As an experienced prepper‚ I’ve spent years honing my skills and preparing for the unexpected. My journey began with a thirst for knowledge and a deep-seated desire to ensure the safety and well-being of my family and loved ones in times of crisis. The post Must-Have Tools For Your Bug-out Bag appeared first on Survivopedia.

Hundreds of New York City bodega workers have become concealed carriers — and they've done so through a "secret society of gun owners‚" WNYW-TV reported.What are the details?The United Bodegas of America on Sunday said the group formed a "secret society" for bodega workers and owners across New York City to legally obtain concealed carry licenses‚ the station said‚ adding that the UBA initiated things after the pandemic."Anyone that's out there looking to rob us‚ hurt us‚ kill us — beware‚" said UBA spokesperson Fernando Mateo‚ according to WNYW. "You may be walking into the wrong bodega because now we have the same firepower you have."The station said the process took nearly two years because the bodega workers wanted it safe‚ legal — and secret‚ the station said. Specifically‚ criminals won't know which bodega workers are carrying concealed guns‚ WNYW noted.Gun training courses are held at UBA headquarters in Inwood‚ WNYW said‚ adding that authorized instructors such as Johnny Nunez — a retired NYPD sergeant and former New York City police academy instructor — head them up."Having a firearm is a defensive tool‚" Nunez noted to the station. "It’s not an offensive tool. [It’s] to be used when your life or the life of another human is in – key words – imminent danger."Cases in point:WNYW said 15-year-old Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz sought shelter in a Bronx bodega before Trinitarios gang members dragged him out and killed him in 2015.Readers of Blaze News will recall 61-year-old New York City deli worker Jose Alba who fatally stabbed an attacker in 2022‚ only to be thrown in jail before Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg finally dropped all charges against him."We are not out here to provoke any incidents‚" Mateo added to WNYW. "We're trained to de-escalate situations‚ but we are also trained to use a firearm if we have to."Barbara Moreta is from the Dominican Republic and has owned a bodega since 2015‚ the station said‚ adding that she's thinking about applying for a concealed carry permit through the UBA."When they see a woman‚ they think they can do everything‚ but if I have my gun‚ I think it's better for the store‚" Moreta explained to WNYW. "And [if] some people ... come to do something bad‚ [they’ll be] scared."The station said a 2022 Supreme Court ruling in the New York State Rifle &; Pistol Association v. Bruen case made it easier for the UBA to navigate obstacles that otherwise would make it difficult for members to get concealed carry licenses. NYC bodega workers become legal gun owners through ‘secret society’ youtu.be Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Trumpeting the Biden administration’s record to Latinos in Houston last week‚ Vice President Kamala Harris ignored the two biggest issues Hispanics — and everyone else in the Lone Star State — are facing today: wide-open borders and the failure of Bidenomics.Texas Latinos weren’t impressed.“Kamala Harris coming to Houston while continuing to ignore the crisis at our southern border is a slap in the face to every Texan‚ every American‚ and every Hispanic American in this country‚” said former U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores.It turns out that Hispanic voters are not so interested in government handouts‚ Ivy League radicalism‚ or free abortions on demand.Why did Harris — the administration’s appointed and anointed “border czar” — come to Texas anyway? It’s a sign that Democrats are rightly worried that the Latino portion of their traditional base is beginning to lose interest in what they have to offer.And they’re right to be worried. Even the Washington Post acknowledged that “Hispanic voters are drifting toward the GOP‚” citing not only President Donald Trump’s showing with Hispanics in 2020 but also kitchen table issues such as the economy and inflation.“Polls consistently find that Hispanic voters prefer Republicans to Democrats on inflation and handling the economy‚” Democratic consultant Ruy Teixeira wrote. “Nearly all — 86 percent — Hispanics say economic conditions are only fair or poor‚ and about three-quarters say the same thing about their personal financial situation. By 2 to 1 they say President Biden’s policies are hurting‚ not helping‚ them and their families.”Yet the vice president’s trip shows the Biden administration continues to fundamentally misunderstand the hardworking‚ tradition-minded Hispanic community. It turns out that they’re not so interested in government handouts‚ Ivy League radicalism‚ or free abortions on demand; they’re far more focused on freedom and opportunity for their families.And the Biden administration’s policies put those goals further and further out of reach.Let’s start with the border. Citing a poll by the Libre Institute‚ CBS News reported that “65% of 1‚000 Latinos surveyed indicated that more needed to be done to control illegal immigration along the southern border. The Immigration Hub-commissioned poll also found 63% of Latino voters support increased border security.”That’s seen everywhere‚ including the so-called sanctuary cities such as Chicago‚ which are appealing to the Biden administration for bailouts as they deal with just a fraction of the illegal immigration that Texas has to face every day.“There has been large-scale resistance not from the cities’ white hipsters‚ but instead from those in black and Latino neighborhoods‚” reported Kristin Tate for the Messenger. “Hundreds of residents of Chicago’s racially diverse Hyde Park neighborhood protested against a resettlement plan at a public meeting. And protesters marched in New York City with signs in English and Spanish calling the wave of migrants an ‘invasion.’”By the way‚ the Democrats’ misunderstanding of the border issue extends to black voters‚ as well. “Nearly three times as many black Democrats describe illegal immigration as a ‘threat’ to the country than their white Democrat counterparts‚” Tate noted.The vice president also misread the room — indeed the nation — in lauding the administration’s “transformative policies for the American people.”Transformative‚ indeed. The fact is‚ Americans are hurting — and that includes Hispanic Americans.Writing for Fox News‚ Job Creators Network CEO Alfredo Ortiz argued that Bidenomics is at the heart of why Hispanics are moving to the Republican Party. Noting that the median national income declined sharply in 2022 due to inflation‚ Ortiz wrote‚ “The pain of falling living standards is especially acute for Hispanics‚ who earn far less than average Americans. What a contrast to 2017 to 2019‚ when Hispanics' real median household incomes rose by $6‚710 due to the Trump economic boom.”If Kamala Harris had the nerve to ask Hispanics if they’re better off now than they were four years ago‚ that would be the answer. Mayra Flores quite nicely summed up the Democrats’ fears in her response to the vice president’s trip: “Hispanic Americans are flocking toward the Republican Party because we have the solutions to solve the issues at the border‚ the gas pump‚ the grocery store‚ and everywhere in between.”

During a congressional hearing Tuesday on "the Importance of Protecting Female Athletics and Title IX‚" Democrat witness Fatima Goss Graves unwittingly suggested that the organization she runs is predicated on a false distinction. Graves‚ president and CEO of the National Women's Law Center‚ noted in her prepared remarks to the House Oversight Committee's Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services that she has "devoted [her] career to advancing opportunities for all women and girls." However‚ in her exchanges with lawmakers‚ she demonstrated an unwillingness to admit a scientific difference between the sexes and expressed contempt for those female athletes who would. Republican lawmakers and other feminists have blasted Graves for her "shameful" remarks‚ noting she has used her incredible platform and power to "sell out all the future generations of women." Remarkable remarks The NWLC historically alleged it was concerned not just with ensuring Americans could legally exterminate their offspring but that "vulnerable women" would be protected from discrimination and sexual harassment. While the organization remains keen on promoting abortion‚ its director‚ whose husband‚ Matthew Graves‚ is leading the political prosecution of Jan. 6 protesters‚ intimated "vulnerable women" is a category that now includes predacious men. Graves indicated that "the thrust of today's hearing concerns whether a class of women and girls who have historically suffered violence and persecution have any place in school athletics‚ as many seek to categorically exclude trans and intersex women and girls from school sports programs." Graves stressed that keeping boys out of girls' school sports constitutes sex discrimination; that transvestites and other reality-averse students "must be able to fully access education as their full selves; Title IX guarantees no less." Graves claimed in her prepared remarks‚ "Policies excluding trans girls and women from school sports programs threaten all women and girls who excel in athletics." Graves underscored this claim in her oral testimony‚ just feet away from All-American‚ all-female swim star Riley Gaines‚ whose athletics career was impacted by William Thomas‚ a middling male athlete who grew out his hair and began competing in women's college swimming‚ crushing records set by accomplished female athletes. Graves suggested that efforts to keep men out of women's sports "place burdens on women to prove they are 'real' women and creat[e]s risk of intrusive and harmful sex verification practices." The NWLC president went on to intimate that black and brown female athletes were manly‚ suggesting restrictions against transvestites would impact minority women as they are "often viewed as 'nonconforming' with white-centric standards of femininity." After slighting black and brown women‚ Graves — who later admitted ignorance regarding basic matters of biology — claimed that recognition of men's scientifically established physiological advantage in sports "harms all women and girls." Graves later reiterated that it "is deeply wrong and misleading to claim that if trans women and girls get to play‚ cisgender women lose." There have been myriad cases of women losing in recent months on account of the inclusion of reality-averse men in their once-sex-segregated sports. Blaze News reported Tuesday that two men claiming to be female took and second place in a women's bike race in Illinois over the weekend. Last month‚ a hulking transvestite playing on a girls' lacrosse team in Massachusetts reportedly knocked out a girl's teeth during a playoff match between Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School and Swampscott High School. The Justice Jackson defense During the hearing‚ Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) asked Graves whether the "genetic composition of a transgender versus a woman [were] the same." "Well‚ I'm not a scientist‚" responded Graves. "I mean if your question is‚ um‚ 'How do you define women?' and woman is an adult female‚ but there's a lot of variation that go beyond my level of high school biology." After Gosar informed Graves that the distinction between men and women is actually quite clear‚ she said‚ "I guess what I would say is that is — I'm not a scientist or a doctor — but is my understanding that it is more complex than what you are saying in that there is variation among men and among women‚ and sometimes more variation among than there is between." Graves' response appears to be common among leftists captive to a social constructivist misunderstanding of sex and gender. When asked by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) to define "woman" during her 2022 Supreme Court confirmation hearings‚ then-Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson replied‚ "I can't. ... I'm not a biologist." — (@) Blackburn responded‚ "The meaning of the word woman is so unclear and controversial that you can't give me a definition?" Jackson‚ whose nomination by President Joe Biden was based on an acknowledgement of her sex and race‚ answered‚ "Senator‚ in my work as a judge‚ what I do is I address disputes. If there's a dispute about a definition‚ people make arguments and I look at the law and I decide." Graceful surrender "Trans students participate in sports for the same reasons as [other] kids‚" Graves told lawmakers Tuesday. "Because it is fun‚ because it creates belonging and community; because it teaches so much about persistence and leadership and discipline." While stressing the need to include transvestites in women's sports‚ the activist appeared to suggest that female athletes should learn how to "lose gracefully‚ hopefully." — (@) Republican Rep. James Comer (Ky.) later noted‚ "As a Kentuckian‚ when I think of great Kentucky athletes‚ our witness‚ Riley Gaines‚ is the first name that pops out." Responding to Graves' earlier comment‚ Comer told Gaines‚ "I don't think you should lose gracefully [to men]. I think you should do exactly what you've been doing. You're a class act and you've been a leader; you told your story." — (@) Backlash Kim Shasby Jones‚ the co-founder of the feminist Independent Council on Women's Sports‚ said of Graves' apparent suggestion that women should learn to lose gracefully to transvestites‚ "From the freaking NATIONAL WOMEN'S LAW CENTER. Never did I dream this. Unbelievable to watch women who have been given power sell out all the future generations of women. So sad." Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt (R) wrote on X‚ "As a father to two wonderful daughters this is extremely disheartening. For someone who is the National Women's Law Center President‚ this is nuts." Former ESPN anchor and women's sports defender Sage Steele called Graves' suggestion "shameful." Townhall editor Katie Pavlich wrote‚ "Men taking titles‚ scholarships and the dignity of women in sport isn't 'winning' so women 'lose gracefully.' It's cheating and it's theft." Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) tweeted‚ "There you have it‚ ladies. When female athletes lose to a biological male who identifies as a transgender woman‚ just think of it as an opportunity to 'learn to lose gracefully.'" Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

New York City is considering expanding a pilot program that would crack down on noisy drivers by fining them up to $2‚500 for having loud cars or honking too much‚ the New York Times reported Tuesday.Early last year‚ the city began installing noise cameras‚ according to Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala. Currently‚ there are seven cameras located around New York City. Another nine cameras‚ which cost approximately $35‚000 each‚ have been purchased and will be installed by the end of the year.The noise cameras are “much like a speeding camera‚” Aggarwala explained. A sound louder than 85 decibels activates the noise camera. Sounds that range from 85 to 100 decibels are equivalent to a lawn mower‚ a hair dryer‚ or a blender.According to Aggarwala‚ the city’s noise cameras are increasingly being utilized to fine drivers in an effort to reduce noise levels. Drivers could receive tickets between $800 and $2‚500‚ he noted.The City Council is currently weighing a bill‚ sponsored by Keith Powers (D)‚ that would enable the city to install five noise cameras in each borough. Powers stated on X Tuesday that he is trying to “tackle noisy vehicles with a new noise camera program.” The NYC Council Majority Leader noted that the city’s noise is a “constant aggravation‚” the Times reported.“We’ll always be living in a city and there will always be a number of different issues that we have to accept as part of life‚” he stated. “But that doesn’t mean we should totally surrender ourselves to a noisy environment.”Jerome Greco‚ an attorney with the Legal Aid Society‚ told the Times that he is concerned about how the noise cameras could impact New Yorkers’ privacy.“Whenever you have new technology that is capable of doing these types of things‚ it’s ripe for abuse. There are legitimate concerns‚” he said.Greco noted that he might support using the noise camera if certain safeguards were implemented to protect citizens. He added‚ “As this currently exists‚ it’s problematic.”“We’ve seen over and over again that any sort of monitoring or surveillance is often placed in neighborhoods with high populations of people of color‚” Greco continued. “They seem to generally bear the brunt of any of these things.”Aggarwala explained that the city does not share the location of the cameras because of concerns that drivers would avoid the cameras or attempt to vandalize them.He noted that as of last month‚ 218 violations were issued to drivers with modified mufflers and 147 drivers who were honking too much‚ which violated the city’s noise ordinance. More than 90% of those violations were upheld by an administrative hearing officer‚ according to Aggarwala.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The 1977 LP was Browne’s most surprising‚ least typical album‚ a game-changer that updated his identity from folk-rock troubadour to rock headliner The post ‘Running on Empty’: Jackson Browne’s Romance of the Road appeared first on Best Classic Bands.

December 6‚ 1969‚ marked one of rock’s bleakest days. The free concert known as Altamont was an unmitigated disaster as everything that could possibly go wrong did The post 1969’s Ill-Fated Altamont Festival: One of Rock’s Darkest Days appeared first on Best Classic Bands.

In November 1970‚ a plane crash killed most of the Marshall football team‚ the aftermath of which inspired the 2006 film "We Are Marshall." The post The Heartbreaking Story Behind The Marshall University Plane Crash‚ The ‘Worst Sports-Related Air Tragedy In U.S. History’ appeared first on All That's Interesting.

American 15-year-olds were outperformed on the 2022 Program for International Student Assessment by students from the U.K.‚ Australia‚ and Germany.

GOP Rep. &; Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy Leaving House at End of Year