ROL FAIL NYC

Rule of Law has failed in New York as Emergency services have practically shut down due to a  bit of snow. Some people are taking advantage of the lack of Emergency Services, namely the criminals, while others who were unprepared for a snow in sit hungry and cold in their expensive apartments.

So we must not sit here with our android phones, computers, wifi Internet, and heated homes thinking it will never happen to us. You may find out how good it feels to be prepared and how it can lower your stress. When you can depend on yourself, and know it, you will find some of the stresses in life fade a bit.

"This is New York, I've never thought of owning a shovel" -Angie Brown
"I go to the market every day for my dinner. There is no market. I guess I should have kept some food in the house" -Ken K.

Some common items you should have for cold weather bug-ins that they did not have:

• A Shovel, part of the basic home tools I've blogged about before
• Multiple ways to make a fire, and fuel
• Fire Extinguisher (Yes, the cold is a problem, but that's when most people burn their houses down. Candles, Electric Space heaters, etc. Your fire department might be 9 hours away.)
• Warm layers and rain gear
• A 30 day supply of food and medicines
• More batteries than you will ever think you will need and LED flashlights

Seems like pretty simple stuff. What don't you have that you would need in a cold weather at-home situation?

When cities die. (Part 2)

Seeds and Shotguns

This can be unthinkable. No meat. It may be hard to find any big game in the suburbs. Rats and ground squirrels should not be eaten unless it's a last dying effort to survive. You should plan to trap these beasts though as they can ruin a garden. A garden will be what you live on. Thank goodness you stashed away a years worth of food in airtight buckets and foil packs but what happens when that stuff is gone? And do you really want to live just on that stuff? Some fresh veggies should lift your spirits.

You will need seeds for a garden. Get ones that generate more seeds, not the hybrid seeds people buy every season. You will not be able to go to home depot and get more seeds. You will harvest your own. Avoid crops like corn that are low yield, high maintenance. Corn takes so much fertilizer and water that it becomes a burden instead of a gift.

You will need to defend your garden. Get a shotgun and a corn-cob pipe and sit on your rocking chair all day making comments about the weather. That should scare off any would-be pillager. If that doesn't work I don't know what will.

You would do well to get a goat if possible. A goat will eat all the weeds in your yard and behind your house. This will reduce fire risks by a lot. The goats can give you milk and their poop will be a good byproduct.

Get a tall fence or wall. Preferably you would get a fireproof barrier with spikes to keep out high winds, bullets, and thieves. Sandbags are cheap to reinforce your fence, wall, or to mark off garden areas.

Get a set of tools and a few packs of silica. Wrap them in dark plastic and tape it shut. You will have fresh brand new tools when the city falls and you need to produce your own food. Put this in your shed with a dozen rolls of plastic, tape, fertilizer, and anything else you can think of. The tools should not require electricity or gas.

The most important thing is practice. Practice having a garden. Let some of it go to seed. Use rain traps, underground water bins, and other methods of getting water. You will have fun, exercise, and reduce your grocery bill.

Also think about getting a root cellar and burying items to prevent theft, degradation, or spoiling. In 2003 in my city a time capsule from the early 80s was found with honey, candy, playing cards, toys, notes, and other items still in perfect condition. What do you want to protect?

Oil Spill: Gulf Survival

Survival during this Oil spill is actually really easy since most of us don't live in the Ocean.

That said there are still many people who are worried about the gases that the oil spill puts off like benzene and other scary invisibles. It is not likely living near the water will give you enough exposure to harm you so long as you are not swimming in the water or working on a oil clean up crew. The clean up crews take off their protective gear because of heatstroke and that accounts for 100% of all persons sick from the oil spill (to date).
There are air quality stations posted all around the gulf. If it gets too bad they may ask people to limit their exposure to fresh air and stay inside.

If they go to a critical level a simple gas mask will save you.

If you work the cleanup wear gloves and a masks with no exceptions. Most people take off their other gear due to the specter of heat-stroke looming over the gulf coast. Weigh the risks.

I personally recommend a 3M 6000 series with a Part Number: 60926 filter. These are great to have around for any purpose. Everyone should have a mask. Any gas that deprives oxygen like CO2 will still kill you as this is a filter and not a oxygen supply. Some people buy NATO gas masks. They are OK. Just don't get old ones that have filters that can go bad after a number of years and actually harm you.


This disaster is actually pretty basic. Go check out Ready.gov They have a index of basic items one should have just in case. Most preppers, survivalists, and  emergency responders would argue that that kit is too basic. 

Most preppers carry at least 3 months to a year food in the home and 3+ days in the car. I myself have 6 days food in my car and many months food at home. 


It cost 250$ for a year supply of food with double-coupons and discounts. I wonder if I'll get around to posting a video on that. That's more of a smart shopping video not a survival situation. Some of the food is good stuff too. Advantages include variety in food selection. Disadvantages include having to eat out of cans to rotate the stock so nothing goes bad. I like to cook everything fresh when I can.

30-50% of the oil spilled is eaten by bacteria within a week of  introduction into the water. This sucks for the wildlife in the short term but the long term damage will be minimal. That's no consolation to the birds and crabs that are perishing now.

Surviving Suburban - A real close-call

I live in a "nice town" in the hills and until very recent years it was generally a safe and nice place to live.

Now it looks just as nice but there are strings of break-ins and other felony activity no doubt driven by not just the economy but the meth problem that has been brewing for about a decade.

Today I got a reminder of how little things I do protect me and allow me to survive this suburban environment, which used to be a very safe place.

I had my brother over and we played some video games. After a while he left to go home I was alone. I decided to take a shower it was about 8:30pm. I instinctively checked the front door and locked the deadbolt as I always do when ever someone comes or goes.

During the shower the phone started to ring. After about 15 rings I figured it might be important and I turned off the shower to go get the phone. As soon as I did the phone stopped ringing but I left the shower off anyways and started to dry myself.

Less than 5 seconds later I hear my front screen door followed by the sound of someone wiggling my front door handle. The deadbolt was locked but the bottom was not so it made a very distinct noise of a complete turn and I could even hear whoever it was try to push in.

One of my dogs let out one bark and it fell to a growl. About 9 seconds later a old car was driving away, in the dark, without headlights on.

Who knows what would have happened if whoever that was got in while I was still putting on my robe. I'm happy not to find out.

This makes me think I should mount some pepper spray in my bathroom. It's a room in-between all of the bedrooms and at the end of the hall. It may buy me enough time to get my gun or help someone (maybe a visitor) who can't get to my gun. (I still lock them up, I know some people want one available without any effort at all times but I think that can be bad too, unless it's on your person.)

Don't freak yourself out.

Don't freak out!

When I'm falling asleep at night sometimes I hear someone in the distance yelling my name, and sometimes it's right next to my damn ear. I know this is just me going into my subconscious but if I were insane it would definitely make me think I was being yelled at by a ghost.

The subconscious works during the day too. Many people who think they are psychic are just nagged by their subconscious that has analyzed a situation in more detail than your primary brain function and has sent you a warning or observation. This is called intuition.

Fatigue, stress, sensory deprivation, sensory overload, drugs, and alcohol can all cause the subconscious and conscious to miscommunicate or go haywire. This is when 99.9999999% (Guesstimate) of all paranormal activity is observed.

Ghosts are real?

Your reality is your perception. Nothing more. At the time those things you see or feel are real, because in a very real way it effects you. At that point it's not just a thought but a reality. It's part of your surroundings.

A bad habit we have is to sense other's fear and have it become our fear. Just because someone is noticeably scared or intrigued and points somewhere and says "did you see that" the answer would probably be yes. You are not lying because you've been psyched into thinking something was really there. This happens more the close you are to the other person, or if the person is in a position of authority.

In that moment the "ghost" may be real for two people, no matter how false it is for everyone else in the world.

Control and Survive

An important aspect of survival situations is to know how to control being freaked out by nothing. Often times this is the reason why a flashlight destroys the fears of ghosts and other things that go bump in the night. It gives some more control and understanding to the person in that specific environment. The illusions go away. It also eases some of the sensory deprivation.

Find out what makes you in control and use it to your advantage. Your delusions will start to go away. The more control you have over a situation, and the more action you take to control it, the more you can cope with it and understand it.

Someone who hides during a gun battle and is not harmed is more likely to have PTSD than someone who maybe was harmed but took action. Just be careful not to put yourself too much in harm's way.

When cities die.

On the verge of collapse

A city is a living breathing thing. Traffic, Water, Sewage, Rails, Emergency Services, and more.

But what happens when a few or all of these services stop? The city becomes vulnerable. Each and every life form inside the city is fighting to survive, though it's host is dying.

You may be prepared with your stash of food and supplies, but most people are not. Let's face it, there will be a riot. Will that riot spill on to your property?

Riots fan out away from the city and into neighborhoods as supplies are depleted. Some beg. Can you afford to help them? Some trade. Do you have items you can spare to trade for something you need? How do you protect your own supplies from those who just want to use force?

Fires break out, earthquakes, tornadoes, and weather are still on the table. Mother nature won't give you a break.

Best case scenario, you get out of the city. A lot of others will be doing that too. If that becomes impossible you should be prepared to live on your own, in your own home. Protected. So how do we do this?

There is no answer to this question. There are only a series of precautions you can take to make this dynamic and volatile situation better for you. Anyone in an apartment is at a huge disadvantage. Anyone who has a yard and a fence is a lucky person if they can defend it.

How would you handle this situation?
What would you need?

Paracord Water bottle Holder

What if you don't have a proper canteen belt? My answer is use paracord. If that does not work then use more paracord. Paracord is like Duct tape, you can fix any problem with it if you are determined enough.