Tag Archive: survivalists


URGENT WARNING FROM GENERAL BERT!

(Major General Albert N. Stubblebine III ;U.S. Army, Retired)

(http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/?page_id=299)

“The new White House Executive Order of March 16, 2012, the so-called ‘National Defense Resources Preparedness Order’ is a clear blueprint for total government control over the civilian economy, under the guise of ‘national defense.’ This latest outrage against the Constitution reminds me of the totalitarian world of Orwell’s 1984, where a few Ministries controlled everything. Below is our Counsel Ralph Fucetola JD’s analysis of this Executive Order.”

Push Back here: http://tinyurl.com/PushBackFree

From Counsel Ralph:  The White House has set in motion the regulatory basis for an American version of Lenin’s “War Communism” whereby the entire civilian economy is militarized and marshaled as the Leader directs through five specific Federal Departments. Notice which Department now has control over which aspects of your lives.
 
This section quoted below provides for the take over of the means of production. It says that the Five Department heads can override private contracts and commandeer all the resources of all the people. This Executive Order, if allowed to stand, sets the legal basis for total government control over, as it says below, “food… energy… health… civil transportation… water… and all other materials, services and facilities…”

Read the entire Order here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/03/16/executive-order-national-defense-resources-preparedness

Sec. 201Priorities and Allocations Authorities.  (a)  The authority of the President conferred by section 101 of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2071, to require acceptance and priority performance of contracts or orders (other than contracts of employment) to promote the national defense over performance of any other contracts or orders, and to allocate materials, services, and facilities as deemed necessary or appropriate to promote the national defense, is delegated to the following agency heads:

(1)  the Secretary of Agriculture with respect to food resources, food resource facilities, livestock resources, veterinary resources, plant health resources, and the domestic distribution of farm equipment and commercial fertilizer;

(2)  the Secretary of Energy with respect to all forms of energy;

(3)  the Secretary of Health and Human Services with respect to health resources;

(4)  the Secretary of Transportation with respect to all forms of civil transportation;

(5)  the Secretary of Defense with respect to water resources; and

(6)  the Secretary of Commerce with respect to all other materials, services, and facilities, including construction materials.

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Here is a video I stumbled across that discusses the executive order in question

Alert! Obama Declares/Updates MARTIAL LAW Implementation – Executive Order Explained

An  excerpt  from  March 20, 2012

The Executive Order Controversy

By Joe Herring

http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/03/the_executive_order_controversy.html#ixzz1psYvJNM1

The Executive order issued by Obama on 3/16 is largely a restatement of the 1994 Clinton order with a few functional changes.  It moves the authority for implementing the provisions of the DPA from the director of FEMA to the Department of Homeland Security, which did not exist at the time of Clinton’s presidency.  There have been pedestrian additions of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, to the purview of the secretary of energy (as well as a curiously specific redefinition of bottled water as a “food resource” rather than a water resource), but nothing is particularly out of step with the order Obama’s EO supersedes.

So what is the problem?  Well, considering that the authority of the DPA has never been meaningfully exercised, and that the pre-emption of authority claimed by the Clinton-era EO 12919 has been similarly dormant, why would the Obama administration choose this particular time to update an obscure and unused authority?  It is this question many believe must be asked and answered, and sooner rather than later.

In an attempt to provide that answer, allow me to don an appropriately stylish tinfoil hat before I present a plausible scenario.

1) In early March 2012, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta told the Senate Armed Services Committee that it is the position of this administration that international organizations such as NATO or the United Nations have at least as much, if not more authority to deploy U.S. troops, with or without congressional notice or permission.

2) A week later, the NAACP petitioned the U.N. Human Rights Council to involve themselves in our election process — specifically our November presidential election, in order to monitor the vote for instances of voter suppression.  It is the fantasy of the NAACP that laws requiring presentation of a photo ID to cast a ballot are in actuality thinly veiled efforts to keep the poor, elderly, and non-white populations from voting, presumably for Obama.

3) Attorney General Eric Holder has spent his tenure creating a hair-trigger system of race-conscious prosecutions, most notably in reference to cases involving voter fraud.  His previous employee, J. Christian Adams, has built a second career from simply exposing the injustice of Holder’s Department of Justice.

4) Most recently, Holder struck another blow against the concept of verifiable voting by forestalling Texas’s proposed Voter ID law, saying it “goes against the arc of history.”  Aside from the attorney general basing his decisions on perceived “historical arcs” rather than clear and established law, the end result is the same: the creation of an air of uncertainty surrounding the upcoming election.

Now (as I adjust my tinfoil hat to a jauntier angle), let me tie these points together.

By employing repetitive reporting of “uncertainty about the reliability of the presidential election tally” by the major media, compounded by expressions of the same uncertainty by administration officials, the left could install that narrative amongst the segments of the population that  pay little or no attention to the day-to-day practice of politics.

Could the NAACP then, with support from the Department of Justice and the administration, make the case to the U.N. that the election was in fact tainted, and subsequently persuade the member nations of the U.N. to declare the election invalid?  It is possible, and such a declaration is certain to bring chaos to the streets of every major city in our country, as well as a great deal of smaller ones.  To restore order, the president might need to deploy troops.  Should the Congress resist the move, the administration might simply appeal to the U.N., which could request/order the deployment of troops by a willing and complicit Secretary Panetta.

And of course, President Obama would simply continue in office, for the sake of stability, until this could all be sorted out.

Perhaps it now makes sense for the administration to have updated an unused executive order, preparing their legal argument and framework for the imposition of peacetime martial law.  Liberty, once lost, is seldom regained.

Yes, it is far-fetched, but it is also distressingly possible.  The sad fact in America today is that we have a president so disdainful of our foundational law and freedoms as to make the far-fetched seem queasily reasonable.

The timing of this executive order is jarring, even if the specific changes to the order are not.  The power it conveys is staggering and cannot be safely entrusted to a single branch of government, much less to a single man.  The Congress needs to reassert control over the exercise and implementation of the Defense Production Act before it can be utilized by a power-hungry cabal of leftists eager to fundamentally transform America.  There is a door no one has locked, and our home is not secure.  Close the door, lock it, and throw away that key.

The author writes from Omaha, NE and welcomes visitors to his website at http://www.readmorejoe.com.

Uploaded by on Aug 6, 2009

Are you prepared for an emergency, such as a disruption in utilities or quarantine? How would you cook and wash yourself, what would you drink?

Watch as we evaluate our emergency preparedness, as we live in our house for five days without electricity and water from our taps.



Uploaded by on Apr 2, 2010

Most of the information out there about survivalism and preparedness is male centred. What do woman think about bug out bags, self-defense and preparedness? Watch this interview to see one woman’s perspective on survivalism and relationships.

Uploaded by on Jan 10, 2010

Part 1: Sometimes the city is a bad place to be. But millions find themselves linked to the city, living, working, or recreating. Cessation of services, terrorists attacks, economic or governmental collapse, rioting (for a variety of reasons), and devastating NATURAL disasters can transform a usually-bustling and mostly safe urbanscape into a wasteland where emergency services are either overwhelmed or just unavailable. You may quickly find your survival (and those around you) will be up to you. Go prepared, both with a calm, can-do mindset that will allow you to overcome, adapt, and survive bad situations (and help others to do the same). In this series of vids, I introduce my “Concept USK” or Urban Survival Kit and its philosophy as requested by many TNPrs. A possible motto as you work your way through urban chaos: “Prepare, Survive, Render Aid, Lead.” Some Nutnfancy foundations of the review: most kits will evolve according to need and technology, a kit will have to be personalized for your situation, adherence to legalities of some contents is your responsibility, it’s impossible to prepare for every contingency and SAWC (Space/Size And Weight Constraints) will dictate your level of preparation and kit “depth,” preparations for self-defense are wise, the necessity to blend in and not draw attention to yourself, the concepts of “write-off,” re-stocking, pre-postioning, and redundancy in kit preparation, and guidelines for use. In Part 1 these foundations are discussed and then the item by item review commences starting with carry case considerations and water considerations. Use of defensive and non-lethal OC or pepper spray is shown and discussed (other defensive options shown later) in realistic terms (larger container preferred in urban settings). In a confusing urban survival situation, information could be critical and several items are carried to help improve your “intelligence” gathering including optics (binos, monocular; optional) and a transistor radio for news reports (several models shown). Kit sub-containers and organization discussed too as we approach the review of the Comms Kit. Execution for the USK will take planning, work, and some money (especially applying the “write-off” principle). Currently it is impossible to purchase a serious USK with these capabilities so you will have to make it. But it will give a sense of capability and hope to its user and just may carry him through the day. Sobering possibilities are discussed by necessity but the “USK Concept” is a message of hope and self-reliance./////////////////// See other parts for DETAILED KIT CONTENTS ///////////////////////// Music by
Derek R. Audette – (Socan), CC 2.5 ///////////////// Some images from PhotoBucket.com whose posters have agreed to royalty-free worldwide distribution through unqualified agreement to Photobucket.com Terms of Use.

Uploaded by on Jan 11, 2010

See Part 1 for USK Series intro. Part 2 and 3: DETAILED KIT CONTENTS, Of course all items are subject to improvement, change, or discontinuance by the manufacturer: CARRY CASES: Small day pack (Kelty “Cadence” model used here, 1700 cubes. 2 main compartments), zipped organization pouches, Columbia® Toiletry Valet. COMMS: Survival crank radio or small transistor radio (AA variety like Sony Panasonic RF-P50, Sony ICF-S10MK2, Grundig Mini-300 or similar are good options), 2-way AA cell-capable radios (Motorola #MR351R shown) with 550 cord lanyards, mini polycarbonate signal mirror (Gerber shown, “Ultimate Survival” brand good too), flare pen or gyro jet with extra flares (optional; also hand held compact signal flares), 2 loud whistles (options: Fox, WindStorm, NRS Storm Safety-brand whistles, ‘Ray Gonia’ dog training whistle), 2 fine tip black Sharpie® markers, Post Its®, index cards, waterproof paper (Write in the Rain), Fenix L1D and LD20 AA multi-mode flashlights with light cones (red, white), Fenix light headband, Streamlight Stylus Pro penlight, 8 (min) lithium AA and 4 (min) AAA batteries (Energizer Ultimate Lithium shown). PROTECTIVE GEAR: heavy leather gloves (Petzl rapelling gloves shown, any high quality can work), 4 pair disposable Nitrile exam gloves, safety glasses, sun glasses, dust masks (2 min), foam ear plugs (3 pair), respirator if SAWC permits (AO Safety® model shown), sunscreen, chapstick, disposable plastic poncho or rain suit, skull cap, sweat band, Adventure Medical Kits Thermo-Lite 2 Bivy bags (1 small, 1 large). TOOLS: Leatherman Super Tool 300 (or equivalent), pry bar (options: Stanley “Wonder Bar II,” 10’/25cm “Claw Bar”), multi-bit drivers (like Stanley #68-107 Fiberglass Screwdriver), gas shutoff wrech (not shown), heavy wire, heavy duty aluminum foil, Gorilla® brand duct tape, 3M® electrical tape, mini hacksaw (like Stanley MiniHack #20-807 shown), spring loaded punch, 100 ft 550 nylon cord wrapped on tempered hardboad winder, 25 ft heavy duty nylon cord (on exterior to case belay and lashing), portable saw if SAWC permit, dedicated wire snips, 1 small can WD-40, Stanley Stanley #10-16 Utility knife with extra blades (or Gerber EAB model, reviewed), dedicated mini-scissors (Gerber shown), flint and steel (like “Light My Fire” brand shown, “Ultimate Survival” brand Sparkie also excellent), 2 to 4 packs Trioxane fuel bars, adjustable flame lighter, REI “Lifeboat” matches. SELF DEFENSE: large OC pepper spray container (as big as SAWC allow; UDAP® brand 8 oz bear spray excellent), pry bar, folding tactical/utility blade (Buck Vantage Select shown, many other great options reviewed), Kel-Tec P3-AT .380 auto pistol with extra mag, 50 rds minimum 90 gr Federal HydraShok® ammo, Uncle Mikes Size 10 ankle holster & belt holster (Fobus also good), spare mag case (“RIPOFF” brand shown), mid-size survival knife (options: Ontario SP-17, CS SRK, KaBar Combat, Fallkniven A1, Randall RC-5,etc). MEDICAL: Level 1 Nutnfancy First Aid Kit (see review). WATER: Katadyn Hiker water filter, Nalgene folding Wide-Mouth Cantene 96 oz #2595-0096, coffee or paint screen pre-filters, collapsible backpacking bucket. FOOD: As many energy/candy bars (solid chocolate store best) that SAWC allow, 2 freeze-dried meals, MSR “Pocket Rocket” stove, propane fuel cartridge, tin can/canteen cup/titanium cup with lid, salt packets in plastic baggy. MISC: miniature playing cards, thermo compass, alcohol swabs, Scott-brand blue shop towels, Kleenex®, Kirtland-brand Household anti-bacterial wipes in baggy. PREPOSITIONALBES: Xootr scooter in travel bag (compact, fast, maneuverable escape vehicle, 5 times faster than walking), Rapelling gear (Blue Water brand 150′ kernmantle rope preferred, US Army 120′ surplus rope ok too; good for 9 or so story escape only though), Rescue 8, carabiners, Rapelling seat, Sport Parachute, strap adjusted, ready ///////////////////////// Music by
Derek R. Audette – (Socan), CC 2.5 and original music by TNPr Dudio (youtube.com/user/eldudio) /////////////////////////////// Some images from PhotoBucket.com whose posters have agreed to royalty-free worldwide distribution through unqualified agreement to Photobucket.com Terms of Use.

Uploaded by on Jan 14, 2010

See Part 1 for USK Series intro. Part 2 and 3: DETAILED KIT CONTENTS, Of course all items are subject to improvement, change, or discontinuance by the manufacturer: CARRY CASES: Small day pack (Kelty “Cadence” model used here, 1700 cubes. 2 main compartments), zipped organization pouches, Columbia® Toiletry Valet. COMMS: Survival crank radio or small transistor radio (AA variety like Sony Panasonic RF-P50, Sony ICF-S10MK2, Grundig Mini-300 or similar are good options), 2-way AA cell-capable radios (Motorola #MR351R shown) with 550 cord lanyards, mini polycarbonate signal mirror (Gerber shown, “Ultimate Survival” brand good too), flare pen or gyro jet with extra flares (optional; also hand held compact signal flares), 2 loud whistles (options: Fox, WindStorm, NRS Storm Safety-brand whistles, ‘Ray Gonia’ dog training whistle), 2 fine tip black Sharpie® markers, Post Its®, index cards, waterproof paper (Write in the Rain), Fenix L1D and LD20 AA multi-mode flashlights with light cones (red, white), Fenix light headband, Streamlight Stylus Pro penlight, 8 (min) lithium AA and 4 (min) AAA batteries (Energizer Ultimate Lithium shown). PROTECTIVE GEAR: heavy leather gloves (Petzl rapelling gloves shown, any high quality can work), 4 pair disposable Nitrile exam gloves, safety glasses, sun glasses, dust masks (2 min), foam ear plugs (3 pair), respirator if SAWC permits (AO Safety® model shown), sunscreen, chapstick, disposable plastic poncho or rain suit, skull cap, sweat band, Adventure Medical Kits Thermo-Lite 2 Bivy bags (1 small, 1 large). TOOLS: Leatherman Super Tool 300 (or equivalent), pry bar (options: Stanley “Wonder Bar II,” 10’/25cm “Claw Bar”), multi-bit drivers (like Stanley #68-107 Fiberglass Screwdriver), gas shutoff wrech (not shown), heavy wire, heavy duty aluminum foil, Gorilla® brand duct tape, 3M® electrical tape, mini hacksaw (like Stanley MiniHack #20-807 shown), spring loaded punch, 100 ft 550 nylon cord wrapped on tempered hardboad winder, 25 ft heavy duty nylon cord (on exterior to case belay and lashing), portable saw if SAWC permit, dedicated wire snips, 1 small can WD-40, Stanley Stanley #10-16 Utility knife with extra blades (or Gerber EAB model, reviewed), dedicated mini-scissors (Gerber shown), flint and steel (like “Light My Fire” brand shown, “Ultimate Survival” brand Sparkie also excellent), 2 to 4 packs Trioxane fuel bars, adjustable flame lighter, REI “Lifeboat” matches. SELF DEFENSE: large OC pepper spray container (as big as SAWC allow; UDAP® brand 8 oz bear spray excellent), pry bar, folding tactical/utility blade (Buck Vantage Select shown, many other great options reviewed), Kel-Tec P3-AT .380 auto pistol with extra mag, 50 rds minimum 90 gr Federal HydraShok® ammo, Uncle Mikes Size 10 ankle holster & belt holster (Fobus also good), spare mag case (“RIPOFF” brand shown), mid-size survival knife (options: Ontario SP-17, CS SRK, KaBar Combat, Fallkniven A1, Randall RC-5,etc). MEDICAL: Level 1 Nutnfancy First Aid Kit (see review). WATER: Katadyn Hiker water filter, Nalgene folding Wide-Mouth Cantene 96 oz #2595-0096, coffee or paint screen pre-filters, collapsible backpacking bucket. FOOD: As many energy/candy bars (solid chocolate store best) that SAWC allow, 2 freeze-dried meals, MSR “Pocket Rocket” stove, propane fuel cartridge, tin can/canteen cup/titanium cup with lid, salt packets in plastic baggy. MISC: miniature playing cards, thermo compass, alcohol swabs, Scott-brand blue shop towels, Kleenex®, Kirtland-brand Household anti-bacterial wipes in baggy. PREPOSITIONALBES: Xootr scooter in travel bag (compact, fast, maneuverable escape vehicle, 5 times faster than walking), Rapelling gear (Blue Water brand 150′ kernmantle rope preferred, US Army 120′ surplus rope ok too; good for 9 or so story escape only though), Rescue 8, carabiners, Rapelling seat, Sport Parachute, strap adjusted, ready ///////////////////////// Music by
Derek R. Audette – (Socan), CC 2.5 and original music by TNPr Dudio (youtube.com/user/eldudio) /////////////////////////////// Some images from PhotoBucket.com whose posters have agreed to royalty-free worldwide distribution through unqualified agreement to Photobucket.com Terms of Use.

Uploaded by on Sep 26, 2011

Richard Heinberg- whose latest book describes The End of Growth- isn’t looking for when the recession will end and we’ll get back to “normal”. He believes our decades-long era of growth was based on aberrant set of conditions- namely cheap oil, but also cheap minerals, cheap food, etc- and that looking ahead, we need to prepare for a “new normal”.

The problem, according to Heinberg, is our natural resources just aren’t so cheap and plentiful anymore, and he’s not just talking about Peak Oil, Heinberg believes in Peak Everything (also the title of one of his books).

Heinberg thinks for many, adjusting to a life where everything costs a bit more, could be very hard, but he also thinks the transition to a new normal might actually make life better.

“Particularly in the Western industrialized countries we’ve gotten used to levels of consumption that are not only environmentally unsustainable, they also don’t make us happy. They’ve in fact hollowed out our lives. We’ve given up things that actually do give us satisfaction and pleasure so that we can work more and more hours to get more and more money with which to buy more and more stuff- more flatscreen tvs, bigger SUVs, bigger houses and it’s not making us happier. Well, guess what, it’s possible to downsize, it’s possible to use less, become more self sufficient, grow more of your own food, have chickens in your backyard and be a happier person.”

This is not all theoretical. In the backyard of the home Heinberg shares with his wife, Janet Barocco, the couple grow most of their food during the summer months (i.e. 25 fruit & nut trees, veggies, potatoes.. they’re just lack grains), raise chickens for eggs, capture rainwater, bake with solar cookers and a solar food drier and secure energy with photovoltaic and solar hot water panels.

Their backyard reflects Heinberg’s vision for our “new normal” and it’s full of experiments, like the slightly less than 120-square-foot cottage that was inspired by the Small Home Movement. It was built with the help of some of Heinberg’s college students (in one of the nation’s first sustainability classes) using recycled and natural materials (like lime plaster).

Heinberg admits it’s not a real tiny house experiment since they don’t actually live in it- his wife uses it as a massage studio, he meditates there and sometimes it’s used as a guest house (though that’s hush hush due to permitting issues). But their tiny cottage points to the bigger point behind why a transition to a less resource intensive future could equal greater happiness.

“Simplify. Pay less attention to all of the stuff in your life and pay more attention to what’s really important. Maybe for you it’s gardening, maybe for you it’s painting or music. You know we all have stuff that gives us real pleasure and most of us find we have less and less time for that because we have to devote so much time to shopping, paying bills and driving from here to there and so on. Well, how about if we cut out some of that stuff and spend more time doing what really feeds us emotionally and spiritually and in some cases even nutritionally.”

Original story here: http://faircompanies.com/videos/view/richard-heinberg-why-end-growth-means-mo…

When  most  people think  about  Monsanto  they think  about commercial  agriculture and not  their  small  backyard gardens.  Well,  you  may  not  be  buying  GMO, but  you  still may  be putting money  in the  coffers of  this   Evil Giant.

Few  people  know  that  Monsanto has  been a  very  busy little troll  gathering up as  many  seed  companies  as they  can acquire.  Can you  be so  sure  those tomatoes  seeds  or  tomato plants you  bought  at  your local  garden  center is not  owned  by Monsanto?

Well,  while  we  cannot  be  100% sure of  just  how  many they  have  acquired or  will acquire in the near  future.  We  can  at  least get the  word  out  about  what  we  do  know.  Below  I  have  compiled a  list  with it’s  corresponding  links  to  the  information  available  and  just  what  Monsanto  owns  and  exactly  how  far the  GMO poison  has  reached.  As  well as  some of the  companies  that  are  not  owned by  Monsanto and  do  not  carry  GMO seeds.

Government  may  no  longer  be  listening  to  us,  we may  have limited influence on  what happens  in legislation, however they  still need us  to  purchase.  In  our  purchasing power is  our  ability  to  make a  difference.  Educate  yourself  , become  aware, becoming an informed  consumer is the  best  weapon against  this  travesty.  Hitting where it  hurts  them most ,in their  wallets!

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsanto

The Monsanto Company (NYSEMON) is a multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation. It is the world’s leading producer of the herbicide glyphosate, marketed in the Roundup brand of herbicides, and in other brands. Monsanto is also the leading producer of genetically engineered (GE) seed; it provides the technology in 90% of the genetically engineered seeds used in the US market.[2] It is headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri.[3]

Agracetus, owned by Monsanto, exclusively produces Roundup Ready soybean seed for the commercial market. In 2005, it finalized the purchase of Seminis Inc, making it the world’s largest conventional seed company.

Monsanto’s development and marketing of genetically engineered seed and bovine growth hormone, as well as its aggressive litigation, political lobbying practices, seed commercialization practices and “strong-arming” of the seed industry[4] have made the company controversial around the world and a primary target of the alter-globalization movement and environmental activists. In 2009 Monsanto came under scrutiny from the U.S. Justice Department, investigating whether its activities in the soya-bean markets were breaking anti-trust rules.[4][5]

Through a series of transactions, the Monsanto that existed from 1901 to 2000 and the current Monsanto are legally two distinct corporations. Although they share the same name and corporate headquarters, many of the same executives and other employees, and responsibility for liabilities arising out of activities in the industrial chemical business, the agricultural chemicals business is the only segment carried forward from the pre-1997 Monsanto Company to the current Monsanto Company. This was accomplished beginning in the 1980s:

  • 1985: Monsanto purchases G. D. Searle & Company. In this merger, Searle’s aspartame business becomes a separate Monsanto subsidiary, the NutraSweet Company. CEO of NutraSweet, Robert B. Shapiro, goes on to become CEO of Monsanto from 1995 to 2000.
  • 1996: Acquires 49.9% of Calgene, creators of the Flavr Savr tomato in April and another ~5% in November. Monsanto first entered the maize seed business when it purchased 40% of DEKALB Genetics Corporation in 1996. It purchased the remainder of the corporation in 1998.[17]
  • 1997: Monsanto spins off its industrial chemical and fiber divisions into Solutia Inc. This transfers the financial liability related to the production and contamination with PCBs at the Illinois and Alabama plants. In January, Monsanto announces the purchase of Holden’s Foundations Seeds, a privately held seed business owned by the Holden family, along with its sister sales organization, Corn States Hybrid Service, of Williamsburg and Des Moines, Iowa, respectively. The combined purchase price totals $925 million. Also, in April, Monsanto purchases the remaining shares of Calgene.
  • 1999: Monsanto sells off NutraSweet Co. and two other companies.
  • 2000 (spring): Monsanto merges with Pharmacia and Upjohn, and the agricultural division becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of the “new” Pharmacia; the medical research divisions, which includes products such as Celebrex, remain in Pharmacia.
  • 2000 (October): Pharmacia spins off its Monsanto subsidiary into a new company, the “new Monsanto.” [18] As part of the deal, Monsanto agrees to indemnify Pharmacia against any liabilities that might be incurred from judgments against Solutia. As a result, the new Monsanto continues to be a party to numerous lawsuits that relate to operations of the old Monsanto.
  • 2005: Monsanto purchases Seminis, a leading global vegetable and fruit seed company, for $1.4 billion.[19]
  • 2007: In June, Monsanto completes its purchase of Delta and Pine Land Company, a major cotton seed breeder, for $1.5 billion.[20] Monsanto exits the pig breeding business by selling Monsanto Choice Genetics to Newsham Genetics LC in November, divesting itself of “any and all swine-related patents, patent applications, and all other intellectual property.”[21][22]
  • 2008: Monsanto purchases the Dutch seed company De Ruiter Seeds for €546 million,[23] and sells its POSILAC bovine somatotropin brand and related business to Elanco Animal Health, a division of Eli Lilly and Company in August for $300 million plus “additional contingent consideration”.[24]

Forewarned is Forearmed: Veggies Owned by Monsanto

How to Avoid GMO/Monsanto

http://www.garden-of-eatin.com/how-to-avoid-monsanto/

Monsanto Owned Seed companies

http://rivenfae-wolfwoods.blogspot.com/2011/02/monsanto-owned-seed-companies.html

Monsanto buys ‘Terminator’   Seeds Company

http://www.engdahl.oilgeopolitics.net/GMO/Monsanto/monsanto.html

“And We Have the Seeds”
Monsanto Purchases World’s Largest Vegetable Seed Company

http://www.seedalliance.org/Seed_News/SeminisMonsanto/

Burpee, GMO And Monsanto Rumors Put To Rest

By George Ball – Burpee Chairman and CEO

http://www.burpee.com/gardening/content/gygg/burpee-gmo-and-monsanto-rumors-put-to-rest/about-burpee-seeds.html

The Gardening Game

Do you know  where  your  seeds come  from?

You  may  be  surprised…  By  Jerri Cook

                                                             Wisconsin

http://www.countrysidemag.com/issues/90/90-2/Jerri_Cook.html

Monsanto Seed Patents

http://www.pubpat.org/monsanto-seed-patents.htm

Monsanto in Your Garden: Why You Need to Buy Organic Seeds

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_21049.cfm

Who, Where, How Much?

http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/?lid=208


How Far Have  The  Tendrils  of  Monsanto Reached  Within The  U.S. Government?

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WikiLeaks: US targets EU over GM crops

US embassy cable recommends drawing up list of countries for ‘retaliation’ over opposition to genetic modification

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/03/wikileaks-us-eu-gm-crops

Junkscience.com: Run by Monsanto lobbyist, shills for Monsanto

http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/Commentary/Opinion/junkportal.htm

Monsanto Company v. Percy Schmeiser

http://www.historycommons.org/timeline.jsp?timeline=seeds_tmln&seeds_legal_actions=seeds_legalMonsantoVSchmeiser

THE IDIOT CYCLE – MONSANTO

http://www.japanesepopsongs.com/idiotcycle/monsanto_company.html

Genetically Modfied Seeds: Monsanto is Putting Normal Seeds Out of Reach

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=12309

Consolidation of seed companies leading to corporate domination of world food supply

http://www.naturalnews.com/033148_seed_companies_Monsanto.html#ixzz1nXvPZ800

Dupont follows Monsanto in new move to consolidate South African seed market

http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/687653/dupont_follows_monsanto_in_new_move_to_consolidate_south_african_seed_market.html

Monsanto buys company researching death of bees

Soon to be whistleblower who worked for Monsanto will be releasing documents detailing how Monsanto planned to kill off bee colonies in order to introduce a “new and improved” species of bee that will only pollinate Monsanto crops

http://beforeitsnews.com/story/1669/347/Whistleblower:_Monsanto_Wants_to_Kill_The_Bees_To_Make_Way_For_Its_Super-Bee.html

Why is the Head of FDA Food Safety Tied to Monsanto?

http://blogs.mercola.com/sites/vitalvotes/archive/2012/02/23/why-is-the-head-of-fda-food-safety-tied-to-monsanto.aspx

Why Will Genetically Modified Crops Get Approved Faster With New Rule?

http://blogs.mercola.com/sites/vitalvotes/archive/2012/02/23/why-will-genetically-modified-crops-get-approved-faster-with-new-rule.aspx

 

 

***And it  goes on  and on and  on …………….

Food Storage :  Something  Extra

 

Comfort Foods

Coffee, hard candy and chocolate ( chocolate chips keep  well and  can be used the  same  as baking  chocolate and is  better than a chocolate bar when trying  to  maximize storage  space). Boosting morale with comfort foods can help keep spirits high in an emergency situation.

High Energy Items

You may need to make a special effort to keep your energy levels high, so stock up on items with plenty of protein and fiber. Peanut butter, granola bars and trail mix are recommended. Energy bars  and  protein bars  can  also  come in handy, if  you  can spare the  expense.  Also  having peanut  butter,  flour and  honey  you  can  make  high calories protein bars of your  own.

Specialty Items

Don’t forget to store specialty items that you might need. If you have a baby, cans of powdered formula would be good to have on hand, even if you’re nursing. Diabetics who eat certain foods and supplements will need to keep those on hand. Elderly people who use a meal supplement will need to stock that.

Making  sure  you  have an  ample  amount  of  cases  of  Ensure or  something like it would not  be a  bad  idea if  you have  children  or  elderly   family  members.  This  will help  to  supplement  their  diet and  keep  them  healthy in an  emergency  situation.

**Having nuts  like   almonds, walnuts, cashews and  grains like  rice and  oats will also give  you  an advantage aside  from the  menu  aspect.  They can all  be used  to  make  nut and grain  milk  to  supplement for  babies or  even lactose intolerant adults.  They  are  nutritious  and  easily  digested.

***  Remember that in a  situation  where  everyone is  cut  off  from the  food  supply  chain  there  will be many   who  will be unprepared.  These  people  will be lacking  the  most  minimal  supplies and  anything  they  can  acquire will be  a  godsend.  Try  to stock  more  than  what  your  family  or  group  will need .  This is includes  items  like the ones  on this  list.  Even those  who stocked  up may  have overlooked  the  comfort  foods and  specialty  items.  Even if  you  never  come  upon  another  person  who is  going  hungry  for lack  of  preparation .  I  can  guarantee  you  will find  many  who  did  not take into  consideration the small comforts  that chocolate candy  or  even baked goods  that  you  can  make  with all the  items I  have   suggested not only  here but in  my  other food  storage  blogs.  Bartering is  something  that  is  not  readily considered in today’s  society.  However,  I  will tell you  that in an  economic  collapse unless you  have  gold  and  silver  you  will need  something of  value to  trade.  That  value  will be  in  foods  and  items that are  not  readily  available.

 

Seeds

Having a variety of  garden  seeds will serve  you  well.  Enough  for you  to  plant   your own  garden  for  your  family  or  group  to  eat  from  and  to  trade.  Not only  can  you trade  the  surplus fresh  produce  from  your  garden , but you  will be  able to  trade the  seeds themselves.

It is  absolutely  essential that  you  start learning  and practicing  now with a  small  garden  or  a  container  garden if  you  do  not  have  yard  space.  It  is  best that  the  learning  process and  any  mistakes that are  made   should be  experienced  now  and  not when you are  short on food.  In a  survival  situation  a mistake  or a crop  failure  could  be  devastating.  I  will be posting   videos  articles  and  advice  on   survival  gardens.  They are going up all over the Nation from  Coast  to  Coast as people  learn   to  live  sustainable  lives.  Anyone  can  do it  and   I  will  try to  help  you  learn  how.

The  best  way  to  start collecting  seeds  is  with the  foods  that  you  and  your  family   or  group  are  likely  to  eat.  If  you  do not   normally eat  it  now then   what  makes you  think  you  will eat it in a survival  situation?  Yes,  yes   if  you are  hungry  you  will eat  anything.  Isn’t it  better  to  have  foods  you   enjoy than try  to   stomach  foods  you  have  never  really  had  or  dislike?  There  will be  enough  experimenting  to  be  done  in a survival  situation  , your food  should not  be one of  them.

You  also  need  to   make  sure that the  seeds  are  not  GMO,  these  seeds  have  not  been properly  investigated  and tested.  They  should not  be available for human  consumption and  have been  found  to  cause  sterility in  the animals  fed  the   GMO  grain.  What  do  you  think they   will do  to  humans that  consume  that meat?  So  it is  best  to  focus on  organic seeds if at  all possible.

** As  with  comfort  foods  and specialty  items  seeds  will be  as  valuable  as  gold  and  silver.  Only those  who know how  to  garden  and  are  able  to  save  seeds  for  themselves  and  for  barter will have  the upper  hand.

** The  same  goes  for  sugar, salt,  alcohol ( corn  whiskey , vodka, beer  or  wine), seeds, chocolate, nuts, dried  fruits, candy , protein bars and  seeds will command a high  price due to the lack of  availability.  It  is the one  way   you can insure your ability to  trade for  items  you  may  need in the  future.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

 http://globaldisasterwatch.blogspot.com/2012/02/sunday-february-26-2012.html

Russia – A strong 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit Russia’s south-eastern and sparsely populated region of Tuva on Sunday, shaking residents near the Mongolian border from their sleep, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. The epicentre of the quake was some 90km east of the Russian city of Kyzyl in the Tuva region of Siberia. It struck around 0617 GMT (2.17pm Singapore time) at an estimated depth of 11.7km.
It was the second strong quake to rock the region in two months. In December, coal mining operations in Russia’s largest coal producing region, the Kuzbass, were suspended when a 6.9 magnitude quake hit near Kyzyl. Residents in Kyzyl’s city centre gathered outside as the local emergencies ministry warned of potential aftershocks.

**I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough
to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles,
the character of an honest man.**
George Washington

LARGEST QUAKES –
This morning –
5.3 TARAPACA, CHILE
5.0 SOUTHWESTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
6.8 SOUTHWESTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
5.7 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.1 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.9 TAIWAN

Yesterday –
2/25/12 –
5.1 KURIL ISLANDS
5.2 SAMAR, PHILIPPINES
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS
5.2 KURIL ISLANDS
5.2 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.2 MAUG ISLANDS REG, N. MARIANA IS.

2/24/12 –
5.1 SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
5.3 MOLUCCA SEA
5.2 NORTHERN COLOMBIA
5.0 LEYTE, PHILIPPINES

Japan’s earthquake could bode ill for U.S. Pacific Northwest – Scientists are still unraveling last year’s giant earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and some of what they’re finding doesn’t bode well for the Pacific Northwest. Detailed analyses of the way the Earth warped along the Japanese coast suggest that shaking from a Cascadia megaquake could be stronger than expected along the coasts of Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. “The Cascadia subduction zone can be seen as a mirror image of the Tohoku, (Japan) area.”
In Japan, the biggest jolts occurred underwater. The seafloor was displaced by 150 feet or more in some places, triggering the massive tsunami. But in the Northwest, it’s the land that will be rocked hardest — because the Pacific coast here lies so close to the subduction zone. “The ground motions that we have from Tohoku may actually be an indication that there could be much stronger shaking in the coastal areas of British Columbia, Washington and Oregon.” Cities like Seattle, Portland and Vancouver, B.C., are far enough from the coast that they might dodge the most violent hammering. But all of the urban areas sit on geologic basins that can amplify ground motion like waves in a bathtub. The U.S. Geological Survey is already at work on a new analysis of how hard the ground is likely to shake and how close the rupture zone might come to urban areas the next time the Cascadia subduction zone really lets loose. The last time was in 1700, and the resulting quake was a magnitude 9 — just like the monster that struck Japan on March 11, 2010.
Japanese scientists are struggling to answer several haunting questions: Why was the quake so big? How did the tsunami swell to such giant proportions? And why was it such a surprise to the world’s most earthquake-savvy nation? Seismologists were fooled by a series of small quakes that rocked the area every 35 years or so. They believed each small quake relieved the pressure on the subduction zone — the boundary where two geologic plates slip past each other as the ocean floor shoves under the continent. Now they realize strain continues to build until the series of small quakes is punctuated by a giant one about every 700 years. Similar quakes and tsunamis struck in the years 869 and 1896, but Japanese scientists failed to look far enough into their own history.
The longest record for a subduction zone is from Cascadia, where scientists have linked buried marshes and submarine landslides with a series of about 22 megaquake quakes going back 10,000 years. The time between quakes ranges from 200 to 1,000 years, with an average of about 500 years. There’s no obvious “supercyle” of supergiant quake in Japan. But it is clear that quakes on Cascadia have varied in size. Some geologists argue the magnitude-9 quake 300 years ago was simply average and that the Northwest has been slammed by quakes twice as big in the distant past. Most earthquake scenarios for the Northwest coast project tsunamis of about 30 feet, and scientists still don’t know how much that needs to be ratcheted up post-Tohoku. Walls of water up to 120 feet high washed away entire communities on the Japanese coast. “Does Cascadia also have a 40-meter tsunami coming onshore?”
One emerging theory suggests seafloor topography might be key. Oceanic plates dotted with mountains seem to hang up and slip more frequently as they scrape under continental plates. The result is a series of smaller quakes that occur when segments of the fault break. Giant quakes seem to occur most frequently where the seafloor is smooth and featureless, as off the Northwest coast. With no surface bumps and hills to interfere, the two plates can stick together over vast distances. When they slip, the whole fault breaks at once.
‘We’ve got a billion dollar problem, but we don’t have a billion dollars.’ – Liquefaction in the recent subduction zone earthquake in Japan caused entire buildings to sink several feet lower than they had been previously. The repercussions of last year’s subduction zone earthquake and tsunami in Japan are now being felt in the Pacific Northwest, as experts and disaster managers better understand the enormous risks facing this region, plan for the challenges ahead and prioritize the most urgent needs.
Before the event, scientists knew that similar concerns faced Oregon, Washington, northern California and British Columbia from the Cascadia Subduction Zone. But they have now seen how such long-lasting events produce soil “liquefaction” far worse than expected, the potential for devastated roads and bridges, a collapsed infrastructure and even threats to their economic future. “Just in Oregon we’ve got a billion dollar problem, but we don’t have a billion dollars. The challenge for Oregon and our neighboring states is to prioritize the concerns, and figure out some way to preserve the most critical lifelines – key roads, airports, port facilities and utility networks. In Japan, nearly 30,000 people died, many in the days after the disaster because no one could reach them. We don’t want that to happen here, and we don’t want our economy to collapse.”
The Japanese event has galvanized some action, but much more remains to be done. It prompted the legislature to call for an Oregon Resilience Plan that will explore many of these issues – an emergency transportation plan, needed seismic upgrades, ways to protect life and public safety and allow a shattered region to rebuild. One of the primary lessons from Japan is the enormous damage done by liquefaction – a continued shaking of the ground that turns soils into mush. In events such as this, it is amplified by the sheer length of the event, an earthquake that can shake not just for 30 seconds but up to five minutes.
Many of the soils in Portland, parts of the Willamette Valley and other areas of Oregon, Washington and California are particularly vulnerable to this phenomenon, , which can magnify the distance and extent of damage. “In Japan, entire structures were tilting and sinking into the sediments, even while they remained intact. The shifts in soil destroyed water, sewer and gas pipelines, crippling the utilities and infrastructure these communities need to function. We saw some places that sank as much as four feet.” The data provided by analyzing the Japanese earthquake is now being used by OSU and others to improve understanding of this soil phenomenon and better prepare for it. Many areas from northern California to British Columbia have younger soils vulnerable to liquefaction – on the coast, near river deposits or in areas with filled ground. The “young” sediments, in geologic terms, may be those deposited within the past 10,000 years or more. In Oregon, for instance, that describes much of downtown Portland, the Portland International Airport, nearby industrial facilities and other cities and parts of the Willamette Valley.
The Oregon Department of Transportation has concluded that 1,100 bridges in Oregon are at risk, and fewer than 15 percent of them have been retrofitted to prevent collapse. Lateral movement is also a concern. “Buildings that are built on soils vulnerable to liquefaction not only tend to sink or tilt during an earthquake, but slide downhill if there’s any slope, like toward a nearby river. This is called lateral spreading. In Portland we might expect this sideways sliding of more than four feet in some cases, more than enough to tear apart buildings and buried pipelines.” Japan had excellent building codes, researchers say, and was far better prepared for this type of earthquake than the U.S. will be. Much of the “legacy” infrastructure in the Pacific Northwest was built before these risks were known. “The disaster in Japan just clarifies what we need to do. And it’s not something we can do in a year or two, but something that will take a decade or two. At stake are the lives of our people and the future of our economy, and that’s something that should matter to every individual.”

VOLCANOES –

Hawaii – An UNUSUAL seismic swarm is occurring near the summit of Kīlauea volcano, Hawai`i, and continued to increase as of Saturday. The Ka`oiki seismic swarm began about 5 km (3 mi) northwest of Halema`uma`u Crater on 21 February and has produced more than 1000 quakes so far. Increased activity overnight included four magnitude 4+ earthquakes amongst more than 70 additional earthquakes in the past 24 hours. 78 earthquakes were strong enough to be located beneath Kilauea in the past day: 74 quakes were related to the earthquake swarm, 2 were within the upper east rift zone, and 2 were on south flank faults.
Some of the quakes were felt at the Hawai`i Volcano Observatory where the shaking caused books fall off shelves, and minor damage was reported at the Volcano Golf Course, which is the closest inhabited area located about 3 km from the earthquakes’ epicentre. Many of these earthquakes were widely felt on-island. Swarms in this area typically indicate movement between Mauna Loa and Kīlauea volcanoes unrelated to magma migration, but continued long-term pressurization of Kīlauea’s summit complicates the local stress field and may have some bearing on the current seismic activity. Similar swarms have occurred in 1990, 1993, 1997, and 2006, some of which lasted up to several weeks.

Iceland – Katla volcano activity update: Minor earthquake cluster. A cluster of minor earthquakes has been showing up under the Katla volcano caldera. This has been following a gradual increase in seismic activity under Katla during the past few weeks. It could be a signal of new volcanic activity to be expected on a timescale of few weeks to months. A new eruption would probably be heralded by a strong seismic swarm, and could start and build up rapidly. It did so in July 2011 when a sudden increase in earthquake activity occurred and there was an small eruption without warning.

TROPICAL STORMS
No current tropical storms.

The Extinction Protocol: 2012 and beyond

February 26, 2012 – INCOMING CME: Analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab say a coronal mass ejection (CME) will hit Earth’s magnetic field on Feb. 26th at 13:30 UT (+/- 7 hr). The impact could spark a G2-class geomagnetic storm. –Space Weather

G2 class solar storm predicted for earth-bound CME

 

Wyoming state legislators prepare for what amounts to ‘doomsday’

by The Extinction Protocol

February 26, 2012CHEYENNE, WY — State representatives on Friday advanced legislation to launch a study into what Wyoming should do in the event of a complete economic or political collapse in the United States. House Bill 85 passed on first reading by a voice vote. It would create a state-run government continuity task force, which would study and prepare Wyoming for potential catastrophes, from disruptions in food and energy supplies to a complete meltdown of the federal government. The task force would look at the feasibility of Wyoming issuing its own alternative currency, if needed. And House members approved an amendment Friday by state Rep. Kermit Brown, R-Laramie, to have the task force also examine conditions under which Wyoming would need to implement its own military draft, raise a standing army, and acquire strike aircraft and an aircraft carrier.
The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. David Miller, R-Riverton, has said he doesn’t anticipate any major crises hitting America anytime soon. But with the national debt exceeding $15 trillion and protest movements growing around the country, Miller said Wyoming — which has a comparatively good economy and sound state finances — needs to make sure it’s protected should any unexpected emergency hit the U.S. Several House members spoke in favor of the legislation, saying there was no harm in preparing for the worst. “I don’t think there’s anyone in this room today what would come up here and say that this country is in good shape, that the world is stable and in good shape — because that is clearly not the case,” state Rep. Lorraine Quarberg, R-Thermopolis, said. “To put your head in the sand and think that nothing bad’s going to happen, and that we have no obligation to the citizens of the state of Wyoming to at least have the discussion, is not healthy.” Wyoming’s Department of Homeland Security already has a statewide crisis management plan, but it doesn’t cover what the state should do in the event of an extreme nationwide political or economic collapse. In recent years, lawmakers in at least six states have introduced legislation to create a state currency, all unsuccessfully. University of Wyoming political science professor Jim King said the potential for a complete unraveling of the U.S. government and economy is “astronomically remote” in the foreseeable future. –Trib

Very Strong Earthquake Hits Taiwan + Video

http://www.earth-issues.com/2012/02/26/very-strong-earthquake-hits-taiwan-causing-minor-damage-video/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=very-strong-earthquake-hits-taiwan-causing-minor-damage-video

 

Friday, February 24, 2012

**Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected.**
George Washingtonhttp://globaldisasterwatch.blogspot.com/2012/02/friday-february-24-2012.html

LARGEST QUAKES –
This morning –
5.0 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION

Yesterday –
2/23/12 –
5.0 NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.2 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
5.1 OFFSHORE CHIAPAS, MEXICO
5.2 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.3 SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
5.2 FIJI REGION

Earth’s ‘rhythmic throbbing’ may lead to extinctions every 60 million years – A mysterious cycle of booms and busts in marine biodiversity over the past 500 million years could be tied to a periodic uplifting of the world’s continents. Researchers discovered periodic increases in the amount of the isotope strontium-87 found in marine fossils. The timing of these increases corresponds to previously discovered low points in marine biodiversity that occur in the fossil record roughly every 60 million years. “Strontium-87 is produced by radioactive decay of another element, rubidium, which is common in igneous rocks in continental crust. So, when a lot of this type of rock erodes, a lot more Sr-87 is dumped into the ocean, and its fraction rises compared with another strontium isotope, Sr-86.” An uplifting of the continents is the most likely explanation for this type of massive erosion event.
“Continental uplift increases erosion in several ways. First, it pushes the continental basement rocks containing rubidium up to where they are exposed to erosive forces. Uplift also creates highlands and mountains where glaciers and freeze-thaw cycles erode rock. The steep slopes cause faster water flow in streams and sheet-wash from rains, which strips off the soil and exposes bedrock. Uplift also elevates the deeper-seated igneous rocks where the Sr-87 is sequestered, permitting it to be exposed, eroded, and put into the ocean.”
The massive continental uplift suggested by the strontium data would also reduce sea depth along the continental shelf where most sea animals live. That loss of habitat due to shallow water could be the reason for the periodic mass extinctions and periodic decline in diversity found in the marine fossil record. “What we’re seeing could be evidence of a ‘pulse of the earth’ phenomenon. There are some theoretical works which suggest that convection of mantle plumes, rather like a lava lamp, should be coordinated in periodic waves.” The result of this convection deep inside the earth could be a rhythmic throbbing – almost like a cartoon thumb smacked with a hammer – that pushes the continents up and down. The data suggests that such pulses likely affected the North American continent. The same phenomenon may have affected other continents as well, but more research will be needed to show that.

VOLCANOES –

Hawaii – Scientists at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory are keeping an eye on a swarm of small earthquakes around the active Kilauea volcano. The swarm of small earthquakes was located about three miles from the summit of Kilauea volcano on the Big Island. More than 60 earthquakes were recorded after 1 am Wednesday.

TROPICAL STORMS
No current tropical storms.

Another Tropical Cyclone May Target Madagascar – The southwestern Indian Ocean could see a new tropical cyclone by Sunday. Were a cyclone to form in the area, it could pose a threat to Madagascar, which was dealt a destructive blow by Severe Tropical Giovanna in mid-February. Likewise, the Mascarene Islands, Mauritius and Reunion, could also feel the effects of any cyclone in the area.
The area favorable for development of a tropical cyclone will be a broad swatch of warm tropical ocean well east of northern Madagascar. Once formed, steering winds would then guide the weather system to the west and southwest. Destructive landfall by Giovanna happened shortly after midnight on Feb. 14 near Toamasina, on the east coast of Madagascar. The storm swept inland, unleashing torrential rain and damaging winds in the capital, Antananarivo. (map)
Killer Cyclone Giovanna dumping sediment into Indian Ocean – Throw a 145-mph tropical cyclone accompanied by 10 inches of rain against a low-lying coastline, and you get flooding that New Orleanians can easily understand. The most recent such incident is the horseshoe-shaped path of the Indian Ocean Tropical Cyclone Giovanna, which made landfall on the narrow east coast plain of Madagascar as a Category 4 storm on Feb. 9. Giovanna cut across the island’s mountainous plateau center before entering the channel separating it from Mozambique, and then curved south and back east around the island’s southern tip, churning back into the Indian Ocean, where it was still producing 30-mph winds Wednesday. Giovanna has killed at least 23 people in Madagascar and left about 190,000 homeless in the last week. The sediment-choked Onibe River on Saturday was delivering a thick plume of sediment to the Indian Ocean, similar to the sediment delivered to the Gulf of Mexico by the rain-swollen Mississippi River last fall. But Madagascar’s narrow range of topography, dropping from 9,436 feet to sea level over just 75 miles, results in fast-moving water picking up huge amounts of mud and debris as Giovanna exited the area. (photo)

HEAVY SNOW / EXTREME COLD –

India – Sixteen soldiers killed in avalanches. Two massive avalanches in snowbound regions of Indian-controlled Kashmir have killed at least 16 soldiers, and at least three others were feared trapped in a military camp that was partially buried under snow.

HEALTH THREATS –

H5N1 bird flu infection may be more common, less deadly, than thought.

Canning, is one of the ways that many people are looking at how to solve the food storage and preservation issues.  It’s been used for some time now, it’s reliable and somewhat portable into a time when the social and manufacturing structure completely breaks down.

One of the ongoing issues with canning is that the lids are not reusable.  Many people try to solve this problem by purchasing extra supplies of lids for their canning jars. However, this is still a relatively short term solution to what may be a very long term dilemma. Eventually, we would run out of these lids.

Now, we have another option, reusable canning lids.  These reusable lids could last a lifetime, and perhaps be inherited by the following generations if they are cared for properly. For now, the one place I have found them manufactured is Tattler.  These lids are starting to pop up on places like Lehman’s, SurvivalBlog, and in some of the more commonly known online canning supply stores.

And they can be bought in bulk. I am very excited about this. Locally, we are talking with other people to see if we can go in together to buy these lids in bulk.

Here’s the site if you want to check it out for yourself: Tattler Canning Lids  Be sure to explore the site, read the reviews and blogs, you’ll learn a lot about canning if you do so.

Courtesy  of  Edina

Monday, February 20, 2012

Media ratchets up fear of another major earthquake in Japan – So-called megathrust earthquakes such as the one that struck off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture on March 11, 2011, tend to occur in pairs, with a relatively short gap between them. Such was the case in the Ansei Era (November 1854 through March 1860), during which Japan was successively shaken by several major earthquakes. Since January, several weekly magazines, as well as sports tabloids, have produced a stream of copy about the inevitability of the next big one. “Resign yourself that an M8 quake beneath Tokyo and an M9 quake in the Tokai region are imminent!” screams a headline.
For those in the Tokyo metropolitan area, one of the scariest prospects is for a so-called shuto chokka-gata quake of the magnitude 8 class, which last occurred in 1703. Chokka means “directly beneath,” but this does not mean such a quake’s epicenter would necessarily be under the center of Tokyo, but rather somewhere within a large area that ranges between southern Ibaraki in the northeast to Kanagawa’s boundary with Shizuoka in the southwest. Since 1894, five large quakes ranging from magnitude 6.7 to magnitude 7.2, have occurred therein, with the epicenter of two in Ibaraki (1895 and 1921), one in Tokyo (1894), one off the coast of Chiba (1987) and one near the entrance to Tokyo Bay (1922).
Guessing where the next one will strike is like playing Russian roulette with a revolver with chambers for 18 bullets. On a list drawn up by the Cabinet Office in 2005, each scenario contains an estimate of human fatalities and number of structures suffering damage. Quakes between magnitude 6.9 and 7.3 centered at the north, east, or west of Tokyo Bay, for example, are projected to kill between 11,000 and 12,000 people and damage or destroy some 680,000 to 850,000 buildings. These three, however, are worst-case scenarios and the damage from a quake occurring on the region’s outer fringes would be much less. In any event, havoc is likely to ensue. A scenario of what could be expected to transpire in Tokyo in the first week following a major earthquake points out that 70 percent of Tokyo’s water mains are unprepared for a major quake. Repair costs to water mains from a Tokyo quake of the same scale as the one last March 11 would run several tenfolds that of the damage incurred in Tohoku. And the power utility may need as long as 55 days to restore electric power to 1.9 million households.
As for harbingers of impending geological activity, reportsare coming in that bats in caves at the foothills of Mt. Fuji have begun to behave erratically since last December. Are their sensitive ears picking up the nascent rumbles of a major volcanic eruption? What really drove the needle against the pin on the scare-o-meter was the front page story in the Yomiuri Shimbun of Jan. 23, which cited a team of seismologists at the University of Tokyo who were quoted as having estimated the probability of a major quake beneath Tokyo as 70 percent within the next four years. With such a probability, ‘by the time this column is printed, the quake might have already occurred’.
A point of contention arose, however, over the estimate cited by the Todai team, which appears to have been based on analysis of the frequency of aftershocks following the March 11 disaster off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture through September. The number has tapered off sharply since then. The publishing of such figures points to “a decline in the quality of journalism,” because the writer cherry-picked the figures without providing other data that mitigates their impact. The newspapers are now even worse than the weekly magazines. Since readership is in decline, their reporters want to run figures that catch readers’ attention. Then that gets amplified by TV networks and the weekly magazines. This suggests Japanese journalism is in its final throes of terminal illness.” “Stated simply, for each incremental increase in quake magnitude, the number of earthquakes declines to one-tenth. For every 10 magnitude-5 quakes occurring, there will be one magnitude 6. While the total number of earthquakes between March and September of last year were sevenfold that of a normal year, if the number from September is extended through to present, the figure drops to just threefold. So that should make the likelihood of a major quake in Tokyo 80 percent over the next 30 years and less than 50 percent over the next four years.”

**Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation;
for it is better to be alone than in bad company.**
George Washington

LARGEST QUAKES –
This morning –
5.4 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
5.0 KYRGYZSTAN

Yesterday –
2/19/12 –
5.3 NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.1 FIJI REGION
5.1 CROZET ISLANDS REGION [2006 km (1246 miles) SSE of Mozambique]

Iranian Experts to Manufacture Earthquake Prediction Satellite – Iranian researchers plan to manufacture a law-altitude satellite which helps predict earthquakes from space. The satellite dubbed Ayat (Signs) will help predict the time of earthquakes for the first time in the country. The Deputy Head of Iran’s Industrial and Scientific Studies Center for Innovation and International Cooperation said the satellite would identify the signals sent out from the earth before or after the earthquake, adding the satellite weighs 50-70 kg and would be placed in a lower altitude.
He stressed some countries including France, China and Russia are working in this regard, noting Ayat satellite possesses a key role in processing the seismic disturbances before and after the shocks.
Basic studies have been carried out and the practical process will begin after the required budget is provided.
Iran sits astride several major faults in the earth’s crust, and is prone to frequent earthquakes, many of which have been devastating. The worst in recent times hit Bam in southeastern Kerman province in December 2003, killing 31,000 people – about a quarter of its population – and destroying the city’s ancient mud-built citadel. The deadliest quake in the country was in June 1990 and measured 7.7 on the Richter scale. About 37,000 people were killed and more than 100,000 injured in the northwestern provinces of Gilan and Zanjan. It devastated 27 towns and about 1,870 villages. Tehran alone sits on two major fault lines, and the capital’s 14 million residents fear a major quake.

New Zealand – Five thousand earthquakes after the devastating February 22 tremor, Canterbury’s aftershock sequence has a recognisable personality. Seismologists looking at 12 months of data have found that the frequency and size of the aftershocks is similar to the seismic aftermath observed in eastern Californian and Tasmanian events, where the tremors lasted decades but were increasingly smaller in scale.
Since the original rumble in September 2010, 10000 quakes have rattled Canterbury. More than 5500 of these have occurred since the deadly February 2011 quake re-energised the sequence, and 214 of these tremors were magnitude 4 or larger. The Darfield aftershock sequence is expected to last for 30 years, with tremors tailing off gradually until they are unnoticeable. Cantabrians repeatedly asked whether they were experiencing a particularly vicious sequence, in particular when a magnitude 5.8 earthquake occurred two days before Christmas. Seismologists say the Darfield sequence was not violent compared with historical records. In contrast, Sumatra is still experiencing moderate-size quakes eight years after the magnitude 9.1 quake which caused the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004.
But unlike the Sumatran sequence, the Canterbury quakes were limited to a smaller geographic area, and have been particularly hard on Christchurch’s central city. “We had the misfortune of the quakes migrating into the city and staying in the city for a while. But now we’re seeing them migrating away.” GNS Science’s latest computer modelling shows there is an 8% chance of a 5.5 to 5.9 magnitude tremor in the next month and 2% chance of a magnitude 6 to 6.4 quake.
Why the city suffered so badly –
* 60km to 80km of the earth’s crust has experienced a stress change, meaning the aftershock sequence will last about 30 years.
* Horizontal ground motions 1.7 times the force of gravity were larger than expected.
* One reason for this could be the way the fault ruptured towards Christchurch (it had strong “directivity”).
* Upper and lower layers of the earth separated during the quake, then “slapped” back together, producing very high impacts (known as the trampoline effect).
* The hard rock under Banks Peninsula may have compounded the effect of the quake by reflecting seismic activity back towards the city.
* There were “remarkably high” levels of stress built up under Canterbury’s soil.
* High water tables trapped energy in the top layers of soil in some areas, boosting liquefaction.
* Liquefaction caused the worst damage to land and buildings, including many CBD high-rises.
* Deep-seated landslides caused the most damage in the southern Port Hills.
* Critical structural elements in buildings built between 1976 and 1992 failed.

VOLCANOES –

Alert level raised for a new remote Alaska volcano – The Alaska Volcano Observatory has raised the alert level for Kanaga Volcano in the remote Aleutian Islands. in the remote Aleutian Islands. Scientists on Saturday said possible explosive activity and a likely ash cloud indicate new unrest at the volcano, leading it to raise the volcano alert level from normal to advisory. Volcanic tremor was detected at about 6:23 a.m. Saturday. The unrest indicates a possibility for sudden explosions of ash to occur at any time, and ash clouds exceeding 20,000 feet above sea level may develop. Ash clouds above 20,000 feet from Alaska volcanoes are a threat to trans-Pacific air carriers. Kanaga Volcano is located about 1,215 miles southwest of Anchorage.

TROPICAL STORMS
In the Indian Ocean –
-Tropical cyclone 12s (Giovanna) was located approximately 455 nm south-southeast of Antananarivo, Madagascar.
-Tropical cyclone 13s was located approximately 650 nm east of Port Louis, Mauritius.

HEAVY SNOW / EXTREME COLD –

U.S. – Deadly avalanche near ski resort in Washington state – 4 dead. A police spokesperson said the skiers were ”very experienced” and well prepared. Rescuers were dispatched to an out-of-bounds area near Stevens Pass ski resort after reports around noon local time (20:00 GMT). Three were killed and eight skiers declared missing were later accounted for. The resort is located in the Cascade Mountains north-east of Seattle. The Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center warned of a high avalanche danger above 5,000 ft in the Stevens Pass area with a considerable danger at lower levels. The centre said there had been heavy snowfall over the last few days. Another person was killed in a separate incident when a snowboarder went over a cliff at Alpental ski area east of Seattle.

SPACE WEATHER –

AURORAS OVER THE USA – A solar wind stream hit Earth’s magnetic field during the waning hours of Saturday, Feb. 18th. Although the stream was expected, the bright auroras it produced were not. Northern Lights spilled across the Canadian border into US states such as Wisconsin, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota. In Grand Portage, MN. “For an hour and a half we were treated to a green glow peppered with dancing curtains of green, purple and red.” In Nebraska – yes, Nebraska – “I saw auroras on and off for approximately 2 hours from around 9pm to 11pm local time. There was a brief spell where color was visible to the eye with rays and bands.”
This episode might have been amplified by the action of a co-rotating interaction region or “CIR.” CIRs are transition zones between fast and slow solar wind streams. Solar wind plasma piles up in these regions, producing density gradients and shock waves that do a good job of sparking auroras. Local solar wind data suggest that Earth moved through a CIR around 1500 UT on Feb. 18th. (photos)