Table of contents for April/May #42 2021 in RECOIL OFFGRID

The key two differences between COVID-19 and influenza are the transmissibility of COVID-19, as well as its fatality rate. We’ve seen other coronaviruses such as MERS, which has a high fatality rate but isn’t very transmissible. Flu is highly transmissible but does not have the fatality rate that COVID-19 exhibits. The ability to spread easily and kill a higher proportion of people are what separates COVID-19 from other common viruses and make it a deadly pandemic today. *Show hospitalizations and deaths as a percentage of total cases. COVID-19 rate calculated using laboratory confirmed cases as of April 10 and seasonal flu rate calculated using 2019-20 CDC flu burden estimates.…

Right now, we have a generation with key developmental milestones. Even if there is a vaccine, it’s not going to be effective enough to quickly undo the precautions set in place right now. There is also some long-term trauma that Americans have faced, be that a loss of a job, isolation, emotional and physical grief that exacerbates mental health issues, and delays in developmental milestones for children that could follow them their entire lives. These are all things that we don’t fully understand the long-term impacts yet. Even with the COVID-19 stimulus bills, we’re racking up an enormous amount of national debt while climate change still occurs, and natural disasters are increasing. Wherever the pandemic goes, the trajectory of natural disasters is only going to increase, and the resources that…

How would you define yourself in a single word? Perhaps it’s a family title — mom, dad, husband, or wife. Or maybe it’s a professional title that represents your life’s work, such as soldier, officer, firefighter, or doctor. There’s one term that encompasses each of these titles, and likely applies to every one of our readers to some degree: protector. Whether you’re protecting yourself, your spouse and children, or total strangers in a first responder role, being a protector involves making a conscious decision to improve your knowledge and skills for the purpose of preventing harm. As with any other skill set, becoming a better protector involves training. Byron Rodgers, who you may recognize from our Survivalist Spotlight interview last issue, has put a lot of thought into what it…

One can see a growing trend in the dangerous scenarios our children face in school systems across the nation. As time goes on, these statistics in crime- and disaster-related incidents will only rise as they are strategically met by the school administrators who care for our children. School Safety During the 2017-’18 school year, an estimated 962,300 violent incidents and 476,100 nonviolent incidents occurred in U.S. public schools nationwide. 71 percent of schools reported having at least one violent incident. 65 percent reported having at least one nonviolent incident. During the 2017-’18 school year, there were an estimated 3,600 incidents nationwide involving the possession of a firearm or explosive device at school. A higher percentage of middle schools reported that student bullying occurred at school at least once a week…

Humans have been making clothing with built-in pockets since at least 1200 AD, when our ancestors started cutting slits in their tunics to access coin purses or keys stashed in their undergarments. However, the concept of storing tools on a belt is far older than that of carrying them in our clothes. The frozen body of Ötzi the iceman, who is believed to have died between 3400 and 3100 BC, was found clad in a leather belt. Pouches sewn onto his belt contained a scraper, drill, awl, and fire-starting kit with flint and tinder fungus. Ever since those ancient times, utility belts have seen continuous use, carrying everything from primitive survival supplies and farming implements to swords and six-shooters. They offer quicker access and more load-carrying capability than garment pockets,…

As a federal agent for 12 years, I never knew if I’d be conducting surveillance, responding to a bomb threat, or meeting with a U.S. attorney. Defensive, medical, survival, and day-to-day gear had to be accounted for. My work has now shifted to consulting, but my desire to balance practicality and preparedness hasn’t diminished. The Backpack When it comes to bags, I like something very low key. I want it to be able to blend in regardless of whether I’m at a college campus, urban area, rural area, or airport. My current go-to bag is a 10-plus-year-old North Face Surge backpack. Weighing in at 3 pounds unloaded, it’s slightly heavier than some alternatives, but the organization and comfort make up for the extra heft. The capacity is just over 2,000…

MAKE & MODEL 1 MAKE & MODEL Optical Dynamics Exude OD40 Gen II WEIGHT 14 ounces MSRP $199 URL www.exudelight.com NOTES This Optical Dynamics tool is an “illuminator” not a flashlight, because its optical lenses gather light from a powerful CREE XL2 LED into a narrow beam that doesn’t spill. That makes the Exude OD40 Gen II an ideal tool for targeting four-legged predators in the dark at long range, since most won’t be spooked by the clean, natural-light wavelength. But, just in case, it also comes with red and green lenses. It can be attached to the OD40 Mount (sold separately for $43) so that you can pair it with a rifle and scope — giving you positive ID at up to 235 yards. It has three brightness settings,…

The reality of the pandemic is that a lot is not fully known about the exact benefit of potential safety measures. Ventilation, air filtration, masks, and social distancing all have a positive effect in limiting the spread of the virus. There’s a lot of modeling, retrospectively, to understand the value of each of these measures. When you’re dealing with an infectious disease, you’re dealing with a variety of factors such as transmission through shedding, through vapor droplets, and so on. It’s important to understand that wearing a mask isn’t to protect me from you, but it’s worn to protect you from me. The precise value of masks isn’t known, but they’re an important tool in the toolbox to lessening the spread of the virus.…

More than half of Americans carry chronic conditions, and we have an aging population who carry more than one chronic condition. Anytime those are present, you’re at a higher risk for exacerbating those conditions with illness. Even if that was a smaller part of the population, we’re still seeing huge numbers of deaths that don’t need to happen. As a civil society, we have a responsibility to protect each other. If you go out to overly crowded locations, you’re potentially bringing the virus home to someone and introducing it to another environment. One of the reasons that the playbook from the SARS outbreak in 2003 isn’t working is because the virus is spreading before people are symptomatic or don’t show symptoms at all. We may not be sick but are…

We often hear the expression “serial killer” in reference to a succession of crimes committed by depraved, shadowy figures. Their murders are often grotesque in nature, but the patterns exhibited in these crimes reveal characteristics of those behind the act. In this continuation of our profiling series, we aim to create a deeper understanding of what serial killers are, provide insight into the nature of their crimes, and discuss why they’re ultimately driven into seemingly insatiable violence. A serial killer is defined as a person who murders three or more people, usually with over a month of cooling down between murders. The murders must be separate events that are primarily driven by a psychological thrill or pleasure. Serial killers most often lack empathy and guilt, and are egocentric individuals. They…

Researchers have proposed a new phenomenon called “Facebook depression,” defined as depression that develops when preteens and teens spend a great deal of time on social media sites, such as Facebook, and then begin to exhibit classic symptoms of depression. Acceptance by and contact with peers is an important element of adolescent life. The intensity of the online world is thought to be a factor that may trigger depression in some adolescents. As with offline depression, pre-adolescents and adolescents who suffer from Facebook depression are at risk for social isolation and sometimes turn to risky internet sites and blogs for “help” that may promote substance abuse, unsafe sexual practices, or aggressive or self-destructive behaviors. (Source: The American Academy of Pediatrics)…

As Americans living in 2020, we each are searching on our own for a defining moment. We all do this to some degree, either actively in the pursuit of grand goals, or passively, waiting for life to bestow some sense of meaning. We do this with events too, attempting to put into perspective what something like the death of George Floyd or the subsequent burning of the Minneapolis Third Precinct means for America. These considerations typically take place in the aftermath of such events, invariably influenced by pundits, politicians, and people seeking to control narrative. In the moment, however, neighborhoods came together to protect local businesses and their own homes — and spontaneous Emergency Networks spread across the city. As a Minneapolis native, this first-hand narrative represents the antifragility of…

Irecently participated in my very first two-gun match alongside Iain Harrison, RECOIL’s editor-in-chief, and Nick Saiti, a frequent contributor to the magazine. Both of them made the stages I struggled with look easy. I soon learned that Saiti, who I had just met that morning, is a Grand Master in all eight USPSA divisions. He was kind enough to offer me some pointers and encouragement, and at the end of the match, he invited me to join him at an upcoming Competition Pistol Clinic hosted by his training company, Secret Weapon Training. After watching him shoot, there was no way I was going to pass that up. Unlike prior classes I’ve written about, this class was specifically designed to help competition shooters. Before you dismiss this as impractical, remember that…

Premise: Criminal profiling has come a long way over the last several decades, both in terms of its investigative methods and prominence in pop culture. One name that stands out in this area of study is John Douglas. His FBI career not only brought him face to face with some of the most notorious criminals in recent history, but his pioneering research in the field of criminal profiling has made him an esteemed lecturer, consultant, and author. The Netflix series Mindhunter is based on Douglas’ extensive work. His most recent book, The Killer Across the Table, compares and contrasts four different murderers to provide greater insight into what makes violent offenders tick. Douglas immerses us in his interrogative world to help better understand whether killers are born or made when…

There are echoes to the politics of 1918, such as the opposition to wearing masks. There are also stories of communities coming together to figure out how to beat both diseases. There’s also a longer shelf life to the political science than there is to the health science when exploring the social aspects of both pandemics. However, during the 1918 outbreak, there weren’t nearly as many advances in the health industry, and it was based on old-school epidemiology that hasn’t changed much today. It’s also worth mentioning that even in absence of game-changing therapeutics, there have been improvements in how we treat people with COVID-19. The transfer of information is tremendously quicker than it was in 1918, which makes data and peer-review dispersal among healthcare organizations that much quicker. The…

AHMESH ADALJA Dr. Ahmesh Adalja is a Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security. His work is focused on emerging infectious disease, pandemic preparedness, and biosecurity. Dr. Adalja has served on U.S.government panels tasked with developing guidelines for the treatment of plague, botulism, and anthrax in mass casualty settings and for the system of care for infectious disease emergencies. ERIC DIETZ Dr. Eric Dietz’s research interests include optimization of emergency response, homeland security and defense, energy security, and engaging veterans in higher education. As a director of the Purdue Military Research Institute, Dr. Dietz organizes faculty to involve current and former military in Purdue research with focus on defense and security projects to increase Purdue’s involvement in national defense. TIM FRAZIER Dr. Tim Frazier is a…

Getting prepared for a disaster is the same for any age. Teenagers can get involved in various ways that makes disaster preparation both interesting and relevant to their location and lives. • Talk about disasters with parents and identify ways that they have responded to stressful events in the past that were useful. • Help parents make a plan and prepare a disaster supplies kit. • Decide how to stay in touch in an emergency. • Learn about your school and town’s preparedness plans. Contact your local emergency management agency. • An adult may not be around every time there’s an emergency. Teens should know basic emergency skills such as basic first aid, CPR, firefighting, and home defense skills. Knowing Disaster Basics If a teenager is away from home, they…

The world we live in seems to be crumbling around us these days. I want a pair of jeans that allows me to carry everything I need to deal with unforeseen events, without advertising my preparedness to every passerby. I need to wear these jeans for work and chores. They need to be functional. They need to last. They need to perform. Too tall an order? Nah. I spent the last 45 days wearing the Operatus XP jeans by Viktos. For me, finding a set of durable work jeans was like Ahab hunting his white whale. It haunted me. I tried other brands of tactical jeans to no avail. They were made of paper-thin denim that decayed into tissue paper from the constant wear-and-tear of a large man doing ill-advised…