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Saturday, March 11, 2017

Riots, mass attacks and no law enforcement.....

We talked about civil disturbances awhile back. When we did the post focused on what could be called "run of the mill" disturbances. You know after a sports team wins a game (never understood that) or a single event happens which causes a one time event. Here is a link to the earlier post. review it if you have time.


The earlier post focused on just leaving the area for the most part. Why? Because this is the easiest and simplest action to take in order to ensure you make it home. When the original post was written things seemed to be a bit different then they are now. Recently people have had to deal with situations which are not spontaneous or unorganized.

We are not going to dive into the right or wrong aspect of anything which is going on with this post. Those discussions can take place elsewhere. What we are going to look at is what is going on. Social media is being used by people to organize what they call protest but more and more are likely to turn into acts of violence. We need to have a plan if we are caught up in the violence. Hopefully anyone reading this would not be one of the people committing the violence! Yet we do need to understand we can become caught up in the violence.

Let's just get to the point, most of the violence going on in the U.S. right now, is driven by politics. Folks on both sides are worked up and they just keep having issues. Problem is people are in a place right now they feel their side is justified in committing violence against the other side. (notice I ain't picking a side? Not the point of this!) Only in a few occasions can we really say violence is justified and a disagreement on politics is not one of them!!!! 

Recently people have been planning ahead of time on causing issues during a protest. There are even cases of people using social media in what can only be described as "mob rule" to quickly organize protest and violence. An event takes place recently and people are swarming to protest. Take this incident in California. (I am not judging the Officer one way or the other. This is just an example of what has happen and seems to be happening more.)


With in hours a mob formed at the Officers home! Not at City Hall or somewhere else you might expect these kinds of demonstrations to form. This happened in a residential neighborhood. These "protestors" thought it was within their rights to take over the neighborhood. They set up public announcement systems, gave speeches, spray painted slogans on people's houses and destroyed other people's personal property. Why? Because when the village grabs torches and pitchforks they find safety in numbers. Especially if the mob tells them they are justified in what they are doing. 

Imagine you are sitting at home and suddenly the mob shows up at your house because your neighbor has supposedly done something the mob disagrees with. Think it can not happen? It did in this neighborhood.

Officers had to surround the house in this neighborhood after the "protesters" decided it was a good idea to seek revenge by throwing rocks through the homes windows and vandalizing the cars parked in front of the home. Sad part is they had the wrong house at first and vandalized the home of a person not involved in the original situation. 


Organizers had to tell the mob they had the wrong house.......... 

This fella set up a PA system and started pumping the mob up. When he was asked about the wrong house being targeted and the violence he was not really too upset about innocent people having property damage or their rights violated. To him the actions were not what they were supposedly there for but he seemed to be okey dokey with what happen......

This incident is just a small scale example which seems to be taking place nation wide. Giving rise to the odds of one of us being caught up in a situation like this through no action of our own. 

When the mob rules you must be prepared for a situation where the police are not going to be in position to help you. Why? Because in most cases the police are outnumbered. Recently the police have been officially and unofficially told to allow the protest to take place. The reasons for which are better addressed else where. The point is you have to take charge of yourself and those you care about. 

In the U.S. we have a special ability to gather and protest what we dislike. No really my fellow Americans in other countries people can not assembly as we can here........ Nothing wrong with joining a protest, march or gathering to voice your ideas with like minded folks. 

When people start expressing the need to turn to violence you might want to start thinking about distancing yourself from the event. Do not allow yourself to become part of the mob! Remember the people you see as the "enemy" have rights also. Those stores people break into are owned by people who have rights. People traveling have a right to not be stopped. At no point do you have a right to attack others because they do not believe or see the world the same way you do! NO! You can not call them a name and then use that as an excuse to attack them, regardless of how much you dislike them. Period! 

We want others to treat us the way we would like to be treated. Remember they have rights and every action has a reaction. 

When the situation has deteriorated to this the time to go has already passed and you are behind the power curve. 

When something like this happens you know it is time to go. 

If you wait till this part...... well we need to discuss your decision making skills. No matter how fun, exciting or exhilarating you find the situation just leave if any violence begins or Law Enforcement says it is time to go. 

And if these........ (can't say anything nice about them) show up it is a really good idea to leave. Why? They are the embodiment of mob mentality and a crystal clear indication the event is going to turn violent. Why? Because that is the only reason these (insert insult) are there. Here is an example of what we are discussing. The report covers the violence, lack of police response and the need of folks to look after themselves.


Here is another incident.

Why do I think it is important to show some of these videos? Because we should look at what is happening with the best aids we can. Nothing better than seeing with your own eyes what is going on.

We could spend a lot of time talking about the effects of mob mentality but that would take to long on here. Let's move past just not being there or leaving at the first sign of trouble. The next thing we should consider is the 'pack mentality' of a mob or any predatory animal.

What? Are you calling these protesters predatory animals?

Yes. Look at their behavior, not the cause they claim to be supporting. Look how they act, maneuver and attack the prey. You do not see to many stand up fist fights going on do you? You do see people attacking others from behind the cover of the mob, from the back and ambushing their victims. The same way animals attack their prey. Never seen a lion just walk up to a gazelle and kill it. No they attack from a position of advantage. They attack from ambush. They attack in groups.

Watch they way these wild dogs attack these hyena. They use the cover of the mob. They attack from behind. They try to ambush their prey from the sides.


Now watch the videos of the violent protesters. Drop all the other labels you might want to put on the people involved, nobody is talking about who is right or wrong. We are discussing behavior of the group or the behavior of the mob.

People will chase you if you give them your back. This behavior is somehow embedded in our wiring. Somewhere in our brains lay the ideas the animals still use to survive. Given the right circumstances we let these instincts take over.


Notice in this picture how everyone chasing this guy is angling to attack him from behind? No? Draw some lines to the prey and you can see where each of the predators are planning on attacking. In most cases turning your back to an attacker, group or mob is a bad idea! Everyone wants to increase their odds of surviving the attack, even the attacker. The predator tries to attack from the most advantage position. Attacking from the rear or sides gives the attacker the best position to attack from because the preys weapons (hands, feet, claws, teeth) are pointed away from the predator. Attacking in a group spreads out the chances of one predator being injured.


Now watch the video again. This time take a moment to see how the hyena are attacking, we will wait..................... 🙂🙂🙂............ Ok now think how the hyena counter the attacks. You might want to watch the video again. No you should watch the video again, I insist. But this time pay close attention to the tactics used by the hyena to survive. Remember these creatures are not playing, they are not passing out what they consider "justice", they are engaged in a life and death struggle. The same as you are when cornered like these creatures. Think not? You could easily be killed, maimed or sustain permanent injuries in one of these encounters.

What was the first thing the hyena did? They got out of the ambush zone. They fled while trying not to give their backs to their attackers. Notice the dogs came at them every time they had a shot at the hyenas backs. If you are caught in this type of situation movement and not giving your back to the attackers is vitally important to you making it home. When confronted with the preys weapons the predators hesitate and give the hyenas time to move.

Using the terrain is the next thing you see the hyenas utilize. They find some piece of terrain which protects them from an attack coming from behind them. The bush also helps to funnel the dogs to the front, where the hyenas can use their tools.

Notice the hyenas use the bush and go back to back. This cuts down greatly on the area one hyena has to protect. See how they are working together to defend each other. Even given their limited numbers they have taken a tactical superior position to that of their attackers. They in effect have 360 degree coverage even if each of them is only physically having to watch what 30 degrees? Limiting the area they have to watch makes it much easier for them to defend against a numerical superior force. The funneling effect makes it difficult for the attackers to use their larger numbers to attack from multiple angles at the same time.

Why don't the dogs just charge and overwhelm the hyena? Because the dogs realize the hyena will hurt them! They realize there is a chance they could die if they just charge in. Nobody wants to be the one who is hurt or killed when the situation is not just fun and games. You must understand you have to be willing to use violence to defend yourself. When the hyena bite they are not doing it to scare away their attackers. If they could they would hurt, disable, maim or kill their attackers with each bite and the dogs know it. If you are ever in a position like this you have to make the predators understand they will be hurt, disabled, maimed or killed if they attack you! Yes you have to be mentally prepared to kill another person. Only by giving off this 'vibe' will the attackers realize this is not a game. Here is the video again so you do not have to scroll back up if you want to view it again. I suggest you do.


Notice how the dogs try to get the hyenas to come away from their position? Notice how the hyena do not? If you can find a tactical superior position do not get caught up in fighting someone. Do not allow emotions or ego to cause you to give the position up. This what the predators want you to do. They do not want to risk injury, your position gives you to many advantages and they want you to move to a position where they have the advantage. Do not let your ego cause you to give up the position or your emotions to overwhelm you to not be able to do what you need to survie!

See how the dogs become...... I am not sure they feel the same emotions but.... the only word I can think of is bored. They realize they are not going to have an easy victory here. Slowly they start to focus on something else. Which leads to the pack walking away.

The hyenas leave when the threat is a safe distance away. Let me say that again. THE HYENA LEAVE when the threat is a safe distance away. You do not see the hyena trying to run out and regain their manhood by attacking the dogs. You do not see them yapping at the dogs. One of them turns and starts putting space between her/himself and the predators. The video ends before we see the second one go. If it is time to go take all of your group with you at one time.

I did not intend to make this entire post about a group of dogs attacking two hyena yet when I was looking for videos to express the points I am trying to make this one seemed to fit the bill perfectly. There are more actions you can take, more situations or variables which can come into play during an encounter. I wanted to focus on just these ideas with this post.

First thing, do not put yourself in this situation to begin with.
Second, be willing to leave if things start to go south.
Third, if you are caught up and singled out as a target do not turn into helpless prey. Move away while trying to protect your back, turning and running encourages the predator.
Fourth, utilize terrain to slow down, disrupt, protect your back/flanks and to funnel your opposition to your weapons or tools.
Fifth, be willing to hurt others to defend yourself. This does not mean be a loud shit talker. This means let them know by your stance, vibe and actions there will be a price to pay for attacking you.
Sixth, only give up a tactical superior position when the situation has changed to a point where it is safe to do so.
Last one..... DO NOT LET YOUR EGO CAUSE YOU TO CHASE THE PREDATORS ONCE THEY ARE LEAVING!! This means either physically try to chase them or verbally chase them. Do not reengage the predators once they have decided something else is more worth their efforts or more interesting.

More and more often violence is taking place at rallies or gatherings of any kind. Going blindly into the crowd and just having a good time might lead you to being a unwilling victim to someone else's idea of justified violence. I am not saying you shouldn't take part in these gatherings. What I am saying is have situational awareness, be mentally prepared if something happens, take action when you need to and be able to keep your emotions in check to allow you the ability to make positive decisions in the situation you find yourself. Fellas, when things go south check your fucking ego and do what you need to get home!!!

As Aways,

Stay Safe!


Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Water, the good, the bad and the ugly.


Water, we all need it. Every single one of us, does not matter where you live or how you live, you need water. We can only go a few days without water before the body starts to turn on it's self and shuts down. Depending on the weather, what you are doing or how much water you had on board before a situation arose this can take only a couple of hours.

Being in sunny Southern California we learn to deal with droughts, especially over the last few years. For some of us out there the idea of not having water near by must seem alien. When I travel outside of the area I always marvel at the "real" streams, rivers and lakes some of us are blessed with. Southern California is basically a desert, even if most of us living here do not understand this.

Where does the water come from to bath, wash cars and simply drink for all of the people in Southern California? The dam in Oroville California has been in the news and I know people this far south have a "Whatever, glad it ain't me living near that thing!" attitude. Well some of us might want to reconsider our attitude. See the dam in the news is part of the system which provides water to Southern California! In fact the city of Los Angeles receives water from four sources and this dam is the start of one of the sources.


Found this cool website for learning about the water system in California.
http://www.watereducation.org/general-information/state-water-project

"In 1960, California voters approved financing for construction of the initial features of the State Water Project (SWP). The project includes some 22 dams and reservoirs, a Delta pumping plant, a 444-mile-long aqueduct that carries water from the Delta through the San Joaquin Valley to southern California. The project begins at Oroville Dam on the Feather River and ends at Lake Perris near Riverside. At the Tehachapi Mountains, giant pumps lift the water from the California Aqueduct some 2,000 feet over the mountains and into southern California."

The other three sources of water for the Los Angles area are The Colorado River, the Owens River and ground water sources. Right now there is a chance the Oroville Dam could have problems which would have a greater effect to the state and not just to the people living under the threat of flooding. 

An overview of what the issue is.
Looks kind of cool.
Won't be so cool if this gives way.

Just think if this dam fails...... How would this affect the Los Angeles area and surrounding areas? For sake of argument let's say LA suddenly had to deal with 25% loss of water? How soon would people panic if they turned on the TV and learned they might have to cut down their water usage even more than they are used to? This situation is a really good example of why we need to prepare prior to an event. 

If you live in the California area go to the link below and see where your water comes from. 

http://www.watereducation.org/all-california-water-sources 

According to this site the water I use every day comes from one sources. Kind of scary to realize if this one method of water delivery fails we have to go without. I also know there are wells here which could be used but the powers that be have decided to rely on the state water...... something I have no control over. 

While reading up on this situation and the California water system, I was again reminded how with the exception of one aqueduct the majority of the water being brought into the LA area needs to be pumped over the hills leading into the area. Loss of power would also mean a significant loss of water to the area. 

Of course most of us living in Southern California do not have access to rivers, streams or even a creek. We do have lots of dry rain gutters, dry creeks and cement lined rivers which are also dry most the time. This means in the event of an emergency we have no external sources of water. External sources of water would be water gained by another means then through our taps. (stop giggling everyone who lives elsewhere! it is not nice and hurts our feelings) This means we should have a minimum amount of water on hand to deal with situations. 

Something like this could be a really good idea........ but, most of us do not live in a home or apartment which would allow for a tank this big. Why? Because all those people who were laughing a minute ago want to live here which makes the property values so high we can not afford the space! (that made me feel a little better) If you are in an area with this kind of space installing something like this is a really good idea. Of course you might not want it right outside the backdoor. 

This might be a better idea for most of us. Something which we could install along the side of the house or apartment. Along the side we never use. Plus this gives us a project we could do and do it yourself projects are always fun, once you are done with them. Keep in mind water collected off the roof is not safe to drink and must be filtered. Why? Think of all the bird poop on your roof!!! For some roofs the water might not be safe even after you filter it using most commercial filters. This is due to the chemicals used in the construction of the roof.

For most of us something like this water brick system would work. We all have spaces under sinks or in closets we could use to store these bricks. In fact I personally know of one family who found this worked for them in their condo. Here is a link to the water bricks. You should check amazon or other websites to see about getting them on sale.

http://www.waterbrick.org 

If nothing else having a small supply of these in the closet, fridge or under the sink would be better than nothing. Plus these are more portable than the other storage methods. 

Maybe you have a pool at the house or there is one in the condo complex? Your thinking "Heck I do not need to worry about any of this. There is hundreds if not thousands of gallons of water right there to use." Yes there is water to use, how often do you drink the water from your pool? Most of us do not just go to the pool and fill a pitcher of water for drinking. The chemicals in the water can make you sick. causing cramps, diarrhea and other symptoms similar to food poisoning. 


Living in a condom or apartment complex with a pool you might think you have access to a supply of water just the same as someone who has a pool in their back yard. Only thing is you have a few more problems than they do if an emergency comes up. Not only do you have to deal with the chemicals in the pool you have to deal with all the people in the pool.

Do you really think no one is peeing in the pool? How many babies or others have had an accident in the pool. How many of your neighbors have decided to have "sexy time" in the pool late at night? Yes I am trying to be gross here but there is a point to this. Chlorine only kills so many germs. Would you want to drink someone else's bath water? Hopefully not! 

Having a pool or other open source of water near by does not mean you are covered during an emergency. Utilizing these sources of water could add to your issues and we do to want to add any more negatives to our situation. How do you utilize these sources and others safely? We have to clean the water and filter the water to give us the biggest chance we do not get ourselves sick. Anyone who has ever been to Mexico and did not watch where the water came from knows why this is a very important issue. 

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/food-poisoning/tc/travelers-diarrhea-topic-overview#1 

Now you may think "I'll just boil the water and it will be good." Yes boiling water will kill the germs. The catch is how many people know how to do this? Ok your thinking "What is he saying? Everyone knows how to do this!" I can tell you first hand this is not the case. A fella I know was caught in a typhoon and in the aftermath he became sick from contaminated water! Remember common sense is not that common and not everyone thinks about dealing with emergencies. This issue is extremely important if you live in an area where your body is used to drinking clean water. Your body is not equip to deal with anything other than clean water!! Even cleaning your hands with untreated water can cause you to get sick. The fella I know was not sure if he drank, cleaned with or had food prepared with contaminated water. No he had no idea he would need to boil water or how to do it...... 

Well where do we start? Planning and part of planning is knowledge. Let's back up for a moment. The beginning of having clean water comes when you decide to gather water. Where you collect the water from will determine how you have to deal with the water. This is where common sense comes in. Do you collect water from a mud puddle or river?

Or maybe here

  Do animals pee in the pool?

Our first step is to pick as clean a source of water as we can find. Second step is to start filtering the water. Easiest first step is to use cloth or some other barrier to keep out the big stuff. 

I know this seems like common sense but it isn't. The more you filter the better your chances are of having clean water. Filter out the big parts with a piece of cloth, a bandanna, wash cloth or any other thing which will let the water come through will work. Make sure you are filtering the water into a clean container! 

Boiling water;

Fill a pot with water
Heat water until bubbles are rising from the bottom of the pot

Let the water boil for a minute
Turn off heat and let cool down

If your doing this over an open fire it is going to take longer than you think. have some patience and build a good fire. 

Alright, so you are think this is simple. Yes it is! What do you put the water in after you boiling it?

Do you put the clean water back in the pitcher you just used to collect the water? "Well yeah the water is clean now!" NNNOOOOOO!!!! THERE IS STILL UNCLEAN WATER IN THE PITCHER!! Any water not cleaned will contaminate the clean water!!! You have to think about this before you start cleaning the water. Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance! This includes the water on your hands and the cloth you used. Do you wash your face with the cloth you used to filter the water?

A first level system we all should invest in is a simple filter you can use almost anywhere. The same rules still apply to these tools. Pick a good source of water, filter the water if you can first, then use these commercial filters. 




Both of these systems are portable and easy to use. Even with these simple looking systems the directions say you have to watch out for unclean water contaminating your system. They all say they do not kill all the germs you might be faced with. Again, location of water collection and pre filtering are important. 


A good system for anyone having to care for several people is one of these camping filter systems. 



Here is a really good system which has tons of real world use behind it. Of course pre filtering the water still applies. Yes, this is an investment but one well worth the price! Especially if you have a group to care for. Filtering the water this way gives you time to handle other issues and not be tied down to boiling water all day. Here is a link to the website


This is getting long so we will try to wrap this up. Yes we could discuss making DIY water filters. Talk about solar stills etc etc BUT let's not go to far into the weeds right now. 

When planning for emergencies or dealing with one we need to take water into account. When thinking about water we need to think about where we will collect water from. When collecting water we need to think about how the collection point affects the cleaning method. When thinking about cleaning water we need to think we can not take shortcuts! 

Choose the cleanest water you can to draw from.
Pre filter at the point of collection.
Have a dirty area and tools.
Have a cleaning area and tools.
Have a clean area and tools. 
Consider using multiple methods to clean your water. (boil then use commercial filter)  

As with anything we should plan on having multiple layers to our water planning. Knowledge on how to collect and boil water is step one. Commercial filters inside of our Get Home Bags or 72 Hour Bags is the next step. Large camping filter systems inside of our Bug Out Bag or at the house is another step up. Berkey filter system at the house is as far as some of us need to go. Learning how to build gravity feed filter systems using sand, charcoal and other items might be a bit more than most of use need to know (we will talk about those later). 

As always,

Stay Safe!

Friday, February 10, 2017

Doing!

Reading the internet, magazines and a book or two lately something struck me. Most of these things geared toward emergency planning talk about what stuff you need. You need so much water per day, you need so much food per day, you need this and you need that and we got the best thing you can ever need. Of course you want the best thing ever so you go and buy thing one.....
 But then you realize Thing 1 is not the best thing ever because your 'what if' is very specific!
Of course someone has the best thing ever, specifically made for your "What if Marvin the Martian really does try to take over the world?" And you have to have Thing 2 because Thing 2 fits your need!
Now you have Thing 1 and you have Thing 2 and now you do not have to think about any-thing!
But now that you have Thing 1 and now that you have Thing 2, have you ever tried to use either thing? Maybe Thing 2 is cheaply made and in your time of need is not the thing you need? But you have Thing 1 as back up and even if Thing 2 is cheaply made you have Thing 1 to take Thing 2's place. (and that as good as my Doctor Seuss gets!)

Have you ever used either thing? Prior to having to use or do something under the pressure of an emergency? Have you tried them? Having things is not enough! You have to DO!

Take fire, you need it to cook, for heat and to keep the darkness at bay. So you stuff a lighter in your bag and of course you have a bow drill set stashed in there also. Because if the lighter doesn't work you have redundency and somewhere you read redundancy is a good thing.
Some of you my not know this, it is a secret only us evil smokers know...... these things run out of gas! Either by use, being stored in a position the button is pressed down, letting the gas out or they just get old and the gas leaks. But if Thing 1 doesn't fit you have Thing 2 and you have watched enough TV you are sure you can use Thing 2. It looks easy enough on TV!
If you look at that picture and did not almost immediately know what you were looking at we have an issue. Having Things is great, not knowing how to use them is just dangerous....

Your fun hike with the family could easily turn into a very bad day. One missed turn or moment of distraction could lead to you and the family being lost. You suddenly could find yourself without cell phone reception and night closing in fast. When the lighter does not work, you realize you have never used the a bow drill.

 This not an option.........
Neither is this........
Especially when things like to creep up in the dark.............

We must practice things before we need to use things. Now you are saying "Well I do not have time to hike fifty pounds of gear into the woods just to practice! The kids have soccer, people are coming over to watch the Super Bowl and we have church on Sunday." Yes you do. We just have to look at practice differently..........

Take soccer practice, yes soccer practice, how much stuff do you haul to the practice field? I know on game day we seem to have to move a ton of stuff. There is the basics, kids, ball, cleats, water, sunscreen, shoes to wear other than cleats, jackets and oh yeah we got to get the kids dressed!

This is just the basics! Now if you want to do anything besides sit on the ground you have to have the intermediate kit. This includes a sun shade, chairs and maybe a cooler. Of course we haven't even factored in maintaining your fashion sense!!

Point here is think of this as practice for having to abandoning your house. What if you had to leave? How would you haul the stuff you need? What do you need? How long would you be able to maintain some level of normal and comfort? If you set up camp at the park because the kids teams play at different times, use the time to plan and work on 'What If's' in the back of your mind. Then take a look at the other people around you...........
Got people coming over for the big game? Ever tried cooking everything on the BBQ? You know how you plan to cook if the gas ever stops coming into the house? Give it a try this week end. (yes I started writing this before the big game) Maybe not everything but break out the Dutch oven and cook a thing or two you normally cook inside the house. Things do not work the same on the BBQ as in the kitchen!
Heck break out that flint and steel. Bring along the char cloth or Vaseline covered cotton balls, maybe even just use stuff in the backyard to start the BBQ? Now do not delay the BBQ till you figure this out. You might end up with some annoyed and hungry guest. Take five or ten minutes and try to start the fire the "hard" way. If after ten minutes put the tools away and break out the lighter fluid!!
You might find out these things are harder to use then you thought. Also you might see why cheaper on the wallet is not always the way to go........
Maybe use your fitbit to see how long it would take you to walk home. Practicing or training is anywhere and way you can. Can you really walk ten miles? How long does it take you to walk ten miles?
How heavy is your Bail Out Bag? Can you carry it further than just from the house to the car? What about your Get Home Bag all crammed full of Things Numbered One and Things Numbered Two, can you really shoulder it and carry it any distance worth discussing? Let us not even discuss Bug Out Bags at the moment...............
During an emergency is not the time to find out how Things work or to find out they do not work. There is a big difference from what you think you can do and what you can do. Needing to get to higher ground when the water is rising is not the time to find out you can not make it further than the distance between the fridge and the couch............ 

Do two things this week. When was the last time you started a fire without a match or lighter? Start one this week. Maybe it is the BBQ, fireplace or bonfire out back this weekend. Take a walk, do something physical. Maybe you just walk for a block or two. Instead of thinking of it as exercise think of it as learning about resources are located in your neighborhood. How many fruit trees are there? 

Find time to practice. Find time to prepare. Find time to gain knowledge and skills. Life is about learning and doing. If you are done learning and doing, well..............

As Always,

Stay Safe!