Ever watch animals right before they fight? There’s some posturing and some staring down then they pounce on each other. People are like animals in this way. Often you can see a fight coming. To prevent a confrontation there are some signs that can help better to see it coming.
Cooper’s Color Code when followed, heightens your awareness and allows you to see potential threats to your safety ahead of time. This provides a window of opportunity to prepare for or prevent potential conflict.
In any conflict situation, the more knowledge you have in reading the other person the greater your chances are of threat detection and avoidance, which makes the color code all the more effective. For example, law enforcement officers are trained to look for specific physical cues that indicate when a person is in an aggressive state of mind. These cues serve as early warning signals that indicate that an attack is imminent.
There are some things to look for in a dangerous person
1. The Face: The face is on one hand the most expressive body part we posses, and on the other hand, the most easily manipulated. Experts are able to meticulously control their facial expressions so as to be unreadable (eg. the poker face) while amateurs will crack nervous grins and will sport numerous facial twitches. Ignore the signs that can be controlled and thus manipulated, and focus on those that cannot:
• Pupil dilation: The human fight or flight reaction is something few people can control; the brain signals the body to dump adrenaline into the bloodstream raising the heart rate and dilating the pupils (making them larger). As the pupils dilate, the peripheral vision narrows – it is a mechanism designed to have us face the threat directly. People about to act aggressively or perform a violent act will usually have their pupils dilated the size of pie plates.
• Pulse: As aggression or impulse builds, the heart rate increases as does blood pressure. The net result of this is a pounding pulse which is visible in the neck and temples. Again, this is difficult or impossible for most people to control.
• Sweat: An increased heart rate causes involuntary perspiration, which again, not even professionals can adequately control.
• Mouth: Besides obvious expressions, an open mouth often occurs when a person can’t get enough air from just their nose and is breathing rapidly.
2. Upper Torso: The upper torso reveals two important clues to those keen enough to observe them. The first clue is the shoulders – are the shoulders hanging naturally in a relaxed pose, or are they tight and raised? A person who is about to strike or move will often telegraph this intention by the way he carries his shoulders. The second clue is the upper chest area, where it pertains to respiration. Normally, men are stomach breathers while women are chest breathers, but when the action amps up, both sexes tend to breathe in a shallow manner from their chest. Look for the rapid rise and fall of the chest as evidence of breathing hard.
3. Hands and Arms: As one astute police officer said – feet never killed anyone. The reference was to the fact that overwhelmingly, hands hovering around the waistband represent a threat. At any moment, the person could produce a weapon, and so it’s important to watch the hands closely at all times. While things like balled fists are an obvious sign of aggression, keep in mind that many attacks come from the position of crossed arms, or hands in pockets.
4. Legs and Feet: Primarily, what we are looking for here is stance. As often happens subconsciously, people will tend to blade themselves towards a perceived threat. Blading refers to a combat style stance, where the dominant foot is behind the non-dominant foot and about shoulder width apart. Blading also serves as a dual clue – most people carrying a concealed weapon will subconsciously blade the weapon side away from the threat, both to protect it and to conceal it.
5. The Whole Package: Lastly, look for movement warning signs, nervous twitches that signal that the person is about to act. Two common signs of impending action are pacing and standing on the balls of their feet. Many attacks begin with a person pacing back and forth and then launching an attack at about the midpoint; many flights or escapes begin with the person getting up on the balls of their feet, much as a runner would before the starting gun goes off.
Being able to identify these pre assault indicators can give you just enough time to, at best, leave the scene, or if necessary give you the edge in preempting any physical attack with a defensive response of your own.
Before a physical attack occurs, the aggressor typically threatens an attack by displaying indicators. These are involuntary physiological “tells” that project from a person when they are in fight or flight mode. While the following list is not all-inclusive it includes the primary indicators you should be aware of.
* Blading: Body ‘blading’ happens when the aggressor puts his strong foot slightly behind him so that his torso is facing around 45 degrees to the right or left of you. It is an indication that he is settling his stance in preparation for an attack.
* Fist Clenching or Pumping: One of the side-effects of the fight-or-flight response is that blood is pulled from the extremities into the large muscle groups and major organs. Due to vasoconstriction in the hands and fingers, a natural response is to pump or clench them.
* Trembling: Due to adrenaline, you may notice trembling of the hands or knees. It’s just another indicator that the aggressor is in an agitated state.
* Rapid Shallow Breathing: Again, this is another indication of agitation and stress.
* Avoiding Eye Contact: This could mean a few different things or a combination of them. When a person is trying to mentally process the situation in an agitated state, it is difficult to multitask (hold your attention and think of a plan and psyche himself up). It could also be an attempt to lull you into a sucker punch.
* Posturing: Surprisingly enough this in many cases is also an involuntary act. It is common among many animal species as well as us humans and indicates a display of dominance and threat of attack. One of the main indicators is puffing up the chest to make one appear larger or lowering the head as if ready to charge.
* Bobbing and Rocking: This is similar to trembling and fist clenching above. With the combination of adrenaline and oxygen getting pumped into their systems, the aggressor may display odd movements. He may bounce up and down, rock back and forth, or start pacing. This provides a release of extra oxygen and indicates a subconscious preparation for action.
* Hiding the Face: An aggressor on the verge of attacking may attempt to conceal their stress and excitement by turning their head or hiding their faces. This may also be seen when an aggressor wipes his face, slicks back his hair, scratches his nose, etc.
* Focused Attention: When you’ve recognized many of the previous indicators and you begin to see focused attention on you they are essentially made a lock on their target. This also includes focused attention on a particular body part such as the chin or groin showing where they will probably strike.
* Thousand Yard Stare: This is the opposite of focused attention. Here the person isn’t so much focusing on you but looking through you. What this tells you is that he is mentally shutting down and is ready to go on aggressive autopilot. Gain some distance, fast.
The whole point of the above list is not to get freaked out just because you see someone slick back their hair or look away from you. What you need to do is look at the entire situation and try to find groupings or ‘clusters’ of the above behaviors. If you see these indicators it’s time to act! The best option is to run away if possible, but if you can’t ‘beat feet’ then you better get ready.
I can’t tell you to launch your own pre-emptive strike, but if you can see no other alternative, and know a fight is coming, hit first, and hit hard. But you’d better be sure because you may become the attacker instead of the victim. By striking first you may be assaulting and the original attacker is just defending himself. This is important especially legally. Be very careful how you do this. You could end up in jail for assault.
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Oil Lamps For Light
You might not think that there's much to know regarding Tips and Tricks for Using Oil Lamps, but since I've practiced using all of my supplies that I intend to rely on someday, I've discovered that there are some idiosyncrasies when it comes to using and maintaining my oil lamps. I've got all sorts of brands and kinds of oil lamps and I've used all kinds of different oils for my lamps too.
The Oil Lamp--Primary Light Source
A good source in a "lights out" scenario will be oil lamps. They put out much more light than a mere candle and they tend to be more stable and safe. But in order to truly be "prepared" there’s a lot of simple information that one should know in using them. This is the best way to use lamps to get the most light for the longest period of time as well as some great do-it-yourself methods for creating your own lamp oil and your own wicks.
First, let’s start out with the most basic information. When you fill up your oil lamp, be sure to leave at least a ½ inch of headspace. Lamp oil swells in the summer time and if you don’t leave enough space you’ll end up with flooding problems which is wasteful and dangerous.
Alternative Lamp Oil
We don’t cook with canola, soy, or corn oil any longer thanks to the nasty GMOs present and the fact that they are hydrogenated oils, very bad for you. But these oils can be used in oil lamps. Even my favorite oils will go rancid sometimes. No problem. They can be used in my oil lamps, though using these alternative oils will put off an odor and don’t burn as clean as kerosene. As long as you don’t mind that, then you don’t have to worry about wasting any of your oil.
Lamp Oil
How much oil do you need? As a general rule, oil lamps will burn about ½ an ounce of lamp oil per hour. For some reason they will burn a little bit more in cold weather. This means that a half gallon of lamp oil will last about 140-150 hours. I find that the alternative oils (i.e. canola, rancid olive oil, etc.) will give you as much as a 10% lower output than traditional lamp oils. But the good news is that you can add as much as 5 to 10 drops of essential oils each time you fill the lamp and that will thwart much of that off-putting odor you get. For optimal burning you’ll want to keep the lamp at least half full all the time--not to mention the fact that if you keep your lamps filled halfway all the time, you're not likely to run out unexpectedly. One thing you need to be aware of is that lamp oils can actually freeze when you get in the 20 degree or colder range. Also, it’s best to make sure your oil is at room temperature before filling the lamp. Oil lamps burn about ½ oz. of lamp oil per hour.
Don’t use gasoline or alcohol in oil lamps. They are too volatile and burn dirty.
When it comes to purchasing lamp oil, the "ultra pure" lamp oil just isn’t worth the money. It freezes sooner than regular lamp oil does and it doesn’t burn cleaner. You’ll also want to know that the so-called "odorless" lamp oils aren’t really odorless. When using an oil lamp regularly you’ll get used to it quickly.
Wicks
Purchasing wicks is very affordable. One wick will last you a long time with proper care. Burning through a half gallon of lamp oil will only burn down ¼ to ½ inch of an 8 inch long wick. This means that an 8- inch wick will last through about 15 gallons of lamp oil. The key to proper wick maintenance is to be sure the wicks are always properly soaked in the lamp oil. Never burn them dry. You’ll also want to trip the char off of the wick after each use. There are 4 different schools of thought when it comes to the shape of wicks. Some folks go for the "crown" shape which is like a slightly rounded point, some trim them just flat across, some trim them nicely pointed, and some don’t trim them at all. You’ll get the brightest light if you trim your wick nicely pointed. You’ll burn your oil just a bit faster that way. Using a pointed tip can get 140+ hours out of half gallon of lamp oil.
Make Your Own Wicks
Good oil lamp wicks are really easy to make. Be sure that you only use 100% cotton though. I’ve heard of some folks thinking that they were going to use nylon or "paracord" as their oil lamp wicks. You want just plain cotton. You can make 8-12 inch wicks that will last just as long as the commercially made ones. Take squares of cotton fabric 12 inches long by 6 to 8 inches wide. Beginning at one end of the fabric, fold the wide portion over and over again in a ¾ inch width each time. When finished folding put it in a sewing machine and sew down the length of the fabric once or twice to create a flat wick. These can be sewn by hand if necessary. It’s important that wicks are at least 8 inches long as 3 of your inches are going to be used for the lead space into the oil at the bottom and in the adjustment portion at the top.
Trimming the Wick
Trim the char off of the wicks after each use. As long as you let the wicks burn moderately and never let your wicks get dry, you’ll not have to worry about running out of them. As long as your wick is wet with oil, the oil is actually what’s burning, not the wick.
Be aware just how hot chimneys can be. Even after the flame’s been snuffed out, the chimney remains hot for as much as an hour. This is one of the reasons why oil lamps that don’t have a handle are more difficult to use. The oil base shouldn’t get too hot, but it does get warm when used for a long time, so don’t carry the lamp by the chimney or the base. It’s best to let the chimney warm up for about 10 minutes before increasing the light output. It makes a difference.
You don’t want a big flame. The ideal ratio of air to fuel when using your oil lamp is 94% air and 6% fuel.
Soot will build up on the chimney over time. Keeping your flame small will prevent this from happening. Make sure that the chimney gets cleaned of soot to keep from causing a fire. Soot build-up will also lessen your light and strangle the oxygen that is needed for a good, even burn on your wick. Besides giving you the brightest light.
Never use a lamp without a chimney. Doing so will cause the top of the lamp to overheat and can pressurize the lamp base and create an oil fire. If you see smoke while your wick is lit then you’ve got it too high. When it comes time to extinguishing the flame, just cup a hand above the chimney and blow.
The containers lamp oil is sold in is not good for long term storage. Store the oil in a thicker container. I have a lot of gas containers so I put some oil in those and marked it well.
Don’t take for granted the importance of light. Trying to cook or do anything without enough light is frustrating. Make sure you have enough lamps for your comfort.
I’ve made lamps by filling a canning jar with oil and putting a slit in the canning lid. It’s crude and there is no chimney but it works.
(It's also a great little Molotov cocktail. That is for informational purposes only...)
Being prepared is actually using your gear so you know how it works, if it works, or if you need an alternative.
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
The Oil Lamp--Primary Light Source
A good source in a "lights out" scenario will be oil lamps. They put out much more light than a mere candle and they tend to be more stable and safe. But in order to truly be "prepared" there’s a lot of simple information that one should know in using them. This is the best way to use lamps to get the most light for the longest period of time as well as some great do-it-yourself methods for creating your own lamp oil and your own wicks.
First, let’s start out with the most basic information. When you fill up your oil lamp, be sure to leave at least a ½ inch of headspace. Lamp oil swells in the summer time and if you don’t leave enough space you’ll end up with flooding problems which is wasteful and dangerous.
Alternative Lamp Oil
We don’t cook with canola, soy, or corn oil any longer thanks to the nasty GMOs present and the fact that they are hydrogenated oils, very bad for you. But these oils can be used in oil lamps. Even my favorite oils will go rancid sometimes. No problem. They can be used in my oil lamps, though using these alternative oils will put off an odor and don’t burn as clean as kerosene. As long as you don’t mind that, then you don’t have to worry about wasting any of your oil.
Lamp Oil
How much oil do you need? As a general rule, oil lamps will burn about ½ an ounce of lamp oil per hour. For some reason they will burn a little bit more in cold weather. This means that a half gallon of lamp oil will last about 140-150 hours. I find that the alternative oils (i.e. canola, rancid olive oil, etc.) will give you as much as a 10% lower output than traditional lamp oils. But the good news is that you can add as much as 5 to 10 drops of essential oils each time you fill the lamp and that will thwart much of that off-putting odor you get. For optimal burning you’ll want to keep the lamp at least half full all the time--not to mention the fact that if you keep your lamps filled halfway all the time, you're not likely to run out unexpectedly. One thing you need to be aware of is that lamp oils can actually freeze when you get in the 20 degree or colder range. Also, it’s best to make sure your oil is at room temperature before filling the lamp. Oil lamps burn about ½ oz. of lamp oil per hour.
Don’t use gasoline or alcohol in oil lamps. They are too volatile and burn dirty.
When it comes to purchasing lamp oil, the "ultra pure" lamp oil just isn’t worth the money. It freezes sooner than regular lamp oil does and it doesn’t burn cleaner. You’ll also want to know that the so-called "odorless" lamp oils aren’t really odorless. When using an oil lamp regularly you’ll get used to it quickly.
Wicks
Purchasing wicks is very affordable. One wick will last you a long time with proper care. Burning through a half gallon of lamp oil will only burn down ¼ to ½ inch of an 8 inch long wick. This means that an 8- inch wick will last through about 15 gallons of lamp oil. The key to proper wick maintenance is to be sure the wicks are always properly soaked in the lamp oil. Never burn them dry. You’ll also want to trip the char off of the wick after each use. There are 4 different schools of thought when it comes to the shape of wicks. Some folks go for the "crown" shape which is like a slightly rounded point, some trim them just flat across, some trim them nicely pointed, and some don’t trim them at all. You’ll get the brightest light if you trim your wick nicely pointed. You’ll burn your oil just a bit faster that way. Using a pointed tip can get 140+ hours out of half gallon of lamp oil.
Make Your Own Wicks
Good oil lamp wicks are really easy to make. Be sure that you only use 100% cotton though. I’ve heard of some folks thinking that they were going to use nylon or "paracord" as their oil lamp wicks. You want just plain cotton. You can make 8-12 inch wicks that will last just as long as the commercially made ones. Take squares of cotton fabric 12 inches long by 6 to 8 inches wide. Beginning at one end of the fabric, fold the wide portion over and over again in a ¾ inch width each time. When finished folding put it in a sewing machine and sew down the length of the fabric once or twice to create a flat wick. These can be sewn by hand if necessary. It’s important that wicks are at least 8 inches long as 3 of your inches are going to be used for the lead space into the oil at the bottom and in the adjustment portion at the top.
Trimming the Wick
Trim the char off of the wicks after each use. As long as you let the wicks burn moderately and never let your wicks get dry, you’ll not have to worry about running out of them. As long as your wick is wet with oil, the oil is actually what’s burning, not the wick.
Be aware just how hot chimneys can be. Even after the flame’s been snuffed out, the chimney remains hot for as much as an hour. This is one of the reasons why oil lamps that don’t have a handle are more difficult to use. The oil base shouldn’t get too hot, but it does get warm when used for a long time, so don’t carry the lamp by the chimney or the base. It’s best to let the chimney warm up for about 10 minutes before increasing the light output. It makes a difference.
You don’t want a big flame. The ideal ratio of air to fuel when using your oil lamp is 94% air and 6% fuel.
Soot will build up on the chimney over time. Keeping your flame small will prevent this from happening. Make sure that the chimney gets cleaned of soot to keep from causing a fire. Soot build-up will also lessen your light and strangle the oxygen that is needed for a good, even burn on your wick. Besides giving you the brightest light.
Never use a lamp without a chimney. Doing so will cause the top of the lamp to overheat and can pressurize the lamp base and create an oil fire. If you see smoke while your wick is lit then you’ve got it too high. When it comes time to extinguishing the flame, just cup a hand above the chimney and blow.
The containers lamp oil is sold in is not good for long term storage. Store the oil in a thicker container. I have a lot of gas containers so I put some oil in those and marked it well.
Don’t take for granted the importance of light. Trying to cook or do anything without enough light is frustrating. Make sure you have enough lamps for your comfort.
I’ve made lamps by filling a canning jar with oil and putting a slit in the canning lid. It’s crude and there is no chimney but it works.
(It's also a great little Molotov cocktail. That is for informational purposes only...)
Being prepared is actually using your gear so you know how it works, if it works, or if you need an alternative.
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
Apartment and Dorm Security
"Hope for the best, expect the worst" is one of the best pieces of advice you’ll ever get concerning security. If you live in an apartment, there are quite a few limitations on what you can actually do to secure your space. There’ll also be some variability in this regard. For example, if you have a freestanding apartment, your landlord may allow you to get an alarm hooked up. If you live in a complex, this generally will not be an option. Here are some tips to help you secure your apartment so that you can feel as safe as possible when you’re at home and when you’re out and about.
Doors and windows
If you do not have a deadbolt ask that one be installed. If you do ask that it be rekeyed. There are external deadbolts that can be installed on the inside of the door. Check hinges and strike plates. Make sure there are long screws in them to strengthen them. Consider a nail that will keep the door from being taken off the hinges.
There are quite a few inexpensive door alarms that are simple to hook up and easy to operate. These generally use a simple magnet to determine whether your door is closed. They’re not as secure as a professional security system, of course, but they do provide some level of deterrence. With these devices, if somebody opens your door and doesn’t enter the combination to disarm the alarm right away, the device emits a loud shriek, which will alert anyone nearby that something is amiss. You can usually set these up for in at-home mode where the alarm will sound immediately instead of giving you a few seconds to enter your combination, which is great when you’re in bed at night.
You can literally pick up a decent window bar for about a dollar at any hardware store. You have the option of buying burglar bars that are specifically made to keep your windows from being able to be slid open or you can purchase a piece of dowel, a broomstick or just about anything else you can put in the window track to obstruct the motion of the window. If you live in a ground floor apartment, these are imperative. Slipping into a window is all too easy for thieves, so you want to make certain that they cannot open the window wide enough to get in. You can also buy small devices that attach to the window track with a wingnut that allows you to tighten them down and prevent the window from being opened. Consider fire exits. You may have to have a fire drill occasionally to train all occupants to grab the stick or take off the “lift limiter” to get out the window. There are also window alarms for individual windows. Keep your blinds in good repair and drawn when you’re not home. Put valuables out of sight.
Safes
The very first line of this article explains why having a safe is a good idea. No matter how much time you put into controlling access to your apartment, you’ll want to assume that somebody’s going to get in there eventually. You can buy small safes that one or two strong people can easily carry up a flight of stairs but that are certainly heavy enough to deter anyone from running away with them. These safes are available with good quality locks, doors, and burn protection, which make them great for storing anything valuable that you absolutely cannot afford to lose. Your most valuable items should be stored in such a safe. It’s a good idea to conceal the safe, as well. You can put it in your closet where it cannot be seen, put it under a table where it’s difficult to notice or, if you want, cover it up with a tablecloth and make a table out of it.
Lighting
One thing that every thief wants to avoid is being seen. Make sure you always tell maintenance if your outdoor lighting has gone out and have it replaced immediately. If you have a peephole on your door, get a peephole cover so that a thief cannot use a peephole reverser to see inside your apartment.
Provided you put a bit of effort into increasing the level of access control you have over your apartment and into safeguarding those things that are the most important and most valuable, you should be able to enjoy relative security living in an apartment.
Know your neighbors
If you know your neighbors and what cars they drive you will be better able to identify someone who should not be hanging around your complex.
Bushes and shrubs
If plants are obstructing your windows ask the complex to trim them or do it yourself. Also make sure there are not any plants that anyone can hide behind.
Timers
Put timers on a light and a radio or TV. This will give the illusion of someone home.
Insurance
Look into getting renters insurance. This will give you peace of mind and even protect against fire. If your area is prone to flooding, most renters insurance do not cover floods.
Consider taking video or pictures of your apartment and its contents. Marking your valuables with a drivers license number is good for identification.
Work with landlords in forming an apartment watch group or tenant association. Consider social events for your complex. This is good to get to know your neighbors and to be able to look after each other. Maybe fixing playground equipment or maybe putting in a basketball court or social event for youth might help keep things friendly and provide activities for tenants.
Consider self-defense
Always remember that self-defense should be at the top of your list in securing you and your family. Things can be replaced, people cannot.
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
Doors and windows
If you do not have a deadbolt ask that one be installed. If you do ask that it be rekeyed. There are external deadbolts that can be installed on the inside of the door. Check hinges and strike plates. Make sure there are long screws in them to strengthen them. Consider a nail that will keep the door from being taken off the hinges.
There are quite a few inexpensive door alarms that are simple to hook up and easy to operate. These generally use a simple magnet to determine whether your door is closed. They’re not as secure as a professional security system, of course, but they do provide some level of deterrence. With these devices, if somebody opens your door and doesn’t enter the combination to disarm the alarm right away, the device emits a loud shriek, which will alert anyone nearby that something is amiss. You can usually set these up for in at-home mode where the alarm will sound immediately instead of giving you a few seconds to enter your combination, which is great when you’re in bed at night.
You can literally pick up a decent window bar for about a dollar at any hardware store. You have the option of buying burglar bars that are specifically made to keep your windows from being able to be slid open or you can purchase a piece of dowel, a broomstick or just about anything else you can put in the window track to obstruct the motion of the window. If you live in a ground floor apartment, these are imperative. Slipping into a window is all too easy for thieves, so you want to make certain that they cannot open the window wide enough to get in. You can also buy small devices that attach to the window track with a wingnut that allows you to tighten them down and prevent the window from being opened. Consider fire exits. You may have to have a fire drill occasionally to train all occupants to grab the stick or take off the “lift limiter” to get out the window. There are also window alarms for individual windows. Keep your blinds in good repair and drawn when you’re not home. Put valuables out of sight.
Safes
The very first line of this article explains why having a safe is a good idea. No matter how much time you put into controlling access to your apartment, you’ll want to assume that somebody’s going to get in there eventually. You can buy small safes that one or two strong people can easily carry up a flight of stairs but that are certainly heavy enough to deter anyone from running away with them. These safes are available with good quality locks, doors, and burn protection, which make them great for storing anything valuable that you absolutely cannot afford to lose. Your most valuable items should be stored in such a safe. It’s a good idea to conceal the safe, as well. You can put it in your closet where it cannot be seen, put it under a table where it’s difficult to notice or, if you want, cover it up with a tablecloth and make a table out of it.
Lighting
One thing that every thief wants to avoid is being seen. Make sure you always tell maintenance if your outdoor lighting has gone out and have it replaced immediately. If you have a peephole on your door, get a peephole cover so that a thief cannot use a peephole reverser to see inside your apartment.
Provided you put a bit of effort into increasing the level of access control you have over your apartment and into safeguarding those things that are the most important and most valuable, you should be able to enjoy relative security living in an apartment.
Know your neighbors
If you know your neighbors and what cars they drive you will be better able to identify someone who should not be hanging around your complex.
Bushes and shrubs
If plants are obstructing your windows ask the complex to trim them or do it yourself. Also make sure there are not any plants that anyone can hide behind.
Timers
Put timers on a light and a radio or TV. This will give the illusion of someone home.
Insurance
Look into getting renters insurance. This will give you peace of mind and even protect against fire. If your area is prone to flooding, most renters insurance do not cover floods.
Consider taking video or pictures of your apartment and its contents. Marking your valuables with a drivers license number is good for identification.
Work with landlords in forming an apartment watch group or tenant association. Consider social events for your complex. This is good to get to know your neighbors and to be able to look after each other. Maybe fixing playground equipment or maybe putting in a basketball court or social event for youth might help keep things friendly and provide activities for tenants.
Consider self-defense
Always remember that self-defense should be at the top of your list in securing you and your family. Things can be replaced, people cannot.
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
Friday, April 8, 2016
4210 Yard Shot!
There is a group of guys in Texas who have accomplished some amazing things. You have to see it to believe it. They made a 4210 yard shot!
Watch it here:
All their equipment only provided for a 4000 yard shot but they adjusted for the extra 210 yards. It was amazing!
Their success is a testament to the culmination of range time and knowledge this unique group of friends possess.
This group of friends have pushed the distance limits several times before this. This was the biggest challenge that they had yet to face.
Could you do it?
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
Watch it here:
All their equipment only provided for a 4000 yard shot but they adjusted for the extra 210 yards. It was amazing!
Their success is a testament to the culmination of range time and knowledge this unique group of friends possess.
This group of friends have pushed the distance limits several times before this. This was the biggest challenge that they had yet to face.
Could you do it?
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
Knife Attack Defense
Ever wonder what you would do if someone came at you with a knife? There are a few basics you should know. These are only basics so don’t even think this little briefing is your knife fighting training. Go to a competent instructor and get some real training. This article is just for familiarization of knife defense. These things, if practiced, can drastically improve your survivability.
Move!
I hardly believe I have to say it but move! Distance is your friend against an up close and personal type weapon. Movement is more difficult to attack. Run if possible.
Barriers
Keep something between you and the attacker. If your attacker has to move around something to get to you then that would give you time to think, or better yet, get away. A contact weapon must be close enough to contact to do any damage so get behind something. If necessary place something between you and your attacker yourself. A chair, a trash can, anything that will impede the attacker’s progress.
Protect
Keep the knife away from your center, neck, throat, heart, lungs, and arteries. Use your hands and arms, they can take defensive wounds that will not be fun, but probably not life threatening.
Focus
Don’t focus on the weapon. The knife will move quickly. Watch the attacker’s upper body. The arms can be in your peripheral. You’ll see more where the blow is coming from with the body than trying to watch the weapon.
Endure to the end
If you’re being attacked with a knife you’ll probably get cut. That is reality. Don’t worry so much about that as survival is not giving up the fight. It ain’t over ‘til it’s over. Stay in the fight.
Check
The check is used to intercept an incoming attack when a full evasion isn’t possible. Assume a neutral position with the hands up halfway between your chin and sternum with your palms facing outward. As the attack comes in, deliver a quick, retracting strike to the attacker’s arm between his wrists and forearm using the palms of your hands. (Use both hands because it provides the most surface area to prevent the attack from slipping through.) Once contact is made, return to the neutral position and prepare to stop the next attack. Be sure to move off the line of attack as much as possible during the check.
Many edged weapons experts advocate only using the outsides of the forearms to stop or deflect an edged weapon attack in order to protect the arteries and tendons located in the arms. This isn’t a bad tactic, however, this is difficult for most people to do under pressure unless they’ve spent years training this way. People react with their hands.
Disrupt
A rhythm disruption is anything that disrupts an attacker’s rhythm of movement and resets his OODA loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act). One of the quickest and most effective rhythm disruptions is an attack to the eyes on the half-beat. The purpose of the disruption is to create an opportunity for you to move in and control the weapon arm. You may have to deliver several checks before finding an opening to execute your rhythm disruption. With training, you’ll eventually be able to execute a check and disruption simultaneously.
Seize
Once the opportunity presents itself, move in and seize the attacker’s weapon arm to gain control of the weapon. Always strive to move to a position that places you outside of the attacker’s physical weapons. There are several ways this can be done depending on the situation and your level of skill and training. However, as a general rule:
Grab the wrist of the arm holding the blade using a thumbless grip (aka Monkey Grip). With your opposite arm, grab deep behind their elbow. This gives you optimum control of the arm because it closes off the dead space and prevents them from being able to pull their elbow back to break free. From this position, maintain constant pressure to drive the attacker off balance.
Neutralize
The final step in surviving an edged weapon attack is to neutralize the threat. This could mean disengaging and employing a firearm, but once you have seized the attacking arm, it’s best not to let go until you have removed the blade from the equation. One of the high-percentage techniques is an arm-bar takedown.
From the position described above, bring your inside arm over the top so the attacker’s triceps is in your arm pit. Stack your inside hand on top of the hand securing the wrist and drive your inside shoulder toward the ground. From this position, drop forward onto your inside knee and straight down as if trying to touch your elbow to the ground; keeping your weight focused over the attacker’s shoulder. From there, you can lock the attacker’s wrist against your outside thigh and walk it up to lever the arm and secure the weapon.
Conclusion
What has been presented here are a few basic fundamentals for surviving an edged weapon assault, as well as a brief overview of counter tactics. If at all possible, avoidance is always your best defense. However, life doesn’t always offer us that opportunity. Train your mind and train your body so you’ll be prepared for whatever life throws your way.
Get trained and practice!
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
Move!
I hardly believe I have to say it but move! Distance is your friend against an up close and personal type weapon. Movement is more difficult to attack. Run if possible.
Barriers
Keep something between you and the attacker. If your attacker has to move around something to get to you then that would give you time to think, or better yet, get away. A contact weapon must be close enough to contact to do any damage so get behind something. If necessary place something between you and your attacker yourself. A chair, a trash can, anything that will impede the attacker’s progress.
Protect
Keep the knife away from your center, neck, throat, heart, lungs, and arteries. Use your hands and arms, they can take defensive wounds that will not be fun, but probably not life threatening.
Focus
Don’t focus on the weapon. The knife will move quickly. Watch the attacker’s upper body. The arms can be in your peripheral. You’ll see more where the blow is coming from with the body than trying to watch the weapon.
Endure to the end
If you’re being attacked with a knife you’ll probably get cut. That is reality. Don’t worry so much about that as survival is not giving up the fight. It ain’t over ‘til it’s over. Stay in the fight.
Check
The check is used to intercept an incoming attack when a full evasion isn’t possible. Assume a neutral position with the hands up halfway between your chin and sternum with your palms facing outward. As the attack comes in, deliver a quick, retracting strike to the attacker’s arm between his wrists and forearm using the palms of your hands. (Use both hands because it provides the most surface area to prevent the attack from slipping through.) Once contact is made, return to the neutral position and prepare to stop the next attack. Be sure to move off the line of attack as much as possible during the check.
Many edged weapons experts advocate only using the outsides of the forearms to stop or deflect an edged weapon attack in order to protect the arteries and tendons located in the arms. This isn’t a bad tactic, however, this is difficult for most people to do under pressure unless they’ve spent years training this way. People react with their hands.
Disrupt
A rhythm disruption is anything that disrupts an attacker’s rhythm of movement and resets his OODA loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act). One of the quickest and most effective rhythm disruptions is an attack to the eyes on the half-beat. The purpose of the disruption is to create an opportunity for you to move in and control the weapon arm. You may have to deliver several checks before finding an opening to execute your rhythm disruption. With training, you’ll eventually be able to execute a check and disruption simultaneously.
Seize
Once the opportunity presents itself, move in and seize the attacker’s weapon arm to gain control of the weapon. Always strive to move to a position that places you outside of the attacker’s physical weapons. There are several ways this can be done depending on the situation and your level of skill and training. However, as a general rule:
Grab the wrist of the arm holding the blade using a thumbless grip (aka Monkey Grip). With your opposite arm, grab deep behind their elbow. This gives you optimum control of the arm because it closes off the dead space and prevents them from being able to pull their elbow back to break free. From this position, maintain constant pressure to drive the attacker off balance.
Neutralize
The final step in surviving an edged weapon attack is to neutralize the threat. This could mean disengaging and employing a firearm, but once you have seized the attacking arm, it’s best not to let go until you have removed the blade from the equation. One of the high-percentage techniques is an arm-bar takedown.
From the position described above, bring your inside arm over the top so the attacker’s triceps is in your arm pit. Stack your inside hand on top of the hand securing the wrist and drive your inside shoulder toward the ground. From this position, drop forward onto your inside knee and straight down as if trying to touch your elbow to the ground; keeping your weight focused over the attacker’s shoulder. From there, you can lock the attacker’s wrist against your outside thigh and walk it up to lever the arm and secure the weapon.
Conclusion
What has been presented here are a few basic fundamentals for surviving an edged weapon assault, as well as a brief overview of counter tactics. If at all possible, avoidance is always your best defense. However, life doesn’t always offer us that opportunity. Train your mind and train your body so you’ll be prepared for whatever life throws your way.
Get trained and practice!
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
Remembering Chris Kyle
I’ve been writing about Chris Kyle since I started this blog in 2014. Since the movie “American Sniper” came out, based on Chris’s book he has become better known. I followed his career and the forming of his business with interest. I’ve always been a fan of Carlos Hathcock. He was a Marine sniper during the Viet Nam era who established himself as a Sniper but also established the Sniper program in the Marines as a viable necessity. Chris broke many of his records as far as confirmed kills goes. But Chris also established the Sniper as an important life-saving tool.
I have several friends in special operations communities. Many of them knew Chris very well. Chris Kyle has been accused of many things, and has been called many things. Those that I know who knew him say different.
This is one of two stories you may not know about Chris. It is told by someone who knew him well and wrote about him, Mark Greenblatt.
Visit Mark's website at http://markleegreenblatt.com/ to learn more about Chris Kyle and his daring Fallujah rescue, to read more about the heroes in Mark's book, or to send an email to Chris's family and the other heroes.
By: Mark Lee Greenblatt
“Heavy Contact and Saving the Injured
Two incidents during the Second Battle of Fallujah in November 2004 illustrate this selflessness, this willingness to put himself in grave danger for his comrades. I feel compelled to tell these stories because they reveal Chris's dedication to saving lives, not just taking them.
The first episode occurred in early November 2004. It was during an over-watch mission, in which Chris was providing rooftop cover for Marines clearing buildings below. The Marines encountered a group of enemy fighters, and "heavy contact" erupted. The enemy fell back and barricaded themselves into a house. The Marines were left exposed in the street.
Chris and another SEAL sniper realized they were no longer effective from the rooftop, so they flew down the stairs to support the Marines. By this time, the Marines had barricaded themselves in a building across the street from the insurgents' house.
But two of the Marines had been shot and lay in the road, writhing in pain.
Chris couldn't bear to see the Marines struggling helplessly in the street. "When you see an injured man, you do whatever you can to save him," he told me. As a Navy SEAL amongst a group of "young, eighteen-year-old kids" barely out of basic training, Chris felt he had a special obligation. "It's beaten into your head throughout your training: 'You're the better, more effective warrior.'" That meant he had to go get those Marines, no matter what.
Chris and the other SEAL darted out into the street to the injured men, sprinting twenty yards into a torrent of gunfire. "You can hear the snaps. You know they're close," he said. "You just block it out."
Chris scurried in front of the enemy's hideout and grabbed one of the injured Marines. The man was screaming in pain from gunshots to one arm and both legs, and worse, a devastating gut shot that had somehow slid below his body armor. With bullets filling the air, Chris began to drag him toward safety.
Chris focused on the man he was trying to save, doing his best to block out the rounds that danced at his feet and zipped by his head. "During the heat of it, you're not thinking about it. You know you could get hit at any moment, and they'll put another belly button in [your] forehead . . . but you just put your head down and go do it."
Chris tugged and dragged and pulled the wounded man until they both fell backwards into the alley, finally shielded from the guerillas' fire. He felt the Marine's blood all over his hands. He heard the man's anguished screams, "Don't tell my mom that I died screaming like this!" The screaming continued for a few more agonizing moments.
And then it stopped.
Chris remembered those moments in excruciating detail. "I never met this kid before," he said bitterly, "and he wanted me to tell his mother how he died." Four years later, during our interviews, Chris still couldn't shake the fact that he failed to save that kid's life.”
Thank you Mark for that story. It’s sad that the public can’t see past the violence of war to the people that fight it. They do a thankless job and we should give them the gratitude of a grateful country.
Chris would have been 42 this year. He left a wife and 2 children. Happy Birthday Chris, we’ll always remember!
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
I have several friends in special operations communities. Many of them knew Chris very well. Chris Kyle has been accused of many things, and has been called many things. Those that I know who knew him say different.
This is one of two stories you may not know about Chris. It is told by someone who knew him well and wrote about him, Mark Greenblatt.
Visit Mark's website at http://markleegreenblatt.com/ to learn more about Chris Kyle and his daring Fallujah rescue, to read more about the heroes in Mark's book, or to send an email to Chris's family and the other heroes.
By: Mark Lee Greenblatt
“Heavy Contact and Saving the Injured
Two incidents during the Second Battle of Fallujah in November 2004 illustrate this selflessness, this willingness to put himself in grave danger for his comrades. I feel compelled to tell these stories because they reveal Chris's dedication to saving lives, not just taking them.
The first episode occurred in early November 2004. It was during an over-watch mission, in which Chris was providing rooftop cover for Marines clearing buildings below. The Marines encountered a group of enemy fighters, and "heavy contact" erupted. The enemy fell back and barricaded themselves into a house. The Marines were left exposed in the street.
Chris and another SEAL sniper realized they were no longer effective from the rooftop, so they flew down the stairs to support the Marines. By this time, the Marines had barricaded themselves in a building across the street from the insurgents' house.
But two of the Marines had been shot and lay in the road, writhing in pain.
Chris couldn't bear to see the Marines struggling helplessly in the street. "When you see an injured man, you do whatever you can to save him," he told me. As a Navy SEAL amongst a group of "young, eighteen-year-old kids" barely out of basic training, Chris felt he had a special obligation. "It's beaten into your head throughout your training: 'You're the better, more effective warrior.'" That meant he had to go get those Marines, no matter what.
Chris and the other SEAL darted out into the street to the injured men, sprinting twenty yards into a torrent of gunfire. "You can hear the snaps. You know they're close," he said. "You just block it out."
Chris scurried in front of the enemy's hideout and grabbed one of the injured Marines. The man was screaming in pain from gunshots to one arm and both legs, and worse, a devastating gut shot that had somehow slid below his body armor. With bullets filling the air, Chris began to drag him toward safety.
Chris focused on the man he was trying to save, doing his best to block out the rounds that danced at his feet and zipped by his head. "During the heat of it, you're not thinking about it. You know you could get hit at any moment, and they'll put another belly button in [your] forehead . . . but you just put your head down and go do it."
Chris tugged and dragged and pulled the wounded man until they both fell backwards into the alley, finally shielded from the guerillas' fire. He felt the Marine's blood all over his hands. He heard the man's anguished screams, "Don't tell my mom that I died screaming like this!" The screaming continued for a few more agonizing moments.
And then it stopped.
Chris remembered those moments in excruciating detail. "I never met this kid before," he said bitterly, "and he wanted me to tell his mother how he died." Four years later, during our interviews, Chris still couldn't shake the fact that he failed to save that kid's life.”
Thank you Mark for that story. It’s sad that the public can’t see past the violence of war to the people that fight it. They do a thankless job and we should give them the gratitude of a grateful country.
Chris would have been 42 this year. He left a wife and 2 children. Happy Birthday Chris, we’ll always remember!
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
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