(0950)

dddd

11. India, via IYE in comments

(0815)(0816)

 

When it suddenly stops

Chap called Fernando Nikolic:

“I was there yesterday when Spain went dark. It took less than an hour for panic to set in. Cash became, surprisingly, worthless. Here’s what actually happens when the systems break:

No internet. No phone service. No warning. Within an hour, lines were already forming at supermarkets and gas stations. People didn’t wait for answers and just acted on instinct.

Then, the rumors. Someone said it was a cyberattack. Others said the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, and Greece were also hit. There was no way to confirm anything. Fear spread faster than facts.

I went to grab supplies. It didn’t matter if you even had cash. Stores couldn’t give change. If you only had a €50 bill for a €5 item, you either handed it over or walked away with nothing.

I didn’t have a radio at home. The only way to get updates was to walk to my car, turn on the radio, and listen there. It was the only working source of information.

One thing became obvious: The more centralized the system, the more fragile it is. The Iberian Peninsula’s interconnected grid turned a local issue into a regional blackout within minutes.

The power eventually came back. But the illusion didn’t. It doesn’t take days, or even hours, for society to start unraveling. It takes minutes.

Decentralize what you can. Keep basic tools around. Don’t assume the systems you rely on will always be there. Yesterday made that very clear.

Modern systems are fragile. Most people won’t see it until it breaks.”

…….

Thoughts:

There was a film: The Day the Earth Stood Still … there are also “prepper” sites around, the more experienced authors actually having land with large water tanks etc.

Chap above said power came back on after an hour … I’m thinking many at home would wait for that to happen. I have my own supply for a short time, during which I’d post a message here, not that it would make a lot of difference unless you also had power or were in a different land.

Probably wise to stock up slowly on tinned/canned food, water bottles.

Defence … this would be your next consideration … marauders, esp. of a certain kind, though any marauder is a problem. Therefore you have some decisions to make … ahead of time. I’d not put anything in comments here about your defensive measures … stasi of course is the main issue.

I’d say this though … better to have layered defences, from perimeter inwards, not physically requiring you on the outer layers.

Loo roll … not a consideration to be sniffed at.

 

(0506)(0630)

9. Boat people

8. Downunder

7. Steve at 1034

• Tariff War: How China, the EU, Mexico, and Canada Rely on the US
• California Democrats Block Legislation to Make Sex Trafficking of Minors a Felony
• [JH: Pammy still tackling lowhanging fruit]
• Revenge Porn Bill Backed by First Lady Melania Trump Passes House 409-2
• Executive Order Holds Sanctuary Cities Accountable for Violating Federal Immigration Law
• Bezos Backtracks – Denies Reports that Amazon will Display China Tariff Costs
• Scott Bessent Says Tariff Income Could be Used for Income Tax Relief “Immediately”
• Military Situation In [The] Ukraine On April 29, 2025
• Cancer mRNA “vaccines” will be distributed to vital organs, cause severe heart damage
• Moderators facing abuse at Meta’s new ‘secret site’
• [Sleazy Indian Rep] behind the newest Articles of Impeachment against Trump
• Much more.

6. DAD at 1034

a) Macron has let an epidemic of violence grip France.

b) On April 21, a truck driver returning from Spain was robbed in Vitrolles (Bouches-du-Rhône) by several individuals. But in a unique development, the theft was then reported to the police… by the traffickers themselves.

c) Trump-allied prosecutor accused the Wikimedia Foundation of engaging in activities that are “implicating the national security and the interests of the United States.”

d) [JH: Clip on X was JH Brewer arguing with “trans” who was word-salad making.]

DAD: How does one argue with him/her/it/them/bi ?

5. Steve from his comment yesterday

Just read about the F/A-18 Super Hornet that went for a swim in the Red Sea. Apparently a deck tractor went with it too so the USS Harry S. Truman is missing one of those as well. Swerving to avoid an incoming Houthi missile put the flight deck over a tad steep to hold the jet and over she went. They’re about $72 million a pop. Doesn’t mention how much the tractors are …

4. Toodles

A commenter, Robin Sheri, from one of Steve’s links regarding power outages in Spain:

(0213)(0334)

 

3. Climate loonery

2. Fair amount of ill feeling in Oz

Two surveys put it just under 70% to stop all WTC now. This also:

1. Snippets

• The criminal TX house just passed a bill to make memes and mean tweets illegal. This is beyond Orwellian! @GregAbbott_TX must confirm he will veto this bill if it gets to his desk!
• Canada, the country so directionless it’s importing leadership now.
• Why is it so hard for Bondi to investigate Act Blue?
• Kelly Paul isn’t the church going innocent that they make her out to be. She works off and on for a lobbying firm, and as a consultant for The Strategy Group for Media. She bought stock in 2020 in a covid drug with only 14 cases in the US.
• Democrat lawyer Stanley Woodward, an Obama and Act Blue Donor, who never donated to Donald Trump, whose wife Kristin McGough is a legal advocate for illegal aliens and immigrants and has pronouns in her bio, is the Trump nominee for Associate Attorney General at the DOJ.
• U.S. politician Valentina Gomez stormed a M*sl*m protest in Texas, seized the microphone, and shouted, “*sl*m is the religion of rpe, incst, and p*dophilia…
• In Thessaloniki, Armenians and Greeks marched and prayed side by side to commemorate Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.
• Kamala Harris wants to give a pay-per-view speech about President Trump s first 100 days – to raise $ for Emerge, a Democratic group that trains women to run for public office.
• Why did Starmer sign a letter opposing the deportation of a Jamaican criminal who raped a 15 year old girl?
• Canadians reelected Sean Fraser who destroyed our immigration system, and Chrystia Freeland who destroyed our finances. Why?
• Premier Smith unveils major updates to the Citizen Initiative Act. Now, only 177,000 signatures are needed to trigger a referendum on Alberta independence, down from 600,000. Plus, the signature collection period extends from 90 to 120 days.
• Alberta’s GDP per capita is ~40% higher than Canadian avg.
• Nicole Schwab is extensively co-operating with prosecutors in the crimes against humanity case against key figures.
• “I live here in the Central Valley, and it was raining a couple minutes ago. Can anyone explain the blue water?” He shows multiple buckets of water. California has 3 major cloud seeding programs in the Central Valley area.