Virginia Revokes Recognition of Concealed Weapons Permits from 25 Other States

 

Remember this ?

    In a surprise move yesterday, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring revoked recognition by Virginia of the concealed weapons permits of 25 other states. He did so because he said that some of these holders would not be eligible to carry under Virginia's concealed weapons laws.  He furthur explained that this move was designed to keep stalkers, fugitives, drug dealers from obtaining weapons elsewhere and from concealing them here in Virginia.  The plan, he says, is to keep Virginians safer, and he specifically quoted a desire to keep Virginia law enforcement safer.   This change will become effective on February 1, 2016.

                 This means that a reciprocity agreement no longer exists between Virginia and the following states.  This means that if you, as a Virginian traveled to these places with your concealed weapon and your license, that you may no longer do so.     These states are :

   Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Florida, Louisiana, Wyoming and North Dakota



              The states whose permits are no longer recognized by Virginia include:

 Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.




               Maybe it's just me.    It seems as if the Democrats specifically have declared war on the Second Amendment.  All this means to me is that while traveling out of state, it will be much more difficult for my family and I to be protected and to have my weapon present when it's needed. Law abiding people are going to be the ones who don't have their defensive weapon with them when it's most needed !  How many people who do business in Virginia are going to decide that without their defensive weapon and with an uptick in terrorism, that doing business in Virginia isn't worth it ?  Can Virginia afford that kind of a loss in revenue ?  I know a lot of people who absolutely will not vacation in a place where they are not permitted to carry their concealed weapon, and this is why they got a concealed weapons permit in the first place.   Can we afford this type of a hit to Virginia tourism ?  Things don't look economically very healthy here to me.


               What does this mean to you ?     Does this mean you need to join a pro gun rights organization and take the removal of gun rights more seriously ?    Is this a trend coming to your own state soon ?    Does this mean you can no longer travel safely state to state, and need to spend your money at home instead ?  If you are a Virginian, then you should contact your representatives immediately and give them your input with regard to this matter.

                 Americans must stand up for the rights they once had or watch them be taken one by one.    Wake up now, or find yourself in a position where you are unable to defend yourself and your family, from either Islamic extremism, domestic terrorism, or local thugs and thieves.
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Authoritative Information on this matter is available from the Virginia State Police at:

http://www.vsp.state.va.us/Firearms_Reciprocity.shtm




Update:

This is updated information from February, 2016

http://freebeacon.com/issues/virginia-gun-carry-deal-more-expansive-than-first-reported/


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Remember to Cultivate Your Fine Neighbors

               

(  Graphic:  rightfromtheheart.org   )

 



    For most of the years since our graduations from college, my husband and I have moved about every four years.  New jobs, new opportunities and chances to buy or build a new home or acquire additional acreage were more common in the 80s than they are today.   In that time we had many different types of neighbors.   Some were good people, some mildly peculiar, but some were extremely fine people and we were better off for having known them and having had them  live nearby.  I have often said I could probably write a rather entertaining book telling about all the neighbors we have had in so many places.

                    Handling neighbors carefully and well is a skill that can take some time to develop. Whether we are neighbors on big acreage, or on stamp sized lots, the rules really are the same.   We should be on good terms with neighbors, and should avoid feuds whenever possible, although this might not be as easy as Mister Rogers made it sound.    We should also not fall into patterns of appeasement with them, as bullies exist everywhere, and some will walk all over us and our families on an ongoing or an accelerating  basis.  It's important to convey the limits and to stick to these.  For example, the neighbor who tries to borrow hamburger weekly, needs to be told that you need whatever you buy for your own family. He needs not to see a regular pay off in his borrowing with no attempts to return anything.    The neighbor who tells you you'll need to stock beer for him "now that he is your neighbor" needs to know that your cash is already stretched buying your own family's needs.  The family who tells their friends who are invited to a party at their place, that they can park in your driveway, need to be told politely that you need your driveway for your friends and for emergency vehicles. That needs to occur long before the sheriff needs to do it.   Set reasonable limits with people from the outset, or the chance will be gone, and no one will allow you to do this later, without trying to make you feel as if you have betrayed "your buddies".   The neighbor who "borrowed" your lawnmower in 2011, and never bought one for himself, needs to return yours. You might also ask him to pay for the oil, the tune up for it, and a spark plug. Strive for fairness in the beginning of the relationship with them.   Make sure that you don't set your self up in a new neighborhood as a parent, in a neighborhood of adults who behave like children mired in a history of poor planning.


                 As bad as neighbors can be out there, whether you are in the US, Canada, England, Sweden, Russia, Australia or anywhere else, let me tell you that there are also some great neighbors out there.

                 I have had trustworthy neighbors who watched both of our young children on short notice while we headed to a hospital when my husband's father was critically ill.  In another location,  I have had neighbors who checked the house daily and did all manner of things for us while we were away.  I have had neighbors who on first acquaintance, helped us unload the moving van the day we moved in.
 I have had neighbors who brought food and flowers when our youngest son passed away.   One neighbor plowed our farm roads for us one particularly snowy year.

              Nowadays, we live in a place where we have a number of neighbors who are involved in preparedness.   It is important that wherever you live, your neighbors don't know exactly what you stock or where. Even though they might never be a problem, they may mention something to a brother-in-law or other neighbor who may think nothing of breaking in to your place during the next hurricane.   It is enough that your trusted neighbors know you are a thinking person with an interest in preparedness.  They do not need the inventory of your supplies.    This said,  our farm is now surrounded by all preppers.    Some of them may be better prepared than we are.

             With all the cautions aside now, remember that the best way to have a good neighbor is to BE a good neighbor.  I don't mind teaching someone to shoot, or taking care of their horses while they are away.  I have changed surgical dressings of neighbors when they were discharged from the hospital, perhaps a little earlier than was wise.   I have checked on someone's house twice a day while they traveled to buy a secondary "Bug Out" location.   I don't do this for everyone, but for those we know well.  Our days of moving every four of five years may well be over, but one of the benefits to staying put is that around the nine or ten year mark, even those who are guarded begin to trust you.




This post is dedicated to my fantastic neighbor who died suddenly recently............He knows who he is, and I hope he knows how much we appreciated his being our neighbor.    May God bless his remaining family, especially in this first holiday season since his passing.

Former CIA Director Has Deep Concerns

        

I wonder where Iran would like to attack ?

          When I was growing up, I was not in fact blissfully unaware of the geopolitical.  My father had worked in government and I was well aware of the Cold War and its potential implications for my future and for our world. One of the things which allowed me to live as normally as possible is that I knew that many of the people in government were good people and were doing the best that they could to keep our nation safe. In essence, I have it to God and to them, and proceeded to live a normal life for the era and then go to college.

                 One of the reasons I am less comfortable today is that we do not have the same level of competence in many US governmental posts.  Again and again, our leaders appear not to understand not only threats to our US economic survival, but they don't seem to be existential threats to us either.   Mr. Obama and Mrs Clinton seem to see Benghazi as a bad day at the office, whereas the rest of us see an out of touch and incompetent State Department which made actionable errors costing the lives of their own people.  I believe that both of them should have been removed from their posts.

                 Russia continues to fly over Canada, England, Egypt and other nations without permission, and continues to look at expansion into other nations.   Mr. Obama doesn't seem interested.      ISIL and extremist Muslimization is growing like a cancer worldwide, and our president who may well me a not so closet Muslim himself, portrays them as "a religion of peace" and another "flavor of the religious rainbow".
The impression many Americans are getting is that Mr. Obama and his regime are not on the side of the US and that the regime will not protect us, either abroad or here at home.

               For this reason I wanted to make my readers aware of the thoughts of former CIA Director James Woolsey.   Woolsey was director when existential threats to the United States were still of interest to the executive branch..    In an interview on the Blaze Yesterday, this is what Mr. Woolsey said. He warns of a potential attack on US soil from Iran.


The information between the two sets of undulating lines is solely the work product of The Blaze and Glenn Beck.
At the date of my posting on this matter, the link I am quoting could be located at:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/12/15/former-cia-director-warns-of-potential-catastrophic-attack-from-iran-on-u-s-soil/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Firewire%20Morning%20Edition%20Recurring%20v2%202015-12-16&utm_term=Firewire_Morning_Test

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“Iran has given every indication they would go forward with [an attack] and they have ballistic missiles that could put something into orbit,” Woolsey told Glenn Beck.
The former CIA official went on to say that he believes Iran is very close to having a nuclear weapon, even adding that he could “make the case” that the Arab country already has nuclear capability.
“With a nuclear weapon and something that can orbit it, they can use an electromagnetic pulse burst over the center of the United States to take down our electric grid.”
According to Woolsey, all infrastructure in the United States relies on the electric grid, adding that the U.S. would suffer roughly an 80 percent death rate if the country was attacked through an electromagnetic pulse.
Woolsey, however, was not optimistic in his belief that the White House is doing anything to help prevent the opportunity for such an attack. The former CIA director’s comments come as conversations continue to ramp up over the Department of Homeland Security’s preparedness, should an attack on the U.S. electrical grid occur.
As it currently exists, the American power grid is interconnected through several regional providers, so, should one system have particularly heavy demand, it can pick up power from a neighboring system. However, this leaves the electrical grid very vulnerable to cyberattacks that could leave large swaths of the U.S. and Canada without power, according to journalist Ted Koppel, author of “Lights Out,” a book about the U.S. power grid.
Koppel said in November that, after talking with every former secretary of Homeland Security and current Secretary Jeh Johnson, the U.S. has “no plan” to prevent an attack on the electrical grid — a statement the Department of Homeland Security quickly denied, claiming not only to have a plan but also saying it has performed national exercises to test the plan in place.
However, Woolsey insisted to Beck that the U.S. government is not prioritizing protecting the American power grid.
“There have been members of Congress that are very helpful on this and trying to get it front and center, but in the Executive Branch, it’s just not something they’re dealing with,” Woolsey told Beck.

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(end of Blaze work product)



             It is therefore very important that we make wise financial decisions, minimize personal debt, and make reasonable plans for relocation should it become necessary.    It is important to stock medical supplies, a means by which we could take care of ourselves at home for a period of time, should our nation's medical resources be otherwise engaged. Our most important task is to make sure our children have training grounded in preparedness, but that they also live as normal a life as possible. It is even more urgent and important to elect thinking and functioning leaders. And, with the possibility of invasion, it becomes very important to hold on to those guns, and most importantly learn to use them safely and competently for defensive purposes alone.

Why Are Famous People Shedding Their Palatial Homes ?

                    

This is 4009 Carter's Creek Pike in Franklin, Tennessee, if you are interested.

                       This week an article surfaced informing us that Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's home in Franklin, Tennessee is being sold.    I am generally not a fan of celebrity homes. Most of them are ostentatious, badly designed and have insufficient acreage for such a grand abode.  However, none of this is true of the historic McGraw Hill estate.    It is a farm and family compound and has seven hundred and fifty plus acres. There are five homes and buildings for farm equipment and a twelve stall barn.  The house itself is extremely well decorated, yet is a home.  This is a place where children can color on the floor, and where family can enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas. The acreage was smaller when they acquired it, but over the years, they have purchased additional acreage in multiple parcels.   The property in total is said to be up for twenty million dollars although other articles have surfaced indicating that parts of the property have been sold.    The couple says they plan to build another home in the general area  for about three million.



                     Tom Cruise is selling his palatial Telluride Colorado home for fifty-nine million dollars. This one comes with three hundred acres, and palatial is an understatement.  Cruise says he doesn't use the home much and this is why it's being sold.
          

This is an interior picture from the Cruise home.

                            Josh Groban is selling his Malibu home, and it's reduced to four point six million. It was up for six million. 

                     Many other celebrities parted with an amazing estate in the last few years.   One may think that in some of these cases, as these people's children have grown, they feel less need to have a sprawling home for family gatherings, and perhaps would prefer improved mobility for the holidays. Perhaps visiting their older kids as they live their lives is more of a priority.


Many other celebrities have shed or are shedding their large homes and tend to downplay their reasons for doing so.   Perhaps originally. their advisors encouraged them to place a great deal of their assets in a palatial home.  Perhaps they did not realize that a palatial home can cost between one and three million dollars annually simply to pay taxes, homeowner's insurance and simple maintenance and repair, and that is if they paid cash initially, as many of them do. Perhaps they simply wish to diversify their real estate portfolios and own five less expensive homes rather than two  palatial, very expensive estates.  Perhaps they simply desire to simplify their lives and their holdings.

     Since this is such a consistent picture it makes me wonder if something else is going on.  Do the people with the pre-eminent weath advisors know something that the rest of us do not ?    Do they know of an upcoming collapse which will necessitate their having more privacy, more mobility, or more cash uncommitted ?      Or are their decisions to cut the fat from their own budgets simply a reflection of the fact that no one is spending as we once did and therefore wealthy people may not sell more of whatever their product was ?

        This year, I was dropped from the wealth management company I have used in the past.   The A-Team advisors are now reserved for those who will leave a fair chunk of change in the investment account.  I won't comment furthur other than to say there is a great deal of belt tightening in financial circles.     Hear those whispers.  Clean up any debt you have. Get your own financial act together. Prepare for tight times.

A Perspective on World " Muslimization"

The following is the work product of Frank Bianchi, who is a research and content contributor to "The Savage Nation"


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 Islam: The Compelling Truth

 

Islam is not a religion, nor is it a cult. In its fullest form, it is a complete, total, 100% system of life.

Islam has religious, legal, political, economic, social, and military components. The religious component is a beard for all of the other components. Islamization begins when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to agitate for their religious privileges. When politically correct, tolerant, and culturally diverse societies agree to Muslim demands for their religious privileges, some of the other components tend to creep in as well.  

Here's how it works:

As long as the Muslim population remains around or under 3% in any given country, they will be for the most part be regarded as a peace-loving Minority, and not as a threat to other citizens. This is case in:

United States -- Muslim 2%

Australia -- Muslim 2.5%

Canada -- Muslim 2.8%

Norway -- Muslim 2.8%

China -- Muslim 2.9%   

Italy -- Muslim 2.5%                                                                                                                                              

At 3% to 8%, they begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups, often with major recruiting from the jails and among street gangs. This is happening in: 

 Denmark -- Muslim 5%

Germany -- Muslim 6.7%

United Kingdom -- Muslim 7.7%

Spain -- Muslim 8%

Thailand -- Muslim 7.6%    

From 8% on, they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the population. For example, they will push for the introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims.They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature halal on their shelves -- along with threats for failure to comply.  This is occurring in: 

France -- Muslim 12%                                   

Philippines -- 9%                   

Sweden -- Muslim 8%           

Switzerland -- Muslim 8.3%  

 The Netherlands -- Muslim 8.5%

 Trinidad & Tobago -- Muslim 10.8%

                                                    

At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves (within their ghettos) under Sharia, the Islamic Law. The ultimate goal of Islamists is to establish Sharia law over the entire world.  

When Muslims approach 15% of the population, they tend to increase lawlessness as a means of complaint about their conditions. In Paris, we are already seeing car-burnings.

Any non Muslim action offends Islam, and results in uprisings and threats, such as in Amsterdam , with opposition to Mohammed cartoons and films about Islam. Such tensions are seen daily, particularly in Muslim sections, in:       

Guyana -- Muslim 15%

India -- Muslim 19.4%

Israel -- Muslim 16%

Kenya -- Muslim 18%

Russia -- Muslim 21%

                                                       

After reaching 25%, nations can expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formations, sporadic killings, and the burnings of Christian churches and Jewish synagogues, such as in:

   Ethiopia -- Muslim 32.8%

At 40%, nations experience widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks, and ongoing militia warfare, such as In:

Bosnia -- Muslim 40%

Chad -- Muslim 53.1%

Lebanon -- Muslim 59.7%

From 60%, nations experience unfettered persecution of non-believers of all other religions (including non-conforming Muslims), sporadic ethnic cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon, and Jizya, the tax placed on infidels,  such as in:        

Albania -- Muslim 70%               

Malaysia -- Muslim 60.4%          

Qatar -- Muslim 77.5%                  

 Sudan -- Muslim 70%                                                                      

After 80%, expect daily intimidation and violent jihad, some State-run ethnic cleansing, and even some genocide, as these nations drive out the infidels, and move toward 100% Muslim, such as has been experienced and in some ways is on-going in:  

Bangladesh -- Muslim 83%

Egypt -- Muslim 90%          

Gaza -- Muslim 98.7%         

Indonesia -- Muslim 86.1%

Iran -- Muslim 98%             

Iraq -- Muslim 97%             

Jordan -- Muslim 92%         

Morocco -- Muslim 98.7%   

Pakistan -- Muslim 97%       

Syria -- Muslim 90%             

Tajikistan -- Muslim 90%      

Turkey -- Muslim 99.8%          

United Arab Emirates -- Muslim 96%

100% will usher in the peace of 'Dar-es-Salaam' -- the Islamic House of Peace.. Here there's supposed to be peace, because everybody is a Muslim, the Madrasses are the only schools, and the Koran is the only word, such as in:

Afghanistan -- Muslim 100%   

Saudi Arabia --Muslim 100%   

Somalia ------- Muslim 100%        

Yemen ---------- Muslim 100%                                               

 

Unfortunately, peace is never achieved, as in these 100% states the most radical Muslims intimidate and spew hatred, and satisfy their blood lust by killing less radical Muslims, for a variety of reasons.

What people have not learned; fail to understand or simply refuse to learn is the basic canon of Islamic life.

Islam demands your strict adherence be held to the letter of the Islamic law, which means your sole allegiance and purpose for creation is to Islam.

So Islam must come ahead of any physical, personal or family relationships under penalty of crucifixion.

 

The canon of Islam defined exactly as this: ''It is me against my brother; me and my brother against our father; my family against my cousins and the clan; the clan against the tribe; the tribe against the world, and all of us against the infidel always in the name of Allah.'' -- Leon Uris, 'The Haj'

It is important to understand that in some countries, with well under 100% Muslim populations, such as France, the minority Muslim populations live in ghettos, within which they are 100% Muslim, and within which they live by Sharia Law.The national police do not even enter these ghettos. There are no national courts, nor schools, nor non-Muslim religious facilities. In such situations, Muslims do not integrate into the community at large. The children attend madrasses. They learn only the Koran. To even associate with an infidel is a crime punishable with death. 

Therefore, in some areas of certain nations, Muslim Imams and extremists exercise more power than the national average would indicate.

Today's 2 billion Muslims make up 28% of the world's population. But their birth rates dwarf the birth rates of Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and all other religions combined by a margin of 4.25 to One. At their current rate of growth Muslims will exceed 60% of the world's population by the end of this century.

That's only 85 short years from now for those that can't appreciate how soon that is think of it this way if you gave birth to a child today there is a high probability they will be alive and suffer at the hands of this culture.

Adapted from Dr. Peter Hammond's book: Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat.

He was born in Capetown in 1960, grew up in Rhodesia and converted to Christianity in 1987. At the young age of 9 he had memorized most of the Koran having been forced to read it 5 hours daily every day from the age of 4 without exception.

Please forward this important information to any who care about the Future of our Country.


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(end of Frank Bianchi work product)


One thing is sure, they couldn't have a better friend than in Barack Hussein Obama.

In Tribute to Too Many Little Lives Lost

           

            This month in the United States, there has been no shortage of egregiously bad news.   This week, a young Muslim woman from Chicago who thought her parents might kill her over having a child out of wedlock, threw the newly born infant out of her eighth floor bedroom window. The infant girl died at a hospital later with a listing of injuries that would make ISIS cringe.   Another baby was found recently in the Los Angeles area, abandoned with umbilical cord attached and buried with construction debris.  Joggers luckily heard muffled cries.  This baby will survive.    I just read an article concerning an African American bail bondsman who is alleged to have beaten his seven year old son to death and then fed his remains to the pigs. Neighbors seemed to be well aware of a number of instances of severe abuse of children who were residing in the man's home.

                   There has always been wickedness upon the Earth, often bordering the homes of those who do very great good. There have been occasional babies born in toilets since there were toilets.  However, even if we adjust for the ability of the internet to bring all the egregious news of wickedness to us, there is still great evil perpetrated against babies and children, and this appears to be increasing.

                  We cannot always know of the suffering of babies and small children which occurs in our world. Sometimes, such things do occur in relative isolation. Sometimes, other individuals are complicit in such acts and cover for someone who is profoundly ill, or perhaps simply profoundly evil.  However, we must try as a culture, and as a world to do better.  When you are out and around, work on your situational awareness. Don't simply be aware of the man who is watching your purse.  Notice more than that.  Notice the sick infant in a carseat locked in the Altima in the Wal-Mart parking lot.  Maybe the misguided mother will be back in three minutes with tylenol, but maybe she won't.  Maybe that child's only chance at survival is your sitting in your car, noting the time, and calling police when no one returns.   I am a big believer in parent's rights, but there are a number of people who are pervasively neglectful and abusive to small children.  If decent people don't notice things and bring them to the attention of social services and police, then a percentage of these children will in effect, be tortured, and will die.

                 Some years ago, a woman who'd had recent surgery died in a neighborhood I lived in, and her newborn died in the crib in the same room, the result of no one knowing the child was there without being attended to, post the mom's sudden death. No one noticed they hadn't seen them !   I didn't know this woman, but I have felt badly about this ever since.    It may not be wise to intrude in the business of others, but we need to keep an eye on those with young children. Sudden deaths occur, even in young people, and a baby alone may not live more than a couple of days without care. We also know that even young children can carry the scars of a couple of days of neglect which most of us believe they would not remember.

                A child is always a blessing...............not an obligation, a millstone, a killjoy, an expense or an albatross.  Each child is blameless as he or she enters the world, and knows nothing of the circumstances which brought them here.   Each one of them is chock full of human potential and we should all conduct ourselves accordingly.   To those who are bringing a child onto the Earth that they do not wish to raise.....seek an adoption agency immediately.   Hundreds of couples who are carefully vetted would be elated to have the opportunity to love, raise, and educate that child.   Of course, there are less than perfect adoptive parents in the world, but most are incredible parents and will raise incredible children. One of my dear friends was adopted by a wonderful family.

               Especially at this time of year when we throw material goods at one another in Jesus' name, we need to recall that every birth whether legitimate, planned for, wanted, or an infant well, or ill, is proof of the opinion of God that they should overcome incredible odds to join us here on Earth.    When we can, let's start noticing the children at risk, and reporting what you saw to the correct authorities.  Lets save some young lives.

What Are Your Survival Objectives ?

     

Somewhere between being ready for three days alone, and being ready for seven years alone, is probably where most people should be.

  It is not really possible to prepare for survival objectives without first defining what you plan to do.

Is your objective to merely remain alive through a short term or longer term regional difficulty ?

Is your objective to remain comfortable with all your modern day creature comforts through an unanticipated disaster until the grocery stores open once again ?   This is the objective of most preppers. They seek to maintain the modern lifestyle, to which they have become accustomed. They wish to maintain comfort throughout a short duration interruption of some type.

This is not really my objective.  I have always approached preparedness with a different personal view.

Over the last thirty years my objective has been to remain alive throughout a variety of potential natural or man-made disasters for the purpose of rendering aid to my children, some of whom have medical issues.  Because no man is an island, and because we all depend upon others in some manner or another, my objective has also been to render reasonable medical and other aid to people well known to us following such a disaster.     Certainly, because my children have specific medical needs, and many of my neighbors do as well,  I require more supplies than someone whose basic objective is solitary survival.

 

Anyone, licensed or not can gather plenty of 4x4 and 2x2 gauze and tape.  Simple basic medical preparedness could well be the most important kind.  Exotic supplies may not be necessary for most issues.

            I have shared my personal perspective because it is important when gathering preparedness supplies to carefully define in advance what you need.    If you spend money on a vehicle which can evacuate six and you are a widow who owns a ferret, you may have misappropriated assets.    Everyone's assets are limited, regardless of your present perception or misperception, as the case may be, of wealth.  Money comes and money goes, much faster than we can hold on to it.  Reversals in health alone can turn us from being wealthy to being a pauper within a year, and insurance often will not pay for the best care or for some of the best treatments deemed experimental at that particular juncture in time.

           Stop gathering supplies for a moment, just long enough to truly assess your objectives.   Are you in a small enough rental home that you could not stockpile and remain there anyway throughout a protracted emergency ?   If you are, then perhaps the better objective would be collecting less, remaining mobile from that location, and saving for a home elsewhere.

           People who are in a permanent home, one that is paid off have the luxury of gathering and layering preps.  However, they are vulnerable to natural disasters such as floods and forest fires that could decimate that home and those preps.  They might also make the mistake of heavily leaning on sheltering in place without giving adequate attention to planning for a family evacuation, especially with animals.

           Those who are in a rental home might feel that they can't gather preps as they might wish, because ultimately they must move them.  However, they may have the advantage in that they may be able to relocate and evacuate their family and possessions more easily than those who see themselves in a permanent base and have stocked accordingly.  Each of us have an advantage of some kind with regard to our locations, our settings and our homes. Play to those strengths !



 

Make sure that both sheltering in place and family evacuation plans are made for your pets also.

          What are your objectives ?      Under what circumstances would you shelter in place ?
What would it take for you, your family and pets evacuate prior to being told to do so ?   Where would you go ?    Before stocking up and spending a lot of money on preparedness supplies, vehicles, or anything else, consider these truths, and craft a personal plan.    Your plan needs to be personalized and may not resemble the plan of your brother or your neighbor. Those with pets certainly won't have a plan which mirrors those without.

               How long could you and your family shelter without obtaining supplies from other locations ?   Remember that a journey of a thousand steps starts with one step, and then just a few more.

     More information on this at:

  Rational Preparedness: A Primer to Preparedness (The Book)

Hazards in Immigration

I never thought I would say this, but I am glad my British aunt is no longer alive to see this. I think she would cry, especially after working so hard during WW II. There is nothing wrong with legal immigration, if you have the space and the money, but Britain had neither. May other nations learn this lesson.

A Reprise: Spices and Their Value

  

This week, someone asked me to reprise the post on the value of spices.
This week, following the deaths of those who were simply enjoying an evening in a brasserie or a Cambodian restaurant in Paris, we should give thought to how much we eat out, and also whether our children should accompany us on the outing.
 This week, this post which originally appeared in May of 2015 has new relevance.





  There are many times, during emergencies, power outages, flu pandemics, or even during civil unrest that eating out becomes unwise if not dangerous.  Yet, many American families have stocked kitchens, and live a life that requires that they eat out multiple times each week.   This post is one of a several pronged attempt to examine this practice and gradually make some changes which allow eating at home as a safer, less expensive, and potentially a more pleasant experience.
 


          In the last post I explained that learning to cook was not a skill set I mastered early in my marriage.  Consistent with that, I thought that a collection of spices was an extravagance.  I did not learn until much later how important having a supply of spices and knowing how to use them, really can be.

            In the US, in the past twenty years or so, families have developed a bad habit of eating out with their children at least once a week, and often much, much more. We tell ourselves that we don't have time to cook, but often, we eat out because the food simply tastes better than something we think we might make at home.  Proper seasoning of food may be one of the reasons we might have this misperception.

           In addition, spices are not simply an extravagance. Spices not only can provide an interesting an appetizing draw to food, for only a few calories, if any, but they can provide vitamins and significant amounts of trace minerals.   Nutmeg for example is metabolized as magnesium !  Most of us could use additional dietary magnesium.   Many studies bear out the great value of dietary spices.  Although I am not personally a fan of Indian food, we know that many cancers are quite rare in India, in part because they spice their food with a particular set of spices which are now proven to benefit health.

The following is a listing of just a few spices and how you and your family can incorporate these in your normal diet


Nutmeg:

In reasonable amount used as a seasoning, many cultures from Asia to Europe use it.   I like to use it on top of hot chocolate and on baked custard, but many cultures use it on vegetables also.  Some cultures use it on potatoes, and other on vegetables like Brussel sprouts.  In any event, you are taking on additional magnesium while you are enjoying a tasty treat.




Cumin

   Cumin is also a spice which has bee widely used throughout the world for hundreds if not thousands of years.  It can be used ground, as I do, or in the seed form also.  It can add an earthy, warm taste to soups, stews and even chili.  There is scientific data which suggests that it is mildly antibacterial and antiviral and aids with digestion.




Turmeric

       This spice is used in South East Asian cuisine in both vegetable and meat dishes.  India also uses it broadly. There are too many health benefits to list in the form of a brief blog post, and so I will encourage you to research these yourself.



Cinnamon

         From French toast to flavoring your own oatmeal and healthy oatmeal cookies cinnamon  is of great benefit.  Some use cinnamon on certain potato, sweet potato or carrot dishes also.




Ginger

         From flavoring meats, poultry, to salads, ginger can provide that inexplicable something that the Asian restaurants know so well.   Ginger is also said to be an excellent way of settling a stomach.



Chili powder


              The important take away point is that being able to produce tasty food which makes eating in public during difficult times less of a necessity is an important preparedness skill.  Going out to eat should be rare, and the times you do it should be chosen.  Not only is eating out costly, but it does eating increase your exposure to the hazards of other people in difficult times (like civil unrest, for example). It exposes us and our families to potential for food  poisoning.   No matter how nice a restaurant might look, there is always the potential for food poisoning.


Cardamom

               A fairly expensive spice, this is used in teas. It is also a fantastic addition to certain breads. There are positive health uses.


               This post does not encourage you to build a spice cabinet for hundreds of dollars by Friday.  What I am saying is that bit my bit, preppers especially should begin, one by one, to gather salt, pepper, ginger, chili powder, freeze dried chives, and all manner of spices you believe you would use.  I have also bought large long term containers of powdered chicken gravy and beef gravy.   CVS and Wahlgreens also stock some low priced spices.  I am quite sure that these may not be the very best of spices available, but sometimes, when we wish to try something we have never used before, a dollar or two is all that we should spend.    Badia is also a brand of spices sold fairly inexpensively in grocery stores.  Sometimes it has a stronger flavor than other brands, but it is inexpensive and is especially good value if you enjoy spices often used in Mexican food.     There are also combinations of spices which you might invest in.  I am particularly fond of Montreal Steak Seasoning, and now there is a Montreal Chicken Seasoning also.

This was a coca cola bottle holder turned into a spice rack.

                In the interest of good health and in spending more time eating at home, for both economic and practical reasons, we owe it to ourselves and our families to begin to gather spices and experiment as to how to properly use them.   Some time ago my husband returned from a business trip in Mexico with a wonderful recipe he learned from the hotel.  A chicken breast is split and fried gently in olive oil and salt and pepper.  Then cumin is shaken on front and back of the chicken and it is cooked until it is golden brown.  Unusual and delicious !   We owe it to ourselves to learn more about spicing.


If you are unable to locate a spice you would like to try, this is an excellent source of all spices:

http://www.myspicesage.com




Regarding Reporting Food Poisoning After Eating Out   (A State by State Reporting System)

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/find-your-health-department-to-report-food-poisoning/#.VVsiFVI1fTo

Regarding Food Poisoning:

http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2014/06/03/food-poisoning-it-was-likely-a-restaurant-worker/

In Support of Paris, France

               

Much of Paris today still has police cars and ambulances. People have been asked to remain at home and to clear the streets.

 


        Yesterday was a Friday the thirteenth.  I am generally not terribly superstitious, but over the years I have had some unusual bad luck on these days.  I don't hide under the covers, but I have learned not to schedule surgeries for family members on these days, and not to transact business on them. I was uneasy yesterday, and so I played "catch up" on animal and farm tasks and did some Christmas gift planning.

                     Last evening as I finished spoon feeding my infant grandson, my husband called and asked if I had heard about France.   I immediately turned on France24 to learn that six or seven sites in Paris and in a Northern suburb of Paris had been simaltaneously attacked by terrorists.  I uttered a quick prayer for all of those caught in a terrorist nightmare.

                      Overnight, a lot of information was provided by France 24 and by Sky News. Regular news programming had been preempted.   ISIS has claimed responsibility for these particularly barbaric cowardly attacks of civilians.  As of the moment of the writing of this post, 129 are dead, a couple of hundred people are injured, and 80 people are in critical condition. Some people remain unaccounted for, as of this date. My thoughts are also with friends of ours who are in the security and anti-terror business and who find themselves in France at this time.   As a result, there is a partial closure of the borders of France and what amounts to martial law in Paris and its outer suburbs.   The French are rallying and providing overnight accomodations to those who were caught without transport home last evening when transportation venues were closed. They are also providing blood to the specific hospital which distributes blood products to the hospitals who require this.

                     Our prayers are with those who were injured or killed in these attacks last evening, and with those who witnessed them.  Our prayers are also with the families of those killed, injured or missing.   May God bless France in this very difficult time.


Prior posts concerning France:

http://rationalpreparedness.blogspot.com/2015/01/with-compassion-and-solidarity-for.html

Introducing "Goodness Knows"

     

 As I have said before, I don't recommend products unless I have used them myself.  I also don't recommend products here in which I have a financial interest, and so, I have "no axe to grind" other than simply providing my own opinion.

    One of my strategies for staying slim and healthy is that I carry some snacks in a plastic shoebox sized case in my car along with some bottled water. Nothing goes bad even in Summer because the kids, myself or my husband tend to use the items and rotate the stock pretty consistently.  Having snacks in the car also means we are less tempted to stop and eat things at fast food restaurants that we shouldn't.  I keep a number of things in the plastic box in the car.  Sometimes I keep some Special K 90 calorie cereal bars. Sometimes I keep some small almond packets. Sometimes I stock some of the Lance crackers, but I try not to buy anything over about a hundred and fifty calories a serving.  For awhile I was eating a fair number of Reese's peanut butter cereal bars. Not stopping in restaurants also helps us keep more of our money.  In addition, one of the best strategies one can have in preparedness is to get fit and healthy and to remain that way.  Staying healthy is simply a chain of healthy habits, this being one of them.

       This week I have been very busy and I did not notice that the snacks have been depleted.  I stopped at a small general store in the country and found some bars for 150 calories for four pieces, called Goodness Knows.   I bought two, and because of the conservative calorie count, I didn't really expect them to be very good. I was extremely pleased.  The bar I bought first had dried cranberries, whole nuts and delicious dark chocolate. It reminded me of trips to the chocolatier in Princeton, NJ who used to sell everything from fortune cookies dipped in exquisite chocolate, to dried fruits dipped in different types of chocolate.  I am told that the Princeton chocolatier I loved so well is no longer there.  The Goodness Knows bar is a healthy way of avoiding stopping to eat something not so healthy, and a way of indulging without breaking the bank.    Despite the busy week, I went back to buy more only to find that they were sold out.  The next rural village also sold some, and so I bought a few of each variety.

I bought the single bars, but you can buy eighteen in a box.

         This week I spoke to the company and they say that the bars are designed to store for 33 weeks.  I am planning to put some in a tin and refrigerate them, and see if this period of time can be extended.  I may also double bag and date a few and freeze them to see how long their practical use can be extended.

          These are an excellent idea for car kits, evacuation kits, hiking kits and sporting events.

           A tasty bar with no fructose corn syrup, 150 total calories in four pieces, total carb 22 grams, total sugar 12 grams could be worked into the diet of most diabetics, and well as the simply health conscious. These bars have no artificial colors, sweeteners, or flavorings.  It also may be a great take along for hiking women who really shouldn't be using the 300 or 400 calorie energy bars sold in so many places.  I highly recommend these.

There are three varieties:

cranberry almond with dark chocolate

apple, almond and peanut with dark chocolate

peach, cherry almond and dark chocolate


        Many retailers should be stocking these soon.   Should you not be able to locate these, they can be purchased in boxes from the manufacturer online at:

http://goodnessknows.cocoavia.com/

I also noticed them on amazon:

Goodness Knows on Amazon

Allergen data:

http://us.mms.com/us/legal/allergen.html



Hint:  If you are out and you need to eat a salad somewhere, but they don't have low calorie dressings or accompaniments, you can break or crumble 2 Goodness Knows squares over your salad.  2 squares over your salad adds 75 calories.   Even without dressing it's an interesting change that can help to prevent your overeating or ordering something else.    This can also be done with low calorie frozen yogurt when you are taking the kids somewhere and perhaps can't find sprinkles or a topping that suits you and your plan for healthier eating.

The Passing of a Valued Canine Friend

                 

Jared, who will be sorely missed.

            It's hard to put a value on a fine dog.  A good dog can be simply a sentry, a watchdog or a dog who can corral or protect livestock.  I once had a golden labrador who would let me know just before my black labrador would have a seizure. Sometimes, a dog is simply a trusted companion, and that is all we need him to be. Dogs can also be an excellent deterrent to the robbery of your home, or to home invasion. Having an excellent dog can be one of your most important preparedness and survival strategies.  A good dog need not have been initially expensive. All of mine have come as rescues, and none of them have disappointed me.  Once acquired, although the vet can delegate some health maintenance tasks to you, a good vet is essential in terms of keeping your investment and friend healthy, and heading happily into old age.

                     I have been very fortunate in that since my childhood I have had the pleasure and the responsibility of having had many groups of dogs. In childhood, they walked me to the rural bus stop and would arrive somehow about fifteen minutes before I would arrive again to come home. Most of my dogs, even in childhood, lived to be a ripe old age.  In my childhood, responsible pet ownership comprised feeding them and a rabies shot.  Many of my dogs in childhood never saw a vet for anything other than a rabies shot and if they were female, for spaying.  As an adult, my dogs have required much more.  Heartworm which is endemic in my state, Lyme Disease, Erlichia and other diseases have necessitated more vet checks, more funds spent and a more thoughtful and attentive approach than dog care was in my youth. This has been worth the trouble and the investment.

               A dear member of our canine family who enjoyed a long life, passed yesterday.   Please consider opening your home to a rescue dog.  If you do, hold on to him through thick and thin and through your own lifetime.  The life you save could be your own.

This is the link to a tribute to Jared on another one of my blogs:

http://lifeaftertherescues.blogspot.com/2015/09/goodbye-sweet-prince.html

Asking for Religious Freedom But Depriving Us of Ours

                     

The US should think hard before importing any more hate.  We have enough problems of our very own.

      Spending so much time in the region in which Thomas Jefferson lived prompts me to read a lot of his writings from time to time. Seems Jefferson grappled with how to fairly deal with Muslims in the early days of our nation.  I am ashamed to say I did not know all of the earlier British history concerning them.   Since I have been lucky enough to know some reasonable intelligent Muslims who are not extremists, it has taken me some time to read up and catch up.

                   Please see this interesting post



http://mobile.wnd.com/2015/09/the-long-history-of-september-11-muslim-atrocities/

Why We Should Ask Questions and Rethink Practices.

       

(Rendering: vectorstock.com)

             Here on the farm, I give all the injections on livestock.  Alpacas require very regular injections in order to avoid meningeal worm which is easily contracted indirectly from the white tailed deer. Horses require regular injections to prevent Potomac Horse fever, and annual immunizations. Sheep also receive periodic immunizations here. I also give some dog and cat immunizations, but I leave dog and cat rabies injections to the veterinarians because this is the law in our state.

                Most of the time, farmers buy fairly inexpensive disposable syringes for animals that are made of plastics that are not approved for human use.  Since I have limited storage space and can't really stock syringes for animals and syringes for people, I tend for a bit more, to stock sterile syringes that could be used for people, and then most of the time they are used for animals. This way, if a physician ever orders an injectable medication for a human being,  as a registered nurse,I already have the correct syringe. (I also stock the tuberculin variety.)

                This week something came up that I thought I would share with you.  I used to do something that most farms do.  On Friday afternoon I would draw up all the alpaca injections I would need, bag and label them, and then administer them in Saturday mornings bright light when I have all hands on deck.  I stopped doing this, because although it is an acceptable practice, I wondered whether drugs which are drawn one day when kept overnight would leach  rubberized chemicals from the stopper  into the med, and result in the animals getting additional undesirable chemicals. I decided just not to take the chance.  Now I draw the meds up and give them immediately, even though it might be faster to draw them up and administer the following day.

               It seems I was not the only one concerned about this.  Late this week the FDA has expanded a warning on Becton Dickinson syringes.   Their concern is a bit different from mine. The FDA believes that this particular brand of syringes allows predrawn or compounded meds (prepared for humans) to be rendered less effective because when predrawn, some of the med in leaching into the rubber stoppe, potentially altering dose.This is very interesting, because a lot of medications come pre-drawn waiting for a nurse to attach a needle and administer.  I doubt the issue is completely confined to Becton Dickinson because they have been producers of reliable syringes and products for many many years.

              So, what is my message for you ?    If you are a farmer, don't draw up immunizations or meds in advance of administration.  Draw them, then administer them, and the leaching issue will not be a problem. Livestock are expensive and they deserve our best efforts whether you do, or do not use them as meat, or to produce milk for your family.   Secondly, ask questions.   Note whether your flu shot is already drawn up or whether it is being drawn prior to administration.  All the simple things we do, including the use of plastic cookware make a difference in the long term, to our health.  We just don't always notice, or the study may not yet have been completed.



More information on the FDA's expanded warning:

 http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm461597.htm

"Don't You Wan't to See A Woman President ?"

I'll bet Adolph Hitler would have liked Hillary Clinton's comment on "It Takes a Village to Raise a Child also"

                               "Don't you want to see a woman President next time ?" the woman asked me.   She was working to elect Hillary Clinton, and although I didn't say this to her, I don't think that Mrs. Clinton should be anything other than a grandmother to her grandchild.  Normally, I don't discuss politics here in Virginia as it can be a dangerous thing to do.  This time, I didn't stay quiet.  "No, actually I am completely disinterested in whether the next president is female, black, white, Asian, or Hispanic.   I am interested in the next President having integrity, living in the real world, making strong economic choices for the US, and actually working toward the interests of the United States.    The list of why Hillary Clinton is unsuitable would fill a book, not a blog entry.

                               Mrs. Clinton stood by her man when he sullied the actual oval office having sexual contact with a starry eyed intern.  She didn't understand that he not only cheated on her, but he cheated on all of us by sullying the office, and on our time, during the workday. Her husband may have a sexual addiction, but Mrs. Clinton is an enabler. She tolerates the intolerable if it benefits her.     While the Clintons were in the White House, FBI files were collected and not returned. I am not sure if the deaths which occurred around them had anything whatever to do with them, or whether they simply run with a suicidal, depressed or risk taking crowd.
                                When Mrs. Clinton was Secretary of State she hired a Ma and Pop operation to be a private server for her, so that her communications were secret, not only from us, but from the prying eyes of government. Since Secretary of State communications are all governmentally confidential and can ,at the very least,  reveal the whereabouts of dignitaries making them open to security risk and potential assassination.

                                Most disturbing to me is that when the State Department employees called for help in Benghazi, the CIA safe house nearby and others who could have gotten there, were told to stand down.  Like most liars, when questions by Congress on this point, Mrs. Clinton feigned anger.  "What difference does it make now ? "    It makes a great deal of difference.  We may not keep everyone in the State Department safe at their posts all over the world, but we don't throw them to the lions either.

                                Irregularities with regard to the Clinton Family Foundation are so complex that they should be fully investigated.  When we hold high office, we need not only to avoid wrongdoing but the appearance of impropriety of well.  It looks as if Mrs. Clinton was peddling influence to other nations who contributed to her pet projects. Only a full investigation will reveal whether this is true or not.   So, to anyone who is asking, I don't choose a President because we have matching genitals. I don't choose one because our skin tone might match.  I look for integrity, honesty, decency, and a desire to help all Americans, not just splinter groups who contributed to getting elected.  The rest of America might think about this, this time, because the very survival of this nation depends upon it.  Our country won't survive another president who works for someone else other than the United States of America.

                              

A Refugee Story

 

Aylan and Galip Kurdi

  Please see a posting from another one of my blogs, written today:
 

http://learnedfromdaniel.blogspot.com/2015/09/no-shortage-of-sorrow-on-earth.html

An Introduction to Benfotiamine

             

      Benfotiamine is a fat soluble derivative  of Vitamin B1.     Since 1993, Germany licensed benfotiamine as Milgamma for sciatica.  I am told that it is also used there, rather effectively.  for other types of nerve pain, like radicultitis and the pain from herpes zoster or shingles..  German physicians claim that there are no known side effects to its use. In addition, this is an inexpensive therapy which is over the counter in the United States.

                       Here in the US, it took much longer for us to study it.  Dr. Michael Brownlee at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine studied its use in rats. His study found that benfotiamine could stop deterioration and damage within blood vessels.  This is particularly interesting to Type I and Type II diabetics, because even well controlled diabetics are eventually at risk for progressive glycation of their cells and for cellular damage which may ultimately result in nephropathy, peripheral and other  neuropathies, diabetic gastroparesis, etc.   (In English, this means that higher than normal cellular levels of glucose result eventually in damage to the blood vessels which translate into possible blindness, kidney failure, chronic foot and leg pain, a slow and ineffective gastrointestinal system, interruptions in wound healing, disruptions in immune function, and cardiovascular damage.)    Benfotiamine is suspected to prevent glycation on the cellular level thus helping to prevent these issues.

                      Other studies have indicated that it appears to improve wound healing and immune system dysfunction, not only in diabetics, but in others as well.

                    This also may be an important supplement for us to discuss with our veterinarian should we have a diabetic dog or cat. Some veterinarians would probably support a careful trial run of such a supplement.


                   Importantly, despite benfotiamine's great value as a preventive for potential diabetic complication, it may have other uses which may not yet have been fully appreciated.  For example, those who have experienced a lightning strike and have not died, often experience significant nerve damage and pain afterward, and treatments for such are limited, expensive, and of patchy value.  Benfotiamine may have value in improving the pain level and outlook in this population of patients.  I suspect it may have value in those with a history of vascular disorders. Some patients with cognitive disorders have been using it, as have some patients with multiple sclerosis.  Certainly, a lot more study of this substance within selected patient populations is warranted.


              Additional cautions: Supplements should not be given to pregnant women unless ordered by their physicians.  Patients taking a number of other medications should also consult their physicians before adding other supplements.  Patients receiving treatment for cancer should run any supplement by their physicians and their pharmacists because drug interactions may not yet be fully recognized or fully known.



Read more about this at:

http://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2008/4/protecting-against-glycation-high-blood-sugar-with-benfotiamine/page-01


 http://www.naturalelixir.com/milgamma.html

 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20037567


Milgamma is known to be available in the following nations:

http://www.drugs.com/international/milgamma.html
It is also being studied by the Russians.

It may be available in other nations as benfotiamine.