Thursday, August 21, 2014

My Blog is Going Viral Again

Welcome back, everyone, especially all of the people from Moldova. I don't know why I'm so popular, there. Maybe an English teacher is showing his students how not to use commas. I never know when to use them and when not to.
Ebola is still on my mind.
The headlines today made me wonder if someone from Liberia was reading my blog last night.
The West Point suburb of Monrovia has been quarantined with the military backing it up. I feel that they had little choice in the matter.
They had riots there which scattered Ebola patients to the wind; not to mention that blood-stained sheets and other contaminated material were stolen.
It looks to me like someone made the decision that West Point was a lost cause and they would try to keep Ebola from spreading from there.
I may be a bit hard-hearted but I think they were right. There are now countless ways to spread the disease, there. Not only are there contaminated materials all over the place but it is common to use the ocean as a toilet, there. They only have a few toilets there (I heard only 3) so everyone uses the ocean to defecate. It's probably is a lost cause. By quarantining it they might be able to slow the spread to the rest of Monrovia.
On a different Ebola front, Nigeria had 2 more Ebola patients today. Yesterday it looked like they had contained it; today I'm not so sure.
It's still a small number in Nigeria (only 15) but the significant thing is that it was spread by someone riding an airplane. If more people got it from riding that plane Ebola may now be spreading all over the world by the people on that plane.
Thinking like that is starting to spread panic.
Panic is starting to show up in the U.S.A. I think it's starting with people who are subject to having panic attacks. I forget what the diagnosis is for such people but they are showing up at hospitals in the U.S. I read somewhere that there have been 64 people who thought they had Ebola who turned themselves into hospitals.
Only a few have been isolated. They are the ones who  may have had a good reason to be concerned; such as they had been on a plane a couple of weeks ago in Nigeria. They are being tested and, so far, none have had Ebola.
All we can do is to try to keep informed and maybe get ready to bug out if it gets really bad.
That reminds me, I'm still trying to get my bug out vehicle ready. I had the water tank cleaned out. I'm going to rely on filters for my drinking water. I think that is good enough. I still don't know if the water heater and furnace work. I tried the air conditioner and it didn't come on. Maybe I need to have it hooked up to the AC power for that to work. I replaced a bunch of light bulbs with LED light bulbs. It turned out that 3 of the light fixtures need to be replaced.
At least it drives and I can live on the canned food that is already in it for a couple of months if I have to.
I don't think I'll have to bug out for at least another 6 months. I was looking at the number of new Ebola patients and it seems to have tapered off, somewhat. I was looking at a chart that goes back to last Spring and I noticed that it leveled off in March and April. That may be just the normal ebb and flow of this sort of thing. It also could be that we aren't getting accurate figures. Only time will tell.
On that note, I'll sign off.
Later

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

More Disjointed Ramblings about Ebola

A week or two ago I watched a doctor being interviewed on CNBC. The topic was Ebola, and how contagious it is.
He stated that he would have no trouble sitting next to an Ebola patient on an airplane.
Well, the man who did sit next to Patrick Sawyer on the flight to Lagos, Nigeria came down with Ebola. I don't know if he is still alive. So much for that doctor's believability.
I saw some articles on the Internet on this topic.
Apparently Ebola is not airborne. That means that it can't travel through the air by itself. On the other hand, it can travel through droplets of water such as those scattered by a sneeze. It looks to me like it's too fine of a distinction to make any real difference. I don't want to be anywhere near an Ebola patient. If he sneezes or sweats on something you both touch like a doorknob, you can come down with it. Keeping away from Ebola victims is a priority.
And that doctor should go back on CNBC and do some explaining.  It's bad enough that we get misleading financial advice from that channel but now they are giving out information that could lead to your death.
About what happened over the weekend in Liberia. Maybe someone actually read my blog where I stated that if a Malaria victim ended up in an Ebola ward by mistake; it would result in their certain death. Some of the patients were carried away by people who said that they had Malaria. Those people have a valid concern. Something needs to be done to identify genuine Ebola victims and keep them away from people with other diseases.
Of course, the health care systems in places like West Point, Liberia is already taxed to capacity.
On a positive note. The Nigerian government seems to have contained the outbreak caused by Patrick Sawyer. They seem to have limited it to 13 people, including Sawyer. There doesn't seem to be new cases all over the world due to the people on that plane taking it everywhere. That was a concern of mine. Kudos to the health care system in Nigeria. It's good to have an occasional victory. Of course, it's just a delaying action. Africa (with it's poverty and overpopulation) is screwed when it comes to Ebola. At least it looks that way to me, for now.
If I was a good Christian Scientist, I would just pray until I saw that God is in charge and would never let millions of people die of a stupid, jungle disease. Unfortunately I find myself watching like someone watching a wreck on a race track. Maybe I should call a practitioner and ask for help.
That's enough rambling for now.
Later

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Is the Ebola outbreak worse than we realize?

The short answer is "hell yes".
In spite of the Draconian actions that the 3 countries which have it the most have been taking, it is totally out of control. I have the feeling that we have no idea of how bad it is because the numbers we are getting are distorted.
For one thing the people doing the counting are risking their lives and some of them are dying just trying to get a handle on how many have this disease.
Another thing is that a lot of people are trying to treat it at home. I think that might be because if a person gets sick in those countries they probably realize that going to an Ebola hospital is certain death. They might feel that they only have Malaria or something. With their impaired immune system, going to an Ebola hospital would mean that they would get Ebola for certain. And that would surely kill them. So most people are avoiding those places.
This means that the ability of the health systems authorities to trace the spread of Ebola is impaired. I think that was what the WHO was talking about when they said that Ebola was "out of control". They can't track it and isolate the victims.
There was good news out of Nigeria. They said that they had contained the outbreak, there. It was due to one man (Patrick Sawyer) and they had tracked all of his contacts. They feel that it is under control. I wish them well. It would have been terrible for the city of Lagos to have it spread there.
That's all I've got to say about Ebola, today. I'm still in a "watch and wait" mode of operation.
I'm still trying to get my bug out vehicle ready. It needs a water tank. The leak can be fixed but it was full of black mold. The repair guy wants to replace it. Maybe I could get by with just decontaminating it but I would like to have a larger one, anyway. I've got to get to the shop and see how it's coming.
I'll be ready to bug out when Ebola gets here but I don't know where to go yet. I might go to Happy Camp, California. I've got a membership to a gold prospector's club, there. I might go to my sister's place in Fallbrook, California. The trouble with that is that it's in the middle of a large population center. My sister's son has an island off the coast of Washington. That would probably be my best bet. I also have a membership to a gold prospecting club that is nationwide. I could go to any of hundreds of claims and just stay there. I'll be ready when the time comes to bug out.
Well I've got to go up the hill to the repair shop and see how my motorhome is coming.
Later

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Rock Climbing, Mountain Biking, Sailing the Caribbean

These are just some of the things I'm unlikely to blog about. I might actually get my mountain bike out and ride some of the trails we have in Decorah, but everything else is too expensive for me.
I'll just talk about the Ebola outbreak and the pending economic collapse, which may be related. I feel that the Ebola outbreak may bring about the economic slowdown which will turn into a full-blown economic collapse.
There was more bad news about Ebola, today.
As of today, 170 health care professionals have come down with Ebola. That must make treating people with Ebola the most dangerous occupation that there is. It also raises the question about why people who are taking every possible precaution that there is, are coming down, so often, with this deadly disease.
There was also bad news from Nigeria. A nurse who had treated Patrick Sawyer (the person who brought Ebola to Nigeria) traveled out of Lagos to someplace east of there. I believe she died there and now we have to wonder how many people she spread it to.
She was told not to travel but apparently she was thinking with her heart rather than her mind. I think the lesson is to use armed guards to make sure that people don't break the quarantine.
I had some bad news about my old motorhome, today. It needs a new water tank. It was leaking and the inside had turned black from mold. I'll talk with my banker tomorrow about getting it fixed. The shower and sinks work so that is progress.
I probably should have bought a newer motorhome but this one was the only one that was available at the time. It's over 40 years old so there are bound to be problems with it. I just didn't have the money to buy a newer one. At least it drives well.
I told my banker that I was willing to spend a couple of thousand dollars to get it in good shape. It will probably cost at least that much. Tomorrow, when I finish my peer support class, I'll find out more about the old motorhome.
I'm not thinking about going to California until after November, so there is time to get it fixed.
I want to thank the people from Moldova who keep coming back. I'm not sure why I have so many readers from Moldova, but I've never had so many readers until the last couple of weeks.
Maybe it had something to do with the outspoken opinion I expressed about bringing people who have Ebola back to the U.S. Whatever it was you folks seem to keep coming back. Thanks
Later

Sunday, August 10, 2014

I'm Toning Down my Discussion about Ebola, for now.

I'm in a 'wait and see" mode with Ebola. I don't think it's time to panic and bug out, yet.
It doesn't appear that it's airborne. It still appears to be only spread by contact with body fluids. The reason so many health care people are getting it is that they are around a lot of body fluids; in conditions that can only be described as barbaric. I saw somewhere that the doctors and nurses in Sierra Leone had quit because they felt is was suicidal to work there.
From what I've read, that is the norm in Africa; therefore Ebola will continue to be out of control, there. Things may be different in other locations. We'll see.
I decided to quantify when I bug out. I'm going to wait until there are at least 50,000 Ebola patients in the U.S. I figure that if it goes over that, things may get out of control and it's time to head for the hills.
I don't know if bugging out will help during a pandemic but it makes sense to me.
On the topic of bugging out, I got to thinking about moving to my sister's place in California. Of course, it wouldn't make much sense in a total breakdown of society, but it might make sense for now.
My sister has a new boyfriend who prospects for gold in Arizona. Maybe he could show me the ropes where it comes to looking for gold in the desert. I might be able to leave my motor home or van at my sister's place while I'm out in the desert.
I can't remember if I mentioned it, but I was turned down for the job with the "New 49ers" I just don't have the experience to be an accountant. Therefore there is no sense in rushing out to Happy Camp California, right away. Maybe I'll head out there next year.
Maybe I should cut and paste this next paragraph higher in this blog; but it came to me now.
I expect the Ebola outbreak to precipitate a financial collapse. Some of the gloom and doomers that I watch on YouTube think it will happen this coming October or November. They aren't mentioning the Ebola situation but I think if the financial collapse comes that it will be caused by the economic shutdown due to that.
I'm now expecting a depressionary period before the big hyper-inflation. That might make bugging out easier and cheaper to do. Maybe gas will be cheaper and even food might be less expensive.
Maybe I'll make my move then. As it stands now, I won't be moving out to California or Arizona until next April. That will be after I make a lot of money (for me), shoveling snow. I also will be showing some of Malcolm Childer's works at Luther College until April. So I doubt that I'll be moving until then. The Ebola outbreak may change that, we'll see.
Later

Friday, August 8, 2014

Not Much to Talk About Tonight

I don't have much to say today. Ebola is still on my mind but there wasn't much news about it, today. The Patriot Nurse had the best posting on YouTube on that topic. If you are interested, go to my previous posting and I recommended a few YouTube channels that are covering Ebola better than I am.
I think we are in a "wait and see" mode when it comes to Ebola. It's spreading at an exponential mode right now but maybe there will be some natural means of slowing it down. Other diseases are killing a lot more people each year but they aren't doubling at the rate that Ebola is. If it keeps doubling we'll all get it in six months to a year.
Maybe I should take the "Patriot Nurse's" advice and take supplements and exercise more often. I'm not sure that bugging out will make much difference.
Talking about bugging out, I'm more ready to go, now. I paid the license plate fees so I won't have to get licensed in California for a while. If I'm out there for a month I probably should change the title to that state but I feel that I can tell them I'm a tourist.
The motor home needs a water pump. That was what was shorting out the 12 volt line. I told the guy to replace it. I have to have a good water pump to test the water heater. That's next. Maybe I can get the electronics working in a couple of weeks to a month. I'll be tempted to get the wheels aligned; anything to make it drive better.
If I decide to, I could be out of here in a couple of weeks. I think I may leave if the Ebola outbreak gets worse. Maybe I'll move to La Crosse and pray a lot at the Christian Science reading room.
Later

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Ebola and YouTube

I'm still trying to keep up on what's happening with Ebola.
Tonight, I'll talk about some of the YouTube channels that have touched on the topic.
The first on is the Sefan Molyneux channel. He feels that people like me are blowing things out of proportion. He makes the case that something like 30,000,000 people die each year from the flu; therefore Ebola which has only killed 900 people so far isn't that big of a thing.
Maybe he's right but the thing that concerns me isn't the totals, now; it's the way the numbers keep doubling. This looks like an exponential progression to me. That means that if it continues it will spread to all of mankind in a few months.
Flu and malaria and other diseases all seem to top out at a certain point after a while. Maybe Ebola will as well but it doesn't show any sign of doing so for now.
There are some things that will slow it down. The first is that it tends to kill it's victim's. That means that there is only a short period of time when someone is actively walking around and spreading it. Since it's so debilitating a person with it might only be on his feet for a couple of days before he's on his deathbed.
It seems to only be spread by contact with body fluids. A lot of people are saying that it's not airborne.
This seems to be why so many health care workers are coming down with it. Apparently there is only one health care worker to 30 or more patients. Under those conditions, it might be understandable why so many nurses and doctors are dying.
Caring for the bodies is also a way to get the disease. Things are so bad in Sierra Leone that people are dragging the bodies out into the streets because they don't want to go to the trouble of decontaminating their houses. That might be the most common way to get the disease (handling the bodies).
Back to the exponential aspect, go to ChrisMartinsondotcom on YouTube for in detailed discussions of exponential graphs. He talks about the increasing usage of natural resources and the national debt. If Ebola fits on one of his charts it will throw all of his other charts out the window with the decline in population.
It's too early to tell if Ebola will continue to spread exponentially. If it does we will all get it and we will probably have a 90% death rate.
I just got done watching the Patriot Nurse on YouTube and I feel that she covered the topic better than anyone else. Be sure to see what she has to say, today.
All we can do is to try to be informed; everything is still very much up in the air right now.
I'm paranoid ( that is part of my diagnosis) so I'll keep trying to find out what is happening with Ebola. I don't know where, or how I can bug out for this anyway. I have the feeling that it will spread world-wide in a fairly short period of time. Maybe I'll take the Patriot Nurse's advice and take some supplements.
That's all for now
Later.