Link Round-Up: Things to Do Edition

Here's some interesting ideas to try:

• 11 Uses for Coffee
• Get Healthy During a Power Outage
• A Reminder to Watch What You Say in Public
• Make Yogurt
• Anything on this list

5 Things I Would Like to See Gone In My Lifetime

I'm feeling a bit ranty today so here goes...
There are a lot of things that we don't really need in the US, either because they are redundant, annoying, unnecessary, or all of the above.  Here are five things I would like to see done away with in my lifetime:

1. Section 1 of the 14th Amendment which provides for birthright citizenship.  This is no longer necessary and, in all of the countries of the world, nearly unheard of. Children should receive citizenship through their parents. Period.
2. The US Postal Service.  I'm as happy as anyone to be able to send a letter anywhere in the country for 44 cents yet when you veer away from the free market, you end up with something like the USPS.  Lousy customer service because there is no other option and a benefits and pension package for employees that makes no fiscal sense whatsoever.  Unlike regular businesses that have to actually be able to cover their expenses lest they cease to exist, the USPS just keeps asking congress for more money to cover their expenses which makes it....a charity?
3. Nearly everything about the US immigration system.  What a disaster. I don't even know where to begin.  I do know that we are one of the few places on earth where illegal immigrants can come to our country and then demand their rights.  It is a frustrating and convoluted system overall that splits up families (if an American marries a foreigner and has kids with them and said foreigner through their own fault or no fault of their own is not allowed to immigrate to the US, the American basically has to self deport in order to be with their spouse), easily allows to people who are near elderly to immigrate thus allowing them to work a bit and receive full Social Security and Medicare benefits (parents of US citizens only take a year or so to get a visa to come here as opposed to siblings that can take up to 20 years to get a visa), and there is no process once an immigrant gets here to integrate into the US culture (ie: an immigrant can be a permanent resident for decades yet never speak the language, never apply for citizenship, never vote, never actually become a "card carrying American" yet still get to enjoy all of the free social services that come with being a resident of the US).  Somethings needs to change about this...and soon.
4. Undeclared wars.  There is a process to declare a necessary war which congress is supposed to be a party to.  The only problem is that congress has been bypassed and wars have been "unofficially" declared in Vietnam, The Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, and to a lesser extent Lybia.  Why even have rules for declaring war if they aren't used?  And please, get our guys out of Afghanistan...it's a no-win situation for no real purpose but to "fight terrorism" which isn't actually an enemy but a method of war.
5. America being the policeman, social worker, and banker to the world.  We need to focus on our own problems.  America is called on (or maybe American powers that be volunteer themselves for whatever strategic purpose) to police countries that bother us or our friends, provide for social welfare (everything from food to vaccinations to medical care) for people in other countries, and provide financial bailouts for...basically which ever country that asks.  Meanwhile we have rampant crime in our country, Americans who can't even get food/vaccinations/medical care/etc in our own country, and we are currently teetering on the edge of economic collapse while congress appropriates billions of funds to send to foreign countries.  We need to help people in our country first and foremost.  And the corollary, when we do send aid to other countries, maybe a very meager amount will get to those who need it--most is siphoned off by government officials and others while the aid is on its way to those who really need it (how do you think third world politicians in Africa fund their lavish lifestyles?).

That's all. End of rant.

A Few Reasons Not to Run Into Battle (For Civillians Who Don't Have This In Their Job Description)

I came across this article and thought "oh jeez...not another one."  It's fairly common in major disasters to have all kinds of people coming out of the woodwork to "help" (never mind that they have no skills and no experience in such situations, no gear, no team, no training...), a bit less common in war zones is to see the same (although not completely unheard of, re the story referenced above).  Unless the terms "run into a disaster area/war zone/life-threatening situation" is in your job description--and there are plenty of soldiers and first responders where this is the case--don't do it!  Here's why:

• You need training or else you will be a liability to those who are on scene providing actual help (ie: you mess up and they will need to rescue you too).  For people who have it in their job description to work in disaster areas/war zones, special training is provided for just this environment--training that is not provided otherwise.
• You need a team.  People aren't dispatched to war zones/disaster areas individually.  They are dispatched as part of a team, a team made up of people with complementary skills, who will work as a unit for a common goal.
• You need the blessing of the powers-that-be.  This provides everything from liability coverage to supervision to official permission to be where you are to evacuation if necessary...basically everything that random individuals who just "show up" don't have.
• You need the right gear.  During Hurricane Katrina many people drove down to the disaster area to help.  Unfortunately they were not prepared to even take care of themselves let alone other people.  They didn't bring enough water for themselves, enough food for themselves, any means to shelter themselves...basically they made the situation worse instead of better.
• You need protection.  This can vary from actual armed guards who shadow you as you go about your work to daily "sit reps" to let you know ahead of time what kinds of situations you should expect to encounter.
• You need the infrastructure that accompanies official emergency responses.  This can be everything from the knowledge of the NIMS/ICS system to professional trauma care provided on-site by trained professionals to supervision to make sure you don't exhaust yourself to protocols to work under specifically for the situation you are in.
• You need legal coverage.  Legal coverage is part and parcel with official emergency response/military action.  As long as you are doing what you are supposed to be doing, the officials who dispatched you will ensure that you are legally covered (yes, even after a major disaster people will actually sue their rescuers).
• You need to be credentialed.  After a history of disasters and disaster responses, it has become more and more important that responders have the proper credentials when they show up at a scene.  There have been many disaster situation where people show up, claim to be a doctor or fire man, and run in to help when they are actually neither.  Not only do they put themselves at risk but they put the people they are "rescuing" at risk as well.
• You need to be in a position where if you get arrested, get kidnapped, or otherwise go missing, the powers-that-be will come and rescue you.  For people who self-dispatch to disaster scenes/war zones, no one may even know they are there let alone know when they need help (such as having just been kidnapped).  As in the article, if a family really presses, they can probably find a congressman to push the issue but often times, civilians not only get themselves in trouble, but cause problems on a national scale (in tense political situations, the random civilian who gets caught up in the mess usually comes out on the losing end).

The bottom line is that if you find yourself wanting to help in a disaster situation/war zone--other than the "you have no other option but to respond because it happened in your neighborhood" type of scenario--go about it the right way instead of self-dispatching yourself into a situation that you may not even survive.  There are plenty of ways to join the cause if this is what you want--join the military (lots of training is provided for free, you just need to give them a few years of your life), join FEMA or the Red Cross or Doctors Without Borders...even your local Search and Rescue can provide some useful training and interesting opportunities to help in crisis events.

10 Reminders

Some random stuff to remember today:

1. It's Bank Transfer Day.  Did you move your money to a credit union or local bank yet?
2. Daylight Savings Time ends tomorrow so set your clock back an hour before you go to bed tonight (for those of you in the US).
3. Now is also a good time to check the batteries in your smoke detector.
4. Next Friday, November 11th (or 11/11/11 for those of you who are keeping track) is Veteran's Day.  Check out what is happening in your part of the world to celebrate this important day (ie: some places have parades and in Las Vegas tickets to most of the Caesars Buffets and the V Theater will be free to Veterans).
5. Winter reminders: some of the most common causes of death and injury as we enter the winter months are carbon monoxide poisoning and house fires.  Take care to mitigate any of these issues in your home.
6. November 8th is Election Day.  Are you going to vote?
7. November 27th is Thanksgiving.  What are you thankful for this year?
8. November is American Diabetes Month.  Have you had your blood glucose levels checked lately?  This is a very common chronic illness in America but one which can be put under control with effort and diligence on your part.  It's definitely worth the effort.
9. RIP Andy Rooney who passed away today.
10. Can you do a "cash only" December?  Plan to spend only cash (no checks, credit cards, or debit cards) during the month of December.  What better way to get through the holidays without looming credit card debt than to only use the cash you have on hand?

Three Days, Three Unsettling Events

It's been a busy few days here in Las Vegas as we continue to look for property and consider heading to Asia again for the winter (even though the sun shines here nearly continuously, it's cold!).  The last few days have been not only busy but have been a bit unsettling:

• Three days ago I was driving down a busy street when a few cars ahead of me there was a near head-on accident.  This has happened to me a few times where one minute you are scanning the roadway and the next you are laying on the brakes as you watch dust and debris fall down from the sky.  It takes your mind a few second to realize what just happened and then you look around at the damage and say "holy cow" or some other more colorful phrase.  After pulling onto a side street, which was where I was going anyway, I called 911.  There were already people converging on the accident scene so having me there as well would have been of little use but I was surprised that I was the first person to call about the accident.  I gave the reason for my call, the location of the accident, an estimate of the damage (ie: mechanism of injury was a fairly high speed crash so they should probably send an ALS ambulance response) and a description of the vehicles (my description was "you can't miss it--there are two vehicles in pieces all over the intersection" and the operator just said "oh").  In the city, with help nearby, I tend not to get involved in running over to help.  If this had occurred in a remote or rural place then I would have jumped in and helped until assistance arrived. 
• Yesterday I was leaving an office when a man came in ranting and raving.  Since the office had its own security officer I let him handle the confrontation but waited a ways away in case the confrontation escalated.  The man appeared to be on drugs or mentally ill, or possibly both, and while I have had occasion to deal with such people in the past, it's best not to have a whole group of people surrounding him.  Generally if you leave them an escape route (ie: not block the door) and talk to them in a non confrontational way, they will wander off which is actually what the guy did.  Again, since this was in the city, the incident didn't escalate, and the police were called, then it is best to let the authorities deal with the situation.
• Today I was in a small store standing in line when two young people in front of me set a six-pack of beer on the counter.  The clerk bagged it up and when he asked them for the money, the kids grabbed the bag and ran off.  Oddly enough they ran out the door and jumped in to their car which was parked close by.  I looked through the door and go the license plate number and gave it to the clerk who called the police.  If it was a stolen car then they may get away but if it was their own car (or their parents car) then they really are idiots. 

In all of these incidents there were choices to be made.  I could have ignored what happened and went on my way, I could have helped in a non-intrusive way, or I could have jumped in the middle of the fray.  I chose option number two in all three cases because none of these appeared to be life and death situations and in all three cases there were already people on each scene who were handling things appropriately. 
Also, in the last two incidents, escalating the situation could have led to a much worse outcome. 
I was, of course, armed, but none of these incidents rose to the level where pulling a weapon would have been appropriate.  In the case of the crazy guy, he did not appear to be armed and there were enough people around to have subdued him if necessary (although subduing someone on PCP is an entire article in itself).  In the third case, theft is not a reason to draw a weapon on someone (although someones I wish it was but anyway...).  I have seen too many incidents where someone is caught up in the moment, pumped full of adrenaline, and doesn't take a few seconds to think the situation through then decides to go all Rambo on a thief and it ends up badly for all involved (note that a thief in your home, IMHO, would deserve a whole different--armed--response).
The general rules for handling any of these type of emergent situations are:

1. Call 911 first before acting.  Once you are in the middle of the situation, whether it is performing CPR or holding someone at gunpoint, you won't be able to just stop and dial 911.
2. Assess the situation before you act.  Look at the incident then look around (ie: are there other people waiting to jump in on behalf of the perpetrator, are there downed power lines which could pose a danger to rescuers, is there more going on than just the incident you are seeing)
3. Determine the best course of action.  Instead of running into the center of the fray like a mad man, determine how best you can help.  It could mean watching and waiting, it could mean providing emergency assistance such as grabbing a fire extinguisher from your car or performing CPR, it could mean writing down as many details of the incident as possible to provide to law enforcement.  In some cases it could mean acting--usually this is a split second decision which needs to be made quickly and after a logical evaluation (ie: I would jump in if there was a physical assault on someone who could not fight back but I wouldn't physically go after someone who steals $5 worth of beer or even a car for that matter since a material item isn't worth the possible negative outcome).
4. Wrap up the situation.  Whether it is ensuring that the police arrive before you leave the scene, providing necessary information to EMS staff or law enforcement, or calling your lawyer (something you should do any time you pull a weapon whether you were in the right or not), you will wrap up the situation and leave the scene.  Be sure to take a few deep breaths to dissipate some of the adrenaline you are feeling then go on your way. Obviously if you were in the middle of a traumatic incident there is more to wrapping up the situation... 
5. After action.  It is standard practice in many arenas (military, law enforcement, the medical field, etc) to conduct an after-action review of the incident that just happened.  On your own, you can do the same by reviewing what happened, considering what went well, and considering what went not so well.  For the things that went not so well, consider what should have been done to have had a better outcome.  For example, if someone collapsed at your feet and you had to perform CPR but couldn't remember exactly how to do it besides doing some chest compressions, you may want to take a CPR class to refresh your skills.  If you hopped out of your car in the middle of an intersection to run to help people who were in the accident and nearly go run over by drivers who were too busy looking at the accident to see you in the street, make a mental note that you either need to park somewhere safe or check to see that there are enough people parked behind you and all traffic has come to a halt before you get out of your car in order to ensure your safety next time.

I'm hoping the rest of my week is a lot less interesting...

Check Out the New CNI Site!

If you head on over to the main Code Name Insight site you will see the same useful information but in a new and better format.  Also on the newly designed site are ways you can help support both the CNI site and blog by either making a donation, clicking through the ads, or ordering your products from Amazon through the widget on the site.  The idea is to make this site self-supporting without trying to hawk a bunch of products which takes away from the main focus of this site, namely, being prepared with a bunch of knowledge instead of a bunch of products.  Enjoy!

10 Alternatives to Occupy Wall Street

I thought I was pretty much done on the subject of Occupy Wall Street but an article today caught my attention.  Seems like the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York had actually led to job loss, as opposed to increased economic opportunity as some say the protests were designed to do.  And then there was a second article stating that many of the protesters may be closer to the 1% than the 99% yet they are still partaking in the protests just to enjoy the party atmosphere. So for those who want to actually accomplish something of a change in their economic and political lives sans the sleeping outside and protesting just for the sake of protesting part, here's some ideas:

1. Shop local.  Skip the Starbucks and make your own coffee at home or patronize a locally owned and operated coffee shop.  Spend your money in your community and not with large out-of-state chains.
2. Spend cash or barter.  Skip the big banks and spend cold, hard cash while you are shopping local.  Better yet, barter for the things you need.  A local cash and/or barter economy will do more to improve your local economy than shouting idiotic messages on the streets of New York City.
3. Choose to not participate with big business as much as possible.  I say "as much as possible" because while it is simple to move your money from Bank of America or another national bank to a local bank or credit union, it is impossible to find a locally-based cell phone carrier.  But you can be aware of how you spend every dollar and spend it where it will do the most good and have the most local impact.
4. Reuse and recycle.  Obviously there are many products that you want and need that are not made locally (or even in this country, for that matter).  Before you go shopping at Wally World and purchase a cart full of items made in China or Honduras, look at ways you can reuse and recycle these products that are already in the local economy (ie: shop garage sales, CraigsList, and thrift stores first).
5. Cut back.  I am a huge fan of minimalism these days.  After purging almost everything I owned nearly a year ago (and selling most of it for pennies on the dollar before giving away what was left--about four truck loads), I have realized that the quest to have nearly every single item man has ever made is an exercise in futility.  There will always be better deals, there will always be newer products, there will always be more advanced technology...the secret is to buy only what you really need and then use it to death before replacing it.  We don't need that much stuff to live happily and the feeling of not being responsible for a mountain of consumer junk it truly liberating.
6. Instead of being against something, be for something.  This is a paraphrase from Mother Theresa but the gist is that if you are always fighting against something you really don't accomplish much but if you are fighting for something you are much more likely to see results.  You can scream about being against the big agricultural complex but what good will that do?  The companies aren't going to shut down just because you tell them to.  On the other hand, if you are fighting for cheaper, locally-grown food, you can plant a garden or better yet, start a community garden, and actually accomplish something with all of your efforts.
7. Do the work yourself.  We may rail about illegal immigration and big pharma yet we continue to eat vegetables picked by illegal immigrants and continue to rely on big pharmaceutical companies for our chronic illness medications.  How about growing your own vegetables and picking them or exercising and changing your diet so you no longer need to medicate yourself into oblivion because of poor health choices?
8. Live as close to the source as possible.  I'm not talking about this in a spiritual source sort of way(although that isn't such a bad idea) but by living simply and locally you not only will be healthier and wealthier but you will be more in tune with...life.  Why drink bottled water from a municipal tap in a big city when your own water is probably much better?  Why buy fish flown in from Asia when you can throw a line in your nearest lake and enjoy really fresh and really local food? 
9. Ignore advertising.  This is a hard thing to do for many unless you are one of the TV-less crowd since advertising is a constant barrage of messages of which we have been inculcated since birth.  The problem is that advertising makes you feel worse about yourself unless you immediately run out and buy the product being advertised.  Want women to fawn over you (women that, no offense, wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pole no matter what you do)? Then you better run out to a national chain store and pick up a national-brand deodorant and "poof" Playboy-bunny like women will come running to you.  Want your kids to be happy (never mind the fact that the food that will make them happy will also make the sick, hyper active and pre-diabetic)? Then you better run out to the store and buy them choco-bunny-breakfast-flakes so they will look as cute and happy as the kids in the commercials.  The bottom line is that commercials are selling you a line of BS and if you want to make significant changes in your perception (and ratchet it back somewhere closer to common-sense normal) then you need to ignore these psychologically manipulative messages and think for yourself.
10. Challenge everything.  Just because you aren't protesting doesn't mean you can't challenge commonly held beliefs.  Start asking why.  Start asking if there is a better way to do something that the status quo.  Start making changes in your life that the "Joneses" wouldn't understand.  Just because something has "always been that way" doesn't mean that you have to "go with the flow" and be just like everyone else.  Yes, it is easier to do that as it takes very little effort but it also lulls you into a false sense of security and it has been proven to have quite a few negative affects that people (sheeple) don't realize until it is too late.  My grand dad would be rolling over in his grave if he saw how people so willingly gave up their freedoms just to fly on an airplane (in his case, he probably would have learned how to fly and just flew himself...he was an ornery as his old bull when someone/something got his dander up and any sort of taking away his freedoms would do just that).

Eventually the Occupy Wall Street people will dwindle away but if you want to do something with staying power and if you want to do something that will make legitimate, concrete changes that will impact your life, you need to take control of your life and your self and put your efforts into being/making the changes that you want to see.