Turd Ferguson

As a child, I sure thought I would use one of these a lot more.

It’s getting closer… wait until the borders open back up.

Good morning

Saw this on the internet and made me think of you.

Several countries have recently updated or launched public campaigns urging households to prepare to manage for days to a week with limited or no access to electricity, running water, communications, and other services. These are standard emergency-resilience efforts, not announcements of imminent nationwide blackouts. Drivers include extreme weather linked to climate patterns, cyber threats, infrastructure vulnerabilities, natural disasters (especially in Japan), and (in parts of northern Europe) hybrid or conflict-related risks tied to the broader security environment around Russia and Ukraine. United Kingdom The government launched its “Be Ready” campaign on 22 October 2026 (the first stage of a three-year effort). Households are advised to prepare for about 72 hours (3 days) of disruption to power, water, phones, and the internet. Recommended items include roughly 3 litres of bottled drinking water per person per day (more for cooking/washing), non-perishable food that needs no cooking or refrigeration, a battery or wind-up radio, torch and batteries, cash, essential medicines, and hygiene supplies. Officials cite severe storms, summer wildfires, cyber incidents, and potential hostile-state threats as examples. This aligns the UK with advice already common in France, Ireland, and the Netherlands. Japan On 27 October 2026, disaster management minister Goshi Hosono announced plans to issue an urgent request (expected around 2 November, when a new Disaster Prevention Agency is established) for households to keep at least three days—and preferably a week—of food, drinking water (around 3 litres per person per day), and toilet supplies. The focus is primarily on major natural disasters, including a potential Nankai Trough earthquake, an earthquake under Tokyo, large quakes along northern trenches, and a possible Mount Fuji eruption. Households should be able to cope without immediate public assistance. Sweden Official guidance (from the Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency, formerly MSB) asks every household to be able to manage on its own for at least one week. This covers water (typically 3–5 litres per adult per day), food that keeps without refrigeration, heat/light without electricity, cash, a battery/hand-crank radio, medicines, and hygiene. An updated “In Case of Crisis or War” brochure was distributed to millions of households in late 2024; the advice explicitly includes war or other major crises alongside other disruptions. Sweden also maintains extensive public shelters. Norway, Finland, and the Baltic states • Norway recommends preparing to “fend for yourselves” for at least a week when systems (internet, phones, payments, etc.) fail. It is especially relevant because much home heating relies on electricity; advice includes warm clothing, sleeping bags, candles, and water stores. A recent preparedness week focused on internet and mobile outages. • Finland has a strong long-standing preparedness culture, including 72-hour kits and national food stockpiles. Authorities are preparing to distribute printed emergency guides to households in January 2027 covering power cuts, crises, and related risks. Power outages can quickly affect water supply. • Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have long issued detailed crisis/war guides covering power and water disruptions, evacuation, and self-reliance. Recent storms have tested systems (causing widespread outages that also affected water pumps and mobile networks), prompting renewed emphasis on household kits. Other European countries (France, Ireland, Netherlands, Germany—where advice often targets closer to 10 days—and others) promote similar 72-hour or multi-day emergency kits covering food, water, cash, radios, and power banks. EU-level guidance has also encouraged 72-hour preparedness.

In 1964 the minimum wage was $1.25/hr — five 90% silver quarters. Those same quarters are worth about $9.76 each in silver today. So one week of min-wage work then = ~$1,952 in today’s silver. One year (48 weeks if you take 4 weeks off) = ~$93,700.

Got the wife and I’s Halloween Costume

If you want state income tax on top of property and sales tax vote blue!

What happens when you look up shortsighted in the dictionary?

I was given tickets to the NHRA Texas Fall Nationals this weekend. I’ve never attended before. These cars are pushing 12,000 HP. You can feel it in your bones. It’s something to experience if you never have.

Good morning