08:43 – It was 43F (6C) when when I took Colin out around 0700 this morning, and that may be the high for the next several days. Starting tomorrow evening, forecasts call for cold weather and snow moving in. We’re expecting snow on and off through next Wednesday, with some significant accumulations. The forecast mentions “plowable accumulations”. I just checked and found the woodstove is still there, so we’ll be fine whatever happens.
Barbara is off to the gym and supermarket this morning. When she gets home we’ll work on more science kit stuff.
The more I read about the proposed ObamaCare 2.0, the worse it sounds. This is not what people elected Trump to do. The message we sent was, “we want ObamaCare killed dead and a stake driven through its heart.” The message they apparently heard was, “Yes, sir. May I have some more, sir?”
I’ve understood for fifty years that there’s no difference between the Democrats and Republicans. They’re two sides of the same coin, and as long as we continue to elect politicians from either of these parties, we’re just going to get more of the same. As far as I’m concerned, the Trump administration has already failed, and things are going to continue to get worse and worse. The only thing that will get politicians’ attention is the historical solution, hanging them from lampposts. Don’t expect voting to accomplish anything. It hasn’t for a very long time now, and it won’t in the future. Democratic politicians are essentially 100% progressives and Republicans 95% progressives. So no matter how you vote, you’re voting progressives. That’s the real goal of the progressives, to make sure you don’t have a choice. So let’s starting hanging them from lampposts. And then comes the deluge.
* * * * *
09:13 – For those of you who want to buy serious antibiotics for your ornamental fish, I’ve been recommending David Folsom at aquabiotics.net. I got the following email from him this morning:
It is unlikely that there will again be a credit/debit card processor on the website, or a 3rd-party processor. After Wepay and Square Cash terminated service(prohibited products), I did contact multiple “high risk” merchant service providers, asked them to review the products on the website, and commit to continuous service. None were willing or able to commit. When they will handle transactions for ‘escort service’ and ‘male enhancement’ products but not our products, I assume that there is a “Do not service” list from operation Chokepoint or Pangea, and we have found our way onto that list. The speed with which Square Cash terminated service(4 days) fortifies my suspicion. One of my customers suspect legitscript is the culprit, and he is probably correct. Your tax dollars at work!
I will leave the website up until the contract expires(July 2017) as a point of contact for previous customers. Until then you can contact me through the website, or dcfolsom@aquabiotics.net, or through the other website(rescuehelp.net which DOES accept Paypal) or through dcfolsom@reagan.com. After July the aquabiotics website will probably be shut down, and email the only way to order. I will continue to take and ship email orders indefinitely.
As of now, and probably forever, the only payment methods will be checks and money orders. I will ship product as quickly as possible, but do understand that when the need is urgent, the extra time for USPS to deliver your check and then deliver the product might be excessive. If you need something immediately, let me know. We will find a way.
I thank you all for your trust, patience, and support. Following and attached is the list of current products. If you want to use the spreadsheet to order, change the file attribute from “read only,” enter the quantities wanted and the proper discount, rename the file with your last name and email it back to me. Otherwise, just email your shopping list and I will verify inventory and email back the total invoice amount.
Sincerely,
David Folsom
I’ve ordered from aquabiotics twice. The first time I used the very awkward payment processor David was using because PayPal had banned him. The second time, I sent him a check. In both instances, he shipped exactly what he said he was going to ship, and it arrived quickly via USPS Priority Mail. I wouldn’t hesitate to send him a check if I needed anything more.
Think of the fish!
Thanks for all the fish, Mr. RBT!
23 here and pahtly sunny, you know, that bright overcast thing. No wind.
And the Marines have landed in Syria to hep out wid the artillery. Isn’t that swell?
“From the halls of Quantico, to the shores of Raqqa, too…”
Putting your money where your mouth is dept…
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/10/elon-musk-i-can-fix-south-australia-power-network-in-100-days-or-its-free
Batteries. Lots of batteries.
Mrs. OFD ate some Chinese take-out the other day; we own three cars; I have my hair in a ponytail most of the time.
I am culturally appropriating via my racism and privilege.
Like my suit?
http://thedeclination.com/marxism-the-bug-wearing-an-edgar-suit/
As I keep saying, ad tedium, ad nauseum, just about all the crap we see and hear and that gets dumped on us for the last half-century derives from Marxism or one of its many variants.
Long time lurker here. (I remember when RBT was wedded to Outlook and Frontpage, ahem!)
Prepping in a~900 sq ft 2 BR 2 bath 2nd floor apartment isn’t particularly difficult for this bachelor. 36 cases of #10 FD food make a dandy base for a queen size futon. Skirting material pinned to the cardboard conceals their nature from casual inspection. 22 buckets topped by painted plywood and painter’s tarp skirt is an avant garde behind the couch decorating element for the living room. Another 20 cases fill the space under the clothes and rod in the master closet. Advanced prepping elements like seeds, fish antibiotics, boots, solar panels, lighters, auxiliary heaters, cooking stoves, FLASHLIGHTs, soap, shampoo, peroxide, etc., etc., etc. fill closets and otherwise normal enough household furniture.
It is okay to visibly be a pack rat but not verge into an episode of “hoarders”. Stuff must be enclosed, cased or boxed up to both conceal the contents and keep an adequate amount of clear floor space to polka about. Ya can’t be playing “Twister” to move around. I use “Seville Classics” food grade shelving units and their HD garage locker as attractive enough furniture grade storage and decor. YMMV 🙂
The failure modes that come into play in an apartment setting are FIRE and theft risk, and inadequate fuel and water storage. Essentially, even with filters and an unlikely hydrant wrench there is no way to pre-store anything other than a bare minimum of water. There is a concrete lined drainage ditch behind this building that has never been dry in the decade I’ve been here, however it should be thought of as a superhighway for dysentery and other uglies. Fuel storage is even worse. My unhappy contingency thought is to panic buy a dozen 20lb propane canisters on der Tag and store ’em in the other tub. Not a good plan.
Even though I have my own extinguishers and warning systems are standard good enough pull stations, etc. there is no good way to eliminate FIRE risk with 40 odd units of desperate neighbors after SHTF. There is nothing to be done except plan to move to a single family place BEFORE the main event.
OPSEC is good today but in a more desperate time the parking lot is a longish hike past many windows and doors. Bringing in new supplies, taking out garbage and vehicle security are high risk activities when people are in panic mode.
On the other flipper, apartment dwellers can absolutely withstand any disaster that doesn’t physically damage their unit or only episodically have outages to their common services.
@
Nightraker ,
thanks for sharing, that sounds like some hard core prepping.
Does your complex have shared hot water, hot water for heat, or a cistern for drinking water (rooftop tank)? there may be areas where water is already being stored that you can access…
If you are on the top floor, is there any attic above? Maybe you need an access hatch in your closet ceiling….
Have you got ways to bypass all the doors between you and what you want/need access to? (bump keys, jamb knife, crowbar, etc)
Can you get out of the gated parking lot if there is a long term power failure? Do you know what to ‘pop’ to get the gate open quickly? can you open the gate remotely for arrival of allies?
a fortress makes a good prison….
nick
Child number one woke up with fever and chills last night, has been throwing up. Wife and child headed to Dr at the moment. I guess this weekend is gonna be miserable here in casa de nick…
n
Well now, Nightraker has certainly been on the ball and then some for his apartment. Wow. Hats off, people! Outstanding!
It seems to me you have done as much as can be done for your particular circumstances if you intend to stay there a while longer, although you did not mention any self-defense or commo measures. If feasible, however, I’d start looking seriously for that “…single family place BEFORE the main event.”
Meanwhile is there a storage area or closet or garage or something there for each apartment tenant to use? If so, can it be adequately secured? What about storing fuel and water at a commercial storage facility in your area?
Hats off, nice setup ya got there!
Yeah, congratulations. That’s a hell of a job in a very challenging space.
Thanks for the replies.
Once upon a time, I was the manager for this building and know all it’s little secrets. My storage unit is a sometimes contentious meter room a bit down the hall instead of the chicken wire and 2×4 framed things in the basement. It is, ahem, full of contingency stuff and valuable junk. I get along with the current manager quite well, especially since I am directly above him and there is no soundproofing between.
The building is a 2 story brick veneer on the edge of a rust belt city line with a metro population of a million souls. 90 miles across a state border are another 6 million or so.
The parking lot is well lit, but otherwise unsecured. There are 2 x 200 gallon water heaters in the boiler room. Over the last few years, the owner has replaced the roof, installed all new windows and a new 2 stage boiler for the hydronic heating system. Built in the early 70’s without wall insulation of any kind and bought early in the century by the present owner the place does not show a profit. The management company belongs to the owner’s 2nd wife who sold him his several complexes. Most of the buildings under management are 10+ miles away. We are an unloved but well taken care of outlier. Interesting human and logistical dynamics all around.
After dredging the bottom of the nearby lake, I’m equipped with lead accelerators more than sufficient to withstand any firefights I’m likely to survive. Untested Baofengs and occasionally used CB and SW are present.
This unit’s front door is a SWAT problem, the stud wall next to it, not so much. heh.
I have considered an Anne Frank refuge overhead and the means to do so.
I surveyed several Western states and have researched my plan to move within the next year as much as possible. I am awaiting new capital I am owed but is still in the ether to take that step.
I am of the opinion that Nightraker not only has all his ducks lined up very nicely, but also that he might contribute more often with details concerning all this stuff. Not all of us are in single-family homes in rural areas (yet) and anything concerning prepping is fair game here.
As for the Ann Frank overhead refuge: cool, but remember that she got dimed out by some piece of shit neighbor or family member. OPSEC fail.
First rule is that when the zombie apocalypse begins, it’s far better to be somewhere where zombies are thin on the ground.
Is ObolaCare II the fault of Trump or the RINOs?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-10/avian-influenza-global-spread-concern-for-next-human-pandemic/8342922?WT.ac=localnews_sydney
I’ve got my fingers crossed. I have never had flu (too my knowledge) and don’t want to start now…
Biosecurity expert Dr Scott said Austrlia was not at risk from migratory birds, as those with the virus would be too sick to make the journey, although he said Australia already had its own strains of bird flu carried by waterbirds.
“We are not on these wild bird migratory pathways that go through the South-East Asia, the Middle East, Siberia and places like that,” Dr Scott said.
“The high-risk waterfowl, the ducks, do not migrate from up north down into the Australian area.
Is ObolaCare II the fault of Trump or the RINOs?
I am calling it … Trumpcare.
Just putting everyone in the USA on Medicare would be simpler. Way simpler. And bring on a whole new set of problems. But at least the playing field would be level again. But Paul Ryan’s insurance company contributors would not get paid.
BTW, we do not have a healthcare crisis. We have a healthcare payment crisis.
First rule is that when the zombie apocalypse begins, it’s far better to be somewhere where zombies are thin on the ground.
But not too thin. You’ve got to sleep sometime. You need to group up somehow. Like you are doing in Sparta.
“Tesla Becomes Cheapest Source of Electricity in Hawaii”
http://www.pcmag.com/news/352271/tesla-becomes-cheapest-source-of-electricity-in-hawaii
13.9 cents/kwh would not be cheap here in The Great State of Texas.
We also have a (lack of) health crisis. A shocking percentage of Americans including yours truly are obese. Which increases the risk of developing illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. All of which decrease quality of life and life expectancy. Which drives up health care costs.
Analyzing all the healthcare stuff they’re fooling around with down in Mordor now is beyond my pay grade but it sounds an awful lot like tRump and the Repubs simply moved a couple of pieces around, changed the logo, and different people will rake it in. Other than that, it’s ObolaCARE Lite. And us little people out here will still be screwed.
Got the RAV4 back, finally, and I removed some minor flotsam and jetsam rubbish. And now the left speaker has something wrong with it. I’ll mess around with that but it’s not a huge priority; sound volume is way down or not at all for some reason.
Wife off to horse and another riding lesson out in Enosburg, a good half-hour east of here in the real sticks. Not many Cankles voters out there. Or here, for that matter.
@dave, cut sugar, cut carbs, and you will see a difference. It’s worth it.
nick
Also gotta get some exercise; I’ll be outside a LOT more from now on, either walking or bicycling. Would like to lose the back and sciatica issues, lose 20 pounds off my gut, and increase flexibility in the joints. We’ll see how it goes.
start with the fat loss. The exercise is much easier without the fat. And the fat loss will motivate for the exercise. I’m no expert, but would recommend slow and gentle reentry to stretching and exercise. Think yoga, or beginner pilates. Laying down, doing slow contractions or stretches. (like “pressing your belly button to your spine”. Very hard to do, even laying on your back, to simply tense and hold those muscles after soooo long.) Very little of what most of us even consider ‘exercises’ until rebuilding some of that core. Certainly no calisthenics or running. You are doing this to live longer and better, not die trying. We are most of us not kids anymore, and vigorous exercise out of the blue can kill.
n
We also have a (lack of) health crisis. A shocking percentage of Americans including yours truly are obese. Which increases the risk of developing illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. All of which decrease quality of life and life expectancy. Which drives up health care costs.
Hey, I can give up my candy corn habit anytime I want to !
Why would you want to? The waxy sugary goodness, with all the opportunities for comic teeth? Pishaw!
n
For tRumpcare, will obesity be an existing condition?
CowboySlim: BMI = 21.5
Stu, you need to lose weight!
OFD: BMI = 29
And I don’t smoke or drink and get 8-9 hours of sleep per night.
Lotsa peeps are obese here because they have zero will power and not much else to do outside of work than stare at pixels and eat junk every night and weekend. They won’t last long in a SHTF scenario.
I might not either, being 63 now and with a creaky back and knees. But I’ll take some with me on my way out.
What, me worry?
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-nuclear-couriers-20170310-story.html
Actually, the Department of Energy will be eliminated soon, so this stuff
can just stay right where it’s at.
https://nnsa.energy.gov/aboutus/ourprograms/defenseprograms/securetransportation