Doomsday Preparation

[CCoburn]

Doomsday Preparation


I've been thinking about this a little more lately.

It seems that there is a small circle comprising the powers that be that really couldn't give a shit about you and me.

Egocentric psychopaths toy with genocide while in close proximity to their underground cities as savior. Poking the hornets' nest, ready to flee, with a dark little ditty rolling around in their evil minds – fuck you and me.

Their name is Nix, and they were born to murder the world.

Decisiveness is unclear. It could be something or nothing. I myself am not really in a bad place as far as the United States goes; maybe a little farther west/northwest aside from some extremely remote location outside the country which I'm not too enthused about.

Maybe just come up with a little bit of a plan instead of last-minute assimilating if and when the shit does hit the fan.

There's a sad tad of poetry in there in case you didn't notice.

There's also a stepdad of a friend who's like one of those doomsday preppers you hear about. When I go for the usual scenic drive tomorrow, I'm thinking about paying him a visit and having a chat for the hell of it. Minor preparations and whatnot, but honestly, I'm not too awfully motivated about all of this and aren't very likely to take a dive off the deep end, but maybe just a little something in lieu of nothing.

Not blowing things out of proportion here; just running parallel with it's better to have it and not need it...

Whatever "having it" means exactly – yet to be determined (don't be late).

[midicon]

Doomsday Preparation


I've been thinking about this a little more lately.

It seems that there is a small circle comprising the powers that be that really couldn't give a shit about you and me.

Egocentric psychopaths toy with genocide while in close proximity to their underground cities as savior. Poking the hornets' nest, ready to flee, with a dark little ditty rolling around in their evil minds – fuck you and me.

Their name is Nix, and they were born to murder the world.

Decisiveness is unclear. It could be something or nothing. I myself am not really in a bad place as far as the United States goes; maybe a little farther west/northwest aside from some extremely remote location outside the country which I'm not too enthused about.

Maybe just come up with a little bit of a plan instead of last-minute assimilating if and when the shit does hit the fan.

There's a sad tad of poetry in there in case you didn't notice.

There's also a stepdad of a friend who's like one of those doomsday preppers you hear about. When I go for the usual scenic drive tomorrow, I'm thinking about paying him a visit and having a chat for the hell of it. Minor preparations and whatnot, but honestly, I'm not too awfully motivated about all of this and aren't very likely to take a dive off the deep end, but maybe just a little something in lieu of nothing.

Not blowing things out of proportion here; just running parallel with it's better to have it and not need it...

Whatever "having it" means exactly – yet to be determined (don't be late).

I'm not fussed about any of that stuff regarding preparation CC. I live close enough to Faslane that any nuclear strikes will pretty much wipe me and any relatives out. I'm not sure I'd fancy living in a post nuclear holocaust anyway.
I take it all with a pinch of salt and invest no time really on the subject. It might be different in the US with such a large landmass but here in Scotland we would be pretty much obliterated.

[Anna]

While learning survival skills makes sense, prepping is silly. Nobody knows what future will bring and, at this point, it's hard to predict whether the present local conflicts will escalate to a global war. And food, even the canned food, has its expiry date. If nothing happens, one day you will have to eat the crap you bought or throw it away and buy new one. The same is with building shelters. It costs money and it would look kind of stupid if one dies of cancer before having a chance to use it.

My mother always worried about the third world war. Now she doesn't have to worry because she's dead.

There are things that don't depend on us and you can't prepare for every kind of emergency. Besides, I'm not really all that motivated to live a long life. Certainly, dying in the middle of war sucks but dying of cancer or any other deadly illness sucks no less. The same goes for having one's diapers changed at the old age.

[Tecate]

Hmm.
From where I currently am at close to the top of the world here on the Arctic Ocean, it all seems so distant and disconnected, but when I leave here and head south it becomes more real perhaps. Here if it happens, we’ll be truly screwed. The flights bringing food and supplies will stop, the sealift bringing fuel won’t come and eventually we would starve and/or freeze to death. Donner party anyone?

Down south in Alberta I have supplies, support and knowledge/capability to hunt, fish, forage and fight. If I’m in Mexico it’s a totally different story….

Is there any point in worrying about it? Idk. I worry about my family if the SHTF and I’m not there to help them, but if we don’t get vaporized wherever I am, then it’s a deal with it issue.

The problem is where you are when it happens. It’s all well and good to prep at home, but what if it happens while you’re a long way from there??? On a flight? On a holiday?

I guess, for me, there’s no practical benefit in stressing out over it.

Just my two pesos,

Tecate

[UltraBudgie]

There's also a stepdad of a friend who's like one of those doomsday preppers you hear about. When I go for the usual scenic drive tomorrow, I'm thinking about paying him a visit and having a chat for the hell of it.

that sounds like a great idea wow i imagine those prepper folk are wound pretty tight right now it might be a nice thing to stop in and let him know someone is listening anyway. human kindness. or i dunno maybe he'd be like haha welcome to my life pull up a chair and enjoy the show? dunno anyway lots of that sustainable lifestyle stuff is good advice anyway although as noted above you gotta eat that food sometime so best to roll it into your lifestyle rather than bunkerhoard. or maybe just live off the day with no thought of tommorow huh life is flexible whatever works for where your at i suppose

akshuly would make a fun thread hearing what advice preppers you know are giving now, both for haha and oh i didnt think of that

eta oh i found we can highlight names in comments now so i will mention it was Anna who said that about the canned food and it sounded like good advice you just put an at sign before it

eeta hmm wow that looks bright so maybe not useful oh and anna sorry about your mother i guess although your deaddeadpan was somewhat funny?

[Byrd]

Doomsday Preparation


I've been thinking about this a little more lately.

It seems that there is a small circle comprising the powers that be that really couldn't give a shit about you and me.

A bit of common sense preparation isn't bad -- preparing for rough economic times.

You may (or may not) remember the Great Recession of 2007-2009 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Recession

If the planned downsizing of agencies hits early in Trump's presidency, there will be a flood of people looking for new jobs, including people you know or may newly encounter.  Particularly senior citizens -- the cost of living adjustment in January (which will amount to about $50 per month or so for each person) won't be enough for many.

Preparation involves information -- I recently learned about food banks (and now keep a list of them on my computer) having encountered three seniors (one long time friend, one I met at a book club, one I do errands for) who are living on soup and cereal.  Knowing where free clinics are is another big deal... a handicapped friend is using one that I located for her.

I haven't found rent and utility assistance programs that DON'T require jumping through a lot of hoops (something the elderly and the disabled may not have the energy for) but I am keeping an eye out for these things.

So consider this kind of preparation -- prepare to help friends and family in need if tariffs cause prices to skyrocket and large government layoffs put a lot of people out of work.  It may not happen on our watch, but knowing where these helpful resources are may give a boost to a friend or relative so they can get back on their feet again.

[jaded]

A bit of common sense preparation isn't bad -- preparing for rough economic times.

You may (or may not) remember the Great Recession of 2007-2009 

 
Bless you for helping others!!!

Don't go nutty personally.
Was raised to always have about a 3 months worth of food in a closet. I'm a shopaphobe so when I see a item I use regularly, (on sale) it's toss 2 or 3 in the cart. The prices are guarentee'd to go up so win/win. 
Sure if we get nuked all bets are off, but having extra's in the house means in the winter I don't have to go out!! YIPPEE!!! It also is a "mental health-happy". If work goes T's up groceries are something I don't have to worry about. BTW I also stash Orajin's dry(sp) for my two furry idiots. Stashing cigs has yet to work out...
I keep finding them. 

Being able to do stuff is more important than playing "secret squirrel". Not sure barter's gonna work out immediately after, but it eventually will. Lehman's is still my dream catalog. The hand tools. (drooling....) 

Weirdest SHTF item?
3 garbage cans of hand picked anthracite coal. I will be FINE!!! 
My kids wrote me off as "eccentric" (read whacked) yrs ago. They'll also be on my front porch if things go haywire. Toting grandkids.
Do not know where we went wrong with them. They were raised to have common sense!

[argentus]

My Bride and me  prep for natural disaster response -- in my case that is mostly hurricanes and to a much lesser extent earthquakes.    In doing so, we also prep for the unknown.   We have a solar/wind system and the circuitry is encased in a DIY Faraday cage.   I hope.   Don't know.  Didn't cost much to set up.  Lots of aluminum peel and seal, carefully applied.  

Unlike you and nearly everyone here, we get our supplies via a tug and barge.   I like to play the "what if" game.   What if the barge just doesn't come ever again.   This time of year, there will be several weeks in which it doesn't come.   We grow green things so we have shrubbery to eat.   

First thing I would advise is forget about bugging out.   It's still a good thing to have a Bug-out Bag of your essentials, because you never know when you and yours might have to flee.   The contents of that bag/box are for another thread.   I have been doing this stuff for most of my life, because I grew up in the boondocks (yes, THE actual boondocks), and we were often unable to get to town in the winter.   People talk about bugging out, but the reality is that every place EVERY place they might fantasize about going to, somebody already lives there, and they won't find your company welcome.   Nope.  They'll see you as a threat, because you're arriving at their sacred grounds because everything is screwed up where you left.   You won't bring anything to the table that they need.   If it is a rural or wilderness area, these people already know each other and work together.   It is likely their first response in the event of a horrific disaster is to defend against people like you.   Not that you are bad people, just you haven't made your bones in the place you think to flee to.  

These are strange and dangerous and wonderful times.   I think that wherever a person is, they do best by creating a mutual assurance group (MAG) directly around them.   It's possible that not everyone around you is interested in doing that, but it's worth the effort to find out.   

If you have the skills, grow whatever you can.   Make sure you can make fire wherever you go.   There is no shame in using firestarters, but there is shame in knowing you might need them and still don't acquire them.  Survivalism and prepping are closely related.   Survivalism is a more long-term thing, imo.   Many of us elderly are pretty fair at food preservation.   That's a greatly underrated skill.   My mother dehydrated fruits and vegetables and meats, canned goods, salted meats, and probably a few methods I've forgotten.   

People like me are often characterized as living in fear and being freaked out all the time.   Nothing could be further from the truth.   We are at ease, always, because we know we've done all that we can.   It is then in the hands of [insert deity of choice].

[IdeomotorPrisoner]

Doomsday Preparation


I've been thinking about this a little more lately.

It seems that there is a small circle comprising the powers that be that really couldn't give a shit about you and me.

Egocentric psychopaths toy with genocide while in close proximity to their underground cities as savior. Poking the hornets' nest, ready to flee, with a dark little ditty rolling around in their evil minds – fuck you and me.

Their name is Nix, and they were born to murder the world.

Decisiveness is unclear. It could be something or nothing. I myself am not really in a bad place as far as the United States goes; maybe a little farther west/northwest aside from some extremely remote location outside the country which I'm not too enthused about.

Maybe just come up with a little bit of a plan instead of last-minute assimilating if and when the shit does hit the fan.

There's a sad tad of poetry in there in case you didn't notice.

There's also a stepdad of a friend who's like one of those doomsday preppers you hear about. When I go for the usual scenic drive tomorrow, I'm thinking about paying him a visit and having a chat for the hell of it. Minor preparations and whatnot, but honestly, I'm not too awfully motivated about all of this and aren't very likely to take a dive off the deep end, but maybe just a little something in lieu of nothing.

Not blowing things out of proportion here; just running parallel with it's better to have it and not need it...

Whatever "having it" means exactly – yet to be determined (don't be late).

Leave my elevator alone!

I mean if I ever had to flee the city I can't imagine any other city or even country I could go to would be any better. 

So... Id definitely become a mad max like post apocalypse rebel, befriend hominid kangaroos, and fight The Department of Water and Power... for having all the water and power. 

I guess it concerns me so little I can just make obscure movie and comic references! 

And post this song again in the event Nostradamus is right, and The Third Antichrist is about to start a nuclear holocaust....

[CCoburn]

While learning survival skills makes sense, prepping is silly. Nobody knows what future will bring and, at this point, it's hard to predict whether the present local conflicts will escalate to a global war. And food, even the canned food, has its expiry date. If nothing happens, one day you will have to eat the crap you bought or throw it away and buy new one. The same is with building shelters. It costs money and it would look kind of stupid if one dies of cancer before having a chance to use it.

My mother always worried about the third world war. Now she doesn't have to worry because she's dead.

There are things that don't depend on us and you can't prepare for every kind of emergency. Besides, I'm not really all that motivated to live a long life. Certainly, dying in the middle of war sucks but dying of cancer or any other deadly illness sucks no less. The same goes for having one's diapers changed at the old age.

I haven't checked for any recent updates yet today, and so far, I haven't done anything except write about it. I guess I was mostly just thinking about bugging out for a while to an even more remote location than I already am in the event of a worst-case scenario. The prepper I was referring is basically a part of the family, and they got most of the angles covered, so I'm not going to waste my time and money on needless redundancy.

I do think about the "age thing" often. I'm good today, but I could die tomorrow or live for another forty years. Death is most often not very pleasant in whatever form it takes.

I've even become less concerned about Putins' nuclear threats. Russia going nuclear might even be (or likely be) worse for Russia than anyone else and not culminate in the MAD that has been hyped up for so many decades. Part of it depends on whether or not and to what extent Russias' allies would become involved. I don't really think China wants any part of it, and that's the one I would be worried most about.

Apparently, Russia was squandering much of their military budget in lieu of maintaining their nukes, and some components, like tritium, needs to be replaced every ten years or so. Most of Russias nuclear arsenal and the threats directly referencing them are likely nothing more than antiques of the cold war era.

For many years the US put just as much money into maintaining its nukes as Russia put into their entire military budget, if not more so.