On my way out the door a few minutes ago, I grabbed a handful of popcorn to munch on the drive. Sure enough, one of the shards of husk got itself stuck in my teeth. The entire 10-minute drive was focused on trying to work it free with my tongue.

I was unsuccessful, of course, but it made me think about life after teotwawki — we’re going to miss a lot of simple things. Dental floss is going to one of them. At least it will after my stockpile runs out. It’s not that simple an item to manufacture. Without it, however, we’re back in the middle ages. Well, maybe a bit later than that.

Dental floss was “invented” in 1815 and was made from silk threads. (Making silk is certainly something the ultimate hard-core survivalist should know about.) Floss wasn’t made commercially until 1882 and it wasn’t until after World War II that it was made from nylon and other plastics, materials made from hydrocarbons that would be extremely hard to make with primative technology.

Today, only about a quarter of Americans floss their teeth — though probably three times that many tell their dentists they do — but many households keep it around and use it the week before going to the dentist and when it comes in handy, like after eating popcorn. Once the teeth loosen up in the gums a bit, more and more things seem to stick and a good flossing after consuming a steak is a most worthwhile activity.

Other dental supplies

Floss, of course, is just a metaphor for dental supplies in general. When we think “medical,” we don’t always consider oral health, yet without precautions, we could be in for some significant pain. Have you packed in your bug-out kit, for example, a toothbrush? While we can find substitutes for toothpaste — baking soda, for example — or while we can do without it, what can we substitute easily for a toothbrush? The mashed and shredded end of a green twig? I’d prefer to make sure I have a brush.

And how long would that brush last. We’re told — by the people who sell them, of course — to change our toothbrush every six weeks. It may last for six months or a year, but it certainly won’t last forever. So you might not want to just toss an old, worn-out version in your kit, but actually spend a couple of bucks to get a new one — and the kind people like and will use — for every member of the family.

If you’re thinking long-term, you might quite a few toothbrushes and related supplies.

At least for the medium term, you might want a year’s worth, say, of toothpaste. It doesn’t go bad and you’ll use it up regularly anyway. If your hygiene, as well as your user-friendliness, depends of mouthwash, you might want to stock that, as well.

You also might consider a plaque scraper, or “dental scaler,” to deal with the buildup of calculus. (See at bottom.)

Treating pain

While you undoubtedly will have some pain medication, from aspirin on up, in your medical kid, you might want to stock on some stuff that’s great for a toothache, and that’s oil of cloves. Since not many of us grow clove trees (most of them are in Indonesia, southern Asia and Africa), we need to stock up on this over-the-counter substance which gives almost immediate relieve on contact.

If you remember the 1976 movie Marathon Man, the evil Nazi war criminal dentist Sir Laurence Olivier drills into Dustin Hoffman’s teeth to get him to talk and then applies oil of cloves, to show how fast the pain will go away if only he’ll tell what he knows. Unfortunately for Dustin, he knows nothing, so the pain sequences continue, to the great anguish of the audience!

You can buy therapeutic-grade clove oil from Amazon (see below) for as little as $2.98 (when this was written) for a 10-ml bottle, so there’s no reason not to have it around the home and in your bug-out kit and at your survival cabin or in your cache.

There may be other dental items your family will need as well, such as denture-care products, or products to care for your daughter’s braces. Be sure to think dental when you’re putting your survival supplies together.

Dental Scaler, Hoe, Silicone Handle, Lateral, HSL34-35

Clove 100% Pure Therapeutic Grade Essential Oil- 10 ml

By the way, if you want to watch a good movie with great acting — and you think you can handle it — Marathon Man is still available.

Marathon Man

By Mike Kerrigan

There are 9 possible 2012 disaster scenarios predicted by the Sumerian Nibiru Prophecy, Nostradamus’s Doomsday Prophecy and others. The challenge is to find a sanctuary to be with your family when it all gets ugly. Fortunately the USA is blessed with an immense land area, much of it in high elevations, so finding a remote safe place with the necessary topography is possible if you know where to look. Taking a look at the ‘Lights of the US’ on the website darksky.org will show you very clearly where the major population concentrations are by the lights at night, and where the empty spaces are too. That’s where you’ll find your 2012 survival sanctuary.

Here are the best 2012 survival sanctuaries in the continental U.S. in alphabetical order, not order of preference.

The Appalachian Mountains

This area is a good candidate for its immensely thick and solid granite core. While they are not exactly what you’d call remote. They cover a big enough area and are sufficiently rugged for you to be able to get some seclusion for your Family Safe House. The downside is that a lot of other 2012 Survivalists know about the Appalachians too, so finding your own private survival sanctuary with be trickier and possibly quite expensive. If you can, you’d be a lot better off moving right away from the heavy population concentration on the Eastern third of the continental USA and looking for your 2012 survival sanctuary to the west of the Missouri River. So now let’s take a look at the other areas worth further investigation.

Northern Arizona

The Colorado Plateau is very high at 5-8,000 feet, and a 200 + miles from Phoenix where most of the population in the state is concentrated. The main thing is look out for here is that you have an aquifer on your land, so you can draw your water from underground.

Land ranges from $200 to $500 per acre for average grade and goes up to $20 – $40K in very high quality areas, which have everything in the 2012 survival sanctuary wish-list.

Arkansas

North Central Arkansas is high enough to be safe, has low population and a good growing season. The cost of living is lower than average and land is inexpensive at $500 – $1000 per acre, and it seems like you can build pretty much what you want without needing a permit.

Colorado

Parts of this state are OK if you can get far enough from other people, also it can get extremely cold.

Idaho

Idaho is as close to perfect as it gets. There are massive areas of forest, great hunting and fishing, and a good growing season in lower areas of the state, but it can get very cold at high elevations. Property isn’t expensive.

Montana

At lower elevations west of the Great Divide there are some promising places your family’s 2102 survival sanctuary. Population is low, but the growing season is short, there’s not much crop diversity and it’s cold in winter. Areas around Flathead Lake, Eureka and Kalispell are worth a look.

Oregon

The interior of Oregon looks like a survival paradise until you consider how close it is to the teaming millions living in California. The climate is mild and the growing season long. Eastern Oregon could still be worth considering, if you can find a place that is either very hard to find from the road, or very easy to defend.

South Dakota

The South-West part of the state has good groundwater from the Ogala Aquifer, very low population and microclimates can give a better growing season. The topography also lets you find a well concealed hiding-hole with a good view of unwelcome guests.

Texas

Texas is so big that there are plenty of remote rural areas where you can get out of sight. In the hill country the climate is mild and the growing season is long. The downside is that most of the locals are armed to the teeth and don’t take kindly to strangers.

Washington

A lot like Oregon, it has a mild climate and good growing season, and areas where population density is low. There is the California factor too though, but overall definitely worth considering.

Wyoming

Hard winters, but very low population. Wyoming could be a good choice if you can afford to build a very well equipped sanctuary with protection from extreme cold and plenty of storage. Remember that a winter resulting from a nuclear war or space object impact could last five years.

This list certainly gives you a few options to choose from. However for most of us the final choice will be dictated by cost – meaning we need to look for 2012 survival sanctuaries near to where we live. However if you’re properly prepared you can feel confident and secure even in less remote locations. I’m reminded of the hit song from the 80′s with the chorus line “You better stay away from Copperhead Road.”

Mike Kerrigan a Special Forces survival expert has put together “The Ultimate 2012 Family Survival Manual” which contains all the vital information like this you need to keep them alive in 2012. And with the amazing 2012 Official Countdown we’re giving it to you as a free bonus. Get it before time runs out.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Kerrigan

http://EzineArticles.com/?2012-Doomsday-Survival-Sanctuaries-in-North-America&id=3680961

Mike Kerrigan also has written about survival attitude.

By Phil Washington

If you are going on a camping trip, make sure that your survival kit has an emergency blanket included. In case of unexpected downpours and windstorms, using them is sure to keep you toasty warm throughout the night.

Shopping tips for emergency blankets
With so many bogus products crowding the market today, authentic emergency blankets, which may also be referred to as space blankets, are harder to find. Use the tips below to make sure that your purchase is 100% capable of keeping you safe and warm in whatever weather condition you find yourself in.

The right materials
Basic emergency blankets are made of aluminized non-stretch polyester. Anything else will not be able to effectively or sufficiently reflect your body heat and provide you with the extra warmth you need.

Heavy-duty emergency blankets, on the other hand, are made of a more durable kind of polyethylene. If you’re expecting to meet extreme weather conditions on your camping trip, you’ll be glad to know that this kind of emergency blanket is capable of reflecting 90% of your body heat.

Lastly, authentic emergency blankets are weatherproof. Be sure to test it out for yourself. Emergency blankets must not only be capable of keeping water out but it must also protect your body from strong gusts of wind.

Compact and lightweight
Because emergency blankets are designed for outdoor use, its manufacturers have ensured that lightweight materials are used for making them to facilitate traveling. If the emergency blanket you are interested in buying is bulky and heavy then it’s probably a fake and won’t give you any semblance of safety or warmth when you finally make use of it on your camping trip.

Flexible
Be sure to test the flexibility of the emergency blanket. You want something that will effectively mold to your shape even in sub-zero conditions.

Size
If you are of exceptional height or girth, be sure to check the dimensions of the emergency blanket. Don’t settle for anything incapable of keeping you fully covered as this could compromise your health and safety.

Appearance
Look for something that’s easy distinguishable even in low light conditions. In cases where you’ll have to pack quickly and move to another camping site, you won’t have a hard time looking for your emergency blanket.

It’s not for sharing
Last but not the least, not all emergency blankets are designed for sharing and at the most, they are only capable of keeping two persons under wraps. Anything more would render the emergency blanket less effective than it should be.

About the author

If you’d like to complete your survival kit, an emergency blanket is a necessary addition. Get only the best emergency blanket with the help of Survival Gear.

(ArticlesBase SC #784647)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Emergency Blanket: An Essential Item For Survival Kits