10 good reasons to drink tea

 My personal preference is green tea with lemon sweetened with unpasteurized honey.

Bax

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from Wilderness Survival Forums by tealoverXXL

There are lots of reasons why I enjoy a hot cup of tea: I love the aroma of various flavors of tea; holding onto a hot tea mug warms my hands on a cold winter morning; sipping tea in front of the fireplace is a great way to relax. And those are just the feel-good reasons. If you're not drinking tea yet, read up on these 10 ways tea does your body good.

1. Tea contains antioxidants that protect your body from the ravages of aging and the effects of pollution.

2. Tea has less caffeine than coffee. Coffee usually has two to three times the caffeine of tea (unless you're a fan of Morning Thunder, which combines caffeine with mate, an herb that acts like caffeine in our body).

3. Tea may reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke. Unwanted blood clots formed from cholesterol and blood platelets cause heart attack and stroke. Drinking tea may help keep your arteries smooth and clog-free.

4. Tea protects your bones. It's not just the milk added to tea that builds strong bones. One study that compared tea drinkers with non-drinkers, found that people who drank tea for 10 or more years had the strongest bones, even after adjusting for age, body weight, exercise, smoking and other risk factors.

5. Tea gives you a sweet smile. One look at the grimy grin of Austin Powers and you may not think drinking tea is good for your teeth, but think again. It's the sugar added to it that's likely to blame for England's bad dental record. Tea itself actually contains fluoride and tannins that may keep plaque at bay. So add unsweetened tea drinking to your daily dental routine of brushing and flossing for healthier teeth and gums.

6. Tea bolsters your immune defenses. Drinking tea may help your body's immune system fight off infection. When 21 volunteers drank either five cups of tea or coffee each day for four weeks, researchers saw higher immune system activity in the blood of the tea drinkers.

7. Tea protects against cancer. Thank the polyphenols, the antioxidants found in tea, once again for their cancer-fighting effects. While the overall research is inconclusive, there are enough studies that show the potential protective effects of drinking tea to make adding tea to your list of daily beverages.

8. Tea helps keep you hydrated. Caffeinated beverages, including tea, used to be on the list of beverages that didn't contribute to our daily fluid needs. Since caffeine is a diuretic and makes us pee more, the thought was that caffeinated beverages couldn't contribute to our overall fluid requirement. However, recent research has shown that the caffeine really doesn't matter -- tea and other caffeinated beverages definitely contribute to our fluid needs. The only time the caffeine becomes a problem as far as fluid is concerned is when you drink more than five or six cups of a caffeinated beverage at one time.

9. Tea is calorie-free. Tea doesn't have any calories, unless you add sweetener or milk. Consuming even 250 fewer calories per day can result in losing one pound per week. If you're looking for a satisfying, calorie-free beverage, tea is a top choice.

10. Tea increases your metabolism. Lots of people complain about a slow metabolic rate and their inability to lose weight. Green tea has been shown to actually increase metabolic rate so that you can burn 70 to 80 additional calories by drinking just five cups of green tea per day. Over a year's time you could lose eight pounds just by drinking green tea. Of course, taking a 15-minute walk every day will also burn calories.

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Guest Post: Tactical walking tips for bugging in or out, By Northern Raider

© 2011Northern Raider

BEFORE SETTING OFF

Try on your Rucksack and Jacket, Jump up and down on the spot, if your kit rattles or bangs re-pack rucksack until its silent.

Ensure shiny items like watches, ear rings, earphones, belt buckles are covered up or taped over.

Make sure your specs and shades are the dull, matt coloured frames, not the shiny ones.

Do NOT take hand luggage, you must keep both hands free for climbing, roping, using tools etc

Keep your EDC essentials on your person not in your rucksack (Knife, Compass, Lighter, Flashlight, Multi Tool, Bandana, Hats, Gloves, Watch, Shades etc) should you have to abandon your rucksack.

Daytime departure, take a look out the windows from well within the room moving to the right of the room to look left down the street, and vice versa. Do not stand in the window and silhouette yourself. Ensure as best possible departure will go unnoticed.

Nightime departure, extinguish all lights and fires before looking out of the windows, move slowly at night as human eyes detect movement more than detail in the dark. Ensure as best possible departure will go unnoticed.

Turn off cell phones, pagers etc before leaving.

Use simple hand signals to relay information to other family members, raised arm means stop, raised arm and a crouching stance means stop and take cover, arm extended to left means move towards the left, arm extended to right means move to right.  Keep the signals few in number and very simple.

READY TO GO

Turn out lights if it is dark, open door or window PARTIALLY and LISTEN for threats.

Send out one person to scan the immediate area for concealed threats.

If area good to go rest of group to follow, silently and at least 3 to 4 ft apart (6 to 8 feet if tactical situation demands more defensive stance).

WALKING

Walk where possible in the shadows, look up for hazards in surrounding buildings, Look down to avoid items that may make noise like twigs, gravel or broken glass.

Pause frequently to listen, you generally will identify more threats by sound than vision, breaking glass, raised voices, gun shots, vehicle engines, running feet, barking dogs etc

Watch what nature does, if you see a flock of birds, or a rabbit, or deer for example suddenly take flight that tells you something has frightened it, and it may NOT have been your party.

Look left and right SLOWLY in a steady scanning motion, Human eyes detect motion more than shapes  when its dark  and you have more detector rods and cones in the sides of your eyes than you do at the back. Scanning side to side as you walk you will detect MOVEMENT before shape.

The last man in the group needs to keep stopping and quietly observing the rear to see if you are being followed.

Avoid using flashlights to navigate with, rely on your own night visions, Human eyes take 35 minutes to adapt to the dark but only seconds to lose night vision if a fool turns on a flashlight. Not to mention the risk of advertising your position to the whole area if you do use a flashlight.

Where possible avoid public places and spaces where cops, troops or thugs may gather, try and stay in the shadows.

Avoid districts where scavengers may good looking for food, loot etc

When passing through hilly neighbourhoods never walk along hilltops or ridgelines, stay under the ridgeline and don’t silhouette your self.

If faced with an obstacle such as a hedgerow or wall try always to go round or under it, not over the top or through a gate because again you are just exposing your position.

In the short term most highway and rail bridges are really places to avoid, both official check points and predators WILL target them. Look for alternatives.

RESTING & EATING

No cooking fires during the day unless you can guarantee you wont create any smoke.

When cooking at night site the cooker in a hollow or hole so it does not give off light giving away your position, Beware of the odour of cooking food also giving away your position.

If in a group ONE PERSON COOKS, the others spread out and keep watch for approaching scavengers,  Silence is golden as you will hear them approaching long before you see them.

You need to remember the cook will probably lose his night vision so if you have to bug out someone will need to help him until his eyes adjust.

Ideally eat in shifts, half eating half keeping watch, pack away camp cooker etc BEFORE eating incase you have to bug out in a hurry.

Take every scrap of rubbish with you or bury it, fill in your cooking hole / fire pit, leave no clue to your passing through.

SLEEPING

We all need rest and the young and elderly need more rest than healthy adults, you all must sleep when possible. Human biorhythms run in two hour cycles, so to get the full benefit of sleep people need to be fully asleep in two hour sections. This really means in a stressed situation after a days bugging out each member will need three hours in his sleeping bag, and hour to wind down / distress and two hours sleep.  So whilst at least one person stands watch, the others should rest in three hour sections.  All gear must remain packed in rucksacks and boots etc kept close to hand in case you have to make a swift and stealthy exit from your campsite.

Prepping the wife and/or girlfriend

from California Preppers Network by Loco Gato

In today's weird world, you may think that you need to get something to help your wife and/or girlfriend to protect themselves. Just don't do what this guy did!

A guy who purchased his lovely wife a pocket Tazer for their anniversary submitted this:

Last weekend I saw something at Larry's Pistol & Pawn Shop that sparked my interest. The occasion was our 15th anniversary and I was looking for a little something extra for my wife Julie. What I came across was a 100,000-volt, pocket/purse-sized Tazer.

The effects of the Tazer were supposed to be short lived, with no long term adverse affect on your assailant, allowing her adequate time to retreat to safety...??

WAY TOO COOL! Long story short, I bought the device and brought it home... I loaded two AAA batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button. Nothing! I was disappointed. I learned, however, that if I pushed the button and pressed it against a metal surface at the same time, I'd get the blue arc of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs.

AWESOME!!! Unfortunately, I have yet to explain to Julie what that burn spot is on the face of her microwave.

Okay, so I was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself that it couldn't be all that bad with only two AAA batteries, right?

There I sat in my recliner, my cat Gracie looking on intently (trusting little soul) while I was reading the directions and thinking that I really needed to try this thing out on a flesh & blood moving target.

I must admit I thought about zapping Gracie (for a fraction of a second) and then thought better of it. She is such a sweet cat. But, if I was going to give this thing to my wife to protect herself against a mugger, I did want some assurance that
it would work as advertised.

Am I wrong?

So, there I sat in a pair of shorts and a tank top with my reading glasses perched delicately on the bridge of my nose, directions in one hand, and Tazer in another.

The directions said that: a one-second burst would shock and disorient your assailant; a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms and a major loss of bodily control; and
a three-second burst would purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water. Any burst longer than three seconds would be wasting the batteries.

All the while I'm looking at this little device measuring about 5" long, less than 3/4 inch in circumference (loaded with two itsy, bitsy AAA batteries); pretty cute really, and thinking to myself, 'no possible way!'

What happened next is almost beyond description, but I'll do my best.

I'm sitting there alone, Gracie looking on with her head cocked to one side so as to say, 'Don't do it stupid,' reasoning that a one second burst from such a tiny lil ole thing couldn't hurt all that bad.. I decided to give myself a one second burst just for heck of it.

I touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button, and...

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD. WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. WHAT THE... !!!

I'm pretty sure Hulk Hogan ran in through the side door, picked me up in the recliner, then body slammed us both on the carpet, over and over and over again. I vaguely recall waking up on my side in the fetal position, with tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both nipples on fire, testicles nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked under my body in the oddest position, and tingling in my legs! The cat was making meowing sounds I had never heard before, clinging to a picture frame hanging above the fireplace, obviously in an attempt to avoid getting slammed by my body flopping all over the living room.

Note:
If you ever feel compelled to 'mug' yourself with a Tazer, one note of caution:

There is NO such thing as a one second burst when you zap yourself! You will not let go of that thing until it is dislodged from your hand by a violent thrashing about on the floor! A three second burst would be considered conservative!

A minute or so later (I can't be sure, as time was a relative thing at that point), I collected my wits (what little I had left), sat up and surveyed the landscape.

My bent reading glasses were on the mantel of the
fireplace.

· The recliner was upside down and about 

   8 feet or so from where it originally was.

· My triceps, right thigh and both
  nipples were still twitching.

· My face felt like it had been shot up
  with Novocain, and my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs.

· I had no control over the drooling.

· Apparently I had crapped in my shorts,
  but was too numb to know for sure, and my sense of
  smell was gone.

· I saw a faint smoke cloud above my
  head, which I believe came from my hair.

I'm still looking for my testicles and I'm offering a significant reward for their safe
return!

PS: My wife can't stop laughing about my experience, loved the gift and now regularly threatens me with it!

If you think education is difficult, try being stupid!!!!

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Join the APN Forum at www.AmericanPreppersNetwork.net
Visit the California Forum at www.CaliforniaPreppersNetwork.net

Guest Post: Snow Survival, by Christopher Young

Jan 17, 2011

When a person joins a survival mailing list, many
things are popular to dsscuss.  Having been on many
survvial mailing lists, I have come to recognize some
of the popular subjects. Bugging out is one of the big

popular subjects. Everyone's favorite subject is to

grab a bag of supplies and a rifle, and head for the
woods. Doesn't matter what the problem is, some

one will want to bug out. Guns are another subject.

Fortunately, or maybe unfortuantely. Many problems
we face are  far more simple than TEOTWAWKI. You
know. The End of The World As We Know It.  So far,
the world hasn't ended, at least not as I know it. We
have had plenty of problems including depressions,
recessions, and volcanos. These, and power cuts and
military insurgenes, wars, and religious conquests.

But, who considers snow, on the list of threats we
face? It isn't compelling, like parachiging Cubans
coming down from the sky in the Red Dawn movie.
Nor is it a popular subject like looting, or Mutant
Zombie Bikers.

But, in the years I've been alive, snow actually has
come closer to killing me than Cubans, or Mutant
Zombie bikers. So, I'm one to consider snow a serious
concern

There was recently (January 2011) a heavy snow

fall in New York City, USA. The snow fall resulted
in at least two deaths, and untold misery for the
residents there. The poorly plowed streets had plenty
of vehicles stuck in the snow, and many people could
not get out of their own homes and apartments for
many days.

The electric stayed on. The televisions brought news

coverage up to the minute, of who was snowed in.
Thousands got to stay home, and watch Geraldo, and
The Price Is Right, at 11 AM. But, there was much
suffering, also. The police could barely move. Their
vehicles have ground clearance, like everyone else.
The ambulance guys in some cases could not get to the
sick people. The efforts were extreme. Crews of people
pulled stretchers over the snow. But, that can't rescue
everyone.

If you live in an area which gets snow, you would be
wise to make some simple and easy preparations before
the snow season gets bad. Figure out what your basic
needs are, and work to take care of them before things
get too bad.


The simple problems are the most common ones. The
simple safety steps are the most important ones. First,
if you can stay home, please do so. When it is snowing,
you are much safer at home. As compared to walking,
or being in your car.

Second, have a plan. Be creative. Figure out what your
needs are, and alternate ways to meet the needs.

Third, have some basic supplies. An emergency kit.

Remember James Kim?
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Kim

Rather educated fellow. Going home from a trip, and

got stuck in the snow. Died, while trying to get help
for his wife and two daughters. He was driving in snow
and went off the main roads, to take a shortcut that the
internet map showed. His car got stuck, and he eventually
died in the snow. His wife and two daughters lived, but
barely.

So, what could James have done better? What can
you do better?

First, he could have respected the power of snow.
Talk with the local folks. He could have gotten a
motel room, and stayed indoors during the storm.
In the case of severe snow, don't go out.

Second, the plan. If you do go out, tell trusted other
people. Let them know your expected route, and
arrival time. If his family had known, they would have
found him a lot sooner. Yes, his family did search for

him. Even to the point of hiring a helocopter.

Third, he could have had an emergency kit in the car.
Even going on a side road as he did, he may well have
lived to tell. That is, he had some emergency supplies
in the car.

Lets look at some things that you can do at home.

Take care of your medical health. If you are shovel-
ling, do it slowly and pause often to stand, and rest.

You will actually get done sooner, if you pause and
rest after each shovel of snow, or maybe every other
one. Drink plenty of water, you'll dry out faster than

you think. What will you do if you have a medical
problem at home? Do you have a good supply of your
own medications? A first aid kit?

Second, consider the indoor heat. What to do if the
power goes out? Do you have backup heat of some
kind, for a couple days? A fuel based cook stove or
portable heater is good. A generator can wire into
your furnace, for an hour morning and night. You'll
want battery power fans to blow the heat from room

to room. Or get the heat off the ceiling. Do you have
a fire extinguisher, in case things go wrong?

Guest Post: Surviving Public Transport Systems By Northern Raider

© 2011 Northern Raider

Can we as Preppers ever really rely on public transport systems especially URBAN systems? In the UK the vulnerable PT systems are compounded by the fact most signalling systems for controlling trains, and electrical supplies for powering electric trains are now regionalised. This means the power supply for the train you are on could be being supplied from over 50 miles away, and the traffic signals and points switching controlled from over 250 miles away.  EG a recent theft of copper cabling south of YORK stopped all trains moving as far north as Darlington and as far south as Stevenage.

As far as I am aware there is no reliable system of transport available to people ran by state, councils or private sector.

Most if not all transport systems can and are often held hostage to

Trade Union Action*

Power Cuts*

Vandalism *

Accidents*

Theft of signal equipment*

Police Incidents*

Inclement Weather *

Fuel Shortages*

Terror Attacks*

Overcrowding*

Landslides / Subsidence / Rockfall etc*

Political commandeering of system*

All marked * can see an incident over 250 miles away from your position stopping your journey dead.

All types of Public Transport are ridiculously vulnerable to frequent disruption and breakdown in service.

Then add lack of cleaning, lack of street lighting, bad routing, risk of robbery etc and the unfailing attraction of stations and bus depots to thugs and criminals.

Poor or non existent maintenance all affect cycle and walkways from being suitable for regular use over any meaningful distance, cycles at the very least need puncture proof tyres and suspension systems to be any use.

So are public transit systems ever going to be RELIABLE and FREQUENT systems of transport…….I think not.

That is also without considering the health risks we are exposed to on using public transport, from the spreading of infectious diseases such as untreatable TB,Flu etc to picking up fleas and lice from incorrectly cleaned upholstery on seats.

Under and Over

Today we find many public transport systems run either underground or on elevated tracks which makes escape during an incident even more hazardous.

The prepper and survivalist has no other option in reality other than to use their own transport to get around, and as the population increases along with fuel costs, rising crime and civil unrest, the prepper is going to need to  put more effort and resources into their own transport needs.

But if you must use Public Transport you need to plan and prepare carefully, a few suggestions are listed below.

We all at some time use trains, buses and planes and with a bit of forethought you can reduce any risks you may face to more manageable levels.

For example  if you are travelling by train or bus ensure you have a current time table , and study it, because if for example the bus you want (say number 50) is cancelled just as you arrive in some strange town, you may find the 55 is going to the destination but by a different route.

Always check BEFORE setting off that the public transit system at your destination town is running.

Always have the phone number of a couple of Taxi companies in your destination town in case the public transport system fails.

When travelling at night or on systems that run underground or through tunnels always keep a mobile phone, pocket flashlight and a few chemical light sticks on your person and perhaps a spring loaded glass breaker. If the power fails you don’t want to be trapped in a vehicle in the dark with an ever more panicky group of fellow travellers.

A small AM/FM radio is recommended to keep updated on travel news as well.

If you are travelling by plane or train in the UK and want to take your “essential” tools with you then you face the problem of security checks.

One option is to POST your essential kit to your destination in advance of you travelling, I often collect packages of “”Computers bits I forgot”” from the hotel reception desk.

If possible don’t fly or use mainline railway stations that way you reduce the risk of attracting the attention of the authorities and frequent baggage checks.

Think about leaving the lock knife at home in many cases a tactical hard alloy flashlight with a serrated bezel edge is a better defensive tool than a knife AND TOTALLY LEGAL.

If transferring from one transit system to another after dark and you are concerned for your safety (EG leaving a bus to enter a train station) ask the bus driver or station assistant to watch you until you board the bus or enter the safety of the station.

If the bus stop is not right outside the station entrance most bus drivers will if asked nicely stop the bus in front of the station to allow you to alight in safety.

When leaving the safety and bright lights of stations and bus depots switch on and pay attention to your surroundings, are you being followed? Is someone stood close to your car? Is the guy in the shadows a businessman or a thug?

PAY ATTENTION.

On the train itself try and sit close to the guard / ticket inspector or in a carriage with other travellers in it. Dont isolate yourself in an empty carriage because that is just what muggers look for.

When possible its prudent to carry with you a good LED powered flashlight, Chemical light sticks, multi tool, pocket knife, a few disposable dust masks, a drink, route planner and time table, mobile phone, compass and a map of your destination town. (Especially a tactical flashlight with serrated bezel if you have to leave your knife at home)

Keep your purse/ wallet in your front pockets not in your bag or back pocket, this makes life much harder for pick pockets, also ideally you will keep your essentials on your person (cash, tickets, phone, flashlight etc) so that if your bag is stolen or snatched you don’t end up with no money, ticket or method of calling for help. When possible keep both hands free of luggage and keep should and grab bags to your front.

I keep my Fenix LD20 flashlight palmed or in the elasticated cuff of my jacket when leaving stations etc.

Cover up your Bling, PDA’s, Blackburrys, I Pods etc You are not trying to advertise you have valuables on you to anyone.

Never get stuck in a city centre without access to a good pair of broken in walking shoes and a rain/ wind proof jacket.

When approaching a transit point such as a train station, bus depot etc, If you see a large group of youths, strangers, soccer fans, gangs etc hanging about and you can not enter the station without risking trouble then go away and wait a while until they leave, Its better five minutes late on earth than fifty years early in heaven.

Remember as a Prepper the best method of transportation is one you are in control of, IE your own vehicle.

If there is a possible risk that issues such as terrorism, industrial action, severe weather etc may leave you stranded it is wise to have with you as much information about possible transit routes out of the city as possible. And do consider making the journey some other time if possible.

For example a small road map, cycle route map, canal route map, rail route map, even a map showing the direction of electricity distribution pylons, storm drains etc can help you navigate your way to safety.

TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS if something does not look or feel right the chances are your instincts will keep you safe.