CRAZY PREPARED

[Cain]

I am.  Convinced of the necessity of nuclear terrorism, that is.

I want to see Lord West shit a brick the size of HMS Ardent.

[Requia ☣]

http://www.nukalert.com/ worth the $160?
or something else cheaper?

Looks like it doesn't detect alpha radiation so maybe not the best

Wait... isn't alpha the one thats ten times as deadly?

[willem]

A little less meat consumption and switching to a more vegetable/fuit/funghi/fillinandbecreative-diet should quickly solve most of our food production problems

I defy you to back that statement up with anything even remotely resembling science.

Just think: How much feed (grain, water) does it take to raise a cow to adult age. Or try to imagine what weight of food you have consumed in your life to gain your current 80kg (or thereabouts) - I'm sure it's about the same ratio.

[Cainad (dec.)]

A little less meat consumption and switching to a more vegetable/fuit/funghi/fillinandbecreative-diet should quickly solve most of our food production problems

I defy you to back that statement up with anything even remotely resembling science.

Just think: How much feed does it take to raise a cow to adult age. Or try to imagine what weight of food you have consumed in your life to gain your current 80kg (or thereabouts).

What you're saying is that livestock is a less efficient way of getting calories, if I'm interpreting you correctly. As far as I know, this is true.

It's probably reasonable to figure that we'd stop feeding cows, pigs, and chickens perfectly good corn in the event of an apocalypse. However, it's also likely that surviving livestock would be able to feed on grass and hay, so people could conceivably still get their animal protein, albeit in much lesser (and leaner) quantities.

[the last yatto]

what if sun = fail?

[Cainad (dec.)]

what if sun = fail?

Um, then we're all fucked forever.

[the last yatto]

i was thinking more short term. its best to not have all your eggs in one basket

[Kai]

what if sun = fail?

Not for another 5 billion years.

[Requia ☣]

A little less meat consumption and switching to a more vegetable/fuit/funghi/fillinandbecreative-diet should quickly solve most of our food production problems

I defy you to back that statement up with anything even remotely resembling science.

Just think: How much feed (grain, water) does it take to raise a cow to adult age. Or try to imagine what weight of food you have consumed in your life to gain your current 80kg (or thereabouts) - I'm sure it's about the same ratio.

Even if we only grow a fourth the food we do now, its still more than we need.  The big risk is that food transportation is interrupted  (IE, the dollar collapses even further, we can no longer afford to import oil, and the government refuses to stop the mass exporting that will result with the value of at a minimum), in which case it matters little what the farmers are growing, since it can't get to the cities.  In fact, meat becomes *more* efficient in this case, since its high calorie density means more people can feed off a narrow pipeline.  Meat, especially cattle, could be taken to a city on foot as well.

[Requia ☣]

i was thinking more short term. its best to not have all your eggs in one basket

You mean like a nuclear winter?

Invest in mushrooms then.

[the last yatto]

could even be season drought or lack of sun
always thinking the worst

[Richter]

i was thinking more short term. its best to not have all your eggs in one basket

You mean like a nuclear winter?

Invest in mushrooms then.

I'd think an area with existing hot springs or other geothermal activity would be ideal for this.

[Richter]

Here's one idea we've had around for a bit, and came up recently chatting with Leln and others. 

Assemble the following and keep them in a waterproof pouch:
- Copy of your all your various ID (Licence, Social Security Card, Birth Certificate)
- Passport (if you hold one, if not GET ONE WHILE YOU CAN.)
- Cash in various sized bills
- An active credit card you don't use for anything else

If you have to LEAVE, bug out, or skip town, and can lay hands on this, then at least you have proof of your identity, citizenship, and some means to get by with.  Probably the first place I heard this was from a mentor of mine in High School.  She'd been reading about the conflict in Kosovo, the refugees, and how important it suddenly became to be able to prove who they were.  (local records destroyed and computer databases VERY OFFLINE).   It's been reitterated and reinforced by both articles (on getting through periods of social unrest and natural disasters), and other folks who are on the same wavelength over the years. 

Granted, this is only useful in a more genteel state of disaster, where anyone cares who you are, credit cards are still accepted, and money is more than kindling.  This isn't, on it's own, a compelte kit for getting out of Dodge, but if you have to play with airlines, official agencies, or borders along your way, it will make things easier (read: POSSIBLE).

To this kit, I'm also inclined to say, could be rounded out with a small amount of gold (in the form of simple jewelry, for concealability and ease of traneport.  Save the krugerands for your REALLY BAD TIMES kit.)  Bribes aren't exactly possible with a credit card, and are useless with the cash of a collapsed nation, but I've yet to hear of a society that doesn't accept gold.  If you have to bounce to foreign country, it could also be pawned to get local currency faster and less questioned than at an exchange office.  Use CAREFULLY, if at all, robbery is cheaper than exchange, and refugee lives look cheap.

[Golden Applesauce]

One of the problems in New Orleans after the hurricane was that almost nobody had backup IDs and whatnot - they were destroyed in the flooding.  Which made proving that you were the person on the title deed to a destroyed house, and that you therefore qualified for whatever program difficult.

[Richter]

Titles, that's another good one to add.  Might help on the off chance there's anyhting to go back to.

One of the problems in New Orleans after the hurricane was that almost nobody had backup IDs and whatnot - they were destroyed in the flooding. 

One sobering story I heard out of Katrina.  The National Guard organizing the evacuation often found people telling them they'd rather stay.  One clever bloke told them that was fine, and it was their choice.  He then asked them to do them a favor, take a Sharpie, and write their SSN down one bicep, and one thigh.  He explained this made ID'ing a bloated corpse in the river MUCH easier, especially with pieces missing.  Most people decided to leave after hearing this.