Lessons from This Week in Survival News

Some survival lessons from this week's news feed...

• Two women were rescued presumably from five months adrift at sea.  While the details are being debated, I'll point out that the fact that they had a year's worth of food stored and water filters is a good lesson in preparedness.
• The Weinstein scandal is toppling his and other careers like dominoes.  The lesson here is to teach your kids--both girls and boys--how to avoid as well as defend themselves against sexual assault.
• Global warming is a thing.  Whether you believe it is just cyclical weather change or a man-made deal, our planet is warming.  If you intend to be alive for the next 30 to 60 years, plan accordingly (ie: you might not want to live on beach-front property in Florida).
• Sears and Kmart are closing more stores.  This probably doesn't come as a surprise to anyone but it is a reminder to not put all of your financial eggs in one basket.  No matter where you work, always keep an eye on the state of your company AND be prepared to change jobs at a moment's notice should your company suddenly go out of business.
• There was another terrorism-related attack in New York City a couple of days ago as well as a random shooter at a Colorado Walmart the following day.  While it is not something most people are used to, these days people need to keep their head on a swivel when they are in public places.  People shouldn't have to worry about their personal safety every time they leave their home but the sad reality is that random violence can happen anywhere, anytime so always keep your wits about you and pay attention to your surroundings.
• The President's Twitter account was recently deleted temporarily.  Not a bad thing IMHO but the overarching points about social media are many--you can't rely on social media to not be slanted/biased/misleading; you can't rely on social media to be available when you need it; social media companies are private companies so freedom of speech doesn't apply when using these services; social media, while quite useful, also has a number of negative effects on your brain (not a good thing).  The lesson here is to have alternate communication methods, reign in your social media use to something manageable, and don't believe everything you read online.