You never want to miss an opportunity to improve your situation when it comes to water. You simply cannot afford to be without it. You can’t live without water beyond three days, give or take. That’s why I suggest a short-term solution by simply making sure you have enough water on hand for the next couples of days, and then work from there. You’d be surprised at what you already have, as I explain here, and how easy it is to do as I point out here. But how do you prepare for when you will be without water for longer than a few days? In thinking about intermediate-term water storage … [Read more...]

When thinking about water storage, I like to break it down into three needs: short, intermediate, and long-term. Short-term needs are immediate and can last anywhere from 2 hours to 3 days. In some situations you may have some time to prepare, such as for a storm. But I’m thinking about a short-term emergency that catches you off guard. Imagine, right now, if you lost your main source of water. How would you fare for the next couple of days? You don’t want to be the one waiting in line at the store. You don’t want to be told that there are no more water bottles. The solution for … [Read more...]

Over the weekend we were at our log cabin in New Hampshire. An article on the front page of the local paper, The Conway Daily Sun, caught my interest. It was about hiking safely in the White Mountains. According to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, hiker rescues were at above average levels this summer but tapered off after a busy start. One of the reasons for the reduction in rescues of late, might have something to do with the New Hampshire’s hikeSafe program. The program, which puts stewards at five trail heads, provides a Hiker Responsibility Code. The card costs $25 for an … [Read more...]

Throwing more rules at guns will not solve the Las Vegas massacre. Laws stop law abiding citizens. This guy was not that. New gun laws only make it more difficult for law abiding citizens to defend themselves. It's the exact opposite of what's needed. We allow our school zones, for example, to be defenseless havens for killers thanks to laws. Another man made disaster is waiting to happen again and again. It is wrong for the NRA to engage in any form of new gun laws at this time. This is not the time for a national organization like the NRA to set national policy. It is a slippery … [Read more...]

The first thing you want to do when it comes down to your water supply is to figure out your water sources. For example, we have town water and we live near a fresh water reservoir, but it’s at the bottom of a steep hill. It will be extremely difficult to gather water and carry it up the hill. But it can be done in small batches. Next, you want to determine how much water you have on hand right now. The first place to look is your hot water heater capacity. Go online to see how to access water from your hot water heater in an emergency. Here’s a general sequence: turn off the … [Read more...]

If you’re trying to digest the recent disasters, both natural and human, then you know it’s nearly impossible to live free without vulnerabilities. Instead of making this political (who doesn’t believe they have the answers?) what we have learned is that sometimes help isn’t coming. No doubt there is most likely a desire to help you, but desire doesn’t get you or your family out of life threatening predicaments. Therefore, my goal is to help you and your family prepare to survive on your own for as long as it takes—seconds, hours, days, or weeks—until things get back to "normal." This will … [Read more...]

Tax avoidance by multinationals such as Amazon continues to get more expensive. “Brussels will hit Amazon today with a bill for Luxembourg back taxes worth several hundred million euros,” reports the Financial Times. More reason to pass U.S. corporate tax reform and bring that money home. Brussels will hit Amazon on Wednesday with a bill for Luxembourg back taxes worth several hundred million euros in the latest fallout from the EU crackdown on tax avoidance by big multinationals. The European Commission’s move, confirmed by several people familiar with the case, comes on the heels of … [Read more...]

Wall Street Journal columnist Holman W. Jenkins asks if wider use of technological surveillance, of the kind that is used against terrorists like al-Qaeda, might have done a better job in preventing the massacre allegedly perpetrated by Stephen Paddock. He writes: This column has always been partial to Dean Martin’s theory of gun control. The singer was arrested with an illegal weapon in his car. When asked by a reporter if everybody should carry a gun, he joked, “No, just me.” Unfortunately, this is not a realistic basis for legislating for 330 million people. Let’s stop covering our eyes … [Read more...]

For years gun owners in blue states have been stymied by restrictions on concealed carry that force them to prove a special "need" before they are allowed to exercise their rights. Now, the results of a court case in Washington D.C. may be about to upend that. The California Rifle & Pistol Association writes: On Thursday, September 28, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals officially denied Washington D.C.’s request to rehear the cases of Grace v. District of Columbia and Wrenn v. District of Columbia. These cases challenge Washington D.C.’s restrictive “good reason” requirement (i.e., a … [Read more...]