#affordable underground bunkers for sale | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

gravelgirty · 3 years ago

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Hi could you talk more about caves what you said on that post is really interesting

Sure thing!

First of all, it was an amazing cave I worked in. You never forget that. I'll pick one of my favorite topics,

the FALLOUT SHELTER AGGRAVATION TAX.

Clears throat.

Limestone caves are literally stone libraries in the geologic record of the world. Twice a year the airflow would change and then you'd smell smoke from decrepit old torches dating as far back as 1812. People made saltpeter in these caves, they were natural mines for things that went boom, and one of those 'requirements' meant airflow so you wouldn't suddenly and embarrassingly, drop dead of too much Underground. This is why the coal miners were eternally bemused and asking us questions like airflow. Sometimes you gotta canary. Sometimes you are the canary. This often led to predictable questions that was these old gents trying to be polite, but what they really wanted to know was,

'why the hell are you being paid $10 a trip plus tips to walk us 1.1 miles underground up to 3 times a day and no one has a mortgage gun aimed at your head?'

To which I would say, 'it wasn't quite that bad. If no one shows up at all we get paid $10.' ...Dear Saint Barbara, Chango, and the Gods of Deep Mystery, the things we tell ourselves. $10 a day. Crap. Thank goodness I had Granny's House, dad was paying the property tax, the water was on a well, and garbage was less that $20 a month. A shame we can't afford a TV, but hey, we can stay busy digging up that quarter-acre garden that will keep us fed plus the road kill Deer in the fall.

But the conditions that created saltpeter (I'll go into depth on that later if people are interested) also convinced some weird-ass people in Washington DC that caves were the perfect place to do a DR STRANGELOVE and people could go hide out in the caves, free of...well, nothing, really, because radiation = straight lines +caves, air, irradiated air and water, and everything goes down into the caves...

Look. It made people feel safe, ok? And it wasn't the worst decision the Pentagon ever made, considering they were telling the scientists working with HOT RADIOACTIVE MATTER to stay safe by sticking the stuff on a long pole so they wouldn't have to touch it.

Everybody knows about the bomb shelter President Kennedy was prepared to run to with his family in case of Cold War. It was in the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs (I prefer to think of it as the HIDDEN FIGURES birthplace). FYI everybody who lived here knew where it was. There are only so many power stations one measly little resort that cries that it can't afford to pay for its own water bill can keep.

[insert sniffle boohoo sobbing of the pro-confederates who run that place and while I can't be there for you, try to imagine the joy I am stockpiling for the day when we have another traitorous uprising and this time, the resort doesn't get a GO PASS GO by dangerous romantics and is finally burned to the ground.]

Anyway, the important people like the President, his family, his Secret Service, his staff, cook, maid-in-waiting, bootblack and et al got to go bunker down in the luxurious bomb shelter at the resort, which probably wouldn't be very resort-y after a certain point of Castro going, 'fuck you, you whippersnapper Irish Dog' or Khrushchev throwing a little more than his shoe around. I'm not convinced it was that great of a place to hide, really. I mean...they have lightning rods on the trees over there, and believe it or not, cavers in that country have been hit by lightning while underground. Because. Lightning. If it can bake entire acres of potatoes in the field, two subterranean surveyors with metal measuring tape haven't got a prayer.

I want you to know that I can't at this point go into detail (space restrictions) on the importance of all these caves to Union Sympathizers, slaves on the Underground Railroad, and the Far-Righter MAGAS called Confederates. Trust me when I say, if you didn't know where these caves were, you had absolutely no right to know.

In Appalachia, limestone caves were listed on properties and handed down because of their value. Thomas Jefferson made a point of making sure there were lots of caves to provide nitre for the Gunpowder Committee. I don't know if landowners had to pay taxes for having saltpeter caves (probably), but when the Cold War came around, they definitely and cheerfully sold the access rights to the government because...it was the government. I am not in the least bit joking when I tell you there are people over there who are still pissed off over George Washington's Whiskey Rebellion.

If you really want to get into the psyche of Appalachians, go read up every scene Terry Pratchett ever wrote about Lancre in his Discworld books. Just give them more libraries and a LOT of coffee stations.

Oh, dear. I forgot all about the owling and the Prohibition.

Owling = the practice of moving your herds of cattle from one ridge to the next to avoid a higher payment when the taxman came a-calling.

Prohibition = The Second Oldest Profession.

These days, many of the Fallout Shelter caves are being used for...modern needs. Meth labs, if you're a sensationalist, but if you aren't, bear in mind that hiding out stolen cattle and horses still requires big places out in the middle of nowhere. But when Mr. Gov't Man came around and offered cash for the access rights to grand-daddy's old saltpetre cave? Goodness gracious, we know we aren't supposed to take people's money from them because that's a sin, but...taxes...you know how it is... (most of the mountain folk had no real quarrel with Kennedy despite his heathen dog Catholicism because it wasn't his fault he was brought up Catholic, but when it came to the government...well, it was the principle of the thing).

In short order papers were drawn, and shelters were built and good god, they were ugly. Clapboard shantytowns, I swear. They were stockpiles whacked together with off-brand plank and tenpenny nails for where the selected few could bunker up in the cozy, damp, dripping, chilly, dusty, sneezy, probably-warm-from-stray-radiation environs. I have no idea who the Pentagon hated enough that they would send them to these caves. They had a bottleneck opening for easy defense, yes, but there was no defense against puking yourself to death or accidentally taking off your own skin with your uniform at the end of your shift.

YOU THINK I"M KIDDING?? YOU THINK IT IS A COINCIDENCE THAT CLASSIC DR WHO SHOWS DALEK HISTORY IN AN OLD STONE QUARRY? WELCOME ABOARD!

A fallout shelter's stockpile generally consisted of

*High-quality medical equipment, even though some of that stuff had a shelf life of three minutes.

*Radio Equipment. Which was probably a real belly laugh to the folks running the NARO satellite dishes up in Green Bank, because families in the most rural portion of WV (Pocahontas County) spent their evenings parsing Latin and teaching the young lads and lasses the wonders of shortwave and how to rig up your own crystals in case you needed to jackleg your own.

*Food. God. Awful. Food. It was designed to keep you alive, but you can't say anything more charitable about it. Honestly, I'm surprised nobody tried to corner a government contract on dehydrated water.

*Water. Potable water for drinking, but, I should say, I couldn't find any means with which you could make a potable distillery. Or, how much of this potable water was going to be used to rehydrate the ghastly awfulness of the dehydrated food, or the canned goods that included stuff the military couldn't wait to forget. Go ask your grandparents how much canned horse Circa WWII they ate while they served, m'kay?

*Candy. High energy, easily digestible candy. Flavor optional, at the discretion of the same government that made the WWII Chocolate Bar.

*The containers themselves. Yep, they counted. They were heavy metal barrels and tough buckets or small drums, plus the amazingly dense metal and plastic containers for medical kits, candy, and misc. I'm not sure if they had a requirement other than impervious, waterproof, and on sale. In fact, the smaller drums/buckets were supposed to be lined with the plastic used to wrap the other goods, and convert into a toilet.

Cold War comes and goes. I'm sure what happened next is shocking:

1) medical supplies goes missing in the dead of night.

2) Electronics follows. That probably makes the electricians feel good, because...what good would they have done in the wet, dust-filled atmosphere of the caves?

3) Candy. Candy, did you say? I don't remember seeing any candy..?

4) The gradual disappearance of the food rations is mysteriously in proportion to camping trips multitasking with double-dog-dares. Who needs a frat pledge if Freckles here has never been introduced to the joys of Dehydrated Ketchup?

5) If you think the backyard blacksmiths are making forges with tire rims, do you think metal containers stand a chance?

This leaves the barrels of water, but who would want to drink that stuff? It's been sitting around for how long? Ew. And the boards for those shelters...cripes.

This inadvertently makes up a tiny little side bonus for the hard-working tour guide. Because these shelters are usually ridiculously close to the entrance of the tour caves. You have to take your tour group in stages, see, and once they finish gasping and wheezing their way through the first 300 steps, you have to take their minds off how miserable they are and pause at the shelter with your flashlight, and describe this little chapter of history. By this time the bats are hanging off the boards (your chance to remind them of the exorbitant federal fines for hurting these little mosquito-hunters), the occasional lost salamander, and the beginnings of the Dreaded Cave Cricket (ten minutes with these little monsters and you'll never think pink is an effete color ever again).

And the mold. There are patches of mold the guides have been watching for YEARS. Some of them have even bothered to look them up, because...tourists. They love to stump the guides and use it as an excuse for not tipping you because you haven't taken a Master's in The Encompassing Topic of Karst Everything and are clearly a dumbass, hah-hah I'll spend my money in the overpriced gift shop, peasant.

But no, folks. If you ask them one more damn time if they're sure all the candy and drugs are gone...we're too tired to take your bleeping bleep bleep tip anyway.

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architectnews · 4 years ago

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Elthorne Village Hanwell, Ealing Property

Elthorne Village Hanwell Property, Trumpers Way Housing, Ealing Homes, New West London Architecture

Elthorne Village Hanwell, Ealing Housing

5 May 2021

Peterhead Court Ealing Residential Development

Design: Patel Taylor Architects

Location: Trumpers Way, Hanwell, Borough of Ealing, west London, England, UK

MHA instructs agents for the sale of Elthorne Village, Hanwell

London: 05 May 2021 – MHA London has today announced the appointment of Allsop and Colliers to market its mixed-use residential-led development, Elthorne Village. Located on Trumpers Way, Hanwell, in the bustling and increasingly popular borough of Ealing, Elthorne Village creatively combines attractive quality residential (Elthorne Place) and commercial use (Elthorne Works) on one site.

This exceptional co-location scheme has been sensitively designed by award-winning Patel Taylor Architects to reflect the site’s industrial heritage, whilst embracing the adjacent green space of the neighbouring park. Planning permission was secured by MHA London for the redevelopment of this long underutilised industrial site in July 2020.

Offering 149,812 sq ft of mixed private/affordable residential space, Elthorne Place will deliver 213 beautifully designed dwellings comprised of 75 one-bedroom, 115 two-bedroom and 15 three-bedroom apartments, along with an additional eight three-bedroom townhouses which will have access to both private and communal amenity space. Underground parking is also included at 0.5 spaces per residential unit.

Elthorne Works will provide 43,432 sq ft of extensive modern, light and flexible workspace, with the opportunity for an incoming purchaser to possibly benefit from the new Class E ‘Commercial Business and Service’ use class which covers a wide range of uses including: retail, financial and professional services, cafés and restaurants, offices, health centres, nurseries and recreation to name a few.

With a guide price of £22 million for the entire project, although the residential and commercial elements may be sold separately, the development offers a rare opportunity to acquire a development site of approximately 0.77 hectares with views over Brent River Park and Elthorne Park. The surrounding area comprises a mixture of residential houses and apartments, light industrial accommodation and community parkland while nearby Hanwell, West Ealing and Boston Manor provide an array of amenities including supermarkets, shops, restaurants, bars and cafés.

Hossein Abedinzadeh, Founder of MHA London commented on the sale: “This project offers a rare combination of a fantastic location opposite a park, off-street parking, as well as easy access to both Crossrail and the Piccadilly Line – a truly unique development.”

Andrew Boyd, partner at Allsop commented: “Elthorne Village provides an appealing investment opportunity in a well-established area of west London. With cutting-edge design, excellent transport links, including access to Crossrail services from Hanwell Station and a potential to create a variety of on-site facilities, it represents a compelling offering for investors and developers.”

Andrew White, Head of Residential at Colliers added: “Elthorne Village is located in an increasingly popular part of the capital, with good commuter links and amenities close by. These type of opportunities are rare at the moment and our client has secured a fantastic consent, designed by an award winning architect.”

Patel Taylor

Elthorne Village Hanwell, Ealing Housing Development images / information received 050521

Location: Trumpers Way, Hanwell, Ealing, west London, England, UK

Ealing Residential Development

Peterhead Court , Golf Links Estate, Southall, Borough of Ealing, west London, England, UK Design: AHR image Courtesy architects practice Peterhead Court Ealing Housing

New Homes in Southall Architects: Assael Architecture image Courtesy architecture office New Homes in Ealing

West London Residential Property

West London Houses

Duke’s Avenue House, Chiswick Architects: IBLA photo : Brotherton Lock Contemporary House in London

Brexit Bunker, Kensal rise, North West London Design: RISE Design Studio photo : Edmund Sumner Brexit Bunker

London Architecture

London Architecture Design – chronological list

London Architecture Walking Tours by e-architect

London Architect

Comments / photos for the Peterhead Court Ealing Housing Development design by Patel Taylor Architects page welcome

The post Elthorne Village Hanwell, Ealing Property appeared first on e-architect.

#e-architect

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theironphoenyx · 5 years ago

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💸- If you had a billion dollars and could only spend it, what would you buy first?

I'd buy $50 Million worth of liquid assest such as diamonds, gold, platinum, Visa Giftcards, etc. Basically anything that wouldn't massively depreciate in value in so that I could turn around and get at least that much back to live on for the rest of my life.

The rest I'd spend on paying off student loans and medical bills for anyone and everyone I could, then buy up and flip all of the for sale houses in my area, make them massively affordable for low-income familes, mortgage-free.

The rest I'd donate to charities like Doctors Without Borders, Feed My Starving Children, Habitat for Humanity, that sort of thing.

Then, because I'm selfish, I'd buy a bigass house, put a military-grade bunker under it with enough space, food, water, and supplies/equipment to survive 50 years underground for myself and at least 15 other people.

Also a retro video arcade.

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nightmare-afton-cosplay · 4 years ago

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Jeffrey Epstein’s Palm Beach Mansion Is This Week’s Most Popular Home

realtor.com

One of the country’s most infamous homes went up for sale this week, and the clicks soon followed.

The Palm Beach, FL, mansion of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein listed for $22 million, and the sheer curiosity it inspired made it the week’s most popular home on realtor.com®.

The disgraced financier died in jail a year ago, while facing an array of criminal charges. Two of his properties—one in Florida, the other in New York—just went on the market.

The Palm Beach home is the less expensive of the two, and the images available are limited to a handful of shots of the mansion’s exterior. This lack of listing photos, however, didn’t stop gawkers from taking a peek at the property.

Just a couple miles north of Mar-a-Lago, the waterfront mansion was designed by John Volk, an architect of the mid-20th century who helped to define Palm Beach’s signature style.

While Palm Beach remains popular with luxury buyers, it will be interesting to see whether anyone will be able to look past the home’s most recent owner.

Aside from Epstein’s mansion, you also clicked on the country’s most expensive home, the second-oldest home in Indiana, and a marvelous modern farmhouse in Oklahoma.

We also saw the return of the wild underground bunker lurking below Las Vegas—an ideal property for 2020.

For a full look at all of this week’s most popular properties, simply scroll on down…

10. 1 Cedar Glade, Corydon, IN

Price: $795,000

Why it’s here: Built in 1808 and known as Cedar Glade, this is the second-oldest residence in Indiana.

Only three families have owned this property over its two-century history. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the grounds include a walkway, patio, gazebo, circular drive, and freshly painted original barn.

The five-bedroom main house is in Federal style and offers more than 7,000 square feet of living space.

Corydon, IN

realtor.com

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9. 511 Mohegan Avenue Pkwy, Waterford, CT

Price: $449,900

Why it’s here: This waterfront three-bedroom Colonial was built in 1900 and underwent a complete remodel in 1985.

It’s been regularly updated ever since, and is located on a waterfront half-acre with lovely views. Its highlights include a custom kitchen, walkout lower level, Tiki bar, patio, and dock.

Waterford, CT

realtor.com

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8. 67 Beverly Park Ct, Beverly Hills, CA

Price: $160,000,000

Why it’s here: This is the most expensive piece of property in the country. The 20-bedroom estate comes with nearly 10 acres in the nation’s most prestigious ZIP code.

Beverly Hills, CA

realtor.com

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7. 6819 Northway Dr, Roanoke, VA

Price: $150,000

Why it’s here: Affordable and stylish! According to the listing details, this chic midcentury modern house has been featured in the pages of House Beautiful magazine.

Built in 1956, the three-bedroom home features a stone fireplace, huge windows, and a wraparound porch.

Roanoke, VA

realtor.com

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6. 1675 Rochester Rd, Addison Township, MI

Price: $460,000

Why it’s here: This was on our list of 10 private islands you can buy right now. Set in the middle of a lake, the tiny island comes with a three-bedroom home built in 1951.

There’s also a steel bridge to the island, as well as a cable trolley to move freight between the island and the mainland.

Addison Township, MI

realtor.com

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5. 3970 Spencer St, Las Vegas, NV

Price: $18,000,000

Why it’s here: Known as the “Vegas Bunker House,” this one-of-a-kind residence peaked in popularity a couple of years ago, when it initially came on the market. Thanks to the pandemic, interest in the subterranean dwelling is percolating again.

The space includes a 5,000-square-foot house, a 450-square foot guesthouse, and murals that mimic the sky and nature views. It’s a funky fortress for those who want to be truly prepared.

Las Vegas

realtor.com

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4. 902 Township Road 262, Fostoria, OH

Price: $715,000

Why it’s here: With more than 7,000 square feet of living space, this huge home includes upgrades like a sunroom, a two-sided fireplace, a custom kitchen, and walkout basement.

The roomy, traditional house is set on 5 rolling acres.

Fostoria, OH

realtor.com

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3. 11101 S. Czech Hall Rd, Mustang, OK

Price: $699,999

Why it’s here: Only two years old, it’s exactly what today’s buyers desire.

Built in 2018, this four-bedroom modern farmhouse is on a nearly 6-acre lot. Fine finishes and custom details throughout the home combine to make it a Pinterest-perfect home.

Mustang, OK

realtor.com

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2. 550 W. Possum Rd, Springfield, OH

Price: $415,000

Why it’s here: Near the Possum Woods sits this lovely blue Colonial built in 1904.

The five-bedroom home includes a finished attic, original wood flooring, and a walkout basement. We’re particularly enamored with the enclosed porch on the second floor. A fenced yard features an above-ground pool next to a four-car garage with woodshop.

For a buyer looking to spread out, there’s an additional 2.5 acres available for purchase.

Springfield, OH

realtor.com

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1. 358 El Brillo Way, Palm Beach, FL

Price: $21,995,000

Why it’s here: Infamy drives clicks. The former mansion of the notorious Jeffrey Epstein landed on the market, and curious gawkers wanted a look.

The listing photos of the palatial spread don’t offer much, simply showcasing the exterior of the estate.

It’s located in one of the country’s most prestigious towns, and we’ll keep an eye out to see if anyone wants to buy a home with substantial baggage.

Palm Beach, FL

realtor.com

The post Jeffrey Epstein’s Palm Beach Mansion Is This Week’s Most Popular Home appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

from https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/jeffrey-epstein-former-palm-beach-mansion-most-popular/

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monkeyandelf · 5 years ago

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Super-rich go to bunkers amid coronavirus pandemic

Like hundreds of thousands of people around the world, the super-rich are preparing to isolate themselves in the face of an escalation in the crisis of the coronavirus. But their plans go far beyond the stock of hand sanitizers.

The richest people in the world are chartering private jets to leave for vacation homes or bunkers specially prepared in countries that, so far, seem to have prevented the worst of the coronavirus outbreak (Covid-19). Many are said to be taking doctors or nurses on their flights to treat them and their families in case they become infected. The wealthy are also besieging doctors at private clinics on Harley Street, London and around the world, demanding private tests for coronavirus. To avoid limited testing facilities, the United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS) said it would only test people with a “high chance” of having the disease - meaning people who have had close contact with a confirmed case or have recently been to a high-risk country. Mark Ali, chief executive and medical director of the Harley Street Private Clinic, said: This has led to a huge demand from very wealthy people, asking if they could pay for private tests. Unfortunately, we cannot offer tests, as the NHS has stated that all tests must be done centrally. The Department of Health and Social Care has determined that all tests must be performed by the NHS and Public Health England (PHE). However, an employee at another Harley Street clinic, who declined to be identified, said his clinic had arranged for concerned customers to be tested in other countries or for samples to be sent abroad for testing. There, a cardiovascular surgeon, said his clients had asked for vaccination against Covid-19, although scientists said it would take at least a year before the vaccine was developed. Ali said: certainly fired up people’s reactions. We have given a lot general flu vaccines and consultations to people wanting to talk in detail about their health and lifestyle. Ali said his clinic was also offering the worried wealthy an intravenous infusion of vitamins and minerals to boost their immune systems. He reported: We know that 90% of adults have a vitamin deficiency - what better to improve it than an IV immune booster? An intravenous infusion ensures instant and optimal delivery of these nutrients to the cells of the body and the nutrients must include vitamins such as vitamin C, vitamin B12 complex, glutathione, zinc and essential amino acids such as arginine, taurine, lysine and citrulline. Ken Langone, co-founder of the chain Home Depot, knew where to turn when seeking medical advice on the outbreak. The 84-year-old billionaire called an executive and scientist at NYU Langone Health, the New York hospital named after him and which he chairs. He told the Bloomberg: What they told me about people who are smarter than me in the disease is: ‘Right now, it’s bad flu’. Adam Twidell, chief executive of the private jet reservation service PrivateFly, said his company continues to see a jump in reserves, while wealthy people organize evacuation flights from high-risk countries. He said: Many are from groups that include elderly passengers or people with health problems that particularly concern them with exposure to crowds on airline flights. We just took a group back to London from the south of France, with an immunocompromised passenger on board. Twidell said other wealthy customers were organizing flights outside the UK and other European countries, before the possible introduction of quarantine measures across the country, following Italy's lead. Quintessentially, the concierge for millionaires, he said members who could not afford private jets had requested access to private airport waiting rooms to avoid the risk of interacting with large numbers of people traveling. A company spokesman said: People who are traveling commercially are choosing to book elite services at airports, not in their typical first-class lounge. For example, private terminals where guests are welcomed and given their own suite. Check-in, customs and security are done privately and guests are taken to the aircraft doors. Members can request that the pier be cleared to minimize interactions with other passengers en route to the seat. Quintessentially said one of its members had converted his home into a "military-style bunker" and was refusing visitors unless they could provide detailed records of his movements and contacts. Robert Vicino, founder and chief executive of Vivos Group, a California company that builds underground shelters designed to withstand a range of natural disasters and catastrophes, said its company has seen an increase in consultations and sales since the crisis occurred. Vivos has converted one bunker of the Cold War in Indiana in accommodation for 80 people and offers space in 575 bunkers of concrete in an abandoned World War II war material depot in South Dakota. Source Read the full article

#bunkers #coronaviruspandemic

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duelund04lundberg-blog · 6 years ago

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Grand Theft Automobile 5 Accounts for sale

Grand Theft Car is one of the most played video games since it was published. Nowadays, lots of people are aiming to acquire accounts with good degrees in it. In this post we will chat regarding the very best techniques you can make use of to increase your degree GTA Online, the multiplayer mode of GTA V, has been radiating for even more than five years many thanks to its practically unlimited amount of web content, with which Rockstar reveals that it recognizes how to look after its items like few others. Exactly, taking so much time in energetic can toss back numerous gamers who do not attempt to make the jump to GTA Online. Don't worry, that's what we're below for, we're going to offer you the needed suggestions to take the very first steps as well as do well like couple of others in GTA Online.

If you follow the recommendations of our GTA Online Newbie's Guide, you will certainly soon be feared by the remainder of the gamers. Full the tutorial Yes, it might seem meaningless and very easy, but the first thing to do is to finish the GTA Online tutorial. Even more than anything since it is necessary. To access it you have to choose the GTA Online personality in the character choice wheel. You can take some time developing the look. As well as you'll have whatever ready to stray around Los Santos. Auto and also garage prior to boarding If we want to be proficient, the initial point to do is to acquire a great automobile and also have where to keep it. A real 'cucumber' like the RH8 can come complimentary just by registering at the Rockstar Social Club. As for the garage, for $25,000 Unit 124 in Popular St is a good and also inexpensive choice for newbies. Money in the Cashier Los Santos is a harmful area. Any type of outlaw can leave you destitute - or you can do the exact same. That's why it's greater than suggested to store our goods regularly in the cashier as well as ensure you don't lose them. Acquire an underground facility To take part in the End ofthe world Heist of GTA Online you need among these bunkers to store our playthings in the kind of boats, planes ... The most inexpensive one remains in Paleto Bay for 1.125.000 bucks. He takes a helicopter Swiping a helicopter can save you a great deal of time. Not just as a result of its high rate, yet also due to the fact that it saves time when relocating around the city. At the flight terminal you can get one without a lot of problems. Get hold of an apartment or condo To access the GTA Online muggings you require to reach level 12. For this, it is essential to have a premium home, as they include setup tables that are crucial to making the break-in successful. For $200,000 you can discover affordable homes in areas like Del Perro Levels. Don't miss out on the once a week events GTA Online's regular events are a real bonanza, both to get a good amount of money as well as to boost our experience many thanks to the double-scored occasions. Do not be a coffee Fate has no mercy on GTA Online. If you are a coffee that just seeks to do wicked, you will have problems. On the other hand, if you team up with various other gamers, your reputation will increase and also you will certainly have the ability to obtain one of the most juicy bonuses. Total quests from the main story Completing GTA V as well as all its possible goals -principal or second- will offer us experience in the jobs that we will locate in GTA Online. GTA Guide 5 - Tips, suggestions and secrets

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thecoroutfitters · 7 years ago

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Throughout history, the wealthy have had options available to them, that the common people couldn’t afford. They were able to buy products, go places and own homes which the rest of the population couldn’t afford; and you can be sure that they took advantage of it. While some say that the advantages of wealth are “unfair” and “oppressive to the masses” there has never been a time in history where there weren’t some people who were better off than others.

Through most of history, those who had it better off were known as kings and nobles. They took control of an area and its population and levied taxes upon the common folk, taking from their earnings to pay for governance and protection. In the process, those who levied those taxes had better things and finer houses that they built from the sweat of the brows of those who were taxed.

It wasn’t until the Renaissance that this really began to change. Traders, especially traveling traders, began to amass wealth, with some of the best of them reaching and even surpassing the wealth of the nobles who were their erstwhile masters.

This gave these wealthy traders the ability to own fine possessions and palatial homes, which they of course took advantage of. Being by and large smarter than the nobles they were gradually replacing, they fixed their sights on the novel, looking for new things from art and science, thereby giving a huge boost to the development of technology and the arts.

Today is no different. It is the rich amongst us who support invention, innovation and the arts, in many cases reaping the benefit of that support. One way they reap that benefit is in owning finer things, with better features than what the middle class have.

But the things that are luxuries of the affluent eventually trickle down to become commonplace. The cell phone is a prime example of this. A generation ago, installing a mobile phone in one’s car cost more than the car did. I know, because my granddad had one. But then, what was considered luxuries in the cars of a generation ago, has become commonplace in today’s cars.

Options like power windows and door locks were an expensive option, only seen in luxury cars or as a purchased option in mid-range cars. Yet today, there is hardly a car sold in America, which doesn’t come with power windows and door locks standard. Sound systems are the same. Fourty years ago, a tape deck (CDs didn’t yet exist) was a high-dollar upgrade or an aftermarket installation. Today, it is rare to see a car leave the dealership with only an AM or AM/FM radio installed.

Prepping Options for the Rich

One of the dreams that most preppers aspire towards is having a survival retreat. To own that proverbial cabin in the woods and have it all set up for survival is the ultimate level of preparedness that most of us can think of. Besides making an ideal vacation spot, it also provides us with a safe heaven to escape to, avoiding the zombies on the streets or the mobs of hungry people looking for a meal.

Yet few preppers can actually afford such a luxury. The cost of mountain land starts out north of $25,000 per acre and can reach up into the hundreds of thousands of dollars per acre; and that’s if you’re buying large swaths of land. Buying just a single acre is considerably more expensive.

Of course, building costs in the mountains are higher too, especially in remote areas. Not only do you have to pay to get everything trucked in, you may have the added cost of providing lodging for the construction crew, if they are not local.

This limits the building of such getaway retreats to those who have inherited land or to the wealthy who can afford it. Apparently there are enough of them around, that prices don’t have to drop in order to find buyers. Otherwise, you and I might actually be able to afford that cabin in the woods that we’ve always dreamed about.

While some of the wealthy build or buy homes in these isolated areas just as vacation getaway retreats, more and more of them are buying them as a different sort of retreat. It seems that prepping has reached the hearts and minds of the wealthy, and like everything else they do, they are doing it with style, spending big money in order to have security.

Many of these people are counted amongst the nouveau rich of Silicon Valley. Having made their pile, they are now looking to other needs of their family; most notably, security. As with many of the rest of us, they are recognizing the many risks that we face today and spending at least a part of their fortune to make sure that their family will survive.

But prepping wealthy style is much different than prepping for the rest of us. First of all, few of them are preparing to shelter in place in their homes. Of those that are, most are having expensive, lavishly furnished bunkers built beneath them. But this is only a minority. The rest are planning on bugging out at the first sign of trouble. What’s interesting is the types of places that they are planning on bugging out to and the amount of money they are spending to make that possible.

So, what are these high-dollar survival retreats? They are actually quite varied. But there are some common themes which we see happening today; such as:

mountain homes in remote valleys, in some cases, only accessible by helicopter

buying a private island and turning it into a retreat

New Zeeland

converted missile silos, which have been turned into luxury survival bunkers

The beautiful country of New Zeeland has become such a popular survival destination for these people, especially those in Silicon Valley, that the name “New Zeeland” has become a secret password amongst them. Mentioning it means that you’re part of the club or at least thinking about joining. The entry fee? Buying an upscale house on the island nation.

If you’ve seen The Lord of the Rings series of movies, you can understand the attraction of New Zeeland as a destination. The country is beautiful and largely unspoiled. It is difficult to get there from here, but that difficulty is apparently part of the attractiveness. The thinking is that any problem which plagues the United States is unlikely to make it to a country on the other side of the world.

The business in New Zeeland survival retreats is good enough, that there are real estate companies over there, which specialize in selling home to wealthy American preppers. Their business has paid off too, with the sale of land to those Americans quadrupling in the last six years.

Missile silos, leftovers from the days of the Cold War, have been being gradually sold off by the government. A few imaginative investors have bought some of those silos and are in the process of converting them into luxury survival condos. These condos, which are typically only half of a 55 foot diameter floor, generally sell for upwards of a million dollars.

These getaway bunkers are well thought out, with amenities like a theatre, an exercise room and an indoor pool. Security is well thought out and makes extensive use of high tech. They even have underground hydroponic gardens, to provide fresh produce to the residents.

So, Why are the Rich Becoming Preppers?

When the rich start putting their money into something, you need to pay attention. Typically, they have access to sources of information that the rest of us normally can’t or don’t access. You also have to take into account that these are uniformly bright people. You don’t get to be a millionaire or billionaire without being extremely intelligent, no matter what the disgruntled say.

More than anything, these people are concerned about social unrest and a breakdown of society. Current social trends pit the majority of the population against the wealthy, Washington insiders, and those who have influence in the highest places. They are seen as the enemy of the people, both by people on the political right and the political left.

The left’s problem with these people is pure class warfare, with Democrat politicians, celebrities and the media complaining about the “one percenters” and how unfair it is that they have more than the rest. In their eyes, those who are wealthy have stolen from the working masses and especially from the poor. In their zeal for the socialist utopia, they want to take what the wealthy have and redistribute it to the poor, lining their own pockets along the way.

The funny thing is, many of these public figures who are decrying the wealthy are themselves amongst the one percent that they badmouth. But in their eyes, they are the “good” one percents, while business tycoons and especially Wall Street bankers are the “bad” one percenters.

The right’s issues with those in power are totally different. First of all, they don’t have issue with the wealthy, always hoping a little if it will rub off on them. With a greater understanding of economics, they realize that the free-market capitalist system that we have is what allows our society to be as wealthy as it is, which translates into more of the population not being poor. More than anything, it creates and sustains the middle class.

What they do have issues with is crony capitalism. With politicians in Washington focusing on helping themselves, rather than helping the country as a whole. With their tax dollars being wasted by the government to fund liberal pet projects and win votes for liberals, rather than being spent for the protection of the nation, upkeep of our infrastructure and betterment of our nation. They resent their hard-earned wages going to pay for people’s abortions, birth-control pills and transgender operations. More than anything, they resent big government meddling in every area of their lives.

So, while both ends of the political spectrum are fed up with the way things are, they are clearly fed up for different reasons. We can see their level of frustration by looking at the last presidential elections. A lot of the reason that Donald Trump won, was because he was an outsider. Those who are fed up saw him as a much better option than any establishment candidate.

Yet the differences between the political left and right are big enough to cause considerable concern. Talk about a second civil war, which started during Obama’s reign, have increased since Donald Trump was inaugurated. Most of this talk is now coming out of the left, who are still enraged that their candidate didn’t win.

The anger on the left is a palatable thing. It has reached a much higher level than angry rhetoric. Paid leftist protestors are showing up at any Republican event, working to disrupt it. These protesters incite the grassroots people to violence, leading to violent confrontations with the police and with conservatives who merely want to hear what the speaker has to say.

This reached a head recently, with the shooting of a congressman and some staffers by a Bernie Sanders supporter. The victims in the shooting were at a practice for a charity baseball game, when the shooter started picking his targets. Had it not been for the courage of two of the Capital Police Department who were there fulfilling their duty, the casualty count would have been much higher.

These nouveau rich preppers see all this happening and are counting the days until a nationwide meltdown. In their eyes, the years following will be some of the most dangerous in our country’s history, especially for them.

So they are making plans to bug out and spend the next decade running their businesses from remote locations or even abandoning their businesses in the name of survival. Either way, they are preparing now, so that their families will be safe when that day comes.

Interested in keeping you and your family safe? Click the banner below for more!

This article has been written by Bill White for Survivopedia.

from Survivopedia Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies? #SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag

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roccorrios · 5 years ago

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How to Build Underground Bunkers & Shelters

A bunker is an underground shelter that’s designed to protect both people and valuables from various elements such as; earthquakes, tornadoes, civil war, and other natural calamities.

In this article, we’ll discuss underground bunkers as a part of your survival strategy.

Make sure to read to the end where we show you what a 2 Million Dollar Bunker can look like.

Resources: Survival Gear: The Best Tools, Emergency Supplies & Safety Equipment.

Is an Underground Bunker Important?

The idea of underground shelters has been in use for a long time.

Many security personnel and people tasked with mitigating suffering from calamities have used underground bunkers as a viable solution before.

In recent years, underground bunker kits have been used as a survival strategy and the people who use this concept are often referred to as preppers or survivalists.

Here’s why many people want to learn how to build an underground bunker.

Why Build a Deep Earth Bunker?

There are numerous reasons why you may want to build an underground bunker.

Many times, these depend on where you live and how susceptible to calamities the region is.

Some of the reasons why you may want to adopt underground bunker plans include:

Terror attacks which involve discharging of chemical weapons or suitcase nuke

Natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes

Disastrous accidents which involve toxic chemicals and nuclear waste

Nuclear war

Highly communicable diseases

Civil unrest where residents are at high risk of home invasions, rising crime, or prolonged riots especially due to a severe economic slump.

These are just some of the reasons why you may want to consider underground bunker homes to keep you and your family protected.

Unfortunately, many people have had to rely on the government to protect them in the event of a calamity.

While the government should offer protection, disasters happen suddenly and governments can’t be ultimately prepared for the same.

Even if a government wants to do everything possible to offer assistance, you’ll want to take measures to protect yourself and your family, and building a bunker could go a long way.

What are the Characteristics of good Underground Bunker Homes?

A good DIY bunker should come with various features.

These include:

Safe Location. Identifying the ideal location may not be an easy task. However, consider building your underground bunker far away from a river that’s likely to flood, a military base, a city, or a nuclear power plant.

Easy accessibility. You should be able to access the bunker as easily as possible when the need arises. Some people choose to have affordable underground bunkers within their homes.

Invisibility. It should at least be unidentifiable to passers-by

Underground location. The underground bunker should be located deep under the ground to protect you from toxic chemicals and radiation.

Well equipped. There should be sufficient food and other essential items to last you up to a month with minimal struggle.

Factors to Consider when Building a Bunker

There are various factors to consider when building a shipping container bunker as seen below.

Location

The location of your underground bunker is a critical factor to consider before you begin the construction process.

Here, you’ll want to consider the specific area within your property and the geographical setting.

Some people, especially those who have expansive homes, opt to build their underground bunkers along the basement area in their homes.

The viability of such a location depends on where you live and how safe it is.

Think about the ideal location before you can begin the process of building your bunker.

Remember, your geographical location will play a major role in your safety in the event of a disaster.

If you’re satisfied with your geographical location, the ideal place where you can build your bunker should be within your home.

You can either choose to have it constructed in the basement or a separate location within your property.

Remember, you’ll need various things when constructing your bunker – such as building permits.

You should also be familiar with various other factors – such as the location of power lines, septic tanks, fiber cables, and water pipes before you commence the construction process.

Cost

Cost is a major concern for many people who are looking to build a bunker.

If you’re not ready to construct an underground bunker from scratch, you can opt for underground bunker homes that are for sale.

These may be convenient for you depending on your budget and your location.

If you choose to build your bunker from scratch, however, you’ll need to consider various factors to get the ideal estimate.

For instance, the type and condition of the soil plays can have a huge impact on your budget.

At this point, you’ll need to collaborate with experienced experts who can assess your soil and give you the best estimates.

You should also consider how deep your want to go with your bunker.

While some people are comfortable with deep bunkers, others prefer not so deep ones.

Usually, the former option is the best even though it can be quite costly due to a complex installation process.

What electrical services will you need on your underground bunker for sale?

This too will have an impact on the amount of money you’ll spend on your bunker.

If you’re looking at having complex electrical wiring, you’ll need to broaden your budget.

How To Build An Underground Bunker Video (DIY)

What You’ll Store Inside the Bunker

When disasters strike and you have to take shelter inside the underground bunker, you may never know how long you’ll remain there.

To prepare for the worst, you should have sufficient essential items to last up to a month – and even longer as we’ve mentioned above.

It’s worth noting that calamities disrupt normal operations and before things go back to normal, chances are strong that you won’t have access to a store.

Here are some must-have items for the inside of your bunker.

Water

Water is a critical component of human life.

While you can survive for days without food, your body needs sufficient water to stay well hydrated.

Do you have a water source inside your bunker?

If you do, then that could be a good thing.

Secure an efficient water filtration system if you don’t already have one.

Still, sometimes running water can be disrupted and you may never know when that day comes.

For this reason and to be on the safe side, have in stock sufficient water to last each person inside the bunker up to a whole month.

You can opt for water tanks or five-gallon water containers that are readily available in supermarkets.

Food

Today, survival and emergency foods are readily available in local stores.

You can purchase canned, freeze dried, or dehydrated food that are specially designed to last a long time.

Note: If you wondering about the benefits of going freeze dried or dehydrated, read this article here.

And if you want to learn more about canning with #10 cans, equivalents, and shelf life, you can read this article here.

Remember to have enough snacks and energy bars for everyone in your family.

These will keep your body well-nourished until the situation improves.

An Air Filtration System

Not only will you need an air filtration system, but you’ll also need oxygen tanks and gas masks.

Communication Gadgets

As we’ve mentioned above, disasters can be disruptive and you may have no means of knowing about everything happening in the outside world.

Chances are that you’ll have no access to the internet, landlines, or even cellphones.

Make sure you have a GMRS radio, a CB radio, or a ham radio.

First Aid

You’ll need basic medical supplies such as pain killers, bandages, sterilized needles, antiseptic cream, and thread.

Further, remember to pack enough medication for anybody in your home who suffers from a long term condition.

Entertainment and Day to Day Essentials

Spending days inside a bunker can become boring and you may need something to keep you and your kids busy.

Pack some games for the kids, books, and cards.

Remember to have enough day to day essentials such as toiletries, batteries, warm clothing, and sleeping bags.

Underground Bunkers for Sale

If you’ve no time or you don’t know how to build a bunker, you may want to start looking through underground bunkers prices in search of one that fits your budget.

Here are some of the choices you may want to consider.

Luxury Underground Bunkers

Today, many bunker manufacturers specialize in luxury doomsday bunkers for sale.

However, these can be expensive but you can still buy one if your budget allows.

The price of underground shelters for sale can range between $250,000 and $1,000,000, but it doesn’t have to stop there.

Here’s a video of a 2 Million dollar example.

2 Million Dollar Doomsday Bunker Video

Middle Range Kits

If you’re working on a budget, you can get reasonably priced underground bunkers.

These, however, will be smaller compared to the luxury bunkers.

You get a 200-300 square feet mid-range bunker for $50,000.

It’s worth mentioning that this price doesn’t include installation charges.

One thing you need to keep in mind when buying or even building an underground bunker is the importance of working with professionals.

Make sure that your supplier is experienced enough in the underground bunker industry.

Remember, various other factors such as the installation and finishing process could escalate the final cost.

Calculate all the expenses involved to remain within your set budget.

Budget Underground Bunkers

If you’re working under an overly tight budget, you may want to consider buying a smaller underground bunker.

Often, these come with lower installation and finishing costs.

There are many bunker manufacturers in the market today who specialize in budget underground nuclear bunkers for sale with prices ranging between $5,000 to $12,000.

Finally

Underground bunkers are an ideal survival component for you – especially if you live in a disaster-prone area.

You don’t have to know how to build a bomb shelter since you can buy a ready-made underground bunker at reasonable prices.

Finding an Underground Bunker Near You

Where is Underground Bunker in (Player Unknown Battleground) Pubg?

While the bunker is located south of Los Leones where many players land, they aren’t aware of its location yet.

The bunker has a strong resemblance to the Erangel’s shelter.

Without knowing the ideal location, you may never find the bunkers but they’re either located below a mountain or underground.

There are numerous entrances to the region that are closely connected.

Where is the Underground Bunker in Wailing Woods Fortnite?

Speculation has been rife regarding the inaccessible bunker in Wailing Woods.

However, unlike what was the case in season 4, this is a new huge bunker with immense loot inside.

It’s located at the center of the maze in Wailing Woods and you’ll have to break down the door to gain access and drop to the underground castle.

The location remains unknown but chances are high that soon, many players will be out searching for the bunker.

Where is the Underground Bunker in Bear Creek?

It’s located in a small cave situated on the Wagon Road Ambush Camp’s plateau.

It’s dark and gory. However, when you finally clear your enemies, you won’t have anything to fear.

Where is the Underground Bunker in Horizon?

You’ll find the first underground bunker in your open-world exploration just after you complete the preface as Young Aloy.

Secondly, you’ll need to go back to the ruins where you first found the focus gadget and back track your path across the barracks and down the stairs until you arrive at a closed door.

More helpful reading:

MRE: How Long Do MRES Last (Civilian & Military Shelf Life)

Calling 911: When Should You Dial a Call?

10 Worst Natural Disasters (Deadliest in History, Biggest, & Most Recent)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunker

The post How to Build Underground Bunkers & Shelters appeared first on survivalistgear.co.

source https://survivalistgear.co/underground-bunker-how-to-build/

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caveartfair · 6 years ago

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5 Beijing Art Spaces Providing Alternatives to the White Cube

If you’re visiting Beijing and looking to see some art, the 798 Art District will likely be your first stop. Situated in a series of Bauhaus-inspired factory buildings originally constructed in the 1950s, 798 was reborn as an arts hub in the 1990s, first attracting students from Beijing’s prestigious Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), and later private institutions like UCCA and dozens of commercial galleries. But, away from the epicenter of Beijing’s contemporary art scene made up by 798 and nearby Caochangdi, a diverse series of alternative spaces have been cropping up for well over a decade.

Many of these spaces, such as the pioneering Arrow Factory, are located in Beijing’s distinctive inner-city alleyways, or hutongs. Indeed, the five galleries profiled here have taken over non-traditional locations including a hair salon and a former convenience store. Because of this, they’ve also faced an increasingly precarious existence as the city continues an ongoing campaign to clean out its historical central axis in a bid for UNESCO World Heritage status.

PiL

Exterior view of PiL (Public Image Ltd.). Courtesy of PiL.

PiL was founded by designer Pang Yachuan in April 2017. It’s located between Beijing’s Drum Tower and Nanluoguxiang, a hutong that has been developed into a thriving tourist hub over the last decade. The gallery is named after Public Image Limited, the post-Sex Pistols project of punk vocalist John Lydon (a.k.a. Johnny Rotten), and its immediate neighbors are Dada and Temple Bar, popular destinations for late-night clubbing and blaring rock ‘n’ roll, respectively.

Utilized intermittently during the day by a group of freelance designers, PiL comes to life as a gallery only at night. There aren’t specific business hours, and Pang prides himself on operating “Beijing’s only nighttime art space,” with events sometimes ending at dawn.

Compared to traditional galleries, “PiL is more willing to promote the existence of unique and alternative ideas,” Pang says. He emphasizes “radical” and “experimental” exhibitions, offering to artists he finds interesting the opportunity to exhibit their work, hold salons, and develop merchandise. Recent events have included a performance by experimental rock band Whale Circus and an exhibition of work by poster designers from the Chinese alternative music scene, including a spread of lurid prints by famously risqué illustrator Tony Cheung.

Though he takes commission on works sold at PiL, Pang says that profit is not his primary concern. Instead, he says his vision for PiL is “to discover the existence of unique and alternative ideas, to be a new kind of art institution with the most imagination and independence.”

Aotu Studio

Installation view of work by Mary A. Johnson at Aotu Studio, Beijing, 2018. Courtesy of Aotu Studio.

Occupying a sleek, modernist hutong storefront, Aotu Studio doesn’t register as an art gallery at first pass. It also doesn’t quite look like a hair salon, even though that is the main trade of its proprietor, Ray Wu.

Aotu opened in late 2014 after Wu and co-founder Pilar Escuder met at the (now defunct) arts co-working space HomeShop, an early magnet for creative energy in the hutongs. Wu had been working as a stylist at Toni & Guy, but wanted to go solo. Meanwhile, his partner was looking for a curatorial space to showcase art and design created by their peers. Aotu quickly became a hub for the diverse network of artists, designers, musicians, and filmmakers that make up Beijing’s multidisciplinary creative scene.

In addition to DJ events and screenings, the space has hosted a variety of exhibitions by young artists, dabbling both in traditional and new media. One memorable show, mounted by the residency I: project space and Beijing-based design company Lava, involved an augmented reality treasure hunt that played out as both a critique of smartphone over-reliance and a vivid way to bring flat images into three dimensions.

Aotu faced down an existential threat last spring, when it received a two-weeks’ notice from municipal construction crews that it would lose the floor-to-ceiling windows on its first floor, as well as its entire second floor, where Wu had installed his hair salon equipment. Wu and his collaborators responded with a crowdfunded performance art series, and were able to rebuild the gallery’s façade and rooftop terrace. (A small stool and mirror suffice for Wu’s haircutting business today.)

Wu has also taken on the curatorial side of the operation, most recently hosting an exhibition of delicate, natural-dye paintings by CAFA lecturer Mary Johnson. While Wu recognizes the need for commercial activity to maintain an art space, he sees Aotu’s core function as a public good. He says that the shows and other “content provided by the art space enriches community life, and plays a role in broadening people’s horizons and inspiring imagination—this social value is what we strive to pursue.”

Salt Projects

Interior view of Salt Projects. Courtesy of Salt Projects

Salt Projects is another one-room hutong space, located near Beijing’s historic Drum and Bell Towers. Co-founded in 2016 by critics and curators Yuan Fuca and Liya Han, Salt is a self-described “curatorial studio”: Rather than mounting traditional exhibitions, the space places greater emphasis on hosting performances and talks, and on creating publications.

Salt was previously a convenience store, and retains something of its former function in the small selection of art books and magazines that line its walls. From the beginning, the space has gravitated towards artists who don’t fit comfortably within the commercial gallery circuit: Its first solo exhibit, “Triptych,” featured collaged images of forensic cadavers assembled by CAFA graduate student Lei Ming.

Many of the artists exhibited at Salt Projects were born in the late 1980s or ’90s, and work explicitly with the internet. For example, the gallery’s latest show of Shanghai-based artist Rui Wang’s work takes the experience of surfing the endless stream of data at our fingertips as its theme.

But Salt Projects’s future is uncertain. In August, the gallery expects to lose its front entrance to the same bricking crew that claimed Aotu’s façade around this time last year. However, Yuan says that she and her team will keep moving forward. “We are serious about becoming a real institution with solid funding,” she says, noting that this alone is no small feat. The first step on that front is a book about Salt’s curatorial approach, which the founders plan to publish next spring on the occasion of the space’s third anniversary.

Wyoming Project

Installation view of Sun Shi, “A Late Measurement,”at Wyoming Project, Beijing, 2018. Courtesy of Wyoming Project.

The creep of urban renovation may also present a problem for Wyoming Project, yet another small hutong gallery. It was opened last August by writer Li Bowen and photographer Sun Shi, who had previously shared a studio together in the nearby Fangjia Hutong—a vital artery of alternative culture until the bricking process forced most of the small bars and restaurants in the alley to close last year.

“For me personally, I think if I’m not doing it now, maybe I will never do this,” says Li, who studied dance at the renowned Shenzhen Arts School before pursuing dual bachelor’s degrees in the arts. Li and Sun both work in the art world—Li as an editor and Sun as an installation photographer—and, in turn, pour their earnings into their nonprofit space.

Li says that he and Sun want to provide space for experimentation, pointing to a show they held in 2017 for painter Gao Ludi as an example. Half of the production cost was provided by Gao’s gallery, White Space Beijing, a traditional white cube in Caochangdi, but the show consisted of an installation piece specific to the room, as opposed to traditional show of his paintings for sale. Li says the show was a “win-win situation”: It was affordable to produce, and it gave the artist a chance to create an installation “very different from his usual practice.”

Like Salt Projects, Li and Sun have heard that their gallery may soon lose its only street-facing entrance, which would force them to carve a door out of a long wall that currently faces inward on a quiet cluster of residential apartments. Li remains optimistic about the space’s near future, however, as well as the small collection of alternative spaces still operating in the hutong. “I identify this as sort of a new wave—but it might be another short-lived wave,” he says.

The Bunker

Installation view of Huang Huan and Alexandru Damboianu, “The Burden of Cultures” at The Bunker, Beijing, 2018. Courtesy of The Bunker.

The Bunker, another recently opened alternative space, will host a portion of Wyoming Project’s next show: a triple-venue exhibition for multimedia artist Zhang Ding. (The remaining third of the show will be posted by KWM artcenter, a gallery supported by the law firm King & Wood Mallesons.) More black box than white cube, The Bunker is an underground chamber that functioned as a command center for occupying Japanese forces during World War II. It has been owned by Renmin University since the establishment of the modern Chinese state in 1949, and last year, it became an art space when founder Feng Xiaoyang secured a long-term lease.

The Bunker is actually one of three spaces founded by Feng: In December 2015, he inaugurated DRC No. 12—a repurposed residential apartment in one of Beijing’s diplomatic residence compounds—and Tattoo Parlour, an empty storefront with a revolving program of installations mounted without signage next to an upscale hotel. “Passers-by are transformed into the audience, and the social environment is transformed into an exhibition environment, which enlarges the social communication of the exhibition,” Feng says of Tattoo Parlour’s setup. He also notes that, given its location in another area targeted by Beijing’s renovation project, it “may be demolished at any time.”

Feng says that his three spaces are united in a mission to “stimulate artists to use their imagination and creativity.” The Bunker, in particular, invites a conceptual approach due to its architectural particularities: Located at the bottom of a steeply plunging concrete staircase, its interior space is narrow, claustrophobic, and completely void of natural light.

Exhibitions at The Bunker are selected by a committee chaired by artist and curator Colin Siyuan Chinnery, who sees in The Bunker an opportunity to invite artists outside of their comfort zone. “We have seen a serious decline in conceptual and non-object based work in the past five years,” Chinnery says, “and I believe this is a result of an art world too heavily reliant on the commercial system. This isn’t good for art, artists, or the commercial sector in the long run. We need different kinds of practice, and if the commercial sector won’t support it, we need an alternative system that does.”

from Artsy News

#Artsy News

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terravivos · 2 months ago

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foursproutwealth-blog · 7 years ago

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The Three Global Super-Powers & The End Of M.A.D.

New Post has been published on http://foursprout.com/wealth/the-three-global-super-powers-the-end-of-m-a-d/

The Three Global Super-Powers & The End Of M.A.D.

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Authored by Eric Zuesse via The Strategic Culture Foundation,

There are currently three global super-powers, three nations that lead the world: China, Russia, and US.

After World War II, until recently, the US clearly dominated the world, not only culturally, with more influence over the world’s other cultures than any other single nation possessed, but also economically, with product-dominance throughout the world, and also militarily tied with the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and, then, after the Cold War, still possessing such military dominance, so that in 2006, America’s billionaires — as represented by the most-prestigious two agencies that represent their collective interests against the public, the Council on Foreign Relations and Harvard University — were actively promoting, broadly amongst foreign-policy academics, the idea that the US should seek to occupy a position of such extreme military superiority over Russia, so that since 2006 the concept of “Nuclear Primacy” is reflected, by America’s power-centers, as being the correct goal for America, going forward, replacing the prior nuclear-strategic paradigm (since the 1950s) of “Mutually Assured Destruction,” or “M.A.D.,” in which nuclear weapons were (and, by Russia, still are) seen as purely defensive strategic military assets between the two nuclear superpowers, weapons whose only actual purpose, for either country, is to ward off a WW III — no usefulness at all in an actual aggressive military context.

Thus, M.A.D. became replaced in America by Nuclear Primacy, nuclear weapons that are put in place to serve not only to ward off a nuclear attack, but also, ultimately, to win a nuclear war against the other nuclear super-power, Russia — nukes as aggressive weapons, by which the US will (it has been expected, ever since 2006) soon be able to demand, and to receive, Russia’s capitulation, surrender, or else Russia will be destroyed by a US nuclear first-strike, while US casualties, from any presumably few Russian weapons that might make it through this ABM-BMD shield, will be kept to an “acceptably low” level, by virtue of that then-functioning ABM-BMD system, combined with increases in US nuclear striking-power. This nuclear-primacy paradigm aims for America (its billionaires) to take over the entire world, including ultimately the world’s largest land-mass: Russia.

But, now, twelve years later, America’s presumed early lead in such ‘defensive’ strategic weaponry has become, instead, ever more clearly, just a figment of America’s military-industrial complex’s (MIC’s) fervid marketing-campaign for the development and sale of such weapons, ever since US President Ronald Reagan’s promised “Star Wars” program during the 1980s got the effort, toward a winnable nuclear war, started, as an alleged ‘defensive’ measure — not yet overtly the end of M.A.D.

Soon after Reagan, the Soviet Union, and its communism, and its Warsaw Pact counter to America’s NATO military alliance, all simultaneously ended, in 1991, as a consequence of which, the US military-industrial complex (MIC), and especially the large US manufacturers of nuclear-weapons systems, the companies that dominate the MIC, were becoming stranded, because the market for their costliest wares was now in limbo. Though elimination of the Cold War wouldn’t have been an existential threat to these manufacturers, an end to the Cold War on the US side would have threatened the market-values of those US companies, which are controlled by US billionaires, who have lots of clout in Congress. Thus, though the Cold War ended in 1991 on the Russian side, it secretly continued on the US side (that is, amongst America’s super-wealthy, the people who control the US Government — the main market for the MIC); and America’s strategic switch, away from M.A.D. to Nuclear Primacy (so as to unshackle their market from the prior politically imposed demand to maintain a nuclear balance between the two sides), has been a significant part of this secret continuation, by America, of the Cold War, while Russia’s Government continued instead to think in terms of the M.A.D. paradigm. (Russia’s weapons-manufacturers are still owned by the Government — socialized — so, there’s no need to grow their ‘market value’.)

In a strictly capitalist country, weapons-manufacturing is a major area of investment for billionaires, whose fortunes there rise to the extent that governments are buying their planes and bombs and missiles, especially those of the most sophisticated types, which are strategic weaponry, such as nuclear systems, which are the most profitable ones of all. Growth-at-all-costs has meant (and means) that the MIC is a cancer upon the entire world. (Eisenhower’s Farewell Address, on 17 January 1961, understated the problem.) Either the entire military will be a public entity, or else there will be (because of its privatized weapons-manufacturing) a tendency for the military to destroy everything else in order to continue to grow, like investors expect and demand — grow like cancer.

A major source of America’s decline was US President George W. Bush, who came into office in 2001 when the Cold War could no longer excite the American public as being a threat (since the Soviet Union and its communism and its military alliance were now long gone), and a new demon thus needed to be brought before the American people, as warranting increased ‘defense’ expenditures. 9/11 came along just in time to fill this interim lack of a cause de guerre, to attack now Al Qaeda and other (as today’s US President famously tags it) “radical Islamic terrorists.”However, America’s spending on strategic weaponry requires instead focus against the other nuclear super-power as being the ‘enemy’, and this is what the end of M.A.D. and the start of Nuclear Primacy (which is manna from heaven for the ‘Defense’ contractors) have been all about: re-defining ‘the enemy’, from being a country with which peace must be maintained (M.A.D.), to becoming instead a country that should be outright conquered. And, amongst the lies which are necessary in order to sustain this switch (from M.A.D. to Nuclear Primacy), is the lie that ABMs have no aggressive function, but are ‘purely for defense’. This lie will enable the public to accept the spending of trillions of dollars of federal money on weapons whose sole real use will be conquering Russia — or, at least, the attempt to do so.

Nobody makes public the identities of the individuals, in the US and in its allied countries, who comprise the suddenly booming market for luxurious nuclear-proof deep-underground bunkers. But whomever these owners are, three things about them are obvious: they’ve got lots of money; they think that the prospect of a nuclear war is very real — worth their pre-paying for suitably luxurious long-term temporary accommodations deep underground; and they aren’t themselves one of the high government officials for whom the government’s taxpayers have already built such bunkers. (Or, perhaps, some of them do belong to the last of those three categories, but they’ve got so much extra money that they can easily afford to pay for more luxurious quarters than the taxpayers have already supplied them with.)

Quite similar to Donald Trump, but far more overtly faith-based than the hyper-secular former Miss Universe Pageant owner, George W. Bush had a confidence like the Taliban and Al Qaeda do, that “God is on our side”, and so Bush acted as if he had no reason to test-out America’s ABM weapons before ordering and buying them (at the public taxpayer’s expense, and private billionaires’ profits, of course). Or, perhaps alternatively, Bush didn’t even care whether these weapons would work, but only whether the owners of the companies that would be manufacturing them would be satisfied with their profits, from the decisions that he was making, which so powerfully affected their profits. In any case, Bush’s focus on rushing forward with a US ABM system demonstrated his strong commitment to the replacement of M.A.D., by Nuclear Primacy. The whole idea of Nuclear Primacy rests upon there being an effective US ABM system installed so as to make the enemy’s retaliatory weapons ineffective. Bush pushed the ABM into production even before there was any indication that it would work. He did this even before the very concept of “Nuclear Primacy” was publicly introduced by the two chief agents for America’s aristocracy in 2006. What Harvard and the CFR promoted, was already the Government’s policy. While there were criticisms of Bush’s execution of the plan, there was no significant scholarly opposition against the Nuclear Primacy concept itself.

All subject-areas of expertise (and this refers to scientists, not to scholars) despised the religious faith-based President George W. Bush, much like they despise the secular faith-based President Donald Trump. For example, everyone knows that Trump has great difficulty finding experts who are willing to serve in his Administration. Similarly, in the October 2004 “Poll of Academic Economists” by the Economist, 59% of them answered “no” when asked “If you had a chance to work in a policy job in Washington, would you take it?” And when queried “For whom would you rather work?” Bush or his then electoral opponent Senator John Kerry, 81% chose Kerry — notwithstanding that, as a predominantly conservative lot, the economists did like one thing about George W. Bush: “Outsourcing of jobs overseas,” which 86% of them rated to be either good or very good. (Of course, Trump claims to oppose that; so, in this regard, he’s even less acceptable to economists than Bush was.)

Under Bush, experts were even trying, with no success, to inform this conservative faith-based President about areas in the federal budget where substantial funds were being simply wasted, but his blind faith caused him to ignore such scientific warnings, and enormous federal waste resulted. For example, the science reporter William Broad headlined in The New York Times on 24 September 2003, “Report Sees Risks in Push for Missile Defense”, and opened, “The Bush administration’s push to deploy a $22 billion missile defense system by this time next year could lead to unforeseen cost increases and technical failures that will have to be fixed before it can hope to stop enemy warheads, Congressional investigators said yesterday. The General Accounting Office, in a 40-page report, said the Pentagon was combining 10 crucial technologies into a missile defense system without knowing if they can handle the task [and subsequently the same thing happened in order to produce the scandalously overpriced and insanely multi-functional F-35 jets], often described as trying to hit a bullet with a bullet.” The article quoted a former Pentagon weapons testing chief, who said that to deploy such an anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system just a year hence as planned, would be to deploy “no more than a scarecrow, not a real defense” — in other words, a system that would almost certainly fail in any actual use — because so many parts of the system wouldn’t have been tested sufficiently to be designed functionally that soon. The prior (Bill Clinton) Administration, more attentive to such concerns, had established a schedule for testing the various parts of this complex system prior to any possible deployment. However, one of G.W. Bush’s first actions coming into office was to deploy an ABM system, even if it might not work, and to do the testing afterward. Bush, it seems, possessed the faith that if science were to fail to supply the system’s functionality, then God would certainly do so, for the benefit of “God’s People.”

Jackson Diehl of the Washington Post thus headlined on 26 April 2004, “Dubious Threat, Expensive Defense” and closed: “Bush would spend twice as much on missile defense as on customs and border protection,” yet gain only “a rudimentary and uncertain defense against an unlikely long-range missile attack.” Diehl opined that, despite the transformed defense needs after 9/11, “The president who never admits error will stay the course.”

Bush did stay the course: by the time of 14 February 2005, as The New York Times reported the next day, “The nation’s fledgling missile defense system suffered its third straight test failure.” Commented one scientist there, “It’s as if Henry Ford started up his automobile production line and began selling cars without ever taking one for a test drive.” But not quite: Bush had now taken his third ‘test drive’ — and all three failed.

On 4 April 2005, the AP reported, “Congress is weighing how much to invest in the fledgling ballistic missile defense system, which has suffered setbacks and whose cost could easily top the $150 billion partial price tag the Bush administration has estimated.” Some congressional proponents of the ABM system were even quoted as saying that it had to be deployed in order to prevent future terrorist attacks, such as had occurred on 9/11. Of course, that allegation is absurd — 9/11 couldn’t have been stopped by an anti-missile defense system. But members of Congress aren’s so stupid as not to know this. That allegation was probably just a marketing-ploy sponsored in back-rooms by corporations such as Lockheed Martin, who might reflect their satisfaction with the statement, by donating to the ‘appropriate’ PACS.

Meanwhile, the Bush Administration and the Republican Congress were financially shortchanging many of the nation’s authentic anti-terrorist needs. This $150 billion+ could have gone a long way toward achieving real protection (and/or toward serving non-defense needs), if it had been scientifically allocated.

Were Al Qaeda to have been voting directly in the US Congress, the ABM system would have had an easier time passing unchanged, exactly as Bush wanted. Al Qaeda would have been fervent Republicans — they were just as religious, and just as faith-obsessed, though in a different ‘inerrant Scripture’. If Donald Trump has faith in any ‘inerrant Scripture’, nobody knows what it is. But, he seems to have lots of faith in himself, even if experts in the respective subject-fields don’t.

By the present time, the failure of America’s entire ABM-BMD gamble — which was started under Reagan, begun being operationalized under G.W. Bush, and finally being installed by Barack Obama and now under Trump — is painfully clear. But success was never its actual goal: restoring the government’s growth in ‘defense’ spending (even while cutting now the government’s non-‘defense’ spending) is its real purpose. Those billionaires and centi-millionaires must be served, or else Congress-members will lose their seats to well-funded competitors in their own Party’s next primary. The system succeeds marvelously at doing what it’s intended to do: to serve the people who buy the Government — to serve the actual patrons of this ‘democracy’. Instead of being a democracy, it’s a government that’s bought and sold.

While America thus spends itself into becoming increasingly a third-world country, China and Russia pursue different objectives. Specifically in the case of Russia, its military spending is one-tenth of America’s, but, because Russia cannot afford to allow billionaires’ demands for private profit to constitute the incentive-system that drives the Russian Government’s military decisions, Russia has gone militarily from strength to strength, while post-WW-II America (spending ten times as much) has gone from Vietnam to Afghanistan to Iraq to Libya to Syria, and yet America’s ‘news’-media have cheered all of these evil billionaires’ invasions of those countries we wrecked, as if companies such as General Dynamics owned companies such as the Washington Post, and thus (with all that propaganda) the American public continue to respect America’s military higher than any other US institution — despite such a long string of military failures by this country, despite spending ten times what Russia does on its military, and despite America’s military being the most corrupt part of the US federal Government.

But, actually, America’s military spending is probably much higher than just ten times Russia’s, because America’s official figures — what SIPRI and others use, which is just the ‘Defense’ Department — excludes much of America’s military expenses, as a consequence of which, America’s official $617.1 billion FY 2019 expenditure for the Department of ‘Defense’ masks an actual annual military expense of $1,135.7 billion. That’s $1.36 trillion per year, to do things such as destroy Afghanistan, destroy Iraq, destroy Syria, destroy Libya, perpetrate coups such as in Ukraine, assist coups such as in Honduras, etc. But even that’s not the total ‘defense’ expenditure which taxpayers have bought for the billionaires, because, throughout its existence, the US CIA has been getting unrecorded off-the-books billions from the international narcotics trade, starting in 1948, when it perpetrated a coup in Thailand and installed there a brutal regime that helped establish the CIA’s off-the-books funding-system, as I had mentioned in a prior article, where I discussed US relations with Syria, in broader histrical context,

starting in 1949, when the US CIA, under President Harry S. Truman, did its second coup d’etat, overthrowing a democratically elected progressive Government (the first having been Thailand 1948, where the CIA had installed an extremely barbaric dictator replacing the democratically elected government that had been headed by a staunch anti-fascist, and simultaneously set up the CIA’s off-the-books supplementary funding mechanism from the international narcotics-trade — a CIA practice which has continued till perhaps the present; and, furthermore, the infamous Nugan-Hand affair, which involved Thailand, definitely involved the CIA’s Michael Hand and William Colby; so, clearly, the CIA is funded off-the-books from the narcotics business, and America’s anti-narcotics laws thus are actually keeping narcotics-drug prices and resultant burglaries and CIA profits artificially high, funneling that illicit money into CIA coffers; and any method to defund the CIA down to its core intelligence-gathering function and to eliminate its coup-function, which is the function that took control in Thailand and Syria and then Iran and many more, would need to regulate — instead of to continue outlawing — drugs, which might be the main reason why it hasn’t yet been done: illegal drugs provide wealth to the CIA and other gang-lords, including some US Government officials).

Another significant milestone in the development of the American elite’s plan to conquer Russia has been the overwhelming — more than 90% of the votes in both the US Senate and House — support for the imposition in 2012 of economic sanctions against Russia, to punish the Russian Government for the alleged 2009 murder of one alleged anti-corruption whistleblower in a Russian prison, Sergei Magnitsky — the Magnitsky Act was passed, and was the first set of economic sanctions against Russia. (The evidence that Magnitsky had been a ‘whistleblower’, and the evidence that he was ‘tortured’ in prison, and the evidence that he wasn’t instead the American Bill Browder’s tax-accountant who had helped Browder in a complex tax-evasion scheme that had defrauded the Russian Government of $232 million, are all themselves fraudulent, and even are easily verified as being fraudulent, but both the US Government, and the EU, ignored and continue to ignore all of it.) In order to have a ‘justification’ to attack Russia, an excuse is needed; and, since the ideological one — communism — ended in 1991, Russia needs to be at least a ‘dictatorship’; so, something such as the Magnitsky Act was necessary in order to get the military-industrial complex’s (MIC’s) PR ball rolling toward even-higher annual US ’defense’ spending. However, that excuse, being a ‘dictatorship’ (with elections that are at least as honest as America’s are), isn’t enough. Russia also needs to be officially declared to be an ‘aggressor’ — an aggressive dictatorship — such as to have grabbed portions of its adjoining country, Ukraine. So, America’s Obama regime secretly started in 2011 planning, and then in February 2014 it carried out, a coup against and overthrowing the democratically elected and Russia-friendly Government of Ukraine, and installed there a fascist regime to replace the one that had received 75% of the vote in the Crimean region of Ukraine, and 90% of the vote in the Donbass region of Ukraine, so that both regions refused to be ruled by the Obama-installed rabidly anti-Russian Ukrainian regime, and Russia helped both of those two separatist regions on its borders, and even protected and accepted Crimea’s referendum-vote of over 90% to rejoin Russia, of which Crimea had historically been a part until the Soviet dictator in 1954 arbitrarily transferred it to Ukraine. So, now, the US MIC has the excuses it wants, in order to place — and thus did place — its weapons and troops onto and near Russia’s borders, just a ten-minute missile flight-time to Moscow.

This plan is moving forward, but nobody can yet say whether, or even when, the US regime will invade. However, the US regime and its NATO allies now also have the excuses that Russia has been holding ‘aggressive’ military exercises near its borders ‘threatening’ NATO countries on its border that might invade Russia, and Western ‘news’media have alarmed their publics against Russia’s ‘aggressive’ moves after its having ‘stolen’ Crimea and ‘attacked’ Ukraine in Donbass. And then there is yet more Russian ‘aggression’ when Syria requested and received Russia’s military assistance against the US-backed jihadists who, since 2012, have poured, by the tens of thousands, from around the world, into Syria, to be led by the US-backed Al Qaeda there, to overthrow the Syrian Government, which is allied with Russia. So, that too (the Syrian war) could produce a war between the US and Russia; it could start over Syrian territory, where the US insists on regime-change, but claims only to be ‘fighting terrorists’ there. Of course, regardless of whether the invader of Syria (the US), or else the defender of Syria (Russia), wins, the loser in Syria, especially if it turns out to be the US invader (i.e., if Syria remains one country instead of breaking apart, and if Assad becomes re-elected as President there), could then use that superpower-defeat in Syria, as constituting an excuse to invade the winning superpower there.

This would be WW III, starting in Syria, instead of in Ukraine. The US regime has set up those two scenarios.

1984 has come in the real world, but the declining and former leading superpower, America (“Oceania” in George Orwell’s uncannily prophetic description of the future that he prematurely set to occur in 1984), is apparently determined to stay ‘on top’, even if it’s the last thing that anybody does.

Can it really be that if the world of the future won’t be led by America’s billionaires, then it won’t exist at all? Do they really demand “My way, or the highway” — really? Are America’s billionaires (despite any ‘humanitarian’ pretenses they individually so often hypocritically express, both in the fictionalized and in the real version) so stunningly united in their actual psychopathy (likewise in both versions — “Big Brother,” and today’s reality)? Thus far, it seems that they are. None of them — not a one of these people who have the financial resources to bring the world’s most pressing issue honestly to the American public — is speaking out against the others on it, and devoting major funds to exposing the others for their pumping lies against Russia, and to exposing the truths about such things as ABMs and the MIC. And collectively they’ve got the American public fooled into admiring the MIC (“the Military”) above all other US institutions. But whether America’s billionaires will carry their collective evil to the extreme, isn’t yet clear. They are the actual decision-makers regarding US Government policy, but they are playing their cards — as usual — privately and secretly, until their game (whatever it may turn out to be) will already be finished.

Meanwhile, Russia and China each proceeds forward on its own priorities, which aren’t necessarily similar to those of the conquest-obsessed American Government.

#Wealth

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foursprout-blog · 7 years ago

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The Three Global Super-Powers & The End Of M.A.D.

New Post has been published on http://foursprout.com/wealth/the-three-global-super-powers-the-end-of-m-a-d/

The Three Global Super-Powers & The End Of M.A.D.

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Authored by Eric Zuesse via The Strategic Culture Foundation,

There are currently three global super-powers, three nations that lead the world: China, Russia, and US.

This would be WW III, starting in Syria, instead of in Ukraine. The US regime has set up those two scenarios.

Meanwhile, Russia and China each proceeds forward on its own priorities, which aren’t necessarily similar to those of the conquest-obsessed American Government.

#Wealth

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gillespialfredoe01806ld · 7 years ago

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Apocalypse Soon? Nuclear Air Filtration Systems Are So Hot Right Now

bauhaus1000/iStock; estt/iStock; realtor.com

Forget Millennial Pink walls, beautifully landscaped outdoor living spaces, and fancy backsplashes. With tensions mounting between the U.S. and nuclear-armed North Korea, there’s another home amenity that’s in raging demand right now: air filtration systems designed to screen out deadly contaminants.

After all, who needs new patio furniture if the apocalypse is near?

Ever since North Korea’s recent missile test and a war of words between its leadership and President Donald Trump, business has been booming (sorry) at bunker and safe room companies across the country. And their go-to items these days are the filters that provide air or water protection to increase the odds of survival if there’s a nuclear, biological, or chemical attack.

As it turns out, it’s not just the stereotypical preppers living off the grid and stockpiling supplies and ammunition to get ready for mass annihilation who are purchasing these systems. More and more otherwise ordinary folks are now looking into buying the potentially life-saving devices, according to the companies that sell them.

For the first time since the height of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, Americans are taking the threat of nuclear war seriously, says Don Mann, a former Navy SEAL who has written 14 books, including one on survival tactics.

“We could be hit with a nuclear attack,” he says bluntly.

Many owners of disaster-prep businesses say it’s the busiest they’ve been since right before the presidential election, when clients fearing civil unrest wanted to hole up with a bunch of weapons. Now customers are more worried about a cataclysmic attack, so they’re putting their money where their fear is: They are clamoring for military-grade air filters, which start at around $5,000 to $6,000.

“It’s a wise decision to get prepared ahead of time,” says Salt Lake City–area prepper Chrystle Poss, who runs the Survival Spot blog. “If [disaster] happens—and it will happen without any warning—there won’t be any time to run to the store and get the things that you need.”

Who’s worried about a nuclear attack? Everyone If you want to survive a nuclear attack, you need an air filtration system.

American Safe Room

The demographics and political profile of disaster-preparedness paraphernalia customers are changing dramatically.

“We have more of the Democrat side making purchases now,” says Clyde Scott, owner of Rising S Bunkers in Murchison, TX. “And we have Hollywood calling.”

His company’s luxury bunkers start at $45,000. (Hey, you might as well survive the end of the world in style.)

The air systems bring in air from the outside and force it through carbon and HEPA filters to remove dangerous contaminants and particles. They are, in the simplest terms, essentially very high-tech vacuum cleaners. The devices also expel the carbon dioxide that people exhale, which can build up in a contained space and, in toxic environments, become deadly.

Many models run on solar and/or battery power. If all else fails, most can be hand-cranked. But, if disaster does strike, they’re good for only one attack—not multiple ones over days, weeks, or months. After each “event,” the filters inside most systems need to be changed. That can run $500 or higher for each replacement pack.

Even those who can’t afford to build a bunker deep underground are taking precautions. Many are turning their basements or closets into safe rooms that they fortify themselves, says Mike Peters, president of Ultimate Bunker, outside of Salt Lake City. They’ll make the spaces airtight, reinforce the walls, put in a pipe to facilitate the flow of air, and install a filtering system.

Water filtration systems are also popular in case the water supply is tainted in an attack. Rising S sells ones that use UV lights to kill bacteria in contaminated water and filter out unwanted particles. They go for about $1,800 and can purify about 5,000 gallons of water.

The Survival Spot’s Poss believes sales of the filtration systems will be brisk—at least for the next few weeks. Or until threat levels ratchet up again.

“Everybody gets upset and stocks up on supplies … and then as the threat is gone, it goes back to business as usual,” she says.

You don’t need to go off the grid to protect yourself

You don’t need to move to the middle of nowhere to prepare for doomsday. Some wealthy urban dwellers who don’t have basements or yards for a bunker are opting for safe rooms.

In the biggest cities, the main concern is a dirty bomb that would release nuclear, biological, or chemical gases into the atmosphere, says Tom Gaffney, president of Gaffco Ballistics. His Londonderry, VT–based company installs high-end safe rooms, primarily for the New York City elite.

Those with safe rooms equipped with the filters could conceivably wait out the chaos breathing in purified air until it was safe to go outside again.

But this backup plan doesn’t come cheap. Resistant to bullets and forced entry, safe rooms start at $250,000 and go up to about $1.5 million. The filtration systems add an additional $40,000 to the bill. Despite the high price, Gaffney has seen a 60% to 70% increase in calls from potential customers since Trump’s “fire and fury” comments.

“It’s a sense of a lack of security in the world we live in today” that’s driving sales, Gaffney says.

Sales of air filtration systems are on the rise due to the threat from North Korea.

American Safe Room

Keep calm and don’t panic … yet

Folks shouldn’t freak out and start stocking up on air and water filtration systems just yet, says Mann, the former Navy SEAL and survivalist author. First, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears to have backed off from his threats to attack the U.S. territory of Guam as an opening salvo. So things seem to be calming down, at least for the moment.

But regardless of what happens, consumers should realize that the air filtration systems aren’t foolproof, Mann says.

“There are all types of other things that can happen, like windows that aren’t sealed, [air that can seep in] underneath doors and by the door hinges,” he says. Radioactive fallout could create dust (fatal if inhaled) that could make its way into homes as easily as ants or rodents get in. Filtration systems are “not a fail-safe measure.”

Creating breathable air is just one of many, many steps you should be taking if you’re really concerned about an attack, says Mann.

“The priority is shelter, food, and water.” So you’d better stock up while you can!

The post Apocalypse Soon? Nuclear Air Filtration Systems Are So Hot Right Now appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2fNS5aJ

#DIYS

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nightmare-afton-cosplay · 7 years ago

Text

Apocalypse Soon? Nuclear Air Filtration Systems Are So Hot Right Now

bauhaus1000/iStock; estt/iStock; realtor.com

After all, who needs new patio furniture if the apocalypse is near?

“We could be hit with a nuclear attack,” he says bluntly.

Who’s worried about a nuclear attack? Everyone

If you want to survive a nuclear attack, you need an air filtration system.

American Safe Room

The demographics and political profile of disaster-preparedness paraphernalia customers are changing dramatically.

“We have more of the Democrat side making purchases now,” says Clyde Scott, owner of Rising S Bunkers in Murchison, TX. “And we have Hollywood calling.”

His company’s luxury bunkers start at $45,000. (Hey, you might as well survive the end of the world in style.)

The Survival Spot’s Poss believes sales of the filtration systems will be brisk—at least for the next few weeks. Or until threat levels ratchet up again.

“Everybody gets upset and stocks up on supplies … and then as the threat is gone, it goes back to business as usual,” she says.

You don’t need to go off the grid to protect yourself

You don’t need to move to the middle of nowhere to prepare for doomsday. Some wealthy urban dwellers who don’t have basements or yards for a bunker are opting for safe rooms.

Those with safe rooms equipped with the filters could conceivably wait out the chaos breathing in purified air until it was safe to go outside again.

“It’s a sense of a lack of security in the world we live in today” that’s driving sales, Gaffney says.

Sales of air filtration systems are on the rise due to the threat from North Korea.

American Safe Room

Keep calm and don’t panic … yet

But regardless of what happens, consumers should realize that the air filtration systems aren’t foolproof, Mann says.

Creating breathable air is just one of many, many steps you should be taking if you’re really concerned about an attack, says Mann.

“The priority is shelter, food, and water.” So you’d better stock up while you can!

The post Apocalypse Soon? Nuclear Air Filtration Systems Are So Hot Right Now appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

from http://www.realtor.com/news/trends/latest-home-must-nuclear-air-filtration-systems/

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