Another fab article from our friends at Kommandostore. Rugmaking has been such a long-standing tradition that historians typically say, “thousands of years”. In other words, it predates the British Monarchy, Roman Empire, and hell, even the Persian Empire’s conquest of Afghanistan. Unfortunately for just as long, the surprising beauty of her landscapes has been blood-stained. For example, many have attempted to invade Afghanistan, and many have died trying.
From ancient Alexander the Great’s conquests to the United States “Operation Enduring Freedom” there sure have been a lot of wars, and a lot of rugs. But what began during Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the USSR’s twilight years was quite odd indeed. Propaganda rugs with anti-soviet figures like Ahmad Massoud* begun to circulate, and with the soviet occupiers taking great interest in these rugs as bring-back mementos, they got a taste of capitalism.*This guy’s story is a great subject for an email or video on it’s own, let us know if you’d like to see something like that.
Massoud seen wearing his iconic combo of a Pakol cap, white checkered “shemagh” scarf and military-style jacket. On the right is one of the war rugs that depicts him — definitely one of our favorite designs we’ve been able to source.
In response to the newfound demand, artisans begun to introduce common sights of the battlefield onto their rugs: Kalashnikovs, Helicopters, BTRs & BRDM-2s, and of course plenty of tanks. The soviet soldiers, naturally as young lads, couldn’t get enough of it. I mean, come on, who wouldn’t want a beautifully made rug with a tank on it? And so even through Russia’s Irish exit from Afghanistan, patterns were passed down and a whole new style was born: The War Rug.
A common misconception about the rugs that we’ve seen is that there’s any form of malice whatsoever from the rug-makers in making these. This is obviously & completely false. And we say that because once the American occupation began, rugs depicting the World Trade Center being hit by the highjacked airplanes began to circulate despite most Afghan people not even knowing what the event or it’s ramifications meant. You guys have certainly spoken the loud part quietly because the 9/11 rugs are our best sellers. We’re just listening to demand, don’t blame us. Skillfully as they do, the rugmakers themselves often have no idea what they’re weaving, they just follow the popular patterns circulating bazaars and embellish with whatever colors, extra elements, and often hilarious mis-woven English words they want.
Other common (and less controversial) sights include the Opium poppy, American operations like the battle of Tora Bora, and now even the war in Ukraine. What began as a memento and accidentally controversial form of art has truly blossomed into a celebrated slice of Afghanistan’s culture since the 80s. And luckily, even with increasing popularity, all the rugs are still handmade the way they should be. It’s probably hard to shake a tradition that predates your Grandma’s Grandma’s Grandma’s Grandma’s Grandma’s history book entries after all.
Broad Arrow Auctions has released the complete digital catalog for its upcoming inaugural Chattanooga Auction, set for 12 October 2024 at the Chattanooga Convention Center in Tennessee and we have it here for you to drool over (see below).
Among the 90+ collector cars on offer at the single-day sale are no less than 15 variations of the 911 model, including such rarities as the 1984 Porsche 911 SC RS Gruppe B “Evolutionsserie”, the vertible “missing link” in any Carrera RS collection.
Friday, October 11 9:00 am – 5:00 pm ET Saturday, October 12 9:00 am – 1:00 pm ETAuction Saturday, October 12 1:00 pm ET
There you have it… from Dr. Peter Vincent Pry himself, director of the EMP Task Force on National and Homeland Security… An electromagnetic pulse (EMP for short) would literally send an entire country back in the 1800’s in a matter of seconds, by frying everyone’s electronics and leaving us in the dark.
Here’s Ben Carson explaining EMPs…
Mainstream media has been silent about this for the last decade. And now folks are finally starting to see the truth…I believe an electromagnetic pulse is imminent and I want to show you how to make this cheap set-up that can shield any device against an EMP.
Let me give you a few shocking stats and facts that have scared the daylights out of some top US politicians.
Wired Magazine said there was a 12% chance the Sun would blast a Coronal Mass Ejection (or CME) at 300 miles per second towards Earth by 20201.
Now as far as we know 😉 that didn’t happen. But it seems mathematically certain to happen in the very near future.
A Space Weather study quoted by Gizmodo2 estimates it would cost the US $41.5bn / day, and it would take months if not years for the power grid to be replaced and for things to get back to some sort of normal.
Given that it produces an average of 3 CMEs EVERY SINGLE DAY3, the Sun is nothing but a ticking time bomb waiting to “explode”, destroy the grid and any device that’s plugged in, and ultimately paralyze society…
Then you’ve got nations such as Russia, China, North Korea and Iran, playing with high-altitude HEMP bombs, which can be even MORE devastating, because they can even fry electronics that are not connected to the grid, such as phones and flashlights.
In fact, Russia sold such devices to North Korea in 2014 4 5 and here’s why:
If you’re still skeptical about N. Korea’s abilities, keep in mind that they now have two satellites orbiting the Earth at low altitude, the KMS-3 launched in 2012 and the KMS-4 launched in 2016.6
…and guess what? They both hover over the United States7!
And let’s not forget ISIS, who’ve been planning grid attacks for a long time, are extremely self-motivated.
So what happens if any of these scenarios come true? Total collapse.
The large power transformers (that are keeping the power grid alive) will be completely fried, turning entire countries into a veritable electronics graveyard. Trucks will come to a screeching halt, and will stop delivering food, water, and medicine to stores across the nation.
People will be hungry and scared, turning against their fellow men in desperate attempts to feed their families. Looting will be the new national sport, and disease the new biggest killer… That’s when the real “fun” starts…
Law enforcement will be paralyzed and unable to communicate to keep things under control. And what will you eat when all of this happens?
EMP rehearsals
I like to call blackouts “EMP rehearsals”… because they too can leave entire cities in the dark for days or even weeks on end, and scare millions of people…Like this woman, for instance… who got trapped in an elevator during a blackout. If that were an EMP, she’d most likely experience a deadly free fall:
The aging US power grid is hit every FOUR DAYS on average by either a cyber or a physical ATTACK9… 225,000 Ukrainian households were left in the dark in 2015, after the power grid was hacked10.
The number of power outages doubles every 5 years11, mostly because of our increased energy needs, but also due to storms, earthquakes, tornadoes and even heat waves. And what will happen when millions of electric cars owners will plug their vehicles into the grid every night, all at once, and let them charge over night for 8 or 9 hours?
Look no further than 3rd world countries such as India to see what that would look like. In 2002, 700 MILLION souls were left in the dark… It was horrible… According to The Guardian13, “electric crematoriums stopped operating, some with bodies left half burnt before wood was brought in to stoke the furnaces”…
In 2014, the entire country of Yemen was left without power for an entire week after al-Qaeda attacked it14. It wasn’t the first time, either…
Still, it’s hard to imagine what happens when an electromagnetic tsunami completely fries the aging power grid, phones, laptops, medical equipment such as pacemakers, fridges (keeping anything from food to insulin cold), and even some cars. The cost of replacing everything is unimaginable. Plus, even if your car does survive, remember gas pumps also run on electricity…
So what can you do to protect your electronics? All you need is this one weird box you can make at home called a “Faraday cage”, with simple materials lying around in your kitchen or garage right now that, if done right, will guarantee that all the electronics inside will survive.
“If done right” is key here, because there’s a lot of confusion on making them… Many folks are convinced that things like cars and microwaves will work, but they’re completely wrong.
I cringe every time I hear this, because I know that if the shield is not fully enclosed, the electromagnetic pulse will go right through and fry everything inside… Many Faraday cages have holes in them14 and are useless in front of a powerful EMP. What you need is a fully-enclosed shield.
There’s a simple 30 second test you can do right now, to see for yourself. Place your phone and a portable radio inside a microwave, trashcan, or anything else you think would work as a shield. Turn both devices on, and make sure your radio is tuned in to an AM station.
Now try calling your phone. Is it ringing? What about your radio, are you getting anything? If the answer to any of these questions is “yes”, then that is not a Faraday shield and it will fail you.
Why does the test work? Because EMP pulses hit on a very wide frequency range that those used by cell phones and radios.
Now, to make a real Faraday cage, there are two simple rules you need to follow…
Rule #1: the gadgets inside should not touch the outer metal casing…
And rule #2, the metal container must not have any holes or cracks in it, no matter how small.
A box full of working gadgets won’t cover your basic survival needs, so it’s critical that you get over your addiction to electricity. Just like a drug, you’re dependent on it because it makes everything so much easier… And when it’s gone, when you can’t use your phone or laptop, you feel totally helpless.
You gotta learn to live without it, because most people won’t…
Modern life made everyone soft, people can’t even change a tire these days. They can’t fix their house, cook on an open fire or grow their own food, heck, most can’t even change a tire…
The other thing we need to talk about is generating your own electricity post-EMP with parts kept safe inside these Faraday cages. You’ll then be able to run electric tools and appliances such as chainsaws, pressure cookers and washing machines. This is actually something you can do today to slash your electric bill…
To recap, the 3 layers of EMP preparedness are:
Layer #1: Faraday shields
Layer #2: living without electricity
and Layer #3: free energy…
Don’t worry, though, because we’ve already done all the hard work for you. Me and my amazing prepper writers at Survival Sullivan have once again outdone ourselves and came up with hands-down the best course for surviving blackouts and EMPs anyone ever made:
*This product is digital. The image is for information purposes.
We call it: “EMP Protocol”
…and I’m excited to give you a taste of what’s inside:
● Step-by-step videos and pictures on how to make these 3 Faraday boxes types that will protect your devices against even the strongest EMP. You don’t have to pay $30,000 for a copper chamber, or even $30 for Faraday cages advertised on various websites. We’ll show you how to make them for less than $5usd each… You get the exact materials for every type of box, plus step-by-step instructions. Plus, one of these types of cages is small and light enough to fit in your bug out bag…
● What to do the moment an EMP happens. Whether you live in the city or on a farm, whether you’re bugging in or out, we’ll tell you how to move fast, stay safe and protect yourself and your family.
● The 3 best ways to safely generate electricity post-collapse. Just keep the spare parts in Faraday shields, and you’ll have light for years to come.
● 12 electronics you need to salvage in Faraday cages. Yes, flashlights and emergency radios are on the list, but if you truly want to be prepared for a long-term disaster, you definitely need the others.
● How to hide the fact that you have electricity… If someone sees light in your window, or if your kid is playing outside with a flashlight, they’ll instantly know you have it. These stealth tactics are what you need to make sure no neighbor or even the law enforcement will take your devices.
● How to prepare your vehicle for an EMP. Plus, a list of cars models that are sure to survive it.
● How to make bug out bags, get home bags and everyday carry kits for you and your family, that work not just in EMPs, but in any kind of emergency. We’re going deep down the rabbit hole, covering every possible aspect, making sure all the items inside are protected against shocks, water, puncturing by sharp objects, and even theft.
● How to bug out on foot. If your car won’t work, you’ll have no choice but to leave it behind. The roads could be dangerous, but fear not because we’ll tell you how to get to your bug out location safely and in record time.
● Last but not least, we’re going to have a conversation about how to survive without electricity in the long hard years following an EMP event. Nothing is left out, including food and water procurement, hygiene and sanitation, alternative communication methods, and even things that are often overlooked such as home schooling
We really went out of our way to weed out the bad information about EMPs. Best of all, these things will help you survive and thrive in almost any other disaster or emergency, such as social unrest, hurricanes and an economic collapse. Click here to receive your EMP Survival guide. For the Silo, Dan F. Sullivan.
Of course we are seen as primitive compared to alien life. If we could use 20-30% of our brain, then perhaps we may impress them a bit, and break out of our selfish habits.
Hopefully, aliens will try to ignore our downfalls and instead focus on our positive aspects like love, passion, kindness towards others and so on. Humanity has potential.
Dan Aykroyd Talks About Aliens Viewing Humans as an Inferior Species
The New Zealand Harold states: “Actor Dan Aykroyd is convinced alien life forms refuse to make contact with the human race because we are seen as a “violent, depraved, disgusting species”. The Ghostbusters star is a keen student of extraterrestrial sightings and is adamant he has encountered UFOs on several occasions in the US.
He even insists he saw two suspicious objects in the sky as the horrors of the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York were unfolding, and believes that sighting gives a clue as to why aliens have not made contact with humans.”
Aykroyd tells The Sunday Times Magazine, “(It’s) because we are a violent species. They don’t want anything to do with us. They watch us. There were two white orbs over (New) Jersey when the second tower went down on 9/11. They were on CNN for about two minutes… They never showed it again.”
“Can you imagine what was going through their advanced minds when they saw what happened on 9/11? These humans crashing our highest evolution in aviation into our highest evolution in architecture and metallurgy like kids wrecking toys in the sandbox. They are disgusted with us, and rightly so. Because we are a depraved, disgusting species.” The New Zealand Harold . UFO Sighting News.
For the Silo, George Flier via Flier’s Files #46-2014- George A. Filer III New Jersey State Director MUFON Eastern Region Director
George A. Filer, III. I was a major in the U.S. Air Force and a navigator in various aircraft and tanker transport aircraft. He was an intelligence officer most of his career, and in that period, frequently briefed generals and congressmen on our capabilities and threats to our forces.
The Travis Manion Foundation (TMF), one the nation’s leading veterans advocacy organizations, is hosting its flagship event – the 10th annual 9/11 Heroes Memorial run in more than 50 communities across the country and around the world this September, including locally in in Annapolis, MD, and Alexandria, VA. The annual race series unites communities across the country to remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost on 911, as well as to honor our veterans, military, and first responders who serve our country. Proceeds from the 9/11 Heroes Run will benefit the Travis Manion Foundation, which empowers veterans and families of fallen heroes to develop character in future generations.
The 9/11 Heroes Run 5K series was inspired by Marine 1st Lt. Travis Manion, who was killed by a sniper in Iraq in April 2007 as he selflessly protected his battalion. Before his final deployment, Travis visited Rescue One in NYC—famous for losing almost all of their men on 9/11—and returned home with deeper passion about why he was fighting in Iraq. At its heart, the 9/11 Heroes Run is a tribute to a personal commitment to never forget the heroes of that day. Now in its tenth year, the 9/11 Heroes Run national race series will be held in more than 50 locations across the country and around the world. As part of the marketing campaign for the race series, TMF released the video found at the start of this article, to inspire runners and walkers of all ages to participate.
Last year, more than 50,000 people participated in race locations around the world or as virtual runners, to support military, veterans, first responders and their families through TMF. National sponsors of the events include Comcast NBC Universal and CBS Radio. Last year’s Annapolis run drew a crowd of over 2,000 participants including Maryland Governor Larry Hogan and midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academy.
Ryan Manion, TMF President and Travis Manion’s sister, provided this statement:
“As I reflect on the 10 year anniversary of the 9/11 Heroes Run, I’m in awe at the number of communities across the country and around the world that have united to honor all those touched by the events of September 11th, 2001. We challenge all Americans to join us this September, to ensure our next generation never forgets the sacrifices of our veterans, active duty military, first responders, and civilians who were affected by the attacks on 9/11 and in the wars since.”
5 Key Races
9/11 Run Alexandria, VA on Saturday September 9, 2017 at 9:00am ET
9/11 Run Philadelphia, PA on Sunday September 9, 2017 at 9:00am ET
9/11 Run Houston, TX on Sunday September 9, 2017 at 8:00am CT
9/11 Run Annapolis, MD on Sunday September 17, 2017 at 2:00pm ET
9/11 Run Doylestown, PA on Sunday September 24, 2017 at 2:00pm ET
TMF empowers veterans and families of fallen heroes to develop character in future generations. In 2007, 1stLt Travis Manion (USMC) was killed in Iraq while saving his wounded teammates. Today, Travis’ legacy lives on in the words he spoke before leaving for his final deployment, “If Not Me, Then Who…” Guided by this mantra, veterans and survivors continue their service, develop strong relationships with their communities, and thrive in their post-military lives. As a result, communities prosper and the character of our nation’s heroes live on in the next generation.
