An Obituary printed in the London Times - Interesting and sadly rather true


Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- and Maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim

 

 

 

Altoids have been freshening bad breath since the turn of the 19th century. But while they are touted as "Curiously Strong Mints," perhaps the real curiosity is not the allure of the mints themselves, but the popularity of turning the tin in which they're packaged into all sorts of truly handy, and just plain fun, creations. When I read this on a blog that I visit, I immediately thought OCEVA should do a contest. So here we are!

 

OCEVA is sponsoring a contest, and the winner will receive a 72 hour kit.

 

The challenge is make a personal survival kit that can be kept in an Altoids can.  You need to include a photograph and a description of what you put in your tin the cost and where you can get the stuff.

 

The winner will be chosen by creativity, usefulness, and affordability. Good luck and have fun!

 

This idea is based on an article from the Art of Manliness

 

 

Alternative Energy Sources For Emergencies,

by Smile DR.

Being in preparedness mode opens your eyes to a number of factors, not just Beans, Bullets and Band-Aids. As a battalion coordinator for the Los Angeles Fire Department's CERT program, I was asked to give a presentation on Alternative Energy sources for an emergency situation. My research into this was very enlightening, and I found a number of great ideas. This does not encompass everything available, but it is fairly thorough.

So, why Alternative Energy? In an emergency, such as a major earthquake, there can be a loss of power, gas and water. If it is a short-term problem e.g. a couple of days, then no big deal. But what if it is two weeks, or even longer before gas, electrical and water services are restored? Being prepared for such a scenario is just one more area that will make our lives, as well as our families lives easier in the event of such an emergency

There are three areas of Alternative Energy that we need to be concerned with in an emergency: Heat, Cooking and Electricity. The first, heat, means staying warm in your home or shelter and is a huge priority. Once you get cold, survival can become extremely difficult.   Wearing warm clothes, wearing layers, and being prepared for rain, are the very basics. Have blankets and well-made sleeping bags for nighttime when the temperatures drop. (Wiggy's makes a Flexible Temperature Range Sleep System (FTRSS) which is similar to what the the U.S. military uses.)

Fireplaces- These are designed more for show, and traditional open masonry fireplaces should not be considered heating devices. Traditional fireplaces draw in as much as 300 cubic feet per minute have heated room air for combustion, and then send it straight up the chimney. Although some fireplace designs seek to address these issues with dedicated air supplies, glass doors, and heat recovery systems, fireplaces are still energy losers. When burning a fire, you should turn your heat down or off and open a window near the fireplace.

Fireplace Inserts - Only high-efficiency fireplace inserts have proven effective in increasing the heating efficiency of older fireplaces. Essentially, the inserts function like woodstoves, fitting into the masonry fireplace or on its hearth, and use the existing chimney.  A well-fitted fireplace insert can function nearly as efficiently as a woodstove.  Studies have shown that proper installation of fireplace inserts is very important.  Inserts should be as airtight as possible. The more airtight it is, the easier it is to control the fire and the heat output.

Wood Stoves and Pellet Stoves - Wood stoves are the most common appliance for burning wood. New catalytic stoves and inserts have advertised efficiencies of 70%-80%.  Advanced combustion woodstoves provide a lot of heat but only work efficiently when the fire burns at full throttle. Also known as secondary burn stoves, they can reach temperatures of 1,100°F-hot enough to burn combustible gases   These stoves have several components that help them burn combustible gases, as well as particulates, before they can exit the chimney. Components include a metal channel that heats secondary air and feeds it into the stove above the fire. This heated oxygen helps burn the volatile gases above the flames without slowing down combustion. While many older stoves only have an air source below the wood, the secondary air source in advanced combustion stoves offers oxygen to the volatile gases escaping above the fire. With enough oxygen, the heated gases burn as well. 

Pellet Burning Stoves - Pellet fuel appliances burn small, 3/8-inch (100-254 millimeter [mm])-long pellets that look like rabbit feed. The pellets are made from compacted sawdust, wood chips, bark, agricultural crop waste, waste paper, and other organic materials. Some models can also burn nutshells, corn kernels, and small wood chips. They are more convenient to operate and have much higher combustion and heating efficiencies than ordinary wood stoves or fireplaces. However, they do require a supply of pellets, and electricity. A pellet stove is often cheaper to install than a cordwood-burning heater. Many can be direct-vented and do not need an expensive chimney or flue. As a result, the installed cost of the entire system may be less than that of a conventional wood stove. Pellet fuel appliances are available as freestanding stoves or fireplace inserts. Freestanding units resemble conventional cordwood heaters in that they generally heat a single room well, but not adjacent rooms unless you use a fan to force the warm air into those other spaces. There are also fireplace inserts that fit into existing fireplaces. Because they require electricity for their pellet conveyers and for their fans, pellet stoves are NOT a good choice for disaster survival unless you have a fairly capable alternative energy system with a battery bank and have the dry storage space for a large stockpile of pellets.

Space Heaters - There are 3 basic types of space Heaters:
Electric Space Heaters, Propane (or natural gas) Space Heaters and Kerosene Space Heaters.
Electric Space Heaters are the most commonly seen by most of us. They do a pretty good job at heating up a room.  The problem is that you have to have back up electricity of some type to make them run. They are good for the short term if you have a back up system, but can be draining on back up batteries. Next are the Gas or Propane Space Heaters.  They run on Propane or White Gas and don't require any electricity. They will run on your barbeque propane tank, or other sources of natural or propane gas. These heaters have to be properly vented, and can be very dangerous used indoors without proper venting.

The last type of Space heater is the Kerosene Space Heater. It uses a wick that soaks up kerosene (only K-1 kerosene) from a refillable tank.
These heaters have double the heating capacity of an electric heater -- ideal for heating large areas. You should look for a model with an automatic shut-off feature 

Space Heater Safety - When using space heaters, it's important to be aware of the risks involved and how to prevent accidents. Here are some guidelines to follow to maximize your safety: Select a space heater with a guard around the heating area to keep children, pets and clothing away from the heat source. Keep all flammable liquids away from the heater. Place the heater at least three feet away from bedding, furniture, curtains, or anything else that could fall on the heater and cause a fire. Never leave the heater unattended. Look for a heater that has been tested and certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory such as Underwriter's Laboratory. This way you can be sure that specific safety standards have been met. If you use a heater that burns kerosene, LP, natural gas or wood, make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector installed on every floor of your house. When purchasing natural gas or LP heaters, look for a model with an oxygen depletion sensor feature. These sensors will automatically shut the heater down when it detects the air is low on oxygen.

Cooking - Alternative methods to cook food and sterilize water may become necessary.
In the event of a major disaster or other Emergency, there may not be availability of gas or electric for cooking addition, due to possible water supply contamination, it may be necessary to boil water for drinking and possibly laundry.

There are a number of possible solutions to this problem. We will start with the simplest, and work from there. 

Soda Can Stove - A beverage-can stove (or pop-can stove) is a homemade, ultra-light portable stove. The simple design is made entirely from cans (typically soft drink or beer cans) and burns alcohol, typically denatured. Countless variations on the basic design exist. A ring of holes is pierced into the top with a pin. Parts are glued with high temperature epoxy or sealed with thermal foil tape. The total height is less than two inches (50 mm), though dimensions can be increased to hold more fuel or decreased to take up even less space. This can be made by yourself, or purchased online for very cheap. Another Alcohol Stove Option is the Vargo Titanium Alcohol stove which comes with a built-in pot stand. Note that these must be operated outdoors or in a very-well ventilated area!

Propane or White Gas Stoves - These are lightweight camping stoves that run on propane, butane or white gas.  They can be found online or at most backpacking and camping stores such as REI, Adventure 16 or even Sports Chalet or Sports Authority.These types of stoves rely on canisters of gas to work. My Favorite Mini Stove is The Jetboil, It is an ultra compact 1 liter unit that can quickly heat water for dehydrated or freeze-dried meals. The JetBoil Personal Cooking System (PCS) weighs about a pound.  It lights with the click of a button. It can bring two cups of water to a boil within two minutes (at sea level). Jetboil also makes the larger Group Jetboil system. This is sized for small groups of 2 to 3 and has a 1.5 liter fuel capacity.

Volcano II Collapsible Stove - This is a Tri-Fuel Stove that can use Charcoal, Wood or Propane for cooking. It is a very versatile cooking system: You can grill right on the stove or use a skillet or pot or even a Dutch oven. You can cook a meal with as few as 12 Charcoal Briquettes. A 20 lb bag of charcoal will cook 1 hot meal per day for several months. Overall, a really great, compact system. Note that these too must be operated outdoors or in a very-well ventilated area!

The Solar oven - For those who are very patient with a solar oven, if the sun is shining, you can cook.  Solar cooking is clean, it keeps the heat out of your kitchen, and it uses a free source of energy...the sun.  With solar cooking, you can't start dinner at 5 pm because you've lost your source of fuel. Your best cooking hours are during midday. You may want to do what our ancestors did; have breakfast in the morning, a big meal in the afternoon and a light snack before bed. SeeSunOven.com for more information

Electricity - Keeping appliances going, lighting at night, Radio and television for information. If the grid goes down during an emergency, It could last an hour, 24 hours or weeks.
Power may come back on then go off again, as in a rolling brown out scenario.
It is important to have a number of alternatives for electrical needs. 
You need to evaluate what it is you simply cannot do without that uses electricity, and plan accordingly.

Lighting - There are a number of options for your lighting needs.
The simplest solution to lighting issues is the use of candles. 120 hour emergency candles are a great start. There are also liquid candles, propane lanterns designed for camping and Kerosene lanterns.  Be sure to take appropriate precautions to avoid fires.

Flashlights and Batteries - Multiple flashlights are a good idea.

 

 

What Are Some Good Disaster Foods To Have For Emergencies?
Author: Mark J Walters
It is good practice to store some food at home in case of emergencies.  Learn about some foods that are easy to store that will give you needed calories and nutrition.

At any point in time you can have a disaster or emergency that happens due to weather related events or other things that just happen.  During these times it's best to have some supplies available to you.  One of the things that many people prepare just in case of a disaster is to stock up on enough food provisions for themselves and their family.  
You will need food that lasts longer than only a few days, is higher in calories, and also provides you with a good amount of quality nutritional value.  There are some foods that you can buy that you will be able to easily store and that meet these needs.

Freeze dried foods work well.  While these store long term and have the calories you need in them, they do also tend to be a bit expensive.  These are good if you can afford them.
A great idea is to look at getting survival food bars.  Many of these food bars tend to have more than 3000 calories in them which will last you at least one full day.  Many backpacking supply places will have these or you could even buy then online on the Internet.  They don't have the best taste but they will provide enough nutrition and calories to get you through the day.

Peanut butter is a great food to store.  Not only can you use it on a regular basis for other things, but it's very high in protein.  Beans are another high protein food that stores long term and gives you many needed calories.  As long as you can boil some water these are very useful.

Get some canned goods for food storage purposes.  You can get a variety of tastes and types of food easily in this form.  Be sure to buy things you normally eat.  Simply rotate your cans as you use them keeping a bit of a stock for emergencies.
Try to have some rice stored away.  This goes well with beans.  The brown variety tends to be a bit more nutritious that the white rice.
Don't forget to have proper seasoning for your food products.  You will get bored of simplistic taste and will need something to give you something different.
Apart from writing articles on subjects around the home, I enjoy reviewing products, enjoy my latest reviews on what you need to know about choosing a 48" range hood> and a 30" island range hood for your kitchen.

I work in the disaster preparedness and emergency management field so I frequently read survival blogs and forums.  One of the common questions is "how do I find like-minded people to form a survival group?" or "Why is it so hard to find a group to join?", so I am going to discuss some of the issues I have discovered.

First, my rant!

Security! If you are soliciting, advertising and or using the web for any group efforts or activities, how secure is your group. "OpSec" People!  I'm not saying that the web isn't a great place to research topics and gather information to assist with your knowledge and planning. What I'm saying is "I do not think it is an appropriate forum to find members". Harmonious Group Dynamics, in my opinion should be first and foremost. Think about it for a second. If Billy is well prepared, skilled and ready but you can't even stand his wife long enough for a weekend to Vegas, do you really want them to be part of your group? Know let's look in the mirror. How accurate is your perception of your own ability? Can you walk your talk? Or are you going to get your group into trouble? OK, enough about that.

On to the Story

In most cases Survival Groups dissolve due to lack of funds, seriousness of its members, infighting and lack of leadership. I think the successful survival groups are the ones we never hear about.

It is my belief, that groups should be secretive, as small as possible while allowing for a comprehensive complementary skill set within the group.

Finding people with complementary skills, beliefs and interests who can form a group and work together for the long haul isn't as easy as it sounds. I think that is why people turn to the internet. Finding the right survivalist friends could mean the difference between a long life or a quick demise so choose carefully.

Take a look at your geographic location, situation, family and friends.  Would they be there for you and each other when the balloon goes up? What are their skills? What do they have to offer? Will they work harmoniously together? If Joe is a General Contractor, good gardener and great in the kitchen but wouldn't pick up a rifle, how can that effect the group?

If the answers to the above questions are negative, than you need to look elsewhere for support. But where do you look. And, perhaps more importantly, how do you do it without drawing attention to yourself or inviting danger into your retreat.

Consider looking into:

• Faith Based organizations with similar convictions to your own.
• Hunting clubs
• Gun clubs
• Garden clubs
• First Aid & CPR class attendees
• Those attending self-defense classes or seminars
• C.E.R.T. Teams
• Amateur HAM Radio clubs

I'm sure you can think of other possibilities, but you get the idea. In addition, if you are not attending or an active member of at least a few of these activities and organizations, how serious are you?

Starting your own related club, as a ruse to attract like-minded people for an initial "feeling-out" process isn't out of the question. Even if you don't find candidates you'll at least have gotten the ball rolling for your own personal preparedness. If this ruse is attractive to you, use the internet to promote the club, not your true intentions.

In my opinion people who are openly sharing survival plans with any and everybody should take a step back and evaluate security. People at first may seem to be likely candidates, but might turn out to be the opposite of what you're looking for once you get to know them. Group dynamics and harmony are very important and shouldn't be sacrificed for skills and equipment. Always keep in mind that in a worst case scenario you may be living, working and more importantly placing your life and the lives of your loved ones in this persons hand for a very long and lonely time.

It's best to start slow, keeping your options open. Act like you are just as unprepared as everyone else, but concerned about the future, recent disasters and current situations. Say you are interested in becoming better prepared for events but you aren't sure where to start. Like in a poker game, do not show your hand.

Maybe they'll start giving you advice. Listen closely. If the advice is sound you may have hit the pay-dirt. Informally talking about your fears and concerns may open up the conversation, but still be very careful with whom your share your information.

Trust should be earned not given over a period of time.  You don't want to give your secrets to an individual who may abuse them. And no matter what, or how much you're offered, never do anything illegal if asked to gain trust.

If you choose to start a group from scratch you should evaluate is each person's assets and liabilities, everyone has both.

• Debt load
• Size of family
• Temperament
• Location
• Level of preparedness
• Ability to increase level of preparedness
• Skills they bring to the table

This is not everything that should be considered, but this short list should get you thinking. Remember if it is a family, every member should be evaluated. Say for example, she brings great skills and knowledge to the table, but her husband has a commanding personality and few skills. That might disqualify the entire family.

Not only do these considerations apply to prospective members, but also to you if you are joining a group. You want to improve your position, not hinder it. So train. Keep records of your skills and abilities and be honest about your capabilities. If you took 2 years of karate 10 years ago and haven't trained since, you shouldn't boast hand to hand expert.

Some people look at joining a group as being the, "Be all, End all" answer to the problem. That is rarely the case, as it takes time and effort to make a group of people better than the sum of the individual parts. I would caution folks to use great care and caution when either joining or adding to a group. I know it takes a great deal of effort to make things work, and not everyone is willing to put forth the necessary effort. I would suggest you take it very slow in the beginning with hopes that any problems would become evident early on. As my father always said "You get out of it, what you put into it" and everyone needs to contribute equally.

In summary, Get out from behind the PC.

• Find local groups that teach skills that can be applied to survival
• Increase your level of preparedness
• Decrease your level of debt
• Choose one skill a month that your are lacking and improve upon it
• Teach others the skills that you have acquired

While doing this, you will come across all types of people from all walks of life. Get to know them and size them up as a potential group member. And always keep in mind, The "Prepper" is sizing you up as well.