This is what democracy looks like - from 300 feet in the air

Early this year, I added a Parrot AR Drone to my personal inventory of preparedness tools. Some folks ask, "What?--how is that about preparedness?"

In an acronym, it's ISR, baby:  Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance.

Here is a great example of how this can be useful ... as demonstrated in Poland in November when a civilian filmed riots and police action from above the fray.

http://youtu.be/o3OB_4BT1LA


http://youtu.be/FmhV-ymivJk


Safecastle LLC is a leading crisis preparedness provider. Emergency storage food such as Mountain House freeze dried foods, Safecastle steel-plate shelters and saferooms, and other unique survival gear solutions are available at www.safecastle.com

"Anonymous" plans for violent revolution

Hacking group that helped organize Occupy protests warns of "bloody mess," provides online survivor guide for citizens ...

Read more: 'Anonymous' plans for 'violent revolution' http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=381477#ixzz1hlAEepSL


Safecastle LLC is a leading crisis preparedness provider. Emergency storage food such as Mountain House freeze dried foods, Safecastle steel-plate shelters and saferooms, and other unique survival gear solutions are available at www.safecastle.com

Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

Amy Grant: "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)" - Have a Blessed Christmas

A Very TSA Christmas: Grandma Got Indefinitely Detained

Safecastle LLC is a leading crisis preparedness provider. Emergency storage food such as Mountain House freeze dried foods, Safecastle steel-plate shelters and saferooms, and other unique survival gear solutions are available at www.safecastle.com

Faber: Diversify ... Lucky Ones In 5 Years Will Have 50% of What They Now Have

Safecastle LLC is a leading crisis preparedness provider. Emergency storage food such as Mountain House freeze dried foods, Safecastle steel-plate shelters and saferooms, and other unique survival gear solutions are available at www.safecastle.com

Act Fast - While Supplies Last: 40% Off for Members on Select Items

Shop here.

We're moving product out as fast as we can at the end of the year at outstanding savings to you. The following linked products are 25% off for non buyers club members and 40% for club members when logged in and you iuse the coupon code below!!

Just be sure to use this coupon code when you checkout (enter it in the coupon field in the checkout; gift certificate codes can be used simultaneously if you have one--enter that in the gift certificate field).

This coupon code is good thru December while supplies last on these products below:

BLOWOUT11

All listed Optimus Products

All listed Maxpedition products

3M 1860 N95 Masks

Potassium Iodide

Steripen Traveler

8-in-1 Multi-Function Pocket Tool

Katadyn Mini

Katadyn Drip Ceradyn

Katadyn Hiker Pro

The Quest: Safecastle Mission Rig

Prepared.pro 48-Hour Kit

Shaker Siphon

Assorted Pepper Spray

Pink Pen Pepper Spray

Rex, the Electronic Watchdog

K8 Personal Radiation Detector

Yoders Hotdogs

Mega-Protein Meat & Dairy Pack

 



 

 

 

And don't forget our current Mountain House freeze dried food offer while supplies last.

Acute Butter Shortage in Norway has Butter Up to $465 per Pound!

Norway is one of the world's richest countries. But that has not prevented an acute butter shortage in that Scandinavian country. Store shelves are emptied of butter and prices for butter online have skyrocketed to 350 euros ($465). 

Supply is down due to a rainy summer, and demand is up by about 30% over last year.

For more, see:  http://www.timeslive.co.za/world/2011/12/12/norway-butter-shortage-threatens-christmas-treats

Safecastle LLC is a leading crisis preparedness provider. Emergency storage food such as Mountain House freeze dried foods, Safecastle steel-plate shelters and saferooms, and other unique survival gear solutions are available at www.safecastle.com

Mountain House Freeze Dried Apples Now Available

Free Stuff w/ Qualifying Purchases - Inventory Blowout!
We're looking to move out inventory over the next few weeks and we have come up with some ways to get some of these great products free to you with qualifying purchases.

Our first couple of offers should come as no surprise to you--they involve our ever-popular Mountain House freeze-dried foods ...

1.  For many years, we were known for offering a three-case MH can package that included 18 different varieties. Today, we're making available a limited number of those 18-can kits again. But in these kits you are getting a free can of the new MH diced apples AND you are getting a free MH Best Sellers kit for your emergency bag or your car trunk. This is a rare and unique offer and I fear these available packages will go very quickly.

2.  I just mentioned the new MH diced apples. We made a special purchase to get them here--they are available only for a limited time. We now have them in stock and we want to get them into your hands. We are not limited on these apples by the standard MH dealer pricing rules, so we are going to give them to you for free. That's right--a free full case of MH diced apples OR a free case of diced apples with cinnamon (your choice) with any three--case purchase of MH canned foods listed in our store. (Only full, non-variety cases qualify for this offer.)

Some things to note--this time around, our available MH inventory is very limited. Anything listed today is available and ready to ship to you from our warehouse, including the free apples and the free MH Best Sellers kits. So make your choices promptly and you will get your best selection--while supplies last.

Safecastle LLC is a leading crisis preparedness provider. Emergency storage food such as Mountain House freeze dried foods, Safecastle steel-plate shelters and saferooms, and other unique survival gear solutions are available at www.safecastle.com

Jim Rogers: The End of the World as We Know It

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Get Ready Seriously ... www.safecastle.com

Submission Deadline Approaches for the 2011 Safecastle Freedom Awards – A New Media Survivalist Contest

Minneapolis, MN--The Safecastle Freedom Awards is a contest of skill, recognizing the best original, web-based content of the year that is related to survivalism and preparedness.

"We’re down to the last three weeks of the 2011 contest’s entry period." said Vic Rantala, president of Safecastle LLC, the crisis preparedness outfitter. "We aim to find and recognize the best, original, web-based content of the year, as submitted to several hand-selected websites in the genre."

Specifically, Safecastle's Freedom Awards program aims to reward logic, ethics, and knowledgeable insight demonstrated in a compelling way, in both non-fiction articles and in short online videos.

Said Rantala, "Increasingly people from all social circles are being drawn to the common sense appeal of reasonable, 'just in case' preparedness planning and activities. We've found that everyone is essentially looking for some measure of peace of mind in a world at risk. They are turning to the web for information on how to be better prepared for disaster and danger. There are some excellent resources and websites out there, and we want to encourage the continuation of the high-quality work that is appearing out there with regard to readiness planning."

Eligible entries will include new non-fiction articles written and originally posted online by Dec. 31, 2011, at a participating blog or forum. New short videos posted at the participating websites will also be eligible for Safecastle Freedom Award recognition. All finalists will be awarded an engraved, bronze-plated Safecastle Freedom Award. Top prizes will include such treasures as Katadyn Pocket water filters and Excalibur Dehydrators.

For more details on the contest, including links to the websites that are participating as sponsors, see "2011 Safecastle Freedom Awards."

Safecastle LLC is a leading crisis preparedness provider. Emergency storage food such as Mountain House freeze dried foods, Safecastle steel-plate shelters and saferooms, and other unique survival gear solutions are available at www.safecastle.com

UBS Advises Investing in "Precious Metals, Tinned Goods, and Small Calibre Weapons"

Excerpt of report by UBS analyst Larry Hatheway:

Simply put, linear thinking doesn’t work in a non-linear world. And break-up is likely to produce a very non-linear set of outcomes.

Which brings me, lastly, to the question I sometimes get about what is the ‘right’ asset allocation in the event of break-up.

I suppose there might be some assets worthy of consideration—precious metals, for example. But other metals would make wise investments, too. Among them tinned goods and small calibre weapons.

Break-up runs the risk of becoming one wretched scenario. Sadly, however, it can’t be ruled out, just as it would have been improper to rule out the horrors of the first half of the 20th century before they happened.
But it is very hard to see break-up as a solution. Let’s hope Europe’s politicians and policymakers agree and take action this week to fix what is broken before itall really breaks up.

Read the entire editorial at Zero Hedge.

Vic Rantala is owner of Safecastle LLC, crisis preparedness provider. Emergency storage food such as Mountain House freeze dried foods, Safecastle steel-plate shelters and saferooms, and other unique survival gear solutions are available at www.safecastle.com

Will You Run or Gut It Out?

There's a fundamental “either-or” decision that often has to be made in the face of impending crisis. That is, flight or fight ... bug out or dig in ... run or gut it out.

We all need to be prepared for either side of that equation. It's great to have stacks of stored food, tools, and supplies in the basement, because there are plenty of scenarios where all those resources will serve you well. But there are also a myriad of cases where the smart money picks up and gets out of Dodge. In that kind of situation, it's often going to need to be done on a moment's notice, so we need to have some resources packed and ready to go.

It's not easy making the right decision. Some folks have a hard time leaving their homes and possessions behind if there is a risk everything will be lost or destroyed. One memorable example was an old fellow named Harry Truman who, in 1980, refused to leave his lodge on Spirit Lake in the shadow of the building eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington. He had run the lodge since 1928, and his stubborn refusal to abide by evacuation orders was given much media attention at the time. Of course he and his beloved lodge were lost in the catastrophic eruption ... his body was never found.

Stubbornness, fear, or ignorance often prevent folks from recognizing the nature of impending risks and to fairly weigh their options. Or perhaps it is courage that differentiates one man’s action from another.
Clearly, paralysis is far easier to give in to than to overcome. How many folks lost their lives to Hurricane Katrina because they did not evacuate, in spite of the most urgent warnings given by authorities? Certainly thousands.

Sometimes, warnings leave no time for thought or doubt. Imminent dangers leave logical, instinctive survival responses to rule. For example, there in the last several years, there were two devastating tsunamis in Asia. Telltale natural clues and as well as last-minute urgent warnings from authorities allowed many to take immediate evasive actions that saved their lives. Wildfires or forest fires often provide some small window of opportunity for evacuation for those in their path. People who see an approaching tornado do not dally and over-think their options--they either get into their available shelters or they flee if none are available, depending upon their proximity to the funnel cloud.

A list of potential threats would be endless. Sometimes, we are given days to mull over our course of action. Other times only minutes or seconds.

Of course, there are plenty of events where no warning is given ... such as major earthquakes, industrial accidents, terror attacks, and on and on. In those events, survival can be affected by instantaneous reactions. Basic survival instinct can spell the difference between life or death.

The bottom line is, when we are given fair warning of impending disaster, we must be physically and mentally prepared to make the right moves.

Basic Choices and Pre-Positioning Your State of Mind

We can boil down our basic choices in an effort to apply them to most situations and to help you get yourself into a ready position for potential dangers.

Most important--you will ALWAYS be best served by keeping a clear head and calm demeanor in order to rapidly work through what must be done when you are faced with a potentially life-threatening situation. BEFOREHAND, do regular thought-pattern drills …think about the need for self-control and practice that at all times. Mull over basic emergency options in general terms periodically before you are actually presented with an emergency and you will be more apt to react wisely in the chaos of crisis.

Then, when the moment of truth arrives, you will be functional and capable of responding in logical fashion to the circumstances presented. Given your predilection to preparedness, you will also have adequate physical assets, tools, and resources available so that you do actually have a full range of options at your disposal.

In man-made or natural disasters, you will need to either …

1. “Dig-in.” If you are at home or work or on other familiar ground and you know your available resources will provide you with what you need, this is often the wisest choice to make (and the one we often spend the most time building up in our preparedness activities). If you have a hardened, storm-proof shelter with supplies in stock, and you do not face a flooding or fire risk, or there is not an air quality situation that makes staying put a losing proposition, then you may very well opt to "stay home." After all, if most others are having to evacuate the area, you could find yourself in a dangerous gridlock or panic situation out there secondary to the major risk, but just as dangerous. The other major advantage here is community support available that is lost when you hit the road. So, if you are well positioned to stay right where you are and the risk is appropriate to your preparations, then stay put.

2. Or “Bug-out.” If you have no decent shelter and supplies available where you are, or the threatening situation will overcome your position (as in fire, flood, toxic gas), then you must pick up and go. If you are adequately prepared for this kind of event, you will have some needed resources packed and ready to go--in your closet, under your desk, and/or in your vehicle. Commonly called a bug-out bag, you'll want to have at a minimum: some drinking water, food, a change of clothing, cash, credit card, ID, a contact list, flashlight, first aid kit, needed medications, a surgical mask to filter airborne particles, a multitool, and cell phone. This list can be greatly expanded depending on your situation. (In the north, smart folks have blizzard bags in their vehicles that include blankets, food, matches, hand warmers, etc., in case we are ever stranded in our cars in the cold.) Figure that everyone should have at least a 24-hour emergency bag with them wherever they are. Many have a few bags ready to go that provide care and sustenance for a week or more. The Hurricane Katrina aftermath was a good example of the wisdom in that approach.

In any case, “react well.” No-warning disasters or threats require some mental acuity more than anything else. If there are adequate physical preparations on hand, that can often be of great use as well. I am thinking here in terms of a violent assault, a home intrusion, or a sudden geophysical act of God. Other potential scenarios could include a major transportation or industrial accident that releases toxicity or radiation into your area ... or an act of war that would include a chemical, biological, or nuclear event. If you have previously trained or prepared or thought through your options, you will be ahead of the game. If you are surprised with a situation that you have no ability to deal with, good luck. Don't obsess, but give some thought to your potential risks and figure out now what you might be able to do.

Above all, stay calm and within your capabilities as you try to deal with a situation. A human's heart rate reaches a certain level usually seen in "panic situations" when normal brain activity is impossible. (Think mass crowd panic.) Understand that you will not always tend to think or react rationally. Preparation, mental and physical, can help and will often mean the difference between life and death.


Vic Rantala is owner of Safecastle LLC, crisis preparedness provider. Emergency storage food such as Mountain House freeze dried foods, Safecastle steel-plate shelters and saferooms, and other unique survival gear solutions are available at www.safecastle.com

How to Persuade Others to Prepare Now, Avoiding Ruination

A majority of the U.S. population understands that a global depression is in process. Yet so many seem not to understand the practical basics of what it is they can do to enhance their ability to pull their household through and survive the chaos and despair that is on the horizon.

Fortunately, millions have seen the cautionary signposts for years. Really, none of what is happening economically, culturally, or geopolitically should be a shock to anyone. After all, so many have taken productive steps to prepare for this or a similar catastrophic event to ensure at least a chance at providing for the needs of loved ones through very difficult times.

If there has been a surprise registered among these observers, it is that the whole process of collapse has been such a gradual, plodding progression—not to be deterred. Many envisioned disaster that would come instantly, perhaps overnight--with a clearly recognizable sign from the heavens signaling it's time to pack up the moped, head for the hills, and never look back. The apocryphal all-out nuclear exchange that decimates the civilized world in minutes is what some doomers had in mind … or in the event of an economic collapse scenario, a financial implosion distinguishable by a hailstorm of stockbrokers leaping from tall towers and pitchfork-wielding peasants storming all the banks and convenience stores for their final entitlements.

But historians tell us that even in the Great Depression of 1929 (and beyond), folks didn't understand it for what it was until they were maybe midway through it. That is, years into the debacle ... one day perhaps realizing, “Hey, boiling up shoe-leather soup is not what we used to call normal dinner-table fare ... when did this happen?”

Fact is, it is a blessing that today’s slow-developing period of pre-ruination allows for so many more folks out there to urgently lay in supplies and gear for the long, cold nights ahead. The more of us prepared for mass shortages and suffering, the better off we all will be. So this is the hand we have been dealt—a last great opportunity to encourage those around us to prepare.

Oozing Persuasive Wisdom

Through the years, one almost-universal complaint I heard from fellow preparedness activists was that they were often unable to convince even those nearest and dearest to them that crisis readiness is important. After all, for many who sailed smoothly through the calm seas of the American Dream, there was the conventional perspective that only kooks and "racist survivalists" prepared for a disaster that would probably never come. It was a view that was cultivated in the public mind by the corporate-driven media for decades. So in spite of the obvious common sense inherent in a balanced approach to life and being prepared for rainy days, there was a wall that needed to be breeched for some folks to recognize the full breadth of reality’s highs and lows.

Indeed it was a tough sell. Discouragement in getting the message across to a spouse, siblings, buddies, or coworkers was a common woe. The spouse factor alone was seemingly insurmountable for some.

Those who were more successful in sharing the pursuit of preparedness were usually those who had the aura of satisfaction and confidence.

How-To Get “the Aura”

This won't work for everyone, but in my personal, extensive experience, this is your best bet. I've been involved in preparedness of various kinds, professionally as well as personally for decades, and with time, you learn that there IS a way to at least get folks to listen to what you have to say.

Anytime you are first bringing up the issue of preparedness with someone (and perhaps EVERY time you discuss it) ...

1. Lose the emotion. Fear, anger, paranoia ... those are the emotions and "danger signs" many people out there would be turned off by and probably alarmed about. Show it and the cause is already lost.

Be patient, wait for the right clue to bring it up … then take a calm, uncommitted, intelligent tack in which you almost casually relate the view that crisis preparedness is common sense. Be dispassionate, non-threatening ... that's how you need to bring the issue forward. If there is no sign of your companion being in the least bit receptive, drop it. Maybe the next opportunity that arises will be different. Just don't make it an obvious priority in your interactions with the person.

2. No target-lock on any one threat. This is a big problem for many. It's easy not only to inadvertently zero in on one big threat of the hour when talking about crisis preparedness, it's just as easy to allow it to become all-consuming in one's own actual approach to preparedness. When raising the issue of preparedness, be knowledgeable, but not necessarily "expert." Talk about crises in general if appropriate, unless your friend is needing to talk over an issue that is bothering them today (i.e., the economic collapse today is a likely topic).

Most important, talk more about solutions, not so much about difficulties. Trying to scare someone into seeing things your way never really hits the mark.

3. Don't play oracle, proclaiming THE END. Want to be seen as a crank? Set a deadline and start telling folks that you know something ominous they don't. Throughout history, dates of doom have come and gone as have their promoters. Even if you see some risk ahead, keep it to yourself until it becomes painfully obvious to even the most obtuse.

4. Don't talk about TEOTWAWKI. See #3. "The End Of The World As We Know It" became a common acronym circa the Y2K computer-scare era. Of course, it is also widely applied to post nuclear-war exchanges, and so on. What most people know in their heart is that life goes on. And that change is inevitable and continuous. To try to counter either of those axioms is to ask to be pigeon-holed into a niche where few can be taken seriously.

5. Eventually drop the mystery about your own preparedness efforts. Today, more and more people are openly into preparedness, particularly with others who are of like mind. The preparedness market niche in business is practically mainstream at this point. Of course this runs counter to the tendency many have to protect access to and knowledge of their preparedness resources. But to encourage someone else to embark upon a personal campaign toward greater readiness by being more open about your own efforts, is a powerful way to go about it. When it comes down to it, folks are more easily inspired by demonstrated actions over hollow words. Use common sense deciding when it might actually prove to be wise to take this path with someone and to what extent.

If more folks were forthcoming about their own preparedness efforts, then the public impression that normal people don't do this would be immediately laid to rest.

6. If you are trying to “build your case,” limit the reference points you share to sources in the "alternative media." There are a lot of very enthusiastic parties out there focusing on specific, preparedness-related issues. They may be off the beaten path and all have their own adherents and do often contribute in their way to crisis readiness in the general population. However, before you refer fence-sitting preparedness prospects to a website or to a book of interest, etc., be sure you consider the kind of first impression they will likely have, given all aspects of that reference work and ALL the content and themes being projected there.

Vic Rantala is owner of Safecastle LLC, crisis preparedness provider.  Emergency storage food such as Mountain House freeze dried foods, Safecastle steel-plate shelters and saferooms, and other unique survival gear solutions are available at www.safecastle.com