Why Are The Chinese Buying Real Estate All Over America
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Items from The Economatrix:
<<a target=”_blank” href=”http://www.marketwatch.com/story/yellen-feds-extraordinary-aid-to-last-for-some-time-2014-03-31-10103729″>Yellen: Economy’s Recovery Feels Like Recession To Many
Mark Faber: The Old World Order Is Over
US Farmers Face Planting Issues as Cold, Drought Linger
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Is Alaska’s Jury Nullification Bill in Line With Founders’ View?
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Whether you vaccinate or not, we have a problem. We have people suggesting that it’s the government’s place to tell us what’s best for our children. A Parent’s Response to The New York Time’s ‘Eliminate Vaccine Exemptions’ Goes Viral – H.L.
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Video: Man found guilty after carrying replica bullets – T.J.
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More information on the Montana ammo casing processor: Montana ammo casing processor raid recalls warnings of anti-gun agenda at OSHA – B.B.
“Of all the knowledge that we can ever obtain, the knowledge of God, and the knowledge of ourselves, are the most important.” – Jonathan Edwards
April 1st is both April Fool’s Day and (unofficially) Molly Ivins Day. The latter refers to this key verse: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1 KJV)
April 1st, 1886 was the birthday of Arthur W. Pink (died 15 July 1952), who was a English Christian evangelist and excellent Reformed Biblical scholar. It was his meticulously referenced arguments in his book The Soverignty of God that first convinced me of the truth of the doctrine of Election.
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No foolin’, the Product Review Editor position at SurvivalBlog has been filled. We sincerely thank all who sent in resumes. It was difficult to choose from all of the qualified candidates. We are introducing our new Product Review Editor with an article that he wrote for us as a sample. We hope you will enjoy it as much as we have and will join us in extending a warm welcome to Scot Frank Eire.
I am pleased to announce that SurvivalBlog has selected Scot Frank Eire (a pen name) as our new Product Review Editor. He is a perfect fit for the blog, both editorially, experientially, and in personality.
For those that are curious, his pen name is a play on Scotts Irish as well as working in “Frank” from the Frankish tribes the city of Frankfurt is named for. Frankfurt is where his family was based in the mid-18th century.
Here are a few details about Scot:
Welcome aboard, Scot!
We have completed Round 51 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest!
First Prize goes to G.A. (RN) for “Setting up a Sick Room in Your Home”, which was posted on Wednesday, February 26, 2014. She will receive the following prizes:
Second prize goes to A.C. for “Dealing With Asthma When The SHTF”, which was posted on Thursday, March 27, 2014. She will receive the following prizes:
Third prize goes to P.R. for “How To Save Seeds: From Your Garden, For Your Garden”, published on Wednesday, March 19, 2014. He will receive the following prizes:
Honorable Mention prizes ($30 Amazon.com gift certificates) have been awarded to the writers of these 10 fine articles:
Note to all Prize winners: Let us know your current e-mail address. We will also need UPS and USPS addresses for each of the top three prize winners.
Round 51 ended on March 31st, but Round 52 has started, 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. Those articles that we received for Round 51, but that did not get published in time will be automatically entered in Round 52.
I confess; I’m a holster junky. I like buying them and trying them out. That said, I hate buying a holster and ending up not being able to use it. I’m left-handed, and that makes it harder to sell or even give them away. Unfortunately, in the process of learning what I am writing here, I’ve wasted a fair amount of money. With luck, perhaps some of what I’ve learned can help you a bit. Much of it is probably obvious, but I’m not the only one with a box of unused holsters, so I’m not alone in learning the hard way.
Just as a point of information, my first carry gun was a S&W 659 in a Bianchi fanny pack. I was bicycling a lot for recreation and encountered some threatening people and dogs. I wasn’t there, but a rider I knew got hit by someone with a bat just for being on the road. That had a sobering effect. I wasn’t happy with how I shot the Smith, however, compared to how I shoot 1911’s, so it got replaced with a Colt Officers ACP. My primary carry gun on the belt has almost always been a Colt Commander in some sort of Milt Sparks inside the waist band (IWB) holster. Last year I began to experiment with Kydex. I have a G-Code IWB and am looking forward to a JM Custom IWB that is on order (review to come). I love leather, but I have a lot of hot, humid weather here, and summer sweat ruins my beautiful Sparks holsters. It also allows that corrosive stuff to get into the pistol, which increases maintenance issues. I almost always carry a S&W Centennial in a trouser pocket using a DeSantis or Uncle Mikes pocket holster. I still use a fanny pack for cycling, but I now often use a S&W Model 19 revolver as I started to fret about something bumping the safety off on a 1911 pattern pistol covered only by a layer of nylon.
Concealment holsters may look simple, but their job is deceptively complex. They handle the difficult tasks of carrying your weapon comfortably and safely, ready for immediate use, yet invisible to onlookers. Balancing these four factors– comfort, safety, access, and concealment– must give holster makers fits as they perform their craft. Luckily for us, there are so many good ones that we face tough decisions when we try to pick one.
Two holsters may look much the same, but there can be very subtle differences. Precisely where and how a holster carries your gun can make a world of difference in how well works. The location of a belt loop might make a holster simply not work with some clothes.
We first have to realize that any holster is a compromise that reflects individual circumstances and what type of gun you carry. How do you dress? How big are you? Body size and shape are critical factors in what will work for you. Some things just won’t do. A five foot tall woman in jogging shorts won’t be able to conceal a six inch .44 in an inside the pants holster.
The threat you face plays a role in choosing the type of weapon you need and how you carry it. A prosecution witness in an organized crime case could have different priorities than a rural physician. The bigger the threat, the more weapon most of us want. Firepower and stopping power exact a price in the size and weight of the gun. In short, we trade comfort for protection.
Levels of concealment have an effect, too. An undercover cop, who can’t afford to be made, has different requirements than a legal civilian or a detective on routine duty. Laws also pose problems. Florida, for example, recently made “wardrobe malfunctions” legal. Before that, flashing a gun when your shirt got caught getting out of a car was a crime. Now it isn’t.
Safety is the only factor that can’t be compromised. A holster must be safe or you shouldn’t use it! The design of your gun plays a big role here. As an example, there are holsters that disengage the safety on some types of pistols.
The four factors– safety, comfort, access, and concealment– play off against each other, your situation, and your gun. It’s a tough job, one most of us don’t solve on the first try, but hopefully this will help you get there as quickly and cheaply as possible (unless, of course, you enjoy collecting holsters)!
The most important thing is safety. A good holster helps prevent negligent discharges (ND’s) while the gun is holstered, drawn and carried. A bad design that’s unsuited for your gun can cause an ND. At best, an ND is embarrassing. If you shoot yourself, you’re doing the bad guy’s work for him. Worse, hitting an innocent bystander makes you the bad guy.
The single best safety feature is a covered trigger. Don’t leave home without it. If you get eager or fumble, you might put your finger on the trigger too soon. The stress of mortal combat has been known to produce a certain degree of clumsiness. Covering the trigger keeps you from shooting at least until the gun clears the holster. It forces the trigger finger to go straight, which is how it should be until your sights acquire the target. Only then should it move into the trigger guard.
About the only redeeming feature of a holster that doesn’t cover the trigger is that it might help prevent an AD if you holster with your finger on the trigger. It seems easier, however, to learn to remove your finger from the trigger during holstering than to keep it off while drawing. You are trying for speed during the draw. That makes you want to hurry up and get the finger on the trigger, especially if someone is shooting at you. You can and should learn to be more leisurely when holstering.
There are other pieces in the safety equation too. How well the holster retains your gun is important for at least two reasons. First, when you need it, the bloody thing better be there. Second, not only are dropped guns embarrassing in polite company, some handguns will fire if they fall far enough. Dropping a gun can also get you arrested.
Your situation will tell you how much retention your gun needs. If you’re a cop show hero doing a track and field event with the French Connection, you need something that holds your piece pretty securely. If your idea of working up a sweat is shuffling loan papers in your bank office, you can get by with something a lot less retentive.
The most common retention systems are friction and straps. Friction can be provided by a tight fit of leather to the gun or the clamping action of a spring or clip. Some friction fit holsters provide a screw to adjust for user preference, conditions, and wear. Inside the pants holsters can be adjusted by tightening the belt. Holsters also use the shape of the body to provide the friction. The bulge most of us (alas) have above the belt helps keep the gun in the holster. By the way, women, having differently placed bulges, probably can’t use the same holster as a guy. I’ll plan on doing my best to address women’s issues later. They have a lot more problems than men do with concealed carry, and it’s hard for us to fully understand them.
Most straps these days are thumb breaks. They let the thumb push them off as the hand wraps around the grip. Alessi makes holsters with a pull through snap. You just jerk the gun out, and the snapped strap pops open. They work well. Many of the soft synthetic holsters are using Velcro rather than snaps. I’m not keen on that, as Velcro doesn’t release as cleanly as a snap. Some makers, including Sparks, are dabbling with magnetic closures. I’m looking forward to trying that. In the old days, there were straps that required a separate motion to release them. These are best avoided.
Ultimately a strap retains best, but a good friction design gives better access, since a strap can be missed under pressure.
Straps can help you, however, keep your gun if someone is trying to take it from you.
Another advantage of straps is that they block the movement of the hammer (if your gun has one). This prevents the gun from firing when holstered. This is a nice bonus, and if everything else were equal, might give the nod to one design over another.
A drawback of retaining straps is that they can interfere when you’re trying to re-holster. There is also a possibility of one getting into the trigger guard and causing an ND.
Another safety point to ponder is how much your gun points at things you don’t want destroyed (like your personals, perhaps). It’s just about impossible to make a holster that conceals well that doesn’t point your gun at you, but I like to minimize it as much as possible. Skill is important and is derived from practice and repetition. During all that practice, worry about where the muzzle points! Some designs, like horizontal shoulder holsters, are very problematic.
Then there is the safety many handguns have. Make sure your holster doesn’t push it off. Some holsters will. Some designers make holsters that secure the safety in the safe position as part of their design. This is a good thing. Have you modified your safety or fitted a replacement? Go back and check your holster again. Things might have been fine with the original, but now you may have a problem.
A final safety factor is how well can you re-holster your gun? Some designs take two hands while others practically force you to undress. Some holsters collapse after the gun is drawn. Some retaining straps also cause trouble. The hooked trigger guards found on some autos don’t help either.
Don’t underestimate the importance of being able to re-holster. Uniformed police will surely respond to ANY incident that caused you to draw your weapon. Having your gun back in the holster will help prevent them from thinking you’re the bad guy. If you can re-holster without looking, you can keep your eyes where they belong– on the situation. Don’t give the bad guy a chance because you have to look at your holster to get the gun back in. This should, of course, make the point that you should practice re-holstering as well as drawing!
There can be a problem with ND’s during the re-holster. You must remember to get the finger out of the trigger guard during the re-holster. Clothing can get caught and press the trigger. As mentioned earlier, be careful with retention straps. The weight and length of the trigger stroke as well as the presence of a thumb safety can make a difference here. Technique matters too. Practice pulling your clothing out of the way as you re-holster.
Sir,
I just wanted to take a moment to comment on the “Staying Warm In An LP/OP” article by M.E. As I read it, I was chuckling and nodding my head. He hit the nail on the head with several of his observations. The recommendations for staying warm are dead on, and the suggestion about using two personnel to man an OP/LP is tried and true. After 23 years in the Army, I know that staying warm is a two-edged sword. If you stay warm enough, the tendency is to drift off to sleep. If you are too cold, your concentration becomes focused on simply staying warm. There is a fine line for the sole sentry to walk in this regard. This is a situation we mitigate by mandating two sentries for the same post, or limiting the amount of time a single sentry stands watch to around two hours. Anyway, without running off down a rabbit hole, I just wanted to say, “good article.” – WB, LTC
After 75% of the accidents in the last two years have been wildlife related, a Wildlife detection system installed on dangerous stretch of Hwy 95
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Can you spell “Selective Enforcement”? Montana ammo casing processor raid recalls warnings of anti-gun agenda at OSHA
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A New Kid on the Block in Oregon. Eastern Oregon Tactical LLC
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Idaho mental health records added to FBI gun check – RBS
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Idaho rancher says he shot colt-killing wolf . The rancher killed the wolf, after it returned to attack his two border collies.
Will Inflation Make A Comeback In 2014 – D.B.
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Will China Choose Russia or America in the Coming War? – J.R.
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Items from The Economatrix:
Picturing Our Dystopian World – Where Less Is More
The Fallacy Of Home Ownership – Why People Believe The Myth
February Personal Outlays Sustained By Service Spending Surge; Durable Goods Spending Slides
The New York State Rifle & Pistol Association is pleased to announce that the Revised New York State Police NY SAFE Act Guide instructs its members not to enforce the 7-round magazine limit originally imposed by the hastily enacted measure.
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How they’re hypersexualizing your kids. And people wonder why I homeschool my own kids. – H.L.
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I actually had to verify this because it is so absurd. White House looks to regulate cow flatulence as part of climate agenda.
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We’ve seen similar concepts before, but this is one of my favorite sites. 3 Ways to Escape Zip Ties: An Illustrated Guide. Mike Williamson (SurvivalBlog Editor At Large)
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“No statement should be believed because it is made by an authority. “ – Robert Heinlein
Notes from HJL:
Concerning the emerging story coming out of Jemez Springs, New Mexico, we have been waiting for the other shoe to drop. I have no love for the TSA and wouldn’t be surprised by the actions I have seen taken, but there is apparently more to the story. C.L. sent in this link showing that the TSA triggered on the idea that the sheriff was traveling under a different name.
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Also, P.W. instructs us that the reason the FDA is clamping down on drug companies over animal antibiotics is to target the industry that routinely feeds these antibiotics to the animals as a preventative measure. Feeding these massive amounts of antibiotics leads to the development of resistant strains of bacteria. While I understand and agree with that premise, it will still impact those who use the antibiotics to stock their prep pantries.
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Lastly, the gauntlet has been thrown down over last week’s biscuit recipe. This week, there are two recipes from readers who responded that their biscuits are better. Actually there are three, but Mrs Latimer wouldn’t let me publish her recipe. Eat and enjoy!
Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review, by Steven Chochran of Gainesville Coins. Every month, we’ll take a look at the “month that was” in precious metals (PMs), covering everything from price action to the information that’s driving the numbers.
Of course, the thing that dominated the news in March was Russia’s invasion of the province of Crimea in Ukraine and annexation of the area into Mother Russia. Something, that got less attention but had just as much effect on gold, was the failures in China of “shadow loan” funds.
Russian troops poured into the southern Ukrainian province of Crimea in the pre-dawn hours of March 1st, in response to security worries following the ousting of pro-Russian Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, which set off the largest international incident in Europe since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Gold gained strongly on safe haven demand, peaking at a six-month high of $1,392 an ounce in intra-day trading on March 17th. An estimated 20,000 Russian troops entered Crimea, taking over Ukrainian military and government buildings. After the Russian-installed Crimean legislature held a referendum to rejoin Russia, it became clear that only symbolic sanctions would be enacted by the West. Gold began to decline from its highs, but capital flight out of Russia had already topped $60 billion and landed a severe blow to an already struggling Russian economy. The Russian central bank has canceled its last four bond auctions due to lack of demand.
Another bullish factor for gold was the Chinese financial sector. After previously bailing out insolvent companies and “investment trusts”, the Chinese government finally made good on its threats and started letting them default. This sent shockwaves through the public, who had believed that Beijing would make them whole no matter what risky ventures they put their money into. This positive for gold was somewhat offset by evidence that the Chinese economy was slowing down. This put pressure on base metals, such as copper and iron ore, which bled through to silver and the platinum group metals.
Riots in Turkey returned to a fever pitch, as President Erdogan ordered censoring of the Internet and blocking of Twitter and Youtube in an attempt to stop more revelations of corrupt acts by him and his family. Recordings of Erdogan and his son talking about where to hide bribes that they had received spread nationwide through Twitter and Facebook.
Anti-government demonstrations in Thailand erupted again, after the Supreme Court nullified last month’s elections due to fraud by the party of the Prime Minister, who is now facing official corruption charges and impeachment.
Thirty-four people have died so far in continuing riots in Venezuela, where the nation seems split between Marxist government supporters and anti-corruption protestors, who are demonstrating against high crime, high inflation, and food shortages. President Maduro had three Air Force generals arrested for treason.
The biggest bear factor for gold this month was new Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen , botching her first press conference on March 19th and telling reporters that the Fed would start raising interest rates next summer. This tanked the stock market and precious metals. Instead of trying to “walk back” her goof, other Fed officials went ahead and agreed with her, keeping the idea of higher interest rates in the news. Of course, the Fed thinks that interest rates are under 2%, even as food prices are skyrocketing. Pork is already 56% more expensive this year, and beef prices have increased 20% since January.
Gold and silver both broke above their 200-day moving average in March, due to situations in Ukraine and China and uncertainty over the U.S. economy. Gold hit a high of $1,392 an ounce for the month on March 17, where silver hit its monthly high on March 14, at $21.71.
Net gold imports by China through Hong Kong for February were reported at 109.2 metric tons. This is 30% more than January and 79% more than last February. Keep in mind that Hong Kong isn’t the way avenue available to China for gold. Expert on Chinese gold demand Koos Jansen calculates that total gold imports into China are already over 448 metric tons in the first three months of the year. Chinese businesses are starting to import large amounts of gold to use as collateral for bank loans, which accounts for some of that demand.
Another silver vault is opening in Singapore, this one with the capacity of 600 metric tons. It isn’t just gold that’s being bought hand over fist in Asia. Two new physically-backed platinum ETFs have been launched in South Africa, which is the world’s top producer of the metal, and South Korea has opened its first gold-backed ETF, as a measure to combat smuggling.
India has allowed five private banks to import gold, in an effort to ease gold shortages in the country. Until now, only six government-controlled banks and three importers had been allowed to import gold. All banks still have to pay 10% import tax and obey quotas. The draconian import restrictions and high taxes led to a nationwide strike by the gold industry on March 10, which may have played a part in the move.
Iraq bought 36 tonnes of gold in March, valued at over $1.5 billion dollars. The Iraqi central bank said that this huge purchase, the largest by any central bank in the world in the last three years, was to stabilize their currency– the dinar. This more than doubled Iraqi gold reserves. Now that Iraqi oil production has finally recovered, the government wants to divest some of the dollars from oil sales into something more solid.
Three separate class-action lawsuits were filed this month against the five megabanks that make up the London Gold Fix association, claiming that they have manipulated gold prices since at least 2004. These suits come on the heels of increasing pressure by financial regulators investigating currency and precious metals manipulation at big banks worldwide. Several bankers involved in currency and gold trading have committed suicide or been fired in the last two months, in what the mainstream press consider coincidence or stress from overworking.
John Embry says that the increasing focus on the paper manipulation of gold will force an end to the practice in a matter of months, not years, and will let gold seek its true, physical price. (Scroll down at link for interview.)
Jim Rickards expounds in this interview on how the government’s declaration of the large megabanks as “too big to fail” and promising more bailouts has led to irresponsible, reckless behavior that will lead to the collapse of current monetary system. He foresees a new “global reserve currency” replacing the dollar, and financial power being based on gold.
Speaking of bad banks, the European Union has finalized new banking rules that mean depositors can lose their money on a “bail-in” of their bank if it fails. The U.S. Treasury Department is working on similar rules.
A citizens’ initiative called “Save Our Swiss Gold” has been blocked by the Swiss Parliament. The proponents of the measure, mandating the Swiss central bank hold 20% of its reserves in gold, had gathered enough signatures to qualify for a nationwide referendum on the subject, but a national vote on the subject was shot down by the lower house of parliament at the urging of the Swiss government and Finance Minister.
Jim Sinclair thinks Yellen will not only reverse the taper, but increase money printing to levels never seen before, weakening the dollar and boosting gold.
DOLLAR WEAKNESS.
We noticed that there was ZERO safe haven demand for the dollar during the Ukraine crisis. The yen, Swiss franc, and gold saw the safe haven action. Even the euro did better. This may be the first big sign of the dollar losing its status as the world’s global reserve currency.
China has been signing major bilateral agreements to conduct international trade in yuan, cutting out the dollar as the method of settling deals. China and the UK have announced that the first yuan clearing and settlement house in Europe will be set up in London. This will allow international trade between the EU and China to be conducted directly, reducing demand for the dollar and making it weaker. Of course, a weaker dollar means higher gold (and oil) prices, since they are denominated in dollars.
CHINA DEMAND.
We may be seeing even stronger physical gold demand out of China, as the public has been spooked over losses in investment trusts and co-ops. Some have simply closed their doors, with the manager disappearing with everyone’s money. This nervousness is starting to affect small banks in troubled areas of the nation, as two banks suffered a bank run on March 24. China does not have depositors’ insurance like the FDIC in the U.S., so if the bank makes too many bad loans, all your money is gone.
Royal Bank of Canada Capital Management has released a study that points to a strong gold rally ahead that could rival the one of 2005-2008. Noting that purchases by gold ETFs was a large factor in the rally of 2005-2008, and outflows from those same ETFs were a major reason for the bear market in 2013, the report notes that these ETFs no longer have the volume to negatively affect gold over the long term, and physical demand from China is many times larger than the ETF demand was, even at its peak.
LESS GOLD PRODUCTION.
Major mining companies are warning that global gold mining output could fall below expectations in 2014, due to development cutbacks and policy shifts spurred by the 28% drop in gold prices in 2013. The gold mining industry as a whole has taken at least $30 billion in write-downs, as in-ground stocks have had to be revalued downwards and new projects canceled. The CEOs of both McEwen Mining and Barrick see global production shrinking this year, while Goldcorp CEO Chuck Jeannes said he wouldn’t be surprised.
The practice of “high grading”– only mining the purest veins– helps gold production per ton of ore, but it leaves the lower grade veins behind instead of mixing it all together. This can drastically cut the life of the mine and result in that ore being left behind forever, as the tunnels made chasing only high grade ore makes it unsafe to extract.
PLATINUM SUPPLY. The platinum mineworkers strike in South Africa entered its third month in March. This is far longer than anyone had expected, and above-ground supplies are drying up. Conditions in some of the older, deeper mines have deteriorated so much that the companies say that they are no longer safe and will likely be permanently shut down. The strike has halted 40% of global platinum production.
The DIVVY 250 emergency water filtration station, designed in conjunction with Clearly Filtered and www.aquamira.com and manufactured in Logan, Utah, is one of the best water purification/filtration systems to come along for large group use in a long, long time. As SurvivalBlog readers know, from my previous articles on safe drinking water, my family and I are obsessed with having different methods available to provide us with affordable and safe drinking water, on a daily basis or in an emergency.
You can have all the guns, ammo, and food stored away for a SHTF scenario that you can afford. However, without a source of safe drinking water, you will die in a very short time. I know quite a few folks who are Preppers; for many, their main objective is to have a lot of guns and ammo, some food, and perhaps a little bit of bottled drinking water. They never once stopping to think that the bottled water will run out in short order, nor do they even consider that bottled water has an expiration date. Some bottled water expires in as little as six months. Plus, bottled water is expensive, to be sure!
I’ve seen gun owners, without giving it a thought, drop hundreds of dollars (sometimes thousands of dollars) on ammo, without blinking an eye. However, these same gun owners question investing in a simple water purification bottle that might cost as little as $25.00 – $30.00. When they are presented with a more expensive water filtering system that might set them back a couple of hundred bucks, they’ll head for the hills before they’ll open their wallets to buy one. Quite frankly, I just don’t understand this mentality. You WILL die inside of a few days without a source of clean and safe drinking water. I can’t state it differently. Still, there are people (some that I know personally), who just won’t let that sink in for some reason.
A close look at the DIVVY 250 is in order. This is a joint project between Clearly Filtered and Aquamira– two of the best names in water filtering/purification products. I’ve tested many of their products and found them to be just as advertised. The DIVVY 250 will produce 2,500 gallons of safe drinking water per day, but you need to obtain your water from a fresh water source, not from a septic tank, so let’s be clear on this. A pond, fresh water lake, stream, or other similar water supply is where you need to get your water from prior to treating it. What is sweet about the DIVVY 250 is that it requires NO electricity to operate, making it ideal for where (a Third World Country) or when (TEOTWAWKI) you have no electricity. Using it, you can filter up to 250 gallons of safe drinking water every hour. However, with added water holding containers, you can pump as much as 6,000 gallons of water per day.
The DIVVY 250 removes water-borne bacteria, particulates, Protozoa, Crypto, Giardia, E. Coli, Cholera, and Salmonella, plus bad tastes and odors, too. It meets EPA requirements for biological water purification, as well. The entire unit weighs about 177 pounds and can even be air-dropped into rural areas, for immediate use. Its setup takes about 20 minutes, and inside of 90 minutes you can be pumping safe drinking water. The process involves setting up the soft water storage container, connecting the pump and water lines, assembling the filter support and distribution pod, adding the pre-dosed calcium chloride, and waiting a short time. Then, you can start pumping safe drinking water from the four hose attachments, so that multiple people can fill their water containers simultaneously. The entire unit can be assembled by one person, too. I’ve seen the DIVVY 250 in operation, and it really is that simple to get it up and running.
Aquamira has a proven chlorine disinfection technology that is even used by the U.S. military, and their system works, and it works well. So, if the U.S. military has so much faith in the Aquarmira chlorine disinfection system, then I know it works.
The DIVVY 250 is designed for use by large groups of people, like a church group, a like-minded prepper group, small towns, and many other groups. Of course, the DIVVY 250 isn’t designed for use by a large city. Remember, you can pump and purify up to 2,500 gallons of water per day, and with added storage containers you can pump up to 6,000 gallons of purified water each day. Clearly, this won’t fill the needs of large cities with tens of thousands of people or millions of people. However, for small towns or large groups of people, this system will easily provide more than enough safe drinking water in an emergency.
I can see the DIVVY 250 being used in rural areas or in Third World countries, where there is no safe source of drinking water to start with. This system is being used at a rural Honduras clinic and the number of cases of residents suffering from water-borne diseases has all but disappeared, so long as the residents obtain their drinking water from the DIVVY 250. In earthquake ravaged areas, where the municipal water supply has been broken, the DIVVY 250 can be air dropped, and residents can pump safe drinking water from nearby streams, lakes, or even swimming pools. Multiple units can be used to service even larger groups, too.
The good news is that Clearly Filtered and Aquamira have the DIVVY in-stock and ready to ship just about any place in the world inside of a few days. Now, this type of system doesn’t come cheap, as you can imagine. Full-retail for the DIVVY 250 is $9,995.00. Yes, you read that right; it’s almost ten grand. However, when you stop to think about the life-saving qualities of such a unit, it really isn’t all that expensive. If you have a church group, the congregation could all pitch in and get one. Not only could they save the lives of church members, they could help the community in general, keeping in mind the gallons of water each unit can put out each day. A rural fire department could have a DIVVY 250 on-hand, so that when a natural disaster strikes they can set the unit up and provide survivors with safe drinking water. As mentioned before, a survival group or prepper group could combine their money to purchase a unit. The possibilities are there, if you’ll stop and think about the usefulness of such a water filtering system.
If I were in better financial circumstances, I would without a doubt purchase a DIVVY 250 for my family to have and then never have to worry about having a safe source of drinking water again. Sadly, we can’t afford such a unit. However, we do have other water filtration products from Clearly Filtered and Aquamira that we use daily for our safe drinking water.
I’m sure many SurvivalBlog readers have different types of water filtering/purification systems on hand. Most units are designed for use by one person or a couple of people and can only provide a limited, often very limited, amount of safe drinking water each day. What if there is a major disaster and you have extended family that comes to you for help? Sure, you might have extra food for them, but do you have a source of safe drinking water that you can provide them? There are a lot of things to consider BEFORE a major disaster strikes, and most people just don’t give any thought to having a source of safe drinking water. Look, a trunk load of bottled water will only last you a few days for your family. Then what? If you have a fresh water source, such as a stream, creek, or lake nearby, you can have all the safe drinking water you’ll need, if you have the DIVVY 250. It would be a great blessing to you, your extended family, neighbors, and your small community to have a way of providing them with fresh and safe drinking water during a disaster.
For more information, be sure to check out the Aquamira and Clearly Filtered websites. If you have the means of purchasing one, do so, before a disaster! – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio