A lot and not enough. We knew a pandemic was inevitable, yet were unprepared. We know many things are inevitable yet prefer to ignore them.
I haven’t written about the pandemic in a while; perhaps I’ve been numbed out like many of us. But first, note its day 324 since
I wrote this post before the recent coup attempt in Washington, but it’s all still true. Even more so. Time to be blunt. The official
Tennessee is #1. Yay! 1 out of every 100 people are infected with active COVID. Here in Knoxville, where we live, we have a bunch
Only 2 of 50 states are not in red condition for COVID-19. We’ve had almost a complete year to deal with this virus and have
I’m putting these three together. They seem common sense, but then again. I’ll discuss fire further on in more detail. Task Nine Mild: Drowning Prevention
Hand in there. We’ll get to the exciting stuff soon enough. To prevent choking and suffocation There’s a reason certain toys are designated for certain
I know these tasks about the home seem mundane and not as sexy as learning to start a fire with a box and piece of
When we think survival, we picture someone out in the wilderness in a pine tree lean-to, but we spend most of our time in our
Further evaluate the people on your A-Team. Task Five Mild: Evaluate and list the following for you and each member of your A-Team. Name: Overall
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”] [et_pb_row admin_label=”row”] [et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] One size does not fit all. A key step in preparation I found most preparation and survival books
For future tasks, I include specific information about gear and equipment. The items linked are for reference purpose. I personally have all things listed. Feel
Unless you plan on being totally alone in an emergency there are others who are on your “A-Team”. A-TEAM refers to the people you will
Over the next six weeks, I’m going to post every survival task from the Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide, one by one. If you
We are living in a surreal environment in the United States. We have a president who lost an election, claiming he didn’t lose it and
When I consult with clients about the Area Study and preparation for disastrous events, I often run into those who favor a fixed position for
While people focus on election results, COVID-19 is surging on a daily basis. We’ve hit peak and there’s no end in sight. I know of
Despite all the other news, we are in a surge of the FIRST WAVE of COVID-19 and we have no plan to deal with it,
The White House surrendered; hell, they never even fought. But that doesn’t mean we have to. We are at record numbers with no relief in
I just finished updating my Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide and an addition to the new edition is a listing of books I believe
While researching the Donner Party, the thing that struck me wasn’t what everyone focuses on: the cannibalism. That’s almost an afterthought to all the mistakes
I’m in the process of updating all my nonfiction and this morning I went through my free slideshow on useful apps, adding a couple, including
We’ve noticed this summer in Tennessee has been more humid than usual. To the point where working outside is fraught with the danger of heat
“We must share together the bad news and the good news . . . So far, the news has been all bad. If you feel
That’s the latest prediction. Which means a surge and more than double the current death toll coming in the next four months. This is the
I “what if” for a living. What makes Special Forces elite is our planning before the actual mission. Planning for all possible contingencies, on top
Wildfires, hurricanes, COVID-19, and more. 2020 has not been the best of years and it’s not over yet. The Green Beret Pocket-Sized Survival Guide is the survival
Laura is growing in strength. And it won’t be the last of the season. Adding to the problem is evacuating in the midst of a
I wish I could be more optimistic. I am at a certain level—I think the average American is a decent person. The problem now is
The United States just set a record for daily deaths from COVID-19 and people didn’t even blink. The president publicly announced he is destroying the
World War III. The use of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons on a large scale. A series of local conflicts that disrupt trade and commerce
During my recuperation I watched a cheerful movie, Threads, It’s from 1984 and it might seem outdated, but it actually is one of the best
This headline not only should be in an Alanis’ Ironic song, it is the epitome of what our society is going through. A man who
Historians, if there are any in the future, will look back at our current era and be puzzled. They’ll see a society that had access
We are tougher than we think. Humans, like many animals, can adapt to harsh environments and situations. Special Operations training such as Ranger School and
Been out of the net for a few days, but back now, better than ever. It only cost six million dollars but I can jump
Yes, that’s a plane that crashed just short of the runway. Why? Because the pilots shut down the wrong engine. And people in the rear
What’s changed? That’s what I ask myself as I see the push to re-open schools, to have sports start up, and all the rhetoric that’s
The White House is supposed to be our house. The people’s. Yet now it is surrounded by barricades and walls. And the occupant blames the
Gives you a basic Grab-n-Go bag. Whether it’s just a short jaunt in the woods or a longer day-hike, these are things everyone should carry
We are in a lose-lose-lose situation. If you remember War Games, the movie from 1983, in the end the computer decides the only way to
It didn’t need to happen. Really. Logic and science said it would; but both were ignored. So states re-opened, after never really shutting down and
I’ve been updating my free slideshows on various survival and life preparedness information. The latest are in the subject and gathered on one page HERE.
I’ve done a lot of research on both natural and man-made disasters. Also on survival. Certain things kept coming up in after-action reports that people
That sums up the apocalypse that is the United States. Betsy DeVos, Sec of Education, summed up this administration’s approach to the pandemic this morning
2020 needs a do-over. But that’s not going to happen. A lot of people are in denial right now but here is reality: Nothing is
Wildfires can be devastating. They’ve wiped out entire communities. They can occur in many different places. They’re fast, often over-running those who wait too long
Above is the weekly trend. It aint good. To understate a bit. The Federal government never really took charge when the pandemic struck. At first
We also don’t do logic. Or common sense. We do what we ‘believe’. And what we believe is often wrong. Why did we even shut
As we enter the July 4th weekend and temperatures are soaring, we have to be careful out there. It’s not just COVID-19. Hot weather can
There’s no other way to title our current reality. Science doesn’t care what your political beliefs are. Nor your religious beliefs. It doesn’t care what
I just redid my free slideshow, with links, for the Grab-N-Go bag, updating a number of items. This is a critical thing everyone should have.
IRP stands for Immediate Rally Point. This is a point outside of your home where your family can gather if they have to evacuate the
Today is the 144th Anniversary of the Battle of the Little Big Horn, or as the winners call it, the Battle of the Greasy Grass.
Yes, it’s day 105. But here in TN we’re seeing cases increase. If you live in Florida, Arizona or Texas, it’s really surging. No matter
Remember, many of us don’t have phone numbers memorized. We rely on the address book of our cell phone, but in an emergency, that might
I wrote my first draft of The Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide about a decade ago. I did my first version of a free
And it’s even worse than the reported information. We know a number of states are playing fast and loose with their numbers and under-reporting. Also,
Facts are facts. There is no vaccine for COVID-19 We are over 110,000 confirmed deaths due to COVID-19. The true number, given we know many
Yes, I was off a day yesterday. Damn time travel. Got me a loop. I’d explain it but then we’d have to use straws and
Hell of a Town is available now in eBook and print. The fourth installment of the Will Kane, Green Beret series, it takes place in
The glass is half full, and there’s a crack in it. Sadly, we’re seeing a surge in infections in a number of states that have
As I write this, the class of 2020 is marching single-file, social distanced, onto the Plain at West Point where their chairs are set far
Numbers are spiking in 21 states—reported numbers, which in many of those states is far below the real numbers. Most of the states are red
I started writing a post about how certain states are suppressing the true numbers of deaths from COVID-19 and the spread and I just don’t
The note is what Eisenhower penned in case the D-Day landings failed. The most obvious part of it is that he was going to take
As a fiction writer, we often discuss “suspension of disbelief”. What that means is getting the reader so caught up in the story, that they
For over three years we’ve been subjected a nonstop barrage of “alternate facts”. In essence, an alternate reality as envisioned in the mind of the
The usual lines are being drawn: for and against protests. The difference this time is that we have a president actively inciting violence. It’s all
As we watch major industries such as the airlines implode, I wonder how many had a plan for a pandemic? After seeing the utter debacle
The official death toll passed 100,000 in the United States today. We know its vastly under-counting in many ways. For example, pneumonia deaths in Florida
I went to the grocery store last week for our bi-monthly resupply. It seemed to me that some shelves were barer than before. Meat was
Humans beings once crowded men, women and children, including newborns, into gas chambers by the hundreds and killed them. Again and again and again. That
The helicopter flies over you, carrying them to the airport; but not the part where you have to go through security and take your shoes
The spread of Giardia has made most water sources that you used to be able to trust, unsafe. Whatever purification system you use, make sure
We are undergoing a psychological condition called ‘derealization’. It’s a dissociative disorder which involves disruptions or breakdowns of memory, consciousness, awareness, identity, and/or perception. It’s
And, technically, it is pocket-sized if you put it on your phone in the Kindle ap. But the print size is shown above against an
I’ll get back to more information on water tomorrow, but today I’m in a state of shock over the images from Wisconsin, where their supreme
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
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,
