Meet the unlikely survivalist

She's hot, she's together, she knows how to load a gun, change a tyre and feed an army. She lives next door. She's a survivalist!

OK, we don't know if she's hot...but Technorati has a great post about who is really running the survivalist show, and 'she' is in charge of the household budget.

Bear in mind the post has a distinctly American slant: "She (yes, she) is most likely a minivan driving soccer mom who spends most of her time running the household, brushing up on her survival skills by watching Bear Grylls, and practicing target shooting on the weekends.

"Advertisers already know the power and influence of these women. They make almost 80% of the family purchasing decisions, thus wielding significant power over a large portion of the GDP. While the husband is bringing home the bacon, she is figuring out how she can keep it frying in case of emergency. She knows it’s not a matter of “if” something catastrophic will take place. It is simply a matter of when, and she is quietly scrambling to get ready for whatever “it” is."

How to survive in the Outback

Survival guru Bob Cooper shows how to do it...

Cody Lundin's semi-underground house

Survival guru Cody Lundin's groovy handbuilt digs was designed with a grid of rebar, burlap and chickenwire and building fence and then sprayed with pigmented concrete slush. Basically it's a modern-day self-cooling cave in the Arizona desert!
If you're not familiar with Cody's work (When All Hell Breaks Loose, 98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive), visit his website at http://www.codylundin.com/

Possum Living in vogue again

In 1978 a semi-literate 18-year-old became a literary sensation when she published 'Possum Living', a guide to living on the cheap. This documentary follows her lifestyle and the ensuing public interest in her hillbilly, low-cost lifestyle. Her story had an interesting ending - she went to college and became a NASA scientist! With the rise in interest in frugal living, Possum Living is a charming and mildly eccentric glimpse of doing things differently.

Buy the book here - http://www.amazon.com/Possum-Living-Without-Almost-Money/dp/0982053932

Can you survive an economic crisis?

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=90947

To some, the term "survivalist" conjures images of camouflage-clad men stockpiling freeze-dried food in a mountain cabin, but in the current economic crisis, the people quietly preparing to survive catastrophe may just be your next-door neighbors.

In his column in last month's Financial Times, business and technology expert Ade McCormack writes, "The world is in crisis and with it the world of business. Many of us have two plans. Plan A involves President Barack Obama performing some economic magic. Plan B involves a revolver, a vegetable patch and a subscription to Survivalist Monthly."

And while McCormack was writing with a hint of jest, dissent over the president's trillion-dollar spending approach to the economy has left many average, everyday Americans considering something looking suspiciously like plan B.

Discover the shocking truth about the U.S. economy – and what you can and must do – with "Black Hole," the most recent edition of WND's acclaimed Whistleblower magazine!

Bill Heid of Survival Seeds, a company that sells "banks" of high-yielding vegetable seeds sealed for long-term storage and awaiting a family's need to grow its own food, says business is skyrocketing.

"It's been dramatic, nothing short of dramatic," Heid told WND. "The survivalist mentality used to be considered a fringe element, but now that economic times are such as they are, many more average, regular folks are adopting the same set of preparations."

Heid told WND what's most notable is that his boom in sales isn't coming from just the usual survivalists stocking up for a Y2K-like event.

"Ninety percent of our increase in business is new business," Heid said, "people who have never thought about surviving in case of emergency before."

The Christian Science Monitor reports that Lehman's, an Ohio retailer of home self-sufficiency equipment, has recorded huge sales increases from across the preparedness spectrum, from curious buyers to the stereotypical die-hards, according to Glenda Ervin, the company's vice president of marketing.

Vic Rantala, founder of Minnesota-based Safecastle, which markets home shelters for protection against disasters such as hurricanes and chemical attacks, told the Monitor his company's revenues have more than doubled since 2007.

"If most people think of a survivalist as an armed loner with extreme views – there are folks like that out there, but there are many more in America who are simply involved in preparing for down times, lean times or disaster," Rantala, a former U.S. intelligence analyst, told the Monitor. "It's logical. It's common sense."

Seattle Times Columnist Danny Westneat interviewed Claire Anderson, a 68-year-old woman who was prompted by Obama's call for community organization to host a meeting of neighbors in her apartment. Their discussion of the slumping economy and fears of what lies ahead harkened back to the leaner days of her World War II childhood.

"I think we're headed back to the days of the victory gardens," Anderson said. "We have to figure out how to help ourselves. We can't be isolated. We can't sit around and wait for the government."

A New York Times article from last summer suggests last year's elevated fuel and food prices sparked a surge of interest in gardening that hasn't slowed since.

"Seed companies and garden shops say that not since the rampant inflation of the 1970s has there been such an uptick in interest in growing food at home," writes Times reporter Marian Burros. "Space in community gardens across the country has been sold out for several months. In Austin, Texas, some of the gardens have a three-year waiting list."

George C. Ball Jr., owner of the major seed and plant supplier W. Atlee Burpee Company, told the Times sales shot up by 40 percent last year, double the annual growth for the last five years.

Ball said of the surge in business, "You don't see this kind of thing but once in a career."

Anxiety over the economy has generated a spike in other areas of the survival and emergency preparedness industry, too.

Harry Weyandt is president of Nitro-Pak, a company that sells freeze-dried food, survival kits, fuel, camping gear and a variety of emergency preparedness products.

"Since the middle of last September, the demand for our long-storing foods and supplies has been very high," Weyandt writes in a column on his company's website. "We are shipping orders as fast as possible, but the demand for preparedness supplies and long storing foods is gaining steam again."

Last summer, an ABC News report said "there are worrying signs appearing in the United States where some … locals are beginning to hoard supplies." The report said some suppliers were concerned the U.S. government may be competing with consumers for stocks of storable food.

Spokesman Bruce Hopkins of Best Prices Storable Foods told WND his company was having trouble obtaining No. 10 cans and other storable foodstuffs, in part, because the federal government was purchasing such large amounts.

"We don't know why," Hopkins said. "The feds then went to freeze dried companies and bought most of their canned stock."

A statement from one of the world's larger suppliers of food stores, Oregon Freeze Dry, also confirmed that sales of No. 10 cans had increased so significantly, the company couldn't keep up and had to remove the products from their online catalog. The company has since contacted WND to explain the shortage has been corrected and supplies are again available.

WND also reported a spike in gun sales in the wake of Obama's election that was even more intense than in the days following Y2K and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks

And since November, the sale of weapons and ammunition hasn't slowed.

The Orlando Sentinel reports months of steady, heavy buying have left gun dealers in Florida facing shortages on ammunition.

"The survivalist in all of us comes out," John Ritz, manager of a Florida shooting range, told the Sentinel. "It's more about protecting what you have."

"People are just stockpiling," said a spokeswoman for Georgia arms, which has seen bullet sales jump 100 percent since the election. "A gun is just like a car. If you can't get gas, you can't use it."

Newspapers from around the world reported last month on people facing the economic crisis with increased preparations for catastrophe.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports the story of Tony, a 44-year-old stockbroker who lives in a Sydney suburb with his wife and three children. Tony has been stockpiling supplies including rice, multivitamins, peanut butter, honey, soap and toilet paper.

Simon Beer, who operates a survivalist website in Australia, told the newspaper he has seen a surge in interest lately.

"Climate change, peak oil, the economic situation," Beer told the Herald, "people are seeing we're headed for catastrophic changes."

The Toronto Star reports the story of Paul, a man in his mid-50s who only three years ago became alarmed over the possibility of fuel shortage and began a plan to prepare for survival should the worst happen.

"When cars stop running? And grocery stores go bare? What do you think is going to happen?" Paul asked the Star. "It's mind boggling once you grasp it."

And while the newspaper did depict Paul as the more kooky kind of survivalist, labeling him "a conspiracy-minded fellow," the reporter nonetheless was surprised to find him "disarmingly self-aware and funny."

As for Paul, he laughed at the reporter for assuming a man who prepares for catastrophe necessarily fits some "survivalist" stereotype.

"What did you expect?" he asked the Star reporter with a smile. "Head-to-toe camouflage?"

Bug-out signal - monitor the Internet

South African blog claims Internet going down will be the 'trigger' for survivalists to bug out...control the internet, control the information.

http://fto.co.za/news/bug-out-signal-internet-research-2009121816054.html

If you don't know what bugging out means you might want to learn, people all over the world is preparing for a global meltdown, a crash or something like armageddon coming, this might sound far off and if you dont know what prepping means you might think i'm a mad man.

However in the past few weeks we kept a eye on survival forums, posts talking about bugging out and general survivalist sites and they think the time is near for the need to be prepared, but what is their "meter" or their signal that they now have to bug out?

Well, we did a bit of research and out of all the posts, blogs, polls we could find we saw that the "meter" or signal that would make people bug out the most is when the internet goes down. As we wrote earlier the internet is the true meter or level one can see the freedoms a country enjoys. When those freedoms are under attack the internet is the first to be censored.

Thus we can now see a censoring or the want to censor the internet of governments like the UK, Australia and the US, that is because their "freedoms" are under fire from big corporations, governments, tyrants and what we call the "new world order" as they also claim to be on the path of just that.

It is safe to say that most big protests are now planned through the internet, even Obama who was elected president was helped by the internet. I have doubts that if it were not for the internet he might of not been the President although I might be wrong on that one, here where I am it seems to be looking like that was the case.

So the general internet population or those survivalists that are on the internet believes it is the internet that is their meter, signal or whatever we can call it that when that goes down, that will be the time they will bug out.

Stay tuned for daily survival news.

What is a survivalist?

Survivalism guru Kurt Saxon tells it like it is...

When a person embarks on a course of action, whether it be a profession, hobby, belief, or whatever, a label is needed. Some people don't like labels but they are necessary for advertising and identification.

The term "Survivalist" is fast becoming a household word. It is mentioned constantly on television, in newspapers, magazines and radio. Although just about everyone has come across it, few really know what it means. The term evolved from the general phrase "back to the lander". That was used mainly by ecologists and conservationists alarmed at the growing pollution affecting the quality of life.

The January 1970 issue of MOTHER EARTH NEWS printed a comment by Gary Snyder on pollution. "The human race for the last century has allowed its production and dissemination of wastes, by-products and various chemical substances to become excessive. Pollution is directly harming the eco-system. It is also ruining the environment in every direct way for humanity itself." In the same issue, reprinting from CAVALIER, an article titled "How to Make It Your Way", they suggested escaping to communes. "So the air is full of crud and the water tastes funny and the nine-to-five is a drag. You're tired of the subway, dog crap in the streets, bumper-to-bumper traffic and plastic TV dinners. Maybe the communes--with all that fresh air, sunshine, love and home baked bread--are really into something." The communes didn't work out very well. There was an overall like mindedness but the lack of discipline and practical skills doomed most such projects from the start. Also, too many who joined communes simply wanted a secure refuge where they could smoke their dope in peace.

THE MOTHER EARTH NEWS had a great impact on the Urban Dropout movement from the time of its first publication in January 1970. They made millions aware of the possibility of finding a more pleasant environment and creating a more secure and fulfilling lifestyle.

In the early '70's Don Stevens, who sells books on self-sufficiency out of Washington state, popularized the term "retreater". The term obviously indicated one who had prepared a retreat in the boondocks to go to when city living became intolerable. There is nothing wrong with the term "retreater" when used in its proper context. But it is a buzz word to certain types. I just heard what might have been a joke about a general who had an auto accident because he ignored a "Yield" sign. "Yield" was a buzz word to him.

"Retreater" was acceptable to pacifist drop-outs of the MOTHER EARTH NEWS school of thought. But to the more aggressive person it had strong connotations of cowardice. I certainly didn't like it, since my scenario of the near future calls for aggressive measures to protect mine from all comers. A poem says "I'll build my house by the side of the road and watch the rest of the world go by." That attitude is fine for "retreaters" but what happens when part of the world turns in to loot that house by the side of the road? The pacifist drop-outs and other non-involved persons simply leave the cities with no fanfare. They don't feel the need for a label because their move is not any form of protest. Also, they don't seem aware that the people they simply don't care to live near may well be a danger to them in the future as marauders.

Unlike the back-to-the-landers, the ecologists, the retreaters and such, survivalists are not non-involved pacifists. They are not necessarily eager to kill, either. They are simply aware that civilization is cracking up and see the possible need for desperate measures to come through with a whole skin. The social unrest of the '60's gave a great but delayed impetus to the Survivalist movement. As discontent manifested in urban rioting, clashes between militant rightists and leftists, assassinations, etc., the government threatened gun confiscation. Millions grew afraid of their government and felt trapped and helpless. As their children were bussed to black neighbourhoods, as their streets became increasingly dangerous and the quality of life lowered, they began wanting out. The weapons oriented magazines urged protest on all levels. They also detailed to their readers the government threats as well as the overall urban dissolution.

Some of them used the term "retreater" when suggesting that their readers drop out. But gun-oriented types were more likely to sit tight than leave under the stigma of "retreater". I am not suggesting that anyone put off leaving because of the term. It is just that they took a militant stand rather than retreat. In late 1975 when starting THE SURVIVOR, I coined the term "Survivalist" and used it in the first issue published in January of 1976. In THE SURVIVOR I have been urging decent people to abandon urban blight and take their loved ones to a safer environment.

My term has been catching on and now those offended by "retreater" are quite satisfied to call themselves Survivalists and move out. It has turned out to be a word anyone can accept as a label if they want one. Even so, the media is generally down on urban dropouts so they have been giving Survivalists a bad name. As you know, the media is part and parcel of the Urban Establishment. It follows that anyone unwilling to stay in the cities and support the Establishment and its hordes of dependents is some kind of a kook. A while back, Boyd Matson, of the TODAY SHOW, called with the idea of interviewing me. When he found I didn't wear a camouflage jacket, a beret and carry a burp gun he backed off. Some time later I saw the segment he made to describe Survivalists. There was a flock of about a dozen turkeys wearing camouflage jackets and drilling with rifles in the Oregon woods. I didn't know them but I could tell they were urban clerical types fantasizing playing soldier. They said they had a cache of food and weapons they would go to when the collapse came. In the event that they could get to their cache they would find that roughing it might be a little harder than they thought. Also, with such a Mickey Mouse setup they would run out of supplies in no time. Then they would turn into the same kind of predators they claimed to be armed against.

Do not be surprised when you see Survivalists portrayed as idiots and fear-crazed kooks. The sorriest was the Lou Grant segment titled "The Survivalists." They had a nut in that show who, during a California flood, stole a roll of plastic at gunpoint. He had his kids armed and waving their weapons at anyone who came around. He also used a phrase from one of my editorials, "Those who prepare to survive deserve to survive."

So they had my material and used it to make Survivalists look stupid and dangerous. They don't all do that but don't be disturbed when you see such depictions. Although everybody uses it today, I figure since I made it up I can also make up its definition. I certainly didn't mean it to be used to describe predators.

My definition of a Survivalist is a self-reliant person who trusts himself and his abilities more than he trusts the Establishment. Insofar as the Establishment is deteriorating, the
Survivalist prepares to leave it.

There are some who call themselves Urban Survivalists but I consider that a contradiction in terms. To hole up in an apartment and expect to survive mobs of starving rioters is silly. Imagine utilities cut off or blown up. Add police and National Guardsmen fighting urban guerrillas, firemen letting whole blocks burn and
all exits being cut off.

A real Survivalist would move out of the urban area to a small town while there is still time. I can't see how a Survivalist could live in a city in the first place. So if you consider yourself a Survivalist and want to tell your unborn grandchildren about it, get out of the city. Move to a small town and become part of the community. When the worst is over you might have seen some turmoil and even driven away some urban marauders. But you and yours will survive with dignity and with no regrets.

That is what a real Survivalist is.

Survivalist types - which one are you?

We'd like to be able to credit the following, but we don't know it's source, but thanks to Macca for emailing it to us :-)

SURVIVAL CATEGORIES

Working Citizen - Concerned with paying rent & utilities, keeping or getting health insurance, paying taxes, inflation, car repairs, leaky plumbing, back pains... May work two jobs, does without personal luxuries, hopes their children will do better than themselves. Emotional, physical and financial survival is the focus of daily life.

Upwardly Mobile - Concerned about aging, retirement investments, cholesterol levels, loss of employment, lawsuits, burglaries, bandwidth, clothes dryer lint fires. Takes vitamins, exercises, eats oatmeal, wears seatbelts, has smoke & carbon-monoxide detectors, requests medical tests, has numerous insurance policies, files lawsuits, pampers themselves wherever ,whenever possible. "Survival" to them means living long enough to take full benefit of extensive retirement plans and long term care insurance policies.

Medical Crisis - Has very complete medical pack in house and in car. Donates blood and is active in the Red Cross. Has taken paramedic EMT & CPR courses, knows vital signs, stockpiles medicines, etc. Concerned with vehicle accidents and emergencies involving injuries. Focus is on helping family, friends & community survive medical emergencies.

Safety Preparedness - Learns principles and techniques needed for surviving worse-case scenarios that can occur anyplace, anywhere. Makes preparations for such common calamities as building fires, dog attacks, physical confrontations, lightning strikes, car breakdowns, third-world travel problems, flash floods, home invasions and even train wrecks. Reads: Survive Safely Anywhere, Worse-Case Scenario Handbooks

Wilderness Survival - Being able to stay alive for indefinite periods in life threatening wilderness scenarios. These can include: plane crashes, shipwrecks, being lost in the woods. Concerns are: thirst, hunger, climate, terrain, health, stress, fear. Prepares with: knowledge, training & practice. Kit includes: water purifiers, shelter, fire starters, clothing, food, medical supplies, navigation & signaling gear. Reads: Nessmuk, Kephart, Angier, Mears

Personal Assault Survival - Individuals concerned with surviving brief encounters of violent activity. Focus is on personal protection & it's legal ramifications, danger awareness, Boyd's cycle (also known as the OODA cycle - observe, orient, decide & act), martial arts, self defense tactics and tools (both lethal & less-than-lethal). Reads: Ayoob, Cooper, Jordan, Applegate, Sanow, Marshall, Taylor, Steele, Sun Tzu

Natural Disaster, Brief - People that live in tornado, hurricane, flood, wildfire, earthquake or heavy snowfall areas and want to be prepared for the inevitable. Investment in material for fortifying structures and tools for rebuilding & constructing temporary shelter, perhaps have a below ground shelter, food, water, medicine, and supplies, enough to get by until contact with the rest of the world resumes.

Natural Disaster, Years Long - Concerned about long term weather cycles of 2-10 years, unusually cold or warm periods, that have happened on and off for thousands of years. Might stock several tons of food per family member and have a heavy duty greenhouse with packed in nitrogen non-hybrid seeds.

Natural Disaster, Lifelong - Possible scenarios include: severe global warming and the coming ice age, the greenhouse-effect-gone-wild, warming/cooling of gulf steam waters, large meteor strike, shift in earth's axis or reversal of geo-magnetic fields... Owns maps of previous ice age glacier patterns and are hopeful they live south of the permafrost line. May have purchased snowshoes. Reads reports by National Academy of Science and Woods Hole Physical Oceanography Dept.

General Social/Political Decline, Liberal - Concerned about growing cultural problems and the slow destruction of the constitution & the bill of rights. Into anti-crime measures, both passive (alarms) and active (neighborhood watch). Most often anti-gun, pro-choice, pro-environment, anti- war, against prayer in school, against death penalty... Supporters of the ACLU, Amnesty International, Ban Handguns in America, Greenpeace.

General Social/Political Decline, Conservative - Concerned about growing cultural problems and the slow destruction of the constitution & the bill of rights. Into anti-crime measures, both passive (alarms) and active (Rottweilers & guns). Most often pro-gun, anti-abortion, pro-business, pro- national defense, for prayer in school, pro-death penalty... Supporters of Attorney General Ashcroft, Rush Limbaugh, NRA, the Alaska "Support Industry" Alliance.

Cold War "Survivalists" - Fear homeland invasion by nation's enemies, whether foreign or domestic. This was a group of substantial size before the fall of the Soviet Union. True-believers currently suspect the U.N. of one-world domination plans and fear black helicopters, government intervention & taxation. The majority of these people have relocated to other groups. Favorite movies: Red Dawn, Mad Max trilogy.

Nuclear War - These folks know all primary, secondary & tertiary targets, downwind fallout patterns and chose to live in locales they deem to be safest in the event of all out nuclear war. They've built fallout shelters and have the necessary food, water, tools and skills to see them though. Other groups also prepare for nuclear war as an exercise, in that if you are prepared for nuclear war, you are prepared for all other scenarios. Reads: Tappan, Kearny, Clayton.

Bio-Chem - Concerned with the spread of fatal diseases and terrorist use of biological agents & nerve gases. Examples: E.Coli 0157, botulism, dengue, Cruetzfeldt-Jakob Disease, SARS, rabies, hantavirus, anthrax, plague, cholera, HIV, ebola, marburg, lassa, saron, VX ... Might own NBC (nuclear, biological & chemical) full-face respirators, polyethylene coveralls, PVC boots, Nitrile gloves, plastic sheeting and duct tape. Reads: CDC reports, Haz-Mat manuals, Preston's "Hot Zone"

Knowledge-Enabled Mass Destruction (KMD) - Concerned with unintended consequences of genetic manipulation, nano-technology, transgenic crops, psychological engineering, genome hybridized cloning, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, engineered organisms, self-replicating molecular robotic assemblers ("gray goo problem")... Techno-luddites fear human extinction. At the other end are the bioethicists who believe policies and self regulation will avert disaster. Reads: Kurzweil, Kaczynski, Moravec, Dyson

Over-Population - Soaring increase in world's uncontrolled human growth impacts available freshwater, food, health-care, environment, economics, consumerism, spread of diseases and just about every other facet of life. projections indicate that world population of 6.2 billion may again double in fifty years. Followers range from those who've foregone children & have had voluntary sterilization to those who've embrace large families and only then sound the alarm, like Al Gore, David Packard (H-P founder) and Sripati Chandrasekhar (India's birth control advocate). Supports: Family planning, birth control and voluntary sterilization.

Monetary Disaster - Reads lots of Ayn Rand and believe the Federal Reserve system is evil. Newsletters suggest hard assets of gold & silver bullion/coin and similar precious-metal oriented investments. They are preparing for paper money to become worthless, thus have a good burglar alarm system and enough food/ supplies to last a couple of months, or perhaps even a year, until a new monetary system (formal or informal) is re-established.

Biblical Revelations - The Savior is going to return very soon, the final battle with the devil will occur in their lifetime, the rapture is eminent. Very wide range of beliefs and attitudes in this group. Pacifist to armed camp, no food stockpiles (leave that to God) to decades of food storage, etc. The ability to put trust in faith, above all else, is essential to members of this group. Usually follow one very charismatic leader's interpretations of the bible.

Post-9/11 Reactionaries - Are convinced that government should have unlimited powers to do everything and anything to stop all potential terrorist threats. They want greater protection through increased governmental controls over citizens and foreigners alike, both within the country's borders and elsewhere. Willing to preemptively strike the enemy. Willing to surrender civil liberties and human rights in order to feel safe and secure. Believers rarely take any personal action, relying instead on the government to make changes.

Bird Flu devlopments

Spooky stuff - Tamiflu was temporarily available, as was Relenza, until access to supplies was tightened up. so that government stockpiles could be created for politicians, government employees and those in the medical profession (you come last, Mr Citizen!). GPs have lately argued for greater access to flu drugs...but in the meantime it's worth noting that, like with most disease strains, viruses can develop a resistance to antibiotics. Bugger.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23702345-2702,00.html

PROMINENT mutations of bird flu are resistant to one of the main antiviral drugs Australia has stockpiled in case of an outbreak, new research reveals.
A report in Nature - an international weekly journal of science - has found common mutations of the H5N1 bird flu virus that have emerged in human influenza are resistant to the antiviral drug Tamiflu.
However, they are still "strongly inhibited" by an alternative drug Relenza.

Economic collapse wins - hands down

Survivor Magazine readers have spoken - the greatest threat to civilisation as we know it is the threat of wholesale economic collapse.
The majority of readers (67%) believe economic collapse will be our undoing, closely followed by climate change (17%), with a possible pandemic (influenza etc) and World War III tying for third place with 15%. The least likely scenario embraced by readers was an asteroid strike (5%).
Given the skyrocketing price of oil, the shockwaves of the sub-prime mortgage fallout, various drought and flood events that have pushed up the price of food (combined with petrol price hikes), it's little surprise that economic collapse is at the forefront of readers' minds.
Stay tuned for a fresh survey :^)

The Happening - another survivalist scarefest

Oh boy, here we go again. I thought 20 Years After looked spooky (and played on the undercurrent of paranoia prevalent in the world right now). I'm heartened by the fact that this movie is directed by king of the bombs, M. Night Shyamalen, who is responsible for the god-awful Signs, the terribly predictable The Village and the really appalling Lady in the Water. Sixth Sense has been his only real triumph, and I have every reason to believe Mr Shyamalen is a one-hit wonder (but I'll probably still watch The Happening anyway so I can speak from experience). Anyway, scare the pants off yourself with this little trailer...oh no,what could it be? Sarin gas? Giant birds? Terry Wrists?

More survivalist books on the way...

You may remember Louis Theroux's engrossing journey into survivalism's hardcore heart in the US from an earlier post on this blog. Well now Theroux has penned a book about his adventures - The Call of the Weird: Encounters with Survivalists, Porn Stars, Alien Killers, and Ike Turner. Can't wait to read it...

http://www.amazon.com/Call-Weird-Encounters-Survivalists-Killers/dp/0306815672/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210738540&sr=1-8

But wait, there's more!

I've always been mad-keen on falconry, but there doesn't seem to be much of a 'scene' in Australia. But that doesn't mean I can't read about it, and this book definitely has survival merit IMHO - Falcon Fever: A Falconer in the Twenty-first Century by Tim Gallagher.

http://www.amazon.com/Falcon-Fever-Falconer-Twenty-first-Century/dp/0618805753/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210738636&sr=1-15

And lastly, of interest to Australians is Australia's Empire (Oxford History of the British Empire Companion Series) by Deryck Schreuder. I loved this particular quote:

"From the 1850s, survivalist anxieties became a feature of colonial political culture as rival European powers made their presence felt in the Pacific. These dangers were often more imaginary than real, as the succession of Russian invasion scares indicates; but this did not curtail their capacity to influence colonial attitudes and defence strategies." So we've always been paranoid!

http://www.amazon.com/Australias-Empire-History-British-Companion/dp/0199273731/ref=sr_1_31?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210738769&sr=1-31

Happy reading!

Food, glorious food! A survivalist staple

Oliver knew the score...

Food, glorious food!
Don't care what it looks like:
Burned, underdone, crude --
Don't care what the cook's like.
Just thinking of growing fat --
Our senses go reeling.
One moment of knowing that
Full-up feeling!

If you don't want to end up singing this kind of refrain when the shit hits the fan (TSHTF) or things are otherwise generally tough, some forward planning insofar as your personal food storage is concerned is mandatory.

Don't go crazy buying kilos of rice because everyone else is doing it, if you can't stand the stuff. Adhere to that favourite survivalist maxim 'Eat what you store and store what you eat!'

Keep a food diary for a fortnight and record every meal and normal shopping purpose, then sit down and work out what foods make yup your normal intake.

Now compare this to lists at one of these websites:

http://www.y2kkitchen.com/html/shopping_storing.html

http://www.foodlifeboat.com.au/

And then have a tinker with these food calculators:

http://lds.about.com/library/bl/faq/blcalculator.htm

http://www.providentliving.org/content/list/0,11664,2003-1,00.html

http://www.pantrylist.com.au/pantry/links/the-pantry-list/interactive-pantry.php

Now go shopping! Be sure to reach for produce at the very back of shelves (the longer life/more recently manufactured foods are - just like they should be in your own kitchen - often stored here.

If you're a cereal lover, it's not a bad idea to buy bulk. Cereal is a great filler and I know many lazy folk who, when they can't be bothered, will often dine on cereal for dinner! Combined with long-life milk which can be stored on shelves until opened, this is a great addition to your stores.

Large tins of fruit are also good buys, as are jars of Tang (vitamin C), Milo, coffee, tea, chai, cheap 'tea' biscuits (check packaging is intact), crackers etc.

When shopping, avoid crowds - shop late at night, or in off-peak times (ie not on pension/dole/pay days). Try not to draw too much attention to yourself. Shop at different supermarkets, chase bargains and - most importantly - ensure you can store food in a safe way free of weevils and mice/rats.

Go easy on frozen foods - if the power goes, so does several hundred dollars worth of meat and other produce. A good idea to prolong the life of your freezer for a day or so is to line it with bottles of water which will freeze, and defrost, very slowly.

For the cupboard, Bay leaves can deter moths, but freezing flour etc overnight ensures any eggs will be killed, then your produce can be safely stored.

Man vs Wild - Bear Grylls' new book

Bear Grylls has a new season of his hit show Man vs Wild (airing in the US from May 2), and a new book, "Man vs. Wild: Survival Techniques From the Most Dangerous Places on Earth."
The monster 253-page guide is packed with helpful hints and divided into ecosystems, making it easy to reference if you ever find yourself lost in the Amazon or stuck in the middle of the Sahara...but how relevant is it for your average 'survivor'?

http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/238225

Bee afraid...our food is at risk

http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=560012

They're nature's tireless workers - no wonder they call them busy.But you've probably never considered just how busy bees really are.
Well, consider this, these humble little insects are responsible for pollinating much of the food we eat.
Without them, we'd starve.
And this is where it gets scary.
Because, right now, a tiny parasite is threatening to wipe out our bees.
It's already destroyed bee populations around the world.
And, now, it's on our doorstep in New Zealand.

20 Years After...

So you thought all survivalists would get along after an apocalyptic event...

Australia unprepared for national disasters

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/07/2237318.htm?section=australia

A report to be released today finds that Australia has more to fear from natural disasters than a terrorist attack.

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) report says Australia is not well placed to deal with a major natural disaster and governments need to pay more attention to emergency response management.

The report finds that since September 11, 2001, governments have spent around $10 billion on counter-terrorism initiatives, but only $500 million on emergency response capabilities.

Armageddon tea shortage fears

Great Scott, what kind of empire thrives without an iconic beverage like tea? Not the British empire, which was plagued by fears of a potential dramatic shortage of tea in the aftermath of a nuclear attack, recently declassified documents show.

A tea drought would be "very serious" if Britain were to come under nuclear attack, according to a memo drafted between 1954 and 1956.

"The tea position would be very serious with a loss of 75 percent of stocks and substantial delays in imports and with no system of rationing it would be wrong to consider that even one ounce (28 grams) per head per week could be ensured," it said. "No satisfactory solution has yet been found."

The memos were among a number of documents released by the National Archives.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

Natural Born Survivors

What happens when one partner believes the end is nigh, and the other partner's preparations for 'the big one' are regarded as a quaint, somewhat eccentric hobby? A UK journalist was in that very predicament until prevailing world events changed her mind - and she's written about it in a recent issue of UK's Guardian newspaper.

"For three years, my husband has talked about taking to the hills. About buying a smallholding on Exmoor where, with our four-year-old daughter, we can safely survive the coming storm - famine, pestilence and a total breakdown of society. I would wait for his lectures to finish, then return to my own interests. I had no time for the end of civilisation. As an editor on a glossy magazine until a few months ago, I was too busy. There was always a new Anya Hindmarch bag to buy, or a George Clooney premiere to attend.

"But recently, I've wavered. Much of what he has been predicting has come true: global economic meltdown, looming environmental disaster, a sharp rise in oil and food prices that has already led to the rationing of rice in the US, and riots in dozens of countries worldwide."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/may/02/communities.fossilfuels

University survivalist survey

Survey explores reactions to possible emergencies, including radiological and nuclear incidents
University of Western Sydney medical researchers are launching a study to investigate how Australians would cope psychologically and emotionally in the face of an emergency, including a nuclear accident or attack.
The confidential online survey will gauge what Australians know, think and feel about nuclear and radiological issues and canvas concerns they may have about accidents and terrorism involving nuclear materials. Similar surveys have been carried out in Canada and Europe.
Professor Beverley Raphael, from the School of Medicine's Science of Mental Health and Adversity Unit (SCIMHA), says information is an important resource for helping Australians cope with the psychological and emotional challenges of any emergency.
"It's vital we establish the community's perceptions of potential threats, their knowledge of the dangers and their expectations of the response of government and emergency services," says Professor Raphael, who is also the Chair of the National Committee advising on mental health impacts of terrorism and disasters.
The survey asks questions about how people have reacted in previous emergencies and how they would react in different situations involving accidents or attacks, their level of preparedness, and their thoughts on matters such as nuclear and radiological issues and the likelihood of a terrorist strike in Australia.
"While it is unlikely that such an incident will happen, it is important to understand how individuals think they would respond and, if an incident did occur, which sources they would turn to for critical emergency information," says Professor Raphael.
"In general, people respond well to such challenges and are emotionally resilient. However, education can focus on helping people to be better prepared and to understand the most effective ways to deal with such a threat."
"Previous international research has shown people are less anxious about potential threats and dangers if they are better informed," she says.
"While there are substantial initiatives in place to deal with any such threat and to protect the population, there is the need for greater understanding of ways in which people would cope with any stresses involved and how they might best be supported afterwards," says Professor Raphael.
The research results will be used to help improve the community's understanding of emergency preparedness programs and the response of emergency services that are first on the scene of an accident or attack.
This UWS research is supported by the Federal Government with assistance from the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO).
The survey can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/2x6z9o and will remain open until mid May 2008.