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Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Urban Survival Gear - Lightweight Sleeping Bags



Continuing to address items for the Urban Survivor's Bug Out Bag, a lightweight sleeping bag is an essential item. The bottom line on sleeping bags are that the colder weather you plan on moving in, the heavier the bag is going to be. However, we're talking survival here, not camping comfort. Unless you want your Survival Bug Out Bag to be a 90 lb rucksack, you are going to have to give up elements of comfort, and some capabilities in order to be more mobile.

One company that makes lightweight survivor type sleeping bags that we are familiar with and can recommend are Snug Pack.



Softie 3 Merlin

  • Technical information
  • Weight: 900 g (inc compression stuff sack):
  • Weight Category: 0 to 1.0 kg
  • Colors Available: Red, Olive, Desert Tan, Black
  • Zip Style: Full Length Two Way Zip (Left Hand and Right Hand version available)
  • Shape: Mummy
  • Temp Rating: Comfort: 5°c
  • Temp Rating: Extreme: 0°c
  • Pack size:(fully compressed) 16x16cm
  • Length: 220cm
  • Width: 150cm
  • Outer Fabric/Material: Paratex Steelplate
  • Inner Fabric/Material: Paratex Light
  • Filling: Softie®, Reflectaherm
  • Origin: UK Made
  • Activity: Travel, Trekking
  • Season: Warm Weather/indoor & 2 season - late spring





TravelPak Traveller

The Travelpak Traveller boasts the same features as the Lite with an added roll away Mosquito net (which saves the weight of a full length net. Square design converts to quilt.

  • Weight: 850g grams
  • Colors: Red, Olive & Black (Jungle Bag)
  • Sizes: Adult
  • Shape/Style: Square Foot
  • Zip: Left or Right Handed
  • Filling: Travelsoft
  • Outer Fabric: Micro & Antibacterial
  • Inner Fabric: Paratex Antibacterial
  • Pack size: 12 x 14 cm
  • Temp: Comfort 7°c Low 2°c
  • Other: Integrated Mosquito Net, Integrated Pocket
  • Activity: Travel, Trekking
  • Season: Warm Weather/indoor use 2 Season - late spring
  • Weight Category: 0 to 1.0 kg
  • Shape: Square
  • Origin: Imported
  • Features: Mosquito net, Antibacterial


Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Update- 21 Questions About Ebola



Urban Man recently received a message from Phil M. regarding the recent post about 21 Questions About Ebola. Phil's concerns are well founded and I thought I would post them for all to see.
Also, the attached video contain some scary issues about Ebola that I have not yet researched, but the author does provide his own resources as to how he came upon the information.

Here is what Phil had to say"

"I read your 21 questions about Ebola yesterday. I am very concerned about it's possible spread. I have come across several contradictory articles in the media reference the risk posed by dead bodies. One article on the CBC site stated that people in infected areas are leaving bodies in the street for teams in hazmat gear to dispose of because the bodies are so infectious after death. An article on the CTV site made no such claim however the impression given was that once a person died the risk on infection faded. Perhaps this should be question 22? Is there a palpable risk? If so, how can we reduce it? what precautions should we take around the dead? Now that there cases in Spain and the US that we know of, the risk of this getting out is increasing geometrically. I have had a fair amount of NBCW training during my Military Career so I am aware of the risks and I am not panicky about it. I am however concerned for my family members who live in large Metropolitan areas where there are just too many people in too small a space. That is a recipe for disaster.Your thoughts would be appreciated. TTFN Phil"

Phil,

Below are some known facts that we have about Ebola and its transmission to humans. Following the facts is a website that has very information information related to Ebola that will educate one on how to protect against it.

Transmission

It is thought that fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are natural Ebola virus hosts. Ebola is introduced into the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals such as chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines found ill or dead or in the rainforest.

Ebola then spreads through human-to-human transmission via direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and with surfaces and materials (e.g. bedding, clothing) contaminated with these fluids.

Health-care workers have frequently been infected while treating patients with suspected or confirmed EVD. This has occurred through close contact with patients when infection control precautions are not strictly practiced.

Burial ceremonies in which mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased person can also play a role in the transmission of Ebola.

People remain infectious as long as their blood and body fluids, including semen and breast milk, contain the virus. Men who have recovered from the disease can still transmit the virus through their semen for up to 7 weeks after recovery from illness.

Key facts


  • Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans.
  • The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.
  • The average EVD case fatality rate is around 50%. Case fatality rates have varied from 25% to 90% in past outbreaks.
  • The first EVD outbreaks occurred in remote villages in Central Africa, near tropical rain forests, but the most recent outbreak in west Africa has involved major urban as well as rural areas.
  • Community engagement is key to successfully controlling outbreaks. Good outbreak control relies on applying a package of interventions, namely case management, surveillance and contact tracing, a good laboratory service, safe burials and social mobilisation.
  • Early supportive care with rehydration, symptomatic treatment improves survival. There is as yet no licensed treatment proven to neutralise the virus but a range of blood, immunological and drug therapies are under development.
  • There are currently no licensed Ebola vaccines but 2 potential candidates are undergoing evaluation.

The below listed website has some good information on Ebola.

World Heath Organization Website
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/ebola/en/

Phil- thanks for your reply to my article and I hope this helps answer the questions that you asked. I am in no way an expert on the subject other than what I learn from the scientific websites covering the issue.

URBAN MAN

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Tactical Intelligence




Mac Slavo from SHTFPlan.com recently posted a compilation of a forum thread put together by Chris Kitze from Before Its News. The original thread, found on the Survivalist Boards, features one man’s (name Selco) first-hand account of living in a SHTF situation with his family during the Bosnia collapse of 1992. Many of the forum members peppered Selco with questions which he was graciously willing to answer. This is a compilation of those questions and answers.

In this compendium, Selco describes what it was like living in a city for a year without power, fuel, running water, food distribution or any semblance of traditional commerce. Their currency was useless, there were no police forces or government, and the streets were ruled by gangs and violence. The survival strategies that he, his family, and community used to stay alive are eye-opening and may change some of the priorities that you have when it comes to preparing for a SHTF scenario where you live. Although it’s long read, I highly recommend it given the wealth of knowledge taken from someone who’s lived it.


http://www.tacticalintelligence.net/blog/shtf-survival-qa-a-first-hand-account.htm

URBANMAN

Friday, September 26, 2014

Small, Gradual Survival Preps



Anonymous advice to LostAtTheEnd concerning Why the Need for Urban Survival......."Just continue to pick up items you can as you can get them. At least part of that task is underway You will find at first you may not feel like you have help but there are good sites just like this one. We found LDS folks to be very helpful. Seems they have made life practice of being prepared they also are very encouraging even if you are not LDS (we aren't). Talk with your mom and dad it sounds like they have real fiber. They may not have all the answers but they certainly will have info you will find helpful and offer support . Hang in and keep on keeping on! Dollar Tree (ships different items at different stores), and General Dollar Stores offer some deals on extra supplies for your storage. We watch for sales on items (cheap) which I am sure you do too. Once you hookup with other preppers you will find they have extra items they may sell or even give to you. You begin to feel more empowered as you find others of like or similar mindset. Hang in there."

UrbanMan's comments: Roger the good advice. I have had too many people tell me "it's too late to start prepping", whether we are talking about food stocking for gold and silver procurement. I always say, "it's only too late to prep when someoneis shoveling dirt over your face."

In a severe case of minimal resources,...meaning, money for the most part,.... ....someone may only have a few dollars of discretionary spending every pay period (two weeks). Five bucks can buy a few lbs of rice and a pack of bullion cubes. Two weeks later the next five dollars of discretionary spending can buy a couple packs of pinto beans.

Some of the "too laters" had this mentality for the past several years. Imagine where they would be now if they did what they could, when they could and continued to build. They could have stuck their five bucks every two weeks into a coffee can then after six months have some decent buying power for a larger load or something more expensive.

Having a yard or garage sale; a second, part time job are both ways to build additional income and therefore fund your preps.

A home based business not only can generate additional revenue, but can help save on taxes owed. A home based business is built around Products, Services or Information. Take a a look at what your personal assets are such as experience, personality, skills, potential markets, etc. I know a lady who makes soap for flea markets and gifts for relatives. This business expanded into lotions, then gift bags, then an internet site for electronic orders. This generated a decent amount of income, not to mention built some real skills.....how much would you trade for a bar of soap, after not having seen any since the collapse several years earlier?

And of course barter. There are reports all over the U.S. about larger groups of Americans moving to a barter society,.....even if it is just a small token protest against massive taxes. One of the best areas of barter to get into is the trading of produce.

So, the argument that it is too late to prep doesn't hold water,...neither does the "I don't have any money" argument.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Urban Survival Planning - Urban Mass Migration,.......again

I have written before about planning of subtle or mass migration effected by a collapse and knowing how that may affect you and you Survival site. Wouldn't you hate to be located right on/or near a major line of communication (highway or interstate) 10 miles out of a large metropolitan area when the food and water drys up? How many of the 200,000 people walking or driving out of the city will pay you a visit?

Mass migration is happening now,...for less that cataclysmic economic collapse reasons. This is creating vast areas of metropolitan areas vacated by "normal" population and left open for the use of criminal elements.


Yahoo! News reports, entitled: American Ghost Towns of the 21st Century

There are several counties in America, each with more than 10,000 homes, which have vacancy rates above 55%. The rate is above 60% in several.

Most people who follow unemployment and the housing crisis would expect high vacancy rates in hard-hit states including Nevada, Florida and Arizona. They were among the fastest growing areas from 2000 to 2010. Disaster struck once economic growth ended.

Palm Coast, Fla., Las Vegas and Cape Coral, Fla., were all among the former high fliers. Many large counties which have 20% or higher occupancy rates are in these same regions. Lee County, Fla., Yuma County, Ariz., Mohave County, Ariz., and Osceola, Fla., each had a precipitous drop in home prices and increases in vacancy rates as homebuyers disappeared when the economy went south.

Data from states and large metropolitan areas do not tell the story of how much the real estate disaster has turned certain areas in the country into ghost towns. Some of the affected regions are tourist destinations, but much of that traffic has disappeared as the recession has caused people to sell or desert vacation homes and delay trips for leisure. This makes these areas particularly desolate when tourists are not around.

The future of these areas is grim. Our research showed that many have sharply declining tax bases which have caused budget cuts. Forecasts are calling for the fiscal noose to tighten on them even tighter.

These are the American Ghost Towns of the 21st century. Each has a population of more than 10,000 along with vacancy rates of more than 55%, according to the 2010 U.S. Census.

1. Lake County, Mich.

Number of homes: 14,966
Vacancy rate: 66%
Population: 11,014

Lake County is located in central Michigan, a few hour's drive from the industrial cities of Flint, Pontiac and Detroit. It is in the heart of the state's fishing district and has been a vacation destination since the early years of the car industry. Many of those second home owners are now gone. This has helped drive nearly 20% of the residents below the poverty level and the median household income to under $27,000 a year.

2. Vilas County, Wis.

Number of homes: 25,116
Vacancy rate: 62%
Population: 21,919

Vilas County is located at the uppermost part of Wisconsin, near the border of the Northern Peninsula of Michigan. The county is plagued by two things. The first is that it has been a tourist area for Wisconsin residents. The second is that a significant part of the county's economy depends on the logging, forestry and construction industries, each of which struggled during the recession.

3. Summit County, Colo.

Number of homes: 29,842
Vacancy rate: 61%
Population: 26,843

Summit County sits northwest of the Pike National Forest and due west of Denver. The area is near to several major ski resorts. The local paper reports on revenue "The decrease isn't linked to the dramatic dip in assessed property values in Summit County, expected to be near 20 percent lower than in the previous valuation period. Those changes will show up in property tax bills starting in 2011."

4. Worcester County, Md.

Number of homes: 55,749
Vacancy rate: 60%
Population: 49,274

The Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation recently estimated that the county would have a sharp drop in its tax base in fiscal year 2012 and "another, more drastic, revenue decrease" for the fiscal year that follows. The twin engines of county's economy are tourism and agriculture. Experts believe the tourism business in Maryland's Eastern Shore could stay crippled for years.

5. Mono County, Calif.

Number of homes: 13,912
Vacancy rate: 59%
Population: 12,774

Mono County sits near the Sierra Nevada and Yosemite National Parks. Ironically, Bodie, the official state gold rush ghost town, is in Mono County. Finance Director Brian Muir recently said he expected another property drop in property tax receipts. Like most of the other counties on this list, tourism is a major source of revenue for its economy.

6. Dare County, N.C.

Number of homes: 33,492
Vacancy rate: 57%
Population: 95,828

Dare County includes the northern-most parts of North Carolina's Outer Banks. The situation in the vacation area is so severe that the "Outer Banks Voice" recently wrote, "If Dare County Manager Bobby Outten was intending to sound an alarm by suggesting that the EMS helicopter and school nurses were expendable in the next budget, he probably succeeded." His comments are unlikely to be terribly different from those of other executives of counties on the list. Vacant homes and homes which lose double-digit amounts of their value each year irreparably undermine the tax base. And, as services fall, fewer potential homeowners will consider investing in the area.

7. Dukes County, Mass.

Number of homes: 17,188
Vacancy rate: 57%
Population: 15,527

Dukes County encompasses the island of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. The enemy of the local budget is, as is true for most of the counties on this list, falling property values. Vacationers still flock to the resort island in the summer as do seasonal workers. The county is close to deserted when the weather turns cold.

8. Sawyer County, Wis.

Number of homes: 15,975
Vacancy rate: 56%
Population: 17,117

The Sawyer County website has a link, prominently placed on the homepage, which goes to a list of foreclosed homes for sales by the sheriff's department. There are not many new homebuyers. The number of people who live in the county was flat from 2000 to 2010. The Hayward Community School District, located in Sawyer, will probably close one of its elementary schools. Sawyer is a fishing and biking destination, and has suffered from a drop in travelers from the southern part of the state.

9. Burnett County, Wis.

Number of homes: 15,278
Vacancy rate: 55%
Population: 16,196

Burnett County is at the western most part of Wisconsin near Minneapolis. The county's population fell from 2000 to 2010. County Administrator Candace Fitzgerald recently said that proposed budget cuts "could prove to be devastating and very hard to recover from." The county's attractiveness as a tourist destination has faltered. Home values have fallen for three consecutive years. Cuts in the Wisconsin State budget will lower state aid. People are more likely to default and abandon vacation homes than their primary residences. This has probably been an important reason vacancy rates in rural tourist areas in Wisconsin are so high.

10. Aitkin County, Minn.

Number of homes: 16,029
Vacancy rate: 54%
Population: 15,736

Aitkin County offers visitors two seasons for recreation. The first is in the summer when fishing is popular. The second is winter when snowmobilers come north. Aitkin is the last of the counties on the 24/7 Wall St. list demonstrating that rural regions which rely on tourists are especially exposed to economic hardship in a recession. They may take longer to recover than some industrialized cities do.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

SHTF Poll: What are You Worried About

Is there anybody who knows about your surviving the collapse preparation, and whether or not they are being derisive or just plain curious, asks questions similar to ”Don’t you think you’re being just a little paranoid?”, “What do you fear?”, “What do you think is going to happen?”, etc.

Well I generally say something to the effect that while there is no shortage of things to be worried about, I am not generally focused on any one type of collapse or SHTF scenario, just getting better prepared to live and survive in a environment with degraded security and utilities infrastructure, where the ability to obtain food is greatly reduced. Well, that about covers what would happen in any type of collapse.

I recently saw a poll where common Americans, not necessarily forward thinking citizens who are planning ahead, were asked: ”What life changing, catastrophic events (list all that are applicable) do they fear the most?”

63% of the respondents said Economic Collapse was the most likely catalyst for TEOTWAWKI.

46% said that a Natural Disaster, on terms greater than Katrina, was what scared them the most.

44% of the poll takers stated that a Terrorist Attack was what the feared.

33% of the respondents believed that a Global or National Disease Outbreak was a likely catalyst for collapse.

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Did the new health care law give Obama a Nazi-like "private army" of 6,000 people?






I just recently read an article on www.americannews.com contain the below heading. It appears that in the article, our President has powers to establish a civilian type Army under the Obamacare laws. But it appears that the law is being read incorrectly. Read the article below that was posted on americannews.com and then following the article, read what is really means. The clarification was provide by www.factcheck.org.

"All Armed Americans To Be Detained In FEMA Camps Starting In 2017

When President Obama was campaigning in 2008, he made a statement that seemed daunting to most. He told the American public that we were in need of a private, civilian army that was equally funded as the regular army.

“We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we’ve set,” he told the audience. “We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.”

Of course, the quote got very little coverage from the liberal media, and it wasn’t long until this sentiment was
forgotten completely.

Now, however, concerns are rising again as some are question whether Obama’s vision for a private army is
actually becoming a reality. Some believe that the loophole may have been included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, in section 5210, which is called “Establishing a Ready Reserve Corps.”

This is what the bill outlines:

H. R. 3590-496 (Page 496) SEC. 5210. ESTABLISHING A READY RESERVE CORPS.

Section 203 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 204) is amended to read as follows: “SEC. 203.

COMMISSIONED CORPS AND READY RESERVE CORPS. “(a) ESTABLISHMENT.

“(1) IN GENERAL. There shall be in the Service a commissioned Regular Corps and a Ready Reserve Corps for service in time of national emergency.

“(2) REQUIREMENT. All commissioned officers shall be citizens of the United States and shall be appointed without regard to the civil-service laws and compensated without regard to the Classification Act of 1923, as amended.

“(3) APPOINTMENT. Commissioned officers of the Ready Reserve Corps shall be appointed by the President and commissioned officers of the Regular Corps shall be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.

“(4) ACTIVE DUTY. Commissioned officers of the Ready Reserve Corps shall at all times be subject to call to active duty by the Surgeon General, including active duty for the purpose of training.

So it appears that the President has actually signed a bill into law that gives him the power to create a standing army of soldiers that are not only being trained, but are ready for deployment at any time. And this may be the fuel to the fire when it comes to the theory of FEMA Camps.

FEMA stands for Federal Emergency Management Agency, who have a mission to “support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.”

FEMA is part of the Department of Homeland Security, and has been since 2003.

While it is not a bad thing to have someone standing by to help the nation recover from natural disasters, something doesn’t sit right about a private organization that has the right to seize control of the government and suspend the Constitution if “deemed necessary.”

The last piece of the puzzle is the Readiness Exercise 1984, which is a plan by the federal government to test their ability to detain large numbers of American citizens during a state of civil unrest or emergency. The project was launched under Reagan, and has been kept somewhat of a mystery ever since.

Now it appears that FEMA camps are being built in plain sight, and some fear that the US government is just steps away from attempting to exercise a harsh level of control over the Americana people.

What do you think? Is this plan terrifying?"


Here is what factcheck.org provided in the interpretation of the law:

Q: Did the new health care law give Obama a Nazi-like "private army" of 6,000 people?

A: No. Contrary to false Internet rumors, the new Ready Reserve Corps of doctors and other health workers will report to the surgeon general and be like the "ready reserves" in other uniformed services. They will be used during health emergencies.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Why The Collapse Is Coming

Many Preppers have their own version of why they are preparing and why they think the collapse, of any type, will be coming.   But here is the cold hard truth:
We will never be able to pay off the Federal Debt.  The government (Dems and Republicans in Congress and the Executive Office) will never be able to reconcile their ideology differences and develop solutions for the good of the country - even if there was time; The government will soon cease to exist and therefore be able to pay it's "obligations" which the biggest end if entitlements.  Which will put almost 50% of Americans on the streets and push communities into anarchy and chaos.  Deaths from violence, starvation and disease will be rampant.

 An article by Terance P. Jeffrey says that:

"When America re-elected President Barack Obama in 2012, we had not quite reached the point where more than half the country was taking benefits from the federal government."

"It is a reasonable bet, however, that with the implementation of Obamacare — with its provisions expanding Medicaid and providing health-insurance subsidies to people earning up to 400 percent of poverty — that if we have not already surpassed that point (not counting those getting veterans benefits) we soon will."

"The 153,323,000 total benefit-takers at the end of 2012, said the Census Bureau, equaled 49.5 percent of the population. The 150,026,000 taking benefits other than veterans' benefits equaled about 48.5 percent of the population."

"In 2012, according to the Census Bureau, there were 103,087,000 full-time year round workers in the United States (including 16,606,000 full-time year-round government workers). Thus, the welfare-takers outnumbered full- time year-round workers by 6,544,000."

"In the fourth quarter of 2008, when President Obama was elected, there were 96,197,000 people living in
households taking benefits from one or more federal welfare programs. After four years, by the fourth quarter of 2012, that had grown by 13,434,000.

Those 13,434,000 additional people on welfare outnumbered the 12,882,135."

The collapse of the dollar world-wide or a significant jump in the inflation rate - for which the real rates are being kept secret by the Administration, will trigger this.  Imagine what will happen when over 100 million Americans cannot get food to fed their families.   It's going to happen.  Plan well, prepare even better.  

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Twenty-one Questions About Ebola




Here is an interesting article that opens the door for a lot of Preper thinking. What steps are you taking to protect yourself and your family from something like this? Do you have the training and equipment to handle such a problem? I read this article on the Weekly Peak Prosperity Newsletter.

Twenty-one questions about Ebola: government propaganda, medical corruptionand bio-weapons experiments


Something's fishy about the official stories we're being told on Ebola. Things don't add up, which is why I'm posing these twenty-one important questions we should all be considering:



#1) How can U.S. health authorities claim there is zero risk from Ebola patients being treated in U.S. hospitals when those same hospitals can't control superbug infections? "Many hospitals are poorly prepared to contain any pathogen. That’s why at least 75,000 people a year die from hospital infections. If hospitals can’t stop common infections like MRSA, C. diff and VRE, they can’t handle Ebola." - Fox News

#2) Why should we trust the CDC's handling of Ebola when the agency can't even keep track of its anthrax, avian flu and smallpox samples?

#3) Why were Ebola victims transported to cities in the USA when they could be given state-of-the-art medical care overseas? "Now, they are bringing in highly infectious patients into this nation that is Ebola-free. In doing so, they are violating the primary rule of contagion: isolation." - Radio host Michael Savage

#4) Why is the company working on Ebola vaccines -- Tekmira -- receiving money from Monsanto and considers Monsanto to be one of its important business partners?

#5) If Ebola is "not a threat" to U.S. citizens as government authorities keep claiming, then why did the U.S. Department of Defense spend $140 million on an Ebola-related contract with the Tekmira company?

#6) If Ebola is not a threat to the U.S., then why did the Department of Defense deploy Ebola detection equipment to all 50 states?

#7) Why did President Obama just sign a new executive order authorizing the government arrest and quarantine of Americans who show symptoms of respiratory infections?

The language of his new executive order states that government officials may forcibly detain and quarantine people with: ...diseases that are associated with fever and signs and symptoms of pneumonia or other respiratory illness, are capable of being transmitted from person to person, and that either are causing, or have the potential to cause, a pandemic, or, upon infection, are highly likely to cause mortality or serious morbidity if not properly controlled.

#8) How can we trust a government to tell us the truth about Ebola when that same government repeatedly lies about Swine Flu, influenza, Fukushima radiation, weather control technology, the security of the border and seemingly everything else?

#9) If U.S. doctors claim to be so incredibly careful around Ebola that the virus could not possibly escape from the containment rooms at Emory University, then how did the American doctors being treated there contract Ebola in the first place? Weren't they also being careful?

#10) How are U.S. doctors and health workers supposed to even identify people with Ebola when they appear "fit and healthy" right until the very end? "What's shocking is how healthy the patients look before they die and how quickly they decline. A number of the Ebola patients I've seen look quite fit and healthy and can be walking around until shortly before their deaths." - Dr. Oliver Johnson

#11) If Ebola is not spread through the air as some claim, then why do doctors who treat Ebola patients always wear masks?

#12) If hospitals are good at infection control, then why did so many SARS victims contract the infection while sitting in waiting rooms at hospitals? "A government report later concluded that for the hospital overcome by SARS, 'infection control was not a high priority.' Eventually, 77% of the people who contracted SARS there got it while working, visiting or being treated in a hospital." - Fox News

#13) If Ebola escapes from patients at Emory University and begins to infect the public, do you think we would ever be told the truth about it? Or instead, would the official story claim that "Ebola terrorists" let it loose?

#14) WHO BENEFITS FROM AN EBOLA OUTBREAK in the USA? This is a key question to ask, and the answers are obvious: the CDC, vaccine manufacturers and pharma companies, and anyone in government who wants to declare a police state and start rounding people up for quarantine in a medical emergency.

#15) We already know there are powerful people who openly promote population reduction (Bill Gates, Ted Turner, etc.) Is a staged Ebola outbreak possibly a deliberate population reduction plan by some group that doesn't value human life and wants to rapidly reduce the population?

#16) Why are U.S. health authorities intentionally concealing from the public the true number of possible Ebola victims in U.S. hospitals who are being tested for Ebola right now? "In an apparent attempt to avoid hysteria, U.S. health authorities are withholding details about a number of suspected Ebola victims from the public." - Paul Joseph Watson, Infowars

#17) If Ebola infections are so easy to control (as is claimed by U.S. health authorities), then why are Ebola victim bodies being openly dumped in the streets in West Africa? "Relatives of Ebola victims in Liberia defied government quarantine orders and dumped infected bodies in the streets as West African governments struggled to enforce tough measures to curb an outbreak..." - Reuters

#18) Why do many locals in Sierra Leone truly believe the recent Ebola outbreak was deliberately caused by government officials? "Ebola is a new disease in Sierra Leone and when the first cases emerged, many people thought it might be a government conspiracy to undermine certain tribal groups, steal organs or get money from international donors..." - The Daily Mail

#19) Given that the U.S. government has already funded outrageous medical experiments on Americans and foreigners (see the NIH-funded Guatemalan medical experiments), why should we not believe the government is capable of deploying Ebola in bio-weapons experiments in West Africa?

#20) Given that many vaccines accidentally cause the disease they claim to prevent (due to weakened viruses still remaining active in a small number of vaccine vials), isn't it likely that Ebola vaccines might actually cause Ebola infections in some percentage of those receiving them? How can we trust any vaccines when vaccine manufacturers have been granted absolute legal immunity from faulty products or failures in quality control?

#21) How can we trust a medical system that continues to put mercury in flu shots, refuses to recommend vitamin D to cancer patients and has been criminally corrupted to the point where drug companies are routinely charged with felony crimes for bribery and price fixing?


Wednesday, July 30, 2014

How the Stock Market Almost Crashed


And of course, if the Stock Market did collapse, even from a Cyber Attack, it could be the catalyst for the general economic- societal collapse that would plunge this country into chaos.

How elite hackers (almost) stole the NASDAQ

http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/07/how-elite-hackers-almost-stole-the-nasdaq/

In 2010, elite hackers, most likely from Russia, used at least two zero-day vulnerabilities to penetrate the computer network operated by Nasdaq Stock Market, a hack that allowed them to roam unmolested for months and plant destructive malware 
designed to cause disruptions, according to a media report published Thursday.

The intrusion initially caught the attention of officials inside the National Security Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency, and departments of Defense, Treasury, and Homeland Security for two reasons, Bloomberg Businessweek journalist Michael Riley
reported in an article headlined How Russian Hackers Stole the Nasdaq. 

One, it appeared to be the work of hackers sponsored by Russia or another powerful nation state.

Two, far from the typical espionage campaigns that merely siphon out secret data, the malware involved in the attack contained what early on appeared to be a digital bomb that could cause serious damage.

Riley's 3,100-word cover article traces the resulting federal investigation, which also involved the FBI, Secret Service, the National Cyber security and Communications Integration Center, and on at least three occasions, briefings provided to President
Barack Obama.


Ultimately, analysis of the malware showed its capabilities were less destructive than earlier believed, but there was still cause for concern. As ARS reported last year, it came around the same time that five eastern European men allegedly breached networks belonging to Nasdaq and at least seven other financial institutions.

According to federal prosecutors, one of the suspects, upon gaining persistent control over the world's second biggest stock exchange, proclaimed "NASDAQ is owned."

"While the hack was successfully disrupted, it revealed how vulnerable financial exchanges—as well as banks, chemical refineries, water plants, and electric utilities— are to digital assault," Riley wrote of the 2010 campaign. "One official who experienced the event firsthand says he thought the attack would change everything, that it would force the US to get serious about preparing for a new era of conflict by computer. He was wrong."

UrbanMan's comment: What would a cyber initiated attack on the stock market mean? It would certainly cause a panic on the banks. A shutdown of banking transactions, including ATM's and debit card purchases, even credit cards. This means that there would be 40 -100 million people hungry, pissed off and likely armed rosaming around on Day Two, maybe Day Three. Even if the cyber attack damage is fixed within a short time,....3 to 7 days, there would be chaos and anarchy on our streets and in our neighborhoods. I hope you have cash on hand, at least some silver rounds and coins stored, firearms for protection and water-food for sustanence.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

The UN Is Preparing to Impose Martial Law On the US


This is an article by Dave Hodges, titled "The UN Is Positioning to Lock Down the US" and published on another site as "The UN Is Preparing to Impose Martial Law On the US", as the word "martial law" spins people up.

Urban Man's Comments: This title stood out for me as I am currently reading the excellent Survivalist series by A. American. The fourth book as recently published and the entire series now includes these titles: Going Home, Surviving Home, Escaping Home and Forsaking Home.

This series prostelizes a collapse of the United States where DHS emerges as the national power, building "refugee camps" where Americans are brutalized and forces into hard, manual labor and where the words freedom or liberty don't mean a damn thing. Can it happen? Essentially, anything is possible when the power and other utilities grid is down for the count.

I think A. American's series is the best series in the Survivalists genre. Realistic as far as what you could expect, and, instructional as you can see potential solutions to the problems that arise in the books. And isn't that why we read these novels? To see problems and situations and ask ourselves what would we do?

While, I do not subscribe to Mr. Hodges fears of a U.N. occupation force enforcing martial law some of the supporting facts either support his hypothesis or are being manipulated to support, namely the purging of the military by the Executive Office, support of the UN small arms (gun ban) treaty which appears to be happening somewhat. As far as FEMA purchases I cannot determine the validity of these.

The UN Is Preparing to Impose Martial Law On the United States?

I have been writing that my military sources tell me that their greatest fears are beginning to become realized because the United States will be, in the relatively near future, this country will be under martial law and the bulk of the occupation force will be comprised by foreign troops operating under the flag of the United Nations. Under the heading, “Hiding in plain sight”, the United Nations is advertising for the following position:

Posting Title: Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Officer, P4 Job Title Code: DISARMAMENT, DEMOBILIBATION AND REINTEGRATION OFFICER
Department/Office: Department of Peacekeeping Operations
Duty Station: New York
Job Description: A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in disarmament, demobilization and reintegration or related area. Experience working within peacekeeping, peace-building or development programs operations is desirable. Experience with small arms control, conflict/post-conflict crisis management, economic recovery is desirable. Experience coordinating multiple partner agencies, funds or programs is desirable.

Analysis of the Job Description

Peacekeeping is normally the euphemism reserved for gun confiscation and population subjugation. If there is any doubt to the veracity of this claim, the following phrase “Experience with small arms control“, should remove any doubt as to what is coming. Further this job description uses phrases such as “demobilization“. Further the phrase “reintegration” is also significant. By definition, what is a re-education camp designed for? Quite simply put, it is designed for reintegration back into society. Back into society from where? This question can be answered with a pair of four letter words, FEMA Camp.

No doubt that some people, wanting to remain in a state of denial, will ignore the term used in the UN job advertisement, “small arms control“, which is significant since because we know that Secretary of State, John Kerry, illegally signed the UN gun ban treaty representing an unconstitutional end run around the Second Amendment. What is highly significant is that nobody seems to be talking with regard to this illegitimate imposition of foreign troops on our soil is represented in the phrase “conflict/post conflict management“! What conflict/post conflict management? Conflict management is another euphemism reserved for one of two possibilities. First, this implies there will be a civil war.

With over 260+ senior military officers fired by Obama for not embracing the future need to fire on American citizens, speaks clearly to this point.

Ask yourself, what would be the one thing that this administration could do that would guarantee a violent response from many of the people? That one thing would be to start seizing private guns. Foreign troops operating under the UN flag. Obama is in the midst of purging the military leadership who will not indiscriminately fire upon American citizens who would resist having their Second Amendment rights obliterated by this present administration. Secondly, in order to create the manufactured need to impose martial law, the administration would need a pretext. I have been covering the pretext for nearly a year. In fact, the pretext has been rehearsed repeatedly since last fall.

Rehearsing for Martial Law

Last fall, FEMA, DHS and select foreign entities extensively rehearsed for the following contingencies in the following list of list of the preparedness and disaster drills planned and carried out over a six week period:

1. FEMA purchase orders for over $14.2 million for MREs and heater meals to be delivered to Region III by October 1st, 2013.
2. FEMA purchase orders for 22 million pouches of emergency water to be delivered to Region III by October 1st, 2013.
3. FEMA purchase orders for $13.6 million for MREs and heater meals to be delivered to Austin, TX. by October 1st, 2013.
4. $11 million in antibiotics to be delivered to FEMA region III by October 1st ordered by CDC
5, Nine-week training course for UN Peacekeepers in CONUS to learn Urban Warfare, English, and US weapons systems beginning late July for 386,000 troops to be completed by October 1st 6. Great Shakeout Drill Scheduled for October 17, 2013
7. More Than 1,000 Banks Plan National Cyber-Attack Drill Oct. 16-17, Oct. 23-24
8. Quantum Dawn’ Is a Cyber-Attack Bank Drill –
9. GridEx2 Nov. 13-14

The Grid EXs drill was the most concerning of these drills because it rehearsed and EMP attack upon our grid and estimates at the time forecasted a 90% mortality rate. in America. following such an event within two years.

The most telling part of these drills is that they all have in common the need to impose strict martial law in which the tenets of EO 13603 will come into play.

Last fall, I expressed serious concerns over so many of these drills taking place in such a short period of time. I raised the question of martial law arising from any one of these events going hot. In hindsight, I think I was too close to the truth as to what is coming because even the Russian media invited me on a news show that is distributed in New York City and Washington DC, as well as in 35 other countries.

On October 28, 2013, I was contacted by reporter and producer, Victoria Mashkova, from the Voice of Russia (formerly Radio Moscow), and was invited on to their radio program to discuss the possibility of martial law coming to America. I accepted and in the early morning hours I participated in a 10 minute interview.

Inside of the United States today, there are untold numbers of Russian troops for which I have received reports of sightings from first-hand witnesses. It is quite apparent that Russian troops will be used as a UN force whose purpose is gun confiscation, American citizen detention and Lord knows what else when martial law is finally declared.

The Russians have a vested interest to conceal their true intentions related to why they have thousands of troops inside of our country. As I lay out the events connected to the interview it will become increasingly clear that I was invited to appear on VOR to completely discredit the notion that America would be going into martial law.

Now, if I was a merely some crazed conspiracy theorist, this Russian version of the mainstream media would just simply ignore me. However, when they go out of their way to discredit my views as it relates to them, they clearly have something to hide and were operating from a state-sponsored agenda.

Voice of Russia Attacked Dave Hodges to Conceal Russian Participation In Martial Law Preparations

After inviting me to appear on the VOR, the producer, Victoria Maskova, had requested a bio which I provided as detailed below:

“I am a retired college basketball coach. A former mental health counselor. I have taught graduate and undergraduate psychology, sociology and research classes.”

At the beginning of the interview, the Russian host, Kate Zickel, introduced me as merely the “Host of The Common Sense Show” and there was no mention of my academic credentials. Immediately, I felt this was an attempt to marginalize my credibility by ignoring the requested credentials I provided VOR with regard to my background in which I characterized myself as a researcher, someone who is knowledgeable about social systems as well as human nature.

Over the past several years, I have done enough mainstream radio media interviews to recognize a “set up” when I see it coming.

Make no mistake about it, VOR is a propaganda instrument of the Russian government and their handling of the interview and post-interview situations pointed to their propagandizing of their interview of me. After the interview, their post-show analysis categorized me as an extremist for stating that America was prepping for martial law. If we were not prepping for martial law then what the hell were the nine referenced FEMA/DHS drills, taking place in a six week period, in which foreign troops played a prominent role, used for?

Look at item number five in last year’s martial law preparation drills. “5, Nine week training course for UN Peacekeepers in CONUS to learn Urban Warfare, English, and US weapons systems beginning late July for 386,000 troops to be completed by October 1st“.

Please note the designation and use of terms for “386,000 troops” and, “UN Peacekeepers in CONUS to learn urban warfare”. This does not leave much to the imagination now does it?

And when the UN does take control, they won't have to round up a large percentage of Americans. Many of them will come willingly to the camps. You can bet on it.

Urban Man

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Pandemic Disease as a Collapse Catalyst

Note:  Since I wrote this story preparing to post it there have been two related incidents involving disease or pandemic catalysts:  1 - vials of  small pox being found in the closet of the National Institute of Health,...obviously some employee planning, maybe years ago, to steal this deadly virus, and 2 - a case of Pneumonic Plague found in Colorado - and this disease killed millions of people in the Middle Ages. 

Friends of mine in Texas have been sending me e-mails and links about the mass of illegal aliens, many of whom are "unaccompanied alien children", that are flooding the border. We have all seen the news article of the federal government busing groups of these illegals to military bases and other towns where they will be released after being given a date to come back for an immigration court hearing. I am being told that 99 - 100% of these released aliens do not come back or otherwise appear for an immigration hearing nor does the federal government know where these illegal aliens are.

Some of the other related stories are that there are many sick illegal aliens having H1N1 Flu, Scabies, Dengue fever and even TB, then not only being released but being bused to locations in the interior U.S. before being released.

As we know about communicable diseases and the incubation timeline, some aliens who are sick or carrying a communicable disease will be asymptomatic for a numbers of days until they become disease spreaders.

Imagine a terrorist group either unwittingly infecting aliens right before they cross into the U.S. Or infecting jihadist volunteers who enter the U.S. to spread a disease. What would that be like if that disease was a weaponized disease?

At the very least this should bring to light medical screening processes and standards for prepper groups if/when they encounter refugees knocking at the gates. Do you have procedures? Protective equipment? AT the very least rubber gloves and masks!  Any test equipment aside from visual inspection? If you plan on the possibility of accepting refugees, do you have a quarantine process?

I was sent this news article written by Todd Starnes of Fox News concerning this threat of contagious diseases, and the Federal governments desire to minimize reports of the border being over run and the disease threat these illegal immigrants bring.

Medical staff warned: Keep your mouths shut about illegal immigrants or face arrest

A government-contracted security force threatened to arrest doctors and nurses if they divulged any information about the contagion threat at a refugee camp housing illegal alien children at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, sources say.

In spite of the threat, several former camp workers broke their confidentiality agreements and shared exclusive details with me about the dangerous conditions at the camp. They said taxpayers deserve to know about the contagious diseases and the risks the children pose to Americans. I have agreed to not to disclose their identities because they fear retaliation and prosecution.

My sources say Americans should be very concerned about the secrecy of the government camps.

“There were several of us who wanted to talk about the camps, but the agents made it clear we would be arrested,” a psychiatric counselor told me. “We were under orders not to say anything.”

The sources said workers were guarded by a security force from the BCFS, which the Department of Health and Human Services hired to run the Lackland Camp.

The sources say security forces called themselves the “Brown Shirts.”

“It was a very submissive atmosphere,” the counselor said. “Once you stepped onto the grounds, you abided by their laws – the Brown Shirt laws.”

She said the workers were stripped of their cellphones and other communication devices. Anyone caught with a phone was immediately fired.

“Everyone was paranoid,” she said. “The children had more rights than the workers.”

She said children in the camp had measles, scabies, chicken pox and strep throat as well as mental and emotional issues.

“It was not a good atmosphere in terms of health,” she said. “I would be talking to children and lice would just be climbing down their hair.”

A former nurse at the camp told me she was horrified by what she saw.

“We have so many kids coming in that there was no way to control all of the sickness – all this stuff coming into the country,” she said. “We were very concerned at one point about strep going around the base.”

Both the counselor and the nurse said their superiors tried to cover up the extent of the illnesses.

“When they found out the kids had scabies, the charge nurse was adamant – ‘Don’t mention that. Don’t say scabies,’” the nurse recounted. “But everybody knew they had scabies. Some of the workers were very concerned about touching things and picking things up. They asked if they should be concerned, but they were told don’t worry about it.”

The nurse said the lice issue was epidemic – but everything was kept “hush-hush.”

“You could see the bugs crawling through their hair,” she said. “After we would rinse out their hair, the sink would be loaded with black bugs.”

The nurse told me she became especially alarmed because their files indicated the children had been transported to Lackland on domestic charter buses and airplanes.

“That’s what alerted me,” she said. “Oh, my God. They’re flying these kids around. Nobody knows that these children have scabies and lice. To tell you the truth, there’s no way to control it.”

I don't mean to upset anyone's Independence Day vacation plans, but were these kids transported to the camps before or after they were deloused? Anyone who flies the friendly skies could be facing a public health concern.

The counselor told me the refugee camp resembled a giant emergency room – off limits to the public. “They did not want the community to know,” she said. “I initially spoke out at Lackland because I had a concern the children’s mental health care was not being taken care of.”

She said the breaking point came when camp officials refused to hospitalize several children who were suicidal. “I made a recommendation that a child needed to be sent to a psychiatric unit,” the counselor told me. “He was reaching psychosis. He was suicidal. Instead of treating him, they sent him off to a family in the United States.”

She said she filed a Child Protective Services report and quit her job. “I didn’t want to lose my license if this kid committed suicide,” she told me. “I was done.”

The counselor kept a detailed journal about what happened during her tenure at the facility. “When people read that journal they are going to be astonished,” she said. ‘I don’t think they will believe what is going on in America.”

So it was not a great surprise, she said, when she received a call from federal agents demanding that she return to the military base and hand over her journal.

She said she declined to do so. “I didn’t go back to Lackland,” she said. Both workers told me while they have no regrets, they want to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals.

“They’re going to crush the system,” the nurse told me. “We can’t sustain this. They are overwhelming the system and I think it’s a travesty.”

BCFS spokeswoman Krista Piferrer tells me the agency takes “any allegation of malfeasance or inappropriate care of a child very seriously.” “There are a number of checks and balances to ensure children are receiving appropriate and adequate mental health care,” she said.

Piferrer said the clinicians are supervised by a federal field specialist from HHS’s Office of Refugee Resettlement. She also said BCFS have 58 medical professionals serving at Lackland.

“Every illness, whether it is a headache or something more serious, is recorded in a child’s electronic medical record and posted on WebEOC – a real-time, web-based platform that is visible to not only BCFS but the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,” she said. As for those brown shirts, the BCFS said they are “incident management team personnel” – who happen to wear tan shirts.

My sources say Americans should be very concerned about the secrecy of the government camps. “This is just the beginning,” one source told me. "It is a long-term financial responsibility.”

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Survival Planning, Prepping and Bugging Out With a Handicapped Family Member

Urban Survival Skills received this request for advice concerning prepping and bug out with a disabled child. I edited the letter to provide some semblance of OPSEC for the writer but want to post this to reach a larger group for potential advice to this prepper with a special needs child.

I am a single parent of a severely disabled child. My child is wheelchair bound, tube fed, in diapers, and developmentally at a pre-schooler level. My child is on medication for seizures. I'm stockpiling Nutren, diapers, and feeding supplies at our family farm which is a fairly short drive away (approx. 28 miles) though a suburban area. I am very concerned about getting myself and my child to the famr as well as having meds for long term care in the case of disaster. Could you please give advice on:

1) How do I know when to bug out?
2) Bug out bags. My child is 80 lbs and I'm 115 lbs. I can put a bag on the wheelchair chair and carry a bug out bag myself, but what weight? What are top priority items?
3) I have a small 4 wheel drive vehicle if driving is an option. Any advice on choosing route, stopping for extra fuel, etc.?
4) I have safety concerns about walking alone with my child. Advice? I am still learning to shoot and getting a gun soon. I am in pretty good shape, but small.
5) What can I do to get seizure meds for long term?

We are working on getting the farm prepared with food, water systems, generators, etc. at the my relatives adjoining property. Getting there with my child safely is my biggest concern. Any advice you have is appreciated. Thank you!
Okay readers, lets help this person out. Here is my initial response:

When to Bug Out. This is an individual call and not a one size fits all protocol. It is based on how safe and prepared you are where you are currently at, and, how far you have to go and the associated risks involved with that movement. I can advise that it would be too late when there are riots in the streets over food, or lack of food; too late when mass of refugees flood the routes; too late when cell phone communications are down; and, too late when martial law and therefore freedom of movement is restricted.

  It may be time to Bug Out when utilities (water and electricity) are intermittent and there are long lines at gas stations and grocery stores with associated shortages. It may be time when your and instincts tell you things are not going to get better. I advise multiple means of communications between you and your family members or friends that are going to bug out and rally on the farm. Develop a brevity code as well so if and when you have comms (voice or text) you can minimize transmission times and therefore chances of misunderstandings or intermittent service cutting you off.

Bug Out Bags. I think the priority are all the meds and supplies necessary for your child. Food, water and all gear necessary to support a walk from your house to the Bug Out location (the farm). This may include food that does not have to be cooked. Depending upon where you live and the seasons, e.g..weather factors, you may need sleeping bags or cold weather gear and things like that. In your case a short walk to your Bug Out location (the farm) could be accomplished in one day, but if you are pushing a wheelchair this may turn into 2 maybe even 4 days depending again on factors outside your control such as weather, threat, etc.

If you have selected Bug Out routes you may elect to emplace a small cache or two to support the movement to your Bug Out location (the farm) as support in case you can't make the distance as planned or the threat is too much that it reduces your travel speed.         

Bug Out Vehicle. A 4x4 is ideal, especially one that's good on gas and has a short wheel base for mobility. If you never let your vehicle get below 1/2 tank of gas you'll have plenty to make the Bug Out movement, based on the travel distance you mentioned. But I would advise an extra 5 gallon fuel can or two. Keep these full and rotate fuel every month. Or you can just get them filed when you think the collapse is beginning and when fuel is till available. You should have several routes if possible. When you have to Bug Out, choose the route based on the current events and threats. You need to drive routes as a rehearsal. You should also look at several foot routes in case you have to move over land on foot. Look for routes that provide cover and concealment and will not be routes for the refugee traffic or obvious routes for anyone else.  This is going to be hard to move a wheel chair over.  Maybe you can look at an ATV with a small trailer to move your child with?    

Walking Alone/Security/Weapon Choice.   By all means learn how to shoot and buy a gun. Actually a handgun and a rifle would be good. Weight and bulk of ammunition is going to impact what you can carry overland on foot. Think about pre-positioning additional ammunition and firearms at the farm. But if you are planning on Bugging Out by yourself, driving or walking, you will need to protect yourself. A semi-auto, magazine fed rifle such as an M-1 carbine, Mini-14, M-4/AR-15 type clone - these are all lightweight (as they come) and would allow you the firepower to defend yourself against multiple bad guys. And here's a hint, almost everybody will be a bad guy.

I have recently been in contact with a lady who just could not afford a modern magazine fed rifle such as an M-4/AR-15 type.  She already had a .22 LR revolver, so she ended up buying a Ruger 10/22 semi-auto .22 LR rifle and a couple of large capacity magazines for it.   Certainly a person would not want to have their safety dependent upon a rimfire cartridge,....but the first rule of a gun fight is to have a, gun and ammo compatibility plus affordability was paramount to this lady.      

Lastly, Medications. I know this is a primary concern of yours. Medications have a shelf life, which is usually several years after the expiration date if you store it in a safe and controlled manner. Research what Vet (animal) meds could possibly be used to mitigate or treat your child's seizures.   Locate the nearest Vet. Many rural vets operate out of a truck with a refrigerator. Vets can also serve as make shift Doctors too in an emergency. You may be able to stock up some meds if you don't use them but continue to get scripts for them but be aware that this is likely illegal. 

You may need to have some silver in order to barter for some meds during a collapse.  Consider having a silver bullion in 1 ounce rounds of bars in case this is the case.  

You have tough conditions to work out, but I know you can do it as you have no other choice.  Get to know your neighbors around the farm (your Bug Out location).  If the houses are close enough you may be able to string a couple of TA-1 military phones and wire between to facilitate communications.  Make sure that stocking food, seeds and having a safe water source are taken care of at the farm as well. 

I hope readers will respond with some additional advice. Many, if not most, of the readers will have better ideas.  Good luck and be safe.       

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

As Oil Prices Go, So Does Silver - Prepare for Economic Collapse

An article posted on Deviant Investor makes the case that silver is related to crude oil prices. The original title of the article is: "What Crude Oil Says About Silver" - If you want to know where silver prices are going, ask crude oil! Prices are volatile, spiked high and low in 2008, and have, on average, risen steadily for the past 14 years.

Crude Oil Prices:

December 1998 Crude Oil price was under $11 (silver roughly $4.85)

January 2000: Crude Oil price was about $24 (silver roughly $5.25)

July 2008: Crude Oil price topped about $147 (silver roughly $18.40)

December 2008: Crude Oil prices crashed to about $35 (silver roughly $10.50)

June 20, 2014: Current price is about $106 (silver roughly $19.80)

Summary:

Politics: The situation in Iraq, a major oil producer, seems to deteriorate every day. The chaos and violence could easily spread and that chaos and violence will reduce supply and kick crude oil prices higher. Adding to the chaos, central banks will “print” more euros, yen, and dollars and governments will add to their mountains of debt. Price inflation will accelerate and the dollar will weaken further.

Demand: More cars in Asia need gasoline. Even if the world economies contract, demand for crude oil should continue to rise.

Crude Oil Outlook: Crude oil prices have many reasons to explode higher and few to drop lower. The trend has been up for more than a decade. Central banks will print, politicians will instigate more wars and invasions, and each euro, yen, and dollar will purchase even less crude oil and gasoline. It is business as usual, but with an extra dollop of chaos, war, and price inflation tossed into the mix….

Conclusion: Higher oil prices, more military spending, more debt, more chaos, higher consumer prices.

1) Higher oil prices, more military spending, more debt, more chaos, higher consumer prices.

2) Crude and silver have been trending upward for 12+ years. Politics and war will accelerate the price increases.

3) The 52 week moving average of crude is about $100 – below the linear trend. Market price is a bit higher with plenty of room to spike much higher as Middle-East and Ukrainian warfare escalates.

4) The 52 week moving average of silver and the current market price are both about $20 – well below the linear trend. Silver could more than double in price and not violate the 12+ year upward trend.

5) Crude oil prices are moving higher and silver prices will follow.

6) Rig for stormy weather – coming in from Iraq, Syria, Ukraine, Russia, South China Sea, “amateur hour” in foreign policy, more wars and invasions, and much of Asia reducing their dependence upon the dollar and Treasury bonds.

7) Statistical correlation between crude and silver for 12+ years of weekly smoothed prices is about 0.84 while correlation between unsmoothed weekly prices is about 0.79. Crude and silver prices are closely aligned in the long term.

7) Preparation is essential.

8) Silver purchases are good preparation.

UrbanMan's Comments: I manipulated the Defiant Investors article only in re- arranging how the facts and opinions were presented, and added the Silver Price to the month and year crude oil price listing, but the facts remain the same. We will have an increase in oil prices. It will drive prices on all other commodities higher - it only remains undetermined whether or not the increase will be fast or slow and if the prices will cause a food crisis and therefore an economic then societal collapse as the Government cannot handle another 20 to 50 million on food stamps, nor would food stamps pay for much food stuffs with the increased prices. Imagine the now 50 million people on food stamps, living day to day, and another 20 to 50 million added to that population. That's close to 1/3 of the population starving and maybe more importantly, being extremely pissed off at government who they see as the entity that should be saving them.

Silver (and gold) is a safe bet as a survival prep. It's the same as having medical kit and supplies as if you need it, you really need it. It may be the only thing that is worth bartering with. As the Defiant Investor articles explains if gasoline goes to $5.00 a gallon, today's Silver at under $21.00 an ounce will in al probability be worth $50 an ounce. Imagine if gasoline is higher in price and availability is greatly reduced. What will silver be worth then? I put my money where my mouth is, I bought another 42 ounces a few weeks ago when it was around $19.50 an ounce.  

Saturday, June 28, 2014

The Collapse Calendar

This article, by Mike Adams, appeared in The International Forecaster under the title: "The Collapse Calendar reveals when failures likely to occur in banking, agriculture, nuclear power, pandemic disease and more". You'll be tempted to shoot yourself in the head after reading this, but don't!  Adams obviously put a lot of work into this article, but it is still his opinion and not preordained. Use it to fuel your will to survive and your commitment to prepare for the collapse.

Adam's article:

In the movie Knowing, starring Nicholas Cage, the main character is faced with the burden of comprehending a written code revealing the exact dates and GPS coordinates of large-scale catastrophic events. The movie is outstanding and well worth watching, by the way, but could it ever be true?

Not at such precision, I would submit, but we can know when certain catastrophes are likely to occur based on an understanding of human behavior, historical patterns and modern-day trends. In fact, much of modern-day human behavior is pushing us directly into a long list of catastrophic, systemic failures which are mathematically inevitable. This article aims to help sort out the likely calendar years of likely emergence for such events, which include things like the irrigation aquifers running dry, the world's oil supply running dry, nuclear energy disasters, a global banking collapse and more.

The legacy of human civilization and its tragic self-destruction

To date, the legacy of humankind is a tragedy of chemical poisoning, nuclear weapons, short-sighted resource extraction and corporate-driven war. Humans are a species suffering from astonishing tunnel vision interwoven with insatiable greed and a thirst for violence. The fall of human civilization from its current unsustainable exploitations is not in question... only the timing of events remains unknown. As the final chapter of human civilization seems to draw ever closer with each passing crisis, many of the more observant people wonder what's going to spark the collapse first. Pope Francis (yes, the Pope) recently warned that the global economy is approaching a moment of collapse.

At the same time, many of our world's most brilliant computer scientists are warning about the rise of AI and why super intelligent machines will soon make humanity obsolete.

Those concerned about global warming say climate change will collapse the food supply (due to weather radicalization) and cause mass starvation while drowning the world's largest cities under ocean water. This scenario, fortunately, is one of the longer term predictions, taking centuries to fully unfold.

Peak Oil observers point out that the petroleum economy upon which the world is based is rapidly heading to "EMPTY." Once the oil runs out, what will power the transportation system upon which nearly everything in the economy is based? (Food, medicine, manufacturing, agriculture, employment, etc.)

UrbanMan's comment: Oil and therefore gasoline will become unaffordable long before the world run's out of it. We may see that this year for some people as gasoline is projected to hit $5.50 a gallon, which of course will drive up every single commodity,...food, clothing,...everything, and perhaps fuel a food crisis and economic collapse.

Independent economists warn that the global debt-based banking system is headed for imminent collapse that will shutter the world's largest banks and cause all customer deposits to be forfeit.

Meanwhile, environmentalists rightly warn about genetic pollution from engineered crops, the mass poisoning of our farms and oceans with toxic pesticide chemicals, and the dumping of heavy metals, pharmaceuticals and hormone disruptors into the environment. How can life be sustained on a planet that's increasingly covered in industrial poison?

In truth, every one of these groups has a valid point in one way or another. But each of these risks for humanity has a very different likely timeline of likely emergence. So for the "Collapse Calendar" shown here, I've put together a "best guess" of the likely times in which each of these issues might become a legitimate concern. These years are not entirely my own personal guesses but rather an aggregate extrapolation of trends and predictions I've observed across many fields: the scientific community, environmentalists, alternative economists, geologists, astrophysicists and so on.

The Collapse Calendar: when the events are most likely to unfold. This list is ordered from the most near-term to long-term. The year range indicate years in which the named events MAY occur (are most likely to occur based on current trends).

2014 - 2025 World's debt-based banking system suffers catastrophic debt collapse due to wildly over-leverage derivatives combined with endless money creation by central banks.

2014 - 2034 Over the next 20 years or so, the odds of either a major nuclear power disaster -- or a catastrophic worsening of the Fukushima Daiichi facility -- is shockingly high. As we've already seen, nuclear disasters can be set off by natural disasters such as earthquakes. Nuclear power plants can also be compromised by power grid failures and EMP weapons (see below).

2015 - 2035 Over the next two decades, the chances of a deadly global superbug rising out of the failed medical deployment of antibiotics is extremely high. We have entered the "post-antibiotics era," medical authorities have now admitted, and superbugs are widely circulating in hospitals and among the public that have no known treatment or cure. Just this last week, over 75 scientists working at the CDC accidentally infected each other with anthrax, proving that even the government's own infectious disease experts can't reliably contain these diseases even under strict laboratory conditions.

2015 - 2035 Nuclear war: The risk of nuclear war or nuclear terrorism is higher than ever, with new conflicts now taking place in Ukraine as well as Iraq. Tensions are heating up between America, Russia and China, in large part over the choice of which global currency will be used for petroleum exchanges (presently it is largely the dollar, but Russia wants to change that). There's also the ever-present wildcard nation of North Korea, which continues to possess and test nuclear weapons.

2018 - 2060 EMP attack on America's power grid: Once North Korea manages to figure out how to affix high-yield nuclear weapons to long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles, it will be able to fire those missiles into high-altitude detonation patterns over North America, causing a voltage cascade that will destroy the entire power grid across the nation. It's called an "EMP weapon," and the threat is very real. Fortunately, North Korea is still several years away from successfully deploying a long-range missile. Should it ever get close to actually being able to deploy such a weapon, I have full faith that the American CIA will find some covert, off-the-books method of nuking the North Korean government back into the Stone Age (and maybe even setting the Korean people free from the "Kim Kult" in the process).

UrbanMan's comment: Nuclear war, nuclear disaster, EMP attack are all very possible and doubly so if radical Muslims gain a caliphate in the Middle East. Imagine these ass wipes gaining control of Syria, Iraq and Jordan. Access to weapons of mass destruction and drawing the U.S. and a host of other nations into a giant middle eatern war - well, sounds like Aramgeddon to me.

2020 - 2120 Peak Oil kicks in, causing a century-long steady decline in global oil production combined with a steady rise in oil prices (which translate into more expensive food and other consumer goods). Look for massive socioeconomic changes across the Middle East, and especially in Saudi Arabia which is likely to experience a popular revolt and violent government overthrow before the year 2040.

2025 - 2090 Many of the world's water aquifers that irrigate the mass food supply run out of water, turning agricultural lands into deserts. The map on the right shows the Ogallala aquifer that provides irrigation for much of Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas and even New Mexico. Once this water runs out, it can take centuries for it to be replenished.

2029 - 2099 Futurist Ray Kurzweil predicts that 2029 is the year AI machines become "smarter" than humans. Right now, Google and DARPA are developing advanced humanoid robotics that can walk, climb stairs, run, carry weapons and track humans. Once AI systems take command of these hardware platforms, many experts predict humanity's days may be numbered. If true, the remainder of this list is irrelevant unless you are a machine reading this for the historical record.

2014 - 2114 The Earth is struck by a massive space rock that destroys a major world city. Technically, this prediction timeframe is not a true indication of the situation. The reason I chose to show 2014 - 2114 is because a very large meteor strikes the planet (actually, exploding in the atmosphere and causing widespread devastation) roughly once every century. In 1908, for example, a meteor exploded over Tunguska, Russia, devastating nearly all complex life across an area of 1,000 square miles.

2030 - 2100 The chronic loss of farming top soils starts turning once-arable lands into Dust Bowl deserts. As Eddie Albert wrote in 1980 (yes, over 30 years ago!) In the past 30 or 40 years, the heavy use of synthetic fertilizers, anhydrous ammonia, nitrates, pesticides and herbicides, DDT, etc. have doubled and tripled the yield of grain per acre . . . but at the expense of the organic matter in the soil. Rotation of crops has been replaced with monoculture: corn, corn, corn, or wheat, wheat, wheat. Everyone knows this method exhausts the soil and increases pest infestation, but people are hungry and the cash register is jingling. Yet for every bushel of corn we harvest, we lose two bushels of topsoil.

2040 - 2140 Environmental collapse accelerates after tipping point of chemicals and heavy metals is reached. Mass extinction events ravage the planet, collapsing the fragile web of life and leading to the widespread emergence of infectious disease (Mother Nature's "CTRL-ALT-DEL" for rebooting civilization).

2100 - 2500 Oceans rise enough from global warming to start flooding lower elevation cities, but this disaster, if it turns out to be true at all, will happen in slow-motion, with ocean levels rising only fractions of an inch per year.

2014 - 202,014 Yes, the window of this prediction is 200,000 years, during which time the massive caldera known as Yellowstone National Park is likely to violently explode, blanketing much of North America in ash and causing extreme global dimming for 1-3 years which would result in a global food supply collapse. Yellowstone explodes roughly every 600,000 years and is currently understood to be "late." But in terms of a human lifespan, the odds of Yellowstone erupting while any of us is alive remains extremely remote.

Year 2,800,000,000 Approximately 2.8 billion years from now, the sun will balloon into a massive "red giant" whose diameter is so large, it will physically engulf the entire orbit of planet Earth.  As this happens, of course, all life will be extinguished on our planet. But don't worry... humans are far more likely to have already destroyed themselves before then.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Are Hand Tools and Hardware Included in your Survival Preparations?

I haven't been a hardware store that I didn't want to spend thousands of dollars in, and I have a significant collection of hand tools and hardware, just in case, so this article on non-power tools interested me. Very good article from Survival Cache on the 10 Non-Power Tools you will need for Survival:

  • Cross Cut Saw
  • Hacksaw
  • Standard Hand Saw
  • Large Hand Drill
  • Small Hand Drill
  • Battery Free Battery Tester
  • Battery Free Circuit Tester
  • Hand Powered Grinding Wheel
  • Hand Powered Air Pump Scythe
Pretty decent list, but why limit it to 10 tools? This above list is completely diferent from my own. Survival Cache is a very good site, just disagree on this one! But his recommendation of hand grinding wheel is something I did not consider before- great idea and will incorporate it into my preps.

Urban Man's Hand Tool and Hardware List:

  • Claw Hammer. Don't forget about boxes of nails of all types as well, concentrating on 8 and 16D size.
  • Cross Cut Saw. These usually have a removal blade so have an extra blade or get a different type of blade.
  • Hack Saw and extra blades,.....many extra blades.
  • Long Handle D shovel. In fact, have a couple of these.
  • Short D handle shovel,...again have several.
  • Axe. Better yet a wood axes, a wedge and a fire axe which is a regular axe with a pickaxe end.
  • Combination pliers/wire cutters. Include a couple of rolls of fencing wire, sometimes called baling wire.
  • Box and Open wrench set, standard and metric. Have a couple of cans or buckets of assorted bolts with washers, lock washers and nuts as well. Think 1/4, 1/2 and 5/8ths diamter in legnths of 2, 4, 6 and 8 inches long.
  • Screwdriver set, slotted tip and cross tip. Include boxes of medium and long wood screws, metal screws and rubber washer sheet metal screws.
  • Sledge Hammer.
  • Ball Peen Hammer.
  • Garden hoe. Makes things easy when you have to put in that survival garden,.....which you will have to do if you want to eat and suplement your stored food supply.
  • Hand air pump is a good idea. I did not think about this. These are cheap - have several.
  • Hand drill - another thing that passed me, but brought to my attention by the article referenced above.
  • Wire Cutters and/or fencing tool.
  • Slip Joint Pliers.
  • Needle Nose pliers.
  • Pipe Wrench.
  • Steel pry bar and smaller crow bars.
I think the thing to do is to carry a notepad around with you to write down your prep ideas as they occur to you.  One of these headings can be hand tools, hardware and material.  Work off the list as you can. 

Related to hand tools would be material such as lumber, PVC and you could probably add some metal stock to this list.  Mush like people in Florida have pre-cut plywood to cover windows to hurricane protection, having some plywood, 2x4's and PVC pipe (don't forget the connectors, etc.) can be stored in your garage.

I have flower beds around the house with rail road ties as borders.  I intended this so I can pull the rail road ties up and use them to fortify the house, provide small arms protection and/or build protected fighting positions if necessary.  Sure would piss my wife of, but it's there is needed.