I wrote Z: Final Countdown years ago after reading The Hot Zone. It’s free through the 6th and in Kindle Unlimited. As a fiction writer
The Green Beret Pocket Sized Survival Guide is free today through the 21st of August: Download the kindle version and have it on your phone.
Because understanding the possible threats and dangers where you live is so critical, as evidenced by recent events, I’m giving away my Green Beret Area
Most survival books focus on the survival aspect. The Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide has that, but first, it focuses on preparation. What to
Popular media is full of post-Apocalyptic shows. Walking Dead, The Last of Us, Earth Abides, etc. The same with movies showing Apocalyptic events where a
We’re besieged by advice, information and equipment to help us prepare and survive. How do you sort through it all? What is the most efficient
There are many variables when we consider the possible disasters, emergencies, accidents, etcetera that we could face both on a day-to-day basis and long term.
Because we know we need to do something, but we’re not sure what, and there’s just so much other stuff to do in day-to-day living
I predicted a pandemic when I wrote the first draft of my Survival Guide in 2001. That doesn’t make me a genius. Anyone who spent
It’s doubtful that 2022 will be better. I keep getting asked what are the priorities for preparation that someone should do. Of course, it would
Despite the massive buildup of Russian forces on their border, and the fact they’ve been in conflict with Russia for years from a previous invasion,
We’ve all seen it. Whether in person or in film. Something bad is happening or going to happen and people rush to the stores and
Dawn comes this day with thousands of drivers trapped in freezing temperatures on I-95 in Virginia. A number of circumstances collided to produce this; one
Which is a hard thing to pull off. With a stellar cast led by DiCaprio, Blanchette, Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Ariana Grande, and more, this movie
Killer tornadoes. Killer Heat Dome. Unprecedented Drought. Texas Freeze. Killer hurricanes. Floods. Record heat waves. The poles melting. And, oh yeah, two years into a
This is one of the basics of preparation, yet many of us fail to do this. Scan and securely store in cloud and on thumb
When discussing preparation, a key element that is overlooked is knowledge. Knowledge is invaluable. We simply can’t be experts on everything from first aid to
Officially known as The Epidemic Prevention and Water Purification Department of the Kwantung Army in Manchuria. Realizing that they would be behind the west in
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
This is one of the four basics items needed: Task Eighteen Mild: If you don’t have one, get an emergency radio for your home. Example:
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
It is unlikely your team will all be in the same place when a disaster strikes. We are overly reliant on cell phone communication. In
Let’s resume our preparation Tasks. To recap, you already have your emergency supply of water and you’ve made your home safer. This makes sense since
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
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’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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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,
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,
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
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
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.
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
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
