Since it's Winter, and the weather isn't always so nice, you should be prepared for anything.

The word of the day is SURVIVE

First the 25 survival skills any man person should know -- I know it's from Popular Mechanix, the same magazine that is edited by Michael Chertoff's cousin, but anyway -- and no it shouldn't be gender specific; then some blizzard survival skills; then some earthquake survival skills; then some general survival skills.

Ready? Here we go ...

25 Skills Every Man Person Should Know:

Your Ultimate DIY Guide

These days, you can outsource almost any job — but some things you need to know how to do yourself. Study our master list with step-by-step tips from the experts, and test your DIY aptitude each step of the way.

By The Editors of Popular Mechanics

1. Patch a Radiator Hose

Steam hissing from a ruptured radiator hose? Here's a relatively easy, temporary fix with duct tape.

Wait for the engine to cool off. Open the hood and locate the source of the steam — i.e., the rupture. Clean and dry the area around the fissure; the tape won't stick as well on a damp, dirty surface.

Wrap 2 to 3 in. of duct tape around the hose over the hole; press firmly.

Overwrap the patch (the hose will be under intense pressure) from 2 to 3 in. above the original piece to about 2 or 3 in. below, then work your way back. Check your radiator level before cranking the engine. "If it's seriously low and you don't have a can of coolant, use water or, in an emergency, diet soda," says Tony Molla of the National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence and former pro wrench jockey. "Avoid using fruit juice or anything with sugar or acids in it. It'll corrode the radiator and hoses."

2. Protect Your Computer

Viruses and spyware can unleash a host of evils upon your PC, ranging from annoying pop-ups to a zombie system takeover. Security expert John Pironti of the nonprofit security agency ISACA suggests a layered approach to safeguarding your computer.

Lock it down: "Go to the security section of your Control Panel and enable the firewall before your PC ever touches the Internet," Pironti advises. Then install a virus protection program and set it to download virus signatures every week.

Clean it up: Once a week, do a full virus scan with a program like Symantec's Norton AntiVirus (symantec.com), McAfee VirusScan (mcafee.com) or AVG Anti-Virus (free.grisoft.com). Pironti also says you should run a free spyware checker, such as SpyBot-S&D (safer-networking.org) or CCleaner (ccleaner.com).

3. Rescue a Boater Who Has Capsized

When you come upon a capsized boat, approach with caution: The cause of the accident or debris in the water could render you a victim as well. Before attempting to rescue a boater in the water, phone or radio the police or Coast Guard, then approach the victim by putting the bow into the current and the wind; swing the bow toward him and, when you get close, put the engine in neutral to minimize danger from the propellers. If the swimmer is conscious, tie a rope at the middle and stern of your boat and put it in the water; the victim can use the loop as a step. If the victim is unconscious, position him at the stern and maneuver him so he faces away from the boat, arms in the air. Grab his wrists and bob him up and down; on the third bob, use the momentum to pull him into the boat. Elevate his legs and cover him with a blanket — this will help treat him if he's in shock. Stay at the scene until help arrives.

TIP: "Don't get into the water to get someone out. If you get into the water, you put yourself at risk for hypothermia or injury. You don't want to become part of the recovery." —Executive Petty Officer Patrick Blakeley, Coast Guard Air Station, San Diego, Calif.

4. Frame a Wall

It's the basic partition — an interior, non-load-bearing wall with a door opening. Here's how to frame it, so you can divide your basement into a really useful storage area and a totally indulgent man space — say, a big-screen sports den.

Hold the base and top plates together with their ends aligned, then measure 15 1/4 in. from the end farthest from the door opening. Draw a line across the edge of the plates and mark an X right of the line. From here, mark a series of lines — one for each stud — spaced 16 in. apart, with an X to the right of each. Mark the plates to indicate a door opening.

Separate the plates and nail studs to the right of each line. Use two common 16d nails driven through the plate at the top and bottom of each stud.

Single-frame door openings require four pieces of lumber. Measure your door; then make the opening 2 in. higher and wider. To remove the sill plate in the opening, use an eight-point crosscut saw to cut almost through. (Protect the floor with masking tape.) Knock out the piece with a hammer and clean it up with a chisel.

TIP: "Each stud has a slight arch known as a crown. Position studs with crowns facing the same way when you nail the wall together. This prevents the wall from looking wavy after it's complete." —Merle Henkenius, PM contributing editor

5. Retouch Digital Photos

Some shots are too flawed to fix with a click on autocorrect. Here's how to perform surgery on digital images with nearly any photo-editing software.

Color temperature: If the color adjustment can't fix unnatural colors, such as a sickly green from fluorescent lights, and there's no time to tweak the red, green and blue levels, there's a last resort: Declare yourself an artist and switch the image's mode to black and white.

Cropping: Even a small spot of deep black or bright color can throw off a program's ability to balance an image's light or color levels. Crop out unwanted elements before making image-wide adjustments.

Lighting: Too much flash? Reduce the brightness and increase the contrast. For poorly lit images, do the opposite, boosting the brightness and reducing the contrast. To avoid gray, hazy images, make sure the photo's black elements are still black and the whites still white.

Red-eye: If your software doesn't have a red-eye-reduction feature, zoom in on the offending eyes until you can see individual pixels. Select the desaturation tool and dab at the red portion of each eye. This drains the color, turning reds into grays, while retaining highlights so the irises don't look artificial. The results probably won't be pretty, but boring gray beats demonic red.

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Blizzard Survival

During a blizzard (synonymous with severe winter storm for our purposes here) there are several things you can do to reduce your personal risk. First and foremost, you should stay indoors and out of the cold as much as possible. This may seem like an obvious point, but the casualty statistics during severe winter weather prove time and again that many people fail to heed this basic warning. If you must go out into the storm, avoid heavy physical exertion such as shoveling snow, pushing vehicles, or trying to walk long distances through deep snow. The strain from the exertion coupled with the extreme cold can cause a heart attack. In addition, heavy perspiration during extreme cold can lead to chill and hypothermia.

Click header for specifics

How to Survive an Earthquake

What to do before, during and after an earthquake, and preparing an earthquake survival kit for your home, automobile, and office.

What should you do if you're stuck out in the wilderness ... maybe your car runs off the road ... maybe the plane you're in crashes ... maybe you go camping and get lost ... what should you know beforehand?

Wilderness survival skills

Army Field Manual 21-76

Or if you don't have the patience for pdf files click here

Stay safe