Preps: No Communications Services, Part I

In our view, Emergency Preparedness needs to focus more on limiting negative impacts to disasters than on preparing for specific events (earthquake, hurricane, etc.).  We discussed that philosophy and those Twelve Impacts in an earlier post.  You can see all of the items in the series to this point by clicking the 12 Impacts label category.

This is the eighth out of the twelve impacts.  We've also done a 3-part post on Evacuation Plans (I, II, III) and a Shelter-In-Place Plan (SIP).

We're going to drill down into one of the twelve impacts:  No Communication Services. 
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You have no or limited access to modern electronic communication services.

We have become wholly dependent upon instant communications. We use telephones to keep in touch with others. We log on to the Internet to purchase goods and services. We use our cell phones to call for emergency services when needed. Email, blogging, social networking and texting are omnipresent.

This also includes one-way communications, such as television and radio. Devising alternative means of communication allows you to stay advised as to the severity of an event, and establish plans to react to the impact.

Possible Impacts:

• Learning about emergencies - If access to television and radio are not available, you will be unable to determine the depth and breadth of the incident, and be unable to implement the various aspects of your emergency plans. Without phones/Internet/email, similar “information isolation” occurs. You are unable to ascertain the cause and effect of an emergency, and whether it is subsiding or escalating.
• Communicating with family and friends - Aside from the emotional stress of not knowing the whereabouts and health of family and friends, you are unable to render assistance or resources if they are in need.
• Communicating with government authorities - 911, etc. You place yourself in a position where you are unable to obtain assistance for crime, fire and medical assistance.

We're going to explore a number of scenarios - from very mild, all the way up to devastating.  You need to assess the likelihood of each occurring, and build your emergency plans around those assessments.

Scenario 1:  There has been an earthquake/hurricane/flood/terrorist attack/tornado, and communications services are available, but inconsistent.  Somewhere in America, this type of impact happens every month of every year.

Minimum Gear/Equipment - Cell phone, emergency phone list, pad of paper, pen, Sharpie, "sidewalk" chalk, a battery-powered radio.

Bonus Gear/Equipment - An emergency cell phone charger like this, this or this (cool!).  For the battery-powered options, be sure to have extra batteries!  And make sure you choose a charger that works with YOUR phone.  An up-grade to a hand-crank radio.

Both lists of gear/equipment are small, and can be kept in your at-home Bug Out Bag, and at-work (or on-the-road) Get Home Bag.  It is assumed you keep your cell phone on your person at all times.

Every emergency preparation kit - either at home, in a Bug-Out-Bag (BOB) or a work/car Get-Home-Bag (GHB) should have a printed list of important names, phone numbers (land line and cell, if possible) and email addresses.  Let me re-emphasize:  Printed!

You need to assume your cell phone, smart phone or pager has become damaged or destroyed - along with the electronic phonebook it contains - and you will need to borrow someone else's phone to contact your emergency list.

Your list should contain two or more names and numbers of contacts that are outside of your general area.  It has been show time and time again that, during an emergency, local phone "lines" become over-crowded and not operational.  Long distance lines and text networks tend to work as long as the cell towers are not damaged.  They found people buried after the Haitian Earthquake because of the text messages they sent!

Everyone that is a part of your group (family or whatever group you've established) should have the same list.  The person(s) that are out-of-area should be used (with their previous permission, of course) as a message center until full communications services have been re-established.

If you reach one of your contact numbers, but get their message center, leave a message with the following information (this script should be included with your contact list):

• Your name (don't assume they will recognize your voice)
• The current date and time
• Your physical condition
• Your current location (city, state, neighborhood, business name, address, top floor, bottom floor, garage - as much information as possible)
• Who you are with, and their physical condition
• Your plans ("I will be going to the XYZ company parking lot on Maple Street in Anytown")
• When you will attempt to contact them again
• Your contact number (including area code) and the contact number of any other people in your group

The Sharpie, pen and paper are to be used in the event public bulletin boards are established.  The chalk (kept in a zip-lock bag in your BOB/GHB) can be used to leave messages on the sides of buildings if necessary.

Attempt to send broadcast text messages and email messages providing the same information listed above.

Listen to your radio often.  You want to be sure you're not moving towards areas of devastation or violence.  Public entities will also be broadcasting about locations that will be offering public assistance.

Next:  Scenarios 2 and 3

Image courtesy of Clker.com

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Copyright 2010 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

I'm An Appleseeder

I was going to go into the whole Appleseed philosophy, but I'm going to just provide this and let them speak for themselves -

In a time when many people think this country is heading down the wrong road, the volunteers of the Revolutionary War Veterans Association are working to turn things around by educating Americans in the things they need to know to understand how this country got its start.


We're betting, once you know it, once you hear the Story of April 19th, 1775, the 'story you never heard in school', once you understand the sacrifices made that day by people much like us, you will not want to see those efforts go to naught.


It's the history of men and women who cared about their liberty - and cared about ours. Cared to the extent they were willing to face death, injury, impoverishment. Cared enough, many of them, to set ordinary concerns in their life aside for the eight long bloody years it took to convince the British we were serious about winning our freedom.

As they noted, the purpose is to teach Americans about our Revolutionary War history.  About our American Heritage.  They use the rifleman skills as a "hook" to get people to attend!

We did the whole two-day course (you can do the one-day if you wish, but you'd lose out on so much instruction and history, it would ALMOST be a waste of a weekend).

Day one:  Safety orientation, Revolutionary war history, rifle skills, Red Coat Target Practice, practice the Quick-and-Dirty Army Qualification Test (AQT)
Day two:  Review of safety, quick review of techniques, Red Coat drills, more history, AQT until you drop!

A quick note for the uninitiated regarding the AQT.  There are 4 stages, each of which require 10 shots.  In the first 3 stages, the maximum score is 50.  In the final stage, the scores are doubled, making that stage worth 100 points.  Thus the maximum score is 250.

To get a Rifleman rating, you need a score of at least 210.  Sharpshooter was a score of 170 to 209, Marksman was a score between 125 to 169, and unqualified was below 125.

Stages 2 and 3 are both fairly rapid fire drills and they both require magazine changes.


So, on to some specifics -

The Double 10/22 magazines I talked about ("Ready For Appleseed") worked great.  I only had two failures to fire during the entire 450 or so rounds we shot.  One appeared to be a bad round, and one appeared to be some sort of misfeed.  You MUST super glue them together.

My best score was a 187 - so I'm a "Sharpshooter".   Sux.

Use a scope.  I was one of the few shooters using peep sights, and every one of the folks that achieved Riflemen used scopes.

Don't take that as making excuses, though.  It IS absolutely possible to make rifleman with iron sights.  If I took my best scores from each of the individual 4 stages, I would have made Rifleman.  That tells me that if I had proper concentration on all of the stages at once, I could have met my goal.  Still, at my next Appleseed, I'll be bringing a scoped rifle!

Our group was about 25-30 people.  I believe we were about half newbees and half returning Appleseeders.  We ranged in age from 12 to (I'm guessing) 65+.  Seven made Rifleman, including one guy at his first 'Seed.  A 12 y/o boy, 13 y/o girl and 15 y/o girl all got Rifleman. 

Check out this picture.  It is of the 13 y/o girl.  She shot Rifleman 5 of the 6 times we took the AQT with a bolt action .22 rifle!   Her low score was 217 and her high was 230.  She was incredible!

It was her second Appleseed.  She took what she learned at her first and (obviously) practiced.

Her pink hat said, "Shoot Like A Girl..... If you can!"   I like that attitude, young lady!

This guy shot Rifleman 3 of his 6 tries.  What was cool was his father was also at the 'Seed, and also got Rifleman.

Bring cleaning kit, tools and loctite.  My rear site, in particular, kept coming loose.  The loctite didn't hold.  This made for a frustrating early second day trying to figure out why my accuracy was suddenly so far off.  Thankfully, it was identified and fixed before I did any of the AQTs

I really need to work on my Stage 2 skills - shooting from a seated or kneeling position.  My best score on that stage was a 35 out of 50.

Natural Point of Aim (NPOA) is an amazing thing!  Reading about it was not enough (at least for me).  I had to see it in practice.  The shifting of the hips to get your new NPOA when moving to another target was an invaluable tip.

What was very cool was, as the course progress, I found myself almost falling into my NPOA immediately - my adjustments were much less drastic as my brain started automatically "doing the math" for where I needed to drop or align my body at the start of a stage.

Bring lots of fluids.  I went through 1 gallon of liquids each day.

Wear a long-sleeved shirt and something to protect your neck.  This keeps the sun and hot brass off of you.  I still ended up with two pretty decent burns on my left wrist from the hot brass from the shooter to my left.

There are 3 levels of instructors - Orange hats (Instructor In Training -IIT), Red Hats (Instructors) and one Green hat (Shoot Boss).  Two of our Orange Hats progressed to Red Hats.  There are different traditions what to do with your old orange hat.  Some pass them along to new IIT's.  Some keep them as trophies on the shelf.

These ladies had a different perspective.  That had us blow the hell out of them!

The hats were placed on the berm and we all emptied one magazine into them.

Fellow Californians, pay attention:  Based on how quickly this training has grown, they are expecting to have taught 1 million people in our state alone by 2015.  Get on it and get counted!

Accept The Challenge

Seriously.  You need to do this.  It is so much more than learning how to shoot.  It is much more about why our founders had to revolt.  It is about why we don't need to do the same - we have the ballot box to preserve what they fought and died for.

We have the greatest country and political system ever to visit the face of the earth, but it's being destroyed.  THAT is our responsibility - to get back what has slowly been taken from us.

I saw this at the shoot.  I don't know if it's official Appleseed or not, but I liked it -

13 Colonies
One Nation
One People
One Day


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Copyright 2010 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

A New Memorial Day Perspective

You're in our hearts and minds.  Thank you for your past service.

Over the next couple of days, I'll be writing about my Appleseed experience from this past weekend.  It truly gave me a new perspective on why we need to memorialize the past acts of people who gave their lives for our freedoms.

And not just Revolutionary War soldiers and citizens, but all people that have given their lives over the course of our country's history in defense of liberty.

We must tell their story.  It must be accurate.  We must not allow them to be forgotten or marginalized

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Copyright 2010 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Counterfeits

There are always people that will try to cheat, rob and steal.  When times get tough, the number of people willing to break the law to make a couple of bucks naturally increases.

Counterfeiting is one of those niche markets.  And it's a very profitable "business" to be in.

Gold Jewelry  - Selling your extra or broken jewelry for cash has become all the rage.  Companies are popping up all over the place that do this.  It is so profitable that Walmart, Sears and Kmart are all getting into the business.

Lots of people attend "parties" at the homes of friends where they can get their jewelry tested, and walk away with cash-in-hand.  Many "Cash For Gold" party attendees get a rude awakening when they find out their 18 or 22 karat gold chain is actually 10k (or is fake).  "But the clasp says 18k!"  Yeah, about that.  Surprise!

Personal story:  I recently broke out my acid testing kit and my jewelers loup (a fancy term for a magnifying glass) to check out some of the jewelry we've got.  10 years or so ago, my wife bought me a very nice gold chain for a medallion I own.  It was sold to her at a mall kiosk as a "solid gold" chain. 

Using the loup, I checked the clasp and saw a marking of "USA 925".  Hmm.  Gold is generally identified in karats - 10k, 18k, 24k, etc.  24k is pure gold, 18k gold is 75% gold, etc.  Since 22k gold is 91.7% pure, this marking confused me.

It then dawned on me that Sterling SILVER is 92.5% pure.  Upon further inspection of the clasp, I saw the word, "Danecraft".  I Googled it and found the company.  They specialize in...... 24k gold over Sterling silver jewelry!

Now, unless you knew this company, and had a loup with you to read the clasp, you would think you were buying a solid gold chain.  It would even pass a scratch test!  You'd need to file the chain past the gold plating, which to do so, would ruin the chain.

Caveat emptor, baby...

Cashiers Checks - With all of the recent security upgrades to our paper money, it is becoming more and more difficult to forge US currency.  So.... forgers are turning to the next best thing:  Cashiers Checks.  Unlike paper money, there are no universal standards for verification.

One bank may use a watermark.  The next may actually use some sort of security thread similar to US currency.  Another bank may simply use a high-grade paper.  The bottom line is, you don't know what security features each bank uses.

The FDIC regularly publishes press releases about which banks are having their cashiers checks forged.  In the past few years, the numbers have skyrocketed - I see at least 2- or 3-times the reports as was common just a few years ago.

Caveat venditor (seller beware)

Precious Metals and Coins -  Prepare to pucker.  Before you proceed, read this article, "Inside a Chinese Coin Counterfeiting Ring".  Be sure you go through the picture gallery and read the detailed information under each caption.

Scary stuff.

These guys are smart.  They're (generally) not counterfeiting ulta-high end coins.  Most of these seem to be coins selling up to a few hundred dollars.  Coins where it would not make financial sense to have them professionally authenticated prior to purchase.

With older forgeries, you used to be able to run a magnet over them to pick out the fakes made from iron.  You could put them on a scale and see if they were heavy or light.  You could take calipers to them and check the coin's dimensions. 

Not so much any more.  The fakes are so good that many times, they will pass these tests. 

Even more disturbing, if you looked at the picture gallery (and the picture at the top of this page), you'd have seen that they are counterfeiting "slabbed" coins.  These are coins which have been professionally graded and certified.  Yep, they're forging the certifications as well.

The Internet is full of stories about counterfeit gold and silver bullion.  I recently saw a video from a gold foundry in Germany where they found at least one gold bar was made from titanium dipped in gold.  THAT was an expensive lesson.


Accept The Challenge

CYA.  Sadly, you need to assume someone is out to rip you off.  At best, your seller may have been duped and is simply passing along tainted goods.

So, what can you do to protect yourself?

Jewelry - test it yourself.  A acid testing kit will run you about $30 on eBay, and comes with the acid and scratch stones.  It really is very easy to do, and can generally be done in an area where the scratch cannot be seen (the underside of a heavy chain or the bottom of a ring, etc.).  In most instances, it can easily be buffed out.

Of course, the problem would be in returning the jewelry after you tested it.  The store would say that you swapped out their good stuff for the fakes.  You could always have them tape shut and initial the box (across the tape), then open it at home while filming the process so you had a sort of "chain of custody" thing going on.  Seems a bit much, though.

Personally, if the chain was a hundred bucks or so, I'd take the risk.  If it were more, I think I'd only do business with a long-time, reputable jeweler.  It would likely cost more, but the chances are, you'd be getting the real deal.

Cashiers checks -  Call the bank to verify it is a valid cashiers check.  Virtually all cashiers checks are linked to a central database in each bank.  If at all possible, call the specific branch that produced the check (if it is displayed on the check), as sometimes the centralized Customer Service reps in the service center have no idea how to verify the information.  As a last resort, actually visit a branch of the bank it's drawn on, and ask for cash BEFORE handing over your goods.

My advice:  If you can't verify the check is valid, don't accept it as payment, and walk away from the transaction.  A savvy crooked seller will want to transact business in the evening after the banks are closed or on the weekend.  If you insist on verifying, they might offer to pay a premium, in cash, right NOW!

Of course, you'll end up having sold the item for the amount of the cash premium alone, once the check is deemed to be a fraud.  Trust your gut...

Coins and bullion - It's getting more and more difficult to catch.  With silver bullion, at a minimum check that it is at least stamped .999 and one troy ounce (or whatever weight you're buying).

For both coins and bullion, buy from a reputable seller - be it a brick-and-mortar store, or online.  If using eBay, be sure the seller has TONS of positive feedback and some sort of money-back guarantee.  ANY reputable shop will accept the return of fakes.

With any coins I buy, I always do a weight and size test.  I've now taken to doing a weight and scratch tests on bullion bars and rounds, as the test area is virtually invisible.  I would NOT recommend doing scratch tests on numismatic coins, as you will definitely reduce their value.  Either get them professionally evaluated or accept the risk of a fake.

If you're into Morgan silver dollars, I'd be especially wary.  There are tons of the fakes on the market right now.  Here in the SF Bay Area, there is one shop in San Francisco that is selling these coins on Craigslist.  Anyone who follows coins knows to stay away from this shop, but tourists and the uninitiated are getting slammed.

Personally, this is one of the reasons I primarily buy gold and silver bullion or 90% silver, and not numismatic coins.  The risk involved with these coins is simply not worth it to me.

Photo courtesy of Jinghua Shei.
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Copyright 2010 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Doin' The Jerky Thang

I love jerky.  Beef, venison, turkey - even pork (FYI, use tenderloin trimmed of all fat).  For tomorrow's Appleseed gig, I decided to make up a batch of jerky.  Supposedly, the meal breaks are rather sketchy - eat when you can - so I'm bringing a bunch of quick, light foods.  Jerky fits the bill.

I've been making my own jerky for many years.  When I first started, I got all fancy-schmancy and whipped up my own recipes.  Some were good, some were just OK, and most sucked.

I already owned a meat slicer, so I can buy the least fatty, cheapest piece of meat and slice it up myself.  One of the keys to good jerky is having a consistent thickness, and it is very difficult to do by hand with a knife.

Lately, I've gotten lazy.  Instead of using my own marinade, I just buy Yoshida's Original Gourmet Sauce.  This stuff is absolutely fantastic.

The slicing issue is also sometimes side-stepped.  My store has recently begun selling bottom round beef that is already sliced.  It's marketed as "carnitas" meat.  When it is no more than 20 cents a pound more expensive than a whole chunk of bottom round, I'll buy it pre-sliced.

I also use a dehydrator.  You can get away with making it in the oven at a very low temperature, but the dehydrators are very easy to use.  (Note to self:  Make some in the oven just to see how it compares to dehydrated jerky).

The process is very easy.  Slice your meat, add enough marinade to SOAK the meat, and let it sit over night (or at least 6 hours).  Make sure your marinade has a decent amount of salt to aid in the dehydrating process and the preservation of the meat. 

In our household, the meat never lasts more than a day or two.  If I'm taking it with me on a trip and expect any to be left by the time I leave, threats must be made!

If you're making up jerky for long-term storage (many weeks or even months), you'll need to get more technical and be sure you have proper amounts of salt and cure.

Choose meat that has as little fat marbling in it as possible.  Cut out the big chunks before it hits the dehydrator, but don't go too crazy.  I'll show you why in a minute.

My meat is generally sliced about 1/8 inch thick, and takes 5-6 hours (at 155F) to get to the dryness I like (still a bit chewy).  About half way through, I take out the trays and pat each piece of meat with a paper towel to soak up some of the natural fats and oils in the meat.  I'll flip over each piece, and put the trays back into the dehydrator in the opposite order (the top tray becomes the bottom tray, etc) to ensure even drying.

Once the meat is done, I'll do the final fat trimming.  By this time, everything is nice and tight, and cutting out the fat is quite easy.  Here's a piece of finished jerky straight out of the dehydrator -

Here's what it looks like after trimming -

Yes, I keep the scraps and "somehow" they disappear... ;-)

If I'm going away for a while, I'll take a portion or two and vacuum seal them up.  For this weekend, I just put it in the "Threat Bag" and into the day pack it goes.

Accept The Challenge

Jerky is incredibly expensive to buy.  It is equally as cheap to make.

I started out with 2 1/2 pounds of meat and one bottle of the Yoshida's marinade.  My total cost was just over $8.  After all was said and done, I ended up with just shy of 1 pound of jerky (15.6 oz).

Online "gourmet" jerky costs upwards of $32 a pound!  The run-of-the-mill jerky found in grocery and convenience stores runs about $20 a pound.

My buddy that's joining me at the Appleseed shoot made up a homemade batch that he put in a smoker for two hours before putting it in the oven.  I'll have to practice my bartering skills on the firing line...

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Copyright 2010 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Ready For Appleseed

I'm ready to rock.

I've finished up tweaking my Ruger 10/22 in preparation of this weekend's Appleseed rifle training.  I added the Tech-Sights upgraded front and rear site package (TSR200), a couple of Uncle Mike's swivel studs and swivels and a USGI web sling.

If you notice, there is what appears to be an extended magazine in the rifle.  Here in California, we are limited to 10-round magazines, and the standard 10/22 magazine sits flush with the stock when it's inserted.

I'm using a device made by Andean, Inc., that allows you to join two standard magazines together.

We'll see how well it works.  The magazines are joined together by clicking this device into the bottoms of the two magazines.  The instructions recommend that you use Super Glue to help ensure they stay secure.  I'm not going to do this, as I want to see if there will be any problems with its use.

I must say that it makes unloading the rifle much easier, as it give you something to grab, plus the extra weight helps the joined magazines drop out more easily.

Ryan over at TSLRF (active duty military) commented that the military has extensively tested double mags, and the news isn't good.  They tend to get filled up with dirt, and the cartridge retention "wings" tend to get bent out of shape.  I'm bringing 6 magazines with me, so if I have problems with the "joiner", I'll revert back to just using the standard mags.
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I zeroed in the rifle on Monday.  Using a special tool from Tech-Sights (that SHOULD be included with the sights... hint, hint....), making the adjustments was brain-dead easy.  Very impressed.

What I had most difficulty with was in the proper use of the sling.  Remember, I'm a rifle-newbee.  My only past experience had been in using a sling as a "hasty sling" where you basically just wrap your support arm through the sling to add a bit of stability.

The Appleseed program wants you to use the sling correctly!  They had a couple of articles with instructions on how to properly use the sling, and they were useless, at least for me.  I correctly understood which loop through which to pass my arm, but it just wasn't working correctly.

Finally, I jumped on YouTube and found this video -




I watched it, and the clouds parted, the birds chirped and the angels sang. I finally understood what they were talking about!

Using the sling in this manner adds an incredible amount of stability to your shot. Really. It was amazing.
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Riflemen, I need some insight: I have the vertical movement of my front sight under control. The breathing suggestions from Appleseed work like a charm.

I noticed, though, what seems to be a lot of horizontal movement - keeping the front sight steady from side-to-side.

Any ideas what might be causing this, or what I can do to control it?

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Copyright 2010 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Reading Between The Lines

In a post titled, "Awareness" that I did last week, I talked about staying in touch with the world around you.  To be successful, and stay ahead of what's happening, you need to read about EVERYTHING that's going on - financial, political, international, etc.

I should have also mentioned that the information you read might not be worth the electrons on which it's printed.  It's important to dig deeper some times.  As Paul Harvey used to say, "And now... the REST of the story!"

Take home sales, for instance.  We hear talk about how sales are up.  The Government Scribes (reporters) might make mention about how inventories are also up (uh oh), but it's really no big deal.

Well, how's this for a big deal?  If the government wasn't guaranteeing the loans being made, they wouldn't be made at all!

Yep, it seems as though a really, really big percentage of home mortgages are guaranteed by one governement entity or another.  How much?  20%?  50%?  Certainly not 75%!

No, how does 90% grab ya?

The FHA and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which regulators seized in 2008, have been financing more than 90 percent of U.S. home lending after a retreat by banks and the collapse of the market for mortgage bonds without government-backed guarantees.

Banks won't make home loans unless they are guaranteed by the federal government.  Why?  Because no one believes we're anywhere near the bottom of the market.  Not even close.

I'm guessing that the Small Business Administration is doing some "volume business" right now as well.  If you were a bank, you'd have to be out of your mind to make a commercial loan right now.

Unless Nanny guaranteed it for you, of course.
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So really, how bad is this market?

Not so good.  That is, if you believe the head of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) -

FHA lending last quarter may have topped the combined volume of government-supported Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in a home-lending market that’s still a “government-financed market,” David Stevens, the agency’s head, said today at a conference in New York, citing research by consultant Potomac Partners.

“This is a market purely on life support, sustained by the federal government,” he said at the Mortgage Bankers Association conference. “Having FHA do this much volume is a sign of a very sick system.”

Ya think?  (Question to self:  How long is this guy going to stay employed with this administration?)

So, the next time you hear how great the real estate market is doing, consider the underlying strength of the real market.  Take the numbers the Fed pours down the gullets of the Government Scribes, and take one tenth of that.  THAT is the real market.

Accept The Challenge

Don't be duped.  It is becoming more and more difficult to be able to make financial plans when you can't trust the information that is published.

I strongly recommend Shadow Stats if you really want to dig deep into how our economic indicators are manipulated, and what the real number are.  For instance, you know that if you are unemployed and no longer get unemployment payments, that in the government's eyes, you are NOT counted as unemployed, right?

If you dig into how the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is twisted and abused, your brain will explode.

Use third-party sources such as Shadow Stats, Calculated Risk (absolutely phenomenal stuff), and a host of other sites that dig into the numbers and turn it into information you can use.  Get the real story, not the one being handed out.

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Copyright 2010 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Unpredictable Violence

I'm going to post a re-print of one of our Newsletters ("Unpredictable Violence"), as I think it is quite applicable to some recent events, and might be helpful to many folks in the coming months.

We're watching the riots in Greece over their version of austerity that has come as a result of government over-spending.  It's not going over too well with the people.

Thailand is ablaze.  I read that 300 buildings have been torched.

Recently, the home of a banking executive was swarmed by a group of SEIU members.  14 bus loads of people just showed up on his doorstep (literally).   When the police arrived, they decided to do nothing, out of fear of inciting a riot.

A trio of officers who belatedly answered our calls confessed a fear that arrests might "incite" these trespassers.

Feel safe if this were happening on YOUR doorstep?

What would you do?

The time to think about suddenly being caught up in the middle of a group of angry people is NOW.

Low Probability/High Impact Events

In our Emergency Preparedness course, we talk about disaster events that are very unlikely to happen, but if they do occur, the consequences can be devastating.

An extreme example would be a meteor screaming out of the heavens and landing on your house.  There is little you can to to prevent it, It's very unlikely to happen, but would be horrible should it occur.

There are a number of events that are much more likely to occur - although still unlikely - yet most people give them almost no thought. Like the meteor example above, there may be little we can do to stop the disaster from happening, but there ARE things we can do to minimize the negative impact.

Do you remember the rioting in LA after the first Rodney King verdict?  It was essentially spontaneous.  As soon as the verdict was known, the lid came off, and the violence escallated.  If you were in the wrong place when it started, you were in immediate, life-threatening danger.

Staying out of LA on the day a verdict was to be presented would have been a prudent decision.  You have no idea how it will turn out, and some people might not like it. 

The same goes with Super Bowl winners, NBA Championships and World Series final games.  People get crazy when big events happen, and that craziness often leads to violence.

Don't tempt fate.  Stay away.

But what if you're caught totally off-guard and find yourself in the middle of a threatening situation?  Here are some ideas:

Assume the police are overwhelmed.  At the very minimum, it will take several minutes for them to arrive.  A lot of bad things can happen in 5 minutes.  You are now 100% responsible for your own well-being until they arrive, or until you can get to a safer location.

If you're in a car, stay in it and lock all doors and windows.  Drive out of the area as quickly as possible.  If your tires are slashed, don't stop.  Drive on the rims if need be.  Escape and evasion are your priorities.  Exit the car, and you're likely to become a victim.

If you're on the street, get inside as quickly as possible.  If you're able, pick an office building before you pick a retail store, as stores are more likely to be targeted by looters.  Move to the back of the building if possible.  Try not to go to upper floors - if a fire is started, you may be trapped.

Arm yourself.  If you have a firearm, defensive spray or stunning device, have it ready and prepare yourself mentally to use it in self-defense.  If these aren't accessible, grab whatever is available.

ALWAYS look for a chance to get to safety.

Never let your guard down.

For Consideration:  What types of events might trigger a spontaneous event in your area?  What events or issues are people in your area especially sensitive, angry or concerned about?

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Copyright 2010 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Buncha Stuff

Did you see this?  Some guy out here in California is selling space in a massive, upscale bomb shelter (how's that for a difficult-to-imagine concept!) -

A company with a doomsday plan is taking money for what it promises will be a comfortable, nuke-proof bunker under the Mojave Desert, with an atrium, gym and jail, and sloppy joes and pearl potatoes on the menu.

Robert Vicino, who runs the Del Mar-based company called Vivos, has collected deposits on half the 132 spaces planned in the 13,000-square-foot bunker in Barstow.

Fifty grand per space, deposits of $5000 for adults and $2500 for kids.  No charge for Fluffy The Cat.

On the face of it, it seems a bit odd, but it might not be so far-fetched.  As long as you could get there before, "the balloon goes up," you'd be a part of a community of like-minded individuals.

Still, it is Barstow.  If you've never been to this part of California, it is hot.  Really hot.  Major league desert.  It's right in the neighborhood of Death Valley, which is the hottest spot in the US.

It looks kind of cool (pun intended) though.  They've got a number of photos and videos on their site.  An idea whose time has come?
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I've mentioned that I'm going to be doing an Appleseed rifle shooting course at the end of this month.  I'm getting my 10/22 up-to-snuff with new sights from Tech-Sights (that was a bit of a pain in the butt - changing the front sight in particular) and adding a stud and swivel for the sling.

A buddy of mine purchased a multiple magazine holder for his rifle.  The one he bought holds two magazines.  I have since found them for 2, 3 and 4 magazines (remember here in the People's Republic of California, we're not allowed any magazines that hold more than 10 cartridges).

Here's a link to the two-mag holder.
Here's a link to the three-mag holder.  I'm leaning towards this one.  It seems as though it wouldn't hang down as low as the back-to-back two-mag holder, thus being less of an issue when shooting from the prone position.

Do any of you have any experience with either of these?  Any insights would be appreciated.
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How sweet is this?  Arizona is telling LA they had better "play nice" or the lights might go out -

An Arizona utility commissioner said he's willing to pull the plug on Los Angeles if the city goes through with a boycott of his state.

In a letter to the city of LA, a member of Arizona's power commission said he would ask Arizona utility companies to cut off the power supply to Los Angeles. LA gets about 25 percent of its power from Arizona.

Wow.  Consequences for your actions.  What a concept...
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Here's a shocker:  We've been lied to.  Again.  It seems that emergency rooms are NOT mostly used by the uninsured -

The results may surprise some who believe that ERs mainly serve uninsured people, says second author Amy Bernstein, chief of the Analytic Studies Branch in the Office of Analysis and Epidemiology for the CDC and the National Center for Health Statistics.

"We were trying to show characteristics of people who use the ER. There are some perceptions. ... A lot of people think it's predominantly used by uninsured people because they don't have a normal source of primary care, but this particular brief shows this is not the case," Bernstein says.

The study doesn't say, but my guess is that they go where the free services are offered - mostly to their county hospitals.

So, it seems that we have ANOTHER reason to scrap the administration's Universal Health Care Plan.  Yeah, like that's gonna happen...

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Copyright 2010 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Mental Preparedness

In our last post, we discussed Awareness - how keeping in touch with the world around you can both keep you safe and informed.  Being aware of your surroundings and the world in general is great.  But, if you don't have the commitment to act, that awareness goes for naught.

I don't know if this reluctance to act is a result of their individual upbringing or if it's the result of a general, "Let someone else take care of you," attitude that seems to permeate our society.

I just don't know.  Personal Responsibility in general seems to be waning.

In two of our workshops (Refuse To Be A Victim and Defensive Sprays and Stunning Devices) we pose a couple of questions to our students -

Am I prepared to harm, permanently injure or kill another human being to save my life or the life of a family member?

I am constantly amazed at the number of people that hesitate when presented with this question. In both of these classes, we've usually discussed using a handgun for self-defense. Many will say that if they had a gun, they would try to "wing" the assailant.

I tell them, flat-out, that if that is their plan and attitude, they'll most likely end up dead or badly injured.

In a high-stress environment where you perceive the need to defend yourself with a handgun, you will almost certainly not have the fine motor skills - nor the time - to make a precision shot.  Most likely, you're going to be scared sh**less.

I tell them that the only way to ensure their survival is to fire at center of mass, and to keep firing until the threat has stopped. The answer is that brutal and that simple.

Your attitude must be the same whether your self-defense tool is a gun, a Taser, a baseball bat or a frying pan.  You must fight like your life depends on it, because it probably does.

The same attitude applies to Emergency Preparedness.  If the weather station says you're about to be visited by a hurricane, follow and act on your plan.  Get the hell out of Dodge!  The sooner you act on your information (awareness) the less likely you are to be harmed.

The second question is about personal confidence -

Am I prepared to tolerate the judgment of my family, friends and neighbors if I harm, permanently injure or kill another human being in self-defense?

Again, I am stunned at people who give a damn what other people may think of them for saving their own life.  But they're out there.
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It is usually around this time when I remember why I'm teaching these classes.

Many people have gone through the Awareness classes, self-defense training classes, and emergency preparedness classes. They have a plan for dealing with every possible contingency. It looks great!

But they don't have the will to act. There are SO MANY people out there that simply don't have the Mental Preparedness to "pull the trigger," so to speak.

Accept The Challenge

We don't take skills-enhancing classes or emergency preparedness workshops as academic exercises.  We do this to prepare ourselves for bad situations.  The Awareness training teaches us how to identify these situations, and the Skills training teaches us what to do.

But the individual has got to have the intestinal fortitude and commitment to use those skills when the situation dictates.  It might not be pleasant to do so, but the alternative - inaction - is infinitely worse.


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Please click our advertiser links. They pay us so you don't have to. A click a day is all we ask!

Copyright 2010 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com