Understanding EMP: What Preppers Should Know

An EMP is a just one of the threats that can hold our society at risk of catastrophic consequences. A EMP (electromagnetic pulse) can be caused by a high-altitude nuclear weapon that will interact with the Earth’s atmosphere, ionosphere, and magnetic field to produce an EMP radiating down to the Earth and create electrical currents in the Earth. ​​​​​​​ A determined adversary can achieve an EMP attack without having a high level of sophistication. The concern of EMP attack is such a fear of national security, there has been a congressional committee to discuss this threat. “Commission to Assess the Threat to the U.S. from EMP Attack”. CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS RESULTING IN EMP In July of 2012 a coronal mass ejection took place.   A “coronal mass ejection” or C.M.E. is a massive burst of solar wind and magnetic fields rising above the solar corona or being released into space.   ​​​​​​​This was reported to be the most powerful CME discharge ever recorded from our sun.  The 2012 discharge missed Earth.  However, if this C.M.E. had occurred only a week prior; it would have struck our planet and subsequently led to a complete technological disaster according to researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder. To put into perspective the size and enormity of this event lets consider it’s speed (force) only. The typical C.M.E. from our sun take between 2-4 days to reach Earth.  The coronal event in 2012 would have reached earth in just 18 hours.  It’s estimated speed was approximately 7 million miles per hour! While there are systems in place that are designed to warn us of solar flares and CME activity… It’s unclear on whether the teams tasked with monitoring the NASA “Solar Shield” would have been able to alert emergency services in time.   The speed of this event was faster than anything previously seen in our modern space age.

Recognizing and Resolving Common Vitamin Deficiencies

Ideally every person from birth through old age would get all the nutrients they need from the food they consume, but deficiencies occur. There are times when the optimal amount of nutrients from food intake are not possible. People who consume energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods can develop a marginal micronutrient intake and low serum concentrations of vitamins. In times of food shortages or limited access to fresh foods, nutrient deficiencies can become even more common, especially vitamin deficiencies.

What are vitamins?

Vitamins are organic molecules required in small amounts to prevent deficiency signs and symptoms. The most concern is for water-soluble vitamins—the B vitamins and vitamin C. These are essential nutrients the body cannot make. The body does not store water soluble vitamins in large quantities. You should consume them every day. Water-soluble vitamins are lost during processing because they are fragile. This increases the risk of inadequate intake even in times of plenty. This article will focus on the most common B vitamins and vitamin C.

Water-soluble Vitamins

Water-soluble vitamins bind to proteins in food. Vitamins are generally digested, absorbed and transported similarly. Even when using supplements, water-soluble vitamins are rarely toxic as they are not stored in the body in large quantities. They are absorbed mostly in the small intestine and stomach and are highly bioavailable, depending on nutritional status.

Bioavailability

Bioavailability means the amount of a nutrient that is absorbed across the gut wall into circulation and usable by the body. The more depleted of nutrients a person is, the more absorption occurs. Other nutrients may compete for absorption and some substances in food, such as can decrease bioavailability. Medications, age, illness, and alcohol use can also change bioavailability.

Water-soluble Vitamin Destruction

Water-soluble vitamins are easily destroyed in cooking and storage. They are susceptible to water, as they dissolve in water. Water-soluble vitamins degrade from heat, light, changes in acidity (pH), and oxygen exposure. You can see this happen when cooking vegetables in boiling water. The water takes on the color of the vegetables, as the nutrients move from the vegetables and into the water. Losses of nutrients can be minimized with proper handling, preparation, and storage of foods.

Nutrient Deficiencies That Result in Disease

The most common nutrients that result in deficiency diseases will be reviewed one vitamin at a time with deficiency signs and symptoms and then common sources of the nutrient will be listed. Then information about the use of vitamin supplements will be provided.

Vitamin B1- Thiamin

First on the list is B1, also called Thiamin. The deficiency disease of thiamin is called beriberi. It is common in parts of the world that rely on unfortified, milled rice as a staple food. It causes weak and impaired immune function. There are two types of beriberi. The first is known as dry beriberi, which is characterized by progressive wasting, numbing, and weakness of the extremities, and chronic infections. Wet beriberi is characterized by difficulty breathing, pitting edema, and eventually circulatory collapse. Thiamin is found in beef liver and pork, legumes, nuts, seeds, and eggs. Also, powdered milk, fortified cereals, and grain products are all good sources.

Vitamin B2 – Riboflavin

A deficiency in vitamin B2 or riboflavin causes ariboflavinosis. The first signs of deficiency can be reddening of the lips with cracking at the corners (cheilosis), an inflamed and sore mouth (stomatitis), tongue inflammation (glossitis), eye fatigue, and sensitivity to light.

Vitamin B2 is highly susceptible to photo-oxidation, exposure to light, and begins to degrade within about 20 minutes of exposure to light. Riboflavin is not susceptible to heat degradation. However, it can be lost into the water when cooked. Ariboflavinosis is a common deficiency seen in severe alcoholics. Excess supplementation will cause urine to become bright yellow. Sources of riboflavin are milk and dairy products, including powdered or canned. Beef liver, lamb, mushrooms, and sun-dried tomatoes are also good sources.

Vitamin B3 – Niacin

Vitamin B3 or niacin deficiency results in the disease known as pellagra, which translates to “rough skin”. Diarrhea is one of the first signs. Dermatitis, then dementia, and ultimately death follow. Gastro-intestinal distress will manifest first. This deficiency is seen in chronic alcoholism, poverty, and food shortages. Sources of niacin include turkey, grass-fed beef or wild game, and mushrooms. High doses of niacin supplements can cause transitory flushing or redness of the face and neck, which can be uncomfortable. High doses of niacin, as a supplement, may be harmful to an infant during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Vitamin B6

A deficiency of Vitamin B6, or pyridoxine deficiency, causes red blood cells to be small and pale, which results in anemia with poor stamina and fatigue due to decreased oxygen availability in tissues. As with B2 or riboflavin deficiency, B6 deficiency also causes cheilosis, glossitis, and stomatitis. Deficiency also causes dizziness and can lead to early stroke. Malnutrition is the main cause of this deficiency disease. Women of childbearing age are higher risk for developing deficiencies of B6. People with inflammatory conditions and smokers are also high risk for developing deficiency of B6. Food sources of B6 include fish, (our favorite) liver, and starchy vegetables. Supplementation can be problematic if taken in large doses, leading to toxicity. B6 toxicity leads to severe neurological problems, such as numbness in the hands and feet.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12, or cobalamin, deficiency causes pernicious anemia. Signs and symptoms of B12 deficiency are fatigue, difficulty sleeping, numbness, memory loss, and severe neurological disturbances, such as hallucinations and paranoia. B12 deficiency usually occurs over an extended period of time and may go unnoticed until signs and symptoms become severe. Medications that decrease stomach acid can interfere with B12 metabolism and lead to deficiencies. B12 only comes from animal products, making vegans and vegetarians higher risk for B12 deficiency. Sources of B12 are animal products, including dried eggs, powdered milk, and dehydrated meats.

Folate

Folate deficiency causes large immature red blood cells. This deficiency occurs commonly in alcoholics, people with intestinal diseases, and the elderly. Deficiency during early pregnancy can cause neural tube defects, which can lead to death of the infant during birth. Folate deficiency causes birth defects to occur often before women know they are pregnant. Women of childbearing age should ensure that they have adequate intake of folate before becoming pregnant. Intake of Folate can “mask” B12 deficiency. Misdiagnosis of B12 deficiency is dangerous, especially for babies. It causes severe neurological damage and possibly death. Good sources of folate are dried legumes, peas (including dried), and leafy greens, such as dandelion greens, which are readily available in most wild areas.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C deficiency causes scurvy. Signs and symptoms are bleeding gums, skin irritations, and bruising for seemingly no reason. Poor wound healing is another sign of low vitamin C intake. Vitamin C is available in citrus fruit, which is not always readily available. However, scurvy can be prevented using dried berries, peppers, mango, and brussel sprouts when citrus fruits are not available. Food and drinks containing caffeine can inhibit the bioavailability of vitamin C by increasing urination and depleting vitamin C. Antibiotics and aspirin inhibit the bioavailability of vitamin C. Vitamin C intake should increase if antibiotics are needed. An additional concern for vitamin C status is stress. High levels of physical or mental stress increases the body’s need for vitamin C and can cause deficiency even while consuming the amount of vitamin C that prevents scurvy. Watch for signs and symptoms and increase intake accordingly.

Vitamin Supplements

The use of heavily processed foods where nutrients are lost during processing, stress that depletes nutrients, high energy expenditure, special growth circumstances such as adolescence, pregnancy and lactation, and aging can all lead to inadequate nutrient intake. During time of food shortages or lack of fresh foods, nutrition supplements can be used to augment food intake. Vitamin supplements are not meant to be food substitutes, as there are phytonutrients and trace nutrients in foods that are not available in supplement form. However, supplements can play a role in a preventing the most likely nutrient deficiencies when food supplies are limited for whatever reason.

You may need to adjust the level of supplementation according to individual need. For example, the minimum recommended amount of vitamin C for a male 18 years old or older is 90 milligrams. However, a person under high stress and/or expending more than normal physical energy would need a minimum of 125 milligrams to prevent scurvy.

Use of Vitamin Supplements

For specific nutrients, an alternative to finding fresh foods or using stored foods is the use of vitamin supplements in the form of capsules, tablets, powder, or liquid form can be used to prevent deficiencies. There are some basic guidelines you should understand prior to taking any type of supplement. Do use nutritional supplements in moderation as large doses of some nutrients, as mentioned above, can be harmful. Do use supplements as one way to improve nutrient intake, while finding access to the nutrients you need from fresh foods whenever possible. Drink plenty of water when taking nutritional supplements. Remember that water-soluble vitamins need water to increase bioavailability.

Storing Vitamin Supplements

You should store vitamin supplements separately in sealed containers. Vacuum sealing devices work well for sealing small quantities of vitamin supplements needed for a 2 to 3 weeks’ supply. Supplements will degrade when exposed to air. For long-term storage, use vitamins that are not packaged with minerals, as the minerals can cause oxidation and degradation (loss of potency) of the vitamins. Be sure that oxygen absorbers have been used in the packaging. Store the sealed vitamin supplements in a cool, dry, dark place to avoid degradation from heat and light. They will be preserved longer than you think!

Gunned Down For Believing In Christ: The Mainstream Media Is Silent As The Persecution Of Christians Escalates

The global persecution of Christians continues to escalate dramatically, and yet the mainstream media in the United States is virtually silent about it.  In this article, I am going to quote a lot of sources, but they are all either overseas news outlets or Christian websites in the United States.  To a certain extent, I think that the mainstream media is extremely hesitant to report about the global persecution of Christians because it may cause the general public to feel sympathetic, and that would definitely be counterproductive to what they are trying to accomplish.  Ultimately, the elite are trying to demonize Christians, conservatives, patriots and anyone else that would attempt to oppose their radical agenda for America.  So they are banning us from their Internet platforms, they are mocking us on their news and entertainment programs, and they certainly don’t want to highlight the fact that the persecution of Christians is escalating rapidly around the globe.

In this article, I would like to share with you 8 recent examples of Christians being persecuted that you probably never heard about from the mainstream media…

#1 In Kenya, two Christians were recently pulled off a bus and shot dead for failing to recite the Islamic creed…

International Christian Concern reported on the statements of witnesses and heartbroken families a month after the two Christians, Fredrick Ngui Ngonde and Joshua Ooko Obila, were shot dead by Somalia-based terror group al-Shabaab for refusing to recite the Islamic creed.

“The armed Somali fighters ordered all of us to [get off of] the bus and produce our identity cards. They singled out three passengers and ordered them to remain down the bus as we boarded. They asked them if they were Muslims and if they knew the Shahada and the seven verses of Suratul Fatiha. One of them recited part of the Shahada and was allowed to [return] to the bus,” a witness who wasn’t named told the watchdog group.

“The other two kafir men refused to obey the jihad fighters and remained adamant that Christ is their savior and they cannot deny the Christian faith. They were shot dead.”

#2 In Nigeria, the death toll for Christians “continues to rise to catastrophic proportions” as radical groups continue their genocidal campaign…

The death toll for Christians in Nigeria continues to rise to catastrophic proportions as the nation seems helpless or unwilling to stop bloodthirsty Islamic radicals targeting Christians in the region.

This time jihadists—identified as notorious Fulani Herdsmen—toting guns and machetes slaughtered 17 innocent victims in one evening, including four young children and a grandmother.

All of the victims are said to be members of a local evangelical Christian church.

#3 An American missionary that just moved to Cameroon was viciously gunned down in front of his wife and children…

An American Christian missionary has been shot dead in front of his wife and kids in a volatile region of Cameroon. Charles Wesco, 44, was killed when a volley of gunfire struck his car windshield as he traveled to a local store with his wife, Stephanie, one of his children and a fellow missionary. The ministry worker was rushed to a hospital in the city of Bamenda where he was pronounced dead.

#4 In Pakistan, a Christian pharmacist recently died after a gang of Muslims attacked him with acid…

According to Asia News, Faraz Ahmed Badar was a 26-year-old pharmacist who worked at the DHQ Hospital in Gujaranwala. Before his death, he had been harassed relentlessly by a Muslim colleague, who was reportedly jealous that Badar was in a more senior position than him at work. The understanding was this – if you are a Christian, you should never be allowed to rise above a Muslim at work. And it was this prejudice that resulted in Badar’s untimely death.

On 5 September, the pharmacist was preparing for his shift when he was brutally attacked with acid by a group of men who were wearing face masks. The suspects are still at large. Badar was rushed to a local hospital, where he spent 10 days, before succumbing to his injuries and dying on September 15.

#5 In Myanmar, rebel attacks have “destroyed or closed” 12 churches, and some pastors have even had their heads shaved…

A group of rebels has set its sights on Burmese Christians in a fresh series of attacks, with devastating results. Over the past couple of weeks, Ethnic Wa rebels have shut down churches, destroyed religious buildings and even shaved the heads of local pastors.

The communist United Wa State Army (UWSA), Myanma’s largest ethnic rebel force, launched the assaults in Shan state, according to Morning Star News.

“We confirmed that at least 12 churches have been destroyed or closed as of Sept. 20,” said one church leader of the latest spree of attacks.

#6 In India, the police recently stormed a church service on a Sunday morning and arrested 10 pastors as they were praying because “they had been converting non-members”…

The 10 pastors were detained with their loved ones as they prayed at a church on Sunday in Uttar Pradesh, northern India, following allegations made by Hindu nationalist groups that they had been converting non-members.

Pastor Bahavan Ram was arrested after police burst into his church in Kariyabar in what has been described as a major crackdown on Christianity in the state.

#7 The persecution of Christians in China is the worst that it has ever been in modern times.  According to a British news source, “hundreds of churches” have now been demolished by government officials…

China has imposed a massive crackdown on Christianity across the country, with hundreds of churches demolished and Bibles banned.

Beijing’s President Xi Jinping has previously labelled Christianity as “Western infiltration”, insisting Western ideologies that post a threat to the country’s Communist authority.

In April, China’s religious affairs department published an article stating all churches in country must follow the Communist Party’s rules so that they are “Sinicized” (made more Chinese).

#8 American Christians generally have it much easier than the rest of the world, but incidents of violence are becoming more frequent here as well.  For example, a church in Seattle was recently firebombed with Molotov cocktails…

As a group of about 50 congregants attended a worship service at a Seattle-based church, an arsonist hurled several Molotov cocktails toward the sanctuary.

Witnesses told authorities they saw a person throwing lit bottles filled with an unknown substance at Iglesia ni Cristo just after 8 p.m. Thursday and immediately called 9-1-1, according to KCPQ-TV.

If some leftist group had been firebombed, it would have made front page news all over the country and CNN and MSNBC would have been breathlessly examining every little detail for hours.

In the end, everyone has an agenda to push, and stories about Christian persecution absolutely do not fit with the narratives that the corporate media are trying to propagate.

But just because they are ignoring this global surge in Christian persecution does not mean that it does not exist.  We truly do live in apocalyptic times, and we should expect persecution to continue to rise as anti-Christian sentiment continues to grow.

Thankfully, we don’t have to worry too much about being gunned down or arrested here in the western world, but we can certainly see anti-Christian sentiment rising all around us.  Christians are portrayed as nutjobs on our television shows and in our movies, Christian values are endlessly demonized on our news programs, and now prominent Christians voices are continually being silenced on social media.

We are going down the same path that much of the rest of the world has already gone down, and it is just a matter of time before the sort of brutal persecution being experienced elsewhere happens here too.

About the author: Michael Snyder is a nationally syndicated writer, media personality and political activist. He is publisher of The Most Important Newsand the author of four books including The Beginning Of The End and Living A Life That Really Matters.

62 Percent Of All U.S. Jobs Do Not Pay Enough To Support A Middle Class Life

We just got more evidence that the middle class in America is rapidly disappearing.  According to a shocking new study that was just released, 62 percent of all jobs in the United States do not pay enough to support a middle class life.  That means that “the American Dream” is truly out of reach for most of the country at this point.  Today, Americans are working harder than ever but the cost of living continues to rise much faster than our paychecks are increasing.  Earlier this month, I went and looked at the latest numbers from the Social Security Administration, and I discovered that 50 percent of all American workers make less than $30,533 a year.  But that is just above poverty level.  In fact, the federal poverty level for a family of five is currently $29,420.  Most families are just barely scraping by from month to month, and most U.S. workers are just one major setback away from falling out of the middle class.

It wasn’t always this way.  At one time, America had the strongest and most vibrant middle class in the history of the world.  But now this latest study has discovered that “it’s only 38 percent of people who get the middle class life or better”…

When wages are weighed against the cost of living in the largest 204 metropolitan regions across the nation, 62 percent of jobs don’t pay enough for a dual-income household with children to meet the definition of ‘middle class,’ according to a new ‘Opportunity Index‘ developed by Third Way, a Washington D.C.-based think tank.

‘We were shocked to find out it’s only 38 percent of people who get the middle class life or better,’ said Ryan Bhandari, a policy advisor for Third Way, in an interview with DailyMail.com.

It is no wonder why so many people are shopping at Wal-Mart and the Dollar Tree these days.

For many Americans, those are the literally the only places they can afford to shop.

When I was growing up, it seemed like literally everyone else around me was “middle class”, but now those days are long gone.  Here is a breakdown of some more of the numbers from this latest study…

• 30 percent of jobs are “hardship jobs,” meaning they don’t allow a single adult to make ends meet.
• 32 percent are “living wage” jobs, enough to get by but not to take vacations, save for retirement or live in a moderately priced home.
• 23 percent are middle-class jobs, allowing for dining out, modest vacations and putting some money away for retirement.
• 15 percent are “professional jobs,” paving the way for a more comfortable life that includes more elaborate vacations and entertainment and a more expensive home.

It sure must be nice to be in that top 15 percent.

And the definition of a “middle class income” changes based on where you live.  As the study noted, it is much cheaper to live a middle class lifestyle in the middle of the country than it is to do so on the west coast.  The following comes from the Daily Mail…

For example, a worker in San Francisco – one of the most expensive housing markets in the country – must make a minimum of $82,142 to achieve a middle class lifestyle.

By comparison, workers in Cedar Rapids, Iowa can achieve middle class status in a job paying $40,046 or more per year.

So many of us have run ourselves ragged doing the things that we were “supposed” to do, and we assumed that a middle class life would be the reward at the end of the trail.

Unfortunately, that reward has never materialized for millions of hard working Americans.  USA Today profiled one of those deeply frustrated workers in a recent article…

Esther Akutekha, who lives in Brooklyn, New York, has a good job as a public relations specialist that pays more than $50,000 a year.

But because of the $1,440 a month rent on her studio apartment in the Prospect-Lefferts Gardens neighborhood, she never takes vacations, dines out just once a month and scrapes together dinner leftovers for lunch the next day.

Can you identify with Esther?

I sure can.

It can be soul crushing to work as hard as you can only to realize that your goals are now farther away than ever.  At this point, Esther is not even sure that she will ever be able to afford to have children…

“I’m frustrated with the fact that I’m not going to be able to save anything because my rent is so high,” says Akutekha, who says she’s 30ish. “I don’t even know if I can afford” to have children.

We have been told that the economy has been “booming” in recent years, but the truth is that it has only been booming for people at the very top of the pyramid.

For most Americans it is as if the last recession never ended, and things just seem to keep getting worse…

“There’s an opportunity crisis in the country,” says Jim Kessler, vice president of policy for Third Way and editor of the report. “It explains some of the economic uneasiness and, frankly, the political uneasiness” even amid the most robust U.S. economy and labor market since before the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009. But is the economy robust? Or are we being fed a line by the mainstream media? The middle class is not thriving, and increased regulations and higher taxes make it difficult for people to branch out on their own and create their own business.

We definitely need to make it much, much easier for people to start small businesses, and this is something that I have written about extensively.  Small business creation has traditionally been one of the primary vehicles for upward mobility in our nation, but right now the rate of small business creation is hovering near all-time lows.  We desperately need to get that turned around if we ever want to have any hope of restoring vitality to our middle class.

If we continue on the path that we are on, we are going to continue to get the same results.  Tonight, more than half a million Americans are homeless, and the ranks of the poor are growing with each passing day.

America needs a strong middle class, but currently our middle class is disintegrating at a startling pace.

If we are not able to reverse this trend, what is the future going to look like for our society?

About the author: Michael Snyder is a nationally syndicated writer, media personality and political activist. He is publisher of The Most Important Newsand the author of four books including The Beginning Of The End and Living A Life That Really Matters.

Cigar-shaped interstellar object may have been an alien probe, Harvard paper claims

https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/06/health/oumuamua-alien-probe-harvard-intl/index.html

A mysterious cigar-shaped object spotted tumbling through our solar system last year may have been an alien spacecraft sent to investigate Earth, astronomers from Harvard University have suggested.

The object, nicknamed 'Oumuamua, meaning "a messenger that reaches out from the distant past" in Hawaiian, was first discovered in October 2017 by the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in Hawaii.

Since its discovery, scientists have been at odds to explain its unusual features and precise origins, with researchers first calling it a comet and then an asteroid, before finally deeming it the first of its kind: a new class of "interstellar objects."

Now, a new paper by researchers at the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics raises the possibility that the elongated dark-red object, which is 10 times as long as it is wide and traveling at speeds of 196,000 mph, might have an "artificial origin."

"'Oumuamua may be a fully operational probe sent intentionally to Earth vicinity by an alien civilization," they wrote in the paper, which has been submitted to the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

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The theory is based on the object's "excess acceleration," or its unexpected boost in speed as it traveled through and ultimately out of our solar system in January 2018.

"Considering an artificial origin, one possibility is that 'Oumuamua is a light sail, floating in interstellar space as a debris from an advanced technological equipment," wrote the paper's authors, suggesting that the object could be propelled by solar radiation.

The paper, written by Abraham Loeb, professor and chair of astronomy, and Shmuel Bialy, a postdoctoral scholar, at the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, points out that comparable light-sails already exist on earth.

"Light-sails with similar dimensions have been designed and constructed by our own civilization, including the IKAROS project and the Starshot Initiative. The light-sail technology might be abundantly used for transportation of cargos between planets or between stars."

In the paper, the pair theorize that the object's high speed and its unusual trajectory could be the result of it no longer being operational.

Meet 'Oumuamua, the first observed interstellar visitor to our solar system

"This would account for the various anomalies of 'Oumuamua, such as the unusual geometry inferred from its light-curve, its low thermal emission, suggesting high reflectivity, and its deviation from a Keplerian orbit without any sign of a cometary tail or spin-up torques."

'Oumuamua is the first object ever seen in our solar system that is known to have originated elsewhere.

At first, astronomers thought the rapidly moving faint light was a regular comet or an asteroid that had originated in our solar system.

Comets, in particular, are known to speed-up due to a process known as "outgassing," in which the sun heats up the surface of the icy comet, releasing melted gas. But 'Oumuamua didn't have a "coma," the atmosphere and dust that surrounds comets as they melt.

Multiple telescopes focused on the object for three nights to determine what it was before it moved out of sight.

"We are fortunate that our sky survey telescope was looking in the right place at the right time to capture this historic moment," NASA Planetary Defense Officer Lindley Johnson said in a statement last year.

"This serendipitous discovery is bonus science enabled by NASA's efforts to find, track and characterize near-Earth objects that could potentially pose a threat to our planet."