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Camouflage is an art.Everybody can learn this skill which often go hand-in-hand with prepping and survival.We camouflage if we want to avoid detection by other people as much as possible. Your survival may depend on remaining undetected and unseen. Thats the importance of camouflage which has been continually refined since time immemorial.

Unlike animals, humans lack a keen sense of smell and will rely on vision to see their predators. Without camouflage, you will be easy to stop. An average person can easily detect you against the backdrop of nature or a cityscape.

Camouflage can change this. In good times or bad ones, there are activities that call for camouflage. It will ensure your success, especially if youre hunting.

Even the most simple camouflage can elude a sloppy and bumbling hunter. Blending into your surroundings can help with reconnaissance. Camo can spell the difference between success and failure.

Breaking up the shape is one of the simplest and most fundamental aspects of camouflage. The human form is one of the easiest shapes to recognize. A variety of means can disrupt the shape of an object by using obstructions, or even local vegetation.

The silhouette is closely linked to shape and is the outline of an object against a background.Even if youre covered from head to toe in camouflage, the silhouette of the camouflage blob moving against the background will say human.

The most fundamental element of camouflage is color. You want to be in browns if you’re in the woods. If youre in the snow, white and perhaps some black is your best bet. If youre in the jungle, wear green.

A light reflecting off any shiny surface can spoil your camouflage. Metal is a common culprit, as are glossy plastics. Human skin can also be glossier compared to the surrounding environment. You want to cover exposed skin with something that is not reflective, like mud or dirt, or camouflage grease paint to tone down any shine. Camouflage is a big business

Camouflage is a big business. Simply put, hunters are on the lookout for the next best pattern to improve their hunt, while the military has a huge interest to increase the safety of its forces.

Blending is an option that defeats and counteracts silhouettes and the outline of shapes. Blending depends on color. Blend into a forest floor by relying on the same fallen leaves all around you to mask your own shape and color. Men, materials and vehicles can be blended by using colors combined with foliage.

Countershadingis a process by which camouflage defeats the shadow signature of an object against another background, encouraging the eye to ignore it or slide past it. It is an easily done and popular form of camouflage.

Mimicry can be technical or simple. It is camouflage by way of looking like something else. Hunters fool waterfowl into ignoring them by using duck blinds with the appearance of reeds printed on them and synthetic reeds attached all around them.

Think rupture when you think of ruption which is an odd word that simply means to break up the shape of something. The classic United States Army Woodland camo pattern is a great example of ruption because of its use of high contrast disruptive colors with irregular markings.

Camouflaging a vehicle is obviously a much larger undertaking than camouflaging yourself and all your gear. You can use many of the same techniques, but they must be scaled up significantly to work on vehicles. Camouflage your vehicle by applying paint specific to the environment. To conceal your vehicle while parked, use natural vegetation.

Unless you’re abandoning your home,shelter must also be camouflaged. But it depends entirely on what kind of shelter youre talking about. A tent or lean-to wont be much of a problem. Fixed structures are another story. (Related: How to make an invisible shelter looters can’t find.)

Use local vegetation to break up the silhouette of the tent. It will be expensive, but for larger structures you can do what the military does and make extensive use of that shredded-looking camo netting, along with painting any exposed surface a low profile color. For total concealment, bury it.

How do you camouflage when youre in an urban environment or a rural or a rural or wilderness setting?

The principles are the same and the colors are not much different either. A dusty sepia-colored tan is workable, but avoid all-too-common white, gray and black urban camos so widely available. You can’t go wrong by adopting camo patterns used by militaries and law enforcement agencies around the world.

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Urban environments offer challenges for all kinds of camouflage. Most urban camouflage technology has derived from vehicle camouflage research, and youve probably seen those on the internet; large, blocky, pixilated, so-called dazzle patterns.

While they work okay for making the type of vehicle hard to identify at a distance, those patterns are often worse than useless on a human scale.

Address your exposed skin. Wear gloves for your hands or a gaiter for your face and neck. The hat will also work for covering up the bulk of your head. Camouflage grease paint can also be used for covering exposed skin.

Tan is always the best in most environments, but a combination of grays and greens can work too. Consider even buying or building a ghillie suit if you’re going to be in one place for a long time.

You need to camouflage your gear the same way you do your body. Purchase gear that’s already camouflaged in some pattern suitable will for your environment. Black is often thought of as a sneaky color, and especially good for nighttime use, but this is not always true as black appears very rarely in nature except as deep shadow. All gear, including guns, should be camouflaged

Any gear that is hand-carried like firearms should likewise be camouflaged. Painting your stockpile of guns camo patterns that help blend them in to avoid detection. Remember that metal and lenses are two of your biggest violators when it comes to shine and light reflection.

Changing your clothing to something suitably low profile is the first step towards attaining camouflage, but its not the last. Buy a set of camouflage jacket or shirt and trousers that are specific to the environment and season youre in.

Consider also your footwear. Dont wear sneakers or trail shoes that have reflectors.

Good camo can easily be achieved with a good eye for color and careful assessment of the environment you are moving through or hiding in.

Use vegetation in various forms to aid your camouflage efforts, The type of vegetation makes a big difference as does the condition of the surrounding vegetation where you are. Living vegetation, though will die as soon as you cut it or pull it up and it will need replacement. Dead vegetation like dead plants, things like dry grass, fallen branches, dead leaves, hay, straw, etc. work great for texturing and can work well for blending if the surrounding environment is also similarly dead.

Watch this video reviewing the Arcturus Ghost ghillie suit.

This video is from AlexHammer on Brighteon.com. More related stories:

Prepping tips: How to stay camouflaged in an urban environment?

What is a spider-hole and what are its survival uses?

How do you keep yourself well-hidden in a SHTF scenario?

Prepper essentials: A guide to camouflaging your property.

Prepping tip: How to hide your valuables in plain sight.

Sources included:

Modernsurvivalonline.com 1

Modernsurvivalonline.com 2

Brighteon.com
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UK joins US in strike on Houthi target in Yemen for first time since Donald Trump re-elected

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UK joins US in strike on Houthi target in Yemen for first time since Donald Trump re-elected

The UK has joined US forces in attacking a Houthi target in Yemen for the first time since Donald Trump was re-elected.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed the strikes took place on Tuesday as part of the government’s response to Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

The ministry said careful intelligence analysis identified a cluster of buildings used by the Houthis to manufacture the sort of drones used to attack ships, located 15 miles south of the capital Sanaa.

RAF Typhoon FGR4s conducted strikes on several buildings using Paveway IV precision-guided bombs.

The planes had air refuelling support from Voyager tankers.

The ministry said the strike was conducted after dark to reduce the likelihood of civilians being in the area.

All the aircraft returned safely.

John Healey during the press conference.
Pic: Reuters
Image:
John Healey. Pic: Reuters

Defence Secretary John Healey said: “This government will always act in the interests of our national and economic security.

“Royal Air Force Typhoons have successfully conducted strikes against a Houthi military target in Yemen and all UK aircraft and personnel have returned safely to base.

“We conducted these strikes, supported by the US, to degrade Houthi capabilities and prevent further attacks against UK and international shipping.”

Read more from Sky News:
Kneecap’s Eden Project gig cancelled amid ‘kill MPs’ row
Israel releases medic detained after IDF attack on aid workers
Crush fly-tippers’ vans, government tells councils

Houthis a ‘persistent threat’ to ‘freedom of navigation’

Mr Healey said Houthi activities in the Red Sea are a “persistent threat” to “freedom of navigation”.

“A 55% drop in shipping through the Red Sea has already cost billions, fuelling regional instability and risking economic security for families in the UK,” he said.

“The government is steadfast in our commitment to reinforcing global stability and protecting British working people. I am proud of the dedication and professionalism shown by the service men and women involved in this operation.”

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US intensifies strikes on Houthis

It was the first time UK forces have struck a target in Yemen since May last year, the ministry confirmed.

The US has intensified its strikes on the Iran-backed Houthis under Mr Trump’s presidency, after his re-election in November 2024.

The group began launching attacks on shipping routes in November 2023 saying they were in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.

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Footage showing people being pulled from rubble has been released by Houthi rebels in Yemen

The strike came after a Houthi-controlled TV channel claimed a US strike killed 68 people at a detention centre for African migrants in Yemen on Monday.

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World

Ransacked and looted: What I found in my family home destroyed by militiamen

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Ransacked and looted: What I found in my family home destroyed by militiamen

The biggest city in the Sahel has been ransacked and left in ruins.

War erupted in Sudan’s capital Khartoum in April 2023 and sent millions searching for safety.

The city was quickly captured by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after a power struggle with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) for total control.

At least 61,000 people were killed from the fighting and siege conditions in Khartoum state alone.

Thousands more were maimed and many remain missing.

The RSF fled Khartoum’s neighbourhoods in caravans carrying the city’s looted treasures as the army closed in and recaptured it after two years of occupation.

The empty streets they left behind are lined with charred, bullet-ridden buildings and robbed store fronts.

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The once shiny skyscrapers built along the confluence of the River Nile are now husks of blackened steel.

The neighbourhoods are skeletal. Generational homes are deserted and hollow.

Damage around Khartoum
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Damage from fighting around Khartoum

Damage around Khartoum

Trenches snake the streets where copper electric cables were ripped out of the ground and pulled out of lampposts now overridden with weeds.

The majority of the 13 million people displaced by this war fled Khartoum. Many left in a rush, assuming it would only take a few weeks for peace to be restored.

My parents were among those millions and in the midst of the abandoned, looted homes is the house where I grew up.

Yousra Elbagir's family home was left in ruins by RSF troops
Image:
Yousra Elbagir’s family home was left in ruins by RSF troops

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Yousra said it was likely a bomb had previously fallen nearby and shaken the house at its base

A shell of a home

I have to strain my eyes to see the turn to my house. All the usual markers are gone. There are no gatherings of young people drinking coffee with tea ladies in the leafy shade – just gaping billboard frames that once held up advertisements behind cars of courting couples parked by the Nile.

Our garden is both overgrown and dried to death.

The mango, lemon and jasmine trees carefully planted by my mother and brother have withered.

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Image:
Structural damage to the outside of the home

The Bougainvillea has reached over the pathway and blocked off the main entrance. We go through the small black side door.

Our family car is no longer in the garage, forcing us to walk around it.

It was stolen shortly after my parents evacuated.

The two chairs my mum and dad would sit at the centre of the front lawn are still there, but surrounded by thorny weeds and twisted, bleached vines.

Yousra Elbagir's family home in Khartoum before RSF's takeover of the city
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How the home looked before Sudan’s civil war

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And how it looks now

The neighbour’s once lush garden is barren too.

Their tall palm trees at the front of the house have been beheaded – rounding off into a greyish stump instead of lush fronds.

Read more:
How recaptured palace is a significant sign of return to order
Sudan’s paramilitary chief announces rival government

Everyone in Khartoum is coming back to a game of Russian roulette. Searching out their houses to confirm suspicions of whether it was blasted, burned or punctured with bullets.

Many homes were looted and bruised by nearby combat but some are still standing. Others have been completely destroyed.

Yousra Elbagir's family home in Khartoum before RSF's takeover of the city
Image:
How the home looked before the war

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Image:
And how it looks now

The outside of our house looks smooth from the street but has a crack in the base of the front wall visible from up close.

It is likely a bomb fell nearby and shook the house at its base – a reminder of the airstrikes and shelling that my parents and their neighbours fled.

Inside, the damage is choking.

Most of the furniture has been taken except a few lone couches.

The carpets and curtains have been stripped. The electrical panels and wiring pulled out. The appliances, dishes, glasses and spices snatched from the kitchens.

Yousra Elbagir shows her mother pictures found in the home
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Yousra shows her mother pictures found in the home

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The walls are bare apart from the few items they decided to spare. Ceilings have been punctured and cushions torn open in their hunt for hidden gold.

The walls are marked with the names of RSF troops that came in and out of this house like it was their own.

The home that has been the centre of our life in Sudan is a shell.

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Sudan’s civil war has left the country fractured

Glimmers of hope

The picture of sheer wreckage settles and signs of familiarity come into focus.

A family photo album that is 20 years old.

The rocking chair my mother cradled me and my sister in. My university certificate.

Yousra Elbagir finds her university degree certificate in the wreckage
Image:
Yousra finds her university certificate in the wreckage

Celebratory snaps of my siblings’ weddings. Books my brother has had since the early nineties.

The painting above my bed that I have pined over during the two years – custom-made and gifted to me for my 24th birthday and signed by my family on the back.

There are signs of dirt and damage on all these items our looters discarded but it is enough.

Yousra's parents pictured at home before they fled Khartoum
Image:
Yousra’s parents pictured at home before they fled Khartoum

Evidence of material destruction but a reminder of what we can hope will endure.

The spirit of the people that gathered to laugh, cry and break bread in these rooms.

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A portrait of Yousra Elbagir's grandmother which was damaged by RSF troops
Image:
A portrait of Yousra’s grandmother damaged by RSF troops

The hospitality and warmth of a Sudanese home with an open door.

The community and sense of togetherness that can never truly be robbed.

What remains in our hearts and our city is a sign of what will get us through.

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Politics

Australia’s finance watchdog to crack down on dormant crypto exchanges

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Australia’s finance watchdog to crack down on dormant crypto exchanges

Australia’s finance watchdog to crack down on dormant crypto exchanges

Australia’s financial intelligence agency has told inactive registered crypto exchanges to withdraw their registrations or risk having them canceled over fears that the dormant firms could be used for scams.

There are currently 427 crypto exchanges registered with the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC), but the agency said on April 29 that it suspects a significant number are inactive and possibly vulnerable to being bought and co-opted by criminals.

The agency is contacting any so-called digital currency exchanges (DCEs) that appear to no longer be trading, and AUSTRAC CEO Brendan Thomas said they’ll be told to “use it or lose it.”

“Businesses registered with AUSTRAC are required to keep their details up to date; this includes details about services that are no longer provided,” he added.

Australia’s finance watchdog to crack down on dormant crypto exchanges
AUSTRAC CEO Brendan Thomas says scammers can use inactive crypto firms to appear legitimate. Source: AUSTRAC

Businesses wanting to offer Australians conversions between cash and crypto, including crypto ATM providers, must first register with AUSTRAC, which monitors for crimes including money laundering, terror financing and tax evasion.

The agency can cancel a registration if it has reasonable grounds to believe the business is no longer active or offering crypto-related services.

Ten firms have had their AUSTRAC registration canceled since 2019, with the most recent being FTX Express in June 2024, the local subsidiary of the collapsed crypto exchange FTX.

AUSTRAC to launch public list of registered exchanges 

Following its blitz on inactive crypto exchanges, AUSTRAC said it will publish a list of registered exchanges to help Australians verify legitimate providers.

Thomas said the goal is to make it harder for criminals to scam people and improve the integrity and accuracy of AUSTRAC’s register.

“If a DCE does intend to offer a service, they need to contact us otherwise we will cancel the registration and this information will be added to the register,” he said.

“Members of the public should feel confident that they can identify legitimate cryptocurrency providers that are registered and subject to regulatory oversight and that we are driving criminals out of this industry,” Thomas added. 

Related: Australia’s top court sides with Block Earner, dismisses ASIC appeal

In February, the Anti-Money Laundering regulator took action against 13 remittance service providers and crypto exchanges, with over 50 others still being investigated regarding possible compliance issues.

Six providers were refused registration renewal on the grounds that key personnel were either convicted, prosecuted, or charged with a serious offense.

Australia has yet to pass crypto regulations. In August 2022, the ruling center-left Labor Party initiated a series of industry consultations to draft a crypto regulatory framework.

In March, the government proposed a new crypto framework regulating exchanges under existing financial services laws ahead of a federal election slated for May 3.

Magazine: SEC’s U-turn on crypto leaves key questions unanswered

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