Jason, I hired a new employee last month. I’m worried he is stealing from the company. I’m going to sit him down and confront him. How can I tell if he’s lying?

-From Ryan R.

Answer: The first thing you need to do is establish the person’s baseline behavior. For instance, are they normally nervous? Do they usually tap their feet during meetings?

My point is, if they do this regularly, and then do it when you are questioning them you will know it’s normal behavior. But if they only tap their feet during difficult questions, it could be a sign they are lying.

Another thing you can do is to ask them an uncomfortable question. For example, ask them when the last time they did drugs was. This is a blunt question that catches people off guard. If they have indeed done drugs, they will likely get very nervous.

If you notice them tapping their foot after this question, but they weren’t before, it could be a sign they are lying.

The key is to look for signs that the person is nervous such as tapping their foot or avoiding eye contact. This can indicate lying.

Truthfully, it’s not super easy for me to explain it in a short answer like this. Check out my book Spy Secrets That Can Save Your Life for the complete overview.

 

North Korea is getting awfully close to having a nuclear weapon that can reach the U.S. For this reason I purchased a gas mask. But it doesn’t fit with my glasses. Any other suggestions for how to protect myself if I can’t wear a gas mask?

-From Beth R.

Answer: Some gas masks are designed to be used with glasses, however to avoid the risk of it not fitting properly I would recommend purchasing a full hood.

These are more expensive, but worth it if it’s your only option.

One drawback with the hood is that they have a limited amount of time they are effective and many are designed to work for 30 minutes.

 

Last month I moved to California. I’ve heard that blackouts will be bad this summer with all the people charging their new cars. Any ideas for dealing with blackouts?

-From Jerome P.

Answer: Having a generator would be the best option. I have 3 generators – one propane, one solar, one gasoline.

In addition, you want to make sure and block the sunlight from coming into your home with blankets or black trash bags.

Also, a wet towel is a great way to cool down and you can even use a wet towel and fan to create a little cooler airflow.

Finally, stay in your basement (if you have one) where it’s a lot cooler than upstairs in the bedrooms.

 

I need a new safe. I want one that bolts to the ground. Nothing too expensive. Do you know of any safes that you would recommend?

-From Vincent B.

Answer: One of the less expensive options I would check out is the Stack-On Personal Security Safe.

In other words, it’s not a huge safe yet it can be bolted to the ground. Another option to consider is the SentrySafe Water/Fire Resistant Safe.

This is more expensive but gives you the added fire and water protection.

No matter which safe you choose I would stick to some of the better-known brands such as Stack-On, SentrySafe, and Liberty.

 

Is a .38 revolver good enough for home defense? This is the only pistol that I’m comfortable shooting. Every other gun I’ve tried hurts my hands.

-From Elaine O.

Answer: The gun you should use for home defense is the one that you can safely and accurately shoot. There is nothing wrong if the best gun for you is a .38 caliber.

A lot of people think they need a .45 caliber for home defense but there is nothing wrong with a smaller caliber.

If you use a .38 caliber, the key is to make sure you use a good ammo. Speer Gold Dot is great self-defense ammunition and I would definitely recommend it for use in a home defense weapon.

 

I have stocked up a huge amount of food storage. The stockpile contains mostly your survival meals and some basic foods. My problem is that some foods I’ve put in storage have a shorter shelf life. How do you track the expiration dates?

-From Brett W.

Answer: If you decide to stock up on food with shorter shelf-life, the best thing to do is rotate the food out.

Let’s say you want to stock up on peanut butter, then you would rotate the peanut butter through your normal usage.

So, each time you need a new jar, simply take one from food storage and then buy one at the store to replace the one you used from food storage.

Of course, you need to keep them in order or rotate the oldest one to the front so you use it first.

One easy thing to do is just put masking tape on the item with the expiration date clearly written with a Sharpie marker, so you don’t have to search for it.