A team of German and Canadian scientists has shown that today’s plague pathogen was also responsible for the Black Death, the most deadly outbreak of disease ever that claimed the lives of one-third of Europeans in just five years from 1348 to 1353.
The University of Tubingen’s Institute of Scientific Archaeology and McMaster University in Canada have been able to confirm that the bacterium Yersinia pestis -- known to cause the plague today -- was behind the great plague.
http://www.dnaindia.com/health/report_today-s-plague-pathogen-was-also-the-cause-of-black-death-600-years-ago_1582120
Monday, September 26, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Global warming could lead to global warring
In the hot zone that girds the Earth near the equator, ethnic violence, religious strife, vicious criminality, piracy on the high seas, even civil war are being fuelled by the rising temperatures that bring drought, famine, fire and floods.
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1048806
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1048806
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Should you worry about alien invasion ?
A few weeks ago some friends of mine were chatting about what to do in the event of an Alien attack. It was a light hearted discussion but it got me thinking. Should you worry about alien invasion? Then the other day scientists announced the discovery of a super earth that just may be in the right place to have some life. And of course we have all seen the movies. Aliens invade earth, millions are killed and mankind is just able to defeat the invaders by the skin of our teeth.
Well don't worry too much about it. Of all the possible disasters that could befall our civilization this is the least probable one. Mind you if you are serious about being prepared for everything. You can take some comfort in the fact that the preparations you have completed for all the other, much more likely disasters. Are probably all you could do anyway in the unlikely event you find ET at your door.
Lets look at the facts.
1. As far as we know Earth has never been visited or invaded by aliens.
2. We don't even know that aliens exist.
3. If aliens do exist. How would they know we are here. Our radio signals have only traveled out about 100 light years as of right now. That's not very far.
4. How would the aliens get here. As far as we know you cant travel faster than the speed of light. If this is correct it would be really hard for ET to get here.
5. How do we know ET is hostile. Aliens could be quite friendly.
6. Would we have any thing they want? As far as we can tell the Earth has nothing special that you cant find on lots of other planets. The earth is made of the same stuff as the rest of the universe. Aliens are not going to travel all that way to take stuff they don't need.
7. Any Aliens that are advanced enough to get here would be so technologically superior to us they could probably wipe the floor with us. So not much point in worrying about it. Then again. I could be wrong.
Well don't worry too much about it. Of all the possible disasters that could befall our civilization this is the least probable one. Mind you if you are serious about being prepared for everything. You can take some comfort in the fact that the preparations you have completed for all the other, much more likely disasters. Are probably all you could do anyway in the unlikely event you find ET at your door.
Lets look at the facts.
1. As far as we know Earth has never been visited or invaded by aliens.
2. We don't even know that aliens exist.
3. If aliens do exist. How would they know we are here. Our radio signals have only traveled out about 100 light years as of right now. That's not very far.
4. How would the aliens get here. As far as we know you cant travel faster than the speed of light. If this is correct it would be really hard for ET to get here.
5. How do we know ET is hostile. Aliens could be quite friendly.
6. Would we have any thing they want? As far as we can tell the Earth has nothing special that you cant find on lots of other planets. The earth is made of the same stuff as the rest of the universe. Aliens are not going to travel all that way to take stuff they don't need.
7. Any Aliens that are advanced enough to get here would be so technologically superior to us they could probably wipe the floor with us. So not much point in worrying about it. Then again. I could be wrong.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Rice. A low cost survival food.
In another example of how it really is not that expensive to stockpile food I found 8kg bags of rice at the store for less than $5 bucks a bag. And as rice has an extremely long shelf life it is a fantastic way to stockpile for a disaster.
An 8kg bag of rice will feed you for a week so you dont need to spend a lot to provide for a long time.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Get Yourself A Toy Gun
One is fake. One is real.Many people do not like guns. Many people live in places that do not allow guns. But most people (not all) don't mind having a toy gun and live in a place that toy guns are allowed.
Y would you want a toy gun?
From a few feet away many people cant tell the difference between a toy gun and a real gun. In fact some of the toy guns out their are so realistic its almost impossible to tell them from real guns with out picking them up. Another interesting fact is that most confrontations involving a gun end with no shots being fired. People just don't like to get shot.
So in simple terms if the bad guys think you have a gun they will often pick another victim.
WARNING
Most toy guns now have an orange painted muzzle. This is done to help the police tell toys from real guns. I am told that in some places it is illegal to paint over this orange. So you might want to find out about whats legal in your area. Or wait until things are really bad and you no longer need to worry about the law.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Stockpile Things Other Than Food
Human beings by nature tend to be short sighted. We often think only of today or perhaps tomorrow. We have a hard time thinking a year or perhaps longer down the road. But long term planing is very important for any of us who believe that the ZA (Zombie Apocalypse) could last for more than a few days or weeks.
Stockpiling food is a prime example of short sighted thinking. While I agree it is incredibly important to have as much food on hand as you possibly can. You also need to think about what you are going to do when that stockpile inevitably runs out. What do you need to have in order to start producing your own food. Do you have seeds for planting? Do you have the tools you need? Do you have the skills you need? Do you know how to hunt? Do you know how to fish? And yes you can stockpile skills and knowledge. You may not hunt of fish or farm but you can learn about these things and stockpile it in your head for a rainy day. You can also get books and print things of value off the Internet and add them to your survival library.
Medical supplies are another incredibly important thing to stock up on. You will not be able to run to the store and get a bottle of peroxide during the ZA. Ammunition for your guns. Fuel like gasoline, diesel, propane. Matches. Cleaning supplies like bleach and ammonia. The list of things that would be great to have is endless so each of us has to come up with our own ideas of what is important.
Remember also that you may be able to trade extra things you have for supplies you need. So if you have the opportunity to get more of something than you think you need don't pass it up. I found .22cal ammo on sale for $10 per box of 550 rounds. I now have way more than I need but I know lots of people wont. It could be worth more than gold to someone who has run out.
So yes food comes first. But food is only the beginning.
Stockpiling food is a prime example of short sighted thinking. While I agree it is incredibly important to have as much food on hand as you possibly can. You also need to think about what you are going to do when that stockpile inevitably runs out. What do you need to have in order to start producing your own food. Do you have seeds for planting? Do you have the tools you need? Do you have the skills you need? Do you know how to hunt? Do you know how to fish? And yes you can stockpile skills and knowledge. You may not hunt of fish or farm but you can learn about these things and stockpile it in your head for a rainy day. You can also get books and print things of value off the Internet and add them to your survival library.
Medical supplies are another incredibly important thing to stock up on. You will not be able to run to the store and get a bottle of peroxide during the ZA. Ammunition for your guns. Fuel like gasoline, diesel, propane. Matches. Cleaning supplies like bleach and ammonia. The list of things that would be great to have is endless so each of us has to come up with our own ideas of what is important.
Remember also that you may be able to trade extra things you have for supplies you need. So if you have the opportunity to get more of something than you think you need don't pass it up. I found .22cal ammo on sale for $10 per box of 550 rounds. I now have way more than I need but I know lots of people wont. It could be worth more than gold to someone who has run out.
So yes food comes first. But food is only the beginning.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Emergency Food Supplies for a Family of Four
Hubs and I have a lot of food stored for an emergency. We watch the grocery store flyers carefully so that we can stock up on needed food items when they are on sale. Every family should have at least 3 months of food on hand in case of a disaster or emergency situation.
Sometimes families want to start stockpiling food but they are overwhelmed by the challenge and don't know what to get and how to store it. We aren't experts but we've done a lot of research and a lot of trial and error so we have a pretty good idea of what nutritional value is in certain foods, which foods have the longest shelf life and which are best value for the money (in terms of shelf life, ability to extend the ration, variety of meals possible, and cost)
I've already given you the list of 7 basic essential foods which will keep you alive. I explained how much of each you need for one adult for one week. I know you can do the math but let's look at how much of these basic essential foods an average family of 4 needs for 3 months.
It is going to shock you. But it's doable! An important fact to remember is that any child over the age of 7 is considered a adult in terms of food storage.
I am using mostly metric measurements but you can convert for a fairly accurate measurement by using the following:
1 liter = 0.26 US gallons
1 kg = 2.2 pounds
1 US cup = 236.6 ml but you can convert using 250ml=1cup and remember that 1,000 ml or 4 cups is pretty close to 1 L
Sometimes families want to start stockpiling food but they are overwhelmed by the challenge and don't know what to get and how to store it. We aren't experts but we've done a lot of research and a lot of trial and error so we have a pretty good idea of what nutritional value is in certain foods, which foods have the longest shelf life and which are best value for the money (in terms of shelf life, ability to extend the ration, variety of meals possible, and cost)
I've already given you the list of 7 basic essential foods which will keep you alive. I explained how much of each you need for one adult for one week. I know you can do the math but let's look at how much of these basic essential foods an average family of 4 needs for 3 months.
It is going to shock you. But it's doable! An important fact to remember is that any child over the age of 7 is considered a adult in terms of food storage.
I am using mostly metric measurements but you can convert for a fairly accurate measurement by using the following:
1 liter = 0.26 US gallons
1 kg = 2.2 pounds
1 US cup = 236.6 ml but you can convert using 250ml=1cup and remember that 1,000 ml or 4 cups is pretty close to 1 L
ITEM | 1 ADULT 1 WEEK | 4 ADULTS 3 MOS | SHELF LIFE |
Grains | 3.5kg | 168kg | 20-30yrs |
Legumes | 1/2kg | 24kg | 20-30yrs |
Oils | 3/4 cup | 36c (9L) | forever if vegetable oil |
Salt | 2/3 c | 32 c (8 L) | forever |
Water | 7-21L | 336-1008L | forever |
Sugar | 1/2kg | 24kg | forever |
Milk | 1c | 48c | 20yrs if powder |
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Vinegar, The Magic Food, Medicine and Cleanser for Survival
Vinegar the magical food item. That's what I call it. It's something you should have on hand for long-term food storage.
What can you do with vinegar? Vinegar can be used as a disinfectant. Put it on wounds, or with your laundry, or dilute it and wash floors and bedding with it.
Vinegar has medicinal properties and is useful for treating bedding in a sick room. In the 19th century vinegar was an important item for ships' surgeons to have on board. Entire ships were disinfected using vinegar and water to wash floors and bedding and clothing.
Vinegar was in use as a healing medicine and antibiotic in ancient Greece and during the Civil War.
You can also make a salad dressing with vinegar, oil and sugar.
Indigestion can be treated with a dink of vinegar and baking soda.& Yes the old "Make a volcano for science fair" trick. But if you drink a bit, it helps a burp and thus relieves the indigestion. It works better if you use apple cider vinegar.
My father used to drink a small glass of vinegar after every meal. He claimed it helped him digest his food! And my grandmother swore that a tiny glass of vinegar daily helped thin the blood. Who knows, maybe there's some truth in these old home remedies!
What can you do with vinegar? Vinegar can be used as a disinfectant. Put it on wounds, or with your laundry, or dilute it and wash floors and bedding with it.
Vinegar has medicinal properties and is useful for treating bedding in a sick room. In the 19th century vinegar was an important item for ships' surgeons to have on board. Entire ships were disinfected using vinegar and water to wash floors and bedding and clothing.
Vinegar was in use as a healing medicine and antibiotic in ancient Greece and during the Civil War.
You can also make a salad dressing with vinegar, oil and sugar.
Indigestion can be treated with a dink of vinegar and baking soda.& Yes the old "Make a volcano for science fair" trick. But if you drink a bit, it helps a burp and thus relieves the indigestion. It works better if you use apple cider vinegar.
My father used to drink a small glass of vinegar after every meal. He claimed it helped him digest his food! And my grandmother swore that a tiny glass of vinegar daily helped thin the blood. Who knows, maybe there's some truth in these old home remedies!
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