# Sinbad Blog



## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

No. I haven't started my own blog somewhere else. Too lazy for that. 
It's easier to start a thread in some forum and unload my thoughts in it. 

OK 
Hre goes first story. It happened last year 

It was about this time of the year when the desert become cooler and the rain produces all kinds of flowers in the otherwise barren sands. A guy was driving his Land Cruiser heading towards his freinds' camp. He stopped at about sunset time and rested a bit. It was getting dark, and he started moving to reach the camp. He noticed something moving in the distant sandy expanse. He waited and found it was two girls age 12 & 5 ... They were lost, hungry and thristy. 

He offered them food and water and then asked them about their folks. They started weeping, they were understandbly freightened and perplexed. He asked if their dad had a radio. They didbn't know. He pulled out one from his car and showed them his. The older girls said yes her dad had a similar thing. 

He started calling around and spread the word about two lost kids. An hour a guy called and said he heard someone on the radio asking of anyone found two girls. He promised to search for that dad over the radio. A few minutes later the dad called and asked for GPS coordinates and the family was united a few hours later.

These two girls were camping with their family somewehre. The younger girl wanted to "go" and the older one went with her. They only walked a round some sand dune and then got puzzled ( cause all sands look alike) and just went in the worng direction. Family didnt notice their absense until it was dinner time and they didn't show up. 

It was a story with a happy end, but it could have ended very ugly. 
The desert is not a good place to get lost ibn, especially for untrained city people . And I wonder how many sad stories we have to read before we think of doing things in a different way. 

The minimum these 2 girls should have had on them were a flaslight and a whistle. I would even add a walkie talkie and a small bottle of water plus a pace blanket.


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## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

A few days ago, I had to get my son to a place where he had to take a test for future college admission. I asked him to take a bag with all he MAY need and then leave it in the car if he did not need it. I suggested he take a calculator , extra pen ..etc. He was sure that calculator is not needed and I beleieved him BUT I wanted him to learn this strategy of being "prepared" for any possibility. 

He didn't need it in this test, but in a previous situation he needed one and didn't have it. I ended up driving hysterically to a nearby store and lucklily finding they had scientific calculators. 

I don't see it that hard to be prepared, and often think why people PLAN to be un-prepared.


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

These are excellent points sinbad being prepared isn't always about disasters it is more about the little things , thanks for the reminder.


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## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

Exactly Tirediron

Actually I believe that "waiting for the big one" is part of the dillema of being prepared or unprepared. "Big ones" don't happen that often , but small emergencies are always around us.


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## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

Today's newspapers over here in Saudi Arabia covered the latest vicious attacks on churches in Egypt and Iraq. 

Some Muslim Iraqis and Egyptians suggested that Muslims join christians in their church paryers to show the maniacs the EVERYONE wants to live in peace and that these countries are shared by both Muslims and Christians.

Unfortunately, these maniacs have supporters among some politicians in the area . For example, leftovers of the Baath Party in Iraq (Saddam's party) are making a comeback. Thanks to some influencial powers that caused a stalemate in the political process in Iraq, and insisted that these Bathists are taken back or live without a government.


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## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

I miss the old days when i was single. 
I did what I wanted when I wanted , no questions asked . 

Those days I would leave work and , well, have craving for sitting at the beach and having tea/coffe while enjoying the sunset and the evening breeze. Nothing to it, since I had most everything already in the trunk of my car. I would just stop at a store for supplies, and a gas fill up and go. 

When I arrived, I got from the trunk one box of wood , and another box of stuff. I would start fire, make tea/coffee and just relax. Somtimes I slept over there. 

Once i was awakened by a policeman and I asked him if I had to leave the area. He said : no, but only checking things. 

oooooh. Those were the days. :flower:

Now, before even thinking about going anywhere, there is many "decision makers" to consult with , from wife to the 10 years old who has an exam and can't go until next week  ... and the policeman now will suspect you, and ask what you were doing sleeping there , and then won't beleive your answer anyway. :ignore:

Most kids are attached to e-games 
They don't know what they are missing in the outdoors. But thenm again they are right, much of teh "outdoors" has been swallowed by urban expansion and land development. When the beach becomes more crowded than a mall in a weekend, staying home becomes the option. 

BTW, has anyone heard of the term "stay-cation" ( stay-vacation ) where you spend your vacation at home ?


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## BadgeBunny (Nov 2, 2010)

Francon said:


> getting out of sight enough to relieve self is not the same thing as getting out of yellilng distance. Something else is going on, or they are too stupid to make it,anyway.


Seriously??!!?! Your wife, if you have one, must really tire of having to take care of EVERYTHING ...

Sinbad, I am enjoying your blog so far. You make some very valid points and your stories are a reminder to everyone to be our brother's keeper if at all possible.

There was a story on the news not too long ago about a couple who had a car wreck on the way home. The next day he was found dead behind the wheel of the car but she was nowhere in sight. Seems that a body has turned up now and they suspect that she was found by someone who took advantage of her and then killed her.

Not everybody is good at heart unfortunately.


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## Lonewufcry (Jul 26, 2010)

Sinbad sometimes life turns you around. Keep up the post and like whats been said it doesnt always have to be a shtf reason to be prepared.


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## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

You know you are right it isn't always huge disasters... And it is funny because my trunk stuff that I intended for pleasant evenings on the beach came in handy in a small survival situation I faced. 

A few decades ago, constructions started on a major highway between the city where I live and work and the city where my parents lived. Once i was driving back to my town and there were many detours. Night came and it was very hard to see through the detours and dirt roads and find where the highway was. 

I reached to an area surrounded by batches of sand. I could see the asphalt road but couldn't drive the 20 yards or so through sand in my sedan. I decided to "camp" there and in the daylight I would see a much larger area and find my way though. I opened the trunk, got the two boxes and started fire and prepared tea. 

A truck driver apparently saw the fire and stopped by. He knew the road inch by inch because he drives there daily. We shared tea and he asked me to follow him. I drove behind him through a maze of dirt roads until I reached the asphalt road and waved him goodbye. 

In those days I didn't see myself as being (prepared). I just saw myself as (camping enthusiast). And that came handy.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

sinbad said:


> I miss the old days when i was single.
> I did what I wanted when I wanted , no questions asked .
> 
> Now, before even thinking about going anywhere, there is many "decision makers" to consult with , from wife to the 10 years old who has an exam and can't go until next week.


Ah....alas. The things we miss. Someday those kids will be grown and gone.

Mine seemed little for so long. I blinked. They grew up.

I miss the days when they were under my roof; when I saw them daily. I miss the things we did together, even when they whined when I pulled them away from things such as video games, and afterward they were full of thanks for the good time we had!

Funny how looking back we reminisce about things that at the time we didn't appreciate.

Even such things as being single and longing for a mate, and perhaps a family, with which to share our life.

Sinbad, I am very much enjoying your stories. I'm glad the little girls were found safely. Many times here in America we read of such a thing, where someone wandered just a short way from a camp and got lost. It's nice to hear when there's a happy ending.


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## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

Sadly many stories have unhappy endings 

In the U.S. you have people being smuggled in from Mexico or other countries. In my country too, some are smuggled from Africa or Yemen. Sadly, many die in the desert. Last year the media here got stirred over the number of bodeis scattered in the desert and investigations were started by the police but seemigly led to nowhere. 

It is really sad to see people in war-torn countries as those people have bad choices, either stay and die a terrible death, or try to sneak in another country which also very risky. Many have died a slow painful death after being lost in the merciless sands.


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## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

gypsysue

I cliked on your (Modern Survival) signature and saw the magazine cover. It reminded me of something scary/funny that happend to me in the past. 

Before the internet, I used to subscribe in magazines like Mother Earth News and many others. One day I saw a "survival" magazine that looks almost exactly like this Modern Survival. I susbcribed and began to receive the issues. After going through a few issues I didn't like what I was getting. 

Most of the focus was on GUNS, where I am mostly concerned with SAFETY issues. I liked a few articles about floods and earthquakes but didn't like the two thirds of the magaizne dedicated to guns. 

In addition, guns are not permitted or encouraged around here so I got more worried that someone will ask me WHY I was subscribing in a GUN magazine. 

Luckily no one asked , that was before 911, and life was more relaxed then, but even then I asked the magazne folks to just stop sending it. Funny thing is next issues kept coming and i was even more worried. GUNS were on the cover of EVERY issue.  and it was not funny anymore !!

I nearly freaked out and wrote them : 
please stop sending the magazine and (keep the change) .. 
LOL 

Finally they stopped it and I had a sigh of relief. 

Now looking back I still wonder why some preppers put so much emphasis on guns. OK we understand defending oneself. But prepping should be even and cover all categories in a rational way. 

I read somewhere on a prepper forum a question like this about some people who spend lots of time on a shooting range while they don't have a week's worth of food at home.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

Yes, I think I remember the magazine you're referring to. It might have been "American Survival Guide". It was popular in the '80s and '90s. It did have a heavy focus on guns.

The magazine, "Modern Survival" on my signature line is published by the same man. Unfortunately, he still has lots of guns on the cover, but the articles are most like the things on this forum. My husband and I both write for them. I have two articles in the current issue. One deals with gathering and using Rose Hips, the other is titled "Less is More", and it deals with saving money by using less of products such as toothpaste, laundry soap, etc. 

So despite the guns on the online cover (being an online-only magazine), most of the magazine is about other things.

However, although we receive income writing for them, there is so much information available for free on the internet it hardly seems worth paying for a subscription to anything.

As for why some preppers put so much emphasis on guns, my own theory is that those kind of people don't feel adequately prepared in the other aspects of survival. Guns = power, or acquisition of food. Though even if they mean "by hunting game animals" rather than taking other people's food by force, the number of animals available to hunt is finite, especially in a world where everyone is hungry.

A few guns and a lot of ammo for defense, yes, that's a good idea. But prepping is so much more. This forum is great in that it emphasizes all the many areas of preparedness and is not focused just on guns and weapons. There are those who keep pushing it out in front as the most important aspect, and for them it probably is. 

But food should be at the top of the list, along with things like water and basic medical supplies, etc. Even better is having what is needed to produce food in the future, such as gardens, fruit trees, etc.


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## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

> But food should be at the top of the list, along with things like water and basic medical supplies, etc. Even better is having what is needed to produce food in the future, such as gardens, fruit trees, etc.


Last year I was talking about "bad times" with a relatives, especially seeing TV footage of the situation in Iraq ..etc. We had different approches to the problem. He said : I am thinking to buy some firearm, at least a handgun. You never know.

My response: You are right. You NEVER know if a gun maybe needed or not, but you DEFINITELY know that in a messy situation like that you need plenty of food and water storage. So, how big is your water storage capacity ??

Around here we have concrete homes and buildings. Water storage tanks are usually located on the upper roof of the building. On top of my house I have 2 tanks x 1.5 m³ of water. There is a separate tank ( 1.5 m³ ) for the kitchen plus two tanks at ground level with total capacity of 2.5 m³ . Grand total = 7 m³ ( 1850 gallons ).

My brother house has 12 m³ of water storage. However, my relative who is thinking to buy a firearm has only a total of 3 m³ ( 790 gallons). I think he should seriously review his water assets.

About prep magazines, they should really review their cover focus. Sometimes they should feature handtools ( e.g. multitools ) sometimes gardening tools and structures (e.g. greenhouses) and sometimes focus on some popular themes like urban gardeing ..etc. But you are right. It is now so easy to read things online and even save them to build a personal library.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

sinbad said:


> About prep magazines, they should really review their cover focus. Sometimes they should feature handtools ( e.g. multitools ) sometimes gardening tools and structures (e.g. greenhouses) and sometimes focus on some popular themes like urban gardeing ..etc. But you are right. It is now so easy to read things online and even save them to build a personal library.


When American Survival Guide magazine was bought by another company they renamed it "Self-Reliance" and started putting other pictures on the cover. In less than a year it had folded and went out of business. It was during the time here in the US when Ruby Ridge, Wako, and the Oklahoma City bombing took place, and people were scared to subscribe to magazines like that, and maybe end up on an FBI list or something.

Even now we have an idiosyncrasy in our government, kind of like the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing, etc. On one hand, certain government offices distribute emergency preparedness information and encourage having a 3-week to a 3-month supply of food and other emergency supplies.

Yet, other government offices suspect people who DO buy and store those supplies as being potential enemies of the state.

The water storage tanks all of you have sound like a great thing. More of us over here should have those! We use rainwater for our garden, laundry, dishes, and baths/showers, but don't have as much storage capacity as you do. We can store around 1,200 gallons.

Your comment about being able to save online information and create one's own library is true. The nice thing is that you can save the items you find useful and not have stacks of magazines with one or two useful articles in them, with the rest of it just taking up space!


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## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

> Even now we have an idiosyncrasy in our government, kind of like the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing, etc.


Exact copy here. 

Highways and roads are breaking every nut and bolt in our cars. Some contract is granted to a company to do whatever, they dig the street and mess the neighborhood for a year or two. They finish and pave the road clean. Two months later, another copany is granted some other contract and they dig the SAME street an dmess up the same neighborhood for another two years 

Some contactor dug up the street near my dad's house to build a bridge. Then AFTER digging , utility companies were contacted to shift electric cables !!! The Utility Co. answered that they were not told before and their staff were busy in a long list of projects. The contactor has to wait 2 years before utility co. can cooperate in this project. So my dad's neighborhood is all dug up and waiting !!!! 

Actually, this nonesense is another reason why I insist on being prepared for almost anything. This messy environment gurantees a continuous supply of surprises and inconveniences if not real emergencies ( like a suburban went straight down in an excavation last week).

I was reading local newspapers today and saw this ( MORE projects - tunnels, bridges ..etc. are planned this coming year in this area) ...

My reposne : MY GOD !!! Time to dump the small GHB and replace it with a larger one.


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## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

Life is perfectly imperfect



:scratch

I already have a notebook-style tool pouch like this one in the picture ( well almost like it ).










Although this pouch is great for organizing tools and misc. prep and EDC items, but it would be nicer if there were a medium size bag that would swallow this tool pouch plus have pockets for multitools, pocket knives or small flashlights and space enough for cell phone chargers and other stuff like digital cameras and cam to PC cables ..etc..

So, I started looking for a utility bag to contain all my gadgets/tools in an organized way. After lots of searching , it almost fell from the sky at my feet. A neighboring office was being cleaned up and lots of junk was there including this old 13 inch laptop bag. It has a zippered compartment for the laptop and another zippered comaprtment for the gadgets ( charger and cables ..etc. ) plus a large front pocket with organizer for pens or whatevr.

The main laptop compartment did house the tool pouch nicely. The other compartment will house chargers and cables, and the front pocket will take some multitools, pocket knives, flashlights and more.

It is PERRRRRFECT !!

The design is just perfect for what I needed. I have a laptop bag for my 15.6 inch laptop but it is too big. This 13 inch laptop bag is really really nice and even the size is perfect.

AND it is FREE
How much more perfect anything like this can be ???

Oh, did I say it was perfect ?

Here is when perfection meets obstacles. 
This bag looks like a laptop bag. Well, it IS a laptop bag and this is the problem. Its REAL contents ( my junk ) are no more than $ 100 worth, but any would-be thief may think it has a $1000 laptop inside it !!!

Low profile in reverse . LOL 

So, here is my question to low profile experts. How do you take something really interesting like this bag, and convert it to something NOT interesting ?


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

Well, this might not be a good recommendation for you, since you live in Saudi Arabia, but in the US, people looking to disguise something like a laptop computer or tools can buy a large Bible case; the nylon bag cases with zippers and handles. That's what I did for my netbook computer. No one will steal it...they think it's a Bible and probably a bunch of Bible study books and stuff!  

Reminds me of a cartoon I saw once. This guy was pointing at the t-shirt he had on and telling his friend "It always gets me a seat by myself on the bus!". The shirt said "Let's talk about Jesus!"


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## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

Reminds me of a colleague at work. 

A laptop and few other things have been stolen from our office, and I became too sensitive to leave anything exposed. My colleague continues to leave things like a valuable science/engineering book on the desk. When I ask him to put it in a safer location, he says : this is science, no one cares for science. LOL


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## Clarice (Aug 19, 2010)

Sinbad, enjoying your blog, keep it up.


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## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

Thanks Clarice and everyone
Appreciate taking the time to read


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## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

*I am just as a victim of the system as you are - Episode 1*

Title : 
I am just as a victim of the system as you are - Episode 1

One of the things that angers me when another driver dumps his ^%$^ on me in a traffic jam. Not that I am a special person who is above anything, but really , if any %^%%&.. ing is in order, it should be directed towards those who designed the street, parking lot or whatever. In most cases, it is the absolute nonesense and total absense of logic that is causing the mess.

We can take an example the parking lot in front of my daughter's school. I don't need to describe it but will only say that the available land around school is enough for twice the number of cars that pass thru everyday. Yet, 80% of land is either covered in grass ( in an area which needs parking lots ) !!!! or surrounded by a curb so that cars can't park in there. Result : an unimaginable mess.

Land ownership has nothing to do with it. All land there is legally open and usable 100% . It is only brain cells that are not available.

Anyways, I had to listen patiently to someone's lecture about not being a good driver and telling me I should park my car this way and not that way.

I was just feeling too hopeless to respond. I should have just asked him to look where the garbage truck is parked ( In the middle of the road because there is no specific parking lot for it near the dumpster despite availability of BIG land. It parks ACROSS the road.


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## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

*I am just as a victim of the system as you are - Episode 2*

I am just as a victim of the system as you are - Episode 2

News are showing demonstrations in Algeria because of high prices and government has responded by lowering proces of several stuff. Also, more demonstrations in Tunisia because of unemployment.

In both cases, I do sympathysize but really have to wonder !
Among the pictures we saw several shops destroyed and looted.

If I was a shoopkeper I would tell the angry guys : 
*I am just as a victim of the system as you are *

It makes no sense why another citizen has to suffer like that when it was somone else who started al that mess.

Just as a sidenote : whenever we first met with western folks , the first thing we talked about was OIL. We always told them that we do not have an oil well in our backyards. Perhaps they should have a look at Texas to see how it goes. A few rich people deal with oil, while majority deal with air pollution.

Suppose oil prices have gone up , local folks in our area do not get any benefit out of it. As a matter of fact, everything goes UP from rent to price of fish. Even the bus driver that takes my two daughters to college has raised his fee. So, it can be confidently said that the impact on the average citizen is similar, regardless where the citizen is. We are all affected by our systems.

Back to Algeria and the demolished shops.

In almost every prep forum one question keeps popping up : what is your maximum fear ? Or what are you preparing for ?

Mine is not earthquakes or volcanoes , nor tsunamis. Nothing of that here. But one of my fears is that this calm society may suddenly erupt ofr whatever reason. Being so close to oil reserves AND so much poverty and unemployement, not to mention regional events can lead to something bad. Even if it was temporary it would be very bad.

I wonder if there were anything anyone can do about it . You make freidns with almost everyone, but who knows if everyone will remain sane or respectable in a survival situation.

When I see those drivers with bad mood and violent gestures in a non-survival situation. They forget we are ALL subject to the same mess created by someone else. And it makes me worry that someone.someday causes a collapse of the stock market for example, and someone who lost his stocks there puts all his anger against my kid who is just driving to the grocery store or my daughters bus who are just returning from college.


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## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

We often argue about the Best bag, the best knife, the best flashlight ..etc. 
We forget there are other 'tools' with which we have no choice because they are there for lfe. No newer models next year, no chance of choosing ... they are part of us. They are

... the legs we walk with
... the hands we work with
... the ears we hear with, and 
... the EYES we see everything with.

Man !!! I was near BLIND this morning !
And let me tell you 
It doesn't matter what you have in your bug out bag . It doesn't matter if you have two bunkers, three bug out locations, and ten undergound caches all around your neck of the wood.

You just can't see a thing !!
All your plans are down the sewer !

Here's the story:

It is now almost 7 pm in my neck of the woods. 
I woke up this morining ( almost 14 hours ago) , with a bad burning sensation in my eyes. They felt like someone sprayed them with pepper spray, and then dumped a handful of sand into them !!! It was baaaad .. And they shed tears like a leaking faucet.

I had to see a doctor, but wondered how I could drive !
I washed my eyes with plenty of water, flooded them with my Tears solution.. ampule after ampule of Tears. They felt 'better' .. just enough to open them in low light.

I had to take the kids to school before I could see adoctor. So, I asked the kids to hurry otherwise I wouldn't be able to drive in bright sun ( 7 am morning sun exactly facing in the eyes ). Luckily it was cloudy. The dark clouds gave me just enough time of low morning light to take them to school, with tissue in my hand to dry the tears. Then visited doctor who told me I had a viral infection and gave me drops ..etc.

*Let me tell you guys ... IF today was some SHTF day, even a small SHTF day, I would have been screwed. You really need your eyes for anything imaginable . In a survival situation, no eyes mean no survival .. as simple as that. *

I wondered if was in Tunisia for example with all the martial law and civil unrest .. perhaps doctors closed their clinics, I would just sit in pain, and be able to do nothing.

Home remedies are great no doubt, but can you expect every kind of medical emergency ? 
This eye infection dropped on me just like lightening.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

Wow, Sinbad! That's an awakening thought! We take a lot for granted. I hope your eyes get better quickly. 

Thanks for continueing with your writing. It's great.


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## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

Thank you Sue 
Doctor said I had a chronic problem in my eye that made them dry easy and i had to apply some eye gel (several times daily) to keep them moist and somehow more resistant to infection. 

Now (eye gel) is added to the list of (must have) in any BOB !!

The eyes are better now, but sure make one wonder about our preps. 
In my GHB, I tried to add lots of things that are "multipurpose" like vaselene which can be used anywhere from rash relief to firestarter. But even the magic vaselene wouldn't have helped if I was bugging out and was attacked by this severe viral infection. I might as well be shot in the eyes. 

What I have learned from this experience is to know our bodies. We should learn our weakest points in advance so we aren't caught off guard when in the middle of a regional disaster or social mess. It will be very bad for others but literally END OF THE WORLD for the affected. 

Here is another twist to the story. 

In my previous post I tried to simplify the story and focus on myself and the prep side of it. To add more details, I should mention that my older son was also as badly affected. That made me think it was no coincidence and must be a viral infection. But it also meant a disasterous event like this may not attack one person and spare the other to help, it may attack both. 

Beware everyone. 
Anything can happen anytime anywhere, when least expected. And don't count on ONE backup for your plan B, your backup may be affetced too.


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

You bring up very good points, and a lot of people even preppers don't worry about the thing that they need every day.:scratch


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## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

Thanks Tirediron. 
Preppers should be more alert to little unexpected surprises.

** A special day **

Today is a much better day than yesterday.

A few days back my DW was telling me that my vacation didn't look like a vacation 'cause i was busy all the time. I promised her that next day (yesterday)will be a 'special day' and we would go out after dropping kids and both of us will start that special day by a special breakfast out and then she can do all the shopping she liked, on me LOL.

Now you know the 'special day' turned to a micro-SHTF day. So, feeling better today, I took the wife to a nice breakfast out and then took her to her favorite shopping place.

She said she won't take long , but she did.  OK, it is HER day, so I left the car and went wandering about. I saw a few things which I remembered our daughter needed ( tuner for the printer ..etc. ) and bought some really hefty stuff. The guy appreciated that and gave me a gift. It may not be much to other people but to a prepper it is like an ounce of gold ... LOL 

He gave me three keychain flashlights like these

One of them was added to the kit in the work bag, the other went in the core kit(on me all the time), and the 3rd is now hanging from the cigarette lighter in the car.










For a prepper, this gift means alot ....

WOW !!! Today seems to be a great compensation for yesterday. I got to be out with DW (without the kids) like two teenagers sneaking behind their parents...   ... and now this gift ...

Today is a really special day for me :flower::flower:

I hope each on you have a special day.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

That's great!


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## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

Yes, it's great

And it's greater when you know something about prepping
A few days ago, I was writing in local forums trying to educate our overseas students to be prepared for floods ( especially our students in Australia ). I wrote that everyone of them should prepare an emergency bag with clothes, food & water, flashlight and whistle ..etc. 

A few days later, my advice seems needed closer at home. One of our major city (Jeddah, Saud Arabia) is flooded for the second year in row, and same mess happens.

Our local forums are filled with talk about corruption and incompetence. But there emerge beautiful stories of selfless spirits from among a spectrum of people. Last year a Pakistani saved 14 people from drowning and then drowned while trying to save the 15th. Saudi youth launched a Facebook campaign to name street in Jeddah after his name (Farman Ali Khan). 

One unforgettable story from last year is a guy was driving his sedan and got stuck in deep waters . He had wife and small kids. He called home and asked his 15 year old daughter to drive their 4x4 Suburban and come and help them ( Girls are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia but many dads teach their daughters anyway when they go out camping ... or anywhere outside city limits ) ... So, the girl drove the half hour distance, and pulled her dad's car out, and then went on to save eight other families !!

Luckily, some police and officials have enough common sense to let such incidents pass without the hassle of (violating the rules ) !!!!

Also last year, some boys and girls organized themselves in teams and gathered and disturbuted doantions like blankets etc. Other teams with jeeps and 4x4 trucks helped stranded busses carring little kids (going or returning from schools). 

This year young teens stand near street corners and try to guide drivers through the deep water ( in the streets which are still passable) so they do not hit the (underwater) foot paths, or other debris or obstacles. 

We, older conservative folks , keep a bit of negative streotype toward these kids ( especailly seeing their tattos or strange hair cuts , supercharged cars and jeeps ..etc. but really after seeing what they do in such times, I wish to hug each one of them.


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## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

It seems that some people have nothing to do :

The President Of Malawi Wants To Make Farting Illegal

Excuse me Mr. President. I understand your ... concerns, but .... 
how about you forget about it and worry about somthing else ... 
like the economy of your country


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## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

Life can always surprise you guys !!!
OK, here is the story. 

A friend has bought a new car. Since he is foreigner in this country, and he wants to travel with the car to neighboring countries for tourism and visiting his son, the company has asked him for a local person to guarantee the loan (in case he sells the car in another country and leaves for good). The loan is about $ 11,000 to be paid in 24 installments during the coming 2 years. 

OK, I guaranteed the guy as I trust him, and know him for 20+ years. But, overall situation in the region is not not as peaceful and stable as it has been for sooo long. Maybe, just maybe , things turn baaad and he has tro leave to his country in a hurry, or travels to a neighboring country and suddenly the borders are closed ... or the car is demolished ..etc. Anything can happen in a second , right ?? 

Now, I am worried !! My financial strategy has been extremely conservative for so long, and when I do this one favor over all these years, life takes such a turn !!

My strategy will be to build up some fund to cover half of the loan. I have to keep at least $ 5,000-6,000 at all times for the next 2 years, hoping things remain clam. 

Taking these circumstances in consideration , I am NOT going to buy a new car for myself, although my 1994 is aging, but it maybe the suitable car for times to come. 

This story shows we cannot always assume things remain as they are. 
You have always to cover your back. 

This will be my first and last time I do this kind of favor to someone. 
I know I will be stressed for sometime, especially that I have told my wife about my "no-no" rules of not guranteeing anyone, and I have broken them in this case.


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## SaskDame (Aug 27, 2010)

Wonderful blog.


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## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

Thank you 

Middle East events provide lots of food for thought… Today, I saw on TV a few tings that makes a prepper wonder why people do not even provide themselves with the simplest of survival items. 

Scene # 1
Refugees on the Lybian-Tunis border trying to leave Lybia. Tens of thousands from different nationalities. TV says that many have become ill because of the elements and lack of drinkable water. 

Scene # 2
A refugee works hard trying to cut open a rectangular 5-gallon can using a thin fruit knife. Usually such cans contain white cheese or olives. 

When you think about this, a properly packed BOB or GHB contains enough tools and equipments to take care of shelter, water purification, and process/cook food. It saddens me as a prepper to know how simple it was to be prepared for the problems they are facing.

Another thought is that firearms and ammo is more fascinating for survivalists, I know. But really when you think about people who went through horrible events in Iraq, Tunis, Egypt, Lybia and many many other places, we notice that many people were able to dodge bullets, but couldn't dodge problems rising from undrinkeable water or cold/heat.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

sinbad said:


> Yes, it's great
> 
> And it's greater when you know something about prepping
> A few days ago, I was writing in local forums trying to educate our overseas students to be prepared for floods ( especially our students in Australia ). I wrote that everyone of them should prepare an emergency bag with clothes, food & water, flashlight and whistle ..etc.
> ...


Last week, an Amish buggy and horse overturned trying to cross a stream, drowning 4 children...3 were brothers and sisters...It was another county, but really close to home here in Ky.
My philosophy is never cross a running stream.


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## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

God bless them .. folks who invented MS Excel 
I don't know what I would have done without it !!!!
It is an excellent tool for financial planning and monetary preparedness.

OK. I mentioned the guarantee of my firend's loan. My brother in law told me the many proiblems that happen ( mostly system glitches) in the lending companies , sometimes with disasterous results. A guy was considered 'defaulting' on his loan - although he paid regularly - and had to pay the total balance immediately, and was unable to do that , so they took his guarateeing friend to court ! Yikes.

Anyways, this is no the problem ... Problem is .. my wife and daughter (who is engaged) just told me that marriage may be held in the coming summer. Boooooom !! I had to sit down.

In our community, the bridegroom is expected to pay for everything in the wedding, but bride's father almost always helps. We are talking around something like $ 8,000

Even if I forget the loan gurantee ( which I can't forget), 3 months from now, I am going to pay my $15,000 loan . That will cleanup my account. Then there is the buildup of a bigger emergency reserve in another account (for both for the Middle East turbulence & the loan guarantee) ... That leaves me praying and hoping for a decent pay raise.

Preppers do not depend on luck .. so I had to go back to my old freind : MS Excel which had guided me earlier through messy financial situations. I have a spreadsheet of the next 5 years that includes my expected monthly income , expected and periodical payments, allwances for unexpected and miscellaneous needs of cash ( like car miantenance) ... etc.

I played with numbers ... scariest part was when you type 15 ( for the $15,000 loan that has to be paid ) and your bank balance column fills with negative values painted in *red* !

OK, you take it back and think a bit more. Suddenly you see another payment that you can postpone ( like 2nd installment of school tuition) . My payment record has been excellent for years so they do not mind if I am late sometimes.

So, then ... I return to that cell on the spreadsheet and re-type the 15, and no red stuff pops up. However, balance is dangerously low, and that gut wreching feeling does not fade yet. A few nervous seconds later, I take notice of another column labeled ( Home Emergency Cash ) and it contains the amount $ 4,000 ... I am finally relieved.

Bill Gates, and the Excell team. Thank you .


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## BadgeBunny (Nov 2, 2010)

Sinbad ... your excel post made me LOL ... I HATE excel!! :gaah: It drives me daft ... maybe it was all the years trying to figure out where the boo-boo was when I was doing forensic accounting ...

I am very much a pencil, paper and ten-key kinda gal!  Funny how much alike we all are at first glance but we each have our own way to get to the same place, huh??


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## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

LOL 

My budget accounting cannot be compared to forensic accounting 
Much simpler and nowhere as complicated

I am also a pen & paper guy regarding "TO DO list" and the like ... can't stand all new electronic gadgets ( ipod and the like ) but for intensive calculations for multiple financial scenarios , nothing beats Excel :dunno:


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## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

Sometimes we live or work with people who "excel" in driving you nuts !! I wonder how life can be if a survival situation erupts while you are around these guys , or they are around you . 

Yesterday at work, I was faced with three annoying situations. 
Each was an annyoing situation, but 3 happening together, it was a mental survival situation !!!

One engineer came and the boss asked me to deal with him. We needed some 60-90 minutes to discuss and plan a project. Meanwhile a shipment arrived and someone called me to sign the papers and decide where to put it. A quick look at the papers, I couldn't recognize the stuff and wondered if it was really ours. Had to call boss who left somewhere and his cell phone didn't answer. Tried to call other colleagues to hopefully identify the stuff. One came and didn't know what it was and for whom, and the rest didn't come. 

Meanwhile, a simple hearted friend/colleagure came asking me to logon in the system to help him fill some papers he needed for promotion. This guy drives me nuts cuz he does not realize there is an etiquette to be followed. Simplest thing is to ask ( I need this favor , are you free ?? Can I come an hour later ) and I will be glad to help .. but goes right away and spread his papers on my desk, pushes the ON button of my computer !!! And I explode. My computer was ON, and it was downloading something , but I kept monitor off. Grrrrr. 

OK, I try to behave like a gentleman , especially with that engineer around. I ask the engineer to take some measurement and sit a little with this colleague/friend and ask him the details. He knows nothing. Even when I asked him to collect all facts from Personnel Department first, he grabs MY phone and asks me to call them cuz I "may" know how to ask and about what !! I tell him pateintly that I really didn't know and he should just go there and tries to find out. Once all his papers are complete, I wil be glad to help. He asked me to fill what I could , I start and ask him for simple info, but his 1000 papers are incomplete, unorganized and ..... waste my time. 

Back to the delivery guy. He was nice and patient but our own assistant who tries to "help" pisses me off as usual. He would do 2 things that make me want to shoot him. One : He asks about everything even obvious the obvious ones. Two: he doesn't wait for any remarks/suggestions/directions. 

When he knew that we were looking for the guy who ordered the stuff, he blasts away and brings a guy. I was calling him to wait until I make a phone call to confirm ... but he zooms like a corvet on a highway without listening. He brought the guy who had nothing to do with the stuff, and he makes a mess asking him to go through it ( to make sure) !!

.... 

Later , after we found the guy and he starts to receive the stuff, our assistant starts using something which was CLEARLY labeled ( Out of Order) and makes a big mess in the work area. 

At that point I left the work area and took the engineer to the cafeteria for a cup of coffee and (honestly) to save my sanity !!

Later, the guy who asked my help for his promotion papers wouldn't say "hello" because I (just left him) when he needed my help. I printed a few things for him from a releveant local website to help him .. but he is still mad at me. 

I don't hold a grudge against any of them, and understand that their psychological and mental setup is what it is , but I really, really wouln't want to have these guys around me in a survival situation.


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