DPT--Check Out Your Local Transit System

Up until a few years ago, it had been decades since I had used public transit. Then gas prices went through the roof, then I noticed a bus stop by my house, then I gathered up the courage one day to hop on the bus just to see where it would go. After that I was sold on public transit and now use it regularly in my city and quite often when I travel as well.
It just makes sense to know ALL of your options when it comes to transportation. There may come a time when for some reason or another you cannot drive your car or get a ride with a friend, walking or riding your bike may not work because of the weather or the distance, and calling a cab may be too spendy.
So, take some time this weekend to get a day pass for your local transit system and ride the bus/subway/light rail/monorail/etc just for the fun of it. This will allow you to find out not only where the transit system can take you but costs/distances/times, how far you can get away from the city and into the rural/mountain areas, and provide some options/ideas for bugging out should the need arise.

An Interesting Fingerprinting Technique

I'm not sure if there are any fingerprint techs who read this blog, but for those who work in law enforcement or related fields, I wanted to pass along an interesting technique for fingerprinting hands that have decomposed beyond the point of being able to print them in the normal fashion. It is an unusual technique that is virtually unknown in the US (it was passed along to me via video from a forensics team in South Africa). So you have a hand which would normally be considered too decomposed to pull prints from. Simply pour boiling water over the fingers and palm. You will see the muscles contract and the fingers rise up. Dry the fingers and palm, dust the hand like you are dusting for latent prints, take some white fingerprint tape and proceed to print the fingers. You now have mirror images of the fingerprints on the tape which I am told are quite accurate and useful for identification. Interesting.

Stuff You Need to Identify a Loved One

When something like the Twin Tower collapse, Hurricane Katrina, or the Oklahoma City bombing happens, the recovery and identification of the remains (bodies and/or parts) falls to specialized teams coordinated by the government. Obviously, identifying remains can be a daunting task, made slightly easier by high tech forensics, however the identification process leans heavily on information provided by loved ones of the deceased. Here's the stuff that can be used to identify a loved one should the worst happen:

• Recent photos (of both the face and the full body)
• Personal characteristics (age, height, weight, race, scars, birthmarks, etc)
• Photos of tattoos or other permanent identifying marks
• Dental records including dental x rays
• Medical records, medical history, medical x rays
• Fingerprints
• DNA samples (most people don't have/preserve their own DNA samples which is why the DNA of next of kin are used for comparison) Here's an interesting DNA collection how-to.
• Information on personal property of the deceased (jewelry, clothing, other items known to be in the victim's possession)

Sounds kind of gruesome but for people who have experienced the loss of a loved one in a mass fatality event (natural disaster, plane crash, etc), having definitive proof that can assist in the identification of a loved one so a family can have closure is important. If you want to take preparedness to (what some would call) the extreme, consider putting together an "identification kit" for yourself and your loved ones.

The Value of Setting (And Reaching) Goals

For the past few days I was out of town, participating in a marathon. I actually finished (!), however I realized that I am not as young as I used to be. I used to be able to participate in hard-core physical activities for hours on end and have no repercussions. My feet today, however, are screaming in pain and I am barely able to walk. Bummer.
The best part is that this was one of many goals that I have set for the year and I accomplished it. I have found over the years that having a list of goals to accomplish has not only provided direction for my life but has also greatly increased the chances that I would be successful in the things I want to accomplish.
With a list of goals, I can plan out my year, or at least the high points, and the list also serves as motivation to actually get the things done that I want to achieve. One of the best things about having written goals is that there seems to be more accountability than just having a number of good ideas in your mind. There have been many times when there was a particular activity/event coming up and I would literally have to pull myself out of bed on the morning of said activity and drag myself to where ever it was I needed to be. If I didn't have a concrete goal set in writing, there is no way that I would have gone to the trouble to attend said event/activity/class. Afterwards, though, I am always happy that I made the effort to achieve the goal no matter how lazy I was before the fact.
If there are things you want to accomplish, no matter how large, small, or improbable, write them down, set a time frame, and get busy working towards your goals.
On a side note, don't worry about the money when it comes to goals. If people looked at only what they knew they could afford/achieve they would not reach very high. As many philosophers have noted, once you set your mind of something, the universe has a way of making things happen.

20 Identifiers to Consider

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to identify people based on just looking at them and their stuff? If you want to be able to "blend", consider how the following identifiers tell the world something about you:

1. Your passport. A good reason to hold dual citizenship.
2. Your tattoos. No tattoos are optimal if you want to be incognito. Prison tattoos, gang tattoos, and military-related tattoos are clear "give aways" about your past/present.
3. Your clothing. The reason costumes are an integral part of undercover work/movies/etc is because the clothing you wear tells quite a bit about you.
4. Scars. Again, these permanent marks can tell your history, especially to those who know what to look for.
5. Sexual identifiers. Earrings, clothing, other jewelry can be used to identify a person's sexual preferences.
6. Jewelry. Besides the above mentioned use of jewelry, wedding rings send a signal, watches, and other jewelry also tell the world something about you.
7. Religious wear. Everything from head scarves to religious jewelry to coptic tattoos can signal your religious preferences.
8. Mannerisms. Often times I can identify what country people are from simply by their mannerism. Each locale has certain types of mannerism that are kind of common throughout the populace.
9. The way you carry yourself. I can identify former Marines with a high degree of accuracy simply by the way they walk and carry themselves. Ditto for victims of domestic violence. Drug users can be distractingly twitchy.
10. Indicators of your hobbies/work. Bowlers have unusual thumbs, gardeners usually have dirt stains on their hands, violinists have marks on the side of their necks, and many occupations leave people with callouses on their hands.
11. The kind of car you drive (sometimes a dead give away about your income level/profession/political leaning/etc) and your license plates (does the registration lead straight back to you?).
12. The way you smell. You probably can't do much about this as your "smell" depends on your environment and what you eat but it can be a dead giveaway that you are from somewhere else.
13. Your level of awareness. When people appear to be hyper aware, there is usually a reason for their behaviour--they may have been in a combat zone, been recently released from prison, are on the run/hiding from someone, etc. The majority of people are relatively oblivious to their surroundings so if you see someone who isn't, that's your clue.
14. Biometric identifiers. DNA, fingerprints, your retinas...again these are things you can't do much to change. Keeping these items to yourself is a good idea.
15. Cultural markers--turbans, bindis, henna designs--there are a number of items that announce to the world something about a person's cultural background.
16. The way people talk. Accents, level of formality, word choice, and other verbal indicators of a person's background can provide clues to the person you are talking to.
17. Dental work (or the lack thereof). This can range from areas where very little dental work is done (missing teeth, rotting teeth, and teeth sticking out every which way) to areas where dental work is of the utmost importance (braces, veneers) to location specific dental items ("grills" in the ghetto to silver dental inlays in Central America).
18. Your face. Another something you can't change easily. This includes your race, the look of your eyes, the shape of your face, your gender...obviously with good theatrical makeup/props or a good plastic surgeon this could be changeable.
19. Your body. It the person you are looking at ultra fit or ultra fat? What does their musculature look like. The person's body can give clues to their health and their lifestyle.
20. What the person's hands are doing. People's hands give away a lot about them--are they pissed off? Nervous? Hiding something? Reaching for something like a weapon? Picking their nails? Signaling someone?

Take a good hard look at yourself in a mirror. What are you projecting to the world? If someone was hunting you, how would you change the aforementioned things about you so as to disguise your identity?

Link Round-Up: Preparedness Related

From the favorites list:

• A cool new tool from Victorinox.
• A reminder about why you need an emergency fund.
• And a second reminder with some real world applications.
• An interesting challenge.
• And some info for work.

The Value of Being Organized

Being organized--having a place for everything and keeping everything in its place--can save you not only time but money. Here are a bunch of recent examples of how being organized can save both of these valuable commodities...

• I reviewed my insurance coverage and found that it was time to shop around and find out if my homeowners insurance was still the best coverage for the money I was paying. Having a copy of my policy on hand (in a file where I could easily find it), I figured out what coverage I had, what I was paying for the coverage annually (something many people don't pay attention to because it is usually included with your mortgage payment), and went about seeking quotes for insurance from a handful of local insurance companies. I switched companies and now save about $200 per year.
• A local store had an excellent sale on batteries. Instead of guessing whether or not we needed more batteries and what sizes (AA, AAA, D, etc) we needed, I simply went to the cabinet in the garage where we store the batteries and looked to see what we needed. No hunting through the house and searching various places for lone batteries. If they are all stored together, not only can you see when your supply is getting low, but, if need be, you can find them in the dark in the event of a power outage.
• I save time, money, and gas by planning my day the previous evening. By laying out your day on paper, you can schedule in errands (ie: a trip to the post office or a quick grocery shopping trip) where they logically fit in your day instead or running across town and back two or three times, wasting both your time and gas. On a side note, I usually have a cooler in my vehicle which is useful for a number of things including keeping the milk cold if I buy it mid day instead of on my way home. On occasion I have been down on the docks to meet friends and ended up with a cooler full of fish. Nice.
• I keep a print out of all of my important papers/documents and review this list occasionally. By doing this, I noted that my passport will expire in about six months and my concealed carry permit will expire next year. By ensuring that these types of documents are renewed before they expire, you save hassle (ever tried getting back into the country with an expired passport?), money (in added fees to renew documents that have expired), and time (by renewing before these things expire, you can choose the time to renew them instead of running down to the office in a panic on the busiest day of the month and waiting in line).
• Having financial records at your finger tips can save time and hassle. When shopping around for mortgage financing, you are always asked for records. Past tax returns, annual income records, DD214, bank statements. Obviously you can round these up with time and effort by contacting your bank, the IRS, etc., but that is the hard way to do things. By having these records on hand, neatly filed in one place, you can whip out these documents and have a loan decision in a couple of hours.

I am all for having the big important things in life well organized, such as my BOB, backpacking gear, and the trunk of my vehicle or first aid kit, but by having ALL of your possessions, documents, and even the smallest of things such as fingernail clippers in ONE specific location ALL of the time, you will save money, time, and frustration.

Are You Prepared for a 30 Day Shut-Down?

And when I say you, I mean you (and your family) personally, and your business if you have one. If you have been watching the news, you know about the volcano that's been spewing ash all over Europe for the past week. The airlines are unable to fly through the ash so tens of thousands of flights have been grounded. Now, the airlines can be flexible for a day or two but by today, day four of this situation, the airlines are pressuring the powers that be to let them fly because they are losing so much money. Scary thought. Money to not go bankrupt or passenger safety...hmmm...
This is a situation that is all too common because people (and businesses) have lost the ability to weather the types of storms that can mean the difference between solvency and bankruptcy. A century or two ago, people planned annually and seasonally. If they didn't have food coming in for a month, they certainly had stored food that could see them through the lean times. If they did not have cash coming in for a month, they had cash in savings that could see them through a financial dry spell. These days, everything in done on the very tightest of margins. For many families, missing even one single paycheck could mean homelessness. If a business cannot ship containers of food on a daily basis, grocery store shelves will literally be empty within a couple of days. There simply is no backup without just in time delivery or just in time earnings.
Which brings us to the point of this post. Say you cannot work for 30 days, the health officer quarantines you to your home for 30 days due to a deadly disease outbreak, or the grocery stores are empty for 30 days. Could you survive? For most people, the answer is simply no. For most people, they think such a thing could NEVER EVER happen so they don't even plan for it (besides, they know the government would come in and save them). For other people, this thought has crossed their minds more than once and they have some sort of plan in place to deal with it.
Here's what you need to do to prepare for a 30-day shut down:

• Have the money to pay two months of normal expenses put aside in savings. Even if you are only shut down for 30 days, it may take a bit extra to get ramped back up.
• Have an extra 30 day's worth of food stored at your home. If you end up not using it, you can always throw a huge summer event and feed all of your guests or donate the food to charity and restock.
• Have an extra 30 days worth of supplies stored at your home (laundry soap, bath soap, toilet paper, etc.).
• How much debt do you have? The difference between paying your minimal living debts (water, lights, garbage) versus paying the monthly bills for a dozen credit cards and huge mortgage and car loans really makes a difference in how comfortably (both financially and psychologically) you can survive a shut-down.
• Have an escape plan for a 30 day period. Some people never take more than a week's vacation per year which is sad (and another post). If you have never taken a vacation for a 30 day period of time, it can be quite disconcerting, but if you had to bug out for a month, consider how you would prepare for this. Could you still work remotely? Do you have a place or two in mind that you would like to go? How much would it cost for food and shelter in your desired location? What would you take with you? How would you get there?

That's basically it. If you can eat, have shelter, have necessary supplies, possibly earn a living, and definitely pay your bills, for an extended period of time when a major financial/social/political disruption is occurring, you will be miles ahead of the masses in terms of preparedness.

If You Drive a Car, Read This (It Will Save a Child's Life)

Today was the second time in a little over a week that a child was killed in our area by a family member who backed over them in their car. This type of thing happens every spring and summer and it is a tragedy for everyone each time it happens--for the child, the driver, the family, the EMS and LE responders, neighbors, etc.
When the weather gets warm, children are outside and they really don't care much where they play, they are just happy to be outside playing. Kids don't consider that people in cars can't see them. Kid's don't consider that playing in the driveway could be unsafe. Kid's don't make it a point to alert drivers to their location so that the driver will not make the mistake of driving over them. So, it is up to driver to take precautions in order to not have such a tragedy happen to them. These include:

• Backing into your parking space. I do this out of habit for a few reasons, one of which is that when I am driving towards a parking space, I have the opportunity to see the surrounding area and note if children are present or not before I start backing in. Obviously if there are children running around near where I am going to park, I will ensure they are out of the way before backing in. This tends to be safer then pulling into a parking space then backing out when I am ready to leave.
• I walk completely around my vehicle before getting in and leaving. Yes, the neighbors probably think I am daft and wonder what I am looking for, however it is a good habit to get into, again, for a couple of reasons, one of which is to ensure that there are no children/bikes/toys/animals/etc. in front of or behind my vehicle.
• I try to know where people are when I leave my home. Obviously you can't account for neighbor kids, but knowing exactly where your own family members are when you leave can help ensure that they aren't somewhere that they aren't supposed to be (also taking a moment to say goodbye or hug each family member before you leave home is a good thing to do in case you never see them again, but that is a different post...).
• When the kids were younger we had strict rules about where they could play (absolutely not in the driveway) and what happened to their stuff if they left it laying around, again, specifically not in the driveway (we may have been the only family that impounded bikes, skateboards, and any other items we found left laying in the driveway or road in front of our house).

Doing these few things only takes a minute or two extra each time you leave your home and could save a life. With the size and design of most cars these days, there is absolutely no way to see anyone--child or adult-- if they happen to be sitting (and in some cases even standing) behind your vehicle. I have seen these tragic accidents happen too many times over the years. The consequences for the person who drives over and kills a child (as well as the rest of the family) are too numerous to define. Suffice it to say there is no "getting over" the death of a child--siblings are impacted literally for the rest of their lives, marriages more often than not tend to dissolve after such tragedies, depression, post traumatic stress, and even suicides are not uncommon results of these kinds of accidents. A couple extra minutes of your time can help ensure that such a tragic accident doesn't happen to you or a loved one.

Domestic Violence Preparedness

Oprah was on TV this evening in the background and when I heard "our guest today is renowned safety expert..." which of course made my ears perk up. The topic today was domestic violence preparedness which, like any disaster situation, requires a good deal of education, a plan, and resources if you want to come out of such situation in reasonably good condition. Here are some excellent links to help you or a loved one prepare for a domestic violence situation:

• MOSAIC--this is a great threat assessment tool which will let people know if, yes, you really are in a dangerous relationship which has the potential for domestic violence.
• A Selection of MOSAIC Threat Assessments--ranging from spousal abuse to student threats to workplace violence threats.
• AARDVARK--warning signs of domestic violence.
• Domestic Violence Escape Plan--a good plan to make whether for domestic violence purposes or in case you need to escape for other reasons...
• National Domestic Violence Hotline--or call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)

Even if you are not in a domestic violence situation and never plan to be, having the skills and knowledge to personally protect yourself are invaluable skills for everyone to have.

The Importance of Testing People Who Usually Aren't

I spent last night working with a bunch of surprised, bleary-eyed, slightly confused folks who are probably still wondering what the heck happened.
One of my clients staged a surprise disaster exercise at their headquarters to test the response skills of people who, up until last night, had never been tested on their response abilities.
You will find that most exercises are conducted with plenty of notice, on the day shift, with top management all over the place, in a pretty controlled environment. It is the way things are most often done in corporate America just because it makes sense financially (overtime for these events is often deemed unnecessary or overkill), the head honchos want to partake in such events (during the daytime, of course), and you get the biggest bang for the buck because you have the largest amount of staff usually on the day shift.
But what about the night crew? They are often working with much fewer people, at a time when no one else is around (note that CEOs and the like are hardly ever around the office after midnight), and are often assumed to be able to do what is expected during a disaster although they often don't make the in-service training ops specifically because of their schedules.
Overall the group did great, but the event did point out a number of things:

• Is everyone in your crew trained? This goes for all of your employees but this can also be a reminder about your family. You might think that grandma doesn't need a fire drill because there is always family around to help her out but what if the rest of the family is out of town when the house catches fire?
• Is everyone in your crew trained to the same level? Maybe day crew gets the most training because that is when trainers are on shift doing their thing but the night crew should need to meet the same training requirements as everyone else, if not more, specifically because there are fewer people to immediately respond at night to a disaster. Ditto for your family at home. If only the adults are trained in CPR and you have four kids of varying ages, do the math. The older people are more likely to go down and need the CPR performed on them for starters. Also, if you have six people in the house and only the two parents are trained in this particular skill, two thirds of your crew is left in the dark. Not good.
• It may have been just me, but at the event, it seemed that the night crew was just different than the day crew that I see most often. They appeared to be older, frailer, and less "in the loop" (or maybe, just in their own loop) than the day crew. They seemed kind of like they were their own staff within a staff, very separate and very different. They didn't seem to be "lesser than" the day crew, just "different than" and although they did a great job at doing their jobs, it looked like something that the disaster response trainers may need to take into account because the day crew staff who does the planning for these types of things may end up assuming things about this group of people based on what they know about their day staff and those assumptions may not hold up when it comes to the other crew. On the home front, just because your family is trained to instantly respond to a dozen different disaster scenarios, don't just assume that the distant relatives that are staying at your home for a family reunion have even an inkling about what to do should a power outage/medical incident/other disaster strike. This doesn't mean they are "lesser than", just "different than".
• There's nothing like a surprise alarm to wake people up, figuratively speaking. Obviously these people were awake and on the job, but I am guessing that the night shift is fairly routine and nothing much happens at night to get people out of their normal course of activities. A good surprise every now and then will keep people on their toes. Ditto at home. Throw some surprise challenges out to the family and see how they handle them.
• The most important thing, when it comes to events like this, is that you need to make the outcome educational, not punitive. People will not want to play in your sandbox (or if forced, will do so with malice) if you embarrass or belittle them for what they don't know. Again, this applies at home too. By testing people, you see where their achievements, and most importantly, their weaknesses are. During a test is not the time to educate, berate, or correct people. A test is simply a way to see if people are doing what they are supposed to do, how they do it, and what challenges/failures they have. Stephen Covey had it right when he said to begin with the end in mind. What is it that you want to accomplish? You need to then provide the training, framework, goals, and objectives to the group you are targeting so that they will know what it is they are supposed to know/do. Then test them. Then train some more to work on difficult parts. Then test again. You get the idea...

Overall, last night's exercise went very well. After some initial surprise, the group seemed very happy to be included in what is often regarded as a "daytime event." They were glad for the ability to train with the pros, and they learned some very important skills that will help them be successful should a disaster strike their organization in the middle of the night.

DPT--Do You Know Where Your Neighborhood Sex Offenders Are?

Something to check out, on a regular basis and especially if you have kids, is who and where your neighborhood sex offenders are. Now I don't recommend vigilante justice and hunting these perverted people down, but being aware, and making your children aware, of this potential danger in your neighborhood is of the utmost importance. There is a reason that whenever there is a child abduction/assault/etc by a stranger that sex offenders are the first people that law enforcement checks on and this is because the recidivism rate for this particular type of offender is so high. Identify your local sex offenders by starting with this website, then Google your state and county sex offender websites as well.

Why We Are Downsizing Now

By tomorrow our house will be on the market. Fortunately we are in a good financial position with the house since we bought it nearly a decade ago (unlike many people we know who bought near the top of the housing bubble and are now wallowing in a negative financial position with their homes). Here's why we choose this particular point in time to make this move:

• The $8000 home purchase tax credit will expire soon (at least it is supposed to but I theorize it may be extended so as not to totally implode the mostly stagnant housing market). This may be an incentive to get the contract signed around by the end of April and lead to a quick sale.
• Home prices in our area have not fallen as low as in other parts of the country. People are still buying here and with people looking to buy, we figured now would be a good time to test the market and see if we can sell at a price we feel comfortable with.
• We are not pressed to sell. We set a reasonable price for our home, yet it is towards the top of the market value. If it sells, it sells, and if not, we can always wait so we aren't approaching this in a reactive way but rather a proactive way.
• We are getting older, the kids have moved out, and we entertain much less than we used to so instead of paying to buy/clean/furnish/maintain a large house, it seems to make more sense to live in a much smaller home and on the rare occasion we have a crowd, we can take everyone out to a restaurant or get hotel rooms for guests.
• We plan to retire early. The spouse, since becoming unemployed, has decided not to go back to work. My business is relatively portable so I can basically work from anywhere. Now seems like a good time to, not exactly retire, but scale back our lifestyle dramatically and become more flexible financially.
• We also plan to travel more. Since we aren't getting any younger, we figure we better enjoy globe trotting while we still have the health and stamina to enjoy it.
• We want to set each other up for a good transition should something happen to one of us. I have seen it happen numerous times--one spouse dies and leaves the other with a large unmanageable house, debts, and tons of household "stuff" to deal with. By downsizing to a small house which will be a "home base" and paying cash for it, getting rid of extraneous junk that has been collected over the years, and ensuring that we have no debt (plus investments, insurance, and savings), should one of us die, the other will be in a much better position to deal with such a major change in their life.
• I have less and less faith in the US economy. I'm not a math-a-magician so the whole current financial situation may make sense to those with more math skills than me, but I just don't see how social security will be able to cover the burgeoning number of Baby Boomers who are now, or will soon be, tapping into the financial spigot. Add to that the Obamacare insurance program that is going to cover everyone--and incur massive financial losses (I know they say people will pay for their insurance but if millions couldn't afford to pay before, I don't understand how they will be able to pay now...), along with the more than thirty state governments that are on the verge of bankruptcy...and I just don't see much financial solvency in America's future. This leads to less consumer confidence, less consumer purchases, dropping prices, related unemployment..you get the idea.
• I feel the need to diversify my assets. Which I have done by investing a bit in foreign markets (land, businesses, currency). This may increase as we become more open to international options via travel and living in foreign countries for extended periods of time.
• And the need to diversify my reliance on the American economy in general. Which means I don't want a large investment in US real estate in the hopes that the prices will eventually come up. I have never relied on only one source of income, and I don't see that changing, but by looking at other foreign options, and having the ability to take advantage of them, we may be able to have more diversified income streams as well.
• I want to maximize my mostly US-earned income. Currently most of my income is earned in the US so with the dollar still OK compared to other currencies, we figure that before it totally nosedives, and by spending much more time in foreign countries where the cost of living is much lower, our money will stretch much further.
• America seems to grow more socialist by the day. Yes, I realize that America is one of the best countries on earth, and yes I often have flashbacks of my grandfather having the same sentiments (forty plus years ago) so maybe it is just me or maybe it is just how people feel as they age and remember "the good old days", but being more location independent seems like a really good option at this point in time.
• Whereas the '90s were the decade of extravagance and over consumption, these days it just feels right to go all minimalist. We are following suit. You really don't need a ton of stuff to be happy...and we aim to prove this to ourselves.

I actually have no idea how things will turn out for the US, financially or otherwise, so take these ideas with a grain of salt and due diligence study, however if you are looking for a change, consider going against the grain. Start by downsizing your stuff, downsizing your debts, diversifying both your income sources and your marketable skills, and, should you choose to, go even more "radical" by becoming location independent.

Some Lessons from Colton Harris Moore

There is a teenage kid up in our neck of the woods who has made quite a name for himself as a fugitive and, depending on how you look at it, a survivalist. For a compendium of news stories about him, check out the Colton Harris Moore Fan Club website. I am generally not a fan of fugitives and I wouldn't call myself a fan of this kid, but many of his exploits have "survivalist" written all over them. Here's some of his survivalist lessons gleaned from news articles:

• One of the most amazing things he has done, in my opinion, is that he has been credited with stealing small aircraft and flying them wherever he wants to go. The most amazing part is that he has never been on an airliner and has never taken flying lessons, yet authorities believe he got ahold of some flight manuals, YouTube videos, and flight simulator computer programs, studied them, then stole the planes and practiced flying them. He was able to take off, fly, and land, surprisingly with some skill and without killing himself or anyone else. Fairly amazing. The lesson: you can do amazing things when you have the knowledge (and the balls) to try.
• He is also thought to have stolen numerous cars and boats. The lesson: being able to drive anything can be a useful skill.
• He has a network of people who, authorities assume, are helping him hide out. The lesson: build your network.
• It is assumed that his outdoor survival and hiding skills have kept him a) from dying of exposure and starving to death, and b) from being caught by authorities who have spent lots of money, time, and man power trying to find him. Did I mention he lives on an island? A small island? Yes, I am sure the authorities are embarrassed by this factoid. The lesson: outdoor survival skills are a must. Practicing them is a double must.
• He is known to break into homes (mostly homes of people who leave them vacant in the off season) and businesses to gather supplies/food/other things he needs. The lesson: burglary skills are good to have; the felony that comes along with using such skills warrant some consideration about its impact on your future.
• He has literally outrun some of the authorities who were hunting him. The lesson: physical skills are not over rated and need to be practiced regularly.
• From the articles, he uses night vision goggles, knows his way around computers and other electronic devices, and collects things such as iPods, digital camera, etc. The lesson: being well versed on technology topics is a useful skill to have.

Like I've often said, there are opportunities to learn from every situation, every newspaper article, and even from criminals (mostly you learn what not to do from criminals but this may be an exception).

Link Round-Up: Stuff You Should Know

Here is a random assortment of interesting links. They don't quite make the Daily InSight list of links but this is still important info:

• Did you know that about 18 military vets commit suicide each day in the US? The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has a new page on their website (as well as a separate phone number) specifically for military members and veterans. They also have a new online chat function so people can chat online with a counselor and get valuable information and help. Check out the site here.
• Awareness is a valuable survival skill. Say someone comes up to you and they are acting high/psychotic/dangerous. This website will at least give you some practice identifying the kind of drugs they may be on.
• You want to get fit and you are interested in bicycling. Here's a website with 55 bicycling resources to help you get started.

The Wind Storm That Wasn't...And the Benefits of Being Prepared

Well the big wind storm that was supposed to hit our area completely missed us. Other areas got lots of rain, some places got snow, and a very few areas got damaging winds.
The moral of the story, however, is that it always pays to be prepared. When you are prepared, you don't need to worry about:

• what would happen after a disaster, re: your insurance (because you are prepared, you already know this).
• what you would do if you have to evacuate at the last minute (because you have an evacuation plan in place).
• running to the store at the last minute to get food, water, batteries, toilet paper, et al in order to have enough stuff to wait out the storm (because you already have plenty of this stuff in reserve and you could easily stay holed up in your home for weeks on end--without notice--if need be).
• what would happen to your kids if a range of things occurred--a tree falls on the school, it is too windy for the kids to walk home, the power goes out while you are far away from home, etc (because you know the school's disaster plan and you have a family disaster plan and all of these things have been discussed, planned for, and drilled).
• how you would get gas for your car in the event that the power is out and the gas stations aren't open (because you have, at minimum, a couple of five gallon cans of gas safely stored in the shed).
• what you are going to eat for dinner in the event that there is no power and you can't cook (because you have plenty of food that can be eaten cold or, if you really need some hot food, you can always break out your grill which has a full tank of propane on stand-by).
• what you are going to do for entertainment in the event of a power outage (because you have been through a power outage before and it took a while but the family eventually found out that staring hard at the TV or computer won't bring it back to life so you have planned accordingly and have reading material, board games, and other non-electric entertainment options).
• what to do about the deck chairs/garbage can/recycling bins that just went flying down the street (because your wind storm job action sheet has a list of things that you check off as you get prepared for such a storm--bring all things that could be damaged by the wind indoors, tie down the boat and sails, observe the trees around the perimeter of the house and pre-emptively cut them down if they pose a danger, check on the elderly neighbor to be sure they are prepared to be without power for a while, etc).

So, like I said, it was a non-event, however, just by being prepared on a daily basis, it makes facing anything from a possible small disaster to something larger and more deadlier a lot easier to prepare for when word comes at the last minute because most all of the preps have already been done. All you need to do is bring up the correct job action sheet, go down the list, check things off, then sit back and enjoy the show.

Preppin for a Wind Storm

Wind storms are pretty common around here. The Weather Service issued a high wind warning for our area this afternoon which said we may have winds of up to 60 miles per hour tomorrow morning. Most people don't worry too much about wind storms but when winds get fairly high for a sustained period of time you can often end up with power outages, trees down (and the ensuing damage that can cause to homes and roads), and even injuries and deaths. Here's what we have done to get ready for the storm:

• Charge the cell phones in case the power goes out.
• Bring in the deck chairs and garbage cans so they don't fly away.
• Things that I would check if I didn't already know that we were set: food (lots), water (gallons and gallons), flashlights (strategically placed as usual), batteries (plenty). Heating is not an issue because it isn't very cold at this time of year.
• Cancelled a meeting with a client (the meeting would have required that I travel by ferry to meet them and in high winds the ferries won't run and I don't feel like getting stuck somewhere hours away from home). Meeting was rescheduled with no problem.
• Other changes I may make in the morning: I may cancel my morning walk/jog because it is seriously unsafe to be outside in high winds, not because of the wind but because of falling trees and flying debris. Ditto or driving (because of the tree/flying stuff issue, driving is equally unsafe).

Well that's about it. Should the power go out, it will probably be for a short duration so I am not worried about the food in the freezer at this point. Basically we will probably be holed up in the house for a day or so, enjoy some reading or other tasks that do not require the use of power, and then get ready to clean up the mess after the storm passes.