Latest news with #SurvivalSchool
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Retired Air Force SERE instructor, cigar lounge owner Cody Arguelles running for Spokane City Council
May 13—Private downtown cigar lounge co-owner Cody Arguelles — who's also an architecture student at Washington State University and medically retired survival, evasion, resistance and escape instructor for the U.S. Air Force — is running for Spokane City Council for a seat held by Councilman Zack Zappone. Zappone is one of two council members representing council District 3, which covers the northwestern third of the city stretching north from the Spokane River and west of Division Street, and after redistricting in 2022 also includes Browne's Addition. Councilwoman Kitty Klitzke is the district's other representative, and her term runs through 2027. A third candidate, Meals on Wheels board member Christopher Savage, is also running for the seat. A relative newcomer to the city with no prior political or government experience, Arguelles believes Spokane is in a "downhill spiral" and that the current council and city administration need to be held accountable to measurable metrics for improving homelessness, public safety and other issues. "We need to be able to have people on council that are held accountable and they're transparent with where money is going, and that are driven by measurable goals, rather than just saying, 'Hey, here's a four-point plan to fix this,' and then there's no measurable metric," Arguelles said. After a short bout of homelessness early in his life, Arguelles acknowledged that he needed "compassion and sympathy" to help him back on his feet, but believes that city leadership is addressing the issue by "just throwing out, 'Here's housing,' and then that's it." Arguelles also believes that the city needs to streamline its system for business permitting, arguing that the red tape he navigated to start his business was onerous and unnecessary. Arguelles grew up in San Diego and spent the better part of a year couch surfing when he was 18 in the aftermath of his parents' messy divorce. He met a reconnaissance Marine from Camp Pendleton who invited Arguelles to meet his friends and rent out a tool shed for $250 a month, the first stable place he lived out of high school. "It was a wild experience," Arguelles said. "But thanks to them, they really taught me what it was like to take care of myself. That's what really helped me get off on my two feet and get jobs and become a productive member of society." Arguelles started a number of small businesses over the years, starting with a coffee roaster in San Diego he launched with a business partner from church and a fully leveraged business credit card. He later sold the operation. But when COVID-19 hit, it became extremely difficult to run a business in California, Arguelles said. "I looked at my wife at the time, and we're like, 'What do we do?' " Arguelles said. "And I had always wanted to join the military, since way back in the tool shed area when I was living with a recon Marine." At the time, Hulu was airing the 2008 reality TV show "Survival School," about the Air Force SERE (survival, evasion, resistance and escape) school out of Fairchild. "And so that's what I ended up joining the military as," Arguelles said. "And lucky enough, I made it through selection and graduated with my beret, and did a career in the Air Force, and that's what brought me out here to Spokane." As a SERE specialist, Arguelles trained others in the Air Force who were going out on deployment and ran the risk of being isolated or captured, he said. He served for four years before medically retiring with 100% disability due to injuries sustained during training and service. Given the housing prices in California, Arguelles' family decided to stay in Spokane, buy a house and look to open a business, he said. He decided to launch the Late Arrival Club, a private cigar lounge that doesn't sell tobacco products but instead offers memberships allowing people to enter into the business, perhaps with friends or clients or a good book, smoke a cigar, maybe crack open a bottle of wine they brought to the club themselves, and take a meeting. Construction on the business began earlier this month. "That's kind of what is getting me to want to run, because you see the state of the city right now, and it's always kind of in this downhill track of not being safer, homelessness is getting worse, and with the business and with my family, I want to be able to actually have a part in fixing it, making it better," he said. Arguelles has attracted the endorsements of some significant figures in Spokane's conservative politics, including former Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward, Sheriff John Nowels and city Councilmen Jonathan Bingle and Michael Cathcart.
Daily Record
30-04-2025
- General
- Daily Record
Seven crucial items to keep at home in case of UK power outage
Spain and Portugal faced power outages this week that affected millions, and people in the UK are fearing we could be next. Both countries descended into chaos, with the colossal power cut leaving some 50 million people without power. Panicked shoppers raided supermarket shelves for supplies in order to see the blackout through. Power has since returned, but a state of emergency remains in place, while Spanish and Portuguese citizens start to recover from the mayhem of the outage. Concerned Brits have now been led to question how they would fare should the power go out on this side of the Channel, with a new poll by the Mirror revealing readers' fears the UK simply isn't prepared for such a disruption. To ease our anxieties, a survival expert has shared seven important items that could save you a great deal of stress should the UK be plunged into darkness. Jonny Crockett has been running the Survival School for 30 years, teaching on all things survival and bushcraft in the great outdoors. He has shared seven things to keep in your home that will help you through a power outage. Here they are. Of course, it's always important to have a first aid kit in your cupboard, and this is especially true if you suspect there could be some sort of disruption on the way. Jonny advised: "First things first, always have a first aid kit. You can't go wrong with that." In this modern world, it's pretty tricky to go a day without using your phone or laptop. For many who rely on technology for work and communication, the thought of going without it for even a night can feel pretty uncomfortable. But what can you do if you plug your device into the wall, only to realise the power is completely dead? In this instance, battery power packs are your best friend. According to Jonny: "This is the thing that you would use to recharge your phone because certainly you need to have a means of communication. "Now, I know that when you've got a massive power outage, if it's on the same scale as Spain and Portugal and parts of France, then what you're looking at is that communication is not working properly as well." Next on the list would be rechargeable torches, which are ideal if you find yourself suddenly navigating the sort of pitch blackness we humans are usually able to drown out with electricity. And according to Jonny, these handy beacons of light couldn't be easier to get your hands on. Jonny explained: "To give you an example as to how easy it is, well, for one, your phone normally has a torch on it. Just a quick tour through Amazon and you can find your page after page after page of rechargeable torches." Necessary for human survival since the dawn of time itself, having access to clean water is absolutely vital. And with this, Jonny would also advise investing in a pump to filter water. He continued: "When you have a look at a lot of the earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, major calamities and disasters, one of the major problems that they have is that they run out of drinking water. "So if you've got a pump, which is going to do a few thousand litres maybe. These things, generally speaking, come in at a couple of hundred quid, but you can get cheaper ones, and the ability to make not good water into good water is spot on." Although Johnny has cautioned against panicking too much in this regard, making sure you have enough food to see you through could save you a headache. Offering some reassurance, Jonny said: "Now generally speaking, I mean the power is coming back on in Portugal, Spain and parts of France. So we're not looking at it being a major crisis really. Yeah, okay, so people are like, 'Oh no, they can't get onto Facebook for 24 hours. "But actually, we're not expecting anything where I am at the moment. And if I were to have a look at my deep freeze and fridge and then the cupboards around the kitchen, then I could sustain myself for quite some time. It wouldn't really be too much of a drama, you know, I mean, a tin of beans and a bit of pasta and that sort of stuff." Although many of us will thankfully be able to wait out a potential power cut without too many serious issues, it's important to remember there will be those for whom such an event could be difficult or distressing. This includes any vulnerable or elderly people in our lives. With this in mind, Jonny urged: "I think what you really ought to have, and this is from a sort of humanitarian point of view, is a list of people who may struggle more than you. "Because what tends to happen is, as soon as I think the phrase is 'the s*** hits the fan', then people go into a very selfish, self-centred, ego-centric survival mode. "Yeah, I'd get that if you are looking after some young children and what have you, but I mean, I'm in my 50s. And I'm a healthy person. "So actually, when I have a look at my neighbours, I've got three 70-year-old people who live within spitting distance. So those are the sort of people that I should be looking after." Make sure to pop a few candles in your drawer for a useful and, potentially, atmospheric light source. Jonny concluded reassuringly: "Really in this day and age unless there is something massively wrong for the western world - like you know some sort of nuclear explosion - it's not as big a drama as all that. "It's newsworthy certainly but I don't think that it is worth people getting bent out of shape. "It's almost sort of over dramatic to say that it's going to change people's lives. Give them six months, they'll look back and they'll go, 'Oh yeah, do you remember that? When the power is out for 48 hours?', we'll go 'Oh yeah yeah, what did you do?' 'Well, do you know what? I stayed in and I talked to my husband, or I talked to my wife, and we actually had quite a nice old time. "Lit a few candles'. And candles would be another thing to put on the list. 'Yeah, we lit a few candles and we actually talked to each other rather than watching TV '. It's not so bad, is it, really?"
Daily Mirror
30-04-2025
- Daily Mirror
Seven items you need to have in your home ready for if UK faces power outage
As Brits express concerns over how the UK would fare amid a potential blackout, a survival expert has shared seven items you'd do well to have ready, while urging Mirror readers not to panic Millions of people across Spain and Portugal have faced power outages this week, and Brits fear they could be next. Chaos reigned across the two Western European countries, with the colossal power cut leaving some 50 million people without power. In dramatic scenes, panicked shoppers raided supermarket shelves for supplies, in queues compared to "Alton Towers". The power has since returned, but a state of emergency remains in place, while Spanish and Portuguese citizens start to recover from the mayhem of the past 24 hours. Now, concerned Brits are wondering how they would fare should the power go out on this side of the Channel, with a new Mirror poll revealing readers' fears that the UK simply isn't prepared for such a disruption. With this in mind, a survival expert has shared seven important items that could save you a great deal of stress should the UK be plunged into darkness. The Mirror spoke with Jonny Crockett, who has been running the Survival School for 30 years, teaching on all things survival and bushcraft in the great outdoors. But what if your cosy indoor world suddenly feels unfamiliar without the wonder of electricity? Here, Jonny offers his wisdom. First aid kit Of course, it's always important to have a First Aid Kit in your cupboard, and this is especially true if you suspect there could be some sort of disruption on the way. On a list of top necessary items, this is the one that Jonny would place first and foremost. Jonny advised: "Every year, the list changes because we're becoming more and more reliant on technology. First things first, always have a first aid kit. You can't go wrong with that." Battery power packs In this modern world, it's pretty tricky to go a day without using your phone or laptop. For many who rely on technology for work and communication, the thought of going without it for even a night can feel pretty uncomfortable. But what can you do if you plug your device into the wall, only to realise the power is completely dead? In this instance, battery power packs are your pal. According to Jonny: "This is the thing that you would use to recharge your phone because certainly you need to have a means of communication. Now, I know that when you've got a massive power outage, if it's on the same scale as Spain and Portugal and parts of France, then what you're looking at is that communication is not working properly as well." Rechargeable torches Next on the list would be rechargeable torches, which are ideal if you find yourself suddenly navigating the sort of pitch blackness we humans are usually able to drown out with electricity. And according to Jonny, these handy beacons of light couldn't be easier to get your hands on. Jonny explained: "To give you an example as to how easy it is, well, for one, your phone normally has a torch on it. Just a quick tour through Amazon and you can find your page after page after page of rechargeable torches." Water Necessary for human survival since the dawn of time itself, having access to clean water is absolutely vital. And with this, Jonny would also advise investing in a pump to filter water. He continued: "When you have a look at a lot of the earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, major calamities and disasters, one of the major problems that they have is that they run out of drinking water. "So if you've got a pump, which is going to do a few thousand litres maybe. These things, generally speaking, come in at a couple of hundred quid, but you can get cheaper ones, and the ability to make not good water into good water is spot on." Food Although Johnny has cautioned against panicking too much in this regard, making sure you have enough food to see you through could save you a headache. Offering some reassurance, Jonny said: "Now generally speaking, I mean the power is coming back on in Portugal, Spain and parts of France. So we're not looking at it being a major crisis really. Yeah, okay, so people are like, 'Oh no, they can't get onto Facebook for 24 hours. "But actually, we're not expecting anything where I am at the moment. And if I were to have a look at my deep freeze and fridge and then the cupboards around the kitchen, then I could sustain myself for quite some time. It wouldn't really be too much of a drama, you know, I mean, a tin of beans and a bit of pasta and that sort of stuff." Important list Although many of us will thankfully be able to wait out a potential power cut without too many serious issues, it's important to remember that there will be those for whom such an event could be difficult or distressing. This includes any vulnerable or elderly people in our lives. With this in mind, Jonny urged: "I think what you really ought to have, and this is from a sort of humanitarian point of view, is a list of people who may struggle more than you. Because what tends to happen is, as soon as I think the phrase is 'the s*** hits the fan', then people go into a very selfish, self-centred, eco-centric survival mode. "Yeah, I'd get that if you are looking after some young children and what have you, but I mean, I'm in my 50s. And I'm a healthy person. So actually, when I have a look at my neighbours, I've got three 70-year-old people who live within spitting distance. So those are the sort of people that I should be looking after." Candles Make sure to pop a few candles in your drawer for a useful and, potentially, atmospheric light source. Jonny reflected: "Really in this day and age unless there is something massively wrong for the western world - like you know some sort of nuclear explosion - it's not as big a drama as all that. It's newsworthy certainly but I don't think that it is worth people getting bent out of shape. "It's almost sort of over dramatic to say that it's going to change people's lives. Give them six months, they'll look back and they'll go, 'Oh yeah, do you remember that? When the power is out for 48 hours?', we'll go 'Oh yeah yeah, what did you do?' 'Well, do you know what? I stayed in and I talked to my husband, or I talked to my wife, and we actually had quite a nice old time. Lit a few candles'. And candles would be another thing to put on the list. 'Yeah, we lit a few candles and we actually talked to each other rather than watching TV'. It's not so bad, is it, really?"
