A conversation with another teacher during our prep period spured me into writing this post about survival. This time instead of specific wilderness survival I want to talk about the tools you should have at arms reach to survive any emergency. At a time when nations across the globe are experienceing disasters and other emergency situations on an increasingly regular basis it is important to know and understand that it might happen to you someday. Realizing that it can happen in your backyard should make you feel the necessity of being prepaired. How should you be prepaired? By being well equipped. Below is a list of tools and supplies that you should carry with you or at least near you on a regular basis in case of emergency.
> Rope: this is often one of the most unappreciated pieces of survival kit until you acctually need it. Rope can be used for a million different things, from tieing a tourniquet to lashing branches into a tent pole. I suggest keeping as much as twenty five feet of #550 paracord on hand for such emergencies. There are a couple ways to carry such rope. Paracord is thin but extremely strong, so thin that it is commonly substituted for bootlaces and can be made into a variety of things like watchbands and bracelets, consider such acessories if you are a survival fashionita because they are pretty cool. Also paracord is small enough when wrapped up to be stowed in a small space, not hard to drop into the bottom of a backpack or purse.
> Lighter or firestarter or both: Lighters are probably the easiest thing to carry on a regular basis after something you can wear and is essential to any decent survival kit. Some people carry both a lighter and firestarter, I say if you have socks or a cotton t-shirt on you have more than enough firestarter already. A good lighter should be both water and fireproof. Torch lighters usually fit the bill the best but a bick will suffice in a pinch. Good firestarter is anything from pocket lint to cotton balls. These things will likely be indespensable in a survival situation as you will likely need to start a fire for warmth but you could possibly need to do anything from light a signal fire to fuse rope or heat a knife to cauderize a wound.
> Knife and or Multitool: A trusty knife is a mans second best friend. If you know me you probably know that I don't leave the house without my Leatherman and my pocket knife and you probably have seen me use them to do anything from cut meat, or spread butter to fix a car or screw a door back together. They are essential for good survival kit because they will serve so many functions. A knife can help defend yourself, fashion tools, dig a hole, trim your toe nails, and, if it's sharp enough, to even shave. A multitool, such as a Leatherman, will have on it and serve as pliers, a sawblade, file, screw driver, wirecutters, scissors, a wrench, pry bar and the list goes on and on. I've used both of these tools for countless fixes and they have saved my butt in a pinch more than once in daily life, not to mention survival situations.
> Extra clothing: Some survival experts say that extra clothing is too much to hassle with or worry about during a emergency or survival situation. However, even an extra pair of socks or a dry shirt can be invaluable to you in an emergency. I try to keep extra clothing in my car at all times, including a jacket and long sleeve shirt. Some might carry extra shoes or other accessories. I also suggest a blanket, even if it is once of those silly space blankets, just in case. At the very least you can make a make shift tent or signal for help with it, at worst you might survive that enexpectedly cold night warm and cozy instead of hypothermic. Extra clothing should be light and packable and easy to get to (in case it is in your car like mine).
> Water: HYDRATE OR DIE. It is simple as that. If you dont have water you will not last more than a couple of days out in the cold hard world that is a true emergency survival situation. A water bottle will not only help you have water on you, but trasport water from one place to another. Remember to ration your water out if you don't know where and when your next ressuply will be. With water that you find make sure it is clean first by boiling it for a few minutes before drinking it. Even clean looking water can have a host of parasites that could make you sick. Being sick for an emergency survival situation is the last thing you need!!!
> Simple First Aid supplies: If you know enough to have some sort of survival kit with you, you know enough to keep a first aid kit with that survival gear. When I taught wilderness survival and orienteering at a summer camp last year, my first aid kit was the biggest thing on me. If you know you will be responsible for more than just you make sure you have enough supplies. If you are by yourself pack light. Bandages, medical tape, gauze, and pain killers are the bare minimum. A good kit should incluse those plus; an ace bandage, alcohol wipes(hand sanitizer is OK but not the same), sewing kit, antihistamenes, different size bandages, and clotting powder. These things will go a long way in a survival situation and having them when you don't is always better than not having them when you need them. You can easily get a pocket sized kit from any good sporting good store, but the best kits are hand picked. Don't skimp here because you will only pay for it later down the road. Also be mindful of expiration dates, make sure they are clearly marked and that you rotate supplies. If you need help finding any of the above check with me or google it.
> Analog watch and compass: Knowing the time and where you are going are not only essential to survival in most situations but can also be huge moral boosts when in and emergency. You may ask why this is one category. Well that is because an ANALOG watch can be used to determine your heading relative to the sun, a skill few have and fewer have mastered, but still useful. And many watches these days have nifty featuers like GPS based compasses built right into them. And we all had a watch when we were kids that had a compass on it (or maybe I'm too old school and you all had calculator watches instead). Either way combining two survival tools into one is handy for keeping them on you and with you. You might not always wear a compass but you might always wear a watch!
> Plastic trash bag: At the very least a plastic trash bag can help you carry items you pick up on the way. But it can also serve as a rain poncho, shelter, water carrier, protective wrapping, signaling, and even a means of water procurement via a solar still. The most common thing you will use a trash bag for in a survival situation is likely to be the roof of your shelter it helps alot to have a waterproof barrier between you and the rain and wind. The plus about trash bags is that they come in a variety of sizes and colors so you can pick and choose the best type. The ones you should look for are going to be the ones that are used for constuction or any other heavy duty task. They should be preferably the largest you can find and of the brightest color available, orange is the best bet.
> Signaling device (mirror or whistle): Yes the Native Americans used to signal with smokey fires but, as a rule of thumb, we are not as crafty as them. Keeping that in mind you should have a mirror or whistle in your kit just in case you need to let someone know where you are if your voice isn't loud enough. A good signaling mirror will have a sighting hole in the middle through which you can aim your mirror and should also be encased in a plastic case for durability. A good whistle should be stainless steel NOT PLASTIC! Plastic breaks, steel bends, guess which is easier to fix. Along with signaling devices a cell phone should be considered part of your kit. In some emergencies a cell might not work or might be broken but in many places it can be your greatest asset in getting the help you need during an emergency.
> Metal bowl or cup: Having a metal bowl or cup with your kit gives you a couple options. You can eat out of it, boil water in it, cook with it, carry things in it, etc... At the very least you should have one with you in the event you need to boil water. This is not accomplished easily without one of the above items. And you never know when the mood may strike you, while out in the scary world of a suvival situation, to make yourself a nice warm cup of pine needle tea!
> Something to put it all in: You will need a bag or some kind of container for your survival kit. I have seen people make use of anything from Altoids tins and coffee cans to dive bags and water proof backpacks. I suggest something manageable for the kit you have. If you really can fit it all into an Altoids tin, wonderful, I'll be sure to check it for a match and stick of gum when your dead. (kidding! kinda?) But if you have your kit in a coffee tin or small bag that is at arms reach and is made to be durable then you will be set. The larger bag or container you have the more stuff you will be able to keep on you but you sacrifice being able to have it on you at all times and also manageability. Stay away from minimalism here but don't be super excessive. Most survivalists suggest something akin to the coffee can mentioned above, I'm a small kit bag/on me at all times person, to each their own. If you can make some of your gear part of the things you have on your person on a daily basis then that is really a great way to go.
I hope you read this and take some of the lessons above to heart. You never know when disaster will strike and when it eventually does effect you, you need to be ready! If I forgot any of the essentials or forgot to mention a use for one of the above, do mention it in a comment!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Schools Post Oil: What is going to happen to our educational system?
We all love our schools dearly in this country. Every Monday night across countless fields, our high school football teams face off under the lights, with the roar of their frenzied parents and fan fare of the bands behind them. But what happens to them when the lights go out for good?
For the last fifty or so years our nations schools have been suburbanized, centralized, and have downsized on teaching staff and resources. Before the age of the yellow school bus fleets and high school campuses that resemble shopping malls, we had a smaller, less centralized, system. A system that was walkable, flexible, and very personalized for that region. But no longer. Our children get bused from far away to massive buildings, full of thousands of students, where two teachers could work at the same school all their careers and never meet. If you are reading this blog you likely have a good handle on how poorly our schools operate from various angles, such as quality of education or efficiency of resource use, but have you ever considered what would happen if the students couldn't even get to school if they wanted to?
The scenario almost plays out like a charity commercial for a third world country. Students longing to get to schools but they are too far to walk or bike. The roads are rough from even a year of disrepair, and in the winter months the way is simply impassable. The schools are shells, falling down around the few teachers and students that manage their ways in every day. Water supplies are inconsistent, lights are broken or off dew to power outages, and heating and air conditioning systems are inoperable. Books are old and tattered and all the marvelous technological innovations of the 20th century are useless. It is a sad and stark reminder of what we will not be able to accomplish in a world beset by constant oil shortages and/or total oil depletion.
So how will schools need to adapt in the times to come? There are many answers or at least many options. Not every school is the same, nor is the town in which it is located, neither are the places they will no longer be able to serve, and the traditional methods of teaching might not apply from town to town, city to city.
The biggest change will have to be in size and geographic location of schools. Gone will be the day that kids can be bused from miles and miles around. Instead of serving entire districts schools will be forced to serve much smaller populations. To give you an idea of school sizes, the average school district in America serves about two thousand students grades K-12 and this is inclusive of vocational and other schooling. Two thousand students is a very large population for a school system and in a post-oil age it is likely that the average population of an entire district will shrink to a fraction of this. I predict that the average school will serve between fifty and a hundred students, that number may shrink or swell based on geographical location. In some cities it is totally foreseeable for a school to serve a few hundred students, and maybe even a thousand, based on the walkability of cities. On the flip side of this, our rural districts could become completely home schooled or turn into a local communal form of education with neighbourhood families taking shares of the responsibility for the education of their young people. "School" sizes in places such as these could be as small as a couple dozen students K-12.
The schedule of schools will likely stay within some semblance of what it is today. I would imagine since schools would be serving their own immediate localities, each would have their own unique calendar year. But regardless of location schools will likely revert to a more agrarian based school year. Days might be shorter in the harvest and planting months and longer during the winter months. Most schools will likely be directly tied into local economies to the point that weekly decisions about scheduling may be made depending on who is available to teach what or if a local business may provide a learning opportunity to educate students. City schools will be less affected by this change. They inner city areas will probably lengthen their school years and shorten the days. This would not only afford teachers, but students even, the chance to get a part time job on top of their obligations to school. This would benefit the local work force as well as give teachers and students a deeper level of integration within their neighborhoods.
The role of the teacher will change drastically. The traditional teacher will be replaced by a more versatile and multifaceted individual, capable of not only teaching a "classic" subject like history, science, or math, but also more practical skills such as carpentry or farming. Vocational education through internships and work programs might become the new norm for students in their teens, in a time where learning a specific skill to contribute to the common good of your home town trumps individual success. The role of a teacher may become a higher valued position within a community. Parents and community leaders may, once again, look to teachers as the stewards of their future instead of necessary components of a educational industry. College, among other forms of higher education, may revert to a realm for the select, and lucky, few who can afford to leave their local community or have such a resource at their disposal locally.
As I touched on already it is likely that many student will not move on to more than a 8th or 9th grade educational level. This would be reasonable in a world post-oil, at least initially, for a few reasons. First is that a functioning high school may be out of reach geographically for some. Not all rural areas would be able to afford or support such and endeavor. It would be more practical for some students to simply move into the work force at the age of 13 or 14 if the only thing they need to know is how to support their family by living off the land. Certainly the structure of classes, content, and years of mandatory attendance would change but even in areas that are more densely settled than farm areas it will likely be more practical for students to apprentice in their communities in order to learn and preserve trades necessary to their town. Of course doctors, lawyers, teachers and politicians will still be needed but they will be those select few who will go on to higher educational institutions, if they still exist. The biggest worry here is the creation of a more intense class system where select areas of a state or even people of certain professions call the shots. I can see this happening, however, I hope that the feeling of belonging to a community and the sense of responsibility for a persons own people will not be lost on these lucky future few.
Indeed the role of education and the way it is executed is yet to be seen for the future. All that we can do is speculate and prepare for what may come. But the overarching theme needs to be this; that we MUST be prepared for any eventuality. The biggest weakness we will face as the world turns and changes is an uneducated population, especially if that population forgets the lessons of the past. We have ignored those lessons already and, because of that, we face a grim future.
For the last fifty or so years our nations schools have been suburbanized, centralized, and have downsized on teaching staff and resources. Before the age of the yellow school bus fleets and high school campuses that resemble shopping malls, we had a smaller, less centralized, system. A system that was walkable, flexible, and very personalized for that region. But no longer. Our children get bused from far away to massive buildings, full of thousands of students, where two teachers could work at the same school all their careers and never meet. If you are reading this blog you likely have a good handle on how poorly our schools operate from various angles, such as quality of education or efficiency of resource use, but have you ever considered what would happen if the students couldn't even get to school if they wanted to?
The scenario almost plays out like a charity commercial for a third world country. Students longing to get to schools but they are too far to walk or bike. The roads are rough from even a year of disrepair, and in the winter months the way is simply impassable. The schools are shells, falling down around the few teachers and students that manage their ways in every day. Water supplies are inconsistent, lights are broken or off dew to power outages, and heating and air conditioning systems are inoperable. Books are old and tattered and all the marvelous technological innovations of the 20th century are useless. It is a sad and stark reminder of what we will not be able to accomplish in a world beset by constant oil shortages and/or total oil depletion.
So how will schools need to adapt in the times to come? There are many answers or at least many options. Not every school is the same, nor is the town in which it is located, neither are the places they will no longer be able to serve, and the traditional methods of teaching might not apply from town to town, city to city.
The biggest change will have to be in size and geographic location of schools. Gone will be the day that kids can be bused from miles and miles around. Instead of serving entire districts schools will be forced to serve much smaller populations. To give you an idea of school sizes, the average school district in America serves about two thousand students grades K-12 and this is inclusive of vocational and other schooling. Two thousand students is a very large population for a school system and in a post-oil age it is likely that the average population of an entire district will shrink to a fraction of this. I predict that the average school will serve between fifty and a hundred students, that number may shrink or swell based on geographical location. In some cities it is totally foreseeable for a school to serve a few hundred students, and maybe even a thousand, based on the walkability of cities. On the flip side of this, our rural districts could become completely home schooled or turn into a local communal form of education with neighbourhood families taking shares of the responsibility for the education of their young people. "School" sizes in places such as these could be as small as a couple dozen students K-12.
The schedule of schools will likely stay within some semblance of what it is today. I would imagine since schools would be serving their own immediate localities, each would have their own unique calendar year. But regardless of location schools will likely revert to a more agrarian based school year. Days might be shorter in the harvest and planting months and longer during the winter months. Most schools will likely be directly tied into local economies to the point that weekly decisions about scheduling may be made depending on who is available to teach what or if a local business may provide a learning opportunity to educate students. City schools will be less affected by this change. They inner city areas will probably lengthen their school years and shorten the days. This would not only afford teachers, but students even, the chance to get a part time job on top of their obligations to school. This would benefit the local work force as well as give teachers and students a deeper level of integration within their neighborhoods.
The role of the teacher will change drastically. The traditional teacher will be replaced by a more versatile and multifaceted individual, capable of not only teaching a "classic" subject like history, science, or math, but also more practical skills such as carpentry or farming. Vocational education through internships and work programs might become the new norm for students in their teens, in a time where learning a specific skill to contribute to the common good of your home town trumps individual success. The role of a teacher may become a higher valued position within a community. Parents and community leaders may, once again, look to teachers as the stewards of their future instead of necessary components of a educational industry. College, among other forms of higher education, may revert to a realm for the select, and lucky, few who can afford to leave their local community or have such a resource at their disposal locally.
As I touched on already it is likely that many student will not move on to more than a 8th or 9th grade educational level. This would be reasonable in a world post-oil, at least initially, for a few reasons. First is that a functioning high school may be out of reach geographically for some. Not all rural areas would be able to afford or support such and endeavor. It would be more practical for some students to simply move into the work force at the age of 13 or 14 if the only thing they need to know is how to support their family by living off the land. Certainly the structure of classes, content, and years of mandatory attendance would change but even in areas that are more densely settled than farm areas it will likely be more practical for students to apprentice in their communities in order to learn and preserve trades necessary to their town. Of course doctors, lawyers, teachers and politicians will still be needed but they will be those select few who will go on to higher educational institutions, if they still exist. The biggest worry here is the creation of a more intense class system where select areas of a state or even people of certain professions call the shots. I can see this happening, however, I hope that the feeling of belonging to a community and the sense of responsibility for a persons own people will not be lost on these lucky future few.
Indeed the role of education and the way it is executed is yet to be seen for the future. All that we can do is speculate and prepare for what may come. But the overarching theme needs to be this; that we MUST be prepared for any eventuality. The biggest weakness we will face as the world turns and changes is an uneducated population, especially if that population forgets the lessons of the past. We have ignored those lessons already and, because of that, we face a grim future.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Can you change what is in your heart when it is for your better?
So folks this is a personal post, one of those touchy-feely discussions that I hope you don't get too attached to. But I recently returned from a trip that took me nearly a month to complete and stretched from coast to coast, from Long Island to California. It has been my first vacation in a long time and on a deeper level the first time I was able to really figure out what I needed to do with my life. When I say my life I mean more than just my life as far as direction but also my personal life and goals.
Indeed it was a vacation from all aspects of my life. I had fewer text messages and facebook notification, I checked both much less religiously. My email spent many days going unchecked. I could leave my alarm clock on my phone off and didn't feel guilty for turning both off entirely. The stresses of finding a job, working in schools, filling up my gas tank, pressing shirts, dealing with family and friend drama all were taken away for three weeks of relative bliss. Hours on the internet or otherwise plugged in were replaced with days spend wandering around a small city in a largely agrarian and economically depressed part of California. Strangely homelike, this city provided me with many hours of introspection, an activity formerly reserved for a twenty minute run or the few uninterrupted hours of sleep I get every night.
So what has changed about me since my departure, honestly not much, but on a deeper level I believe that I have been able to straighten out the clutter of my life and sort out my goals for the near and distant future. The mess has really been with the conflict that I have had since leaving college with the thought of my college life and my new life as a fully functioning adult. Much has changed, some has stayed the same, but it has all been muddied by the transition. It seems that mainly my connections to the past four years have hampered my efforts to spread my wings. Being back in the old town every weekend for fencing is one thing. But feeling it necessary to spend many days and nights at a time in Oneonta has severely limited my ability to sort out things at home and take time to adjust to how things are now. So for now I will fill my contracts and obligations but once that is through I think I will be cutting ties with the majority of that world in lieu of moving forward with my my life here and now.
All of that aside much of the difficulties I have faced in the last few months have been interpersonal. Since my trip I realized that I spend a great deal of my time dealing with and working around the lives of others. Flexing and bending in whatever way I can in order to improve their lives. Often times this has been at the cost of my own personal life and feelings, on a more superficial level this frequently impacts me financially as well. These things in mind I've discovered that I really won't be able to achieve much with my own life if I spend it fixing and helping guide the lives of others. Sure the feeling of being needed by someone is in some ways very rewarding but the feeling of being needed to live someones life for them has become one of the most dreaded things I have yet to experience. So keeping that in mind I have decided to make a better effort to concentrate on my own life, health, and goals.
What does this mean for the next year, two years, longer? Be sure that the me of 6 months from now will be in much better shape physically and mentally. I'm considering taking up running 5k races as thing, definitely running on a regular basis. Reading has made a Renaissance in my life and I plan on continuing that trend for good. You can never read too many good books and you can never learn too many things. I should have a better idea of what my next five years will look like. I'll know for sure whether military service is in my future. I'll be able to say when and how I'll be going back to school for my Graduate degree. If I've secured myself a full time job I'll hopefully get myself an apartment or other suitable living space of my own. Not to mention I'm planning for a get out of debt by September plan that includes a sizable savings increase.
Does all of this sound as glorious as it could be? No not at all, however, when you consider I have never before had a iron clad plan to accomplish these things I would consider it pretty substantial. Here's to hoping that these things get worked out and by the time I make the next personal post my thoughts become even more positive!
Indeed it was a vacation from all aspects of my life. I had fewer text messages and facebook notification, I checked both much less religiously. My email spent many days going unchecked. I could leave my alarm clock on my phone off and didn't feel guilty for turning both off entirely. The stresses of finding a job, working in schools, filling up my gas tank, pressing shirts, dealing with family and friend drama all were taken away for three weeks of relative bliss. Hours on the internet or otherwise plugged in were replaced with days spend wandering around a small city in a largely agrarian and economically depressed part of California. Strangely homelike, this city provided me with many hours of introspection, an activity formerly reserved for a twenty minute run or the few uninterrupted hours of sleep I get every night.
So what has changed about me since my departure, honestly not much, but on a deeper level I believe that I have been able to straighten out the clutter of my life and sort out my goals for the near and distant future. The mess has really been with the conflict that I have had since leaving college with the thought of my college life and my new life as a fully functioning adult. Much has changed, some has stayed the same, but it has all been muddied by the transition. It seems that mainly my connections to the past four years have hampered my efforts to spread my wings. Being back in the old town every weekend for fencing is one thing. But feeling it necessary to spend many days and nights at a time in Oneonta has severely limited my ability to sort out things at home and take time to adjust to how things are now. So for now I will fill my contracts and obligations but once that is through I think I will be cutting ties with the majority of that world in lieu of moving forward with my my life here and now.
All of that aside much of the difficulties I have faced in the last few months have been interpersonal. Since my trip I realized that I spend a great deal of my time dealing with and working around the lives of others. Flexing and bending in whatever way I can in order to improve their lives. Often times this has been at the cost of my own personal life and feelings, on a more superficial level this frequently impacts me financially as well. These things in mind I've discovered that I really won't be able to achieve much with my own life if I spend it fixing and helping guide the lives of others. Sure the feeling of being needed by someone is in some ways very rewarding but the feeling of being needed to live someones life for them has become one of the most dreaded things I have yet to experience. So keeping that in mind I have decided to make a better effort to concentrate on my own life, health, and goals.
What does this mean for the next year, two years, longer? Be sure that the me of 6 months from now will be in much better shape physically and mentally. I'm considering taking up running 5k races as thing, definitely running on a regular basis. Reading has made a Renaissance in my life and I plan on continuing that trend for good. You can never read too many good books and you can never learn too many things. I should have a better idea of what my next five years will look like. I'll know for sure whether military service is in my future. I'll be able to say when and how I'll be going back to school for my Graduate degree. If I've secured myself a full time job I'll hopefully get myself an apartment or other suitable living space of my own. Not to mention I'm planning for a get out of debt by September plan that includes a sizable savings increase.
Does all of this sound as glorious as it could be? No not at all, however, when you consider I have never before had a iron clad plan to accomplish these things I would consider it pretty substantial. Here's to hoping that these things get worked out and by the time I make the next personal post my thoughts become even more positive!
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