The Only Thing Necessary for the Triumph of Evil is for Good Men to do Nothing

America wasn’t built by weak people and it most assuredly wouldn’t be the country that it is today if people had the mentality that many do today.

The bottom line is that we’ve become complacent and weak as a country. There’s nothing wrong with compassion as long as it isn’t at the expense of self but we’ve passed the point of being nice and now reside in the land of weakness.

The way that the country comes together in tragedy proves that American people still possess these traits; they’re just buried under deep layers of apathy and laziness.

Here are just a few lost survival traits that made this country what it is today: the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Thinking Independently

From the time of Native Americans, Americans have been independent thinkers.

The problem with today’s society is that a huge majority of the population wakes up in the morning and swallows the spoonfuls of crap-du-jour that news networks and social media are serving up. We’ve moved away from being the high-flying, far-seeing independent eagle and are now grounded sheep that ignorantly and trustingly bleat however our neighbors do.

Believe however you want, but be willing to back those beliefs up with facts and logic. Take the time to research the topics that affect your way of life. You can’t change the direction of the train if you don’t even know that it’s moving.

It’s your freedom that’s at stake – you’d think that would be worth at least as much of your time as you invest in finding a witty cartoon to post on Facebook.

Being Willing to Call “Bullshit”

Edmund Burke said “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

Our forefathers were willing to stand up and fight against tyranny and oppression in order to preserve (or gain) independence from any and all challengers. That sense of patriotism seems to be a dispassionate ghost of its former self in most people today.

Our rights are being slowly stripped and we’re swallowing the “logic” that accompanies the laws.

In some cases, the laws are directly against our constitutional rights yet we still sit back and say nothing.

Fellow Americans, where are your spines? Evil is most certainly prevailing.

The second amendment wasn’t written so that you can hunt; it was written so that you can defend yourself and your country from tyranny.

Work Ethic

We’ve become a people who believe that the world owes us a living. Now I’m not applying this statement to everybody, but it does apply to a large percentage of our population. Our ancestors died to have the right to live here.

The American dream was once attainable by just about anybody who was willing to work hard enough to achieve it and it still is.

The problem is that very few people are willing to stick it out and invest the blood, sweat and tears necessary to prevail. The “I will do it” attitude has been replaced by the “poor pitiful me should get stuff for free” attitude. We are a land full of asses waiting to be kicked.

Responsibility

From top politicians right on down to the bottom of the totem pole, nobody is willing to stand up and lay claim to their mistakes or take responsibility for their actions. Everything is somebody else’s fault. Remember that when you point a finger, there are 3 more pointing back at you!

It’s not always the case, but for the most part we each make the bed that we lie in. When you take responsibility for your actions, you can finally see what’s going wrong and take steps to change your path, improve your life and make yourself a better person and a better citizen. Sometimes you have to apologize and sometimes you have to make retribution, and our ancestors were willing to do that in order to preserve the rights of every citizen.

As a matter of fact, our forefathers took the time to consider their actions BEFORE they took them in order to live in a manner that didn’t encroach on others. They appreciated their rights and knew that they came with limits.

There’s an old saying that goes something along the lines of, “My right to swing my fist ends where your nose begins.” If you take a few minutes to think about that statement, it covers everything that our ancestors held near and dear, and that we now take for granted.

Basic Problem Solving

We are a country built on innovation and “making do.” Native Americans lived and thrived for centuries solely off what the land had to offer. They knew how to use what they had on hand for whatever they needed and they knew how to read the environment for signs about food, water and weather.

Immigrants and settlers learned the same skills and also applied skills learned in their native countries to “advance” their new country.

We’ve now become so technologically advanced that we’ve lost the problem solving and the survival skills that made us a strong people in the very beginning. Without our handheld devices we can’t even tell if it’s raining, let alone figure out where to find a source of water. (Googling “nearest 7-11” doesn’t count!)

That’s going to equal a world of hurt for many people when SHTF.

As a country, we’ve gotten away from both the moral and physical survival skills that built this country and made it a force to be reckoned with. For years, other countries have known that to poke us was to risk waking the sleeping giant. However, recent events and the non-action of our citizenry in the face of tyranny and adversity over the last several decades have shown us to be weak.

If we continue on our current path of dependency and apathy, it won’t be long before all of the rights that our forefathers (and foremothers!) fought so hard for are lost.

Get your pride back, America: it’s in there, so dig deep and get back on track!

What Does It Take To Make You Sit Up And Take Notice Of The Problems Surrounding Society Today?

What does it take to make you sit up and take notice of the problems surrounding society today? What will it take to make you respond to the many crises taking place today? You have eyes so you can see and ears so you can hear but for many people any negative news is a reason to tune out the world and only think good thoughts.

The problems we face continue to pile up and doing nothing is not an option if you expect to survive the next few years in tact. Prior planning and execution of a plan is now required to stay out of the flood zone when the dam breaks and everyone starts to drown. It does not matter what kind of person you are. You have to be able to save yourself before you have the ability to help others including your own family.

You cannot protect your family if you cannot protect yourself from dangerous situations or people. You cannot protect your family if you are too weak from lack of water or food to get others to safety. You cannot protect your family from the elements if you have no cover for them due to sudden loss of your shelter.

You have car insurance just in case you have an automobile accident. You have health insurance just in case you get sick. You have life insurance to help your family just in case you die. You have homeowners insurance just in case your home is destroyed. There is unemployment insurance just in case you lose your job.

So where is your food insurance just in case you cannot find any food in the store? Where is your personal protection insurance just in case you are threatened and cannot depend on the police? Where is your water insurance just in case your water supply is shut off or becomes contaminated? Where is your communication insurance just in case the power is out and normal systems do not work? Where is your energy insurance just in case energy supplies are cut off and you need to drive to safety, cook your food or stay warm?

People think that the types of insurance for cars, health, home and life are just fine to have but the other ones listed are crazy and paranoid to think about. Even in the first case, your insurance policies depend on other people to fulfill them and those people depend on a system that is still functioning such as the banks, communications and the insurance company itself. So what happens to all those other types of insurance when the insurers themselves are no longer functioning. Any crisis that takes down the stock market, power grid or the banks will also take down all of the insurance companies.

The events of the past few weeks should have been a warning shot across the bow for many. Our financial and distribution systems are in a delicate balancing act right now and any sudden shifts could send them tumbling off the cliff rendering the services they perform extinct in a matter of hours. When that happens it will be too late to think about what you should have done when you still had the opportunity.

You cannot get your money out of the bank after the doors are shut, the ATM is empty and the POS systems are no longer working. You cannot get the food you need after the stores have been cleaned out and the distribution system has stopped functioning. You cannot get fuel for your car after the gas stations are empty and deliveries have been suspended. You cannot get police help when everyone calls 911 at the same time and most of the police have gone home to protect their own families.

If your alarm bells have not gone off already what will it take for you to realize you are in serious trouble? When that finally happens what do you plan to do to protect and care for your family? Having no plan means having a plan to suffer and persist through unpleasant situations for no good reason. Not knowing something is excusable but you have been warned many times in the past few years and to have to suffer in the future because you did not know what was coming is no longer an excuse. Failure to prepare at this time will not only cost you but it will likely put an unnecessary burden on those that will have to help you in the future.

The warnings continue to go out. The situation continues to deteriorate. The mass of humanity continues to go about its normal daily business. The Earth continues to rotate with no chance of going back from here. The early warning alarms have sounded advising people to take a defensive stance just in case. Do you hear the alarms yet or have you hit the snooze button for a few more minutes of sleep?

Invasion USA: Divide and Conquer Tactics

It has become an almost daily event that Russian troops are seen around America in many different situations. Some are seen in Russian uniforms, some in American uniforms and others in civilian clothing. Some have been seen with military vehicles and aircraft and some with DHS vehicles. They are blending into areas in many different ways. Is there a specific reason why?

There is an old Chuck Norris movie called Invasion USA. As part of the plot mercenaries dressed as cops drive up to a local gathering spot and open fire on the youngsters there killing some before they leave. When the real cops arrive responding to the shooting they are attacked by the people thinking more cops are coming to kill again.

In any type of scenario where the government declares open warfare on the American people there is going to be a percentage of cops and troops that will not follow orders and will side with the people. Everyone already knows this especially the government. If these troops and cops are successful in coordinating with the local populations it will make things a great deal harder for the government to pacify the nation.

In this situation it is necessary for the government to prevent this coordination by any means necessary. This might take the form of federals coming into a town or neighborhood and rounding up or shooting locals. Once this happens the locals would see anyone dressed this way as the enemy and shoot first and ask questions later. This would make it difficult if not impossible for those forces loyal to the population to make contact and join forces with them.

By preventing this coordination the federals would be fighting a fractured opposition which would make winning easier. Loyal troops and cops would be taking fire from both sides. This type of plan would make the integration of foreign troops into military units and even local forces like DHS necessary.

If this type of situation did happen it would be necessary for civilians to have some means of identifying loyal troops and police when things began to unravel and the bullets started flying. It would be easier for national guard troops that are already known by the local communities they serve in but for active duty forces that are fractured it would be harder to gain the trust of local communities once things begin to unwind. It is also likely that any national guard unit that is not fully aligned with the federals would find themselves locked out of their armories in the opening hours of any hostilities preventing them from accessing their weapons and equipment.

There are many types of divide and conquer operations in progress at this time. The militarized police forces that are allowed to gun down civilians with no repercussions causing backlash against law enforcement. The protest groups and government backed instigators pushing for a race war to fracture the population. The destruction of good jobs eventually forcing desperate people to turn on each other to survive. The war against Christians, gun owners and veterans to weaken any possible resistance to future government controls. The military attempt to demonize Evangelical Christians, Tea Party groups and organizations like the American Family Association and Family Research Council. All of these actions to foment distrust between the population and military and law enforcement personnel are meant to prevent any cooperation between these groups in the future to the detriment of the federal government.

Everything we are seeing now could very well culminate with attacks on the population by federal forces seeking to maintain chaos until they have the upper hand. Initial actions would likely be to seize control of infrastructure such as power, water, food and communications systems. Then urban and suburban areas would be sealed off to contain the majority of people and prevent dispersion to the countryside where they would be harder to control. The last actions would be to seize control of the farmland to insure control of food supplies to exert further control over the population. It is likely the rural areas are where the most brutal fighting will take place as anti federal supporters fight for their very existence before everything is lost.

The U.S. is being set up to take a hard fall and anyone that fails to see that will suffer horribly for the time they have left alive. The invasion has already begun and most do not see it or believe it. Personnel are being prepositioned and when the time is right they will move in force on an unsuspecting population. Crisis followed by overwhelming force will leave the population reeling from the sudden changing environment and prevent most from doing anything substantial to save themselves. Time is short. If you have not made your peace with God and prepared for the times ahead you have nobody to blame but yourself.

America: The Future Third World Country

The purchasing power of Americans has been unequalled for the past several decades. This has been made possible by the high paying jobs created by our manufacturing sector. These jobs insured a wealthy middle class that could buy anything they wanted.

These high paying jobs meant that some of the wealth created by making things went to the workers. Before long, corporations began working on ways to keep more of that wealth. Enter the free trade agreement. By drafting and passing a number of free trade agreements, the corporations created a way to make their goods cheaper with overseas labor and keep more of the profit for themselves and their Wall Street owners. The deep pockets of the middle class began to dry up.

A thinking person might eventually come to the conclusion that destroying middle class jobs and the purchasing power of the middle class would be shooting themselves in the foot. With less income and purchasing power, the corporations would create a shrinking American market for themselves eventually. That is what we are seeing now.

So, what do you do when your cash cow begins to dry up? You turn it into hamburger. Just like all of the other third world countries that provided raw materials for these corporations to prosper, America will now become a supplier of raw materials for the next rising power to use. That rising power will likely be China with its large untapped populace. They have the gold and the manufacturing capability now. All they need is a good supply of raw materials and they can develop their own middle class and the corporations will be in the clover once again.

America is in debt up to its eyeballs but we still have large amounts of natural resources. Multinational corporations are chomping at the bit to get their hands on these resources so they can renew their ponzi economic model with another rising economy.

Between here and there they must break the American consumer and take everything they have and then get them out of the way so the strip mining can begin in earnest. When you look at the larger picture that is taking shape, that is where we are headed. Chinese corporations are gobbling up everything they can get their hands on right now all over the world including in America.

Those who say the U.S. will be invaded are a little late. The invasion has already started and the invaders have taken the form of corporations. If anything gets in the way of this resource extraction, that is when you will see the troops arrive under some pretence to help the people. Actually their main goal will be to secure the resources.

When troops start arriving that is when Americans will start fighting back by any means at their disposal. For all intents and purposes it will be an all out war on American soil. Regardless of what people perceive the reasons for this war to be it will ultimately be for resources.

You may ask why they do not just keep America prosperous and continue the gravy train. The main reason is that entitlement programs have gotten out of control. They are now spending too much money supporting people who do not work or produce any value in society. To simply take this money away would cause the same chaos that will erupt by destroying the economy but economic destruction will enable them to secure the resources with few people realizing what is really happening. Its all about controlling the amount of blowback from the people and the best way to redirect and contain it.

In the end America will become a third world economy or something worse. The people have the means to retain control of the nation and someday rebuild some of our infrastructure but that depends on the people and how much they want to remain free and in control of their future. As long as half of the population can get paid to sit at home and do nothing we will not change the course we are on. Change will only come when it is forced on the people and they decide to set a new course. Unfortunately, many may elect to do as they are told by the government and hope the free stuff will once again start to flow. Those people will be very disappointed, at least as long as they remain alive.

Scientists Identify Part of The Brain That Gets Creeped Out By Robots

I’ve never wanted to end something so bad as when I stepped into the grocery store and saw, for the first time, Marty the robot. I know, I know, property destruction is wrong. I didn’t act on it, but seeing those googly eyes peek over the mangoes filled me with a deep and primal blood lust (oil lust?) that’s been locked up in my DNA since before the flood. I saw Marty the robot and I saw that it must not be. So I left before I made a scene. I’m no freedom fighter.

There seems to be a very real and very deep repulsion inherent in humans’ feelings towards robots. We don’t like robots, as evidenced by the growing trend of people acting on that atavistic urge to murder them. But we also aren’t creeped out by all robots equally. There’s a concept called the “uncanny valley” which shows the point of maximum creepiness. A new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience has found the part of the brain responsible for the uncanny valley effect and what’s going on in our primitive monkey brains as we meet our replacements.

The uncanny valley was first described by Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori. It’s where something, in this case a robot, is made to look like a human but falls a bit short. People tend to like robots more as they become more humanoid, but at a certain point there is a dramatic dip in likability, the so-called valley, before becoming more likable again as they get closer to a perfect facsimile of a human. According to a new study that has located the part of the brain responsible for the uncanny valley, different people may react to the uncanny valley with varied intensity. This may explain why a robot that’s essentially a rolling traffic cone almost landed me in jail. I blame the googly eyes.

To figure out the physical location in the brain of the uncanny valley, researchers hooked up 21 volunteers to MRI machines and gave them some tests that involved pictures of various kinds of robots and humans combined with likability decisions. In one experiment, the volunteers were shown pictures of humans, artificial humans, android robots, humanoid robots and mechanoid robots, and were asked to assign values to how likable each was. Then they were asked to pick one of these humans or robots to complete a task: selecting a gift that a hypothetical human may like. The volunteers chose either real humans or human-like robots, but they did not choose the robots in which the difference between human and robot was the hardest to make out.

According to the study, researchers found a link between the uncanny valley and both the prefrontal cortex and amygdala. The prefrontal cortex is the part of our brain that is the most different from other primates. It’s the part that makes executive decisions that go against our primal urges. It was my prefrontal cortex that weighed the risk-reward balance for murdering Marty the robot. The amygdala is a very primitive part of our brain responsible for the “fight-or-flight” response, fear, anxiety, all those fun things. It was my amygdala that made me want to do a robot murder.

The prefrontal cortex showed a dip in activity when volunteers were shown robots in the uncanny valley, and conversely the amygdala seemed to show more of a reaction to the robots in the uncanny valley.

The researchers think that understanding how humans react to the uncanny valley is key to a future where humans and robots coexist peacefully. According to Astrid Rosenthal-von der Pütten, from the RWTH Aachen University in German:

“This is the first study to show individual differences in the strength of the uncanny valley effect, meaning that some individuals react overly and others less sensitively to human-like artificial agents. This means there is no one robot design that fits – or scares – all users. In my view, smart robot behaviour is of great importance, because users will abandon robots that do not prove to be smart and useful.”

So regardless of our repulsion, they hope to be able to make robots that even stubborn cranks like myself will tolerate. To that I say: good luck.

The Nuclear Holocaust: How To Survive One Second After

When it comes to a social collapse based on a nuclear crisis, mushroom clouds created during a ground based incident may well come to mind.

Even though most people think they know what an exploding nuclear device may look like, there are actually many sources of based nuclear contamination. Each source of nuclear material will cause different visual, auditory, and other effects.

Therefore, when it comes to preparing for a nuclear incident, you must be aware of where the radiation will come from as well as how to deal with it as safely as possible.

The Air Based Nuclear Incident

Oddly enough, even with a full scale hostile detonation of a nuclear device, you may first need to recognize that an incident has occurred.

Consider a situation where a 1 kiloton bomb exploded in the air 30 or 40 miles away. Chances are, you would not even hear the blast let alone see the cloud rising up. Unfortunately, streams of radiation will already be headed your way. Even though they may not deliver lethal doses of radiation, you may still suffer from burns and mild to moderate radiation sickness if you are outdoors.

Since an air based explosion may well trigger an EMP, your first indicator may be that your car or cell phone stops working. If you are indoors, do not go outside to see if you will get a better reception.

Instead, ask others if their cell phones are working. If everyone seems to have lost service, stay indoors and head for the basements and lower levels as quickly as possible.

Without communications and information about where the blast has occurred, you could be running deeper into the radiation belt. You are better served by putting as much concrete and dirt between you and the fallout as you can. Needless to say, if you are in a vehicle, get into a building and to the lower levels as quickly as you can.

Once you reach a suitable shelter, follow the usual routine of squatting facing a wall with your forehead resting on knees and arms shielding the back of your neck. If you have Potassium Iodide and other cellular shields on hand, be sure to take those.

An air based nuclear incident will spread contaminated material further, and since air tends to be much lighter than dirt and ground based debris, it may also take longer for it to finish falling to the ground.

In small scale, relatively localized scenario, it is likely that you can get medical attention and reasonable care without fear of larger plans and complex scenarios. You may also be given information about where you can pick up Potassium Iodide tablets and other cellular shields.

With regard to air based nuclear explosions, your first few days will primarily be concerned with coping with radiation sickness, finding food, finding water, and washing as much radioactive material from your body as you can.

You will more than likely find it harder than usual to travel because cars will literally be stopped in the streets. If you have to leave a city, try to do so using underground subway, storm water, and old tunnel systems.

Try to avoid going above ground as much as possible. Even though heavy rains will come down as a result of a nuclear explosion, tunnels and similar systems may still protect you from some of the radiation. Just make sure that rainwater and sewage are not actively being shifted into the system or you will wind up with all kinds of nuclear debris in the same tunnels that you are in.

It is also important to realize that tunnel systems and subways may be shut off by government agencies that want to prevent nuclear waste from getting into underground chambers. Whether they know of your presence or not, you may simply become collateral damage because they feel the “big picture” they have been trained to uphold is more important.

And if you are planning to leave an area, be prepared to travel 5 – 6 times the distance that you would travel to get out of the radiation bands created by water and ground based nuclear incidences.

The Nuclear Detonation on the Ground

Over the years, prevailing views on what to do during an attack have changed. In particular, older advice revolved around staying in place and trying to get as far below ground as possible. Today, most experts say that you have approximately 1/2 hour after a blast to reach a place of safety. Instead of staying in place, you should use that time to get as far away from ground zero as possible. This makes sense if you are in a mid to outer area of the incident site.

Depending on how fast you travel, it may be possible to get into a less dangerous band, or away from the problem altogether. Once you reach the 20 – 25 minute post incident mark, you will need to take cover and then stay in that location for at least 24 hours, after that time the worst of the radiation will be dispersed. You may want to stay an additional 2 – 3 days depending on supplies and the durability of your shelter.

When you cannot get to a shelter, any standing object will have to do. Make sure that your shield is between you and the explosion point being affected by the nuclear blast so that it will absorb as much radiation as possible. If you think about how shadows work, then you can readily understand why your position in relation to the blast is so important.

Never look at the flash from a nuclear explosion as it can cause blindness in less than a second. Individuals living in cities or areas with larger populations can also try taking refuge in subways, sewer systems, and any other areas where there is plenty of concrete, brick, or dirt to absorb the radiation.

Once you reach the shelter, squat down on the floor as far away as possible from windows, doors, and beams. Sit so that you are facing a main wall and put your head on your knees. Use your hands and arms to shield your neck. Look downward as much as possible. If you look upward, your eyes may be blinded by the flash from any detonation that happens to occur.

Unfortunately, there are many situations where you may be stuck outside and have no shield or building to hide in. The best thing you can do is get as close to the ground as you can. If the ground is soft, then dig with rocks or your hands to get as far into the ground as possible. While you are working, do not look at the incident site.

During the first few hours, you are very likely to experience heavy winds and thermal blasts. The thermal blasts can set just about anything on fire as they pass.

Keep non-flammable, white or silver heat shields on hand. Put those on to try and keep as much heat as possible away from your body. As you work, also be aware that objects from miles away can easily strike you. Should concrete or something else suitable land nearby, do not take shelter behind it unless you know that it is not contaminated by radioactive debris.

If you receive warning of a pending nuclear blast, and you are indoors, you will need to get underground or into a basement as quickly as possible. Brick and cement structures will absorb the most radiation, so they are likely to offer the best shelter. Just remember to put as many walls or as much dirt as possible between you and the explosion point.

Always aim to be as close to the ground or below it as possible. Needless to say, if you are building a homestead, you can always insulate walls with dirt and lead, or just build your home as far underground as possible.

No matter whether you are indoors or out, it is very important to limit the amount of dust that gets into your nose, mouth, and on your skin. While a dust mask will be of immense benefit, even a handkerchief over your nose and mouth is better than nothing.

You should also cover up your skin as much as possible using white or the lightest colors possible. Remember that black and dark colors will absorb radiation. This, in turn, can easily lead to burns on parts of your body where the darker colors were covering.

You should also carry Potassium Iodide, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E tablets with you at all times. Take them as directed on the bottle as soon as you learn of a nuclear blast in your area. This medication will protect your thyroid from uptaking nuclear materials.

Typically, the thyroid is the first organ that determines how sick you will get from the radiation. One small pill can truly make the difference between serious radiation sickness and death even if your exposure levels are in the upper ranges.

You can obtain free Potassium Iodide tablets and instructions for taking them if you live near a nuclear power plant. Representatives in charge of readiness for nuclear emergencies in these areas may also have the tablets available for free. While these tablets may not be recommended for “prophylactic” or daily use, having them with you at all times is extremely important.

Just make sure that you follow dosing instructions because taking too much Potassium Iodide can poison the thyroid. Use iodized table salt or Himalayan Salt before nuclear blasts to ensure you are getting enough iodine in your diet. It should be noted that Vitamin C and Vitamin E can also shield other cells from some radiation damage.

Typically, radiation sickness will start within the first few hours after exposure to nuclear radiation. If you are not dealing with a detonation or large scale crisis scenario, it is very important to get medical attention as quickly as possible.

When it comes to a larger scale nuclear crisis, you will need to take a shower as soon as possible after the blast. Use soap that does not contain conditioners or oils that prevent dust and radioactive debris from being washed away. If you have scissors it may be of some use to cut your hair.

Shaving after a shower can also help get rid of some debris. Just take extra care to avoid razor burn as you don’t want to embed more radioactive material into your skin. Follow up with another shower using plenty of soap and water. If you have plenty of water pressure and water, then go ahead and shave while you are washing.

Do not put old clothes back on. Try to get rid of them so that you do not have radioactive materials in your living space. This includes getting rid of shoes, jewelry, weapons, and anything else that you were wearing during the incident. Once you are ready to leave the shelter, it will be time to think about long term survival. You may need to get medical attention or find your way out of the area.

It is fair to say that anyone growing up during the Cold War era is very aware of nuclear power, nuclear war, and all the chaos that it can bring. Regardless of your age, knowing how to survive both hostile and non-hostile releases of nuclear material are extremely important.

Never overlook the hazards associated with nuclear medicine, nuclear power plants or other industries just because they don’t make huge mushroom clouds or kill in a matter of moments. In fact, the slow, hidden damage and death from these sources may be far worse and far more troublesome than a nuclear war.

As you learn more about the daily hazards of exposure to land based nuclear radiation, you may well conclude that you need to be as prepared for these issues as you would be for a full blown war situation.

The Nuclear Incident on Water

If you happen to be swimming, in a boat, or otherwise in the water during a nuclear event, your first task will be to head for land. Depending on your distance from the explosion, you may only have a few minutes to half an hour to reach land and find suitable shelter.

During your escape from the explosion site, try to put anchors made of lead or brick between your body and the explosion. If possible, squat down and cover yourself with plastic or anything else that will keep water from seeping through your garments and onto your skin. The plastic should also be thick enough to prevent as much water vapor as possible from seeping in.

You should also have a mask on hand that will allow you to breathe without absorbing steam or water vapor into your lungs. While these aides will not stop radiation from passing through your body, it will limit the ability of radioactive debris from binding to your skin. This, in turn, will make it easier to wash the debris away later on.

As with land based explosions, you should always have Potassium Iodide tablets on hand. Take one as soon as you know an explosion or other event has occurred. If you are in marine or brackish waters, this precaution is even more important because these bodies of water may have higher levels of iodine in them.

As radiation moves out from the initial incident area, it will contaminate iodine present in the water. This iodine, in turn, can be quickly absorbed by the thyroid. Since the half-life of most iodine isotopes is under 10 days, you may need to take the potassium iodide tablets for a few weeks if you are exposed to a water based nuclear incident.

This may be distinctly different from land and air based explosions where the nuclear material may not produce as much iodine, or lower amounts are available to contaminate.

It should be noted that Potassium Iodide is not recommended for prophylactic treatment unless you are directed to do so during a nuclear power plant leak or there is other creditable reason to believe that some type of nuclear strike is going to occur in a matter of minutes or hours.

If you want to protect your thyroid from radioactive iodine before an event, simply make sure that you are getting enough iodine in your diet. Even though most people consume large amounts of table salt, there is also a high tendency towards deficiencies in the diet.

During a nuclear explosion or active leak scenario, radiation in the form of heat and light will be absorbed more readily by dark or black colors than white and light colors. Therefore, it is very important to keep white tarp, or even white bed sheets on hand to cover yourself with. If land is involved in the blast, this one minor thing may save you from more serious burns.

Once you reach land and a safe location, it is very important to shower. Make sure that you use soap and shampoo that do not contain skin conditioners, softening oils, or hair conditioners. All of these chemicals will only make it harder to wash radioactive materials away from your body.

You should also dispose of all contaminated clothing and jewelry. While this may be difficult, remember that even a single spec of dust can be radioactive for thousands of years and wreak mayhem during that time.

You Have Lessons To Learn From Those That Survived The Great Depression: When SHTF it Will be Unlike Anything we Have Lived Through Before – No Announcements will be Made, no Warnings Will be Given by the Establishment, it Will Just Suddenly Happen!

The Great Depression was an era in American History that people who lived through it would remember indefinitely. They remember how hard the times were, the poverty most people suffered, and just life in general at the time. For most people who remember living through this time, the lessons stuck with them for the rest of their life.

For those who experienced the worst of The Great Depression, they never forgot. They do not or did not like talking about life during that time, but the lessons they learned were life-changing. Most people now would not necessarily notice the impact made until they looked closer at these people.

They do not throw out anything. The only things in their garbage (scrap) pails were items that could not possibly use anymore, be fed to animals, or composted. They were on board with recycling before recycling was the cool thing to do. Their homes will appear very neat and tidy, but their closets are packed full of items they could not part with including old clothes, newspapers, fabric, boxes, baskets, jars, string and twine, rubber bands, twist ties, plastic bags, and more. During the Great Depression, you would never know if and when you might need something to repair or fix another item.

They were basically hoarders because they had to be, but you would have never known it by looking at their homes. Now that the minimalist movement is in full swing, some people look down their noses at these older people who lived through the Depression. However, we must realize that they did not have the possessions then we have now. They just didn’t have the pure junk and cheaply made goods we have now. They were minimalists in their own way because they did not have the money or the means to have more possessions. They just refused to throw out anything that could be used again.

Notice how most older people do not buy new clothes unless they have to? Their shoes are usually repaired, worn until they fall apart, and/or are still kept in case they need a pair for the garden or other chores. They probably have a good pair that is kept for special occasions or church, but when that pair is no longer good, they get used for every day. The same goes for coats and more. You will also notice they do not buy trendy clothing items either – most of their items are of good quality that will last years. In this age of disposable clothing, this seems odd, but they probably would see us as wasteful.

People during this time lost their fortunes. People also lost their savings as banks closed. While most people who lived during this time continued to save money after the Depression and World War II, many were leery of banks. They would keep cash at home, have accounts at multiple banks, and not have all their eggs in one basket. Most of them would also go on to save a large amount of money because they lived so simply and frugally.

They also went on to birth the Baby Boomer generation. They wanted to give their children a better life than what they had. They saved money for their kids to go to college because they wanted their kids to have an education and succeed. They would go on to help their children buy their first farm and possibly their first home. They would invest in their businesses to help them get a start because very few of those that lived during the Depression had that luxury.

Many people during the Depression lost their homes and their businesses. They would have to move for jobs and just to find work. People would have to move in with other family members or rent a couple rooms for a roof over their heads. Kids were expected to help out any way they could with the understanding any money they earned would probably go to the family. If they were given payment at all, that money was not spent frivolously. Not to say that the kids were not given a special treat once in a while, but they did not expect this all the time like kids do now.

While there has always been poverty in this country, during the Great Depression, poverty was acute and affected nearly everyone in some way. When we think of poor now, we think of either the homeless or just living paycheck to paycheck. However, poverty is the circumstances of being extremely poor. Most people did not have enough money for rent/mortgage payment, food, clothing, and other necessities. Children were sent to live with other relatives or were taken to orphanages because their parents could afford to take care of them. Many adolescents were sent to live at other households as hired girls or men and worked for a roof over their heads and food to eat.

People leaned on bartering and trading during this time also. People would help each other bring in the crops, bale hay, tend the sick and the infirmed, do heavy housework, and more. You might have given the neighbor some produce from your garden in exchange for eggs. Like my grandmother, you might have worked as a hired girl so you could stay in town and go to high school. Many people traded and bartered services and goods just to stay alive and stretch their money even more. To do this, you can still see this generation doing this. They also instilled these lessons into their children.

People who lived during this time did what they had to do to survive. We all hear stories about the Great Depression that we think we could never do now. However, when you are faced with a choice to survive or not, you would think differently. This time in history is also very romanticized by those who think it will happen again. They want to live like that. Most of them could not do it.

How could you survive another Great Depression? Most of us preppers would like to think we could survive anything, but in reality, the Great Depression lasted until World War II started. For most people, nothing changed when we went to war because of the rationing system and the unavailability of goods. Jobs were on the rise due to wartime production, but the money still barely covered the necessities. There is not really any way to be reasonably prepared for ten years or longer unless you practice self-sufficiency now.

What saved many people during the Great Depression was the ability to grow their own food, raise animals for eggs and meat, have large gardens, and preserve as much as they could to get through the winter. They knew how to sew their own clothes, mend almost anything, and think creatively to solve problems or fix anything. Nothing was wasted which is a huge problem nowadays. They made only one trip to town a week for anything that needed to be purchased if they could afford to go. They would have also taken in any extra produce or eggs to the local grocer which he would have paid them for if the quality was right.

In short, the skills this generation knew is what saved them. They still have these learned lessons in their memories. You see that most of them still practice what they can, but this generation is dying out quickly. When they are gone, the lessons will be forgotten. If experts are right, we could be headed towards another financial and economic upheaval. We have more people living in this country than ever.

While there is a trend towards self-sufficiency right now, most people would be suffering until they could get back on their feet again. I have faith in people helping other people, but the resources might not be there to help everyone. FDR was accused of socialism and more when he rolled out the New Deal to create programs which created jobs to help people get back on their feet again. Now, if that happened, it would be wrapped up in Congress for months. With all the regulations we have now, it may never happen.

If you have a chance, please sit down with the generation who lived during this time. Ask them how they or their parents survived the time. You will hear different accounts because their experiences were different. Some people went through this time just fine because they were already used to living the self-sufficient life. Some people had to learn it. Some people lived in abject poverty and were basically homeless. If you can’t directly talk to someone who lived during the Depression, read some first-hand accounts. What they had to do to live may surprise you.

There Is The Potential For Many Types Of Catastrophic Events Occur, What Would You Need In Advance To Insure Your Survival?

Those that are aware of the EMP commissions report have probably also heard the statement that this type of event would suddenly transport everyone involved back to the 1800’s almost instantly. It is also possible that up to 90% of the population could die within 2 years due to the sudden lack of modern technology. It does not matter if it is an EMP, CME, cyber attack or terrorist attack on the grid, the results will be largely the same.

This is a sobering notion that you can either believe or disbelieve. If you think it is all hype you need only to go back to your daily activities and hope it never happens and leave your survival to someone who will do something if it ever happens. For those hardy souls that take responsibility for their own fate and that of their family, it falls to you to determine what this type of event will mean for you. An event of this magnitude will affect different people in different locations in different ways.

It is important to first realize what changes you will likely see following this event. To understand this you must look at what a 19th century lifestyle would look like to you. Understanding these differences will help you to determine what plans you need to make ahead of time to adjust to these changes in a way that will allow you to survive. Here are some of the things you will face with a collapse in modern technology and this does not even take into account problems you will face from the ill prepared.

19th Century support systems included the following

Sailing ships for cargo and human transport
Steamships for cargo and human transport
Steam locomotives for cargo and human transport
Horses and wagons for cargo and human transport

Horses, mules and oxen for cultivation and harvesting
Root cellars for common storage
Ice houses to store ice cut in winter
Open pollinated seeds for planting
Livestock manure for fertilizer
Local mills for processing grains
Shallow dug water wells for fresh water
Manual tools for building and repairs

Developed systems for kerosene, whale oil and candle making for lighting
Mechanical power systems for factories and machinery
Telegraph lines for communication
Local craftsmen to build and repair items
Human and animal means to produce coal

Wood stoves for cooking and heating
Outhouses for sanitation needs
Buildings designed for natural ventilation

Limited clean water systems
Limited hospitals and doctors
Limited drugs, medications and medical equipment
Limited firefighting capabilities
Limited law enforcement capabilities

Physical currency of silver and gold
Banks utilizing paper records

Many of these systems exist today only in museums or historical sites and in insufficient quantities to support the population we now have. So simply going back to 19th century living standards would be impossible for the vast majority of people even under the best of circumstances. This brings to light the conclusion that 90% of the population would not survive long term under these conditions.

Assuming this type of event did occur, what would you need in advance to insure your survival? That is a question many people need to ask but most will not simply because their belief system would be shattered if they acknowledged potential threats and that they need to be responsible for their own lives.

There is the potential for many types of catastrophic events that we may never see but the potential should be enough to cause reflection on the individuals part to at least ask the important questions for their own survival. To prepare mentally as well as physically is important to survive the worst of the potential events we could face. You may not find yourself living in the 19th Century tomorrow, but what if?

Some scientists fear that the solar maximum that will peak in 2020 will spawn another CME similar to the Carrington Event causing catastrophic results on Earth

In 1859, an event unlike anything experienced before by modern man, occurred. A massive Coronal Mass Ejection occurred on the sun sending vast quantities of solar particles on a collision course with Earth. The result of this collision caused severe disruptions with the only major electrical equipment then in existence, the telegraph system. Magnetic observatories recorded disturbances in the Earths magnetic field that were literally off the scale.

Auroras were seen as far south as the Caribbean, gold miners in the Rocky Mountains were awakened by a light so bright they thought it was morning and those in the northeast could read news papers by the light.

Telegraph systems throughout Europe and North America failed and in some cases shocked telegraph operators. Telegraph lines threw sparks, paper in some telegraph offices caught fire and some lines continued to send messages even after the battery power had been removed from the line. The electrical effects were severe but the lack of electrical devices in use at this time allowed society to continue as normal and this disturbance was viewed as nothing more than a curiosity.

Scientists believe events of this size can occur every 500 years and events of a lesser but still destructive magnitude can happen several times per century. Scientists are getting better at predicting space weather but mother nature often times ignores our best forecasting and throws us a curve.

What would happen if a storm of this magnitude were to strike the Earth today? The biggest worry we have is the power grid. Satellites would be affected preventing most communications and financial transactions but if the grid goes down due to transformer blowouts, it could be a long time before we get it back up. The larger transformers 500+ KV in size cost millions of dollars and take 1 to 3 years to get even in normal times. Very few of these are kept in supply and the loss of dozens or hundreds at one time could be a disaster as only a small number are made every year and none are currently made in the U.S.

If many of these large transformers went down, it would take down our high tech society with it. Many of our cars and computers and appliances would probably still work, but how would we run them without power? How would we pump water to cities and pump fuel so trucks and trains could deliver food and medicine? How would our medical system operate without the high tech gadgets we depend on to keep people alive and diagnose them? How would we communicate and conduct financial business without our computers? Yes, we have backup generators but how long will they last before they run out of fuel that we can no longer process, pump and deliver?

This is the nightmare scenario we need to address before it happens. Currently we can detect CMEs about 20 hours before they reach Earth. The current plan is to notify power companies of the danger so they can shut down parts of the grid and protect the transformers before they get burnt out. It’s a plan but I feel the need to ask, is this really the best plan we can come up with? What happens if mother nature throws us a curve and we don’t have time to power down the transformers? A report from the EMP commission stated that it would cost about $60 to $100 million to protect the 300 largest transformers that power the grid and an additional $400 to $600 million to protect an additional 3,000 transformers but our leaders don’t think that would be the best use for our money. A NASA report indicates that within 90 seconds of a Carrington Event reaching Earth, the 300 largest transformers in the U.S. would go down and recovery would take 4 to 10 years and some estimates place the death toll in the tens of millions of people.

If the grid goes down civilized society as it is will disintegrate rapidly due to the lax moral standards we now have as a society. The pictures of Japanese citizens patiently waiting in line to get supplies after the 2011 tsunami is a stark difference from what you could expect in the U.S. As with many potential problems, if the government would only discuss it in public and offer the public some simple preparedness tips and discuss how we as a nation would repair the damage, the public knowledge would help mitigate the damage and aid in recovery operations. Unfortunately, that’s not how we do things in the 21st century.

So how do we know how bad it was in 1859 if we didn’t have electronic devices back then to measure it?

To be maximally geoeffective , ie: to drive a magnetic storm, a CME must
(1) be launched from near the center of the sun onto a trajectory that will cause it to impact Earths magnetic field,
(2) be fast (1000 km/sec + ) and massive, thus producing large kenetic energy and
(3) have a strong magnetic field where orientation is opposite that of Earth.

Solar Energetic Particle events dominated by shock-accelerated particles traveling near the speed of light are channeled along geomagnetic field lines into the upper atmosphere above the poles where they can initiate ozone depleting chemistry in the middle atmosphere. Nitrates produced by SEP bombardment settle out of the atmosphere within weeks and are preserved in polar ice, allowing the magnitude of the SEP to be estimated many years later. This is how we can estimate the magnitude of the Carrington Event and apply it to modern technology.

Some scientists fear that the solar maximum that will peak in 2020 will spawn another CME similar to the Carrington Event causing catastrophic results on Earth (SOURCE). The recent uptick in solar storms may give some credence to our newfound concerns. The problem with a solar event as opposed to a man-made event is the possibility that we could be hit multiple times over the course of months before it diminishes. This could make recovery efforts many times more difficult. It is possible for individuals to prepare for an event like this to limit the hardships but this is something that must be done well in advance. The problem is that the vast majority will not prepare and they will cause this disaster to become a catastrophe if it happens. Those that are not prepared to live through a situation like this face a life threatening situation. Those that are prepared, face the danger posed by the unprepared.

The preparations that you make for this situation are similar to many other disasters and will require similar items and planning. As I always stress, knowledge is the most important thing to have in a disaster and everyone needs to develop a plan that will work best for them. If the grid goes down besides not being able to travel or communicate, banking records could be frozen or destroyed taking your electronic money along with it. In this situation, the only money you may have access to is what you have on hand in cash and even then you may be limited as to what you will be able to buy. The only safe position is to already have supplies on hand. For this type of disaster, there is no such thing as being prepared too early or having too many supplies.

One final item that you need to plan for is the potential for a nuclear incident following a grid down event. The loss of power to maintain coolant can result in a meltdown of reactor fuel and the more serious problem of spent fuel coolant ponds going dry igniting radioactive fires. In this situation you have two choices, evacuate or shelter in place. Evacuation would be difficult at best and sheltering in place would present its own problems. An uncontrolled radioactive fire can spew radiation for decades so each person would need to evaluate the hazard to their location and plan accordingly. A modern day Carrington Event would be nothing short of Armageddon for the people of this planet

Russia’s New Generation of Nuclear Weapons Ready For WW3: Considering the potential effectiveness of this system, such missiles would give the Russians a distinct advantage over anyone

The arms race is an old one. Ever since our cavemen ancestors started using sticks and stones to attack each other, mankind has constantly sought to create more effective weapons. Some have sought this to use in attacking their enemies, while others only to defend themselves. Offensive warfare and defensive warfare are two sides of the same coin.

This arms race has also fueled technological research and development through the ages. Much of the technology that we depend on, every day of our lives, came from the Department of Defense (DOD). Many things which don’t have an obvious military application were in fact invented for the military, such as the Internet, the Global Positioning System and many modern emergency room techniques.

Much of the last century was overshadowed by this arms race, specifically involving nuclear arms. While there are still only a few countries who own these weapons, a huge amount of money has been invested in their development. That investment hasn’t stopped, as we can see from a recent announcement.

During his State of the Nation address, President Vladimir Putin of Russia announced the creation of five new, but interrelated, weapons systems. Amongst these are hypersonic, nuclear capable, cruise missiles, which are unstoppable by any current defense technology.

The idea of these missiles is obviously to defeat existing anti-missile systems, such as Israel’s Iron Dome system or the US THAAD system. It does this by operating in a different way than those systems are designed to defend against.

Current Anti-Missile Systems

In the contest between offensive and defensive systems, offensive systems always hold the upper hand, with defensive systems struggling to catch up. Such is the case with missiles as well. Current anti-missile systems are built to defend against the threat of yesterday, which might very well mean that Putin’s announcement was correct and they are totally ineffective for these new weapons.

There are two basic types of missiles we are talking about here; ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. Ballistic missiles are fired up into the upper atmosphere, just like a rocket putting a satellite into orbit. When they run out of thrust, they fall back towards the earth, their path of travel creating a huge arc and with their payload hitting the target. Amazingly enough, these missiles are highly accurate, even after crossing oceans.

Since the start of the Cold War, this was the type of nuclear missile which anti-missile systems needed to defend against. In the event of a nuclear war, ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles) would be carrying nuclear warheads anywhere from a few hundred miles to the other side of the globe. The abovementioned Iron dome and THAAD systems, as well as others, are designed to defend against these kinds of missiles.

Different anti-missile systems recognize, target and attack these missiles during different parts of their flight trajectory. They can be designed to work on the boost phase, during the apogee of their flight or the terminal part of the flight. Each system only works against one part; not all three parts of the flight trajectory.

Cruise missiles could be said to be the direct opposite of ballistic missiles in that they don’t fly high up into the sky. Rather, they fly at altitudes which are typically lower than 100 meters. This allows them to defeat the radars and defensive missile systems which are designed to recognize ballistic missiles. They are also quite effective at defeating normal air traffic control radars and other short-range radar systems, as they can often fly under the radar’s minimum effective altitude.

Since there is no ballistic track and the radar visibility of these missiles is considerably shorter than that for ballistic missiles, defending against them is quite different. There are two basic types of systems used for this. One is anti-missile missiles which are also able to fly a cruise missile flight path, low to the ground. The other is point defense systems, which fire slugs (bullets) at the missiles at close range.

What’s Different About Russia’s New Missiles

There is little public information about these new missile systems, other than what Vladimir Putin said in his speech. However, the little bit that he did say is enough to show that if these missiles do exist, the Russians have made some major technological breakthroughs that the world should take note of.

First of all, these new missiles are supposed to fly at a speed of 10 times the speed of sound. That’s over 7,000 miles per hour, almost 14 times as fast as other cruise missiles out there. That speed makes for a much more difficult targeting solution, as the anti-missile systems have much less time to react. While they may still be able to hit the missile in a head-on defense, their cross-range (with the missile crossing in front of the defensive system) capability would probably be virtually nil.

Secondly, these missiles are designed for carrying nuclear warheads. While all cruise missiles are capable of that, their range is greatly reduced, due to the heavier weight of the warhead. While such warheads are generally smaller to make up for this,

Thirdly, these missiles are designed for long-range use. Typically, cruise missiles have a 1,000 km (621 mi) range. While no specific information was given about the range of these new missiles, it appears that they have intercontinental range, something that has never been possible before with cruise missiles.

The reason given for this great range was that these missiles use a nuclear powered engine, rather than a solid-fuel rocket motor. That was looked at, many years ago, by our own scientist and engineers, who concluded that it was impractical. If the Russians have managed to overcome the technical problems which were encountered then, they might have created a missile that can be launched in Russia and fly to wherever they want.

A Whole Weapon’s System

While I’ve been discussing this as if it were one type of missile, there are actually several variants of it, including a land based version, an air deployable one, and a sea-launched one. Considering the potential effectiveness of this system, such missiles would give the Russians a distinct advantage over anyone.

In addition to the missiles the Russians have supposedly developed a new type of submarine, which would carry the naval version of this missile. This submarine is supposed to have the capability of diving to much deeper depths than any other. That would allow it to escape from other countries submarines and travel to where it wanted, without being followed.

The deeper a submarine dives, the less cavitation noise the propeller produces. This noise is caused by air bubbles forming on the trailing edge of the propeller or “screw.” As they collapse from the pressure, they make noise. But the deeper the submarine dives, the faster the screw can turn, without cavitation.

What Does It All Mean?

While this weapons system gives the Russian military a distinct advantage; it only does so if it is ready for deployment. Considerable doubt has been raised as to whether or not these weapons actually exist. The only imagery that Putin used with his speech were computer generated; not actual photographs. So it is quite possible that these weapons are still under development or just plans for the future.

Even if these weapons have completed their testing and are ready to be manufactured, it could still take several years before enough of them have been built and issued to the military. In the mean time, you can be sure that other countries will be hard at work to develop an effective means of countering this new threat, whether by modifying existing weapons systems or developing new ones