http://urbanjournal.com tips & tricks for staying safe in the big city Mon, 06 Jul 2009 01:15:23 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Last month month I talked about the importance of your network in reference to people you know that you can rely on for help in a less than desirable situation. Given that it's 2009 and we're online "your network" can and often does refers to a different group of people ... http://urbanjournal.com/articles/social-networks-and-survival/ The "Pocket Shot" really is the best thing to ever be invented by the hand of man and I'm amazed it took the human race this long to actually get to it. The basics are it's a plastic bag of booze that fits in your pocket, sock, bra or wherever. ... http://urbanjournal.com/articles/survival-hooch/ There's a great thread on the forums regarding escaping handcuffs. Member 'subneural' tipped us off on an awesome video by Brian Brushwood over at Scam School. Side note: I was actually in an early episode of the show and spent a good amount of time getting drunk with Brian at ... http://urbanjournal.com/articles/how-to-get-out-of-hand-cuffs/ Earlier this week I noticed some fresh gang graffiti on a wall near my house and told my wife what it meant as we walked past. She was shocked that to learn that what she had previously written off as useless scribble and vandalism was actually a very clear message, ... http://urbanjournal.com/articles/the-walls/ One thing I neglected to mention in my post about networks the other day was that I'm not only thinking about plans when you are away from home, but also developing some kind of network inside your own community can be very helpful. That's one of the reasons I decided ... http://urbanjournal.com/articles/some-thoughts-on-cert/ A book on war and terrorism doesn't seem to fit on a site about urban survival. With the exception of a few big notable events, terrorism isn't a threat most people need to prepare for. However, Brave New War by John Robb examines a new direction in terrorism, away from ... http://urbanjournal.com/articles/book-review-brave-new-war/ We've spent a lot of time talking about gear and theory but I don't think we've mentioned something incredibly important yet which shouldn't be overlooked - your personal network. That is, your circle of friends and people you can count on if and when you need them. Of course taking ... http://urbanjournal.com/articles/the-importance-of-your-networ/ Every preparedness article you will ever read will have something about how much food to have on hand, and most 2-3 day kits on the market come with some kind of ration bar. In my experience this is something that everyone just knows, but no one really thinks about too ... http://urbanjournal.com/articles/some-thoughts-on-food/ It occurs to me, while thinking about survival and disaster prep, that we need a framework to work with within and organize our thoughts around.  There are three axis that encompass all disasters: duration, area of effect and intensity.  When possible disasters are viewed as they relate to these three ... http://urbanjournal.com/articles/a-framework-of-disaster/ When I first started reading up on Survivalist boards and forums almost everyone was recommending a Medium sized "A.L.I.C.E" backpack to carry your goods. I'd never heard of them so did a little more research and discovered there is a serious rift in the communities over these bags. It seems ... http://urbanjournal.com/articles/review-medium-alice-backpack/