Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Oregon Trail series #4 Hunting
Oregon Trail teaches two significant lessons about hunting. First you might, for whatever reason, not be able to do it very often so planning on it as a primary food source is foolish. Second and probably more significantly there is no point in shooting it unless you can eat it. We've all shot 10 buffalo's, an elk and 5 deer and been able to carry a half a deer back to the wagon. In real life there is no point in shooting a deer if all you can use (before it spoils) is a rabbit or a chicken.
If you plan to shoot big game then plan to preserve it without a freezer. In the far north maybe shooting an animal just after the first freeze and eating it over the winter will work. Everywhere and every other time you will need salt and or a dehydrator or the ability to can the meat. Might be that you have big game desires and small game capabilities.
If you plan to shoot big game then plan to preserve it without a freezer. In the far north maybe shooting an animal just after the first freeze and eating it over the winter will work. Everywhere and every other time you will need salt and or a dehydrator or the ability to can the meat. Might be that you have big game desires and small game capabilities.
Homework Assignment for the Week
It is easy to talk about decreasing your expenses and simplifying your life. However talk is cheap. This week I ask you to do that if just in a small way. To make it easy for you folks to be successful I will give you an option.
A) Buy something used. Of course I want you to buy something you already planned on getting. However instead of buying it new I want you to find and purchase it used.
B) Sell something you don't need anymore. Sell it to a friend or at a Flee Market or in the paper or on craigslist or ebay.
Unlike most of our homework assignments the due date for this one is a bit more flexible. It can take time to buy or sell stuff. However I think figuring out what you plan to buy or sell and moving towards doing so this week is probably reasonable.
Personally I am looking for a coffee maker for my office at work. My initial plan was to just go to the store and buy one. However I got to thinking that if I had a bit of patience I could save some money.
A) Buy something used. Of course I want you to buy something you already planned on getting. However instead of buying it new I want you to find and purchase it used.
B) Sell something you don't need anymore. Sell it to a friend or at a Flee Market or in the paper or on craigslist or ebay.
Unlike most of our homework assignments the due date for this one is a bit more flexible. It can take time to buy or sell stuff. However I think figuring out what you plan to buy or sell and moving towards doing so this week is probably reasonable.
Personally I am looking for a coffee maker for my office at work. My initial plan was to just go to the store and buy one. However I got to thinking that if I had a bit of patience I could save some money.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Berkley Filter Product Review
I have had my Royal Berkey for awhile now. The biggest surprise about these is that to "prime" the elements you really want to have clean water that comes out of a faucet. Kinda like how you need a knife to open a knife in one of those crazy plastic packages the Gerbers come in. I guess you could do it with some sort of a squeeze bottle or something. Also the unit is really big. I read the dimensions but maybe didn't fully grasp how big the thing is. It takes up a lot of room in the kitchen.
Also you need to periodically clean these things out. I noticed when I was pouring water into the top part that it was kinda gross. I took the filter elements out and washed then rinsed out the whole thing. In hindsight I recall reading somewhere that you're supposed to clean them monthly.
We use the Berkley regularly because the tap water we get is pretty nasty. Also it will be useful for brewing. For someone who wants to regularly filter water in a stationary position these things are great. Just pour the water into the top and wait a little while.
I am glad I purchased the Berkley. It looks nice and sits in our kitchen. I use it to fill up a couple containers of water we keep in the fridge to drink from. A great preparedness item that also has a valuable everyday life role is a hard thing to find.
Got Berkley?
Also you need to periodically clean these things out. I noticed when I was pouring water into the top part that it was kinda gross. I took the filter elements out and washed then rinsed out the whole thing. In hindsight I recall reading somewhere that you're supposed to clean them monthly.
We use the Berkley regularly because the tap water we get is pretty nasty. Also it will be useful for brewing. For someone who wants to regularly filter water in a stationary position these things are great. Just pour the water into the top and wait a little while.
I am glad I purchased the Berkley. It looks nice and sits in our kitchen. I use it to fill up a couple containers of water we keep in the fridge to drink from. A great preparedness item that also has a valuable everyday life role is a hard thing to find.
Got Berkley?
The Witch of Hebron: IPR
I am about 2/3rds of the way through The Witch of Hebron by James Kunstler. Lets get to the review portion.
The Good: I am really enjoying this book. The characters are interesting and their interactions are realistic. The setting is vividly portrayed. It is a good book which you can easily read a few pages of before bed or when you have some time.
The Bad: World Made By Hand had an interesting and creative plot which got you thinking even though the book wasn't exactly heavy on concrete lessons. The Witch of Hebron follows on the same plot as World Made By Hand so you don't get much of anything new in terms of stuff to think about and it is still lacking in concrete lessons. Instead of being a fiction book with some significant paranoia/ survivalist implications it is a fiction book with a slightly survivalist background.
The Ugly: The ratio of price to entertainment and lessons is not seeming to be very good. It falls into the easy/ light reading and is awful expensive for that genre. Maybe the rest of the book will make me change my mind.
All things considered I am not disappointed I got this book. However I should have waited for a used paperback.
The Good: I am really enjoying this book. The characters are interesting and their interactions are realistic. The setting is vividly portrayed. It is a good book which you can easily read a few pages of before bed or when you have some time.
The Bad: World Made By Hand had an interesting and creative plot which got you thinking even though the book wasn't exactly heavy on concrete lessons. The Witch of Hebron follows on the same plot as World Made By Hand so you don't get much of anything new in terms of stuff to think about and it is still lacking in concrete lessons. Instead of being a fiction book with some significant paranoia/ survivalist implications it is a fiction book with a slightly survivalist background.
The Ugly: The ratio of price to entertainment and lessons is not seeming to be very good. It falls into the easy/ light reading and is awful expensive for that genre. Maybe the rest of the book will make me change my mind.
All things considered I am not disappointed I got this book. However I should have waited for a used paperback.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Shades of Atlas Shrugged: Third World America
Third World America this article is disturbingly true. On another note Shades of Atlas Shrugged is going to be the series title for this sort of article.
I am not sure what the answer is. I do however think we need to create incentive's to promote desirable behaviors. [For example if we as a nation wanted to promote individual saving we could, say, not tax interest, dividends or capital gains on individuals with an income below $100,000 and a net worth below $750,000.] We aren't doing this. We aren't doing close to this. We are often in fact doing just the opposite. We have taken for granted that things are good and will stay that way. That no matter how much individuals or businesses get hammered they will stay in the same place and keep on doing the same thing. We've gotten cocky and lazy and it is coming back to bite us. Big time.
For example we need to attract manufacturing. America is never going to make sweat pants or t shirts cheaper than some random Asian nation where wages are a dime an hour. However I don't see why we shouldn't make computers, tv's, cars and all kinds of other stuff. Particularly the kind of relatively high tech manufacturing which employs more skilled individuals and pays them decent wages.
[If there is any positive way forward for America's low skilled blue collar workers it is if they can get the skills and we as a nation can attract this sort of higher skilled manufacturing jobs. The golden age for American manufacturing type workers from WWII to around the early 90's which has been dying a lingering death for awhile, set expectations which could not be maintained. Large numbers of people simply can't walk out of high school into a secure job that makes a comfortable wage with good benefits and retirement anymore.
I saw this play out on a smaller scale with the timber industry dying in the PNW. Some individuals were able to find a way forward in another job. Others managed to retrain and be successful. However when it was all said and done a lot of folks went from earning a comfortable middle class living to a couple bucks an hour above minimum wage or chronic unemployment. The restaurants and stores which these people patronized went under. Some towns died and a lot of others are sad shells of their former selves. The bottom line was that the jobs that went away were gone. The other industries were able to absorb some people, given that they received training, but a town that lost 100 timber jobs didn't suddenly have 50 new jobs as carpenters and another 50 for auto mechanics. Without some sort of X factor, such as a boom of high tech American manufacturing this will be the case on a larger scale.]
The biggest reason we have issues attracting or keeping these kinds of manufacturers is a grossly unfriendly business environment. Art Laffer said "Taxes don't redistribute wealth, they redistribute people (or I suppose businesses)" and the same could be said for regulations and all sorts of other little committees and agencies that make it hell to actually produce something. There are all sorts of ways America, or a state could do this. Simply streamlining the process for getting permits and clearances to build would be a good start. For a company that isn't going to dump tons of poison into the water system it should be a snap to open a factory. No taxes for 5 or 10 years would be a good one. Matching funds on select capital development would be another. Cheap or free energy would help too. Creating a work force which suits certain high tech manufacturing needs could work; especially if combined with a business friendly atmosphere and some tax breaks.
Instead of trying to hammer businesses for every dime we need to help them grow and employ more people and buy more machinery or other stuff. If every little bureaucratic despot and city councils could realize factories bring jobs; jobs which they desperately need we would be in such a better place.
As for infrastructure I think this is being blown out of proportion. Not significance but priority and who needs to be involved in addressing it. The answer is not big over reaching stimulus but government at all levels adjusting their priorities. Look at it this way. Most sane people would fix a hole in the kitchen floor before going out for a night on the town. If the family car breaks next week they don't need a stimulus from somebody; we need to shift our budget around and figure out how to fix it. If that doesn't work we can raid our hard earned savings. Governments from town to state have forgotten this. They need to make the important stuff work even if it means letting go of some of the flashy unessential stuff.
I am not sure what the answer is. I do however think we need to create incentive's to promote desirable behaviors. [For example if we as a nation wanted to promote individual saving we could, say, not tax interest, dividends or capital gains on individuals with an income below $100,000 and a net worth below $750,000.] We aren't doing this. We aren't doing close to this. We are often in fact doing just the opposite. We have taken for granted that things are good and will stay that way. That no matter how much individuals or businesses get hammered they will stay in the same place and keep on doing the same thing. We've gotten cocky and lazy and it is coming back to bite us. Big time.
For example we need to attract manufacturing. America is never going to make sweat pants or t shirts cheaper than some random Asian nation where wages are a dime an hour. However I don't see why we shouldn't make computers, tv's, cars and all kinds of other stuff. Particularly the kind of relatively high tech manufacturing which employs more skilled individuals and pays them decent wages.
[If there is any positive way forward for America's low skilled blue collar workers it is if they can get the skills and we as a nation can attract this sort of higher skilled manufacturing jobs. The golden age for American manufacturing type workers from WWII to around the early 90's which has been dying a lingering death for awhile, set expectations which could not be maintained. Large numbers of people simply can't walk out of high school into a secure job that makes a comfortable wage with good benefits and retirement anymore.
I saw this play out on a smaller scale with the timber industry dying in the PNW. Some individuals were able to find a way forward in another job. Others managed to retrain and be successful. However when it was all said and done a lot of folks went from earning a comfortable middle class living to a couple bucks an hour above minimum wage or chronic unemployment. The restaurants and stores which these people patronized went under. Some towns died and a lot of others are sad shells of their former selves. The bottom line was that the jobs that went away were gone. The other industries were able to absorb some people, given that they received training, but a town that lost 100 timber jobs didn't suddenly have 50 new jobs as carpenters and another 50 for auto mechanics. Without some sort of X factor, such as a boom of high tech American manufacturing this will be the case on a larger scale.]
The biggest reason we have issues attracting or keeping these kinds of manufacturers is a grossly unfriendly business environment. Art Laffer said "Taxes don't redistribute wealth, they redistribute people (or I suppose businesses)" and the same could be said for regulations and all sorts of other little committees and agencies that make it hell to actually produce something. There are all sorts of ways America, or a state could do this. Simply streamlining the process for getting permits and clearances to build would be a good start. For a company that isn't going to dump tons of poison into the water system it should be a snap to open a factory. No taxes for 5 or 10 years would be a good one. Matching funds on select capital development would be another. Cheap or free energy would help too. Creating a work force which suits certain high tech manufacturing needs could work; especially if combined with a business friendly atmosphere and some tax breaks.
Instead of trying to hammer businesses for every dime we need to help them grow and employ more people and buy more machinery or other stuff. If every little bureaucratic despot and city councils could realize factories bring jobs; jobs which they desperately need we would be in such a better place.
As for infrastructure I think this is being blown out of proportion. Not significance but priority and who needs to be involved in addressing it. The answer is not big over reaching stimulus but government at all levels adjusting their priorities. Look at it this way. Most sane people would fix a hole in the kitchen floor before going out for a night on the town. If the family car breaks next week they don't need a stimulus from somebody; we need to shift our budget around and figure out how to fix it. If that doesn't work we can raid our hard earned savings. Governments from town to state have forgotten this. They need to make the important stuff work even if it means letting go of some of the flashy unessential stuff.
What Did You Do To Prepare This Week?
On the bright side I am finally starting to feel normal again. However between work and life nothing amazing happened this week. I did some cooking which was good. Wifey has been taking it easy so Miley and I have been cooking. Nothing too crazy but if you don't use those skills you start to lose them. I have also been reading a lot which is cool. Got all caught up on blogs plus also some select chapters of various field manuals. Learned some interesting stuff and was pretty entertained in the process.
Moved some money around and I should be getting a plate carrier and rifle plates this week. Also I have been looking at optics. Awhile back I was thinking EoTech but after a recent trip to the range I really like and shoot better using an optic that has some magnification. I LOVE the ACOG but alas, hangs head in shame, it is too expensive. I am looking at the IOR M2 scopes. Got to do some more research and run the numbers. Still might be awhile.
I also tore up our place and finally found my P Mags. Unfortunately I have a few less than I thought I did. Oh well that can be rectified later. Think I'm going to start using some at work to evaluate them.
I started working on next years Wish List which makes up at least part of the New Years Resolutions. Nothing new or huge there. Working on protective gear as well as some outdoor type stuff. Just kinda coming up with ideas now. Then I will weigh different categories and think about what I can realistically do in a year. More to follow in a month and a half or so. Come to think of it I need to look at where I am on this years New Years Resolutions. Don't have much time to finish things off.
My home brewed beer is better after waiting another week. They said it needed 3 weeks but 4 turns out to be more accurate. It is less cloudy and the carbonation seems to be more uniform. Also the bitter after taste has gone away. It is a relatively light, slightly sweet and refreshing ale.
For a slow week I guess it wasn't too bad. Next week is going to be pretty packed. Posting may be abnormal this coming week.
What did you do to prepare this week?
Moved some money around and I should be getting a plate carrier and rifle plates this week. Also I have been looking at optics. Awhile back I was thinking EoTech but after a recent trip to the range I really like and shoot better using an optic that has some magnification. I LOVE the ACOG but alas, hangs head in shame, it is too expensive. I am looking at the IOR M2 scopes. Got to do some more research and run the numbers. Still might be awhile.
I also tore up our place and finally found my P Mags. Unfortunately I have a few less than I thought I did. Oh well that can be rectified later. Think I'm going to start using some at work to evaluate them.
I started working on next years Wish List which makes up at least part of the New Years Resolutions. Nothing new or huge there. Working on protective gear as well as some outdoor type stuff. Just kinda coming up with ideas now. Then I will weigh different categories and think about what I can realistically do in a year. More to follow in a month and a half or so. Come to think of it I need to look at where I am on this years New Years Resolutions. Don't have much time to finish things off.
My home brewed beer is better after waiting another week. They said it needed 3 weeks but 4 turns out to be more accurate. It is less cloudy and the carbonation seems to be more uniform. Also the bitter after taste has gone away. It is a relatively light, slightly sweet and refreshing ale.
For a slow week I guess it wasn't too bad. Next week is going to be pretty packed. Posting may be abnormal this coming week.
What did you do to prepare this week?
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Political Views vs Real Life
I think we Americans do ourselves a great disservice by the artificial divides of political labels and parties. While the liberal vetting criteria of abortion or the conservative litmus test of the Second Amendment are meaningful in their own right's we get too carried away with them. This is seriously to our detriment as individuals and works into the hands of the political power structure.
For example Miley is visiting us. If we looked at the two of us in terms of political labels or parties we would be polar opposites. However lets set abortions and guns aside for a minute. We are both personally quite frugal. Saving and planning are a big part of our respective lifestyles and long term plan. We like getting very cheap or free stuff whenever possible. We cook staple foods.We like doing things ourselves. For slightly different reasons alternative energy interests both of us.
Interestingly enough she has expressed some interest in setting up a serious pantry. It is quite possible that she and her husband, who I haven't came up with a blog name for yet, will become part of our long term preparedness plans. She can cook, sew, garden, etc and he is quite handy in all sorts of ways. Assuming they contributed to a solid logistical footing (really a prerequisite for anybody, no point in having a big starving party) they would be enjoyable and useful folks to have around.
I recall somebody once saying that if the far left and right every get together and realize they have more in common with each other then the center, the center will be in trouble. I don't know if that is totally true. Some differences are probably irreconcilable between the two. However some elements of them might have a heck of a lot more in common than previously thought.
Don't worry about someones political views or identity. Focus on how they conduct themselves in the world and towards you and yours. Good honest hardworking people have all kinds of political views just the same way that lazy people and moochers can. Especially in personal interactions and preparedness planning a person's view on a theoretical political issue doesn't matter (if at all) anywhere as much as their personal conduct.
For example Miley is visiting us. If we looked at the two of us in terms of political labels or parties we would be polar opposites. However lets set abortions and guns aside for a minute. We are both personally quite frugal. Saving and planning are a big part of our respective lifestyles and long term plan. We like getting very cheap or free stuff whenever possible. We cook staple foods.We like doing things ourselves. For slightly different reasons alternative energy interests both of us.
Interestingly enough she has expressed some interest in setting up a serious pantry. It is quite possible that she and her husband, who I haven't came up with a blog name for yet, will become part of our long term preparedness plans. She can cook, sew, garden, etc and he is quite handy in all sorts of ways. Assuming they contributed to a solid logistical footing (really a prerequisite for anybody, no point in having a big starving party) they would be enjoyable and useful folks to have around.
I recall somebody once saying that if the far left and right every get together and realize they have more in common with each other then the center, the center will be in trouble. I don't know if that is totally true. Some differences are probably irreconcilable between the two. However some elements of them might have a heck of a lot more in common than previously thought.
Don't worry about someones political views or identity. Focus on how they conduct themselves in the world and towards you and yours. Good honest hardworking people have all kinds of political views just the same way that lazy people and moochers can. Especially in personal interactions and preparedness planning a person's view on a theoretical political issue doesn't matter (if at all) anywhere as much as their personal conduct.
The Crazies – A Movie Review from Survivalist Perspective
This is a guest post by Ranger Man of SHTF blog.
I’m not a big fan of television or movies, but when 2 different people that know me and my SHTF tendencies said, “you need to watch The Crazies” I paid attention and ordered it up. If you’re looking for a movie that will give you lots of TEOTWAWKI knowledge, The Crazies isn’t it. Approach the movie as SHTF entertainment and you probably won’t be disappointed. I wasn’t.
Generally speaking, I’d put this movie on par with 28 Days and 28 Days Later both in plot and genre. Without giving away movie secrets, generally what happens is a military plane carrying some bio-chemical agent crashes in a town’s drinking water supply. The agent flows down stream and adds a new meaning to “there must be something in the water.” The unnamed agent essentially makes people … crazy – zombie-like crazy, where your only purpose in life is to kill others.
The friends that recommended the movie both told me “you watch it and think – that’s exactly how the military would respond.” They were right; you are left with that impression. The military cuts communication to/from the town, seals all roads out, and swoops down on the town, rounding up people and separating those with high temperatures to determine who might be infected, and tagging/segregating the rest. What starts as a systematic approach to containing the situation goes to hell when a few hillbillies ram the fence and start firing at military personnel, either because they’re infected or because they want to release loved ones. The crowd then bum rushes the fence and everything goes downhill. Let me say this, though – if this chemical agent was real, how the military responded to this incident is exactly how I’d want them to – take no shit, because otherwise the world would certainly end.
Movies like this are not typically something that rank high on my “must watch” list, because I don’t like the suspense/thriller/horror movie-induced heart racing feeling when you know something bad is about to happen, but you’re still going to jump anyway. I handled it better than my wife, though. When the movie ended she promptly proclaimed, “I get to pick the next movie, and it’s going to be a romantic comedy.”
There ARE a few SHTF bits of knowledge you can walk away with, though …. well, two:
1. Police tire spike strips (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spike_strip) are pretty freaking cool when you need to get a vehicle stopped. Unlike in the movie, I doubt they send a high-speed vehicle flying in the air, however. If you had to secure the driveway to your home, a tire spike strip might help.
2. Don’t walk the highway when killers are looking for people. Why do people do this in the movies all the time? I know why, because they’re easy to follow and provide a direct, fast path from point A to point B. The downside is everyone watches them.
Since watching the movie I’ve discussed it with a number of non-preparedness minded people and I often hear “that could really happen.” I wouldn’t go that far, but to the extent The Crazies might scare someone enough to take a few rational preparedness steps toward self-reliance, perhaps that’s the best way to use it from a SHTF perspective – convincing spouses to gear up!
- Ranger Man the author of SHTF blog
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Recharging The Batteries
There is only so much doom and gloom a guy can take. Sometimes you've just got to relax. Today we went to this festival thing. Every little town in Germany has at least one to celebrate something or another, if just Pilsner beer and standing around in a closed off street. It was pretty fun. Had some pretzels and checked out all the stuff that was for sale. Wifey got a wicker basket which she has been wanting. We sat around for awhile just enjoying the nice day.
Tonight we went out to dinner which was cool too. Had a nice walk to a quiet place with really good food and very reasonable prices. Haven't been there for awhile though for no particular reason. Maybe we are creatures of habit but we always order the same thing. It was a really nice day.
Also Wifey said something new this evening. She said "enough crazy for today". I took her hint and changed topics. I am sure that Wifey, while a great sport about this can use one. Even I can use a change of topic now and then.Suppose we all have times where we've just got to think about something else. I think we all need to think about other stuff and just live for awhile now and then. Recharging the batteries and all that stuff. Tomorrow I've got some stuff to do but just relaxing today was really nice.
Remember folks, this is a marathon not a sprint. Take some time to relax and enjoy life. It will help your efforts in the long run.
Tonight we went out to dinner which was cool too. Had a nice walk to a quiet place with really good food and very reasonable prices. Haven't been there for awhile though for no particular reason. Maybe we are creatures of habit but we always order the same thing. It was a really nice day.
Also Wifey said something new this evening. She said "enough crazy for today". I took her hint and changed topics. I am sure that Wifey, while a great sport about this can use one. Even I can use a change of topic now and then.Suppose we all have times where we've just got to think about something else. I think we all need to think about other stuff and just live for awhile now and then. Recharging the batteries and all that stuff. Tomorrow I've got some stuff to do but just relaxing today was really nice.
Remember folks, this is a marathon not a sprint. Take some time to relax and enjoy life. It will help your efforts in the long run.
UN Talks About Food Prices
You can read the article here.
A guy from the World Food Program said "Food might be there on the markets, but people don't have the resources to buy it because it is too expensive."
I am not worried about MY access to food. However I am worried about world stability. The reason I am not worried is that I am, at least relative to the entire world, rich. Like most Americans and western Europeans I spend a relatively small percentage of my income on food. If food prices go up 15 or 20 percent I would notice and grumble but could easily pay. If food prices went up 100 percent or even more we would change the way we eat and have to adjust our budget but we would be able to afford some sort of food to eat.
However food prices radically going up screws with a lot of people. Poor folks (and I'm talking 3rd world poor not those whining Americans with a comfortable residence, 2 cars, flat screen TV's and an Ipod's) can't do this. They spend a very high percentage of their income on food. They don't have room to shift things around if food prices go up 30 percent, let alone double. This means they need to earn more money which is not a solution because if they were capable of that they would already be doing it. What it really means is that some people might starve and lots of people will start protesting and burning stuff down. These folks are ripe for getting whipped up by political agitators of all kinds as they are in a bad spot as well as generally being poorly educated and often illiterate. This is the kind of stuff that, if left unchecked can topple or radically reshape countries. In particular Mexico (not that it is the most vulnerable but by proximity it would have the biggest second and third order effects on the US) is quite vulnerable to changes in corn prices.
Something to pay attention to if not to freak out about.
A guy from the World Food Program said "Food might be there on the markets, but people don't have the resources to buy it because it is too expensive."
I am not worried about MY access to food. However I am worried about world stability. The reason I am not worried is that I am, at least relative to the entire world, rich. Like most Americans and western Europeans I spend a relatively small percentage of my income on food. If food prices go up 15 or 20 percent I would notice and grumble but could easily pay. If food prices went up 100 percent or even more we would change the way we eat and have to adjust our budget but we would be able to afford some sort of food to eat.
However food prices radically going up screws with a lot of people. Poor folks (and I'm talking 3rd world poor not those whining Americans with a comfortable residence, 2 cars, flat screen TV's and an Ipod's) can't do this. They spend a very high percentage of their income on food. They don't have room to shift things around if food prices go up 30 percent, let alone double. This means they need to earn more money which is not a solution because if they were capable of that they would already be doing it. What it really means is that some people might starve and lots of people will start protesting and burning stuff down. These folks are ripe for getting whipped up by political agitators of all kinds as they are in a bad spot as well as generally being poorly educated and often illiterate. This is the kind of stuff that, if left unchecked can topple or radically reshape countries. In particular Mexico (not that it is the most vulnerable but by proximity it would have the biggest second and third order effects on the US) is quite vulnerable to changes in corn prices.
Something to pay attention to if not to freak out about.
Friday, September 24, 2010
The Poor Rich
Saw this article when I was logging onto my yahoo and had to read it. Worst case it is good for a laugh. Also it goes to show that no matter how much you make it is always possible to live beyond your means.
We Would Like To Welcome LPC Survival's Emergency Seed Bank
What little money I get from advertising lets me buy more gear, books and kit then I otherwise would be able to which make the blog more interesting. At the end of the day I think it makes the blog a better place for everybody involved. A click and some window shopping a day isn't too much to ask.
Why You Need All Sorts of Fighting Skills: Very Interesting Video
First of all I would like to credit FerFal and his blog Surviving in Argentina. I totally stole this video from his blog. I am doing so because I want the dozen people who read my blog and don't read his bigger, better blog to see this. Also it leads into something I have been meaning to write about. Anyway first watch the video.
The lessons which FerFal notes are meaningful and I do not intend to unnecessarily rehash them. Here are my additional thoughts.
1. Unfortunately sometimes bad people are big, strong and skilled at fighting. A relatively large (or I guess larger than you) Goblin with even a modest background in combatives, who has been in and out of the correctional system and generally lives a rough violent life is really not someone you want to fight. They know what they are doing and are almost surely used to taking some punishment. Unlike some kid who tinkers in a moderately effective martial art they will almost surely not reconsider their intentions with a broken nose or a loosen a tooth. You will likely have to physically incapacitate this sort of person to stop them. I'm talking beating them unconscious, choking them out, crippling or killing them.
2. As FerFal noted semi automatic handguns tend to jam a lot at contact range. I would guess the primary causes are clothing or whatever getting snagged up in the struggle when the slide moves and limp wristing due to firing quickly from awkward positions. Practice clearing your weapon quickly under pressure. TAP the magazine, RACK the slide, BANG (if applicable). It is not going to clear every single failure but will clear most and can be done without breaking eye contact with your opponent while moving backwards to create space. Practice and you can do it very fast.
As seen when the Goblin picks up the still jammed gun in close quarters you would do well to just assume all battlefield pickups of semi automatic pistols are jammed and immediately TAP, RACK before looking to BANG.
3. Mace doesn't stop people. Particularly people who are used to taking punishment and potentially have even been maced before. Those huge cans that shoot the big stream are probably better than the little convenient to carry cans but still don't expect the result to be like a home run swing with a baseball bat to the face. Use mace to create space and time to get the heck out of there and or employ a better weapon. Expecting more than that is probably asking for trouble.
The main point I want to talk about is that different types of fights (somebody smart once broke fights down into 4 ranges, projectile, kicking, punching, dirty boxing (elbows, knees, short punches, throws, etc,) and grappling) are not discrete events that happen in isolation. Some firearms schools like to make you think that you can become so aware and skilled because of their amazing training that there will always be time to employ precision pistol fire from a safe distance. That is a bunch of crap.
It is egotistical and stupid and dangerous. Part of the reason is that these schools like to present themselves as being able to solve all your problems in a weekend. The concept of shooting someone can be sanitized and packaged. The reality of hand to hand is up close, personal and nasty. It requires physical conditioning which doesn't fit well with a "we can magically solve all your problems for some money over a long weekend" package. Also it takes a long time to become proficient at. You're talking about months and years not hours or days.
Even if you have a gun and know how to use it if somebody gets near or into kicking or punching range you are in a hand to hand fight. A gun is not a magical cure all. As FerFal noted someone with a bit of specific training can often stop that pistol from coming into the equation at all. I remember a disturbingly accurate saying "what is the first thing somebody does after being shot with a pistol? continue whatever they were doing before". Unless you hit someone in the brain or spine (imagine a T with the horizontal part between the eyes and the long vertical part extending down the spine) they will almost surely not be stopped in their tracks. Remember your goal is to STOP THE THREAT.
There are a lot of shots that will kill someone but that doesn't matter. If somebody cuts your head off with a piece of junk gas station knife then dies later from injuries you inflicted as far as I am concerned you lost. For example a shot through the liver or lung is, without prompt surgical intervention, almost surely lethal. However before the goblin loses enough blood or whatever to pass out they could potentially kill you. Conversely if you accidentally shoot someone low and to the outside and shatter their hip (depending on if you hit the artery, how bones shatter, etc) they will probably live but aren't going to keep coming at you. Thus you successfully managed to STOP THE THREAT. Shoot until you run out of ammo, can safely disengage or you STOP THE THREAT.
You've got to learn how to fight hand to hand. There just isn't a substitute for it. At a minimum you need to be able to get somebody off you and create enough space to break contact or employ a handgun. The cops use of his weak hand to create and maintain space was pretty effective in the video.
If somebody grabs you in a crowd and you are struggling then get them off you comes you you've gone from a standing grappling to dirty boxing or striking range. If they pull out a knife you are in a knife fight. A lot of the fundamentals do not change. Stuff like sound footing and being in a good athletic position translates through all ranges and situations.
There are all kinds of implied tasks here. Weapons training, firearm retention, combatives, knife and counter knife stuff come to mind. You could probably spend your whole life trying and not master these things. Don't worry about obscure fancy stuff or lots of ways to do things. Instead of trying to learn a dozen ways to deal with someone rushing you or grabbing you, or whatever it's probably better to be well practiced and drilled in two of them. It's blocking and tackling not quarter back sneeks. Gabe Suarez writes about this topic here.
Think about this stuff. How would you fare in a similar situation? Maybe you're a hulk of a fellow who wrestled through college or have been doing Judo since childhood, maybe you divide your spare time between power lifting and cage fighting and are generally a bad dude to mess with. However if that isn't the case you would be well advised to do something to better your situation. This is a great example of a case where anything helps. Take a self defense class. Learn about weapons retention by taking a course or working with a knowledgeable friend or acquaintance. Work on drawing and presenting a weapon while moving backwards. Practice clearing jams by feel without looking. Conduct low/ moderate intensity force on force drills to work through scenarios which trouble you. Just do something to better your situation.
The lessons which FerFal notes are meaningful and I do not intend to unnecessarily rehash them. Here are my additional thoughts.
1. Unfortunately sometimes bad people are big, strong and skilled at fighting. A relatively large (or I guess larger than you) Goblin with even a modest background in combatives, who has been in and out of the correctional system and generally lives a rough violent life is really not someone you want to fight. They know what they are doing and are almost surely used to taking some punishment. Unlike some kid who tinkers in a moderately effective martial art they will almost surely not reconsider their intentions with a broken nose or a loosen a tooth. You will likely have to physically incapacitate this sort of person to stop them. I'm talking beating them unconscious, choking them out, crippling or killing them.
2. As FerFal noted semi automatic handguns tend to jam a lot at contact range. I would guess the primary causes are clothing or whatever getting snagged up in the struggle when the slide moves and limp wristing due to firing quickly from awkward positions. Practice clearing your weapon quickly under pressure. TAP the magazine, RACK the slide, BANG (if applicable). It is not going to clear every single failure but will clear most and can be done without breaking eye contact with your opponent while moving backwards to create space. Practice and you can do it very fast.
As seen when the Goblin picks up the still jammed gun in close quarters you would do well to just assume all battlefield pickups of semi automatic pistols are jammed and immediately TAP, RACK before looking to BANG.
3. Mace doesn't stop people. Particularly people who are used to taking punishment and potentially have even been maced before. Those huge cans that shoot the big stream are probably better than the little convenient to carry cans but still don't expect the result to be like a home run swing with a baseball bat to the face. Use mace to create space and time to get the heck out of there and or employ a better weapon. Expecting more than that is probably asking for trouble.
The main point I want to talk about is that different types of fights (somebody smart once broke fights down into 4 ranges, projectile, kicking, punching, dirty boxing (elbows, knees, short punches, throws, etc,) and grappling) are not discrete events that happen in isolation. Some firearms schools like to make you think that you can become so aware and skilled because of their amazing training that there will always be time to employ precision pistol fire from a safe distance. That is a bunch of crap.
It is egotistical and stupid and dangerous. Part of the reason is that these schools like to present themselves as being able to solve all your problems in a weekend. The concept of shooting someone can be sanitized and packaged. The reality of hand to hand is up close, personal and nasty. It requires physical conditioning which doesn't fit well with a "we can magically solve all your problems for some money over a long weekend" package. Also it takes a long time to become proficient at. You're talking about months and years not hours or days.
Even if you have a gun and know how to use it if somebody gets near or into kicking or punching range you are in a hand to hand fight. A gun is not a magical cure all. As FerFal noted someone with a bit of specific training can often stop that pistol from coming into the equation at all. I remember a disturbingly accurate saying "what is the first thing somebody does after being shot with a pistol? continue whatever they were doing before". Unless you hit someone in the brain or spine (imagine a T with the horizontal part between the eyes and the long vertical part extending down the spine) they will almost surely not be stopped in their tracks. Remember your goal is to STOP THE THREAT.
There are a lot of shots that will kill someone but that doesn't matter. If somebody cuts your head off with a piece of junk gas station knife then dies later from injuries you inflicted as far as I am concerned you lost. For example a shot through the liver or lung is, without prompt surgical intervention, almost surely lethal. However before the goblin loses enough blood or whatever to pass out they could potentially kill you. Conversely if you accidentally shoot someone low and to the outside and shatter their hip (depending on if you hit the artery, how bones shatter, etc) they will probably live but aren't going to keep coming at you. Thus you successfully managed to STOP THE THREAT. Shoot until you run out of ammo, can safely disengage or you STOP THE THREAT.
You've got to learn how to fight hand to hand. There just isn't a substitute for it. At a minimum you need to be able to get somebody off you and create enough space to break contact or employ a handgun. The cops use of his weak hand to create and maintain space was pretty effective in the video.
If somebody grabs you in a crowd and you are struggling then get them off you comes you you've gone from a standing grappling to dirty boxing or striking range. If they pull out a knife you are in a knife fight. A lot of the fundamentals do not change. Stuff like sound footing and being in a good athletic position translates through all ranges and situations.
There are all kinds of implied tasks here. Weapons training, firearm retention, combatives, knife and counter knife stuff come to mind. You could probably spend your whole life trying and not master these things. Don't worry about obscure fancy stuff or lots of ways to do things. Instead of trying to learn a dozen ways to deal with someone rushing you or grabbing you, or whatever it's probably better to be well practiced and drilled in two of them. It's blocking and tackling not quarter back sneeks. Gabe Suarez writes about this topic here.
Think about this stuff. How would you fare in a similar situation? Maybe you're a hulk of a fellow who wrestled through college or have been doing Judo since childhood, maybe you divide your spare time between power lifting and cage fighting and are generally a bad dude to mess with. However if that isn't the case you would be well advised to do something to better your situation. This is a great example of a case where anything helps. Take a self defense class. Learn about weapons retention by taking a course or working with a knowledgeable friend or acquaintance. Work on drawing and presenting a weapon while moving backwards. Practice clearing jams by feel without looking. Conduct low/ moderate intensity force on force drills to work through scenarios which trouble you. Just do something to better your situation.
quote of the day
"Living a financially healthy lifestyle is a slow-cooker concept that isn’t always popular in our microwave society. "
-Dave Ramsey
-Dave Ramsey
Thursday, September 23, 2010
quote of the day
"Can you demonstrate one time or place, throughout all history, where the average person was made safer by restricting access to hand held weapons?"
-American Mercenary
-American Mercenary
How Many Guns Are Too Many?
This blog post which is also titled How Many Guns Are Too Many? got me thinking. I believe I also talked about this in a post over at Commander Zero's place some time ago. However writing every day is hard and sometimes you go for the base hit. I think this is a lot easier question to answer than how many guns are too few/ how many guns you need for X.
I think that unless you live in an RV or on a small (like below 50 foot) boat the issue of space is largely mute.
If you like to collect firearms as a hobby or want to have additional weapons for redundancy then it is pretty easy to end up with a lot of guns. I used to be pretty gun centric but now, even though I am less gun centric my budget is a lot better so buying stayed somewhat steady. I seem to average about 2.5 guns a year over the years. Look at it this way. 3 guns in a year is .22 for plinking, a deal on a used 870 which is just too good to pass up a Glock for your birthday. If you have decent, let alone significant, resources and keep up the interest in acquiring guns over decades a huge collection of hundreds of weapons can be accumulated.
The big thing is about resources required to get said guns and then kept tied up in them. I don't think you can have too many guns but I do think that you can over allocate your limited resources towards guns at the detriment of an overall well rounded plan. Simply put five hundred dollars that goes to a Glock or an AK cannot by default go towards food storage or savings or paying down debt or infinite other places, think about balance.
It is great to have a nice well rounded collection of (just to toss out a number) say a dozen guns. However it is probably better to have half a dozen guns, a well stocked pantry and a few hundred dollars. You may need a spare semi automatic rifle to arm someone else but you WILL need food. You may need that super accuratesniper target rifle but you almost certainly will at some point need $1,500 for an unforeseen expense or emergency.
If you find yourself pawning guns when a car breaks down or a paycheck is late/ small or whatever then maybe it would be wise to shrink your collection and beef up your savings. If you are in a dumpy money situation then getting 5 high end battle rifles with great scopes doesn't make sense. You need to put resources towards getting to a sane and stable place, not an arsenal you can brag to your friends about.
Again balance is the key. Certainly once you meet a basic level of capability, say a basic 4 maybe plus one or two extras (like a semi auto rifle if your first is a bolt gun and a concealable pistol) with mags, ammo and all the other ancillary stuff to keep them going then it is worth at least considering if those dollars would be better spent elsewhere.
Personally over the next few years I plan to pick up up a couple Glocks, a couple rifles and a random gun or two. During that time I am also going to improve our situation in terms of defensive gear, food storage, some outdoor equipment, precious metals and of course savings. All of this stuff will increase more or less together. If our financial situation is such that we need to tighten up a bit or full on circle the wagons then all that stuff (except food storage because you can make real cheap progress there and it is well, important) would slow or stop more or less together.
Is there a point where I will decide I don't need any more guns? Probably. At the point where every member of the family has a rifle (potentially a defensive one and a hunting one), pistol and shotgun with us having some spares for each of us in the safe I would look at things. Most likely at that time I would start getting guns I want. Stuff for my collection which while functional (stainless Beretta 92, Walther P1, etc) aren't group standard or common tertiary type weapons (AK's, etc). Basically stuff I just want because it would be cool.
Will I ever get to this point? Probably sooner or later. I'm in my late 20's and have a pretty good start already. If my average slips to 2 guns a year over a decade it would be 20 more guns. Figure if I am real good and focused that would be 15-17 group standard/ common tertiary weapons and 3-5 randoms. So a few core weapons per individual. That would be a pretty solid situation. I imagine at most by my early 40's there won't be anything left which we need or much which I want.
Just remember that it is about keeping some balance and allocating your scarce resources in the best manner possible.
I think that unless you live in an RV or on a small (like below 50 foot) boat the issue of space is largely mute.
If you like to collect firearms as a hobby or want to have additional weapons for redundancy then it is pretty easy to end up with a lot of guns. I used to be pretty gun centric but now, even though I am less gun centric my budget is a lot better so buying stayed somewhat steady. I seem to average about 2.5 guns a year over the years. Look at it this way. 3 guns in a year is .22 for plinking, a deal on a used 870 which is just too good to pass up a Glock for your birthday. If you have decent, let alone significant, resources and keep up the interest in acquiring guns over decades a huge collection of hundreds of weapons can be accumulated.
The big thing is about resources required to get said guns and then kept tied up in them. I don't think you can have too many guns but I do think that you can over allocate your limited resources towards guns at the detriment of an overall well rounded plan. Simply put five hundred dollars that goes to a Glock or an AK cannot by default go towards food storage or savings or paying down debt or infinite other places, think about balance.
It is great to have a nice well rounded collection of (just to toss out a number) say a dozen guns. However it is probably better to have half a dozen guns, a well stocked pantry and a few hundred dollars. You may need a spare semi automatic rifle to arm someone else but you WILL need food. You may need that super accurate
If you find yourself pawning guns when a car breaks down or a paycheck is late/ small or whatever then maybe it would be wise to shrink your collection and beef up your savings. If you are in a dumpy money situation then getting 5 high end battle rifles with great scopes doesn't make sense. You need to put resources towards getting to a sane and stable place, not an arsenal you can brag to your friends about.
Again balance is the key. Certainly once you meet a basic level of capability, say a basic 4 maybe plus one or two extras (like a semi auto rifle if your first is a bolt gun and a concealable pistol) with mags, ammo and all the other ancillary stuff to keep them going then it is worth at least considering if those dollars would be better spent elsewhere.
Personally over the next few years I plan to pick up up a couple Glocks, a couple rifles and a random gun or two. During that time I am also going to improve our situation in terms of defensive gear, food storage, some outdoor equipment, precious metals and of course savings. All of this stuff will increase more or less together. If our financial situation is such that we need to tighten up a bit or full on circle the wagons then all that stuff (except food storage because you can make real cheap progress there and it is well, important) would slow or stop more or less together.
Is there a point where I will decide I don't need any more guns? Probably. At the point where every member of the family has a rifle (potentially a defensive one and a hunting one), pistol and shotgun with us having some spares for each of us in the safe I would look at things. Most likely at that time I would start getting guns I want. Stuff for my collection which while functional (stainless Beretta 92, Walther P1, etc) aren't group standard or common tertiary type weapons (AK's, etc). Basically stuff I just want because it would be cool.
Will I ever get to this point? Probably sooner or later. I'm in my late 20's and have a pretty good start already. If my average slips to 2 guns a year over a decade it would be 20 more guns. Figure if I am real good and focused that would be 15-17 group standard/ common tertiary weapons and 3-5 randoms. So a few core weapons per individual. That would be a pretty solid situation. I imagine at most by my early 40's there won't be anything left which we need or much which I want.
Just remember that it is about keeping some balance and allocating your scarce resources in the best manner possible.
Privatising Social Security
I have an idea. How about we choose to save, invest and plan for our future or not. Those who do not can try to continue working, mooch off family or starve. So if you don't have the discipline to save then be sure to have really good relationships with your kids I guess.
I am pretty confident in my ability to take the money which is stolen from me every paycheck and put it towards my long term future. I put a good portion of my take home earnings toward that goal and if I put that toward my personal retirement plans it would be just great. I am far more confident in our planning than I am in the government's promise to provide me with a safety net by stealing from my children and grandchildren.
I am pretty confident in my ability to take the money which is stolen from me every paycheck and put it towards my long term future. I put a good portion of my take home earnings toward that goal and if I put that toward my personal retirement plans it would be just great. I am far more confident in our planning than I am in the government's promise to provide me with a safety net by stealing from my children and grandchildren.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Book Review: Economics In One Lesson
Commander Zero suggested this book awhile back. I finally got around to reading it recently while in the hospital. It was a quick and easy read which I appreciated.
Anyway onto the usual format.
The good: This book did a great job of explaining economic principles in a way that a reasonably intelligent (maybe I'm spotting myself some credit) layman can understand. It didn't hide behind all sorts of obscure vocabulary but instead explained things in a simple way.
I am not so sure I "learned" a lot from this book because most of the concepts are pretty intuitive. A dollar spent here cannot be spent there. Money given by the government to one group must be taken from some other people. All that kind of stuff. However I would say this book gave me a far more sound footing to articulately explain these simple truths to others. Unfortunately (especially for Ron Paul) how we express views and points has at least as much importance as the strength of our points in how people receive the message. I learned some stuff and got a few laughs. Sure you will enjoy it.
The bad: This book is pretty dated which at some points detracts from the overall quality of this book.
There is no ugly so you get.....The funny: There are moments where the book being really dated is pretty darn funny.
Also interestingly enough a couple quotes written all those decades ago apply to today's crisis with disturbing accuracy.
This book could be read over a dedicated evening or in a couple shorter periods. I would say that this book probably lends itself better to dedicated reading than 20 minutes a night over a few weeks.
Anyway onto the usual format.
The good: This book did a great job of explaining economic principles in a way that a reasonably intelligent (maybe I'm spotting myself some credit) layman can understand. It didn't hide behind all sorts of obscure vocabulary but instead explained things in a simple way.
I am not so sure I "learned" a lot from this book because most of the concepts are pretty intuitive. A dollar spent here cannot be spent there. Money given by the government to one group must be taken from some other people. All that kind of stuff. However I would say this book gave me a far more sound footing to articulately explain these simple truths to others. Unfortunately (especially for Ron Paul) how we express views and points has at least as much importance as the strength of our points in how people receive the message. I learned some stuff and got a few laughs. Sure you will enjoy it.
The bad: This book is pretty dated which at some points detracts from the overall quality of this book.
There is no ugly so you get.....The funny: There are moments where the book being really dated is pretty darn funny.
Also interestingly enough a couple quotes written all those decades ago apply to today's crisis with disturbing accuracy.
This book could be read over a dedicated evening or in a couple shorter periods. I would say that this book probably lends itself better to dedicated reading than 20 minutes a night over a few weeks.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
quote of the day
"There is no shortage of rednecks in the neat, quiet American military cemeteries which now dot the globe. However rejected in normal times, the redneck has always been welcomed when the nation went to war."
- F.N. Boney
- F.N. Boney
Maybe Debt Matters More Than Location?
Sort of an unconventional idea I have been thinking about.
Many smart people talk about how unless you live in a super sparsely populated area with (the next part varies a bit) some other characteristics if anything less than the world continuing in a totally normal fashion you will die in the crossfire of government thugs trying to make you go to a FEMA death camp and gangs trying to rape/ kill/ rob you. They talk like this happens all the time (last week the power went out for 20 minutes in Atlanta and 500 people were murdered and another hundred raped to death, Yesterday in Milwaukee after the traffic signals stopped working so naturally twenty square blocks of people were forced into a FEMA death camp to never be seen again, etc) I just want to propose an alternate idea.
Your debt load probably matters at least as much if not more than your location. In terms of numbers of realistic situations and their likelihood it is far more probable that you will find yourself struggling financially to keep a roof over your families heads than needing to produce all of your own food. It is also worth noting that while being able to feed yourself from stuff you grow is great it doesn't deal with keeping that roof and walls around you and yours. This article over at FerFal's place sums it up nicely.
Unless the world genuinely ends, like Mad Max style, you're going to have to come up with that mortgage payment or at least property taxes. Otherwise that land and all the crops on it will get sold to pay the government its due.
So having 300 acres with a great house and a pond and a big mortgage to match doesn't offer security. Wishing for carefully crafted scenarios where those evil people who loaned you the money to buy "your place" go away isn't going to cut it. A little house in a small town on a big lot that is paid off or has a mortgage you can comfortably afford is a better option. If you choose wisely and settle in a small town with liberal zoning and rules it is easy enough to have a huge garden as well as chickens, rabbits and other such animals.
It is nice to have a "retreat" but unless you can pay cash or have a very secure income which comfortably pays the modest (in terms of dollar amount and in relation to your income/ earning potential) it is a recipe for disaster. Yeah if the world ends in that carefully crafted way the bankers will leave you alone, at least for awhile. However it is more realistic that unemployment will be up to 25%, crime will be sky high and you will be seeing how much stuff can fit into the car when you get foreclosed on. The guy you scoffed at for living on an acre in town with a modest home will still have his basement and garden BECAUSE HE CAN ACTUALLY AFFORD IT! Maybe he makes as much money as you and has owned the place free and clear for years.
Yeah this is also it is a good reminder that those junk land folks have something of a point that paid off shelter is a pretty good thing. Remember living in your own little cabin or travel trailer on a bit of land is a lot classier than living our of your car (if that is even paid off) commando style and talking about the great farm you used to own and those evil bankers who.......... wanted you to honor the agreement you made with them.
Remember, in all of your plans to think about if you can actually afford it and how quickly you can get to that ideal debt free place.
Many smart people talk about how unless you live in a super sparsely populated area with (the next part varies a bit) some other characteristics if anything less than the world continuing in a totally normal fashion you will die in the crossfire of government thugs trying to make you go to a FEMA death camp and gangs trying to rape/ kill/ rob you. They talk like this happens all the time (last week the power went out for 20 minutes in Atlanta and 500 people were murdered and another hundred raped to death, Yesterday in Milwaukee after the traffic signals stopped working so naturally twenty square blocks of people were forced into a FEMA death camp to never be seen again, etc) I just want to propose an alternate idea.
Your debt load probably matters at least as much if not more than your location. In terms of numbers of realistic situations and their likelihood it is far more probable that you will find yourself struggling financially to keep a roof over your families heads than needing to produce all of your own food. It is also worth noting that while being able to feed yourself from stuff you grow is great it doesn't deal with keeping that roof and walls around you and yours. This article over at FerFal's place sums it up nicely.
Unless the world genuinely ends, like Mad Max style, you're going to have to come up with that mortgage payment or at least property taxes. Otherwise that land and all the crops on it will get sold to pay the government its due.
So having 300 acres with a great house and a pond and a big mortgage to match doesn't offer security. Wishing for carefully crafted scenarios where those evil people who loaned you the money to buy "your place" go away isn't going to cut it. A little house in a small town on a big lot that is paid off or has a mortgage you can comfortably afford is a better option. If you choose wisely and settle in a small town with liberal zoning and rules it is easy enough to have a huge garden as well as chickens, rabbits and other such animals.
It is nice to have a "retreat" but unless you can pay cash or have a very secure income which comfortably pays the modest (in terms of dollar amount and in relation to your income/ earning potential) it is a recipe for disaster. Yeah if the world ends in that carefully crafted way the bankers will leave you alone, at least for awhile. However it is more realistic that unemployment will be up to 25%, crime will be sky high and you will be seeing how much stuff can fit into the car when you get foreclosed on. The guy you scoffed at for living on an acre in town with a modest home will still have his basement and garden BECAUSE HE CAN ACTUALLY AFFORD IT! Maybe he makes as much money as you and has owned the place free and clear for years.
Yeah this is also it is a good reminder that those junk land folks have something of a point that paid off shelter is a pretty good thing. Remember living in your own little cabin or travel trailer on a bit of land is a lot classier than living our of your car (if that is even paid off) commando style and talking about the great farm you used to own and those evil bankers who.......... wanted you to honor the agreement you made with them.
Remember, in all of your plans to think about if you can actually afford it and how quickly you can get to that ideal debt free place.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Reading And Life
The day kinda got away from me. I guess over a couple weeks I got out of the habit of writing and am just getting back to it. I had my first workout since the whole pneumonia thing today. It was pretty low key but I didn't cough up a lung so that was good. Had a buddy help me fix the clunker today. Learned a way to deal with at least one old car problem which was good.
Spent some time today catching up on the news. We are still spending more than we bring in. Unemployment is still high and confidence is low. Those evil banks and businesses are still greedily holding lots of cash. There are some elections going on but until they are over I'm not going to get emotionally involved or think about the implications.
We were going to go to a thing tonight but it didn't work out. After that I had some quiet time with a glass of Glenfiddich and The Witch of Hebron. I am about halfway done with it and while not revolutionary it is certainly enjoyable. I am pretty tired today. The girls are on swing shift waking up well after noon and staying up till 2 or 3. I got close to their schedule over the weekend which made for a really unpleasant 5:40 Monday morning wake up. Think I am going to bed pretty soon.
Spent some time today catching up on the news. We are still spending more than we bring in. Unemployment is still high and confidence is low. Those evil banks and businesses are still greedily holding lots of cash. There are some elections going on but until they are over I'm not going to get emotionally involved or think about the implications.
We were going to go to a thing tonight but it didn't work out. After that I had some quiet time with a glass of Glenfiddich and The Witch of Hebron. I am about halfway done with it and while not revolutionary it is certainly enjoyable. I am pretty tired today. The girls are on swing shift waking up well after noon and staying up till 2 or 3. I got close to their schedule over the weekend which made for a really unpleasant 5:40 Monday morning wake up. Think I am going to bed pretty soon.
This Is Awesome
Medical marijuana growers join Teamsters Union.
There are so many hilarious ways this can go. Cheech and Chong meet Tony Soprano is the scenario I'm starting with.
There are so many hilarious ways this can go. Cheech and Chong meet Tony Soprano is the scenario I'm starting with.
quote of the day
"I've owned .375, .416, and/or .458 caliber elephant rifles when I lived in New Hampshire, and when I lived in Florida.
During all that time, no elephant has ever attacked me or my neighbors. One can only conclude that there is a deterrent effect at work here. You'd think my Yuppie neighbors in the New England suburbs would have appreciated more than they did, the fact that I, alone, obviously kept herds of elephants from trampling their Volvos into their rock gardens."
-Massad Ayoob
Read the rest here. For whatever it is worth this guy is pretty happy carrying a 9mm. Especially since when one gets past the hype given decent JHP ammo it is equal to the other common semi auto pistol calibers.
During all that time, no elephant has ever attacked me or my neighbors. One can only conclude that there is a deterrent effect at work here. You'd think my Yuppie neighbors in the New England suburbs would have appreciated more than they did, the fact that I, alone, obviously kept herds of elephants from trampling their Volvos into their rock gardens."
-Massad Ayoob
Read the rest here. For whatever it is worth this guy is pretty happy carrying a 9mm. Especially since when one gets past the hype given decent JHP ammo it is equal to the other common semi auto pistol calibers.
Who Would Lose A Trade War?
Chinese think tank warns US it will emerge as loser in trade war.
I think this quote has some merit "They are utterly wrong," said Gabriel Stein from Lombard Street Research. "The lesson of the 1930s is that surplus countries with structurally weak domestic demand come off worst in a trade war."
China needs to sell the goods it produces lest their production will by necessity shrink rapidly to meet just domestic demand. If they have even a small dip in sales it leads to tons of lost jobs, closed factories and social unrest. While they are diversifying their markets it isn't happening anywhere as fast as they would like. Their free economy (well free except for real big players) and totalitarian state approach works so long as the economy is booming and people are happy with that. Iran has been trying the same thing and when the economy slowed they got problems.
At the same time right now we are dependent on the Chinese buying debt to pay for this meth binge of debt fueled spending we are on (drunken sailor's is a poor analogy because late in the night or early in the morning they pass out/ fall asleep and it ends, unlike this epic economic fail we are experiencing which is more akin to a meth/ crack head who stays up for days on end).
If we got our spending under control then we could tell China to suck it. That would really be great. However we don't seem to want to live within our means.
Interesting times for sure.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
A Rosy Picture But Not Happening
US goes back to the gold standard. While it reads nice it isn't going to happen.
quote of the day
" I know your name is ___________ and you live on ____________ and you kicked my chicken"
- A small child who called my Mother In Law sobbing hysterically from a blocked number at 10:15 last night. Apparently the child was quite certain MIL was on a walk and kicked her chicken. MIL said she didn't go on a walk at all, let alone kick any chickens. Wifey said MIL was quite adamant that she did not kick a chicken, especially another persons chicken. The sort of craziness that happens in and around really small towns just can't be made up.
- A small child who called my Mother In Law sobbing hysterically from a blocked number at 10:15 last night. Apparently the child was quite certain MIL was on a walk and kicked her chicken. MIL said she didn't go on a walk at all, let alone kick any chickens. Wifey said MIL was quite adamant that she did not kick a chicken, especially another persons chicken. The sort of craziness that happens in and around really small towns just can't be made up.
Home Brewing Question
Well I've been sipping my way through the first batch of home brew for a few days now. Some of them are really carbonated and others hardly so. Most bottles are pretty good but about 1/3rd are sort of cloudy and have a definite after taste. Sometimes it is just moderate but other times it is pretty noticeable and not enjoyable. Any ideas why this is?
Advice would be appreciated.
Advice would be appreciated.
New Army Sleep System
I got an email asking about the new sleeping bag with the bivy we are using in the Army now. Since I get to use this stuff at no cost to me in realistic conditions for long periods of time I am in a good position to evaluate it for you folks who would spend their hard earned dollars on it.
Anyway a bit of background. For a long time the Army used these big sucky green sleeping bags. They are equivalent to that big fluffy Coleman brand square sleeping bag we all used as a kid. They work pretty good if you don't have to carry them (they are heavy and very bulky) and they don't get wet (think sponge). Good for a sleep over in your uncles cabin but not for real world use in primitive conditions.
Enter the EWCS modular sleep system. This was a huge update in technology and unlike the MOLLE rucksack they didn't go just part of the way. These things really are a home run. Basically they consist of a light "patrol bag" a heavier bag, a Goretex bivy and a stuff sack. A wooby fits easily into the stuff sack and anybody with an iota of common sense adds one to their personal sleep system. You can mix and match based upon the needs of your upcoming mission/ trip and go with just the light bag, the light bag and the bivy, just the heavy bag or whatever combination suits your fancy. I am very happy that we use these systems at work. I have found them to be rugged, reliable and a great piece of kit. In particular the zippers are quite rugged. I have gotten them hopelessly stuck and through brute force unstuck them without them breaking. Seeing as zippers are a real weak point in sleeping bags this just goes to show the quality and durability of the system.
These things are fairly light, pack up compactly and work really well. The bivy is good for keeping dry unless you are sleeping in standing water or there is a truly torrential downpour. Have a poncho to toss over your backpack/ boots and for traveling light a tent is not needed. With the thin bag and a woobie it is very compact and for me comfortable to 30ish. With the heavy bag I've slept soundly, without waking up freezing in the middle of the night, down into the single digits (F).
[The ratings for sleeping bags seems to have little to do with a comfortable nights sleep and are more about not freezing to death. Kind of like how a 3 foot wide tent is rated to sleep two people (if they REALLY like each other in a grown up sort of way). Knowing if a bag rated to 20 degrees is good to 20 or 30 or even 40 degrees for YOU is something that must be found out for yourself. I don't think this system is good to -10F.]
As for the more nebulous question of if they are worth purchasing for you guys and gals. That depends a lot on the cost. I have seen these systems for sale brand new for a few hundred dollars. At that price it would be a hard sell for me. The camouflage bivy is probably the most important single component. Getting one of them and putting it over a quality mummy bag of any color which you already own that is suited to your area would work fine. If you live in ridiculously cold Alaska or Minnesota then getting a heavier sleeping bag would be a must anyway. However if you look around finding one, just be sure it is in good condition and truly Mil Spec not a far inferior knock off, for under $200 doesn't seem difficult. I found 3 for $150 in under 2 minutes. If you are in the market for a sleeping bag you would be a fool not to buy one of these. To put my money where my mouth is getting a complete one of these systems for each member of our family is in my long plans.
Anyway a bit of background. For a long time the Army used these big sucky green sleeping bags. They are equivalent to that big fluffy Coleman brand square sleeping bag we all used as a kid. They work pretty good if you don't have to carry them (they are heavy and very bulky) and they don't get wet (think sponge). Good for a sleep over in your uncles cabin but not for real world use in primitive conditions.
Enter the EWCS modular sleep system. This was a huge update in technology and unlike the MOLLE rucksack they didn't go just part of the way. These things really are a home run. Basically they consist of a light "patrol bag" a heavier bag, a Goretex bivy and a stuff sack. A wooby fits easily into the stuff sack and anybody with an iota of common sense adds one to their personal sleep system. You can mix and match based upon the needs of your upcoming mission/ trip and go with just the light bag, the light bag and the bivy, just the heavy bag or whatever combination suits your fancy. I am very happy that we use these systems at work. I have found them to be rugged, reliable and a great piece of kit. In particular the zippers are quite rugged. I have gotten them hopelessly stuck and through brute force unstuck them without them breaking. Seeing as zippers are a real weak point in sleeping bags this just goes to show the quality and durability of the system.
These things are fairly light, pack up compactly and work really well. The bivy is good for keeping dry unless you are sleeping in standing water or there is a truly torrential downpour. Have a poncho to toss over your backpack/ boots and for traveling light a tent is not needed. With the thin bag and a woobie it is very compact and for me comfortable to 30ish. With the heavy bag I've slept soundly, without waking up freezing in the middle of the night, down into the single digits (F).
[The ratings for sleeping bags seems to have little to do with a comfortable nights sleep and are more about not freezing to death. Kind of like how a 3 foot wide tent is rated to sleep two people (if they REALLY like each other in a grown up sort of way). Knowing if a bag rated to 20 degrees is good to 20 or 30 or even 40 degrees for YOU is something that must be found out for yourself. I don't think this system is good to -10F.]
As for the more nebulous question of if they are worth purchasing for you guys and gals. That depends a lot on the cost. I have seen these systems for sale brand new for a few hundred dollars. At that price it would be a hard sell for me. The camouflage bivy is probably the most important single component. Getting one of them and putting it over a quality mummy bag of any color which you already own that is suited to your area would work fine. If you live in ridiculously cold Alaska or Minnesota then getting a heavier sleeping bag would be a must anyway. However if you look around finding one, just be sure it is in good condition and truly Mil Spec not a far inferior knock off, for under $200 doesn't seem difficult. I found 3 for $150 in under 2 minutes. If you are in the market for a sleeping bag you would be a fool not to buy one of these. To put my money where my mouth is getting a complete one of these systems for each member of our family is in my long plans.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Regular Life and Preparedness Merging
Today for no particular reason I got to thinking about how my everyday life and preparedness have merged. Maybe they were always related but I am just seeing connections now. Who knows.
The first and most obvious area is home finances. We are pretty conservative and live well below our means. Lots of our financial behavior is influenced by preparedness concerns. Most significantly we tend to keep money in reserve in case we need it and regularly purchase precious metals. Saving up for stuff is the norm. If we can get it for free we do and most other stuff is purchased at a significant discount. Some might say this doesn't have anything to do with anything; that survivalism is all about beans, rifles and bullets and that anything else is unrelated or foolish. I cannot help but observe that invariably shortly thereafter the same people say "well I can't afford X" or end up selling their precious rifles because they didn't have a few bucks set aside for a car repair or sudden job loss.
Also we eat a lot cheaper than before we cared about finances and food storage. Eating a diet that is even moderately heavy in low cost shelf stable staples drops the food bill in a hurry. Also it is a lot easier to whip up a random meal in a hurry when you're used to stuff that is easy to stock on the shelf which lasts for awhile.
While writing this I am drinking some home brewed beer. I got into it as part of my New Years resolutions. It is nice because it lets me drink better beer than I am inclined to pay for. It's too early to tell for sure but it looks to be turning into a fun and rewarding hobby.
Using and generally having a lot of gear around is sort of a bi product of my job. I suppose it could be pretty useful should I find a need for that kind of stuff. Also given what I do fitness is real important. The dividends of that are quite obvious.
So basically preparedness has at least subtly changed the way we save and spend money, shop and eat. Not bad stuff parse just different ways of doing things.
The first and most obvious area is home finances. We are pretty conservative and live well below our means. Lots of our financial behavior is influenced by preparedness concerns. Most significantly we tend to keep money in reserve in case we need it and regularly purchase precious metals. Saving up for stuff is the norm. If we can get it for free we do and most other stuff is purchased at a significant discount. Some might say this doesn't have anything to do with anything; that survivalism is all about beans, rifles and bullets and that anything else is unrelated or foolish. I cannot help but observe that invariably shortly thereafter the same people say "well I can't afford X" or end up selling their precious rifles because they didn't have a few bucks set aside for a car repair or sudden job loss.
Also we eat a lot cheaper than before we cared about finances and food storage. Eating a diet that is even moderately heavy in low cost shelf stable staples drops the food bill in a hurry. Also it is a lot easier to whip up a random meal in a hurry when you're used to stuff that is easy to stock on the shelf which lasts for awhile.
While writing this I am drinking some home brewed beer. I got into it as part of my New Years resolutions. It is nice because it lets me drink better beer than I am inclined to pay for. It's too early to tell for sure but it looks to be turning into a fun and rewarding hobby.
Using and generally having a lot of gear around is sort of a bi product of my job. I suppose it could be pretty useful should I find a need for that kind of stuff. Also given what I do fitness is real important. The dividends of that are quite obvious.
So basically preparedness has at least subtly changed the way we save and spend money, shop and eat. Not bad stuff parse just different ways of doing things.
Buying Silver and Gold
I got an email recently asking about how to get started buying silver. I recalled a post some time back where that was covered. After a bit of digging here it is.
Where to buy precious metals.
Where to buy precious metals.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Random Thoughts On Fitness, Finances and Life
I wish people would realize that if your body doesn't work you don't have jack squat. My current sickness has been a big reminder of this. No matter what preparations I had made when I was down for the count it didn't matter at all. People who try to do all sorts of great stuff but have significantly limiting medical issues that are at least slightly lifestyle based are missing the point. They can have all the pre positioned supplies and skills but without the functional use of their body it is all for not. Instead of working to shoot a squirrel in the butt at 800 meters work on being able to maneuver wearing full kit. Instead of focusing on (while wonderful) redundant food storage and production capabilities think about being able to carry a pair of 5 gallon buckets full of food up the stairs from the basement.
Common sense says most people aren't 25-30 with perfectly healthy bodies. Of course if you are older or have some injuries or whatnot it isn't easy. However you must be brutally honest to figure out what sort of conditions and past injuries you can improve upon. Many "pre existing conditions" and "life long injuries" are miraculously cured by moderating your caloric intake (particularly fat and booze), exercising regularly and getting to a reasonable body weight.
Without the capability to use your body you are screwed plain and simple. Do whatever you can to improve or keep that capacity.
As for money today. It seems that things are just sorta slogging along. The boat has a slow leek that the bilge pumps can keep up with and the engines are making nasty sounds but still working. No clear and definite stuff seems to be happening, certainly not positive stuff. Some ominous things that could be bad but like anything else if you look hard enough for it you will find something. I think a lot of us look that hard and claim it as clear indicators that doom is days away.
Unemployment is high and shows no signs of getting better. Business owners and corporations are scared that some crazy regulation is coming down the pike (it may well be) so they are staying lean and holding cash instead of putting it back into operations. As this is not likely to change soon I don't expect the unemployment situation to improve dramatically for some time.
However despite all the gloom and doom we read and often pass on most folks are still working and all that jazz. As for what to do I think a lot of common sense personally conservative stuff still applies. Your mortgage/ property taxes or rent payment aren't going away. Sorry but lets be real. It makes sense to try and get out of debt because even if inflation may be looming increased costs of everything, inflation (arguably the same thing but you know what I mean) and potential future job losses may make those somewhat cheaper dollars harder to get.
Even if you are fortunate (don't believe the hype 9.5% unemployment [we could discuss the validity and significance of reported unemployment numbers but lets just rock with it for this discussion] means 91.5% of people are employed) enough to keep your current income there is a real likelihood that not so long from now it will buy significantly less. Maybe you will keep the exact same income and it will buy less or maybe your income will drop a bit, who knows. Think about what you would do if you lost 10, 20 or even 30 percent purchasing power.
Maybe you want to live cheaper now to get ready for what may come but darn sure you want to have the capacity to live cheaper pretty darn quick. It is easy to buy steak and shrimp this week then beans n rice next week, particularly if you are used to producing and consuming decent tasting food from cheap staples. Same thing with going out to a fancy night on the town this week and having a DVD at home next week. However it is a lot harder to ditch the payment on the new fancy car you need to get to work, the Visa bill or heaven forbid a home you can't really afford. If by good choices and some luck you are still in a comfortable position by all means enjoy the benefits of it. I am not classist and don't begrudge you anything. Just saying that it is good to be in a position where you can drastically (I think a 30% change in purchasing power would be pretty darn drastic) change your normal operating expenses.
Personally we can eat pretty decently with good healthy food we are used to eating for very little money. Also I am working on home brewing which helps. I love Chimay but it is expensive even in the best of times. I can have good quality beer for less than the cheapest commercially produced stuff which is pretty cool.
We have a house guest right now. Wifey's Vice Sister who will hereby be referred to as Miley came to help out for awhile when Walker comes. Interestingly enough her father has been our only other house guest in Germany to date. Other then the realization that I can't walk to or from the shower naked (well I could but it would be sorta awkward) it is cool. Wifey has really enjoyed her presence while I was gone and is just ecstatic that she is here. She has said before that she needs a wife and proclaimed earlier today that Miley is filling that role nicely. Though I have spent a good amount of time around Miley it is always at those busy family things where there are a ton of people and lots of stuff going on. I am enjoying being able to hang out with her in a less hectic situation.
Anyway back to the point somehow we got to talking about gold yesterday. It occurred to me that we have at least theoretically (since it doesn't pay dividends or benefit from compound inflation and we aren't going to sell it) we have made good money on the gold we purchased a couple years ago. Not a couple points or an above average 10 percent but about 70 percent. We could sell and have done far better than we would have anywhere else over the same period of time. Heck I ordered some silver about a month ago and the price has gone up a couple bucks an ounce since then. I think there is money to be made right now if you have the cash and some tolerance for risk. Personally I have a bit of cash and a decent tolerance for risk, if just because my investment time line is so long.
I think in a way this whole economic crisis is good for us. It is kind of good for America at large because hopefully it will remind people to live in a reasonable fashion somewhere below their means and save a bit for the future instead of being in some sort of home equity/ credit based drunken orgy of consumer spending. Furthermore I think it is good for survivalist/ preppers to learn or be reminded that we need to be realistic and prepare for numerous likely scenarios as well as stockpiling bulk grains and semi automatic rifles. The sort of cold war era/ Y2K preparations that skip all kinds of likely issues and goes strait to Mad Max modern world is gone and we're all killing each other over Krispix thinking is seriously and fatally flawed. A reminder to also cover the more realistic bases is a good thing.
I am bored of writing for tonight. Going to drink a glass of water and have some home made pizza then go to bed.
Common sense says most people aren't 25-30 with perfectly healthy bodies. Of course if you are older or have some injuries or whatnot it isn't easy. However you must be brutally honest to figure out what sort of conditions and past injuries you can improve upon. Many "pre existing conditions" and "life long injuries" are miraculously cured by moderating your caloric intake (particularly fat and booze), exercising regularly and getting to a reasonable body weight.
Without the capability to use your body you are screwed plain and simple. Do whatever you can to improve or keep that capacity.
As for money today. It seems that things are just sorta slogging along. The boat has a slow leek that the bilge pumps can keep up with and the engines are making nasty sounds but still working. No clear and definite stuff seems to be happening, certainly not positive stuff. Some ominous things that could be bad but like anything else if you look hard enough for it you will find something. I think a lot of us look that hard and claim it as clear indicators that doom is days away.
Unemployment is high and shows no signs of getting better. Business owners and corporations are scared that some crazy regulation is coming down the pike (it may well be) so they are staying lean and holding cash instead of putting it back into operations. As this is not likely to change soon I don't expect the unemployment situation to improve dramatically for some time.
However despite all the gloom and doom we read and often pass on most folks are still working and all that jazz. As for what to do I think a lot of common sense personally conservative stuff still applies. Your mortgage/ property taxes or rent payment aren't going away. Sorry but lets be real. It makes sense to try and get out of debt because even if inflation may be looming increased costs of everything, inflation (arguably the same thing but you know what I mean) and potential future job losses may make those somewhat cheaper dollars harder to get.
Even if you are fortunate (don't believe the hype 9.5% unemployment [we could discuss the validity and significance of reported unemployment numbers but lets just rock with it for this discussion] means 91.5% of people are employed) enough to keep your current income there is a real likelihood that not so long from now it will buy significantly less. Maybe you will keep the exact same income and it will buy less or maybe your income will drop a bit, who knows. Think about what you would do if you lost 10, 20 or even 30 percent purchasing power.
Maybe you want to live cheaper now to get ready for what may come but darn sure you want to have the capacity to live cheaper pretty darn quick. It is easy to buy steak and shrimp this week then beans n rice next week, particularly if you are used to producing and consuming decent tasting food from cheap staples. Same thing with going out to a fancy night on the town this week and having a DVD at home next week. However it is a lot harder to ditch the payment on the new fancy car you need to get to work, the Visa bill or heaven forbid a home you can't really afford. If by good choices and some luck you are still in a comfortable position by all means enjoy the benefits of it. I am not classist and don't begrudge you anything. Just saying that it is good to be in a position where you can drastically (I think a 30% change in purchasing power would be pretty darn drastic) change your normal operating expenses.
Personally we can eat pretty decently with good healthy food we are used to eating for very little money. Also I am working on home brewing which helps. I love Chimay but it is expensive even in the best of times. I can have good quality beer for less than the cheapest commercially produced stuff which is pretty cool.
We have a house guest right now. Wifey's Vice Sister who will hereby be referred to as Miley came to help out for awhile when Walker comes. Interestingly enough her father has been our only other house guest in Germany to date. Other then the realization that I can't walk to or from the shower naked (well I could but it would be sorta awkward) it is cool. Wifey has really enjoyed her presence while I was gone and is just ecstatic that she is here. She has said before that she needs a wife and proclaimed earlier today that Miley is filling that role nicely. Though I have spent a good amount of time around Miley it is always at those busy family things where there are a ton of people and lots of stuff going on. I am enjoying being able to hang out with her in a less hectic situation.
Anyway back to the point somehow we got to talking about gold yesterday. It occurred to me that we have at least theoretically (since it doesn't pay dividends or benefit from compound inflation and we aren't going to sell it) we have made good money on the gold we purchased a couple years ago. Not a couple points or an above average 10 percent but about 70 percent. We could sell and have done far better than we would have anywhere else over the same period of time. Heck I ordered some silver about a month ago and the price has gone up a couple bucks an ounce since then. I think there is money to be made right now if you have the cash and some tolerance for risk. Personally I have a bit of cash and a decent tolerance for risk, if just because my investment time line is so long.
I think in a way this whole economic crisis is good for us. It is kind of good for America at large because hopefully it will remind people to live in a reasonable fashion somewhere below their means and save a bit for the future instead of being in some sort of home equity/ credit based drunken orgy of consumer spending. Furthermore I think it is good for survivalist/ preppers to learn or be reminded that we need to be realistic and prepare for numerous likely scenarios as well as stockpiling bulk grains and semi automatic rifles. The sort of cold war era/ Y2K preparations that skip all kinds of likely issues and goes strait to Mad Max modern world is gone and we're all killing each other over Krispix thinking is seriously and fatally flawed. A reminder to also cover the more realistic bases is a good thing.
I am bored of writing for tonight. Going to drink a glass of water and have some home made pizza then go to bed.
Fun With China
“China gets 10pc growth: the US gets 10pc unemployment. That doesn’t seem the basis for a happy marriage,” said Prof Fergusson
Read the rest of the article here
Read the rest of the article here
Employment Patterns Are Changing; These Jobs Aren't Coming Back
It was unpopular but completely true when John McCain said it.
The 10 American Industries That May Never Recover
Better Late Than Never
Since September is National Preparedness Month our friend Rourke of World Info CD and Modern Survival Online would like to offer your readers a special 25% off at WorldInfoCD.com.
Just enter special promo code "TSLR25" at checkout.
This is good from now until the end of September.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
An Announcement From Idaho Preps
Idaho Preps just let me know that they have totally revamped their site and added a ton of new products. The have a Deal of the week section with one item at a great price. The have a huge range of new items from Gerber knives to Aimpoint and Trijicon optics. Go check them out, use the coupon code TSLRF10 to get 10% off for their grand-reopening sale.
Crazy Few Weeks
I spent some time off in the woods recently. Got pretty sick and it turned out to be pneumonia in my right lung. When it went into the left lung and didn't go away I went to the hospital. Spent a couple days there and now I am back home for a bit. Still got a pretty nasty cough and a few days more on Levaquin but I am feeling kinda crappy instead of dead so that is good.
In any case you will have some unexpected real time articles for about 2 weeks. I will try and get through my email in box tomorrow. I will also try and start getting caught up on reading in the next couple days.
In any case you will have some unexpected real time articles for about 2 weeks. I will try and get through my email in box tomorrow. I will also try and start getting caught up on reading in the next couple days.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Random Thoughts On Budgets and College Funds
Wifey and I are going to save for Walkers education. When it gets to the time that he graduates high school we will have enough cash set aside to pay for a big chunk of his college expenses. Unless you are pretty well off, which we certainly aren't (hangs head in shame), just paying cash for a kids education without prior planning isn't realistic. I think this is one of those examples of how a very daunting task can be reasonably handled if you plan for it in advance.
So we are going to start saving a set amount every month when he is born. This money obviously needs to come from somewhere. Right now and for the next several months we are making very aggressive student loan payments. Doing both of these things during the period between Walkers birth and the end of said debt will be hard. If need be we will pay off said student loan at a slightly less aggressive rate in order to be on track for Walkers college fund.
We decided if at all possible that we walk Walkers college money to come out of our lifestyle not debt repayment. The cost is going to be right about $250 a month which isn't enormous but isn't change you can find in the couch either. We got to talking about this. Wifey brought it up when she was doing some other various financial math.
There is a real benefit to actually talking about money with your spouse BEFORE it is a problem. The benefit is that you have time and can think calmly about the situation. Time is good because I like to think about stuff for awhile to see the second and third order effects of options and also to adjust to new ideas. It is a lot easier to be calm in deciding how best to put out a fire on the back lawn if somebody asks you and there is a minute to think then if your BBQ explodes and sets a dry lawn ablaze.
We got to thinking in where this money was going to come from. There wasn't any single area in which the whole amount could tolerably be freed up. So we got to thinking about a bunch of small ways. Instead of $250 we need 10 ways to save $20 a month and 1 way to save $50. That is just a lot more manageable.
So we got to thinking. Not entirely sure how it will play out but mostly we are just tightening up a quarter turn on our lifestyle in general. Eating out and random trips to the store for this or that are the main culprits. Also those random times I just toss something in the cart are a factor. Generally we need to stick to our intended budgets on all kinds of things.
More on this later.
So we are going to start saving a set amount every month when he is born. This money obviously needs to come from somewhere. Right now and for the next several months we are making very aggressive student loan payments. Doing both of these things during the period between Walkers birth and the end of said debt will be hard. If need be we will pay off said student loan at a slightly less aggressive rate in order to be on track for Walkers college fund.
We decided if at all possible that we walk Walkers college money to come out of our lifestyle not debt repayment. The cost is going to be right about $250 a month which isn't enormous but isn't change you can find in the couch either. We got to talking about this. Wifey brought it up when she was doing some other various financial math.
There is a real benefit to actually talking about money with your spouse BEFORE it is a problem. The benefit is that you have time and can think calmly about the situation. Time is good because I like to think about stuff for awhile to see the second and third order effects of options and also to adjust to new ideas. It is a lot easier to be calm in deciding how best to put out a fire on the back lawn if somebody asks you and there is a minute to think then if your BBQ explodes and sets a dry lawn ablaze.
We got to thinking in where this money was going to come from. There wasn't any single area in which the whole amount could tolerably be freed up. So we got to thinking about a bunch of small ways. Instead of $250 we need 10 ways to save $20 a month and 1 way to save $50. That is just a lot more manageable.
So we got to thinking. Not entirely sure how it will play out but mostly we are just tightening up a quarter turn on our lifestyle in general. Eating out and random trips to the store for this or that are the main culprits. Also those random times I just toss something in the cart are a factor. Generally we need to stick to our intended budgets on all kinds of things.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Homework Assignment for the Week
Cook at least one dinner composed entirely of shelf stable prep foods. Also do the dishes so your spouse has the day off of dinner duty.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Home Brewing Day 1
Day one took place about a week after day zero. The yeast had finally done its thing and was ready to participate in the whole venture. So it was finally time to make some beer.
To start off I sanitized everything. The kit I got came with some solution but you can do the same thing with some bleach and hot water. Anyway getting everything clean is real important. I then poured four gallons of water into my giant brewing pot. Put the stove on high and waited. Then I waited some more. After that I waited for awhile. It took like an hour and twenty minutes to get the water to boil. In hindsight either putting the water into 2 or 3 pots to get the initial boil or purchasing a turkey fryer to speed things up would be smart.
So after a long time and a delightful Chimay beer the water finally boiled. At this point I added the malt and the sugar stirring them in well. After the re boil I waited five minutes and then put in the first batch of hops. The brew boiled for 50 minutes and I added the second batch of hops. After the wort had boiled for an hour it was time to cool it. I quickly discovered that my kitchen sink did not have sufficient space to hold enough cold water to cool 4 gallons of wort. I grabbed the pot and took it to the bathtub and filled it with 8 inches or so of cold water. It had sufficient mass to cool the wort.
Once the wort was cooled to 85 degrees I poured it into the fermenter. I took the fermenter and put it in a cool dark place then cleaned up. That ended day one.
To start off I sanitized everything. The kit I got came with some solution but you can do the same thing with some bleach and hot water. Anyway getting everything clean is real important. I then poured four gallons of water into my giant brewing pot. Put the stove on high and waited. Then I waited some more. After that I waited for awhile. It took like an hour and twenty minutes to get the water to boil. In hindsight either putting the water into 2 or 3 pots to get the initial boil or purchasing a turkey fryer to speed things up would be smart.
So after a long time and a delightful Chimay beer the water finally boiled. At this point I added the malt and the sugar stirring them in well. After the re boil I waited five minutes and then put in the first batch of hops. The brew boiled for 50 minutes and I added the second batch of hops. After the wort had boiled for an hour it was time to cool it. I quickly discovered that my kitchen sink did not have sufficient space to hold enough cold water to cool 4 gallons of wort. I grabbed the pot and took it to the bathtub and filled it with 8 inches or so of cold water. It had sufficient mass to cool the wort.
Once the wort was cooled to 85 degrees I poured it into the fermenter. I took the fermenter and put it in a cool dark place then cleaned up. That ended day one.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Home Brewing Day 0
Day Zero was started with big intentions. First of all Wifey and I watched the video which was sent with the kit. I read the book prior and that was good but seeing the process on video helped reassure me that I wasn't missing anything. I got to looking and it turned out the yeast pack needs multiple days to get ready to use. Thus endith day 0
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Never Forget
It has been 9 years since those fundamentalist Islamic asshats hijacked some planes and used them to killed a bunch of Americans. I am a lot older and wiser than I was that fateful day but I am still really pissed. We are still at war but we didn't choose this. Those who think we can pull the covers over our heads and that the monsters who hate us will magically go away are either idealistic or fools.
NEVER FORGET!
NEVER FORGET!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Time and Money
Long ago when I was a kid somebody said you can have either time or money but not both. There is a lot of truth to that one. You can work a whole bunch and make a lot of money or you can have lots of time to do whatever pleases you. In my life I have seen that by and large this is true.
Short of living like some sort of hobo or mountain man on public land you need some sort of income to live. Keeping a roof over your head, clothes on your back and some food in the pantry costs something. However above and beyond that you can look at what kind of life you want and make choices.
I tend not to fault people for their decisions. If you want to work just enough to get by and spend ample free time fishing or reading or gardening or even smoking dope in front of the TV then go for it. Conversely if somebody wants to work 80 hours a week to drive a new Mercedes and live in a McMansion who am I to look down on them.
It is just about what makes you happy. However I cannot help but observe that few people who are close to death wish they had worked more.
Short of living like some sort of hobo or mountain man on public land you need some sort of income to live. Keeping a roof over your head, clothes on your back and some food in the pantry costs something. However above and beyond that you can look at what kind of life you want and make choices.
I tend not to fault people for their decisions. If you want to work just enough to get by and spend ample free time fishing or reading or gardening or even smoking dope in front of the TV then go for it. Conversely if somebody wants to work 80 hours a week to drive a new Mercedes and live in a McMansion who am I to look down on them.
It is just about what makes you happy. However I cannot help but observe that few people who are close to death wish they had worked more.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Demon Rum
By DW
First:
A true story. A friend I work with told me about his divorce that happened several years ago. One of his friends was sleeping with my friends wife. After the divorce was final, he told his ex- friend to make a reservation at the hospital. It was not going to happen then, but someday, yes someday they were going to have it out.
Time went by, and like a lot of guys after a divorce, he started hitting the bottle. One night he is at the bar drinking with two of his buddies, and he decides its time. He calls up the ex-friend and tells him to come on over to the bar and lets settle this thing, he has half a beer left, he will be waiting for him. He waits, finishes his beer and its a no show. Calls up the ex-friend and tells him, he is on the way. Tells his two buddies they are going for a ride with him.
Arrives at the house. One buddy stays in the car, the other one goes with him. Kicks the door in. Inside, the guys brother is there. He doesn't know what the heck is going on. My friend is all "likkered" up and beats the H*** out of him. (one on one, not two on one) Next up is the ex-friends wife. (She does not know what is going on either) She is on the phone talking to 911, screaming that he is going to kill all of them. He grabs the phone out of her hand and smashes it, then slaps her around some. Next up is the main course. The ex-friend is found hiding in a closet. Drags him out and starts ass kicking process. No sooner does it start and it seems like twenty of those cars with the lights on top are coming down the road making LOTS of noise. Time to leave! He gets out the door and gets about 30 feet before they get him. Free police car ride.
Second:
I heard his tell once about arresting a boy for possession of whiskey in the Territory. It was against the law then to take any sort of liquor into the Territory; officers were very strict about enforcing that law, because the United States Government didn't want the Indians to get hold of any alcoholic drinks.
The above is from: http://www.brightok.net/~lguthrie/Pioneer%20Indian%20History.htm
Conclusion:
A lot of people think it is a good idea to stock alcohol either for personal use or barter. There is going to be a lot of pressure, stress and grief during a crisis or break down. Know who in your group is suicidal or violent under the influence of alcohol. Keep tight control of the "likker."
I want to thank Ryan, Chad and Ryan for allowing me to post this at their site.
If you like this post please visit: http://newdawnsurvival.com/blog5
TOR here: I just want to thank DW for the guest post.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Real American Heroes #2 Epitome of a warrior
On Jan. 22, 2002, as Pryor and the other Special Forces soldiers prepared to helicopter into the mountains north of Kandahar, they paused for a prayer at base camp. Sgt. 1st Class James Hogg asked God to fill their hearts with courage. Pryor wore a medallion of St. Michael, the patron saint of soldiers, duct-taped to his dog tag.
The men were "direct action" A-Team members, also known as assaulters, door-kickers or "five-minute wonders." They are the first to enter buildings, and they use SWAT team-like tactics. Close-in combat skills are crucial.
Pryor, the senior enlisted officer that night, is a bull of a man. Only 5-foot-11, he weighs 235 pounds. At the time, he could bench-press almost twice that. Team members call him a ferocious competitor, the epitome of a warrior.
"He makes you a better soldier just being around him," says Sgt. 1st Class Steve Ourada, a team member. "He built that assault force into what it was. We were on top of our game."
From aerial photos, their target looked like a U-shaped building within a walled compound. But on the ground that night, they found it was actually three buildings separated by covered breezeways.
The team charged into one breezeway and lobbed a flash-bang grenade, designed to disorient enemy troops, into the central courtyard. The area was filled with shiny new Toyota pickups and a trailer carrying a dual-barreled anti-aircraft weapon. Al-Qaeda fighters fired back, and the bullets raised clouds of stone from walls of the alleyway.
The troops had to push through the gunfire and cut left and right to clear rooms. Pryor, whose healthy-size cranium has earned him the nickname "Bucket," led the way. He stepped around a corner and shot a man coming at him with an AK-47 a few feet away.
Night-vision goggles cast everything in a greenish hue and gave the Special Forces troops an advantage. Al-Qaeda fighters, most of them bearded men wearing long dishdashas, floor-length shirts, had only the starlight.
Even so, the al-Qaeda men appeared well-trained and disciplined. Twenty-one of them would fight to the death.
Close-quarters battle
As Pryor entered the first room to his right, he came face-to-face with a second fighter emerging from the doorway. Unable to see a weapon in that split-second, Pryor slugged the man and knocked him down, blowing past him into the room. But the fighter rose with an AK-47. Hogg, still in the courtyard, fired a single round from his M-4 carbine and killed the man.
Other team members had gone on to clear the rest of the buildings, and Pryor faced the fighters in the room alone. If any got past him — or worse, killed Pryor — they could shoot other GIs in the back.
It was Pryor's fight now to win. As he entered the 25-by-25-foot room, his eyes swept from left to right. Bedrolls littered the floor, and two fighters at the rear of the room took aim through windows at other Americans entering the compound. Both swung toward Pryor, Kalashnikovs in their hands. Pryor fired, the rounds striking so dead-center that the men's beards fluttered.
As he reloaded, Pryor felt a foot brush up against his boot. At first, he thought it was another American. It wasn't. An al-Qaeda fighter struck Pryor hard from behind. The blow, possibly from a wooden board, dislocated Pryor's shoulder and broke his collarbone.
The fighter, bearded with his hair in a ponytail, jumped on Pryor's back and clawed at his face, tearing off his night-vision goggles.
"He started sticking his stinking little fingers into my eyeballs," Pryor remembers.
His left shoulder felt like it was on fire. He was winded and weary from fighting at an altitude of 8,000 feet. Without night vision, everything was black.
The battle outside raged on, punctuated by AK-47 and rifle fire and the steady boom of a 40mm grenade launcher from a Special Forces Humvee. The air reeked of gunpowder and the copper scent of blood. Inside that first room, the two fighters — al-Qaeda and American — were fighting to the death.
Pryor had only a single thought: You're not going to kill me.
"That's how I attack things," he says later.
With one good arm, Pryor grabbed his enemy by the hair. But the man's weight, combined with the 80 pounds of Army gear that Pryor wore, caused the two to fall. They landed on Pryor's left elbow, and the impact jammed his shoulder back into its socket.
Now he could fight with both hands. In a few desperate seconds, Pryor broke the man's neck and finished him with a 9mm pistol.
Miraculously, not another American was injured that night.
"There aren't any widows or orphans because of him," Ourada says of Pryor.
'They'd aged about 10 years'
In his 14 years in the Special Forces, Pryor has killed before, but never in hand-to-hand fighting. That night, he worried first, however, about his soldiers, who had shot it out with al-Qaeda inside other rooms.
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY
Master Sgt. Anthony S. Pryor holds his Silver Star.
Around a wood fire at base camp hours later, Pryor offered solace. "I went around and touched every one of those guys," he says. "Everybody looked like they'd aged about 10 years."
For him, sleepless nights followed.
He dispelled demons with cathartic heart-to-heart talks with his tentmate Hogg, replaying details of the fighting and dying. "A little bit of defragging of your hard drive," Pryor calls it.
Three articles of faith got him through, he says.
First was pride in a successful mission: Training had paid off.
Second was seeing the war as righteous. "We didn't start it," Pryor says. "They started this fight. We're in the right."
Third was his children and the future. "I remember him saying," Hogg recalls, " 'You know, it's an ugly business, it's a terrible thing for us to do. But hopefully our kids won't have to cope with it.' "
In addition to Pryor's Silver Star, seven Green Berets in the unit received Bronze Stars for valor in that fight. Pryor sent letters to their fathers. "I would like to thank you for raising a fine young man," he wrote. Many of the letters wound up framed and hung in living rooms.
Including Pryor, 19 soldiers have received the nation's third-highest decoration for fighting in Afghanistan. One soldier received the second-highest award, the Distinguished Service Cross.
This year, 86 additional Silver Stars were awarded by the Army for fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom. And one Army engineer, Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith, made a last stand with a .50-caliber machinegun against dozens of attacking Iraqi soldiers during fighting in April at the international airport outside Baghdad. He is being considered posthumously for the Medal of Honor, the military's highest decoration.
'No idea of the toll it takes'
"The thing that kind of boggles my mind," says James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers, the story of the fighting and flag-raising on Iwo Jima during World War II, "is that (the nation is) sending out these guys who would rather be whittling and spending time with their kids. And they're sending them out to kill. They have no idea of the toll it takes on humans to do something like that."
Maj. Gen. Geoff Lambert, a former Special Forces commander, agrees.
"In all wars, there are certain circumstances like this that happen to good men," Lambert says. "We try to train them the best we can to have them ready for these moments. We hope that they are few."
To cope with killing, Pryor says he lives two lives: one consumed with training for and fighting war, the other immersed in family.
"Two different lifestyles, two different on-and-off switches," he says. "If you're Johnny on the spot, focused on destruction, destruction, destruction all the time, where do you have time for compassion in a relationship with your wife? We're dedicated to our job. But there has to be a time to turn that off."
It is not easy for him to explain how he flips this switch, though he says that one way is to simply not discuss work and war when he leaves the base.
It bothers him that civilians might see him and his troops as Rambo-like soldiers.
"People look at people who do this stuff and it's always, 'They're killers, and that's what they live for,' " Pryor says. "That is so far from the reality."
Certainly, they don't shrink from the task of taking life if necessary. Pryor is a student of Sun Tzu's classic The Art of War, and a favorite topic is the legend of the Mongoday, the elite warriors of Genghis Khan. He and his troops train exhaustively in spotting the enemy and withholding fire.
The night of the assault, members of a farming family armed with a rifle in a building that was searched nearby were left untouched because they offered no resistance. And at the height of action, with adrenaline raging, an al-Qaeda fighter chose to surrender and was taken unharmed.
The control seems as ingrained as the reaction.
The other GIs tell of a firefight weeks earlier during which Pryor entered a room that was ablaze and spotted movement under a blanket. He didn't shoot. Pausing to search, he found a baby girl, pulled her free and passed her to a team member.
Off the battlefield, Pryor has a gentle reputation. For security reasons, he declines to discuss immediate family, but he says he forbids toy guns in his home.
Ourada remembers finding "Bucket" in his garage once nursing a newborn raccoon with an eye dropper. "The wives just think he's a big old teddy bear," Hogg says.
'It never goes away'
Raised in the logging town of Toledo, Ore., Pryor grew up admiring perseverance and hard work. A strong influence was his father, Jerry Pryor, who started out as a timber man and became the town chief of police.
The first movie Pryor saw in a theater was The Green Berets with John Wayne. He says the image of these soldiers stayed with him when he enlisted in the Army out of high school in 1981.
Though he was earning straight A's by the end of high school, college held no appeal. Like other young men from rural towns, he longed to escape. In 1988, he was accepted into the Green Berets, one of 79 chosen from an entry class of 429.
He has been on missions in Haiti, Somalia, Kuwait and other locations that remain classified. Early this year, he led a team in Iraq. Next year, he attends the Army's Sergeants Major Academy at Fort Bliss, Texas, on track to attain the highest enlisted rank.
He has also started working toward a business degree. After retiring from the Army, perhaps in three years, he hopes one day to manage a sawmill.
He has had two reconstructive surgeries to repair damage from that battle in Afghanistan. A chunk of his collarbone, removed during an operation, is kept in a jar as a souvenir. That, and the violent images, are what he has left.
"It never goes away," Pryor says. "It just gets put further back in your mind."
Hogg, the teammate who helped Pryor exorcise his demons from that night, says these are the prices they pay for lethal work.
"I wouldn't wish it on anybody," Hogg says. "But there are a few of us who are called to it. So that's what we do. Maybe people should at least keep us in their prayers."
TOR here: A couple real quick thoughts. First I am really glad we have men like this in our Army. It is honestly difficult to comprehend the bad assery of these men. Second I think this goes to show that no matter how well trained you are things can all go to hell in a hand basket.
Also this is a reminder to all the people that say if you learn this system or obscure ancient art strength and fitness don't matter that they are totally wrong. Sure skill matters a ton but if you can have skill AND STRENGTH that is best. Had MSG Pryor been 5'4" and 130 pounds of sinewy ultra marathoner (instead of a huge bear of a man) I fear this could have been a very different story. Remember there is no such thing as too strong, just too slow.
Lastly in closing I want to thank MSG Anthony Pryor for his service to America.
The men were "direct action" A-Team members, also known as assaulters, door-kickers or "five-minute wonders." They are the first to enter buildings, and they use SWAT team-like tactics. Close-in combat skills are crucial.
Pryor, the senior enlisted officer that night, is a bull of a man. Only 5-foot-11, he weighs 235 pounds. At the time, he could bench-press almost twice that. Team members call him a ferocious competitor, the epitome of a warrior.
"He makes you a better soldier just being around him," says Sgt. 1st Class Steve Ourada, a team member. "He built that assault force into what it was. We were on top of our game."
From aerial photos, their target looked like a U-shaped building within a walled compound. But on the ground that night, they found it was actually three buildings separated by covered breezeways.
The team charged into one breezeway and lobbed a flash-bang grenade, designed to disorient enemy troops, into the central courtyard. The area was filled with shiny new Toyota pickups and a trailer carrying a dual-barreled anti-aircraft weapon. Al-Qaeda fighters fired back, and the bullets raised clouds of stone from walls of the alleyway.
The troops had to push through the gunfire and cut left and right to clear rooms. Pryor, whose healthy-size cranium has earned him the nickname "Bucket," led the way. He stepped around a corner and shot a man coming at him with an AK-47 a few feet away.
Night-vision goggles cast everything in a greenish hue and gave the Special Forces troops an advantage. Al-Qaeda fighters, most of them bearded men wearing long dishdashas, floor-length shirts, had only the starlight.
Even so, the al-Qaeda men appeared well-trained and disciplined. Twenty-one of them would fight to the death.
Close-quarters battle
As Pryor entered the first room to his right, he came face-to-face with a second fighter emerging from the doorway. Unable to see a weapon in that split-second, Pryor slugged the man and knocked him down, blowing past him into the room. But the fighter rose with an AK-47. Hogg, still in the courtyard, fired a single round from his M-4 carbine and killed the man.
Other team members had gone on to clear the rest of the buildings, and Pryor faced the fighters in the room alone. If any got past him — or worse, killed Pryor — they could shoot other GIs in the back.
It was Pryor's fight now to win. As he entered the 25-by-25-foot room, his eyes swept from left to right. Bedrolls littered the floor, and two fighters at the rear of the room took aim through windows at other Americans entering the compound. Both swung toward Pryor, Kalashnikovs in their hands. Pryor fired, the rounds striking so dead-center that the men's beards fluttered.
As he reloaded, Pryor felt a foot brush up against his boot. At first, he thought it was another American. It wasn't. An al-Qaeda fighter struck Pryor hard from behind. The blow, possibly from a wooden board, dislocated Pryor's shoulder and broke his collarbone.
The fighter, bearded with his hair in a ponytail, jumped on Pryor's back and clawed at his face, tearing off his night-vision goggles.
"He started sticking his stinking little fingers into my eyeballs," Pryor remembers.
His left shoulder felt like it was on fire. He was winded and weary from fighting at an altitude of 8,000 feet. Without night vision, everything was black.
The battle outside raged on, punctuated by AK-47 and rifle fire and the steady boom of a 40mm grenade launcher from a Special Forces Humvee. The air reeked of gunpowder and the copper scent of blood. Inside that first room, the two fighters — al-Qaeda and American — were fighting to the death.
Pryor had only a single thought: You're not going to kill me.
"That's how I attack things," he says later.
With one good arm, Pryor grabbed his enemy by the hair. But the man's weight, combined with the 80 pounds of Army gear that Pryor wore, caused the two to fall. They landed on Pryor's left elbow, and the impact jammed his shoulder back into its socket.
Now he could fight with both hands. In a few desperate seconds, Pryor broke the man's neck and finished him with a 9mm pistol.
Miraculously, not another American was injured that night.
"There aren't any widows or orphans because of him," Ourada says of Pryor.
'They'd aged about 10 years'
In his 14 years in the Special Forces, Pryor has killed before, but never in hand-to-hand fighting. That night, he worried first, however, about his soldiers, who had shot it out with al-Qaeda inside other rooms.
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY
Master Sgt. Anthony S. Pryor holds his Silver Star.
Around a wood fire at base camp hours later, Pryor offered solace. "I went around and touched every one of those guys," he says. "Everybody looked like they'd aged about 10 years."
For him, sleepless nights followed.
He dispelled demons with cathartic heart-to-heart talks with his tentmate Hogg, replaying details of the fighting and dying. "A little bit of defragging of your hard drive," Pryor calls it.
Three articles of faith got him through, he says.
First was pride in a successful mission: Training had paid off.
Second was seeing the war as righteous. "We didn't start it," Pryor says. "They started this fight. We're in the right."
Third was his children and the future. "I remember him saying," Hogg recalls, " 'You know, it's an ugly business, it's a terrible thing for us to do. But hopefully our kids won't have to cope with it.' "
In addition to Pryor's Silver Star, seven Green Berets in the unit received Bronze Stars for valor in that fight. Pryor sent letters to their fathers. "I would like to thank you for raising a fine young man," he wrote. Many of the letters wound up framed and hung in living rooms.
Including Pryor, 19 soldiers have received the nation's third-highest decoration for fighting in Afghanistan. One soldier received the second-highest award, the Distinguished Service Cross.
This year, 86 additional Silver Stars were awarded by the Army for fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom. And one Army engineer, Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith, made a last stand with a .50-caliber machinegun against dozens of attacking Iraqi soldiers during fighting in April at the international airport outside Baghdad. He is being considered posthumously for the Medal of Honor, the military's highest decoration.
'No idea of the toll it takes'
"The thing that kind of boggles my mind," says James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers, the story of the fighting and flag-raising on Iwo Jima during World War II, "is that (the nation is) sending out these guys who would rather be whittling and spending time with their kids. And they're sending them out to kill. They have no idea of the toll it takes on humans to do something like that."
Maj. Gen. Geoff Lambert, a former Special Forces commander, agrees.
"In all wars, there are certain circumstances like this that happen to good men," Lambert says. "We try to train them the best we can to have them ready for these moments. We hope that they are few."
To cope with killing, Pryor says he lives two lives: one consumed with training for and fighting war, the other immersed in family.
"Two different lifestyles, two different on-and-off switches," he says. "If you're Johnny on the spot, focused on destruction, destruction, destruction all the time, where do you have time for compassion in a relationship with your wife? We're dedicated to our job. But there has to be a time to turn that off."
It is not easy for him to explain how he flips this switch, though he says that one way is to simply not discuss work and war when he leaves the base.
It bothers him that civilians might see him and his troops as Rambo-like soldiers.
"People look at people who do this stuff and it's always, 'They're killers, and that's what they live for,' " Pryor says. "That is so far from the reality."
Certainly, they don't shrink from the task of taking life if necessary. Pryor is a student of Sun Tzu's classic The Art of War, and a favorite topic is the legend of the Mongoday, the elite warriors of Genghis Khan. He and his troops train exhaustively in spotting the enemy and withholding fire.
The night of the assault, members of a farming family armed with a rifle in a building that was searched nearby were left untouched because they offered no resistance. And at the height of action, with adrenaline raging, an al-Qaeda fighter chose to surrender and was taken unharmed.
The control seems as ingrained as the reaction.
The other GIs tell of a firefight weeks earlier during which Pryor entered a room that was ablaze and spotted movement under a blanket. He didn't shoot. Pausing to search, he found a baby girl, pulled her free and passed her to a team member.
Off the battlefield, Pryor has a gentle reputation. For security reasons, he declines to discuss immediate family, but he says he forbids toy guns in his home.
Ourada remembers finding "Bucket" in his garage once nursing a newborn raccoon with an eye dropper. "The wives just think he's a big old teddy bear," Hogg says.
'It never goes away'
Raised in the logging town of Toledo, Ore., Pryor grew up admiring perseverance and hard work. A strong influence was his father, Jerry Pryor, who started out as a timber man and became the town chief of police.
The first movie Pryor saw in a theater was The Green Berets with John Wayne. He says the image of these soldiers stayed with him when he enlisted in the Army out of high school in 1981.
Though he was earning straight A's by the end of high school, college held no appeal. Like other young men from rural towns, he longed to escape. In 1988, he was accepted into the Green Berets, one of 79 chosen from an entry class of 429.
He has been on missions in Haiti, Somalia, Kuwait and other locations that remain classified. Early this year, he led a team in Iraq. Next year, he attends the Army's Sergeants Major Academy at Fort Bliss, Texas, on track to attain the highest enlisted rank.
He has also started working toward a business degree. After retiring from the Army, perhaps in three years, he hopes one day to manage a sawmill.
He has had two reconstructive surgeries to repair damage from that battle in Afghanistan. A chunk of his collarbone, removed during an operation, is kept in a jar as a souvenir. That, and the violent images, are what he has left.
"It never goes away," Pryor says. "It just gets put further back in your mind."
Hogg, the teammate who helped Pryor exorcise his demons from that night, says these are the prices they pay for lethal work.
"I wouldn't wish it on anybody," Hogg says. "But there are a few of us who are called to it. So that's what we do. Maybe people should at least keep us in their prayers."
TOR here: A couple real quick thoughts. First I am really glad we have men like this in our Army. It is honestly difficult to comprehend the bad assery of these men. Second I think this goes to show that no matter how well trained you are things can all go to hell in a hand basket.
Also this is a reminder to all the people that say if you learn this system or obscure ancient art strength and fitness don't matter that they are totally wrong. Sure skill matters a ton but if you can have skill AND STRENGTH that is best. Had MSG Pryor been 5'4" and 130 pounds of sinewy ultra marathoner (instead of a huge bear of a man) I fear this could have been a very different story. Remember there is no such thing as too strong, just too slow.
Lastly in closing I want to thank MSG Anthony Pryor for his service to America.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Homework Assignment for the Week
Sharpen whatever knife you use the most. If you are bored then sharpen a couple other knives.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Managing Stuff
Between food storage, water, kit, arms and their ancillary equipment as well as all the other stuff you need for survivalism there is a lot of stuff. Managing that stuff is essential to your mission if just because said mission can't be completed if your wife snaps and shoots you because of all the junk everywhere.
Containers and shelving help a lot. In particular I find the rubbermade type containers that you can stack onto each other if they are empty to be good. Action packer type heavy containers are great also. Shelves are a must for stuff you want to access regularly. Beware of weight when purchasing shelves. Ammo gets heavy fast and water is incredibly heavy. Shelves that would work to store camping gear and kit would not be heavy duty enough for 50 cases of ammo.
Also organization helps. Simply managing your stuff and keeping it organized instead of just letting it go all over the place is a great start. Keep your stuff organized so you know what you've got, where it is and have peace with the Mrs.
Containers and shelving help a lot. In particular I find the rubbermade type containers that you can stack onto each other if they are empty to be good. Action packer type heavy containers are great also. Shelves are a must for stuff you want to access regularly. Beware of weight when purchasing shelves. Ammo gets heavy fast and water is incredibly heavy. Shelves that would work to store camping gear and kit would not be heavy duty enough for 50 cases of ammo.
Also organization helps. Simply managing your stuff and keeping it organized instead of just letting it go all over the place is a great start. Keep your stuff organized so you know what you've got, where it is and have peace with the Mrs.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Man Recipe's #1
Manly Chili Mac
Cook a box of macaroni and cheese
Add 1 slice American cheese
Drain and then add a can of rotel tomatoes
Add a can of chili.
Cook a can of veggies to go along with it.
Serve with beer.
Cook a box of macaroni and cheese
Add 1 slice American cheese
Drain and then add a can of rotel tomatoes
Add a can of chili.
Cook a can of veggies to go along with it.
Serve with beer.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Oregon Trail series #3 You Have Died of Cholera
This is part two of the Oregon Trail series. Awhile back I talked about dysentery. While dysentery comes from a lack of proper hygiene; cholera comes from unclean water used for drinking or cooking. There are bacteria and or viruses with long names with long Latin names involved but for laymen like me they don't matter. Cholera is the other half of what could be called the "shit yourself to death" illnesses. Almost unheard of in modern nations but very common in developing countries.
Prevention is fairly easy. Start with a plan to provide your family with clean potable drinking water. Our friends Directive 21 and Our Happy Homestead sell Berkley filters as well as smaller more portable options. I am preferential to them because they keep the blog going. However you can find quality water filters all over the place. Big name brands like Berkley and Katadyn as well as a couple others are the way to go.
Be especially careful when dealing with or treating people who have cholera. Their butt pee is highly contagious. Wash clothes, bedding and anything that gets messy separately and clean the washer or whatever afterwords. It is prudent to segregate the sick to avoid spreading the problem. If possible only have those treating them interact with the sick. Bleach water and rubber gloves are your friend.
Treatment is largely the same as dysentery with re hydration being the main push. Oral re hydration is followed by IV re hydration in extreme situations if they can't keep fluids down. Antibiotics can shorten the course of the virus.
Have a plan to be able to reliably provide clean water for drinking and cooking so you don't die of cholera.
Prevention is fairly easy. Start with a plan to provide your family with clean potable drinking water. Our friends Directive 21 and Our Happy Homestead sell Berkley filters as well as smaller more portable options. I am preferential to them because they keep the blog going. However you can find quality water filters all over the place. Big name brands like Berkley and Katadyn as well as a couple others are the way to go.
Be especially careful when dealing with or treating people who have cholera. Their butt pee is highly contagious. Wash clothes, bedding and anything that gets messy separately and clean the washer or whatever afterwords. It is prudent to segregate the sick to avoid spreading the problem. If possible only have those treating them interact with the sick. Bleach water and rubber gloves are your friend.
Treatment is largely the same as dysentery with re hydration being the main push. Oral re hydration is followed by IV re hydration in extreme situations if they can't keep fluids down. Antibiotics can shorten the course of the virus.
Have a plan to be able to reliably provide clean water for drinking and cooking so you don't die of cholera.
Friday, September 3, 2010
quote of the day
"Unless we do identifiable harm to others, the State should leave us alone." -- libertarian journalist John Stossel
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Oh the News
I think it is amazing how the MSM just keeps trying to talk about how we are in a recovery. Yeah we are in a jobless recovery where the stock market is pretty flat, and housing is still in the dumpster. That would be sorta like saying you were sober last night even though the facts are that you drank a case of beer, got kicked out of the club, vomited on the side of the road on the way home and passed out. It doesn't matter what you call it, it matters what the actual facts are.
I don't know where things are going. I suspect that significant joblessness will be an issue for some time. With so many people unemployed it is easy to replace workers so security will be lacking for many people. I don't know where the bottom of the housing market is but until the foreclosure mess is over and banks get all the foreclosed houses off their books things won't be in an honest place. Banks will try to hold onto these homes until prices come back but there are just too many of them for that to work.
From roughly 2008 at least partly into 2009 was really circle the wagons time. Things are better now but not necessarily good. Even if almost 1 in 10 is out of work most of us are still employed and a lot of the uncertainly has gone away. You can probably let up a little bit but I wouldn't go crazy. If you can afford it then by all means go out for a nice dinner or take a weekend vacation to the beach. However I would still hold off on getting your dream boat or touring Europe for a year. For the purposes of short and mid term planning right now I would sacrifice some return in order to have liquidity. A CD that earns an extra tenth of a percentage point but locks your money in for two years is not something I would go for right now.
It might be a great opportunity to get some great deals on stocks. If you have the appetite for risk and are looking at the long term. Personally I meet those characteristics and am buying. Wheat and tube socks do not benefit from compound inflation while investments do.
My point is that the news isn't everything. Especially thepropaganda headlines. Look for stories with facts from places you trust. Look at what is going on in your community and with people you know.
I don't know where things are going. I suspect that significant joblessness will be an issue for some time. With so many people unemployed it is easy to replace workers so security will be lacking for many people. I don't know where the bottom of the housing market is but until the foreclosure mess is over and banks get all the foreclosed houses off their books things won't be in an honest place. Banks will try to hold onto these homes until prices come back but there are just too many of them for that to work.
From roughly 2008 at least partly into 2009 was really circle the wagons time. Things are better now but not necessarily good. Even if almost 1 in 10 is out of work most of us are still employed and a lot of the uncertainly has gone away. You can probably let up a little bit but I wouldn't go crazy. If you can afford it then by all means go out for a nice dinner or take a weekend vacation to the beach. However I would still hold off on getting your dream boat or touring Europe for a year. For the purposes of short and mid term planning right now I would sacrifice some return in order to have liquidity. A CD that earns an extra tenth of a percentage point but locks your money in for two years is not something I would go for right now.
It might be a great opportunity to get some great deals on stocks. If you have the appetite for risk and are looking at the long term. Personally I meet those characteristics and am buying. Wheat and tube socks do not benefit from compound inflation while investments do.
My point is that the news isn't everything. Especially the
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