Will you survive? Topic: Water

I am happy to announce the first ever guest contributor to What Jared Sees. My good friend Jorge will be covering various topics in a weekly guest segment titled Will You Survive? Like myself, Jorge is a zombie, end-of-the-world, survival situation enthusiast and I am excited to see what he brings to the blog. So without further introduction, here's Jorge!

WILL YOU BE ABLE TO SURVIVE?

Hello and welcome to the very 1st edition of “WILL YOU BE ABLE TO SURVIVE?”. This topic was made up for 1 reason and 1 reason only, to make you ask yourself if you would be able to survive anything that comes in your direction. This world isn’t perfect and because of that we should all be ready for whatever comes our way, anything from natural disasters to the unexpected loss of our commodities. Every blog that gets posted will have a specific subject and will make you think whether or not you are prepared. Remember, if you’re not thinking, you’re not surviving.

Our first topic of the day is “Water”. Without this natural resource, we wouldn’t be alive. Our bodies are made up of 65% to 75% of water. Depending on the situation or location, we might not be able to survive 1 day without it. It was once recommended to drink about 8 glasses of water a day, that’s a total of 64oz or close to 2 liters. This was before, now you have to take your weight into consideration along with the amount of daily exercise or if you might be injured or possibly pregnant. Either way, water is our #1 source of survival. Ask yourself this important question, ”If a natural disaster happened or the main water supply was suddenly shut off, will I be able to survive without it?” Some people have a water filtration system in their home so they can use the faucet to get their water while others might only rely on bottled water. Either method is good, but is there enough water stored? Water from a faucet is fine, but there is always a high risk that the water could be contaminated. On the other hand, water bottles can be stored and have a 2 year shelf expectancy before it is no longer drinkable.

Other methods of water storage are in blue barrels. These barrels can store gallons of water and come in different sizes. There are also water pouches or water boxes that have a 5 year shelf expectancy. Heck, I’ve even seen canned water for sale. The main point I am trying to get here is that if you’re not prepared, you might not make it. Having a few bottles of water around will do well. Being able to buy and store your own water supply will be better. Make sure you keep in mind anyone else that will need this water such as your family or pets. All in all, it does not hurt to be ready for the unexpected.

EXAMPLES OF STORAGE:

These Plastic Water Barrels are perfect for water storage. Water Barrels are available in 15 gal, 30 gal, and 55 gal sizes.

Store and carry safe water easily with this individually canned drinking water. The manufacturers use the same strigent specifications used by the U.S. Military plus enhancing it by adding the following stages: boiling the water before canning, vacuum sealing, followed by "cooking" the cans to eliminate any bacteria. Each can contains 24 fl oz. This water will survive severe conditions of extreme cold and intense heat for 30+ years.

Each Datrex Water Pouch Contains 4.2 oz. of refreshing water. Great for long-term storage needs. Easy to open--drink right from the pouch. Can double as ice packs for first-aid emergencies and more. Ideal for use in your 72-hour kits. Best if used within 5 years.

Aqua Blox are purified, commercially sterile drinking water boxes, aseptically packaged, with excellent taste. Water and packaging both comply with and surpass Federal standards for purified drinking water. Water is easily dispensed through attached, individually wrapped straw. When frozen, may be used as a first-aid cold pack for bruises, sprains, and other injuries. The boxes are longer lasting and significantly less expensive than freezable chemical cold packs. AQUA BLOX drinking water units are U.S. Coast Guard Approved.

The AquaPod Kit is easy to install and provides the safe water your family will need in the event of a contaminated public water supply. With up to 65 gallons and a convenient pump, the AquaPod Kit can provide a 14 day supply of water for basic needs for a family of four.

That's all I've got for today people so remember, if you’re not thinking, you’re not surviving!

Jorge

Tactical Tuesday: High Capacity Mags

Hello everyone! I am sorry for not posting this last couple of weeks, but I have some great things coming down the pike for you all.  Anyways, on to tactical Tuesday.

This weeks tactical Tuesday will be a little shorter then the previous posts.

Today we will cover something very important (like we always do.) If you are the kind of person who likes their fire arms this post will be for you. Sorry if I post a lot about guns to all the people who don't own any. I believe guns are a must have for any end of the world scenario.

Whatever firearm you choose is up to you. Some people will argue this gun over that or this caliber of bullet over that. This post is not about the kind of gun you use but rather the kind of magazine you use in your gun. I'm talking about using high capacity magazines in your gun. Now in saying this some states do not allow owners to have high capacity magazines, so if you live in one of those states, follow the law and don't buy high capacity magazines.

High cap mags hold 15 bullets or more. Other mags only hold 10 bullets. The advantage of a high cap mag is obvious. You can store more bullets and have the ability to reload less. High cap mags are a little more money but are well worth the investment. The pictures below are of two different mags, side-by-side.

The one on the left is my Glock 22 mag. It is a high cap mag that holds 15 bullets. The mag on the right is for my Walther P-38 (the same guns the German's used in WWII.)

The P-38 is a single stack mag that only holds 8 rounds. That being said, older guns like the P-38 cannot have a high cap mag.

So when it comes to picking your gun, that's up to you. But when it comes to picking a mag always go with a high cap.

Until next time, thanks for seeing what I see!

Jared

It begins...

This is how it is all going to start people. Zombie ants. Scientists are using these infected ants and turning them into "practical applications". We are all going to think the biological insecticides are great until one day you wake up next to your wife and she bites your face off.

Read for yourself:

Ker Than

for National Geographic News

Published May 11, 2011

A parasitic fungus is turning ants in Thailand into "zombies," and now scientists have a better idea how and when the infection does its gruesome work.

The fungus, a species of Ophiocordyceps, targets carpenter ants living high in Thailand's rain forest canopy. The parasite hijacks the ants' nervous systems, causing the insects to perform abnormal—and oddly specific—behaviors that help the fungus reproduce.

(Related pictures: "'Zombie' Ants Controlled, Decapitated by Flies.")

In a new study, researchers used microscopes to peer inside affected ants and see how the infection progresses. The team found that the growing fungus slowly fills the ant's body and head, causing muscles to waste away and muscle fibers to spread apart.

It takes about three to nine days from initial infection for the ants to become completely zombified, the team found. At first, the infected ants go about their normal business, residing in their nests, interacting with other ants, and even feeding.

"I think of them then as chimeras: part ant and part fungus," said study leader David Hughes, an entomologist at Pennsylvania State University.

"As time goes on, the fungal part increases until that ant's behavior is no longer its own."

The new work also found that the fungus tends to kill its ant hosts at high noon, although the exact reason for this timing remains a mystery.

Zombie Ants Die Locked to Leaves

Scientists have been studying Camponotus leonardi ants in Thailand for several years to assess the insect-fungus interaction. In a 2009 paper, for instance, Hughes and colleagues reported on the surprising specificity of the fungus's "directions" to its zombie hosts.

(Related: "'Zombie Virus' Possible via Rabies-Flu Hybrid?")

While normal ants rarely deviate from a trail along a tree, zombie ants wander aimlessly, and they suffer convulsions that cause the animals to fall out of the forest canopy.

Once on the ground, the ants remain in the leafy understory, which rests about 9 or 10 inches (25 centimeters) above the soil and so is cooler and moister than the forest canopy—perfect conditions for the fungus to reproduce.

After a few days, the fungus directs the insect to clamp down on a leaf. The multiplying fungal cells in the ant's head then cause fibers to detach within the muscles that open and close the ant's mandibles.

This results in "lockjaw," which makes an infected ant unable to release the leaf, even after death, creating a stable place outside the ant for the fungus to grow. At this stage the fungus uses a poison to kill its host.

A few days later, the fungus grows through the top of the dead ant's head as a fruiting body, or stroma. Resembling a buck's antlers, the stroma releases spores to be picked up by another wandering ant.

The entire process, from infection to spore release, takes about two to three weeks, Hughes said. (See step-by-step pictures of the process: "'Zombie' Ants Found With New Mind-Control Fungi.")

But the moment the fungus directs an ant to bite a leaf is at least partly dependent on environmental conditions, Hughes added. If the understory is too dry, the fungus "hangs back and waits."

Most of the fungus-sprouting ants in the 2009 study were found in places with 95 percent humidity and temperatures between 68 and 86 degrees F (20 and 30 degrees C).

Ant Fungus Kills at High Noon

Adding a new twist to the tale, the latest research shows that the fungal coup de grace usually occurs at solar noon, when the sun is at its strongest. The fungus might be using sunlight to synchronize the final part of the infection, but this is still speculation, Hughes said.

The new study also suggests that the fungus doesn't target the ants' brains directly. Rather it secretes compounds that affect the insects' brains and nervous systems.

The compounds "likely have an effect on motor neurons"—responsible for controlling movements—"but that is a hunch at present, based on the type of atrophy we saw," Hughes said in an email.

Ultimately, the researcher hopes his work will lead to practical applications, such as biological insecticides that can target pests. Many species of carpenter ant, for instance, can cause structural damage to buildings as the bugs carve their nests in damp wood.

"It will be a major focus in my group," Hughes said. "How can we use this [discovery] to control ants, which are, after all, devastating pests in many places?"

Tactical Tuesday: Flashlight

For this weeks Tactical Tuesday I will be featuring one of the most important tools one could have in their anti-zombie kit. But before I do I have a very funny and more importantly a very applicable story. So here goes:

The other day my wife and I were in bed chatting when we heard a loud sound on the side of the house. The sound repeated several times. Then, just as fast as the sounds started. they stopped. At this point my mind was racing. What could it be? Could this be a burglar, kids committing vandalism or could this be the real McCoy, the zombie attack. If it were the zombie attack why would it start at my house? Maybe there is a mad scientist behind this attack, a puppet master so to speak. That master would be at my house to silence me so he could take over the world with his zombie army (I have 64 hits on my zombie blog after all!) What ever it was I had only one thing to do in my mind and that was to investigate the bump in the night. So I grabbed my glock 22, slammed a round in the chamber, walked out into my living room and started to look for a flash light. Now the funny thing is I have about 20 flash lights but all of them are either broken, lost or have no batteries. I'm sure I could have found one around the house but that would have taken at least ten minuets and this problem needed to be solved now before more zombies or intruders showed up. So the only flash light that I could find quickly was one that was given to my 2 year old son for his birthday just this weekend. Now this flash light was is a particularly special one because it is in the shape of a dinosaur.

And what is even better is when you pull the trigger to turn the light on, the dinosaur's mouth opens and it RAWRS! So now that a grown man was armed with a glock 22 and a kids dinosaur flashlight I started to do a check around my house. Needless to say there were no zombies or anything else I mentioned above.

Now on a little more serious note, the Tactical Tuesday item today is obviously a GOOD FLASHLIGHT! A flash light is one of the best offensive and defensive weapons you can have in your arsenal. It is a must have because if you can't see you can't fight. Most people think a flashlight is more of a defensive weapon, limiting it to giving you light only. But a flashlight is a great offensive weapon also. Because the light can be used to blind your opponent. If your opponent cannot see he cannot fight. If you have a gun in your room you should have a flashlight right next to it. something I need to do also! And if you don't have a gun you should at least have a nice flashlight to blind a intruder or zombie that comes into your house. Remember to have a flashlight in a designated place in your house and don't move it. Keep extra batteries and spend some extra money on it. Believe it or not, all flashlights are not created equal.

The moral to the story is if you have to dig around for something it will be too late by the time you find it. Even though a dinosaur flash light is funny and not the best choice to investigate the bump in the night it is better to go with what you have rather then digging through your house for twenty minutes trying to find something better. So the best thing to do is to be ready for the bumps in the night with a nice flashlight with brand new batteries.

Until next time. thanks for seeing what I see!
Jared

Tactical Tuesday: Tactical Holster

Every Tuesday my blog will feature a tactical item that I feel would be handy for the zombie apocalypse. That being said I've always been a person who tries to follow his own advice - it's kind of pointless to not apply your own ideas, so many of the items on Tactical Tuesday I actually own and you can bet the items I don't own are on my wish list. So without any further intro I present to you the first ever Tactical Tuesday!

Today's featured item is the Black Hawk tactical holster:

I have owned this holster for about three years. It is a must have for your second best friend and which is your side arm. The one I own is a universal holster that will hold any full sized semi-auto pistol. It has a front magazine pouch to store a additional mag. The holster sits on your mid thigh or where ever feels the most comfortable to you and can be easily adjusted. Most tactical holsters have two straps that go around your thigh but some only have one. This particular holster has two straps. The gun in the holster is my Glock 22 (that's the 40 caliber full sized Glock). I can carry my Glock with one mag in the loaded in the gun and a additional mag in the front pouch for a total of 30 bullets in this rig. Not to bad if you ask me! Hopefully that translates into 30 dead zombies if things go south!

This is the magazine in my hand and the magazine pouch is right next to it...

Side view...

COST: I think I purchased this particular holster for around $35 to $45 (sorry, it's been 3 years). There are tons of different tactical holsters out there to choose from. Any good brand is a great choice, Black Hawk is not the only brand out there. Tactical holsters range in price from $35 to $150 and sometimes even higher than that. It's up to you on what you want to spend. When I purchased this item my thoughts were its the best bang for my buck. It's a nice holster that is made out of high quality material that will last but it won't break the bank. Some of the upper end holsters are made of plastic and you have to push a button on the holster (with your trigger finger) to release the gun. If you are going to purchase one of those types of holsters it will have to be gun specific. PROS and CONS Pros: 1. This holster puts your gun in a easy to place to get to. 2. Hip mounted holsters can get caught up in your shirt. This can be even worse if you have a coat or a lot of layers on because of cold weather. I have experienced this for myself while shooting at a out door range in cold weather for work. The tactical holster puts your side arm down on your leg clear of any clothing or snags. 3. The extra mag pouch on the holster gives you additional ammo. 4. There is a reason why all the of military, law enforcement and private sector people use these holsters. Cons: 1. The holster does bulk up your leg making getting into small spaces harder. 2. Having a tactical holster lets everyone around you know you have a pistol, where as having a hip mounted pistol is much more concealable. P.S. To all you revolver lovers out there, keep up the love. I don't have a revolver so I have to do some research on a good holster. If you have any ideas let me know. A revolver is definitely on my wish list. Until next time, thanks for seeing what I see! Jared

Question to the world: What do you see?

What do you see?

1. Do you see a world that could someday be consumed by anarchy and injustice?

2. Do you see a world that could someday be infested with zombies?

3. Do you see a world where someday only the strong survive?

4. Do you see a world where the total failure of our over inflated economy could come crashing down on us? Where the government is broke and powerless to help the chronic welfare class of today's America, thus sending the free-for-all masses to fend for themselves the only way they know how which is to get things for free?

5. Or do you see a world that will always be the same as it is? Truth, justice and for the most part equality for all?

If you answered yes to one or more of 1-4 then read on. If you answered yes to the 5th question don't come knocking on my door when the world falls apart you cry baby bed wetter!