Bob Mayer's Blog, page 33
November 7, 2020
Day 242: 2020 Pandemic. Over 132,700 New Daily Cases; 1,220 Fatalities. Free Survival Guide. Because.
Death RateWhile people focus on election results, COVID-19 is surging on a daily basis. We’ve hit peak and there’s no end in sight. I know of people who believe the president that it wasn’t a big deal and masks weren’t necessary who are DEAD now. That’s not partisan. That’s life and death.
Today and tomorrow (11/7-11/8) my Green Beret Pocket-Sized Survival Guide is free on Kindle. Doesn’t hurt to have on your phone (which is also pocket-sized, although the title refers to the print version).
If we just wore masks, we could cut the death toll dramatically. Also, do you really need to go out and do most of the things people are gathering to do? Last night I heard the marching band from the local high school for a football game. Seriously? Is it worth your life? Or the life of others?
At the current rate, the death toll will double by inauguration. Think on that. We’re “rounding the corner” and right ahead is a cliff we’re going to fall off.
I’ve been doing there posts since the beginning of the pandemic and if you had told me back in the beginning if we’d be worse off now, still in the first wave, never mind fearing a second wave, I wouldn’t have believed you. But that’s the reality. That’s what an utter lack of leadership and ignoring science brings about. Those are facts. If we’re going to move forward, it’s time we start following science and believing in facts rather than magical thinking.
Sorry for the rant, but I find the death toll appalling and unacceptable.
The Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide. Also in Kindle Unlimited.
November 5, 2020
Day 240: 2020 Pandemic. Over 100,000 New Daily Cases; 1,110 Fatalities. How to Cope?
Despite all the other news, we are in a surge of the FIRST WAVE of COVID-19 and we have no plan to deal with it, no national strategy, nothing.
It’s 5 November and we still are talking about Covid. It hasn’t magically disappeared it’s worse than ever.
Note the spikes in North and South Dakota and look at the governor’s responses. Also consider the Sturgis Rally as a super-spreader event.
Once more, it falls on the individual to continue to take precautions despite our weariness of all that has happened and continues to happen.
Beyond the things we know: masks, masks, masks, washing hands, avoiding crowds, we also have to cope with life.
I recently revamped and republished what used to be called Who Dares Wins as The Green Beret Guide for Success: The Strategies of the Quiet Professionals. I’ve refined the Wheel of Success and you start with WHAT, which is goal-setting. One key to success is to set a specific long-term goal and do whatever it takes to achieve it. I know a lot of writers are doing Nanowrimo this month with the short term goal of finishing a book; but they also need to set a long-term goal for what they want to achieve.
The same for all of us. Look beyond this pandemic and chaos. Where do you want to be in a year? Two years?
The Green Beret Guide for Success: The Strategies of the Quiet Professionals.
The Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide. Updated as of October 2020. Also in Kindle Unlimited.
November 2, 2020
Five Weeks Before Pearl Harbor; An American Warship Was Torpedoed
Reuben JamesI’d never heard of the Reuben James even though Woody Guthrie wrote a song about it.
Here is what happened:
Five Weeks Before Pearl Harbor; An American Warship Was Torpedoed from Bob Mayer
October 28, 2020
29 October is known as Black Tuesday in History. The 1st Internet Message was also sent on 29 Oct.
In 1929, the 29th of October is the day the Great Depression officially began. The stock market had been going down, but this was the day of the crash that didn’t rebound. The bubble burst and it would take over a decade for the world’s economy to recover and then there was a World War.
Other significant events in history have occurred on 29 October. Such as the first internet message in 1969. Sir Walter Raleigh was executed on this day in 1618. A plane crash in 1980 led to the cancellation of the planned second Iranian hostage rescue. And more. What if . . .
Black Tuesday. What Happened and if it's changed then . . . from Bob Mayer
October 26, 2020
Day 230: 2020 Pandemic. A Surge And What You Need To Do
The White House surrendered; hell, they never even fought. But that doesn’t mean we have to.
We are at record numbers with no relief in sight. Compare the above map to what I was posting months ago.
Wear a mask. Hell, I wear two. I wear an N-100 which protects me but has a valve, so in consideration for others, I wear a survival mask over that. Focus on this story from 24 August. In Seoul, a woman who was positive when into a Starbucks. Contact tracing (which we barely do here because we have no national COVID policy and never have from the start) revealed at least 56 positives from other patrons. BUT the employees who were wearing masks didn’t catch it. They worked in there but were safe.
Wear a mask.
Stop being selfish. I drive by packed restaurants and shake my head. Seriously? Yes, I know it’s a business. But order take-out. Order delivery. Tip well.
Our numbers are not surging because we have great testing. We have shitty testing. We have no national policy. We have a hodgepodge of states responding to something while our leader works against effective techniques and has given up on it. Worse than given up. Gives fatal advice. That’s not political. That’s science. The virus doesn’t care if its blue state, red state, purple state. We’ve lost at least a quarter million people (the real numbers are actually low) directly from COVID. Hundreds of thousands others will die from secondary effects of the pandemic such as canceled doctor’s appointments, delayed checkups, etcetera.
Wear a mask. Be kind. Be considerate of others.
If we all wear masks we will save hundreds of thousands of fellow humans. Be a human.
The Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide. Updated as of October 2020. Also in Kindle Unlimited.
October 25, 2020
What Do You Do When The Pilots Shut Down The Wrong Engine?
Kegworth CrashYes, it happened. Think about it. Pilots can’t behind the cockpit.
Here is the slideshow detailing the six Cascade events that led to the final disaster.
An interesting sidenote is that because so many lived through this, investigators were able to analyze what position they were in when the plane hit the ground and thus came up with our current crash position.
What Do You Do When The Pilots Shut Down The Wrong Engine? from Bob Mayer
October 24, 2020
Day 228: 2020 Pandemic. Jeep Wrangler, Scout and a Trip Into The Smoky Mountains
Smoky Mountain National Park is the most visited of all the National Parks. Therefore, I tend to avoid it. The reality is everyone crowds onto 441 and every place worth stopping is packed with cars.
The National Park only takes a portion of the Smokies. There’s the Cherokee National Forest and other preserves and parks. BTW, there is a difference between a National Park and a National Forest. No dispersed camping in the former and Parks are much more tightly regulated.
BTW, for veterans, you can get a free Golden Pass for National Parks HERE.
I use my short trips into the Smokies not just for enjoyment, but to shake out my gear. There are a lot of people who have nice looking Grab-n-Go bags and other equipment but have never actually used a lot of it. Just setting up a tent can be challenging if you’ve never done it (speaking from experience—we never carried tents in Special Forces, no matter how tough the weather).
For this trip I went south toward the TN-GA border then cut in to the Cohutta Wilderness Area, which is the largest wilderness east of the Mississippi with more than 40,000 acres. It’s south of the Smoky Mountain National Park, east of Chattanooga and north of Atlana. It straddles the border and abuts the Cherokee, Nantahala and Chattahoochee Natl Forests, so there’s a lot of elbow room as Daniel Boon likes to say.
I was first introduced to this a few years ago when talking to someone in the parking lot who was admiring my Jeep. Or Cool Gus. Or both. He mentioned a thing called the Georgia Traverse. I’ve driven the entire traverse and much more. Technically, it’s not particularly hard, although there are some very bumpy sections.
This week’s trip covered 237 miles, at an average speed of 17.3 miles per house and a total ascent of 15,451 feet. Love my Gaia app. I’m not slow, I just get there. Plus, I have to stop a lot to let Scout recon.
I’ll be doing some videos this next week to show how my Jeep is configured for off the grid (including a solar panel on the roof and backup batteries). Nothing but good times ahead.
The Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide. Updated as of October 2020. Also in Kindle Unlimited.
I’ve also just published The Green Beret Guide to Seven Great Disasters (1).
October 19, 2020
Guide to Seven Great Disasters Publishes Today!
Seven Great DisastersI hope everyone is enjoying cooler fall weather.
My latest release, The Green Beret Guide to Seven Great Disasters (2) is out today. This series of books is about learning from past disasters to prevent future ones. From the misconceptions on both sides that led to Pearl Harbor to the last Tsar’s leadership failures which shaped the 20th century into the present. There is also the Sultana, the greatest maritime disaster in US History, whose wreck site is now land and two miles from water and for which Abraham Lincoln was partly responsible.
The first nine books of the Area 51 series are each .99 this month. And Chasing the Ghost, the first Horace Chase book in the series is free today.
Stay safe!
Bob
October 14, 2020
Day 218: 2020 Pandemic. Are You Prepared for Winter?
Having served in the Special Forces Group that focused on Winter Warfare, I spent several months every year not on deployment, training at high altitude in the cold. It was amazing how each year, I’d forgotten how tough and brutal the cold is.
There are things we all need to know to prepare ourselves for winter and to deal with possible emergencies we might encounter. Here is a free slideshow on that. I’ll have one on preparing for and dealing with Blizzards shortly, as I just updated that in the Survival Guide in the new edition.
What You Need to Know for Cold weather Preparation and Survival from Bob Mayer
Stay safe!
The Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide. Updated as of October 2020. Also in Kindle Unlimited.
I’ve also just published The Green Beret Guide to Seven Great Disasters (1).
Day 219: 2020 Pandemic. Are You Prepared for Winter?
Having served in the Special Forces Group that focused on Winter Warfare, I spent several months every year not on deployment, training at high altitude in the cold. It was amazing how each year, I’d forgotten how tough and brutal the cold is.
There are things we all need to know to prepare ourselves for winter and to deal with possible emergencies we might encounter. Here is a free slideshow on that. I’ll have one on preparing for and dealing with Blizzards shortly, as I just updated that in the Survival Guide in the new edition.
What You Need to Know for Cold weather Preparation and Survival from Bob Mayer
Stay safe!
The Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide. Updated as of October 2020. Also in Kindle Unlimited.
I’ve also just published The Green Beret Guide to Seven Great Disasters (1).
