4th Bulletin Update Sandy/Frankenstorm

Folks there is nothing we can add to what MSM is now streaming.  This is a storm without equal and nothing we have experienced in the past.  What more can be said?  there are 67 million people in the impact area.  You have only about 6-12 hours to get done what ever you are going to do for preparation.  By all means act now.

We are providing a good checklist below.  Run through it because there may be something you haven’t thought about.  Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.

A Good Checklist for Now

   Minimum 6 days of stored food.
A way to safely boil water so you can prepare food.
Non-electric can openers.
Minimum 6 days of stored water.
Portable water filter.
Full fuel tanks in all your vehicles.
Gasoline and cords for your generator (if you have one).
Sleeping bags for all family members.
Flashlights and batteries.
Minimum 6-day supply of any prescription meds.
Colloidal silver and other emergency medicine items.
Cell phones full charged, with spare batteries.
Minimum one large fully-charged fire extinguisher.
Plenty of clean laundry with warm socks, undies and heavy clothing.
Backup power source: large 12V marine (deep cycle) battery with an inverter to charge cell phones and laptops.
Sponges for cleaning things when there’s no power.
Cleaning agents: Hand soap, dish soap and bleach.
Immune boosting herbal tinctures and supplements.
Topical first aid supplies: Antiseptics, bandages, etc.
Personal hygiene items, including toilet paper.
Emergency multi-purpose knife.
Matches, lighters and fire starting devices.
Activities to pass the time when there’s no TV: books, cards, games, etc.
Copies of your important paperwork and identification documents.
Two-way radios for you and your family members to communicate.
Wind-up weather radio so you can tune in to government broadcasts.• CB broadcasting radio so you can call for help if the cell towers are down.
Nuclear preparedness: Do you have potassium iodide pills?
Hiding stuff: Do you have good hiding places in your home in case criminals break in and overpower you?
Pet preparedness: Do you have enough food and water for your animals?
Go bag: Do you have a “bug out bag” ready in case you have to evacuate?
Hiking gear: What happens if you have to leave on foot?
– Cold weather hiking shoes
– Rugged backpack
– A good hat to protect you from the elements
– Local map and compass
– Water carrying containers (and a way to carry them)
– Portable food
– Weather-proof writing notepad
– Flashlights
– Identification
– Portable self defense items

   Security plans for your neighborhood or building: How will you defend against looters?
Physical barriers to block doors and windows: Are your windows locked?
Tripwire alert devices and motion alert devices • Self defense items to defend against possible looters:
– If firearms, double check your ammo, firearm lubrication and sights.
– Have a challenge / response code word with your family members so that you can identify each other in the dark. For example, if you say “Flash” they should say “Thunder” in response.
– Drill all safety procedures in the home. Children should know in advance where a “safe hiding place” is located.
– Emergency whistles for all children or senior citizens so they can call for help.

Stay Safe everyone and don’t forget to check on your neighbors, especially if they are elderly or confined.

Third Bulletin Update on Hurricane Sandy

The “Frankenstorm” is very real and all the models say it will be as bad as they are expecting it to be.  This was the trifecta of bad storm events converging over a highly populated area.  The ingredients include a warm air heavy moisture ladened hurricane moving N-NW, a strong cold front moving from the W, and an arctic blast of very cold air coming in from the N.  Frankenstorm.

Federal weather forecasters and emergency management officials are warning residents along the East Coast to prepare for major impacts from Hurricane Sandy as it transitions into a larger, more powerful hybrid storm that will take an extremely unusual path. The track and forecasted size of the storm could make it rival or exceed the impacts from some of the worst coastal storms on record in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, such as 1991’s Perfect Storm and the Ash Wednesday storm in 1962, which is regarded as the worst coastal flooding event on record along the Jersey shore.

“It’s almost a weeklong, five-day, six-day event,” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecaster Jim Cisco said Thursday from his northern storm forecast centre near Washington.. “It’s going to be a widespread serious storm.”

With every hour, meteorologists are getting more confident that this storm is going to be bad and they are able to focus their forecasts more.

Both private and federal meteorologists are calling this a storm that will likely go down in the history of weather events.

“We don’t have many modern precedents for what the models are suggesting,” Cisco said.

It is likely to hit during a full moon when tides are near their highest, increasing coastal flooding potential, Cisco’s agency warns. And with some trees still leafy and the potential for snow, power outages could last to the Nov. 6 Election Day, some American meteorologists fear.

Those in the Washington, DC/Baltimore Metro Area can expect to have sustained tropical force winds for up to 24 hours right now as it looks.  Just to the east of this area of concern, the full convergence of the storm will occur in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. This will be the area with the highest likelihood of spawning tornados.  All along the convergence line it will be a wild 6-12 hours.

If you are in those areas, be prepared for prolonged power outages and significant wind damage which will be intensified because a lot of trees still are fully leafed and therefore will be more vulnerable to damage.

Make sure you have enough food and water for 7 days for everyone.  What a lot of people don’t realize that with power out for prolonged periods, municipal water and sewer treatment plants can’t operate.  You need to be prepared for those kinds of impacts.  Even if you have water, you may be required to boil the water before consumption. This usually is a result of flood waters interacting with drinking water sources.  Think about how you would accomplish this without power.

In the northern areas of impacts, keeping warm and dry may also be an issue. Think how you achieve this. There is still 2-3 days to prepare but time is getting short.

The real truth is no one knows exactly what is going to happen, but whatever unfolds will still be unprecedented. The so-called “Perfect Storm” of 1991 caused $200 Million in damages, however, estimates for this Frankenstorm are in the $Billions.

One last thing that people who have gone through such events can attest, please check on your neighbors.  Be sure those around you fared as well as you.

Second Alert Bulletin on Sandy’s Landfall

The situation is a little more defined (80-90%) and it currently looks like Sandy will make landfall, probably on the Delaware coast sometime between 2-4 A.M. Tuesday morning. Sandy is expected to have sustained winds of 70Kts. or 77-80 MPH with gusts to 85 Kts. or about 90-95 MPH. Concerns center on exactly where Sandy makes her dive to the coast and the status of the tides, given we have highest tidal influences at the same time as Sandy is expected to make landfall.  Storm surge could add 6-8 ft to the tides in storm surge. Sandy is then downgraded to extra-tropical and moves quickly into central Pennsylvania probably around State College, Pa, but will still be packing sustained winds of about 60 Kts. or 70 MPH.

On landfall, Sandy’s hurricane force winds will be 35-45  miles out from the center of the storm and tropical force winds extending out 275 miles. Yeah, Sandy is on the chunky side! Therefore, those in the path of the storm can expect tropical force winds lasting up to 24-36 hours.

Given the current situation and various models, Western WV, PA, NY, and most of Ohio could get 20+ inches of heavy wet snow.  Some areas could get 30+ inches of snow.  This will really depend on how long the “stall” that Sandy will experience as she collides with the intense cold air system coming from the west. This is the other part of the perfect storm.  Currently the consensus is this “stall” will last about 48 hours.  However, a few models suggest it could last up to four days.  This concern also has a second variable which is how much intensification of the two storms will occur from their collision.

More when anything significant changes

Yellow Alert _East Coast from South Carolina to Maine_Perfect Storm is Brewing!

Although Hurricane Sandy is being reported in MSM, the OTHER facts have just started to surface.  Do you remember the George Cloony movie, “The Perfect Storm”?, well it looks like this is going to happen right now in real time.  There is a narrow, but intense system moving in an east northeast direction, currently in the midwest, there is a system moving south southwest direction from Newfoundland, and Hurricane Sandy moving north northwest.  Here is the graphic as of around 6 PM EDT.

This picture kinda says it all.  There is a substantial likelihood (+90%)these storms will merge. This could mean hurricane force winds over a very significant area for a long period of time.  Wind damage is not only related to the force of the wind, but also the duration an area is exposed to damaging winds.  Therefore damage impacts increase with time and in the face of slowly diminishing winds.

The “convergence zone” is the real concern here as we watch the events unfold.  It appears that the area of concern include NYC and Boston.  The impacts however are going to be significant from Charleston north and significantly inland over Pennsylvania and upstate NY.

Make sure if you are those areas, be prepared for significant and prolonged power outages and significant flooding given especially along the eastern seaboard could be 6-10″ in 24-36 hours. In Western Pennsylvania and Western NY, there could be significant heavy wet snow falls with all the impacts to power that go along with those conditions.

We will post more as warranted.

Why You Need To Try To Understand How Markets Work

On September 29, in the District Court of the District of Columbia, Judge Robert Wilkins threw out U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s(CFTC) new position-limits rule, sent the regulation back to the agency for future consideration. Wilkins ruled by law, the CFTC, which was required to prove that the position limits in commodity markets are necessary to diminish or prevent excessive speculation—. So why does that matter? It may sound a little technical if you haven’t been following this story, but this decision WILL affect the cost of your food, the cost of your fuel, and many other basic necessities of life.

Position limits are the tool in place to limit Wall Street speculators from gumming up commodity markets. If they are not limited in their speculative bets that they place, they have a tendency to unmoor commodity prices from supply-demand fundamentals.

So, for example, if you look at crude oil, the price of crude oil is way above what it should be if supply-demand just played a role. In fact, you know, most of the big oil companies say crude should be at about $70, $75. It’s now—it was up to $100 this week, went down to $91. The simple point is, look at gasoline, which is the main derivative of oil. You’re paying a premium that has nothing to do with production and has everything to do with lining the pockets of Wall Street.

So position limits say no individual player or finance institution can have more than x percent of any specific commodity market. And that used to be the case, right? Well, it still is the case, ironically enough. But Congress, in passing Dodd–Frank, wanted the position limits to affect a much broader market, which Wall Street uses to speculate on food and energy prices. So the more limited rule is still in effect that emanates from pre-Dodd–Frank. But Congress—well, the question was: did they order the CFTC to put these position limits in effect, or tell the CFTC, only do it if you think it’s necessary and appropriate? And that was the essential issue.

And the argument that the CFTC and many market reformers made, is that Congress couldn’t be clearer that they were very worried about the role speculation was playing in inflating food and energy prices—they demanded the CFTC to do something about it, and they said the vehicle you should use are position limits as appropriate.

However, in this ruling the district court judge said the word “as appropriate” also applies to whether or not you do the project to begin with. So he sent it back to the agency and said, now you’ve got to tell me by a majority vote—it’s a five-person commission; the original rule came out on a three-two vote—now a majority of the commission have to tell me that you’re doing this in a way that’s appropriate. So he’s added a burden on the CFTC and many members of Congress, by the way, to validate a view that was never intended. Can you now see how these banksters and criminals are “rigging” the game, because if the legislation says, do it, you don’t have to study whether you need to do it, and they had a three-to-two vote in the commission, which already agreed with that interpretation. You also need to understand that at one point the CFTC came up to 105 studies that showed unless you limited Wall Street speculation, we were going to have inflationary commodity prices that had nothing to do with supply-demand fundamentals. Duh!

We have gasoline prices as high as $5 a gallon in some regions of the country and food prices are beginning to soar out of sight. However, this does not only deals with what United States citizens pay for their gasoline, their heating oil, their energy products, and their food products, but in the Third World, many Third World countries believe speculation is leading to starvation because it’s so inflating the price of food beyond that which market fundamentals would dictate.

So what this judge has done is essentially set this thing aside. For at least a half-year, maybe a year, we will not have the kind of regulation that Congress demanded. And of course you’ve got the problem that the Republicans are fighting this agency by limiting its appropriations through the House of Representatives so it doesn’t have enough personnel to continue the legal battles  and doesn’t have enough enforcement personnel to police these speculators.

We must not just, as citizens, defer understanding these things because “they are just too complicated to understand” or have the attitude that it only “effects banker and investors” because that is exactly what these banksters and speculators are counting on.  Shock your congressional candidates with your knowledge and demand that they support dictating BY LAW that position limits are to be imposed.  There are already 49 million Americans on food stamps and 1 in 6 Americans go to bed hungry every day now! So what, we are going to wait until half of us are starving and cold?

Are We Being Nuked and Don’t Even Know It?

After Fukishima, there were significant spikes in radiation recorded for about 30 days in the US, especially on the West Coast.  Based on what we being told at that time concerning the conditions at Fukishima, this was consistent with the information that was being provided by TEPCO.

However, the accident at Fukishima occurred on 11 March 2011, so the air-borne radiation levels in the US should now be back to normal background levels and they are not back to normal in several locations, they are spiking.  We first noticed the most recent spiking starting on September 17^th of this year and they are not abating.  Something is happening that we are not being told about or alerted to and it is time to raise a level of concern.

Here are some real time data that should concern us all.

 

We don’t want to be alarmists and we certainly do not want to unnecessarily raise any red flags, but the intensity and duration of these increased counts cannot be ignored any longer.  The real concerns with radiation exposure is the impacts long term as they relate to increased cancer and genetic anomalies which is dictated by both dosage rates and length of time an individual is exposed to these elevated count levels.

Anything over 100 Clicks per Minute (CPM) is time to get concerned, and now there are MANY places up over 100, some at 500, even 1000 clicks per minute.  Exposure to 100CPM for a year gives you a significantly increased chance of cancer….and that is just from getting hit externally with the radiation.    If you breathe it in, it can be 20 times worse.    Exposure to 500 CPM for 90 days gives you a significantly increased chance of cancer and in pregnant women there is a significant increase in miscarriages and birth defects.

As you can see from the real time charts of actual recorded data, there is real justification to be concerned.  We think it is time to raise the “knowledge” level out there and time to get some “official” answers to these questions.  We are suggesting to our readers in the areas highlighted above that they start to make inquiries to their congressional representatives and agencies such as the Federal and State EPA’s to elicit an explanation.

History concerning honesty by government officials as it relates to exposure to radiation in the past has been dismal.  Indeed, it appears that the Japanese have been especially mute concerning the long term effects from the Fukishima accident or the real current condition of reactor #4 and US agencies involved with the evaluation of those impacts on the US population has been fairly non-existent as well, at least information to the general public.

One only has to remember the above ground testing in Nevada and New Mexico and the impacts “under-reporting” of the exposure of those state citizens and the impacts that has had in the past or the actions of the governments of Europe and Eastern Europe after Chernobyl. Reports of structural chromosome aberrations in people exposed to fallout in Belarus and other parts of the former Soviet Union, Austria, and Germany argue against a simple dose-response relationship between degree of exposure and incidence of aberrations. These findings are relevant because a close relationship exists between chromosome changes and congenital malformations.

Again we do not wish to be alarmists and I think people who read this blog know that, but it’s time we get some straight and complete answers. If you have friends or family in the areas we have highlighted above they should know what is happening in their area and they should certainly be somewhat concerned about these data sets.

Why There is A Strangle Hold on the Global Economy?

As we move into the fifth year of this most recent global economic crisis, much has been written about the criminality of the banking community, sovereign debt, and the impacts of austerity measures, but that is just part of the story.  To really understand the “whole of it” you also have to look at food prices, the escalating health care system delivery costs, and finally and most disturbing the cost of higher education.  All of these sectors have been usurped by a “corporate’ for profit mindset and are totally out of control.

Since the collapse of 2008, speculators have moved into the commodities sector and food prices have escalated out of control, essentially because there is NO control. The prices of all key staples increased, except for rice.Maize prices increased by 9%, soybean oil by 7%, wheat (U.S. HRW) by 6%, and sugar (world) by 5% just this last year. These price variations were the largest increases observed since June and July of 2011. The price of rice (Thai, 5%) declined in the same period by 6%, adding to the price decline of 2% observed in the fourth quarter of 2011. Both abundant supply and strong competition among exporters have caused the international price of rice to decline.  Although food production outlooks remain strong for 2012/13, there is a global food crisis. Why? Profiteers plain and simple.

Twenty years ago U.S. healthcare cost $2800, on average, per person. Ten years ago, that figure had risen to $4700 per person. And four years ago, in 2008, it was $7500 per person. The cost to cover the typical family of four under an employer plan is expected to top $20,000 on health care this year, up more than 7% from last year. These health care cost increases have increased the number of people dying because of a lack of access to health care and has resulted in a substantial increase in personal bankruptcies, especially among retired people. Not only is there no controls over these costs, the government has essentially prohibited competition by restricting large governmental providers from even negotiating more competitive costs.

But nowhere is the lack of control more apparent that in the cost of higher education. This month information was released regarding consumer credit growth.  Most of the headlines took this as positive economic news but digging deeper into the data we realize that the bulk of the growth came courtesy of exploding student debt.  Even with the encyclopedia amount of data showing how horribly run many for-profit colleges are run, the government continues to back these risky endeavors while saddling young Americans with unrelenting levels of debt.  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the predatory nature of these operations just like it was easy to see subprime loans were going to end badly.  So why continue to allow this to go on?  Why is the system so adamant on continuing to pour layer upon layer of student debt syrup onto the younger segment of our nation that is already struggling in the employment market?

A recent University of Georgia study is sobering in its findings.  When comparing the UG tuition escalations to other higher institutions here are their findings:

Undergraduate

Residents

The average 10-year increase in tuition and fees for residents was 111%. The University of Georgia’s increase was 156%, 3rd highest out of 13 institutions.

The largest increase occurred at University of Arizona (231%), University of California-Davis (185%), and University of Georgia (156%).

The lowest increases were at University of Maryland (58%), Louisiana State University (65%), and University of Missouri (85%).

Over the past 5 years the University of Georgia has had the highest increase (89%), followed by University of Arizona (83%), and University of California-Davis (75%).

Over the past 5 years University of Maryland has had the lowest increase (8%), followed by Ohio State University (17%), and University of Missouri (22%).

Non-Residents

The average 10-year increase in tuition and fees for non-residents was 94%. The University of Georgia’s increase was 138%, 2nd highest out of 13 institutions.

The largest increases occurred at University of Florida (163%), University of Georgia (138%), and University of Arizona (138%).

The lowest increases were at North Carolina State University (43%), University of Missouri (58%), and University of Kentucky and Iowa State University with an increase of 72% each.

Over the past 5 years University of Arizona has had the highest increase (80%), followed by University of Georgia (60%) and University of Florida (59%).

Over the past 5 years North Carolina State University has had the lowest increase (15%), followed by Iowa State University (18%) and Ohio State University (22%).

How much debt have we loaded onto the backs of our youth and young developing professionals who are the essential elements to stimulating our economy?  It’s this big:

How out of whack is this really? Consider this fact, the total combined GDP growth in the US from 2008 until 2011 was a mere 2.7% TOTAL!

When you wonder why the global economy is imploding, that there is 25% percent unemployment of the educated technically capable young productive people, and why there are riots bursting forth in every developed country on the planet, remember these facts.  A global oligarchy has usurped and trumped government and now believes they can complete a global economic enslavement plan. If you don’t see this you are blind and in denial. If we do not unite soon, this is a fait accompli and you will have to explain to your grandchildren why we didn’t do anything to prevent their bondage.  You up for that?

Are the Elections Just an Illusion?

As we are being bombarded daily will all of the political rhetoric, debates, pundits’ analysis, and the never ending attack ads, and not just in America, but most recently in Venezuela, Greece, and soon in France and the UK, the world’s economy is continuing to implode on the middle class and the top 1% just get more wealthy daily.

Rothschild’s 1838 bankers’ manifesto has been realized: “Let me issue and control a Nation’s money and I care not who makes its laws.”  To those in the 45-50% who support those candidates that are the shills for the elite and preach the dignity of self reliance and the evil of social programs, I think you should WAKE UP.  The ONLY difference between you and the folks recently identified as the 47% by Romney is you are the last to be enslaved.

I wish that this belief wasn’t a reality, but it is and has been for the last 250 years.  The difference is the planned “final push” of the oligarchy to lock it all up is now underway.  Oh, you say, just another socialistic do-gooder rambling on.  Really?  I am neither. Consider this statement divulged almost 200 years ago by Mayer Amschel Bauer Rothschild:

“The few who can understand the system will be either so interested in its profits, or so dependent on its favours, that there will be no opposition from that class, while, on the other hand, that great body of people, mentally incapable of comprehending the tremendous advantage that Capital derives from the system, will bear its burden without complaint and, perhaps, without even suspecting that the system is inimical to their interests.”

And that’s precisely how the “system” has been operating ever since.

Just because you in the $250,000 and above salary bracket and may not be a paycheck away from disaster does not mean you are any less a victim than those who are receiving welfare or food stamps, because the fact is you may be even more vulnerable.

If the capital systems of the world collapse, or should I say when they collapse, who really is going to lose the most, YOU.  In addition, when after the collapse, the angry hungry mobs go looking for revenge, who is going to be the cannon fodder for the elite, YOU.

This election in the US is not going to be the “most important” in our lifetime because neither side is really addressing the problems in our capital systems, economy, or social structure.  There just isn’t an honest discussion of the real problems and NO discussion of the collective actions we must take to solve these problems.

What we really need is to address the REAL issues of education, infrastructure, health care and social security in a meaningful manner.  It isn’t like there are not working models we could learn from as we try and move forward.  Sweden, Denmark, Norway are excellent examples.  Iceland’s recent actions demonstrate that even when it is the worst situation, recovery is possible if the people have the collective will to resolve the issues and deal with the criminals that got them in the fix in the first place.

So for all you who think you doing pretty good, or those of you who are fundamentalists, or you who are “undecided”, THINK, really think hard and as you do, think of your children and grandchildren.  Those who are the top taking more and more each day are not going to stop taking and the truth is THEY represent ¼ of 1%, and you aren’t in the club.  You are just the last group they are going to take from.

Historically, civilizations are judged by their achievements and the status of the least of its citizens, not the elites of that society.  What have the achievements of our current civilization been in the last 50 years? Can you honestly say we have taken care of all of our citizens? Think about it, really think for yourself about it.

Tsunami Status Update – Atlantic Region – Remains Yellow

Our last alert was issued on August 30^th. Since that time, our concerns over the Virgin Island earthquake swarms have NOT abated.  The Virgin Islands continue to have swarms of earthquakes daily in the 2.5 to 4.5 magnitude range.  However, recent significant quakes along the mid-Atlantic ridge have made these concerns a little more serious for the folks on the east coast, especially from North Carolina to Florida.

There are several factors coming together that concern us enough we are issuing this status update.  Our concern still focuses on the Cumbre Vieja Volcano with a potential collapse and tsunami at La Palma, Canary Islands.

Factor #1 – The swarms of quakes in the Virgin Islands have continued unabated, indicating either significant plate movements or eruptions in deep underwater vents, indicating plate pressure and movements.

Factor#2 – The recent quakes along the mid-Atlantic ridge and the potential for increased seismic and volcanic activity.  What we don’t have is a clear geological understanding of the East-West fault lines connecting the mid-Atlantic ridge to the seismically active regions both in the Virgin Islands and La Palma.

Factor#3 – There has been a significant increase in global seismic activity in the last 30 days.  Patrick Geryl has made more than a causal relationship to this increase in seismic activity and solar flaring , which may be somehow related to quakes.  He has been uncanningly accurate with his associated predictions for a significant period of time now, accurately predicting significant seismic events.   His hypothesis suggests that when the planets align, we can expect increased solar flaring, and the solar flaring causes increased geomagnetic pressure on the tectonic plates.  As such we are about to enter a phase of several significant alignments.  Indeed a significant solar flare has erupted from the sun, is earth directed, and due to arrive tomorrow, October 8, 2012.  In addition, there are more significant alignments due in the next two months.

October 31, 2012: Conjunction Neptune – Mercury and the Sun strong X flare possible   No real earthquake date…

3 Possible 7.5 plus earthquakes:  October 25, 29 or November 1

October 23 – 27, 2012: Opposition Earth – Saturn across the Sun October 24, 2012: Line Up Neptune – Moon – Earth.

October 25 – 30, 2012: Long Triple Line Up: Mars – Earth – Jupiter

October 26, 2012: Line Up Venus – Moon – Earth and Uranus – Moon – Earth

October 29, 2012: Line Up Sun – Moon – Earth and Saturn – Moon – Earth

October 31, 2012: Line Up Mercury – Moon – Earth

October 31 – November 3, 2012: Long Triple Line Up: Uranus – Earth – Venus

November 1, 2012: Line Up Jupiter – Moon – Earth and Mars – Moon – Earth

Why our concern continues to focus on La Palma has to do specifically with recent studies suggesting that geological evidence for a future collapse of the Cumbre Vieja is absolute.  A recent University of California study is, to say the least, sobering.

The issue is that the Cumbre Vieja Volcano on the Island of La Palma may experience a catastrophic failure of its west flank, dropping 150 to 500 km3 of rock into the sea. This would send not one, but a series of tsunamis west bound striking the areas of the US, as we outlined above.  These tsunami pulses could range from 30-40 M to 5-10M in rapid succession within nine hours of the flank collapse. See below.

Therefore, we continue to advise our friends to keep watch and to make sure they have their “bug-out” bags at the ready.  We wish to make clear we are NOT sounding any alarms, but only these elements seem to be combining in such a fashion it bears to be watched closely.