Monthly Archives: May 2014

Thai military takes over in coup — again


 

CNN TV has been taken off air in Thailand. The people of Thailand deserve to know what is happening in their own country, and CNN is committed to telling them.

 

Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) — Thailand is now under military control — with its military chief in power, its constitution tossed, its political leaders detained, its citizens under martial law — thanks to a coup that capped months of unrest.

Thursday’s announcement, in a televised address by the Asian nation’s military chief, followed a last-ditch meeting purportedly aimed at resolving the crisis.

Leaders of the governing Pheu Thai Party, the opposition Democrat Party, the anti-government protesters, pro-government “Red Shirts” as well as the military were among those in attendance.

But only one faction walked out free.

Troops escorted the political party leaders from the meeting; a lawyer for the “Red Shirts” later confirmed they’d been detained.

That left Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, the head of the Asian nation’s military, in charge.

The military released a statement saying Prayuth now has the powers to act as Prime Minister until a new one takes office.

How exactly the government will operate is in question, given that the military also has thrown out the 2007 constitution, except for Section 2, which acknowledges that the king is the head of state.

The last six months have been marked by protests, both by those backing the government and those against. There has been deadly violence in the streets.

Schools will be closed nationwide between Friday and Sunday, the de facto military government ordered. A curfew is in place for between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. (11 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET) And all state-run, satellite and cable TV providers have been ordered to carry only the signal of the army’s television channel; CNN is among those networks that have been taken off the air.

In a speech hours after the meeting with political party leaders, Prayuth explained that these actions were necessary to restore order and push through needed reforms.

He said there will be security provided for foreigners, including vacationers and diplomats. As to Thai citizens, Prayuth urged them to go about their business as usual — including civil servants and officials, who should report to work.

And in many ways, this is normal for Thailand.

Thursday’s sudden transfer of power is the 12th time the
military has taken over since Thailand became a constitutional monarchy in 1932.

It’s the second coup for Pete Kraisittipong, a lifelong Bangkok resident and CNN iReporter. While there are noticeable differences — like closed convenience stores — he said most people don’t seem too taken aback but the sudden, if hardly unprecedented, political shift.

“People associate this as the silent coup. They just go home and don’t go out after 10,” he said. “… People just live their normal lives.”

Amnesty bill furor spirals into more unrest

In a way, if not years in the making, the latest coup has been in the making since November.

That’s when then-Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra tried to push through an amnesty bill to allow the return of her brother Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime minister who lives in exile. A military coup deposed Thaksin in 2006.

Groups opposed to the government seized on the amnesty bill furor and began large-scale protests in central areas of Bangkok.

Trying to defuse tensions, Yingluck called early elections. But the Democrat Party boycotted the February race, and Yingluck’s foes blocked voting in enough districts to prevent a valid outcome.

Yingluck, who first took office in 2011, stayed on after the disrupted election as a caretaker Prime Minister. But the Constitutional Court forced her from office two weeks ago, finding her guilty — despite her professions of innocence — of violating the constitution over the appointments of top security officials.

She is now wanted, along with three of her relatives, having been summoned to report to military authorities late Friday morning, an army spokesman said.

The situation hasn’t calmed much since Yingluck’s departure from office. Demonstrators on all sides of the fight remained active in the streets. And attempts to resolve differences through negotiations — such as Thursday’s meeting, the second in two days — seemingly went nowhere.

On Tuesday, the military stepped up its involvement by declaring martial law. At the time — even as an aide to interim Prime Minister Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan insisted it had taken “this action unilaterally” — the military insisted this wasn’t a coup.

Thailand martial law: A cheat sheet to get you up to speed

Not anymore.

U.S. suspends ‘military engagement and assistance’

The developments have caught the attention of world leaders, including U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who appealed “for a prompt return to constitutional, civilian, democratic rule and an all-inclusive dialogue,” according to his spokesman.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed disappointment and concern about the detention of political leaders, the shutting down of media outlets and the suspension of the Thai constitution.

“There is no justification for this military coup,” Kerry said in a statement. “… I urge the restoration of civilian government immediately, a return to democracy and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

American officials have tried but — as of Thursday afternoon — failed to contact Thai military officials to urge them “to immediately restore democracy and civilian rule,” U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

The State Department and USAID send approximately $10 million annually to Thailand, according to Psaki. In light of everything, there is “a comprehensive review” of all such ties between the two countries, including militarily.

“We’ve taken preliminary steps to suspend military engagement and assistance, while we consider the facts on the ground,” said the U.S. spokeswoman.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: cnn

DIY Bucket Air Cooler for Camping and Other Uses

When I was much younger I didn’t need a sleeping bag, mat, or even a tent when camping.  We would take off for the wilderness with only an Indian blanket, a canteen of water, a Zippo lighter, or box of matches and have a great time.  Since I’ve grown older I’ve learned to appreciate the things I didn’t need back then.

Temperatures in northwest routinely reach the upper 90°’s and low 100°’s during the sunny days of summer.  I’ve long been a fan of using solar energy to cook and power some of our phones and radios so I decided to research and build a small evaporation cooler for camping, work, and around the house that will also run off solar power.

There are a lot of great articles and videos on the Internet showing several different styles of “bucket coolers.”  After reading many articles and watching numerous videos on “Swamp Coolers” or “Bucket Coolers,” I settled on a design and began developing a parts list.  It should be noted that I took advantage of the works others have done previously by using the same fan and pump observed because they have been proven effective in some of the videos and articles.

 My parts list:

  1. 5 gallon plastic bucket with lid
  2. 4″ 90° PVC
  3. 12 VDC water pump (Model 66039, from Harbor Freight)
  4. Computer fan (Model # AFB121SHE, from www.frozencpu.com)
  5. Switches (SPST – I purchased two from Radio Shack – your choice on which type you want to use)
  6. Project Box, small (Radio Shack)
  7. 1″ L Brackets
  8. #6 screws, #6 flat washers, #6 lock washers, #6 nuts
  9. Filter material (minimum 24″ X 36″)
  10. Window screen, black plastic (minimum 24″ X 76″)
  11. Tubing (diameter to fit pump)
  12. T- fitting (diameter to fit tubing)
  13. Goop glue
  14. 4″ dryer vent hose
  15. Cigarette lighter plug (male end)

Tools I used:

  1. Drill motor
  2. 2 – 2 1/8″ hole saw
  3. Yardstick
  4. Razor knife
  5. Phillips head screwdriver
  6. Marker
  7. 5/32,” 3/16,” 15/32,” and ½,” drill bits
  8. Wire cutters
  9. Soldering iron
  10. Rosin Core solder
  11. Tape Measure
  12. Electrical Tape


I began with a white 5 gallon bucket and lid from Home Depot.  Two rows of 12 – 2 1/8″ holes were drilled in the bucket and the plastic burrs around each hole were removed.  The holes are drilled around the top, leaving the bottom free for holding water.


After drilling the 24 holes, a razor knife was used to de-bur the holes.  Once all the holes were cleaned, a piece of .window screen was cut to match the height and inside circumference of the bucket.  The filter material was cut to the same dimensions.  The pump was set in the bottom of the bucket and tubing cut to reach the top of the bucket.

At the top, a T-connector was installed and a loop of tubing was measured and connected to the T.  In the circle of tubing connected to the T, 3/32′ holes were drilled through the underside approximately every ¾” – 1″ for water to flow down the filter.The screen and filter were removed and approximately 2 ½ gallons of water was poured into the bucket and the pump tested.

A hole, corresponding to inside diameter of the large end of the 90° PVC was cut into the lid.  The fan was centered over the hole and connected to the lid with 4 – #6 screws, washers, and nuts.  The 90° PVC was connected to the lid Using 4 – 1″ L Brackets, screws, washers, lock washers, and nuts.  A bead of GOOP put between the lid and PVC 90°, sealing it from any leakage of air.  A dab of GOOP was also put on each screw and nut on the bottom of the lid to prevent them from loosening from the slight vibration of the pump and fan.  On the lid of the plastic Project Box, two equally spaced and centered holes were drilled for the switches (I used 2 with on-off tags).




The switches were mounted to the top of the Project Box and then the Project Box was mounted to the lid behind the 90° PVC.  A ½” hole was drilled through the box and lid.  The pump and fan were wired to the switches with each connection being soldered.  The power wires were connected to a longer wire with a fused cigarette lighter plug on the other end for use with our solar panels and deep cycle batteries.

The cooler works great on hot days.  It works better with lower humidity, but still cools the air on humid days enough to be an asset when camping.


When camping, we run the cooler using a deep-cycle marine battery.  A solar photovoltaic panel to charges the battery during the day. A standard dryer vent power cord installed  hose directs or focuses the cooled air into our tent.  If it gets too cool in the tent a night, we can switch off the water flow and still have air circulation.

This particular set-up runs very quiet.

After running the fan and pump together it was observed that two (2) wraps of window screen are needed to keep water from running out the 24 holes as it drips down the filter material.  Also, if used to cool a tent, the bucket cooler needs to be outside the tent and there needs to be vent or opening in the tent opposite from where the cooled air enters to prevent condensation from forming.  A good point to remember is if you keep the deep-cycle Marine battery connected to a solar charger or trickle charger, the water needs to be checked regularly to prevent a dry cell for forming.


Cooling a Tent with the Homemade Bucket Air Cooler

I spent two or three nights reading, watching videos, thinking about how to make a cooler, and a little over 3 nights building and testing.  Since the cooler will be used on a daily basis in the summer in my truck (for work), camping, and poolside, I decided to beef-up some areas.  The 90° PVC fitting was connected with “L” brackets and sealed with GOOP glue insuring now air leaks around the nozzle.  All connections were soldered and taped with a quality electrical tape.  The taped splices with be re-soldered in the future and heat shrink tubing with be installed on the slices.  The holes in the project box were sealed with the GOOP Glue.  And don’t forget there are 24 – 2″ or larger holes in the top of the bucket so it has lost a lot of structural strength and will not hold up much weight bearing down on the lid.

In addition, I added 2 SPST switches to allow the pump to be turned on first, wetting the filter material.  The other switch controls the fan.  If it gets too cool at night the pump can be shut off, leaving fan on and the circulating air.  The only change I foresee is changing the filter material to a more coarse material.


DIY Solar Air Conditioner/Bucket Cooler Cooling a Tent

This is an excellent evaporation cooler, just be sure to put both the cooler and the solar panel in direct sunlight. Sunshine is needed to evaporate the water in the cooler and make the air cool.

We used a 1-liter Dr. Pepper bottle that was filled with H2O and frozen It helped cool the air. We did learn that the higher the humidity, the less cooling effect it has on the air.

It’s not pure air conditioning, but it’s much better than just a fan blowing hot air and we are more comfortable while we rough it.

 

Some other ideas on cooling:

 

Back in the 1800,s Folks would cool there cabins by putting up cheese cloth over there windows with a flower box under the window filled with water and the bottom of the chesse cloth would be in the water. As the wind blew the wet cheese cloth nailed to each window would cool the air inside and being cheese cloth they could still see out.

 

Other bucket version:

 


 


 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: offgridsurvival

How to Stay Cool Without AC

Summer heat is upon us and it’s important to stay cool. With heat waves rolling across the United States, it’s essential to not get overheated and dehydrated. Many deaths have even been connected to power outages during the heat wave.

These tips will help you and your family stay safe in a power outage situation but might also help you save some money during the summer months.

Close Your Windows. Your first instinct might be to open your windows but often this will make your home hotter instead of cooler. Close your windows, blinds and shades during the day to keep the sun and heat out and trapping the cool in. Open your windows at night if it gets cooler outside.

Eat Cold Foods. Keep your body temperature down by consuming colder foods that will lower the temperature inside of you. This will also prevent you from using stoves and ovens that will raise the temperature in your house.

Install Attic Insulation. This is a great way to keep that cool air in your home and not escaping through the ceiling. This will allow you to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

Plant Trees Strategically. Everyone loves sitting in the cool shade on a nice hot day. Where you plant your trees can have a large effect on where that shade is. Be sure to plant deciduous trees on the east and west sides of your home. During the winter, the sun won’t be blocked from getting to your home. You can also plant trees near sides of your house that have a lot of windows.

– Stay prepared with enough emergency water for your family –

Install Awnings. Just like a tree works to block the sun’s rays and provide you with shade, an awning can do the same thing.

Wear Light-Colored, Loose-Fitting Clothing. This will keep your body cool and breezy. Wearing dark or black clothing will absorb the sun and make you hotter. Wear light colors like white and tan.

Food and Refrigeration. If the power goes out for an extended amount of time, the food in your fridge might begin to go bad. You can use a cooler with ice to keep perishable foods good. You should also begin to eat the foods that won’t keep. If you have freeze-dried foods, you don’t need to worry, they won’t spoil!

Avoid Alcohol. To prevent dehydration, avoid drinking alcoholic drinks. Instead, stick to the water bottles and juices.

Drink Water. To avoid dehydration, continue to drink water. It’s recommended that you have about eight glasses of water per day.

Stay Out Of The Sun. This seems pretty intuitive but, to avoid the heat stay out of the sun!

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 
Via: thereadystore

Preparing Your Daily Driver for SHTF

Recently I finally sat down and took care of an item on my wife’s vehicle that had been plaguing her for quite some time: A piece of debris (in this case, a nail) had punctured the tread of her tire, creating a slow leak that had her filling her tire with air every couple of days. She’d been bugging me to plug it for a couple months now, and I shudder to think of how much it affected her gas mileage, and how many quarters she pumped into air machines just to keep air in her tire….surely it was more than the cost of the tire plug kit.

But as I was sitting there, ripping out the nail with my Leatherman, and rasping out the hole, it occurred to me that this sort of thing was a standard skill that everyone ought to know how to perform, JUST IN CASE. Then, – of course – when my mind got in THAT mode, it drifted all over the place, finally settling on wondering how many people actually have their daily-driven automobiles stocked with enough repair items and the know-how to fix their car quickly and efficiently to get themselves out of a bind in a worst-case scenario. Up here in the Northeast, many people (Including Jarhead Survivor and I) have 4-wheel-drive pickup trucks or SUVs  that are optimal for navigating trails or through snow. Most pickups and SUVs have higher ground clearance, skid plates, and overall a tougher build that will make them a more natural bugging-out type vehicle. But many, many people have to utilize econo-box cars to get them from A to B reliably while minimizing fuel costs on their daily commutes. These types of cars aren’t quite the tanks that their truck/SUV brethren are, but with a little bit of preparation in the equipment and know-how department, one can at least be prepared to make emergency fixes if, for example, your car’s oil pan catches a rock and cracks during an emergency trail ride.

The Basics

There are a few things EVERYONE should have in their automobiles, whether you are planning on using it for emergency purposes or not.

-Spare full-sized tire on the correct rim, and the means and knowledge to change it. This is a no-brainer. Your tires are the only parts of a car that touch anything 100% of the time, so they can pick up road/trail debris and get punctured easily. If your tire gets punctured through the tread, no biggie; you can usually plug the tire as easily as replacing it. But if you shred a sidewall, you are well and truly screwed without a spare. If you don’t have a spare, (some new cars these days only come with tire patch kits !!!) get in touch with a local junkyard, especially one that crushes cars for scrap. They legally have to remove rims and tires before crushing cars, so chances are they can help you find a good full-sized spare with OK tread for dirt money. STAY AWAY FROM SPACE SAVER/DOUGHNUT TYPE SPARES! Yeah, they make take up half the space, but they are usually limited to 45mph, destroy the car’s handling, and have close to zero traction. For an emergency, you want all the help you can get, and a full-sized spare will do a far better job. Also, make sure you have a jack and a properly-sized lugnut wrench (I prefer a 4-way lugnut wrench.). Having a spare tire will do you zero good if you can’t get the car up and the tire off. The best junkyard jacks ever some from late’70′s – early 90′s full-sized GM passenger cars – they’re like stamped-steel floor jacks. Secret tip: If you see a full-sized GM station wagon at the junk yard (Chevy Caprice, Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser, Pontiac Safari, Buick Estate Wagon) they’re stowed away behind the panel in the passenger side way-back. Those ones never get nabbed! Stay away from scissor-crank types of jacks – they’re called “Widow Makers” for a reason….they tip over with alarming frequency.

First-Aid Kit: No-brainer. When working on cars, boiling coolant, exhaust burns, slammed and scraped knuckles, and deep cuts are all the norm – and that’s just on a daily basis from restoring old cars…trust me on this one! Have a first aid kid that can account for these types of injuries. Also have clear safety glasses that you can put on for working under the car (dirt or rust falling in your eye is just about the most unpleasant thing ever), and something to remove glass from eyes or cuts in case a windshield/window busts out. Also, something to clean dirt, grease, and oil out of cuts.

Mechanix Gloves: These puppies will save your hands from most quick burns, cuts, scrapes, and grime, and they maintain the hand’s ability to grasp items with precision without being too bulky. I can’t recommend these enough. Get some at your local hardware/auto store or here.

Water: I can’t tell you how many times having a gallon or two of water in my cars has saved my bacon. If you’re dehydrated, drink it. If your car is overheating, you can refill it when it cools down. If you have debris in your eye, wash it out. If you’re dirty, clean your ass up.

Tool Kit. A nice, decent-quality tool kit is a must. A MUST. I know about a hundred people who see the $5 tool kits at the checkout line at the auto parts store or the hardware store, and think, “Oh! I’ll grab this in case of emergency and throw it in my car just in case!” Yeah, don’t be that guy. Those kits WILL break – sockets will split, ratchets will disintegrate, screwdrivers will bend. With no abuse at all. Cowboy up and buy a REAL kit. I bought one of these Husky sets from Home Depot years ago, and I’ve built cars, fixed bikes, generators, and washing machines – pretty much repaired about a million things around the home with this set. And it still works great. I keep it clean and dry, and always make sure the parts go back in their exact spots in the carrying case. It doesn’t take up much room, and I know it has 80% of the stuff I’d need to work on anyone’s car in an emergency. Grab a used ammo can from the Army Surplus store, and put in it a utility razor knife with a couple extra blades, a couple stubby screwdrivers in it (flathead, and #2 and #3 Phillips), a couple full-sized screwdrivers in the same size, a collection of zip-ties, a roll of electrical tape, spare fuses, a roll of GOOD duct tape (not the cheapo $1 a roll junk), a few stainless steel hose clamps of varying sizes, a good flashlight with extra batteries (a small one you can hold with your mouth while under a car – I like the Streamlight MicroStream personally – a tire pressure guage, and a small air compressor that plugs into your car’s cigarette lighter/power outlets.

Rags: Cars are wicked dirty. You’ll need old rags to clean yourself, wipe up spills, plug holes, wrap around your hands to grab something a bit too hot. You can never have too many.

Tarp: A tarp is a wonderful thing. Spread it on the ground to work underneath your car if the ground is wet, muddy, or oily. Wrap up things you want to stay dry, or use it as a shelter.

Extra Fluids: Oil (at least a couple quarts, most cars will hold 4-5 quarts in the oil pan), transmission fluid, coolant. Your car can live without power steering fluid but it won’t last long without the other three. Keep a can or two of spray brake cleaner to degrease things.

Jumper Cables: Jump-start a friend or your friend can jump-start you if you leave the CD player on blasting Manilow too long.

I consider the above items to be absolutely essential (except the Manilow CD)…and with them, you can fix the vast majority of minor to almost-crippling problems you’d run into while evading trouble aggressively with your automobile. There are a few things I keep to really up my game, though:

Tire Plug Kit: I prefer to plug my tires if the hole isn’t too big and it’s in the tread. A good plug kit is always handy.

J-B Weld: This stuff is THE BALLS. I’ve sealed leaking radiators, exhaust pipes, water pumps, and oil pans with this stuff. Get J-B Kwik weld for a faster setup time. If the surface it’s sitting on/sealing is absolutely free of grease (see the brake cleaner and rags comments above), this stuff will seal things up long enough to get you a ways down the road. For a leaking/punctured oil pan fix, drain all the oil out using your tool kit, put your tarp over the oily spot on the ground. Once the oil stops dripping out of the hole, degrease it completely, then smear mixed-up J-B weld in and over the hole. Too much is just enough. Wait for it to set, refill the oil (you have your spare oil, right?) and get the hell out of there. It will last for a surprisingly long time.

Jack Stand or big-ass piece of solid wood: This is a luxury item, but there for safety. If you have to jack your car up and you have to work under it (like the punctured oil pan above) you don’t want the jack to slip and leave you pinned or crushed under your own car. Having a jack stand or a large, solid piece of wood (10″ x 10″ x 16″ long or so) will save your bacon in a big way.

Spare Gas Can: I personally don’t like having a bunch of gas sloshing about in my trunk/bed (have you ever seen a gas can that stays sealed/leakproof 100%? I haven’t.) But having an empty gallon-sized gas can in your car can be helpful for obvious reasons.

Shovel/E-tool: Dig yourself out of snow banks, sand, mud holes you weren’t planning on. 

BOB/GHB/EDC – Don’t forget that!!! Isn’t that what you have it for?

I keep all this stuff in the truck box (pickups are short on spare room) but you can probably keep most of this stuff in the trunk of even a compact car. Read up on how to do certain things (you can’t change a tire?!? No excuse – Shame on you!) and ask mechanics, car people, internet forum people how to do things. Go to prepper meetups in your area. Take a defensive driving course (did you know that hopping a curb my driving at it on an angle is much safer and less likely to blow your tires or bottom out your car that driving at it straight on? Now you do! Think of what else you might learn when trained by professionals!), go out mudding with some off-road people. See how they negotiate obstacles in trails. Witness how they extricate stuck vehicles. This all good stuff to know in case you, God forbid, need to pilot your Accord down a dirt trail at high velocity to evade or go around trouble.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

Via: shtfblog

Rant of the day– I did not kill your son!

Sorry a little rant here, but if you hear this enough most people get upset:

By now I’m sure that all of you have read or seen on the TV “news” about the murders in Santa Barbara CA that left six people dead – this was of course followed by an almost instantaneous call for more and stricter gun laws i.e. bans… This despite the fact that three of the victims were stabbed to death, by the killer before he fired the first shot…

From U.S.A. Today

Rodger stabbed to death three roommates at his apartment before starting his shooting spree, said Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown at a news conference.

But no calls for banning knives… strange indeed, you would think that since they want to blame objects and tools for murder, instead of the actual killer that they would view the knife as being as responsible for the deaths as the gun…

It looks like a case of a tragic event being used to push an already held  agenda, an agenda of gun laws and bans.  Did I mention that this happened in CALIFORNIA where they already have some of the strictest gun laws and bans on the books, stricter than any other state as ranked by the Brady Campaign to take your guns

From Mail online:

Distraught father blames ‘craven, irresponsible politicians and the NRA’ for his son’s death at hand of ‘virgin killer’ while the shooter’s aunt makes impassioned appeal to Obama to ‘Stop the slaughter’

I feel sorry for anyone that loses a child, but he seems to be confused as to who to blame, for his son’s death, ultimately blaming everyone but the actual killer. And it really pisses me off that he would blame me and every other NRA member for his son’s death.

I did not kill your son! According to news reports a young, spoilt 22-year-old named Elliot Rodger killed your son and five other people. But, it would be my guess that the victims fathers hatred of the Second Amendment, the NRA and gun owners was firmly in place a long-time before his son was murdered.

But as they say in Washington “never let a good disaster go to waste” and as we have grown to expect in cases like this, they are calling for Obama to ‘Stop the slaughter’, like he can wave the magic presidential wand and instantly cause all of the overly medicated, crazies to be full of peace and love, with bunnies on top…

But then according to Michael Moore

‘Disturbed white males’ are the most dangerous people in the country…

Once again… I did not kill your son, NRA members did not kill your son, a gun did not kill your son, neither did a knife nor a car – a nut-bag killed your son.

 

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: thesurvivalistblog

Agriculture Department puts in request to buy body armor

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has put in an acquisition request to buy body armor — specifically, “ballistic vests, compliant with NIJ 0101.06 for Level IIIA Ballistic Resistance of body armor,” the solicitation stated.

The request was put in writing and posted on May 7 — just a few days before the same agency sought “the commercial acquisition of submachine guns” equipped for 3-round magazines, Breitbart reported.

The May 7 solicitation reads: “The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, [seeks] Body Armor [that’s] gender specific, lightweight, [containing] plate/pad (hard or soft) and concealable carrier. [Also a] tactical vest, undergarment (white), identification patches, accessories (6 pouches), body armor carry bag and professional measurements,” Breitbart reported.

The solicitation also reads that “all responsible and/or interested sources may submit their company name, point of contact and telephone number,” the media outlet reported. And “timely” respondents “shall be considered by the agency for contact,” Breitbart said.

Full article here

Cheryl K. Chumley
Washington Times
May 17, 2014

———————————–

Why the Hell is the Department of Agriculture Buying Submachine Guns?

Matt Welch 

Reason May. 16, 2014

You may have seen this equipment order going around:

May 07, 2014 2:03 pm

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, located in Washington, DC, pursuant to the authority of FAR Part 13, has a requirement for the commercial acquisition of submachine guns, .40 Cal. S&W, ambidextrous safety, semi-automatic or 2 shot burst trigger group, Tritium night sights for front and rear, rails for attachment of flashlight (front under fore grip) and scope (top rear), stock-collapsible or folding, magazine – 30 rd. capacity, sling, light weight, and oversized trigger guard for gloved operation.

Bolding mine, to emphasize OMG WHY ARE WE MILITARIZING THE LETTUCE INSPECTORS?

—————————–

You may want to look at these also:

 

USDA to Purchase Submachine Guns

 

Going Postal: USPS Stocks Up On Guns and Ammo: “It Doesn’t Make aWhole Lot of Sense”

 

DHS Purchases 21.6 Million More Rounds of Ammunition

 

First gov’t “bullet-hoarding” – now THIS!

 

Makes you really stop and think, what do they know we don’t or what are they planning?

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: thesurvivalistblog

 

What YOU need to know NOW before the SHTF

This is a guest post by Dan W

The answers to all the questions listed below need to be answered with brutally honesty if you are to be able to determine what you will need to survive any catastrophe, event, civil unrest, etc. The more accurate your answers the better you will be able to prepare:

General:
Why are you thinking about prepping? What is your main fear about the future? Define your most pressing concerns and fears. How would their occurrence would affect your day to day life. Be realistic and think “independence” as most events will render our grid system of electricity inoperative or marginal at best. Communications will be degraded or nonexistent. Deliveries of critical goods will be infrequent if at all. You must be able to survive as an independent entity. What will you need to do that? And for how long?

  • Define Your Circumstances: How many people will you be surviving with?
  • How old are they? How old are you?
  • Does anyone need specific items (such as Rx Drugs) to survive?
  • What is the physical conditioning of each person?
  • Are there medical conditions such as allergies, restrictions in
  • movement, sight, etc. that adversely affects them?
  • Will you stay where you are or going someplace else?

Define your needs: This is as simple as determining how many people and for how long you are planning to survive. The needs for a healthy family of four to survive a four month period are vastly different than the same family planning for to survive for four year.

Identify your temperament: Are you an assertive “type A” hard charging personality or a follower that needs to be led? Will you do whatever it takes to survive? Could you kill another human in an act of self-defense of you, your family, or your possessions? Do you face difficult situations with strength or shy away because you are reluctant to deal with unpleasant topics? Be honest with yourself, the answer may surprise you.

How much can you spend for survival? : Define your financial status. How much extra money do you have, that you are willing to spend on those items you will need, to survive for the period of time you have chosen. Your investment in “prepping” supplies may never be recouped. Food stuffs can be eventually eaten, some items can be sold, but if the SHTF event does not occur, will you curse your decision to spend finances that might have been used elsewhere?

Your Fortress: Where is it that you have chosen to survive? Is it appropriate as a defensible position? How much storage does it have? Is access easy? What are the negatives? How would it be to live there without electricity, water, sewage disposal, etc.? How near are your neighbors. Do you know your neighbors? Will you be an easy target for the first hordes of hungry, angry, marauding gangs? Do you have access to a primary fortress somewhere else? Climate: Where do you live now or plan to live if you will be leaving your current position. In Prepper lingo this is called “bugging out. Your clothing should be appropriate for the climate where you will be including all of the seasons you may encounter. This consideration should include such items as snowshoes, thermal underwear, boots and ice studs, etc.

Power: Can you survive without power? Not for computers or cell phones but for pumping water from a well, running a small electric heater, or producing light. If you consider a generator then what type? Gas or propane? Are you physically fit enough to start and engine with a cord pull type starter? How will you store gasoline, diesel, or propane to run the device? How much fuel will run it for how long? What about solar power generation? How does that work? Are you knowledgeable enough to work with electricity? Is a source of independent electricity necessary?

Light: Regardless of whether or not you have a source of electricity you will need light to combat the dark of night. Oil lamps, solar lamps that store energy, hand crank flashlights and Coleman lamps are all possible remedies. If your device of choice uses a fuel such Coleman Fuel or propane how much do you need to have in reserve? How many lamp wicks and lamp oil is enough, how many light generation devices are enough?

Security: How will you secure your safety and prevent the theft of your supplies? Do not think that you will call 911 and then wait for the authorities to come to your rescue! You are alone! Whether or not you survive an encounter with one person, or a group, intent on obtaining what you have depends on you. Do you have guns and ammo? Are you comfortable with them and proficient at shooting? Can you kill if the needs arise? If the attack comes at night would you be able to see them before they see you. Do you have a perimeter defense system that will give you advance warning of an intruder?

Water: There are many resources that will tell you how much water a person needs to survive. Storage of water is easy but space consuming. Purifying water is easy if you have Clorox. A water purifier such as is used by hikers works well, but produces a limited amount of water and it takes disposable cartridges. Do you have a source to replenish your water supply? Counter top Purifiers are readily available but are not cheap. Water barrels to catch rain water are cheap and also available. If you plan to have a garden you will need to calculate the water requirements for that in addition to personal needs.

Food: How much is enough? The answer goes back to how many people for how long. Are there sources of foodstuffs you will have access to: wild grains, garden produce, wild game, fish, birds, or your stored foods? How much room do you have to store food that has a long shelf life? Do you have dietary restrictions? Do you have funds enough to buy prepared freeze dried foods? Do you have a way to cook food? How about boiling water every day? Again, the answer to the question of how much is enough depends on your answers to the preceding questions. Consider the age(s) of those you are planning for. Older folks can get by on fewer calories each day than younger people or children. Check out internet sites to see what they sell for different on what would work best for you and yours.

Medications: Prescription medications may be no longer available. Do you have a need for such items? How long will your supply last? Can you stockpile more meds? Are there any over the counter medications that will work as a substitute for prescription meds? Is the med a necessity to maintain life? You’ll have to figure this out an plan accordingly.

Money: What happens if paper currency (or coins) is no longer a source for obtaining what you need? Do you have goods, a skill or profession, food, etc. that you can use for trade goods? Ammunition, alcohol, cigarettes, food, medicines, water, gold, and silver can (and have been) used as trade goods. Think hard about this topic! If I have food and you have gold, and there is no market trading in precious metals, why would I want your gold? Without a viable market that is buying, selling, and setting the price on precious metals it has no worth. For a short term event precious metals might make sense but for a longer term upheaval, gold and silver don’t even make very good bullets …. they are too soft. You can’t eat your gold or silver.

Weapons & Ammo: Weapons are a necessity. Weapons without ammo are fancy hammers. Again the question of type and quantity applies. Weapons need to be cleaned and maintained. You will not be able to go down to the lock gun shop and get repair work done if something breaks. Redundancy is the way to handle this. Do not have one each of 10 different kinds of weapons. If you have a pistol, buy another of the same caliber. This is the same with rifles and shotguns. Buy a substantial amount of ammo for each weapon. The 357 caliber pistol is a good one to have as it can fire both 38 special and 357 calibers. Shotguns are good defense weapons and if you purchase one, get a 12 gauge. It has all the stopping power you need and doesn’t require a sharpshooter to hit a target. This is all a matter of personal choice, but essential to your survival. Do not carry an unloaded weapon …………… it is just extra weight and will do you no good when it is needed.

Knowledge: Do you have a good working knowledge of animal husbandry, gardening, advanced first aid, medicinal plants of your area, raising chickens, goats & rabbits, making alcohol, auto repair, or other issues important to a “back to the earth” standard of living”? If not, fill in the gaps with books. Real Books!!! Make a list of those things that you believe you might need to know in order to survive. An agrarian society demands skill sets that are very different from today’s push button electronic life.

Communication: Do you want to be able to communicate with people in remote locations? “Remote” can be a mile away or as far as the next state or country. Communication abilities will be important if members of your group have to forage or hunt away from the compound on a regular basis. FRS (Family Radio Service) transceivers are inexpensive but have limited range. They also require batteries. Solar chargers are inexpensive and can keep your rechargeable batteries ready for use. Perhaps you want to listen to what is being said. If so, a multiband receiver will be your tool. Again, they run on batteries. Buy a good one as what you are able to hear may make a difference in your planning at any given time.

Friends, Acquaintances, and Neighbors: Your relationship with everyone will change. If they know you are a Prepper, they will file that fact away and, when the worst happens, be the first ones to knock on your door. They will be seeking asylum. When they find out you are prepping, they will consider you a bit of a nut case. However, if the time comes to put it all to use , they will think of you as a genius. Do not consider a liaison with anyone that will not invest in prepping. If they are not prepared to “bring something substantial to the common table” then they should not benefit from your efforts when times get tough. If they bring with them skills, abilities, or other things that complement or complete your planning, make your decision to allow them to join you with care. Loyalty is transient. This will be a hard thing to do but it is absolutely necessary if you and yours are to survive. Beware of strangers; allow no one to approach or enter your home site with a weapon. Never allow more than one person of a group to come near. Never confront an intruder alone if possible. Always confront unknowns with a loaded weapon.

Know your area: People that live in rural areas are usually very familiar with the surrounding roads, buildings, homes, farms, etc. People that live in large metropolitan areas know the same things about their immediate community, but in all likelihood are unfamiliar with the surrounding areas. Regardless of which one you are, you should have an accurate paper map of your immediate and surrounding areas. DO not depend on your vehicles GPS or mapping to guide you. Know the traffic patterns of where you live. If your planning includes a bug out location, map the best (though not necessarily shortest) route out with alternates if that way is impassible. Keep your vehicle’s gas tank at least half full at all times. Know how many miles you can get on a tank of fuel. Identify problem areas close to you escape routes.

Plan B: What is a “plan B”? It is the “what if” factor that should be at least considered and thought about. Not everyone will need a plan B; it depends somewhat on their individualized overall plan for survival happens to be. Each person will have a plan B that can be implemented if their primary plans go awry. It may be as simple as opening the best bottle of wine and enjoying the last few moments of life. It may be holding your loved ones close. It might be a bug out plan for when the fortress is being breached and the hordes are in sight. It’s important, but if you’ve made your prepping plans based on thoughtful consideration, then your plan B might be less important.

Everyone that has begun to give Prepping a serious look has been confronted with the same problem: There is so much information and misinformation being passed around that it can be intimidating. Where do I begin??? I have set down my thoughts based on my planning and experiences. I have tried to not give specific details on how much to buy, what to buy, what to store, how to store it all, where to go, or a host of other things. Those things can be easily found on the internet. My goal in writing this was to give you a list of the questions you need to ask, and honestly answer for yourself. Do that, and you will find that your planning is much easier. Define your situation, based on that you should make a list of what you need, prioritize those needs, and then methodically go about filling the list. There is not a single plan is right for everyone. I hope this helps.

 

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: thesurvivalistblog

Korea Prepares for EMP Attack


Just a couple weeks ago Peter Vincent Pry, a member of the Congressional EMP Commission and executive director of the Task Force on National and Homeland Security, gave a dire warning to Congress.

He had warned that an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack on our power grid and electronic infrastructure could leave most Americans dead and send the U.S. back into another century.

“Natural EMP from a geomagnetic superstorm, like the 1859 Carrington Event or 1921 Railroad Storm, and nuclear EMP attack from terrorists or rogue states, as practiced by North Korea during the nuclear crisis of 2013, are both existential threats that could kill 9-of-10 Americans through starvation, disease and societal collapse,”

North Korea and Other Rogue Nations Pose a Very Real Threat

Pry, who is a former CIA nuclear weapons analyst, believes that Korea’s recent low-yield nuclear tests in addition to their launch of a low orbit satellite may actually be preparations for a future electromagnetic pulse attack.

What This Means to You

The Heritage Foundation explains what an EMP is capable of in this way:

“Airplanes would fall from the sky; most cars would be inoperable; electrical devices would fail. Water, sewer and electrical networks would fail simultaneously. Systems of banking, energy, transportation, food production and delivery, water, emergency services and even cyberspace would collapse.”

It’s not that the EMP pulse itself is deadly but the effects that it has on electronics can regress our cutting-edge 21st-century technology back a few centuries.

It would in essence “fundamentally change the world”.

What You Should Be Doing

So what’s the important lesson in all of this?

Well, if you haven’t yet, it’s time that you start securing your crucial electronics like communication equipment, medical devices and so on with your own faraday cage.

There are plenty of resources online where you can find out how to build these but be sure to do your homework because there’s a lot of misinformation about the correct method of building a faraday cage.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 
Via: tacticalintelligence

670,000 people ordered not to drink the water in Portland Oregon

Residents in the city of Portland, Oregon are being told not to drink their tap water without boiling it first as officials are investigating how the city’s water supply became contaminated with E. coli.

The Boil Water notice was issued today after health officials detected E. coli bacteria in water samples at three locations over a three-day period.

“Until further notice, all Portland Water Bureau customers and those in the affected areas should boil all tap water used for drinking, food preparation, tooth brushing and ice for at least one minute. Ice or any beverages prepared with un-boiled tap water on or after May 20 should be discarded,” the water bureau said on its website.

In three separate incidents from May 20 to May 23, repeat water samples confirmed the presence of total coliform and E. coli in routine drinking water samples. The water samples that tested positive for bacteria were collected at the outlets of Mt. Tabor Reservoirs 1 and 5, and at the SE 2nd Avenue and Salmon Street water sampling station.

Both reservoirs have been taken offline, causing 670,000 people to placed under a boil water order. It is the largest boil water notice in the city’s history.

“We’re painfully aware that we’re going into a holiday weekend and that this is an inconvenience for people,” City Commissioner Nick Fish said. “We regret that, but we’re also guided by good science and regulations.”

All Portland Water Bureau customers are affected. Also affected are customers of the following water providers:

  • Burlington Water District
  • City of Gresham (North of I-84)
  • Lake Grove Water District
  • Lorna Portland Water
  • Palatine Hill Water District
  • Rockwood Water District
  • Tigard Water Service Area (including Durham, King City and Bull Mountain)
  • Valley View Water District
  • West Slope Water District

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.
Via: offgridsurvival

FEDS Steal another half-million acres of Land in New Mexico: Obama Doubles Down on BLM Land Grabs

The Obama administration in preparing an executive order that will seize large areas of land in New Mexico and California; banning ranchers with legitimate claims from even more State land.

Although Congress traditionally designates protection for public land, the Obama administration is yet again ignoring the law and is expected to seize the land sometime this week. By designating this New Mexico land a national monument, the Obama administration will ban all ranchers, off-road vehicles and recreational vehicles from the land.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said Monday that Obama is working “to preserve the prehistoric, historic and scientific values of the area for all Americans,” and that the monument will encourage tourism.

Dustin Van Liew, executive director for federal lands at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, said that in the wake of national monument designations at Utah’s Grand Staircase Escalante, “we have seen grazing over time be diminished or stopped altogether.”

In fact, earlier this month we reported on the federal government’s attempt to steal another piece of land in New Mexico, where they actually gated off large areas of private land and cut off over 20 ranchers from accessing a small creek that they had been using for decades.

This new proposal has not only upset local ranchers, but local law enforcement officers as well who say Obama’s executive order will also ban border security officers from accessing the areas, further weakening border security and allowing the region to become an unfettered drug corridor.

Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah), chairman of the House Natural Resources subcommittee on public lands and environmental regulation, sent a letter to Obama on Monday urging him not to designate the area a national monument area.

“National Parks, monuments, and wilderness areas along our southern border have become prime drug-trafficking corridors for violent criminals and drug cartels.  Restrictive environmental laws within these federal corridors limit Border Patrol access and, as a result, make it easier for drug smugglers and human traffickers to move their drugs and people in and out of the United States unnoticed,” Bishop, who is chairman of the Public Lands and Environmental Regulation subcommittee on the House Natural Resources committee, wrote.

As we’ve reported on a number of times in the past, the federal government already claims ownership to a majority of the land in the Western United States. In fact, in Nevada where the BLM attempted to steal land from a local Rancher, the Federal Government has claimed ownership of 84.5% of the State’s land. And in New Mexico,

As the map below shows, Federal intrusion into the Western States has created an environment where these States have very little power over their own land.


 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

Via: offgridsurvival