Friday, February 25, 2011

The Great Debate

 To those who claim they will choose to stand "The Moral High Ground" in the impending conflict;

Consider the moral character of your enemy before deciding on how you will confront them. By declaring where you will not "go" ahead of the conflict, you may very well give them the means to defeat you! Because they have up to this point not known what the response will be, they may well have delayed their planned courses of action.

When the Israelites conquered Canaan, they were commanded by God to destroy their enemies completely.
You know what happened to them after that for not doing so.

If you don't know what I am talking about here, visit the blogs on my blog roll..

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Spam Alert!

Some ass-jack is hacking into yahoo email accounts and spamming the contacts in the contact list!
Including mine!
My apologies to anyone who received any spam from me!

Per Yahoo:

Spam is being sent to my contacts from my Y! email account
Last Updated: February 23, 2011

Some users have reported that their contacts received spam that originated from from their Yahoo! email account. This issue has been affecting multiple email providers with the spam containing a URL soliciting prescription medicine.

If you've experienced this issue, we strongly believe your account has been compromised and was used by an unauthorized third party to send spam or fraudulent emails to your contact list.

Please change your Password. By changing your password immediately, you quickly minimize the resulting risk for your Yahoo! account. For help selecting a strong password and/or safeguarding it against misuse, please review the tips posted in the password section of the Yahoo! Security Center.

We also suggest you perform a virus scan on your computer(s) if you haven't already done so.


 Again I apologize for this BS.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Selous's Gear - Stoves

Here is a collection of some of my cooking stoves.


From left to right are:
US Army style canteen cup stove
Swiss Volcano stove
Sterno Stove (my first camp stove)
Behind the Sterno stove is an Amco Butane stove.
The black unit to the right is a Collapsible Wood Stove.
To the front is an Esbit fuel stove.
Behind the black stove is a Coleman Gas single burner stove/heater.
The last item on the right is a Swiss Army Trangia alcohol cookset.

Update: Actually that is a Swedish Army Trangia cookset.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Free Escape & Evasion Online Broadcast

On Thursday, February 24th, The Social Chaos Survival Guide website is offering a free “Escape & Evasion” Online Broadcast.  2 Attendees will win a free S.C.R.A.M. Bag.

Only 200 slots are available, so register as soon as possible - http://www.socialchaossurvivalguide.com/register/

On this eye-opening LIVE broadcast you'll discover...

Real world tactics to survive civil unrest (such as natural disaster conflicts, demonstrations gone bad, race riots, etc.)

How to defeat looters and violent opportunists with nothing to fear during times of lawlessness!

Escaping violent mobs! When the police and military are overrun, anarchy consumes everything in the way...and you'd better know how to leave a danger zone fast!

"Target hardening" secrets! During times of social chaos, the more prepared you are, the more likely you are to be tracked and taken advantage of! We'll talk about ways to stay hidden...even in plain sight!

On the run! When you're being tracked by opportunists who want what you have, you'll need all the tactics you can muster to lose them fast and escape to safety!

And a lot more.........

Only 200 slots are available, so if your interested, go ahead and get signed up.

Register at this link http://www.socialchaossurvivalguide.com/register/

Saturday, February 19, 2011

My Research Notes On Chia Seed

Here are my notes from the research I did as well as links to information and where to purchase Chia seed. There are many places selling the seed but they are way overpriced!

My Notes:
Rich Loomis noted that one pound of chia measures out to approximately 42 tablespoons, thus 10 pounds equals 420 daily measures. At the link below [Natural Remi-Teas], 50 lbs (nearly six years of healthy survival) can be purchased for only $225.

If one were to purchase a larger amount, it would be best to repackage it in smaller packages complete with oxygen absorbers and vacuum sealed. Perhaps double packed by sealing in mylar as well. One of the links I read stated it had a shelf life of about 2 years.

You can mix seeds in water (bottled or distilled, not tap) and add sugar, lemon or lime juice to make a drink known in Latin America as "chia fresca."

One tablespoon was believed to sustain an individual for 24 hours.
When added to water and allowed to sit for 30 minutes, chia forms a gel.

 4.3 protein for black seed and 5.17 protein for white seed, 6.52 fiber for black seed and 5.52 fiber for white seed and 0 cholesterol for the both kinds of seeds. I suspect this measured in grams as no measure was given.

Feeding chia seeds to chickens enriches their meat with omega-3s and make their eggs rich with it also. If fed to dairy cattle it will have the same effect on the milk produced.

The high protein and lipid contents in the Chia seeds are one of the many reasons why the seed is helpful for controlling diabetes naturally. The seed is also very effective for controlling the blood sugar levels in our body. It seems to slow the uptake of carbohydrates from the digestive system.

Chia seeds are ideal for edible seeds, for survival food storage, for salad sprouts, for gardening, for cooking and more.

Some side effects
It can lower the blood pressure in your body, especially if you are someone in an upper age group.  Chia seeds are capable of lowering the blood pressure to a dangerous level. Check with your doctor if you plan to use Chia seeds and are taking blood pressure medicine.

If you are on a regimen of B-17, then you should be cautious before taking the seeds. You may overload your system.

People who take blood thinners like warfarin should exclude this from their diet as Chia seeds increases the risk for bleeding.

Chia test one.
I added 1 tbsp of chia seed to about 12 ozs of Sunny Delight orange drink. I let it sit overnight (4:00pm - 10:17am) in the fridge to gel up. I guess I will be the first test subject. While I was mixing this up Neo came out of his room and said "what? you going to add that to beer?" as I had an open one on the counter. Uh, no thanks. I have been stirring it frequently as the seeds tend to drift to the bottom although some float on the top.

Update: 2/19/11 10:17am. I have drank the mixture after stirring it up. It was like drinking pulpy orange juice. Any taste the seeds may have had was overwhelmed by the orange flavor. I will have a small breakfast to go with it.

Chia test two.
I will bake some potatoes and make some gravy, sprinkling the chia seeds over the potato. I will use 1/2 tbsp.
All 3 of us will be the test subjects this time.

Chia test three.
Try my hand at making some of the "Chia Fresca" as a pre home departure drink for the beginning of the week.

Chia test four.
Mix the Chia (1 tbsp) with some peanut butter and form it into bite sized balls. These would be good covered in chocolate.

Are you trying this yourself?
What are doing to test it?


Articles
Chia Seed - The Ancient Food of the Future
http://www.living-foods.com/articles/chia.html

Salvia hispanica (Chia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia_hispanica

Chia Seed FAQ
http://www.mychiaseeds.com/myseedsfaq.html

Chia Seeds.us
http://www.chiaseeds.us/

What Is Chia?
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA365093/Chia-for-Health.html

Chia Seeds for Weight Loss
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/24/chia-seeds-for-weight-loss/

Chia seeds for diabetic diets
http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/17/17801/chia-seeds/

Natural News.com
http://www.naturalnews.com/chia_seeds.html

Chia Seed  -  Ten Benefits from this Power Food and Brain Food
http://icreatewisdom.com/chiaseed.html

Black (Salvia) vs White (Salba) seeds
http://www.dancingalgae.com/chiaseedsblackorwhitepagetwo.html

Stores
NutsOnline
1 Pound Bag: $6.99 per lb
http://www.nutsonline.com/cookingbaking/chia-seeds/premium.html

The Raw Food World   
Chia Seeds 1 lb (Chemical Free) $6.95
http://www.therawfoodworld.com/index.php?cPath=100148_100166

Amazon.com
2 lbs $12.48
http://www.amazon.com/Chia-Seeds-2-Pounds/dp/B000WV0RW8

Natural Remi-Teas
$5.00 per lbs
http://www.naturalremi-teas.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=NR&Product_Code=Chia1lb&Category_Code=CS1pound

Get Chia, LLC
55 Pound Chia Seed (ONE - 55 POUND SACK) - FREE SHIPPING IN THE USA $245.00
http://getchia.myshopify.com/products/55-pound-chia-seed

As you can see the last two store are the most likely candidates to purchase from. I don't know what it costs to ship 55lbs but it most likely is near the $20 mark.

Stay tuned, as we have not heard all from Rich Loomis.

"Magic of Chia : Revival of an Ancient Wonder Food by James F. Scheer"

Update: 2/19/11 1:15pm. I ate a small 2" wide section of a submarine sandwich for lunch. Not sure if I was really hungry or if it was force of habit and my tastebuds squawking for entertainment. I don't feel the need to eat any more food for the moment though.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Revolutionize Your Survival Food Strategy Part III

After doing some investigation I decided to purchase some of the Chia seeds for home trial. I have 3 test subjects in mind that seem to run out of energy late in the week, so this will be a good test for us. I looked in the health food section in Fred Meyer's and did not find any, but the Health Food store had a small quantity available. I purchased 3ozs as the price per lb was marked way up, $24 per lb, or thereabouts. The price per ounce was $1.47. The best price I found on the web so far is $5 per lb. I want the boys to try it on a school day as that will be the best test for them to see how much it increases their energy levels.

Revolutionize Your Survival Food Strategy Part III
by Rich Loomis (richloomis@hotmail.com)

______________________________________________
An excellent online wholesale source for this product -- from whom I have purchased several times with reliable result -- is linked below. (I have no financial connection or affiliation of any nature with either the sale or promotion of this food item.)

The usage figures in this article are based upon the most-frequently quoted requirement of one tablespoon per day; one pound of chia measures out to approximately 42 tablespoons, thus 10 pounds equals 420 daily measures. At link below, 50 lbs (nearly six years of healthy survival) can be purchased for only $225 -- the best food bargain on the planet and perhaps soon to disappear amidst societal upset, etc. Don't delay!

http://www.naturalremi-teas.com/mm5/merchant.mvc
___________________________________________

Practical Applications, Conclusions, and Recommendations

As many of us have observed, human nature tends to stubbornly cling to its conceits and preferences and acquired tastes, even to the extent of dismissing out-of-hand anything that does not conform to its preconceptions and habits and societal imprinting.
As Arthur C. Clarke put it:

Every revolutionary idea — in science, politics, art, or whatever — seems to evoke three
stages of reaction. They may be summed up by the phrases:
(1) "It's completely impossible — don't waste my time";
(2) "It's possible, but it's not worth doing";
(3) "I said it was a good idea all along."

For instance, if one's mindset is deeply invested in the notion of backwoods hunting, subsistence gardening, animal husbandry, and such like as the "final and only answer" to any threatened food-chain upset, then the concept of a temporary (or long term!) one-grain portable solution might seem anathema, or purely ridiculous. Yes, a fair number of societyweary individuals have historically "fasted in the wilderness" for one reason or another, with varying degrees of success and/or regeneration of body and soul -- but this practice has pretty much gone out of favor, however beneficial it might be to one's evolving life-focus, inward "listening" and progress.

By contrast, the relatively luxurious home-garden-apple-orchard approach (though quite laudable and rewarding during "normal" times) tempts the obvious danger and likelihood that one's hard-earned paradise will at some point almost certainly be discovered and plundered. (Not to mention its inherent vulnerability to weather anomalies, pests, soil/crop disease, and similar problems that are challenging enough even under the best of circumstances.)

Even the most carefully hidden fruit trees and gardens have the inherent propensity to eventually serve as little more than a yummy "menu" arrow pointing straight at the home larder and family. Whereas, the counter-strategy proposed herein is to essentially forsake any sort of dependency on field-crops, chicken coops or fixed homesteads for survival purposes, period. Leave that worthy dream for a time and place AFTER peace, law, and order has been fully or near-fully restored!

This brings us at last to what might be regarded as a philosophical crux of dissent and divergence which I've observed in my own recent efforts to share this powerful yet humble survival tool named chia: certain self-proclaimed "experts" on the Internet inexplicably either lapse into silence when presented with this proposition, or immediately and actively oppose this new/old "energy food" approach. It's frequently due, in my estimation, to what might loosely be termed a cultivated "fortress mentality."

[James Wesley Rawles, being a case in point. Although a popular "end times" novelist and webmaster, he blithely dismissed my suggestion to publish this vital message on his well visited website, via a one-line brush-off to the effect that it contained "too many quotes" from Mr. Scheer's book (even if openly attributed!)]

I leave it to your judgment, dear reader, whether the full thrust of the necessary argument and logic -- with its vital historical underpinnings -- could have been conveyed without these persuasive real-life anecdotes and affirmations from various people's experience.

At base, Rawles pooh-poohed the offering because I was not sufficiently speaking "from experience" -- yet how many among us could rightfully aver that we are Tarahumara Indians, or how many of us have managed to conduct our own group A versus group B strenuous hiking tests, and so on? The overriding morality at this juncture is to AWAKEN and INFORM and SAVE LIVES rather than quibble over protocol.

If an obviously sane and caring writer such as Mr. Scheer were to inform me that a certain path led into a swamp, would I be amiss in conveying that same warning to other people that I happened to encounter? Do I need to step into the muck myself, or would it be sufficient and proper in speaking with others to simply add the caveat that it was Mr. Scheer and not myself, that had originated the advice?

Especially in these troubled times, I regard this sort of shared exposition as a textbook example of potentially live-saving "fair use" but . . evidently a number of other people with a Rawles-type mindset would likewise rather let children and parents perhaps perish with fatigue and starvation, or suffer capture and torture, rather than allow a few more quotes than they normally "prefer" to see in a  submitted article. (Those quoted paragraphs, while indeed somewhat lengthy, actually amount to a relatively modest percentage of the author's total text.)

One may also generously opt to dismiss the possibility of egotism, envy, arrogance, and hubris as being a significant part of the mix -- but that would entail ignoring human nature, yes?

The overwhelming majority of "survivalist" web pages and forums seem to primarily align themselves with the strategy and practice of sinking nearly all of one's resources into a semi-impregnable homestead, and then arming/training nearly every inhabitant in its defense-to-the-death.

As in the Rawles' example, this typically requires several hundreds of thousands of dollars invested into land, structures, fruit trees, gardens, rabbits, chickens, goats, and such like plus an expensive arsenal, coupled with years of ongoing firearms training involving many thousands of rounds of expended ammunition (with attendant noise, smoke, etc) then top all that off with extensive medical supplies, motor vehicle pools and tools, communications gear, perimeter alarms, patrols, carefully-defined fields of fire, explosives caches, command-detonated mines, -- the list goes on and on!

Indeed, if one insists upon adopting that highly questionable Fortress-of-Eden mindset and strategy from the get-go, then you'd damn well BETTER have the 82nd Airborne Division (or its equivalent!) dug in and camouflaged throughout the vicinity! Why?

Because it's been well validated by many experienced woodsmen and hikers and "good 'ol boys" who write to the forums, that your retreat has probably ALREADY been repeatedly observed, very likely by a wide variety of people. (Or if you don't have a homestead garden/orchard retreat yet, but plan to establish one, the same "discovery" rule applies during either construction or later usage.)

Short of taking your cows and chickens and fruit trees and claymores into the wilds of Alaska or Patagonia, the local residents along with seasonal hunters, game wardens, BLM/Forest Service choppers, or satellite electrical-emissions scanners or . . whatever . . WILL notice what you're doing, and even if they haven't yet, rest assured that once the millions upon millions of fleeing city people trickle (even with huge losses) into your region with their SUV's and trail bikes and backpacks, your rustic homestead WILL more than likely be discovered in due course.

Moreover, these observant and very hungry refugees or armed gangs probably will NOT be so stupid as to attack frontally or individually. They will scout around, and adroitly pick the time and place for their deadly intentions . . leading to the obvious question: which of your friends or family are you comfortable with being sniped or ambushed or barbecued by torturing cannibals FIRST? Yes, perhaps in subsequent battle you CAN emerge victorious, overall, from the fray (or at least from the FIRST one of many?) but at what cost in precious lives and investment?

Unfortunately, being a stationary target means that time is on the side of the enemy: plenty of starving, desperate cannon-fodder men, women and even children will either volunteer or be forced by ruthless warlords to test your defenses, and do you really think your ammo and nerve and luck will forever hold?

It would presently appear that for every practicing retreater, there are literally thousands, if not tens of thousands, of unprepared men and women who WILL nevertheless try to make up their mental/moral shortfall at your expense. And make no mistake: in due time, however much initial attrition and infighting and fumbling on the part of the aggressive roiling masses, some highly vicious, capable leaders WILL at length emerge from the chaos, and will skillfully direct their now tightly-disciplined and motived minions straight to your bountiful-garden doorstep -- unless you are either VERY remote, or very lucky, or both.

Depending upon which scenario the "powers that be" might opt to deploy against humanity, instead of facing ruthless/desperate fleeing citizens, the homestead might instead find itself struggling against large numbers of Chinese troops, or U.N. blue-helmeted thugs drawn from nations we've bombed and ruined or otherwise counted as enemies previously, i.e. no-nonsense hardened cadres from Iraq, Somalia, Panama, Afghanistan, the Balkans, perhaps even Russia or Haiti or Pakistan, etc. Plenty of deliberately-fostered hatred there, and yes, they WILL eagerly look forward to their chance of rape, mayhem and revenge against the once-mighty USA.

So then, one way or another, the Rawles-mentality sort of retreaters must necessarily "put it all on the line" for their open-target orchards and ponds and rabbits and gardens and gun ports and perimeter defenses, etc, thus it is natural that they would sneeringly adopt an ingrained, public-persona macho "defend the Alamo" semi-eagerness to confront all comers.

"They'll have to pry my gun from my cold, dead fingers" is their war-cry, but the subliminal, virtually unperceived overtones in this prideful stance echo Scripture itself: "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." I.e., if your "treasure" is near-totally invested in a homestead garden-fortress, your "heart" will not want to hear anything contesting that stance, even if another, inherently far safer option might more appropriately see the family through the coming upset.

As bizarre as it may seem, I suspect that the very simplicity of what might be called the "chia solution" has overtones that "spiritually" rebuke the fortress-Eden cowboys and gunnergardeners, and that much of the seeming antipathy/apathy arises from this nearly subliminal divergence of substance and style.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Revolutionize Your Survival Food Strategy Part II

Revolutionize Your Survival Food Strategy Part II
by Rich Loomis (richloomis@hotmail.com)

The excerpts below, documenting these suggested claims, are drawn from: “The Magic of Chia” by James F. Scheer. Please consider supporting the author by purchasing his excellent book, which goes into much more detail.
_____________________________________________
As archaeologists have discovered, chia seed was buried in the graves of Aztec and Mayan emperors, just as favorite foods were placed in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs. Chia seeds were so important to the Aztecs that they served as an offering to their deity Chicome Coatl.

Use of chia seed by Native Americans helped point the way for two southern Californians— Bob Andersen, of Valley Center, and Hal Neiman, of Santa Monica—to spend nearly twenty years cultivating the most health-beneficial forms of chia seed and growing them in vast amounts so that, for the first time, there is enough chia seed to meet the mounting world-wide demand.

A few years ago Ciraldo Chacarito, a fifty-two-year-old Tarahumara Indian from the Copper Canyon region of Mexico, was among the top finishers in a 200-mile race. This was phenomenal, because Ciraldo competed against the world's best young endurance runners with daily access to the latest training facilities, leading trainers, and scientifically designed running equipment.

Ciraldo hadn't conditioned himself. It was just "come as you are" to him. His competitors wore ultramodern running footwear designed for speed, rather than native, hand-made sandals like Ciraldo's.

Could the secret to Ciraldo's success have been something known for more than eight hundred years by his people: chia seeds eaten before and during the race? Teams of Tarahumara Indians are now training on chia seed, including Ciraldo, who won this race in 1998.

After he had eaten chia seed and was amazed at his physical response to it, Bob Andersen, a health food distributor in Valley Center, California, told himself, "Somebody ought to domesticate chia seed, develop a cost-effective way to harvest it, and assure a steady market supply for the world." Nobody did it, so Bob Andersen became that somebody, along with his friend Hal Neiman.

Many sensational stories about chia seed are repeated by Native American tribes in the great Southwest, as recounted by Harrison Doyle. Most of them relate to the strength and endurance imparted by chia. It was nothing for tribesmen to run for an entire day on a handful of chia seeds and a gourd filled with water.

Harrison Doyle, who for years lived among the Native Americans near Needles, California, on the Arizona state line, has many cherished memories of these times. As a youth he often ran races with young tribesmen. Usually he would break in front of the group. However, after a few hundred yards, they all passed him. After about a mile, winded and exhausted, he fell far behind. He asked his competitors how they were able to beat him every time. They cast knowing glances at one another, laughed, but refused to answer.

No matter how much he pleaded, the Native Americans never revealed their secret. Frustrated and determined to find the answer, Doyle carefully observed his competitors during entire days. Eventually he noted that on most mornings they would take seeds from pouches attached to their waistbands and chew on them. Clyde Hogan, of Paso Robles, California, a man who had spent much time with Doyle and interviewed him in-depth, told me:

"They turned out to be chia seeds. Harrison Doyle began chewing on them each morning, or soaking them in water for thirty minutes to an hour and drinking the mucilaginous product. Then he challenged the Native Americans to a long race. This time he stayed even with them and, before the finish line, surged ahead and won. Rather than feel disgruntled, the young braves just laughed. They knew Doyle had discovered their secret."

Doyle remembered a common sight: tribesmen filling pouches with chia seeds (often the only food taken, along with a gourd with water), strapping on a backpack, and running for days, covering 300 rugged miles along the Mojave Trail from Needles through the Cajon Pass to the California coast. There they traded blue and green stones (malachite copper and turquoise), chips of flint or obsidian lava, arrowheads, and sometimes ochre paint.

Among many tribes it was common for men to eat a tablespoon of chia before spending a day hunting for game. A story is told of young, chia-fed Apache braves, stationed long distances apart, chasing after a deer for extended periods of time. Outdistanced at the start, they showed amazing endurance and energy in the pursuit. Finally the deer became exhausted and was easy prey. Then they carried the animal for miles back to the village, showing no signs of overfatigue. This legend challenged my ability to believe, but it was verified by Clyde Hogan, with whom Harrison Doyle discussed the subject. Doyle was an eye witness to several such hunts.

Adolph Bulla was a hard-rock desert miner in his seventies who was legendary for his physical stamina. Some years ago he was the subject of a feature story in the Los Angeles Times. After reading it, Harrison Doyle drove out to Randsburg, California, to interview Bulla.

"It was indeed astonishing to find a hard-rock miner at that age drilling, blasting, mucking, and hauling for six sunup-to-sundown days a week," he told Bob Andersen. "Crediting his remarkable physical stamina to chia seed, which grew up and down hills near his home, Bulla generously presented me with some, explaining that he mixes a teaspoonful into hot- cake batter—sometimes a little more for an especially hard day—and this fortifies him for work without another meal." And despite constant exposure to the burning, skin-aging desert sun, Bulla "looked and acted a good twenty years younger than his actual age," according to Doyle.

Doyle claims that numerous Native Americans were sustained by only a tablespoonful of chia and a gourd of water on a twenty-four-hour forced march.

I attended many nutrition lectures, including one by pioneer nutritionist Paul Bragg, and learned more exciting facts about chia seed. Bragg referred to the legendary physical feats performed by chia seed eaters down through history and related the absorbing story of how he had been introduced to this fabulous seed.

"Early in this century, two friends and I decided to climb the rugged and uncharted San Jacinto mountain that towered 10,831 feet above the then small southern California desert community of Palm Springs. This is one of the world's most spectacular mountains, inasmuch as it is situated in flat desert country and goes straight up. In our packsacks was food for three days. Starting at dawn, we struggled up to the top just as the sun was setting on the western horizon.

Too tired to do anything else, we ate our evening meal and then crawled into our sleeping bags. Early next morning, a tremendous thunderstorm broke over the mountains. It was like being pounded by a waterfall. Drenched, we quickly ran under an overhang of rocks. When the cloudburst subsided, we were upset to find that our packsacks of food had been washed down the mountainside—along with our trail maps and guiding compass. Our situation was desperate. It is not easy to go down a mountain— miles and miles of wilderness— with thick underbrush and sheer dropoffs.

Afraid of starving to death, we started downward on the wet, slippery, and rocky terrain. Of course, the trail was washed out. Just when we thought we were making progress, we came to a cliff with a dropoff of several thousand feet and had to start all over again.

A long day of hiking through the underbrush and stumbling over rocks exhausted us, especially because we hadn't eaten a morsel of food. We were thankful we had canteens of water. We slept under a big Ponderosa pine that night. Our next day was almost a duplicate of the previous one. So were the following three days. Discouraged, apprehensive, and exhausted on the morning of the sixth day without food, we found that we were back where we had started on the first day.

While we tried to figure out what to do, an Indian of the Agua Caliente tribe appeared out of nowhere.

He had a remarkable body—tall, lean, symmetrical—and he moved with such power that I was amazed. He carried a rifle, and there was a leather pack on his back. His bronze skin almost glowed. I judged him to be middle-aged.

He spoke excellent English, telling us he had been on a nine-day hunting trip looking for a mountain goat. I wondered how he had fed himself during that period. He showed us. His leather pack contained seeds which he called chia. He had lived on several teaspoonfuls daily. Seeing that we were lost and famished, he shared some with us.

Within a short time, the three of us us felt a supercharge of energy. Never in my life had I experienced such a sharp change. That was my introduction to chia seed and to its remarkable powers to invigorate a person. Equally remarkable was the fact that this Indian, a powerful specimen of manhood was seventy-nine years old and lived mainly on chia seed.

That top-of-the-mountain experience was one of the most trying of my life, but I wouldn't have missed it for anything. From that time on, I made a point of going to the desert to gather chia seed or to buy it whenever it was available in health food stores.

Although I had eaten chia seeds for some time and, as an athlete, had gained strength and stamina in the process, I wanted more evidence that chia was the reason for these gains. After all, I ate a number of great health foods. I remembered something from the Bible, a quotation from the Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians: 'Prove all things.'

That was what Paul Bragg did. The test came about almost by accident. In a chat with a group of young men and women athletes at his athletic club, he checked each person to find out which foods gave them the most energy, vitality, and endurance for winning performances. Responses ranged from wheat germ, wheat germ oil, brewer's yeast, desiccated liver, blackstrap molasses, royal jelly and soy foods, to individual supplements such as vitamin C, vitamin B-complex, magnesium, and mineral complexes.

"Then my turn came," said Bragg. "I quickly told the group I seemed to get my greatest go power from chia seed, which has been my old standby for energy for years—just as it has been for various American Indian tribes. Inasmuch as I was considered more or less a guru of the group, one of the young men said, 'Paul, why don't we test chia seed on some weekend?"

There was almost unanimous agreement, and Paul Bragg structured the experiment, actually a competition—a grueling test of endurance, a thirty-six-hour hike to the top of Mount Wilson and into its wilderness back country. He divided the volunteers into two groups. "Members of one group were to eat only chia seed during the climb, and the others were to eat whatever foods they wished."

"I took the chia-seed-eating young people—eight men and four women—and another fellow led the eat-as-you-wish group. On a sunny yet nippy morning we started out. We in the chia-eating group took in several teaspoons of chia seed in water as soon as we arose. During the entire outing, we chewed on chia seeds or took them in water.

"For the first few hours, there seemed to be no difference in our ability to climb. However, as the terrain got rougher and the slopes steeper, things changed. Our chia-eating group started to pull ahead of the others. Initially, we were ahead by a quarter of a mile, then a half mile, and soon there was more than a mile between our group and the other. As we munched on the chia seeds, we negotiated the rough upgrade almost effortlessly. No one felt tired or recommended that we rest. Actually, we appeared to gain momentum as we covered the miles."

Soon Bragg's group was on the home stretch toward the agreed-upon goal. At the end, everyone in his group appeared recharged and even ready to go farther. Out of the other group of twelve, only five finished—three men and two women—and they dragged in four hours and twenty-seven minutes after Paul Bragg's chia-eating group. All of them were exhausted, their faces drawn and their feet dragging. They were almost too played out even to talk. None of them needed to be convinced that chia spelled the difference between winning and losing the Mount Wilson competition.

"Even before that contest, I suspected that chia seeds were one of the greatest foods I had discovered to help refuel my body engine," Bragg told us. "Our Mount Wilson competition convinced me of that fact.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Revolutionize Your Survival Food Strategy Part I

I was sent the following information from someone I do not know on a personal nor professional level. After having read through the entire document (58 pages) I was impressed enough to post it here for my readers also. I have performed a cursory investigation into this information and was satisfied that it was not misleading in any way. Thank you Rich Loomis for sharing this with us.

Since it is so long a document to post on a blog, it will be broken up into relevant parts and be presented over a period of time. At the end of this series i will have a link to the original file (a pdf) and some of my research findings and relevant links.

Enjoy!
Prepare!
Be Safe!

 Revolutionize Your Survival Food Strategy Part I
by Rich Loomis (richloomis@hotmail.com)

This could save your life; this could save your loved ones. PAY CLOSE ATTENTION!
(p.s. -- I have no financial angle to any of this.)

You are about to read of a food source so unique -- and so perfectly matched to the pressing needs of today's retreaters and survivalists -- that you may very well wish to immediately revise your "prepper" plans forever!

This is not so much discovery of something "new" as it is simply a case of connecting-the dots in a different direction, having perhaps wider scope.

In short, this exposition merely builds upon what many other stalwart explorers and writers have progressively brought to light. We could be very blessed, however, if such light might now be reflected, re-directed, and focused in a manner specifically adapted to the vital question of the hour, i.e. -- how shall we best prepare our families to survive upset?

But before launching into the details, it would help to first indulge a short mental exercise. Have you ever allowed your mind to fantasize about what might constitute the "ideal" food source, whether for bug-out evasion and escape, or for normal home-style sustenance? Surely we all wish we could pull a small version of a Star Trek style "replicator" from our backpack or pantry, and simply "dial in" a delicious entrée, perhaps with a cool ice tea to accompany it, then -- Poof! There the meal would appear, with tendrils of warm steam
wisping savory foretaste of an effortless culinary delight!

Or, in an even more extreme science-fiction rendition on the theme, at regular intervals during the day or night a specialized bio-energy field would emit from our portable device, envelope the individual for a few moments, then transfer all necessary nutrients while simultaneously removing all waste products, such that the person always felt fully satiated and energized, without actually ingesting even a morsel.

It's not totally beyond reason that this sort of far-distant techno-biological "advance" might indeed become so commonplace and accepted that most of the populace would no longer even remember what "mouth eating" was all about, and wouldn't care to indulge it even if such "retrograde" plant-animal-killing and consumption was condoned!

Of course, the immediate objection from many might be that they would sorely miss the delicious taste-bud sensations and associated delights of chomping and chewing and swallowing -- and therefore would rarely if ever wish to be connected to or associated with such technology, even if it were invented and marketed tomorrow.

A valid concern, indeed, but the fact is that, when ones feels "full" and satiated as after a heavy feast, one does NOT mourn the lack of yet more taste-sensations, but rather one quite happily moves on to other realms of satisfying activity, rich sensory input, and purpose. This objection also fails to credit a truly staggering utility and revolutionary promise: it would eliminate ALL malnutrition and starvation, worldwide and forever, taste buds be damned!

Or, as a more "realistic" transitory compromise, the "tummy full" device would not rule out the indulgence of occasional culinary delights, even as it simultaneously released mankind from the enormously time-and-energy intensive labor of normal food production. No more need for monster-scale farming operations, bloody screaming slaughterhouses, costly transportation, and so on. The benefits would be almost endless, and would virtually transform the world as we know it.

But let's bring this illustrative contemplation back down to earth, and into the somewhat more severe realm of difficult-times "survival" sustenance per se.

Yes, this food item IS of potentially major importance, but it is also bland, in the same sense that potatoes and rice provide great food value without exactly provoking the same sort of food-lust as a chocolate cake or a bacon-and-eggs-and-hotcakes breakfast might inspire.

Yet, if potatoes and rice quite suddenly disappeared from the planet, mass starvation would quickly follow! Moreover, not just the Irish have experienced the sort of fundamental disruption to society and food chains wherein even the lowly potato became highly sought after and relished -- if for no other reason than starvation lent it a transitory "flavor" and vital interest that would otherwise be lacking in normal times.

We humans can and do mentally adapt ourselves to special circumstances, and are generally willing to relegate our "normal" bodily needs and habits and desires to the back burner, so to speak, if there is no immediate alternative. We tighten our belts and mutter, "it's not forever" and then we do whatever is necessary to get by. Or at least MOST of us do so . . while certain others who are constitutionally unable or unwilling to adapt give up and perish, altogether forsaking any pending "rainbow promise" or possible light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel.

It basically comes down to a matter of self discipline and willingness to forgo immediate pleasure in the interests of a much greater future reward: life itself. Civilization has always had its proportional mix of those who would sacrifice for a distant goal, versus those who primarily lived for the moment. And history clearly proves the lesson of which attitude has always been "most likely to succeed" in life.

Likewise today, some readers will immediately grasp the implications and powerful payoff associated with this special food item -- just as "most" of the Irish came to embrace the temporary blessing of TONS of potatoes in their diet -- while others will grump and dismiss and altogether fail to apply this "exotic" food-solution and associated survival strategy to the coming upset.

And most of them will die.

The fact is that, when hordes of ravening murderer/cannibals are in distant but determined pursuit of you and your family, the last thing on you'd wish to do would be to stop, lay out a picnic cloth, start a fire, heat your favorite freeze-dried entrée, start the coffee perking, and savor a protracted appreciation of the nuances of outdoor cooking.

What one might want instead (short of a replicator) would be something very lightweight in the backpack that would take little or no time or effort to prepare, could be eaten "on the march" and yet would infuse one with such energy that even the most fit among the hungry pursuers would gradually be left further and further in the dust, until -- lacking the same input of virtually "magical" sustenance -- they would be forced to quit in utter exhaustion and turn back to seek easier prey.

But happily for us all, such a food product already exists, has been proven throughout history, has been field-tested in modern times with conclusively positive results, and . . is far cheaper than any of the commonly-touted "survival food" plans currently promoted!

Although many preppers -- particularly those with a keen knowledge of nutritional raw foods -- may have heard or read about this item, due to the limited "context" in which it is usually presented they may have failed to grasp just why this food would be so ideally fitted to sustain individuals and families under supremely stressful survival situations.

Please try your best to "suspend disbelief" momentarily, because the following documentation will suggest a virtual paradigm-shift regarding how one might opt to stock either a bug-out bag, or one's home larder. The "too-good-to-be-true" syndrome may want to kick in (if it hasn't already!) and mistakenly dissuade many readers before they've given the information fair play. But for those able to resist any such knee-jerk rejection, the payoff may be enormous to both self and family.

To wit, I propose the following radical protocol: a mere ten pounds of this item in your Bug- Out-Bag or backpack -- at a cost of only $40 and change (if purchased in quantity) -- has the proven ability to sustain your body in full health, under the very heaviest stress of hiking or other labor, for 420 consecutive days. You read that correctly: nearly one year and two months of full energy and health from only ten pounds of product!

How many granola-nut bars, or pounds of beef jerky, or flour, or beans, or pemmican, or expensive freeze-dried entrees would it take to compare with that easily-toted pouch of sustained energy?

Although we allow that no single item could presently compete with a full spread of "mamma's cooking" as a "forever" proposition -- it must also be allowed that one especially nutritious food just might get us home someday so that we could once again savor mom's magic touch!

The scarcely-recognized historical grain we are referring to has a neutral/slightly nutty taste that does not offend the palette, but (like potatoes or rice) also mixes well with any suitable flavors that one might wish to incorporate into a larger "standard" meal -- provided one has the time and means. But it stands alone if need be, and swells in the stomach such that one feels full on the march, or in the wilderness cabin, or hunkered down for extended periods in a cellar or culvert or cave, etc.

Why is it that in my thirty-plus years of close attention to survival books, videos, classes, and (more recently) prepper forums and such like, that no one (to my knowledge) has properly noted the very special suitability of this item to individual and family survival situations?

It's because that, if it is mentioned at all, it typically appears strictly in the sense of its comparative vitamin/mineral/protein nutritional aspects, along with similarly grouped items like amaranth or quinoa. However, this sort of "health food" coverage entirely misses its spectacularly unique and historically documented complete food endurance and sustainability aspects, ideally matched to the needs of a retreater.

As anyone with experience in the field will tell you, having a relatively light pack -- yet holding enough food for a year or more! -- might make all the difference between life and death, comfort and burden, true sustenance vs having to hunt for every morsel and ounce of nutrition, frequently with slowly-debilitating results. Just ain't that many squirrels and dandelions, folks!

Yes it would surely be wise, perhaps even necessary, to occasionally indulge safe opportunistic scavenging of nature's bounty (if any!) so as to augment and diversify the diet. But having the bottom-line confidence that one need not daily hunt and forage -- possibly thereby exposing self and family to danger and discovery or mishap -- would surely help one to avoid growing desperation and bad decisions, should nature's cupboard contain less than expected. With this "core" sustenance at hand, one would always have the wherewithal to
move on to a more productive site without undue worry or headstrong, precipitous flight.

Bear in mind while reading the source material below, that over the course of many hundreds (even thousands!) of years, many very bright and observant men and women have been born into the various Indian or other cultures, and as with farming itself, much experimentation regarding long-trail sustenance was surely conducted by such individuals with other grains or foodstuffs yet only one item has subsequently emerged as worthy of both legend and continuity in real-world application.

Had other candidate grains or fruits or nuts etc shown a similarly amazing weight-versus energy and endurance utility, we would be reading about them instead of -- or along with -- the item featured in this article. But such has not been the historical record.

[Pemmican is often touted as the "gold standard" utilized as early-American "survivalist" rations, and indeed was very nutritious, could be consumed over long periods usually without total revulsion and boredom, plus had a reasonably long "shelf life" on the trail of four years or more if properly rendered from the best bone marrow, etc. BUT at a normal consumption rate -- tested and standardized by the Hudson's Bay Company -- of approximately one and three quarter pounds per person per day, an equivalent 420-day supply in a backpack would weigh 735 pounds! Even a mere one hundred day's supply of pemmican would tip the scales at over 175 pounds, whereas one hundred day's worth of this article's specialized sustenance would be hardly noticed in the pack at slightly over two pounds.]

So with the hindsight of many centuries of cutting-edge trial-and-error provenance, we should perhaps be very grateful for the keen observations of countless men and women who discovered and proved out this very lightweight, long-lasting food -- so perfectly adapted to our own present need! The wise reader should therefore show no hesitation in accepting both the lesson and the benefit of this hard-won knowledge.

Part 2 tomorrow.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Breaking Space Weather Alert!

FIRST X-FLARE OF THE NEW SOLAR CYCLE: Sunspot 1158 has unleashed the strongest solar flare in more than four years. The eruption, which peaked at 0156 UT on Feb. 15th, registered X2 on the Richter scale of solar flares. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded an intense flash of extreme ultraviolet radiation, circled below:

X-flares are the strongest type of solar flare, and this is the first such eruption of new Solar Cycle 24. In addition to flashing Earth with UV radiation, the explosion also hurled a coronal mass ejection (CME) in our direction. The expanding cloud may be seen in this movie from NASA's STEREO-B spacecraft. Geomagnetic storms are possible when the CME arrives 36 to 48 hours hence. Stay tuned for updates.

Glossary
Scientists classify solar flares according to their x-ray brightness in the wavelength range 1 to 8 Angstroms. There are 3 categories: X-class flares are big; they are major events that can trigger planet-wide radio blackouts and long-lasting radiation storms. M-class flares are medium-sized; they can cause brief radio blackouts that affect Earth's polar regions. Minor radiation storms sometimes follow an M-class flare. Compared to X- and M-class events, C-class flares are small with few noticeable consequences here on Earth.

More info
Effects
of X-Class Solar Flares

Physical
A recent study published today in the NewScientist, indicates a direct connection between the Sun’s solar storms and human biological effect.

X-class solar flare can effect your brain activity including balance, human and animal behavior, and psycho physiological (mental/ emotional/physical) response. In humans and animals it can cause; nervousiness, anxiety, worry, jitters, irritable, queasiness, and head pressure. 

Recent events have many concerned that the changes in the Earth's Magnetic Fields May Be Causing Bird and Fish Die Off - Could the Earth's magnetic fields be causing the recent die-off of thousands of birds and fish? Scientists believe so, along with environmental imbalances.The sudden death of thousands of blackbirds in Arkansas over the 2010-2011 New Year's holiday last weekend was newsworthy enough. Within a couple of days, hundreds of stories from all around the globe recounted similar phenomena.

Power Grid
A X-class solar flares, EMP/CME, potentially could wipe out our nation’s ability to support critical infrastructures, including supply and distribution of water, food, fuel, communications, transport, financial transactions, emergency services, government services, and all other infrastructures supporting the national economy and welfare. 

Should significant parts of the electrical power infrastructure be lost for any substantial period of time, the consequences are likely to be catastrophic, and many people may ultimately die for lack of the basic elements necessary to sustain life in dense urban and suburban communities.