Category Archives: Current Events

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For every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction.  Newton’s Third Law may also apply in the political realm with respect to the Syrian Civil War.  While I hope this does not happen, a US attack against the government of Syria could lead to increased violence.  This could come in the form of increased terrorist attacks in the US, Europe, and Israel along with the risk of a wider war with Iran.

Add chemical weapons to the mix and you have a recipe for disaster.

Serious question, what is the status of your preparations as of today?  Who knows, tomorrow may bring unexpected events without warning.  Pro tip:  be ready for a rough ride if and when the US and/or European countries get involved in the Syrian Civil War.

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For about three hours on Thursday, there was a NASDAQ trading interruption that affected the entire exchange.

Credit: The Wall Street Experience

As you can imagine, this caused quite a stir.

In time, the exchange will know what caused the problem and will take steps to prevent it again.  However, if a robust and secure system like the NASDAQ can go down, what does that mean for other mission-critical systems?  Other financial markets have been hacked in recent years so a deliberate attack would not be unprecedented.

Think for a moment about the electrical grids, oil and gas pipelines, banking, air traffic control, water treatment and distribution, hospital systems, and other systems that millions rely on to keep our society functioning…

If today’s events demonstrate anything, its evident that systems can fail at any time.  Whenever possible, take precautions and make preparations for these events.  Some may call them “unforeseen” or “unexpected” but an astute observer knows that interruptions will happen.

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Imagine this city without power or fiber optic data connectivity…

San Francisco, CA

I was reading Bob Owens’ blog when I read this story about a power substation attack back in April and a widespread outage that took place a couple of days ago.  These events may be totally random, isolated incidents.  Another possibility is that somebody is deliberately targeting vulnerable electrical and data nodes in the Bay Area.

…and these are the events that are publicly known.

Now ask yourself what you would do if you suddenly lost power and/or data connectivity.  Do you have flashlights, candles, or other light sources?  How about food that can be prepared without an electric stove?  Have any battery-operated radios that you can use to get information on an outage?  How about your smartphone, do you follow your utility on Twitter?  Think about these and other steps you can take now to prepare for a power outage.  It could happen without warning and really cause a major disruption in your life.  Get started now!

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While the media has focused much of its attention on Anthony Weiner and his sexting problem, I think the case of Eliot Spitzer is a more interesting one.

Credit: NY Daily News

Until he got caught in a prostitution scandal while serving as Governor of New York, Eliot Spitzer was considered a rising star in the Democrat Party.  Now that he is running for City Controller (NYC), the spotlight is shining on him once again.  Apparently, Mr. Spitzer’s ambition and drive remains, albeit on a smaller stage than before. What’s ironic is that his former Madame is running for the same office.

Is it any wonder people don’t trust politicians?

You see, Eliot Spitzer got caught and was forced out of office for his transgressions.  There are many more corrupt, deceitful, dishonest politicians in office all over the country who are responsible for their states, counties, cities, or districts.  These men and women are the ones placed in charge of emergency planning along with other important governmental duties.  Given the lack of discretion and honesty displayed by men like Eliot Spitzer, is it reasonable to doubt their abilities as leaders?

Putting one’s trust in dishonest politicians is misplaced, the better option is to practice self-reliance and make preparations that are either independent or complimentary of governmental efforts.  Leaders will fail their constituents through incompetence, corruption, laziness, or a host of other human frailties.  Depend upon yourself to be ready and be ready to be pleasantly surprised if elected officials effectively carry out their duties.

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…to seek Chapter Nine Bankruptcy protection?

Will Chicago lead the way?

Credit: Skyscraper Page

Or will it be Trenton, NJ?

In time the answers will come out but Moody’s is analyzing which major cities are in danger of going bankrupt.  The order and names on the list are less important than the underlying truth.  That is major cities are either having serious financial problems now or will experience them in the near future.  As I am fond of saying, plan accordingly.

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Looks like the Earth narrowly escaped being hit with a massive solar flare.

Credit: Space.com

This could have been a VERY BIG problem for a variety of reasons.  A Solar flare can cause massive damage to electronics, electrical transmission systems, and wireless communications.  You can read about a super solar flare from the 19th Century by clicking here, just imagine the impact a similar event would have today…

The good news is that damaging solar flares are relatively rare and don’t always cause widespread damage to electronics.  However, they can impact the electrical grid and cause widespread power failures.  The loss of power is the most dangerous aspect of solar flares since modern society is dependent on a reliable source of electrical power.  This is why having generators and/or batteries is so important in disaster planning.

In future articles, I will discuss topics like backup power and what to do during extended power outages.  For now, be aware that electrical power is vulnerable to solar flares and other natural phenomena.

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I was ten minutes late getting into work today, here is the reason why.

Credit: KTVK

Violence can happen at any time, any where.  In this case, a road rage incident that turned into a shooting took place during rush hour about two blocks from where I work.  More details on this particular case will emerge as the investigation progresses but the takeaway from today’s event is you need to be ready no matter where you are.

If nothing else, make sure your car has a first aid kit so you can render assistance to either yourself or others.  You may not be able to prevent a road rage incident from becoming violent, but you should be ready in case that happens.  After all, incidents like this can happen any where, any time.

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Looks like LA may soon be following Detroit’s lead when it comes to Chapter Nine Bankruptcy protection.

South Central LA

Credit: News Genius

You can read about it here but the refrain is a familiar one, municipalities spend too much on generous pensions and get caught in a bind when the economy slows down.  Couple that with high taxation, rising crime, crushing regulatory burdens, lousy schools, along with a poisonous political climate and you get…Los Angeles.  Well, at least the weather is better in the City of Angels than in Detroit.  As California Pension Reform President Dan Pellissier said last week:

I think your city of Los Angeles is probably two to three years away from being in the same position that Detroit is where there is not enough money to pay the bills…[L.A.] can’t project, going forward, a stable budget because they face the same pension problems that everyone else in the country does.

Given the current financial situation many cities find themselves in, individuals need to prepare to take care of themselves.  The government won’t always be there to protect you or help you during your time of need.  Independence and preparation are a better course of action than dependency on increasing stressed municipal departments.  What are you going to do today in your life to become more independent?

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The Detroit bankruptcy filing shows that if something cannot go on forever, it will stop.  Some acted surprised but this has been years in the making given the toxic combination of corruption coupled with lavish spending the city has engaged in for over a half century.  Decisions have consequences and math has finally trumped politics in Motown.  Sure, some will fight it but the reality is, Detroit can’t meet its financial obligations and its debts will have to be reorganized in Bankruptcy Court.  It won’t be the last city to enter Chapter 9 either, that much is a given.

Guess my predictions proved prescient.

City finances can impact crucial services like Fire and Police, which are being stretched to the breaking point by arson and crime.  Old equipment and poor maintenance contribute to slow response times, which endanger both lives and property.  As the Detroit Free Press reports:

The Fire Department’s average time is 7 minutes, and EMS’s response time is 15 minutes. That’s partly due to old trucks and ambulances that are poorly maintained combined with a never-ending string of incidents. Detroit has had between 11,000 to 12,000 fires every year for the past decade, and firefighters have been responding with “junk” equipment, according to an unnamed fire captain in Orr’s report.

If that wasn’t bad enough, 2/3rds(!) of the City’s ambulances are out of service.

Now Detroit may be an extreme example of municipal dysfunction but many of the same conditions exist in other communities.  Falling tax revenues, higher fuel prices, increasing benefits costs, ballooning pension commitments, and economic stagnation are a fact of life for all cities, counties, and states.  This results in fewer services, at a higher cost, with longer response times for citizens.

So don’t plan on government agencies quickly coming to your aid during an emergency.  Having first aid kits, fire extinguishers, firearms, extra food and water, batteries, flashlights, and KNOWLEDGE will help you help yourself when things go wrong.  Being prepared not only helps you, it also helps your neighbors and community become more resilient.

Take a look at this Steven Crowder video from 2009.

Big Government and Big Unions built that!

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To think that once Detroit was the motor behind the Arsenal of Democracy, now its an example of what municipal bankruptcy looks like.

Credit: Alexander Synaptic

I’ve discussed this before but what is happening in Detroit is a symptom of what is happening in many American cities these days.  It is probably the most extreme example but Motown points to a bleak future for cities that are loosing tax revenue, population, and business while increasing spending on government employees.  The situation has become so bad that bankruptcy is being discussed openly.  My guess is that this will happen, the only question is when.  One thing I can safely predict though is many more cities will declare bankruptcy in the coming months.

Eventually this will mean that cities can get out from under the crushing union contracts, lavish employee benefits, and generous pensions that got them into their fiscal mess in the first place.  However, in the interim city services will suffer and citizens will be left on their own to deal with emergency situations.  In many respects, cities will become wild and dangerous places like some frontier towns were back in the 19th Century.

The solution is to plan on taking care of yourself in emergency situations.  Individuals and communities will supplant municipalities as services decline in the face of continuing economic stagnation.  This will produce greater self-reliance along with strengthening communities, but along the way it will be a rough ride.

Plan accordingly.