Code Name Insight: June 2008

Monday, June 30, 2008

Link Round up--Interesting Stuff from the Web

Once again I am cleaning out my favorites file and have a bundle of links that are interesting but don't really fit anywhere. Here they are:

Random Facts But All True http://www.thecryptmag.com/Online/29/RandomFacts.html
A Video Game That Teaches AP Level Immunology http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/29/198238&from=rss
The Price of Food 2007 vs 2008 http://www.cattlenetwork.com/Content.asp?ContentID=230814
10 Things to Do in Europe That Will Make You Smarter http://matadortrips.com/10-things-to-do-in-europe-that-will-make-you-smarter/
30+ Tools for Cheap and Convenient Air Travel http://mashable.com/2008/06/17/tools-for-cheap-air-travel/

25 Important Documents to Keep in a Safe Location

When TSHTF or even a minor disaster occurs, you will usually need to provide a variety of documents before receiving help from FEMA, your insurance company, the Red Cross, or other agencies providing assistance. Even if you don't deal with these agencies, it is a good idea to keep the following documents safe but easily accessible:

Birth Certificates for all family members
Marriage/divorce certificates
Adoption Paperwork
Wills for each Adult
Living Will/Financial Power of Attorney/Medical Power of Attorney for each Adult
List of all financial accounts (Bank, Savings, Investment, etc)
Personal Information file for each family member (social security number, birth date, diplomas, etc.)
Real Estate Deeds/mortgages
Car titles
Tax records
Insurance policies
Passport for each family member
Debt/credit account information
Original social security cards
Medical history/allergies/medications/doctor’s info for each family member
DD214/military paperwork
Citizenship documents
Business documents (incorporation papers, business licenses, etc)
Credit reports
Stock/bond certificates
A complete home inventory
Historical family items (photos, genealogy records, etc)
Receipts for major purchases
All computer files backed up on a jump drive
Any other document that would be difficult or impossible to replace (foreign birth certificates, employment documents, etc)

If you are taking care of your parents, you may want to have them fill out this document (http://www-tc.pbs.org/wgbh/caringforyourparents/handbook/pdf/cfyp_imp_doc.pdf ) so you will know where to find their important documents.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

DPT--Always Carry a Camera

I don't know when I started carrying a camera with me but it has been a part of my "Go Bag" for years. Whether you carry a camera on your cellphone (most phones have cameras now), a small digital camera, or if you are a photographers and carry a high end camera and a bundle of lenses, always having a camera near can come in handy. Here's how:

to document a car accident
to take photos of your rental car before you leave the lot to document any damage you don't want attributed to you
to photograph once in a lifetime event (tornado, fire, other disaster)
to take photos for your website or blog
to take pictures of friends and family members
to remind yourself of "to do's" (ie: photos of the roof that needs cleaned, the yard that needs some landscaping, etc)
to document ideas you may want to remember later (ie: photos of a display at the home show, or photos of the kitchen in a model home)
to photograph gift ideas (in other words if you want your spouse to get you a specific item, a picture is worth a thousand words)
to take photos of important documents or other evidence you my need later
to photograph a crime scene
to take action shots (at the fight, football game, shooting range, etc)
to document the big catch--a huge fish or buck, for example, before it is turned into freezer-sized packages
to take an impromptu photo of you and someone famous (surprisingly this has happened to me a half dozen times over the past few years)
to document damage (a broken window, a broken watch, or a broken nose)

Saturday, June 28, 2008

How To Beat the Heat

It's a bit toasty here today which made me reminisce about how homes were kept cool in the "olden" days.

New-fashioned way to keep your home cool:

close all of the windows and doors
turn on the central air
stay home all day and you won't even know it is hot outside

Old-fashioned way to keep your home cool:

site your home to take advantage of natural cooling and heating (a nice southern exposure is good here in the US)
insulate your home to keep the home at a more steady temperature (thus the use of adobe in the southwest)
plant deciduous trees to shade your home in the summer
open windows and doors when it is cool to allow the cooler air to come into your home
close the windows and drapes on the "hot" side of the house during the heat of the day
cook in the morning when it is cool then eat salads and cold sandwiches during the hottest part of the day
put a blanket down under the shade tree and relax outside
set up a portable fan
turn off lights and heat-generating appliances
hang out in the cooler part of the house (possibly the basement or the shadier side of the house) during the heat of the day

Friday, June 27, 2008

A Summer Reading List

Looking for some lite but useful reading for the summer? Here are some books you should take a look at:

"How to Be Invisible" by JJ Luna. The resource for personal privacy and living on the down low. http://www.howtobeinvisible.com/index.cfm/page/Books
"The World's Most Dangerous Places" by Robert Young Pelton. 1088 pages on all things dangerous pertaining to work (as a mercenary), travel (in third world countries), and war (a whole bunch of 'em). http://www.comebackalive.com/site3.php?section_id=11&sub_section_id=DP
"The Revolution: A Manifesto" by Ron Paul. Common sense pure and simple. http://www.dailypaul.com/node/32134
"The Encyclopedia of Country Living" by Carla Emory. This is an excellent book that all homesteaders, survivalists, preparedness folks, and others should have. It's a fun read as well... http://www.carlaemery.com/country-living-book.htm
"The Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey. If you need to get a grip on your finances, this is the book to read. http://www.daveramsey.com/shop/The_Total_Money_Makeover_P123C48.cfm

Thursday, June 26, 2008

101 Home Safety and Security Tasks

*Note that this post was originally titled "76 Home Safety/Security Tasks" when it was published on June 26, 2008. It was updated with an additional 25 tasks on June 27, 2008.

How safe is your home? If you have a bit of spare time this summer, take this list and make sure you do all that you can to make your home and family as safe and secure as possible.

Take your name off of your mailbox and leave only your address.
Repair any wobbly steps or handrails on the exterior of your home.
Be sure your home address (or at least the numbers) are clearly marked for emergency responders.
Plant roses, cacti, or other prickly shrubs below your exterior windows.
Install motion detector lights on the exterior of your home.
Power wash dirty/oily/mossy/otherwise slick driveways and walkways.
Put fresh batteries in all of your smoke detectors.
Install a carbon monoxide detector in your home.
Re-key all exterior and critical interior door locks.
Check to make sure the fire extinguishers in your kitchen and garage are fully charged.
Have the chimney cleaned.
Have the furnace tuned up/serviced; have your heating ducts cleaned.
Check all windows for cracks and other damage; replace if necessary.
Check all window locks to make sure they are secure.
Check your fence and fix/replace any missing boards, rotting posts, or broken barbed wire.
Clear a fire-safe zone around your home. Clear out brush, dried grass, and other flammables.
Organize your tool shed. Clean tools, make sure there is a secure location for all tools, and make sure the lock on your tool shed is secure.
Clean out your gun safe. Rotate ammo, clean all of your weapons, etc.
Be sure there is a secure metal bucket in the garage for all of your oily shop rags.
Take this opportunity to weatherproof your home as much as possible (re-caulk windows, add insulation, etc).
Check all electrical outlets and make sure they are not overloaded, there are no frayed cords connected, and all surge protectors work.
Change your answering machine message to a generic phone-number-only message.
Do a quick review of all plumbing (now is a good time to fix leaks, replace toilet gaskets, etc).
Clean the grease catcher/fan above your stove.
Clean the roof and gutters (carefully!).
Check all crawlspace and attic vent screens and make repairs if necessary.
Check the exterior of your home and basement for cracks in the foundation; repair if necessary.
Install anti-scald devices on your showers/bathtubs.
Secure all poisons in one lockable cabinet.
Clean out and organize your tool chest.
Check any vessels outside that can hold water (old tires, large plant pots, etc)--empty the water out and place them so they cannot collect water (and the mosquitoes that go along with it).
Routinely screen your pets, kids, and SO for ticks; know how to safely remove these dangerous pests.
Put a couple of lamps on timers set to go on and off at random times for security purposes.
Check out the pool, tennis court, basketball court, other play areas and fix any defects (cracks, lose netting, etc).
Remove/fix tripping hazards--loose rugs, loose stair risers, wobbly handrails, etc.
Install handrails in the bathroom if you have elderly or less mobile people in your home; this prevents falls.
Switch out your chemical cleaning supplies for natural products (baking soda, lemon juice, etc) that are both safer and cheaper.
Service your hot water tank--clean out scale build-up and the sediment that collects in the bottom (do this very carefully or hire a professional).
Check the attic and around the chimney/skylights for leaks and repair if necessary.
If you have babies, small children, or grandchildren who visit, child-proof your home.
Clear out the clutter! Huge quantities of junk/clutter in your home can be a fall hazard as well as a fire hazard.
Replace burned out light bulbs and non-working light switches.
Install non-slip strips on slippery surfaces: bathtub, wood stairs, etc.
Lower the water temperature on your hot water tank to 120 degrees--this prevents scalds and lowers your water heating bill.
Keep a phone by your bed (either land line or cell) for emergencies.
Have a way to record phone calls in the event of harassment.
Be sure drapes and curtains don't touch the baseboard heaters and that the cord for raising and lowering the curtains is not the old loop kind which is a strangulation hazard.
If you have framed pictures/other heavy things above the bed, remove them and put up cloth decorations if needed as a way to prevent injuries during an earthquake.
If you live in earthquake country, secure all large furniture/appliances (bookcases, etc) and your hot water tank.
Make sure all electrical outlets near water (the sink, tub, etc) are GFI outlets.
If you have concerns, have your home tested for radon, lead, mold, asbestos, etc.
Check your medicine cabinet and get rid of unnecessary or expired meds, and secure drugs that should be under lock and key in a secure location.
If you have a liquor cabinet and you have teens; get a good lock for it.
Install a home security system.
Put deadbolt locks and peepholes on all exterior doors.
If you don't have a water-proof, fire-proof safe for your cash and important documents, get one (and bolt it to the floor).
Take extra steps to secure sliding glass doors, pet doors, and any glass windows near your front door (glass breakage detectors, automatic pet door locks, etc).
Install flood lights in dark, secluded areas.
Have a shredder and make sure everyone uses it religiously to protect their privacy.
Park your cars in your garage instead of leaving them exposed in a driveway or on the street.
If you have a central place to hang your keys, locate it in a closet or other out of the way place so a burglar can't just pick them up on their way through your house.
Have shelter-in-place supplies on hand: plastic sheeting, duct, tape, etc.
Check out your stored food and look for signs of bug or rodent infestation; take steps to prevent this.
Check your home for termite or other bug/animal damage and take steps to prevent these types of problems; repair any destruction to your home.
Keep a tool in an obvious location to shut off the water and gas during an emergency.
Install a whole house water purification system if necessary.
Relegate candles to the dinner table and emergency supply box; candles in bedrooms and other rooms are a very common cause of house fires.
Make it a rule to not smoke or wear shoes in the house (both are a health hazard) but keep shoes under each person's bed for emergency escape.
If you live in hurricane country, keep supplies to secure your home (plywood sheeting, etc) stored on your property.
Keep a lengthy water hose on standby during fire season to wet down your home and property if fire threatens.
Have a dog for security. The disclaimer here is you need to like dogs and commit to caring for and training the animal.
Install a warning system that will alert the neighbors to trouble (flashing light, SOS message, etc).
Determine a balance between privacy (high fence, lots of shrubs) versus safety (lower fences and trimmed shrubs that don't obstruct the view to your home.
Make sure you have comprehensive insurance for your home (liability, flood insurance if needed, replacement costs for your home and valuables, etc).
Be sure that your cordless phone and/or baby monitor are not broadcasting your business all over the neighborhood.
Never store gasoline or other highly flammable materials in your home. Use an outbuilding and proper storage techniques for this.
Ensure that all second floor and higher bedrooms have a way to escape out the window in the event of fire (have an escape ladder or knotted rope attached to the bottom of the bedpost).
If you live in an apartment, devise a way to see if anyone enters your apartment while you are gone (landlords are supposed to give written notice before entry except in an emergency but sometimes that doesn’t happen).
Put a simple slide bolt on the entry doors to your attic and crawlspace to prevent people from entering your house in these ways.
Keep an axe in your attic. In case you need to escape through the attic, you will be able to make your way out.
If there is the possibility of flooding in your area, put all sensitive appliances (ie: furnace, hot water tank, etc) up on blocks.
Make sure your generator is both hooked up properly (so the linemen won’t get electrocuted when they restore your power) and vented properly to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning in your home.
If you keep a firearm near your bed for protection and have children in your home, consider getting a quick access gun safe to keep the handgun out of the hands of curious children.
Set the kid’s computer up in a public area (family room, dining room) instead of letting them lock themselves away in their bedrooms with it—allowing strangers in your home via the internet can be dangerous.
Have privacy and safety rules for everyone in the family who uses the internet including web pages, MySpace pages, instant messages, etc. In order to guard the family’s privacy, never give out names, phone numbers, names of schools or other places a stranger could track down your kids, never meet anyone from a chat room without adequate safety procedures, etc.
Preserve DNA samples and fingerprints of all family members to use in the event of an abduction/other emergency. Here’s how: http://home.netcom.com/~rpvnw/childsaf.htm.
Install a durable metal screen door that lock. Keep the screen door locked so that when you open your door to a stranger you will still have a sturdy locked door between you.
Have a code word to alert everyone in the family to an emergency. Practice various drills with the use of this word such as a lock down drill, a fire escape drill, etc.
If you work on cars or other combustion-type engines in your garage, install a ventilation system to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
Keep your garbage in a secured area and bring it to the curb as close to pick up time as possible.
Make sure that everything you sell on EBay or at a garage sale contains no information about you or your family--delete photos from cameras, wipe the hard drive of your computer, delete all messages and numbers from cellphones, check pockets in clothes, etc.
Keep all of your emergency supplies in a large waterproof tub near the exterior garage door. This will allow you to load the tub in your car if you need to evacuate in a hurry and if your house falls down you won't have to dig too far into the mess to find your tub.
Have back up systems that will allow you to use things that usually run on a motor in case of power failure (ie: the well, the garage door opener).
If necessary (or suspected) have your home swept for bugs (not the living kind). Audio and video surveillance components are smaller and cheaper than ever and easily accessible to someone who may want to harm you financially or socially.
Consider using micro chips to protect your valuable assets such as pets, livestock, high end electronics, expensive pieces of art, etc.
Consider creating a "panic room" in your home. How elaborate it is depends on your needs and security vulnerability.
Adequately post warning signs on your property (no trespassing, beware of dog, no solicitors, etc).
Keep all mail, bills, credit card statements, checkbooks, and other items with your personal information on them in a locked drawer instead of out on the counter.
Install an air purification system in your home if needed. At a minimum, keep your duct work cleaned to avoid spreading allergens and dust.
Keep $1,000 cash in your home for use during an emergency. Of course, no one should know about this cash--it should just appear when needed.
Develop a play area for your children somewhere other than the driveway. With so many big SUVs on the road today, running over or backing over children who are playing in the driveway has reached epidemic proportions.

Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Gun Rights

Finally...common sense!

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Legal/Default.aspx?id=155230
http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/heller-quotes-from-the-majority/

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

A New Donation Link

If you checked out the sister site to this blog today (http://www.codenameinsight.com/) you will see a new addition--a "donation" link. Other websites and bloggers have found that adding a donation link to their websites instead of wallpapering their sites with a mass of annoying advertisements was beneficial for both them and their readers. It does take money and time to keep these sites updated and to create content for the site and the blog and, who knows, maybe the donations will pour in and I can change from being a harried business owner/part-time preparedness aficionado to full time survivalist/preparedness guru. That would rock!

Your 20 Sources of News During a Disaster

During a disaster, getting information will be one of your top priorities. Here are some of your best sources of news and information both pre and post disaster:

Cable television news--during a disaster, the cable news stations will be providing 24/7 coverage.
YouTube--while cable TV will be providing continual coverage, YouTube generally has them beat as far as immediate coverage since it takes a while to get the news providers to the scene and set up. During many disasters both large and small, average citizens often post videos to YouTube within minutes of the event happening.
Regular TV news (the kind of TV with an antennae, not cable)--I have a small, battery-operated TV that I have used quite a few times when the power goes out or we are away from home. Note that in February of 2009, you will need a converter in order to receive a signal for these types of TVs.
Radio--radio news shows are an excellent source of information; this includes home radios, car radios, the radio on your cell phone, and portable radios.
NOAA/Short wave radio--in addition to a regular radio, it is a good idea to get the type of radio that also includes weather bands and short wave bands.
HAM radio--this is an excellent way to both give information as well as receive information from the outside world.
CB radio--a bastion of news and info for truckers for decades, the trusty old CB radio is another great source for news.
A police scanner--I often have my scanner on just to hear what is going on in the area. More than once I have taken a different route home because there was a car accident on one of the major streets or freeways that I usually take.
Your cell phone--not so much to receive calls although during a disaster this is probably why you will be using it, but for the ability of many phones to get online and allow you to check the internet for updated news and information as well as receive text messages from various news update services.
Your home phone--in some areas, your phone can be used for public information as well as for personal conversation. During the California wildfires, the reverse 911 system was used to call people in affected areas and tell them to evacuate.
Weather info sources--in many disasters, weather plays a prime role. Sources for weather info include weather.com online and the Weather Channel on cable TV.
Online news sources--these range from CNN.com and other mainstream news sources to popurls.com for the latest news and social blog posts.
Other useful website--during local disasters, I have found reliable news on many local websites such as the local newspaper, the county and state Department of Emergency Management, the county roads department website, etc.
Newspapers--depending on the location of the disaster, and if your local newspaper is still able to produce its product, this will be another source of news and information albeit not so timely as other immediate news sources such as TV and internet.
Other people--friends, neighbors, and relatives who live both near you and far away will most likely be calling or visiting to share information and make sure that everyone is OK. Although news travels through the grapevine fairly quickly, this may or may not be the most reliable source of news and information.
Internal/external communication from your employer--most employers have a plan that will kick in after disaster strikes. Most plans involve some sort of method for providing news and information to their employees whether it is a number to call to get emergency info, a website that provides news and info, and/or a phone tree-type system to keep employees in the loop.
Online forums--forums and bulletin boards have been a place to share news and information since the advent of the internet. During a disaster, forums and boards will no doubt heat up with all sorts of information--just be sure to check and double check the news you find in these places as it may not be the most reliable.
Public address system--some cities or areas of certain towns may have a public address system to provide informational announcements before, during and after a disaster. At other times, the police and fire services may drive through neighborhoods giving information and instructions over their PA systems in order to reach the most people as quickly as possible.
Twitter--twitter messages can be posted/read online or on your cell phone. In one recent case, a many who was being hauled off to jail in a foreign country was able to send a "tweet" (message) so his friends would know where to find him and help bail him out.
The local store/church/etc--basically anywhere that people gather (the local grocery store, the local coffee shop, church, etc) is a place that people will share news and information. Disaster planners are looking at these places, especially churches and community centers where people gather and generally have the attitude of helping others, as some of the bases for rolling out community aid programs during a disaster.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Being a Survivalist--The Intangibles

Many times, people equate their "survivalist quotient" with all of the tangible things they own. They figure that having a BOB, a Ka-Bar, an AK, etc makes them a survivalist. Although these are all good things to have and important in many survival situations, there are as many, if not more, intangible things that make a person a survivalist. Here's some of the intangibles that all survivalist need:

People you can call for help in any emergency. These may be friends or family but having people to help you, no questions asked, at any time of the day or night, can be the difference between surviving and not, between success and failure, and between a positive outcome and a negative outcome in many survival situations.
Education and knowledge, whether formally or informally acquired, is a critical component of survival. You don't need a degree and you don't need to know everything but you do need to know how to find out the information you are seeking, how to put together pieces of a puzzle and figure out complicated situations, and you need to have the desire to continually seek out knowledge, skills, and experiences to make you a more well-rounded human being and therefore more capable of surviving difficult situations.
Common sense is really quite important but sometimes in critically short supply. A person can be extremely educated, but if they lack common sense, they will rate very low on the survivability scale.
The ability to take personal responsibility in all situations will help you survive. People who always blame others for their problems, rely on others--including the government--to take care of them, and otherwise relinquish their lives and souls to others, literally won't survive when TSHTF.
People skills are often underrated but in any situation where you need to engage others (whether to get a job, find out information, or request assistance), you need to have good people skills so that others will be much more likely to like you and want to help you.
A sense of adventure is one of those intangible qualities that really separate the survivors from those who will fare less well in many trying situations. Usually these people have a positive attitude, expect a good outcome, and are up for any challenge--all good survival qualities.
Flexibility is right next to a sense of adventure when you are looking for personal qualities that can help people out of difficult situations. When things are going chaotic, knowing how to roll with the punches and go with the flow can lead to a favorable survival outcome.
Creativity is another one of those personal qualities that can help get you out of many kinds of jams. Seeing the possibilities, putting together a unique response to a situation, and thinking outside of the box can help you to survive any situation.

The bottom line is that you don't have to have "things" in order to be considered a survivalist. I know many people from third world countries who have nothing but can easily head out and travel around their country or around the world with little more than the clothes on their backs--and the aforementioned intangibles--and survive. I think with America's overwhelmingly consumeristic society, we often think that things will make the difference in survival situations. However when you lose everything and need to rely only on the intangible assets that you already possess, you will be a true survivalist.

Monday, June 23, 2008

DPT--Can You Find What You Need in the Dark?

I was giving a presentation in the basement conference room of a large facility this morning and wondered what I would do if the power went out. I am assuming that this particular facility had back up generators a plenty and they would come on immediately after the power went out, but if they didn't, the room (actually the entire floor) would be pitch black. Then what?
You may be in your bed in the middle of the night when there is a fire that takes out your power. Worse, you may be in your bed at night and someone cuts your power before they make entry into your home. You may be in a department store which goes completely dark if the power goes out. How to get your bearings and get to your emergency supplies (ie: flashlight, firearm, etc) during an emergency in the dark is a skill that everyone should know. Here's some ideas:

Always carry a small flashlight with you in your daily carry bag.
Keep your bag organized so that when you reach into it, you will know where to find what you need by feel.
Have a flashlight under your bed; always keep it in the same place.
Try to memorize the layout of your location (room/shopping center/etc) so that you would have some idea of how to navigate the room in the dark.
If you were to turn out all of the lights in your home some night, would you be able to walk from room to room in the dark without without injuring yourself?
If you took your firearm apart and left it in a pile on the kitchen table then turned out all of the lights some night, would you be able to put it back together by feel?
Can you quickly find any item you need in your BOB by feel?

The idea here is to be able to do what you need to do, especially in the event of an emergency, without light--something we often take for granted.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Sunday Roundup: The Weird and the Wacky

I didn't know where to put these sites so I'll just lay them out here:

Ever want to get rid of your life and start over with a new one? Here's how one guy did a bit of thinking outside of the box... http://www.alife4sale.com/
A "how-it's-done" interactive autopsy site: http://www.deathonline.net/movies/mm/autopsy.cfm
How to make plastic...at home http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Plastic/
41 Secrets Your Doctor Would Never Share http://www.rd.com/living-healthy/41-medical-secrets/article75920.html
I am all for simplifying my life...here's how: live with only 100 things http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1812048,00.html#=rss

Survival, Pinoy Style

I came across this article http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryID=122651 when I was reading the news this morning (I try to read a couple of sites from outside our country every morning to get a different take on the news). Anyway, if people in the Philippines can cut back even more due to ever increasing gas and other commodity prices, I think I could probably do better. One thing I always notice in the Philippines is the people's happy attitude no matter how difficult the circumstances. Attitude + creativity = a much better outcome.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Combat Shooting Tactics & Prep

I hope you will never be in a fire fight or armed combat situation. It looks exciting and well choreographed on TV but when it comes down to it, the physical and emotional toll of having to defend your life and/or take a life isn't something the average person wants to deal with for the rest of their life. That said, being able to defend your life may happen at some point, and like a seat belt, you don't know that you need these skills until YOU NEED THEM, so here's how to get the combat/tactical skills you need:

Have a nice selection of firearms. A handgun, rifle, and shotgun are the basics. Mid-range firearms are a good bet--you don't want a cheap, crappy weapon that you can't rely on, but on the other hand, you don't want to go into perma-debt in order to buy top of the line weapons (overkill, so to speak).
PRACTICE every week with all of your firearms. Whenever I hear people say they have a pistol for protection but when asked how often they practice, they say it's been quite a while, I cringe. There's a muscle memory thing and an automatic reaction thing that only comes about with continued practice and these things come in quite handy during an unexpected firefight. So practice as often as possible but no less than once a week.
Practice is all sorts of conditions: bright sun, low light, dusk, night, in the hot sun, in the rain, in the snow...
Practice from various positions: standing, seated, prone, weak-hand, strong-hand, both hands...
Practice speed loading.
Know the ballistics of various types of ammunition. How far does it go and how fast? How does your various ammo react to the wind?
On a side note, I would suggest learning how to reload your own ammo. Not only will you learn various aspects of making custom ammo but it will save you lots of money if you are going to do a lot of practicing.
Learn the difference between cover and concealment and use both to your advantage.
Keep your "wings" tucked in. Elbows, arms, knees, feet.
Practice drawing quickly and efficiently.
Practice with sights and scopes and without.
Play paintball. It is nowhere near the experience of actual combat but it's as close to simulated battle as most civilians will get.
Practice shooting a variety of targets at a variety of distances, including static and moving targets.
Try competitive shooting, such as IPSC or other combat-style practices/competitions.
Practice spotting targets and non-targets. I particularly like the pop-up type targets which have both shoot and no-shoot targets.
Practice moving silently and stalking. Part of being able to effectively engage your target is the element of surprise. There's no surprise if you sound like a heard of elephants coming. Move quietly.
Once you have the basics down, consider the necessity of more advanced tactics and equipment: night vision scopes, laser sights, body armor, close quarter combat techniques, how to clear a room, squad/platoon tactics, simultaneous engagement, etc.
Always use eye and ear protection while practicing. We want you to be able to hear into your old age...
Get your training from the experts. It's fine to trade info and insight with others at the range or in competitions, but to become highly skilled in anything, it is invaluable to get your training from the experts.
Consider that the old sayings have quite a bit of truth to them: "one shot, one kill", "double tap", "know thyself, know thy rifle", "this is the last shot for the rest of my life".

Anyway, that's the basics. For more information check out http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/23-10/

Friday, June 20, 2008

How Being Prepared Can Protect You From the Ills of Modern Society

We knew that survivalist/preparedness-types were well ahead of the curve in many ways, however did you know that being prepared can save you from much of the drama making the nightly news? Some examples...

Good: having a small emergency fund to cover the refrigerator when it goes toes up. Bad: having no emergency fund and relying on payday lenders.
Good: having a nice income, a decent credit score, and a huge down payment for a home that costs no more than 25% of your income. Bad: having a sketchy income, lousy credit score, no down payment, and buying more house than you can afford which puts you at the mercy of sub-prime lenders.
Good: having a prolific garden. Bad: paying astronomical prices for fresh produce due to flooding/shortages/supply and demand problems.
Good: having a year's worth of food and supplies stored in your garage. Bad: having very little food and supplies in your home which causes you to run (frequently) to the store and pay top dollar for the things your family needs.
Good: having a well-diversified investment portfolio. Bad: having all of your stock invested in one company (can you say World Com? Enron?).
Good: taking the kids camping where you teach them to fish then tell ghost stories around the campfire. Bad: giving your kid the latest video game to keep them quiet while you focus your attention on more important things.
Good: setting strict rules for your teens such as no drinking, no drugs, no letting their girlfriends/boyfriends sleep over, and making it mandatory, not optional, that they pass all of their classes. Bad: letting kids drink and do drugs because the parents want to be "cool", pregnancy pacts, and drop-outs without a future.
Good: having a nice collection of firearms with everyone in the family trained in their use. Bad: waiting for the police to come and protect you.
Good: having enough money to cover six to twelve months worth of bills so you can chill for a while if you get the dreaded pink slip. Bad: having no money saved for an emergency and desperately taking any minimum wage job you can find when your current company goes under.
Good: doing all you can to protect and maintain your health. Bad: funding drug companies for the rest of your natural life because you can't stay away from bad health habits.
Good: making personal responsibility mandatory for everyone in your family. Bad: making excuses for family members (meaning adults or kids) who are ethically, morally, or responsibility-challenged.
Good: Instituting family dinner time every night whether you are eating at home or bringing a picnic to the soccer field. Bad: everyone eating at a separate fast food restaurant every night of the week.
Good: giving back to your community by volunteering, making donations, or doing other supportive work. Bad: the entitlement mindset, chronic welfare families, scamming people/organizations/institutions just to get more than the other guy.
Good: learning how to do as much as possible for yourself even if it takes longer or costs a little more (education usually does cost money). Bad: relying on others for everything.
Good: buying something because it will make you more efficient, effective, or educated. Bad: buying something so others will think you are "da bomb".
Good: doing the math in order to figure out when a deal is good or not. Bad: relying on salesmen to tell you if they are providing you a good deal or not (think time shares, extended warranties, marketing scams, etc).

I could go on and on but you get the idea. Being prepared is the only way to protect you and your loved ones from threats that continually bombard us.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

DPT--Bolt Cutters

A quick tip for your BOV and home emergency supplies...keep a good pair of bolt cutters on hand. During an emergency these will prove very useful for getting into otherwise locked or fenced places such as the locked gates on DNR land or making your own escape route through a fenced off area, not to mention doors/other areas that are padlocked and/or chained shut.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

A Compendium of Disaster Plans

While reviewing (yet another) disaster plan for a client, it struck me that as sometimes happens, Agency A may be mentioned in Agency B's disaster mitigation plan yet Agency A may know nothing about this. Then it made me think about you, the readers. Do you know what plans will affect you before, during and after a disaster? What will others (your boss, your child's school) expect you to do during a disaster? It's a good idea to gather as many disaster plans as possible that will have an impact on you and your family and at least give them a quick review. Here's some ideas:

Nearly all schools have disaster plans in place. Parents need to know what is in these plans because when, for example, a school is in lock down, that means that even if you hear about an event happening at your child's school and you head over to pick him up, no children will be let in or out of the school until the event is over. Also included in these plans is basic school closure info (how you can find out if a storm or other event is closing your child's school) to what the school would plan on doing during a mass casualty event.
Your place of employment should have a disaster plan; usually these outline what you or your team will be doing during a disaster so it's a good idea to see what it says. Employer disaster plans usually provide information from the basic (what to do during a fire) to the more advanced (how you can contact work and what services you are expected to provide during a disaster).
Your city, county, and state all have separate disaster/hazard mitigation plans. Usually these plans can be found on the department of emergency management websites of these agencies. Generally these plans will have little to do with the individuals in a community but everything to do with keeping the infrastructure as intact as possible. Individuals will receive assistance during a disaster as a byproduct of these plans (ie: when the Red Cross or community sets up a shelter, when hospitals and clinics receive medications from the SNS, etc).
You may want to find out what your doctor/clinic's disaster plan is. For the average, healthy person, this may not be very important, however if you or a loved one is receiving ongoing care (medications, chemo treatment, dialysis), it is imperative that you find out how these crucial services will be provided if there is a disaster.
Many buildings (usually apartment or condo high rises) have a disaster plan. You will want to know where, for example, the AED is kept and where fire extinguishers are located. You will want to know what plans have been put in place for the residents (you) and who would be "in charge" during a disaster (hopefully someone who knows what they are doing, can be an effective leader, and knows that the little old lady in F 10 is mostly deaf and may not hear the warning to get out of the building so would someone please go check on her).
Military bases have disaster plans. If you are at work (either as a civilian contractor or under your command) or if you live on base, you will want to know what the disaster plans that will impact you say. For military personnel, this is fairly straight forward--you will muster at your duty station and you have probably drilled disaster scenarios until you could do them in your sleep. For families however, what if your child is at the on-base daycare and you are off base when a base lock down happens, what will happen to your child?

Anyway, the whole purpose of this exercise is to acquaint you with what others have planned that may impact you in a disaster. A bonus of checking into these plans is that you may come up with some ideas to add to your own preparations that you hadn't thought of before.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Low Profile Living

When many people think "preparedness" and "survivalist", they think lots of camouflage and lots of guns, hoarding things and reclusive living. While this may be true for a few, the majority of the best prepared people I know are so "average" as to be indistinguishable from everyone else. And that is a good thing. The best way to be insanely rich or insanely prepared is to not make yourself a target so you end up dying due to how successful you were at reaching your goals. Thus the need for low profile living. Here's some tips:

Dress like everyone else. If you live in rural Texas, wear boots and a hat. If you live in New York, wear a suit. If you live in Arizona and are of a certain age, go ahead and wear the Hawaiian shirt, shorts and (God forbid) socks with your summer sandals. The idea is to blend into the crowd so you won't stand out like a sore thumb and make yourself a target.
Never brag about what you do, how much money you have, your extensive collection of firearms, or how you just purchased 200 pounds of wheat berries. The only thing this will accomplish is to make you a target, if not now, then later. If someone hears you talking about the five hundred pounds of rice stored in your garage, they may think you are a bit daft now, but should TSHTF, the person who overheard your previous conversation will have stored that little factoid in the back of his mind and may come looking for you.
Never give out personal information. People like to make conversation so if you are going to talk about yourself, be as non-specific as possible. Your best bet is to ask a lot of questions and direct the conversation away from yourself because, as I said, people like to make conversation and their favorite topic is usually themselves.
Aim for the middle of the road in everything...the car you drive should be inconspicuous, the clothes you wear should be average (not overly flashy nor overly grungy), the way you spend should be neither excessive nor stingy. Average is boring and tends not to draw too much attention.
Try to remain above the fray. People who have to be in the middle of everything that is going on tend to draw a lot of unnecessary attention, and in certain situations, unnecessary hate and discontent, towards themselves. This makes them a target. Don't be a target.
Don't be known as "the guy with a lot of guns" or "the old lady with a lot of money in her house". If you have ever wondered why Asians tend to be the favored targets for home invasion robberies, consider that they work in mostly cash businesses, have a number of staff who see what they do everyday (such as carry the deposit home at the end of the day), and may be known for not trusting banks and/or always having cash on hand. This is not how you want to be known. If your staff knows that you deal with a lot of money, be sure to be consistently inconsistent with your habits, maybe complain a bit about the tight money situation, and make sure people know your money goes to the bank and then to creditors whether you are swimming in profits or not.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

While you go about being boringly low profile in your public life, you can secretly make the most of what you have. Without drawing too much attention, maybe by shopping at a number of different gun stores, buy up an armory worth of weapons if you like. If you must have flashy jewelry and can easily afford a dozen Rolexes, perhaps purchase one and if anyone asks, tell them a rich uncle died and left it to you. Your house may look quite middle-class and maybe even a bit dreary from the outside but there is nothing stopping you from transforming the inside into the height of luxury (people used to do this years ago in some locations where the county tax man judged the value of a home based on what the outside looked like).

The bottom line is to keep your private life private. Even though society makes a big deal about being the richest, the best dressed, having the newest and greatest toys, and making yourself as famous (or infamous) as possible by broadcasting your life all over the internet and beyond, it just makes sense if you really want to survive in a dangerous situation, or even just survive everyday living with a society of unpredictable people, that you keep your business on the down low.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

DPT--Cook at Home

While I was cooking dinner tonight, I thought, you know, there are probably lots of people in our country who don't do this very often. Cooking and eating your meals at home (or in the case of lunch, taking leftovers from last night's dinner) is a habit many Americans have fallen out of.

Cooking at home will save you an armload of money. Imagine a breakfast buffet for $15.95--can you really eat $15.95 worth of food at one of these buffets? For that amount of money you could buy three dozen eggs, ten pounds of potatoes, a dozen danishes, five loaves of bread, and a watermelon, and feed the entire neighborhood for what it would cost for one person to eat breakfast at this place!
Cooking at home can reduce the possibility of getting sick. Although it doesn't happen often, there are cases of food poisoning and hepatitis caused by poor cleanliness habits in restaurants.
When you cook at home, you know what you are eating. Who knows what is put in your food at restaurants--TV news exposes have shown everything from hot dog vendors reusing hot dogs that had been kept warm for up to 16 hours, to stale, rotting food being served in supposedly "fancy" restaurants. Yuck. Ditto with all of the extra oil, sugar, MSG and other items used to enhance the taste of food to the detriment of your health.
Cooking at home will allow you to eat more vegetables. Restaurants, especially the fast food kind, rarely provide enough vegetables to keep even a rabbit alive. If you eat at these places everyday, having fried potatoes as your sole vegetable is not good for your health.
Cooking at home is good practice. During a disaster, restaurants and even grocery stores may be closed for an extended period of time. What you will be eating will be what you will be cooking. If you don't even know the basics of cooking, your food experience during a disaster--the time when you need the comfort of good home cooking the most--will be dismal.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Annual Home Review

For as long as I can remember, I have been doing something I call an annual home review. One day a year, I clean the house from top to bottom. Here's why:

It gives me the opportunity to downsize. All of the closets get cleaned out, drawers get decluttered, basically, everything gets looked at and if there are more than one of the same item, if items have been outgrown, or if items haven't been used since the last annual review, they get put in the garage sale/donation box.
It gives me the opportunity to do a home inventory. I use my laptop to note what major items are in each room (queen-sized bed, 36" TV, etc). I save this information on my computer (and back it up on a jump drive too) in case it is ever needed for insurance purposes. In addition, after each room is done, I take a digital photo of the room and of any expensive items, and store these photos on my computer along with the inventory document.
It gives me the opportunity to stock up. As I go through each room, I note items that are running low. My goal is to have a year's worth of each of the items that we use frequently (soap, shampoo, toilet paper, etc) stored in our home. Having a year's worth of these items on hand is an excellent hedge against inflation, it allows us never to have to run to the store because we ran out of soap, for example, and it is an excellent back up--just like the year's worth of food that is stored--to carry our family through in the event of an emergency (lay off, disaster, etc).
It "freshens up" the house. Of course the house is cleaned regularly but a thorough deep cleaning after a long winter makes everything look better.
This is also when we do any major redecorating, maintenance projects, remodeling projects, etc. Since we are usually exceedingly busy throughout the year, hanging out at the mall and buying things for the house on a regular basis just isn't done. After today's home review, we have a list of things that we will either purchase (flat panel TV for one of the guest rooms), arrange to have done (chimney cleaned and furnace tuned up), as well as a handful of projects we want to accomplish this summer (paint the deck, have a garage sale, do a landscaping project, and paint one of the bathrooms).
Since the garage has an extensive amount of stuff in it (from stored food to firearms to camping gear to emergency supplies), we will tackle the garage in the same fashion next weekend.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Five Pieces of Financial Advice

My niece graduated from high school yesterday. In an effort to give her succinct yet useful advice, I pulled her aside and after discussing what kind of laptop she wanted for her graduation gift (which got me her full attention), I told her there were five simple things she needed to know to avoid many of the financial problems that most of us make when we are young:

Do not use credit to buy anything other than a house. When kids turn 18 they are inundated with credit card offers. This is crazy as many kids barely have a job at that age and can quickly get sucked into a lifetime of debt thanks to the credit companies. Pay cash for everything!
Save a small amount (10%-20%) of every chunk of money that you get over your lifetime (paychecks, tax refunds, birthday checks, shopping rebates, etc). Put this money into any financial vehicle that will earn interest such as a savings account or mutual funds, and the magic of compounding interest will make you a millionaire.
If you want to know if you can afford something do this simple math: pay all of your bills and then see how much cash you have left over. If this cash will pay for what you want, you can afford said item, if not, save this money to add to the money left over next month and see if that will cover what you want. If you still don't have enough cash for the thing you want to buy, save this money and continue the process until you have enough to pay cash for what you want.
Stay away from the following items in the same way you would stay away from radium/smallpox/other horrendous, nasty things: payday lenders, rent to own places, leases on anything, get rich quick schemes, and extended warranties.
Pick a good boyfriend/spouse. Your financial life or lack thereof will directly correlate to the type of person you are with. If you pick a loser you will end up paying bail, child support, credit debts, gambling losses, excessive cell phone bills, and all of the other things that affect people without the good sense to pay attention to their responsibilities.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Week Three--Bus Challenge Update

Three weeks ago I parked my car and decided to challenge myself to use alternate transportation for at least a month. The rules aren't hard and fast but basically I didn't want to drive my car at all--I would use the bus, ride with the spouse if we were going in the same direction, car pool with others, etc. Here's what has happened in the past few weeks:

Looking at a map of the area I live in, it looks like a majority of our area is a long way away from a bus stop. I guess I am lucky that I live relatively close to the bus line--I only need to walk about a third of a mile to get to the bus stop closest to my home.
I'm getting exercise! As someone who sits in meeting/at my computer all day, taking time to exercise was something I had to force myself to do. Now I get a lot of walking in while I am taking myself from the bus to where ever I am going.
The bus is cheap! Although monthly bus passes run about $30 here, one of my clients provides half price bus passes to all of his employees. When he heard about my challenge, he offered me the same deal so the total cost for almost all of my transportation needs for the month is a grand total of $15!
The bus system here is OK--it goes almost everywhere I need to go. The only problem I see is the limited hours (fortunately I work during the day but those who work nights would be out of luck because the last bus runs around 9pm), the longer waits as the system runs on the hour/half hour depending on where I am going, and the limited area that is served (fortunately almost all of my work takes place in the city). I much prefer the bus/subway system of larger cities like New York, DC, Tokyo, etc. as these buses/trains/subways seem to run every few minutes.
I need to pay more attention to time. With your own car, you can be a little late with no repercussions; if you are trying to catch a bus you need to be on time. There have been a couple of times when I didn't actually run to catch the bus but I did have to walk pretty fast.
I've pretty much got past the stigma of riding a bus. The first week it felt like everyone was looking at me; this is my own insecurity and status consciousness which made me feel that everyone was looking at me and pitying me for having to ride the bus. I even had a couple of people I know stop and ask me if I needed a ride while I was waiting for the bus; I had to explain it was an experiment and I was fine riding the bus.
Safety concerns to date include: crossing the street (so many people who are turning right at a corner look to their left to see if cars are coming but don't look to see if they are about to run over a pedestrian who is in the cross walk to their right). secluded locales (no problems here but I would be worried about young females alone who are walking to or waiting at outlying bus stops). and some of the creepy people on the bus (no problem here either however some of my fellow passengers are decidedly odd, though to date not dangerous).
The spouse flatly refuses to ride the bus. Period. This is again where status-consciousness comes into play and the "what will people who know me think" mindset also comes up. I say screw what other people think about me (but it took me a couple of weeks to get to that point).
I've taken car pooling to an art form. I go to a lot of meetings which are spread out over half of the state. Fortunately there usually seems to be other people from my area who are also going to these meetings so to date I have been able to get a ride with them.
I can now recite the bus schedules and Amtrak schedules by heart. I haven't had to take Amtrak yet but their trains do run between the major cities in my region so this will be an option if I can't car pool.
Most of the people on the bus are pretty normal--many look like regular people who are fed up with high gas prices. However it seems that the closer you get to the inner city, the odder (and smellier, and less socially adept) the people seem to become.
It is actually relaxing to ride the bus. All of the time that I used to spend driving I can now use to review reports, write notes, plan my day, read the paper, etc--this part is definitely a bonus.
You need to be prepared. I learned this by watching what other bus riders do/have. Funny that everyone on the bus had an umbrella with them even on sunny days. I didn't quite figure out why until I ended up drenched from a sudden downpour. Now I am an official "bus person"--I have my trusty umbrella, a fully charged cell phone (before if I forgot to charge my phone I would just charge it in the car), a laminated bus pass, and am looking for a backpack of some sort (the messenger bag/briefcase slung over my should that includes laptop, et al, is threatening to do in my rotator cuff).
As I said, the spouse still uses a car every day. I think it would probably be necessary for us to have at least one car as shopping trips, out of town trips, and going places where the bus doesn't go still come up, however with no cars and their related expenses, it could actually be more cost efficient to use a rental car or taxi for these trips.
Speaking of costs, I have seen a couple of families on the bus (a husband, wife and four little kids in one instance). I think if our kids were still small, that riding a bus may be #1 too expensive (instead of paying for one bus pass you would need to buy six which could possibly equal out to what you pay for a car) and #2 too much of a hassle (I saw the parents trying to heard the kids on and off the bus and figured that would have been the first and last such trip for our family if that would have been us).

Overall, I give riding the bus two big thumbs up. It is super cost efficient, super easy to use, and having the extra time in my day to read instead of drive definitely has decreased my stress level.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Your 10 Source of Food

Unlike water, food doesn't often fall out of the sky (without the help of a shotgun). After a disaster, conventional sources of food (in our society that is basically the local grocery store) may be gone. Here are 10 ways you can acquire food and feed your family after a disaster:

The perishable food you have in your home. Since this is the food that will spoil most quickly, it makes sense to use up every scrap of fresh, perishable food before you move on to the canned goods. In the event of a long term power outage and without a generator, you will then want to start working on your frozen food supplies.
The food you have purchased and stored in your home. This includes all of the food (canned, boxed, bottled, MREs) in your kitchen pantry plus everything stored in the garage and under your bed that make up your one year plus of emergency food supplies.
The food you will be able to purchase in your community such as at grocery stores and farmer's markets. Note that during a disaster, everything will disappear from the shelves quickly so you will need to be first in line in order to be able to buy anything.
The food you will be able to loot or steal. Unfortunately, acquiring food in these ways is a fact of life after a disaster. If people are starving, a plate glass window behind which is a lot of food is neatly lined up on shelves will not stop people from taking anything they can get their hands on. Obviously this is illegal and it is also a fact of life that people who loot or steal may be shot on sight. I plan to be safely tucked away in my home eating from my comprehensive stash of food while the hordes are looting and stealing.
The food you can grown in your garden. If you have a prolific garden, you will be way ahead of most of the people who do not have this luxury. The issues you will face with growing your own food include the seasonality of the produce which must be first grown then quickly processed so it won't spoil, the undependable nature of gardening (sometimes I have a sea of sweet corn, sometimes the deer get it), and, your garden will also be a target for thieves when TSHTF (see #4 above).
The food you can raise. This includes chickens, cows, pigs, goats, and sheep. It would be ideal to have your own farm animals to provide food for you and your family. In a post disaster scenario, you will need to figure out how to feed these animals and protect them from rustlers.
The food you can catch. This includes fish, mollusks, frogs, rabbits...basically any edible creature you can snare, trap, or catch. Note that this is also not a dependable source of food (how many times have you gone fishing and come back with nothing?). Also, there will be a whole bunch of other hungry people with the same idea.
The food you can hunt. For some heavy duty sustenance, you can go out and bag a deer, elk, wild boar, duck, etc. Again, this is not a dependable source of food and like #7 above, a whole bunch of other people will have the same idea.
The food you can forage. Now would be a good time to brush up on your food gathering skills. You can forage for mushrooms, berries, fruit, nuts, wild greens and even grubs. The challenge will be knowing the what, where and how of gathering wild edibles and beating everyone else to the prime foraging spots.
The food you need to travel to find. There was a reason that hunter-gatherer societies were always on the move--they needed to follow the seasons and the animals/produce that were their primary food sources. If an area is totally decimated and all food sources have been exhausted, you may need to travel in search of food supplies. This may be a store two hundred miles away, a prime hunting ground a couple of days ride away, or a better place to fish.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Your 20 Sources of Water

Before, during, and after an emergency, one of your first priorities will be finding potable water. You will need water to drink, cook with, clean up with, give to the animals, use on your garden, etc. A couple of caveats--if you are not absolutely sure about the purity of the water source, always boil or treat it. Second, these ideas will work for your location (ie: water from your hot water tank) as well as from other similar sources (ie: the water from the water tank in the building you just broke into to find shelter). Here are some sources to consider:

Tap water. This is, of course, our water source of choice. It's easy to use and generally drinkable. Be aware that after some disasters, the water in your tap will not be fit to drink so listen to the news for information about this. If you are unsure, treat it or boil it.
Well water. Always a great option, as having your own well gives you much more control over your water. Be sure to have a back up way to get your water out of the well if, for example, the pump goes out. Again, things like flooding, chemicals in the surrounding area, or shifting earth may make your well water unfit to drink.
Old wells. These can often be found on rural or abandoned homesteads. Many times these are hand dug and fairly shallow. Ask a local old timer for information about old wells and be careful walking in these areas as many not have been securely covered.
Stored water. Everyone should have at least a week's worth of water stored in their home. Bottled water is one option. Filling up water jugs is another.
The ice in your freezer. Whether in cube form or frozen in bottles that you put in the cooler when you go camping, this is another good option.
Hot water tank. As soon as your water source is compromised, you can turn off the water to your home and still have 50+ gallons of water available from your hot water tank.
Other sources of water in the home. If you know that a disaster is coming, immediately fill up every water containment vessel in your home. Fill up all of the bath tubs, the sinks, the washing machine, buckets, etc. There is also a small amount of water in the toilet tanks and fish tanks. Swimming pool and hot tub water may be used if properly treated. Never use water from water beds as these are usually chemically treated and could poison you.
Cisterns. These water catchment systems are common in many area of the country. They are built to contain water and can be used for garden and household use. Be sure to treat water from these sources as most are open and can trap small animals, bugs, and larvae along with the water.
Water barrels. Many people have water barrels to catch the run off from their gutters or to fill up with well water in order to use the water for their garden. Having a simple plastic barrel to catch water in this way can easily provide you an additional 50+ gallons of water.
Animal troughs. Usually used for animals, troughs are another source of water you can use in an emergency.
Holding tanks in RVs or boats. Be sure to always keep your potable water holding tanks in your boat or RV full--you never know when this extra water will come in handy.
Lakes. Lake water will definitely need to be treated, but in an emergency, this will be a good water source. Be sure that the disaster has not made this water source untreatable (ie: if the area flooded and chemicals and oil were washed into the lake, don't even try to drink the water from this source).
Rivers. Rivers are another good source of water however you will need to find out if the disaster has caused the water to be contaminated to the point where you will not be able to purify it.
Streams. A running stream is another good source of water. Years ago we drank right from the streams in our mountains but that is no longer a good idea as giardia and other bugs will make you resent such recklessness.
Natural springs. If you know of a natural spring in your area, this will be another good source for water. Note, however, many other people may also know of this spring and count it as their main source of water too.
Rainwater. In some areas, catching rainwater to drink is a normal part of daily life. Depending on the system you set up, you may be able to store gallons of water for drinking and showering and pipe it right into your house.
Public/commercial water holding areas. Public water tanks, water treatment plants, fish hatcheries, fire department water tanks/tenders, and reservoirs will have plenty of water, the challenge will be getting to it.
Food sources. If you need liquid for drinking, consider foods (canned, bottled, vegetables, fruits) that contain plenty of liquid such as watermelons, chicken broth, etc.
Natural locations that store water. Many times, there are locations in caves and rock formations that naturally catch water. If you note these locations ahead of time, you will have another option for finding water after a disaster.
Companies that make/store water and water-related products. Warehouses where they store bottled water for distribution, ice companies, wineries, distilleries, and any other companies where water is a critical component of the product may have large storage tanks for water. Again, the trick will be getting into these facilities.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

15 Ways to Get Out of Dodge

Do you have an evacuation plan? If you had to quickly get away from your home, maybe out of your town, possibly even out of your state, how would you do it? Here's some of my ideas:

My car would be first way I would consider evacuating. This is a good alternative because I would be able to control where I was going, there is plenty of room for everybody, I could pre-pack it with all of the supplies I would need, and the range I could travel in it would be limitless. Some of the negatives about this form of evacuation: the high price of gas which could limit our range of travel, the possibility of no gas being available, and most distressing, traffic congestion when everyone else has the same evacuation plan in mind. This goes for vans, trucks, and RVs as well.
Walking is always an option. Of course the range would be limited on a daily basis, especially carrying a heavy pack. Some good points would be not having a need for gas and congestion wouldn't be an issue. A bad point is that this form of transportation exposes you to everything (the weather, other desperate people, etc).
Bicycling is a consideration. Again, the need for gas and congestion wouldn't be issues and travel range would be longer, however once again this form of transportation exposes you to the weather and other people.
Other motorized vehicles such as a motorcycle, ATV, or a snowmobile may be good options, only limited by a few factors such as the need for fuel and, in the case of snowmobiles, the need for snow. Motorcycles will be an optimal choice if you are looking for something more maneuverable and more gas efficient than a car but less taxing than a bicycle. The range with these, provided you have enough fuel, is also exceptional.
How about leaving by horse? It sounds funny now but for millennia, this was the transportation mode of choice. You need to be able to feed the critter, and of course you will be exposed to the elements and other people, but this is not a bad option.
Ride sharing. This could take many forms including hitch hiking or getting a ride from someone on Craigslist or a neighbor who is also heading out of town, etc. I haven't hitch hiked for decades and certainly wouldn't recommend it now unless it was a dire emergency. In that case I would of course be well armed. Also, during an evacuation I am guessing that people would rather fill their cars with supplies and food instead of other people.
Having someone come and get you. This happened in a few recent disasters. People would phone friends and relatives from way out of town during Hurricane Katrina and the California wildfires to come and get them so they could evacuate. Depending on the type of disaster going on, this may be an option.
Public transportation. Generally during a disaster, public transportation (city bus, subway, etc) will either be shut down or commandeered by the authorities. However just prior to a full-fledged disaster, you may still be able to use this form of transportation to escape.
Commercial aviation. This may or may not be a good option. Of course you would need to be able to afford the ticket and then be able to get yourself to the airport and then have a destination in mind. This would also most likely need to be done pre-disaster. As we saw during the World Trade Center disaster, due to the type of attack, no one was flying for a few days afterwards.
Hopping a train. I used to do this in my younger days (we are talking quite a while ago) as a quicker way to get to the next town than my own two feet could carry me. At the time I didn't realize that it was both dangerous and illegal. Also, I don't know how much security has improved since then and other than as a last resort, probably wouldn't want to find out now.
Private aviation. If you have friends in high places (ie: the local sky ways), you may want to consider the option of being able to use a private plane or helicopter to get yourself out of the danger zone. While a MOU for this situation would be presumptuous and not likely to hold up in court after the fact, you may want to start having conversations now with friends who could provide this service to you in the event of an emergency. Better yet, if you have the time, money, and inclination, you may want to look into becoming a pilot and purchasing an aircraft yourself.
Boat. Whether by canoe, kayak, or power yacht, if you are in certain locations where this would be feasible, this may be an option. This would probably be one of my lower rated options for evacuation due to the limited amount of gear you could bring with you (depending on the boat of course), limited range (under your own power this will be pretty short), need for fuel (on any boat with a motor), and exposure to both the elements and other people.
Stowing Away. Again, another last resort. Somehow getting on an aircraft, ship, cargo truck, etc will only be your first challenge. Keeping hidden and not dying from a variety of causes (exposure to the elements, carbon monoxide poisoning, etc) will be your next.
People Traffickers. Funny that no matter what kind of country you are in--even communist countries and dictatorships, the free market law of supply and demand will always produce a way to fill people's needs. If you need to be trafficked from one country to another when it would otherwise be illegal or very dangerous (ie: at this particular time from Mexico to the US and during the any war--Vietnam, WW 2--out of the danger zone) there will be people who will fill this need for a price. This is also one of these very, very last options. You basically don't have any control over the situation, the people you pay will be just as likely to rob you and leave your carcass by the side of the road, and going about finding a "good" trafficker at the last minute will be quite difficult.
Anything with wheels. Some people have said "hey, I'll just use my rollerblades/skateboard/scooter to get around like I always do". Um, I say good for them and good for the orthopedist that would need to put me back together, but bad for me personally. Some people do rollerblade to work or skateboard to school, but again, this is good for a very limited range and I just can't picture this happening for the majority of the population, with or without a heavy pack on their back.

Anyway, those are some quick options to consider should the need arise to evacuate. Of course you can just wait for the government to tell you what to do, but we saw how effective that was for the people stuck in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. It is ALWAYS a better option to keep the situation under your own control as much as possible.

Friday, June 6, 2008

The Preparedness Pyramid

Imagine a pyramid--pointy at the top, wider in the middle, and very wide at the bottom. Now image that this is the general shape that your preparedness activities should take.

The bottom of the pyramid:

This is a wide area and encompasses all of the basics of preparedness.
This is where you should spend the most time, money, and effort.
This is where you should prepare for the general threats that are most likely to happen such as fire, home break-ins, theft, evacuation, loss of power, loss of water, etc.
Some tasks: make sure you are completely covered by insurance, put together bug out bags for each family member, make sure your smoke alarm works, have a fire extinguisher in your home, put dead bolt locks on your exterior doors, put together a family communications plan, have an emergency fund, store an additional month's supply of food for you and your family, etc.

The middle of the pyramid:

This is where preparedness activities become more specific.
Research what disasters are most likely to happen in your area.
Spend your time and money on mitigating these specific threats that are most likely to happen.
If you live in an area prone to tornadoes, reinforce your basement and stock your basement with all of the supplies you need to whether a tornado.
If you live in an area prone to earthquake, take steps to secure your furniture and hot water tank.
Do tasks and preps that are a bit more in depth such as: get your HAM operator's license, take a karate class, install a security system in your home, have enough stored water and food to see your family through a multi-month disaster, etc.

The top of the pyramid:

When you've done everything in the bottom and middle of the pyramid, you can start working on the most advanced preparedness skills and supplies.
Consider worst case scenarios such as a total collapse of the economy, a total collapse of the social system, pandemic illness, etc.
Do the tasks and buy the supplies that could help you survive the very worst of what could happen. This includes: becoming a paramedic, putting in an alternative electric system, putting in an alternative water system, outfitting your own personal armory, etc.

As you can see, this is the basic idea of preparedness. It just makes sense to spend the most time, effort, and money on the things that are most likely to happen. One of the biggest mistakes I see new survivalists make is to become enamoured with being a "survivalist" and try to fit the profile by jumping to the top of the pyramid without making a firm foundation first. Some people have very nice AKs but have no idea how to shoot. Some people may start buying gold coins but not even have an emergency fund to cover a couple of months of bills should they get laid off. Others may dress in camo head to toe and play paintball every weekend under the guise of "being prepared for TEOTWAWKI" but not even have a working smoke detector that could save the lives of their family in what is a much more likely scenario of a house fire.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

A Small Rant--Clean Out Your Car!

An integral part of keeping your life private is to keep your car clean. I was wondering what I would post about this afternoon when I walked by a car parked in the lot outside of my office. When I glanced inside (I tend to look at everything around me as a safety precaution, not to be nosy), I saw that the car was a disaster both inside and out. The worst part wasn't that it was messy but that it disclosed so much information about the owner that it was, in my opinion, a security risk for the entire family. Here's what I saw:

A sticker on the outside saying "my child is an honor student at ____ school". Right away I know where a stalker could find her kid.
The stalker could find her kid because his homework was in the back seat with his name on the papers that were strewn about the back seat.
The car was about two years old so it's a good bet the kid still goes to that school.
I could tell where they have eaten over the past week. Looked like fast food every day. Gag.
Her mail was on the dashboard with her name and address prominently displayed on each envelope. Now the stalker has her name, address, car info, and name of her kid.
The mail appeared to be mostly bills such as credit card statements. A thief could have broke into her car, took the bills, and instantly set themselves up with a whole bunch of new credit accounts--in her name.
There was girly stuff in the car and only the woman's address on the mail so it looked like she may be a single woman with kids.
There was also a child's booster seat in the back seat of the car. It's a good bet that at the mall or other location where she would be getting her kids in and out of the car, she would be distracted and an optimum target for an attacker.
There was a GPS device on the dashboard. Apparently she didn't know that people will bash the window in and grab these devices with surprising ease since they are worth some money. Never, never, never leave anything of value in plain view in your car. Duh.

Anyway, you get the picture. Your car should look like a rental car. Very basic, very clean, very ordinary, and have nothing in the car that would attract the attention of anyone--identity thief, stalker, etc.

DPT--Check Your Annual Credit Report

Here's a quick tip to make sure your credit history remains accurate--be sure to request your free annual credit reports at least once a year, review them thoroughly, and correct any information on them that you find is incorrect. The web address to access these free reports is http://www.annualcreditreport.com/. Many people are confused by a heavily advertised commercial service that touts itself as providing free credit reports, however the disclaimer is that you need to sign up (and pay!) for their credit monitoring service--this is really misleading. By checking your credit reports each year, you can make sure no one has stolen your identity and run up debts in your name.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

DPT--If You Want to Know What's Going On in the World...

If you want to know what's going on in the world, it often pays to read/watch the media from other countries. Even though it is said that the US has some of the most free media in the world, our media is still often biased. Remember all of the media coverage about Ron Paul? I thought not.

Anyway, a very good website to find international newspapers and magazines is http://www.allyoucanread.com/. I was surprised to see this article in a Philippine newspaper: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/99283/Study-secretly-tracks-cell-phone-users-outside-US about a US study that secretly tracked cell phone users. Hmmm...didn't see that story in our local paper.

You can also catch up on what is happening in Alice Springs http://www.alicespringsnews.com.au/ , in East Africa http://www.eastandard.net/#loop , or anywhere else around the world.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

10 Ways to Increase Your Income

Much like there are only two ways to loose weight (eat less and exercise more), there are basically only two ways to get out of debt…increase your income and decrease your spending. Yesterday we looked at decreasing your spending and today we will look at ten simple ways to increase your income so you will be able to use the extra money to pay down your debts or get a jump start on your savings.

Ask for a raise. A friend of mine knew she was underpaid in her position so she did a salary survey, presented it to her Board of Directors and promptly got the raise she was after. Since I am self-employed, I raised my rates across the board, something I hadn’t done in three years. For another friend who works in a casino, the bulk of his income comes from tips, something his employer had no control over. His solution? To put extra effort into his job skills and customer service skills…his tips reflected his extra efforts.
Have a garage sale. Almost all of us have a garage, storage unit or spare room chock full of stuff we don’t need. With just a few days of hard work and extra effort put into advertising, signage, organizing, pricing and presentation, a simple garage sale could quite possibly pay a whole month of bills or pay off a credit card for you.
Ebay the rest of your unneeded stuff. Go to http://www.ebay.com/ and see what your friends and neighbors are selling. You’ll be surprised to see that there is almost no limit to what you can sell on EBay (people have sold everything from high tech electronics and million dollar paintings to pine needles and their children’s drawings)…all of these items bringing much needed income to homes across the country and around world.
Look for more work. Can you work overtime at your job? Do you like children and have friends or relatives willing to pay you for your childcare services? Can you take a seasonal job at the mall or summer job in a local orchard? There’s lots of work available, much of it temporary, part-time or seasonal, that you can do to temporarily boost your income.
Start a small business. There are hundreds of ways to make a little extra income in addition to your regular job. One neighbor is known for being the lawn guy. He is an engineer by trade but on Saturdays, he has people lining up to have him mow their lawns. While the extra income is a bonus, he is just happy to be out in the fresh air, mowing lawns which he enjoys doing anyway, and getting some exercise to boot. Other low-overhead, income producing tasks include dog walking, car washing, errands, child care, being a movie extra, breeding animals, the list is endless.
Put together a one-time project to generate a chunk of income. If Spring Break is coming up, consider holding a week-long Spring Break camp for all of the children in your area. Write a grant and make a deal to get a percentage of it if you are successful. One year we had a family of Orca whales unexpectedly show up in the bay near our town. A young entrepreneur noticed that people were coming from all around to see these animals so he promptly had three hundred t shirts commemorating the event silk screened and sold them as he wandered around the viewing areas.
Take a chance on the improbable. While I am not suggesting you should hit the casino or order a dozen magazines you don’t need just to enter a sweepstakes, there are people who have more or less hit the jackpot by entering a singing contest (everything from the local karaoke bar singing contest where you win $50 for first place to becoming the next American Idol), entering a writing contest, receiving a brand new house from Extreme Home Makeover (don’t laugh, this has happened to a family in our area!), or winning a jingle contest.
Seek out all of the money you are entitled to. Do you have any waiting deposits (phone, utilities, apartment, etc) that you can now claim? Do you have rebates waiting to be sent in? Have you taken all of the credits and deductions you are entitled to on your taxes? Have you checked out www.missingmoney.com and www.unclaimed.org to see if you have money waiting for you? Have you collected on any loans you made to friends and relatives?
Help someone out and earn money at the same time. Take in a boarder; rent a spare room in your home and earn extra cash. Caring for foster children will earn you a monthly stipend; however a genuine love for children and strong parenting skills is a must. Have a ‘bed and breakfast’ and share your home with interesting people from all over the world. Sell your blood at a local blood bank.
Let your hobbies earn you some extra cash. Do you head to Asia each year? Spend the first couple of weeks of your vacation guiding a group of novice tourists around with you and earn a tidy some for your efforts. Do you know all of the best fishing spots in your area? Bring along some paying customers next time you head out to the river.

Above all, use your creativity, think like an entrepreneur, and don’t be afraid to ask for what you are worth. With a little extra effort, your hard work will let you quickly earn your way out of debt.

Monday, June 2, 2008

10 Ways to Decrease Your Spending

It's one of the basic laws of life…if you want to get out of debt, you need to increase your income and/or decrease your spending. It’s just that simple. Check out these ways to decrease your spending so that you will be able to use the money you save to buy your way out of debt, fund your dreams, and change your life.

Stop eating out. For many Americans, eating out is as common—or more common—than cooking a meal. Did you know that “eating out” is a relatively recent trend? A century ago, eating in restaurants was only for travelers and many unsavory sorts. A half century ago, eating at a restaurant was a very special event. These days, many people eat out every day. If you calculate your expenditures for a month of eating out as well as document the food you are eating, you will find that not only are you spending an arm and a leg for food, but you are eating some of the unhealthiest food possible. Better option--cook all of your meals at home in order to save money as well as eat healthier food.
Review your bills, one by one, and determine ways to decrease each debt. Many of your “fixed” expenses really aren’t cast in stone. Look at your cable bill; you can switch to the most basic cable service and save a little extra money every month. Look at your electric bill; a handful of changes in your daily habits (washing and drying only full loads of laundry, lowering your thermostat, turning off unneeded lights, etc) can save you big bucks over the course of a year.
Don’t go shopping. For many of us, shopping, going to the mall to hang out with friends or buying things online is an almost every day activity. Try finding other activities to occupy your time, doing a “shopping fast” and look for ways to reduce, reuse, repair or go without.
Take care of your own service needs. Do you really need to hire someone to mow your lawn while at the same time you are paying to go to the gym to work out for an hour? Can you clean your own pool, home or office instead of hiring these jobs out? If you are following rule number 3 above, you should have lots of extra time to accomplish these tasks.
Make current spending decisions based on how your life is now, not how it was. For many of us, we develop our spending patterns when our children are young. Things such as buying in bulk, keeping the freezer full, paying top dollar for life insurance, and having a 4,000 square foot house were necessary when we had a houseful of kids. Now that the kids are grown and moved out it is time to reassess what our current needs are. We no longer have the need to buy in bulk, a full freezer could last us for years, life insurance needs change over the years, and a huge house means having lots of unused space that we need to heat, air condition and clean.
Base your spending on logical, rather than emotional reasons. A whole shelf of library books has been written on emotional spending. The bottom line is to know why you spend and spend logically not just on an emotional whim.
Make at least two days a week, “no spending” days. This is hard to do for most of us. We automatically spend money just about every day, whether paying bills, buying a mocha or filling up our gas tank. Make it a family project to not spend money for a couple of days each week. This will entail pre-planning (making sure your car has gas prior to the ‘no spend’ days), preparing (taking a thermos of coffee to work instead of buying it at the coffee stand), and making do (if you normally eat out for dinner, you may be raiding the cupboards for sustenance…be creative and see what your family can come up with for dinner).
Reduce your credit card interest and consolidate your bills. Call your credit card companies and ask for a reduced interest rate. If you have five small credit card bills, consolidate them all on the card with the best terms. If you have a first mortgage and a second mortgage, ask your accountant if it makes financial sense to refinance these into one loan.
Change the way you shop. Use a list when shopping. Buy only food that is on sale and create your menus off of these specials. Only buy clothes from the clearance rack. Vow to never pay retail. Choose only one day a week to do all of your shopping. Many people go on autopilot when it comes to shopping. They buy the same brands they have always bought and they shop at the same stores they always shop at. Try buying different brands or shopping at discount stores, anything to get off of autopilot and into conscious purchasing.
Look at alternatives to paying money for the things you need. Try bartering. Try carpooling or riding a bike to work. Try checking out free activities in your community. Try borrowing movies from your library instead of renting them.

Decreasing our spending isn’t easy. It takes effort, it takes attitude change, and it takes creativity but the rewards are well worth it. Just image how one year of dedicated effort put towards decreasing your spending could affect your life…you could very well pay off your debts, save for the vacation you have always wanted, pay cash for a car, fund some other big dream, and most importantly, take one giant step towards your preparedness goals.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

DPT--Know Your Environment

No matter where you are each day, be it at home, in your office, in the mall, in a grocery store, et al, it is important to know your environment. Whenever you enter a new environment (ie: meeting a client in a hotel bar, arriving at your office, shopping at the big box store), take a couple minutes to stand still and note the following items:

Where are the exits (both conventional exits and emergency exits)?
What is the fastest way I could get out of here in an emergency?
Is there any emergency equipment located nearby (ie: a fire extinguisher or an AED on the wall)?
Who is in my immediate area? What do they look like? What are they doing? Why might they be here?
Who might be immediate threats in this area? In a hospital it may be the handcuffed patient that was just brought in, in a biker bar it could be just about anyone, in a school it could be a thug kid.
What other threat situations may occur in this location? In a hospital it could be a TB outbreak, in a nightclub it could be the threat of a fight or retaliation with a gun.
What types of weapons are there at hand that I could use? Maybe a hatchet in the hardware store or a steak knife in a restaurant.
How is the crowd flowing? Usually when there is a problem, you will see a majority of the crowd looking towards the action.
Does anything seem unusual? If you enter into a store but notice that, according to the sign on the door, it isn't supposed to be open until two hours later, there may be a problem.
How do the employees seem? Happy? Pensive? Nervous? Bored?

I mention all of these items because most people go through their day on autopilot. They do the same things at the same times each day and never really notice anything out of the ordinary unless it is an extreme aberration. You've probably even seen videos of people who walk into a convenience store during a hold-up, pick up a pack of gum, pay for the item, and leave the store without ever knowing something was wrong. The bottom line is that you need to pay attention to your environment, even your ordinary, everyday, environment in order to be prepared for anything that might happen.