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I need a primer on off grid water systems. So here is an either/or...
1. Have you tapped a spring or the water table on your property? Did you do it yourself or contracted? Was the delivery from the pipe done by hand pumping, mechanical, electrical or other? What type of flow did you get?
2. Have you created a system to pull water from a river or creek to a house? How was it delivered and over what distance? Was an incline involved? Was it moved by hand pumping, mechanical, electrical, hydro or other? What type of flow did you get.
Lastly, for either question if not pumped by hand, how did you contain what you collected?
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URGENT ACTION ALERT: Write your Senators NOW to STOP funding for Customs' Pocket Knife Grab.
Knife Rights News Slice Vol. 2 Number 11
Write your Senators NOW to STOP funding for Customs' Pocket Knife Grab. As you are aware, Customs is proposing to prohibit the import of assisted and one-hand openers and in the process has broadly re-defined what a Switchblade is to cover almost all pocket knives, with potential far-reaching consequences. Our best bet to stop Customs in the short term is for Congress to prevent them from spending a dime to implement their proposed ruling. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations Bill will be taken up by the Senate on Tuesday, July 7th. We need your help NOW to rally support for an amendment to stop funding for this Customs rulemaking.
Timing has not worked in our favor as D.C. has become a ghost town due to the July 4th recess. We will have two days to make this work upon their return. Your emails to Senate offices will get their attention and be a huge help as our lobbyists and legislative representatives work Monday and Tuesday to get an amendment introduced and voted into the DHS Appropriations Bill. Contacting Senator Patty Murray [D-WA] and Senator George Voinovich [R-WV] is particularly important because they are ranking members on the Senate Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Homeland Security. Still, contacting your own Senators is also very important and their support is needed as well.
Pass this Action Alert to everyone you know and urge them to ACT NOW! Post on every online forum and social networking site you can. We need to generate thousands of emails before next Monday. If you have a personal relationship with any Senators or their staff, now is the time to call (well, maybe Monday since nobody is in the office now). Personally know a radio or TV talk show host? Please have them contact me (http://bit.ly/vo1uA ) so we can reach out to a wider audience. Help save our Knife Rights; STOP this ridiculous and illegitimate rulemaking by Customs. WRITE TODAY!
Please note that multiple members of a household can and should each write separately.
We encourage you to use the two sample letters below and copy and paste into the email forms. If you want to further personalize your letter, please be POLITE and NON-PARTISAN. The "enemy" is Customs, not the Administration. We can only succeed with the support of both parties. DO NOT yell, don't rant and don't be rude! Stay focused and stay on message. This is NOT the time or place to express your frustrations or make any other political points or complaints.
Just four simple emails can make a BIG difference!
NOTE that there are TWO different letters, one for Senators Murray and Voinovich and one for your own two Senators (unless Murray or Voinovich happens to be your own Senator):
Email forms for Senators Murray and Voinovich can be found here:
Senator Murray: http://murray.senate.gov/email/index.cfm
Senator Voinovich: http://tinyurl.com/2rpu4p
1. Sample Letter for Senators Murray and Voinovich:
RE: U.S. Customs & Border Protection Proposed Revocation of Ruling Letters and Revocation of Treatment Relating to the Admissibilty [sic] of Certain Knives with Spring-Assisted Opening Mechanisms
Dear Senator [Murray or Voinovich, as appropriate],
As a pocket knife owner, I am extremely concerned about the recently announced Customs ruling, which wrongly interprets federal law and would prohibit the importation of many of the sporting and utility knives that I use and enjoy. Their overly broad and novel new interpretation of what a Switchblade is could make me a felon for carrying a simple pocket knife. Additionally, the economic impact of the ruling on the knife trade would be severe. Pocket knives utilizing assisted or one hand opening technology are the dominant share of the market, and prohibiting the use of the technology would force significant job losses, and the potential loss of entire businesses.
This type of Federal regulation is totally unnecessary, and I strongly urge you to work with representatives from Knife Rights and other and advocacy organizations on an appropriate restriction to prevent Customs from implementing this ruling.
Knife Rights and other advocacy organizations will be contacting your office to discuss with you concrete ways to prevent Customs from acting on their intention to reclassify sport/utility knives as switchblades.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
[Individual Signature]
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2. Locate YOUR OWN Senators and their email forms here:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Sample Letter to YOUR Senators:
RE: U.S. Customs & Border Protection Proposed Revocation of Ruling Letters and Revocation of Treatment Relating to the Admissibilty [sic] of Certain Knives with Spring-Assisted Opening Mechanisms
Dear Senator [Insert Senator’s Name],
As a pocket knife owner, I am extremely concerned about the recently announced Customs ruling, which wrongly interprets federal law and would prohibit the importation of many of the sporting and utility knives that I use and enjoy. Their overly broad and novel new interpretation of what a Switchblade is could make me a felon for carrying a simple pocket knife. Additionally, the economic impact of the ruling on the knife trade would be severe. Pocket knives utilizing assisted or one hand opening technology are the dominant share of the market, and prohibiting the use of the technology would force significant job losses, and the potential loss of entire businesses.
This type of Federal regulation is totally unnecessary, and I strongly urge you to support efforts by Knife Rights and other advocacy organizations to prevent Customs from acting on their intention to reclassify sport/utility knives as switchblades.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
[Individual Signature]
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Be a Knife Rights Spokesperson on the 4th!
Attending a July 4th party or celebration over this holiday weekend? Talk to everyone you meet. Ask them to write their Senators and Representatives. Send them to Knife Rights for more information and the sample letter. YOU can make a difference in this fight. Speak up and be heard.
It's worth noting that virtually every Member of Congress heads home for the July 4th holiday, in large part to attend celebrations and meet with their constituents. If you happen to run into one of your Senators or Representative at a July 4th event, please take a moment to ask them to help stop funding for Customs' Pocket Knife Grab. Be polite, non-partisan and sincere, and if they tell you it's nothing to worry about, suggest to them that they are being bamboozled by Customs and to take a closer look. Nothing beats a personal, one on one, request for action. All the facts are available in our Comments submitted to Customs: http://bit.ly/1NqNYi
NEW: Show Off Your Support for Knife Rights
Celebrate Independence Weekend by supporting this fight for our freedoms with a "STOP U.S. Customs' Pocket Knife Grab" t-shirt, mug or any of the other clothing or accessories from the new Knife Rights Online Marketplace on Cafe Press: http://www.cafepress.com/KnifeRights 100% of the profits go to support this fight.
If you are graphically talented, please submit your own design and/or slogan for possible use on a shirt, etc. Designs must be in good taste and be 10x10 in., 300 dpi, JPG or PNG format. All designs submitted become the property of Knife Rights, Inc. Email to: customs@KnifeRights.com
Knife Rights on Twitter
Follow Knife Rights on Twitter and receive the latest updates and notices as soon as they occur:
http://twitter.com/KnifeRights
Join or Donate to Knife Rights
Your membership dues help support our efforts to protect your rights. Invest a modest sum in A Sharper Future™. Join at the Benefactor level to help us even more.
JOIN NOW! http://tinyurl.com/qnu988
PLEASE DONATE TO SUPPORT THIS FIGHT FOR YOUR KNIFE RIGHTS!
We need your help: http://bit.ly/Scvp9
Copyright 2009, Knife Rights, Inc.
This may be reproduced. It may not be reproduced for commercial purposes.
Doug Ritter
Chairman and Executive Director
Knife Rights, Inc.
a 501(c)(4) Member Organization
dritter@KnifeRights.org
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KnifeRights
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I probably would have never bought a Fastfind from the earlier reviews (many years back) until Doug had gave a preview of the new Fastfind 210. It is definitely a nice deal. Small, light, fast GPS acquire, price. The self test of the unit had a GPS acquire as fast if not a little faster than my Garmin Vista HCX. The size and weight of this unit is comparable to the HCX and if it works as good as the self test then it is a game changer providing it works as advertised. Acr may have to go back to the drawing board on this one, the size can easily be put in a front pocket similar to the old Nokia cell phones. I had to wait a few weeks because our West Marine can't keep them on the shelf and Bass Pro in Orlando is ordering a whole bunch. Definitely a nice piece of work, I think Dougs review has played a lot in bringing the trust back to McMurdo.
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I am curious to see how everybody views the SOG Seal Pup Elite. I have ordered this knife offline and i am waiting for it to get to me. I am mainly going to be using this knife for military use. I will attach it to my vest while in the "sandbox". If you have any good info about this knife. Pass it on. I hope it stands up to its name.
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Mobilization is pretty important to survival so I figure proper foot care may belong here. I have a popped blister on the heel thats a PITA. So far I'm wearing flip-flops whenever possible to let it dry out and speed up the healing. When I do wear shoes I layer up:
1st Layer: Band aid, or non-stick gauze pad
2nd Layer: 3M medical tape
3rd Layer: Duct tape
So far that works but I'm still getting some uncomfortable wear. The shoes I'm wearing most often now are leather dress shoes and sneakers. I don't have the time for this to drag out for a couple of weeks so what else can I do to: #1 Speed healing, #2 Properly protect the sore spot?
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Another n00b question here: a friend of mine is going to Thailand in a few weeks. He will be in a mostly urban environment, but hiking is likely. Citing my (highly relative) familiarity with all things outdoorsy, he demanded I present him with the best and most durable/comfortable/cool looking/sexy internal frame 30 liter backpack in the realm.
I have been using Chinese bags of various shapes and sized to great effect. He wants something with street cred. Help!
P.S. The budget is 100 USD.
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For my recent 3 day rafting trip on the Rogue River in Oregon, I had a minor incident caused by the way I carry my survival kit. My kit is about twice the size of Doug's PSP, and I carry it on a belt in an AquaPac, at the small of my back.
If you've whitewater rafted, you know that "unauthorized swims" are not highly unusual. Once you've managed to get to slower water, the raft approaches you... you hang on to the grab lines (usually along the side of the tube) and someone inside grabs your lifejacket by the shoulders. One monumental heave, and usually you're back inside the boat.
Not so with me. One monumental heave wedged my Survival Kit belt buckle under the lifeline... making it almost impossible to pull me further into the raft. I rolled around with my back to the raft, and the kit itself hung up. Finally brute force from two people inside the raft broke me loose and pulled me in. No worse for wear, except for an upper back "pull". And, scared! Quite scared!
So I'm going to re-think my carry options.
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I'm planning a river trip in Utah (Green River)in late August/Early September and have been doing some (basic) research on trees etc for use as fire fuel. Just to make it clear that the fire will only be if there are no restrictions and will be used near the waters edge in a fire pan. Obviousely if restrictions are in place then no fire
Secondly my interest is in case of problems (lose stove/boat etc)and the fire becomes "survival" oriented. What is the best wood that is likely to be found (tamarisk?)and can anyone advise on likely natural tinder that would generally take a spark from a firesteel?
As ever thanks for your advice
Moab
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