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Austin,Texas DHS plan worth studying
Bob - November 6, 2021 https://www.governing.com/community/report-identifies-issues-in-austins-disaster-preparedness
Good morning,
Austin, Texas developed a plan that addresses the deep freeze and lose of much infrastructure.
Austin’s DHS and a consultant (Why the need for a consulting firm ?!) made some recommendations well worth studying.
Note “no crew members … knew how to operate a gear switch”. Before a prepper buys anything, do think of the required support system: basic field expedient repairs (even if used at home and not in field), spare parts (consider the spares as “merely” a cost of the main gadget, eg generator, being purchased) and tools/lubercants/related.
Under section titled “Shelters”, note “staffing shortfalls and availability of volunteers”. I’m posting this link not to single out and focus on Austin, Texas … it’s about the same here for private citizens …
Note recommendation: “identity a list of medical shelters and general shelters with durable infrastructure”.
All wheel drive emergency vehicles are far from being economical for year-round use. This specific subject is really a “it takes a village”.
Where do the Austin, Texas taxes go to ? Please be reminded by me this this link if from “governing.org” !
Does not * Hagerty Consulting* firm serve as a huge flare indicating the problem ?!
……
Would never have guessed roads could become useless without support.
Read MoreA British prepper supply store
Bob - November 6, 2021 https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/gallery/meet-cornwalls-survivalist-prepping-nation-6093283
Good morning,
Above article is about a prepper store.
Article has link to this store named “Prepper Shop UK”, owned and managed by Lincoln Miles.
At the store link’s section titled “Urban Essentials”, I have a copy of the Field Manual “First Aid For Soldiers”. This FM is somewhat outdated. The best book IMO featured is prepper medical care is Dr William Forgery, M.D.’s “The Prepper Medical Handbook”. Might still have a copy here. Of course, regardless of my opinion, Dr Forgery’s book is also somewhat outdated when focused to the current US medical scene.
I take due note that the Brit’s 50 cal ammo cans feature the newer HAZMAT label with number. This replaces the older “class C” label for small arms ammo (In US the 50 cal is still “small arms”).
I do recommend Lincoln Miles get some fire extinguishers for his inventories.
The prices appear to be real good.
Read MoreRussia cuts gas to Europe and amasses military on western borders
Bill Masen - November 6, 2021 Russia cuts gas to Europe and amasses military on western borders (msn.com)
Russia deploying large military forces to its western borders and has cut essential natural gas supplies to Europe. Basically Putin holds all the aces and the knock on effects could be catastrophic for Europe this winter.
Russia cuts gas to Europe and amasses military on western borders (telegraph.co.uk)
Read MoreMiddle Kingdom making itself a prepper nation
Bob - November 5, 2021 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-59133027
Good afternoon,
This short article tells of China wanting families to stockpile some foods.
Of course some Chinese have always been preppers.
Read MoreUK media focusing on pan US shortages in stores
Bill Masen - November 5, 2021 Please ignore anything political in the DM article and focus on the logistical issues.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10094485/Biden-ridiculed-online-EmptyShelvesJoe-frustrated-shoppers-complain-shortages.html
EG this sort of detail rather than the political sniping.
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Fear, scary movies, our evolution; values to a prepper
Bob - November 3, 2021 https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/fear-can-be-fun-and-it-might-even-be-good-for-you
Good morning,
Had thought I posted this article several weeks ago. Apparently not. Redundancy better than neglect. Some forum member might need this info now.
Note: “When the fear subsides, … pleasure”.
Note: “stress hormones”.
Did not know about Oxytocin and hugging.
Note Dr Mendez’s “Risk takers … “.
Note: “., short-term fear can have psychological benefits … to practice controlling”.
Read MoreBrit article on Brit preppers
Bob - November 1, 2021 Good morning,
Per title, article tells of more acceptance of prepping after BREXIT.
Article mentions Mathias, West Virginia. This place next to Virginia and just north of George Washington National Forest. Since the forest is Federal land, it can be readily packed with Fed LEOs. The mentioned 50 cal machine gun is something “frowned upon”.
Reminder to forum members of the American upstart colonies: “torch” means in American English “flashlight”.
Read MoreMassive Facebook, Instagram / internet outage
Bill Masen - November 1, 2021 Its global FB and many other mass user sites have been down since 5PM GMT, nearly 5 hours out of action.
Read MoreCurrent global problems could worsen because of diesel shortage in China
Bill Masen - November 1, 2021 Some news agencies are taking an ever more closer interest in the economic problems in China, In some cities truckers are limited to 200 litres a time, but when you leave the cities people are waiting up to a week to refuel. This is having a major impact in china being able to meet its export obligations and even driving up food prices as well. The cost of fuel has doubled in some areas and one of the knock on effects is that Vegetables in some areas are now more expensive than meat.
https://www.wionews.com/world/due-to-fuel-shortages-china-rations-diesel-424700
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202110/1237632.shtml
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-59059093
Read MoreFox news ” Twitter boss reports likelyhood of hyperinflation
Bill Masen - October 27, 2021 Something to definately be monitoring fairly closely.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/twitter-ceo-jack-dorsey-hyperinflation-warning
Twitter founder Jack Dorsey has issued a cryptic warning that “hyperinflation” will “change everything.”
In typical Dorsey style, the social media CEO tweeted out his comment, saying that “it will happen in the US soon, and so the world.”
Hyperinflation is typically very high and accelerated inflation. Researchers have documented 57 cases of hyperinflation as of 2018, with the first recorded episode occurring between 1795 and 1796 in post-revolutionary France, according to The Economist.
Some economists and writers have looked at possible hyperinflation in the U.S. as early as March 2021 when the economy started to get back on track after an artificially depressed year due to lockdowns and immense restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic – policies that officials started reversing as vaccines became more available.
The term raises some grim images, with Venezuela the most recent example and Zimbabwe perhaps one of the most famous examples of hyperinflation.
“This is meme economics,” Bloomberg Businessweek wrote earlier this year.
“Fear of inflation – if not outright hyperinflation – helps explain the meteoric rise of Bitcoin,” the article argued. “It’s behind distrust of the Fed. And it feeds congressional opposition to President Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic relief plan.”
Indeed, Republicans have warned of inflation since the start of the summer when gas prices first started to tick upward and prices followed shortly after: consumer prices rose 5% over the 12 months between June 2020 and June 2021, The Associated Press reported.
This marked the largest one-year increase since 2008, and possibly the biggest since 1992 – excluding more volatile items such as food and energy.
Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., said his constituents have “seen the higher prices on gas in particular, but also groceries and the cost to keep their businesses running.” Such voters, he said, “know, intuitively, that this is due to Democrats’ economic agenda and big spending plans.”
Prices have continued to trend upwards as an historic global shipping backlog delays the transport goods and services across the board, slowly driving up prices for everything from toilet paper to toys.
Gas prices in some have hit around $4.00 a gallon, such as in California, Hawaii and Nevada, according to AAA. Premium in these states is almost at $5 a gallon.
Read MoreWinter 2021/22 energy outlook – expect increased prices
Pops - October 22, 2021 Just received the EIA, Short-Term Energy OutlookOctober 13, 2021 Release
We forecast that average U.S. household expenditures for all major home heating fuels will increase significantly this winter primarily because of higher expected fuel costs as well as more consumption of energy due to a colder winter. Average increases vary by fuel, region, and weather assumptions. Compared with last winter, we forecast propane expenditures will rise by 54%, heating oil by 43%, natural gas by 30%, and electricity by 6%. We expect space heating demand to generally be higher this winter based on forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that U.S. average heating degree days will be 3% higher than last winter. Altering our assumptions for a 10% colder-than-expected winter significantly increases forecast expenditures, while a 10% warmer-than-expected winter still results in increased expenditures, because of price increases.
https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/
If the budget is tight, add a little padding for heat this winter. Maybe think about sealing up the windows (tape up some plastic sheeting), maybe add a lining to the curtains—walmart has small pieces of precut fabric or maybe you can find some cheap sheets. If you are ambitious check/repair/add weatherstripping to exterior doors. Change the filter in the furnace.
For the worse case, lay in some Goodwill coats and blankets, space blankets are awesome (but don’t tuck them in because they trap moisture) and know where the pup-tent is, you can always camp out in the living room.
Read MoreSurvival experts debate if man is still alive in Florida’s Carlton Reserve after 3+ weeks
Bob - October 21, 2021 https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/10/us/could-brian-laundrie-be-alive-survival-experts/index.html
Good afternoon,
Article is about a possible criminal matter involving someone hiding in a Florida wilderness to evade the authorities.
I’m posting this article for the wilderness statements some experts say.
Article mentions Urban Survival Academy and The Survival University.
Note article’s ” … when you don’t sleep you … making bad decisions, bad choices”.
Read MoreArticle, Pacific NW disaster in the making
Bill Masen - October 20, 2021 https://e360.yale.edu/features/on-the-klamath-dam-removal-may-come-too-late-to-save-the-salmon
A truly apocalyptic nightmare coming to pass.
Read MoreA BBC report on the vulnerability of the global supply chain
Bill Masen - October 13, 2021 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/business-58743372
The BBC report on the Global Logistics Issues.
It help us realise just how totally vulnerable we are to the insanely delicate and vulnerable Global Supply Chain, and how we need to insulate ourselves by PREPPING.
And every single report I read from anyone anywhere reports its likely to get worse BEFORE it gets better, with many saying IF it gets better.
Read MoreThat Augason Farms supply chain letter floating around social media is real, but their “shutdown” is just for wholesale distributors
Josh CentersContributor - October 13, 2021 Augason Farms is a popular purveyor of survival food. Recently, they’ve had a message on their website:
Due to an extremely high order volume through all sales channels we are currently not able to receive any orders through our web site. All orders previously placed will still be shipped. Augason Farms Products are still available through other national sales channels both on line and in-store and also through other reputable on-line vendors. We expect to turn this site back on just as soon as possible.
As a manufacturer we are intent on making sure our vendors inventory is top priority. Thank-you for choosing Augason Farms.
On social media, a letter has been circulating from Mark Augason saying that due to “global raw-material shortages,” they can’t fulfill orders and are suspending business for the next 90 days.
I contacted Augason Farms to find out if the letter is legitimate. It is. Here’s what they said:
Thank you for reaching out to us for clarification. This letter was to our wholesale customers that carry our products on their websites. We are still open for business and producing products. We have had an over whelming amount of orders that have come in and we have stopped taking our wholesale customers orders and orders on our own website so that we can get caught up. We are working around the clock to fulfill orders and to keep producing inventory. You can still find our products on Amazon.com, walmart.com and local Utah grocery stores.
In short, they’ve had overwhelming demand and supply chain shortages, so they are suspending wholesale and direct orders until they can get caught up.
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Lebanon, worth watching for lessons on urban survival
Bill Masen - October 9, 2021 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-58856914
Lebanon has been left without electricity, plunging the country into darkness amid a severe economic crisis. A government official told Reuters news agency the country’s two largest power stations, Deir Ammar and Zahrani, had shut down because of a fuel shortage.The power grid “completely stopped working at noon today” and was unlikely to restart for several days, they said.For the past 18 months Lebanon has endured an economic crisis and extreme fuel shortages.That crisis has left half its population in poverty, crippled its currency and sparked major demonstrations against politicians.A lack of foreign currency meanwhile has made it hard to pay overseas energy suppliers.
In a statement, Lebanon’s state electricity company also confirmed the shutdown of the two power plants, which together provide some 40% of the country’s electricity.Their closure led to the “complete outage” of the power network, the statement reportedly said, “with no possibility of resuming operations in the meantime”.Al Jazeera reports protests in the northern town of Halba, outside the offices of the state power company, as well as residents blocking roads with burning tyres in the city of Tripoli.The country is also grappling with the aftermath of the Beirut blast in August 2020, which killed 219 people and injured 7,000 others.After the explosion its government resigned, leaving political paralysis. Najib Mikati became prime minister in September, more than a year after the previous administration quit.Last month the militant group Hezbollah brought Iranian fuel into the country to ease shortages. Its opponents say the group is using the fuel delivery to expand its influence.
Read MoreN95 could help reduce hospitalisation from wildfire smoke
Bill Masen - October 1, 2021 another good reason to keep N95s to hand
https://www.foxnews.com/science/n95-respirators-could-reduce-hospitalizations-from-wildfire-smoke-study
The masks offer a ‘promising means’ to reduce inhalation of particulate air pollution
N95 respirators could offer robust protection from wildfire smoke, researchers say.
According to an August study in the AGU journal GeoHealth, the regulatory standard masks offer a “promising means” to reduce the inhalation of particulate air pollution and reduce the risk of negative health effects.
Read MoreAustere First Aid video course trailer + 50% off preorders are live
John AdamaStaff - August 31, 2021 Excited to share that we’ve just released the trailer and preorders for the Austere First Aid online video course we’ve been working on the last few months!
Check it out and preorder for only $59. Similar in-person courses cost $300-500 and take 5-7 days. Includes 90+ lessons, 7+ hours of video, downloadable references, and lifetime access with free future versions.
It’s the only online course of its kind, and there just aren’t many classes anywhere that teach you how to handle medical emergencies when you can’t depend on professional help to save you.
Is this something you’re interested in?
Full course will launch later this summer.
Read More
A fevered planet & the rise of fungal pathogens
CamilleContributor - August 15, 2021 This information seemed relevant for other preppers to be aware of, and the scientific article linked is fairly new as it was published in April 2021:
A professor of mine recently brought up how in the past, fungal pathogens have not been major health concerns for humans the way viral and bacterial pathogens have been. She spoke about how this was due to the fact that the majority of (although certainly not all) fungal pathogens don’t thrive at the temperature the typical human body is at, because it is much too warm for them. Essentially: “For the vast majority of fungal species, the capacity to grow at elevated temperatures limits their ability to infect and establish in mammals. However, fungi can be trained to evolve thermotolerance” (Nnadi et al).
As the planet is essentially fevered and we see global warming (IPCC Report) the freedom we have previously enjoyed from the threat of fungal pathogens may be coming to an end as “gradual adaptation to increasing temperature caused by climate change could lead to an increase of organisms that can cause disease.” (Nnadi et al.) Warming the planet means that fungal pathogens are adapting to survive and thrive at higher temperatures, temperatures that are far closer to a human’s body temperature than we should be comfortable with. “In addition, climate change can increase the geographic range of pathogenic species or their vectors, leading to the emergence of diseases in areas where they have not previously been reported.” (Nnadi et al.)
This is a major cause for concern because “fungi can arguably pose equal or even greater threats [than viruses and bacteria]: There are no vaccines available yet for fungal pathogens, the arsenal of antifungal agents is extremely limited, and fungi can live saprotrophically, producing large quantities of infectious spores and do not require host-to-host contact to establish infection. Indeed, fungi seem to be uniquely capable of causing complete host extinction.” (Nnadi et al.)
Figure from Climate change and the emergence of fungal pathogens (Nnandi et al.)
Official Citations of the Linked Sources:
Nnadi NE, Carter DA (2021) Climate change and the emergence of fungal pathogens. PLOS Pathogens 17(4): e1009503. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1009503
IPCC, 2021: Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Masson-Delmotte, V., P. Zhai, A. Pirani, S. L. Connors, C. Péan, S. Berger, N. Caud, Y. Chen, L. Goldfarb, M. I. Gomis, M. Huang, K. Leitzell, E. Lonnoy, J.B.R. Matthews, T. K. Maycock, T. Waterfield, O. Yelekçi, R. Yu and B. Zhou (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press. In Press.
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Figure from Climate change and the emergence of fungal pathogens (Nnandi et al.)
CNN airing short film that’s partly about TP and this community
John AdamaStaff - August 12, 2021 Just wrote up details on the blog, but wanted to share here too. Premiers on CNN’s TV channel this Saturday Aug 7th. First airing at 9pm ET, second at 9pm PT.
We were excited to participate in this — we got multiple of our families together and spent many days with the crew — because it was pitched as a serious look at how rational people from all walks of life are taking steps to be more self reliant.
Tune in… at worst, you’ll have plenty of ways to make fun of me and others on the team 🙂
Edit: I just saw the film and it’s much better than the crappy marketing made it seem. I hate that it’s anchored around bunkers. But it starts off focusing on the “community” part of a bunker community. Then I/TP come in to say that bunkers are way down the priority list, how the community is growing and diverse, there are sane steps everyone can take without moving to a rural bunker, etc.
I think CNN’s marketing dept (separate from the actual filmmakers) have this idea that they’ll hook in people with the “bunker porn” and then by the end of the show they’ve expanded their horizons. Not the approach I would take — especially anchoring the narrative around bunkers — but it’s one of the better attempts at this that I’ve seen on mainstream media.
Read MoreA report from a non prepper from South Africa
Bill Masen - July 29, 2021 https://unherd.com/2021/07/the-return-of-south-africas-militias/
Read MoreConfused about vaccine info (Discussion)
Bed - July 14, 2021 Full disclosure: I’m not a conspiracy nut. I don’t buy into the conspiracies of the vaccine turning your body into a magnetic, injecting tracking metals into you, et cetera. I fully believe in getting vaccinated for diseases that spread easily and/or very negatively affect people, but I’m trying to figure out as much as I can about the COVID-19 vaccines before talking to the rest of my family about getting them (they’re not conspiracy nuts either, just hesitant like me).I’d post stuff like this on other social media platforms, but they’re usually ‘echo chamber’-y (Reddit being the worst example in my opinion).
I’ve been researching a lot about the vaccines, but I’ve been getting all kinds of conflicting information; misinformation, disinformation, lack of information, et cetera. Like, I hear about how the RNA vaccines cause prion diseases (which was proven false a lot, but my mind likes to research further and second guess a lot), or how the mRNA vaccines came out too quickly (even though it’s been said that the idea and concept has been studied for decades).Basically, I don’t exactly know what to believe anymore with what’s out there for public viewing. I’m not sure what’s right, and I’m not sure what’s wrong. I’m not scared or fearful anything like that, just really really confused and trying to make sense of it all.
Read Moreincredible story of quick thinking and skill that leads to a saved life
pint of beer - July 11, 2021 want to read about an incredible story of a father and son who used their intuition and skill to save someone at sea? this story really was inspiring to me to be alert, aware, and tap into what i know in order to better help others. it’s seriously a good read.
https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2021/07/08/roanoke-father-son-duo-rescue-missing-boater-40-miles-off-north-carolina-coast/
if put into that same situation, i’m afraid i wouldn’t have had the split second decision making that these two had and the knowledge and skill that would have been required to find him. it sounds like they did everything perfectly and it paid off. i’m trying to think about what i’m exceptionally good at and how i too might be able to use that someday to save someone’s life. i don’t know too much about first aid, but just having a kit and basic knowledge may save someone someday.
i think forum member bob is a boater in that part of the woods/ocean. maybe he can pitch in his thoughts
Read MoreColonial Pipeline Attack -The rise of cyberware attacks and the future of prepping
UbiqueContributor - May 16, 2021 Another cyberware attack in the news, affecting fuel. This kind of crime is on the rise for business and personal users. What does this mean for the future of prepping?
None of us can control the methods or security used by business, so how safe are we? What do we need to do as individuals to prevent personal devices from being shut down?
In the early days of computer use in business, I was taught: the computer you are using is nothing more than an electronic filing cabinet. It is not infalliable. Print hard (paper) copy of anything important.
So for anyone relying soley on external drive backup or thumb drive, if all the computers/phones are shut down, how will you read your data? For any important prep info or instructions: hard copy on paper.
Here’s the article:
Colonial Pipeline Cyberware Ransom Attack
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