If a person is hungry, who in their right mind would trade their food for a piece of metal. Not me. I wonder if gold will buy food if things go really south.

Guns. Most people think that having guns to defend their supplies and their families is a good idea. There are reasons I can understand for that. But remember that unless you are very, very good at killing, it is a hard thing to do when it comes down to it. And a bluff threat will not suffice. More, unless you are good at it, the ‘bad guys’ tend to be better at it. Think of the numerous times a police officer has been shot with their own gun. And then there are numbers. If you are greatly outnumbered, it would take an exceptional person to survive. Perhaps you are one of those. Then I leave it up to your conscience.

Wilderness first aid. If things go really south, there will be few things more valuable than a person who knows how to treat injuries. Even the hardest ass bad guy tends to look for help when they are seriously injured. If you have some knowledge of how to deal with, say, a stab or a gunshot wound, I believe that in many cases you have something more valuable than food. And a reason for people to keep you alive. (more…)

The potential for a catastrophic war is certainly present in the Middle East. But it is not certain. Everything could calm down for an extended time before things heat up to the boiling point. We might have to wait for weeks, months… years. Or it could all go south tomorrow. Or a few minutes from now.

I just want to encourage my friends… and I consider you my friend if you read this blog with a good heart… not to become weary with doing good.

If you have stored provisions against disaster, you have done a good work. (more…)

One of the primary sources for emergency food in the United States is Nitro-Pak

There are good reasons.

1. ‘Iron-Clad’ 120-day Guarantee

2. Free Shipping in the continental United States over $100, most items.

3. Over 50,000 products

5. Guaranteed lowest price. If you find a lower price on an in-stock item, they will match it.

6. In business over 25 years.

7. Most orders ship in 24 -72 hours, although the time can get much longer when there is a perceived crisis, and then they also run out of the most popular items.

They have MRE’s, Emergency Food Units, Freeze-Dried Food.
They have Earthquake Survival Kits, Camping Survival Supplies, and Survival Food.
They even have esoteric emergency supplies like Space Food, Potassium Iodide and Nite-Vision Equipment.

Is this beginning to sound like a commercial?

Yes. It is a commercial. I would like you to go there and see if you find yourself saying… oh… I do not want to wait until it’s too late. I want some things on hand NOW. And start being actually prepared.

Have I gone through this checklist and made sure I have nearly all of what they suggest?
Yes. And I have a lot more of some categories, like first aid supplies.

Humor me. Go to Nitro-Pak. and click on 72 Hr. Survival Kits. Then when the next window comes up, click on 72 Hr Survival Kits. At the top of the page that comes up, you will see **72 Hour Emergency Info & Checklist. Click on that.

You will be shown an extremely well-thought-out emergency checklist.

The first part is a list of reasons why you should actually do something to be prepared. It is interesting.
The second part is the checklist with links to many of the supplies themselves. It is vital.

You can print out this checklist.

It is free.

Please take a little time and consider the checklist. As I’ve said, and as they say… because it is so true… when an emergency strikes it will be too late.

Sayyed Nasrallah went to dinner on Thursday. (more…)

It’s about time for me to go through my periodic check of supplies, so I thought I share with you what I’m going to do. (more…)

1. Prayer.

Because that is about all you will have if there is an emergency or disaster. Especially pray that your neighbors are uncommonly kind and will share their two to three meals worth of food, since that’s probably all they have on hand. And give you one of the cans of warm soda in their non-functioning refrigerator, which is likely to be about all the water there is.

2. Um… there isn’t a number two.

That says it all for anyone who is not prepared for when… not if… normal life goes south for a while.

Maybe it will be a minor emergency, like someone in your family… or you… needing quick medical help. Even if 911 is up and functioning, there are situations where immediate aid can be life saving. If you do not have the training and materials to meet that need, the regret that follows could be immense.

Or perhaps there will be a regional disaster… a hurricane, tornado, flood, earthquake… you name it. There is not a piece of earth in the United States that is not subject to some sort of natural event that will at some time or another disrupt the flow of food and water, and create a sudden need for people trained in first aid.

As I’ve mentioned before, we have used our emergency supplies numerous times during the three-plus years that we’ve been stocked and ready. It has come in handy for relatively small’ things. And on one occasion, it very possibly saved a life. All the time and money spent has already paid off. And there has not yet been a major event yet in our area. We’ve come close a couple of times (nearby hurricanes), but nothing approaching what you would call a disaster.

Even a little preparation can pay you high dividends. A case of bottled water, stored in the closet. An emergency pack of food for a few days for everyone in your group. A real first aid kit with truly useful things in it. A jar of honey. You can find pages on each of these in this site, if you think it worth spending the time to look.

A word to the wise is sufficient. A thousand words to an ‘it can’t happen here’ person is not enough.

“We were joking Friday about people preparing as though it were going to be Armageddon — referring to the hordes of shoppers who emptied stores of milk, bread, shovels, driveway salt and other supplies.”    - Tihana Blanc , Washington D.C.

A winter storm. Sure, a severe winter storm, but something relatively normal and certainly predictable. It wasn’t even a record breaker. And people emptied the stores like they were ‘preparing for Armageddon.’

I haven’t written in a while because the mood of the country has been strangely euphoric despite the depression… I mean recession. The stock market went up, and the jobless were swept under the rug. No one - certainly not the media - paid any attention to the truly Armageddon-like buildup of new generation missiles, submarines and unmanned military drones around Israel.

But the military pacts between Iran, Syria, Hizballah and Hamas have been brought out into the open this week, with a message of destruction for Israel. You can see that for yourself if you search Google News for ‘Iranian Missile Airlift’.

The Middle East is poised to drop into war at the slightest provocation. (more…)

Do we have anything to be concerned about?

Vice President Biden gives the Israelis the green light to invade Iran with an airstrike against their nuclear facilities. President Obama says ‘absolutely not’ the next day. Iranian President Ahmadinejad
tells the world that if anything penetrates their airspace, the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz will stop suddenly, for starters. The US Joint Chief of Staff officially admit that the Iranians can actually do that for at least a short period of time, or perhaps for quite some length of time.

No one knows what will happen once missiles and jets and weapons of all types start flying around in the powder keg that is the Middle East. Tanks and elite troops are poised to bear down Israel on all sides, looking for an opening to put an end to the Jewish homeland. The US has promised to defend Israel’s borders. Israeli submarines armed with nukes are transiting the Suez Canal toward the Persian Gulf.

Perhaps we have quite a bit to be concerned about.

And that’s not taking into account the mysterious machinations of North Korea. (more…)

I recently had almost $30,000.00 of credit stripped from my accounts. It was a shocking surprise. One credit company went under and simply was not able to extend any more credit. Another capriciously decided to lower limits. One was on a Bank of America credit card I have used for over 40… that’s forty… years. All during that time of over four decades, I paid on time every single time. I would have thought I was a pretty good bet to continue doing so. They did not.

I can tell you it was not pleasant. I had counted on that credit to cushion our family during this economic down time.

But I had not counted on it too much. (more…)

Before I even start, I have to say that you must talk with your doctor and find out whether your use of any of the products or activities mentioned in this post, or indeed anywhere on this site, is appropriate for you. Get a complete physical and your doctor’s permission before beginning any physical activity. All statements are only personal opinion, and have not been approved by any authority or agency or anyone else whatsoever. And read our disclaimer statement.

You’ve gotten enough rest and you’re ready to rumble.

So, what would be a good work out to prepare your body for an emergency situation?

First on the list… stamina. (more…)