Influenza Pandemic Simulation - MUST READ

This well-done pandemic simulation and resulting report by Booz Allen Hamilton is a must-read for anyone keeping an eye on the threat for a pandemic on the horizon.

It's easy reading and there are many worthwhile, thought-provoking points to take in.

One such point to ponder ... "ALL SYSTEMS will fail by day 28." We're not talking one company or one industry or one sector's systems--but rather all global systems--infrastructure, utilities, corporate, emergency response, communications, governmental, etc.

http://www.boozallen.com/media/file/Influenza_Pandemic_Simulation.pdf

Get Ready, Seriously ... www.safecastle.com

A Few of My Favorite Prep-Related Sites

For some odd reason, a couple of months ago, the Blogspot template I use (and other Blogspot templates I tried as well) started dropping my left-column info--bio, favorite links, etc.--down to the very bottom of the page if I did anything at all to alter the basic format. So I had to remove all those favorite links to keep that left column floating to the top of the page. Blogspot has been non-responsive in my efforts to get a fix.

Anyway, FYI, here are a few of my current favorites that keep me going back for more:

www.survivalblog.com ... James Wesley Rawles' blossoming compilation of some excellent articles and snippets of survival and preparedness advice.

www.goldismoney.info ... A well-attended forum focused on precious metals, preparedness, and more.

http://www.timebomb2000.com ... A prep-related forum that has been around since before the turn of the century.

http://www.falfiles.com/forums/ ... A very comprehensive forum site with a focus on guns and ammo, but also with an excellent Marketplace section.

www.survivalmonkey.com ... A core group of solid, well-balanced individuals camp-out here, in a growing discussion forum.

http://jrnyquist.com/ ... Jeff Nyquist's scholarly commentary is always thought-provoking.

http://counterterrorismblog.org/ ... Not given over to hyperbole, this site is a gem for prospecting golden nuggets of insight into the counterterror challenges faced around the world.

www.safecastle.com ... I need to plug my own store site when I get the chance, don't I? If I do say so myself, a rather unique blend of product offerings, form the premier line of prefabricated steel storm and fallout shelters to Katadyn water filters, Mountain House freeze dreid emergency food, and on and on.

Get Ready, Seriously ... www.safecastle.com

ATF should be a convenience store, not a government agency

I wish I could sell some of these T-shirts, but the folks who sell them are alright folks who retain all rights to selling them online. Give 'em a look-see if these tickle your fancy as they do mine. There are plenty more than what you see here.

http://www.thoseshirts.com/tshirts.html

Get Ready, Seriously ... www.safecastle.com

Are You Adapting Well?

Being prepared for a new dynamic most often conjures up images of sudden, catastrophic change. One such nightmare-come-true was when Hurricane Katrina transformed life on the Gulf Coast for hundreds of thousands. Who knows when life will get back to normal there for residents in southernmost Louisiana and Alabama?

Yes, that is a type of scenario most of my customers envision and prepare for. They also talk about impending dangers from global war, WMD terrorism, economic catastrophe, pandemic, and more. The general expectation is a sudden, total dissolution of the world of convenience and safety we are comfortable in today, and they want to be ready for the chaos that will surely ensue.

There are always ominous signs on the horizon of major cataclysms brewing. But few ever come about and when they do, they most often only impact limited populations. Yet, our deeply-rooted Hollywood frame-of-reference keeps many waiting for the apocolyptic hammer to fall in the next scene.

Weathering Carves Canyons, Shapes Mountains

The plain truth is, life is about constant change and adaptation. In our modern world, change can come about in singularly spectacular fashion, though almost always it is actually incrementally and as a result of countless contributing factors.

More often than not, the great life-changing events we ought to be prepared for are recognizable coming around the bend. Yet most people are equipped only to be spectators in the big game and not suited to jump on their horse and ride.

The sharpest prepared individuals anticipate, adapt, reposition continuously, and ultimately thrive in the continuously newer realities being born daily.

Little by little, our lives are being weathered by circumstance. Sometimes, it's a slow drip ... occasionally a series of deluges and gales that recast our perspective.

Survive or Thrive?

There really isn't much difference between those who want to survive and those who are prepared to thrive. The dividing line is attitude.

Few, if any, really embrace change for the sake of change, but when you can accept that it is inevitable and you see it coming, you might as well go with it and make sure you and yours can stay ahead of the pack.

There's not much point in being among the multitude who choose to try to stand fast and grumble and complain about things, when it only serves to delay them from taking action and adapting to the earliest opportunities that are there for those who will seize them. In fact, sooner or later, that tendency will trample most who choose that path.

Put Some Purpose in Your Program

The global dynamic IS changing. There are going to be some heart-rending and painful collisions and upheavals. The world is full of people who like to gripe about new directions, but there are very few who try to do something to make a difference ... in even the smallest, productive way. I'm not talking about changing the course of history ... I mean just taking the rudder of your own boat.

Preparedness in it's most basic manifestation means being adaptable to change--sudden or gradual. Are you adjusting your course in life to ensure you come out ahead, rain or shine?

Get Ready, Seriously ... www.safecastle.com

Mistaken Entitledness is a Core Global Issue

Short and sweet ... we are experiencing a period in history when most people don't feel required to earn their way in life. Instead, they are "entitled" to their place in the sun, whatever they deem that position to be.

It's an attitude that can can be found at the core of much of the unrest across the globe today. It's an attitude fostered by certain religious beliefs, by a few international organizations, and by political groups clearly leaning in one alarming direction.

The ultimate result of promoting entitlement, in whatever flavor a people will buy, is turmoil. Where we as a society are arriving today is at an intersection of animosity, distrust, and fear. People everywhere are being pushed and pulled together in a calamitous chain reaction.

The solutions to our various crises are not topical remedies to be applied like a soothing salve. It will take a major collective mindset change ... and that will not come about easily.

As You Sow, So Shall You Reap

Those who embrace a responsible work ethic are always the ones who come out on top, historically, eventually ... individually and culturally.

This is no time to allow yourself to be sucked into the sweeping flow down the chasm, becoming one of the majority who choose to emote and obstruct rather than being among those who are determined to promote and construct.

The principal value that will always be the way to least risk and greatest reward is to do for yourself and to apply yourself according to what you hope to accomplish. Talking about it won't cut it.

If you feel tough times are around the corner, now is the time to prepare. You have to do something about it. No one else will do it for you ... nor should they.


Get Ready, Seriously ... www.safecastle.com

Gold, Guns, and Grub - the Rebirth of Preparedness

There are a number of possible technical economic explanations for the ongoing surge in precious metal prices, but there's no denying the fact that the prices of gold and silver ARE climbing steadily with worldwide popular demand. And although there are always efforts afoot to whittle away at our right to bear arms, U.S. gun sales continue to cook.

I don't commercially deal in either of those commodities, but I CAN personally testify to the fact that freeze-dried food sales as well as selected other key preparedness product types are similarly enjoying strong, even unprecedented growth across the U.S.

Gold, guns, and grub (that stores for lengthy periods of time) are traditional refuges for the crisis preparedness "investor." As the number of disturbing and disastrous headlines multiply and speculators editorialize about scenarios for the doom of our life of comfort and convenience, more and more people buy into the logic of prepositioning their household, just in case.

And why not? These are unusually practical and low-risk uses for one's discretionary funds. Better to invest in insurance for the future than in transitory entertainment that delivers nothing beyond momentary detachment from reality.

It's a trend still in relatively early stages. The corporate monarchies are yet to recognize the implications, but with a bit more time or a couple more Katrina-like wake-up calls, it's inevitable.

H5N1's potential for worldwide disruptions, far beyond what was ever envisioned for Y2K, does have the attention of the movers and shakers. It's a big impetus for current movement in this market. Are you ahead of the curve?

See: "How the Bird Flu Experts Prepare"

Get Ready, Seriously ... www.safecastle.com

The Prudent Prepare

In the Crisis Preparedness sandbox we play in, most "veterans" come to adapt to the market rhythms that are fairly regular in cadence and which are being pounded out by the media.

From a large media perspective, it's 100% about engaging increasingly jaded and numbed audiences; gaining marketshare; and commanding higher ad revenues. Simplified--sensational angles equate to growing shareholder returns. And fledgling media outlets play the same game, just on a smaller scale.

For vulnerable readers, viewers, and listeners, the incessant news cycles thumping out the thrill or outrage of the hour sometimes means getting hooked to a roller coaster, and eventually yearning to regain some feeling of control over one's course in life.

Emotion Drives Reaction

I wish I had the time and resources to conduct a proper survey of the markets, but without it, I can only guess ... so I will ... I'd wager that half the folks who come into crisis preparedness, do so out of an emotional reaction to some news story or stories that are eliciting a sense of helplessness.

Suspicion, fear, anger, anxiety, hopelessness ... it can all channel people into feeling the need to do SOMETHING to counter whatever it is they are in the shadow of.

Reacting can be a healthy and productive response. Or if taken to an extreme, it can become a greater problem than the original anxiety source.

Methodical Remedies

I believe in preparedness as being a logical, intelligent way to position one's self for the future ... a future that in many ways is beyond our real control. To have a partial focus in life toward systematically and appropriately preparing for life's less-pleasant possibilities helps build personal peace of mind.

In fact, that's really how I present my crisis preparedness business--I am in the business of selling peace of mind.

Different folks need different measures of security and they instinctively come to realize what it is they need to find some improved inner peace. Oftentimes, it's going to mean a systematic approach to preparedness, wanting to build up one's household defenses against a wide range of perceived threats. Occasionally, it's more about reacting to one imminent threat that looms large. Either way, taking proper steps to offset or counter the risk is a material remedy that can deliver peace TODAY.

Real Threats Need Real Responses

The world today is full of real threats to our well being, but at the same time, it's important to note that those threats are almost always overinflated in the popular media because of the nature of that business. Today, the Doom du Jour is a selection of three specials: an H5N1 pandemic, the Iranian nuclear crisis, and surging ethnic tensions around the world. Pick your poison, then seek your personal antidote.

Do what you need to do, then disengage and focus your attention on life's other real demands.

For perspective--the world has always been a dangerous place. It was quite a while ago Euripides said: "Chance always fights on the side of the prudent."

Get Ready, Seriously ... www.safecastle.com

Still Need Mountain House Emergency Food?

The stampede for Mountain House emergency food (as well as other storage foods) over the last several weeks happened to coincide with our extraordinary March opportunity to get in on some special bulk buying at prices unseen in years.

Those of you who took advantage--thank you. You helped make our buy a stunning record-breaker no matter how you look at it.

Though we weren't the main problem in the mid-March depletion of Mountain House's emergency food, our volume was indicative of what was and is happening all over--people are preparing for the worst. As are government and corporate groups. H5N1 is a major risk on the horizon, and stocking up on storage food is one important step in starting to circle the wagons.

Still Taking Orders

Our very best pricing offerings in March were a limited time opportunity. But we continue to establish Safecastle LLC as the very best place to get your Mountain House food, at the best prices possible.

The need for storage food remains critical. If you are not where you want to be with your emergency food, and you'd like to get the best available freeze dried food out there--stuff that is officially rated at a 30-year shelf life ... contact me directly for the best prices.

See our current packages listed in our store. Note that, as Mountain House rebuilds inventory, our ordered varieties are shipping in stages over the next several weeks, with the latest foods produced and delivered by mid-May. (Not too bad, considering how things MIGHT get in the near future.)

Get Ready, Seriously ... www.safecastle.com