Posted on 02/09/2009 12:36:11 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny
Yahoo ran an interesting article this morning indicating a rise in the number of survivalist communities cropping up around the country. I have been wondering myself how much of the recent energy crisis is causing people to do things like stockpile food and water, grow their own vegetables, etc. Could it be that there are many people out there stockpiling and their increased buying has caused food prices to increase? It’s an interesting theory, but I believe increased food prices have more to do with rising fuel prices as cost-to-market costs have increased and grocers are simply passing those increases along to the consumer. A recent stroll through the camping section of Wal-Mart did give me pause - what kinds of things are prudent to have on hand in the event of a worldwide shortage of food and/or fuel? Survivalist in Training
I’ve been interested in survival stories since I was a kid, which is funny considering I grew up in a city. Maybe that’s why the idea of living off the land appealed to me. My grandfather and I frequently took camping trips along the Blue Ridge Parkway and around the Smoky Mountains. Looking back, some of the best times we had were when we stayed at campgrounds without electricity hookups, because it forced us to use what we had to get by. My grandfather was well-prepared with a camp stove and lanterns (which ran off propane), and when the sun went to bed we usually did along with it. We played cards for entertainment, and in the absence of televisions, games, etc. we shared many great conversations. Survivalist in the Neighborhood
Oh yes, I will can the broth! Yummy!
One reason not listed is the very most important reason for me to garden. That is the absolute joy I derive from all forms of gardening. I tend to get mildly depressed during the winter, but the first signs of my crocus’, tulips, daffodils and parsnips poking out of the ground, I lose the depression and can’t wait to get my hands in the soil again.
Like what? I've been looking for such a thing! Names?
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2009/safety09.htm#chronological
The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program
Drugs and Therapeutic Biological Products (CDER):
Medtronic Neurologic Technologies, Innervision Snap Shunt Ventricular Catheter, BioGlide and Snap Shunt Ventricular Catheter, BioGlide
Audience: Neurosurgical healthcare professionals, hospital risk managers
[Posted 03/27/2009] Medtronic and FDA notified healthcare professionals about a Class I recall of the Innervision Snap Shunt Ventricular Catheter, BioGlide and Snap Shunt Ventricular Catheter, BioGlide due to the possibility that the ventricular catheter may become detached from the snap base assembly after implantation and may require emergency corrective surgery. The ventricular catheters are part of a surgically implanted system that redirects excess fluid from the brain to another part of the body. The recalled product was distributed from April 29, 2004 through December 12, 2008. Patients with questions are encouraged to talk with their physicians. Medtronic sent their customers a recall notice on February 13, 2009 informing them that they should stop using the device, are required to account for each used (implanted) device, are to advise surgeons about the recall, and need to return all unused products to the company.
[March 27, 2009 - Recall Notice - FDA]
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Propafenone HCL Tablets
Audience: Cardiology healthcare professionals, patients
[Posted 03/25/2009] FDA and Watson Pharmaceuticals notified healthcare professionals and patients of a recall of Propafenone HCL 225 mg tablets, a drug product used to treat cardiac arrhythmias. The drug is being recalled because some tablets may contain slightly higher levels of the active ingredient than specified. Because it has a narrow therapeutic index, some patients who are particularly sensitive to small variations in dose may experience potentially serious side effects, including arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat) or low blood pressure. The affected lot [lot number 112680A, expiration date July 31, 2010] of Propafenone HCL tablets was shipped to customers between October 15, 2008 and November 26, 2008. The Press Release includes instructions for identifying and returning the affected product.
[March 23, 2009 - Press Release - Watson Pharmaceuticals]
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Zencore Plus
Audience: Consumers, healthcare professionals
[Posted 03/20/2009] Bodee LLC and FDA notified consumers and healthcare professionals of a nationwide recall of all the company’s supplement product sold under the name Zencore Plus. FDA lab analysis of Zencore Plus samples found the product contains benzamidenafil, an undeclared drug product and a PDE5 inhibitor. The use of Zencore Plus by an unsuspecting user of organic nitrates may pose a life-threatening risk of sudden and profound drop of blood pressure due to potential interaction between benzamidenafil and organic nitrates. Zencore Plus is sold in health food stores and by mail order on internet nationwide. Consumers who have this product in their possession should stop using it immediately.
[March 11, 2009 - Press Release - Bodee LLC]
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Insulin Pens: Risk of Transmission of Blood-borne Pathogens from Shared Use
Audience: Healthcare professionals, patients
[Posted 03/19/2009] The FDA notified healthcare providers and patients that insulin pens and insulin cartridges are never to be shared among patients. Sharing of insulin pens may result in transmission of hepatitis viruses, HIV, or other blood-borne pathogens. Insulin pens are not designed, and are not safe, for one pen to be used for more than one patient, even if needles are changed between patients because any blood contamination of the pen reservoir could result in transmission of already existing blood-borne pathogens from the previous user. The FDA is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, professional societies and healthcare organizations to reinforce patient and healthcare provider education about proper and safe use of insulin pens.
[March 19, 2009 - Information for Healthcare Professionals - FDA]
[March 19, 2009 - News Release - FDA]
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Welch Allyn AED 10 and and MRL JumpStart Defibrillators
Audience: Emergency services personnel, risk managers, and consumers
[Posted 03/16/2009] FDA and Welch Allen notified healthcare professionals and consumers of a nationwide Class I recall of 14,054 AED 10 and MRL JumpStart external defibrillators manufactured between October 3, 2002 and January 25, 2007. These devices may experience low energy shock, unexpected device shutdown, and/or susceptibility to electromagnetic noise interference. If such issues arise, it may prevent defibrillation of a patient in cardiac arrest and could lead to death. Class 1 recalls are the most serious type of recall and involve situations in which there is a reasonable probability that use of the product will cause serious injury or death. See the Recall Notice for additional instructions and contact information.
[March 16, 2009 - Recall Notice - FDA]
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Colleague Single and Triple Channel Volumetric Infusion Pumps by Baxter
Audience: Hospital administrators, hospital risk managers, healthcare professionals
[Posted 03/12/2009] FDA notified healthcare professionals of a Class 1 Recall of model numbers Mono 2M8151 and 2M8153, CX 2M8161 and 2M8163, and CXE 2M9161and 2M9163. These products were manufactured and distributed from February, 1997 through December, 2008. The company identified software and battery usage failures that result in a delay in or interruption of infusion that may cause serious injury and/or death. Baxter sent a letter to all of its customers, which included advice and instructions to institutions using the infusion pumps.
[March 11, 2009 - Recall Notice - FDA]
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Shiley 3.0PED Cuffless Pediatric Tracheostomy Tube by Covidien Inc.
Audience: Emergency room healthcare professionals, pediatricians, hospital risk managers, EMTs
[Posted 03/10/2009] FDA notified healthcare professionals of a Class 1 Recall of specific lots due to complaints received about difficulty inserting: 1) the device used to place the tracheostomy tube into the windpipe (obturator), and/or 2) a suction tube (catheter) into the tracheostomy tube. This problem may require that the tracheostomy tube be removed and replaced. Healthcare professionals and hospitals should remove all remaining affected products from their inventory, and return them for replacement or credit.
[March 09, 2009 - Recall Notice - FDA]
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Transdermal Drug Patches with Metallic Backings
Audience: Medical imaging healthcare professionals, hospital risk managers, patients
[UPDATE 03/10/2009] FDA has evaluated the composition of available patches to determine which of them contain metal components and to assure that this information is included in their labeling. Based on current information from this evaluation, FDA is working with the manufacturers of the following patches to update the labeling to include adequate warnings to patients about the risk of burns to the skin if the patch is worn during an MRI scan. It should be noted that some of the drugs listed may have a generic equivalent and more than one size and strength of patch. See the Public Health Advisory for a listing of patches. FDA will update this posting as information becomes available.
[Posted 03/05/2009] FDA notified healthcare professionals and patients that certain transdermal patches (medicated patches applied to the skin), containing aluminum or other metals in the backing of the patches, can overheat during an MRI scan and cause skin burns in the immediate area of the patch. FDA is in the process of reviewing the labeling and composition of all medicated patches to ensure that those made with materials containing metal provide a warning about the risk of burns to patients who wear the patches during an MRI scan. Until this review is complete, FDA recommends that healthcare professionals referring patients to have an MRI scan identify those patients who are wearing a patch before the patients have the MRI scan. The healthcare professional should advise these patients about the procedures for removing and disposing of the patch before the MRI scan, and replacing the patch after the MRI scan. MRI facilities should follow published safe practice recommendations concerning patients who are wearing patches.
[March 05, 2009 - Public Health Advisory - FDA]
[March 05, 2009 - News Release - FDA]
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Metoclopramide-Containing Drugs
Audience: Healthcare professionals, consumers
[Posted 02/26/2009] FDA notified healthcare professionals that manufacturers of metoclopramide, a drug used to treat gastrointestinal disorders, must add a boxed warning to their drug labels about the risk of its long-term or high-dose use. Chronic use of metoclopramide has been linked to tardive dyskinesia, which may include involuntary and repetitive movements of the body, even after the drugs are no longer taken. These symptoms are rarely reversible and there is no known treatment. Metoclopramide is available in a variety of formulations including tablets, syrups and injections. Names of metoclopramide-containing products include Reglan Tablets, Reglan Oral Disintegrating Tablets, Metoclopramide Oral Solution, and Reglan Injection. Manufacturers will be required to implement a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy [REMS] to ensure patients are provided with a medication guide that discusses this risk. Current product labeling warns of the risk of tardive dyskinesia with chronic metoclopramide treatment.
[February 26, 2009 - News Release - FDA]
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Zonisamide (marketed as Zonegran, and generics)
Audience: Neurological healthcare professionals
[Posted 02/23/2009] FDA notified healthcare professionals that updated clinical data has determined that treatment with zonisamide, indicated as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial seizures in adults with epilepsy, can cause metabolic acidosis in some patients. Patients with predisposing conditions or therapies may be at greater risk for developing metabolic acidosis and the risk of zonisamide-induced metabolic acidosis appears to be more frequent and severe in younger patients. FDA recommends that healthcare professionals measure serum bicarbonate before starting treatment and periodically during treatment with zonisamide, even in the absence of symptoms and is working with the makers of zonisamide to revise the product labeling to reflect this new safety information. The notification includes recommendations for healthcare providers, information for patients, and a data summary.
[February 19, 2009 - Information for Healthcare Professionals: Zonisamide (marketed as Zonegran, and generics) - FDA]
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Raptiva (efalizumab)
Audience: Dermatological healthcare professionals, patients
[Posted 02/19/2009] FDA issued a Public Health Advisory to notify healthcare professionals of three confirmed, and one possible report of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a rare brain infection, in patients using the psoriasis drug Raptiva. In October 2008, the labeling for Raptiva was changed to highlight, in a Boxed Warning, the risks of life-threatening infections, including PML. In addition, FDA directed Genentech, the manufacturer of Raptiva, to develop a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy, or REMS, to ensure that patients receive risk information about Raptiva. The FDA is reviewing this latest information. The agency will take appropriate steps to ensure that the risks of Raptiva do not outweigh its benefits, that patients prescribed Raptiva are clearly informed of the signs and symptoms of PML, and that health care professionals carefully monitor patients for the possible development of PML. The Public Health Advisory provides recommendations for healthcare providers and patients when treatment with this product is considered.
[February 19, 2009 - Public Health Advisory - FDA]
[February 19, 2009 - News Release - FDA]
Previous MedWatch Alert:
[10/17/2008]
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CellCept (mycophenolate mofetil)
Myfortic (mycophenolic acid)
Audience: Renal, cardiac, and hepatic transplantation healthcare professionals
[UPDATE 03/24/2009] FDA and Novartis notified healthcare professionals of the introduction of a Myfortic Medication Guide to provide important safety information in language that patients can easily comprehend. By May 15, 2009, a copy of the Myfortic Medication Guide will be enclosed with every Myfortic bottle. Pharmacists are required to distribute a copy of the Medication Guide with every Myfortic prescription.
[Posted 02/12/2009] FDA and Roche Laboratories notified healthcare professionals of the introduction of a CellCept Medication Guide to provide important safety information in language that patients can easily comprehend. FDA regulations require a pharmacist to distribute a copy of the Medication Guide to every patient who fills a CellCept prescription from this point forward. FDA has also required the introduction of a Medication Guide for mycophenolic acid, marketed as Myfortic by Novartis.
[March 2009 - Dear Healthcare Professional Letter - Myfortic - Novartis]
[December 2008 - Prescribing Information - Myfortic - Novartis]
[March 2009 - Medication Guide - Myfortic - Novartis]
[January 2009 - Dear Healthcare Provider Letter - CellCept - Roche]
[January 2009 - Dear Pharmacist Letter - CellCept - Roche]
[December 2008 - Medication Guide - CellCept - Roche]
[May 2008 - Prescribing Information - CellCept - Roche]
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Xigris (Drotrecogin alfa [activated]) - Early Communication about an Ongoing Safety Review
Audience: Critical care healthcare professionals
[Posted 02/04/2009] FDA is aware of a recently published study, a retrospective medical record review of 73 patients who receive Drotrecogin alfa (activated), marketed as Xigris, indicated for the reduction of mortality in adult patients with severe sepsis who have a high risk of death (Gentry et al.; Crit Care Med 2009).The study reported an increased risk of serious bleeding events and of death in patients with sepsis and baseline bleeding risk factors who received this product. Serious bleeding events occurred in 7 of 20 patients (35%) who had a bleeding risk factor vs. only 2 of 53 (3.8%) patients without any bleeding risk factors. The finding by Gentry et al. of an increased risk of death and serious bleeding events in patients treated with Xigris who also have baseline bleeding risk factors is consistent with the information in the current product label. Prescribers should refer to the product label for the specific contraindications, warnings, and, precautions and carefully weigh the increased risk of bleeding against the benefits of Xigris.
FDA is working with the manufacturer to further evaluate the incidence of serious bleeding events and mortality in patients who received Xigris. FDA will communicate its conclusions and any resulting recommendations to the public when the review is completed, which may take several months.The FDA urges both healthcare professionals and patients to report side effects from the use of Xigris to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program.
[February 04, 2009 - Early Communication about an Ongoing Safety Review - FDA]
[October 2008 - Xigris Prescribing Information - Eli Lilly]
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Ethex Corporation Product Recall
Audience: Pharmacists, Consumers
[UPDATE 02/04/2009] ETHEX Corporation and Ther-RX Corporation expanded the company’s previous recall notices to include prescription prenatal vitamin and iron supplement products. See the 02/03/2009 Press Releases for a list of products included in the recall.
[Posted 01/27/2009] FDA notified pharmacists and consumers that ETHEX Corporation has expanded two previous 2008 recalls to include over 60 generic drug products recalled to wholesalers, and two generic drug products, Hydromorphone HCl and Metoprolol Succinate, recalled to retailer level. These generic products may have been manufactured under conditions that did not sufficiently comply with current Good Manufacturing Practices. Some of these products have had specific lots recalled earlier due to defects found, including oversized tablets delivering higher than labeled doses. These additional products are being removed to assure that no other defective products remain in the marketplace. Patients who may have these medicines in their possession should continue to take them in accordance with their prescriptions, as the risk of suddenly stopping needed medication may place patients at risk. Patients should contact their physician or healthcare provider if they have experienced any problems that may be related to taking or using these products, or to obtain replacement medications or prescriptions.
[February 03, 2009 - Press Release - Ethex]
[February 03, 2009 - Press Release - Ther-Rx ]
[January 28, 2009 - Press Release - Ethex]
Previous MedWatch Alerts:
[November 2008]
[October 2008]
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Venom HYPERDRIVE 3.0
Audience: Consumers, Pharmacists
[Posted 01/27/2009] FDA notified consumers not to take Venom HYPERDRIVE 3.0, a product sold as a dietary supplement but containing sibutramine, an undeclared drug product and a controlled substance with risks for abuse or addiction. When present in a dietary supplement, it may harm unsuspecting consumers because sibutramine can substantially increase blood pressure and heart rate, and may present a significant risk for people with a history of heart disease, heart failure, irregular heart beats or stroke. The product was sold via distributors and in retail stores nationwide and was packaged in red plastic bottles containing 90 capsules each with the UPC# 094922534743. Consumers who have this product should stop taking it immediately and contact their health care professional if they have experienced any adverse effects.
[January 27, 2009 - News Release - FDA]
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Clopidogrel bisulfate (marketed as Plavix)
Audience: Cardiovascular healthcare professionals, Pharmacists
[Posted 01/26/2009] FDA notified healthcare professionals that the makers of Plavix have agreed to work with FDA to conduct studies to obtain additional information that will allow a better understanding and characterization of the effects of genetic factors and other drugs (especially the proton pump inhibitors (PPIs)) on the effectiveness of clopidogrel. FDA is aware of published reports that clopidogrel (marketed as Plavix) is less effective in some patients than it is in others. Differences in effectiveness may be due to genetic differences in the way the body metabolizes clopidogrel or that using certain other drugs with clopidogrel can interfere with how the body metabolizes clopidogrel. These studies should lead to a better understanding about how to optimize the use of clopidogrel. The FDA recognizes the importance of obtaining these data promptly. The drug manufacturers have agreed to a timeline for completing the studies and FDA will review the new information expeditiously and will communicate its conclusions and any recommendations to the public at that time. It could take several months to complete the studies and analyze the results. Until further information is available FDA recommends the following:
• Healthcare providers should continue to prescribe and patients should continue to take clopidogrel as directed, because clopidogrel has demonstrated benefits in preventing blood clots that could lead to a heart attack or stroke.
• Healthcare providers should re-evaluate the need for starting or continuing treatment with a PPI, including Prilosec OTC, in patients taking clopidogrel.
• Patients taking clopidogrel should consult with their healthcare provider if they are currently taking or considering taking a PPI, including Prilosec OTC.
[January 26, 2009 - Early Communication about an Ongoing Safety Review - FDA]
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Topical Anesthetics
Audience: Consumers, radiological healthcare professionals, emergency room healthcare professionals, risk managers
[Posted 01/16/2009] FDA issued a public health advisory to remind patients, healthcare professionals, and caregivers about potentially serious hazards of using skin numbing products, also known as topical anesthetics, for relieving pain from mammography and other medical tests and conditions. FDA is concerned about the potential for these products to cause serious, life-threatening adverse effects, such as irregular heartbeat, seizures, breathing difficulties, coma and even death, when applied to a large area of skin or when the area of application is covered. FDA is working with healthcare professional organizations and other media that distribute healthcare information to spread the message about the potential hazards and safe use of topical anesthetics. The Advisory and the Dear Colleague letter provide recommendations to both doctors and patients on safe use of these products.
[January 16, 2009 - Public Health Advisory - FDA]
[January 16, 2009 - Dear Colleague Letter - FDA] Adobe Acrobat [pdf] file
Previous MedWatch Alert:
[02/06/2007]
http://www.fbi.gov/page2/march09/internet_033009.html
INTERNET CRIME
Complaints, Losses On the Rise
03/30/09
2008 IC3 Annual Report
Reports of Internet scams and their financial toll continued to grow in 2008, according to the latest data by the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), which operates a website, www.ic3.gov, to collect and refer public complaints about Internet fraud.
In 2008, more than $264 million was lost in 275,284 complaints—an average of $931 for every complaint—according to the 2008 Internet Crime Report, released March 30. Almost one-third of the complaints were for non-delivery of merchandise purchased online; auction fraud accounted for one in four complaints.
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In one case cited in the 2008 figures, a Virginia woman—Rachel Trent, who was the subject of multiple complaints in three states—advertised rare baseball and football cards on the eBay auction site. Once a buyer paid, the woman sent a worthless card or sometimes nothing at all. She was arrested by a cyber task force and is serving fours years in prison.
IC3, SSA Charles Pavelites
FBI Supervisory Special Agent Charles Pavelites describes the role of the Internet Crime Complaint Center. Play Video
The Internet Crime Complaint Center is a partnership between the FBI and the nonprofit National White Collar Crime Center. IC3 collects the data, analyzes it, and then refers complaints to law enforcement agencies to follow up. The report, issued annually since 2003, offers a snapshot of the most frequent Internet crimes, where they are occurring, and who is being victimized.
In the U.S. last year, California, New York, Florida, Texas, and the District of Columbia were home to half the perpetrators identified in complaints. Worldwide, perpetrators were most commonly from the U.S. (66.1%), followed by the United Kingdom (10.5%), Nigeria (7.5%), and Canada (3.1%).
Here’s a look at the scams prompting the most complaints (by percentage), along with the average amount of money lost per complaint:
* Non-delivery of merchandise/payment: $800 (32.9%)
* Auction fraud: $610 (25.5%)
* Credit/debit card fraud: $223 (9%)
* Confidence fraud: $2,000 (7.9%)
* Computer fraud: $1,000 (6.2%)
* Check fraud: $3,000 (5.4%)
* Nigerian letter fraud: $1,650 (2.8%)
The data is posted in full at the National White Collar Crime Center website (pdf).
Year Complaints Loss
2008 275,284 $265 million
2007 206,884 $239 million
2006 207,492 $198 million
2005 231,493 $183 million
2004 207,449 $68 million
“This report illustrates that sophisticated computer fraud schemes continue to flourish as financial data migrates to the Internet,” FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Shawn Henry said in a statement.
The 2008 figures represent a 33% increase in complaints and a $25 million increase in losses over 2007. E-mail and webpages were the two primary mechanisms scammers used to commit their crimes, underscoring the need to be vigilant and cautious online, particularly in transactions. The Internet Crime Report offers prevention tips to avoid online traps. You can also visit our Be Crime Smart page to learn about frauds, scams, and how to file tips and complaints.
Resources:
- Press Release
- Internet Crime Complaint Center
- Common Fraud Schemes
- Senior Citizens and Fraud
Try Sam’s Club. Pound for pound, some items are priced low there. Better, yet, grow whatever you can in a garden, and look into raising animals, if you have the space.
Also look for small farmers’ markets in your area, and consider studying proper food storage methods (canning, dehydrating, freezing, etc.).
>>>I tend to get mildly depressed during the winter,<<<
LOL - I was thinking about a couple of months ago when someone up there in North Country was saying maybe a couple of pots by the back door... Too depressed to garden this year...
I smile every time you show your enthusiasm for your garden!
When the weather gets like it is now, I HAVE to dig in the dirt... It is an obsession - genetically programmed instinct!
My coldframe is almost full (I keep making it bigger and still fill it.) 3 kinds of tomatoes, 2 kinds of peppers,broccoli, cauliflower, 2 kinds of onions, asparagus, cilantro,3 kinds of lettuce, garden huckleberry already in. Soon will be time for the cantaloupe, watermelon, squashes and all those other things that I want to give a head start to... Mmmmm I can almost taste them now.
Took that half link out of the drive chain on the tiller (yay... gasket stayed all in one piece on the one side so don’t have to get another one-just a bit of gasket conditioner and looks good as new and no leaks-)- fresh fuel, changed the oil, cleaned the air filter, tightened a couple of loose bolts, gave it a test run... All ready - even tilled for the potatoes... (trying the moon sign planting on them... Normally would have planted them Mar. 15th but will try April 3-16 according to the chart)
Love Spring - feel younger, full of energy... still get tired much faster, but the spirit is still there. :^)
Newt Gingrich: A Single Nuke Could Destroy America
March 29, 2009
By Newt Gingrich and William Forstchen
Newsmax
There is a sword of Damocles over our heads. It is a threat that is real but has been all but ignored.
On February 3rd, Iran launched a “communications satellite” into orbit. At this very moment, North Korea is threatening to do the same. The ability to launch an alleged communications satellite belies a far more frightening truth. A rocket that can carry a satellite into orbit can also drop a nuclear warhead over any location on the planet in less than forty-five minutes.
Far too many timid or uninformed sources maintain that a single launch of a missile poses no true threat to the United States given our retaliatory power. A reality check is in order and must be discussed in response to such an absurd claim:
One small nuclear weapon, delivered by an ICBM can, in fact, destroy the United States by maximizing the effect of the resultant electromagnetic pulse upon detonation.
An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is a by-product of detonating an atomic bomb above the Earth’s atmosphere. When a nuclear weapon is detonated in space, the gamma rays emitted trigger a massive electrical disturbance in the upper atmosphere. Moving at the speed of light, this overload will short out all electrical equipment, power grids and delicate electronics on the earth’s surface. In fact, it would take only one to three weapons exploding above the continental United States to wipe out our entire grid and transportation network. It might take years to recover from, if ever.
This is not science fiction. If you doubt this, spend a short amount of time skimming the Report of the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack from April 2008. You will come away sobered.
http://www.millennium-ark.net/NEWS/09_USA/090330.EMP.threat.Congress.08.pdf
Even as the new Administration plans to spend trillions on economic bail outs, it has announced plans to reduce funding and downgrade efforts for missile defense. Furthermore, the reluctance by the United States to invest in a modern and credible traditional nuclear deterrent is a serious concern. What good will a bailout be if there is no longer a nation to bail out?
Fifty years ago it was not Sputnik itself that sent a dire chill of warning around the world; it was the capability of the rocket that launched Sputnik. The rocket that lofted Sputnik into orbit could also serve as an ICBM.
Yet for all its rhetoric, the Soviet Union was essentially a rational power that recognized the threat of mutual destruction and thus never stepped to the edge.
The world is different today. Intercontinental range missiles tipped with nuclear weapons in the hands of leaders driven by fanaticism, leaders that support global terrorism, leaders that have made repeated threats that they will seek our annihilation. . .can now at last achieve their dream of our annihilation in a matter of minutes.
Those who claim that there is little to fear from Iran or North Korea because “at best” they will only have one or two nuclear weapons, ignore the catastrophic level of threat we now face from just “a couple” of nuclear weapons.
Graphic: EMP-affected areas by bursts detonated at 30, 120 and 300 miles overhead. Gary Smith, “Electromagnetic Pulse Threats,” testimony before the Subcommittee on Military Research and Development, Committee on National Security, U.S. House of Representatives, July 16, 1997.
Again: One to three missiles tipped with nuclear weapons and armed to detonate at a high altitude—to achieve the strongest EMP over the greatest area of the United States—would create an EMP “overlay” that triggers a continental-wide collapse of our entire electrical, transportation and communications infrastructure.
Within weeks after such an attack, tens of millions of Americans would perish. The impact has been likened to a nationwide Hurricane Katrina. Some studies estimate that 90% of all Americans might very well die in the year after such an attack as our transportation, food distribution, communications, public safety, law enforcement and medical infrastructures collapse.
It is a blow we most likely would never recover from.
Two things need to be done now and without delay.
1. Make clear in the strongest of terms that if a rocket is launched by either Iran or North Korea, (which could reach the U.S.) on a trajectory headed towards the territory of the United States, we will shoot it down. The risk of not doing so is beyond acceptable. And if they construe this as an act of war, so be it, for they fired the first shot. The risk of sitting back for thirty minutes and praying it is not an EMP strike is beyond acceptable, beyond rational on our part.
2. Funding for EMP defense must be a top national priority. To downgrade or halt our missile defense program, which after twenty five years of research is at last becoming viable, would be an action of criminal negligence.
Surely, with such a threat confronting us, a fair and open debate, with full public access and the setting aside of partisan politics, is in order. In the meantime, a policy must be stated today that we will indeed shoot down any missile aimed towards the United States that is fired by Iran or North Korea. America’s survival, your survival, and your family’s survival might very well depend on it.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. William Forstchen is the author of “One Second After,” an account of a town struggling to survive after an EMP weapon is used against the United States.
http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/grigrich_emp_weapon/2009/03/29/197257.html?promo_code=2A89-1
Great post, Granny.
Those were the days and I so wish my children could know that feeling of freedom.
FDA: Avoid Foods Containing Pistachios
The FDA warns consumers to stop eating all foods containing pistachios while
they figure out the source of a possible salmonella contamination.
MORE DETAILS: http://www.10News.com/tu/5FFUgB45L.html
Reminds me of a song
You yell out in defiance of Obama
Your backs up against the wall
Obama’s goons up their clutching there guns man
makes you feel real small.
That’s a great site FrogMom. Thanks for the link.
One thing I just recently realized that I was forgetting is cleaning products. This last week, I’ve been looking around to find the cheapest prices for borax, super wash soda, and bar laundry soap. (Granny had posted some recipes for homemade detergent, dishwashing soap, and dishwasher detergent.) I’ve put those items in double Ziploc freezer bags and have a couple of boxes filled and ready to go. (We’ll be going to a high humidity area for half of the year, so I’m trying to protect against moisture.)
Liquid crisco or solid stuff?
Aye, I haven’t started buying cleaning stuff yet (except baking soda and vinegar), wanted to get food basics out of the way first.
Costco had Lever 2000 bath soap, 16 bars for $10. I had a 3 dollar off coupon with a limit of 2 packages, so got 32 bars for 14 bucks.
Can’t beat that with a stick, as my Grandma used to say!
It has been a very difficult winter with the sudden, unexpected loss of my beloved sister and the subsequent necessity of settling her estate, cleaning out her house and disposing of all her familiar belongings, so I really look forward to spring.
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