The words “apocalyptic devastation” and “humanitarian crisis” are being used to describe conditions in Puerto Rico following hits by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, which have shut down modern civilization on the island.
“It’s an avalanche of disasters, one disaster after another disaster,” Father Flavio Bravo said of the situation in the U.S. Commonwealth.
Bravo, the Jesuit leader in Puerto Rico, described the scenes on the island as “apocalyptic.”
News reports indicate that Puerto Rico has suffered near-total devastation, and the government response has not been very effective.
Approximately 1,360 of the island’s 1,600 cell phone towers have been knocked down, The Guardian reported. The destruction of the phone system made the catastrophe worse, as social media was the only form of communication many people previously had.
Additionally, the entire power grid was knocked out, and no one knows when it will be back. Estimates for restoration of electricity range from four to six months, Vox reported.
“That’s half a year relying on generators, half a year without air conditioning in the tropical climate, half a year where even the most basic tasks of modern life are made difficult,” Vox writer Brian Resnick wrote.
People literally are dying from a lack of electricity. Those most at risks are the very sick and disabled, such as dialysis patients.
“We are finding people whose oxygen tanks are running out, because … small generators now don’t have any diesel,” San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz told CNN.
Puerto Ricans are living in apartments without walls, and houses filled with water because they have no place to go.
More than 10,000 disaster relief workers and vast amounts of supplies have been rushed to Puerto Rico. Disturbingly, red tape is preventing some aid from reaching the island.
Cargo ships cannot land aid in Puerto Rico if they lack a U.S. flag and crew because of an old federal law called the Jones Act, the Guardian noted. That meant a Canadian freighter could not drop aid off in Puerto Rico.
“Puerto Rico is teetering on the edge of a humanitarian crisis, and the television cameras are still largely absent,” Susanne Ramirez de Arellano of the Guardian wrote. “And if you’re shocked by that, imagine what else they’re not showing you.”
Is your community or state prepared for such a crisis? Share your thoughts in the section below:
This Article Was Originally Posted On offthegridnews.com Read the Original Article here
The wonders of baking soda! It truly is one of the most versatile household products you can ever have in your home. Whether it’s used as a household product or a personal care product, baking soda has got you covered!
Baking Soda: More Uses Than You Could Expect
Let’s take a look at the uses for baking soda I’ll be covering in today’s article:
Laundry detergent booster
Deodorize your fridge
Microwave cleaner
Oven cleaner
Carpet cleaner
Carpet deodorizer
Tile floor cleaner
Polish your teeth
Freshen your breath
Skin exfoliation
Relieve diaper rash
Sooth skin irritation
Heartburn remedy
Jewelry cleaner
Wash produce
Deter ants
As you can see, baking soda is a must have in every household. The best part of it all? It’s so expensive.
Let’s get started!
1. Laundry Detergent Booster
Adding ½ cup of baking soda to each load of laundry will soften the water which allows your clothes to be much cleaner and softer. It also helps your laundry soap to stretch much further!
2. Deodorize Your Fridge
We all know ‘that odor’ that can accumulate in the fridge! Placing an open box of baking soda will help eliminate those odors. It’s most effective when placed in the back of the fridge. Be sure to change out the box of baking soda every 2 months.
3. Microwave Cleaner
Cleaning a messy (sometimes crusty) microwave can take a bit. Messy microwave clean up is a cinch with baking soda! Just simply sprinkle baking soda on a damp cloth and gently scrub the mess away. It will also deodorize any odor in the process.
4. Oven Cleaner
As with microwave messes, oven messes can be just as time consuming but, not with baking soda! All you have to do is sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda on the bottom surface area of your oven. Using a spray bottle, dampen the baking soda with water and let it sit over night. Scrub away the mess the next morning and be sure to rinse completely with water. The rinsing process is best accomplished with a spray bottle and a damp cloth.
5. Carpet Cleaner
My sister recently let me in on a great carpet cleaner recipe. She says it’s the best carpet cleaner she has ever used!
Recipe:
½ cup of water
½ cup of white vinegar
1 tablespoon of baking soda
1 tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide
Directions: Mix all ingredients well in a spray bottle. To remove carpet stains, spray the cleaner on the carpet stain and simply dab away the stain with a light colored, slightly damp cloth.
The hydrogen peroxide did not affect the color of her carpet. However, if you are apprehensive, you can test the mixture in a small ‘out of view’ section of your carpet first.
6. Carpet Deodorizer
To deodorize your carpet, sprinkle baking soda and leave overnight. The following morning, using a broom, sweep up the excess and vacuum up the rest.
7. Tile Floor Cleaner
This recipe is great for cleaning and deodorizing tile flooring!
Recipe:
½ cup of baking soda
Bucket of warm water
Mop and enjoy!
8. Polish Your Teeth
About once a week, add just baking soda to your toothbrush and brush for about 3 minutes. This will give your teeth a whiter, more polished look.
Brushing daily with just baking soda can be too abrasive and, in my opinion, can wear down the enamel. However, there are folks who swear by it.
9. Freshen Your Breath
For an easy mouthwash recipe that will freshen your breath, check this out!
Recipe and directions: Mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda in a glass water. Swish for about 30 seconds and spit.
10. Skin Exfoliation
Do you have sensitive skin? Do most facial scrubs leave your skin dry? Try this recipe for a gentle facial scrub that will get rid of dead skin and leave your face nice and smooth.
Recipe and directions: Mix 3 parts of baking soda and 1 part water. Rub gently onto skin using small circular motions and rinse clean. Pat dry.
11. Relieve Diaper Rash
To help relieve diaper rash, simply add 2 tablespoons to your baby’s bathwater.
12. Soothe Skin Irritation
To relieve the discomforts of skin irritation and to soften your skin in the process, simply add a cup of baking soda to a warm bath. Soak for about 20-30 mins.
13. Heartburn Remedy
My personal experience….
I have suffered from acid reflux and heartburn off and on for about 5 years. At times, it has woken me up in the middle of the night. I lived on Tums. Recently, my mother introduced me to a remedy that has made me toss the over the counter antacids for good! It also seems to relieve the occasional gas pains that accompany my heartburn.
One night, as I was visiting her, I got heartburn. I asked her if she had some Tums and she says “I have something better!”.
It’s so simple and so effective. Within 5 minutes after drinking this, my heartburn completely disappeared. I couldn’t believe it! If you suffer from acid reflux and heartburn, I encourage you to try this recipe.
Recipe and directions: Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to 8 oz of room temperature water. Stir and drink. Optional: you can add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice for taste.
14. Jewelry Cleaner (Sterling Silver)
I recently gathered all my sterling silver jewelry to clean it. Some of it was so tarnished and I remember thinking “this will take all night to clean!”. In the past, I have polished my sterling silver with just toothpaste. I would add a generous amount of toothpaste to each piece of jewelry, let it sit for a bit, then go back and polish each piece with a terry cloth.
Well, the night I gathered my jewelry together, I got an idea to mix toothpaste and baking soda together to clean my sterling silver. I took about a nickle size amount of toothpaste and an equal amount of baking soda and mixed them together using a toothpick. I applied the mixture to one of my rings and the black tarnish literally came right off (with just a circular motion of my thumb) and it did not scratch the sterling silver at all. Afterwards, I rinsed each piece with warm water and dried them with a terry cloth.
Each piece looks brand new again!
15. Wash Produce
Here’s a great recipe for washing all your fruits and vegetables!
Recipe and directions: Add a ¼ cup of baking soda to a sink full of water. Wash and Rinse.
16. Deter Ants
Combine equal parts of baking soda and table salt and sprinkle at all their entry points. They will avoid those areas!
Clean My Space shows us a video on 10 cleaning uses for baking soda:
What is your favorite baking soda use? Do you have an use you would like to share with us? Tell us in the comment section below!
The United States has declared war on North Korea, that nation’s foreign minister charged Monday at the United Nations.
“Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make all self-defensive counter measures, including the right to shoot down the United States strategic bombers at any time even when they are not yet inside the aerospace border of our country,” North Korea Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho said Monday.
Ri was referencing a Tweet by President Trump that read, “Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won’t be around much longer!”
Said Ri, “Last weekend Trump claimed that our leadership wouldn’t be around much longer and declared a war on our country.”
The White House on Monday pushed back against North Korea and said war had not been declared.
“Frankly, the suggestion of that is absurd,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.
Under the U.S. Constitution, only Congress can declare war, even though many wars have been fought without Congress taking action.
The U.S. military sent North Korea a different kind of message over the weekend with a flight of B-1B Lancer bombers from Guam that passed through international waters off the nation, CNN reported. The bombers were escorted by F-15C Eagle fighters from Okinawa.
“This mission is a demonstration of U.S. resolve and a clear message that the President has many military options to defeat any threat,” Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said
What do you think the Trump administration should do? Share your thoughts in the section below:
This Article Was Originally Posted On offthegridnews.com Read the Original Article here
Its leaves can range from light green to dark purple, and they can be wrinkled or smooth. Naturally low in calories, this cruciferous vegetable packs a lot of health benefits.
However, the cabbage, which is eaten throughout the world in both cooked and raw form, is sometimes misunderstood. Frequently mistaken as a form of lettuce because of its appearance, cabbage actually is a leafy vegetable that is part of the Brassica family that includes its nutritious cousins kale and broccoli.
As with other fruits and vegetables, the darker the color, the more nutritious the cabbage. That means red cabbage — which can range from light red to deep purple — but all cabbage is worth adding to your diet for its health benefits.
Vitamin C
According to the USDA, eating a half cup of cooked cabbage provides 35 percent of your daily vitamin C requirements. That makes cabbage a richer source of this important nutrient than oranges!
Vitamin C is an antioxidant that has many benefits to the human body, including helping defend against the common cold, healing wounds, preventing ulcers and boosting the immune system. Vitamin C plays a role in skin health and the body’s response to the aging process.
Fiber
Cabbage is rich in fiber, which is essential to a healthy digestive system. The roughage in cabbage helps the body retain water, which protects against indigestion, constipation, ulcers and other stomach problems.
Sulphur
Image source: Pixabay.com
The sulphur contained in cabbage aids the body in fighting infection and helps in wound healing. It also reduces the frequency of ulcers. Research studies have indicated that the sulfur-containing compounds (sulforaphane) found in cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage may help guard against certain forms of cancer.
Glutamine
Cabbage contains glutamine, a powerful anti-inflammatory agent that is linked with the reduction of inflammation, joint pain and various skin problems.
Beta-carotene
Cabbage also is rich in beta-carotene, which is important for eye health. Beta-carotene is linked with the prevention of macular degeneration and the delay of the formation of cataracts.
Vitamin K
The vitamin K contained in cabbage can boost the cognitive function of the brain.
Vitamin K also helps protect the body from the neural degeneration, which is a contributing factor to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
Calcium
The calcium contained in cabbage is essential to healthy bones and, as a result, can protect against osteoporosis and other forms of bone weakening.
Anthocyanins
The anthocyanins contained in cabbage, particularly in red cabbage, help reduce the inflammation that may contribute to cardiovascular disease.
Potassium
Cabbage also contains potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure. As a vasodilator, potassium helps open up blood vessels, reducing the possibility of constricted arteries and veins and helping prevent platelet buildup.
Lactic acid
The fermenting of cabbage releases lactic acid, which can help ease muscle soreness and other general aches and pains in the body.
Iodine
The iodine contained in cabbage aids the healthy function of the endocrine system, which helps remove toxins from the body and boosts neurological function.
How to choose a cabbage
Select a cabbage that feels heavy for its size and see that its leaves are tight and firm. You may store fresh cabbage for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.
Did you know that rocket stoves can be used for other things besides cooking? Scott Hunt will show you in this next video how to heat water using a rocket stove. All you need to do is have some chopped wooden pieces and you’re ready to heat water without using electricity. Just imagine how much money you could save by applying this technique in your own home.
The way this works is actually very easy and the video below contains a thorough explanation and a demonstration, so you don’t need to be an engineer to put this great idea into practice. Just watch the video below and listen to Scott Hunt. Scott Hunt is the owner of Practical Preppers.
