Sure, you can visit ducks and swans at certain public parks, but have you ever visited ones at a medieval palace? The Bishop’s Palace and Garden in Wells is the perfect place to do just that. Here, visitors can admire breathtaking architecture, flourishing gardens, and friendly birds. There’s a lot to love, but the birds are a fan-favorite for sure. Part of the reason why is the swans’ ability to ring a bell for their food! Seriously, the palace essentially provides these swans with their own version of room service. All these birds have to do is pull on the rope that hangs just outside a window. This alerts the person inside that it’s feeding time! Check out one of these adorable moments in the video below. @oliveforestt Summertime Palace training the babies to ring for food #bishopspalacewells #rurallifestyle #castlecore #nationaltrust ♬ hendriksvibes – hendriksshop “I love that he has to take away the rope, otherwise they’d be ringing it all day,” someone points out in the comments. Others add, “I did not know this was a career option” and “This made my morning. It’s like a story book.” @sara.phelps8 Finally managed to see the swans ringing the bell at the Bishops Palace yesterday! A tradition that goes back to the 1850's!! #swans #ringthebell #bishopspalacewells ♬ original sound – SaraLouise86 “Finally managed to see the swans ringing the bell at the Bishops Palace yesterday!” the above video’s caption reads. When Swan at This British Palace Ring a Bell for Food, Everyone Stops to Admire Them The hardworking people who run the palace love their resident swans, something that comes through clearly in the thoughtful ways they take care of them all. Best of all, this type of special treatment is far from new. According to The Bishop’s Palace, the tradition of having the birds ring a bell for food started all the way back in the 1850s! Catch a glimpse of what it’s like to feed these gorgeous creatures in the video below. @thebishopspalace Say hello to our resident swans Have you been to visit our lovely family of swans yet? #bishopspalace #bishopspalacewells #visitwells #swans #swanvideos #animals #animalvideos #viral #cuteanimals #funnyanimals #swanlake #swanprincess #cygnets #fyp #trending #fairytale ♬ comfort chain (Ambient) – Inan & pandora. If you ever get the chance to visit Wells, make sure to stop by this palace. Odds are, there will be some hungry birds eager to ring the bell for a much deserved snack! Being that adorable all day can make you rather hungry, after all. You can find the source of this story’s featured image here! The post Baby Swans Learn To Ring For Food Service And They Catch On Quickly! appeared first on InspireMore.

I'm drinking spoiled milk

Lauren Daigle hails from Lake Charles, Louisiana, and spent her formative years immersed in the musical culture of Lafayette—a tapestry woven with zydeco, Cajun, and blues influences. Singing in the house known as “the music box,” she pursued voice lessons after falling ill with cytomegalovirus at age 15, a diagnosis that kept her home from school for two years but ultimately sparked a deep commitment to her craft. During high school and beyond, she balanced academic goals—planning to study child and family development and complete mission work in Brazil—with a growing passion for performance. After an early graduation and a The post Complete List Of Lauren Daigle Songs From A to Z appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

By Daniela Gonzalez Dear readers, Although I’m not an international analyst/geopolitics specialist nor do I want to be, once the attack started the first thought of my close group of friends and family was: how much fuel would we receive from Iran in the next months now? What will happen once the gasoline stops flowing in the stations? The recent Israeli airstrikes on Iran’s oil facilities have sent shockwaves through global energy markets. We all know that. But one of the most vulnerable dominoes in this geopolitical chain is my own country: Venezuela. The situation which was already difficult is now facing a quick spiral downwards and we are right in the middle of it. We are already teetering on the brink of fuel collapse due to our reliance on Iranian gasoline imports. No matter what the “official” information is. The reality is very different. Remember: the ties of the gang with the Iran regime are strong. (Activate the auto-translation please). A conflict in Iran means that their accounts and the interaction dynamics change completely. We will examine and develop the following topics below. – The direct impact of Israel-Iran tensions on Iran’s oil exports. – Venezuela’s lifeline to Iranian fuel and the risks of disruption. – Three scenarios for Venezuela’s gasoline supply in 2024–2025, including the risks – Strategic recommendations for global observers that could face high prices or fuel scarcity in the future. 1. Israel’s Airstrikes and Iran’s Oil Capacity The Attack In April/May 2024, Israel targeted Iran’s key oil infrastructure, including both the Abadan Refinery (Iran’s largest, producing ~400,000 bpd) and the Kharg Island Terminal (critical for exports). The immediate consequences are a reduction in the refining capacity: Iran’s gasoline production could drop by 15–30% (Bloomberg estimates), and (it is not like the gang in Venezuela is too concerned about this, as they have their financial operator, Alex Saab is now free thanks to Biden) the export delays: sanctions evasion tactics (ship-to-ship transfers) may slow shipments. Which of course will generate scarcity and rationing in the country (again!). Why It Matters  Iran has been Venezuela’s top gasoline supplier since 2020, helping to offset the collapse of PDVSA’s refining network. There are no maintenance or repair contracts. Not in a meaningful magnitude anyway. The raw materials to produce the gasoline in Venezuela are mostly imported. Back in the day when the US was our main customer, we shipped crude oil that was partially paid with some of these components to cover our inner market, as it is a regular practice worldwide. Nowadays, Venezuela’s oil industry lacks access to spare parts, machinery, and necessary technology, as well as essential consumables such as diluting fluids, for both oil wells and gasoline production. The dependence on foreign shipping is utterly devastating. 2. Iran-Venezuela: The Gasoline Lifeline The trade mechanics work as follows: Iran’s theocratic regime sent 3–4 million barrels per month to Venezuela from 2021 to 2023, according to TankerTrackers. Other critical components for our oil production processes (which are not produced currently in the country) are Alkylate/Naphtha, used to dilute Venezuela’s extra-heavy crude, and catalysts to “revive” the limping refineries, similar to the El Palito facility. This is an old refinery, but being close to one of the largest industrial and most populated areas, it can be considered one of the most strategically important. In light of the new, more recent events, it is clear that the exchange involved radioactive raw materials. Such trade will end exploding sooner or later in the thug’s face though. Recently, one of our writers already exposed this issue in this article. Things haven’t improved too much in 5 years, other than getting the fuel at international prices now, instead of subsidized, impossible-to-find fuel. Here is where old motors with little technology come again as a better choice than modern, delicate, hard-to-fix cars with sensors and electronics all around. The illicit and covert methods Venezuela has employed to trade with the theocratic regime involve an extensive network: Ghost fleets: Iran utilizes unflagged tankers and mid-ocean transfers to circumvent U.S. sanctions. Payments in stolen assets: Venezuela compensates through gold reserves, oil swaps, or shadow banking systems, as another way to avoid being tracked. The entire gasoline supply chain is controlled by a nationwide network of military-operated fuel stations. Medium- and high-ranking officials have amassed staggering fortunes by draining wealth from Venezuelan citizens. Many of these officials have their families residing comfortably in Europe and the U.S. 3. Three Scenarios for Venezuela’s Gasoline Supply Worst-Case (60% Probability)  Iran Halts Exports Due to Domestic Shortages or Retaliation. – Impact: – 100% drop in Venezuela’s gasoline supply within weeks from now, under the light of the new events. (Yikes!) This will make diesel and vehicular gas (propane) as the only locally produced fuels, as far as I know. Prices of food and every consumable or product you can find in a shop are already going up. Our currency has depreciated 150% by now and this is showing up in the shelves. The trend is that prices will continue going higher. 80% of the food distribution and retail is owned by a network (to give a politically correct name) of Asian merchants that are part of the worldwide money laundering ring. They pay a slice of the pie to keep themselves in business (and the taxes are rising, as the gang found this is a “legit” way to steal from the citizens’ pockets) – Return of 10+ hour lines at gas stations (as seen in 2020). – Black-market prices surge to $3–5/liter.  Moderate Scenario (30% Probability)  Iran Maintains Reduced Exports, but Delays Occur. – Impact: – Rationing (e.g., 20 liters/week per vehicle). – Regional disparities: Shortages disproportionately affect interior states. The government’s strategy to prevent social unrest focuses on providing attention to major urban centers, ensuring more populated areas experience minimal power outages, fuel shortages, and water supply issues. Best-Case (10% Probability)  Sanctions Evasion Prevails; Shipments Continue Steadily. – Requirements: – Russia/China replace Iran (unlikely; both face their own constraints). – PDVSA repairs the refineries, somehow (Cardón/Amuay) and continues limping and dragging, providing the means to pay for the delinquents protecting the heads of the hydra. Once the Strait of Hormuz gets plugged, it is expected that all of South America is going to experience inflation, with the consequences in turmoil, uncertainty, and instability; and our big brother to the East, Brazil, won’t be too happy to ship fuel: they know Venezuela was providing radioactive material to Iran for years. Ignoring the requests for help from the bus driver regime will be the best course of action: giving him oxygen will surely blow in Brazil’s face anytime soon. Russia, of course, won’t move a finger, other than to keep being a safe haven for the wealth they are stealing from us. Anyone aligning themselves with Venezuela’s regime will face dire consequences. The ties with Iran have been too strong and for too much time. We are preparing for a scenario where, even with 8 million people less to feed, who won’t be in the streets fighting for a regime change (we have to remember, 6 million of them were bus drivers’ fans until they started to starve), once things get hairy enough, the looting and rioting can very possibly start to happen again. After the savage repressive wave when they threw out the elected president Edmundo G. Urrutia, the regime will do whatever is needed to avoid losing control. The main difference now is that the allies that made them feel so strong in the past, are now facing a severe case of SVS (Sudden Vaporization Syndrome). Iran’s grip on Venezuela—political, military, and economic—is slipping, weakening a once-strategic alliance that once defied U.S. pressure. The network that allowed the illegal trading of our crude is not going to be there anymore, even with the strait closed or not. We are talking about 95% of our income, whether legal or illegal. There is another face of this cube: the drone technology supplied by Iran, and the collaboration in security (meaning repression of citizens). Word in the streets from some independent informants is, that they are building bunkers at full speed ahead, under Fuerte Tiuna (the main military facility in the country, where the bus driver supposedly lives, surrounded by civilian buildings that act as human shields). Good luck with that. 4. Strategic recommendations. Venezuela’s gasoline supply dangles precariously, reliant on Iran’s volatile stability. Any escalation in the Israel-Iran conflict could plunge Caracas into its most severe fuel crisis since 2020—with no quick fixes in sight. While the scenario is dire, at least we’ve been given a warning beforehand. Prices are going to go up from 0,5$ per liter to 0,75$. (Editor’s Note: This roughly translates to 4L per gallon of fuel.) Facing ongoing problems with substandard fuel quality, numerous vehicle owners are converting from fuel injection systems to smaller carburetors as a practical workaround. Although this represents a technological regression, carbureted engines are better suited to low-speed driving (capped at 70 kph) and significantly simpler to maintain compared to modern counterparts, which demand advanced tools like OBD2 scanners, and some technical expertise. Short-term: Stockpile gasoline (obviously) always in safe conditions, where no damage can be done. Rationing strategically will take you a long way, and always try to replenish as soon as possible. Extending the reserves by using EVs if available. Avoid pre-loading fuel to reduce evaporation losses in the tank. (This is a real issue—drivers in our hot climate frequently report it. Imported fuel often contains unnecessary anti-freeze additives, which increase volume but evaporate quickly.) Being ready with spares like fuel pumps, extra filters, and maybe octane boosters to mitigate the effect of the lack of quality control in the fuel. Long-term: Revive domestic refining (requires $2B+, many technology transfer agreements, and foreign expertise). You may want to get a small portable air pump and use gauges to keep tires filled up to the proper pressure. This might appear insignificant, but it is not. Keeping the tires properly aligned. Establishing a matrix of operational costs for our vehicles, to assess accurately the cost per kilometer, and assess our basic mobility needs per week. Choose fuel-efficient vehicles whenever possible. Sure, oversized crew-cab pickups with extended beds look impressive, but do you need one for trips where a basic Civic could do the job just as well? Drive your vehicle in the sweet spot where it is more efficient. Even if the road conditions and the speed limit allow for it, don’t get tempted to drive faster. When you don’t have fuel to burn, arriving 30 minutes later is nothing compared to staying stranded. Every vehicle has this range, just experiment and record the results to find it. If your car has cruise control, so much better. With rising fuel prices, many drivers turn to passive OBD2 fuel economizers. These devices monitor real-time data to help optimize driving habits. They display key metrics: instant fuel consumption, RPM, engine load, and speed. The goal is to alert drivers about habits that increase fuel use, like hard acceleration or high RPMs. Offering real-time feedback, they are useful to help you adjust your driving style. There are no engine risks, as they don’t modify the ECU at all, they only read the data and calculate the results they display based on the readings. However, I wouldn’t advise you to keep them permanently connected to your OBD2 port. They can also detect issues, like faulty spark plugs or clogged filters. These gadgets offer wide compatibility: you can use them in most post-1996 vehicles. However, there will be no savings if you exit the zone they indicate. The savings are variable: 5-12% on highways and 3% in city traffic. Its efficiency relies a lot on the drivers’ discipline. We can extract some valuable lessons from all this: 1, You start reducing your dependence on fuels, or you better start producing them. 2. Those needing less fuel to produce what they need will be the ones with the best chance to prevail. 3, There is technology available we can rely on to minimize our fuel consumption by modifying our habits. Some people even don’t realize they have a heavy foot. As our main conclusion, we could say: We are facing an almost total interruption in the fuel supply for 70% of the gasoline vehicles in the country. Let’s hope this doesn’t happen (again), but if it does happen we will be there to describe the events as they are, without any bias. Facta, Non Verba. Remember, we describe the events we are going through to help you improve your prepping, and mitigate the impact of unexpected disruptions. Keep following our travails in Organic Prepper, and please remember to support our work! Thanks for your reading, Daniela. Sources: – TankerTrackers.com (shipment volumes). – Bloomberg (Iran refining capacity post-attack). – PDVSA leaks (refinery status). About Daniela Daniela Gonzalez is a student of history at the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas. The post Americans Aren’t the Only Ones Who Will Suffer from the Israel-Iran Gasoline Crisis appeared first on The Organic Prepper.

A newly enacted law forcing priests to reveal the details of their members’ private confessions under penalty of fine or imprisonment is illegal and violates the core rights guaranteed to every American, says the Justice Department, as it joined a lawsuit to overturn the measure and restore religious liberty. SB 5375, passed by the overwhelmingly Democrat state Legislature and signed into law by Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, on May 2, singles out priests as mandatory reporters if they hear a member admit to child abuse or neglect during confession—which church officials say must be held in absolute secrecy for the believer’s sake. While the state exempts other professions or classes of citizens, such as attorney-client privilege or the doctor-patient relationship, it specifically threatens clergy who refuse to rat out penitents with 364 days in jail, a $5,000 fine, and a possible civil liability on the first violation. The law is also vague, critics say, potentially to coerce clergy into divulging their penitents’ details more frequently. Eric Kniffin, a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, told “Washington Watch” last month that it is as though they “want mandatory reporters to err on the side of reporting” their congregation’s private lives to the secular authorities “and let the government sort it out.” The law’s vast, vague, “unanswered, undefined questions” leave a “cloud over religious liberty,” he added. The Trump administration has intervened in a lawsuit brought against Ferguson by Roman Catholic Archbishop Paul Etienne, filed by the First Liberty Institute and the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. “The seal of confidentiality is, therefore, the lifeblood of Confession. Without it, the free exercise of the Catholic religion, i.e., the apostolic duties performed by the Catholic priest to the benefit of Catholic parishioners, cannot take place,” says the Justice Department’s intervention in Etienne v. Ferguson, which is pending before the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.  “Laws that explicitly target religious practices such as the Sacrament of Confession in the Catholic Church have no place in our society,” Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, said in a statement emailed to The Washington Stand. “Senate Bill 5375 unconstitutionally forces Catholic priests in Washington to choose between their obligations to the Catholic Church and their penitents or face criminal consequences, while treating the priest-penitent privilege differently than other well-settled privileges.” In addition to the nation’s 62 million Roman Catholics, “Washington’s new law also harms members of Orthodox Churches. By piercing the sacramental confidentiality, the law deters believers from confessing certain sins—or even from going to confession at all—and so prevents them from mending their relationship with God,” said the Orthodox Church in America, which has eight churches in Washington state and practices the Mystery (or Sacrament) of confession (albeit with a slightly different theological understanding) based on its ancient interpretation of James 5:16. Eastern “Orthodox Churches teach that priests have a strict religious duty to maintain the absolute confidentiality of what is disclosed in the sacrament of confession. The purpose of this confidentiality is to protect the penitent and foster a sense of safety and trust, allowing individuals to approach God for forgiveness without fear. Violating this mandatory religious obligation is a canonical crime and a grave sin, with severe consequences for the offending priest, including removal from the priesthood,” said the Orthodox Church in America. Alliance Defending Freedom Co-Counsel Eric Kniffin and George Ahrend filed the federal lawsuit, Orthodox Church in America v. Ferguson, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington last Monday. ADF Senior Counsel John Bursch called the Washington state law “rank religious discrimination” and urged the court to “swiftly restore this constitutionally protected freedom of churches and priests in Washington state.” The Trump administration will now bring the full resources of the federal government into the legal battle for conscience rights, Christian liberty, and the Constitution’s unalienable First Amendment rights. “The Justice Department will not sit idly by when states mount attacks on the free exercise of religion,” said Dhillon. Originally published by The Washington Stand The post Trump Admin Sues Democrat State Forcing Priests to Divulge Confessions appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. A new push to let the public challenge court sentences without expensive legal hurdles is gaining traction in Parliament, driven by the case of Lucy Connolly, a mother jailed for a fiery social media post. Reform UK’s Richard Tice is spearheading the effort with a proposal he’s calling “Lucy’s Bill,” a piece of legislation that would empower ordinary citizens to petition the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) if they believe someone’s punishment is unjust, either too light or too severe. If 500 people sign such a petition, the CCRC would be required to examine the case. After an eight-week review, the Commission could send it on to the Court of Appeal for further scrutiny. Tice sees this as a needed safety valve in a system where the public currently has no means to challenge excessive sentences, even though they can already request reviews of those deemed too lenient. The bill is named after Lucy Connolly, who was sentenced in October 2024 to over two years in prison for a social media post. Her comment, laced with fury and expletives, was swiftly deleted and followed by an apology. But it still landed her behind bars, a decision Tice believes reveals the creeping reach of politically motivated prosecution. Connolly’s harsh sentencing has become a lightning rod that has drawn international attention to the UK’s severe erosion of free speech rights. Connolly has reportedly been left with “bruises” after being “dragged up three flights of stairs” while serving her prison sentence, Tice has said. Tice, who visited Connolly at HMP Peterborough, reported that the former childcarer has also been “stripped of privileges by prison officers.” He claims that this treatment appears to be part of a broader pattern of punitive actions that are politically motivated, aimed at provoking a response from someone already under immense pressure. “She’s been manhandled, left with bruises, and starved of food,” Tice has alleged, asserting this harsh treatment is designed to provoke her. He plans to visit Connolly at HMP Peterborough to check on her wellbeing and assure her that she hasn’t been abandoned by her supporters. Tice argues that Connolly’s sentence was part of a broader trend of selective justice aimed at individuals with unpopular or politically sensitive views. “The whole point about justice in a democracy is that it must be seen to be natural and fair,” he said, as reported by The Telegraph. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post UK Free Speech Flashpoint: “Lucy’s Bill” Lets Public Challenge Harsh Sentences After Connolly Case appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

By Daniela Gonzalez Dear readers, Although I’m not an international analyst/geopolitics specialist nor do I want to be, once the attack started the first thought of my close group of friends and family was: how much fuel would we receive from Iran in the next months now? What will happen once the gasoline stops flowing in the stations? The recent Israeli airstrikes on Iran’s oil facilities have sent shockwaves through global energy markets. We all know that. But one of the most vulnerable dominoes in this geopolitical chain is my own country: Venezuela. The situation which was already difficult is now facing a quick spiral downwards and we are right in the middle of it. We are already teetering on the brink of fuel collapse due to our reliance on Iranian gasoline imports. No matter what the “official” information is. The reality is very different. Remember: the ties of the gang with the Iran regime are strong. (Activate the auto-translation please). A conflict in Iran means that their accounts and the interaction dynamics change completely. We will examine and develop the following topics below. – The direct impact of Israel-Iran tensions on Iran’s oil exports. – Venezuela’s lifeline to Iranian fuel and the risks of disruption. – Three scenarios for Venezuela’s gasoline supply in 2024–2025, including the risks – Strategic recommendations for global observers that could face high prices or fuel scarcity in the future. 1. Israel’s Airstrikes and Iran’s Oil Capacity The Attack In April/May 2024, Israel targeted Iran’s key oil infrastructure, including both the Abadan Refinery (Iran’s largest, producing ~400,000 bpd) and the Kharg Island Terminal (critical for exports). The immediate consequences are a reduction in the refining capacity: Iran’s gasoline production could drop by 15–30% (Bloomberg estimates), and (it is not like the gang in Venezuela is too concerned about this, as they have their financial operator, Alex Saab is now free thanks to Biden) the export delays: sanctions evasion tactics (ship-to-ship transfers) may slow shipments. Which of course will generate scarcity and rationing in the country (again!). Why It Matters  Iran has been Venezuela’s top gasoline supplier since 2020, helping to offset the collapse of PDVSA’s refining network. There are no maintenance or repair contracts. Not in a meaningful magnitude anyway. The raw materials to produce the gasoline in Venezuela are mostly imported. Back in the day when the US was our main customer, we shipped crude oil that was partially paid with some of these components to cover our inner market, as it is a regular practice worldwide. Nowadays, Venezuela’s oil industry lacks access to spare parts, machinery, and necessary technology, as well as essential consumables such as diluting fluids, for both oil wells and gasoline production. The dependence on foreign shipping is utterly devastating. 2. Iran-Venezuela: The Gasoline Lifeline The trade mechanics work as follows: Iran’s theocratic regime sent 3–4 million barrels per month to Venezuela from 2021 to 2023, according to TankerTrackers. Other critical components for our oil production processes (which are not produced currently in the country) are Alkylate/Naphtha, used to dilute Venezuela’s extra-heavy crude, and catalysts to “revive” the limping refineries, similar to the El Palito facility. This is an old refinery, but being close to one of the largest industrial and most populated areas, it can be considered one of the most strategically important. In light of the new, more recent events, it is clear that the exchange involved radioactive raw materials. Such trade will end exploding sooner or later in the thug’s face though. Recently, one of our writers already exposed this issue in this article. Things haven’t improved too much in 5 years, other than getting the fuel at international prices now, instead of subsidized, impossible-to-find fuel. Here is where old motors with little technology come again as a better choice than modern, delicate, hard-to-fix cars with sensors and electronics all around. The illicit and covert methods Venezuela has employed to trade with the theocratic regime involve an extensive network: Ghost fleets: Iran utilizes unflagged tankers and mid-ocean transfers to circumvent U.S. sanctions. Payments in stolen assets: Venezuela compensates through gold reserves, oil swaps, or shadow banking systems, as another way to avoid being tracked. The entire gasoline supply chain is controlled by a nationwide network of military-operated fuel stations. Medium- and high-ranking officials have amassed staggering fortunes by draining wealth from Venezuelan citizens. Many of these officials have their families residing comfortably in Europe and the U.S. 3. Three Scenarios for Venezuela’s Gasoline Supply Worst-Case (60% Probability)  Iran Halts Exports Due to Domestic Shortages or Retaliation. – Impact: – 100% drop in Venezuela’s gasoline supply within weeks from now, under the light of the new events. (Yikes!) This will make diesel and vehicular gas (propane) as the only locally produced fuels, as far as I know. Prices of food and every consumable or product you can find in a shop are already going up. Our currency has depreciated 150% by now and this is showing up in the shelves. The trend is that prices will continue going higher. 80% of the food distribution and retail is owned by a network (to give a politically correct name) of Asian merchants that are part of the worldwide money laundering ring. They pay a slice of the pie to keep themselves in business (and the taxes are rising, as the gang found this is a “legit” way to steal from the citizens’ pockets) – Return of 10+ hour lines at gas stations (as seen in 2020). – Black-market prices surge to $3–5/liter.  Moderate Scenario (30% Probability)  Iran Maintains Reduced Exports, but Delays Occur. – Impact: – Rationing (e.g., 20 liters/week per vehicle). – Regional disparities: Shortages disproportionately affect interior states. The government’s strategy to prevent social unrest focuses on providing attention to major urban centers, ensuring more populated areas experience minimal power outages, fuel shortages, and water supply issues. Best-Case (10% Probability)  Sanctions Evasion Prevails; Shipments Continue Steadily. – Requirements: – Russia/China replace Iran (unlikely; both face their own constraints). – PDVSA repairs the refineries, somehow (Cardón/Amuay) and continues limping and dragging, providing the means to pay for the delinquents protecting the heads of the hydra. Once the Strait of Hormuz gets plugged, it is expected that all of South America is going to experience inflation, with the consequences in turmoil, uncertainty, and instability; and our big brother to the East, Brazil, won’t be too happy to ship fuel: they know Venezuela was providing radioactive material to Iran for years. Ignoring the requests for help from the bus driver regime will be the best course of action: giving him oxygen will surely blow in Brazil’s face anytime soon. Russia, of course, won’t move a finger, other than to keep being a safe haven for the wealth they are stealing from us. Anyone aligning themselves with Venezuela’s regime will face dire consequences. The ties with Iran have been too strong and for too much time. We are preparing for a scenario where, even with 8 million people less to feed, who won’t be in the streets fighting for a regime change (we have to remember, 6 million of them were bus drivers’ fans until they started to starve), once things get hairy enough, the looting and rioting can very possibly start to happen again. After the savage repressive wave when they threw out the elected president Edmundo G. Urrutia, the regime will do whatever is needed to avoid losing control. The main difference now is that the allies that made them feel so strong in the past, are now facing a severe case of SVS (Sudden Vaporization Syndrome). Iran’s grip on Venezuela—political, military, and economic—is slipping, weakening a once-strategic alliance that once defied U.S. pressure. The network that allowed the illegal trading of our crude is not going to be there anymore, even with the strait closed or not. We are talking about 95% of our income, whether legal or illegal. There is another face of this cube: the drone technology supplied by Iran, and the collaboration in security (meaning repression of citizens). Word in the streets from some independent informants is, that they are building bunkers at full speed ahead, under Fuerte Tiuna (the main military facility in the country, where the bus driver supposedly lives, surrounded by civilian buildings that act as human shields). Good luck with that. 4. Strategic recommendations. Venezuela’s gasoline supply dangles precariously, reliant on Iran’s volatile stability. Any escalation in the Israel-Iran conflict could plunge Caracas into its most severe fuel crisis since 2020—with no quick fixes in sight. While the scenario is dire, at least we’ve been given a warning beforehand. Prices are going to go up from 0,5$ per liter to 0,75$. (Editor’s Note: This roughly translates to 4L per gallon of fuel.) Facing ongoing problems with substandard fuel quality, numerous vehicle owners are converting from fuel injection systems to smaller carburetors as a practical workaround. Although this represents a technological regression, carbureted engines are better suited to low-speed driving (capped at 70 kph) and significantly simpler to maintain compared to modern counterparts, which demand advanced tools like OBD2 scanners, and some technical expertise. Short-term: Stockpile gasoline (obviously) always in safe conditions, where no damage can be done. Rationing strategically will take you a long way, and always try to replenish as soon as possible. Extending the reserves by using EVs if available. Avoid pre-loading fuel to reduce evaporation losses in the tank. (This is a real issue—drivers in our hot climate frequently report it. Imported fuel often contains unnecessary anti-freeze additives, which increase volume but evaporate quickly.) Being ready with spares like fuel pumps, extra filters, and maybe octane boosters to mitigate the effect of the lack of quality control in the fuel. Long-term: Revive domestic refining (requires $2B+, many technology transfer agreements, and foreign expertise). You may want to get a small portable air pump and use gauges to keep tires filled up to the proper pressure. This might appear insignificant, but it is not. Keeping the tires properly aligned. Establishing a matrix of operational costs for our vehicles, to assess accurately the cost per kilometer, and assess our basic mobility needs per week. Choose fuel-efficient vehicles whenever possible. Sure, oversized crew-cab pickups with extended beds look impressive, but do you need one for trips where a basic Civic could do the job just as well? Drive your vehicle in the sweet spot where it is more efficient. Even if the road conditions and the speed limit allow for it, don’t get tempted to drive faster. When you don’t have fuel to burn, arriving 30 minutes later is nothing compared to staying stranded. Every vehicle has this range, just experiment and record the results to find it. If your car has cruise control, so much better. With rising fuel prices, many drivers turn to passive OBD2 fuel economizers. These devices monitor real-time data to help optimize driving habits. They display key metrics: instant fuel consumption, RPM, engine load, and speed. The goal is to alert drivers about habits that increase fuel use, like hard acceleration or high RPMs. Offering real-time feedback, they are useful to help you adjust your driving style. There are no engine risks, as they don’t modify the ECU at all, they only read the data and calculate the results they display based on the readings. However, I wouldn’t advise you to keep them permanently connected to your OBD2 port. They can also detect issues, like faulty spark plugs or clogged filters. These gadgets offer wide compatibility: you can use them in most post-1996 vehicles. However, there will be no savings if you exit the zone they indicate. The savings are variable: 5-12% on highways and 3% in city traffic. Its efficiency relies a lot on the drivers’ discipline. We can extract some valuable lessons from all this: 1, You start reducing your dependence on fuels, or you better start producing them. 2. Those needing less fuel to produce what they need will be the ones with the best chance to prevail. 3, There is technology available we can rely on to minimize our fuel consumption by modifying our habits. Some people even don’t realize they have a heavy foot. As our main conclusion, we could say: We are facing an almost total interruption in the fuel supply for 70% of the gasoline vehicles in the country. Let’s hope this doesn’t happen (again), but if it does happen we will be there to describe the events as they are, without any bias. Facta, Non Verba. Remember, we describe the events we are going through to help you improve your prepping, and mitigate the impact of unexpected disruptions. Keep following our travails in Organic Prepper, and please remember to support our work! Thanks for your reading, Daniela. Sources: – TankerTrackers.com (shipment volumes). – Bloomberg (Iran refining capacity post-attack). – PDVSA leaks (refinery status). About Daniela Daniela Gonzalez is a student of history at the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas. The post Americans Aren’t the Only Ones Who Will Suffer from the Israel-Iran Gasoline Crisis appeared first on The Organic Prepper.

Every beat leaves a different chemical signal in the rocks around the Ethiopian Rift for us to find.