The Survival Weekly Dispatch - Volume 10, Issue 45

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey folks, I appreciate you checking out the newsletter this week. This week is Thanksgiving here in the US, a day which we’ve set aside to give thanks for the blessings in our lives. It is, of course, immediately followed by the busiest shopping weekend of the year, during which we do battle in stores and try to outdo one another in the gift-giving arena.

I jest…kind of.

I do want to take this opportunity to thank you all for allowing me to take up some space in your head every now and again. I’m incredibly blessed to be able to earn a living doing what I love, and I couldn’t do that with you.

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On the work front, I’ve been busy wrapping up some magazine deadlines. As it stands right now, I should have just about everything for the rest of this year done in a week or so. That gives me most of December to work on some other projects I’ve been putting off. I also have a large stack of books I’m hoping to get through. Some are research and education; others are just for fun. We’ll see how far we get.

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Forty years ago this week, THE DAY AFTER aired on ABC. It was quite an event at the time. More than 100 million people watched it, comprising some 39 million households from coast to coast.

Over the course of a hair more than two hours, the film depicts a war between NATO forces and the Warsaw Pact over Germany, which quickly turns into a full nuclear exchanged between the US and the Soviet Union. The focus is on the residents of two cities – Lawrence, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri, as well as several family farms that are located near missile silos.

As the title would suggest, the war itself takes sort of a back seat to the aftermath of the nuclear launches. While we see the attack and the immediate effects of it, most of the film is concerned with the survivors and what they experience.

In the days prior to its airing, there were several warnings about the graphic nature of the film. ABC went so far as to set up 800 numbers viewers could call to speak with counselors if they were truly disturbed by the film. Remember, too, that this was right at the peak of the Cold War. Back in those days, there was sort of an omnipresent threat of nuclear annihilation. At least from a civilian’s standpoint, what happened in the film was potentially right around the corner at any given time.

If only for the historical perspective, I recommend you watch it at some point. I bought a copy of it on DVD some time back and watch it probably once a year or so. It is available on YouTube, but the quality isn’t great. If you’re not looking to buy a copy, you can probably get it through your local library. It actually holds up quite well for being 40 years old, despite the hair and clothing styles being rather dated.

THREADS is a similar film, though British rather than American. I’ve not seen it yet myself, though I keep meaning to give it a watch. I’m told it is considerably bleaker than THE DAY AFTER, but many seem to think it is a superior film.

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Backwoods Survival Guide 25 will be in stores very soon. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the articles you’ll find in this issue.

• Interview with Josh Duhamel about his growing homestead

• Foraging for wild food in the winter

• Developing an outdoor rhythm

• Holiday gifts you can make yourself

• DIY camp stoves

• Kitchen cutlery recommendations

• Pickling food

• Handling slips and falls

You’ll find this issue around mid-December just about anywhere magazines are sold, including Walmart, Costco, Walgreens, Publix, 7 Eleven, Tractor Supply, and Barnes & Noble.

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I’ve seen comments on social media, as well as heard in face-to-face discussions, from people who say things like:

• “I can barely use this cell phone to make a call.”

• “I have no idea how to open an app or send a message.”

• “I only have this for emergencies, couldn’t tell you how to do anything with it.”

• “It takes me forever just to unlock the phone.”

In a very real sense, your cell phone is one of the most important survival tools you carry with you in today’s world. It gives you nearly instant access to emergency services, as well as allows you to look up just about every bit of information known to mankind, right at your fingertips. Provided, of course, you have a good signal.

I’m a strong believer in the concept that if you’re going to carry a survival tool, you for damn sure should know how to use it. Whether we’re talking about a water filter, a fire starter, or yes, even a cell phone, you need to know how to operate it, at least on a basic level. Having it in your possession isn’t enough. It does you little good if, in a true emergency, you’re nearly clueless as to what to do with it.

Regarding your cell phone, at a minimum you should know how to:

• Call and text 911 or the equivalent in your area.

• Call and text a family member or friend.

• Search for a motel, restaurant, or other services.

• Use a map app to get you from Point A to Point B.

These are things you can practice at home at your kitchen table or from the comfort of your couch. Obviously, you don’t go through with actually calling 911, but you can complete all of the steps right up to that point.

Get familiar with these and other operations with your phone. Become comfortable using it. If you can’t figure something out, look it up online or grab the nearest teenager

While cell phones certainly lose effectiveness in a total grid down scenario, not every situation rises to that level. Personally, I believe prepping isn’t only about catastrophic events, but a mindset that encompasses most areas of my life. I want to make things easier for myself and my family when a crisis hit, regardless of how large or small it is.

Here’s a great example of what I mean. My son’s car broke down last year, pretty much in the middle of nowhere. He was able to use his cell phone to help him diagnose the problem, order the necessary part from a store local to me, then call me so I could pick up the part and bring it to him. Once I was on site, we had the car back on the road in about 15 minutes. End of the world situation? Absolutely not, but having that phone and knowing how to use the basic features of it sure made life easier.

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Long shot here, but if any of my readers happen to have a solid connection to anyone with Gear Junkie, please give me a shout. Thanks!

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Hunting season is in high swing here, so for our hike this week we went to a rail trail rather than a nature park. While I could easily don blaze orange and hope for the best, I don’t figure there’s any need for us to be potentially spooking deer.

Survival Tip – Do One Thing

For far too many people, they want to learn about prepping and will read a bunch of books, magazines, and blog posts…and then that’s it. They never take that next step, the one that involves getting off their butt and doing the work.

Knowledge is important, yes, but experience is pretty damn high on the list as well. I don’t mean people need to seek out disasters, just to see what they’re all about. Rather, you don’t know how to preserve food until you’ve actually dehydrated or canned it yourself, y’know? Book learning is awesome, but you have to take it to the next level by doing things with it.

Every journey begins with a single step. That’s a very common saying, but what’s sometimes overlooked is the journey only continues if you keep walking.

Commit to doing one thing, just one, every day to move yourself forward down the prepping path. Some days, it might just be reading an article, or maybe a chapter in a book. But other days should involve doing the work of prepping. Practicing skills, or learning new ones. Packing a new survival kit for the car. Storing water or food for emergencies.

Maybe you won’t be able to finish a particular task in the time you have available in a day. That’s fine, just wrap it up the next day. Too often, we feel a chore or goal is too overwhelming to manage and we give up before we’ve started. Break it up into manageable chunks. Do a little each day and you’ll get there.

The ball is in your court. It is up to you to decide to take action to get better prepared for life’s speed bumps. Nobody else can do that for you.

Prepper Survival Guide and Backwoods Survival Guide

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for both Prepper Survival Guide and Backwoods Survival Guide magazines. Here are the covers for the current issues that are available in stores right now. 

You can find them just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Sam's Club

• Costco

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Subscriptions to both titles are available here.

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

I am always just an email away - jim@survivalweekly.com.