Survivalism

[SerenitySeeker]

While looking up the candle in post today it led me to a survivalist u tube video, and then another, and while clicking on a link to one to explain why they hoard nickels, a link about 2012. How many of we here, many of whom are minimalist, are also survivalist, believe in being prepared for food shortages, natural disasters or worse? After seeing some of the things I did today I am considering being at least minimally prepared knowing that in the event of world food shortages or major energy failure or flood/natural disaster, my own country might not get food and water available to me in a timely organized manner.

[tat44too]

I never really paid much attention to this, until recently, but now I kinda do. I guess I'm a "minimal minimalist". It's something I think everyone thinks about. To what extent? I'm not sure.

[mweinstone]

think self reliance. my "water in a box" project could fund us all out of here to a safe place hiking the trail forever. all i need is a capitol invester.my " water in a box " gives total unlimited freedom from all sources other than air. by simply connecting the three divices in the box, one instantly begins produceing water anywhere on earth as long as reletive humidity is above 6%.


tabel top electric water condenser

foot pump battery storage unit

flexable solar pannel

15 minutes of foot pumping on a 1400$ unit produces 12 hours of power witch runs the 1200$ condenser at a rate of 3 pints every 45 minutes. the solar pad is 900$

i belive if all three companys who make the three divices were contracted , a lower rate could be gotten than folks buying seperate divices. this isnt really an invention as much as a conveinyence. i sell the idea, the information sheet and instructions, and i picked the three most suitable machines from the three best companys after much hikerlike reasearch.i belive in my " water in a box" idea.it makes me sad to write about it while broke and desperate for a damm dentist. we could all be rich. oh if anyone would listen to me!
i love you all. even earless .

[Harrison Bergeron]

It's a book about how a small town in North Carolina (near the AT, in fact, though it's not mentioned) survives an EMP attack on the United States.

Not many people realize that it doesn't take a Soviet Union and 10,000 nukes to destroy America. It only takes a lunatic regime, a boat, a missle, and one nuke -- like Iran or N. Korea.

Our entire society has become totally dependent on microchip technology, which is extremely vulnerable to EMP -- Electro-Magnetic Pulse. You create EMP by exploding a nuclear weapon in the stratospere. There is no structural damage on the surface, and no-one dies immediately. But it knocks out every computerized device for about 1,000 miles in every direction. Three well-placed nukes would cover the entire country, but one is probably all it would take to deal a death blow.

No vehicles made after 1975 would be operable. Food production would cease and there would be no way to transport it even if it was available. The economy would vanish in an instant -- it's all stored on computers wih no hardcopy backup. 300,000,000 people would suddenly have to figure out how to survive with no power or water on whatever food they have in their kitchen at that moment.

Scary stuff. Especially when you realize that preparing for it is probably impossible for most of us -- unless you happen to live on a farm far enough away from a million starving people to be able to hang onto it.

Survivalists are optimists. Personally, I just try not to think about it too much.

We lived thirty years with 10,000 nukes pointed at us and survived it.

Maybe we'll get lucky again.

[couscous]

Anyone who camps or backpacks is better prepared for natural disasters. During the ice storm of 2004, we were without power for eight days over Christmas (Dec. 22-30) while temps outside dropped to below -15°F. Having camping/backpacking gear for cooking, getting water, having light, etc. made the experience much easier.

If you know a storm is approaching, it's not very expensive to get some candles, matches/lighter, fill pitchers with water for drinking, fill a bathtub with water for washing and flushing toilets, have a week's worth of canned food, have extra batteries for flashlights, fill any vehicles with fuel, and charge any cell phones and laptops.

[fiddlehead]

Interesting reading this thread. Especially from where I am presently sitting: Northeast Thailand, the part called "Issan" and what has always been the poorest of the poor of Thailand.
Not any more.
Now that the price of food is up around the world, this place is bustling.
A brand new supermarket was packed today with high priced goods.
The roads are full of 1 piston tractor engines pulling wagons full of sugar cane, rice, rubber, bananas and pineapples.
Wasn't ever really worried about 2012 and the Mayan calender but sort of glad we have a house up here and visit from time to time.
Not a bad place to be.
Water buffalo are not as prevalent as they once were but I'm sure they'll come out of the woodwork if and when the oil flow stops.
Almost everyone collects rainwater and has from 2-10 2,000 litre concrete tanks to hold it in (ours is hooked to a pump to pressurize the house)
Again, not a bad place to be (enjoying the $3.00 greens fee at the golf course too)

[Furlough]

It's a book about how a small town in North Carolina (near the AT, in fact, though it's not mentioned) survives an EMP attack on the United States.

Not many people realize that it doesn't take a Soviet Union and 10,000 nukes to destroy America. It only takes a lunatic regime, a boat, a missle, and one nuke -- like Iran or N. Korea.

Our entire society has become totally dependent on microchip technology, which is extremely vulnerable to EMP -- Electro-Magnetic Pulse. You create EMP by exploding a nuclear weapon in the stratospere. There is no structural damage on the surface, and no-one dies immediately. But it knocks out every computerized device for about 1,000 miles in every direction. Three well-placed nukes would cover the entire country, but one is probably all it would take to deal a death blow.

No vehicles made after 1975 would be operable. Food production would cease and there would be no way to transport it even if it was available. The economy would vanish in an instant -- it's all stored on computers wih no hardcopy backup. 300,000,000 people would suddenly have to figure out how to survive with no power or water on whatever food they have in their kitchen at that moment.

Scary stuff. Especially when you realize that preparing for it is probably impossible for most of us -- unless you happen to live on a farm far enough away from a million starving people to be able to hang onto it.

Survivalists are optimists. Personally, I just try not to think about it too much.

We lived thirty years with 10,000 nukes pointed at us and survived it.

Maybe we'll get lucky again.

If this ever happens I am moving to Pennsylvania and becoming Amish.

[JAK]

...and then there was the story about the survivalist that left the UK and moved to the Falkland Islands just before that war broke out. Well, they survived. I think the best form of survivalism is day to day living that does not take too much for granted. Rather than storing away 12 months of food for 20 years or more, it might make more sense to have 12 months of food on hand but constantly cycle through it, buying sing items in bulk each week when they are in season or on sale. Also, having hiking skills, and using them regularly and year round in good clean and natural living, goes a long way towards preparedness. Also doing without technology rather than using technology for preparedness. Doing without electricity at home for a week once each season. We might find it more fulfilling. Why wait? Why should only hikers and refugees have all the fun. ;-)

[Pedaling Fool]

It's a book about how a small town in North Carolina (near the AT, in fact, though it's not mentioned) survives an EMP attack on the United States.

I wonder how an alien spaceship would handle an EMP attack. I also often wonder if the aliens will just sit back and watch as a supervolcano erupts or if they will intervene...maybe they have already prevented it. Or maybe they just take the attitude of "let nature take its course". Sort of what we do when it happens while we're doing our observations. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JVkaMqD5mI&feature=fvsr

[4shot]

I do not think I would want to exist or "survive" in the post apocalyptic world. when 100% of one's energy and focus is spent on merely surviving, i will take what's behind door number 2. Unless it's a scenario involving zombies, then I think hunting zombies would be a pretty cool past-time when not tending one's garden or shearing the sheep.

[JAK]

... or maybe we are already in a post-apocalyptic world, but don't realize it because we are the zombies and sheep. ;-)

[double d]

Survivialism in my opinion, is always short term. Sure you can store food, water and shelter, but for how long? Certainly we should all be prepared for the short term (say less then three months worth of the above mentioned supplies), but....at some point we begin to run out. I always think of the film The Road when I read about end of the world debates. Certainly I think hikers/backpackers could survive a lot longer then the average over-weight suburban citizens, but again, for how long? Endless questions, but interesting ones at that.

[sbhikes]

We will survive on compassion and helping one another so I try to participate in my community. I also live somewhere with a year-round growing season. I would be happy if something wiped out all the microchips. It would clear the slate, level the playing field. There are some insufferable rich people I wouldn't mind seeing humbled a bit.

[WingedMonkey]

I'm a backpacker living in a family full of hunters in the middle of hurricane alley. Our pantries are always stocked with non perishables, water is always jugged and generators are checked twice a year.
And I have an old habit I won't give up of keeping a variety of vegetable seeds rotated in the freezer, including some non hybrids in case nature needs to take over.
I have a hand pump device that will draw from water from my well in place of the electric pump, it ain't easy but it works.
But we are always that way if it's 2012 or if it's the millennium or Hurricane BillyBob.
Sometimes I think I'm ready for an EMS storm, but I need to get chickens and rabbits again first.

[DapperD]

It's a book about how a small town in North Carolina (near the AT, in fact, though it's not mentioned) survives an EMP attack on the United States.

Not many people realize that it doesn't take a Soviet Union and 10,000 nukes to destroy America. It only takes a lunatic regime, a boat, a missle, and one nuke -- like Iran or N. Korea.

Our entire society has become totally dependent on microchip technology, which is extremely vulnerable to EMP -- Electro-Magnetic Pulse. You create EMP by exploding a nuclear weapon in the stratospere. There is no structural damage on the surface, and no-one dies immediately. But it knocks out every computerized device for about 1,000 miles in every direction. Three well-placed nukes would cover the entire country, but one is probably all it would take to deal a death blow.

No vehicles made after 1975 would be operable. Food production would cease and there would be no way to transport it even if it was available. The economy would vanish in an instant -- it's all stored on computers wih no hardcopy backup. 300,000,000 people would suddenly have to figure out how to survive with no power or water on whatever food they have in their kitchen at that moment.

Scary stuff. Especially when you realize that preparing for it is probably impossible for most of us -- unless you happen to live on a farm far enough away from a million starving people to be able to hang onto it.

Survivalists are optimists. Personally, I just try not to think about it too much.

We lived thirty years with 10,000 nukes pointed at us and survived it.

Maybe we'll get lucky again.

It doesn't only take a synthetic manmade EMP attack/accident to cause us massive damage but one just as devastating and possibly even more likely will be caused naturally by our own source of life, light and warmth: our sun itself:http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=190721 And it's not a question of if it will occur (because it already has) but when, and to what degree of severity

[Fiddleback]

I'm no survialist, not a minimalist, don't believe in Inca, Aztec, or Tea Party Doomsdays (), the collapse of the U.S., or the end of civilization. But I do believe in being prepared...for extended power outages (I hold a low opinion of the Missoula Electric Cooperative), emergency evacuations (the forest fires have got close once or twice), blocked roads (ice jams closed the highway two decades ago, there was water over my county road last week), record-breaking storms, etc. So I always have food, water, and 'supplies' stocked...both for me and My Lady, the dog, cat birds, horses and llamas. I even have food and containers ready to cover our local Meals On Wheels clients if I can get to 'em. I generally have gasoline and diesel on the premises and rarely let any of the vehicle fuel tanks drop below a hundred-mile range.

My father was of the ilk that thought the mobs would run wild some day. Ensconced in his upperclass incorporated town surrounded by San Antonio, he stockpiled cases and cases of freeze dried food. He looked crest fallen when I asked him where he was gonna get the water when the mobs shut off the power () but he never did stockpile any. I inherited those cases of freeze dried...that's how I learned that somewhere between 15 and 30 years old you can count on the food tasting 'off'.

FB

[brian2o0o]

Its all abunch of hype, just another Y2K scare...

[DapperD]

While looking up the candle in post today it led me to a survivalist u tube video, and then another, and while clicking on a link to one to explain why they hoard nickels, a link about 2012. How many of we here, many of whom are minimalist, are also survivalist, believe in being prepared for food shortages, natural disasters or worse? After seeing some of the things I did today I am considering being at least minimally prepared knowing that in the event of world food shortages or major energy failure or flood/natural disaster, my own country might not get food and water available to me in a timely organized manner.

I believe some extra supplies on hand is always a good thing. I believe a minimum of 6 months worth of food and supplies is suggested to have, preferably 1 years worth. This can be tough to do/afford. I do believe other's concern's over the worlds direction are valid as bunkers are in hot demand right now:http://www.just2012.com/increased-sa...aching-may-21/

[Pioneer Spirit]

We are just one disaster away from major catastrophe. One errant nuke or an undetected comet could send things out of wack very fast.

Most people are not prepared for any minor event let alone for the big one. My generator failed when I needed it the most, sub-zero temperatures without power or heat for 3 days.

Always keep canned food available, guns help and never tell your neighbors what you have.

You can't gurantee when a catastrope will will strike but you can bet it will be during the worst possible time.

We live in a time when half the population no longer pays taxes so it's a matter of time before some type of meltdown occurs.

[DapperD]

We are just one disaster away from major catastrophe.

Most people are not prepared for any minor event let alone for the big one.

Always keep canned food available, guns help and never tell your neighbors what you have.

We live in a time when half the population no longer pays taxes so it's a matter of time before some type of meltdown occurs.

From what I understand, and have read, another thing of interest is the fact that it is recommended that those living in major urban areas need to be even more vigilant in regards to their safety, and if at all possible need to leave immediately if something huge was to occur. The reason being this is where mass kaos will break out in the event of either a man made or natural catastrophe. There will be widespread looting occuring, rioting, etc...and urban areas will be amongst the hardest hit and the most dangerous to be in/near.