Guess what we're writing about this week? So many people asked about medical kits that we're putting together an article on the supplies you can get your hands on now. In the photo are my recent Amazon and Fish Mox orders. Details are coming this week.

Also, what in the world is going on with the clothing in Target? Is that dress HazMat Chic? Just horrible. Many parts of North Carolina have returned to mandatory masking. I was in to pick up a prescription and that little doozie caught my eye. (No, I didn't buy it.)

I was stunned this week by the hundreds of comments on my article about discrimination against the unvaccinated. For the most part, the discussion was civil, which was really nice. Clearly, this is a topic on everyone's mind and the division is getting a lot sharper.

This is both worrisome and encouraging. I'm glad to see that so many people are thinking for themselves and making decisions based on what they believe is best for their situations - whichever direction that decision goes. But the anger is palpable and I can't imagine that much more time will go on until bad things begin happening. Violence, lines being drawn, ties being cut. It's difficult to imagine a peaceful resolution to something this incredibly divisive.

I hope you take a moment to spend some time in nature this weekend. Downtime and stepping away from the news is more important than ever.

Shortly after withdrawing American troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban has been on the literal warpath, taking city after city, and is getting closer to Kabul, where the American Embassy is. Zero Hedge reported Friday that the Embassy is at the "burn everything" stage and staff are destroying documents. President Biden has asked the Taliban nicely to spare the Embassy and the Americans there, so I'm sure it'll all be just fine. This could easily turn into a Benghazi 2.0. Biden is sending 5000 American soldiers back - but will they get there in time to evacuate the embassy?

A 7.2 earthquake - even bigger than the last one that devastated Haiti - hit the island nation Saturday morning. 300 have already been declared dead with that number expected to rise dramatically. This follows an 8.1 in the Sandwich Islands yesterday and a 7.2 in the Philippines earlier in the week.

The Western US is on fire. More than 21,000 firefighters are doing everything they can to fight hundreds of thousands of acres of wildfires. The extremely dry winter has caused terrible conditions across the entire Western United States and the "heat dome" isn't doing them any favors either. I suspect this will be the worst wildfire season we've ever seen and that this is only the beginning. I hope I'm wrong.

One of China's busiest ports has shut down due to Covid and I have deja vu. This is how the shortages started in 2020 whether our government wants to admit it or blame it on "hoarders." Ningbo-Zhoushan port — the third-busiest port in the world - closed a crucial terminal in a move that is likely to cause shortages, delays, and high prices. I wrote last week warning that another lockdown was coming...is it possible that it will coincide with shortages due to shipping that they can blame on panic buying yet again? Huh. Anyway. Get your supplies. Get your electronics. Get them now.

A couple of bloggers in the survival community to send your thoughts, good vibes, and prayers to:

Bernie Carr of ApartmentPrepper.com had a debilitating case of Covid. She is home from the hospital but on oxygen constantly and has a long road to recovery ahead of her. (Read more.) She has a new book if you'd like to support her during this difficult time. Find it here.

Greg Ellifritz of ActiveResponseTraining.net is in the hospital with Covid and double pneumonia. He is also on oxygen and is improving. He hopes to go home within another week but will likely still be on supplemental oxygen. You can support him on Patreon here.

You know what they say about the best-laid plans of mice and men. It's also true of women. My daughter and I were planning to relocate our storage unit food supply to our homes and restock our storage unit. A bad allergic reaction pushed that to the side for this week. So instead, I worked on my medical stockpile. I inventoried all the goodies I brought back from Mexico, and then did some ordering.

I also took it a step further. I translated all the labels that were in Spanish so others besides me will know what the products are, the dosage, and what they're for. I also made lists to go with my fish antibiotics so I'd know what antibiotic treats what specific infection...in my fish of course. We can't have sick fish.

I really recommend learning off-label treatments too. For example, did you know that the active ingredient in Benadryl is the same as the active ingredient in Dramamine? The doses are different and Benadryl (or the generic version) is a fraction of the price. Do your own research and really spend some time learning about these things and you can really expand your home medical care abilities.

I replaced batteries in all my diagnostic equipment and ordered extra batteries.