April 16, 2010
Volcanic eruption in Iceland grounds flights across Europe.
This eruption has a good chance of effecting weather this summer and possibly into next year. In the 1990s, a short eruption in the Phillipines caused world temperatures to decrease for a year or two. This eruption looks likely to last longer. The question will be how much material is lofted into the upper atmosphere. We are already dealing with slightly reduced temperatures caused by reduce solar output. It is very likely we could be seeing a cooler than normal summer, fall and possibly longer in the northern hemisphere. A big question will be, what will this do to rainfall. It could possibly cause either increased or decreased rainfalls (there are arguments for both). Either way, I would suggest stocking up on storable staples (rice, potatoes, canned food) as a hedge against increased food prices.
January 10, 2010
The History Channel had a show on called After Armageddon. It is about what happens with a small family in southern California after a flu pandemic wipes out 80-90% of the human population. They show them making plenty of mistakes. There are also some good tips put in the show by experts. And, I can tell when they decided to stop listening to the experts. They had humanity choosing to shun technology and live a more peaceful and satisfying agrarian lifestyle with much knowledge being “lost.” I call bullshit on this. There will be a massive drop in technology. But, there will also be a rise back. There are still plenty of libraries, and it is not like people will have forgotten that these things are possible. Will there be groups that for whatever reason choose to shun technology? Yes. And, they will be outproduced and find themselves subsumed into the groups that successfully bring back technology.
January 6, 2010
The History Channel has a new show called Apocalypse Man. It is showing how to survive after an apocalyptic disaster. So far, I am not impressed. The mistakes made by the host in the first show:
- He takes needless risks (A drawbridge over a river was up. Rather than finding another means to cross, he jury-rigged a grappling hook and swung across. There were several other incidents.)
- He wastes resources. (Rather than using a small bit of steel wool to start a fire, he used a huge lump of it. He also wasted food.)
- After emphasizing keeping a low profile to avoid people, he then broadcast over the CB emergency channel his travel plansand left it broadcasting on the frequency using a tape recorder. This not only compromised his security, it also steps on any other broadcasts on that channel.
I also question his choice to move into the city. I would rather try to make it in a rural area rather than an urban one. But, there were some good scrounging tips.
December 29, 2009
Newsweek has an article on modern day urban survivalists, aka preppers.
The article mentions people stocking up on food, first aid supplies and firearms. I worry about the people getting massive first aid kits and firearms and not really knowing how to use them. It is one thing to read a first aid book or shoot at paper, it is another thing to apply the principals of first aid and/or defense when you have a massive dump of adrenalin in your system.
Some suggestions I have for people (and I need to follow), take annual red cross certifications in first aid (and if possible more in depth training) and take a firearms self-defense class (if you are planning to use a firearm for defense). If nothing else, obtain some books and DVDs on the subjects. The outdoor channels (Outdoor Channel and Sportsman’s Channel) have some excellent shows on defense training. I recommend The Best Defense, The Best Defense: Survival, and Personal Defense TV. Even reading a book or two can put you ahead of the curve.
If Katrina teaches us nothing else, it is that when there is a catastrophe we can’t depend on government to be there to help us.
