Month: July 2013

The Organic Prepper

You can learn a lot falling down the side of a mountain, stunt-woman style, but honestly, I don’t recommend it.  I’d suggest that you read books and articles instead, as those activities are far less painful and traumatic.

Last week, my daughter and I went hiking with my good friend, Tess Pennington of Ready Nutrition, and her family.  It was a nice sunny afternoon and we were going to hike a short way down off the main trail to the river to go tubing with the kids.  As someone who writes about preparedness it is a little embarrassing to admit this, but because this was intended to be just a step up from a leisurely stroll, we weren’t as prepared as we should have been for a major traumatic accident. Our first aid supplies were uselessly sitting a mile away in the van when our walk turned into an unfortunate scene from an action-adventure movie.   Continue reading “The 5 Things I Learned When I Fell Down a Ravine”

Breitbart – by JOEL B. POLLAK

Stanley Kurtz at National Review Online writes about San Francisco’s new Plan Bay Area–a “regional” plan for San Francisco and the surrounding cities that is ostensibly aimed at making sure minorities can afford the local housing market, but which is actually aimed at forcing Americans to live in denser urban areas as part of state and federal initiatives aimed at slowing global warming by restraining suburban growth.   Continue reading “Quietly, Obama Begins ‘Regionalizing’ America”

Fox News

The federal government is hiring what it calls a “Behavioral Insights Team” that will look for ways to subtly influence people’s behavior, according to a document describing the program obtained by FoxNews.com. Critics warn there could be unintended consequences to such policies, while supporters say the team could make government and society more efficient.

While the program is still in its early stages, the document shows the White House is already working on such projects with almost a dozen federal departments and agencies including the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture.    Continue reading “Gov’t Knows Best? White House creates ‘nudge squad’ to shape behavior”

The New American – Bob Adelmann

GMA News

WASHINGTON – U.S. spy agencies plan to declassify documents about the National Security Agency surveillance programs revealed by former contractor Edward Snowden, and also material related to a secret intelligence court, a U.S. intelligence official said.

The declassified documents could be released as early as this week and were intended to provide the public more information about the programs as part of a commitment by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper for more transparency, the official told Reuters on Tuesday on condition of anonymity.   Continue reading “US to declassify documents on spy programs, surveillance court”

UPI – by JAMES ZUMWALT

HERNDON, Va., July 30 (UPI) — After heading the Department of Homeland Security for four years, Janet Napolitano announced she will depart in September. Wishing her well, U.S. President Barack Obama claimed the “American people are safer and more secure thanks to Janet’s leadership in protecting our homeland against terrorist attacks.”

Apparently, neither Obama nor Napolitano have read the November 2012 U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations and Management report titled, “A Line in the Sand: Countering Crime, Violence and Terror at the Southwest Border.” Building upon the 2006 report, “A Line in the Sand: Countering the Threat at the Southwest Border,” the new report’s title has grown along with the threat.   Continue reading “Napolitano’s failing Homeland report card”

LaCrosse Tribune – by Chris Hubbuch

The former La Crosse County Sheriff’s Deputy fired after she killed a Holmen teenager in a 2010 crash has won her job back.

In a ruling released today, an arbitrator ordered Trisha Stratman be returned to duty with back pay with more than 20 months pay.

Stratman was responding to a call for help at a Holmen bar fight in the early morning hours of July 18, 2010, when she drove through a red light at more than 90 mph just as 16-year-old Brandon Jennings was pulling into the intersection.   Continue reading “Arbitrator: Stratman to be reinstated with back pay”

OffSpectrum with James Farganne

Tonight, I stepped on a snail. I felt the shell give way, stopped, and in the lamplight could make out the wet spot.

Well, at least it died instantly.

I felt bad about it, as I always do. (It is a common summer occurrence.) The snail was sailing blissfully along at its snail’s pace and then — what? — maybe the blinding light flash we will all experience when that moment comes?   Continue reading “Why the “Elites” Are Lower Than the Animals”

USA Today – by Rhema Thompson and Kevin Robinson, Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal

WARRINGTON, Fla. — A man whom deputies shot early Saturday as he tried to retrieve a cigarette from his mother’s car still hasn’t received any answers on why he was barraged with gunfire.

A neighbor saw someone reaching into Ceola Walker’s car at about 2:40 a.m. Saturday and called 911. Escambia County sheriff’s deputies responded as Roy Middleton, 60, was bent over, searching the car’s interior.   Continue reading “Deputies shoot man in his front yard”

Libertarian Republican – by Clifford F. Thies 

The London Daily Mail is reporting that Turkey is releasing a suspected Israeli spy, a kestrel, a bird of prey of the falcon family, after a complete x-ray of the body showed no hidden devices.

The Turks are naturally suspicious of the use of birds of prey by enemies as Arabs are famous for the sport of falconry.    Continue reading “Turkey releases suspected Israeli spy”

The Lonely Conservative

Nancy Pelosi has been doing her best to ignore her party’s war on women while touting her bogus economic agenda for women, as if a healthy economy can be legislated into existence. Part of that agenda includes freeing parents from the “burden of childcare.”   Continue reading “Pelosi Wants To Free Parents From The ‘Burden Of Childcare’”

Before It’s News – by Anonymous

Japan loves robots. It is not uncommon to see robots taking people’s orders at restaurants, cleaning the streets, or even acting in plays. The idea of robots may seem intriguing to people in the United States, but it has not taken off yet. A local SSI disability attorney plans on changing that.

Charlie Willows has the first ever robot receptionist and potential paralegal in the law industry. The robot, who is scheduled to be installed in November, will be the first of its kind in the country.   Continue reading “First Robot Receptionist Makes Its Way to the States to Work in Local SSI Disability Law Firm”

Century Link – by ANDREW DeMILLO

CLARKSVILLE, Ark. (AP) — As Cheyne Dougan rounded the corner at Clarksville High School, he saw three students on the floor moaning and crying. In a split-second, two more ran out of a nearby classroom.

“He’s got a gun,” one of them shouted as Dougan approached with his pistol drawn. Inside, he found one student holding another at gunpoint. Dougan aimed and fired three rounds at the gunman.   Continue reading “Ark. district arming more than 20 teachers, staff”

Daily Mail – by Ryan Gorman

California prisoners in one town are now able to upgrade their digs if they’ve got deep enough pockets.

Fremont, CA recently began charging inmates $155 a night to stay in a previously unused jail. The program is pay-as-they-go and provides a few perks that might be worth the cost to a few discerning inmates.   Continue reading “California prison is charging inmates $155 to upgrade to fancy wing with widescreen TV and ‘quiet surroundings’”