Friday, November 29, 2013

News in the Brandon Raub Unlawful Involuntary Commitment Case

          



     Brandon Raub, the Chesterfield, Virginia marine, who was detained and committed to a psychiatric facility for 30 days simply because he said negative things on his Facebook account concerning the present regime, brought suit against a number of defendants in a federal lawsuit in tandem with  the Rutherford Institute.   Raub was held against his will, in a facility away from his family and his lawyer, until another judge released him stating that there had never been enough evidence to detain Mr. Raub.  This case brought to the fore evidence that the present federal administration monitors the internet activities of its former soldiers, even if the Facebook or other account is open only to the user's friends. Soldiers who have spent multiple tours of duty have often been disillusioned by the government who made decisions which seemed bizarre to them. This was true in Korea, Vietnam, and anywhere since. In the past, the FBI didn't make a habit of coming to see anyone who expressed disapproval.

                 Initially, the suit brought by Raub and the Rutherford Institute named a number of defendants.  A judge hearing the case this week narrowed the number of defendants to only one. This means that most of the players in the Raub case will escape punishment, as they will never even be tried.
                 This is a landmark case for many reasons.  One, it's about free speech. Secondly, it concerns the present  regime's collection of our political views. It also concerns the use of federal agencies to monitor our soldiers, and particularly our marines.  It also tests our involuntary commitment laws and how flimsy a basis could be used for involuntary commitment. This case also demonstrates how federal agencies in tandem with local authorities can overstep their authority and make someone "disappear".  It also speaks to an evolving picture of a lack of accountability for federal and local law enforcement.  Lastly, if only one defendant will be tried in this case, it speaks to a system in which individuals who have been wronged have no recourse against a power hungry and aggressive regime. The case is also about intimidation, and a message to keep quiet, most especially if Mr. Raub is an articulate man who is likely to influence fellow marines, and other Americans.

                 The assertion that "Mr. Raub said negative things" and needed to be locked up was absurd especially when it was found on searching his home, that he didn't own even one handgun or firearm.
                  Please watch this case carefully.  If this case passes into obscurity without jobs lost on a federal level or without a change in the way the federal government operates, in similar cases, then there is no longer justice in the United States.  Tyranny would be broadly ensconced and here for the next fifty to one hundred years.


More information at:

http://m.timesdispatch.com/news/local/one-defendant-left-in-brandon-raub-involuntary-commitment-case/article_20cc2e1c-5796-11e3-bb90-001a4bcf6878.html?mode=jqm



These are my prior posts on this case, this topic and related issues:


 http://rationalpreparedness.blogspot.com/2012/08/are-these-soviet-tactics-here-in.html


 http://rationalpreparedness.blogspot.com/2013/05/civil-rights-lawsuit-filed-on-behalf-of.html



This link should provide news updates in this case:

https://www.rutherford.org/key_cases/key_cases_brandon_raub/




Sunday, November 24, 2013

"Jane of Virginia for President"

     


                                                             
Jane of Virginia for President





         I have been thinking that I might just have to step up and run for President.  I can show you a birth certificate issued on American soil.  I am part of a minority as we haven't had a woman president before.  I didn't attend Harvard or Yale, but my Dad went to Princeton and studied Farsi and Middle Eastern Studies, and our family has a scholarship program there which is awarded annually.   I have never run a Fortune 500 company, and only worked for a couple of them for a couple of years at a time.  I have never been my states governor, but I have a friend who is a Congressman.  I have traced lost hospital charges rather well, and on a middle class salary have managed to educate and raise five children.  I don't have a degree in economics but I do know that you can't spend more money than is coming in, at least not for very long.

        I don't believe in mandatory insurance for health care. I believe in capitalism and allowing the people who want insurance to buy it. Those who can't afford it would receive care in county clinics, as they do in Virginia right now.  The wait some days is long, but the care is good, and nurses and physicians donate their time, and drug companies donate insulin, glucometers and many of the drugs people need on a regular basis.   Medicaid would exist for those in dire straits but only rarely as a lifetime manner.

          I don't believe in eighty thousand dollars debts for students for Bachelor's degrees. I believe in vocational education for many people, and perhaps college later, part time because they work during the day. My employers helped to pay for a couple of my degrees which were attained over time, part time.  I believe in formal apprenticeships, and that most occupations should have a mechanism whereby people can be trained without incurring a debt as high as the cost of  a starter home.

           I believe that obesity in America is caused by the rampant food commercials everywhere you look.  I don't believe in restricting the size of sodas, tacos, or making mayonnaise a controlled substance.  I don't think the food police should be issued SWAT gear and go house to house inspecting refrigerators.  I do think parents and perhaps schools should talk to students about having some level of resistance to advertising.  Just because the Burger King Angry Whopper is advertised, does not mean you should eat one.  A Duncan Hines chocolate cake is a wonderful birthday cake, but I don't think you should eat the entire cake tomorrow morning.

          I understand the reasons America went to the aid of Iraq and Afghanistan, but I think it's time to come home.  The factions who live in that part of the world have been fighting for thousands of years and I don't think they will listen to anything we have to say.  I think we need to stop sending good money after bad. We don't have it.  Let's worry about the Depression and ever deteriorating economy in our own nation.  I don't believe in sending weapons and money to factions of Al Qaeda based on "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" principle.

          I don't believe in blanket amnesty. People who were willing to break the law to come here might believe that it's okay to continue breaking our laws.  There are mechanisms for obtaining American citizenship. See a lawyer, just as I would have to, if I wanted to move to Canada or to England.   Our immigration laws aren't perfect, but they are a lot more generous than Canada's.   Beside that, right now the US is a sinking ship.  Why would you want to come here anyway ?

          I believe that the Constitution is as near to a perfect document as exists on Earth.  I believe that gun rights are important. I carry a weapon because a SWAT team doesn't fit in my pocket.  I guess that means I couldn't live in DC, so if elected President, I would work from Northern Virginia.   I believe in setting the example of frugality.  The White House should be maintained, but not in the excessive and grand style in which the present administration sees fit.

          I don't believe in the Patriot Act.  I think it needs to be rescinded.  The government cannot make the world completely safe from crazy people and anarchists.  Suspending articles of the Constitution to "save America" only perpetuates a life here which might not be worth living.  I don't think that the NSA should be capturing all communications from or with US citizens. I think it's a violation of the rights of everyone and I don't want to pay tax money for such a database to be maintained.


         I believe that if America keeps printing money, then a financial collapse is imminent.   America needs to tighten its belt and this means everyone from the President to the Senate, through to the Congress and every governmental authority in between.

          Government is a necessary evil. The word evil being the operative word here.  The Federal government should concern itself with the defense of the nation while allowing the day to day function to the states.  Alaska's needs differ considerably from Virginia's. Louisiana is different from Texas, and Rhode Island should run things differently than each of the Dakotas.

         What qualifies me to be president ?  Well of course, I am a blogger.  The man who presently runs Mr. Obama's White House was a blogger and that seemed to be his shining achievement.  In reality, I am not qualified at all to be president, but I am honest enough to tell you that.  The team we have presently isn't honest or forthcoming about its training, it's objectives, or its long term goals.

         So, don't elect me as your president. I would likely offend Mr. Karzai anyway, and I would be fairly guarded and less than friendly with Mr. Putin, although I would probably keep my mouth shut about Alexander Litvinenko.   I can promise you that I wouldn't be foolish enough to have someone like Joe Biden as my vice-president.     Pick someone really carefully next time.  For goodness sake, read anything they have written and do your own homework.   The media can't be trusted to decide who should be president and then to feed  slop to the populace.   Make the next presidential election count.......that is, if the Obama Regime allows one.




Friday, November 22, 2013

Read: I Try Not to Be Bitter

             

Yes, all the leaves are gone from the trees, but someday there will be flowers again.




       I have four blogs which help me to focus some of the posts on a particular subject or interest.  Once in awhile there is a post which fits on more than one blog rather well.

Please take a look at my post on another blog, which is particularly timely.


http://learnedfromdaniel.blogspot.com/2013/11/i-try-not-to-be-bitter.html




Thursday, November 21, 2013

Have You Heard About the Pelletier Case ?

 URGENT MATTER       

Justina and her parents.


 As a child,  Justina Pelletier had been diagnosed with something nurses learn about, but few of us have seen.   Mitochondrial disorder is quite real, and can cause a number of potential symptoms.  Despite this, Justina was living with her parents and functioning well as a normal fifteen year old girl.  Ten months ago, Justina got the flu and her parents took her to the Emergency Room at Boston Children's Hospital.  During this visit, Justina was seen by a different team of physicians than the team who normally cares for her disorder.  After examining her, the physicians disagreed with the diagnosis, and called Division of Children's Services.  The police came and escorted the parents from the hospital. Then, against the will of both the parents and the fifteen year old patient, she was forcibly admitted to the hospital with the provisional diagnosis of somatoform disorder.   Somatoform disorder is  a mental disorder, but is not life threatening and can certainly be treated on an outpatient basis.  A team of physicians who meet a child on one visit probably can't make such a diagnosis from one meeting.
            Justina was then held against her will in the hospital for almost ten months. (She remains in custody and there is a gag order in this case)  Her parents have been permitted very limited visitation with her, in the neighborhood of once a week for an hour or so.  During this time Justina communicated with them by sending notes on folded origami papers.
            In nursing, we are taught that a child deserves and is required by law to have the least restrictive environment possible in order to receive needed medical or psychiatric care.    Why did the hospital take a child who was functioning as a normal teen with her parents, and place her in a severely restricted environment for an unproven, and non-lifethreatening affliction ?     Did the hospital and those caring for her consider the potential damage being done to the teen by abruptly separating her from her parents ?   Did they consider not only the potential for future Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for this child following nine months of what could easily be called kidnapping, if not false imprisonment ?   What will happen to this young woman in the future when she probably avoids authority figures of all types, because they have acted so inappropriately ?  How much money would you, as a jury member, award this young woman and her family for the year in which Boston Children's Hospital kidnapped her from her parents ?
           The inmates are running the asylum, folks. This isn't a case where a young woman needs urgent cancer treatment in order to keep her alive, and her parents are refusing it on some type of religious grounds..     The sad part is that children who really need to be seen in an ER might not get there, because their parents fear their being kidnapped by any one of the Children's Hospitals dotted across the US, who feel they know more about children than do the parents who love them.
           I suppose the wait for an ER visit will be 30 hours or more as Obamacare is implemented, and we can hope that physicians and hospitals are too busy in the future for such nonsense.
           The expert on a child is usually his parent.  They may not know all the medical jargon, but most of them, regardless of their education are excellent historians of their child's histories and symptomatology.  They know when something is wrong.  Unless the parent is abusive or absolutely insane, perhaps the parent ought to be the authority on the child.  Just a thought. I know it's probably heresy.
           Just in case you think this is a rarity, the same thing happened to a friend of mine at Denver's Children's Hospital.  Two of her six children were "impounded" there, running up a bill of more than two million dollars.  They too were blocked from seeing them, or knowing anything about their condition, let alone having input with regard to treatment.   Sounds like the Gestapo runs such hospitals to me.


UPDATE:  Several sources indicate that while Justina has been hospitalized, her physical condition has deteriorated.  During her hospitalization for the supposed "somatiform disorder", she has no longer been treated for her original diagnosis of mitochondrial disorder.  One program states that she is no longer able to walk.  Since mitochondrial disorder is a degenerative disorder, and time is of the essence,  perhaps the diagnosis of mitochondrial disorder should be revisited and this young woman should be released to her family. Her family remains under a gag order and is unable to provide interviews or talk about the condition of their daughter. 


IMPORTANT UPDATE:    From Chloe Blue of Boston:

https://www.facebook.com/events/619801781400019/

CALLING ALL LOCALS - PLEASE Attend this rally for Justina!

Show Support for Justina and her Family, tomorrow, THURSDAY December 12th 9am-1pm

This in the FINAL COURTDATE!!!

9am - 1PM

Suffolk Probate And Family Court
24 New Chardon Street, Boston MA
Boston, Massachusetts 02114




Wednesday, November 20, 2013

We Need to Scrap Obamacare, the Nightmare

         
Criticisms of this man never had anything to do with ethnicity. The ideas of his regime were simply not good for America, and never made sense.   (Photo found at www.freerepublic.com)
 



             This week, for the first time, national media began to ask the questions they should have been asking about President Obama's plans for our nation, in 2008.  His presidency has ushered in a health care law which was passed "so that lawmaker's could see what was in it".  That's like taking a chemotherapeutic agent in order to personally analyze it.   Mainstream media finally wondered if Obamacare was sustainable as a practice.  Of course, the website debacle is symptomatic of an incompetent regime all round, and should not have been a surprise. Finally, members of mainstream media wondered if Obamacare was simply designed to collapse the health care system in our country, ushering in a one payer system where teams of local physicians decide whether you are young enough and productive enough to have your issues treated.  In such a system,  our very limited health care resources would be spent on those who are young, and are working.   In a one payer system, young people are given priority over older ones.  In England, for example, a person who receives dialysis is told, up front, that this will be done for them, free of charge for a period of five years, and then their seat at the dialysis machine will be given to another person, also for five years.  People are not given what they, in fact, might medically require.  They are given what is expedient and cost effective. In England, many people still simply accept that they have good health care. They ask no questions, even when the National Health Service failed to allocate funds for hospital cleaning.   This belief cost my beloved aunt, her life.

               Mr. Obama is and always has been. a community organizer with socialistic ideas and friends who espouse the radical redistribution of wealth and assets in the United States. This is clear in his books which America should have read, as I did, prior to the 2008 election.   He has not been a watchful or careful president for our nation.  Instead, he has played the great equalizer.  As Brazil, India, and other nations made progress economically, he has repeatedly taken actions which lost jobs and made life in the US,  very difficult for families, decimating America's middle class. This week Wal-Mart associates are having Thanksgiving drives for other Wal-Mart associates who can't afford a Thanksgiving dinner.   Obamacare, a much more expensive alternative to a free market system will decimate the American family, leaving savings, vacations, and college a memory of the past.   Forty seven million people are on food stamps in America now.  Welcome to socialism.

            You and I might shake our heads at how such a large number of Americans were taken in by an articulate man who spoke with conviction, but who hadn't done any of his homework, and who knows nothing about economics, let alone the history of socialism in the world.  However, Obama himself is probably pleased.  He tinkered with many of the aspects of American life which helped to make our nation successful and broadly innovative. He has dismantled a lot of America in a very short time.   Through executive order on holidays, or the eve of holidays, he took back freedoms, on a regular basis.  He took over one sixth of the American economy.  In effect, he acted to bind the proud lion that was the United States of America while giving other nations the chance to regroup, enjoy our jobs that have been relocated there, and economically surpass us.  It's not that he has been an abyssmal president to us.  He has been an excellent president to the Third World, and I suspect that President of the World is what he was running for, all along.

               All we can do is continue to demand that Obamacare be completely scrapped and rescinded, because no matter what is done with a half baked website which is inadequate to the tasks at hand, it still represents a plan for America which is equally half baked, grotesque, and continues to a path of inadequate poor quality medicine with poor quality of life for America. Once rescinded, we would need to start again.  If America liked that preexisting conditions could not be used as grounds for refusal of insurance, then such a law should be passed and ratified.  We could have revised some of the access issues and problems in our health care insurance without throwing the baby out with the bathwater.    What made America great was its freedoms, which are currently being gutted wherever we look.


http://www.barnhardt.biz/2013/10/11/history-rhymes-obamacare-website-and-the-ukrainian-wheat-farmers/

Sunday, November 17, 2013

An Honest Discussion Concerning the Gallbladder

    
(Picture: University of Minnesota )





  In nursing school when we were told about gallbladder dysfunction, gallstones and the like, I didn't worry too much.  Neither of my grandparents or my parents had ever had such problems, and since I was slim, I didn't think I would ever be afflicted.  However, I had not received the entire story in college, and even now, a lot of information concerning gallbladder disease is not widely disseminated to the public.
Nine years after graduation from college, I was the young parent of two small children, born a year apart, and a nurse in a critical care unit every evening for eight hours, after I put my children to bed.  I had been having episodic pain just below my breastbone. My doctor sent me to a gastroenterologist, and I had been scoped. Their operational theory is that my "epigastric pain" was probably ulcer related and that I did have a stressful job.  Since most people with gallbladder disease have pain in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen noted generally after rating, this was not actually on my doctor's radar at the time.
          The gallbladder is an organ which is connected to the liver via the common bile duct. The liver manufactures bile which is intended to be held within the gallbladder and sprayed onto digesting food in the small intestine anytime the person eats a fatty or a sugary food. The bile aids in the proper digestion of fats.
Gallbladder disease encompasses a number of issues, not simply gallstones.   For example, someone with ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease often experiences chronic irritation of the gallbladder and potential infection there.  People who have experienced salmonella infection, often have irritation of their gallbladder for a time.  Stomach flu can inflame the gallbladder also. Most of the time, this is a transient issue which resolves, but sometimes this becomes an issue of chronic irritation or chronic infection.   Gallstones are another issue.  80% of gallstones are made of cholesterol and some people simply turn cholesterol into stones. Cholesterol stones can also defy being seen by some of the more sophisticated scans of the gallbladder including the nuclear medicine variety.  Other stones may be made of bilirubin, and can be visualized on the aforementioned scans.   Some people can live for years with a few stones occupying their gallbladder. Bile comes in and out around the stones and the gallbladder still functions.  However, sometimes the gallbladder fills with stones, or the stones clog the common bile duct and a surgical emergency results.  In this event, the gallbladder must be removed.  If it is not, the bile refluxes up to the liver and begins to digest it. This is exceedingly painful, dangerous, and can result in death.
             Generally, the persons most physicians consider being at risk for gallbladder disease are those who are:

fair skinned,    fat,     female,     forty-ish,    fertile


However, this is quite misleading.


A slim blond male radiologist who had his gallbladder removed on an emergent basis once told me that all he had noticed was that he could no longer eat a McDonald's Big Mac without indigestion.  He suggested that it become an annual gallbladder test for adults.


Other people who actually are at risk and may not realize it are:

1. Anyone who has concluded a pregnancy in the last year.
2. Anyone with inflammatory bowel disease. (Crohn's or UC)
3. Anyone who experienced a severe episode of food poisoning, especially salmonellosis,
    at any time, but especially in the preceding year.
4. Anyone who has received a Rocephin injection or intravenous infusion in the prior year. (I have not seen evidence that this particular cephalosporin does the same thing if given orally.)
5. Those with a documented case of Lyme Disease, particularly in the past year.
6. Those who have had babies in rapid succession.
7. Those who have lost a large amount of weight for any reason.
8. Those being treated for anorexia nervosa.
9. Diabetics may have an altered use of triglycerides which sometimes results in gallstones.
10. Women who take birth control pills are also at higher risk for gallbladder disease because the estrogen in the pills may slow the passage of bile.
11. Those who take some cholesterol lowering drugs may also begin to make gallstones.
12. Those with American Indian or Mexican heritage may also be at risk, even though they don't fit the commonly conjured image of "fair skinned stomach pain equals gallbladder problems".


Healthline's Gallbladder



It is theorized that many of the above situations cause "gallbladder sludge" and can precipitate gallstones. However, infections alone may cause dysfunction.  Pregnancy or pregnancies in rapid succession are theorized to cause a positional decrease in available circulation to the gallbladder, which contributes to dysfunction and disease.

This is important because a huge number of people are therefore at risk for gallbladder dysfunction and disease.  These factors can lead to inflammation, and an acute inflammation of the gallbladder is called cholecystitis.

A Frenchwoman once told me of her family's "treatment for gallstones".  It involved olive oil, lemon juice and some black olives.  Anyone with true cholecystitis or known gallbladder inflammation would be unwise to try such a thing.

 Once you have known irritation of the gallbladder or known stones, you should make arrangements to have the gallbladder removed on an elective basis.  This way, the procedure can be done when you are as well as possible, and when this is a reasonable process with adequate follow-up.   To put off the procedure for too long can and does result in the following.

1. A clogging of the gallbladder or common bile duct with leakage of bile to the liver.   This can cause pain, and icterus, a yellow discoloration of the sclerae (whites of the eyes) and the skin.  Digestion of the liver with bile if untreated can be fatal.
2. An unattended diseased gallbladder can become gangrenous, rupture and spill its contents throughout the abdomen causing peritonitis, and potentially death.
3. An unattended diseased gallbladder can become gangrenous, rupture, and infect the abdomen causing abdominal abscesses which resist resolution.
4. An unattended diseased gallbladder which spills its contents can cause an infection which damages and destroys the beta cells of the pancreas and leaves the patient a Type I insulin dependent diabetic for a lifetime.
5. Chronic gallbladder disease can result in gallbladder cancer, though this is rare.  Gallbladder cancer often metastasizes quick quickly to the liver and causes death.  I have had patients for whom this has happened.

I have had several patients during my career who spent more than a year in a critical care unit as a result of a ruptured gallbladder.  If you believe you may have a failing gallbladder, then this should be mentioned to your physician.  It should be watched.

One of the reasons that Russia's Far East has so many children in orphanages is that they have lost parents to simple gallbladder disease. In some places in Russia's Far East, there are no surgical services and no manner by which those with gallbladder disease can be treated, and those people, simply die.  This knowledge was horrifying for me.

          One evening while at work my pain became so severe that they dropped me into a wheelchair and took me to the ER.  I was only 28, slim, and I had an excellent diet.  (I did and do have fair skin.)  My blood pressure was extremely low and I was admitted to the hospital. I was found to have extremely high liver enzymes, but negative tests for hepatitis.   Finally, it dawned on my physician that it had never been a stomach issue.  I had a failing gallbladder and now bile was digesting my liver.  I received an emergency removal of my gallbladder, which was found to be gangrenous.  I had complications and was kept in the hospital for three weeks for a procedure which if done early enough, is possible to do in a Same Day Surgery setting.

        With Obamacare's potential for dismantling the quality health care the United States has enjoyed, and with potential financial collapses coming, this is a good time to consider the health of your gallbladder. Consider also any other procedures you have been considering having done.

        My parents and my grandparents, who have all now passed, never did need their gallbladders removed. This week I was reminded of how insidious a failing gallbladder can be when two of our friends had emergent gallbladder surgery, and one of them had an emergent appendectomy.  I wanted to make sure that everyone here was armed with this information, and could recognize cholecystitis.

       The symptoms of a failing gallbladder or of gallbladder dysfunction may well be the severe upper right quadrant pain up under the right ribcage, that we are all taught about.  It might seem to occur after eating fried or fatty foods.  Or it might not.  You might experience GERD symptoms which could still be gallbladder or early gallbladder symptoms.  You might have nausea or new food intolerances.  Cream cheese might make you sick.  You may feel nauseated after sugary foods but not have noticed that fatty foods bother you. You may have abdominal pain at intervals, which sometimes occurs after eating and sometimes doesn't. Gallbladder pain often travels from the abdomen all the way through to the back. This is something to tell your doctor if you have pain which does such a thing.  It is my hope that someone here may better recognize these and intervene better than they would have otherwise.


   May all of you be well.

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Disaster in the Philippines

          
Cebu, The Philippines   (Photo: The Washington Post )


   This week, many of the countries of the world have had to mobilize assets, NGOs and other agencies in an attempt to save as many people in parts of the Philippines as possible.  One of the worst typhoons in recorded history hit parts of the Philippines and the estimates were that ten thousand people may have lost their lives.  My publisher has a branch in the Philippines and some of the publishing staff resides there.  Fortunately, the people with whom I communicate are fine.
               Most of the time, we can plan for the potential disasters that are most likely to occur in our area.  In the Northeast, one can prepare for Noreasters.  In Florida, one makes sure they are ready for hurricanes.  In California, thought is given to earthquake preparation. In Kansas, plans are made in anticipation of tornadoes.  I'm sure that many people in the Philippines would like to have prepared for this, but this was a storm of such magnitude that in many places, preparations would have been inadequate.  Home destruction, flooding, long term destruction of infrastructure and geographic isolation worsened by the event itself and the decimation of area communications made this a disaster for which no one could fully prepare.  England has given a fair amount of money. The US has also send money.  Even China, who has had some diplomatic problems with the Philippines secondary to some territorial water disputes, wisely revised its original figure of one hundred thousand dollars to the disaster and has now given just under two million.
              Certainly, if you can, please give some money to a reputable group which plans to serve people in the Philippines.  Even if they survive the initial storm, dehydration, water shortages, food shortages, and disease will kill babies, children, the elderly and adults in the aftermath.
               This also should serve to make you consider your own plans for a regional disaster.   In the US, most homes are constructed more durably than many Filipino homes, but earthquakes and other disasters can destroy dwellings here as well.   Don't fail to plan for the most likely disasters in your own region.




Wednesday, November 13, 2013

More Interesting Survival Devices and Products

      
Folding shovel and pick



  Periodically, I mention products that you might wish to have that are helpful in terms of preparedness. This is usually a tough post to write because it needs to have something for everyone, fledgling preppers to the experienced families.  I will also mention some great internet sources of these supplies.  As always, I have no financial investment in any of these companies mentioned.  (Except my two books which have links at the top of the blog pages.)

          The first source for preparedness supplies I would like to tell you about is:

   Preparedness Products dot Net

On this particular link I have called your attention to some of their tools.   They have work gloves for $1.59 a pair along with a folding shovel with a pick for $8.99 .   The hand axe for $6.99 is also a good value, as is the folding saw.

     Earthquake Survival-Gas Main Shut-off Tool

This might also be a wise tool to have if your shut-off is configured in this way.

        This is a good time to learn where your gas shut-off is in your house, and where your water shut-offs are also.  Once you identify these places, and perhaps clear some things from around them, now is the time to show other members of your family as well.

        The beauty of Preparedness Products dot Net is that they have a wide variety of preparedness products sold more cheaply than many suppliers.  For orders over $99. shipping is free.

                                                  ___________________

    This item is a little too pricey for me, but I think it's an important device to know about, and for some, it might be a good idea.    This is the inReach Satellite Communicator.   This is the information from the manufacturer.  This particular device is available at REI.com for $299.    There is a ten dollar monthly fee for its use, but there are also seasonal contracts which may make the device cheaper to own and use.  For some families and individuals, this device could be a lifesaver, particularly during an emergency when cellular towers are out.

                                      


The inReach Series of Satellite Communicators

New inReach SE inReach for Smartphones and Tablets inReach Accessories
Both inReach satellite communicators enable you to send and receive text messages, trigger an SOS for help, and track your GPS coordinates, wherever your trip takes you. It keeps you connected when off the grid and outside of cell phone range.

Who should own an inReach?

Almost everyone. Whether it's by land, sea or air, if you love getting away from it all, then chances are you need an inReach. With inReach, you can send and receive messages at the ends of the earth and everywhere in between. From outdoor enthusiasts and boaters to hunters and recreational pilots, having an inReach offers much more than remote connectivity and SOS capabilities -- it allows you to share your journey and experiences with those you love and gives them peace of mind knowing they can contact you no matter where your adventure takes you.
Trigger an SOS and communicate back and forth with our 24/7 search and rescue monitoring center.
Adjustable tracking intervals from 10 minute to 4 hours allow you to track your trip and share your location, including GPS coordinates, elevation and speed.
Send and receive 160-character text messages with GPS coordinates to cell numbers or email addresses
worldwide and post updates to social
media all from one device.*

Pair it with your mobile device to access downloadable topographic maps and NOAA charts and make communication with family and friends even easier.

Delivery confirmation for all text messages and SOS signals.

Provides 100% global coverage through the Iridium satellite network.

Follow-Me/Find-Me Tracking and Location.

This way to the middle of nowhere.
Bring family and friends with you, using Follow-Me/Find-Me Tracking and Location’s automatic location feature. Turn it on or off at a whim, and ensure that your route is known. Use it to aid rescuers, to make maps, to keep you connected to the world, or just to provide a measure of authenticity to your travel stories or adventures. People can even ping your inReach to find your latest location.

Two-way Messaging.

If you're going off the grid, stay in touch with inReach.
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Saturday, November 9, 2013

China Actively Seeking to Replace US Dollar as World Reserve Currency

           

 

        As most of you know, I watch a broad range of television news since most US conventional media discusses fashion, dog behavior or anything else to avoid discussing the genuine state of affairs of the United States.   Fortunately, RT, RTE, France 24, CCTV, Kazakh News, Deutsche Welle, Jewish News, and NHK all have plenty to say about the US and it's failing economy and economic place in the world.  Of course, many of these reports are biased in some way, but generally if there is something that all of them or many of them are saying, it is generally true.   It isn't always constructive to direct my readers to an entire news broadcast, but this time, we are fortunate enough to have one article which reliably reports very concerning news for us.

 http://www.france24.com/en/20131106-china-seeks-world-role-peoples-money


             In the above link, the French report that China is actively seeking to make the Chinese yuan the World Reserve Currency, replacing the US dollar.   Without other nations stocking dollars, our artificially low interest rate of three and four percent would end.  Rates would climb to eight or nine percent. This would bump home sales back to very low rates as few could afford to buy a home in the US at almost any price.  Most people would become renters. The laws of supply and demand would cause such rents, with enhanced competition for rental homes, to rise. This would erode the value most of us feel we have in our homes if we own.  In addition, with the World Reserve Currency no longer being the dollar, the US would need to pay for everything it gets outside the country, rather than obtaining it on credit.  This would cause a slowdown of imported goods in the US, including the raw materials needed for the few industries which still actually occur here.  The Chinese are openly calling for a "De-Americanized World".   I can understand why some of the more negative aspects of the present day United States probably shouldn't be exported everywhere. (The high calorie, high fat fast food, for one) but such a change would devastate the US economy.

           You and I have no genuine power to stop this.  All we can do is get our own finances in order. We can pay down debt, and learn to live frugally.  We can also symbolically reject China's attempt to devastate our economy by not buying Chinese products.  I found this very difficult a couple of years ago, but now, it's getting easier.  Before you buy something, run an internet search on "US Made Products" and see if the product is made here.   If you can find it, it will not only be more expensive, it will last a lot longer.  A great many Chinese goods, a la Harbour Freight etc. started as quite good in value for dollar.  Now, a lot of poorly made junk is coming our way.   I don't suppose that my choice and yours to stop subsidizing a nation which is trying to knock our country off the economic map will truly be noticed by them. It's largely symbolic, but we need to try to reject the treatment our nation is receiving from China.  We could bark to our Congressmen, but they continued lunching with the opposition rather than blocking the implementation of a national health plan most people in the US didn't want.  (I guess they had forgotten what a referendum might be.)

        Tell me, what happens to the US if it cannot pay it's debts to China ?   Do they repossess California ?
What kind of deal did former President Clinton and former Secretary of State Clinton make with them ?   I think we'd better ask.



Thursday, November 7, 2013

The Coming Police State

            
image from www.infowars.com



    In the last several years, shocking stories of police and law enforcement overstep have occurred and come to our attention either through conventional or secondary media sources.   On this blog I told of the false imprisonment of Brandon Raub, a Virginia soldier who was snared by law enforcement because he simply offered a negative opinion of the Obama regime on his Facebook page, when the page was to be available only to a few of his friends.   Eileen Hart was charged with "making terroristical threats" in New Jersey following a calm discussion at an open meeting with her county's tax assessment team, where she simply read the Constitution.  A few months ago, some young women who were students at Mr. Jefferson's University of Virginia went out to get sparkling water and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream after dark.  Those entrusted with seeing that those under twenty-one don't drink accosted them with guns drawn, without identifying themselves, and actually jumped on the hood of the young woman's car.  To her credit, the young woman sped away slightly grazing one of the officers.   She then called police, who indicated that she should return to the location where this occurred, where she was initially arrested for assault on an agent, and a number of other felonies, in association with her possession of a non-alcoholic substance which they mistakenly thought was liquor.    Now, a man in Deming, New Mexico was held for twelve hours and experienced a rectal cavity search following a routine traffic stop, without just cause. He has filed suit.

                Policemen in the United States used to be dressed as policemen.  They were there "to protect and to serve" the citizenry, and most of them did exactly that.   Over the last several years there has been a militarization of police officers.   The federal government has paid SWAT teams to kick down the doors of people behind on student loans.  The clothing and gear is more militaristic, and sadly for some, so is the attitude.   For some, we are no longer the citizenry who pays their salary, but enemy combatants.
              I have always been very pro law enforcement.  I know many honorable excellent law enforcement officers on many levels and those who are Federal agents of one kind or another.  They are bothered by the trend I have mentioned also.

              My thought is this. Most people are principally law abiding, and we will report activities we see to law enforcement when we have concerns.  However, the fact that the cases I mentioned above happened at all is also an indication that many other bizarre cases, which are never reported to us, are likely to have happened also.  Law enforcement must always be beyond reproach. Without our belief that the police are "the good guys" and are acting in our best interests, then the public will not only stop reporting things they see to the police, but they will stop cooperating in many ways. The erosion of trust in the police and law enforcement agencies, federal, state, or local, will make genuine crime much more difficult to fight. We have all seen drivers flashing their lights on a roadway to warn other drivers that a police officer is parked and ready to pounce.  On the surface this seems innocent enough, but what if the car you have warned is a violent bankrobber who has not yet been caught.  Warning him might allow him to pull his weapon and be more ready than the officer who pulls him over, and is then shot by him.   Failing to provide information to the police is also one of the reasons many crimes are not solved.  In so many places, people won't speak to the police or they won't trust them with sensitive information.

            Law enforcement officers of all levels must do everything "by the book".  If you make us your enemies, then, this is what people will become.  The world is dangerous enough.  We need each group to play it straight.


Other sources of information on this topic:

https://www.aclu.org/blog/tag/militarization-police

http://www.cato.org/publications/white-paper/overkill-rise-paramilitary-police-raids-america

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/police-militarization

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/11/how-the-war-on-terror-has-militarized-the-police/248047/





Sunday, November 3, 2013

What Is It ?

         
Is it a tool chest dressed for the season ?  Is it a home code cart ?  Perhaps a home dialysis machine ?




  I like to believe that my family and I are up-to-date on a lot of house systems. This makes it a lot easier when it's time to update something to make the best decisions.   Today, I found out that I am not up to date, at all !

               
What is this ?   A hot water heater which dispenses orange-ade ?  An excellent cover for gun storage ?   A big orange battery ?



                   
Is this a large home container of extra virgin olive oil wired to the gourmet kitchen above for someone who really likes to cook ?  


                    I did some research and all of my initial thoughts were incorrect.  It looks like I won't be a guest on "This Old House" anytime soon.    These systems exist in the same residence.  They are part of a German engineered highly efficient heating system.   This system is a Veissman hot water heating boiler system which not only heats your hot water but provides reliable and inexpensive heat as well.  It employs a cast iron or steel biferral heat exchanger.  The top unit is a control unit.  It appears that someone has placed a commercial unit in their home.  These units can be installed to use solar power, oil power, wood fired and gas fired power. They do not yet manufacture one of this type which can use two or three different types of fuels interchangeably.

http://www.viessmann.ca/en/Commercial/Products.html

http://www.viessmann.ca/en/Commercial/Products/oil/Vitorond_200.html

              The third picture is a DeHoust tank which I believe stores water in a specially protected enclosure to avoid leakage.

              This is a German system primarily for commercial use, but it can be used in some homes, as a residential system.  It provides excellent heat and hot water relatively inexpensively (after of course, the cost of purchase and installation.)  A limited number of these devices are available through special arrangement, for the colder parts of the United States.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Tips for Getting an Old Dog to Continue to Eat Enough

         

Jared



       In 1999, my husband and I occasionally rescued a dog or two just before our county's scheduled euthanization days.  Often, we would rehabilitate the dog and find it a new home. Sometimes, we would either experience a long term medical problem with the dog, which required injections or medication, and then we would keep him for his lifespan, here on the farm.   We don't do anymore rescues because now our county only euthanizes dogs with terminal issues, and because many other groups now rescue such dogs.  (We also have enough rescue dogs, cats, horses, and other animals to keep us, and our animal vets busy enough. )

             Jared is a Siberian Husky purebred who was rescued from our county's pound one hour before scheduled euthanization.  His story was that an individual bought a Siberian puppy and took it with him in his truck to jobs while working, and fed him through the Wendy's drive up window.  As the dog grew and became larger, he not only didn't really know he was a dog, but he became harder to handle while living in a truck. He was eventually placed at the pound.  Several families took him and found he either wouldn't eat dog food for them, or that he would howl incessantly or that their yards were too small for him.   Time was ticking and his chances were up. I was pretty confident that this beautiful dog, who was only about a year old, could be fairly easily rehabilitated.  We took him home, and were very attentive to him, and began to educate him as to the normal life of a dog who lives outside with access to a kennel.  At the time, our total lands on our original farm comprised ninety acres and our home was in the middle of that. . Jared howled so much that our neighbors complained !    Jared didn't seem to sleep outdoors, or indoors either.  In those first weeks I resorted to taking him for runs in the front seat of my husband's diesel truck, where Jared would nod off immediately.  When I parked the truck, he stayed asleep there. Eating was also a difficulty.  Normally we feed a good quality dry dog food and use a couple of tablespoons of alpo or a similar brand to encourage the picky eaters or to administer oral medications.  Jared wouldn't eat either.  We decided to let him go a few days and "get hungry", in order to put him on the type of food that was best of him both from a nutritional and dental standpoint.  I think he would have starved.  At that stage he would not eat. The vet couldn't find anything wrong with him and suggested we transition him from the Wendy's drive up window.  Jared enjoyed a single burger from the drive-through window. As I recall, he isn't a big fan of mustard, but is quite fond of ketchup and even the onions.  He also polished off the remaining chili chips and cheese I had ordered.  The young woman at the Wendy's drive through in Richmond was Russian, and she thought that Jared was an arctic wolf.  She was actually fearful as she gave us our food through the window.


Jared 


             It took several years for Jared to realize that he was a dog like our others, and that he could eat somewhere other than Wendy's.  Over time, the howling diminished.  Each November, despite the fact that we'd had him neutered, Jared would escape from our farm to run his own Iditerod of sorts.  He isn't very good at finding his way home, and so, if he gets out, we must look for him.  This can be challenging in a place where hundreds and perhaps thousands of acres are wooded and sometimes mountainous, and occupied by wild animals like bears and potentially coyotes.  Each year for three years, we found Jared, a great distance from our home, but we located him each time and brought him home. After that, he would leave annually, either from the kennel or out the gate, but these would be local trips. He knew where he lived and would cooperate in coming home afterward.

            Jared has continued to be a picky eater and stays quite slim. He remains a beautiful dog.
            This year, Jared is thirteen years old, and although he looks wonderful, we know that he is nearing the end of his lifespan.  We are supplementing his food with glucosamine and chondroitin which we purchase from Sam's Club, as joint and hip issues can be common with large breeds.  He saw the vet recently and there are no obvious medical issues.  He continues to be a picky eater and has a bit less muscle than he did in earlier years.
            I wanted to share with you some of the tricks we have been using to keep the appetite of our "most challenging customer".

      Although we try hard to adhere to the plan of a good quality dry food, as he still has healthy strong teeth and we need to keep these clean, we are doing the following things to encourage him to start eating.

 1.  Make sure that a picky dog always has a clean dish.    Make sure they have plenty of clean water, because a thirsty dog will often not eat.

2. Sometimes an elderly dog needs his tastes piqued by a small squirt of ketchup on the few tablespoons of soft food you place on the top of his dry.  (Get him his own bottle.)

3. Don't use garlic salt, but occasionally dogs will eat better or will be convinced to eat if you shake a small amount of garlic powder on their food.   (No crushed garlic or garlic from jars because this can give them diarrhea.)

4. Try not to resort to feeding "people food" as this is much too low in calcium for dogs and will cause difficulties in the long term.  A little on the top of a meal might induce your picky dog to eat.

5. Check any supplements you give with the vet before adding them.  Our vet is okay with our adding a glucosamine supplement which actually was intended for human beings.  We do it because we found a formulation that is cheaper and because we do this for all our dogs who are age 8 and older.

6. Never give a dog any form of chocolate, even ice cream.   Chocolate has theobromines which can cause lethal arrhythmias in dogs.

7. Don't give treats to a dog who is picky.  Give him affection instead.   Treats will cut down what he eats at meals.

8. A dog with a new onset lack of appetite may have a parasite or a new medical problem.  If this is the case, take him to your vet.

9.   Some dogs are very sensitive.   Make sure your dog food is fresh.  Look at expiration dates.   Some dogs should have a smaller bag of food they will consume completely in a shorter period of time.  Often, the huge bags of food are best left for people with multiple large dogs.


This was how Jared looked at about six.  He is thirteen now, and looks the same, though thinner.

               This morning I poured a half a can of dollar store mackeral over his food in order to get him to eat it.   Your vet also has some rather expensive high fat and high carbohydrate canned food which they will sell for animals who need to eat but are exhibiting reluctance to do so.
              May all your furred and feathered friends be doing well as we anticipate another Winter, and soon.