Odds ‘n Sods:

The Releveller wrote to suggest that America’s architectural future may lie in China’s past: Fujian Tulou.

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In the “Why am I not surprised?” Department: NASA’s Hansen to Obama: Use Global Warming to Redistribute Wealth

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Chris K. sent a linked to a Wired magazine article with lots of rookie survival comments. Chris noted: “A few sound like they may survive the first couple weeks and [then] become armed and dangerous — a good reason to move another 100 miles away from the ‘blast zone’.”

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More economic cheer from Cheryl: 2008 Humiliating Year for Investors, Outlook for 2009 Grim — Ten Major Threats Facing US Dollar in 2009 — In Gold We Trust — GMAC Bailout a Sign of the Times — Second-Hand Stores Shine in Weak Retail Market — 1940s Austerity: Make Do, Waste Not — Flawed Accounting Methods Hides True Scale of Pension Fund Losses — Microsoft Announces 15,000 Job Losses — Economists Warn of Doom and Gloom — Jobless Who Get Benefits Most Since 1982; 4.5 Million Figure Expected to Grow — Banker Buys $37 Million Apartment After Getting $25 Million Buying for Doing Virtually Nothing — How We Went from $42,000 to $6,500 and Lived to Tell About It — GMAC’s $6 Billion Deal Show Why Automakers Need to Head for Chapter 11 — Ludwig von Mises Institute: The Crisis in 10 Points

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 20 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The contest prizes include:

First Prize: The writer of the best contributed article will be awarded two transferable Front Sight  “Gray” Four Day Training Course Certificates. This is an up to $4,000 value!
Second Prize: A three day course certificate from OnPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses.
Third Prize: A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing

Round 20 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 will have an advantage in the judging.

Letter Re: Inexpensive Spare Eyeglasses

Hello JWR,
Thanks for the site. Information is the best currency. I will send 10 Cent Challenge money in February.
Just wanted to give you a link to LBWEyewear.com, a site I discovered which sells [made-to-order] prescription eyeglasses. Most normal pairs are less than $25. Some less than $15.
I don’t have any connection to that site, just a satisfied customer. I’m sure there are others like it.

I have found that paying 200+ dollars for a pair of glasses is not economical because I lose them often and break them. It’s always good to have a spare pair in the car, or BOB. And even though ordering eyeglasses on a web site”sight unseen” means you have to guess as to the style / fit, it’s better to have a clunky pair in an emergency than none. Also, post-SHTF, optometrists appointments are probably low priority. I think this falls under the category of medical supplies, such as prescription medicines.

For the second time now I have ordered 4 pairs for less than 60 dollars. There is a pair in each vehicle I own, one by the television, one in the shooting bag, etc. Also, after ordering once I now know which to order that are stylish for me. This company sent both my packages snailmail within two weeks.

Here’s the catch: you have to know your prescription. That means you have to call your eye doctor and finagle this information out of their receptionist. Legally they have to give you this info, but that doesn’t mean they will. Optometrists make their money selling their ability to check your eyes. They’re selling you the eye exam, not the glasses. But they give you the exam “for free”, because you will buy the glasses for hundreds of dollars. The manufacturing itself costs only a few dollars for common glass
Also, your prescription is more than what is written on your contact lenses box. You have to know the power of your near / farsightedness, the axis of any astigmatisms, and your pupillary distance. Doctors don’t often give this information on the first try.

In support of buying local and supporting independent retailers you may want to pay your optometrist something for their service. I however cannot justify another pair of over-priced specs. Offering to “buy the exam” may be a more honorable way to go.
Hope this info is helpful! Best, – N.

Three Letters Re: The Best College Degrees for the Next Depression?

Dear Jim:
Why go to college at all? Speaking as a college graduate, unless you are getting a technical degree, you would probably learn more apprenticing in a real business that interests you, and studying on your own and taking courses part time. When you need to apply knowledge right away, motivation is high, and the lesson really sticks. Bonus – you avoid 4 years of immersion in (and contributing to) a politically correct cesspool – often intellectually dishonest to boot.

For some professions you do need a degree for technical knowledge. But most of the time a degree is just a screening device or “ticket punch” to show that you can study hard and persevere. Gary North has a whole section on his web site on how to beat the college racket, and get your ticket punched with a degree for under $25,000, and no debt.
The way things are going a highly skilled trade where you can work for yourself might be the best bet (electrician, plumber, auto mechanic, computer repair, etc., etc.). Someone who can just work like a professional in the “blue collar” trades will have such an advantage over most of the competition they will do well.
Regards, – OSOM

 

Mr. Rawles,
I wholeheartedly agree with both of the readers whose letters referenced learning a trade before attending college. My own experience, I grew up in a military family, when I graduated High School I wasn’t sure the military for me just yet and had the foresight to understand I probably wasn’t mature enough to handle college at that point in my life. I was also fortunate that in addition to a tradition of military service my family also had years of experience in the trades, one Grandfather became a boilermaker after the Navy, the other a carpenter after his stint in the Army, my Father retired after 22 years in the Air force and learned the trade of sheet metal work and HVAC repair, all of them proudly non-union. With their guidance I did some research and discovered the excellent merit shop (Non-union) apprenticeship programs offered by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). The tuition is reasonable, (roughly $200 per semester when I started in 1997) and most member companies are so thrilled to have a young worker take his career seriously that they will sponsor the cost, provided good grades are maintained.

I chose the carpentry apprenticeship program, and shortly after graduation on my 18th birthday embarked on a eye-opening and enlightening experience. One of the first things that shocked me was that at a modest sized company for our large upper midwest town, (150 field employees) there was only one other apprentice my age. We had a handful of laborers who were college dropouts, but none of them were interested in tradecraft training, preferring to remain unskilled laborers and wondering why they always got the grunt work. The fact that there wasn’t a larger group of young Americans clamoring to learn a useful trade to provide for themselves and their families was astounding to me!
After two exciting years (and two bitterly cold winters) of building everything from power plants, to hospitals, to runways I decided to return to college. At first I was planning on studying Civil Engineering, which is a fine profession but entails an inordinate amount of desk work after graduation. Again, with some guidance I stumbled upon Construction Engineering (At other universities known by the names of Construction Management, or Construction Technology).

At the University I was shocked by two things

1) College is a business! They will try to keep you in as long as they can to keep raking in the student fees, etc. My first academic “advisor” even told me that finishing a bachelors degree in four years was a pipe dream, and most students took five years these day! I promptly switched advisors. Students, don’t let anyone convince you it can’t be done in four years or less. I was far from a stellar student in high school, just barely cracked into the top 50% of my graduating class and I completed my Bachelor’s degree in four years, while working 30+ hours a week at part-time jobs. This may take a little extra “hard work” but again, nothing worth having comes easy and if you’re already a preparedness minded individual than this shouldn’t be too much of a stretch for you!

2) A surprising majority of engineering students never worked a trade, and never held a trade related internship in college! This flabbergasted me to say the least, how could someone who’s never put hands on a piece of lumber or steel expect to lead workers in a project? Needless to say, come graduation time those students who continued to work at best buy weren’t in the highest demand by employers. Conveniently enough, my trade training had an added benefit: Rather than having to work a “typical” part-time job in retail, I always found construction companies that were willing to work around my college schedule, and pay significantly above the minimum wage my friends were earning. Which offered the added benefit of leaving the nights, and most weekends free for studying or socializing.

After finishing school, I attended the Navy’s Officer Candidate School and became a Surface Officer for 5 years. Again, my trade experience gave me a valuable leg up over my peers. I finished school with no debts, having continued to work the entire four years but was again surprised to learn that some of my friends who had been [contracted cadets] in ROTC had massive debts. The ROTC is quite willing to take C students, but don’t expect to get a full ride! I knew of many officers that finished college twenty, thirty, even forty-thousand dollars in debt!

Now working as a Project Manager for a large General Contractor I am still surprised by the lack of interest shown by today’s students for the trades. To me, the work is exciting, doesn’t involve a desk, and pays extremely well. Believe me, we would love to take as many motivated young Americans as we can get our hands on! Unfortunately, many of them have been sold on the dream that college is for everyone, it’s not, and that isn’t a bad thing. I can’t say enough good things about learning a useful trade or skill, It’s a job that can never be outsourced, but unfortunately it is being “in-sourced” by immigrants who are willing to work hard, harder than most Americans these days.

Mr. Rawles, thank you for your wonderful blog. Very Respectfully, – A Former C Student

 

Jim-
Having recently discovered the site, I am now a daily follower. I find the advice practical and in keeping with my pragmatic approach to life. The technical detail is impressive, and the topics wide ranging. There is always something surprising each day I scroll down the page. I am an architect in New York City, and find the architectural topics of great interest. The site’s take on architecture is refreshing and seldom discussed or debated elsewhere. I will plow through the archives and find out what sort of treasures lurk within.
There have been a number of recent letters discussing the issue of college education. There is a common tone to these letters that suggests that learning a trade is important, perhaps of greater importance than getting one of those pricey college degrees. I agree that having useful skills, particularly hand skills, is important. As for myself, I am a woodworker and carpenter, making and designing furniture, restoring my house in addition to my architectural “office job.”
Here’s my take- college degrees are critical in addition to “pragmatic” skills. I’m not going to suggest which degree to get, since certain degrees are “more valuable” in certain parts of the USA and world than others. Architects are useful in New York City but useless in Nebraska, for example. Two points I want to stress:

1- My degree “got me noticed” by all my employers. It “got me a foot in the door” as ridiculous as it sounds. That degree, that piece of paper, really got me ahead of the mobs on the streets. It’s a sad arrangement, expensive but necessary. Think of that piece of paper as some prized battle rifle as you soldier through life- it’s a tool like anything else.
2- My degree “expanded my mind” beyond the day-to-day, hand-to-mouth nature of existence. Religion “expanded my mind” as well, but the concepts and thinking that college introduces rounded me out even more. When we are all holed up behind steel doors clutching those riot guns, the mind needs to find release, in addition to prayer and meditation. Art, philosophy, psychology, medicine, etc. can help.

Keep up the good work! – Freakoscope

JWR Replies: The emphasis on learning a trade in many of the recent letters overlooks one key issue: At present, someone with a baccalaureate degree on average will earn $1,000,000 more in their lifetime that someone with just a high school diploma. So if you plan to work in the corporate world, then I recommend getting at least a Bachelor’s degree. Just make sure that the degree is in something useful, where there is a reasonable expectation that there will be jobs waiting. (Not “bird calling and basket weaving”–as my father dubbed the useless degrees.) Perhaps the best way to do this is to work in a skilled trade or with an IT certification, to work your way through college on a five to eight year plan. Graduating debt free at age 26 or 27 with lots of practical experience will actually make you a much more desirable job applicant than someone that graduates at age 22 or 23 with nothing other than the degree on their resume. Take as many lower division credits as possible from a community college or on-line. All that employers will consider is the degree itself, and the name of the institution that eventually grants the degree. So take your first two years “on the cheap”, and then transfer to a more prestigious school.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Blacksheep sent us this Army Times article about WoundStat: Army halts use of new anti-blood loss product. (Note: So far as I know, Celox and QuickClot (available from several of our advertisers) are still approved for use in trauma cases.)

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FloridaGuy sent this “signs of the times” piece from one of the several states teetering on the edge of bankruptcy: California Taxpayers Due Refunds May Get IOUs

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This piece by Matt Hardigree was linked once before at SurvivalBlog, but it was so entertaining that it bears repeating: And Now for Something Entirely Different – The Ten Best Post-Apocalyptic Survival Vehicles. (Thanks to Jack B. for the reminder.)

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“N” sent us the link to this essay on self defense against skyjackers aboard aircraft: Fight Back. Note that the author’s mention of carrying a carbon fiber knife would be a felony.So it is best to rely on canes, stiff combs, and ballpoint pens.

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Eric sent this: Rising desperation as China’s exports drop

 

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"If the jury feels the law is unjust, we recognize the undisputed power of the jury to acquit, even if its verdict is contrary to the law as given by a judge, and contrary to the evidence." – 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, US v. Moylan, 1969

Letter Re: Sources for Fasteners for D.I.Y. Web Gear Fabrication

Good Morning, Jim!
I am a long-time regular reader here with a question. On your blog you’ve been recently posting about various web gear, etc. I have long desired to build some of my own gear using nylon straps and high strength plastic buckles, tensioners, and adjustment components typically found on outdoor gear. The problem has been finding a source/supplier for these components. Do you have any recommendations?
Thank You, – John Geerman

JWR Replies: In my experience, piece parts for Fastex buckles and similar parts are ridiculously expensive if bought new in small quantities in a “brick and mortar” retail store. Lower prices can be found in bulk online (for example, at eBay), REI (Fastex quick release buckles and “tri-glides”) and Reef Scuba (for nylon webbing material). But I’ve found that it is often best to simply find “trashed” military surplus backpacks and well-used older generation Load Bearing Vests (LBVs), and cannibalize them for their hardware. Check around at your local surplus stores to see what they have.

The Swiss Army surplus waterproof Alpine backpack extensions, for example, have a profusion of redundant hardware–including the hardware and straps such as the extraneous tie-down straps like those designed to hold down a Swiss “Darth Vader” helmet when stowed on the back of the pack. If you take half of these off, you still have a quite useful waterproof bag, plus a big pile of male and female Fastex type connectors, short length of straps, and tensioners.

Five Letters Re: Home Invasion Robbery Countermeasures–Your Mindset and Architecture

Dear Jim,
Just one caution amid all the excellent advice on hardening a house against intruders–be sure it’s possible to get out from the inside easily in event of a fire or other disaster. Shutters, or latchable
bars are better for this than those mounted solidly into the structure. Alternately, consider paying for ballistic glass. – Michael Z. Williamson

Mr. Rawles,
Thanks for your time and efforts – SurvivalBlog has been a great help to me and I am planning to mail a 10 Cent Challenge contribution to support your work. In the meantime, I thought I would comment on a recent series of postings about “Home Invasion Robbery Countermeasures” with some of the changes I’ve recently made.

The home we recently purchased was a brick ranch, but it had a number of architectural weaknesses: Double-hung windows with standard weak latches, doors with weak strike plates, no deadbolts, a flimsy garage door,and two sliding-glass doors. Although we are in a rural, peaceful location, I have taken several measures to increase the home security that may be helpful to others.
The flimsy garage door has been replaced by a windowless insulated door with internal and exterior steel panels.
Each of the exterior doors have had a security storm door with laminated glass and a 3-point latching system installed (Larson brand from Lowe’s). The storm doors allow opening the entry door and being able to view the surroundings before unlocking and opening the security door.

I’ve purchased “Strikemaster II” door strike’s to install on the exterior doors along with good locks and deadbolts so that even if the security storm doors are breached the steel entry doors are reinforced. I’m also adding a “Strikemaster II” and deadbolt for the door leading from the garage to the house.

To reinforce the windows, I’ve had them laminated with an 8mil security laminate film and an attachment glazing system to anchor the laminated glass to the window frame. I’ve also purchased window pins to install so that the window cannot be forced even if the sash lock were somehow broken. The sliding glass doors are also laminated and security bars are being installed. An added bonus is that the laminated windows have a solar tint to cut summer heat gain by 40% and with the insulated garage door and the storm doors I anticipate much lower energy costs.

I am also planning to install a wireless Dakota driveway alarm and gate as you have recommended. My other plan to increase security is to begin keeping guinea hens since they offer a number of benefits to a rural home or retreat – they are fantastic guards that sound the alarm whenever anything is amiss, they feed themselves on bugs, ticks, etc. which is great for organic farming, and they supply both meat and eggs.

Hopefully some of the ideas I am implementing will be of help to others. I also recommend getting used heating oil tanks (often available for free or nominal cost on Craigslist) and using them to stock up on fuel. Clean the tank, install a battery operated fuel pump, and buy a supply of fuel while it is cheap before war breaks out and the price of oil soars again. Thanks again for all of your help, and Happy New Year. – SteelerFan

 

Dear. Editor:
In all the talk about using high tech electronic gadgets to protect against home invasion robberies I am surprised no one has yet mentioned the tried and true dog. My choices are Akitas and Great Pyrenees, but just about any medium to large sized dog will do. Attack and protection training is nice if one can afford it and is willing to accept the responsibility of such a trained dog, but from personal experience, I haven’t had a dog yet that would not unhesitatingly lay it’s life down to protect it’s family and home.

Do I expect my dogs to stop a home invasion by several armed and determined thugs? No, I don’t. But I do expect them to buy me the necessary seconds to grab my weapon so that I may. And thank you for a great site, – James G.

 

Mr. Rawles,
Many years ago when I worked in security we use to install security window laminates to the inside of high-risk structures. This laminate bonds to the glass and works much like the laminated windshield in a car. It is virtually invisible once installed but can repel ferocious attacks. We used the products on retail stores and high-end homes that didn’t want security bars or shutters due to aesthetic reasons.
The other nice part of these products are they are always protecting you. You don’t need to shut them like window shutters and they aren’t ugly like bars. They are also very deceptive to intruders who think the window will be an easy entry point only to find that they can’t get through it with a baseball bat and crowbar. It also provides minor ballistic protection and protection against blast by limiting glass shrapnel.
There are sites that can install it professionally or do-it-yourself (DIY). Here are some:
http://www.diywindowsecurity.com/
http://www.shattergard.com/home.html
http://www.armorcoatfilms.com/
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/WF/3MWindowFilms/

Here is a demo of a DIY window film installation.

Here is another demo of a different product under more severe conditions.

These products work well on annealed glass (typical glass that breaks into sharp shards when broken). For use on tempered glass (which is usually a sliding glass door, as required by most building codes), you will need to do a special install to anchor the film to the frame with a specialized caulking.
These products work very well as an alternative to more conventional window protection. – Craig R.

 

Dear Mr. Rawles,
It is easy to become an avid reader of your site.

One simple means to beef up home security is simply to reverse entry door opening. Like commercial code doors, mine open “out” so any attempt to force “in” my doors has one working against the entire door jamb structure. I prefer steel 1 3/4″ thick doors with any [small] window design at the top, if at all.

I live upstairs in my shop. The access to my apartment is up a stairs and through a outward opening door as mentioned. Before one intruder gets that far, I am aware through an old but simple means of alarm. Being that a fine fishing line trip line is strung each evening across the downstairs floors that is attached to electric switches. Intruders will trip one or another once inside the building and I will know by my apartment alarm where they are there long before they know I am waiting with the pump. – Jon C.

JWR Replies: That does have its merits, but I’ve always believed that it is important to have at least one door to a house open inward, especially in snow country. Someday it might be more than just embarrassing to get trapped in your own home.

Letter Re: Safety Note on Modifying Military FMJ Bullets

The article linked at “Box O’ Truth Tests Elmer Keith-style DumDum Bullets” contains a very dangerous statement: “5. Cutting the end off a rifle Ball [full metal jacket (FMJ)] cartridge projectile will definitely make the bullet expand or break up…” DO NOT DO THIS! By cutting off the tip off of a full metal jacket (ball) round you have in effect created a pinched copper tube, open on both ends, filled with a plug of lead. Upon firing, it is possible to blow out the lead plug, leaving the tube (jacket) lodged in the barrel. When the next round is fired, the bullet will encounter this obstruction in the barrel, causing damage to the firearm and possible personal injury. Commercial soft point bullets have a solid base to preclude this from happening. Regards, – John in Colorado

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Rod McG. recommended this web site: Mappery.com

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I heard from a gent over at The FALFIles Forums that Dan’s Ammo still has some original FN (of Belgium) Browning Hi-Power 13-round 9mm magazines at just under $20 each. These were made for the South African Defense Force (SADF), back in the 1960s, and were recently surplussed. If you own a Hi-Power pistol, my advice is to buy at least eight of these magazines for your own use, and another larger pile for barter. You’ll probably be laughing about getting them at this price, this time next year. OBTW, if you hear of any other importers or dealers that still have any full capacity magazines at pre-BHO inauguration sales frenzy prices, let me know the details, and I’ll mention them in the blog.

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A limitless Mother of All Bailouts (MOAB)? Now there is talk of bailing out newspapers!

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Bill in Wyoming mentioned the current swarm of earthquakes going on under Lake Yellowstone-over 250 since it’s beginning on December 26th. The strongest was a [Richter Scale] magnitude 3.8, on December 27th. Some have suggested that this might be a precursor to a massive Yellowstone Super-Caldera eruption. Current updates can be found at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, as well as links to seismograms and other monitoring adjuncts.

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I spotted this bit of bureaucratic self-congratulation linked at The Drudge Report: US rescue averted ‘financial collapse’: Treasury. (This is perhaps a more accurate headline: US rescue delayed ‘financial collapse’: Realist.)

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"For more than six hundred years– that is, since Magna Carta, in 1215–there has been no clearer principle of English or American constitutional law, than that, in criminal cases, it is not only the right and duty of juries to judge what are the facts, what is the law, and what was the moral intent of the accused; but that it is also their right, and their primary and paramount duty, to judge the justice of the law, and to hold all laws invalid, that are, in their opinion, unjust or oppressive, and all persons guiltless in violating, or resisting the execution of, such law." – Lysander Spooner, The Right of Juries

Notes from JWR:

The third year for SurvivalBlog has come to an end, with continued strong growth in readership in 157 countries. Our stats have tripled in the last 14 months! We’ve logged 400,000+ different readers, and we now have nearly 5,800 archived articles, letters, and quotes–all are available for free download. Since this is New Year’s Day, here is the one and only annual reminder to renew 10 Cent Challenge subscriptions. For the privacy of my readers, I don’t keep records of subscriptions, so I have no way of tracking when any particular subscription has lapsed. I never e-mail our subscribers, bugging/begging them to renew. This isn’t PBS, so there are no insufferable Pledge Drives. SurvivalBlog subscriptions are entirely voluntary. If you realize that it has been a year or more since you subscribed, and what you get out of reading SurvivalBlog is still worth 10 cents a day to you, then please send a $36.50 subscription payment via AlertPay, GearPay, PayPal, check, cash, “Forever” stamps, or money order. (We even get some subscription donations in silver coins and .45 ACP ammo!) OBTW, please mark your calendar to remind yourself about subsequent renewals. To all of you that have subscribed: Thank you so very much!

Our Mailing Forwarding Address is:

Jim Rawles
P.O. Box 303
Moyie Springs, Idaho 83845

Online Subscription Payments:

PayPal: rawles@earthlink.net
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Happy New Year! I pray that in Aught Nine you and yours are safe, healthy, right with God, and well-prepared.

It looks like we’re in for some turbulent times. I hope that SurvivalBlog has substantively helped you to get prepared.

Letter Re: It’s a Scary World Out There: Fearsome Attack Hens

Jim,
I recall awhile back you posted a message that offered humor and a bit of the lighter side of life since we’re inundated with intimidating subject matter. I haven’t seen too many lighter sided anecdotes of late so here’s mine. When I was 20 yrs old, I was a paratrooper and foolhardy scared of nothing. Now, after serving five years as an airborne, ranger, infantryman and 20 years in law enforcement, I’ve learned to respect dangerous situations.

Recently, my insurance agent dispatched her part time picture-taker to my residence to snap some pictures of the place to keep records current. I reside at the point of transition from suburbia and rural life not too far from Washington, DC. This photographer was approximately 20 years old. Upon arrival telephoned the home number whereupon my wife answered. He asked her to come outside to help. She asked "why"? In a semi-scared voice, he reported that he was "surrounded by birds" and was afraid that he was going to be attacked. My wife told him that they were just free ranging hens and that there was nothing to worry about. She actually had to convince him that the hens were our pets and that they wouldn’t ‘attack’ him. I suppose this is funny only if you own hens and realize how friendly they are. Besides, even if you’ve never seen a live chicken, can you imagine being scared of one? Happy New Year, – Pete.

Six Letters Re: Home Invasion Robbery Countermeasures–Your Mindset and Architecture

Greetings Mr. Rawles,
I read your blog everyday and am learning so much. Thanks for your dedication to helping prepare us for the future.
In reference to the recent article on home security, we lived in Argentina for three years and we could all learn from their security measures. The first house we lived in had steel shutters, as did everyone in the neighborhood, and they were all shut at night. The doors have locks that automatically lock when you leave the house. The small front yards usually have tall steel fences with the same height gates. The gates were also locked at all times. Homes that didn’t have shutters of some kind, had bars on all the windows. Big dogs were also the norm. The back yards were usually walled in by concrete block walls sometimes 10 feet tall. At our second house, one of our neighbors had concertina wire around the top of their walls.
It is a normal custom to clap your hands to alert someone you were at their front gate. It would be very rude to try to enter someone’s front yard without being invited first, and is usually not possible due to the locks and dogs.

But, as new houses were being built, we were seeing less and less of the shutters and bars, more American style houses were being built and that’s a shame.

It was very difficult at first to live with these kinds of security measures, but after awhile it became normal and comforting to know your house was secure. Gun control is very strict and very few folks have guns, so home security was very important.
Just wanted to share those observations with you. Thanks again for your hard work.
Warmest Regards, – Beverly A.

 

Hello James Wesley, Rawles:
Feed lot panels are extremely useful for hardening windows against dynamic entry.
For those who are not familiar with the product, feed lot panels are welded wire product. They are typically 16 feet long. The height varies but is typically 54″ high. The wire is very stiff (typically #4 or #6 gauge) and the wire is galvanized for long life. The panels are inexpensive and semi-rigid.

We recently replaced a 13′ x 69″ bay window with a 60″ by 60″ picture window (one pane) flanked by a couple of 60″ high by 24″ wide double hung windows. Our primary goal was to increase energy efficiency by reducing cold air infiltration during the winter and to improve our cross ventilation during the summer.

I had some fairly extensive conversation with the contractor regarding my desire to have sufficient “beef” beside each window to be able to run several 5″ x 1/2″ eye-bolts beside each window (with the eyes of the bolts aligned in the vertical direction), slide the trimmed-to-fit feedlot panel over the eye-bolts, and then drop a cane bolt through the openings in the eye bolts.

(Minor detail notes: Roof overhang requires that cane bolts be inserted from bottom, but “drop in from top” is a more natural word picture. Also desirable to use a cushioning material to hold panels away from frame of window to eliminate scarring. Rubber or vinyl garden hose is a possibility.)

He was very happy to comply. Each window is framed in with 2x4s next to the window frame, but then a 4×4 was bracketed into the top and bottom headers immediately beside the 2X4s on each side of each of the three windows. Wood is cheap.

Feed lot panels can be defeated. But defeating them requires time and tools…not something typical home invaders want to expend/lug around. Feed lot panels also help protect windows against airborne, flying trash during extreme wind storms. They may be ugly, but they are cheap, durable and relatively easy to install, given proper tools and some time and the foresight to have enough wood to bolt into. – Joe H.

 

Jim,

I’ve already made numerous changes to my home and property to thwart / limit any would be thefts and boosting the overall security. A number of ideas came from your web site. Thanks.

Other than the simple measures of installing a Radio Shack microphone/speaker and, locking the doors of my barns with snap links and walking out the front and locking that door, I am worried for my horses if someone should try to force their way inside and manage to stay very quiet. I’m very impressed with my $149 Radio Shack investment, you can hear everything and my house is 300 feet away.

Can you offer any additional advice on making barns more secure? I’m more concerned about the horses than all of the tack and saddles. But those items aren’t cheap either. Thanks, – Pete in Florida

JWR Replies: I do have one specific recommendation: Buy a MURS band Dakota Alert infrared intrusion detection system. (Available from MURS Radio, one of our advertisers). Put one Motion Alert Transmitter (MAT) out at the end of your driveway, and one “watching” the front of your barn door. We use Dakota Alerts in conjunction with matching frequency Kenwood MURS band hand-helds here at the Rawles Ranch on a daily basis. We have been very satisfied with their quality and reliability. In our experience, this combination is ideal for detecting intruders on likely avenues of approach.

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Dear Mr. Rawles,
First, as always, I am compelled to thank you for your service to all those who would learn from your knowledge and efforts. My 2009 10 Cent Challenge contribution is forthcoming, but it is only a small token of my appreciation in light of all that I have learned from your excellent blog.

I wanted to add a note of my reality to your recent excellent comments on the sorry state of home architecture in our country today. I live in a typical recent-construction, middle class, Metro Atlanta home with a brick front facade, and Hardiplank (a concrete-like product molded to look like wood siding) on the remaining three sides. It is essentially three stories, with a “daylight basement” comprising the first story. Many of the “weak links” that you pointed out exist in my home, but we did install a fairly comprehensive alarm system.

Last February, while my wife was at work and I was taking my son to daycare (it was 11:15 a.m.), thugs broke into our house by kicking through the basement wall! Evidently, the crooks suspected, or noticed, our alarm system, and tried to bypass it by going through the wall. It would have worked if the dummies hadn’t opened the basement door preparing to depart with their loot. Of course, opening the door set the alarm off, and they fled never having made it out of the basement. They did steal an old rifle that I had recently bought, and had left in a storage closet awaiting a good cleaning. All in all, we were very fortunate.

I write not to simply share my story (which is, unfortunately, not very uncommon), but to point out what I learned:

1. Though Hardiplank, and similar products, have many virtues, resistance to invasion is not one of them.The concrete feel and appearance gives a false sense of security. I was shocked to learn that the only thing between my “inner sanctum” and the bad guys was the Hardiplank, fiberboard sheathing, and drywall! Even if your 1st story sheathing were 5/8″ plywood it would present a much more formidable barrier!

2. If I had heeded my instincts, the burglary could have been avoided. I try to live in “condition yellow”, though I slip into white more than I would like. That morning, while buckling my toddler into the car, I noticed a rough-looking young man walking slowly up the sidewalk. By the time I had buckled my seatbelt, he was ambling back down the street in the opposite direction. All of the alarms in my head went off, but I didn’t call the police to investigate (something that they encouraged me to do in the future while discussing the event). I did, however, step back inside and turn on the alarm, which I didn’t usually do for such short trips (things are different now). If I hadn’t turned on the alarm, I would have probably walked right into a home invasion in progress (stupidly in condition white!) after dropping my son off. As it was, as soon as I got the call from the monitoring service, I knew exactly what had happened, and who had done it! During the frantic 3 mile drive home, my main concern was, “what will I do if I arrive before the police?” At the time, I had no firearm with me, which leads me to my final point.

3. Any time you walk into your home [after an absence] in condition white, with no way to defend yourself, you invite disaster. Yes, I know it can be terribly stressful to admit to yourself that our society has “come to this”, and some people would rather just play the odds and hope it doesn’t happen to them. I feel that God was watching over me that day (by the way, the police were on site when I got home – it had only been 20 minutes since I left the house) and gave me a second chance. I guess I could remain in condition white, and hope it doesn’t happen again, but I have responsibilities. God gave me a second chance, and I am committed to learning from this experience. You’d better believe that I will arrive home in condition yellow to orange, looking for any hint that something is awry – especially if my family is in tow! Oh yeah, and my next house is going to be as solid as I can afford, and then some!

I hope you and yours had a wonderful Christmas, and will have a terrific new year. Best Wishes, – SH in Georgia

 

James;
I have been an advocate for survivors of violent crimes. I would like to point out some things that I have been tracking for almost a year now. (I have ‘home invasions” as a google search alert and get messages on this topic many times a day). First, I have noticed that most of these invaders are not so much interested in carting away ill-gotten booty from the residence that they have invaded as much as the first object is to terrorize and torture those in the dwelling. This is a major change in the high level of deprived violence of these burglars who are now being reported as “home invaders”. The attacks are sadistic, whereas, twenty years ago true sadistic attacks were more rare as the goal seemed to be to steal and leave. Second, these sadistic home invasions are world wide. I have not yet figured out why this is so. It is, however, concerning that no place seems safe from this bizarre rise in sadistic violence. Perhaps it can be linked to violent video games? I am not sure what else could link these acts world wide. Third, unlike violent home crimes in years past, the home invaders are attacking during the hours when it is more likely that the residents are home. (Most of these invasions seem to take place between 11 PM and 5 AM). Clearly, unlike in early times when the criminal element wanted to avoid the residents, this new class of thugs want that violent encounter.

I think this does require that decent folks to have a change in understanding what is taking place. These criminals are not just getting the pleasure of taking your property but they want to cause you and your family extreme fear, terror, and pain. Passive conduct by the victims that might have allowed these thugs to rob your home and leave you alone might have worked twenty years ago, but I think today’s home invaders first literally will want a pound of your flesh. On a positive note, I have also read of numerous residents who have successfully fended off the invaders by being properly protected within their homes. I am ‘surprised” that the media doesn’t seem to do much coverage of these heroic deeds of the victim defending himself or family members from these sadistic invasion. – Advocate for Survivors of Violent Crimes

 

Dear Mr. Rawles.
Regarding your post on Tuesday December 30, titled “Letter Re: Home Invasion Robbery Countermeasures”. I would like to see you elaborate on the “Countermeasures” portion of the title. Specifically, could you show some real examples that people could use as “force multipliers” similar to this . Maybe you can do a post on with and without grid power in SHTF scenarios.

For example I live in a suburb of a city of about 80,000 people. I live on a corner lot and have a fenced in back yard. What low-tech methods could I deploy to allow full coverage around the perimeter of my property to signal of coming trouble. It would help if the ideas were designed to not create an abundance of false alarms and not alert the surrounding neighborhoods like a trip alarm.

I don’t have a retreat location but I’m getting my finances in order to allow a property purchase soon. If TSHTF tomorrow, I would need some simple ideas to keep my family safe as long as possible.

BTW, I read your “Patriots” novel and it was awesome! I am about half way thorough your “Rawles Gets You Ready” course and it too is great. Thanks, – Steve F. in Louisiana

JWR Replies: A corner lot is problematic. Depending on the landscaping that is prevalent in your neighborhood, if it would not look too out of the ordinary then you might consider planting a “decorative” thorny hedge around as much of your perimeter as possible, and install a gate across the front of your driveway. Make both the maximum height that you can get away with, without being branded as the Neighborhood Paranoid Poster Boy. The gate should have a spiked top of some sort, to discourage gate jumpers. Just inside the gate, position a passive infrared Motion Alert Transmitter (MAT) for a Dakota Alert. You should also plant thorny bushes below each of your windows.

Motion-activated floodlights are inexpensive and very easy to install.(They are available at home improvement and hardware stores such as Home Depot and Lowe’s.) If the power grid goes down, you really should bug out ASAP, but if you are forced to stay, then solar-powered floodlights might suffice. (But note that their reviews mention that they have a short service life. So it is best to just test them but not mount them outdoors until needed.) Under those circumstances, a pair of night vision goggles would be a must. (And if you have those, you might want to retrofit your floodlights to use infrared bulbs. Being battery powered, your Dakota Alert system will continue to operate without grid power. But of course keep plenty of spare batteries on had for all of your flashlights and other home security and communications electronics.