As mentioned in the previous Restless Times posting, France just changed their prime minister.
But so did Nepal. Their parliament burned, and the prime minister fled on helicopter. People were teed off by the government decision to shut down all social media because the companies refused to censor content that Nepalese government did not like (no, I don’t have any details) and then the pro-social media demonstrators were met with a hail of bullets, and then it turned out that the number of teed off citizens exceeded the government firepower and willingness to use it. Some people are suspicious about the social media companies’ unwillingness to censor in Nepal, after all, the social media have been over the years been weaponized for color revolutions and some interests may have wanted the Nepalese government out. However, the people of Nepal have probably been thoroughly disgusted by their leaders and corruption so I think the uprising was organically powered, with social media companies merely allowing the people to egg each other on.
In Qatar, Israeli airstrike is claimed to have taken out Hamas leadership. There are dissenting reports. The news have within the last decade become a fun-house mirror maze, where people hear what they are supposed to think and then are left to figure out if anything happened let alone in the manner the news present the events.
Gold prices are shooting up. I am waiting to get some money to buy gold and silver. The physical metals, not the futures. Currently, as I type, I read that each silver ounce in the COMEX vaults has been overbooked by 36 times, i.e., there are 36 paper contract ounces to each physical ounce, which means that in case of a panic, the first / strongest to assert their claim will get the nuggets. Whether the rest will get even the cash value of their paper metals will depend on whether the vault on which you have claims has money to cover the debts. In other words, the same logic as in Resolution Weekend.
Europeans are busy with military exercises. There were at least six simultaneous ones within Finnish territory, including joint force exercises and urban warfare exercises, and Finland also participated in the CBNR exercise in Sweden. Poland had massive exercises, and aside from Quadriga exercise, Germany has moved a panzer brigade to Baltics. The French and UK orders regarding hospital readiness in case of mass casualty event I may have already mentioned earlier. I had so hoped that the United States 2024 election results would have brought peace, but depressingly it looks like this will not happen.
Also Belarus says they shot down stray drones (either Ukrainian or Russian) and warned Poland about the arriving drones. However, there are too many reports for me to follow but it sure looks bad.
In Vilnius, there were LNG rail car explosions. In the report I read, they were attributed to OHSA violations, but the cause is still being investigated.
Secretary of War Hegseth gave a speech to military in Puerto Rico telling the soldiers that this was not training but to end poisoning of the American people.
Economy will not improve, either. Layoffs are increasing, but the hirings (at least in the USA) keep getting revised down. On Tuesday, I saw in LinkedIn feed a discussion about even recruiters finding new careers (sorry no link or screenshot.) I have been actively looking for a job since last year, and based on my job listing feeds the job market has been getting crazier by month.
Needless to say, I am doubtful about the idea of getting a job. At least a job matching my skills and work experience. Why I get advertisements for ‘CDL-A drivers needed’ is anyone’s guess, I don’t have a commercial trucking license, but based on recent news, maybe that is not a hard barrier in California.
Despite prepping being understood as something done by ultra patriotic rednecks hoarding spam and ammo in their remote homestead/bunkers, there are many practical things that can be done by urban professionals and digital nomads, and many are already doing it without realizing what it is.
Preparedness is not about hoarding survival items. Though it is good to have a set of survival tools, whether it is a power bank + backup memory for your laptop, snow chains for your vehicle or a pressure cooker, the exact set of the tools you need depends on what you can use. If you have a garden and can can fruits, thumbs up and power to you! For someone like me, living in a second floor studio, survival gear means having portable electronics and their backups.
Having said that, I think everyone should have a bugout bag (a shameless PlanktonPunkt Designs commercial included at the bottom of the post.)
Bugout bags are preps for emergencies when you need to move fast and have no time to pack. Even if you have not one waiting in a closet, everyone should know what should go into their bugout bag and where the items to toss in are.
Again, the exact contents of the bugout bag depend on your exact needs and where and how you are bugging out. My bugout bag is for sudden international air travel, because I used to travel back and forth to manage my affairs in California and Finland. I have never needed to escape war, civil unrest, impending sanctions, natural disaster or such calamities, but I have had family emergencies that have required me to quickly pack my bag and hurry to airport. Even quick changes in work plans may need a sudden departure.
I believe my plan for a bugout bag to work for any person who needs to be ready to travel fast by air.
Generic rules:
Only take carry-on baggage. If you need to transfer planes, especially between airports, your chances of missing the connecting flight and/or your luggage decrease if you carry it all with you. Also bumping to earlier flight is only possible if you don’t have checked in luggage and time is of essence.
Use a duffel bag. For more leisurely travel it is OK to use hard shell luggage, but to ensure your carry-on luggage fits the overhead compartments, I recommend a duffel bag. Back bags are more rigid and therefore less likely to adjust into overhead compartments, and many of them contain unnecessary extra straps and padding that is away from your weight allowance. Unless you plan on hiking a lot, duffel bags are optimal airline bugout bags.
If the airline allows an extra cabin item, take a laptop bag or handbag (that can hold your laptop.) In nicer airlines, the check-in often does not count your cabin item to carry-on weight allowance, which leaves more space for the rest of your bugout items. For the same reason, unless the weather is too hot, I recommend an overcoat with many and large pockets. If your carry-on luggage is too heavy or bulky, rather than arguing with airline check-in remove those items you can live without and leave them, but if you are wearing an overcoat with pockets, you may try to stuff some items in your pockets, especially if you are over the weight rather than the size limit and there are small but heavy items like small electronics or books you need.
What to pack into a bugout bag?
Most items people carry are not necessary, even I tend to carry maybe 1/3 of the volume of items that I never use during the trip. And I miss rarely needed items that I left out.
Below is a list based on my experiences, but everyone should tailor the contents of their bag according to their personal and bugout needs.
1. Absolute travel essentials
Valid passport(s) – everyone should have one or more
multiple credit and debit cards for different banks and credit card companies
banking tokens and/or keylogger devise
cash, preferably in multiple denominations.
The passports should be kept behind a zipper in easy to reach compartment. The one under which the air tickets are issued should be in easier to reach place like handbag or coat pocket, the spare for emergencies (like having lost the primary passport) in a more secure location like inside the carry-on luggage.
The multiple debit and credit cards and cash should be divided between your luggage, handbag and pockets, so that if you lose some not all is lost.
Cash is essential for those situations when ATMs and credit cards do not work, whereas credit cards are essential for those situations, where cash is not accepted.
The easiest way to transport cash is debit card. I usually start my travel with some dollars, but when I get into another country, I withdraw cash from an airport ATM. This saves the time that would be spent dealing with banks’ currency exchange counters or Forex dealers. Also, ATMs are common and open 24/7, whereas banks and currency exchanges typically are not.
Banking tokens and key-logger can be kept deep in your carry-on luggage (or in your handbag), they are essential if you need to move funds between your bank and credit card accounts, e.g., to buy new plane tickets or rent a vehicle or stay longer in your hotel room.
In case of extreme hurry / emergency, everything else is expendable, but you will need a valid ID and cash to travel and with cash, the rest of the travel gear can be bought under normal circumstances.
Also good to have:
driver’s license (useful for renting cars in the destination)
medical insurance card
Driver’s license and medical insurance card are kept safe deep inside your carry-on luggage in case they are needed. Driver’s license is for renting a car in your destination, so that can be closer to zipper than the medical insurance card.
2. Medical kit: your prescription medications, common travel ailments and first aid.
If you have a medical condition, your prescription medications would go to the absolute travel essentials, but it is good to have a first aid kit for travel ailments and mishaps.
Prescription medicines should come with the prescription, which should be kept with boarding passes and passport for the security screen and can go inside your duffel bag afterwards.
My selection of travel medicine and first aid kit:
head ache pills (non-drowsy, ibuprofen and aspirin; aspirin doubles as clot preventer for long flights)
stomach ache pills (famotidine)
allergy medicine (non-drowsy like loraditine)
cough drops (I prefer eucalyptus)
zinc, quercetin and multivitamin (against airborne infections)
hydrocortisone ointment (against insect bites – those can also happen in urban environments)
aloe vera antibiotic ointment against burns and scrapes
pocket hand sanitizer
pocket pack of tissues
earplugs and chewing gums
All ointments and liquids should be under 100ml and all containers together should fit into a resealable plastic zipper bag of maximum 1 liter size.
To avoid hassle in security screen, put the resealable zipper bag on the top of everything under the duffel bag zipper, preferably on the top of spare clothing item. This will also reduce the likelihood that your bottles are crushed and tubes squeezed, and if they do, only your spare clothing suffers.
Also the pills and tissues should be kept close to the top of the duffel bag – if you cut your finger or your head begins to ache you don’t want to begin excavations into your carefully packed bugout bag.
Chewing gums and earplugs can be carried in pockets. Chewing gums should be put into mouth just before boarding – chewing will help against air pressure in ear drums during takeoff and landing.
Earplugs are essential, if you want to sleep in crowded (noisy) environments.
3. Essential electronics
For me, those are work laptop, personal laptop, two mobile phones, minitablet with SIM card slot, spare portable memories (USB sticks are usually enough for short trips), power cords and adaptors, international electric socket adaptors (important!), and earbuds with microphone
Two laptops are good – if one fails the other can act as a backup until a replacement laptop can be bought. Ditto with mobiles. Assuming availability of Wi-Fi, laptops can be used for checking travel connections and other essential data even when you are in a country not covered by your mobile phone subscription.
Minitablet with SIM card slot is an international travel essential – rather than buying a mobile phone for every local network, buy a prepaid SIM card for host nation network. This saves time and money, and is lighter to carry.
If you are traveling abroad (or your bugout bag includes international option) an international electric socket adapter is a must. It may take time to find one in your destination country while your electronics are running out of battery. Bring a cord and an adapter for each devise you have. If possible have adapters that can be plugged into power cords, and you can switch cords with plugs for local sockets (which is what I do when traveling between United States and Finland.)
All files should be backed up into USB sticks (or other memory) in case one of the electronics fails or is lost. The USB sticks should be carried separate from the laptops and mobile devises – if laptops are in carry-on luggage, the USB sticks are in your handbag, or in a wallet in a pocket.
Earbuds are not strictly speaking essential, but considerate for other passengers plus not all airlines any more offer free earbuds for watching movies.
4. Personal hygiene (comb, dental hygiene, make up, sanitary napkins)
If there is time, always use the airport amenities for personal hygiene and visiting toilet. Cramped airplane toilets are miserable places to take care of your hygiene, especially 8 hours into trans-Atlantic flight.
I don’t recommend packing a razor into a carry-on luggage.
5. Spare clothing
3 – 5 changes of underwear and 3 shirts. Depending on the number of changes and anticipated delays while in transit and after settling in your destination, i.e., the length of time before you can shop for fresh clothing or do laundry, you should have multiple changes of underwear and T-shirts or long sleeved shirts depending on your destination weather.
1 extra sweater or heavy college shirt – no matter where you go, sooner or later it will be cold.
Spare pair of trousers or a spare skirt in case something happens to what you are wearing. Alternatively, or additionally, a small travel sewing kit for emergency repairs.
In case of a wintery destination (Alaska, Canada, Nordic countries), extra pair of long johns, an extra pair of woolen gloves, two pairs of wool socks. You should have your knitted cap and another pair of gloves on you or in your pockets.
If space or weight does not allow too much extra weight, the extra trousers/skirt can be ditched.
While some spare clothing can be transported ‘on person’, so to speak, heat dissipation will set limits to that. Don’t exhaust yourself or get a heat stroke just to pack extra spare clothing. You can usually buy more in the destination.
6. Notebook, pen, pencil and pocket book
Notebook and ink pen are essential. Notebook for memos, appointments, ticket details and other important information into format that does not require electricity, pen additionally for filling immigration paperwork and other forms. Unless you have everything essential memorized, it is a good idea to write it down ready to be used in emergency without internet access.
While not strictly speaking essential, I like to travel with at least one pocket book to keep myself amused without need for charging stations and to reduce eye strain from screen time.
PlanktonPunkt Designs Commercial:
I am selling print on demand duffel bags within USA, on sale for September 2025. This above version with Cladonia cup lichen pattern and “Survival September 2025”-motto is available in PlanktonPunkt Designs Printify and Etsy shop spaces (clicking the mock up image takes to Printify store.) I also have notebooks and accessory pouches available for US customers. Apologies to the rest of the world, but being a solo operator still learning the basics, the international regulations are overwhelming, so unfortunately, USA only for now.
A former deputy director of Caltrain had had a secret apartment built inside Burlingame train station, discovered by Caltrain 2022. Based on photos, it looks comfy, but about 40000 dollars of public funds were used and the historic building is not his property. Another apartment was found 2019 in Millbrae train station (8000 dollars were used on that), with another defendant was mentioned in connection to that case. Imagine, apartments for under 50k in San Francisco Bay Area! And close to commute!
While housing prices are crashing and you can find a condominium for under 300k in Bay Area if you are not picky about the commute, and right now Zillow advertises plenty of up to $1300 rentals in Bay Area. How many of these are actual apartments instead of shared housing is unclear, but right now it seems that the main constraint to housing is not the availability of units but of cash to rent or buy.
Pretend-to-Work companies
I thought WeWork which officially rented office space with amenities to startups and individual who wanted a workspace not at home was close to this, at least for some people who lacked self-discipline to work without bosses, but in China (the People’s Republic), there are now actual pretend-to-work companies, where people can for a small pay pretend to be office workers the whole day.
China is presumed to have high unemployment rate (official statistics are unreliable or missing) and there are social pressures for people to work. By paying for pretend-to-work day, people can LARP working in corporation, pretend to others that they are working, or just have an airconditioned space with computer terminal in which to spend time, like an internet cafe.
A rusty Honda Civic had stalled on the road side. The engine did not work, the steering just allowed the car to be pushed onto the shoulder, even most of the lights were out of order – only the left blinker still worked. The driver was trying to stop someone to who might help him, and eventually a Maserati stops. The Maserati driver and the Honda driver conferred for a minute and they agreed that the Maserati would tow the Honda to the nearest gas station and if the Honda had some additional trouble, the Honda driver would turn the left blinker on.
The towing started well, but soon the Maserati turned to a highway and a Lamborghini started flashing its lights and honking and revving next the Maserati, challenging it to a race. The Maserati driver forgetting about the Honda accepted the challenge and the race was on. The unburdened Lamborghini led but Maserati followed right behind and the desperate Honda driver was blinking furiously.
A highway patrol sees the trio speeding well over 100 mph and radios back about his intention to chase. “There is a Lamborghini versus Maserati race going well over 100 mph, Lamborghini is leading, but then there is a rusty Honda Civic following the Maserati tightly and indicating that it wants to pass the Maserati, over.”
The idea of a rusty Honda Civic overtaking a Maserati was supposed to be the joke, but for anyone who has driven on East Bay highways, often the fastest car to pass you seems to be a Honda Civic or a Honda Accord. These little vehicles (not all of them but the fast ones) weave along the four or five lanes finding gaps large enough to fit their car and disappear a few minutes later behind horizon. Assuming the traffic is not standing still or crawling bumper to bumper at 20 – 30 mph. I sometimes think the speed limits in Bay Area highways, especially near Hayward are aspirational.
Also, here are a couple of unrelated jigsaw puzzles
This week Iberian Peninsula had a massive power outage that darkened large parts of Spain and Portugal, affected Andorra, France and according to some, Netherlands and Belgium. I have not yet seen the proximal cause for the outage published, though speculations have run from Russian hackers to atmospheric phenomena. What is increasingly clear is that the Western European power grid has become extremely vulnerable to disturbances and even the slightest wobble can collapse the interconnect.
European power grid is at 50 Hz and already 0.5 Hz out of sync causes massive troubles – the power grid can choose to shut down or experience massive damage when the system goes off even that slightly. In Spain, the power grid began to experience fluctuations blamed at some point on ‘induced atmospheric oscillations’ (a mistranslation?) or anomalous heating. However, the power grid had lost large fraction of its buffering capacity as the power production has moved from traditional big power stations with big turbines that maintain inertia against minor fluctuations to renewable energy which uses inverters. In other words, the power grid had become more fragile. Spain had just six days earlier boasted about having produced 100% of its daily energy by renewables. Spain is not alone with its fragile grid, the EU wide race to Net Zero has weakened grids over the Western continent. Individual countries have relied on power production of their neighbors to subsidize their climate programs, and when the neighboring countries transform from help to drain, whole Western Europe is in trouble,
Snake
Unrelated to European problems, Japanese Tokaido Shinkansen line had about an hour and half train stoppage due to a power outage caused by a snake that had slithered into power line. Or maybe the snake was a tool of a global conspiracy against power grids. The article did not know the fate of the snake.
PlanktonPunkt 