Over the past two weeks, I have released a series on prepper relocation that completely changes the old conventional theories that drove prepper relocation strategies (See: http://www.lastminutesurvival.com/?s=prepper+relocation). The key takeaway you learned from the research is that you do not need to relocate to a remote region to survive. In fact, it is actually counterproductive to be too isolated. Now that you know relocation to a place like Idaho is no longer necessary and even counterproductive, where are the best places to relocate? The good news is that you have far greater options depending on what you are prepping for in light of the results of my research. In today’s conclusion to the five part series, I will introduce you to both domestic and international options that are readily available to anyone looking for a thorough, full spectrum relocation strategy that will work even under the most extreme situations. Read more
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Prepper Relocation Part IV: The Fatal Error of Relocating to an Isolated Region
One of the single biggest mistakes preppers make is that they buy into the myth that relocating to a small region in the North West corner of the United States is their “best” chance of survival. As you now know from my previous three articles in this series, this theory is inaccurate and is not based on any sound research. Further, it causes people to unnecessarily incur significant additional costs and difficulties when developing their preparedness plans. However, what you still may not know is that there is a large body of empirical evidence that repeatedly demonstrates people living in isolated, remote areas are often at the greatest risk during wide spread social chaos and collapse. Not coincidentally, these people also suffer some of the most hardships. Therefore, with respect to our contemporary situation in the United States, preppers relocating to Idaho with the explicit intent to escape an oppressive government and or are planning to escape widespread instability during a systemic collapse of the system might very well be signing their death warrants. Instead, contrary to contemporary prepping strategies, it would be better to be closer if not in the midst of a more densely populated area.
I understand what I just wrote probably sent many readers into anger and shock. Nonetheless, it is far better to get the right information now then to continue along a misguided path to destruction. No doubt, some readers will immediately discount what I am about to say because they are blinded by their own preconceived biases. I cannot help those people. Thankfully, the majority of my readers are intelligent thinking people that will quickly grasp the conclusions to be drawn from the evidence and modify their preparedness strategies accordingly. In fact, don’t take my word alone, I invite everyone to conduct their own independent research into our prepping assumptions and disseminate their findings.
My theories seem counterintuitive to the premise that the farther from people you are, the farther from harm you are. This is because the basic assumptions of this safety distance premise are flawed. As the theory goes, in the event of a collapse or major catastrophe, being located away from people in a remote, self-sufficient redoubt is your best chance. I have already discussed why the 300 mile rule is a useless metric and that the notion of a “Golden Horde” of refugees fleeing a city and destroying all in their wake is equally unfounded and completely untrue. The last pillar of this theory is that being isolated conveys additional survival benefits. To test it accurately, one must evaluate case studies from around the world and then correctly apply them to a realistic scenario domestically. Read more
Prepper Relocation Part III: A Letter to the Prepper Community
Before I post Part IV, I want to pause and recap the huge amount of ground already covered in parts one and two of this series (See links below to read and catch up). Previously, I showed that the most common assumptions preppers base their relocation decisions on are completely false and actually counterproductive to outright dangerous. The research I presented is groundbreaking within our community because it completely overturned the very foundation of what many have spent a lifetime basing their preps around. Understandably, some people within the prepper community have received the new information as radical heresy and immediately took to the defense. When new information is presented to any community, this visceral reaction is to be expected. After all, it challenged their entire basis for their preps and in this case, proved that much of their foundational assumptions were based on bad information. Read more
Prepper Relocation Part II: The Myth of a 300 Mile Radius and the Golden Horde
In part one of our series on “Prepper Relocation,” I directly addressed a common false logic amongst preppers that led to bad conclusions regarding why one should relocate to Idaho. Specifically, I challenged the idea that a bunker was a viable long term survival strategy for a major catastrophe many prep for such as nuclear war. Simply establishing a second residence in a modern first world location like Santiago, Singapore, or New Zealand offer far better options for survival, both physically and economically, than hiding in a hole while a nuclear war is carried out above you. Today, I continue the slaughter of the sacred cows and challenge the merits of relocating to a site far from other people. As I previously discussed, relocation isn’t a subject to take lightly. It may be the single most important decision a prepper makes and therefore any plan should be heavily vetted before time and money is invested in executing it. Therefore, one must consider counter arguments to contemporary “expert” recommendations. By leveraging the information in this series, you will be far better prepared to develop a personalized answer to what truly is you “best prepper place to relocate.”
Contemporary prepper logic states that the farther your relocation site is from dense centers of population, the better. In fact, the magic number often touted is that you must be at least 300 miles from any major population center. However, is this really the case? This is very important because if 300 miles is accurate, it severely constrains your relocation options. If it is not a valid constraint, then suddenly you have many good options for relocation depending on the specific scenario you are prepping for. As such, let’s examine what that conclusion is premised upon. Breaking the theory down, you have two main hypotheses to vet. The first is that 300 miles provides a necessary and adequate buffer from an urban center. The second is that from said urban area a horde of starving refugees will emerge and overrun your redoubt.
Let me be the first to tell you neither hypothesis constituting this prepper theory, which to date has been held up as prepper law, is valid. Read more
Prepper Relocation Part I: Questioning the Common Logic
I routinely read articles online where individuals pontificate about where the best places for preppers to live or relocate too are. What I don’t usually see is any real cognitive effort to do a realistic analysis and assessment. This should be a red flag. Selecting your relocation site is one of the most important decisions a prepper must make. It is too important to be made on hearsay and opinions. Therefore, I am going to question that contemporary prepper relocation logic. I am going to debunk common myths and offer better alternatives that will help you develop a personalized answer to what truly is you “best prepper place to relocate.” When this series is complete, you will be armed with critical information necessary for identifying your ideal relocation spot. Don’t be surprised if after this eye opening series your philosophy on how you previously evaluated and envisioned your relocation site looks completely different.
Most preparedness “experts” would define the common prepper relocation logic is to find a place as far as possible from other people in an area still suitable for an off-grid, self-sustaining lifestyle. This implies the location has ample water, good soil, and a good growing season. Add a couple wild card factors like being outside the blast radius and fallout pattern of a nuclear detonation and avoiding known earthquake prone areas and most preppers conclude that Idaho is the choice destination. James Wesley Rawles, a man well known and respected throughout the prepper community and a recognized expert on the field is a big advocate of this relocation option. In Rawles’ defense, Idaho may indeed be a good location for some preppers for some reasons. However, Rawles and many others are basing many of their primary assumptions on outdated information, obsolete tactics and techniques, and generally old school logic that when tested in real world scenarios, fails. I don’t take this indictment lightly. If we get this wrong, we die and that is why it is so important we first question some of the fundamental assumptions the conventional prepper relocation plan is based upon. Read more
White House Answers Petition to Label Black Lives Matter a Terrorist Organization: Careful What You Wish For
Tanks in the street in Turkey. Image Source: http://www.trbimg.com/img-5789788e/turbine/la-fg-turkey-coup-pictures-20160715-028/900/900×506
A White House petition was generated that gathered over 100,000 signatures to label the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement a terrorist organization. In response, the White House stated it didn’t have the power to label anyone a terrorist organization. Although, the White House clearly was ignoring the petition, be glad they did ignore it. Irrespective of whether or not you support BLM or not, declaring it a terrorist organization would have been a huge mistake and disaster for freedom and liberty. Whoever started the petition was probably good intentioned, but if you considered for a moment the true implications of what you were asking for, you would realize you are a complete idiot. Read more
US Back to War with Iraqis AGAIN: All Sides Merge to Attack US Troops
al-Sadr Poster. Source: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/images/al-sadr_madhi-army_040915-a-3133c-041.jpg
Those of us that fought in Iraq are well aware of the potent militia force, known at the time as the Mahdi Army, controlled by the Iraqi Shiite Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Al-Sadr is a leading Shiite figure in Iraq and controls a militia with tens of thousands of fighters. He is also viewed as the leader of Iran’s proxy force inside of Iraq. Al-Sadr’s fighters at one point during the Iraq War became one of the most potent enemies facing America and inflicted a considerable amount of casualties on the US. Now al-Sadr is calling again for his followers to attack US forces in Iraq “fighting” ISIL. His call for war against the “American Occupiers” signals an ominous policy change in Iraq that will result in dead Americans and could trigger another full scale war with the US. (See: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-usa-idUSKCN0ZX0XL )
Al-Sadr’s instructions to attack US troops in Iraq will not go unanswered by his followers. Unlike other groups in Iraq, al-Sadr’s militia is motivated and well-armed, trained, and equipped. Read more
The plan to suspend open carry at the RNC is a dangerous setup
After the assassination of three police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Fox News began broadcasting comments from various “conservative” commentators demanding that Ohio’s open carry law be suspended in Cleveland for the duration of the Republic Convention. This was a very scary precedent that Fox News seemed all too happy to endorse. Thankfully, Ohio Governor John Kasich denied the request on quite legitimate grounds. However, I fear something more insidious is afoot.
The mere consideration that laws protecting basic Constitutional Rights should be suspended is terrifying. Let’s consider the precedent dictatorial police union leaders are setting by calling for the suspension of open carry in Ohio. First of all, those calling for the ban base their demand for emergency powers on the fact three police officers over a thousand miles away were killed in a nation of over 320 million people. If the bar in our nation for the institution of martial law is the death of three officers, we will be living under military rule by August. What happened in Dallas and Baton Rouge is horrific. However, if anyone thinks that draconian actions and suspension of our rights will make things better, they are not just stupid, but treasonous. Our “rights” are not granted so they can be denied when we need them the most. That is precisely when things are dangerous and difficult.
Second, Governor Kasich does not have the power to pick and choose which laws he would like to see enforced or not. Can you imagine an executive such as President Obama with the ability to declare a state of emergency because of three deaths? I am sure Obama could have it arranged and would certainly love for the public to give him the authority to immediately and arbitrarily suspend whatever laws he doesn’t like. However, I am curious why anyone would think the man that has in a large part engineered and instigated this violence will do anything to stop it if he is awarded with more power? Read more
Post Coup Aftermath in Turkey
What can we expect next from Turkey? Although, elements of the coup are still holding out in Ankara, the coup leadership has allegedly fled Turkey by helicopter to Greece and asked for asylum. All indications now are that Erdogan will remain in power and the coup failed. This is bad news for Turkey and the rest of the world.
The immediate aftermath is clear. Erdogan’s security forces are now busy arresting a massive number of military personnel that are believed to have supported the coup. Once complete, this will consolidate Erdogan’s power over the military, which is has already deeply purged. Further, the failure of the coup due to “popular support” will only increase his power, which will accelerate Turkey’s descent into a Islamic State. In short, the idea of a secular Turkey died last night with the failed coup. Read more
Putin’s revenge: Did Russian Intelligence Support Coup in Turkey?
Events are still unfolding and it is too early to make any final conclusions. However, it is clear that a military coup in Turkey is underway to overthrow Erdogan. As of now, all indications support the CIA was completely caught off guard and US was happy with the Islamic leaning Erdogan’s administration. As such, it is unlikely the CIA had anything to do with the coup. However, there are some indications that Russian intelligence helped back the military coup to oust Erdogan. Did Putin just get the last laugh…again?
Russia-Turkey relations have warmed remarkably in the last two weeks, but was this because Russia knew change was coming? It is also quite coincidental that US Secretary of State John Kerry just met with his Russian counterpart. Further, Russia correctly recognized Turkey was continuing to back Islamic extremists in Syria against Russian interests. Turkey is/was preparing a major military offensive to back Islamic extremists to retake Aleppo from Syrian forces in hopes of forcing Syrian President Assad out of power. This was a Russian redline. However, Russia did not want a direct conflict with Turkey and potentially all of NATO. Nonetheless, Russia could not and would not allow Turkey to directly intervene in a decisive way as I previously warned. As such, Russia needed a way to counter Erdogan’s policy to overthrow Assad and stop it without a bigger war. I should also mention Putin didn’t take the fact Turkey shot down a Russian jet lightly.
Short of a major war, a coup became an attractive option for derailing Washington’s Middle East Policy, defeating ISIL/ISIS, and countering Turkish actions targeting Syria and its President Assad. This appears to have culminated in a Russia covert operation to support the overthrow of Erdogan. Whether or not the coup proves successful, one will look back and see this is probably the last best effort to return Turkey to a secular state and defeat radical Islamists hijacking the country with a minimal amount of bloodshed. I find it fitting that Erdogan, a radical extremist that has backed Islamic jihadists found himself potentially one run out of office, not Assad.
I can’t understate the implications of this coup. If successful, ISIL/ISIS will get hammered by unimpeded Russia, Kurdish, and Syrian forces. Without Turkey’s covert support, ISIL/ISIS will face near certain military defeat in Syria. However, if the coup fails, expect all hell to break out across the region. Erdogan will return and his crackdown and purges will murder many people as radical Islamists solidify their grip on power. Any hopes for a secular Turkey will be dead. ISIL/ISIS will also get the full backing of Turkey in Syria and it is likely this will lead to plummeting relations with Russia and an outbreak of a major war. This is just the beginning of an unraveling of the entire region. Events will continue spiral out of control across the globe and the US. I will continue to update on this as events unfold.
Guiles Hendrik
July 15, 2016
Preppers are waking up to the survival myth of the “solo prepper”
This week I read a piece by “Mac” MacWelch of Advanced Survival Training (http://www.advancedsurvivaltraining.com/). In it he argues that the lone wolf survivor is a myth. Unless preppers set aside small differences and organize your chances of surviving a true chaos event is small. I am glad to see his article and completely agree. I have been working for years to educate people on this exact subject and I am very happy to see attitudes and minds within the greater prepper community have finally begun to embrace this very basic, but very critical aspect of survival. I don’t want to understate the importance of this survival attitude gaining traction. Once “preppers” start to see themselves as a part of a greater community instead of independent and fearful of the community, we will make significant progress toward free, safe, and independent lives.
I want to reference my article from 2013 on the “Greatest Prepper Weakness.” (See: http://www.lastminutesurvival.com/2013/12/02/overcoming-the-greatest-prepper-weakness-the-individual-versus-the-community-and-a-plan-for-the-future/) The article garnered quite a bit of response from individuals across the US, but it was clear that it woke people up. I ask all of you to read it and ponder what is being proposed. Like Mac, I argue that preppers must erase the walk away and hide till it’s over mentality because it isn’t a viable survival strategy. This isn’t just my opinion. It is based on learned real life experience and what I practice. (See: http://www.lastminutesurvival.com/2015/01/27/when-the-shtf-you-can-come-to-my-placeseriously/) I have witnessed nations in all stages of chaos and in every single place the people that were doing the best were the ones that stuck together in big groups. Those of you that still feel that you can run to the mountains and lock yourself in your bunker I applaud your preparations, but ask you to reconsider your actual survival odds versus uniting with other like-minded people with diverse and useful skillsets. If you really feel your preps are sufficient, please write me and we can discuss hundreds of real world examples that prove beyond any doubt the strategy does not work beyond a very short term. The articles provide a plan of action and not just arguments about how best to prep. Only by uniting, putting aside petty differences, and working toward the greater good will we come out of this in good order. Feel free to contact me with questions, but for now, I wish you all the best of luck and hope to see you in my community someday.
By Guiles Hendrik
July 12, 2016
Uber Update: Uber Confirmed to be providing your private travel data to the government
Last year I wrote a piece entitled “Why the government elite love Uber: Your travel is now a searchable public record.” Read it here: http://www.lastminutesurvival.com/2015/08/13/why-the-government-elite-love-uber-your-travel-is-now-a-searchable-public-record/ In it, I warned that with the convenience of Uber comes the inevitable loss of privacy and government surveillance. It was just too juicy a target for Big Brother’s mass surveillance and data collection and I predicted Uber was here to stay because the government was reaping too much information about you from Uber. Well, it didn’t take long for my prediction to prove prescient.
Just last month (April 2016), it became very public across the internet that Uber had in fact been providing data from over 12 million users to the US Government. Read it here: http://www.infowars.com/uber-admits-it-gave-data-on-12-million-users-to-u-s-government/ Read more
It is time to use antitrust acts to break up the most powerful monopoly in the United States…the two-party political system
Today’s post is perhaps one of the most important pieces I have ever written. In it I write to how we as a nation can peacefully use the elements of our tattered legal system to reclaim our government from the establishment for the people it was designed to serve. Right now, we are at a critical crossroads politically in our nation. One road promises to be the fast and easy route to the good life where everything is free and no one is responsible, but this road only leads to our nation’s destruction. The other road is small, difficult to navigate, and is very rough, but ultimately leads us back to a better place and salvation as a nation. The question is will America make the hard choices necessary for long term prosperity and freedom or will it like so many other nations collapse into tyranny, corruption, poverty, and bloodshed. Ominously, if historical precedent is any indicator, the future of our nation is a bleak.
I want everyone to think about how detrimental the consolidation of power by the establishment into two overtly separate, but covertly unified political parties in the US has been to our freedoms and liberties. For over two hundred years we have been witness to a perpetual erosion of rights and freedoms while the government has exponentially grown, stolen incalculable amounts of wealth from its citizens, and created an insulated political class of elites. All this time, as the power of the US Government was being consolidated into fewer and fewer hands, the government has perpetually attacked giant corporate monopolies and broke them into smaller companies. This was done allegedly to promote fair competition, which has been generally viewed as acceptable government regulation of business for the good of the people. Whether oil, telecommunications, or transportation the government has for over a hundred years waded into disputes using antitrust laws to regulate the conduct and organization of corporations to promote fair competition for the benefit of the people. Ironically, nowhere is there a greater monopoly acting deliberately to limit fair competition at the expense of the people than in our two-party political system. If you want a peaceful solution to fix our broken, corrupt, and rigged political system, it is absolutely critical, we the people, open antitrust lawsuits against these modern day political robber barons of our most precious liberties.
Why no one has suggested using the antitrust legal route to break up the political control of the party elites is up for debate. However, I for one am going to lobby strongly for it and ask each of you to do your part to demand suit is brought against both parties. Not once has this bar against monopolies been equally applied to our political system where it is needed most. By suing both the Republican and Democrat National Committees as a business monopoly operating at the expense of the people, we actually could use the force of law to break the gridlock in our political system. Imagine if a court broke the parties into a dozen pieces like Standard Oil, struck down their gerrymandering of districts, instituted term limits, removed the ability to receive huge amounts of cash from anonymous political action committees, and abolished the parties’ self-serving election regulations. For the first time in generations a real election, with real candidates, could be put forward by the actual citizens of the US to run for office. There could actually be a chance to see genuine quality candidates compete for the duty to serve their fellow citizens.
For those that are skeptical this is an applicable approach and can work, let’s look at the purpose of the antitrust acts. First, antitrust acts are specifically designed to restrict the formation of cartels and prohibit other collusive practices regarded as being in restraint of trade. Second, they restrict the mergers and acquisitions of organizations which could substantially lessen competition. Third, they prohibit the creation of a monopoly and the abuse of monopoly power. Considering the purpose of antitrust acts, do they relate to our current political system? Does the political monopoly in the US not represent a cartel that uses its influence to destroy any competition and rig the system like a cartel? Does the political monopoly not put in place rules and regulations that prevent other parties and independent candidates from challenging their status quo control of power? Does the political monopoly not abuse its power to favor the elites? Does the political monopoly not openly reject the will of the people in popular elections and claim the ability to appoint whomever they choose to office? Does the political monopoly not obliterate the ability to have free and open democratic elections? Does the political monopoly not abuse the intent of a representative government to run only establishment favorites as elected “representatives?” Does the political monopoly not enrich its senior members just like a corporation? Does the political monopoly not restrain free trade? Does the political monopoly not use its control of government to establish favorable trade agreements and deals for its establishment cronies at the expense of true free trade? Does the political monopoly not accept tons of favors and donations from lobbyists to unfairly restrict or support mergers and acquisitions designed specifically to substantially lessen competition? Ultimately, does the political monopoly not harm the citizens of this nation?
Both the Democrat and Republican political parties are every bit of a political monopoly and are a direct detriment to not just free trade, but a free republic. If we can wake enough people up to the fact these corrupt parties of the establishment are no different than a giant cartel and should be broken apart using antitrust acts, we may have a legal avenue to directly attack the entrenched establishment at its core. I see no quicker way to break up the political stranglehold these two parties have over our nation than to have a court rule against them in favor of the people using the legal precedents established in our antitrust acts. I certainly don’t see a more peaceful way. I can promise you this; we aren’t going to fix these parties by voting and playing by their rules. The parties have had over two hundred years to make the rules of the game work in their favor. This election year has demonstrated the parties’ grip on power quite well to all but the most blind and ignorant amongst us. However, the establishment missed this legal vulnerability. Please become active and take concrete steps to create this debate and push for antitrust action against both political parties. At this point, we must exhaust all peaceful options at our disposal to try and avert the collapse of our country into a cesspool of leftist tyranny.
By Guiles Hendrik
April 14, 2016
Massive and devastating escalation of War in Syria looms as Syrian Forces backed by Russia are poised to retake Aleppo: Saudi Arabia and Turkey prepare to deploy armies to Syria in response
This is an alert to all of my readers of a potentially imminent global crisis. We are not at the point of a full blown crisis yet, but I am telling everyone they need to not get, but, BE ready for things rapidly to turn very bad within 30-60 days. I will be closely monitoring this situation and will provide updates as necessary.
While most Americans are distracted by the Super Bowl and the disgusting Jerry Springeresque political theater we call an election process, the world is rapidly descending toward a major, devastating war that will ultimately involve more Americans than both Afghanistan and Iraq combined. Make no mistake, the situation developing in the Middle East is extremely grave and the US government has lost all control. I have warned repeatedly about ignoring the last off ramps to peace in the Middle East and what the result would be. Well, now another prediction has come to pass as Russian backed Syrian troops are poised to retake Aleppo from the murderous Islamic savages and Saudi Arabia and Turkey prepare to militarily join the fight.
One quick look at a map will demonstrate the strategic significance of Aleppo for rebels fighting in Syria. Most critical to the mix of rebel elements still holding Aleppo is that it provides access to key supply lines originating in Turkey. If Aleppo falls, the primary rebel supply line will be cut and the rebels will face a near imminent defeat. Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar are the primary backers of rebel forces in Syria and know this means their policy is about to collapse and Shia Iran will become the region’s hegemon. This also petrifies countries like Israel that have remained mostly quiet about the civil war even though they too are deeply involved. As a result, these countries are preparing to commit military forces to prevent Aleppo’s fall. As I have repeatedly warned, this will escalate the conflict significantly and rapidly. See: http://www.lastminutesurvival.com/?s=syria
Make no mistake; the US has been on the wrong side of this war. I welcome the advance of Russian backed Syrian forces smashing the rebel forces, which are primarily composed of radical Islamic extremists that have been brutally murdering thousands of innocent people to include Christians. However, as I have repeatedly predicted, if one side in the proxy war primarily between Iran and Saudi Arabia gains a decisive advantage, it would force the other to quadruple down (they have already doubled and tripled) on their policy. At this point, that means putting their troops in actually face to face battle. As I warned for years and literally predicted, Saudi Arabia has now announced it is preparing to deploy its troops to Syria. See: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/02/general-saudi-arabia-set-deploy-troops-syria-160205042542486.html
The arrival of Gulf Arab armies in Syria will be in a single word, catastrophic. The US long ago lost effective control of the conflict it in large part created, but MUST stop this deployment or risk the outbreak of a full scale regional and possibly world war. The notion that an alliance of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, and Kuwait, the same countries that have collectively spent billions arming and supporting ISIL, will now move to destroy ISIL defies all logic. In fact, it is so politically ridiculous that it is in fact a thinly veiled lie. Instead, Saudi Arabia and Turkey will lead an army into Syria with only one goal and that is to overthrow President Assad. Rather than fighting the radical terrorist elements such as ISIL, they will back them by recasting them as “moderate rebels.” Russia, Iraq, Iran, and Hezbollah will not be fooled by this and proportionally escalate. This sets the stage for a massive and devastating escalation. Read more
The Demise Of Dollar Hegemony: Russia Breaks Wall St’s Oil-Price Monopoly
Just as I warned earlier this week, it appears Russia is moving to debase the Petro-Dollar, which would fundamentally destroy the quality of life Americans enjoy today.
Russia has just taken significant steps that will break the present Wall Street oil price monopoly, at least for a huge part of the world oil market. The move is part of a longer-term strategy of decoupling Russia’s economy and especially its very significant export of oil, from the US dollar, today the Achilles Heel of the Russian economy.
Reposted from Zerohedge.com; Submitted by William Engdahl via New Eastern Outlook
