlight becomes your only light source, you’re going to find out that there are things which go bump in the dark.

Stay safe, keep your wits about you, and don’t forget that survival is like a game of chess – you lose your piece, you fall off the board.

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A one, and a two, and a three; won’t you come with me?  Welcome, dearest friend; hope we did not offend.  Forget this intrusion; we’re here to stir some confusion.  You know what happens when all

There are a lot of articles, videos, tips and even special chemicals designed to enable the average Prepper to be able to light a fire in all manner of weather. Most of this I think is a little too thought out and complicated but knowing how to start a fire is definitely vital.

Having a fire enables you to cook, boil water and provide light and safety. In my bug out bag I always have a couple of Bic lighters. These are generally the easiest and cheapest means of starting fire that virtually everyone is comfortable with and are easily accessible.

When we talk about survival though, you don’t always have your lucky bag of tricks with you. You may have taken a day hike, wandered off the trail and become lost or zombies attacked while you were on vacation at the beach. You may not have any survival gear with you and that Bic lighter you have might be back in your car. You have a lot of options like we mentioned above. You could start a fire with a fire plough, or bust your cell phone apart and use the screen as a lens.

I like the idea that Grant shows below and this is another easy way to get a fire out of something you might have on you when you get lost. When all you have on you is a bottle of water, it helps to know how to start a fire with a water bottle. You can impress your kids with this too.

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There are a lot of articles, videos, tips and even special chemicals designed to enable the average Prepper to be able to light a fire in all manner of weather.

A good many of you probably took one look at my title and said “What?’ You’re probably sure you read that wrong, but you didn’t. You already know that garlic is especially healing. It has been used to treat all kinds of illness and infections over the past centuries, including earaches and ear infections.

Garlic’s health properties include anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties both topically and when eaten. It also eases the pain of an earache when applied topically. It numbs the pain while treating the underlying infection.

How to Use Garlic for Middle Ear Infections

Eat Garlic

 Not only does garlic add flavor to your food, it also boosts the immune system, which helps the body heal.

Put Garlic in Your Ear

This works, but your biggest problem is making sure that you remove all the garlic when you’re done. Here is how to do it safely:

#1. First peel a clove of garlic and cut off one end. Wrap the clove of garlic in a small square of gauze, cut end in the center. Twist the gauze so that the garlic is tightly packed against the gauze. Pinch the end to hold it in place.

#2. Place the wrapped garlic into the outer ear with the wrapped end toward the inner ear. Do not push it into the ear canal.

#3. Warm a washcloth or small towel with hot water, squeeze out the excess water and place it over the ear. Hold it in place until the pain is gone or the cloth cools. Do not let water drip into the ear.

#4. When you start to feel a heating sensation in the ear, the pain will begin to subside. Leave the garlic in your ear for 30 minutes or longer.

#5. Remove the garlic by grasping the ends of the gauze and removing the entire bundle.

Use Garlic Oil

Garlic oil is easily made at home with fresh garlic. It is important to make sure everything is sterile before beginning. Boil your containers and utensils covered in a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes or more, longer if you live at elevations above 1,000 feet. Follow this recipe to make a small batch.

You’ll need:

  • 1 clove peeled garlic
  • 4 tablespoons of olive oil
  • Small pan
  • Small glass jar with a dropper lid
  • Cotton ball
  • Strainer

Instructions:

#1. Peel the garlic and chop or crush it

#2. Add the garlic and 4 tablespoons of oil to a small cold pan

#3. Warm the oil and garlic over low heat for about 30 minutes to an hour, infusing the oil. You don’t want to cook the garlic, just warm it through slowly.

#4. Stir the oil around until you can smell the fragrance.

#5. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool until it is cool.

#6. Strain the oil and pour it into a sterile jar with a dropper lid. Label the jar with contents and date.

#7. Store in the refrigerator and use within 3 days.

To use the garlic oil drops:

Method #1: Lie the person with an ear infection on their side with the painful ear facing up. Put two or three drops of warm oil into the ear. Cover the ear opening with cotton to stop the oil from seeping out. Continue lying in this position for 10 to 15 minutes.

Method #2: Alternately, soak the cotton ball in the oil and place it in the outer ear. Allow the oil to seep into the ear canal.

Warnings and Risks

Do not use garlic or garlic oil if you have a ruptured eardrum. Symptoms of a ruptured eardrum include pain and fluid draining from the ear.

Bacteria can grow in garlic oil, so it is necessary to make sure that all your utensils are sterile. Do not skip this step. Also, store the oil in the refrigerator and discard after 3 days.

In rare cases, garlic or garlic oil can cause skin irritation or even skin burns where it is in contact with the garlic. Test the garlic or oil on a small patch of skin before placing it in the ear. Tender skin such as the inner arm is ideal for testing. Watch for tingling, burning, redness or discomfort where the garlic was applied.

Do not use garlic or garlic oil in the ears of small children or people with narrow ear canals.

How Does Garlic Work

Garlic oil contains allicin which is anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral, which covers all possible causes of ear infections. The allicin compounds are released and penetrate the eardrum into the middle ear and inner ear to fight the infection. These compounds also reduce inflammation and fluid build-up in the eardrum and middle ear. In addition to numbing the ear, allicin in the garlic also fights pain by reducing inflammation.

Garlic in the ear is a time-tested remedy that our grandparents took for granted. We’ve forgotten many of these old-time remedies. That is why I believe it is so important to share these remedies.

If you are wary of herbal remedies, you should know that there have been a few studies done on using garlic to heal infections. At least one study tested the benefits of using garlic in the ear and verified the healing benefits.

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A good many of you probably took one look at my title and said “What?’ You’re probably sure you read that wrong, but you didn’t. You already know that garlic

War does not determine who is right – only who is left. What is clear is that war is never a lasting solution for anything.

But this is not a debate on whether we like war or not. This is about the human condition during such terrible times. Isn’t weird that people are capable of equally amazing things and despicable acts of terror when pushed to the limits? And not to go too deep in the whole (tug of) war thing, let’s only talk about the food problems that come with it..

If you ask a soldier or veteran about their field rations and you’re probably going to hear a lot of complaints. Part of that is because soldiers just complain a lot (that’s no criticism – you would too, if you had their life) but most of it’s totally justified; field rations just aren’t that good. They’re nutritious and packed with energy, but they’re never going to win any awards for taste.

All this meant the hungry troops had to adapt, be imaginative and use whatever was available. Here are some of the survival foods that sustained soldiers through the battles after D-Day.

Nettle Soup

Stinging nettles are a common weed that grows just about everywhere in Europe. Soldiers hate it, because nettle rash is just another inevitable discomfort of life in the field – but they also used it as a food source. The truth is that although it’s a weed, the nettle is also a very nutritious plant. It contains lots of Vitamins A and C, iron, potassium, manganese and calcium, and it has a very high protein content of around 25% dry weight – more than most vegetables.

Nettles can be boiled or steamed, then served as a green vegetable – they taste quite like spinach – but soldiers caught up in the vicious Normandy battles didn’t have time to make elaborate meals.

They just wanted greens to break the monotony of their rations, and some extra bulk and energy to keep their bellies full. That meant simple dishes like nettle soup. They would collect the leaves from nettles, chop them or pound them to pulp, then boil them in a mess tin or steel helmet.

Bully Beef Rissoles

When British troops had access to a field kitchen they ate hot meals made from 14-man ration packs; the rest of the time, their diet was monotonous in the extreme. They got tinned corned beef and hardtack biscuits, and that was pretty much it.

The beef contained plenty protein and the hardtack was a solid slab of carbohydrates, so it was effective enough at keeping soldiers going for a few days, but it was nauseatingly dull. Dull food isn’t just boring; soldiers will get so fed up of it they’ll eat as little as possible, and that affects their fitness.

To make the rations more edible, soldiers got creative. They would crush and soak the biscuits, mash in the beef and add any vegetables they could find – chopped onions were popular, but chopped field greens would do as well. The mixture was formed into patties the size of a large burger, then fried in fat saved from the beef.

Porridge

Proper porridge is made from oats and eaten by Scotsmen, but the basic idea has been used throughout history – crushed or chopped grains, cooked in milk or water. Soldiers on all sides ate it during the Normandy campaign, because it was an easy way to supplement their rations.

Sometimes, especially later in the campaign, soldiers would find a field of ripe wheat or barley that could be plundered for grain. Other times they resorted to collecting grass seeds.

These are a lot smaller than wheat grains, but if you can collect enough (and even in a campaign as brutal as Normandy, soldiers spent a lot of time sitting around waiting for something to happen) you can make a nutritious porridge out of them. Wherever possible soldiers would flavor the porridge with items from their rations – jelly, sugar, milk powder or even just salt.

Field Greens

Although Normandy was an agricultural region, few crops were ready to harvest when the hardest battles were fought. That didn’t mean there was nothing to harvest, though. Soldiers scavenged any edible plants they could find, from dandelion leaves to birch bark, and added them to improvised stews made from tinned ration meat. Often these stews were thickened with crushed hardtack or ration crackers.

Unlike the truly horrific battles on the Eastern Front, like Stalingrad or Leningrad, soldiers in the Normandy campaign were never really in danger of starving to death. Even the Germans managed to deliver enough rations to keep their men fighting.

Those rations could be pretty thin at times though, and soldiers did supplement them any way they could. The methods they used are just as useful for supplementing your own emergency food reserves in an emergency.

We all hope war is just something we hear on the news. But it never hurts to be prepared.

If you are serious about prepping and not just after free products or knowledge, you should check THE LOST BOOK OF REMEDIES. It’s filled with examples of powerful medicinal plants you can use as natural remedies. It would’ve been real handy for our soldiers.

If you understand how useful this knowledge is and will be in the near future, you will definitely feel way more prepared next time a man-made or a natural disaster disrupts our lives, no matter for how long.

What’s a soldier but a man prepared for the worst?

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War does not determine who is right - only who is left.

Red raspberry leaf tea is especially popular due to its possible benefits for pregnant women. And not only.

Botanical Name: Rubus idaeus, Rubus strigosus

Family: Rosaceae

Other Common Names: Red raspberry, European raspberry, American raspberry

Parts Used: Leaf, berry, twigs, and roots (less common)

Energetics: Dry

Thermal Properties: Cool

Actions: Astringent, nutritive, tonic

Taste: Sour, astringent

Plant Uses: Uterine tonic, mineral concentrator, decreases PMS symptoms, reduces blood sugar, reduces high blood pressure, high in antioxidants and bioflavonoids, used as a mouthwash for gum health

Plant Preparations: Herbal infusion, tea, food (fresh, juice, dried), tincture, pills, herbal vinegar

Toxicities/Warnings: Raspberry is generally regarded as safe. Red raspberry leaf is one of the safest of all the uterine/pregnancy tonic herbs. Some sources claim that raspberry leaf can start uterine contractions, but this action is under scientific debate.

Introduction

Red raspberry is a beautiful perennial herb that is both food and medicine—worth having in every garden. While many people’s preferred method of using raspberry leaf is in a nourishing herbal infusion, this herb lends itself well to teas, tinctures, and even smoking blends. The leaves of this herb are quite prolific and are well suited to forested settings and the shady parts of the home garden. Another gift of the raspberry plant is the ease of its own reproduction (its spreads itself around your garden easily). It should be no surprise that this is one of the foremost herbs related to human reproduction systems, as well!

Red raspberry leaves

Raspberry has been used throughout the world, dating back to Palaeolithic times. Interestingly, historical data can be found that almost every part of this plant has been used for either food or medicine. Raspberry was used by many Native American tribes for toothaches (Cherokee), as an eyewash (Chippewa), and for kidney issues (Iroquois).

Other historical uses for raspberry include as a mouthwash for canker sores and gingivitis and, in Tibetan medicine, as a tea for emotional disturbances and exhaustion. Even the fruit, infused in vinegar, has been used medicinally for sore throats and coughs. By the European Middle Ages, raspberry became well known as a women’s tonic and was regularly used during the childbearing years.

The common thread connecting raspberry to these conditions, through history, has been its tonifying actions in the body.

In modern times, red raspberry leaf is one of the most widely used herbs for women of childbearing age.

Its reputation as a women’s herb is well founded, with a long history of usage in treating everything from heavy bleeding during menstruation to easing and assisting with childbirth and postpartum recovery.

While raspberry is commonly used by women, this is an herb that is valuable to men and children as well, due to its extremely high nutritional content. It boasts an array of vitamins and minerals such as iron, niacin, and magnesium. With its agreeable flavor, red raspberry leaf is commonly added to tea blends.

Red raspberry’s scientific name, Rubus idaeus,comes from the Latin word rubus meaning red and the species name ideaus,whichrefers to its occurrence on Mount Ida, near Troy in northwest Turkey.

Benefits

Red raspberry

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Uterine Tonic: Raspberry leaf tones the uterus and muscles of the pelvic region, thus assisting in postpartum recovery. Its astringent nature also helps to minimize bleeding during menstruation. This effect is thought to be due to the active principle fragrine.

Highly Nutritive: Build up and nourish your body with this rich source of nutrients.

Eases Morning Sickness: This may be due to the astringent properties of the Rubus genus.

Eases Childbirth: Can reduce pain during labor and afterbirth by increasing blood flow to the uterus, thus increasing uterine efficiency.

Galactagogue: Assists in the production of breast milk.

Lower Blood Sugar Levels: Raspberry leaves can assist in blood sugar management for diabetics.

Soothing Mouthwash: Often used for a variety of oral inflammations.

Fruit

  • Heart Health: Improve heart health by improving cholesterol levels, thus reducing high blood pressure.
  • Diabetic Health: Helps to control blood sugar and reduces vascular inflammation in patients with pre-diabetes.

Medicinal Properties

Throughout history, red raspberry has been associated with pregnancy and childbirth. It nourishes and builds up a woman’s body as she takes on the epic task of growing a new life. For many people, morning sickness can also be managed with raspberry leaf infusions or tinctures. As childbirth draws near, raspberry leaf helps to strengthen the uterus and pelvic muscles. This lessens the mother’s pain and helps to facilitate an easier birth.

The astringent powers of the leaf also help to minimize bleeding. After the baby is born, raspberry leaf can continue to nourish the mother’s body and build her back up. It also helps to stimulate milk for the infant.

But let’s not make the mistake of thinking that red raspberry is only for mothers. Raspberry leaf is useful for men and women of all ages as a nutritive. It is also useful for those with heart disease or diabetes.

Nutritional Properties

Red raspberry leaves are a true nutrient herb, high in fiber; flavonoids; vitamins A, C, E; and several minerals (calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron, and potassium). Further, these nutrients are in forms that are readily absorbed by our bodies.

It’s good to know that red raspberry leaf is high in aluminum, as well. Aluminum is not a nutrient, and is actually quite dangerous to the body. However, aluminum from plants is very poorly absorbed. Virtually all of it will be expelled from the body.

Preparations and Typical Dosing 

One of the best ways to consume nutritive herbs is in a nourishing herbal infusion that is allowed to cool completely before straining. Mason jars and french presses are useful vessels for making these.

What is the difference between a regular herbal infusion and a nourishing herbal infusion? A nourishing herbal infusion is similar to a standard infusion (such as is used to make tea), but it is steeped much longer and uses a larger amount of the herb, thus creating a more medicinally potent beverage.

This long steep time is vitally important for extracting the minerals from our herbs. It has been found that a cup of nettle tea has 5-10 mg of calcium, but a nourishing herbal infusion of nettle can contain between 200-250 mg of calcium.

While a standard infusion is a sweet and beneficial way to consume herbs, a nourishing herbal infusion is the best choice when you want to extract as much benefit from your plants as possible.

Nourishing Herbal Infusion

Cover one once of dried raspberry leaf with a quart of boiling water. Allow it to steep for 4-8 hours. Drink 1-3 cups daily. Refrigerate any unused portion, and it will stay good for up to 3 days.Y

Tea

Measure out 1 teaspoon of crushed raspberry leaves into an 8 ounce glass. Cover with hot water and steep for at least 5 minutes. Longer is better! Drink 1-3 cups daily.

Herbal Vinegar

Place dried raspberry leaves into a glass jar and cover with vinegar at a weight-to-volume ratio of 1:5. This means that for every kilogram of herb, you would use 5 liters of vinegar. (Or, for a more manageable amount, that’s 200 grams of herb to 1 liter of vinegar.)

Tincture

A raspberry leaf tincture can be created using a 1:5 ratio, as above, but this time using 40% alcohol instead of vinegar. A common dosage is 2-4 ml 3 times a day.

Uses for Animals

Similar to the way it’s used for humans, red raspberry leaf can be used during pregnancy and during labor. Farm animals greatly benefit from the consumption of raspberry leaf tea after birthing, both to assist in postpartum recovery and to support milk production.

Precaution/Dangers/Contraindications

Red raspberry leaf is generally regarded as safe. However, it can be drying to the body when taken excessively and over long periods of time. You can mix it with demulcent herbs, such as marshmallow, to counter this effect.

While red raspberry leaf has been used extensively during pregnancy, some recommend using it sparingly until the third trimester. Its estrogenic effects may be a concern, as well. However, neither concern has been proven a problem through research. Speak to your health care practitioner before consuming large quantities of this herb during pregnancy. Similarly, if you have a condition that is exacerbated by exposure to estrogen—such as certain cancers, endometriosis, or uterine fibrosis—you should seek professional advice.

Due to red raspberry leaf’s ability to lower blood sugar, diabetics should monitor their blood sugar carefully and watch for signs of hypoglycemia.

Plant ID

American red raspberry is a native deciduous perennial shrub that grows up to 2 meters tall. The stems are biennial, covered with small thorns, and bend easily. The leaves are pinnately compound with 3 to 5 leaflets, rarely lobed, with silver undersides. Leaf margins are highly serrated. Their taste is weakly astringent and bitter.

Raspberry flowers are white to greenish white and drooping. They can occur singly or in small, grape-like clusters. The fruits are red, rounded aggregates. They mature between July and September on second-year canes. Unlike other Rubus species, raspberries are hollow and thimble-like when picked.

Raspberries have no dangerous look-alikes. Still, you should always be sure that you have the right plant before using it for food or medicine.

Where It Grows and Where to Find It

Red raspberries are native to North America and to Northern Europe through Northwest Asia. Edible relatives can be found throughout the world. Raspberries prefer full sun, but can tolerate shade. They like a medium amount of water. You can find them in fields and pastures, on the edges of forests, and in vacant lots.

Propagation is best by vegetative or root cuttings. They do best in drained, loamy soils, and will thrive in high soil fertility with plenty of organic matter. They can spread rapidly, so give them plenty of room to spread!

How and When to Harvest

Raspberries can be harvested when red, juicy, and plump. They don’t store well, so freeze any that you don’t plan to eat within a few days.

The leaves can be harvested whenever they look vibrant, ideally before the plant flowers and fruits. Wash and pat the leaves dry, if needed. Then lay them out on a screen away from dust and direct sunlight. You can also tie the stems together and hang them to dry. Depending on humidity, the drying process should take 1 to 2 weeks. Ideally, the temperature for drying would be between 70°F and 100°F (21°-38°C)

The leaves are dry when they crumble easily. Store them in a glass container in a cool, dark location.Y

Red Raspberry: A Wonderful Gift

Red raspberry is a wonderful plant to have in your life or your yard. With its bountiful, delicious fruit, it’s sure to please your palate—but don’t stop there! Hidden within the leaves of the red raspberry is a powerhouse of nutrition to support the health of the whole family. In addition, when bodies need a bit of extra support in tonifying tissues or for women who are of childbearing age, raspberry leaf offers gentle, effective support for the female reproductive organs. What a gift!

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Red raspberry leaf tea is especially popular due to its possible benefits for pregnant women. And not only. Botanical Name: Rubus idaeus, Rubus strigosus Family: Rosaceae Other Common Names: Red raspberry, European raspberry,

I enclose you a list of the killed, wounded, and captives of the enemy from the commencement of hostilities at Lexington in April 1775, until November 1777, since which there has been no event of any consequence … I think that upon the whole it has been about one half the number lost by them, in some instances more, but in others less. This difference is ascribed to our superiority in taking aim when we fire; every soldier in our army having been intimate with his gun from his infancy.

– Thomas Jefferson, letter to Giovanni Fabbroni, June 8, 1778

The most important thing for you to understand about the 2nd Amendment is that it’s always under fire. It doesn’t matter what the pressing issue is. It could be a border wall, it could be health care, it could be a foreign war, there is always a collection of people who are trying to figure out how to take another bite out of your gun rights.

This might be about ammo, it might be about magazine capacity, it might be about types of rifles. Eventually, if we don’t remain vigilant, you will be living in a nation that looks like the UK where you are not even allowed to buy pocket knives online.

Luckily for us States have a big say in the gun rights of citizens but not all states are on the side of gun owners. Do you know the very best and worst states in the Union for gun owners? We are going to look at five of the very best and five states that you should run away from.

Defining Best

To define the best states in the nation for guns we have to first consider what best means. Of course, the best quantifier for a good gun state has to come from the roots of the 2nd Amendment.

2nd Amendment

Our rights keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, so it would make sense that the very best states in the union for gun owners would be those that do their best not to infringe.

Concealed Carry Permits and Right to Carry

Things like CCW Permits or concealed carry permits and the ability to procure them is one example of how a state could be rated. Some states make it a very simple process while others require that you jump through flaming hoops while juggling just to apply for a CCW Permit.

There are states that allow open carry and even some that allow concealed carry without a permit.

Legislation and Representatives

We can also look at legislation and the attitude towards guns. At any given moment the motives and proposed legislation of the public “representatives” are a great tell if you are looking for examples of states that welcome gun owners.

Modern Sporting Rifles

How are these MSRs treated by laws in the state? Now, modern sporting rifles would be things that more liberal states would recognize as “Assault Weapons” and seem to be hell bent on denying ownership and access the people of their states.

NFA

States have varying degrees of laws when it comes to owning things like SBRs or Short barreled rifles, suppressors, machine guns, shotguns and other destructive devices.

Castle Doctrine

How you protect your home is a huge part of gun ownership. Even the most radical Federally proposed gun laws seem to understand the importance of allowing certain guns, like shotguns, for home defense. However, your right to use force to prevent death, forcible crime or bodily harm can differ widely from state to state.

The best states for gun owners are going to grade well in all these areas and maybe even in some areas outside of even these. At the end of the day it goes back to the simple declaration of the 2nd Amendment.

The 5 Worst States for Gun Owners

Massachusetts

Though obtaining a permit to carry in this state is easier in rural Massachusetts its still a “may issue” state and people in Boston are gonna have a real struggle getting one of their own. You will need a license to buy any firearm or ammo in this state and that is as ugly as anything you are going to find on this list.

Assault weapons are banned in MA as are magazines that carry over 10 rounds of ammunition. Sad state for the birthplace of the American Revolution.

New York

A Bastian of liberal ideology it should come as no surprise to anyone that we the gun rights in this state are some of the worst in the nation. The gun owners in this state face aggression both from politicians bent on crushing the 2nd amendment as well as the citizens are just as antigun. Its such a mess that Remington arms is headed out of the state with their operation.

The NY SAFE Act that followed the Sandy Hook Shooting ratcheted up the level of gun restrictions in the State. There were no grandfathered magazines above 30 rounds, assault weapons definitions have widened drastically. New York has taken and will take every action to stifle 2nd Amendment rights. They also have the peoples support.

Illinois

We all use the sad and brutal crime in Chicago as ammunition against gun laws. Illinois requires the dreaded FOID. This is a firearms owner identification card and it is required in the state before you are allowed to buy guns or ammunition.

If you jump through the hoops to buy a handgun you are going to wait 3 days after your purchase to get that gun and you are going to deal with a “shall issue” state if you wish to carry that handgun concealed.

Maryland

Maryland has been so tough on gun owners that they chased the firearms producer, Beretta, out of the state!

This state has followed, lock step, with all the radical proposed gun restriction laws of recent years. You will need to give the state police your fingerprints if you hope to buy any firearm, you will not be allowed to have magazines with more than 10 rounds in them and all “assault weapons” are banned.

Their concealed carry permit process is one of the toughest in the nation. So, after you go through all the steps to buy a gun you will likely just have to hide it in your safe to satisfy the state.

California

It should come as no surprise that the liberal headquarters known as California made this list. Our criteria above talked about legislation and representation. This state seems to have representatives that pride themselves in their restrictive laws.

Because of this leadership you find hostility toward gun owners in many areas. Firearms producers are often forced to create “California Approved” versions of their guns. Of course, like Maryland’s affect, many gun owners are just running away from the state.

A 10-day waiting period, banning of all “assault weapons” and the 10 round magazine rules, are more reasons that the sunny state of California is nothing short of a prison for gun owners.

The 5 Best States for Gun Owners

Arizona

The southwestern region of the nation has been all the news lately. Nestled along the southern border is a state that stands out as an absolute paradise for gun owners in the modern age. I am talking about the state of Arizona.

Arizona is home to one of the best shooting cultures in the nation. It’s something to behold. From people shooting recreationally to those who train others and shoot professionally, Arizona is a great home for gun owners.

Guns and Ammo have named Arizona the #1-gun state for the last 5 years. This has a lot to do with the things mentioned above but also because of the right to carry concealed or not and Castle Doctrine rules that allow it citizen to defend themselves.

Alaska

The last true American frontier, Alaska offers up freedoms that are no longer offered in the lower 38. These freedoms expand far beyond gun ownership. Alaskans are allowed to carry weapons in almost all cases. They can carry concealed or open without the need of any permit from the state. The only real law that affects that is if a person is intoxicated.

Alaska also offers some of the most impressive lands for hunting and shooting. The outdoor recreational opportunities are built for the gun owner.

Utah

Stunning, natural beauty and permissive gun laws tend to go hand in hand in the west. Utah is one of the most beautiful states in all the nation and its gun laws are just as appealing. They share the right to carry laws of places like Alaska and Arizona.

They operate under a two mechanical actions rule. Which means you can carry but without a round in the chamber meaning you need to chamber a round (1.) and fire that round by pulling the trigger (.2)

The legislation and representation are decidedly pro-gun and that goes a long way for gun owners.

Kansas

Kansas has recently moved to permit less carry on all accounts. They were trying to recognize out of state permits, but it died in the legislative process. Though they lack the strong support of citizenry and don’t share in the support of shooting support its easy to understand why this state is a great option for gun owners.

Wyoming

While it might not come up on your radar, Wyoming is a near blueprint of what a favorable gun owner’s state should look like. The law is on your side if you stand and defend yourself with a firearm, it’s a permit less carry state and recognizes the permits of all other states. The hunting and shooting culture are massive and that is another check for the good.

Wyoming is what we all should strive for in a gun owning state.

With another powerful push for an increase in National Gun Control, its very important that we empower the states to not only oppose the radical national regulations but to allow the people of those states to take advantage of their second amendment rights.

Its good to see people leaving these states that tax them to death and restrict their gun ownership. It means the citizenry are paying attention and these states will pay the price as taxes on guns, hunting, fishing licenses and of course the population of working Americans continues to plummet.

Is it time for you to move out of your state? After reading this article you might find yourself looking at property in a new state over the weekend. All the power is in your hands. Don’t let these twisted states control your 2nd Amendment rights!

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I enclose you a list of the killed, wounded, and captives of the enemy from the commencement of hostilities at Lexington in April 1775, until November 1777, since which there

Oh, if I only had a million dollars I could purchase everything I think I could need if the grid went down for good. I tell myself that sometimes when I am driving around thinking about everything still to be done and I guess that I use that as an excuse for any shortcomings in my plan. Taking steps to be more prepared when you start to plan for a lot of contingencies can quickly start hitting the wallet and if you aren’t careful your new found hobby of urgent acquisition of survival gear and supplies can hurt your finances and possibly your relationship with your spouse.

When I compiled my list of everything I needed to have to be what I considered as fully “Prepared” it was a long list of items that cost a pretty good chunk of change. Most of us aren’t independently wealthy so the accumulation of the general understanding of the bare minimums can take a while. If you are just starting your journey towards being more prepared, the costs themselves can dissuade you or at least make you worried that you will never have enough money.

Each individual has their own idea of what being prepared looks like. For some, it may require 200 acres, a bulletproof Hummer and matching Barrett .50 sniper rifles. Being prepared can cost a small fortune, but it doesn’t have to. There are a lot of simple ways you can begin to adopt a posture of preparedness that will allow you and your family to start working towards being much more prepared without breaking the bank.

Start A Garden

Gardens can reap huge benefits with small cash outlay.

You can’t even begin to think you are prepared if you don’t have a way to feed yourself. Food is one of the most fragile infrastructure dependencies most of us have. If you purchase all of your food from a grocery store, what will you do if the doors are shut? Better yet, what will you do if because of a shortage or riot, there is no food left in the grocery stores?

Having a garden now will ensure you have a way to feed yourself that isn’t dependent upon trucks bringing food to the local supermarket chain. If you have a garden, you have a method of creating your own food supply and that can mean the difference between life and death. There are a lot of articles in our gardening section of this site, but this concept is one that each family needs to take care of now. Preparing a garden isn’t something you can do overnight. Even if you can, food takes months in most cases to mature so this crucial aspect of prepping is not something you want to wait on until the riots break out.

Why is this an affordable step you can take? Gardens can cost a good bit of money to get started, but you can build your own growing space for nothing much more than hard work and time. Provided you have the tools to turn your plot of land and prepare the soil, seeds are very cheap. Try buying 100 beet plants worth of beets at the grocery store. Buying seeds and growing your vegetables from seed is not without some trial and error, but you will be learning in the process and the final result will be more than worth it.

Purchase A few Extra days of Food

Continuing on the food theme, since that is what I think is the most fragile dependency we have most people who are prepping want to stock up on foods. This is another great idea for the same reasons as mentioned above, but if you are like our family, the grocery budget is already pretty high. Freeze-dried food isn’t as cheap as store-bought food although it has its advantages too. How can you begin to build up your food storage without taking out a small loan or selling one of your children to the Gypsies?

Rice is very cheap considering how much food you get.

Start small. First, it’s a good idea to take a breath and see what you have on hand already. I would make sure you know what is in that pantry and get rid of any foods that are expired. Cleaning out your area for food storage and devising a system to organize your food, if you don’t have one already will make it more clearly visible when you try to see what you need more of. Most people simply need more of everything so choosing items to buy isn’t really the tough part, but doing this economically can be.

I wrote a simple plan for how to purchase a 30 day supply of food for around $500 but even that can be too expensive so what can you do to ensure your family’s food security for less than the price of a new iPhone? Rice and beans! Yes, they are simple but they are about the cheapest long term storable foods you can buy. A 50-pound bag of rice is still only going to be about $20 and they have enough food for 504 servings. That can feed a family of 4 for 42 days. Granted, there won’t be a whole lot of variety in your diet and there are cooking considerations but this is a very cheap way to get a jump start on food storage without breaking the bank. Now, if you buy about 10 bags of beans at about $5 per bag, you increase your servings to well over 1000. For the longest shelf life, you want to ensure your food is sealed in 5-gallon buckets, but this right here will give you a huge leap forward in survival and it should be cheaper than a night out to dinner and a movie.

Store 25 gallons of water

Water, water everywhere, at least that is what you hope for. Water is essential to living and actually should be higher in priority than food, but I had to start somewhere. The average person needs a gallon of water each day. That doesn’t account for extreme temperatures or water loss through sweat due to physical exertion or illness. Water is also the simplest item to collect and store for just about anyone.  The good news is that most of us have already paid for the water, so we just need a way to store it.

A family of 4 will need 28 gallons of water at a minimum to last for a week. That is 28-gallon jugs, 5 and a half 5-gallon jugs or less than a quarter of a rain barrel. I would recommend having all three if possible. You can get used plastic barrels from a lot of places and there are plans all over the internet on how to build a rainwater system. This used in conjunction with storing water inside will ensure you have enough to begin thinking about other things. Start off with 28 gallons and move up to 50. If you make one rain barrel, make another for 100 gallons of water just in case.

Now, the water you collect will need to be filtered or boiled, but having it on hand will need to come first. You can’t filter what you don’t have.

Read A book

Reading is how I started down the road of prepping myself. I started reading a couple of fiction novels and then went online to investigate some of the information I read in there and that led me to other sources. You can get down all manner of rabbit holes if you sit in front of a computer long enough. With prepping blogs, survival websites and YouTube, you can essentially get a master’s degree in prepping just by sitting at your computer.

In addition to fiction, there are tons of resources you can read that cover everything from basic survival, growing gardens, homesteading skills, wild plant identification, security and on and on.

Taking a course offered by your local Red Cross chapter is another low to a no-cost way of gaining skills and information.

Make a survival plan

Making a plan doesn’t cost anything and actually it is what I would do first after reading a good bit on what you think you need to know. Like any really good plan, yours might change as your skills or resources do, but I find that it is helpful to put things down on paper. I am not a big note taker usually, but I still have the list that I wrote out back in 2008 of everything I thought I needed. Deciding whether or not you will bug out or hunker down will help refine your list as well as supplies you already have when taken into consideration of the larger set of items you need. Writing down your plans can help prompt you to add to that list when you consider items and where your family needs to make changes.

Hopefully, this gives you some ideas. Please share your own ideas for how to begin prepping in affordable ways below.

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aking steps to be more prepared when you start to plan for a lot of contingencies can quickly start hitting the wallet and if you aren’t careful your new found

The whole point of being a prepper is to be able to overcome adversity in the worst of circumstances. However, no matter how well-prepared you are, it’s all for nothing if you’re not mentally prepared as well. But no matter how well-prepared you are, bad things can happen.

Maybe you feel a bit too confident in your abilities, or maybe fate just strikes. Either way, with quick thinking and survival knowledge, these five people survived experiences that would mean almost certain death for most folks.

Story 1: Boyd Severson

If you are going to be out in the wilds with cold weather, always make sure you have more clothes than you think you’ll need. This is a lesson that saved the life of 56-year-old Boyd Severson when he decided to go for a hike in the Colorado Rockies and was hit by a snowstorm.

Though he made the mistake of going out alone and did not check the local weather forecasts, Severson still used a few survival tricks he had acquired over the years to keep himself safe and alive.

After seeing the oncoming storm, Severson began his descent but took a wrong turn. Realizing his error, he dropped below the timberline to protect himself from the worst of the wind. Once night fell and his visibility dropped to zero, Severson found a cubby blocked on three sides and put on every article of clothing he had. His decision to stay in the timberline and hunker in a relatively protected crevice is probably what saved his life.

Then, he used muscle clenching exercising to keep up his body heat and stave off freezing to death. Once daylight broke, he waited until afternoon in case his wife sent a search party for him. By 1:30 p.m., he headed back up the mountain where he was rescued.

Story 2: Juliane Koepcke

The subject of a Werner Herzog documentary called “Wings of Hope,” Juliane Koepcke is one of the few survival stories on this list that did not make any mistakes which could have brought her own undoing. Of course, this merely reinforces the point that even if you do everything right, things can still go horribly wrong.

Flying over a Peruvian rainforest on Christmas Eve of 1971, her plane was struck by lightning and began to disintegrate in mid-air. Miraculously, she survived the crash with a broken collarbone and nasty wound to her arm. Thinking quickly, Koepcke found a stream that served both to keep her hydrated and aid in her travel, allowing her to conserve energy.By the time she found an encampment further downstream nine days later, maggots had infested the wound on her arm. The camp harvested lumber, and Koepcke used gasoline to kill the maggots and disinfect the wound.

With keen use of natural features and inventiveness of resources, Juliane was eventually found by the lumber workers and airlifted to a hospital.

Story 3: Joe Simpson

This next story combines elements of the previous two: it takes place on a frigid mountain and in Peru. Moreover, the survivor of this tale was not traveling alone — though perhaps he would have preferred to.

In 1985, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates wanted to be the first people to ascend the west face of Siula Grande. Not only were they traveling together, but the weather was also beautiful. However, those conditions would not last.

During the ascent, Simpson broke his leg. To make matters worse, a storm blew in as Yates tried to descend the face toting Simpson. Frostbitten with poor visibility, Yates cut the line and Simpson plummeted 150 ft down.

Amazingly, Simpson survived the fall. Without the use of his legs, Simpson dug out an ice cave until the storm passed over. Then he crawled three days without food or water until he made it back to base camp.

That was surely an awkward meeting. Regardless, Simpson’s trial shows that even prepared preppers still need to be on their toes and keep their wits about them, no matter how dire the circumstances.

Story 4: Amy Racina

Our next story continues what is becoming a regular trend: going out into the wilds alone. Amy Racina had been backpacking since she was 16 years old. Eventually, she developed a taste for solo trips — despite being one of the worst decisions an outdoorsman can make.On a planned 162-mile solo hike in Tehipite Valley, a remote area of Kings Canyon National Park in the Sierra Nevada, east of Fresno, CA, Racina lost her way on day 12. She began to criss-cross, looking for her lost trail when the ground underneath her gave way.

Racina and her pack plummeted down a 60 ft ravine. With both legs broken and a broken hip, Racina kept her head and retrieved her first aid kit. After stabilizing as best she could, she dragged herself to a stream, allowing the water to help keep her hydrated and ease some of the burdens.

Thankfully, after three days of calling for help, some hikers happened to hear her. After finding her, the hikers came across a group of vacationing firefighters. After receiving temporary care, one of the firefighters rode a horse to his car where he phoned for help, saving Racina and her legs.

Story 5: Aron Ralston

No list of survival stories would be complete without including arguably the most famous survival story in history: the story of Aron Ralston. Of course, to a prepper, this story is more a warning than vindication as Ralston made numerous mistakes throughout his ordeal, though there is one strategy of note that we can all learn from.

An experienced outdoorsman, Ralston made the crucial error of going out into the wild without telling anyone where he was going or bringing any kind of communication or signaling device. He was confident in his abilities, but that confidence would cost him.

While climbing on the Blue John Canyon of southeast Utah, Ralston slipped into a crevice, dislodging a boulder that would crush and trap his arm against the canyon wall. In a matter of days, Ralston had run out of food and water and was forced to rely on his own urine to stay hydrated.

That last bit is the only commendable part of this tale to a prepper. Though, one could argue Ralston’s sheer cussedness and will to live are just as commendable. So strong was his survival instinct, Ralston used a blunt pocket knife to self-amputate his trapped arm taking an hour of work to do so.

Once freed, Ralston put his well-honed skills to good use, descending the crevices remaining 65 ft with one hand. Once on the ground, he was eventually found by a European family camping nearby and rescued from the brink of death by blood loss.

Inspiring? Scary? Makes you want to start taking prepping seriously? But what do you think prepping really is? We say is nothing but common sense. And so does Kevin Doyle, the author of the latest prepper book out there that finally speaks our language.

But don’t take our word for it. Have a go at it yourself. We’re offering you Chapter 1 for free. Because it’s only fair. And who knows, just like the title of this chapter says it, This could be the beginning of a beautiful preppership.

If this is the first time you hear about Kevin Doyle’s The Final Prepper, you may want to read on.

The Final Prepper is not your regular prepper book. The prepper wisdom in this book aims to reconnect you not only with nature, but also with your own nature. And the powers within yourself.

And this makes the difference between a victim and a survivor. Between someone who gave up on life while still alive, and someone who believes life is more than surviving. It’s about thriving. Or, as the author of this book likes to call it, SURTHRIVING.

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The whole point of being a prepper is to be able to overcome adversity in the worst of circumstances. However, no matter how well-prepared you are, it's all for nothing