As the last few days in Ferguson, MO have shown, civil unrest can quickly emerge after a triggering event.

Credit: ABC News
As the last few days in Ferguson, MO have shown, civil unrest can quickly emerge after a triggering event.

Credit: ABC News
During my recent trip to Eastern Europe, I got taken for a ride in a taxi (taksi in Lithuanian) that was more than I expected. Learn from my experience about how being prepared could have prevented my extended ride and how it helped me recover once I knew something was amiss.

Taxi (Taksi) Cabs in Vilnius, Lithuania
Not long ago, I purchased some new items to use and evaluate. Here is a picture of these new acquisitions:

Recent Purchases
I was recently out of the country on vacation and was able to relax for a couple of weeks. During that time however, I was reminded about how important it is to be prepared regardless of where you are. In particular, I am thankful I carry a light source like this in my back pack.

Pelican PM6 3330

Credit: AP Photo
Even if you don’t smoke, you should have a few lighters on-hand for emergency use. The Zippo Windproof Lighter is one that I purchased a while back so I thought now would be a good time to share my impressions of this iconic product.

Zippo Windproof Lighter
One of the recurring subjects here at Smart Suburban Survival is that people need to take responsibility for themselves. Broke, corrupt, and incompetent governments can’t be relied when the unexpected happens, it is imperative that citizens take steps to become better prepared. Instead of looking outwards towards the state as a savior, individuals should look inwards and assess what they can do better.
Jazz Shaw over at Hotair wrote about this subject, which contains the following gem:
(T)he only answers to these problems will be found not by way of more or better government, but by looking to ourselves and reviewing how we guide our families and interact with and support the families around us. It would involve rebuilding how we participate in and internally police our communities and supporting some sense of faith, be it in God by name or a simple acknowledgement of shared moral propriety and a group intolerance for the lack of same. The government can not change these things because we are the government. When we heal ourselves, the government will heal without effort, and it will happily find itself with far less work to do.
The solution to many problems is to change ourselves, our habits, and our outlook.
Not long ago, I went on a day trip in the Superstition Mountains with some friends. We drove out to Superior then to Apache Junction before heading out towards Canyon Lake and Tortilla Flats. It was a nice drive in a scenic part of the state, it also has spotty cell phone coverage. Even though I didn’t need my cell phone that day, it was a reminder that you can’t always rely on one technology. That’s why its wise to have an alternative.

Credit: Wikipedia
I own several Princeton Tec Pulsar II LED lights and think they are very useful items to have for everyday use. One might say this is the little light that could…

Princeton Tec Pulsar II
Want to know the largest data breaches of the last twelve months? Network World has a list that will both inform and frighten you. Take a look and see if you were a part of any of these.