Doomsday "preppers"

[RandomGuy]

Caught the tail-end of this last night, while washing dishes.

From the National Geographic channel:

PaxjfQheNes

Link will probably break at some point, given copyright concerns.

Basically, there is a movement "prepping" "preppers" about people getting ready for the collapse of civilization for various reasons. Google the term for an insight into this emerging subculture.

The show details four families getting ready, most with food supplies for a year, with varying degrees of self-sufficiency.

Do you have your "prep bag" ready for the flight out of your city?

Interesting bit that some restaurant wholesalers selling bulk food items have started to cater to this newest demographic.

Man, I need to start cashing in on other people's crazy.

[clambake]

i do the same thing. earthquake country. been doing it for years. rotating stock does suck.

by the way, everyone should have a generator.

[DarrinS]

Man, I need to start cashing in on other people's crazy.




Why not? Al Gore has.

[George Gervin's Afro]

Why not? Al Gore has.

Talk radio and Fox news have made a KILLING!

[Drachen]

Man, I need to start cashing in on other people's crazy.

Just start a church that and say that you got the math right and know the date of Armageddon. Or start a company for rapture pet insurance (oops already there). Shoot, just start a radio talk show like Limbaugh or start a University like Beck and you can absolutely prey on the crazy.

[CosmicCowboy]

I don't see anything wrong with striving to be self sufficient. Not from an armageddon fear, but just as a statement of independence.

[RandomGuy]

Just start a church that and say that you got the math right and know the date of Armageddon. Or start a company for rapture pet insurance (oops already there). Shoot, just start a radio talk show like Limbaugh or start a University like Beck and you can absolutely prey on the crazy.

Pretty much sums it up.

The beauty about that plan is that the pre-set ideological blinders of people like Darrin/Yonivore means that you just have to cater to their viewpoint and they are unable to question your motives. They automatically assume that because you agree with them, you must be OK.

Dogmatics make for easy cons. How else do you explain large organized religions?

[Bender]

I started a bug-out bag a couple years ago, but never finished it

[RandomGuy]

I don't see anything wrong with striving to be self sufficient. Not from an armageddon fear, but just as a statement of independence.

I agree. A bit of self-sufficiency would go a long way.

What I find amusing is that some of these people suffer from the delusion that their families and cooperating families, comprising 5-15 adults/teenagers, will be able to, with any amount of guns/ammunition, be able to fend off the thousands/millions of starving city-dwellers who also have guns + ammunition and will be streaming out from US cities in the event of a real collapse.

I dont' care how good of a shot you are, 500 to 1 numerical odds will more than overcome that.

One of the interesting points that the anonymous experts who judge/evaluate each family during the course of the show brings up is that if you don't involve your neighbors you severely lessen the chances that you will be overwhelmed/taken advantage of.

[Drachen]

Pretty much sums it up.

The beauty about that plan is that the pre-set ideological blinders of people like Darrin/Yonivore means that you just have to cater to their viewpoint and they are unable to question your motives. They automatically assume that because you agree with them, you must be OK.

Dogmatics make for easy cons. How else do you explain large organized religions?

Had a buddy do this.... He designed some political novelty toys and created a facebook persona, joined some specific groups, and sold some product that way.

[CosmicCowboy]

I agree. A bit of self-sufficiency would go a long way.

What I find amusing is that some of these people suffer from the delusion that their families and cooperating families, comprising 5-15 adults/teenagers, will be able to, with any amount of guns/ammunition, be able to fend off the thousands/millions of starving city-dwellers who also have guns + ammunition and will be streaming out from US cities in the event of a real collapse.

I dont' care how good of a shot you are, 500 to 1 numerical odds will more than overcome that.

One of the interesting points that the anonymous experts who judge/evaluate each family during the course of the show brings up is that if you don't involve your neighbors you severely lessen the chances that you will be overwhelmed/taken advantage of.

I know I would feel a lot safer at the ranch than at my house in town. The city trash isn't coming to the country till they have exhausted all their urban possibilities for looting and then turned on each other.

[Agloco]

Coronal Mass Ejection

Interesting.

[101A]

Caught the tail-end of this last night, while washing dishes.

From the National Geographic channel:

PaxjfQheNes

Link will probably break at some point, given copyright concerns.

Basically, there is a movement "prepping" "preppers" about people getting ready for the collapse of civilization for various reasons. Google the term for an insight into this emerging subculture.

The show details four families getting ready, most with food supplies for a year, with varying degrees of self-sufficiency.

Do you have your "prep bag" ready for the flight out of your city?

Interesting bit that some restaurant wholesalers selling bulk food items have started to cater to this newest demographic.

Man, I need to start cashing in on other people's crazy.

I thought I was ahead of the game with a bunch of people (including WineHole) committed to joining my tribe. Too lazy to be a "Prepper" as described. I' think I'll just get the address of a couple dozen who are, and make sure my powder's dry.

[RandomGuy]

I know I would feel a lot safer at the ranch than at my house in town. The city trash isn't coming to the country till they have exhausted all their urban possibilities for looting and then turned on each other.

According to the guys who spend all day thinking about this, Colorado (away from denver), wyoming, montana, and western canada are probably the best places to be.

Watched a guy on (shudders) youtube with Alex Jones talking about waves of people leaving cities, so if you are within 200-300 miles of major metropolitan area with any way to your location, rotsa ruck, unless you are 100% underground in a concealed bunker.

[CosmicCowboy]

According to the guys who spend all day thinking about this, Colorado (away from denver), wyoming, montana, and western canada are probably the best places to be.

Watched a guy on (shudders) youtube with Alex Jones talking about waves of people leaving cities, so if you are within 200-300 miles of major metropolitan area with any way to your location, rotsa ruck, unless you are 100% underground in a concealed bunker.

Meh...In San Antonio they will all go north for the "easy pickins" from the richers in the Hill Country.

[RandomGuy]

Coronal Mass Ejection

Interesting.

1) Really big ones are rare.

2) Odds that the earth is going to be in the way of one are low

3) Even were one to head our way, several satellites trained on the sun usually give enough warning for power companies and owners of satellites to keep them from going kerflooie.

I am guessing the guy picked 2012 because of the hulabaloo surrounding that with the mayan calandar.

(edit)

Or not, 2012 is estimated to be a particularly active period for such events (or not depending on who you ask)

http://www.universetoday.com/14645/2012-no-killer-solar-flare/


In an added twist, solar physicists are surprised by the lack of solar activity at the start of this 24th solar cycle, leading to some scientists to speculate we might be on the verge of another Maunder minimum and “Little Ice Age”. This is in stark contrast to NASA solar physicist’s 2006 prediction that this cycle will be a “doozy”.

This leads me to conclude that we still have a long way to go when predicting solar flare events. Although space weather prediction is improving, it will be a few years yet until we can read the Sun accurately enough to say with any certainty just how active a solar cycle is going to be. So, regardless of prophecy, prediction or myth, there is no physical way to say that the Earth will be hit by any flare, let alone a big one in 2012. Even if a big flare did hit us, it will not be an extinction event. Yes, satellites may be damaged, causing secondary problems such as a GPS loss (which might disrupt air traffic control for example) or national power grids may be overwhelmed by auroral electrojets, but nothing more extreme than that.

[CosmicCowboy]

If they don't want to walk a long way through prickly pear, virtually inpenetrable thorny brush, and rattlesnakes there is really only one way in or out of my place. I'm pretty comfortable I could cover it for quite some time. I've got gear that kills man size targets at 500+ yards and most of the bangers won't have anything like that.

[RandomGuy]

If they don't want to walk a long way through prickly pear, virtually inpenetrable thorny brush, and rattlesnakes there is really only one way in or out of my place. I'm pretty comfortable I could cover it for quite some time. I've got gear that kills man size targets at 500+ yards and most of the bangers won't have anything like that.

Easily defensible and hard to get into will work too.

[Wild Cobra]

I don't see anything wrong with striving to be self sufficient. Not from an armageddon fear, but just as a statement of independence.
Libya was self sufficient, and look at what other world leaders did to them!

[boutons_deux]

"striving to be self sufficient"

waste your money on your silly dreams of impossibly circumscribed self-sufficiency.