If you don’t think you could survive a catastrophe or a major depression, take a lesson from the homeless. They deal with the basics. They make do with what they have and can find. They find what they need by going through things that others throw away. They apply themselves to one, important goal, survival.Look at how one man has not only survived, but made himself comfortable, maybe not by your standards, but by his.
A Lesson from the Homeless
December 1st, 2007RUN FOR THE HILLS! (again?)
November 15th, 2007Russian Cult Members Barricaded in Cave…
At least 30 members of a Russian doomsday cult have barricaded themselves in a remote cave to await the end of the world and are threatening to commit suicide if police intervene, officials said today.The cult members, who include 29 adults and four children, are hidden inside a snow-covered hillside in the Penza region of central Russia.
“They have covered the entrance and refuse to come out and are threatening to blow themselves up,” an official in the local prosecutor’s office said.
Ever so often, some groups freaks out (again and again) and runs for the hills, woods or caves because they are absolutely convinced the world is coming to an end on a particular date. They manipulate numbers or scriptures or interpret the alignment of planets or reference vague statements of dead people. By adding a dash (or two) or paranoia, they conclude that “They” will implement their plans to control the masses. You know, those They people, Them. They are after us, you know. [nodding my head and slowly backing away from members of the 1st Church of the Paranoid Delusionists]
Keep it to yourself
November 12th, 2007Your personal plans for survival may be compromised if you share the details with others, even trusted friends.
Arbitron, which measures ratings for the radio industry, has been testing a new electronic measurement tool that monitors exposure to radio stations throughout the day.
<snip>
Previously, Arbitron had used paper diaries from sample listeners to determine ratings that were used to set prices for advertising. Under pressure to provide more detailed and accurate data, Arbitron has gradually swapped human memory for computer technology, in the form of pocket-size devices that detect radio frequencies to automatically determine which station is on. (from the NY Times)
and another news article reported the same day…
The central witness in a California lawsuit against AT&T says the government is vacuuming up billions of e-mails and phone calls as they pass through an AT&T switching station in San Francisco.
Mark Klein, a retired AT&T technician, helped connect a device in 2003 that he says diverted and copied onto a government supercomputer every call, e-mail, and Internet site access on AT&T lines.
This second article is from the Fox News website. Last night, the story was also reported by the AP, but this morning, this paragraph had been removed.
Mark Klein, a retired AT&T technician, helped connect a device in 2003 that he says diverted and copied onto a government supercomputer every call, e-mail, and Internet site access on AT&T lines.
I wonder why they would do that? The Boston Herald still shows the paragraph.
It’s almost time to unplug my computer and walk away.
And finally…
Both sides in a closely watched legal battle over the District of Columbia’s strict gun-control law are urging the Supreme Court to hear the case.
<snip>
The question is whether the Second Amendment to the Constitution protects an individual right to “keep and bear arms.” If the answer is yes, as a federal appeals court held in March, the justices must decide what such an interpretation means for a statute that bars all possession of handguns and that requires any other guns in the home to be disassembled or secured by trigger locks.
Tennessee town has run out of water
November 2nd, 2007The severe drought tightening like a vise across the Southeast has threatened the water supply of cities large and small, sending politicians scrambling for solutions. But Orme, about 40 miles west of Chattanooga and 150 miles northwest of Atlanta, is a town where the worst-case scenario has already come to pass: The water has run out for the 145 residents. read the story
There are water filters that can purify a mud puddle or a pond. There are also methods of collecting water from a tree branch or dew on the ground.
How is your water backup plan coming along? What if your neighbor is thirsty?
Coming to a Theater Near You
November 1st, 2007SYDNEY (Reuters) - A man has been charged with murder in Australia after an elderly man who was watering his garden was bashed to death in an apparent case of suburban water-rage.Australia is in its sixth year of severe drought and most towns and cities have imposed strict limits on household water use, prompting a rise in suburban arguments and neighbors informing authorities about those who waste water.
66-year-old Ken Proctor was using a hose to water the front lawn of his suburban Sydney home. A passer-by made a remark. Ken turned the hose on the other man and a fight ensued. Ken is dead. Ken was not violating the law in that he was watering his lawn on his designated day. Yes, the government has imposed a rationing of sorts.
Most of Australia, apart from parts of the island state of Tasmania and towns in the tropical north, have banned garden sprinklers, made it illegal to hose down cars and pavements, and allow gardens only to be watered on set days.
Tempers flair when stress rises. How many more will die when water resources become more scarce?
Are you ready yet?