GSW Training Intro (Post apocalypse management)

Introduction

Part 1

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OK, as promised, this is a multi-part series I'm compiling to teach GSW management from a post crash perspective. Study carefully, your love ones might one day appreciate these skills. This is just the introduction, tomorrow I will be demonstrating with a group of firefighters, who need the training too, and with manikins on how to provide treatment and what to do specifically. I will also be going over what you need in your medical latoc kit....you do have a medical kit, right? Not just some First Aid kit you picked up at Wally World....right? Get one, there are all kinds of tactical medical kits available on-line, or email me and I'll send you one for $150 (gmegacode911@aol.com). Below are a few pictures that I'll use to illustrate several scenario's and how to effectively manage each one. Plus it'll give the more squeamish of you some time to adjust, and think about what you would do when its a love one that's been hit by a armed MZB.

Economic assesment 9/22

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National unemployment is at 9.7 percent, higher than last year's 5.8 percent, with double digit jobless rates in 139 metropolitan areas this July, compared to 14 last July.

The number of foreclosures is greater than last year: nearly 2 million new foreclosure filings occurred in the first half of 2009, up 15 percent from the same period in 2008.
While homes in some areas have begun to slowly sell again, they are doing so at deeply depressed prices, in many instances below their mortgage value.

Wall Street bonuses are back to pre-crisis levels. For some firms, such as Goldman Sachs, they are even higher.

Bank leverage, or excessive borrowing on the back of risky assets-a major cause of the meltdown-is rising again.

Geithner recently reported that his program to enable private financial firms to buy up toxic assets with government help will wind up costing less than the $1 trillion he had first envisioned. However, he did not mention that there are less toxic assets available to buy partly because the Fed has allowed banks to use some toxic assets as collateral in return for cheap loans.
Big banks are bigger than they were last year. Since the Fed blessed more mergers last fall, the nation's three largest banks-Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo-hold the maximum percentage of legally permissable US deposits or more.

Mid-size and smaller banks keep closing. This year, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has closed 92 banks and depleted its deposit insurance money in the process.
We still don't have detailed information on the trillions of dollars of loans the Fed handed out to the banking sector or about the quality of the collateral banks provided in return.

WORK SLAVE, WORK!!!

"We did not ask you white men to come here. The Great Spirit gave us this country as a home. You had yours. We did not interfere with you. The Great Spirit gave us plenty of land to live on, and buffalo, deer, antelope and other game. But you have come here; you are taking my land from me; you are killing off our game, so it is hard for us to live. Now, you tell us to work for a living, but the Great Spirit did not make us to work, but to live by hunting. You white men can work if you want to. We do not interfere with you, and again you say why do you not become civilized? We do not want your civilization! We would live as our fathers did, and their fathers before them." . . . ." - Crazy Horse

330 million people spread across this land now. Working, consuming, wasting, and dying for what? It seems to me there is no freedom left, that the spirit of humanity is a decayed visage of its former glory, and the collective grows ever more powerful in the name of WORK SLAVE, WORK! I don't know why. I sit at my laptop - made by a person on the other side of the world working in what amounts to a electronic sweat shop, transported to me by way of oil and more servitude, and exchanged with paper that has no real value just so I can access a portal to the world. My window to emptiness. My life confined, hemmed in, and scrutinized into a technological facismilie of virtuality that any semblance with life's richness is lost in cognito.

What has happened to us? Where is the survivor? Where are Earth's people? Where is freedom from government? Where is freedom to move about? All it is, is work...work....work and then go and give some paper for virtual worlds. Why are we shitting in our own bed? Working, consuming, SHITING in our bed, in a endless march towards civilizational decay. This doesn't feel right to me. I'm so sickened by this world, I wish for doom. I really do.

The old ways seem impossible now, too many people getting in the way, and too much technology making our lives easy - silly easy while swallowing chocolate chip cookies with a half gallon of milk after consuming a giant pizza. Our austerity, integrity, courage, honor, fidelity, strength, cleverness, lost to the reverance of pop culture and viruality. A few souls crack and go on a killing spree, a murderous rampage, or produce a reality of a twisted demented demonism from their mental hell. I think we know why. We're lost in this collective. Most of us choose to stay in our little cells, work, consume, waste, and die....like I said before.

The machine, collective, NWO, globalism, TPTB...take your pick, they're all telling us it'll be OK, they will take care of us, just keep working and consuming. Be a part of it all. Well, I won't be a PART of it much longer. I know the truth. The machine has an expiration date, brazened by entropy, and catlyzed by discord, it'll bring us a new world like a mother first giving broccoli to her kid - he likes it or starves. That's how it'll be.

Few Words

"It does not require many words to speak the truth."

- Chief Joseph, Nez Perce (Nimiputimt)

"Wise man listens while a fool chatters."

- Proverbs

Tomorrow I will be conducting a interview with my friend Daryl Arnold. He survived hurricane Katrina in 2005 and barely escape with his life. It is a legendary tale that needs an audience, and it's appropriate because it is a story of survival in the face of a biblical disaster.

On another note, I'm almost finish with a video on dealing with gunshot wounds from a post crash perspective. I will be uploading this on Sunday or sooner perhaps.

I keep finding good deals on craigslist for MRE's, $20 per box/12 units, I highly encourage my subscribers to do the same. Tick tock, your time is running out.

Road kill for survival

Last night my white rabbit, the tomato rabbit from the video, jumped out into a car speeding down the road. He was hit in the head, not run over, and not mutilated in any way, so I came out to inspect his still warm body. So much for my favorite "free" living bunny, but seeing opportunity I picked up the body and skinned it. Cutting off the head first, than the feet and proceeding to deglove the skin, I gutted it and cleaned up the meat. Gutting out the intestines wasn't exactly pleasant. Took only 30 minutes and now I had a fine meal, and I didn't even have to do the slaughter - which I hate to do. Damn bunnies are so cute.

Anyway, I admired my handy work while taking the time to spread the fur out to dry. The mosquitoes were tearing me up while I worked well past my pre-work bedtime, but I had to get everything finished without letting the meat spoil. I bagged the rabbit up and stuck it in the refrigerator for "tonight's" dinner. I looked up some of my favorite rabbit recipes and set about basting the rabbit with seasons and olive oil as soon as I got in from work. Set the oven to 325 degrees and baked for 1 hr. YUMMY!

The moral of this story is to always look for opportunity in a survival situation. I can't stress that enough. A survivor looks for food from all available sources, conventional and unconventional, and road kill; assuming the meat hasn't spoiled and turned rancid, is as good as any source. We must learn from nature, and that lesson is that nature doesn't waste anything and neither should we.

The true state of the economy

Economic collapse very soon

http://market-ticker.org/

Please read.....

yes, yes, everyone says we are out of the downturn...except for that pesky unemployment....and that pile of debt over there that the US government has to do something about....and the housing foreclosures...and the commercial foreclosures...and the credit card defaults - you've got to look at this!

Discover Financial Services Reports Aug Master Trust; Net Charge offs 9.16% v 8.43% m/m
JPMorgan Chase and Co Reports Aug Master Trust; Net charge offs 10.07% v 7.92% m/m
Bank of America Corp Reports Aug Master Trust; Net Charge offs 14.54% v 13.82% m/m
Citigroup Inc Reports Aug Master Trust; Net Charge offs 12.1% v 10.03% m/m
American Express Co Reports Aug Master Trust: Net write offs on managed basis 9.0% v 9.2% m/m (v 9.9% in June)

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Don't let the media fool you, the dow rally is not the economy, and those shares are not worth the same as they did back in March since the dollar has fallen just as much as the dow has risen. Go to market-ticker and look at the debt to gdp graphs Mr. Denninger has posted. IT'S NOT SUSTAINABLE, a crash is inevitable, and it's going to be far worse than if they hadn't bailed out the banks in the first place. So what do I mean by a economic collapse? Bank closures/bank holiday, martial law, extreme economic protectionism, currency change, homelessness, joblessness, and starvation. You might be thinking to yourself that you don't believe this insignificant backwater blogger, some moderator of a fringe survivalist peak oil forum, or a lowly blue collar paramedic, but you do so at you and your family's peril. Don't believe me, fine, but all I ask is for you to look at the charts, the graphs, the hardcore data and draw your own conclusions without being clouded with media spin, the fed chairman declaring the recession over because he was able to pump enough fiat dollars into the gdp numbers, or the president pontificating his glory that the free fall has been arrested.

We are running out of time! Get enough food for at least a year, enough guns/ammo to protect you and your family, a source of water - without electricity, and think about the ramifications of a worldwide apocalyptic collapse. Prepare your mind, body, and soul for survival.....then pray to whatever god you believe in.

Read my Katrina diary for a "mild" insight into what's coming - http://www.doomers.us/forum2/index.php/topic,46497.msg686812.html#new

Rain, rain, go away, come back another day.

The rain keeps coming! Broke down and bought a rain suit at Academy this morning while working. XXL and it was too tight in the arms...since I have big biceps, dang it! We had to transport another idiot from Lakeside to Tulane Main after he came to their ER with chest pain. Either call 911 or go to the right hospital for flipping sakes! Lakeside delivers baby's, a small rehab floor, and that's about it. East Jefferson, a nearby hospital would've been the next logical choice, but as it's all too common, he went a block away from his house. He had atrial fibrillation with RVR (rapid ventricular response) and treated with Cardizem enroute. Ding, ding, he's just won a 10,000 dollar bill for going to the wrong facility. The inefficiency and waste is astounding. Lakeside does nothing to advertise that it doesn't have any capacity to treat medical emergencies, cardiovascular accidents, trauma, and dozens of other medical problems. If you're having a baby...go there, if not, go somewhere else. Anyway, just wanted to rant about that, just a small complaint in a world of problems.

A new latocer was asking on www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net forum about Katrina death statistics and how many people went missing, so I addressed his question with the officially released figures and let him know about the legend of the missing Catholic priest from Lake Catherine. Father "Red," as he was known locally, bravely and foolishly refused to leave his church with Katrina bearing down. He was never seen again. I attempted to document the story and post to utube so the newbie could get a better feel for this legendary tragedy, but alas, it rained cats and dogs all the way out there. You couldn't see anything, and at one point I could've sworn a tornado was about to sweep me off hwy 90.

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Average EMT day

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Jazz up your day.

New Orleans isn't ready

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I filmed this outside Touro ER today, and it was another wash out. It got so deep at one point they had to block off the street and the ambulance crews couldn't get to the entrance. I had a pickup on the fifth floor so I missed showing the street closure but the water got another 6" deeper than is apparent in the video. Touro, if you didn't know, is located in uptown and it's at a higher elevation than most of the city with the exception of the French Quarter. It only took 3 hrs of rain to completely overwhelm the pumps and drainage. A number of other streets closed today too. Now that the city has to close the canals, the infamous breaks from Katrina, with massive gates and a string of pumps; that the Corp admittedly doesn't have faith in, when the next tropical system heads our way, there is no way the city will keep up with the deluge. I also foresee higher tidal levels at the existing cat 3 levies. Unless a TARP level federal commitment heads this way there is no way New Orleans will get a cat 5 protection system in place, and now the feds are running up the national debt there is no way those billions will materialize. New Orleans will flood again, and I fear it will be even worse than before. Another Katrina event and we're done. People will not want to persevere through another recovery. Recovery won't be possible next time anyway, but that's the topic of another discussion, and in any case I have my scuba gear.

Audit the Fed NOW!

I really can't explain this better than Karl Denninger, but one thing I can say is that we must face reality. The financial reality for the US is that we're in a deflationary credit cycle that must be allowed to unwind. Continued borrowing and stimulus is false growth that increases the gap between what we're producing (labor, income) and debt. This is leading up to a catastrophic collapse. I've said this before on my previous posts and I'll say it again for those who think the economy is improving because Geither said so and Goldman Sach's/JP Morgan cartel is cycling flash trading/inside trading that pushes the dow ever higher. Unemployment is ugly folks, retail sales are NOT improving, and once the tax credit for homebuyers ends the real estate will continue to deteriorate. Meanwhile, the US dollar index continues to decline in sync with equity markets which is readily making oil more and more expensive. The last thing we need right now is for fuel prices to soar when so many people are unemployed, and BTW, the 9.7% is not an accurate statistic - many of my followers already know this, but if you didn't know the U3 method shows 16.7% (the same method used in the 30's). Defaults (credit card collapse) and foreclosures are at incredible levels right now, and more will only bring further demise to the labor market and consumption. Why is it we can't see the signs?

Anyway....here's Denninger.
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Tomato Rabbit

A few months ago I let some rabbits go from my burgeoning horde, and one of them stuck around to hop in and around my homestead. The white bunny, haven't named him yet but probably should, greets me each morning as I head off to work or mess around in my garden or tinker with the house. The little guy manages to stay out of the way of my dogs, and this is no small feat, as my aging brown mutt has killed a rabbit, snake, chicken, and rat in her day, and sleeps during the hottest part of the day under a old piece of paneling. My Collie painstakingly stalks it just outside the invisible fence wire, barking at it letting me know the little sucker is hopping around, or perhaps my dog is begging for rabbit stew. I suppose that's more likely. Anyway, I've been concerned about my Fall crop of tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, broccoli, and green peppers being eaten by the little fur ball, but alas, it seems to enjoy my grass over the succulent vegetables. Let's hope so anyway, and that's been the case so far, but one day I'm prepared to come out and my vege's will be gone. Maybe my little wolf friends will keep him/her at bay and preferring grass. LOL. Stay tuned.....

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I've joined my volunteer Fire Dept

I've been a paramedic for 20 years but I also dabble in fighting fires, at least since I was 15 having fought a dozen or so house fires in my youth, and since hurricane Katrina my local community has taken a big hit in volunteer support. Considering my paramedic certification and experience they practically begged that I come back on board (been absent since Katrina), so I threw the firefighter bunker gear on and took up the challenge yesterday. They're also thrilled that I'm a CPR, ACLS, and PALS instructor capable of getting the rest of the department certified.

My local community, West Hancock (Pearlington), has a very large area of response - Pearlington, hwy 90 to old 90, port Bienville, the most dangerous section of the interstate in the whole state (first 5 miles into MS from LA), and the first 5 miles in LA on hwy 90. We have about 1-4 calls a day, mostly medical rescue, owing largely to the huge response area. All volunteer, no pay and no benefits other than altruism and good will to help total strangers, we will brave burning buildings, crushed cars, floods, and all manner of rural emergencies. It's a tremendous responsibility that I didn't accept lightly having known what the demand was before Katrina. I had to think long and hard before joining again, but since things will be going to hell in a hand basket in the next few years I thought I'd sacrifice the time to do what feels right before we're all eating each other to stay alive. Maybe I'll die saving someone rather than have to kill anyone to defend myself, that would be a better way to go.

Kim Jones, the fire chief, told me about a recent call that they had last month in which a man was making pipe bombs; to throw into the bayou and kill fish, and one detonated in his hand. His left arm and right leg were blown clean off and other shrapnel injuries to his head and chest. It wasn't a pretty scene, a local bar on Cowan's bayou - "turtle landing", and the nearest ambulance (AMR) was 35 min's away in Pass Christian, MS. Our rescue team requested a medical helicopter but AMR (a private ambulance service that has the S. MS 911) refused to call one until their paramedic had arrived on the scene. Unfortunately this paramedic was inexperienced and when they finally did arrive he wanted to take the patient to Hancock Medical Center, a small town hospital in Waveland, MS. It was very ill equipped to deal with a major multi-system trauma patient and when the ambulance arrived there, a good hour after the explosion, the ER doctor came out and said that they had called for a helicopter to land there and take the patient to New Orleans (Tulane Medical). The ER physician was pretty pissed too that the AMR paramedic had decided to transport to this small hospital rather than a facility that could meet the unique the patients needs - a trauma surgeon. Needless to say that if I had been with the fire department I could have made the call and had a helicopter sent. Paramedics are the ones with that authority here in MS.

Kim Jones then went into the bad public relations the department had experienced since that call. It had made AMR look bad. A couple weeks later after the incident one of the firefighters collapsed at home and was suffering from a undiagnosed diabetic coma, blood sugar was 1600, and when AMR sent the fire chief the bill it was 1400 dollars! Normally, the fire department personnel, since they are volunteer, are exempt from ambulance bills, but AMR corporate (located in Denver, CO) pressed the case that West Hancock firefighters would pay from now on. Naturally, this was likely due to the ugly PR received after the pipe bomb incident.

The way people sometimes treat each other is monstrous.

Why aren't we mad?

If you're a long time member of latoc than I'm quite sure you're mad as hell at this fascist corporate run government that espouses freedom, liberty, and justice for all. "We the People" must've dissolved into useless puddles of mall shoppers and reality show fans while the Republic (we're not a democracy!), a supposedly representative government, went ahead and saved banks and investment firms from their poor decisions, and it has the nerve to continue to do so! It would be like you being in so much debt that you're on the verge of going bankrupt and then the government using someone Else's money comes in and saves your ass, then to make it worse, gives you extra money (same source) to buy more stuff! We're the source folks! This has to be paid for and the only way that our president, our congress, and our senate - if they ever were, is by eventually raising our taxes....stealing from us! Why do I say stealing? Because the bank bailout bill was opposed by 85-90% of Americans so where is the representation? I think the only people they've been representing all along have been the banks and corporations.

Instead we've turned our liberty over to a political swampland of red vs. blue, and fail to ever play the field, or coach the team, but choose to sit on the sidelines and cheer our favorite team (Democrat, Republican, or independent). That's not representation, that's Machiavelli pleb control, and it keeps us from actively engaging the governance of our lives. We have become so brain-washed into subscribing to this type of control, maybe even stemming from our love for sports, that we don't see how we've been neutered of our power. We the People need to become the football coach and direct the players (representatives), that's what was envisioned in a Republic. We are so far removed from this that only a revolution will reverse it. A lot of pain, suffering, soul charring, and sadness must be demonstrated before this brain-washing can be cleansed.

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Knife fighting

I have a big shipment of these in so if anybody is interested in purchasing them just email me: gilson9971@aol.com ($25 for a pair/holster/straps)

So why a post on knife fighting? While undoubtedly a firearm is superior if your life is in jeopardy, it isn't as easy to conceal or as quiet as a knife would be. This is a unique advantage if caught in a unpredictable situation (all dangerous encounters are), and I highly encourage a good assortment of concealed knives as a fall back. The trick is learning how to properly engage in a knife fight without your own bowels being eviscerated. I support knife fighting called "Eskrima" - "Eskrima" or "Escrima" refers to a class of Filipino Martial Arts that emphasize stick and sword/knife fighting. It takes alot of practice to perfect this art, years in fact, but with daily practice one can acquire enough skill to deal effectively with untrained knife wielding thugs. A key observation to make when entering a knife fight is how your opponent wields his weapon. If the assailant holds it over-handily then it's likely wielded by someone lacking training, but whatever you do, don't assume that. If they wield the knife under-handily then you better watch out, they likely know enough to put a few holes in your gut and chest. Why is that? Simple really, a over-handed attack for one is much easier to defend against, and two there is no vital targets aimed at when striking from above except the head, which if you didn't know, is rather hard and not nearly as susceptible to being penetrated as say your belly or chest. A under-handed attack is trickier to defend against, and is setup to come from below and slide between your ribs traumatizing some vital organs. A master knife fighter can slice open an opponent in seconds. Here are a few video's to watch, and I highly encourage professional training.

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101 items - must have

1.Coffee 2.Sugar 3.Salt 4.Pepper 5.Hard candy 6.Paperback Bibles 7.Kitchen Matches 8.Needles and sewing items 9.Nylon cord 10.Duct tape 11.Cigarettes 12.Pencils, paper, note pads 13.Toilet paper 14.Tooth paste 15.Soap 16.Rubbing alcohol 17.Peroxide 18.Aspirin 19.Baking soda 20.tooth brushes 21.Reading glasses 22.Liquor 23.Socks 24.Tarps 25.Tools for gardening 26.Condoms 27.Wooden matches 28.Skills 29.Hand Tools 30.Boyscout Manual 31.22.LR ammunition 32.12-gauge shot shells 33.Water Filters 34.Firewood 35.Coleman Fuel 36.Knives 37.Manual Can Openers 38.Vegetable Oil (for cooking) 39.Lighter Fluid 40.Charcoal 41.Diapers 42.Washboard 43.Vitamins 44.Tampons 45.Thermal Underwear 46.Aluminum Foil 47.Garbage Bags 48.Paper Towels 49.Garden Seeds (Non-Hybrid) 50.Clothes Pins 51.Fishing Line 52.Fish Hooks 53.First Aid Kits 54.Batteries 55.Spices 56.Solar Calculators 57.Belts 58.Flashlights 59.Lightsticks 60.Garbage Cans 61.Toothbrushes 62.Toothpaste 63.Nail Clippers 64.Mosquito Repellent 65.Duct Tape 66.Rope 67.Candles 68.Sewing Supplies 69.Non Scented Bleach 70.Canning Jars and Lids 71.Knives 72.Sharpening Stones 73.Bicycle Tire Tubes 74.Bicycle Chains 75.Air Pump (don't trade the pump trade the air) 78.Board Games 79.Playing Cards 80.Mousetraps 81.Baby Wipes 82.Razors 83.Tang 84.Gloves 85.Underwear 86.Glue 89.Broad Brim Hats 90.Files 91.Pad-Locks 92.Laundry Detergent 93.Kerosene 94.Tea 95.Axes 96.Slingshots 97.Binoculars 98.Disposable Lighters 99.Magnesium fire starters 100.Plastic sheeting 101.Over The Counter Medications

(Get one of these too - $150 on ebay)

I particularly like these too (only $11 on ebay)

My friend in Pensacola asked me the other day how to determine how long we could survive off pantry storage (prepping for peak oil, financial collapse, nuclear war, etc). I wanted to discuss that in this post since it's more than appropriate. The best way that I have found is to add up the calories of everything in your food storage (can food, dry goods, etc). A typical man trying to survive in a hostile environment or living off grid will need about 3000k calories/day, a women 2500 - these are averages and everyone is different; therefore, take whatever your total is and divide by this number and that's how many days you have preparations for. I highly recommend 2 years worth, and no I am not a mormon, but in this sense they have it right. Now take the total calories and divide by 2000 calories, as if you had to ration and go into survival mode - trying to make it last. You will be losing weight but it is survivalable. That's your survival time on what you have; although you won't be as robust or as strong as you need to be, as in dealing with hostilities, building shelters, or just plain running away from danger, but it let's you know how much you have stored.

Personally, my favorite type of food to store, and high calories are a plus, is ramen noodles. Easy to make in a pinch, loaded with calories, and who can complain about the price? SAM's has giant boxes for $8. I also store macoroni, giant 50lb bags of rice (you must freeze these to kill the bugs first before storage), and can goods. Keep this in mind that most prep food is loaded with salt, and Ramen noodles are no small exception as you get a whole's days worth of sodium and then some, so this will have to be dealt with by plenty of water unless you remain physically rigorous (water will still be very important).