A Christmas Gift for the Unprepared — The Starter Prep Kit, by Sean F.

Christmas isn’t what the television commercials would have you believe. It’s not about diamond jewelry, new cars or power tools. It’s not about trinkets and treasures and toys. It’s not about online shopping and last minute bargains.

It’s about love.

Not love of possessions or material wealth, but love for friends and family.

And because you love them, you naturally want them to be happy and safe. In easy times, this isn’t a problem. But what if the Schumer really does Hit The Fan? Will the ones you love be able to sustain themselves and survive? If your family is anything like mine, there are people in it who do not see the need to prepare. Fortunately, Christmas represents the ideal opportunity to help them learn to help themselves.

By giving a basic starter survival kit, you will put them on the path of self sufficiency and in doing so, give them the greatest gifts – confidence and the means to weather the coming storm.

When preparing the kit keep in mind the spirit of the gift. It’s not to show off how much you know. It’s to put them on the path to prepping. Give them what they need, tell them why they need it, and show them how to use it, always with the subtle caveat that they must learn more on their own. Though it has already been covered very well in this blog, I humbly offer my personal opinion of the very basics of what might go into a starter prep kit. This, in the physical sense, will be your gift. If you don’t have enough redundancy to spare, you can purchase the items in this kit for far less that you’d spend on a new “stuff”.

At every stage remember that this is not a fully grown bug out bag; it’s a seed that will hopefully grow to fruition. Accordingly, each part of the kit should have a note on a 3″x5″ card telling “why” it is important and “how” they can build upon it. These notes can – and should be – very simple. Information overload is not the goal; kick-starting their thought process is. For example, with the water you might write, “What happens when the taps won’t work? Several sources of water include swimming pools, ponds and solar stills. Did you also know that a small amount of bleach will help kill the bad stuff in untreated water?” Keep it short, interesting and friendly.

If you haven’t made a survival kit before, here’s an easy way to get a grip on how to start. The next time you go shopping, look around at all the shiny packages and think for a moment what you’d do if the shelves were empty. What would you feed your family? What would you use to light the lights, cook the food, cure a cold, guard the homestead? Imagine if you couldn’t buy what you needed. This is the sudden, terrifying situation that most will face, including your loved ones. Yes, those same mothers, father, sisters and pals who didn’t heed your hints, warnings or exasperated pleadings to be the ant and not the grasshopper.

Chances are if you’re reading this, you feel comfortable in your basic preparations. Can the same be said for your child, mother-in-law or best friend? If you’ve been practicing your best OPSEC, they might not even be aware of the hard work you’ve put in. If so, how can you expect them to have followed your lead and taken the necessary preparations to take care of themselves?

How long will they survive without your help? Give it to them. Remember the famous saying, “He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother.”

As a Christmas gift, the starter kit perhaps will not elicit the same shrieks of joy that a “stuff” will bring, but it’s one that will keep them safe when storms (natural or man-made) come to shatter the calm. It won’t last forever, nor is it meant to. By giving it to them now in times of relative calm, along with some helpful tips and suggestions, you’re giving them a lifeline in times of trouble, and hopefully a head start into the prepping adventure.

My gift to the unprepared in my family is a starter prep kit that includes the following. Keep in mind that this is representative of what my budget allows. Everyone’s financial situation is different, and you may find that you’re able to add more or that you must cut some items. If you have an extra backpack, you can even pack all these items inside it so that they will have a self-contained kit that they can grab at a moment’s notice.

Food – Protein bars, granola bars, MREs, canned meat and vegetables (and can opener). Snares, fish hooks, small fishing net and knife. A propane camping stove with extra fuel. Saucepan, fork and spoon. Salt and pepper.

Water – Bottled water, purification tablets, Katadyn water filter, Gatorade mix for electrolytes.

Fire – Flint and steel, lighter, matches, magnesium fire starter, cotton balls saturated in Vaseline and stored in a film canister and a fire starter stick.

Shelter – Survival blanket, extra socks, warm clothes, sleeping bag, wool hat, gloves, scarf or shemagh, hand warmers, hatchet or small saw for building a lean-to or cutting branches to make a windbreak. Flashlight and candles.

Self-Defense – Depending on preferences and your local legalities, a firearm or hunting knife, Sabre pepper-spray, staff, or stout rod.

First Aid – A basic small first aid kit will do, available anywhere and everywhere. Be sure to bolster it with items that may not be included such as an anti-diarrhea medicine, anti-histamine allergy pills, antacids and whatever else their personal condition may require. In the case of prescription medicines that they take, a note inside the first aid kit advising them to stock some will be a good reminder.

Hygiene – Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, foot powder, soap, shampoo, sunscreen, small towel.

Serenity – Emotionally and spiritually reassuring items like the Bible or a book of their particular faith, playing cards, pen and notebook, hobby or heritage craft supplies to productively pass the time, small game or toy for children. Most importantly, a small photo album with pictures of their loved ones to remind them what they are fighting to survive for.

Information – Compass, street and topographical maps of the immediate and surrounding areas. An empty envelope inside a Zip-Loc bag with a note telling them to fill it with copies of their birth certificate, driver license, health insurance information, medical records, emergency contact numbers and other important documents.

Very basically, what I’m giving them in this kit falls into three categories: supplies, information and support.

Supplies – The starter kit I just detailed covers this. Some readers will disagree and find fault. Many will suggest additions or improvements. And they’ll be right. The kit is personalized to the individual. Having the basics is vital, but specializing the kit to the one who will carry it is likely the key to their survival.

Information – This comes in many forms, but your loved ones may be panicked or fleeing and have access only to what you provide in the pack. Include a selection of concise how-to books, survival guides, maps and a printed plan of how and where you will all meet in case of an emergency, or a plan detailing your bug-in procedures. A printed version will be important since the unprepared are more likely to panic and a reference guide will be paramount to their survival.

Support – Include a card that is both relevant and sensitive to their situation. Try to maintain a positive tone. Do not judge or frighten. As an example, consider using this: “Dear Mom, I am giving you this because I love you and because I want you to be able to have what you need to deal with whatever life throws at you. If there’s a bad storm, or you have to leave town on a sudden emergency, I hope that this will provide you with what you need to make it. If you have any questions or want to learn more about anything please know that you can always reach out to me.”

The goal here is not to give them every last thing they could possibly need. That’s a long term project. Instead, make it your mission to open their eyes and give them the impetus to start thinking outside their safe box and taking the simple steps necessary to protect themselves.

At the end of 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7, “In a word, there are three things that last forever: faith, hope, and love; But the greatest of them all is love.”

With this gift, you are giving all three. Faith in themselves in case of an emergency. Hope that they can carry on and provide for themselves and their family. And, of course, the greatest gift of all that you can give, and one which needs no explanation – love.

Letter Re: Introduction to UV Air Treatment

Dear Editor:
Can Michael M. provide a bit more detail in his process of developing a UV air treatment solution?  The part about” “Slack tube manometer and did a static test with the air handler running and the house closed up tight. I had a negative pressure of .45″ water column vacuum. I concluded that I needed a fresh air return duct if I was going to use my air handler to try and pressurize the house” is difficult for me to visualize.  Is the manometer on the upstream side of the Air Handler fan or the down stream?  Also I don’t understand the math used. I do understand the 4940ft^3 / 1170ft^3/min =  4.2 minutes, but how did he calculate or measure the 1170ft^3/min of airflow?  How did he come up with “a needed 60 to 75 sq in fresh air duct to compensate for the tight construction to bring my static pressure to 0?”   This appears to be very important information but is difficult to understand.   Thanks for the good work and words. – Mark X.

I Forwarded This to Michael M. and He Replied:

Daer Jim & SurvivalBlog Readers:
Let me first explain what the Slack Tube Manometer can be used for:
Mainly it is an instrument that can be used to measure static pressure, pressure differential, or total pressure. In my case I used a Dwyer Model 1212  to measure pressure differential from the outside ambient air pressure to the inside air pressure. One could call it a static pressure. I did this by putting one side of the tube on the outside through a window and blocked the remaining area of the open window and the other side of the meter on the outside of the door of the heat exchange closet. It could be placed anywhere as long as one side of the meter is outside and the other inside. I used this area as it was easy to change the fan speeds and see the result. When the air handler was on a negative pressure was seen on the tube.  

Next would be the issue of the 1,170 cfm air rate. This number was supplied to me through the Manufacturer’s manual as to the cfm at the various fan speeds available. i.e.: fan speeds available Low–820 cfm Med low–1,003 cfm Med high–1,170 cfm High–1,532 cfm.  

How I came up with the  fresh air return needed and wanted:

First I obtained a copy of the Rules and Rules of Thumb for Duct Systems on the Internet. This gave the necessary numbers for a filtered grille area to compensate  for the negative pressure. At this point with the fan on the med high speed I open a window away from the air handler till the pressures equalized in the manometer. I measured the calculated the square inches of the opening and had my filter size to equalize pressure per the rules. I added the other 2 filters and with the air return from the house blocked achieved a positive pressure of .35″ of pressure.

It should also be noted that not all homes can use this type of system as many are not sealed tight enough to maintain the slight pressures.

Another interesting side note is that we are also able with this configuration to use one small bedroom as a negative pressure room simply by opening the window in the room making a perfect place for a quarantine room for the sick.   I hope this helps, – Michael M.

Two Letters Re: Fight and Survive–Warrior and Scholar

Dear James:

D.W. is exactly right about training for unarmed defense – at close range, the immediate empty hand response trumps even the 1.2 second draw.

I would like to plug the superb training at Target Focus Training.

Out of many years of training in different schools and courses, they are head and shoulders the most scientific, the most practical, and impart the most effectiveness in the least amount of training time.

Their training is extremely expensive, and extremely good.  (By the way, I have no financial relationship to Target Focus Training other than being a happy customer.)

Sign up for their free e-mail newsletter – it is eye-opening information.

A quick and dirty way to evaluate any school – do they teach eye gouging if your life is on the line?  I know it’s a horrible thing to have to talk about – but if your life is on the line you go for the assailant’s most vulnerable target if you are get the chance…

If this is not discussed, they are not serious about saving your life in a do or die situation. Regards, – OSOM

 

Jim,
It seems the article “Fight and Survive–Warrior and Scholar” did everything but explicitly endorse Krav Maga.  I have only started following your blog recently, but one of the first things I did was start taking Krav Maga classes.  There is nothing quite like it for getting into shape and more importantly for training your body to react in stressful situations.  It is real-world self defense.  I would highly recommend joining a [Krav Maga] gym, or at least buying some DVDs.  More info can be found at KravMaga.com, and there is a good set of Krav Maga DVDs available at Amazon.com.

Regards, – Peter P.

Economics and Investing:

More contrapreneur self-delusion by the market “experts”: Time to Switch From Bonds to Stocks? The only truly safe haven in these days of fantasy currencies is in tangibles.

J.B.G. suggested this piece by Gonzalo Lira: Want To Ruin Your Own Country? Assume Your Banks’ Liabilities

Goodwill Providing Key Services Amid Tough Economy

The Feds Final Days (Darryl Robert Schoon)

John Mauldin documents how consumer credit is still collapsing: Unintended Consequences.

Items from The Economatrix:

How to Buy Gold and Silver  

Precious Metals To Lead Commodity Returns In 2011, Goldman Sachs Predicts  

Fed Signals Stronger Economy Won’t Slow Plan To Buy $600 Billion In Bonds  

Roubini:  The Economic Policy Is Still Lend, Pray And Hope

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Dirk W. spotted this: Forever foods: 10 cooking staples that can outlast you

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I noticed that among the Top 50 Risk Management Blogs, SurvivalBlog is listed at #28.

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Several readers sent this: iPhone snitch network launched. Oh, and now YouTube has now added an option for flagging content that is terrorist in nature. So, any guesses on how long it will be before preparedness blogs, video blogs (vlogs), and podcasts get flagged?

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Educate your children to self-control, to the habit of holding passion and prejudice and evil tendencies subject to an upright and reasoning will, and you have done much to abolish misery from their future and crimes from society." – Benjamin Franklin  

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 32 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will 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 Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 250 round case of 12 Gauge Hornady TAP FPD 2-3/4″ OO buckshot ammo, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $240 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) 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 $400, B.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and C.) 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 32 ends on January 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.

A Doctor’s View of TEOTWAWKI, by Michael S., M.D.

Dear Mr. Rawles,
I am a physician in Iowa and have read SurvivalBlog and many books related to survival including yours. In general there are many good thoughts and insights in the Blog. History predicts the future and some facts of history seem to have been overlooked by many survivalists. Many predict that in a long term situation, those left would be in an 1880s situation.

In Iowa, most counties had a peak population in the 1880 census. Most counties in Iowa have lost population every census since then (1940 was generally flat) this means that the land could support more people if individuals and society were prepared. Furthermore, if society were to collapse there would be trillions of calories of food in dent corn, soybeans and livestock which farmers would gladly exchange for anything useful. This would help bridge the gap in food production. This situation is common throughout the midwest. I would argue that west of the Mississippi is just as good as west of the Missouri River. Iowa does not have any very large cities and there are limited bridges over the Mississippi. Note what happened over the Mississippi River Bridge after Katrina where local law enforcement prevented refugees from crossing the river.

Many point out that in the north, if TEOTWAWKI were to happen in the winter, most would freeze, not starve. This is probably fairly certain outcome. Economic panics seem to develop in the Fall, meaning the winter would be a fairly likely time for an economic collapse to occur. Preparing to heat your house or remote location without power is fairly easy. This would limit the Golden Horde as many would freeze in place and limit the distance traveled of those that do leave. This would lower the effective population density of the north.

A study of the history of medicine came to a conclusion that it was not until the 1930s in which a person was probably helped more than harmed by seeing a physician. Antibiotics were the main reason for this. Other studies indicate that plumbers have saved more people than physicians by improving sanitation. I am not certain about the second statement but the point is valid. Sanitation needs to be a prime concern, mostly with respect to clean water. Prevention of a disease is better than treating it. Infections could be treated fairly well with a few antibiotics which have a long shelf life. Most human to human only infections are viruses and since nearly everyone is now vaccinated to most of these, and travel would be limited, these should not be a big problem for many years post TEOTWAWKI. Most bacteria are not specific to humans and antibiotics would be worth their weight in gold. Although any antibiotic would be valuable post TEOTWAWKI, Doxycycline should be included in any pharmacy. It would be effective against tick borne infections as well as Brucellosis from infected meat and milk, chlamydia and malaria. Some of these are bacteria that are inside the host cells and other antibiotics would not be helpful and the bodies immune system is not good at fighting them. I relearned this by an infection that I received while backpacking for three days. I am normally very careful to check for ticks every evening after being outside. But while backpacking, this was not done as I was tired and did not remove all my clothing. After returning to civilization I noticed a lesion that ultimately turned out after becoming very ill to be Tularemia (this was in Wyoming). There are several more common similar diseases Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted fever being the most common. As people would be outside more and personal hygiene would suffer these infections would be common. These infections become chronic or fatal. Most other infections would be fought successfully by your immune system, an appropriate antibiotic would be helpful but often not needed. I do not have great advice as to how stockpile antibiotics. Physicians would probably be more comfortable giving these as prescriptions than narcotic pain killers. I do not know anything about veterinary medications. Although narcotics may be nice and valuable post TEOTWAWKI, they are unlikely to be life saving.

One pain killer that would be very life saving post TEOTWAWKI and has a long shelf life is aspirin. This should be the first stocked drug. If you have a heart attack and you take an aspirin you cut the risk of dying in half. Do not take it if bleeding is an issue so after in injury it may not be a good option.

If you really think that narcotics are important, remember that opium, the mother of all narcotics was and still is made from poppies grown in temperate climates. I do not know what is legal but you can by poppy seeds to eat or plant. In case you do not take my advice and buy aspirin when it is cheap and legal, you can try making it from willow bark.

The first medical book someone should get is the Merck Manual which covers nearly everything. It is written for professionals but is easy to read. Many of the treatments may not be an option post-TEOTWAWKI but it is mostly based on science. Remember that until the 1930s most people were harmed more by medicine than helped. Most survivalist related, back to nature, talk of old treatments that are not effective. There is a lot of concern about people taking chronic medicines, not able to get more medicines. About half of these would not be needed as they are directly or indirectly related to overeating or smoking which would be self correcting so worry about other things.

The other area of medicine that made a big difference in life expectancy is obstetrics. Until the early 20th century, men outlived men because of child birth. Until recently the advise to women was to not gain more than 26 pounds. This was based a on pre-C section study from Germany which would be very important post-TEOTWAWKI. Folic Acid and iron supplements are important in early and late pregnancy. Iron supplements should last forever. In the Middle Ages, a iron nail was placed in an apple for a day before a pregnant woman was to eat it. Folic acid has an unknown shelf life but of course is provided by vegetables.

If a women has previously had a C-section and needs to deliver in a less than modern health system, a vaginal delivery [VBAC] would almost certainly be better that doing a repeat C-section in a less than ideal situation. There are no good easy options as to how to deal with a failure to deliver naturally post TEOTWAWKI. If you have figured out clean water, food, heat, security and sanitation, study obstetrics. The first vitamin deficiency noted by sailors on a diet without fresh food was scurvy, from Vitamin C deficiency. Vitamin C is found mostly in fruits and some vegetables. Apples have been the traditional source of Vitamin C in Europe and North America in the winter because of their long shelf life. Pure Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin C, has an shelf life of many decades. GNC and other nutrition stores sell this.

Salt was extremely valuable before the modern era. In some areas gold and salt were of equal weight value. Ancient salt mines in Europe have evidence of many thousands of years of use and traded goods from many hundreds of miles away. You can grow everything your body needs, but not salt. It is cheap now and if you keep it dry never spoils. Get table salt with iodine to prevent goiters if you live in an area with low iodine concentrations. The Non radioactive iodine in it may also be important if radioactive iodine finds its way to your location. Salt blocks for livestock may be an okay long term option for livestock and humans. Salt for water conditioners does not have iodine but would be useful most of the time.

Another historical fact that seems to have slipped past preppers is that Thomas Edison developed the iron-nickel battery for electric vehicles. Some of these have been running 100 years. I have ordered one but do not yet have experience with them. It seems that with solar panels and a iron-nickel battery system your children will always have power. These do not freeze, making them especially good for remote northern locations.

Letter Re: California’s Water Filter Ban

Mr. Rawles,

My name is Christian and I live in California. I have been reading SurvivalBlog for some time now. I am currently serving in the National Guard. I was wondering if you knew why California does not allow Big Berkey filters and most ceramic filters to be shipped to California. Do you have recommendations for another one?

As you well know, California is in a grave financial situation–one that could have catastrophic consequences. Prepping in California has been a way of life because of earthquakes, and recently wildfires. Thank You. Sincerely, – Christian R.

JWR Replies: Your question went beyond my expertise, so I consulted the owner of Directive 21 (A British Berkfeld water filter distributor), and this was his response;

The “no lead law” basically stipulates that any device used for water filtration/purification for the intent of human consumption, and any and all of its components, must undergo testing by an independent lab in order to certify that the device and all of its components and raw materials are lead-free, especially if it reduces lead. Research conducted independently by the manufacturer (New Millennium Concepts- NMC), regarding the two acceptable certification standards, indicates that the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) has not reached a conclusion upon the protocols which will need to be followed in gaining certification status. DTSC is responsible for product review and certification. NMC has taken a proactive role in working to discover the path which will allow them to resume offering the product within California, while maintaining the privacy of proprietary production and prices within the reach of the public. NMC attempted to gain clarity to meet the January 1st, 2010 deadline, but were not provided the necessary information, as a result, “strict-compliance” was recommended and pursued. Essentially, the “no-lead law” places significant financial burden on the manufacturer, creates areas of unnecessary compliance, and offers no protection of proprietary practices, nor does it guarantee that the “inspector” will be accountable for any violation of privacy, potentially exposing the most sensitive parts of a manufacturer’s business to all of their competitors!

The preceding is an independent summary of content posted by the NMC, and the following is the statement issued by NMC: “Therefore, we have reluctantly decided that until clarification is given [by the bodies imposing certification on manufacturers] on a whole host of unanswered questions, as of January 1, 2010, we suspended sales of all Berkey® water filtration and purification products in the state of California. This also means that our dealers worldwide will not be able to ship Berkey® water filtration and purification systems to California residents. “We will continue to monitor the situation and as we get clarification on the issues for which we currently are unable to obtain answers, we will be able to make a determination as to whether it will be practical to pursue the matter further….”

Your request for a recommendation of another water purification system other than Berkey® is unusual because Berkey® Products are unique in function and category. The degree of water purification offered by the gravity-fed Berkey® Systems and the Sport Berkey® On-Demand purification, is unmatched, although we recommend that the consumer look for certain aspects of functionality when choosing a device other than Berkey® for providing clean water for consumption. Some of the characteristics to consider include:

· Physical filtering of particulates and sediments.
· Any chemical treatment of microorganisms or the method of capturing pathogenic bacteria, cysts, parasites, & other harmful pathogens
· Does it address heavy metals, potential carcinogens, nitrites & nitrates, Radon 222, VOCs, herbicides, pesticides, organic solvents, & other contaminants?
· Addresses treated & untreated raw water from lakes, streams, stagnant ponds, & other water supplies?
· Affordability
· Low-expense of energy to operate (ease of operation)
· Does the system remove beneficial minerals from the water?
· Ease of replacement (cost)
· Durability, compactness, lightweight

There are other aspects to consider but this list only reflects the Black Berkey® elements. It is a trustworthy and proven system of water purification. Its use as a reference would provide beneficial to any consumer looking to become educated in making a sound and responsible choice.

Although we do not ship products directly to California nor to Iowa, we do ship to other states as those states appear to be “business-friendly” in application of protections and support of options to a public in need of daily/emergency water purification systems. The Berkey Official Statement can be found in full here. [End quote]

I agree that the Berkey filters are some of the best available. Just as with the MTBE groundwater contamination fiasco, the career politicians and bureaucrats that govern California have a sad track record of both incompetence and heavy-handedness. It is best to circumvent such inept meddling. The best way of course would be to move from California to a free State! But of course having a friend that lives in another State take delivery for you also works. (The preceding should not be construed as legal advice–see my Provisos page for details.)

Letter Re: Observations on a Major Midwest Snow Storm

Hello JWR,  
I would like to post a brief observation from the most recent snow storm here in Minneapolis this past weekend as it relates to the “Golden Horde“.  A very large storm system that started Friday evening and ended up dumping 18 inches of snow till Saturday evening.  It will go down on record as the fifth largest in the history and as you probably know it caused the Metrodome’s roof to collapse.  I am a daily reader of SurvivalBlog and have been for some time now.  I have been making my preps for a few years now after finally waking up to what’s going on and reading your books.   

On Saturday, I woke up to a good 12 inches of snow on the ground with it coming down pretty hard.  I decided to go out in my bug out vehicle (BOV) and have some fun because I wanted to see how bad the storm really was, how well my BOV handled in extreme winter conditions (granted I already knew this from hunting every weekend), and I also wanted to see how other people were reacting to this same situation.  I do live right smack dab in the “urban Jungle” of downtown Minneapolis.  (I know it’s not recommended but for work and many other reason I have too)  Based on the social differences I have noticed of people living “downtown” I was not surprised at all how ill prepared everyone was.  I helped pull many cars out of the snow banks along the snow emergency routes so people would not get towed and the plows could get through.  Just about everyone I was helping dig out their cars were poorly dressed for winter weather.  I had even made a point of asking everyone I came across if they had basic winter weather clothes?  The answer was no.  Of course this really surprised me because the vast majority of the people had the money to spend on really nice cars and expensive condos but don’t even own snow pants?  This is Minnesota!   

Just based on these minor observations, including many conversations asking multiple questions “survival situations in a lite tone, if/when a SHTF scenario happens during the winter months I believe there could possibly be a few extra day lead time to bug out of the city just for the simple fact that so many people are truly un-prepared even to spend a few hours outside during the winter months.  I think most will shelter in place at first and “Hope” someone comes to help.  After they figure out that FEMA or no one else is coming to help, then all bets are off.   – K.J.

Economics and Investing:

US will lose AAA credit rating, says M&G’s Jim Leaviss. (Kudos to J.B.G. for the link.)

 

Items from The Economatrix:

Stocks, Bond Yields Rise As Fed Sticks By Stimulus  

Good Signs: Retail Sales Up, CEOs In Hiring Mood  

Stronger Reports, Fed News Push Treasury Rates Up  

Stocks Fall As Euro Worries Overshadow US Growth  

Factory Output, Low Prices Give Economy Boost  

JP Morgan And The Great Silver Caper  

Odds ‘n Sods:

N.J. doctor supplied steroids to hundreds of law enforcement officers, firefighters. (A hat tip to Chris M. for the link.)

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B.B. pointed us to: Tea Party Charter: Defense of Property & Revival of Virtues Equals Liberty

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Étienne de la Boétie (a pen name) has kindly made available a Survival Retreat Operations Manual. While nor perfect, it may be a good starting place for groups that want to write their own. (Note on the included photos: Somebody needs to re-package that bagged rice in buckets!)

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Global Eruption Rocks the Sun. (Thanks to Richard S. for the link.)