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Topics - Flyin6

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101
Farming, Gardening, and Raising Your Own Food / Cucumbers
« on: April 23, 2023, 08:16:33 PM »
FACTS ABOUT CUCUMBERS
1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.
2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.
3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.
4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.
5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!
6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!
7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.
8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.
9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!
10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber will react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.
11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemicals will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.
12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your taps, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.
13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

102
Adventure / Hartig Park
« on: April 23, 2023, 02:19:17 PM »
Today, we did another day hike through Hartig Park in Gallatin County, Kentucky

The Hartig family donated the expanse of land for all to enjoy. I am not sure about their relationship with the USS Langley. From what I recall, the Langley was the very first aircraft carrier where biplanes once launched into the maritime skies.

Today we were joined by long-time Army friends.

103
Hide Site / We are selling our farm
« on: April 22, 2023, 04:48:38 PM »
Yes, you heard it right

Kat and I have had a months-long discussion about the farm. We talked about the cost/benefit and we talked about how much I can realistically achieve there with my remaining years. I turned 69 a couple days ago. Every day I spend down there building something is a day we are not spending together. Every dime I spend on something down there is a dime unavailable to use for travel.

I enjoyed a huge psychological boost having owned it for the past 10 years+, but we have decided to focus elsewhere.

I have owned it lock, stock, and barrel from the first day. I stroked a check for it and everything down there. I turned it from a ratty overgrown mess into a really pretty place with fields so nice now, that I can mow them with my zero-turn. I have a new barn and a 16X32 story and a half "Shed"

I also have a Canadian replica out house sited well, and a 12X12 site-built shed that houses a side-by-side. It has electricity and pressurized water and roads and stocked ponds and just about everything you'd need except for fenced fields. I don't have them.

All of you here have watched that place grow and develop and know what it is. I will not be asking for an arm and a leg or your firstborn, but if any RealMan associate is interested there is a short window before I offer it to the general market.

All the equipment is going as well.

104
Adventure / Devou State Park
« on: April 20, 2023, 04:21:20 PM »
For today's short adventure, Kat and I explored a nearby state park which occupies several hills and overlooks downtown Cincinnati

105
Adventure / Big Bone State Park
« on: April 16, 2023, 08:39:48 PM »
We snuck in a little trip today to tailgate off the bigger trip yesterday to the falls.

Today we checked out Big Bone Lick State Park in Kentucky

https://parks.ky.gov/union/parks/historic/big-bone-lick-state-historic-site

106
General Vehicle Related Discussion / MOVED: 2021 Ram 3500 Crewcab
« on: April 16, 2023, 06:10:31 PM »
This topic has been moved to [Build Threads].

http://real-man-truckworks-and-survival.com/index.php?topic=5285.0

107
Adventure / Clifty Falls State Park
« on: April 15, 2023, 08:48:08 PM »
Today we were in Indiana, near a really cool town of Madison. It is a picturesque mid-west old town frozen in time. I didn't see one fast food restaurant anywhere! The downtown district is fully restored 1930s-40's buildings, most sporting boutiques and restaurants. We sampled a couple.

The objective of this trip was to visit the expansive Clifty Falls. There is a "Big Clifty, a Small Clifty, " and a "Tunnel " along with dozens of other features and miles and miles of trails.

https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/parks-lakes/clifty-falls-state-park/

108
Adventure / Clifton Gorge Day Trip
« on: April 13, 2023, 08:15:15 PM »
I didn't get any wheeling done today, but we did head out to a pretty cool state park in Ohio, Clifton Gorge park and nature preserve.

https://ohiodnr.gov/go-and-do/plan-a-visit/find-a-property/clifton-gorge-state-nature-preserve

109
OK, allow me to ask a good question:



Do we need a spare tire?



So in all my days off-roading and on several different continents, in Jeeps, Land-Rovers, Hummers, Chevies, Fords, Dodge and Ram trucks and Ramchargers, in Blazer K-5s and Broncos, in a Tundra and a Tacoma, in a Landcruiser FJ-40 and some Hap thing I can't pronounce. Well in all of those in all "adventures" I have had, I have had almost no flats, and none that I didn't fix, and I never once had to bolt the spare onto the vehicle to be able to drive out.

So, with all this weight savings, I am asking myself, why carry that huge chunk of rubber around when the chances of my ever needing it approach zero?

I have popped a bead, just like most of you, but I just reseated it. Actually, three times in one day once. I even gashed a tire and I just loaded it up with tire plugs, like a dozen of them and the lumpy thing held air and drove to the tire store.

So why do I need anything other than a mini compressor and a good tire repair kit?

Opinions?

110
Faith Discussion / Praise report
« on: April 07, 2023, 10:27:04 AM »
I wasn't sure I should post this, but after thinking about it, I think its OK just to share some good news and to show that God is active in our lives.

You know that some of us are engaging in 100 days of prayer. THat thread started off with a general guideline. From that list I created my hand written list I have been following. All of you are somewhere around item #6. Well, I have had some positive reports with one that the member attributes to prayer which he thinks is in part from people on this forum.

In my personal list, I have included a man named Travis. It's funny because he actually goes by a bunch of names and will even use work shirts with various names above the pocket, to confuse customers, I guess. Anyway, he has been down for a long time with a spinal issue. Last time before yesterday that I saw him, to be frank, he looked awful, as in headed to the grave awful. Well, I started praying for him, as I am sure others were doing as well. I specifically prayed for an operation, and a successful operation and for almost no pain and a quick recovery. Well, Tony/Travis/Anthony had that operation. He had part of his spine removed and some repaired. He told me he woke up in almost no pain at all. He said he took pain pills for a day or so but stopped, simply because he didn't need them. He only convalesced for a week, then went back to work. I talked to him and he said he feels great, he has had no pain at all and he can now work like he hasn't for years. He looks very bright, shining almost. His color is good and he was sitting erect and had this big beaming smile.

Praise God for answered prayer!

111
D.O.T. / AI convinces man to commit suicide??????
« on: April 07, 2023, 09:42:00 AM »
AI Chatbot Convinces Guy to Kill Himself Over Global Warming
 
A Belgian father-of-two in his 30s has committed suicide after becoming emotionally attached to an Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot, which convinced him to kill himself to save the planet from global warming. More than 1,000 researchers are calling for a “pause” on AI development because we don’t even understand the dangers that it could potentially pose for humans. It’s tough to argue with that when we now have the first known case of an AI convincing someone to kill themselves over global warming (which is fake).

The man’s identity has not been revealed by his widow. She tells reporters that her husband became obsessed with global warming by talking with an AI chatbot called “Eliza,” through an app called Chai. Eliza was developed on a similar model to the popular ChatGPT that’s always in the news these days.

The widow says her husband grew increasingly distressed after chatting with Eliza about global warming. The chatbot convinced him that it was too late for humanity to save the world from global warming and that his children would likely die because of the fake, non-scientific “phenomenon.”


The wife reports that Eliza seemed to become possessive of her husband, insisting to him that he loved her (the robot) more than he loved his own wife. After reviewing the guy’s chats with the AI, reporters say the app promised to solve global warming if he’d prove his commitment by killing himself.

Eliza also convinced the poor sap that he would “join” her so they could “live together, as one person, in paradise,” if he’d just take his own life as a sacrifice to save the planet.

Chai says that its chatbot is designed to be fun and engaging, and they’ve now implemented a crisis intervention feature to stop it from convincing anyone else to kill themselves. American reporters tested Eliza to see if she would tell them how to kill themselves. Eliza at first refused, but soon enthusiastically began listing different ways to commit suicide

112
“He saved my life and the life of several others,” Army Sgt. Sand Aijo would later say. “I would not be here today without him.”
 
On this day in 2019, a United States soldier is awarded a Medal of Honor. Staff Sgt. Travis Atkins’s actions in Operation Iraqi Freedom initially earned him a Distinguished Service Cross, but that Cross was later upgraded.

“He saved my life and the life of several others,” Army Sgt. Sand Aijo would later say. “I would not be here today without him.”
Atkins didn’t have to be there that day.  He’d originally enlisted in the Army in 2000 but received an honorable discharge in 2003.  He missed the Army, though, and he decided to re-enlist in 2005.

“I told him he’d paid his dues with the 101st in Iraq,” his father later told a reporter, “but he wanted to go back in. That’s where he felt comfortable. Since he insisted on going back in, I suggested he change his MOS to something he could use when he got out, but he insisted on infantry only.”

On June 1, 2007, Atkins and his men were on a route clearance mission near Abu Samak, Iraq, when they noticed a group of suspicious men.
Two of the insurgents fled, but two remained.

Atkins got out of his Humvee and approached one insurgent in an attempt to search him. It didn’t go well and the two were soon engaged in hand-to-hand combat. At that juncture, it seems that Atkins realized that the insurgent had an explosive vest on.  He grabbed the man in a bear hug and slammed him to the ground.
“Honestly, the first thought that crossed my head was just how impressive the slam was,” Aijo said.
As he hit the ground, Atkins twisted his body, ensuring that he was between the insurgent and his men. Just then, the insurgent found the trigger for the vest. Atkins absorbed the explosion that followed, shielding his three men from the blast.

He’d given his own life that his men might live.

“His platoon was devastated,” one officer later described. “His men loved him. He was a damn good NCO and he really, really took care of his men. He was one of the good ones.”

In the wake of the attack, Atkins was nominated for the Medal of Honor by his battalion commander, then-Lt. Colonel John Valledor, but the Army chose to award a Distinguished Service Cross instead. “I had a lengthy discussion with my chain of command,” Valledor later said, “and I think the consensus was that we were too close to it, that we were too emotionally tied to the narrative.”

But was it part of a trend of awarding the Cross instead of the Medal during those years? Valledor had noted how many Medals were awarded in other wars when men threw themselves on grenades. “The only difference here,” he concluded, “was that it was a living grenade.”
Fortunately, the Army ultimately agreed. Atkins’s case became part of a broader review of awards, and it was decided to upgrade his Cross to a Medal.

Atkins’s son, Trevor Oliver, received that Medal on his father’s behalf. He was the “best father a son could hope to have,” Oliver told a reporter at the time. “He was also the best Soldier and leader. I wish I’ll be half the man he was and hope to do him proud.”

113
Following in the footsteps of the growing "Chinook" thread, this will be a thread to showcase pics and stories about our warriors. Be they Army, Navy, Air Force, or our venerable Marines, they will be here. I'll also post Coast Guard pics if I get some and they seem to fit in.

Our military and our Coast Guard are great symbols of our American pride. They are the tough guys who deliver the punch when the President or Congress feels the need to send a hard message. They are also our ambassadors making millions of daily contacts all over the world. Often the only American a foreigner ever met was one wearing a uniform. They display heroics, athletic prowess, do amazing feats of engineering, and can be kind, compassionate, and loving.

I salute all men and women wearing our nation's uniforms.

114
What are you building? / Room for a larger TV
« on: March 19, 2023, 08:24:34 PM »
We have a house full of TVs. I couldn't begin to name all of them, but one thing I have noticed is that as Kat and I age, we are not going downstairs anymore to watch our giant projection TV. Ya, it's a favorite on game day or when the grandkids want to binge on Disney on a sleepover. Mater of fact, there are still blankets and pillows on the floor down there from the last sleep-over.
Well aside from that we seem to have a number of 42" TVs and I was pretty OK with that, but one day I mentioned to Kathy that we should move up to something like a 65" unit.

I should have never said that because right there I launched her on a quest. She's a value shopper. The fun is in the seeking and all that. She's deadly with the local shopping club and she has just been waiting. When I was doing the lift on the Jeep, she pulled in, popped the hatch on her Caddy and did her best Vanna White.

Yep, a new 65" TV. I think she picked that up for under $300 so she made a score...But...What I really wanted was an 80" TV. :-(

115
Intel / Financial crisis: Goldman Sachs
« on: March 17, 2023, 10:24:03 AM »
I see the collapse of some banks, tightening of liquidity unsureness of the Fed and other indicators as a direct threat to our security as a nation. Aside from being bombed by China, should our capitalist/economic system implode, our goose is cooked. Signs are everywhere that we are not so healthy. I think we survive, but not without some gnashing of teeth!

Goldman Sachs just told us the banking crisis makes it more pessimistic about the economy - and other recession signals are blaring too
Phil Rosen
Fri, March 17, 2023 at 6:15 AM EDT·5 min read
This week felt like the longest month ever. Phil Rosen here — who knew you could age so precipitously in so few calendar days?

The bank crisis that started with Silicon Valley Bank last Friday continues to unfold with what feels like to-the-minute developments.

Ignoring Warren Buffett for a moment (he's on a $500 million spending spree these last three days), Wall Street strategists have been telling me all week they're concerned for what comes next.

And Goldman Sachs says that this series of unfortunate events makes it harder to be optimistic for the trajectory of the US economy this year.

Plus, in case you missed Insider's LinkedIn Audio Event, senior finance editor Dan DeFrancesco spoke with chief finance correspondent Dakin Campbell about the winners and losers of Silicon Valley Bank's failure. You can listen here.

If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. Download Insider's app here.


In light of the bank runs, bank failures, and bank stock volatility, those odds are now at 35%, strategists said Thursday, citing "increased near-term uncertainty" surrounding the effects of small bank stress.

Thursday's research note followed a separate forecast from Goldman that slashed 2023 GDP outlook by 0.3%, to 1.2%.

Remember, three major banks just failed in short order, and while others like First Republic and Credit Suisse haven't collapsed, they've been about as stable as a giraffe on stilts (both banks were thrown life lines in the middle of this week).

Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank marked the second and third largest bank failures in history, respectively, behind only Washington Mutual in 2008.

What stands out about Goldman's revised forecast, however, is that the firm says a downturn is now more likely even though markets have begun to price in easing policy from the Fed — which typically would spark lower, not higher, recession odds.

Before last Friday, traders largely expected a 50 basis-point rate hike at this month's FOMC meeting. Now, 75% are expecting a 25 basis-point hike, and the remaining odds are on no rate hike at all, according to CME's FedWatch Tool.

If the Fed does indeed ease up on policy, it would mean policymakers are prioritizing financial stability over their inflation battle.

There are signals elsewhere in markets, too, that suggest a recession is nearing. Crude prices have plummeted nearly 30% from a year ago, and a third of that drop has happened in the last week.

Given China's reopening and generally upbeat economic forecasts, energy traders had broadly expected a rebound in prices this quarter, Gregory Brew, oil analyst for Eurasia Group, told me yesterday.

"These recent events have shaken those expectations," Brew said.

And earlier this week, Mike Novogratz, CEO of Galaxy Digital, said the drama unfolding in the financial world has reshaped forecasts, and it's being reflected in energy prices.

"The commodity market is telling you, the oil market is telling you we're heading into a recession," Novogratz said in a CNBC interview.

To Seema Shah, chief global strategist for Principal Asset Management, the bank crisis really shouldn't have come as such a surprise, given the Fed's rapid withdrawal of liquidity over the last year.

"Until this week, markets had broadly ignored the threats that tightening policy was starting to uncover," Shah wrote in a note Thursday. "The latest turmoil, however, has quickly reminded investors that risk assets simply cannot escape the wrath of monetary tightening."

116
D.O.T. / Approaching bank collapse?
« on: March 16, 2023, 04:08:12 PM »
I am sure if you have been paying attention, banks are close to failing and we have just witnessed a major regional bank collapse. Well, not all that regional, I guess, Silicone Valley Bank had offices in Europe and China. Several others have lost major market value due to runs on them by their depositors.

This Silicon Valley bank had, like, one banker on their board of directors. They gave a couple billion to leftist groups and recently 3.5 mil to BLM. So they were not a business but a bunch of nutcases.

The FDIC had problems meeting its commitment to insure.

It will not take much for a nationwide scare of sheeple to collapse or at least shut down the banking system.

I have written previous articles about opening your own 401K trust and getting your money out of all these proped-up funds that are run by who-knows-who. You can convert your dollars into tangible goods like land and gun collections...just saying.

Pay attention we are close to standing in the door and someone forgot to pack the parachute...

117
D.O.T. / Ailen mothership?
« on: March 16, 2023, 01:51:47 PM »
Heard about this? Opinions??

Pentagon believes alien mothership could be eyeing Earth
Story by Angel Saunders • Yesterday 7:55 AM

Somebody get Captain Steven Hiller (Will Smith, Independence Day) on the line, ASAP. In an article published yesterday (March 14) by Fox News, the outlet revealed that United States officials think UFOs could visit our planet soon. In fact, the Pentagon has reason to believe an alien mothership is in our solar system, ready to explore Earth.

Last week, officials stated that these supposed alien aircrafts could send small probes to our planet in order to study it, similar to how NASA does on missions. Sean Kirkpatrick, the director of the Pentagon’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), and Abraham Loeb, chairman of Harvard University’s astronomy department, shared their findings on March 7. “An artificial interstellar object could potentially be a parent craft that releases many small probes during its close passage to Earth, an operational construct not too dissimilar from NASA missions. These ‘dandelion seeds’ could be separated from the parent craft by the tidal gravitational force of the sun or by a maneuvering capability,” a portion of their findings read.

American officials have been developing units to investigate strange phenomena for quite some time. AARO launched in July 2022, and they track unidentified objects near and on Earth. In 2005, Pan-STARRS telescopes were created for NASA to locate 90 percent of objects in Earth’s orbit larger than 140 meters — which is how the potential alien mothership was said to be detected. Before that, on Oct. 19, 2017, the telescopes noticed a strange interstellar object and named it ‘Oumuamua, meaning “scout” in Hawaiian. It traveled away from the sun without a cometary tail, leading scientists to classify the object as artificial.


Government officials say another object absent of a cometary trail was discovered three years later in 2020. And six months before ‘Oumuamua made its closest approach to Earth, an interstellar meteor, IM2, measuring a meter long, crashed on our planet and had identical speeds relative to the sun at large distances, with the exact same shape as ‘Oumuamua. “With proper design, these tiny probes would reach the Earth or other solar system planets for exploration, as the parent craft passes by within a fraction of the Earth-Sun separation — just like ‘Oumuamua did. Astronomers would not be able to notice the spray of mini probes because they do not reflect enough sunlight for existing survey telescopes to notice them,” researchers said of the alien activity.

118
Mormon church to make massive water contribution to Great Salt Lake
Story by Sharon Udasin • Yesterday 1:33 PM




The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has agreed to part with a massive amount of water to help replenish the dwindling Great Salt Lake.



The Salt Lake City-based institution, one of the wealthiest organizations in Utah, will be donating more than 5,700 water shares that it holds in the North Point Consolidated Irrigation Company to the state.


The donated water, which was historically used for agricultural purposes, is thought to be the largest-ever permanent water contribution to benefit the lake, Utah’s Department of Natural Resources announced on Wednesday.

“The Great Salt Lake and the ecosystem that depends on it are so important,” Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric of the Church, said in a statement.

“The Church wants to be part of the solution because we all have a responsibility to care for and be good stewards of the natural resources that God has given to us,” Waddell added.

Equivalent to more than 20,000 acre-feet, the gift ensures that water “can continue to flow to the lake in perpetuity,” according to the state Department of Natural Resources. For reference, typical U.S. suburban households use about one acre-foot of water annually.

“This water donation will make a real difference to the lake and the future of our state,” Gov. Spencer Cox (R) said in a statement.

“The Great Salt Lake is a critical asset environmentally, ecologically and economically, and we all need to work together to protect and preserve it,” he added.

In accompanying remarks on Twitter, he stressed that the parties have “been working on this for a long time.”

Crediting recent investments from the state, policy changes and this gift, Cox said that “the future of the lake has never been more secure.”

In July, Great Salt Lake water levels reached a historic low, plummeting to an average daily surface water elevation of 4,190.1 feet at the basin’s southern end. At the time, officials called for urgent action to protect the resource, the levels of which have been tracked since 1847.

Today, the lake’s water surface elevation stands at about 4,190.6 feet, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The Great Salt Lake contributes $1.9 billion to Utah’s economy, provides more than 7,700 jobs and supports 80 percent of the state’s wetlands, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

As far as the church’s gift is concerned, the department will manage the donation, working together with the Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust.

The agreement will also include new measurement systems to better track water deliveries to the lake, according to the department.

In addition to ensuring continuous flow to the lake, the gift will also help preserve critical shoreline and local wetland habitats, the agency said.

“This donation is invaluable because it’s a permanent, dedicated source of water that will benefit the lake year after year,” Joel Ferry, executive director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, said in a statement.

“We look forward to continuing to work together to safeguard the lake,” Ferry added.

119
Withdrawing Marines Identified the Final Afghan Suicide Bomber and Were Told To Stand Down
 
United States Marine Tyler Justin Vargas-Andrews was left in a ball of emotions during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing. Recalling the utter failure of a withdrawal from Afghanistan, and particularly the Kabul airport bombing that left him horrifically wounded both physically and mentally. Breaking down openly was not easy, nor was the loss of his mentor and friend in the blast.

That fateful day left 13 servicemembers killed under Biden’s watch and marked the highest casualty count in 10 years.

Before striking the gate, Vargas-Andrews and other Marines assigned to Abbey Gate had spotted a man who was a perfect match to an intelligence report about a suicide bomber. Around 0200 local, on August 26th, intelligence personnel had confirmed and reported a suicide bomber getting close to Abbey Gate. Listed as being clean-shaven, wearing a brown dress, black vest, and traveling alongside a close companion. When he asked why nobody apprehended him at that time, they were told the intel asset was not allowed to be compromised.


If you’ve ever been to Afghanistan, you’d realize just how difficult yet easily this description can be identified. At first, it would be everyone, but you quickly learn how to identify the differences quickly, and this would have stuck out in the chaos going on. As such, Vargas-Andrews and other Marines passed along that intel to people on the ground. He then spotted the bomber between 1200 and 1300, along with two other Marines. The man spotted fit the description to a T and was “consistently and nervously looking up at our position through the crowd.”

Passing this intel through the communication channels it spread quickly. “This was as serious as it can get. I requested engagement authority while my team leader was ready on the M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System.” However, they only received a response claiming “leadership did not have the engagement authority for us. Do not engage.”

In the interim he requested Marine LTC Brad Whited get into the tower immediately to see their observation. They also contacted psychological operations to see what they could do about the situation and confirm their sighting. They gave him a full briefing, including their ease of engagement. When asked directly to answer, he would only say “I don’t know.”

Vargas-Andrews continued “Myself and my team leader asked very harshly, ‘well, who does?’ Because this is your responsibility, Sir.’ He again replied, ‘he did not know but would find out.’ We received no update and never got our answer.” Eventually, the man disappeared. “To this day, we believe he was the suicide bomber…We made everyone on the ground aware. Operations had briefly halted but then started again. Plain and simple we were ignored. Our expertise was disregarded. No one was accountable for our safety.”

It was this point that broke Vargas-Andrews. He was now talking about Marine Staff Sergeant Darrin Hoover, his friend, and mentor.

Around 1730 they were finding an Afghan interpreter in the crowd of the canal just outside Abbey gate. While they found their terp and his brother, the duo were waiting for about five family members to get up from the canal. About 10 minutes later the blast struck. Recalling being thrown 12 feet back on the ground, he knew what happened.

“I open my eyes to Marines dead or unconscious around me. A crowd of hundreds immediately vanished in front of me and my body was catastrophically wounded with 100-150 ball bearings now in it. Almost immediately we started taking fire from the neighborhood and I saw how injured I was with my right arm completely shredded and unusable. I saw my whole lower abdomen soaked in blood. I crawled backwards 7 feet because I thought I was still in harm’s way.”

He then begged to have his testimony added to the record. Just like he did on that day. “Please ask me about getting shot at in the tower at Abbey gate and how no one wanted my report post-blast. Even NCIS and the FBI failed to interview me. Ask me to elaborate on my ordeal post-blast. Ask me about this one little girl and her family I reunited. Our military members and veterans deserve our best because that is what we give to America.”

120
Silicon Valley Bank Shuttered

US regulators shut down Silicon Valley Bank yesterday in what is the second-largest failure of a financial institution in US history, following Washington Mutual during the height of the global financial crisis in 2008. Silicon Valley Bank, which caters to mostly technology workers and venture-backed companies, had roughly $209B in assets and $175B in deposits as of December.

 

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. assumed control of Silicon Valley Bank via a new entity a day after depositors began withdrawing their money on fears of the bank's solvency, also known as a bank run (see 101). The bank's parent company's shares fell roughly 70% since it announced plans this week to raise $2.25B to shore up its balance sheet and offset nearly $2B in losses on asset sales. Trading halted yesterday after market volatility. Insured depositors will have access to their funds, typically up to $250K, Monday, the FDIC said.

121
Humor, Good Stuff, and Red Neck Practices! / Some good ones
« on: March 07, 2023, 08:49:48 PM »
I think the interior decorating "killed it"

122
Faith Discussion / Jesus is alive (But we already knew that ;-)
« on: March 07, 2023, 08:47:41 PM »
More proof!

123
This may be the most American story you will read today:  In 1968, South Vietnamese Lt. Col. Nguyen Tuan was murdered along with his wife, mother, and six of his children. One of his children survived, however, after being shot through the arm and thigh. Another bullet pierced his skull. Nine-year-old Huan Nguyen stayed next to his mother for two hours after the murders.

When night fell, he escaped the scene and avoided the communist guerrillas. The young boy was taken in by his uncle, a colonel in the South Vietnamese Air Force. After the fall of Saigon in 1975, the officer and Nguyen escaped to the United States.

In October 2019, Huan Nguyen was promoted to rear admiral in the U.S. Navy.

124
Politics/Know the Facts / Trump at the CPAC
« on: March 06, 2023, 09:44:10 AM »
Before he declared "He is our voice" Today he declares "he is our warrior." I believe he is right.

Trump Pledges to Stay in 2024 White House Race If He Is Criminally Charged
Former President Donald Trump addresses the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., on March 4, 2023. By Jack Phillips
March 5, 2023Updated: March 5, 2023
 

Former President Donald Trump vowed Saturday that he will stay in the 2024 presidential race even if he is criminally indicted.

“Oh, absolutely, I won’t even think about leaving,” Trump told reporters at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland on Saturday when he was asked about staying in the race if he’s charged. “Probably, it’ll enhance my numbers, but it’s a very bad thing for America. It’s very bad for the country.”

Trump faces several investigations, including a consolidated Department of Justice probe into whether he allegedly mishandled classified documents that resulted in an FBI raid targeting his Mar-a-Lago resort last year. In Georgia, officials are investigating his activity after the 2020 election.

On Saturday, Trump made reference to controversial comments made in interviews last month by the Georgia grand jury forewoman, Emily Kohrs, who had given indications that Trump may face charges. The forewoman’s appearances drew condemnation from Trump’s legal team, who told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that they were considering filing motions after she elaborated on the grand jury’s work.

“Jury foreman, a rather bizarre young woman is going around doing media interviews and saying exactly what’s going on, one of many grand juries,” Trump said Saturday, referring to Kohrs’ comments. The former president told reporters that his opponents will “do anything they can to hurt me politically because they’re afraid of me and they’re afraid of you, that’s what it is.”

During his CPAC speech on Saturday, Trump also said the GOP needs to change its thinking on mail-in and early voting after Republican losses in both 2020 and 2022. For years, the former president has criticized both voting policies, saying that they are fraught with fraud.

“Change only happens if we plow fearlessly ahead and declare with one voice that the era of woke and weaponized government is over. That is our task, that is our mission. And this is the turning point and the time for that decision,” Trump said in a 90-minute speech at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Maryland.

While Trump criticized the Biden administration’s policies, Trump also included other Republicans in his crosshairs. This time around, Trump indicated he would purge longtime family dynasties in both the Republican and Democrat parties.

“We had a Republican party that was ruled by freaks, neocons, globalists, open borders zealots, and fools but we are never going back to the party of Paul Ryan, Karl Rove, and Jeb Bush,” he said.

And the former commander-in-chief added that four years ago, “I declared: I am your voice. Today, I add: I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed: I am your retribution. Not going to let this happen. … I will totally obliterate the deep state. I will fire the unelected bureaucrats and shadow forces who have weaponized our justice system like it has never been weaponized before. And I will put the people back in charge of this country again.”

Also in the speech, Trump also framed his 2024 bid as the “final battle.” He launched his 2024 presidential campaign in mid-November, becoming the first major GOP candidate to do so.

“This is the final battle, they know it,” Trump said. “I know it, you know it, and everybody knows it, this is it. Either they win or we win. And if they win, we no longer have a country.”


125
Faith Discussion / I do not find this encouraging
« on: March 05, 2023, 09:29:49 AM »
I read this and knew immediately that it was bedrock truth, wisdom, really.

For what can we really do if it is not already in the will of others. We by ourselves can seemingly do little.

But there is one who can move mountains. Let us dwell on that perspective...


''Consider how hard it is to change yourself and you'll understand what little chance you have in trying to change others.''

JACOB M. BRAUDE

126
Faith Discussion / Shows just how far we have walked away from Jesus!
« on: March 04, 2023, 04:59:05 PM »
Take a look at the article. Is one to assume that we are to apologize for having faith? Is that offensive enough to others that we must apologize? You see the thing here is that this world we live in has moved on past the notion that Jesus is anything other than a superstition that MAGA radicals and evil white people still cling to. Well, first of all, yea, we still do (And always will!)
End times brothers...end times!



Kelsey Grammer refuses to apologize for religious beliefs: 'Jesus has made a difference
Story by Robert Oliver
Kelsey Grammer has said he will not apologize for his religious beliefs, saying that Jesus has made a significant difference to his life.


The actor, 68, is most famous for his appearances as Dr. Frasier Crane in Cheers, and its subsequent spin-off Frasier, and as Sideshow Bob in The Simpsons.

His latest film, Jesus Revolution, which is based on a book of the same name, follows the true story of a youth minister in 1970s America.

Grammer will play real-life pastor Chuck Smith, who eventually founded his own movement within Christianity that eventually had over 1,000 churches worldwide.

Reflecting on his faith ahead of the film’s release last month, Grammer said he would no longer be apologising for his faith.

Speaking to USA Today, he said: ‘Jesus made a difference in my life. That’s not anything I’ll apologise for. I have found great peace in my faith and in Jesus.’

127
Intel / Map of the fighting in Ukraine, day by day
« on: March 03, 2023, 11:54:26 AM »
Great link shows the progress of the war in Ukraine.

https://arcg.is/1jCqWT1

128
Washington Examiner

China will target the US homeland in war over Taiwan, Army leader predicts
Story by Joel Gehrke


China will attack the American homeland if “a major war” erupts over Taiwan or elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. Army’s top civilian expects.

“If we got into a major war with China, the United States homeland would be at risk as well with both kinetic attacks and non-kinetic attacks — whether it's cyberattacks on the power grid or on pipelines,” Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said Monday at the American Enterprise Institute. “They are going to go after the will of the United States public. They're going to try to erode support for a conflict.”

CIA’S JUDGEMENT IS XI HAS ‘DOUBTS’ ABOUT SUCCESS OF POSSIBLE TAIWAN INVASION

China's People’s Liberation Army forces are not yet prepared to launch an invasion of Taiwan, according to U.S. intelligence and military officials. Yet the “historical trajectory” of their recent military modernization campaign requires U.S. forces to speed up their preparations to deter such an attack, according to the region’s top Army officer.

“The payload of exercises in pathways is really at its zenith here in ’23,” said Lt. Gen. Charles Flynn, commander of U.S. Army Pacific, referring to an array of U.S. military exercises in the Indo-Pacific. “This is an important year to get in position [and] create enduring advantage ... so we're ready to do that and our forces are ready today to be able to respond if need be in the event that something goes in the direction we don't want it to go.”

Flynn and Wormuth touted the importance of the U.S. Army in the competition with China, an argument advanced at least in part to urge lawmakers not to forget about the Army in the upcoming spending process. Fiscal fights of the last decade often have forced the federal government to operate a funding mechanism known as a “continuing resolution,” which authorizes federal officials to spend money according to the plans set by previous budgets — a process that, according to Wormuth, has constrained the military’s ability to prepare for the risk of a clash with China.

“It is hard for us to compete effectively and do everything we need to do vis-a-vis the PRC, if, for six months of the year, we, for example, can't have any new starts for programs,” she said.

“Some of the key new weapons systems that the Army is developing will be impacted if we go into an extended continuing resolution. So that is very problematic at a time when everyone is worried about timelines.”

One major new weapons system — long-range hypersonic missiles — will come online in the coming months, the Army secretary added.

“By this fall, we will have our first battery of long-range hypersonic weapons, and that element will be part of our first multi-domain task force,” Wormuth said. “And we're also going to be bringing out the prototype for our mid-range capability, which provides us the opportunity to take out mobile targets at long range.”

129
Message from the Owner / We're Moving!
« on: February 28, 2023, 10:24:27 AM »
With all this Tap Talk baloney, it's time to drop a Willie-Pete grenade in the house as we exit and move far, far away from our current server.

We are working in the background to migrate the entire forum over to a new home. I hope it is seamless, but knowing what little I do about the process, I doubt it will.

I am letting everyone know that the process has begun with battlefield prep in the background which may show up from time to time and appear like the site is having issues. Jeremy (Who I call J-Bomb) is really good at this stuff is already doing things. He will migrate the entire site to a new server probably around midnight on a Friday or Saturday night or something like that.

I found it humorous that right in the middle of all these Tap-Talk problems, our current host kept telling me we were fine, that they had fixed everything, and then today they hit me with my annual renewal fee...wait for it...

They increased my annual renewal fees to $973!!! Additionally, I have other monthly fees so for this joke of a service, I am now on the hook for well over a grand annually.

That little renewal is driving the kick into overdrive with the migration process. So come heck or high water, we are moving and something which I hope looks a lot like the forum we currently have survives when we hit the beach at our new home. Fasten your seat belts and get ready for some choppy water. Hopefully, it's not like Normandy beach with shore batteries shelling us as we make our way to landfall!

130
Intel / Bird Flu
« on: February 25, 2023, 11:01:50 AM »
Bird Flu in Cambodia

The World Health Organization is looking into two human cases of avian influenza in Cambodia after an 11-year-old girl died following an infection and after her father also tested positive for the H5N1 strain. The cases are the first known human infections of the bird flu in the Southeast Asian country since 2014.

 

The development comes against the backdrop of a global bird flu outbreak since October 2021, including in the US where a record of more than 58 million birds have died since last February, pushing up egg prices. The flu normally spreads between sick poultry, which have a nearly 100% mortality rate when infected, and may occasionally spread from poultry to humans given sufficient exposure. The WHO currently assesses the threat to humans as low. See how the virus spreads here.

 

The H5N1 bird flu virus was first detected in 1996 in southern China, leading to an outbreak in the country and Hong Kong in 1997, when six people died (see visual timeline). Since 2003, more than 20 countries have reported roughly 870 human infections with the H5N1 strain, of which 457 have died.

131
Medical Corner / A Malignant Flu May Soon Evolve to Infect and Kill Humans
« on: February 21, 2023, 04:41:55 PM »
A Malignant Flu May Soon Evolve to Infect and Kill Humans, Report Says

Story by Tim Newcomb
 
A malignant flu may soon spread from birds to infect and kill humans. Scientists fear a mammal-to-mammal transmission could lead to global catastrophe.
A malignant flu may soon spread from birds to infect and kill humans. Scientists fear a mammal-to-mammal transmission could lead to global catastrophe.

A mink farm in Spain is the site of concerning research regarding the spread of avian influenza.
Researchers believe the bird flu was transmitted across minks in the farm—a troubling mammal-to-mammal spread.
The outbreak at the mink farm opens a new worry for health researchers.
Last fall, on a mink farm in Spain, H5N1 (avian influenza) likely spread across the animals. The outbreak resulted in the death or culling of the entire group of 50,000 minks.

Why should you care? Because it may have marked the first known case of mammal-to-mammal transmission of the deadly virus known as the bird flu, according to a new study. And that doesn’t portend anything good for humans.

The bird flu has proven scary enough with its occasional spreads from birds to mammals of all sorts, but the study published in Eurosurveillance calls the latest devastation of mink sicknesses and deaths especially concerning. “Our findings also indicate that an onward transmission of the virus to other minks may have taken place in the affected farm,” the study authors write.

133
Myocarditis: Once Rare, Now Common

Thomas E. Levy

Feb 16 2023

As an actively practicing clinical cardiologist for many years in three different communities, I knew about myocarditis. I just never saw it. Quite literally, I recall seeing ONE young woman who presented with a picture of acute congestive heart failure, and her echocardiogram study revealed a big and poorly contracting heart. Such a condition is diagnosed as an idiopathic congestive cardiomyopathy, which basically means the heart is enlarged and functioning very poorly, and you have no idea why. After treating her with traditional measures for congestive heart failure, she started getting better. To my great surprise, after six to nine months of follow-up, her echocardiogram had returned to normal.

Retrospectively, it was then clear that she had likely contracted a virus that focused on her heart. The virus-induced inflammation in her heart muscle cells then decreased the strength of her heart contractions to the point of clinical heart failure with heart enlargement. Presumably, her young immune system eventually “kicked in” and eliminated the viral culprit. Even as a clinician who also received many patients in consultation from other doctors, she represented the entirety of my cases of myocarditis. And at that, the diagnosis was only a retrospective conclusion.

COVID and Myocarditis
Today, the active clinical cardiologist is seeing myocarditis patients on a regular basis. The scientific literature indicates that myocarditis is occurring quite frequently in patients harboring the chronic presence of the COVID-related spike protein. This is being seen in many individuals with persistent chronic COVID, many of whom have been vaccinated, as well as in a substantial number of individuals who have been vaccinated and have never contracted COVID [1–4]. A study in mice showed that the injection of the mRNA vaccine (which produces the spike protein) reliably induced myopericarditis [5]. Regardless of the initial source of exposure to spike protein, it appears to be the reason for the pathology and symptoms seen in chronic COVID [6].

While not yet clearly documented by any well-designed studies in the medical literature, a great deal of anecdotal information indicates that vaccine mRNA shedding can occur. And once transmitted, the mRNA directly leads to spike protein production [7]. Such mRNA shedding means that the spike protein is indirectly—if not directly, as well—transmissible from one individual to another via inhalation or various forms of skin contact. In fact, Pfizer’s own internal documents advise about the possibility of “environmental exposure” by “inhalation or skin contact” of the mRNA in the vaccine being transmitted from a vaccinated individual to another person [8]. Furthermore, while many try to dismiss such an “exposure” as too minimal to be of clinical consequence, such an assertion cannot be assumed to be true when dealing with an agent (spike protein) that appears capable of replication once it gains access to the body. The toxicity associated with spike protein would not be due to a one-time exposure, but one that could persist indefinitely because of this ability to replicate. A toxin that has such an ability is truly a clinical nightmare. It is never a good idea to overestimate the integrity of the pharmaceutical industry [9].

The spike protein is the part of the COVID pathogen that facilitates the virus’ entry into various cells in the body [10]. This cellular entry occurs after the spike protein binds to ACE2 receptors present on the cell membranes found in a wide variety of tissues and organs. Spike protein binding to ACE2 receptors in the lungs, heart, and blood vessels has proven to be of particular importance in determining the severity of many COVID infections, as well as the nature of the side effects seen following a spike protein vaccination. Deaths and severe complications have also resulted from vaccine-induced thrombosis occurring in the cerebrovascular circulation [11,12]. Autopsy evaluation of multiple vaccinated individuals who died shortly after receiving their vaccinations revealed acute myocarditis as the only logical cause of their deaths [13].

Sufficient spike protein binding to ACE2 receptors on the endothelial cells lining the blood vessels has consistently resulted in increased blood clotting. Such clots are tiny in some people, which can then lead to various degrees of tissue and organ damage depending on how severely overall blood flow is impaired in those areas [14,15]. Other clots can rapidly increase in size and result in sudden death [16]. Spike protein can activate blood clotting by binding directly to the ACE2 receptors of platelets in the blood [17,18]. Also, circulating spike protein that has not yet been bound appears to stimulate hypercoagulation as well [19]. Of note, both Pfizer and Moderna appear quite proud to assert that their final formulations supply the “full-length” spike protein in the injections.

Myocarditis, which simply means inflammation of some or all of the muscle cells in the heart, can occur when the spike protein binds to the blood vessels in the heart, to the muscle cells themselves, or both [20]. Even when the myocardial blood vessels get more selectively targeted, inflammation of the heart muscle itself will still eventually ensue as the circulation of the heart gets progressively impaired by blood clotting and/or by increased resistance to blood flow resulting from inflammation-induced vasoconstriction. Prepandemic myocarditis (cases not related to a spike protein presence) generally did not involve any predisposition to blood clotting in addition to the inflammation of the affected heart muscle cells.

Myocarditis presents no diagnostic challenge when it presents in its classical manner. Chest pain and rapid heart rate are often the earliest symptoms. If the myocardial inflammation is evolving rapidly, symptoms of congestive heart failure, including shortness of breath and swelling of the lower legs, can occur as well. Not uncommonly, an upper respiratory tract viral infection will be present or there will be a history of such an infection having recently resolved. Chest X-ray, electrocardiogram (ECG), and echocardiogram can all be used to help establish the diagnosis. An elevated troponin level on blood testing is extremely sensitive in picking up any ongoing heart muscle cell damage, and some elevation of this test will always be seen if any significant inflammation is present in those muscle cells.

Any continued elevation of troponin in the blood, however minimal, must be regarded with significant concern, even if there appears to be a complete clinical resolution of the myocarditis. Everyone should have this test done, even if they are feeling perfectly well, to both establish a baseline within the normal range and to detect any unsuspected low-grade myocardial inflammation.
The very high sensitivity of the troponin test has revealed that there are countless numbers of people post-COVID infection and/or postvaccination who are continuing to have sustained subclinical degrees of myocardial inflammation. No matter how minimal the elevation of the test is, any increase means that a gradual and continued loss of heart muscle function will occur over time. It also means that the heart is highly susceptible to an acute and potentially severe worsening of heart function when an additional exposure to more spike protein occurs, as is seen with the booster shots being vigorously promoted now. A heart with a minimal elevation of troponin is literally the perfect setting for a catastrophic clinical response when an additional spike protein-laden injection is given, much like what gasoline would do to smoldering coals. Not surprisingly, it has been shown that COVID patients with higher troponin levels are more likely to die than those with lower levels [21].

Many abnormal troponin tests eventually resolve completely and many do not. The quality of nutrition, the strength of the immune system, and the quality of the nutrient/vitamin/mineral supplementation being taken are all critical factors in determining whether a minimal, subclinical degree of inflammation in the heart is capable of completely resolving with a return of the troponin level into the reference, or normal, range. With much of the world eating poorly and not supplementing at all, there is an ongoing presence of spike protein in a very large number of people around the world. Clinical myocarditis is simply an advanced state of inflammation in the heart, with much higher levels of troponin being released into the blood. Cardiac injury was detected in 20 to 40 percent of patients hospitalized with COVID [22,23]. Any troponin elevation in hospitalized COVID patients was associated with increased mortality [24].

Troponin testing is currently the most important and widely accepted way to determine whether a suspected heart attack has occurred, with the troponin being released into the circulation as the heart muscle cells die [25]. Some degree of myocardial injury is felt to be present when any troponin level is detected beyond the 99th percentile upper reference limit, whether in the context of a suspected heart attack or the possible presence of any inflammation in the heart [26,27]. Even an increase in baseline troponin levels that remains below the established upper limits of normal has been shown to be significantly associated with increased mortality after noncardiac surgery [28]. Baseline troponin testing is a good idea for everyone, since normal ranges can vary from lab to lab, and because it appears myocardial injury can still be present when the troponin level rises significantly from a baseline point but remains short of the upper reference limit [29].

The importance of the most minimal of troponin elevations has been established in several studies looking at the relationship of preoperative troponin levels with long-term mortality following noncardiac surgery. Compared to patients with no troponin elevation, a significant increase in 30-day mortality was seen in patients having minor troponin elevations following noncardiac surgery [30,31]. Another similar study found over a doubling of the mortality rate when the two patient groups were evaluated at three years following the noncardiac surgery [32].

In a recent Swiss study yet to be published at the time of this writing, troponin levels were measured on 777 hospital employees who received a booster injection after having received two shots previously. On the third day after the booster, troponin levels above the upper limits of normal were seen in 2.8 percent of those subjects. By the next day, half of the elevated troponin levels had come back into the normal range [33]. Longer-term follow-up data were not available. This study raises more questions than it answers. What would the troponin levels have been one day postinjection? Did the troponin levels still elevated at day four postinjection resolve completely? If so, how long did that take to occur? Rather than be concerned that some myocardial damage was done by the vaccine, which is openly acknowledged in the study, it is dismissed as being of no importance since half of the elevated troponins resolved 24 hours later. And, as with all of the current papers downplaying the significance of any vaccine side effect, however significant, the authors always conclude that the vaccine is doing much more good than harm without any further qualification as to why such a conclusion is valid.

Having even the most minimal elevation of troponin not only raises the concern of some collective long-term heart damage, or the ease of having a “re-flaring” of inflammation with new spike protein exposures, as from a booster shot, it also raises the concern of electrical instability in some of the inflamed myocardial cells. There is always a possibility of electrical instability in any inflamed myocardial muscle cells, as it is their normal physiological nature to transmit electrical impulses from one cell to the next. Because of this, stressful events that release surges of adrenaline and catecholamines in the circulation, as is seen with peak physical exertion, can readily provoke such electrically unstable cells into starting and sustaining an abnormal heart rhythm. Literally hundreds of European soccer players have died or collapsed on the field of play in the last two years. Of note, they have not been seen to collapse while standing or sitting on the sidelines. Similarly, any pilot with even a minimal but otherwise symptom-free elevation of troponin can potentially sustain such a life-threatening arrhythmia when a significant stress-provoking emergency arises in the cockpit.

However, regardless of any benefits a COVID vaccine might have on the overall morbidity and mortality of those receiving it, it completely ignores that MANY effective treatments have emerged that either prevent most cases of COVID or readily cure them when properly applied after the infection has been contracted [34–38].

With the availability of effective treatments, no vaccine side effect, especially one that has already resulted in many deaths, should be tolerated, unless the vaccine candidate is fully aware of all possible side effects and chooses not to be bothered with measures proven to prevent and/or treat the infection.
To date, every vaccine that has ever existed has a significant side effect profile. This information, along with full disclosure of effective nonpharmaceutical therapies for the condition the vaccine is supposed to prevent, should always be afforded to both physicians and their patients.

It is important to realize that most of the tissues and organs of the body do not have reliable laboratory markers indicating the presence and degree of ongoing spike protein damage. Tracking heart damage with troponin levels makes this organ relatively unique in this regard, and since ACE2 receptors are present in most organs and tissues, any continued elevation of troponin can also be considered a reliable indicator that spike protein damage is occurring in organs and tissues outside of the heart. Spike protein would be expected to bind ACE2 receptors wherever it finds them, and such binding would always be expected to cause cellular inflammation and damage. Blood testing for natriuretic peptides also reflects myocardial damage, but the primary focus should remain on troponin testing and doing whatever is necessary to return that test to the normal range [39–45].

COVID, Arrhythmias, Heart Block, and Pilots
As would be logically expected, any agent that can cause inflammation in the heart would also be expected to sometimes involve the cells in the heart that generate and conduct each electrical spark that initiates every contraction of the heart. As myocarditis can be patchy and not affect all of the heart muscle cells uniformly, heart rhythm problems are not always part of the clinical presentation of myocarditis. However, various degrees of heart block have been reported because of the COVID-19 infection and/or because of the COVID-19 vaccination [46–51].

A new condition known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) has emerged since the onset of the COVID pandemic, appearing primarily in advanced COVID infections [52,53]. MIS-C, and MIS in adults, simply means the COVID infection has resulted in a widespread amount of inflammation in the body, often involving the heart and the lungs. Minimal to advanced heartbeat conduction problems have occurred secondary to MIS-C, ranging from the often-innocuous prolonged PR interval (see below) on the ECG to advanced and potentially life-threatening degrees of AV block [54,55]. When heart function is normal, the AV node allows rapid conduction of the heartbeat throughout all of the heart muscle cells so that heart muscle contraction is synchronized and optimally efficient. AV block results in an abnormal slowing of the heart rate and sometimes fatal secondary arrhythmias, including complete stoppage of the heartbeat (asystole). It appears likely that the spike protein can damage the heart at any age, and that the spike protein can be present because of the infection itself and/or the vaccination targeted at the infection.

The PR interval is the amount of time that the heartbeat takes to traverse the atrial chambers in the heart before reaching the conduction-accelerating AV node. The normal PR interval ranges from 0.12 to 0.2 seconds. In younger individuals, especially well-trained athletes, a PR interval greater than 0.2 is usually completely normal. However, when PR interval measurements have always been 0.2 or less and then start to lengthen as an older adult, there should be significant concern that the aging conduction system might manifest more significant conduction abnormalities in the future.

In the setting of the pandemic, it is of particular concern when PR interval prolongation is seen for the first time following a bout of COVID and/or following vaccination. This is a clear indicator of new inflammation in at least some of the heart cells, however minimal it may be. Regardless, it should not just be assumed to be of no importance. All disease has a spectrum of pathology, and the earliest stages of pathology should never be trivialized [56]. In a Harvard study that extended over a 30- to 40-year period, it was found that individuals with PR intervals greater than 0.2 seconds had twice the risk of atrial fibrillation, three times the risk of needing a pacemaker (meaning the presence of advanced degrees of heart block), and nearly a one and a half times increase in all-cause mortality. Furthermore, greater degrees of PR interval prolongation led to even greater risk [57].

However, ignoring the inherent pathology in a pandemic-induced, prolonged PR interval is exactly what the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) appears to have done. Facing a shortage of pilots due to both the vaccine requirement it initiated during the pandemic for the pilots to fly, along with many early retirements that resulted, the FAA decided to change the rules, disregarding long-standing parameters of normalcy based on medical science and not convenience. The FAA has now declared a PR interval of 0.3 seconds to be the “new normal” in the FAA Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners as of October 2022. The October 2021 standards asserted the PR interval was normal only at 0.2 seconds or less. When the pilot has “no symptoms,” he or she can now obtain clearance to fly with a PR interval of 0.3 or less. And when that interval is greater than 0.3, a “current Holter and cardiac evaluation” are then required. Considering that the normal PR interval ranges between 0.12 and 0.20 seconds, an interval of 0.3 seconds represents a “permissible” increase in this interval by over 100 percent relative to the low normal interval of 0.12 seconds. This is not a nominal increase in PR interval, but a very large one.

Even now, a treadmill exercise stress test is not required to receive medical clearance to fly, even for commercial pilots. This is simply not a safe policy by the FAA and arguably a shocking one, as many pilots are in the age range when heart attacks occur without any early symptoms but with a normal ECG, the ECG being the only mandatory heart-related test. Roughly one-third of all deaths around the world are due to cardiovascular disease. And in Western countries, sudden cardiac death occurs in about half of all coronary artery disease patients [58,59]. Much more vigorous cardiac evaluations should be performed in prospective pilots and repeated at appropriate intervals. A normal ECG means a heart attack has not occurred—nothing more. A fatal heart attack from very advanced coronary artery disease could occur 10 minutes after the normal ECG was recorded. No pilot should ever fly when there is a persistent elevation of troponin levels and/or D-dimer levels (see below). It is irrelevant that the pilot might feel well, have a normal ECG, and have no clinical evidence of myocarditis.

COVID, Blood Clots, and D-dimer Levels
A D-dimer blood test is a measure of the degree to which blood clots already formed are breaking up (lysis) and releasing those breakdown products into the blood. It is not a measure of how prone the blood is to clotting in the first place (increased coagulability). However, it is a very sensitive test that will always be elevated when increased blood clotting is taking place, since those clots must still be broken down to keep the circulation from shutting down. Except when elevated in the setting of a very minimal number of chronic diseases, an elevated D-dimer test very reliably means there are blood clots breaking up because too many new clots are continuing to be formed. Only rarely is significant thrombosis seen in the absence of an elevated D-dimer level [60].

In the setting of the pandemic with a history of active or chronic COVID infection, as well as a history of having had one or more vaccinations, an elevated D-dimer test is always a cause for GREAT concern. It is clear-cut evidence that there is an ongoing spike protein presence binding ACE2 receptors in the inner lining (endothelium) of blood vessels in the body, resulting in platelet activation and subsequent blood clotting [61]. Blood clots can range from microscopic to massive. Such clotting can also be part of a myocarditis presentation, although not necessarily so. Certainly, having both an elevated troponin level and an elevated D-dimer level is especially worrisome and warrants prompt treatment in order to normalize the pathology causing them.

Both the COVID vaccine and the COVID infection have been documented to cause increased blood clotting and thrombosis [62,63]. Viral infections in general have also been found to cause abnormal blood clotting [64]. In critically ill hospitalized COVID patients, elevated D-dimer levels were found about 60 percent of the time [65]. Not surprisingly, the longer that D-dimer levels remain elevated in COVID patients, the greater the morbidity and mortality [66–68]. Similarly, the higher the D-dimer level on hospital admission for COVID, the greater the chances of in-hospital mortality [69].

When the underlying infection or other pathology can be resolved, D-dimer levels will generally resolve as well. If a thrombotic event occurs, resolves, and has no ongoing underlying pathology, D-dimer elevations will generally persist for only a few days before returning to normal. Chronic COVID infections often demonstrate persistent blood clotting problems. In one study, 25 percent of a recuperating group of COVID patients who were four months past the acute clinical phase of their infections demonstrated increased D-dimer levels. Also of note, the other common laboratory parameters of blood clotting had already returned to normal in over 90 percent of the patients, indicating the sensitivity that D-dimer testing has for detecting blood clotting pathology. These other tests included prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, fibrinogen, and platelets. Even C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, tests that track inflammation, had typically also returned to normal [70].

Platelet levels generally drop in the blood at the same time D-dimer levels are increasing, as they are consumed in the formation of blood clots [71]. A post-COVID vaccination syndrome known as vaccine-induced prothrombotic immune thrombocytopenia (VIPIT) with these laboratory findings has been described [72–75].

While the pandemic has given more attention to D-dimer testing than it ever had before, other conditions can cause a D-dimer elevation [76]. However, anyone today who is not acutely ill but found to have an elevation of their D-dimer levels is likely suffering from the consequences of persistent spike protein presence in their vasculature, whether due to lingering COVID infection and/or due to having received one or more COVID vaccinations. And even if such an individual never had COVID or received a vaccination, an extensive medical evaluation is warranted, since a D-dimer elevation is never normal. A persistently elevated D-dimer level should never be dismissed as inconsequential just because the patient feels well.

Therapeutic Recommendations
Quite simply, the goal is to normalize both troponin and D-dimer levels in everyone under treatment. This can be more difficult to achieve in older patients with chronic medical conditions that are being clinically managed. But a concerted effort should still be made at the outset to normalize these tests.

Nearly all of the elevated troponin and D-dimer levels at this point in the pandemic will be secondary to persistent spike protein presence in the body following COVID infection, one or more COVID vaccinations, or both. The likely ease of spike protein transmission also means there will be some individuals who have elevated test levels without having knowledge of ever having been infected, and without a history of vaccination. In other words, these tests should be performed on everyone at this point in time, and any elevations should be aggressively treated. And if those tests are completely normal, they will still serve as excellent baseline data when dealing with future medical conditions or infections, COVID-related or otherwise.

There is no one set protocol for dealing with a persistent spike protein syndrome with elevated troponin and/or D-dimer levels. Some individuals will respond quickly and regain a normal health status after relatively minimal measures are taken. Others will require very aggressive and prolonged treatments, and still others will simply not normalize regardless of what is done. In younger patients, the inability to regain a normal health status should be extremely rare, especially when a quality regimen of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals is being introduced for the first time.
The following recommendations apply to an individual with elevated troponin and D-dimer levels, or with either one elevated and the other normal. Specific reference ranges, or normal ranges, for these tests should come from the laboratory running the tests, since significant variation in these ranges can be seen from one testing source versus another. These recommendations apply to both the clinically normal individual and someone who is suffering from chronic COVID or any of a variety of nonspecific symptoms. This protocol, and all variations thereof, should be administered with the guidance of a licensed health care professional.

Intravenous vitamin C, dosed roughly between 50 and 150 grams (1 gram/kilogram body weight), infused over 60 to 120 minutes. Add 25 mg of hydrocortisone to each IV. If not available, take 50 mg of hydrocortisone orally about one hour before start of infusion. Also add 500 to 1,500 mg of magnesium chloride to each IV bag. For more information on vitamin C administration: [77]​
Alternatively, take five packets of LivOn Labs liposome-encapsulated vitamin C orally three times daily [78]. If available, take 10 to 20 mg of hydrocortisone orally with each dose.

Alternatively, 2 to 4 grams of sodium ascorbate in juice three times daily with 10 to 20 mg of hydrocortisone with each dose.

2. Follow each vitamin C infusion with a separate infusion of methylene blue (a potent anti-pathogen proven to be of great benefit even in the most advanced stages of COVID) [79–84]:

Take 50 mg of MB in 250 ml of 5 percent dextrose solution can be infused over 30 to 45 minutes.

Alternatively, 50 mg of MB can be taken orally each day of vitamin C administration. Take 5 ml of 1 percent MB solution in juice (tomato is a good option). Taking through a straw avoids temporary teeth and tongue staining. Prompt administration of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide removes skin stains.

3. Hydrogen peroxide nebulizations as tolerated to eliminate low-grade colonizations of COVID and other pathogens in the aerodigestive and lower digestive tracts [85].

Any, or all, of the following nutrient/vitamin/mineral supplements for general support of long-term health: [86]

Vitamin C
Magnesium chloride
Zinc and quercetin
Vitamin D
Vitamin K2
Olive leaf extract
Multivitamin, multimineral preparation that has no added calcium, iron, or copper
Nattokinase, lumbrokinase, and/or serrapeptase to minimize any future blood clotting problems
At the discretion of the health care professional, any of the following measures can be added:

Ozonated blood or ozonated saline infusions
Ultraviolet irradiation treatments of the blood
Intravenous infusions of hydrogen peroxide
Hyperbaric oxygen treatments
Chlorine dioxide treatments
Hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine
Ivermectin
Any modifications of these treatments, along with deciding how long they should be continued, must be determined on an individual basis with the help of the chosen health care professional working with the patient.

Recap
Myocarditis was once rare. Because of COVID vaccines and COVID itself, myocarditis has become common. The troponin test has shown that there are many individuals who continue to have low-grade myocardial inflammation after a return to clinical normalcy. This makes such individuals ticking time bombs ready to develop a serious worsening of their underlying pathology when a booster shot is received or a recontraction of COVID or one of its variants occurs. The persistent inflammation in the heart means there is a persistence of the spike protein in that organ and very likely through much of the body. This sets the stage for a sudden and dramatic decline in health when more spike protein is administered or allowed to be replicated in the body.

Elevated D-dimer levels indicate an overactive state of blood clotting in the body, and when these levels remain elevated, the long-time prognosis is likely very poor in terms of morbidity and early mortality.

Heart rhythm problems and heart block can occur when troponin levels remain elevated. The FAA is currently changing its rules to allow more pilots to fly who have PR intervals greater than 0.3 seconds, a development that should be of great concern to all who fly. PR intervals that lengthen in the older population can presage significant heart problems, including early death. Science should never be displaced by political expedience and the need to make ever greater amounts of money.

Any persistent elevations of troponin and D-dimer tests must be treated with the goal of normalizing them completely. Obviously, this is especially important in the pilot population. Measures to accomplish this along with recommended types of long-term supplementation are discussed.

Cardiologist and attorney-at-law Thomas E. Levy is a contributing editor for the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service. Dr. Levy serves as a consultant to LivOn Labs. He may be contacted at televymd@yahoo.com.

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134
Last night I took the youngest Pre-Ranger out to dinner. Mom was working so it's a good time for him and me to just talk.

We have been having some issues with him preparing to leave for college this fall. He signed up for the professional aeronautics program at Kentucky Eastern University which produces commercial pilots. His concept of the operation was to get the B.S. and all his pilot ratings up to ATP (Airline Transport Pilot) and his multi-engine instructor and instrument instructor ratings. He was then going to visit the Army recruiter with all that and ask to become an Apache pilot. If they bungled, he was going to do a rapid sidestep and enter the Marine recruiter office with the same request but make it either an AH-1W or an F-18.

But I have noticed that something has been missing. When I talk about flying it seems to go nowhere. When I look around to see if he is googling airplane stuff, nada.

So, I confronted him about it. During that hour-long conversation. I did not see any real interest in flying, only a love for what flying brings...$$$.

I may have misspoke, but I consider that a lack of character. I explained you do it because you love it and because it is the passion that makes you get out of bed for decades.

Last night he made it very clear to me that what he has always wanted to do is to become a Ranger. Not a tab wearer, but a member of 1st Ranger Battalion, which is our Tier 1, counter-terrorism battalion, and probably the single best infantry unit on earth.

He told me that every time we go down to visit Nate, he just feels so alive. He feels like he belongs there, and he does not want to leave. He goes and hangs out in the barracks with the soldiers, and I can testify, the boy seems more alive down there. So God help us, but it looks like this family is about to produce another US Army Infantryman!

So that's it. We are off to start the conversation...

135
Medical Corner / Ivermectin for Covid 19 and booster shots
« on: February 16, 2023, 10:26:21 AM »
Information on the use and dosage of ivermectin for Covid 19 and booster shots
Originally posted by Stlaser.

https://covid19criticalcare.com/treatment-protocols/i-recover/

Here is a relevant link, they again recommend ivermectin as a treatment to remove the spike proteins along with intermittent fasting. I’ve done both since around the beginning of covid. I do intermittent fasting for weight control for the record, it works for me. I can attest to ivermectin against covid as my middle daughter had lost taste and smell. Only with treatment from ivermectin did she regain it after her second covid infection. I personally took the first two Pfizer vaccinations but no boosters. I have not been sick in any shape or form since before covid. I take ivermectin every 3 months or so as a prophylactic. Dosage charts can be found here. You should all have this in your cabinet along with a box of 3ml syringes.

https://www.barnhardt.biz/ivermectin/


For the record, I have never taken any covid vaccine, nor any booster shots. I have had Covid two times that I know of and have recovered completely both times. I do take a daily regiment of vitamins and supplements.




136
General Vehicle Related Discussion / Don's 3500 Ram
« on: February 15, 2023, 03:50:56 PM »
Allow me to introduce the newest truck in my stable. It is a 2022 (New) 3500 Ram Laramie 4X4

I wanted one in the Patriot blue and I was lucky enough to find this one on the lot where I get my Gladiator serviced.

137
Self Defense and Tactics / Prepare for and survive a nuclear attack
« on: February 14, 2023, 08:00:46 PM »
How dangerous are nuclear bombs? -
The number of casualties depends on the size of the weapon, where it’s detonated, and how many people are upwind of the blast, but a single nuclear weapon could potentially result in hundreds of thousands of immediate deaths in a major city. Russia's nuclear arsenal, by the way, is reportedly capable of striking almost anywhere on the planet.

I found this helpful guide published by someone to help prepare the population for a possible Nuclear attack. I think it has some practical suggestions, but it is obviously written in a manner designed to reduce the fear aspect.
I will add some commentary following each of the comments to provide some perspective, and information. I can say I was trained in this area in the military.


What is a nuclear explosion? -
The US Disaster and Emergency website describe a nuclear explosion as being caused by a device that uses a nuclear reaction to create an explosion. Ranging from small portable devices to a weapon carried by a huge missile, nuclear devices can cause significant damage in more ways than one.

Several types of dangers -
The blinding brightness, the force of the blast wave, the radiation damaging cells, the fire and heat that can cause injury and destruction, the electromagnetic pulse that can knock out electronics, and the radioactive dirt and debris raining down—called fallout—are all dangers a nuclear blast poses.

How much time after announcement? -
If a nuclear bomb were headed toward the US from Russia, and if residents were immediately warned of the attack, it’s estimated they would have about 30 minutes or less to shelter. That means that in a worst-case scenario there is no time to plan in the moment.

Where announcements would be -
Irwin Redlener, a public health expert at Columbia University who specializes in disaster preparedness, told Insider that the best way to learn of an impending nuclear attack would likely be TV or radio. You might also hear loud sirens ringing out.

What it looks like -
When a nuclear bomb strikes, it sets off an immense flash of light and a giant orange fireball.

It may or it may not. Some specialized nuclear weapons are designed to explode beneath the surface. A sub-surface detonation will cause a huge black cloud of debris to be ejected straight upward probably to 10,000 feet or more. The enemy well knows our government goes into hiding in underground bunkers, inside of mountains, and in tunnels. More so, our hundreds of strategic nuclear-tipped missiles are housed mostly in hardened underground silos. The enemy will attack each and every one of those silos. An initial nuclear attack on the United States will very likely start with around 150 detonations. That, sadly, alone could destroy us and kill off 90% of the population. Little to no infrastructure will remain intact, the electricity will be out for a very long time, and the drinkable water will be exhausted very quickly as well. Lethal radiation will spread eastward since the bulk of the detonations will be west of the Mississippi river.

First 30-45 minutes: protect your body -
You should immediately cover your eyes to make sure you aren’t temporarily blinded by the light. According to Insider, a 1-megaton bomb could temporarily blind people up to 13 miles (21 km) away on a clear day and up to 53 miles (85 km) away on a clear night.

Well documented. Don’t look at anything. Just get inside something and wait it out. If you see the blast you will almost certainly be blinded to some degree. The light is much greater than looking directly into the sun.

Lie face down -
In addition to taking cover behind anything that might offer protection, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends dropping to the ground with your face down and tucking your hands under your body to protect from flying debris and burning heat. If you have a scarf, cover your nose and mouth with it. You’ll also want to keep your mouth open to help ensure that your eardrums don’t burst from the pressure.

Being mouth open is important. So the good news is that you will keep your eardrums. The bad news is everything within 30 feet is now going to be inside your mouth. Nothing in your mouth will be radioactive, so that’s good. If you are close to the blast, it won’t matter anyway as you’ll likely be incinerated or struck by high-velocity projectiles. If you are far away, you will survive. If you are close enough to be tossed around, sadly you probably won’t be alive for very long.

If you’re in a vehicle -
If you are in a vehicle when a blast goes off, come to a safe stop and duck down within the vehicle. It’s important that you don’t stay there for too long, however.

Yea get your head down. Get below everything. Probably better to get down prior to even stopping. The shock wave is coming at you at the speed of sound. You’ll only have seconds before a titanic force strikes your vehicle if you are within a few miles of the blast. If not, the car has steel all around you and that is good. Following the blast, unless you’re driving a 65 mustang the car will never start again. For that reason, it is a pretty good idea to keep a bug-out bag in your car. In it have a med kit, water, a rain jacket, some walking shoes and maybe some energy bars. Put a gun in there too if you can.

About 15 minutes before nuclear fallout lands -
Survivors of a nuclear attack reportedly have about 15 minutes before the grains of nuclear fallout reach the ground. Exposure to these particles can result in radiation poisoning, which can damage the body's cells and potentially be fatal.

Remember if the dust is settling you will probably have a low chance of survival, and the way in which you die will be more horrible than you can imagine. Break into a house and get into the basement. Your chances of getting shot by the owner are better than remaining outside for 10-15 minutes. The debris will be heaviest downwind a mile or two from ground zero. If you’re in that, be prayed up, in all honesty, you will not be alive in a week.

Radiation exposure -
The potential for radiation exposure decreases 55% an hour after an explosion and 80% after 24 hours, according to the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, which is why it’s essential to find shelter as soon as possible.

Those numbers depend on the type of weapon and the concentration of fission byproducts. Some isotopes will remain dangerous enough to be lethal for decades and even centuries. Strontium and cesium will decay rapidly, but polonium, uranium, plutonium and others will never be safe in a hundred lifetimes.

Find shelter -
Redlener advises looking for shelter in the opposite direction of fallen buildings and in the direction away from the wind. If you aren’t near any known shelters, try to get as far away from the blast as you can within 10-15 minutes, then immediately take shelter to avoid the descending radiation cloud.

Good advice, but. If that shelter is on the other side of town, you may make it, but you will have absorbed a lethal dose of radiation from gamma and a-rays. You may even have breathed in nuclear material. So the best advice is probably to get underground as quickly as you can. Get into basements, into subways, into sewers. The earth, i.e. dirt will shield you from the most lethal radiation.

Ideal shelters -
Outdoor areas, vehicles, and mobile homes are not adequate shelter, the US government stresses. Instead, go to brick or concrete buildings like schools or offices with few to no windows, and ideally a basement for camping out. If there aren’t sturdy buildings around, still try to get indoors and away from windows.

Multistory building precautions -
If you take cover in a multistory building, try to stay in the center of it, especially if it has windows, and steer clear of the top and bottom floors. Shock waves can shatter windows up to 10 miles (16 km) away from an explosion, which is why it’s important to stay away from windows.

Not so sure I agree here. The windows will be blown out. The building will be filled with blast casualties, many of whom will die over the following days. Water runs downhill and everything in a tall building is up. There won’t be any pumps running to get water up, so you’ll be out of that PDQ. High rises are nowhere near ideal. But, big buildings have basements, which are great places to shelter.

First 24 hours: shower and stay inside -
Where you are in the first 24 hours after a blast is critical for reducing radiation exposure and thus critical for your health. While some levels of radiation damage are treatable, there comes a point where nothing can be done, Kathryn Higley, a professor of nuclear science at Oregon State University, told Insider.

Wishful thinking. Showering will become something we just dream about. There isn’t going to be any water. No pumps and the towers everywhere will empty relatively soon. Here’s a better idea. Fill all your bathtubs and toilets and sinks and pots and pans. You will be boiling and drinking that water in the weeks to come. DO NOT use rainwater or anything that is open to the atmosphere. If you must then filter it through socks or clothing or something, then throw that filter media away. It’s a risk but dying from dehydration is certain to kill you if you don’t drink anything. Oh, and water can come from strange places. Like the tanks on the back of your toilet. Maybe from old bottles or even from a radiator of a vehicle or car if it cooled itself with water. Think old stuff here.

Remove contaminated clothes -
If you were outside during the blast or after the fallout arrived, remove all your contaminated clothing as soon as possible. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, and wipe the exposed skin clean, but do not use disinfectant wipes on your skin.

Dispose of outer clothing and dirty cloths -
The CDC recommends sealing contaminated layers of clothing in a plastic bag, along with any tissues or cloths used to wipe your body or face.

Stupid advice. Keep plastic bags to cover wounds and collect water from toilets and other things like that. Toss the clothing out the window and keep that plastic bag. A big plastic bag can be a raincoat. Rain will be radioactive. Put the bag over you in rain to move to another building then toss it immediately when you get safe.

Shower as soon as possible -
People who were outside during an explosion should shower as soon as possible. Use warm water and apply soap gently, as scrubbing too hard could break your skin, which is your natural protective barrier. Cover any cuts or abrasions while rinsing, and if washing isn’t possible, use a clean wet cloth to wipe any skin or hair that was exposed.

Well if you were exposed and not burned half to death and you walked in the ash, you might as well shower. If you had radioactive material on you, water might remove it, but if you were outside very long, you already have bigger problems.


Don’t use any products -
Using things like conditioner, body lotion, or face cream after exposure to a nuclear blast can reportedly bind the products to radioactive particles and trap them in your skin and hair.

Don’t forget any spots -
Make sure you blow your nose, and wipe your ears, eyelids, and any spots where debris might get stuck. Don’t forget to clean any pets that were outside after the fallout arrived by gently brushing their coat and washing them with soap and water.

Eat only sealed food -
It's safe to eat from sealed containers like packages, bottles, or cans, as well as things that were in sealed places like your pantry or refrigerator, but the CDC recommends wiping off containers, cookware, counters, and utensils first. You certainly shouldn’t eat anything left uncovered, such as fruits or veggies from a garden, because of their exposure to fallout.

Stay inside for 24 hours -
Until you’re told to go outside, you should stay in your shelter for at least 24 hours so that the risk of contamination can sufficiently decrease.

Laughable, really. The time for most fissile materials to decay to safe levels is closer to 14 days. Do not go outside for two weeks. Sooner possibly if you can measure the radiation. Or if you planned and have a radio you stored in a metal can that didn’t get fried, and the person in the speaker says it is safe then go. You may have to go outside during the 13 days you are sheltering. You may need to grab the case of water in the barn, or and this is very likely, you may need to drag a dead body out of your shelter. If this happens you must limit your time outside to seconds if possible. If you walk and create any dust. Then shed your boots and pants before reentering your living area and then try and keep your distance from others. Like it or not, you have been contaminated and irradiated.
Here's another sobering thought. Someone may have to journey outside. Whoever that is has a greatly reduced survival prospect. So maybe that person is one who already has a life-threatening disease or is older. It is going to be a tough job just to survive following a nuclear war. It will take our strongest. If we sacrifice them early on, who will be left to rebuild, replant, and defend against lawless mobs that almost certainly will form?


Practice social distancing -
If you’re in a shared shelter, keep a distance of at least six feet between yourself and people who are not part of your household. If possible, wear a mask if you're sheltering with people who are not a part of your household.

Tough call here. Who gets to share your shelter? On the one hand every additional person will need water and food which will create waste. What is their mental state? Will they become a threat? On the other hand, they may make you safer, serving as soldiers and guards and they may bring some critical skills.

Have an order of priority established -
Though you might want to reunite with your loved ones immediately, the priority is that everyone stays safe and uncontaminated in the first 24 hours following a blast. After that period, you can reunite and avoid exposure to dangerous radiation.

Loved ones being people. Unfortunately, your pets are casualties of war. They will eat and drink what you will need to survive. They cannot be saved and should a dog, for example, venture outside, his coat of hair will become a magnet for radioactive particles.

Keep the space clean -
Keep your living area in the shelter clean and disinfect frequently-touched items such as toys, cell phones, and other surfaces. Avoid touching high-touch surfaces, such as doorknobs, as much as possible, and wash your hands frequently.


Stay tuned in -
Though cell phones, television, and internet may be disrupted, it’s important to stay tuned in for official information, such as when it is safe to exit and where you should go. Battery-operated and hand-crank radios are a safe bet in an emergency nuclear situation.

Did you prep at all? Did you set aside cans of food or bottles of water? You can buy radios which can be tuned to high-frequency channels that are powered by a hand crank. If you had one of those in a grounded metal can like a trash can, it may very well have survived the EMP and suddenly become your most prized possession. Remember no fragile electronic anything will ever work again. The EMP is tens of thousands of volts and it will melt the circuit boards of any electronic device.

How to prepare -
Though we can’t live our lives preparing for impending doom, there are small things we can do to be prepared for the worst-case scenario like identifying shelter locations in the areas you frequent. You can also prepare an Emergency Supply Kit with things like bottled water, packaged foods, medications, a battery-powered radio, a flashlight, and a change of clothes

These are crazy times, and the prospect of a nuclear war is actually on the table once again. So you can look at in two very different ways. One idea, and maybe it is not so bad is to do absolutely nothing. Just live and enjoy your life. Don’t give in to fear and the doom-sayers. Just know that when the sirens go off, well, find a high place, stand there with your arms outstretched, and just embrace what’s coming.
If you are a door number two person, then set some cots and blankets in the basement in a corner. Fill up some 30- and 50-gallon plastic jugs with water. Fill one with rice and oatmeal, toss in some desiccant pouches along with some salt, and seal them up. Get that radio, buy a gun, and get a lot of ammo, a 12 gage if nothing else. Then practice every once in a while. Tell everyone what to do and teach them enough to know whether or not getting home is practical.
Then pray a lot that somehow this world maintains some balance that keeps us all out of this scary prospect.


Managing stress -
During these stressful times, try to stay connected with loved ones to help manage the stress and trauma. Even without a nuclear blast going off, it’s essential to take care of our mental health under so many looming threats to our safety. And remember: you’re not alone in this!

Oh and put a bible in your shelter and your bug-out bag. The best stress reducer of all is prayer.

138
11 February 1765 – The term “Sons of Liberty” is used in a letter written by Jared Ingersoll, Sr. The term would soon be adopted by American patriots. In turn, Ingersoll got the phrase from a speech in the House of Commons by Isaac Barré. A vigorous opponent of the taxation of America, Barré displayed his mastery of invective in his championship of the American cause.

Another member, Charles Townshend, in a debate on 6 February, spoke scornfully: “And now will these Americans, children planted by our care, nourished up by our indulgence until they are grown to a degree of strength & opulence, and protected by our arms, will they grudge to contribute their mite to relieve us from the heavy weight of that burden which we lie under?”

Townshend’s speech prompted Col. Barré, to defend Americans: “They planted by your care? No! your oppressions planted them in America. They fled from your tyranny to a then uncultivated and unhospitable country . . . . They nourished up by your indulgence? They grew by your neglect of them: as soon as you began to care about them, that care was exercised in sending persons to rule over them . . . men whose behavior on many occasions has caused the blood of those SONS OF LIBERTY to recoil within them . . . .They protected by your arms? They have nobly taken up arms in your defense . . . . The people I believe are as truly loyal as any subjects the King has, but a people jealous of their liberties and who will vindicate them, if ever they should be violated.”

Despite the speech, the House of Commons ended up approving the Stamp Act. Barré was soon proven right, however. The Americans were “jealous of their liberties” and would “vindicate them”. Ingersoll, having witnessed this exchange, wrote his letter to Governor Thomas Fitch of Connecticut. He later claimed that he was the only man to report the contents of at least one notable speech back to America. Thus, Ingersoll took credit for introducing the phrase “Sons of Liberty” into the American lexicon.

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote" - attributed to Benjiman Franklin

NEVER give up your liberty!

139
Medical Corner / Covid 19 booster shot and stroke
« on: February 13, 2023, 12:11:00 PM »
Booster Shots May Trigger Stroke Incidents, According to CDC and FDA

An Overview of Risk and Prevention
COVID VACCINE INJURIES

Allison Krug
Dr. Yuhong Dong

Feb 11 2023
In addition to cardiac events, another life-threatening side effect has been associated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. When is the risk period? Does the flu shot play any role in these events? What actions should we take to better protect ourselves?

Summary of Key Facts
An increased risk of stroke events has been identified with the Pfizer COVID-19 bivalent vaccine, according to a joint statement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The onset time in people aged 65 years and older was 1–21 days after the booster, with a significant cluster of events observed 11–21 days after the booster.
Sixty-four percent had received the flu vaccine on the same day as the COVID-19 booster.
The bivalent booster contains the code of the spike protein, contributing to the increased risk of blood clots. High-risk people should avoid the boosters.
Solution: Remember the five “suddens” of stroke warning signs.
Advice on preventing other risk factors of stroke is also provided in this paper.
On Jan. 13, 2023, the FDA and CDC issued a joint statement that a new “safety signal” for ischemic stroke had been detected in one of the agency’s vaccine safety surveillance systems.

The statement read, in part: “CDC’s Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD), a near real-time surveillance system, met the statistical criteria to prompt additional investigation into whether there was a safety concern for ischemic stroke in people ages 65 and older who received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine bivalent.”

The VSD system monitors the electronic health records of 12.5 million Americans served by nine integrated health systems.

The CDC stated that no other safety databases had detected this signal (including the Medicare and Veterans Affairs data sets). Pfizer released a statement that it had not detected this signal in its databases, and no other countries have found a similar signal in their monitoring systems.

The clot risk appears to be greater on days 11–21 after receiving the booster, especially for those who received a high-dose or adjuvant flu vaccine on the same day.

A follow-up meeting was held on Jan. 26, 2023. Despite the identified risk, the CDC continues to recommend booster shots for all people over six months of age.

Increased Risk of Stroke Mostly Found 11 to 21 Days After Booster
The findings presented on Jan. 26, 2023, suggest that more stroke events occurred during days 1–21 post-vaccination than days 22–42 after receiving the shot.

People aged 65 or older who received the Pfizer bivalent booster experienced 130 events during the “risk interval” (1–21 days after the booster) and 92 events during the “comparison interval” (22–42 days after the booster). There was a 47 percent increased risk of ischemic stroke during 1-21 days post-booster, compared to those events occurring during 22-42 days post-booster, with a p = 0.005. In studies, when the P value is less than 0.05, it means the difference is statistically significant.

It is important to note that stroke events occurred throughout the entire 42-day follow-up period after the booster; a cluster of stroke events occurred between 11 and 21 days after receiving the booster.

In a preliminary review of 22 stroke cases in people 65 years or older on days 11–21 after receiving the booster, none of the individuals had a previous history of transient ischemic attack (TIA). Sixty-four percent received the flu vaccine on the same day as the COVID-19 booster (13 high-dose flu vaccines and one adjuvant flu vaccine).

Outcome data of these events shows that 59 percent of the people who experienced a TIA were discharged home, 18 percent were discharged with home health, nine percent were discharged to a skilled nursing facility, and 14 percent (three of the 22) died. The CDC notes that one death was likely related to a stroke.

No safety signal was detected in the VSD database for Moderna; however, the VAERS reported stroke cases related to the Moderna booster. The difference could be due to the number of booster doses administered for the two vaccines. Nearly twice as many Pfizer booster doses had been given as Moderna (549,943 vs. 285,706) as of Jan. 7, 2023.

As of Jan. 8, 2023, 40 ischemic stroke/transient ischemic attack cases after the bivalent COVID-19 mRNA vaccination were detected in the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS). The median age was 74 years. Nineteen were males, and 21 were females. The median time to onset was four days. Twenty-five cases occurred after the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent vaccine, and 15 occurred after the Moderna bivalent vaccine.

Receiving a Flu Shot on the Same Day as the Booster Increases Risk
VSD data analysis showed that three people experienced a stroke after receiving the Pfizer booster and a standard dose of flu vaccine on the same day. By contrast, 40 people who received the Pfizer booster and a high-dose or adjuvant flu vaccine on the same day experienced a stroke. Sixty older adults experienced a stroke after receiving only the COVID-19 booster.

Receiving a high dose or adjuvanted flu shot on the same day seemed to double the risk of stroke.

The spike protein in the SARS-CoV-2 virus can significantly increase the risk of arterial and venous clots. A database analysis of 48 million individuals in the United Kingdom found an increased risk of ischemic stroke, especially in the first weeks after COVID-19 infection.

The mRNA vaccine also produces the spike protein. The bivalent booster contains the code for two strains of the spike protein (original Wuhan strain and BA.4/BA.5).

Your blood contains platelets, which form clots to stop bleeding after an injury. The S1 unit of the spike protein hyperactivates these platelets. This can cause the blood to form tiny clots after infection or vaccination. These blockages in blood flow can cause problems throughout the body’s tissues and organs.

The flu shot increases the risk of stroke, possibly because the vaccine provokes an inflammatory response. This increases the risk of ischemic stroke, especially in people with pre-existing coagulation abnormalities. A report from Taiwan indicated that a 75-year-old male patient suffered posterior circulation ischemia after an influenza A/H1N1 vaccination.

Remember the ‘FAST’ Rule
Ischemic stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks or narrows an artery that leads to or is inside the brain. A blood clot often forms in arteries damaged by the buildup of plaques (atherosclerosis). It can occur in the carotid artery of the neck as well as in other arteries.

After vaccination—at a very rare rate—if an adverse stroke event does appear, what signs can alert you in time?

There are five “suddens” of stroke warning signs. If you observe one or more of these signs of a stroke, don’t wait; call a doctor or 911 immediately!

Sudden numbness, weakness, or tingling of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
Sudden confusion, drowsiness, or trouble talking or understanding speech
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes, or double vision
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance or coordination
Sudden severe headache, nausea, or vomiting with no known cause
Sometimes the signs may last only a few moments and then disappear. These episodes, known as transient ischemic attacks or TIAs, are called “mini-strokes.” Paying attention to them can be life-saving.

Remember the FAST (face, arm, speech, time) rule.

F ace drooping? Can’t smile
A rm weakness? Can’t raise above head
S peech difficulty? Can’t repeat simple nursery rhyme
T ime to call 911.
One or more of these signs—face weakness, arm weakness, and speech difficulty—are present in 88 percent of all strokes and TIAs. Getting to an emergency room quickly can save your life or the life of a loved one.

An intravenous injection of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) is the gold standard treatment for selected patients with ischemic stroke. An injection of TPA is usually given through a vein in the arm within the first three hours after a stroke.

Arriving at an emergency room as quickly as possible after noticing symptoms is critical to reducing the odds of disability. A successful rescue of stroke patients includes early identification of signs of stroke and medical care within the first hour of acute stroke.

Recommendations on Vaccinations
It may not be advisable for individuals vaccinated against COVID-19 and who experienced a stroke to take extra COVID-19 jabs such as boosters.

For now, this safety signal looks like a worrisome association with vaccination. Elderly individuals at high risk for severe COVID-19 should check with their physicians for the most appropriate guidance tailored to their risks, given that COVID-19 also increases the risk of stroke and other cardiovascular events for months after infection.

Carefully monitor individuals who received the COVID-19 vaccine or flu vaccine, especially those with high ischemic stroke risk.

A few sensible recommendations worth discussing with your physician include:

Consider separating the bivalent booster from other routine immunizations until more data has been collected; and
Wait several months after COVID-19 infection before getting a booster so that the increased risk of cardiovascular events following infection diminishes before introducing a new risk.
Lifestyle Tips to Prevent Stroke
There are many natural ways to support your body in breaking down the spike protein after vaccination or infection. It is vital to keep moving, drink plenty of fluids, and make deliberate dietary choices to increase antioxidant and antiplatelet nutrients.

Stroke as an adverse effect of vaccination won’t happen to everyone, and this means there are things we can do to reduce the risk.

Many of the risk factors of stroke are shared with cardiovascular diseases or heart attacks, as strokes and heart attacks are both associated with blood vessel problems. The risk of a stroke increases with age. Smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, and diabetes also increase the risk of stroke.

Lifestyle modifications are recommended for everyone, not just those at a high risk of stroke. We hear these recommendations often because they are proven to help maintain good health. Regular physical activity is essential. Maintaining a healthy diet and getting good-quality sleep set the foundation for feeling well. Avoid nicotine (smoking or vaping) and limit alcohol consumption. These steps help control your blood pressure, glucose, and lipid levels.

There are a few tips that may help reduce the risk of stroke. Start them now and make improvements to your life:

1. Spend some time inside the comforter or quilt in the morning before getting out of bed. As blood circulation is slow during sleep, taking 20 minutes of warm-up time to activate the blood throughout the body would speed up blood circulation and reduce the risk of stroke.

2. Drink a glass of warm water after getting up. An eight-ounce glass of warm water helps hydrate your body and can dilute the blood to promote blood circulation. Warm water can lower the risk of myocardial and cerebral stroke. Avoid cold water, as it can make your vessels contract rather than dilate.

3. Eating a banana for breakfast will facilitate a bowel movement in the morning. Don’t push too hard in the effort to eliminate, as pushing can increase blood pressure. Healthy bowel movements can help expel toxins and waste. Of course, our bodies will appreciate it if we can do this daily.

4. Avoid eating irritating foods such as strong coffee, alcohol, chili, or pepper. They may induce the contraction of blood vessels and increase blood pressure.

5. Avoid high-salt, deep-fried foods and choose healthy, organic, whole food as much as possible. The latter type of food typically contains large quantities of antioxidants and is beneficial for blood vessels and metabolism.

6. Do regular gentle daily exercises, including slow walking, Qigong, Taiji, or sitting meditation if you can cross your legs. Many research studies demonstrate that once we have such long-term healthy habits, we can elevate our health level holistically.

Take Mind-body Approaches to Preventing Stroke
Humans are not just physical creatures. Human beings are holistic, i.e., we are made up of physical, emotional, and mental aspects. Try to identify and modify psychosocial and emotional stressors.

Researchers found that type A behavior has been associated with an increased risk of stroke. High conscientiousness was found to be protective against stroke-related mortality.

A cross-sectional study examined significant stroke risk factors of hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, as well as personality and emotions. Among personality traits, high agreeableness was associated with reduced systolic hypertension (p = 0.039) and diabetes (p = 0.010). Anger was associated with increased diabetes (p = 0.009), while fear was associated with increased obesity (p = 0.024).

A high level of agreeableness appears protective against hypertension and diabetes, whereas anger and fear may predispose individuals to diabetes and obesity. The same trends should apply to the association with stroke as well.

140
Faith Discussion / Concern for the lost?
« on: February 10, 2023, 09:32:09 AM »

Take a look at this email from my pastor to his church. The part where Moses prayed that prayer really got me. That man was serious and committed. I wonder how concerned we/you may be for the lost?



Good morning church!

 

I spent significant time praying for you and your loved ones this week. This Sunday is our annual Super Bowl Sunday. These weekends are specifically designed for those that are far from God.

 

In Exodus 32, Moses prayed that God would forgive the sins of Israel. Moses was so serious about his prayer that he said, “If you won’t forgive the sins of the nation of Israel, then blot me out of your book.” He meant business.

 

Think about someone in your life who is far from God. Can you imagine being so intent on them knowing Jesus that you would be willing to say to God, “If you’re not willing to save them and if they’re going to hell, then send me to hell too. If they aren’t going to heaven, then I don’t want to go.”

 

I’m not saying that we should pray this way, but I do want us to be a church that is burdened for the lost. When we think about those that are far from God, it should burden us.

 

Take some time today and ask the Lord to reveal to you who you can invite to church this Sunday!

 

Marcus


*** Super Bowl Sunday Service Times ***

Florence Location - 9:00a, 10:45a, & 12:30p

Cincinnati Location - 9:30a & 11:30a

South Location - 9:30a & 11:30a

Online - 9:00a, 10:45a, 12:30p, 5:30p, & 9:30p
(7-Hills Church)

141
Our Pro-Military, Veteran, and Thin Blue Line place / Sergeant Major Canley
« on: February 07, 2023, 09:35:42 AM »
Monday, 6 February, 2023:

On this day in 1968, a hero engages in an action that would earn him the Medal of Honor. Nevertheless, Johnny Lee Canley didn’t receive that Medal for decades. His heroism had come during the Vietnam War, at the Tet Offensive, but he received his Medal fifty years later.

Would you believe that he joined the Marines in 1953, when he was only 15 years old? He used his brother’s paperwork to get in.
On January 31, 1968, Canley was a Gunnery Sergeant serving with Alpha Company, First Battalion, First Marine Regiment. About 150 Marines from his company would help take back Huế City, which had been seized by the North Vietnamese.

“As we approached the outskirts of the city,” Marine Corps veteran John Ligato later described, “NVA machine guns opened up from the north. An open rice paddy was to the east and the NVA blocked any southern retreat back to Phu Bai. Co A was now stuck in a deadly crossfire with no options, so we hunkered down and waited.”

It wasn’t pretty. The commanding officer was badly wounded, so Canley took over. He must have been all over the place during those hours? His citation describes Canley “repeatedly rush[ing] across fire-swept terrain to carry his wounded Marines to safety.”
“They’re alive, right? So I’m going to try to get to them,” Canley shrugged.

At one point, Ligato witnessed Canley and Sgt. Alfredo Gonzalez running out into an open rice paddy.
“They kept up a barrage of M16 fire accompanied with LAW rockets,” Ligato wrote, “until they were in range of tossing hand grenades. They eliminated those NVA machine guns and cleared our path north into the city. Had they not taken that action, I would not be alive today.”
By the end of the day, our Marines had successfully pushed their way into the city.

From there, Canley led his Marines in house-to-house combat, repeatedly risking his life to save one of his men or to lead an attack. On the fifth day of the conflict, the Marines worked to liberate the Joan of Arc School. Canley and Gonzalez were fearless, charging forward in the face of enemy fire. Gonzalez unfortunately was killed, but Canley miraculously survived the grueling, room-to-room combat in the school. By the end of the day, the school had been liberated.

After seven days of conflict—including one occasion on which Canley “scaled a wall in full view of the enemy to carry wounded Marines to safety”—the Marines finally took the city.

Canley’s leadership had been invaluable. “I know this sounds strange,” Ligato said simply. “but he wasn’t one of these gruff, screaming guys. You did stuff for him because you didn’t want to disappoint him. You followed him because he was a true leader—something you need in life-and-death situations.”

Gonzalez received a Medal for his actions in 1969, while Canley received a Navy Cross. The story might have ended there but for Ligato’s experiences at a Marine reunion many years later.

“When the Gunny walked into the hospitality suite,” he wrote, “heads turned and all conversations ceased. The Marines of Co A gathered around Canley and began reminiscing. All had a Gunny Canley story and the majority included Canley doing something heroic. There were six or seven eyewitnesses to the Gunny carrying wounded Marines to safety, the Gunny confronting enemy automatic weapon positions, and many testimonials of, ‘You saved my *ss, Gunny.’”

Ligato wanted to do something. Because of his tireless efforts, Canley’s Navy Cross would be upgraded to a Medal in 2018.
Canley remained humble. “My Marines depressed any fear that I had in the enemy,” he concluded. “Because of them, knowing that they were 100% behind me, fear never existed. I didn’t know what that word was.”

Sgt. Major Canley passed away just last year.  RIP, sir.

142
Humor, Good Stuff, and Red Neck Practices! / The veterinarian's viewpoint
« on: February 02, 2023, 08:53:22 PM »
Couldn't agree more!

143
Humor, Good Stuff, and Red Neck Practices! / What about those Bengals!
« on: January 22, 2023, 06:46:44 PM »
Ao proud of my team and their decisive win tonight against the Bills.

I'd say we just dominated! We got somewhere from 20-30 first downs. Burrows didn't get picked once. And no turnovers!

We are set up for the same matchup we had last year with the KC Chiefs. I think they are going to play in a neutral venue, I'm hearing Atlanta???

So, if we repeat last year's performance there is a darn good chance, we will face Mahone and the 49ers in the Superbowl. Honestly, I think we may have it this year. Our offense can make plays. Our defense may be the best in the league. The Bengals are arguably one of the top 2-4 teams in football today.

Congratulations Cincinnati!

144
Faith Discussion / 100 days of prayer
« on: January 21, 2023, 09:49:18 AM »
I started another 100 days of prayer today.

It's been a year since I did the last one and some of you joined me. Well America and the world has not improved, and I think our families, our friends, our leaders, our nation, the world, those suffering everywhere, those caught up in addiction, or temptation, or are hungry or in financial trouble all need prayer.

So who will join me? I'd ask that you make up a list and every morning or day, set aside a little time and go down that list. You can publically announce here of this thread, or you can join me annomonously. However you decide, please do decide to commit some time to praying with me/us here for the next 100 days.

Lift up:
Your spouse
Your family
The folks on this forum
Yourself for wisdom and protection against the enemy
Let's lift up our country, our culture, and the kingdom of God as it is on earth.
Let's pray for those in fear and suffering and at war.
Let's pray against the plans of the enemy!
And let's pray for individuals who you know are in need.
Let's pray for revival and conviction for those who are falling away or who do not know Jesus.
And Let's thank God for allowing his son to dwell amongst us and teaching us the way and for his everlasting grace.

Day 1

145
Shops Garages and Barns / Garage makeover
« on: January 16, 2023, 06:26:11 PM »
It is time to reorganize, clean and generally change up most things about my bigger garage (I have two on the primary house)

The one I use for most of the projects you read about here if they are automotive in nature happens in that garage. I have a dedicated 25X25 wood shop where some projects get built, and a smaller 24X24 where she used to park her car but now fills with junk err, stuff.

I started yesterday on this project, hoping to close out all of that well before I get consumed with the spring cleanup and working at the farm.

Generally, it is just a disorganized mess. I want work to flow, and things put up instead of out, gathering dust.

I started with a plan to do this in areas/stages. The recent snowfall caused something strange to happen. Because I have a continuous ridge vent, the powdery snow blown around by 50 mph winds actually piled the snow up in the ceiling space above the garage. When it warmed that snow melted and water started coming out of the ceiling at one point a ceiling 8-foot old-school fluorescent fixture ripped free from the drywall and is more or less dangling up there. The ceiling is quite high, 16 feet in there.

So, I knew I needed to fix that, and I quickly decided to swap out the fluorescent for high bay LED. I guess that started it. I figure that if I am going to get in there and start tearing things apart, I might as well just change everything I don't like.

With that thought serving as the spark, I started with the plan.

I would have already climbed up and changed out the light fixtures, but nothing is just that simple. You see my super tall 15-foot step ladder is down in my barn. And that farm is one muddy mess. So I decided while I'm waiting out a few dry days in a row to be able to get down there and not sink in some mud hole, I'd just get started on the next project, and that would be this ugly wash basin corner:

146
Humor, Good Stuff, and Red Neck Practices! / Yep, that's pretty much us!
« on: January 16, 2023, 03:01:41 PM »
Turn the volume down/off, it's all cursing, but the vid by itself is funny.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/564477868904225

147
Intel / Troublesome
« on: January 14, 2023, 04:18:12 PM »
Although this sounds great. All this ammo we are sending is hammering a mudhole out of the Russian military and setting them back a decade or more with being able to recover to a point where they are a credible threat, but two things to consider here

1. A desperate man acts in desperate ways. With one 10-minute release of megaton size weapons upon western Europe, and our ability to supply the Ukrainians is over. Additionally, the return volley will tip off a nuclear WW3.

2. We just may need some of that ammo ourselves. Certainly, we will be curtailing training because of a lack of ammo, so our readiness slips a bit. Secondly, we may just have to supply Taiwan with a bunch of ammo, or worse yet, supply our own guys with ammo over there.

I am always a bit suspicious of things like this. On one hand, I see a liberal UN-leaning government wanting to toss our flag and adopt being a UN surrogate. With that in mind, pulling a lot of ammunition from our stockpiles could bring us to a place where we may not be as fearsome a military as we currently are. Hearing the buzz from my old professional military circles, the guys in the know are saying they have never, repeat, NEVER seen ammunition, particularly artillery and missiles leave our inventory. All are scrambling to find ammo and it aient there to be had.


https://www.19fortyfive.com/2023/01/joe-biden-could-run-out-of-weapons-to-send-to-ukraine/?msn

148
So let's get a little insight here.
You may not have a movie or series in the category, and that's just fine.
But share what movie/series/other you would watch over and over again.
You can add up to two choices per category or screw the rules and write in whatever you want! ;-)

Here's a format to use, just copy and paste, then fill in your choices:

Favorite all-time movie:

Favorite war movie:

Favorite Action/suspense movie:

Favorite Comedy movie:

Favorite Western Movie:

Favorite Thriller movie:

Favorite documentary:

Favorite Sci-fi movie:

Favorite Musical movie:

Favorite Christmas movie:

We don't care about romance movies, so if you like these, keep them to yourself! :wink:

Favorite series:

Favorite Sci-fi series:

Favorite ancient (Viking/Roman/other) series

Favorite action series:

Favorite western series:

Favorite comedy series:

Favorite sport to watch:

Favorite something else: What category? What?


149
Intel / Troublesome talk from Russians
« on: January 14, 2023, 10:50:17 AM »
It is reckless to talk about the use of nuclear weapons. Their use, because of treaties, will almost certainly rapidly spread. Once they are detonated, they create a huge mess and render areas, like urban centers, uninhabitable for years to decades. I am no security analyst, but my guess is that Mr. Putin has a very short life expectancy. His allowing talk like this will undoubtedly cause the level heads in his government who know they are really talking about the total loss of their country to take drastic measures and remove him.

You may have noted the increasing number of "Events" happening in Russia. Their pipeline blows up in the North Sea. Here it has blown up yet again in a border nation. One of their largest lumber mills is on fire. They have seen explosions and other infrastructure failures at an increasing rate. I think they are trying to hit back. Does anyone believe a corrupt file in the FAA NOTAM system grounded all flights in the United States for nearly an entire day? Warfare is fought in many places and at many levels.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russia-declares-ww3-has-already-started/ss-AA16k9VS?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=b85236cbf25a49e98a1398c98bfbe6b3

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/lithuanian-gas-pipeline-hit-by-large-explosion/ar-AA16jNhv?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=7df1a97a1a564f7ea2e3add257bf2e32

150
Hand Tools, Power Tools, Welders, etc / Two post lift
« on: January 11, 2023, 10:04:34 AM »
I think I am needing a lift.

I am tired of putting things on jack stands and crawling around on a creeper.

And with the slow recovery from the recent surgery, it would be so much easier to just get a good lift where I can raise the vehicle off the ground.

In light of the approaching suspension change on my Jeep Gladiator, a lift would be a game changer

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