Medical Attention: Your first order of business should be to get the victim in front of a doctor as soon as possible. Whatever else you might do to stabilize the wound, don’t let the focus shift from finding competent medical care. The faster you do so, the better the chances for survival. However, for various reasons, this might not always be an option.

Secure the Area: If there is still live fire in the area, obviously you want to get the victim as far away from flying bullets as possible, to reduce the chances of being shot again. The only thing worse than one gunshot wound is two…or three…or four. You get the idea. Likewise, if the victim was armed, move the gun out of reach and point it in a safe direction where an accidental discharge won’t strike him again. Remember, bullets can ricochet. At this point, emergency survival depends upon paying attention to the small details.

Immobilize the Victim: Keep the victim still. Lightly support the head and keep it in alignment with the body. This helps to not further aggravate injuries.

Breathing: If the victim is unconscious, check that he is breathing. If not, let’s hope you know CPR because now would be a good time to administer it. Chest wounds can be problematical with CPR. If this is the case, you seriously should be thinking about finding a doctor.

Almost 70% of gunshot victims survive. Head and heart wounds are the most dangerous. Next time we’ll discuss the emergency survival techniques for stopping or slowing bleeding in the absence of a physician.

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This is the same law that has thwarted the presidential ambitions of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger from running for that office, though recent mis-steps out west might make it difficult for Arnie to be elected dogcatcher.

But the birther movement is still hanging around, still proclaiming that we have a false president, a fact “proven” by various records they claim to have uncovered that show Obama as sometimes a British citizen and sometimes a Kenyan. As such, according to the movement, we currently have no legal president or Commander-in-Chief.

To us at Holistic Survival, the birther movement has a valid point that we are in the midst of a constitutional crisis, though the point doesn’t have as much to do with where Obama was born as that he is, indeed, on an apparent crusade to overturn most of the Bill of Rights, specifically the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 10th, and 13th amendments. How is he doing this? Mainly by filling appointed positions with people adverse to the ideals of America. His fiat actions related to bailouts and the healthcare system threaten to destroy our economic viability. Whether he was born in Africa or on Mars doesn’t matter as much as where he’s taking us.

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Military Manuals: True, these are official government publications and we are normally loathe to believe anything from that source but…an ungodly amount of research goes into these books and the methods have been put to the ultimate test in battle. Another thing to keep in mind is that military manuals offer clear, actionable advice. The government has a vested interest in keeping their soldiers alive in the field. A random guide of edible herbs by Dude I’ve Never Heard Of would give us pause to consider.

Survivalist Books: While it’s true that a large section of books by survivalists should be taken with a boulder of salt, there is real gold to be found there as well. Take a pass on sensational titles like How to Survive a Zombie Invasion and, instead, look for legitimate books by people who have actually survived the situation they’re writing about.

Fiction: Books like The Road by Cormac McCarthy and some other end of the world scenarios make excellent chances to play “what if” games with yourself. How would react in a similar situation? While some of the ways fictional characters manage to escape death are not believable, and you shouldn’t follow their actions verbatim, almost any situation depicted could happen…some day…maybe.

These are our category picks for survival books to put on your shelf and pass around to those you love and want to protect. Leave the zombie killing guide for someone else.

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Picture the CCST. It is the length, width, and slightly thicker than your standard credit card, made from stainless steel and, incredibly, contains the following: can opener, knife, screw driver, ruler, cap opener, four position wrench, saw blade, ruler…

Hard to imagine a survival tool so small can contain so many handy options. In this case, you probably need to see it to believe it. Click the link below to see the CCST up close and personal. Our thanks to CoolTools website for the info.

See the Cool Survival Tool

According to CoolTools, the CCST is available for about $4 from Amazon. How many times on a daily basis do you find yourself searching the house and high and low for some piddly little tool and you can’t find it? Now it can be as close as your wallet. Whether an honest-to-goodness survival situation or simply to make quick emergency repairs, we think this is the handiest idea we’ve seen in a while.

And here’s the Holistic Survival incredibly useful tip of the day: Why not throw out a credit card or two and replace them with a CCST?

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Flickr / reynolds.james.e

When confronted by an aggressor in the movies, the plucky hero or heroine fight back with a jab to the eye with a key chain or well-placed kick in the groin. In real life, unless you are particularly trained in self defense tactics, this usually only serves to antagonize the aggressor. Your best bet is to get away. Do what you can to de-escalate the situation and get the heck out of there. Find other people quickly. One of the best ways to de-escalate a tense situation is to not get angry. Don’t rebut a bully’s taunts or insults. Use mis-direction like, “Is that Principal Skinner headed this way?”

The best school survival guide tactic is to avoid the situation before it ever arises. Your intuition tells you a lot if you pay attention. Feel like someone’s watching you exercise by yourself on the track? Maybe the shifty guy in the back corner of the elevator raises the hair on the back of your neck. Use your brain! Don’t get in the elevator.

Here are a few basic precautions to take:

1. Avoid shortcuts through isolated areas
2. Travel in a group at night
3. Make sure friends and parents know your schedule
4. Carry a cell phone
5. Be willing to report crimes in your school to police

Is this school survival guide everything your kid needs to know about staying safe while they learn? Of course not. Our world is much darker than that but it is a start. Parents…your turn now.

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Fast Company Magazine has also called David “one of the world’s most influential thinkers” in the arena of personal productivity, for his outstanding programs and writing on time and stress management, the power of aligned focus and vision, and his groundbreaking methodologies in management and executive peak performance.  He is also the engineer of GTD, the ground-breaking Getting Things Done methodology that has shown millions how to transform a fast-paced, overwhelming, overcommitted life into one that is balanced, integrated, relaxed, and has more successful outcomes. GTD’s broad appeal is based on the fact that it is applicable from the boardroom to the living room to the class room. It is hailed as “life changing” by students, soccer moms, entrepreneurs and corporate executives.  A consultant, educator, and popular keynote speaker to such diverse clients as Citigroup, General Mills, Stanford University, New York Life, Microsoft and the US Navy, Mr. Allen continues to enjoy delivering his sold-out Getting Things Done seminars to ever-expanding public audiences in cities throughout the
United States, Asia, Europe and South America.

David is the founder and President of the David Allen Company, whose inspirational seminars, coaching, educational materials and practical products present individuals and organizations with a new model for “Winning at the Game of Work and Business of Life.” He continues to write articles and essays that address today’s ever-changing issues about living and working in a fast-paced world and attaining a work-life balance. He lives in Ojai, California with his wife Kathryn. David is the international bestselling author of Getting Things Done: the Art of Stress-Free Productivity and Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Work and Life.

Local Jurisdiction Laws
Some areas are quite oppressive when it comes to regulating what type of gun a citizen may possess. Not to name Orwellian names but the average citizen can’t own any type of handgun in Morton, IL. And states like New Jersey and New York aren’t much better. While the moral quandary of whether to ignore local laws is one you must resolve alone, the real issue is how can you practice with the darn thing while living in constant fear about being caught with an illegal weapon. Might be a good time to move to a place in America that still upholds the Constitution.

Social Environment
It makes a difference whether you live in a rural farmhouse or skyscraper apartment building. In the latter there is a real danger of over-penetration if you choose the wrong weapon. No one wants the bullet to go through the intruder, out his backside, and through the walls of the next three apartments down the hallway. A gun for defense in an apartment needs maximum stopping power over a short range – like a short barreled shotgun loaded with large birdshot. Excellent stopping power for close encounters but it disperses quickly and isn’t likely to injure innocent bystanders. In the boonies, where you might be apt to engage human or animal predators long distance, a high-powered deer rifle is a better choice.

Level of Experience
How comfortable are you with firearms? This is a critical question. If the answer is, “Not very,” consider buying a gun for defense with a minimum of controls and doesn’t require precise aiming to do the job. A double-action revolver or pump action shotgun is simple…dead simple to the would be bad guy.

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His first book Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies about the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You’re Eating, became the world’s best-selling and # 1 rated book on GMOs. His second book, Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods, is the authoritative work on GMO health dangers. It includes 65 health dangers, linking GMOs in our food to toxic and allergic reactions, infertility, and damage to virtually every internal organ studied in lab animals. The book expertly summarizes why the safety assessments conducted by the FDA and regulators worldwide teeter on a foundation of outdated science and false assumptions, and why GM foods must urgently become our nation’s top food safety priority. Former UK environment minister says the revelations in Genetic Roulette may “change the global course of events this century.”

Mr. Smith has counseled world leaders from every continent, campaigned to end the use of genetically engineered bovine growth hormone (rbGH or rbST), and influenced the first state laws in the United States regulating GMOs. A riveting keynote speaker and popular guest on TV shows worldwide, he has lectured in 30 countries and has been quoted by government leaders and hundreds of media outlets including, The New York Times, Washington Post, BBC World Service, Huffington Post, Nature, The Independent, Daily Telegraph, New Scientist, The Times (London), Associated Press, Reuters News Service, LA Times, Time Magazine and Genetic Engineering News.

Former US National Institutes of Health scientist Candace Pert describes Jeffrey as “the leading world expert in the understanding and communication of the health issues surrounding genetically modified foods.”

Mr. Smith has united leaders to support The Campaign for Healthier Eating in America, a revolutionary industry and consumer movement to remove GMOs from the US food supply. He is the executive director of the Institute for Responsible Technology, producer of the films Hidden Dangers in Kids’ Meals and Your Milk on Drugs—Just Say No!, writes an internationally syndicated column, Spilling the Beans, has a regular blog on the popular Huffington Post, and is followed on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Mr. Smith lives with his wife in Iowa, surrounded by genetically modified soybeans and corn.

The Institute also informs policy makers and the public around the world about the risks and impacts of GMOs on health, environment,  agriculture, the global economy, and the problems
associated with current research, regulation, corporate practices, and reporting.

But what is the effect of deflation and why do pasty men at desks under fluorescent light bulbs make themselves sick in the stomach at the prospect of prices falling? Well, it goes something like this. A deflationary cycle means people aren’t so quick to whip out the credit card or plunk down hard-earned dollaristas on the retail counter. The result is prices fall in the face of softening demand. Production grinds to a halt because nothing is flying off the shelves. Consumers see prices falling and decide to wait on additional purchases in the belief they will fall further.

Investors and buyers hoard currency rather than invest it because they don’t trust even the most solid of securities to maintain their value, much less to increase. Historically not all periods of deflation lead to poor economic growth but one sticks in our collective consciousness – The Great Depression. Ergo, everyone hears the word “deflation” and hunkers to the floor solely concerned with their own economic survival.

Your real enemy is the spectre of inflation lurking just around the corner. That’s the beast that may destroy your portfolio unless you do something drastic. Our suggestion: get out of stocks as much as is feasible and into income property investments, which is the only asset that profits from inflation. Your future economic survival may truly depend on action taken now.

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