The Bali Volcano, there are 10,000 more in the world, here's 10 active ones, I have compiled a list.

  In my inspiring view as I sit and have coffee in the morning is an ancient inactive volcano, Mount Diablo. Named by Spanish explorers long ago because of the deep rumbles inside of it, they are rarer now than long ago. The Diablo range of mountains is the western boundary of the large central San Joaquin Valley of California, the Sierra Nevada's form the eastern side. I have been thinking of the volcano that has erupted in Bali this past weekend, and it makes me wonder about a few things.

Bali, taken yesterday November 28, 2017

One is how many volcanos are a threat in the world today? How many dormant volcanos are there and living near a dormant volcano, is there anything I should be concerned about? It looks like a volcano, it is severely eroded by the millions of years of wind, rain, and sun beating down on it. On a backpacking hike many years ago in the Sierra's I was on the top of "Iron Mountain", for those familiar it is across a deep valley from the "Strawberry Mine," I was as far east one is able to travel on a road. We parked the car at a trailhead and hiked for a while until we came upon a cliff, looking across the valley to the east is Crowley Lake. 15 miles south of Mammoth Lakes, it's a tourist destination for people from L.A. It was about 50 miles from where we were at the time, a vast wilderness between me and it, mountains stretched for what looked like forever to the north and south. I wonder now how many volcanos, dormant and active occupy this mountain range from Southern California to Canada, which leads me to wonder how many are worldwide? (Link  to the Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Program.)
  There are approximately 1511 active volcanos worldwide, however, there are an estimated 10,000 under the surface of the ocean, about 1500 have erupted in the past 10,000 years, many are located in the Pacific Oceans "ring of fire". The Hawaiian Islands are the center of the ring of fire, presiding over a hot spot on the ocean floor which is continuously erupting forming that chain of islands in the middle of the Pacific. The Hawaiin chain stretches for 30,000 miles, raising the floor of the ocean on average 18,000 feet. The earth's crust spreads apart there as the new crust emerges above the ocean floor, it causes most of the earth's volcano eruptions. this is the most active chain of volcanos in the world, in fact, it causes most of the eruptions that take place in the world, more occur there than on all the land surfaces combined. The spreading of the crust forces a collision with land masses, Japan and California for instance, resulting in more volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. An exact count of worldwide volcanos is dependent on the definition, active only, active, dormant, or extinct, the count is difficult, truthfully we just don't know how many there are.

The ring of fire with Hawaii in the center, a genuine hot bed
of activity.

Volcanos in the Cascade Range and the Aleutian chain form part of the ring. Indonesia forms another section of the ring of fire, in fact, it is the most active area, experiencing the most land base eruptions occurring in the world.
  The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, estimates there are 20 volcanos erupting at this very moment somewhere on the earth, with 50-70 in the past year, 160 every 10 years, 550 have erupted in all of recorded history (approximately 4,000 years). 1500 (land) have erupted in the past 10,000 years as stated above. A grand total of 6,000, below the surface of the ocean and on land have occurred in the past 10,000 years, most under the surface of the ocean.
  The ten most active volcanos in the worlds are:
1) Ejafjallajokull, Iceland: It means, "Island Mountain Glacier. This is the volcano which caused major disruptions in air travel during 2010.
2) Mount Vesuvius, Italy it has the distinction of being in the most densely populated volcanic area in the world.
3) Sakurajima, Japan: Lava flows in 1914 formed a land tie to Osumi, that's a lot of Lava.
4) Mount Merapi, Indonesia: An active entity known as "fire mountain", is on the border of central Java and Indonesia, it has erupted regularly since 1548, I wonder if that's something a person gets accustomed to.
5) Taal Volcano, Philippines: Located 31 miles from the capital Manila on the island of Luzon and has erupted several times in the past.
6) Ulawun, Papua New Guinea: This is the highest volcano in the Bismarck volcanic arc, the first eruption was recorded in 1700.
7) Mount Nyiragongo-DR Congo: One of the most active volcanos in Africa located near the town of Goma in the Eastern Republic of Congo.
8) Galeras, Colombia: Active for over one million years, located in south Colombia near the border with Ecuador rising 4,276 meters above sea level, eruptions have occurred since the Spanish invasion.
9) Popocatepetl, Mexico: It is the second highest peak in Mexico, and is a serious threat to the Capital of Mexico City inhabited by 9 million people.
10) Mauna Loa, Hawaii: The largest volcano on Earth in volume and area, one of five responsible for the creation of that Island State.
  What can be done to prepare for an eruption by the people living in the shadows of these and other potentially explosive natural wonders? (Learn how to prepare, follow thin Link.)
* Have an evacuation kit ready to go, often earthquakes and rumblings will precede an eruption.
* Have a plan for evacuation in advance
* Study and learn what to do before and after an eruption
* Be prepared to survive on your own.
* Stay in contact with loved ones.
* Be prepared to take care of your pets.
* If possible, find a secure place upwind of the eruption
  I began this blog with the intent of writing about the recent eruption in Haiti, as I began to read I discovered a much deeper reality, and that is, Volcanos are a threat everywhere in the world. Many are unknown, capable of literally popping out of the ground at any time, such as the Yellowstone Calderon, being in the news lately it would be disastrous if it erupted. The entire Eastern part of the U.S. would suffer from the wind-blown ash. Some of us are unknowingly living with the threat, lucky for us relative to how many known volcanos there are there are actually few that do erupt.

The extent of the Yellowstone "Super Volcano".

  I live 15 miles due east of Mount Diablo, it is dormant, the chances of it erupting are very minimal, or so "they" say. I still wonder if I should do something, like move?
  Thank you for reading and sharing, do live near a volcano? Have you been in a volcanic eruption? Tell me your story and opinions in the comments, follow me on G+.
jacquesandkate   emergencykitsplus.com

Self-deficiency and Self-reliance, diabolical opposites, or are they inseparable partners in growing and learning?

  It's a rare occurrence when I see a crow flying by without a swarm of smaller birds attacking it to chase it away. I can only assume it is being "run off" by the smaller birds due to the crows being a threat to baby birds. The birds chase hawks, buzzards, and even seagulls, it's a matter of ensuring their offspring survive. After emerging from their eggs the chicks reach the size of their parents in two weeks, that's a fast growth rate.

They are needy now, give them a while, they grow fast.

The baby birds stay in the nest for between 9 days (the least) and 16 days (the most), until that time the parents tend to 100% of the needs of the offspring. The birds fledge in 21 days, however, are not on their own for another 14 days, total independence. From the time the chicks hatch until they fly off on their own is 51 days at the most, just under two months.
  On the other end of the spectrum is the larger animals, one of which is the Elephant, one of the largest land mammals on the planet. Elephants have the longest gestation of any land animal, the pregnancy is close to two years, 22 months is the actual amount of time. One baby is produced, being born at 230 pounds (105 kilograms), The babies drink as much as 3 gallons of milk a day, for a period of two years, and sometimes longer. When they reach 4 months, consumption of some plants begins, mimicking their parents, still needing milk from their mothers. The small elephants stay with their mothers 16 years, almost the same as humans if the mother dies there is little that can be done to save the young animals life. (Link to 10 animals with the longest gestation periods.)
  The period's of dependency causes me to wonder if it can more accurately be described as a period of self-deficiency, the opposite of self-reliance. We are born with the inability to care for ourselves in any definition of the word, we as humans are 100% reliant on our mothers for at least 6 years. Human babies are not able to lift their heads for the two months of their lives, and able to roll over at 4 months, sit up at around 6 months and begin to stand up at 9 months taking their first steps around the age of 1 year. That is just the beginning, we have a lot to learn to become self-reliant, a lot to learn. It will take most of 10 years until the human baby is able to function independently in even the most basic tasks. Some mammal babies must be highly functional upon birth, Giraffe's being one, their young immediately get up on their feet and within a short amount of time are able to run. Other animals that are not constantly on the move will raise their young in the nest or some other secure spot.

We have to learn to crawl first of all. 

  So what is this "self-deficiency" that we are born with? It has long been tagged as having been born "self-deficient", or "self-deficiency", the total dependence on other people. We take it for granted when we become parents and have a baby he/she will have to be taken care of for a long period of time, legally 18 years for parents. We expect it and spend plenty of our adult lives tending to their needs, it's our family and for many of us our children are our legacy. What happens when we do get older and we are truly on our own? How much are we really self-reliant, how many people are capable of living on their own with no human interactions in the way of socializing or assisting in day to day life? We can think of crafty ways to perform certain tasks, like loading a heavy object into a vehicle or fixing our meals. How important are interpersonal relationships, can we ever be self-sufficient? It is possible to be self-reliant in most of the obvious areas, raising food, providing shelter for ourselves, keeping entertained and improving our lives. The self-deficiency includes our need for human interaction, we need people to survive, we rely on each other. (Link to definition of self-reliance)
  We need to be taught how to survive, it's a process that continues our entire lives, we have to constantly learn to survive. There are some "natural" tendencies and talents we are somehow born with, artistic abilities, musical, and athletic are three. There is much more we need to be taught, farming, welding, driving a car, and even studying, all learned traits, addressing the self-deficiencies we are born with. We must be taught inter-personal traits as well, how to get along with others, it too is a learned skill. The family structure is geared toward this self-deficiency, the elders teach the younger members of the clan, as well as pass down stories and legends. The phrase "you learn something new every day if you're not careful", is a very accurate statement. If we did not learn our lessons on producing food, keeping clean, and even as basic as what water is safe to drink we would be in dire straights without a dought.

Refusing to learn is not conducive to life.

During the times of human expansion, not only North America, it has occurred at different times throughout the entire world, if migration was not attempted with a number of people, it would surely fail. Humans survive in numbers, two people walking through a deep dark forest during prehistoric times would most likely suffer a disastrous fate, whereas 25 people walking the same path would have a much better chance. Many beginning civilizations have failed even with a large number of people, some of the Viking settlements from Greenland to the New World are good examples. With all the survival skills needed, with enough people to combat the odds of failure, some societies still failed, can it be related to the self-deficiencies we are all born with? I worked for a man who had a unique theory, I have discovered since many people in management positions share the view of "I don't need everyone to know how to do everything, I just need people who are able to instruct others in what they know." On the surface it is fairly accurate, the problem with that reasoning is the people being taught have to have a basic understanding of the tasks at hand. For instance, if a crew is building a house, everyone needs to know how to read a tape measurer, run a skill saw and know a certain amount of "trade" terms for various tasks and items. Without the basic information, the more advanced lessons are at best foggy and only partially understood. (Link to why some colonies failed)
  Equally, if a family begins a "homestead" in a very remote area, many have succeeded many have not, there is not a failure at anything, it's all a learning lesson. If the group is a family, say like 4 children, and two parents, all well versed in the ways of the wild, farming and other self-reliant skills, they may well excel. After establishing a working self-sufficient environment at their farm and all is clicking away nicely after a few years, tragedy strikes, if one or both of the parents are injured or otherwise incapacitated, it may be doomsday for the group if help is not found. Their chances of survival deteriorate daily unless help can be found. That help is in the form of neighbors, friends, and relatives, that is a community and humans need them to survive. It further defines the self-deficiency we are all born with, we have a lot to learn just to survive, the more resources we lose the more we have to learn.
  Some people that have studied the reasons why the human "growing up" situation is so long may be due to our large brain, we are born with little knowledge, our entire life is spent filling it up with information, our most intense learning time is before we are 10 years old. We all, for the most part, recognize our self-deficiency, comments I hear are "I want to return to school and graduate", or "when I grow up I want to be ...", addressing one's own self-deficiency and need for knowledge. Some lessons are hard to learn, sending a young person on a trip in a train is one of them. Our grandkids will visit us by taking a 250-mile train trip through California's central valley, for some reason on their first try they always make a mistake and end up at a train station 50 miles from their intended stop, why does that happen?

This is how we learn, sometimes by making
mistakes. 

I'm not sure at all, normally we coach them, "make sure when the station name is called you get up from your seat, grab your pack and go to the exit door." The message is lost, when I ask why they didn't get off the typical answer is, "they called the station name but when I got to the door we were already moving away." My initial thought is "how does that happen", my second one and the first comment is "well that's how we learn", without exception every grandkid did that on their first solo train trip, they are 16 years old. Yes, that's how we learn, it makes up for our lack of knowledge from birth, self-deficiency, we are all victims.
  Thanks for reading and sharing the blog, follow me on Google+ and leave a comment on your thoughts and stories.
jacquesandkate  emergencykitsplus.com

Mountain Lions, Pumas, Lions, and Porcupines oh my, just how much of a danger are they to your self reliance?

  I don't like the camera on my phone, I don't like my phone either, I want a "flip" phone, one that only texts and acts like a telephone. I have a Samsung Galaxy S6, it has a million apps on it, I'm not really an apps person, I use a guitar chord finder app and an app to track my grandson, I got it when he was living in Florida, two blocks from the massacre in Orlando when it happened, at least I will be able to find his phone if something happens. Back to my phone, I cannot see what I am taking a picture of if I am in the sunshine, I kind of guess that the subject is in the screen, what good is that? I bring this up because I (as regular readers know) I drink coffee on my riverside deck every morning, I keep my camera (phone) handy, I want to take a picture of a Mountain Lion if one passes by.

A mother and cub, they are beautiful animals, also strong,
fast, and silent.

Will I see one? I'm not sure, it's possible, years ago one was spotted crossing the Antioch Bridge, so sure I may, I certainly want to. They are all over the state, I'm sure one is on at least one of these islands, they follow the Feral Pigs down from the Diablo Range of Mountains, or follow the river North from the Sierra Nevada's where Pine Flat is near Fresno 250 miles from the Bay Area. I have seen two Lions in my lifetime in California, the first one was running across a dirt road I was hiking on in the foothills. He/she was hightailing it very rapidly and did not even know I was there, it must have been chasing a jackrabbit or similar fast prey. That incident happened so fast it didn't faze me either, I didn't slow down or react in any way, I just kept hiking. The second was slightly more hair-raising, I am not a firearms carrier, so I did not have one with me, indeed it never crosses my mind to ever carry one. This big cat was on a trail I was hiking on, just over a small hill, I saw the back of his head. He turned and looked at me, as I was at him, he was about 50 yards away, I stopped and straightened up as tall as I could get. ( This link will lead you to more information on Mountain Lions) He looked at me for what seemed like 10 minutes but was, in fact, more like 10 seconds, he turned his head and ran away from me directly down the trail, then abruptly turning into the tree-covered hills on each side of the path, I did not see him again. I encountered a lot of large animals in the wild, the scariest of them all was a bobcat. I've seen a lot of bears, two puma's, a wolf, and many others. That Bobcat, however, was defiant, more so than the wolf we had seen 30 years ago. The Bobcat was on a trail beside a lake I was hiking, he was about 25 yards ahead of me when he saw me his ears went down, and he took a defensive position. His legs were slightly bent as if he was ready to jump on me, his ears were pinned back, that I recognize as a sign of aggression. I stopped in my tracks, I know enough not to turn my back on any wild animal, not to run from it and not to challenge it needlessly. I stood there staring at him staring at me, I was thinking of what I was going to do, I suspected it had cubs somewhere close by. Suddenly the small cat leaped up and spun around in one motion, rapidly running up a hill and out of sight, it made me happy beyond words.

Mother Bobcat and Cubs, of all the animals in the woods, this and
the Wolverine is in my mind the biggest threats.

  Mountain Lions are common in the state of California, many are sighted throughout the year in residential areas, one was captured last month in Golden Gate Park, that's right in San Francisco. They will stalk people, attack pets, and livestock, being an actual danger they fit well in the wildness but don't make good neighbors in the suburbs of cities. When one is spotted people call 911, it's then up to the police to "do something quickly", as if they don't have enough to do. The do something quickly is normally sedation and relocation, I have to hand it to the police, very few are killed in the process, it appears if they are not violent they are spared. The big cats prey on small animals, pets, raccoons, squirrels, birds and Wild Hogs. They will descend from the mountains in search of water and food, sometimes following the pigs when they are on the move. If they preyed only on the pigs we would be in high cotton, but unfortunately, they are a danger to almost every small animal, I don't know if porcupine is on their menu, however. (Link to more on Mountain Lions, including the relocation methods.)
  Mountain Lions are able to leap 15 feet high and as far as 40 feet, if one is crouched and aimed at you and you're not 40 feet away, you have a problem. Their diet consist of deer, mice, squirrels, raccoons, rabbits, beaver and alas porcupines, I am sure a number of birds appeal to them also. There are an estimated 30,000 in the western U.S. the Florida Panther is terminally endangered most likely disappearing within the next 20 years or less, there are fewer than 100 in the wilds of Florida.

The Florida Panther and Cub, look at those spots, maybe we
can save them from extinction.

The Mountain Lion range is wide, it is the largest habitat of any mammal in the western hemisphere, found from Canada to Argentina, in other words everywhere. In North Amerca alone they inhabit from British Columbia and Alberta to Texas and to the border of Mexico and California, they actually exist south of the border as well. There are some populations east of the Mississippi River, I suspect in search of wild pigs and deer. They live alone, they are territorial actively avoiding other Puma's with the exception of during the mating season, as with all other animals they are very active during that period of time. The range they claim varies in size, it can be the size of a few square miles up to 400 square miles, males claim larger domains than the females do. They will bury what remains of their latest meal, returning later to dine again when hunger pains arrive. They mate from December to March, common time for a lot of animals and large birds, they are not restricted to that timeframe alone, they actually mate year around. The Gestation is 82-96 days resulting in the birth of 2-4 kittens, during times of plenty of food and water the litter size is large, during times of drought and scarcity fewer kittens are born. The young cats remain with their mother until they are about 2 years old. Habitat loss and poaching are the biggest threats to Mountain Lions. Young Mountain Lions have spots, mature Lions do not, they are pretty animals. (Link to the latest Cougar captured in San Francisco)
  Once in a while we hear of a Mountain Lion attacking a human, it is terrible when it happens, they can inflict great harm in seconds, they will stalk us. Many are spotted in populated areas throughout the year, we have a fairly good handle on that situation, we should, they have had to be reckoned with since we have occupied North America. When they are run off by dogs or humans they have a tendency to run fast and far, they will stay away for a while.

Porcupine is on the menu, a guy has to be hungry.

The younger Lions are the ones that are the pest, they have not secured a habitat or it's boundaries, in their hunt for such they end up strolling through a backyard, if a pet is out there, well it sometimes does not end up well for the smaller animal.
  Thank you for reading and sharing, leave a comment or story I'd like to hear them.
jacquesandkate  emergencykitsplus.com

Happy Thanksgiving Video with well wishes from EmergencyKitsPlus.com

Happy Thanksgiving Turkey Trot Link

Feral Hogs, Natural Predators and the nation wide threat and what can be done about it, wow look at Texas's problem.

  There are times when we are surprised by the activities that occur overnight in and around the areas we live. On November 10, 2017, in San Ramon California residents awoke to the sight of a roto-tilled yard and garden. What happened and who did it? There were no sounds of machinery running in the darkness, no voices, it was just as quiet as normal. San Ramon is located close to the foothills of the "Diablo Range" of mountains which form the western boundary of the large San Joaquin Valley the productive farming region. The Diablo range is waterless mostly, I'm sure there is water up there someplace, there are no natural flowing rivers or streams on its eastern slope. For more information on the Diablo Range follow this link. There must be springs and some other water sources to support the various species of wildlife that inhabit those hills and valleys. It's hot, dry, and vacant, there are very few houses along the I-5 corridor on the eastern side of the mountains, it is mostly grazing land. The gigantic San Luis Reservoir is about 100 miles south of San Francisco, it too is a sparsely populated area. Offering an abundance of open space with plenty of food there exist a vibrant population of wild animals, explaining what is digging up the terrain of San Ramon. The lawns are being destroyed due to animals digging up grubs and other insects from the soil. The culprit is the dreaded "Wild Hog", they have plagued California for many decades. The landscaping is an "attractive nuisance", which means it is beautiful, green, lush and wet, it's a great place for a feast, and once an area like that is discovered the pigs will be there for good. But is it only California?

Actual picture of Wild Hog damage, it's severe.

  Feral pigs are found in the Southern Prairies of Canada, as well as all of the United States south of 36 degrees N. The mountains of California is the beginning of their range, crossing the mountains and continues eastward. Texas, Louisiana, and across to include the entire Florida peninsula. Stretching north from Florida including all of the forest and swamps of the Southeast and Eastern seaboard. Following the Appalachian Mountains into the Northern extremities of New York State, their presence is increasing in the border states of New York, West Virginia and Kentucky. They occupy a huge portion of our country, they are also widespread throughout Europe, Asia, and South America. Texas is reported to have an estimated 2-1/2 million wild hogs, living and thriving in all but one of the 254 counties.
  Hawaii has a feral hog problem as well, they are an invasive species, having been introduced to the islands soon after Captain Cook landed there, and was first "discovered" by Europeans in 1778. (He met his demise there as well). Pigs travel well on sailing ships, large, heavy, and meaty they take up less space than the larger cattle, and they are prolific regenerating every 6 months. There was an acceptable practice of letting domesticated pigs "free range", then hunting them when needed, they took care of themselves. Boy howdy do they ever, eating endangered birds and plants becoming a terrible nuisance, to say the least.
  In 1990 there were an estimated 2 million hogs in twenty states increasing to 6 million (estimated) 25 years later with a range that includes 38 states and increasing. The hogs have been expanding their range into Oregon, Ohio, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. To compound the problem Russian boar's were introduced (for hunters) and kept in captivity, for a while, animals escape, these cross-bred with the formally domestic pigs in North America. Is there a remedy for all of this? The short answer is not really.

The habitat of Wild Hogs in the U.S. This map was drawn in
2010.

  There are natural predators of the beast, Bobcats, and Coyotes, occasionally take a piglet or weak adults, full grown healthy wild hogs grow to about three times the weight of a Coyote. In Florida the native Panther is their prominent predator, the feral pig is a major part of their diet. Large predators that are capable of taking down a full grown animal do exist and include, Gray Wolves, Cougars (Mountain Lions), Jaguar's, Red Wolves, Black Bears and the very dangerous Grizzly Bear. At one time the Grizzly Bear was the top predator in the west however it is now extinct in all of the states with major hog problems, Texas, Arizona, California and New Mexico have all eradicated the big predator. Wolf populations are small and expected to remain at that level until their slow reproduction rate re-populates the states they have been introduced to. Only one has been reported in California, I think there are more. In the 1980's while backpacking in the Sierra Nevada's south of Yosemite and North of the Sequoia National forest a friend and I saw one. A large defiant beautiful animal, it was not a Coyote, I know what a wolf looks like, we don't know what is up in those mountains, the "experts" especially do not know either. The Mountain Lion is present in large numbers in the west, extending to Minnesota's eastern border, there is none further east. (This Link list all of the natural predators of feral pigs.)
  Hunting works, trapping, shooting and snaring with no limit restrictions, in Texas, for example, the eradication of the hogs have fueled many small businesses. In Wisconsin, they are considered unprotected species, year-round hunting with no limits, or closed season. Hunting with dogs is also permitted, in order to control the population 66% of them must be taken every year, that's just to keep the population stable. The Federal Government spends $20 million annually for feral hog management.
  The use of rat poison is used as well in Texas, legalized in February of 2017 the pesticide "Kaput Feral Hog Lure", is bait laced with warfarin (used to kill rats and rodents). There are an estimated 2-1/2 million feral hogs in that state causing $50 million in damage yearly. Personally, I do not support the use of rat poison, due to the "collateral" damage in the form of killing other animals that will feed on the poisoned carcasses. I am not familiar with that pesticide, it is possible it is harmless to other species.

Hogzilla, enough said.

  Back to San Ramon, what's a guy to do? Hand-wringing and worry will have to do, for now, they are very dangerous animals. There are in the Diablo Range natural predators, one, in particular, is the Mountain Lion, there are many in the state. What we have is a population of hogs descending from the foothills and mountains to the lush valley, followed by the Cougars which are spotted in neighborhoods, parks and golf courses. Panic ensues, the cats have been seen throughout the entire state, last month one was captured in Golden Gate Park, people fear them. They are driven out of populated areas, Cougars will leave, they don't like us any more than we like them, but they could help in desolated areas. They (the hogs) can be hunted but only in designated areas of the mountains, however, professional hunters are able to obtain a "special permit" to hunt them in cities. They are attracted to the abundance of food and water that is available on golf courses, lawns, and parks, it is a major problem with no consensus on the remedy. San Ramon is not isolated with this issue, many bay area cities share the grief with limited solutions, I cannot imagine what would happen if a hog was to be shot by a hunter in one of the upscale neighborhoods in the bay area. It would be nice to control them naturally with Mountain Lions, however, the big predator also preys on pets, livestock and yes people. 66% of the population of feral pigs would have to be eliminated annually, I don't see that happening anytime soon. I don't suspect Grizzly Bears will be introduced to the bay area in at least my lifetime, most likely never.

There's a Grizzly Bear now. 

Poisoning may work if one can be developed that won't endanger the other wildlife, the California Condor is just now making a healthy come back after 30 years effort, we don't want to start all over with that. Trapping is the only solution left, how many traps would it take, then what relocation or eradication? It's a huge problem not only in the bay area of San Francisco but in the entire country. So that's where I will leave it,
  Thank you for reading and sharing, I'd like to hear your comments and experiences in dealing with the Wild Hogs, don't forget they are terribly dangerous animals. Check out my new video, it has nothing to do with wild hogs, it deals with another passion of mine, Worm Farming click this link to go there.
jacquesandkate  emergencykitsplus.com

Two miracle's happen every morning, first one eye opens then the other one does, I am thankful this Thanksgiving.

  Drinking coffee this morning, it's becoming a normal activity for me to sit on the riverside deck as the sun rises. I used to drink my coffee black, I got that from my Navy days. Now I put "Swiss Miss" Chocolate in it, I also drink the leftover coffee from yesterday, both of which my wife protests about. (Link to my video Thanksgiving Well Wishes to you.)
I drink "retreaded" coffee for a few reasons, one is I was raised with not much stuff so we would use everything until it was useless, and we would also eat whatever was on our plates. I drink the stale coffee because it makes me feel as if I am conserving and it makes me feel as if I am not wasting it. I watch all of the critters scamper around, I see the raccoons are going crazy right now, a few weeks ago it was the squirrels digging up grubs in numerous places. I saw a patch in the garden today that the raccoons roto-tillered, it won't hurt anything, the garden is dormant. The rabbits are eating what is left of the grape leaves, the skunks are still digging their little holes, and the opossums, well they're being possums, eating roots and hanging out. I was thinking this morning as I was watching the seagulls dive-bomb ahead of the schools of fish swimming by, how fortunate I really am. It's Thanksgiving and this is my Thanksgiving blog.

This is a beautiful bird. 

  I spent two years in Southeast Asia, some time in the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Japan to name a few places. One thing a person learns after enlisting in the service and visiting a foreign 3rd world country is that there are some really poor people in this world. I remember riding in a bus in the Philippines when we were on R&R, I don't remember where we were going, I do remember seeing a young child about 10 years old. This child was naked and riding a water buffalo, swatting at the beast as it lumbered down the road, this child had nothing. I also remember going to a church for services, the people were desperately poor, but the tithing plate was passed, I remember thinking why aren't these people receiving rather than giving? I went to Captain's mast in the Philippines, I was on duty working in the galley hauling garbage out to the pier. There were cartons of rolls that were in the trash, unopened, not moldy or spoiled they were perfect, but sometimes the Navy throws stuff like that out. Around the dumpster there were some kids standing around, they were about 15 years old, most likely day laborers hired from the nearby town. I started handing the rolls out to the kids, they asked if they could have some, I said sure here. Well, I went to the Captains mast which is a court date at sea. I got reprimanded, I didn't go to the brig or suffer any terrible consequences, but I was told not to give away government surplus again. My defense was simply "but they were hungry." It didn't matter, we don't give away government surplus. (Link explaining what Captains Mast is.)
  When I was in Hong Kong we would go into town early in the morning, it's a beautiful city, huge and full of people. There are homeless families in that huge city, they sleep in the protected doorways of the downtown businesses, we would walk by them. Upon awakening the families would gather up their belongings, sweep the space they used, they would also sweep from the center of the road to the sidewalk. They appreciated what they had and the space to use as a bedroom, it was in those days a very clean city.

That's about right at 6 am.

  I personally have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, some of it as simple as being able to have chocolate in my coffee in the morning and to live in a secure, safe house. I have plenty to eat when a person can pick and choose what he wants to eat every day, the tide must be in his favor. I live in a place where I can see for miles in all directions and still live 50 miles from San Francisco. I have a closet full of clothes, I have more blue genes and shirts than I will ever wear, you know you're doing OK when there are socks and underwear in your drawer. Those are the things I didn't have while growing up, not enough socks or underwear, but I thought everyone lived like that. I am disabled, in this country, it works out OK, we have safety nets to keep people from dire poverty after no longer being able to work. I have a service-connected disability which makes me eligible for medical care from the Veterans Administration, I'm fortunate as well as thankful.
  I look at my garage full of stuff, most of it is garbage, but even after making a dump run the entire mess stays with me, materialistically I've got stuff. I can grow a garden, read as much as I like, talk to neighbors and we have running water. I walk to the wall and flip a switch, amazingly the lights come on, every day. We have a refrigerator, oven, cooktop and microwave oven, for leisure times I have a bar-b-que.
  You know, I can't drive, walk or run any longer, I can't do a lot of things I did at one time, it's fine, I'm doing good. The best thing that happens to me every day is I have so far been able to get out of bed every day of my life. But before that two miracles happen every morning, the first event is my left eye opens, the second event is my right eye opens, for that I am thankful, and my thankfulness continues all day long.

That right eye is having a tough time opening, but it will
happen, again!

We will have the 30+ guest for dinner on Thursday, we will laugh and talk, play the guitar and uke, my wife and friends will tap dance, and I will be able to see it all, for that I am thankful.
jacquesandkate emergencykitsplus.com

Tsunamis Vertical Evacuation Structures, Earthquakes, Tidal Waves and horizontal evacuation, will history serve us well?

  The first Tsunamis Vertical Evacuation Structure to be constructed is in Westport Washington, it is the Ocasta Elementary school, built in 2015-2016. It occupies a place in the Cascadia subduction zone where a huge earthquake (9+ magnitude) is predicted to cause a tidal wave (Tsunami). The Tsunami is predicted to be 10 feet or more, (3-4 meters), occurring within minutes of the earthquake there is no horizontal escape route that would allow people in its path to evacuate rapidly enough. (This Link will lead you to the Ocasta Elementary School web site.)
  There are coastal communities on the West Coast of the U.S. that are under threat not only from earthquakes but the resulting Tsunami's as well. FEMA developed guidelines to be applied towards the construction of Vertical Evacuation Structures in the year 2008. Serious talks pertaining to Vertical Evacuation began 3 years later in 2011, after the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami off the coast of Japan, March 11, 2011.

A Vertical Evacuation Structure, very high very sturdy, all within
a 20-minute walk, typically a person walks one mile in
20 minutes.

  The epicenter was 43 miles east of the Oshika Peninsula of Tohoku at a depth of 18 miles under the water. Referred to as the Great East Japan Earthquake, it was the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Japanese history, and the 4th largest in the world since 1900, the first year records were kept. The resulting tidal wave was recorded as being as high as 130 feet, (40.5 meters) in Miyako, it traveled as far as 6 miles inland in the Sendal area. It shifted the Island of Honshu (Japans main island) 8 feet east, (2.5 meters) and shifted the entire Earth on its axis between 4 and 10 inches. It also increased the earth's rotational speed by 1.8 us (micro-second) per day. One microsecond is a unit of time equal to one-millionth of a second, so the rotation increased by very little but still noteworthy because it was an incredibly strong occurrence. The shaker caused the coast of Honshu to sink almost a meter (3.38 feet), after the earthquake it rebounded and in 3 years it regained its original height. 15,894 people lost their lives, 6,150 were injured and 2500 missing in twenty prefectures (a prefecture is a division of the area of Japan much like the states in the U.S.) Four years later, 2015, 230,000 (approximate) residents remained in temporary housing or those who must permanently relocate. A Japanese report released on February 10, 2014, tallied 127,290 buildings were totally destroyed by collapse, 272,788 "partially collapsed", and it left 747,989 buildings partially damaged, To this day Japan is still suffering consequences from that huge quake. Heavy damage to infrastructure, roads destroyed, bridge collapse, a Dam failed, and the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant meltdown, causing hundreds of thousands of residents to evacuate. Losses from that earthquake in insurance paid out alone is estimated at $34.6 billion, The bank of Japan issued $183 Billion to the banking system to normalize market conditions. The World Bank estimated the cost at $235 Billion, this was the most costly natural disaster in history. (Link)
  So it stands to reason a serious effort to save lives and property would begin with planning ways to evacuate citizens. A horizontal evacuation was the norm in the years prior to the earthquake in Japan, in other words, run to higher ground and Good Luck. Tsunamis are fast, in the ocean at depths of over 3.7 miles 500 miles per hour is not unknown, they are slower in shallow waters just off the coast, but the height of the wave builds radically. Upon landfall after slowing in the shallow coastal water to 10-20 miles per hour, it is impossible to outrun a Tsunami, unless a person is capable of running a 6-minute mile for 6 miles, most of us are not able to do that. The only answer is to head to high ground, quickly, underestimating the power of the ocean and ignoring the signals and warnings of tsunami cost the lives of 200,000 people in the preceding decade. A common misconception is that a Tsunami is a single wave, it's not, many people have been swept away after believing the initial wave was the beginning and the end, however, there are always multiple waves. Yes, there are warning signs,

The power of water is always amazing.

sometimes the environmental signs are the only warning we will get.
  1)  Look and listen for signs that warn of danger, if the beach starts shaking, leave immediately.
  2)  If the ocean looks strange, waves receding unnaturally or returning to sea rapidly, leave immediately.
  3)  When the Tsunami sirens sound, leave, don't ignore them.
  If you are caught run for high ground, steel reinforced buildings, parking garages, climbing a tree works sometimes often not, however, and do not seek refuge in a vehicle or attempt to escape the event in a car. It doesn't take much to stop traffic, in a Tsunami situation people will be in a panic mode, if a traffic accident occurs, it will block everyone behind it from escape, adding to the death toll. People have a tendency to underestimate the power, the size of waves, the speed and most of all the distance inland a Tsunami can travel (10 miles). This is what inspired the Vertical Evacuation Structures.
  Japan was at least as or more prepared than most of the world for an earthquake of this size, after all, they have engineering and scientific studies from as far back as the 1800's. They have today prediction and early warning systems that are state of the art, along with building codes written for withstanding Tsunamis and public education meant to save lives and minimize damage from the earthquakes. Japan has built Vertical Evacuation Structures consisting of a few different designs:
  Tasudaru Tower: A steel platform, 6 meters off the ground capable of holding 50 people.
  Nishiki Tower: A 5 story reinforced concrete lighthouse looking structure.
  Shiahama Beach Resort Shelter: Very attractive concrete platform structure, able to accommodate 700 evacuees nearly 40 feet in elevation.
  Aonae: A high earthwork was constructed.
  There are many designs that have been used, and much more that will work, the issue is of course cost, as it is with nearly everything. Due to the varying designs, it is unknown at this point how these structures endure, unfortunately, it may take a Tsunami to be the deciding factor.
  The good people in Westport Washington had their heads screwed on straight in my opinion, I believe it was a stroke of genius to build an elementary school as the community bug-out station, it is a 20-minute walk from the furthest predicted residences. My family was camping and surfing in San Diego many years ago, while on the beach in the late afternoon (San Onofre State Beach) a tsunami siren sounded. We did what everyone else did, we ignored it.

When the alarm sounds don't ignore it, leave immediately

Luckily nothing happened, sometimes the wave will occur but it will be less than a foot or two, regardless I never ignored another one. Yes, more Tsunami's will occur, more earthquakes will destroy towns, and they will all be a surprise. More people will lose their lives, and the most tragic of all from my perspective is the people who are swept away, their bodies never to be recovered, it must be doubly sad for the surviving family.
  Thanks for reading and sharing, follow us on G+ and visit our website, we have every type of survival supplies for all disasters. Thanks
jacquesandkate  emergencykitsplus.com

New Years resolution time, Political correctness, Outrageously Outraged? I connected all of the dots here.

  As I sat on my deck this morning having my coffee and catching up with the birds and critters that occupy our stretch of the world, during squalls of rain/clearing it get's interesting. The birds do not fly in the rain with the exception of the seagulls, they are shaped like bottles with wings, very efficient flyers, they fly the same course over and over. The birds of prey, are nowhere to be seen, I guess they don't like to get wet? I'm not sure, I am sure of one thing, however, when the rain ceases and the sun comes out between clouds the birds show up across the river.

This is a google image photo, not mine, however, birds act alike
everywhere.

They dive bomb whatever creatures are scampering around on that island, it is interesting to watch, there will be as many as 10 hunters dive bombing. Cooper's hawks, Sharp-Shinned Hawks, the one lone Northern Harrier and of course the ever-present Red Tailed hawks, when the rain starts again they head for shelter. There are a lot of mink here, many years ago a mink farm existed in the center of our Island, if you've lived by a mink farm you know as well as I some free themselves and become wild. I don't see them directly very often, I do see underbrush shaking where they run through it. I saw one this morning on the far shore, I know they have dens there on the water side of the levee, I can see the tunnels through the tules and weeds. One day I saw a Red Tailed Hawk chasing one on foot up and down the slope, the mink escaped, the hawk flew away.
  I was thinking of Thanksgiving and the holidays soon to be upon us, my thoughts were mostly on it being the end of the year and my New Years resolution. Yes, every year I make one, some of them last for a few years, I have no problem with "retreading" them especially if they are working. One of those resolutions is one my wife and I still go by to this day, "Intentionally do one positive thing every day." That does not include normal household duties, we share all of the cleaning and chores, everyone in our house cleans. It is intended to be meant for a task we would not normally perform to get it done, an example would be getting a can of touch up paint and touch up chipped paint in a small area. It's not intended to be a long chore, it's tasks that need to be done but are easy to ignore. We do it every day, put away the CD's we haul out to listen to, mate the socks in the singles pile, just items that we don't like to do. Today, for instance, I have a box of CD's my wife found, there are about 12 in the box, the task is to figure out if we want to keep them and if so I will find a place to keep them secure. This resolution has become a part of our lifestyle, the grandkids are indoctrinated as well, they have accepted it as part of their lifestyle while staying with us. I held this as a resolution for three years, two years ago my resolution was (and is) "Be more curious." (Are you in need of resolution ideas? Follow this link for 50 suggestions.)
  "Be more curious", it involves a lot, I adopted it to inspire me to read more, question more and listen more, I think it worked. I have always been very curious, I wanted to kick it up a notch and I feel as if I have. It's not a declaration of being more of a skeptic, it is all about thinking clearer and developing some parameters for performing more research. What inspired this was a mistake I made on the internet, we all know how the slightest error is able to create a tempest of angry responses, that's what happened, I forget now what it was about. I made a resolution that whatever I am reading and incorporating into my writings from that moment on if I read something with a new declaration or some one's opinion, I don't accept it as truth immediately. I since then have intended to not accept anything unless I have read it in at least 3 different publications, no matter how much I want to believe it. Yes, part of this resolution is due to the past political atmosphere as well, it was getting me down.

Wow, Outrageously Outraged, it just isn't worth it.

Most of the time it works, but as with everything there are slumps and depressions, I made a mistake on a comment pertaining to Puerto Rico, I read one account that stated there was no one living on that island when Columbus landed there. I found out I was terribly wrong, I offended a lot of people, I'm not an idiot but that ended up being the popular consensus of the readers. I apologized, backtracked and proclaimed just how wrong I was. It's OK now. "Be more curious" worked out well and now it's time for another resolution for 2018. I have a new one.
  "What can I do to help?" Or something on that order, maybe just the word "help" might work, or "how can I help?" I am not 100% sure what it means, I will figure it out, I have some ideas that do not involve anyone but myself, and it will help. I plan on including a number of things in with this resolution, Here's a few:
   1)  We hear a lot about "Political Correctness", I don't know where this came from, strike it against my age (66) but to me, it doesn't make sense, what in the world does it mean? So I have defined it, speaking in terms to be "Politically Correct" in my speaking and writings, it means I treat everyone with respect, yes I will be polite, courteous, and resort to basic manners. When I read where there is an accusation towards a person of being "Politically Correct", in a derogatory way, I'm thinking this is backward, manners and politeness will rule my days from now on. (This link will take you to Wikipedia's take on "Political Correctness")
  2)  I am done being "Outrageously Outraged", (my words), I do not ever need to be angry towards a stranger, just because it's the internet and it's my desire to succeed while dealing with it and the people it makes up, it doesn't mean they are anything other than my fellow human beings. Everyone is too angry, people are too eager to protest about anything they see as a personal insult towards them, I may be talking about raccoons and someone somewhere takes exception to it. I will explain my positions and they can be accepted or not at a persons pleasure, if they want to be mad about something, that's ok with me, I won't become outraged to match their outrage.
  3)  We stopped laughing at ourselves, my grandkids and I would make up jokes on our way to someplace, someone would come up with a "punch line" and whoever was involved would begin the thought process. Some of the jokes were not funny, a lot of them were "corny", some made no sense (it's like you had to be there). They were however thought-provoking, imaginative and most were jokes on ourselves and some of the dumb things we do. This resolution involves laughing at myself, I have actually started, if you have watched any of my videos, I am experimenting with humor out of the 1930's, black and white movies, Laurel and Hardy, the Three Stooges (have you noticed how men like them and women mostly don't?) and other 'slapstick" comics. I have gotten away from humor over the past few years, things just aren't funny anymore, so I'm intending to change that, for myself at least.

Do you think they are funny? Most men do, the ladies
not so much.

  My intention is not to merely be polite to the ladies of the world, it is my #1 intent, but to treat everyone with politeness and be politically correct. I will not only open the door for the ladies but I will for men, children and everyone else. Being a gentleman is the goal, being a gentleman to everyone is the intent, and I do firmly believe it has a lot to do with being self-reliant and the ability to take care of myself in all situations. I don't need to make any enemies, especially if we may have to join together during an emergency which is possible where any of us live. (If you have studied "the 7 habits of successful people" it's called an "emotional bank account".) I am a student of Steven Covey the author of the course. This Link will lead you to Wikipedia's take on the 7 Habits course.
  I'm finished being Outrageously Outraged, I am ready to return to a few years ago and just be good old easy going Jacques, the nicest guy on the river, I want to go there and leave this negativity in my wake. I have always resisted commenting on Religion, Politics, Abortion and Gun Control, I do have opinions on each subject but there no way to alter a persons thinking with a 120-word tweet, or an argument on facebook over Politics. Those 4 issues are subjects for letters to the editor or my congressmen, (I do write to them). So I'd like to ask you "how can I help?"
  Thanks for reading and sharing, follow me on G+ if you are so inclined, and keep reading my blog and sharing it. Thank you.

Jacquesandkate  emergencykitsplus.com

After the drought and wildfires, we are now expecting mudslides, what can be done with tons of mud hanging over you?

   Every morning for the past two weeks while I've been sitting looking out over the river (slough actually) and watching the birds start their day, I noticed large wakes in the water. The disturbance started about 1/8 mile away, during the receding tide, which is a little odd, it appears to be a school of fish or one really big one. The wake is about the size of a small fishing boat with a small outboard motor on it, nothing surfaced and nothing jumped.

Not in our slough, I don't think the fish I see are nearly this large.

I saw a very large fish roll about 20 feet from shore several days ago, I couldn't tell if it was a carp, striper or sturgeon. I have seen some dorsal fins and tail fins come out of the water, it makes me think they are salmon, so yesterday I put new line on a fishing pole, put the reel on a new pole, (long story) and rigged it up with a Blue Fox salmon spinner. I had a restive night waiting for daybreak, I did not want to miss it. The Grand Finale! The school of fish did not go by, I could not believe they would not satisfy my personal goal of catching one of them, they did not swim by. I think I missed the run, I will be there again tomorrow, if they don't show up I will set up for sturgeon. But it's not like I don't have anything else to do, I started working on my next video, setting it up, and I put the finishing touches on my thoughts pertaining to my next blog, (this one).
  The sky had some clouds and rain is predicted, while I was waiting for the fish to rush by me I began to think about the drought and the rain. As the entire country knows California was on fire for the entire summer, the underbrush was burned away, giant trees reduced to ash, homes destroyed, and the ground was laid bare. Exactly what I was thinking about, in the light rain, if the rain starts to come down harder I wonder and worry about landslides (Link ). On the news broadcast, this evening was a Lady who had to abandon her home last January due to the hill behind her house coming down on her. High on the hill is an asphalt road, it lost its base and one half of it was washed away exposing the soil beneath it. The City and County reportedly have all of their paperwork in order, the hold up is FEMA, the Federal Government. Apparently, to receive Federal funding there is an entirely different set of paperwork that has to be processed outside of the City and County documents, nothing can proceed until all paperwork is completed. (Remember the saying President Reagan started? "I'm with the government and I'm here to help".) Now the Lady, who has a young daughter living with her, has to wait most likely until spring for the repairs to be made. It must be an uneasy feeling to live beneath a slug of mud poised to set loose down the hill and join her for breakfast in her dining area on any given morning. I for one hope it gets repaired before a heavy rain, the slide is completely on City/County property, disabling her from performing any repairs or pre-emtive actions to keep the muck from destroying her home.

Mudslides occur after wildfires or massive amounts of rain
in a short amount of time. The ground shaking will accelerate
the collapse of the hillside.

It makes me wonder why her insurance company wouldn't erect a barrier, maybe it would save them some money in the long run. This slide is one of many I would suspect, and it makes me wonder what makes a hill slide like that, I am fairly certain I know at least part of the driving factors, so here we go:
  After years of a severe drought, the official tally has we experienced a 5-year lack of rain, I seem to remember it more like 7, in reality, I believe it was 5 years of little rain with 2 years prior of reduced rain as well. The soil dried out completely, during the summer of 2016 going down any road in my area the effects of the drought on the trees was obvious. Everywhere we went I (riding shotgun, my wife drives), I would point out all of the dead and dying trees, still, today going down the street those trees are still dead and many are suffering. My cherry tree is a bad actor, I'm not sure why it did this, early in the spring the tree filled up with leaves, I had more cherry's than ever for that tree. (Link to a discussion about the number of trees lost during the drought, in the Southwest.) August comes around and all the leaves fall off, that is typical for this knucklehead tree, October comes around and the leaves grew back! There are no new cherry's on it, but my apple tree started a new crop, what in the world is going on? Well, that's another blog, only if I can come up with an answer, otherwise I will sweep it under the proverbial rug, (sweep sweep, gone). Back to the mud, the dry soil is clinging to the side of hill now, a large slide occurred during the last springs rain and for the majority of them have stabilized to a position of being "not safe", but not in "imminent" fear of becoming unstabilized and become completely detached and slide downhill. Our eternal nemesis is one bad actor at fault, Gravity, the reality that binds us together, it's not really at 'fault", it's just one fact of nature controlling part of a slide. After a prolonged period of no rain which dries the soil to a point of nearly zero moisture, the drying can actually encourage wildfires.

Spontaneous combustion occurs in the layers of compressed flammable material when there is a layer with 3% moisture, it's not an official measurement, it's mine. I dealt with spontaneous combustion in a huge barn filled with straw bales and grape pomace. (These are grapes skins, seeds, and pulp after they are squeezed for the wine crush). We dried the pomace of for use as livestock feed, so we stored it in huge piles and it would ignite constantly, so we went out to discover what was happening. We would dig into the pile, it was 100 yards wide and 300 yards long inside a barn, yes huge, we dug into the pile and would find these veins of smoldering pomace. We (there was two of us) would take samples above and below the heated section, it was glowing red hot, we would then check the moisture level of each sample. It was found the spots with 3% moisture were more prone to ignite, I surmise it's the same in the wild after a drought, some of the fires last summer may have started in this way. Our barn did start on fire, it was a spectacular blaze, the rural volunteer fire department supplied the water we put it out, fires in an industry often are dealt with in-house, all industrial fires I have been involved in were put out by "ships company", or the companies crew. Link to a discussion on spontaneous combustion.
  Back to the mudslides, the soil is so very dry after these droughts they soak up water like a sponge, and it is held in suspension with the dirt and organic material. There is a point the land will become saturated with water and become the consistency of pudding. This causes the year-old slide to become unstable, a layer of water will form between the compacted dirt below the slide and the soft loose soil that makes up the slide area. The water adds a considerable amount of weight, a gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds, it takes thousands of gallons permeating the layers of soil adding tons to the weight of the slide. There is a point when the top layer of "slide" soil will begin to move, once it begins to move the momentum will not allow it to stop, the unbelievable weight is unstoppable. That leads us to the question I had earlier about the insurance company's performing "pro-active" repairs to attempt to minimize damage. The sheer mass of the mud is the reason, nothing in the world could be placed in its path and successfully stop it from following it's path to the lowest point in its direction. A great wall would have to be constructed, it would most likely be so cost inefficient to make it less expensive to just rebuild the house. Looming larger is not just the destruction of the home and outbuildings but if someone were to be inside the home when it is inundated by the slow-moving ooze, it would be tragic.

There are no words to describe this mud crashing through
a home. 

Now I wonder how comfortable can a person be under those conditions, it's not like a fire alarm, mudslide alarms have most likely been invented and they are available somewhere but where? And for what cost? I suspect to construct an alarm would be a "custom" installation, I'm sure there is a way to make an alarm, however it most likely is not worth the cost. So what would a person do when living below, remember this thing is literally hanging over some peoples heads, indeed hanging over their entire lives. I also wonder what happens to the homes that are "red-taped" with no repairs being made to them, then the owners show up to continue their lives. Do they then have to find somewhere else to live until their house is ready for occupancy? Who would pay for the relocation of these people? Would it be the county or city? Most likely not because their requirements have been met, it's the Federal Government that is the holdup. It's easy to see why most disasters take the route of litigation that run on for years. I don't have answers for this, I only have questions, one thing I kind of think I would do, I would not stay anywhere with a looming slug of mud ready to bury me. The Mud Flats mudslide on Highway 1 in Big Sur consists of 5 million cubic yards of the earth all piled up on top of the Coast Highway. If each cubic yard had only two gallons of water in it, the weight added would be immense, 20 million gallons x 8 pounds per gallon = 160,000,000 pounds of water, massive tonnage. The Reality is there is most likely more than 2 gallons in each cubic yard, especially if it has been raining consistently. Wow, that's a lot of weight, once it starts to move there is not much if anything that can stop it. Link to an article on the "Mud Creek Slide" in Big Sur.
  Thanks for reading, I don't have an answer on the prediction of a mudslide or even if I would stay in a threatened environment such as a house. What would you do? I hope the only activity prior to expecting the muck to slide is not merely to buy a couple of shovels, but that is definitely the place to start. Thanks for reading and sharing, follow me on G+ and Facebook if you so desire, and please share my blog. Thanks,
jacquesandkate emergencykitsplus.com.

Conservation or Climate Change, Bigfoot, Crop Circles and Nessie, it's a broad brush but let me explain all of this.

   I watched a program this morning, it was dealing with "crop circles", I am very interested in them, I have read quite a bit about them as I have a lot of things. (Actually, I am interested in everything, hence this article) I have talked to a number of people about them as well, often I am asked something like "well do you believe in crop circles?" Aren't we all asked that question about a lot of different occurrences in our lives? Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, the Mothman, and the ever asked "do you believe in ghost?"

Thousands have been made, some are very elaborate, it is theorized
they are mathematical equations.

  I have a problem with the word "believe", what does it mean to believe in something? I believe in the 24 hour day, I believe ice is cold, I believe we need air to live, and you get the point. But what about the 10 million unexplained oddities in our world.
  What constitutes a belief system? Most of us accept religion as a belief system, most have guidelines and rules, a governing body, officials and a guide in the form of a written manuscript. All of them are dependent on accepting teachings as the truth, and that is all good and fine, accept it or not, that's what it is based on, Faith. They are a very well defined belief system that many millions of people throughout the world accept and base their lives on, it doesn't need anyone's approval or justification, it's faith. Link to more on "belief systems".
  What about Big Foot, we called it the Abominable snowman, when I was young. Thousands of people have seen one, or, thousands of people have seen something in the woods. There are photographs, videos, and footprint casts, and there are a lot of doubters and an equal amount of believers. I ask again, is that a belief system? It's based on eyewitness accounts, can we disregard the people who claim they have seen one? I have never seen one in the forest, but does that mean they don't exist? No that means I just haven't seen one, thousands of others say they have.
  The Loch Ness Monster is in the same category, hundreds of people have seen something, again I never have, does that mean they exist or not? I'm not sure, they all saw something. I am not about to call all of these people liars, like I said, "Everyone of them saw something."

Bigfoot, thousands of people through the century's have
seen them, who am I to say they haven't?

  Crop Circles are different, I can see them so they do exist, I believe in them because I can see them, I don't know how they are constructed, however, I don't know if they are made by humans or some cosmic force somewhere out there. This in my mind is not a belief system either, it is merely the belief that they do exist and somehow they are being built by someone or something, I simply do not know. More on Crop Circles Link.
  There was a "prehistoric" shark caught off the coast of Portugal last week, it lives 2500 feet below the surface, prior to it being caught hardly anyone thought one could still exist after 50 million years. It may be part of a belief system, many species that were thought to be extinct have been sighted or even caught, it's a substantial list. The belief would be in the form of "yes I do believe that more extinct species will be discovered in the future." The belief is built on seeing the creature and accepting that the discoveries will continue, the believers will continue to believe and search, it doesn't matter what anyone else says or does. Scientific papers will be written, evidence examined and a paper trail established, does that constitute a belief system? Or is the belief system made after each species is discovered? I don't know, but I now believe in THAT species after its being found.

The male frilled shark (Chlamydoselachus anguineus) measured 1.5 meters (5ft) in length and was caught at a depth of roughly 700 meters (2,300ft) in waters off the Portuguese coast.
(copied from RT newspaper)

  The big one is the "paranormal", Ghost, it seems almost every channel on the TV has some sort of a paranormal program that is high on the ratings list, to me it's interesting. To a lot of people the proof is in the sighting, "do you believe in ghost?" I wish I had a nickel for every time someone asked me that. Well, I do believe in Ghost, mostly because our house has one, I have seen her three times, full body apparitions, honestly she looks a lot like my wife. But even at that is it a belief system or is it just something I believe in because I saw her?
  When a person sees something, like Sasquatch or Nessie, they become 'believers", it is undeniable to them after the sighting. There are some things in this world that defy explanation even after they are seen first hand, for instance, Aliens from other worlds, UFO's, Orbs and lights speeding across our skies.
  I saw an incident when I was at sea in the US Navy, after I told my counselor at the Veterans Administration about it his advice was "We have all seen things like that at sea, I suggest you forget you saw it and never mention it again." I saw it one time, I will never experience anything like it again, but is it a belief system? I believe and know it happened, I don't know how, it happened but it did, the Navy makes no mention of it on the deck logs. It is not a belief system, it is just something that happened and that's how a lot of things end up.
  Finally and one reason I am writing this blog is Climate Change, boy is that a loaded word, I will not debate if it is happening or not, wait! I will explain what I mean, I've been thinking about it for probably as long as you have. Let me attempt to explain, then feel free to comment and give me your thoughts, I really do want to hear them. What is Climate Change? NASA explains Link
  We all share this world, we all have trash, we use some sort of transportation, we heat our homes and use fossil fuels in many ways, in other words, we all have a "carbon footprint." the issue I do not understand is why is it called climate change, I believe (hmm is it a belief system?) it should be called "Conservation", further, Conservation of our environment. First, do no harm, when we go in the woods only leave footprints and the sayings go on and on. Conservation, taking care of our Earth should be the top priority of each person on the planet, there are things we can all do. We have the ability to change the ways in which we deal with our trash and our emissions, on an individual basis, it doesn't have to be an earth-shaking movement. One person one goal, do no harm and leave only footprints, here are some actions we can take on an individual basis that will make a difference.

We can make every day like this, it's a beautiful day today in fact.

  1)  Cut back on the weed killer, at one time I used a lot of it, I was under the idea the only way to get rid of them was to poison them, well, some yes but most just take elbow grease and a good grip on them. (More on weed removal Link)
  2)  Fertilizer can be eliminated altogether, mulch, compost, and natural fertilizers such as manures and worm castings (which is manure).
  3)  We can organize our trips to town, I believe most people do that already, it does pay off in gas savings and time
  4)  Use the re-cycle bin most trash hauling companies provide, a lot of that plastic and glass can be recycled. Newspapers, magazines and printed cardboard when stacked take a long time to decompose in a dump, use all you can in your garden and in my case the worm farm.
  5)  Grow your own vegetables, it saves the delivery to the grocery stores by the produce suppliers, the plants emit oxygen and they support the Honey Bees and solitary pollinators.
  6)  Plant a fruit tree, Sunflowers, Rosemary and other herbs, they attract pollinators and provide food for your table.
  A good site for plants that encourage honeybees Link
  On a global scale, yes governments need to come together with a well thought out plan to combat the much debated "Climate Change" political football. On a personal level, we do not need to be involved in the red tape other than to support the global goals of cleaning the joint up. We can also do a lot on our level, it's called a healthy respect for where we live, if we each live a clean life it will help a lot. In the area, I live illegal dumping is very common, piles of garbage line the streets in many of the cities surrounding our island, we can stop that. Many issues need to be spearheaded by the government, local, county or sometimes the state, a lot can be achieved by reducing or eliminating fees on special cleanup days. Governments can take on the big corporations and industries, they don't need to direct us, we live here, we can clean up after ourselves.

It is intimidating, but roll up the old sleeves and save the
Planet! 

  I rambled a little bit, I have one thing to add, and food for thought, So the plan is to trash this planet and then escape to Mars, it ain't gonna work, for a lot of reasons we are much better off fixing this one. The major flaw with colonizing Mars is the wealthy people are the only ones that will be able to afford the "airfare". I fear the working class will be expected to build and pay for the initial construction and settlement, then the wealthy will move in, that's fine with a huge exception. For years the colony will have to be subsidized, by you guessed it, us, we may be expected to finance a continual line of supply to them, on our dime. It won't happen, for one there is not enough wealth in the world to support that endeavor and it won't take long for the working people to tire of the drain of resources to support a far away colony that will never return any benefit to us. I don't believe we will agree to build a world that the people responsible for trashing this one will be able to escape to, we have one chance and it's on this planet.
  Climate Change appears to be a belief system no matter what the name I place on it, and it needs to be, it's an important part of our lives keeping our homes clean and habitable. Religions yes they are as well, the rest of the items, they can be if we desire, and truthfully that is what makes up a belief system, the desire to accept an occurrence as the truth. There aren't many people that would base their life on crop circles or Orbs, that's auxiliary stuff, we believe in real stuff only, or in what each of us decides what is real. Let's keep the planet clean in each of the areas we live and visit in. if we have a stack of 100 pieces of firewood and they had to be moved upstairs, one person can make 100 trips or 100 people can make one trip, all of us together can make a difference.
  Thank you for reading and sharing, I'd like to hear your opinions, I feel like I did ramble on, I hope I made the point of prioritization of what we believe in and which is most important in each of our lives. The most basic tenet of being self-sufficient is to take care of the things we depend on for our well being, the most important item is to take care of our world. People I know that raise fish in an aquarium never let the water get to the point of killing the fish, what would be the point in allowing that to happen? Why would we trash our planet to the point of killing us, or escaping to an uninhabitable world? It makes no sense.
jacquesandkate emergencykitsplus.com