Inside Israel’s Doomsday Spaces

ADAM REYNOLDS Pup Cultural Center Kibbutz Kfar Aza

GIMME SHELTER

‘Architecture of An Existential Threat’ provides a visually compelling insight to the cultural and geographical perspective of bomb shelters in Israel today.

by KELLY CAMINERO

Architecture of An Existential Threat provides a visually compelling insight to the cultural and geographical perspective of bomb shelters in Israel today. Adam Reynolds refers to these ubiquitous bomb shelters as “doomsday spaces.” He approaches these interior spaces by capturing the importance of proportion and scale.

These photographs reveal the normalcy of survival in the most extreme situations. His perspective sheds light on the a country constantly under threat and the beauty in versatile efforts make these spaces residential. The bomb shelters were created in 1948 as a protection tactic against threats from their enemies.

Adam Reynolds is a documentary photographer with a background in architectural photography and journalism with a strong emphasis on the Middle East. In this series his goal was to provide a the viewer an opportunity to reflect and contemplate the emotions felt in these empty spaces.

ADAM REYNOLDS

Apartment Complex in Kiryat Smona

ADAM REYNOLDS

Mosque in The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

ADAM REYNOLDS

Children’s Play Area, Primary school in Hurfeish

ADAM REYNOLDS

Dance Studio

ADAM REYNOLDS

Community Centre

ADAM REYNOLDS

Conference Room in Knesset Jerusalem

ADAM REYNOLDS

Recreation Room, Student Dormitories in The University of Haifa

http://www.thedailybeast.com/inside-israels-doomsday-spaces

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What is the Best Location for a Cache On Your Property?

ReadyNutrition Readers, recently I suggested 5 projects to undertake in the Spring to get a head start on preparing for emergencies.  As the title suggests, this article will outline several methods to hide your stuff underground.  Be advised: this means you’ll have to have some property at your disposal.

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Caches are the ultimate back up plan because everyone wants to hide their “stuff,” but hiding it effectively is a different matter.  Yes, everyone wants a set of diagrams and ideas, but you should have a plan before you implement your construction.  Let’s outline some basic principles and considerations first that it would do you good to keep in mind.

A Word to the Wise

Firstly, OPSEC (Operational Security) is paramount with any kind of project such as this.  You must keep everyone out of the loop: nosy, big-mouthed neighbors; prying relatives; overly curious co-workers; ad infinitum.  You can’t “advertise” what you’re doing and expect any measure of success.  What you place in what we’ll call your “storage room” is your business and your business alone.  The only ones in the loop with you should be ones you can rely on absolutely to keep their mouths shut.

The Perfect Location For Your Cache

You must take time to find the ideal location on your property for your storage room.  Be advised: there are local cops, the Sheriff’s department, the IRS, ad infinitum ad nauseam…an endless “conga” line of creeps who can metamorphose and metastasize almost instantly overnight with a full-blown tyranny.  They have everything at their disposal courtesy of your tax dollars: infrared scanners, metal detectors, drug and bomb-sniffing canines, etc.

That said, if you think you are going to be able to hide something from them right next to the house, you had better think again.  They’ll sweep the entire area with a fine-toothed comb…with you there or with you in matching silver bracelets, being “chauffeured” to jail.  You can optimally hide your supplies by doing two things:

1.Throw them a bone

They must pick up something and can’t leave empty handed…I’m not talking about anything illegal, mind you, such as drugs or bombs.  I’m talking about if they wish to confiscate your weapons, etc. when the government morphs into tyranny.  Throwing them a bone means you should give them a few things.  One or two rifles, per se, and a couple of pistols, along with some ammo.

For anyone who disagrees with this and recites the “when they pry it from my cold, dead fingers” line, go ahead…they will.  They’ll either do that or worse.  You won’t be able to face them and defeat them head on.  It’s better to lose a small part than to lose it all.

If you can’t part with your firearms, consider hiding some less innocuous items like tools, food and/or old clothing.

2.Have your storage room in the most unlikely place to find it that you can.

You know your own property.  It’s going to be up to you to know these unlikely places, and whether it is feasible to use them.  Let’s go over some ideas and general spots:

• Near the septic tank: Yes, indeed, that septic tank can be a perfect cover for an “adjoining structure” in the form of a concrete tube or cubicle set into the ground right next to it. You can really make it look good by ensuring they both physically touch, and then throwing some cement in the “joint” to make it appear as if they’re one structure.
• Farthest points on the property: The “four corners” and adjacent spots…the greater the distance between the storage room and the house, the better.
• Surface running water camouflage: a small stream or creek flowing across your property? Stick that storage room under it.  You temporarily divert all or part of the creek…sink that storage room underground, and then allow the stream to return to its normal flow.  This method is best done with a “cache” rather than a walk-in storage room, for obvious reasons…you won’t be able to get to it rapidly.
• Under something innocuous: A children’s swing set, or a decorative fountain/goldfish pond in your front yard.
• Under/near a stone wall, panel partition, or fence: Not a “normative” place for the “normal” people to look.

There are several decisions you must make before you undertake all of this.  Most of them deal with structure and logistics.  How much stuff do you want to store, and what?  Are you going to close it off in the manner of a cache, or are you going to make it more accessible?  How much time and labor are you willing to put into it, along with money?  If someone else is building it…are they reliable in terms of keeping their mouths shut?  Even more: Will they take what you have if they are given the opportunity?  Or in a SHTF situation, might they “show up” on your doorstep to take what you have?

You can’t rule out any of these possibilities.  You may also want to screen off the area that is most visible while it is being built.  Part II we will have some diagrams for you to use and 3 different ideas for a storage vault/structure, modifiable by size and only limited by your imagination or the resources you can afford.  You’ll have to consider it all: the nosy neighbors, friends, and relatives, and the governmental “pests” in all their taxing and enforcing forms.  Until next time, keep your powder dry and well-hidden!  JJ out!

http://readynutrition.com/resources/what-is-the-best-location-for-a-cache-on-your-property_29052017/

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What to Do If You’re Attacked By a Dog, According to a Former Navy SEAL

Stephanie Lee

Hopefully, you’ll never be in a situation where you have to use these tips, but they might just come in handy to help you handle a dog attack. In this Business Insider video, a former Navy SEAL tells you what you need to know to protect yourself.

First, be very clear that the dog is really about to attack you. Use a shirt, jacket, or a purse to draw the dog’s attention from other vital body parts. If the dog pounces, most of us might reflexively put our arms in front of us to shield us from the dog. But Clint Emerson warns that you should bare only the outer part of the forearm and, if possible, wrap a shirt around your forearm for added protection. We want to protect the major arteries on the ulna and radial side at all costs.

If you need to fight back, Emerson advises literally punching the dog in the nose. The reason is, it’s a big target for you to hit. As he explains, when you’re under the threat and heightened stress of being attacked, it’s all you can manage to focus on “big movements by you to big targets on the dog.” The dog’s rib cage is also a sensitive area.

For more survival and safety tips on dog attacks, you can check out our article.

A Navy SEAL explains what to do if you’re attacked by a dog | Business Insider

http://lifehacker.com/what-to-do-if-youre-attacked-by-a-dog-according-to-a-f-1793233937

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Apocalypse island: Tech billionaires are building boltholes in New Zealand because they now fear social collapse or nuclear war. So what do they know that we don’t?

Some of America’s richest people are spending billions quietly preparing for a global Apocalypse and building boltholes in New Zealand. They include the billionaire hedge-fund pioneer Julian Robertson (third from left) and the Hollywood film director James Cameron (third from right).Others, like Mark Zuckerberg (far left) and Larry Ellison (far right), have chosen Hawaii. They fear nuclear war (inset) and the collapse of western civilisation. Steve Huffman (second from right), co-founder of Reddit, has had laser surgery because he does not want to rely on post-apocalyptic opticians.

By Tom Leonard In New York For The Daily Mail

You’re all set — your bags were packed long ago, there’s a dozen solid gold coins stashed inside your belt and a pistol strapped round your waist.

There’s no need to say goodbye to the wife and children as they’re already waiting for you 6,000 miles away in New Zealand, having slipped off quietly at the first whiff of global catastrophe.

Now, they’re making themselves comfortable in that fortress home you’ve spent years preparing. They’ve got store-loads of food and enough guns and ammunition to start World War III – which might, anyway, have begun by the time you arrive.

The high-powered motorbike you’ve never used is waiting outside to whisk you to the private airport where your plane sits waiting.

A helicopter-ride at the other end, pull up the drawbridge — yes, you have one — and you’re ready to wait, for years if necessary, for civilisation to return.

Never mind the warnings about stocking up on vegetables after awful weather has ravaged the Mediterranean farming belt. Some of America’s richest people are spending billions quietly preparing for a global Apocalypse.

The world of Doomsday survivalists or ‘Preppers’ — those preparing themselves for total social collapse — is usually associated with wild-eyed eco-beardies hiding in the woods.

Nuclear war is just one of the fears driving the billionaire ‘refugees’

But the existence of a very different group of Preppers was laid bare by a political row in New Zealand this week.

Attracted by a remote First World country that has the potential to be self-sufficient and is on no one’s list of nuclear targets, the super-rich kings of Silicon Valley and Wall Street are buying up vast tracts of its land — in anticipation of the day when they may need to live there.

The controversy has revealed the extraordinary precautions being taken by the mega- rich to ensure that WTSHTF — a crude survivalist acronym for ‘when the **** hits the fan’ — they and their loved ones will be safe and comfortable.

What the catastrophe will precisely be remains unclear, but possibilities include a devastating asteroid impact, giant earthquake, nuclear war, civil war, pandemic, zombie invasion and the Second Coming.

Tellingly, the geeks of Silicon Valley appear to be most worried that it will be a struggle between rich and poor in a world economy turned upside down by new technology — with them as the main targets.

The row in New Zealand involves scores of mega-rich Americans but has specifically centred on Peter Thiel, the billionaire founder of the internet payment system PayPal and an early investor in Facebook.

Thiel, a libertarian supporter of Donald Trump, paid $10million for a 477-acre lakeside estate in the country’s beautiful but isolated Southern Alps, which provided much of the staggering landscape in the Lord Of the Rings and Hobbit films.

Amid a public outcry over the invasion of U.S. internet and finance billionaires, the New Zealand government has released papers detailing the ‘exceptional circumstances’ under which the American tycoon was quietly given a New Zealand passport.

It is difficult to understand how this complied with the rules, including one that insists foreigners must live there for three years beforehand.

Mr Thiel has gushed about his ‘great pride’ in his new citizenship and how he has ‘found no other country that aligns more with my view of the future’.

Perhaps what he really meant was exposed, after one of his Silicon Valley chums, the venture capitalist Sam Altman, revealed that, at the first sign of global disaster, he and Thiel would fly to New Zealand.

Other uber-rich Americans who have recently bought homes there include the billionaire hedge-fund pioneer Julian Robertson and the Hollywood film director James Cameron.

Local estate agents say their U.S. clients rarely intend to live in New Zealand, but cite reasons for their purchases such as the toxic presidential election and the spate of mass shootings in America…

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4190322/Tech-billionaires-building-boltholes-New-Zealand.html#ixzz4XiP0GL8Q
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

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When The Rich Become Preppers, It’s Time To Worry

The social stigma to prepping is fast disappearing

by Chris Martenson

For over 10 years now, we’ve been openly advocating that folks take action to become more prepared should crisis arrive. And for a long time, this advice relegated us to being labeled “tin-foil hat doomsday preppers” (and other less-polite monikers). The media just couldn’t figure out any other box to put us in.

But now, the concept of taking at least some responsibility for your own future well-being by increasing your self-reliance is finally moving towards the mainstream.

Of course, government agencies have long ascribed to “situational planning” in case sudden unrest were to happen. Nations around the world have long invested in redundant supply chains, as well as well-stocked disaster ‘continuity caves’, fortresses and hardened facilities of all sorts.

It’s strikes us as puzzling that most private citizens fully expect their government to be prepared for disaster like this, yet don’t see similar wisdom in practicing a similar approach to preparation in their own life. In fact, many go so far as to denigrate and even mock their friends and neighbors who do.

Perhaps that gap between what’s considered acceptable in a public institution but not in a private home is best explained as abdication of personal responsibility. It happens a lot in our society. Live your life and let the government worry about the scary stuff. They’ll take care of us if something bad happens.

We think it’s a huge error in judgment (remember Katrina, anyone?), but we understand why it’s a convenient and comforting narrative to hold. Plus, it frees up a lot more time to shop at the big box stores and keep up on the Kardashians. Life’s more fun and stress-free…right up until some unexpected disruption occurs.

Well, we here at Peak Prosperity deeply believe in shouldering our own personal responsibility. And not just to protect our own private well-being, but also that of the communities we live in and depend on.

After all, Peak Prosperity’s mission is To create a world worth inheriting. You don’t do that simply waiting to see if the calvary is ever going to show up. You assume responsibility for your own destiny, and inspire others to do the same by offering your support and serving as a living model for others to emulate.

Those expecting/demanding the State to have high emergency preparedness while not practicing the same in their own lives lack integrity. Nobody respects a low-integrity person for very long. (Pro tip:  Don’t fly your personal jet to give a lecture on the importance of addressing climate change.)

A resilient nation is built from the bottom up, starting with resilient households. Enough of those households creates resilient neighborhoods, and those in turn lead to resilient towns and cities. And then counties, and states — you get the point.

So taking steps to be partially self-sufficient in the basics of life – food, warmth, shelter and water – and have useful experience or skills (medicine, fixing things, building, distilling, to name just a few) just makes sense. You don’t have to strive to be completely self-reliant — it’s not realistic or necessary. Just position yourself to reduce your lifestyle requirements during times of strife, and to contribute valued support to those whom in turn you ask for help.

Preparing Is Rapidly Going Mainstream

For years now, I’ve written that the highly wealthy people whom I encounter through conferences, family offices and private consultations all got the “bug out” vibe after the 2008 crash, if not before. Today, many of them are more thoroughly prepped than us regular folks can imagine.

Disaster prepping is now acceptable enough that this week’s article in The New Yorker had no trouble finding high-profile executives to talk to on record. I couldn’t help noticing that the reporter avoided inferring that these folks were crazy, or implying as much. I guess once a critical mass of super wealthy tech entrepreneurs jumps on the bandwagon it’s suddenly hip to be a prepper?

At any rate, if you haven’t already seen the article, it’s a real eye-opener:

Doomsday Prep For The Super-Rich

Jan 30, 2017

Steve Huffman, the thirty-three-year-old co-founder and C.E.O. of Reddit, which is valued at six hundred million dollars, was nearsighted until November, 2015, when he arranged to have laser eye surgery. He underwent the procedure not for the sake of convenience or appearance but, rather, for a reason he doesn’t usually talk much about: he hopes that it will improve his odds of surviving a disaster, whether natural or man-made. “If the world ends—and not even if the world ends, but if we have trouble—getting contacts or glasses is going to be a huge pain in the ass,” he told me recently. “Without them, I’m fucked.”

Huffman, who lives in San Francisco, has large blue eyes, thick, sandy hair, and an air of restless curiosity; at the University of Virginia, he was a competitive ballroom dancer, who hacked his roommate’s Web site as a prank. He is less focused on a specific threat—a quake on the San Andreas, a pandemic, a dirty bomb—than he is on the aftermath, “the temporary collapse of our government and structures,” as he puts it. “I own a couple of motorcycles. I have a bunch of guns and ammo. Food. I figure that, with that, I can hole up in my house for some amount of time.”…

 

more…

 

 

https://www.peakprosperity.com/blog/106792/when-rich-become-preppers-its-time-worry

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Social Tensions Continue to Rise – Here’s What To Do In Case of Civil Unrest or Rioting

by Anna Hunt, Offgrid Outpost

There’s no denying that a majority of Americans succumb to herd mentality, especially when they get fired up about something. People who can be easily influenced by their peers and adopt the behaviors of others are particularly dangerous when an event, such as a sporting or political event, creates mass discontent or passionate public response. These can quickly turn into riots and civil unrest. Then, the herd turns into a mob.

The 2016 Presidential Election has created division and social tensions among the American people. This is compounded with already growing conflict throughout American communities due to the perceived lack of racial equality and a streak of police violence. It seems the fire is ready for the stocking. These days, it’s not hard to expect a seemingly harmless event, such as a peaceful protest or well-publicized trial, to turn into a riot or wide-spread civil unrest. Take a look at what happened when thousands of peaceful protesters at Occupy Oakland are infiltrated by a small group of violent hooligans.

Recipe for Violence

It is easy to blame an event, certain individuals, and even social tensions when a riot breaks out. But let’s face it, many people in the United States seem fed up, angry or easily provoked. Any social leader or organization with an agenda can take advantage of this, especially if they understand mob mentality. They realize that when riled up, people will make rash decisions. They will go with the flow, even if violent, even if they don’t really know why they are rioting.

Then there’s the allure of being able to loot and pillage during a riot with a certain degree of anonymity. This attracts certain types of people who will take advantage of a situation, caring little if their actions create hostility among others. Herd mentality will once again come into play, as others start to engage in criminal activities and begin to feel that they are entitled to also materially benefit from the situation.

Law enforcement is also part of the equation. Numerous negative public encounters between the U.S. public and the police have placed law enforcement under much scrutiny. Some even question what side police officers are really on. Take the Standing Rock protests as an example. Militarized police in battle dress stormed peaceful protesters’ camps with LRAD sonic weapons, attack dogs, tear gas, tazers, and even live ammunition. The riot gear that is now the standard uniform when working during demonstrations and protests give the police a menacing and unapproachable appearance. This does not discourage violence and aggression. It almost makes it more likely to happen.

Put individuals with agendas, criminal opportunists and militarized police in once place, and you have a recipe for violence.

What To Do If You are Caught Up in a Riot

Respectable and non-violent people will want to continue participating in protests and organized events that might escalate tensions among groups of individuals. By all means, people should have the right to stand up for what they believe and make their voices heard. Yet, it is smart to be prepared if you happen to be attending an event that turns violent or are at the wrong place at the wrong time.

So what can an innocent bystander do when caught up in a riot?

If you are on the street where a riot has started:

• Be prepared to defend yourself. Stay alert
• If you are in a place that would attract looters, leave as soon as possible.
• If you are in a safe place inside a building, stay there. Locate the emergency exits in case you need to leave quickly.
• If you need to take refuge somewhere, make sure it will not attract looters and has more than one exit.
• Avoid looking like you have anything that someone would want.
• Take the first opportunity you can to leave and go home. If the police are involved, they will most often than not have at least one exit path for anyone wanting to run away.

If the riot is outside of your home, lock yourself in and prepare to shelter-in-place. Be prepared to bug out and, if possible, have an alternate exit in mind.If the riot is outside your home, or moving towards it.

• If you have received notice that a violent mob is headed towards your home, decide ahead of time what you would prefer to do: shelter-in-place or evacuate. This way you will have all the proper supplies on hand.
• If you stay in your home, be prepared to leave at any moment. Prepare a bug out bag.
• Have a quality fire extinguisher on hand.
• Be prepared to defend yourself/family/property. Have a plan.
• Connect with your neighbors and plan how you can mutually help each other. As a group, you are also more likely to be able to help out others who are more vulnerable, such as children and the elderly.
• Keep an adequate supply of emergency food (store at a minimum a 72 hour supply of food for your whole family) and a quality first aid kit. This is especially important if you live in a heavily populated urban area.
• Have a battery-powered radio available to keep you informed even if the power goes out due to vandalism.

If a riot escalates to wide-spread civil unrest.

• When you are forced to leave your home or your safe-house, make sure you have a plan in place for what to do in case you cannot return. This will keep your family and/or neighbors less worried.
• Check the local news or radio broadcast often, so you know if you need to stay clear of certain areas. Stay informed while you are out and about.
• Avoid going to public areas, heavily populated areas, such as malls and shopping centers, or parts of town where tensions are high.
• Don’t wear any flashy clothes or show off anything valuable.

Feel free to share your ideas of what else you can do to keep yourself and your family safe in case of a riot or civil unrest.

Like Offgrid Outpost on Facebook. Follow Offgrid Outpost on Twitter.

About the Author

Anna Hunt is co-owner of OffgridOutpost.com, an online store offering GMO-free healthy storable food and emergency kits. She is also the staff writer for WakingTimes.com. Anna is a certified Hatha yoga instructor and founder of Atenas Yoga Center. She enjoys raising her children and being a voice for optimal human health and wellness. Visit her essential oils store here. Visit Offgrid Outpost on Facebook.

This article (Social Tensions Continue to Rise – Here’s What To Do In Case of Civil Unrest or Rioting) was originally created and published by emergency food supplier Offgrid Outpost and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to author Anna Hunt and OffgridOutpost.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution and this copyright statement. Please contact online@offgridoutpost.com for more info.

https://www.offgridoutpost.com/survival-tips/social-tensions-continue-to-rise-heres-what-to-do-in-case-of-civil-unrest-or-rioting/

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Preppers Need to Continuously Practice Situational Awareness

By Guest Contributor

Editor’s Note: This post is another entry in the Prepper Writing Contest from Shirley. If you have information for Preppers that you would like to share and possibly win a $300 Amazon Gift Card to purchase your own prepping supplies, enter today.

We’ve all been guilty of it at one time or another…our mobile phone rings as we’re exiting a store and, for one reason or another, we decide to continue talking to the caller rather than opting to “call them back”.  As a result, our attention is not 100% focused on our surroundings as we navigate our way through the parking lot to our vehicle. Normally, having our attention diverted to “something else”—even if it’s only to a voice in cyber-space—is “no big deal”. It’s the kind of thing that if we dared mention it to our teens, we’d very likely get the “roll of the eyes” or  “that look” which is commiserate with “whateeeeever, Mom….”

This is one thing that kids just “don’t seem to GET” these days: the need to be AWARE of their surroundings AT ALL TIMES—not JUST when their “public” isn’t screaming for their attention! That is one of the main problems with social media—it sidetracks attention—if only “momentarily”—from the here-and-now.

Most of us have heard about or actually read for ourselves the accounts of people—mainly women, of course—being mugged in parking lots. Frequently, they’ve had infants/children in tow who’ve distracted them, or they were struggling with parcels or other purchases. Perhaps they weren’t even aware of the panel-van that was strategically-parked alongside their car—the sliding-door of the van positioned right beside their driver’s-side door. In barely an instant, the woman is abducted, leaving her child/children abandoned.

We are, essentially, losing an entire generation to the lure and glamour of social media.

Why is situational awareness important?

In a perfect world, all children would learn—and practice—what’s known as “situational awareness”. They would all instinctively know what to do—and the reason for the need—that when they enter a new place that they visually scan the room for fire extinguishers, make mental note of ALL of the room’s potential “exits”, consider if there are any potential “threats” in the room, including unsavory people or any persons who might be dressed in a way that “doesn’t jibe” with either the weather or what others are wearing.

Case in point: several of the “school -shooters” were garbed in long trench-coats on warm, sunny days when such apparel was really inappropriate. The appearance of such an outer-garment SHOULD HAVE alerted someone, as it was unnatural and illogical for someone to be wearing such as that. The truth is, that several “someones” probably DID notice the in-congruence of it, but theyfailed to say anything to anyone about it and their failure to do so resulted in the deaths of many innocents, indeed, they themselves may have become a statistic due to their inattentiveness or lack of appreciation of the importance of their observation…

more…

http://www.theprepperjournal.com/2016/09/14/preppers-need-continuously-practice-situational-awareness/

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