While this kind of bird flu is rare‚ it is deadly

We have change in Kansas City (Well‚ sort of)

The fishnet dress had thigh-high slits on either side‚ held together with velvet ribbon

Our “Top 10 Tracy Chapman Songs” list celebrates a Grammy Award-winning artist. Tracy’s musical journey began at the tender age of three with a ukulele in hand‚ evolving to skillful guitar playing and songwriting by the age of eight. Over the years‚ her passion for music never waned‚ as she continued to enchant with her guitar‚ songwriting‚ and vocal performances. In 1985‚ Tracy made her significant stage debut‚ opening for Linda Tillery at Boston’s Strand Theater‚ marking the beginning of her ascent in the music world. Brian Koppelman discovered Chapman in 1986 at Tufts University‚ leading to her signing with The post Top 10 Tracy Chapman Songs appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

40 years ago today‚ Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian ever launched into space when he rode aboard the Interkosmos Soyuz T-11 to the Soviets’ space station Salyut-7. He remains the only Indian citizen to reach the final frontier. Sharma spent 7 days‚ 21 hours‚ and 40 minutes aboard the Salyut 7 during which his […] The post Good News in History‚ April 2 appeared first on Good News Network.

An Akita named ‘Hero’ saved his owner’s life last week in an incredible tale of loyalty and resilience that saw him remain by his side through two frigid Alberta nights‚ fend off coyotes‚ and eventually alert rescuers. Winning plaudits for his name and deed the world over‚ a GoFundMe raised $3‚000 to cover the veterinary […] The post Dog Named Hero Saves Owner’s Life for Days‚ Fighting Off Cold and Coyotes and Getting Help appeared first on Good News Network.

Cryptids are creatures that have never been proven to exist but are believed to exist. We’ve all heard of Nessie‚ and everybody knows Bigfoot—but what about the rest? There are reports of strange creatures all over the world. Here are ten cryptids you probably only know if you’re a fan of the paranormal—or a lucky […] The post 10 Creepy Cryptids You Might Not Know Much About appeared first on Listverse.

Cats are impressive little creatures. Sure‚ they seem to have taken the internet by storm for years and won over the hearts of people who communicate and spend time online. And offline‚ they have a long and proud history as domesticated pets and refined at-home companions down through the ages. But of course‚ they are […] The post 10 Fascinating Facts about Our Furry Feline Friends appeared first on Listverse.

Author of The Dark Secrets of Survival and the online course SHTF Survival Boot Camp No matter what the prepping industry and preppersphere likes to say‚ you usually will never have a perfect plan‚ perfect settings‚ or perfect gear that will work everywhere and every time. And no‚ you are not perfect‚ you are just human being. It is not only connected to prepping and survival‚ this‚ you should be best‚ first‚ “perfect” or whatever is part of normal modern consumerism world. The thing is that in survival‚ your “I am perfect”or “My preps should be perfect” may lead you to mistakes and eventually to bad things. Good enough For all of us who are normal average folks‚ there is something that we will be forced to implement sooner or later when SHTF and it is thought (or principle) that we called “good enough” here in the Balkans. At this moment‚ you need to understand that “good enough” works only if you put it in context. It works differently in different contexts. Here is one example: is rainwater that you collected from the rooftop safe for drinking? In the context of normal everyday life (not SHTF) where you want to collect water from roof for drinking‚ it is not safe for drinking. Why? Well‚ roofs may be dirty‚ air may be polluted (so the rain is polluted‚ too)‚ gutters may contain dirt… and you have normal “pure” water available from other sources (tap water‚ bottled water from the store‚ etc.) So‚ why would you risk your own health by drinking rainwater? Even after you invested work in filtering and boiling it‚ it is still not completely safe‚ and you still have normal access to clean water from normal sources. So‚ in this context it is not safe‚ do not bother. Now‚ if you put this question of “is rainwater collected from roof safe to drink” in time of SHTF‚ when normal services are not working‚ there is no running water‚ no electricity‚ no normal life… you have a completely different context. You have a situation now where you do not have drinking water‚ and possibly it is dangerous to go and look for safer sources of water‚ so basically‚ you are in a moment where you going to choose whether you are going to drink rainwater or you are going to suffer without water‚ which will lower your other capabilities that you are going to need hard in time of SHTF‚ and eventually‚ you will die without it. Well‚ you are going to drink it because‚ in this context‚ it is good enough. Of course‚ you will do whatever you want to make it cleaner‚ boiling‚ filtering etc‚ but it is not going to be 100 percent safe – it will be good enough because you need it very much. You are still going to be faced with the danger of drinking some amounts of chemicals from pollution or roof type or whatever‚ BUT in this context‚ it is about you choosing between having some bad impact on your kidney or liver that might show up years later or you dying without water (or being not ready to defend yourself or to collect other resources because you are desperately thirsty). Another example would be sleeping in partially destroyed building where there is probably asbestos dust from destroyed roofs and other material. If you are choosing between standing in the rain and hiding in that partially destroyed building with asbestos dust‚ common sense says you will stay in the rain. On the other side‚ if we change the context and you are choosing between that asbestos dust and being rounded up in the street and shot in the middle of a civil war or some similar SHTF‚ you would run to an asbestos dust building and spend the night there because it is good enough. This good enough is something that you will meet very often when SHTF‚ and it is very important to recognize it in time-fast‚ so it may save your life. Sometimes‚ from two bad things‚ you will have to choose a thing that is less bad. We are conditioned to recognize bad things‚ especially if we live in functional societies. We have learned to see things that are not safe. It is good to spot those things‚ but when SHTF‚ almost all things become unsafe‚ and usually‚ you will have to choose things that are good enough‚ but at the same time‚ they will still be unsafe. Two ends of this There is something else that needs to be mentioned here: there are two opposite ends to this. One is “Nah‚ whatever‚ “and the other is “It needs to be perfect.” Both are kind of wrong. Based on this being good enough‚ you might think of it as I said: Everything will work and everything will be good enough. That is not true. This end is shrugging your shoulders and not taking any precautions at all or trying to make things the best that you can in the situation. It is not like that: good enough means that you recognize what will work and what will save you in a given context‚ what will work and save you in that moment when danger is immediately – and use it that is good enough. The other end is that you need to be 100 percent sure that something is working before you use it (do it); in other words‚ it needs to be perfect. It will never be perfect when SHTF. It cannot be. Plans will fail‚ equipment will not work‚ people will fail…you will work with what you have with what is good enough. The point is that you will need to be somewhere between these two ends‚ but of course‚ always aim to be the best. If we use both the above examples (rainwater and asbestos dust building)‚ common sense says you will aim for the best your filtrate and clean that water in whatever way you possibly have and can. You will aim for best. But if you need it badly‚ boiling and filtering it through clothes will be good enough if you do not have any other additional way of filtering and cleaning it. If you need fast and badly to take shelter in that asbestos roof building‚ you’ll do it‚ but still‚ you might wear some kind of mask or pull your t-shirt up over your face‚ or you’ll choose a place with less destruction in the building. You’ll take care that something not fall on your head… you’ll do as best as possible. Good enough is good enough. So‚ this good enough is not you being negligent‚ and it is not you shivering in fear because nothing is completely safe. It is you doing things‚ completing task with choosing less risks‚ less bad stuff. It is you surviving by being smart. What are your thoughts on “good enough?” Can you think of any other examples where this might apply? Do you have any reasons why you don’t agree with this philosophy? Let’s discuss it in the comments section. About Selco: Selco survived the Balkan war of the 90s in a city under siege‚ without electricity‚ running water‚ or food distribution.  In his online works‚ he gives an inside view of the reality of survival under the harshest conditions. He reviews what works and what doesn’t‚ tells you the hard lessons he learned‚ and shares how he prepares today. He never stopped learning about survival and preparedness since the war. Regardless of what happens‚ chances are you will never experience extreme situations as Selco did. But you have the chance to learn from him and how he faced death for months. Read more of Selco’s articles here. Buy his PDF books here. Buy his #1 New Release paperback‚ The Dark Secrets of Survival here. Take advantage of a deep and profound insight into his knowledge by signing up for his online course SHTF Survival Boot Camp. Learn the inside story of what it was really like when the SHTF with his online course One Year in Hell. Find his website here: SHTFSchool.com Real survival is not romantic or idealistic. It is brutal‚ hard‚ and unfair. Let Selco take you into that world. The post SELCO: Good Enough Is More Likely Than Perfect When the SHTF appeared first on The Organic Prepper.

Tim Murtaugh became a familiar face to many Americans as President Donald Trump’s communications director for his 2020 reelection campaign. As one of Trump’s most visible spokesmen‚ Murtaugh had a front-row seat to the most-watched campaign in history. But just a mere four years earlier‚ Murtaugh found himself in a much different spot. After struggling with alcoholism for years‚ he was jailed in 2015 for public drunkenness and unsure of his fate. That’s when he decided to give up alcohol and focus on turning his life around. Murtaugh would go on to work for Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue before joining Trump’s reelection campaign. Today‚ he’s running his own communications firm. He joined “The Daily Signal Podcast” to talk about his new book—out today—called “Swing Hard in Case You Hit It: My Escape from Addiction and Shot at Redemption on the Trump Campaign.” Listen to the interview‚ watch the video‚ or read an abridged and edited transcript below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqVHHWKQgKs Rob Bluey: Tim Murtaugh‚ you’re the author of a new book‚ “Swing Hard in Case You Hit It.” You’re somebody who our Daily Signal audience will probably remember as a return guest to this show. You’re the founder and principal at Line Drive Public Affairs and the former communications director for the Trump 2020 campaign. Tim Murtaugh: Good to see you‚ Rob. Thanks very much. And there was a time where I was a visiting fellow at The Heritage Foundation as well. Bluey: We appreciate your contributions during that time. And I’m thankful to you for telling this story. Take us back to in 2015. You are in a Fairfax County jail. It illustrates so much how far you have come in just a few short years. Murtaugh: On May 16‚ 2015‚ I went out and as I liked to do at the time‚ got drunk. And at that time‚ I was charged with drunken public intoxication‚ something along those lines. I ended up in the Fairfax County Adult Correctional Center and that’s where I came to. That day was different from many of the other times that I had been drinking too much because I was on probation for the second of my two DUIs‚ and I had 80 days of suspended jail time hanging above my head. And if I had gotten convicted of that public intoxication charge‚ I was going to have to go serve nearly three months in jail‚ and it would have been pretty much the end of everything. I would have lost my job on Capitol Hill. I would have lost my career. My family was about at the end of their rope. My new wife didn’t know what to do with me‚ and so it really could have been the end of everything. And that’s the day I took my last drink‚ and I have never looked back. I wrote this book for two reasons. One‚ because when I was in rehab—and I went to rehab five times—when I was there‚ I spent a lot of time in the bookstore buying titles and just devouring them. They were more autobiographical in nature‚ people writing about their own stories and how they made it through their battles with addiction. I wanted to write a book that helped people like me who are in rehab. The other reason was‚ I had some opposition researchers coming after us on the Trump campaign. Back in 2020‚ they were trying to get reporters to write stories about me and my background. And I thought‚ if I just write a book about it myself‚ they’ll never be able to attack me with it again. This is the story of my 2 lives – one with alcohol and one without. (Spoiler: one is better than the other.)Oh‚ and half of it is about politics &; the 2020 Trump campaign.It would be so kind if you’d take a moment‚ check it out &; consider ordering:https://t.co/RIgo9dWk59— Tim Murtaugh (@TimMurtaugh) January 26‚ 2024 Bluey: Was it difficult for you to put it all out there? Murtaugh: Writing it‚ actually‚ was cathartic. I’m not sure that there’s any single person who knows everything that I went through. My wife certainly knows a lot about it. My parents and my brother‚ my close friends and close relatives‚ know big parts of it. But I don’t know that anybody‚ except for me‚ knows everything else that I went through. I’m coming up on nine years now since I took my last drink. And I know that any day I could slip and pick one up. If I had that first one‚ it would be a downward spiral from that moment. Writing the book was an exercise that helped me stay sober for that period of time. When you have been an addict—and you’ve managed to defeat it—there is always that lingering fear that if I’m not careful this could come back and get me. Bluey: What have you found to be effective in terms of resisting that urge? Murtaugh: This is really just a story of how I did it. It’s not entirely about this. It’s half a political book‚ half about my life in the Trump 2020 campaign‚ which at the time‚ until this next one‚ was the most-watched political campaign in world history. There are a lot of stories from behind the scenes from that campaign. But the other half of the book‚ it is about my struggles with alcoholism and my whole story. It is not a how-to book—it’s just a story of how I got through it. >;>;>; An Insider Takes You Behind Scenes of Trump’s Campaign People might find some parts of it that they can relate to or at least laugh about because not every word of it is deadly serious. There are some ridiculous things that people like me do when they’re in the throes of all that. It shouldn’t be looked at as a how-to fix-it sort of manual—just how one guy got through it. That’s all it is. Bluey: You work in a high-stress environment‚ political communications‚ and I would imagine being right there in the forefront on the Trump campaign was at the pinnacle of that. What were some of the ways you found to be effective in terms of keeping your mind on your work and not getting distracted by alcohol? Murtaugh: There’s a lot of pressure in politics. It doesn’t matter if you’re on the presidential campaign‚ which I was‚ or on lower campaigns‚ which I have also done. Whether they’re races on the state level‚ congressional‚ Senate‚ governor’s races—it doesn’t matter. There’s varying amounts of pressure. It all seems like the most important thing in the world when you’re going through it. It helps to stay busy for sure. I broke the day up into little chunks. Could I get out of bed and get dressed and get ready to go to work without having to stop for a drink? Could I get from home to the office without stopping to buy a drink? Could I make it through the day and not sneak out somewhere at noon? And then at the end of the day‚ can I make it all the way home without stopping somewhere to pick up a bottle or to stop and get a drink? I relied a lot on Alcoholics Anonymous‚ going to meetings like that. I found using the Serenity Prayer‚ just helped me if I had a little storm going on in my brain and I was worried that maybe I was going to veer off to the side and do something that I shouldn’t do. Stopping for 15 to 20 seconds to say the Serenity Prayer really helped me sort of refocus and get back on the rails. Books about Biden are not selling well‚ so maybe this will interest people.It’s not like any other political book you’ve ever read – it’s partly about the 2020 Trump campaign &; partly about my battle with alcohol.Order now for Tuesday’s release:https://t.co/RIgo9dWk59— Tim Murtaugh (@TimMurtaugh) March 28‚ 2024 Bluey: Family played a big part in your recovery. You come from a proud family. Your grandfather is Danny Murtaugh‚ the legendary manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates‚ a two-time World Series champion. What role does family play for others who might be struggling with alcoholism? Murtaugh: It’s a really big‚ very important part of it. My wife is a very private person and she doesn’t relish a lot of these details getting out—or any of them really. But in fact‚ a few years back‚ it was her idea to write this book. And if she had not been on board with it‚ I wouldn’t have done it. And the fact that she is on board‚ is an illustration of how important she has been to me throughout my entire recovery. Without her‚ I think there’s no question that I would either still be in jail or I would be dead. I don’t think there’s any two ways about it. And my parents were very instrumental in guiding me to rehab and helping me. Bluey: In 2015‚ you found yourself at a low point. Then‚ within a span of four years‚ you are the communications director for the most-watched presidential campaign in history. Did President Trump know about your circumstances and did others on the campaign know about what you were going through? Murtaugh: I felt like it was my responsibility to tell them. I started on the Trump campaign in February 2019. It was about four years after I had already taken my last drink. However‚ I did have pretty checkered past and I did have a history with law enforcement. I had two DUIs‚ served five days in jail with some suspended time for the first one‚ served 10 days in jail with 80 days suspended for the second one. I also had a variety of different drunk in public and different public intoxication charges. Opposition researchers‚ and anybody who looked into it‚ would find all that stuff in about 10 minutes. So there wasn’t any point in hiding it. When I went to work in the Trump administration for Secretary Sonny Perdue—I was his communications director for two years before I went to the Trump campaign—I told Secretary Perdue up front as I was interviewing. And then when I was being considered for the Trump campaign‚ I told Brad Parscale‚ the campaign manager‚ that very same thing. I said‚ “You should look into this because this is what I’ve got in my past and the president needs to know this.” At the time‚ Sonny Perdue said‚ “Listen‚ as long as you’re not drinking now‚ I really appreciate you telling me‚ you’re going to be fine.” And then Brad Parscale went and ran it past the president and came back and he said‚ “Look‚ the president likes a good redemption story. He likes a good comeback story.” He himself doesn’t drink because he blames alcohol for the death of his brother‚ but the president was aware of it. And Brad said‚ “You know what? You’ve conquered it‚ let’s move on. And if anybody comes after you‚ I’ll stand by you.” And he did because a lot of reporters called us because they had gotten the material from the opposition researchers‚ and they were threatening to write stories. Brad stood by me‚ and the campaign stood by me‚ and the president stood by me. None of those stories ever got written. We managed to talk them out of it and talk them into agreeing with us that that was in the past. Bluey: Are there any resources that you would recommend to individuals who may be struggling with addiction right now? Murtaugh: There is always going to be an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting that you can find and get to. And they truly are welcoming. Anyone can walk in off the street and find people who understand what you’re going through. That helped me an awful lot. If you need more than that‚ then find a way to check yourself into a 28-day program. An inpatient rehab program can do wonders for people. As for me‚ I went to rehab five times. So sometimes it doesn’t take right away. I would hope that people pick up the book. It’s called “Swing Hard in Case You Hit It‚” available on Amazon.com right now‚ or other retailers as well. I hope that they can find some humor in it‚ and also maybe find some way to look at it and say that I can relate to it. Bluey: Tim Murtaugh‚ thanks so much for having the courage to share your story. We’re proud of all that you’ve accomplished. Murtaugh: Rob‚ thank you very much. I appreciate it. The post Tim Murtaugh’s Comeback Story: How Trump Gave Recovering Addict Chance at Redemption appeared first on The Daily Signal.