07:21 – I forgot to do a weekly prepping post yesterday, because I’ve been so busy with house stuff and kit stuff that I haven’t had a moment to think about prepping.
Actually, I did start one thing that counts as weekly prepping. I’m putting together a new biology kit supplement page for microbiology that includes half a dozen antibiotics in larger quantities that can be ordered individually by type. They’re all pharmaceutical-grade drugs, but are not repackaged under conditions that the FDA mandates for drugs intended for human consumption. They’re intended for laboratory use only, which of course may be honored in the breach during an emergency. But it does mean that we’ll have reasonable quantities of these antibiotics in inventory.
So what did you do to prep this week?
The “I’ll ride with you” dupes sure have been quiet lately…
http://www.abc.net.au/…/20…/burkina-faso-battle-over/7093378
http://www.abc.net.au/…/indonesian-police-arrest-12…/7093458
Will you have a decent amount of information for running blood and urine tests, and interpreting them?
“The “I’ll ride with you” dupes sure have been quiet lately…”
Neither one of them links works, for whatever reason/s.
Overcast today and temps expected to hit close to fotty, and then this next week down to the teens; didn’t see any white stuff in the forecast. I’m beginning to wonder if this will be the third consecutive winter here with barely any snowfall but bitter cold and wind throughout. Naturally I’d just got a new electric corded snowblower because I’m tired of my knees and back and lungs taking a beating chopping through compacted ice and snow. And over half a century ago I was shoveling multiple driveways for five bucks a pop.
Tempus fugit and not always in a good way…
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-16/burkina-faso-battle-over/7093378
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-16/indonesian-police-arrest-12-over-jakarta-attack/7093458
So now we know the price to release 4 Hostages and 10 Sailors, $150billion+ and the technology on 2 Riverine Boats. Nice job Obuttwad and John Fairy (who served in Vietnam by the way), with a shout out to Cankles.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/iran-releases-post-correspondent-jason-rezaian-iranian-reports-say/2016/01/16/e8ee7858-ba38-11e5-829c-26ffb874a18d_story.html
Edit: BTW, snowing in the front yard (West), raining in the back yard (East), and dry in the South and North side yards. Our home is a weather vortex 😉
Yea!!! It’s over!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3398969/WHO-declares-Ebola-outbreak-over.html
Annnnnndddd, it’s back…
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3400432/Suspected-Ebola-case-reported-Sierra-Leone-just-hours-World-Health-Organisation-declared-west-Africa-disease-free.html
That didn’t take long. I guess they didn’t ‘knock on wood’ while declaring it done for.
nick
ADDED
And catch the part where the mention in passing that now ‘everyone knows’ that it stays present in semen for up to a YEAR. Add the eyes, and ovaries, and breast tissue, and we’ve not seen the end of this.
I am shocked to hear Richard Dawkins say such nice things about Christianity. I know these aren’t actually nice things, but given what Dawkins believes about religion, these are nice things.
I have heard of at least one abortion clinic bombing, perpetrated by an alleged Christian. However, I am a pro-life Christian, and I would not hesitate to report someone like that to the proper authorities.
WDIDTPTW?
Picked up some items at thrift stores and estate sales. I didn’t buy everything I could, but at 2 stores this week I saw: colman stove, camp potty, lots of outerwear in camo, tons of other camping, hunting, and fishing stuff. At a sale yesterday there was a bunch of shotgun reloading stuff, cases, primer, powder, wads, and general hunting and fishing and camping. The stuff is out there, if you are on a budget, and have the time to look.
Garden continues… beets are getting eaten. The tops are getting trimmed off and the bottoms get dug up. I’m about over trying to grow beets. The carrots and radishes are doing well. Even have a tiny red tomato on one of the potted plants. The near frost did the peppers and many of the herbs in. I didn’t cover them, and they’re withering.
We had hotdogs and s’mores cooked over a campfire this week. Used the propane colman lamp, an oil lamp, and the hotdog forks. It was fun and a lesson for the kids in fire management, and oil lamps. Lots of comparisons to Little House on the Prairie were made.
Tried the Texas Chili meal from the freeze drieds I bought for 60c a serving at an estate sale. Pretty tasty with a chewy texture surprisingly like meat. Having gone thru the pouches, they are all single serving entrees, around 240 calories each. I’m going to kit them up in boxes to match my other stored FDs from Mountain House- one day for 6 adults/ box. No particular reason for that, just that that’s how these particular MH boxes break down and a desire for uniformity.
I hope to get some of the cameras I bought up and running this weekend. It would be super sweet to get one of the thermal imaging cams up.
This was a bad week for the surrounding neighborhood. (We are in a really nice subdivision, surrounded by a changing neighborhood, dominated by large section 8 apartment buildings, renting predominantly to illegal immigrants.) A man was shot at a house party just a couple of blocks away. A man was stabbed to death at a bus stop a couple of blocks away. There was a home invasion robbery about 2 miles away. Other than the robbery, all the victims were known to their assailants. WHO you know is more important than where you live. Still, could be an indicator of times to come.
.gov grabbed a murderous scumbag who was planning to attack malls in the Houston area. Some important things to learn from this… One, .gov is surveilling ebay. He is accused of buying bomb making components and components of triggers on ebay. Two, they are already among us. Their religion demands that they lie to unbelievers and pursue holy war against us. You literally cannot trust them. Three, everywhere people might be is a potential target to the new style murderers. I used to kind of scoff at the self important ‘we’re a potential target’ yammering in the EMgmt community. As if a global terror organization knows about the little mall in Idabel Oklahoma and would target it. Under the new reality though, a local lone wolf attack IS in fact feasible on any of those targets that wouldn’t be of national interest. Like high school kids breaking into their own school, these local self motivated actors will attack targets close to them that they are familiar with.
Looking further at terror attacks- read thru the attack reporting in Indonesia. Some new stuff there. The murderers seem to be combining attack methods where in the past they would concentrate on one simple thing. The striking thing for me was setting a guy outside to shoot people fleeing the building AFTER the murder vest exploded. Like flushing out birds when hunting. Also, there was a second guy with a murder vest. Doctrine has long held that responders must be VERY alert for a second bomb specifically targeting them. Now we see more than one vest in the same place. And all this was combined with ‘drive by’ attacks from motorbikes. This as been a fear of mine for years, especially as security theatre caused lines outside of secure areas. Any line or gathering within throwing distance of a street is vulnerable to this type of attack.
If you can get a CHL, you need to do so NOW. Make this a priority. Get some training in actually shooting (your CHL teacher can recommend something local). An hour of coaching will do wonders and should cost less than $100. Make it a point to carry all the time. You will need to try a couple of different holsters, and not every holster is appropriate for every type of clothing. Like shoes, you will end up with several, and some you rarely if ever wear. This is normal.
If you can’t get a CHL, (and even if you can) put together and CARRY a medical response bag. Every vehicle should have one. Every range bag. Every BOB. At a minimum it should have scissors, a couple of rolls of bandage, more than 2 pairs of gloves, a roll of tape, an ace bandage, 4×4 sponges or pads. If you can afford it an israeli bandage, clotting agent, and a SOF-T or CAT tourniquet. Add some bandaids for boo boos. Get some training, but even without training, the supplies are useful. The other people on scene might have the skills but not the stuff. EVERYONE can render aid. There are lots of systems for aid, but CERT teaches the most basic. ABC- Airway, Bleeding, Consciousness. Airway- not breathing = not gonna make it. Do what you have training to do, at a minimum, CERT teaches a ‘chin tilt’ to clear an obstructed airway. Bleeding- blood needs to stay INSIDE the body. Direct pressure (this is where those gauze pads and rolls of bandage (kerlix) come in. Elevation, get the wound above the heart if possible. Pressure points, if you know them. As a last resort, tourniquet. Make sure if you are carrying a tourniquet you know how to apply it. Consciousness- you are probably not worried about this.
Simply stopping the bleeding will save lives.
The CERT training material is available online for free.
As these attacks are successful, and are widely publicized, expect them to be more common, and more frequent. They are not the sort of thing .gov is aimed at or good at stopping. There isn’t a grand conspiracy, or lots of comms to intercept. Small groups can’t be discovered or infiltrated easily. So there will be more, and they will be in a place near you. Look at israel for a hint of what’s to come. Low tech attacks of opportunity, by individuals, without a grand conspiracy, and slightly bigger attacks with some planning and coordination, punctuated by larger infrequent “national level” attacks. What can you do? Be LOOKING for it. Have a response planned. Have what you need to respond. Be prepared, not afraid.
And that’s it for the week.
nick
Thanks for the corrected links, Mr. Miles_Teg; the MSM doesn’t seem to be covering these attacks much up here, but I’m the wrong one to say so as I don’t follow them very often, except during squirts between NFL games or the net. Attacks like that only make nooz here when it’s right in our Euro or North Murkan back or front yard and Westerners are the victims. If our gummint was serious about taking the fight to the hadjis they’d be working much more closely with those African and Indonesian armed forces and police; maybe they are and I just haven’t got the word.
“Nice job Obuttwad and John Fairy (who served in Vietnam by the way), with a shout out to Cankles.”
As former and current spec ops people have said and documented, this incident was total bullshit from start to finish. There is no way in hell that those boats should have ended up in Iranian hands.
“…and we’ve not seen the end of this.”
No kidding. But that’s not what they want us to hear. One wonders what other nasty outbreaks will occur over the next few years and as Commissar Rahm has said, the rulers don’t miss many chances to take advantage of a crisis. Quarantines, martial law, putting whole populations at risk by letting in more disease carriers, etc.
“I have mixed feelings about the decline of Christianity, in so far as Christianity might be a bulwark against something worse.””
No shit, Dickie Boy; ’bout time you woke up. Without Christianity there is no chance whatsoever against this enemy, and one look through Euro history clearly illustrates that. They don’t stop and they don’t give up and they think in the very long term; we can’t remember this morning and don’t care. “might be a bulwark”? Yeah, it has been before, and several times just barely.
“I have heard of at least one abortion clinic bombing, perpetrated by an alleged Christian. However, I am a pro-life Christian, and I would not hesitate to report someone like that to the proper authorities.”
Sure, and that will be trumpeted from now to Doomsday by the usual suspects; just like when we mention hadji terrorism and atrocities the same usual suspects immediately start screaming about Timothy McVeigh, who is long dead and buried and about whose case we still don’t know all the facts or who else was involved.
I’m also a pro-life Roman Catholic Christian and would also drop a dime on abortion clinic bombers; why? Because there is a chance that innocent bystanders and EMS responders would be hurt and/or killed. I’d also feel better about my own pro-life position if I was seeing all these years our priests, bishops and cardinals out on those protest marches and lines outside the butcher shops. I can count them on one hand.
I’ve always thought Dawkins more rational than Coyne and his fanboys.
Can’t add much to what Mr. nick says above; keep your eyes and ears open, even in small dinky towns like this one up here. Stay away from crowds and lines (or queues as they say in the UK and Oz). Have your EDC on your person and among the items should be a decent handgun and spare ammo and you should know how to use it real well. And yes, keep first aid/trauma kits all over the place, esp. in vehicles. Clear the airways, stop the bleeding and get EMS help ASAP, if available. If not, you got a situation on your hands.
@RBT
Couple questions:
Regarding biology and diagnostic tests, it occurred to me this week that I’d like to know how to inspect meat for trichinosis. Lots of feral hogs headed for the table here in TX. If SHTF, there will be a lot of non-traditional meats served, bear, horse, hog, etc. I’ve got a couple of nice microscopes, and they are fairly cheap and common ATM. Are there stains I would need?
Anyone know a good manual for food inspection?
Related- are there simple and common ‘scope related diagnostics for human and pet that might be good to know?
Different issue, any thoughts about hosting pictures, either here or thru a service? I know we’re not REALLY anymouse here, but I’m not gonna link to my picassa or photobucket account, and there are times when a picture is worth …… well, you know. Most of the time a suitable substitute can be found online, but not every time.
Some recent examples. I’d like to share the pix of my raised gardens, and particularly my ‘window boxes’ on the fence. Or my multi-monitor setup. Or maybe my radios (tho I’m not particularly proud of that jumble). I’m not even as organized as this guy : http://www.ebay.com/itm/HF-Radio-Technician-package-Dual-band-and-10-meter-plus-more-Read-listing-/141878280153? and that’s quite a jumble.
nick
@MrAtoz, any worry that your drones might become sentient and carry you off?
http://xkcd.com/1630/
I’d like to share the pix of my raised gardens
I use Dropbox and delete metadata from photos I share. I’ve linked before, anyone able to decrypt the link and see who I am? (I’ve also posted my real name several times on this board.)
I think it’s worth a close look at these photos from BK:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3401845/Reports-explosion-gun-battles-upmarket-tourist-hotel-capital-Burkina-Faso.html
If you are interested in US covert military, how the pro’s equip themselves, or what terror attack response could look like…
Note that the US acknowledges that ‘at least one’ US soldier is present and active there.
Look at the uniforms and equipment, particularly the photo of the guy in the black t shirt. Notice anything about the rifles? All suppressed. The gear? All mix and match, all very personal. Three visible clip knives in right front pockets. IR strobes on helmets (IIRC) for IFF from above. Helmet cams. Compare and contrast to the pix of the French forces. Still think there is just “one”?
And for big picture on who might have ‘retaken’ the hotel, compare and contrast the first worlders with the native troops, who don’t even have spare mags.
nick
“I’ve linked before, anyone able to decrypt the link and see who I am? (I’ve also posted my real name several times on this board.)”
Harry Mason Reid? 🙂
Harry Mason Reid?
I am deeply hurt. I shall now drive off the Hoover Dam bypass. Goodbye to all.
Trump 2016! “I’ll open a special spot on the HD bypass for all losers to drive off.”
A quick question for those eligible for Medicare in the US:
Are you going to have health insurance other than Medicare and a supplement?
My Twins turn 21 in June so I have to take them in with their “full time student ” letter to keep them under my Tricare Retired insurance until they are 23. Then take them in for special Tricare coverage from 23-26. At that time, I’ll be eligible for Medicare and they are on their own. I wonder what the health insurance landscape with be like in 6 years?
This article has some practical info on stored food:
https://survivalblog.com/whats-for-dinner-part-6-by-j-r/
particularly, how many of the ‘comfort food’ items last.
nick
Oh it’s starting to storm. Not gonna get my outdoor work done today.
And what did OFD do for prep stuff this past week? Programmed the Yaesu FT60 using RT Systems software, very easy, easier than Chirp, actually. Finally completed the radio, pistol and rifle go-bags, with basic first aid in the radio bag, and that plus a couple of trauma items in each of the gun bags. Figure on toting a bit of weight once you’ve got half a dozen rifle and pistol mags loaded, plus any other bags and you now gotta trek across the frozen tundra, the scorching desert or through steaming swamps crawling with water moccasins and them guys from “Deliverance.” Or maybe just over gridlocked highways outside the cities, jammed with angry and desperate motorists who didn’t bail in time and are now being targeted by FSA professionals and howling demented revenants brandishing rusty truck axles. Oh, and you didn’t forget that rifle and pistol, amirite?
Oh, I did forget one of the thrift store items.
I found another semi-pro camera bag to use as a second range bag.
This one has the padded compartments, velcro for adjustable dividers, large pockets, extremely strong stitching and shoulder strap, AND has side pockets perfectly sized for 30 rd AR mags. The brown color is a plus in my book too. $8.
I got another really heavy and well built gym bag with a wide opening top to use for medical supplies, and I got one of those soft sided ‘grocery bag’ organizers for the back of the vehicle. It’s the kind that will keep your groceries from sliding all over. They work well for organizing vehicle stuff (BOB, firstaid, etc) and will fold flat if you need the room.
I knew I was forgetting something.
nick
note, looks like Frank and Fern are shutting down their blog due to time constraints. That is a real risk when you have a successful blog that is incidental to your real life. They take a ton of time. There is a lot of hard won wisdom on their site, which they’ll leave up without updates. Several good blogs have shut down recently. Sparks31, American Mercenary, and some I used to read have been gone for a long time- USSClueless, KimDuToit, Rachel Lucas. Some are not updating as frequently as hoped- Hogwarts School of Grid Down Medicine, Raconteur. I guess it is wearing, and not particularly rewarding.
From MrAtoz: “A quick question for those eligible for Medicare in the US:
Are you going to have health insurance other than Medicare and a supplement?’
I have been on Medicare Part A only since 9/2015. I am covered with my Wife’s work insurance which is far better and cheaper than what I would get with Part B, Part D, and any Supplement Plans (be careful to understand the difference between Supplement Plans and Advantage Plans, Advantage Plans have many pitfalls and are really only appropriate for a limited number of people). When my Wife retires I will fall under the provisions of the “Special Enrollment Period” so I’ll then avoid the penalties and higher rates.
Everyones’ situation is different and Medicare is constantly changing, even mid-year, so there is no way to predict what the rules will be even next year let alone 6-years out. /editorial opinion on/If we do not vote out all the bums and get rid of ObolaNoCare I predict there will be NO private insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid as we know it today. The Oligarchs will be the only ones with real medical care and choice. Everyone else will sit and wait in a clinic for someone who took a 6-week course in how to be a “doctor”./editorial opinion off/
I suggest you start by going to http://www.medicare.gov/publications and download at least Medicare and You 2016.
If you make the mistake of going to a Social inSecurity Office, be prepared to talk to a rock. If you have not studied up and taken notes you will be taken advantage of, as the sister of one of my Wife’s co-workers found out recently. Long story short, when she took in copies of Medicares own chapter and verse she got what she was entitled to.
Mr. DadCooks’s editorial is more of what will actually be the case, I’m thinking. Thus, take note, first of all, of any private MD and/or nurse biz operations in your AO; we have several lately, looks like. They’ll do the basic stuff for you which you gotta pay for, natch. Also not a bad idea to learn how to do basic med and dental stuff ourselves, anyway, and have the tools, gear and meds stocked.
Saw the nooz on Frank and Fern bailing; had also seen Sparks31 get fed up, both with the time and effort involved and the constant infighting and backstabbing by “our side” out there. Max Velocity has expressed his opinions on all that recently, too; I sure hope he doesn’t also bail out.
Thanks, Mr. DadCooks. MrsAtoz will hit Medicare age first, but we have a few years to figure out WTF we are going to do. If the gummint takes away SS and my pension, I’ll be sucking rocks like most Murkans.
“If the gummint takes away SS and my pension, I’ll be sucking rocks like most Murkans.”
Ditto. Hey, don’t forget: fuck the vet.
Mrs. OFD will probably keep working well after I’ve been able to do so and her SS will be substantially larger than my piddly amount, which roughly equals, per month, a day of her pay. If they take hers, too, we’ll both be sucking rocks of which there is absolutely still no shortage here in Nova Anglia, which is one reason so many of our foredads and foremoms took off out of being exasperated rooting them out of farm fields. So we’ll suck rocks, catch any remaining fish, grow tomatoes and herbs (so far our only garden successes) and raid army depots and hijack trucks and trains.
Oh wait–we’ll still be able to order stuff off Amazon, amirite, since the innernet will never fail?
Just applied for Medicare. But I will not need part B because my wife is having major surgery which will max out my deductible for my group health at work. I will defer part B until July 1, 2016.
Here is the annoying part. Since I am forced to go on Medicare as my primary insurance Medicare will be picking up most of my health costs. My group health at work will be secondary and will not be paying as much. But does the premium go down? Hell no. It seems that under ObutwadCare the rates must be the same for all even if you have other insurance. Obutwad is a fucking moron.
I also checked with the VA for medical and I can get coverage. But the VA rep said to just take Medicare and get supplemental insurance. The VA is not reliable and can be difficult to get appointments.
Thus come July 1 I will be getting Medicare for myself and will no longer have group insurance. I will be getting a supplemental policy for about $144 a month which makes my total out of pocket for any given year at $340.
For my wife however, I will be forced to get her ObutwadCare. That will cost about $700 a month as I would be paying full price. What I will do instead is live off my savings that have already been taxed. Thus my taxable income, what is reported on my tax return will be zero dollars. I will have income of about $12K a year but that will get reduced by the standard deduction to make my income zero (or real close).
Now the good part of my cunning plan. Since I don’t have any income I would eligible for the maximum in subsidies for ObutwadCare. Money in savings accounts does not apply to how the subsidies are calculated. Even though I have more than enough money to live on I will get help with ObutwadCare from the rest of you poor slobs.
Of course all bets are out the window and if we get someone intelligent for president that realizes that little loophole in the law I could be back at square one. But I am optimistic as there is no one running for president that is intelligent.
Regarding biology and diagnostic tests, it occurred to me this week that I’d like to know how to inspect meat for trichinosis.
I asked my daughter about this, she is a Registered Vet Tech. There is a stain you can use on pig meat to check for trichinosis, but she couldn’t remember which one. However, all it will tell you is if the parasites are or are not present in that area of the pig. Also, if the infection is new, it may not be spotted. Also, if you cook the meat completely, the parasites are killed.
Thanks ech
n
“Now the good part of my cunning plan.”
Good luck with that; we have no plan here. I get VA treatment when I need it, so far, and they’re very good up here, again, so far. But wife has to use ObolaCARE and it’s been a bitch signing up and tough paying the $500/month plus astronomical deductibles that negate any idea of savings or decent and fair treatment, while we pay the freight for incoming swarms of illegals and musloid scum, evidently. We’ll see how all this pans out during this current year and the elections.
I think we can basically count on being screwed worse and worse as time goes by in this country and those least deserving will make out the best.
A top prep for me is health. Exercise, diet, supplements etc. At our age, even a small medical event could be disatrous. I need a physical this year and a camera up my butt. On my prep to do list. No prescription meds for me, yet. My Mom is on nine including insulin. Image what’s going to happen when 100’s of thousands of Syrians and other scum start hitting the ERs and federal programs. The old will drop like flies when med prices rise or disappear into low life scum and their now legal anchor babies. Seniors are gonna die anyway and Obola has made illegal scum a higher priority, right?
Dat’s right; we are now inferior to incoming hordes of scum from the south and the east. We must kneel and succumb to the preference they’re given from our superior overlords and do so cheerfully and enthusiastically because America. No bitching, griping or pissing about it; smile for the camera after they take it out of your butt.
I’m on a tiny daily pill for borderline blood pressure, that’s it. Wife is on several meds for the thyroid and heart stuff and mos def needs at least one eye treated surgically. Hate to say it, but she could well go before I do, which she would prefer because she’s already lived through losing one husband (car wreck).
We live in interesting times, bound to get even more interesting, kemosabe. Keep your eyes and ears open and your powder dry.
Wife just called and is home at great-grandma’s house and after I go to the Latin mass down there I’ll pick her up.
Pax vobiscum.
Did you know that rabbits can get pregnant the day that they give birth?
http://www.thesurvivalistblog.net/the-folly-of-jumping-in-feet-first/
“On Christmas day, I noticed strange behavior from the mama bunny, and it looked a lot like nest-building. The next day I found ANOTHER litter of babies. ?@$^&#$!!*$?????? HOW??? I separated the buck and doe the day after the last litter was born!! Are you kidding me?!?! So now, I have 2 adult rabbits, 7 teenage rabbits, 7 juvenile rabbits, and what looks like 10 or 11 newborns. ”
“In looking up statistics for this article, I found this link ( http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/scary.html ) in which they outline the reproductive capacity of rabbits. The math is scary. Given a lifespan of 7 years, and average production rates, a doe (and her offspring) will produce over 184 BILLION rabbits during that 7-year-period. I wish I had read that article sooner!”
I never knew that rabbits were such awesome meat animals. At the first sign of the apocalypse, find some rabbits for long term meat animals.
Re rabbits;
In 1958-ish when my mother died (father died in 1952) I was about 7, and we moved to my aunt/uncle’s house (by Mom’s arrangement prior to her death). They had 6 children at the time, and we added 3. Feed that crowd was a challenge, but done well.
My uncle had rabbits in a cage in the back yard (along with a large garden). My older sister thought the rabbits were really cute, and loved to play with them. Until she realized that the rabbits were used as a food source.
The rabbit-raising stopped after that, I suspect as a way to help integrate both families.
Apropos of nothing, but more cheerful that hearing about ObamaCare: This weekend brings our first snow of the year. It was incredibly warm through December, there wasn’t even much snow in the mountains. Purty…
I have a cousin (lawyer) in the US who is convinced that Hillary is still going to be indicted before the election. I have trouble believing that Obama hasn’t already quashed the whole thing, but maybe I’m a pessimist.
Meanwhile, the best poll I have ever found for predicting US presidential elections: the betting odds. Trump has clearly moved into the number two position; it’s all about Hillary…
Trichinosis: I know something about this, as I shoot wild boar, and testing is required for boar, badger, bear, coypu and other edible animals that can carry the parasite.
Under normal circumstances, we send samples for testing with those of domestic swine. Every abattoir has the equipment, and a test costs less than EUR 10 (about US$12). The sample is +/- 60g of muscle meat taken from specific areas of the animal: between the ribs, the tongue, the diaphragm muscles and a lower foreleg muscle. The reason those areas are important is that they (a) are well provided with blood, which is the transport vector for the parasite, and (b) are from several parts of the carcass far apart from one another, increasing the likelihood of detection, if the parasite is present.
For the tests, the samples from each animal are divided in half, one half is tested, and the other retained as a control. All the samples for one batch of tests (from maybe 100 animals) go into a blender together and are liquidised, and sample slides are prepared from the smoothie. I don’t know what stain is used, but I understand a projection microscope is usually used, with 50x-80x magnification. A standard or comparison microscope of similar magnification would suffice for personal use.
If trichinella are detected in the first smoothie, the control samples have to be checked individually, to identify the contaminated animal. In practice, we freeze boar meat until getting the all-clear from the tests.
Now, for SHTF purposes, a few observations: trichinella is rather rare, at least in domestic swine (1 in 100 million), and not very prevalent in (European) wild boar either (less than 1 in 340 000 in Germany), although the effects on an infected human are potentially fatal. It is destroyed by proper cooking and cross contamination is prevented by hygienic handling and cooking methods.
The technology for examining meat was developed in the 1840s, so not beyond a PA “magician” like RBT. Interestingly, an alternative and simpler method of checking for trichinella is still allowed for those who slaughter their own domestic swine, in which the sample is not liquidised, but rather sliced very thinly, and squashed between glass slides. That is probably more interesting for SHTF use.
Rabbits: it’s maybe worth pointing out for PA knowledge that rabbits are a good source of meat protein, but have negligible fat, which means it is possible to starve to death despite gorging on rabbit (look up “rabbit starvation”). Another dietary source of lipids is necessary.
On that point, if you’re going to keep rabbits, I would recommend keeping quail as well. Quail will actually eat the rabbit droppings (which are basically grass – lagomorphs themselves are coprophagous) though they need other food too, and quail droppings are excellent garden fertilizer. Quail are prodigious breeders, their meat is delicious, they will happily live in a cage/hutch structure, and quail lay eggs, which are a good source of both lipids and protein.
I’ve forgotten what rabbit tastes like, haven’t eaten it for around 50 years. I just don’t see it in shops.
a bitch signing up and tough paying the $500/month plus astronomical deductibles that negate any idea of savings or decent and fair treatment
High deductibles are fast becoming the norm for all insurance plans. My current plan is $4k with a maximum out of pocket of $8K. Rarely meet the deductible but will this year because of spousal unit surgery.
OButtwadCare was designed to be the same for those that can pay. Those that refuse to work for a living (those that elected him) basically pay very little.
a camera up my butt
My time is due again. A fairly trivial procedure. Prep is the worst, just don’t go anywhere during that time. Procedure is done under full anesthesia along with an amnesia drug. I have no memory of much. I remember the doctor telling me everything was OK. I have no memory of getting dressed or leaving the facility. If you take a nap afterwards on the couch place an absorbent pad under your butt as you will leak.
Saw the movie Revenant on Friday. Good movie, good story, but rough. Lot of violence blood, and trauma. Not for the week of of stomach. The movie was well done and the acting was good. I understand why it is up for an Oscar. Definitely not one of those liberal films that try to send a message.
Along that line I see where the black community is upset because no black people are up for an Oscar. I guess it never crossed their mind that no black actors or movies with black actors had any films that were worthy of an award. I certainly hope the movie industry does not start choosing awards based on skin color but I see it coming. The token minority gets nominated and wins because people will vote for the black actor to prove they are not racist rather than the quality of actor. Sort of like how Obuttwad got elected.
I’m actually surprised that the usual grievance whores and pimps haven’t shut down the Academy Awards by now for that kind of horrible lapse. Besides the hugely talented and brilliant array of Afrikan-Murkan actors, directors and producers, there are simply swarms of Hispanic, homosexual, tranny and morbidly and grotesquely obese who deserve a shot at the Oscars. I can see it now: a biopic docudrama about Bruce Jenner’s courageous stand, directed by Spite Lee and produced by Dan Savage and the screenplay written by El Chapo in his prison cell that he’s otherwise busily bribing guards from and digging another tunnel.
Thanks Denis for the additional info.
Post SHTF, feral hogs would be a large source of meat on the hoof at least in this region, where they are so common there is no restriction on shooting them. I would be interested in seeing a number for infection rates in our feral populations.
Good info about adding quail. Quail farming is a commercial operation in TX, and it’s widely available in the supermarket, albeit expensive.
Rabbit is available in most bigger supermarkets here, in the frozen specialty meat cooler. Last time I had it was in the mid-80s. Our fraternity cook made a meal from some one of the brothers provided. Meal for 25-30. We were always close to broke, and that year, lots of alternative food made it to the table.
Duluthtrading has mens winter clothes and outerwear on clearance. I’ve always been impressed with the quality of their merch.
http://www.duluthtrading.com/store/mens/mens-sale-mens-clearance/mens-sale-mens-clearance.aspx
nick
Oh yeah, the camera…. rigid is way more uncomfortable than flexible. You WANT flexible if you can get it. The mental aspects were more bothersome than the physicality for me. The didn’t take any samples, so the only hurt was to my confidence.
@Denis – good points about rabbits a quail. As in all things, diversification is necessary. Of course you can carry it to extremes and/or diversify without truly diversifying.
@Ray – sounds like you did a good quick study regarding Medicare. You are the gooberments worst enemy, an informed citizen throwing the gooberments rules and regulations back at them.
As both of the above comments point out, Knowledge Is Power.
Oh yeah, the camera…. rigid is way more uncomfortable than flexible
I have no idea what they used as I was completely out. I did see some cables hanging the wall. I am guessing they were samples of undersea telephone cables from the size. I suspect they were not.
The Oscar to Denzel Washington for “Training Day” was well deserved. Make more movies of that quality with Black actors and there will be more Oscars of “color.”
I never knew that rabbits were such awesome meat animals.
As are guinea pigs. They are a major protein source in the Andes in S. America. In addition, they are the standard dish for the bride and groom at weddings in Ecuador and Peru. If the family is rich, everyone gets them. An immigrant from down there noticed that you couldn’t get them in the US, got capital, jumped through the USDA hoops, and imports them.
Procedure is done under full anesthesia along with an amnesia drug. I have no memory of much.
They generally don’t do full anesthesia, just a narcotic for pain control and Propofol for sedation and amnesia. At least that’s what my wife did when she did colonoscopy sedation at the surgicenter. If they give you too much Propofol, it becomes anesthesia, but they try to avoid it as you linger in recovery. I had one two years ago or so and supposedly talked to my wife for about 10-15 minutes with no memory of it. She could recognize when I “snapped to” and had me get dressed then.
I was @ss up in the office, with the door opening and closing behind me throughout. I remember a LOT of uncomfortable sensations and movement inside, and some kibitzing among the staff. I was scheduled for the flexible, but ended up with the rigid.
NOT something I want to repeat. Although it is reassuring when the results are negative, it’s frustrating that you went thru that for nothing.
‘Course, this was about 30 years ago. I’m sure patient comfort is a higher priority now.
nick
When MrsAtoz had hers a couple of years ago, she wouldn’t pass out and the docs were scared to give her any more Milk of Amnesia. They asked if she was in pain, said no, and continued burrowing.
‘Course, this was about 30 years ago.
Pretty sure they didn’t have Propofol (a.k.a. Milk of Amnesia) back then. It makes a big difference.
Let’s hope that when we’re buns-up-kneeling and semi-comatose via some kinda dope and the interns and students are bent over laughing and making cracks about your crack, that they don’t use the same method and tool like they did with King Edward II.
King eddy??
nick