Broken PC and The Wuhan Flu/ global epidemic?

My PC has been down but I’m still alive!

I’m building a new PC and things are not working out the way I had anticipated.  I’m sorry to say I went OS 10 to get my PC hardware working.  Some good news is Office 2003 still works for Windows 10. I used a demo version of Windows 10 downloaded from Microsoft website.  FYI  don’t pick the N version of MS10.  If you do down load the Media center update.  You will need that software to get your AMD video drivers to work.

If you have upgraded to an AMD Ryzen capable mother board.  Windows 7 will not work, as all mother board USB ports won’t work.  AMD and Win 7 have not done any thing about backward compatibility.  I’m upgrading to about 2015 tech and Win 7 does not support my new mother board.  Windows 10 GUI is awful to use.  No program drop down via the start menu.  Evey thing is treated as an APP rather than a program.  I’m a geek and I don’t like windows 10.  If you prefer a PC that seems to act like a tablet or a smart phone, this could be the OS for you!

I’m a little concerned about this “FLU” coming out of the Wuhan province, but I’m not panicked, despite the symptoms seem to settle down into bronchitis/pneumonia in a couple of weeks. The Chinese government seems to be downplaying the illness, yet the government is being very heavy handed with “Quarantine Zones”.

What I suspect is a “Flu virus” escaped the level 4 bio-contain facility and mutated.  This might seem a bit contradictory to that theory as the pork prices have skyrocketed due to the “pig flu” going on in China.  People can’t afford pork, so they buy bats,rats and less costly protein.  You have a population struggling to buy safe/good protein that is no longer available  and a level 4 bio-containment lab working and living in this city.

I don’t think any of this is the result of a pre-planned idea.  Just a muddle that blows up with us humans that think we are super smart!

What should you do?  If you have been following this blog for awhile, not much!  I did a lot or prepping for any sort of Ebola outbreak coming to the USA a few years ago.  I have plenty of bunnysuits, masks, face masks, goggles and face shields  to protect from spewing blood rather than a cough or a sneeze. Keep clean, stop touching your face and treat this as flu/cold until the person has bronchitis/pneumonia.  Perhaps then take the person to the hospital.  I don’t have much confidence in hospitals treating people with diseases with simple support they could get at home.  Sure they have IV’s but hospitals don’t make a good Bone broth or Chicken soup!   What I’m talking about is supporting a patient, treating the symptoms at home. Be it a basic cold or the new WU FLU.  The medical community has not been a shining light.  The latest Flu vaccine is less than 40% effective combating this years flu in the USA.  The vaccine makers do their best, but it it is not a get out of being sick shot.

If you are wondering what you need to have on hand?  The list is very simple. I’d say you should focus on getting items for any very bad flu season.

1. Bleach and other anti-viral cleaning agents
2. Protective gear like masks but don’t forget protective goggles as this virus can infect via the eyes as well as nose and mouth.
3. It might be to late to get protective respirators or masks unless you buy high end $75.00+ full face respirator masks.
4. I have not check out protective “Bunny Suits” like Tyvek/Tychem but I expect those are in as low supply as protective masks.
5. Treat the symptoms and support the patient with good foods, liquids, OTC medicines and good care.
6. If things get out of hand with the WU Flu. Have the ability to stay at home for 2-3 weeks.

The odds are that you won’t see or treat the corona virus in the USA.  Use this as a test about the supplies you have on hand.  One thing I never anticipated is family members buying up medical supplies  in the USA and shipping those products to China.  People doing this makes a lot sense, though I’m not sure how the supplies will get delivered in cities that are quarantined.

I know Information is lacking but we need to watch how this works out.  Declaring a quarantine in a city of 11 million people in China is easy but how can that city function without food and energy deliveries?  Who is picking up the trash, maintaining the water and sewage systems?  Unless the population is prepared for an emergency, a couple of breaks in the “supply chain” could be catastrophic.

New York City has a population of 8.5 million.  Can you imagine the US government trying to close down all deliveries of food, fuel and people moving in and out of that city?  China is trying to do that for several cities with a total population of 56 million.  The corona virus will spread because the Chinese lost control and the ability to hide the spread.  How bad the spread and death count is yet to be seen.

Don’t panic!  Just use this time to fix any areas of preparations you are lacking.  Remember when Fukishima Melted down and Iodine tablets sold out and no one really needed to take Iodine tablets because the radiation level dropped quickly a couple of hundred miles outside of the Fukishima zone?  I think concern is warranted, panic seems unwarranted at this time. You don’t have to build a Biological containment lab, just take a few simple precautions.

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News hyperventilating over an 1-3 inches of snow in Idaho in January!

This a bit embarrassing about how a this massive snow storm was going to hit SW Idaho and the news blew it all out of proportion again!  It snowed most of the morning in the Treasure valley and did not even stick to the sidewalks or roads because it got so warm (40 F.+) by 3:00 pm.   The mountains got a lot of snow which is normal and needed for the spring and summer irrigation season.  This is kind of the norms for winter snowfalls in the Treasure valley.

The over the top hype that any sort of weather event makes it very difficult to make plans to prepare.  I’m sure you see the same sort of “Cry Wolf” type of hype in your area be it rain, hail, thunderstorms, tornadoes and hurricanes.  The weather service is naming snow storms,  rather than how we named the winter of 1977 or that cold winter back in 1983.  Heck even the Snowmegeddon of 2016 gives a good idea that we had a tough winter.  I have no problem with informing people of bad weather and to be prepared and careful.  This sort of hyperbolic scare tactics via the media just serves no purpose other than to scare and stress people.  Then again perhaps that is the purpose of those “Headlines/Warnings”.

I have to say I like my little weather station with barometer.  I won’t say it forecasts the weather, but between that station, my arthritis and my nose smelling rain or snow I’m probably making as accurate guess as the local news weatherman up to 48 hours out. Heck I can download the same radar/satellite cloud cover that the weathermen get daily.   Oh I want to give some love to the Old Farmer’s Almanac folks as they have correct about the general weather for this winter across the entire USA.  It’s amazing how 150-200 years of written observations might have some insight about forecasting the weather long term.  You think the “Climate Change” folks would want to look at that data set.

I did prepare for this “storm” in making sure my front porch wood rack was full.  That is about it as there was no forecast of several days of below 20 degree temps. I did not salt my front sidewalks.  The wind is blowing in the 30-40 mph range and that could cause a power outage with downed lines so I’m getting laundry and vacuuming done. I have a fridge and 2 freezers out on the porch or in an non insulated shop so all food that should be cold should stay cold with little input needed from me.  Heck I have been preparing for almost a decade, so a normal snow storm in winter should a non-event.

How many of you have noticed the Weather service, local news weatherman hyping any sort of “Weather” like it is the end times and not like the weather you saw as kids or from parents/grandparents?  The Dust bowl of the 1930’s was brutal and it was not all caused by farmers.  I remember back in the 1980 that the Mt. Ste. Hellen’s volcanic explosion would kill farming in the PNW and all that ash killed the bugs and Eastern Washington had a great wheat harvest.  I wonder how many people benefit from adverce weather in a couple years after the EVENT. I understand the early Freeze was bad.  I understand Midwest rivers flooding was bad.  Is there a good side to the flooding? Is the adding silt from the river banks over flowing a good thing in the long run?  I’m just asking because I don’t know that type of farming.  I know flooding is generally bad in the short term of 1-3 years.  (For every for a small farmer in debt) Is the land coming back and starting to produce?

Sorry this post is getting into the TLDR area.  Start getting your seeds and planning your garden.  Depending on your general frost date,you need to be starting those seed to start those “Cole Crop seeds” indoors in February/March.

I have sharpened my axe but I can’t seem to put a good edge on my hatchet.  I think my sharpen angle is wrong for the hatchet.  I have a ordered a new stone that has a guide to use for creating/maintaining a 15-20 degree angle.  Not perfect but that new stone should help me in making a good edge on both knives and axes.

I like Trump and I want the congress to eliminate the War Powers act!

I think Trump did a good job “threading the needle” with Iran of hitting them hard but also giving them a face saving out.  I think he sent a good message of strength to the middle eastern terrorist factions as this president hits back.  I don’t want the USA in the middle east involved in forever wars. I was a soldier and though I never served in a combat zone I had many friends who did serve. If the wars never end why should anyone sacrifice themselves to fight the war.

I had hope in Pelosi and the House limiting the WAR POWERS Act.  She did nothing but pass a non-binding resolution along mostly party lines that means “nothing changes”.  I want Congress to reassert it’s power of the purse and pass a realistic budget based on current tax collections.  I want the SCOTUS to treat all of the rights in the Bill of Rights as sacrosanct and over any of those rights via the legislature or popular vote is an anathema that violates the Constitution.  If you think an Amendment to the Constitution is wrong there are provisions to add or revoke amendments.  I’d love to revoke the 17th Ammendment of Senators being elected by “popular vote” and let the states Appoint Senators again via whatever mechanism the States chooses.  It could be a state popular vote or vote of the state legislature or even a Governor appointment.  We just need the US Senate to be a “brake” to passing laws via the mob/ or it is popular on twitter.

I like Trump, I disliked Obama as Presidents.  Trump will not be President forever and we need to restore the checks and balances of power the US Government.  Yes, there will be gridlock that is not a bug, but a feature. As people will find away to work around the gridlock if it needed.  Virginia is a good example of a grass roots push back against a over-reaching state government. As the Founders hoped each state would be an incubator of different types of societies.  I doubt this is how the Founders thought it would turn out but let’s roll with this idea.  California is the Social paradise the Progressive Democrats/Socialist want.  Many people don’t want to live in California.  Texas is conservative in politics.  Pro capitalist, pro private property rights, low taxes and minimal government interference with people.

A lot of people hate politics and just want to be left alone to live as they wish.  They don’t give a damn about “issues” they MUST care about, according to the elites. Those people see how the elites live.  Al Gore was so concerned about Global warming and the rising oceans he bought Beach front property.  Obama bought a several million dollar Beach house property in the Hampton’s that is literally is less than 300 yards from the Atlantic Ocean.   How does that compare to a guy having to government mandated Flood insurance in the mid west?  Or a rancher/farmer in the west trying to protect his crops, farm animals or trees from wild fires and droughts.

Trump does not get a pass with me as he was more than willing to go after a homeowner to make a parking lot of her home for one of his casinos in Jersey.  It was not a personal attack but that really strikes at an individual and is “punching down”.  I wonder why no one in the DNC never brings up DJT being an ass is some of his real estate dealings? Who could bring this charge and assume a Moral High Ground?    Bernie Sanders ( I own 3 homes Socialist).  Elizabeth Warren I claimed Native American status while earning $300,000-$500,000 via IVY college and government consultation jobs.   Don’t believe me call up the net worth of the Democrat Candidates.  Heck Chelsea Clinton gets paid over 9 million dollars per year as a board member and ….

We the people are not that dumb.  We see the game and we know there is not a damn thing we can do about it!  That is why this video is important.

We are all dead again/ WWIII again…! Meh!

Things have gotten  interesting in the USA and it’s presence in the middle east.  I have no problem with “punching back” when attacked, but why is the USA in the Middle East when we are now a oil/natural gas exporting nation?  Israel has it’s own concerns and seem effective at protecting Israels interests.  The USA has two rather large oceans that work as moat against the bad guys.  Sure the bad guys can come in on planes, or through the Southern border as individuals.  I doubt those infiltrator could ignite a large rebellion that wants Donald Trump removed.

I can’t say I don’t care about what is happening.  I’m just prepared and how many times have we been told this WWIII, Armageddon, the Apocalypse be it from preppers or the progressive nihilists that demand we believe the propaganda.  Life will go on!  You won’t have internet Jamie..  Actually I may lose Cooperate approved internet,  and that is okay as I don’t use corporate approved social media. Well other than this WordPress blog.

Good for you zoomers and millennials to start think about geo-politics outside your normal twitter feed.  Honestly the Selective Service/ draft is complete BS for making an competent fighting force.  There is no way the Selective Service/ Military could conscript people and make them effective soldiers, sailor or marines in less than 6 months or 180 days.

I do think there are good (non-standard)  recruits that could be good at info gathering/ stripping the net.  I doubt those people would do well in a Basic Training Environment.

It is okay kids, you won’t be drafted as even the military does not want to deal with your issues.