The Very Best Gun for the Beginning Prepper

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So here’s the deal. The first gun that a new prepper ought to get should be one that makes practice as easy as possible. Shooting is fun! But you won’t realize that until you do some. That first firearm should be inexpensive, both in initial acquisition and in the cost of ammunition. It should be something that you – and your other family members – can shoot with minimal training.

It should be a handgun.

Now a lot of the gun aficionados thought I was leading up to a .22 caliber rifle. And yes, every prepper should have one of those, if for no other reason than to have a rifle available to loan to a friend during a zombie attack, thereby allowing you to keep the much better defensive weapons for yourself.

There are a lot of sound reasons for a “handgun first” policy. Here are a few:

Dimensions. Try carrying a long gun concealed. You’ll walk like Frankenstein. Handguns allow you to carry concealed practically anywhere on your body, and concealed or not, when holstered they keep your hands free and allow your body to move naturally. If you are working around the compound and not in a elevated DEFCON, that means that you won’t be having your long gun, the one you so carefully leaned against a barn wall while you fixing a fence, fall over into a pile of bovine end product (as mine almost always seem to do). If something is easy to carry, you’re more likely to carry it. Simple.

(Read more from “The Very Best Gun for the Beginning Prepper” HERE)

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Smoking Cannabis ALTERS Your DNA ‘Causing Mutations That Can Trigger Serious Illness, Including Cancer’

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Smoking cannabis can alter a person’s DNA, causing mutations that expose a user to serious illnesses, experts have warned . . .

Though the link between cannabis and severe illnesses, such as cancer, has previously been documented, how this occurs and the implications for future generations was not well understood.

Dr Stuart Reece, and Professor Gary Hulse from the University of Western Australia’s School of Psychiatry, analyzed literary and research material to understand the likely causes.

Dr Reece said: ‘Through our research we found that cancers and illnesses were likely caused by cell mutations resulting from cannabis properties having a chemical interaction with a person’s DNA.

While a person may appear healthy and lead a normal life, the unseen damage to their DNA could also be passed on to their children, and cause illness for several generations to come. (Read more from “Smoking Cannabis ALTERS Your DNA ‘Causing Mutations That Can Trigger Serious Illness, Including Cancer'” HERE)

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U.S. Sees First Case of Bacteria Resistant to All Antibiotics

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U.S. health officials on Thursday reported the first case in the country of a patient with an infection resistant to all known antibiotics, and expressed grave concern that the superbug could pose serious danger for routine infections if it spreads.

“We risk being in a post-antibiotic world,” said Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, referring to the urinary tract infection of a 49-year-old Pennsylvania woman who had not travelled within the prior five months.

Frieden, speaking at a National Press Club luncheon in Washington, D.C., said the infection was not controlled even by colistin, an antibiotic that is reserved for use against “nightmare bacteria.”

The infection was reported Thursday in a study appearing in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, a publication of the American Society for Microbiology. It said the superbug itself had first been infected with a tiny piece of DNA called a plasmid, which passed along a gene called mcr-1 that confers resistance to colistin.

“(This) heralds the emergence of truly pan-drug resistant bacteria,” said the study, which was conducted by the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. “To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of mcr-1 in the USA.” (Read more from “U.S. Sees First Case of Bacteria Resistant to All Antibiotics” HERE)

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3 Ways TSA Could Improve Wait Times

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We’ve all had to awkwardly stand in line at airport security as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) herds hundreds of passengers to departure gates. Long lines only add to the already stressful event of flying.

Our current airport security process has become a running joke (along with long waits at the DMV or the “simplicity” of doing taxes).

Here are a few measures that could increase security at airports while shortening the wait time:

1. Expand the Screening Partnership Program

TSA’s current budget isn’t allowing it to meet the demand at airports but throwing more money at TSA won’t solve any long term inadequacies. As my colleague David Inserra has previously written:

Almost all European countries and Canada use private airport screeners. In the United States, airports have the right to opt out of TSA-administered screening through the Screening Partnership Program, which swaps out TSA screeners in favor of private contractors with TSA oversight.

The Screening Partnership Program’s ability to take advantage of private security companies is one way the TSA can meet high passenger demand without sacrificing security.

However, the Screening Partnership Program isn’t being used to its full potential. Burdensome regulations mandating the TSA hand-pick Screening Partnership Program contractors are limiting and slowing airports’ access to security vendors.

2. Enlarge and Strengthen TSA PreCheck

TSA PreCheck is a trusted traveler program that allows members to expedite the security process after going through a background check and vetting process.

The program allows TSA to move its resources towards a more risk-based approach by focusing less time on low-risk travelers. Congress and the TSA should be looking for ways to expand enrollment in TSA PreCheck.

3. Ensure Airports Screening is Subject to Risk Assessments and Red Team Tests

Waiting in TSA lines is partially alleviated because the TSA is supposedly providing extra security. That’s why it’s important to continue assessing the effectiveness of the TSA’s security measures. Red Teams, or undercover agents are one way to test that TSA security measures are working.

In the meantime, it’s up to passengers to also take personal responsibility in preparing themselves for security check points.

Checking wait times at the local airport before flying and making sure not to carry-through any prohibited items will help the TSA maintain order and alleviate waiting time—though this is no panacea.

It will ultimately be up to Congress to improve the TSA and better our airport security waiting times and security. (For more from the author of “3 Ways TSA Could Improve Wait Times” please click HERE)

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China Denies Shipping Marinated Human Flesh in Cans to Be Sold as FOOD in Africa

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China has strenuously denied reports that it’s routinely canning human flesh and selling it as food to African nations.

A top official has dismissed reports in Zambia which queried the provenance of some ‘meat products’ being shipped from China to the African continent.

In the media reports, an unnamed Zambian woman living in China reportedly issued warnings to Africans not to eat corned beef.

She claimed that dead human bodies were being collected and marinated before being canned and labelled as corned beef for human consumption .

But the statement, issued by the Chinese Ambassador to Zambia, Yang Youming, blames people spreading “malicious” rumours. (Read more from “China Denies Shipping Marinated Human Flesh in Cans to Be Sold as FOOD in Africa” HERE)

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What’s That Smell? Mystery Odor Has Officials Looking for Answers

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Residents in north Marana, particularly in the Gladden Farms area, are complaining of a strange smell and accompanying white smoke. The smell began a few weeks ago and has been so bad in some areas that residents have been forced to stay indoors and close windows.

The smell occurs in the morning, usually between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m., and has been described by residents as a “chemical smell” or as resembling diesel exhaust. A number of Gladden Farm homeowners took to a Facebook group to share their frustration and compare notes and all reported seeing white smoke or exhaust at the same time the smell is present.

“It is very strong and irritates my throat,” said Gladden Farms resident Christy Hollinger. “I am pretty tolerant to smoke, exhaust, pollen so was a bit surprised this affected me.”

Hollinger said that she was out walking her dogs when she encountered the smell the first time and by the time she got home, her entire home had the exhaust smell. Others have reported having to roll up windows and turn off the air in the car when driving in the area.

Most believed the smoke to be coming from of two plants off Tangerine Road, either the Cal-Portland Cement plant or the plant belonging to Granite Construction, with several residents insisting that the smoke was coming from the Granite plant, where they make asphalt, among other things. (Read more from “What’s That Smell? Mystery Odor Has Officials Looking for Answers” HERE)

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Girl Is Multi-Millionaire at Age 9

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Self-made millionaire Isabella Barrett enjoys splashing the cash on designer shoes and expensive labels – despite being just nine years old . . .

Isabella became a millionaire at just six years old after launching her own clothing and jewellery line . . .

Isabella’s mum, Susanna, said: “As far as what she’s worth tangible you know, it would probably be equal to several million dollars . . .
“So she is the major stakeholder in ‘Glitzy Girl’, which was our first company that came out. The second company was ‘Bound By the Crown Couture'” . . .

Now the The fashion-obsessed young socialite has over 1.6 million online followers and considers herself a successful businesswoman in her own right. (Read more from “Girl Is Multi-Millionaire at Age 9” HERE)

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Why Does President Obama’s Twitter Account Follow Porn Stars?

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President Obama’s Twitter account, which is run by his “Organizing for Action” staff, follows 636,000 accounts. Many of them you might expect: Michelle Obama, Joe Biden, John Kerry. Even Mariah Carey and Snoop Dogg don’t really raise an eyebrow. But several accounts on the presidential follow list fit a different theme: Asa Akira, a porn star who has 653,000 followers and, in her Twitter bio, states “I have an award-winning a******.” Joanna Angel (390,000 followers), who describes herself as a “multiple award winning punk porno princess;” Penthouse Pet Of The Year Nikki Benz (808,000 followers); and Ashley Steel (138,000 followers), who writes that she is a “Porn Star, Doggy mama, Happiness Junkie, XXX Model, Buddhist, & Total nerd” . . .

Neither the Organizing for Action campaign nor the White House immediately responded to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Joe Rospars, Obama’s principal digital strategist for both presidential campaigns, said that he was not available to comment.

The most likely culprit is a piece of Twitter etiquette known as the “follow back.” Some consider it polite to follow your followers, and until recently, only Twitter accounts that followed each other could communicate through direct messages, which added a practical component to the tradition. Twitter once had an “auto-follow” feature that handled this process on behalf of users by automatically following any new followers. Twitter removed that auto-follow feature from its own site in 2009, but the capability stuck around in its API until 2013, allowing many third-party tools to set accounts to “auto-follow” regardless . . .

Twitter follow lists are technically public, but within the Twitter interface, followers can only be viewed by scrolling through every account: quite a task when you are following several hundred thousand people. “I would assume [someone in Obama’s position] doesn’t even know that they’re following those accounts,” says Stephanie Abrams Cartin, the founder and CEO of a New York City-based social media PR agency called Socialfly. Though social media audience management tools that make it easy to pinpoint an account’s following habits—including SocialRank, Little Bird, and Crowdfire—weren’t around when Twitter was getting started, they can reveal mistakes made in those early days of auto-follow that might have otherwise been forgotten. “There are smart things to automate like reporting and analytics—but follows, likes, tweets —smart social media managers and brands stay away from that; just too much that can go wrong,”says SocialRank CEO and Founder Alex Taub. (Read more from “Why Does President Obama’s Twitter Account Follow Porn Stars?” HERE)

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Doctors Remove 7-Inch Tree Branch From Man’s Eye Socket

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A man who claims he was blinded by an oncoming car’s high-beam lights while riding his electric bicycle is recovering after having a 7-inch tree branch removed from his right eye socket.

Wu Xuan, 34, said he accidentally drove into the branch, which was protruding from a tree, during a thunderstorm, Central European News (CEN) reported. He said he was blinded after a driver flashed his lights at him twice.

He then rode directly into the branch which became wedged in his eye socket and down his throat, CEN reported. Despite the gruesome injury, Xuan was able to ride to the hospital for help where he told doctors he could feel the branch in his throat. (Read more from “Doctors Remove 7-Inch Tree Branch From Man’s Eye Socket” HERE)

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FDA Fast-Tracks Treatment That Uses Polio Virus to Fight Brain Cancer

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The Food and Drug Administration has given so-called “breakthrough” status to a treatment that uses the once-feared polio virus to target aggressive forms of brain cancer, in the hope of speeding it to market.

The therapy, developed at Duke University, hopes to use the virus’ debilitating properties to help fight cancer instead of harming its host, CBS News reported Thursday.

The experimental treatment was the brainchild of molecular biologist Matthias Gromeier. By removing a certain genetic sequence and replacing it with material from the common cold virus, the polio would not be able to cause the incapacitating symptoms that once afflicted President Franklin D. Roosevelt and numerous others because it would be unable to reproduce in normal cells.

However, the altered version of polio could still reproduce in cancer cells—therefore making the cancer susceptible to Lipscomb’s and other patients’ immune systems.

“All human cancers … develop a shield of protective measures that make them invisible to this immune system,” Gromeier told CBS. “By infecting the tumor, we are actually removing this protective shield and enabling the immune system to attack.” (Read more from “FDA Fast-Tracks Treatment That Uses Polio Virus to Fight Brain Cancer” HERE)

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