Interesting article - "How-to guide for the apocalypse"

Mentor

Mentor

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Hi all,

I came across this article in today's Toronto Star, and thought it might be of interest.

It has little to offer in the way of practical knowledge, and it gives passing reference to some of the survivalist stereotypes, but it is also, as far as I am aware, the first time that a major Canadian broadsheet newspaper has given so much space to a discussion of survival skills. I was particularly interested to read about the convergence of 'slow economy' and 'survival' perspectives in some local groups.

Anyway, lots of interesting stuff mentioned - stockpiling, skills, bugging out (in a boat, no less), and multiple references to peak oil as the justification for preparing for SHTF scenarios.

All the best,

- Mike
 
That's a pretty article and very different from I expected. That guys seems to have a pretty good head on his shoulder.

Although.... He reveals his bug out plan to the world.... I guess it could be a diversion :)
 
That is a very good article coming from a surprising source- the Toronto Star which is historically very left wing. There is alot to think about. Things have been going very smoothly for far too long, and the shelves are increasingly becoming bare. There is the peak oil problem, rogue nations with nukes, economic decline, which often leads to instability and political unrest.

Things go in big cycles, its been quiet for a long time, some kind of change good or bad is inevitable. At some point the world may get a shakeup and survival skills will be key.

Just as we change the batteries in our smoke detectors, it is good to brush up on one's survival skills and have some kind of plan.
 
In any other genre, I'd have assumed this was bad parody, but since it is coming from an "established" newspaper it is clearly a non-serious, politically tainted puff-piece intended to point and laugh at "survivalists" aka "doomers" and dismiss the lot of them as kooks while at the same time trying to bum a few useful pointers off of them, wink wink nudge nudge.

They did the same thing in the UK Guardian a week or so ago.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/jan/29/apocalypse-survival-guide-tanya-gold

In the Guardian, at least the sarcasm was a little more muted, and, credit where credit is due, the writer actually cleaned a pheasant. The Star didn't even bother going through the motions.

The guy they picked seems like a complete buffoon. They did a real number on him. They stress all of the ways that he fits a tired little mean-spirited stereotype, and by implication slanders anyone else who does any thing self-sufficient like practicing martial arts, owning a gun, having a garden, or sailing a boat. They are just scared mean little people in search of clues, like last minute cramming before the final exam.

I say, "Let them eat grass."
 
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Weird, I pictured a toronto star survival article being more of the "there will never be an apocalypse, because the state will always protect us" sort of thing.

Maybe the apocalypse they are thinking of is when the rest of the country has finally had it, builds a wall around Toronto, and they have to fend for themselves and deal with their population instead of shipping it off to Kingston for a couple of weeks at a time.

Sorry, did I say that out loud?
 
LittleHairyApe,

I have spoken with a few people who read this article and who do not share my interest in W&SS stuff. While they do seem to agree that the fellow with the bug out boat is a bit of a stereotypical survivalist, and that the Star was having a bit of fun with him, they didn't read this piece as a wholesale indictment of self-sufficiency and preparedness. Quite the contrary.

Many people in the GTA seem to be taking an interest in local sufficiency ideas, like community gardens, 'eat local' efforts, and so on. These ideas, which are definitely becoming popular as components of 'green' trends, certainly intersect with survival themes in some areas. The Canadian broadsheets have been running articles on scaling back and self-sufficiency for a while now - always in relation to the economic downturn. It's only natural that these ideas will eventually meet up with some more established survival themes. While this article was not the most charitable, I see it as a step in the right direction - A basic knowledge of survival skills and preparedness ought to be mainstream, after all.

I do agree that the focus here was too much on stockpiling and the 'doom' aspect of things, as opposed to practical skills. It would have been much better if the reporter had done some fieldwork and learned a few simple techniques.

Also, I would have liked to see a more detailed explanation of the listed stockpile contents - particularly the red wine!

All the best,

- Mike
 
Hey guys - hello from the Middle East. Let me tell you the story over here right now. It is close to chaos. The city state I'm in was the city that took its instruction from the Kevin Costner Film - Field of Dreams. "If you build it, they will come." This was the slogan of the place if there ever was one. I've been visiting here annually for the last 4 years now, each year the excesses, building and out of control capitolism exceeding the next. That was, until the global economic crisis that started out in Dec. Construction has come full stop. To the extent that dead cranes lay everywhere, half dug construction pits, partially built buildings. You see tools thrown on the ground.

This city is border line chaotic right now. Mind you, it is still safe with tourists floating about. However, lay-offs are rampant. The expats, who have seen their earnings triple and beyond, are suddenly fired with two months salary. The Dept. we work with shaved its work force from 400 to 130 staff in two months. Well at first they were given 3 mo salary. The going rate has dropped to two months now. Pretty soon it will be down to two weeks.

Many interesting stories are being told. The main one, people fleeing the country in an attempt to escape of their debts. Apparently, people park their car at the airport parking lot and leave the keys, credit cards and land deed in the vehicle with a note: 'Sorry I can no longer pay my bills - take my worldly possessions, I will not return'. Rumour has it that over 700 cars like this have been found in Jan alone, the papers (this is a media controlled country) indicate 10 cars were found.

When somebody is fired from their position (read expat), the bank is somehow notified of this at about the same time the person is. It is a weird confidentiality loop hole. Anyhow, the person's assets at the bank are immediately frozen by the bank until it is satisfied that any and all loans are repayed. People are carrying several thousands in cash in their brief cases and on their way to work in case they have to suddenly flee. Of course all this panic has caused a run on the banks. Their is no money left in here - or at least very little that is still on the books.

People are running from the country in waves. "They built it, but nobody came." I've never witnessed anything like this, yet it is still civil. There are thousands of people who came here to seek riches, many of which became rich, and now are abandoning with only the clothes on their backs. Why is it civil? Perhaps because the economic refugees still have places to go. The surface is orderly, people are civil. Dig a little deeper and people are afraid, yet the current salaries are still very large here. It is like they have to see the pink slip before they bail - and by that time it is too late. Unfortunately, most people here have bought into the same mantra - "we built, somebody will come". Their earnings doubled, then tripled, and they find themselves living a life that is higher than realistic. Welcome to the land of shopping malls, toys and endless ways to spend expendable cash. The facade of social standing is a strong cultural component here. It makes the fall very hard indeed!

The amazing thing is just how fast this all occurred. Two months. What will it be like in the next 6 mo. I have no idea. If it suddenly were to become uncivil, I might not be too surprised. Anyhow, I thought I would relay my experiences. Many of you know where I'm at right now, but I do not want to print the words in conjunction with this post. Paranoia - true, but I'm a bit shaken and afraid and feel vulnerable being here admist the suffering. No, my safety isn't in danger, but the visuals have hit me hard.

Take care - read that article again. There is a bit of truth to it I think. Our economic systems are failing us, or at least there is little safety net built into pure capitolism. Of course, economic models were flawed from the beginning - any system that depends on interest, and ever increasing earning potential in a world with finite resources has to find its limits. Have we been over-extending ourselves in the last 2 decades through globalization and opening new markets? Are all the new markets now really open? Sorry - this is getting political.

Be aware that financial trappings are as real, and perhaps more real, than angry mobs and generalize civil unrest. I realize now just how easily any of us might find ourselves in a crisis such as this one. Let me tell you it can happen quick!
 
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Mike,
Your thoughtful and moderate words are much more representative of the people connected with the prepareness trend, yet I cannot ever remember reading an article about normal people like you taking normal precautions. I have no quarrel with anything you have said, by the way, let me add. You (I assume) and I have probably been paying attention to this subject more than your friends who do not share our interest in WS&S topics, and no offense to them or you, but who cares about any opinion that is, well frankly speaking, extremely uninformed.

I'm sure they are likeable people, as are you, but the difference between them and you is (assuming once again) that for you preparedness is an informed, intelligent, precautionary decision, whereas they are late coming to the party and only because it is the "popular" thing to do. It's trendy.

So, again no offense intended to people I haven't even met and whom I would probably love as neighbors, but of course they wouldn't be disturbed by the article. It was meant to reassure and pacify them - and pacify the rapidly growing unrest that is welling up despite a concerted effort to suppress it, rather than to inform and educate people about their choices. That is grossly unfair to least prepared and most vulnerable skulls full of mush in society, and we need these people too. Libs need cons, and cons need libs.

My main point, which I know I am making badly, is that pointing and laughing can be a good healthy thing, when appropriate. It just that now is not the time. Some journalists, a precious few, have gotten it right, IMHO.

On youtube, there are a handful of videos made by the local news services in Arizona, Seattle, and some other places. The videos were all uploaded by abodude, who I assume is Cody Lundin or a close associate of his. They are clips of news report covering Cody Lundin taking random people out for a survival trip. That is an example of what could and should be hitting the airwaves once a week, every week. That is good, fair journalism. We have a pile of good people who have languished in obscurity like Lundin, McPherson, Hood, and Stroud. The newsies should grab these folk and make them household names.

So I appreciate your kind words, but the liberals are way behind, and someone needs to light a fire under their butts. Otherwise we are gonna be digging a lot graves for a lot of nice skinny hairy legged emo people. :)

Kind regards,
Harry
 
kgd-
Thanks for the firsthand report. That is some heavy stuff. I hope you're letting your beard grow and sizing yourself for a couple of cheap keffiyahs and dark sunglasses. You may need them. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. :)
 
kgd, that's an amazing update. Thanks very much for sharing it with us. This sort of thing is nothing new, of course - it's not hard to find ghost towns associated with dried-up industries. The scale and speed of the collapse is a bit startling, though. And worrying. I think that the whole issue of internally displaced populations (economic refugees included) is worth considering carefully. History shows us that fixed addresses tend to disappear alongside regional economies, which has all kinds of implications.

Take care, man. I'm looking forward to hearing more about your trip when you get back.

LittleHairyApe, I appreciate your position on this - and indeed, I share much of it. But I think that where we differ is that I see the current context as one in which people will be more likely to begin looking at survival and self-sufficiency skills, for a variety of reasons - and I think that's a good thing. Sure, they may be arriving at the party a bit late, and they may have some preconceptions that need to be dealt with, but the bottom line is that people from across the political spectrum are finding new reasons to look into preparedness and survival skills. The more the merrier, I say. And, at the risk of turning this into a political thread, I just want to say that, historical connections aside, there is no reason that survival and preparedness skills need to be associated with particular political stances.

All the best,

- Mike

PS - kgd, seriously, be safe! The image of abandoned cars with credit cards and notes inside is a powerful one.
 
Mentor said:
The more the merrier, I say. And, at the risk of turning this into a political thread, I just want to say that, historical connections aside, there is no reason that survival and preparedness skills need to be associated with particular political stances.
Click to expand...

On that much we definitely agree. Thanks for a spirited yet civil discussion.:)
 
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