Letter Re: Chiappa Rhino Revolvers

James,

You regularly publish Pat’s Product Reviews and very rarely do I find any reason to complain. But today’s column did little more than make me roll my eyes. Revolvers today have two advantages over autoloaders: Higher calibers (like the .460 and .500) and utter reliability. There are significantly fewer moving parts in a revolver than an autoloader and therefore fewer things that can break. Unfortunately, the Rhino fits neither of those two. The .357 Magnum is no longer that impressive and the Rhino has by far the most moving parts of any revolver out there. I too was originally very excited about the Rhino because it has less felt recoil on a .357 load than most other revolvers have on .38 Special +P. But I am now on my third repair, after firing less than 3,000 rounds through the gun.

If you want to buy something different, then go for it. If you, however, are looking for a reliable self-defense gun, go for a traditional, proven design. – Peter

Letter Re: Berkey Light Water Filters

Dear SurvivalBlog Readers:
I purchased a Berkey Light water filter system last year in the spring with my tax refund.  The Berkey Light system is the all-plastic Berkey.  I also bought the plastic base offered in connection for the unit, for the convenience of it. 

Just short of one year later. I noticed a leak at the bottom of the water spigot.  After dumping out the water, cleaning all the parts, I tried re-seating the spigot again, but the leak persisted.  Finally, I noticed a small tear in the plastic at the bottom of the hole for the spigot. 

I contacted the retailer who sold me the unit and they graciously sent me a replacement bottom reservoir (this part has the hole where the spigot is located).  However, upon putting all the parts back together, this time the base unit cracked in several places.  The cracks are such that it’s not completely un-usable, but it bothers me that I spent $209 plus extra for the base for a product that really didn’t last longer than about a year.  It could be faulty design.  There doesn’t seem to be much reinforcement , on or near the areas that get the most use – especially at the bottom of the spigot hole.  Additionally, the plastic base unit  now is “brittle” and easily cracks. 

Needless to say, as soon as I am able to afford it, I intend to replace this unreliable but necessary system, with an all-metal one.  Please alert your readers before they make the mistake of buying a plastic Berkey Light.  Save the extra money necessary and buy a stainless steel Berkey. 

Sincerely, – P.J. in Oregon

Letter Re: Prepping With Limited Funds

Mr. Rawles,
I feel for L. Burton, as I know what she is going through. I’m not a beginning prepper, but I am one who doesn’t have a lot of dollars to throw around. I’ve been out of a full-time job since late 2007 (thanks, Socialists) and have spent the intervening years in combinations of contract work, part-time second jobs and freelance work — just to get by. There are no luxuries in my household, save for the occasional slice of pizza on a Friday night. I can speak to one area of her concern, and that’s food prepping. I’ve bought what I could, when I could, utilizing sales and coupons purchased on eBay. It hasn’t worked too badly; considering that I’ve had very little to spend, I’ve accumulated a year’s supply of eating over the last few years. Not as much variety as I’d like, but I’ve got a little bit of everything (and a lot of some items) — certainly not bad.

I have concentrated a substantial portion of my almost-no-budget food spending into two specific basic foods: Barilla Plus, a high-protein, high-fiber, ALA-rich pasta; and dry lentils. Barilla Plus pasta costs more than regular pasta, but it packs a lot more nutritional “bang for the buck” (See the nutritional profile.) My local warehouse store — which accepts manufacturer coupons — now stocks a four-pack-box of Barilla Plus angel hair and spaghetti for a little more than $6 — about $2 cheaper than at the supermarket. I prefer these pastas, rather than the shaped ones (elbows, etc.), simply because they’re flat and straight — the same weight of pasta stores in less space. Dry lentils, in my opinion, should be the foundation of any long-term food storage — even over the much more popular wheat berries and beans. The advantages are many:

1. Indefinite shelf life if stored properly. Even stored improperly, they last a long time. I had a half-full bag of lentils — simply with the open end folded over — that lay, forgotten, on the back of a pantry shelf for five years. When I found and re-used them, they cooked up just fine — and I could sprout them, too.

2. Cost. Lentils are very cheap, and you don’t have to buy them through mail order or at a health food store. The type of lentils that I like (Goya brand, Pardina variety) costs $1.29 for a one pound bag at the supermarket.

3. Nutritional powerhouse. Very high in protein (20 of the 22 essential amino acids), fiber, some vitamins and some minerals (iron, molybdenum). Combine with a grain or pasta, and you’ve got a complete protein. Some nutritionists include lentils on their lists of “superfoods.”

4. Easy to eat. Easily digestible, even for people who may have problems with other legumes. They don’t require the soaking preparation of dry beans. And they taste good, too.

5. Lentils are really two foods. You can cook lentils in the normal fashion, eating them plain or combining into a multitude of dishes. But lentils are also very easily sprouted — providing a completely different nutritional profile as vegetable sprouts. Lentil sprouts, unlike their dry stage, are a complete protein (all 22 essential amino acids) and have the enzymes and phytonutrients of fresh vegetables. All of this can be obtained for the investment of a clean glass jar, a piece of cheesecloth, and 3 or 4 days of time on a countertop or stove.

I hope that Mrs. Burton can take away some good ideas from my similar experience of prepping with little money. best, – J.C.

Economics and Investing:

Vrenellis, anyone? Swiss Parliament to Discuss a New Gold Franc.

US Taxpayers Just Paid $780 Million to Fund the Latest Greece Bailout Tranche. [JWR Adds: For some perspective, do you remember the uproar the $1.5 billion 1979 Chrysler bailout caused? And that was a loan, not a gift.]

‘The Greeks Would Be Well Advised to Exit the Euro Zone’. (Thanks to J.B.G. for the link.)

Yishai flagged this, over at the Jammie Wearing Fool blog: Great News: Friday’s Anemic Jobs Number Are Likely Bogus

Items from The Economatrix:

Oil & Gasoline Prices on the Rise Again

Graph:  What Recovery?

US Treasury Weighs Options to Avoid Default

Brzezenski:  Middle Class Unrest to Hit U.S.

16 Reasons to Feel Really Depressed About the Direction the Economy is Headed

Grim Jobs Report Casts Shadow Over Debt Talks

Odds ‘n Sods:

Alan W. recommended the 2008 Emergency Guide for First Responders.  

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Pierre M. sent this: ‘Car sleepers’ the new US homeless

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Tam over at View From The Porch had this commentary: You’re in the Army now… only maybe not…

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G.G. suggested: 10 Reasons I’m Canceling My Credit Cards

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I heard that Best Prices Storable Foods will be raising the price of their Red Feather canned butter once they’ve received their next shipment. But for now, they are still selling it at the current price of $139.90 per case, including shipping.

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 35 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be 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, and B.) Two cases of Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.) , and B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value.

Round 35 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Prepping With Limited Funds, by L. Burton

I am a beginning Prepper. I am broke.  This combination is presenting a lot of challenges that I am determined to overcome.

When I started on this new stage in life I did what many people do, when starting something new, I began researching as much as I could on the subject.  The first layer of research came up with a wonderful array of web sites that were willing to sell me a years supply of food, pre-packaged and ready to go.  The problem was the price tag.  I could buy food or pay the rest of my bills.
My husband and I own our own small business and the income is sporadic and small.  So here is the challenge: How to be prepared for TEOTWAWKI and still live within our means.

The next step was more research, this time going deeper.  This included finding blogs on the subject and books on prepping that were not ads for products.  One of the surprise sources was actually not on prepping per say, but cookbooks and how to books from bygone years.  Our grandparents lived through the hardest economic times in US history.  We have forgotten so many things about living off the land and preserving food, that were common knowledge in their day.  Old cookbooks often have great sections on food storage and home remedies that still are great today. This is not to say I didn’t pay attention to the other research, just that things build up on each other.  It was also through research that I found the things that I did need to save up for that I would need from specialty sources, examples:  water treatment, long term storage container supplies, specialty foods. (I cannot can bacon).

I started with an assessment of current advantages.  I live in a small town in mid America with four full lots on the edge of town( about an acre).  My husband and I made the decision to prepare to stay here rather than a backup bug out location.  There is plenty of room for a supporting garden (we currently garden in this space and have room to grow).  We have nut and fruit trees on the property and are adding trees as we can afford them.

There is an old well on the property that is not currently in use so we are planning to get it going again, as we can afford to.  Our plan is to put in a hand pump, not an electric one.  That way we would have backup water in case of power failure.  Our home was built in the days before running water and was converted to indoor plumbing.  This will make it easier to convert back.  We have rain barrels for our gutter system.  The house was originally designed to divert the roof water into a cistern but the cistern is long gone.
Where we will spend our money?  A water filtering system and getting the well up and tested.

Protection preparedness is well underway.  Luckily my husband has always collected and shot weapons and was raised hunting.  Military training was part of his upbringing.  I was also raised in a hunting household and am comfortable with firearms.  A large stockade style fence to define our property is on the long term list.  How we will spend our money?  Ammo and ammo storage.  When funds allow, my husband is looking for same gauge weapons to cut back on the variety of ammo needed so we can concentrate on volume and fencing.

Heating and cooking is ready.  We already can heat our home with wood and have for extended periods of winter (when our boiler went out and we had a two month wait for a part).  We recently purchased a wood burning cook stove and are working on setting up our “Vintage Kitchen”.  We found the stove via craigslist and spent only $200.  Word of warning on this, check a used cook stove over very carefully, many of them are not worthy of use anymore.  Be sure the firebox is in good shape and all the iron is solid, with no burn through spots.  We have easy access to a wood lot that abuts our property.
Our lighting and backup electric is still in progress.  We have a collection of oil lamps and have started on the stockpile of oil. How will we spend our money?  I am saving up for a small solar generator system that can be added onto as we get funds.  I have a few solar outdoor lights that have held up well under outdoor conditions for more than three years.  They are a great inexpensive light source.  Place them in a sunny window during daylight hours and they are ready for all night light as the sun goes down.  Some of these lights are actually strong enough to comfortably read by.

Backup currency is started.  We were lucky to inherit a small silver coin collection from a relative as a base for our silver stockpile.  We add to this collection as we can.  We even find coins during business and actually get coins from customers that we add to our collection. No coin ever gets put into the bank without checking the date.  Pure silver jewelry is also added to the fund as we can.  Slow and steady on this one, but getting there.

Lets talk food.  I have added $75 a month to my food budget.  Part of the budget is cutting back on convenience foods to be able to put more towards prepping.  With this extra budget I shop very carefully to get the best bang for my buck.  We have set up a long term pantry to our house with shelves for long term storage.  When I am doing my regular shopping I check sales on can goods and storables.  Canned spaghetti sauce is on sale for 77 cents so I buy five extra. I have a new habit of going to Big Lots as part of my shopping because I have found they are a great source for canned meat.  I have set goals in each category of food so I can check things off as those goals are met.  When I use up a product from my kitchen I go to the long term pantry then refill there so I am rotating stock.  When we have a little extra cash or I have not used my monthly budget I purchase a large storage item like rice in 25# bags or wheat.  We are using the mylar and plastic bucket method to store grains.

We have been gardeners for our entire lives and I have been learning preserving methods, canning, pressure canning, drying and root cellaring.  Just this year we have begun growing heirloom only, when possible, so seed saving is part of our plan now.  Just today I started my soup starter tin.  Extra produce or produce that I do not have the time to can (I sometimes work 12 hour days and canning takes time) is dried and stored. This has been a wonderful discovery.  I take extra produce and cut in small pieces and use a dehydrator to completely dry.  All of it goes into the same big storage container: beans, okra, zucchini, peas, etc..  It is wonderful in the winter to take meat stock or tomato juice and throw a couple handfuls of the veggies in, simmer all day and you have a wonderful and nutrient rich veggie soup.

Medical preparedness is two fold.  Stocking up on basic medical supplies is the same as food.  A good first aide kit to start with is essential and then adding on.  I have also been an avid herb grower for years.  As part of my garden I grow a number of herbs with health uses.  There are many books on this subject and are worth investing in.  Being able to make a basic tea that can calm your stomach is worth the work of growing the herb.  In this vein, we also buy extra vitamins for general overall health.  A spare pair of eyeglasses for each of us is on the “Saving up for” list.

Communication with limited power can be tricky, we have a small CB Radio that can be hooked to a car battery and a hand crank AM-FM radio for now.  We have a ham radio on our list but would be okay with what we have now.

We may have to bug out.  We live 60 miles from two nuclear power plants (that are currently flooded).  So bugging out may have to be a choice for us.  Fuel is a huge issue that we have not solved yet.  Small storage cans are all we have.  Our “bug out bags” are at hand as well as easy access to our camping and outdoor equipment.  We have a large vehicle that much of our food and water could be stored in.  We have put an enclosed trailer on the list. A secondary location is hugely expensive.  We are part of a large family so one location might work for the family as a whole but finding that safe usable bug out spot is a big problem. The location would have to be far away from our current home to be of any use.  As of yet we have not found a secondary location so this option is still a bit scary.

So how to be a Prepper on a low budget?  Take one step at a time.  Always look for small ways to get ahead.  Check sales on food and medicines, household items.  Save up for the big and set a priority list.  If something happens before my list is done I will still be better off than I was before.

Pat’s Product Review: Chiappa Rhino Revolver

Now, for something a little bit different. I believe, rightfully so, that most of us like eye candy, when it comes to firearms. If they have eye appeal, then that’s half the battle. And, a gun has to feel good in my hand, if it doesn’t, then I don’t have much use for. Additionally, a gun has to be a good shooter – if a gun doesn’t hit where I’m aiming, what good is it to me? A gun also has to be reliable – without a gun that 100% reliable, it won’t be in my stable or be carried.

I received the new Chiappa “Rhino” .357 Magnum revolver for test and evaluation from the nice folks at MKS Supply a few months ago – I was a bit surprised when I got the sample, as I hadn’t requested it, or for that matter, even knew the gun existed. Of course, always getting a new toy to test brings a smile to my face. Um, wait a minute, my face didn’t exactly break into a smile when I opened the box at my local gun shop. If anything, there was more of a “what the heck is this” look on my face.

They say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What one person thinks is beautiful, another may think just the opposite – it’s just the nature of human beings, I believe. To say that the Chiappa Rhino revolver is “different” (in many ways) is putting it mildly. What we have with the Rhino is a very strange-looking, six-shot, .357 Magnum revolver. For starters, the entire set-up just looks more than a little funky to my way of thinking – it just doesn’t look like the typical revolver. Oh sure, it has a six-shot cylinder, and a 2″ barrel, and a double-action/single action trigger. It’s got all those familiar things you’d expect on any revolver, but they are “different” on the Rhino.

The first thing many people said at the gun shop, while I was examining my new sample was “what is that?” or “what happened to that gun?” You see, the Rhino has a squared-off “cylinder” – instead of being totally rounded, the cylinder is squared to a certain extent. Also, one readily notices, that the barrel is on the lower portion of the gun – it’s not on top of the barrel shroud, it’s below it. Huh? Yeah, that’s what I said, too! The Rhino shoots from the 6:00 o’clock position, instead of the 12 o’clock position.

Then we have the grip frame – again, it looks more than a little strange. The grips themselves are made out of black rubber. The sights on the Rhino are very good – quick and easy to pick-up. The trigger pull was outstanding in both double action (DA) and single action (SA) modes. The gun never failed to fire when the trigger was pulled. the cylinder release – of course, it wouldn’t be in the usual place – on the left side plate – nope, on the Rhino, it’s on the upper left portion of the grip frame – near the trigger – made for very fast opening of the cylinder. Obviously a lot of thought went into the Rhino.

So, what do we have here in the Chiappa, that would make anyone want to buy one – especially with the suggested retail price of $749? Well, for starters, the gun is very well made, it ran like a Rolex watch – the high quality is there, no doubt about it. The gun felt really good in the hand, and I mean really good! Accurate? You bet! Probably one of the most accurate .357 Magnums I’ve ever shot. Perhaps the only thing that could beat it would be a Colt Python – which now comes from the custom shop at Colt, or some other custom revolver. The gun seemed like it had radar – point it at the target, and the bullets found mark!

Okay, but the gun shoots from the 6 o’clock position – why? Well, on the MKS web site, they claim that by firing from the lower position, the felt recoil is less – much less! Man, were they right! With full-powered .357 Mag loads, the gun felt more like it was shooting +P .38 Special loads – that’s a substantial reduction in recoil. It also allows you to more rapidly get back on target for follow-up shots, too. The black rubber grips – I’m not exactly sure what they are made out of – other than “rubber” – but they did a great job of absorbing what little recoil there was.

I dearly wanted to take the Chiappa Rhino apart, to see what the inner workings were like – but I feared I’d find something that would dumb found me, so I let it be. I know when to leave well enough alone! The Rhino only weighs in at 24 ounces, due to the alloys used in the frame.

To be sure, the Rhino has a lot going for it. It’s accurate – super accurate, if you ask me. It’s light weight and totally reliable, too. The gun can be hand with a 2″ barrel, 4″ barrel or 6″ barrel. There is even a new stainless version out. The Rhino is made in Italy, by the Chiappa Family, who have been making guns for over 50 years.

Another thing I liked was that, MKS Supply went the extra mile and they had holsters made (in Italy, of course) for the Chiappa. As I’ve mentioned before in SurvivalBlog, one thing that bothers me is that when most new handguns come on the market, holster makers have a “wait and see” attitude. They wait and see if the gun is going to be a hot seller, before committing to making holsters. So, more often than not, you have to use some kind of generic ballistic nylon holster – which fits many different sized guns – but none exactly. So, you can get a nice leather holster from MKS Supply for your Chiappa, and you’re ready to go.

I’ve got to admit, that the overall looks of the Rhino still don’t appeal to me – there’s no eye candy or a “wow” effect there. However, when a handgun shoots this well, feels this good and is totally reliable, it’s hard to not like the gun. (Even if most folks find it rather ugly.) Once again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Don’t pass on a Rhino simply because you don’t like the way it looks. Appearances can be deceiving, and in the case of the Rhino, very deceiving! If a new .357 Magnum /.38 Special revolver is in your future, it’s worth taking a close look at the Rhino. When you find a Rhino at you local gun shop – don’t just look at the gun – close your eyes and handle it – you’ll see what I’m talking about. Looks aren’t everything.

Letter Re: Gardening Year-Round

Knowing how to garden and grow one’s own food (or at least a significant portion of it) is one of the most important skills a person can have, especially during a “hard-times” survival situation. Fresh vegetables are a vital part of one’s diet, and they can be a great help in extending the length of time your stored emergency food lasts.

I’ve always been interested in how people centuries ago survived through long winters. Clearly, storing food grown and raised during the warm months was a universal strategy. However, people also raised food year-round in winter gardens. France, especially, has a centuries- old tradition of winter gardening. Appropriate crop selection, planning, and the use of low-tech weather protection allowed for fresh vegetables throughout the year. There are over thirty cold-season crops that can be easily grown for salads, soups, stews, stir-fry and more. Vegetables like carrots, parsnip, miner’s lettuce, cabbage, salsify, celeriac, leeks, onions, escarole, mache, tatsoi, sorrel, radish, and mizuna can all grace your table and can bridge the gap between the Fall harvest and the first crops of Spring. The reason winter-gardening is not common in the U.S. is simply because we have no tradition of it. Our winters are colder, and European immigrants may have assumed that their customary gardening methods wouldn’t work here. Or it may be that plentiful game and fishing opportunities in the New World led people to put their energies towards those food sources during the cold months, allowing the knowledge of winter-growing to gradually die out.

Now, you might think “well, that’s fine for Europe, but I live in the northern part of the U.S. I have to shovel snow all winter, so there’s no way winter gardening could ever work for me”. You’d be mistaken. It’s the amount of sunshine (the day-length), not the cold itself, that’s the limiting factor. Even the coldest parts of the continental U.S. get plenty of light in the wintertime due to our favorable latitude. Eliot Coleman, the author of the book Four-Season Harvest (which I highly recommend) lives in Maine and has successfully grown winter crops in unheated cold frames, greenhouses, and low plastic-covered tunnels for decades. He and his wife have extensively researched and tested traditional winter-gardening techniques, incorporating modern advances while still keeping things as low-tech and inexpensive as possible.

Here are the very basics: Plants do little actual growing during the winter months. Most of their real growth occurs during the fall, after which the rate of growth slows down markedly. Your protected winter-garden space becomes a bit like a giant version of your fridge’s crisper drawer. The trick is timing your planting so that your cold-tolerant veggies will have enough time to grow before serious winter weather hits. Once the weather turns cold there’s very little work you have to do. You don’t need to water or weed. You just go out and harvest fresh, green plants as you need them. There are a few salad plants that will actively germinate and grow during winter, and you can fill in “gaps” in the garden with these greens as you harvest other veggies. In January and February you can plant more cold-season crops. They’ll germinate and grow because by then the days will have become long enough again to support active growth. This will allow you to continue to have fresh vegetables until your (more familiar) Spring veggies mature and are ready for harvest. Needless to say, summer crops would follow those planted in spring, and the growing cycles would repeat. Crop rotation and building and maintaining soil fertility are especially important when you are growing year-round, and “Four-Season Harvest” covers these topics as well.

I encourage anyone out there who is interested in learning to grow food year-round to read Mr. Coleman’s book and give it a try. It’s economical, lots of fun, and has the potential to significantly increase your likelihood of maintaining food stores during difficult times.

Two other gardening books, oriented towards growing during the warm months, are also well worth a read. Carol Deppe”s “The Resilient Gardener: Food Production and Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times” and Steve Solomon’s “Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times” deserve a place on any prepper’s bookshelf. They focus on choosing plants and gardening methods that are sustainable and that require the least amounts of external inputs (water and fertility). Combine these warm-weather concepts with winter-gardening and you have a very “solid” foundation for growing and harvesting food on a continual basis throughout the year.

Remember, though, success in gardening depends on experience as much as know-how. A book on a shelf doesn’t help you unless you put the ideas into practice. It takes time and effort to learn what works and doesn’t work in your particular geographical area. So read and learn, for sure…then go out and grow stuff! – J.S.

Economics and Investing:

Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) sent this: No new $10s, $100s being printed instead

Brzezinski: Middle Class Unrest To Hit U.S. (Thanks to S.T. on Philly for the link.)

Dennis C. sent us this: World Food Prices Climb on Sugar, Dairy Costs

As Plastic Reigns, the Treasury Slows Its Printing Presses

Top 10 Most Valuable U.S. Coins Found in Pocket Change

Items from The Economatrix:

Government Eases Foreclosure Rules For Unemployed

Retailers Post Strong June Sales

Retail Sales and Jobs Reports Send Stocks Higher

Job Outlook Rises as Reports Suggest More Hiring

Odds ‘n Sods:

Mark H. sent this from Michigan: Julie Bass of Oak Park Faces Misdemeanor Charge for Vegetable Garden

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Six Months After Tucson Shooting, White House Readies Gun Control Stance. Any new “controls” would erode our Second Amendment right, so please be vigilant and ready to deluge your Congresscritters with calls, letters, e-mails,a nd FAXes. Most likely, they’ll go after the mythical “Gun Show Loophole”, even though Mr. Looney Loughner bought his gun at gun shop, with all the requisite Federal paperwork.

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US and Russia stir up political tensions over Arctic. (Thanks to K.A.F. for the link.)

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Congress Wants Automatic Wage Deductions To Pay Down The Debt. Here’s the kicker these contributions won’t be tax deductible.

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Olav sent this: Scientists monitor Iceland’s Katla volcano amid flooding.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here [is] Christ, or there; believe [it] not.

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Behold, I have told you before.” – Matthew 24:21-25 (KJV)

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 35 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be 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, and B.) Two cases of Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.) , and B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value.

Round 35 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Personal Information Hidden in Plain Sight, by C.C.

Information is what makes the World go around, or at least it seems that way at times. Any Government  organization, blog or web site worth a grain of salt will suggest that you keep copies of important documents such as Birth Certificates, Drivers License,  Bank Account Information, List of Medications etc. in your emergency kit. It  is also suggested for people that are going on trips that they have this information available as they travel just in case wallets or purses are lost or stolen. If your wallet or purse is lost or stolen it is going to be to your advantage to have the information available to lock out your credit card and checking accounts quickly.

My wife and I are going on a cruise later this year and I have been looking for a way to have that information available, close at hand but not visible, and yet as secure as I can make it. After all, with identity theft what it is today, you sure don’t want to take a chance of all that information falling into the wrong hands.

The first thing I wanted to do was find a way of keeping a USB drive, flash-drive, thumb drive, or whatever you choose to call it on my person but be discreet about it. I went on eBay and did a search on “flash drives” and wow!  There are a multitude of drives that don’t look like drives at all. There are USB drives that look like soda can key chains, transformer toys, broaches, jewelry, Legos, etc…etc… and they are cheap. You can also get the Gold Standard of  secure USB drives made by Ironkey, if you can afford that. For my purposes I wanted something that looks like it can be worn with casual clothing and not be to dressy or flashy. After all I am seeking to be discreet and I don’t want something that screams “Look at Me!” I sure don’t want anything that stands out enough to make me a good candidate for a mugging while on vacation.

There are many programs available both free and for purchase that will encrypt your data, your USB, or both.

There are USBs that come with Password protection built in, such as the 1GB Cruzer Micro U3 Smart USB 2.0 Flash Drive but, with  these you will lose the “hidden in plain sight” factor but you may gain in the ease of use category. You can find many Secure USBs by many different companies by doing a web search for “Secure USB”

I would also suggest you do a web search on “securing USBs” and see what the real experts have to say on the topic. Several of the articles I read by security experts said they actually prefer buying the cheap USBs and then using their favorite encryption programs.

I chose two different styles of shall we say “camouflaged” USBs for my wife and I. For myself I chose what looks like man’s bracelet with a leather band a nice looking metallic top on it. The top has enough room to have  “Dad” or maybe a name on the top to more personalize it. I suppose if you need a hint for the password for the encrypted files (more on this later) you could have a cryptic hint only you would understand engraved on the backside. For my wife I also got her a matching bracelet but she thinks that it is too big for her wrist, That’s okay, I have a backup plan, I also bought a drive that looks like a
gift card/credit card. I stayed away from the cards that actually looked too much like a credit card and went with a card that has Snowy Country scene on it but no name or numbers. This card can be stored in my wife’s purse or it has a slot cut in the top and it would fit nicely on one of those shoe string lanyards that you see badges attached to.

The Men’s bracelet pulls apart at the top, the clasp seems to be strong and secure so I am not worried about it just coming apart and falling off under normal conditions.  The Credit/Gift Card USB has an almost invisible tab on the edge in the center of the card. To open the tab you push on the back side of the card to create a slight bend in the card and the working end of the USB folds out from the card.

To make my USBs secure I have done several things. First I put a few files on them that you might expect to see on a USB.  There is a Music folder, a Picture folder, and various otherwise useless .pdf files but, I also have included a small portable program that will open the .pdf files should I need to access any of my personal  information and for some reason the host computer does not have Adobe Reader.

The second thing I have done is to hide the encryption program, in this case “True Crypt”, inside a music folder with several albums. To me the title “True Crypt” sound like the name of a modern day band and therefore might escape initial scrutiny if found.

The Third thing I did was  encrypted each .pdf file with a different password from the one used by True Crypt to access these files. So that I can remember The passwords for each folder encrypted, the password contains the folder name plus a random password I have memorized. You not only have to open the encrypted portion of the USB (also known as a container) with a password but, to see the files you must have the password for each folder that has encrypted files within it.

Fourth I use a keyfile in addition to the password that enables access with True Crypt. You can have the correct password but if the keyfile you choose does not link to the correct file on your USB drive there is no access granted. I chose a keyfile from a folder with pictures in it. More than one keyfile can be chosen to help secure your files.  The keyfiles can be .jpg, .mp3, or many other type files. The first 1,024 bits of information in the keyfile must remain the same to be a usable keyfile so don’t choose a file that will be altered in anyway if you should choose to add this extra layer of protection.

All of the programs that I have loaded on the USBs have been downloaded from www.cnet.com.
All of the programs that I have chosen to use are free. I download from CNET because they guarantee malware and virus free downloads. I know there are some programs out there that you could pay for and they might be a little easier for the more computer challenged among us but, for a free program True Crypt get high marks from both the customers and the CNET editors. None of the programs other than the encryption program are hidden on the USB. All of the other programs on the USB that facilitate either opening or viewing my files are out in the open in the first layer of info that you can see when exploring the USB.

I have a program called Open Office Portable. This is a open source program that will read and save spreadsheets, word documents, etc. whether in the Open Office format or the Windows Office format. It is capable of going back and forth between the two. The “Portable” means it is a scaled back version and made to run from the USB. When you have lost your I.D. or boarding papers you  can’t afford to have documents that will get you home or help at an embassy sitting on your USB unable to opened because they don’t have a program on the Host computer that would allow viewing.

This is the list of programs I keep on my USB in unprotected mode:

Open Office Portable– This program is a free alternative to Microsoft Office and it will read and save documents in either format.

SumatraPDF 1.6- This is a .pdf file reader that is small and does an excellent job of reading .pdf files without all the useless extra bells and whistles larger programs will have.

True Crypt- With True Crypt there is an option in the tools menu to set up a “Travelers Disc”. This option allows you to set aside a portion of the USB for encrypted data storage or encrypt the entire drive.  With True Crypt I can tailor the passwords for access to the folders on my wife’s USB to passwords she will be able to remember and not have to depend on her remembering my particular process for choosing passwords. The section of the USB set aside for encrypted data is referred to as a container. True Crypt allows you virtually hide a second layer of encrypted information by creating a container within a container. I haven’t done this but I have read about it. I am not carrying National Security secrets so I don’t see any practical application for me with this option at this point.

I hope this article has been a way to get you thinking about how you can keep your important personal information with you, hidden in plain site and secure at the same time. There are many options available, and you can spend a few dollars or you can spend hundreds of dollars making your information secure. Unless you are a government agency, a spy, or are carrying around banking or corporate information, you probably won’t have to worry about your information if it is encrypted and you lose the USB, after all how many people walking around out there have the knowledge, the tools, or desire to try and crack into your password protected or encrypted files. Chances are if a USB is found it will be reformatted by anyone who finds it when they come up against the security measures you have put in place to protect your USB. – C.C. in East Texas