John Grayman - Member - The Prepared

Reply to: A giant waxed cheese wheel is the apocalypse prep you didn’t know you needed Posted August 7, 2023

This didn’t age well… https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66429342 Sorry, not sorry for the pun. I immediately thought of this article from back in the day. In all seriousness, I am sorry for this person’s family and loss.

Reply to: News for the Week 2023-05-15 Posted May 29, 2023

Yeah I just noticed this as well, Eric. I wanted to start a new thread because I got an email today about the new TP subscription plans… I already purchased and am currently using the Austere First Aid. I think it’s great but I haven’t finished. Does anyone know if existing purchasers will lose access as a result of the new subscription/website launch? If so, can I download the series in advance?

Reply to: SAMPLE History Posted April 7, 2023

One thing I learned from a pro, which can be a delicate question as indicated under the “medication” category for drug screening (and also who might be around/witnessing the patient), is if you can introduce a slight bit of humor and/or even a sense of understanding to the question. For example “have you taken any drugs other that what you are prescribed?” versus “did you try something a little different this time, or take it a little more than you normally do?” will probably get you a more honest answer or at least some nuggets to build on…sometimes just having a quieter/more close talk with the person out of ear-shot of bystanders is the key. Another example-when I was in college interviewing for a Bar job, they asked “do you party more than the average college kid, or party harder?”. It’s the same idea-there is a bit of commonplace in recreational drug and alcohol use, particularly depending on state laws. An honest answer is key. Also, I’d be interested in everyone’s opinion on carrying over the counter NARCAM now that it is available? [One more thing I’ll add from my first responder buddies if it is a ‘scene’…usually, as long as a paramedic or EMT is on the scene (a qualified person), and the patient is not acting crazy (from drugs or whatever), good police officers will usually be good about standing back/assessing other response needs just to lower some of the patient anxiety]

Reply to: Feedback on Tuesday and Friday news updates Posted November 7, 2022

You do a fantastic job, Carlotta. Didn’t want to sound negative/critical. I’m a big believer in honest discussion and sharing ideas so we can all prosper. Keep up the great work and looking forward to the site update!

Reply to: Sneak peek of whole new TP website launching soon Posted November 7, 2022

Wonderful! The Prepared never sleeps-many thanks to all the hard work John and Carlotta et al have been doing. Shout out here if anyone hasn’t seen this yet: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/preppers-60-minutes-2022-11-06/

Reply to: Feedback on Tuesday and Friday news updates Posted October 15, 2022

Thank you, spacemoon. I was worried that perhaps I was venturing out onto a ledge all on my own, haha. No doubt it’s tough to curate relevant information to the community, particularly when (I’m making this a strong guess-statistic) environmental disasters/challenges from climate change are probably the most likely scenario any of us will ever face when we need to use our training and Prepared tools learned here. I think the answer to the question is difficult and fine line to walk. Bluntly, one might say “yeah climate change is messing everything up, what do you want me to do about it?” I think the latter may be where the focus should lie-what individuals can do to prepare for environmental disasters, but also be mindful of their contributions or detractions to the entire ‘climate’ as a whole. I don’t know. Anyone have Al Gore’s phone number? (that’s just a joke, not a political statement, LMAO).

Reply to: The best bulletproof body armor when SHTF Posted August 6, 2022

There is a good Jim Carey/Jeff Daniels documentary on this exact scenario… LOLZ

Reply to: Let’s say there is recession Q3/Q4 ’22? Posted May 4, 2022

Good stuff, Pops and Peter 44. I fully assumed lumber was hot back then, but it makes sense now that you mention no one was wanting to do new construction which I am assuming is a larger portion than Harry Homeowner repairs. As for autos, there a million different parts and widgets per manufacturer, so I like the idea Peter 44 had about oil change kits. Maybe keep on hand generic stuff like filters, different oil weights, etc. I already do all that on my own but it could be a service to my neighbor… Investing in self or home is a great principle. I taught myself to solder during the pandemic, as well as lock pick/smith. Books might also be a good investment, particularly for trade school references!

Reply to: Best gas masks and respirators for survival Posted May 4, 2022

Lawd forbid it, but I’m pretty confident a high-rise smoke mask/escape hood and some ducttape would be OK enough for the first 10-30 minutes. That’s by no way me advocating for a unit to be used outside of it’s proper design, but more me conjecturing on what *might* work in a WCS.

Reply to: Best gas masks and respirators for survival Posted May 4, 2022

I got one used on Ebay for about $100 at a consignment shop 18 months ago. The Israeli tech is solid, and the hood is secure. They take the same Cr123A batteries that are commonly used in tactical flashlights. I bought a CBRN filter for about $50 as well at the time. This is a solid setup, but beware of the price. Israel has handed these out to civilians during flare-up engagements in the past. Sad that we have to think about this for our kids.

Reply to: COVID at home: prepare for a severe case Posted April 1, 2022

Sorry you and family had to go through this. Glad everyone is ok. Thank you very much for passing on what you have learned!

Reply to: News roundup for Fri, Mar 4, 2022 Posted March 6, 2022

Thank you, az13 for the link, that’s awesome! I have heard that story colloquially for like 10 years now, and today there is proof from the internet, haha. I did like ‘Contagion’ better FWIW, but Dustin Hoffman is a powerhouse.

Reply to: News roundup for Fri, Mar 4, 2022 Posted March 6, 2022

That’s a great pull, especially for this community… Wait-Shouldn’t Homer be at work in this scenario? haha

Reply to: News roundup for Fri, Mar 4, 2022 Posted March 4, 2022

Ahh…very interesting Hardened, thank you. Without getting into any politics, I believe I heard an anecdote that GWBush was watching a movie about a pandemic (maybe ‘[Outbreak]’) in his last couple of months, and it inspired him to divert several more million dollars towards CDC/pandemic preparedness. It’s funny the simple things/signs that we sometimes see that can be a greater indicator or the proverbial tip of the iceberg. *I originally posted ‘Contagion’ but when I looked it up it came out in 2009.

Reply to: News roundup for Fri, Mar 4, 2022 Posted March 4, 2022

Great to have such positive and helpful community support, especially with being in the know and what to do about it. Echoing thanks to Stephanie, Brownfox, and the Prepared for what you all are doing, as well as everyone’s contributions and experiences. Pivot to business at hand after all-due kudos: 1. How did the CDC mess up contact tracing to begin with? While any pandemic or bug will be very specialized and take time to adapt a response, seems like contact tracing was a system that could have been in place and well-oiled no matter what the transmission or vector was. IMHO they failed even getting out of the gates (look at how fast South Korea put a tracing program in action with lightning results). 2. Thoughts and prayers for the Ukraine and all people at war or being subject to tyranny. I think many feel like I do, that I wish I could do something to help from the safety(~) of the USA…I’m reminded of what a good friend told me…that if you can’t help those afar, you should help those near. So trying to help my community more and put out good vibes for the universe!

Reply to: News roundup for Fri, Mar 4, 2022 Posted March 4, 2022

Also a shout-out to the great John Ramey! Woot woot. https://www.vice.com/en/article/5dgqpd/iodine-pills-nuclear-apocalypse

Reply to: News roundup for Tue, Feb 15, 2022 Posted February 15, 2022

Thanks, Josh!!

Reply to: Experts: Look for a new North Korean nuclear crisis in early 2020 Posted January 28, 2022

Can vouch for these guys @ki4u, have ordered multiple times and they are on top of their game and legit. A human will even answer the phone when you call!

Reply to: News roundup for Fri, Jan 28, 2022 Posted January 28, 2022

I like your point “Let’s put to rest the idea that lab accidents involving the transmission of these viruses are rare or even uncommon”. What is scarier is that in your linked article, it further links another article where the same supervisor in the same lab had previously been infected by SARS in 2003. Yeesh. That’s a tough place to work but major kudos to them for being honest and forthwith.

Reply to: News roundup for Fri, Jan 7, 2022 Posted January 7, 2022

You are spot on about the gratitude. I have been in the same position since the start, and have kept home thinking it was a “civic duty” to help those who had to go in by me not going out needlessly (alas my poor nightlife). I wish there was more sense in “civic duty” and this thing probably would have tempered down faster.