Tag Archive: Preparedness

Your Money is not protected

It’s 2013 and Andrew’s Savings Have Just Been Confiscated By The Government…

…just like tens of thousands of other account holders,  some losing as much as 47.5% of their savings overnight…

Andrew’s still not exactly sure how much he lost, but it could be in the hundreds of thousands…
…and it was all 100% legal because of a bank “bail-in” law.
Even though we’re talking about Cyprus, and not America, according to one former banker this same thing could happen to U.S. banks thanks to bill H.R. 4173.
How safe would your retirement savings be if the U.S. decided to execute on bill H.R. 4173?
How would potentially losing access to massive amounts of your retirement savings affect your ability to…

  • Pay your mortgage
  • Pay for medical bills
  • Pay for groceries

You probably wouldn’t want to find out right?


So what is bill H.R. 4173.

It is a  new law of the land and It was signed into law in 2010 under then President Barack Hussein Obama.

It’s known under many different names:

  • The Dodd-Frank Act.
  • Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act
  • Public Law 111–203
  • H.R. 4173
  • Bank Bail-In (Google this search phrase: Dodd–Frank Bail–In)

The law states that U.S. banks may take its depositors funds (i.e. your checking, savings, CD’s, IRA & 401(k) accounts) and use those funds when necessary to keep itself, the bank, afloat.

That means:

  • if your bank makes bad investments in derivatives
  • or makes bad loans to sub-prime borrowers
  • or manages the bank poorly and can’t service its debt
  • or even worse the U.S. economy has another 2008 collapse

Instead of that bank going bankrupt and the banks assets sold off to be given back to its depositors…

Now the bank simply keeps your money and guess what? The bank is no longer bankrupt.

YOUR ACCOUNT IS NOT FDIC INSURED WHEN THE BANK TAKES YOUR MONEY. NOT ONE SINGLE PENNY.



Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.



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Grocery Stores Have Started Limiting Toilet Paper and Wipes Purchases

Amid an ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases, grocery stores have begun to limit the amount of toilet paper and disinfecting wipes once again. News reports say this new policy to prevent “hoarding.”


Amid an ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases, grocery stores have begun to limit the amount of toilet paper and disinfecting wipes once again. News reports say this new policy to prevent “hoarding.”


In the last few weeks, we have seen (firsthand in some cases) what happens when an unprepared public prepares all at once. The frenzied rush to grab as many supplies as possible created an unprecedented strain on our “just in time” food system. Basic supplies like water, pasta, bread, milk, meat and cleaning supplies were snatched up as soon as they were restocked. But this initial run on food is just the beginning.


Things are likely to get worse especially if there is any word of another potential lockdown. People will panic buy things once again wiping out entire sections of the grocery store. Luckily (or sadly) in my area, frozen foods are about the only things not in stock. There’s still plenty of fresh fruits, veggies, and canned foods…for now.


But as grocers reinstate these limits, they may understand that the food supply chain is once again breaking, and this time, it might get to the point of chaotic. Since the supply chain “remains challenged” from the first lockdown, stores began putting a limit of one on purchases of larger toilet paper and paper towel sizes and four on smaller toilet paper and paper towel sizes.


At least three companies say supply chains for securing these items are still strained. Around 19% of paper products such as toilet paper and paper towels and 16% of household cleaning products were out of stock during the week ending November 1, according to data from market research firm IRI.


In a previous article we wrote about what may happen if a two-week lockdown turns into a month or longer and given the fact that other countries around the world are shutting down, it seems as if another lockdown is very likely to happen in the United States soon.


If grocers are concerned about the people buying out the toilet paper, consider other options if you don’t have extra toilet paper stored.


It is possible to beat any shortages by bein prepared for them. The supply chains have been strained for months now, and it doesn’t look like any relief of that strain is comin any time soon.


One tip is to shop at local grocery stores. The big megastores are convenient, but as we have seen during the spring, they get bombarded quickly with panic buying. Shopping at your local supermarket may be a better bet. The smaller Mom and Pop stores may still have the items you need and can give you personalized responses and when they are restocking. Also, if you are looking for paper goods like toilet paper or paper towels or disinfectant, dish soap or cleaners consider going to your local Home Depot or Lowes store. They should have a less tapped supply.


Ordering online could help too. Hopefully you have what you need already though because even those items can sell out if the panic continues at an upward pace.


Because we can’t do a whole heck of a lot about the store limits, we should all have learned to slowly stock up over time and store a few extra items in case this very thing happens again.

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.



via:   readynutrition


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Emergency Communications: Handheld Radios

IN AN ERA OF OVERRELIANCE ON CELL PHONES, KNOWING HOW TO USE A HANDHELD RADIO MIGHT SAVE YOUR LIFE

What’s the key factor that has made humans the dominant species on Earth? Many would say it all comes down to our ability to use tools, dating back to the first time our cave-dwelling ancestors crafted a blade or smacked two rocks together to spark a fire. But that claim overlooks a much greater advantage: our ability to work together through sophisticated methods of communication. Enter the world of handheld radios.

As the English poet John Donne put it, “No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” We have succeeded through collaborating to build societies, and none of that would be possible if we hadn’t developed spoken and written methods to communicate with each other. Although television shows and movies often portray the quintessential survivalist as a grizzled lone wolf, totally independent of the crumbling ruins of humanity, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Alone, we’re vulnerable; together, we can support one another.

It’s critical to have a plan for emergency communication if something goes wrong, especially for those of us who venture out into the wilderness and distance ourselves from society. We’ve all heard the stories of lost hikers who wandered off-course or got injured in a remote location, nearly dying because they were unable to call for help. The irony behind these stories is that long-range communication these days is easier than ever before — our ancestors would be astonished by the capabilities of the cell phones we carry in our pockets. However, those same cell phones can lull us into a false sense of security. If your phone’s battery dies, its screen is smashed, it’s out of range of the nearest cell tower, or a widespread disaster has disabled or overloaded local infrastructure, is your only backup plan to start sending smoke signals?

Thankfully, there’s an inexpensive, reliable, and highly capable alternative to cell phones. Despite claims to the contrary, handheld radios are anything but obsolete, and while there’s certainly a learning curve involved, they’re not as difficult to use as you might think. In order to get up to speed on how to effectively use a radio in a survival setting, we signed up for an Intro to Emergency Radio Communication course hosted by Independence Training in Arizona. Guest instructor Ted Harden covered a huge range of topics, from the absolute basics of selecting a radio and making a distress call to more advanced techniques. Read on for an overview of some of the lessons we learned at this class.

BEFORE YOU GET STARTED

We’ll begin with an important disclaimer — it’s essential to understand your radio’s capabilities as well as local and federal laws before you begin transmitting.

Harden made it extremely clear that it’s easy to inadvertently break the law with many common handheld radios (HTs), such as the Baofeng UV-5R used by most of the students in his classes. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has imposed fines of $25,000 or more on individuals who got caught breaking the rules, and serious offenses can even lead to jail time. Admittedly, the likelihood of getting caught by the FCC for a one-time infraction is minimal, since their investigators are primarily looking for corporations and “pirate” radio stations who illegally broadcast high-power signals on a daily basis. Improper use of your radio may also lead to contact from local law enforcement agencies — Harden says the Department of Fish and Game might monitor the airwaves to track down poachers, especially outside hunting season.

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Above: Many handhelds come with a short “duck” antenna, like the one seen here. For an easy upgrade, replace it with a longer whip antenna.

Aside from the financial and legal ramifications, misusing your radio can interfere with important emergency services. In April 2017, an unauthorized radio signal triggered the tornado warning network in Dallas, Texas, causing sirens throughout the suburbs to blare for 95 minutes until workers cut power to the system. On a smaller scale, broadcasting on the wrong frequency can interrupt communications between EMS, fire, and police agencies who may be responding to urgent calls.

If you’re in a true life-and-death emergency, these rules can be bent or broken. In any other case, it’s wise to exercise caution and read up on the laws in your area before you buy or use a radio.

UNDERSTANDING THE BANDS

The class began by discussing common bands, or segments of the radio frequency spectrum, as well as the radio categories within those bands. There are three bands you should be aware of: HF, VHF, and UHF. See the sidebar for definitions of these and other key terms.

HF is primarily useful for intercontinental communications, since it can bounce off the ionosphere to cross extremely long distances. This so-called skywave communication can be inconsistent due to changes in atmospheric conditions and is less useful for emergencies, since someone on another continent probably won’t be able to come to your aid.

VHF and UHF are our primary areas of operation, and each has its advantages. VHF’s longer wavelength is better at pushing through brush and trees in outdoor areas; UHF’s shorter wavelength is better at bouncing off buildings and other metallic obstructions in urban areas.

Traditional walkie-talkies feature fixed antennas and low power, so they’re not ideal for long-range communication.

There are several important subcategories within VHF and UHF:

Family Radio Service (FRS): If you’ve ever used the walkie-talkies sold in blister packs at retail stores, you’ve probably used this service. FRS radios require no license but are limited to 2 watts of output power and can’t use a detachable antenna, so you’ll rarely see range beyond a mile.

Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS): Like FRS, this service doesn’t require a license. It’s slightly better due to the ability to use external antennas, but the FCC’s guidelines for MURS prohibit the use of repeaters to extend range.

General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS): This service is one step better for emergency communication purposes, since it can be used with repeaters. It requires a $70 license, but there’s no test required, the license lasts for 10 years, and it automatically applies to all members of your immediate family. However, power restrictions limit its range in comparison to ham radio.

Ham/Amateur Radio: Ham radio offers the most versatile capabilities and the most robust community of operators to communicate with. However, in order to legally use a ham radio, you’ll need to pass a test and get a license. There are three license categories: Technician, General, and Extra. The first is the most practical for general emergency preparedness; the associated 35-question multiple-choice test costs about $15 and can be passed easily after studying for about a week. The other two categories offer increasing levels of access to HF for intercontinental communication.

When you take a ham radio license test, you can find out immediately if you passed or failed. If you failed the test by only a few questions, you can often retake a slightly different version of it on the same day (you’ll need to get approval from the Volunteer Examiner who is proctoring the test and pay the fee again). After passing the test and waiting a week or two for processing, you’ll be assigned a six-character call sign. At that point, you’re cleared to begin transmitting.

Important Note: To become a licensed ham radio operator, you must submit your full name and mailing address to the FCC, and this information is entered into a public online database. If someone knows your call sign, they can easily look you up. It’s possible to use a P.O. box on your license to maintain some privacy, but keep in mind that this is an additional cost to consider.

Above: A mobile radio in your vehicle can offer substantially more power than a handheld. Pair this with a tall, roof-mounted antenna to maximize range.

RANGE, ELEVATION, AND POWER

Both VHF and UHF radios require line of sight between your antenna and the recipient’s antenna. This means that if you’re holding a handheld radio (HT) with its antenna at head level and your friend is doing the same, assuming perfectly flat ground with no obstructions, your maximum range will be limited to roughly three miles due to the curvature of the Earth. Go to hamuniverse.com/lineofsightcalculator.html for more examples and a range calculator. In the real world, you might see a maximum of one to two miles between two HTs on a good day.

If you’re thinking that a mile or two probably isn’t enough range to call for rescue, you’re absolutely right. The first way to extend that range is to get more elevation by physically moving to the top of a nearby hill or building and/or using a taller antenna. Most handheld radios come with a standard “rubber duck” antenna that’s only a few inches long. This can be replaced with a flexible whip antenna for a slight improvement. For a larger improvement, a roll-up backpacking antenna can be connected to your handheld via a length of coaxial cable and hung from a tree or other tall object. This can provide a maximum range of 20 miles or more. Magnetic antennas mount to the roof of a vehicle or other flat metal surface, using it as a ground plane to extend range even further. Directional “Yagi” antennas are another worthwhile option, but are less portable and must be aimed carefully. But above all, height is critical.

The second way to improve range is to use a radio that offers higher power output, measured in watts. Most handhelds are 5W or 8W, and Harden says the difference in that range is usually negligible in the real world — antenna quality and elevation are much more important for HTs. Power really comes into play when you can use a larger mobile or base station radio that’s able to push 50W, 100W, or even more. That kind of power isn’t an option for handhelds, since it can cause RF burns on the skin on your hand (said to feel like something between a bee sting and a bad sunburn). After all, radio waves are a form of radiation.

GEAR CHECKLIST

Once you have a good understanding of the technical and legal aspects of radio communication, it’s time to pick up some hardware. Thankfully, there’s a thriving market for ham radios, and you can easily get an HT with the bare essentials for under $100. Many “starter kits” are available online, but be cautious, since some of these kits include low-quality accessories or items you won’t need.

Handheld radio(s): Harden says that the Baofeng UV-5R (approx. $25) and other derivatives such as the BF-F8HP (approx. $40) are by far the most common HT choices for starters. Keep in mind that out of the box, these radios are able to illegally transmit on many frequencies they’re not certified for. They should only be used for monitoring (listening to nearby transmissions) or transmitting on approved ham bands with the appropriate license. Get a few extra HTs for your friends or family members, if possible.

Upgraded antenna: The standard short antenna that comes with most inexpensive radios is a serious Achilles’ heel. Upgrade options include an extended whip (Harden recommends the Diamond brand), a magnet-mount for the roof of your car, or a roll-up backpacking antenna (Harden recommends the $25 Dual Band Slim Jim antenna available at n9taxlabs.com). You might even want all of the above.

Coaxial cable and adapters: Aside from a whip, connecting to an external antenna will require some coaxial cable. Don’t use the cheap, stiff-type made for TVs. Flexible RG-8 or RG-58 is ideal, but only use as much as you need since excess cable can diminish signal strength. You should also pick up some SMA to UHF connection adapters, or buy a pre-terminated cable with those connectors built-in (n9taxlabs.com offers those, too).

Programming cable: This allows your radio to connect to your computer via USB. Look for one that has “genuine FTDI” in the name, since those are truly plug-and-play. There are many knockoffs on the market that cause driver headaches with some PCs.

Programming software: Good news: You don’t have to pay for this. CHIRP is an excellent open-source piece of software, and it’s free to download for PC, Mac, or Linux at chirp.danplanet.com. It can be used to quickly find important frequencies, program them onto your radio, and duplicate that programming onto other radios you own (this is highly recommended).

Extended battery: Many options are available, including rechargeable packs or units that accept AA alkaline batteries. If you buy a rechargeable pack, get a USB charging cable so you can easily hook it up to a portable power bank, solar panel, or car charger. Never transmit while you’re charging, as it may damage the radio.

Hand mic: This microphone/speaker combo clips onto your shirt, backpack strap, or plate carrier, and allows you to listen and transmit while you’re on the move. Look for one with a 3.5mm output port, so you can connect it to an earbud for privacy or active ear protection for shooting.

Radio pouch: Don’t trust the included belt clip to secure your radio. A purpose-built MOLLE-compatible pouch will protect it and offer easy access when you need it.

Stand-alone scanner (optional): Although most handheld radios can scan for nearby transmissions, a dedicated scanner will be far more efficient at this task. Many law enforcement and government agencies have transitioned away from analog comms, so a digital scanner will have the added advantage of being able to monitor these frequencies, as long as they’re not encrypted.

Your radio might have a belt clip, but carrying it exposed can cause it to get lost or damaged. Instead, protect it inside a MOLLE-compatible pouch.

PREPPING YOUR RADIO

Your ham radio can be used two ways: radio-to-radio (simplex) or radio-to-repeater (duplex). The former offers easy, direct communication within a typical range of a few miles. The latter uses a high-power repeater to extend your range by tens or hundreds of miles, and is therefore much more useful for emergencies. Some repeaters are even linked together to bounce your signal across counties or states, and many are supported by generators or other emergency-ready backup power options.

Out of the box, your radio probably won’t be programmed with any useful frequencies. You can always use the scan function to check for nearby transmissions, but that should be your last resort. Ideally, you’ll want to plan ahead and add the ham repeaters in your area to the radio’s memory, either by entering them manually on its keypad (tedious) or by programming them via USB cable and CHIRP (fast and easy). To find repeaters in your area, check RepeaterBook.com or RadioReference.com, or search online for “[your state/city] repeater directory.”

In addition to ham repeaters, Harden recommends programming your radio with NOAA weather advisory frequencies (see weather.gov/nwr/maps) as well as the 22 standard FRS, GMRS, and MURS frequencies. If you’re near the coast, you may also want to program in the marine VHF frequencies, which are used by watercraft. Lastly, you can look up any local police, fire, or EMS frequencies, since listening to these may provide useful information during a disaster. Note that your radio may not be authorized to transmit on any of the frequencies in this paragraph, and you certainly shouldn’t transmit on government frequencies, but it’s perfectly legal to listen and gather information.

A hand mic makes it easier to communicate on the move and to keep your radio safe inside a pouch or pack.

BEGIN TRANSMISSION

to cut someone off. Key up (press the transmit button) for a few seconds before you begin speaking, and try to keep messages under a minute whenever possible. You’re always required to identify yourself by your call sign before speaking. To get started, you might say “[call sign] is monitoring” to indicate you’re listening, or say “this is [call sign], can I please get a signal report?” to ask someone to report back if they can hear you clearly.

In an emergency, these niceties will get pushed aside for obvious reasons. You should say “break” if you’re interrupting an ongoing conversation, quickly identify yourself, and then state “this is an emergency” and ask for someone who can help. Once someone responds and is ready to take down your information, provide the relevant details for that person to pass along to rescue personnel. Students in the class were trained to call in emergency information as concisely as possible using a civilian-oriented version of the standard military nine-line MEDEVAC format:

1. Location of pickup site (include decimal GPS coordinates, if possible)
2. Radio frequency and call sign
3. Number of patients by precedence/injury severity
4. Special equipment required (e.g. a stretcher)
5. Number of patients by type (e.g. ambulatory or non-ambulatory)
6. Number and type of wound, injury, or illness
7. Method of marking pickup site
8. Patient description (e.g. teenage girl wearing a bright blue jacket)
9. Terrain description, including key landmarks

End this emergency transmission with a “how copy?” to ask for confirmation or clarification. If at all possible, have a notepad and pen ready to write down important info such as times, frequencies, and call signs. These details will help you get in touch with the same person again in the future, if necessary.

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An extended battery pack is a wise purchase for any handheld radio, especially one you plan to use in emergencies. If possible, select one with an onboard port for a USB or car charger, as well as contacts for use with a charging cradle.

ADVANCED CAPABILITIES

Some ham radio repeaters offer capabilities that can greatly expand your emergency comms capabilities. We’ll briefly address a few of these below.

Autopatch
You can make local phone calls from your handheld radio through an autopatch-enabled repeater, as long as you know the passcode. To start a call, key up, say “this is [call sign] requesting autopatch,” and listen for any objections. Then, key up again and dial the activation code, the 10-digit phone number, and finally the star key (*) before unkeying. If it works, you’ll hear a message saying “autopatch enabled” and the call will begin. After the call, say your call sign again and enter the disconnect code followed by *.

Unfortunately, autopatch has some drawbacks. You’ll need to know that the repeater you’re connecting to is autopatch-enabled, and you’ll need the passcode, which is often only given out to radio club members (that rule may be waived in an emergency). Your call is also limited to 3 minutes, broadcasted to anyone listening on the repeater, and testing has revealed that many phone service providers will send autopatch calls straight to voicemail. Still, if you’re trying to directly contact someone who doesn’t have a radio, this may be your best bet. It can also be used to call 9-1-1 if no one else is active on the repeater.

IRLP/Echolink
The Internet Radio Linking Project (IRLP) is a service that transmits radio calls over the internet from one node to another, much like Skype or any other VoIP service. This is a great way to reach other radio operators who live in a different state or country, far beyond the reach of your local repeater network. See
IRLP.net for details and list of nodes in your area.

EchoLink is a functionally similar service, but it comes with the added bonus of stand-alone functionality on PCs and smartphones. That means that even if you don’t have a radio, you can download the app and use it to communicate with those who do.

Remember that unlike typical ham radio repeaters, both of these services are dependent on the internet, so they’re likely to go offline if a major disaster wipes out infrastructure.

AMSAT
Did you know you can directly make a call to outer space from a ham radio? It’s true. In fact, the International Space Station will send you a certificate if you call its onboard repeater. Refer to
ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html for details.

Before you dismiss this as useless trivia, you should learn about the Amateur Radio Satellite Organization, also known as AMSAT. These low-orbit amateur satellites act as radio repeaters, and they can be reached using a ham radio and directional antenna. In 2017, a father and son successfully used it to call for rescue when they got stuck in Big Bend National Park, outside the range of cell towers or terrestrial repeaters. An audio recording of this call is available on AMSAT.org.

The catch to AMSAT is that you need a smartphone or computer app to determine the exact orbital path and timing of these satellites, which will provide a narrow window of 15 minutes or less to transmit as one passes overhead. You also need to hope that your transmission is heard by someone else who’s willing to help.

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The Baofeng UV-5R was used by most students in the class. This $25 made-in-China HT is far from the best on the market, but is a good starting point for beginners.

OVER AND OUT

Just like any other emergency preparedness skill, your ability to communicate is only as good as your training. You don’t want the first time you test your radio to be at the bottom of a ravine with a broken leg, so get out there and practice with your gear. More importantly, practice in a realistic manner. If you go off-roading frequently in mountainous terrain, see how your radio setup copes with that exact scenario. If you selected a radio for use in an urban natural disaster, test it out next time a storm rolls in. These dry runs will quickly reveal flaws in your plan.

At the conclusion of the class, Harden recommended following the military’s PACE plan format to establish Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency options for communication. Your primary will almost certainly be your cell phone, whether you’re using it to call, text, email, or reach out on social media. A handheld radio makes an excellent alternate tool, and a satellite phone or personal locator beacon might be a good contingency option. The emergency option is a last resort, such as attempting to find a nearby landline or pay phone (yes, they still exist in a few places).

You may never experience a day when you’re desperately in need of help and your cell phone shows “No Signal.” We sincerely hope that’s the case, but we live our lives by the mantra “hope for the best and plan for the worst.” If things go off the rails, you’d better have several reliable options to stay in touch.

Above: A handheld ham radio makes a valuable addition to any emergency kit or bug-out bag, even if you only use it to check the weather forecast.

Sources
Independence Training
www.independencetraining.com

TERMS TO KNOW

Ham – Amateur radio. The term’s origins are debated, but some believe it was originally a derogatory term used by professionals to single out amateur (i.e. “ham-fisted”) operators.
RX – Receive
TX – Transmit
Watts – Used to measure radio transmission power
Repeater – Receives and retransmits a signal to extend its range

Simplex – Transmits and receives on one frequency; used for direct radio-to-radio comms
Duplex – Transmits and receives on two different frequencies with a small offset between; used for radio-to-repeater comms

HT – Handheld radio, aka handheld transceiver or handie-talkie
Mobile – Non-handheld radio configured for use in a vehicle on 12V DC power
Base Station – Non-handheld radio configured for use on a wall power outlet

RF – Radio frequency
Band – Section on the radio frequency spectrum
HF – High frequency, 3 to 30MHz
VHF – Very high frequency, 30 to 300MHz. For amateur radio communications, this typically means 144 to 148MHz, often referred to as “144” (the frequency) or “2-meter” (the wavelength).
UHF – Ultra high frequency, 300MHz to 3GHz. For amateur radio communications, this typically means 420 to 450MHz, often referred to as “440” or “70-centimeter.”
Dual band – Capable of using VHF and UHF

MAKE A CHEAT SHEET

Harden recommends printing out small cards that contain the following critical information. Laminate these cheat sheets and place one with each radio you distribute to your family, friends, or emergency preparedness group members.

Important phone numbers

Regional ham radio repeater frequencies

Local PD/EMS/NOAA weather frequencies

Signal Operating Instructions (SOI): A bare-bones guide on how to use the radio to call for help. Make it simple enough that a child can understand it.

Communication windows: Plan out daily time frames when the user should broadcast or listen for regular communications, so you don’t end up missing a group member’s calls. Avoid exact hour or half-hour marks, since prescheduled events may be occurring on the repeater at those times.

Privacy key: List a few vague terms for specific locations or instructions. For example, you might say “meet at the red building,” which the card indicates is the warehouse on the corner of Washington and 12th. This ensures any eavesdroppers won’t know exactly where you are or what you’re doing unless you want them to.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

via:  offgridweb


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3 DIY Emergency Heaters That Will Keep You Warm This Winter

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Whether It’s a Small Shed, a Garage, or Your Whole House, These Do-It-Yourself Heaters Really Deliver – But Be Careful.

Winter is here, and in spite of your best efforts, there’s always that one room that is too cold. Electric space heaters are the usual option, but they have some downsides. For one, they really burn up the watts. Most space heaters run at 1500 watts on their high setting, and our electric bills tell the tale.

They’re also dependent on electricity. That can mean running extension cords to an out-building like a shed or detached garage, assuming it’s a reasonable distance from a power source.

There’s also the possibility of a power outage–which could last anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks–and that’s when alternative heat sources are no longer just convenient, but absolutely critical.

Many people depend on wood-burning stoves or pellet stoves to keep up the heat, but most of these heat sources are centralized to living areas rather than out-buildings. There are ways to distribute wood or pellet-fired heat to other areas in a house, but some spaces in a home just don’t seem to get enough.

Fortunately, there are some easy-to-make alternatives that can allow you to keep any space warm. These DIY heaters are simple and can often be assembled from materials you already have on hand.

They tend to be most effective in smaller spaces, but a lot has to do with temperatures that are tolerable rather than toasty. Even the smallest DIY heater can maintain a relatively comfortable temperature of 50° Fahrenheit. That’s sweater weather and it beats freezing.

In larger spaces, you may need a few of these improvised heaters. Just remember, the more open flames you spread around in any space, the greater the risk.

We’re going to explore three DIY heaters, but before we get into the materials and assembly details, we should cover a few points on fuels, fumes, safety and heat exchange.

Fuels

Two primary fuels are used for the heaters we’re going to cover. Candles and a 70% solution of Isopropyl alcohol. A third possibility is a gasoline additive known as HEET, but it can produce an odor if the heater is not burning properly and is more flammable than a 70% solution of isopropyl alcohol.

Candles

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The candles should be made with unscented, undyed wax. The smell of vanilla might be pleasant for an hour or so but can become a bit overwhelming as the hours wear on. We’re going to use plain white tea candles because they burn for 4 to 5 hours. The small metal cups surrounding the candle at the base also add a safety factor.

Isopropyl Alcohol

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Isopropyl alcohol can be bought in most any pharmacy and many hardware stores. The proof varies across basic concentrations ranging from 50% to 91%. A 70% solution is ideal because it burns clean and will keep a steady, hot flame. Goldilocks will be the first to tell you that 50% is too low while 91% is too high, but 70% is just right.

A wick is used to draw the alcohol to the flame and this wicking catalyst is usually fireproof insulation material or, believe it or not, toilet paper.

Fumes

Anything that burns gives off various gases. Smoke is the most noxious and usually the result of burning carbon-based fuels. Fortunately, isopropyl alcohol and candles give off little if any smoke and the fumes are relatively harmless.

The one caution has to do with the consumption of oxygen within an enclosed space. Any flame needs oxygen to burn, and a flame that starts to dim for no apparent reason is telling you something. It either needs more fuel or more oxygen.

It seems contrary to the idea of keeping the cold out, but some degree of ventilation is recommended even if all it means is opening the door now and again.

Safety

Open flames present obvious problems, so common-sense and due diligence are necessary here. It’s fair to say that many of us burn candles from time to time without harm, but the heaters we’re talking about will potentially be burning with an open flame for some length of time.

That’s why the location of your DIY heater is so important. It should be away from walls, drapes, beds, and any other flammable materials. It should also be in a location where it won’t be knocked over.

You should also develop a good insulating layer between the base of your heater and any surface, especially a wood surface. Temperatures in some of the spaces in these heaters will range from 200 to 400° Fahrenheit. Paper bursts into flame at 451° F, and 400° is getting close.

Typical insulating materials include brick, tile, or a layer of stones underneath the heater. A double layer of these materials beneath the heater is also wise as it will further disperse the heat.

Heat Exchange

One of the concepts that increases the heat for one of these DIY heaters is a simple heat exchanger. A furnace works on the same principle.

A large slab of metal or ceramic is heated and then air is forced over the hot material to cause a heat exchange. As you’ll see in one of our homemade heaters, we’ll be using terracotta flowerpots to exchange heat with the surrounding air.

A good example of basic heat exchange can be found on the iron tops of wood-stoves. They’re often decorated with cast-iron objects in various shapes to allow the heat from the iron firebox to transfer to the cast-iron decoration and to the surrounding air.

If you ever see an iron duck resting on top of a wood-burning stove, you’d be wise to avoid grabbing it. It’s very hot, and heat exchange is the reason why.

DIY Emergency Heaters

1. The Tin Can Heater

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This DIY heater is simple to assemble, it’s easily and safely stored, and it kicks out a lot of heat. It produces a fairly large flame, so location is critical. It’s also a potential hazard if it’s knocked over. There is isopropyl alcohol in the can and any spill will burst into flame, so be careful with this one.

You’ll also find that an alcohol flame is difficult to see in daylight.

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Make sure everyone knows what’s going on so they don’t accidentally touch or knock over the heater because they couldn’t see the flame.

The can is a 1-quart paint can and should be a new, empty can. You can buy them at most hardware stores for about $3. Don’t use a can that has any residual paint in it. The paint will give off toxic fumes while the heater is burning.

Splurge and spend the three bucks to get a clean, new can. A 1-quart can will burn a little over an hour until it needs to be refilled. Don’t refill the can until it has fully cooled.

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An option is a metal soup can or another tin can. The can should be well rinsed, and the paper label and the line of glue removed as well. From there, the principle is the same as the paint can except you won’t have a tight sealing lid for extinguishing, storage, and future use.

Materials and Tools:

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  • 1 empty 1-quart paint can with lid or empty food can
  • 1 roll of toilet paper
  • 1 bottle of 70% isopropyl alcohol
  • A flathead screwdriver
Assembly:

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  1. Use a screwdriver and your hands to remove the cardboard tube from the center of the toilet paper roll.
  2. Once the tube is removed, squeeze the roll so it collapses in on itself.
  3. Slowly insert the toilet paper roll into the can.
  4. As you approach the end of the roll, you might need the screwdriver to get it past the rim.

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  1. Make sure the toilet paper is below the rim of the can.

  2. A large tile at least 1-foot square should be placed under the can.

  3. Slowly pour the isopropyl alcohol onto the toilet paper wick until it is saturated.

  4. Light the top of the can,f but be careful if you place the can in a bright area. The flame can be difficult to see.

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Place the can in a safe location. The can will get very hot, so extinguish it and let it cool before touching. The lid can be slipped over the top to put out the flame. Seal the lid with light taps from a hammer and store where you store other flammable materials like kerosene, gas, oil, and propane. Before using again, top off the can with more isopropyl alcohol.

It may surprise you, but the toilet paper will not burn. It acts like a wick drawing alcohol from the bottom of the can. However, if too much alcohol burns off, the toilet paper could begin to char. When the alcohol level gets low, extinguish the flame, let the can cool completely, and refill to the proper level.


2. The Flower Pot Tea Candle Heater

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It seems absurd to think that one tea candle could produce enough heat to heat a room, and you’re right. It takes 4 to 6 tea candles to do the job. What makes this tea candle heater work is the heat exchange concept. Terracotta flowerpots fulfill the role of heat exchanger, and over 20 to 30 minutes, they will get significantly hot from the small flames of a few tea candles.

This is another DIY heater that needs to be located carefully. The good news is that if it’s knocked over it won’t spread flaming alcohol, but melted wax is highly flammable and open flames are open flames.

Materials:

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  • 1 4-inch diameter terracotta pot

  • 1 6-inch diameter terracotta pot

  • 4 to 6 plain white tea candles
  • A large tile to isolate the heat from any surface and support the candles
  • Smaller tiles or bricks to support the flower pots

  • A quarter to seal the drain hole in the smaller pot when inverted
Assembly:


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  1. Build up the smaller tiles on the large tile so they can support both flower pots and create enough air-space to keep the candles burning under an inverted pot.

  2. Center the candles and light.

  3. Invert the smallest pot so it is over the candles.

  4. Cover the hole in the bottom of the smallest pot with the quarter. Do not do this with the second, larger pot.

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  1. Invert the larger pot over the smaller pot.

In 20 to 30 minutes you will begin to feel significant heat from the sides of the large pot and from the open hole at the top. To extinguish, blow out the candles, but be careful with the pots. Internal temperatures have been measured up to 400° Fahrenheit in the small, inner pot. Give them sufficient time to cool before handling.

There are backup alternatives to flower pots. Maybe the best is a cast-iron Dutch Oven inverted on the tiles or bricks in place of the flowerpots. You won’t have the convection that a flower pot within a flower pot creates, but the cast-iron will definitely get hot.

3. The Soda Can Jet Burner

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This heater is an alcohol burner on steroids. Due to its compact size, it can be used in place of tea candles in the Flower Pot heater. One of these heaters under a flower pot will do the trick, and two will double the heat. However, this heater will also give off heat on its own, so flower pots are optional.

The assembly is a little complicated compared to the other two heaters, but the materials are very easy to find around the house.

Materials and Tools:

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  • 3 empty and rinsed aluminum soda cans

  • A handful of fireproof insulation or pipe wrap insulation

  • 1 bottle of 70% isopropyl alcohol
  • A penny

  • Kitchen shears
  • A pushpin for punching the holes

  • A small hammer of anything that can be used to pound the pushpin through the thin aluminum

  • Work gloves to protect your hands from the sharp edges of the aluminum

  • Permanent marker

  • A small piece of a 2×4 to guide the marker on the can before cutting

  • Needle nose pliers
Assembly:

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  1. Put the can down with the bottom up and using a nail, carefully drive the nail through the center of the bottom of the can.

  2. Using a pushpin, make 4 holes around the nail hole. Use the small hammer to help drive the pushpin into the aluminum.

  3. Use the same pushpin to make 16 evenly spaced holes around the ridge at the bottom of the can. To do this, start with one hole and go to the opposite side of the can for the second hole and continue in this way to create evenly spaced holes.

  4. Split the difference between the two holes and punch again. Keep splitting the difference until you have 16 evenly spaced holes.

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  1. After the holes are punched, rest the can against the 2×4 with the board lying flat. Hold the tip of the permanent market against the edge and slowly rotate the can to draw an even line around the circumference of the can. Repeat with the other can.

  2. Cut a starting cut on the can using a razor knife.

  3. Use the kitchen shears to cut the can along the line around the circumference.

  4. You now have the top burner section complete.

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  1. Repeat with the other can and, using the needle nose pliers, twist and crimp the can every half-inch to make it easier to insert into the top portion of the burner.

  2. Once you have both cans’ bottoms cut and the top punched, you’re ready for the insulation wick.

  3. If using pipe wrap insulation (which is a cheap way to pick up some insulation), cut it the long way to the height of the base can.

  4. Roll the insulation and stuff into the base can.

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  1. Carefully place the top can over the insulation filled base to fit together.

  2. Press the top down gently until the cans are tightly joined. Pour the 70% isopropyl alcohol into the top and allow to percolate into the can. You could also use a gasoline additive like HEET, but you’re probably better off with the alcohol. You’ll have to repeat this filling step numerous times. Lift the can from time to time to assess the amount of alcohol it’s holding.

  3. Using your kitchen shears, cut the bottom base off of the third can along the rim.

  4. This bottom rim can now be used to extinguish the flame.

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  1. To get the can kick-started, pour a little of the fuel around the base of the heater to raise the temperature of the metal and encourage rapid evaporation. Remember to have a slab of tile to protect any surfaces from the flames. Light the top of the heater and the fuel around the base. If necessary, repeat the lighting process a few times to get the burner started. Wait until any flames are out before adding any alcohol to the heater or the tile base. You should also be careful to watch for any phantom flames. Alcohol burns with a dim, blue flame and can be very hard to see.

  2. Once the can is starting to flame through the perimeter holes, let it burn for a few minutes. Some holes will not be lit but they should catch flame soon.

  3. When a good number of the rim, perimeter holes are flaming, toss the penny onto the can to seal the center holes. Center it in place with a screwdriver.

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The heat from this tin can heater can not only be used to heat a space but to cook with a setup that will support a pot or pan. It also works very well with the terracotta flowerpot setup.

Points to Ponder

These DIY heaters work, but they can be dangerous. Here are some tips for managing an open flame.

Location
  • The floor is a really bad place for an open-flame heater. It can be easily knocked over by a careless step, an over-anxious pet, or someone knocking something over and into it.

  • Think about how you currently manage open flames in your home.

  • Most people understand the importance of a fireplace screen in front of an open fire.

  • Gas ranges isolate the blue flame at waist height in an environment typically surrounded by metal.

  • Candles usually occupy the center of a table or in sconces on the wall.

  • Even space heaters are usually set up away from walls or furniture and really shouldn’t be placed on a rug.
Ventilation
  • Be mindful of ventilation. Open flames burn up oxygen rapidly. However, many of us cook over gas range tops with no apparent effect, but if your paint can heater is burning for a long duration it might be time to think about opening a door or window.

  • Don’t go to sleep with one of these open-flame heaters blazing away. Anything can happen, although the tea candle and flowerpot setup may be the most benign if properly placed and insulated from any surface.

If you’re planning to use these heaters on a regular basis, you might want to think about stockpiling things like cans, isopropyl alcohol, tea candles, terracotta flowerpots, and a piece of fireproof insulation.

Hopefully, you’ll only use them for a short-term trip to the shed or the garage in winter, but if they become your only source of heat, you’ll want to be ready.

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.


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Election results are already in: Para Bellum

I know the election is still hanging in the balance, but there’s something important you need to know and prepare for.

You see, regardless of who wins, the results coming down the pike from this election are already clear.

 

“Si vis pacem, para bellum” – If you want peace, prepare for war.

 

Here’s why:

 

If Trump wins, there will be more looting, rioting, and civil unrest.

BLM Square already erupted in violence on election night, and nothing was close to being decide.

 

And it’s clear agitators are just itching to set off the powder keg across the nation.

 

On the political side, Democrats have already promised to punish Republicans for confirming Amy Coney Barret to the Supreme Court.

 

So, you can count on endless calls for investigations, more sham impeachment attempts, and basically government gridlock.

 

If Biden wins, Joe will likely be ousted within a year of taking office due to his obvious health issues.

 

They’ll invoke the 25th Amendment, which means Harris will become President and Pelosi the VP.

 

Then you’ll see the extreme left try to push their full Socialist agenda on America.

 

Free speech will be assailed like never before in our history…

 

Gun control bills will be coming hot and heavy…

 

Industry will be slowly nationalized…

 

Taxes will soar…

 

And politicians will let the activists off the chain to run wild in the streets until they get their way.

 

So you can see, regardless of the winner, there is much more civil and political strife coming our way.

 

Our freedoms will still be in jeopardy with a Trump victory – maybe not federally, but on a local level.

 

So depending where you live, things could get crazy.

And all this would be truly scary stuff.

 

If you weren’t prepared in advance for it.

 

But you easily can be.

 

Simply cutting through the clutter and seeing what’s clearly going on is step one.

 

Then, revisit your self-defense and home defense plans.

 

Make sure everything is dialed-in and people know their role.

 

Double check your bags and gear.

 

Clean your guns. Top off your magazines

 

Stock the fridge, freezer, pantry, and survival food cache.

 

Plan your bug-out routes.

 

And decide on what would trigger you to activate any or all of your plans.

 

When would you bug out? And why?

 

What event or events would be a red-line for you?

 

Knowing you’re ready, and having your boundaries in place while things are still relatively quiet will bring you a sense of peace.

 

This way, you’re not forced to make decisions on the fly about certain high-pressure issues, because you’ll have already done it.

 

Then, in the event your red-line gets crossed, you’ll know exactly what to do, and you can calmly go about enacting your plans.

 

By doing these simple things now, today, before the storm hits the shore.

 

You’ll give yourself the best chance at both physical and mental peace.

 

In other words, never stop planning and preparing to protect your family.

 

Stay Safe.

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

 
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Antifa is real. It’s violent. And you need to plan for it.

American diplomat George Messersmith found himself in an awkward situation while attending a luncheon in Kiel, Germany in August of 1933.

As lunch came to a close, the attendees erupted into song with arms outstretched in the Nazi salute.

First they belted out Germany’s national anthem, followed by the anthem of the Stormtroopers– the paramilitary ”Brownshirts” who violently enforced Germany’s new social rules.

Messersmith was the US Consul-General overseeing America’s diplomatic ties with Germany, so he politely stood at attention. But he did not salute or sing along.

Germans were required by law to render the Nazi salute, especially during the anthem; Hitler had been awarded supreme executive authority only a few months before, and he made the mandatory salute law of the land.

Foreigners, however, were explicitly exempt from saluting or singing the anthem.

But that didn’t help Messersmith.

Even though he was legally excused from making the Nazi salute, angry Brownshirts menacingly glared at him for not participating in their rituals.

Messersmith later wrote in his memoirs that he felt threatened, as if the Brownshirts were ready to attack him.

“I felt really quite fortunate that the incident took place within doors. . . For if it had been in a street gathering, or in an outdoor demonstration, no questions would have been asked as to who I was, and that I would have been mishandled is almost unquestionable.”

Messersmith was one of the few US officials who grasped just how dangerous the Nazis were in 1933. Others had to witness it first hand before they understood.

A similar event unfolded when a US radio host and his family found themselves amidst an impromptu Nazi parade in Berlin.

And in order to avoid Hailing Hitler, they turned their backs to the parade and gazed into a store window.

But several Brownshirts quickly surrounded the family and demanded to know why they did not salute.

The family explained that they were from the US and didn’t know the customs in Germany. But the Brownshirts didn’t care. The family was assaulted as police officers watched… and did nothing to stop the violence.

News of these sorts of incidents quickly made their way overseas, and foreigners read about Americans traveling in Germany being savagely beaten or threatened for not engaging in Nazi rituals.

But more surprising is that many foreigners actually sided with the Nazis.

Even the daughter of the US Ambassador to Germany defended the Nazis and their Brownshirt enforcers.

She said that news reports of these assaults and beatings were “exaggerated by bitter, close-minded people” who ignored the “thrilling rebirth” Hitler had ushered in for Germany.

Of course, we know in retrospect that these early warning signs were not at all an exaggeration. They were a small preview for what would come next.

Today we are obviously in a different time dealing with totally different circumstances.

But it would be foolish to ignore the early warning signs and pretend as if what’s happening now is not a preview for what could come next.

This is perhaps best illustrated by a CNN reporter in Kenosha, Wisconsin back in August who stood in front of burning cars and buildings, with a violent mob all around him, yet declared the protests “fiery but mostly peaceful.”

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This willful ignorance of the undercurrent coursing its way through the Western world will not save anyone from the destruction it brings.

For example, just this past Monday, “peaceful protesters” in Portland, Oregon celebrated Columbus Day with an “Indigenous People’s Day of Rage.”

They weren’t even pretending to be peaceful. They called it what it is: RAGE. That’s literally the name they gave to their own actions.

Hundreds of people dressed in all black, covered their faces, and armed themselves with shields and nightsticks. They marched their way through the city, smashed windows, and forced any witnesses to stop filming and delete photographs.

A man who filmed from his apartment’s terrace had lasers shined in his eyes and was doused in some sort of liquid.

The protesters tore down statues of Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. They smashed the windows of the Oregon Historical Society building, and unfurled a banner that said “stop honoring racist colonizer murderers.”

Police did not even attempt to intervene until the rioters had been on the streets for hours and had already caused havoc and destruction.

(Ironically, much of the mainstream media still refuses to acknowledge that this group ‘antifa’– the fascists who call themselves anti-fascists– even exists.)

It’s obvious that a small, fringe, ideological minority has started to take control.

They have squashed civil discourse and free speech. Dissent is met with violence and intimidation. And if you dare to speak out, you become a target.

That could mean being “cancelled” by the Twitter mob. Or being accosted in public and forced to raise your fist. Several people have already been killed in protests across the nation.

When people like the former CEO of Twitter are calling for capitalists to be “lined up against the wall and shot,” it’s time to take the threat seriously.

This is far from the first time in history that a tiny fraction of the population has resorted to violence and extremism to force their agenda on an entire nation.

But you don’t have to watch helplessly as the born-again Brownshirts destroy everything you have worked for.

The first step is to recognize that the radical movement will not simply go away on its own. This has been growing for some time, and history tells us that it could become much worse.

Second, have a rock solid Plan B. This means deciding– in advance, when you’re still calm and rational– what steps to take in order to secure your family’s safety, your prosperity, and your freedom in a worst case scenario.

After all, you don’t want to be thinking about your next move when some antifa thug ‘peacefully’ hurls a molotov cocktail through your window.

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

via: SovereignMan.com
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World War II memorial cancelled for being too white

Just when you think it couldn’t get more bizarre… we give you this week’s absurdity.


Mural dedicated to WWII Vets cancelled for being too white


70 years ago, a decorated Veteran from World War II painted a mural on the campus of the University of Rhode Island to honor the fallen who lost their lives in the war.

The 95 year old artist is still alive today, to see his artwork being cancelled.

Students complained that the lack of diversity in the mural made them feel uncomfortable. There were too many white people depicted, and not enough minorities.

The university quickly bowed to the mob, covered up the painting, and plans to remove it entirely.

It’s ironic that in 2020, questioning the woke mob is liable to have you labeled a Nazi.

So a man who had the balls to fight the actual Nazis will have his memorial painting destroyed to appease the snowflakes who can’t even look at a painting without an emotional fit.


Click here to read the full story.


Former Marine commits suicide after the mob targets him


A Nebraska bar owner, Jake Gardner, was inside his bar when the windows were shattered by “peaceful protesters.”

Gardner, a former Marine who served in Iraq, went outside to try to diffuse the situation. He saw his father (a man in his 60s) shoved violently to the ground by peaceful protestors. But still, Gardner maintained his composure.

A video then shows that Gardner tried backing away from three men when they attacked him.

Gardner ends up on the ground, with an attacker on top of him. Gardner fired his weapon, and the attacker died.

The county prosecutor reviewed the video evidence and confirmed that Gardner acted properly and in self defense. The video confirms this. And he stated that he would NOT charge Gardner.

But the mob was not willing to accept this outcome. So they surrounded the courthouse and peacefully protested… at which point the Grand Jury caved and decided to charge Gardner with manslaughter.

This sadly appeared to put Gardner over the edge. And he took his own life last week.


Click here to read the full story.


Escaped Prisoner in UK tried to turn himself in seven times


An British inmate incarcerated in the UK recently escaped; apparently he was worried about his mother and wanted to visit her.

But once the visit was over, he was ready to go back to prison and serve out the remainder of his sentence.

So he went down to the local police station to turn himself in. But they refused to arrest him. It appeared there was no outstanding warrant for his arrest.

It took SEVEN tries before this escaped convict was able to successfully turn himself in to police.

Perhaps the cops were too busy trying to catch people illegally watching TV without a license (seriously, that’s a thing in the UK).


Click here to read the full story.


Election supervisor investigates a toilet


A homeowner in Michigan put a toilet on his front lawn, along with a sign that says “place mail-in ballots here.”

For anyone familiar with the debate about whether mail-in ballots increase voter fraud, the display is an obvious joke.

However the local election supervisor thinks it’s a crime, so she called the police to investigate.

She said, “It is a felony to take illegal possession of an absentee ballot… Elections in this country are to be taken seriously and there are many people who are voting by mail for the first time this election.”

Such sensitive little authoritarians…

Let’s hope that any eligible voter would not mistake the front yard toilet for an actual official ballot depository.

And if that’s the level of intelligence among voters, we have bigger problems to worry about.


Click here to read the full story.


New Jersey Doubles Down on Chasing the Rich Away


About 4 years ago, billionaire David Tepper left New Jersey and moved to Florida.

New Jersey instantly lost hundreds of millions of dollars every year in tax revenue just from this one guy.

But it wasn’t only Tepper fleeing New Jersey’s 8.97% income tax rate. In 2018, for example, New Jersey lost 5,700 millionaires.

Not coincidentally, 2018 was the same year that New Jersey hiked it’s income tax rate to 10.75% for those earning more than $5 million.

And now, with a massive government budget shortfall thanks to COVID shutdowns, New Jersey will double down on its bad idea.

They didn’t learn their lesson in 2018… so now the state will increase its tax rate to 10.75% for everyone earning more than $1 million per year.


Click here to read the full story.


Tased and arrested for not wearing a mask


An Ohio mother sat with her family in the stands at her son’s middle school football game.

They were outside, and a good 15 feet from any other fan.

But the school resource officer confronted the woman, and asked her to put a mask on.

She refused, citing asthma. She wasn’t sitting near anyone and was properly distanced, so she clearly posed no threat.

That really should have been the end of it. But instead the woman ended up being tased and forcibly removed from the stands.

Ironically the police officer had his mask hanging around his neck the whole time (instead of covering his nose and mouth), and another officer who also responded wasn’t wearing a mask at all.

In the end, it doesn’t even appear that the school’s mask mandate was legally enforceable. So they charged the mom with ‘trespassing’… at her son’s football game.


Click here to read the full story.


To your freedom.

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.




via: SovereignMan.com
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Prep Your Apartment or Suburban Home for Riots and Civil Unrest: How to Get Ready FAST

When you live in an urban or suburban location and it looks like all heck is about to break loose, how can you prepare your place fast for the potential of unrest? As we’ve seen in cities across the country, a peaceful protest can turn into a violent riot in the blink of an eye. How do you prepare when the spark is lit in your hometown?

While our first recommendation on this website is always “don’t be there” we know there are some situations in which leaving isn’t an option.

Therefore, this article is based on the premise that, for whatever reason, you’re going to need to hunker down in your home. The reason you’re there doesn’t matter – the concept is simply that you’re there. With only a couple of exceptions, we’re also going to use things you can commonly find in homes with no special trips to the store.

For a detailed overview of civil unrest and riots, check out Selco’s on-demand webinar on the topic.

Timing is essential

The first thing to consider is that speed is of the essence. If there’s something going on in your hometown that could cause unrest, like the announcement of a verdict or sentencing, you will probably know about it at least a day ahead of time. This allows you a bit more leeway in gathering supplies.

But we don’t always get that warning. Sometimes the response of outrage is immediate, as we’ve seen in the cases of several police shootings recently. In these cases, sometimes the outrage is warranted, and other times it’s not, but that part doesn’t matter when there are people who want to destroy, loot, and burn.

It’s best if you have an idea of how you’re going to prepare ahead of time. If you know this, then you can have on hand the supplies that you need. If not, you’ll be using what you have on hand.

As soon as you feel that unrest is a possibility, it’s time to take action if you plan to stay in place. Don’t just “wait and see.” Assume that bad things are coming your way and act accordingly.

Blend in

We’ve talked a lot about the gray man principle in the preparedness world. You can learn more about it in this article. In situations of unrest, it’s helpful if your home is also “gray.”  But it’s important to understand that gray isn’t always just non-descript or non-memorable. It can mean you are adapting to the baseline of your area. And sometimes that means adapting to it whether you agree with it or not.

How do you do that? Well, it depends where you are and who the potential threat is.

Many of the recent riots in the United States have been related to race and police brutality. These two things give you some hints on what you might want at your home and also what you might not want.

An important thing to note: I’m well aware this advice will not be popular in our circles, but remember that we’re talking about survival. Not about right vs. wrong, free speech, or your love of the United States of America. You have to be the one to make the decision whether you place precedence on the lives of your family or on your patriotism and principles. Sometimes, like matter, the two cannot occupy the same space at the same time. I can’t tell you what is right or what is wrong. I can simply point out things that could make your home a target.

First, consider the things you may want to remove temporarily.

It’s a sickening fact that homes flying American flags have been targeted by arsonists. It’s practically unbelievable that this is happening in the United States, but it is.  Due to this, you may want to remove anything that is obviously patriotic from the exterior of your home.

If you’ve got a “Thin Blue Line” sticker on your car, you’ll want to park it in the garage. In these harrowing times, obvious support of law enforcement is a sure way to capture the ire of a mob that wants to see the police eradicated. The same thing goes for flags and exterior decorations that show support of LEOs. In Minneapolis, it was discovered that police officers were being followed home and their families and properties were targeted.

Depending on the situation in your area, you may want to add some things to make your home a less desirable target. A small sign in the window that says something like “Racial Equality” may indicate the residents are sympathetic to the cause of those rioting and could be enough to deter them from smashing your windows and setting your home on fire. I’m not suggesting you have to go full-on BLM with your signage. But consider something small and relatively innocuous to use as a type of “camouflage.” I don’t see this as very different from the quarantine tape I have stashed away to make my home look undesirable in the midst of a pandemic.

Unless others in the neighborhood are boarding up their windows, you may not want to batten down the hatches with plywood on the exterior. Keep reading for more information on boarding up your windows.

Aside from these things, be sure to remove anything from the front of the house that could be used to break the windows, like planters and lawn furniture.  Secure your belongings like bicycles and toys indoors or you may discover they’ve been taken by self-entitled rioters.

Finally, if you are home during the riots, gather in one room. This way you know where everybody is if things get crazy and you know that everyone is practicing proper light control. Keep the lights off – some rioters really want a confrontation, so they’ll be looking for homes that look occupied. Keep your blinds or curtains closed and make sure any light you use is dim and not very noticeable. Before an event occurs, test things out. Can you still see the television in the family room from the outside when the curtains are closed? How bright is that nightlight in the bathroom? Can you identify people walking around inside through the blinds? Make the appropriate adjustments before any violence erupts.

Be harder to get to

The next thing to do is to harden your home. You don’t want to be an easy target. When discussing this, a lot of folks immediately think “booby traps.” I’m not recommending anything like that. We’re not in a Mad Max situation right now, even though it could feel like it in the moment. Booby traps are illegal and you will be held both criminally and civilly liable for any injury or death that occurs from a trap you set.

As per the Geneva Convention:

Without prejudice to the rules of international law applicable in armed conflict relating to treachery and perfidy, it is prohibited in all circumstances to use:

a. any booby-trap in the form of an apparently harmless portable object which is specifically designed and constructed to contain explosive material and to detonate when it is disturbed or approached, or

b. booby-traps which are in any way attached to or associated with:

1. internationally recognized protective emblems, signs or signals;

2. sick, wounded or dead persons;

3. burial or cremation sites or graves;

4. medical facilities, medical equipment, medical supplies or medical transportation;

5. children’s toys or other portable objects or products specially designed for the feeding, health, hygiene, clothing or education of children;

6. food or drink;

7. kitchen utensils or appliances except in military establishments, military locations or military supply depots;

8. objects clearly of a religious nature;

9. historic monuments, works of art or places or worship which constitute the cultural or spiritual heritage of peoples;

10. animals or their carcasses.

It is prohibited in all circumstances to use any booby-trap which is designed to cause superfluous injury or necessary suffering.” (source)

Explosives, sharpened items, devices that cause guns to fire, and devices that produce toxic fumes upon contact are all prohibited.

While some folks may be bitterly disappointed that they can’t spear their adversaries with a custom-made booby trap, you can still protect your home

This happens in layers.

Securing the outside

First things first, anything outside that keeps people further away from the home itself is good. Lots of folks have fences around the front but leave their gates unsecured. If there is any inkling your neighborhood could be a target of unrest, lock your gate! Do this with a padlock or with a bar secured across the inside of the gate.

In nearly every situation, I’d advise you not to leave pets outside to “guard” the home. Pets can be seriously injured or killed. They can also be used like a hostage by unsavory people to lure the homeowners out. Keep your pets inside during times of unrest.

As mentioned above, remove anything from the exterior that could be used to gain access by breaking a window.

Many people board up all their windows with plywood. If you plan to do this, get the plywood well ahead of time and pre-drill the holes so you can install it quickly. You can store plywood between your mattress and box springs, or under your bed. I’ll go into this more in a moment but do not cover every single window of your home with plywood. You don’t want to create a prison from which you have no escape. Generally, just cover the front windows and sidelights by your doors.

Make sure alternative entrances are protected with warning devices. I hang windchimes on windows and decorative bells on doorknobs. Even when I travel, I carry a little windchime to hang on the doorknob of my Airbnb or hotel room to alert me to potential trouble. When my daughter and I faced the potential of unrest in Virginia, I set up a tripwire at the back gate that fired 22 caliber blanks when triggered. Notice – I said blanks. As I mentioned above, you don’t want to set up anything that might hurt someone. 22 caliber isn’t overly loud but it’s enough to alert you that something is going on, and may even scare away less hardy intruders.

Deterring entry

If your home is breached, all is not lost. Your next goal is to make it difficult to get to you. We’ve already discussed that your lights should be turned off. This gives you the advantage of knowing the layout while those who broke in have no idea what they’re walking into.

But darkness isn’t your only advantage. When I was staying with my daughter in her downtown apartment during the COVID lockdowns, we realized that our front hallway was a true weak spot. The front door was solid glass and there were also glass sidelights. The door frame of the old building wasn’t of the highest quality and I could easily see the door being breached, either by the glass being broken or by a strong person simply breaking through due to the weak frame. As renters this is not something we could replace. So, we got plywood cut to fit and I added spacers that allowed the blinds to be between the plywood and the glass, making it look less obvious that we had boarded things up.

However, this didn’t do anything to prevent someone from breaking down the door, so our next step was to make the hallway harder to navigate. I came across this solution accidentally. We had come home late one day and dropped our purchases on the floor right inside the door, along with a purse and a backpack. I got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and fell facefirst over a giant box of industrial trashbags. When I tried to catch myself, my foot got tangled in the long strap of my daughter’s purse. This, of course, was all gracefully executed. But as I sat there on the floor with my knee throbbing, I thought, hey, they call these things “stumbling blocks” for a reason.

The next day, I created my own stumbling blocks. I took some of our carry-on luggage and weighted them down with hard cover books. I lined these suitcases along the side of the hallway most of the time, but when unrest was nearby, I could easily roll them where I wanted and lay them down at different angles to make the hallway a bit more difficult to traverse. At the very least, these things will make some racket and slow people down before they get to your refuge.

Setting up a safe zone

And that leads us to the safe zone. You may not have time to create an entire safe room, but you can at least designate one room as a safe zone. Make this room the furthest from the most likely point of entry. (For us the most likely entry would have been the front door and the best option for a safe zone was a bedroom in the back part of the house.) The room needs to have a door to the rest of the house and an emergency way to exit.

You want your safe zone to be comfortable enough for the whole family to hang out in – this could mean pulling an extra mattress into a bedroom or rearranging the furniture. Plan to spend the evening together in this room.

Adults should be armed and prepared in the event that their home is breached. If your home is breached your priority is the safety of those under your care. If you have small children or anyone who is unfamiliar with the safe handling of firearms, please keep your gun on your person for safety purposes. In fact, I recommend that you keep your gun on your person at all times during these situations anyway. You’re not going to be able to say to intruders, “Oh, hold on, I forgot my Glock in the master bedroom.” A gun is like a trauma first aid kit. If you need it, you need it instantly, not in in five minutes.

You should have a plan to barricade the door to the safe zone.  This could mean relocating a heavy piece of furniture near the entrance where you can quickly push it in front of the door if necessary. Your goal here is to slow down and deter intruders.

While you should definitely call 911 if your home is breached to have it on record that you did call for official help, don’t rely on them to dispatch assistance with sirens blaring.  As a woman from Kenosha, Wisconsin recounts of her experience during the riots, “It was apparent from the beginning there was no help. No police, no fire trucks no ambulances. None.” Don’t expect your situation to be any different.

If you have intruders, you may wish to issue a verbal warning letting them know you are armed and will open fire if they continue to try and breach your safe room. For some people that will serve as enough of a deterrent. For others, swept up in the mob mentality, it could serve to enflame them further.

For the love of all things cute and fluffy, remember that you are probably not John Rambo. You might be able to take out a few intruders, but if dozens of people are swarming into your home, you won’t be able to take out all of them. Read this article for more information on escaping an angry mob. You may have family members who will suffer due to your actions, so think things through ahead of time. Don’t just blindly react.

Create a funnel

If, despite your best efforts, people do get into your home, there are things that you can do to manage where they go. Most people in mobs are participating in more of a group mentality – you won’t see a lot of critical thinkers. This means that you can often strategically guide them to the place where you want them.

Where you want them depends upon your goal and this is where the conversation gets tricky. Do you want them to head to the opposite side of the house from where your safe zone is to give yourself more time to escape? Do you want them to be in an area where you can take defensive action from a protected position?

I cannot advise you on a public website to set up some kind of shooting gallery in your home. But consider the following thoughts.

  1. Think about backstops. In the event that you have no option but to defend yourself, what is behind the intruders after you funnel them into your desired location? Would gunfire go through to the next apartment? Out into the street? Or would it be stopped by a concrete wall?
  2. Understand the difference between cover and concealment. Television has done us a terrible disservice when it shows someone tipping over a wooden kitchen table and taking “cover” behind it to survive the intruders opening fire with fully automatic weapons. Concealment means you’re hidden. Cover means you’re protected from most gunfire. If you ARE planning to take aggressive defensive action, you’ll want to do it from a place of cover.
  3. Understand that there will be legal ramifications. Even if you are innocent of all charges, you must prepare yourself for a lengthy and expensive court battle. Any set up you’ve done in advance will likely be used against you in such a battle. If your area is more sympathetic toward rioters than us average folks, you could be in for a barrage of negative publicity and harassment.

Consider all of these things before taking defensive actions. And perhaps reconsider leaving if that remains a possibility it all.

Now, back to our funnel. It’s fairly easy to guide people to where you want them to go. Most people, especially those who are untrained, will take the path that looks most direct and easiest. Figure out all of the options a person in your funnel might have. Options might include open rooms, doors to closed rooms, and exits.

Once you’ve considered what the options are, then make the options you want them to choose EASY and the options you don’t want them to choose CHALLENGING.

Going back to our long front hallway in my daughter’s city apartment, we wanted people in our hall for as long as possible, not scattering to rooms off the hallway. One bedroom near the door had a second door that led to the back part of the house. We definitely didn’t want intruders going that way because we’d end up flanked in our safety zone. I solved this issue by putting a bookcase loaded with books in front of the bedroom door that led to the hallway. Who is going to try and move a giant bookcase when there’s a hallway with 3 open doors ahead of them?

What you’re really doing here is using psychology to manipulate your potential attackers to the place where you want them. This article has a lot of excellent in-depth guidance on preparing your space for such a siege.

Be prepared for fire

One of the most common weapons we’re seeing used in the current spate of riots is fire.

Fires are very common during incidents of civil unrest. Generally, vehicles and commercial properties are where fires are set but in some incidents, homes have been burned too.

Fire is a cowardly attack that doesn’t require any interaction on the part of the arsonist. It flushes out the family inside, leaving you vulnerable to physical assaults. This is the one area in which you may need to make some advance purchases. However, all of these fire-related items are good things to have in your home during ordinary circumstances as well. You probably already have at least one fire extinguisher. If that is all you have, keep it with you in your safe zone.

  • Have fire extinguishers mounted throughout your home. You can buy them in 4-packs from Amazon.
  • During tense times, keep a fire extinguisher right beside your bed. You can use it as both a way to extinguish fires and a weapon if necessary.
  • Be sure to test them frequently and maintain them properly. (Allstate has a page about fire extinguisher maintenance.)
  • Have fire escape ladders that can be attached to a windowsill in all upper story rooms.  Drill with them so that your kids know how to use them if necessary. When I travel by vehicle, I have a fire-escape ladder in with my preps. Hotel fires are not uncommon and I want to have options.

Fires can easily spread from one building to the next, especially if firefighters can’t respond safely or can’t get their fire truck through the mob. Be on the watch for fires in your vicinity.

Fire can also be used as a weapon. Here’s an article about dealing with firebombs and Molotov cocktails should such an event arise.

Don’t close off your escape routes

Something I see a lot are plans that keep everybody out and firmly secure every possible point of entry. And I thought that was a fantastic idea until I took an urban survival course with Selco in Croatia and he pointed out that this can also be appropriately considered a “trap.”

If you put bars on every door and window, you’ve created a prison for those inside. What happens if your home is set on fire? What happens if your home is breached? You need some exits. They don’t have to look obvious and can take only minimal preparation.

For example, I told a family member living in a downtown area to remove the screens from her windows. That saves precious seconds and allows for a far more silent exit than if she were to have to remove the screens while rioters were breaching her front door. She can easily slip through the window, close it back so that nobody immediately realizes where she exited, and head out the back with a minimum of noise.

At the same time, her windows are secured with shatter-resistant film and a bar to prevent them from being raised. That bar can be instantly removed from the inside if she needs to make her escape.

Never ever make your home so difficult to breach that you cannot escape. While your plan may be to stand your ground no matter what, being burned alive would be a terrible way to go.

How would you quickly secure your home if tensions broke out nearby?

I’ve generally lived in places where I had a bit more control over my situation, but when unrest broke out in Virginia near the home I shared with my daughter during the lockdown, I had to creatively secure the apartment using things we had on hand. I hope that some of the ideas we’ve used are useful to you.

We all live in different settings and some of us are more likely than others to face the scenarios mentioned in this article. But take a moment and imagine that “peaceful protesters” were bussed into your neighborhood (or were expected.) Do you have a plan? Does your family know the plan? Do you have any ideas to add to the ones above?


Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.




via: theorganicprepper
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NYPD releases Dominican national to commit crimes after failing to honor 10 ICE detainers

NEW YORK – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged 10 immigration detainers during the past two years on an illegally present Dominican national after he was arrested on 10 separate occasions by the New York Police Department (NYPD). After each arrest, he was released into the community to re-offend with active immigration detainers in place.

Jhonny Alejandro Soto-Ubaldo is one of many examples of how New York’s sanctuary city policies place the safety of the residents at risk. Their willful uncooperative nature provides criminals such as Soto-Ubaldo the opportunity to re-offend,” said Tony H. Pham, senior official performing the duties of the director for ICE.

Soto-Ubaldo was first arrested by the NYPD in June 2018 on local charges in Queens. At that time, ICE lodged an immigration detainer, but he was released without notification to ICE. Less than two months later, he was rearrested, and ICE lodged another immigration detainer, and he was once again, released into the community to reoffend. The following year, ICE lodged six additional detainers on the Soto-Ubaldo after his arrests for crimes between April and October 2019, and he was released each time, even though active immigration detainers were in place.

ICE also lodged immigration detainers with the NYPD, which were not honored, after Soto-Ubaldo’s arrest for unauthorized use of a vehicle and criminal possession of stolen property in March 2020 and following his arrest for criminal mischief and assault in May 2020.

In September 2020, he was arrested on federal firearms charges and is currently in U.S. Marshals custody; ICE has an active immigration detainer lodged with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. ICE will take custody of Soto-Ubaldo following the resolution of firearms charges, which are pending before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

“What makes this case so frustrating is that local law enforcement failed to honor 10 detainers, despite Soto-Ubaldo’s lengthy criminal history. How can local politicians – in good conscience – say they’re protecting their constituents when they pass laws that release criminals back into our communities? Detainer non-cooperation threatens public safety. It’s fortunate for the residents of New York City, that the subject is now being held on federal charges, and the ICE detainer will finally be honored,” said Thomas R. Decker, field office director for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations New York Field Office.

In addition to the pending federal charges, Soto-Ubaldo also faces pending charges in Queens and Nassau Counties for assault, harassment, criminal mischief, grand larceny, petit larceny, criminal possession of stolen property and criminal possession of a firearm.

He was previously featured on ICE.gov as a public safety threat to the local community after the NYPD failed to honor multiple ICE detainers.

About Detainers

ICE relies on the exchange of information with its law enforcement agency partners to access foreign-born inmates at local, state, and federal facilities, and the use of detainers as part of its public safety mission. In many cases, these individuals pose a demonstrable threat to communities.

By lodging detainers against those individuals, ICE makes every effort to ensure that removable aliens are turned over to ICE custody after their criminal detention rather than being released into the community where many abscond or reoffend.

Over the last fiscal year, the ICE ERO New York Field Office lodged 7,526 detainers against individuals for crimes including homicide, robbery, assault, sexual assault, weapons violations, and driving under the influence. The subjects of the detainers accounted for 17,873 criminal convictions, and 6,500 criminal charges.

For more information about declined ICE detainers in the New York City area, visit https://www.ice.gov/spotlight/declined-detainers-newyork.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

via: www.dhs.gov
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National Situation Update- 9/19/2020

WEEKLY THREAT AND ALERT ROUNDUP

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Borders with Canada and Mexico Remain Closed
USGOV Warns of Travel to Hong Kong


September 19, 2020

Between Sept 9-11, the following related Flash SMS
messages were sent to
AlertsUSA subscriber mobile devices:


9/18 – DHS: Ban on non-essential travel through shared border crossings with Canada and Mexico extended until October 21 due to COVID-19.


What You Need To Know


On Friday of this week, AlertsUSA subscribers were notified of an announcement by the Department of Homeland Security that in an ongoing effort to limit further spread of the coronavirus, the U.S. has reached agreements with the governments of Canada and Mexico to continue with limitations on all non-essential travel across borders until at least October 21st.. Initially implemented on March 21st, this is the 6th extension of the closure.

DHS has also announced that Customs and Border Protection will continue with the policy of no longer detaining illegal immigrants in their holding facilities and will immediately return these aliens to the country from which they entered. Where such a return is not possible, CBP will return these aliens to their country of origin.

Essential cross-border workers such as health care professionals, airline crews and truck drivers are still allowed to cross along the border.


U.S. Warns of Travel to Hong Kong


In related news, earlier in the week the U.S. State Department issued updated travel advisories for China and Hong Kong which reflect China’s implementation of a national security law over the island territory. Specifically, the new advisory for Hong Kong warns U.S. citizens to reconsider travel to the Special Administrative Region (SAR) due to the PRC government’s arbitrarily enforcement of local laws, including by carrying out arbitrary and wrongful detentions and through the use of exit bans on U.S. citizens and citizens of other countries without due process of law.

Similar to what has been detailed in the mainland China Travel Advisory for some time, the updated Hong Kong advisory warns that the PRC government uses arbitrary detention and exit bans to:

  • Compel individuals to participate in PRC government investigations.
  • Pressure family members to return to the PRC from abroad.
  • Influence PRC authorities to resolve civil disputes in favor
    of PRC citizens.
  • To gain bargaining leverage over foreign governments.

In most cases, U.S. citizens only become aware of an exit ban when they attempt to depart the PRC, and there is no reliable mechanism or legal process to find out how long the ban might continue, or to contest it in a court of law. Further, U.S. citizens traveling or residing in the PRC or Hong Kong may be detained without access to U.S. consular services or information about their alleged crime. U.S. citizens may also be subjected to prolonged interrogations and extended detention without due process of law.

If you or someone you know is considering travel to China or Hong Kong, AlertsUSA strongly recommends carefully reading the entirety of the travel advisories.


AlertsUSA continues to monitor the domestic and international threat environment around the clock and will immediately notify service subscribers, via SMS messages to their mobile devices, of new alerts, warnings and advisories or any developments which signal a change the overall threat picture for American citizens as events warrant.


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Coronavirus Update


As of the time of this reports’ preparation on Friday, there were more than 6,455,000 COVID-19 cases reported in the U.S., as well as 198,400 deaths attributed to the virus.

Despite the dramatic influence of politics on the pandemic response, as well as the botched effort of federal and state health authorities in testing and accurate case counting, the two-step and mixed messaging on use of masks, the highly flawed rule-making hampering the use of hydroxychloroquine in the early treatment of those infected with COVID-19 and so much more, AlertsUSA encourages readers to remain conscious of the need to be cautious, not only out of concern for your own well being, but also that of others. There actually is a virus, is still in circulation globally, it is still hospitalizing people globally, and it is still taking lives globally.



SITUATION REPORTS / OFFICIAL CASE NUMBERS


World Health Organization
Centers for Disease Control (U.S.)
Johns Hopkins CSSE (Interactive map updated multiple times daily)

OFFICIAL PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE RESOURCES


White House: Guidelines for Opening Up America Again
CDC: K-12 Schools: Readiness and Planning Tool
CDC: One-Stop Shop for COVID-19 Resources
Department of Homeland Security / Ready.Gov
World Health Organization

CDC: How to Protect Yourself
CDC: What to Do If You Are Sick

OFFICIAL CORONAVIRUS INFORMATION PAGES


Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Food and Drug Administration
Public Health Agency of Canada
Infection Prevention and Control Canada
World Health Organization


AlertsUSA.com

SMS ALERTS FROM THIS WEEK
NOT DETAILED IN THIS NEWSLETTER ISSUE

9/13 – Agitated anti-police protest forming near downtown Lancaster (PA) City Police Bureau flwg shooting of armed black male. Caution urged. Live streams via email.

9/13 – Tropical Storm Sally: Hurricane warnings expanded to include Morgan City, LA to MS / AL state line. Forecast track shifting east of previous. More via email.

9/16 – Law enf across DC area preparing for large protests in the coming days and cont until elections. Caution urged if in or traveling to the region. More via email.

9/17 – AlertsUSA monitoring reports of active shooter situation, Fort Hood, TX. Base currently sheltering in place. Add’l details as warranted.

9/17 – All clear message given at Fort Hood. Malfunctioning alarm caused concerns about an active shooter on post.

9/18 – Tropical Storm Beta forms in the Gulf. Forecast to become a hurricane this weekend. Residents of TX & LA should be monitoring this system.


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* 24/7/365 Monitoring. No Hype. Just the Bad Stuff.
* Issued Hours and Days before the MSM.
* On your Cell Phone, Tablet or Email.
* We Give The Clear Truth, Unlike the MSM.
* 18 Years in Operation!

We are NOT part of the government.
In fact, they are our customers!



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Trump Admin COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Plan



The Dept. of Defense and the Dept. of Health and Human Services have released details on the Trump administration’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution strategy. Specifically, there are two documents, developed in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), that include details on the vaccination program and strategic distribution overview, as well as an interim playbook for state, tribal, territorial, and local public health programs on how to plan and operationalize a vaccination response to COVID-19.


Download the Strategy for Distributing a COVID-19 Vaccine – PDF

Download the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Interim Playbook – PDF

Download the COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Process Infographic – PDF


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Why the Next Shooting War Could Go Nuclear


The evidence is easy to spot. China and Russia are deploying greater numbers of “ambiguous,” dual-use ground-launched ballistic missiles. At the same time, the United States’ pursuit of conventional hypersonic missiles of very high speed and accuracy might enable even these non-nuclear weapons to hold nuclear arsenals at risk.


~ READ MORE HERE ~


The Possible Limits of China-Russia Cooperation


Despite China’s planned participation in Russia’s annual Caucus 2020 exercises on September 21-26, Sino-Russian history is so replete with war, unequal treaties and racism, there seems little probability that their present military cooperation will succeed in developing into a military alliance.


~ READ MORE HERE ~


BLM Co-Founder and Pro-Communist
China Group Are Partnering Up


The Black Futures Lab, a venture of Black Lives Matter founder Alicia Garza, is sponsored by the Chinese Progressive Association, a partner of the People’s Republic of China in the U.S.


~ READ MORE HERE ~



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USNI Fleet and Marine Tracker



These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of Sept 14, 2020 based on Navy, public data provided by the U.S. Naval Institute, and open source reporting. In cases where a CSG or ARG is conducting disaggregated operations, the chart reflects the location of the capital ship.


An Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker leads a joint formation of F-16 Fighting Falcons during Astral Knight in Poland, Sept. 17, 2020. The joint, multinational exercise involves U.S. airmen and soldiers working with service members from Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Sweden.- ALLOW IMAGES

World News Roundup



AMERICAS


Minnesota man facing terrorism charges
Trump to block downloads of TikTok, WeChat on Sunday
Seven Chinese, including “Apt41” actors, charged with computer intrusion
The Air Force Just Tested “Robot Dogs” For Use In Base Security
US Military Working Dogs Should Be American-Born, Dem Senator Says
CDC Dir walks back testimony that masks work better than vaccines
Secretary of Defense: Beijing & Moscow have weaponized space
It Appears That Google Has A Black List Of Conservative Sites
Nearly two-thirds of US young adults unaware 6m Jews killed in the Holocaust
Who is Secretly Building the USAF’s New Fighter?

EUROPE


‘Very serious situation’ unfolding in Europe as virus cases rise dramatically
European cities announce new restrictions as COVID-19 cases soar
Biden says US trade deal hinges on UK ‘respect’ for Good Friday Agreement
Venus is a Russian planet, Roscosmos chief declares
Russia accuses U.S. of promoting revolution in Belarus, toughens stance
Belarus to close border with Poland and Lithuania – Lukashenko
Belarusian protesters are being tortured by police, human rights experts say
Britain’s PM Johnson has ‘every hope’ of avoiding no-deal Brexit
Germany: Coronavirus vaccine likely available by mid-2021

MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA


Al-Shabab growing more emboldened in targeting US troops
Al-Shabab militant jailed for attack on US base in Kenya
New US Army unit tools African militaries fighting terrorists in Mali
Saudi Arabia may have enough uranium for nuclear fuel and weapons
Stars’ paradise isle in Mozambique overrun by ISIS-linked insurgents
Trump hails new ‘dawn’ as Israel signs accords with Bahrain and UAE
Israeli jets strike Gaza after Palestinian rocket attack
Gaza violence flares after Israel signs deals with Gulf states
Rouhani: UAE, Bahrain will bear ‘consequences’ of Israel deals
US sanctions ‘ruining lives’, Iran tells United Nations court
Syria calls US a ‘rogue state’ over Trump’s kill al-Assad plan
As Lebanon misses deadline to form govt, France urges parties to keep trying
Former Turkish DM says Greece must evacuate from 9 Aegean islands
‘Confounding’: Covid may have already peaked in many African countries
Twelve million S. Africans ‘probably’ had coronavirus
‘All’ armed groups commit to ceasefire in DRC’s South Kivu
Uganda jail break: More than 200 prisoners escape Moroto facility

ASIA


PLA Friday drills not warning, but rehearsal for Taiwan takeover
China’s 3rd carrier under construction in Shanghai’s ‘warship factory’
Is DPRK about to unveil new weapons? Flurry of activity suggests big reveal.
Taiwan scrambles jets after China sends 18 plane show of force during US visit
New Zealand in recession as coronavirus lockdown hits economy
H.R. McMaster says Trump policy in Afghanistan partners with Taliban
Indian, China troops exchanged gunshots twice last week as tensions rose
Taiwan calls for global coalition against China’s aggression as US official flies in
AUS could join the US, Japan and India to create alliance named ‘The Quad’
Japan’s Yoshihide Suga elected PM, to announce ‘continuity’ cabinet
India pushes supplies to disputed China border ahead of winter
India’s coronavirus cases pass 5 million as hospitals scramble for oxygen
‘It’s getting worse by the day’: India’s Covid battle rages on



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Travel Security

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The U.S. Dept. of State Travel Website is the authoritative federal source for information on the security situation at travel destinations worldwide. With tensions rapidly increasing in most regions, readers planning international travel, even to such common destinations as Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean Islands, are strongly encouraged to do a little research on the security situation at your destination well prior to departure.

Active USGOV Travel Notices

Worldwide Caution


Active USGOV Travel Advisories

Alphabetical Country List

Dynamic Map


Other USGOV Travel Resources

Traveler’s Checklist

Smart Traveler Enrollment Prog (STEP)

Travelers with Special Considerations

Travel to High-Risk Areas

Faith-Based Travel Information

Information for Women Travelers

Cruise Ship Passengers

Students Abroad

Your Health Abroad

Driving and Road Safety Abroad


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The Department of State’s Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) provides a variety of resources to enhance the safety and security of the U.S. private sector businesses and organizations operating abroad.

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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website is the authoritative federal source for information on current health issues related to specific destinations worldwide. These issues may arise from disease outbreaks, special events or gatherings, natural disasters, or other conditions that may affect travelers’ health.

Foreign Sources of Travel Guidance

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Global Affairs Canada


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Australia Dept. of Foreign Affairs


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UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office


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