I wrote other relevant articles here and here.

Reading is the foundation of all learning. But before you can run, you need to learn to stand and walk. Letter recognition is the foundation of the foundation.

Kindergarten used to be the place where students learned all this, if parents weren’t working with their kids before hand. However, if students enter Kindergarten without these skills, they will already be behind. Students in Kindergarten are reading by the second semester.

You can read more about the reading process in my free ebook – Education After the Collapse. But you can also get some good advice in the article below.

Most of us reading about and watching all the “new developments” in our country are not surprised. Many of the “enlightened” have been expecting this for a while. But being ready or expecting it doesn’t take away the surreal feeling that it all brings, the calm before the storm.

I don’t know where I read or heard it, but I recently was reminded (cause I’ve heard it before) that the US is heading down the same path that the Roman Empire was on as it collapsed. Although I like history, I don’t consider myself a historian. [...]]]>

Most of us reading about and watching all the “new developments” in our country are not surprised.  Many of the “enlightened” have been expecting this for a while.  But being ready or expecting it doesn’t take away the surreal feeling that it all brings, the calm before the storm.

I don’t know where I read or heard it, but I recently was reminded (cause I’ve heard it before) that the US is heading down the same path that the Roman Empire was on as it collapsed.  Although I like history, I don’t consider myself a historian.   But as I spent a little time contemplating the issue, I remembered about the life work of Edward Gibbon, History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.  I haven’t read it, it’s a huge work.  But you can find it free online and download it for $1.99 on Amazon.

After checking out Amazon, I used Google and came up on this pdf by Martin Armstrong.  I read his site almost everyday, so I was interested to see what he had to say.  You can download his pdf here.  Armstrong says that Rome was very good about recording their history.  Many of these records still exist and we have a really good picture about what was going on in Rome.  Armstrong mentions that we know more about Ancient Rome than any other ancient civilization in history.

Basically, Armstrong says that unfunded liabilities are what caused Rome to collapse. Uhm…have “you lost that lovin’ feelin‘” yet?

Then, I decided to go to Youtube.  I found the docudrama series by the BBC – Rome: Rise & Fall of an Empire.  There’s about 5 hours of video to watch.  I created a playlist for easy viewing.  Here is brief description of the docudrama,

“each episode looking at a different key turning point in the history of the Roman Empire.

Factually accurate and based on extensive historical research, it reveals how the greed, lust and ambition of men like Caesar, Nero and Constantine shaped the Roman Empire.

It describes how Rome destroyed Carthage, was conquered by Caesar, how it suppressed the Jewish revolt, and converted to Christianity.

CGI is mixed with compelling drama and spectacular live-action battles to tell the definitive television story of how the Empire was formed, how it achieved maximum power, and why it eventually failed.” – from Top Documentary Films

As things continue to get “interesting,” it might be a good idea to have a little background knowledge of the final days of the great Roman Empire.  Rome influenced western culture greatly.  However, they also showed us “what not to do.”  Why do our leaders think that we would be any different or that they can manipulate things to a different end?  In the end, hopefully The United States of America doesn’t become one of those nations that contributed a lot to society and the world, but imploded because of a multitude of bad decisions.

When the alarm clock sounds and everyone in your family begins to begrudgingly make their way out of bed, there’s a long list of tasks that must be completed before everyone can leave to start their day. Getting the kids out the door before the bus arrives or the last bell rings can be particularly difficult, especially if you’re trying to prepare for your own day in the process. [...]]]>

I hate being late!  Being a parent, this can cause some conflicts.  This is an article with a lot of good advice, many that we have used in our own family.

When the alarm clock sounds and everyone in your family begins to begrudgingly make their way out of bed, there’s a long list of tasks that must be completed before everyone can leave to start their day. Getting the kids out the door before the bus arrives or the last bell rings can be particularly difficult, especially if you’re trying to prepare for your own day in the process. These tips won’t make getting your kids out of bed without complaint any easier, but they may help you get everyone out the door on time.

• Establish a Routine – It’s not always easy to make it out of the house on time when you have an established morning routine, but it’s definitely more difficult if you’re flying by the seat of your pants. Make sure that you establish a set routine for each morning that includes feeding every member of the family, making sure that everyone’s dressed appropriately and that everyone is ready to troop down to the car or school bus when the time comes.

Read the rest of the article – Click Here.

I don’t know why people would want to cause havoc on a website that is helping others. But for some reason, there is trash out there that likes to hack into website regardless of what type they are. Due to the popularity of Prepper Website, I have had to deal with this more times than I would like. I was able to take care of it the first time, but the rest of the [...]]]> Every once in a while you’ll find a deal that makes you sing the praises of the product or service.  This is that type of review!

I don’t know why people would want to cause havoc on a website that is helping others.  But for some reason, there is trash out there that likes to hack into website regardless of what type they are.  Due to the popularity of Prepper Website, I have had to deal with this more times than I would like.  I was able to take care of it the first time, but the rest of the attacks were beyond my expertise.

Like everyone else who runs a website, I researched how to harden my site, which security plugins I should have, changed passwords and all the other tips in the blogosphere.  It still happened!

My first attempt to go outside my own ability was with a service that my hosting provider sold me.  It cost $100 and sucked!  I was never able to contact support because they held banker hours.  I canceled the service and got a refund!

Enter Sucuri!  Wow…wow…wow!

I am so pleased with their service that I’m writing a blog post!  How about that!  The service for 1 website is $89, cheaper than my own host!

Right after getting the service setup, Sucuri went right to work!  They have an easy to navigate dashboard that gets you right to what you need.

More importantly is that they are fast with support and solutions!  Sucuri will scan your site, remove any malware and help you make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Since using Sucuri, I have not had any other issues, although the site is consistently being attacked!

One of the other benefits is their premium WordPress plugin.  They offer a free plugin, but the premium plugin offers many more resources.

You can visit the Sucuri site here.  For webmasters who aren’t sure if they have malware on their site, they offer a free scanner.  Individual readers can also use it to make sure they are surfing to a safe site.

The simulation was “created and run by Tara O’Toole and Thomas Inglesby of the Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies (CCBS) / Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and Randy Larsen and Mark DeMier of Analytic Services.” (1)

The first such exercise of its kind, Dark Winter was undertaken to examine the challenges that senior-level policy makers would face if confronted with a bioterrorist attack that initiated outbreaks of highly [...]]]> In June 2001, a bio-terrorist attack simulation tried to evaluate the effectiveness of the nation’s response to a worst case scenario – smallpox attack.  The findings weren’t good!

The simulation was “created and run by Tara O’Toole and Thomas Inglesby of the Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies (CCBS) / Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and Randy Larsen and Mark DeMier of Analytic Services.” (1)

The first such exercise of its kind, Dark Winter was undertaken to examine the challenges that senior-level policy makers would face if confronted with a bioterrorist attack that initiated outbreaks of highly contagious disease. The exercise was intended to increase awareness of the scope and character of the threat posed by biological weapons among senior national security experts and to catalyze actions that would improve prevention and response strategies.  Shining Light on “Dark Winter”

Critics of the simulation point to the fact that the “players” continually asked for worst case scenario.  I say, what is the problem with that?  You can’t tell a virus to take it easy on you!  The lessons learned from the simulation include:

• Leaders are unfamiliar with the character of bioterrorist attacks, available policy options, and their consequences.
• After a bioterrorist attack, leaders’ decisions would depend on data and expertise from the medical and public health sectors.
• The lack of sufficient vaccine or drugs to prevent the spread of disease severely limited management options.
• The US health care system lacks the surge capacity to deal with mass casualties.
• To end a disease outbreak after a bioterrorist attack, decision makers will require ongoing expert advice from senior public health and medical leaders.
• Federal and state priorities may be unclear, differ, or conflict; authorities may be uncertain; and constitutional issues may arise.
• The individual actions of US citizens will be critical to ending the spread of contagious disease; leaders must gain the trust and sustained cooperation of the American people.

You can read an elaborated paragraph on each of the findings here.

Do you think that if a bio-terror attack or even a mutated virus wrecked havoc in the U.S. that all these things would fall into place like they should?  This was in 2001!  Twelve years later are we better prepared?  Are resources in place?

The conclusion, according to the findings are:

…the Dark Winter exercise, the intention was to inform the debate on the threat posed by biological weapons and to provoke a deeper understanding of the numerous challenges that a covert act of bioterrorism with a contagious agent would present to senior level policy makers and elected officials. Since the Dark Winter exercise, the country has endured the horrific events of 11 September, as well as anthrax attacks through the US postal system. Bioterrorism is no longer just the subject of war games and the source of “futuristic and disturbing topics for…[Congressional] committee meetings” ([33], p. 2454). Many of the challenges and difficulties faced by the Dark Winter participants, unfortunately, have been paralleled in the response to the recent anthrax attacks. The Dark Winter exercise offers instructive insights and lessons for those with responsibility for bioterrorism preparedness in the medical, public health, policy, and national security communities and, accordingly, helps shine light on possible paths forward.

Again, this simulation took place in 2001.  Do you believe we are in better shape now?

Take a look at the video below and answer the question for yourself.  Admittedly, the video was created to promote a multi-shooter game called The Division.  But how far from fiction is this?

“Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppressions of the body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day.” – Thomas Jefferson

A while back, I received an email that until tonight, I had forgotten about. I don’t know why I started thinking about it, maybe all the stuff going on lately. The email was sent back in Feb. The author wrote,

“Recently, because of the things going [...]]]> “Don’t interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties.” – Abraham Lincoln

“Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppressions of the body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day.” – Thomas Jefferson

A while back, I received an email that until tonight, I had forgotten about.  I don’t know why I started thinking about it, maybe all the stuff going on lately.  The email was sent back in Feb.  The author wrote,

“Recently, because of the things going on in this country I’ve decided to educate myself on some things that I either never really understood, or that it has been so long since I reviewed the material I really couldn’t remember what it was truly about.  I thought that you might take a look at these things and perhaps you might post them on your sight if you find them worthy.”

I bet a lot of people feel that way and more don’t even have a clue!  But as I was on my way home from work, I was thinking about my own kids and how much they know.  I’m thinking that this Summer, we might have a little Summer Home School of our own!

Below, I have linked to a ton of resources on the U.S. Constitution.  Some of the links will allow you to click and click and click and you could be lost for  hours! So be careful!!!   I’ve tried to provide a little info. on the resources as well.  In the spirit of education, it was my desire to provide these resources to teach young people.  However, anyone can learn from these links, as you will see!

Peace,
Todd

The Constitution at PPST.com – FREE Power Point Presentations.  These are way cool!  Many that I clicked on were very well put together.  Some had sound  which was a little cheesy at times.  The site has links that will allow you to drill down and get lost!  But there are also specific links for kids and teachers.  These links include lesson plans and interactive games.  The only downside is that you will need Microsoft Power Point to view the slides.  I was able to download a PPT and then upload it to Google Drive.  Open Office, a free program and alternative to Microsoft products will also work.

Federal Resources for Educational Excellence – It’s OK if you threw-up a little bit after reading that!  The link is worth it though.  The link is a portal that provides links to stuff like: The Federalist Papers, America’s Founding Fathers (with bios), Lesson Plans and a ton of other cool stuff!

Teachable Text from the National Archives in Boston – This site provides facts and ideas on teaching the U.S. Constitution.  I like some of the ideas like: “Learn the Preamble” and “Draw ‘We the People.’”  There are supposed to be some pdf’s that open up and provide these activities, but they only go to the directions page.  However, a creative person and take these ideas and run with them.

Learning the Constitution for Kids from LAWS.com – This is a quick read about the comprehension level of the U.S. Constitution and activities or lessons that students can do in regards to the comprehension level.  I’m of the firm belief that everyone can learn…and should take it to where they can.  Some students will need to learn the Constitution on a basic level, some will be able to go to higher levels with it.

Explore the US Constitution – National Constitution Center – This interactive guide breaks down the Articles and Amendments and then provides an easy to understand interpretation.  It also provides some info. on each (in the red box) article or amendment.  For example on the 2nd Amendment, “Passed by Congress September 25, 1789. Ratified December 15, 1791. The first 10 amendments form the Bill of Rights.”

The Annenberg Classroom – There is a lot here.  Check out the About page to get some background.  You really want to focus on the bottom of the page where the links are located.  Make sure you checkout the links under “Constitution Curriculum.”

Social Studies – Teaching the Constitution – This is a Pinetrest Pin with a ton of other links.

The U.S. Constitution Book: Just for Kids – (links to Amazon) – “Through fun activities like word searches, crossword puzzles, mazes and more, this interactive coloring book is both entertaining and educational. This unique approach to teaching captures both the imagination and creativity of students, and helps them become excited to learn about U.S. History and the Constitution. Approved by teachers and educators!”

And what kind of list would this be if I left out School House Rock?

This list of resources will keep anyone busy for a long time! If you come across any other links that should be included, please leave them in the comment section below.

Anyone with their pulse on current events has to be worried! We are living in concerning times. You don’t have to look too far to see that our nation is in a very fragile state. One major stressor is the economy. We currently have more people dependent on government assistance than ever before. (click here and here) So then, what happens when prices (food, medical, utilities) reach a point that the assistance that the government is providing doesn’t cut it anymore? Can you guess?

You don’t have to guess, cause it is happening right now. Turn [...]]]>

Anyone with their pulse on current events has to be worried!  We are living in concerning times.  You don’t have to look too far to see that our nation is in a very fragile state.  One major stressor is the economy.  We currently have more people dependent on government assistance than ever before. (click here and here)  So then, what happens when prices (food, medical, utilities) reach a point that the assistance that the government is providing doesn’t  cut it anymore?  Can you guess?

You don’t have to guess, cause it is happening right now.  Turn on the news and let your local newscast freak you out.  Or, don’t count on the mainstream media, because they are only going to give you a portion of what you really need to hear anyway.  Instead, listen to your neighbors, friends and co-workers.  You can drill down and check your neighborhood stats here (drill down to the street level).  You will see/hear about crimes that you won’t hear about on TV.  If you haven’t experienced this yet, you are lucky.  But you better believe that at some point you are going to be touched by it. As the economy continues to suffer and individuals and families encounter hard times, crime is going to increase, thus creating the need for the prudent and wise to think about their safety and security.

When it comes to safety and security, I have always been a fan of the layering approach.  Layering is simply placing objects or barriers between you and the bad guys!  Layering is effective and it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money.  The idea is to make the bad guys go through multiple layers and choose a different, easier target instead.  The rest of the article will focus on ideas that you can use to layer your home for security.

Front Door – Your front door is a layer.  But it shouldn’t be your only layer.  Besides reinforcing the strike plate with 2 inch screws, you should have a solid deadbolt.  Another layer could be a storm door with a lock or even burglar bars.  A good latch is valuable too!  If you want to add even more layers, utilizing a security door bar is a good idea.  But you don’t only want to make sure that your front door is securely layered.  Take some time to layer all the doors in your home.

Windows – Every window has a lock.  But you can add a layer by including sliding window locks for about $5.  Other options would include tint or blinds, which would make it harder for someone to look inside your house.

Burglar Alarm – A burglar alarm is a serious layer.  Alarms can be monitored by an alarm company or they can be self-monitored.  Self-monitored systems have greatly advanced and will even allow you to view your home on your smartphone.

Dogs – A dog or dogs can be a great layer, especially if they bark.  My dogs alert me the minute someone is in the front of the yard.  They run and bark at the door and don’t stop until I open it.  Outside dogs are a layer to your perimeter.  A big dog on the other side of the fence will make any criminal think twice.

Outside Lights – Lights that are mounted on the outside of your home, especially ones that are triggered by motion sensors are a must! Roaches run when you turn on the lights!  Someone who is watching your house will not want to approach it if they know the lights are going to draw attention to them.

Outside Landscaping – Bushes can be a layer around windows.  It is important that you don’t create an environment that will create a hiding place for someone to lay in waiting.  Make sure that the bushes you choose to plant are thorny and cause a lot of discomfort if someone wants to go through them.

 Personal Defense – A firearm is a layer that you would want to have if needed.  If you want to use something that is not so deadly, you can always pick up a can of ColdSteel Inferno to spray in someone’s face.  Having a few of these cans hidden in different parts of the house is a good idea.

Safe Room – A safe room would be a last ditch layer.  Some people are putting them into their homes.  If this is a scenario you want to take, you should research the necessary components for a “safe” safe room.

Neighborhood Watch – Although a Neighborhood Watch isn’t just focused on your home, it is a layer that could cause the bad guys to go looking in a different neighborhood altogether.  Neighborhoods that have a Neighborhood Watch usually post signs in the entrances of their neighborhood.

Neighbors – Even if you don’t have a Neighborhood Watch, you should get to know your neighbors, especially those pesky ones that stay in everyone’s business…because they are going to keep a lookout!  You gotta take some bad with the good!

Street Lights – Sticking with your neighborhood, it would be a good idea to immediately report any street lights that are out to the city or county that manages them.  Again, light causes the roaches to run for cover!

Signs – Don’t underestimate the power of a cheap sign.  A sign on a fence that reads “Beware of Dog” or a Security company sign on the front lawn somewhere will cause the bad guys to think twice before attempting to break into your house.

Other Tips/Advice:

• If you leave on vacation, ask someone to pick up your newspaper and bring in your trashcans.

• If you have fence, make sure that there is a self-locking latch on it.

• Be careful of what your trash says!  If you have just purchased a new TV or computer, break up the box and put in a trash bag.  You don’t want to announce to the world that you have “nice” stuff in your home.

Layering your home allows you to look at your home in segments and stages.  What you will eventually wind up with is a home that has multiple layers and a harder target for someone to break in and steal your stuff.  Everyone would benefit from taking some time to layer their security.  As times get harder, you’ll be glad you did!

What other ideas do you have to provide layers to your home security?  Leave them in the comment section below.

Creativity in a child gives him more than just the ability to play pretend or be artistic, it also leads a child to think and reason for himself. Having a well-tuned imagination will give your child an advantage when he enters the adult world. When he can look at an issue from many points of view [...]]]>

I think the ability to think and act creatively is a great one to have.  Unfortunately, with technology and our fast paced lives, kids don’t have the time to be creative any more.  This article provides some great advice or points to think about.

Creativity in a child gives him more than just the ability to play pretend or be artistic, it also leads a child to think and reason for himself.  Having a well-tuned imagination will give your child an advantage when he enters the adult world. When he can look at an issue from many points of view and imagine several solutions he will be an asset in any career he chooses.  Here are a few ways to help encourage creativity and abstract thinking in your child.

Let your child be bored from time to time.  If children are not too busy with their extracurricular activities these days, they are usually in front of some type of screen.  There is little to no imaginary thought in TV, video games and computer games.  When your child whines to you that he is has nothing to do, tell him that you are confident he will find something interesting to do and leave it at that.  Let him come up with the activity.

Be okay with messes and mistakes.  Creativity requires trial and error.  Trial and error sometimes means messes, and at times it creates mistakes.  It can be very difficult for parents to accept that in order for their child to learn to think outside the box, he will have to first make a giant mess of that box.  There is no reason your child cannot help you clean the mess up or fix whatever might be broken, but by making mistakes your child will learn a lot.

Read the rest of the article.