2020 Pandemic
Day 63: 2020 Pandemic. Water is Life’s Essential
While water does not appear to be priority for most people in terms of the pandemic, it is a priority for survival if some other
May 13, 2020
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While water does not appear to be priority for most people in terms of the pandemic, it is a priority for survival if some other
Beyond the Four Basics and doing an Area Study, the next priority is having a Grab-N-Go bag. At least one. I have one in the
Official reports show that 33,000,000 Americans have filed for unemployment in the past month. The equivalent of the work force for half the states in
We wasted the last two months. That’s what historians will focus on. Why did we shut things down and not aggressively test? What good did
It was a good day, even while many, including my father, were still fighting in the Pacific Theater. Many historians have traced the origins of
When I watched Contagion years ago, I thought it was reasonably well done but really underestimated the degree of societal breakdown that such a pandemic
I was checking my accounts and it seems somewhere in early March my Medium account switched from being linked to my Twitter account to my
There is a term in economics called sunk cost. It means expenses in a business which are made and cannot be recovered, no matter what
I studied World War I at West Point. We all know about the Great Depression that began in 1929. But the 1920s? All I know
Facts: On the day that TN/LA/TX and GA report the most cases and most deaths in the previous 24 hours, those states are relaxing their
We’ve now seen armed protestors storming state capitols a couple of times. Today it was Michigan. What’s amazing is that it’s legal for them to
I’ve been out of the net for a couple of days meandering in the Jeep in the Smoky Mountains with Scout. We explored the Cherokee
My wife and I have been looking to move for a while now. For the first time, even before this pandemic, one of the considerations
Someone asked me if I was incensed when I saw that Trump had ordered the Academy to hold graduation so he could speak. Actually, I
I’m watching kids being dropped off by their parents to a house across the street where there’s a big sign congratulating a daughter on her
California was shaking the other morning. We had deadly tornadoes in this area last week killing 33 that would have been front page news except
The diagram seems to suggest the curve is flattening, which would be good news. The reality is testing is so poor in terms of numbers,
We’ve heard all the news about the need for ventilators; a big reason for that is because by the time many people are admitted to
Here is a useful page where you can enter your zip code and get local information about COVID-19: https://www.cnn.com/resources/coronavirus-information/ Here is a page on the
Because I need to get back to practical things for a moment and put aside my rage/anguish over what is happening to the United States.
Listening to the news today it felt like a lot of people are acting like we’re on the downslope of this pandemic, while I feel
The saying above is a truism. Most Americans have been living in a bubble most of our lives. Protected from a harsher reality. Even now,
Okay, a little too much Westworld. But really? We haven’t evolved very far. That’s what Westworld is all about. The old classic Battlestar Galactica question:
A happy picture, although they are not adhering to social distancing, of Scout and Cool Gus in my office with Tigger ready to pounce in
The day I blew out my eye riding my bike up Foothills Parkway and gaining 2,000 feet in altitude, one of the reasons I did
The image is supposed to be of 10,000 people lined up, waiting for a food bank to open in San Antonio. I’ve seen similar lines
Change is incredibly hard. Most of what we do is habit. This pandemic is upsetting those habits and teaching us new ones. Hopefully positive ones.
In the midst of all the bad and the negativity and the naysayers and deniers, it’s important to carve out some time to be grateful.
The picture is of volunteers standing outside a medical center in Italy. They’re holding bags of food to hand out to those less fortunate. Italy
The map above is the estimate chances of an epidemic across the country. The darker, the worse. I sometimes wonder how this event will be
The first thing I have people do in my Survival Guide, and when I conduct Survival Workshops, is an Area Study. Why? Because everyone’s situation
Got your attention? Sadly, if you’re reading this, I’ve probably had your attention. I despair of the stupidity and willful ignorance in this country. We
Is not good. This isn’t going to be over any time soon. Honestly, as I type one-eyed, I vacillate on the outlook. There are two
I haven’t posted the map in a while. Note Florida is heating up. These maps and all the numbers are really skewed by how few
Long day of trying to rest my eye after the surgery—supposed to spend most of the day on my left side as well as all
Pandemics don’t just come and then disappear. They come in waves; hopefully smaller and smaller waves, but until we have a vaccine, COVID-19 will be
I’m a big fan of SOPs—standing operating procedures. These are ones I received from a reader, Fred, and I think they make sense PROTOCOL WHEN
Hard as it is to believe, we are still just in the early stages of the pandemic. The number above has been ticking down. Yesterday
My surgery went well, did a follow up with doctor today and he said eye looks good, but I’m out of commission for a while.
I’d mentioned this before. That the unexpected will occur. As we hunker down here, I have an unexpected medical emergency. I never had surgery for
There are many who think we’ll be okay in two or three months. Wrong. Two things to consider: The fact we have no coordinated federal
Change is incredibly difficult. A little change brings discomfort. A lot of change brings fear. There is a very thin line between discomfort and fear.
Saw this last night and passing it on. Very much worth watching. PLEASE! Take this virus seriously. If the government won’t do it, we must
We canceled our home delivery of the NY Times 2 weeks ago. My morning ritual used to be to walk down to the mailbox with
Every training environment I was in, and every unit I served with in the Army emphasized leadership. From West Point, to Infantry Officer Basic and
I’m not a glass half full; glass half empty guy. I’m a “what’s in the damn glass?” person. To understand my psyche, realize I’ve written
My son just forwarded me the California lockdown order; which is probably a week late, or early, depending on your perspective. It’s a huge pain
The less you have to go out, the better. Hopefully you’ve stocked up as much food and supplies as you can. Your freezer and fridge
At one time in Special Forces, my team was given the mission to parachute into a certain place and conduct covert surveillance on various targets
There are those who are still blowing SARS-CoV-2 off, comparing it to the flu or, because of the coronavirus label, to the strains of coronavirus
Lots of closures, some optional, many mandatory. Without clear Federal oversight, states and local governments are doing what they can. I drove to the woods
We “know” SARS-CoV-2 is well beyond containment. Schools are being closed, athletic events canceled, etc. In larger cities, more and more activities are being shuttered.
these next six weeks or so, even though it is likely almost all of us will eventually be exposed to the virus (ie it’s not
A woman said they were going to the store and someone yelled to them from a car. She went over and there was an older
CDC is reporting 1,215 cases of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19/Coronavirus. Pick your name. The first is the technical one. The latter is what everyone is calling it, but
This is based on recent observations, mostly from China, and medical journals, and is ongoing, but these appear to be trends: Coronavirus spreads slower than
According to the World Health Organization, the chart below shows the differences between all three. Remember, though, each can manifest differently in different people, but
This is a review that was left on The Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide on Amazon and it hits exactly what I was aiming
Yes, SARS-CoV-2, is the official name of this form of Coronavirus. I think people don’t want to use the SARS term as it stands for
There’s a Good Chance We Will Be Exposed to the Coronavirus. Caveat: I am not a doctor and just referring to the information I have
I’ve had a new version of The Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide out for some months now. But given recent events, I wanted to
What makes Special Forces elite is our training and, most importantly, our planning. Before going on a mission, we would conduct “Isolation” where we would
Researching available data, I’ve summarized the information in this free slideshow. I’m not a doctor or scientist, just a practical person. In Special Forces what
It’s too late to prepare after a disaster or emergency strikes. People are finding this out now as they realize they can’t buy facemasks, either
There’s considerable disinformation and confusion about the extent of the virus. Some of it is deliberate propaganda. Some of it is exaggeration. Nevertheless, the virus
The Novel Writers Toolkit is on sale for only .99 for the next few days. “A book to inspire, instruct and challenge the writer in
Several years ago, I became very interested in a television show titled Seconds From Disaster, which aired on National Geographic. Over the seasons it covered
It seems like a headline from a current newspaper but this was 1969. And one of those was the commander of the Fifth Special Forces
The publishing business makes little logical sense. That’s because it’s part of the “entertainment business.” The first word, entertainment refers to emotion, while business refers
I’ve examined the balance of power in the United States in several of my books because the Founding Fathers never intended their work to last
Free today are my two bestselling nonfiction titles: Who Dares Wins: Special Operations Strategies for Success and The Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide. They
In an era of coronavirus, wildfires, drought, power outages, tsunamis etc, we know we have to do some preparation for possible disasters. But if you
While we usually want to avoid conflict in real life, in fiction, it is what drives the characters and story forward toward the climactic scene.
Seven Days in May is one of those rare things: a movie that is better than the source book. The book isn’t bad, but it’s
I’m in the process of updating all my slideshows on writing the novel and got the first four done: Idea, Conflict, Plot and Point of
That’s the way I pitched Nightstalkers. First three books only .99 all of February. When I was flying around with my team in black helicopters,
When I was writing my book Section Eight (Shadow Warriors) which I pitched as a modern day Dirty Dozen, my research revealed that there had
I participated in numerous winter warfare training exercises and deployments with 10th Special Forces, the one Group that is focused on cold weather and high
First off, if it had worked, many of the big problems in our Constitution that had to be incorporated to allow slavery wouldn’t exist and
Given the news out of China and now spreading around the world, we’re seeing what is hopefully only a foreshadowing of what is inevitable: a
The Green Beret Pocket-Sized Survival Guide is now available. It’s an updated and upgraded version of previous guides and designed to fit just about anywhere.
This is the premise of Stuff Doesn’t Just Happen: The Gift of Failure. Two books, each one focusing on seven great disasters of the past.
Any film with M. Emmett Walsh is to be watched. Throw in Frances McDormand? Even better.
There was a young girl who wanted to be a violinist. She practiced hard for many years. Finally, when she was a teenager, her hero,
Passenger on British Midland Flight 92 reflecting on hearing the pilot announce he was shutting down the right engine: “We were thinking: ‘Why is he
The two are somewhat different. There are lots of writing books out there. It seems after a certain number of years writing, each author tries
I’ve just added this section from the Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide to Wattpad, and here is the excerpt below. An Area Study is
First interesting piece of trivia: William Tecumseh Sherman was the first president of the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy, which eventually became
There are several books free for you to start the New Year with! Free today, 1 January 2020 and tomorrow, 2 January, is The
As Australia is learning, wildfires are extremely dangerous. We had one here in the Smokies a couple of years ago that killed a bunch of
Stay dry. Water accelerates the cold and hypothermia. Get out of the wind. Build a shelter. Make it as small as possible. Essentially consider it
I recently noticed the Secretary of State weighing in on his review of a movie. Which is odd, to say the least. I watched The
When I was updating The Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide I read a lot of action reports and interviewed people who’d survived disasters, whether
Most have heard of the Donner Party and we immediately think of the most notorious aspect: the cannibalism. But when I began researching the event
Draft opening of Earth Abides as I pick up the manuscript after being away for a few days house hunting. I’ve always found I have
Every situation is different and this is a guideline. Always make sure your priority is safety for yourself first, then others. You can’t help others
Area 51: Invasion is free today, 12/17 and tomorrow 12/18. The Ancient Enemy has arrived. A Swarm Battle Core is orbiting Earth preparing for the
My review of the material available on being reasonably prepared for man-made and natural disasters uncovered a plethora of confusing and often contradictory information. It’s
And it wasn’t the Caine. I went to the Military Academy, founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1802. Although Jefferson tended to be anti-military, he accepted