Insider Trading and Financial Terrorism on Comex – S.B.
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It’s So Bizarre, It’s Beyond Comprehension How Bad It Is – David Morgan – H.L.
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Items from Mr. Econocobas:
Video: Jim Rogers – Only a Russian/Chinese/Brazil Joint-Currency Can Battle Dollar Dominance
Delusional IMF “Delighted” To Be Marginalized By BRICS
Video: Jim Rickards – The significance of a BRICS development bank
More police brutality caught on video. We are beginning to see more and more hostile police actions where the police just automatically assume an “us vs them” attitude. Staten Island man dies after NYPD cop puts him in chokehold – H.L.
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Three More Cases of Deadly Plague Found in Colorado – B.B.
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It was just a matter of time before a civil plane was shot down in Ukraine’s SAM-infested airspace – T.P.
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Air Force research: How to use social media to control people like drones. – T.P.
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Example of bug out happening now in Kelowna, BC: West Kelowna wildfire now partially contained at 250 hectares – P.S.
Some evacuated, and the potential for 60,000 without power for an extended period if the wildfire takes out the main electrical-transmission lines.
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” 1 Timothy 2:5&6 (KJV)
July 19th is coincidentally the birthday of handgun designers Samuel Colt (born in 1814) and Gaston Glock (born in 1929).
July 2014: One of the deadliest diseases on earth is right here in our own back yard, so to speak…with no vaccine, fatal without antibiotics, and on the CDC’s “Category A List” of potential bioterrorism agents.
Don’t panic just yet. The disease also occurs naturally, as is the case in this month’s outbreak.
However, overnight I’ve changed my outlook on the disease. What I’ve recently described to my students as highly unlikely is instead alive and well on the prairie. I’ve gone from believing I’d never encounter this infection to thinking it’s entirely possible. The next time I see a patient who’s coughing up blood, my mind won’t go immediately to bronchitis or lung cancer. It may jump straight to plague.
As a medical student about three decades ago, I saw a patient with Cryptococcal meningitis. He was a young guy with no good reason to be sick, at least none that we knew. Having just learned of the entity, I asked the attending physician whether it might be AIDS. He laughed, condescendingly, at the oddball suggestion of a neophyte. But it was indeed, and this same meningitis is now considered a sign of HIV, until proven otherwise. That doctor missed the diagnosis because his antenna was down. The disease was too new, too unexpected, and never before seen in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio.
In 1987 a Kentucky nurse told me a young woman I was treating likely had AIDS. Sure, she had a pneumonia and thrush, but AIDS? She was right. Why? This nurse knew the family and that the patient’s cheating husband was bisexual. Her antenna was definitely up.
A doctor can’t diagnose a disease that’s off their radar. It’s guaranteed; your doctor isn’t thinking of plague and has never seen it.
So what makes pneumonic plague an ideal bioterrorist agent? First, it’s openly available. The disease is spread through flea bites and direct contact with animals carrying the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Just harvest some fleas from an infected animal (without killing yourself in the process), and you have your weapon. Next, the infection kills quickly. With an incubation period of only 1–6 days from exposure to onset of symptoms, the disease can spread and kill before it’s even diagnosed. Antibiotics must be started within 24 hours of onset or you die. Thirdly, pneumonic plague can spread from person to person via droplets, the same as a cold or flu (secondary cases). Lastly, initial symptoms are non-specific (fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, fatigue) and may lead to a delay in diagnosis. These four characteristics together create the “perfect storm” of a disease.
This isn’t science fiction. As early as 1347, the Tartars used plague as a bioweapon, catapulting plague-ridden corpses into Kaffa, thus spreading the Black Death to Italy. (I’m wondering how they protected themselves?) The Japanese dropped ceramic bomblets of infected fleas on China during WWII. During the Cold War both the Americans and Soviets devised means to aerosolize the Yersinia pestis bacteria.
In May 2000, Denver hospitals participated in a full-scale bioterrorism exercise simulating a release of aerosolized Yersinia pestis at a performing arts center. Their report, “Lessons Learned from a Full-Scale Bioterrorism Exercise” , is fascinating reading. In the simulation, after only one day there were 783 cases of pneumonic plague and already 123 deaths. After two days, the numbers jumped to 1,871 cases and 389 deaths. After the third (and final) day of simulation, 3,700 cases were reported along with 950 deaths, with at least 780 secondary cases and infection spreading to six states outside Colorado– a true Stephen King scenario.
So what lessons did the State of Colorado learn? Long story short, they weren’t prepared. Despite a two-month warning, they found communications were inefficient, staffing was inadequate, appropriate isolation became impossible, and city-wide quarantine was mandated…with little expectation of success. Prophylactic antibiotic distribution was initiated, but the issue of whom to treat was controversial.
The single most important lesson cited was that unless both the spread of the disease and the treatment of ill persons were equally and simultaneously addressed, “the demand for health-care services will not diminish,” meaning the plague could not be stopped.
Diagnosis of the initial case was not the problem. Although currently the disease is rare, it is considered endemic in Colorado, and so health authorities are familiar with the public health management of isolated cases. The problem was the wildfire spread, with secondary cases occurring within two or three days of the initial exposure. If the (greater than) daily doubling death rate continued, by two weeks nearly two million deaths occur. The series looks like: 123, 389, 950, 1900, 3800, 7600, 15200, 30400, 60800, 121600, 243200, 486400, 972800, 1945600. By another eight days, the potential death count exceeds the entire population of the United States.
So what should you do to protect your loved ones and yourself?
For post-exposure prophylaxis, the recommended dose is given orally for seven days after close contact (and of course repeated after each contact):
For treatment of actual disease, injectable medications are preferred, primarily streptomycin or gentamicin, or possibly injectable doxycycline, ciprofloxacin, or chloramphenicol. The medication is switched to the oral route once the patient improves.
Lacking access to injectables, the prophylactic antibiotics listed above should be given for treatment for at least 10 days, preferably 2 weeks, or at least for 2 days after the fever subsides. Remember, antibiotics must be given within 24 hours of onset of symptoms or death is inevitable. By the time pneumonia sets in and you’re coughing up blood, it may be too late.
Pneumonic plague is truly horrific. However, though public authorities now understand they lack the resources to protect everyone, it is still definitely possible to protect your loved ones, yourself, and perhaps your local community.
***
Cynthia J. Koelker, MD is SurvivalBlog’s Medical Editor. Bioterrorism is one of the many topics covered in her Survival Medicine Workshops, which you will find at www.armageddonmedicine.net.
Thanks for providing the warning based on scripture concerning alcohol.
Please make sure the readers know and understand that distillation of any alcohol product, without proper state and federal licensing will land them in the federal pen. I don’t think the writer of that post was clear enough on that. We call it ethanol now, but the BATFE still calls it moonshine if the producer doesn’t have his ducks in a row. – G.F.
EPA claims it has the power to garnish wages without court approval – T.P.
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Pure Manipulation, $1.3B of Paper Gold Dumped Onto Illiquid Market
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Items from Mr. Econocobas:
Individuals Pile Into Stocks as Pros Say Bull Is Spent
The Final Warning: Individual Investors Piling Into Stocks, Market Leverage Hits All Time Highs
Video: John Williams of ShadowStats-Terrible Currency Crisis Ahead
Police Militarization: The New Search and Seizure
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Owners of FAL, L1A1, and LAR-8 rifles will find these almost indestructible magazines of interest: Moses Mags – JWR
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Going along with today’s article from SurvivalBlog MD, Cynthia Koelker, is this news report: Drug-Resistant Superbug Cases Rise Significantly in Southeastern US. – H.L.
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From the same organization that has your best interests at heart: 300 vials labeled influenza, dengue found at lab. – P.M.
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“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” – Isaiah 57:15 (KJV)
Today we present another entry for Round 53 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:
First Prize:
Second Prize:
Third Prize:
Round 53 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.
My father, MDL, was a long-time follower of SurvivalBlog. He spent his life in a constant but relaxed state of preparedness. When he found the website, he found kindred spirits from which he could learn and help learn through several articles he contributed. Often I would find him on his tablet reading old articles at odd hours when he couldn’t sleep. He and I would discuss what he had read and try to apply points not just to preparedness plans but to everyday life as well. I have many fond memories of quality time spent with him gardening, canning, dehydrating, hunting, and shooting, as an investment into our family security and survival plan. Sadly, my father has recently passed away, at 42 years of age, after losing his battle with an aggressive cancer.
So here I sit, lamenting the loss of my father– my friend and my mentor– while wondering how best to honor him. After some serious self-reflection, I’ve decided I’m going to take up the standard and continue his legacy, not just because it’s his but because he opened my eyes, and I can’t “un-see” what I’ve seen. His stores, his firearms, and his various odds and ends are now mine, yet I am not he.
I’m an older teen, mature for my age and well trained by my father (a veteran). I’m sure I’ll find my own way of doing things, but the task is daunting from here at the bottom of the mountain called change. I don’t know how he did it all– worked full time, trained often, helped care for my ill mother, and (worst of all) carried on after the death of my older brother. My father was wise and strong, though like all men, flawed. We had many debates centered on where our differences were. So, I submit to you, the readers, one question. Body Armor: To use or not to use; that is the question. Is it in fact nobler in the mind (or body) to suffer the slings and arrow of outrageous misfortune, or can we really be immune to them?
I was spending some time re-inventorying our stores, motivated by the invasion of our borders by sick illegals and foreign fighters posing as such. It was during one of those sessions that I had taken down the fake wall in our storage area (see below) a few days ago and had been staring at three neat stacks (one for me, my mother, and my father) of our bug out gear.
Three hiker’s backpacks hung from bicycle hooks; they were filled with seasonally appropriate clothes, field medical kits, a sleeping bag, a pup tent with camouflage tarp, water purification tabs and filters, and a few days worth of food. On a raised base on the floor below each respective pack were three waterproof weapons lockers with well-tended combat rifles, sidearms, and ammunition (all standardized, of course).
(As a side note, we stole two feet from a wall with no window to accommodate food, water, and gear storage. We framed it out and sheet-rocked, using cut screws except for the four corners and dead center of each sheet. The garage as a whole was taped and spackled with only one thin layer of spackling, so it was very easy to blend this in by carrying it over to the fake wall. We practiced opening up various sections and redoing them to the point that they’re invisible.)
In between the packs and gun lockers, on a table, are three neat stacks of armor: Kevlar helmets, goggles, Class 3a vests, and reinforced elbow pads, knee pads, and gloves (custom made around brass knuckles, which can really change how you shoot).
It’s that stack in the middle I keep going back to. I don’t always know if it is something I’d use except for special circumstances, which I have discussed numerous times with my dad. He loved his armor; in fact he credited it with his lack of scars from shrapnel. However, I’m on the fence. My concerns stem from whether or not my basic medical training, which I received by paying cash for a “survival medicine course” will prove useful if my mother or I are wounded outside of our area of protection. I’m simply not capable of treating a gunshot wound to an artery on the fly, while in a shoot out.
Plus, what if I do successfully treat a wound temporarily, but then my patient dies from sepsis, organ rupture, or severe trauma because I don’t have access to better care? Would it not be more merciful to let a person die to spare them from suffering, provided they can make that decision with a sound mind? Not to mention that, if you have a group and one person is injured, it compromises the effective fighting ability of the collective through loss of manpower in treating a serious wound during a firefight.
Before I ponder any further, allow me to summarize the different levels or classes of body armor out there. (source:globalsecurity.org) These are all surprisingly available at gun shows in friendly states.
Class 1: Offers protection from .22LR, 40gr/1050fps up to .380 ACP FMJ RN 95gr/1025fps. This is very light armor that can be worn all day. It bears mention that .22LR is the most common round in the United States.
Class 2a: Offers protection from 9mm FMJ RN 124gr/1090fps up to .40S&W FMJ 180gr/1025fps in addition to all Class 1 threats. This is also a light vest and can be worn all day without negative issues, except maybe for chafing in warmer weather.
Class 2: Offers protection against 9mm FMJ RN 124gr/1175fps (+P?) and .357Magnum JSP 158gr/1400fps, plus all Class 1 and 2a threats. This is somewhat bulkier and is worn full time by many law enforcement officers.
Class 3a: Offers protection against 9mm FMJ RN 145gr/1400fps and .44Magnum JHP 240gr/1400fps as well as most other handgun threats and class 1 through 2 threats. The aforementioned calibers all being commonplace in many gun collections, class 3a seems to me a reasonable purchase. This level of protection is the highest available, to my knowledge, that can still be concealable. Its bulk can make it an issue for daily usage in warmer climates, which can result in health issues, like heat exhaustion. Some of the newer models can be augmented with steel plates that offer further protection, but this adds to weight and heat.
Class 3: Offers protection against 7.62mm FMJ (M80) 148gr/2750fps as well as class 1 through 3a threats. This armor is heavy and not suitable for daily use. Its benefit comes from tactical use, such as breaching and overcoming barricades. Some of the newer vests, at this level, can be augmented with steel plates. The issues with this level are the same as class 3 but to a somewhat greater extent.
Class 4: Offers protection against .30 Caliber Armor Piercing bullets (M2AP) 166gr/2850fps plus all previous threats. This is the highest level of protection and not suited to daily use. These vests can be reinforced with ceramic plates, which are single use and very heavy.
With all of that mentioned, my father opted to buy us non-concealable armor. He purchased class 3a armor with the ability to accept steel plates for both the torso and the sides. I should mention that the side plates are small but add protection for the lateral torso when you’re in odd shooting positions. My father had determined that other than our initial bug and subsequent guard duty at our retreat, we wouldn’t wear the armor. As well, we would wear it for any and all contact with strangers who may happen upon us. Not just for prudence but for intimidation.
Body armor, though effective, is not an absolute insurance policy against injury or death. While it protects vital organs, it leaves the extremities exposed and provides the wearer with a sense of security greater than what should be. For example, I was trained to shoot a static target wearing armor in the thigh, specifically the femur, so as to sever the femoral artery.
Admittedly, I have no combat experience and remain (thankfully) untested, but there will be many combat veterans who will likely survive the collapse. They will have greater skill than me and can likely make such a shot on a moving target with better accuracy. Even a lucky shot can cause serious injury leading to a slow death or paralysis.
I’m curious to see where you all fall on the issue. For now, I’ll follow my fathers advice and wear my armor in getting to our retreat and while on guard duty, but beyond that I’m not sure. What are the pluses and minuses you’ve considered? Are they worth it? It’s a very personal choice.
Also, the attached article can provide some insight as to my hemming and hawing.
Michael A. Fuoco, “Failure of Officer’s Bulletproof Vest Shakes Confidence,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 19, 2003
Regards.
While we all agree with parts of this writer’s defensive philosophy and parts of all articles written for publication here, we, as a prepping community, have to apply our own skill assessment tools to what we believe is the best method for ourselves. My own life experience parallels JWR and others, and I make my own assessments having lived all over this county in my 65 years of God-endowed life. My credo has been formed and reformed by those life experiences. I enjoy reading all of the published, submitted articles to SurvivalBlog and that several of my own. As we travel this path to what I call prepping, we need to take the parts of those articles that fits the sum of what is right for us. Try not to rely on a “one fits all” solution to your needs; it never will.
As a result, my current location is in a very small isolated town of about 200 residents in North central Nevada; it enjoys very mild seasons and is 50 miles to the nearest town with any stores, fuel stations, or services. Also in those 50 miles, there are no homes or services, so help is the first person you see in the mirror or who you are able to call on your cell, planning for any emergency that arises is a matter of course. It brings reality to your every trip, outing, or need. Common sense is a commodity that you better have or you will learn through experience.
My plan for any scenario is that our location will limit any type of travel by roaming bands of Zombies or anyone else, and if there are any, they would encounter a town that most of the residents are armed and have little remorse for dealing with anyone who threatens them. I have no illusions about trying to bug in, even here; the surrounding 360 degree mountain ranges contain hundreds (yes hundreds) of old mining sites, hidden springs, game, and locations for families, groups, or individuals to maintain themselves. I follow the old sniper saying, “locate, isolate, eliminate” for my strategy.
I maintain my current residence for a primary staging area, a toyhauler for preps, and a ATV with pickup as a bugout vehicle (to relocate to or even pre-stage with stocked remote location). Also, I have a small group of people with the same mindset that have been selected to join and leave as a group, should that option transpire.
Overall J.B. has got his do-do in one basket by saying:
“Don’t get me wrong: My family comes first. However, because I’ve planned ahead and prepared, most emergencies that are commonly encountered won’t be for my family, and we’ll have the luxury of being able to help our friends first, then our neighbors.Hopefully, readers of this will also have made preparations for emergency scenarios and built relationships with like-minded folks, so they can work together to overcome adversity as a group and assist those less fortunate.That’s the American way.” – J.B.(HJL: It is important to note that J.B., the original author, is not suggesting that he, or anyone else, should not bug-out, only that it isn’t optimal, and the article presents a concept to keep from having to leave.)
We can plan for any emergency, but the reality is we might not be able to execute for the one that unfolds real-time. I have survived an explosion that vaporized my right hand, and in that scenario I was in a remote location in New Mexico with no thought (during my youth) of having a first aid kit, cell phones were not invented yet, and it was 45 minutes to the nearest medical facility. That life-altering event set the stage for my self awareness to plan, execute, and train for different scenarios, for myself and for others.
Most people have the intentions, the awareness, and the ability, but execution is the rare missing item that hinders or is going to limit their options should the need arise. How many people, and I include myself when I first started on this life journey acquiring the knowledge, just do not execute their ideas. To be a seasoned prepper means getting your butt in gear and getting the experience before it is thrust upon you.
A majority of people I encounter have an inner awareness that hard times are coming and want or need to do something but don’t. Some carry a false sense of security, thinking that by having two days of food, a rifle with 10 rounds of ammunition, and a relative two states away who has a fully-stocked retreat, makes them a prepper. I try to keep my opinion to myself with that type, by remembering my parent’s saying “You cannot argue with ignorance”. Also, there is another contingent who prep by buying the next great survival item to add to their stash. When you talk to them, they boast about those items but have never opened, used, trained, and gained nothing by acquiring those items. Experience, in my book, is the only teacher, and you had better learn now during the calm. Don’t fall into that trap. Even articles published here may be about something that works for that person or group, but it may be a liability for you. An example is having a camper for use as a bug out vehicle in a remote location or rural area is a great idea, but if you live in a metro area and every few miles, your idea may be a pre-planned disaster waiting to be executed. Leaving way in advance of a coming bad scenario may work, but during an event, you will be a standout target in a sea of others stranded in a super highway parking lot.
The rest of J.B.’s write up is 110% right on. Others who live for the next outing to the mall or dining out and buying that next new consumer item are in for a rude awakening. Getting tight with God is job #1. Praying for his guidance and being an example to others, executing your goals derived by learning will be the safest road you will ever travel in your pursuit of security and safety.
God bless this once great country and those who seek knowledge and through experience will help themselves and, by example, others. – J.M.
Odds ‘n Sods:
Obama admin not screening illegals for infectious disease before flying them on commercial airlines – B.B.
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Trooper admits to stealing from dying motorcyclist. – T.P.
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Thanks to an epic drought that never seems to end, we are witnessing the beginning of a water crisis that most people never ever dreamed was possible in this day and age. 20 Signs The Epic Drought In The Western United States Is Starting To Become Apocalyptic. – H.L.
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Obama’s end-run around Congress for gun control starts rearing its ugly head. If You Own A Kalashnikov Rifle, Obama Just Sanctioned You – H.L.
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SFO’s alleged fake screener is a high-powered financier. – T.P.
Hugh’s Quote of the Day:
“The State always moves slowly and grudgingly towards any purpose that accrues to society’s advantage, but moves rapidly and with alacrity towards one that accrues to its own advantage; nor does it ever move towards social purposes on its own initiative, but only under heavy pressure, while its motion towards anti-social purposes is self-sprung.” – Albert Jay Nock