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netstorm

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  1. What the F&*&^^*!!!!! They want to bring t

    in General Discussion - Any topic is welcome here!!!

    Posted · Edited by netstorm

    If you don't have food, and water on hand you better get it. Also head to the store, and get some bleach, masks, some nbc suits. You may also want to buy some plastic sheeting to seal off cracks/AC vents if ever need be. Some people will call you crazy, but screw them if you protect your family it's all that matters. I was going to buy a bunch of hand sanitizer and stuff, but I already have a lot of vodka on hand so I can just use that.

     

    This was posted on another site I visit, and I've shared it here for you guys to understand more of what's going on, and take this more seriously.

     

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    I am a white guy who lived in Liberia for long stretches between 2010-2012. During this period I managed operations for a mining company operating approximately 60 miles North of Monrovia near a town named Bopolu in Gbarpolu County. Most of my time was spent living out of a mud hut near one of our work sites site deep in the bush. Aside from a few creature comforts including a small generator for a lights, two computers, LAN base station, satellite dish and a few fans to move the air in our huts around, we lived in the same conditions as the 3-4 dozen locals hired from nearby villages.

    The climate is subtropical. There are two seasons: The dry season and "The Wet," which runs from May to November. In fact, Monrovia is the wettest capital city in the world. You have never seen rain as heavy as this place. MASSIVE downpours. BIG drops. 

    The jungles in the interior are some of the most dense in the world. Not the worst, but right up there.

    Once every 2-3 weeks we would drive out of the bush (a painfully arduous trip taking 5-8 hours, often longer) and back to Monrovia for a few days to pick up supplies and "white man food," but aside from this, not much difference. During these trips I got to know Monrovia fairly well.

    The two primary languages spoken in Liberia are English and Liberian Kpelle (pronounced Pel-LAY)

    High points to consider:

    ~15 years of civil war ended in 2003 when George Bush sent in the Marines. This opened the door for Nigerian troops to enter, followed by the UN Mission to Liberia (UNMIL). That force remains to this day.

    2 civil wars during this 15 year period, quite literally, destroyed the country. While some improvements have been made in the last few years, Monrovia and the country as a whole are still pretty trashed.

    Liberia faces significant challenges in this situation as there are *very* few paves roads into the interior of the country. Looking at Liberia in Google Earth, close in, will reveal just how limited they are. Despite this, there are innumerable villages spread throughout the interior.

    The lack of roads means a near complete lack of health services outside of larger towns. Need a doctor? Walk, catch a ride on a motor bike or be carried out. There are simply no other options.

    The same happens in reverse. Need to get health authorities into the interior? Walk, catch a ride on a motor bike or, if you are lucky, a chopper ride.

    At the time I was in country, Samaritan's Purse (part of the Billy Grahm's ministry) was the only humanitarian organization able to operate helicopters. Aside from the occasional mining company performing surveys, the only other aerial traffic one is likely to see are Hind gunships operated by the UN. Most are unarmed and simply used for patrols and to move troops around.

    Given the remote nature of most of the country, when people die in the interior, their body is put on display, people from surrounding villages walk for many miles to come and mourn, get drunk, and then the body is buried. 

    A man from a nearby village who worked for us died of unknown causes in a distant village. He was extremely well liked by those in the area. We transported the body back to the village in a Toyota land cruiser (west Africa configuration). People came from all over the country into the interior for his funeral. They set his body out on a table of sorts, then proceeded to get collectively hammered. The next morning, his body (left out all night) was found being disassembled by driver ants. Talk about fucked up...

    When people die in Monrovia, the hospitals (typically) turn the dead bodies over to the family in a long cloth sack. A large branch of vegetation is stuck in the front and rear bumpers of a car or lorry indicating there is a dead body on board. The locals recognize this and make way. The family puts the body on display, people come and mourn and get drunk on palm wine and local beer. The travailing is quite emotional. Lots of touching of the dead body. Then they find a place to bury the corpse. Often it is done in the bush as many can not afford a plot in a cemetery.

    Sanitation in many parts of the city is horrendous when compared to that of developed nations. In the interior, it is standard with the locals to relieve oneself in the rivers. For our mining camp, we had a pit 25 feet deep dug into the hard soil. A mud hut was built over it and local masons spread concrete on the floor and walls. A hole 1 foot in diameter was left over the deep hole. A few feet or water is added, then a few cans of motor oil to form a layer on top to trap odors and keep the flies to a minimum. This is the way it is done.

    It is a Liberian tradition to eat from a communal pot with one's unwashed HANDS. We tried for a long time to get those working for us to use utensils. For most, nope. 

    As there are no stores in the interior, all that goes into one's mouth is grown, foraged or trapped. Deeper in the bush some still had guns for gathering "bush meat," including grey monkeys and all kinds of 4-legged and winged creatures. Bat soup is a local favorite.

    Cassava root (for Foo Foo), rice and loads of greenery and chilies were the main staples.

    We once had a HUGE cheetah stalking our camp. We hired two local hunters to deal with it. Two days later they returned with it on a stick. We had them skin it, divide the meat between the 4 closest villages and we kept the pelt. 6 feet from the base of the neck to the start of the tail just above the bung. Thats a big cheetah.

    As there is no electricity in the interior, meats and fish (from the same rivers used for relief) are preserved using mud smoke houses.

    Corruption is widespread with government officials and law enforcement (common in 3rd world shitholes worldwide). During my time in the country, just getting between Monrovia and the end of the paved roads 20 miles or so out of town required passing through multiple police and interior immigration checkpoints, each requiring some sort of payoff, typically just a few bucks. We actually tracked these expenses as an expected cost of doing business.

    ----

    All of the above is presented in order to help understand why Ebola and other strange diseases can spread so wide and so fast in that part of the world. Inadequate sanitation, lack of concepts in hygiene for the country folk, lack of modern medical facilities in the interior and the general challenge of moving around given the topography. You can not get the sick out easily nor get health workers in easily. Tracing contacts with the infected is literally impossible. The dead are turned over to families (though I suspect this has been halted as of late...). 

    Despite all of the above, Liberia is also one of the most fascinating places I have ever been. Were it not for Ebola, I would go back IN. A. HEARTBEAT. if asked. I could not get enough of living in the jungle. Way too cool of an experience. Always interesting. Always challenging. Those into the outdoors can relate.

    WATCH FOR CHINA TO APPEAR ON THE EBOLA MAP. West Africa, as with the rest of the continent, has received massive investment by the Chinese government. Along with that money comes large numbers of Chinese nationals.

    • Like 3

  2. My daughter made my cry last night

    in General Discussion - Any topic is welcome here!!!

    Posted

    The fact that she wants a gun is awesome. You should be a proud father for that. As for the bedazzle thing... I kind of feel about that as I do airsoft. If it gets more people into guns, and protect our rights I can't be mad about it. I get angry sometimes with all the airsoft youtubers, and results in google, but it really is helping the gun industry, and bringing people over to guns in general. I'm sure you can come up with a good compromise such as a two toned rifle or something. Or you can always tell her these weapons are designed for self defense, and not toys, and you don't want someone thinking it's a toy, and so on.

  12. 22LR pre order heads up at pre panic prices

    in General Discussion - Any topic is welcome here!!!

    Posted

    Sportsmansguide has some preorder 22lr at around 4-5 cents per round.

     

    http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/325rds-22lr-automatch-bulkpack.aspx?a=1305481

     

    Coupon Code: SG2229 is $20 off $75 order which helps pay for shipping. So what you should do is order 5 at a time with that coupon to get the best deal. I've decided not to buy any so others can have some as I have enough ammo, and at some point you gotta let others get some.

     

     

     

     

  14. Foreign ammo imports doubled in early 2013 to meet exploding U.S. dema

    in General Discussion - Any topic is welcome here!!!

    Posted

    The American ammo shortage has been a boon for foreign ammo makers as ammunition imports into the U.S. doubled during the first months of 2013.

    According to data from the Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission, imports of ammo cartridges as well as shotguns have just about doubled during the first two months of 2013.

    For the first two months of 2013, about 457 million cartridges were imported into the U.S. — more than double the amount of cartridges that were imported during the first two months of 2012. Shotgun shell imports have more than doubled as well, from 10 million during the first two months of 2012 to 24 million during the same period in 2013.

    Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/08/foreign-ammo-imports-doubled-in-early-2013-to-meet-exploding-u-s-demand/#ixzz2Ssd8kUzG

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