Massive Earthquake Swarm at 'Mammoth Lakes' In California's Long Valley Caldera

Over 700 new Ebola cases confirmed in one week as outbreak explodes

(NaturalNews) The rate at which Ebola is spreading is rapidly accelerating, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), with more than 700 new cases of the deadly disease reported in a single week. Reports indicate that there are now more than 5,800 documented cases of Ebola, along with 2,800 confirmed deaths, in what is being widely proclaimed as the worst Ebola outbreak in history.

Earlier data showed that Ebola was infecting about 500 people weekly, suggesting that the infection rate has increased by 40 percent in just three weeks. Based on this trajectory, many experts foresee exponential spread in the coming months, especially if Ebola hops the boundaries of West Africa and goes global.

The United Nations Security Council recently declared the outbreak as a "threat to international peace and security," calling on all nations to provide resources and other aid in order to contain it. In Sierra Leone, where the outbreak is hitting hardest, residents were told to stay home for three days during a nationwide lockdown aimed at getting things under control.

Lockdowns are ineffective

Despite the best of intentions, the lockdown probably hasn't done much to contain Ebola, however. A former director from the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF), who is quite familiar with how disease spreads in West Africa, told reporters that the idea of containing Ebola with a lockdown is "highly unrealistic."

In an official statement, MSF, a French organization whose acronym is derived from the name "Medecins Sans Frontieres," explained that forced quarantines and lockdowns are "driving people underground and jeopardizing the trust between people and health providers." The group emphasized that locals will only seek to conceal the sick and dying rather than come forward, which could make the problem much worse.

Sierra Leone information minister Alhaji Alpha Kanu disagrees, having told the media that the purpose of the sweep was to educate the community about Ebola transmission. He also tried to mitigate use of the word lockdown to describe the effort, instead calling it a "sensitization."

"Resistance will be less," he stated about the door-to-door initiative. "They will be talking to people they know," he added, referring to the roughly 30,000 volunteers who engaged the nation's more than 4 million residents.

WHO says travel restrictions aren't necessary, encourages people to travel freely to outbreak countries

Meanwhile, WHO says that people should continue traveling to and from the affected countries. If travel is shut down as proposed, claims the UN group, it will have a detrimental effect on the economic stability of the countries involved. WHO also claims that shutting down travel will increase the risk of "further international spread."

"Flight cancellations and other travel restrictions continue to isolate affected countries, resulting in detrimental economic consequences, and hinder relief and response efforts risking further international spread," reads a statement issued by a WHO committee of about 20 experts, headed by Director-General Margaret Chan.

Of the five countries where Ebola has been spotted, two -- Nigeria and Senegal -- have reportedly been successful in their efforts to stop its spread.

Learn all these details and more at the FREE online Pandemic Preparedness course at www.BioDefense.com

Sources:

http://www.aljazeera.com

http://www.aljazeera.com

http://www.cnn.com

http://science.naturalnews.com

http://www.naturalnews.com/047035_Ebola_disease_transmission_West_Africa.html#ixzz3EXiu9Bq0

How to Build the Best Survival Shelter on a Budget

If you are planning to bug out to a remote location, you probably think about building a permanent home that will remain unnoticed and able to withstand many kinds of attacks. But would you consider that the cheapest survival shelter is also the best? Would you start building an earthbag house?
 

There’s a reason why the military uses earthbags to make bunkers in emergency situations. Earthbag homes are resistant to bullets, durable, and far less expensive (less than $20.00 per square foot) than using stone or other materials.
 

If you have not considered earthbag homes, then you may be surprised at how much this tried and true technology has to offer.
 

Choosing a Place for Your New Home

 

Before you begin building an earthbag house on your property, it is important to choose a good location. Since earthbag structures can include cellars and take advantage of building into the ground, you should look for an area that is above the water table and easily defended.

If you build at the top of the hill, you can also place more rooms underground and then plant fruits and vegetables on the roof Creating the Shape and Planning Rooms

Historically speaking, many earthbag homes tend to have something of an igloo or dome shape. When combined with wire, concrete, and wood frames, you can also build square, rectangle, and other conventional shapes.
 

If you plan to go with a rounded shape, the walls will curve inward, which will improve strength; but also create unusual room shapes. In many cases, you may need to modify existing furniture or build something entirely new to fit these rooms.
 

If you have ever driven in an older style Volkswagen Bug vs. a conventional box shaped car, then you will have at least some understanding of how different living in a curved space can be vs a straight one.
 

When planning rooms for a rounded earthbag home, keep in mind that you will always be trying to draw a balance between wasting room by creating conventional spaces and deciding what you can adjust to in a curved space.
 

From a survival perspective, you may be best served by going with a rounded igloo shape since it will be more durable and easier to disguise amid hills and other rounded land features.
 

During the process of planning room sizes, you should also keep in mind the relative strength of the materials being used and the way weight bearing walls may differ in an earthbag home.
 

Before you commit to any given plan, it is very important to have your plans reviewed by an architect or contractor that has experience in building earthbag homes.
 

Preparing the Ground and Foundation Elements
 

As with any other home, you will need to account for water, heat, sanitation, a cellar, and a strong foundation. You can use earthbags in the construction of your cellar and also create underground rooms with relative ease.
 

This is also an ideal time to build in passive heating and cooling elements. For example, if you are going to rely on solar power for heating, this may be a good time to look for ways to pipe water underground or rely on other heat storing technologies.
 

Needless to say, you should also make sure that sewage system lines, leach fields, wells, and power sources are in place before you begin construction on the earth house itself.
 

Securing Materials
 

Outside of ice igloos in the extreme northern climates, you will not find cheaper construction materials than earth houses.
 

To build an earth house, you will not need much beyond heavy cloth bags, soil, heavy plastic sheeting, and glass for windows, concrete, and wood for framing. If you are planning to store away the items you need on a limited budget you can start by putting aside bags and plastic sheeting, and then concrete, wood, and glass.
 

It will also be of some help to set aside wiring for electricity, sockets, plumbing fixtures, tubing, and anything else that will make your home comfortable and livable.

Special Roof Features
 

Unlike conventional homes, you will have a chance to use roof areas of earthbag homes for growing plants and even for defense purposes.
 

For example, if you build the earthbag home at least 50% underground, the curved roof can easily be planted with vegetables encased in poisonous vines, thorny bushes and other plants. Just make sure that the soil on the roof is deep enough to prevent roots from digging in and damaging the plastic layer on top.
 

It should be noted that some earthbag dwellers discovered that they had a hard time keeping soil from washing off the plastic layer of the roof. When you use plants in this area, they can easily anchor the soil down with their roots, and also the vines can attach to the surrounding ground. You can also use large leafy plants to provide shade and create a ground cover that will make your home invisible from the air.
 

When it comes to inexpensive building materials and relatively easy construction methods, few can rival earthbag homes. Even though this technology is often used in emergencies and has been used in military bunkers for decades, few people have adapted it for permanent living.
 

If you are planning to build a survival home, earthbag homes should be at the top of your list of types to consider.

 

This article has been written by Carmela Tyrell for Survivopedia.

 

 

Grisly ISIS-Style Muslim Beheading In Oklahoma Sets Off Shock Waves

Will copycat ISIS-style beheadings become commonplace in America?

MOORE, Okla. (AP) — Police said Friday a man recently fired from a food processing plant in an Oklahoma City suburb beheaded a woman with a knife and was attacking another worker when he was shot and wounded by the owner of the company.

But here is what the MSM will not tell you. The man was a recent convert to Islam, and was trying to convert his co-workers.

The 30-year-old man, who has not been charged, stabbed Colleen Hufford, 54, severing her head in Thursday’s attack at Vaughan Foods, Moore Police Sgt. Jeremy Lewis said.

 

Lewis said the man then stabbed Traci Johnson, 43, a number of times before being shot by Mark Vaughan, a reserve sheriff’s deputy and the company’s chief operating officer. “This was not going to stop if he didn’t stop it. It could have gotten a lot worse,” Lewis said.

Lewis said the suspect had been fired in a building that houses the company’s human resources office, then immediately drove to the entrance of the business. Lewis said he didn’t know why the man was fired.

Johnson and the suspect were hospitalized and in stable condition Friday, Lewis said.

Lewis said he does not yet know what charges will be filed, adding that police are waiting until the man is conscious to arrest him. Moore police have asked the FBI to aid in the investigation and look into the man’s background because of the nature of the attack, Lewis said.

http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/blog/?p=26773

Borax Multi Purpose Cleaner

Borax is an affordable, natural cleaning, odor eliminating, eco-friendly cleaner that has seemingly endless uses around the home.

Borax is a good prep item (cleaner), it can save you money by using it instead of special purpose cleaners which are much more expensive.

Here are some uses for Borax…


Today there are so many branded cleaners to choose from. Many of these cleaners are marketed towards specific cleanup purposes with their ‘special’ formulas.

Here’s the thing… More profits are made if they convince you that you ‘need’ these special cleaners – the one’s that always seem to be re-formulated, ‘improved’, or ‘advanced’.

The brands are constantly reinventing themselves and offering more choices and formulations, to train you into believing that you need many different types of cleaners, each with their own specific special purpose.

With Borax, you can make your own.

One popular cleaner that was (and still is) used is named BORAX. Borax is a multipurpose powdery cleaner whose ingredient comes from a naturally occurring mineral compound of the element, Boron. Much of the world’s Borax comes from the Rio Tinto Borax mining operation in Boron, California.
The most common brand is “20 Mule Team Borax”. It has primarily been known as a laundry booster for whiter, cleaner clothes, but it has many other household uses. It cleans, disinfects, deodorizes, softens water, and neutralizes many bugs. Lets look at a few borax recipes…

Borax Uses and Recipes

Floor Cleaner (1/3 cup Borax, 1 gallon warm water, squirt of dish washing detergent, splash of ammonia)

Window Cleaner for very dirty windows (1/3 cup Borax, 1 gallon warm water, wash with soft cloth, then rinse using fresh water with soft cloth before drying to minimize streaks)

Toilet Disinfectant and Cleaner (1/2 cup Borax added to basin water, let stand for awhile, then clean with toilet brush)

Car Wash Cleaner (1/8 cup mixed with about 1.5 gallons of water)

Eliminate Urine Odor on mattress – handy for accidents while toilet training a youngster (dampen area, sprinkle and rub in Borax, let dry and vacuum)

Ants (mix equal amounts of Borax and powdered sugar, place near ant problem area – keep away from pets)

Carpet Stains (mix Borax with water to make paste, rub into stain, let dry and vacuum)

Unclog drains (dump 1/2 cup Borax into drain, let stand for 15 minutes, then dump in hot or boiling water )

Prevent Weeds from growing in pavement cracks (sprinkle Borax in cracks)

Garbage Disposer cleaner and sanitizer (dump 1/4 cup Borax into disposer, splash in just a little water and let stand for an hour or so, rinse with hot water)

Tile and Grout Cleaner (sprinkle Borax with just enough water to paste, scrub with brush)

Laundry Booster (add 1/2 cup Borax to wash load for brighter, cleaner, deodorized clothes)

Carpet Powder Deodorizer (sprinkle Borax on carpet, let stand overnight and vacuum)

Flea Killer (sprinkle Borax on carpet, let stand overnight and vacuum)

http://modernsurvivalblog.com/shop-smart-save-money/borax-multi-purpose-cleaner/#more-1560

Sierra Leone announces indefinite citizen lockdown: two million people forced into endless quarantine as food prices skyrocket

(NaturalNews) High-density population areas of Sierra Leone have just been locked down in the largest pandemic quarantine in history, and it's already causing a collapse of the food delivery infrastructure. The local government says forced isolation orders will remain in effect until Ebola is eradicated. This essentially means that millions of people are now under a state of military quarantine until they either become immune to Ebola or die from it.

"President Ernest Bai Koroma put Port Loko, Bombali, and Moyamba districts under isolation with immediate effect, allowing only people delivering essential services to enter and circulate within these areas," reports Associated Press. [1] "The restrictions will remain in place until the chain of transmission is broken, officials said."

AP goes on to report:

Sierra Leone on Thursday took the dramatic step of sealing off districts where more than 1 million people live as it and other West African countries struggle to control the Ebola outbreak that has claimed thousands of lives.

The food delivery infrastructure of Sierra Leone has now collapsed

The problem with quarantines is that they restrict the movement of goods and services (i.e. food, medicine, etc.) at the same time they restrict the movement of an infectious virus.

Predictably, the enforcement of quarantines across Sierra Leone have caused a collapse in that nation's food delivery infrastructure. This, of course, is causing food prices to skyrocket:

"...food prices have soared, some markets have shut and the delivery of goods has slowed," reports AP.

It's classic supply and demand, of course, and it's a universal phenomenon. That means it will also happen in the United States, Europe, Canada or anywhere else a quarantine is put into effect.

Six harsh lessons in the reality of food shortages and quarantines

By observing the reality of what is unfolding in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, we are learning several extremely valuable lessons:

Lesson #1: The preppers have always been right

If you aren't stockpiling food supplies for your own home, community or church, you're crazy. Food shortages happen almost immediately in any quarantine scenario. The preppers have been right about this all along, of course.

Lesson #2: Quarantines halt food delivery logistics

Food deliveries require the ability of both people and transportation vehicles to move freely across a region or nation. When that freedom to remove is restricted, food deliveries cease. This, of course, results in almost immediate food shortages.

Lesson #3: If you are caught in a quarantine zone, you will not be allowed to escape, even if the pandemic gets far worse

The entire purpose of a quarantine zone is to "halt the chain of transmission" of the disease. For this reason, even healthy, non-infected people will be forced to remain in the quarantine zone indefinitely. Remember the movie "Escape from New York" with Kurt Russell? Governments will shoot those trying to escape.

Lesson #4: If food is not brought in from outside the quarantine, those inside the boundaries will starve to death

All the food deliveries into a quarantine zone are completely dependent on the government, and the government has a horrible track record of responding to any catastrophe with adequate supplies. Those who are trapped inside the quarantine zone are now at the mercy of incompetent government, and many may face starvation.

Lesson #5: Quarantines are announced without advanced warning

There is zero warning that a quarantine is going to be announced in your city or neighborhood. They are announced and enforced with a sense of military immediacy for precisely the reason that they don't want people escaping and spreading the disease! Thus, you have no chance to bug out before the lockdown goes into effect.

Lesson #6: Your plan to "bug out" to a rural location is suddenly useless

Many Americans currently live in cities while maintaining bug out plans that will relocate themselves and their families to rural locations. These plans are useful in certain situations where warnings can be detected in advance, but they are useless in a sudden military quarantine. If you are caught inside the quarantine boundaries when the lockdown is announced, you're already too late.

For this reason alone, actually living at your bug out location is a superior strategy if you have the funds to move away from the city (and leave behind the higher wages the cities offer).


  http://www.naturalnews.com/047027_Sierra_Leone_quarantine_food_shortages.html#ixzz3EPaYohxI

When Nature Predicts, Learn to Read the Signs

One of the basics of survival is knowing and being prepared for upcoming weather events. Depending on what area of the country or world you live in, weather can create an event that is life-changing. Tornadoes, hurricanes and blizzards can knock out power, destroy homes and cause casualties.

In a post-SHTF world, you’re not going to have a local weatherman to tell you what’s up. Knowing how to read nature’s signs to predict weather can quite literally save your life.

There’s an old joke about this that we found funny, but it does prove our point:

An Indian chief was preparing for a fall council meeting and called the National Weather Service to find out about the weather. He was told that the winter was going to be cold, so he included this in his report to the counsel. The tribe began gathering fire wood.

The chief called back a couple of weeks later to make sure that his people were prepared and was told that it looked like it was going to be a harder winter than usual. He passed the word to his people to gather more wood.
A couple of weeks later, he was finalizing his winter plans and called the NWS again, and was told that it was going to be terrible. When he asked why they thought that, the man told him, “We’re not exactly sure, but the local Indians are gathering wood like crazy!”

The moral of the story? Don’t depend solely on somebody else to make your preparations! We have a few signs that can help you determine what the weather will be, and here they are.

Red Skies and Rainbows

You’ve probably heard the old sailors’ poem of “red skies at night, sailors delight; red skies in morning, sailors take warning.”

This is actually a good indicator of what’s coming. If the sunset is beautifully pink, the sun is shining on dust particles being pushed by a high-pressure system, which brings warm, dry air. If the sunrise is red, a low-pressure system is often pushing moisture toward you. Not always accurate but something to pay attention to.

Rainbows follow the same pattern: if you see one in the eastern sky in the morning, there’s a good chance that you’re going to get rain. The rainbow is caused by the sun reflecting off of moisture and most storms in the northern hemisphere move east to west.

Woolly Worms



Old wives tales say that the black and brown tiger moth caterpillar, known affectionately as the woolly worm, is a good predictor of how bad winter will be, depending on how narrow his brown middle stripe is: the narrower it is, the harsher the winter will be.

Research conducted by Dr. C.H. Curran in the 50’s showed that Mr. Woolly was right about 80% of the time. Modern research hasn’t backed it up and writes it off to coincidence, but it wouldn’t be the first time the old wives were right.

Squirrels and Birds

Are the squirrels having knock-down drag-outs in your yard over the dwindling supply of nuts? Are the birds attacking your feeders like they haven’t eaten in weeks? If so, there’s a good chance that a substantial storm is on the way. This is another great way to read nature’s signs to predict weather.
Similarly, if you notice that birds are migrating early, you should follow their lead and be ready to bunk in early for winter too. Winter is coming early.

In the shorter term, if birds are flying high, you’re probably going to have a good couple of days. When the pressure drops, indicating an upcoming storm, it hurts birds’ ears and they fly lower to alleviate that. Animals sense changes in barometric pressure well in advance of weather events so pay attention.

Look to the Moon

If the moon has a circle around it, this is almost a sure sign that there’s inclement weather heading your way in the next 3 days or so. If it’s clear and bright, you may also be getting some moisture because a low-pressure system has moved in and cleared the dust from the air.
If the moon is orangish or pale, there’s dust in the air so you’re probably going to see some good weather the next day.

Wind Direction

Like we’ve already said, storms blow in from the east, so if you have easterly winds (the wind is blowing east to west), you may be getting bad weather. If you have westerly winds, all is probably well.

Also, high winds are a sign of changing pressure which is generally accompanied by changing weather.

Video first seen on XxPhobosxX.

Look for Furrier-Than-Usual Friends

If your pets are growing longer, thicker winter coats than usual or are getting extra chunky in the fall, there’s a pretty decent chance that the winter is going to be rough. On the flip side, when you can pet your animal and pull tufts of fur out without any effort, warm weather is on the way.

Pay Attention to Plant Life

This is one of nature’s best signs to predict weather and knowing what to look for can help you decide what you need to do to prepare for winter. Corn husks, onion skins and acorn shells will all be thicker if winter is going to be harsh.

Also, evergreen trees will make more and bigger pine cones in an attempt to give their offspring better chances of making it through a rough winter.

Watch Your Cat Take a Bath

Cats typically lick their paws and swipe their eyes but they usually leave their ears alone. They’re finicky like that. However, cats’ ears are particularly sensitive to changes in pressure so if he’s swiping his ears, there’s a good chance that bad weather is imminent in the next couple of days.

Herd Animals Unite

Animals such as cows, deer and horses are pretty good at telling you bad weather is coming if you just pay attention. Cows in particular are good at predicting drought; you’ll notice a drop in fertility rate if the next year is going to be tough. In the short term, watch for herd animals to group together, typically facing the same direction. If you see that, a storm is likely near.

Also, horses and cows have ears that are sensitive, similar to a cat. If you notice them trying to scratch an ear with a hoof more often than usual, the pressure may be changing and bring a change in weather with it.

Good Fishing, Bad Storm

If you have an absolutely spectacular fishing day, where your line gets hit every time it hits the water, you may want to plan your fish bake for inside instead of out. Fish are great at sensing changes in pressure and will feed heavily before a storm so that they can go deep to weather it out.

Watch Your Campfire for Rain

If the smoke from your fire rises without any significant swirls, you’re probably in for good weather the next day. If the smoke blows back down or escapes in swirls, there’s low pressure in effect, which means bad weather is imminent.

Get to know your local environment; when you do, you’ll start noticing patterns in the local animals and plants that are linked to the weather. Being able to read nature’s signs to predict weather can be an invaluable skill that may very well save your life, or at least your camping trip!

This article has been written by Theresa Crouse for Survivopedia.