Well, there was a recently a tornado rip through Arkansas, so if I have any readers, they might find the following post interesting. I will teach you how to construct and maintain a tornado kit, and in my next blog, I'll give you info on how to make a tornado shelter. First of all, I do not know why, or how to get blogdrive to stop making my posts one big paragraph. I assure you, I am trying to have different paragraphs. Anyways, the first thing you have to consider when making a tornado kit, is that you're going to be there for awhile. A good rule of thumb is to assume a 3 day minimum for how long you are going to be stuck, wherever you might be stuck. So, you're going to need sufficient food and water to last 3 days atleast. The food you have should be able to last. If you have access, MREs are perfect. They will probably survive both a nuclear attack and the following zombie apocalypse. They also don't taste nearly as bad as some people think (and infact taste pretty good, if you get the right ones). If you don't want to get MREs (which can get bought at surplus stores and most outdoors stores), canned goods will work as well. If you decide to go with this, you'll need extra provisions. A heat source isn't needed, but you will need a mechanical can opener and eating utensils (fork, spoon, that kind of thing). If you go with canned goods, you should get the equivalent of 2,500 calories per day person. If you go with MREs, 2 per day per person will be more then enough. Now, if you're going to be trapped, possibly underground, for three days, some things are going to come in handing. Being there at night will get cold, so have some extra clothes, a thermal blanket, sleeping bags, any toiletries, and toilet bags. You can find these on google, but I've provided a link to a website that is very well regarded. Along a similar vein, a 5 gallon bucket can be bought at your local home depot, and will help both in that bodily function, and can be used to hold a good number of your provisions. Some other provisions are going to be based off your being unreached as you food and water runs low. If you absolutely have to attempt to rescue yourself (I highly discourage this) you'll need work gloves, pry bars, rope, shovel (an E tool being best), vinyl gloves, compasses, signal mirror, and a signal whistle. If you manage to get out, you might face problems with inclement weather. So, a poncho with hood, light sticks (3 or 4), and flashlights. With flashlights, I'd try to get to survival flashlights, or have extra batteries. Some random items of value are matches, candles (3-4), tissues, a swiss army knife or multi-tool, dust masks, paper towels, pen and paper, duct tape, cash ($100-$150) and a first aid kit. For such a situation, you should also have a radio. A one way radio (AM/FM that is) at least, but a radio that will send a signal is best. A ham radio requires an operator license, but is worth the investment, since it will allow you to communicate with First Responders, even if phone lines are down. Be aware though, they have a limited range. On a stormy night, you're looking at a range of a mile or less. If you do get in contact with a First Responder, be patient. If they can get ahold of you, and no one is seriously injured, they're going to put you on the back burner, since they know you're ok. Vital documents for this would be an extra ID for everyone, housing, medical/dental, and car insurance, bank account and credit/debit card info, and proof of ownership of house and car. http://www.thepett.com/index.php?PageLayout=PRODUCTS&pageID=97

The CFT is a unique animal that requires unique training. The best place to start training, is (of course) the beginning. I've provided a link at the bottom, it's an article from the Marine Corps Times about the CFT The beginning is the 880 yard run. The simplest way to train for this is to go out and run. But, that might not be nearly enough. In fact, I doubt it would be enough. However, you probably remember from last week, there are 5 fundamental exercises for training the legs. If you need to, recheck the last article for the link I provided that has information on those exercises. For training purposes, I recommend running 880 yards (or about a half mile), then doing reps. at 90% of your max, 7 times. Same exercises and order as you should be doing for your 3 mile training. Next is the Ammo Can lifts. OK, there is something that needs to be said before talking about training. Just because you can do 100 shoulder presses or military presses at 30 pounds, does not mean you can do the same with an ammo can. The reason is the placement of your hands changes the muscles you use. In a normal press, you're using most of the muscles in your shoulder, your triceps, and even your upper pectoral muscles. However, with an ammo can that changes. The focus moves from your shoulders, to just a few muscles. Principally your Anterior Deltoids and your Triceps, with your Posterior Deltoids and your Pectoral Muscles taking second stage. So, the obvious next step is try to simulate that. There are a few options on this. First, is to go out and actually buy an ammo can, and put 30 pounds worth of stuff in it. Sand is a good idea because it wont shift, however you'll need to stick a brick in it otherwise it wont be less then the desired weight. A second option is to use half a cinder block. It'd probably be cheaper, but more difficult to use. I'm just going to tell you to do what you gotta to. So, you have your stand in now. Of course, you'll need to find your max. Use the same progression as in my last article. The three exercises you're going to do is Ammo Can Press, Push Up, and Front Raise (can also be found at the link provided last week). As with Push Ups, Sit Ups, and Pull Ups, reevaluate yourself every 3 weeks. Now on to my favorite part, Maneuver Under Fire. This event can be broken down into a series of smaller events, which will each be discussed. First, is the start. While I don't think you'll really need to train for it, you might. The only recommendation I can make is to train with a medicine ball. From the same position as in the regular CFT, hold a medicine ball (or a soccer ball if you want). Have a partner signal, and throw the ball as you get up, and then sprint 20 yards. Next is the J-hook, and I'll also discuss the zig zagging from later on. Honestly the best way to train this, is to do it. You could change it up a little bit though by changing the distance between the cones, vertically and horizontally. Now for crawling. There is both the low crawl and the high crawl. By now, you should know how to do these crawls. There is also (for conditioning purposes) three others. There is the Bear Crawl, the Alligator Crawl, and the Saber tooth Crawl (no, really). You should know how to do a Bear Crawl, but if not, get on your hands and feet, and you're going to crawl by walking forward with one hand, and it's opposite side foot. The Alligator Crawl is similar, but you're body is low to the ground. I wont take credit for the Saber tooth crawl, I'm borrowing it from this gentleman: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaytCn25U_A Now then, for conditioning. Low Crawl 20 yards, High Crawl 20 yards, Bear Crawl 20 yards, Alligator Crawl 20 yards, and Saber tooth Crawl back to start. Until you can do this with some ease, I'd stick with 1 round and then move on to something else. When you can do this and don't need to stop to catch your breath, add another round. Since this is a small portion of the event, I personally wouldn't worry too much about it. OK, now you're grabbing your buddy, and you're gonna buddy drag him. This is one of those things where you really should know how to pick him up, but I'm going to be realistic and acknowledge some people weren't paying attention in Boot Camp. If you're buddy is a good one, he's lifted his arms up for you. Squat down and wrap your arms around his upper chest. There are a few ways to grab securely. First is to have your hands grab each other, kind of like trying to shake your own hand. An easier method is to have your hands grab your own wrists. A third option is to grab your buddies blouse. A fourth is (if you're arms are long enough and your buddy has a small chest) is to wrap your arms all the way around and grab your own elbows. The key here is to reduce the amount of dead space. Your buddy should be placed as tightly against your body as possible to make it easier. After this, stand up correctly, as if performing a squat. The higher up on your chest, the easier. Good training for this is to get into position, and simply do squats. And of course, you can actually drag your buddy around. I'd recommend you experiment with different methods of holding your buddy. If you have access to someone who weighs a few pounds more then you do, try to drag him around. Doing that with a longer distance will make it alot easier when you have to actually do this for time. The Fireman's carry is crucial, in my opinion. For simplicity, I'm going to speak from the right side, but you feel free to try the left. Grab your buddies right hand with your left hand, and bring it over your head. Squat down and wrap your right hand behind your buddies right knee. As you stand up, pull your buddy down so that his weight is on your shoulders. Like with the buddy lift, make sure you stand up correctly. At this point you have one arm behind your buddies knee, and the other on his hand. You can stay like this if you want, or you can have your right hand grab onto your blouse, which I'd recommend. This position is more stable then what I'm about to recommend. For this, put your buddies hand into your right hand. From this position, you can use your left hand to get momentum to help you move forward. The way to train this is the same as with the buddy drag: you're gonna have to do it. That plus doing fireman's carry squats. And power walking with someone who weighs more then you. Now, you can of course do traditional weight lifting to get better at this, but running with someone who has some weight on you is probably the fastest way. At the ammo can carry (which is a modified farmer's carry), there is a bit of tips that can be given. First of all, don't grab in the middle. That will make it easier for the cans to swing, which will make your job alot harder. Grabbing at the back will make it harder on your hands, so grab from the front. Keep your arms straight down, and at your sides. Again, this will reduce how much swing there is, and make your job easier. Don't take long steps, each step should be just larger then the length of your feet. You should lean forward slightly (slightly) to give yourself some forward momentum. Make sure to step heel-toe. For training, you can of course farmers carry. You can add distance, add weight, or go up stairs. I don't recommend going up stairs for the buddy carry because if you accidentally drop your buddy, you could mess up his butt. And if you accidentally drop your buddy while you're doing a fireman's carry up stairs, you could serious mess up your buddy. So, stick to ground level. A slight hill might not be a terrible idea though. The last part worth talking about the grenade throw. If you don't feel like making a grenade stand in, a rock weighing a pound will work. Just don't look after you throw. For training what I'd suggest is Monday, Wednesday and Friday you train your upper body. Do your push up sets, pull ups, sit ups, and ammo can lifts. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday do your lower body work out. Work your sprinting and fireman's carry. If you're motivated, or in need, work your 3 mile afterwards. Good training. http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/08/marine_cft_082409w/

I don't want to get into why I wasn't posting, but I'm back. Anyways, I decided to do a physical training entry. This is geared mostly towards the military, but is still worth reading for everyone else. So, first I'll talk about the run portion. Navy and Air Force both have 1.5 Mile Runs, with 8:15 and 9:36 being perfect scores for the lowest age category. Since you guys have the lowest distances, I'll start with you. There are 6 fundamental conditioning exercises for running. Squat, Dead lift, Stiff Leg Dead Lift, Calf Raise, Reverse Calf Raise, and (of course) running. I have provided a link to a website I recommend for instruction at the bottom of the page. It should go without saying, but in case you missed getting the issued common sense, go see a doctor before starting any training regiment. Now that you have done that, you're going to do a 10 rep max on the 5 fundamental exercises to train your legs (you feel free to try to find a way to do a 10 rep max on running though). I advocate a 10 rep max because it is a more accurate representation of what your physical fitness level is. And since you're going to be doing 10 reps, knowing what your 10 rep max is, is going to help more. OK, so you know your 10 rep max now. A 1.5 mile run is not quite a sprint, but it's also not far enough to need a great deal of endurance. So, here's what you're going to do: 1 set of 10 lifts of each of the 5 fundamental exercises at 90% of your max. The order I would do this in is: Dead Lift, Calf Raise, Squat, Reverse Calf Raise, and Stiff Leg Squat. After you do this, take a two minute breather, sip some what water and what not. When you're rest is over, go run 1/2 mile. The goal you're aiming for is 3 minutes for the Navy, and 3 and a half minutes Air Force. After doing this for 1 month, re-test your max in the 5 fundamental exercises. Adjust as needed. For the next month, you're going to continue you're lifts, and then move on to run 1 mile. Navy goal is 6 minutes, Air Force goal is 7 minutes. At the end of the month, you're going to re-test your max, and re-adjust as needed. This time you're going to run 1.5 miles with a goal of 9 minutes Navy, and 10 and a half minutes Air Force. Now, what if you get done with your first month of training and you're not where you need to be? Well, you need to be meeting your run time goal each day you run on at least the last week of the month. If not, you still need to readjust your weight lifting, but you need to stick with your distance. An alternate problem: What if you're meeting you're goal in the first week? Well, I see three options. Options number 1: Stick with it anyways. If you think you're only barely there, stick with it. There's nothing cowardly about admitting you need to take things slow. Option 2: repeat your lifts after you're done with your run. Option three: Move on to the next month. For the Army, same thing. However, you're of course going for a 4th month. With a perfect score for the lowest age being 13 minutes, you're aiming for 3 minutes 20 seconds in the first month, 6 minutes 40 seconds in the second month, 10 minutes in the third month, and 13 minutes 20 seconds in the final. Last, but not least, is the Marine Corps. If you're to go with my earlier mentioned method, you will be at it for awhile. But, the need for endurance is going to change the training method, and could help you get better, faster. Same thing as with everyone else, however, you're going to run twice. Let me explain. You're going to go run 1/2 mile, aiming for a time of 3 minutes 15 seconds. You're going to do your lifting (but, you're going to lift at 75% of your max). Then, you're going to run 1/2 mile again, aiming for a time of 3 and a half minutes. Then, lift again. You're going to repeat this procedure for 4 months, each time adding a half mile. And now on to Push Ups. First, you need to know your current max. If your max is 10, you're going to do sets of 8, 6, 4, and 2. If you can do 20, you're doing sets of 14, 10, and 6. If you can do 30, you're doing sets of 20, 12, and 8. If you can do 40, you're doing sets of 26, 14, and 10. If you can do 50, you're doing sets of 30, 16, and 12. If you're at 60, you're doing sets of 40, 25, and 15. Keep these sets in mind. Alright, you have your sets. Here's how this is going down. On days you work your push ups, you're going to do 1 set of regular Push Ups, 1 set of Wide Push Ups, and 1 set of Close Push ups. And by 'set' I mean if you're at that 10 range, you're going to do 8 regular, 8 wide, 8 close, 6 regular, 6 wide, 6 close, and so on. After 3 weeks (notice I said 3 weeks, not a month) you're going to re-evaluate yourself, and build up as needed. Sit ups are a similar method. You have no reason to get less then 30 (in my mind atleast), so that's where I'll start. If you're at 30, you're doing a set of 20, 12, and 8. If you're at 40, you're doing a set of 26, 14, and 10. If you're at 50, you're doing a set of 30, 16, and 12. If you're at 60, you're doing a set of 40, 25, and 15. If you're at 70, you're doing a set of 50, 30, and 20. If you're at 80, you're doing a set of 60, 35, and 25. If you're at 90, you're doing a set of 70, 40, and 30. Everything is the same as with Push Ups, however, you're doing Regular Crunches, Oblique Crunches (both sides), and Leg Raises. And for those who have Pull Ups, you need to max out also. If you're at 3, you're doing 2, 1, and 1. If you're at 5, you're doing 3, 2, and 1. If you're at 7, you're doing 6, 4, and 2. If you're at 10, you're doing 8, 6, 4. If you're at 14, you're doing 12, 10, and 8. If you're at 18, you're doing 16, 14, and 12. In addition, if you're at 3, you're going to do 10%. If you're at 5, you're going to do 15%. If you're at 7, you're doing 20%. If you're at 10, you're doing 25%. If you're at 14, you're doing 30%. If you're at 18, you're doing 35%. Yes, you're going to do the same kinds of sets with Pull ups. But, what's up with the percent? Well, you're also going to be doing some weight lifting, and the percent is the percent of your body weight you're lifting. Standing Rows, and Bent Over Rows, to be specific. I'll cover the Navy's Swim requirements and the Marine's CFT in my next entry. http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html (do some looking around)

As winter approaches (or smacks us with a wet blanket as the case may be) the likely hood of an accident rises. So, what all is needed in a vechicle that would compose a road side kit? And how often should I check on my kit? Well, here you go.

Jumper cables are a good start. Your battery will die eventually, and if you don't have a set of jumper cables, well, you're screwed. Keep in mind, the lower the number, the thicker the wirer, and the better conductor. You'll never find 0000 gauge wire (called 'four aught' by some mechanics), but you can easily find 4 gauge, which will work just well. I'd avoid anything higher then 6 gauge, since you'll be charging your car for ever.

A flashlight. As far as I can tell, these come in three basic types as far as power source goes, and 3 more in terms of light emission. The first power source is battery powered (like your classic 4 D cell battery), then there's rechargable (with some kind of power cell), and finally emergency lights. These operate on a magnet in a coil of wire. All you have to do is shake it up and down, and it will generate a charge (yes, this is all you need to make electricity: A magnet, a coil of ferous wire, and and relative motion). The bulbs are LED (brightest, longest distance), Halogen (covers biggest area), and regulat light bulbs (have a fun time finding one these days). Some lights will come with an LED or Halogen option.

A first aid kit. I cann't stress this enough. HAVE A FIRST AID KIT! Here are some of whats needed: a face sheild and surgical gloves  are a good idea (you dont want to catch a blood born illness do you?), adhesive bandages, moleskin, dressing, gauze, gauze pads, Petrolatum gauze pads (used for sucking chest wounds), elastic bandages, surgical tape, triangular bandage, butterfly strips, antiseptic, burn dressing, saline (or similar), scissors, tweazers, alcohol pads, cold pack, asprin, epipin (used for an alergic reaction), ibuprofen (or similar anti-inflammatory), antihistamine, activated charcoal and/or ipecac, snake bite kit, some 1x4s (for use with a brocken limb). I'm sure there is plenty more, but thats all I can think of off the top of my head. Plenty of more additions can be found by talking to people in sporting and hunting stores.

Fluids, such as anti-freeze, oil, and windshield wiper fluid (no, really). Also have some water and food. A small amount of water is fine (maybe a few water bottles). While going out to a military surplus store and buying a few MREs may be a bit much, it isn't a bad idea. If you're in a lightly populated area, it's definitly not a bad idea.

Screwdrivers are also useful, make sure you have phillips and flathead. Pliers and vice grips are also useful, as is a multitool or swiss army knife, an adjustable wrench, and a prybar of some kind will come in handy if you get stuck in something. I've also heard people recommend a foldable saw or small ax. It's not a bad idea, but I don't think I'd rush out to buy one if I lived in a big city. Along the same lines a small shovel is a good idea. Personnally, I keep an E-tool that I bought from a military surplus store. I can use it as a shovel, ax, saw, or a pick ax if I needed.

Blankets are big in this kind of weather, especially a thermal blanket of some kind. It's also a good idea to keep some kind of warm coat with you. An Ice/snow scraper being big also.

Now, lets say you slide off the road into a small snow bluff. Now what? Now you go get the candle, matches, can, and sand out of your kit. Put the sand infront of the drive tire that is stuck, put the candle (obviously lit) in the can, and put it behind your tire. The heat from the candle melts the snow, and the sand gives traction. And you're out. If you have a vechicle with rear wheel drive, make you keep extra sand for the added traction.

Now for some random but needed items. Extra fuses (and knowing where your fuses are), a tire inflator, rags, a tow cable, a handful of flares (4, 15 minute flares is good), pen and paper (in case you need to leave your vechicle you can leave a note for any first responders), a handful of paper towels, duct tape, a help sign, and a poncho with a hood

But, where to keep all this stuff? Many advocate a box. I'm not many people (literally, that'd be really hard for me to maintain!). I keep mine in three places. Most of my kit that I'd need to get to right away, is in a backpack in my back seat. Food, water, fuses, so on. Just think about what you'd need in a moments notice, or you'd need if your car flipped over. Or if you're sinking into a lake and need to GTFO. (I cann't remember the name of the product that will help, but I'll edit this post later with that info). All my small items are kept in my glove box in a seperate box. Thats also where my title, insurance, and a spare ID are kept. All the rest of my kit is kept in a box in my trunk.

Now, you've forked over some cash for your kit, now what? Well, you're not done. You need to check up on your kit every now and then. I check mine every month. I turn on everything that can be turned on, check fluid levels, experation dates, and so on. Check it often.

Remember: I will not be held responsible for any injuries, deaths, accidents, maiming, or sanity lost from taking my advice. Nothing I said should be used to treat, diagnose, or prevent any medical condition. If you get fucked up after reading my blog, it's your fault.

Well, some of us are from Southern California where it doesn't snow. I know it gets cold, but it doesn't snow. For those of us who are from those places, a whiteout is what happens when you cann't see because of a mix of snow and wind. Basicly, the mix makes it so you can only see white. So, if you get caught in that kind of situation, you could have some serious problems. The simple reason is that the snow can become dense enough to prevent a driver from being able to see very far. And even if not, you could be unable to determine what is snow and what is skyline. This has caused numerous multicar accidents, and I cann't begin to imagine how many people have died from it.

So, what to do? The biggest suggestion that can be given when vision gets near zero, is to stay put. Pull off the road, hit your four ways, and wait. Winds can get up to 100 miles per hour, making even the attempt at driving very dangerous. Use some common sense with this one though. Don't park on a bridge if you can, don't park within 100 feet of an intersection, and (if possible) get to a parking lot, or atleast a street that isn't well travelled (such as a residential area, and obviously off freeways, interstates, and so forth). While you're waiting, bundle up. This is why you should keep warm clothes in the front of your car, or the cab of your truck.

But, what if you realise that you're in a whiteout while you're on a bridge, or what have you? Well, turn your lights as high as they go and use your high beams if you have to. If you only hit your high beams, then you can see infront of you, but the guy behind you may not know that you are there. In that case, you could be in some trouble. Also, slow down. Don't hit the brakes (this can cause fish tailing, and all kinds of nastiness), just take your foot off the accelerator, and let the vechicle slow itself down. There is no hard and fast rule for how much to slow down, but slow down

If additional driving is needed, increase your following distance. Braking is difficult and slowed when there is snow on the ground, so you'll need more time between you and the guy in front of you. Make sure to cut all distractions. Turn off the radio, ignore your cell phone (or car phone, as the case may be). Since snow will be falling, you'll need to keep your wind sheild and mirrors clean. Use your defroster, or whatever is needed. Just keep it clean.

I'm sure you want some more general winter driving advice. OK, here it is.

First of all, make sure your vechicle has been thoroughly examined before winter. Your average mechanics shop should offer a total check up for around 20 bucks. It is well worth it. Driving around in the winter with a poor condition car is stupid at best, and deadly at worst. Ask your mechanic if there is anything that needs to be done to prepare for winter, and more specificly, what wind sheild wiper fluid is recommended. in winter, an anti-freeze wind sheild wiper fluid is obviously the best idea, but some cars will need special fluid. It's best to talk to a qualified mechanic about that. It's also best to ask if your tires are in good shape. 'All weather' tires are ok, but if you get some serious snow, they aren't good enough. You can find the recommended specifications for you state on google. Or by contacting your local city government.

Before you go anywhere, remove all snow. If not for your safety, for the safety of those around you. I'm not going to say that you could be arrested for it, but I wouldn't be surprised if you could be arrested in most states if a sheet of snow where to come off your car, hit someone else's car, and cause them to get into an accident. If you have a rear wheel drive vechicle, don't pack the snow in to weigh it down. Use sand bags. They aren't that expensive.

Alot of the rest of this is common sense. Especially if your driving near a snow plow. If you pass it, you could easily screw up your car, if not die. Stay back atleast 50 feet.

Nothing I have said should be used to treat, diagnose, or cure any illness. By using this advice you are possibly taking your life into your own hands, and as such, i cannot be held responsible for any injuries, maimings, or deaths which may result. Common sense always applies.

OK, so, it's winter, and that means snow, snow angels, snow men, smoky breath, frost bite, white outs, and blizzards. For an idea of how to deal with frost bite, I'd go see a First Aid trainer. You should be able to find one by googling your cities name (our county as the case may be) and 'first aid trainer'. However, I do feel ok giving out a little bit of advice. Firstly, if you feel a stinging pain in your body, thats the early stages of frostbite. If it gets to the point where you cann't feel that pain anymore, get inside ASAP. Thats a very bad sign.

I don't plan on giving much more advice on anything related to first aid because of the overwhelming legal ramifications, for the both of us. So, take every bit of advice I give about First Aid with a few grains of salt, until you get First Aid Certified.

I'll talk about White Outs in my next Blog. In this one however, I will talk about what you do if you get snowed in. Beleive it or not, it does actually happen. As far as I'm aware, it's most likely to happen if you live near mountains, in Alaska, or in the Northeast. With that statement in mind, it has happened all over the country. So, if you ever have snow, I'd take the advice that follows.

For your Snowed in Kit, I'd keep the following: Flashlight, MRE's, First Aid Kit, Back up Heat Source, Blankets, Snow Shovel, Radio, extra batteries, water, a few cans, and matches.

It is quite possible for a blizzard to knock out power. It's so possible, that you should count on it to happening. A flashlight is the obvious way to deal with that (along with checking the fuse box). For more information on flashlights, see my post on RoadSide Kits. A hand full of candles could work also, but I'd avoid it if given the choice.

With that in mind, you may be wondering about the usefullness of a radio. Plenty of radios come with battery backups. Something I'd even go ahead and look at, is a ham radio (which requires certification). While a regular radio can be used to get updates on the situation around you, it might leave you out of the loop in the local area. Likewise, if a unit of first responders were in your area trying to get people out of there houses, they'll be using a frequency that is accessable from a ham radio. So, you'd be able to contact them to let them know what your situation is. Odds are, if you've taken my advice and are well prepared, you should be fine. So, the responders will likely come to your group later on, so they can get people who are in worse situations.

So, if the power goes out, you could easily end up without power, and likely without a heat source. Since it'll be cold as hell, you'll be up a creek if you don't have a heat source. But, what kinds of heat source is an option? A propane heater is a good idea. A Do it Yourself (DIY) place can help give you more specific information on what you should get.

The rest of my recommendations should be obvious. However, make sure you have enough food and water for everyone who lives in your house to last a week. I'm completly serious with this. For more information (like if you live in an area that gets alot of snow, or you just want to be extra careful) I'd recommend this site: http://www.nowpublic.com/environment/surviving-winter-storms-no-power-no-heat-no-problem

None of the advise I have given should be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any medical condition. All advice given is my oppion, and I can not be held responsible for any injuries, maiming, or deaths that happened after attempting apply any advise given.

Sounds simple, right? OK, well, just in case, here it comes.

Costumes: Make sure they're safe. Some companys will have tags to let you know if they're fire restitant or fire proof. Make sure the eye holes are big enough, and, just make sure it doesn't present a choking hazard (especially with home made costumes). If your costume (or your kids' costume) includes a prop (maybe a scythe, ax, knife, so on), make sure it is soft, round, and flexible. That way, if you trip, you don't have to worry about hurting yourself.

Jack o lanterns: Yes, people really do set there houses on fire with them. If you want to put a candle in yours, make sure that there is some space between it and anything that be caught on fire, keep a fire extinguisher near by, and check on your pumpkins every now and then. If you have alot of tricker treaters, check on your pumpkins everytime you gets kids at the door. Otherwise, just 30 hour should be ok. And make sure you kill the flame before you call it a night.

Pumpkin Carving: Obviously, don't let little kids do it. And make sure there is adult supervision when kids do carve pumpkins. To reduce the chances of getting hurt, you can buy kits that come with little saws. They're generally easier to carve with, and safer. Nothing is gaurenteed though, so you still need to have adult supervision.

Candy: Always check it before you eat it. It doesn't happen much anymore, but at one point people really did put razor blades in apples, and poison candy. So, don't eat anything that may have been messed with (look for open rappers for example), and don't accept any food item that doesn't have a rapper (such as apples), or was home made (such as home made cookies).

Eat before you go trick or treating: This will make it so you (and any kids you're with) will be less inclined to eat candy while you're out.

Road safety applies. I shouldn't have to say anything, but yah. Check both ways before crossing the street, and so on

The route: know it well before you go out. You don't want to get lost and not know where you parked the car, or how to get back home if you stayed in walking distance from your house. Personnally, I like google maps.

Adult Supervision of kids: USE IT!

TIme to go home: know it before you set out.

'Tricks' does not mean 'vandalism'. I think I've said enough.

Party advice: Personnaly, I'd avoid the dry ice punch bowl. But, if you decide to go for it, make sure the person serving drinks knows that ingesting dry ice is extremely bad for you health, and so he needs to keep any dry ice chips out of the drinks. Make sure that anything valuable or breakable has been moved.

I will not be held responsible for anything stupid done after taking my advice (which is all it is, advice). If you want to blame someone, look in a mirror.

Well, hello. This is gonna be my self defense/exercise/what ever I feel like blog.

Most Self Defense Blogs I've read are full of.... well, none-sense. They're full of the authors ego stroking 'I'm so cool, you should fear and worship me!' comments. Or, they talk about how they learned some secret fighting technique in the Army that is now banned by Congress (Lt X, if you're reading this, I am infact calling you out).

But, here's the thing: They're full of crap. Although I do get a good laugh out of reading reading Lt X. That aside, I'm not going to dwell on what the best way to rip someones arm out is after they attack you with a knife while high on crack because they need your money to go buy crack. Why? It probably wont happen to you.

I cann't recall the exact numbers, but I seem to recall that the odds of ever being the victim of a violent crime is like 5% nationally (nationally, your area and habbits will change this is). However, the average American will be in atleast one car accident. Common sense tells me to practice defensive driving and knowing how to deal with the aftermath of an accident first, and worry about being violently attacked later. So, yah.

So, the next question becomes: what does 'RLSD' mean? Real Life Self Defense. I'm unimaginative sometimes, so sue me. Anyways, while knowing how to deal with the cracked out dude mentioned above may indeed be 'reality based' in how they deal with it, but the odds of it happening are small, so it's not real life.

I'm not going to go over what has been done to death: self defense against a violent attack. I'm going to go over other stuff you should know, but may or may not have been taught before. How to make and maintain a Roadside kit, Evacuation plans, how to change your oil, that kind of thing. The simple, almost common sense things, that people think about too rarely.

Feel free to send suggestions. My posting rate will probably be limited since I don't expect many hits. If you want me to post more, send alot of suggestions. It'll help.

 

Peace out.