Gil's Blog

“The Best of All Worlds” is where we live today. Unfortunately humanity has bipolar disorder. Find an asteroid on a collision course with earth, and all the industrial nations of the world would chip-in to build a spacecraft and go blow it up. After that, we’d just go back to killing each-other. History is full of lows we would rather forget. I was inspired today by my friend Victoria’s blog entry on the Holocaust. We must remember such events, and most importantly how they started. But knowing the signs doesn’t help much. Knowing that you can drown doesn’t teach you how to swim.

When I was twelve-years-old, my grandfather hung a couple old pots on a tree branch, handed me his sixteen-gauge shotgun and said “go ahead, aim carefully.” He used to tell me stories about the war, when I bugged him enough to get him to talk. That’s probably when I first realized that it wasn’t always the best of all worlds. He never warned me about watching for signs of impending doom, he just taught me skills that had helped him survive the darkest years of the century. I did not think much of it at the time, it was all fun and games for a boy my age. I did however feel compelled to keep studying and spent a decade handling and shooting small arms, hundreds of rounds a week, with rifle, sub-machine-gun and pistols. I practiced martial arts for years. I went camping, traveling, learned basic survival skills and street-smartness. I could as well have picked-up golf or tennis. Something in me told me I had to learn those things. That compulsion is part of me. It is not a fad, not an ego trip, not a hobby. I do not wonder why.

We humans have a tool no other animal possesses, self deception. It is a curse. If you ever wonder how some people can be very intelligent but have no common-sense, there you go, self-deception. No animal in the wild is going to think “what what that noise? Oh, probably nothing..” We do it all the time: “The government would never do that,” “that guy would never hurt me,” “that could never happen here.” Why think about unpleasantness..

I spend enough time in coffee shops to hear it all, mostly rants about politics and how civilization as we know it is about to end. There is a lot of talking going on. Not much else. I am not a proponent of revolution mind you, the best answer to political problems is informed vote. Emphasis on “informed.” What I am a proponent of is preparedness. Things occasionally do go to hell in a hand-basket, on a macro, or micro scale, doesn’t matter, you can end-up just as dead. Being killed by a horde of thugs after an economic breakdown or a mugger at the ATM machine makes no difference. I will tell you exactly what most people do when something like that happens: Nothing. It’s too late for learning how to swim after you fall off the boat. Even worse: It’s too late to learn how to swim after your family falls off the boat. Take a few minutes to think that one over…

If you’re a loner and plan on crawling into a fetal position and keel-over when the going gets though, be my guest. It’s your choice. But of course, it won’t happen to you, right? I am addressing most of us here however, husbands, wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, friends, and most importantly, parents. It is parent’s responsibility to learn how to defend their children, and teach them to defend themselves. And here is what baffles me the most, almost nobody does. Parents tell their kids not to talk with strangers, but they have no idea about what to do if the stranger has a big knife and is not interested in talking to them at all. Any decent parent would fly to the rescue, but unfortunately, whatever they do next would probably not be the best action, as far as outcome is concerned. Sorry about giving you a guilt trip here, but if I don’t, who else will? You’re not a bad parent, you just deceived yourself. Now you have no excuse, you have been informed. Yet, I will tell you exactly what most of you will do: Nothing.

I am also advocating building strong communities. Look at Switzerland. Every house in Switzerland has an assault rifle provided by the government. Kids in Siberia learn to shoot Kalashnikovs around ten-years-old. Young men and women in Israel serve in the IDF for three or two years respectively. Anybody thinking about invading Switzerland, Siberia or Israel is going to think twice about it.. Anyone attempting to invade Western Europe would have no problem at all. It has been done more than once before. The United States would be a different story, with the number of guns in circulation. The question is, do you have one? Do you know how to use it safely and efficiently? Oh, you are anti-gun.. That’s like being anti-life-vest on a boat. But we are in the same boat. You don’t live in a separate world where everybody is nice and respectful. You live in the same world as the people who were killed by home invaders or raped and killed by sexual predators. Sure, it might not happen to you. What if it does? What if the mighty Dollar takes a plunge and the gangs from that other part of town want your food after they ramsack the supermarket that just closed down? Anyway, enough scare tactics. I don’t spend all my time thinking about such scenarios, actually, I almost never do but for times like today. You know all this anyway. Yet, I will tell you exactly what most of you will do to be more prepared: Nothing.

Now, if you are still reading and haven’t crossed me off your list of friends for being a psycho survivalist type (I’m not, far from it) who makes you feel guilty about spending too much time watching television and getting fat on junk food, you might be onto something. I am not telling you to go to the Gym every day or run 10K twice a week. I get pretty lazy myself at times. There is however a minimal physical condition you should aspire to reach. Now is the time to make new-year resolutions. Read my blog on combat conditioning. If you want to exercise and learn useful skills at the same time, don’t go hit balls with a racket, learn a martial art. Go camping with your kids, learn and teach them what it takes to survive outside your cozy house, how to catch a rabbit, a fish, gut it, cook it. Learn about firearms, safety first.. If not to defend yourself in your house, you might need one someday to shoot your food! You’re vegetarian? Doesn’t matter. When you’ll be hungry enough, your brain will make you seek proteins, and you will eat meat, I promise you. There are whole books about self-sufficiency, I am not going to tell you what to do. If you need advise on firearms or martial arts, you can ask me. I am no expert, but I’ve been around, and if I can’t answer, I know people who can, or where to look. Just ask yourself “Can I take care of myself without society? Defend myself without the cops?” The police can’t be at your door in one minute, can they? But sometimes, that’s all the time you’ll have. Be glad you are now wondering about your personal well-being and you family’s, because I’ll tell you exactly what most people will do to be more prepared: Nothing.

I wanted a rust-proof finish on my khukuri. The cheapest and easiest solution I came up with is parkerizing.

Wikipedia: “Parkerizing (also called phosphating and phosphatizing) is a method of protecting a steel surface from corrosion and increasing its resistance to wear through the application of an electrochemical phosphate conversion coating.”

This process is used mainly on military type guns. The result is a dull gray finish which protects from rust and keeps oil on the steel. Abrasion will be an issue on a knife, but I already had the solution, and the amount of work required is minimal.

I ordered a manganese parkerizing kit from Shooters Solution, which can also be bought from Brownell. Our process will thus be mechanical only, since no electricity is used.

Step one is to clean the knife thoroughly with dishwasher liquid to remove any trace of oil. This is an important step, not to be skipped. The kit contains a special cleaning solution, which would be used after sandblasting, to clean and warm up the piece. I was out of this product, and used hot water instead.

Sand-blasting comes next, to remove any remaining oil and abrade the surface to make the manganese acid solution work better on the bare steel. The blasting cabinet we used had a very fine abrasive powder in it, which didn’t quite work, but a hand-held gun with coarse sand did the job quickly. At this time, it is very important that you do not touch the steel with your fingers! This would immediately start rusting and result in an uneven finish appearance. Flash rust will appear within ten to twenty minutes, so you must have your parkerizing solution and accessories ready nearby. I did see some on the blade, and it did create some differences in color. I didn’t care too much on a work knife, but the same result on a collectible gun would mean re-doing the whole process. Blast until you get a uniform light gray finish free of contaminants.

The manganese solution comes concentrated in a bottle. You mix it with distilled water. A second cleaning after sandblasting is necessary, and it is a good idea to warm up the piece, so that the acid bath temperature doesn’t drop too low when you plunge it in. The ideal temperature is about 190F. If you don’t have a thermometer, you could wait for it to start boiling (212F) and immediately turn the heat off. Parkerizing only works on mild steel, and this is why you must use a stainless steel container. Otherwise, your solution would be wasted quickly, as any steel container would be also parkerized.

Make sure you do not touch the piece, and put it entirely in the solution. I wouldn’t do this because the knife was too long, and it resulted in a visible line near the handle, which again isn’t a big deal on a work knife. You will get much better results however if the part is entirely submerged. By the way, don’t breathe the fumes! Leave the part in for about ten minutes, moving it a bit once in a while. After removing it, clean it with hot water, and let it air dry. You can then apply the finishing oil. Et voilà! That’s all there is to it.

Violence against women and girls is widespread; one woman in three will experience violence during her lifetime, most often at the hands of someone she knows. Don’t crucify me about the title, I just wanted to get your attention, because if you are a woman, what you will read here, and what you do about it might help you. Of course women don’t want to be victims! A few years back, my Systema instructor organized a free self-defense seminar for women. I participated as a “bad guy.” Around twenty five women showed-up. The seminar was great, but you really can’t learn enough life saving skills in four hours.. Not one ever came back to class for training!

Amazing, considering the statistics: Every day four women die in this country as a result of domestic violence. Conservative estimates indicate two to four million women of all races and classes are battered each year. Every year approximately 132,000 women report that they have been victims of rape or attempted rape.

I know a woman who lives with her young child but would never lock her door, even at night. With a double murder two blocks away, I know that door is still left unlocked (she no longer lives alone). Yet, she shops for organic food and is a health-conscious mother. How can you conciliate the two?

The idea of violence is not a pleasant one. Women do not want to think about being assaulted, even if preparing themselves could potentially save their lives and the life of their children. The “It won’t happen to me,” “won’t happen here,” or “I’d just [insert kick-ass TV-kung-fu move here]” mentality prevails over reason. It is a great example of self-deception.

Being ready doesn’t mean becoming a Cynthia Rothrock or emulate Jennifer Lopez in “Enough”… Prevention and awareness is your best tool. By awareness, I don’t mean marching in the streets with a sign to end violence on women; that does as much as pissing in a violin. I mean awareness of your surroundings and listening to your intuition. I read an excellent book on the subject, see below:

Every woman should read this book. I remember one story from it that really drives the point home: A young girl was hitchhiking when a couple stopped. They had a baby with them. For some reason, the girl had the urge not to go with them. She reasoned that a couple with a baby couldn’t be of any danger to her and climbed in the car. Later, at a rest stop, she again had the urge to run away, but could not explain it, and decided that it was silly, and again, went along for the ride. It turned out to be a seven year ride as a sex slave to the couple.. You have to listen to that little voice. We humans are the only animal capable of self-deception. A wild animal would never stop at a suspicious noise and think “it’s probably nothing.”

Prevention is not enough. After all, it is a sad truth that women are most often attacked by people they know. If a boyfriend hits you, leave now, don’t hope it will never happen again, because it will, guaranteed. That first time though could be much more than a slap in the face. There is always the possibility of an unforeseen random act of violence, like a mugging, or rape attempt. Criminals attack women because they either do not resist or do not know how to resist. Even if they do, they lack the physical strength to do so. Strength can be replaced by skills. Unfortunately, there are a lot of martial arts out there that are not worth a dime for self defense. There are also good styles but bad teachers. I would suggest trying to find a school or style that emphasizes principles over form and techniques. Avoid styles that are too stiff in their movements or teachings, and promote violence or aggressiveness. Going nuts in a fight won’t help you. Emotions won’t help you. Also avoid styles that use excessive protections, have too many rules (like not hitting the face, etc.), or simply avoid contact. The style you choose must also consider multiple attackers, armed or not, and fighting on the ground as well as on your feet. If you see twelve-year-olds with a black belt, run! If they promise you a black belt next year, run! Actually, be suspicious of belts altogether. My favorites are, almost in order: Systema, Bujinkan, Penjak Silat, Kuntao, Kali, Wing Tsun, Aikido, Krav Maga, Boxing, and I am sure I am forgetting some. I would not suggest TaeKwonDo, traditional Karate, and other styles based on outdated forms of combat, geared towards competition or dancing, like Capoeira. Some combinations are good, like boxing and JiuJitsu for example. Shop around before you sign-up, and don’t bother spending time on martial arts forums on the web, there is nothing to learn from them. If you don’t have a good school nearby, get the DVD below and start a study group in your town (also available at russianmartialart.com):

Your group should not be comprised of women only. You need to face a screaming angry large man (acting for training) to have a glimpse of what you might face. Getting comfortable with the idea is am important step in your self-defense system. I suggest that you visit Marc MacYoung’s site: nononsenseselfdefense.com. He has great articles on the subject. If you live in Sarasota, visit: systemasarasota.com, tell Marc I sent you, and I’ll see you in class.

Guns are the great equalizer. They instill fear in many women, but it does come from ignorance. I once accompanied a girlfriend to a gun store. Shee looked a different models and finally said: “I want something I’m not afraid of.” To which I replied “If you?e not afraid of it, a robber certainly won’t either.” The salesman laughed.. A gun is only a tool, an assembly of metal parts that alone, couldn’t hurt a fly. Contrary to the common misconception, guns don’t just “go off” they only time we hear of guns going off by themselves is in courtrooms. Sure, some dingy Saturday-night-special could have a defective safety, but modern guns are impervious to accidental discharge. Gun manufacturers have too much to lose in lawsuits to be casual about safety. If you decide to buy a gun, and I can only encourage you to do so, you have to consider a few things before you spend your hard earned money:

You will need training. Not just a few sessions at the range, but consistent training, at least two or three times a month, and start with a knowledgeable instructor. Learning gun safety will be your first objective. If you have kids, buy a safe! They make small ones that can be opened very quickly by a combination of finger-pressing. Then you should move on to shooting immobile targets at about fifteen feet. Gunfights rarely happen any further. Actually, most gunfights take place with the opponents only ten feet apart. You will then practice on moving targets, which is another ball game altogether. Finally, you should practice on moving targets while moving. Believe it or not, it is easy to miss ten feet away in those conditions, with the added stress of a real situation.
The most important aspect of your gun training however won’t be shooting, but gun handling. Bringing the gun into action, drawing, moving around with it, rolling, taking cover, reloading, gun retention, etc. Finding an good instructor for this is not easy. Even Law Enforcement Officers are often not trained properly with their weapon. Do not copy anything you see on television, most of the time, it’s awfully wrong.
The last, but very important aspect of owning a gun is to know the law. Study concealed carry laws in your state and self-defense laws, castle laws. If you shoot an attacker, DO NOT talk to police, even if you think it will clear you of any wrongdoing. Ask for an attorney right away. If you don’t know what gun to buy, get a Glock model 19. Don’t listen to anyone telling you not to get one…
There is great book by Massa Ayoob you should read:

Are you willing to set aside a couple hours a week for your self-protection studies? Honestly, it is a small price to pay, even if you get a few bruises occasionally. It can even be fun, and training will keep you in shape. Actually, don’t forget about running, it should be your first option! I am thinking about mothers in particular. It is one thing to disregard your own safety, but if you have a family, or plan on having one, you have no excuse. Feel free to ask questions in the comments section below (you must register for free). If I can’t give you a good answer, I know people who can. Be safe!

George Orwell was right, just off about thirty years. The United Kingdom, and other European countries have started a dangerous trend of spying on their citizens, creating draconian gun laws, recording phone traffic, emails and text messages in databases, and installing a staggering 4.2million CCTV cameras. Been to London? You were caught on camera about 300 times daily! Even samurai swords are now banned. What’s next? Kitchen knives? How are British people supposed to protect themselves? By calling the police, who don’t even carry guns? Sure, if you get killed in the street, they might catch the murderer on camera, but you won’t be any less dead. Criminals will always have weapons, hell, if they can manufacture them in jail, they can do it more easily at home! Can’t buy a sword? Sharpen a flat steel bar, heat it up with a torch, quench it twice in oil, there you go.. A gun isn’t hard to make either. What amazes me the most is that few people seem to care, and even fewer see the implications for the rest of the world. People like to be sheep. Just give them work, food and a television… Want to hear the latest craze for businesses and shops in England? A teen deterrent device called the “Mosquito,” emitting a high-pitched squeal which can generally only be heard by the under-25s, to keep them away. Maybe they should lock-up their kids in special facilities until they reach that age, wouldn’t that solve the problem? By the way, stop using private safety deposit boxes, because now they are just deposit boxes. Private property is on the way out. Flying somewhere soon? Don’t bring your laptop! It’s encrypted? Doesn’t matter, you will go to jail for not giving up the key. Privacy is now a thing of the past, because nobody cares, yet. You will when yourself or a member of your family ends-up in prison for a stupid reason or charge no one understands. What to do? I think it’s too late. Vote for the right candidates would be my best advise, or simply leave a country that is no longer people-friendly, but not everyone can do that easily. At least it is legal, for now..

There are skills in this world that, independently of where you live and who you are, you need to know. Not only to be prepared, but to be worth of being called human, may I say. Our long line of ancestors made it through a multitude of obstacles, from saber-tooth tigers to World War II, and everything in between. I believe we owe ourselves and the people around us to be capable, strong and knowledgeable.
We are lucky enough to live in a time of relative peace and abundance. I am talking here about Europe, the United States, and many other countries in the world. It isn’t the case everywhere, I know. Pandemics have ravaged the world in the past, killing millions. We dodged a few bullets more recently with Influenza, as well as Ebola (search Wikipedia on “pandemic”). Many other killer strains are only waiting for an opportunity. New wars, civil unrest are never out of the question. Natural disasters such as tsunamis, volcanoes, hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes can happen at any time. Hopefully none of these disasters will happen in our lifetime. Some of you guys though may have children, and who else will teach them but you? Not the public school system. And even if nothing bad happens, why not be a stronger, more capable individual?
A lot of the skills we learn today are based on work, not survival. We have everything at our disposition: Shelter, supermarkets, gas, electricity, communications, transportation. We become very good at using computers, complex phones, and rely much on them. We drive cars, even for short distances. We become dependent on technology and services provided by others to survive. We grow fat and become lazy. When was the last time you walked for ten miles? When was the last time you had to hunt or fish for food (not counting doing it for fun)? Now, imagine that all the supermarkets in your town close. Then, the power company shuts down; no more internet either, and you can’t recharge your cell phone. Land phone lines are cut. Gas stations close. How long will it take for the situation to become dicey, for people to start panicking? What would you do then?
Acquiring the skills you would need to survive or get out of the area can be fun week-end projects. Learning them when the shit has already hit the fan is too late, you probably will become a statistic. You don’t have to think about catastrophes all the time and live in fear, simply learn what you need, and put it in a compartment of your head somewhere, until you need it..

Learn to navigate: In an evacuation, roads could be blocked by traffic jams. They could be blocked by people, or physically destroyed. Buy topographic maps for your area, or your state, and get a compass. One without the other isn’t of much use. Learn dead reckoning, where you pick a landmark in the direction you want to go, walk to it, and pick the next one. Count your steps, know how many you take typically per mile.

Building shelters: A few days of camping should suffice for this. Have a comfortable tent with you, but bring a hatchet and nylon string. Don’t try anything new or fancy, good shelters have been built for eons by cavemen who’s lives depended on it. Copy them. Look into the history of your area, you will find out what they used. Try to isolate yourself from the ground. Make sure you know what trees or plants to use, some might be poisonous.

Food: While you are camping, try to make a bow and arrows. Have a family competition to see who can be the most accurate. Learn to build traps. You can find numerous designs online. The most commons are the figure 4 deadfall and spring traps. Not only can you make traps for land animals, but also for fish. Buy a book on local flora and comestible plants. Go out in the woods and try to identify them. Ask an expert before you try eating anything you aren’t absolutely sure about! Getting food is one thing, but then you might need to skin it, gut it and cook it. You should have done this successfully at least once. A note to vegetarians here: Do not think that because you don’t eat meat you should skip this. If you get hungry enough, you will eat anything. No, don’t think “No, I still wouldn’t,” because you would, period. If you think otherwise, you are a fool, and you might as well close this page and go cook some tofu.. Learn about cooking methods in the woods, using hot rocks for instance.

Water: How do you boil water without a pot? How do you make one? An important skill to know is how to make a solar still. There aren’t many ways to purify water without chemicals or a special filter. Are there springs in your area? If not, how far would you have to go to find a natural spring. What about wells? Who has one? Do you know the owner? It might be time to go say hi.. Water is heavy, carrying it will only work so far. I would not attempt a journey if no rain is expected and there is no source of water on the way.

Fire: You see it done on television all the time, and it looks so simple and easy. It is not! You could waste hours trying. Making fire without modern source is difficult, and must be practiced until you get it right. Try with wood friction and also with flints. Once your fire is lit, make a fire bundle to carry it. See if you can take it with you and start another fire later with it.

Learn to handle firearms: You may not like guns, but the day you really need one may be your last, or the difference between a good meal and an empty stomach for a few days. If you are not a police officer, a handgun is pretty useless. You can’t really hunt with it, and in a conflict, you will almost always lose to a rifle. So, learn to handle a rifle, starting with safety. Go to a range, and get help. The best rifle for small game would be a .22lr, the best one in my opinion being the Ruger 10-22. You may also use a pellet gun, in .22 caliber. Something more substantial would be needed if you must feed more than yourself, or if there is a possibility, and there almost always is in a disaster scenario, that you may encounter hostile people. A lever action rifle in .30 or .44 mag. will serve you well. Shotguns are very good for hunting too. If the situation is really bad, AK-47. By the way, do you think that you will be the only one in the store the day things go wrong? Buy one now. If you have kids, buy a safe, keep it locked. Teach them gun safety as well.

If you haven already, learn to swim. No comment here. You should be able to cross a good size river, and thread water for some time. Learn to lay flat on your back and float on the water.

Learn to defend yourself empty-handed: This is complex subject, and I probably will write about it in my martial arts section. In brief, there are a lot of martial arts out there that are not worth a dime for self defense. There are also good styles but bad teachers. I would suggest trying to find a school or style that emphasizes principles over form and techniques. Avoid styles that are too stiff in their movements or teachings, and promote violence or aggressiveness. Going nuts in a fight won’t help you. Emotions won’t help you. Also avoid styles that use excessive protections, have too many rules (like not hitting the face, etc.), or simply avoid contact. The style you choose must also consider multiple attackers, armed or not, and fighting on the ground as well as on your feet. If you see twelve-year-olds with a black belt, run! If they promise you a black belt next year, run! Actually, be suspicious of belts altogether. My favorites are, almost in order: Systema, Bujinkan, Penjak Silat, Kuntao, Kali, Wing Tsun, Aikido, Krav Maga, Boxing, and I am sure I am forgetting some. I would not suggest TaeKwonDo, traditional Karate, and other styles based on outdated forms of combat, or geared towards competition. Some combinations are good, like boxing and JiuJitsu for example. Shop around before you sign-up, and don’t bother spending time on martial arts forums on the web, there is nothing to learn from them. If you don’t have a good school nearby, go to russianmartialart.com, load up on DVDs and start a study group in your town.

Get in shape: Well, your martial arts training should help you there, but walking is a great exercise, and knowing how far you can go is a valuable piece of information. Knowing how far your family members can go is even better. Who is going to break first? When? Is there something you can do? Learn to carry people in an efficient manner, by yourself, or with help. Do regular push-ups, squats and crunches. You don’t need any machines or gym memberships for that. Don’t eat fast foods, and when you go shopping, read the labels. Avoid MSGs, high fructose corn syrup, and too much fat or sugar. Stay away from processed foods. Dump sodas, even (or especially) the diet ones. Drink water and tea. Don’t abuse coffee. Stop smoking! Eat raw vegetables and don’t have meat every day.

Learn first -aid: The Red-Cross probably has classes nearby. Take all their classes, and learn resuscitation techniques, and especially how to treat wounds and burns. You can find numerous books on the subject at your local library, and many web sites with tutorials. Learn about the specific threats in your area. Cross-check your findings, because theories do change, and what may have been thought to be a great technique one day may be considered dangerous the next.

I might add more to this blog. I do not claim to be an expert at all. These are just ideas I gathered over time. Feed back and new ideas would be appreciated. I have been intentionally vague here, so please post your comments. I would like this to be a living document.