Odds ‘n Sods:

Oregon was just a sample: The War on Western Working People – Thomas Jefferson changed John Locke’s phrasing when he wrote the Declaration of Independence from “property” to “pursuit of happiness”. Although the reasoning behind this change is well argued, one of the prime reasons was that “private property” was easy to come by in the new world. Now we find that, yet again, that very concept is endangered. – RBS

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SurvivalBlog reader H.L. sent in this article by Mac Slavo; useful information for all of us: Using This Phone Passcode Strategy Will Take The FBI 127 Years To Crack Your Encrypted Data

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D.S. sent in this article detailing how the IRS is your worst enemy in more ways than one: IRS Fails To Follow Basic Web Security Procedures, Increases Risk Of Taxpayer Identity Theft

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Reader MVR sent in this link: Arizona Passes Bill to Stop Federal Gun Restrictions Excerpt: “What this bill does is gives the state of Arizona a protection from Federal infringement of its citizens’ Constitutional right to bear arms. This places all law enforcement in the state in a stable position to refuse, legally, to take part in breaking the Constitution.”

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Showing the increasing dissatisfaction of being tied to a sinking ship: Britain’s EU referendum to be held on June 23 (Warning: autostarting video)

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” – Philippians 4:19-20 (KJV)

Notes for Saturday – February 20, 2016

Today, we present another entry for Round 63 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value),
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chrome-lined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul PMAG 30-rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt; (an equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions),
  6. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  7. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package (enough for two families of four) plus seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate (a $325 retail value),
  8. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  9. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304, and
  10. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  3. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  4. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  5. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  6. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  8. Safecastle is providing a package of 10 LifeStraws (a $200 value)

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A $245 gift certificate from custom knife-maker Jon Kelly Designs, of Eureka, Montana,
  3. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  7. Montie Gear is donating a Precision Rest (a $249 value), and
  8. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 63 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Fitness for Success When the SHTF– Part 3 by J.P.M.

The Dead Lift

Pulling is probably one of the best movements for overall leg and lower back growth, plain and simple. Dead lifts hit your quads, hamstrings, glutes, spinal erectors, abs, traps, and upper lats. This exercise does require a barbell.

Walk to the bar. Stand with your mid-foot under the bar. Don’t touch it with your shins yet. Stand with feet at hip width stance and toes out 15°. Grab the bar, narrow, with hands about shoulder-width apart. Arms should be vertical from the front view, hanging just outside your legs.

Bend your knees and keep going until your shins touch the bar. Don’t move the bar. Keep it over your mid-foot.

Now, lift your chest and straighten your back. Don’t move the bar. Don’t drop your hips, and don’t squeeze your shoulders-blades.

Pull. Take a big breath, hold it, and stand up. Keep the bar against your legs. Don’t shrug or lean back at the top.

It is extremely important to keep your back straight throughout the dead lift! To bend your back could cause back injury, such as herniated disks. Since this exercise should be done properly to avoid injury and these are just the basics, you may wish to do further reading.

Links to illustrations of exercises follow:

Running

The essential piece of a strong fitness routine, running, builds strong legs, glutes, and abdominals, and it also is probably the best way to increase stamina and endurance. Why is it so important? Man has been running since the beginning of time, when he needed a faster pace to escape his enemies. Soon he learned that by running when he wasn’t being chased, he was able improve his ability to run when his life was on the line. The pushup will give you the strength to lift that heavy pack onto your back, but you need to be able to move your body as well as the gear you are carrying forward! Running can be difficult, especially for the beginner. However, with practice and forbearance, it can be enjoyable. There is no such thing as a person who isn’t “the running type”. Try not to forget, though, that we are talking about practical fitness here. Running a marathon may not be what every runner needs to do. This is probably going to be the most in-depth of these entries.

Clothing

Wear clothing appropriate to the weather. The last thing you want is to catch pneumonia! Modern workout clothing is fine, but it is somewhat of a racket; there is very little you actually do need. Here is what I would recommend:

For warm weather: (60-90 degrees F) No more than one layer is necessary.

For cold weather: (10-40 degrees F). These guidelines are assuming a moderate to high level activity run, which will contribute to keep you warm, negating the need for heavier clothing.

  • You will need a base layer, a lightweight one will do fine, coupled with a cotton/poly long sleeve shirt
  • pants (I run in my BDU pants, but sweats also work) between 30 and 40F.
  • Below 30F, you should add a thicker garment over the other two. A hoodie or fleece pullover works nicely. You can opt for a actual jacket, if there is precipitation. A mid-weight bottom base layer will complete your outfit.
  • Be sure to wear a good watch cap or other headgear. If there is cold wind, you may wish to add a balaclava type headgear to protect your face and neck.
  • Thick wool/thermal socks.
  • Boots may be called for, especially if there is snow. A waterproof combat boot, which is designed with elements of a running shoe, is a very good choice. Hiking boots tend to not flex for running as well, but footwear is a very personal item, so get what works well for you. Below 10F, well, do you really need to run? Working out in lower temps may just be foolhardy.

Hydration

Bring water! No matter what the temperature, hydration is key. A Camelbak type hydration system is the best. Be sure to bring enough, but on a workout too much will slow you down, and carrying a bottle is very awkward. It is very helpful to mix with plain water some citrus juice. Any squeezed citrus fruit will do; what I currently use is a grapefruit and two lemons mixed with about a gallon of water and a half teaspoon of salt and sugar (don’t leave out the fruit pulp!). Fill your water carrier with 1 cup of this mixture to every 3 cups of straight water. And there you have your own electrolyte replacing drink.

Running Form

Your running form is very personal. No two people run the same way. By trying to follow a textbook style, you will most likely only become frustrated and risk injury. Experiment to find your own unique style. However, there are some guidelines that are usually universally helpful, which I will state below:

Your torso should be kept straight and you should lean slightly forward, without bending your back . Except for the legs and arms, there should be no other movement. Such “flailing” will waste energy and throw you off balance. It is most important to move in a natural, relaxed manner. You (if you have done your warm-up!) shouldn’t feel tense or stiff or move in an awkward feeling manner. If you are, find the cause and eliminate it. Don’t worry; you probably won’t have any issue with this. It is hard to screw up something you’ve been doing since you were a toddler.

Don’t over stride; this is awkward and dangerous. When running, you aren’t trying to step out farther than when you walk; you’re only trying to take more strides. So, watch how you walk, and apply the same manner to running, only sped up. Your leg and knee should form a slight angle still; if your leg is stretched out straight, you are over striding. Land with your leg as close to the body as possible.

Move your arms. Don’t try to keep your arms still at all. They should form a 90 degree angle at the elbow and swing freely up and down, raising the arm opposite the leg currently taking the stride. However, don’t let your arms come across in front of your chest; they should move up and down only. Again, just let what is natural take place, and you’ll get it right. Don’t consciously try to raise and lower your arms to a certain level.

Don’t slam your feet into the ground. Keep some spring in them, but don’t land on the balls of your feet. Instead, land on your whole mid-foot. Then, make contact with your whole foot and start the next step, pushing off with your toes. Your landing knee should be slightly bent.

After your run, do some reps of warm-ups to gradually “cool” your muscles down. Remember that you will slow down based on the terrain you are running over. I do most of my running on gravel country roads, so they are pretty level and even throughout. Also, remember to slow down on hills. Until you have some practice up-hill running, just gunning it is an injury hazard.

As you run, try to concentrate on what you are doing. While you may be tempted to find a distraction, not paying attention to your running will slow you down.

Pacing It All Out

So, I’ve presented the exercises. Now how much should you do? This depends on your goal. If you’re out of shape and trying to come back, you’ll naturally start with less and build up. If you are trying to build more muscle, you’ll add more also. Once you are at the point you wish to be, you can “stay the course”. I call this maintenance. A maintenance workout is a daily (or several days a week) routine that shouldn’t take more than 15-30 minutes for each session (excluding runs and an additional seven minutes for your morning warm-up). Depending on your own ability, the amount you do will vary, but I’ll sketch out a rough idea in the next section. This pace is assuming you do this workout in your home or workplace. When at a dedicated gym, routine is different. Also, the running pace is assuming it takes place outdoors.

Letter: Home Locks Review From Someone That Breaks Into Homes (Legally) For A Living

HJL,

As a long time reader of the blog, I was interested in the note about secure home products. The trick with the rod with the hook to undo an automatic garage door opener I thought was great; I actually tried it yesterday and after a minute I gave up on it and just drilled the lock. When I walked in the garage I looked up and I almost had it hooked another minute I think I would have had it. Here’s the back story; I break into homes for a living. My job is to secure foreclosed homes. The garage trick I like because most people will lock the front and back door, but the door from the garage usually is unlocked, or only has a knob lock that is defeated with a pipe wrench. I try not to damage the doors or windows when making access into a home; I do not kick, I drill. If you have what most people have on their homes (kwickset) I am in that home in less than 30 seconds. It takes me 15 to drill the deadbolt and 15 to get my pipe wrench to twist your knob lock and be inside the home. If I come across a home that has good locks, like Schlage, I work on windows. Those locks are way too aggravating to drill and have broken many a drill bit trying to. When I come across them, I work the garage door first, and if i can not make easy access there I move to windows. New windows, with a small pry bar and a screwdriver, I can often access the home without damaging the window or the lock.

I do all of my work in the day time. When I got started, I was driving a cheap looking truck and I used to have to speak with a deputy once a week. As my business has expanded I have built up my equipment and bought nicer things. I have not had the law called on me in a year with one exception– an alarm company called for the break in due to the window that was unlocked in one bedroom. I spoke to him for a minute and went on with my work. Didn’t even show my paperwork.

For securing a home, buy nice locks and windows, screw them shut. Under windows, do what people have done for eons– plant cactus, et cetera. (I have had to go by Dollar General to buy tweezers to get those out of me on a job.) Buy a security system, if you don’t just put fake signs on your windows and yard. (Criminals know it takes 30 minuses on a burglar alarm.)

Doors with 4-inch screws are tough; regular doors with a kick guard that goes from a good knob lock to the floor are a beast to even try and kick or break.

If you’re not the easiest to rob, you won’t be the first. Good luck to all of you. – B.G.

Economics and Investing:

Kmart gets into the liquidation business. Why be surprised? The entire company is going bankrupt. Why not take somebody else’s unwanted garbage along for the ride. – RBS

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Items from Mr. Econocobas:

You Are Here – I am not a chart expert by any means, but this is worth a quick peek.

Negative Rates Are a ‘Dangerous Experiment’, Warns Morgan Stanley

Items from Professor Preponomics:

US News

Regulator: Feds Face Rising Risks for Managing Fannie, Freddie (Washington Examiner) Excerpt: “The current situation is unsustainable, Watt said, not only because of the lack of capital at the two enterprises, but also because they cannot effectively compete against each other right now and create market discipline….”

Less Than 1 Out of 3 California Families Can Afford to Purchase a Home: The Number of Millenials Living at Home Continues to Grow (Doctor Housing Bubble) Excerpt: “The last time we were in the 20 percent range of affordability for California was when we were deep in the last housing bubble (on the manic mortgage days and also leading to the implosion). You need to understand what this means. Household incomes are fully stretched. We are now at the stage that companies are offering exotic products to circumvent the inability for households to save for a down payment.”

International News

The Big UH-OH (US News) Excerpt: “Eight years after the financial crisis, the world is coming to grips with an unpleasant realization: serious weaknesses still plague the global economy, and emergency help may not be on the way.”

Still No Deal for Britain on EU Reforms After All-Night Talks (Reuters) Excerpt: “No country has ever voted to leave the Union. Britain is the EU’s second largest economy and one of its two permanent members on the UN Security Council. Its exit would end the vision of the EU as the natural home for European democracies and reverse the continent’s post-World War Two march toward “ever closer union”.”

China’s Subprime Crisis is Already Here – Bad Loans Soaring (Contra Corner) Excerpt: “China’s bad loans have grown 256 percent in six years even as their ratio to total lending dropped. The true amount of debt that isn’t being repaid is open for debate. One example of how the data can be distorted: Banks are making increasing use of their more opaque receivables accounts to mask loans and potential losses, as Bloomberg News reports today.”

Stocks Knocked Back as Oil Rally Falters(Reuters) Will any agreement hold? Excerpt: “Oil prices rose more than 14 percent in the three days to Thursday after Saudi Arabia and Russia, supported by other exporters including Venezuela and Iraq, moved to freeze oil output at January’s levels. Iran endorsed the plan without commitment on Wednesday.” International Business Times is tracking developments… Oil Crisis: Prices Decline Again After Saudi Arabia Refuses to Cut Production

Venezuela’s Maduro Announces String of Emergency Economic Measures (Venezuela Analysis) The problems faced by Venezuela are more severe than most of the rest of the world can truly imagine. Reading the news nightmare is hardly the equivalent of living it. In an attempt to address these, Maduro’s address to the nation lasted five hours. Excerpt: “The economic initiatives include changes to the country’s multi-tiered exchange rate, an increase in the domestic price of gasoline, the implementation of a new tax system, and expansion of community control over food distribution.”

Personal Economics and Household Finance

Central States Pension Fund Proposes Drastic Cuts (Kansas City Business Journal) Anticipate that problems of pension solvency will spread. Plan for your personal solvency independent of any program benefits you’re otherwise anticipating. Don’t believe for a moment that funding cuts always affect someone else. Excerpt: “…In an effort to avoid the fund’s collapse, the Central States Pension Fund is proposing cutting benefits by 50 percent or more for a number of retirees.”

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SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.

Odds ‘n Sods:

A neighbor up the valley who is moving a cattle fence line recently complained that he was having trouble pulling steel T-posts by hand. He said that they often got bent when “rocking” them out, and that in rocky soil, they would sometimes have their cross-plates (“wings”) break off. I resisted the urge to laugh, and I introduced him to my old standby: A Red Rooster T-Post Puller Plate. These work remarkably well. I use mine with one of my pair of 48″ Hi-Lift jacks, but these can also be used by attaching a short length of chain to the clevis on a tractor bucket. (Note: I formerly used the Speeco brand post puller plate, but I learned that those are now made in Mainland China.) – JWR

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From the desk of Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large: Waaay off grid living. (Link is safe, despite the odd looking name.)

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The ultimate survivalist storage media: ‘Five-dimensional’ glass discs can store data for up to 13.8 billion years – If only my computer could write to these disks. – A.D.

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SurvivalBlog reader Grunambulax posted a neat instructable on protecting your iPhone power cord from the inevitable tear. In the day and age of throwaway electronics, it’s nice to see an effort to extend the usable life of some of these things.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern. And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them.” Ezekiel 43:10-11(KJV)

Notes for Friday – February 19, 2016

JRH Enterprises is running a sale on their popular Nightfighter 2 combo. This package includes a High Performance AN/PVS-14 Third Generation Pinnacle autogated night vision device brand new with a real factory 10-year warranty, plus an infrared laser, ACH helmet, helmet mount for the PVS-14, infrared marking beacon, and light interference filter (LIF). There are limited quantities on the size Large helmet.

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SurvivalBlog would like to welcome two new advertisers to the site:

  • Go Sun has a variety of solar cookers, from small individual sizes to commercial/party sizes, and they not only work well they look cool! (or is that hot?) Check their site out and see if one of these units is for you.
  • Ready Man, known for their credit card-size emergency tool kits, now has a Wilderness Survival Card. This fits in your wallet and contains the critical tools that you would need to supplement your knowledge and survive off of the land. My personal favorite is their Hostage Escape Card, but they have several others kinds as well. Everybody needs a couple sets of these emergency tools.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 63 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value),
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chrome-lined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul PMAG 30-rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt; (an equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions),
  6. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  7. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package (enough for two families of four) plus seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate (a $325 retail value),
  8. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  9. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304, and
  10. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  3. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  4. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  5. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  6. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  8. Safecastle is providing a package of 10 LifeStraws (a $200 value)

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A $245 gift certificate from custom knife-maker Jon Kelly Designs, of Eureka, Montana,
  3. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  7. Montie Gear is donating a Precision Rest (a $249 value), and
  8. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 63 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Fitness for Success When the SHTF– Part 2 by JPM

Practical Fitness.

As the title implies, I believe in “practical fitness”. In my opinion, many people make fitness an obsession that takes over an inordinate amount of their day. I’m not saying it should be something like, “Oh, yeah, time to do that again”, only doing it as a once-a-week-drudgery. Dedicated physical exercise should be something we all engage in on a daily basis. But, it should be in the proper context: to prepare and maintain our body to live safe, healthy, active, productive lives. Physical exercise isn’t the focal goal, but its benefits are. It’s for this reason that I don’t believe that a career in professional sports is the best use of a human being’s potential. With this in mind, let’s proceed.

The Warmup

To engage in intense physical exercise without a warmup is dangerous. I myself have injured certain muscles on numerous occasions because of a failure to warm up. A warmup shouldn’t be done just before dedicated exercise but should be a morning routine, as it helps you work better even when you aren’t engaging in dedicated exercise. You won’t be plagued with aches and cramps at work, if you take a few minutes to warmup.

The best type of warmup is the dynamic warmup, as opposed to the type of static stretching that has been the standby for the past many decades. Since an excellent warmup article has already been written, I won’t repeat that. Please go and read it before continuing!

As I mentioned earlier, the warm-up at least should be a part of everyone’s daily routine. Research has shown that proper stretching (warm-up) can eliminate many issues, such as discomfort. For example, properly stretching the ankle can eliminate knee pain. It is also necessary prior to intense exercise, such as running, to prevent serious injury. Bottom line, if you’re going to work out, warm up.

You probably noticed that article was a little light on warm-ups for the upper body, i.e the arms and shoulders. For the arms, windmills (spinning your arms in a circle that starts horizontally inline with your shoulders and widens every ten reps till you are going above your head and down to your waist. Do this for 30 seconds and then reverse direction and repeat), and another is assuming a boxing stance and throwing crossovers, which has worked particularly well for me. Here are a couple of other useful upper body warm-ups.

Pronated Swings

Dr. Mike Marshall, a former Major League Baseball pitcher, designed this exercise to warm up the arms prior to baseball games and practices. Strap wrist weights on both arms or hold dumbbells in both hands. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, and hold your arms at your sides with your palms facing forward. Swing both arms forward and upward to shoulder height simultaneously. Pronate your forearms, turning your thumbs downward, as your arms approach shoulder height, then let them drop back down and swing behind your back. Turn your forearms back to the starting position and repeat continuously for 16 total repetitions.

Scissor Stretch

This scissor stretch lengthens the muscles that pull your arms toward the center of your body and those that flex your elbow joints. Start in the same position as arm circles, with your arms extended away from your shoulders. Move both arms horizontally in front of your chest, crossing your left arm over your right, then reverse back to the starting position and beyond, moving your arms behind your shoulders. Move both arms back in front of your chest, this time crossing your right arm over your left, then spread your arms out again. Continue alternating like this for your desired number of repetitions.

Triceps Stretch

For a triceps stretch, lie on the back of your upper arms and facilitate elbow-joint extension ranges of motion. This exercise stretches the triceps dynamically. Lift your left arm above your head, then bend your elbow, bringing your forearm and hand behind your head. Place your right hand behind your left elbow and pull backward until you feel a gentle stretch through your triceps. Hold for one to two seconds, then release and extend your arm overhead. Immediately bend your elbow again and pull backward again with your right hand, stretching the triceps slightly farther than the first time. Continue this cycle multiple times. Perform the stretch with your right arm as well.

The order you do your exercises in also can help warm up your muscles. For example, a good order could be: jumping jacks, then squats (un-weighted), then sit-ups, then push-ups, ending with your pull-ups, chin-ups, and dead lifts. This order runs from easiest to hardest, giving muscles a good round of warming up prior to moving on to more difficult exercise. You should also do a set of your exercises prior to running, for the same reasons stated above.

I think this concludes the warm-up!

Practical Fitness Exercises

Practical fitness is very simple; it does not require numerous expensive pieces of equipment. These exercises are what our fighting men rely on to be of the most physically fit and strong people on the planet. (I don’t believe in steroids and fanatic body building. What’s the point?) At the end of this section, I will include a list of URL/resources for helpful diagrams of each exercise. I will use Snip URLs.

The Jumping-Jack

This is a very useful full body exercise that also is a good warm up and improves balance and flexibility.

Stand with feet together and your hands down by your side. In one motion, jump your feet out to the side and raise your arms above your head. Then, immediately reverse that motion by jumping back to the starting position.

The Pushup

The pushup is probably the most known and recognizable exercises the world over. It engages the arms, back, and legs and is truly the essential exercise.

Start on all fours with the hands slightly wider than, but in line with, the shoulders. (The body should form a straight line form the shoulders to the ankles.) Squeeze the abs, glutes, and thighs as tight as possible and keep them engaged. Then, lower the body until the chest just touches the floor, making sure that the elbows are tucked in close to the torso and have created a right angle (ninety degrees) with the forearm. Pause for a moment, and then push yourself back to the starting position.

Please note that this is military pushup form, which is more difficult because it much more intensely engages the triceps. Please see this excellent article for the difference between military and standard pushups:

The Sit-up

This is the infamous sit-up, known for exhausting people and strengthening abs everywhere.

Assume the sit-up position, lying on your back with your knees up at a 95 degree angle (see image), with your hands behind your head with fingers interlocked. Unless you have very strong abdominals, you will have to either place your feet under an object (e.g, edge of a couch) or have someone hold your ankles. The correct form for a sit-up requires that your heel always remain in contact with the ground; you can lift the rest of your foot off the ground.

While doing these, tighten your abs and keep them engaged. Now, sit-up to your knees, keeping your back straight; this is essential. Hold for a second and the return to starting position.

The Pull-up

Undoubtedly one of the hardest, this is one of the best exercises for strengthening the arms and back.

Stand underneath the bar and grasp it with your hands, with your arms in front of the bar. Your arms should be slightly farther apart then shoulder width. Cross your feet, one ankle on top of the other. Pull up on the bar, raising your chin above and over the bar, controlling your body (i.e, no flinging yourself up there). Return to the “hanging position” (down till your arms are extended, but without your feet touching the ground).

The Chin-up:

This is a slight variation of the pull-up that engages primarily the biceps, making it easier, as the pull-up requires more back strength. The only difference between this and the pull-up is that you grasp the bar with your palms facing you and your arms shoulder width apart; the chin-up engages primarily your arms, not so much your back. It is still a exercise you should do.

NOTE: Never attempt to do a Pull-up or a Chin-up with the bar behind your head! It isn’t “taking it to the next level”; it’s a sure-fire way to suffer a debilitating back/neck injury!

The Squat:

As one of the very best exercises for developing upper leg and glute strength, the squat also involves the rest of the leg and the lower back.

Stand up straight with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart and your arms at your sides. Imagine you are going to sit down in a chair. Now, sit back butt first, with your torso following. Remember to keep your torso and head straight; think of a board from the top of your head to your waist. You will bend forward at the waist but not higher. Never bring your head forward farther than your toes.

Go down until your upper leg has created a right angle at your knee with the lower leg; no farther. As you go down, raise your arms up and forward, bringing them together until they touch. Do not attempt to raise them higher than your shoulder level at the full drop of the squat, as this will cause you to bend your back. You may also hold your arms out straight in front of you for the whole squat. Proper squat form requires your back to be straight at all times! Then, return to the starting position.

The basic squat is done without dumb/bar bells; the weights can be added as an advanced exercise, but warm up with basic squats first. Weights definitely will increase you muscle mass more aggressively. A bar bell and some weights definitely would be a good investment for your retreat.

Letter: T.Z. Answers Some Questions on Paleo Prepping

HJL,

As to getting rid of accumulations of prepper storage carbs, find some livestock that naturally eats such things. Maybe a local beekeeper could use the sugar over winter. Maybe some chickens can turn it into good eggs or meat.

As to storage, I already mentioned good, organic vitamin and mineral supplements and protein powder, which you can put in bug-out bags. If I have fat on me, I’ll be burning that for a while as I’m bugging out or assessing the local area for wild food, barter, or what I’ve stored. Since I’m not hungry all the time, I can take it more slowly, and if it is temporary, I can go sedentary for a while and huddle in the warmest room with some books.

At least one of SurvivalBlog’s advertisers has long-term storage canned butter. I also look for something like olive oil on sale, especially in bulk, but you need to rotate them, even if you keep them chilled. The original “What’s for Dinner” series had some tips on this. Butter doesn’t need to be refrigerated, it goes rancid from oxidation, so one way is to just keep it under water where it is cool, though I’m not sure how long it stores in this state.

If you have cows, you might get butter, but for meat livestock, there’s tallow or lard. Similar is true for game animals, and the organ meats are usually high fat and nutrient dense.

I’m also looking at oilseeds, like sunflowers. Perhaps other readers can provide ideas of something that is more oily than starchy and grows well in the Redoubt.

For the “if you could do only one thing”, egg laying chickens might be the best alternative to actual storage, but you are likely to get a good surplus when you aren’t grid-down, so you can freeze-dry or maybe sell the surplus. Eggs by free range hens have fairly complete nutrition and you can often get that year round, though they will need feed in the winter.

The Freeze Dryer is the least work for the best results; the worst part is maintenance on the vacuum pump. I would freeze-dry copies of the meals you are eating if they are proper low-carb and don’t contain just oils. (You can’t dry something that is not moist.) Slice, put on trays, push a button, and put in bags is about as minimal work as you can get, and it gives you 25 years.

I don’t know your area, but another possibility is barter now with neighbors. Let them do the high-effort vegetables and livestock; you do the easier ones. You can be the freeze-dry person for the group or provide something else.

Freeze dryed thinly sliced meats become like chips as do leafy veggies, and eggs are like puffs so you can snack on them without re-hydrating or heating. I often freeze-dry and don’t store the food for long-term, as I just eat it out of ziplock bags.

We’re used to a few large, hot meals with a variety of foods, but you can try something different to make it simpler and less work. Bulk scramble eggs then reheat, or do a dozen hard-boiled eggs at a time, put them in a dish, then eat when hungry, not at a specific time. One of the more important low-carb tips is only eat when hungry, and fasting is recommended to accelerate weight loss. You won’t need to cook as often.

You can also just buy freeze-dried eggs and meats and some vegetables, but usually the results aren’t as good as doing your own. There is little work in putting cans in your pantry, though those are basically protein, vitamins, and minerals, and except for eggs and a few meats, have little fat. There are some longer term canned meats, and I already mentioned canned butter. That is a quick way to accumulate the year’s supply with minimal effort but some expense.

You might just want to do powdered or freeze-dried eggs with the Protein Powder and supplements for TEOTWAWKI, and continue your sustainable efforts for a lesser crisis. You have to ask what kinds of disasters and when would they affect your sustainable homestead. If you bug-out, you aren’t going to take a lot with you. If you are sustainable, much less have a surplus, you should only need stores for supplementing your diet or for charity.

Economics and Investing:

Why OPEC Production Freeze Could Pave The Way For Actual Cuts

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More indoctrination of our kids. “Ultimate Banking” Monopoly Edition Goes Completely Cashless – L.P.

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Items from Professor Preponomics:

US News

Why Negative Interest Rates Will Fail (Mises) Excerpt: “…there is an old adage: you can bring a horse to water but you cannot make him drink! With the world economy sinking into recession, few banks have credit-worthy customers and many banks are having difficulties collecting on existing loans.”

Percent of Total Wealth Owned in the United States: Bottom 40% Control -0.9% Meaning Close to Half the County Has a Negative Net Worth (My Budget 360) Excerpt: “This is what happens when wage growth disappears and inflation continues to expand. To keep up the pretense that the middle class was thriving debt products allowed people to spend money they don’t have. This is how the bottom 40 percent of Americans actually own negative wealth. They simply have more debt than assets. The story of the last financial crisis was one of too much debt. As it happens, we have now surpassed that point once again….”

Health Insurers Going Broke, Thanks to Obamacare (The New American) Excerpt: “According to one of ObamaCare’s primary architects, former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, that is exactly what the monstrosity was designed to do: fail, leaving the path open to a single-pay, government-run health insurance system.”

Civic Federation: Illinois Needs $9.4B in New Taxes by 2019 to Survive (WTTW) Excerpt: ““The state has basically spent the entire $32 billion of revenue that it had available,” he said. “We still have five months left in the fiscal year. We’re not going to close a $4.7 billion deficit just by cutting spending. There’s not enough time.”

Puerto Rico Government Has “Substantial Doubt” about It’s Solvency (The World Post) Excerpt: “Puerto Rico said it expects to miss at least some of its July 1 general obligation (GO) debt payment – about $800 million, according to a debt schedule obtained by Reuters – even with the benefit of so-called “clawbacks” wherein revenues earmarked for other debt are redirected to pay GO debt.”

International News

Hungary Central Bank Stockpiles Guns, Bullets: Cites Terror Risk (Bloomberg) Excerpt: “Hungary’s central bank, already facing criticism for a spending spree ranging from real estate to fine art, is now beefing up its security force, citing Europe’s migrant crisis and potential bomb threats among the reasons.”

Rome Looks to the ECB to Resolve Its Banking Crisis (New Europe) Excerpt: “For the moment, Italy’s BBB- just-about investment grade rating is essential, not least an important part of this ECB scheme is to have Rome “guarantee” NPLs, with everybody knowing that is a promise that cannot be met. Italy does not have the money and does not have the fiscal space to make such promises. But, this is a lie one can agree to believe, if it serves a purpose.”

Personal Economics and Household Finance

How to Prepare for a Recession (USA Today) Excerpt: “If I’m correct, and the economy is about to enter a recession, how should I prepare my finances so I don’t repeat history? I feel like the economy could get ugly this coming fall.”

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SurvivalBlog and it’s editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details

Odds ‘n Sods:

It looks like the Feds hold a grudge for a pretty long time. SurvivalBlog reader B.B. sent in this article outlining the charges that Cliven Bundy and sons Ammon and Ryan have been indicted for Nevada standoff in 2014. Now that the indictments have been handed down for that, the rumors are flying about how many more indictments will be coming. The government doesn’t like to lose a fight, and they are feeling their oats now after Burns, Oregon.

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Given world events, it is difficult not to see this as “sinister”. South Florida Jewish Community Concerned Over Bizarre Encounters – Submitted by T.A.

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The FBI apparently has a new stylish brownshirt field uniform with matching pants. Now all they need is color-coordinated stock furniture and purses for a night out on the town. Oh, and maybe some rakish-looking “FBI” armbands, for the complete ensemble.- JWR

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Pat Cascio, SurvivalBlog’s Senior Product Review Editor commented that is sure looks like we are preparing to go to war with Russia… U.S. stationing tanks and artillery in classified Norwegian caves (Warning: autostarting video)

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Vizio’s smart TVs are snitches, lawsuit alleges – Sent in by D.S.

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SurvivalBlog reader CDV sent in this article of the search for a steamboat that sank on the Missouri River 150 years ago. They found it, and interestingly enough among the artifacts found was much preserved food that was still edible. It even looks good in the glass canning jars.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“All the fiery rhetoric of the Founders was directed at a `tyrant’ who taxed his subjects at a rate of about three percent. Today, we in `the land of the free’ are taxed at about 50 percent when you add federal, state, and local taxes. What kind of government would do this? A dictatorship would. “ – Doug Newman

Notes for Thursday – February 18, 2016

Today, we present another entry for Round 63 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value),
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chrome-lined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul PMAG 30-rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt; (an equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions),
  6. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  7. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package (enough for two families of four) plus seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate (a $325 retail value),
  8. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  9. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304, and
  10. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  3. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  4. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  5. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  6. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  8. Safecastle is providing a package of 10 LifeStraws (a $200 value)

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A $245 gift certificate from custom knife-maker Jon Kelly Designs, of Eureka, Montana,
  3. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  7. Montie Gear is donating a Precision Rest (a $249 value), and
  8. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 63 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.